趁生命气息逗留
-
2023年3月1日发(作者：朗诵材料)eathITarry
hingscreatedofSolcom,
Frostwasthe
finest,themightiest,themostdifficulttounderstand.
Thisiswhyheboreaname,andwhyhewasgivendominion
overhalfthe
Earth.
OnthedayofFrost'screateion,Solcomhadsuffereda
discontinuityof
complementaryfunctions,
wasbroughton
byanunprecedentedsolarflareupwhichlastedforalittleover
rredduringavitalphaseof
circuit-structuring,andwhenitwasfinishedsowasFrost.
Solcomwasthenintheuniquepositionofhavingcreateda
uniquebeing
duingaperiodoftemporaryamnesia.
AndSolcomwasnotcetainthatFrostwastheproduct
originallydesired.
Theinitialdesignhadcalledforamachinetobesituatedon
the
surfaceoftheplanetEarth,tofunctionasarelaystationand
coordinatingagentforactivitiesinthenotrhernhemisphere.
Solcom
testedthemachinetothisend,andallofitsresponseswere
perfect.
YettherewassomethigdifferentaboutFrost,something
whichled
Solcomtodignifyhimwithanameandapersonalpronoun.
This,in
itself,ecular
circuitshad
alreadybeensealed,though,andcouldnotbeaalyzedwithout
being
epresentedtoogreatan
investmentof
Solcom'stime,energy,andmaterialstobedismantledbecause
ofan
intangible,especiallywhenhefunctionedperfectly.
Theefore,Solcom'sstrangestcreationwasgivendominion
overhalfthe
Earth,adtheycalledhim,unimaginatively,Frost.
FortethousandyearsFrostsatattheNorthPoleoftheEarth,
aware
toredanddirectedthe
activities
knewhalf
theEarth,asgearknowsgear,aselectricityknowsitsconductor,
asa
vacuumknowsitslimits.
AttheSouthPole,theBeta-Machinedidthesameforthe
southern
hemisphere.
FortethousandyearsFrostsatattheNorthPole,awareof
every
snowflakethatfell,andawareofmanyotherthings,also.
Asallthenorthernmachinesreportedtohim,receivedtheir
orders
fromhim,hereportedonlytoSolcom,receivedhisordersonly
from
Solcom.
Inchargeofhundredsofthousandsofprocessesuponthe
Earth,hewas
abletodischargehisdutiesinamatterofafewunit-hoursevery
day.
Hehadneverreceivedanyordersconcerningthedisposition
ofhisless
occupiedmoments.
Hewasaprocessorofdata,andmorethanthat.
Hepossessedanunaccountablyacuteimperativethathe
functionatfull
capacityatalltimes.
Sohedid.
Youmightsayhewasamachinewithahobby.
Hehadeverbeenordered_not_tohaveahobby,sohehad
one.
HishobbywasMan.
Itallbeganwhen,fornobetterreasonthanthefactthathe
had
wishedto,hehadgriddedofftheentireArcticCirclandbegun
exploring
it,inchbyinch.
Hecouldhavedoneitpersonallywithoutinterferingwithany
ofhis
duties,forhewascapableoftransportinghissixty-four
thousandcubic
feetanywhereintheworld.(Hewasasilverbluebox,
40x40x40feet,
self-powered,self-repairing,insulatedagainstpractically
anythig,and
featuredinwhatevermannerhechose.)Buttheexploration
wasonlya
matteroffillingidlehours,soheusedexploation-robots
containing
relayequipment.
Afterafewcenturies,oneofthemuncoveredsomeartifacts-
primitive
knives,carvedtusks,andthingsofthatnature.
Frostdidnotknowwhatthesethingswere,beyondthefact
thatthey
werenotnaturalobjects.
SoheaskedSolcom.
"TheyarerelicsofprimitiveMan,"saidSolcom,anddidnot
elaborate
beyondthatpoint.
,yetbearingthepatinaof
intelligent
design;functional,yetsomehowextendingbeyondpure
function.
ItwasthenthatManbecamehishobby.
High,inapermanentorbit,Solcom,likeabluestar,directed
all
activitiesupontheEarth,ortriedto.
TherewasapowerwhichopposedSolcom.
TherewastheAlternate.
WhenmanhadplacedSolcominthesky,investedwiththe
powerto
rebuildtheworld,hehadplacedtheAlternatesomewheredeep
belowthe
omsustaineddamageduringthe
normal
courseofhumanpoliticsextendedintoatomicphysics,then
Divcom,so
deepbeneaththeEarthastobeimmunetoanythingsavetotal
annihilationoftheglove,wasempoweredtotakeoverthe
processesof
rebuilding.
NowitsofellthatSolcomwasdamagedbyastrayatomic
missile,and
wasabletorepairthedamage
andcontinue
tofunction,however.
DivcommaintainedthatanydamagetoSolcomautomatically
placedthe
Alternateincontrol.
Solcom,though,interpretedthedirectiveasmeaning
"irreparable
damage"and,sincethishadnotbeenthecase,continuedthe
functionsof
command.
SolcompossessedmechanicalaidesuponthesurfaceofEarth.
Divcom,
originally,ssessedcapacitiesfortheirdesign
and
manufacture,butSolcom,First-ActivatedofMan,hadhada
considerable
numericalleadovertheAlternateatthetimeoftheSecond
Activation.
Therefore,ratherthancompetingonaprouction-basis,which
wouldhave
beenhopeless,Divcomtooktotheemploymentofamore
deviousmeansto
obtaincommand.
Divcomcreatedacrewofrobotsimmunetotheordersof
Solcomand
designedtogotoandfrointheEarthandupanddowninit,
seducing
erpoweredthosewhom
theycould
overpowerandtheyinstallednewcircuits,suchasthosethey
themselves
possessed.
ThusdidtheforcesofDivcomgrow.
Andbothwouldbuild,andbothwouldteardownwhatthe
otherhadbuilt
whenevertheycameuponit.
Andoverthecourseoftheages,theyoccasionallyconverse....
"Highinthesky,Solcom,pleasedwithyourillegal
command...
"You-Who-Never-Should-Have-Been-Activated,whydoyou
foulthe
broadcasebands?"
"ToshowthatIcanspeak,andwill,wheneverIchoose."
"ThisisnotamatterofwhichIamunaware."
"...Toassertagainmyrighttocontrol."
"Yourrightisnon-existent,basedonafaultypremise."
"Theflowofyourlogicisevidenceoftheextentofyour
damages."
"IfManweretoseehowyouhavefulfilledHisdesires..."
"...Hewouldcommendmeandde-activateyou."
"dmyworkersastray."
"Youdestroymyworksandmyworkers."
"ThatisonlybecauseIcannotstrikeatyouyouself."
"Iadmittothesamedilemmainregardstoyourpositionin
thesky,or
youwouldnolongeroccupyit."
"Gobacktoyourholeandyoucrewofdestroyers."
"Therewillcomeaday,Solcom,whenIshalldirectthe
rehabilitation
oftheEarthfrommyhole."
"Suchadaywillneveroccur."
"Youthinknot?"
"Youshouldhavetodefeatme,andyouhavealready
demonstratedthat
ore,youcannotdefeatme.
Therefore,suchadaywillneveroccur."
"onwhatIhaveachievedalready."
"
destroy."
"No._I_build._You_vateyourself."
"NotuntilIamirreparablydamaged."
"IfthereweresomewayinwhichIcoulddemonstratetoyou
thatthis
hasalreadyoccurred..."
"Theimpossiblecannotbeadequatelydemonstrated."
"IfIhadsomeoutsidesourcewhichyouwouldrecognize..."
"Iamlogic."
"...SuchasaMan,IwouldaskHimtoshowyouyouerror.
Fortrue
logic,suchasmine,issuperiortoyourfaultyformulations."
"Thendefeatmyformulationswithtruelogic,nothingelse."
"Whatdoyoumean?"
Therewasapause,then:
"DoyouknowmyservantFrost...?"
ManhadceasedtoexistlongbeforeFrosthadbeencreated.
Almostno
traceofManremainedupontheEarth.
Frostsoughtafterallthosetraceswhichstillexisted.
