Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

Trevize immediately turned to look at Bao Qisi.She was expressionless, her face was tense, her eyes were fixed on Bender, as if she had forgotten everything around her. Pelorat's eyes were wide open in disbelief. Trevize didn't know what Bliss would (or could) do, and he fought off the overwhelming frustration (not just thinking about death, but mainly thinking about not yet discovering the whereabouts of Earth, not yet understanding why he chose Gaia as blueprint for the future of humanity).He knew very well in his heart that he had to delay as much as possible. He tried to keep his voice steady and his articulation clear. "You've always acted like a courteous and personable Solari, Bender. You took no offense at our intrusion into your world, and kindly showed us around your estate and mansion, and answered our questions. Question. It would be more in your character if you let us go now. No one has a need to know that we have been here, and we have no reason to come back. We are here purely to find It's just information."

"Of course you would say that," Bender said calmly, "Now, your lives are all borrowed from me. The moment you enter our atmosphere, your lives no longer belong to you. When I have close contact with you What I might do—and should do—is to kill you all at once. Then I should order the specialized robots to dissect your corpses and see what the alien bodies can teach me. "I didn't do that, I indulged my curiosity, I gave in to my easy-going nature. But now enough is enough, I can't go on. In fact, I have threatened Solari's safety. Because, I If due to certain weaknesses, you are persuaded to let you leave safely, your kind will surely follow one after another, and it is useless for you to guarantee it now.

"However, at least I can manage to make your death painless. All I have to do is heat up your brains a little bit, so that they tend to be inactive, and you will not feel any pain, but life will just end. Finally, When the anatomical study is completed, I will burn you to ashes with an instant high fever, and everything will be over." Trevize said: "If we must die, I have nothing against quick and painless death. But we have committed no crime, why must we be executed?" "Your presence is a crime." "That doesn't make any sense at all, and we couldn't have foreseen that it would be sinful to do so."

"Different societies have different definitions of what constitutes a crime. To you it may be unreasonable and arbitrary, but to us it is not. This is our world and we have the absolute right to decide everything .You made a mistake, so you must die." Bender was still smiling, as if he was just chatting happily.It continued: "Your morals are not very noble, and you can use them as an excuse to complain. You have a pistol, which uses microwave beams to generate deadly high fever. It has the same purpose as I am now, but I am sure, The death it would cause would be far more brutal and painful. If I had been stupid enough to allow you freedom of movement, to pull the pistol out of its holster, and if I hadn't drained it of its power, you would now Use it against me without hesitation."

Trevize didn't even dare to look at Bao Qisi again, for fear that Bender's attention would be diverted to her.With the last ray of hope, he said: "I beg you, even if it is to show mercy, don't do it." Bender suddenly showed a grim expression. "I have to be kind to myself and my world first, so you all have to die." It raised a hand, and a darkness enveloped Trevize at once. For a moment, Trevize felt the darkness suffocate him, and he wondered frantically: Is this death? As if his thoughts echoed, he heard a low voice say, "Is this death?" It was Pelorat's voice.

Trevize tried to speak, but found no problem. "Why ask?" he said, with a great deal of relief. "You can still ask questions. This alone means that this is not death." "In some ancient legends, there is life after death." "Absurd." Trevize whispered, "Bliss? Are you here, Bliss?" No answer. "Precious? Precious?" Pelorat also called out. "What happened, Grant?" Trevize said, "Bender must be dead. Once he's dead, he can no longer provide power to his property, so the lights go out." "But how come...you mean it was Bao Qisi's doing?"

"I think so, and I hope she didn't get hurt in the process." In this completely dark underground world (not counting the visible flashes to the naked eye caused by the occasional decay of radioactive atoms in the walls), he lay on his hands and knees on the ground. crawl. Then his hand felt something warm and soft, and he felt it back and forth, recognizing a leg.That leg was obviously too small to be Bender's. "Bliss?" The leg kicked, and Trevize had to let go. He said, "Bao Qisi? Say something!" "I'm still alive." Bao Qisi's voice came over, but for some reason, it changed its tone.

Trevize said, "But are you all right?" "It's not good." With these words, the atmosphere around them grew up, but it was quite dim.The walls glowed faintly, flickering on and off irregularly. Bender collapsed into a heap of dim clutter.The one holding its head on one side was none other than Baoqisi. She looked up at Trevize and Pelorat. "The Solari is dead." In the dim light, tears glistened on her cheeks. Trevize was taken aback for a moment. "Why are you crying?" "I killed a thinking and intelligent life, shouldn't I cry? This is not my intention."

