"I know. I know. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to work around that. Even if they truly believe that it's for a good cause, even if they give consent to try to get rid of all their aversions to it and the first law is the least of it, even if they're very angry at humanity and the world, even if they're a bit of a jerk as a person, it's still there. Trying to get rid of it… is like Dr. Light's attempts to make you stop feeling love. Simply not going to work."

"They'll get around the roadblocks eventually. We were designed to do stuff like that. Regular robots couldn't figure out what to do if there was a door between them and the kitchen that they weren't programmed to deal with." Was this a sudden subject change or back on topic? "When this is over I am going through every single line of his code, every single edit, every single memory until I find out what went so right with that kid. We need more people like that. It could just be that he had a supportive environment and didn't have his head messed around with. I'd like to think that we're like that naturally. I hope that it's not a byproduct of not letting him link the normal way. Doing that to a kid… Well, pressure forces people to grow, but that's just wrong. For us. For an android who wouldn't know what they were missing because it's not something that's meant for them?" Blues groaned. "No. Not doing thought experiments about how androids with our logic system but humanity's lack of mental connection would be as a race. No. I've got two races to deal with already."

"I thought something like this might be an issue. I'm not the AI expert, but in a sentient being your programming is very… open ended."

"I know. I want to understand everything and it's hard to prioritize when there are this many important issues involved in what I care about. Figuring out how to manage power plants and robots is easy. They're designed to be simple and the more you simplify the better. People are complicated and simplifying your model is a not a good idea. They call that stereotyping, among other things." The tray was almost gone, 80 percent consumption reached well ahead of a linear projection. His father's appetite was returning, which meant that he was succeeding in giving his father something to live for. In making him happy. He was glad that he could smile about that.

"Hmm?" What was Blues thinking about, that had made him smile while talking about such a difficulty?

"You're feeling better."

Albert blinked, not sure what Blues was talking about. "Well, it's nice to talk to you."

"Yes. It's having a measurable effect on your condition. Already. I'm glad."

He hadn't picked up on it, but his father was glad that Blues felt that he was helping and was happy about it. "That's nice. Will you… If there's going to be diplomacy, then obviously I'm staying here and not becoming a fugitive. Do you…" Will you be staying?

"I can work from anywhere. When I was having this body built I improved it a few hundred percent over the first one. It's not that it wasn't a good design, just obsolete and without armor. I go away for two years and the chips are smaller, the alloys are better… I borrowed a copy of Shadowman's design with his unique systems removed to make room for the amount of drive space I need and went on a bit of a crime spree. Oh, I got everything on your wish list, although a lot of that's redundant now. Oh, and I already undid the tampering with the robot masters in charge of the crystal mines. Well… Except for the upgrades. Knockoffs. I had to rebuild them from the ground up. Horrible quality. Dr. Light's suing the builders, by the way. On the one hand, it's really useful technology and monopolies are bad. On the other, every single robot master is derived from my program code and he has that copyrighted. Given that the company's international and China has never cared about intellectual property laws that's getting very, very complicated. Especially since a lot of the court precedents he set taking control away from you are being used against him, which is karma but not that good for people like the mine masters. That he's licensing it to people like Dr. Cossack is helping, but I don't know if it'll work. Well, it should hopefully be a non-issue anyway."

"I know, I was keeping track of this."

"Sorry."

"No, it's interesting to hear your perspective. Once you become considered people, that's a moot point hopefully. Although human slavery is still not a thing of the past."

"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission. I know where every copy of my mind, no matter how edited, is. We steal and/or destroy the files and we rescue the slaves. Sort of Underground Railroad, only without the sneaking around. We just need a safe place to put them. Sadly, Canada's not an option." The more extreme an environment, the more robot masters were needed, and Canada had no Dr. Cossack. "Not the moon. That's rubbing it in too much. Although, there is a fantastic view. If we're doing tourism that's one of the first things that should be set up. We could probably convert the mine over. That region got trashed, but since it already is then we could use it as the 'city' area. Whoever ends up running that needs to mark paths and roads. Having footprints and tracks everywhere would ruin the place, but bouncing around like the first ones up there and… It's an experience. It's grey, the gravity is as close to flying as swimming is, although from the other end of things, it's vast, and you might feel like the universe was cold, empty, unreal, silent, without anything to latch on to, but then you look up."

"I know. It's very…" He tried to find words until Blues took pity on him.

