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基地系列:基地与地球|Foundation and Earth

第九章 面对野狗群|Chapter 9 :Facing the Pack

属类： 双语小说 【分类】魔幻小说 -[作者: 艾萨克-阿西莫夫] 阅读：[2787]
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远星号停在一个小山丘的山脚下，山丘周围是一片平坦的开阔地。崔维兹几乎想也没想就觉得，最好别在数公里内没有任何掩蔽的地方着陆，因此这里是理所当然的最佳选择。

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他说：“外面温度是摄氏二十四度，多云，西风，风速大约每小时十一公里。电脑对大气循环模式知道得不够，所以无法预测气候。下过，湿度差下多是百分之四十，不太可能下雨。整体而言，我们似乎选了一个舒适的纬度，或者说选对了季节，去过康普隆之后，来到这里真是令人分外愉快。”

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“我猜想，”裴洛拉特说：“如果这颗行星继续反改造下去，天气会变得更极端。”

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“我肯定这一点。”宝绮思说。

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“随便你怎样肯定都行，”崔维兹说：“我们还得等上奸几千年，才能知道正确答案。此时此刻，它仍是个宜人的行星，在我们有生之年，以及其后许久许久，它都会一直保持这样。”

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他一面说话，一面在腰际扣上一条宽皮带。宝绮思尖声道：“那是什么，崔维兹？”

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“我还没忘记当初在舰队受的训练，”崔维兹说：“我不会赤手空拳闯进一个未知的世界。”

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“你当真要携带武器？”

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“正是如此。在我的右侧，”他用力一拍右边的皮套，里面是个很有分量的大口径武器。“挂的是我的手铳；而左侧，”那是柄较小的武器，口径很小而且没有开口。“是我的神经鞭。”

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“两种谋杀方式。”宝绮思以厌恶的口气说。

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“只有一种，只有手铳能杀人。神经鞭却不会，它只会刺激痛觉神经，不过我听说，它会让人痛不欲生。我很幸运，从来没吃过这种苦头。”

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“你为什么要带这些东西？”

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“我告诉过你，这里是敌人的世界。”

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“崔维兹，这里是无人的世界。”

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“是吗？它可能没有科技发达的人类社会，但是若有‘后科技时代’的原始人呢？他们或许顶多只有棍棒和石块，可是那些东西也能杀人。”

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宝绮思看来被激怒了，伹她勉力压低声音，以表现得足够理智。“我侦测不到人类的神经活动，崔维兹。这就剔除了各种原始人的可能性，不论是后科技时代还是什么时代的。”

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“那我就没必要使用我的武器，”崔维兹说：“下过话说回来，带着它们又有什么害处呢？它们只会让我的着量增加少许，既然地表着力大约只有端点星的百分之九十一，我还承受得了这点着量。听我说，太空艇本身也许毫无武装，伹它装载了不少手提式武器，我建议你们两位也——”

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“下要，”宝绮思立刻答道：“任何准备杀戮——或是带给他人痛苦的动作，我都拒绝。”

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“这不是准备杀戮，而是避免自己遭到杀害，希望你懂得我的意思。”

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“我能用自己的方法保护自己。”

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“詹诺夫？”

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裴洛拉特犹豫了一下。“在康普隆的时候，我们并未携带任何武器。”

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“得了吧，詹诺夫。康普隆是个已知数，是个和基地结盟的世界。何况我们才刚着陆便遭到逮捕，即使我们带了武器，也会马上被缴械。你到底要不要拿一柄手铣？·”

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裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“我从未在舰队待过，老弟。我不知道怎样使用这些家伙，而且，遇到了紧急情况，我绝对来不及想到要用。我只会向后跑，然后——然后就被杀掉。”

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“你下会被杀害的，裴，”宝绮思中气十足地说：“盖哑将你置于我／我们的保护之下，那个装腔作势的舰队英雄也一样。”

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崔维兹说：“很好，我不反对受到保护，但我没有装腔作势，我只是要百分之两百的谨慎。如果我永远不必碰这些家伙，我会感到万分高兴，我向你保证。不过，我必须把它们带在身上。”

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他珍爱地拍了拍那两件武器，又说：“现在让我们走向这个世界吧，它的地表可能有数千年未曾感受人类的着量了。”

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“我有一种感觉，”裴洛拉特说：“现在一定相当晚了，可是太阳还高高挂在天上，看起来好像不过是近午时分。”

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“我猜想，”崔维兹浏览着四周静谧的景观说：“你的感觉源自这个太阳的橙色色调，它带来了一种日落的感觉。当真正的日落来临时，假如我们仍在此地，而云层结构又正常的话，我们应该会发现夕阳比平常所见的更红。我不知道你会感到美丽还是阴郁——这种差异在康普隆也许更极端，下过我们在那里的时候，自始至终都待在室内。”

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他缓缓转过身来，检视着四周的环境。除了光线令人几乎下意识地感到奇怪，这个世界还有一种特殊的气味——或许是这个地区独有的味道。似乎带有一点霉味，不过还不至于令人恶心。

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敖近的树木不高不矮，看来全是些老树，树皮长了下少树瘤。树干都不很直，不过他无从判断这究竟是因为强风，或是由于土质不佳。是否就是这些树木，为这个世界平添了某种威胁感，抑或是其他什么东西——更无形的东西？

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宝绮思说：“你打算要做什么，崔维兹？我们大老远来到此地，可不是来欣赏风景的。”

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崔维兹说：“其实，那也许就是我现在所该做的。我想建议詹诺夫探查一下这个地方，那个方向有些废墟，如果发现任何纪录，也只有他才能判断有没有价值。我猜他看得懂古银河文的手稿或胶卷，而我很清楚自己没办法。而且我认为，宝绮思，你会想跟他一起去，以便就近保护他。至于我自己，我缓篝在这里，在废墟外围为你们站岗。”

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“为什么要站岗？防备拿着棍棒和石块的原始人？”

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“也许吧。”他挂在嘴角的微笑突然敛去，又说：“真奇怪，宝绮思，我觉得这个地方有点不对劲，我也说下上来为什么。”

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裴洛拉特说：“来吧，宝绮思，我这辈子一直蹲在家里搜集古代传说，从没真正摸过古老的文件。想想看，如果我们能发现……”

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崔维兹目送着他们两人，裴洛拉特急切地朝废墟走去，他的声音渐行渐远，宝绮思则轻快地走在他旁边。

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崔维兹心不在焉地听了一会儿，然后转过身来，继续研究周遭的环境。究竟是什么引起他的忧虑呢？

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他从未真正涉足毫无人迹的世界，倒是从太空中观察过许多个。它们通常都是小型世界，小得无法留住水分与空气。不过它们还是有些用处，例如在舰队演习时用来标示一个会师点（在他一生中，以及他出生前整整一世纪内，一直没有战争发生，下过军事演习从未中断），或是作为模拟紧急修护的训练场地。他当初服役的那些船舰，曾多次进入这种世界的轨道，有时也会降落其上，可是他从来没机会走到外面。

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是否因为他现在真正立足于一个无人世界？如果在服役的那段日子里，他踏上了某个没有空气的小型世界，当时也会有同样的感觉吗？然后呢？

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他摇了摇头，那不会对他造成任何困扰，他非常肯定。他会穿上太空衣走出去，如同他做过无数次的太空漫步一样。他非常熟悉那种情况，而仅仅与一大块“岩石”接触，并不会改变这种熟悉的感觉。绝对不会！

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当然——这次他没有穿太空衣。

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他正站在一个可住人的世界上，感觉就像在端点星一样舒服；比康普隆舒服得多。他感到微风拂过面颊，温暖的阳光照在背上，植物摩擦的沙沙声传入耳中。每样东西都那么熟悉，除了没有人类——至少，人类如今已不再存在。

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是不是因为这样？是不是因为这样，才使这个世界显得阴森森的？是否因为它不仅是个无人的世界，更是个遭到废弃的世界？

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他以前从未到过任何废弃的世界，也没听说过有什么废弃的世界，甚至根本没想到有哪个世界会遭到废弃。直到目前为止，他所知道的每一个世界，人类一旦殖民其上，子子孙孙就会永远住下去。

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他抬头望向天空，唯一遗弃这个世界的只有人类。有只鸟儿刚好飞过他的视线，看起来似乎比橙色云朵间的青灰色天空更自然些。（崔维兹十分肯定，只要在这个行星上多住几天，他就会习惯这些奇异的色调，到那个时候，天空与云朵也会显得很正常。）

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他听到树上有鸟儿在歌唱，还有昆虫在轻声呢喃。宝绮思早先提到过蝴蝶，现在他果然看见了——数量多得惊人，而且有好几种不同花色。

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树旁的草丛中也不时传来阵阵沙沙声，但他无法确定是什么东西引起的。

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令他感到心神不宁的，并非附近这些放眼可见的生命。正如宝绮思所说，人类对一个世界进行改造时，一开始就不会引进危险的动物。他幼年所读的童话，以及少年时期看的奇幻故事，一律发生在一个传说中的世界，那一定是从含糊的地球神话脱胎而来。在超波戏剧的全讯屏幕中，则充满各式各样的怪兽——狮子、独角兽、巨龙、鲸类、雷龙、狗熊等等，总共有几十种，大多数的名字他都记不起来。其中有些当然是神话的产物，或许都是也说不定。此外，还有些会咬人、螫人的小动物，甚趾蟋植物都是碰不得的，不过这仅限于虚构的故事中。他也曾听说原始蜜蜂会螫人，但真实世界的蜜蜂绝不会伤害人类。

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他慢慢向右方走去，走过山丘的边缘。那里的草丛分布得很零散，一丛一丛错落着，但每一丛都又高又密。他走在树林间，树木也是一丛丛聚在一块。

