Disclaimer: I, Robot. I, saac. A, simov. (okay, lame joke)

Spooner looked around the cold interior of the office building. In only a few days, this whole building would be torn down and a bigger and better office block be put in its place. The city was just waiting for the police to finish their investigation, and then it was bye-bye building.

Samuel Martin had built this company from the ground up. And now, even the building was going to be torn down, as though his ghost still dwelt here. As though the Martins and their company held some secret, and the only way of really getting rid of it was by destroying everything.

Spooner walked through the holographic crime tape and headed into the building, heading for the scene of the murders. The air seemed to get even colder. Spooner shivered as he looked around, seeing the blood on the walls and the shapes drawn in chalk on the floor.

Oh, sure, the detective believed in ghosts. Memories of people who stayed in your head long after they had died. Like Sarah…

Andrea probably was visited more now than when she was Goth.

Spooner pulled a folder out from under his arm and flipped through the photos. Something didn't feel right. He looked down at the files he held in his hand. In the photos, bodies lay, gory puppets, lifeless shells, on the floor, shaped in grotesque poses. Samuel Martin was the only one still at the table. He looked like he'd been the first to die. According to reports, Mr Martin was having a staff meeting when David - or someone, at least - burst in, spraying the room with bullets. Samuel had died in his chair, a look of shocked surprise forever locked on his face. Everyone else had tried to get away… and failed. Then David Martin had swallowed a bullet from the same gun that had killed his father and twelve of his and his father's co-workers. Spooner put that photo away. Here. This was the one he wanted.

Crime scene photos showing the rooms, doors, corridors, everything, that lead up to the murder room. Spooner held the photos up in the fluorescent light and compared the photos with what was left in the building with each step he took. Where once were bodies, there were now just chalk outlines.

Except in the case of four of them.

Spooner frowned, then looked back at the photo. They had been here, lying where they had fallen, punched through with bullets that left fatal gaping holes. Spooner looked down at the ground where the four were supposed to have been. Nothing. Not even a scratch. This wasn't homicide protocol - these bodies were supposed to be left until crime scene cleanup came to cart them away.

Someone had come to the crime scene before him and removed the bodies of four murdered robots.

-

A few hours later, Spooner found himself watching the footage of a live press conference… where Andrea was being hassled by reporters and competitors alike. But she didn't seem the least bit ruffled.

"Ms Martin! Ms Martin! Is it true that you're selling your father's company, the company he'd spent his entire life creating?"

"Of course not," Andrea said calmly, "My father's company meant everything to him, but he would not let me have any say in it. My brother David would have every say in the way the company was to be run."

"But with them both dead, isn't it your responsibility?"

Andrea laughed. "You reporters should do your homework. I am not legally able to do anything with the company - whether that be buying it, selling it, or running it."

"Ms Martin! Chicago Tribune! So you're just letting your father's company be sold to the highest bidder?"

Andrea slumped slightly and sighed. "There's nothing else I can do. It's out of my hands."

"What about the money you're getting from the sale of your father's company?"

"That money, ladies and gentlemen, I will use to fund projects my father endorsed when he was alive." She looked around the room. "I was not the best of daughters. I can see that now. My family's death has been a rude awakening… I can see now that my father and my brother's dream was one I wish I had shared."

"Ms Martin!" The reporters' voices rose to a clamour, until someone shouted, "Aren't you worried that the fact you are a murder suspect could have detrimental effects on whatever funding your offer to other companies?"

Andrea turned to face the camera, and Del had the eerie feeling that she was staring straight at him. Her eyes were burning.

"Murder suspect?" She said with barely suppressed anger in her voice. The voices in the press room died away to silence. "I am a suspect in the murder of the only two people in the world who ever gave a damn about me?" You could have heard a pin drop. Andrea turned her eyes to the gathered reporters, and Del found that he'd been holding his breath. He let it go… slowly.

"I did not kill David," Andrea said, her voice trembling, "And I did not kill my father." There was an unspoken threat in the air. She didn't even need to voice it. Her eyes said it all. If you even think it, I'll kill you.

"So, Ms Martin, you believe that your brother did not commit suicide?"

Andrea turned to the reporter, the anger gone from her. She sighed, as though defeated. "No. I refuse to believe that my brother could do such a thing. I knew him very well. And he wouldn't do this."

"Do you have any idea who would?"

Andrea's eyes grew dark. "No. The company my father founded was not doing well financially. It couldn't have been for money." She sighed. "If anyone has any answers, I would be happy to hear them. But until then, I wish the police the best of luck in finding the truth."

"Ms Martin, one last question."

Andrea lifted her head and smiled.

"Eyewitnesses have claimed that you are not alone in your family home. Who's in there with you?"

Andrea's smile grew stiff and fixed. "My adopted son. Nathan." That set off another round of questions, but Andrea was already being led away.

Spooner turned off the feed, then rose to his feet. He had a few questions he wanted to ask Ms Martin himself.

Andrea lifted her head as she heard the doorbell chime again. The holographic figure hovering before her looked left and right, but otherwise was focused on the door.

Detective Spooner was back.

"Nathan," She sat up, setting her tools aside, "He's here. You know what to do."

