I, Robot Read Online Free PDF Page A

He'd been trapped between Parkdale — where he would never try to raise a daughter — and Willowdale — where you could only be a copper if you lucked into one of the few human-filled slots — for more than a decade, and he was used to the commute.
    But it was frustrating him now. The R Peed couldn't get a good look at this Liam character. He was a diffuse glow in the Peed's electric eye, a kind of moving sunburst that meandered along the wooded trails. He'd never seen that before and it made him nervous. What if this kid was working for the Eurasians? What if he was armed and dangerous? R Peed Greegory had gotten him a new sidearm from the supply bot, but Arturo had never once fired his weapon in the course of duty. Gunplay happened on the west coast, where Eurasian frogmen washed ashore, and in the south, where the CAFTA border was porous enough for Eurasian agents to slip across. Here in the sleepy fourth prefecture, the only people with guns worked for the law.
    He thumped his palm off the dashboard and glared at the road. They were coming up on the ravine now, and the Peed unit still had a radio fix on this Liam, even if it still couldn't get any visuals.
    He took care not to slam the door as he got out and walked as quietly as he could into the bush. The rustling of early autumn leaves was loud, louder than the rain and the wind. He moved as quickly as he dared.
    Liam Daniels was sitting on a tree-stump in a small clearing, smoking a cigarette that he was too young for. He looked much like the photo in his identity file, a husky 16-year-old with problem skin and a shock of black hair that stuck out in all directions in artful imitation of bed-head. In jeans and a hoodie sweatshirt, he looked about as dangerous as a marshmallow.
    Arturo stepped out and held up his badge as he bridged the distance between them in two long strides. "Police," he barked, and seized the kid by his arm.
    "Hey!" the kid said, "Ow!" He squirmed in Arturo's grasp.
    Arturo gave him a hard shake. "Stop it, now ," he said. "I have questions for you and you're going to answer them, capeesh?"
    "You're Ada's father," the kid said. "Capeesh — she told me about that." It seemed to Arturo that the kid was smirking, so he gave him another shake, harder than the last time.
    The R Peed unit was suddenly at his side, holding his wrist. "Please take care not to harm this citizen, Detective."
    Arturo snarled. He wasn't strong enough to break the robot's grip, and he couldn't order it to let him rattle the punk, but the second law had lots of indirect applications. "Go patrol the lakeshore between High Park and Kipling," he said, naming the furthest corner he could think of off the top.
    The R Peed unit released him and clicked its heels. "It is my pleasure to do you a service," and then it was gone, bounding away on powerful and tireless legs.
    "Where is my daughter?" he said, giving the kid a shake.
    "I dunno, school? You're really hurting my arm, man. Jeez, this is what I get for being too friendly."
    Arturo twisted. "Friendly? Do you know how old my daughter is?"
    The kid grimaced. "Ew, gross. I'm not a child molester, I'm a geek."
    "A hacker, you mean," Arturo said. "A Eurasian agent. And my daughter is not in school. She used ExcuseClub to get out of school this morning and then she went to Fairview Mall and then she —" disappeared . The word died on his lips. That happened and every copper knew it. Kids just vanished sometimes and never appeared again. It happened. Something groaned within him, like his ribcage straining to contain his heart and lungs.
    "Oh, man," the kid said. "Ada was the ExcuseClub leak, damn. I shoulda guessed."
    "How do you know my daughter, Liam?"
    "She's good at doing grown-up voices. She was a good part of the network. When someone needed a mom or a social worker to call in an excuse, she was always one of the best. Talented. She goes to school with my kid sister and I met them one day at the Peanut Plaza and she was doing