Jerry Oltion: Alliance

Derec fumed. Ariel had taken the news stoically, but it had to have been a blow for her. This arguing with the medical robots wasn’t helping her a bit.

But it was obvious that ordering the robot to do it would only result in another dead robot, and that wouldn’t help either.

“Cancel,” he growled. Over the comlink, he sent, Get me Avery.

A moment later, he heard Avery’s voice in his head. What is it?

We’re in the exam room. Can you come down here?

How important is it? I’m in the middle of something here.

It’s important.

Avery sighed audibly. All right. Be right there.

›“Avery’s coming,” Derec said to Ariel.

This time she didn’t say anything snide. They both knew that Avery was a better roboticist than Derec; if anybody could convince a robot to abort a malformed embryo, he could.

But it appeared, after they explained the situation to him and he tried reprogramming and re-reprogramming the medical robots, that he couldn’t do the job, either. The robots had had one too many redefinitions already, and they couldn’t handle another. Avery sent the single survivor away in frustration.

Ariel had gotten up from the examination table and was now standing beside Derec, their arms around one another and her head resting against his shoulder. Avery looked up at her from his chair before the computer terminal where he had attempted the reprogramming and said, “I’m sorry, my dear. It looks like you ‘II have to wait until we return to the original Robot City, or to Aurora.”

She nodded. Avery made to get up, but Ariel suddenly asked, “Can’t we make another medical robot, one with a narrow definition of human from the start?”

Avery looked embarrassed. “I would have thought of that eventually.” He turned back to the computer and began entering commands.

I have a question, a voice said in Derec’s head.

Who is this?

Lucius.

Lucius! Where are you? Derec turned his head from side to side, trying to get a fix, but the impression was fuzzy, as if coming from a wide area. Were all three robots transmitting simultaneously, to mask their locations?

Nearby. I have been monitoring your efforts.

You’ve been spying on us?

You could call it that, yes. I prefer to think that I am continuing to research the Laws of Humanics. Before you abort the embryo Ariel carries, I need to ask a question that you may not have considered yet.

What question?

If the baby were to grow to term, then be provided with a positronic brain, would it then be human by your definition?

Derec’s answer was instinctive, but no less correct for that. He shook his head violently. No!

“What’s the matter?” Ariel asked.

“Lucius,” Derec whispered. “He’s talking to me.”

“Is he-”

Why not?

“Just a minute.” It wouldn’t be human because it wouldn’t have a human brain, that’s why not! That’s the most important part.

You seem quite certain of this.

Of course, I’m certain.

I am unconvinced.

This time it was Ariel who flinched, but it wasn’t from anything Lucius said. She pulled away from Derec, shouting, “A rat!”

“Where?” Avery demanded.

She pointed toward the doorway, where a whiskered face was just peeking around the jamb.

“That’s mine!” Avery shouted, jumping up from his chair and lunging for it. The face disappeared with a squeak

“Stop! “ Avery ran out into the corridor, but his footsteps ceased abruptly. Derec and Ariel heard him laugh. He came back into the room holding the rat by the tail. It didn’t hang the way a rat normally did, with its feet spread wide. It looked more like a toy rat molded into a running position.

Avery laid it on its back on the exam table. “Stand up,” he said to it, and it obediently rolled over and stood on its feet.

“Squeak.”

The rat squeaked.

“Lift your right front paw.”

The rat lifted its right front paw.

“I’d say we have our answer,” he said to Derec. “You replace an organic brain cell by cell with a robot brain, and you still wind up with a robot.” To the rat, he said, “Go wait for me in the lab.” He pointed toward the door, and the rat jumped down from the table and scurried away through it.

I am convinced, Lucius sent.

You saw that?

I did.

How did you manage that?

If I reveal myself, will you promise that I will not be harmed?

Why should I promise you that?

Because I ask it as a friend. And I offer my help as a friend.

Your help in what?

I am now convinced that Ariel’s wishes are right. I am willing to perform the operation if she wishes it.

You are? But you’re not a doctor.

I can be within minutes.

He was right, of course: He could access the central library’s medical files as easily as could any other robot.

Just a minute. Aloud, Derec said, “Lucius is here somewhere. He’s making us an offer.”

“What offer?” asked Ariel.

“He’ll do the operation if we’ll let him. In return he asks that we don’t shoot at him anymore.”

“Ridiculous!” Avery said with a snort. He looked toward Ariel, saw the determination on her face, and added, “ Unless, of course, he and the other two agree to leave the rest of the robots in the city alone.”

I promise that for all three of us, Lucius sent.

“He promises.” To Ariel, Derec added, “But I don’t know what that’s worth. What do you think? I won’t blame you if you don’t trust him. We can make another robot do it.”

She balled her fists and bit her lip, looked up at the ceiling, then shook her head. “I don’t think he’s dangerous. He’s never hurt anyone intentionally. And I just want this whole business to be over with. So yes, tell him I’ll trust him.”

Derec was about to relay her words to Lucius, but he realized that he needn’t bother. “Okay,” he said aloud. “Come on out from wherever you’re hiding.”

There came a soft tearing sound, and a section of ceiling near the door peeled away to fall with a flop against the wall. It peeled off the wall as well, gathered into a lump on the floor, and quickly rose on two legs to become Lucius’s familiar form.

Despite his other failings, Lucius made an excellent surgeon. Within a day, Ariel was up and walking around again, though still somewhat sore. Even so, she was far better off physically than mentally, for in that area neither Lucius nor anyone else could help her heal. Derec was the only one who could even begin to ease the torment she was going through, but he was feeling it just as strongly as she.

Had they done the right thing? Of course they had. They knew they had. Hadn’t they?

As Derec struggled with his own feelings of guilt, he found himself appreciating Avery’s position for the first time, What a load his father carried around with him, considering all he had done! With a background like his, just carrying on from day to day would be a continual struggle, especially with Derec there as a constant reminder of it.

No wonder Avery strove to keep busy. It kept his mind off his past. After an absolutely disastrous day spent moping around the apartment, both Derec and Ariel realized the wisdom of his strategy, and followed his example.