by Isaac Asimov
“What a jerk,” Steve muttered as he hiked angrily through the forest. He was anxious to get away from Chad’s sneer though he knew that his knowledge about dinosaurs and scientific matters was not the equal of the other man’s. The whole unpleasant conversation had started with a question that Steve felt had been reasonable. Chad just took every chance that he could find to insult Steve.
Despite his anger, Steve was not reckless. He walked toward the stream so he would have it as a landmark. By the time he reached it, he had cooled off. He decided to sit down by the water and relax.
“This is a ridiculous place and time to be sitting around,” he said out loud.
After a while, he stood up and worked his way upstream, just looking around. Then he saw a fairly large two-legged dinosaur bending over the bank, drinking.
Steve had no idea what species it was. Still, it looked big enough to ride. It was dark green and moved in a fairly slow, calm manner. He couldn’t see its face.
Slowly, Steve crept toward it, expecting it to hear him and run at any moment. It remained where it was, however, lifting its head to listen and look around, then dipping back down to drink again. Steve found himself moving up on its left side.
Steve felt a surge of excitement at the idea of jumping onto a dinosaur. He shook loose his lasso, picking out the angle of this throw. The next time the dinosaur raised its head, Steve tossed the rope.
The loop landed on the top of the dinosaur’s head, but part of it rested on its duck-shaped bill. The dinosaur shook its head and plunged into the water, then hesitated uncertainly. The shaking motion had thrown off the lasso. Steve ran forward and leaped for the dinosaur’s back.
He landed sideways across the back of its neck, clutching for a handhold. The dinosaur reared up on its hind legs, screeching in surprise. The trees overhead whizzed past in a blur as Steve spun backward through the air and splashed into the cold brook.
The water was less than a meter deep. Steve pushed himself to his feet, watching the startled dinosaur flee through the underbrush. He climbed onto the bank, looping his rope around one forearm. “Time for a bath, anyway,” he said aloud, grinning ruefully.
Late in the afternoon, Hunter was still moving quickly through the forest following a fairly clear section of MC 1’s trail. Suddenly, he stopped. He had left the camp behind at some distance and the First Law just would not let him go too far from the humans. Reluctantly, he noted the direction of MC 1‘s trail and turned back.
He walked directly back toward the camp. It was a much shorter route than following the meandering path he had taken all day while tracking MC 1. Fortunately, he had heard nothing from the emergency transmitter.
Hunter was still an eleven-minute hike from the camp at a moderate speed when he heard an authoritative human male voice in the nearby trees.
“Stop, robot. Do nothing more except obey my further instructions.”
Hunter could hear the man’s heartbeat and a faint gurgle in his digestive system, proving that he was human and not a humaniform robot. Hunter stopped and remained motionless, as the Second Law required.
A man he did not recognize stepped out of the forest cover and came up in front of Hunter. He wore a small backpack. According to the data Hunter had been originally programmed with, this man was middle-aged and of northern and western European descent. Obviously, he too had come from the future, but these facts were all that Hunter could deduce about him.
“Identify yourself,” said the man.
“I am R. Hunter, humaniform robot.”
“I was pretty sure you were a robot. Not many humans are as big, strong, and single-minded as you are. I’ve been watching you when I could keep up. Now, tell me if you know who I am.”
“No.”
“You will call me Wayne. You will make no attempt to contact your party in any way. Do not do anything that would help you evade my Second Law imperatives. Acknowledge your understanding and cooperation.”
“Acknowledged, pending only a First Law imperative.” Hunter realized that now he could not shut off his hearing to avoid Wayne’s orders.
“Of course, of course. We will approach your camp together. You will make every effort to keep yourself hidden and you will make no move that would cause me to give myself away. I will show you that the humans in your party are in no danger. Acknowledge.”
“Acknowledged.” Even as the Second Law required him to obey, Hunter realized that Wayne’s priorities were clearly not the same as his own. He could also see by Wayne’s clear and precise instructions that this man was accustomed to dealing with robots and their priorities.
“With my instructions still in force, lead me back to your camp.”
Hunter did so. He walked slowly, required by his orders, to remain quiet and out of sight and to pick a route that would help Wayne do the same. When the camp was in sight through the forest cover, he stopped.
Wayne came up next to him.
Chad was sitting against the base of a tree trunk, reading and entering information into his belt computer. Jane was standing in a small open area, looking up at a pterosaur gliding lazily across the sky. Steve was not visible.
“Your First Law concerns should be satisfied,” Wayne whispered. “Right?”
“I do not see one member of the party.”
“Maybe he’s in the tent or out at the latrine or something,” said Wayne.
“I cannot be sure he is safe.”
“Then tell me if you have any reason to believe he is in danger.”
“I have no specific reason, no.”
“Then the Second Law is still in force. Come with me.” Wayne turned and crept away.
Hunter felt a twinge of uncertainty under the First Law, but nothing in the behavior of Chad and Jane suggested that they were worried about Steve. The imperative of the Second Law was clear and direct. He slipped through the brush after Wayne, wondering where they were going and why Wayne wanted his companionship.
