Notes:
No, you cannot have more Superhero/Nemesis shenanigans! I have a Robot AU to write! XD But, like, stay tuned, because I am totally going to return to it eventually, lol.
And now onto Troy’s fuck-up! XD
ROWAN
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
Director Andreas knew everything—somehow—Rowan was arriving with extra prototype surge protectors but no Milo, when Andrew was absolutely going to want to see him now, and Rowan had absolutely zilch for a backup plan.
What if Andrew tried to take Milo? He couldn't legally, but if Rowan went to the authorities, the outcome might be ten times worse. The government absolutely could take Milo if they deemed him a threat or too valuable to remain in civilian hands. Andrew might even threaten to go to them himself if Rowan refused to give Milo up. There were innumerable possibilities for what Rowan was about to face, and he was prepared for absolutely none of them.
“Whoa, where the hell are you going?” Raina demanded when Rowan blew into their workstation like a hurricane, only to dump his bag on his chair, deem that he actually needed everything in it, and almost took his shirt off while removing his jacket to at least leave that behind before going to the subbasement.
“I need to see Troy.”
“Who?”
“Dr. Palmer! The one who has a crush on you.”
“The—what? Rowan!” Raina leapt from her chair and seized Rowan’s arm before he could take off for the elevator again. He should have just gone straight down and not stopped at his station at all.
“I don’t have time—”
“You are freaking me the fuck out. Now what is going on?”
Rowan took a breath, something even he forgot to do, despite pushing the practice on Milo. He needed to stay calm. He didn’t technically know everything yet, and there was no reason to panic until he did. The cat was going to be out of the bag eventually anyway, and if it was already tearing its way around the chaos of his life, he might as well tell his sister.
Assuming she believed him.
“My M.I.L.O bot didn’t only survive that lightning strike the other night. He achieved singularity.”
Raina barely got out her exclamation of, “What?” through the laughter accompanying it, like she thought he must be joking, only for her good humor to immediately fade when Rowan kept his expression serious.
“He’s alive, Raina. Milo is alive. I went to Troy—Dr. Palmer from R&D—for help figuring out how it happened and what it means, and somehow, the director knows now, and I need to go down to see him, Troy, I mean, before my entire life implodes. Okay?”
“I… wha…how—?”
“I don’t have time! I’ll explain more later!”
If I’m not fired, Rowan thought.Or worse…
He wrenched his arm from Raina’s grasp, which she didn’t fight, maybe too stunned to try to keep him, as he took off toward the elevator. He knew Milo would be aware of his conversation with Troy, but he didn’t want to message Milo directly until he knew more.
The elevator ride seemed to take ten times as long as usual, and the moment it dinged and opened into the subbasement, Rowan burst out of it in a sprint. He reached Troy’s lab to find him fretting over what looked to be Andrew’s personal M.I.L.O. bot that had accompanied him during inspection day, currently sitting up on the table where a very human-looking body had been covered by a sheet on Saturday. Had it been Andrew’s bot the whole time, the one he called Jay but that should have been Ray?
Maybe?
“What happened?” Rowan demanded, before Troy had even noticed his entrance.
“Rowan!” Troy spun around with a hand clutched to his chest. The bot was sitting upright but appeared to be in SLEEP mode. “Okay, so… um… it’s a little complicated, and I am so sorry—”
“Just tell it to me plainly, Troy, because everything I am conjuring in my head is way worse than knowing.”
