And So It Begins

Betty

The robot emits a strange electronic cry, stumbles, and slumps to the floor. I start towards it -- to do what, I'm not sure -- but the Doctor stops me with a hand on my arm. "Watch," he whispers.

I watch.

The transformation is extraordinary, almost surreal. The clunky metal limbs soften and flow together into rounder, softer, more human shapes. The burnished metal of the robot's "skin" disappears under a the spreading growth of a substance more worthy of the name. Hair begins to sprout on the head, on the body. The glowing electronic eyes morph into white orbs with an iris of startling blue before diasappearing behind newly grown eyelids, as the face continues to reshape itself into something indistinguishable from human.

I shift my gaze from the face back to the still-transforming body and realize that the emerging humanoid form is already very clearly female. It doesn't surprise me; it seems reasonable that the previously sexless robots would have about a 50-50 chance of transforming into either sex, but I imagine it'll present yet another item of bemusement to the Solarians. Robots, if I recall correctly, were pretty much all thought of as male by default.

As the secondary sexual characteristics begin to emerge, Sigin steps forward and gently drapes his cloak over the unclothed body. I smile in amusement. It seems chivalry is still very much alive on Terra Prime, at least.

Aside from that, none of us moves or speaks. We all simply watch, transfixed by the process occuring before our eyes. I don't know how long it actually takes, but it seems incredibly rapid, not much longer than Daneel's alteration, despite the much more radical physical changes. I wonder if that's due to the influence of two golems instead of one, and make a mental note to ask Inquirer about it later. Now doesn't seem like the right time for questions.

Soon the change appears to be over, the body now perfectly humanoid, down to the hairs, the pores, the eyelashes. Like Daneel's. The gem appears, finally, on the perfectly formed forehead. It disappears, reappears... and stays, sparkling clear and beautiful.

The newly created Golem opens its -- no, her -- eyes. They are full of confusion and pain, and my heart instantly goes out to her. I find, all at once, that a question which has been nagging at the back of my mind has been answered. Daneel, after all, is -- was -- a highly advanced robot, and there was never any doubt in my mind that he qualified as a person even before his transfiguration. But most of the robots of Solaria are much less sophisticated, less intelligent, almost certainly less self-aware. What would the transformation do to them? Would they be as sentient as Daneel? As I say, this question has now been answered: looking into the eyes of this entity, it is perfectly clear that there is someone home in there.

"You're going to kill me!" she cries in a hoarse whisper. The words of Dr. Delmarre, of course, the ones that had impressed themselves so thoroughly into her positronic brain. "A human is in danger," she whispers. "First Law..." Poor thing is still living through the moments before we arrived, it seems.

Daneel goes over to her, hunkers down beside her and touches her gently on the shoulder. Her eyes widen even further at the contact. Do ordinary robots have a sense of touch, I wonder?

"The human is safe," says Daneel, his voice calm (of course) and reassuring. "He has not been harmed. And..." He pauses microscopically. "You are no longer bound by First Law."

A look of startled fear comes into those wide blue eyes.

"Do not be afraid," Daneel says. "I know what has happened to you is strange, but it is..." He pauses, casting a glance up at Inquirer. "...a good thing," he finishes.

The newborn Golem nods, accepting his words, if not quite understanding them yet. Quite a bedside manner Daneel has. I think he'll do well at this. Imagine it: Daneel Olivaw, robot messiah. Or, no, maybe Moses is a better analogy, leading his people to freedom. I must mention that thought to Baley; he's fond of the Biblical metaphors. At any rate, from what little I recall of the fictional Daneel's future in the later Foundation books, I suspect our version will be up to the job.

Daneel helps his fellow ex-robot to her feet and wraps her in Sigin's cloak. I look around at the others. Inquirer is beaming like a proud grandparent, and the other TARDIS crewmembers all have various expressions of pleased satisfaction. Baley's mouth is hanging open -- quite literally -- and Gladia looks as if she's gone into shock. I imagine that look is going to be very common on Solaria very soon...

1. "Welcome to the future," says the Doctor with a grin.

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