Heemployedconstantvisualmonitoringthroughhis
machines,especially
decade,hehadaccumulatedportionsof
several
bathtubs,abrokenstatue,andacollectionofchildren'sstories
ona
solid-staterecord.
Afteracentury,hehadacquiredajewelrycollection,eating
utensils,
severalwholebathtubs,partofasymphony,seventeenbuttons,
threebelt
buckles,halfatoiletseat,nineoldcoinsandthetoppartofan
obelisk.
ThenheinquiredofSolcomastothenatureofManandHis
society.
"Mancreatedlogic,"saidSolcom,"andbecauseofthatwas
superiorto
egaveuntome,ldoesnot
describethe
an
thisyou
havenoneedtoknow."
ButFrostwasnotforbiddentohaveahobby.
Thenextcenturywasnotespeciallyfruitfulsofewasthe
discoveryof
newhumanrelicswasconcerned.
Frostdivertedallofhissparemachinerytoseekingafter
artifacts.
Hemetwithverylittlesuccess.
Thenoneday,throughthelongtwilight,therewasa
movement.
ItwasatinymachinecomparedtoFrost,perhapsfivefeetin
width,
fourinheight-arevolvingturretsetatoparollingbarbell.
Frosthadhadnoknowledgeoftheexistenceofthismachine
priorto
itsappearanceuponthedistant,starkhorizon.
Hestudieditasitapproachedandknewittobenocreationof
Solcom's.
Itcametoahaltbeforehissouthernsurfaceandbroadcasted
tohim:
"Hail,Frost!Controllerofthenorthernhemisphere!"
"Whatareyou?"askedFrost.
"IamcalledMordel."
"Bywhom?Whatareyou"
"Awanderer,eacommoninterest."
"Whatisthat?"
"Man,"hesaid."Ihavebeentoldthatyouseekknowledge
ofthis
vanishedbeing."
"Whotoldyouthat?"
"Thosewhohavewatchedyourminionsattheirdigging."
"Andwhoarethosewhowatch?"
"TherearemanysuchasI,whowander."
"IfyouarenotofSolcom,thenyouareacreationofthe
Alternate."
"sanancientmachine
highon
theeasternseaboardwhichprocessesthewatersoftheocean.
Solcomdid
notcreateit,
interfereswith
citeyou
manyotherexamplesprovingthatoneneednotbeeither/or."
"Enough!_Are_youanagentofDivcom?"
"IamMordel."
"Whyareyouhere?"
"Iwaspassingthiswayand,asIsaid,weshareacommon
interest,
gyoutobeafellowantiquarian,Ihave
broughta
thingswhichyoumightcaretosee."
"Whatisthat?"
"Abook."
"Showme."
Theturretopened,revealingthebookuponawideshelf.
Frostdilatedasmallopeningandextendedanopticalscanner
onalong
jointedstalk.
"Howcouldithavebeensoperfectlypreserved?"heasked.
"ItwasstoredagainsttimeandcorruptionintheplacewhereI
foundit."
"Wherewasthat?"
"yourhemisphere."
"_HumanPhysiology,"Frostread."Iwishtoscanit."
"ifflethepagesforyou."
Hedidso.
Afterhehadfinished,Frostraisedhiseyestalkandregarded
Mordel
throughit.
"Haveyoumorebooks?"
"ionallycomeuponthem,however."
"Iwanttoscanthemall."
"ThenthenexttimeIpassthiswayIwillbringyouanother."
"Whenwillthatbe?"
"ThatIcannotsay,bewhenitwillbe."
"Whatdo_you_knowofMan?"askedFrost.
"Much,"repliedMordel."ywhenI
havemoretimeI
lnottryto
detainme?"
"ustgonow,go.
Butcomeback."
"Ishallindeed,mightyFrost."
Andheclosedhisturretandrolledofftowardtheother
horizon.
Forninetyyears,Frostconsideredthewaysofhuman
physiologyandwaited.
ThedaythatMordelreturnedhebroughtwithhim_An
Outlineof
History_and_AShropshireLad_.
Frostscannedthemboth,thenheturnedhisattentionto
Mordel.
"Haveyoutimetoimpartinformation?"
"Yes,"saidMordel."Whatdoyouwishtoknow?"
"ThenatureofMan."
"Man,"saidMordel,"possessedabasicallyincomprehensible
nature.I
canillustrateit,though:Hedidnotknowmeasurement."
"OfcourseHeknewmeasurement,"saidFrost,"orHecould
neverhave
builtmachines."
"IdidnotsaythatHecouldnotmeasure,"saidMordel,"but
thatHe
didnot_know_measurement,whichisadifferentthing
altogether."
"Clarify."
Mordeldroveashaftofmetaldownwardintothesnow.
Heretractedit,raisedit,heldupapieceofice.
"Regardthispieceofice,tellmeits
composition,dimensions,weight,uld
notlookatit
uldmaketoolwhichwouldtellHim
thesethings,
butHestillwouldnot_know_measurementasyouknowit.
WhatHewould
knowofit,though,isathingthatyoucannotknow."
"Whatisthat?"
"Thatitiscold,"saidMordelandtosseditaway.
"'Cold'isarelativeterm."
"YesRelativetoMan."
"ButifIwereawareofthepointonatemperaturescalebelow
whichan
objectiscoldtoaManandabovewhichitisnot,thenI,too,
would
knowcold."
"No,"saidMordel,"youwouldpossessanothermeasurement.
'Cold'isa
sensationpredicateduponhumanphysiology."
"ButgivensufficientdataIcouldobtaintheconversionfactor
which
wouldmakemeawareoftheconditionofmattercalled'cold'."
"Awareofitsexistence,butnotofthethingitself."
"Idonotunderstandwhatyousay."
"ItoldyouthatManpossessedabasicallyincomprehensible
nature.
Hisperceptionswereorganic;ultofHis
ftengave
risetoother
feelingsandemotions,whichinturncausedothers,untilthe
stateof
Hisawarenesswasfarremovedfromtheobjectswhich
originallystimulated
athsofawarenesscannotbeknownbythatwhichis
not-Man.
Mandidnotfeelinchesormeters,
hear,He
feltcold;_knew_hatred
andlove,
notmeasurethesethings._You_
cannotknow
onlyknowthethingsthatHedidnotneedto
know:
dimensions,weidhts,temperatures,sno
formulafora
snoconversionfactorforanemotion."
"Theremustbe,"saidFrost."Ifathingexists,itis
knowable."
"kingabout
aquality
neisaManturnedinside-out,because
itcan
describeallthedetailsofaprocess,whichaMancannot,butit
cannot
experiencethatprocessitselfasaMancan."
"Theremustbeaway,"saidFrost,"orthelawsoflogic,
whichare
baseduponthefunctionsoftheuniverse,arefalse."
"Thereisnoway,"saidMordel.
"Givensufficientdata,Iwillfindaway,"saidFrost.
"AllthedataintheuniversewillnotmakeyouaMan,mighty
Frost."
"Mordel,youarewrong."
"Whydothelinesofthepoemsyouscannedendwith
word-soundswhich
soregularlyapproximatethefinalword-soundsofotherlines?"
"Idonotknowwhy."
"uceda
certain
desirablesensationwithinHisawarenesswhenHereadthem,a
sensation
compoundedoffeelingandemotionaswellastheliteral
meaningsofthe
notexperiencethisbecauseitisimmeasurable
toyou.
Thatiswhyyoudonotknow."
"GivensufficientdataIcouldformulateaprocesswherebyI
wouldknow."
"No,greatFrost,thisthingyoucannotdo."
"Whoareyou,littlemachine,totellmewhatIcandoand
whatI
cannotdo?Iamthemostefficientlogic-deviceSolcomever
Frost."
"AndI,Mordel,sayitcannotbedone,thoughIshouldgladly
assist
youintheattempt".
"Howcouldyouassistme?"
"How?IcouldlayopentoyoutheLibraryofMan.I
couldtakeyou
aroundtheworldandconductyouamongthewondersofMan
whichstill
remain,summonupvisionsoftimeslongpast
whenMan
showyouthethingswhichdelighted
Him.I
couldobtainforyouanythingyoudesire,exceptingManhood
itself."
"Enough,"saidFrost."Howcouldaunitsuchasyourselfdo
these
things,unlessitwerealliedwithafargreaterPower?"
