A/N: This is going to be a very dialogue-heavy chapter. I'm sort of using this as a sounding board for my own thoughts on this complicated issue.

The limo came to a slow stop, hovering a few inches off of the ground. Looking out of the window, Astro found himself shrinking back. He knew that his dad's limo could withstand collisions of sixty miles an hour and the glass was bulletproof, but the furious faces of the waiting crowd and the soft clatter of all sorts of thrown objects bouncing off of the window certainly weren't very welcoming.

A hand on his shoulder encouraged Astro to tear his gaze away from the view beyond the limo. He glanced over at Orrin, anxiously tapping on the steering wheel and stealing little glances at them through the rearview mirror. He looked at his boots, at his hands folded in his lap, and worried his bottom lip between his artificial teeth before finally giving in and meeting his dad's eyes.

"Nervous?" Doctor Tenma asked, his voice as soft as Astro had ever heard it.

He huffed sarcastically, glancing back out the window. Since the limo had stopped, the officers who were keeping the protesters in order had begun setting up barriers and moving the angry crowd away from the limo. Astro didn't think a bunch of plastic, orange barriers were going to hold anyone back, but he appreciated the distance, anyway. He pointedly avoided looking at any of the signs being waved around. Astro closed his eyes. "You could say that."

It was obvious even without looking that Tenma was frowning. There was a guilty clench in Astro's stomach but, before he could dwell on it, the hand on his shoulder was removed and Tenma took hold of his hand instead. He gently pried Astro's hands apart, taking one and enveloping it in both of his. It did a good job of distracting Astro and he flexed his hand experimentally. It was sort of disillusioning, to see his hand covered completely by Tenma's much bigger ones, knowing what sort of devastation Astro's childish hands could wreak.

"I'm sorry. I wish that I could go in with you," Tenma said, bowing his head.

Astro managed a thin smile. "Don't be. It's… probably better that you don't, anyway." He resisted the urge to look behind him, at the city capitol building gleaming through the throngs of people. Something heavy hit the side of the limo and Astro grimaced. It was for the best that his dad didn't try to go out in that. "I'll be fine. I just have to… convince the President that I'm human enough, right? Easy." His throat clenched with anxiety. "I can totally do that."

"Of course it will be," Tenma assured him. He gave Astro's hand a squeeze. "You managed to convince me and that's saying something. This isn't anything you haven't done before."

Surprised, Astro blinked. The memory of his dad calling him an "it" and "just a machine" wasn't normally so fond. But Tenma had a point. If Astro could change the mind of his dad, the most stubborn man he had ever known, then he could convince anyone.

The smile that came to his face was easier than before as Astro leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his dad gratefully. "Thanks." He said it as a sigh, relaxing. "I'm glad you're here. I love you, dad."

Tenma made a soft noise, like he was surprised, then squeezed tighter. "I love you too, son," he muttered, holding on like he never wanted to let go.

As nice as it was, though, Astro knew he couldn't stay in the limo forever. He pulled away before he could get too comfortable, setting his hand on the door. "Wish me luck," he said, avoiding looking at Tenma. "Don't worry about waiting here or picking me up. I'll fly home when I'm done," he promised.

Or, depending on how things went, he was supposed to go to a secondary bunker location and wait for his dad there so that they could flee Metro City together. But Astro knew already that he wasn't going to do that. Not if it meant leaving his friends behind without so much as a goodbye.

(He carefully ignored the thought that they might hate him for what he had done, like everyone else. He had been avoiding them, too. What would they say?)

Before Tenma could say anything else, Astro opened the limo door. As soon as he did, there was a rush of noise, the sound of hundreds of people in a small place screaming at him. He cringed, but resisted the urge to turn down his hearing. No, Astro still felt that he deserved the people's scorn. He would earn his way back into their good graces but, at least for the moment, they were right.

He closed the door behind him, determined, and felt it pull away under his fingertips. Astro held his breath and, once it was gone, he resisted the urge to turn around and watch it go. He met the eyes of the people closest to him, held back by plastic barriers and the arms of officers who probably hated Astro just as much as everyone else did. But Astro had an appointment with the President, so he put one foot in front of the other and forced himself forward.

Looking over the signs that people were holding, Astro felt a part of him wither with every step. He didn't let himself linger long enough to absorb most of them, but keywords jumped out at him: "dismantle," "killer," "monster." Someone tried to spit on him when Astro passed. Another person threw a brick. He caught it, then gingerly dropped it at his feet. It wouldn't have hurt, but Astro didn't want to risk it hitting someone else if it bounced off of him or if he dodged.

There was a shout from behind and, as Astro turned, he saw someone break around the barriers. Two officers were holding the woman back, who had tears in her eyes as she screamed something that Astro couldn't hear through the ringing in his ears. He stared at her, petrified and unable to move. Someone stepped between them and, privately, Astro was grateful. He wasn't sure that he would have been able to look away on his own.

