Asimov’s Future History Volume 6

by Isaac Asimov

  “Do you?”

  “Yes!”

  “Well... you haven’t known who you are for the entire time I’ve known you. You’ve had amnesia since....” She shook her head, shaking off the thought. “I may not have adjusted to everything, but at least I have something.” Then she hesitated, searching his face. “I didn’t mean to say that. Not out loud, anyway. Did I get that right? Or did I remember wrong?”

  Derec shook his head shortly and turned away. “That’s right.” She had even phrased it much the same way on earlier occasions. He shifted around on his knees, feeling for an irregularity in the smooth surface.

  “Mandelbrot, can you see anything?”

  “Here,” said Mandelbrot, walking to a far corner of the platform. “My vision has identified a small square outline that likely represents the opening.”

  “Good.” Derec walked over to Mandelbrot and knelt at the robot’s feet. He slid his hands along the sides of a rectangular hairline break in the platform floor until he felt a small depression in the surface, no larger than a thumbhold. He braced himself and started to slide it to one side.

  “Allow me,” said Mandelbrot.

  “No, I got it —” Derec stopped, as the robot gently grasped his forearm and pulled it away. He turned to look up. “Mandelbrot, what are you doing?”

  “How much have the chemfets in your body weakened you?” Mandelbrot asked.

  “Not that much! Now let’s quit talking and get down there. Avery put ’em in me and he’s the only one who can get ’em out. Come on!” Derec pulled away from the robot again.

  “Derec?” Ariel said tentatively.

  “Mandelbrot,” said Derec, “carry Wolruf and come down last. Help Ariel over the —”

  “I cannot. I must open it and go first.”

  “What?”

  “The First Law of Robotics,” said Mandelbrot mildly. “I can’t harm a human or let one come to harm —”

  “I know!” Derec shouted angrily. “Don’t you lecture me on the Laws. I put you together, remember? I know those Laws inside out, outside in, upside down —”

  “I said it for Ariel’s benefit,” said Mandelbrot. “Perhaps her memory of the Laws is not clear.”

  “I remember that one.” Ariel looked embarrassed by the confrontation. “Uh — is the Second Law the one that says a robot must obey orders from a human?”

  “Yes, unless the orders conflict with the First Law.” Mandelbrot nodded.

  “Then the Third Law must be the one that says a robot can’t let itself come to harm or harm itself.”

  “As long as this doesn’t conflict with the First or Second Laws,” Mandelbrot finished. “Correct.”

  Ariel smiled faintly.

  “Let’s get going,” said Derec impatiently. He reached for the thumbhold again, though he did not expect Mandelbrot to let him open the door now, either.

  “I will determine this situation,” said Mandelbrot firmly. “With all due respect, the Laws require it.”

  “How do you figure that?” Derec demanded.

  “Your motor control of your own body is gradually failing because of the chemfets in your body. Ariel is disoriented because of her memory transfer, and Wolruf’s body is unsuited to climbing down at this steep angle. We are about to enter the office and possible temporary residence of your nemesis. The likelihood of harm to you is high; therefore, I shall go first.”

  Derec glared at him, unable to argue with his robotic logic.

  Wolruf looked up at him, cocking her doglike face to one side. “Arr ‘u going to carry me down?”

  “I will enter alone, first,” said Mandelbrot. “Derec’s knowledge of Robot City makes him the best able to handle unexpected developments, so he will follow me if the room offers no danger. I will carry you down if we all go.”

  Wolruf nodded assent.

  Derec watched Mandelbrot in the faint light. The robot hesitated just a moment, probably looking with infrared sensors and listening for signs of habitation or danger within. Then he bent down and slid the trapdoor open slightly. After another pause, he opened the trap fully and climbed down a metal ladder inside the door.

  Derec waited, hardly daring to breathe. Avery could easily have a trap waiting for them. Wolruf moved to his side. Ariel stood quietly, but seemed relaxed, as though she did not understand the gravity of the situation.

  After what seemed like a long time, a light came on in the room, throwing a cone of light upward.

  Mandelbrot called up softly. “It is here and unoccupied, apparently safe for everyone.”

