“I am R. Hunter,” said the blond leader. “You are Steve Chang, I believe.”
“How would you know that?” Steve demanded.
Hunter looked startled at his rudeness. “I have a dossier with your portrait on my internal video. My companions are Jane Maynard, roboticist, and Chad Mora, paleontologist.”
“Yeah?” Steve ignored them. “What do you want?”
“I need your help,” said Hunter. “I came to offer you employment.”
“Looks like you could use a little money,” said Chad, grinning. “I didn’t think people still lived like this.”
“If I wanted a job, I wouldn’t be here,” growled Steve. “I own this plot of land and you came uninvited. Go away.”
Hunter turned and started to walk back to the helicopter. Steve grinned. He had expected more of an argument, but of course, under the Second Law, a robot had to obey a direct order to leave.
“Wait a minute,” said Jane to Hunter. The robot hesitated, now at least able to make some interpretations of his own. “Steve, I just want to know if it’s really true that you can mountain climb, camp, rock climb, canoe…all the outdoor activities Hunter told us about.”
“Yeah. What of it?” Steve asked more mildly, flattered that she was interested.
“Everyone I know is highly specialized and lives in cities. I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
Steve shrugged. “I just happen to like the desert.”
“He’s a real throwback,” sneered Chad.
“Shut up, Chad,” said Jane. “Steve, I’ve never seen a place like yours. Would you show me around?”
Steve knew very well that she was just trying to get on his good side, but he didn’t get much female company up on this ridge. With a reluctant grin, he got to his feet. “There isn’t much to see, but come on in.”
“You have a computer, at least,” said Jane, following him inside. “And electricity.”
“Yeah.” Steve shrugged. “I built the shack with modem insulation because it does get pretty cold up here in the winter. I have an old solar-powered generator and a windmill in the back for additional power.”
“This is basically an office with a bed in it,” said Jane. “Very practical. But where does your water come from?”
“I have five acres of this slope. In the winter, it snows up here, and I have collectors that take the runoff down into an underground tank. I only need about four liters a day, on average, and I have a two thousand liter tank. So that’s more than enough for a year.”
“What if the snowfall is short?” Jane asked.
“I can buy bottled water if necessary, even on a daily basis.” He shrugged casually, but he was really enjoying showing her how he lived.
“Where do you get your money? Odd jobs down in the desert towns?”
“I could do that, but I haven’t had to lately. I use my computer to follow major stock exchanges. I have some money invested, and I make just enough to survive on what I can earn.”
Chad laughed. “Oh, he’s a financial expert, eh?”
Steve felt his face grow hot with anger. “I’m self-sufficient up here. That’s more than most people ever manage.”
“Or want.” Chad rolled his eyes.
“What do you want here?” Steve demanded, glaring at all three of them. “Get to the point or get out.”
“A computer analysis of individuals with certain skills turned up your name,” said Hunter.
“Let me,” Jane interjected. “Steve, the three of us are going on a trip. But we need to hire someone who can take care of our camp and equipment. Hunter suggested taking another robot, but I objected. I think we need a human who can exercise personal judgment without reference to the Laws of Robotics.”
“Exactly what skills are you talking about?” Steve asked suspiciously.
“Camping, fishing, maybe hunting. Possibly hiking or even climbing.” Jane waited patiently, watching him with large, dark eyes.
“My focus was too narrow,” said Hunter. “A flaw in my robotic thinking. When I planned our trip, I forgot to concern myself with the human needs of Chad and Jane.”
“Why don’t you find someone in that underground place you came from?”
“Mojave Center,” said Jane. “The problem is that not very many humans have the skills we need. You do.”
“Mojave Center is still experimental,” said Chad. “The humans living there are all very well educated and specialized. They’re too important to be spared from the skeleton population.”
“Forget it,” said Steve.
“We’re going back in time,” Jane said suddenly. “Something no human has ever done before.”
“What?”
“To the Late Cretaceous Period,” said Hunter. “That’s why I need a paleontologist, such as Chad.”
“Back in time?” Steve stared at Hunter, his hands tingling with excitement. He hated the kind of routine life led by people in cities, but a real adventure fascinated him. “Why are you going back in time? Just to see if you can do it?”
“No,” said Hunter. “If you join us, I’ll brief you fully. For now, I will say only that a robot has preceded us on this trip. We must return him to the present time.”
Steve shook his head slowly, looking at Hunter in amazement. “A robot has already made the trip, huh?”
“I know you may find this trip hard to believe,” said Hunter, who seemed to mistake his excitement for fear. “So I must tell you that I am authorized to hire you at the same fee I will pay Chad and Jane, who are highly specialized professionals in their fields.”
“Are you serious?” Chad turned to Hunter in shock. “You’re going to pay him as much as you pay me?”
Steve grinned at his outrage. “Sure, I’ll take the job. When do we leave?”
“Now,” said Hunter. “All necessary clothes, personal articles, and equipment will be provided in Mojave Center.”
“Now?” Steve glanced around his shack. “Well…”
“What’s wrong?” Chad demanded. “Afraid somebody will come by and trash your mansion?”
“It’s still my place,” Steve growled.
“Hunter,” said Jane, “security is a realistic concern if he leaves his home unattended.”
“I will assign a Security robot from Mojave Center to remain here while you are gone,” said Hunter. “Since we will be coming back only a minute or so after we leave, the only significant period of time involved will be the time we spend in Mojave Center getting ready. Will that be acceptable?”
“Uh, fine,” said Steve. “Give me just a minute to turn off everything.”
“I will start up the helicopter,” said Hunter.
Chad followed him away from the shack. Jane hesitated, watching Steve shut off the power to various appliances. When he glanced up at her, she smiled.
“We’re going back in time,” Steve mused to himself. “Hard to believe.”
Steve enjoyed the brief helicopter ride, looking out over the desert from an even greater altitude than he normally could. When they took the angled tube down into Mojave Center, however, he began to feel closed in. The carefully processed air seemed humid and chilly to him after living in the natural desert climate.
“I will either have to requisition what we need,” said Hunter, “or arrange through the city computer to acquire it or have it made. But, Steve, I need a list from you of what you humans will need to survive.”
“Well, food, of course-”
“That part I understand. I can arrange basic, balanced nutrition in packaged form. What about clothing and shelter for living in the wild?”
“Not so fast,” said Steve. “What about food preparation? Some of it will need cooking. We’ll need containers, utensils, and a way to clean them all.”
“I understand. Keep going. I am recording as you speak,” said Hunter.
“Where are we going?”
“Roughly, allowing for major geological changes, we will be in Alberta, Canada.”
“Alberta! Then we’ll need to keep warm if it’s winter. What time of year?”
“Summer,” said Hunter. “But the region that is now Alberta was farther south at that time-closer to the equator. The climate was totally different.”
“All right, then what kind of climate will it have?”
“Warm and humid,” said Hunter. “Forest, marsh, maybe some open country. I cannot be more specific than that.”
“Then layered clothing is important,” said Steve. “So that we can put on or take off whatever is necessary. Boots for all of us. A sturdy tent to keep off rain and to stand up to wind. A portable solar-powered generator for heat, cooking, power tools-”