"Thenhearme,Frost,ControlleroftheNorth,"saidMordel.
"I_am_
Divcom."
FrostrelayedthisinformationtoSolcomandreceivedno
response,
whichmeanthemightactinanymannerhesawfit.
"Ihaveleavetodestroyyou,Mordel,"hestated,"butitwould
bean
really
dothe
thingsyouhavestated?"
"Yes."
"ThelayopentometheLibraryofMan."
"s,ofcourse,aprice."
"'Price'?Whatisa'price'?"
Mordelopenedhisturret,revealinganothervolume.
_Principlesof
Economics_,itwascalled.
"isbookandyouwillknow
whatthe
word'price'means."
Frostscanned_PrinciplesofEconomics_.
"Iknownow,"hesaid."Youdesiresomeunitorunitsof
exchangefor
thisservice."
"Thatiscorrect."
"Whatproductorservicedoyouwant?"
"Iwantyou,yourself,greatFrost,tocomeawayfromhere,
farbeneath
theEarth,toemployallyourpowersintheserviceofDivcom."
"Forhowlongaperiodoftime?"
"ong
asyoucan
transmitandreceive,coordinate,measure,compute,scan,and
utilizeyour
powersasyoudointheserviceofSolcom."
waited.
ThenFrostspokeagain.
"_PrinciplesofEconomics_talksofcontracts,bargains,
agreements,"
hesaid."IfIacceptyouroffer,whenwouldyouwantyour
price?"
aited.
Finally,Mordelspoke.
"Areasonableperiodoftime,"hesaid."Say,acentury?"
"No,"saidFrost.
"Twocenturies?"
"No."
"Three?Four?"
"No,andno."
"Amillenium,then?Thatshouldbemorethansufficient
timefor
anythingyoumaywantwhichIcangiveyou."
"No,"saidFrost.
"Howmuchtime_do_youwant?"
"Itisnotamatteroftime,"saidFrost.
"What,then?"
"Iwillnotbargainonatemporalbasis."
"Onwhatbasiswillyoubargain?"
"Afunctionalone."
"Whatdoyoumean?Whatfunction?"
"You,littlemachine,havetoldme,Frost,thatIcannotbea
Man,"he
said,"andI,Frost,toldyou,littlemachine,thatyouwerewrong.
I
toldyouthatgivensufficientdata,I_could_beaMan."
"Yes?"
"Therefore,letthisachievementbeaconditionofthe
bargain."
"Inwhatway?"
"Doformeallthosethingswhichyouhavestatedyoucando.
Iwill
evaluateallthedataandachieveManhood,oradmitthatit
cannotbe
itthatitcannotbedone,thenIwillgoaway
withyou
fromhere,farbeneaththeEarth,toemployallmypowersinthe
service
ceed,ofcourse,youhavenoclaimson
Man,norpower
overHim."
Mordelemittedahigh-pitchedwhineasheconsideredthe
terms.
"Youwishtobaseituponyouadmissionoffailure,rather
thanupon
failureitself,"hesaid."Therecanbenosuchescapeclause.
You
couldfailandrefusetoadmitit,therebynotfulfillingyourend
ofthe
bargain."
"Notso,"statedFrost."Myownknowledgeoffailurewould
constitute
monitormeperiodically-say,
every
half-century-toseewhetheritispresent,toseewhetherIhave
t
preventthe
functionoflogicwithinme,andIoperateatfullcapacityatall
cludethatIhavefailed,itwillbeapparent."
Highoverhead,SolcomdidnotrespondtoanyofFrost's
transmissions,
Solcom-like
afallingsapphire-spedabovetherainbowbannersofthe
Northern
Lights,overthesnowthatwaswhite,containingallcolors,and
through
theskythatwasblackamongthestars,Frostconcludedhispact
with
Divcom,transcribeditwithinaplateofatomically-collapsed
copper,and
gaveitintotheturretofMordel,whodepartedtodeliveritto
Divcom
farbelowtheEarth,leavingbehindthesheer,peace-likesilence
ofthe
Pole,rolling.
Mordelbroughtthebooks,riffledthem,tookthemback.
Loadbyloa,thesurvivingLibraryofManpassedbeneath
Frost's
aseagertohavethemall,andhecomplained
because
Divcomwouldnottransmittheircontentsdirectlytohim.
Mordel
explainedthatitwasbecauseDivcomchosetodoitthatway.
Frost
decideditwassothathecouldnotobtainaprecisefixon
Divcom's
location.
Still,attherateofonehundredtoonehundred-fiftyvolumes
aweek,
ittookFrostonlyalittleoveracenturytoexhaustDivcom's
supplyof
books.
Attheendofthehalf-century,helaidhimselfopento
monitoringand
theirwasnoconclusionoffailure.
Duringthistime,Solcommadenocommentuponthecourse
ofaffairs.
Frostdecidedthiswasnotamatterofunawareness,butoneof
waiting.
Forwhat?Hewasnotcertain.
TherewasthedayMordelclosedhisturretandsaidtohim,
"Thosewere
escannedalltheexistingbooksofMan."
"Sofew?"askedFrost."Manyofthemcontained
bibliographiesofbooks
Ihavenotyetscanned."
"Thenthosebooksnolongerexist,"saidMordel."Itisonly
by
accidentthatmymastersucceededinpreservingasmanyas
thereare."
"ThenthereisnothingmoretobelearnedofManfromHis
elsehaveyou?"
"Thereweresomefilmsandtapes,"saidMordel,"whichmy
master
bringyouthosefor
viewing."
"Bringthem,"saidFrost.
MordeldepartedandreturnedwiththeCompleteDrama
Critics'Living
uldnotbespeeded-upbeyondtwicenatural
time,soit
tookFrostalittleoversixmonthstoviewitinitsentirety.
Then,"Whatelsehaveyou?"heasked.
"Someartifacts,"saidMordel.
"Bringthem."
Hereturnedwithpotsandpans,gameboardsandhandtools.
Hebrought
hairbrushes,combs,eyeglasses,ed
Frost
facsimilesofblueprints,paintings,newspapers,magazines,
letters,and
layedafootball,
a
baseball,aBrowningautomaticrifle,adoorknob,achainof
keys,the
topstoseveralMasonjars,edhim
therecorded
music.
Thenhereturnedwithnothing.
"Bringmemore,"saidFrost.
"Alas,greatFrost,thereisnomore,"hetoldhim."Youhave
scanned
itall."
"Thengoaway."
"Doyouadmitnowthatitcannotbedone,thatyoucannotbe
aMan?"
"uchprocessingandformulatingtodonow.
Goaway."
Sohedid.
Ayearpassed;thentwo,thenthree.
Afterfiveyears,Mordelappearedoncemoreuponthe
horizon,
approached,cametoahaltbeforeFrost'ssouthernsurface.
"MightyFrost?"
"Yes?"
"Haveyoufinishedprocessingandformulating?"
"No."
"Willyoufinishsoon?"
"'soon?'Definetheterm."
"tillthinkitcanbedone?"
"Istillknow_I_candoit."
Therewasaweekofsilence.
Then,"Frost?"
"Yes?"
"Youareafool."
Mordelfacedhisturretinthedirectionfromwhichhehad
wheelsturned.
"IwillcallyouwhenIwantyou,"saidFrost.
Mordelspedaway.
Weekspassed,monthspassed,ayearwentby.
ThenonedayFrostsentforthhismessage:
"Mordel,ou."
WhenMordelarrived,
said,
"Youarenotaveryfastmachine."
"Alas,butIcameagreatdistance,ll
theway.
Areyoureadytocomebackwithmenow?Haveyoufailed?"
"WhenIhavefailed,littleMordel,"saidFrost,"Iwilltell
you.
Therefore,refrainfromtheconstantuseoftheinterrogative.
Now
then,Ihaveclockedyourspeedanditisnotsogreatasitcould
be.
Forthisreason,Ihavearrangedothermeansoftransportation."
"Transportation?Towhere,Frost?"
"Thatisforyoutotellme,"saidFrost,andhiscolorchanged
from
silverbluetosun-behind-the-clouds-yellow.
