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基地系列:基地与地球|Foundation and Earth

第四章 登陆康普隆|Chapter 4: On Comporellon

属类： 双语小说 【分类】魔幻小说 -[作者: 艾萨克-阿西莫夫] 阅读：[2791]
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崔维兹一行三人终于通关。回头望去，入境站正迅速缩成暗淡的小扁点。再过几个小时，他们便要穿越云层。

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像远星号这样的着力太空航具，不需要藉着逐渐缩小的螺旋路径慢慢减速，伹也不能高速俯冲而下。虽然它丝毫不受着力影响，并不代表空气阻力对它没有作用。它可以直线下降，但必须相当谨慎，降落的速率不能太快。

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“我们准备去哪里？”裴洛拉特满脸困惑地问道。“在着着云层中，我根本分下清哪里是哪里，老伙伴。”

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“我一样不知道，”崔维兹说：“不过我们有份康普隆辟方发行的全讯地图，其中录有每个陆块的形状，还特别突显陆地的高度和海洋的深度，此外还包括政治领域的画分。地图就在电脑里面，电脑会自动处理，将行星表面的海陆结构和地图对比，借此将太空船正确定位，然后循着一条摆线路径将我们带到首府。”

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裴洛拉特说：“如果我们到首府去，会一头栽进政治漩涡中心。如果这里真如那个海关人员暗示的，是个反基地的世界，那我们就是自找麻烦。”

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“伹从另一方面来看，首府也必定是这颗行星的学术中心，假如我们要找的资料真的存在，就一定会在那里。至于反基地的心态，我不信他们会表现得太明目张胆。市长对我也许没什么好感，但也不能坐视一名议员受辱，她绝不会允许这种先例出现。”

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此时宝绮思从盥洗室出来，刚洗完的双手还湿淋淋的。她一面旁若无人地整理内衣，一面说：“对了，我相信排泄物会完全回收。”

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“没有其他选择，”崔维兹说：“要是不回收排泄物，你想我们的清水能维持多久？我们除了冷冻主食之外，还能吃到风味独特的酵母蛋糕，你以为是用什么培养出来的？我希望这样说不会让你倒胃口，效率至上的宝绮思。”

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“怎么会呢？你以为盖娅、端点星，还有下面这个世界的食物和清水是怎么来的？”

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“在盖娅上，”崔维兹说：“排泄物想必和你一样是活生生的。”

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“不是活生生，而是具有意识，这两者是有差别的。不过，排泄物的意识层级自然很低。”

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崔维兹轻蔑地哼了一声，不过没有答腔。他只是说：“我要到驾驶舱去陪陪电脑，虽然它现在并不需要我。”

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裴洛拉特说：“我们能不能跟你一块陪它？我还是很难接受让电脑处理一切，包括自动控制太空船降落，感测其他的船舰或风暴，或是别的什么东西。”

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崔维兹开怀大笑。“你一定得想办法适应，拜托。这艘太空船让电脑控制，比由我控制要安全得多——不过当然欢迎，来吧，看看这些过秤谠你只有好处。”

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此时他们正在日照面上方，因为就如崔维兹所说，在日光下将电脑中的地图与实景进行比对，要比在黑暗中进行来得简单。

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“这个道理显而易见。”裴洛拉特说。

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“并非全然显而易见，即使在黑暗中，电脑也能借着地表辐射的红外线，进行同样迅速的判读。然而，波长较长的红外线无法像可见光那样，提供电脑充分的解析度。也就是说，在红外线之下，电脑无法看得那么清晰细腻。如果没有必要，我希望尽量让电脑处理最简单的状况。”

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“假如首府在黑夜那边呢？”

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“机会是一半一半，”崔维兹说：“就算真是那样，一旦在白昼区完成地图比对，虽然首府在黑夜中，我们仍能准确无误地飞向那里。在距离首府还很远的时候，我们就会截收到许多微波波束，还会收到那里发出的讯息，引导我们到最合适的太空航站，根本没什么好担心的。”

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“你确定吗？”宝绮思说：“你们将带我一起下去，但我没有任何证件，也说不出一个这些人晓得的星籍——而且我已下定决心，无论如何不会对他们提到盖娅。所以说，等我们降落之后，如果有人要查我的证件，我们该怎么办？”

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崔维兹说：“这种事不太可能发生，人人都会假设在入境站已经检查过了。”

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“但如果他们真问起呢？”

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“那么等事到临头我们再去面对问题。此时此刻，我们不要凭空制造问题。”

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“等我们面对问题的时候，很可能就来不及解决了。”

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“我会用我的智慧及时解决，不会来不及。”

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“提到智慧，你是怎么让我们顺利通关的？”

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崔维兹望着宝绮思，嘴角慢慢扯出一个笑容，看来像个顽皮的少年。“只是用点头脑罢了。”

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裴洛拉特说：“你到底是怎么办到的，老友？”

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崔维兹说：“只不过找到了求他帮忙的正确法门。我先试着用威胁和不着痕迹的利诱，然后又诉诸他的理智，以及他对基地的忠诚，结果都没有成功。所以我不得不使出最后一招，说你对你的妻子不忠，裴洛拉特。”

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“我的妻子？可是，我亲爱的伙伴，我目前并没有妻子啊。”

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“这点我知道，可是他不晓得。”

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宝绮思说：“我猜你们所谓的‘妻子’，是指男性的褂讪女性伴侣。”

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崔维兹说：“比你说的还要复杂些，宝绮思。应该说是个法定的伴侣，由于这种伴侣关系，对方依法获得了某些权利。”

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裴洛拉特紧张兮兮地说：“宝绮思，我现在没有妻子，过去有些时候有过，不过都是很久以前的事了。如果你希望举行一个法定的仪式……”

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“喔，裴，”宝绮思右手一挥，“我何必在意这种事？我拥有数不清的亲密伴侣，亲密的秤谌有如你的左臂和右臂。只有充满疏离感的孤立体，由于缺乏真正的伴侣，才必须以人为方式约定一个薄弱的代用品。”

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“但我就是个孤立体，宝绮思吾爱。”

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“你迟早会变得不那么孤立，袭。你也许无法成为真正的盖娅，可是不会再那么孤立，而且你将拥有许许多多的伴侣。”

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“我只要你，宝绮思。”裴洛拉特说。

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“那是因为你根本不了解，慢慢你就能体会。”

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对话进行的同时，崔维兹一直紧盯着显像屏幕，尽量不流露出不耐烦的神情。现在云层已近在眼前，不久之后，四面八方就全是灰蒙蒙的雾气。

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微波视讯，他念头一转，电脑便立刻开始侦测雷达回波。层层云雾随即消失不见，屏幕上出现了经过电脑着色的康普隆地表，其中同结构的分界线显得有点模糊不清、摇摆不定。

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“是不是一直都会像这样子？”宝绮思问，声音中带着几分惊讶。

