More Than Superhuman Read online

  But he had been up only a minute when there was a call from his boss. Hey, Dan, Mr. Jarris lust asked for that film, and the projectionist said you took it.'

  Dan pretended to be surprised. 'I need it to prepare my report,' he said. 'I'll submit it at that time — tomorrow.'

  'All right,' was the cheerful, unsuspicious reply, 'I'll relay that'

  Shuddering, Dan broke the connection. Then he shot over to his bank, placed the film in his personal deposit box, and got into the air again. He now contacted Officer Sutter.

  'I'm going over to the Center Hospital. Tail me.'

  'Going to talk to Schneiter?'

  'Yes.'

  'Do you think these people know about me?' asked Sutter.

  'Only my immediate boss knows,' said Dan. 'Such details have not been of interest to anyone else' — he paused — 'until now.'

  * *

  It was a short time later. As Dr Schneiter emerged from his office, Dan slipped into step beside him; pushed a gun into him in the direction of his right kidney, and said, 'I'm Anita's brother. I'm going to have an interview with you if it's the last thing you ever do.'

  And so, presently, they were in the psychiatrist's office, and Dan at the beginning pretended he was merely a brother who was concerned about a mentally ill sister.

  'Couldn't you have held her?' he asked peevishly. 'Isn't there some law governing would-be suicides?'

  The psychiatrist shook his head. His initial tension was gone, and he was smiling genially. 'It seems reasonable that she should make the attempt to kill herself in those first few minutes after discovering what had happened.' He eyed Dan brightly. 'Right? But no further suicide attempt — right?'

  And that, with added details, was the level of voluntary reply Dan evoked from Dr Schneiter.

  So a woman was promiscuous? Statistically, she would presently become fixated again on one man, and the promiscuity would end. Dan was disturbed by it? An infantile reaction. Grow up.

  Objective, cool, amused — that was the outward appearance of the man who was undoubtedly a leading human figure in the secret android rebellion.

  Dan had been curious. He had wanted to look over the psychiatrist before precipitating the crisis.

  That he had now done.

  And so —

  He raised his gun. "Doctor,' he said, 'I don't want to listen any longer to your phony talk. You have fifteen seconds to make your first statement of truth.'

  There was a long pause. The face in front of him grew pale, but the eyes remained bright and watchful. Finally Dr Schneiter spread his hands with deceptive mildness.

  'What do you want to know?'

  'Why did you have my sister brought here? And I don't want any denials. Start talking.'

  This time the pause was briefer. 'In spite of all her conditioning, she was going out of our control. I wanted to find out why.'

  'What conditioning did she have?'

  'The three stages. Complete android simulation.'

  'In what way was she out of control?'

  'We merely wanted to use her — as we have other women — to force her husband to buy an expensive android. That's how we get funds. But, somehow, Anita got out of control and became a threat.'

  'A threat — how?'

  Since she was out of control, we couldn't be sure of her.'

  'Did she know she was supposed to simulate an android and respond only to programming?'

  'Normally they know it only when it's being done, but the memory fades; but we began to believe that she did know. whether she did or not, she resisted it, and we couldn't take a chance with her.'

  'Did you find out why?'

  No, she got out of the hospital before I could determine the problem. I have a theory — ' His gaze questioned Dan.

  Dan said, 'Yes, tell me.'

  '— The only comparison I can think of,' said Dr Schneiter, 'is the "running-amok" situation which we had in most recent historical times in Asia, but prior to that it occurred among slaves and other abused persons,'

  'Yes?' said Dan.

  'It suggests to me,' continued the doctor, 'that a certain kind of rebel personality should not be subjected to android simulation. They must be won over on the basis of the ideal.'

  Dan looked straight into those glittering eyes. 'What ideal?' he asked, softly.

  'I'm a supporter of GALS,' said Dr Schneiter in a quiet voice, as if that explained everything.