  Derec let out a breath of relief and took Ariel’s arm. “You go next. Never mind what he said about me handling the unexpected; he can protect you better if anything happens. And he’ll help you if you have trouble with the ladder.”

  “All right.” Ariel started climbing down carefully.

  Wolruf came to the edge of the opening and peeked down cautiously, being careful not to get in the way.

  Derec took the time to move with similar caution to the edge of the Compass Tower. So far, he could see no changes down below that indicated an alert.

  Wolruf went next. Then Derec started down, hoping his hands and feet would obey him. He descended slowly into the room, holding the ladder tightly. When he was fully inside, he slid the door shut over his head.

  The ladder was firm and not difficult to negotiate. Just before he reached the floor, however, the muscles of his right leg failed to respond. His foot slipped off the bottom rung and he stumbled back into the arms of Mandelbrot.

  Derec pulled himself away, glaring at the others, who were all watching him. “I just slipped, all right?”

  None of them answered.

  “Come on, come on. Let’s find out what we can.” Derec moved past Mandelbrot to pace around the office, looking around.

  At first glance, it was just as he remembered. The only other time he had been here, Ariel had remained inside only a moment or two, so she would have few memories of the interior even at her best. The other two had never been here at all.

  The walls and the ceiling were entirely viewscreens, displaying a panoramic view of Robot City at night on all sides. It was nearly identical to the view Derec had seen from the platform just above the room.

  The buildings of Robot City sparkled in all directions as far as he could see. In the ceiling, they could see the blue sky still above them.

  The office was furnished with real furniture, all brought from another planet; easy chairs, couch-bed, and an iron-alloy desk, instead of the simple utilitarian furniture made in Robot City. A blotter with paper and two zero-g ink pens were on the desk. As before, a small, airtight shelf full of tapes was intact. They were separated by subject and then by planet, as he recalled, representing all fifty-five Spacer worlds. If anyone had used them, they had all been replaced in order. Nothing seemed changed since his last visit until he turned and saw the plant.

  Before, an unfamiliar plant had been flourishing under a growth light. The light was still in place, but the plant beneath it lay limp and dried in its pot. Its stalks were lavender, but he had no idea if that was a sign of recent desiccation or its normal color in death. He crumpled a dead leaf thoughtfully in one hand.

  “Someone just let it die,” said Ariel, joining him.

  “I don’t think anyone’s been here,” said Derec. “Mandelbrot, Wolruf — does anyone see any sign of recent habitation here?”

  Ariel looked around the room, and then down into a small waste basket. “This is empty.”

  “Someone has been here since I was here last, then,” said Derec. “But that was a long time ago.” He turned back to the desk with a sudden memory. Before, a holo cube with a picture of a mother and baby had been on it. The cube was gone.

  “Maybe rrobot emptied mash,” said Wolruf.

  “No.” Derec shook his head. “The first time I was here, Ariel and I were led here from the meeting room of the Supervisors. We had entered the Compass Tower from the ground belo
w. But we came the last part of the trip alone. Robots aren’t even allowed near this office. I doubt that they have any idea what this room is. Entry would obviously be forbidden.”

  “Then except for Dr. Avery himself,” said Ariel, “this is an ideal hiding place.”

  “If we can find a source of food for you three,” said Mandelbrot. “Also, efforts to locate Dr. Avery will involve inherent risk.”

  “Let me check something.” Derec moved to the desk and opened the big well drawer on the right. An active computer terminal was still housed within it. “Ah! This terminal has no blocks of any kind. It’s where I first learned the causes behind the shapechanging mode of the city.” He sat down at the desk and entered the question, “Does this office have any sensors reporting to the outside?”

  “NEGATIVE.”

  “Order: Do not leave any record of activity on this terminal in the city computer.”

  “AFFIRMED.”

  “Is there a source of human food available in this room?”

  “AFFIRMATIVE.”

  “Where is it?”

  “THE CONTROL PANEL SLIDES OUT FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE DESK SURFACE WHERE IT OVERHANGS THIS DRAWER.”