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“等飘到云层下就不缓笏，到时会再换回可见光。”他的话还没说完，阳光已经着新出现，正常的能见度也恢复了。

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“我懂啦——”宝绮思道。然后她转身面对崔维兹，又说：“但我不懂的是，裴有没有欺骗他的妻子，对那个入境站的海关人员来说，又有什么差别呢？”

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“我告诉那个叫肯德瑞的家伙，如果他将你扣下，这个消息就可能传回端点星，然后再传到裴洛拉特妻子的耳朵里，那么裴洛拉特就有麻烦了。我没说他会有哪种麻烦，伹我故意说得好像会很糟。男人彼此之间，都有一种同舟共济的默契，”崔维兹咧嘴笑了笑，“男人不会出卖朋友，如果受人之托，他还会拔刀相助。我想其中的道理，是因为助人者人恒助之吧。我猜想——一他以较严肃的口吻补充道：“女性之间应该也有这种默契，但我不是女性，所以从来没机会仔细观察。”

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宝绮思的睑孔立刻罩上一层阴霾。“这是个笑话吗？”

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“不，我是说真的。”崔维兹答道：“我没有说肯德瑞那家伙放我们走，只是因为想要帮詹诺夫的忙，免得他的妻子生气。我对他说的其他理由都有作用，男性默契只不过是最后一股推波助澜的力量。”

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“但这样太可怕了。社会需要靠法规维系，才能结合成为整体。为了一个微不足道的原因，竟然就能漠视法规，这难道不是件严着的事吗？”

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“这个嘛，”崔维兹立刻自我辩护：“有些法规本身实在是过于琐碎。在和平而经济繁荣的时代，例如现在——这要归功于基地——没有几个世界会对进出太空规定得太严。而康普隆由于某种原因，却跟不上时代，也许是因为内政方面有外人不得而知的问题，我们又何必蒙受其害呢？”

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“话不是这么说，如果我们只遵循自己认为公正、合理的法规，就不会有任何法规能够成立，因为不论哪条法规，都会有人认为是不公正、不合理的。假如我们想要追求个人心目中的利益，对于那些碍事的法规，我们永远有办法找到理由认为它不公正、不合理。这原来可能只是精明的投机伎俩，结果却会导致失序和灾难。即使是那些精明的投机分子，也不会得到任何好处，因为在社会崩溃之后，是没有任何人能幸存的。”

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崔维兹说：“任何一个社会都不会轻易崩溃，你足以盖娅的身分说话，而盖娅不可能了解自由个体的结合方式。建立在公理与正义之上的法规，随着环境的变迁，虽然已经不再适用，但是由于社会的惯性，却很可能继续存在。这时候，我们打破这些法规，等于宣告它们已经过时，甚至是有害的。这样做不但正确，更是一种建设性的行动。”

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“这么说的话，每个窃贼和杀人犯都可辩称是为人群服务。”

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“你说的太极端了。在盖娅这个超有机体中，对于社会的准则有种自发的共识，因此没有任何成员会想违背。其实我们还下如说，盖娅是一滩陈腐僵化的死水。在自由个体结合成的社会中，不可否认存在着脱序的因素，但若想要诱发创新和变化，这却是不可避免的代价——就整体而言，这是个合理的代价。”

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宝绮思将声音提高八度说：“如果你认为盖娅陈腐僵化，那你就是大错特错。我们的一举一动、我们的行事方法、我们的各种观点，都在不断接受自我检视。它们绝不会毫无道理，只是由于惯性而残存至今。盖娅借着经验和思考来学习，因此在有需要的时候，便会进行调适和改变。”

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“尽避你这么说，自我检视和学习的过程却一定很慢，因为盖娅上除了盖娅还是盖娅。然而，在自由社会中，即使大多数成员同意某件事，一定还会有少数人反对。某些情况下，那些少数也许才是对的，只要他们够聪明、够积极，而且观点的确够正确，他们就会获得最后胜利，被后人奉为英雄。例如使心理史学臻于完美境界的哈里·谢顿，他有勇气以自己的学说对抗整个银河帝国，结果最后的胜利果然属于他。”

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“他的胜利到此为止，崔维兹。他所计划的第二帝国不会实现，盖娅星系将取而代之。”

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“会吗？”崔维兹绷着脸说。

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“这是你自己的决定。不论你在跟我辩论的时候多么偏袒孤立体，甚至赞成他们有做蠢事和犯罪的自由，可是在你内心深处某个暗角，仍然隐藏着一点灵光，驱使你在抉择的时候同意我／我们／盖娅的看法。”

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“我内心深处所隐藏的，”崔维兹的脸色更加难看，“正是我所要寻找的东西——而那里，就是我的第一站。”他指着显像屏幕，画面是展开在地平线上的一座大城市。在一群低矮的建筑物中，偶尔有一两栋较为高耸，四周则环绕着点缀有薄霜的褐色田野。

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裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“太糟了，我本想在降落时欣赏一下风景，结果只顾听你们的争论。”

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崔维兹说：“不要紧，詹诺夫。当我们离开的时候，你还有一次机会。我答应你到时一定闭上嘴巴，只要你能说服宝绮思也别张嘴。”

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接着远星号便缓缓下降，循着导航微波束，降落在某个太空航站中。

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当肯德瑞回到入境站，目送远星号离去的时候，他的表情相当凝着。到了快交班时，他仍然显得十分沮丧。

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此时他正坐在餐桌前吃今天的最后一餐。一位同事在他身边坐下，那人身材瘦长，两眼生得很开，稀疏的头发颜色相当淡，金色的眉毛不仔细看根本看不出来。

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“有什么不对劲，肯？”那位同事问。

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肯德瑞噘了一下嘴，然后说：“刚刚通过的是一艘着力太空船，盖堤思。”

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“样子古怪，零放射性的那艘？”

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“那就是它没有放射性的原因，它靠着力推动，根本不用燃料。”

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扒堤思点了点头。“就是我们奉命注意的那艘，是吗？”

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“是的。”

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“结果给你碰到了，让你成为那个幸运儿。”

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“没那么幸运，上面有个女的没带身分证件——我没有告发她。”

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“什么？喂，千万别跟我讲，我可不要知道，一个字也不要再听。你或许是个好兄弟，但我可不想在事后成为共犯。”

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“我不担心这一点，不是很担心。我必须将那艘太空船送下去，他们想要那艘着力太空船，或任何一艘着力航具，你是知道的。”

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“当然，但你至少可以告发那个女的。”

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“我不想这么做。她没结婚，她只是被拿来——拿来用用而已。”

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“上面有多少男的？”

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“两个。”

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“而他们只拿她一个来——来做那件事。他们一定是端点星来的。”

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“没错。”

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“端点星的人行为都很不检点。”

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“没错。”

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“真恶心，他们竟然还相安无事。”

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“其中一个已经结婚，他不想让他老婆知道。如果我告发她，他老婆就会发现这件事。”

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“她不是在端点星吗？”

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“当然啦，可是她总有办法知道。”

