It was nearly dark by the time the truck rolled into the lane. Big Butch, the huge clumpy robot who took care of Commander Brown, had been watching for it all afternoon. Butch, wearing a kitchen apron and a chef’s cap, should have been doing a hundred other things—but how can you keep your mind on your cooking when a new member as special as Bolts is due to arrive at any moment? A real robot dog! Nothing had delighted Big Butch more in all the time he had lived on Battleship Lane. As the truck rolled up to the door, Big Butch took one look at it and went thumping through the house, crying out, “Hey Bingo! Come quick! Bolts is here!” It was electrifying news. It woke up Pirate, the commander’s old green parrot, who immediately started squawking, “All hands on deck! Look alive! Butch says Bolts is here!” It made Claws, the commander’s black cat, forget about mouse-hunting, and it brought red-headed Bingo and the bald-headed commander on the run—Commander Brown puffing and wheezing, and Bingo crying excitedly, “Hot diggity!”
