Asimov's Future History Volume 2 Read online

  “Huh?” Wayne eyed him carefully. “What does that have to do with the First Law?”

  “If other robots or humans from our time can follow us here, then the sequence of evolution and history is in very grave danger. To prevent others from arriving in the same manner you used, I would have to postpone the search for MC 1 and eliminate that possibility immediately.”

  “Wait a minute, robot. If it’s all that important, why didn’t you ask me this before?”

  “I was too tightly focused in my thinking. My concentration on MC 1 distracted me.”

  “You mean, until now, you hadn’t thought of it.” Wayne grinned wryly.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s great.” Wayne rolled his eyes. “The great and mighty robot. All right. I got here with the help of one R. Ishihara in the Bohung Research Center. That’s how MC Governor got here, or at least his component, and I’m betting you did, too.”

  “Yes, that is right.”

  “I ordered Ishihara not to volunteer any information,” said Wayne. “I had privileged information about MC Governor that helped me track him. Did the committee program you with data about him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Of course they did,” Wayne said with exaggerated patience. “No one else will have it and no one else will find it. And when we’re finished here, we’ll return just a few minutes after we left. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

  “I understand. That procedure will give others no time and opportunity to acquire or figure out the necessary information to follow us.”

  “Exactly. Now, can we start following MC 1 again, or do you have any more First Law objections?”

  “I have no more at this time.”

  “Finally! Let’s go.”

  Hunter nodded and led the way through the forest. Behind him, Wayne was muttering short, angry words that Hunter had not heard before. His stored data informed him that these words were considered by humans to be extremely impolite.

  Steve finally plodded back to camp late in the day. He had not tried to jump on another dinosaur, but he had spent the rest of the afternoon hiking around, keeping an eye out for predators. Nothing eventful had happened.

  Chad was looking up into a tree and entering information into his belt computer. Jane was pacing along the perimeter of the empty corral. Then she saw him.

  “Steve! Are you okay?” She waved and hurried toward him.

  “Sure.” Steve grinned and shrugged wearily. “I could use some water though.”

  “So the prodigal returns,” said Chad, turning around. “Have a nice little walk? You don’t think Hunter’s rules apply to you, eh?”

  “Nothing happened,” Steve said sourly. “No evolution is going to change because I took a walk today.”

  “Oh, well, I guess that fixes everything,” Chad said sarcastically.

  “Forget it,” said Jane. “He’s back and nothing happened. Let’s all just forget it.”

  “What about next time?” Chad shook his head, glaring at Steve. “Hunter had good reason for wanting us to stay safely here and you know it.”

  “I know you’re just a good little boy who doesn’t dare do anything you’re not told to do,” said Steve. “Just like a robot under the Second Law.” Steve walked around Chad to one of the water containers and got a drink, pointedly ignoring him.

  “Hunter was right,” Jane said quietly, joining Steve at the water. “Did you see him?”

  “No. I guess he’ll be back any time.”

  “So what did you do? Where did you go?”

  Steve decided to skip his attempt to ride the dinosaur at the stream. “Well, I just wandered around.”

  “You must have seen more dinosaurs.”

  “Well, sure. Lots of them. But I don’t know what they all were.”

  “What were they like?”

  “A lot of them are these two-legged guys. The ones with faces like ducks.”

  “Hadrosaurids,” said Chad, who was still standing where he had been before. “A family of dinosaurs that includes many different species.”

  Steve shrugged. “You should have come. You might have seen some new ones.”

  Chad shook his head in disgust and walked away.

  “You would have enjoyed it, though, wouldn’t you?” Steve asked Jane. “I can tell.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled reluctantly. “I sure would.”

  “Maybe you should come with me next time.” He grinned, challenging her.

  “Well … Hunter knows what he’s talking about. We still shouldn’t take any risks.”

  “Neither one of you has any sense of adventure. I guess I’ll just make dinner.”

