Marauder iarit-2

by William F. Wu

  Marauder

  ( Isaac Asimov’s Robots In Time - 2 )

  William F. Wu

  William F. Wu

  Marauder

  Isaac Asimov’ s Robots In Time

  The laws of robotics

  1. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

  2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

  3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

  This is dedicated to

  William Q. Wu

  My father, who bought me a red plastic pirate ship full of toy buccaneers for a dollar at the Menora Medical Clinic gift shop when I was little.

  Special thanks in the writing of this novel are due to Michael D. Toman, Ricia Mainhardt, John Betancourt, and Byron Preiss.

  1

  R. Hunter sat in the chair of Mojave Center Governor, in the Governor robot’s office, considering his next move. The office was located in the underground desert city called Mojave Center. Hunter was the new, specially designed humaniform robot who had recently been finished and programmed according to the specifications of the Governor Robot Oversight Committee.

  The scientists on the Oversight Committee had created Hunter to find and return Mojave Center Governor. One of six experimental Governor robots designed to run complete, self-contained cities like Mojave Center, Mojave Center Governor was missing. In his absence, the city computer and individual positronic robots had taken over his responsibilities.

  The other five experimental Governor robots had malfunctioned at approximately the same time, suggesting a basic design flaw. Since Mojave Center Governor was the only exception, the committee members wanted to study him as part of their investigation of the problem. To avoid being taken apart, MC Governor had fled.

  Each of the Governor robots could divide at will into six component humaniform robots. One of the component robots who comprised MC Governor now stood motionless, shut down, in one corner of the office. Hunter and his team of three humans had brought him back from the distant past. The other five had also chosen to hide in earlier times.

  For the last several minutes, Hunter had been monitoring the news through his internal receiver.

  “A nuclear explosion on the southern coast of Jamaica yesterday continues to pile up casualties,” said the announcer. “Fatalities are estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and within the next few hours, tidal waves will strike the coasts of other islands throughout the Caribbean. Over the coming week, these tidal waves are expected to strike heavily populated areas in Haiti, Puerto Rico, many other islands, and the coasts of Central and South America, causing incalculable destruction. Little time remains for emergency measures to prevent even more flooding and the suffering that will follow…”

  Hunter shut off the reception. The extent of the disaster was clear. He had a lot of work ahead to prevent that explosion.

  First Hunter had to brief the committee on his progress through a conference call that was linked to him through the Mojave Center city computer.

  “Good day,” said Hunter, as the four familiar human faces of the Governor Robot Oversight Committee appeared on his internal video screen.

  The committee members greeted him with eager anticipation.

  “You have good news, I hope.” Dr. Redfield, a tall, slender blonde, spoke first. “What have you learned? Have you located MC Governor already?”

  “Part of him,” said Hunter, responding with precise accuracy.

  “Part of him,” Professor Post repeated thoughtfully. He stroked his pointed, black beard. “I take this to mean, then, that MC Governor divided into his component robots before your team could apprehend him.”

  “Yes, that is correct,” said Hunter. “However, we have apprehended MC 1, the first gestalt robot, and returned him safely here.”

  “That was fast,” said Dr. Chin, surprised. She was the short, pretty Chinese American with long, black hair. “Where did you find MC 1?”

  Hunter hesitated, at least by his fast robotic standards. He and his team of human colleagues had followed MC 1 back in time to the Late Cretaceous Period of prehistory using a modified device in Mojave Center. They had found MC 1 in a forest full of dinosaurs.

  The reality of time travel was a revolutionary discovery; Hunter did not want to mention it casually, without considering the long-term effects such a device might have on humans. The other members of the team had agreed to keep the secret until he chose to reveal it. Any significant action in the past might change human history in the present, creating unimaginable harm to people. The First Law of the Three Laws of Robotics that governed all robots’ behavior said, “A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”

  For the present, Hunter decided not to reveal the existence of the time travel device.

  “We found MC 1 in Alberta, Canada,” Hunter said simply. His statement was true; the event just happened to have occurred many millions of years in the past.

  “Shouldn’t you be looking for the others there, too?” Dr. Chin asked.

  “No,” said Hunter. “Our information is not complete, but the other component robots appear to have separated.”

  “I don’t understand something,” said Dr. Khanna, in his Hindi accent. “You captured MC 1 very quickly, considering that he was in Alberta and you were assigned to the task only yesterday. Now you have returned to Mojave Center already. How did you manage to work so efficiently?”

  “I have a very capable team,” said Hunter cautiously. They had returned to the present only a short time after they had left, though they had actually spent several long, difficult days in the past trying to capture MC 1. So to anyone in the present, they had not been gone from Mojave Center very long at all. “However, Chad Mora has completed his work for me. I will need a replacement for him, this time a specialist in the history of the Caribbean.”

  “Please give us a report on your first mission,” said Dr. Khanna.

