spelled out a four letter word."

Webb nodded slowly. "Love."

"Right. And you know the corollary to that. When I punched in the details of your relationship with Anne and me, well, the next subtotal read—homicide."

The expression of relief in Webb's face changed to show the hurt he felt. "But if you knew all this, why did you have to play out this scene, even with a remote control robot?"

"To discharge the murder impulse, my friend. I had to play it straight, reacting just as I would to your demands, had I not known of your condition. Otherwise the computations would have been based on false inter-reaction premises. And until you made the attempt on my life, you were a real danger to me—and yourself. Now the shock of your murder attempt and the relief at your failure have dissipated that danger."

It was true, Webb admitted to himself. No longer did he feel the least malice toward Cliff. But bitterness was still rank on his tongue. "So how does the story end? Does boy get girl or not?"

"Of course. Boy always gets girl, if he wants her. It's a long life. At this phase she wants me."

"Is that your own opinion or just another subtotal of the computer?"

"Both."

"But—how does it really end. What happens when you punch the total key?"

"You ask that, Webb? You, one of the very first to embrace the rigors of physical immortality? My dear friend, there is no total key."

 Prev. P 9/9