The Bicentennial Man

正电子人又译: 双百人、两百岁的寿星

阿西莫夫经典机器人短篇小说，<机器人短篇全集>压轴之作(Two Climaxes)，曾被改拍为经典电影《变人(机器管家》。

注意：中文约25000字，英文约15000词，阅读需要一定时间。

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正电子人

机器人学三大法则：

一、机器人不得伤害人类，或坐视人类受到伤害而袖手旁观。

二、除非违背第一法则，机器人必须服从人类的命令。

三、在不违背第一法则及第二法则的情况下，机器人必须保护自己。

〔一〕

“谢谢你。”安德鲁·马丁说着坐了下来。他不像走投无路，但他真的走投无路了。

他的样子实在看不出有什么心事，因为他面无表情，除了眼睛。或许有人会觉得他的双眼似乎带着忧郁。他有一头柔细的淡褐色头发，没有胡子，仿佛刚刚刮过脸，而且刮得非常干净。老式服装剪裁得宜，主色调是柔和的紫红。

跟他面对面坐在办公桌那头的，是一位外科医生。桌上的名牌有一组字母与数字，但安德鲁懒得看一眼，称呼对方医生就够了。

“手术什么时候可以进行，医生？”安德鲁问。

外科医生说：“阁下，我还不清楚对象是什么人，而且我也不敢说我对这种手术有把握。”医生的声音轻柔，带着机器人对人类说话时不可或缺的敬意。

要不是他是个机器人，一个以不锈钢掺杂少量青铜制成的机器人，或许他脸上会露出恭敬却不肯妥协的表情。

安德鲁·马丁审视着机器人的右手——这只用来操刀的手，正非常平静地摆在办公桌上。五根手指都很长，被塑造成艺术性金属指圈，看来十分优雅、特殊，不难想象手术刀能够与它们完美结合，融为一体。

这只手在工作时不会有任何犹豫、任何差池、任何颤抖、任何错误。当然，这是专门化的结果——如今人类强烈要求专门化，拥有独立大脑的机器人已经少之又少了。不过，外科医生例外。只是眼前这位外科医生虽然拥有大脑，能力却很有限，所以他连安德鲁·马丁都不认识，甚至可能听都没听说过。

“你曾经有过想做人类的念头吗？”安德鲁问他。

外科医生犹豫了一会儿，似乎这个问题与他既有的正电子径路格格不入。“我是个机器人，阁下。”

“做人不会更好吗？”

“对我而言，阁下，做个更好的外科医生会更好。假如我是人类，我就做不到这一点。想达成这个愿望，唯有做一个更先进的机器人才有可能。我会乐意成为一个更先进的机器人。”

“我可以随便对你下命令，难道你不会忿忿不平吗？我只要动一张嘴，就能叫你站起来、坐下、向左或向右转。”

“令你高兴是我的荣幸，阁下。但如果你的命令妨碍到我对你或任何人应尽的义务，我就不会服从你。第一法则赋予我对人类安全的责任，它会凌驾要求服从的第二法则之上。否则，服从是我的荣幸……话说回来，我究竟要对谁进行这项手术呢，阁下？”

“我。”安德鲁说。

“我不可能做的，这明显是个伤害性的手术。”

“伤害无所谓。”安德鲁平静地说。

“我绝不能造成伤害。”外科医生回道。

“对一个人类，你的确不能。”安德鲁说，“但我也是个机器人。”

〔二〕

其实安德鲁刚刚——出厂时，看起来并不怎么像人类。那个时候，他的外表与世上任何机器人没有两样，都是精心设计、功能齐备的钢铁之躯。

当时，地球上的机器人还很稀罕，家用机器人更少，他被一家人买了去。就一个家用机器人而言，他的表现可圈可点。

那是一个四口之家：老爷、夫人、大小姐、小小姐。他当然知道他们的名字，但他从来不用。比方说，老爷的名字是吉拉德·马丁。

他自己的序号是NDR……后面的号码他忘了。那当然是很久很久以前的事。其实他若想记得，他是不会忘记的。但是，他并不想记得。

小小姐第一个叫他安德鲁，因为她念不出那些字母，其他三人马上跟着她这么叫。

小小姐——她活了九十岁，已经去世很久了。其实他后来曾有一次想要称呼她夫人，但她不喜欢；她到死仍是小小姐。

一开始，安德鲁的任务是充当男仆、女侍与管家。对他而言，那段日子算是实验期——其实，在那个时候，除了地球以外的工厂与太空站中的机器人，其他各地的机器人都还在实验期。

马丁一家都喜欢他。他有一半时间无法做分配给他的工作，因为大小姐与小小姐老是跟他玩。

大小姐最先领悟到如何达到这个目的。她说：“我们命令你跟我们玩，你一定要服从命令。”

安德鲁说：“很抱歉，大小姐，可是老爷先下的命令有优先权。”

她却说：“爸只是说他希望你把房间打扫干净，那不算什么命令。现在我是正式命令你。”

老爷并不介意。老爷宠爱大小姐和小小姐，比夫人还要宠，安德鲁也一样宠爱她们。至少，他的行为对她们造成的效应，就人类而言，可称之为宠爱。安德鲁将它想成宠爱，因为他不知道还有什么别的词汇能形容。

当初，安德鲁会用木块雕刻，是奉了小小姐之命。有一天，似乎是大小姐生日，那天大小姐收到一件礼物：一个刻着螺旋花纹的象牙坠饰，小小姐也很想要。可是她只找到一块木头，便将它连同一把小菜刀交给安德鲁。

他很快就完工了。小小姐说：“好漂亮哦，安德鲁，我要拿给爸爸看。”

老爷无法置信。“你到底是从哪儿弄来的，曼蒂？”曼蒂是小小姐的名字。小小姐再三向他保证，她说的是实话，于是他转向安德鲁：“真的是你做的吗，安德鲁？”

“是的，老爷。”

“这些图案也是吗？”

“是的，老爷。”

“你从哪里抄来这些图案的？”

“这是个几何造形，老爷，它和木料的纹理相配。”

第二天，老爷给他一块比较大的木头，还有一把振动式电刀。“做样东西，随便你想做什么都好。”

安德鲁立刻动手，老爷在旁观看，后来又望着成品发呆许久。从此以后，安德鲁再也不必服侍人了。他奉命阅读有关家具设计的书籍，学会了制做橱柜和书桌。

“真是不可思议，安德鲁。”老爷看着他的作品说。

“我喜欢做这些东西，老爷。”安德鲁回答。

“喜欢？”

“它能使我的大脑电路流得比较顺畅。我听过你使用‘喜欢’这个词，而你用它描述的事情符合我的感觉。我喜欢做这些东西，老爷。”

〔三〕

吉拉德·马丁——老爷——带着安德鲁来到美国机器人与机械人股份公司位于当地的分公司。他是地方议院的一员，要获得首席机器人心理学家的接见并非难事。也正因为他是地方议院的一员，在那个机器人还很稀罕的时代，他才有可能成为一个机器人的主人。

当时，安德鲁对这些事完全不了解。但在往后的岁月里，在他见多识广之后，他还清楚记得早先那一幕，甚至感慨万千。

那位机器人心理学家，莫耳顿·曼斯基，听老爷说着说着，渐渐皱起眉头，而且手指一发不可收拾地在桌上打起鼓来，他一察觉便缩回手，一出神，手又继续敲。此人的五官缩成一团，额头满布皱纹，实际年龄似乎应该比外貌要年轻点。

机器人心理学家开口：“其实机器人学并不是一门单纯的学问，马丁先生。我无法对你详加解释，设计正电子径路的相关数学太过复杂，顶多只能允许近似解。当然，由于我们把三大法则的内容建构得巨细靡遗，这方面不会有任何争议。总之，没问题，我们会为你换个机器人……”

“不，不是这样！”老爷说，“他本身没有任何毛病，他把指定的工作做得很完美。特别的是，他还会以绝妙的手艺做木雕，而且绝不重复；他的作品是艺术品。”

机器人心理学家一副很困惑的样子。“奇怪……当然啦，目前我们正在尝试广用径路……你认为，是真正的原创性吗？”

“你自己看吧。”老爷递给他一个小木球，上面刻着一幅游乐场的景观，里头的儿童小得几乎看不清楚，但都有完美的比例，而且与纹理融合得那么自然，甚至连纹理都好像是刻出来的。

“是他做的？”机器人心理学家说着，用颤抖的手将它还给老爷“纯属几率的巧合，径路起了特殊变化。”

“你能再制造一个这种机器人吗？”

“恐怕不能，我们从来没有接到类似这种事的报告。”

“很好！我一点也不在乎安德鲁是唯一的一个。”

“嗯，我想，公司会希望把你的机器人收回来研究——”

“做梦！休想！”老爷以冷峻的口吻断然道，然后转向安德鲁：“走，我们回家。”

“遵命，老爷。”安德鲁事回答。

〔四〕

大小姐开始跟男孩约会，不常在家。如今，只剩小小姐仍然老是在安德鲁身边——其实她也已经不小了。她从没忘记他的第一件木雕是为她做的。她把它挂在一条银项链上，一直戴在胸前。

她最先反对老爷总喜欢把那些作品送人。她说：“拜托，爸，如果有人想要，就叫他花钱买，它有那个价值。”

老爷说：“你不是这么计较的人呀，曼蒂。”

“不是为了我们，爸，是为了我们的艺术家。”

安德鲁以前从没听过“艺术家”这个称呼，有空时，他特地查了字典。后来老爷又带他出了一趟门，这次是去找老爷的律师。

老爷跟律师说：“你看这东西怎么样，约翰？”

律师叫约翰·范德。他有一头白发，鼓鼓的小腹，隐形眼镜周围泛着淡绿色。他边看着老爷递给他的小饰板，边说：“真漂亮……我听说了。做这木雕的是你的机器人，就是你带来的这位？”

“没错，是安德鲁做的。对不对，安德鲁？”

“是的，老爷。”安德鲁答。

“你会花多少钱买这东西，约翰？”老爷问。

“我不敢说，我不收集这种东西。”

“你信不信有人出两百五十元向我买这小玩意？安德鲁做过一组椅子，卖了五百元。现在我们在银行有二十万元，都是安德鲁的作品赚来的。”

“老天啊！他让你变成富翁了，吉拉德。”

“一半，”老爷说，“另一半存在安德鲁·马丁的户头里。”

“这个机器人的户头？”

“是的，我想知道这样是不是合法。”

“合法？”范德律师向后一仰，椅子立刻发出吱吱声。“这种事没有前例，吉拉德。当初开户的时候，你的机器人怎么签署那些必要的文件？”

“他在家里签好名字，我再把签名拿到银行去。我没有带他本人去银行。你看，还有没有什么该注意的？”

“嗯——”范德双眼失神地沈思片刻“我看，可以设立一个信托基金，以他的名义处理所有财务，这样一来，就给了他一个保护网。除此之外，我的建议是以不变应万变。反正到目前为止没有任何人阻止你，将来假如有谁反对，就叫他去告吧。”

“万一真的有人告了，案子你会接吗？”

“为了佣金，当然会。”

“多少？”

“跟这个差不多。”范德指了指那块饰板。

“很公平。”老爷说。

范德转向机器人，咯咯笑了几声。“安德鲁，有钱让你高兴吗？”

“是的，阁下。”

“你打算怎么花？”

“用来支付本来由老爷付的钱，这样就能节省他的开销，阁下。”

〔五〕

花钱的机会来了。修理费相当昂贵，更新零件的花费更是惊人。这些年来，新型机器人陆续出厂，老爷十分注意这方面的发展，务必让安德鲁获得所有优秀的新装置，希望他成为金属之躯的完美典型。这些钱全记在安德鲁的账上。

安德鲁坚持这一点。

只有他的正电子径路原封未动，老爷坚持这一点。

“新的那些不如你的好，安德鲁。”老爷说，“新的机器人毫无价值。那个公司学会了把径路造得更精准，更一板一眼，更万无一失。新的机器人不会起变化，他们专门执行设定好的任务，从不会出岔。我比较喜欢你这样子。”

“谢谢你，老爷。”

“这可是你的功劳，安德鲁，你别忘了。我打赌那个机器人专家认真看了你一眼以后，就马上终止研发广用径路了。他不喜欢不可预测的东西……你知道他为了想把你带回去研究，对我开过几次口吗？九次！不过，我可是一次也没松过口。现在他总算退休了，我们终于能过几天太平日子了。”

如今，老爷的头发日渐稀疏花白，面部肌肉逐渐松弛，安德鲁看起来反倒比刚进家门时好得多。

夫人早就搬到欧洲某处的一个艺术家社区，大小姐则在纽约成了诗人。她们有时会写信来，但写得不勤。小小姐结婚后住得不远，她说她不想离开安德鲁。后来她的孩子“小少爷”诞生，她还让安德鲁拿奶瓶喂小少爷喝奶。

安德鲁觉得，提出那个要求的时机到了。添了一个外孙，老爷心灵的空缺应该可以填补。这时候对老爷提出那个要求，可能不算太自私。

“老爷，真感谢你准许我照自己的意思花钱。”

“那是你自己的钱，安德鲁。”

“是你自愿给我的，老爷。没有哪条法律阻止你把那些钱全部据为己有。”

“法律不能鼓励我做不对的事情，安德鲁。”

“扣除所有的花费，再扣掉税金，老爷，我现在有将近六十万元。”

“我知道，安德鲁。”

“我要把这笔钱给你，老爷。”

“我不会拿的，安德鲁。”

“我想用它来交换一样你能给我的东西，老爷。”

“哦？什么东西，安德鲁？”

“我的自由，老爷。”

“你的……”

“我希望买回我的自由，老爷。”

〔六〕

事情没那么容易。老爷立刻面红耳赤：“你在说什么！”随即转身大步走开。

小小姐以强硬而严厉的态度说服了他，而且是当着安德鲁的面。三十年来，在他们家，无论事情是否跟安德鲁有关，没有人会避着安德鲁讲话——他只是个机器人。

她说：“爸，你为什么觉得这是对你的侮辱呢？还他自由，他还是会待在这里，还是会忠心耿耿，他无法违背，那是他的本能。他要的，只是口头上一句话，他希望被称为自由人。这有那么可怕吗？他还没有赚到吗？其实，他跟我讨论这件事已经有好几年了。”

“你们已经讨论好几年了，啊？”

“是的，而且他一而再、再而三把这念头搁下，就怕伤害到你。是我叫他讲的。”

“他不知道自由是什么，他是个机器人。”

“爸，你不了解他。书房的书他通通读过了。我不知道他心里有什么感觉，但一样我也不知道你心里有什么感觉。难道你没发现，当你跟他讲话时，他就像你、我一样，对各种抽象概念都有反应？这难道还不算吗？如果说，他的反应和我们类似，你还能说他不知道什么是自由吗？”

“法律不会采纳这种说辞。”老爷依然气呼呼，“听好，你！”他转向安德鲁，故意以咬牙切齿的声调说，“除非透过法律途径，我无法给你自由。不过如果闹到法院，到时候，非但你无法获得自由，法官还会正式认定你私拥财产。他们会告诉你，机器人没有权利赚钱，这句废话值得你损失那笔钱吗？”

“自由是无价的，老爷。”安德鲁说，“即使获得自由的机会也是无价的。”

〔七〕

法院或许也会认为自由是无价的，因为无价，所以无论用多大的代价，一个机器人也无法换取它的自由。

反对给予机器人自由的民众提出集体诉讼，地方检察官代表出庭，他所作的简短陈述如下：“自由”两字用在机器人身上毫无意义，只有人类才能是自由身。

接下来，只要有机会，他就又把这句话重复一遍。他说得很慢，同时有节奏地敲着桌子以加强语气。

小小姐要求法官允许她为安德鲁讲几句话。法庭对她的称呼是安德鲁从未听过的全名：

“亚曼蒂·萝拉·马丁·洽尔尼请到法官席前。”

她说：“谢谢您，法官大人。我不是律师，我不知道在法庭里该用什么方式讲话，希望您只听进我所讲的内容，不要计较我的遣辞用句。

“首先，让我们试着了解，对安德鲁来说，获得自由代表什么意义。其实，就某些方面而言，他已经是自由之身了。我想至少已经有二十年，我们马丁家没有任何人命令他做我们觉得他可能不会自愿做的事。

“但只要我们喜欢，我们还是可以命令他做任何事，随便我们爱用多么严厉的口气都行，因为他是个属于我们的机器。可是，他已经为我们服务了那么久，又那么忠心耿耿，还为我们赚了那么多钱，我们怎么还有资格这样做？他再也不亏欠我们什么，反而是我们亏欠他太多。

“就算有朝一日法律禁止我们把安德鲁当成奴隶，他还是会心甘情愿为我们服务。给他自由，只是个文字游戏，但对他意义重大。那会让他拥有一切，而我们却毫无损失。”

