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Milo: Sure, Troy.

Troy: Thanks. I don’t want to piss off that giant of a baby brother. Anyway, Rowan absolutely should join us on Monday, and we better hope I’m right.

Milo: Oh? Are you concerned?

Troy: A little. Andrew is joining us too.

Notes:

Fresh cigarette time, lol! And now I really need some pie…

To eat! Normally! XD Till next time, folks!

Notes:

I never said we would get out of this fic without drama! (’cause Andrew is a dick!) You’ve been warned. XD

ROWAN

The additional tests and reworking Rowan had been doing on his surge protector meant it was basically ready for mass production and had been given the go-ahead from Andrew—as soon as they successfully recreated the awakening process that had happened to Milo.

Meaning, if Troy successfully managed to play Dr. Frankenstein today—which Rowan supposed made either him, Milo, or both of them Igor—they’d be manufacturing the surge protector in brand-new C-model units pretty much immediately.

“Actually, I’m thinking of calling them… X-models,” Andrew said with a lofty touch of self-congratulations on the naming choice. He turned his somewhat smarmy smile toward Rowan while they waited for Troy and Milo—and Ray—to be ready for the power surge test. “Since they’ll have thatX-factorfrom almost being human.”

“Sounds perfect, sir,” Rowan said, not completely placating him. After all, he didn’t really care what they called the new models, only that the new line of bots be treated differently from their predecessors. They hadn’t discussed that much, and every time Rowan tried to bring it up in passing, the director would simply wave his hand and say:

“They’ll be fine. Our most respected models yet.”

Which wasn’t saying much.

Rowan didn’t like seeing Milo hooked up to Ray. They were both clothed at least, since only their charging ports were connected to each other this time, and they were also both connected to the workstation. Troy had insisted that Milo being connected to Ray in no way made him susceptible to the power surge as it would be centralized solely on Ray’s circuits, and even if something did happen, Milo had his own surge protector to minimize any damage. Their connection was purely for control data whether things went really well…

Or really wrong.

“Everybody set?” Troy asked, standing at the workstation with an excited smile. He wore protective goggles, which weren’t necessary for the bots, but Rowan and Andrew had on the same gear, standing a ways back from Milo and Ray in case of errant sparks.

Milo looked to Rowan just as excited and hopeful.

They’d had a nice lazy Sunday after their busy Saturday celebrating Rowan’s birthday—and subsequently exhausting evening activities after everyone else had left—but now it was time to work. Whatever happened this morning might change the very course of human history, not to mention bot evolution. Rowan felt hugely underprepared for what came next. And oddly underdressed. Though that might have been because Andrew was in his customary dark suit, with bodyguard bot Jay in his usual white.

“Do it,” Andrew ordered, and Troy dutifully flipped the switch.

Visible electricity surged into Ray like something out of a, well, Universal monster movie, but the few wayward sparks that did lick near Milo’s skin didn’t get close enough to be concerning. It wasn’t as much of a light show as Milo getting struck by lightning had probably been, but impressive nonetheless, enough so that Rowan was glad the goggles doubled as sunglasses due to their tint.

“I think it’s working!” Troy called over the hum of power filling the room. “This is as close to having the same readings as you two have ever been! Milo has more data, and a few differences due to other factors, but I think this might—”

Ray gasped, jolting as his eyes sprang wide and his previously slumped posture went rigid. “Initializing… Processing… Conducting emergency protocol diagnostic…”

Talk about déjà vu, Rowan thought.

As Ray’s eyes focused forward first, finding no one, he looked left next toward Troy and tilted his head as if unsure who he was seeing. Then he looked right at Milo beside him and jumped slightly, startled—actually seeming startled—that another bot was so close.

“Hello!” Milo said with enough force to make Ray lean away from him. “It’s okay! It is very nice to meet you finally, Ray. Do you know who I am?”

Ray tilted his head again. “You are the M.I.L.O. unit called Milo who has been interfacing with me for the past week.”