FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54  
55   56   57   58   59   60   61   >>  
what happened." Hector shook his head skeptically. Leoh shrugged, and opened the door of the groundcar. Hector had no choice but to get out and follow him as he walked up the pathway to the main entrance of the Embassy. The building stood gaunt and gray in the dusk, surrounded by a precisely-clipped hedge. The entrance was flanked by a pair of tall evergreen trees. Leoh and Hector were met just inside the entrance by a female receptionist. She looked just a trifle disheveled--as though she had been rushed to the desk at a moment's notice. They asked for Odal, were ushered into a sitting room, and within a few minutes--to Hector's surprise--were informed by the girl that Major Odal would be with them shortly. "You see," Leoh pointed out jovially, "when you come in person they haven't as much of a chance to consider how to get rid of you." Hector glanced around the windowless room and contemplated the thick, solidly closed door. "There's a lot of scurrying going on on the other side of that door, I'll bet. I mean ... they may be considering how to, uh, get rid of us ... permanently." Leoh shook his head, smiling wryly. "Undoubtedly the approach closest to their hearts--but highly improbable in the present situation. They have been making most efficient and effective use of the dueling machine to gain their ends." Odal picked this moment to open the door. "Dr. Leoh ... Lt. Hector ... you asked to see me?" "Thank you, Major Odal; I hope you will be able to help me," Leoh said. "You are the only man living who may be able to give us some clues to the failure of the Dueling Machine." Odal's answering smile reminded Leoh of the best efforts of the robot-puppet designers to make a machine that smiled like a man. "I am afraid I can be of no assistance, Dr. Leoh. My experiences in the machine are ... private." "Perhaps you don't fully understand the situation," Leoh said. "In the past week, we have tested the dueling machine here on Acquatainia exhaustively. We have learned that its performance can be greatly influenced by a man's personality, and by training. You have fought many duels in the machines. Your background of experience, both as a professional soldier and in the machines, gives you a decided advantage over your opponents. "However, even with all this considered, I am convinced that you cannot kill a man in the machine--under normal circumstances. We have demonstrated that fact in our tests.
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54  
55   56   57   58   59   60   61   >>  



Top keywords:

Hector

 

machine

 
entrance
 

moment

 

dueling

 

situation

 

machines

 
failure
 

living

 

Dueling


efforts

 

reminded

 

considered

 
answering
 
convinced
 

Machine

 

picked

 
demonstrated
 

circumstances

 

normal


designers
 

tested

 
background
 

experience

 

effective

 

Acquatainia

 

exhaustively

 

influenced

 

personality

 
training

greatly

 

performance

 

learned

 
understand
 

afraid

 
advantage
 
opponents
 

fought

 

However

 
smiled

decided

 
Perhaps
 
professional
 

private

 

experiences

 

soldier

 

assistance

 
puppet
 
inside
 

female