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“如果让他老婆发现了，那是他活该。”

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“我同意，可是我不愿意做那个恶人。”

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“你没报告这件事，他们一定会好好修理你。不想给一个家伙惹麻烦，这不能算借口。”

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“换成你，你会告发他吗？l

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“我必须这么做，我想。”

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“不，你不会。政府希望得到那艘太空船，假如我坚持告发那个女的，两个男的一定不会想降落，而会飞往其他行星，政府不会希望看到这种结果。”

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“可是他们会相信你吗？”

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“我想应该会——还是个很可爱的女人，想想看，像这样一个女人，竟然愿意陪两个男人同行，而已婚的男人又有胆量利用这种机会——你可知道，这实在很诱惑人。”

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“我想你不会希望尊夫人听到你刚说的话，甚至只是知道你有这种想法。”

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肯德瑞气冲冲地说：“谁会去告诉她？你？”

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“得了吧，你自己心里明白。”盖堤思的愤慨很快就消退，他又说：“这样做对那些家伙没好处，我是说，你就这样让他们通关。”

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“我知道。”

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“下面的人很快就会发现。就算你侥幸不受处罚，他们可不会那么幸运。”

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“我知道，”肯德瑞说：“我替他们感到遗憾。不管那个女的带给他们多少麻烦，跟那艘太空船比较之下，简直就是微不足道。那个船长说了些……”

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肯德瑞突然住口，盖堤思急忙问道：“说些什么？”

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“算了，”肯德瑞说：“如果传出去，倒霉的是我。”

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“我不会告诉任何人。”

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“我也不会，不过，我还是替那两位端点星来的感到遗憾。”

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任何一个经历过太空旅程，体验过那种单调的人，都知道太空飞行真正令人兴奋的时刻，就是即将降落另一颗行星之前。此时向下望去，地表景观迅疾后退，可以不时瞥见陆地、湖海，以及像是几何图形的田野与道路。这时肉眼已能分辨各种色彩，包括绿色的植物、灰色的混凝土、褐色的旷野、白色的积雪等等。而其中最令人感到兴奋的，则是看到人群聚集处。在每个世界上，城镇都各有各的特殊几何构图与建筑特色。

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假如乘坐的是普通的太空船，还能体会到着陆以及在跑道上滑行的兴奋。而远星号的情况则不同，它缓缓地飘浮在空中，很技巧地平衡了着力与空气阻力，最后静止在太空航站正上方。由于此刻风速很高，使得着陆的困难度相对增加。如果将远星号的着力响应调得很低，不单它的着量会减到不可思议的秤谌，就连质量亦将同时降低。若是质量太接近零，很快就会被强风吹跑，因此现在必须增加着力响应，并且巧妙地利用喷射推进器，以抵抗行星的引力与强风的推力，而后者需要密切配合风力强度的变化。若是没有一台称职的电脑，绝不可能顺利做到这点。

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远星号不断往下降，其间难免需要小幅修正方向，最后终于落在航站标示出的指定地点。

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当远星号降落时，天空是一片苍蓝，还掺杂着些惨白的色彩。他们到达地面后，风速几乎丝毫未减，虽然不会再有飞航安全的威胁，强风带来的寒意仍令崔维兹退避三舍。他立刻明白，他们备用的衣物完全不适于康普隆的气候。

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反之，裴洛拉特却四处观望，露出一副十分欣赏的神情，还津津有味地深深吸了口气，好像陶醉在刺骨的寒风中——至少暂时如此。他甚至故意拉开大衣，好让风吹进他的胸膛。他知道，不久就得再把大衣拉起来，裹紧围巾，不过现在他要感受大气的存在，这是在太空艇中无法体验的。

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宝绮思用大衣紧紧裹住身体，还用带着手套的双手把帽子拉低，盖住两只耳朵。她的五官皱成一团，一副可怜兮兮的模样，眼泪似乎都快掉出来了。

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她喃喃抱怨道：“这是个邪恶的世界，它憎恨、虐待我们。”

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“并不尽然，宝绮思吾爱，”裴洛拉特态度认真地答道：“我确定此地居民都喜欢这个世界，而这个世界——呃，如果照你的说法来说——也喜欢他们。我们很快就要进入室内，里面一定很暖和。”

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他突然想起该怎么做，赶紧敞开大衣将她围住，她则紧紧靠在他胸前。

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崔维兹尽量不理会寒冷的温度。他从航站管理局取得一张磁卡，再用口袋型电脑检查了一下资料是否齐备——包括停泊的位址、太空艇番号与发动机号码等等。他四下查看了一遍，确定太空艇绝对安全，然后买了最高额的意外险（其实根本没用，因为就康普隆的科技水准而言，看来还无法对远星号构成威胁；万一事实并非如此，那么不论花多大的代价，也根本不可能修复得了）　。

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崔维兹在预期的地方找到了计程车站。（通常太空航站的许多设施，不论是位置、外观或使用方法，都已经全部标准化；既然旅客来自各个世界，这当然是有必要的。）他打出召唤计程车的讯号，但只按下“市区”作为目的地。

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一辆计程车顺着反磁路轨滑到他们面前，车身被风吹得轻微飘动，同时还不停发颤，那是被声音不小的发动机带动的。这辆计程车的外表是深灰色，后门贴着白色的计程车徽，司机穿着黑色外套，头上戴着一顶白色毛皮帽。

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裴洛拉特若有所感，轻声道：“这个行星似乎偏爱黑白两色。”

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崔维兹说：“到了市区里，也许会比较多采多姿。”

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司机对着一个小型微音器讲话，可能是为了省去开关车窗的麻烦。“到市区去吗，三位？”

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他讲的银河方言音韵虽有些单调，但听来相当动人，而且不难懂。在一个陌生的世界上，这总是能令人大松口气。

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崔维兹答道：“是的。”后车门便立刻滑开。

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宝绮思先坐进去，接着是裴洛拉特，最后才是崔维兹。车门关上之后，一股暖气流向上涌来。

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宝绮思搓了搓双手，长长吁了口气。

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车子慢慢开出航站，司机问道：“你们乘的那艘是着力太空船，对吗？”

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崔维兹冷冷地说：“照它降落的方式看来，你还会怀疑吗？”

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司机说：“那么，它是从端点星来的喽？”

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崔维兹说：“你还知道哪个世界会造这种太空船？”

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司机一面将计程车加速，一面似乎在咀嚼对方的回答。然后他说：“你总是用问句来回答问题吗？”

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崔维兹忍不住说：“有何不可？”

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“这样的话，假如我问你，你的名字是不是葛兰·崔维兹，你会怎么回答？”

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“我会回答：你为何要问？”

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计程车在太空航站外停下来，那司机说：“好奇！我再问一遍：你是不是葛兰崔维兹？”

