chapter1_page-9-20

Chapter 1. Runaround.

Mike Donovan came running down the stairs toward Gregory Powell. He had red hair. He

was sweaty and breathless.

What have you been doing in the sub -levels all day? Donovan asked excitedly. Speedy never

returned.

Powell's eyes opened wide, and he stopped on the stairs. You sent him to bring the selenium?

Yes. And how long has he been outside? Five hours now.

Silence. This was not good.

They had been on Mercury for only twelve hours, and they were already in trouble.

They went to the radio room.

The equipment had been brought here ten years ago, so it was now quite old.

Like the whole station, this room was also very depressing.

Powell said, tell me everything. Donovan explained.

I tried to locate him by radio, but I couldn't. Radio doesn't work on the Mercury

Sun side. That's one of the reasons why the first expedition failed.

I was able to locate him in the shortwave. I followed him for two hours. Look at this

map. Donovan pointed at the map.

The red cross is the selenium pool, where I sent Speedy. It's 27 kilometers away.

These dots here show Speedy's position.

Powell looked worried. Are you serious? This is impossible.

The dots that showed Speedy's position formed a circle around the selenium pool.

Powell touched his brown mustache. It was a signal of anxiety.

He went around that pool four times in two hours, explained Donovan.

It looks like he'll do that forever. Do you realize the problem?

Powell looked up and said nothing. Oh yes, he realized the problem.

The photo cell banks that protected them from Mercury's giant sun were badly damaged.

The only thing that could save them was selenium.

The only thing that could get the selenium was Speedy.

If Speedy didn't come back, they would have no selenium.

No selenium, no photo cell banks. No photo cell banks.

Well, death by slow boiling is a bad way to die.

Donovan rubbed his red hair and spoke with anger.

Everyone will laugh at us. How did everything go wrong so soon, Greg?

The great team of Powell and Donovan is sent out to Mercury to check the Sun Side Mining Station.

A simple job, and we fail on the first day.

This will hurt our name.

If we don't do something quickly, said Powell quietly, it won't only hurt our name.

It will probably kill us.

Well, what are we going to do? said Donovan.

He looked at Powell.

Greg, you're very calm.

I know you've got an idea. Go on, tell me.

Well, we can't go after Speedy ourselves, Mike.

Even if we wear the new spacesuits, they won't protect us for more than 20 minutes in direct sunlight.

But maybe things aren't so bad.

We've got six robots down in the sub -levels.

We may be able to use them, if they work.

There was sudden hope in Donovan's eyes.

Are you sure? You mean the six robots from the first expedition?

But they were built 10 years ago.

Yes, but they've got positronic brains.

They are primitive, of course.

He put the map in his pocket.

Let's go down.

They went down to the sub -levels and found the robots.

There were six of them. They were extremely large.

Donovan whistled.

Look at their size.

The chest must be three meters around.

That's because they've got very old machinery.

I've examined their insides. Very poor quality.

But they might talk.

Powell put an atomic battery into the chest of one of the robots.

He turned to the robot and said,

You, do you hear me?

The robot's head bent slowly and the eyes looked at Powell.

Then it said,

Yes, master.

It had a metallic voice.

Can you go out on the surface?

In the light, Powell asked.

There was a pause while the robot's slow brain worked.

Yes, master.

Good.

We will take you outside the station.

You will go 27 kilometers and you will find another robot,

smaller than yourself.

You will order him to come back.

If he does not wish to,

you will bring him back by force.

Yes, master.

Alright, follow me.

The robot did not move.

Part in master, but I cannot.

You must ride me.

Powell stared and then pulled at his mustache.

Uh, oh.

We've got to ride him like a horse?

Ask Donovan.

I guess so.

It's an old robot.

They built it in this way,

so he cannot move without human control.

What do we do now?

We can't go out on the surface with a robot or without, said Donovan.

But wait a minute.

Give me that map.

This is a mining station.

There are many tunnels under the ground.

We could use them.

The mining station was a black circle on the map,

and the dotted lines showed the tunnels that stretched out from it.

Book, said Donovan.

We can come out of this exit.

Number 13a.

Okay, let's get our spacesuits.

Said Powell happily.

It was the first time they had worn the suits.

It was larger and uglier than the normal spacesuits,

but it was much lighter.

It could survive Mercury's sun for 20 minutes.

Powell turned to the robot.

Are you ready to take us to exit 13a?

Yes, master.

Powell climbed up on one robot and Donovan on another.

The seats were quite comfortable.

There were two long ears for the riders to hold on to.

The enormous robots moved slowly through the door,

and along a narrow corridor into the long, airless tunnel.

They moved at a speed that never changed.

There is lots of light in these tunnels,

and the temperature is Earth -normal, said Powell.

The station is like a huge energy generator.

The heat from the sun is turned into energy,

which is used for the station.

And at the same time, the station is cooled.

Yes, said Donovan.

This is all very good, but we have a problem.

What's wrong with Speedy?

I can't understand.

I don't know, Mike. He was built for this environment.

The heat and the low gravity don't affect him.

They were silent for a while.

Finally, they came to the end of the tunnel.

They went up into a tiny substation, empty and airless.

A tall wall of black rock cut off the sunlight.

In front of them, they could see the very bright white light

of Mercury's sun side.

Thankfully, they had light filters in their visoplates.

Otherwise, the sunlight would have blinded them.

Donovan looked at the thermometer on his wrist.

The temperature is 80 centigrade.

Yes, said Powell. He looked around.

There's a dark area over there that might be the selenium pool.