Trevize bent down to help her up, but she pushed him away. Pelorat knelt beside her and said softly, "Please, Bliss, not even you can bring it back to life. Tell us what happened." She asked Pelorat to help herself up, and said vaguely: "What Bender can do, Gaia can do too. Gaia can use the energy that is unevenly distributed in the universe, and only by the power of the mind, convert it into appropriate work." "I knew that a long time ago." Trevize tried to comfort her, but he didn't quite know what to say. "I remember very well when we met in space, when you—or Gaia, I should say—cranked our spaceship. When Bender took my weapon and immobilized me, I Just thought of that. It holds you back too, but I'm sure you'll be all right if you want to break free."

"No, if I try to break free, I will fail. While your spaceship is in my/our/Gaia's hands," she said in a sad tone, "Gaia and I are truly one. Now there is The separation of hyperspace limits the efficiency of me/us/Gaia. In addition, what Gaia does depends on the power of countless brains, but even if all our brains add up, they cannot match This Solari transforming yoke. We can't use energy as smartly, effectively, and tirelessly as it does - you see, I can't make these lights more stern, and I don't know how long it will take until I'm exhausted .And Bender can supply electricity to the entire vast territory even when he sleeps."

"But you stopped it," Trevize said. "Because it didn't notice my power," Baoqisi said, "and I didn't do anything to expose my power at all. So it didn't suspect me, and it didn't pay special attention to me. It concentrated all its energy On you, Trevize, because you're the one with the weapon—proving once again that you were wise to arm yourself. And I must bide my time to subdue Bender with a surprise, lightning-quick blow. When it's about to Kill us, when it concentrates on that action and you, I have a chance to make a move." "That hit was pretty late." "How can you say such cruel words, Trevize? My original intention is to stop it, and only hope to stop its converter. My intention is that when it wants to destroy us, it will find that it will not only be unable to do so , the surrounding lighting will suddenly go out. At the moment it was surprised, I tightened my grip, put it into a long normal sleep state, and then released its converter. This way the power can be maintained continuously , we can escape the mansion, return to the spaceship, and leave this planet as quickly as possible. What I hope to achieve is that when Bender finally wakes up, he will forget everything that happened after seeing us. If you don't have to kill If it can be done, Gaia will never kill innocent people indiscriminately." "What's wrong, Bliss?" Pelorat asked softly. "I've never come into contact with such a thing as transforming Yetu. I don't have time to study it in detail and understand its structure. I can only violently launch my blocking operation, but it is obviously not done correctly. It is not Yetu who is blocked. The energy inlet of the brain is the energy outlet. Under normal circumstances, the energy is continuously poured into the lobes quickly, and the brain discharges energy at the same rate to protect itself from damage. However, once the outlet is blocked by me, The energy immediately accumulated in the lobe, and within a very short period of time, the temperature of the brain rose suddenly, which rapidly inactivated the proteins in the brain, and then it died. When all the lights were turned off, I immediately withdrew the blocking power, But that was too late." "I don't see how you can do it, my dear," said Pelorat. "Thinking that I actually killed someone, no matter how I say it, it can't comfort me." "Bender is about to kill us," Trevize said. "So we want to stop it, not kill it." Trevize hesitated for a moment, he didn't want to show impatience, because he really didn't want to make Bliss angry or upset her more.After all, she was their only weapon of defense in this utterly hostile world. He said, "Bliss, stop regretting Bender's death, it's time for us to think about something else. With his death, all electricity in this possession is