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The figure was tall, taller even than Lucky It was nearly seven feet tall, in fact, and broad in proportion All of the figure that ht the Sun&039;s rays, black with shadohere it did not

But underneath that ears, tubes, a y and produced the gaometer

The lis were straddled far apart as it stood there facing Lucky What passed for its eyes were two photoelectric cells that gleamed a deep red Its mouth was a slash across the metal on the lower part of its face

It was a lance to know that it was no robot of Earth&039;s manufacture Earth had invented the posi-tronic robot, but it had never built any model like this

The robot&039;s h it were speaking

Lucky said, "I cannot hear sound in a vacuu that it was essential to establish himself as a man and therefore a master at once "Switch to radio"

And now the robot&039;s mouth remained motionless but a voice sounded in Lucky&039;s receiver, harsh and uneven, with the words unnaturally spaced It said, "What is your business, sir? Why are you here?"

"Do not question me," said Lucky "Why are you here?"

A robot could only be truthful It said, "I have been instructed to destroy certain objects at intervals"

"By whom?"

"I have been instructed not to answer that question"

"Are you of Sirian manufacture?"

"I was constructed on one of the planets of the Sirian Confederation"

Lucky frowned The creature&039;s voice was quite unpleasant The few robots of Earth manufacture that Lucky had had occasion to see in experimental laboratories had been outfitted with voices boxes which, by direct sound or by radio, seemed as pleasant and natural as a well-cultivated human voice Surely the Sirians would have improved on that

Lucky&039;s mind shifted to a more immediate problem He said, "I must find a shadowed area Come with me"

The robot said at once, "I will direct you to the nearest shade" It set off at a trot, its ularity

Lucky followed the creature He needed no direction to reach the shade, but he lagged behind to watch the robot&039;s gait

What had see or a clumsy pace, turned out, at close hand, to be a pronounced limp A limp and a harsh voice Two imperfections in this robot whose outer appearance was that of a nificent mechanical ht not be adjusted to the heat and radiation of Mercury Exposure had dae of regret at that It was too beautiful to have to endure such daarded the machine with admiration Underneath that e platinum-indium about the size of a human brain Within it, quadrillions of quadrillions of positrons ca and vanished inand vanished they traced precalculated paths which duplicated, in a si cells of the huineers had calculated out those positronic paths to suit huned the "Three Laws of Robotics"

The First Laas that a robot could not har ca could substitute for it

The Second Laas that a robot must obey orders except those that would break the First Law

The Third Law allowed a robot to protect itself, provided the First and Second Laeren&039;t broken

Lucky came out of his short reverie when the robot sturound that Lucky could see, no trifling ridge that ht his toe If there had been, a line of black shadoould have revealed it

The ground was table-smooth at that point The robot&039;s stride had simply broken for no reason and thrown hi about wildly Having done that, it resu had happened

Lucky thought: It&039;s definitely in poor working order

They entered the shadow together, and Lucky turned on his suit-light

He said, "You do wrong to destroy necessary equip harm to men"

There was no emotion in the robot&039;s face; there could be none Nor was there e orders"

"That is the Second Law," said Lucky severely "Still, you s That would be to violate the First Law"

"I have not seen any men I have harmed no one"

"You have harmed men you did not see I tell you that"

"I have harmed no man," said the robot stubbornly, and Lucky frowned at the unthinking repetition Despite its polished appearance, perhaps it was not a very advanced model

The robot went on "I have been instructed to avoid , but I was not warned about you"

Lucky stared out past the shadow at the glittering Mercurian landscape, ruddy and gray for the e area of the crumbly black material which seeht of Mindes spotting the robot twice (his story et closer His own secret invasion of the Sun-side, coometer, had turned the trick, fortunately

He said suddenly and forcefully, "Who warned you to avoid men?"

Lucky didn&039;t really expect to catch the robot A robot&039;s ht It cannot be tricked or fooled, anyat the switch and pretending to close contact

The robot said, "I have been instructed not to answer that question" Then slowly, creakily, as though the words were coainst its will, it said, "I do not wish you to ask such questions any longer They are disturbing"

Lucky thought: To break the First Laould bestill

Deliberately he stepped out of the shadow into the sunlight

He said to the robot, who followed, "What is your serial number?"

"Very well, RL-726, you understand I am a man?"

"Yes"