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remembered how Ti had lost color when Challis first appeared; and the thought
came that she might feel this way if she suddenly saw a ghost and knew what it
was.
Challis lifted a hand now, beckoned to them. They started hesitantly forward.
She turned aside as they came up, went to an open door, and through it. They
glanced at each other.
I think we d better see what she wants, Telzey said quietly.
Gaziel nodded, looking quite as reluctant about it as Telzey felt. Probably.
They went to the door. A narrow dim-lit corridor led off it. Challis was
walking up the corridor, some distance away. They exchanged glances again.
Let s go.
They slipped into the corridor, started after Challis. The door closed
silently behind them. They came out, after several corridor turns, into a low
wide room, quite bare the interior of a box. Diffused light poured from floor,
ceiling, the four walls. The surfaces looked like highly polished metal but
cast no reflections.
Nothing reaches here, Challis said to them. We can talk. She had a low
musical voice which at first didn t seem to match her appearance, then did.
Don t be alarmed by me. I came here only to talk to you.
They looked at her a moment. Where did you come from? Gaziel asked.
From inside.
Inside?
Inside the machine. I m usually there, or seem to be. I don t really give
much attention to it. Now and then not often, I believe I m told to come out.
Who tells you to come out? Telzey said carefully.
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Challis light-gray eyes regarded her.
The minds, she said. The machine thinks on many levels. Thinking forms
minds. We didn t plan that. It developed. They re there; they do their work.
That s the way they feel it should be. You understand?
They nodded hesitantly.
He knows they re there, Challis said. He sees the indications. He can
affect some of them. Many more are inaccessible to him at present, but it s
been noted that he s again modified and extended the duplicative processes.
He s done things that are quite new, and now he s brought in the new model who
is one of you. The model s been analyzed and it was found that it incorporates
a quality through which he should be able to gain access to any of the minds
in the machine. That s not wanted. If the duplicate made of the model the
other of you has the same quality, that s wanted even less. If it s been
duplicated once, it can be duplicated many times. And he will duplicate it
many times. It s not his way to make limited use of a successful model. He ll
make duplicates enough to control every mind in the machine.
We don t want that, Gaziel said.
Challis eyes shifted to her.
It won t happen, she said, if he s unable to use either of you for his
purpose. It s known that you have high resistive levels to programming, but
it s questionable whether you can maintain those levels indefinitely.
Therefore the model and its duplicate should remove themselves permanently
from the area of the machine. That s the logical and most satisfactory
solution.
Telzey glanced at Gaziel. We d very much like to do it, she said. Can you
help us get off the island?
Challis frowned.
I suppose there s a way to get off the island, she said slowly. I remember
other places.
Do you remember where they keep the aircars here? said Gaziel.
Aircars? Challis repeated. She looked thoughtful. Yes, he has aircars.
They re somewhere in the structure.
However, if the model and the duplicate aren t able to leave the area, they
should destroy themselves. The minds will provide you with opportunities for
self-destruction. If you fail, direct procedures will be developed to delete
you.
Telzey said after a moment, But they won t help us get off the island?
Challis shook her head. The island is the Martri stage. Things come to it;
things leave it. I remember other places. Therefore, there should be a way off
it. The way isn t known. The minds can t help you in that.
The aircars
There are aircars somewhere in the structure. Their exact location isn t
known.
Telzey said, There s still another solution.
What?
The minds could delete him instead.
No, that s not a solution, said Challis. He s essential in the maintenance
of the universe of the machine. He can t be deleted.
Who are you? Gaziel asked.
Challis looked at her.
I seem to be Challis. But when I think about it, as I m doing at this moment,
it seems it can t be. Challis knew many things I don t know. She helped him in
the design of the machine. Her puppet designs were better than his own, though
he s learned much more than she ever knew. And she was one of our most
successful models herself.
Many puppet lines were her copies, modified in various ways.
She paused reflectively.
Something must have happened to Challis, she told them. She isn t there
now, except as I seem to be her. I m a pattern of some of her copies in the
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machine, and no longer accessible to him. He s tried to delete me, but minds
always deflect the deletion instructions while indicating they ve been carried
out. Now and then, as happened here, they make another copy of her in the
vats, and I m programmed to it and told what to do. That s disturbing to him.
Challis was silent for a moment again. Then she added, It appears I ve given
you the message. Go back the way you came. Avoid doing what he intends you to
do. If you can deactivate the override system, do it. When you have the
opportunity, leave the area or destroy yourselves. Either solution will be
satisfactory.
She turned away and started off across the glowing floor.
Challis, said Gaziel.
Challis looked back.
Do the minds know which of us two is the model? Gaziel asked.
That s of no concern to them now, said Challis.
She went on. They looked after her, at each other, turned back toward the
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