gone, and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the Solari find out— —probably not sooner or later. They will have to investigate, and if several people join forces to attack us, I don't think you will be able to defend yourself at all. And, as you yourself admit, the limited power you are now barely supplying will not last much longer So, our top priority is to get back to the ground as soon as possible, back to our spacecraft, without delay." "But, Glenn," said Pelorat, "what shall we do? We have walked several kilometers of winding roads, and I guess it must be something like a labyrinth down here. Personally, I don't know how to get back. The surface has no concept, and my sense of direction has always been poor." Trevize looked around, realizing that Pelorat was right."I guess there are many exits to the surface, we don't necessarily have to find the original one," he said. "But none of us know the location of the exit, so where do we find it?" Trevize turned to Bliss again. "With your spiritual power, can you detect any clues that will help us find a way out?" Bao Qisi said: "The robots of this earth have stopped. Right above us, I can detect a faint breath of sub-intelligent life, but this only means that the earth's surface is directly above, and we have known this for a long time." "Well, then," Trevize said, "we'll have to find the exit ourselves." "Running around?" Pelorat was taken aback by the proposal. "We'll never succeed." "Maybe, Janov," Trevize said. "If we look for it, there's always a chance of escape, no matter how small, or we'll have to stay here and never get out. Come on. , A glimmer of hope is better than no hope." "Wait," said Bliss, "I did detect something." "What?" Trevize asked. "One mind." "Wisdom?" "Yes, but wisdom is limited, I think. However, what I feel most clearly is another message." "What is it?" Trevize suppressed his impatience again. "Fear! Unbearable fear!" Bao Qisi whispered. Trevize looked around sullenly.He knew where they had come in, but he wouldn't have the illusion that they might turn back the way they came.After all, he didn't pay attention to those winding roads.Who would have imagined that they would fall to this point, and had to turn back alone, only the flickering dim light to guide them. He said, "Do you think you'll be able to start that car, Bliss?" Bliss said, "I'm sure I can, Trevize, but that doesn't mean I can drive." "I think Bender was driving mentally and I didn't see him touch anything while the car was moving," Pelorat said. Bao Qisi said softly: "Yes, it uses spiritual power, Pei, but how to use spiritual power? Of course you would say that it is by manipulating the device, that is absolutely true, if I am not familiar with The way the controls are used, it doesn't help at all, does it?" "Give it a try anyway," Trevize said. "If I tried, I'd have to give it all my attention, so I doubt I'd be able to keep the light on. Even if I learned how to steer it, the car wouldn't be much help in the dark. .” "I suppose, then we must wander on foot?" "I'm afraid so." Trevize stared ahead, a dim light shrouded them, and all else was thick, still darkness.He could see nothing, hear nothing. He said, "Bliss, can you still feel that frightened mind?" "Yes, it's okay." "Can you tell where it is? Can you lead us there?" "The telepathy travels in a straight line and is hardly refracted by ordinary matter, so I can tell which direction it's coming from." Pointing to the dark wall, she continued: "But we can't pass through the wall. The best way is to walk along the corridor, choosing the direction where the induction is stronger and stronger. Simply put, we have to play A game of 'follow your gut'." "Then let's start now." Pelorat hesitated. "Wait, Grenn, do we really want to find that thing, whatever it is? If it's frightening, maybe we have reason to be frightened too." Trevize shook his head impatiently. "We don't have a choice, Janov. Whether it's scared or not, it's always a mind, and it might want to—or we can ask it to point us back to the surface." "And we just leave Bender lying here?" Pelorat said uneasily. Trevize grabbed his elbow. "Come on, Janov, we don't have a choice