From the Ocean from teh Stars (83 page)

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

T
he journey back to Airlee lasted almost three
days—partly because Alvin, for his own reasons, was in no hurry to re
turn. The physical exploration of Lys had now taken second place to a
more important and exciting project; he was slowly making contact with the strange, obsessed intelligence which had now become his companion.

He suspected that the robot was trying to use him for its own pur
poses, which would be no more than poetic justice. What its motives were
he could never be quite certain, since it still stubbornly refused to speak
to him. For some reason of his own—perhaps fear that it might reveal
too many of his secrets—the Master must have placed very efficient
blocks upon its speech circuits, and Alvin's attempts to clear them were completely unsuccessful. Even indirect questioning of the "If you say nothing I shall assume you mean 'Yes'" type failed; the robot was much
too intelligent to be taken in by such simple tricks.

In other respects, however, it was more co-operative. It would obey any orders that did not require it to speak or reveal information. After a
while Alvin found that he could control it, as he could direct the robots in
Diaspar, by thought alone. This was a great step forward, and a little
later the creature—it was hard to think of it as a mere machine—relaxed
its guard still further and allowed him to see through its eyes. It did not
object, it seemed, to such passive forms of communication, but it blocked
all attempts at closer intimacy.

Hilvar's existence it ignored completely; it would obey none of his
commands, and its mind was closed to all his probing. At first this was
something of a disappointment to Alvin, who had hoped that Hilvar's
greater mental powers would enable him to force open this treasure chest
of hidden memories. It was not until later that he realized the advantage
of possessing a servant who would obey no one else in all the world.

The member of the expedition who strongly objected to the robot
was Krif. Perhaps he imagined that he now had a rival, or perhaps he
disapproved, on general principles, of anything that flew without wings.
When no one was looking, he had made several direct assaults on the robot, which had infuriated him still further by taking not the slightest
notice of his attacks. Eventually Hilvar had been able to calm him down,
and on the homeward journey in the ground-car he seemed to have re
signed himself to the situation. Robot and insect escorted the vehicle as

it glided silently through forest and field—each keeping to the side of its respective master and pretending that its rival was not there.

Seranis was already waiting for them as the car floated into Airlee. It was impossible, Alvin thought, to surprise these people. Their interlinked
minds kept them in touch with everything that was happening in their
land. He wondered how they had reacted to his adventures in Shal-
mirane, which presumably everyone in Lys now knew about.

Seranis seemed to be worried and more uncertain than he had ever
seen her before, and Alvin remembered the choice that now lay before
him. In the excitement of the last few days he had almost forgotten it; he did not like to spend energy worrying about problems that still lay in the
future. But the future was now upon him; he must decide in which of
these two worlds he wished to live.

The voice of Seranis was troubled when she began to speak, and Al
vin had the sudden impression that something had gone awry with the
plans that Lys had been making for him. What had been happening dur
ing his absence? Had emissaries gone into Diaspar to tamper with Khed-
ron's mind—and had they failed in their duty?

"Alvin," began Seranis, "there are many things I did not tell you before, but which you must now learn if you are to understand our actions.

"You know one of the reasons for the isolation of our two races. The
fear of the Invaders, that dark shadow in the depths of every human
mind, turned your people against the world and made them lose them
selves in their own dreams. Here in Lys that fear has never been so
great, though we bore the burden of the final attack. We had a better
reason for our actions, and what we did, we did with open eyes.

"Long ago, Alvin, men sought immortality and at last achieved it.
They forgot that a world which had banished death must also banish life. The power to extend his life indefinitely might bring contentment to the
individual, but brought stagnation to the race. Ages ago we sacrificed
our immortality, but Diaspar still follows the false dream. That is why
our ways parted—
and why they must never meet again."

Although the words had been more than half expected, the blow
seemed none the less for its anticipation. Yet Alvin refused to admit the
failure of all his plans—half-formed though they were—and only part
of his brain was listening to Seranis now. He understood and noted all
her words, but the conscious portion of his mind was retracing the road to Diaspar, trying to imagine every obstacle that could be placed in his
way.

Seranis was clearly unhappy. Her voice was almost pleading as it
spoke, and Alvin knew that she was talking not only to him but to her

son. She must be aware of the understanding and affection that had
grown up between them during the days they had spent together. Hilvar
was watching his mother intently as she spoke, and it seemed to Alvin
that his gaze held not merely concern but also more than a trace of censure.

"We do not wish to make you do anything against your will, but you
must surely realize what it would mean if our people met again. Between
our culture and yours is a gulf as great as any that ever separated Earth
from its ancient colonies. Think of this one fact, Alvin. You and Hilvar
are now of nearly the same age—
but both he and I will have been dead
for centuries while you are still a youth.
And this is only your first in an
infinite series of lives."

The room was very quiet, so quiet that Alvin could hear the strange,
plaintive cries of unknown beasts in the fields beyond the village. Pres
ently he said, almost in a whisper: "What do you want me to do?"

"We hoped that we could give you the choice of staying here or re
turning to Diaspar, but now that is impossible. Too much has happened
for us to leave the decision in your hands. Even in the short time you have
been here, your influence has been highly disturbing. No, I am not re
proving you; I am sure you intended no harm. But it would have been best to leave the creatures you met in Shalmirane to their own destiny.

