Asimov's Future History Volume 2

by Isaac Asimov

  They found the waterfront changed. Instead of the wild, carousing buccaneers, Jane saw the ordinary people who kept the town functioning. Small fishing boats swayed on the waves out at sea; shopkeepers were just hanging out their wares. In fact, a few of the earliest fishing boats were already returning to the docks with their morning catch.

  “Great climate, huh?” Steve spread his arms expansively. “Light breeze, blue water, tropical flowers everywhere. I never see anything like this in the Mojave Desert.”

  “It’s beautiful here,” Jane agreed. She was still watching Hunter, but he now seemed to be acting almost normally as he looked at and listened to their surroundings.

  “Pretty carefree life-style around here, isn’t it?” Steve nodded toward a woman chasing a couple of barefoot toddlers around a fruit stand.

  “Yes, it is,” Jane said, amused at the scene.

  “Hey, not you, too. Come on. You can still enjoy the climate while we look for Rita.”

  “I have to admit, I’m worried about her. This is a pirate town, after all.”

  Steve nodded. “Yeah, me, too. But do you have any ideas about how to find her?”

  “No, not really.”

  They continued to search for another hour without success. Even when the buccaneers who had been carousing the night before stumbled out to start their day, they were hung over. None of them were especially belligerent, but Hunter couldn’t find anyone who could tell them where to find Roland.

  “I have a suggestion,” Steve said finally. “If it won’t upset your First Law.”

  “Yes?” Hunter stopped to look at him.

  “We really should split up and look through more of the town than the waterfront.”

  “I cannot risk —”

  “Separating from either of us, I know,” said Steve quickly. “Look, we aren’t going to run out on you. And now we each have communicators. Jane and I will go together; if we run into any kind of problem, at least one of us can call you.”

  “I’ll stay with Hunter,” said Jane. “In case we have to discuss the First Law more.”

  “Then I’ll be fine alone,” said Steve.

  “Very well,” said Hunter. “You will be careful?”

  “Promise,” said Steve.

  7

  AS STEVE JAUNTILY marched away down a side street, Jane watched Hunter carefully.

  “Hunter,” said Jane. “This question of your efficiency under the First Law came up during our last mission. I know that a clear, serious failure to obey the First Law can force a positronic robot to shut down. How close are you to making that decision?”

  “I am not approaching that point yet.”

  “For the same reason you functioned through this doubt last time, as well?”

  “Yes. My responsibility to take care of you and Steve forces me to continue functioning longer than I might in our own time, where you could better take care of yourselves or find another robot to help you.”

  “Good,” said Jane. “You’re right; we need you and so does the larger mission to find MC 2. Please focus on the fact that we have no one to take your place.”

  “Agreed,” said Hunter.

  Rita woke up with a surge of excitement at the first hints of dawn shining through the cracks around the closed wooden window. She dressed quickly and unbarred the door. Pausing to take a deep breath, she walked downstairs.

  “Good morning, sweet lady,” said Roland, waving to her. He got up from the chair in which he had apparently been waiting for her. “I shall take you to breakfast.”

  “I, urn, need a water pump to wash up and the private facilities.”

  “Outside in the back,” said the tavernkeeper, who was wiping the bar.

  When Rita had freshened up the best she could, she joined Roland again.

  “I shall take you to the best stall in town,” said Roland, turning to the left. “It’s away from the waterfront about a block. On the docks, these drunken louts don’t always care what they eat.”

  Rita laughed and walked with him. She liked looking around at the sights, enjoying the feeling that she was a part of the seventeenth century. Roland couldn’t tell just how much of a stranger she was to Port Royal; that was the best compliment to her expertise she had ever received.

  Hunter could certainly find MC 2 without her; she had given them a lot of basic information about Port Royal’s history and culture already. She told herself that Hunter and his party didn’t really need her. Right now, she wouldn’t even mind if they went home without her.

