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  Emperor - Isaac Asimov's Robots In Time - William F. Wu

  ISAAC ASIMOV’S

  ROBOTS

  IN TIME

  by

  WILLIAM F. WU

  THE LAWS OF ROBOTICS

  1.

  A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

  2.

  A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

  3.

  A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

  ISAAC ASIMOV’S

  ROBOTS

  IN TIME

  EMPEROR

  WILLIAM F. WU

  Copyright © 1994

  Databank by Matt Elson

  This novel is dedicated to

  The memory of my paternal grandfather, Yuan San Wu, who passed the story of the building of the Great Wall to me through my father

  Special thanks are due during the time of writing this novel to Dr. William Q. Wu and Cecile F. Wu, my parents, for indulging my lifelong interest in history; Ricia Mainhardt; Robert L. DeCandido of the New York Public Library (Research) Preservation Division, for assistance with the descriptions of papermaking; and John Betancourt, Leigh Grossman, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Byron Preiss

  1

  R. Hunter sat in the office chair of Mojave Center Governor, the robot he had been assigned to reassemble. Hunter had to decide what appearance to use on his next mission. He wore his usual northern European physiognomy now, with short blond hair and blue eyes. A brawny six feet six inches tall, he had been designed with the ability to change his shape and appearance at will and might have to do so for the next trip back into the past, to China in 1290.

  First, however, he would discuss the question with the humans on his team. His internal clock told him the time was 6:49 P.M. They were having dinner now and would join him here soon.

  After four previous missions into the past, Jane Maynard, the roboticist, and Steve Chang, the general assistant, had a routine established now. Since their return last night from the outskirts of Moscow in 1941, they had each had a good night’s sleep. They had spent the day relaxing in Mojave Center, this new underground city in the Mojave Desert. Then Jane had called Hunter about an hour ago to say they were meeting for dinner before coming to see him.

  While they rested, Hunter had hired a historian who specialized in China during the time of Kublai Khan to join the team. Marcia Lew had arrived from her home in Houston a short time ago. She had agreed to join Hunter here soon to meet the rest of the team.

  Hunter had been especially designed and built to lead the search for Mojave Center Governor, the missing experimental gestalt robot who was supposed to be running Mojave Center. However, without warning, he had abandoned his responsibilities. MC Governor had divided into the six component gestalt humaniform robots out of which he was comprised and vanished.

  Each gestalt robot had fled back in time to a different era. Hunter had led his team of humans on successful missions in pursuit of the first four component robots. Now they stood here in the office of MC Governor, merged and shut down, waiting for the last two in order to complete the Governor robot again.

  “Hunter, city computer calling. The Governor Robot Oversight Committee is waiting for you on a conference call.”

  “Excellent. Please connect me.”

  The faces of the four Committee members appeared on Hunter’s internal video screen in split portrait shots. As usual, they did not waste any time with social amenities. They exchanged greetings briefly, then Hunter got right to his report.

  “MC 4 has been joined to the first three components who were already in custody,” said Hunter.

  “You’re as efficient as ever,” said Dr. Redfield, the tall blonde. She smiled approvingly. “You’ve progressed so quickly that I suppose it has been fairly easy for you.”

  “As I have said before, this does not predict the difficulty of the next challenge. I still cannot guarantee that the remainder of my work will be completed at the same speed.”

  “Where was MC 4?” Dr. Chin cocked her head to one side, looking at him with curiosity. “Nearby, this time?”

  “In western Russia,” said Hunter. He had not informed them of the time travel device and hoped that the necessity of doing so would not arise. He was deliberately vague in his reports. So far, his rapid success had satisfied them.

  “We have very little to criticize.” Professor Post stroked his black beard for a moment. “Nothing, in fact, that I can see. Where do you expect to go next?”

  “I have a lead in East Asia,” said Hunter.

  “Really?” Dr. Chin said. “This is quite a change in geography.”

  “I have only preliminary information,” Hunter said cautiously.

  “Your information has always been good,” said Dr. Khanna, speaking with his Hindi accent. “Your success could not have come about so quickly otherwise.”

  “I feel I must repeat that I can make no guarantee of my progress to come,” said Hunter.

  “Yes, yes,” said Dr. Khanna impatiently. “You say that every time we speak with you. I will ask you the same question I posed last time. Do you have any reason to believe that the next mission will be more difficult than the previous ones?”

  “I can only rephrase my original point,” said Hunter. “I cannot predict the challenges that my team will face.”

  “We note your caution,” said Dr. Chin. “And, as always, we wish you good luck.”

  “I’m satisfied, Hunter,” said Dr. Redfield. “Maybe we should let you get on with your duties.”

  “I agree,” said Hunter. “Do you have any more questions?”

  No one did.

  “Good luck,” said Professor Post.

  “Thank you. Good-bye.” Hunter broke the connection. He could hear footsteps approaching the office door and recognized Steve’s and Jane’s patterns. “Come in,” he called out, before they knocked.

