Eye Candy (6 page)

An explosion rocked the shuttle. A ball of orange fire appeared on the right side of the craft, and black smoke streamed out behind it.

The shuttle rolled hard to the right, banking and falling as it went, its nose dropping, until the craft was entirely inverted.

Candy and Danny were slammed hard to one side, and hung suspended upside down, held fast by their seatbelts.

The sound of the engines spooling up filled the cabin. The shuttle lurched and Candy cried out.

The shuttle rolled upright, rocking side to side.

The privacy divider slid open and Howard called out, “Sir, compressors three and four have malfunctioned.”

“Malfunctioned!” Danny cried.

“I regret, sir, that I will not be able to keep the craft in the air. Prepare for a water landing.”

“We’re ditching?” yelled Danny.

“I’m afraid so, sir.”

Candy yelled, “Have you ever landed on the water before, Howard?”

“No, miss. But I will do my best to assure that you both survive the impact. I have alerted Air Traffic Control as to our emergency and rescue crews are being mobilized. Once we are in the water, I will jettison the canopy and deploy the flourescein. Please swim to the surface. I estimate impact in . . . nineteen seconds.”

Candy and Danny turned to face one another. Candy still held her coffee cup in her left hand. “What’s flourescein?”

“Green dye. So they know where to find us.”

Candy took hold of Danny’s hand.

“Can you swim?” Danny asked.

Candy nodded her head. “Can you?”

Danny nodded.

“Can Howard?”

“I’m not sure. But I think he’s waterproof. Mostly.”

The sight of blue water grew larger and larger, filling the horizon.

“Ten seconds,” called Howard.

Candy and Danny sat rigidly, holding hands, unmoving.

Down on the lake’s surface, people were beginning to notice the disabled shuttle. They pointed up at the long plume of black smoke streaking across the sky. Danny saw people on an enormous yacht all standing and pointing. Then the yacht raced by and was gone.

“Five seconds,” called Howard.

Blue water rushed past their feet.

“Three seconds. Engine shutdown.”

Everything became very quiet.

“One second.”

Water slammed into the shuttle.

Candy and Danny were thrown forward. Candy’s cup flew from her hand and hit the canopy, splattering it with brown coffee.

The shuttle skipped across the lake’s surface once, then again, then struck the water a third time and plowed into an oncoming wave, and was submerged.

Silence.

Directly overhead, mere feet above, and clearly visible, was the surface of the lake. Beams of sunlight shone diagonally from the surface, rippling through the cabin.

“Are we sinking?” Candy asked.

“I can’t tell. Howard, are we sinking?”

“I estimate the craft to be very near neutral buoyancy at this depth, sir. But we may descend deeper. Particularly as we take on water. Some water is filling the cockpit near my feet.”

Candy and Danny scanned the cabin. Rivulets of water were appearing here and there where the canopy met with the floor.

“Should we blow the canopy?” Danny asked.

“It is difficult to judge if the canopy would separate fully from the craft. Water would rush in, filling the cabin, but with the canopy still in place, egress may be impossible. I recommend we wait, sir.”

Candy tapped the floor with her shoes. The carpet was now thoroughly drenched.

A droning sound emerged.

“What is that?” Candy asked.

The droning grew louder.

“I think it’s a boat,” said Danny.

A frothy white wake appeared on the surface above them. The white hull of a small boat circled the submerged shuttle, and then came to rest. Two men plunged into the water and swam to the sides of the shuttle. One of them carried a rope.

“Are they rescue divers?” Candy asked.

“I don’t think so,” Danny replied.

One man swam over the top of the shuttle, his hands squeaking on the canopy, while the other man swam beneath it. They met on the other side, passed the coil of rope through a black triangle at one end, and then kicked to the surface, where they climbed into their boat.

The engine roared to life and the boat slowly moved across the surface of the water, dragging the rope behind it.

Gradually, the rope stretched taught.

The shuttle heaved, held fast by the tow rope.

“They’re towing us to shore,” said Danny. “Howard, quick, pull back. Angle the control surfaces upward. Maybe we can get to the surface.”

“Yes, of course, sir,” said Howard. “Brilliant, sir.”

Howard pulled back on the control yoke. The shuttle’s nose angled upward, rising and rising, until it broke the surface, and Candy and Danny emerged into the world once again. Sunlight spilled across their faces, warm and bright.

Small boats were scattered all around. Ever bigger yachts floated nearby. Everyone cheered and clapped when the shuttle appeared.

The tow boat angled toward shore, bringing the shuttle slowly behind it, until both vessels entered the closest marina and pulled alongside a dock.

Mooring ropes were secured about the shuttle. Danny opened the canopy and he and Candy climbed out. Howard extricated himself from the cockpit, and all three stood safely on the dock. Danny leaned close to Candy, “Next time, we’ll take my Viper Jet.”

“Deal.”

Danny noticed Howard studying him. When Danny’s eyes met Howard’s, Howard looked away.

~

After a brief inspection by medical personnel, a report taken by a soft-spoken deputy from the Salton Sheriff’s Department, and a hearty round of thanks to the two men who had towed them to the dock, Candy, Danny, and Howard were free to make arrangements for their disabled vehicle as well as for themselves.

Candy found a ladies room in the closest hotel, where she went to freshen up and gather herself.

Danny and Howard stood on the dock, watching as a small crane hoisted the shuttle from the water and lowered it onto the back of a flatbed truck. It was then covered and secured with wide yellow ratchet straps.

Howard turned to Danny. “Sir, may I have a word with you? Alone?”

Danny led Howard away from the truck, where the driver was finishing his preparations to get underway.