  “I would prefer to give you a complete report on concluding my assignment,” said Hunter.

  “I think if we are expected to continue hiring assistants for you, we can require a report at this stage,” said Dr. Khanna, raising one eyebrow.

  “I remind you that I am not a human seeking to keep a job,” said Hunter. “I can work most efficiently with a team of human experts. You may decide how much efficiency you are willing to allow me.”

  “All right, hold it,” said Dr. Chin. “I think we can wait for a complete report. The important thing is to get MC Governor back in one piece.”

  Dr. Khanna shrugged, frowning.

  “How is the rest of your team?” Dr. Redfield asked. “Everyone worked out, I assume.”

  “Yes,” said Hunter. “The roboticist, Jane Maynard, is definitely a help. Steve Chang, our general assistant, has a range of pragmatic experience that I and the more highly educated specialists simply lack. No amount of library data accessible to me can substitute for their combined contributions. They are still here in Mojave Center and will continue working with me.”

  “Even so,” said Dr. Khanna. “I don’t understand exactly how you are conducting your search.”

  “I don’t think it matters,” said Professor Post. “Since MC Governor has divided into his components, the assignment we gave Hunter is now six times as difficult. The fact that he succeeded so quickly with the first part of it convinces me that his judgment is sound.”

  “I agree,” said Dr. Redfield. “I can wait for your report too.”

  “So can I,” said Professor Post.

  “Very well,”
said Dr. Khanna. Hunter was relieved. If they had given him direct orders, he would have had no choice but to obey them. The Second Law of Robotics was, “ A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.” He also decided not to report to the committee that Dr. Wayne Nystrom had appeared on the scene, trying to get control of MC 1 before Hunter could. If the committee members knew more, they might change their minds and try to participate more directly after all.

  “Tell you what,” said Dr. Redfield. “We will authorize you to make direct contact with the new assistant you need to hire, instead of giving us the list as you did last time. Have this individual contact us for financial arrangements. Is this acceptable?”

  “Yes,” said Hunter. “Thank you. Is there anything else?”

  “Can you give us an estimated time of completion?” Dr. Khanna asked.

  “No,” said Hunter.

  After completing the call, Hunter paused to consider what he had done. That final answer to the Committee was not entirely true. If the time travel in all the future missions turned out as well as it had in the first mission, he could estimate completion in five days. The team could accomplish that by returning from each mission the same day they left, no matter how long the missions took in the past. However, a five-day estimate might further trigger Dr. Khanna’s curiosity.

  Furthermore, Hunter was not sure how to give them a suitable final report without revealing the use of time travel. At the moment, in his own mind, he was just barely able to justify not giving the committee an estimated time of completion. He had decided that if Dr. Khanna placed obstacles in his way, it would interfere with his ability to prevent harm to humans as a result of potential changes the robots might bring about in the course of history. That interpretation of the First Law could be debated, but it had allowed him to avoid giving the estimate.

  Hunter had the city computer use its access to employment agencies and lists of scholars to find a historian. Most of them, of course, were not technically available; the best ones were employed in schools or research centers, or pursuing independent projects of their own. However, time travel altered the possibilities a great deal.

  Hunter now realized that he would in all likelihood bring his team back to the present only a few moments after they had left, just as he had last time. That meant anyone who was willing and able to travel to Mojave Center and back home the same day would have enough time for the job. The fee was considerable, especially for a task that would not take any time from their other commitments. Some danger would exist, of course, but with Hunter leading the team, the First Law would require him to give as much protection as a very large, powerful, state of the art robot could provide.

  The immediate problem was persuading anyone of this without revealing the secret of time travel prematurely.

  As soon as he had a short list of candidates, he began calling them. Within an hour, he hired a historian named Rita Chavez, who specialized in the history of the Caribbean during the period that Hunter’s team would visit, the year 1668. She arranged to fly immediately from her home in Miami to the landing facility on the ground above Mojave Center.

  Hunter had remained vague, however, about the details of the job. Instead, he had told her that she could still cancel her commitment after she had heard the details in person. The argument that she would receive a substantial fee without missing much more than her travel time to and from Mojave Center had clearly made an impression on her.

  Hunter checked the time. Jane and Steve had been in need of a complete dinner and a good night’s sleep after their trip back to the Late Cretaceous Period. He estimated that they were still asleep in their hotel rooms. By the time they woke up, Rita would probably have arrived.

  As a robot, he had no need of rest as such; solar converters blended into his skin energized him when he was exposed to sunlight. Inside, of course, he could simply plug into the city’s power grid if necessary. While he waited, he decided to gather new data and review the situation.

  “City computer,” said Hunter, through his radio link. “Please locate and present all data relevant to Jamaica in 1668. I will review it and copy selected portions.”

  “Acknowledged,” said the city computer.

