Invader

23

Without stopping to speak with the humans in MC Governor’s office, Hunter called Daladier again. “Did Wayne observe this call successfully?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a phone nearby? I want to speak with him directly.”

“Yes.” Daladier gave Hunter a number to call. “It’s right here in the lobby. I will tell Wayne to answer.”

Hunter called the number. A moment later, Wayne’s face appeared on Hunter’s internal screen.

“Yeah?” Wayne said cautiously, glaring at Hunter.

“You are well?” Hunter asked.

“Well enough. Get to the point, will you?”

“Based on the reaction of the Oversight Committee, I believe the members will consider your participation in correcting the flaws of the Governor robots.”

“Dr. Khanna never liked me. And the feeling’s mutual. They’re all jealous of my accomplishments.”

“If you are willing to participate, I believe they will work with you. In that event, your career may not be significantly harmed.”

Wayne said nothing for a moment, looking at Hunter. “Yeah?”

“I will offer you a deal in exchange for my recommending to the Oversight Committee that they ask for your help in the repair process.”

“How do you know they’ll bother to repair the Governor robots?” Wayne asked, in a less confrontational tone. “I always figured they’d just junk them entirely.”

“I cannot speak for them,” said Hunter. “But Or. Redfield raised the subject of a repair phase on her own. The Oversight Committee appears to have an open mind on the subject.”

“Well, yeah, I heard her mention that,” Wayne said slowly. “What do you want from me in return?”

“I want you to keep the existence of time travel a secret. The inherent harm to all humans is clearly immense.”

“Yeah, I know that. But what about the hardware?”

“The First Law will not allow me to discuss my plans. However, I offer the proposition that if no evidence of time travel continues to exist, anyone claiming to have visited the past will sound silly, not to mention professionally unreliable.”

Wayne hesitated, then nodded. “I hear the implied threat to my own future, Hunter. All right, you have a deal.”

“Good. You can find lodging in Mojave Center for the time being?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Feel free to have Daladier continue to assist you. I will confer with you again later. Hunter out.”

“Hunter, city computer calling. The second conference call you requested stands by.”

“Please connect me.”

“Hunter, is everything okay?” Jane asked.

“Yes,” Hunter said aloud. “Jane, and Steve, please stand by. In a moment, we will return to the Bohung Institute.”

“Okay,” said Steve.

As the six specialists appeared on Hunter’s internal link, he greeted each one of them.

“What’s up, Hunter?” Chad Mora, the paleontologist who had helped find MC 1 in the Late Cretaceous era, grinned at him. “You don’t have to find another robot in the age of dinosaurs, do you?”

“No. We have completed our missions.”

A chorus of congratulations came from all of them except Harriet, who of course already knew that.

“I’m glad, Hunter,” said Rita Chavez, who had journeyed to Jamaica in the time of the buccaneers with the team.

“I want to thank you again, Hunter,” said Gene Titus. “For inviting me along to Roman Germany. It was a wonderful experience for a historian; I guess we all feel that way.”

“That’s right,” said Judy Taub, who had traveled back to the Battle of Moscow in 1941 with the team.

“I still can’t believe I met Marco Polo and Kublai Khan,” said Marcia Lew.

“Have any of you revealed that you traveled into the past?”

No one responded; several shook their heads.

“It’s been less than a week,” said Chad. “I’m still reviewing all the information I collected.”

“We all know the danger of revealing time travel to the world at large,” said Judy.

“I made significant discoveries,” said Harriet. “I may not be alone in that. But I know you want us to keep this a secret.”

“I will dismantle the time-travel ability of the sphere shortly,” said Hunter. “Of course, I cannot order you to keep this a secret. I can tell you that no evidence of time travel will exist, however. Certainly none of us will benefit by having the technology rediscovered.”

“I get the picture,” said Chad. “If we claim to have traveled through time, we’ll sound like cranks or lunatics.”

“As you know, I cannot allow harm to any of you,” said Hunter. “So I want you to know that maintaining the secret will be to your own advantage.”

“I can manage,” said Harriet. “Even though I can’t prove my information, I know where to pursue more archaeological research. Maybe I can arrange it.”

“I can, too,” said Chad. “Paleontology combines hard evidence with educated guesses all the time. I can advance my new information as theoretical. Since I’m right, no one can disprove it.” He laughed lightly. “And I know roughly where to dig next.”

