Interlude

It took some time for Reese to recover. When he did, he chuckled hoarsely, as though the action would prompt Daneel to reveal that it was a joke. When no such thing happened, lines deeper than any that Daneel had ever seen on his face appeared on his brow, and with a serious tilt to his face, he said, "You're actually serious. You mean to do it. That's… absurd! I'm sorry, but it's just crazy! It's a fool's errand! All you'll get is an early death!"

Daneel had been staring into empty air while Reese had been thinking things through. During that time, he had only traveled further down the line of the decision taken, and by now, the conviction that this was the best thing to aim at had grown stronger.