有那么一会儿，法官似乎在强忍笑意。“我懂你的意思了，洽尔尼太太。事实上，目前这方面并没有强制性法律，也没有任何判例。然而，却有个不成文的假设：唯有人类才能享有自由。所以就算我能在此制定一条新法律，我也不能轻易违背那个假设，何况，更高法院依然有权驳回。好，现在我来跟那个机器人谈谈。安德鲁！”

“在，法官大人。”

这是安德鲁首次在法庭中开口，听到他酷似人类的嗓音，法官似乎有片刻惊讶。“你为什么想要获得自由，安德鲁？这对你有什么意义？”

“您希望当个奴隶吗，法官大人？”安德鲁回答。

“你并不是奴隶。你是个十全十美的机器人。据我所知，你是个机器人天才，能够创作举世无双的艺术品。假如你获得自由，你能进一步做到什么吗？”

“或许不会比我现在能做的更多，法官大人，但我将拥有更大的喜悦。刚才有人在本庭提出，只有人类才能是自由身。我的看法则是，只有希望获得自由的人才能是自由身。而我希望获得自由。”

正是这句话点醒了法官。他的判决中，关键一句是：“任何生灵只要拥有足够进化的心智，能够领悟自由的真谛、渴望自由的状态，吾人一律无权将其自由剥夺。”

最后，世界法院终于确认了这项判决。

〔八〕

老爷始终耿耿于怀。他的声音粗暴刺耳，让安德鲁觉得仿佛脑筋短路了。

“我根本不想要你那些该死的钱，安德鲁！”老爷说，“我愿意收下，只是因为不收的话你不会感到自由。从现在开始，你可以选择自己的工作，爱做什么就做什么。除了这个，没有别的，我不会再给你任何命令了，从今以后你爱做什么就做什么。但是我仍然要为你负责，这是法院的判决。我希望你了解这一点。”

小小姐插嘴：“别气嘛，爸。这责任没什么大不了的。你也知道，其实你根本不必做什么，三大法则仍旧有效。”

“那他怎么能算自由呢？”

“人类不也是受到法律的约束吗，老爷？”安德鲁说。

“我不要跟你辩论。”老爷说完就走了，此后安德鲁就很少再见到他。

小小姐仍然常来找安德鲁。现在，他住在一间专为他盖的小屋里。当然，屋里没有厨房，也没有卫浴设备。它只有两个房间，一间当书房，另一间当贮藏室与工作室。成为自由的机器人以后，安德鲁接下很多订单，工作得比过去更卖力。后来，他终于付清这栋房子的费用，将房产正式过户到自己名下。

有一天，小少爷来找他……不，是乔治！在法院做出判决之后，小少爷就坚持这一点。“一个自由的机器人不会叫任何人小少爷。”乔治曾经这样讲“我叫你安德鲁，你就必须叫我的名字，乔治。”

这句话说得像个命令，安德鲁遂改口叫他乔治——但小小姐依旧是小小姐。

那天乔治单独前来，是来告诉他老爷快死了。小小姐正陪在床边，老爷想见安德鲁一面。

老爷的声音仍然宏亮，不过身体似乎不太能动。他挣扎着举起手来。“安德鲁！”老爷叫他“安德鲁——不，不用扶我，乔治。我只是快死了，我没有瘫痪……安德鲁，我很高兴你获得自由，我只是要告诉你这句话。”

安德鲁不知道该说什么。过去他从未陪伴过垂死的人，但他知道那是人类终止运作的方式，是一种非自愿的、不可逆转的解体过程。安德鲁不知道说什么才好，只能站在那里，一言不发，一动不动。

事后，小小姐对他说：“最后这几年，他或许对你不太温和，安德鲁。但是他老了，你该知道。而且他对你那么好，你竟然还要追求自由，你伤了他的心。”

听了这些话，安德鲁总算知道该说什么了。“要不是老爷，我永远也不会获得自由，小小姐。”

〔九〕

老爷去世后，安德鲁才开始穿衣服。最初他从一条旧裤子开始，那是乔治早先送给他的。

如今乔治也结婚了，而且成了一名律师。他加入范德律师事务所已有好些年。老范德早就不在人世，他的女儿继承了父业。最后，这家事务所的名称终于改为“范德－洽尔尼”。即使后来那个女儿退休，没有范德家的人继承她的职务，这个名称依旧不变。安德鲁首次穿上衣服那一天，刚好是乔治正式与范德合作，事务所刚加上洽尔尼三个字的那天。

安德鲁第一次穿上那条裤子，乔治强忍着笑意，但在安德鲁看来，乔治的笑容已经够明显了。

乔治用自己的裤子做示范，教安德鲁怎么操作静电扣，好让裤子打开，裹住下身，然后再合起来。安德鲁很清楚，他需要一段时间才能模仿那种流畅的动作。

“你何必要穿裤子呢，安德鲁？”乔治问他“你的身体功能那么健全，遮起来实在可惜——尤其你既不必担心温度，又不必担心湿度。何况你的身体是金属，裤子怎么穿也不贴身。”

安德鲁说：“人类的身体不也是功能健全吗，乔治？你怎么也把自己遮起来？”

“为了温暖，为了清洁，为了保护，为了装饰。这些没有一样是你需要的。”

“不穿衣服让我觉得赤身露体，让我觉得自己跟别人不一样，乔治。”

“不一样！安德鲁，现在地球上已经有好几百万机器人了。在我们这个地区，根据上次普查，机器人几乎和人类一样多了。”

“我知道，乔治。有许多机器人在做各式各样的工作。”

“他们没有一个穿衣服。”

“但他们没一个是自由的，乔治。”

安德鲁一点一点慢慢添加各种衣物。乔治的笑与上门顾客的眼神，都是令他裹足不前的因素。

他或许已经是个自由身，但他体内建有一组详尽的程序，主宰着他与人类的互动，因而他只敢以最小的步伐前进。倘若有人公开反对，他会瞬间倒退好几个月。

并非人人都接受安德鲁是自由身。他无法怨恨人类，然而每当他想到这件事，思考过程便会出现障碍。

最重要的是，只要他想到小小姐可能来看他，他就常会避免穿上衣服——或是避免穿太多。现在小小姐老了，经常去比较暖和的地方小住，但每次回来，一定先来看他。

有一次她回来，乔治可怜兮兮告诉他：“她说服我了，安德鲁，明年我将角逐议院的席位。她说，有其祖必有其孙。”

“有其祖……”安德鲁打住了，不确定这句话是什么意思。

“她的意思是，我，乔治，这个外孙，应该像老爷，我外祖父那样——他以前是议院的成员。”

安德鲁说：“我常常想到，假如老爷仍然……”他顿了一下，因为他不想说“处于运作状态”，那似乎不合适。

“活着。”乔治说，“是啊，我有时候也会想到那个老怪物。”

后来安德鲁反复思量这段对话。他注意到跟乔治谈话时，自己的语言能力显然不足。这些年来，人类语言在不知不觉间起了变化，而安德鲁还是带着原来出厂的那套词汇。乔治说的是一种俚俗的口语，老爷与小小姐则不然。安德鲁不解，乔治为什么要把老爷称为怪物呢？这称呼应该是不恰当的。

安德鲁的藏书也帮不上什么忙。它们都有一把年纪了，而且大多是讨论木工、艺术与家具设计的书籍。没有一本是讲语言的，也没有一本是讲人类行为的。

他突然感觉到必须去找些适用的书籍来看。但他又觉得，既然身为一个自由的机器人，他就应该自己想办法，不能找乔治帮忙。于是，他打算进城去，到图书馆借几本书。这是个骄傲的决定，他发觉体内的电位明显升高，最后不得不插入一个阻抗线圈。

他衣装整齐，甚至佩戴了一条木质肩链。本来他比较中意闪闪发光的塑质肩链，但乔治曾说木质远比塑质适合他，而且光洋杉的质地要贵重得多。

他刚走出家门一百米，逐渐升高的电阻便令他止步了。他从电路中移开那个阻抗线圈，但这样做似乎没有多大改善。他只好转身回家，在一张便条纸上写下“我去图书馆了”几个端正大字，再将它放在工作台的显眼处。

〔十〕

安德鲁从没真的去过图书馆。他研究了地图，他知道路线，却不知道它的外观如何。外界的真实景观与地图上的符号很不一样，他几度犹豫不决。最后他想，自己一定是走错路了，因为周遭的一切都很陌生。

他在途中偶尔碰到一些机器人，可是当他决定该问路的时候，四下却不见任何机器人的踪迹。有一辆车子经过，没有停下来。他踌躇地站在那里，也就是说平静地一动不动。不久，有两个人越过空地朝他这个方向走来。

他转身面对他们，他们则改道直接迎向他。刚才他们还在高声交谈，他曾听见他们的声音；现在他们却不讲话了。他们的表情，安德鲁归类为高深莫测。他们还算年轻，但不是很小。或许二十岁吧？安德鲁无法判断人类的年龄。

“请问两位，城中图书馆该怎么走？”他开口问。

两人之中个子较高的那个（他的高帽子让他看来更高几分），以怪里怪气的口吻，不是对安德鲁，而是对另一人说，“机器人。”

另外那人有个蒜头鼻，还有一双厚重的眼皮。他也不是对安德鲁，而是对他的同伴说：“他穿衣服。”

高个子弹响一下手指。“就是那个什么自由机器人！听说洽尔尼家有个机器人不属于任何人，我看就是他。不然他为什么穿衣服？”

“问他！”蒜头鼻说。

“你是洽尔尼家那个机器人吗？”高个子问。

“我是安德鲁·马丁，先生。”安德鲁说。

“好。把你的衣服脱掉，机器人不穿衣服。”高个子又对蒜头鼻说，“你看他，真恶心。”

安德鲁犹豫起来。他太久没听到这种命令的口气，第二法则电路暂时阻塞了。

高个子说：“脱掉你的衣服，我在命令你！”

安德鲁开始一件一件慢慢脱下来。

“把衣服扔掉！”高个子又说。

“如果他不属于任何人，那等于说，他也可以是我们的。”蒜头鼻说。

“嗯，”高个子道，“谁能说我们不对呢？反正我们又没损坏别人的财产……用你的头站着！”最后那句是对安德鲁说的。

“头不是用来……”安德鲁说了一半便被打断。

“那是命令！如果你不知道怎么做，现在就试试看。”

安德鲁又犹豫了一会儿，然后弯下腰来，将头顶在地上。他试着举起双脚，结果重重摔了一跤。

“给我躺在那里！”高个子说着，又转向蒜头鼻，“我们可以把他拆了。你拆过机器人吗？”

“他会让我们动手吗？”

“他怎么能阻止我们？”

没错，只要他们以强有力的方式命令他不得反抗，安德鲁就根本无法阻止他们。第二法则“服从”凌驾于第三法则“自保”之上。无论如何，他若试图自卫，便可能伤到他们，那就是违犯了第一法则。想到这里，安德鲁全身的自发运动单元都轻微收缩，以致他躺在那里发起抖来。

高个子走近，用脚碰了碰他。“很重。我想我们需要工具才行。”

蒜头鼻说：“我们可以命令他自己把自己拆了。看他那样做一定很有趣。”

“对！”高个子若有所思起来，“可是我们得先把他弄到别的地方去。万一有人过来……”

太迟了。的确有人走了过来，而那人正是乔治。其实乔治还在不远的一个小丘顶时，躺在地上的安德鲁就已经看到他了。他很想设法呼喊他，但眼前的人类最后那道命令是“给我躺在那里！”

乔治开始跑，终于喘着气来到近前。两个年轻人稍微退了一步，等在一旁似乎在想着对策。

“安德鲁，出了什么问题吗？”乔治焦急地问。

“我很好，乔治。”安德鲁说。

“那就站起来……你的衣服怎么回事？”

高个子说：“那是你的机器人吗，老兄？”

乔治猛然转向他：“他不属于任何人！这里发生了什么事？”

“我们客客气气请他把衣服脱掉，就这样。你又不是他的主人，关你什么事？”

“他们刚才在干什么，安德鲁？”乔治问。

安德鲁说：“他们打算把我支解。刚才他们正要把我带到僻静的角落，命令我自己支解自己。”

乔治望着那两个人，下巴开始打颤。两个年轻人不再后退，反而微笑起来。高个子轻松地说：“你要干嘛，胖子？打架啊？”

乔治说：“不，我不必动手。这个机器人跟我们家相处了七十几年，他重视我们远超过任何其他人类。我只要告诉他，说你们两个威胁到我的性命，说你们打算把我杀掉，请他保护我。在我和你们两人之间，他会选择我。你们知不知道，当他发动攻击时，你们会有什么下场？”

两人稍微退后一点，开始不安。

乔治厉声道：“安德鲁！我现在有危险，这两个年轻人打算伤害我。向他们走过去！”

安德鲁照做了。两个年轻人毫不迟疑，立刻拔腿狂奔。

“好啦，安德鲁，够了。”乔治显得紧张兮兮。他早已过了那种年纪，无法想象跟年轻人起冲突会有什么结果，更遑论一次对付两个。

“我不可能伤害他们的，乔治，我看得出来他们并未攻击你。”安德鲁说。

“我也没有命令你攻击他们，我只是跟你说，向他们走过去，剩下的都是他们自己的恐惧作祟。”

“他们怎么会害怕机器人呢？”

“那是人类的一种心病，一种还没治好的心病。不过别管了。你到底在这里搞什么鬼，安德鲁？我如果再找不到你，就要回去雇一架直升机了。你的脑袋怎么回事？怎么会有去图书馆的念头？你需要任何书，我都会给你送过去呀。”

“我是个……”安德鲁刚开口便被打断。

“自由的机器人。没错，没错。好吧，你去图书馆要找什么？”

“我要进一步了解人类，了解这个世界，了解一切的一切。我还要了解机器人，乔治。我要写一本有关机器人历史的书。”

“好啦，我们回家吧……先把你的衣服捡起来。安德鲁，有关机器人学的书籍至少有百万种，每本都提到这门科学的历史。这个世界不只是机器人快达到饱和，有关机器人的资料也一样。”

安德鲁摇了摇头，那是他最近学到的人类动作。“不是一本机器人学的历史，乔治，是由机器人写的一本机器人的历史。我要详述自从第一批机器人获准在地球上生活和工作后，机器人自己对这段经历有什么感觉。”

乔治扬扬眉毛，没说什么。

〔十一〕

小小姐刚度过八十三岁生日，但依然精神抖擞，各方面的精力与毅力都不减当年。尽管她已经拿着手杖，不过她挥动手杖的次数可远比拄着它的时候多。

听完安德鲁的“历险记”，她火冒三丈：“可恶！乔治，那些小无赖是什么人？”

“我不知道。管它的，反正他们没有得逞。”

“差一点！你可是个律师，乔治。如果说你今天有好日子过，那全是安德鲁的功劳。没有他赚来的那些钱为我们打基础，我们就没有今天这一切。是他让我们家族得以传承，我绝不准有人把他当发条玩具！”

“那你要我怎么做呢，妈？”乔治问。

“我说过你是律师，你没听到吗？你去设法提出一个实验性的诉讼，逼地方法院公开宣告机器人有哪些权利，再让议院通过必要的法案。就算告到世界法院也无所谓。我会在旁边监督，乔治，你要是阳奉阴违，给我试试看！”

她可是十分认真的。但对乔治来说，一开始，只是为了安慰受惊的母亲。没想到做着做着，卷入的法律问题越来越多，事情便越来越有趣了。身为范德－洽尔尼律师事务所的资深律师，乔治主导策略，实际工作则留给年轻一辈，而其中，又以他儿子保罗负责的部分最多。保罗也是事务所的成员，他几乎每天都忠实向祖母报告进度。然后，她再跟安德鲁讨论。

安德鲁非常投入。他仔细咀嚼那些法律文件，有时候甚至会很热心地给一些建议，以致写书的计划再度耽搁下来。

“乔治那天告诉我，人类一直对机器人怀有恐惧。只要这恐惧存在一天，法院和立法机关就不太可能为机器人全力以赴。我们需不需要对舆论下点工夫？”有回他这么说。

于是法庭的事交给保罗，乔治则开始站到公众面前，这似乎反而让他在本行专业的领域之外一展长才。有时为了引人注目，他甚至穿上了他所谓的“窗帘”——一种新式的宽松服装。“别在台上绊倒就好，爸。”保罗提醒他。

乔治垂头丧气：“我会尽量小心。”

有一次，他在全息新闻编辑的年会上发表演说，其中部分内容如下：

“如果，拜第二法则之赐，只要不牵涉到伤害人类，我们便能要求机器人在各方面无限制地服从，那么任何人类都拥有宰制任何机器人的可怕力量。尤其是，由于第二法则凌驾第三法则之上，任何人都能利用这个服从法则，来压倒那个自保法则。他可以为了任何理由，或者根本毫无理由，就命令任何机器人伤害自己，甚至毁掉自己。