The officer in front of Astro said nothing, keeping her hands at her sides, but she flicked her eyes toward city hall pointedly and Astro, taking the hint, turned away from her. He felt chilled to his Core, but what could he do? Getting involved would only make things look worse. So he kept walking.

It felt like there was a weight on Astro's chest and it didn't let up until he was inside of the capitol building, the heavy wooden doors sealed shut behind him. He let himself lean against them for a moment, taking a shaky breath. Hopefully talking to the President would be easier than facing a mob who wanted to rip him apart without even bothering to recycle.

The joking thought should have made Astro smile, but it didn't. He pushed away from the door and further into the enormous, circular room in front of him.

There was a secretary's desk off to one side and a stout, younger woman tapped away at something on the holopad in front of her. Astro's metallic footsteps echoed like gunshots in the huge, marble corridor, but she didn't so much as blink, solely focused on her work. They were the only two people in the room.

Or, well, she was a person. Astro was legally classified as "undecided" at the moment.

Only when Astro stopped in front of her did the woman spare him so much as a glance. Her eyes flicked over him and there was a hint of recognition before she refocused on her work. "May I help you?" She asked, voice perfectly polite.

She was being far more pleasant than the people outside, but Astro still felt insecurity curl in his chest and wanted to back away. Was he imagining it, or had her lips tilted down into a sneer for a second there? "I, uh…" He cleared his throat, desperate to find his voice. "I'm Toby Tenma. I have an appointment with President Robert Logan?"

The woman hummed in acknowledgment and flicked through a few tabs with a gesture of her wrist. The projector switched to display a list of names, dates, times, and blurbs of information that Astro didn't understand the purpose of. He looked away out of consideration.

After a moment, she nodded and the movement dragged Astro's eyes back up to hers. "Yes, here you are. Toby Tenma, the President has been expecting you. Please, follow me." She stood up, and maybe her smile was a little bit strained, but at least she wasn't throwing bricks as she left her desk and crossed to the large, ornate staircase near the back of the hall.

Astro hurried after her, staying silent. Maybe if he was allowed to be a person after the meeting, he would be able to talk to someone about changing his legal name.

She led him up another flight of stairs, tucked to the side and much less elaborate, and on the third floor the secretary stopped in front of a neat set of double doors. She knocked twice and, without waiting for an answer, opened it and stuck her head inside. "Mr. President," she said, her voice slightly muffled, "there's a Toby Tenma here to see you."

There was no verbal cue from Robert Logan, but the woman leaned back with a smile and waved toward the door. "You can go and see him now," she said. Her job done, she left Astro to stand there listlessly as she began the walk back to her desk.

He wished that he could linger outside of the office until he felt ready to enter, but Astro didn't have nearly that long to wait. He let himself linger for a few seconds more, then steeled himself and entered.

All things considered, it was a small office. Compared to the bright decals and golden swirls of the foyer and adjacent hallways, the President's office felt almost homey. It was still expensive, but other than the plush seats and mahogany desk, Astro didn't see a lot of money being wasted. The President himself stood away from the desk, facing the set of bay windows that let out over the front of the building. He must have had an excellent view of the angry crowd below, waving their demands around for him on sticks.

Astro shut the door behind him as quietly as he could and only then did Robert Logan turn to look at him. Compared to President Stone, he was a lot shorter than Astro had been expecting. He was noticeably younger, with a softer face and a head full of healthy hair. He had only been President for a month or so but, already, he looked tired.

Still, the smile on his face was genuine when he gestured Astro forward. "Take a seat anywhere you like. I've been waiting to meet you, Toby."

There was an odd sort of charm that came with being in front of the most powerful person in Metro City. Astro found himself complying, selecting the seat on the left in front of the desk. He thought that he ought to stay quiet, wait for Robert Logan to make the first move, but he opened his mouth anyway and said, "Astro, sir."

The President blinked at him, confused. "What was that?"

Astro swallowed the thought that he had already made a mistake. "My name is Astro, sir," he clarified. "Toby Tenma is dead."

(Dad said that it happened eight months ago. Astro could still remember the searing heat, the red light, then cold, cold nothing like it was yesterday.)

The mention of his origin made President Logan grimace. "Right. Your, uh, father explained to me the circumstances of your creation when we spoke a month ago. He didn't mention that you had a preference for another name. Astro, then." There was something like curiosity in his eyes and Astro fought not to squirm. "You can call me Robert, or Mr. President if the formality makes you feel more comfortable. Though, truth be told, I'm still not used to it." He sighed, looking out the window with a furrow between his brows. "I only won by default, you know that, don't you?"

A nod. Astro was never invested in politics, but he had been the one to put President Stone in prison, so yes, he knew that.

