PLUTO

- -

Sir, it's no good!

The flames have spread to the forest in the Third District!

Send more choppers! We need air support!

At this rate, the whole mountain range is gonna go up!

Damn it all! I don't get how it's covering so much ground!

What... what's happened here?

The trees, they're flattened.

My God. Did something crash?

No, sir. No reports of one, at least.

Where are you, Mont Blanc? Why can't I get a signal?

- You can't be here! - Mont Blanc! I'm coming!

- Professor! - Let me go!

No, Professor! Any closer, and you'll burn alive!

His signal's gone dead!

Do you know what that means? Mont Blanc's signal has gone dead!

What's wrong, Gesicht? I heard a gasp.

Nothing. Really.

I'm fine, dear.

It seems like you've been so tired lately.

I hope you're not working too hard. Some time off might do you good.

I'm all right. No need to fret.

- -

As you can see, smoke is still rising from the forest

a full two days later as scattered fires continue to burn.

According to on-site investigators, the legendary robot

assigned to the Swiss Forestry Service, Mont Blanc himself,

was found dismembered within the blaze's ring of destruction.

Mont Blanc was known the world over as a mountain guide without equal.

He was a friend to children and experienced climbers alike.

The robot was also a tireless advocate for man's better stewardship of nature.

Condolences for the beloved Mont Blanc are pouring in from all over the globe.

Yes, this is Gesicht.

Yes. Understood. I'll be right there.

Work call. I have to go.

Uh, but what about your breakfast?

- Helena. - Uh...

Maybe I'll take some time off.

- We could go on a trip. - Huh?

I should be getting more rest, don't you think?

You're right, but I never thought I'd hear you say it.

Bernard Lanke, 42 years old, killed in his apartment.

Big advocate for the International Robot Laws.

Was he a human?

Oh. Uh, yes.

Bad way to go. Just look at him.

Hmm?

Hey! You there!

You can stop rooting through my crime scene anytime.

Actually, sir, we've been expecting him. He's Europol's guy.

Hmm?

- - Gesicht.

Sorry for snapping at you like that.

I'm Inspector Wallace with the city police. A pleasure.

I'm sure you've noticed, but our killer wrecked the place.

We're trying to figure out if anything was stolen during the attack,

but, uh, it's gonna take us some time.

No, I don't think robbery was a factor at play here.

Huh? How do you figure?

No sign of a search.

Come on! With this much damage, who can say?

I can tell.

This damage is from the attack itself.

All right. Then tell me what you make of this.

Why'd they go to the trouble of jamming stuff into his head

like a pair of damn horns?

- - Hmm?

Yes. Go ahead.

Hold on. They what?

They're saying someone attacked one of our checkpoints!

We need medevac! ASAP!

Did the perp attack anybody else, constable?

Robby, sir. He was at the checkpoint with me.

He's my partner.

Like, a constable-bot, you know?

Model PRC1332.

Hard to believe that a police robot could be destroyed so easily.

Inspector!

We got word of a male fleeing toward the old city's redevelopment zone.

He matches our perp.

Twenties, wearing a red cap, and tattoos on both arms.

Well, then? Pair up and search the place!

Huh?

Hey! I said, "Pair up," you damn show-off!

Oh!

Damn it! Europol can kiss my ass!

I suggest you calm down.

I didn't do anything!

That steel pipe you're holding has traces of material

from a destroyed constable-bot.

Ah. You're an addict high on a drug called "noi."

Taken about 40 minutes ago.

Sound about right?

This is the part where you tell me who you bought it from.

A guy on Karl-Heinz Street. I only know him as Shultz, okay?

And when did you last see Shultz?

Uh, early this morning before 5:00.

If the dealer's version of events happens to line up with what you said,

then you have an alibi.

5:00 a.m. is around the time that Bernard Lanke was murdered.

Mu... murdered? What the--

If I had to guess, you attacked the officer with that pipe

to avoid getting collared on a drug charge.

After him, you destroyed a local constable-bot.

Now, I can read you your rights and arrest you without incident,

or we can do this--

Don't shoot me! Come on, man!

You're perfectly safe.

This gun's only equipped to fire non-lethal sleeping gas.

My construction forbids the killing of a human.

Like your victim,

I'm a robot too.

Yes? Who is it?

I'm Gesicht, ma'am. A detective. I'm here on behalf of Europol.

Can I help you?

You are Robby's wife, correct?

Yes.

I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Can I offer you a cup of tea?

You're a robot, same as me,

so I'm sure you'll just go through the motions of drinking it.

By living as the humans do,

they say we robots can upgrade our senses or refine them. Same difference, I guess.

I suppose all that is true enough.

But I still don't understand why drinking tea is such a comfort to them.

Maybe it's too subtle for an outdated model like me.

I have a job. I work as a maid for this one family.

They have a child. A boy. All of them humans, of course.

The parents had adopted a dog back before the child was even born.

The boy and the dog grew up like siblings.

But then, one day, the dog died.

Would it help if I were to erase a portion of your memory data?

My memories of him? Please don't.

Whole thing's a damn mess.

The murder victim here is one Bernard Lanke.

The key member of a Robot Law advocacy group.

So I see.

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there

with no love for a scholar who pushed so hard for robot rights.

The body was found in the following condition.

That supposed to be horns coming out of his head or what?

- I'm not sure. -

However...

- Huh? - Huh? Don't tell me that's--

This is how they found Mont Blanc

right after he was destroyed.

More horns.

Wait a minute!

Are you saying that whoever tore Mont Blanc to pieces also killed Lanke?

Inflicting that level of damage upon a robot as sturdy as Mont Blanc

is beyond human capability.

Also, Lanke was the only human in his apartment at the time of his death.

I scanned the murder scene myself and found no other traces.

He was the only human in there?

So what the hell are you suggesting?

You know where I'm going with this.

I do.

The International Robot Laws, Article 13.

No robot can harm or murder a human.

But if... if there's a robot out there

who's found a way to murder human beings at will,

then we're right back where we were eight years ago.

I'll track down our perpetrator, sir.

Whether our killer is human or robot,