“It is there for two reasons,” Suzi replied. “Both involving my own vanity. First, I wish a record of your defeat. Second, there may be times in the action when your colleagues’ view of the battle might be obscured by our movement. When combat begins, I will activate the viewscreen on my back, which will provide a view for them at all times.”
She turned slightly toward Sasha and James.
“Might I point out that it will therefore be unnecessary for you to shift position say, to move closer to the blaster in the corner. As such, any motion on your part will not be interpreted as innocent curiosity, but as an attempt to counterattack, and the unit there will defend itself accordingly. Is that clear?”
“What happens if he wins?” Sasha asked, ignoring the threat to her own person.
It was a good question, one that had not occurred to Hosato. He was busy preparing himself mentally for the duel.
“In the unlikely event that that should occur,” Suzi said levelly, “the security robot will immediately destroy him with its blaster. He is far too dangerous to allow his continued existence.”
“If that’s the case,” Hosato asked, “why should I fight at all?”
“Again, there are two reasons,” Suzi replied. “I know you, Hosato. The first reason is time. You’ll stall for more time, just as you’ve been doing, hoping for a miracle to save you. You’ll fight for more time, even if it’s a matter of minutes. The second reason is your pride. You’d rather be killed in a fight than standing meekly to the slaughter. Besides, right now you want nothing more than to prove, even with your dying breath, that you can beat me, that a man is better than a machine.”
Hosato let out a long breath.
“You know me pretty well, Suzi,” he said. “Or at least you think you do. Since there seem to be no further questions to be answered, shall we begin?”
So saying, he extended his sword and settled into his en garde position.
Suzi also extended her sword in preparation.
“You forgot to salute.” she pointed out.
“No I didn’t,” Hosato replied. “The salute is a sign of respect for one’s opponent.”
“Your attempts to arouse anger in me are quite useless. Hosato. A robot—”
Hosato attacked.
Darting forward in a long, low glide, his blade hung in the air until Suzi began her parry. Then, in the blink of an eyehe deceived her blade and tried for the hit.
Suzi’s sword was a blur of motion, striking his blade once, twice, and finally wrenching it from his grasp to send it clattering to the floor.
Hosato froze, his eyes focused on the glittering point of Suzi’s sword poised inches from his heart.
“—is not dependent on normal conditions for efficient operation,” Suzi said, her train of conversation uninterrupted. “That attack was so elementary as to be insulting, Hosato. Pick up your weapon and try again.”
Hosato stooped slowly and regained his sword. As he didhe shot a glance at Sasha and James. They were staring fixedly, not at himbut at Suzi’s back. It took him an instant to recall that the humiliating incident was being recorded and displayed on the robot’s viewscreen.
He returned his thoughts to the duel. Suzi would not be easy to beat, if she could be beaten at all. What was it the maestro had always said. “Fence with your head, not your heart.” He needed to think, to plan. Unfortunately. Suzi was apparently unwilling to allow him the necessary time to organize his strategy. As soon as he regained his upright position, she moved forward, sword extended for the kill. Hosato parried reflexively and attempted a counterthrust.
What followed was a blinding display of swordwork as the weapons darted back and forth at dazzling speeds, now blocking a thrust, now probing for the exposed target. In the end, the result was the same. Hosato’s sword clattered to the floor and Suzi’s point stopped inches short of its target.
“Much better,” Suzi commented. “You haven’t used that combination since Uran. Remember. When your opponents hired a maestro to represent them in the duel. It worked there, but not here.”
Her voice hardened.
“Pick up your sword, Hosato. Give it your best shot. This time I won’t stop. This time, when the exchange ends, you’ll be dead.”
Hosato took his time retrieving his weapon. This was the only planning, time he’d be allowed. How to beat the robot. Correction, robots. His eyes darted to the security robot poised in the corner. They were stronger, faster What was it his grandfather had said. Use the enemy’s strength against him. How did that apply here. There were two of them and only one…
A germ of an idea came into his mind. He examined it. It would be close, but it just might work. His fingers closed around the handle of his sword and he straightened again.
“You’re right, Suzi,” he said levelly. “This will be the last exchange.” As he spoke, he began to circle, moving sideways around the office. Suzi warily imitated his move, circling opposite to his path.
“Make it good, Hosato,” she said. “I have a point to prove.”
“So do I, Suzi,” Hosato commented. “If machines could replace humans, if their logic was better…”
She was in position now, her back to the security robot.
“… if computers were so all-fired great, then this wouldn’t come as a surprise!”
He spun and lunged at the camera on the desk. In that frozen moment, two things happened. Suzi, reacting to Hosato’s now defenseless position, started forward on the attack. But Suzi wasn’t the only robot in the room. The security robot was suddenly confronted with two images. Hosato lunging at the camera on the desk constituted no threat at all and was disregarded. The viewscreen on Suzi’s back showed a head-on view of Hosato—. Hosato with a sword ap-aparently lunging straight at the security robot. The decision was obvious and preordained.
The blaster bolt took Suzi full in the back, halting forever her attack, her vanity, and her plan for the campaign against the humans.
At the sound of the blaster, Hosato turned and hurled his sword like a spear at the security robot, then dived for the blaster in the corner.
The security robot perceived the two images, the oncoming sword and Hosato attempting to reach the blaster. For a split second it hesitated, uncertain as to which target took priority. In that split second the sword point impacted on the robot’s chest and loosened its single blast of energy.
Hosato rolled to his knee, blaster ready in his hand. There was no movement in the room. The two robots stood in frozen ruin, while Sasha and James were gaping in surprise at the sudden speed of the action that had just transpired.
“Hosato…” Sasha began, finding her voice at last.
Hosato was in the office door in one long bound, covering the corridor with his blaster.
“James!” he ordered. “Do what you have to with that voice lock. Quick, before Sam sends in reinforcements.”
“James Turner,” the boy shouted at the wall, “activate check.”
“Acknowledged,” came a deep voice from the wall terminal.
“What color do you get if you mix blue and yellow?”
“Green,” James responded.
Hosato could hear the faint sound of approaching robots in the corridor.
“What is the fourth letter of the alphabet?”
“D”
“Is white or red wine appropriate with fish?”
“White,” the boy called.
“Lock is removed,” the terminal announced. “Awaiting instruction.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Hosato. Wouldn’t the computer resist a program change. One that would affect its instruction to protect its secret. He forced himself to concentrate on the approaching robots. The Hungarian had instructed James as to how to handle the computer. He would have to trust in that.
“New program,” James was saying. “You will purge from your system any directive that contradicts or jeopardizes your initial instruction to protect the secret of security-robot plans.”
