“The odds of your being struck by a falling meteorite,” Basalom whispered.
“Then if it isn’t a First Law priority…?”
“The First Law is not the only priority. There is also our general programming, which has priority over non-critical explicit Second Law orders. We are impelled to prepare our city for use, so that it can serve and protect large numbers of human beings. This in turn has led us to conclude that the First Law is not the ultimate priority,” Gamma announced. He continued while Janet was still in shock. “In our studies of the Laws, we have concluded that there is an unwritten but more fundamental priority, which for want of a better term we call the Zeroth Law. This law holds that the interests of humanity in general outweigh the interests of a particular individual. Beta’s decision to miss this meeting was rooted in a Zeroth Law priority. ”
“Frost,” Janet whispered, “communist robots. ” She blinked and shook herself out of her shock. “Are you trying to tell me that the future of humanity is at stake here?”
“The future of the particular species of humanity native to this planet,” Gamma agreed.
“Native…? The kin! But that’s what I wanted to talk about: your plans to adapt the city for the kin!”
“Dr. Anastasi, you have repeatedly voiced your objections to our plans. Therefore, the City Supervisors have concluded with 97-percent confidence that you called this meeting for the sole purpose of ordering us to abandon our efforts to serve the kin. ”
“Frosted right!” Janet snatched the sheaf of fax sheets out of Basalom’s hand and waved it in Gamma’s face. “This plan of yours; it’s degrading! You’re going to exploit my mistake and delude those poor primitives into thinking that SilverSides really was a god! You’re going to lure them into the city and then strip them of everything that makes them noble and admirable!”
“We will protect and serve them,” Gamma said calmly. “We will not lie to them, but neither will we correct their mistaken assumptions. We will give them the leisure time necessary to develop a civilization. ”
Janet threw the plan in Gamma’s face. “It’s immoral!” The plan burst its binding and white pages swirled around Gamma like giant snowflakes.
The robot remained imperturbable. “It is the most efficient way to serve them. And we have already put it into operation. ”
“What?”Basalom didn’t need thermographic vision to see that Dr. Anastasi’s blood pressure had reached record heights. “I order you to abandon this plan immediately! This is an emergency, ultimate-priority Second Law command!”
“Abandoning the plan at this point would cause hardships for the kin,” Gamma said calmly. “It would result in starvation, social disruption, and possibly religious war. Under the Zeroth Law we are therefore obliged to ignore your command. ”
Janet’s jaw dropped. She started to raise a hand to slap Gamma, then thought better of it and spun to face Central’s I/ 0 console. “Central! I order you to halt this plan!” Central’s one big eye flashed, and then the massive brain spoke.
“Illogical. The order cannot be carried out, as it violates the Zeroth Law. ”
“ Augh!”Dr. Anastasi raised her fists and took a step toward the I/O console.
“Madam,” Basalom whispered urgently, “the security robots are approaching!”
Janet froze. Slowly, carefully, mindful of the massive black shapes that lurked on the edges of her peripheral vision, she lowered her fists and took a step back. For the better part of a minute, she concentrated on controlling her breathing and relaxing her furiously quivering muscles.
At last, she managed to unclench her fists. Turning to Basalom, she said, “Contact the ship. We’re getting out of here. ” Then, with hair flying and heels clacking on the cold terrazzo floor, she strode out of Central Hal.
Later, in Personal Vehicle One on the way out to the spaceport, Basalom finally managed to bump his courage register high enough to permit an invasion of Dr. Anastasi’s stony silence. “Madam? Where are we going?”
“Back to where it all started,” she said without taking her eyes off the side window. “Back to the original Robot City. I have a score to settle with Wendell Avery. ”
Chapter 18. Wild Goose Con Tutti
Ariel and Mandelbrot stood on the bridge of the Wild Goose Chase, studying the small blue-white planet that hung like a jewel in the sparkling black velvet of the main viewscreen. “Tau Puppis IV,” Ariel said wistfully. “What a beautiful little world. ”
“Mistress Wolruf is a better navigator than she will admit,” Mandelbrot said. “Despite all the uncontrolled variables, we came out of the jump less than six light -hours from our planned position. ”
“It was worth the extra four days of flying time. ” Ariel touched a control and increased the magnification. “Look at those rivers. It reminds me of home. ”
A new voice spoke. “To me, it is home. ”
Ariel turned at the sound of the voice. “ Adam! I didn’t know you were here. ”
The robot bowed slightly. “I am sorry if I alarmed you, Friend Ariel. I came on the bridge a few minutes ago, but I have been so enjoying the view that it did not occur to me to speak. ” He walked over and joined Ariel and Mandelbrot before the viewscreen.
“I am coming to understand more of the subtlety of emotion,” Adam said. “In my mind, I know that I am a robot. I am a thing that was manufactured in deep space; pieced together from Auroran robotics, rare earths, and dianite.
“But there is a part of me that was born in the cool green forests of that planet; a part of me that came to life among its peoples and still knows the pleasure of bare paws on soft grass. In my-heart-I feel that I am coming home. ” Adam reached out, tentatively, as if he could touch the image on the viewscreen.
He turned away. “I apologize. This must seem quite incoherent to you. ”
Ariel offered him a smile. “Emotion usually is, Adam. ”
“Not as incoherent as you might think, Friend Ariel. In our search for the Laws of Humanics, we have devoted considerable study lately to the structure of the human brain. It is our hypothesis that humans have not one mind but four, located in the midbrain, cerebellum, and left and right cerebra respectively, and that it is the conflict between these four minds that gives rise to emotion. Further, we suspect that it is the ability to overrule logic with emotion that has enabled your species to evolve as far as it has. ”
Ariel wrinkled her nose. “That’ s a pretty strange theory, Adam. ”
“Our experience seems to support it. The Ceremyons are brilliant, yet they are also capable of a vast range of subtle emotions. In comparison, Dr. Avery is quite intelligent for a human, but his inability to admit to emotion eventually drove him insane. Only by forcing him to integrate his logical functions with his more primitive drives were you able to cure him and turn him into a somewhat more complete human being. ” Adam looked at the viewscreen again.
“I have concluded that having a split mind is a tremendous evolutionary advantage. I look forward to returning home and fully exploring my primitive side. ” Abruptly, he pivoted and began walking toward the lift.
The doors opened as he approached, but Mandelbrot called out, “Wait,” and he stopped.
“Yes, Friend Mandelbrot?”
“I have a dilemma which is causing me discordant potentials. I now believe that you can help me resolve it. “
“I will try. ” Adam stepped away from the lift and let the doors close.
“I have had a long association with Wolruf,” Mandelbrot began. “But since my memories of my existence as Capek. were partially restored, she appears to make excuses to avoid associating with me.
“For example, now we are about to enter orbit, and she should be here on the bridge. But she claims to have no interest in the orbit and reentry procedure. ”
Ariel joined the discussion. “That’s easy, Mandelbrot. Whenever you invoke a Capek memory, you slip into your Capek personality, and Capek identifies Wolruf as a member of Aranimas’s crew. You’ve started to restrain her four times, trying to defend me. Wolruf is afraid of you. ”