Robert Logan hummed thoughtfully. He glanced at Astro. "I was ahead in the polling numbers, but those are never completely accurate. A lot of my constituents doubt my ability to handle this position. Many argue that I never really earned it." He paused. "That means that I have a lot to prove."

Catching on, Astro felt his heart sink. "You're going to dismantle me," he said. It wasn't a question because he didn't need an answer.

Surprising him, President Logan shook his head. "I'm not planning on it. Truth be told, the decision that I make is more up to you than it is me. I just want you to know how important this conversation is, the sort of precedent it could set for the future of governing in this city and how people see robots." He walked away from the window, coming to stand in front of Astro, one hand propping himself up against his desk. "So, tell me. Do you think you're human, Astro?"

There was a sick feeling that twisted Astro's stomach. He stared down at his hands, clenched so tightly in his lap that they were shaking. "I'm not sure," he admitted.

When he didn't try to continue, Robert made a soft noise to prompt him. "And why not?"

It took Astro a minute to put how he was feeling into words. "Because… I'm not human. Not really," he said at last, looking up. "I died. Toby died and I…" He took a deep breath. "...I remember it, but that wasn't me. I can remember having to eat and feeling tired after a long day and being able to flex my toes, and this — what I am now — feels nothing like any of those mundane things that are assigned to being human. I don't feel like a robot either, though. Robots have limiters on their personalities and range of emotions. And robots…" He pursed his lips. "...have to follow the Laws of Robotics."

"Ah, yes." They had finally come to the crux of the issue, the reason why Astro was there at all. Robert Logan looked thoughtful. "Do you know the Laws? Go ahead and repeat them for me, if you can."

Seeing as how his dad was the Head of the Ministry of Science (and Astro had been obsessively fretting over the Laws for the last few days), he didn't hesitate to answer. "A robot can't bring harm to a human, or through inaction allow a human to be hurt. A robot has to obey orders given to it by a human, as long as the order doesn't contradict the First Law. And a robot has to protect its own wellbeing if it doesn't conflict with the First and Second Law." Saying it left a bad taste in Astro's mouth, even as a part of him withered with guilt. If he had been programmed to obey the Laws of Robotics from the very beginning, then the whole situation could have been avoided.

"That's right." President Logan nodded. "That's why we have to shut down robots before they can be dismantled. Technically, preventing itself from being compacted doesn't hurt humans. All robots attempt to fight back automatically. Some even apologize while doing so." He paused and looked at Astro pointedly. "Your father told me that you let him shut you down without so much as a word in protest."

Whatever Astro was about to say died in his throat. He wondered if that was another charge against him: a robot that couldn't obey three simple laws. Astro dropped his head, toeing the ground with the tip of his foot. "Yes," he said with a nod. "I just… didn't see the point in running and hiding. I didn't have anything to live for, so it was…" He paused. "...easier, I guess. To let him shut me off." To let him kill me, Astro thought, but didn't say.

"But the point," Robert Logan pressed, "is that you didn't try to save yourself. At any point from being captured on the Surface to being dragged back to Metro City, you did nothing, knowing what would come."

That time, Astro knew better than to try and defend himself. He nodded, once. "Yes."

President Logan almost smiled — it was a close thing, with an emotion behind it that Astro couldn't identify. "And have you ever disobeyed an order from a human?"

Astro huffed on a soft laugh. "Yes," he said, faintly amused. He was thirteen. What teenager didn't disobey just for the rush of saying "no"? And even outside of the house, before the fond memories of normal father-son interactions with Doctor Tenma, Astro had never been one for taking orders. That day in the arena of the Robot Games was a dark spot in his memories. But the point was that he had been told to fight and he had refused.

There was a chuckle from the President, no doubt following Astro's train of thought, but then his seriousness returned. He gestured to the window. "I think it's safe to say that you haven't obeyed the First Law of Robotics, either."

It wasn't an accusation, but Astro still winced. "No," he agreed. "I didn't."

Robert was quiet for what felt like a long time. Then, with a sigh, he said, "Astro, you don't follow any of the Laws of Robotics, something that all robots are meant to be programmed with before they even get off of the assembly line. Now, legally speaking, if I determined you to be a robot, I would charge your crime on Doctor Tenma. The legal battle would be his own and you would have to be programmed with the Laws of Robotics from here on." A pause. Astro almost wished that he could vomit, just so the ghost of his stomach would stop twisting. "If you were charged as a human, well… you're a minor. The charges would be minimal, especially if you make the case that you were acting in self-defense."

He didn't continue after a long minute, so Astro hazarded a response, asking, "What are you offering, exactly?"

There was a flicker of a smile on Robert Logan's face. "How would you feel if you were programmed to obey the Laws of Robotics?" He asked bluntly.

