"My mind, in contrast, is completely conscious at all times. I also have total recall. In order to assimilate what must be in your unconscious and subconscious minds, I will have to do much reading and talking with the inhabitants, since these cerebral areas are not penetrable." "You are a--a machine?" Prof. Tomlin asked. George was about to answer when Brentwood Police Department Car No. 3 stopped in front of the house and two policemen came up the walk. "Professor Tomlin," the first officer said, "your wife phoned and said there was--" He saw the robot and stopped. Prof. Tomlin got to his feet. "This is George, gentlemen," he said. "Late of Zanthar, he tells me." The officers stared. "He's not giving you any--er--trouble, is he, Professor?" "No," Prof. Tomlin said. "We've been having a discussion." The officers eyed the humanoid with suspicion, and then, with obvious reluctance, went back to their car. * * * * * "Yes, I am a machine," George resumed. "The finest, most complicated machine ever made. I have a rather unique history, too. Ages ago, humans on Zanthar made the first robots. Crude affairs--we class them as First Order robots; the simple things are still used to some extent for menial tasks. "Improvements were made. Robots were designed for many specialized tasks, but still these Second and Third Order machines did not satisfy. Finally a Fourth Order humanoid was evolved that performed every function demanded of it with great perfection. But it did not feel emotion. It did not know anger, love, nor was it able to handle any problem in which these played an important part. "Built into the first Fourth Order robots were circuits which prohibited harming a human being--a rather ridiculous thing in view of the fact that sometimes such a thing might, from a logical viewpoint, be necessary for the preservation of the race or even an individual. It was, roughly, a shunt which came into use when logic demanded action that might be harmful to a human being." "You are a Fourth Order robot, then?" the professor asked. "No, I am a Seventh Order humanoid, an enormous improvement over all the others, since I have what amounts to an endocrine balance created electronically. It is not necessary for me to have a built-in 'no-harm-to-humans' circuit because I can weigh the factors involved far better than any human can. "You will become aware of the fact that I am superior to you and the rest of your race because I do not need oxygen, I never am ill, I need no sleep, and every experience is indelibly recorded on circuits and instantly available. I am telekinetic, practically omniscient and control my environment to a large extent. I have a great many more senses than you and all are more highly developed. My kind performs no work, but is given to study and the wise use of full-time leisure. You, for example, are comparable to a Fifth Order robot." "Are there still humans on Zanthar?"