Blood and Iron (45 page)

He became aware of the slow throb of other bells ringing, all over the city, and he realized that the steady pulse wasn’t the result of the after-effects of the explosion, but rather that the robots had picked up on that rhythm and had taken it for their own, a sign of their rising anger.

Now La-Ver-Di-Arussah and her troops were retreating, coming back towards Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.

‘We need to hold this gate,’ said Gillian, appearing at his side.

‘Get back!’ shouted Wa-Ka-Mo-Do, pushing her back with one hand as a bullet ricocheted from the wall nearby. More shots rang out. ‘Get back into the square, you idiot!’

‘Take your hands off me, robot!’

Gillian unholstered a pistol and raised it to eye level. She squeezed the trigger, and Wa-Ka-Mo-Do heard three faint pops as she fired at the nearest rebels.

‘Get yourself a proper weapon,’ she said, and she turned and stalked back into the safety of the square. She had a warrior’s temperament, if nothing else.

The steady tolling of the bells was rising in volume. It seemed to Wa-Ka-Mo-Do he could feel a pulse of electricity behind it; the long pent-up rage of the robots of Sangrel building up to discharge itself in one lightning burst.

La-Ver-Di-Arussah and her soldiers came running up.

‘They are approaching from every direction, Honoured Commander.’

‘What about Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah?’

‘He got through. The humans soldiers are already organising themselves, getting ready to escort the civilians up here.’

‘Good. We’ll help bring them to safety and then hold back the peasants until the humans have left. After that we will begin the job of restoring order to the city.’

‘Get the humans to shoot them all for us,’ said La-Ver-Di-Arussah. ‘It will come to the same thing in the end.’

Wa-Ka-Mo-Do said nothing. He couldn’t help thinking that she was right. Events had moved way beyond his control.

‘Get up to the square and organize a defence,’ he said.

‘Very well.’

‘We will do everything we can to help the humans. I want them out of my city as fast as possible.’

The slow tolling of the bells was increasing in volume, the fires burned on, the smoke climbed to the stars, cold and silent above. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do suddenly swept both his arms out wide, blades extended, expending so much built-up power in one crackling burst. He felt better for it. Centred, composed once more, he turned and made his way back up the hill to Smithy Square.

The humans had dragged one of their female guns to the top of the Street of Becoming. It sat there, looking down at him with that sleek, deadly expression.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.

‘We’ve reprogrammed it to only attack robots,’ said Gillian.

La-Ver-Di-Arussah was watching the gun with interest.

‘What about Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah?’ he shouted. ‘What about the rest of the escort who will be bringing the humans back up here?’

‘They’ll turn it off when our troops approach,’ said La-Ver-Di-Arussah.‘They’ll turn it off now,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do coldly. ‘Gillian! Move this gun away. You will not harm my citizens!’

‘I thought they were the Emperor’s citizens?’

‘Rust the Emperor!’

The words were out before Wa-Ka-Mo-Do could stop them. A horrified silence fell between him and La-Ver-Di-Arussah. They gazed at each other, realizing that Wa-Ka-Mo-Do had crossed that final line. La-Ver-Di-Arussah recovered first.

‘Very well, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do, if that’s your wish.’ She wore a cold smile.

‘It’s not
my
wish,’ said Gillian. ‘The gun stays on. I will not jeopardize the safety of my people.’

‘Nor I mine,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.

‘You are outnumbered, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do,’ said Gillian. ‘Would you fight all my troops?’

Wa-Ka-Mo-Do looked around the green-clad humans, their guns swinging in his direction.

‘I think I would,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do, blades extending at his hands and feet.

One of the humans did something, and the strange gun raised its head, turning round to face Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. They stood, gazing at each other. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do stared up into the round eye of the barrel.

‘Shall I tell them to arm it?’ asked Gillian, coolly.

To think was to move. He reached out, caught the human woman, pulled her before him, wrapped an arm around the middle of her soft body, placing her between himself and the gun.

‘Tell them,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do.