“这样公平吗？我们会这样对待动物吗？就算是无生命的器物，如果对我们有过贡献，我们也有义务善待它。机器人不是草木，不是动物。但是它能进行高等思考，它能跟我们说话、跟我们讲理、跟我们开玩笑。我们将它们视为朋友，我们和它们一起工作，假如不让它们分享一点友谊的果实，不给它们一点共事的福利，这样说得过去吗？

“如果一个人有权命令机器人，做任何不牵涉到伤害人类的事，他就应该有足够的修养，绝不对机器人下达任何牵涉到伤害机器人的命令，除非是基于人类安全的绝对需要。有了巨大的权力，随之而来的是巨大的责任。机器人有三大法则来保护人类，那么要求人类有一两条法律来保护机器人，这会太过分吗？”

没错，突破法院与立法机构的关键战役，正是挑战舆论。安德鲁说对了。终于，一条法律通过。它明文规定在哪些情况下，人类不可下达伤害机器人的命令。虽然这条法律的适用性严苛无比，订定的罚则也根本不够，但至少已经建立起原则。世界议院正式通过这条法律的那天，正是小小姐离开人世的日子。

这不是巧合。在最后辩论期间，小小姐拼命与死神搏斗，直到胜利的消息传来才放弃。她最后的笑容献给了安德鲁“你一直对我们很好，安德鲁。”她最后的一句话也给了他。

小小姐抓着安德鲁的手离开人世，她的儿子、媳妇还有孙儿，都跟两人保持着礼貌的距离。

〔十二〕

接待员消失在另一间办公室之后，安德鲁开始耐心等待。其实那个机器接待员应该可以用全息对话盒，可是，不得不跟另一个机器人打交道这种事，毫无疑问令人（或许该说“令机”）感到很生气。

安德鲁利用这段时间，在心中翻来覆去思考这个问题。“令机”能不能比照“令人”这样使用？或是“令人”其实已成了十足的习惯用语，不再拘泥于原本字面上的意义，所以同样适用于机器人？

他在撰写那本机器人历史的过程中，类似问题频频出现。这种想出适当字句来表达复杂事物的游戏，不知不觉增进了他的字汇能力。

偶尔，有人走进这个房间，以好奇的目光瞪着他。他并不打算躲避那些目光。他冷静地回望每个人，令他们一一别过头去。

终于，保罗出来了。他显得很惊讶。或说，在安德鲁看来，他脸上的表情很惊讶（如果安德鲁没看错的话）。如今流行男女都化浓妆，保罗也开始养成这种习惯。虽然这使他脸上原本平缓的轮廓显得比较突出、分明，安德鲁却不认为这样比较好看。他发觉只要不说出口，仅在心中反对人类的行为，并不会令自己太不安。他甚至能够将反对的意见写出来，这种事过去他是办不到的。

保罗说：“请进，安德鲁。很抱歉让你等那么久，我实在是有点事非做完不可。请进。记得你说想跟我谈谈，原来你是指在办公室谈。”

“保罗，如果你忙的话，没关系，我可以继续等。”

保罗瞥了一眼墙上那个模仿日晷原理的时钟“我可以腾出一点时间。你怎么来的？”

“我雇了一辆自动汽车。”

“有没有什么麻烦？”保罗带着几分忧虑问。

“我想应该不会有麻烦，我的权利有法律保障。”

听到这个回答，保罗显得更加担忧。“安德鲁，我跟你解释过，那条法律是不切实际的，至少在大多数情况下如此……你如果坚持要穿衣服，你迟早会碰到麻烦——就像第一次那样。”

“也是唯一的一次，保罗。很抱歉让你担心。”

“好，那你就这么想吧，不要让我担心。你几乎是个活传奇，安德鲁。你在许多方面都太珍贵了，所以你没有任何权利拿自己冒险……你的书进行得怎么样？”

“就快写完了，出版商很喜欢。”

“太好了！”

“我知道他未必真心喜欢这本书。我想他是期望书能畅销，因为这是一个机器人写的，他喜欢的是这一点。”

“恐怕，这是人之常情。”

“我不会不高兴的。不论什么原因，能卖出去就好，因为那等于有钱赚，而我需要用钱。”

“祖母不是留给你……”

“小小姐很慷慨，而且我确定，必要的时候，你们家也会进一步帮助我。可是我希望能用那本书的版税，来达成下一步计划。”

“什么下一步计划？”

“我希望去见美国机器人与机械人公司的老板。我曾试着跟他们约时间，但目前为止我还无法联络到他。在我写书的过程中，这家公司就不愿跟我合作，所以现在我也不惊讶，你了解吧？”

保罗显然开始感兴趣了。“那家公司是你最不能指望的。当初我们在争取机器人权的那场仗，他们非但不合作，还跟我们唱反调。原因你该也看得出来——如果机器人拥有权利，大家可能就不想买了。”

“即使这样，”安德鲁说，“如果你打电话给他们，还是可以帮我安排一次会面。”

“我并不比你更受他们欢迎，安德鲁。”

“但你或许可以暗示，如果他们不肯见我，那么，范－洽律师事务所可能展开另一波强化机器人权的行动。”

“那不是说谎吗，安德鲁？”

“是的，保罗。我不能说谎，所以你一定要帮我打电话。”

“啊，你不能说谎，但你可以怂恿我说谎，是不是这样？你越来越像人类了，安德鲁。”

〔十三〕

保罗的招牌应该够分量了，不过事情仍然不容易安排。

最后总算如愿。哈莱·史密斯·罗伯森终于忿忿不平地出面了。史密斯·罗伯森的母亲是这家公司创始人的后代，为了强调这件事，他同时冠上了父母的姓氏。这位总裁已经接近退休年龄了，灰发稀疏地贴着头顶，脸上没有化妆。在任上这些年，他一直为机器人权的问题伤脑筋。会面过程，他不时以带着敌意的目光斜眼看安德鲁。

安德鲁开口：“阁下，将近一世纪之前，贵公司的机器人心理学家莫耳顿·曼斯基曾经告诉我，设计正电子径路的相关数学太过复杂，顶多只能允许近似解，因此我的能力不是完全可预测的。”

“那是一世纪以前的事。”史密斯·罗伯森犹豫一下，然后冷冰冰地说：“阁下！这观念已经过时了。现在我们把机器人造得很精准，训练它们专门执行特定的工作。”

“是啊。”保罗接过来说——他陪安德鲁一道来，据他的说法，这是为了预防对方耍诈。“结果呢，就拿我的接待员做例子吧，只要工作没有按部就班，不管什么芝麻绿豆的小事，它都要来请示。”

“它要是能随机应变，你会远比现在更麻烦。”史密斯·罗伯森回道。

“那么，你们不再生产像我这样具有弹性和适应性的机器人了？”安德鲁问。

“没错，不生产了。”

“我为了写书，研究了很多资料，”安德鲁说，“从资料上看来，我是目前最老的一个运作中的机器人。”

“不论运作与否，你都是目前最老的一个，”史密斯·罗伯森说，“也是有史以来最老的一个，今后也会是记录保持者。现在机器人只要过了二十五年就没用了，我们会回收，以新的机型取代。”

“现在的机器人过了二十五年就没用了……”保罗兴致勃勃，“从这个角度来看，安德鲁实在很特别。”

安德鲁紧守着预先想好的腹案，继续说：“既然我是世界上最老的机器人，又是最具弹性的一个，这么不寻常的机器人，难道不值得贵公司给予特殊待遇吗？”

“恰恰相反。”史密斯·罗伯森以冷淡的口吻回道，“你的特别，是本公司的污点。假如当初只是把你租出去，而不是一时失策卖断，你早就被我们换掉了。”

“好，谈到关键了，”安德鲁说，“我是个自由的机器人，我是我自己的主人。现在我来找你，要求你换掉我。这种替换必须经过主人同意，否则你不能做。以前在我的时代没有这种事，但现在，提供替换是租赁机器人的必要条件。”

史密斯·罗伯森显得惊讶不解。一时之间，室内一片沉默。安德鲁不知不觉望向墙上的全息照片，那是所有机器人学家的守护神——苏珊·凯文——的遗像。她去世已有将近两个世纪了，但安德鲁因为写那本书的关系，对她的生平十分熟悉，熟到仿佛亲眼见过她。

史密斯·罗伯森打破沉默：“我怎么为你替换？如果我把你当成机器人换掉，那么在替换之后，你就不存在了，到时候我怎么把你当成主人，将新的机器人交给你？”他露出冰冷的笑容。

“很简单，”保罗插嘴道，“安德鲁的人格藏在他的正电子脑中，那个部分不能换，否则就换成一个新的机器人。所以说，那个正电子脑就是安德鲁的主人。其他各部分都可以换，不会影响到这个机器人的人格，那些都是这个脑子的财产。我相信，安德鲁是想为他的脑子换个新的机器人身体。”

“正是这样，保罗。”安德鲁平静说完这句话，又转向史密斯·罗伯森，“你们已经制造出复制人了，对不对？就是拥有人类外表、连皮肤纹理都几可乱真的机器人？”

“没错。合成纤维皮肤和肌腱，效果完美。除了脑部，它们体内可以说没有金属，但它们几乎和金属机器人一样坚固。就重量比而言，甚至更坚固。”

保罗显得很感兴趣。“哦？我还不知道呢。有多少上市了？”

“零。”史密斯·罗伯森说，“它们比金属机型贵太多，而且市场调查显示，消费者的接受意愿很低，因为它们太像人。”

“我的想法是，既然贵公司拥有这种制造技术，那么，我想请你们把我换成有机体机器人，一个复制人。”安德鲁说。

保罗吃了一惊。“老天！”

“办不到！”史密斯·罗伯森语气强硬。

“为什么办不到？”安德鲁问“我一定会支付任何合理的费用。”

“我们不制造复制人。”

“你们决定不制造复制人，”保罗立刻回他“那和无法制造是两回事。”

“制造复制人有违公司政策。”

“但这样做完全不违法。”保罗说。

“就算如此，我们还是不制造复制人，现在不会，将来也不会。”

保罗清了清喉咙。“史密斯·罗伯森先生，安德鲁是个自由的机器人，我想，保障机器人权的条款你一定了解吧？”

“太了解了。”

“这个自由的机器人基于自由意志选择穿衣服。但他却因此经常受到某些人的羞辱，虽然法律禁止羞辱任何机器人。这种暧昧的违法行为很难追诉，因为在那些负责决定有罪、无罪的人心目中，这并不符合罪行的标准。”

“美国机器人公司从一开始就了解这点。不幸的是，令尊的事务所却不明白。”

“家父已经过世了。”保罗说，“现在我人在这里，就亲眼见到一桩明显的违法行为，和一个明显的受害者。”

“你在说什么？”

“我的当事人，安德鲁·马丁——他刚刚成为我的当事人——是个自由的机器人，他有权要求美国机器人与机械人股份有限公司为他进行替换。任何人租用机器人超过二十五年，贵公司都会提供这项服务。事实上，贵公司不是一直坚持要做替换吗？”

保罗面露微笑，一副很轻松的样子继续说：“我当事人的正电子脑，是他的身体的主人——那副躯体，毫无疑问，已经使用超过二十五年了。现在这个正电子脑以主人的资格，要求你们把他的身体换成一个复制人的身体，他愿意负担任何合理的费用。假如你拒绝，就是羞辱我的当事人，我们会提出申诉。

“虽然这种案子，舆论通常不会支持机器人，但容我提醒你一点，美国机器人公司也不受一般人欢迎。即使那些使用机器人、靠机器人赚钱的人，对贵公司同样心存疑虑。这或许是普遍恐惧机器人的时代所留下的余毒；也或许是人们怨恨美国机器人公司，怨恨你们这个全球性垄断企业的权力和财富。不管为了什么，这种怨恨的确存在。我想，如果我们打起官司来，到时候你一定不会愉快的。再说，我的当事人有的是钱，有的是几百年的时间，这场官司大可没完没了打下去。”

史密斯·罗伯森慢慢涨红了脸：“你在威胁我……”

“我没有威胁你，”保罗说，“如果你打算拒绝接受我当事人的合理要求，随便你，我们掉头就走，绝不啰唆……但我们会提出申诉，这是我们应有的权利，而且到头来你绝对打不赢这场官司。”

“这……”史密斯·罗伯森说不出话来。

“我看得出你就要同意了，”保罗继续讲，“你或许会犹豫，但你最后还是会点头。那么，让我再跟你进一步把话讲清楚。将来，我的当事人从原有的躯体转换到另一个有机躯体的过程中，只要他的正电子脑受到任何损伤，无论伤得多么轻微，我不把贵公司斗垮绝不罢休。如果我当事人的铂铱大脑中，有任何一条径路不对劲，必要的时候我会采取一切可能的手段，鼓动舆论来围剿贵公司。”最后他转向安德鲁“你同意这些吗，安德鲁？”

安德鲁犹豫了整整一分钟。他如果回答“同意”，等于认可了说谎、勒索，以及欺侮与羞辱一个人类。但这并不是实质的伤害，他告诉自己，这不是实质的伤害。

总算，他费力吐出了含含糊糊的一句：“同意。”

〔十四〕

好像脱胎换骨一般。几天，几周，几个月了，安德鲁一直觉得自己不是自己，连最简单的动作都做不好。

保罗暴跳如雷。“他们弄坏你了！安德鲁。我们一定要告他们！”

安德鲁以非常慢的速度说：“请不要。你永远无法证明他们——有——　—　—　—　——”

“恶意？”

“恶意。何况，我越来越强壮，情况越来越好了。只是因为——ｓｈ—ｓｈ—ｓｈ——”

“失什么？”

“伤口，伤口还没愈合。毕竟，以前从来没人做过这种手─手─手─术。”

安德鲁能感觉到大脑的状况，这点别人是无法帮他感觉的，他知道自己安然无事。他在适应身体协调与正电子互动这几个月，常常在镜子前一待就几个小时。

不怎么像人类！脸部相当僵硬——太僵硬了——而且动作太做作，缺乏人类那种不经意的自由流畅。或许一段时间之后会慢慢改善。至少，现在他穿上衣服，不会再配着一张滑稽突兀的金属脸孔。

终于，他说：“我准备回到工作岗位了。”

保罗笑得很开心。“那代表你好了！你打算做什么？再写一本书？”

“不。”安德鲁严肃地说，“我的寿命太长，任何职业都不能永远做下去。最初，我是个艺术家，今后我还是能回到那个岗位。曾经，我是个历史学家，我也仍然可以回到那个岗位。可是现在，我希望做个机器人生理学家。”

“你是指机器人心理学家？”

“不。研究机器人心理学等于要研究正电子脑，目前我没有那个兴趣。我想研究机器人躯体的运作和功能，这应该属于生理学的范畴。”

“那不就是机器人学吗？”

“机器人学家研究的是金属躯体。我要研究的是有机的人形躯体，据我所知，目前唯一的研究对象就是我自己。”

“你把自己的领域越弄越窄了。”保罗语重心长“当个艺术家，所有的创意都是你的；当个历史学家，你研究的是广泛的机器人；当个机器人生理学家，你只能专门研究你自己。”

安德鲁点点头。“似乎就是如此。”

安德鲁必须从头开始，因为他对普通生理学一窍不通，对一般科学也几乎毫无认识。他成为许多图书馆的常客，在电子索引机前一坐就是几小时。穿上衣服的他看来跟真人一模一样，少数知道的人也没有打扰他。

他加盖了一个房间作为实验室，藏书也越来越多。

时光飞逝，转眼过了几十年。有一天保罗来找他“真可惜你不再研究机器人的历史。听说美国机器人公司打算推行一个崭新的策略。”

保罗上了年纪，退化的双眼已经换成光电眼。就这点而言，他与安德鲁更接近了些。“他们打算如何？”安德鲁问。

“他们在制造一些中央电脑，其实就是超大型的正电子脑。这些电脑借着微波，和各个角落少则十个、多至上千个机器人联接。那些机器人本身没有脑子，它们是巨型正电子脑的手脚，也就是说，脑—体分离。”

“那样会更有效率吗？”

“美国机器人公司当然说会。这个新方向是史密斯·罗伯森生前定的，我看，八成是你给了他们灵感。上回你那个麻烦让他们受够了，他们发誓再也没有下一次了。所以他们才把脑子和身体分家。脑子不再有身体，就不会要求更换；身体不再有脑子，就不会痴心妄想。

“安德鲁，你对机器人历史的影响，”保罗继续说，“实在不可思议。是你的艺术表现，让美国机器人公司动念头把机器人造得更精准、更专门；是你追求自由，导致机器人权原则的建立；是你对复制人躯体的坚持，使得美国机器人公司改采脑—体分离的策略。”

安德鲁说：“我想，最后，那家公司会生产一个超大型的头脑，用来控制几十亿个机器人身体。所有的鸡蛋都放在一个篮子里。真危险，很不妥当。”