about that either. Some Solari will start the place up, and some robot will find Bender and take care of it—I hope it's before we After Enron left." He asked Bao Qisi to lead the way, no matter where he went, the light beside her was always the last.At every doorway, at every fork in the corridor, she stopped, trying to sense where the fear was coming from.Sometimes she would go through a door or go around a detour, and then go back and try another path.Trevize could only stand by and do nothing to help. Whenever Bao Qisi made up her mind to move in a certain direction, the light in front of her would dim.Trevize noticed that the lights seemed brighter now—perhaps because his eyes had adjusted to the dimness, or perhaps because Bliss had learned how to convert energy more efficiently.Once she encountered a metal rod inserted into the ground, she put her hand on it, and the backlight of the light immediately increased significantly.She nodded, as if quite satisfied. They didn't see any familiar things along the way, so it is almost certain that the place they are walking now is another part of this winding underground mansion, which they had never passed when they came in. Trevize kept an eye on the way, looking for the steeply rising corridor, and sometimes turned his attention to the roof, trying to find any trace of a trap door.In the end he never found anything, and the frightened mind remained their only hope. They walked in silence, the only sound was their own footsteps; walked in darkness, the only light surrounded them tightly; walked in the valley of death, the only living thing was themselves.Occasionally, they would spot one or two vague robotic figures, standing or sitting in the gloom, all motionless.At one point, they saw a robot lying on its side, its limbs in an odd frozen position.When all the power went out, Trevize thought, it must be in some kind of imbalance, and immediately fell over.Whether Bender is dead or alive, it can't affect the effect of focus.Perhaps in every corner of Bender's vast territory, all the robots have stopped, standing or lying in place, and at the border of the territory, this situation will be discovered soon. But maybe not, he suddenly thought again.When a member of the Solari is about to die of old age, the Solari should all know, and the whole world be on the alert and prepare in advance.However, Bender was in his prime, and now he died suddenly, without any warning at all.Who will know?Who would have expected such an outcome?Who would expect the entire territory to be shut down? No (Trevize left optimism and self-consolation behind, which would tempt oneself to become too self-confident, which is too dangerous), all activities in Bender Land have stopped, the Solari will surely notice, Then Xun Xun took action.They both have a great interest in inheriting territories, and will not ignore the death of others. Pelorat looked sad, and murmured: "The ventilation system has stopped. A place like this underground must be well ventilated. Bender was used to supply electricity, but it is no longer in operation." "It's okay, Janov," Trevize said. "In this empty underground world, there's still enough air to keep us alive for years." "I'm still bored and flustered, it's psychological sadness." "Please, Janov, don't get claustrophobic - Bliss, are we getting closer?" "It's much closer, Trevize," she said. "It feels much stronger, and I have a better idea of ​​where it is." She took firmer steps, and no longer hesitated when she needed to choose a direction. "There! There!" she said. "I feel it strongly." Trevize said disapprovingly, "Even I can hear it now." The three of them stopped and naturally held their breath.They heard a low moan, mixed with gasped sobs. They followed the sound into a large room, and when the lights were turned on, they saw that it was full of colorful furnishings, completely different from the rooms they had seen before. In the center of the room is a robot, bent slightly, arms outstretched, as if about to make an intimate gesture.But, of course, it froze there. There was a sound of flapping clothes behind the handle figure.A wide, wide-eyed eye poked out from one side, filled