[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
give in.
I do not dare, said Hunter. I have no indication of where they are.
Wayne may have left them in another time or in a place out of range
of my signal. He may have left Ishihara with standing instructions or
First Law interpretations that would cloud the First Law imperative to
release Jane. Making an attempt could simply anger Wayne and cause
him to withdraw his offer.
Well, what s wrong with that?
Maintaining negotiations will provide Wayne with an incentive to
stay in contact with us. If Jane is nearby, we may eventually be able to
track him back to her, or at least surmise her general vicinity.
Well... Steve tried to think of another objection, but could not.
How about calling Ishihara anyway, and trying to get him to release
her?
Have you forgotten? I have continued to call Ishihara at intervals
ever since we arrived. He has not responded.
Oh, yeah. But we could just follow Wayne now and find out whatever
we can.
I dare not. Besides, the troop is about to go out on maneuvers,
remember?
We don t have to stay.
Leaving so soon will complicate our ongoing presence here. We must
maintain our place in the troop for now. Hunter turned, drawing
Steve with him. We must get our saddles and bridles. Again, we will
be among the last to ride out.
Yeah, all right. Steve joined him at the end of the line again. So you
think Ishihara has Jane in some other time?
Hunter released his arm. That is not my first estimate. I
acknowledge the possibility because it prevents me from acting too
rashly, but I doubt the likelihood. Ishihara would probably insist on
remaining in the company of both humans to protect them.
He wasn t with Wayne right now, said Steve. And in the past,
you ve been willing to take a chance on one of your educated guesses.
I wish to prioritize caution at the moment. I believe Ishihara and
Jane are probably fairly close. They may be in the village or out in the
countryside, but I could not hear or see any sign of them. If we bide
our time, I may pick up some clue to their location. Then we can act
more aggressively.
But you re still just guessing.
I am making a calculation of the odds.
Uh, right.
Hunter said nothing for a moment. When he spoke again, he lowered
his voice. Harriet just called to say she is well. She remains with the
women in the palace.
Good. That s something in our favor.
They picked up their saddles and bridles and carried them out to their
mounts.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Jane sat in the back of the cart up in the village, near the palace doors.
Emrys haggled over the sheep with the same man as the day before.
From here inside the walls, she could not see the slope or exactly
where Wayne had gone, but she could guess. Ishihara and Wayne had
conferred in whispers before Wayne hopped out and Emrys drove up
to the palace to sell his sheep.
She knew that Ishihara must have told Wayne something about the
location of Hunter and Steve. Because she had not seen or heard any
sign of them, she supposed Ishihara s enhanced hearing had brought
him their voices in the distance. She had no real optimism that she
could talk Ishihara into changing sides, but she decided to try raising
some doubts again.
The First Law was never intended for situations like this, Jane said
quietly.
What do you mean? Ishihara asked. I have kept you from harm.
You re keeping me prisoner. I would be safer with Hunter. You
already know that. I say you are violating the First Law by holding me
now that Hunter has arrived.
What form of harm are you suffering?
I m being harmed simply by having to stay with you. It s not my
choice.
Wayne Nystrom will be harmed if his career is destroyed. I intend to
balance his concerns with yours. Neither of you will suffer direct
physical harm.
Think about the intention of the First Law. Do you really believe that
kidnapping was included?
To prevent a human from being harmed, it has been an option
throughout the history of positronic robots. Otherwise, it would have
been explicitly prohibited.
I say you are wrong, Ishihara. Think about it. Jane spoke firmly but
did not feel encouraged. Wayne had obviously given Ishihara some
effective arguments of his own at some point and, after all, Wayne
was also a roboticist.
Hunter found the maneuvers today to be a repeat of the day before.
He put most of his effort into avoiding injuring his opponents. While
he remained close to Steve, he observed that Steve learned very
quickly and did not need specific help.
The day wore on uneventfully. Finally, late in the afternoon, Lucius
ordered the troop back to the tor. When the weapons, armor, tack,
and horses had been put away, Hunter and Steve walked back up to
the village.
Steve looked up at him, grinning. The trouble with this stuff is, the
more time I spend riding and fighting, the more tired I get. The more
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]