The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Part 8

"You would not abide by a law that the majority felt was necessary?"

"Tell me what law, dear lady, and I will tell you whether I will obey it."

"You wiggled out. Every time I state a general principle, you wiggle out."

Prof clasped hands on chest. "Forgive me. Believe me, lovely Wyoming, I am most anxious to please you. You spoke of willingness to unite the front with anyone going your way. Is it enough that I want to see the Authority thrown off Luna and would die to serve that end?"

Wyoh beamed. "It certainly is!" She fisted his ribs-gently-then put arm around him and kissed cheek. "Comrade! Let's get on with it!"

"Cheers!" I said. "Let's fin' Warden 'n' 'liminate him!" Seemed a good idea; I had had a short night and don't usually drink much.

Prof topped our gla.s.ses, held his high and announced with great dignity: "Comrades. . . we declare the Revolution!"

That got us both kissed. But sobered me, as Prof sat down and said, "The Emergency Committee of Free Luna is in session. We must plan action."

I said, "Wait, Prof! I didn't agree to anything. What's this 'Action' stuff?"

"We will now overthrow the Authority," he said blandly.

"How? Going to throw rocks at 'em?"

"That remains to be worked out. This is the planning stage."

I said, "Prof, you know me. If kicking out Authority was thing we could buy. I wouldn't worry about price."

"'-our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.'"

"Huh?"

"A price that once was paid."

"Well-I'd go that high. But when I bet I want a chance to win. Told Wyoh last night I didn't object to long odds-"

"'One in ten' is what you said, Mannie."

"Da, Wyoh. Show me those odds, I'll tap pot. But can you?"

"No, Manuel, I can't."

"Then why we talk-talk? I can't see any chance."

"Nor I, Manuel. But we approach it differently. Revolution is an art that I pursue rather than a goal I expect to achieve. Nor is this a source of dismay; a lost cause can be as spiritually satisfying as a victory."

"Not me. Sorry."

"Mannie," Wyoh said suddenly, "ask Mike."

I stared. "You serious?"

"Quite serious. If anyone can figure out odds, Mike should be able to. Don't you think?"

"Um. Possible."

"Who, if I may ask," Prof put in, "is Mike?"

I shrugged. "Oh, just a n.o.body."

"Mike is Mannie's best friend. He's very good at figuring odds."

"A bookie? My dear, if we bring in a fourth party we start by violating the cell principle."

"I don't see why," Wyoh answered. "Mike could be a member of the cell Mannie will head."

"Mmm . . . true. I withdraw objection. He is safe? You vouch for him? Or you, Manuel?"

I said, "He's dishonest, immature, practical joker, not interested in politics."

"Mannie, I'm going to tell Mike you said that. Professor, he's nothing of the sort-and we need him. Uh, in fact he might be our chairman, and we three the cell under him. The executive cell."

"Wyoh, you getting enough oxygen?"

"I'm okay, I haven't been guzzling it the way you have. Think, Mannie. Use imagination."

"I must confess," said Prof, "that I find these conflicting reports very conflicting."

"Mannie?"

"Oh, h.e.l.l." So we told him, between us, all about Mike, how he woke up. got his name, met Wyoh. Prof accepted idea of a self-aware computer easier than I accepted idea of snow first time I saw. Prof just nodded and said, "Go on."

But presently he said, "This is the Warden's own computer? Why not invite the Warden to our meetings and be done with it?"

We tried to rea.s.sure him. At last i said, "Put it this way. Mike is his own boy, just as you are. Call him rational anarchist, for he's rational and he feels no loyalty to any government."

"If this machine is not loyal to its owners, why expect it to be loyal to you?"

"A feeling. I treat Mike well as I know how, he treats me same way." I told how Mike had taken precautions to protect me. "I'm not sure he could betray me to anyone who didn't have those signals, one to secure phone, other to retrieve what I've talked about or stored with him; machines don't think way people do. But feel dead sure he wouldn't want to betray me and probably could protect me even if somebody got those signals."

"Mannie," suggested Wyoh, "why not call him? Once Professor de la Paz talks to him he will know why we trust Mike. Professor, we don't have to tell Mike any secrets until you feel sure of him."

"I see no harm in that."

"Matter of fact," I admitted, "already told him some secrets." I told them about recording last night's meeting and how I stored it.

Prof was distressed, Wyoh was worried. I said, "Damp it! n.o.body but me knows retrieval signal. Wyoh, you know how Mike behaved about your pictures; won't let me have those pictures even though I suggested lock on them. But if you two will stop oscillating, I'll call him, make sure that n.o.body has retrieved that recording. and tell him to erase-then it's gone forever, computer memory is all or nothing. Or can go one better. Call Mike and have him play record back into recorder, wiping storage. No huhu."

"Don't bother," said Wyoh. "Professor, I trust Mike-and so will you."

"On second thought," Prof admitted, "I see little hazard from a recording of last night's meeting. One that large always contains spies and one of them may have used a recorder as you did, Manuel. I was upset at what appeared to be your indiscretion-a weakness a member of a conspiracy must never have, especially one at the top, as you are."

"Was not member of conspiracy when I fed that recording into Mike-and not now unless somebody quotes odds better than those so far!"

"I retract; you were not indiscreet. But are you seriously suggesting that this machine can predict the outcome of a revolution?"

"Don't know."

