“Please…?” Sasha asked gently.
“The impatience of youth!” The Hungarian sighed. “Very well, my dear. For you, I’ll start.”
For effect, he paused to light his pipe, his eyes dancing mischievously at Hosato’s impatient fidgeting.
“First off,” he began finally, “I wasn’t rushing my report, because I don’t have that much to add. As might be suspected from the Ravensteel reaction, tour groups are still being processed through Mc. Crae without any noticeable change. There are no humans in sight, but it’s my understanding there never were on these tours. Everything is functioning normally, and if I didn’t trust you all implicitly, I’d swear nothing such as you described ever took place at the complex.”
He paused to relight his pipe.
“Believe me, Tinker—” Hosato began.
The Hungarian silenced him with a vague wave.
“I believe, I believe!” he said. “I was talking about what the normal eye would see. Fortunately, I have better-than-normal eyes. You know those cameras and sensors you told me to watch for?”
He cocked an eyebrow at Sasha, who nodded.
“Well, they’ve been embellished. They each have new little doodads attached. I couldn’t tell for sure what they were without close examination, but I have a strong feeling they aren’t room deodorizers.”
“Blasters?” Hosato asked.
The Hungarian shrugged. “Like I say, I couldn’t tell without close examination, and somehow I didn’t think it would be wise to attempt it. Then for laughs I tried the Employment Office and was politely informed by the desk-robot there were no positions available at this time.”
The group sat in silence for several long minutes digesting what they had heard, each lost in his own thoughts.
“Okay,” Hosato said at last, “Rick and Sasha have put together floor plans and schematics as to what we’re up against at the Mc. Crae complex. What’s your appraisal of the situation?”
The Hungarian blew a long plume of smoke from his pipe before replying.
“You’re facing a highly automated manufacturing complex with multiple security devices. Unlike normal electronic detection devices, these are armed and it is assumed they will fire on any detected threat to the complex. In addition, there is an unknown number of mobile robots guarding the complex against intrusion, also armed. The key to the whole mess is here.”
He paused to tap the indicated spot on the layout drawings with the stem of his pipe.
“The Central Computer Building. The computer housed here controls the entire operation; the security scanners, the mobile killer modules, and the manufacturing concern producing the killer modules. Correct its programming or destroy it completely, and the whole complex goes down.”
“Wait a minute,” Hosato interrupted. “Back up a little. Did you say we could stop the computer by correcting its programming?”
“That’s right.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. It’s got to be easier than getting to the computer itself.”
The Hungarian shook his head. “Not so fast. We can’t use just any terminal to change the programming. Tell him, Sasha.”
“There are lots of terminals, Hosato, but only a handful that give you access to the program banks,” the former security chief informed him. “What’s more, it seems one of Turner’s precautions was to lock out the other program terminals. The only one we could use is the one in his office.”
Hosato pulled the layout map toward him and scanned it to refresh his memory.
“That’s still our best, bet,” he declared. “Compared to the route to the computer building, reaching Turner’s office is the yellow brick road.”
“No it isn’t,” Sasha corrected. “The terminal in Turner’s office won’t help us at all.”
“But you said—”
“I said it was the only terminal that could change the base programs. Unfortunately, we can’t use it.”
“Why not?” Hosato asked.
“Because of the idiot voice lock he has on it,” she snarled. “I was fighting him through channels trying to get it removed for security reasons when this mess blew up. Now he’s dead and there’s no way we can bypass the lock.”
Hosato experienced a moment of frustration; then he quelled it. With effort he forced himself to abandon the hope of using the terminal and concentrate on the Central Computer Building. If that was where they would have to attack, that was that. Railing against facts didn’t change them.
The others waited in silence as he pored over the floor plans, respectful of an expert at work. Time and time again he checked a measurement or an angle, then shook his head.
“I’ll have to think on this overnight,” he announced at last. “There’s got to be a way.”
“Any ideas at all?” Rick asked.
Hosato shook his head. “Frankly, right now it looks impossible. I can’t see any way two people can crack that layout.”
“Two?” Sasha queried.
In response, Hosato cocked an eyebrow at the Hungarian, who cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“What your friend here is trying to say, Sasha, is that you shouldn’t count on me for a fight,” he said. “You’re welcome to whatever equipment or weapons I can supply, and I’ll advise you as best I can, but I’m simply not a man of action. I’m sorry if you think less of me for that, but that’s the way I am. When the actual mission starts, I’m a cheering section and not much more.”
“That’s all right,” Sasha assured him. “You’ve been more than enough help already.”
“Say um Hosato,” Rick interjected. “Maybe this isn’t the time to bring it up, but Sasha and I have been talking, and…”
“Yes?” Hosato prompted.
“Well, we think that she should go along with you on this mission. Even with her disability she can shoot better than I can, and—”
“—and she can’t pilot a ship, while you can,” Hosato finished for him. “I know. I’ve been figuring 'all along that Sasha would be my backup.”
The Hungarian shot him a look of surprise and suspicion. Hosato ignored it and continued.
“That’s why I’m trying to come up with a plan for two. The Hungarian stays here, and you pilot the ship, which leaves Sasha and me for the assault. By my count, that’s two.”
“Three,” said James, breaking his silence. “I’m going too.”
“James—” Hosato began.
“I’m going,” the boy said firmly. “My father started all this, and I’m going to help finish it. Besides, I can beat the voice lock.”
“What?” Sasha exploded into life.
“I said, I can beat the voice lock,” James stated calmly. “It’s keyed to open for either of two voices. One was Dad’s, the other’s mine.”
“Sasha, can we use a recording of his voice to do the job?” Hosato asked.
“No,” the boy answered. “The lock involves a series of three random questions that have to be answered within a given time span. It was designed that way to prevent someone using a recorded voice to force the lock.”
Sasha looked at the Hungarian. “Could you teach him what to say to change the program once he springs the lock?”
He sighed. “I could try, but it’s a lot to teach him in two weeks.”
“Why 'two weeks'?” Rick interrupted.
The Hungarian slapped his forehead in mock astonishment.
“That’s just like me!” he announced viciously. “Here I’ve been worrying about it all the way back here, and then I forget to show you.”
He rummaged in his pocket for a moment and fished out a folded piece of paper.
“Here,” he said, passing it to Rick. “Read this. Mc. Crae Enterprises is announcing its revolutionary new line of security robots. According to that release, demonstrator sets will be available for shipment to interested customers within three weeks.”
“And it will take us a week just to get there,” Rick moaned. “Hosato…”