"Good girl," said Docchi. "That Nona is wonderful."
Jordan could feel him relax. "A regular mechanical marvel," he agreed. "But we can gas about that later. Let's get going."
Docchi glanced around and then walked boldly into the passageway that connected the main dome with the much smaller, adjacent rocket dome. Normally, it was never dark in the inhabited parts of the asteroid; a modulated4 twilight5 was considered more conducive6 to the slumber7 of the handicapped. But it wasn't twilight as they neared the rocket dome—it was a full-scale rehearsal8 for the darkness of interplanetary space.
Docchi stopped before the emergency airlock which loomed9 solidly in front of them. "I hope Nona was able to cut this out of the circuit," he said anxiously.
"She understood, didn't she?" asked Jordan. He reached out and the great slab10 moved easily aside in its grooves11. "The trouble with you is that you lack confidence."
Docchi, listening with a frown, didn't answer.
"Okay, I hear it, too," whispered Jordan. "We'd better get well inside before he reaches us."
Docchi walked rapidly into the darkness of the rocket dome. He allowed his face to become faintly luminescent, the one part of his altered metabolism12 that he had learned to control, when he wasn't under emotional strain.
He was nervous now, but his control had to be right. Enough light so that he'd be noticed, not so much that details of his appearance would be plain.
The footsteps came nearer, accompanied by a steady volume of profanity. Docchi flashed his face once and then lowered the intensity13 almost immediately.
The footsteps stopped. "Docchi?"
"No. Just a lonely little light bulb out for an evening stroll."
The rocket pilot's laughter wasn't altogether friendly. "I know it's you. I meant, what are you doing here?"
"I saw the lights in the rocket dome go out. The entrance was open, so I came in. Maybe I can help."
"They're off, all right. Everything. Even the standby system." The rocket pilot moved closer. The deadly little toaster was in his hand. "You can't help. You'd better get out. It's against regulations for you to be in here."
Docchi ignored the weapon. "What happened? Did a meteor strike?"
The pilot grunted14. "Not likely." He peered intently at the barely visible silhouette15. "Well, I see you're getting smart. You should do that all the time. You look better that way, even if they're not usable arms. You look...." His voice faded away.
"Sure, almost human," Docchi finished for him. "Not like a pair of legs and a spinal16 column with a lightning bug17 stuck on top."
"I didn't say that. So you're sensitive about it, eh? Maybe that's not your fault. Anyway, you'd better get going."
"But I don't want to go," said Docchi deliberately18. "I'm not afraid of the dark. Are you?"
"Cut the psycho talk, Docchi. All your circuits are working and you know it. Now get out of here before I take your fake hand and drag you out."
"Now you've hurt my feelings," declared Docchi reproachfully, nimbly stepping away.
"You asked for it," growled19 the pilot, lunging after him. What he took hold of wasn't an imitation hand, made of plastic. It was flesh and blood. That was why the pilot screamed, once, before he was lifted off his feet and slammed to the floor.
Docchi bent20 double. The dark figure on his back came over his head like a sword from a scabbard.
"Jor—"
"Yeah," said Jordan.
He wrapped one arm around the pilot's throat and clamped it tight. With the other he felt for the toaster the pilot still held. Effortlessly he tore it away and used the butt21 with just enough force to knock the pilot unconscious without smashing the skull22. Docchi stood by until it was over. All he could offer was an ineffectual kick, not balanced by arms.
It wasn't needed.
"Let there be light," ordered Jordan, laughing, and there was, a feeble, flickering23 illumination from Docchi.
Jordan was balancing himself on his hands. A strong head, massive, powerful arms and shoulders. His body ended at his chest. A round metal capsule contained his digestive system.
"Dead?" Docchi looked down at the pilot.
Jordan rocked forward and listened for the heartbeat. "Nah," he said. "I remembered in time that we can't afford to kill anyone."
"Good," said Docchi, and stifled24 an exclamation25 as something coiled around his leg. His reactions were fast; he broke loose almost instantly.
"Repair robot," said Jordan, looking around. "The place is lousy with them."
