Daniel F. Galouye

“ Drummond faced the almost prostrate robots and made a megaphone of his hands. "All right, you guys! How's about knocking it off?"
Slowly, the robots reared erect, waiting.
"Take us back to our ship!"
RA-204 stepped forward. "Again Thou art testing us, O Jackson."
Angus spread his arms imploringly. "Look, fellows. We're men. We're—"
"Thou art our Supervisor!" the throng roared.
"One of you is Jackson," explained 204. "The other is a Divine Test. We must learn which is the True Supervisor."
"You're not being tested!" McIntosh insisted.
"Our beliefs are firm, O Jackson!" ”

“ McIntosh explained. "Their obsession with religion is stronger than their primary compulsion. That's probably because they've been satisfying their compulsion all along." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the cave.
Drummond swore venomously.
Angus dropped down on the ledge and folded his knees in his arms. He felt his age bearing down on him for the first time.
"Twelve hundred robots," he said meditatively. "Twelve hundred RA robots. Out of touch with civilization for a century. ”

“ That's not what's worrying me, though."
"No?"
"Religious robots! There can't be any such brand. Yet here they are."
Drummond studied them silently.
"Before there can be theological beliefs," McIntosh went on, "there has to be some sort of foundation—the mystery of origin, the fear of death, the concept of the hereafter. Clunkers know they come from a factory. They know that when they're finally disassembled, they'll be lifeless scrap metal."
Drummond spat disdainfully. "One thing's for sure—this pack thinks we're God Almighty."
"Jackson Almighty," Angus corrected somberly. ”

“ Drummond snapped his fingers excitedly. "That's why they don't know what we are! Their idea of Man had to be passed down by word of mouth. And it got all distorted in the process!"
Angus's stare, more solicitous now, swept slowly over the prostrate robots. "More important, that's why they developed a religion. What's the main difference between human and robotic intelligence? It's that our span of life is limited on one end by birth, the other by death—mysteries of origin and destiny that can't be explained. ”

“ Angus went on, "Group C is not only ready to start stripping Group A, but has also become intellectually mature enough to begin the education of the reassembled Group B!"
They sat still for a while, thinking it over.
"The compulsion to do their jobs," McIntosh continued, "is unchanged because the primary function banks are sealed circuits and can't be tampered with. But in each generation, they have their secondary memory circuits wiped clean and have to start all over, getting whatever general knowledge they can from the last generation." ”

“ Angus leaned back against the cliff and let the sun's heat warm him.
"Somehow it doesn't seem fair," he commented unhappily.
"What doesn't?" Drummond asked.
"They're so close to the Truth. Yet, after we file a report, a deactivation crew will come along and erase their beliefs. They'll have their memory banks swept clean and once more they'll be nothing but clunkers with a factory-specification job of routine work to do." ”

“ Drummond slapped the heel of his hand against his forehead. "Now they think they've got a sex function!"
Angus's shoulders fell dismally. "Maybe if we try to figure out their designation. They're all RAs—whatever the A stands for."
There was a hollow rumbling in the cave that grew in volume until the cliff shook. Then a second group of robots emerged and fanned out to encircle the ledge.
"Hell," said Drummond in consternation. "There's twice as many as we figured!"
"Thought there'd be more," Angus admitted. "That ship was big enough to hold a thousand clunkers. ”

“ Satisfying their primary function by disassembling and assembling one another. Going at it in shifts. Splitting themselves into three groups."
"That device on their left thumb," Drummond interrupted. "It's a burnisher. That's why they're so shiny."
Angus nodded. "Three groups. Group A spends so many months stripping and reassembling Group B. Meanwhile, Group C, which has just been put together again, has no memory because their secondary banks have been wiped clean. So, like children, they learn from the working Group A."
Drummond's mouth hung open in shocked understanding. ”

“ Drummond hunched over. "76, what's your function?"
The robot looked up. "To serve Jackson."
"You're a big help," said Drummond.
"Why dost thou tempt us, O Jackson?" asked RA-204. "Wouldst Thou test our beliefs?"
"We're no gods," Angus declared as the robot drew up before the cave.
"Thou art Jackson!" insisted 204.
Drummond and McIntosh were hoisted to a ledge beside the mouth of the cave. The robots backed off, forming a half circle, and bowed in obeisance. ”