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unit sped off into the darkening night.
 What is happening? Wohler called as he followed Derec down the
stairs.
 I m afraid something crazy, the boy answered, remembering a
conversation they had had while waiting to be rescued.
They moved to the emergency van that Wohler had brought.  We
must get you back to your apartment before the rain comes, the
robot said.
 No! Derec said.  Get me underground. I ll wait out the storm there.
Then you ve got to go after Katherine. I m afraid of what she s doing.
A long streak of lightning struck the top of the pedestal right beside
them, the metal clanging loudly and smoking.
 But where could she have gone, Friend Derec? Wohler asked as they
all climbed aboard the large, white van.
 The Compass Tower, Derec said, voice heavy with dread.  I m afraid
she s climbing the Compass Tower.
CHAPTER 12
THE THIRD LAW
The Quadrant #4 Extruder Station was less than ten minutes from the
sealed room, with Wohler moving the emergency van along at the top
speed possible that still allowed a safety margin for his passengers.
Derec watched the city speed past, its full-blown dance of thoughtless
progress still continuing despite the gathering darkness, despite the
fact that its course was suicidal. He feared for the city; he feared for
Katherine, or whatever her name was. She was going for the Key, he
was certain of that, trying to take herself out of the situation in the
only way she knew how. He didn t expect that the Key would do her
much good, but he could hardly blame her for trying. What frightened
him was the danger she was exposing herself to by trying for the Key
in the rain. He would have gone after her alone, but, having
experienced the destructive power of Robot City s weather, he knew
he d be no help at all in a storm. Only a robot would have a chance.
Wohler jerked them to a stop before the Extruder Station entrance, a
series of low, wide buildings constructing themselves from ground
level. There was no robotic activity here now, no unloading of trucks.
All had taken shelter from the impending storm.
 You think she s gone to the Compass Tower? Wohler asked.
 I m sure of it.
 She may have time before the storm to get inside to safety.
Derec looked at him, then reached out and put a hand on his shiny
gold arm.  She s not going inside, he said.  She ll be trying to climb
the pyramid.
 But why?
 We hid something there, something she s trying to retrieve.
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 I must go, Wohler said without hesitation.  She ll be killed.
 What will the rain do to you? Derec asked as he climbed out of the
van.
 Rain in ordinary amounts won t do anything, the robot replied.
 City rain could force its way through my plating in a thousand
different places and make its way into my electrical system. The limits
of the damage at that point are a matter of imaginative speculation.
 I don t know what to tell you, Derec said.  If you don t go . . . 
 Katherine will die, the robot finished.  You can tell me nothing. My
duty is self-evident. Good-bye, Derec.
Wohler looked back once to make sure the witnesses were off the van,
then hurried off at a pace that didn t include the safety margin he had
preserved with Derec in the cab.
 Come with me, Derec told the witnesses, and moved toward the
now-closed entrance to the underground. Despite his fears for
Katherine s safety, he had things to do. With his explanation of the
murder and its connection to the city defenses, backed up totally by
Rec s witness testimony, there was no doubt that he d at least be able
to get into the core and stop the replication. That wouldn t stop
tonight s rain, however, or even future rains for a time; but it was a
start.
He opened the outside door, then hurried inside, going down the
stairs to the now-deserted holding area and its bank of elevators. This
wasn t the same Extruder Station he d been in previously, but it was
set up exactly the same.
He walked quickly to the same elevator he had taken with Avernus
when he d gone underground. He got inside with the witnesses and
pushed the down arrow. The lift began its long journey to the caverns
below. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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