kore_logs | And the lights go out...

"No, I am not."

He's curious; there are a number of way someone might identify him as something other than human, but most people don't notice, don't know what very subtle cues to look for.

"I am a humaniform robot." Faint surprise, but nothing more, and he's certainly not reluctant to share this information. "If I may ask, how did you know?"

"A robot?" There are Archangels here, as well as a vampire and people who have traveled amongst the stars. Of course there's a robot.

Brigid is taken aback a little, still. She's not sure what to think about that. Not only that, but she wants to know everything all of a sudden. But his next question makes her bite her bottom lip. She shouldn't have been so bold.

"You don't have a heartbeat." Brigid finally admits. She can't hear it, or regular breathing. It's bothersome.

"No, I do not." It's still curious, because although it's certainly true, how can she know that? She certainly hasn't had opportunity to take his pulse.

Elsewhere, he might be stumped, but here there is an obvious solution, one he's learned to turn to by this point.

"Either you are not human," he says, carefully and politely, "or you are human but in possession of abilities that are not conventional for the species. If you can hear my lack of a circulatory system, this would seem to be true."

Edited 2013-08-23 19:01 (UTC)

She waits for the inevitable questions. They always come. However, with everyone else here – and ANGELS no less – she has a standard answer. “I have enhanced hearing. I can hear the heartbeats and breathing of people.” Brigid smiles a little. “It’s part of the reason I stay out here. Much quieter.” None of that is a lie; it’s just not the whole truth.

Her conversation with Gabriel comes back to haunt her for a moment, but she takes a deep breath and refuses to let the fear overwhelm her again. She hasn’t been back to the church since that day, and hasn’t prayed at all, keeping them under wraps, since the Archangel had been so offended. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I haven’t met many that aren’t human.”

"You have not offended me," Daneel says at once, though he's listening to the emotional fall of her mind with some concern. "You merely surprised me. I'm not making any effort to hide what I am, but neither are many here able to identify me as non-human so immediately. We need not discuss your abilities further, if it distresses you."

Human or not -- and it doesn't escape him that she gave him an incomplete answer -- if he is going to judge all sentients as equal under his programming's definition of human, then he can't make her uncomfortable without a very good reason.

"Why not?" She bites her bottom lip. "Hide what you are, I mean." They do it at home, and it sometimes serves them well.

Brigid nods to the rock she'd been sitting on. "You can sit with me, if you'd be more comfortable. I'd like to ask a few questions, if you don't mind." Brigid is interested in societies that don't take the outcasts and chuck them out further.

"Thank you for the invitation. I will certainly answer whatever questions you may have."

Daneel sits down beside her, folding his hands demurely in his lap. It would be a lie to say he's not interested in Brigid, in the puzzle she presents, but politeness first, and he's an open book.

"While I can and have allowed myself to pass as human, when I first arrived there seemed no reason to do so, not realising that so many here were unfamiliar with robots in general. In addition, resources have grown increasingly scarce, and I do not wish for any to be wasted on me. Pretending to be human would likely mean going through the motions of eating or sleeping, neither of which I require. On the whole, it is both better and easier for me to do good here if I am recognised as what I am."

Brigid wraps her arms around her knees again, watching out over the sea. She can hear so many things, this close to him. There's just the slightest differences, but they're there and they're easier to pick out now that she knows they're there.

"Is it the same at home for you? Do you pretend to be human or are you openly a robot?" She cannot imagine a place where wolves can walk openly with the humans.

Daneel gives the question some thought.

"Typically, I have been open. Humaniform robots are not common, although there have been a handful of instances where I was ordered to pretend to be human. For example, robots are not permitted in Earth Cities. On Earth, robots are relegated to work in fields or mines where humans do not or cannot go."

It's simply a fact for him, his own servitude and subservience. Though he might question his personhood, it's still his role to protect and serve humanity.

"On Spacer worlds, robots are very common. Statistics vary from world to world, but an estate might have anywhere from a dozen robots to several thousand."

Not allowed in Earth cities. Something that worries her, should the wolves ever be open. "So, your home is well-versed with robots and other forms of sentient life? Are there many different species from different worlds on Earth?"

She wants to know everything.

A shadow of a frown flickers across Daneel's face. "There are no other species other than humans, and the robots they created, where I am from. There are no individuals with special powers, no extraterrestrial intelligences."

He's... fairly certain of this.

"I... admit that I have witnessed a degree of telepathic ability, if that can be considered unusual, but certainly nothing like what I have witnessed here."

"All that area in space and no one else in it? That's... disheartening." It's the only word she can think of to describe it. "So, no one with heightened senses? Or, close clan groups that are particularly insular for no apparent reason?"

Packs had a tendency to be like that. She knew. She'd watched other families who weren't nearly as close. But packs are insular, they do cut themselves off some. It's just the way they survive.

"Earth society is not really well adapted for secrecy," Daneel considers, doubtfully. "There is no privacy to speak of, except that which is pretended. Friendships may exist, of course, but behaviour unusually insular and exclusive of others would be remarks upon. On Spacer worlds, on the other hand, privacy is valued to such an extent that few have intimacies of any sort."

