But it wasn’t really a very comforting thought. Future immortality was a theory; dying was a fact. Not to mention the other thing. Even if the theory was right, what about these damn mysterious Horch? Or, for that matter, about the equally damn mysterious Beloved Leaders?
She shuddered again, and began picking over the stored foods. They were as discouraging to her as ever, but she settled on something that called itself potato soup and set it to soak in cold water; maybe it would turn itself into vichyssoise, she thought optimistically. Then, on second thought, sighing, she picked out a couple of others and set them to soak for when the others woke up.
Rosaleen was giving her a questioning look. Patsy said sorrowfully: “I wish I hadn’t got you into this, Rosie.”
Rosaleen looked surprised, then gave her a little never-mind headshake. “Oh, don’t blame yourself, Patsy. Look at the bright side. I’m not dead yet-here, I mean. Whereas actually, if I understand what has happened, the one of me on Earth isn’t that lucky. So perhaps accepting your invitation to come along has produced a net gain for me after all.” Then she smiled. “What foolish things we think of. Shall I tell you what has been on my mind for hours now? I have been wondering who might have taken over my old office at the observatory.”
Nearby, Patrice confided, “You know, so am I, Patsy. Who do you suppose has taken over ours?”
“I hope nobody,” Patsy said with indignation. “This jail thing must be some kind of misunderstanding; when it gets cleared up we’ll be back in charge.”
Patsy looked at her in surprise, then nodded. “Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. That would make a problem, wouldn’t it? I mean if we all got back. Anyway,” she said, stretching her arms, “I wonder how old Papathanassiou’s getting along with his gamma-burster counts. And poor dumb Mick, and all the rest of the guys. …”
“And-“ Patrice began, and stopped, frowning. Something was moving toward them through the maze of machinery. Everyone was suddenly standing, half of them with metal rods already in their hands.
They they saw what it was: a Doc, walking slowly and gazing from side to side. When it saw them it stopped, immobile, waiting.
And what it was waiting for …
That appeared a moment later. It was Dopey, bedraggled, limping along, hurrying fearfully toward them.
“Please!” he begged. “Help me! They’ll kill me if they find me!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Patsy
There was the world turned upside down for you, Patsy thought, their arrogant little jailer now pleading hysterically for their protection. “It is not safe here,” he sobbed, wringing his fussy little hands. “They go about looking for the Leaders’ people and they butcher us. Also they’re destroying everything in the base!”
“The Horch?” Pat asked, moved to sympathy.
“No, not the Horch themselves! What would the Horch be doing in a place like this? It is the machines they’ve sent, the killing ones . . . and I am very hungry.”
Dannerman gave a quick look at Pat-how kindly did she feel to the little freak?-before he said, “I’m afraid we really don’t have enough even for ourselves-“
Dopey looked astonished, then indignant. “But I cannot eat your food! No, there is plenty of good food for me in the base, but I dare not go near it-the whole area is swarming with the surrogates of the Horch. You must help me! I have thought this out carefully; what you must do is very clear. You are a very violent race. I am well informed in this respect; remember, I monitored your whole planet for some years. You can fight them, drive them out-“
“With this?” Dannerman demanded, brandishing his spear. “You took our guns away from us.”
“But you can have them back,” Dopey said eagerly. “I can get them for you. There are better weapons as well. Beloved Leader weapons! Very powerful! As powerful as those of the Horch surrogates, and I will show you where they are.”
“If you’ve got weapons like that, why don’t you fight them yourself?”
Dopey looked sorrowful. “The Beloved Leaders’ weapons require a great deal of energy.”
Dannerman laughed sharply. “And the power’s out, so this is all bullshit.”
“Bullshit?” Dopey looked trances for a moment, then indignant. “No, certainly what I ask of you is not ‘bullshit.’ There is a standby power source which is quite adequate, but I dare not activate it by myself. The Horch surrogates would be sure to detect it and then-“ The creature shuddered, and added, “Also fighting is not a characteristic of my race. Those others who were fighters were of a different kind, and they are already dead. As I will be if you do not help me now.”
Pat gave him a curious look. “You seem to be really scared of dying all of a sudden.”
“No,” Dopey said. “You have misjudged this matter. I am not afraid of dying. The death of one copy is of little importance when new copies can easily be made. But afraid of failing to carry out the tasks of the Beloved Leaders? Oh, yes, I am very much afraid of that.”
“So you’d rather die than fail to carry out your task?”
“No, no! How can you misunderstand me so? To die is no excuse! Do not forget the eschaton!”
Ah, thought Patsy, her curiosity satisfied at last. The eschaton! The eternity of immortal bliss in heaven that waited for them all-assuming the Beloved Leaders were right-but less blissful by a good deal, it seemed, for anyone the Beloved Leaders found wanting in his duties to them.
If it was a fantasy, it was clearly very real to Dopey. He showed it in his look and demeanor: the plume draggled and gray, the little kitten face wrinkled in worry. Then, impatiently: “Must we stay here and argue? It is not safe here. The Horch surrogate machines may detect us at any time. You must leave the base for a place of safety and wait there; my bearer and I will secure your weapons and bring them to you. It will take some time, as we must go very cautiously and by a roundabout route, but I believe we can accomplish this, and then, once you are armed, I will lead you to the power generator-“
“Hold it,” Dannerman ordered. “Go back a bit. What’s this about a place of safety?”
“A place of relative safety, perhaps I should say,” Dopey qualified. “Outside the bounds of the base there is a habitat area which has been prepared for you-it was to have been in a later stage of your experiment, but it is available now. I promise you you will find it quite pleasant, not unlike certain portions of your own planet. Also there are dwellings already prepared. There is clean water in a stream. There are trees and flowers-“
“I knew it!” Pat shouted triumphantly. “I saw them! And they were in the open, with real sunshine!”
Dopey squinted at her in reproof. “There is no sunshine at present,” he corrected her, “as it is presently night in this portion of the planet. But you will be safe there, relatively, and I will have the bearer prepare a map to guide you.”
“If it’s nighttime, how will we find our way?” Rosaleen objected.
“I said it was night. I did not say it was dark,” Dopey told her, glancing at the Doc. He didn’t say a word, or even make a gesture that Patsy could see, but at once the golem stirred itself, pulled out a pen like Rosaleen’s-hell, no, Patsy realized; it wasn’t like Rosaleen’s, it was Rosaleen’s, a copy no doubt made as they copied anything else they chose-and swiftly began to sketch a diagram on a scrap of wrapping paper. “It is not far,” Dopey reassured them. “Perhaps, ah, two kilometers. See here”-snatching the completed map from the Doc-“you go that way, past that large orange object, do you see? Then you will see the open space just ahead. Go across this meadow, here, and around this lake, here, and there will be a path. It will lead you to the encampment, and you will wait there until the bearer and I return with your weapons. Then-“
“Stop right there,” Dannerman ordered. “Why should we do what you tell us?”
“Why, because that is what the Beloved Leaders would wish,” Dopey said in surprise. “Also to save your own lives, since it can be only a very short time before the Horch surrogates arrive here.”
“That’s what you say,” Dannerman said. “We have no reason to trust you. We’ve seen what you people do.”
Dopey looked perplexed. “You have seen?
“On the helmet,” Dannerman told him. “Your Beloved Leaders have blown up dozens of planets-“
Dopey looked stricken. “I did not realize the Horch had taken over that circuit,” he moaned. “But the people of those planets were enemies! They refused to cooperate with the Beloved Leaders-“