Somers said. "Fuel, oxygen, water,food--that sort of thing. Then tell it we want to return to Earth.Alive," he added.
"It'll love that," Watkins said. "It'll get such pleasure out ofrejecting our problem as unsolvable. Or better yet--insufficient data.In that way, it can hint that a solution is possible, but just outsideour reach. It can keep us hoping."
Somers and Rajcik followed him to the cargo hold. The computer,activated now, hummed softly. Lights flashed swiftly over its panels,blue and white and red.
Watkins punched buttons and turned dials for fifteen minutes, then movedback.
"Watch for the red light on top," he said. "That means the problem isrejected."
"Don't say it," Rajcik warned quickly.
Watkins laughed. "Superstitious little fellow, aren't you?"
"But not incompetent," Rajcik said, smiling.
"Can't you two quit it?" Somers demanded, and both men turned startedlyto face him.
"Behold!" Rajcik said. "The sleeper has awakened."
"After a fashion," said Watkins, snickering.
Somers suddenly felt that if death or rescue did not come quickly, theywould kill each other, or drive each other crazy.
"Look!" Rajcik said.
* * * * *
A light on the computer's panel was flashing green.
"Must be a mistake," said Watkins. "Green means the problem is solvablewithin the conditions set down."
"Solvable!" Rajcik said.
"But it's impossible," Watkins argued. "It's fooling us, leading uson--"
"Don't be superstitious," Rajcik mocked. "How soon do we get thesolution?"
"It's coming now." Watkins pointed to a paper tape inching out of a slotin the machine's face. "But there must be something wrong!"
They watched as, millimeter by millimeter, the tape crept out. Thecomputer hummed, its lights flashing green. Then the hum stopped. Thegreen lights blazed once more and faded.
"What happened?" Rajcik wanted to know.
"It's finished," Watkins said.
"Pick it up! Read it!"
"You read it. You won't get _me_ to play its game."
Rajcik laughed nervously and rubbed his hands together, but didn't move.Both men turned to Somers.
"Captain, it's your responsibility."
"Go ahead, Captain!"
Somers looked with loathing at his engineer and navigator. _His_responsibility, everything was _his_ responsibility. Would they neverleave him alone?
He went up to the machine, pulled the tape free, read it with slowdeliberation.
"What does it say, sir?" Rajcik asked.
"Is it--possible?" Watkins urged.
"Oh, yes," Somers said. "It's possible." He laughed and looked around atthe hot, smelly, low-ceilinged little room with its locked doors andwindows.
"What is it?" Rajcik shouted.
* * * * *
Somers said, "You figured a few thousand years to return to the SolarSystem, Rajcik? Well, the computer agrees with you. Twenty-three hundredyears, to be precise. Therefore, it has given us a suitable longevityserum."
"Twenty-three hundred years," Rajcik mumbled. "I suppose we hibernate orsomething of the sort."
"Not at all," Somers said calmly. "As a matter of fact, this serum doesaway quite nicely with the need for sleep. We stay awake and watch eachother."
The three men looked at one another and at the sickeningly familiar roomsmelling of metal and perspiration, its sealed doors and windows thatstared at an unchanging spectacle of stars.
Watkins said, "Yes, that's the sort of thing it would do."
--NED LANG
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Galaxy Science Fiction_ June 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
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