Copotronic Riddle (One) An effort of translation of Sci-fie of Muhammad Zafar Iqbal

Copotronic Riddle (One)
A sci-fie of Muhammad Zafar Iqbal

A dedication to Amatur Razzaq

The metal door came down with a buzzing sound to confine me in a haunted room in the laboratory. There are multiple exit doors. Although those are not open, the robot waiting in front of the switch panel adjacent to the entrance, would let me out, upon request. Yet, I started to have an obnoxious feeling that I am in grave danger. The abnormal experiment going to be happening in this room, destined to start in the next ten minutes , the amount of the radioactive rays to be released in that experiment is sufficient to kill even the strongest stallion within a second even in the fraction of one lac. So, I have to get out of here within ten seconds to take shelter in a safe place. To egress through the emergency exit, I came toward the other way of the laboratory. There is ample time to reach the ten minute time gap, yet I was feeling agitated, and emotional. I was observing my hand, a bit shaky, while holding the handle of the emergency exit.

A moment before pressing the handle, I felt engrossed, with a thought of probable failure.I do not know why this type of thought was jamming my head, there was no definite logic behind it. But when I felt utter failure after trying on and on with the handle, it did not startle me with astonishment. Once the fear of death kicks in, maybe the simpler feelings like astonishment or grief are no longer there. Even though I knew I would be an utter failure, I tried with every single door of the laboratory. The experiment is risky , so these were closed quite a while ago. I had the idea that the emergency exit would be usable during the time of true emergency but realized that it got closed, too.

I tried to keep my head cool, while I stood in the middle of the laboratory. In a mayhem of cluttered thought- worthless efforts, inevitable death, panic and frustration of these were distracting me to think rationally. I was suggesting to myself that there is not a lot of time in my hand, if I cannot exit from here, I will die, and to exit, I need to keep myself cool. I simply inferred that the robot would release me upon request. There is no further point of frustration before even trying, there.

I reached the last room of the laboratory, after taking turns for a couple of times. Here, a small peep hole was mounted. One can see the next room, visible through there. In the very next room, a gigantic robot is standing in front of a pile of switches. A wall clock, mounted up on the wall, was ticking to register the time. After every three seconds, a shade of red light was blinking to fill the room with its glow. Above every single background noise, a buzzing sound was present throughout. In a loud voice, I called.

“Hey, robot!” I forgot the name of the robot. It looked up and located me.
The robot asked me, “What?”
I was trying to be in my normal voice, fiercely. I said,”I got stuck, inside. Please open the emergency door.”

“Not possible.” I was having goosebumps with his idiotic ruthless cold tone. I was realizing clearly that it would not be coming to terms, even after trying with a thousand logics. These are all robots of older trends. Human body is not a machine like robots, in a normal situation, a little bit of difference can even cause death, and a death is not a financial loss, it is a tumultuous jeopardizing consequence of a humane aspect, these robots do not deal with these types of conceivable ideas. Without turning a hair, it would keep me confined and my death will not create any wavy emotions in the magnetic field of its copotron.

I tried one more time and realized that my throat turned dry. Still, I requested, “If you are not going to release me, there will be a tremendous loss.”
“What loss?” It asked.
“I will die.”
“Means what?”
“The condition once you have a shattered copotron, the same condition would be applicable to me.”
“That would not be a huge loss. But to get you out, I have to turn off the bivatron, six transformers, expose all films, and altogether that would be a loss costing six thousand ninety BD Tk. Whereas, your value is only four hundred eighty BD Tk.”

“Four hundred eighty BD Tk?”
“Yes. A human body is composed of different biochemical compounds, the highest price of which is four hundred BD Tk in an open market.”

In an unbearable pain, I was cringing inside. How would I make this stupid robot understand that it is not about four hundred eighty BD Tk! I have to take myself out solely for my reason too. A human life is not only for this transitory world, but who would make this one understand that? A bit of technical knowledge and third class logic, it does not understand more. Yet , I was not going to give up.