Jane loved watching the flying creature circling overhead against the blue sky. It was so much like a bird and yet strange and different at the same time. She could hardly see it because of the heavy forest canopy, but she watched it for as long as she could before it finally glided out of sight.
Under a tree, Chad yawned and frowned at the little screen on his belt computer.
“What were the flying ones like?” Jane asked.
“Hm? Oh, the pterodactyls?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, the pterodactyls aren’t actually dinosaurs, for one thing.” Chad squinted up at the sky, but none were in sight at the moment.
“What are they?”
“They’re actually a suborder of pterosaurs, or flying reptiles. The pterosaurs are cousins, you might say, of dinosaurs.” He referred to his belt computer. “Let’s see what we have here on them.”
“Are birds descended from them?”
“No. Birds have a separate ancestry. Here we are. Early pterodactyls were as small as a sparrow. By this time, though, in the Late Cretaceous, some of them were huge. They could have wingspreads up to twelve meters.”
“Wow.”
“They had long, curved necks and long faces. Some had teeth and some didn’t. They either had short tails or none at all and some had big crests on their heads.”
“There it is again. What kind is that?” Jane pointed excitedly.
“Again?” Chad jumped up. “You mean you saw it before? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well — I don’t know. I was just so caught up in watching it, I forgot —”
“Thanks a lot,” he snapped, hurrying to the open area where he could see the sky.
Jane backed away a little and looked up again.
Chad looked up at the shape in the sky and quickly entered some of its traits, muttering to himself. “No tail. Very long, sharp crest on the back of its head.”
“It glides, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s not flying real hard or anything.”
Chad no
dded. “We can’t see if it has teeth from here, of course. Can’t really judge its size, either, without a reference point in the sky.”
“It’s definitely not sparrow-sized,” said Jane. “I think that wingspan could be three or four meters or more.”
“Yes, it could.” Chad studied the screen for a moment. “Well, I don’t have enough detail to give us an exact species. We just can’t see it well enough.”
“Do you have any educated guesses?” Jane suppressed a smile, remembering his earlier argument with Steve about educated surmises of this sort.
“Could be a pteranodon,” Chad said slowly. “Except that those fossils have been found in Kansas, not Alberta. It ate fish, back when Kansas was under water. This one might be a close relative, though.”
“Kansas? That’s a long way.”
“The pteranodon weighed about fifteen kilograms and had wingspreads of up to eight meters. It was probably endothermic and may have had fur.”
“Fur! Really?”
“Maybe.”
“I wish we could see one up close,” said Jane, still watching the flying reptile glide through the sky.
“Me too,” said Chad. “Still, at least we’ve seen one. Maybe pteranodons lived in Alberta. I’ll consider the possibility anyway. The ocean isn’t too far from here in this time period, just as in our own, so it would have plenty of fish.”
Jane nodded, watching as the creature drifted out of sight again. Chad certainly knew his subject. Still, she felt he was somehow missing the experience.
She turned to look at Chad, who was still referring to his belt computer. He was so concerned over gathering and classifying data that he just didn’t seem to be enjoying the sheer wonder of watching the pterodactyl. Maybe that was the quality in him that seemed to bother Steve.
16
WHEN WAYNE HAD led Hunter safely out of sight and hearing of the camp, he stopped again. “Tell me if you have any reason to believe the humans in your party noticed our presence.”
“I have none.”
“Good. We’ll talk longer a little later. However, for the moment, you will lead us deeper into the forest. You will make every attempt to avoid the notice of the humans. If you become aware of any sign of Mojave Center Governor’s whereabouts, you will inform me without alarming him. For that matter, do you know where he is now?”
“No.”
“All right. R. Hunter, lead the way into the forest. Pick a direction away from camp and stop when you find a place that is fairly safe from predators.”
Hunter obeyed. Wayne was obviously counting on him to provide First Law protection from predators. Since Jane could still call him with her transmitter if necessary, staying with Wayne had become a more immediate First Law imperative.
Hunter adjusted his senses to set new priorities. Now they would warn him first of predatory animals instead of searching for MC 1‘s tracks. Patiently, he moved at a pace through the forest that was comfortable for Wayne. At this point, without more information about Wayne, Hunter was simply gathering data and obeying instructions under the Second Law.
After half an hour, Hunter stopped. They were near the stream again, though farther upstream than Hunter had ever been before. It was a shady spot with slightly less underbrush than usual, providing more visibility.
“We stopping here?” Wayne asked.
“Yes. This is fairly safe, I believe.”
“Okay.” Wayne glanced around, then sat down on a large rock. ‘(I’m a little out of shape to go hiking around all day long, so I’ll sit.”
Hunter waited, saying nothing.
“Tell me if you have made any progress in finding Mojave Center Governor.”
“I have made some limited progress.”
“Explain it to me.”
Hunter hesitated very briefly, even by fast robotic standards. He didn’t know what Wayne wanted, but so far he was not aware of any First Law objection that could override the Second Law. He would have to answer.