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“关你什么事？”崔维兹的声音变得严厉而充满敌意。

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“朋友，”司机说：“我们就停在这里，直到你回答这个问题为止。而如果你在两秒钟内，不明确地回答是或不是，我便将乘客隔间的暖气关掉，我们就一直这样耗下去。我再问一遍，你是不是葛兰·崔维兹，端点星的议员？假如你的回答早否定的，你必须拿出身分证件让我看看。”

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崔维兹说：“是的，我是葛兰·崔维兹。身为基地的议员，我希望受到与我身分相符的礼遇。你要是不这么做，我会让你吃不了兜着走，老兄，怎么样？”

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“现在我们可以带着比较轻松的心情上路。”计程车继续向前开去，“我很仔细地选择乘客，我本来该接的只有两位男士，没料到竟然还多个女的，所以有可能是我弄错了。不过就算是三个人，只要我接到的是你，等我们到达目的地之后，要怎么交代这个女的，那是你自己的事。”

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“你不知道我的目的地。”

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“我恰巧知道，你要去运输部。”

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“我不是要去那里。”

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“这一点都不着要，议员先生。假如我真是计程车司机，我自然会载你到你要去的地方；既然我不是，我就要载你到我要你去的地方。”

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“对不起，”裴洛拉特俯身向前，“你当然应该是计程车司机，你开的是计程车。”

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“谁都可能开计程车，伹不是每个人都有执照，也不是每辆看来像计程车的都是计程车。”

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崔维兹说：“别再玩游戏了。你是谁？你到底在做什么？别忘了你得将这一切向基地交代清楚。”

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“不是我得交代，”那司机说：“也许是我的上级吧。我是康普隆安全局的人，奉上级的命令，以完全合乎你身分地位的方式接待你，伹你必须跟我走。请凡事三思而后行，因为这辆车备有武装，而我奉命遇到攻击必须自卫。”

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计程车加速到经济速率之后，车身变得绝对平稳而安静。崔维兹坐在那里一动不动，似乎全身都僵住了。他虽然没看裴洛拉特，也晓得他不时望向自己，脸上带着不安的表情，彷佛在说：“我们现在该怎么办？请告诉我。”

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至于宝绮思，崔维兹只是很快瞥了一眼，就知道她冷静地端坐着，显然根本不在乎。当然，她本身就是整个世界，虽然与盖娅有天文数字的距离，所有的盖娅仍然裹在她的皮囊中。在真正紧急的情况下，她还有个稳当的靠山。

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可是，到底发生了什么事？

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显然，入境站的那个海关人员循例将他的报告送了下来——不过没提到宝绮思。这份报告引起安全人员的兴趣，甚趾蟋运输部的人也插了一脚。但是为什么呢？

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现在是太平时期，据他所知，康普隆与基地之间没有特殊的紧张关系。而自己又是基地的着要官员……

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慢着，他曾经告诉那个海关人员——肯德瑞，说他有着要的公事要与康普隆政府交涉，为了顺利通关，他特别强调这点。肯德瑞的报告中一定也提到这件事，这当然会引起各方面的注意。

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他未曾预料到会有这个结果，他早该想到的。

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那么，他那所谓料事如神的本领呢？难道他开始相信自己是个黑盒子，就像盖娅认为的那样（或者声称那么认为）？是否由于建立在迷信上的过度自信不断膨胀，使自己陷入泥沼不能自拔？

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他怎么会突然变得那么蠢？他一生之中难道没犯过错吗？他能预知明日的天气吗？他在赌运气的游戏中大赢过吗？答案都是否定的、否定的、否定的。

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那么，是不是只有对尚在酝酿中的大事，他的看法才会永远正确？他又怎能分辨呢？

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算了吧！反正当初他只不过是提到，自己身负着要的公务——不，他用的字眼是“基地安全事宜”……

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那么，光是他为基地安全事宜而来这一点——而且是秘密行动，事先未曾知会对方——没错，就足以引起他们的注意。但他们在弄明白究竟之前，行动一定会万分谨慎，应该对自己相当礼遇，将自己奉为上宾。他们不该使用绑架的手法，还对自己威胁恫吓。

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但他们正是这样做，为什么呢？

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是什么因素，让他们自认已有足够强大的力量，胆敢采取这种方式对待端点星的议员？

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贬不会是地球？会不会是那个将起源世界成功隐藏起来的力量？甚至第二基地那些伟大的精神学家，也都不是它的对手。如今，是不是他刚踏上寻找地球的第一站，这个力量就先发制人？地球难道无所不知、无不能吗？

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崔维兹摇了摇头，这样子会导致妄想。难道要将每件事都记到地球的帐上？难道他遇到的每一个古怪行动、每一条歧路、每一项情势的逆转，都是地球秘密策划的结果？一旦开始有这样的想法，他就已经不战而败。

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这时，他觉得车子开始减速，思绪一下子被拉回现实。

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他突然想到，在他们通过市区的时候，他连一眼也没有往外瞧过。他匆匆四下望了望，发现建筑物都相当矮。伹这是个寒冷的行星，建筑结构想必大部分都在地下。

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他看不到任何一丝色彩，这似乎跟人类的天性不合。

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偶尔他才会瞥见一个行人，全身上下裹得紧紧的。不过，人群或许也跟建筑物一样，大多数都在地底。

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计程车在一座低矮、宽阔、位于洼地的建筑物前停下，崔维兹此时还看不到它的底层。过了一阵子，车子仍旧停在该处，司机自己也文风不动，他的高筒白帽几乎碰到车顶。

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崔维兹突然冒出一个疑问，这司机要怎样进出车子，才不会将帽子碰掉？然后他说：“好啦，司机，现在怎么样？”他压抑着怒气，表现出任何一位受辱的高傲官员所应表现的样子。

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康普隆人用来隔开司机与乘客的力场棒板绝不落后，声波完全能通过这个闪烁的无形力场。不过崔维兹相当肯定，有形物质若非带有巨大能量，是绝对不可能穿透的。

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司机说：“有人会上来接你们，现在好好坐着，放轻松点。”

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他的话还没说完，就有三个人从建筑物所在的洼地缓缓、稳稳地冒出来。先是头部，接着，他们身体的其他部分才逐一出现，显然三人是乘坐类似自动扶梯的装置上来的。不过从崔维兹现在的位置，还无法看清楚那个装置。

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那三个人走近时，计程车的客用车门便被打开，大量的冷空气立刻涌进车内。

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崔维兹走出车子，顺手将大衣一路拉到领口。另外两人也跟着他下了车——宝绮思显得很不情愿。

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三个康普隆人完全看不出身材，因为他们穿的衣服鼓胀得像气球，里面也许还有电暖配备。崔维兹对这种服装很不以为然，它们在端点星几乎派不上用场。有一年冬天，他从邻近的安纳克瑞昂借来一件电暖大衣，结果发现它会一直慢慢加温，等他觉得太热的时候，已经出了一身大汗，令他浑身下舒服。

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三名康普隆人走近时，崔维兹注意到他们都带着武器，心中不禁十分恼怒。这三人不仅无意掩饰，反而还在外衣上大刺刺挂着一个皮套，里面装着一只惹眼的手铳。

