A Memory Card for Mecha-Rex

By Julian Carver and Pantelis Politakos

  Drew Drugan is your typical elementary school student at Highland Park. He likes playing sports, video games, dinosaurs, and oh yeah- building giant robots! No really. Drew is th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pteranodon Press
• Release date: Jul 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987752654

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DINO-TECH

A Memory Card for Mecha-Rex

by

Julian Michael Carver

Follow Julian on Twitter: @julianmcarver

No part of this work may be reproduced in whole or part, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission by the author and publisher.

ISBN: 979-8-9877526-5-4

Copyright © 2023 Joey Kelly AKA Julian Michael Carver. All rights reserved.

Cover designed by Joey Kelly. Cover art by Pantelis Politakos.

DINO-TECH is a trademark of Pteranodon Press.

Have you read The Backpack Dinosaur series?

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A Raptor Ate My Homework!

Camp Raptor

Will You Be My Raptor?

Not a Raptor Was Stirring

From Raptor, With Love

Please Don’t Feed The Raptors

CONTENTS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

About the Author

1

Slamming his locker shut, Drew Drugan grabbed his backpack and headed down the hall to his next class. Through the crowd of chattering Highland Park Elementary School students, he spotted his two fifth grade pals, AJ Clement and Owen Ashbury, not far away. AJ was struggling to tie his sneakers. Owen was waving to him by the water fountain, washing food from his braces.

Drew was wearing his favorite shirt; a tee shirt with a design of a brontosaurus wearing a lab coat while looking into a microscope. His hair was messy and ruffled. That morning, he had to leave in a hurry. His father didn’t have time to drive him to school—he was too busy constructing his latest invention. Realizing he had to take the bus, there was almost no time to get ready.

"Howdy!" AJ exclaimed.

Drew answered with a lazy salute. He bent over and sipped the cold water. He was exhausted, and the day had barely begun. He felt his eyes drooping, realizing water was spilling onto his shoes.

"What’s going on with you, Drewsy? AJ asked in a peppy voice. You look like you blew a gasket. Long night with a wacky science experiment?"

Just tired, Drew replied, tasting the refreshing water before wiping his lips. Boy, do I miss naptime. Can we go back to kindergarten, please?

"Tired? Owen chuckled. Dude, it’s not even lunch yet! You better not be a stick in the mud for recess. We got that big kickball game today. I need you on your A-Game! Sometimes you’re a good catcher. Other times, major butterfingers. Try to catch the ball with your hands this game, will you? It’s hard to catch a ball with your noggin’."

Although I am enjoying the masking tape-fix, AJ laughed, pointing to Drew’s bent glasses.

A month ago, Drew’s glasses broke over a heated match of dodge-ball. His Dad suggested just taping them with masking tape instead of buying a new pair. At first, Drew wanted to get them fixed. But after awhile, he thought the tape gave him a ‘smarty-pants’ look, so he debated sticking with it. If it meant a couple jokes from his buddies every now and then, it was worth it.

"I meant mentally tired, Drew laughed, elbowing his pals in the ribs. I’m driving myself crazy on what I want to do for the big science-fair coming up next week. Like, what am I supposed to do? Something with magnetic levitation? Something with hydro-power? I have zero ideas, fellas. Can you believe it? Everyone’s counting on me to do something crazy. I can’t let them down. I got nothin’! Me—the science kid. Zero ideas. Help me out, fellas."

Drew Drugan had developed a reputation as being the brainiac of the fifth-grade class. He was a straight-A student, with a natural gift for mechanics. He was building solar-powered engines in second grade when most of his friends were still trying to figure out building blocks. Everyone always told him he got his smarts from his father—a robotics designer famed for his wacky inventions seen around town. The only thing he enjoyed just as much as robotics was paleontology. To say Drew was a fan of dinosaurs would be an understatement—he loved dinosaurs!

Why not just break into your Dad’s workshop and steal one of his inventions? AJ suggested, pushing past a band-kid carrying a tuba. That guy has all kinda neat contraptions. There’s gotta be something in his lab he won’t know you stole. Pick something he stopped tinkering with. Just steal one of his little gizmo-thingys and you’ll be set!

Everyone in school knew that Drew’s dad was the town inventor. He could build anything—literally anything—in robot form. Last month, Drew’s dad built an anti-burglary system, but not just any system. The contraption was built in the form of a large mechanical spider robot nicknamed the Spy-Dar. The machine was capable of webbing anyone that dared trespass on their property. Through canisters mounted along the robot’s front side, the Spy-Dar fired a sticky substance that could wrap around someone like glue.

Unfortunately for Drew’s Dad, the Spy-Dar backfired—big-time!

The robot webbed a passing school bus on Drew’s street. The incident caused a horrible traffic jam. Several cars suffered fender-benders. No one was hurt, but the Peterson’s house down the street got a mailbox flattened by a pick-up truck driving in reverse.

After the dust settled, Drew’s Dad was forced to get rid of the robot at the town landfill—just like all of his other failed inventions. The junkyard was becoming a regular place for the Drugan family robotics—or ‘robo-rejects’ as a few bitter neighbors referred to them.

Yeah, but they never work, remember? Drew laughed, adjusting his wide-rimmed glasses. Every one of his robots blows up in his face! Remember that time he built that hedge-trimming robot? It was pretty cool, right? Well, not until it almost cut my neighbor’s cable connection. My parents got a nasty letter from the utility company about that.

That thing was more of a ninja than a gardener, AJ laughed. Cool, but too dangerous for lawn care.

"Well, maybe they’re not the greatest robots, Owen laughed as they walked down the stairs to the first floor of school. But at least they’re cool looking! They remind me of the main-creature in those old monster movies! Just steal one of his and claim it as your own. You could get grounded for life if your parents find out—but still! What are the odds of that happening? Pretty small, I’d bet."

You think I could pull that off? Drew laughed. I’d be the king of the fifth grade if I brought a fully-operational robot.

Of course you can! AJ said. You’re the smartest dork in our grade—and I say that with love! Everyone will believe you built it.

"Not to mention the youngest in our grade, Owen laughed, jabbing Drew in the ribs. Don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you."

Well what are you two dweebs making? Drew shot back, pushing out the stairwell doors and entering the first floor. AJ, don’t get any ideas about bringing your dead hamster back to life. Frankenstein was just a movie. That stuff doesn’t work in real life, you know.

Very funny, AJ chuckled, brushing shoulders with a kid in a Math-Rules! shirt. I literally have no idea. Probably just look up an idea last minute and make my Mom do it for me. She’ll be mad at first, but she’ll come around. She can’t risk me failing. It will make her look bad with all her grown-up friends.

Same, Owen added. "My old man makes great last minute projects. But seriously, Drew. I think you should use your dad to your advantage. He’s gotta have some sweet half-finished projects