Asimov's Future History Volume 2

by Isaac Asimov

  “Yes.”

  “So the alleged danger of my changing the past is your primary concern.”

  “It gives the weight of the First Law to the orders I received from Hunter’s team.”

  “Maybe you know that I was in the Late Cretaceous period. I didn’t cause any big problems back then, did I? Or when I was in Jamaica back in the 1600s?”

  “I would not know. Only those who travel in time can make that judgment, after they return. If any changes in the flow of history were made, all those of us who remained within that flow without a break were altered with it. I would have no way of knowing if the direction of history was any different before you left.”

  “Well … I see.” Wayne rubbed his hands to warm them faster. “Yes, of course. But our memories match up pretty well. So far, you’ve known what I’ve been talking about. And I understand what you’ve said, too. Right, Ishihara?”

  “Correct.”

  “So doesn’t that imply that we are still pretty much in an unchanged timestream?”

  “It raises the odds, yes. Of course, you might find substantial changes if you began to follow the news or as your life goes on.”

  “Any changes — if they exist at all — seem pretty subtle to me;” said Wayne. “Certainly I don’t have any desire to change history. After all, Ishihara, I want to come back home, too, and find everything the way I knew it to be. You do understand that, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ishihara, I don’t present any greater danger to the course of history than Hunter. In fact, Hunter is back there right now endangering the present.”

  Ishihara said nothing.

  “Do you agree with this conclusion?”

  “I am undecided.”

  “You’re undecided.” Wayne sighed. “Hunter is a robot, Ishihara; that does not mean he is perfect. And he has humans on his team who are even more imperfect in their reasoning. If they can go into the past and back without destroying the course of history as we know it, then I can, too.”

  Ishihara remained silent.

  “You accept this point?”

  “I understand that you have no desire to make changes in history.”

  “And so you understand that I have no more motivation to do that than Hunter. That means that if any of us makes changes, the reason will be a mistake — a misjudgment, an accident, that sort of thing. Right?”

  “Yes, that is correct.”

  “Logically, then, you also accept that Hunter’s party, because it is a larger group, offers more chance of such accidents. Their group threatens to make changes more than I do alone. You agree with that, too?”

  “Yes, that is an inescapably logical conclusion.”

  “So Hunter’s instructions to you about grabbing me have no greater weight from the First Law than if I ordered you to stop him for the same reason.”

  Ishihara said nothing.

  Wayne decided to drop that line of argument for a moment and come back to it later. For now, he was just glad that he seemed to have the robot at a stalemate in the debate. Maybe that meant Hunter’s instructions were neutralized. “Ishihara, I instruct you to tell me where Hunter has taken MC 1 and MC 2.”

  “I do not know for certain. My own observation of the component robots has been limited to this room.”

  “Well …” Wayne thought a moment. He knew Ishihara was now deliberately resisting him by interpreting his instructions in as literal a manner as possible. “Look, you may have overheard some conversation or something. Tell me your best estimation of where they are.”

  “Mojave Center Governor’s office.”

  That struck Wayne as a reasonable guess. Since Mojave Center Governor was no longer using it, Hunter could have had the office secured without disrupting normal city routine. However, Wayne did not want to risk trying to get there past a Security detail of robots.

  If he ventured out of the building, he would be moving through a city full of robots. All of them could be contacted by their communications links in an instant if word went out to apprehend him. Further, he could not possibly debate effectively with each one of them, the way he had managed to do with Ishihara so far. However, if he could just keep Ishihara in enough doubt about the authority of Hunter’s instructions to control him, he could go back into the past again after MC 3, where Hunter’s team did not have an overwhelming advantage over him.

  “Ishihara, you have agreed with me that Hunter’s party is more likely to change the past than I am. On that basis, the First Law no longer supports Hunter’s instructions for you to keep me in your custody. Right?”

  “The potential human harm caused by a significant change in history is real.”

  “You’re dodging the question,” said Wayne. “I repeat: since Hunter’s party is a greater danger than I am, Hunter’s order for you to grab me but let his group go into the past is irrational and unnecessary. Do you agree?”

  “Yes, such an imbalance is not reasonable.”

  “Ishihara, being arrested by you or by city Security is going to harm me. Right now, I’m extremely hungry and tired and I’m just starting to get warm. I want to take a nap here and I want you to get me some things. Then I’m going back into the past. I instruct you to tell me if you will cooperate with me and not reveal to anyone else in any way that I am here.”

  “The First Law clearly requires that I help you get food and rest,” said Ishihara. He spoke in a monotone that revealed his doubt, but he apparently could not avoid following Wayne’s reasoning for the moment.

  “Without giving me away?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I want the following. Bring me some hot food and fruit juice to consume now and also a backpack. In the backpack, I want some general supplies. I’ll need a large knife, some twine, some rope, a butane lighter, and a mug to drink from.” Wayne was not sure exactly what he would need, but these were practical items for a man out in the woods. “Also, a small radio, hypnotic sleep courses in Latin and ancient German, and some very warm clothes — similar to whatever Hunter’s human friends wore.”

