Let's Get Together - 2

Total number of words is 1171
Total number of unique words is 498
60.8 of words are in the 2000 most common words
74.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words
79.4 of words are in the 8000 most common words
Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.
brain waves or that, even if we can, there is a way of differentiating
human and humanoid by wave pattern. Who set up the project, anyway?"
"I did," said Breckenridge.
"_You_ did? Are you a robotics man?"
The young Security agent said, calmly, "I have studied robotics."
"That's not the same thing."
"I've had access to text-material dealing with Russian robotics--in
Russian. Top-secret material well in advance of anything you have here."
Lynn said, ruefully, "He has us there, Laszlo."
"It was on the basis of that material," Breckenridge went on, "that
I suggested this particular line of investigation. It is reasonably
certain that in copying off the electromagnetic pattern of a
specific human mind into a specific positronic brain, a perfectly
exact duplicate cannot be made. For one thing, the most complicated
positronic brain small enough to fit into a human-sized skull is
hundreds of times less complex than the human brain. It can't pick
up all the overtones, therefore, and there must be some way to take
advantage of that fact."
Laszlo looked impressed despite himself and Lynn smiled grimly. It was
easy to resent Breckenridge and the coming intrusion of several hundred
scientists of non-robotics specialties, but the problem itself was an
intriguing one. There was that consolation, at least.
* * * * *
It came to him quietly.
Lynn found he had nothing to do but sit in his office alone, with an
executive position that had grown merely titular. Perhaps that helped.
It gave him time to think, to picture the creative scientists of half
the world converging on Cheyenne.
It was Breckenridge who, with cool efficiency, was handling the details
of preparation. There had been a kind of confidence in the way he said,
"Let's get together and we'll lick Them."
Let's get together.
It came to Lynn so quietly that anyone watching Lynn at that moment
might have seen his eyes blink slowly twice--but surely nothing more.
He did what he had to do with a whirling detachment that kept him calm
when he felt that, by all rights, he ought to be going mad.
He sought out Breckenridge in the other's improvised quarters.
Breckenridge was alone and frowning. "Is anything wrong, sir?"
Lynn said, wearily, "Everything's right, I think. I've invoked martial
law."
"What!"
"As chief of a division I can do so if I am of the opinion the
situation warrants it. Over my division, I can then be dictator. Chalk
up one for the beauties of decentralization."
"You will rescind that order immediately." Breckenridge took a step
forward. "When Washington hears this, you will be ruined."
"I'm ruined anyway. Do you think I don't realize that I've been set up
for the role of the greatest villain in American history: the man who
let Them break the stalemate. I have nothing to lose--and perhaps a
great deal to gain."
He laughed a little wildly, "What a target the Division of Robotics
will be, eh, Breckenridge? Only a few thousand men to be killed by
a TC bomb capable of wiping out three hundred square miles in one
micro-second. But five hundred of those men would be our greatest
scientists. We would be in the peculiar position of having to fight a
war with our brains shot out, or surrendering. I think we'd surrender."
"But this is impossible. Lynn, do you hear me? Do you understand? How
could the humanoids pass our security provisions? How could they get
together?"
"But they _are_ getting together! We're helping them to do so.
We're ordering them to do so. Our scientists visit the other side,
Breckenridge. They visit Them regularly. You made a point of how
strange it was that no one in robotics did. Well, ten of those
scientists are still there and in their place, ten humanoids are
converging on Cheyenne."
"That's a ridiculous guess."
"I think it's a good one, Breckenridge. But it wouldn't work unless we
knew humanoids were in America so that we would call the conference in
the first place. Quite a coincidence that you brought the news of the
humanoids _and_ suggested the conference _and_ suggested the agenda
_and_ are running the show and know exactly which scientists were
invited. Did you make sure the right ten were included?"
"Dr. Lynn!" cried Breckenridge in outrage. He poised to rush forward.
Lynn said, "Don't move. I've got a blaster here. We'll just wait for
the scientists to get here one by one. One by one we'll X-ray them. One
by one, we'll monitor them for radioactivity. No two will get together
without being checked, and if all five hundred are clear, I'll give
you my blaster and surrender to you. Only I think we'll find the ten
humanoids. Sit down, Breckenridge."
They both sat.
Lynn said, "We wait. When I'm tired, Laszlo will spell me. We wait."
* * * * *
Professor Manuelo Jiminez of the Institute of Higher Studies of Buenos
Aires exploded while the stratospheric jet on which he traveled was
three miles above the Amazon Valley. It was a simple chemical explosion
but it was enough to destroy the plane.
Dr. Herman Liebowitz of M. I. T. exploded in a monorail, killing twenty
people and injuring a hundred others.
In similar manner, Dr. Auguste Marin of L'Institut Nuclรฉonique of
Montreal and seven others died at various stages of their journey to
Cheyenne.
* * * * *
Laszlo hurtled in, pale-faced and stammering, with the first news
of it. It had only been two hours that Lynn had sat there, facing
Breckenridge, blaster in hand.
Laszlo said, "I thought you were nuts, Chief, but you were right.
They _were_ humanoids. They _had_ to be." He turned to stare with
hate-filled eyes at Breckenridge. "Only they were warned. _He_ warned
them, and now there won't be one left intact. Not one to study."
"God!" cried Lynn and in a frenzy of haste thrust his blaster out
toward Breckenridge and fired. The Security man's neck vanished; the
torso fell; the head dropped, thudded against the floor and rolled
crookedly.
Lynn moaned, "I didn't understand, I thought he was a traitor. Nothing
more."
And Laszlo stood immobile, mouth open, for the moment incapable of
speech.
Lynn said, wildly. "Sure, he warned them. But how could he do so while
sitting in that chair unless he were equipped with built-in radio
transmission? Don't you see it? Breckenridge had been in Moscow. The
real Breckenridge is still there. Oh my God, there were _eleven_ of
them."
Laszlo managed a hoarse squeak. "Why didn't _he_ explode?"
"He was hanging on, I suppose, to make sure the others had received his
message and were safely destroyed. Lord, Lord, when you brought the
news and I realized the truth, I couldn't shoot fast enough. God knows
by how few seconds I may have beaten him to it."
Laszlo said, shakily, "At least, we'll have one to study." He bent
and put his fingers on the sticky fluid trickling out of the mangled
remains at the neck end of the headless body.
Not blood, but high-grade machine oil.
You have read 1 text from English literature.
  • Parts
  • Let's Get Together - 1
    Total number of words is 4599
    Total number of unique words is 1288
    49.8 of words are in the 2000 most common words
    66.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words
    73.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
    Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.
  • Let's Get Together - 2
    Total number of words is 1171
    Total number of unique words is 498
    60.8 of words are in the 2000 most common words
    74.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words
    79.4 of words are in the 8000 most common words
    Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.