Such petty attempts to belittle Milo did not cow him, and he held firm by having Rowan beside him, and hisfriendshere with him too. “Even if that might be legally true, Andrew, I belong to Rowan, not you. The difference is that he does not treat me like property. You don’t even think of me as alive, do you?”
Andrew rolled his eyes as if Milo was oh so very quaint. “Considering you were made in this factory rather than birthed? No, I don’t. But you are an impressive enough facsimile to the real thing, enough that—”
“That you think shareholders and consumers will be placated by human-like bots and let you fire your entire workforce?” Raina spat at him.
“Why not? Would you expect us to pay them?”
“Troy!” Rowan called. “Keep doing what you were doing.”
Troy looked flustered for a moment, but then immediately returned to his typing.
“Don’t you dare!” Andrew squared his footing, almost as if he was readying for a boxing match, but clearly, he didn’t do his own fighting since Jay took that stance like a direction to square up in kind and moved in front of him. “This ends here, or you are all going to prison.”
Without looking away from the console, Troy answered, “We’ll take our chances.”
“Jay!” Andrew barked, and Jay snapped to attention like the enforcer he was. “Incapacitate Dr. Palmer.”
“Excuse me?” Raina leapt in front of Troy like a barrier.
“Keeping working, Troy!” Milo called like Rowan had, and moved around his ginger giant, because despite Rowan’s size, Milo was the enforcer between them. “I’ve got this.” He moved in between Raina and the advancing bot, while Rowan stood to the side, looking frustrated in his helplessness.
Milo wished Rowan didn’t have to feel that way, but this was Milo’s fight more than anyone else’s.
“M.I.L.O. B-model bot, designation Milo,” Jay spoke as robotically as expected withRay’svoice, “I ask that you stand down and allow me to carry out my Master’s orders.”
“If I might answer in an appropriately human manner, given I am as alive as any of the others in this room…” Milo widened his footing and raised his arms to go on the offensive. “Suck my synthetic balls.”
Launching a punch at Jay faster than any of the humans might have been able to follow, Milo hoped to make this a quick fight, but it seemed Jay had been designed as a bodyguard first because he effortlessly caught Milo’s fist.
Shit.
Gripping his closed fingers tightly, Jay flung Milo out of his way with enough momentum that Milo nearly went flying. He only barely managed to keep on his feet and immediately pivoted to leap at Jay again, tackling him to the ground.
Less elegant but effective.
“Milo!” Rowan cried.
“Finished with Ray!” Troy shouted in kind.
Jay bucked up against Milo’s slighter body, trying to dislodge him from grappling him on the ground.
INQUIRY: What methods are considered fighting dirty?
Processing… In hand-to-hand fighting sports, "fighting dirty" generally refers to—
Just give me a list!
Processing…
-Eye Gouging
-Biting
-Fish-hooking
-Headbutting
As Jay bucked up again, finally succeeding in throwing Milo off of him, Milo leapt right back toward him like a feral cat and rammed his forehead into Jay's.