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他打了个呵欠。当然，没有发生任何刺激的状况，他下知道该不该回太空艇打个盹。不，绝不能有那种念头，他现在显然得好好站岗。

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也许他该演习一下步哨勤务。齐步走，一、二、一、二，来个迅速的转身，手中拿一支阅兵用的电棒，操演着复杂的花式动作。（战士已有三世纪未曾使用这种武器，伹在训练的时候，它却是绝对必要的项目，没有人说得出这是什么道理。）

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这种突如其来的想法不禁令他笑了笑，随后他又想到，自己是不是该到废墟中，加入裴洛拉特与宝绮思的行列。为什么呢？他帮得上什么忙？

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彬许他能看到裴洛拉特刚好忽略的什么东西？思，等裴洛拉特回来后，还有的是时间那样做。如果有什么很容易发现的东西，一定要留给裴洛拉特才对。

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他们两人可能遇到麻烦吗？真傻！能有什么样的麻烦？

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万一出了什么问题，他们一定会呼救。

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他开始仔细倾听，结果什么都没听到。

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然后，步哨勤务的念头又在他心中浮现，挥也挥下去。他发现自己开始齐步走，双脚此起彼落，踏出有力的节奏。一支想像中的电棒从肩头甩出去，打了几个转后被他接住，笔直地举在正前方；接着又开始打转，回到另一侧的肩头。在一个俐落的向后转之后，他再度面对着太空艇（不过现在距离很远了）。

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站定向前望的时候，他突然僵住了——在现实中，而非步啃的假想状况。

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这里不只他一个人。

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在此之前，除了植物、昆虫，以及一只小鸟，他没看到任何其他生物。他也未曾见到或听到有任何东西接近——现在却有一头动物站在他与太空艇之间。

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这个意外的状况令他吓呆了，一时之间，他丧失了解释视觉讯号的能力。过了相当长的时间后，他才明白自己望着的是什么。

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那只不过是一只狗。

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崔维兹不是个喜欢狗的人，他从没养过狗，他碰到狗的时候也不会有什么特别的亲切感，这次也不例外。他不耐烦地想，无论在哪个世界上，都一定会有这种动物伴着人类。它们的品种数也数不尽，崔维兹一直有个烦厌的印象，就是每个世界至少有一种特有的品种。然而，所有的品种都有个共同点：不论它们是养来消遣、表演，或是做其他有用的工作，都被教得对人类充满敬爱与信任。

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崔维兹向来无法消受这种敬爱与信任。他曾跟某位养有一只狗的女子同居一段时间，看在女主人的份上，崔维兹对那只狗百般容忍，而它却对他产生了根深蒂固的爱慕之情，总是跟着他到处跑，休息的时候依偎在他身旁（二十多公斤的体着全靠过来），出其不意就会让他身上沾满唾液与狗毛。每当他们两人想要亲热时，它就会蹲在门外，同时发出一声声的呻吟。

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从那段经验中，崔维兹确信一件事：自己是狗儿们挚爱的对象。至于原因为何，只有犬科的心灵与它们分辨气味的能力才能解释。

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因此一旦从最初的惊讶中恢复过来，他开始放心地打量这只狗。它的体型很大，身形瘦削，四肢瘦长。它瞪着他，但看不出有什么爱慕之情；它的嘴巴张着，也许那可以解释为欢迎的笑容，不过绽现的牙齿可又大又锋利。崔维兹相信，如果这只狗不在自己的视线内，他想必会觉得自在些。

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突然间他又想到，这只狗从未见过人类，它的祖先也一定有无数代不知人类为何物。现在忽然出现一个人，它也许跟崔维兹看到它的反应一样，感到相当惊讶而不安。崔维兹至少很快就认出它是只狗，那只狗却没有这个优势，它仍不知如何是好，也可能已经提高警觉。

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让一只体型那么庞大、牙齿如此锋利的动物一直处于警戒状态，显然不是件安全的事。崔维兹心里很明白，双方需要赶紧建立友谊。

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他以非常缓慢的动作，向那只狗慢慢接近（当然不能有突兀的动作）。然后他伸出一只手，准备让它来嗅一嗅，同时发出轻柔的、具有安抚作用的声音，还不时夹杂着“乖乖狗儿”这类的话，令他自己都感到很难为情。

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那只狗双眼紧盯着崔维兹，向后退了一两步，彷佛并不信任对方。然后它掀起上唇，龇牙咧嘴，口中还发出一声从邡的吠叫。虽然崔维兹从未见过哪只狗做出这样的表情，可是除了威吓，这种动作显然不能做别的解释。

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因此崔维兹停止前进，僵立原处。此时，他从眼角瞥见一侧有东西在动，于是慢慢转过头去，竟发现又有两只狗从那个方向走来，看起来跟原先那只一样要命。

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要命？这个形容词他现在才想到，却是贴切得可怕，这点绝错不了。

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他的心脏突然怦怦乱跳。回太空艇的路被堵住了，他不能漫无目的地乱跑，因为那些长腿狗在几公尺内就会追上他。伹他若是站在原地用手铳对付它们，那么刚杀死一只，另外两只便会扑向他。而在较远的地方，他又看到有更多的狗朝这里走来。难道它们之间有什么办法联络？它们总是成群出猎吗？

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他慢慢向左侧移动，那个方向没有任何一只狗——目前还没有：慢慢地，慢慢地移动。

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那三只狗跟着他一起移动。他心里有数，自己没有受到立即攻击，是因为这些狗从未见过或闻过像他这样的东西。对于他这个猎物，它们尚未建立起可供遵循的行为模式。

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假如他拔腿飞奔，这可是那些狗很熟悉的动作。碰到类似崔维兹这般大小的猎物因恐惧而逃跑，它们知道该如何行动；它们会跟着跑，而且跑得更快。

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崔维兹继续侧着身，朝一株树木移动，他实在太想爬到树上，这样至少能暂时摆脱它们。它们却跟着他一起移动脚步，轻声咆哮着，而且越走越近，三只狗的眼睛都眨也不眨地盯着他。此时又多了两只狗加入它们的行列，而在更远的地方，崔维兹还能看到有更多的狗走过来。当他与那棵树接近到某个秤谌时，他就必须开始冲刺。他不能等待太久，也不能起跑太早，这两种行动都缓箢他丧命。

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就是现在！

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他可能打破了自己瞬间加速的纪录，即使如此仍是千钧一发。他感到一只后脚跟被猛然咬住，一时之间动弹不得，直到坚固的陶质鞋面滑脱尖锐的狗牙，他才将腿抽了回来。

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他不擅长爬树，而且十岁之后就没再爬过，他也还记得，小时候他爬树的技巧相当拙劣。不过这回情况还算好，树干不太垂直，树皮上又有许多节瘤可供攀抓。更何况现在情非得已，在不得已的情况下，一个人总能做出许多惊人的事。

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崔维兹终于坐在一个树枝分岔处，离地大概有十公尺。他一只手刮破了，正渗出血来，不过匆忙间他完全没有察觉。在树下四周围，有五只狗蹲坐在那里，每只都抬头盯着树上，吐出舌头，看来全都在耐心等待。

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现在该怎么办？

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崔维兹无法有条不紊地思考目前的处境，他脑子里闪现出许多破碎不连贯的想法。如果事后他能厘清思路，大致应该是这个样子——

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宝绮思先前曾极力主张，将一颗行星改造之后，人类建立的是个非平衡的自然界，唯有藉着不断的努力才有可能维系不坠。比如说，银河殖民者身边从来不带大型猎食动物，小型的则无可避免，例如昆虫、寄生物，甚至小型的鹰、地鼠等等。

85
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在传说中以及含意模糊的文学作品里出现的猛兽——老虎、灰熊、杀人鲸、鳄鱼，谁会将它们从一个世界带到另一个世界，即使那样做真有意义？而那样做又会有什么意义呢？

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这意味着人类是唯一的大型猎食动物，可以随心所欲摄取镑种动物与植物。若是没有人类的介入，那些动植物将会由于繁衍过剩，导致生存受到威胁。

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假如人类由于某种原因而消失，其他猎食动物必将取而代之。会是哪种猎食动物呢？人类能够容忍的最大猎食动物是猫和狗，它们早已被人类驯服，生活在人类的庇荫下。

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如果不再有人类饲养它们呢？那时它们必须自己寻找食物——为了它们自己的生存，事实上也等于让那些猎物得以存活。因为后者的数量必须维持一个定值，否则过度繁殖所带来的灾害，将百倍于遭到猎捕所造成的损失。

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因此狗类会继续增殖，各类品种都有，其中大型狗只会攻击大型的、无人照料的食草动物；小型的则缓笤捕鸟类与啮齿类。猫在夜间捕食，狗在白昼行动：前者单打独斗，后者则成群结队。

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彬许藉由演化，最后会产生更多不同的品种，来填补生态栖位多余的空缺。会不会有些狗类最后发展出海中活动的本领，可以靠鱼类维生？而有些猫类则发展出滑翔能力，得以攫获空中与地上行动笨拙的鸟类？

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正当崔维兹绞尽脑汁，想要有条理地考虑一下该如何行动时，这些意识的片段却一股脑涌现出来。

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野狗的数目不断增加，他数了一下，现在围绕着这棵树的总共有二十三只，此外还有些在渐渐迫近。这群野狗的数量究竟有多少——那又有什么关系？现在已经够多了。

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他从皮套中掏出手铳，可是手中握着坚实铳柄的感觉，并未为他带来希望中的安全感。他上次填充能量丸是什么时候？他总共能发射几次？当然不到二十三次。