with terror, and the heartrending sobbing continued. Trevize rushed behind the droid.A scream was heard, and a small figure appeared from the other side, fell suddenly, lay on the ground, covered his eyes with his hands, and kicked his legs violently in all directions, as if to drive away threats from all sides, and at the same time Go on screaming, screaming— "It's a child!" said Bliss.This is clearly beyond doubt. Trevize took a few steps back, puzzled.What is a child doing here?How proud Bender is of his utter solitude, and how emphatically he emphasizes it. Pelorat was less inclined to resort to rational analysis when confronted with the incomprehensible.Immediately he thought of the answer, and blurted out, "I think this is the heir." "Bender's child," Bulkis agreed, "but too young. I don't think it can be the heir. The Solari will have to find someone else." She gazed at the child, not fixedly, but with a soft, hypnotic gaze.Sure enough, the child gradually calmed down, opened his eyes, looked back at Bao Qisi, the original shouting had subsided, and turned into a soft sob now and then. Bao Qisi made some soothing sounds, although intermittent and meaningless, her purpose was only to strengthen the calming effect.She seemed to be using her spiritual fingertips to caress the strange heart of the child, trying to calm the chaotic emotions in it. The child slowly got up, without taking his eyes off Bao Qisi.It stood wobbly for a moment, then suddenly rushed towards the motionless and silent robot.It hugged the robot's thick thighs tightly, as if longing for a little sense of security. Trevize said, "I'm guessing the robot is its — a nanny, or a caretaker. I guess a Solari can't take care of another Solari, or even his own child." "And I guess the child is androgynous," said Pelorat. "Must be," Trevize said. Baoqisi's mind was still on the child.She walked slowly towards it, holding her hands flat, palms toward herself, as if emphasizing that she had no intention of grabbing it.The child stopped crying now and hugged the robot even tighter when he saw Bliss approaching. Bliss said, "Come, baby-warm, baby-soft, warm, cozy, safe, come, baby-safe-safe." She stopped, lowered her voice, and said without looking back: "Pei, talk to it in its language. Tell it that we are all robots, because there is a power outage here, so we will take care of it." "Robot!" Pelorat was startled. "We had to introduce ourselves like this, it's not afraid of robots, but it's never seen a human being, maybe can't even imagine what a human being is." "I don't know if I can come up with the right word or what the old saying for 'robot' is," Pelorat said. "Then say 'robot,' Pei. If that doesn't work, say 'something made of iron,' as much as you can." Pelorat began to speak the ancient Galactic language slowly and word by word.The kid looked at him, frowning tightly, as if trying to understand what he was talking about. Trevize said: "When you communicate with it, you'd better ask it how to get out." Bao Qisi said: "No, not for now, first build up confidence, and then ask questions." The child slowly let go of the robot while looking at Pelorat.It spoke a few words, in a high-pitched, musical voice. Pelorat hurriedly said, "It speaks too fast, I can't understand it." Bliss said, "Please tell it again slowly. I will try my best to remove its fear and keep it calm." Pelorat listened again to what the boy had said, and said, "I think it's asking why Gibby hasn't moved, and Gibby must be the robot." "Ask again to be sure, Pei." Pelorat talked to the child a few more words, and said, "That's right, Jianbi is this robot, and this kid calls himself Feron." "Great!" Bao Qisi smiled at the child, it was a bright and happy smile.She pointed to it, and said, "Philon, good Felon, brave Felon." Putting a hand on her chest, "Bulkis." The kid smiled too, and when he smiled, he looked very lovable. "Bao Qisi——" Its pronunciation of "Si" is a bit incorrect. Trevize said: "Bliss, if you can activate this robot Gymbi, it may tell us something we want to know. Pelorat can communicate with it no more difficultly than with this child. " "No," Bao Qisi said: "There is a problem with that. The