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Back in the Dr. Killjoi’s top-secret laboratory, Zach and
Moose were being attacked by the two ROVER robots. The ROVERs looked like
small metal dogs, but were extremely deadly.
Zap!
Moose had just managed to jump out of the way when the
first ROVER fired a laser beam at him. Now he and Zach were ducking and dodging
as the two robot dogs tried to pin them down in a crossfire!
Zap!
Zach felt the laser beam hit the wall just inches from his
face. The wall sizzled behind him as he leapt to the left. He moved quickly
before the ROVER unit could zero in on him.
“Moose!” Zach yelled, rolling out of the way of another
blast. “Use your taser gun!”
Zach watched as Moose reached for his taser, which he’d
stuffed into the front pocket of his pants. Moose ducked his head down out of
the way of yet another red blast. Then he took careful aim at the nearest
dog-shaped robot—and fired!
Bzzzzzap!
Two thin cables shot out of Moose’s taser gun and wrapped
themselves around the steel canine. Moments later, the robot was enveloped in a
bright blue glow, as the taser fired 100,000 volts of electricity into the
electronic beast—short-circuiting it almost instantly.
“One down,” Zach exclaimed, removing his own taser gun
from his utility belt, “and one to go!”
He dodged down behind the nearest workbench, got the last
ROVER in his sight, and then pulled the trigger.
Bzzzzzap!
The robot dog got out one last laser blast before the
cables wrapped around it and pumped it full of lethal electricity. When the blue
glow faded, the metallic beast shuddered for a moment. Then it fell over on its
side with a loud clank!
Zach and Moose waited for a few seconds to make sure
that the two ROVERS were really deactivated. Then they got up off the floor and
walked further into the huge two-story laboratory that Dr. Killjoi had hidden
from their tour.
They stopped for a moment beside the two robot dogs. Zach
couldn’t resist giving the nearest one a final kick in the side.
“Bad doggie,” Zach quipped.
He bent down to examine
the machine.
“Look here, Moose. The laser beam came from that metal tube just
above his mouth. Dr. Killjoi said that it was just for decoration.”
“He lies,” Moose commented, walking past the dogs into
the laboratory.
He stopped at the metal railing around the second-floor landing,
and stared down at the workspace below.
“Before we head down there,” Zach said, walking up
beside his friend, “let’s check out the cabinets on this level.”
Zach and Moose followed the railing that ran along the
curved walls of the upper floor. When they came to the first row of tall
cabinets, Zach tried to open the door with his right hand.
It was locked.
Peering down at the cabinet’s handle, Zach shook his
head.
“It’s a simple mechanical lock,” he said,
straightening up, “but I didn’t bring any lock-picking tools.”
Moose looked over at his friend. Then he reached out to the
handle—and, with a mighty yank, tore the door off its hinge!
“I guess that’ll work,” Zach commented.
Moose laid
the metal door down on the floor.
Zach walked up to the cabinet and peered inside. Then
he jumped back in shock.
Inside the cabinet was a perfect replica of his Uncle Mike!
“Android?” Moose asked, looking over his shoulder.
Zach hesitantly reached forward and poked at the figure
inside the cabinet.
“Yeah,” he responded, taking time to feel the
machine’s plastic flesh. “It’s just like the one back at the Agency.”
“Want me to open the other ones?”
Zach nodded his head, then stood out of the way. Moose
flexed his muscles and ripped open the other five cabinets that stood against
the wall. Zach’s eyes opened wide when he realized that every cabinet had the
same contents—an Agent M2 android!
“Six robot duplicates of Uncle Mike,” Zach said when
Moose had opened the last cabinet. “What does he need six of them for? It’s
like Dr. Killjoi’s trying to create an army, or something.”
As Zach stood there, pondering, he felt Moose tug on his
shoulder.
“Uh, Zach?”
“What is it, Moose?” Zach answered. He turned to look
at his friend.
Moose didn’t answer. He just pointed to the first cabinet
that they’d opened.
Zach directed his gaze to where Moose was pointing,
and stared at the Agent M2 android that stood inside the cabinet. Then he
realized what Moose was pointing at.
The android had opened its eyes!
“I hadn’t figured on them turning themselves on,”
Zach said slowly. He started to back away from the row of cabinets. “Maybe we
ought to get out of here and go tell Miss April what we found.”
“Maybe,” Moose affirmed.
Then the two of them turned and started running towards the
laboratory door—directly into the steel-like arms of Hans and Lars!
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