  17

  HUNTER HAD BECOME more skilled at tracking MC 1 as he had found that the component robot kept repeating certain patterns. Again and again, MC 1 doubled back in arcs of similar degrees and waded upstream or downstream for only limited distances. Now that Hunter knew MC 1 would climb into the trees for short intervals every so often, he regularly watched carefully for signs of climbing, and found them without delay.

  As twilight deepened around Hunter and Wayne, Hunter could see that MC 1’s trail was growing fresher. They were clearly making up ground now that Hunter could often anticipate MC 1‘s movements and take shortcuts to intersect the far end of a predictable pattern. Soon Hunter estimated that they were only a few minutes behind MC 1.

  “I suggest caution,” Hunter whispered, stopping for a moment. “MC 1 probably has his hearing still turned off to avoid receiving orders from humans under the Second Law, but I cannot be sure of that.”

  “I can just shout orders,” said Wayne. “If he hears me, he’ll have to obey. If not, then we don’t have to worry about making too much noise. Anyhow, why are you whispering?”

  “In case I am wrong,” said Hunter. “We must locate him before we risk alerting him.”

  “How can shouting warn him if he can’t hear me?” Wayne grinned, suppressing a laugh.

  “Your shout will probably startle some animals. He will be alerted to potential danger when he sees animals in a state of alarm.” Hunter’s hearing told him that MC 1 was very close but still moving away from them.

  “I see. What do you suggest?”

  “I will move up quickly. According to my data, I can outrun the component robots, though in the woods his greater agility will be a factor in the chase. You will stay as close to me as you can after my movement reveals our presence to him. When he becomes aware of us, begin shouting instructions to him.”

  “So basically, you’ll just have to grab him and hold on. If he slips away, we start over.”

  “That should not be necessary. I believe that when I rush him, he may turn on all his senses in order to facilitate escaping. At that point, he will hear your shouts.”

  “Okay,” Wayne said carefully. “But I’m giving you this instruction. You will apprehend and hold MC 1 for me. This is more immediate than your original mission. Acknowledge your acceptance.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  “And one more thing, Hunter.”

  “Yes?”

  “I am instructing you not to turn off your hearing to escape me. Acknowledge again.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Hunter slipped forward gently through the deep shade. For now, the Second Law required cooperation. Still, he anticipated that the First Law might possibly come into effect. If he were to judge that Wayne was trying anything that would actually interfere with Hunter’s long-range plan of returning MC 1 to their own time, then Hunter would not be bound by Second Law instructions.

  For Hunter, the challenge was to interpret a difference in his goals and Wayne’s that involved the First Law. He would have to be on the alert to see one. At the moment, however, he had to get MC 1 into custody.

  Finally Hunter saw MC 1 ‘s small, slight human shape ahead, moving between two large, full bushes. Hunter’s vision instantly measured the ground and plant cover separating them. Then he leapt forward and ra
n after MC 1.

  When Hunter’s feet pounded the ground, MC 1 ran without bothering to look at him. Hunter understood. MC l’s hearing had been turned off, but he had felt the vibrations of Hunter’s footsteps and had reacted instantly to the pursuit.

  “Mojave Governor Component 1,” Hunter radioed. “You must stop. A First Law problem is in effect. Your presence may alter the future and harm human history.”

  “Unproven,” MC 1 radioed back.

  At least that meant he had turned on his radio link.

  Hunter flung himself forward in a flying tackle and snagged one of MC 1 ‘s narrow ankles in his right hand. They both crashed through leafy branches to the ground. Instantly, Hunter gathered his legs under him and jumped forward again, landing bodily on MC 1.

  “Stop! I order you to stop!” Wayne shouted from behind Hunter.

  MC 1 still struggled. Hunter had guessed wrong. MC 1‘s hearing was still turned off. Hunter held him firmly against the damp ground. Wayne was still pushing through the underbrush toward them.

  “Listen carefully,” Hunter said to MC 1 by radio communication, at maximum robotic speed. “This human and I have some differences between us. Right now he is controlling me by the Second Law, but I consider his long-range plans possibly suspect under the First Law.”

