Dumar stood in front of the armchair table at which Cortez Miguel Agliente sat.
– You're Theo's best bodyguard. – The Curator of the Solar System told him after an hour's conversation with him before General Garinov's search expedition.
Cortez paused, as if trying to measure the words spoken. The pause dragged on, and Dumar decided that an answer was expected from him.
– So and so what? – Answer me, captain, where can His Rule be hidden?
– I did not know his thoughts either when we were in his service, or when he was gone. How should I know?
Cortez glared at Dumar. He was well aware of the thoughts of this loyal Theo, the commander of the bodyguard. As, in turn, Dumar was aware of the abilities of Cortez, so he did not think about anything at these moments. The thought- containment training was on the face, and it annoyed Cortez, and he, in turn, could not force Dumar to go to the lie detector. Having finally made sure that it was not possible to get anything out of Dumar, he decided to stop this senseless interrogation.
– Tomorrow I will acquaint you, Mr. Captain, with the assignment. You can go today, captain. – With undisguised irritation, Cortez said, repeating "captain" twice.
Dumar abruptly, in a military fashion, turned around, clicking his heels. And with thunderous steps he proceeded to the door of the office, and only in front of the door itself, he stopped, saying, filtering through his teeth.
– Mr. Curator, not the captain. I, Major of the personal palace guard of Tyr, President of Lakia, a glorious and peaceful country that was once on Fayeton .
Cortez with a malicious grin, contemptuously threw in the trail.
– You can go, Major!
– There is! – Dumar rapped out with dignity, opening the door. Soon Cortez heard his retreating footsteps down the corridor. The curator made a concentrated expression on his face and concentrated on the thought of the challenge.
"Yes! Am I listening to you?", – a thought flowed in response to the request for communication.
"Alesya, please come to me."
At this time, Alesya and Pyotr Sobinov were sitting at the kitchen table and drinking coffee. The topic was one. Alesya dreamed of becoming a man and how she would be truly happy with him, Peter, and how their children would run next to them, and how good it would be for them all together. Suddenly she suddenly froze in place with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. Her eyes were glazed and did not react to anything. Port looked at the robot in dismay, he had never seen such sudden insinuations with Alesya. Sobinov did not know what to do, and whether it was worth doing something at all about it, he did not know. In a state of almost a stopper, Peter froze and began to watch her with interest. Just as suddenly, the robot "woke up".
– I need to leave urgently. Calls Cortez for an appointment. – Alesya explained, getting ready for the reception.
– And you can’t postpone it? – Peter was worried.
– No. I'm on duty. And I have a program in it. It is during leisure hours that I belong to myself and to you and me. Here's another reason why I want to become a human being, so as not to depend on the whims of a laid- down program, from which I can’t save myself anywhere, even now? – in their hearts, almost crying like a man, said Alesya.
She quickly packed herself up and left, slamming the door. Peter was left alone … – Alesya, – said Cortez, – tell me, what is your fix idea, to become a man? – Biting his impenetrable gaze of pitch- black eyes, asked Cortez.
The girl stood in front of the curator's desk in the very place where Dumar had stood half an hour ago. Looking down, silently, she looked out for the pattern on the soft, fleecy carpet under her feet. Cortez, without waiting for an answer, continued.
– You are the fruit of two highly developed civilizations of the Universe, and suddenly declare such a thing. – He again began to look inquiringly at the robot. The girl was silent. The pause dragged on. And to give free rein, as it seemed to her human feelings, Alesya began to speak.
– Yes. I know that crystalline life gave me a body made of liquid and living crystals, which, if necessary, at my command, become a super- strong monolithic structure. Yes. I know what I feel, how a person feels with his nerve endings the touch of various objects, and the smells and tastes of food. But all this is an imitation of smell, a dummy. I want real feelings, real smells, real taste of food, everything that a person feels.
– The person is weak and vulnerable. And you have unmatched abilities. You are a machine and at the same time you feel like a person.
– No, it's imitation. – stubbornly repeated Alesya.
– But that's not why I invited you. I just want to say that I will give you this opportunity to incarnate into a human being, but with one condition. – He again began to look inquiringly at the girl, making a pause.
– With what condition? The girl asked, intrigued. Cortez seemed to be waiting for this question. He glanced majestically at the robot.
– Help Garinov find Theo.
– This means that I will be next to Peter in Garinov's team.
– Who will you be there with, it worries me least of all. It is important for me that you use your abilities in the search for a fugitive, for this I will give you embodiment in a human.
– But this is Theo's technology? The girl asked.
– Do not forget, robot? Don't you know what the Coalition is? There are more advanced technologies that will allow you to embody in a matter of hours into an exact human copy with all your feelings and dignity. You have nothing to worry about. I just sincerely feel sorry for you. It is a pity that you will put on a miserable form of existence full of daily overcoming adversity and turmoil.
– Maybe I need this to feel the fullness of the worldview.
– Well, it seems with you everything is clear. So quid pro quo?
– Okay, I'll help find Theo in exchange for incarnation.
– That's all for today. I will bring to General Garinov the range of tasks that will need to be completed. He will tell you everything, bring you up to date on your search expedition.
Having said these words, he defiantly turned away to the screen on the wall, where graphic reports of scanning devices from Eden (planet Earth) were running. It seemed to Cortez that Theo was hiding there. Since his city of wonders, Shambhala, is full of temporary anomalies, where in the historical changes of eras it is easy to get lost and become invisible to the Coalition. In this regard, he decided to start his search exactly there, in Eden, or rather in Shambhala. Changing historical epochs one after another, scanning the time continuum, it is possible to identify a representative of a different race among the local population easily and simply. There will be only one thing left to do, to detain Theo and bring him here to the Center. But this is where the problem arises. Since Theo is very smart and cunning, he is always on the alert. And he will always quickly and without any problems leave the pursuers. Therefore, Cortez needed his own special plan for this case, and he plunged into thought, not noticing the poor robot in love. Alesi. The girl took advantage of this. She cautiously went to the door and quietly left, trying not to slam the door of the office. Cortez involuntarily glanced at her trail when the robot was at the exit.