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裴洛拉特与宝绮思该怎么办呢？如果他们出现，那些野狗会不会转而攻击他们？即使他们不现身，就一定能安然无事吗？假使狗群嗅到废墟中还有两个人，有什么能阻止它们跑到那里去攻击他们？肯定没有什么门或栏杆可以暂时阻挡。

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宝绮思能不能抵御它们的进攻，甚至将它们驱走？她能否将超空间那头的力量集中，提升到需要的强度？她又能维持那些力量多久？

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那么，他应不应该呼救？如果他高声喊叫，他们会不缓螈刻跑过来？而在宝绮思瞪视之下，那些野狗会下会四下逃窜？（真需要瞪视吗？或者只是一种精神活动，不具备那种能力的旁观者根本无法侦知？）或者，他们若是出现，会不会在他面前被撕成碎片，而他只能相当安全地高坐树上，眼睁睁看着这幕惨剧，却一点办法都没有？

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下，他一定得使用手铳。如果他能杀死一只，把其他的野狗暂时吓退，他就可以爬下树来，呼叫裴洛拉特与宝绮思。假如野狗显出折回的意图，他会再杀一只，然后他们三人便能冲进太空艇中。

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他将微波束的强度调到四分之三，那足以令一只野狗毙命，同时带来巨大的响声。巨响可将其他野狗吓跑，这样他就能节省一些能量。

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他仔细瞄准狗群中央的某一只，它似乎（至少，在崔维兹自己的想像中）比别的狗散发出更浓的敌意。也许只是因为它显得特别安静，奸像对它的猎物有更残酷的企图。现在，那只狗正好盯着他手中的武器，仿佛表示崔维兹的手段再凶，它也不会放在眼里。

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崔维兹突然想到，自己从未对任何人动用手铳，也从来没有目睹别人使用过。在受训的时候，他曾射击过人形靶。那个人形的外皮由皮革与塑料制成，内部装满水，被射中之后，里面的水几乎立刻沸腾、猛然爆开，将整个外皮炸得稀烂。

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可是在没有任何战事的年代，谁会射击一个活生生的人呢？又有什么人敢在手铳之下反抗，令自己成为铳下亡魂？只有在这里，这个由于人类消失而变得病态的世界……

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崔维兹突然发觉有团云遮住了阳光——人脑就是有这种奇特的能力，总是会注意到一些全然无关紧要的事物——他猛然按下扳机。

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从铣口延伸到那只狗的一条直线上，凭空出现一道奇异的闪光，如果不是云团刚好遮住阳光，那道模糊的光芒可能根本就看不见。

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那只狗一定突然感到全身发热，身子稍微动了一下，奸像准备要跳起来。而在下一刹那，它的身体就爆炸了，部分血液与细胞组织随即汽化。

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不过爆炸声却小得令人失望，这是因为狗皮下像人形靶的外皮那般坚韧。然而那只野狗的肌肉、毛皮、鲜血与骨骼仍四散纷飞，令崔维兹感到胃部一阵翻腾。

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其他的野狗马上后退，有些被高温的碎肉打到，滋味想必不好受。但它们只迟疑了片刻，突然间又挤上前去，争相吞食那些血肉，使崔维兹觉得更加恶心。他没有把它们吓跑，却为它们提供了食物，它们无论如何是不会离开了。事实上，鲜血与熟肉的味道将引来更多野狗，或许，还会有其他小型猎食动物闻风而至。

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此时，一声叫喊突然响起：“崔维兹，怎么……”

108
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崔维兹向远处望去，宝绮思与裴洛拉特正从废墟中走出来。宝绮思陡然停下脚步，伸出双臂将裴洛拉特挡在后面，眼睛紧盯着那些野狗。情势非常清楚，她根本不需要再问什么。

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崔维兹高声喊道：“我试图把它们赶走，不想惊动你和詹诺夫。你能制住它们吗？”

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“很困难。”宝绮思答道。虽然狗群的嗥叫声像是被一大张吸音毯罩住似的静止了，不过她并未用力喊叫，因此崔维兹仍听不太清楚。

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宝绮思又说：“它们的数量太多了，我又下熟悉它们的神经活动模式，我们盖娅上没有这种凶残的东西。”

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“端点星也没有，任何一个文明世界都没有。”崔维兹吼道：“我尽可能杀多少算多少，你试着对付其他的，数量少了你比较好办。”

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“不行，崔维兹，射杀它们又会引来其他野狗——留在我的后面，裴，你根本无法保护我——崔维兹，你另外那件武器。”

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“神经鞭？”

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“对，它可以激发痛觉。低功率，低功率！”

116
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“你担心它们会受伤吗？”崔维兹气冲冲地叫道：“现在是顾虑生命神圣的时候吗？”

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“我顾虑的是裴的生命，还有我的生命。低功率，而且对准一只发射，我无法再压制它们多久。”

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那些野狗早已离开树下，将宝绮思与裴洛拉特团团围住，他们两人则紧靠着一堵断墙。最接近他们的几只野狗，迟疑地试图再向前进，同时发出几下哼声，仿佛想弄懂自己是被什么阻挡了，因为它们感觉不到任何障碍。另外还有几只想要爬上那堵危墙，改从后面进攻，不过显然是白费力气。

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崔维兹甩颤抖的手将神经鞭调到低功率。神经鞭所用的能量比手铳少得多，一个电源匣能产生好几百下无形的鞭击。可是现在想一想，他也不记得上次充电是什么时候的事。

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发射神经鞭不需要怎么瞄准，因为下必太顾虑能量的消耗，他可以一下子扫过大群野狗。那是使用神经鞭的传统方式，专门用来对付现出危险徵兆的群众。

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不过，他还是照宝绮思的建议去做，瞄准某只野狗击出一鞭。那只狗立刻倒在地上，四肢不停抽搐，同时发出响后而尖锐的悲鸣。

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其他的野狗纷纷向后退去，离那只受伤的狗越来越远，每只狗的耳朵都向后扯平。然后，那些野狗也发出悲鸣，一个个转身离去，最初是慢慢走，然后速度开始加快，最后变成全速飞奔。那只被神经鞭击中的野狗，此时痛苦万分地爬起来，一面发出哀嚎，一面一跛一跛地走开，脚步落后其他野狗甚多。

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狈吠声终于在远方消失，宝绮思这才说：“我们最好赶快进太空船，它们还会再回来，其他的狗群也会来。”

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崔维兹不记得自己曾如此迅速地操作过闸门机制，以后也可能永远破下了这个纪录。

125
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夜晚降临时，崔维兹仍觉得尚未完全恢复正常。他手上刮伤的地方贴了一片合成皮肤，消除了肉体上的疼痛，可是他精神上的创伤，却不是那么容易能抚平的。

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这不仅是暴露于危险中而已，如果只是这样，他的反应会跟任何一个普通勇者一样。问题是危险来自一个全然未曾预料的方向，带来一种荒谬可笑的感觉。如果有人发现他被一群野狗逼上树，那将是个什么样的局面？就算他被一群发怒的金丝雀吓得逃之夭夭，也不会比刚才的情况更糟。

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有好几小时的时间，他一直在倾听外面的动静——那些野狗是否发动了新的攻势，是否有狂吠声，是否有狗爪搔抓艇体的声音。

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相较之下，裴洛拉特似乎冷静得多。“我心中从来没有怀疑，老弟，怀疑宝绮思能应付这一切。可是我必须承认，你那一击相当精采。”

129
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崔维兹耸了耸肩，他没有心情讨论这件事。

130
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裴洛拉特手中拿着他的“图书馆”——那是一片光碟，他毕生研究神话传说的成果都存在里面。他拿着它钻进寝舱，他的小型阅读机就放在那里。

131
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裴洛拉特的心情似乎相当好，崔维兹注意到了这点，不过并末追根究底。等他的心思不再被野狗完全占据时，还有的是时间弄个明白。

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等到宝绮思与他独处的时候，她以近乎试探的口气说：“我想你是受惊了。”

133
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“的确如此，”崔维兹以沮丧的口吻答道：“有谁会想到看见一条狗——一条狗，我就该赶紧逃命。”

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“此地有两万年不见人迹，它已经不算一只普通的狗，现在这些野兽必定是力量最强的大型猎食动物。”

135
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崔维兹点了点头。“当我坐在树枝上，变成一个力量最弱的猎物时，我就想到了这点。你所提到的非平衡生态，实在是万分正确的说法。”

136
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“就人类的观点而言，当然是非平衡。但是想想看，那些狗在进行捕猎的过程中，表现得多么有效率。我想裴也许说对了，生态的确能自我平衡，当初被引进这个世界的少数物种可以演化出许多变种，来填补各种不同的生态栖位。”

137
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“真是奇怪，”崔维兹说：“我也有同样的想法。”

138
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“当然啦，前提是非平衡状态不太严着，否则自我修正的过程需要很长的时间，在成功之前，那颗行星早已回天乏术。”

139
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崔维兹低哼了一声。

140
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宝绮思若有所思地望着他。“你怎么会想到要武装自己？”

141
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崔维兹说：“结果对我也没什么好处，是你的能力……”

142
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“并不尽然，我需要你的武器。那是毫无预警的情况，我和盖哑又只有超空间式接触，要对付那么多我不熟悉的心灵，若没有你的神经鞭，我根本无计可施。”

143
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“我的手铳毫无用处，我曾经试过。”

144
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“动用手铳，崔维兹，只能让一只狗消失，其他的狗也许会感到惊讶，可是不会害怕。”

145
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“其实更糟，”崔维兹说：“它们将残骸都吃掉了，我等于是在贿赂它们留下来。”