But I don't see Speedy.

His voice was worried.

He stood up on the robot's shoulders to get a better view.

I think, yes, I see him now. He's coming this way.

Donovan followed Powell's pointing finger.

I see him, he yelled. Let's go.

The robots began to move.

Faster, yelled Donovan.

But there was no change in their speed.

No use, said Powell.

They can only move at one speed.

They came out of the shadow of the rock into the sunlight.

Wow, said Donovan. It's really hot.

It's going to get hotter, said Powell.

Keep your eye on Speedy.

They could see robot SPD 13 clearly now.

The SPD models were one of the fastest robots that were produced by US robots.

Speedy shouted Powell.

Come here.

Speedy looked up and saw them. He stopped suddenly.

All right, Speedy. Come here, boy.

Yelled Powell.

Then they heard Speedy's voice for the first time.

Let's play games. You catch me, and I catch you.

He turned and ran away in the opposite direction.

They heard him singing a children's song now.

Is he crazy or something?

Asked Donovan.

There was a long silence.

He's not crazy, Powell said at last.

A robot's only a robot.

There's something wrong with him which is confusing him.

We have to find out what it is and fix it.

The two men went back to the shadow of the rock and got down from their robots.

Listen, Mike.

What did you say to Speedy when you sent him after the selenium?

Asked Powell.

Well, I said, Speedy, we need some selenium.

You can get it at this place. Go get it.

That's all.

Did you tell him it was highly important?

Did he understand its importance?

No, it was a simple order.

Powell took a deep breath.

He was thinking.

Okay, look, let's start with the three laws of robotics.

These laws are built into every robot's positronic brain.

One, a robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm.

Two, a robot must obey the orders given by human beings unless they conflict with the first law.

And three, a robot must protect itself unless this conflicts with the first or second laws.

Right, so how does this help us?

Speedy is one of the latest models, and he's very expensive.

So, when he was built, the third law was strengthened.

This means that he is more likely to protect himself.

Maybe there's some kind of danger at the selenium pool that Speedy is avoiding.

Donovan rose to his feet in excitement.

I see.

The third law drives him away from the pool.

And when he gets away from the pool, the second law drives him towards it again.

So he follows a circle around the selenium pool.

And unless we do something about it, he'll stay on that circle forever, giving us the run around.

But what's the danger that he's avoiding?

Ask Donovan.

Now let's think.

Where does the selenium come from?

Volcanic action, said Donovan.

Right.

There may be some gas coming out of the ground somewhere, right above the selenium pool.

Sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide.

At this temperature, carbon monoxide plus iron will cause an explosion.

And a robot is mostly made of iron.

Yes, it would be very dangerous for Speedy, said Powell.

Okay, we know the problem now, but we don't have a solution.

We can't get the selenium ourselves.

We can't send these robot horses because they can't go themselves.

And they can't carry us fast enough.

And we can't catch Speedy because he's running away from us.

There was a long silence again, but they had to think fast.

Mike, said Powell.

There's always the first law.

Donovan looked up.

All right, said Powell.

According to the first law, a robot can't watch a human being get harmed.

The first law is stronger than the second and third laws.

Mike, I'm going out there now to see if this will work.

Wait, Greg.

You can't go out there just like that.

We must choose.

But before he could finish his sentence, Powell was on his robot off into the sunlight.

Powell's robot moved slowly towards Speedy.

The sun was hotter than ever.

Speedy was watching him.

When he was 300 meters away from Speedy, Powell stopped and jumped down from the robot's shoulders.

He started walking.

He could feel the heat under his feet.

It was difficult to walk because of the low gravity.

He looked over his shoulder and realized that he had come too far.

He could not go back now.

Only Speedy could take him back.

He came near enough and stopped.

Speedy, he called.

Speedy, I've got to get back to the shadow or the sun will kill me.

I need you.

Speedy took one step forward and stopped.

It was very hot.

Then Powell saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.

He turned and saw that the old horse robot was moving toward him and without a rider.

Powell was shocked.

Pardon master, said the old robot.

I must not move without a human riding me, but you are in danger.

Of course.

The first law was stronger than anything.

But he didn't want the old robot.

He wanted Speedy.

I order you to stay away.

I order you to stop.

He shouted at the robot.

It was useless.

The robot said stupidly, you are in danger, master.

Powell looked about him hopelessly.

He couldn't see clearly.

He was breathing with difficulty.

He called for the last time.

Speedy, I'm dying.

Where are you Speedy?

I need you.

Suddenly, he felt steel fingers on his arms and heard a worried metallic voice in his ears.

Boss, what are you doing here?

And what am I doing?

I am so confused.

It was Speedy.

Never mind, whispered Powell weekly.

Get me to the shadow quickly.

When Powell woke up, he saw Donovan bending over him and smiling anxiously.

How are you, Greg?

Fine.

Where's Speedy?

Right here, I sent him out to one of the other selenium pools.

This time I told him that it was very important.

He got it back in 42 minutes and 3 seconds.

He's still sorry for the runaround he gave us.

He's too scared to come near you.

Powell held out a hand and held Speedy's metal fingers.

It's okay, Speedy.

He rubbed his face.

The air was nice and cool.

Then he turned to Donovan.

You know, Mike, when we finish our task here, they're going to send us to the space stations next.

No, really?

Yes.

That's what Dr. Calvin told me just before we left.

I was against the idea then.

But it's alright with me now.

273 centigrade below zero.

Won't it be pleasant?

Space station, said Donovan.

Here I come.