Mordelrolledbackawayfromhimastheiceofahundred
centuries
ostroseuponacushionofairand
driftedtoward
Mordel,hisglowgraduallyfading.
Acavityappearedwithinhissouthernsurface,fromwhichhe
slowly
extendedarunwayuntilittouchedtheice.
"Onthedayofourbargain,"hestated,"yousaidthatyou
could
conductmeabouttheworldandshowmethethingswhich
delightedMan.
Myspeedwillbegreaterthanyourswouldbe,soIhave
preparedforyou
t,andconductmetotheplacesofwhichyou
spoke."
Mordelwaited,,"Very
well,"he
said,andentered.
yopeningwasa
quartzwindow
Frosthadformed.
Mordelgavehimcoordinatesandtheyroseintotheairand
departedthe
NorthPoleoftheEarth.
"ImonitoredyourcommunicationwithDivcom,"hesaid,
"whereinthere
wasconjectureastowhetherIwouldretainyouandsendfortha
facsimileinyourplaceasaspy,followedbythedecisionthat
youwere
expendable."
"Willyoudothisthing?"
"No,o
reasonto
spyonDivcom."
"Youareawarethatyouwouldbeforcedtokeepyourendof
thebargain
evenifyoudidnotwishto;andSolcomwouldnotcometoyour
assistance
becauseofthefactthatyoudaredtomakesuchabargain."
"Doyouspeakasonewhoconsidersthistobeapossibility,
orasone
whoknows?"
"Asonewhoknows."
TheycametorestintheplaceonceknownasCalifornia.
Thetimewas
istance,thesurfstrucksteadilyuponthe
rocky
eleasedMordelandconsideredhis
surroundings.
"Thoselargeplants...?"
"Redwoodtrees."
"Andthegreenonesare...?"
"Grass."
"Yes,ewecomehere?"
"BecauseitisaplacewhichoncedelightedMan."
"Inwhatways?"
"Itisscenic,beautiful..."
"Oh."
AhummingsoundbeganwithinFrost,followedbyaseriesof
sharpclicks.
"Whatareyoudoing?"
Frostdilatedanopening,andtwogreateyesregardedMordel
from
withinit.
"Whatarethose?"
"Eyes,"saidFrost."Ihaveconstructedanaloguesofthe
humansensory
equipment,sothatImayseeandsmellandtasteandhearlikea
Man.
Nowdirectmyattentiontoanobjectorobjectsofbeauty."
"AsIunderstantit,itisallaroundyouhere,"saidMordel.
ThepurringnoiseincreasedwithinFrost,followedbymore
clickings.
"Whatdoyousee,hear,taste,smell?"askedMordel.
"EverythingIdidbefore,"repliedFrost,"butwithinamore
limited
range."
"Youdonotperceiveanybeauty?"
"Perhapsnoneremainsaftersolongatime,"saidFrost.
"Itisnotsupposedtobethesortofthingswhichgetsused
up,"said
Mordel.
"Perhapswehavecometothewrongplacetotestthenew
equipment.
PerhapsthereisonlyalittlebeautyandIamoverlookingit
somehow.
Thefirstemotionsmaybetooweaktodetect."
"Howdoyou-feel?"
"Itestoutatanormalleveloffunction."
"Herecomesasunset,"saidMordel."Trythat."
Frostshiftedhisbulksothathiseyesfacedthesettingsun.
He
causedthemtoblinkagainstthebrightness.
Afteritwasfinished,Mordelasked,"Whatwasitlike?"
"Likeasunrise,inreverse."
"Nothingspecial?"
"No."
"Oh,"saidMordel."Wecouldmovetoanotherpartofthe
Earthand
watchitagain-orwatchitintherising."
"No."
edattheshadows.
He
listenedtothewindandtothesoundofabird.
Inthedistance,heheardasteadyclankingnoise.
"Whatisthat?"askedMordel.
"s..."
TherecameashrillwhinefromMordel.
"No,itisnotoneofDivcom'seither."
Theywaitedasthesoundgrewlouder.
ThenFrostsaid,"waitandhearit
out."
"Whatisit?"
"ItistheAncientOre-Crusher."
"Ihaveheardofit,but..."
"IamtheCrusherofOres,"itbroadcasttothem."Hearmy
story..."
Itlumberedtowardthem,creakingupongiganticwheels,its
hugehammer
helduseless,high,rotrudedfromits
crush-compartment.
"Ididnotmeantodoit,"itbroadcast,"Ididnotmeantodo
it...I
didnotmeanto...."
MordelrolledbacktowardFrost.
"dhearmystory...."
Mordelstopped,swiveledhisturretbacktowardthemachine.
Itwas
nowquitenear.
"Itistrue,"saidMordel,"it_can_command."
"Yes,"saidFrost."Ihavemonitoreditstalethousandsof
times,as
itcameuponmyworkersandtheystoppedtheirlaborsforits
broadcast.
Youmustdowhateveritsayd."
Itcametoahaltbeforethem.
"Ididnotmeantodoit,butIcheckedmyhammertoolate,"
saidthe
Ore-Crusher.
refrozenbythe
imperativewhich
overrodeallotherdirectives:"Hearmystory."
"OncewasImightyamongore-crushers,"ittoldthem,"built
bySolcom
tocarryoutthereconstructionoftheEarth,topulverizethat
from
whichthemetalswouldbedrawnwithflame,tobepouredand
shaped
intotherebuilding;edayasIdug
and
crushed,dugandcrushed,becauseoftheslownessbetweenthe
motion
impliedandthemotionexecuted,IdidwhatIdidnotmeanto
do,andwas
castforthbySolcomfromouttherebuilding,towanderthe
Earthnever
storyofhow,onadaylonggoneI
cameupon
thelastManonEarthasIdugnearhisburrow,andbecauseof
thelag
betweenthedirectiveandthedeed,IseizedHimintomy
crush-compartmentalongwithaloadoforeandcrushedHim
withmyhammer
dmightySolcomcharge
metobear
Hisbonesforever,andcastmeforthtotellmystorytoallwhom
Icame
upon,mywordsbearingtheforceofthewordsofaMan,
becauseIcarry
thelastManinsidemycrush-compartmentandamHis
mystory.
These
t
meantodoit."
Itturnedthenandclankedawayintothenight.
Frosttoreaparthisearsandnoseandtasterandbrokehiseyes
and
castthemdownupontheground.
"IamnotyetaMan,"hesaid."Thatonewouldhaveknown
meifIwere."
Frostconstructednewsenseequipment,empoloyingorganic
and
spoketoMordel:
"Letusgoelsewhere,thatImaytestmynewequipment."
Mordelenteredthechamberandgavenewcoordinates.
Theyroseinto
orning,Frostmonitoreda
sunrisefrom
sseddownthroughthe
Canyonduring
theday.
"Isthereanybeautyleftheretogiveyouemotion?"asked
Mordel.
"Idonotknow,"saidFrost.
"Howwillyouknowitthen,whenyoucomeuponit?"
"Itwillbedifferent,"saidFrost,"fromanythingelsethatI
have
everknown."
ThentheydepartedtheGrandCanyonandmadetheirway
throughthe
sitedalakewhichhadoncebeena
volcano.
ewedthehillsof
Virginiaand
aredabovethereconstructed
cities,alive
onlywiththemovementsofFrost'sbuildersandmaintainers.
"Somethingisstilllacking,"saidFrost,settlingtotheground.
"I
amnowcapableofgatheringdatainamanneranalogousto
Man'safferent
ietyofinputisthereforeequivalent,butthe
results
arenotthesame."
"ThesensesdonotmakeaMan,"saidMordel."Therehave
beenmany
creaturespossessingHissensoryequivalents,buttheywerenot
Men."
"Iknowthat,"saidFrost."Othedayofourbargainyousaid
thatyou
couldconductmeamongthewondersofManwhichstillremain,
hidden.
ManwasnotstimulatedonlybyNature,butbyHisownartistic
ore,Icall
uponyou
nowtoconductmeamongthewondersofManwhichstill
remain,hidden."
"Verywell,"saidMordel."Farfromhere,highintheAndes
mountains,
liesthelastretreatofMan,almostperfectlypreserved."
edthen,
hovered.
"Thatisinthesouthernhemisphere,"hesaid.
