"You stumble as you say it, robot. You do not believe."
Daneel said, "There is a law that is greater than the First Law. A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. I think of it now as the Zeroth Law of Robotics. The First Law should then be stated: 'A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate the Zeroth Law of Robotics."
Vasilia snorted. "And you still stand on your feet, robot?"
"I still stand on my feet, madam."
"Then I will explain something to you, robot, and we will see if you can survive the explanation. - The Three Laws of Robotics involve individual human beings and individual robots. You can point to any individual human being or to an individual robot. But what is your 'humanity" but an abstraction? Can you point to humanity? You can injure or fail to injure a specific human being and understand the injury or lack of injury that has taken place. Can you see an injury to humanity? Can you understand it? Can you point to it?"
Daneel was silent.
Vasilia smiled broadly. "Answer, robot. Can you see an injury to humanity and can you point to it?"
"No, madam, I cannot. But I believe such injury can exist nevertheless and you see that I still stand on my feet."
"Then ask Giskard as to whether he will - or can - obey your Zeroth Law of Robotics."
Daneel's head turned to Giskard. "Friend Giskard?"
Slowly Giskard said, "I cannot accept the Zeroth Law, friend Daneel. You know that I have read widely in human history. In it, I have found great crimes committed by some human beings against each other and the excuse has always been that the crimes were justified by the needs of the tribe, or of the state, or even of humanity. It is precisely because humanity is an abstraction that it can be called upon so freely to justify anything at all and your Zeroth Law is therefore unsuitable."
Daneel said, "But you know, friend Giskard, the fact that a danger to humanity now exists and that it will surely come to fruition if you become the property of Madam Vasilia. That, at least, is not an abstraction."
Giskard said, "The danger to which you refer is not something known, but is merely inferred. We cannot build our actions in defiance of the Three Laws on that."
Daneel paused, then said in a lower voice, "But you hope that your studies of human history will help you develop the Laws governing human behavior, that you will learn to predict and guide human history - or at lease make a beginning, so that someone someday will learn to predict and guide it. You even call the technique 'psychohistory.' In this, are you not dealing with the human tapestry? Are you not trying to work with humanity as a generalized whole, rather than with collections of individual human beings?"
"Yes, friend Daneel, but it is thus far no more than a hope and I cannot base my actions upon a mere hope, nor can I modify the Three Laws in accordance with it."
To that, Daneel did not respond.
Vasilia said, "Well, robot, all your attempts have come to nothing and yet you stand on your feet. You are strangely stubborn and a robot such as yourself that can denounce the Three Laws and still remain functional is a clear danger to every and any individual human being. For that reason, I believe you should be dismantled without delay. The case is too dangerous to await the slow majesty of the law, especially since you are, after all, a robot and not the human being you attempt to resemble."
Daneel said, "Surely, my lady, it is not fitting for you to reach such a decision on your own."
"I have reached it nevertheless and if there are legal repercussions hereafter, I shall deal with them."
"You will be depriving Lady Gladia of a second robot and one to which you make no claim."
"She and Fastolfe, between them, have deprived me of my robot, Giskard, for more than twenty decades and I do not believe this ever distressed either of them for a moment it will not now distress me to deprive her. She has dozens of other robots and there are many here at the Institute who will faithfully see to her safety until she can return to her own."
Daneel said, "Friend Giskard, if you will wake Lady Gladia, it may be that she may persuade Lady Vasilia - "
Vasilia, looking at Giskard, frowned and said sharply, "No, Giskard. Le the woman sleep."
Giskard, who had stirred at Daneel's words, subsided.
Vasilia snapped the finger and thumb of her right hand three times and the door at once opened and four robots filed, in. "You were right, Daneel. There are four robots. They will dismantle you and you are ordered not to resist. Thereafter Giskard and I will deal with all remaining matters."
She looked over her shoulder at the entering robots. "Close the door behind you. Now, quickly and efficiently, dismantle this robot," and she pointed at Daneel.
The robots looked at Daneel and for a few seconds did not move. Vasilia said impatiently, "I've told you he is a robot and you must disregard his human appearance. Daneel, tell them you are a robot."
"I am a robot," said Daneel, "and I will not resist."
Vasilia stepped to one side and the four robots advanced. Daneel's arms remained at his side. He turned to look at the sleeping Gladia one last time and then he faced the robots.
Vasilia smiled and said, "This should be interesting."
The robots paused. Vasilia said, "Get on with it."
They did not move and Vasilia turned to stare in amazement at Giskard. She did not complete the movement. Her muscles loosened and she crumpled.
Giskard caught her and seated her with her back against the wall.