The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov Read Free Book Online

Baley leaned forward too, crying out, “Driver! Lower the top of the car!”
    And it was the human hand that moved quickly to the toggle switch and closed it again. The human hand held its place firmly thereafter.
    Panting a bit, Baley stared at Daneel.
    For a second Daneel was motionless, as though his positronic paths were momentarily out of stability in their effort to adjust to the new situation. But that passed quickly and then the robot’s hand was moving.
    Baley had anticipated that. Daneel would remove the human hand from the switch (gently, not hurting it), reactivate the transmitter, and countermand the order.
    Baley said, “You won’t get my hand away without hurting me. I warn you. You will probably have to break my fingers.”
    That was not so. Baley knew that. But Daneel’s movements stopped. Harm against harm. The positronic brain had to weigh probabilities and translate them into opposing potentials. It meant just a bit more hesitation.
    Baley said, “It’s too late.”
    His race was won. The top was sliding back and pouring into the car, now open, was the harsh white light of Solaria’s sun.
    Baley wanted to shut his eyes in initial terror, but fought the sensation. He faced the enormous wash of blue and green, incredible quantities of it. He could feel the undisciplined rush of air against his face, but could make out no details of anything. A moving something flashed past. It might have been a robot or an animal or an unliving something caught in a puff of air. He couldn’t tell. The car went past it too quickly.
    Blue, green, air, noise, motion—and over it all, beating down, furiously, relentlessly, frighteningly, was the white light that came from a ball in the sky.
    For one fleeting split moment he bent his head back and stared directly at Solaria’s sun. He stared at it, unprotected by the diffusing glass of the Cities’ uppermost-Level sunporches. He stared at the naked sun.
    And at that very moment he felt Daneel’s hands clamping down upon his shoulders. His mind crowded with thought during that unreal, whirling moment. He had to see! He had to see all he could. And Daneel must be there with him to keep him from seeing.
    But surely a robot would not dare use violence on a man. That thought was dominant. Daneel could not prevent him forcibly, and yet Baley felt the robot’s hands forcing him down.
    Baley lifted his arms to force those fleshless hands away and lost all sensation.

3
A VICTIM IS NAMED
    Baley was back in the safety of enclosure. Daneel’s face wavered before his eyes, and it was splotched with dark spots that turned to red when he blinked.
    Baley said, “What happened?”
    “I regret,” said Daneel, “that you have suffered harm despite my presence. The direct rays of the sun are damaging to the human eye, but I believe that the damage from the short exposure you suffered will not be permanent. When you looked up, I was forced to pull you down and you lost consciousness.”
    Baley grimaced. That left the question open as to whether he had fainted out of overexcitement (or fright?) or had been knocked unconscious. He felt his jaw and head and found no pain. He forbore asking the question direct. In a way he didn’t want to know.
    He said, “It wasn’t so bad.”
    “From your reactions, Partner Elijah, I should judge you had found it unpleasant.”
    “Not at all,” said Baley stubbornly. The splotches before his eyes were fading and they weren’t tearing so. “I’m only sorry I saw so little. We were moving too fast. Did we pass a robot?”
    “We passed a number of them. We are traveling across the Kinbald estate, which is given over to fruit orchards.”
    “I’ll have to try again,” said Baley.
    “You must not, in my presence,” said Daneel. “Meanwhile, I have done as you requested.”
    “As I requested?”
    “You will remember, Partner Elijah, that before you ordered the driver to lower the top of the car, you had ordered me to ask the driver how