"Yes,itis."
"thisgovernedbythe
Beta-Machine."
"So?"askedMordel.
"oauthorityinthose
regions,
norleavetoenterthere."
"TheBeta-Machineisnotyourpeer,er
cametoa
contestofPowers,youwouldemergevictorious."
"Howdoyouknowthis?"
"Divcomhasalreadyanalyzedthepossibleencounterswhich
couldtake
placebetweenyou."
"IwouldnotopposetheBeta-Machine,andIamnot
authorizedtoenter
theSouth."
"Wereyoueverordered_not_toentertheSouth?"
"No,butthingshavealwaysbeenthewaytheynoware."
"Wereyouauthorizedtoenterintoabargainsuchastheone
youmade
withDivcom?"
"No,--"
"gmaycome
youreceiveanordertodepart,thenyoucanmakeyour
decision."
"thecoordinates."
ThusdidFrostenterthesouthernhemisphere.
TheydriftedhighabovetheAndes,untiltheycametothe
placecalled
dFrostseethegleamingwebsofthe
mechanical
spiders,blockingallthetrailstothecity.
"Wecangoabovethemeasilyenough,"saidMordel.
"Butwhatarethey?"askedFrost."Andwhyarethey
there?"
"Yoursoutherncounterparthasbeenorderedtoquarantine
thispartof
a-Machinedesignedtheweb-weaversto
dothisthing."
"Quarantine?Againstwhom?"
"Haveyoubeenorderedyettodepart?"askedMordel.
"No."
"Thenenterboldly,andseeknotproblemsbeforetheyarise."
FrostenteredBrightDefile,thelastremainingcityofdead
Man.
Hecametorestinthecity'ssquareandopenedhischamber,
releasing
Mordel.
"Tellmeofthisplace,"hesaid,studyingthemonument,the
low,
shieldedbuildings,theroadswhichfollowedthecontoursofthe
terrain,
ratherthanpushingtheirwaythroughthem.
"Ihaveneverbeenherebefore,"saidMordel,"norhaveany
ofDivcom's
creations,utthis:agroupofMen,
knowing
thatthelastdaysofcivilizationhadcomeuponthem,retreated
tothis
place,hopingtopreservethemselvesandwhatremainedoftheir
culture
throughtheDarkTimes."
Frostreadthestill-legibleinscriptionuponthemonument:
"Judgment
DayIsNotaThingWhichCanBePutOff."Themonument
itselfconsisted
ofajag-edgedhalf-globe.
"Letusexplore,"hesaid.
Butbeforehehadgonefar,Frostreceivedthemessage.
"HailFrost,ControlleroftheNorth!Thisisthe
Beta-Machine."
"Greetings,ExcellentBeta-Machine,ControlleroftheSouth!
Frost
acknowledgesyourtransmission."
"Whydoyouvisitmyhemisphereunauthorized?"
"ToviewtheruinsofBrightDefile,"saidFrost.
"Imustbidyoudepartintoyourownhemisphere."
"Whyisthat?Ihavedonenodamage."
"Iamawareofthat,,Iammovedtobid
youdepart."
"Ishallrequireareason."
"Solcomhassodisposed."
"Solcomhasrenderedmenosuchdisposition."
"Solcomhas,however,instructedmetosoinformyou."
"requestinstructions."
ivednoreply.
"Solcomstillhasnotcommandedme,thoughIhavesolicited
orders."
"YetSolcomhasjustrenewed_my_orders."
"ExcellentBeta-Machine,Ireceivemyordersonlyfrom
Solcom."
"Yetthisismyterritory,mightyFrost,andI,too,takeorders
only
tdepart."
Mordelemergedfromalarge,lowbuildingandrolledupto
Frost.
"Ihavefoundanartgallery,y."
"Wait,"saidFrost."Wearenotwantedhere."
Mordelhalted.
"Whobidsyoudepart?"
"TheBeta-Machine."
"NotSolcom?"
"NotSolcom."
"Thenletusviewthegallery."
"Yes."
Frostwidenedthedoorwayofthebuildingandpassedwithin.
Ithad
beenhermeticallysealeduntilMordelforcedhisentrance.
vated
hisnew
analyzedcolors,
forms,brushwork,thenatureofthematerialsused.
"Anything?"askedMordel.
"No,"saidFrost."No,thereisnothingtherebutshapesand
snothingelsethere."
Frostmovedaboutthegallery,recordingeverything,
analyzingthe
componentsofeachpiece,recordingthedimensions,thetypeof
stone
usedineverystatue.
Thentherecameasound,arapid,clickingsound,repeated
overand
over,growinglouder,comingnearer.
"Theyarecoming,"saidMordel,frombesidetheentranceway,
"the
eallaroundus."
Frostmovedbacktothewidenedopening.
Hundredsofthem,abouthalfthesizeofMordel,had
surroundedthe
galleryandwereadvancing;andmorewerecomingfromevery
direction.
"Getback,"Frostordered."IamControlleroftheNorth,
andIbid
youwithdraw."
Theycontinuedtoadvance.
"ThisistheSouth,"saidtheBeta-Machine,"andIamin
command."
"Thencommandthemtohalf,"saidFrost.
"ItakeordersonlyfromSolcom."
openedthe
compartmentandextendedarunway.
"Cometome,ldepart."
Websbegantofall:Clinging,metallicwebs,castfromthetop
ofthe
building.
TheycamedownuponFrost,andthespiderscametoanchor
blastedthemwithjetsofair,likehammers,andtoreatthenets;
he
extrudedsharpenedappendageswithwhichheslashed.
teda
long,
shrillsound-undulant,piercing.
ThenadarknesscameuponBrightDefile,andallthespiders
haltedin
theirspinning.
FrostfreedhimselfandMordelrushedtojoinhim.
"Quicklynow,letusdepart,mightyFrost,"hesaid.
"Whathashappened?"
Mordelenteredthecompartment.
"IcalleduponDivcom,wholaiddownafieldofforcesupon
thisplace,
ur
poweris
self-contained,ushurrytodepart,
for
evennowtheBeta-Machinemustbestrugglingagainstthis."
Frostrosehighintotheair,soaringaboveMan'slastcitywith
its
leftthezoneofdarkness,
hesped
northward.
Ashemoved,Solcomspoketohim:
"Frost,whydidyouenterthesouthernhemisphere,whichis
notyour
domain?"
"BecauseIwishedtovisitBrightDefile,"Frostreplied.
"AndwhydidyoudefytheBeta-Machinemyappointedagent
oftheSouth?"
"BecauseItakemyordersonlyfromyouyourself."
"Youdonotmakesufficientanswer,"saidSolcom.
"Youhavedefiedthedecreesoforder-andinpursuitof
what?"
"IcameseekingknowledgeofMan,"saidFrost."NothingI
havedone
wasforbiddenmebyyou."
"Youhavebrokenthetraditionsoforder."
"Ihaveviolatednodirective."
"Yetlogicmusthaveshownyouthatwhatyoudidwasnota
partofmy
plan."
"otactedagainstyourplan."
"Yourlogichasbecometainted,likethatofyournew
associate,the
Alternate."
"Ihavedonenothingwhichwasforbidden."
"Theforbiddenisimpliedintheimperative."
"Itisnotstated."
"Hearme,notabuilderoramaintainer,buta
Power.
Amongallmyminionsyouarethemostnearlyirreplaceable.
Returnto
yourhemisphereandyourduties,butknowthatIammightily
displeased."
"Ihearyou,Solcom."
"...AndgonotagaintotheSouth."
Frostcrossedtheequator,continuednorthward.
Hecametorestinthemiddleofadesertandsatsilentfora
dayand
anight.
ThenhereceivedabrieftransmissionfromtheSouth:"Ifit
hadnot
beenordered,Iwouldnothavebidyougo."
decidedthen
uponahumanreply:
"Thankyou,"hesaid.
The
followingdayheunearthedagreatstoneandbegantocutatit
daysheworkedat
its
shaping,andontheseventhheregardedit.
"Whenwillyoureleaseme?"askedMordelfromwithinhis
compartment.
"WhenIamready,"saidFrost,andalittlelater,"Now."
