PLUTO 1x3

1. You have to move back!

2. Please, everyone. It's for your own safety.

3. What are we looking at?

4. Ah, Inspector Nakamura. You're not gonna believe this.

5. Eyewitnesses said a tornado touched down here,

6. flipped a single truck, and then moved on.

7. A city full of cars,

8. and it tosses the one van full of wild animals?

9. Yes, sir. Lions, tigers, and cheetahs.

10. Five big cats in all.

11. Did you say five?

12. - Inspector! We've got a problem! - Huh?

13. There's… there's a little kid!

14. There's gotta be something we can do.

15. We have multiple teams with guns trained on the animals, sir.

16. But if we don't take out all five at once, they could…

17. Damn it! Get more sharpshooters up here now!

18. What is it?

19. Look at that little girl! She's headed straight for them!

20. What the hell is she doing?

21. Hey there, kitties.

22. I know you're afraid. So who wants pets?

23. You're okay. Don't be scaredy-cats.

24. Moving in!

25. All teams! We've secured the boy!

26. - Quit it! - Huh?

27. You're freaking them out with all those guns! Put 'em away already!

28. Ah, why, hello there, Uran.

29. You guys are so dumb.

30. You sensed they were afraid, is that it?

31. Yup.

32. Okay, then. Let me get this straight.

33. You want me to believe those lions and tigers were scared.

34. Um…

35. I don't know. I guess so.

36. And that's why you headed to the scene,

37. taking a three-kilometer detour from your usual path to school?

38. Silly, you know I did.

39. In other words, you can sense fear in animals

40. over that long of a distance?

41. Kinda, yeah.

42. Hmm.

43. - Wow! - What a wonderful ability.

44. - So… - Hmm?

45. I'm bored. Can I go home now?

46. Atom!

47. I'm so sorry, Inspector Nakamura. I know my little sister can be a handful.

48. No, no, to the contrary.

49. She really helped us out today.

50. Yeah, Atom. Thanks to me, we wrangled the kitties without anybody hurting them.

51. And none of them ate that little kid.

52. You deserve a special police award for that.

53. Why would I want a boring old certificate? No, thanks!

54. Uh, Uran!

55. I'll take that lion if you wanna give me something.

56. Thanks anyway. Have a good day, sir.

57. - Inspector! - Huh?

58. He's here. Like, right now.

59. They're meeting up with him down in the lobby.

60. What?

61. - And where's Tawashi? - I just pinged him.

62. Good man.

63. Uran, how many times do I have to tell you not to take detours?

64. A million, I guess. I couldn't help it.

65. Oh. Hey, kids.

66. You two are supposed to go through that gate.

67. Huh?

68. Actually, this is the right one, sir.

69. Huh? So you're robots?

70. Man, it's getting to where you can't hardly tell them apart anymore.

71. Please. Right this way, sir, if you would.

72. Are you listening to a word I say, Atom?

73. Uh, yeah.

74. As I was trying to tell you, it wasn't just some random detour.

75. I felt something weird, so I had to check it out, right?

76. Hello. Uh, thank you for coming.

77. My name is Superintendent Tawashi.

78. Welcome to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

79. Uh…

80. It's so nice to have you with us here.

81. - Uh… - Would you get me a translator already?

82. Yes. Right away, sir.

83. Don't bother. I can speak your language perfectly well.

84. Oh. I see.

85. Smartest man in Central Asia. I should've guessed it, right?

86. Yes, of course.

87. Make yourself comfortable.

88. I know this drab little room isn't ideal for conversation.

89. Sorry, Professor Abullah.

90. Please, there is nothing to apologize for.

91. Your country is beautiful.

92. Not so, my homeland, Persia, as of late.

93. Is this visit a part of the post-war reconstruction efforts?

94. Indeed.

95. I'm here to attend the World Science Conference in Tokyo.

96. By the way, Professor Abullah,

97. you were also here in Japan three months ago, were you not, sir?

98. Yes.

99. I believe you had a meeting

100. with a legal scholar named Junichiro Tazaki, right?

101. The news of Tazaki's death came as such a shock.

102. He was a great man.

103. Why was he slaughtered and in such a brutal fashion?

104. As it turns out, you were the last person to see him alive.

105. You're not under any suspicion, of course. Your alibi is ironclad.

106. At the time of death,

107. you had already boarded your flight back to Persia and were waiting to take off.

108. It's just that…

109. Well, did you notice anything unusual?

110. He had so many wonderful things to tell me.

111. The ideas poured from him.

112. The International Robot Laws were his brainchild, as you know.

113. All told, I'd say it was the greatest ambition of his life

114. that robots and humanity would learn to coexist.

115. Robots actually feel a lot more stuff than humans think we do.

116. Wouldn't you agree, Atom?

117. Uh-huh.

118. But overall, I gotta say,

119. robotkind, not so good at expressing itself.