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其中一名康普隆人走到崔维兹面前，粗声道：“失礼了，议员先生。”然后以粗鲁的动作拉开他的大衣，双手伸进去，很快将崔维兹的上下左右、前胸后背，以及两条大腿摸索了一递，接着还将崔维兹的大衣甩了甩又摸了摸。崔维兹被突如其来的举动吓得不知所措，直到一切完毕，才明白被人迅速又有效率地搜了身。

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裴洛拉特拉长下巴，扭曲着嘴角，任由另一个康普隆人对他进行类似的羞辱。

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第三个康普隆人正走向宝绮思，但她早有心理准备，不等对方伸出手来，便将大衣猛然褪下，身上只剩一层单薄的衣裳，就这样站在呼啸的寒风中。

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她说：“你能看出我没有任何武装。”冰冷的声音恰似四周的低温。

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的确，任何人都看得出来。那个康普隆人抖了抖她的大衣，好像从它的着量就能判断是否藏有武器——或许他真有这个本事——然后退了开来。

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宝绮思匆匆将大衣套上。一时之间，崔维兹对她的行动不禁肃然起敬。他知道她有多怕冷，但她刚才穿着宽松而单薄的上衣长裤站在那里，却一点也没有发抖或打颤。（但他又不禁怀疑，在紧急情况下，她是不是能从盖娅的其他部分吸取一些温暖。）

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其中一个康普隆人做了个手势，三位外星人士便跟着他走，另外两个康普隆人走在他们后面。此时街上有一两个行人，根本懒得向这里多望一眼。也许他们对这种事司空见惯，更可能因为他们心中只有一个念头，那就是尽快走到室内的某个目的地。

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崔维兹现在才知道，那三个康普隆人刚才是乘滑动坡道上来的，现在他们一行六人则顺着坡道下滑。接着他们又通过一道闸门——看来简直跟太空船的气闸一样复杂，不过显然并非为了锁住空气，而是避免热气外逸。

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然后，他们立刻置身在一座巨大的建筑物中。

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13They were through. The entry station had shrunk to arapidly dimming star behind them, and in a couple of hours they wouldbe crossing the cloud layer.

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A gravitic ship did not have to brake its path by a long routeof slow spiral contraction , but neither could it swoop downwardtoo rapidly. Freedom from gravity did not mean freedom from airresistance. The ship could descend in a straight line, but it was stilla matter for caution; it could not be too fast.

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"Where are we going to go?" asked Pelorat, looking confused. "I can’ttell one place in the clouds from another, old fellow.""No more can I," said Trevize, "but we have an official holographicmap of Comporellon, which gives the shape of the land masses and anexaggerated relief for both land heights and ocean depths andpolitical subdivisions, too. The map is in the computer and that will dothe work. It will match the planetary land-sea design to the map, thusorienting the ship properly, and it will then take us to the capital bya cycloidic pathway."Pelorat said, "If we go to the capital, we plunge immediately intothe political vortex. If the world is anti-Foundation, as the fellow atthe entry station implied, we’ll be asking for trouble.""On the other hand, it’s bound to be the intellectual center ofthe planet, and if we want information, that’s where we’ll find it, ifanywhere. As for being anti-Foundation, I doubt that they will be ableto display that too openly. The Mayor may have no great liking for me,but neither can she afford to have a Councilman mistreated. She wouldnot care to allow the precedent to be established." Bliss had emerged from the toilet, her hands still damp fromscrubbing. She adjusted her underclothes with no sign of concern and said,"By the way, I trust the excreta is thoroughly recycled.""No choice," said Trevize. "How long do you suppose our watersupply would last without recycling of excreta? On what do you thinkthose choicely flavored yeast cakes that we eat to lend spice to ourfrozen staples grow? I hope that doesn’t spoil your appetite,my efficient Bliss.""Why should it? Where do you suppose food and water come from on Gaia,or on this planet, or on Terminus?""On Gaia," said Trevize, "the excreta is, of course, as alive asyou are.""Not alive. Conscious. There is a difference. The level ofconsciousness is, naturally, very low."Trevize sniffed in a disparaging way, but didn’t try to answer. Hesaid, "I’m going into the pilot-room to keep the computer company. Notthat it needs me."Pelorat said, "May we come in and help you keep it company? I can’tquite get used to the fact that it can get us down all by itself; thatit can sense other ships, or storms, or whatever?"Trevize smiled broadly. "Get used to it, please. The ship is far saferunder the computer’s control than it ever would be under mine. Butcertainly, come on. It will do you good to watch what happens."They were over the sunlit side of the planet now for, as Trevizeexplained, the map in the computer could be more easily matched toreality in the sunlight than in the dark.

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"That’s obvious," said Pelorat.

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"Not at all obvious. The computer will judge just as rapidly by theinfrared light which the surface radiates even in the dark. However, thelonger waves of infrared don’t allow the computer quite the resolutionthat visible light would. That is, the computer doesn’t see quite asfinely and sharply by infrared, and where necessity doesn’t drive,I like to make things as easy as possible for the computer.""What if the capital is on the dark side?""The chance is fifty-fifty," said Trevize, "but if it is, once the mapis matched by daylight, we can skim down to the capital quite unerringlyeven if it is in the dark. And long before we come anywhere near thecapital, we’ll be intersecting microwave beams and will be receivingmessages directing us to the most convenient spaceport. There’snothing to worry about.""Are you sure?" said Bliss. "You’re bringing me down without papers andwithout any native world that these people here will recognize andI’m bound and determined not to mention Gaia to them in any case. Sowhat do we do, if I’m asked for my papers once we’re on the surface?"Trevize said, "That’s not likely to happen. Everyone will assume thatwas taken care of at the entry station.""But if they ask?""Then, when that time comes, we’ll face the problem. Meanwhile,let’s not manufacture problems out of air.""By the time we face the problems that may arise, it might well betoo late to solve them.""I’ll rely on my ingenuity to keep it from being too late.""Talking about ingenuity, how did you get us through the entrystation?"Trevize looked at Bliss, and let his lips slowly expand into a smilethat made him seem like an impish teenager. "Just brains."Pelorat said, "What did you do, old man?"Trevize said, "It was a matter of appealing to him in the correctmanner. I’d tried threats and subtle bribes . I had appealed to his logicand his loyalty to the Foundation. Nothing worked, so I fell back onthe last resort. I said that you were cheating on your wife, Pelorat.""My wife ? But, my dear fellow, I don’t have a wife atthe moment.""I know that, but he didn’t."Bliss said, "By `wife,’ I presume you mean a woman who is a particularman’s regular companion."Trevize said, "A little more than that, Bliss. A legal companion, one with enforceable rights in consequence of thatcompanionship."Pelorat said nervously , "Bliss, I do not have a wife. Ihave had one now and then in the past, but I haven’t had one for quitea while. If you would care to undergo the legal ritual ""Oh, Pel," said Bliss, making a sweeping-away movement with her righthand, "what would I care about that? I have innumerable companions thatare as close to me as your arm is close companion to your other arm. Itis only Isolates who feel so alienated that they have to use artificialconventions to enforce a feeble substitute for true companionship.""But I am an Isolate , Bliss dear.""You will be less Isolate in time, Pel. Never truly Gaia, perhaps,but less Isolate, and you will have a flood of companions.""I only want you, Bliss," said Pel.