"And as for Diaspar—" Seranis gave a gesture of annoyance. "Too
many people know where you have gone; we did not act in time. What is most serious, the man who helped you discover Lys has vanished; neither
your Council nor our agents can discover him, so he remains a potential
danger to our security. Perhaps you are surprised that I am telling you
all this, but it is quite safe for me to do so. I am afraid we have only one
choice before us; we must send you back to Diaspar with a false set of
memories. Those memories have been constructed with great care, and
when you return home you will know nothing of us. You will believe that
you have had rather dull and dangerous adventures in gloomy under
ground caverns, where the roofs continually collapsed behind you and
you kept alive only through eating unappetizing weeds and drinking
from occasional springs. For the rest of your life you will believe this to
be the truth, and everyone in Diaspar will accept your story. There will
be no mystery, then, to lure any future explorers; they will think they
know all there is to be known about Lys."

Seranis paused and looked at Alvin with anxious eyes. "We are very sorry that this is necessary and ask your forgiveness while you still re
member us. You may not accept our verdict, but we know many facts

that are hidden from you. At least you will have no regrets, for you will
believe that you have discovered all that there is to be found."

Alvin wondered if that was true. He was not sure that he would ever
settle down to the routine of life in Diaspar, even when he had convinced
himself that nothing worthwhile existed beyond its walls. What was more,
he had no intention of putting the matter to the test.

"When do you wish me to undergo this—treatment?" Alvin asked.

"Immediately. We are ready now. Open your mind to me, as you
did before, and you will know nothing until you find yourself back in
Diaspar."

Alvin was silent for a while. Then he said quietly: "I would like to
say good-by to Hilvar."

Seranis nodded.

"I understand. I will leave you here for a while and return when you are ready." She walked over to the stairs that led down to the interior of
the house, and left them alone on the roof.

It was some time before Alvin spoke to his friend; he felt a great sad
ness, yet also an unbroken determination not to permit the wreck of all his hopes. He looked once more down upon the village where he had
found a measure of happiness and which he might never see again if
those who were ranged behind Seranis had their way. The ground-car
was still standing beneath one of the wide-branching trees, with the pa
tient robot hanging in the air above it. A few children had gathered
around to examine this strange newcomer, but none of the adults seemed
in the least interested.

"Hilvar," said Alvin abruptly, "I'm very sorry about this."

"So am I," Hilvar answered, his voice unstable with emotion. "I had
hoped that you could have remained here."

"Do you think that what Seranis wants to do is right?"

"Do not blame my mother. She is only doing as she is asked," replied
Hilvar. Though he had not answered his question, Alvin had not the
heart to ask it again. It was unfair to put such a strain on his friend's
loyalty.

"Then tell me this," asked Alvin, "how could your people stop me if
I tried to leave with my memories untouched?"

"It would be easy. If you tried to escape, we would take control of
your mind and force you to come back."

Alvin had expected as much and was not discouraged. He wished
that he could confide in Hilvar, who was obviously upset by their im
pending separation, but he dared not risk the failure of his plans. Very

carefully, checking every detail, he traced out the only road that could
lead him back to Diaspar on the terms he wished.

There was one risk which he had to face, and against which he could
do nothing to protect himself. If Seranis broke her promise and dipped
into his mind, all his careful preparations might be in vain.

He held out his hand to Hilvar, who grasped it firmly but seemed
unable to speak.

"Let's go downstairs to meet Seranis," said Alvin. "I'd like to see
some of the people in the village before I go."

Hilvar followed him silently into the peaceful coolness of the house and then out through the hallway and onto the ring of colored grass that
surrounded the building. Seranis was waiting for them there, looking
calm and resolute. She knew that Alvin was trying to hide something
from her, and thought again of the precautions she had taken. As a man
may flex his muscles before some great effort, she ran through the com
pulsion patterns she might have to use.

"Are you ready, Alvin?" she asked.

"Quite ready," replied Alvin, and there was a tone in his voice that
made her look at him sharply.

"Then it will be best if you make your mind a blank, as you did be
fore. You will feel and know nothing after that, until you find yourself
back in Diaspar."

Alvin turned to Hilvar and said in a quick whisper that Seranis could
not hear: "Good-by, Hilvar. Don't worry—
I'll be back."
Then he faced
Seranis again.

"I don't resent what you are trying to do," he said. "No doubt you
believe it is for the best, but I think you are wrong. Diaspar and Lys
should not remain apart forever; one day they may need each other desperately. So I am going home with all that I have learned—
and I do
not think that you can stop me/'

He waited no longer, and it was just as well. Seranis never moved, but instantly he felt his body slipping from his control. The power that
had brushed aside his own will was even greater than he had expected,
and he realized that many hidden minds must be aiding Seranis. Help
lessly he began to walk back into the house, and for an awful moment
he thought his plan had failed.

Then there came a flash of steel and crystal, and metal arms closed swiftly around him. His body fought against them, as he had known that
it must do, but his struggles were useless. The ground fell away beneath him and he caught a glimpse of Hilvar, frozen by surprise, with a foolish
smile upon his face.