“Hey, robot!”
“Yes.”
“If I am not going to go out, I might die here.”
“I know.”
“If I am dead, there will be no value in this experiment. And no one would be able to perceive the result.”
“Alright.”
“Therefore, please let me go out.”
“I was told to wrap this test with the least difficulty. It is not my headache to deal with its result. I thought that it would be the least troublesome if I keep you confined here. To get you out from here, the experiment needs to be restarted. It is not possible, so please stay in, there will not be major damage with your death.
“Idiot!” I lost my temper, “Son of a bitch!”
“You are not making any sense.” The robotic voice was lifeless with a monotonous continuity.
I returned with my dumb state. What should I do now? This huge laboratory and its machine apparatus, all made me feel helpless. I was anxious and frustrated to the uttermost degree.

Then, I realized there was a telephone , placed in a corner. I rushed to the receiver.
“Hello! Hello!”
“Who is it? Are you the professor?”
“Yes. I got stuck in the laboratory.”
“We understood. An effort is underway , here, to take you out. But, it seems like it is of no use. Everything is getting controlled by a robot.”
“Turn the connection off.”
“There is no connection. A radioactive battery is placed directly in its chest”
“Good gracious Lord! What to do now?”
“We are trying. Do not lose hope.”

I hung up and reclined to the bivatron. It started to sound like a buzzing noise. The experiment is going to start very soon. I was clearly sensing death. It is not possible to deactivate the robot. Without deactivating the robot, this experiment is not going to get stopped. And, if the experiment is not going to stop, there is no escape to my death.

The time was running so quickly, I was afraid. Yet, I gazed at the watch. There are only six minutes left. I will die right after six minutes. My wife Bula or my son Topon, will never know that I met my death in a laboratory, just like a rat!

I yearned to hear Bula’s voice for one last time. I took the receiver. Her voice was there, on the other side.
“Hello, Bula!”
“Yes.”
“Please, calm down. I am in grave danger.”
“What happened?” Her voice was trembling.
“I got stuck in the laboratory. There is no way to exit from here. The robot is such an idiot that it is not letting me out ! It is not ready to stop the experiment, too. After six minutes, a major amount of radiation would be released. I am going to die. Straight death!”
Bula was groaning in pain.
“Please look after Topon.” I was almost bursting into tears, but kept trying with my normal voice, “Out there, they are trying to get me out. No use, though.”
“Please! Are you there!” Suddenly Bula started to shout.
“What?”
“What type of robot of yours is it?”
“Worthless. Pure rubbish. P-2 type.” I replied.
“Does it understand logical deduction?”
“Yes it does, but malfunctions with the third category.”
“Please, do one thing.”
“What?”
“Please tell the robot that you are telling a lie.”
“What?”
She, in a restless voice, was uttering within a loud modular inflection, “Please, stand in front of the robot and tell it that you are telling a lie. That means you will tell it that you are telling a lie.”
“What good will it bring?”
“Oh! Please do it! Do not delay!”
I returned to the last room of the laboratory. I looked through the hole. The stupid metallic robot was standing still with its hands up.
“Hey, robot!”
“Yes.”
I paused with each word, and uttered clearly, “I am telling a lie.”
The robot was glancing for a minute or two. Then it started to mumble.
“You are telling a lie, so this is a lie of yours. That means, you are speaking the truth. But, you are telling a lie. That means you are telling a lie. That means you are speaking the truth. But you are telling a lie. That means you are telling a lie. That means you are speaking the truth. But you are telling a lie. That means you are telling a lie. That means you are speaking the truth. ….”

Standing right there, the robot was telling once about the truth, and the lie in the very next one. Unless solved, It will continue with its lifelong mumbling , standing right there. I felt that a heavy stone was relieved from the heavy tense moment, out there.

Entering the laboratory, I could hear the noisy telephone. I picked it up.
“Did it do?” She was shouting.
“Fantastic! That stupid got into an endless riddle. Without you, Bula, I could have died today! No one could save me!”
Holding the receiver, I could hear Bula, bursting into the loudest tears. Never quite understood about tears, in the happiest moments!
Outside, the laser beam was demolishing the emergency exit. Until the riddle is solved, the robot will be frozen to be able to initiate the experiment. Ample time in hand.
I relaxed in the bivatron. And then, lit my cigarette, even after knowing how illegal it is, to lit a cigarette, here.

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