  Jane came in first, grinning. “Hi, Hunter.” She shook her head, and her rich brown hair swayed. “Even after all the time we’ve spent together, you still surprise me sometimes. Was it our footsteps, our heartbeats, our voice patterns, or...” She shrugged. “I don’t know what else.”

  “I recognized your footsteps,” said Hunter.

  Steve came in behind Jane. “Evening, Hunter.”

  “Good evening. How does your head wound feel?”

  Steve grinned. “I wouldn’t call it a wound, exactly. I still have a bump on my head, but that painkiller I got last night from R. Cushing took care of the headache.”

  “I contacted Cushing today, and he told me your medication will remain in effect for several days. At the end of that time, he expects you will be healed to a point where further medication is unnecessary. Do you feel well enough to join us for the mission to find MC 5?”

  “Yes. I’ll be fine. But I want to discuss whether you need me or not. Before the last mission, I wanted out because I didn’t feel I was necessary.”

  “Oh, not again,” said Jane. “We’re a team. We don’t have to talk you into going again, do we?”

  “I’m not mad like I was last time,” said Steve. “But I don’t want to be taken for granted, either. Hunter, we know a nuclear explosion has eliminated Beijing, and you told us we’re going to the time of Kublai Khan. I followed the news for a while myself this afternoon. But do you need me or not?”

  “Yes, I believe so,” said Hunter, as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. “My concern is how to blend in with the local people as much as possible. I hired a historian named Marcia Lew who—”

  “Right here,” said a woman’s voice.

 
Jane and Steve moved out of the way and Marcia came into the office. A young woman of Chinese descent, she wore a fashionable and precisely tailored black business suit. Her shoulder-length black hair was simply parted in the middle. She offered her hand to Jane and Steve in turn, as they introduced themselves.

  “I apologize if I interrupted,” said Marcia, in a precise and formal tone. “Hunter explained when we met earlier today that I’m the one who will need the most briefing, so he gave me a short introduction then about how Mojave Center Governor divided himself and how his components fled in time. I understand you two have already participated in four of these projects.”

  “That’s right,” said Steve.

  “Hunter also told me that we are actually traveling in time, a concept that I have difficulty accepting. However, I have no choice but to believe all of you.” She folded her arms and looked at Hunter.

  No one spoke for a moment. Hunter saw that Steve was staring at Marcia in surprise. However, Hunter was not sure of the reason.

  “Hunter, go on with your point,” Jane said finally. “Explain why we need Steve. Then we can continue the rest of our briefing.”

  “We are going to China in A.D. 1290,” said Hunter. “According to the historical data I took from the city library earlier today, we will be going to the city of Khanbaliq in a time of peace. Is this correct?” He glanced at Marcia.

  “Yes.”

  “Hold it,” said Steve. “Khan—what? Beijing is the city that just vanished under a mushroom cloud. Why aren’t we going there?”

  “ ‘Beijing’ is the modem name for the same city,” Marcia said primly. “A very old city on the same location called Yenjing was burned to the ground by Genghis Khan as he conquered northern China prior to the time we will visit. This is why no existing buildings in Beijing predate that time. When Kublai Khan ordered his new capital to be built just north of the remains, it was called ‘Khanbaliq,’ meaning ‘city of the khan,’ in Mongolian. When the Mongols were overthrown by the Ming Dynasty in 1368 that title no longer applied. It was renamed ‘Beijing,’ which means ‘Northern Capital,’ as opposed to ‘Nanjing,’ which is ‘Southern Capital.’ In fact, the modern city of Xian was once called ‘Xijing,’ or ‘Western Capital’ and—”

  “Okay, okay, I get the point,” said Steve. “It was just a simple question; I don’t need a lecture on the subject, all right?”

  “And the characters for Tokyo mean ‘Eastern Capital,’ “ she finished calmly.

  “Thank you,” said Hunter, observing that Steve and Jane were glancing at each other. He could not read the exact meaning in their expressions. However, he understood that they were not happy with Marcia so far.

  “You were discussing Steve’s importance to the mission,” Jane said.

  “Steve, my concern is how to explain Jane’s presence. You and Marcia, being of Chinese descent, will blend into the population just as Jane has done in our trips to seventeenth-century Jamaica, Roman Germany, and twentieth-century Russia. I must decide whether to maintain a European appearance or to alter myself to another look.”

  “So do you have a plan?” Jane asked.

  “I will present a tentative one,” said Hunter. “I understand that the capital of Kublai Khan in this time was a very international city.”

  “Correct,” said Marcia. “Many Persians, Turks, Mongols, and other tribal nationalities were well represented. This is also the time of Marco Polo’s presence in Khanbaliq, with his father and his uncle. In general, however, the international visitors will be from eastern and central Asia and possibly the Middle East. If you are thinking of European visitors, the Polo family may be the only ones.”

  “I propose that I maintain my European appearance and travel with Jane as a married couple.”

