“That’s a definite no.” Sasha grimmaced. “They haven’t come up with anything new in the last two years.”

“Turner controls the Household line, doesn’t he. Tell me, can you think of a household use for a rock slicer?”

Sasha frowned. “Not really. We use them in some of our construction robots, but slicers are too dangerous to be used around humans.”

“How about blasters?”

“Look, Hayama. Enough games. If you have something to say, say it.”

Hosato sighed and took the plunge.

“Okay. My name isn’t Hayama, jt’s Hosato. By profession I am a Ninja, an advancement on the old-world model you’ve studied. I was hired by Ravensteel to infiltrate your complex for the express purpose of sabotage. I feel relatively safe admitting this to you, because so far I have done nothing except look around. I haven’t killed anyone, destroyed any equipment, or transmitted any information to Ravensteel. My contract is now voided, but to my reasoning, the worst you can do is export me as an undesirable.”

“That’s quite a mouthful, Hayama… Hosato. The big question in my mind is, why?”

“For the money, of course.”

“I mean, why tell me?”

“I’m coming to that.” Hosato began to pace the room as he talked. “I’m breaking cover because I think there’s something bigger at stake.”

“Like what?”

“Killer robots. I think Harry Turner was killed by one of his own prototype security robots and that we’re all in potential danger of sharing that fate.”

“Whoa. Hold on, Hosato. Robot’s can’t—”

“Hear me out, Sasha. I mentioned I had done some looking around yesterday. I was specifically scouting Turner’s manufacturing area for sabotage. I saw two things there that didn’t make sense. First, the maintenance robots were constructing a new assembly line, yet you say there are no known new products planned for that area. Second, I saw a prototype robot being assembled with a built-in blaster in one arm and a light industrial slicer in the other.”

“But robots can’t kill people, they can’t even injure them. Even if they have built-in weapons, they couldn’t use them on anybody.”

“In that same scouting trip, I was almost killed twice, both times by robots. One time, one of the maintenance robots tried to knock me off a catwalk; and a few minutes later one of the design robots tried to shove a screwdriver through my chest. Does that sound like harmless robots going about their work?”

“It could be a malfunction,” she suggested.

“That’s what I thought at first myself. Then I found out that when Harry was killed, he was supposed to be looking over the prototypes of the security robots. It just seems like too much of a coincidence to me.”

“But even if they were able to kill people, would robots have the necessary data tb perform the function?”

“We can check that easily enough,” Hosato said, turning to Suzi. “Suzi. We’re going to need your help.”

The robot remained stoically silent.

“Come on, Suzi. She knows already. There’s no need for secrets anymore.”

There was still no response.

“Am I to take it from your actions,” Sasha asked, “that Suzi is more than the Class Two robot she’s been pretending to be?”

“That’s right,” Hosato responded. “She’s actually rather advanced. A Class Seven.”

“Class Eight,” Suzi corrected him.

“Ah.” Hosato smiled. “Since you’ve decided to join us, what data are available to robots on the subject of killing?”

“Robots are incapable of killing or injuring humans,” Suzi recited. “As any idiot knows.”

Sasha snickered.

“That’s right,” Hosato said. “You all have 'no-kill' programming. But how do you know not to injure anyone?”

“'No-kill' programming includes a complex matrix of human vulnerabilities,” Suzi informed them. “We know the breaking strength of every bone in the body, modified for sex and age, the pressure necessary on what type of an edge to break the skin or rupture an internal organ, the sensitivities of the eyes or ears—”

“So you have all the information necessary to inflict injury. All robots do.”

“The information is of a negative nature. These are things we are to avoid doing at all costs.”

“But if the blocks were somehow removed, and you had programming to that effect, you would know precisely how to kill. Correct?”

There was a painful silence.

“You see, Sasha,” Hosato said. “Robots could—”

“Even if we were physically able to inflict injury,” Suzi interrupted, “there would have to be specific instruction to that effect before we could act. Robots are incapable of independent thought, and merely act out instructions given them.”

“A mirror unto man,” Sasha murmured.

“What’s that?” Hosato asked.

“Oh. Just paraphrasing Shakespeare. The original quote was 'a mirror unto nature,' but that isn’t what we’re dealing with here. What we have is a mirror unto man, one that will reflect our efficiencies and maybe our weaknesses.”

“Then you agree that we could be in danger.”

“No, I don’t, Hosato.” Sasha was her brisk self again. “While I’ll admit it may be a possibility, there is nothing to prove—”

The shrill beeping of her belt unit interrupted her. She palmed the unit off her waist and held the ear plug against her head.

“Sasha here. What. Who is Hello… Hello!”

Her hands sank slowly into her lap as she stared at Hosato.

“I think you’ve got your proof,” she said vacantly. “While we’ve been here talking, someone or something raided the meeting in the president’s office and killed everyone there. Security reports unidentified robots moving through the corridors, armed and capable of inflicting fatal injury.”

Hosato grasped the situation immediately.

“Suzi,” he barked. “Full battle equipment!”

The robot obediently pivoted around, and a door swung open.

“What…?” began Sasha.

“Here. I assume you can use this,” Hosato said, tossing her a blaster.

The security chief plucked it from the air and blinked at it. “I sure can. You’re a bag of surprises, aren’t you, Hosato?”

“I try,” he said dryly, peeling off his shirt.

There was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Sasha volunteered.

“Watch it.” Hosato began, but she already had the door open.

The little redhead stood there. “Hi. I… Oh!”

Her glance took in Sasha and a half-naked Hosato at the same tune. “Hey, if I’m interrupting anything, I—”

“Get in here, fast,” Sasha ordered, beckoning with the blaster.

The girl obeyed, focusing on the blaster for the first time. “Hey. What’s going on?”

“The robots are running amok and killing people. I know it sounds crazy, but. What are you doing, Hosato?”

“What does it look like I’m doing. I’m changing clothes.”

“I didn’t know it mattered what you wore to an emergency.”

“Take my word for it, it does.” He continued don- ning his Ninja suit and produced another blaster from Suzi’s depths.

“Here,” he said, tossing it to the redhead. “Ever use one of these things?”

The redhead wrinkled her nose at the weapon. “No,” she announced proudly.

“Well, honey, you’re about to learn,” Sasha said grimly.

“First things first,” interrupted Hosato. “Get on your radio and alert your guards. Tell them to get to the armory and arm themselves as fast as they can. Then send a squad of them to secure the spaceport, and get the rest over here to guard the living quarters.”

“I know how to do my job, Hosato,” she snapped. “Then do it!”

He reached for his room telephone and dialed hastily. “James. Get over here to my room, fast. Don’t ask questions, just do it… That’s right, and if you see any strange robots, avoid 'em like the plague. Robots—it looks like your dad’s security robot scheme has backfired. Just get over here fast!” He slammed down the phone. “Suzi. Let’s see those layout diagrams again!”

The robot pivoted, and once more the viewscreen blinked to life.