“I have been following the track of one of MC Governor’s component robots.”
“Ah! Really?” Wayne grinned. “Interesting. So MC Governor chose to split up and become six fugitives instead of one. Very clever.” Then he frowned thoughtfully. “More trouble for us, though. What else?”
“MC 1 has chosen to remain nearby. I have followed his track on evasive patterns, and he disrupted the camp yesterday when everyone was out, within the confines of the First Law of Robotics.”
“I see. Tell me the likelihood of capturing him soon.”
“That remains unclear.”
“You should be able to calculate probabilities.”
“Too many variables make the calculation meaningless at this time.”
“Tell me what they are.”
“I brought a team of three humans with me. I hired two of them for their knowledge and a third to provide life support for all three. That may have been a mistake. My need under the First Law to protect first them, and now you, is interfering with my freedom to pursue MC 1.”
“Hm. Of course. Yes, I see.” Wayne nodded and let out a long breath.
Hunter said nothing, waiting. He could not avoid revealing information when the Second Law was in effect, but he did not have to volunteer anything.
“Tell me the names and skills of the humans in your party,” said Wayne.
Hunter did so.
“Do you know who I am?” Wayne asked.
“No.”
“If you were programmed with data regarding the Governor robots, you probably have my picture in it somewhere. Search for it.”
Hunter had not bothered to do this before. Now he found the data. “You are Wayne Nystrom, inventor of the Governor robots and many other significant innovations in robotics and robotic municipalities.”
“That’s me, all right. Well, I’m glad someone gave you something nice to say about me.”
Again Hunter waited without speaking.
“You and I have to discuss our separate missions,” said Wayne. “We will do it amicably. In order to know where you stand, though, I also need to know about any hidden priorities you interpret regarding the First Law. Tell me about any that you feel are in effect.”
“A clear First Law concern over your being out here alone. A slightly lesser concern over the humans in the camp, since they have a transmitter they can use to call me in an emergency. I am still wondering if Steve is in camp or elsewhere, without the transmitter, since Jane has it. The largest problem is that of our presence here changing history.”
“Changing history. You mean by altering evolution, or something of that sort?”
“Yes, even indirectly by leaving behind substances that poison animals or consuming too much food and oxygen. It may already be too late, but the effort to return MC 1 to our own time remains worth the continuing risk.”
Wayne smiled broadly. “I’m glad to hear you say that. You see, our missions aren’t really that different at all. I want to take MC Governor — or his components — home with me, too. So we can work together without a problem over that large-scale First Law concern of yours. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Hunter noted to himself, however, that this agreement only applied to getting MC 1 and everyone else back to their own time. Wayne and Hunter were not necessarily in agreement over other priorities. However, he kept that opinion to himself.
“You said you were tracking MC 1,” said Wayne. “Are the other component robots in this time period?”
“I do not know,” said Hunter.
“Why not? What data do you have?”
“I have no data pertaining to whether MC Governor split before coming to this time or after arriving. In addition, of course, he might have split in Mojave Center but still sent all the components here anyway.”
“Yes, Yes. I see. Well I am instructing you to lead me on the trail of MC 1,” said Wayne. “Tell me if you have a First Law objection of fulfilling that instruction faithfully.”
“No, I have
none.”
“Let’s go.” Wayne stood up. “Which way?”
“The human party could help,” said Hunter. “Why do you want to keep them uninformed of your efforts?”
Wayne stiffened.
Hunter waited, not moving.
“Go,” said Wayne. “Do not ask any more questions.”
Hunter turned and took several steps through the forest toward the last known spot on MC 1’s trail. Then he stopped, feeling a First Law concern.
“I said go,” growled Wayne.
“The First Law demands that I know where I stand regarding the other humans.” Hunter turned and looked down at Wayne, who was substantially shorter.
Wayne glared up at him, clearly angry. “All right,” he said after a moment. “All right. One reason I love robots is that they’re consistent within the Laws and their own data.”
Hunter waited.
“I will be harmed if the Governor Robot Oversight Committee gets their hands on MC Governor before I do,” said Wayne carefully. “You can understand that. Those humans won’t. That’s why I don’t want them to know I’m here or what I’m doing.”
“In what way will you be harmed?”
“In what way? They’ll ruin me. Destroy my career. Economically, personally, emotionally …” He shook his head. “The Governor robots virtually are my career.”
“Not entirely,” Hunter said quietly.
“All right.” Wayne took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. “I know that the Governor robots have a basic design flaw, maybe more than one. Follow me?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Wayne watched him intently. “Now, I also know that the Oversight Committee has all the other Governors in its possession. My only chance to save my career is to participate in correcting those flaws.”
“Why don’t we all work together?”
“They won’t let me! The only way I can prove myself is to get my hands on MC Governor and fix him. Then I can patent the corrections and show everybody that the gestalt Governors are still the wave of the future in their field.”
“I see. This is why the hunt for MC 1 is so important to you.” Hunter considered the larger situation. “How did you come back to this time?”