“We are to judge the functioning of the Governor robots themselves,” said Dr. Khanna. “You signed an agreement to that effect when this project began. Now, then, as to the current situation-”
Wayne pounded on the disconnect key with his fist. The terminal screen returned to a standard display. Angrily, Wayne jumped out of the cart, landing in front of Horatio’s impassive face.
“Where is he?” Wayne demanded.
“I do not know.”
“Under the Second Law, I order you to answer all my questions honestly! Where is MC Governor?”
“I do not know where Mojave Center Governor robot is,” said Horatio carefully.
Wayne glared at him, slowly composing himself. He knew that Horatio could not lie about this unless a First Law imperative required it.
“Tell me if a First Law imperative is influencing your judgment and responses under the Second Law.”
“No, Dr. Nystrom. None is.”
Wayne thought about that. If the First Law imperative were strong enough, he could still be lying. “You communicated with MC Governor shortly before his disappearance. Was he involved with a First Law imperative?”
“To some degree.”
Wayne’s temper subsided. Dealing with erratic, untrustworthy humans often frustrated him, but robots were direct, honest, and reliable within the framework of the Three Laws. “So he felt an indirect concern over the First Law-maybe one that is not immediate?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Was he involved with a Third Law imperative?”
“Yes, Dr. Nystrom.”
“Aha.” Wayne nodded grimly. “So he vanished to save himself. Is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
“But you don’t know where he is now?”
“No.”
Wayne smiled wryly. “Doc Nystrom don’t program no idiot robots.”
“Sir?”
“Just a private joke. So MC Governor was careful not to leave you with information that would leave a clear trail.”
“That is correct.”
“Horatio, I have to convince you that I want to help MC Governor. Right now, it looks like he’s the only Governor who’s still functioning. Do you understand what will happen to all the other Governor robots?”
“They will have to be examined for their flaws.”
“Yes! Exactly. But those scientists on the committee just want to find a reason to destroy all the Governors-and my career as well. I’m not under the threat of physical harm, Horatio, but my life’s work is in danger, and that means all the years of my life could be thrown away-made into nothing. Do you understand how that can harm me?”
“I understand that your career is deeply important to you, Dr. Nystrom. However, the Governor robots must have their flaws corrected. Otherwise, they could accidentally harm all the humans under their influence someday, perhaps through neglect of their duties.”
“Of course, of course. But here’s the difference, Horatio. The committee wants to chop up the Governors, pull out their insides, and leave them in pieces.”
“I should think the roboticists would then fix them properly and return them to service.”
“You don’t know them, Horatio!” Wayne kept his frustration and worry in check. To persuade a robot to change his mind would require calm, clear thinking. “Committees don’t exist to fix things. Their purpose is to write reports. They will each write reports about the Governors. Then they will conclude that the Governors can’t be trusted to take care of humans and the Governor robots will be junked, along with my professional reputation. You follow me so far?”
“Yes, I do. But why would they not recommend improving the Governor robots and then using them as planned?”
“Aw, Horatio. I love robots. You’re so rational. The reason is that they’re jealous of my accomplishments and the financial success I’ve attained. They aren’t rational the way you are, Horatio. Perhaps you’ve noticed that about us humans in your own work.”
“Well, yes, I have.”
“Horatio, I want to save the Governors. If I can reach MC Governor first, then I can do the work. I can find the flaw, correct it, and demonstrate to the committee that he has been fixed.”
“If they hate you so much, could they not still stop you?”
“At that point, they wouldn’t dare stop me from putting the other Governors safely back on line. But if I can’t find and fix MC Governor first, the committee will kill my creations. I want to save them.”
“I see the difference, sir.”
“Then help me protect MC Governor. Tell me what you know, and take me to his last known location.”
“All right, Dr. Nystrom. Let us go.”
5
R. Hunter was a new robot, finished and programmed according to the specifications of the Governor Robot Oversight Committee, which had also arranged for his services. He was to locate the missing Governor robot. The committee sent him all of their existing data on the problem while he was on a chartered flight to Mojave Center. When the data had been transferred, the committee members contacted him on a conference call.
Hunter had been programmed with substantial information on dealing with humans. Like other robots, he understood that they often preferred direct contact. The purpose for this was more to get a feeling for someone’s personality than to accomplish a specific goal. Humoring them, he accepted their conference call, examining the first human faces he had seen on his internal video screen with some curiosity of his own.
After introductions, Dr. Chin asked, “Would you mind describing your current appearance? According to our request, you are a humaniform robot six feet tall, capable of altering your appearance at will, and I would like to know what appearance you will use as you proceed. We can see your face on the screen, of course, but I would like a quick summary of your overall look.”
“I am still using the appearance given to me as I was being completed. Six feet tall, blond hair, blue eyes, northern European bone structure and skin tone, and the body of a champion athlete. The myriad microscopic solar cells on my skin that provide my energy do not interfere with my humanoid appearance. I suppose I will continue to use this look until I have some reason to alter it.”
“That is reasonable,” Dr. Khanna said. “How will you make judgments of that sort? That is, how would you appraise your own personality?”
“My personality was programmed both to solve the mystery of MC Governor’s flight and to follow him as necessary to apprehend him. So, even more than most robots, I am goal-oriented and single-minded except, of course, where the Laws of Robotics influence my. priorities. I can socialize with humans as required and, as much as possible, I will try to imitate the robotic thinking of MC Governor.”
“I’m sure your programming is right for the job,” said Dr. Redfield. “Please pardon our questions. A great deal of expense has been put into the Governors and the cities they were intended to run, so we’re just looking for a little reassurance.”
“MC Governor must have left a trail of some sort,” said Hunter. “I am sure I can pick it up with no problem.”
“What will your first move be?” Professor Post asked.
“The most powerful tool I have at this stage is the authority you granted me with the city computer to access information directly. Once I have located MC Governor’s last known location, I will start an eyes-on search of the spot and track him the best I can.”
“I’m sure that will be fine,” said Dr. Chin.
When the committee had disconnected, Hunter reviewed his information. It was not much, but he expected that the Governor was still inside the city somewhere. He was relieved to have found the humans on the committee to be reasonable and cooperative. His background data on humans had led him to expect otherwise.
Hunter contacted the city computer while he was still in the air. The committee had entered his authority into the city computer themselves. That gave him the ability to bypass any standard procedures or special orders that would normally have prevented a visiting robot from directly accessing priority information.
By the time Hunter arrived at Mojave Center, he knew that MC Governor had arranged to be taken in secret to the Bohung Institute. Security records had told him that much. He also learned that all the human and robotic personnel except R. Ishihara had signed off for the day just before MC Governor had arrived at the Institute.