  “I shall bring you a small radio disguised as a piece of jewelry, such as Hunter used,” said Ishihara. “He held the opinion that the concept of radio was so far beyond the people of ancient times that finding one was not a great danger. However, I dare not bring a lighter.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “The people around you certainly understand fire and the desirability of starting one quickly and easily. Any object which causes humans of the past to think along new lines can be the springboard for altering the course of history.”

  “I could be harmed without one, Ishihara. I could freeze to death back there.”

  “You are safe here. No one is requiring that you return there. Further, warmth is available in some manner back in that time. The presence of other humans proves that.”

  “All right, all right. But there must be some kind of compromise, so I don’t have to rub two sticks together out in the woods. I don’t plan to be around other people and the danger from the cold is real. Old-fashioned matches?”

  “I have a suggestion. I shall bring you a small lighter empty of fluid and a separate container of fluid. You will keep them separate and only put in enough fluid for each time you must use the lighter. That way, if you lose them, no one in that time will figure out their combined use by accident. Will you agree to this?”

  “All right. Like I said, I don’t want to mess up our history, either.”

  “These must be paid for.”

  Wayne paused. He could not authorize payment through his own account without revealing his presence. On the other hand, he could not return to those wild German mountains without these items.

  “All right,” said Wayne slowly, glancing at one of the desks on the far side of the room. “Through the computer console, I can authorize you to make payments against my account. However, I will use my number only. You are not to mention my name in any way.”

  “Ack
nowledged.”

  “All right. Please don’t waste any time.”

  Ishihara left the room and Wayne wondered if his plan was going to work. The robot’s reliability depended on his interpretations of Wayne’s arguments and he might still change his mind. Also, Wayne had no way of knowing how thorough Hunter had been in setting alarms for Wayne’s capture.

  It was not impossible that city Security had been alerted to watch for any activity in Wayne’s account. In this fully computerized city, which he had designed himself, he knew that all such records would flow through the city computer. For the moment, Wayne could only hope that no such alert had been placed into the system.

  Despite his worry, he was exhausted. He stretched out on a couch and closed his eyes, warm enough for the first time since he had left Jamaica. In minutes, he had dozed off.

  Steve found that the next day dawned just as gray and drizzly as the one before. Marcus hosted Jane and Steve at breakfast in the governor’s tent. Demetrius served them again, though Governor Varus was elsewhere in the camp already. After breakfast, Marcus had his groom bring out three horses for them.

  “I haven’t ridden in a long time,” Jane whispered to Steve. “I hope this goes okay.”

  Steve was looking at the saddles. They had no stirrups. He saw that all three were the same. So were the other saddles he could see, being polished nearby.

  “This one is for the lady,” said Marcus, holding the bridle of a bay mare.

  “I’ll give you a leg up,” said Steve, holding his hands for Jane to brace her lower leg on them. When she did so, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “I don’t think they’ve invented stirrups. Hang on with your knees the best you can.”

  Steve raised her up and she threw her other leg over the saddle, with her long tunic and all. She shifted her weight to settle into the saddle. Then Marcus handed her the reins.

  “You all right?” Steve asked, stepping back.

  “I’m fine.” Jane nodded reassuringly to Marcus. “So far,” she added.

  The groom gave Marcus a leg up the same way. The tribune swung the reins around and headed for the gate, nodding to Jane. With an uncomfortable glance over her shoulder at Steve, she joined him.

  Steve was left with the third mount. The groom was walking away, obviously with no intention of giving a leg up to a slave. Steve glanced around but saw nothing he could use to climb up on the horse.

  Marcus had not bothered to look back for a slave, either.

  Steve put both hands on the saddle and jumped as high as he could, leaning forward over the saddle. Then he swung his leg over. At this point, he was half-lying crookedly over the horse’s back, but at least he was on it. He grabbed the reins and shifted to a normal position, then hurried after Marcus and Jane, grinning self-consciously.

  The sentries were just swinging open the main gate. By the time Marcus and Jane rode out, Steve had trotted up right behind them. Without a pause, they left the safety of the Roman camp. Jane sneaked another worried glance back over her shoulder and Steve winked.

  A light rain began to fall as they rode out into the forest. Steve pulled his cloak tighter around him. It looked like a long, wet day.

  9

  IN THE GERMAN village the next morning, Hunter and Gene joined Vicinius around the embers of the bonfire from the night before. They ate more hot pork stew for breakfast, and Vicinius still received congratulations from other villagers for his kill. Hunter looked up from his bowl.

  “We must not impose on you further,” Hunter said to Vicinius. “We have found MC 3’s tracks now. I can follow them today. You must have business of your own. And Gene is not used to mountains like these. He can rest in the village today.”

  Vicinius shook his head. “I must take advantage of my good fortune. Yesterday, the gods were with me. Maybe today I can find another boar, or maybe a deer. I will hunt again today and accompany you.”

  “Perhaps you would do better without us,” said Hunter. “One man can move more quietly than three.”

  “Nonsense,” said Vicinius, grinning broadly. “You brought me my luck. We shall go together.”

