Asimov's Future History Volume 2

by Isaac Asimov

  “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 —”

  “Not acceptable,” said Hunter.

  “Why not?” Steve looked up at him in surprise.

  “All our equipment will have to be as primitive as possible. We will use everything that we can get in biodegradable form. We have to be very careful to leave as small an impact in the past as we can. If we do leave anything behind, it must decompose as fast as possible.”

  “I see,” said Steve. “Well, then. Extra rope and knives. An axe and a small hatchet to cut wood.” Steve continued to list the essential items, now relying strictly on simple hand tools and materials.

  After Steve had completed his general list, Chad and Jane added their personal articles. By the time they had finished their various requests, they had ridden a lift down to an immense hallway labeled Antelope Valley Boulevard. Steve looked around, uncomfortable yet still curious to see whatever he could.

  “We will go to MC Governor’s office,” said Hunter. “We’ll use it as a rendezvous point.”

  “Are we separating?” Jane looked at him in surprise.

  “Yes. I have arranged through the city computer for Steve to spend tonight in the same hotel you two are using. I am going to spend the night supervising gathering the equipment and checking it over. The First Law will not let me go until I have reviewed everything that you three will need.”

  “It’s still fairly early for us,” said Jane. “We can have a leisurely dinner,” said Chad. “I’m hungry enough. That is, if Steve here eats his food cooked.”

  “Sure,” said Steve. “And you had better enjoy tonight’s dinner. After we’re on our way, you’ll have to eat the same way I do.”

  7

  WHILE THE HUMANS ate dinner, Hunter found his way to the storage and manufacturing centers of the city. On his way, he had the city computer introduce him to the supervisory robots through their comlinks to save time. He spent several hours waiting for the clothing and equipment to be assembled.

  Once he had given the supervisory robots a top priority order, they left only a small staff on necessary operations and assigned the remainder to Hunter’s unusual requests. By the time he had finished gathering everything to his satisfaction, Jane had called him from the hotel to say that the three humans were retiring for the night.

  Hunter spent the rest of the night inspecting the gear and packing it into bundles. With his robotic strength, he could carry the greatest amount of it in a large backpack without a problem. Steve would carry another pack with the remainder. Chad and Jane would be burdened only with small packs in which their immediate needs were stored. He wanted them to be as free as possible to concentrate on their basic task, helping him catch MC Governor.

  In the morning, Hunter sent a Security robot to pick up the humans when they had finished breakfast. Meanwhile, he went directly to the Bohung Institute. In Room F-12, with the help of Ishihara, he disabled the miniaturization system. Then he instructed Ishihara to wait outside the room and prevent any unauthorized robots or humans from entering until further notice. Hunter was ready for the humans when they arrive
d.

  “We briefed Steve last night,” said Jane. “About MC Governor going microscopic and fleeing back in time, not realizing that the miniaturization is temporary. We discussed it after dinner while we walked around the city seeing the sights.”

  “His part is simple enough,” said Chad. “He does the camping. We’ll find MC Governor.”

  Steve nodded toward the packs. “You got everything, then, Hunter?”

  “Everything on my list,” said Hunter. “Do any of you have any late additions?”

  No one did.

  “All right,” said Hunter. “I have a khaki, biodegradable worksuit, like the one I am wearing, for each of you. They have plenty of pockets for your personal items. Change in the next room if you prefer.”

  The three humans took turns changing their clothes and returned. All of them looked down at themselves and at each other with self-conscious grins. Their worksuits fit perfectly, of course.

  “One final briefing,” said Hunter. “Are you familiar with chaos theory as applied to history?”

  “As a paleontologist, yes,” said Chad.

  “I haven’t heard it actually discussed,” said Jane. “I think I can see how it would be applied.”

  “What kind of theory?” Steve asked.

  Chad laughed.

  Hunter ignored him. “According to traditional chaos theory, chaotic systems are irreversible-events cause a sequence of ongoing effects similar to ripples in water after a splash. No one can stop them.”

  “Wouldn’t that make time travel impossible?” Steve asked cautiously.

  “Oh, now he’s a physicist,” Chad sneered.

  Hunter ignored that, too. “Theoretically, yes. If we can go back in time by using the machinery in this room, however, we will be proving an uncertainty principle in this theory that has existed for a long time. Our own problem, however, is this: any actions MC Governor takes, particularly after he returns to normal size, may cause ripples in events, ripples that will be huge by the time they reach the present. I must find him to prevent him from harming every human who has ever lived.”

  “That part sounds easy enough to understand,” said Steve. “That’s why we’re chasing him in the first place.”

  “But once we are back in time, we have the same problem. Anything we do could cause ripples — we have to make as few changes of note as possible.” Hunter looked each one of them in the eye, in turn. “Do you understand how critical this point is? We must return with all of our equipment. In every way, we have to have as little influence on our environment as possible. Understood?”

  Steve and Jane nodded.

  “Our very presence is going to create some changes,” said Chad. “We’ll consume oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, give off body heat, step on the grass. We can’t avoid making some changes. Let’s not kid ourselves, Hunter.”

  “We are not,” said Hunter. “No one knows where the line is drawn between actions that the time line will absorb and what will make permanent changes.”

  An uncomfortable silence followed.

  “Are we following MC Governor to the exact moment he went to?” Jane asked. “How long will we be there before he returns to normal size?”

  “Within twenty-four hours,” said Hunter. “We will not follow him to the direct moment. I have calculated how long the miniaturization is likely to last. We will be landing as close to the moment it ends as I can calculate. Also, we will be moving geographically, with the movement of the planet. That was part of MC Governor’s calculation, which I’ve duplicated.”

