But the fighting was dying away. In the middle of the turning guns, beneath the explosions and flares that lit up the sky above, calm was spreading over the square. Humans retreated unmolested as robots were ceasing to fight, laying down their arms and kneeling down.
What was happening? And then Wa-Ka-Mo-Do saw what the robots had already noticed. He saw the three figures that had emerged from the Copper Master’s house and who were now walking towards Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. He felt his gyros rattling, felt the current wobbling through his body. The Vestal Virgins had returned.
The electrical hum of terror affected everyone in the square, and Wa-Ka-Mo-Do remembered the stories he had told Rachael of how the old rulers of Sangrel had woven fear into the citizens. It was still there now, it was there in every subject of the Emperor. Subservience to the Vestal Virgins was woven into the mind of every robot.
The three women passed one of the human guns, their beauty rendering that of the alien machine strange and ugly by comparison. They halted before Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. He was swaying, he had discharged too much current that day. His arm hung useless at his side. He had never felt more powerless.
‘Wa-Ka-Mo-Do,’ said the first. ‘You have failed the Emperor.’
She was as beautiful as he remembered her, but there, under the starry sky, with the fires of destruction leaping around the edge of the terrace, it was a terrible beauty.
‘The Emperor has failed us!’ shouted Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. His words rang hollow across the square.
‘You have failed Sangrel,’ said the second.
‘The Emperor failed Sangrel.’
‘You are relieved of your command,’ said the third.
‘By whose authority?’
‘The Emperor’s. There is a radio in the Mound of Eternity. Surely you must have realized this?’
He hadn’t. He felt a shimmering whine inside himself, as if his lifeforce was dying away.
One of the Vestal Virgins turned to La-Ver-Di-Arussah. ‘La-Ver-Di-Arussah, you are now in charge of this city.’
‘No!’
‘Be silent, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do,’ said another.
La-Ver-Di-Arussah stepped forward, smiling.
‘Put down this rebellion.’
He wanted to shout out, but he couldn’t. He had been ordered to silence, and it was woven into his mind to obey the Vestal Virgins.
One of them stepped forward, she touched Wa-Ka-Mo-Do on the head.
‘This way,’ she said.
He found himself following her from the square. He had no choice. He looked across, saw Rachael’s pale face looking across at him as she boarded the shuttle. She was shouting something to him, but he couldn’t hear. The rattle of gunfire had begun once more, directed by La-Ver-Di-Arussah.
Wa-Ka-Mo-Do was led into the Copper Master’s house, no longer the Commander of the Emperor’s Army of Sangrel, no longer a warrior of honour.
He had failed, completely.
As he was meant to do.
The animals had set up a little roof made of flexible plastic in the middle of the village. Under it there was a table set with some electronic equipment and some more sheets of plastic covered in symbols and pictures.
Brian went straight to one of the sheets.
‘Here,’ he said, showing it to Karel, who took a moment to realize he was looking at green countries painted over blue seas. It was an odd choice of colours.
‘Here’s Shull over here,’ said Brian. ‘This is the large city to the south of these mountains. Can you show me where Turing City was?’
Karel was too taken by the rest of the map.
‘What are all these other places?’ he asked, pointing to two large islands, almost touching, to the right of the map. The two of them together were bigger than Shull.
‘These? I believe you call them Yukawa. Those are the north and south islands. And over here is Gell.’ He pointed to another huge island to the left of Shull. There was a scattering of smaller islands around it.
‘I never heard of these places!’ said Karel. ‘Never, not in all my time in Turing City, never in all my time working in immigration. No one ever came from these places.’
‘Really?’ said Brian.
‘Never mind that,’ interrupted Melt. ‘Ask them where they come from. I know these animals. They ask so many questions, and they give nothing in return.’
‘How do you know so much about them, Melt?’
Melt leaned forwards. ‘Go on, Brian, tell us. Where are you from?’
The animal laughed, his white painted mouth stretched in a wide smile. The dark glass he wore over his eyes reflected the surrounding peaks.
‘We’re from a place called Earth, Melt. Another planet. Millions and millions of miles away.’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Finding out about you. On Earth, not so long ago, people like me and Ruth and Jasprit used to travel to other countries to find out how the people lived, what their customs and beliefs were.’
‘Their beliefs?’ said Karel. ‘Why would you do that?’
‘And what about the humans down on the plain below?’ interrupted Melt. ‘What are they doing here?’
‘Trading.’
Ruth stepped forward. ‘The trouble is,’ she said, ‘once one culture begins to interact with another they both begin to alter each other. That’s why we are up here, in the mountains, where things are-’
‘Yes, yes,’ interrupted Melt once more. Karel was getting irritated by how rude he was being. ‘Tell me about Earth. Did countries trade with each other back on Earth?’
‘All the time,’ said Brian. ‘They still do now. Tell me, Melt, where have you seen humans before? How long ago was it?’
Melt glared at the man.
‘Could you show us on a map?’ asked Brian, not giving up.
‘It was the summertime, when I met you,’ said Melt. ‘Does that answer your question?’
Brian gazed at him. ‘Yes, I think it does.’
‘Here,’ said Karel, feeling embarrassed. ‘Here. This is where Turing City was.’
He placed a finger on the map, towards the southern coast of Shull.
‘Odd,’ said Brian. ‘Our mapping software didn’t pick up anything there.’
‘It wouldn’t,’ said Karel. ‘I told you, Artemis conquered my state. They leave nothing behind.’
‘And you’re going there now,’ said Jasprit. ‘Going to find your wife?’
‘Yes.’
‘And do you love your wife?’
‘Yes. Of course.’
‘Do all robots love their wives?’
‘Usually. Often, when a child is being made, it is woven into their minds to love someone.’
‘I know about that,’ said Jasprit, ruefully, and the other two humans laughed, the machines they wore translating the harsh, juddering sounds they made into the sweet hiss of robot laughter.
‘Tell me about him,’ said Melt, suddenly, pointing at Simrock.
The laughter ceased.
‘What about him?’ asked Ruth, all businesslike.
‘You spoke to him. How?’
‘Don’t you know, Melt?’ asked Brian.
‘I asked the question first. Answer me!’