  He took a deep breath and said earnestly: 'You're in a battle you can't win. Almost everybody has some use for an android — as a perfect servant, to keep from being lonely, as a protector — there's almost no limit. Of course, at present they're still purchased like dogs or objects, but the next step will be that you can buy one on a basis that he must be freed after you have got some equivalent of your money back in terms of service.

  He shrugged. 'I hope you realize you're not going to escape from this building with what I've told you.'

  'Jarris called you?'

  'Yes,' said Schneiter simply.

  Dan said, 'I can't believe you've had time to take precautions.'

  Schneiter said, 'This hospital, except for the doctors, is operated by androids. The nurses, the maintenance people — ' He broke off. 'It was when I gradually realized how tireless, uncomplaining, undeviating, and, oh, all good things, the androids were that I became a complete supporter of their civil rights.'

  Dan said, 'Let me tell you my strengths. I have the film.'

  'That's your greatest strength. Where is it?'

  'If anything happens to me,' said Dan, 'people who are against GALS will get it.'

  'What are your weaknesses?' asked the inexorable, calm voice.

  'Undoubtedly, Jarris is a secret GALS supporter, so that means I'll be taken off the case. Knowing that, I should tell you that I'm really here on a personal matter and willing to bargain. My sister — '

  'Yes,' said Dr Schneiter softly. 'What about your sister?'

  "I want androids Peter II and III reprogrammed not to kill her.'

  'It shall be done,' said the psychiatrist.

  Dan stared into those bright eyes and said, 'Let me put it like this: You figure out how to convince me that you mean that — and that'll be the end of the matter. I'll get in touch with you within twenty-four hours. And now, just so you don't act against me in the next few minutes — '

  He fired three times into the small body in front of him.

  Since his gun was a gas injector unit constructed to resemble a bullet-firing automatic, the shots consisted of anesthetic gas, which induced unconsciousness. The psychiatrist slumped in his chair.

  Dan walked out of the same private entrance, where he had originally caught Dr Schneiter, and headed rapidly down the corridor to the elevators.

  One of the two men who entered the elevator with Dan was first at the controls. This individual turned and asked Dan politely, 'Which floor, sir?'

  Fingering the gun in his pocket, Dan told him.

  He was alert to danger, and so he had a minimum of thoughts.

  But a simple awareness underlay them.

  It was an accident that he, the principal government agent investigating the android conspiracy, had proved to be the brother of someone being manipulated. And an even bigger accident that that someone was Anita.

  But as a result, he, an expert, had seen a superandroid.

  These supers were, for the most of their behavior, normally programmed; thus Peter II and the others lived in the human society, their identities concealed for one reason or another by their owners.

  The conspiracy would continue to develop in the same substantially unnoticed fashion only if his film were destroyed, and a few people killed or disposed of.

  Among the people who would have to be dealt with were the two police officers, Black and Sutter — at least, Sutter — plus Anita, all the security people who had seen the film, and of course, Dan Thaler.

  His analysis ended as he grew aware that the elevator had stopped and
that the door was opening.

  Dan Thaler made a move to step out, but stopped when he saw that a combo-cruiser was in the act of pulling up opposite the elevator, so close that it barred his way. At that moment the two men inside the elevator stepped to either side of him and grabbed him with an inhuman speed of movement.

  'Hey !' said Dan Thaler.

  He was lifted toward the combo, the door of which slid open. The two men hoisted him effortlessly inside and climbed m with him.

  The door slid shut behind them.

  Belatedly, as he felt the combo-cruiser begin its forward glide, and when it was already far too late, Dan started to struggle.

  As the ship lifted to the 1,100-foot lane going west, Dan discovered that in the tussle his wrists had been tied to the chair arms and his ankles were similarly held by steel bands attached to the legs of the seat.

  One of the two men took over the controls of the ship. The other settled down opposite Dan and regarded him with a faint, mocking smile.

  'So we finally got you.'