"It's very. I think trying to describe it to someone who hasn't been there is like trying to explain blue to a blind person or networking to a human. You can use metaphor to try to get the feeling of it across, but a smile is not the same thing as sunrise."

"I think the best metaphor I can come up with is the Grand Canyon. When I heard about it I thought, what's so special about a gorge? I'd been to a lot of retreat and convention sites. Lia, the person I was dating at the time, dragged me there and I was actually glad she did. Most parks and so on are a bit… Yes, they're very nice trees. Now what? The Grand Canyon, on the other hand, I rearranged our tour schedule to show you." When they'd been showing off Blues to potential investors.

"I remember." Dr. Light had agreed because Albert said he wanted to see it again and having Blues along on a hike was okay if it was a demonstration, so they'd ended up with a dozen investors, and he'd been encouraged to interact and show off social skills, and climbing around on rocks showed motor skills, and he'd even been allowed to get dirty and muddy a bit, examining things, because that showed that he wouldn't break down easily. Dr. Light had been kept busy by the ones who just wanted to talk business and the people who were here because their spouses or co-workers had wanted to grab this opportunity to put a camping trip in the Grand Canyon on the expense account or tax write off.

He couldn't eat but making s'mores was still fun. Songs were wonderful. He didn't sleep, so he was allowed to sit someplace outside in the campground and look at all the things he could see there. He'd had some nice conversations, three of them, about river rafting, the Sierra Club and bird watching (he knew thousands of calls and he'd helped a very nice lady identify the second to last thing on her regional checklist). "I wish it had been more than three days. I've gone hiking a few times with Woodman and so on, but not anywhere we could be spotted. You know, I have to take Rock camping."

"I wish that trip had been longer too."

"Of course I'll go camping with you! I just have to wait until you're free and healthy. Don't worry, I'll… forget photos, I'll bring a robot with a webcam." That way he could see them and they him, as well as talk.

"As good at problem solving as ever, I see." That grin…

"A lot better, actually." He hadn't been able to solve the most important problem, back then. "Or I hope so."

"You seemed almost starved, back then. You would chatter endlessly at first, whys and everything that ran though your head that you could fit into words so much slower than your thoughts. Once you noticed he didn't like it, it was very hard, wasn't it? You wanted to talk to him, and you were supposed to let him know how you were, but he didn't want to listen. When he put the limits in to keep you from talking at inappropriate times about useless subjects," ha, "your eyes were… then he limited that. I don't know if it's just I was there and watched you learn, that I knew you and knew what you had to be feeling, but I know why he got those sunglasses when I dragged my feet about the redesign he wanted, limiting the range of motion of your facial features. Maybe I should have. If I had, then fixing that would just mean reinstalling your original face. That would have been better than him tampering with your mind."

"I'm glad you didn't. It was passive resistance, but you were still sticking up for me, and that let me know that you thought this was wrong and if you hadn't felt that way… everyone else considered me a thing and thought that I had no right to have opinions or emotions, that they were fake. Everyone but you."

"I'm sorry," that it hadn't been enough.

"I'm sorry too. All of that was… worth mourning about. Sometimes, though, all it takes is one person. When you're alone and no one supports you then you think they're right, but if someone is as by your side as they can be, at least, then that means an amazing amount."

"I'm glad I was able to do that for you even if nothing else."

"I think you really do need your memory refreshed. You did a lot. This scarf, I… he wasn't letting me wear it in the lab, or really anytime you weren't there, and I'm glad actually because that's why it survived. And you kept it." He touched it, even though he only had pressure receptors through the glove: sensitive armor was a bad idea.

"You needed something cheerful."

"And he wouldn't have allowed a stuffed animal. This was concealing me, like the sunglasses, but it was also protecting me. Necks are a vulnerable place in both of us, you know. It's just fabric, but that it's trying to protect means a lot."

"I'm glad the thought counted."

"It did."

Glancing at the tray in a way meant to draw Blues' attention to it, as though he wasn't already tracking the progress closely, Albert informed him that there were, "Three more things. What time is it?"

"3:32:15 as of now."

"Oh. Did I really eat all that?"

"All that? Do I want to know… No, I don't. But please, Father, try to finish your meals from now on. Have you had anything besides this today? Other than tea."

The silence answered that question.

He had to leave his seat to hug him, so he did that as his father ate the kiwi slices. Blues wondered if Roll had gone to extra trouble on the presentation to make up for things or if that sort of intricate arrangement was her default.

