Mike McQuay - Suspicion

Avernus spoke. “How do robots that exist with humans on other worlds deal with the deceit?”

“They follow instruction according to the Laws of Robotics,” Derec said, quite simply. “They are not autonomous as you are, so they have no choice. The Laws were invented with the salvation of the species in mind. Robots protect humans from their own lies, and honor them because of what’s noble in the species. You saw Katherine’s grief when she thought I was dead.” He reached out and took her hand. “We are fragile creatures capable of great nobility and great ignominy. We make no excuses for ourselves. We are the creators of great good and great evil, and in the creation of robots, we were at the height of our goodness. Our species deserves praise and condemnation, and, in the final analysis, it is beyond rational, positronic explanation.”

“You are saying we must take you as you are,” Euler said.

“No laws will define us,” Derec answered, “no theorem hold us in check. We will amaze and confound you, but I can guarantee you we will never be boring.”

“You would tame us with your words,” Wohler, the philosopher, said.

“Yes,” Derec said, smiling. “I would do exactly that. And I will tell you now that you will let me because the wonders of the universe are contained in my confounding mind, and you can only reach them through me… and you desperately want to reach them!”

“But what of the Laws of Humanics?” Rydberg asked.

“Very simple,” Katherine added, winking at Derec. “There is only one Law of Humanics: expect the unexpected.”

“An oxymoron,” Arion said.

“As close as you’ll ever get,” Derec said. “That’s the point. You needn’t give up your search for the Laws of Humanics, but you must make them fit us, not try to make us fit them. We can’t be anything but what we are, but if you accept us-good and bad-we’ll see to it that you reach your full potential.”

“Intriguing words,” Dante said, “but just words. Where is an example of what you can do with your creative intelligence?”

“If you’ll let me,” Derec said, “perhaps I can help you save your city.”

“All your suggestions so far have tried to force us away from our programming,” Euler said.

Derec stood; he thought better on his feet. “That’s because until yesterday I never fully realized what was going on and how little control you had over the situation. I’m working on that, too, but I have some other ideas.”

Arion and Waldeyer sat side by side, pincers locked together. Derec walked between the two of them, resting his elbows on their shoulders.

“I’ve watched you digging in the tunnels, trying to siphon off reservoir water to lower the level and avoid a flooding of your underground operations. Has it been successful?”

“To a degree,” Rydberg said. “We will break through after our meeting this morning. Unfortunately, we calculate that it will only postpone the inevitable for one more day. We can save our operations through tonight’s expected rain, but that’s it.”

“All right,” Derec said. “Let’s think about something. I was in the main chamber of one of the quadrants yesterday. Was that chamber dug?”

“No,” Avernus said. “Each quadrant Extruder Station is located in a chamber similar to that one. Our first action in beginning underground operations was to take sonogram readings to determine natural caverns under the surface. The mine tunnels were dug, but the main chambers are natural.”

“Has it occurred to you,” Derec said, “to take sonograms now, in the present situation?”

“I do not understand,” Avernus said.

Derec pounded the tabletop with an index finger. “Find the closest underground cavern to your reservoir, dig a tunnel connecting it to the reservoir, and… ”

“And drain the reservoir water in there!” Avernus said, standing abruptly and breaking contact with the central core.

“Right!” Derec pointed to him. “Meanwhile, Katherine and I will be working on solving the murder. I’m absolutely convinced that the solution to the murder will also provide the reasons for the state of emergency.” He turned to Supervisor Dante. “Is that creative enough for you?”

“Happily so,” Dante said.

“It seems,” Euler said, “that if we are to have the opportunity of putting Friend Derec’s suggestions into practice, we should adjourn this meeting and set to work.”

The robots stood, Derec wondering if they realized that he had gently manipulated them, for the first time, into including him as a real partner in their planning.

He watched them filing out of the large room, for the first time beginning to feel he was getting a handle on the deviousness of the mind that had brought all of them together. Synnoetics. The worst hills still remained to be scaled toward reaching a truly equal social union of human and robot. Now, if they could only survive the rains, they could perhaps be the trailblazers in the opening of a new era.

As soon as the robots left the room, Katherine hurried to the door and peered out. “They’re gone,” she said, turning back to Derec.

“Good.”

He joined her at the door, Eve and Rec, trailing dutifully. Derec turned to them. “Has either of you ever witnessed within this building before?”

“Yes,” Rec said. “Most of this building is given to experimentation on the positronic brain and ways to improve its function. I have witnessed experiments in almost every laboratory in the structure.”

“Have you ever seen an office, something that a human might use as his personal quarters?”

“No,” the robot answered.

“Are there parts of the building you have never seen?”

“Yes.”

“All right, listen carefully,” Derec said, shrugging in Katherine’s direction. “I want you to take me to all the parts of the building you have never seen.”

“I cannot do that.”

“Why not?” Katherine asked.

“There is a sector in the Compass Tower that is off-limits to robots. No one goes there.”

“Did someone tell you that,” Derec asked, “a supervisor?”

“It is part of our programming,” Rec said.

Eve agreed. “Not even supervisors are allowed.”

Derec shook his head. Just like robots-all duty, no inquisitiveness. “I want you to take us there,” he said.

“I already told you it was off-limits,” Rec said.

Derec smiled. “I don’t mean for you to take me inside the off-limits part,” he said. “Just take me as close as you can get and point it out to me.”

That seemed amenable enough, so the two witnesses led the way, while Derec and Katherine followed closely. They walked the maze-like halls, twisting and turning, but always going higher. An elevator took them six floors up, but that wasn’t even the end of it. It was interesting to Derec. The meeting room had been designed to look like it was at the apex of the pyramid, but it was actually only about halfway up the structure, perhaps the illusion being more spiritual in intent than anything else.

The upper levels had begun to get rather small, doorways appearing more sparsely between the gently glowing wall panels, when the robots abruptly stopped. Rec pointed to a door at the end of a short hallway.

“We can go no farther,” the robot said. “No one knows where that doorway leads.”

“If you want to wait here,” Derec said, “we’ll be back soon.”

“But it is off-limits,” Eve said.

“To robots, not humans,” Katherine replied.

“But we cannot separate,” Rec persisted.

“It is only one door,” Derec said. “We’ll have to come back through it.”

“Our orders… ”

“Do what you want,” Derec said. “We’re going on.”