[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]and that Klayus hated and feared them; they had once been commanded by the
retired General Prothon, and Prothon s specialty--the only reason he was ever
called out of retirement--was the removal of Emperors.
At the sight of the machines, the mob halted and fell silent. This was
unexpected. That External
Action Force--supposedly used only when the status of the throne itself was
threatened--might become involved in a mere riot was sobering. Some in the
crowd broke free of the mob mind, muttered among themselves. The front of the
crowd churned and shrank back.
Within a few seconds, a hundred armored and shielded troops in blue and black,
with red-striped helmets, had dropped from the hatches of the deployers and
formed two lines, one before the crowd, the other directly before Vara Liso
and her Specials.
The last to emerge was General Prothon himself, huge, with bull shoulders and
immense arms and a barrel gut straining at his formal uniform. His face was
almost boyish, with wispy gray mustache and a tiny goatee, and his small,
sharp eyes darted back and forth with gleeful energy. He seemed happy to be
arriving at a party.
Prothon paused for a moment between the lines, looked left and right, then
swung about and approached--
Vara Liso.
His eye fell on her immediately, and he stared at her intently, almost
merrily, as he strode on long, thick pillar-legs. Some said he was from the
planet Nur, a heavy, oppressive world; but in truth, nobody knew where Prothon
came from, or how he had achieved his position.
Some said he was the secret Emperor, the true power within the palace, even
above the
Commission of Public Safety, at least since the exile of Agis IV, but rumors
were not fact.
Prothon pushed his way through the phalanx and stood before her. Vara blinked
up at the massive chest surmounted by the comparatively small head with its
amused, pleasant face.
So this is the little woman who would provoke the big war, Prothon said in a
lovely tenor voice. For a moment, facing what might be her doom, Vara was
smitten by this paradoxical combination of bull strength and attractive
boyishness. Any success today? he asked sympathetically.
Vara blinked several more times, then mumbled, I sense... And stopped herself
with a knuckle against her lips. She wanted to cry, or to lash out, and wasn t
sure what she would do.
Make this monster bend and weep with me, before me.
There s a warehouse in the storage district, she murmured, and Prothon
stooped beside her, as if proposing marriage, to listen more closely.
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Again, please, he said gently.
There s a warehouse in the storage district, retail center. I ve been past it
a dozen times in the last few weeks. It seemed innocuous enough--but I ve been
tuning my senses, listening more closely. I
am sure there are robots inside the warehouse, perhaps a great many of them.
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The Chief Commissioner of the Commission of General Security--
Yes, of course, Prothon said. He rose and glared out over the Specials,
through the lines of his own troops, to the mob. We ll get you through to the
warehouse, he said. After that, no more. It s over.
What s...over? she asked hesitantly.
The game, Prothon said with a smile. There are winners, and there are
losers.
67.
Lodovik heard the warning sirens in his head, as did all the robots within the
warehouse. He had worked out the evacuation plan with Kallusin the night
before. Kallusin had told him that Plussix had anticipated a general
disruption, possibly a discovery...
And now most of their avenues of escape were blocked by Imperial Specials.
Kallusin and the other robots were busy in another part of the warehouse,
carrying the heads and other precious Calvinian items: thousands of years of
robot history and traditions, the memories of dozens of key robots, stored in
dissected memory nodes or, in a few cases, in the whole heads. There was a
religious aspect to the respect Kallusin held for these relics. But Lodovik
had little time to contemplate the peculiarities of this robot society.
Lodovik found Klia and Brann in the dining hall at ground level. The young
woman looked determined but scared--wide-eyed, face flushed. Brann seemed
uncertain but not frightened, merely nervous.
Lodovik ignored a communication from Voltaire, a commentary on romantic
oppositions that seemed completely useless.
We are leaving now, Lodovik said.
We re packed, Brann said, and lifted a small cloth bag that contained all
their worldly goods.
I can feel her. She s looking for us,
Klia said.
Perhaps, Lodovik said. But there are hidden passages out of the lower
levels that have not been used in thousands of years. Some emerge close to the
palace detention center where Seldon is kept--
You know the palace--the codes for entry?
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If they have not been changed. There is a certain inertia in the amendment of
palace procedures.
The codes for the Emperor s quarters are changed twice a day, but in other
portions of the extended palace, there are codes that have been in place for
ten or fifteen years. We will have to take some risks--
The codes that you do not know, I can access, Voltaire told him.
Just get us out of here! Klia said. I don t want to have to fight her.
We may have to fight others, Lodovik said. To persuade them, or to defend
ourselves.
Klia shook her head with stubborn boldness. I don t care about them. Not one
in a thousand persuaders can hold a candle to Brann and me working together.
But that woman--
We can beat her, Brann said. Klia glared at him, then shivered and shrugged
her shoulders.
Maybe, she said.
Do you know robot mental structures well enough? Lodovik inquired as they
walked toward the elevators.
What do you mean? Klia asked. The ancient elevator doors opened with the
smooth heaviness of Old Empire engineering. A feeble green emergency light
blinked on within. They stepped into the ghoulish glow.
Can you persuade a robot? Lodovik asked.
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I don t know, Klia said. I ve never tried. Except with Kallusin--once--and
I didn t know he was a robot. He fended me off.
We have a few minutes, Lodovik said. Practice on me.
Why?
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkajaszek.htw.pl
