[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Powell was too far off to tell, ofcourse, but even already he could have sworn the crack-brained Speedy wassetting himself for a spring."Let her go," he gasped."Count three! One- two-"Two steel arms drew back and snapped forward simultaneously and two glass jarswhirled forward in towering parallel arcs, gleaming like diamonds in theimpossible sun.And in a pair of soundless puffs, they hit the ground behindSpeedy in crashes that sent the oxalic acid flying like dust.In the full heat of Mercury's sun, Powell knew it was fizzing like soda water.Speedy turned to stare, then backed away from it slowly - and as slowlygathered speed.In fifteen seconds, he was leaping directly toward the twohumans in an unsteady canter.Powell did not get Speedy's words just then, though he heard something thatresembled, "Lover's professions when uttered in Hessians."He turned away."Back to the cliff, Mike.He's out of the rut and he'll betaking orders now.I'm getting hot."Page 24 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThey jogged toward the shadow at the slow monotonous pace of their mounts, andit was not until they had entered it and felt the sudden coolness settlesoftly about them that Donovan looked back."Greg!"Powell looked and almost shrieked.Speedy was moving slowly now -so slowly-and in the wrong direction.He was drifting; drifting back into his rut; andhe was picking up speed.He looked dreadfully close, and dreadfullyunreachable, in the binoculars.Donovan shouted wildly, "After him!" and thumped his robot into its pace, butPowell called him back."You won't catch him, Mike - it's no use." He fidgeted on his robot'sshoulders and clenched his fist in tight impotence."Why the devil do I seethese things five seconds after it's all over? Mike, we've wasted hours.""We need more oxalic acid," declared Donovan, stolidly."The concentrationwasn't high enough.""Seven tons of it wouldn't have been enough - and we haven't the hours tospare to get it, file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/I%20Robot.txt (19 of 95)[1/14/03 9:37:11 PM]file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/I%20Robot.txt even if it were, with the monoxidechewing him away.Don't you see what it is, Mike?"And Donovan said flatly, "No.""We were only establishing new equilibriums.When we create new monoxide andincrease Rule3 potential, he moves backward till he's in balance again - and when themonoxide drifted away, he moved forward, and again there was balance."Powell's voice sounded thoroughly wretched."It's the same old runaround.Wecan push atRule 2 and pull at Rule 3 and we can't get anywhere - we can only change theposition of balance.We've got to get outside both rules." And then he pushed his robot closer toDonovan's so that they were sitting face to face, dim shadows in the darkness,and he whispered, "Mike!""Is it the finish?"-dully."I suppose we go back to the Station, wait for thebanks to fold, shake hands, take cyanide, and go out like gentlemen." Helaughed shortly."Mike," repeated Powell earnestly, "we've got to get Speedy.""I know.""Mike," once more, and Powell hesitated before continuing."There's alwaysRule 1.Ithought of it -earlier- but it's desperate."Donovan looked up and his voice livened."We're desperate.""All right.According to Rule 1, a robot can't see a human come to harmbecause of his own inaction.Two and 3 can't stand against it.They can't,Mike.""Even when the robot is half cra- Well, he's drunk.You know he is.""It's the chances you take.""Cut it.What are you going to do?""I'm going out there now and see what Rule 1 will do.If it won't break thebalance, then what the devil - it's either now or three-four days from now.""Hold on, Greg.There are human rules of behavior, too.You don't go out therejust like that.Figure out a lottery, and give me my chance.""All right.First to get the cube of fourteen goes." And almost immediately,"Twenty-seven forty-four!"Donovan felt his robot stagger at a sudden push by Powell's mount and thenPowell was off into the sunlight.Donovan opened his mouth to shout, and thenclicked it shut.Of course, the damn fool had worked out the cube of fourteenin advance, and on purpose.Just like him.The sun was hotter than ever and Powell felt a maddening itch in the small ofhis back.Page 25 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlImagination, probably, or perhaps hard radiation beginning to tell eventhrough the insosuit.Speedy was watching him, without a word of Gilbert and Sullivan gibberish asgreeting.Thank God for that! But he daren't get too close.He was three hundred yards away when Speedy began backing, a step at a time,cautiously -and Powell stopped.He jumped from his robot's shoulders and landed on thecrystalline ground with a light thump and a flying of jagged fragments.He proceeded on foot, the ground gritty and slippery to his steps, the lowgravity causing him difficulty.The soles of his feet tickled with warmth.Hecast one glance over his shoulder at the blackness of the cliff's shadow andrealized that he had come too far to return - either by himself or by the helpof his antique robot.It was Speedy or nothing now, and the knowledge of thatconstricted his chest.Far enough! He stopped."Speedy," he called."Speedy!"The sleek, modern robot ahead of him hesitated and halted his backward steps,then resumed