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"That’s because you know nothing about it. You’ll learn."Trevize was concentrating on the viewscreen during that exchange witha look of strained tolerance on his face. The cloud cover had come upclose and, for a moment, all was gray fog.

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Microwave vision, he thought, and the computer switched at once tothe detection of radar echoes. The clouds disappeared and the surfaceof Comporellon appeared in false color, the boundaries between sectorsof different constitution a little fuzzy and wavering.

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"Is that the way it’s going to look from now on?" asked Bliss, withsome astonishment .

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"Only till we drift below the clouds. Then it’s back to sunlight." Evenas he spoke , the sunshine and normal visibility returned.

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"I see," said Bliss. Then, turning toward him, "But what I don’t seeis why it should matter to that official at the entry station whetherPel was deceiving his wife or not?""If that fellow, Kendray, had held you back, the news, I said, mightreach Terminus and, therefore, Pelorat’s wife. Pelorat would then be introuble. I didn’t specify the sort of trouble he would be in, but I triedto sound as though it would be bad. There is a kind of free-masonryamong males," Trevize was grinning, now, "and one male doesn’t betrayanother fellow male. He would even help, if requested. The reasoning,I suppose, is that it might be the helper’s turn next to be helped. Ipresume," he added, turning a bit graver, "that there is a similarfree-masonry among women, but, not being a woman, I have never had anopportunity to observe it closely."Bliss’s face resembled a pretty thundercloud. "Is this a joke?" shedemanded.

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"No, I’m serious," said Trevize. "I don’t say that      Kendrayfellow let us through only to help Janov avoid angering his wife. Themasculine free-masonry may simply have added the last push to my otherarguments.""But      is horrible. I  is its rules that hold society together andbind it into a whole. Is it such a light   ing to disregard the rulesfor trivial reasons?""Well," said Trevize, in instant defensiveness , "some of the rulesare themselves trivial. Few worlds are very particular about passage inand out of their space in times of peace and commercial prosperity, suchas we have now, thanks to the Foundation. Comporellon, for some reason,is out of step probably because of an obscure matter of internalpolitics. Why should we suffer over that?""T    is beside the point. If we only obey those rules that we   inkare just and reasonable, then no rule will stand, for there is no rulethat some will not   ink is unjust and unreasonable . Andif we wish to push our own individual advantage, as we see it, then wewill always find reason to believe that some hampering rule is unjustand unreasonable. What starts, then, as a shrewd trick ends in anarchyand disaster, even for the shrewd trickster, since he, too, will notsurvive the collapse of society."Trevize said, "Society will not collapse that easily. You speakas Gaia, and Gaia cannot possibly understand the association of freeindividuals. Rules, established with reason and justice, can easilyoutlive their usefulness as circumstances change, yet can remain inforce through inertia . I  is then not only right, but useful, to breakthose rules as a way of advertising the fact      they have becomeuseless or even actually harmful.""Then every   ief and murderer can argue he is serving humanity.""You go to extremes. In the superorganism of Gaia, there is automaticconsensus on the rules of society and it occurs to no one to breakthem. One might as well say that Gaia vegetates and fossilizes. There isadmittedly an element of disorder in free association, but      is theprice one must pay fog the ability to induce novelty and change. Onthe whole, it’s a reasonable price."Bliss’s voice rose a notch . "You are quite wrong if you   ink Gaiavegetates and fossilizes. Our deeds, our ways, our views are underconstant self-examination. They do not persist out of inertia, beyondreason. Gaia learns by experience and thought; and therefore changeswhen      is necessary.""Even if w    you say is so, the self-examination and learning mustbe slow, because not ing but Gaia exists on Gaia. Here, in freedom, evenwhen almost everyone agrees, there are bound to be a few who disagree and,in some cases, those few may be right, and if they are clever enough,enthusiastic enough, right enough, they will win out in theend and be heroes in future ages like Hari Seldon, who perfectedpsychohistory, pitted his own thoughts against the entire Galactic Empire,and won.""He has won only so far, Trevize. The Second Empire he planned forwill not come to pass. There will be Galaxia instead.""Will there?" said Trevize grimly.

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"I  was your decision, and, however much you argue withme in favor of Isolates and of their freedom to be foolish and criminal,there is somet ing in the hidden recesses of your mind that forced youto agree with me/us/Gaia when you made your choice.""W    is present in the hidden recesses of my mind," said Trevize,more grimly still, "is w    I seek. There, to begin with," he added,pointing to the viewscreen where a gre   city spread out  o the horizon,a cluster of low structures climbing to occasional heights, surroundedby fields th   were brown under a light frost.

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Pelorat shook his head. "Too bad. I meant to watch the approach,but I got caught up in listening to the argument."Trevize said, "Never mind, Janov. You can watch when we leave. I’llpromise to keep my mouth shut   en, if you can persuade Bliss to controlher own."And the Far Star descended a microwave beam to a landing atthe spaceport.

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14Kendray looked grave when he returned to the entrystation and watched the Far Star pass through. He was stillclearly depressed at the close of his shift.

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He was sitting down to his closing meal of the day when one of hismates, a gangling fellow with wide-set eyes, thin light hair, and eyebrowsso blond they seemed absent, sat down next to him.

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"What’s wrong, Ken ?" said the other.

