As a reward for completing the giant Ajax statue under an impossible schedule, Iblis Ginjo received four days off duty. Even the neo-cymek work commanders were pleased that the human crew boss had rescued them all from the wrath of Ajax. Before leaving, Iblis made certain his slaves received the benefits he had promised; it was an investment, and he knew they would work even harder on the next project.

With special dispensation from his masters, Iblis rode away from the city grid and into rocky wastelands, the scarred site of a long-forgotten battlefield. Trustees could take advantage of special privileges and freedoms, the choice to earn rewards for work well done. The thinking machines were not concerned that he would flee, since Iblis had no place to go, no way to get off-planet, and no other access to food and shelter.

In fact, he had something else in mind: a pilgrimage.

Iblis sat astride a knobby burrhorse, a plodding laboratory-bred animal used in the bygone days when humans had ruled Earth. The ugly beast had an oversized head, floppy ears, and stubby legs designed for work rather than speed. The animal stank like matted fur soaked in sewage.

The burrhorse trudged up a narrow, winding trail. Iblis had not been here for years, but still knew the way. Such things were not easily forgotten. Previously his visits to the monastery of the Cogitor Eklo had been sparked by mere curiosity. This time he had a desperate need for advice and guidance.

After receiving the anonymous message of rebellion, Iblis had pondered the possible existence of other dissatisfied humans, people willing to defy Omnius. For his entire life, he had been surrounded by slaves toiling endlessly under machine rule. He had never looked beyond his own station, never imagined that it could be different. After a thousand years, any prospect of change or improvement seemed impossible.

Now, after much consideration, Iblis was willing to believe that there might be rebellious cells among humans on Earth, possibly even on other Synchronized Worlds. Widespread groups who intended to fight back.

If we can build such enormous monuments, do we not also have the power to tear them down?

The thought ignited his long-simmering resentment toward Omnius, the robots, and especially the cymeks, who seemed to bear a grudge against humans. But before he decided if the intriguing message was more than just fantasy, he needed to do some research. Iblis had survived so well and so long because he was cautious and obedient. Now he had to conduct his investigations in such a manner that the machines would never suspect his intent.

For answers, he could think of no better source than the Cogitor Eklo.

Years ago Iblis had been a member of an armed slave-pursuit team, chasing a few deluded people who had senselessly escaped from the city grid and fled into the hills with no plans, survival skills, or supplies. Wild rumors had convinced the gullible escapees that they could demand sanctuary from the politically neutral Cogitors. A foolish notion, considering that the meditative and detached human brains wanted nothing more than to isolate themselves and contemplate their esoteric thoughts. The Cogitors had not cared about the Time of Titans, the Hrethgir Rebellions, or Omnius’s creation of the Synchronized Worlds. Cogitors did not wish to be disturbed, so the thinking machines tolerated them.

When Iblis and his pursuit team had surrounded the isolated monastery on the rugged mountainside, Eklo had dispatched his human secondaries to drive the slaves out of concealment. The escapees had cursed and threatened the Cogitor, but Eklo passively ignored them. Iblis and his armed companions had then brought the slaves in for “vigorous reassignment,” after tossing their ringleader off a high cliff. . . .

Now the sturdy burrhorse ascended the steep path that shifted and crumbled beneath its hooves. Presently Iblis made out the high tower of the monastery, an impressive stone structure partly shrouded in mists. Its windows glowed red and then shifted to a sky blue, reportedly according to the moods of the great contemplative mind.

In his schooling as a trustee, Iblis had learned about the Cogitors, about the primitive remnants of religion still manifested by some of the larger groups of human slaves. Omnius had ceased trying to quash it, though the evermind did not understand the superstitions and rituals.

Long before the takeover of the Old Empire, Eklo had left his physical body behind and devoted his mind to analysis and introspection. While planning the large-scale overthrow of humanity, the Titan Juno had adopted Eklo as her personal advisor, demanding answers. Uninterested in repercussions, taking no sides in the conflict, Eklo had answered Juno’s questions, and his unwitting advice had helped the Titans plan their conquest. In the thousand years since, Eklo had remained on Earth. The driving passion in his long life was to synthesize a complete understanding of the universe.

Reaching the end of the trail at the base of the stone tower, Iblis suddenly found himself surrounded by a dozen robed men armed with archaic pikes and barbed clubs. Their robes were dark brown, and they wore white clerical collars. One of the secondaries grabbed the reins of Iblis’s burrhorse. “Leave here. We offer no sanctuary.”

