“'No-kill' programming includes a complex matrix of human vulnerabilities,” Suzi informed them. “We know the breaking strength of every bone in the body, modified for sex and age, the pressure necessary on what type of an edge to break the skin or rupture an internal organ, the sensitivities of the eyes or ears—”
“So you have all the information necessary to inflict injury. All robots do.”
“The information is of a negative nature. These are things we are to avoid doing at all costs.”
“But if the blocks were somehow removed, and you had programming to that effect, you would know precisely how to kill. Correct?”
There was a painful silence.
“You see, Sasha,” Hosato said. “Robots could—”
“Even if we were physically able to inflict injury,” Suzi interrupted, “there would have to be specific instruction to that effect before we could act. Robots are incapable of independent thought, and merely act out instructions given them.”
“A mirror unto man,” Sasha murmured.
“What’s that?” Hosato asked.
“Oh. Just paraphrasing Shakespeare. The original quote was 'a mirror unto nature,' but that isn’t what we’re dealing with here. What we have is a mirror unto man, one that will reflect our efficiencies and maybe our weaknesses.”
“Then you agree that we could be in danger.”
“No, I don’t, Hosato.” Sasha was her brisk self again. “While I’ll admit it may be a possibility, there is nothing to prove—”
The shrill beeping of her belt unit interrupted her. She palmed the unit off her waist and held the ear plug against her head.
“Sasha here. What. Who is Hello… Hello!”
Her hands sank slowly into her lap as she stared at Hosato.
“I think you’ve got your proof,” she said vacantly. “While we’ve been here talking, someone or something raided the meeting in the president’s office and killed everyone there. Security reports unidentified robots moving through the corridors, armed and capable of inflicting fatal injury.”
Hosato grasped the situation immediately.
“Suzi,” he barked. “Full battle equipment!”
The robot obediently pivoted around, and a door swung open.
“What…?” began Sasha.
“Here. I assume you can use this,” Hosato said, tossing her a blaster.
The security chief plucked it from the air and blinked at it. “I sure can. You’re a bag of surprises, aren’t you, Hosato?”
“I try,” he said dryly, peeling off his shirt.
There was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Sasha volunteered.
“Watch it.” Hosato began, but she already had the door open.
The little redhead stood there. “Hi. I… Oh!”
Her glance took in Sasha and a half-naked Hosato at the same tune. “Hey, if I’m interrupting anything, I—”
“Get in here, fast,” Sasha ordered, beckoning with the blaster.
The girl obeyed, focusing on the blaster for the first time. “Hey. What’s going on?”
“The robots are running amok and killing people. I know it sounds crazy, but. What are you doing, Hosato?”
“What does it look like I’m doing. I’m changing clothes.”
“I didn’t know it mattered what you wore to an emergency.”
“Take my word for it, it does.” He continued don- ning his Ninja suit and produced another blaster from Suzi’s depths.
“Here,” he said, tossing it to the redhead. “Ever use one of these things?”
The redhead wrinkled her nose at the weapon. “No,” she announced proudly.
“Well, honey, you’re about to learn,” Sasha said grimly.
“First things first,” interrupted Hosato. “Get on your radio and alert your guards. Tell them to get to the armory and arm themselves as fast as they can. Then send a squad of them to secure the spaceport, and get the rest over here to guard the living quarters.”
“I know how to do my job, Hosato,” she snapped. “Then do it!”
He reached for his room telephone and dialed hastily. “James. Get over here to my room, fast. Don’t ask questions, just do it… That’s right, and if you see any strange robots, avoid 'em like the plague. Robots—it looks like your dad’s security robot scheme has backfired. Just get over here fast!” He slammed down the phone. “Suzi. Let’s see those layout diagrams again!”
The robot pivoted, and once more the viewscreen blinked to life.
Hosato studied the drawings. “What’s this?” he asked, pointing to an unlabeled outline, forgetting for a moment Suzi’s limited powers of observation.
“That’s the Maintenance Building,” the redhead commented, peering over his shoulder. “Hey, that’s a pretty neat robot. Who manufactures it?”
Hosato ignored her. “What’s the story on the life-support systems, Suzi?” he asked.
“Life-support systems for the living quarters and mall are self-contained and independent of the main computer control. They are located at this point.” An area of the layout diagram began to Sash.
“Bad news, Hosato,” Sasha interrupted. “The robots have the spaceport.”
“Could someone tell me what’s going on?” the redhead whined.
“What about the armory?”
“The robots have that, too,” Sasha informed him. “My team managed to get some of the blasters out before the robots closed in, but not many. I’ve told them to pull back to the mall here to concentrate our forces.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Stand back,” Hosato hissed, motioning them away from the door.
With a fluid motion he rolled to the floor and lay, blaster ready, in front of the door.
“Who is it?” he called.
“James Turner,” came the muffled response.
“Come on in, James,” Hosato called back, his blaster never wavering.
The door burst open and the boy hurried into the room.
“There’s firing in the…”
He stopped short, gaping at Hosato’s blaster leveled at his midsection.
“Shut the door,” Hosato ordered.
The boy groped behind him and closed the door, his eyes never leaving the blaster.
“Never mind Hosato,” Sasha said briskly, stepping to his side. “He’s a bit jumpy. We all are. What were you saying about firing?”
The boy gulped. “There’s somebody’s firing blasters in the main corridor. The one leading to the rest of the complex.”
Sasha swore absently. “That means they’re on the way,” she growled at last. “I’d better get down there and organize the defense.”
“Wait a minute, Sasha,” Hosato said, rolling to his feet. “Is there any other way out of the complex. One humans can use?”
“What?”
“Wake up. We can’t hold them forever. They’re probably manufacturing more while we’re talking. We may have to evacuate the complex. Now, besides the spaceport, how can we get people out of here?”
Sasha thought for a moment. “I can’t think of any—”
“How about the sand crawlers?” James interrupted. “The maintenance crews use them for gathering malfunctioning robots. They let me ride along with them a couple of times.”
“How big are they and how many are there?”
“They can hold six, maybe ten in a pinch,” Sasha supplied. “And there are only two of them.”
Hosato grimaced. “It’s not much, but it’s all we’ve got. James, you and… What is your name, anyway?”
“Since you asked so nicely, it’s Carolyn,” the redhead retorted.
“Okay, you and Carolyn start going through the living quarters. Tell everybody to move down to the Maintenance Building. Don’t take time to try to explain why, just tell them to do it and keep moving. Sasha will be organizing the corridor defense, and Suri and I will go ahead to check the status on the sand crawlers… Does that sound all right, Sasha?”