Fred

A humorous tale about a quirky robot. Fred is the latest American status symbol. It will do all of your household chores by itself. New intelligence science has created the perfect servant for your home. However in Fred's case the inventor of the intelligence has a resentment against the owner of the robot company for stealing his ideas. For revenge he programs Fred to be anti social. A robot with a chip on it's shoulder will ruin the company as word gets out about Fred. A hilarious and wild pursuit for Fred ensues in New York in a desperate effort to capture the robot before any damage is done to the company image. PROLOGUE Sometime ago there was a statistic quoted explaining the reasons for the ever-increasing pace of scientific advances. This statistic was rather startling. It seems that over 90% of all the scientists who ever lived, are alive today. Depending on your personal viewpoint, this fact will either horrify or amaze you. Scientific breakthroughs in every technical field are reported weekly. Some of them are major discoveries. But there are so many that only a routine recognition is possible as we struggle to find a place in our minds for all of this new information. The novel created here is sheer fantasy. Intelligent robots have been dreamed about for many years. Perhaps, given the breath-taking pace of advancements in the computer field, intelligent robots may soon be created that rival the imagined machines of this story. However, science has never been able to figure in the human element with any great degree of accuracy. CHAPTER ONE As you enter the lavish showroom of Astro Robo Servant, Inc. your eye is immediately drawn to the huge, larger-than-life model of an Astro Robo Servant. It is now commonly referred to in the American vernacular as an “Astro.” The model’s body gleams iridescently, the surface changing from one subtle shade of the primary color to another. A special feature the company is proud of is the customer’s ability to change the color of his Astro at any time to suit his mood or the decor of his house. The Astro--technically far beyond any previous mechanical robot-- burst upon the American way of life only a year and a half ago. Its abilities to serve a human master are truly amazing. Owning an Astro is the new social status symbol for Americans. The impact on society was revolutionary. Ownership of an Astro, designed specifically to meet the personal needs and wants of the customer was rapidly creating a new elite class of people in America. The invention had brought about a completely new level of living. Anyone who cared about his station in life was now striving to become a member of the Astro upper echelon.