  After all, Hunter was the one who believed that almost any small action could change all of human history in the future. That sounded crazy to her, at least in this case. Suppose she spent the rest of her life in Jamaica. All she would have to do was be careful and stay out of Port Royal in 1692, when the big earthquake would drown the town forever. That would happen in twenty-four years. Certainly she wouldn’t ever do anything that would change history.

  “Here we are,” Roland said cheerily, gesturing at a crowded open-air stall. “Buns, sweet cakes, meat pastries, dried fish, fresh fish, and fresh fruit. What is your pleasure?”

  “Uh … I’m not sure. You know this place. Get me the best they have.”

  “As you wish, of course. Are you a little hungry, or very hungry, or somewhere in between?”

  “I’m very hungry.”

  “Ah! I’m glad.”

  Roland ordered two of nearly everything and carried it all on a couple of wide, green leaves to a plank table and bench. As Rita sat down, he went back to the proprietor and returned with two mugs of some kind of herbal tea. She bit carefully into one of the buns and found it quite good.

  Rita ate quickly, being too hungry to indulge in conversation. Roland watched her with interest, pushing one item after another toward her. The dried fish was very salty, of course, as was the meat in the meat pastry. On the other hand, the bananas were exactly the same as in her own time, though a little more bruised.

  “I have a bit of business,” Roland said after a while. “You will sit and wait for me here?”

  “I’d like to see the sights,” said Rita. “I’ll hurry if you can wait.”

  “Oh, I dare not take you with me this time.” Roland grinned and rested one hand on his sword hilt.

  “Uh — oh.” She looked up at him in surprise. “You mean, uh, you might —”

  “It’s probably nothing,” said Roland. “But I would not take you into such danger. Will you wait for me here, even after you’ve finished your breakfast?”

  “Of course I will,” she said, flattered by his concern. “I’ll wait right here. Besides, this stuff is good. Um — am I safe here?”

  “Aye, you’ve been seen with me.” With another quick grin, he rose from his seat and slipped away through the growing crowd.

  She watched him go, admiring his lithe, energetic walk. He looked as though he would be a good fencer, quick and agile. She wondered if he would get into a duel with some other buccaneer. They could be fighting over money, of course, or something more complicated. She also wondered if he would live. From the viewpoint of her own time, of course, he was long dead of one cause or another. He just didn’t know what would kill him or when it would happen.

  Dr. Wayne Nystrom sat in the shade of an awning which extended over the front of a tavern. It was a more expensive spot than most of the waterfront dives, catering to the wealthier customers, sometimes even nobility, who passed through Port Royal. He sipped a mug of herbal tea, waiting patiently.

  Wayne had arrived two days before, estimating that MC 2 would return to his normal size about then. Since he wanted to maximize his chance of finding the fugitive robot, he did not just rely on his own personal search. He had struck up a conversation with a friendly young buccaneer and hired him to look for several individuals.

  When Roland came into sight, Wayne waved to him. They had arranged to rendezvous at the tavern this morning. Roland grinned and sat down.

  “I bid you good
morning,” said Roland, glancing at the comfortable surroundings. “I don’t doubt your wealth, Wayne, after you paid me in hard coin a few days ago instead of bartering with me, as most buccaneers would. But you certainly don’t dress like a rich man.”

  “I’m wealthy enough to dress as I please.” Wayne took another drink of his herbal tea, hiding behind the cup. “Order as you wish, as my guest.”

  Wayne was still wearing the casual clothes of his own time that he had been wearing when he had arrived in Mojave Center. His journey into the past had been rushed and unplanned, leaving him no chance to prepare ahead of time. He had arrived with a backpack containing a change of clothes and some personal items. Selling a brightly colored machine-knit sweater to a drunken buccaneer had brought enough money to pay Roland and eat at a cheap booth, with some coins left over. He had only come to the tavern to drink tea in order to make an impression on Roland.

  “No need,” said Roland. “I’ve found that group you hired me to look for.”

  “Already? Good.” Wayne raised his eyebrows. “Describe them to me.”

