Part 10 (1/2)

Mike the Angel swung around to face the second robot.

This time it was a lady.

”I'm sorry,” she repeated. She was all wrapped up in an electroparka, but there was no mistaking the fact that she was both human and feminine. She came on through the door and looked at the robot.

”Snook.u.ms! What are you doing here?”

”I was trying an experiment, Leda,” said Snook.u.ms. ”This man was just asking me about it. I just wanted to see if he would come if I called 'help.' He did, and I want to know _why_ he did.”

The girl flashed a look at Mike. ”Would you please tell Snook.u.ms why you went out there? Please--don't be angry or anything--just tell him.”

Mike was beginning to get the picture. ”I went because I thought I heard a human being calling for help--and it sounded suspiciously like a woman.”

”Oh,” said Snook.u.ms, sounding a little downhearted--if a robot can be said to have a heart. ”The reaction was based, then, upon a misconception. That makes the data invalid. I'll have to try again.”

”That won't be necessary, Snook.u.ms,” the girl said firmly. ”This man went out there because he thought a human life was in danger. He would not have done it if he had known it was you, because he would have known that you were not in any danger. You can stand much lower temperatures than a human being can, you know.” She turned to Mike. ”Am I correct in saying that you wouldn't have gone out there if you'd known Snook.u.ms was a robot?”

”Absolutely correct,” said Mike the Angel fervently.

She looked back at Snook.u.ms. ”Don't try that experiment again. It is dangerous for a human to go out there, even with an electroparka. You might run the risk of endangering human life.”

”Oh dear!” said Snook.u.ms. ”I'm sorry, Leda!” There was real anxiety in the voice.

”That's all right, honey,” the girl said hurriedly. ”This man isn't hurt, so don't get upset. Come along now, and we'll go back to the lab.

You shouldn't come out like this without permission.”

Mike had noticed that the girl had kept one hand on her belt all the time she was talking--and that her thumb was holding down a small b.u.t.ton on a case attached to the belt.

He had been wondering why, but he didn't have to wonder long.

The door behind him opened again, and four men came out, obviously in a devil of a hurry. Each one of them was wearing a bra.s.sard labeled SECURITY POLICE.

_At least_, thought Mike the Angel as he turned to look them over, _the bra.s.sards aren't in all lower-case italics_.

One of them jerked a thumb at Mike. ”This the guy, Miss Crannon?”

The girl nodded. ”That's him. He saw Snook.u.ms. Take care of him.” She looked again at Mike. ”I'm terribly sorry, really I am. But there's no help for it.” Then, without another word, she opened the door and went back inside, and the robot rolled in after her.

As the door closed behind her, the SP man nearest Mike, a tough-looking bozo wearing an ensign's insignia, said: ”Let's see your identification.”

Mike realized that his own parka had no insignia of rank on it, but he didn't like the SP man's tone.

”Come on!” snapped the ensign. ”Who are you?”

Mike the Angel pulled out his ID card and handed it to the security cop.

”It tells right there who I am,” he said. ”That is, if you can read.”

The man glared and jerked the card out of Mike's hand, but when he saw the emblem that Lieutenant Nariaki had stamped on it, his eyes widened.

He looked up at Mike. ”I'm sorry, sir; I didn't mean--”