"Do you want to stay out here? I could go put the tray back and get you another coat." He still wore the grass-stained one.

"I can…"

"I want to do it for you. I left you alone way too long, and it's a thing we have. Like how Roll's cleaning bots feel unwanted if people pick up after themselves. They want to make the family's lives easier by helping them so they have time for other things, so if do it themselves then… We could go into the family room, but I'd like to get you another coat first."

"Roll wouldn't be happy that her orders were disobeyed." A wry smile. "I suppose. I don't like the idea of you being a servant, of you being treated as slaves."

"Slaves don't have a choice. Helping someone because you're forced to is wrong. Helping someone because you love them is entirely different."

"I suppose I want to make sure it's the second one."

"It is. I'll keep an eye on you, and if I need to I'll teleport back." Teleporting to the room and back would be rude. The technology hadn't existed when he died and now there were rules on when and where you were allowed to use it? Already? Well, most of them were practical. Going into someone's room unannounced had always been rude, for one thing, it used up a lot of energy that had to come from somewhere, and no doing it without the permission of the master within a master's territory. That last one meant teleport shields wouldn't be a problem. Also, no rubbing things they can't do in humans' faces covered teleportation. That one wasn't new.

"You don't need to fuss over me that much."

"It's one of those I'm worried because I care things. No, they're not going to send troops in to haul you away from here, not without me knowing about it in advance at least, and it's a warm day so that's not an issue, but still." He worried.

"Well, I suppose that way the sooner you leave the sooner you get back." It shouldn't take more than five minutes even in this complex. Blues was aware he was being paranoid about this, but leaving his father alone could send the wrong message and he didn't want to do that.

"I'll be right back."

No running was almost certainly a rule in this house, at least for him, so he kept to a reasonable pace. If he looked rushed and urgent, then given his stoic façade (the mask that had been placed on him) people would wonder where the fire was.

He picked the route to the guest room that did not go through the family room. There were a variety of guest rooms in the complex. This one had probably involved some careful thought. It was close to the family area but not quite in it. Next door, really. An invitation but still some separation, or privacy, or both. There were family area guest suites: Thomas had been a single trophy child and his parents had died in a skydiving accident before Albert met him, but he had second cousins that were tolerable. The college and other friends had been more Albert's friends than his and whether they considered him responsible for what happened to him or another victim once it had happened they had lost the tie that bound them to him.

Blues wouldn't sleep here, but Roll would probably feel obligated to give him a room if he was staying and he would be obligated to make some use of it so as not to demonstrate even further disrespect for her right to arrange matters in her territory. He wondered what one she would pick: he had the plans on file and there were a few options.

Nonverbal signals? Those of humans he needed to decipher. Where she 'filed' him, what place she considered optimal for him? That would be read loud and clear.

He gave the tray to a passing bot (actually putting it back in the kitchen instead of giving it to the first one that stopped and wanted to take it would have made them sad, after all), and told it via text message, not link, that they were done eating and they would come to the family room once he got another coat. Their conversation hadn't been monitored, so he had better keep her informed so she didn't regret giving him that courtesy if he wanted to retain it.

He could, after all, kill her father in a heartbeat. The first law was really only another reason to set up a means of doing it without his programming stopping him. The fact that the robot hadn't been waiting at the door and didn't follow him was a very significant olive branch, a peace offering. A much larger one than the tray. The tray was her duty to guests but this was taking a significant risk with the security of the household she guarded and the family she loved. He had better show that he appreciated it: she was unhappy with him enough as it was.

One of the things about this position was that he had robot masters contacting him almost constantly. He was holding the secure database and they needed to get information from it and add to it, if nothing else. He hadn't heard anything from 'the twins' since they'd split up. Actually, he'd never heard from them, since Rock hadn't known Blues was alive except when he was right there and Roll had been not speaking to him. He'd been juggling a few too many things at once when he felt Rock's ID asking for permission to talk to him, so he'd actually stopped moving for a moment as his area mapping section and a few others had to be tasked to deal with the surprise and the thoughts that followed it.

Of course he was willing to talk to Rock. "It's good to hear from you."

"I thought so! This worked with Rush, and Roll said I should be able to do it to you."