first task of this robot is to protect this child. If it is activated and finds us strange humans, it may attack us immediately, because here There shouldn't be any strangers. If I'm forced to shut it down again, it won't be able to give us any information, and this kid, seeing the only kin it has in mind shut down again - well, I just don't want to do that. " "But we have all heard it," Pelorat said softly, "Robots must not harm humans." "We've heard of it," said Bliss, "but no one has told us what kind of robot these Solarians are designing. Even if the robot is designed so that it can't harm humans, it has to make a choice— On one side are its children, or almost its children; on the other side are three strange objects, it may not recognize us as human beings at all, it will only treat us as illegal trespassers. It will naturally choose to protect the children, And attack us." She turned to face the child again. "Philon," she said, "Bulkis," she pointed to herself, and then to the other two, "Pei—Cui—" "Pei, Cui." The child followed up obediently. She moved closer to the child, her hands slowly approaching it.It looked at her and took a step back. "Calm down, Feilong:" Bao Qisi said: "Be good, Feilong; touch, Feilong; be good, Feilong." It took a step closer to her, and Baoqi breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, Feilong." She touched Ferron's bare arms, which, like its single parent, wore only a long gown with an open front and a corset.She only touched it lightly, and quickly moved her hand away. After waiting for a while, she put her hand back on its arm and stroked it gently. Under the powerful sedation of Bao Qisi's mind, the child's eyes were slightly closed. Baoqisi's hands moved up slowly, the movement was very light, barely touching its skin.She touched the child's shoulders, neck, ears with both hands, and finally reached into its long brown hair, and came to the upper part behind its ears. She then put her hands down and said: "The conversion lobe is still small, and the skull is not yet fully developed. There is a layer of hard skin there. When the lobe grows, it will bulge outward and be surrounded by the skull. This means that , and now it can’t control this territory, and can’t even activate its own robot—ask how old it is, Pei.” After some conversation Pelorat said: "It is fourteen years old, if I am not mistaken." "It looks more like eleven," Trevize said. Bliss said: "The year used in this world may not be the same length as the galactic standard year. In addition, it is said that the outsiders have extended life span. If the Solari are like other outsiders, they may also The developmental period has been extended, and in short we cannot use age as a criterion.” Trevize clicked his tongue impatiently. "Stop talking about anthropology, we have to get to the surface quickly. We're communicating with a child, and we're probably just wasting our time. It may not know the path to the surface, or it may never have been there." Bao Qisi said: "Pei!" Pelorat understood what she meant, and immediately discussed with Feron again, this time taking longer than the previous ones. At last he said: "The child knows what the sun is, and he says he has seen it. I think he has seen trees, too, and he reacts as if he is not sure what the word means, at least not the word I am using. . . . " "Okay, Janov," Trevize said, "please get down to business." "I told Feron that if it could get us to the surface, we might have a way to activate the robot. In fact, I said we 'would' activate the robot. Do you think it might be possible for us?" Trevize said: "We will worry about this matter later, did it say that it is willing to lead us?" "Yes. That's what I was thinking just now. If I made a promise, you know, the kid would be more enthusiastic. I think we're risking disappointment..." "Come on," Trevize said. "We're going at once. If we're stuck underground, it's all on paper." Pelorat spoke a few more words to the child, and it began to walk forward, and soon it stopped again, looking back at Bliss. Baoqisi held out a hand, and the two walked away holding hands. "I'm a new robot." She smiled faintly. "It seemed quite