"Yes, ma'am." Nathan rose from where he'd been kneeling, helping her, and strode silently from the room.

Andrea sat up, ruffled her hair, then smiled and opened the door. "Detective Spooner! I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"I saw your press conference." The detective said, a little more jovially than he felt. His eyes strayed over her - she looked a mess. Overalls and a red bandana - a mechanic chick look. Something completely different to the 'darkness is my lord' look she went for less than a week ago.

"Oh yeah," Andrea nodded. "The press conference. Something the company wanted me to do before it folded." She sighed, then met his eyes. "I've been going over dad's study, all his records, everything. The company was dying, Detective Spooner. Dying, and almost dead. But then, three months ago, things started turning around."

Spooner frowned at that, then let it pass. Additional information might help solve this case once and for all. And Andrea was part of this family - it's only fair that she help me out. Andrea smiled, as though hearing his thoughts. "I'd love to let you in and show you the records personally, Detective…"

" Del. Or Spooner."

Andrea raised an eyebrow. "… But unfortunately, I'm in the middle of something right now."

Spooner brushed a strand of hair back from her face. "I can see. What's the project?"

Andrea smiled, sadly this time. "My brother's collection. I'm fixing them up. With some of the money I plan to set up a museum."

Spooner looked over Andrea's shoulder, and his eyes widened. In the middle of the living room floor, on a tarp covered in grease spots, tools, and scraps of metal, lay something which made the hairs on the back of Spooner's neck stand up. Something which reminded him eerily of the crime scene he had just visited.

"Yes," Andrea said, flatly, as though anticipating his question, "It's a robot. After the revolution, there was no shortage of broken robots for my brother to pick up." She looked over at the robot carcass lying in the middle of the living room. "He never threw anything away. He was going to fix them all, someday… but now…"

"Revolution?" Spooner frowned, but was unable to take his eyes from the mangled robot.

"You of all people should remember it," Andrea said softly, so softly that Spooner thought for a moment he imagined her speaking. "The NS-5's going rampant, remember?" She added, in a slightly louder voice.

NS-5… Crap! The missing robot!

"Ms Martin," Spooner dragged his eyes away from the dismembered robot, "Have you ever felt… threatened? Since your father's and brother's deaths, I mean."

Andrea shook her head. "Aside from the press? No." She frowned. "Why?"

Del forced a smile, "Just askin', Andrea. Y'never know; something might come up."

Andrea stared at Spooner. "You have a lead? Someone… someone did murder my brother?"

"Not yet," Del interrupted hastily, trying to cover himself. "But I'm working on it. I was just wondering if anyone had come to you with something…"

Andrea shook her head, miserable. "No, no. Nothing yet." She pushed back another strand of hair. "I was hoping you could tell me something."

Well, Ms Martin, Del thought, I could tell you something. I could tell you that a troubled homicidal robot with an interest in your family's murder case escaped and could be coming to have a little chat with you, but I don't think that would be a good idea… "Do you think you could send me a copy of those files you mentioned? Anything at all could help out with this case."

"Not a problem," Andrea said cheerfully, though her eyes were still dark. "I'd be happy to."

Del nodded, then turned to walk away. "Oh," he added, as an afterthought, "How's your kid going?"

Andrea smiled, a real smile this time. "Oh, he's wonderful. He's been a real help around the house. I keep telling him he doesn't have to, but…" She shrugged, and added, "But he's a wonderful kid. I've been blessed." Her smile faded a little. "The adoption papers are just taking forever to come through. I don't know what's holding them up."

Del shrugged apologetically. "Well, best of luck to you both."

Andrea waved goodbye, then shut the door.

"You can come out now," she said to the empty room, "He's gone." She knelt down beside the robot she was working on, and felt him come into the room and kneel beside her. Silently, they got back to repairing the robot on the tarp. Andrea reached for a welding tool.

"Nooo…" The robot's garbled voice suddenly broke the silence, making Andrea drop the tool in surprise. "Do not break me…"

"You're already broken," Andrea said patiently, looking into what was left of the robot's face. "I'm trying to fix you." She stroked the side of his head. "I'm going to fix you."

"No harm to humans, through inaction or action. No disobeying human, unless contradict with harm to humans. No harm to self unless contradict with harm or disobedience."

Andrea looked at the robot with undisguised pity. All that was left of this shell was the three laws. Being torn apart by one of the rogue NS-5's had destroyed its mind as well as its body. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The robot turned its mutilated head towards Andrea, and it gripped her arm with sudden ferocity. "RUN!" It yelled, then fell into repeating, over and over, "Do not harm. Do not harm. Do not harm…"

Nathan, who had been silent, suddenly reached for the robot's head, and stroked it, tenderly, imitating Andrea's attempts to calm it. However, Nathan's hands strayed further, reaching into the metal shell of the robot's skull. Without even flinching, he grabbed the robot's brain and ripped it out with his bare hands.

Andrea stared at him, shocked, as the robot spasmed in death throes before falling forever silent.

"He would not be quiet," Nathan said, a coldness in his voice that she had never noticed before.

A/N: Updating soon, I hope. Reviews give me warm and fuzzies.