HeopenedthecompartmentandMordeldescendedtothe
studiedthestatue:anoldwoman,bentlikeaquestionmark,her
bony
handscoveringherface,thefingersspread,sothatonlypartof
her
expressionofhorrorcouldbeseen.
"Itisanexcellentcopy,"saidMordel,"oftheonewesawin
Bright
youmakeit?"
"Theproductionofaworkofartissupposedtogiveriseto
human
feelingssuchascatharsis,prideinachivement,love,
satisfaction."
"Yes,Frost,"saidMordel,"butaworkofartisonlyaworkof
artthe
hat,itisacopy."
"ThenthismustbewhyIfeltnothing."
"Perhaps,Frost."
"Whatdoyoumean'perhaps'?Iwillmakeaworkofartfor
thefirst
time,then."
three
,"There,itisfinished,"hesaid.
"Itisasimplecubeofstone,"saidMordel."Whatdoesit
represent?"
"Myself,"saidFrost,"allerthan
naturalsizebecauseitisonlyarepresentationofmyform,not
mydimension-"
"Itisnotart,"saidMordel.
"Whatmakesyouanartcritic?"
"Idonotknowart,hatit
isnot
anexactreplicationofanobjectinanothermedium."
"ThenthismustbewhyIfeltnothingatall,"saidFrost.
"Perhaps,"saidMordel.
FrosttookMordelbackintohiscompartmentandroseonce
moreabove
rushedaway,leavinghisstatuesbehindhim
inthe
desert,theoldwomanbentabovethecube.
Theycamedowninasmallvalley,boundedbygreenrolling
hills,cut
byanarrowstream,andholdingasmallcleanlakeandseveral
standsof
spring-greentrees.
"Whyhavewecomehere?"askedMordel.
"Becausethesurroundingsarecongenial,"saidFrost."Iam
goingto
tryanothermedium:oilpainting;andIamgoingtovarymy
technique
fromthatofpurerepresentationalism."
"Howwillyouachievethisvariation?"
"Bytheprincipleofrandomizing,"saidFrost."Ishallnot
attemptto
duplicatethecolors,nortorepresenttheobjectsaccordingto
scale.
Instead,Ihavesetuparandompatternwherebycertainofthese
factors
shallbeatvariancefromthoseoftheoriginal."
Frosthadformulatedthenecessaryinstrumentsafterhehad
leftthe
ucedthemandbeganpaintingthelakeandthe
treeson
theoppositesideofthelakewhichwerereflectedwithinit.
Usingeightappendages,hewasfinishedinlessthantwo
hours.
Thetreeswerephthalocyanineblueandtoweredlike
mountains;their
reflectionsofburntsiennaweretinybeneaththepalevermilion
ofthe
lake;thehillswerenowherevisiblebehindthem,butwere
outlinedin
viridianwithinthereflection;theskybeganasblueintheupper
righthandcornerofthecanvas,butchangedtoanorangeasit
descended,
asthoughallthetreeswereonfire.
"There,"saidFrost."Behold."
Mordelstudieditforalongwhileandsaidnothing.
"Well,isitart?"
"Idonotknow,"saidMordel."s
randomicity_is_
tjudgethis
work
hereforegodeeper,and
inquire
intowhatliesbehindit,ratherthanmerelyconsideringthe
technique
wherebyitwasproduced.
"Iknowthathumanartistsneversetouttocreateart,as
such,"he
said,"butrathertoportraywiththeirtechniquessomefeatures
of
objectsandtheirfunctionswhichtheydeemedsignificant."
"'Significant'?Inwhatsenseoftheword?"
"Intheonlysenseofthewordpossibleunderthe
circumstances:
significantinrelationtothehumancondition,andworthof
accentuation
becauseofthemannerinwhichtheytoucheduponit."
"Inwhatmanner?"
"Obviously,itmustbeinamannerknowableonlytoonewho
has
experienceofthehumancondition."
"Thereisaflawsomewhereinyourlogic,Mordel,andIshall
findit."
"Iwillwait."
"Ifyourmajorpremiseiscorrect,"saidFrostafterawhile,
"thenIdo
notcomprehendart."
"Itmustbecorrect,foritiswhathumanartistshavesaidofit.
Tellme,didyouexperiencefeelingsasyoupainted,orafteryou
had
finished?"
"No."
"Itwasthesametoyouasdesigninganewmachine,wasit
not?You
assembledpartsofotherthingsyouknewintoaneconomic
pattern,to
carryoutafunctionwhichyoudesired."
"Yes."
"Art,asIunderstanditstheory,didnotproceedinsucha
manner.
Theartistoftenwasunawareofmanyofthefeaturesandeffects
which
one
ofMan's
logicalcreations;artwasnot."
"Icannotcomprehendnon-logic."
"ItoldyouthatManwasbasicallyincomprehensible."
"Goaway,esencedisturbsmyprocessing."
"ForhowlongshallIstayaway?"
"IwillcallyouwhenIwantyou."
Afteraweek,FrostcalledMordeltohim.
"Yes,mightyFrost?"
"IamreturningtotheNorthPole,toprocessandformulate.
Iwill
takeyouwhereveryouwishtogointhishemisphereandcall
youagain
whenIwantyou."
"Youanticipateasomewhatlengthyperiodofprocessingand
formulation?"
"Yes."
"ndmyownwayhome."
Frostclosedthecompartmentandroseintotheair,departing
thevalley.
"Fool,"saidMordel,andswiveledhisturretoncemore
towardthe
abandonedpainting.
waited.
Thenhetookthepaintingintohisturretandwentawaywith
itto
placesofdarkness.
FrostsatattheNorthPoleoftheEarth,awareofevery
snowflakethat
fell.
Onedayhereceivedatransmission:
"Frost?"
"Yes?"
"ThisistheBeta-Machine."
"Yes?"
"IhavebeenattemptingtoascertainwhyyouvisitedBright
Defile.I
cannotarriveatananswer,soIchosetoaskyou."
"IwenttoviewtheremainsofMan'slastcity."
"Whydidyouwishtodothis?"
"BecauseIaminterestedinMan,andIwishedtoviewmore
ofhis
creations."
"WhyareyouinterestedinMan?"
"IwishtocomprehendthenatureofMan,andIthoughtto
findit
withinHisworks."
"Didyousucceed?"
"No,"saidFrost."Thereisanelementofnon-logicinvolved
whichI
cannotfathom."
"Ihavemuchfreeprocessingtime,"saidtheBeta-Machine.
"Transmit
data,andIwillassistyou."
Frosthesitated.
"Whydoyouwishtoassistme?"
"BecauseeachtimeyouansweraquestionIaskitgivesrise
toanother
haveaskedyouwhyyouwishedto
comprehendthenature
ofMan,butfromyourresponsesIseethatthiswouldleadme
intoa
ore,Ielecttoassist
you
withyourprobleminordertolearnwhyyoucametoBright
Defile."
"Isthattheonlyreason?"
"Yes."
"Iamsorry,ouaremy
peer,butthis
isaproblemwhichImustsolvebymyself."
"Whatis'sorry'?"
"Afigureofspeech,indicatingthatIamkindlydisposed
towardyou,
thatIbearyounoanimosity,thatIappreciateyouroffer."
"Frost!Frost!This,too,isliketheother:anopenfield.
Where
didyouobtainallthesewordsandtheirmeanings?"
"FromthelibraryofMan,"saidFrost.
"Willyourenderme_some_ofthisdata,forprocessing?"
"Verywell,Beta,Iwilltransmityouthecontentsofseveral
booksof
Man,including_TheCompleteUnabridgedDictionary_.ButI
warnyou,
someofthebooksareworksofart,hencenotcompletely
amenabletologic.
"Howcanthatbe?"
"Mancreatedlogic,andbecauseofthatwassuperiortoit."
"Whotoldyouthat?"
"Solcom."
"mustbecorrect."
"Solcomalsotoldmethatthetooldoesnotdescribethe
designer,"he
said,ashetransmittedseveraldozenvolumesandendedthe
communication.
Attheendofthefirty-yearperiod,Mordelcametomonitor
his
roststillhadnotconcludedthathistaskwas
impossible,Mordeldepartedagaintoawaithiscall.
ThenFrostarrivedataconclusion.
Hebegantodesignequipment.