“I didn’t learn much new history as such,” said Marcia. “I picked up the feel of the times. That helps me in my work, too.”

“Same for me,” said Gene.

“Yes, I would say that,” added Rita. “It all became real.”

“I have further work to do,” said Hunter. “Please excuse me for making this farewell so abrupt. I thank you all.” He disconnected and turned to Steve and Jane. “We must go back to the Bohung Institute now. Jane, can we safely leave MC Governor here?”

“Yes,” said Jane. “Under the Second Law, he can’t violate my instruction to stay in the room and I don’t believe he can come up with a First Law argument to justify overriding it.”

“Especially while he’s calculating pi?” Steve grinned.

“Right. Besides, Ishihara can stay here to guard him and that Security detail is still right outside. We can instruct them to stop MC Governor bodily from leaving if necessary.”

“Please do that as we leave,” said Hunter. “Ishihara, remain here with MC Governor. Stop him if he attempts to leave and call me immediately. Soon I can allow the Bohung Institute to reopen, at which time you may resume your normal duties. You know this situation has First Law force.”

“Agreed.”

“We will go.”

Steve rode with Hunter and Jane in the same vehicle they had taken to MC Governor’s office. Jane had given the Security detail guarding the office their instructions. Now no one spoke as Hunter drove them back through the streets of Mojave Center.

During the ride, Steve felt out of place. He had originally been hired because of his experience out doors, to be part of a team made up of Hunter and city people. At Hunter’s request, he had remained part of the team in the later missions. Now, his contribution had clearly ended. He wondered if he should say good-bye also, but he did not really want the experience to end yet. The missions had all been exciting, and he wanted to spend more time with Jane. On the other hand, he expected that she was anxious to get back home and return to her normal routine now that the job had ended.

At the Bohung Institute, they returned quickly to Room F-12. Hunter walked to the console near the sphere and opened it. As he worked inside the console, Jane stood with Steve watching.

“It’s been a wild adventure,” said Steve. “Or six separate ones.”

“I can hardly believe we visited all those times and places,” said Jane. She shook her head slowly. “And now it’s over.”

“We must hope so,” said Hunter as he continued to work. “When I have finished, the sphere will be returned only to its original function of miniaturization for industrial and medical purposes.”

“And that will be the end of time travel,” said Steve.

“Only if we are unusually fortunate,” said Hunter. “A technological development that is created once can be created again. Historically, this usually happens. I will impress further on all the robots who know about our missions that the First Law will not allow this technology to be restored, revealed, or discussed. Wayne and our specialists have shown no particular desire to travel in time again. Beyond that, we can only hope that this technology will be an exception that no one discovers a second time.”

“But you don’t think that’s likely,” said Steve.

“The only reason for optimism is that no one seems motivated to pursue research in this direction. Maybe that will be reason enough.”

“It was a great experience for me,” said Steve. “I’d forgotten just how big the world is. And a society that can make Governor robots and create Hunter and send people back in time has a lot to offer.”

“Maybe I learned the opposite,” Jane said quietly. “I’ve worked in an ivory tower of schools and research labs all my life. The world is much more than robots and technological theories.”

“Yeah.” Steve glanced at Hunter, who was still working on the console. “I guess my part is finished, isn’t it, Hunter?”

Hunter looked up. “Yes. I asked you to accompany me here so I can return you to your home as soon as I finish.”

“Right.” Steve turned to Jane, feeling awkward. “Well, I guess this will be good-bye. I, uh, enjoyed working with you. A couple of times, I thought we might have a chance to get better acquainted, but then something always happened.”

“We have time now.” Jane smiled.

“Uh…don’t you have to go home, or something?”

“That can wait. Would you take me up to see your shack again?”

“My shack?”

“The first time Hunter took Chad and me up there to meet you, I thought it was a weird, rickety combination of a primitive shelter and modern conveniences.”

“Well…” Steve grinned. “I guess it is.”

“After all we’ve been through, I think I might find it downright luxurious now.”

“It’s not too bad.”

“I’d like to stay out in nature a little longer without having to chase robots, too. Maybe you could show me around your desert a little…if I’m welcome.”

“Of course you are.” Steve laughed. “I’ d love to have you come and visit.”

“I am finished here.” Hunter closed the console. “And now you two no longer have to worry about changing history.”

“That’s right,” said Steve. “Who knows? Maybe we can make our own.”