120. Without sensor gates, humans can't tell with us advanced models.

121. But it's so obvious.

122. Humans make such weird faces sometimes.

123. Like this one!

124. That man back there.

125. Back where? What man?

126. At the sensor gate. Coming in as we left.

127. I couldn't figure out

128. if he was human or robot.

129. Well then, Professor, thanks for sharing your time.

130. Of course. I just wish I could've helped more.

131. Huh?

132. Idiot! Didn't I tell you to turn the damn thing off?

133. - Uh, sorry! - He's a VIP!

134. I am afraid most of my organic body was another casualty of the war in Persia.

135. Uh, I am so sorry, Professor!

136. Please, it's fine. An honest mistake.

137. Apropos of nothing,

138. I heard there was another tornado in Tokyo today.

139. There was.

140. Could you perhaps tell me where it took place?

141. Something is scared.

142. The cats are all okay, so it's not them, right?

143. Hmm?

144. What I felt just now, it came out of nowhere really fast.

145. Like, whoosh! And there it was!

146. Was it separate from the cats, or do you think it was one of them?

147. Can't tell, but it was strong.

148. And that feeling, you're still picking up the same one now?

149. Uh-huh, but it's coming in faint.

150. Which direction? Can you tell?

151. It's so faint, its source could be anywhere.

152. When they're afraid, like, really afraid, lions will hide their fear.

153. But right now,

154. the one who's the biggest scaredy-cat of all

155. is you, Atom.

156. Mmm…

157. You were looking at it again.

158. What happened to him wasn't your fault.

159. - Hey, Helena. - Hm?

160. We should take a vacation.

161. Are you sure?

162. I mean, I did mention it the other day.

163. But can you take the time away from work?

164. With Brando having killed his attacker,

165. the higher-ups consider the matter dealt with.

166. In that case, a change of scenery might be nice.

167. Definitely. I'm sure of it.

168. What are your thoughts on a Japan trip?

169. Why Japan?

170. I was just there on the job, and I found the whole place enchanting.

171. Japan it is, then.

172. Yes, Marco Polo Travel Bureau.

173. Uh, hello there. I'm a returning customer.

174. Greetings, Mr. Gesicht.

175. I would like to make another reservation with you.

176. Thank you very much, sir.

177. A trip to Japan for my wife and me.

178. Excellent choice.

179. Actually, I think we'll have to enter her in your system before we book.

180. No, sir. We already have your wife's info on record.

181. That's unlikely, as she's never left the Euro Federation before.

182. Both of you registered for travel with Marco Polo in the past

183. but canceled your reservation later.

184. We did what?

185. But when?

186. Two years ago, ma'am.

187. Interestingly, also for a trip to Japan.

188. So we booked a trip to Japan?

189. Why did she say that?

190. Two years ago, we were in Spain.

191. I was on my training assignment with Europol.

192. That's right.

193. We lived in Madrid for a whole 12 months.

194. Yeah. Remember all our photos?

195. Ah. It's our day at the Sagrada Família.

196. Aw, and that was in Andalusia.

197. You tripped right into those sunflowers.

198. And then I got all turned around looking for you!

199. How could I forget?

200. You had to use your GPS to find me. And even then, it took a while.

201. The two of us sure took a lot of photographs, didn't we?

202. Yes.

203. Maybe too many.

204. Yeah.

205. We try to copy human behavior, but we don't take it that far.

206. We had fun, didn't we?

207. Yes. Course we did.

208. And apparently, we planned a trip to Japan in the middle of that trip.

209. All done, Gesicht. Rise and shine.

210. Scans are clear. There's nothing abnormal.

211. Well, thanks for the once-over.

212. Look, I know you wouldn't have pushed for this diagnostic

213. if you weren't experiencing some sort of malfunction,

214. but according to the data I pulled, everything looks normal.

215. I still think it's a case of simple fatigue.

216. What happened to Brando isn't your fault, so don't blame yourself.

217. For all of its failings, human memory is a very convenient thing.

218. We have a great capacity to forget.

219. Our lives would be tough indeed if we had to hang onto every painful reminder.

220. Thus, forgetting is something of a balm.

221. But it doesn't work like that for robots, my friend.

222. Your memories endure permanently.

223. The only fix for a bad robot memory is to delete it.

224. - Professor. - Yes?

225. If I'd had that done to me, they would log it in my file,

226. would they not?

227. They would log it, but I'm not seeing any record of that.

228. Then how about the insertion of inaccurate memories. Any luck?

229. "Inaccurate" like the thing just never happened, right?

230. Yes.

231. Back in the day, you'd hear rumors about that being done to robots in jail,

232. but now, with robots having rights, no way.

233. Any particular reason you ask?

234. What if someone had deleted certain memories

235. and replaced them in my head with fakes?