“I do not seek it.” Iblis gazed down at the men. “I have only come to ask the Cogitor a question.” He dismounted and, after charming them with his warmth and sincerity, glided confidently toward the high tower, leaving the robed men to hold his burrhorse.

“Cogitor Eklo is deep in thought and does not wish to be disturbed,” one of the secondaries called out.

Iblis chuckled lightly, his voice smooth. “The Cogitor has been thinking for a thousand years. He can spare a few minutes to hear me out. I am a respected trustee. And if I give him information he doesn’t already know, he’ll have something more to ponder for the next century or so.”

Muttering in confusion, several secondaries followed Iblis up wide steps. Abruptly, however, as he reached the arched entry, a broad-shouldered monk blocked his way. The muscles on his thick arms and chest had gone to fat, and he peered out from sunken eyesockets with dull eyes.

Iblis infused his voice with friendly persuasion. “I honor the knowledge Cogitor Eklo has acquired. I will not waste his time.”

Frowning skeptically at Iblis, the monk adjusted his clerical collar and said, “You are bold enough, and the Cogitor is curious to hear your question.” After checking the visitor’s body for weapons, he said, “I am Aquim. Come this way.”

The big man led Iblis along a narrow stone corridor and up a steep spiral stairway. As they proceeded, Iblis said, “I have been here before, chasing escaped slaves—”

“Eklo remembers,” Aquim interrupted.

They reached the highest point in the structure, a round room at the pinnacle of the tower. The Cogitor’s plexiplaz container rested on an altarlike ledge beneath one of the windows. Winds hummed along the window edges and swirled the mists. The windows shimmered sky blue from some internal illumination.

Leaving the other secondaries behind, Aquim stepped up to the transparent brain canister and stood for a moment, looking down at it reverently. He jabbed a hand into one of his pockets, and his trembling fingers emerged with a twisted strip of paper encrusted with a black powder. He placed the strip in his mouth, letting it dissolve. His eyes rolled upward, as if in ecstasy.

“Semuta,” he said to Iblis, “derived from the burned residue of elacca wood, smuggled here. It aids me in what I must do.” With complete serenity, he rested both hands against the smooth lip of the canister, and said, “I understand nothing.”

The naked brain inside its blue soup of electrafluid seemed to pulse, waiting.

With a beatific smile, the big monk drew a deep breath and slid his fingers into the open mouth of the tank, dipping into the thick life-support liquid. The gelatinous medium wet his skin, penetrated his pores, linked with his nerve endings. Aquim’s expression changed, and he said, “Eklo wishes to know why you did not ask your question the last time you were here.”

Iblis did not know if he should speak to the secondary or directly to the Cogitor, so he directed his reply to a space between them. “At the time, I did not understand what was significant. Now there is something I wish to know from you. No one else can provide an objective answer.”

“No judgment or opinion is ever completely objective.” The big monk spoke with calm conviction. “There are no absolutes.”

“You are less biased than anyone else I could ask.”

The altar ledge moved around slowly along a hidden track, and the Cogitor came to rest in front of a different window, with Aquim keeping pace, his hand still immersed in the canister. “State your question.”

“I have always worked loyally for my cymek and machine masters,” Iblis began, selecting his words carefully. “Lately I received word that there may be human resistance groups on Earth. I wish to know if this report is credible. Are there people who want to overthrow their rulers and gain freedom?”

During a moment’s hesitation, the secondary stared blankly into space, either from the effects of the semuta or from his connection with the philosopher brain. Iblis hoped the Cogitor would not drift into a long period of contemplation. Finally, in a deep and sonorous voice, Aquim said, “Nothing is impossible.”

Iblis tried several variations of the question, deftly circling with phrases, adjusting his selection of words. He did not want to reveal his intentions, though the neutral Cogitor presumably did not care why Iblis might want to find the rebels, whether to destroy them or to join them. Each time, however, Iblis received the same enigmatic answer.

Summoning his courage, he finally asked, “If such a widespread, secret resistance organization did exist, would it have a chance of succeeding? Could the reign of the thinking machines possibly come to an end?”

This time the Cogitor pondered longer, as if assessing different factors in the question. When the same answer came via the robed monk, the words, spoken more ominously, seemed to convey a deeper meaning. “Nothing is impossible.”

After that, Aquim withdrew his dripping hand from Eklo’s brain container, signifying that the audience was concluded. Iblis bowed politely, expressed his gratitude, and departed, his own thoughts in turmoil.

On the ride back down the steep trail, the frightened but exhilarated crew supervisor decided that if he could not locate one of the resistance group members, he had another option.

Drawing from his deeply loyal work crews, Iblis would form a rebel cell of his own.