"Asimov, Isaac - Robots in Time 5 - Emperor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asimov Isaac)

Emperor - Isaac Asimov's Robots In Time - William F. Wu
ISAAC ASIMOV'S
ROBOTS
IN TIME

by
WILLIAM F. WU

THE LAWS OF ROBOTICS

1.
A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2.
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3.
A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.


ISAAC ASIMOV'S
ROBOTS
IN TIME

EMPEROR

WILLIAM F. WU
Copyright й 1994

Databank by Matt Elson


This novel is dedicated to

The memory of my paternal grandfather, Yuan San Wu, who passed the story of the building of the Great Wall to me through my father


Special thanks are due during the time of writing this novel to Dr. William Q. Wu and Cecile F. Wu, my parents, for indulging my lifelong interest in history; Ricia Mainhardt; Robert L. DeCandido of the New York Public Library (Research) Preservation Division, for assistance with the descriptions of papermaking; and John Betancourt, Leigh Grossman, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Byron Preiss


1

R. Hunter sat in the office chair of Mojave Center Governor, the robot he had been assigned to reassemble. Hunter had to decide what appearance to use on his next mission. He wore his usual northern European physiognomy now, with short blond hair and blue eyes. A brawny six feet six inches tall, he had been designed with the ability to change his shape and appearance at will and might have to do so for the next trip back into the past, to China in 1290.
First, however, he would discuss the question with the humans on his team. His internal clock told him the time was 6:49 P.M. They were having dinner now and would join him here soon.
After four previous missions into the past, Jane Maynard, the roboticist, and Steve Chang, the general assistant, had a routine established now. Since their return last night from the outskirts of Moscow in 1941, they had each had a good night's sleep. They had spent the day relaxing in Mojave Center, this new underground city in the Mojave Desert. Then Jane had called Hunter about an hour ago to say they were meeting for dinner before coming to see him.
While they rested, Hunter had hired a historian who specialized in China during the time of Kublai Khan to join the team. Marcia Lew had arrived from her home in Houston a short time ago. She had agreed to join Hunter here soon to meet the rest of the team.
Hunter had been especially designed and built to lead the search for Mojave Center Governor, the missing experimental gestalt robot who was supposed to be running Mojave Center. However, without warning, he had abandoned his responsibilities. MC Governor had divided into the six component gestalt humaniform robots out of which he was comprised and vanished.
Each gestalt robot had fled back in time to a different era. Hunter had led his team of humans on successful missions in pursuit of the first four component robots. Now they stood here in the office of MC Governor, merged and shut down, waiting for the last two in order to complete the Governor robot again.

"Hunter, city computer calling. The Governor Robot Oversight Committee is waiting for you on a conference call."