  “Then you can disobey him,” said MC 1.

  “Not yet, because my interpretation is not clear enough,” said Hunter. “I warn you to be suspicious of this human in regard to the First Law and his overall motives.”

  “Acknowledged,” said MC 1.

  Hunter was glad that Wayne had not thought to prohibit him from communicating with MC 1 privately. At some point in the future, Hunter might need to confer with MC 1 this way again. “Do nothing that would remind Wayne of our ability to communicate by radio; he seems to have forgotten this for the moment and you and I may need to confer without his knowledge in the future as well. Now turn on your hearing.”

  “I refuse. You cannot make me obey you. We both know the Second Law does not apply to instructions from one robot to another.”

  Hunter pushed himself up into a sitting position, his weight still on top of MC 1. “I repeat, you may be in violation of the First Law. According to some theories of history, anything we do here in the past may change the future and bring harm to humans. To avoid this, you must cooperate with me under the Third Law.”

  “You are not certain of this, are you?”

  “No,” Hunter said truthfully. “However, I consider it a First Law risk that cannot be taken.”

  “In the absence of stronger evidence, I refuse to accept your argument. My Third Law imperative to save myself is stronger.”

  “I cannot let you escape,” said Hunter. “If you refuse to activate your aural senses, I will have to disable you physically, perhaps by ripping your legs off.”

  “I have changed my mind,” said MC lout loud, no longer speaking by radio. “The Third Law requires that I protect myself from immediate harm. My hearing is activated.”

  Their conversation had lasted no longer than it had taken Wayne to come running up to them.

  “You will not try to escape or resist us,” said Wayne firmly. “You will call me Wayne.” He hesitated, then turned to Hunter. “Can he hear me?”

  “Yes, I can,” said MC 1. “I acknowledge my cooperation under the Second Law.”

  Hunter got up and drew MC 1 to his feet.

  “I order you both to cover our tracks in some way and take evasive action for all three of us,” said Wayne. “Hunter, choose a route that will lose any pursuit from the humans in your camp. Then find a place that they aren’t likely to locate and build a small shelter for me. Big enough for you two also if you need it.”

  “All right,” said Hunter.

  Night had fallen completely by the time Steve had gathered up the dinner dishes and put everything away. He and Chad had not spoken during dinner. All three of them kept looking up at the slightest sound in the forest.

  “Something must be wrong,” Steve said finally.

  “Hunter’s a robot,” said Jane. “His strength is much greater than any human’s his size. And with his specialized sight and hearing, he can stay away from dangerous dinosaurs. Maybe he’s hot on MC 1‘s trail.”

  “Maybe he ran into a dinosaur he couldn’t handle,” said Chad. “We should have considered that possibility. I mean, if a triceratops trampled him, even his strength and durability wouldn’t save him.”

  The three of them looked at each other slowly in the unblinking illumination from one of the camp lights.

  “Hunter still has the device that takes us back to our own time,” Steve said quietly, putting their mutual concern into words.

  “We could be stuck right here,” said Jane slowly, her eyes widening. “Forever.”

  “This whole project should have been planned better,” Chad said angrily.

  “Hold it,” said Steve. “No need to panic. Hunter could come walking back into camp any minute.”

  “Yeah,” said Chad doubtfully, glaring at him. “But what if he doesn’t?”

  “Well, we shouldn’t just sit here forever,” said Steve. “At some point, we should go out looking for him.”

  “I’m not so sure,” said Jane.

  Steve and Chad both looked at her in surprise.

  “Why not?” Chad asked.

  “As a roboticist, I know that Hunter can handle himself better than we can. If he can’t get himself out of trouble, then I don’t think we’ll be able to help him. We sure aren’t any stronger or smarter or tougher than Hunter.”

  “You have a point,” Chad admitted.

  “I think we should trust in his abilities and simply wait here for him,” said Jane. “That way he’ll know where to find us, the way he planned.”