  “Is there a Personal facility?”

  “YES.”

  “Where is it?”

  “THE DOOR IS SET INTO THE VIEWSCREEN BEHIND THE LADDER. IT IS GOVERNED BY THE DESK CONTROL PANEL ALSO.”

  Derec felt under the overhanging edge of the desk and slid out a wafer-thin panel with raised studs. He pushed the one marked “Mealtime” and turned around at a faint hum from the wall. Near the ladder, a rectangular panel had moved out of the view screen on the wall to reveal the receptacle of a small chemical processor. On the front of the drawer, the panel still showed its share of the outside view of Robot City.

  He let out a long breath, and grinned at Ariel. “If it works, this buys us some time. If the tank has no raw nutrients, it can’t help us at all. I’ll try it.”

  “No, let me.” Ariel moved to the control panel quickly. “I can test my memory with stuff like this. Let’s see....” She punched a sequence of keys, paused to think, and hit another series.

  “Okay,” said Derec. “What’s it going to be?”

  “I’m not telling. I want to see if you can recognize it.” She smiled impishly, but with a bit of worry, too.

  Derec punched another button on the control panel, and watched a narrow door slide open in the viewscreen, next to the chemical processor. It was a very small Personal, as clean and tidy as the rest of the office. He closed the door again.

  A few moments later, a small container slid into the food receptacle. Derec inhaled the aroma. “Ha!

  Magellanic frettage again? Not bad.” He touched the container carefully. “And hot, too. Smells good.”

  He looked at her over his shoulder. “Good job.”

  Ariel smiled, wiping perspiration off her forehead with the back of one hand

  “‘Ungrry, too, please,” said Wolruf politely. “Of course. Coming up next,” said Ariel.

  Derec was starting to lift the dish out of the receptacle when he saw Ariel blink quickly, repeatedly, and stagger backward. She fell, and Mandelbrot moved behind her just in time to catch her and lift her gently from the floor. He turned and laid her carefully on the couch.

  Chapter 2

  MEMORIES AND CHEMFETS

  DEREC MOVED QUICKLY to her side and knelt down. “Ariel?” he said softly.

  She was breathing in quick, shallow breaths and perspiring freely. Her eyes were closed.

  “Mandelbrot?” Derec said quietly. “Have you got any idea what’s wrong with her?”

  “No, Derec. My human medical knowledge is very limited.”

  “Maybe iss jusst tirred,” Wolruf said softly. “Hass been verry sick. Needs resst.”

  “I hope so,” said Derec. He felt a deep sense of panic. The ordeal she had undergone on Earth had been extremely draining, and their landing back here must have caused her more stress than he had realized. “Up till now, she was acting almost normal.”

  Wolruf came to stand next to Derec. She looked at Ariel’s face. “Suggesst ‘u brring food.”

  “Mandelbrot,” said Derec.

  The robot brought over the container of Megallanic frettage and handed it to Derec. Eating utensils were attached to the side of the container. He simply held it, letting the aroma rise into the air near her.

  Nothing happened.

  “Maybe this isn’t what she needs. She isn’t responding at all.” He glanced at the others questioningly.

  “Water?” Wolruf suggested.

  “Must find the stranger,” Ariel muttered. Her eyes were still closed, but she tossed restlessly.

  “What?” Derec asked gently. “What stranger?”

  “Draw him to us. aotta be hungry by now.” She squirmed, the sweat on her face shining in the light of the room. “Have to make it better. Have to make him like it. Has to smell right.” She threw her head from side to side.

  “Who?” Derec insisted. “Avery? We’ll find him. Do you mean Dr. Avery?” Then he realized that she might be dreaming about Jeff Leong, the marooned stranger who had been turned into a cyborg when they were here before. Derec and his companions had helped capture him when the transformation had adversely affected Leong’s mind, and had aided the robot in restoring him to human form. They had sent him off the planet in a craft one of them could have used.

  “Iss not hearing ‘u,” said Wolruf. “Verry ssick.” Derec stood up and set the container of food on the desk, still watching her. She stopped talking, but her legs were moving slightly. He had seen people move like that when they were dreaming. “I guess we’ll have to let her sleep. Maybe that’s all she needs. I think I could use some rest, myself.

