Second Variety and Other Stories (17 page)

Fry shrugged. "What does it matter?" He examined one of the jewels, tossing it up in the air and
catching it. "I imagine every woman on Terra will have one of these around her neck -- or will want one
of these around her neck. In six months they won't know how they ever lived without them. That's the
way people are, Captain." He put the globe into his briefcase, snapping it shut. "I think I'll take one home
to my own wife."

The Adharan commander was brought over by a Terran soldier. He was silent, clicking nothing.
The surviving Adharans had been stripped of their weapons and allowed to resume work on their ship.
They had got the hull patched and most of the corrosion repaired.

"We're letting you go," Shure said to the Adharan commander. "We could try you as pirates and
shoot you, but there wouldn't be much point in it. Better tell your government to stay out of the Sirius
system from now on."

"He can't understand you," Barnes said mildly.

"I know. This is a formality. He gets the general idea, though."

The Adharan commander stood silently, waiting.

"That's all." Shure waved impatiently toward the Adharan ship. "Go on. Take off. Clear out of
here. And don't come back."

The soldier released the Adharan. The Adharan made his way slowly back to his ship. He
disappeared through the hatch. The Adharans working on the hull of the ship gathered up their equipment
and followed their commander inside.

The hatches closed. The Adharan ship shuddered, as its jets roared into life. Awkwardly it lifted
from the surface, rising up into the sky. It turned, heading toward outer space.

Shure watched it until it was gone.

"That's that." He and Fry walked rapidly toward the cruiser. "You think these jewels will attract
some attention on Terra?"

"Of course. Is there any doubt?"

"No." Shure was deep in thought. "They got to only five of the ten planets. There should be more
on the remaining inner planets. After this load gets back to Terra we can begin work on the inner planets.
If the Adharans found them we should be able to."

Fry's eyes glittered behind his glasses. "Fine. I didn't realize there would be more."

"There are." Shure frowned, rubbing his jaw. "At least, there ought to be."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't understand why we never found them."

Fry clapped him on the back. "Don't worry!"

Fry clapped him on the back. "Don't worry!"

The Adharan commander sat at his control screen, adjusting his communication circuits.

The Check Base on the second planet of the Adharan system came into focus. The commander
raised the sound cone to his neck.

"Bad luck."

"What occurred?"

"Terrans attacked us and seized the balance of our cargo."

"How much was still aboard?"

"Half. We had been to only five of the planets."

"That's unfortunate. They took the load to Terra?"

"I presume."

Silence for a time. "How warm is Terra?"

"Fairly warm, I understand."

"Maybe it will work out all right. We didn't contemplate any hatching on Terra, but if --"

"I don't like the idea of Terrans having a good part of our next generation. I'm sorry we hadn't
gotten farther in the distribution."

"Don't worry. We'll petition the Mother to lay a whole new group to make up for it."

"But what would the Terrans want with our eggs? Nothing but trouble will come, when hatching
begins. I can't understand them. Terran minds are beyond comprehension. I shudder to think what it will
be like when the eggs hatch. -- And on a humid planet, hatching should begin fairly soon..."

Ed Doyle hurried. He caught a surface car, waved fifty credits in the robot driver's face, mopped
his florid face with a red pocket-handkerchief, unfastened his collar, perspired and licked his lips and
swallowed piteously all the way to the hospital.

The surface car slid up to a smooth halt before the great white-domed hospital building. Ed
leaped out and bounded up the steps three at a time, pushing through the visitors and convalescent
patients standing on the broad terrace. He threw his weight against the door and emerged in the lobby,
astonishing the attendants and persons of importance moving about their tasks.

"Where?" Ed demanded, gazing around, his feet wide apart, his fists clenched, his chest rising and
falling. His breath came hoarsely, like an animal's. Silence fell over the lobby. Everyone turned toward
him, pausing in their work. "Where?" Ed demanded again. "Where is she? They?"