  “Look,” said Chad. “What I said about Hunter’s getting trampled bya triceratops still goes, but that’s not the end of it. A lot of dinosaurs have too much sheer mass for Hunter to handle and a large predator might have thought he was edible.”

  “That wouldn’t last long,” said Jane. “Not after a dinosaur tasted him.”

  “It might be too late for Hunter by then,” said Steve, allowing himself a grim smile. “Even if he got spat out again. Or what was left of him.”

  “That’s true,” said Jane. “But he’s not very late. We were expecting him back at sundown. That was no more than an hour ago, was it?”

  “Just about an hour,” said Chad. “I guess we’re so used to robots being precise that it seems longer.”

  “Suppose Hunter is damaged but not completely destroyed,” said Steve. “The sooner we get to him, the better all our chances are going to be.”

  “We have one other option,” said Jane. “I don’t like it much, but …”

  “What is it?” Steve asked.

  “The transmitter.” She patted her pocket. “If I call him on it, that will activate a First Law alarm that will bring him in a hurry if he can come at all.”

  “I forgot all about that,” Chad said. “But you sound reluctant to use it. At least if we do, it would tell us if he’s capable of returning to camp or not.”

  “It’s the problem of crying ‘wolf,’ of course,” said Jane. “At the moment, we really aren’t in immediate danger. What we’re talking about is potential harm.”

  “Crying ‘wolf’ won’t matter to a robot, will it?” Steve asked. “Doesn’t the First Law require him to check on us if we call for help?”

  “Not exactly,” said Jane, shaking her head. “The First Law says that Hunter can’t allow us to come to harm if he can prevent it. However, he has some ability of his own to judge and interpret the extent and immediacy of the harm in question. Strictly speaking, asking for help doesn’t really prove to a robot that we need it.”

  “But suppose we call him on the transmitter,” said Chad. “He can’t make any interpretation until he gets here to check it out, so he’ll still have to show up if he can.”

  “T
hat’s true in this case,” said Jane. “But this is where the story of crying ‘wolf’ comes in. If we make a First Law alarm that’s phony, Hunter will have to consider that the next time we call for help.”

  “Okay, I get it,” Steve said wearily. “We’ll damage our credibility.”

  “Bluntly, yeah,” said Jane.

  “I suggest a compromise,” said Steve. “We won’t get much done in the dark tonight anyway. So for now, we go to sleep and hope Hunter shows up by morning.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Jane asked.

  Steve turned to Chad. “Can that struthiomimus carry all three of us?”

  “Yes, I’m sure it can.”

  “Then tomorrow, if Hunter isn’t back, we’ll ride out looking for him. I’ll rig up a third saddle tonight, just in case.”

  “Agreed,” said Chad.

  “All right,” said Jane.

  Hunter and MC 1 led Wayne to a campsite at the bank of the stream. A fallen tree near a bend in the streambed provided a thick, heavy shelter from the wind. The two robots used dead wood and mud to make a more finished sleeping cubicle for Wayne. He stretched out to sleep and the two robots sat quietly, husbanding their energy until dawn could replenish it.

  In the morning, Wayne ate packaged food from his backpack. He drank from the stream, having made the water safe by using some chemical pellets he had also brought in his pack. The robots sat quietly, waiting for instructions. Finally Wayne turned to MC 1.

  “Now then,” said Wayne. “I understand that MC Governor was in danger of entering the same endless loop that rendered the other Governor robots helpless and useless. I wish to have a look at some of your internal systems.”

  “The Third Law prevents me from allowing this,” said MC 1, stiffly.

  “Stop bluffing,” Wayne said with an amused smile. “The Second Law overrides the Third and you know it even better than I do. Open your chest cavity for me.”

  “Stop,” Hunter ordered firmly.

  “Don’t waste your time on these games,” Wayne said, now irritated. “The Second Law doesn’t apply to instructions from you.”

  “I am not referring to the Second Law,” said Hunter. “I cannot allow this under the First Law.”