236. Hmm.

237. What if my nightmare is a remnant of that process?

238. It's an interesting theory, to be sure.

239. I'm headed to a meeting right now. Whatever it is, it can wait.

240. Please, Director Schelling. This will only take a moment of your time.

241. Then you can have that moment tomorrow.

242. Did you manipulate Detective Gesicht's memory somehow?

243. Uh…

244. I need to know!

245. How many robots of Gesicht's caliber are left in the world?

246. Huh?

247. How many robots have there ever been

248. that could be converted into weapons of mass destruction?

249. There used to be seven of them altogether.

250. That's right.

251. And now, three of those initial seven, Mont Blanc, North No.2, and Brando,

252. have been destroyed.

253. Only four of these priceless machines still exist.

254. And your Detective Gesicht

255. is one of them.

256. I know that, sir, but it doesn't answer my question.

257. If you took valid memories from his AI and replaced them with—

258. Do you have the slightest idea how much we've invested in Gesicht?

259. All you need to do is see to his maintenance. That is your job.

260. And only that.

261. What did you do to his memory, Director?

262. Whatever you're hiding, I need to know! Tell me!

263. Look at these horns.

264. You think it's the same killer from the other cases, or what?

265. What do you make of this, Detective Gesicht?

266. Copycat. This is not the same guy.

267. Why do you say that?

268. The perpetrator wore hybrid sneakers

269. in the hopes of not leaving any footprints,

270. but I see traces of their steps everywhere.

271. Weight, 78 kilograms.

272. 175 centimeters tall.

273. You'll want to check that drawer.

274. Your perp had a tough time getting it open,

275. so they took off their gloves momentarily.

276. They left viable prints.

277. I'll get forensics.

278. So this is a basic robbery made to resemble the horns murders?

279. Yes, going by the data.

280. Your analysis was perfect, as always. You don't miss a thing!

281. Perfect.

282. They tell me you're on vacation?

283. Sorry to call you on a day off. You're a big help.

284. - Detective Fersen. - Yes?

285. Pardon my asking, but this is the second time we've met, isn't it?

286. Come now, Inspector. As a robot, it's not like you could've forgotten.

287. The Salzburg case, three years ago. You were invaluable then, as well.

288. Three years ago.

289. Right! I remember you hadn't been home from the 39th Central Asian War

290. very long at that point.

291. You shared a fair number of stories about your deployment.

292. At Karl's bar that night.

293. You drank seven beers by yourself, if I recall.

294. See, Gesicht? You remember me just fine. I'm still a beer man, through and through.

295. Well then, Detective, it was a pleasure to see you again.

296. Feeling's mutual.

297. When you have the time, let's knock a few back.

298. I remember three years ago perfectly.

299. It's been four years since the end of the 39th Central Asian War,

300. and democracy is starting to take root in Persia.

301. The 39th Central Asian War. I was there.

302. We are here with the peacekeeping forces!

303. Known terrorists have taken shelter within this neighborhood!

304. For your safety, all residents must evacuate immediately!

305. I repeat.

306. Known terrorists have taken shelter within this neighborhood!

307. You're wrong, you know.

308. You see terrorists everywhere, but there aren't any here!

309. Do you want to know who was here? My infant child!

310. You and your peacekeeping forces dropped a bomb on my sleeping baby!

311. Look around!

312. You say you want to liberate us, but are dead babies your idea of justice?

313. If you have an ounce of humanity, then you understand!

314. How can your eyes remain so dead to my suffering?

315. Because I am a robot, sir.

316. Calm down!

317. What is he doing?

318. The man's in despair.

319. It's probably more emotion than a robot like you can hope to understand.

320. That's despair.

321. Four years ago. I remember it all.

322. Huh? Come on! I totally got that!

323. - What the— Mom! - I'm so sorry, dear.

324. I only got this yesterday.

325. - Now it's all wet! - Hans.

326. How come we don't just get a robot maid, huh, Mom?

327. - All the other kids in my class have one— - Enough, Hans!

328. Your mother here maintains this household as best she can.

329. Be more respectful in how you talk to her.

330. Besides, what have I said about games at the table?

331. I know.

332. So, dear, what do you have planned for today?

333. Hmm?

334. It's the day of your brother's death.

335. Mmm.

336. You're going to claim his body, right? They'll let you.

337. Finally. Been dead for three whole years.

338. I think it's shameful how the authorities wouldn't even let you bury him until now.

339. Well, that's the law. Nothing to be done for it.

340. "Any corpse of a criminal is hereby detained for 36 months."

341. It couldn't be helped, Ilsa.

342. My older brother was not a good man.

343. But, you know,

344. despite everything, he looked out for me as best as he could.

345. A proper burial is the least I can do for him now,

346. even though he was a criminal.

