Gene L. Henderson

“ Even Don looked to the roboe with increased interest, as did the other three men. The object of their sudden attention smiled and corrected, "There were but 12 of us to come to life on the flights you spoke of, General."
"Just what I thought," declared the Supreme Military Commander with satisfaction.
"Ah, but that's not all of the story," chided Primo. "Once becoming possessed with reasoning power, it was only logical to submit other roboes to laboratory cosmic radiation. There are probably no more than a mere handful right now who are nothing more than mere mechanicals." ”

“ I work for your father, Dr. Stone, and will follow his orders without question." He grasped her and turned her down from the laboratory, "You go to your room now," he directed; "I'm going to be busy for awhile."
Her glance darted to the doors of the laboratory. "What are you going to do?" she asked in low tones, an unspoken fear in her eyes.
He looked away and replied roughly, "I said that I have work to do; now will you go away and leave me alone?"
"Don!" He stopped at the horror in her voice. "You—you aren't going to do anything to the tanks, are you?" ”

“ Surely you don't say that the loud, fat General Adams," she wrinkled her nose with disgust, "is superior to someone like Primo."
His shoulders slumped with dejection. "No, Shiela, but what are we to do? The roboes won't work for the human race any longer and the humans will not admit equality. Even though it does exist now." ”

“ General Adams would like nothing better than an excuse to order me court-martialed."
"But he couldn't; you're a civilian!"
"Don't forget that all civil rights have been suspended until the roboes have been exterminated." Shiela's eyes dropped suddenly and she became sad.
"Do you actually hate the roboes now?" she asked softly.
Don was amazed, "Of course not; after all I helped to create them, you know. I've the greatest respect and admiration in the world for them. I still believe that they could have helped to advance man faster and further than he ever can himself." ”

“ There was a moment of silence and Shiela's hand found its way to his. She sighed, "The harm's all been done now; people will never accept the roboes as anything but an animated calculating machine or 'electronic brain.' One or the other must fall." ”

“ The civilian came to his feet quickly and came to the bewildered and indignant Don, saying kindly, "I know how you feel, son. However, the future of the peoples of the world may be at stake."
"But the roboes perform tasks in the radioactive fields that humans find impossible. They...."
The other placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know. They can withstand radiation deadly to humans, correct?"
Don nodded his head and the civilian continued. "Before we go any further, Donald, perhaps identification would be in order." He turned to the general, now standing. "This is General Adams." ”

“ I don't suppose you'd care to explain?"
"Oh, but I would," came the quick reply. "You undoubtedly remember that the first use of roboes was to man rockets into outer space to avoid exposing humans to cosmic radiation?" A nod was his only answer and he continued. "It was on such a flight into outer space that something took possession of my mind. Man created an image of himself and the cosmic forces outside Earth's atmosphere endowed it with life and a soul."
"Preposterous!" exclaimed the general. ”

“ Stone. "And their decision...?"
"Extinction!" snapped the General.
"General Adams, I am still your superior," sternly reminded the Under-Secretary.
The military man subsided sullenly. "Now then," began the Under-Secretary more softly to the attentive Primo. "You realize that even if the Council were to grant you freedom from the control of man that it would be an admission that you are the equal of the human race."
"That's true," admitted Primo, "but then wouldn't that be facing facts? After all, we can do things that even humans can't." ”

“ Besides, in such matters any authority is supreme until the last roboe has been destroyed."
"I intend to contact the Council immediately and report your actions," threatened the old man, starting for the house.
"Halt, or I'll fire," warned the general, whipping a blaster into sight. The scientist ignored the command and kept on towards the house. The general leveled his arm as the frozen Don regained his senses and dove at him. He sensed rather than saw, the rifle butt swung at his head by one of the squad and dropped, stunned, as the blaster roared out. ”

“ Even Stone forgot the pain occasioned by his destruction of the protoplasm tanks and became excited over the elusive clue they were following.
"If we could just find the formula the writer hints of," he said to Don at the conclusion of one long session of deciphering. "It's apparent that his ancient civilization had an even more violent revolution by their robots than we have."
"Perhaps if we discover their solution in time, Primo will surrender rather than face a needless annihilation."
Stone shook his head slowly. "No, Don, somehow I don't believe we can escape the problem that easily. ”

“ Stone. "Especially when Primo personally delivered the message to me to be sent to the Earth Council."
Don sat down, weak after the first shock. "Then someone else must be directing Primo; he'd never turn against you."
"Why shouldn't a machine run wild?" demanded the general. "This 'Primo' is nothing more than an animated calculating machine."
"Which shows your lack of knowledge concerning science, General," stated Don. "Biologically they are more perfect than even you or I, the later ones even having actual bones for skeletons instead of the earlier model metal ones! ”

“ Why their brains were so designed that a thought of rebellion would require the complexities of one of our brains, something we never have and probably never will be able to implant in their so-called minds. ”

“ They had been so designed that, once having reached their pre-determined orbit, their rocket thrust was broken off and would be reactivated only when directed by radar from the ground or when the metallic bodies of the fugitive ships passed nearby. ”

“ What?—screamed humans—treat machines as equals?
Even if the "survival of the fittest" theory (grafted onto Darwinism by popularizers) is a good one, it's still a matter of hindsight, and not a case of deciding in advance which or who ought to survive. However, does this stump our hero, our indefatigable human being? The answer is a hearty, if somewhat delusionary, NO! Whether it's America, Russia, China, Lower Slobovia, it's just plain understood that "we are the most fit to survive ”