The various Julius Caesars and Michelangelos really came into being
as novelties, side-show pieces. All were reasonable likenesses,
physically. From existing minds such traits and skills as each was
supposed to possess could be copied more or less accurately. But
none of the pseudo-great amounted to very much. They enjoyed a brief
popularity; then, assuming the costumes and customs of a changed world,
they sank into nonentity among the populace. Like most of those of the
new flesh, they kept this secret as if by intuitive prudence. The many
people restored in normal protoplasm were less reticent.
That there were androids around him, known, suspected and unrecognized
as such, was a thrilling idea to Ed Dukas. It was part of the onward
march to greater wonders--or so it seemed to him most of the time.
Eager to understand how they thought and felt, he sought them out
cautiously, not wishing to offend. Usually his efforts were met with
coolness and evasion--which perhaps gave them away.
But then Ed met a very special memory man. He wasn't the copy of
somebody famous. He was just a humorous legend. Yet now perhaps he
was the right kind of personality striking against the right sort of
circumstances to produce the type of action and fire that could affect
the existing era.
Ed and his two friends, Les Payten and Barbara Day, found him in a
little park feeding pigeons. Or, rather, _he_ found them. For in
conformity with an ancient village belief that no one should be a
stranger to anyone else, he grinned at them and said, "Hello, there!
Nice young fellers. Nice girl! Sit and gab a while? I keep gettin'
lonesome. Mixed up. Got to get straightened out. Or try, anyway. Put
yourselves down? That's fine!"
Abashed and curious after that, Ed and Barbara and Les sat and mostly
just listened.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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