347. A Berlin hotel was the scene of a fiery explosion last night.

348. Judge Neuman from the German Ministry of Justice died in the blast.

349. Neuman was best known as

350. the world's first robot to preside over court cases.

351. His groundbreaking rulings on cases like the Greifelt lawsuit

352. earned him kudos in the world of law.

353. The cause of the explosion is still being investigated,

354. but according to prelim—

355. Adolf, how are you this fine morning?

356. I just heard the news on the radio.

357. What news would that be?

358. Someone murdered a robot judge.

359. Well, "destroyed" is more accurate.

360. Hmm.

361. Death to the machines, right?

362. Death to the machines.

363. Death to the machines.

364. Death to the machines.

365. Corpse number 902886.

366. Right this way, sir.

367. In full accordance with the König Law,

368. we acknowledge the passage of three years since death

369. and hereby relinquish the body to the family.

370. And do you authorize said transfer?

371. Yes.

372. Please affix your signature here.

373. The body. I don't have to confirm that it's him, do I?

374. Well, sir, given the scope of his injuries,

375. I wouldn't recommend it.

376. My brother was shot to death by a police officer, wasn't he?

377. Which was found to be both appropriate and lawful.

378. Please state your destination.

379. Go to Hofgarten Cemetery.

380. Confirmed, sir.

381. No. Reroute. We're going somewhere else first.

382. Dr. Schiller's place.

383. Confirmed, sir.

384. Sorry, doctor. I should've called ahead first.

385. You want me to take a look at your brother's remains, I presume?

386. Yes.

387. Something catch your eye in the autopsy report?

388. No, uh, it's nothing like that.

389. Well, you can say your goodbyes, at least.

390. Let's see.

391. Hmm? My God!

392. What is it?

393. What's the matter, dear?

394. Huh? I'm fine. I'm just tired, is all.

395. You see more of them out to eat now. Robots, I mean. It's weird, right?

396. Robots can think like we do.

397. That's what all the experts love to tell us.

398. Doesn't seem possible, does it?

399. - Sh! - Huh?

400. You can't just say something like that in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

401. You know better. It's discriminatory.

402. The International Robot Laws are very clear about that.

403. There's something I need to take care of at work before I can head home.

404. You go on without me.

405. Okay. I'll see you there.

406. Armed robbery in progress! Multiple suspects involved!

407. Fleeing in an armored military vehicle! They've broken through into Ward N-6!

408. Gesicht responding. I'll try to head them off.

409. The getaway vehicle is in sight. Requesting permission to fire the SAAW!

410. Proceed!

411. Gesicht! Did you get them?

412. I took out their wheels. They're not going anywhere.

413. Hands where I can see them! On the double!

414. Do as he says, or we'll shoot!

415. That's one way to end a chase.

416. Some kind of anti-tank gun, or—

417. Hardly.

418. For a vehicle with that much armor, you need something more unique.

419. What are we talking about exactly?

420. Shells crafted of an alloy called Zeronium.

421. Brethren, it is my dearest wish

422. to wipe every robot from the face of this planet

423. until the day when none of them remain!

424. Now is the time to lay low these abhorrent machines for their hubris!

425. Together, we will usher in the day of reckoning!

426. Repeal the International Robot Laws!

427. Yes! Repeal the International Robot Laws!

428. Abolish the use of police-bots!

429. Abolish the use of police-bots!

430. Robots only exist to serve us!

431. Robots only exist to serve us!

432. Robots are nothing but slaves!

433. Robots are nothing but slaves!

434. Robots are inferior to man!

435. Robots are inferior to man!

436. Death to the machines!

437. Death to the machines! Death to the machines!

438. Death to the machines! Death to the machines!

439. Apologies. The rally ran long.

440. So, then.

441. What's this urgent news you needed to tell me?

442. I claimed my brother's body from the police today.

443. Ah, yes. That brother.

444. I think I knew that sooner or later,

445. he would come to a bad end.

446. But they…

447. Go on.

448. They pulverized him, sir.

449. Pulverized him how?

450. What they used to kill my brother three years ago reduced him to meat.

451. Firing it produces more blowback than a human can withstand.

452. But a robot could use it and survive the blast.

453. What are you saying?

454. If it's true, then you and I are sitting on a powder keg!

455. Yes, sir, I know that. "No robot can harm or murder a human."

456. It's forbidden by the International Robot Laws,

457. as per Article 13.

458. I checked. There are only a few in the world

459. that are even strong enough to have used that weapon.

460. What did they employ to kill your brother?

461. An explosive shell composed of a Zeronium alloy.

462. As luck would have it,

463. I can name the very machine you're looking for.

464. They call it Detective Gesicht,

465. and Europol dumped nearly endless funds and resources into developing the thing.

466. They say it's gotten to the bottom of many difficult cases.

467. During the 39th Central Asian War,

468. it served as a member of the peacekeeping forces.

