Part 22 (2/2)

Underhill recognized familiar constellations, vastly dwarfed. They crept across the field, as the silent needle swung. When three stars formed an unequal triangle in the center of the field, the needle steadied suddenly. Sledge touched other k.n.o.bs, and the green points spread apart. Between them, another fleck of green was born.

”The Wing!” whispered Sledge.

The other stars spread beyond the field, and that green fleck grew. It was alone in the field, a bright and tiny disk. Suddenly, then, a dozen other tiny pips were visible, s.p.a.ced close about it.

”Wing IV!”

The old man's whisper was hoa.r.s.e and breathless. His hands quivered on the k.n.o.bs, and the fourth pip outward from the disk crept to the center of the field. It grew, and the others spread away. It began to tremble like Sledge's hands.

”Sit very still,” came his rasping whisper. ”Hold your breath. Nothing must disturb the needle.” He reached for another k.n.o.b, and the touch set the greenish image to dancing violently. He drew his hand back, kneaded and flexed it with the other.

”Now!” His whisper was hushed and strained. He nodded at the window. ”Tell me when they stop.”

Reluctantly, Underhill dragged his eyes from that intense gaunt figure, stooped over the thing that seemed a futile toy. He looked out again, at two or three little black mechanicals busy about the s.h.i.+ning roofs across the alley. He waited for them to stop.

He didn't dare to breathe. He felt the loud, hurried hammer of his heart, and the nervous quiver of his muscles. He tried to steady himself, tried not to think of the world about to be exploded, so far away that the flash would not reach this planet for another century and longer. The loud hoa.r.s.e voice startled him: ”Have they stopped?”

He shook his head, and breathed again. Carrying their unfamiliar tools and strange materials, the small black machines were still busy across the alley, building an elaborate cupola above that glowing crimson dome.

”They haven't stopped,” he said.

”Then we've failed.” The old man's voice was thin and ill. ”I don't know why.”

The door rattled, then. They had locked it, but the flimsy bolt was intended only to stop men. Metal snapped, and the door swung open. A black mechanical came in, on soundless graceful feet. Its silvery voice purred softly, ”At your service, Mr. Sledge.”

The old man stared at it, with glazing, stricken eyes.

”Get out of here!” he rasped bitterly. ”I forbid you-”

Ignoring him, it darted to the kitchen table. With a flas.h.i.+ng certainty of action, it turned two k.n.o.bs on the director. The tiny screen went dark, and the palladium needle started spinning aimlessly. Deftly it snapped a soldered connection, next to the thick lead ball, and then its blind steel eyes turned to Sledge.

”You were attempting to break the Prime Directive.” Its soft bright voice held no accusation, no malice or anger. ”The injunction to respect your freedom is subordinate to the Prime Directive, as you know, and it is therefore necessary for us to interfere.”

The old man turned ghastly. His head was shrunken and cadaverous and blue, as if all the juice of life had been drained away, and his eyes in their pitlike sockets had a wild, glazed stare. His breath was a ragged, laborious gasping.

”How-?” His voice was a feeble mumbling. ”How did-?”

And the little machine, standing black and bland and utterly unmoving, told him cheerfully, ”We learned about rhodomagnetic screens from that man who came to kill you, back on Wing IV. And the Central is s.h.i.+elded, now, against your integrating beam.”

With lean muscles jerking convulsively on his gaunt frame, old Sledge had come to his feet from the high stool. He stood hunched and swaying, no more than a shrunken human husk, gasping painfully for life, staring wildly into the blind steel eyes of the humanoid. He gulped, and his lax blue mouth opened and closed, but no voice came.

”We have always been aware of your dangerous project,” the silvery tones dripped softly, ”because now our senses are keener than you made them. We allowed you to complete it, because the integration process will ultimately become necessary for our full discharge of the Prime Directive. The supply of heavy metals for our fission plants is limited, but now we shall be able to draw unlimited power from integration plants.”

”Huh?” Sledge shook himself, groggily. ”What's that?”

”Now we can serve men forever,” the black thing said serenely, ”on every world of every star.”

The old man crumpled, as if from an unendurable blow. He fell. The slim blind mechanical stood motionless, making no effort to help him. Underhill was farther away, but he ran up in time to catch the stricken man before his head struck the floor.

”Get moving!” His shaken voice came strangely calm. ”Get Dr. Winters.”

The humanoid didn't move.

”The danger to the Prime Directive is ended, now,” it cooed. ”Therefore it is impossible for us to aid or to hinder Mr. Sledge, in any way whatever.”

”Then call Dr. Winters for me,” rapped Underhill. ”At your service,” it agreed.

But the old man, laboring for breath on the floor, whispered faintly: ”No time . . . no use! I'm beaten . . . done . . . a fool. Blind as a humanoid. Tell them ... to help me. Giving up ... my immunity. No use ... Anyhow. All humanity ... no use now.”

Underhill gestured, and the sleek black thing darted in solicitous obedience to kneel by the man on the floor.

”You wish to surrender your special exemption?” it murmured brightly. ”You wish to accept our total service for yourself, Mr. Sledge, under the Prime Directive?”

Laboriously, Sledge nodded, laboriously whispered, ”I do.”

Black mechanicals, at that, came swarming into the shabby little rooms. One of them tore off Sledge's sleeve, and swabbed his arm. Another brought a tiny hypodermic, and expertly administered an intravenous injection. Then they picked him up gently, and carried him away.

Several humanoids remained in the little apartment, now a sanctuary no longer. Most of them had gathered about the useless integrator. Carefully, as if their special senses were studying every detail, they began taking it apart.

One little mechanical, however, came over to Underhill. It stood motionless in front of him, staring through him with sightless metal eyes. His legs began to tremble, and he swallowed uneasily.

”Mr. Underhill,” it cooed benevolently, ”why did you help with this?”

”Because I don't like you, or your Prime Directive. Because you're choking the life out of all mankind, and I wanted to stop it.”

”Others have protested,” it purred softly. ”But only at first. In our efficient discharge of the Prime Directive, we have learned how to make all men happy.”

Underhill stiffened defiantly.

”Not all!” he muttered. ”Not quite!”

The dark graceful oval of its face was fixed in a look of alert benevolence and perpetual mild amazement. Its silvery voice was warm and kind.

”Like other human beings, Mr. Underhill, you lack discrimination of good and evil. You have proved that by your effort to break the Prime Directive. Now it will be necessary for you to accept our total service, without further delay.”

”All right,” he yielded-and muttered a bitter reservation: ”You can smother men with too much care, but that doesn't make them happy.”

Its soft voice challenged him brightly, ”Just wait and see, Mr. Underhill.”

Next day, he was allowed to visit Sledge at the city hospital. An alert black mechanical drove his car, and walked beside him into the huge new building, and followed him into the old man's room-blind steel eyes would be watching him, now, forever.

”Glad to see you, Underhill,” Sledge rumbled heartily from the bed. ”Feeling a lot better today, thanks. That old headache is all but gone.”

Underhill was glad to hear the booming strength and the quick recognition in that deep voice-he had been afraid the humanoids would tamper with the old man's memory. But he hadn't heard about any headache. His eyes narrowed, puzzled.

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