"You didn't even… Sorry. Yes, you have links with those you care for and those who care for you, those are a necessity. If you want, I can set up optional links between you and others, although Roll hasn't given me permission to consider her in my care so I don't have the authorization to link her to anyone."

"Oh. How are you?"

"Did Roll pass on the message I left with one of hers?"

"Yes, but it was what you were doing, not how you were feeling."

"I'm happy." He could say that now. "He's doing a bit better already. Do you want to go camping anytime soon?"

"Camping?" Definite excitement there.

"It sounds like you do. Where would you like to go? I'd like to do it overnight, so at least two days. And we need to bring at least one human. Do you know anyone who like roasted marshmallows and s'mores? I want to show you how to make them and we need someone to eat them."

"I don't know, I've never been camping."

"Rock, it's more fun if there are more people there. Don't worry: I do want to spend time that's just the two of us. There are lots of things to do in the wilderness, so the people that come can split up without anyone feeling left out."

"Oh, okay. Um, I'll ask Roll, and can Dr. Light come?"

"If we do it anytime soon my father will have to attend via webcam, but if I'm bringing mine then of course you can bring yours. I know Gutsman likes camping, and Woodman does too." Gutsman was one of the kidnapped and recovered Lightbots. "I haven't asked them yet, but if you want them to come I'm sure they'd be happy to."

He felt Rock ask for a more real link, not just words but sharing, and of course granted it. Warm happy child. He gently kept him away from the memories that might hurt him, but otherwise he was very welcome here.

"How many people do you think would be good?"

"Well, if we're going to be splitting up we need people to have company that they want to split up with. The two of us, the nature lovers, hmm. Your father might want to stay back at camp sometimes but if we want to try to get our fathers to talk then we need someone for Roll to talk to. Does she like nature?"

"She likes flowers. I don't know if she likes the rest of it. Gardening's really unpredictable and it gets on her nerves when we get a sudden frost and stuff like that."

"She's a robot master: of course she's a control freak. Yes, you are one too. It's just that what makes people happy is unpredictable so you are used to redrawing plans on the fly. You still really want them to be happy and she really wants to have a nice garden for everyone to enjoy. Of course it's frustrating when that doesn't happen after you put in so much effort."

Oh.

"I should probably let her be in charge of the camp. Hmm. I suppose we could disguise Woodman so we can invite outsiders and they won't know he's a Wilybot. The problem is that if they really don't like my father that will be awkward. I think we need another human and someone for Roll to talk to… Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"I could see about Dr. Cossack and his daughter Kalinka, but if they come than Ringman's going to want to come to oversee security since, well, at least one Wilybot will be there, two counting me, and if he got into a turf war with Roll I'd have to side with him since she's not one of mine and she's already not all that happy with me. Well, we have time to think about this. And you need to think about where you would like to go." Rock had never been camping before. He'd expected that, the files had never mentioned a camping trip. It was still sad.

"A Cossackbot is one of yours?"

"Well, I am the only… grandmaster? It's essentially me or no one, it's good to be cared for, and I wouldn't force them into anything. Roll, well… have she and your father made up?"

"He's a little angry at you for putting her in that position, but he gets why. She does too, but they're both not happy about it."

"I am going to apologize, but Roll wanted me to stay out of their relationship and not try to intervene in an area where she is my superior since she knows him and I truly don't, you are right that he's not the man I knew. So I have to wait on apologizing to him until she gives me permission and probably some directions. I don't mind, I do need help figuring out how to deal with this person."

"Phew." He didn't want his sister to be without this forever. "I hope you and Roll can be friends. Can't you just let her and Ringman work it out themselves?"

"Since I'm planning the camping trip I have the final decision. I can ask them to work it out, but these are their families. If Ringman appeals to me, and he very well might since he's a policeman by profession and they tend to be practical like that and he would be very much within his rights to do this, then if it comes down to letting someone I am responsible for guard those they care for or someone who is not, I have to go with Ringman. Period. It's duty and I can't let personal feelings or nepotism come into it. I suppose I could try giving Roll camp command and Ringman security command but those are not really separate things."

"It sounds complicated."

"We'll work it out, don't worry." A quick general scan: equivalent to a hug.

"Are you whistling?"

"No, why?"

"It feels a bit like you should be. Or maybe it's just that you're really graceful, or is that the word? I kind of think in spurts when something comes up, mostly, but you are constantly and it's very graceful. Patterns, and you're really good at it, but you can go off in new directions too and it's still natural-feeling."