Norby and the Terrified Taxi (Norby Series Book 11) by Janet Asimov

Author:Janet Asimov [Asimov, Janet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Janet Asimov
Published: 2015-12-12T15:00:00+00:00

11

Time Changed

—Norby! You’re you!

—Who else could I be?

—I thought you were part of Computer Prime now.

—I am. That is, Computer Prime is partly me.

—Then how can we talk like this?

—I don’t know. When you’re touching me, Jeff, I seem to be able to talk to you as myself. Only I’m also part of Computer Prime at the same time. It’s a little hard to explain since it’s all due to that Connector.

—How does the Connector work?

—I hate to admit it, but I don’t understand the Connector at all. It’s a very strange device. And very powerful. It has forced me to use my time-travel talent to …. oops, sorry, but here we go again!

Computer Prime seemed to shudder, and hyperspace vanished from the viewscreens. The Moon reappeared, but now it was much farther away, and Earth was closer. Jeff barely had a chance to notice that Earth’s continents were not like those of his own time, when there was a tremendous crash.

Below Jeff and Lizzie, Garc let go of the Connector and fell off his chair, moaning.

Above Jeff, Norby’s antenna retracted and he fell.

“I’m keeping steady,” Lizzie said. “Catch Norby!”

“Did it,” Jeff said, collapsing onto Lizzie’s backseat with Norby in his arms. “Close your roof door, Lizzie.”

“Yes, sir. Shall we leave?”

“We’d better,” said Norby. “The Connector doesn’t need me anymore and I can take you both to safety.”

Jeff was conscious of an outside shift to gray and then Lizzie was hanging in space just above Earth’s atmosphere, all alone, for there was no Computer Prime nearby.

“We’re back in our own century,” Norby announced as his half a head emerged from his barrel. “Thanks to my talent.”

Jeff looked down at the continents. “Earth’s continents are correct. Unfortunately we didn’t bring Computer Prime and Garc with us. We should not have left them behind.”

“Had to, Jeff. Something was adding to Computer Prime’s mass, and I could not have brought it with me easily, if at all. I have marvelous hyperdrive power, but, well …”

“It’s limited,” Jeff said, thinking rapidly. Would it endanger Norby to return to the same era where the Connector was?

“I think it will endanger me, Jeff. Sorry, but I’m sitting on your lap and can read your mind a little when we’re touching, especially if your thoughts are strong. I’m sorry about Computer Prime. The Federation will have to build another one.”

“Norby, Garc is trapped in Computer Prime, millions of years ago. It was the Cretaceous period, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right. Perhaps the dinosaurs will eat Garc.”

Lizzie squawked, “For shame, Norby! You disobey the law!”

“Lizzie’s right,” Jeff said. “What’s happened to your laws of robotics, Norby?”

“They have been severely overstrained. Lizzie, I think you should take Jeff and me straight to our Manhattan apartment so we can recuperate while notifying Fargo and the admiral, who will help us decide what to do about Garc the Great.”

“Shall I do so, Jeff sir?”

“Okay, Lizzie. I could do with a quiet rest before we go on a rescue mission, if it’s possible.”

“And hurry up, Lizzie,” Norby ordered.

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