  “Big fellow named Hunter, gigantic. Strong enough to throw two men around at the same time, one in each hand, but he doesn’t really like to fight. Avoided it, I think.”

  “Go on.”

  “Steve. He’s a young man, dark like a Spaniard or a Moor, but not exactly.”

  “You ever hear of Cathay?” Wayne was amused. He had only glimpsed Steve Chang, but he knew that he was of Chinese descent. Even in this age of sail, the Chinese and Europeans had not mixed much except for a few sailors and traders.

  “Of course. Maybe I’ll sail there someday.” Roland shrugged offhandedly.

  “Maybe you will. Who else?”

  “They have two women with them. One is named Jane, the other Rita.”

  “Yes, that’s them.” Wayne had not known about Rita, but he said nothing about her. He did not want Roland to know he was surprised. Obviously, Hunter had changed his team a little to fit their particular destination.

  “You promised me extra pay if I disrupted Hunter’s party somehow.”

  “That’s right. What are you going to do?”

  “It’s what I’ve already done.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “The lady Rita seems to enjoy my company. She sneaked off with me last night and I put her up alone in a room. We are breakfasting together and, even now, she is waiting for me to hurry back.”

  “Excellent!” Wayne smiled. “Yes, yes. Very well done.” He knew that Rita’s separation from Hunter would trigger the robot’s First Law imperative to find her. That would interfere with his search for MC 2 and give Wayne and Roland a better chance of finding MC 2 first.

  “I rather enjoy her company myself.”

  “Good. Keep her away from Hunter as long as you can. And she likes you. Even better.”

  “I can do that. But, uh …” Roland grinned and held out his hand.

  Wayne nodded and pulled a few more coins out of his pocket. He did not have much left, but could not afford to admit that, or even look reluctant. Before he saw Roland again, he would have to find some more money. For the moment, he tossed the coins to Roland casually, as though they meant nothing to him.

  “So,” said Wayne. “Have you seen anyone who fits my other friend’s description?”

  “The man you call by his initials, MC 2.” Roland took a careful glance at the coins before slipping them into a pocket. “I haven’t seen him, but I’ve put the word out among my friends and shipmates. They don’t know why I want him, but they’ll tell me if they see him. A short, slight fellow, you say, likely to be poorly dressed and a bit confused?”

  “Yes,” said Wayne. “For all I know, he may be desperately searching for a pair of pants.”

  Roland laughed. “That poor, eh? What happened to him? Press-gang grab him in England and let him escape here?”

  “Something like that,” said Wayne. “He’ll try to blend in. He won’t know right away that anyone is here looking for him, but he’ll run if he finds out I want to speak to him.”

  “He knows Hunter as well, I presume?”

  “Not personally, no.”

  “Even better. Well, I must be off. Rita may not wait for me forever.”

  “Good job, Roland,” said Wayne. “The longer you can keep Rita from returning to Hunter, the more compensation I will have for you.”

  “Well enough.” Roland gave him a brisk, cheerful wave and strode away.

  Wayne watched him go, wondering if he could get enough money to keep Roland happy. MC 2 might not return to normal size for a day or two, and even then he might escape Wayne’s notice for quite some time. Wayne didn’t know how much he might eventually have to pay Roland so that he would continue distracting Hunter from the search for MC 2.

  When Steve left Hunter, he began improvising. Somehow, when Hunter was leading the team, his inexorable robot logic stifled Steve’s spontaneity. Alone, Steve felt more relaxed and able to follow his intuition without having to explain everything to Hunter.

  Steve walked up and down several side streets, staying close to the waterfront without confining himself to it. He watched where people went and how they were dressed, gradually identifying some parts of town as more crowded and rougher than others. He saw which streets were thoroughfares and which ones only drew people who had business there.

  On one block, a particularly impressive building caught his attention. A two-story wooden structure, it boasted a new coat of brown paint and a carefully tended bed of flowers along its front wall. An awning over the front entrance shaded some tables and chairs from the tropical sunlight. None of the other taverns he had seen was this elaborate. He was startled to see a man in modern clothes sitting at one of the tables, whom he suddenly recognized as Dr. Wayne Nystrom.