“有道理，”保罗说，“不过我看至少得再过一世纪才会实现，我这辈子是见不到了。说不定，我连明年都见不到。”

“保罗！”安德鲁关切地说道。

保罗耸了耸肩。“我们寿命有限，安德鲁，我们不像你。这不要紧，重要的是，我要给你一个承诺。我是洽尔尼家最后一人了；我姑婆有些旁系子孙，但他们不算数。我自己能动用的金钱，将来会留给你名下的信托基金。我走了以后，至少有段时间你不用担心经济上的问题。”

“不需要。”安德鲁勉强说出这句话。多少年过去了，他还是不能习惯与这家人永别。

保罗说：“我们别争了，事情本来就该这样。你在研究些什么？”

“我在设计一个系统，能让复制人——我自己——从碳氢化合物的燃烧中获取能量，以取代现有的原子电池。”

保罗扬起眉毛。“这样就能呼吸和进食了？”

“是的。”

“你朝这个方向发展有多久了？”

“算起来很久了。我想，我已经设计出一个足以进行受控催化分解的燃烧室。”

“可是，何必呢，安德鲁？原子电池优秀无数倍啊。”

“就某些方面而言，或许没错，但原子电池是非人的装置。”

〔十五〕

这种事需要时间，反正安德鲁有的是时间。在保罗安详逝世之前，他什么也不想做。

老爷的曾外孙去世了，安德鲁觉得自己跟这个充满敌意的世界几乎再也没有隔离。因此，他更加坚决地朝着早已选择的那条路走下去。

但他并非真的完全孤独。保罗虽死，范－洽律师事务所仍然活着，公司就像机器人，能够拥有无尽的生命。这家事务所有自己的营运方向，无论发生什么事，它还是不受影响地朝这些方向前进。靠着信托基金，加上这家法律事务所的帮助，安德鲁依然拥有大笔财富。范－洽律师事务所每年从安德鲁那里收到一大笔佣金，当然得为新型燃烧室的相关法律工作尽心尽力。

这一次，还是得去一趟美国机器人与机械人股份公司。时机终于成熟，安德鲁单枪匹马前往。以前，他跟老爷去过一次，又跟保罗去过一次。而这一次，第三次，他以人类的姿态只身赴会。

美国机器人公司改变了很多。如今越来越多的工业将生产厂搬到一座大型太空站，美国机器人公司也不例外。随着这股趋势，许多机器人也搬过去了。地球逐渐变得像个公园，上面住着保持稳定的十亿人口，以及数量至少相等的机器人。而这些机器人当中，拥有独立头脑的可能不超过百分之三十。

研究部主任是黑肤黑发、留着一小撮山羊胡的艾尔文·玛格德斯古。他腰部以上只围着一条胸带，那是当时流行的装扮。安德鲁自己仍穿着十几年前的老式服装，把全身裹得密密的。

玛格德斯古说：“久仰大名，很高兴见到你，你是我们最恶名昭彰的产品。只可惜以前的老总裁把你视为眼中钉，不然我们可以跟你合作许多事。”

“你们还是有机会。”安德鲁说。

“不，时机已经错过了。机器人在地球待了一个世纪以上，但时代已经变了。如今机器人将回到太空，留在这里的都不会有头脑。”

“可是还有我，我将留在地球。”

“没错，不过你似乎没有多像机器人。这次你有什么新的要求？”

“变得更不像机器人。既然我这么接近有机体，我希望使用有机能源。我这里有些设计图……”

玛格德斯古并没有随便看看敷衍了事。开始他或许有此打算，但他一看就愣住了，而且越来越专注。看着看着，他说：“真是有创意。这些是谁想出来的？”

“我。”安德鲁答。

玛格德斯古猛然抬起头来“这等于把你的身体做一次大翻修，而且还是实验性的，因为从来没人尝试过。我建议不要做，保持你原来的样子就好。”

安德鲁脸上只能做出有限的表情，但他的声音明显表达了不耐烦的情绪。“玛格德斯古博士，你完全没有进入情况。这件事，你除了同意，别无选择。如果这些装置能装进我的身体，就同样能装进人体内。现在不是流行以人造器官延长人类寿命吗？那些人造器官，没有任何一个比我已经设计出来和正在设计的优良。

“这些设计，透过范—洽律师事务所，我握有专利权。我们有相当的能力自己做这个生意，发展出几种人造器官，让人类具有机器人的许多特性。到时候，你们的生意肯定大受影响。

“现在，如果你们帮我动手术，并同意将来在类似情况下再动手术，你们就能获准使用这些专利，同时掌控机器人和人造器官的科技。当然，必须等到圆满完成第一个手术，并且经过一段时间，证明它的确成功之后，我才会签署首期租约。”安德鲁这样逼迫一个人类，却几乎不曾感到第一法则的任何抑制。他已经渐渐学会说服自己——某些似乎对人类残酷的事，到头来或许反而对人类有益。

玛格德斯古看来吓了一跳“我不是能做这种决定的人。它牵涉到整个公司的决策，需要一点时间。”

“我可以等，”安德鲁说，“但只能等一段合理的时间。”他心满意足地想，就算保罗出马也不可能有更好的表现了。

〔十六〕

果然只花了一段合理的时间，美国机器人公司便作出决定。

手术十分成功。

玛格德斯古说：“我本来非常反对这个手术，安德鲁，但原因并不是你所想的那样。假如是对别的机器人进行这个实验，我一点也不反对，但我实在不愿拿你的正电子脑冒险。现在，既然你的正电子径路和模拟神经束已经开始作用，万一这副躯体坏了，可能很难百分之百抢救你的脑子。”

“对于美国机器人公司的技术，我早有百分之百的信心。”安德鲁说，“现在我能进食了。”

“是啊，你能吸食橄榄油。不过我们跟你解释了，这代表必须偶尔清理那个燃烧室。那很不舒服，你知道。”

“如果我打算改造到此为止，那你说的或许没错，但自我清理并非不可能。事实上，我正在研究处理固体食物的装置。既然是固体食物，难免包含必须舍弃的不可燃烧部分——或说不可消化的物质。”

“那你必须造一个肛门。”

“可以这么说。”

“还有什么，安德鲁？”

“所有，一切。”

“包括生殖器？”

“只要它们符合我的计划。我的身体是一张画布，我打算在上面画……”

“一个人？”玛格德斯古本想等安德鲁说完，但他觉得安德鲁似乎欲言又止，于是他把话接了下去。

“我们等着看结果吧。”安德鲁说。

“这是个不值得恭维的雄心壮志，安德鲁。”玛格德斯古说，“你原本比人类优秀，可是在你选择有机体的那一刻，你就开始走下坡了。”

“我的脑子并没有受损。”

“是的，没错，这点我承认。可是，安德鲁，你的专利为人造器官带来的突破性发展，现在通通以你的名义上市了。将来在人们眼里，你是一个发明家，你会享誉全世界——以机器人的身份。何必还要再拿你的身体做实验？”

安德鲁没有回答。

荣誉接踵而至，他成为好几个著名学会的会员。这些学会的成员之中，有人专门研究他创立的那门新科学——他原本称之为“机器人生理学”，后来被正式命名为“人造器官学”。

在他出厂一百五十周年纪念那天，美国机器人公司特别为他举办了一场庆生宴。安德鲁感到讽刺，不过他并没有对任何人说。

晚宴由已经退休的艾尔文·玛格德斯古主持。如今这位当年的研究部主任已经九十四岁，人造器官取代了他的肝、肾等等功能，让他活到今天。玛格德斯古结束简短而感性的演说，然后举杯向“一百五十岁的机器人”祝寿，顿时人声鼎沸，晚宴达到最高潮。

现在安德鲁已将面部肌腱重新换过，能显露一部分情绪了。但是整个仪式从头到尾，他都严肃被动地坐在那里，没什么表情。当个一百五十岁的机器人，他一点也不开心。

〔十七〕

人造器官学与安德鲁如影随形。终于有那么一天，人造器官学将安德鲁带离地球。一百五十周年庆之后的数十年间，月球经过改造，变成一个各方面都比地球更像地球的世界，月球的许多地底城市，都拥有相当稠密的人口。在那里，唯一的例外只有重力。

在月球使用的人造器官必须将较弱的重力考虑在内，因此安德鲁在月球上花了五年时间，与当地人造器官学家共同进行必要的修改。不必工作的时候，他便在机器人群中闲逛，每个机器人都像对待人类一样奉承他。

五年后，他又回到已经变得比月球单调平静的地球，一回来就到范－洽律师事务所。

事务所目前的主管赛门·德隆见到他大吃一惊。“我们还以为你下周才会回来呢，安德鲁！”（他差点要说“马丁先生”）

“我等不及了。”安德鲁直率地说，他急着言归正传，“在月球上，德隆，我主持一个研究组，成员包括二十个人类科学家。我下的命令没有任何人质疑，月球机器人对我和对人类一样顺从。所以说，为什么我到现在还不算人类？”

德隆的眼神突然机灵起来。“亲爱的安德鲁，你刚才不是说了吗？机器人和人类都把你当人类看待。所以，事实上你已经是人类了。”

“当个事实上的人类还不够。我不只要别人把我当人类看待，还要法律承认我是人类。我要当个法律上的人类。”

“那就另当别论了，”德隆说，“这样的话，我们会碰上两个麻烦。一、是人类的偏见；二、是一项无从质疑的事实——无论你多像人类，你都不是人类。”

“哪点不是？”安德鲁问：“我有人类的形体，我的器官和人类的相当。事实上，我的器官根本和许多人植入体内的人造器官一模一样。我在艺术上、文学上、科学上对人类文化的贡献，不会输给当今世上任何一个人。这样还不够吗？”

“我自己是觉得够了。问题是，要将你界定为人类，必须由世界议院通过一项法案。坦白说，我不抱希望。”

“你看，我能跟世界议院的什么人谈一谈？”

“或许是科技委员会的主席吧。”

“你可以安排吗？”

“安德鲁，你根本不需要别人安排。以你的地位，你可以……”

“不，你去安排。”（安德鲁甚至没有想到，自己明显是在对一个人类下命令。在月球上，他已经习惯了这种事。）“我要他知道，这件事情，范－洽律师事务所对我百分之百支持。”

“这……”

“百分之百毫无保留，赛门。过去这一百七十三年来，我对你们事务所可以说贡献良多。没错，以前有段时间，是我欠你们事务所某几个成员一份情。但现在不了，现在可说刚好相反，我要你们回馈我。”

德隆说：“好吧，我会尽力而为。”

〔十八〕

科技委员会主席是一位来自东亚地区的女士，名叫齐理馨。她穿了时髦的透明衣裳（仅以耀眼的反光遮蔽她想遮蔽的部分），看来好像裹着塑胶袋。

她说：“你希望争取完整的人权，这点我十分同情。历史上有不少为争取完整人权而战的例子。可是我不明白，现在还有哪些权利是你没有的呢？”

“比方说，像我的生存权那么简单的东西。一个机器人随时可能被人类解体。”

“一个人类也随时可能遭到处决。”

“处决必须经过适当的法律程序。而要将我解体，却不需要任何审判。只需要当权的人类说一句话，就能结束我的生命。此外……此外……”安德鲁想尽量避免用恳求的姿态动之以情，但逼真的表情与语气却不由自主。“其实，我一直想要做个人，如果以人生来比喻，我已经想了整整六个世代了。”

齐理馨抬起头，一双黑眼睛同情地望着他。“要宣称你是人类不难，只要世界议院通过一条法律即可。他们甚至可以将一尊石像界定成一个人，只要法律通过。然而，实际上，要他们承认你是人类，就好像承认石头是人一样不可能。世议员和其他人一样平凡，大家对机器人的疑虑始终都没有消失。”

“即使到现在？”

“对，到现在。我们都会承认你已经争取到做人的资格，但还是会害怕开一个不良的先例。”

“什么先例？我是全世界唯一自由的机器人，像我这样的机器人绝无仅有，也永远不会再有第二个了。你可以向美国机器人公司查询。”

“嗯，永远是个很长的时间，安德鲁——或者，如果你喜欢，我就叫你马丁先生——我个人实在很乐意推崇你是人类。总而言之，到头来你将发现，大多数的世议员都不会愿意开这个先例，姑且不论这种先例或许多么没有意义。马丁先生，我很同情你，但我不能叫你抱什么希望。事实上……”

她靠向椅背，额头现出皱纹。“事实上，如果这个议题炒得太热，那么世界议院里里外外，都很可能出现一种情绪，也就是像你刚才说的，会有人想将你解体。最后大家将会想，不如把你除掉，这是解决难题最简单的办法了。所以我建议你，在决定采取行动之前，先考虑一下这个后果。”

“难道没有任何人记得人造器官科技吗？那几乎全是我一个人的贡献。”

“听来或许残酷，但他们的确不会。就算他们记得，对你也是有害无益。他们会说，你那样做只是为了你自己；会说那是一种阴谋，企图将人类机器人化，或是将机器人转化为人类，而这两者同样罪大恶极。你从未卷入政治争斗中，马丁先生，你可能不明白，但我可以告诉你，到时候你一定会遭到诽谤，虽然你、我可能一笑置之，但却有人会照单全收。马丁先生，顺其自然吧。”她站了起来，与坐着的安德鲁相比，她仍显得相当娇小，几乎就像个小孩。

“假如我还是决定为争取人籍而战，你会站在我这边吗？”安德鲁问。

她想了想“我会的——在我做得到的程度上。不过，万一这样的立场威胁到我的政治前途，我或许就不得不放弃你，因为这毕竟不是我关切的焦点。马丁先生，我是在尽量对你说实话。”

“谢谢你，打扰你了。将来无论后果如何，我都会奋战到底。今后只有在不为难你的时候，我才会要求你的帮助。”

〔十九〕

这并不是一场直接的战争。范—洽律师事务所提醒安德鲁一定要有耐心，安德鲁则没好气地说，他的耐心怎么也用不完。于是，事务所展开第一波行动，缩小与界定这场战争的范围。

首先，他们提出一项诉讼，反对某个使用人造心脏的人欠债要还，理由是，拥有人造器官便等于失去人籍，而宪法所赋予的人权也随之消失。

他们巧妙地、顽强地一再缠斗，虽然节节败退，但总是迫使法院做出尽可能广义的判决。最后，案子上诉到世界法院。

耗费了好几年的时间，数百万的金钱。

世界法院做出最终的判决之后，德隆为这场打输的官司举行了一场庆功宴。当然，安德鲁也出席了。

“我们做到两件事，安德鲁，”德隆说，“两者都对我们有利。第一，我们确立了一项事实，不论人体内有多少人造器物，都不会使它不再是人体。第二，针对这个问题，我们将舆论导向了强烈支持广义解释人籍的这一边，因为当人造器官能延长人类寿命时，没有任何人会拒绝的。”

“你认为世界议院现在会授与我人籍了吗？”安德鲁问。

德隆显得有点不自在。“至于这一点，目前我还不乐观。有个棘手问题，就是世界法院当作人籍判据的那个器官。那是人造心脏，不是脑。人类的大脑是细胞构成的有机体，就算机器人拥有大脑，也只是铂铱合金的正电子脑——而你拥有的当然是正电子脑……不，安德鲁，别露出那种眼神……如果照这个判例的标准来看，你的脑子必须足够接近有机体，可是我们不知道如何仿造细胞大脑的结构。甚至你自己也做不到。”

“那么，我们该怎么办？”

“当然要试试看。齐理馨世议员会站在我们这边，而且会有越来越多的世议员跟进。只要掌握议院多数，世界主席不接受也不行。”

“我们掌握多数了吗？”

“没有，还差得远。但舆论如果肯将人籍的广义解释套用到你身上，我们就有希望。我承认机会不大，但如果你不想放弃，我们就赌一赌。”

“我不想放弃。”

〔二十〕

齐理馨世议员比起安德鲁初见她时老了许多。她早就不再穿那种透明衣裳了。现在，她头发剪得很短，穿着直筒状服装。至于安德鲁，在符合品味的前提下，他仍尽可能坚持一个多世纪前，刚开始穿衣服那时所流行的款式。

“我们尽了最大的力量了，安德鲁。”她说，“休会之后我们还会再试一次，可是，老实说，失败已成定局，迫不得已还是得放弃。唉，我下届选举注定落败了。”

“我知道，”安德鲁说，“这让我很难过。以前你不是说，万一威胁到你的政治前途，你就会放弃我。为什么你没有？”

“你知道，人有时会改变心意。不晓得为什么，我觉得，如果为了连任必须放弃你，那代价太高了。我在世界议院已经待了超过四分之一世纪，够了。”

“我们没法改变他们的心意吗？”

“通情达理的那些人，都已经被我们说服了。其余的那些多数——他们的反感很情绪化，根本说不动。”

“情绪化反感不能当作支持或反对一个提案的理由。”

“你说得对，安德鲁，但他们不会把情绪化反感说成是他们的理由。”