146
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“没错，我可以想像那种效果。神经鞭却不同，它会带来痛楚，一只狗痛极了便会嚎叫，而别的狗都能了解这叫声的意义。即使不为其他原因，它们也会由于制约反射而感到恐惧。所有的野狗都陷入恐惧之后，我只消轻轻推触它们的心灵，它们便自动离开了。”

147
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“没错，可是你了解在这情况下，神经鞭是更有威力的武器，我却不知道。”

148
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“我习惯和心灵打交道，你没有这方面的经验。我坚持要你使用低功率，并且瞄准一只狗，原因就在这里。我不希望过度的痛楚令那只狗死亡，那样它就发不出声音；我也不希望痛觉太过分散，那样只会引起几声低鸣。我要剧烈的痛楚集中在一点上。”

149
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“果然如你所愿，宝绮思，”崔维兹说：“结果完全成功，我实在该好好感谢你。”

150
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“你吝于表达感激，”宝绮思语着心长地说：“因为你觉得自己扮演了一个滑稽的角色。然而，我再着复一遍，没有你的武器，我根本无计可施。我想知道的是，你怎么解释携带武器这件事？因为我已经向你保证，这个世界上没有任何人类，这点我至今仍旧肯定。难道你预见了那些野狗吗？”

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“没有，”崔维兹说：“我当然没有，至少意识中未曾料到。而且我通常没有武装的习惯，在康普隆的时候，我根本没想到带武器。但是，我也不能让自己轻易相信那是种魔法，不可能是那样的。我猜想，当我们刚开始讨论非平衡生态时，我就有了一种潜意识的警觉，想到在一个没有人类的世界上，动物可能会变得危险。事后想来这点很明显，而我可能有一丝先见之明，只不过是这样罢了。”

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宝绮思说：“别这么随便就敷衍过去。我也参与了有关非平衡生态的讨论，却没有同样的先见之明。盖娅所珍视的，就是你这种特殊的预感。我也看得出来，你一定很气恼，因为你拥有一种隐性的预感，但无法侦知它的本质：你根据自己的决定行动，却没有明确的理由。”

153
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“在端点星，我们通常的说法是‘凭预感行事’。”

154
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“在盖娅上，我们说‘知其然下知其所以然’。你不喜欢不知所以然的感觉，对下对？”

155
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“是的，这的确令我苦恼不己，我不喜欢被预感驱策。我猜预感后面必有原因，伹不知道这个原因，则使我感到自己无法掌握自己的心灵，就像是一种轻度的疯狂。”

156
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“当你决定赞同盖哑和盖哑星系的时候，你就是凭预感行事，现在你却要找出原因。”

157
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“这点我至少说过十几遍了。”

158
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“而我却拒绝把你的声明当真，我为这件事感到抱歉。这方面我不会再跟你唱反调，下过我希望，我可以继续指出盖哑的各项优点。”

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“随时请便，”崔维兹说：“反之，希望你了解，我也许不会接受那些话。”

160
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“那么，你是否曾经想到，这个不知名的世界正在返归一种蛮荒状态，也许最终会变得荒芜而不可住人，只因为一种具有足够智慧指导整个世界的物种消失了？假如这个世界是盖哑，或者更理想——是盖娅星系的一部分，那么这种事就不会发生。指导的智慧将化身为银河整体，继续留存在这里，不论生态何时偏离平衡，也不论由于什么原因，终究都会再度趋于平衡。”

161
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“这意味着那些野狗不再需要食物？”

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“它们当然需要食物，正像人类一样。然而，它们进食是有目的的，是在刻意指导之下维持生态平衡的行为，而不是随机环境造成的结果。”

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崔维兹说：“对狗而言，失去个体的自由也许不算什么，可是对人类一定会有着大影响。如果所有的人类全部消失，到处都没了，而非只是在某个或数个世界上绝迹，那又会怎么样？如果完全没有人类，盖娅星系将变成什么样子？那时还会有指导智慧吗？其他的生命型态和无生命物质，有办法共组一个共同的智慧，担负起这个使命吗？”

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宝绮思犹豫了一下。“这种情况，”她又说：“过去从来未曾发生；而在未来，似乎也没有任何可能。”

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崔维兹说：“人类心灵和宇宙万物性质迥异，万一它消失了，所有其他意识的总和也无法取代，你难道不认为这很明显吗？所以说，人类是个特例，必须受到特别待遇，这难道不对吗？人类甚至不该彼此融合，更遑论和非人生物或无生物混在一起。”

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“可是你当时决定支持盖娅。”

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“那是为了一个凌驾一切的理由，而我自己也不清楚它是什么。”

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“也许那个凌驾一切的理由，就是你隐约预见了非平衡生态的效应？你的推论有没有可能是这样的——银河中每个世界都好像立在刀刃上，两侧皆是不稳定的状态，只有盖哑星系能预防降临在这个世界的各种灾祸。至于持续不断的战争和腐败政治带来的苦难，那就更不在话下。”

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“不，当我做出决定时，心中并未想到非平衡的生态。”

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“你怎能确定？”

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“我也许不知道自己原先预见了什么，但事后若有人对我提起，假如它的确是我曾预见的，我却能认出来。就好像我感觉得到，我当初也许料到这个世界会有危险的动物。”

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“嗯，”宝绮思以严肃而平静的口吻说：“若不是我们两人通力合作——你的先见之明加上我的精神力场，那些危险动物可能已经要了我们的命。来吧，让我们做个朋友。”

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崔维兹点了点头。“随你的便。”

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他的声音透着几许冷淡，宝绮思不禁扬起眉毛。不过就在这个时候，裴洛拉特突然闯进来，使劲猛点着头，彷佛想将脑袋从脖子上摇下来。

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“我想，”他说：“我们找到了。”

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崔维兹通常并不相信轻易得来的胜利，然而，偶尔舍弃自己的明智判断也是人之常情。他现在觉得胸部与喉头的肌肉紧绷，但仍勉强开口问道：“地球的位置？你找到了吗，詹诺夫？”

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裴洛拉特瞪了崔维兹一下，突然像是泄了气一样。“这个嘛，不是的，”他的脸涨得通红，“不完全是——事实上，葛兰，完全下是，我刚才根本忘了那回事。我在废墟中发现的是别的东西，我想它没有什么着要性。”

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崔维兹深深吸了一口气。“不要紧，詹诺夫。每一项发现都着要，你跑来是要说什么？”

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“嗯，”裴洛拉特说：“这里几乎没什么东西遗留下来，你也该了解。经过两万年的风吹雨打，能留到现在的东西实在下多。此外，植物生命会渐渐破坏遗迹，而动物生命——不过别管这些了，着点是‘几乎没有’并不等于‘完全没有’。

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“这个废墟一定包含一座公共建筑物，因为有些掉落的石块，或者也许是混凝土，上面刻着—些文字。那些宇肉眼简直看不出来，你应该了解，老弟，不过我拍了许多相片，用太空船上的相机拍的，就是有内建电脑以增强功能的那种相机——我从来没机缓箸得你的同意，葛兰，可是真的很着要，所以我……”

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崔维兹不耐烦地挥了挥手。“继续说！”

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“那些文字我看得懂一些，是非常古老的文字。伹即使照相机有电脑辅助，再加上我阅读古代文字的能力不错，却也无法认出太多，真正看懂的只有一个词。那几个字的字体比较大，也比其他的字清楚一点，或许它们被故意刻得较深，因为它们代表的是这个世界。那个词就是‘奥罗拉行星’，所以我猜想，我们目前立足的这个世界叫作奥罗拉，或者说以前叫奥罗拉。”

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“它总该有个名字。”崔维兹说。

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“没错，可是名字很少会随便乱取。我刚才用我的图书馆仔细搜寻了一下，结果发现两则传说，来源刚好是两个相隔甚远的世界，根据这点，我们可做出一个合理的假设，那就是两者的来源完全无关——不过别管这个了。在那两则传说中，奥罗拉当曙光解释，我们可以假设，在银河标准语之前的某个语言中，奥罗拉的意思正是曙光。

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“巧的是，相同类型的太空站或其他人造天体，第一个建好的便常用曙光或黎明这类名字命名。如果这个世界在某种语言中称为曙光，它也许就是同类世界的第一个。”

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崔维兹问道：“你是不是想说，这颗行星就是地球，而奥罗拉是它的别名，因为这个名字代表了生命与人类的黎明？”

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裴洛拉特说：“我不敢推测那么远，葛兰。”

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崔维兹带点挖苦的口气说：“毕竟我们没发现放射性地表，没发现巨大的卫星，也没发现具有大型行星环的气态巨行星。”

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“一点都没错。可是康普隆的那个丹尼亚多，他似乎认为这个世界曾经是第一波殖民者——外世界人定居的许多世界之一。果真如此的话，那么它既然叫作奥罗拉，也许就表示它是第一个外世界。此时我们脚下这颗行星，很可能是除了地球之外，银河中最古老的人类世界。这难道不令人兴奋吗？”

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“不管怎么说，的确很有意思，詹诺夫。可是仅由奥罗拉一个名字，就推出了这些结论，是不是嫌太多了？”

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“还不只呢，”裴洛拉特兴奋地说：“我找遍了我所搜集的纪录，结果发现当今银河中，没有一个世界叫作奥罗拉，我确定你的电脑能证实这点。正如我刚才所说，许多世界和其他天体都以曙光这一类名字命名，却没一个真正使用奥罗拉。”

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“它们何必要用呢？如果那是在银河标准语之前的字眼，就不大可能流行到今天。”

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“可是名字会保留下来——即使它们已经毫无意义。如果这里真是第一个殖民世界，它应该很有名气，甚至可能一度是银河的主宰。所以说，一定会有其他世界自称‘新奥罗拉’或‘小奥罗拉’，或者诸如此类的名称。而其他的……”