  Steve stopped where he was, then quickly dodged to one side, behind a large bush growing by the side of the street. Then, sure that Wayne hadn’t seen him yet, he peered through the big leaves on the bush. Roland, who had been talking to Wayne, was just leaving, giving Wayne a quick wave as he walked away. Steve tensed, waiting to see which way Roland would go, but he walked away from Steve up the narrow street.

  Steve saw that Rita was not with either one of them. That worried him, though he would have preferred to see her with Wayne; Steve doubted he would hurt her. He understood, though, that Wayne was using Roland to sabotage Hunter’s search. That much was obvious.

  Steve glanced over his shoulder and waited for a couple of passersby to move on. Wayne was still sitting at the table. Steve pressed the button on the communicator pinned to his shirt and spoke quietly.

  “Hunter, Steve here. Wayne Nystrom is here and Roland is working with him. I’ve seen them together, but Rita wasn’t with them.”

  “Give me your location,” said Hunter. “We will join you as soon as we can.”

  “He’s getting up,” Steve said suddenly. “He’s walking away. I’ll tail him, Hunter, and keep talking so you can track me. He’s turning … toward the waterfront.”

  “What is the name of your street?” Hunter asked. “We can intercept him.”

  “Uh —” Steve glanced around but saw no signs anywhere. “I can’t tell. I don’t see a sign. This place is pretty haphazard compared to a city like Mojave Center.”

  “I understand. Continue speaking and I will follow your signal. Your voice will be clearer than the static and background street sounds alone.”

  “Here goes,” said Steve, as he moved down the street at a safe distance behind Wayne. “I don’t want him to see me because that will really put him on the defensive. I don’t know if he has Rita locked up somewhere or if she’s still with Roland.”

  “When I have caught Wayne,” said Hunter, “I believe we can learn something about her. Wait for me to join you. Otherwise, I fear that he will escape you. Also, I am concerned that a real fight may attract attention and alter the behavior of the locals. I do not want to risk their involvement
.”

  “He may get away anyhow,” said Steve. “I can’t follow him too closely. This street doesn’t have enough people on it for me to hide among. If he turns, he’ll see me.”

  “Your signal is much stronger,” said Hunter. “We are walking as quickly as we can without attracting a great deal of attention.”

  “He just turned onto the waterfront. He’s walking west and looking at stuff in the booths and shops.” Steve shifted into a jog as Wayne moved around a corner.

  By the time Steve had rounded the corner, Wayne was out of sight. Steve looked around frantically, then saw him again, idly examining a clay pot that was for sale.

  “If it’s a choice of grabbing Wayne or losing him, which should I do?”

  “Do not risk a disturbance,” Hunter said firmly.

  8

  RITA FINISHED HER herbal tea, glancing about for both Roland and Hunter’s team. Since every sight was new and exciting to her, the time passed quickly. She wondered if Roland had survived his duel, or whatever he had gone to do. Then she also wondered if he had just wanted an excuse to leave her, but that didn’t make sense. If he had tired of her company, he could have simply stayed away that morning.

  When Roland came striding back down the street, he was smiling as cheerfully as ever.

  “Finished, sweet lady?”

  “Just finished. Dm, how was your … business?”

  “Easy, Rita. No problem at all.”

  “Well, that’s good.” She decided she had better not ask what he had really been doing. A buccaneer wouldn’t like a stranger prying.

  “And now, will you accompany me for a walk along the docks? In the salt spray and morning sunshine?”

  “I’ve seen the docks,” she said, thinking to herself that Hunter might still be looking for her there. “How about showing me the rest of the town?”

  He smiled engagingly. “That, too, can be done. But for now, will you indulge me?”

  “Sure.” She followed him, reflecting that Hunter would probably catch up to her sooner or later, anyway. Besides, maybe he was focused on finding MC 2 and wouldn’t worry about her until later.