469. If it murdered your brother, if a mere robot blew a human to pieces…

470. Well, it's too repulsive to imagine.

471. My brother, I know he was a horrible person.

472. I know he was.

473. But even so, he deserved better than to die at the hands of a damn robot!

474. I couldn't agree with you more, my dear Adolf.

475. Please lend me your resolve, sir!

476. Give me the strength to destroy this heinous thing!

477. It's been a while, huh? This old battle suit.

478. I haven't worn it since the war.

479. You kept it maintained?

480. Yes, sir. As much as I could.

481. I had to keep it under wraps, obviously. It was risky.

482. If they find out I borrowed a battle suit, I am done.

483. I'm in your debt. I know I've asked a lot of you.

484. Come on now. You and I go back a long way.

485. But what's the plan?

486. I'm not trying to second-guess you,

487. but if they hear about this, they won't let you fight anymore.

488. - Let 'em do their worst. - Huh?

489. 'Bout time I retired.

490. End of an era.

491. I've missed military-grade!

492. Packs a lot more punch than my pankration suit!

493. Yeah!

494. The left arm output feels a bit underpowered.

495. Copy that. I'll get it up to snuff.

496. Huh?

497. Two suns. What the hell?

498. Hercules!

499. Just a few days ago, a police robot fired a Zeronium shell at humans.

500. Spokesperson Wagner, you care to defend Europol's choice there?

501. Actually, the target was the armored vehicle they were in.

502. But if that shell were to hit a human, they would be eviscerated.

503. Any use of it needs prior approval from HQ.

504. We always act with the safety of humans in mind.

505. And what if HQ gets it wrong?

506. Look, we don't take that weapon lightly.

507. How many of your robots

508. are walking around with this bomb tucked up their sleeve?

509. How do we go through our day

510. knowing some random robot could be our judge, jury, and executioner?

511. More to come on this contentious topic after a brief commercial break.

512. So what do you think?

513. We're pushing the "dangerous robots" narrative.

514. It's starting to bear fruit across several forms of media.

515. Why are we being so passive about this?

516. To rush is to bungle the job.

517. What's important is that Gesicht will be an outcast by the time we're done.

518. I've already looked into the robot's schedule, sir.

519. He leaves on a long trip a few days from now.

520. We have to destroy him while we can.

521. Hmm. No matter where it may run off to,

522. we'll never stop denouncing the thing as a public menace.

523. But, sir—

524. If we rush, your brother's background will come to light in all of this.

525. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

526. When I hear the particulars of what he did,

527. even I feel downright sick to my stomach.

528. If any of that becomes public knowledge,

529. our anti-robot campaign is doomed, and all of us are pariahs.

530. Surely, you understand.

531. Where are you going, huh? We're not done here!

532. Hercules!

533. Are you okay?

534. Is this force I'm feeling Photon Energy?

535. Epsilon!

536. For our first time meeting, that was one hell of a handshake.

537. It was rather overt. I'm sorry.

538. But I had to stop you decisively.

539. How you figure?

540. North No.2, Mont Blanc, and Brando.

541. Whatever killed them is still alive, isn't it?

542. Don't forget that you're a target too.

543. I am well aware.

544. Why the hell'd you interfere, then?

545. We must not fight. We can't.

546. Hmm. Of course you're a peacenik.

547. Is that the reason you sat out the war while the rest of us were doing our duty?

548. That war was in no way a righteous conflict.

549. "Wasn't righteous?"

550. All those robots were destroyed, and you've got the gall to say that?

551. You're scared. You can dress it up all you like.

552. Scared then, and you're just as scared now.

553. You're right. It's a fearful time.

554. They forced you into clean-up duty in Persia after we won, right?

555. I heard conditions on the ground were pretty grim.

556. People the world over heckled and abused me.

557. It wasn't the heroes' welcome the rest of you got.

558. But thanks to that, I gained something priceless.

559. Yeah? Like what?

560. I met children orphaned by the war.

561. And so I took them in.

562. We're a family now.

563. Heard about that. The robot who's raising human kids.

564. Yet another thing about you I don't like.

565. That priceless thing you discovered after the fact.

566. You telling me it's love?

567. And what of you?

568. What did you bring home from the battlefield, I wonder?

569. Did humans teach you all about their hatred?

570. This is what I think.

571. Humans and robots are becoming more alike.

572. If we bridge that gulf,

573. tragedy will follow in its wake.

574. What we see unfolding now

575. is the first sign of that calamity.

576. A sign, you say?

577. We have to break this cycle of hate…

578. no matter what it might cost us.

579. This isn't a piece you can find just anywhere, pal.

580. Standard issue in the Central Asian War, sure,

581. but you can't make 'em or sell 'em these days.

