“She is following, Garry!” Patch said.
“Yeah, and I still don’t understand it,” his friend replied, with a shake of his head.
“Why, that’s the easiest command of all I’ve given her to do,” Captain Eaton said. “The word ‘follow’ activates a sort of radar device in her and makes her follow the closest moving object. I believe that was what happened when she chased you last night, Garry. Something slipped, causing her to follow that particular action.”
The captain chuckled. “She could have pursued you all night, but she never would have come closer than three feet.”
The Carefree’s skipper entered a doorway leading off the corridor. “Here’s my workshop. I’ll have a look at Katrinka’s workings now,” he said.
The shop was untidy, cluttered from top to bottom with electronic parts, tools, and metal plates.
Captain Eaton gave Katrinka the command to stop and then with a screw driver removed a large plate from her back. He nosed about inside the robot for several minutes, making adjustments within the complicated network of wires and miniature parts. Then he replaced the plate.
“Just a couple of wires got too close,” he said. “She won’t be chasing you any more, Garry.”
“That’s a relief,” Garry replied with a nervous smile. “I wouldn’t want to go through that again, even if she is harmless!”
“I’ll show you how I build commands into her system,” the captain said. “Let’s have a simple command, fellows.”