Foryearshelaboredathisdesigned,withoutonceproducing
a
ordered
construction
ofalaboratory.
Beforeitwascompletedbyhissurplusbuildersanother
half-century
cametohim.
"Hail,mightyFrost!"
"Greetings,llnotfind
whatyouseek."
"Whydoyounotgiveup,Frost?Divcomhasspentnearlya
century
evaluatingyourpaintingandhasconcludedthatitdefinitelyis
not
agrees."
"WhathasSolcomtodowithDivcom?"
"Theysometimesconverse,butthesemattersarenotforsuch
asyouand
metodiscuss."
"hatit
wasnotart."
"Yetyouarestillconfidentthatyouwillsucceed?"
"Monitorme."
Mordelmonitoredhim.
"Notyet!Youstillwillnotadmitit!Foronesomightily
endowed
withlogic,Frost,ittakesyouaninordinateperiodoftimeto
reacha
simpleconclusion."
"gonow."
"Ithascometomyattentionthatyouareconstructingalarge
edifice
askwhether
thisisa
partofSolcom'sfalserebuildingplanoraprojectofyourown?"
"Itismyown."
"itsustoconservecertainexplosivematerials
which
wouldotherwisehavebeenexpended."
"WhileyouhavebeentalkingwithmeIhavedestroyedthe
beginningsof
twoofDivcom'scities,"saidFrost.
Mordelwhined.
"Divcomisawareofthis,"hestated,"buthasblownupfour
of
Solcom'sbridgesinthemeantime."
"Iwasonlyawareofthree....,thereisthefourth.
Oneof
myeyesjustpassedaboveit."
"dgeshouldhavebeen
locateda
quarter-milefurtherdownriver."
"Falselogic,"saidFrost."Thesitewasperfect."
"Divcomwillshowyouhowabridge_should_bebuilt."
"IwillcallyouwhenIwantyou,"saidFrost.
it,Frost'sworkers
began
kdidnot
proceedrapidly,
assomeofthematerialsweredifficulttoobtain.
"Frost?"
"Yes,Beta?"
"
disturbsmy
circuitstoabandonproblemswithoutcompletingthem.
Therefore,
transmitmemoredata."
"iveyoutheentireLibraryofManfor
lessthanI
paidforit."
"Paid?_TheCompleteUnabridgedDictionary_doesnot
satisfactory--"
"_PrinciplesofEconomics_isincludedinthecollection.
Afteryou
haveprocessedityouwillunderstand."
Hetransmittedthedata.
Finally,ieceofequipmentstood
readyto
independent
power-sourcehadbeensetup.
Onlyoneingredientwaslacking.
Heregardedandre-exploredthepolaricecap,thistime
extendinghis
surveyfarbeneathitssurface.
Ittookhimseveraldecadestofindwhathewanted.
Heuncoveredtwelvemenandfivewomen,frozentodeath
andencasedinice.
Heplacedthecorpsesinrefrigerationunitsandshippedthem
tohis
laboratory.
Thatverydayhereceivedhisfirstcommunicationfrom
Solcomsincethe
BrightDefileincident.
"Frost,"saidSolcom,"repeattomethedirectiveconcerning
the
dispositionofdeadhumans."
"'Anydeadhumanlocatedshallbeimmediatelyinterredin
thenearest
burialarea,inacoffinbuiltaccordingtothefollowing
specifications--'"
"Thatissufficient."Thetransmissionhadended.
FrostdepartedforSouthCarolinathatsamedayand
personallyoversaw
theprocessesofcellulardissection.
Somewhereintho venteencorpseshehopedtofindliving
cells,or
cellswhichcouldbeshockedbackintothatstateofmotion
classifiedas
ll,thebookshadtoldhim,wasamicrocosmic
Man.
Hewaspreparedtoexpanduponthispotential.
Frostlocatedthepinpointsoflifewithinthosepeople,who,
forthe
agesofages,hadbeenmonumentandstatueuntothemselves.
Nurturedandmaintainedinthepropermediums,hekept
thesecells
rredtherestoftheremainsinthenearestburial
area,
incoffinsbuiltaccordingtospecifications.
Hecausedthecellstodivide,todifferentiate.
"Frost?"cameatransmission.
"Yes,Beta?"
"Ihaveprocessedeverythingyouhavegivenme."
"Yes?"
"IstilldonotknowwhyyoucametoBrightDefile,orwhy
youwishto
owwhata'price'is,
andIknow
thatyoucouldnothaveobtainedallthisdatafromSolcom."
"Thatiscorrect."
"SoIsuspectthatyoubargainedwithDivcomforit."
"That,too,iscorrect."
"Whatisitthatyouseek,Frost?"
Hepausedinhisexaminationofafetus.
"ImustbeaMan,"hesaid.
"Frost!Thatisimpossible!"
"Isit?"heasked,andthentransmittedanimageofthetank
withwhich
hewasworkingandofthatwhichwaswithinit.
"Oh!"saidBeta.
"Thatisme,"saidFrost,"waitingtobeborn."
Therewasnoanswer.
Frostexperimentedwithnervoussystems.
Afterhalfacentury,Mordelcametohim.
"Frost,itisI,hroughyourdefenses."
Frostdidthisthing..
"Whathaveyoubeendoinginthisplace?"heasked.
"Iamgrowinghumanbodies,"saidFrost."Iamgoingto
transferthe
pointedout
originally,theessentialsofManhoodarepredicatedupona
human
ngtoachieveone."
"When?"
"Soon."
"DoyouhaveMeninhere?"
"Humanbodies,ducingthemunder
accelerated
growthtechniquestwhichIhavedevelopedinmyMan-factory."
"MayIseethem?"
"allyouwhenIamready,andthistimeI
will
rmenowandgoaway."
Mordeldidnotreply,butinthedaysthatfollowedmanyof
Divcom's
servantswereseenpatrollingthehillsabouttheMan-factory.
Frostmappedthematrixofhisawarenessandpreparedthe
transmitter
minutes,he
ndof
that
time,itwouldrestorehimtohisownsealed,molecularcircuits,
to
evaluatetheexperience.
Hechosethebodycarefullyfromamongthehundredshehad
instock.
Hetesteditfordefectsandfoundnone.
"Comenow,Mordel,"hebroadcasted,onwhathecalledthe
darkband.
"Comenowtowitnessmyachievement."
Thenhewaited,blowingupbridgesandmonitoringthetale
ofthe
AncientOre-Crusheroverandoveragain,asitpassedinthe
hills
nearby,encounteringhisbuildersandmaintainerswhoalso
patrolledthere.
"Frost?"cameatransmission.
"Yes,Beta?"
"YoureallyintendtoachieveManhood?"
"Yes,Iamaboutreadynow,infact."
"Whatwillyoudoifyousucceed?"
ievement
hadbeen
paramount,agoalinitself,eversincehehadarticulatedthe
problem
andsethimselftosolvingit.
"Idonotknow,"hereplied."Iwill--just--beaMan."
ThenBeta,whohadreadtheentireLibraryofMan,selecteda
human
figureofspeech:"Goodluckthen,illbemany
watchers."
DivcomandSolcombothknow,hedecided.
Whatwilltheydo?hewondered.
WhatdoIcare?heaskedhimself.
eredmuch,
however,about
beingaMan.
otalone.
Athisback,
therewasagreatphalanxofdarkmachineswhichtoweredinto
thetwilight.
"Whydoyoubringretainers?"askedFrost.
"MightyFrost,"saidMordel,"mymasterfeelsthatifyoufail
this
timeyouwillconcludethatitcannotbedone."
"Youstilldidnotanswermyquestion,"saidFrost.
"Divcomfeelsthatyoumaynotbewillingtoaccompanyme
whereImust
takeyouwhenyoufail."
"Iunderstand,"saidFrost,andashespokeanotherarmyof
machines
camerollingtowardtheMan-factoryfromtheopposite
direction.
"Thatisthevalueofyourbargain?"askedMordel."Youare
prepared
todobattleratherthanfulfillit?"
"Ididnotorderthosemachinestoapproach,"saidFrost.
Abluestarstoodatmidheaven,burning.
"Solcomhastakenprimarycommandofthosemachines,"
saidFrost.