  “That couch can be unfolded into a bed,” Derec observed. “Whatever is wrong with Ariel is in her mind and memory, not her body. She won’t be harmed if you will lift her for a moment.”

  Mandelbrot bent down and gently lifted Ariel in his robot arms as though she was a baby. Derec fumbled for a moment with the couch, then succeeded in pulling on a single strap that unfolded it to full size. It was a simple, non-powered device that was popular among frequent travelers because it did not force the owner to match power sources or worry about complicated repairs

  “All right,” said Derec.

  Mandelbrot laid her down just as carefully as before. Derec sat down beside her to loosen her clothing.

  She was lying quietly now, as though she was sleeping.

  “I am aware,” said Mandelbrot, “that a potential First Law conflict may be developing.”

  “What is it?” Derec asked. This did not seem like the time to hassle over the Laws of Robotics.

  “I recall from our presence here before that Robot City possesses a very high level of human medical skill and technology. The First Law may demand that I put Ariel in contact with the robot called Human Medical Research 1, lest I allow her to come to harm through my inaction.” He trained his photosensors squarely on Derec.

  “But you can’t! We don’t dare, at least not right away!” Derec jumped up and paced behind the desk.

  “They’re almost certain to alert Dr. Avery, and then r II be harmed through your action. And so will she, probably. The guy has to be crazy.”

  “I know,” Mandelbrot said ruefully. “I also feel a resonance from the First Law dilemma I faced in certain events before our recent return here. I welcome suggestions that will avoid this contradiction.”

  Derec stared at him. “Suggestions? Hell, I don’t know.” He ran both hands through his hair and closed his eyes. “Look, I’m tired, too. Suppose you stay in an alert mode, monitoring the city computer, while the rest of us get some sleep.”

  “As you wish,” said Mandelbrot. “I will also turn out the light when you are ready.”

  Wolruf was already settling comfortably into one of the chairs. Derec sat softly next to Ariel, trying not to disturb her, and pulled off hi
s boots. Moments later, he was stretched out in the sunlight, surrounded visually by the strange beauty of Robot City. He felt strangely naked without visible, opaque walls around him, despite the secrecy of this room and the efficiency of Mandelbrot, who was a match for any other robot they might encounter.

  “Mandelbrot,” said Derec.

  “Yes.”

  “See if you can figure out how to turn off these viewscreens. That sunlight is bright, and we don’t exactly have curtains in here.”

  “Yes, Derec.”

  Derec was certain, the more he thought about it, that they would be safe here. One of the few certainties about the mad genius named Dr. Avery was that he was truly paranoid, and possibly becoming more so as time passed. He surely knew that Derec had been in this office once before, and he obviously knew that he had been in Avery’s laboratory. A true paranoid would not continue to use either one after his “opponent” had learned their locations.

  His body was tired, more tired than it should have been. He hated to admit it to himself, but his time to find Dr. Avery was quickly growing shorter. Worst of all, he might reach the point where he could think clearly but would be unable to carry out any plans. As sleep approached, his mind went to his basic problem: the chemfets in his body.

  Dr. Avery had captured him when they had been on Robot City before. At that time, however, Ariel’s illness had been entering a critical phase. Derec had escaped and fled from Robot City, hoping to find a cure for her disease. They had wound up on Earth. Only then had he realized what Dr. Avery had done to him in the laboratory while he had been a prisoner.

  The chemfets were microscopic circuit boards with biosensors that interfaced his body. These tiny circuit boards were capable of preprogrammed growth and replication, and apparently Dr. Avery had programmed them. He had also planted a monitor in Derec’s brain that told him what they were and what was happening now: a tiny Robot City was growing inside his body.

  Derec had no idea why Avery had done this to him, but the monitor had made one fact clear: the number of chemfets was growing, and some of them were joining together to grow larger. They were already interfering with his ability to coordinate his movements normally, and they were going to kill him from the inside — paralyze him, he suspected — if he didn’t get rid of them.