satisfied," Trevize said. Feilong bounced all the way, some doubts suddenly flashed in Trevize's mind, is it just the result of Bao Qisi's painstaking efforts to be so happy now?Or on top of that, the chance to play on the surface again, and get three new droids, and that's why it's so exciting?Or did it become so elated because the thought of its babysitter, Gibby, would come back to it?It doesn't matter, as long as the child is willing to lead the way. The child does not seem to have any hesitation in his steps. Whenever he encounters a fork in the road, he makes a choice without hesitation.Does it really know where it is going?Or is this just the pointless actions of young children?Is it just playing a game with no clear destination at all? However, Trevize realized that he was going uphill from his slightly calmer footsteps.And that child, bouncing up and down confidently, pointed ahead and chattered non-stop. Trevize looked at Pelorat, who cleared his throat and said, "I think it says 'door'." "I hope you're right," Trevize said. At this moment, the child broke free from Bao Qisi's hand and ran forward quickly, while pointing at a certain floor, where the color seemed to be darker than the surrounding area.It stepped on the floor, jumped a few times in place, then turned its head, showing obvious frustration, and said a series of words in a high-pitched voice. Baoqisi smiled wryly. "I'm responsible for supplying electricity and it's exhausting." She blushed slightly, and the lights dimmed a little, but a door opened in front of Ferron, and it immediately let out a soprano cheer. The child rushed out the door, followed by the two men.Bao Qisi was the last one to come out. When the door was about to close, she looked back, and it was already pitch black inside.Then she stopped and took a little breath, looking rather tired. "There," said Pelorat, "we are out, where is the ship?" Now they were all outside, basking in the still dark sunset. Trevize murmured, "I think it seems to be in that direction." "I think so too," Bao Qisi said, "Let's go." After speaking, he stretched out his hand to hold Feilong. Except for the sound of the wind, and the sounds of some animals calling and walking, the surrounding area can be described as completely silent.On their way they encountered a robot, standing motionless near the base of a tree, holding an object of unknown function in its hands. Pelorat obviously took a step in that direction out of curiosity, but Trevize hurriedly said, "It's none of our business, Janov, let's go." Soon, they saw another robot lying on the ground in the distance. Trevize said: "I think there must be fallen robots everywhere within a 100-kilometer radius." Then he said triumphantly, "Ah, there's the spaceship." Immediately they quickened their pace, and suddenly stopped again.Feilong screamed excitedly. Near the spaceship was parked a rather primitive craft, whose rotors seemed wasteful and fragile.Beside the aircraft, between the four of them and the spaceship, stood four human-like figures. "It's too late," Trevize said. "We wasted too much time. Now what?" Pelorat said in a puzzled tone, "Four Solaris? That's impossible. Of course they wouldn't make such physical contact. Do you think they're holoimages?" "They're 100 per cent physical," Bliss said. "I'm sure of that. But they're not Solarians either. I can't mistake these minds. They're robots." "Okay, then," Trevize said wearily, "just in!" He continued to walk toward the spaceship at a steady pace, the others following behind him. Pelorat said out of breath, "What are you going to do?" "If they're robots, they have to obey orders." Those robots are waiting for them.After approaching, Trevize began to look at them carefully. Yes, they must be robots.Their faces seem to have skin and flesh, but they are expressionless, which looks quite strange.They are all wearing uniforms, except for their faces, no square centimeters of skin are exposed, and even their hands are wearing opaque thin gloves. Trevize made a casual gesture, a clear and direct body language, telling them to get out of the way. The robots didn't move. Trevize said to Pelorat in a low voice: "Speak, Janov, be firm." 