Norby Down to Earth (Norby Series Book 7) by Janet Asimov & Isaac Asimov

Author:Janet Asimov & Isaac Asimov [Asimov, Janet & Asimov, Isaac]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Janet Asimov
Published: 2015-08-11T15:00:00+00:00

Fargo, Jeff, Norby, and Mentor First talked and talked for the rest of the day, reviewing and rereviewing the problem.

“I have examined Norby,” said Mentor First. “I cannot tell what is wrong. It seems that his major talents have been wiped out, and I do not know how to make new parts for him that would restore the ability to hyperdrive and move on antigrav. I am afraid to take Norby apart.”

“I’ll trust you, Father. You made me.”

“Only part of you, Norby. I inserted the miniantigrav components, as well as the mechanism to permit your travel in hyperspace, but after MacGillicuddy found you, he mixed them up with many other things, all intricately tied together in such a fashion that only he could safely take them apart.”

“And he’s dead,” said Jeff. “I had a faint hope that his grandson would be able to help, but poor Horace is a simple man with simple intelligence, not a robotics genius.”

“How about letting Yobo’s scientists help you with the problem, Mentor First?” asked Fargo.

The Mentor tickled Oola’s stomach with one of his huge hands and said, “Can you trust the admiral’s scientists?”

“No,” said Norby. “They’d lose interest in helping me and would want to take you apart, Father.”

“Norby’s probably right,” said Jeff. “We’ll have to think of something else.”

“Say, Jeff, you haven’t even shown Mentor First that gun yet.” Fargo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother. “I thought you told me Lizzie told you Mac told her the gun could be used for good. Did you follow that?”

Jeff smiled faintly. “She also said Mac told her the gun was very dangerous.”

“Go get it, Jeff,” said Fargo.

Jeff went to his room, unlocked the desk drawer where he’d put the gun, and took it out, looking carefully at it for the first time since that awful night when he’d come home thinking Norby was dead.

The gun was a stubby cylinder of pale orange metal that felt almost like warm satin to the touch. If you moved aside a guard plate, you could put your thumb into a deep depression and push forward one notch, or two. Merlina must have pushed two notches when she shot Norby.

One end of the gun was of the same orange metal, rounded off and closed. The other was open, and when Jeff looked inside he could see a translucent gold layer of something that didn’t seem to be metal, a layer that glowed faintly.

The more he held the gun, the more Jeff didn’t want to let it go. It seemed almost alive, a mysterious alien device that somehow made you feel powerful just holding it. He didn’t want to bring it to the other room.

Suddenly he felt as if he had been holding that gun for many years, that it was his and he could never get rid of it; yet he felt too that he would never be able to use it because it might destroy him.

Jeff squared his shoulders and walked into the living room. Fargo, Norby, and Mentor First turned to stare at him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.