It was fortunate Janet had been delivered of a child on this of all days. Proxima Centauri was a
long way from Terra and the service was bad. Anticipating the birth of his child, Ed had left Proxima
some weeks before. He had just arrived in the city. While stowing his suitcase in the luggage tread at the
station the message had been handed to him by a robot courier: Los Angeles Central Hospital. At
once.

Ed hurried, and fast. As he hurried he couldn't help feeling pleased he had hit the day exactly
right, almost to the hour. It was a good feeling. He had felt it before, during years of business dealings in
the "colonies," the frontier, the fringe of Terran civilization where the streets were still lit by electric lights
and doors opened by hand.

That was going to be hard to get used to. Ed turned toward the door behind him, feeling
suddenly foolish. He had shoved it open, ignoring the eye. The door was just now closing, sliding slowly
back in place. He calmed down a little, putting his handkerchief away in his coat pocket. The hospital
attendants were resuming their work, picking up their activities where they had left off. One attendant, a
strapping late-model robot, coasted over to Ed and halted.

back in place. He calmed down a little, putting his handkerchief away in his coat pocket. The hospital
attendants were resuming their work, picking up their activities where they had left off. One attendant, a
strapping late-model robot, coasted over to Ed and halted.

"My wife."

"Her name, sir?"

"Janet. Janet Doyle. She's just had a child."

The robot consulted his board. "This way, sir." He coasted off down the passage.

Ed followed nervously. "Is she okay? Did I get here in time?" His anxiety was returning.

"She is quite well, sir." The robot raised his metal arm and a side door slid back. "In here, sir."

Janet, in a chic blue-mesh suit, was sitting before a mahogany desk, a cigarette between her
fingers, her slim legs crossed, talking rapidly. On the other side of the desk a well-dressed doctor sat
listening.

"Janet!" Ed said, entering the room.

"Hi, Ed." She glanced up at him. "You just now get in?"

"Sure. It's -- it's all over? You -- I mean, it's happened?"

Janet laughed, her even white teeth sparkling. "Of course. Come in and sit. This is Doctor Bish."

"Hello, Doc." Ed sat down nervously across from them. "Then it's all over?"

"The event has happened," Doctor Bish said. His voice was thin and metallic. Ed realized with a
sudden shock that the doctor was a robot. A top-level robot, made in humanoid form, not like the
ordinary metal-limbed workers. It had fooled him -- he had been away so long. Doctor Bish appeared
plump and well fed, with kindly features and eyeglasses. His large fleshy hands rested on the desk, a ring
on one finger. Pinstripe suit and necktie. Diamond tie clasp. Nails carefully manicured. Hair black and
evenly parted.

But his voice had given him away. They never seemed to be able to get a really human sound into
the voice. The compressed air and whirling disc system seemed to fall short. Otherwise, it was very
convincing.

"I understand you've been situated near Promixa, Mr Doyle," Doctor Bish said pleasantly.

Ed nodded. "Yeah."

"Quite a long way, isn't it? I've never been out there. I have always wanted to go. Is it true they're
almost ready to push on to Sirius?"

"Look, Doc --"

"Ed, don't be impatient." Janet stubbed out her cigarette, glancing reprovingly up at him. She
hadn't changed in six months. Small blond face, red mouth, cold eyes like little blue rocks. And now, her
perfect figure back again. "They're bringing him here. It takes a few minutes. They have to wash him off
and put drops in his eyes and take a wave shot of his brain."

"He? Then it's a boy?"

"Of course. Don't you remember? You were with me when I had the shots. We agreed at the
time. You haven't changed your mind, have you?"

"Too late to change your mind now, Mr Doyle," Doctor Bish's toneless voice came, high-pitched
and calm. "Your wife has decided to call him Peter."

"Peter." Ed nodded, a little dazed. "That's right. We did decide, didn't we? Peter." He let the
word roll around in his mind. "Yeah. That's fine. I like it."

The wall suddenly faded, turning from opaque to transparent. Ed spun quickly. They were
looking into a brightly lit room, filled with hospital equipment and white-clad attendant robots. One of the
robots was moving toward them, pushing a cart. On the cart was a container, a big metal pot.