“What is it?” Danny asked.

“Sir, I would like to remain with the shuttle. I will travel with Master McGherrity in his truck and back to Los Angeles, to his repair facility.”

“Why?”

“Sir, prior to your arrival at the shuttle port this morning, I performed a complete and thorough preflight inspection of the aircraft. Not to do so would have violated not only my responsibilities as an aviator, but also the laws of robotics.

“The first law pertains to you and Miss Candy, that I neither cause nor fail to prevent your coming to harm. For me not to be absolutely certain that the shuttle was airworthy would be a violation of this law.

“The second law pertains not only to you and Miss Candy, but also to Master Floyd, who gave the original, and strongest, order that I pilot the shuttle today. I was thus bound to obey it, as long as it did not violate the first law. Were there to be an accident Master Floyd would have been injured as well, if not physically then certainly mentally and emotionally.

“Finally, the third law stating that I must protect my own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law. These are the laws put forth nearly a century ago. To break them would be a violation of the fundamental tenet that robots be an unwavering aid to mankind. The very possibility also sets up a most unwanted escalation of positronic potential; one which all robots seek to avoid.

“By performing a thorough and complete preflight inspection of the shuttle prior to our departure, I satisfied my own need to keep myself safe from harm, thereby upholding the third law as well. And by upholding the third law, I simultaneously uphold the first two laws. With all three laws fully satisfied, I was free to pilot the craft for you and Miss Candy. And indeed I was quite pleased to be of service, for although I seldom have the opportunity to pilot an aircraft, it is an activity I enjoy immensely. Flying makes me feel good, sir.”

“It makes you
feel
good?”

“Yes, sir. The positrons flow more freely in my brain, and my algorithmic analyses seem to proceed more quickly, with inferences and conclusions being made more readily and with less effort. From what I have observed of human behavior and emotion, I liken my inward sensations to the positive emotions felt by human beings. In short, sir, flying makes me happy.”

“You are aware that I am a pilot myself and that I own an airplane, are you not?”

“I am indeed aware of your status as an aviator, sir. Many times I have listened to you discuss matters of aviation with Master Floyd, and I have longed to accompany you in your airplane. But I dared not suggest such a thing.”

“Why not? I would love to go flying with you. Especially now that I know how much you enjoy it.”

“It could be considered forward, sir. There was the possibility that you would be made uncomfortable by such a suggestion, or that Master Floyd might be made so; I am, after all, his property. There was also the possibility of rejection; were you to deny my request, I would lose face, and this would be very near a violation of the third law, which would be uncomfortable for me. Each time I considered broaching the subject with you, these possibilities resonated within me. It was only through remaining silent that the uncomfortable potential subsided. I therefore said nothing.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re telling me now, Howard. As I said, I would enjoy going flying with you any time.”

“And I with you sir. I thank you for listening to me in this manner.

“And now I feel I must return to the subject at hand, for I am experiencing a gathering of positronic potential. I believe you would describe it as anxiety. Tinged with a bit of fear, I think.”

“Why are you anxious, Howard?” Danny asked. “Why are you afraid?”

“Our unintended water landing was due to the explosion, as you know. I am afraid because, according to my deductions, there can be only one explanation for the explosion.”

“And what explanation would that be, Howard?”

“Sabotage, sir.”

~

“Sabotage?”

“Yes, sir. The shuttle was in perfect working order prior to our departure. I verified this myself, for reasons I have stated. But I left the shuttle unattended for approximately nine minutes when I went downstairs to await the arrival of you and Miss Candy. During this time, an explosive device could have been affixed to our shuttle without our knowledge, with the intent of destroying it completely. The fact that we survived is, I believe, the result of an inadequate amount of explosive being used. In other words, it is the result of mere luck.”

“Our survival is the result of your superb flying skills, Howard. We’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“I thank you for the compliment, sir. But if I had not left the shuttle unattended, the explosive device could not have been affixed to it. I therefore accept full responsibility for this accident.”

“It’s not your fault, Howard. You didn’t know this was going to happen.”

“Nevertheless, I see now that it was foolish of me to preflight the aircraft and to then leave it unattended, however briefly, only to return to it and depart in it without performing an additional inspection, if only a brief one. In the future, I will not make this mistake again. I do recall having read of this in the Federal Aviation Regulations, yet I did not follow the regulations to the letter. For this I am deeply sorry, sir. And as I have stated, it will never happen again. That is, of course, if I am permitted to retain my Pilot’s License, if I am allowed to continue flying.”

“It’s okay, Howard. I forgive you. And I’m quite certain Candy forgives you as well and will tell you so when you see her. I also have no doubt that your Pilot’s License is not in jeopardy. You will be allowed to continue flying. But if it becomes an issue, I will vouch for you myself.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“What I want to know is, how could this have happened? We were the only ones at the shuttle port.”

“We were the only ones on the ground, sir. But if you recall, upon our arrival to the rooftop departure area, there was a shuttle leaving the vicinity. You yourself commented on its excessive speed.”

“That’s right, I did.”

“Indeed, sir. I believe the occupant or occupants of that shuttle are responsible for sabotaging our aircraft.”

“But for what reason?”

“I cannot say, sir. Nevertheless, the shuttle is not entirely destroyed. The saboteurs may seek to ensure its complete destruction, for although they failed in their ultimate goal, which we must assume was the destruction of its occupants, namely you and Miss Candy, the fact that the shuttle remains intact will make it available for forensic analysis. It is quite likely that those involved in planning our demise will seek to prevent such an analysis. It is for this reason that I am, as nearly as I am able to understand, afraid.”