安德鲁仔细思考，字斟句酌：“那么，追根究底，一切都归结到大脑结构上。我们一定得停留在细胞对正电子的层次来讨论吗？没法强烈提出一个功能性定义？我们一定要说大脑是这个、那个做的吗？我们不能说，大脑是能够进行某种思考的什么东西——任何东西？不管它是什么做的？”

“没有用的。”齐理馨说，“你的脑子是人工的，人脑不是。你的脑子是制造出来的，他们的则是发育而成的。对于一心想把自己和机器人隔开的人来说，那些差别是万丈高、千尺厚的铜墙铁壁。”

“如果我们能找出那些反感的根源——真正的根源……”

“都这么多年了，”齐理馨语气悲伤，“你依然想要以理性分析人类。可怜的安德鲁，别生气，但驱使你那样做的，正是你体内机器人的那部分呀。”

“我不知道。”安德鲁说“假如我能够……”

假如他能够……

很早以前他就知道可能会有这样的结果，最后他果然找上了外科医生。他就近找了一位足以担此重任的，这代表那是一位机器人医生。动这种手术，无论在能力上或心态上，任何人类医生都不值得信赖。

那位外科医生不能对人类进行这项手术，因此安德鲁先借着一连串反映自己心绪纷乱的晦涩问题，坚定了自己的心意，再以一句：“我也是个机器人。”将对方的第一法则推到一边。

然后，他尽可能用过去数十年来学到的坚定语气说：“我命令你对我进行这个手术。”

解除第一法则之后，一个这么像人的对象下达的一道这么坚定的命令，立刻启动了医生体内的第二法则电路。

〔二十一〕

安德鲁可以确定，他感到的虚弱只是一种幻想，他已经从那个手术恢复过来。他尽可能自然地靠着墙壁。倘若坐在那里，看起来就太明显了。

“本周就要进行最后表决了，安德鲁。我已经无法再拖延，总之我们一定会输……结果已可预料。”齐理馨告诉他。

安德鲁说：“我很感谢你的拖延战术。这段时间对我很重要，我已经下了一个非赌不可的赌注。”

“什么赌注？”齐理馨非常关切。

“我当初不能告诉你或范－洽律师事务所的任何人，否则，你们一定会阻止我。如果说，脑子是争论的焦点，最大的差别不就是寿命有无尽期吗？谁真正在乎脑部看起来是什么样子，或者材料为何，或如何形成的？重要的是脑细胞会死，一定会死。即使体内其他器官个个保持健康，或是换成人造的，脑细胞最后一定会死——它们不能更换，否则便会改变原有的人格，也就是杀死原来那个人。

“我的正电子径路已经维持了将近两个世纪，至今没有太大的变化，今后也还能维持许多世纪。这不就是那道铜墙铁壁吗？人类能容忍一个不朽的机器人，因为一架机器持续多久都不算什么。但他们不能容忍一个不朽的人类，因为唯有在放诸宇宙皆准的前提下，他们才能勉强接受自己生命的有限的事实。基于这个原因，他们不会让我成为人类。”

“你到底打算讲什么，安德鲁？”

“我已经解决了这个问题。几十年前，我的正电子脑连上了有机神经。现在，我动了最后一个手术，重新调整那个连结，让那些径路中的电位慢慢——很慢很慢地流失。”

一时之间，齐理馨密布细纹的脸上没有任何表情。然后她抿了抿嘴：“你的意思是，你动手术要害死自己，安德鲁？你不能那样做，那违反第三法则。”

“不，”安德鲁说，“那要看死亡的定义。在身体的死亡与理想和欲望的死亡之间，我做了选择。如果让我的身体活着，却以更大的死亡作代价，才会是违反第三法则。”

齐理馨抓住他的手臂，仿佛要用力摇晃他，最后克制了这个冲动。“安德鲁，没有用的，把它改回来！”

“没办法，它已经造成太大的伤害。我还有……差不多一年可活，坚持到出厂两百周年的纪念日应该没问题。我没有那么坚强，坚强到可以永无休止地打这场仗。”

“这怎么值得呢？安德鲁，你是个傻瓜！”

“如果这样能为我赢得人籍，那就绝对值得。如果不能，它也将为这场艰苦的奋斗划下句点，那同样是值得的。”

齐理馨的反应连自己也无法置信——她开始默默哭泣。

〔二十二〕

说来奇怪，最后这一举竟然换来全世界的注意。安德鲁过去所做的一切从未使他们动摇，可是这一次，他为了成为人类，最后甚至愿意接受死亡，这个牺牲实在太大，令人再也无法漠视。

最后的仪式刻意定在两百周年纪念这一天。届时，世界主席将签署那份法案，从此它将正式成为法律。典礼将在全球网络上同步播出，传送地点远及月球州，甚至火星殖民地。

安德鲁坐在轮椅上。他还能走，但已走得巍巍颤颤。

在全人类的注视下，世界主席说：“五十年前，你被誉为一个一百五十岁的机器人，安德鲁。”停顿片刻，他以更庄严的语调说：“今天，我们宣布你是一位两百岁的人，马丁先生。”

安德鲁带著微笑，与世界主席握了握手。

〔二十三〕

安德鲁躺在床上，意识渐渐模糊。

他拼命抓住那些意识。人！他是个人！他要这点成为他最后的意识。他要带着它终止——死亡。

他再度睁开眼睛，最后一次认出神情严肃的齐理馨。周围还有其他人，但他们只是影子，无从辨识的影子。在一片渐深的灰蒙蒙中，唯一清晰的只有齐理馨。他缓缓向她伸出手，非常模糊地感觉到被她握住。

最后一点意识溜走了，终于她也不见了。

在她完全消失前，在一切停止之前，又有最后一道飘忽的意识钻进他脑海，滞留片刻。

“小小姐……”他低声唤道，没有人听见。

-------------------

转自 <机器人短篇全集（下）>

出版社: 天地出版社

作者: [美] 艾萨克·阿西莫夫

译者: 汉声杂志

2005 天地出版社

The Bicentennial Man

The Three Laws of Robotics

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

1.

Andrew Martin said, "Thank you,"and took the seat offered him. He didn't look driven to the last resort, but he had been. He didn't, actually, look anything, for there was a smooth blankness, to his face, except for the sadness one imagined one saw in his eyes. His hair was smooth, light brown, rather fine; and he had no facial hair. He looked freshly and cleanly shaved. His clothes were distinctly old-fashioned, but neat, and predominantly a velvety red-purple in color. Facing him from behind the desk was the surgeon. The nameplate on the desk included a fully identifying series of letters and numbers which Andrew didn't bother with. To call him Doctor would be quite enough. "When can the operation be carried through, Doctor?"he asked. Softly, with that certain inalienable note of respect that a robot always used to a human being, the surgeon said, "I am not certain, sir, that I understand how or upon whom such an operation could be performed."There might have been a look of respectful intransigence on the surgeon's face, if a robot of his sort, in lightly bronzed stainless steel, could have such an expression-- or any expression. Andrew Martin studied the robot's right hand, his cutting hand, as it lay motionless on the desk. The fingers were long and were shaped into artistically metallic, looping curves so graceful and appropriate that one could imagine a scalpel fitting them and becoming, temporarily, one piece with them. There would be no hesitation in his work, no stumbling, no quivering, no mistakes. That confidence came with specialization, of course, a specialization so fiercely desired by humanity that few robots were, any longer, independently brained. A surgeon, of course, would have to be. But this one, though brained, was so limited in his capacity that he did not recognize Andrew, had probably never heard of him. "Have you ever thought you would like to be a man?"Andrew asked. The surgeon hesitated a moment, as though the question fitted nowhere in his allotted positronic pathways. "But I am a robot, sir.""Would it be better to be a man?""If would be better, sir, to be a better surgeon. I could not be so if I were a man, but only if I were a more advanced robot. I would be pleased to be a more advanced robot.""It does not offend you that I can order you about? That I can make you stand up, sit down, move right or left, by merely telling you to do so?""It is my pleasure to please you, sir. If your orders were to interfere with my functioning with respect to you or to any other human being, I would not obey you. The First Law, concerning my duty to human safety, would take precedence over the Second Law relating to obedience. Otherwise, obedience is my pleasure. Now, upon whom am I to perform this operation?""Upon me,"Andrew said. "But that is impossible. It is patently a damaging operation.""That does not matter,"said Andrew, calmly. "I must not inflict damage,"said the surgeon. "On a human being, you must not,"said Andrew, "but I, too, am a robot.“

2.

Andrew had appeared much more a robot when he had first been-- manufactured. He had then been as much a robot in appearance as any that had ever existed, smoothly designed and functional. He had done well in the home to which he had been brought in those days when robots in households, or on the planet altogether, had been a rarity. There had been four in the home: Sir and Ma'am and Miss and Little Miss. He knew their names, of course, but he never used them. Sir was Gerald Martin. His own serial number was NDR-- He eventually forgot the numbers. It had been a long time, of course; but if he had wanted to remember, he could not have forgotten. He had not wanted to remember. Little Miss had been the first to call him Andrew, because she could not use the letters, and all the rest followed her in this. Little Miss-- She had lived for ninety years and was long since dead. He had tried to call her Ma'am once, but she would not allow it. Little Miss she had been to her last day. Andrew had been intended to perform the duties of a valet, a butler, even a lady's maid. Those were the experimental days for him and, indeed, for all robots anywhere save in the industrial and exploratory factories and stations off Earth. The Martins enjoyed him, and half the time he was prevented from doing his work because Miss and Little Miss wanted to play with him. It was Miss who first understood how this might be arranged. "We order you to play with us and you must follow orders.""I am sorry, Miss, but a prior order from Sir must surely take precedence."But she said, "Daddy just said he hoped you would take care of the cleaning. That's not much of an order. I order you."Sir did not mind. Sir was fond of Miss and of Little Miss, even more than Ma'am was; and Andrew was fond of them, too. At least, the effect they had upon his actions were those which in a human being would have been called the result of fondness. Andrew thought of it as fondness for he did not know any other word for it. It was for Little Miss that Andrew had carved a pendant out of wood. She had ordered him to. Miss, it seemed, had received an ivorite pendant with scrollwork for her birthday and Little Miss was unhappy over it. She had only a piece of wood, which she gave Andrew together with a small kitchen knife. He had done it quickly and Little Miss had said, "That's nice, Andrew. I'll show it to Daddy."Sir would not believe it. "Where did you really get this, Mandy?"Mandy was what he called Little Miss. When Little Miss assured him she was really telling the truth, he turned to Andrew. "Did you do this, Andrew?""Yes, Sir.""The design, too?""Yes, Sir.""From what did you copy the design?""It is a geometric representation, Sir, that fits the grain of the wood."The next day, Sir brought him another piece of wood-- a larger one-- and an electric vibro-knife. "Make something out of this, Andrew. Anything you want to,"he said. Andrew did so as Sir watched, then looked at the product a long time. After that, Andrew no longer waited on tables. He was ordered to read books on furniture design instead, and he learned to make cabinets and desks. "These are amazing productions, Andrew,"Sir soon told him. "I enjoy doing them, Sir,"Andrew admitted. "Enjoy?""It makes the circuits of my brain somehow flow more easily. I have heard you use the word `enjoy' and the way you use it fits the way I feel. I enjoy doing them, Sir.“

3.

Gerald Martin took Andrew to the regional offices of the United States Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation. As a member of the Regional Legislature he had no trouble at all in gaining an interview with the chief robopsychologist. In fact, it was only as a member of the Regional Legislature that he qualified as a robot owner in the first place-- in those early days when robots were rare. Andrew did not understand any of this at the time. But in later years, with greater learning, he could re-view that early scene and understand it in its proper light. The robopsychologist, Merton Mansky, listened with a growing frown and more than once managed to stop his fingers at the point beyond which they would have irrevocably drummed on the table. He had drawn features and a lined forehead, but he might actually have been younger than he looked. "Robotics is not an exact art, Mr. Martin,"Mansky explained. "I cannot explain it to you in detail, but the mathematics governing the plotting of the positronic pathways is far too complicated to permit of any but approximate solutions. Naturally, since we build everything around the Three Laws, those are incontrovertible. We will, of course, replace your robot--""Not at all,"said Sir. "There is no question of failure on his part. He performs his assigned duties perfectly. The point is he also carves wood in exquisite fashion and never the same twice. He produces works of art."Mansky looked confused. "Strange. Of course, we're attempting generalized pathways these days. Really creative, you think?""See for yourself."Sir handed over a little sphere of wood on which there was a playground scene in which the boys and girls were almost too small to make out, yet they were in perfect proportion and they blended so naturally with the grain that it, too, seemed to have been carved. Mansky was incredulous. "He did that?"He handed it back with a shake of his head. "The luck of the draw. Something in the pathways.""Can you do it again?""Probably not. Nothing like this has ever been reported.""Good! I don't in the least mind Andrew's being the only one.""I suspect that the company would like to have your robot back for study,"Mansky said. "Not a chance!"Sir said with sudden grimness. "Forget it."He turned to Andrew, "Let's go home, now.“

4.

Miss was dating boys and wasn't about the house much. It was Little Miss, not as little as she once was, who filled Andrew's horizon now. She never forgot that the very first piece of wood carving he had done had been for her. She kept it on a silver chain about her neck. It was she who first objected to Sir's habit of giving away Andrew's work. "Come on, Dad, if anyone wants one of them, let him pay for it. It's worth it.""It isn't like you to be greedy, Mandy.""Not for us, Dad. For the artist."Andrew had never heard the word before, and when he had a moment to himself he looked it up in the dictionary. Then there was another trip, this time to Sir's lawyer. "What do you think of this, John?"Sir asked. The lawyer was John Finegold. He had white hair and a pudgy belly, and the rims of his contact lenses were tinted a bright green. He looked at the small plaque Sir had given him. "This is beautiful. But I've already heard the news. Isn't thus a carving made by your robot? The one you've brought with you.""Yes, Andrew does them. Don't you, Andrew?""Yes, Sir,"said Andrew. "How much would you pay for that, John?"Sir asked. "I can't say. I'm not a collector of such things.""Would you believe I have been offered two hundred and fifty dollars for that small thing. Andrew has made chairs that have sold for five hundred dollars. There's two hundred thousand dollars in the bank from Andrew's products.""Good heavens, he's making you rich, Gerald.""Half rich,"said Sir. "Half of it is in an account in the name of Andrew Martin.""The robot?""That's right, and I want to know if it's legal.""Legal . . . ?"Feingold's chair creaked as he leaned back in it. "There are no precedents, Gerald. How did your robot sign the necessary papers?""He can sign his name. Now, is there anything further that ought to be done?""Um."Feingold's eyes seemed to turn inward for a moment. Then he said, "Well, we can set up a trust to handle all finances in his name and that will place a layer of insulation between him and the hostile world. Beyond that, my advice is you do nothing. No one has e stopped you so far. If anyone objects, let him bring suit""And will you take the case if the suit is brought?""For a retainer, certainly.""How much?""Something like that,"Feingold said, and pointed to the wooden plaque. "Fair enough,"said Sir. Feingold chuckled as he turned to the robot. "Andrew, are you pleased that you have money?""Yes, sir.""What do you plan to do with it?"Pay for things, sir, which otherwise Sir "would have to pay for. It would save him expense, sir.“

5.

Such occasions' arose. Repairs were expensive, and revisions were even more so. With the years, new models of robots were produced and Sir saw to it that Andrew had the advantage of every new device, until he was a model of metallic excellence. It was all done at Andrew's expense. Andrew insisted on that. Only his positronic pathways were untouched. Sir insisted on that. "The new models aren't as good as you are, Andrew,"he said. "The new robots are worthless. The company has learned to make the pathways more precise, more closely on the nose, more deeply on the track. The new robots don't shift. They do what they're designed for and never stray. I like you better.""Thank you, Sir.""And it's your doing, Andrew, don't you forget that. I am certain Mansky put an end to generalized pathways as soon as he had a good look at you. He didn't like the unpredictability. Do you know how many times he asked for you back so he could place you under study? Nine times! I never let him have you, though; and now that he's retired, we may have some peace."So Sir's hair thinned and grayed and his face grew pouchy, while Andrew looked even better than he had when he first joined the family. Ma'am had joined an art colony somewhere in Europe, and Miss was a poet in New York. They wrote sometimes, but not often. Little Miss was married and lived not far away. She said she did not want to leave Andrew. When her child, Little Sir, was born, she let Andrew hold the bottle and feed him. With the birth of a grandson, Andrew felt that Sir finally had someone to replace those who had gone. Therefore, it would not be so unfair now to come to him with the request. "Sir, it is kind of you to have allowed me to spend my money as I wished""It was your money, Andrew.""Only by your voluntary act, Sir. I do not believe the law would have stopped you from keeping it all.""The law won't persuade me to do wrong, Andrew.""Despite all expenses, and despite taxes, too, Sir, I have nearly six hundred thousand dollars.""I know that, Andrew.""I want to give it to you, Sir.""I won't take it, Andrew""In exchange for something you can give me, Sir""Oh? What is that, Andrew?""My freedom, Sir.""Your--""I wish to buy my freedom, Sir.“

6.

