"Randall Garrett - His Master's Voice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Garrett Randall)

He waited, as if he expected me to make some reply to that. When I didn't, he sighed slightly and
went on. "I fear that you have inadvertently sabotaged McGuire. You were commissioned to prevent
sabotage, Mr. Oak, and I'm afraid that you abrogated your contract."

I just continued to keep my voice calm. "If you are trying to get back the fee you gave me, we can
always take it to court. I don't think you'd win."

"Mr. Oak," he said heavily, "I am not a fool, regardless of what your own impression may be. If I
were trying to get back that fee, I would hardly offer to pay you another one."

I didn't think he was a fool. You don't get into the managerial business and climb to the top and stay
there unless you have brains. Ravenhurst was smart, all right; it was just that, when it came to personal
relationships, he wasn't very wise.

"Then stop all this yak about an abrogated contract and get to the point," I told him.

"I shall. I was merely trying to point out to you that it is through your own actions that I find myself in a
very trying position, and that your sense of honor and ethics should induce you to rectify the damage."

"My honor and ethics are in fine shape," I said, "but my interpretation of the concepts might not be
quite the same as yours. Get to the point."

He took another sip of Madeira. "The robotocists at Viking tell me that, in order to prevent any
further . . . ah . . . sabotage by unauthorized persons, the MGYR-7 was constructed so that, after
activation, the first man who addressed orders to it would thenceforth be considered its . . . ah . . .
master.

"As I understand it, the problem of defining the term 'human being' unambiguously to a robot is still
unsolved. The robotocists felt that it would be much easier to define a single individual. That would
prevent the issuing of conflicting orders to a robot, provided the single individual were careful in giving
orders himself.

"Now, it appears that you, Mr. Oak, were the first man to speak to McGuire after he had been
activated. Is that correct?"

"Is that question purely rhetorical," I asked him, putting on my best expression of innocent interest.
"Or are you losing your memory?" I had explained all that to him two weeks before, when I'd brought
McGuire and the girl here, so that Ravenhurst would have a chance to cover up what had really
happened.


My sarcasm didn't faze him in the least. "Rhetorical. It follows that you are the only man whose orders
McGuire will obey."

"Your robotocists can change that," I said. This time, I was giving him my version of "genuine"
innocence. A man has to be a good actor to be a competent double agent, and I didn't want Ravenhurst
to know that I knew a great deal more about the problem than he did.

He shook his head, making his jowls wobble. "No, they cannot. They realize now that there should be