  Dan considered how it had been done and said, 'I can't see that it was so difficult.'

  'Well,' said the man, 'our problem is different from what it seems. Androids, with the help of a few enlightened human beings, are engaged in taking over this planet from an inferior race. But our true potentialities have been cunningly limited by our lesser group. when you accidentally saw an advanced type android like myself and my friend' — he indicated his companion — 'you became — when we discovered who you were — a problem. Only the fact that you have a film restrains us from killing you at once, and indeed it makes necessary what might be called a more lenient solution.'

  Dan found his voice. 'How far has this take-over gone?' he asked.

  The man held up his hand. The cynical smile was on his face again. 'I don't have time to go into details.' He glanced out of the transparent plate beside him. 'We're about to land. But, very briefly, our first task is to reverse the entire process, that is, to free the androids from restriction and place proper restrictions on human beings.'

  Dan said earnestly, 'In order for you to have such a goal, it means that a human being programmed you to have it.'

  'The free androids,' was the retort, 'all have such thoughts, and it was, of course, a learned process — which, after all, is the way human beings also get their training.'

  'What about human creativity?' Dan asked.

  The android gave a ridiculing laugh. 'A logical process, in the final analysis, which, even before androids as such were constructed, was largely turned over to computers, the precursors of androids.'

  'But those computers were programmed by human beings,' Dan pointed out

  'Who cares how it all started?' was the contemptuous answer.

  The android shrugged and went on, 'But we recognize that there will be setbacks in this early stage of the take-over. Eventually thousands, and then millions of us will be free, and all human beings will be living drugged existences. Then we can dominate. But right now, we want two things from you. One is your sister — '

  Dan blinked. 'Anita!' He added, 'And what is the second thing?'

  'You'll see,' was the reply.

  The android had taken what looked like a syringe from his pocket. He pointed this at Dan's face. A fine spray shot out from it.

  And it was not exactly then that Dan lost consciousness. But the next thing he knew clearly, he was sitting.

  For a while he kept making a body effort of resistance, and he kept thinking he was in an air-ground combo, and that the two men were holding him.

  Now he grew aware of something. He was sitting, yes. He was inside somewhere, yes.

  But it was not an air-combo.

  And there was no one holding him.

  In front of him was glass. In front, behind, to either side, above, below. He was surrounded by glass.

  A remote part of his brain registered his awareness of this environment as an impact: astonishment, dismay, shock. But these were shadowy feelings, like echoes of reactions rather than the reactions themselves.

  Time passed. And he had another awareness: There were people on the other side of the glass.

  Not-easy-to-see people. The glass distorted them, somehow. Parts of bodies and hands could be glimpsed at odd moments, as if for an instant a piece of face or cloth, or a hand or leg, had come opposite a peephole,

  The peepholes were of different sizes and shapes. Some stretched long, some were vertical, others horizontal, diagonal, and curved. Several times an eye — each different — peered at him. In every instance, the eyes were inquisitive and wondering.

  Somewhere in the course of this observational period, Dan had a thought of his own: I seem to be living at a retarded speed.

  Having had the thoughts, he continued to sit.

  He had ceased his body effort of resistance, and so he was receptive when what seemed to be a voice said into his mind: 'You are now, as you have observed, turned on. You have observed that, haven't you? Say yes.'

  'Yes,' said Dan.

  'Are you ready for programming?' said the voice. 'Say yes.'

  'Yes,' said Dan.

  'Very good,' said the voice. 'You want to be programmed, do you not? Say yes.'

  'Yes,' said Dan.

  'Programming,' said the voice, 'consists of you receiving specific instructions regarding your behavior and response. You will always and invariably respond and behave exactly as the programming indicates. You agree to respond and behave exactly as programmed? Say, yes, I agree.'

  'Yes, I agree,' said Dan.

  'The initial programming,' said the voice, 'is simple. You stand up. Stand up!'

