“Thanks for coming,” said Derec. “We seem to have a problem here. They aren’t responding.”
“So I understand. I have been attempting to communicate with them through my comlink ever since I received your message, but I have not had a response, either.”
Ariel stood right in front of Jeff and peered into his eyeslit. “I think this one’s Jeff. I’m not real good telling these robots apart, but they all have slight differences. This looks like him. You in there, Jeff?”
“All right,” said Derec. “This is going to take some effort. We’ll have to get them together with the other robots whose comlinks don’t work; I understand that two or three more have been found. Assistant Planner 3, please arrange for this. Make sure the medical team joins us. “
Chapter 16. Simon Says
Five suspect robots were taken to the Human Experimental Facility. Two were frozen into position and completely uncommunicative. The other three were mobile, apparently cooperative, and could speak aloud.
As Derec and Ariel entered the building, she shook her head and said, “I’m sure that one is Jeff. We really don’t have to waste time on the others.”
“I’m not doubting you,” said Derec. “I’m certain that one of those two is Jeff. The problem is that their bodies are the same model, so the medical team can’t tell them apart, and I’m not sure you can, either. In any case, it appears that we’ll have to smoke him out to make him admit which one he is.”
“Welcome to our facility,” said Research 1. “Please follow me down the hall. We have the suspect robots here waiting for you. It is large enough to accommodate everyone.”
He led them into a room from which all furniture and equipment had been removed. From the marks on the floor, Derec saw that it had been cleared for this project. The five suspects were standing in a line against one wall.
“Derec,” said one of them.
He looked up in surprise. “ Alpha? Alpha, is that you?” He laughed and walked over to the one robot whose physical details were unique, suppressing an impulse to embrace him. “Hi. How did you get here?”
“Hi,” said Alpha. “I was able to obtain a very small spacecraft and trace the source of the asteroid-disassembling operation to this planet. Wolruf accompanied me. More recently, I was detained by a robot search team and brought here.”
“Spacecraft?” Derec suppressed a giggle of delight and caught Ariel’s eye. “And Wolruf, too. How is she?”
“She is recovering from a difficult trip.”
“Recovering?” Ariel said. “But she’ll be all right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad,” said Derec. “We’ve worried about her. We’ll want to see her when we can. What about the spacecraft? Does it still work? And is it here and available and all that?”
“Yes.”
“Step out of line, Alpha.” Derec turned, grinning to the medical team. “This is not Jeff. I put Alpha together myself.”
“Hi, Alpha,” said Ariel, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. “I’m real glad to see you. But why did they stop you? You have a comlink, don’t you.”
“Greetings, Katherine. My comlink was originally set at a slightly different frequency. I altered it but was detained anyway, I believe for having an anomalous comlink.”
“I’m Ariel Welsh now.”
“I do not understand,” said Alpha.
“Not now, not now. We’ll catch up with each other later,” said Derec. “For the business at hand, we’re down to four,” said Derec, looking over the others. “Research 1, were you able to begin testing, like you said?”
“Yes. According to our standard maintenance scanning procedure on their bodies, all four are in good condition, other than their common lack of functioning comlinks. Their heads have not been scanned. The two speaking robots have given identification that has been verified by the central computer. Their comlinks simply malfunctioned.”
“Dismiss them,” said Derec. “Alpha, you stay right here until further notice.”
“Report to the nearest repair facility,” said Research 1.
The other two robots left.
“So.” Derec stood in front of the two remaining robots, looking back and forth between them. “One of you is almost certainly Jeff. Unless you’ve fallen asleep, which I really doubt under the circumstances, you can hear me and you just aren’t letting on. Well, we’ll be right back.” He turned away, then paused to grin over his shoulder. “Don’t go anywhere, now. You’ll give yourself away.”
“Surgeon 1, you stay and watch them. Research, you and Ariel step outside with me for a minute.”
Derec paused in the hall, but Research 1 shook his head. “This is not sufficient for privacy. If you want to talk privately, we must go into another room and I will create sonic camouflage. Do not forget that Jeff has robotic hearing.”
“Lead the way.” Derec could hardly keep from dancing around with joy. Alpha had a working spacecraft somewhere here-once he and Ariel had smoked out Jeff, they could turn him over to the robots and take off. As they followed Research 1 into another room, he saw the smile on Ariel’s face and nudged her playfully with his elbow. She elbowed him back, a lot harder, but still grinning.
They entered what was obviously the facility’s operating room. Research 1 flipped a switch on some sort of scanning apparatus and a faint hum came on.
“They will not hear us. What do you wish to discuss?” Research 1 asked.
“They?” Ariel asked, “I don’t get it. One of them is an inoperative robot, isn’t he?”
“Immobile is not necessarily inoperative,” said Research 1. “We must be cautious.”
“Exactly,” said Derec. “Here’s how I figure it so far-correct me if I’m off. Jeff saw us coming in time to order another robot to freeze, and probably to follow only his instructions to activate again. I did basically the same thing with Alpha once. However, in order to hear Jeff’s instruction to reactivate, the other robot has to maintain hearing sensitivity and at least some mental activity. Right?”
“Correct,” said Research 1.
“What about a shortcut?” Derec asked. “Can’t you just scan their heads and find out which has the biological brain in it?”
“No,” said Research 1. “In constructing his special cranium, we used materials that would be extremely resistant to the entrance of any forms of energy, as well as to physical impact. Turning up our scanning beams to a strength that would penetrate his cranium would endanger the brain inside.”
“Hold it,” said Ariel. “You could use your normal scanning beam, and when you get a reading for one positronic brain and one null reading, we’d know by elimination.”
“We dare not,” said Research 1. “The cranium was tested before use, but not with the human brain inside. Even the normal scanning beam could be dangerous. The First Law does not allow us to take a risk of this magnitude.”
“All right. Somehow, I’m not surprised.” Derec sighed.
“The Laws of Robotics still hold precedence on them, too, though,” said Ariel. “I assume our tests will still work-won’t they?”
“Yes. They are based on the following,” said Research 1. “If Jeff had a positronic brain, he would have to obey the Laws-for instance, if one of you were in danger, he would have to save you. However, as a human, he could allow you to come to harm if he wished.”
“The problem,” said Derec, “is that Jeff knows the Laws and can masquerade as a robot.”
“We also don’t know what he told the other robot,” said Ariel. “If the other robot knows that we are setting up tests, then he won’t believe we’re really in danger and he won’t have to obey the Laws, either. They’ll still behave the same way.”
“Let’s get started and see what happens,” said Derec. “We’ll go in order, with tests one, two, and three.”
Derec and Ariel went back into the room with the suspect robots. The medical team had to leave, accompanied by Alpha, in order to avoid confusion. If they did not respond according to the Laws, the real robot would see it was a test; if they did respond, they would get in the way.
“I’ve had it with you,” Derec was yelling at Ariel. “You’re crazy.” He turned toward her in front of both robots.