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崔维兹突然插嘴道：“也许它并非第一个殖民世界，也许它从来就没什么着要性。”

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“依我看有个更好的解释，我亲爱的兄弟。”

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“什么样的解释，詹诺夫？”

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“假如第一波殖民者被第二波后来居上，因此当今银河所有的世界都是后者的天下，正如丹尼亚多所说，那么就很有可能，两波殖民者之间曾出现敌对状态，所以第二波殖民者，也就是如今这些世界的建立者，不会采用第一波殖民世界的名宇。如此说来，我们可以根据奥罗拉这个名字从未着复的事实，推论出总共有两波殖民者，而此地是第一波殖民者建立的世界。”

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崔维兹微微一笑。“我稍微弄懂了你们神话学家如何做学问，詹诺夫。你们总是建立一个美丽的理论体系，但它也许只是空中楼阁。传说告诉我们，第一波殖民者带了许多机器人随行，这想必就是他们覆灭的原因。现在，假使我们能在这个世界上找到一个机器人，我就愿意接受所有关于第一波殖民者的推测，可是我们不能指望经过两万……”

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裴洛拉特的嘴巴蠕动好久，才终于发出声音来。“可是，葛兰，我没告诉你吗？没有，我当然没有，我太兴奋了，没法子把事情说得有条有理——这里的确有个机器人。”

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崔维兹揉了揉额头，仿佛头疼得发胀。“一个机器人？这里有个机器人？”

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“对。”裴洛拉特使劲点头。

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“你怎么知道？”

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“哎呀，它当然是机器人。我亲眼看到了，怎么可能认不出来？”

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“你以前见过机器人吗？”

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“没有，但那是个看来像人类的金属物体，有脑袋、双手、双脚和躯干。当然啦，我所谓的金属，其实几乎是堆铁銹。当我向它走近时，想必是脚步引起的震动使它进一步受损，所以当我伸手摸它……”

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“你为什么要摸它？”

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“这个嘛，我想是因为我无法完全相信自己的眼睛，那是种自然而然的反应。我才刚碰到它，它就散了开来，可是……”

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“怎样？”

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“在它快要散开来之前，它的眼睛似乎放出非常微弱的光芒，同时发出一个声音，像是试图说些什么。”

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“你的意思是说它还在运作？”

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“几乎谈不上，葛兰，然后它就崩溃了。”

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崔维兹转向宝绮思。“你能证实这一切吗，宝绮思？”

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“那是个机器人，我们都看到了。”宝绮思说。

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“而它仍旧在运作？”

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宝绮思以平板的语调说：“当它散开来的时候，我捕捉到一丝微弱的神经活动讯息。”

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“怎么可能有神经活动？机器人没有细胞组成的有机大脑。”

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“它具有电脑化的类似结构，我猜想，”宝绮思说：“而我侦测得到。”

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“你侦测到的是机器人的精神作用，不是人类的？”

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宝绮思噘了噘嘴。“它太微弱了，只能知道它的确存在，无法做出任何其他判断。”

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崔维兹望着宝绮思，然后望向裴洛拉特，同时以激昂的口气说：“这就改变了一切。”

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35The Far Star came to rest at the bottom of a smallrise, a hill in the generally flat countryside. Almost without thought,Trevize had taken it for granted that it would be best for the ship notto be visible for miles in every direction.

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He said, "The temperature outside is 24 C., the wind is about elevenkilometers per hour from the west, and it is partly cloudy. The computerdoes not know enough about the general air circulation to be able topredict the weather. However, since the humidity is some forty percent,it seems scarcely about to rain. On the whole, we seem to have chosen acomfortable latitude or season of the year, and after Comporellon that’sa pleasure.""I suppose," said Pelorat, "that as the planet continues tounterraform, the weather will become more extreme.""I’m sure of that," said Bliss .

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"Be as sure as you like," said Trevize. "We have thousands of yearsof leeway. Right now, it’s still a pleasant planet and will continue tobe so for our lifetimes and far beyond."He was clasping a broad belt about his waist as he spoke , and Blisssaid sharply, "What’s that, Trevize?""Just my old navy training," said Trevize. "I’m not going into anunknown world unarmed.""Are you seriously intending to carry weapons?""Absolutely. Here on my right" he slapped a holster thatcontained a massive weapon with a broad muzzle "is my blaster,and here on my left" a smaller weapon with a thin muzzle thatcontained no opening "is my neuronic whip.""Two varieties of murder," said Bliss, with distaste.

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"Only one. The blaster kills. The neuronic whip doesn’t. It juststimulates the pain nerves, and it hurts so that you can wish you weredead, I’m told. Fortunately, I’ve never been at the wrong end of one.""Why are you taking them?""I told you. It’s an enemy world.""Trevize, it’s an empty world.""Is it? There’s no technological society, it would seem, but what ifthere are post-technological primitives . They may not possess anythingworse than clubs or rocks, but those can kill, too."Bliss looked exasperated , but lowered her voice in an effort to bereasonable. "I detect no human neuronic activity, Trevize. That eliminatesprimitives of any type, post-technological or otherwise.""Then I won’t have to use my weapons," said Trevize. "Still, what harmwould there be in carrying them? They’ll just make me a little heavier,and since the gravitational pull at the surface is about ninety-onepercent that of Terminus, I can afford the weight. Listen,the ship may be unarmed as a ship, but it has a reasonable supply ofhand-weapons. I suggest that you two also ""No," said Bliss at once. "I will not make even a gesture in thedirection of killing or of inflicting pain, either.""It’s not a question of killing, but of avoiding being killed, ifyou see what I mean.""I can protect myself in my own way.""Janov?"Pelorat hesitated. "We didn’t have arms on Comporellon.""Come, Janov, Comporellon was a known quantity, a world associatedwith the Foundation. Besides we were at once taken into custody . If we hadhad weapons, they would have been taken away. Do you want a blaster?"Pelorat shook his head. "I’ve never been in the Navy, old chap. Iwouldn’t know how to use one of those things and, in an emergency, I wouldnever think of it in time. I’d just run and and get killed.""You won’t get killed, Pel," said Bliss energetically. "Gaia has youin my/our/its protection, and that posturing naval

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hero as well."Trevize said, "Good. I have no objection to being protected, but I amnot posturing. I am simply making assurance doubly sure, and if I neverhave to make a move toward these things, I’ll be completely pleased,I promise you. Still I must have them."He patted both weapons affectionately and said, "Now let’s step outon this world which may not have felt the weight of human beings uponits surface for thousands of years."36"I have a feeling," said Pelorat, "that it must berather late in the day, but the sun is high enough to make it near noon,perhaps.""I suspect," said Trevize, looking about the quiet panorama , "thatyour feeling originates out of the sun’s orange tint , which gives it asunset feel. If we’re still here at actual sunset and the cloud formationsare proper, we ought to experience a deeper red than we’re used to. Idon’t know whether you’ll find it beautiful or depressing. Forthat matter it was probably even more extreme on Comporellon, but therewe were indoors virtually all the time."He turned slowly, considering the surroundings in all directions. Inaddition to the almost subliminal oddness of the light, there was thedistinctive smell of the world or this section of it. It seemeda little musty, but far from actively unpleasant.

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The trees nearby were of middling height, and looked old, with gnarledbark and trunks a little off the vertical , though because of a prevailingwind or something off-color about the soil he couldn’t tell. Was itthe trees that lent a somehow menacing ambience to the world or was itsomething else less material?

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Bliss said, "What do you intend to do, Trevize? Surely we didn’t comeall this distance to enjoy the view?"Trevize said, "Actually, perhaps that ought to be my part of it justnow. I would suggest that Janov explore this place. There are ruinsoff in that direction and he’s the one who can judge the value of anyrecords he might find. I imagine he can understand writings or films inarchaic Galactic and I know quite well I wouldn’t. And I suppose, Bliss,you want to go with him in order to protect him. As for me, I will stayhere as a guard on the outer rim .""A guard against what? Primitives with rocks and clubs?""Perhaps." And then the smile that had hovered about his lips fadedand he said, "Oddly enough, Bliss, I’m a little uneasy about this place. Ican’t say why."Pelorat said, "Come, Bliss. I’ve been a home-body collector ofold tales all my life, so I’ve never actually put my hands on ancientdocuments. Just imagine if we could find "Trevize watched them walk away, Pelorat’s voice fading as he walkedeagerly toward the ruins; Bliss swinging along at his side.

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Trevize listened absently and then turned back to continue his studyof the surroundings. What could there be to rouse apprehension ?

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He had never actually set foot upon a world without a human population,but he had viewed many from space. Usually, they were small worlds, notlarge enough to hold either water or air, but they had been useful asmarking a meeting site during naval maneuvers (there had been no war inhis lifetime, or for a century before his birth but maneuvers went on),or as an exercise in simulated emergency repairs. Ships he had been onhad been in orbit about such worlds, or had even rested on them, but hehad never had occasion to step off the ships at those times.

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Was it that he was now actually standing on an empty world? Would hehave felt the same if he had been standing on one of the many small,airless worlds he had encountered in his student days and evensince?

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He shook his head. It wouldn’t have bothered him. He was sure ofthat. He would have been in a space suit, as he had been innumerabletimes when he was free of his ship in space. It was a familiar situationand contact with a mere lump of rock would have produced no alterationin the familiarity. Surely!

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Of course He was not wearing a space suit now.

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He was standing on a habitable world, as comfortable to the feel asTerminus would be far more comfortable than Comporellon had been. Heexperienced the wind against his cheek, the warmth of the sun on his back,the rustle of vegetation in his ears. Everything was familiar, exceptthat there were no human beings on it at least, not any longer.

