THE MAGIC LABYRINTH by Philip Jose Farmer

“Could you make a disguise of Monat to wear yourself?” Turpin said.

“I suppose so. But I’d use beam-simulators.”

Loga seemed very weary now. Burton suspected that it was not the wound which had drained his energy. It was hopelessness and guilt.

“Well,” Burton said. “We don’t know but what voice and body recognition is all that’s required. We must try to fool the computer even if it’s wasted work.”

Alice said, eagerly, “Have you told the computer that it’s going to die?”

“Oh, yes. But it already knew it.”

“Perhaps a man could get through the computer’s defenses,” Burton said, looking hard at Loga.

The Ethical straightened up a little.

“I know what you’re thinking. Since I’m responsible for this horror, I should try to repair the valve generator. Even if there’s an almost one-hundred-percent probability that I’d just be sacrificing myself. I would do that if I thought it’d do any good.

“But what if I succeeded and yet died? None of you would know how to operate the equipment here. You could do nothing to solve this problem.

“Moreover, if the computer lives, what then? The situation is unchanged only in that the computer lives and so the wathans won’t be released.”

Burton said that Loga must train them in the use of whatever instruments might be needed. He-must because something might happen to him. Was there time for that before the computer died?

The Ethical replied that there might be. He’d have to teach them what the instrument markings meant. It would take too long to teach them the language used when talking to the computer, which was that of Monat’s people and the primary one on the Gardernworld. But he could change the language converters and so allow them to use Esperanto.

“Excellent!” Burton said. “I think we should all go to bed now. We’ll wake up refreshed and with clearer minds. Perhaps we can think of something to use against the computer then.”

They moved into the Councilors’ apartments. Loga went into his. Aphra Behn and de Marbot took one; Alice and Burton, another. Tai-Peng and Turpin shared a fourth apartment and Nur and Frigate the one next to it. Burton thought it best that none of their group be alone. He still didn’t entirely trust the Ethical.

Before they went to sleep, Alice said, “Richard, there has to be a way to get around the computer. It was made by humans, so it should be mastered by humans.”

“Why don’t you appeal to its emotions?” Burton said. “You women are particularly good at that.”

“No more than men, you braying arse! Anyway, I know there’s no use appealing to the emotions of a thing that has none. Although I’m not so sure that it doesn’t have some. Or analogies thereof. But since it operates purely by logic, why not use logic against it? Humans put human logic into it. We should be able to fight it or cozen it with logic.”

“I’m sure that Loga has thought of that.”

He kissed her on the cheek and turned away.

“Good night, Alice.”

“Good night, Richard.”

When he awoke some hours later, he found her staring up at the moving figures on the ceiling.

53

IN THE MORNING, THEY SHOWERED AND PUT ON CLEAN CLOTHS and then went to a room which was used as a dining hall. Going past the control room, they saw that Croomes’ body had been removed. There were no bloodstains on the floor, and all the skeletons were gone.

“Robots,” Loga said. “I also sent one to take care of Gilgamesh’s body.”

“I didn’t see any robots,” Frigate said.

“You did, but they looked like large cabinets. Your beds are robots, too. They gently massage your muscles and manipulate your spinal cords.”

“I didn’t feel anything when I awoke during the night,” Burton said.

“Nor I,” Alice said.

“They’re very subtle and only operate automatically when you’re asleep. But if you want a massage while awake, you command them. I’ll show you how.”

Over the delicious breakfast, Alice told the others her thoughts about circumventing the computer with the very logic it used.

Loga shook his head. “It sounds fine, but it won’t work.”