Docchi blinked on and off involuntarily and the robot came toward him.
"Friendly creature," observed Jordan. "He's offering to fix your lighting26 system for you."
Docchi ignored the squat27 contrivance and stared at the pilot. "Now what?" he asked.
"Agreed," said Jordan. "He needs attention. Not the kind I gave him." He balanced the toaster in his hand and burned a small hole in the little wheeled monster. Tentacles29 emerged from the side of the machine and felt puzzledly at the damaged area. The tentacles were withdrawn30 and presently reappeared with a small torch and began welding.
Jordan pulled the unconscious pilot toward him. He leaned against the machine, raised the inert31 form over his head and laid it gently on the top flat surface. Another tentacle28 reached out to investigate the body of the pilot. Jordan welded the joints32 solid with the toaster. Three times he repeated the process until the pilot was fastened to the robot.
"The thing will stay here, repairing itself, until it's completely sound again," remarked Jordan. "However, that can be fixed33." He adjusted the toaster beam to an imperceptible thickness. Deftly34 he sliced through the control case and removed a circular section. He reached inside and ripped out circuits. "No further self-repair," he said cheerfully. "Now I'm going to need your help. From a time stand-point, I think it's a good idea to run the robot around the main dome a few times before it delivers the pilot to the hospital. No point in giving ourselves away before we're ready."
Docchi bent over the robot, and with his help the proper sequence was implanted. The machine scurried35 erratically36 away.
Docchi watched it go. "Time for us to be on our way." He bent double for Jordan. The arms folded around his neck, but Jordan made no effort to climb up onto his back. For a panic moment Docchi knew how the pilot felt when strength, where there shouldn't have been strength, reached out from the darkness and gripped his throat.
He shook the thought from his mind. "Get on my back," he insisted.
"You're tired," said Jordan. "Half gravity or not, you can't carry me any farther." His fingers worked swiftly and the carrying harness fell to the floor. "Stay down," growled Jordan. "Listen."
Docchi listened. "Geepees!"
"Yeah," said Jordan. "Now get to the rocket."
"What can I do when I get there? You'll have to help me."
"You'll figure something out when the time comes. Hurry up!"
"Not without you," said Docchi stubbornly, without moving.
A huge paw clamped around the back of his skull. "Listen to me," whispered Jordan fiercely. "Together we were a better man than the pilot—your legs and my arms. It's up to us to prove that separately we are a match for Cameron and his geepees."
"We're not trying to prove anything," said Docchi.
A brilliant light sliced through the darkness and swept around the rocket dome.
"Maybe we are," said Jordan. Impatiently, he hitched37 himself along the ground. "I think I am."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going up. With no legs, that's where I belong."
He grasped the structural38 steel member in his great hands, and in the light gravity, ascended39 rapidly.
"Careful," warned Docchi.
"This is no time to be careful." His voice floated down from high in the lacy structure. It wasn't completely dark; the lights were getting nearer. Docchi decided40 it was possible for Jordan to see what he was doing.
They hadn't expected to be discovered so soon. But the issue had not yet been settled against them. Docchi settled into a long stride, avoiding the low-slung repair robots that seemed to be everywhere. If Jordan refused to give up, Docchi had to try.
He stayed well ahead of the oncoming general purpose robots.
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1
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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2
nurtured
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| 养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长 | |
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asteroid
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| n.小行星；海盘车(动物) | |
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modulated
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| 已调整[制]的，被调的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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6
conducive
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| adj.有益的，有助的 | |
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7
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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rehearsal
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| n.排练，排演；练习 | |
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9
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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10
slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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grooves
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| n.沟( groove的名词复数 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏v.沟( groove的第三人称单数 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏 | |
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metabolism
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| n.新陈代谢 | |
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13
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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14
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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15
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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bug
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| n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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19
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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20
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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23
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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24
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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25
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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26
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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28
tentacle
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| n.触角，触须，触手 | |
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tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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30
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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31
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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32
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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33
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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erratically
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| adv.不规律地，不定地 | |
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37
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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38
structural
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| adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的 | |
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39
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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