582. A compact cluster cannon. A guided rocket launcher, basically.

583. Once it has a target lock,

584. it delivers its payload with 100% accuracy.

585. Detonates inside the body. It'll even blow robots to bits.

586. Hey. Careful where you're pointing that.

587. Getting caught with one is enough for them to charge you with attempted murder.

588. I won't kill anyone.

589. Human, at least.

590. When I was a kid, advances in robotics

591. led to vast improvements in economic productivity.

592. Meanwhile, newly unemployed humans

593. fell between the cracks everywhere you looked.

594. My own father was one of the victims.

595. I'm hungry! Can I have something to eat, Dad?

596. Yeah! Let's see what I can do.

597. Aw, I'm getting tired of sandwiches all the time.

598. Why can't it be a nice, juicy steak?

599. And how the hell we gonna pay for that, you idiot?

600. I don't know. Maybe Dad found a decent job again.

601. He's looking at the job listings because he hasn't found anything yet.

602. Don't you worry, boys. Your old man is gonna figure this out.

603. Dad? When's Mom coming back, huh? I miss her.

604. Don't worry about Mom, okay? I'm gonna get that figured out too.

605. I wish I had a ball to play with.

606. Hey, lookie here.

607. Huh?

608. Wow, it's brand-new! Thanks!

609. Hold on. Where did you get this?

610. Don't worry. I mean it. Just have fun.

611. Oh! Thank you, Dad!

612. Your turn!

613. Did it!

614. Uh-huh!

615. He is the thief! He stole the ball from the store!

616. There is footage to prove it!

617. It's all a mistake! I didn't steal it!

618. He is the thief! He is the thief!

619. I'm sorry, okay? Please just let me go!

620. Damn it!

621. Come on, it was a friggin' ball! Damn it to hell!

622. The cops released him after a few days.

623. He began drinking. A lot.

624. Three months later…

625. …he jumped off our building's roof.

626. Oh. What's up?

627. Hey, little bro. Don't say I never gave you nothing.

628. Enjoy.

629. Wait.

630. This is a portable prep school module!

631. Mmm, why is your shoulder bleeding?

632. I had to off one to get you that.

633. Off one?

634. I took out a robot.

635. They're not allowed to kill us, thanks to how they're put together,

636. but there's nothing keeping us from killing their dumbasses all day long.

637. Uh…

638. Study hard, Adolf. You're smart.

639. Learn all you can, then use it to take this world back from them.

640. Huh? He's changing course.

641. Did he notice me tailing him?

642. This could be my chance.

643. The hell is he doing?

644. This is it.

645. You're Epsilon, I presume?

646. Sorry to have asked you here on such short notice.

647. It's fine.

648. Clearly, it's not the sort of thing you talk about over a data link.

649. Only you can stop the killer.

650. No one else is strong enough to take them into custody.

651. Whoever they were, they're dead now. Brando killed them.

652. That's Europol's stance, which is why they shut down the case.

653. And do you believe that, Detective?

654. We can't allow Hercules to fight them.

655. A death match between the two of them

656. would prove nothing less than catastrophic.

657. Or one with you.

658. You don't need to worry about me. It's my duty to uphold the law.

659. If we don't act soon, another war will start.

660. That's something none of us can afford.

661. The orphans in my care experienced all the pain war has to offer.

662. No one else should live that nightmare.

663. Tell me, Detective.

664. Are you aware of the new malady they're calling Persian War Syndrome?

665. I am. It's an umbrella term

666. for the deep psychological damage exhibited by the survivors.

667. Many of the children in my care suffer from quite severe cases.

668. One little boy in particular.

669. His entire village disappeared in the blink of an eye.

670. He was the only survivor.

671. Everyone else was gone.

672. There's an image burned into his memory.

673. Something huge lurching into the desert beyond.

674. Years have passed, but the boy only ever says one word.

675. It's the word uttered by the terrifying thing he saw that day.

676. Bora.

677. Atom, where are you?

678. Come on, slowpoke! We gotta hurry, or we'll be late for school.

679. Yeah, I know, but I think I just felt something again!

680. What was it?

681. Like a little animal, and it's all afraid because the world is so big,

682. and it can't find its way home again.

683. That's kinda vague.

684. - I gotta go make sure it's all right! - Wait!

685. - What do I tell your teacher? - I bet you'll think of something good!