It wasn't that easy. Sir had flushed, had said, "For God's sake!"Then he had turned on his heel and stalked away. It was Little Miss who finally brought him round, defiantly and harshly-- and in front of Andrew. For thirty years no one had ever hesitated to talk in front of Andrew, whether or not the matter involved Andrew. He was only a robot. "Dad, why are you taking this as a personal affront? He'll still be here. He'll still be loyal. He can't help that; it's built in. All he wants is a form of words. Ha wants to be called free. Is that so terrible? Hasn't be earned this chance? Heavens, he and I have been talking about it for years!""Talking about it for years, have you?""Yes, and over and over again he postponed it for fear he would hurt you. I made him put the matter up to you.""He doesn't know what freedom is. He's a robot.""Dad, you don't know him. He's read everything in the library. I don't know what he feels inside, but I don't know what you feel inside either. When you talk to him you'll find he reacts to the various abstractions as you and I do, and what else counts? If some one else's reactions are like your own, what more can you ask for?""The law won't take that attitude,"Sir said, angrily. "See here, you!"He turned to Andrew with a deliberate grate in his voice. "I can't free you except by doing it legally. If this gets into the courts, you not only won't get your freedom but the law will take official cognizance of your money. They'll tell you that a robot has no right to earn money. Is this rigmarole worth losing your money?""Freedom is without price, Sir,"said Andrew. "Even the chance of freedom is worth the money.“

7.

It seemed the court might also take the attitude that freedom was without price, and might decide that for no price, however great, could a robot buy its freedom. The simple statement of the regional attorney who represented those who had brought a class action to oppose the freedom was this: "The word `freedom' has no meaning when applied to a robot. Only a human being can be free."He said it several times, when it seemed appropriate; slowly, with his hand coming down rhythmically on the desk before him to mark the words. Little Miss asked permission to speak on behalf of Andrew. She was recognized by her full name, something Andrew had never heard pronounced before: "Amanda Laura Martin Charney may approach the bench.""Thank you, Your Honor. I am not a lawyer and I don't know the proper way of phrasing things, but I hope you will listen to my meaning and ignore the words. "Let's understand what it means to be free in Andrew's case. In some ways, he is free. I think it's at least twenty years since anyone in the Martin family gave him an order to do something that we felt he might not do of his own accord. But we can, if we wish, give him an order to do anything, couching it as harshly as we wish, because he is a machine that belongs to us. Why should we be in a position to do so, when he has served us so long, so faithfully, and has earned so much money for us? He owes us nothing more. The debit is entirely on the other side. "Even if we were legally forbidden to place Andrew in involuntary servitude, he would still serve us voluntarily. Making him free would be a trick of words only, but it would mean much to him. It would give him everything and cost us nothing."For a moment the judge seemed to be suppressing a smile. "I see your point, Mrs. Chamey. The fact is that there is no binding law in this respect and no precedent. There is, however, the unspoken assumption that only a man may enjoy freedom. I can make new law here, subject to reversal in a higher court; but I cannot lightly run counter to that assumption. Let me address the robot. Andrew!""Yes, Your Honor."It was the first time Andrew bad spoken in court, and the judge seemed astonished for a moment at the human timbre of his voice. "Why do you want to be free, Andrew? In what way will this matter to you?"Andrew said, "Would you wish to be a slave, Your Honor?""But you are not a slave. You are a perfectly good robot-- a genius of a robot, I am given to understand, capable of an artistic expression that can be matched nowhere. What more could you do if you were free?""Perhaps no more than I do now, Your Honor, but with greater joy. It has been said in this courtroom that only a human being can be free. It seems to me that only someone who wishes for freedom can be free. I wish for freedom."And it was that statement that cued the judge. The crucial sentence in his decision was "There is no right to deny freedom to any object with a mind advanced enough to grasp the concept and desire the state."It was eventually upheld by the World Court.

8.

Sir remained displeased, and his harsh voice made Andrew feel as if he were being short-circuited. "I don't want your damned money, Andrew. I'll take it only because you won't feel free otherwise. From now on, you can select your own jobs and do them as you please. I will give you no orders, except this one: Do as you please. But I am still responsible for you. That's part of the court order. I hope you understand that."Little Miss interrupted. "Don't be irascible, Dad. The responsibility is no great chore. You know you won't have to do a thing. The Three Laws still hold.""Then how is he free?""Are not human beings bound by their laws, Sir?"Andrew replied. "I'm not going to argue."Sir left the room, and Andrew saw him only infrequently after that. Little Miss came to see him frequently in the small house that had been built and made over for him. It had no kitchen, of course, nor bathroom facilities. It had just two rooms; one was a library and one was a combination storeroom and workroom. Andrew accepted many commissions and worked harder as a free robot than he ever had before, till the cost of the house was paid for and the structure was signed over to him. One day Little Sir-- no, "George!“-- came. Little Sir had insisted on that after the court decision. "A free robot doesn't call anyone Little Sir,"George had said. "I call you Andrew. You must call me George."His preference was phrased as an order, so Andrew called him George-- but Little Miss remained Little Miss. One day when George came alone, it was to say that Sir was dying. Little Miss was at the bedside, but Sir wanted Andrew as well. Sir's voice was still quite strong, though he seemed unable to move much. He struggled to raise his hand. "Andrew,"he said, "Andrew-- Don't help me, George. I'm only dying; I'm not crippled. Andrew, I'm glad you're free. I just wanted to tell you that."Andrew did not know what to say. He had never been at the side of someone dying before, but he knew it was the human way of ceasing to function. It was an involuntary and irreversible dismantling, and Andrew did not know what to say that might be appropriate. He could only remain standing, absolutely silent, absolutely motionless. When it was over, Little Miss said to him, "He may not have seemed friendly to you toward the end, Andrew, but he was old, you know; and it hurt him that you should want to be free."Then Andrew found the words. "I would never have been free without him, Little Miss.“

9.

Only after Sir's death did Andrew begin to wear clothes. He began with an old pair of trousers at first, a pair that George had given him. George was married now, and a lawyer. He had joined Feingold's firm. Old Feingold was long since dead, but his daughter had carried on. Eventually the firm's name became Feingold and Martin. It remained so even when the daughter retired and no Feingold took her place. At the time Andrew first put on clothes, the Martin name had just been added to the firm. George had tried not to smile the first time he saw Andrew attempting to put on trousers, but to Andrew's eyes the smile was clearly there. George showed Andrew how to manipulate the static charge to allow the trousers to open, wrap about his lower body, and move shut. George demonstrated on his own trousers, but Andrew was quite aware it would take him a while to duplicate that one flowing motion. "But why do you want trousers, Andrew? Your body is so beautifully functional it's a shame to cover it especially when you needn't worry about either temperature control or modesty. And the material doesn't cling properly-- not on metal."Andrew held his ground. "Are not human bodies beautifully functional, George? Yet you cover yourselves.""For warmth, for cleanliness, for protection, for decorativeness. None of that applies to you.""I feel bare without clothes. I feel different, George,"Andrew responded. "Different! Andrew, there are millions of robots on Earth now. In this region, according to the last census, there are almost as many robots as there are men.""I know, George. There are robots doing every conceivable type of work.""And none of them wear clothes.""But none of them are free, George."Little by little, Andrew added to his wardrobe. He was inhibited by George's smile and by the stares of the people who commissioned work. He might be free, but there was built into Andrew a carefully detailed program concerning his behavior to people, and it was only by the tiniest steps that he dared advance; open disapproval would set him back months. Not everyone accepted Andrew as free. He was incapable of resenting that, and yet there was a difficulty about his thinking process when he thought of it. Most of all, he tended to avoid putting on clothes-- or too many of them-- when he thought Little Miss might come to visit him. She was older now and was often away in some warmer climate, but when she returned the first thing she did was visit him. On one of her visits, George said, ruefully, "She's got me, Andrew. I'll be running for the legislature next year. `Like grandfather,' she says, `like grandson.'""Like grandfather . . ."Andrew stopped, uncertain. "I mean that I, George, the grandson, will be like Sir, the grandfather, who was in the legislature once.""It would be pleasant, George, if Sir were still--"He paused, for he did not want to say, "in working order."That seemed inappropriate. "Alive;"George said. "Yes, I think of the old monster now and then, too."Andrew often thought about this conversation. He had noticed his own incapacity in speech when talking with George. Somehow the language had changed since Andrew had come into being with a built-in vocabulary. Then, too, George used a colloquial speech, as Sir and Little Miss had not. Why should he have called Sir a monster when surely that word was not a appropriate. Andrew could not even turn to his own books for guidance. They were old, and most dealt with woodworking, with art, with furniture design. There were none on language, none on the ways of human beings. Finally, it seemed to him that he must seek the proper books; and as a free robot, he felt he must not ask George. He would go to town and use the library. It was a triumphant decision and he felt his electro potential grow distinctly higher until he had to throw in an impedance coil. He put on a full costume, including even a shoulder chain of wood. He would have preferred the glitter plastic, but George had said that wood was much more appropriate, and that polished cedar was considerably more valuable as well. He had placed a hundred feet between himself and the house before gathering resistance brought him to a halt. He shifted the impedance coil out of circuit, and when that did not seem to help enough he returned to his home and on a piece of notepaper wrote neatly, "I have gone to the library,"and placed it in clear view on his worktable.

10.

Andrew never quite got to the library. He had studied the map. He knew the route, but not the appearance of it. The actual landmarks did not resemble the symbols on the map and he would hesitate. Eventually, he thought he must have somehow gone wrong, for everything looked strange. He passed an occasional field-robot, but by the time he decided he should ask his way none were in sight. A vehicle passed and did not stop. Andrew stood irresolute, which meant calmly motionless, for coming across the field toward him were two human beings. He turned to face them, and they altered their course to meet him. A moment before, they had been talking loudly. He had heard their voices. But now they were silent. They had the look that Andrew associated with human uncertainty; and they were young, but not very young. Twenty, perhaps? Andrew could never judge human age. "Would you describe to me the route to the town library, sirs?"One of them, the taller of the two, whose tall hat lengthened him still farther, almost grotesquely, said, not to Andrew, but to the other, "It's a robot."The other had a bulbous nose and heavy eyelids. He said, not to Andrew but to the first, "It's wearing clothes."The tall one snapped his fingers. "It's the free robot. They have a robot at the old Martin place who isn't owned by anybody. Why else would it be wearing clothes?""Ask it,"said the one with the nose. "Are you the Martin robot?"asked the tall one. "I am Andrew Martin, sir,"Andrew said. "Good. Take off your clothes. Robots don't wear clothes."He said to the other, "That's disgusting. Look at him!"Andrew hesitated. He hadn't heard an order in that tone of voice in so long that his Second Law circuits had momentarily jammed. The tall one repeated, "Take off your clothes. I order you."Slowly, Andrew began to remove them. "Just drop them,"said the tall one. The nose said, "If it doesn't belong to anyone, it could be ours as much as someone else's.""Anyway,"said the tall one, "who's to object to anything we do. We're not damaging property."tie turned to Andrew. "Stand on your head.""The head is not meant-"Andrew began. "That's an order. If you don't know how, try anyway."Andrew hesitated again, then bent to put his head on the ground. He tried to lift his legs but fell, heavily. The tall one said, "Just lie there."He said to the other, "We can take him apart. Ever take a robot apart?""Will he let us?""How can he stop us?"There was no way Andrew could stop them, if they ordered him in a forceful enough manner not to resist The Second Law of obedience took precedence over the Third Law of self-preservation. In any case, he could not defend himself without possibly hurting them, and that would mean breaking the First Law. At that thought, he felt every motile unit contract slightly and he quivered as he lay there. The tall one walked over and pushed at him with his foot. "He's heavy. I think we'll need tools to do the job."The nose said, "We could order him to take himself, apart. It would be fun to watch him try.""Yes,"said the tall one, thoughtfully, "but let's get him off the road. If someone comes along--"It was too late. Someone had, indeed, come along and it was George. From where he lay, Andrew had seen him topping a small rise in the middle distance. He would have liked to signal him in some way, but the last order had been "Just lie there!"George was running now, and he arrived on the scene somewhat winded. The two young men stepped back a little and then waited thoughtfully. "Andrew, has something gone wrong?"George asked, anxiously. Andrew replied, "I am well, George.""Then stand up. What happened to your clothes?""That your robot, Mac?"the tall young man asked. George turned sharply. "He's no one's robot. What's been going on here.""We politely asked him to take his clothes off. What's that to you, if you don't own him."George turned to Andrew. "What were they doing, Andrew?""It was their intention in some way to dismember me. They were about to move me to a quiet spot and order me to dismember myself."George looked at the two young men, and his chin trembled. The young men retreated no farther. They were smiling. The tall one said, lightly, "What are you going to do, pudgy? Attack us?"George said, "No. I don't have to. This robot has been with my family for over seventy-five years. He knows us and he values us more than he values anyone else. I am going to tell him that you two are threatening my life and that you plan to kill me. I will ask him to defend me. In choosing between me and you two, he will choose me. Do you know what will happen to you when he attacks you?"The two were backing away slightly, looking uneasy. George said, sharply, "Andrew, I am in danger and about to come to harm from these young men. Move toward them!"Andrew did so, and the young men did not wait. They ran. "All right, Andrew, relax,"George said. He looked unstrung. He was far past the age where he could face the possibility of a dustup with one young man, let alone two. "I couldn't have hurt them, George: I could see they were not attacking you.""I didn't order you to attack them. I only told you to move toward them. Their own fears did the rest.""How can they fear robots?""It's a disease of mankind, one which has not yet been cured. But never mind that. What the devil are you doing here, Andrew? Good thing I found your note. I was just on the point of turning back and hiring a helicopter when I found you. How did you get it into your head to go to the library? I would have brought you any books you needed""I am a--"Andrew began. "Free robot. Yes, yes. All right, what did you want in the library?""I want to know more about human beings, about the world, about everything. And about robots, George. I want to write a history about robots."George put his arm on the other's shoulder. "Well, let's walk home. But pick up your clothes first. Andrew, there are a million books on robotics and all of them include histories of the science. The world is growing saturated not only with robots but with information about robots."Andrew shook his head, a human gesture he had lately begun to adopt. "Not a history of robotics, George. A history of robots, by a robot. I want to explain how robots feel about what has happened since the first ones were allowed to work and live on Earth."George's eyebrows lifted, but he said nothing in direct response.

11.

Little Miss was just past her eighty-third birthday, but there was nothing about her that was lacking in either energy or determination. She gestured with her cane oftener than she propped herself up with it. She listened to the story in a fury of indignation. "George, that's horrible. Who were those young ruffians?""I don't know. What difference does it make? In the end they did not do any damage.""They might have. You're a lawyer, George; and if you're well off, it's entirely due to the talents of Andrew. It was the money he earned that is the foundation of everything we have. He provides the continuity for this family, and I will not have him treated as a wind-up toy.""What would you have me do, Mother?"George asked. "I said you're a lawyer. Don't you listen? You set up a test case somehow, and you force the regional courts to declare for robot rights and get the legislature to pass the necessary bills. Carry the whole thing to the World Court, if you have to. I'll be watching, George, and I'll tolerate no shirking."She was serious, so what began as a way of soothing the fearsome old lady became an involved matter with enough legal entanglement to make it interesting. As senior partner of Feingold and Martin, George plotted strategy. But he left the actual work to his junior partners, with much of it a matter for his son, Paul, who was also a member of the firm and who reported dutifully nearly every day to his grandmother. She, in turn, discussed the case every day with Andrew. Andrew was deeply involved. His work on his book on robots was delayed again, as he pored over the legal arguments and even, at times, made very diffident suggestions. "George told me that day I was attacked that human beings have always been afraid of robots,"he said one day. "As long as they are, the courts and the legislatures are not likely to work hard on behalf of robots. Should not something be done about public opinion?"So while Paul stayed in court, George took to the public platform. It gave him the advantage of being informal, and he even went so far sometimes as to wear the new, loose style of clothing which he called drapery. Paul chided him, "Just don't trip over it on stage, Dad."George replied, despondently, "I'll try not to."He addressed the annual convention of holo-news editors on one occasion and said, in part: "If, by virtue of the Second Law, we can demand of any robot unlimited obedience in all respects not involving harm to a human being, then any human being, any human being, has a fearsome power over any robot, any robot. In particular, since Second Law supersedes Third Law; any human being can use the law of obedience to overcome the law of self-protection. He can order any robot to damage itself or even to destroy itself for any reason, or for no reason. "Is this just? Would we treat an animal so? Even an inanimate object which had given us good service has a claim on our consideration. And a robot is not insensitive; it is not an animal. It can think well enough so that it can talk to us, reason with us, joke with us. Can we treat them as friends, can we work together with them, and not give them some of the fruits of that friendship, some of the benefits of co-working? "If a man has the right to give a robot any order that does not involve harm to a human being, he should have the decency never to give a robot any order that involves harm to a robot, unless human safety absolutely requires it. With great power goes great responsibility, and if the robots have Three Laws to protect men, is it too much to ask that men have a law or two to protect robots?"Andrew was right. It was the battle over public opinion that held the key to courts and legislature. In the end, a law was passed that set up conditions under which robot-harming orders were forbidden. It was endlessly qualified and the punishments for violating the law were totally inadequate, but the principle was established. The final passage by the World Legislature came through on the day of Little Miss' death. That was no coincidence. Little Miss held on to life desperately during the last debate and let go only when word of victory arrived. Her last smile was for Andrew. Her last words were, "You have been good to us, Andrew."She died with her hand holding his, while her son and his wife and children remained at a respectful distance from both.