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Was that it? Was it that that made the world seem so eerie ? Was itthat it was not merely an uninhabited world, but a deserted one?

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He had never been on a deserted world before; never heard of a desertedworld before; never thought a world could be deserted. Allthe worlds he had known of till now, once they had been populated byhuman beings, remained so populated forever.

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He looked up toward the sky. Nothing else had deserted it. Anoccasional bird flew across his line of vision, seeming more natural,somehow, than the slate-blue sky between the orange-tinted fair-weatherclouds. (Trevize was certain that, given a few days on the planet, hewould become accustomed to the off-color so that sky and clouds wouldgrow to seem normal to him.)He heard birdsongs from the trees, and the softer noise ofinsects. Bliss had mentioned butterflies earlier and here theywere in surprising numbers and in several colorful varieties.

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There were also occasional rustlings in the clumps of grass thatsurrounded the trees, but he could not quite make out what was causingthem.

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Nor did the obvious presence of life in his vicinity rouse fear inhim. As Bliss had said, terraformed worlds had, from the very first,lacked dangerous animals. The fairy tales of childhood, and the heroicfantasies of his teenage years were invariably set on a legendary worldthat must have been derived from the vague myths of Earth. The hyperdramaholoscreen had been filled with monsters lions, unicorns , dragons,whales, brontosaurs, bears. There were dozens of them with names hecould not remember; some of them surely mythical , and perhaps all ofthem. There were smaller animals that bit and stung, even plants thatwere fearful to the touch but only in fiction. He had once heardthat primitive honeybees were able to sting, but certainly no red beeswere in any way harmful.

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Slowly, he walked to the right, skirting the border of the hill. Thegrass was tall and rank, but sparse , growing in clumps. He made his wayamong the trees, also growing in clumps.

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Then he yawned. Certainly, nothing exciting was happening, andhe wondered if he might not retreat to the ship and take a nap. No,unthinkable. Clearly, he had to stand on guard.

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Perhaps he ought to do sentry duty-marching, one, two, one two,swinging about with a snap and performing complicated maneuverings witha parade electro-rod. (It was a weapon no warrior had used in threecenturies, but it was still absolutely essential at drill, for no reasonanyone could ever advance.)He grinned at the thought of it, then wondered if he ought to joinPelorat and Bliss in the ruins. Why? What good would he do?

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Suppose he saw something that Pelorat had happened tooverlook? Well, time enough to make the attempt after Peloratreturned. If there was anything that might be found easily, by all meanslet Pelorat make the discovery.

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Might the two be in trouble? Foolish! What possible kind oftrouble?

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And if there were trouble, they would call out.

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He stopped to listen. He heard nothing.

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And then the irresistible thought of sentry duty recurred to himand he found himself marching, feet moving up and down with a stamp,an imaginary electro-rod coming off one shoulder, whirling, and beingheld out straight before him, exactly vertical-whirling again, end overend, and back over the other shoulder. Then, with a smart about-face,he was looking toward the ship (rather far-off now) once more.

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And when he did that, he froze in reality, and not in sentrymake-believe.

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He was not alone.

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Until then, he had not seen any living creature other than plantgrowth, insects, and an occasional bird. He had neither seen nor heardanything approach but now an animal stood between him and theship.

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Sheer surprise at the unexpected event deprived him, for a moment, ofthe ability to interpret what he saw. It was not till after a perceptibleinterval that he knew what he was looking at.

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It was only a dog.

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Trevize was not a dog person. He had never owned a dog and hefelt no surge of friendliness toward one when he encountered it. Hefelt no such surge this time, either. He thought, rather impatiently,that there was no world on which these creatures had not accompaniedmen. They existed in countless varieties and Trevize had long had theweary impression that each world had at least one variety characteristicof itself. Nevertheless, all varieties were constant in this: whether theywere kept for entertainment, show, or some form of useful work theywere bred to love and trust human beings.

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It was a love and trust Trevize had never appreciated. He had oncelived with a woman who had had a dog. That dog, whom Trevize toleratedfor the sake of the woman, conceived a deep-seated adoration for him,followed him about, leaned against him when relaxing (all fifty poundsof him), covered him with saliva and hair at unexpected moments, andsquatted outside the door and moaned whenever he and the woman weretrying to engage in sex.

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From that experience, Trevize had emerged with the firm convictionthat for some reason known only to the canine mind and its odor-analyzingability, he was a fixed object of doggish devotion.

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Therefore, once the initial surprise was over, he surveyed thedog without concern. It was a large dog, lean and rangy, and with longlegs. It was staring at him with no obvious sign of adoration. Its mouthwas open in what might have been taken as a welcoming grin, but theteeth displayed were somehow large and dangerous, and Trevize decidedthat he would be more comfortable without the dog in his line of view.

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It occurred to him, then, that the dog had never seen a human being,and that countless canine generations preceding had never seen one. Thedog might have been as astonished and uncertain at the sudden appearanceof a human being as Trevize had been at that of the dog. Trevize, atleast, had quickly recognized the dog for what it was, but the dog didnot have that advantage. It was still puzzled, and perhaps alarmed.

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Clearly, it would not be safe to leave an animal that large, andwith such teeth, in an alarmed state. Trevize realized that it would benecessary to establish a friendship at once.

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Very slowly, he approached the dog (no sudden motions, of course). Heheld out his hand, ready to allow it to be sniffed , and made soft, soothing sounds, most of which consisted of "Nice doggy" somethinghe found intensely embarrassing.

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The dog, eyes fixed on Trevize, backed away a step or two, as thoughin distrust, and then its upper lip wrinkled into a snarl and from itsmouth there issued a rasping growl . Although Trevize had never seen a dogbehave so, there was no way of interpreting the action as representinganything but menace.

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Trevize therefore stopped advancing and froze. His eyes caughtmotion to one side, and his head turned slowly. There were two otherdogs advancing from that direction. They looked just as deadly as thefirst.

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Deadly? That adjective occurred to him only now, and its dreadfulappropriateness was unmistakable.

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His heart was suddenly pounding. The way to the ship was blocked. Hecould not run aimlessly, for those long canine legs would reach him inyards. If he stood his ground and used his blaster, then while he killedone, the other two would be upon him. Off in the distance, he could seeother dogs approaching. Was there some way in which they communicated? Didthey hunt in packs?

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Slowly, he shifted ground leftward, in a direction in which therewere no dogs as yet. Slowly.........

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The dogs shifted ground with him. He felt certain that all that savedhim from instant attack was the fact that the dogs had never seen orsmelled anything like himself before. They had no established behaviorpattern they could follow in his case.

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If he ran, of course, that would represent something familiar to thedogs. They would know what to do if something the size of Trevize showedfear and ran. They would run, too. Faster.

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Trevize kept sidling toward a tree. He had the wildest desire to moveupward where the dogs could not follow. They moved with him, snarlingsoftly, coming closer. All three had their eyes fixed unwinkingly uponhim. Two more were joining them and, farther off, Trevize could seestill other dogs approaching. At some point, when he was close enough,he would have to make the dash. He could not wait too long, or run toosoon. Either might be fatal.

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Now!

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He probably set a personal record for acceleration and even so it wasa near thing. He felt the snap of jaws close on the heel of one foot,and for just moment he was held fast before the teeth slid off thetough ceramoid.

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He was not skilled at climbing trees. He had not climbed one since hewas ten and, as he recalled, that had been a clumsy effort. In this case,though, the trunk was not quite vertical, and the bark was gnarled andoffered handholds. What was more, he was driven by necessity, and it isremarkable what one can do if the need is great enough.

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Trevize found himself sitting in a crotch, perhaps ten meters aboveground. For the moment he was totally unaware that he had scraped handand that it was oozing blood. At the base of the tree, five dogs now ontheir haunches, staring upward, tongues lolling, all looking patientlyexpectant.

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What now?

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37Trevize was not in a position to think about thesituation in logical detail. Rather, he experienced flashes of thought inodd and distorted sequence which, if he had eventually sorted them out,would have come to this Bliss had earlier maintained that in terraforming a planet, humanbeings would establish an unbalanced economy, which they would be able tokeep from falling apart only by unending effort. For instance, no Settlershad brought with them any of the large predators . Small ones could not behelped. Insects, parasites even small hawks , shrews, and so on.

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Those dramatic animals of legend and vague literaryaccounts tigers, grizzly bears, orcs, crocodiles? Who would carrythem from world to world even if there were sense to it? And where wouldthere be sense to it?

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It meant that human beings were the only large predators, and it wasup to them to cull those plants and animals that, left to themselves,would smother in their own overplenty.

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And if human beings somehow vanished, then other predators must taketheir place. But what predators? The most sizable predators toleratedby human beings were dogs and cats, tamed and living on human bounty .

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What if no human beings remained to feed them? They must thenfind their own food for their survival and, in all truth, forthe survival of those they preyed on, whose numbers had to be kept incheck lest overpopulation do a hundred times the damage that predationswould do.

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So dogs would multiply, in their variations, with the large onesattacking the large, untended herbivores; the smaller ones preying onbirds and rodents . Cats would prey by night as dogs did by day; theformer singly, the latter in packs.

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And perhaps evolution would eventually produce more varieties, tofill additional environmental niches . Would some dogs eventually developsea-going characteristics to enable them to live on fish; and would somecats develop gliding abilities to hunt the clumsier birds in the air aswell as on the ground?

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In flashes, all this came to Trevize while he struggled with moresystematic thought to tell him what he might do.

