“Oh, yeah? How do I know that? Huh?” Jeff looked around at them all. “Supposedly this transplant couldn’t hurt me, either, only now you’re all saying they might have made a mistake. Well, what if they make another one? What about that?”
Derec glanced at the robots, who said nothing.
“Let’s leave him alone for a while,” said Derec. “Come on.” Before they left, Research 1 turned on one of the machines in the room. Jeff understood its purpose. The white noise would drown out his ability to eavesdrop any more.
When Jeff was alone again, with the door closed, he tested his restraints. He couldn’t see what they were, since he was flat on his back, but they were stronger than he was. If he was going to get out of this untouched by the robots, he would have to argue his way out.
Somehow.
Back in the testing room, Derec turned to his companions with an exaggerated shrug. “Well? Now what?”
“I regret to interrupt,” said Alpha, “but I must inform you of a fundamental change in my identity.”
“What?” Derec turned to him. “What are you talking about?”
“At the time you instructed me to use my cellular arm, I experienced a signal from it changing my designation from Alpha to Mandelbrot.”
“Mandelbrot?” Ariel said. “Why?”
“I do not know.”
“What does it mean?” Derec asked. He was annoyed at the interruption in his train of thought about Jeff, but he could not ignore the mystery.
“It means nothing other than a name change to me,” said Mandelbrot.
“And it came from your cellular arm at the time I gave you the order to use it.” Derec thought a moment. “It was encoded in your arm when I found the part, then. Using your flexibility triggered the signal…”
“Could it be a safety measure of some kind?” Ariel asked. “Maybe a warning. This whole planet seems to be programmed with fear and security in mind. His arm came from an Avery robot on that asteroid, didn’t it?”
“That’s right,” said Derec. “I don’t know exactly what the signal means. Perhaps it was triggered by the combined use of some Avery parts and some standard robot parts together.” He looked at Ariel. “Maybe it means another signal has been sent out to call Avery back.”
“If he’s alive.”
“Yeah.” Derec shook his head. “First things first. Let’s get back to Jeff.”
“That theory is consistent with another important change in me,” said Mandelbrot.
“What is it?” Derec asked impatiently.
“My store of data pertinent to the location of this planet was erased at the time of the name change.”
Derec and Ariel both turned to him.
“How important is that?” Derec demanded. “You can still program a ship away from here to a major spacelane, can’t you?”
“Given the considerable length of spacelanes, I believe so. However, this memory erasure suggests that the signal from my arm was definitely related to the security and isolation of this planet.”
“Good point,” said Derec, “but once we leave this place, I’m not going to care. Let’s get back to Jeff.”
“I surmise that your visit was not productive,” said Mandelbrot. “May I assist you in any way?”
“I haven’t thought of how yet,” said Derec. “The trouble so far is that the robots can’t treat him without permission, and Ariel and I, who don’t need permission, don’t have the skill to treat him. Anybody have any suggestions?” He looked around at all of them.
“Is there anything we can do to prove that Jeff is out of his head?” Ariel asked. Then she covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to phrase it that way.”
Derec smiled wryly. “We’re all under a strain.”
“I cannot think of anything,” said Research 1. “The kind of unmistakable scientific evidence we require to reach a conclusion is only available through a direct analysis of his physical condition.”
“Frost, Derec!” Ariel turned to Research 1. “How about us? Can you teach us to help just a little? If we extracted samples of fluid for you, and you analyzed them afterward-would that be acceptable?”
Research 1 hesitated just long enough to reveal some doubt behind his answer. “The acceptability of that arrangement would ultimately rest on how skillful you became. Drawing a sample of synthetic blood would not be difficult, I believe. However, he does not have much margin for error. Unlike naturally evolved biological bodies, Jeff’s robot body has almost exactly the amount of fluid he requires. Taking too much could be fatal.”
“You could make extra,” said Derec. “Give him a transfusion while the procedure is going on.”
“You would have to administer the transfusion, as well,” said Surgeon 2. “And you would have to avoid flooding his system as well as starving it. Nor could you risk mixing the new fluid with the old, or the analysis would be worthless. At this point, we have confronted more complex procedures, including constant study and understanding of the monitors. We would be in violation of the First Law if we allowed Jeff to take significant risks in this manner.”
Derec nodded, though he was disappointed. “I can’t argue with that. The truth is, I’m not sure I’m ready for responsibility over his life that way, myself.”
Ariel sighed. “Then we need the permission of a crazy guy. Any idea how to get it?”
Jeff wasn’t tired, really, but he had closed his eyes and rested for lack of anything else he could do. He was imprisoned by enemies who were afraid of his power, but he had not given up hope. He could afford to be charitable, once he had taken over.
He opened his eyes at the sound of the door opening, but when he looked, he couldn’t see anyone. Then the door closed again. He stiffened at a faint padding sound on the floor.
“Who’s there?” He demanded suspiciously.
“Iss Wolruf,” said an odd voice.
“What?”
The caninoid alien climbed gently onto the foot of the bed. She had been near death by starvation the only other time he had seen her. Now her mottled brown and gold fur was full and glossy, and her eyes alert and bright. She was perhaps the size of a large dog, such as a small St. Bernard, but her face was flat, without an extended snout, and her ears stood high and pointed. Instead of paws, she had clumsy looking gray-skinned fingers on what he supposed were hands.
“My name iss Wolruf to ‘umans. Iss really-” She made an unpronounceable noise and bared her teeth in what might have been a playful smile.
“Wolruf?”
“I came to thank ‘u for ‘aving me fed,” said Wolruf. “Alpha told me ‘u saved my life.”
“Yeah? Now what do you want?”
“Want nothing,” said Wolruf. “Thank ‘u.”
Jeff watched her for a moment. “You okay now? Is thatAlpha?-taking care of you properly?”
“Everything iss fine.”
“He just didn’t know how to handle this town, did he?”
“No. Iss strangrr even herr in city of robots.”
“Wait a minute. I remember now. I get it. These other robots didn’t have to help because you aren’t human.”
“Iss true.”
Jeff laughed in his still-unfamiliar robot voice. “Yes, yes, Jeffrey. This city belongs to you. Only you can see the needs of people here. You can do what no one else here can.” He caught Wolruf’s eye. “Right? Huh? You should know.”
She blinked mildly at him.
“Huh? Right?” He insisted.
“Rright:’ she said. “But I’m worried.”
“Oh?” Jeff said airily. “Anything else I can help with?”
“Worried about my friend.”
Jeff hesitated. “Yeah? Who?”
“‘U,” said Wolruf, nodding at him.
He started to retort, but Wolruf’s quiet sincerity stopped him.
“‘Urr my first new friend herr,” said Wolruf. “Saved my life. Don’t want ‘u ‘urt.”
“Everybody says that,” said Jeff, but he seemed to lack the same angry suspicion that he had felt before.
“‘U saved my life,” Wolruf repeated.
“I guess I did. Are you saying you want to repay me?”
Her caninoid shoulders twitched in a sort of furry shrug. “Won’t force ‘u.”
“You may be the first follower I have,” Jeff said wonderingly. “Robots have to obey me. Derec and Ariel haven’t really…come around yet, you might say. What are you worried about, anyhow?”
“‘U could be sick.”