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.But Bigman was in the doorway before him, eyes big with horror."Lucky! TheV-frog! It's dead! It's been killed!"7A Robot Enters the GameThe V-frog's plastic cage was shattered and shriveled, and the floor was wetwith its watery contents.The V-frog, half covered with the fronds it fed upon, was quite, quite dead.Now that it was dead and unable to control emotion, Lucky could look at itwithout the enforced fondness that he, as well as all others that came withinits radius of influence, had felt.He felt anger, however mostly at himselffor having allowed himself to be over-reached.Bigman, fresh from his shower, with only his shorts on, clenched andunclenched his fists."It's my fault, Lucky.It's all my fault.I was yellingso loud in the shower I never heard anyone come in."The phrase "come in" was not quite appropriate.The killer had not simply comein; he had burnt his way in.The lock controls were fused and meltedaway with what had obviously been an energy projector of fairly largecaliber.Lucky stepped back to the interphone."Commander Donahue?"7374"Yes, what happened? Is anything wrong?" "I'll see you in an hour." He brokeconnections and returned to the grieving Bigman.He said somberly, "It's myfault, Bigman.Uncle Hector said the Sirians had not yet discovered thefacts concerning the emo-tional powers of the V-frog, and I acceptedthat too thoroughly.If I had been a little less optimistic about Sirianignorance, neither one of us would ever have left that little creature out ofour sight for a second."Lieutenant Nevsky called for them, standing at attention as Lucky and Bigmanleft their quarters.He said in a low voice, "I am glad, sir, that you were unharmed in yesterday'sencounter.I would not have left you, sir, had you not strictly ordered meto.""Forget it, Lieutenant," Lucky said absently.His mind kept returning to thatmoment just before sleep the preceding night when, for a brief instant, athought had hovered at the outskirts of consciousness, thenvanished.But it would not come now, and finally Lucky's mind sped to othermatters.They had entered the Agrav corridor now, and this time it seemed crowded withmen, streaming accurately and unconcernedly in both directions.There was a"beginning of the work day" atmosphere all about.Though men workedPage 30 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlunderground here and there was no day or night, yet the old twenty-four-hourschedule held.Mankind brought the familiar rotation of the Earth to all theworlds on which he lived.And though men might work in shifts the clock round,the largest number always worked on the "day shift" from nine to five, SolarStandard Time.It was nearly nine now, and there was a bustle75through the Agrav corridors as men traveled to the work posts.There was afeel of "morning" almost as strong as though there were a sun low in theeastern sky and dew on the grass.Two men were sitting at the table when Lucky and Bigman entered the conferenceroom.One wasCom-mander Donahue, whose face bore the appearance of a carefullycontrolled tension.The commander rose and coldly introduced the other:James Panner, the chief engineer and civilian head of the project.Panner wasa stocky man with a swarthy face, dark deep-set eyes, and a bull neck.He worea dark shirt open at the collar and without insignia of any sort.Lieutenant Nevsky saluted and retired.Commander Donahue watched the doorclose and said, "Since that leaves the four of us, let's get to business.""The four of us and a cat," said Lucky, stroking a small creature that hitchedits forepaws on the table and stared at him solemnly."This isn't the same catI saw yesterday, is it?"The commander frowned."Perhaps.Perhaps not.We have a number ofcats on the satellite.However, I presume we're not here to discuss pets."Lucky said, "On the contrary, Commander, I think it will do as a topic ofconversation to begin with and I chose it deliberately.Do you remember my ownpet, sir?""Your little Venusian creature?" said the com-mander with sudden warmth."Iremember it.It was "He stopped in confusion as though wondering, in the V-frog'sabsence, what the reason for his enthusiasm concerning it might be.76"The little Venusian creature," said Lucky, "had peculiar abilities.It coulddetect emotion.It could transmit emotion.It could even impose emotion."The commander's eyes opened wide, but Panner said in a husky voice, "I onceheard a rumor to that effect, Councilman.I laughed.""You needn't have.It is true.In fact, Commander Donahue, my purpose inasking for this interview was to make arrangements to have every man on theproject interviewed by me in the presence of the V-frog.Iwanted an emotional analysis."The commander still seemed half stunned."What would that prove?""Perhaps nothing.Still, I meant to try it."Panner intervened."Meant to try it? You use the past tense, Councilman Starr."Lucky stared solemnly at the two project officials."My V-frog is dead."Bigman said furiously, "Killed this morning."The commander said, "Who killed it?""We don't know, Commander."The commander sat back in his chair."Then your little investigation is over,I suppose, till the animal can be replaced."Lucky said, "There will be no waiting.The mere fact of the V-frog's death hastold me a great deal, and the matter becomes much more serious.""What do you mean?"All stared.Even Bigman looked up at Lucky in pro-found surprise.Lucky said, "I told you that the V-frog has the capacity to impose emotion.You yourself, CommanderDonahue, experienced that.Do you recall your feelingsPage 31 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html77when you saw the V-frog on my ship yesterday? You were under considerablestrain, yet when you saw the V-frog Do you remember your feelings, sir?""I was rather taken with the creature," the com-mander faltered."Can you think why, as you look back at the moment now?""No, come to think of it.Ugly creature.""Yet you liked it.You couldn't help yourself.Could you have harmed it?""I suppose not.""I'm certain you couldn't.No one with emotions could have.Yet someone did.Someone killed it."Panner said, "Do you intend to explain the paradox?""Easily explained.No one with emotions, Arobot, however, does not have emotions.Suppose that some-where on JupiterNine there is a robot, a mechanical man, in the perfect form of a humanbeing?""You mean a humanoid?" exploded Commander Donahue."Impossible.Such thingsexist only in fairy tales."Lucky said, "I think, Commander, you are not aware of how skillful the Siriansare in the manufacture of robots.I think they might be able to use some manon Jupiter Nine, some thoroughly loyal man, as model; build a robot in hisshape and substitute it for him.Such a humanoid robot could have specialsenses that would enable it to be the perfect spy.It might, for instance, beable to see in the dark or sense things through thicknesses of matter.Itwould certainly be able to transmit information through the subether by somebuilt-in device."The commander shook his head."Ridiculous.A man78could easily have killed the V-frog.A desperate man frightened to an extrememight have overcome this this mental influence the animal exerted.Have youthought of that?""Yes, I have," said Lucky."But why should a man be so desperate, why so wildto kill a harmlessV-frog? The most obvious reason is that the V-frog represented a desperatedanger, that it was not harmless at all
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