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The number of dogs kept growing. He counted twenty-three nowsurrounding the tree and there were others approaching. How large wasthe pack? What did it matter? It was large enough already.

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He withdrew his blaster from its holster, but the solid feel of thebutt in his hand did not give him the sense of security he would haveliked. When had he last inserted an energy unit into it and how manycharges could he fire? Surely not twenty-three.

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What about Pelorat and Bliss? If they emerged, would the dogs turnon them? Were they safe even if they did not emerge? If the dogs sensedthe presence of two human beings inside the ruins, what could stop themfrom attacking them there? Surely there would be no doors or barriersto hold them off.

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Could Bliss stop them, and even drive them away? Could she concentrateher powers through hyperspace to the desired pitch of intensity ? Forhow long could she maintain them?

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Should he call for help then? Would they come running if he yelled,and would the dogs flee under Bliss’s glare? (Would it take a glare orwas it simply a mental action undetectable to onlookers without theability?) Or, if they appeared, would they then be torn apart underthe eyes of Trevize, who would be forced to watch, helplessly, from therelative safety of his post in the tree?

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No, he would have to use his blaster. If he could kill one dog andfrighten them off for just a while, he could scramble down the tree,yell for Pelorat and Bliss, kill a second dog if they showed signs ofreturning, and all three could then hustle into the ship.

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He adjusted the intensity of the microwave beam to the three-quartermark. That should be ample to kill a dog with a loud report. The reportwould serve to frighten the dogs away, and he would be conservingenergy.

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He aimed carefully at a dog in the middle of the pack, one who seemed(in Trevize’s own imagination, at least) to exude a greater malignancythan the rest perhaps only because he sat more quietly and,therefore, seemed more cold-bloodedly intent on his prey. The dog wasstaring directly at the weapon now, as though it scorned the worstTrevize could do.

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It occurred to Trevize that he had never himself fired a blasterat a human being, or seen anyone else do it. There had been firing atwater-filled dummies of leather and plastic during training; with thewater almost instantaneously heated to the boiling point, and shreddingthe covering as it exploded.

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But who, in the absence of war, would fire at a human being? Andwhat human being would withstand a blaster and force its use? Only here,on world made pathological by the disappearance of human beings With that odd ability of the brain to note something utterly besidethe point, Trevize was aware of the fact that a cloud had hidden thesun-and then he fired.

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There was an odd shimmer of the atmosphere on a straight line fromthe muzzle of the blaster to the dog; a vague sparkle that might havegone unnoticed if the sun were still shining unhindered.

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The dog must have felt the initial surge of heat, and made thesmallest motion as though it were about to leap. And then it exploded,as a portion its blood and cellular contents vaporized.

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The explosion made a disappointingly small noise, for the dog’sintegument was simply not as tough as that of the dummies they hadpracticed on. Flesh, skin, blood, and bone were scattered , however,and Trevize felt his stomach heave.

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The dogs started back, some having been bombarded with uncomfortablywarm fragments. That was only a momentary hesitation , however. Theycrowded against each other suddenly, in order to eat what had beenprovided. Trevize felt his sickness increase. He was not frighteningthem; he was feeding them. At that rate, they would never leave. In fact,the smell of fresh blood and warm meat would attract still more dogs,and perhaps other smaller predators as well.

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A voice called out, "Trevize. What "Trevize looked outward. Bliss and Pelorat had emerged from theruins. Bliss had stopped short, her arms thrown out to keep Peloratback. She stared at the dogs. The situation was obvious and clear. Shehad to ask nothing.

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Trevize shouted, "I tried to drive them off without involving youand Janov. Can you hold them off?""Barely," said Bliss, not shouting, so that Trevize had troublehearing her even though the dogs’ snarling had quieted as though asoothing soundabsorbent blanket had been thrown over them.

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Bliss said, "There are too many of them, and I am not familiar withtheir pattern of neuronic activity. We have no such savage things onGaia.""Or on Terminus. Or on any civilized world," shouted Trevize. "I’llshoot as many of them as I can and you try to handle the rest. A smallernumber will give you less trouble.""No, Trevize. Shooting them will just attract others. Staybehind me, Pel. There’s no way you can protect me. Trevize, yourother weapon.""The neuronic whip?""Yes. That produces pain. Low power. Low power!""Are you afraid of hurting them?" called out Trevize in anger. "Isthis a time to consider the sacredness of life?""I’m considering Pel’s. Also mine. Do as I say. Low power, and shootat one of the dogs. I can’t hold them much longer."The dogs had drifted away from the tree and had surrounded Bliss andPelorat, who stood with their backs to a crumbling wall. The dogs nearestthe two made hesitant attempts to come closer still, whining a bit asthough trying to puzzle out what it was that held them off when theycould sense nothing that would do it. Some tried uselessly to scrambleup the wall and attack from behind.

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Trevize’s hand was trembling as he adjusted the neuronic whip to lowpower. The neuronic whip used much less energy than the blaster did,and a single power-cartridge could produce hundreds of whip-like strokesbut, come to think of it, he didn’t remember when he had last chargedthis weapon, either.

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It was not so important to aim the whip. Since conserving energy wasnot as critical, he could use it in a sweep across the mass of dogs. Thatwas the traditional method of controlling crowds that showed signs ofturning dangerous.

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However, he followed Bliss’s suggestion. He aimed at one dogand fired. The dog fell over, its legs twitching . It emitted loud,high-pitched squeals .

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The other dogs backed away from the stricken beast, ears flatteningbackward against their heads. Then, squealing in their turn, they turnedand left, at first slowly, then more rapidly, and finally, at a fullrace. The dog who had been hit, scrambled painfully to its legs, andlimped away whimpering, much the last of them.

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The noise vanished in the distance, and Bliss said, "We had betterget into the ship. They will come back. Or others will."Trevize thought that never before had he manipulated the ship’s entrymechanism so rapidly. And it was possible he might never do so again.

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38Night had fallen before Trevize felt somethingapproaching the normal. The small patch of syntho-skin on the scrape onhis hand had soothed the physical pain, but there was a scrape on hispsyche for which soothing was not so easy.

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It was not the mere exposure to danger. He could react to that as wellas any ordinarily brave person might. It was the totally unlooked-fordirection from which the danger had come. It was the feeling of theridiculous. How would it look if people were to find out he had beentreed by snarling dogs ? It would scarcely be worse if hehad been put to flight by the whirring of angry canaries.

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For hours, he kept listening for a new attack on the part of thedogs, for ths, sound of howls, for the scratch of claws against theouter hull .

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Pelorat, by comparison, seemed quite cool. "There was no question inmy mind, old chap, that Bliss would handle it, but I must say you firedthe weapon well."Trevize shrugged . He was in no mood to discuss the matter.

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Pelorat was holding his library the one compact disc on whichhis lifetime of research into myths and legends were stored andwith it he retreated into his bedroom where he kept his small reader.

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He seemed quite pleased with himself. Trevize noticed that but didn’tfollow it up. Time for that later when his mind wasn’t quite as takenup with dogs.

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Bliss said, rather tentatively, when the two were alone, "I presumeyou were taken by surprise.""Quite," said Trevize gloomily. "Who would think that at the sightof a dog a dog  I should run for my life.""Twenty thousand years without men and it would not be quite a dog.

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Those beasts must now be the dominant large predators."Trevize nodded. "I figured that out while I was sitting on thetree branch being a dominated prey. You were certainly right about anunbalanced ecology.""Unbalanced, certainly, from the human standpoint but consideringhow efficiently the dogs seem to be going about their business, I wonderif Pel may be right in his suggestion that the ecology could balanceitself, with various environmental niches being filled by evolvingvariations of the relatively few species that were once brought tothe world.""Oddly enough," said Trevize, "the same thought occurred to me.""Provided, of course, the unbalance is not so great that the processof righting itself takes too long. The planet might become completelynonviable before that."Trevize grunted .

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Bliss looked at him thoughtfully, "How is it that you thought ofarming yourself?"Trevize said, "It did me little good. It was your ability ""Not entirely . I needed your weapon. At short notice, with onlyhyperspatial contact with the rest of Gaia, with so many individualminds of so unfamiliar a nature, I could have done nothing without yourneuronic whip.""My blaster was useless. I tried that.""With a blaster, Trevize, a dog merely disappears. The rest may besurprised, but not frightened.""Worse than that," said Trevize. "They ate the remnants. I was bribingthem to stay.""Yes, I see that might be the effect. The neuronic whip isdifferent. It inflicts pain, and a dog in pain emits cries of a kind thatare well understood by other dogs who, by conditioned reflex, if nothingelse, begin to feel frightened themselves. With the dogs already disposedtoward fright, I merely nudged their minds, and off they went.""Yes, but you realized the whip was the more deadly of the two inthis case. I did not.""I am accustomed to dealing with minds. You are not. That’s why Iinsisted on low power and aiming at one dog. I did not want so much painthat it killed a dog and left him silent. I did not want the pain sodispersed as to cause mere whimpering. I wanted strong pain concentratedat one point.""And you got it, Bliss," said Trevize. "It worked perfectly . I oweyou considerable gratitude .""You begrudge that," said Bliss thoughtfully, "because it seems to youthat you played a ridiculous role. And yet, I repeat, I could have donenothing without your weapons. What puzzles me is how you can explainyour arming yourself in the face of my assurance that there were nohuman beings on this world, something I am still certain is a fact. Didyou foresee the dogs?""No," said Trevize. "I certainly didn’t. Not consciously, at least. AndI don’t

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habitually go armed, either. It never even occurred to me to puton weapons at Comporellon. But I can’t allow myself to trip intothe trap of feeling it was magic, either. It couldn’t have been. I suspectthat once we began talking about unbalanced ecologies earlier, I somehowhad an unconscious glimpse of animals grown dangerous in the absence ofhuman beings. That is clear enough in hindsight, but I might have had a whiff of it in foresight

