Nick turned back to the robot I don't know I've never seen a real chicken Or a road Input accepted Updating joke file The robot whirred softly for a moment Why did the colonist cross the corridor Nick I still don't know To get to the other side Nick The robots whirring grew louder and it made an odd wheezing noise Was it supposed to be laughing Nick rolled his eyes and turned to his dad Can you make him stop doing that His dad looked confused Doing what Telling jokes Well yes that too But can you make him quit saying my name at the end of every sentence It's creepy I can stop saying your name at the end of every sentence the robot offered in its flat voice But I really like telling jokes I like to have fun Nick
At that his dad clapped his hands See You two will have a great time Nick looked at his dad's happy grin Then he looked to the robot's fixed stare An icy chill slipped down his back Why do I have the feeling this is the worst present ever
CHAPTER 2 Forbidden Field Trip Nick saw his dad's smile fade He really was trying I'm sure I can do lots of stuff with a robot like this Nick said trying to sound excited His dad smiled again You can This is a totally new design in biomechanical original building I wanted to make a robot who could think for itself If robots can think they can deal with changing situations and unexpected problems Then they can be sent alone on missions This is the first robot from my new design Nick felt a rush of anger If his dad had made the robot sooner it could have gone on the
mission Then his mom could have stayed in the colony where she was safe But he knew there was no point saying that to his dad That's really interesting he said instead The robot will learn problem solving and decision making from you You'll be its teacher his dad said Plus it is connected to the colony data cloud It can help you with your homework That means it'll be like a teacher for you too Sounds great Nick said A teacher is the perfect birthday present to go with his rotten life His dad shook his finger Keep in mind it won't do your homework for you No cheating I don't cheat Dad Nick said No His dad laughed nervously Of course you don't That was a joke A bad joke but a joke Fits right in with the robot's jokes Nick peered up at the robot's face So what do I call it Whatever you want Why don't you guys play catch in the gym It would be good for you
