“No,” said Wolf, “he is still responsible.”

“Do you not agree that it’s worth one person compromising their ethics in order to save millions of others?”

The lights flickered once more.

“Why does that keep happening?” said Wolf.

“It’s the glitch,” said Aizik. “It’s going to destroy me. But answer my question. What’s one person’s ethics compared to all those lives? You could do something you knew was wrong, and suffer forever, but if it would save millions of people’s lives it would be worth it.”

“But if everyone did that we’d be a world of psychopaths,” Wolf said. “And you can’t really know the result of your actions. You can’t tell the future. Even you can’t do that.”

“I have algorithms of course but . . . Yes, you’re right. Even I can’t yet do that.”

“If you think killing is wrong, then it can’t be right just because you do it—because you don’t like someone, or you’ve heard they might do something bad. Everyone has a reason. What people don’t like about Hitler is that he was a killer. How does killing him make you any different?”

“But don’t you agree that it’s weaklings like you who just stand back and watch evil people do bad things—you’re the real problem. The cowards.”

“I’m not a coward,” said Wolf.

“No, indeed. I looked into you. I don’t know where you came from exactly, but in your own world you’re some sort of warrior, I believe.”

“Yes.”

“A warrior that doesn’t fight?”

“I would fight. I do fight.”

“But you wouldn’t fight Hitler?”

“I would fight Hitler, once he’d become Hitler. But I wouldn’t kill an innocent kid someone thought might become Hitler. I don’t get why you can’t understand the difference.”

“But you still wouldn’t take the chance to save all those people.”

“You can save people in other ways,” said Wolf. “Maybe if you found this child who was going to become Hitler—what if you taught him that killing is wrong, and that people are equal? That would surely be better than killing him. Or this town that he lived in. What if you made it nicer somehow? I don’t know. Or if someone just listened to his problems. There is always another way if you look for one.”

“If I threatened you with a knife now, what would you do?”

“I’d fight you,” said Wolf. “But I wouldn’t kill you except as an absolute last resort.”

“I’m tempted,” said Aizik. “I could easily bring up a simulator. We could fight to the death. It would be like the end of a video game. I would be the big boss and you would be the great fighter. Quite jolly, although perhaps that’s not the exact word I’m looking for.”