They stood there, Wa-Ka-Mo-Do and Gillian, the female gun looking down at them, the slow tolling of bells pulsing in a night filled with the orange glow of burning, surrounded by bars of smoke, the stars cold above them. The human faltered first.

‘Turn it off,’ she said.

Karel

Simrock walked up to the leading animal.

‘Hello. Are you Ruth?’

The animal smiled.

‘I am! You must be Simrock! And who are your friends?’

‘This is Melt, and here comes Karel now.’

Karel came forward, looking at the animal in astonishment. She was female, he knew it. She looked so like a robot woman. Her pink animal body was stuffed inside a padded silver thing that enveloped her body. Now he was close to her he could see animal eyes behind the dark glasses that covered half her face, he noted the white grease smeared around the rim of her mouth. It was bright but cold up here, and he wondered if these animals were at the limits of their tolerance.

‘What are you doing here?’ asked Melt, suspicion hard in his voice. ‘Where are the rest of you?’

‘Melt, what’s the matter with you?’ said Karel. The animals unnerved him, the way they walked like robots, but so did Melt’s attitude. He had never seen the robot so angry before.

‘There are just the three of us,’ said Ruth, answering Melt. She wore something over her head. A little light flickered as she spoke. ‘I’m Ruth Powdermaker. The guy with the big feet is Brian Kovacs and the pretty young woman is Jasprit Begum.’ The two other animals smiled as their names were mentioned. The male one waved a hand in greeting. ‘We’re ——————.’

Karel heard the sound of the word as it emerged from her mouth, wet and hissing.

‘I’m sorry, there seems to be no robot equivalent. We study groups of people.’

‘Did you make that talking machine?’ said Karel.

‘Never mind that,’ interrupted Melt. ‘Where are your weapons?’

‘Here,’ said Ruth, patting a holster at her side. ‘Plus, Brian’s got a rifle packed away on board the ship. But they’re only for our own protection. We’re not part of the group on the plain. We’re here purely for research.’

‘Research into what?’

‘Life here on this planet. Contact with humans will change your society. It’s already happening. We want to try and capture all that we can about conditions before we arrived. That’s why we’re up here. Plus, there are so many of the Spontaneous here.’

They all looked at Simrock.

‘How were you speaking to him?’ asked Karel.

‘I hear her voice,’ said Simrock. ‘Like when I was below the ground.’

The animal called Jasprit was carefully examining Simrock’s head. What was she looking for?

‘And is that normal?’ asked Ruth. ‘Is that what you all experience?’

She was gazing at Karel.

‘Hearing voices?’ he said. ‘No. Only the Spontaneous can do that.’

‘Is that right, Melt?’ asked Jasprit. She was smaller than the other two, her body a darker colour. Her eyes were dark and bright. Melt looked at her with undisguised hostility.

‘I don’t know anything about the Spontaneous. And I don’t know anything about the three of you, either. Karel, I think we should go. Now.’

‘Why?’

‘Look at this place. These buildings. And then these
humans
turn up here.’ Karel had never heard the word before, but Melt said
human
in the same way he might say
rust.
‘I say we go. Now.’

‘The buildings!’ said Brian with the big feet. ‘They’re strange, aren’t they? Not at all like the other ones we’ve seen here. Why is that do you suppose?’

‘Why do you keep asking all these questions?’

‘Melt!’ Karel looked at the big robot in astonishment. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

‘These animals. Don’t trust them.’

‘You’re suspicious. I can understand that,’ said Ruth. ‘Have you met humans before, Melt? We’re not all the same, you know. We’re not like those down on the plain.’

‘You mentioned that before,’ said Karel. ‘What do you mean, the ones on the plain?’

‘There is a big robot state to the south of these mountains. It controls the southern part of this continent. Do you know of it?’

‘Artemis!’ said Karel.

‘Of course he knows Artemis, Ruth.’ Brian stepped forward, and Karel noted the cloth panelling that covered him was streaked with grease and oil. ‘He’s wearing the body of one of their soldiers. Are you part of that state, Karel?’

