14 Recipe for Destruction

CHAPTER FOURTEEN RECIPE FOR DESTRUCTION The third Franbot scowled at Franny. Franny used her robot voice: "Oh. Hello. You're looking very mechanical today." "You can stop pretending. I know you're not a robot," the Franbot said, pointing its Food Ray directly at Franny. "And I know that you destroyed the other Franbots."

"So I suppose you're going to blast me with your Food Ray now?" Franny said, doing her best to try to think up a way out of this. "That's exactly what I'm going to do," it said. "And then I'll get your mom, dad, brother, and everybody else that gets in the way of my excellence." Suddenly a thought occurred to Franny, and she smiled. "Well then," Franny said, "blast away. But please make sure you make me into something boring like you did to Igor. I don't

want to be anything too exciting. I don't want to be gourmet food." Franbot Number Three aimed its Food Ray at Franny. "Okay. One tuna fish sandwich coming right up," it said. But then it hesitated and lowered its Food-Ray Blaster. "Wait a second," it said. "What's wrong with a tuna fish sandwich?" It held the sandwich that used to be Igor over the hammerhead shark's tank. "Look, the shark seems to want it."

Franny swallowed quietly. One slip and the Franbot would feed Igor to the shark. She summoned all of her confidence and imagination.

"Nothing is wrong with tuna fish sandwiches. It's just not the dish you would expect from somebody that was learning to be a gourmet cook. But it's fine with me. Remember, I don't want to be gourmet food, anyway. Fire away."

The Franbot looked angry. "You'll be whatever I want you to be!" it shouted. "Now tell me what you think would be a truly gourmet dish."