“All it takes is one queen, at the start. But her offspring build these huge, networked, almost indestructible nests, strip the land of everything that can be eaten, and kill or drive out all the native species right up to cattle. Pretty soon, instead of a meadow, you’ve got a couple hectares of solid fire ant nest. And then they send out hordes of flying queens to start new colonies. ”

The slidewalk rose through another floor, and Janet looked around. “Yes, fire ants get established someplace, you may as well nuke the whole mess and start over. ”

They’d reached the top of the slidewalk. Janet wheeled and charged through an enormous open archway; Basalom followed an instant later, in time to see Dr. Anastasi get grabbed by two large, matte-black security robots.

His First Law reaction was immediate and overwhelming. Dr. Anastasi is being attacked. I must defend her.

Even as he started to move, within nanoseconds, secondary observations came into his central thought processor. The security robots were standard Robot City Avernus models: massive, solid, four meters tall, equipped with ominous-looking pincer hands-in short, far more menacing than the older “Gort” models found doing most security work on Spacer worlds. These robots are subject to the First Law just as I am. Dr. Anastasi is in no danger. Perhaps they are restraining her in order to prevent her from entering an area of greater potential harm.

Dr. Anastasi’ s face flushed red to the roots of her blond hair, and she pounded ineffectually on the robot’s broad metal chest. “Put me down!”

“This is a restricted area,” the robot said in a voice that sounded like ball bearings in a blender.

“This is Central Hall. It can’t be a restricted area. ”

The robot tilted its massive, helmet-like head back and scanned her face. “You are not in my permissions file. Access denied. If you would like to apply for permission-”

“Shut up!” She thumped the black behemoth on the side of the head, and it responded by shifting its grip so that she could no longer move her arms.

Casually, Basalom strolled into view, stopped a foot short of the security robots’ reaction perimeter, and opened a commlink channel. Hello. Is there some problem here?

This is a restricted area,the unoccupied security robot said. Interestingly, its commlink signal projected the same gravelly tone as the other’s voice synthesizer.

Ah, I see.He looked at Dr. Anastasi as if curious. What did,she do?

She attempted to enter the restricted zone without correct permission.

Dr. Anastasi caught her breath again. “Put me down, you ugly tin lunkhead!”

Basalom nodded sagely. And you stopped her. Good work. But tell me, why is this zone restricted?

To prevent the risk of further attacks on Central. This one fit the profile of a potential attacker.Dr. Anastasi got a foot loose and gave the security robot a good solid kick in the knee joint. The hall echoed with the clang.

Basalom nodded again. Indeed she does. He looked back to the security robot. However, I ’ m curious about something. Who issued the orders restricting this area?

The Supervisory Council.

I see. And they ’ re all robots, is that correct?

Yes.

Basalom stepped a bit closer, as if to examine Janet, but still stayed circumspectly outside the security robot’s reaction perimeter. You are aware, of course, that this is a human.

Both security robots responded. Of course. The one holding Dr. Anastasi continued, That is why I am restraining her without harming her.

Basalom stepped back and looked the black robot straight in the oculars. Under the Second Law, an order given by a human supersedes an order given by a robot-even by a robot on the Supervisory Council.

Protection of Central stems directly from our fundamental programming, which was installed by the human Dr. Avery.The security robot hesitated, but persisted. This security detail is therefore following a human order of higher priority.

Basalom shifted his approach. Dr. Anastasi is a former colleague of Dr. Avery ’ s. True enough, as far as it went. Basalom felt no need to amplify the relationship. She is no danger to Central. In any case, human reactions are so slow compared to robots that you or I could stop her if she attempted an assault on Central. Besides, her order is direct and immediate, and is a situation not foreseen by your programming. Also true enough. I suggest you start obeying her orders.

Security robots could be a bit thick, but even they eventually caught on. Oh.

Janet shrieked, “Let me go!” The robot holding her did, and she hit the floor with a plop. In an instant Basalom was at her side, helping her to her feet. All her attention was fixed on the security robot; the only notice she took of Basalom was to mutter,,, You just have to know how to talk to these things. ”

“Indeed, madam. ”

Getting to her feet, Dr. Anastasi straightened her clothes and fixed the security robots with a steely glare. “Well, I hope you two have learned your lesson. Come along, Basalom…, Though the security robots were both a good two meters taller than Janet, she brushed them aside and ploughed straight ahead into Central Hall.

Basalom followed her. One of the security robots started to open his commlink channel to challenge Basalom’s security clearance, but Basalom struck first. Implied Second Law: Dr. Anastasi has ordered me to accompany her. Therefore, she wishes me to enter this area, and therefore, she obviously wishes you to allow me to pass. The security robots were still trying to parse that one out when Basalom and Dr. Anastasi disappeared out of sight around the corner.

A few seconds later they stood in the atrium at the heart of Central, facing the massive black slab that held Central’s console input/output devices. Basalom couldn’t quite put a manipulator on it, but he felt a sense of vague disquiet in the presence of the great machine. There were annoying, itchy subsonics in the air, and a deep, unsteady thrumming on the 104-Mhz band. The positronic potentials rose in his brain, meshed, and pointed toward a fuzzy conclusion: Something was wrong. But what?

Dr. Anastasi grew impatient. She crossed her arms. She tapped a foot. She cleared her throat loudly. At last, Central’s one red eye slowly came to life. Clicks and grating sounds emanated from its voice synthesizer, followed by a burst of white noise and a 6O-cycle hum that slowly resolved into a word.

“Hmmm?”

Janet uncrossed her arms and stepped forward. “Central, I am Dr. Janet Anastasi, and I’m here to-”

“Good morning, Dr. Chandra,” the machine said. “I’m looking forward to beginning my lessons. ”

Janet blinked, shook her head, and tried again. “Anastasi. My name is Anastasi. And I’m a little short on time, so-”

“Time,” Central said, “is a convention shaped by the collective mind of all sentience. It has no objective meaning outside the vision. “

Dr. Anastasi turned to Basalom. “Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”

Basalom tried a brief query on his commlink, but got nothing but static in reply. “No, madam. ”

Janet shrugged and turned back to Central. “One more time, then. My name is Janet Anastasi. I am a roboticist. Roughly a year ago, I left an experimental learning machine on the surface of this planet. Its mission was-”

Central’s eye flared brightly, then dimmed again to extinction.

No answer was forthcoming; Central had gone back into sleep mode. Turning to Janet, Basalom found her staring at her feet and counting to a very high number. The situation was saved by the arrival of a tall, slender, pale blue robot built along the lines of the Avery Euler model.