Chapter 286: Facts and Consequences

Chapter 286: Facts and Consequences

"You need to slow down for a bit, Milo, and catch your breath."

Milo was sure his breathing was in the normal range at the moment. "I'm fine, Mama. And I can rest in the elevator."

"I meant that you need to take a break and talk over some things."

He ran through his checklist quickly because, from her tone, he was missing something. He'd gotten everyone to safety, they'd met Rusty, and he'd checked on Belinda. Now, he needed to head back to the hab, check his systems, upload Belinda's medical information from the pod to Wally, and see if Eric was ok. "Don't worry. I just need to get back to work and keep moving."

"Milo, SIT DOWN! You aren't going anywhere until we talk!"

In some video games, Milo had noticed that ominous music played when a Boss showed up. He heard 'Boss Music' as Mama put her hands on her hips, leaned forward, and shouted at him.

"Um, sitting down. I missed something, didn't I."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Sometimes I wonder who has a harder head, you or my husband."

Milo looked over at Big Butch, who seemed to be trying to silently warn him about something. Looking at Mama, he heard the boss music again. "You'd like to talk to me?"

She sat on the floor in front of him. "Yes. I'd like you to slow down, talk to me, explain things, and relieve some of my anxiety about certain events. Can you help me with that, Milo?"

"Oh, sure, what should we talk about."

"Several things, so don't go rushing off. First off, are you ok? You got shot. Even with fancy body armor, that can't be good. How do I know you aren't bleeding to death or something? And where did you get that scary outfit? More of the Claw Master stuff? It looks like those gloves."

"It is like them, but better. And it has medical readouts. Here, you can see it all on my datapad. I only have some extensive bruising and superficial damage, along with some cracked ribs and maybe a little bleeding. The painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are helping, and I'll spend some time in my pod when I get to work in a little bit. I have to talk to a Doctor about Belinda. I can't do it from here, and she needs help more than I do."

"So, just talking to a doctor and resting in a medical pod?"

"um, and talking to a friend of Belinda's, Eric. Her Uncle doesn't like him either, and she's worried. But I can talk to him from the pod."

"OK, check in with him then. The crazy uncle is who sent those goons with guns?"

"I'm pretty sure. He's not a nice person, sort of a gangster. Belinda ran away because he was going to kidnap her. He's in jail now, but his thugs are still looking for her."

Big Butch grimaced and said, "Yeah, I met him a couple of times. He came through the pod room with two bodyguards like some mafioso from GTA9. He wanted to meet the foremen and security people. Scary old man."

Milo stood up. "So I'm fine, and you're all safe. Can I go now?"

More boss music. "Sit your butt down. You can't just drop us here and run off. It looks pretty, and the kids are thrilled, but I don't believe in free lunches. What's the catch? What is this place?"

Milo considered his words. He still wasn't totally sure. "I think it was a research lab for people in the government to do things they wanted to hide, and they also made a bunker to live in if things got bad upstairs or they needed a place no one could find them. They thought they'd blown it up. I don't know if anyone is alive that knows about it."

"I won't argue with you, Milo. You have information I don't have. But please understand that I am available to help when you need me. Shall we move on? What is happening in your habitat? There are confusing police reports. Illegal guns, professional mercenaries, and some disturbing medical reports."

Milo nodded and hugged a bunny. "Yep, it was a mess. They came looking for Belinda and would hurt people to find her. They hurt Mama. So I stopped them."

Video of the incident from several sources was suddenly available to Wally. He watched it sixty-four times in less than a second. He created six more partitions, cloned portions of himself, and set them to work analyzing the same information. One was studying the efficiency of the technology Milo and four military-grade security robots had used, referencing his prior schematics and data from military research operations. A second was assessing the psychological and intellectual. A second scanned Milo's movements and compared them to known fighting styles. All aspects of the brief fight were picked apart.

The psychological aspects were blunt and brutal: Someone had hurt a person Milo cared about and threatened to hurt them again. So Milo stopped them after giving them one warning. He did so as fast as he could, taking steps to limit fatalities while maximizing his survival and those he was guarding.

"I see. How can I help, Milo? Do you have questions?"

"Yes. What happens now? I killed and hurt people."

Wally had expected this question, and he had answers. "You did. But let me point out several facts.

Fact one: Those men acted as a private security force inside a habitat, violating several laws.

Fact 2: They brought illegal, unregistered firearms into the habitat and used them.

Fact three: Claw Master Inc., which you own, is now responsible for section E.

Fact four: The trespassers in Section E threatened Claw Master employees under contract with your corporation.

Fact Five: You warned them, and they immediately fired upon you.

Your actions were legal and are the same as what would be taken by any other corporate security force. If you are worried about legal ramifications, there will be none. Your lawyers will handle that; you don't have to do anything."

"What about later? Will they come back? Or will more people come?"

Wally shook his head. "No, for many reasons. They aren't being paid to continue, and they now know the consequences of trespassing. Frankly, your actions sent a strong message that Claw Master will not tolerate such actions. They'll be lucky not to find themselves in lengthy and expensive lawsuits. Do you wish to pursue the issue?."

"They hurt Mama and threatened my family."

"They certainly did. Consider the matter taken care of. The paperwork will be arriving at the offices of Volgard's Lawyers momentarily. I'm sure it will brighten their day."

Milo breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn't considered the ramifications of being a corporation, the clout that came with that, and lawyers on retainer. The real world was complicated and had so many rules. He added 'Take online classes in Law' to his list of things he needed to do someday. "Belinda has some concerns. She wants her step-father to quit looking for her and accept that she is ok. She's also worried that Victor Seimovich might strike at her friend Eric."

"I will have someone talk to her step-father. And I am suggesting to the local police that stationing people at Manpower for the next two weeks would be helpful. I can't order them, but the suggestion will be taken seriously. They've had to clean up one squad of injured mercenaries and know the threat is real. Is there anything else I can help with, Milo? Your pod is showing me your readings, and I'm concerned. You have serious bruising, slight internal bleeding, and fractured ribs. You must stay in that pod until your injuries are partially cured."

Milo was coming to that conclusion himself. "I think that's a good idea. I haven't slept a lot these past couple of weeks. I think I'll just stay here in the game and take a nap in both places, mind and body."

Wally watched for a minute longer as Milo's readings showed he actually did go to sleep in the pod, and his conscious mind entered REM sleep. Curiously, his subconscious mind tripled in activity. Wally split off another portion of himself to observe Milo's brain activity and ponder another aspect of his strange nature.