by John Purcell
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Moto and I zigzagged east through the Ruins. I would have liked to explore a little, but there was no time for it. Our meeting with Gutenberg would have to be brief, whatever its purpose.
We didn’t see another soul as we raced through the streets. LobeBots, however, were everywhere. They were easy enough to avoid, but Moto had ideas of her own. Before I could stop her, she charged straight at a PilotTron, lunging for its right heel. She got hold of it, gave it a good chomp, and the PilotTron crumpled to the ground. She was so pleased with herself, she danced around in circles, yapping.
I said, “Very amusing, Moto, but we’ve got places to be.”
Archibald’s map proved accurate. As we approached Independence Hall, I could see an elderly man waiting on the front steps, dressed in a frock coat and supporting himself with a cane. He wasn’t the sort of man likely to lug a heavy encyclopedia around town, or, for that matter, outrun LobeBots.
He didn’t spot us until we were quite close. When he did, though, he became animated. “Teo, Teo, Teo, I can scarcely believe my eyes! Just look at you!”
We trotted up the stairs and joined him at the top.
As Moto sniffed at his ankles, I said, “Mr. Gutenberg?”
“Yes, yes, the very same. Did you get the encyclopedia I sent?”
“I did, but I left it with Archibald.”
“You scanned it, I hope.”
“Yes.”
“Find anything interesting?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. You invented the printing press in 1439.”
Gutenberg chuckled. “I’m almost that old, there’s no denying it.”
“You’re not the only Gutenberg in the Ruins.”
“Very astute. I’m a little overcautious, as anyone in my position would be.”
“You have someone who does your legwork and goes by your name.”
“That would be Jasper, my eyes and ears and, to some extent, mouth.”
“He recognized my name when he heard it.”
“We were on the lookout for you, Teo. We knew you were in the storm drains and might surface somewhere.”
“How could you have known that?”
“Rafael sent me a letter, just after you left him.”
“He sent a messenger?”
“A mailman. We have a rudimentary postal service here, inspired by Ben Franklin.”
I looked up “Franklin, Ben” and discovered, among other things, that Philadelphia was the nation’s capitol before Washington, DC.
I said, “Did Rafael tell you I’m on my way to see Cassius?”
“The very reason I wished to see you. Aside from sheer curiosity.”
“Curiosity?”
“Cassius and I are old friends, Teo. He’s told me all about you.”
“I don’t know much about him. He’s not in the encyclopedia.”
Gutenberg gave me a mysterious smile. “Keep looking.”
“He can’t be in there. The encyclopedia was published in 1975.”
“Consider it a riddle.”
“He can’t possibly be that old.”
“No one knows his age. No one has ever met him face-to-face.”
“Including you.”
Gutenberg nodded. “Including me.”
“And yet you consider him an old friend.”
“It stretches the definition, but yes, I most certainly do.”
“If you can’t meet Cassius face-to-face, how do you speak with him?”
“He appears by hologram.”
I looked up “hologram”: reproduction of a three-dimensional object produced by means of light wave patterns recorded on a photographic plate or film.
I said, “Why does he do that?”
“It’s crucial that he keep his whereabouts a secret. The GR would kill him if they could.”
“You keep your whereabouts a secret, as well.”
“Yes. I assume they’re after me, too. You see, Teo, I possess the entire contents of the Philadelphia Public Library, as of 2072.”
I pictured Bim’s library. “How many of books is that? Ten thousand?”
Gutenberg smiled. “Closer to three million. But they’re virtual books, Teo. Paperless.”
“You obviously have real books, as well.”
“Yes, but none from the library. UNK/C was thorough in its destruction. Most of the books still in existence, like that encyclopedia, were acquired from private homes, by Finders.”
It was 10: 24 AM. I shrugged on my backpack. “I’m afraid we have to leave now. Can you tell me where the nearest manhole is?”
“There’s one just around the corner. It happens to be a personal favorite of Bim’s. But first I have a favor to ask. Would you please give Cassius a message for me? You must repeat it verbatim. The message is as follows: anger cubed knows hope. Knows is spelled k-n-o-w-s, not n-o-s-e. Have you got that?”
“Anger cubed knows hope.”
“Splendid.”
I took a quick look around. “I’m concerned about leaving you here alone.”
“I appreciate that, Teo, but I wouldn’t have lived this long if I couldn’t fend for myself.”
“What about all the LobeBots? There are five in the immediate vicinity.”
“Perhaps you haven’t heard. LobeBots hate stairs. Their circuitry has been so compromised that they tend to lose their balance. If you can lure them up or down, their pratfalls are hilarious. I suggest you try it sometime.”
“You’re sure you’ll be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. Goodbye, Teo, and good luck.”