them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Powell was too far off to tell, ofcourse, but even already he could have sworn the crack-brained Speedy wassetting himself for a spring."Let her go," he gasped."Count three! One- two-"Two steel arms drew back and snapped forward simultaneously and two glass jarswhirled forward in towering parallel arcs, gleaming like diamonds in theimpossible sun.And in a pair of soundless puffs, they hit the ground behindSpeedy in crashes that sent the oxalic acid flying like dust.In the full heat of Mercury's sun, Powell knew it was fizzing like soda water.Speedy turned to stare, then backed away from it slowly - and as slowlygathered speed.In fifteen seconds, he was leaping directly toward the twohumans in an unsteady canter.Powell did not get Speedy's words just then, though he heard something thatresembled, "Lover's professions when uttered in Hessians."He turned away."Back to the cliff, Mike.He's out of the rut and he'll betaking orders now.I'm getting hot."Page 24 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThey jogged toward the shadow at the slow monotonous pace of their mounts, andit was not until they had entered it and felt the sudden coolness settlesoftly about them that Donovan looked back."Greg!"Powell looked and almost shrieked.Speedy was moving slowly now -so slowly-and in the wrong direction.He was drifting; drifting back into his rut; andhe was picking up speed.He looked dreadfully close, and dreadfullyunreachable, in the binoculars.Donovan shouted wildly, "After him!" and thumped his robot into its pace, butPowell called him back."You won't catch him, Mike - it's no use." He fidgeted on his robot'sshoulders and clenched his fist in tight impotence."Why the devil do I seethese things five seconds after it's all over? Mike, we've wasted hours.""We need more oxalic acid," declared Donovan, stolidly."The concentrationwasn't high enough.""Seven tons of it wouldn't have been enough - and we haven't the hours tospare to get it, file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/I%20Robot.txt (19 of 95)[1/14/03 9:37:11 PM]file:///F|/rah/Isaac%20Asimov/I%20Robot.txt even if it were, with the monoxidechewing him away.Don't you see what it is, Mike?"And Donovan said flatly, "No.""We were only establishing new equilibriums.When we create new monoxide andincrease Rule3 potential, he moves backward till he's in balance again - and when themonoxide drifted away, he moved forward, and again there was balance."Powell's voice sounded thoroughly wretched."It's the same old runaround.Wecan push atRule 2 and pull at Rule 3 and we can't get anywhere - we can only change theposition of balance.We've got to get outside both rules." And then he pushed his robot closer toDonovan's so that they were sitting face to face, dim shadows in the darkness,and he whispered, "Mike!""Is it the finish?"-dully."I suppose we go back to the Station, wait for thebanks to fold, shake hands, take cyanide, and go out like gentlemen." Helaughed shortly."Mike," repeated Powell earnestly, "we've got to get Speedy.""I know.""Mike," once more, and Powell hesitated before continuing."There's alwaysRule 1.Ithought of it -earlier- but it's desperate."Donovan looked up and his voice livened."We're desperate.""All right.According to Rule 1, a robot can't see a human come to harmbecause of his own inaction.Two and 3 can't stand against it.They can't,Mike.""Even when the robot is half cra- Well, he's drunk.You know he is.""It's the chances you take.""Cut it.What are you going to do?""I'm going out there now and see what Rule 1 will do.If it won't break thebalance, then what the devil - it's either now or three-four days from now.""Hold on, Greg.There are human rules of behavior, too.You don't go out therejust like that.Figure out a lottery, and give me my chance.""All right.First to get the cube of fourteen goes." And almost immediately,"Twenty-seven forty-four!"Donovan felt his robot stagger at a sudden push by Powell's mount and thenPowell was off into the sunlight.Donovan opened his mouth to shout, and thenclicked it shut.Of course, the damn fool had worked out the cube of fourteenin advance, and on purpose.Just like him.The sun was hotter than ever and Powell felt a maddening itch in the small ofhis back.Page 25 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlImagination, probably, or perhaps hard radiation beginning to tell eventhrough the insosuit.Speedy was watching him, without a word of Gilbert and Sullivan gibberish asgreeting.Thank God for that! But he daren't get too close.He was three hundred yards away when Speedy began backing, a step at a time,cautiously -and Powell stopped.He jumped from his robot's shoulders and landed on thecrystalline ground with a light thump and a flying of jagged fragments.He proceeded on foot, the ground gritty and slippery to his steps, the lowgravity causing him difficulty.The soles of his feet tickled with warmth.Hecast one glance over his shoulder at the blackness of the cliff's shadow andrealized that he had come too far to return - either by himself or by the helpof his antique robot.It was Speedy or nothing now, and the knowledge of thatconstricted his chest.Far enough! He stopped."Speedy," he called."Speedy!"The sleek, modern robot ahead of him hesitated and halted his backward steps,then resumed them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]