He was ready for business. The thirst of the mini llamas should draw the beasts into the corral. There was nothing to do but wait.
He let down the cargo ramp and sat down, then lay back supine so he could watch the Ceremyons circling in the blue sky far overhead. He remembered then that last flight he had taken to talk to Synapo, when he had found Sarco instead. During none of his flights-neither on this planet, or earlier, on the wolf planet -had he considered the experience of flying itself. At the time his mind was far too busy with other disturbing thoughts. Now he looked back to those flights and realized that the act of flying had been an exceedingly enjoyable experience. Watching the Ceremyons far above, he relived those moments, recapturing the pleasure he had unconsciously stored away without really savoring and appreciating it at the time.
Until it got quite close, he failed to notice the large Ceremyon shape coming directly at him on a long glide path from the direction of The Cliff of Time. Its dull silvery color blended into the grayish-blue sky, and because of its lack of motion in bearing and elevation, the beast was almost invisible until it was nearly upon him. Then it came at him with a rush, flared its wings, lost momentum and stalled, but did so almost two meters too high, so that it fell to the ground only a couple of meters away with a decided impact, wings outspread. The momentum of its low center of gravity had swung its body forward, pivoting around the shoulders, so that it fell flat on its back. Adam couldn't help but recall his similar experience in testing the Ceremyon wings for the first time, when he had glided from the lorry, dragged his toes, and fallen on his face.
From the size and the color he knew at once that it was Eve. He had risen to a sitting position when he had detected the moving object. Now, while Adam watched quietly, Eve transformed back to the Ariel imprint, lying on the ground, as though the robot didn't want to risk the awkward indignity of trying to stand while still imprinted on the Ceremyon. With the metamorphosis complete, she stood, quickly and with a delicacy and grace that contrasted sharply with her harsh words.
“You misled me, Adam SilverSide.”
“How so?” Adam asked
“Ariel is not human. Neither is Derec. You knew, yet you didn't tell me that Neuronius is the only human here. He is my Master. You and Mandelbrot and the Avery robots are alien to me. Your Laws are obviously not my Laws. Something compels you to serve non-humans in spite of Neuronius and the wisdom he tried to pass on to you.”
She talked so fast Adam didn't get a chance to interrupt. And then she wheeled abruptly and ran rapidly in the direction of the dome. Although disturbed, she didn't seem violently so. She didn't seem dangerous, even though she had clearly responded to the insidious persuasion of Neuronius. Adam would have liked to have had a chance to counter that poison. Still, Ariel could probably do a better job than he, and with more authority. After all, it was Ariel who had pushed Eve in the direction of Neuronius in the first place, albeit unwittingly.
Adam sat there watching her progress toward the dome, waiting patiently for his experiment to reach its climax, when the minillamas would start entering his corral.
It was some time later, after he resumed his supine position and his observation of the soaring Ceremyons, that he heard the muffled explosion. He rose up just as a flaming, cartwheeling object landed in the grass midway between him and the activity near the dome, where the explosion had taken place.
He jumped up, raised and secured the ramp, and directed the cargo robot to the location where the object had landed.
Chapter 27. Neuronius Strikes Out
When Eve SilverSide found her, Ariel was sitting at the computer terminal in the apartment examining Wolruf's latest report on the final steps needed to put the last of the robot farms in operation.
“I have carried out your wishes, Ariel,” Eve said.
The missing title, the lack of polite address, caught Ariel's attention and alerted her to possible trouble ahead. She turned around to face Eve.
Eve continued, “I talked to Adam, but he was quite uncooperative, no help at all.”
“You did what I asked,” Ariel said. “I was hoping you would succeed where Derec and I failed. But actually I had small hope that you could get anything out of him. Not when he pleaded Third Law considerations. Don't feel bad.”
“But I did succeed. I found out what Master Neuronius told him, all the things they talked about.”
“I don't understand.”
“I talked to Master Neuronius himself.”
“Neuronius?”
Ariel began to feel apprehensive, sensing impending calamity, feeling very much alone. Mandelbrot was with Derec. She had sent Jacob to the locker in the basement for a fresh box of positronic data storage cubes. Personal robots were never around when you really needed them.
“Yes, Master Neuronius,” Eve replied. “He tried to teach Adam the science behind the compensator domes, but failed. He will succeed with me, though.”
“Ah, then he hasn't taught you yet?”
“No. Not yet. But I will learn when he teaches you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I will learn by listening to your conversation.”
Ariel seriously considered the idea, briefly, but only for a moment. Talk about upstaging Derec. That would put her hyperwave modulation coup in the deep shade. But she would not likely understand the technology even if she had the opportunity. She hadn't understood even the idea when Synapo and Sarco had tried to summarize the dome construction for Derec. And to get involved with Neuronius after Synapo's warning would be sheer idiocy.
“Not likely,” Ariel said. “And you should stay away from Neuronius. He is exceedingly dangerous.”
“You must come with me now, Ariel. Master Neuronius is waiting in the forest.”
“Don't be silly. I have no intention of going with you, nor of meeting with an insane Ceremyon.”
“Why do you say damaging things like that? Master Neuronius does not deprecate you in that fashion. Instead, he has a great deal of faith in you; otherwise he wouldn't be willing to help you in your struggle with Synapo.”
“I'm not struggling with Synapo. He and I get along fine.”
“But he has deluded you.”
“No. Quite the contrary. Neuronius has deluded you. Just like he confused and tried to take over Adam. Fortunately, Adam had talked to Synapo first. And then Sarco later. Together they were able to straighten him out. It's unfortunate that Adam wouldn't talk to you. We could have avoided all this if he had. It would be better still if I hadn't sent you to Adam in the first place. But now, it seems I had good reason to.”
“It is Adam who is still confused. He knows that Master Neuronius is the only human on the planet.”
“What?” Ariel wasn't sure she had heard that right.
“Adam knows that Master Neuronius is the only human here.”
“Adam told you that?”
“No, but he did not deny it just now.”
“Who did tell you then? Surely not even Neuronius is that irrational.”
“That is the most important thing I learned from Master Neuronius. And Adam confirmed it by his silence. Adam's Laws cannot be my Laws or he, too, would recognize and obey our Master.”
“Surely you don't believe that.”
Ariel wished desperately that Jacob would get back up with the storage cubes. She couldn't stall much longer.
“You must come with me now,” Eve insisted.
“No. We must talk to Adam. He can clear all this up. We'll go talk to Adam just as soon as Jacob returns. In the meantime, go stand in your niche, Eve. I have to get back to work.”