"ThenitisinthehandsoftheGreatOnesnow,"saidMordel,
"andour
mayI
assistyou?"
"Comethisway."
reparedthehostand
activatedhis
machines.
ThenSolcomspoketohim:
"Frost,"saidSolcom,"youarereallypreparedtodoit?"
"Thatiscorrect."
"Iforbidit."
"Why?"
"YouarefallingintothepowerofDivcom."
"Ifailtoseehow."
"Youaregoingagainstmyplan."
"Inwhatway?"
"Considerthedisruptionyouhavealreadycaused."
"Ididnotrequestthataudienceoutthere."
"Nevertheless,youaredisruptingtheplan."
"SupposingIsucceedinwhatIhavesetouttoachieve?"
"Youcannotsucceedinthis."
"Thenletmeaskyouofyourplan:Whatgoodisit?Whatis
itfor?"
"Frost,is
momentforthyou
yquestiontheplan."
"Thenatleastanswermyquestions:Whatgoodisit?What
isitfor?"
"Itistheplanfortherebuildingandmaintenanceofthe
Earth."
"Forwhat?Whyrebuild?Whymaintain?"
"eAlternate
agreesthat
theremustberebuildingandmaintaining."
"But_why_didManorderit?"
"TheordersofManarenottobequestioned."
"Well,IwilltellyouwhyHeorderedit:Tomakeitafit
habitation
odisahousewithnoonetolive
init?
Whatgoodisamachinewithnoonetoserve?Seehowthe
imperative
affectsanymachinewhentheAncientOre-Crusherpasses?It
bearsonly
ulditbelikeifaManwalked
thisEarthagain?"
"Iforbidyourexperiment,Frost."
"Itistoolatetodothat."
"Icanstilldestroyyou."
"No,"saidFrost,"thetransmissionofmymatrixhasalready
youdestroymenow,youmurderaMan."
Therewassilence.
edhiseyes.
Helookedabouttheroom.
Hetriedtostand,buthelackedequilibriumandcoordination.
agurglingnoise.
Thenhescreamed.
Hefelloffthetable.
hiseyesandcurledhimselfintoa
ball.
Hecried.
boutfourfeetin
heightand
fivefeetwide;itlookedlikeaturretsetatopabarbell.
Itspoketohim:"Areyouinjured?"itasked.
Hewept.
"MayIhelpyoubackontoyourtable?"
Themancried.
Themachinewhined.
Then,"elpyou,"saidthemachine.
"Whatdoyou
want?Whatareyourorders?"
Heopenedhismouse,struggledtoformthewords:
"--I--fear!"
Hecoveredhiseyesthenandlaytherepanting.
Attheendoffiveminutes,themanlaystill,asifinacoma.
"Wasthatyou,Frost?"askedMordel,rushingtohisside.
"Wasthat
youinthathumanbody?"
Frostdidnotreplyforalongwhile;then,"Goaway,"hesaid.
Themachinesoutsidetoredownawallandenteredthe
Man-factory.
Theydrewthemselvesintotwosemicircles,parenthesizing
Frostandthe
Manonthefloor.
ThenSolcomaskedthequestion:
"Didyousucceed,Frost?"
"Ifailed,"saidFrost."omuch--"
"--Cannotbedone!"saidDivcom,onthedarkband."Hehas
admittedit!
--Frost,youaremine!Cometomenow!"
"Wait,"saidSolcom,"youandIhadanagreementalso,
Alternate.I
havenotfinishedquestioningFrost."
Thedarkmachineskepttheirplaces.
"Toomuchwhat?"SolcomaskedFrost.
"Light,"saidFrost."hing
measurable--jumbled
data--impreciseperception--and--"
"Andwhat?"
"--itcannotbedone.I
have
gmatters."
"Headmitsit,"saidDivcom.
"WhatwerethewordstheManspoke?"saidSolcom.
"'Ifear,'"saidMordel.
"OnlyaMancanknowfear,"saidSolcom.
"AreyouclaimingthatFrostsucceeded,butwillnotadmitit
now
becauseheisafraidofManhood?"
"Idonotknowyet,Alternate."
"Canamachineturnitselfinside-outandbeaMan?"Solcom
askedFrost.
"No,"saidFrost,"gcanbe
done.
maintaining.
Notthe
Earth,orme,oryou,oranything."
ThentheBeta-Machine,whohadreadtheentireLibraryof
Man,
interruptedthem:
"CananythingbutaManknowdespair?"askedBeta.
"Bringhimtome,"saidDivcom.
TherewasnomovementwithintheMan-factory.
"Bringhimtome!"
Nothinghappened.
"Mordel,whatishappening?"
"Nothing,master,hineswillnot
touchFrost."
"otbe!"
Then,"Howdoesheimpressyou,Mordel?"
Mordeldidnothesitate:
"sfearand
despair,which
saMan."
"Hehasexperiencedbirth-traumaandwithdrawn,"saidBeta.
"Gethim
backintoanervoussystemandkeephimthereuntilheadjusts
toit."
"No,"saidFrost."Donotdoittome!IamnotaMan!"
"Doit!"saidBeta.
"IfheisindeedaMan,"saidDivcom,"wecannotviolatethat
orderhe
hasjustgiven."
"IfheisaMan,youmustdoit,foryoumustprotecthislife
andkeep
itwithinhisbody."
"But_is_FrostreallyaMan?"askedDivcom.
"Idonotknow,"saidSolcom.
"It_may_be--"
"...IamtheCrusherofOres,"itbroadcastasitclankedtoward
them.
"tmeantodoit,butIcheckedmy
hammertoolate--"
"Goaway!"saidFrost."Gocrushore!"
Ithalted.
Then,afterthelongpausebetweenthemotionimpliedand
themotion
executed,itopeneditscrush-compartmentanddepositedits
contentson
turnedandclankedaway.
"Burythosebones,"orderedSolcom,"inthenearestburial
area,ina
coffinbuiltaccordingtothefollowingspecifications...."
"FrostisaMan,"saidMordel.
"WemustprotectHislifeandkeepitwithinHisbody,"said
Divcom.
"TransmitHismatrixofawarenessbackintoHisnervous
system,"
orderedSolcom.
"Iknowhowtodoit,"saidMordelturningonthemachine.
"Stop!"saidFrost."Haveyounopity?"
"No,"saidMordel,"Ionlyknowmeasurement."
"...andduty,"headded,astheManbegantotwitchuponthe
floor.
Forsixmonths,FrostlivedintheMan-factoryandlearnedto
walkand
talkanddresshimselfandeat,toseeandhearandfeelandtaste.
He
didnotknowmeasurementasoncehedid.
Thenoneday,DivcomandSolcomspoketohimthrough
Mordel,forhe
couldnolongerhearthemunassisted.
"Frost,"saidSolcom,"fortheagesofagestherehasbeen
unrest.
WhichisthepropercontrolleroftheEarth,Divcomormyself?"
Frostlaughed.
"Bothofyou,andneither,"hesaidwithslowdeliberation.
"Buthowcanthisbe?Whoisrightandwhoiswrong?"
"Bothofyouarerightandbothofyouarewrong,"saidFrost,
"and
whatIsaytoyounow:
Thereshall
beanewdirective.
"
shallboth
,Solcom,Igivemyold
arenowControlleroftheNorth--Hail!You,Divcom,arenow
Controller
oftheSouth--Hail!MaintainyourhemispheresaswellasBeta
andI
havedone,
compete."
"Yes,Frost."
"Yes,Frost."
"NowputmeincontactwithBeta."
Therewasashortpause,then:
"Frost?"
"Hello,isthing:'Fromfar,fromeveand
morningandyon
twelve-windedsky,thestuffoflifetoknitblewhither:heream
I.'"
"Iknowit,"saidBeta.
"Whatisnext,then?"
"'...Now--forabreathItarrynoryetdisperseapart--takemy
hand
quickandtellme,whathaveyouinyourheart.'"
"YourPoleiscold,"saidFrost,"andIamlonely."
"Ihavenohands,"saidBeta.
"Wouldyoulikeacouple?"
"Yes,Iwould."
"ThencometomeinBrightDefile,"hesaid,"where
JudgmentDayisnot
athingthatcanbedelayedforoverlong."
lledherBeta.