He considers. "In either situation, it's possible but, I fear, unlikely. What precisely were you thinking of?"

"Unusual." She murmurs watching out over the sea. She can smell the salt and the water. The soft splash of a fish reaches her ears. If she can catch it, that'll be tomorrow's dinner.

Brigid thinks about how to answer his question. "My kind have a tendency to be insular and removed in certain aspects. Nothing too blatant - we aren't weirdo survivalists or anything like that - but enough that sometimes it's looked at a bit differently." She shrugs, her bomber jacket creaking softly. "It would be a sign that there were my kind in your world, that's all."

"I fear such things would not be possible where I am from, not at present." Daneel is almost apologetic. "'Your kind,' as you put it, are unlikely to exist in the reality I come from. This is the case for many individuals I have met here."

He's not sure whether that's good or bad; it throws so many variables into calculating the path of humanity -- already an impossible task -- that the Zeroth Law would become even more difficult than it already is.

"It's just interesting. I hope it would mean that we haven't died out completely, but become so integrated that no one sees us as anything different, but I doubt it." The Alphas would never allow it. Neither would the Emissaries. It's something to think about, though.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grill you about things. I just find the future as fascinating as the past, sometimes. Though, I'm much more well-versed in history." Then, she thinks about something. "Is us being without power going to be an issue for you?"

Daneel shakes his head. "No. I have an internal power source which should last for many centuries before it needs to be replaced."

Which is, honestly, something that is mildly disconcerting. There's a guilt in that; he possesses something that could help many people here, but he's powerless to give it to them.

"I would gladly allow it to be removed if it could provide protection to those here, and perhaps escape, but... circumstances do not allow me to make that decision."

"But wouldn't removing that irreparably damage you?" Brigid asks, concerned. "Yes, we're without power, but that's no reason to destroy one of the people staying here."

She believes him a person, because to her, he is.

She shakes her head. "I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with you making such a sacrifice, even if you could. I don't know any martyrs and am in no hurry to meet any, either."

All life is sacred, after all.

"Without a flow of power to my brain, I would cease functioning," Daneel confirms, "and yes, it would be permanent. Another positronic brain might be fitted into my body, but it would not be... myself. There are too many variables involved; as no two organic brains might be identical, neither or no two positronic brains. Even if it could have my memories, the new robot would not be myself. It would mean my... death, if you prefer."

Not an easy word for him to use regarding himself.

"As it is, I have been prevented from taking such an action."

She shivers. Not out of cold, but out of how clinical he sounds. She tightens her arms on her legs and just listens as he speaks.

"Wait. Prevented?" Brigid twists her head to look at him. "How?" She's pretty sure their lack of technology would mean that they couldn't remove it anyway, but prevention sounds a bit more ominous.

"When I arrived, I was informed that any attempt to remove any part of me would result in the death of every individual here," Daneel says. He's... not eager to speak of this. It's... uncomfortable to have his existence so directly tied to the welfare of humans. As preference, he would mention this to no one unless necessary. At the same time... he recognises it isn't something that should be hidden.

"I recognise that this might be a bluff on their part, but it is not a risk I am willing to take."

Her eyes widen and she looks at him. "I'm so, so sorry they did that to you." Brigid actually means it. She hates to see anyone bullied and that's exactly what is happening here. They're bullying this poor guy into being responsible for everyone's lives.

"No, I wouldn't want you to take the risk either. Not just out of self-preservation, but because it isn't fair to ask you to die so the rest of us can be more comfortable." Brigid knows they can survive without electricity. Not well, but they can survive.

"If I could be assured that such a sacrifice would ensure the safety, and perhaps the escape of everyone here, I would gladly make that sacrifice." Daneel is solemn as he says it. "Mere comfort, perhaps, is not worth a trade for what I can do if I'm functioning."

But he can't, and he won't, and he only worries a little about the possibility of someone taking it upon themselves to salvage parts from him in the case of his meeting with an accident; under normal circumstances, that would be wise, but not here.

"I do not... wish... to cease functioning, but neither could I selfishly withhold what might be mine to give. It is irrelevant, in any case."

Edited 2013-08-26 19:09 (UTC)

She shakes her head and reaches out to touch his arm. "No. Even if there is a guarantee of leaving, I don't think you should sacrifice yourself. There is always a better way." Brigid isn't going to allow anyone to sacrifice themselves for some ridiculous notion that it's the only way out. There's always another way.

Sighing, she pulls her hand back. "Do we even know where the power was coming from? Could it be as simple as an overloaded grid or something?" She's not an electrical engineer but Carlos had said something like that once.

"I admit I'm not familiar enough with the structure of power grids of the appropriate time period to say, one way or the other."

It's an unfortunate reality of being so far ahead of so many people here. The touch on his arm, too, is a reminder of such different cultural norms. It's a gesture one would make towards an equal, a fellow person. He knows he's more approachable than a standard robot just because of his appearance, but this is something more than that.

It's... pleasant.

"You do not have experience with robots, I suspect."

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