  “This would be acceptable,” said Marcia. “If three members of the Polo family made the trip, one more pair of Europeans could have, too.”

  Hunter glanced at Steve for his reaction to the next part of this proposal. “I also suggest that Steve and Marcia present themselves as a similar couple, hosting us in what appears to be their country. The four of us would have a rationale for traveling together.”

  Steve glared at Hunter but said nothing.

  Marcia glanced at Steve haughtily. “I suppose this makes sense. We have to fit into their society as smoothly as we can. I can tolerate some masquerading.”

  “Steve, do you agree this is logical?” Hunter asked.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “We should present ourselves as visitors from a southern province,” Marcia added. “This will explain any accent in our speech and unfamiliarity with details of Khanbaliq that never appeared in the history I have studied. We don’t want to present ourselves as native to the city and then reveal our ignorance at the wrong moment.”

  “Which province do you suggest?” Hunter asked. “We should agree on one now.”

  “I recommend Guangdong, which is the southernmost province. We won’t be likely to run into others from there who will expose us.”

  Steve nodded.

  “And you must have some career, in case people ask what you do.”

  “Okay.” Steve shrugged. “Like what?”

  “A peasant or ordinary working man isn’t likely to travel across the country in that time. I think you should be a scholar seeking a government appointment.”

  “Me? A scholar?” He grinned, glancing at Jane self-consciously.

  “The top bureaucratic appointments in this time went to foreigners because Kublai Khan did not trust the Chinese. Many of the Turks and Persians I mentioned were in high government posts. Also, many of the established scholars refused to serve the Mongol government, even at the provincial and local levels. However, some young Chinese scholars managed to get into the lower ranks of the imperial offices. You’re the right age.”

  “This sounds reasonable to me,” said Hunter.

  Steve sighed. “Okay.”

  “Marcia, I have much more to explain to you,” said Hunter. “Time travel is the exciting part of the mission, but I must inform you of some background information. Have you been following the news today? Particularly, the explosion that destroyed Beijing? Millions of people died and China is in chaos, and has no government.”

  “The nuclear explosion? Of course. It’s all over the news media right now. What does that have to do with a component robot in 1290?”

  “The explosion was caused by MC 5. When the component robots reach the approximate time at which they fled back into the past, with a margin of error of several days, they explode with nuclear force.”

  “They do? Why?” Marcia’s dark eyes widened with horror.

  “Their atoms become unstable because of a problem they did not predict. They have miniaturized themselves to microscopic size with the same device that sent them back in time. This is what made them unstable.”

  “Why did they do that?”

  “Apparently, they wanted to remain microscopic forever so they would not be involved with humans. They intended to avoid contact so they would not cause possible harm to people by changing the course of history.”

  “Of course. The First Law of Robotics says that ‘A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.’ “

  “That’s right,” said Jane.

  “And I suppose if they were masquerading as humans, they would be in danger of being given instructions by humans that they would have to obey. As I recall, the Second Law of Robotics says, ‘A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.’ “

  “Show-off,” muttered Steve, rolling his eyes. “All right, give us the third one, too. Get it over with.”

  Marcia arched one eyebrow at Steve and spoke in a monotone. “The Third Law of Robotics says, ‘ A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.’ Now may we get on with this briefing, please?
”

  “The sooner the better,” said Steve.

  “I’m almost finished with this part,” said Jane. “Marcia, the new problem is that the miniaturization turned out not to be permanent. The instability of that process has caused each component robot to return to full size at a different time in history.”

  “I believe I understand. At that point, of course, their interaction with humans becomes virtually inevitable.” Marcia turned to Hunter. “Is this how you decide which period in history to visit?”

  “Yes,” said Hunter. “The site of the explosion in our own time reveals where to look. I made calculations from the records in the console of the time travel sphere that tell me when MC 5 was likely to return to his normal size. We must go back and try to apprehend him as soon as we can, before he influences anyone significantly. Returning him to our time with the time travel sphere will prevent him from exploding.”

  “I see,” said Marcia.

  “We’re almost done with this background stuff,” said Steve. “Then we can head for the Bohung Institute. Tell her about Wayne, Hunter.”

  “Perhaps you can summarize that problem for us.”

  “I don’t feel like it.” Steve turned away from Marcia. “I’m just the hired hand, remember? I don’t handle this theoretical stuff.”

  2

  Steve could hardly believe that Hunter had hired someone as stuffy and pompous as Marcia. Though he felt bound by Hunter’s genuine need for him on this mission, Steve already disliked Marcia more than any team member since he had first met Chad Mora, the paleontologist who had joined them on their first mission, back to the Late Cretaceous in the time of dinosaurs. Having to pretend he was married to her was going to make this trip even worse.

  “I’ll explain Wayne,” Jane said quickly. “Dr. Wayne Nystrom invented the Governor robots, and he is angry that the Oversight Committee is leaving him out. He wants to get at least one of the component robots under his power so he can try to find out what went wrong himself.”