Page 2 - Unlikely Stories 1

Nothing Left to the Imagination

“I’m Dick—Richard—Philips. I have an appointment with Doctor
Isaacs at ten o’clock.”
The podium scanned him. “Please have a seat,” it said. “The
doctor is running late this morning. He had an emergency call at the
Neuromediation Center this morning.”
“Oh. I hope it won’t be too long a wait.”
Another scan.
“But I can handle it,” he added hastily. “I’m very patient.”
Philips found the only unoccupied place in the small waiting room
and sat down. It was on a sofa between two robots; they shifted
slightly to make room for him, acknowledging his presence with
polite nods.
After a few minutes of silence, Dick popped up a viewer and
queried his topics for anything of interest. Nothing. He downpiped
the viewer and looked at the robot on his left.
“Good morning,” he said. “Are you also Doctor Isaacs’ patient?”
“Yes, I am.” It was a rubot, not a type Dick often saw in the city. It
had the appearance of an outdoors creature: large, flexible feet, a
squat physique for strength and balance, and a shaded forehead
pierced by a second pair of eyes for night vision. Dick knew vaguely
that rubots spent most of their time alone in the wild, managing the
fragile ecosystem. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Same here. My name’s Dick, Dick Philips. This is my first visit to
Doctor Isaacs. He was recommended highly by the services adviser.
What about you?”
“Oh, I’ve been here before. I’m in for a tune-up. Shouldn’t take
long. At least it didn’t, last time. That was a few years ago, so you can
conclude that he knows his business. It’s subtle, of course, requiring a
human touch, but I trust him completely.”
Dick was intrigued. “I didn’t realize robots needed adjustment.”
The rubot laughed. “Add that to your topics, Dick. We can’t come
out of the box totally prepared for all contingencies. Our built-in
variability and indeterminacy enable us to deal with previously-
1