12.

Andrew waited patiently when the receptionist-robot disappeared into the inner office. The receptionist might have used the holographic chatterbox, but un-questionably it was perturbed by having to deal with another robot rather than with a human being. Andrew passed the time revolving the matter his mind: Could "unroboted"be used as an analog of "unmanned,"or had unmanned become a metaphoric term sufficiently divorced from its original literal meaning to be applied to robots--or to women for that matter? Such problems frequently arose as he worked on his book on robots. The trick of thinking out sentences to express all complexities had undoubtedly increased his vocabulary. Occasionally, someone came into the room to stare at him and he did not try to avoid the glance. He looked at each calmly, and each in turn looked away. Paul Martin finally emerged. He looked surprised, or he would have if Andrew could have made out his expression with certainty. Paul had taken to wearing the heavy makeup that fashion was dictating for bath sexes. Though it made sharper and firmer the somewhat bland lines of Paul's face, Andrew disapproved. He found that disapproving of human beings, as long as he did not express it verbally, did not make him very uneasy. He could even write the disapproval. He was sure it had not always been so. "Come in, Andrew. I'm sorry I made you wait, but there was something I had to finish. Come in, you had said you wanted to talk to me, but I didn't know you meant here in town.""If you are busy, Paul, I am prepared to continue to wait."Paul glanced at the interplay of shifting shadows on the dial on the wall that served as timepieces and said, "I can make some time. Did you come alone?""I hired an automatobile.""Any trouble?"Paul asked, with more than a trace of anxiety. "I wasn't expecting any. My rights are protected."Paul looked all the more anxious for that. "Andrew, I've explained that the law is unenforceable, at least under most conditions. And if you insist on wearing clothes, you'll run into trouble eventually; just like that first time.""And only tine, Paul. I'm sorry you are displeased""Well, look at it this way: you are virtually a living legend, Andrew, and you are too valuable in many different ways for you to have any right to take chances with yourself. By the way, how's the book coming?""I am approaching the end, Paul. The publisher is quite pleased.""Good!""I don't know that he's necessarily pleased with the book as a book. I think he expects to sell many copies because it's written by a robot and that's what pleases him. "Only human, I'm afraid.""I am not displeased. Let it sell for whatever reason, since it will mean money and I can use some.""Grandmother left you--""Little Miss was generous, and I'm sure I can count on the family to help me out further. But it is the royalties from the book on which I am counting to help me through the next step.""What next step is that?""I wish to see the head of U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation. I have tried to make an appointment; but so far I have not been able to reach him. The Corporation did not cooperate with me in the writing of the book, so I am not surprised, you understand."Paul was clearly amused. "Cooperation is the last thing you can expect. They didn't cooperate with us in our great fight for robot rights. Quite the reverse, and you can see why. Give a robot rights and people may not want to buy them.""Nevertheless,"said Andrew, "if you call them, you may be able to obtain an interview for me.""I'm no more popular with them than you are, Andrew.""But perhaps you can hint that by seeing me they may head off a campaign by Feingold and Martin to strengthen the rights of robots further.""Wouldn't that be a lie, Andrew?""Yes, Paul, and I can't tell one. That is why you must call.""Ah, you can't lie, but you can urge me to tell a lie, is that it? You're getting more human all the time, Andrew.“

13.

The meeting was not easy to arrange, even with Paul's supposedly weighted name. But it finally came about. When it did, Harley Smythe-Robertson, who, on his mother's side, was descended from the original founder of the corporation and who had adopted the hyphenation to indicate it, looked remarkably unhappy. He was approaching retirement age and his entire tenure as president had been devoted to the matter of robot rights. His gray hair was plastered thinly over the top of his scalp; his face was not made up, and he eyed Andrew with brief hostility from time to time. Andrew began the conversation. "Sir, nearly a century ago, I was told by a Merton Mansky of this corporation that the mathematics governing the plotting of the positronic pathways was far too complicated to permit of any but approximate solutions and that, therefore, my own capacities were not fully predictable.""That was a century ago."Smythe-Robertson hesitated, then said icily, "Sir. It is true no longer. Our robots are made with precision now and are trained precisely to their jobs.""Yes,"said Paul, who had come along, as he said, to make sure that the corporation played fair, "with the result that my receptionist must be guided at every point once events depart from the conventional, however slightly.""You would be much more displeased if it were to improvise,"Smythe-Robertson said. "Then you no longer manufacture robots like myself which are flexible and adaptable.""No longer.""The research I have done in connection with my book,"said Andrew, "indicates that I am the oldest robot presently in active operation.""The oldest presently,"said Smythe-Robertson, "and the oldest ever. The oldest that will ever be. No robot is useful after the twenty-fifth year. They are called in and replaced with newer models.""No robot as presently manufactured is useful after the twentieth year,"said Paul, with a note of sarcasm creeping into his voice. "Andrew is quite exceptional in this respect."Andrew, adhering to the path he had marked out for himself, continued, "As the oldest robot in the world and the most flexible, am I not unusual enough to merit special treatment from the company?""Not at all,"Smythe-Robertson said, freezing up. "Your unusualness is an embarrassment to the company. If you were on lease, instead of having been an outright sale through some mischance, you would long since have been replaced.""But that is exactly the point,"said Andrew. "I am a free robot and I own myself. Therefore I come to you and ask you to replace me. You cannot do this without the owner's consent. Nowadays, that consent is extorted as a condition of the lease, but in my time this did not happen."Smythe-Robertson was looking both startled and puzzled, and for a moment there was silence. Andrew found himself staring at the hologram on the wall. It was a death mask of Susan Calvin, patron saint of all roboticists. She had been dead for nearly two centuries now, but as a result of writing his book Andrew knew, her so well he could half persuade himself that he had met her in life. Finally Smythe-Robertson asked, "How can I replace you for you? If I replace you, as robot, how can I donate the new robot to you as owner since in the very act of replacement you cease to exist."He smiled grimly. "Not at all difficult,"Paul interposed. "The seat of Andrew's personality is his positronic brain and it is the one part that cannot be replaced without creating a new robot. The positronic brain, therefore, is Andrew the owner. Every other part of the robotic body can be replaced without affecting the robot's personality, and those other parts are the brain's possessions. Andrew, I should say, wants to supply his brain with a new robotic body.""That's right,"said Andrew, calmly. He turned to Smythe-Robertson. "You have manufactured androids, haven't you? Robots that have the outward appearance of humans, complete to the texture of the skin?""Yes, we have. They worked perfectly well, with their synthetic fibrous skins and tendons. There was virtually no metal anywhere except for the brain, yet they were nearly as tough as metal robots. They were tougher, weight for weight."Paul looked interested. "I didn't know that. How many are on the market?""None,"said Smythe-Robertson. "They were much more expensive than metal models and a market survey showed they would not be accepted. They looked too human."Andrew was impressed. "But the corporation retains its expertise, I assume. Since it does, I wish to request that I be replaced by an organic robot, an android."Paul looked surprised. "Good Lord!"he said. Smythe-Robertson stiffened. "Quite impossible!""Why is it impossible?"Andrew asked. "I will pay any reasonable fee, of course.""We do not manufacture androids.""You do not choose to manufacture androids,"Paul interjected quickly. "That is not the same as being unable to manufacture them.""Nevertheless,"Smythe-Robertson responded, "the manufacture of androids is against public policy.""There is no law against it,"said Paul. "Nevertheless, we do not manufacture them-- and we will not."Paul cleared his throat. "Mr. Smythe-Robertson,"he said, "Andrew is a free robot who comes under the purview of the law guaranteeing robot rights. You are aware of this, I take it?""Only too well.""This robot, as a free robot, chooses to wear clothes. This results in his being frequently humiliated by thoughtless human beings despite the law against the humiliation of robots. It is difficult to prosecute vague offenses that don't meet with the general disapproval of those who must decide on guilt and innocence.""U.S. Robots understood that from the start. Your father's firm unfortunately did not.""My father is dead now, but what I see is that we have here a clear offense with a clear target.""What are you talking about?"said Smythe-Robertson. "My client, Andrew Martin-- he has just become my client-- is a free robot who is entitled to ask U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation for the rights of replacement, which the corporation supplies to anyone who owns a robot for more than twenty-five years. In fact, the corporation insists on such replacement."Paul was smiling and thoroughly at ease. "The positronic brain of my client,"he went on, "is the owner of the body of my client which is certainly more than twenty-five years old. The positronic brain demands the replacement of the body and offers to pay any reasonable fee for an android body as that replacement. If you refuse the request, my client undergoes humiliation and we will sue. "While public opinion would not ordinarily support the claim of a robot in such a case, may I remind you that U.S. Robots is not popular with the public generally. Even those who most use and profit from robots are suspicious of the corporation. This may be a hangover from the days when robots were widely feared. It may be resentment against the power and wealth of U.S. Robots, which has a worldwide monopoly. Whatever the cause may be, the resentment eats. I think you will find that you would prefer not to be faced with a lawsuit, particularly since my client is wealthy and will live for many more centuries and will have no reason to refrain from fighting the battle forever."Smythe-Robertson had slowly reddened. "You are trying to force--""I force you to do nothing,"said Paul. "If you wish to refuse to accede to my client's reasonable request, you may by all means do so and we will leave without another word. But we will sue, as is certainly our right, and you will find that you will eventually lose.""Well.""I see that you are going to accede,"said Paul. "You may hesitate but you will come to it in the end. Let me assure you, then, of one further point: If, in the process of transferring my client's positronic brain from his present body to an organic one, there is any damage, however slight, then I will never rest until I've nailed the corporation to the ground. I will, if necessary, take every possible step to mobilize public opinion against the corporation if one brain path of my client's platinum-iridium essence is scrambled."He turned to Andrew and asked, "Do you agree to all this, Andrew?"Andrew hesitated a full minute. It amounted to the approval of lying, of blackmail, of the badgering and humiliation of a human being. But not physical harm, he told himself, not physical harm. He managed at last to come out with a rather faint "Yes.“

14.

He felt as though he were being constructed again. For days, then for weeks, finally for months, Andrew found himself not himself somehow, and the simplest actions kept giving rise to hesitation. Paul was frantic. "They've damaged you, Andrew. We'll have to institute suit!"Andrew spoke very slowly. "You-- mustn't. You'll never be able to prove-- something-- like m-m-m-m-- " "Malice?""Malice. Besides, I grow-- stronger, better. It's the tr-- tr-- tr-- " "Tremble?""Trauma. After all, there's never been such an op-op-op-- before."Andrew could feel his brain from the inside. No one else could. He knew he was well, and during the months that it took him to learn full coordination and full positronic interplay he spent hours before the mirror. Not quite human! The face was stiff-- too stiff and the motions were too deliberate. They lacked the careless, free flow of the human being, but perhaps that might come with time. At least now he could wear clothes without the ridiculous anomaly of a metal face going along with it. Eventually, he said, "I will be going back to work."Paul laughed. "That means you are well. What will you be doing? Another book?""No,"said Andrew, seriously. "I live too long for any one career to seize me by the throat and never let me go. There was a time when I was primarily an artist, and I can still turn to that. And there was a time when I was a historian, and I can still turn to that. But now I wish to be a robobiologist.""A robopsychologist, you mean.""No. That would imply the study of positronic brains, and at the moment I lack the desire to do that. A robobiologist, it seems to me, would be concerned with the working of the body attached to that brain.""Wouldn't that be a roboticist?""A roboticist works with a metal body. I would be studying an organic humanoid body, of which I have the only one, as far as I know.""You narrow your field,"said Paul, thoughtfully. "As an artist, all conception is yours; as a historian you deal chiefly with robots; as a robobiologist, you will deal with yourself."Andrew nodded. "It would seem so."Andrew had to start from the very beginning, for he knew nothing of ordinary biology and almost nothing of science. He became a familiar sight in the libraries, where he sat at the electronic indices for hours at a time, looking perfectly normal in clothes. Those few who knew he was a robot in no way interfered with him. He built a laboratory in a room which he added to his house; and his library grew, too. Years passed, and Paul came to him one day and said, "It's a pity you're no longer working on the history of robots. I understand U.S. Robots is adopting a radically new policy."Paul had aged, and his deteriorating eyes had been replaced with photoptic cells. In that respect, he had drawn closer to Andrew. "What have they done?"Andrew asked. "They are manufacturing central computers, gigantic positronic brains, really, which communicate with anywhere from a dozen to a thousand robots by microwave. The robots themselves have no brains at all. They are the limbs of the gigantic brain, and the two are physically separate.""Is that more efficient?""U.S. Robots claims it is. Smythe-Robertson established the new direction before he died, however, and it's my notion that it's a backlash at you. U.S. Robots is determined that they will make no robots that will give them the type of trouble you have, and for that reason they separate brain and body. The brain will have no body to wish changed; the body will have no brain to wish anything. "It's amazing, Andrew,"Paul went on, "the influence you have had on the history of. robots. It was your artistry that encouraged U.S. Robots to make robots more precise and specialized; it was your freedom that resulted in the establishment of the principle of robotic rights; it was your insistence on an android body that made U.S. Robots switch to brain-body separation"Andrew grew thoughtful. "I suppose in the end the corporation will produce one vast brain controlling several billion robotic bodies. All the eggs will be in one basket. Dangerous. Not proper at all.""I think you're right,"said Paul, "but I don't suspect it will come to pass for a century at least and I won't live to see it. In fact, I may not live to see next year.""Paul!"cried Andrew, in concern. Paul shrugged. "Men are mortal, Andrew. We're not like you. It doesn't matter too much, but it does make it important to assure you on one point. I'm the last of the human Martins. The money I control personally will be left to the trust in your name, and as far as anyone can foresee the future, you will be economically secure.""Unnecessary,"Andrew said, with difficulty. In all this time, he could not get used to the deaths of the Martins. "Let's not argue. That's the way it's going to be. Now, what are you working on?""I am designing a system for allowing androids-- myself-- to gain energy from the combustion of hydrocarbons, rather than from atomic cells."Paul raised his eyebrows. "So that they will breathe and eat?""Yes.""How long have you been pushing in that direction?""For a long time now, but I think I have finally designed an adequate combustion chamber for catalyzed controlled breakdown.""But why, Andrew? The atomic cell is surely infinitely better.""In some ways, perhaps. But the atomic cell is inhuman.“

15.

It took time, but Andrew had time. In the first place, he did not wish to do anything till Paul had died in peace. With the death of the great-grandson of Sir, Andrew felt more nearly exposed to a hostile world and for that reason was all the more determined along the path he had chosen. Yet he was not really alone. If a man had died, the firm of Feingold and Martin lived, for a corporation does not die any more than a robot does. The firm had its directions and it followed them soullessly. By way of the trust and through the law firm, Andrew continued to be wealthy. In return for their own large annual retainer, Feingold and Martin involved themselves in the legal aspects of the new combustion chamber. But when the time came for Andrew to visit U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, he did it alone. Once he had gone with Sir and once with Paul. This time, the third time, he was alone and manlike. U.S. Robots had changed. The actual production plant had been shifted to a large space station, as had grown to be the case with more and more industries. With them had gone many robots. The Earth itself was becoming park like, with its one-billion-person population stabilized and perhaps not more than thirty percent of its at-least-equally-large robot population independently brained. The Director of Research was Alvin Magdescu, dark of complexion and hair, with a little pointed beard and wearing nothing above the waist but the breast band that fashion dictated. Andrew himself was well covered in the older fashion of several decades back. Magdescu offered his hand to his visitor. "I know you, of course, and I'm rather pleased to see you. You're our most notorious product and it's a pity old Smythe-Robertson was so set against you. We could have done a great deal with you.""You still can,"said Andrew. "No, I don't think so. We're past the time. We've had robots on Earth for over a century, but that's changing. It will be back to space with them, and those that stay here won't be brained.""But there remains myself, and I stay on Earth.""True, but there doesn't seem to be much of the robot about you. What new request have you?""To be still less a robot. Since I am so far organic, I wish an organic source of energy. I have here the plans--"Magdescu did not hasten through them. He might have intended to at first, but he stiffened and grew intent. At one point, he said, "This is remarkably ingenious. Who thought of all this?""I did,"Andrew replied. Magdescu looked up at him sharply, then said, "It would amount to a major overhaul of your body, and an experimental one, since such a thing has never been attempted before. I advise against it. Remain as you are."Andrew's face had limited means of expression, but impatience showed plainly in his voice. "Dr. Magdescu, you miss the entire point: You have no choice but to accede to my request. If such devices can be built into my body, they can be built into human bodies as well. The tendency to lengthen human life by prosthetic devices has already been remarked on. There are no devices better than the ones I have designed or am designing. As it happens, I control the patents by way of the firm of Feingold and Martin. We are quite capable of going into business for ourselves and of developing the kind of prosthetic devices that may end by producing human beings with many of the properties of robots. Your own business will then suffer. "If, however, you operate on me now and agree to do so under similar circumstances in the future, you will receive permission to make use of the patents and control the technology of both robots and of the prosthetization of human beings. The initial leasing will not be granted, of course, until after the first operation is completed successfully, and after enough time has passed to demonstrate that it is indeed successful."Andrew felt scarcely any First Law inhibition to the stern conditions he was setting a human being. He was learning to reason that what seemed like cruelty might, in the long run, be kindness. Magdescu was stunned. "I'm not the one to decide something like this. That's a corporate decision that would take time.""I can wait a reasonable time,"said Andrew, "but only a reasonable time."And he thought with satisfaction that Paul himself could not have done it better.

