Asimov’s Future History Volume 15
Page 69
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: m ordinary woman her size would have, but Seldon was unaware of that; it 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.”
Her eyes remained open, but Dors had ceased functioning.
Yugo Amaryl came storming into Seldon’s office. “Hari, the riots are beginning, sooner and harder even than exp–”
And then he stared at Seldon and Dors and whispered, “What happened?”
Seldon looked up at him in agony. “Riots! What do I care about riots now?–What do I care about anything now?”
Sources of Dates
(For Volume 15)
AD =Anno Domini
GE =Galactic Era
FE =Foundational Era
Foundation’s Fear Shortly after “Eto Demerzel”
“Cleon I” Ten years after “Eto Demerzel”
“Dors Venabili” Ten years after “Cleon I”
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Foundation’s Fear
Rendezvous
Part 1
Mathist; Minister
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Part 2
The Rose Meets The Scalpel
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
23.
24.
Rendezvous
Part 3
Body Politics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Part 4
A Sense Of Self
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Rendezvous
Part 5
Panucopia
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Part 6
Ancient Fogs
1.
2.
3.
Rendezvous
Part 7
Stars Like Grains Of Sand
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Rendezvous
Part 8
The Eternal Equations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
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18.
Cleon I
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Dors Venabili
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
; 10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
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17.
18.
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21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
Sources of Dates