In the Next Life, Canto III, stanzas 320-326

They turned onto the road and Ciral frowned.
“We’re being followed by my customers.”
Until then Esther had not looked around,
as was the practice of the insiders.

“Unless we’re mating, we have no concern
with other tubes,” she said, but stopping short.
“Forgive me, Mr. C, for sounding stern.
I must remember you’re not of our sort.”

“So even if you think you are pursued
by enemy machines you won’t respond?
Are you aware that they think we intrude?
Of tubes with pound signs they aren’t very fond.”

“You obviously know not what they are,
or are not, rather, for they are not we.
Only we sinners take a grudge that far.
A robot does not have that tendency.

“You talk as though they have their own desires.
They can’t; they only want what they were told.
We’ve given them the basis in their wires.
There’s not much variation from the mold.

“They’re made to learn, and learning can impart
a change in outlook; that much I’ll concede.
The motives they were given at the start
adapt to meet each situation’s need.

“I’ll give you an example,” and she gave
a story that was old yet plausible.
She told of carriers that tried to save
themselves by playing tricks when they were full.

When they were full: See the early part of Canto II, especially the 56 and 541 narratives. When the carriers learned how reproduction was taking place and how dangerous it was to the participants, some of them tried various ruses to defeat it.

©2011 Louis A. Merrimac