Unwise Child

When a super-robot named Snookums discovers how to build his own superbombs, it becomes obvious that Earth is by no means the safest place for him to be. And so Dr. Fitzhugh, his designer, and Leda Crannon, a child psychologist acting as Snookums’ nursemaid, agree to set up Operation Brainchild, a plan to transport the robot to a far distant planet. Mike the Angel—M. R. Gabriel, Power Design—has devised the power plant that is to propel the space ship Branchell to its secret destination, complete with its unusual cargo. And, as a reserve officer in the Space Patrol, Mike is a logical replacement for the craft’s unavoidably detained engineering officer. But once into space, the Branchell becomes the scene of some frightening events—the medical officer is murdered, and Snookums appears to be the culprit. Mike the Angel indulges himself in a bit of sleuthing, and the facts he turns up lead to a most unusual climax. Unwise Child RANDALL GARRETT DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC. GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK 1962 All of the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 60-13524 Copyright 1962 by Randall Garrett All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America First Edition Transcriber's Note Extensive search has failed to uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright of this publication has been renewed. BOOKS BY RANDALL GARRETT Biography Pope John XXIII: Pastoral Prince Science Fiction Unwise Child Books by “Robert Randall” The Shrouded Planet The Dawning Light “Robert Randall” is a pseudonym used on books written in collaboration with Robert Silverberg. With sincere appreciation, this book is dedicated to TIM and NATALIE who waited ... and waited ... and waited ... and waited for it. 1 The kids who tried to jump Mike the Angel were bright enough in a lot of ways, but they made a bad mistake when they tangled with Mike the Angel. They’d done their preliminary work well enough. They had cased the job thoroughly, and they had built the equipment to take care of it. Their mistake was not in their planning; it was in not taking Mike the Angel into account. There is a section of New York’s Manhattan Island, down on the lower West Side, that has been known, for over a century, as “Radio Row.” All through this section are…