  Hunter knew that this kind of quick research could not replace the advanced expertise Rita would bring. Still, he wanted to know as much as he could. When the information was available, he transferred it to his own memory.

  The ongoing challenge in Hunter’s mission, of course, was that Mojave Center’s component robots were motivated by the Third Law of Robotics, “A robot must protect his own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.” The component robots were afraid that when the committee had reassembled them into Mojave Center Governor, the Governor robot would be permanently dismantled and destroyed. They were physically small in stature, but they had their robotic intelligence and humaniform shapes to help them hide among humans.

  Shortly before Rita’s VTOL jet was due to arrive, Hunter received a call through his internal link.

  “R. Hunter. This is the city computer calling.”

  “Acknowledged,” said Hunter.

  “I have a conference call from Steve and Jane for you.”

  “Patch them through.”

  “Hey, Hunter. Where are you? Still in Mojave Center somewhere?” Steve asked cheerfully.

  “Morning, Hunter,” said Jane.

  “Greetings,” said Hunter. “I am waiting for the new member of our team. She should arrive soon and I want to introduce you immediately.”

  “You have completed your sleep courses in English and Spanish of the 1600s?”

  “Si,”said Steve.

  “I’m hungry,” said Jane. “Let’s meet in a restaurant. Bring her down.”

  “Where shall we meet?”

  “Debbie’s Diner. Jane and I already decided. It’s on a side street called Foursquare.”

  “We will meet you there,” said Hunter. “Bye.”

  “Okay!”

  Hunter saw that the time had come to meet Rita. Normally, citizens would ride the slidewalks to travel through each level of Mojave Center. Hunter wanted privacy with her, however, and used his link to the city computer to commandeer a Security vehicle. A Security robot brought the electric vehicle to Hunter at MC Governor’s office and turned it over to him. Hunter drove it up to the city terminal, in the top level of the city.

  Hunter met Rita Chavez and introduced himself. Rita, who was short, slender, and dark-haired, wore a gray business suit and had a reserved, professional demeanor. They climbed into the vehicle and Hunter began the drive down to the restaurant. He used his radio link to warn robots ahead that they were approaching as he drove. Only the presence of human pedestrians required his ringing the melodic warning tone.

  “When we spoke earlier,” said Rita, “you declined to explain the entire job over the phone. What are you paying me to do?”

  Hunter looked around. No one was nearby. “All right. But I must have your agreement that you will keep this confidential. A scientific development of grave importance is involved.”

  “But you’re willing to trust me with it?”

  “I require your help.”

  “All right,” said Rita. “I agree not to reveal your secret.”

  Hunter omitted the scientific details, but told her about the time travel sphere. Then he gave her a quick explanation of the previous mission and what he could predict about the next one.

  “I’m amazed.” Rita stared at him in shock. “Your entire team has already been to the time of dinosaurs?”

  “That is right.”

  “Hunter, I have to ask you something. I agreed to keep this secret and I will. But several people already know, including the man who preceded me and also this Dr. Nystrom you just told me about. Someone is going to start talking sooner or later. It’s just too exciting to keep quiet forever. What will you do then?�
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  “I must confine my focus for now,” said Hunter. “Only reproducible evidence matters in a scientific conclusion, so a small amount of early talk will not prove anything. I have the Bohung Institute secure at the moment. No ‘matter how long we have to chase component robots in the past, I hope to complete the search for MC Governor very soon, in real time counted from his initial disappearance.”

  “Thenwhat will you do about keeping this secret?”

  “I have not yet decided. I also prefer not to discuss it further now. The First Law will govern my actions.”

  “I see.” Her tone was cool and professional, revealing little of her opinion.

  Hunter drove in silence for several moments.

  “You told me you need my expertise as a historian regarding Jamaica in 1668,” said Rita. “But how do you know that MC 2 will be in Jamaica at that time?”

  “I took the information from the device the component robots used to flee,” said Hunter. “But there is more. When they fled, they miniaturized themselves to microscopic size. The process made some of their atoms unstable. The time travel altered that miniaturization so that it is temporary. According to my calculations, MC 2 will return to normal size on a certain day in 1668. We certainly cannot locate him before that, but I want to catch him as soon as possible. Otherwise, once he starts interacting with other humans, he may alter the course of history.”

  “I know it’s theoretically possible to change history,” Rita said doubtfully. “But it depends on the importance of his actions.”

  “I assume you have followed the news,” said Hunter. “You know that a major explosion took place on the southern coast of Jamaica yesterday.”

  “Hm? Oh, yes. Wasn’t that terrible? No one knows what it was, but the tidal waves are hitting all over the Caribbean. It’s terrible.”

  “Yes,” said Hunter. “That was actually MC 2 exploding. The instability of the component robots’ atoms causes them to explode with nuclear force when they reach the approximate time from which they originally left, give or take a day or so.”