"I think he can!" said Wyoh.

"Hold it, Wyoh. Prof, he could predict it fed all significant data."

"That's my point, Manuel. I do not doubt that this machine can solve problems I cannot grasp. But one of this scope? It would have to know-oh, goodness!--all of human history, all details of the entire social, political, and economic situation on Terra today and the same for Luna, a wide knowledge of psychology in all its ramifications, a wide knowledge of technology with all its possibilities, weaponry, communications, strategy and tactics, agitprop techniques, cla.s.sic authorities such as Clausewitz, Guevera, Morgenstern, Machiavelli, many others."

"Is that all?"

"'Is that all?' My dear boy!"

"Prof, how many history books have you read?"

"I do not know. In excess of a thousand."

"Mike can zip through that many this afternoon, speed limited only by scanning method-he can store data much faster. Soon-minutes---he would have every fact correlated with everything else he knows, discrepancies noted, probability values a.s.signed to uncertainties. Prof, Mike reads every word of every newspaper up from Terra. Reads all technical publications. Reads fiction-knows it's fiction-because isn't enough to keep him busy and is always hungry for more. If is any book he should read to solve this, say so. He can cram it down fast as I get it to him."

Prof blinked. "I stand corrected. Very well, let us see if he can cope with it. I still think there is something known as 'intuition' and 'human judgment.'"

"Mike has intuition," Wych said. "Feminine intuition, that is."

"As for 'human judgment,'" I added, "Mike isn't human. But all he knows he got from humans. Let's get you acquainted and you judge his judgment."

So I phoned. "Hi, Mike!"

"h.e.l.lo, Man my only male friend. Greetings, Wyoh my only female friend. I heard a third person. I conjecture that it may be Professor Bernardo de la Paz."

Prof looked startled, then delighted. I said, "Too right, Mike. That's why I called you; Professor is not-stupid."

"Thank you, Man! Professor Bernardo de la Paz, I am delighted to meet you."

"I am delighted to meet you, too, sir." Prof hesitated, went on "Mi-Senor Holmes, may I ask how you knew that I was here?"

"I am sorry, sir; I cannot answer. Man? 'You know my methods.'"

"Mike is being crafty, Prof. It involves something he learned doing a confidential job for me. So he threw me a hint to let you think that he had identified you by hearing your presence-and he can indeed tell much from respiration and heartbeat . . . ma.s.s, approximate age, s.e.x, and quite a bit about health; Mike's medical storage is as full as any other."

"I am happy to say," Mike added seriously, "that I detect no signs of cardiac or respiratory trouble, unusual for a man of the Professor's age who has spent so many years Earthside. I congratulate you, sir."

"Thank you, Senor Holmes."

"My pleasure, Professor Bernardo de la Paz."

"Once he knew your ident.i.ty, he knew how old you are, when you were s.h.i.+pped and what for, anything that ever appeared about you in Lunatic or Moonglow or any Lunar publication, including pictures-your bank balance, whether you pay bills on time, and much more. Mike retrieved this in a split second once he had your name. What he didn't tell-because was my business-is that he knew I had invited you here, so it's a short jump to guess that you're still here when he heard heartbeat and breathing that matched you. Mike, no need to say 'Professor Bernardo de la Paz' each time; 'Professor' or"Prof' is enough."

"Noted, Man. But he addressed me formally, with honorific."

"So both of you relax. Prof, you scan it? Mike knows much, doesn't tell all, knows when to keep mouth shut."

"I am impressed!"

"Mike is a fair d.i.n.k.u.m think.u.m-you'll see. Mike, I bet Professor three to two that Yankees would win pennant again. How chances?"

"I am sorry to hear it, Man. The correct odds, this early in the year and based on past performances of teams and players, are one to four point seven two the other way."

"Can't be that bad!"

"I'm sorry, Man. I will print out the calculations if you wish. But I recommend that you buy back your wager. The Yankees have a favorable chance to defeat any single team . . . but the combined chances of defeating all teams in the league, including such factors as weather, accidents, and other variables for the season ahead, place the club on the short end of the odds I gave you."

"Prof, want to sell that bet?"

"Certainly, Manuel."

"Price?"

"Three hundred Hong Kong dollars."

"You old thief!"

"Manuel, as you former teacher I would be false to you if I did not permit you to learn from mistakes. Senor Holmes-Mike my friend-May I call you 'friend'?"

"Please do." (Mike almost purred.) "Mike amigo, do you also tout horse races?"

"I often calculate odds on horse races; the civil service computermen frequently program such requests. But the results are so at variance with expectations that I have concluded either that the data are too meager, or the horses or riders are not honest. Possibly all three. However, I can gve you a formula which will pay a steady return if played consistently."

Prof looked eager. "What is it? May one ask?"

"One may. Bet the leading apprentice jockey to place. He is always given good mounts and they carry less weight. But don't bet him on the nose."

"'Leading apprentice' . . . hmm. Manuel, do you have the correct time?"

"Prof, which do you want? Get a bet down before post time? Or settle what we set out to?"

"Unh, sorry. Please carry on. 'Leading apprentice-'"

"Mike, I gave you a recording last night." I leaned close to pickups and whispered: "Bastille Day."

"Retrieved, Man."

"Thought about it?"

"In many ways. Wyoh, you speak most dramatically."

"Thank you, Mike."