Robots -- Fiction; Science fiction, American; Short stories
Confused by the sudden dispersion of mind impulses, the robot fired
erratically as Alan crouched and raced painfully for the door. It fired
again, closer, as he fumbled with the lock release. Jagged bits of
plastic and stone ripped past him, torn loose by the blast.
Frantically, Alan slammed open the door as the robot, sensing him
strongly now, aimed point blank. He saw nothing, his mind thought of
nothing but the red-clad safety switch mounted beside the computer. Time
stopped. There was nothing else in the world. He half-jumped, half-fell
towards it, slowly, in tenths of seconds that seemed measured out in
years.
The universe went black.
Later. Brilliance pressed upon his eyes. Then pain returned, a
multi-hurting thing that crawled through his body and dragged ragged
tentacles across his brain. He moaned.
A voice spoke hollowly in the distance. "He's waking. Call his wife."
Alan opened his eyes in a white room; a white light hung over his head.
Beside him, looking down with a rueful smile, stood a young man wearing
space medical insignia. "Yes," he acknowledged the question in Alan's
eyes, "you hit the switch. That was three days ago. When you're up again
we'd all like to thank you."
Suddenly a sobbing-laughing green-eyed girl was pressed tightly against
him. Neither of them spoke. They couldn't. There was too much to say.
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Amazing Science Fiction Stories_
October 1958. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling
and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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