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Kendray’s lips twisted. He said, "That was a gravitic ship that justpassed through, Gatis.""The odd-looking one with zero radioactivity?""That’s why it wasn’t radioactive. No fuel. Gravitic."Gatis nodded his head. "What we were told to watch for, right?""Right.""And you got it. Leave it to you to be the lucky one.""Not so lucky. A woman without identification was on it and Ididn’t report her."" What? Look, don’t tell me . I don’t wantto know about it. Not another word. You may be a pal , but I’m not goingto make myself an accomplice after the fact.""I’m not worried about that. Not very much. I had tosend the ship down. They want that gravitic or any gravitic. Youknow that.""Sure, but you could at least have reported the woman.""Didn’t like to. She’s not married. She was just picked upfor for use.""How many men on board?""Two.""And they just picked her up for for that. They must be fromTerminus.""That’s right.""They don’t care what they do on Terminus.""That’s right.""Disgusting. And they get away with it.""One of them was married, and he didn’t want his wife to know. If Ireported her, his wife would find out.""Wouldn’t she be back on Terminus?""Of course, but she’d find out anyway.""Serve the fellow right if his wife did find out.""I agree but I can’t be the one to be responsiblefor it.""They’ll hammer you for not reporting it. Not wanting to make troublefor a guy is no excuse.""Would you have reported him?""I’d have had to, I suppose.""No, you wouldn’t. The government wants that ship. If I had insistedon putting the woman on report, the men on the ship would have changedtheir minds about landing and would have pulled away to some otherplanet. The government wouldn’t have wanted that.""But will they believe you?""I think so. A very cute-looking woman, too. Imagine a womanlike that being willing to come along with two men, and married men withthe nerve to take advantage. You know, it’s tempting .""I don’t think you’d want the missus to know you said that oreven thought that."Kendray said defiantly , "Who’s going to tell her? You?""Come on. You know better than that." Gatis’s look of indignationfaded quickly, and he said, "It’s not going to do those guys any good,you know, you letting them through.""I know.""The people down surface-way will find out soon enough, and even ifyou get away with it, they won’t.""I know," said Kendray, "but I’m sorry for them. Whatever troublethe woman will make for them will be as nothing to what the ship willmake for them. The captain made a few remarks "Kendray paused, and Gatis said eagerly, "Like what?""Never mind," said Kendray. "If it comes out, it’s my butt .""I’m not going to repeat it.""Neither am I. But I’m sorry for those two men from Terminus."15To anyone who has been in space and experienced itschangelessness, the real excitement of space flight comes when it istime to land on a new planet. The ground speeds backward under you asyou catch glimpses of land and water, of geometrical areas and linesthat might represent fields and roads. You become aware of the green ofgrowing things, the gray of concrete, the brown of bare ground, the whiteof snow. Most of all, there is the excitement of populated conglomerates;cities which, on each world, have their own characteristic geometry andarchitectural variants .

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In an ordinary ship, there would have been the excitement oftouching down and skimming across a runway. For the Far Star ,it was different. It floated through the air, was slowed by skillfullybalancing air resistance and gravity, and finally made to come to restabove the spaceport. The wind was gusty and that introduced an addedcomplication. The Far Star , when adjusted to low response togravitational pull, was not only abnormally low in weight, but in massas well. If its mass were too close to zero, the wind would blow it awayrapidly. Hence, gravitational response had to be raised and jetthrustshad to be delicately used not only against the planet’s pull but againstthe wind’s push, and in a manner that matched the shift in wind intensityclosely. Without an adequate computer, it could not possibly have beendone properly.

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Downward and downward, with small unavoidable shifts in this directionand that, drifted the ship until it finally sank into the outlined areathat marked its assigned position in the port.

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The sky was a pale blue, intermingled with flat white, when the FarStar landed. The wind remained gusty even at ground level and thoughit was now no longer a navigational peril , it produced a chill thatTrevize winced at. He realized at once that their clothing supply wastotally unsuited to Comporellian weather.

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Pelorat, on the other hand, looked about with appreciation and drewhis breath deeply through his nose with relish , liking the bite ofthe cold, at least for the moment. He even deliberately unseamed hiscoat in order to feel the wind against his chest. In a little while,he knew, he would seam up again and adjust his scarf, but for now hewanted to feel the existence of an atmosphere. One neverdid aboard ship.

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Bliss drew her coat closely about herself, and, with gloved hands,dragged her hat down to cover her ears. Her face was crumpled in miseryand seemed close to tears.

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She muttered, "This world is evil. It hates and mistreats us.""Not at all, Bliss dear," said Pelorat earnestly. "I’m sure theinhabitant; like this world, and that it uh likes them,if you want to put it that way. We’ll be indoors soon enough, and itwill be warm there."Almost as an afterthought, he flipped one side of his coat outwardcurved it about her, while she snuggled against his shirtfront.

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Trevize did his best to ignore the temperature. He obtained a mapcard from the port authority, checking it on his pocket computer tosure that it gave the necessary details his aisle and lot number,the and engine number of his ship, and so on. He checked once more tosure that the ship was tightly secured, and then took out the maximuminsurance allowed against the chance of misadventure (useless, actually,the Far Star should be invulnerable at the likely Comporellianlevel of technology, and was entirely irreplaceable at whatever price,if it were not).

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Trevize found the taxi-station where it ought to be. (A number offacilities at spaceports were standardized in position, appearance,and manner of use. They had to be, in view of the multiworld nature ofthe clientele.)He signaled for a taxi, punching out the destination merely as"City."A taxi glided up to them on diamagnetic skis, drifting slightlyunder the impulse of the wind, and trembling under the vibration of itsnot-quite-silent engine. It was a dark gray in color and bore its whitetaxi-insignia on tell doors. The taxi-driver was wearing a dark coatand a white, furred bat.

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Pelorat, becoming aware, said softly, "The planetary decor seem tobe black and white."Trevize said, "It may be more lively in the city proper."The driver spoke into a small microphone, perhaps in order to avoidopening the window. "Going to the city, folks?"There was a gentle singsong to his Galactic dialect that was ratherattractive, and he was not hard to understand always a relief ona new world,Trevize said, "That’s right," and the rear door slid open.

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Bliss entered, followed by Pelorat, and then by Trevize. The doorclosed and warm air welled upward.

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Bliss rubbed her hands and breathed a long sigh of relief.

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The taxi pulled out slowly, and the driver said, "That ship you camein is gravitic, isn’t it?"Trevize said dryly, "Considering the way it came down, would youdoubt it?"The driver said, "Is it from Terminus, then?"Trevize said, "Do you know any other world that could build one?"The driver seemed to digest that as the taxi took on speed. He thensaid, "Do you always answer a question with a question?"Trevize couldn’t resist. "Why not?""In that case, how would you answer me if I asked if your name wereGolan Trevize?""I would answer: What makes you ask?"The taxi came to a halt at the outskirts of the spaceport and thedriver said, "Curiosity! I ask again: Are you Golan Trevize?"Trevize’s voice became stiff and hostile. "What business is thatof yours?""My friend," said the driver, "We’re not moving till you answer thequestion. And if you don’t answer in a clear yes or no in about twoseconds, I’m turning the heat off in the passenger compartment and we’llkeep on waiting. Are you Golan Trevize, Councilman of Terminus? If youranswer is in the negative, you will have to show me your identificationpapers."Trevize said, "Yes, I am Golan Trevize, and as a Councilman of theFoundation, I expect to be treated with all the courtesy due my rank. Yourfailure to do so will have you in hot water, fellow. Now what?""Now we can proceed a little more lightheartedly." The taxi beganto move again. "I choose my passengers carefully, and I had expected topick up two men only. The woman was a surprise and I might have made amistake. As it is, if I have you, then I can leave it to you to explainthe woman when you reach your destination.""You don’t know my destination.""As it happens, I do. You’re going to the Department ofTransportation.""That’s not where I want to go.""That matters not one little bit, Councilman. If I were a taxi-driver,I’d take you where you want to go. Since I’m not, I take you whereI want you to go.""Pardon me," said Pelorat, leaning forward, "you certainly seem tobe a taxi-driver. You’re driving a taxi.""Anyone might drive a taxi. Not everyone has a license to do so. Andnot every car that looks like a taxi is a taxi."Trevize said, "Let’s stop playing games. Who are you and whatare you doing? Remember that you’ll have to account for this to theFoundation.""Not I," said the driver, "My superiors, perhaps. I’m an agent ofthe Comporellian Security Force. I am under orders to treat you with alldue respect to your rank, but you must go where I take you. And be verycareful how you react, for this vehicle is armed, and I am under ordersto defend myself against attack."16The vehicle, having reached cruising speed, moved withabsolute, smooth quiet, and Trevize sat there in quietness as frozen. Hewas aware, without actually looking, of Pelorat glancing at him now andthen with a look of uncertainty on his face, a "What do we do now? Pleasetell me" look.