686. She's nothing but trouble.

687. Is it this way?

688. What am I looking at?

689. You're the worst painting ever.

690. Um…

691. Hey there. Are you dead?

692. Someone felt scared. Was it you?

693. Wait. You're a robot, huh?

694. Hold on. I'm gonna get help!

695. Don't leave.

696. Huh?

697. Don't worry, okay? This human I know is super smart.

698. Professor Ochanomizu can fix anything if it's robotic.

699. There's no need.

700. There is, too, a need! If you don't get help, you're gonna die!

701. It's too late. Leave me alone.

702. I can't do that, dummy!

703. No humans, please.

704. Then, tell me what you need. What kind of energy do you take?

705. SOL 208355.

706. I've never heard of that one before. Will anything else work?

707. ER 1059.

708. I'm not rated for it, but…

709. It'll help you for now? Got it! I'll be right back!

710. Don't try to move while I'm gone!

711. Are you okay? Does your body not like it?

712. Thank you for this. I feel a little bit better now.

713. That's good to hear. So, mister, what's your name?

714. Don't really know.

715. Okay, then. Where are you from?

716. I don't remember anything.

717. The one thing I do remember is running.

718. I ran naked, as fast as I could, running away from something.

719. Running from what? What something?

720. I couldn't tell you what it looked like, but I know it was terrifying.

721. Oh.

722. And I found a little shack over there.

723. It's probably a supply shed for all the local repairs.

724. That's where I found the clothes I'm wearing now.

725. Now I know why they fit you so bad.

726. No kidding.

727. I made you smile, huh! My name is Uran!

728. A nice name.

729. Hey, those squiggles on the wall. Did you paint them?

730. Yes, I found a few cans of it in that shed.

731. Are you, like, an artist?

732. Not that I know of.

733. But it felt like something I had to do.

734. I know what they call this.

735. Abstract painting. When you can't tell what the picture is.

736. Abstract painting.

737. Robots can paint or draw something to look like the real thing, right?

738. So it's rare to see art by a robot

739. where you don't know what you're looking at!

740. Or maybe you tried your very best, and it still turned out all squiggly.

741. Who can say?

742. Even now, I can't tell you what I was trying to depict up there.

743. Or why I bothered painting it to begin with.

744. I just don't know.

745. Hey, it's me!

746. Huh? I found you!

747. Hmm?

748. Uran, hello.

749. What you looking at?

750. These flowers. They're beautiful.

751. Flowers?

752. Oh!

753. This spot was nothing but grass yesterday.

754. Oh! That's right! I got you some more stuff!

755. Yummy energy catalyst.

756. And this bag's all paint.

757. But why?

758. You're gonna need more colors to finish that wall, right?

759. Mister! Hey!

760. I picked up some clothes that'll fit you better!

761. Uh…

762. I finished it.

763. Wait.

764. I finally figured out what it's supposed to be.

765. A field of flowers?

766. Mister, I know I called it Squiggly before,

767. but now

768. I wanna cry when I look at it.

769. Thank you, Uran.

770. Uran!

771. Oh, hey. You're up early. Good morning.

772. "Good morning's" a stretch. The sun is barely out.

773. - Oh, yeah? Guess I didn't notice. - Where do you keep going?

774. Uh, well, I found a stray cat, and he's super cute, so…

775. I found this empty bottle of catalyst.

776. What? Has the cat been drinking these?

777. Uh…

778. It was stuffed down in your book bag.

779. How come you were looking through my book bag without permission?

780. How come you went straight to bed

781. after asking me for help with your homework so I had to do it all?

782. But did I mention that it's a robot cat?

783. Report it to the Ministry of Science, Uran.

784. I don't wanna!

785. If it needs repairs, we could ask Professor Ochanomizu for help.

786. What's the model number?

787. I don't actually know what the model number is.

788. Meaning it wasn't made in Japan?

789. What country is this robot from?

790. I don't care where he's from! All I know is he's scared!

791. He's finally starting to warm up to me a bit.

792. I don't want him to run away.

793. As soon as he's done being skittish, I'll bring you along so you can meet him.

794. Cross my heart!

795. But until then, please don't tell anybody about him?

796. Thanks! You're the best! Well, see you later!

797. One more thing.

798. If you keep snooping in girls' bags, they're not gonna like you.

799. Hey, mister!

800. Where'd you go? It's me!

801. Oh no. What if he really did run away again?

802. Are you over here?

803. Mister—

804. What the heck? How'd your clothes get so dirty already?

805. I just gave you those.

806. Hello? Are you in there?

807. Sorry for the mess.

808. But I finally figured out what I was born to do.

809. Huh?

810. Right there. Look at them.

811. So many flowers. But where'd they all come from?

812. Easier to show you.

813. Incredible!

814. It was dead, and you made it bloom again!

815. Mister, who are you?

816. Someone who was meant

817. to do exactly this.

818. You painted this 'cause of what you can do.

819. Maybe I did.

820. It's faint, but I can recall an image like this,

821. and I didn't want the memory to slip away.

822. It's amazing!

823. The way you can breathe life into things, like flowers.

824. Do you think that we will eventually die one day?

825. Die?

826. I remember you mentioning death the other day when you first found me.

827. You told me that if I didn't get help, I would die.

828. Mmm…

829. If our computerized brains got broken, that would do it.

830. Professor Ochanomizu says depending on how broken our AI units get,

831. sometimes they're too messed up to fix.