  Hunter could not think of anything else to say. He wanted to pursue MC 3 alone because, as a robot, he could go much faster when he was free to use all his speed and strength. However, he was also reluctant to risk insulting Vicinius by rejecting his company. He merely nodded and finished his breakfast.

  “I’ll go with you,” said Gene quietly. “As long as he’s going with you, anyway. Our team has split up into two groups already; that’s plenty.”

  “Thank you,” said Hunter. “That is wise.” Vicinius wrapped cooked boar meat in leaves to take with them. As rain began to fall, they drew their cloaks around them and hefted their spears. Vicinius led the way once again through the forest.

  Hunter attempted calling Steve and Jane, but received no answer. He assumed that their receivers were turned off because they were in the company of Romans who might overhear them, so he did not worry about them for now. They could call him when they had some privacy.

  They spent about an hour walking to the spot where they had left the trail of MC 3 the evening before. Under the lush canopy of trees, the light rain had not yet washed out the tracks. Both Vicinius and Hunter were able to spot broken twigs and leaves where MC 3 had passed, which no amount of rain would alter. Gene did not complain, but Hunter could see by his movements that he was sore as a result of the long hike during the previous day.

  They were still tracking MC 3 at midday when Hunter heard the movements of fourteen other men in the forest nearby. At first he said nothing, not wanting to reveal the keenness of his hearing to Vicinius. When he saw Vicinius watching the movement of birds in the trees in the distance over the location of the strangers, Hunter knew that Vicinius was also aware of them.

  “We have company, eh?” Hunter said, pointing to some birds suddenly fluttering away from tree branches.

  “Yes,” said Vicinius. “Other hunters, perhaps.”

  “Could they be Romans?” Gene asked.

  Vicinius shook his head. “The Romans always want to march in large numbers when they can. Their small patrols are on horseback and make a lot of noise. Only Germans move through the forest as quietly as these people approaching us.”

  “Should we speak with them?” Hunter asked. “Are they from another village?”

  “They must be.” Vicinius raised the horn he carried and blew into it, once. Immediately, a similar horn answered him from the other party. He lowered his horn and smiled. “We do not want them mistaking us for deer.”

  The strangers appeared soon. They had the same general physical appearance and clothing as the people of Vicinius’s village, being stocky, mostly blond, and dressed in furs. Their leader, a young blond man with a barrel chest and short arms and legs, nodded in greeting without smiling.

  “Hail, Vicinius.”

  “Hail, Julius.”

  “Who are these strangers?” Julius demanded.

  “Traders from Gaul. Hunter and Gene.”

  Hunter nodded formally. “I give you greeting.”

  “Romans.” Julius turned and spat.

  “Not Romans,” said Hunter. “We are Gauls.”

  “Romans’ dogs, then,” Julius said with a sneer. “Vicinius, what are you doing with them? At a time like this?”

  “We are hunting,” Vicinius said simply, with no apology in his tone.

  “We have no interest in what the Roman army does,” said Hunter. “We are traders in silver.”

  “We are also seeking a lost friend of theirs,” said Vicinius. “A man touched by the gods, lost in the forest.”

  Julius tensed, his face hardening as he glanced again at Hunter. The men with him also looked at Hunter and Gene with alarm. “Some sort of demon came to our village last night. Or a man touched by evil spirits.”

  “What sort of demon?” Vicinius asked.

  “He came at night in the form of a strange man in strange clothes,�
�� said Julius. “We tied him in the village. This morning, right before the eyes of some of the villagers, he vanished.”

  “A bad omen,” Vicinius agreed, his voice low with awe. “Has he brought evil to your village? Are people sick or have your animals died?”

  “Not yet,” said Julius grimly. “But I expect they will. And the omen may mean even more.” He glared suspiciously at Hunter again.

  “What do you mean?” Vicinius asked.

  “This is no business for strangers,” said Julius. “But you know what I mean. Are you joining us soon, Vicinius? You and the other men of your village?”

  Vicinius hesitated, also looking uncomfortably at Hunter and Gene.

  “We are only traders,” said Hunter. “We have no concern for your private business.”

  “And Roman business?” Julius demanded, shaking his long blond locks away from his face.

  “We care nothing for Roman business.”

  Julius studied Hunter’s face for a moment, then turned back to Vicinius. “Arminius has sent out the order already today. I have brought my companions in this direction in search of the demon who escaped our village. But we will not waste too much time on him. Tell your village the time has come.”

  “I will,” said Vicinius.

  Julius nodded and turned away, leading his men into the forest the way they had come.

  “Think it was MC 3?” Gene asked Hunter Quietly.

  “No,” said Hunter, changing to English. “To my knowledge, the component robots have no ability to trigger the sphere and journey again through time, which would explain this man’s simply vanishing. It must have been Dr. Wayne Nystrom. He probably returned to the Institute, where Ishihara took custody of him.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s good. We won’t have to worry about him any more.”

  Vicinius was listening with a puzzled expression. “Julius seems to believe this evil spirit may be the man you seek.”

  “Maybe,” said Hunter Quickly. “This man is no demon, however. He will not return.”

  “How do you know so much about him?”

  “He is an old adversary of ours,” said Hunter. “A man, not a demon.”