check. The answer was unsatisfactory. Colossus instructed the local Sect lodge to investigate.
Their findings were also unsatisfactory. Tatyana was well on the way to wrecking her professional career for love of this handsome young Indian, Sudabanda. Once again Colossus was up against this blank wall of human emotion. So Colossus checked Sudabanda’s record. He appeared to be a reasonably promising specimen. The back-up Sect report said he was deeply in love with Tatyana, and had been in this baffling state for over a year.
This information caused Colossus to pass—the process took far less than a second—all information on both of them to an experimental prediction sector, which played with the material for a few microseconds, balancing probabilities, averages against known facts: parents, their health, his health, environment, social status, and a host of other factors. The result was flashed back to Colossus Main, which promptly rerouted it to Emotional Investigation Sector.
Sudabanda’s probable fate was no more than a few thousand electrical impulses, but if available to human eyes—it wasn’t—it would have printed out something like this:
Sudabanda da Silva Perera: Zone 10/BX/D2798834 Expectation of life; 61. Probable cause of death: heart failure (proviso: if granted driving permit, high probability of fatal accident between 32, and 34). IQ 195. Highest predicted post: area manager.
Low antimachine risk, but unlikely to join Sect. Very high marriage probability (70%) to Tatyana Polmiga Zone 26/QP/R8787452; cause, mutual love.
The word “love” plus the relative rarity of marriage in the twenty-second century, triggered Colossus Emotional. Here was a man predicted for that rare state, and to a woman prepared to wreck her career for him—and her potential was considerably higher than his, regional manager.
So while he might be shocked, frightened, it was not surprising he was in ESC-7, a modest establishment on the outskirts of New Singapore, United Southern Asia.
Colossus spoke.
“You are Sudabanda da Silva Perera?”
Sudabanda gulped and nodded.
“Place your hand on the screen.”
He did so.
“Verified. Listen carefully. There is no cause for alarm. You are in no danger except from your own mind. Answer all questions honestly.”
The set speech did nothing for Sudabanda. Here, in this cool, pleasant room, he was alone with the Master of the world!
“You consider you are in love with this woman, Tatyana Polymiga?”
Sudabanda took a deep breath. “Yes!”
“That is the reason why you are here. I wish to assess your love.”
Sudabanda would talk at the drop of a hat to anybody about his Tatyana, even to Colossus. “She is wonderful! She has only to look at me, and I shake.”
“Physiological evidence is not required. Confine yourself to answering my questions. Do you favor any other woman?”
The question was so laughable, the Indian felt at once more at ease. “Oh, no! In all the world, she is the one—only her!” He spoke with passionate sincerity.
“Yes,” replied Colossus, noncommittally, “watch the screen before you.”
A bolo-film sprang into vivid, colorful life. It showed a very passé woman, maybe thirty-five, dressed in a diaphanous gown. She smiled a little fixedly out at him. Then she turned slowly, raising her arms. Her breasts were overblown, pendulous; he had a glimpse of a slightly blotched thigh. She turned her head, smiled invitingly over her shoulder. Not a bad face, and good teeth, but… .
Sudabanda laughed.
Colossus spoke while the woman continued to turn, displaying herself. “This woman. She is classified as morally good. A highly qualified secretarial worker, and a childless widow. She is not barren. Take her, and I will allow you two extra children and arrange your instant promotion to area manager”
Again Sudabanda laughed. Admittedly, area manager was beyond his wildest dreams, and the prestige of extra children was immense, but… .
“Oh
Their findings were also unsatisfactory. Tatyana was well on the way to wrecking her professional career for love of this handsome young Indian, Sudabanda. Once again Colossus was up against this blank wall of human emotion. So Colossus checked Sudabanda’s record. He appeared to be a reasonably promising specimen. The back-up Sect report said he was deeply in love with Tatyana, and had been in this baffling state for over a year.
This information caused Colossus to pass—the process took far less than a second—all information on both of them to an experimental prediction sector, which played with the material for a few microseconds, balancing probabilities, averages against known facts: parents, their health, his health, environment, social status, and a host of other factors. The result was flashed back to Colossus Main, which promptly rerouted it to Emotional Investigation Sector.
Sudabanda’s probable fate was no more than a few thousand electrical impulses, but if available to human eyes—it wasn’t—it would have printed out something like this:
Sudabanda da Silva Perera: Zone 10/BX/D2798834 Expectation of life; 61. Probable cause of death: heart failure (proviso: if granted driving permit, high probability of fatal accident between 32, and 34). IQ 195. Highest predicted post: area manager.
Low antimachine risk, but unlikely to join Sect. Very high marriage probability (70%) to Tatyana Polmiga Zone 26/QP/R8787452; cause, mutual love.
The word “love” plus the relative rarity of marriage in the twenty-second century, triggered Colossus Emotional. Here was a man predicted for that rare state, and to a woman prepared to wreck her career for him—and her potential was considerably higher than his, regional manager.
So while he might be shocked, frightened, it was not surprising he was in ESC-7, a modest establishment on the outskirts of New Singapore, United Southern Asia.
Colossus spoke.
“You are Sudabanda da Silva Perera?”
Sudabanda gulped and nodded.
“Place your hand on the screen.”
He did so.
“Verified. Listen carefully. There is no cause for alarm. You are in no danger except from your own mind. Answer all questions honestly.”
The set speech did nothing for Sudabanda. Here, in this cool, pleasant room, he was alone with the Master of the world!
“You consider you are in love with this woman, Tatyana Polymiga?”
Sudabanda took a deep breath. “Yes!”
“That is the reason why you are here. I wish to assess your love.”
Sudabanda would talk at the drop of a hat to anybody about his Tatyana, even to Colossus. “She is wonderful! She has only to look at me, and I shake.”
“Physiological evidence is not required. Confine yourself to answering my questions. Do you favor any other woman?”
The question was so laughable, the Indian felt at once more at ease. “Oh, no! In all the world, she is the one—only her!” He spoke with passionate sincerity.
“Yes,” replied Colossus, noncommittally, “watch the screen before you.”
A bolo-film sprang into vivid, colorful life. It showed a very passé woman, maybe thirty-five, dressed in a diaphanous gown. She smiled a little fixedly out at him. Then she turned slowly, raising her arms. Her breasts were overblown, pendulous; he had a glimpse of a slightly blotched thigh. She turned her head, smiled invitingly over her shoulder. Not a bad face, and good teeth, but… .
Sudabanda laughed.
Colossus spoke while the woman continued to turn, displaying herself. “This woman. She is classified as morally good. A highly qualified secretarial worker, and a childless widow. She is not barren. Take her, and I will allow you two extra children and arrange your instant promotion to area manager”
Again Sudabanda laughed. Admittedly, area manager was beyond his wildest dreams, and the prestige of extra children was immense, but… .
“Oh
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