832. Even if they did, you wouldn't be you anymore.

833. So is that what death is to our kind?

834. Hmm…

835. What does it mean to exist no longer?

836. This field of flowers represents life,

837. but there's another image I remember.

838. A world of death.

839. "A world of death"?

840. Utterly devoid of life.

841. What is that? What do I see?

842. A giant monstrosity rising through the smoke!

843. What is it? What am I looking at?

844. I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared!

845. You're okay! I know it's scary, but it isn't real!

846. You're okay. You're not alone. I'm right here.

847. Don't be scared. You're safe.

848. - Bora. - Huh?

849. Bora.

850. "Bora"?

851. I'm approaching the park complex as you requested of me, Professor Abullah.

852. Well, this is sooner than I thought you'd arrive there.

853. No trouble getting through customs, I would assume?

854. No trouble whatsoever.

855. I'm at the location where the tornado was spotted most recently.

856. I know it is a lot to ask for, with the park being so large and all…

857. It's no problem, sir,

858. because you gave me this body suited to the task.

859. Remember now, it's important that you not do any damage to it

860. during the process of retrieval.

861. End of the day, that body is one of my creations as well.

862. Allow me to repeat the model number you are there to extract.

863. SOL 2083553.

864. But his true identity is Pluto.

865. I've located the target, Professor Abullah.

866. Very good.

867. I am on my way to you,

868. Pluto.

869. I know you can do it, mister!

870. You can make the whole world bloom, just like your painting!

871. Just like my painting?

872. Uh-huh!

873. You can fill the world with beautiful flowers.

874. You said it yourself. You were meant to do this, remember?

875. I was meant to do exactly this.

876. Yeah! If you can get your memory back,

877. then you can turn the earth into a giant garden.

878. Think how pretty it'll be.

879. Not what it is.

880. What do you mean?

881. My painting's not a garden, after all.

882. Huh?

883. That's not it.

884. It's something…

885. Something much…

886. Much what?

887. Something much bigger.

888. Nature, at its most primal.

889. A tornado!

890. Oh!

891. It's raining.

892. Hey, look!

893. They're growing so fast, I can watch it happen!

894. This is amazing! Look! Nothing but flowers as far as I can see!

895. It's beautiful! I love it!

896. Beautiful.

897. Uran!

898. You need to get away from that guy!

899. Something's wrong with him! He's got a weird electromagnetic field!

900. Atom, why?

901. Listen, you need to come over here right now.

902. You too, Professor Ochanomizu?

903. They're here because I called the Ministry of Science!

904. I thought I might need their help!

905. I can't believe you! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about him!

906. That's not what's important right now! Listen to me!

907. The robot next to you is dangerous!

908. Huh?

909. Squad A has got eyes on the target!

910. Squad B, ready to engage.

911. - What? - You even brought police?

912. Professor!

913. Why the hell would you get the police involved?

914. I had to report it, sir. We have rules about this sort of thing.

915. Metro Police Department! Are you all right?

916. How could you?

917. How could you?

918. I trusted you, Atom!

919. Atom.

920. You can hate me later! Just get away from him!

921. Atom.

922. Uh…

923. Atom.

924. Hatred!

925. System overload!

926. Stop! Stop right there! This is your final warning!

927. Mister, come back.

928. I'm going to explode!

929. I can't control it.

930. This surge of rage!

931. Take the shot!

932. Wait!

933. So many robots

934. dead.

935. They deserve to die.

936. They deserve it.

937. How many did I murder?

938. Does anyone know?

939. I…

940. Flowers blooming in the desert.

941. An endless world of death.

942. Horns!

943. Mister!

944. No! Impossible!

945. What do you see down there, Professor? Talk to us!

946. It doesn't make any damn sense.

947. His computerized brain is gone!

948. What just happened?

949. Hey, there it is!

950. Sorry, but I gotta grab that body!

951. - Huh? - I beg your pardon?

952. Well, yeah.

953. I'm a construction robot at the site nearby.

954. That's my off-duty body.

955. Huh?

956. I was wrapping up my 100-hour work shift, see?

957. And that's when I realized I couldn't find it where I had left it.

958. So, you're saying this body on the ground belongs to you?

959. I looked everywhere for it.

960. I'm so glad I can go home now.

961. What manner of skulduggery is this?

962. A robot without artificial intelligence…

963. functioned on its own?

964. It's right over here.

965. To call it "a wandering soul" bestows upon it a certain dignity.

966. But it was just an empty shell

967. being puppeted with electromagnetic waves like a marionette.

968. Satisfied now?

969. You've had your little walkabout.

970. Time to come back.

971. This body is your only body, Pluto.

972. Don't forget your orders to track down Atom and kill him.