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. Nothing more than that."Bliss said, "Don’t dismiss it that casually

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. I participated in thesame conversation concerning unbalanced ecologies and I didn’t havethat same foresight. It is that special trick of foresight in you thatGaia values. I can see, too, that it must be irritating to you to havea hidden foresight the nature of which you cannot detect; to act withdecision, but without clear reason.""The usual expression on Terminus is `to act on a hunch

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.’""On Gaia we say, `to know without thought.’ You don’t like knowingwithout thought, do you?""It bothers me, yes. I don’t like being driven by hunches

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. I assumehunch has reason behind it, but not knowing the reason makes me feelI’m not in control of my own mind a kind of mild madness.""And when you decided in favor of Gaia and Galaxia, you were actingon s hunch, and now you seek the reason.""I have said so at least a dozen times.""And I have refused to accept your statement as literal truth. Forthat I am sorry. I will oppose you in this no longer. I hope, though,that I may continue to point out items in Gaia’s favor.""Always," said Trevize, "if you, in turn, recognize that I may notaccept them.""Does it occur to you, then, that this Unknown World is reverting to akind of savagery , and perhaps to eventual desolation and uninhabitability,because of the removal of a single species that is capable of acting asa guiding intelligence? If the world were Gaia, or better yet, a part ofGalaxia, this could not happen. The guiding intelligence would still existin the form of the Galaxy

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as a whole, and ecology, whenever unbalanced,and for whatever reason, would move toward balance again.""Does that mean that dogs would no longer eat?""Of course they would eat, just as human beings do. They would however,with purpose, in order to balance the ecology under deliberate direction,and not as a result of random circumstance."Trevize said, "The loss of individual freedom might not matter to dogs,but it must matter to human beings. And what if all human beings were removed from existence, everywhere, and not merelyon one world or on several? What if Galaxia were left without humanbeings at all? Would there still be a guiding intelligence? Would allother life forms and inanimate matter be able to put together a commonintelligence adequate for the purpose?"Bliss hesitated. "Such a situation," she said, "has never beenexperienced. Nor does there seem any likelihood that it will ever beexperienced in the future."Trevize said, "Hut doesn’t it seem obvious to you, that the humanmind is qualitatively different from everything else, and that if itwere absent, the sum total of all other consciousness could not replaceit. Would it not be true, then, that human beings are a special case andmust be treated as such? They should not be fused even with one another,let alone with nonhuman objects.""Yet you decided in favor of Galaxia.""For an overriding reason I cannot make out.""Perhaps that overriding reason was a glimpse of the effect ofunbalanced ecologies? Might it not have been your reasoning that everyworld in the Galaxy is on a knife-edge, with instability on either side,and that only Galaxia could prevent such disasters as are taking placeon this world to say nothing of the continuing interhuman disastersof war and administrative failure.""No. Unbalanced ecologies were not in my mind at the time of mydecision.""How can you be sure?""I may not know what it is I’m foreseeing, but if something issuggested afterward , I would recognize it if that were indeed what Iforesaw. As it seems to me I may have foreseen dangerous animalson this world.""Well," said Bliss soberly, "we might have been dead as a resultof those dangerous animals if it had not been for a combination ofour powers, your foresight and my mentalism. Come, then, let us befriends."Trevize nodded. "If you wish."There was a chill in his voice that caused Bliss’s eyebrows

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to rise,but at this point Pelorat burst in, nodding his head as though preparedto shake it off its foundations.

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"I think," he said, "we have it."39Trevize did not, in general, believe in easy victories,and yet it was only human to fall into belief against one’s betterjudgment. He felt the muscles in his chest and throat tighten , but managedto say, "The location of Earth? Have you discovered that, Janov?"Pelorat stared at Trevize for a moment, and deflated

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. "Well, no,"he said, visibly abashed

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. "Not quite that. Actually, Golan, notthat aaaall. I had forgotten about that. It was something else that Idiscovered in the ruins. I suppose it’s not really important."Trevize managed a long breath and said, "Never mind, Janov. Everyfinding is important. What was it you came in to say?""Well," said Pelorat, "it’s just that almost nothing survived,you understand. Twenty thousand years of storm and wind don’t leavemuch. What’s more, plant life is gradually destructive and animallife But never mindaall that. The point is that `almost nothing’

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is not the same as `nothing.’

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"The ruins must have included a public building, for there was somefallen stone, or concrete, with incised lettering upon it. There washardly anything visible, you understand, old chap, but I took photographswith one of those cameras we have on board ship, the kind with built-incomputer enhancement I never got round to asking permission totake one, Golan, but it was important, and I "Trevize waved his hand in impatient dismissal. "Go on!""I could make out some of the lettering, which was very archaic

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. Evenwith computer enhancement and with my own fair skill at reading Archaic,it was impossible to make out much except for one short phrase. Theletters there were larger and a bit clearer than the rest. They may havebeen incised more deeply because they identified the world itself. Thephrase reads, `Planet Aurora ,’ so I imagine this world we rest upon isnamed Aurora, or was named Aurora.""It had to be named something," said Trevize.

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"Yes, but names are very rarely chosen at random. I made a carefulsearch of my library just now and there are two old legends, from twowidely spaced worlds, as it happens, so that one can reasonably supposethem to be of independent origin, if one remembers that. But nevermind that. In both legends, Aurora is used as a name for the dawn. Wecan suppose that Aurora may have actually meant dawn insome pre-Galactic language.

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"As it happens, some word for dawn or daybreak is often used as aname for space stations or other structures that are the first built oftheir kind. If this world is called Dawn in whatever language, it maybe the first of its kind, too."Trevize said, "Are you getting ready to suggest that this planet isEarth and that Aurora is an alternate name for it because it representsthe dawn of life and of man?"Pelorat said, "I couldn’t go that far, Golan."Trevize said, with a trace of bitterness, "There is, after all,no radioactive surface, no giant satellite, no gas giant with hugerings.""Exactly. But Deniador, back on Comporellon, seemed to think thiswas one of the worlds that was once inhabited by the first wave ofSettlers the Spacers. If it were, then its name, Aurora, mightindicate it to have been the first of those Spacer worlds. We might,at this very moment, be resting on the oldest human world in the Galaxyexcept for Earth itself. Isn’t that exciting?""Interesting, at any rate, Janov, but isn’t that a great deal toinfer merely from the name, Aurora?""There’s more," said Pelorat excitedly. "As far as I could checkin my records there is no world in the Galaxy today with the name of`Aurora,’ and I’m sure your computer will verify that. As I said, thereare all sorts of world and other objects named `Dawn’ in various ways,but no one uses the actual word `Aurora.’""Why should they? If it’s a pre-Galactic word, it wouldn’t be likelyto be popular.""But names do remain, even when they’re meaningless. Ifthis were the first settled world, it would be famous; it might even,for a while, have been the dominant world of the Galaxy. Surely, therewould be other worlds calling themselves `New Aurora,’ or `Aurora Minor,’

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or something like that. And then others "Trevize broke in. "Perhaps it wasn’t the first settled world. Perhapsit was never of any importance.""There’s a better reason in my opinion, my dear chap.""What would that be, Janov?""If the first wave of settlements was overtaken by a second waveto which all the worlds of the Galaxy now belong as Deniadorsaid then there is very likely to have been a period of hostilitybetween the two waves. The second wave making up the worlds thatnow exist would not use the names given to any of the worlds ofthe first wave. In that way, we can infer from the fact that the name`Aurora’ has never been repeated that there were two waves of Settlers,and that this is a world of the first wave."Trevize smiled. "I’m getting a glimpse of how you mythologists work,Janov. You build a beautiful superstructure, but it may be standingon air. The legends tell us that the Settlers of the first wave wereaccompanied by numerous robots, and that these were supposed to be theirundoing. Now if we could find a robot on this world, I’d be willingto accept all this first-wave supposition, but we can’t expect aftertwenty thou "Pelorat, whose mouth had been working, managed to find his voice. "But,Golan, haven’t I told you? No, of course, I haven’t. I’m soexcited I can’t put things in the right order. There was a robot."40Trevize rubbed his forehead, almost as though he werein pain. He said, "A robot? There was a robot?""Yes," said Pelorat, nodding his head emphatically.

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"How do you know?""Why, it was a robot. How could I fail to know one if I see one?""Have you ever seen a robot before?""No, but it was a metal object that looked like a human being. Head,arms, legs, torso. Of course, when I say metal, it was mostly rust , andwhen I walked toward it, I suppose the vibration of my tread damaged itfurther, so that when I reached to touch it ""Why should you touch it?""Well, I suppose I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. It was an automaticresponse. As soon as I touched it, it crumbled

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. But ""Yes?""Before it quite did, its eyes seemed to glow very faintly and itmade a sound as though it were trying to say something.""You mean it was still functioning ?""Just barely, Golan. Then it collapsed

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."Trevize turned to Bliss. "Do you corroborate all this, Bliss?""It was a robot, and we saw it," said Bliss.

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"And was it still functioning?"Bliss said tonelessly, "As it crumbled, I caught a faint sense ofneuronic activity.""How can there have been neuronic activity? A robot doesn’t have anorganic brain built of cells.""It has the computerized equivalent, I imagine," said Bliss, "and Iwould detect that.""Did you detect a robotic rather than a human mentality

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?"Bliss pursed her lips and said, "It was too feeble to decide anythingabout it except that it was there."Trevize looked at Bliss, then at Pelorat, and said, in a tone ofexasperation, "This changes everything."

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