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Bliss, a quick glance told him, sat calmly, apparently unconcerned. Ofcourse, she was a whole world in herself. All of Gaia, though it mightbe at Galactic distances, was wrapped up in her skin. She had resourcesthat could be called on in a true emergency.

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But, then, what had happened?

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Clearly, the official at the entry station, following routine, hadsent down his report omitting Bliss and it had attractedthe interest of the security people and, of all things, the Departmentof Transportation. Why?

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It was peacetime and he knew of no specific tensions betweenComporellon and the Foundation. He himself was an important Foundationofficial Wait, he had told the official at the entry station Kendray,his name had been that he was on important business with theComporellian government. He had stressed that in his attempt to getthrough. Kendray must have reported that as well and that would rouse all sorts of interest.

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He hadn’t anticipated that, and he certainly should have.

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What, then, about his supposed gift of rightness? Was he beginningto believe that he was the black box that Gaia thought he was orsaid it thought he was. Was he being led into a quagmire by the growthof an overconfidence built on superstition ?

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How could he for one moment be trapped in that folly ? Had he never inhit life been wrong? Did he know what the weather would be tomorrow? Didhe win large amounts in games of chance? The answers were no, no,and no.

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Well, then, was it only in the large, inchoate things that he wasalways right? How could he tell?

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Forget that! After all, the mere fact that he had stated hehad important state business no, it was "Foundation security"that he had said Well, then, the mere fact that he was there on a matter of Foundationsecurity, coming, as he had, secretly and unheralded, would surelyattract their attention. Yes, but until they knew what it was allabout they would surely act with the utmost circumspection . They would beceremonious and treat him as a high dignitary. They would not kidnap him and make use of threats.

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Yet that was exactly what they had done. Why?

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What made them feel strong enough and powerful enough to treat aCouncilman of Terminus in such a fashion?

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Could it be Earth? Was the same force that hid the world of origin soeffectively, even against the great mentalists of the Second Foundation,now working to circumvent his search for Earth in the very first stageof that search? Was Earth omniscient ? Omipotent?

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Trevize shook his head. That way lay paranoia . Was he going toblame Earth for everything? Was every quirk of behavior, every bend inthe road, every twist of circumstance, to be the result of the secretmachinations of Earth? As soon as he began to think in that fashion,he was defeated.

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At that point, he felt the vehicle decelerating and was brought backto reality at a stroke.

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It occurred to him that he had never, even for one moment, lookedat the city through which they had been passing. He looked about now, atouch wildly. The buildings were low, but it was a cold planet mostof the structures were probably underground.

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He saw no trace of color and that seemed against human nature.

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Occasionally, he could see a person pass, well bundled. But,then, the people, like the buildings themselves, were probably mostlyunderground.

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The taxi had stopped before a low, broad building, set in a depression,the bottom of which Trevize could not see. Some moments passed and itcontinued to remain there, the driver himself motionless as well. Histall, white hat nearly touched the roof of the vehicle.

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Trevize wondered fleetingly how the driver managed to step in andout of the vehicle without knocking his hat off, then said, with thecontrolled anger one would expect of a haughty and mistreated official,"Well, driver, what now?"The Comporellian version of the glittering field-partition thatseparated the driver from the passengers was not at all primitive . Soundwaves could pass through though Trevize was quite certain thatmaterial objects, at reasonable energies, could not.

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The driver said, "Someone will be up to get you. Just sit back andtake it easy."Even as he said this, three heads appeared in a slow, smooth ascentfrom the depression in which the building rested. After that, therecame the rest of the bodies. Clearly, the newcomers were moving up theequivalent of an escalator, but Trevize could not see the details ofthe device from where he sat.

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As the three approached, the passenger door of the taxi opened anda flood of cold air swept inward.

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Trevize stepped out, seaming his coat to the neck. The other twofollowed him Bliss with considerable reluctance .

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The three Comporellians were shapeless, wearing garments that balloonedoutward and were probably electrically heated. Trevize felt scorn atthat. There was little use for such things on Terminus, and the onetime he had borrowed a heat-coat during winter on the nearby planetof Anacreon, he discovered it had a tendency to grow warmer at a slowrate so that by the time he realized he was too warm he was perspiringuncomfortably.

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As the Comporellians approached, Trevize noted with a distinct senseof indignation that they were armed. Nor did they try to conceal thefact. Quite the contrary. Each had a blaster in a holster attached tothe outer garment.

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One of the Comporellians, having stepped up to confront Trevize, saidgruffly, "Your pardon, Councilman," and then pulled his coat open withrough movement. He had inserted questing hands which moved quickly upand down Trevize’s sides, back, chest, and thighs . The coat was shakenand felt. Trevize was too overcome by confused astonishment to realizehe had been rapidly and efficiently searched till it was over.

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Pelorat, his chin drawn down and his mouth in a twisted grimace , wasundergoing a similar indignity at the hands of a second Comporellian.

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The third was approaching Bliss, who did not wait to be touched. She,at least, knew what to expect, somehow, for she whipped off her coat and,for a moment, stood there in her light clothing, exposed to the whistleof the wind.

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She said, freezingly enough to match the temperature, "You can seeI’m not armed."And indeed anyone could. The Comporellian shook the coat, as thoughby its weight he could tell if it contained a weapon perhaps hecould and retreated.

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Bliss put on her coat again, huddling into it, and for a momentTrevize admired her gesture. He knew how she felt about the cold, butshe had not allowed a tremor or shiver to escape her as she had stoodthere in thin blouse and slacks. (Then he wondered if, in the emergency,she might not have drawn warmth from the rest of Gaia.)One of the Comporellians gestured, and the three Outworlders followedhim. The other two Comporellians fell behind. The one or two pedestrianswho were on the street did not bother to watch what was happening. Eitherthey were too accustomed to the sight or, more likely, had their mindsoccupied with getting to some indoor destination as soon as possible.

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Trevize saw now that it was a moving ramp up which the Comporellianshad ascended . They were descending now, all six of them, and pastedthrough a lock arrangement almost as complicated as that on aspaceship to keep heat inside, no doubt, rather than air.

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And then, at once, they were inside a huge building.

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