And Astro swallowed his burst of indignation to think about it. Really think long and hard about the implications. It would be admitting to being only mechanical. Only what he had been programmed to be. But Astro had proof that he was more than that: his friends. He hadn't been programmed to like them. Doctor Tenma hadn't even programmed him to be a more obedient son or to love him more. He was as human as he had ever been, mentally.

But on the other hand, it would fix the outrage. If Astro let himself be reprogrammed, it would be a guarantee to soothe the outrage that he would never hurt anyone again. He wouldn't be able to hurt someone.

He clenched his jaw in frustration and forced himself to relax it. "I regret what I did," he said eventually. And "regret" was an understatement. "I'll never forgive myself for it. But there's been dozens of other times that I made the decision not to hurt someone because I don't want to hurt others. I can't stand it." Astro closed his eyes and saw the blood-stained alley, could smell burning skin and plasma radiating from his arm, could hear the woman's screams. That moment was tattooed on the backs of his eyelids, echoing in his ears, and he felt like it always would be. "If I was programmed to just not hurt people, then all the times I made the right choice would be meaningless." It would invalidate the only thing that was keeping Astro from complete and utter despair.

At least he had only killed one person, and not hundreds or even thousands.

Somehow, that was the right answer. President Logan laughed faintly, looking almost relieved. "'What is better: to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?'" He quoted.

Astro nodded sagely. "I've never felt evil," he countered, "but yes, that's the idea. If my choices are made for me, that defeats the point. Why even pretend that a choice exists?"

"Is the choice important at all?" Robert asked. Not making an argument, but advocating for a side that neither of them agreed with. "Wouldn't it be better if no one had the option to kill? If the capability for murder were to suddenly vanish from the human brain, the world would be a better place, don't you think?" He stroked his chin thoughtfully, an eager twinkle in his eyes.

It took longer that time, but Astro eventually shook his head. "It probably would be," he agreed, "but if you don't understand death, you can't appreciate life. And if there are no evil people in the world, then you might not notice all of the good that there is, too."

A grin came to President Logan's face, a childish sort of glee that Astro would have never associated with someone so powerful. "You're quite mature for a boy your age, Astro," he said, impressed. He glanced at the clock hanging on the left wall. "We should have another conversation about the subject sometime. I find you fascinating, and not just for the circumstances of your creation. It's difficult, in this line of work, to find people willing to indulge me in an honest conversation."

It took a moment for Astro's tumbling thoughts to catch on to the implication. "Wait. Are you… saying what I think you're saying?" He moved forward in his seat, holding his breath, daring to be hopeful.

Robert arched an eyebrow in amusement. "You mean, am I going to officially support reclassifying you as a human? Not quite." His grin didn't fade. "I'm sure there are other robots like you out there, Astro. Or, if there aren't, there will be now that the technology for it exists. Some robots are only programmed with simple orders and have no sentience to speak of, that much is true. We can't give equal rights to things that are incapable of independent thought, but…" He trailed off and Astro felt like he might combust. "...for those that aren't, those with the same passion for life that you have… Well, what do you think of being classified as an "android," with all the same legal rights as a human?"

Astro's mouth hung open. He didn't know what to say. It was… ambitious. It was an idea like no other. A whole new classification for personhood and Astro was pioneering it. He held no attachment to the term "human" when he clearly wasn't. He couldn't define himself as a "robot" when he wasn't really that, either. All Astro wanted was respect and consideration and the ability to live his life the way that he wanted to.

The public was going to hate it, at first. Maybe President Logan wouldn't make it to a second term. But Astro envisioned the future, just for a second. A hundred years down the line, robots like him as numerous as the human population, all of them co-existing, different in no way other than replacing veins with wires and skin with metal. It was possible that Astro would still be around by then, but even if he wasn't, he could see his face in history books and could imagine the proud voices of people talking about the change the Robert Logan bravely put forth, even knowing how unpopular it was going to be.

He had said that he had a lot to prove. Well, giving rights to a new classification of robots would certainly do it.

His eyes stung and Astro reflexively blinked, surprised to feel tears running down his cheeks. He wavered, torn, then suddenly burst from his seat. Before he could tell himself not to, Astro had wrapped his arms around the President of Metro City, hugging him as he shook softly.

"Thank you," Astro whispered, afraid that his voice would crack if he was any louder.

One hand went around his shoulders and the other, Robert Logan set on his shoulder, giving a squeeze. "There's no need to thank me for giving you something that you should have always had," he said, sadness in his voice that only made Astro want to cry harder.

There was nothing to be said to that, so Astro stayed quiet. He thought of the joy on Doctor Tenma's face when Astro delivered the good news, not having to be afraid to be seen in public anymore, working to better himself and make the right choices for a whole new breed of robots. Not since he had first woken up had Astro held such hope for the future and, without his permission, the tears fell even faster.

He buried his face in Robert's suit jacket and let himself hug this kind, odd stranger a little bit tighter. Everything was going to be okay.