Ed's breathing increased. He felt a wave of dizziness. He went up to the transparent wall and
stood gazing at the metal pot on the cart.

Doctor Bish rose. "Don't you want to see, too, Mrs Doyle?"

"Of course." Janet crossed to the wall and stood beside Ed. She watched critically, her arms
folded.

folded.

"Golly," Ed said.

Doctor Bish made a second signal. The wall slid back. The attendant robot advanced into the
room, holding his dripping tray out. Doctor Bish removed Peter from the tray and held him up for
inspection. He turned him around and around, studying him from every angle.

"He looks fine," he said at last.

"What was the result of the wave photo?" Janet asked.

"Result was good. Excellent tendencies indicated. Very promising. High development of the --"
The doctor broke off. "What is it, Mr Doyle?"

Ed was holding out his hands. "Let me have him, Doc. I want to hold him." He grinned from ear
to ear. "Let's see how heavy he is. He sure looks big."

Doctor Bish's mouth fell open in horror. He and Janet gasped.

"Ed!" Janet exclaimed sharply. "What's the matter with you?"

"Good heavens, Mr Doyle," the doctor murmured.

Ed blinked. "What?"

"If I had thought you had any such thing in mind --" Doctor Bish quickly returned Peter to the
attendant. The attendant rushed Peter from the room, back to the metal pot. The cart and robot and pot
hurriedly vanished, and the wall banged back in place.

Janet grabbed Ed's arm angrily. "Good Lord, Ed! Have you lost your mind? Come on. Let's get
out of here before you do something else."

"But --"

"Come on." Janet smiled nervously at Doctor Bish. "We'll run along now, Doctor. Thanks so
much for everything. Don't pay any attention to him. He's been out there so long, you know."

"I understand," Doctor Bish said smoothly. He had regained his poise. "I trust we'll hear from you
later, Mrs Doyle."

Janet pulled Ed out into the hall. "Ed, what's the matter with you? I've never been so
embarrassed in all my life." Two spots of red glowed in Janet's cheeks. "I could have kicked you."

"But what --"

"You know we aren't allowed to touch him. What do you want to do, ruin his whole life?"

"But --"

"Come on." They hurried outside the hospital, on to the terrace. Warm sunlight streamed down
on them. "There's no telling what harm you've done. He may already be hopelessly warped. If he grows
up all warped and -- and neurotic and emotional, it'll be your fault."

Suddenly Ed remembered. He sagged, his features drooping with misery. "That's right. I forgot.
Only robots can come near the children. I'm sorry, Jan. I got carried away. I hope I didn't do anything
they can't fix."

"How could you forget?"

"It's so different out at Prox." Ed waved to a surface car, crestfallen and abashed. The driver
drew up in front of them. "Jan, I'm sorry as hell. I really am. I was all excited. Let's go have a cup of
coffee some place and talk. I want to know what the doctor said."

Ed had a cup of coffee and Janet sipped at a brandy frappe. The Nymphite Room was pitch
black except for a vague light oozing up from the table between them. The table diffused a pale
illumination that spread over everything, a ghostly radiation seemingly without source. A robot waitress
moved back and forth soundlessly with a tray of drinks. Recorded music played softly in the back of the
room.

"Go on," Ed said.

"Go on?" Janet slipped her jacket off and laid it over the back of her chair. In the pale light her
breasts glowed faintly. "There's not much to tell. Everything went all right. It didn't take long. I chatted
with Doctor Bish most of the time."

"Go on?" Janet slipped her jacket off and laid it over the back of her chair. In the pale light her
breasts glowed faintly. "There's not much to tell. Everything went all right. It didn't take long. I chatted
with Doctor Bish most of the time."

"How was your trip?"

"Fine."

"Is the service getting any better? Does it still take as long as it did?"

"About the same."

"I can't see why you want to go all the way out there. It's so -- so cut off from things. What do
you find out there? Are plumbing fixtures really that much in demand?"

"They need them. Frontier area. Everyone wants the refinements." Ed gestured vaguely. "What
did he tell you about Peter? What's he going to be like? Can he tell? I guess it's too soon."