Artificial intelligence -- Fiction; Science fiction; Time travel -- Fiction
Go? Where? But his body hastily putting things in order as though it
knew.
They left the building together, walked along the sidewalk as though
they might be headed toward some dinner rendezvous. They left the
sidewalk, and then Earl knew. They were going to the entrance to the
time tube. They were going back to the year 3042. Why? He should have
remained. Maybe this would create suspicion. But even as he thought
that, he knew it wouldn't. Everyone would think he and Nadine were at
some restaurant, perhaps later at some night spot. No one would bother
to check and see if he came back to his rooms.
Ahead was the clear spot with its smooth convex depression. And the
shimmering refraction in the air. Side by side he and Nadine walked
toward it--and were in a corridor, the woodland scene wiped out.
No unusual sensation of any kind. Stepping across a thousand years was
no different than crossing the threshold of a doorway.
George Ladd was there waiting for them. "The Cyberene wants to see both
of you," he said. Nothing more. No paralysis gun, no guards to keep
Earl from escaping. But he couldn't escape. He couldn't move a muscle
of his own volition. "Okay," he heard himself say casually.
He and Nadine left the building and went through the beautiful park to
the Dome. Inside, they walked along the seemingly roofless slightly
curving corridor. He went to a small red square and stood on it. Out of
the corner of his eye he saw Nadine do the same. From above, the glass
boxes were lowered over them.
_Something left him._ Without having tested the feeling, he knew that
he was in full possession of himself. He could command and his body,
his voice, would obey.
He turned toward the glass wall facing Nadine. He pressed against it.
She was doing the same.
"Nadine!" he said, and it was a greeting, a caress.
"Earl!"
And they were drinking in one another with their eyes.
* * * * *
"Very touching," a voice said. "One would think you are in love with
her, Earl Frye."
"Oh no. I--That is...." Earl stopped in amazement at the self
revelation.
"Look at her," the Cyberene's voice said. "In spite of most careful
conditioning starting in the lab tank in her pre-breathing stage, she
feels the same way about you."
Nadine's lips were trembling with a smile. She was nodding.
Earl was irritated. "Did you bring me here just to tell me that?" he
asked. "Or to torture me further?" he added bitterly.
"No. I brought you here to show you that I'm grateful. You did what
I wanted done. The fact that it was done in spite of you makes no
difference. It's done and can't be undone by you. You realize that?"
"To gloat. I might have known," Earl said contemptuously.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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