  “Sounds good to me,” said Chad.

  “Time to go,” said Hunter. He pushed a button on the control panel that opened the big sphere. “Everyone climb in. When you are comfortable, I will place the gear in around you and get in myself.”

  As the others entered, Hunter punched instructions into the control panel. Its timer was already running by the time he joined them and sealed the hatch behind him. The quartet was crowded, and since the bottom of the sphere was curved, everyone and everything slid together. In a moment, however, a quiet hum sounded outside the sphere. No one moved.

  Suddenly sunlight replaced the darkness as the sphere vanished. In the next instant, Hunter felt himself fall seventeen centimeters, landing on soft soil with a thump. He turned to see if the humans were hurt. No one seemed to be.

  All of them were looking around in amazement. They were outside, of course, sitting among their scattered packs. Most of their surroundings were forested, but beyond the canopy of trees, the sky was blue and the sun bright.

  Hunter inhaled deeply, and his internal sensors analyzed the content of the air. It was not extremely different from what he had experienced before, except for somewhat less methane and, of course, no industrial pollutants of any kind, even in trace amounts. The air was far more humid than that of the desert, or even of the controlled atmosphere in Mojave Center. By these initial data, he judged that they had apparently arrived at their destination.

  “A primeval forest,” Jane said in awe. She looked around slowly in all directions. “It’s the real thing. We’re actually here.”

  “Better not get hurt,” said Chad. “It’s a long way to a hospital — millions of years.”

  Steve got to his feet, also glancing around. “It’s afternoon already.”

  “What of it?” Chad demanded, also getting up. “We have hours of daylight left.”

  “It may take hours to find a natural source of water and a safe place to camp.”

  “We have water,” said Hunter. “As much as we can carry, in these containers. Rationed, it will last us a couple of days.”

  “You hired me to handle this kind of thing,” Steve said hotly. “What if it takes us days to find water? Back home, we could chew leaves for the moisture if necessary — but here we don’t know which plants might be poisonous to us.”

  “You’re getting ahead of yourself, hotshot,” said Chad. ‘We have to find a robot. If we find him soon, we can just go right home. Suppose you let us handle the scheduling.”

  “Then I’ll look for water alone!” Steve turned and stomped away through the trees. In the dense forest, he was out of sight quickly.

  Hunter, watching him in some alarm, turned up his aural sensitivity. He did not hear the sound of any particularly large, heavy footsteps that threatened immediate danger. “Be extremely careful, please,” he called after Steve.

  “The First Law requires that I protect all of you,” Hunter said to Chad and Jane. “But Steve may have a point. I hired him to take care of your human needs, and water is an obvious one.”

  “Let’s make our plans,” said Jane. “If we’re lucky, we can catch MC Governor without having to camp out here.”

  “All right,” said Hunter. “I have calculated the radius of the circle within which MC Governor can probably be found.”

  “He may have had no reason to go anywhere,” said Jane, looking down at her feet. “We could be standing on him.”

  “At his size, he would sustain no damage if we were,” said Hunter. He stepped back. Carefully measuring the distance from the center of their landing point, he paced off a line into the trees. He was out of sight for a moment, then quickly returned. “I have marked a radius of 15.4 meters. Our visibility here is about twelve meters.”

  “How are you going to mark it?” Chad asked. “Blaze the trees?”

  “No,” said Hunter. “Unnecessary damage to tree trunks is the kind of action we must avoid. I am going to walk around the perimeter of the area. Watch me to see if I am out of sight for very long.”

  When Hunter had finished his circle, making minor adjustments to avoid natural obstacles, he turned to Jane. “How is the visibility?”

  “Not too good,” said Jane. “This circle is what, about thirty meters across?”

  “Approximately, yes.”

  “I’d say the average visibility here is only twelve meters, maybe twenty in spots,” said Chad.

  “Then we may have to
rely on hearing MC Governor’s footsteps and movements through the forest when he returns to full size,” said Hunter. “We may or may not be able to see him.”

  “When we do see him or hear him,” said Chad, “how do we catch him?”

  “The First and Second Laws of Robotics,” said Jane. “If MC Governor believes that a human is in danger, then he will have to stop to help under the First Law. If he is within hearing of a human voice, he can be ordered to stop and cooperate. Hunter alone, of course, can’t use the Laws against him, being a robot himself.”

  “I get the picture,” said Chad.

  “We must set a trap for MC Governor,” said Hunter. “One that uses the Laws of Robotics on him, but not on me.”

  “Can we discuss it here, just like that?” Chad looked down at the ground. “I know he’s microscopic, but can’t he still hear us?”

  “No,” said Jane. “His aural sensitivity is still strong, but with the difference in the size of his sensors, the sound of our voices will be too heavily distorted for him to understand. He won’t even realize that human voices are speaking. His current existence has more immediate threats from microbes. The Third Law will force him to focus all his sensors on sights and sounds that signify danger on his level. He has no reason to expect human voices here, anyway.”

  “I accept your judgment,” said Hunter. “That is why I wanted a roboticist along, after all.”

  “I’m convinced,” said Chad. “So what kind of trap are you talking about?”

  “One with a dinosaur or two,” said Hunter. “I want you to choose one that will look dangerous to MC Governor, but is actually herbivorous and not too large. If a meat-eater approaches any of you humans, the First Law will force me to intervene.”

  “All right,” said Chad, sliding his belt computer free. “I’ll see what’s likely to be around here. Some of the herbivores might attack if they feel endangered, or stampede over someone if they’re scared. Their choice of diet is not the only threat they can present.”

  “Excellent point,” said Hunter. “Go ahead with your research and then we will discuss the choices.”