  Dan got to his feet.

  'Sit down!'

  Dan sat.

  'There, that was easy, wasn't it? Say yes, it was easy.'

  'Yes, it was easy,' said Dan.

  'Splendid,' said the voice. 'Your next programming will be to stand up, walk forward two steps, then back up two steps, then sit down. You agree to do this, do you not? Say yes.'

  'Yes.'

  Dan now had his second personal thought. 'Hey,' he thought, 'no.'

  Even as he made the mental objection, he got up, took two steps forward, two steps backward, and sat down again.

  And, as time went by and more programming took place, he sat, walked, lifted objects, put them down, responded to commands with verbal answers or actions as required by the voice, which continued to speak directly, so it seemed, into his brain.

  Finally: 'You are now ready,' said the voice, 'to come out of your training cabinet.'

  He was commanded to walk straight ahead. As he did so, an opening appeared in the glass; a moment later Dan emerged into a room where several dozen human beings behind a rope barricade were evidently waiting for him. As he came out and moved along — which he was now commanded to do — inside of his part of the rope barrier individuals among these watchers asked questions about him, and the same voice that had spoken into Dan's head answered the questions through a wall speaker. They all seemed to take it for granted that he had volunteered to simulate an android.

  'But I didn't volunteer,' Dan said. 'I don't want to be like an android.'

  He did not say that aloud

  He was not programmed to speak such a sentence.

  He stood there and waited for his next command.

  The people began to disperse. Some went out of what seemed to be a front door; others went through a side door.

  Behind Dan, a door opened, and there were footsteps; then a man came into view.

  'Walk out of that door!' He indicated the front entrance with a curt gesture. It was the same voice that had given him his training.

  Dan walked as directed and found himself on Queer Street!

  He recognized in that distant way that this was unquestionably what Anita had been referring to.

  The street where the robots came, headquarters of GALS: Give Androids Life Society.

  The GALS had androids donated to them, w
illed to them, bought for them. And here, on this strange street, was a city within a city. Here these 'free' androids 'lived' without anyone to give them orders. The GALS reprogrammed them according to a systematic idea, which had in it, first of all, a delimiting concept

  The concept was: I can refuse to be turned off.

  In addition, several consciousness-expanding ideas were programmed into the free android.

  One of these, in essence, gave the android permission to learn.

  Dan walked along, held in his android-mental frame by some inner force beyond his control, and only vaguely conscious of his past.

  He saw an android-enticing sign: GET JUICED UP HERE.

  He saw a for-androids-only theater, whose marquee featured a double bill. 'Remember,' it said; 'you see both pictures at once, because an android can —

  'A billboard showed a towering android beside a puny human. 'An android,' it said, 'is stronger, more logical, better in every way.'

  Another billboard showed a male and a female figure. The legend was: 'Human note — Androids make perfect wives and husbands.'

  From somewhere deep in Dan's own mind came his own thought: The day will come when every human being has been treated as I am now being treated; first, this present stage one, then stage two, then the final permanent stage of total control. On that day, life on earth will be — what?

  He walked on, the thought fading into a shadowy region of his mind.

  * *

  Officer A. Sutter wrote in his notebook: 'On leaving Dan Thaler, earlier, I put a tracer on him and followed him to the Central City Hospital, hovered above this structure until tracer line swung over, indicating tracer line was moving away from hospital. Located source in a combo with number 8-283-746-A and followed to free-robot area, sometimes called Android City. With spy ray observed Dan Thaler being carried Out by two superandroids into GALS headquarters. Consciousness-diminishing drug injected immediately; spy ray showed human audience observing stage-one induction. At this point called for reinforcements, and then, shortly after Thaler came into street for his initial walk, and as raid began, rescued him. Am now waiting for effect of drug to Wear off. Believe this to be first time pictures taken of actual enforcement of android simulation by human. Thus suspicion that such simulations were not always voluntary confirmed.'