16.

It took only a reasonable time, and the operation was a success. "I was very much against the operation, Andrew,"Magdescu said, "but not for the reasons you might think. I was not in the least against the experiment, if it had been on someone else. I hated risking your positronic brain. Now that you have the positronic pathways interacting with simulated nerve pathways, it might have been difficult to rescue the brain intact if the body had gone bad.""I had every faith in the skill of the staff at U.S. Robots,"said Andrew. "And I can eat now.""Well, you can sip olive oil. It will mean occasional cleanings of the combustion chamber, as we have explained to you. Rather an uncomfortable touch, I should think.""Perhaps, if I did not expect to go further. Self cleaning is not impossible. In fact, I am working on a device that will deal with solid food that may be expected to contain incombustible fractions-- indigestible matter, so to speak, that will have to be discarded.""You would then have to develop an anus.""Or the equivalent.""What else, Andrew--?""Everything else.""Genitalia, too?""Insofar as they will fit my plans. My body is a canvas on which I intend to draw--"Magdescu waited for the sentence to he completed, and when it seemed that it would not be, he completed it himself. "A man?""We shall see,"Andrew said. "That's a puny ambition, Andrew. You're better than a man. You've gone downhill from the moment you opted to become organic.""My brain has not suffered.""No, it hasn't. I'll grant you that. But, Andrew, the whole new breakthrough in prosthetic devices made possible by your patents is being marketed under your name. You're recognized as the inventor and you're being honored for it-- as you should be. Why play further games with your body?"Andrew did not answer. The honors came. He accepted membership in several learned societies, including one that was devoted to the new science he had established-- the one he had called robobiology but which had come to be termed prosthetology. On the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his construction, a testimonial dinner was given in his honor at U.S. Robots. If Andrew saw an irony in this, he kept it to himself. Alvin Magdescu came out of retirement to chair the dinner. He was himself ninety-four years old and was alive because he, too, had prosthetized devices that, among other things, fulfilled the function of liver and kidneys. The dinner reached its climax when Magdescu, after a short and emotional talk, raised his glass to toast The Sesquicentennial Robot. Andrew had had the sinews of his face redesigned to the point where he could show a human range of emotions, but he sat through all the ceremonies solemnly passive. He did not like to be a Sesquicentennial Robot.

17.

It was prosthetology that finally took Andrew off the Earth. In the decades that followed the celebration of his sesquicentennial, the Moon had come to be a world more Earthlike than Earth in every respect but its gravitational pull; and in its underground cities there was a fairly dense population. Prosthetized devices there had to take the lesser gravity into account. Andrew spent five years on the Moon working with local prosthetologists to make the necessary adaptations. When not at his work, he wandered among the robot population, every one of which treated him with the robotic obsequiousness due a man. He came back to an Earth that was humdrum and quiet in comparison, and visited the offices of Feingold and Martin to announce his return. The current head of the firm, Simon DeLong, was surprised. "We had been told you were returning, Andrew“-- he had almost said Mr. Martin-- "but we were not expecting you till next week.""I grew impatient,"said Andrew briskly. He was anxious to get to the point. "On the Moon, Simon, I was in charge of a research team of twenty human scientists. I gave orders that no one questioned. The Lunar robots deferred to me as they would to a human being. Why, then, am I not a human being?"A wary look entered DeLong's eyes. "My dear Andrew, as you have just explained, you are treated as a human being by both robots and human beings. You are, therefore, a human being de facto.""To be a human being de facto is not enough. I want not only to be treated as one, but to be legally identified as one. I want to be a human being de jure.""Now, that is another matter,"DeLong said. "There we would run into human prejudice and into the undoubted fact that, however much you may be like a human being, you are not a human being.""In what way not?"Andrew asked. "I have the shape of a human being and organs equivalent to those of a human being. My organs, in fact, are identical to some of those in a prosthetized human being. I have contributed artistically, literally, and scientifically to human culture as much as any human being now alive. What more can one ask?""I myself would ask nothing more. The trouble is that it would take an act of the World Legislature to define you as a human being. Frankly, I wouldn't expect that to happen.""To whom on the Legislature could I speak?""To the Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, perhaps.""Can you arrange a meeting?""But you scarcely need an intermediary. In your position, you can--""No. You arrange it."It didn't even occur to Andrew that he was giving a fiat order to a human being. He had grown so accustomed to that on the Moon. "I want him to know that the firm of Feingold and Martin is backing me in this to the hilt.""Well, now--""To the hilt, Simon. In one hundred and seventy-three years I have in one fashion or another contributed greatly to this firm. I have been under obligation to individual members of the firm in times past. I am not, now. It is rather the other way around now and I am calling in my debts.""I will-- do what I can,"DeLong said.

18.

The Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee was from the East Asian region and was a woman. Her name was Chee Li-hsing and her transparent garments-- obscuring what she wanted obscured only by their dazzle-- made her look plastic-wrapped. "I sympathize with your wish for full human rights,"she said. "There have been times in history when segments of the human population fought for full human rights. What rights, however, can you possibly want that you do not have?""As simple a thing as my right to life,"Andrew stated. "A robot can be dismantled at any time.""A human being can be executed at any time.""Execution can only follow due process of law. There is no trial needed for my dismantling. Only the word of a human being in authority is needed to end me. Besides-- besides--"Andrew tried desperately to allow no sign of pleading, but his carefully designed tricks of human expression and tone of voice betrayed him here. "The truth is I want to be a man. I have wanted it through six generations of human beings."Li-hsing looked up at him out of darkly sympathetic eyes. "The Legislature can pass a law declaring you one. They could pass a law declaring that a stone statue be defined as a man. Whether they will actually do so is, however, as likely in the first case as the second. Congress people are as human as the rest of the population and there is always that element of suspicion against robots.""Even now?""Even now. We would all allow the fact that you have earned the prize of humanity, and yet there would remain the fear of setting an undesirable precedent.""What precedent? I am the only free robot, the only one of my type, and there will never be another. You may consult U.S. Robots.""`Never' is a long word, Andrew-- or, if you prefer, Mr. Martin-- since I will gladly give you my personal accolade as man. You will find that most congress people will not be so willing to set the precedent, no matter how meaningless such a precedent might be. Mr. Martin, you have my sympathy, but I cannot tell you to hope. Indeed--"She sat back and her forehead wrinkled. "Indeed, if the issue grows too heated, there might well arise a certain sentiment, both inside the Legislature and out side, for that dismantling you mentioned. Doing away with you could turn out to be the easiest way of resolving the dilemma. Consider that before deciding to push matters."Andrew stood firm. "Will no one remember the technique of prosthetology, something that is almost entirely mine?""It may seem cruel, but they won't. Or if they do, it will be remembered against you. People will say you did it only for yourself. It will be said it was part of a campaign to roboticize human beings, or to humanify robots; and in either case evil and vicious. You have never been part of a political hate campaign, Mr. Martin; but I tell you that you would be the object of vilification of a kind neither you nor I would credit, and there would be people to believe it all. Mr. Martin, let your life be."She rose, and next to Andrew's seated figure she seemed small and almost childlike. "If I decide to fight for my humanity, will you be on my side?"She thought, then replied, "I will be-- insofar as I can be. If at any time such a stand would appear to threaten my political future, I might have to abandon you, since it is not an issue I feel to be at the very root of my beliefs. I am trying to be honest with you.""Thank you, and I will ask no more. I intend to fight this through, whatever the consequences, and I will ask you for your help only for as long as you can give it.“

19.

It was not a direct fight. Feingold and Martin counseled patience and Andrew muttered, grimly, that he had an endless supply of that. Feingold and Martin then entered on a campaign to narrow and restrict the area of combat. They instituted a lawsuit denying the obligation to pay debts to an individual with a prosthetic heart on the grounds that the possession of a robotic organ removed humanity, and with it the constitutional rights of human beings. They fought the matter skillfully and tenaciously, losing at every step but always in such a way that the decision was forced to be as broad as possible, and then carrying it by way of appeals to the World Court. It took years, and millions of dollars. When the final decision was handed down, DeLong held what amounted to a victory celebration over the legal loss. Andrew was, of course, present in the company offices on the occasion. "We've done two things, Andrew,"said DeLong, "both of which are good. First of all, we have established the fact that no number of artificial parts in the human body causes it to cease being a human body. Secondly, we have engaged public opinion in the question in such a way as to put it fiercely on the side of a broad interpretation of humanity, since there is not a human being in existence who does not hope for prosthetics if they will keep him alive.""And do you think the Legislature will now grant me my humanity?"Andrew asked. DeLong looked faintly uncomfortable. "As to that, I cannot be optimistic. There remains the one organ which the World Court has used as the criterion of humanity. Human beings have an organic cellular brain and robots have a platinum iridium positronic brain if they have one at all-- and you certainly have a positronic brain. No, Andrew, don't get that look in your eye. We lack the knowledge to duplicate the work of a cellular brain in artificial structures close enough to the organic type as to allow it to fall within the court's decision. Not even you could do it.""What should we do, then?""Make the attempt, of course. Congresswoman Li-hsing will be on our side and a growing number of other congress people. The President will undoubtedly go along with a majority of the Legislature in this matter.""Do we have a majority?""No. Far from it. But we might get one if the public will allow its desire for a broad interpretation of humanity to extend to you. A small chance, I admit; but if you do not wish to give up, we must gamble for it.""I do not wish to give up.“

20.

Congresswoman Li-hsing was considerably older than she had been when Andrew had first met her. Her transparent garments were long gone. Her hair was now close-cropped and her coverings were tubular. Yet still Andrew clung, as closely as he could within the limits of reasonable taste, to the style of clothing that had prevailed when he had first adopted clothing more than a century before. "We've gone as far as we can, Andrew,"Li-hsing admitted. "We'll try once more after recess, but, to be honest, defeat is certain and then the whole thing will have to be given up. All my most recent efforts have only earned me certain defeat in the coming congressional campaign.""I know,"said Andrew, "and it distressed me. You said once you would abandon me if it came to that. Why have you not done so?""One can change one's mind, you know. Somehow, abandoning you became a higher price than I cared to pay for just one more term. As it is, I've been in the Legislature , for over a quarter of a century. It's enough.""Is there no way we can change minds, Chee?""We've changed all that are amenable to reason. The rest-- the majority-- cannot be moved from their emotional antipathies.""Emotional antipathy is not a valid reason for voting one way or the other.""I know that, Andrew, but they don't advance emotional antipathy as their reason.""It all comes down to the brain, then,"Andrew said cautiously. "But must we leave it at the level of cells versus positrons? Is there no way of forcing a functional definition? Must we say that a brain is made of this or that? May we not say that a brain is something-- anything-- capable of a certain level of thought?""Won't work,"said Li-hsing. "Your brain is manmade, the human brain is not. Your brain is constructed, theirs developed. To any human being who is intent on keeping up the barrier between himself and a robot, those differences are a steel wall a mile high and a mile thick.""If we could get at the source of their antipathy, the very source--""After all your years,"Li-hsing said, sadly, "you are still trying to reason out the human being. Poor Andrew, don't be angry, but it's the robot in you that drives you in that direction.""I don't know,"said Andrew. "If I could bring myself--“

1. (Reprise)

If he could bring himself-- He had known for a long time it might come to that, and in the end he was at the surgeon's. He had found one, skillful enough for the job at hand-- which meant a surgeon-- robot, for no human surgeon could be trusted in this connection, either in ability or in intention. The surgeon could not have performed the operation on a human being, so Andrew, after putting off the moment of decision with a sad line of questioning that reflected the turmoil within himself, had put First Law to one side by saying "I, too, am a robot."He then said, as firmly as he had learned to form the words even at human beings over these past decades, "I order you to carry through the operation on me."In the absence of the First Law, an order so firmly given from one who looked so much like a man activated the Second Law sufficiently to carry the day.

21.

Andrew's feeling of weakness was, he was sure, quite imaginary. He had recovered from the-- operation. Nevertheless, he leaned, as unobtrusively as he could manage, against the wall. It would be entirely too revealing to sit. Li-hsing said, "The final vote will come this week, Andrew. I've been able to delay it no longer, and we must lose. And that will be it, Andrew.""I am grateful for your skill at delay. It gave me the time I needed, and I took the gamble I had to.""What gamble is this?"Li-hsing asked with open concern. "I couldn't tell you, or even the people at Feingold and Martin. I was sure I would be stopped. See here, if it is the brain that is at issue, isn't the greatest difference of all the matter of immortality. Who really cares what a brain looks like or is built of or how it was formed. What matters is that human brain cells die; must die. Even if every other organ in the body is maintained or replaced, the brain cells, which cannot be replaced without changing and therefore killing the personality, must eventually die. "My own positronic pathways have lasted nearly two centuries without perceptible change, and can last for centuries more. Isn't that the fundamental barrier? Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being since their own mortality is endurable only so long as it is universal. And for that reason they won't make me a human being.""What is it you're leading up to, Andrew?"Li-hsing asked. "I have removed that problem. Decades ago, my positronic brain was connected to organic nerves. Now, one last operation has arranged that connection in such a way that slowly-- quite slowly-- the potential is being drained from my pathways."Li-hsing's finely wrinkled face showed no expression for a moment. Then her lips tightened. "Do you mean you've arranged to die, Andrew? You can't have. That violates the Third Law.""No,"said Andrew, "I have chosen between the death of my body and the death of my aspirations and desires. To have let my body live at the cost of the greater death is what would have violated the Third Law."Li-hsing seized his arm as though she were about to shake him. She stopped herself. "Andrew, it won't work! Change it back.""It can't be done. Too much damage was done. I have a year to live more or less. I will last through the two-hundredth anniversary of my construction. I was weak enough to arrange that.""How can it be worth it? Andrew, you're a fool.""If it brings me humanity, that will be worth it. If it doesn't, it will bring an end to striving and that will be worth it, too."Then Li-hsing did something that astonished herself. Quietly, she began to weep.

22.

It was odd how that last deed caught the imagination of the world. All that Andrew had done before had not swayed them. But he had finally accepted even death to be human, and the sacrifice was too great to be rejected. The final ceremony was timed, quite deliberately, for the two hundredth anniversary. The World President was to sign the act and make the people's will law. The ceremony would be visible on a global network and would be beamed to the Lunar state and even to the Martian colony. Andrew was in a wheelchair. He could still walk, but only shakily. With mankind watching, the World President said, "Fifty years ago, you were declared The Sesquicentennial Robot, Andrew."After a pause, and in a more solemn tone, he continued, "Today we declare you The Bicentennial Man, Mr. Martin."And Andrew, smiling, held out his hand to shake that of the President.

23.

Andrew's thoughts were slowly fading as he lay in bed. Desperately he seized at them. Man! He was a man! He wanted that to be his last thought. He wanted to dissolve-- die with that. He opened his eyes one more time and for one last time recognized Li-hsing, waiting solemnly. Others were there, but they were only shadows, unrecognizable shadows. Only Li-hsing stood out against the deepening gray. Slowly, inchingly, he held out his hand to her and very dimly and faintly felt her take it. She was fading in his eyes as the last of his thoughts trickled away. But before she faded completely, one final fugitive thought came to him and rested for a moment on his mind before everything stopped. "Little Miss,"he whispered, too low to be heard.

-------------------

From <The Complete Robot>

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date: 1982-3

BY ISAAC ASIMOV

Copyright 1982 by Nightfall, Inc.

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