裴洛拉特清了清喉咙，以很不自然的男中音慢慢说，同时也像崔维兹那样，挥手表示要它们让开。然后，其中一个似乎高一点的机器人，以冰冷而犀利的声音答了几句。 裴洛拉特转头对崔维兹说：“我想它说我们是外星人士。” “告诉它我们是人类，它必须服从我们。” 此时那机器人再度开口，说的是口音奇特伹仍可解的银河标准语。“我了解你的话，外星人士。我会说银河标准语，我们是守护机器人。” “那么，你听到我刚才说的话了，我们是人类，你们必须服从我们。” “我们的程式设计，外星人士，只让我们服从地主的命令，而你既不是地主又不是索拉利人。班德地主对常规接触未做回应，因此我们前来进行实地调查，这是我们的职责。我们发现了一艘并非索拉利出品的太空船，还有几个外星人士，而班德的机器人全部停摆。班德地王在哪里？” 崔维兹摇了摇头，以缓慢而清晰的声音说：“你的话我们完全不明白，我们太空船的电脑出了点问题，将我们带到这个陌生行星附近，这并非我们的本意。我们登陆此地，是想要找出目前的位置，却发现所有的机器人都已停摆，我们根本不知道发生了什么事。” “这个解释不可信。如果这个属地上所有的机器人都停摆，所有的电力全部消失，那么班德地主一定死了。它刚好在你们着陆之际死亡，如果说只是巧合，那是不合逻辑的假设，其中一定有某种因果关联。” 崔维兹又说：“可是电力没有消失啊，你和其他几个机器人还能活动。”他这样说只是为了混淆视听，以显示他是个局外人，对这里的状况毫不知情，藉此洗脱自己的嫌疑。 那机器人说：“我们是守护机器人，我们不属于任何地主，而是属于整个世界。我们不受地主控制，以核能为动力来源。我再问一遍，班德地主在哪里？” 崔维兹四下看了看，裴洛拉特显得忧心仲忡，宝绮思紧抿嘴唇，但表情还算冷静，菲龙则全身发抖：宝绮思赶紧伸手搭着它的肩膀，它才变得坚强一点，脸上的恐惧神情也消失了。（宝绮思在令它镇静吗？） 那机器人说：“再问一次，这是最后一次，班德地主在哪里？” “我不知道。”崔维兹绷着脸说。 柄器人点了点头，它的两个同伴便迅速离去。然后它说：“我的守护者同僚将搜索这所宅邸，在此期间，你将被留置此地接受盘问。把你佩挂在腰际两侧的东西交给我。” 崔维兹退了一步。“这些不会伤人。” “别再乱动，我没问它们会不会伤人，我要你把它们交出来。” "no." 那机器人迅速向前迈出一步，手臂猛然掠出，崔维兹还不知道发生了什么事，机器人一只手已搭上他的肩头。那只手用力收紧，同时向下猛压，崔维兹便跪了下来。 柄器人又说：“交出来。”它伸出另一只手。 “不。”崔维兹喘着气说。 此时宝绮思冲过去，将手铣从皮套中掏出来。崔维兹被机器人紧紧箝制，根本无法阻止她的行动。 她将手铳递给那机器人。“给你，守护者，”她说：“请你稍等一下——这是另外一件，现在放开我的同伴。” 柄器人握着两件武器向后退去，崔维兹慢慢站起来，搓揉着左肩，脸孔因痛苦而扭曲。 （菲龙在轻声抽噎，心慌意乱的裴洛拉特连忙将它抱起来，紧紧搂着它。） 宝绮思以极愤怒的语气，对崔维兹悄声道：“你为什么要跟它斗？它用两根指头就能把你捏死。” 崔维兹哼了一声，咬牙切齿地说：“你为什么不对付它？” “我在试啊，伹这需要时间。它的心灵没有空隙，程式设计得精密无比，我根本找不到漏洞可钻。我必须好好研究一下，你得设法拖延时间。” “别研究它的心灵，把它摧毁就行了。”崔维兹这句话几乎没有发出声音。 宝绮思迅速向那个机器人瞥了一眼，看到它正专注地研究那两件武器，而留在它身边的另一个机器人，则负责看守他们这些外星人士。它们两个似乎对崔维兹与宝绮思之间的耳语毫无兴趣。 宝绮思说：“不行，不能摧毁它。在先前那个世界，我们杀害过一只狗，又伤了另一只；而在这个世界，你也知道发生了什么事。”（她又很快瞥了一下两个守护机器人）“盖娅从不无故屠杀生灵，我需要时间设法和平解决。” 她后退了几步，眼睛紧盯着那个机器人。 柄器人说：“这两件是武器。” “不是。”崔维兹说。 “是的，”宝绮思说：“不过它们现在没有用了，它们的能量已被抽光。” “真是这样吗？你为什么携带能量被抽光的武器？也许它们还有些能量。”机器人抓起其中一件武器，将拇指放在正确的位置上。“它是这样启动的吗？” “没错。”宝绮思说：“假如它还存有能量，你用力一压，它就会被启动——但是它没有。” “确定吗？”机器人将武器对准崔维兹，“你还敢说如果我现在启动它，它不会生效？” “它不会生效。”宝绮思说。 崔维兹僵在那里，几乎话都讲不清楚。班德将手铳中的能量抽光后，他曾经试过一次，证实它已经完全失效。然而那机器人拿的是神经鞭，崔维兹并未测试过。 即使神经鞭仅仅残存一点能量，也足以刺激痛觉神经。而崔维兹将产生的感觉，会使得刚才那一抓相较之下像是亲昵的爱抚。 在“舰队学院”受训时，崔维兹跟每个学员一样，曾被迫接受神经鞭轻微的一击。那样做的目的，只是要让他们尝尝那种滋味，崔维兹觉得一次就绰绰有余。 那机器人启动了武器，一时之间，崔维兹吃力地咬紧牙关——然后，又慢慢放松。 神经鞭的能量也全被抽光。 柄器人瞪了崔维兹一眼，再将两件武器丢到一旁。“这些武器怎么会被抽光能量？”它质问道：“如果它们没有用了，你为什么还要带在身上？” 崔维兹说：“我习惯了这个着量，即使能量没了，我仍然会随身携带。” 柄器人说：“这样讲根本没有道理，你们都被捕了。你们将接受进一步的盘问，而如果地主们做出决定，你们就会被停摆——怎样打开那艘太空船？我们必须进去搜查。” “那样做没什么用，”崔维兹说：“你不了解它的构造。” “即使我不懂，地主们也会懂得。” “他们也不缓笏解。” “那么你就得解释清楚，让他们能够了解。” “我不会那样做。” “那么你会被停摆。” “我要是停摆了，你就得不到任何解释。不过我想，即使我做出解释，我一样会被停摆。” 宝绮思喃喃地说：“继续下去，我逐渐解开它脑部的运作奥秘了。” 那机器人未理会宝绮思。（是她造成的结果吗？崔维兹想，而且极度希望真是这样。） 柄器人的注意力紧盯在崔维兹身上。“如果你制造麻烦，那我们将令你部分停摆。我们会损坏你，然后你就会把我们想知道的告诉我们。” 裴洛拉特突然喊道：“慢着，你不能这么做——守护者，你不能这么做。”声音听来就像他被人扼住了脖于。 “我接受了详尽的指令，”机器人以平静的语气说：“我可以这样做。我会尽量减小损坏的秤谌，只要能问出所需的答案就好。” “可是你不能那么做，绝对不能。我是个外星人士，我的两个同伴也一样。但这个孩子，”裴洛拉特看了看仍抱在手中的菲龙，“是个索拉利人。它会告诉你应该做什么，你必须服从它。” 菲龙张开眼睛望着裴洛拉特，不过它的眼神似乎很空洞。 宝绮思拼命摇头，可是裴洛拉特望着她，现出一副百思不解的神情。 那机器人的目光在菲龙身上停了一下，然后它说：“这个儿童一点都不着要，它没有转换叶突。” “它只是没有发育完成的转换叶突，”裴洛拉特喘着气说：“但它将来总会有的，它是个索拉利儿童。” “它是个儿童，但它没有发育完成的转换叶突，所以不能算是索拉利人。我没必要听从它的命令，也没必要保护它。” “但它是班德地主的子嗣。” “是吗？你怎么知道这件事？” “怎……怎么会有其他小孩在这个属地上？”就像他过度兴奋的时候一样，裴洛拉特又结巴了。 “你怎么知道不会有十几个？” “你看到其他小孩了吗？” “现在是我在发问。” 此时，另一个机器人拍拍那机器人的手臂，转移了它的注意力。刚才被派去搜索宅邸的两个机器人，现在正快步跑回来，不过脚步有些踉舱。 突然间一片鸦雀无声，直到它们来到近前，其中一个才以索拉利语开始说话。它一番话讲完之后，四个机器人似乎都失去了弹性。一时之间，它们显得萎靡不振，像是泄了气一样。 裴洛拉特说：“它们找到班德了。”崔维兹根本来不及挥手阻止他。 那机器人慢慢转过身来，以含糊不清的声音说：“班德地主死了。可是你们刚才那句话告诉我们，你们已经知晓这件事实。怎么会这样呢？” “我怎么知道？”崔维兹凶巴巴地说。 “你们知道它死了，你们知道在里面能找到它的尸体。除非你们曾经到过那里，除非就是你们结束了它的生命，否则你们怎么能知道？”那机器人的发音咬字渐渐恢复正常，表示它已经消化这个震撼，变得比较可以承受了。 此时崔维兹说：“我们如何能杀死班德？它拥有转换叶突，可以在瞬间将我们摧毁。” “你怎知道转换叶突能做些什么、不能做些什么？” “你刚才提到了转换叶突。” “我只不过提到而已，没有描述它们的特性或功能。” “我们从一场梦中得知的。” “这是个不可信的答案。” 崔维兹说：“你怀疑我们导致班德的死亡，这个假设也不可信。” 裴洛拉特补充道：“而且无论如何，班德地主若是死了，这个属地现在就由菲龙地主控制。地主在这里，你们必须服从的就是它。” “我解释过了，”那机器人说：“转换叶突尚未发育完成的儿童，不能算是索拉利人，因此它不能成为继承人。我们报告了这个坏消息后，另一个年龄适当的继承人会尽快飞来。” “菲龙地主又怎么办？” “根本没有所谓的菲龙地主，它只是个儿童，而我们的儿童人口过剩，它会被销毁。” 宝绮思激动地说：“你不敢。它是个孩子！” “不一定由我执行这个行动，”机器人说：“也绝非由我做决定，这要由所有地主达成共识。然而，在儿童过剩时期，我很清楚它们的决定会是什么。” “下行，我说不行。” “不会有任何痛苦——但另一艘航具就快到了，我们的当务之急是进入原先的班德宅邸，召开一次全讯审议会，以便产生一个继承人，并决定怎样处置你们——把那个儿童交给我。” 宝绮思从裴洛拉特怀中，将陷入半昏迷的菲龙一把抢过来。她紧紧抱着它，试图用肩膀支撑它的着量，并且说：“不准碰这个孩子。” 那机器人再度猛然伸出手臂，同时迈出脚步，想要将菲龙抓走。但在它展开行动前，宝绮思早巳迅速闪到一侧，机器人却继续前进，好像宝绮思仍站在原地。接着，它全身僵硬地向前栽倒，双脚脚尖顶地，直挺挺地扑向地面。其他三个机器人站在原处静止不动，眼神全都涣散无光。 宝绮思开始哭泣，同时带着几分愤怒。“我几乎找到了适当的控制法，它却不给我时间。我没有选择余地，只好先下手为强，现在这四个都停摆了。趁援军尚未降落，我们赶紧上太空船吧：我现在身心俱疲，再也无法对付其他的机器人了。”