Part 3 (2/2)
”To say?”
”Yes.”
”But why?”
”You'd understand if I told you. Betrization, you see, isn't done by brit. With the brit, it's only -- a side effect. . . Betrization has to do with something else.” She was pale. Her lips trembled. What a world, I thought, what a world this is!
”I can't. I'm terribly afraid.”
”Of me?”
”Yes.”
”I swear that. . .”
”No, no. I believe you, only. . . no. You can't understand this.”
”You won't tell me?”
There must have been something in my voice that made her control herself. Her face became grim. I saw from her eyes the effort it was for her.
”It is. . . so that. . . in order that it be impossible to. . . kill.”
”No! People?”
”Anyone.”
”Animals, too?”
”Animals. Anyone.”
She twisted and untwisted her fingers, not taking her eyes off me, as if with these words she had released me from an invisible chain, as if she had put a knife into my hand, a knife I could stab her with.
”Nais,” I said very quietly. ”Nais, don't be afraid. Really, there's nothing to fear.”
She tried to smile.
”Listen. . .”
”Yes?”
”When I said that. . .”
”Yes?”
”You felt nothing?”
”And what was I supposed to feel?”
”Imagine that you are doing what I said to you.”
”That I am killing? I'm supposed to picture that?”
She shuddered.
”Yes.”
”And now?”
”And you feel nothing?”
”Nothing. But, then, it's only a thought, and I don't have the slightest intention. . .”
”But you can? Right? You really can? No,” she whispered, as if to herself, ”you are not betrizated.”
Only now did the meaning of it all hit me, and I understood how it could be a shock to her.
”This is a great thing,” I muttered. After a moment, I added, ”But it would have been better, perhaps, had people ceased to do it. . . without artificial means.”
”I don't know. Perhaps,” she answered. She drew a deep breath. ”You know, now, why I was frightened?”
”Yes, but not completely. Maybe a little. But surely you didn't think that I. . .”
”How strange you are! It's altogether as though you weren't. . .” She broke off.
”Weren't human?”
Her eyelids fluttered.
”I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that, you see, if it is known that no one can -- you know -- even think about it, ever, and suddenly someone appears, like you, then the very possibility. . . the fact that there is one who. . .”
”I can't believe that everyone would be -- what was it? -- ah, betrizated!”
”Why? Everyone, I tell you!”
”No, it's impossible,” I insisted. ”What about people with dangerous jobs? After all, they must. . .”
”There are no dangerous jobs.”
”What are you saying, Nais? What about pilots? And various rescue workers? And those who fight fire, floods. . . ?”
”There are no such people,” she said. It seemed to me that I had not heard her right.
”What?”
”No such people,” she repeated. ”All that is done by robots.”
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