Elar said, "It is clear that you are not well, Dr. Venabili. Perhaps that means it is my turn to talk. May I?"
Dors's eyes opened and she simply stared.
"I'll take your silence for consent, Doctor. Of what use would it be for me to try to to get rid of Dr. Seldon and Dr. Amaryl in order to take my place as director? You would prevent any attempt I made at assassination, as you now think you are doing. In the unlikely case that I succeeded in such a project and was rid of the two great men, you would tear me to pieces afterward. You're a very unusual woman-strong and fast beyond belief-and while you are alive, the Maestro is safe."
"Yes," said Dors, glowering.
"I told this to the men of the junta. Why should they not consult me on matters involving the Project? They are very interested in psychohistory, as well they ought to be. It was difficult for them to believe what I told them about you-until you made your foray into the Palace grounds. That convinced them, you can be sure, and they agreed with my plan."
"Aha. Now we come to it," Dors said weakly.
"I told you the Electro-Clarifier cannot harm human beings. It cannot. Amaryl and your precious Hari are just getting old, though you refuse to accept it. So what? They are fine-perfectly human. The electromagnetic field has no effect of any importance on organic materials. Of course, it may have adverse effects on sensitive electromagnetic machinery and, if we could imagine a human being built of metal and electronics, it might have an effect on it. Legends tell us of such artificial human beings. The Mycogenians have based their religion on them and they call such beings "robots." If there were such a thing as a robot, one would imagine it would be stronger and faster by far than an ordinary human being, that it would have properties, in fact, resembling those you have, Dr. Venabili. And such a robot could, indeed, be stopped, hurt, even destroyed by an intense Electro-Clarifier, such as the one that I have here, one that has been operating at low energy since we began our conversation. That is why you are feeling ill, Dr. Venabili-and for the first time in your existence, I'm sure."
Dors said nothing, merely stared at the man. Slowly she sank into a chair.
Elar smiled and went on, "Of course, with you taken care of, there will be no problem with the Maestro and with Amaryl. The Maestro, in fact, without you, may fade out at once and resign in grief, while Amaryl is merely a child in his mind. In all likelihood, neither will have to be killed. How does it feel, Dr. Venabili, to be unmasked after all these years? I must admit, you were very good at concealing your true nature. It's almost surprising that no one else discovered the truth before now. But then, I am a brilliant mathematician-an observer, a thinker, a deducer. Even I would not have figured it out were it not for your fanatical devotion to the Maestro and the occasional bursts of superhuman power you seemed to summon at will-when he was threatened.
"Say good-bye, Dr. Venabili. All I have to do now is to turn the device to full power and you will be history."
Dors seemed to collect herself and rose slowly from her seat, mumbling, "I may be better shielded than you think." Then, with a grunt, she threw herself at Elar.
Elar, his eyes widening, shrieked and reeled back.
Then Dors was on him, her hand flashing. Its side struck Elar's neck, smashing the vertebrae and shattering the nerve cord. He fell dead on the floor.
Dors straightened with an effort and staggered toward the door. She had to find Hari. He had to know what had happened.
27
Hari Seldon rose from his seat in horror. He had never seen Dors look so, her face twisted, her body canted, staggering as though she were drunk.
"Dors! What happened! What's wrong!"
He ran to her and grasped her around the waist, even as her body gave way and collapsed in his arms. He lifted her (she weighed more than am ordinary woman her size would have, but Seldon was unaware of that at ** the moment) and placed her on the couch.
"What happened?" he said.
She told him, gasping, her voice breaking now and then, while he cradled her head and tried to force himself to believe what was happening.
"Elar is dead," she said. "I finally killed a human being. First time. Makes it worse."
"How badly are you damaged, Dors?"
"Badly. Elar turned on his device-full-when I rushed him."
"You can be readjusted."
"How? There's no one-on Trantor-who knows how. I need Daneel."
Daneel. Demerzel. Somehow, deep inside, Hari had always known. His friend-a robot-had provided him with a protector-a robot-to ensure that psychohistory and the seeds of the Foundations were given a chance to take root. The only problem was, Hari had fallen in love with his protector-a robot. It all made sense now. All the nagging doubts and the questions could be answered. And somehow, it didn't matter one bit. All that mattered was Dors.
"We can't let this happen."
"It must." Dors's eyes fluttered open and looked at Seldon. "Must. Tried to save you, but missed-vital point-who will protect you now?"
Seldon couldn't see her clearly. There was something wrong with his eyes. "Don't worry about me, Dors. It's you-It's you-"
"No. You, Hari. Tell Manella-Manella-I forgive her now. She did better than I. Explain to Wanda. You and Raych-take care of each other."
"No no no," said Seldon, rocking back and forth. "You can't do this. Hang on, Dors. Please. Please, my love."
Dors's head shook feebly and she smiled even more feebly. "Goodbye, Hari, my love. Remember always-all you did for me."
"I did nothing for you."
"You loved me and your love made me-human."