"But Lloyd—!" Andra said, abruptly worried. "Can it be done? To run the cities, reconstruct the rockets—Who in the Hive has the necessary knowledge?"
Lloyd frowned. "The Brain, of course, but—That would make it necessary, wouldn't it...?"
"If the Brain is necessary, Lloyd," Andra said, staring at him in bewilderment, "then the ten cities can't leave it, can they? It doesn't make sense...."
Lloyd turned and stared at the control panel. "The only thing to do is ask it, Andra." He sat once more in the chair and adjusted the metal band about his skull, then typed carefully: Is the Brain necessary?
This time, however, there came no hum of power from the circuits about the control chamber. Instead, the roll of paper on which Lloyd's query had been written jogged up two spaces, and the keys typed the answer neatly, just under the question....
For a time, the blurring type-faces spelled out, and stopped.
Lloyd looked at Andra, then removed the uncomfortable headband, leaned forward and typed again.
Why is the Brain necessary?
The keyboard hummed, and replied, To bridge the gap.