‘Me? No. They destroyed my home. Have you heard of Turing City?’

‘Turing City? No. Where is that located? If I showed you a map, could you tell me? I’ll just be a moment?’

Karel looked around in bewilderment as Brian dashed off around the side of one of the old-fashioned buildings.

‘We could follow him,’ said Ruth. ‘There is an open area in the centre of this village where we have set up camp. All our equipment is there. Would you come with us? Would that be all right?’

She looked at Melt.

‘If you’ve met humans before, you’ll know what our guns can do. If I wanted to harm you, I could have shot you as you approached. I could shoot you as you leave. That wouldn’t help me do my job though, would it? Come and speak with us! Please?’

‘I think we should go with them,’ said Karel. ‘They might be able to tell us things we need to know.’

‘What about your wife?’ said Melt. ‘Don’t trust them, Karel.’

‘Why not, Melt? What do you know about these humans? Why won’t you tell me anything?’

Melt glared at him, eyes glowing.

‘They said that there were humans in Artemis,’ said Karel. ‘I think we need to find out as much as we possibly can.’

‘Very well,’ said Melt. ‘But watch out. Their words are lubricated in the finest oil. Don’t trust the animals!’

Wa-Ka-Mo-Do

The night passed under the brilliant stars to the tolling of bells. The noise from the city was increasing, the steady stamping, the gunfire. More than once Wa-Ka-Mo-Do thought he should go to the aid of Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah, but each time Gillian had dissuaded him.

‘They are coming,’ she said, oblivious to Wa-Ka-Mo-Do’s concerns. ‘Our soldiers are more than a match for a few civilians.’ Didn’t she realize that, but for a lingering concern for the Emperor’s authority and for the fact that he wasn’t sure just what to do for the best, he would have given his robots the order to open fire upon her and her troops?

The gun at the top of the Street of Becoming was deactivated. The other human guns were mostly still now. Every so often one of them would twitch and send a brief stream of bullets into the night before lowering its head and resting once more. There was a sense of calmness and isolation up here at the top of Sangrel, a feeling of being temporarily removed from the trouble below. They all felt it, human and robot alike, staring into the surrounding darkness.

‘Zuse is low tonight,’ said La-Ver-Di-Arussah. ‘Hiding behind the hills.’

Wa-Ka-Mo-Do looked at her in surprise, not expecting this sudden show of feeling. Was her confidence ebbing as his was?

‘I heard that Zuse is mentioned in the Book of Robots,’ she said.

Wa-Ka-Mo-Do couldn’t be bothered to pretend any more.

‘It is, La-Ver-Di-Arussah.’ And he thought of Rachael. Rachael had told him that there was something significant about the metal moon. The humans seemed to know so much, he reflected, so much more than the robots did.

‘What do you think of your creators now?’ taunted La-Ver-Di-Arussah.

‘They’re not our creators,’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do bitterly. ‘The book says that we should look after each other. The humans don’t even look after themselves: look how they are fighting each other.’

As if to prove his point, the nearest gun turned and fired a quick burst out into the night. He felt adrift, engaged in a war that he didn’t understand, caught between opposing forces that had no interest in him, half following the remnants of orders issued by his former Emperor.

His former Emperor. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do felt a deep sense of shame at his treachery, but what else could he have done?

‘They’re coming!’

The words were spoken by robots and humans alike. He saw the remaining humans of Sangrel hurrying up the broken Street of Becoming.

The street was wider at the top, the houses there richer and more imposing. The humans moved quickly up the centre of the road, surrounded by green-panelled human soldiers, their feet slipping on the rounded cobbles as they headed for safety. The soldiers scanned the high windows and roofs, looking out for dark silhouettes against the stars. Every so often they raised a rifle to their shoulder and fired. Each time, a robot died. Still the bells tolled, but now, faintly behind them could be heard the chanting of electronic voices. Wa-Ka-Mo-Do peered into the darkness and saw the shapes of his troops bringing up the rear. Where was Ka-Lo-Re-Harballah?