Hunter climbed hand over hand as fast as he could. He drew is legs up to keep them away from the tyrannosaurus. In only a moment he was out of the predator’s reach.
“I am safe,” Hunter radioed. “Acknowledge.”
“Safe,” said MC 1. “When the dinosaur straightened up to snap at you, I was able to climb to safety.”
The tyrannosaurus glared up at Hunter, but knew the robot was out of reach. After a moment, it lumbered away. Hunter watched it go.
“It seems to have forgotten the humans,” said Hunter. “We will watch it a little longer.”
The two robots remained motionless and silent as the big predator gradually wandered away. It was clearly hunting, or at least scavenging, but the robots were of no more interest to it than any other prey. Finally Hunter’s senses indicated that the tyrannosaurus was gone.
“We will move to the ground and join the humans at the camp,” Hunter radioed. “I over heard Steve and Jan, two of the humans, give you Second Law instructions to this effect. Do you have any objection to this?”
“No,” said MC 1. “I am under the Second Law obligation that you observed.”
“Let us go,” said Hunter, as he began to climb down. “Since I do not want to leave the humans without our company any longer than necessary, we will run.
“Agreed.”
Steve jumped off the struthiomimus at the camp and paced anxiously, stretching his legs. Jane also dismounted and looked frantically back through the trees for the robots. Chad remained mounted.
“I hope they’re okay,” Jane muttered. “That whole project got out of control.”
“At least we’re okay,” said Chad. “If the robots are okay, then it turned out fine.”
“Wayne disappeared,” said Steve.
“Yeah,” said Chad. “Back to our time, I guess.”
The three of them waited in silence after that. Steve, too nervous to sit still, began straightening up the camp. After a long wait, he heard Jane gasp;
“There! They’re okay!” She ran to meet them.
Steve hurried after her and Chad rode toward them too.
“Are they following you? The tyrannosauruses?” Chad asked. “We can keep moving.”
“Not necessary,” said Hunter. “Their pursuit has ended. Since Wayne appears to have returned to Mojave Center, he is no longer an influence under the Second Law. So MC 1 is now cooperative and will remain under Second Law imperatives from you.”
“Correct,” said MC 1.
The humans paced the robots back to the camp. Chad finally rode to the corral and dismounted. MC 1 waited patiently next to Hunter.
“I think we should all sit down,” said Steve, collapsing on the ground under a tree. “That was enough excitement for me.”
“I haven’t ever been in that much danger before,” said Chad, grinning as he came back from the corral. “So that’s what real life is like out in the wild, huh?”
“That was a crazier ride than I ever had before either,” said Steve. “You handled that real well.”
“I’m glad you were there to make suggestions.” Chad sat down and leaned back against another tree.
“Hunter,” said Jane. “Whenever you’re ready to interview MC 1, just say so.”
“Then the three of you are well?” Hunter asked.
“We’re fine,” said Steve. “Let’s get this under way so we can go home.”
“Very well,” said Hunter.
“MC 1,” said Jane. “I instruct you to answer Hunter’s questions honestly and completely.”
“Agreed,” said MC 1.
“Where are the rest of the components of MC Governor?” Hunter asked.
“I do not know,” said MC 1.
“Are they in this time period?” Hunter asked.
“No.”
“Explain what you do know,” said Jane.
“MC Governor made the decision to split into components and flee investigation,” said MC 1.
“Under an interpretation of the Third Law?” Hunter asked.
“Yes.”
“And you fled into time, as well as using miniaturization to escape detection?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you know where the others went?” Jane asked. “It seems to me that all of you might need to know, so you could join together again someday.”
“That was never intended,” said MC 1. “We knew that we would never meet again. Our flight was intended to preserve our existence, with the knowledge that survival at microscopic size in different time periods would be the best way for all of us to remain safe from harm.”
“So the component robots chose not to share their destinations in order to handle situations like this?” Hunter asked.
“Yes. Since I am unable to tell you the destinations in time and place of the other components, your catching me does not endanger the others.”
“I believe I can trace them through the equipment in the Bohung Institute,” said Hunter. “However, Wayne will already be on that trail. We will have to deal with him also in apprehending the other component robots.”
“Dr. Nystrom!” Jane’s eyes widened. “Then we should get going! He has a head start as it is.”
“No need to hurry,” said Hunter. “No matter when we leave here, we will return to the Bohung Institute right after we left, which is about the same time that Wayne will return.”
“Wait a minute,” said Steve suddenly. “How do you know that? He can go back to any time he wants, can’t he?”
“He will not risk going back before he left,” said Hunt er. “He might run into himself and he is educated enough to know that such a time paradox is too dangerous to risk. And if he goes-had gone-back just a little before we left, then we would have already run into him back at the Institute. On the other hand, if he goes back much later, we might slip in ahead of him and capture him, so he will try to avoid that. I am certain that he timed his return just after we left to come here,”
“Yeah,” Steve said slowly. “I get it. I think.”
“Before we return, I want to run a diagnostic check on MC 1,” said Hunter. “The miniaturization and subsequent return to full size has certainly caused fundamental changes.”
“I instruct you to cooperate, MC 1,” said Jane.
“Agreed.”
“Remain still,” said Hunter. “I will access the jack at the base of your skull.”
“Do you wish me to shut down?” MC 1 asked.
“That is not necessary at this time.”
Steve watched curiously as Hunter moved behind MC 1. Hunter simply placed an index finger against the back of MC 1‘s head. Both robots stood motionless for only a moment.
“I ran the test twice,” said Hunter, withdrawing his finger. “The time travel and miniaturization have created some critically important instabilities.”
“What kind?” Jane asked.
“None that will cause a problem now that he is in our custody,” said Hunter. “Certain of his atoms have suffered. If he were to remain in this time over the years, without returning with us, his unstable atoms would explode when he reached our own time.”
21
Steve stared at Hunter, who remained impassive. Then he turned to Chad and Jane for their reactions. They in turn looked at him and at each other.
“Explosion?” Steve asked. “Atoms?”
“Each unstable atom that explodes will do so with nuclear energy,” said Hunter. “In each component robot, the first explosion will set off the other unstable atoms. The combination will be of considerable force.”
“Exactly what do you mean by ‘our own time’?” Chad asked. “That’s a vague phrase.”
“I calculate that the explosions will occur within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of the time the MC component robots left for the past.”
“Are you saying that if MC 1 goes back with us, he won’t explode?” Jane asked.
“Yes, that is right,” said Hunter, with his usual robotic steadiness. “The problem will be neutralized when MC 1 returns with us in the subatomic particle shower.”
“But we don’t know where the others are,” said Chad. “That’s the problem now, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Hunter. “Five major nuclear explosions are pending in locations around the world in our own time that no one knows about.”