The Proud Robot

Gallegher's robot was a beautiful genius... with a talent for troubleExcerptThings often happened to Gallegher, who played at science by ear. He was, as he often remarked, a casual genius. Sometimes he'd start with a twist of wire, a few batteries, and a button hook, and before he finished, he might contrive a new type of refrigerating unit.At the moment he was nursing a hangover. A disjointed, lanky, vaguely boneless man with a lock of dark hair falling untidily over his forehead, he lay on the couch in the lab and manipulated his mechanical liquor bar. A very dry Martini drizzled slowly from the spigot into his receptive mouth.He was trying to remember something, but not trying too hard. It had to do with the robot, of course. Well, it didn't matter."Hey, Joe," Gallegher said.The robot stood proudly before the mirror and examined its innards. Its hull was transparent, and wheels were going around at a great rate inside."When you call me that," Joe remarked, "whisper. And get that cat out of here.""Your ears aren't that good.""They are. I can hear the cat walking about, all right.""What does it sound like?" Gallegher inquired, interested."Jest like drums," said the robot, with a put-upon air. "And when you talk, it's like thunder." Joe's voice was a discordant squeak, so Gallegher meditated on saying something about glass houses and casting the first stone. He brought his attention, with some effort, to the luminous door panel, where a shadow loomed-a familiar shadow, Gallegher thought."It's Brock," the annunciator said. "Harrison Brock. Let me in!""The door's unlocked." Gallegher didn't stir. He looked gravely at the well-dressed, middle-aged man who came in, and tried to remember. Brock was between forty and fifty; he had a smoothly massaged, cleanshaven face, and wore an expression of harassed intolerance. Probably Gallegher knew the man. He wasn't sure. Oh, well.