Chapter 324: Self Diagnosis

Chapter 324: Self Diagnosis

After food and a short nap, Milo went to find Belinda. She was in the middle of the park tossing treats to rabbits. As she saw Milo coming, she tossed the last dozen bits of food and showed them empty hands. The rabbits took one look at Milo and decided that no one that famished would have treats in his pocket. In fact, they were a bit worried about being around someone who looked that hungry and decided that visiting the hydroponics for fresh vegetables was in their best interests.

Milo sat down across from her, noticing she wasn't wearing the suit he had made for her and was looking very healthy. "You're looking good."

"Thanks, you're looking like hell. What did you have to do to keep us safe from being cooked to crispy critters in a fusion oven?"

"It was a lot of stress, a lot of hours inside both layers of my suits, getting shot and nearly killed, and then interfacing with a Quantum Core. I experienced time dilation inside. It felt like a week, but was less than 24 hours. It put a lot of strain on me. That's what happened to Dr. Cooper. Part of him survived, but not much is left of his physical form. It was better for me, I was built to do stuff like that."

"Built is such an odd word for a human being."

"Yep, but it applies to me."

"To me too. I may have had a normal birth, but if what you found is correct, someone did some building. I've had a lot of time to think lately, and I'm thinking better as I get the last of the drugs out of my system. There are a lot of odd things on my medical charts."

"Yeah, about that. Jeremy said something that bothered me a lot. He said your dad, Vigo, was behind the creation of Batch 4."

"Shit. And that's you and possibly some of your brothers and sisters? What does that make me? Batch 5? It's pretty obvious he managed to engineer some changes in me."

Milo shook his head. "No, if Batch 5 even exists, they are pretty far from human. Jeremy called them 'Brains in Jars'. Something you could plug into a computer or a tank or a habitat to run things. Probably devoid of self-will." Both of them were silent after he said that.

Belinda finally said, "You need a break."

Milo felt tired. He normally ignored all those feelings, since they got in the way of getting stuff done, but he had to admit that Belinda, Momma, and everyone else he talked to had a good point and were concerned. His body fat was next to zero, and his ability to heal and recover would be slowed. He'd be more efficient with some rest.

"OK, so what do you suggest? Locking me in my pod for three days?"

"You'd go insane. No, I think you should get in your pod, sleep for 12 hours, and play in Genesis. Not with me or the gang, but by yourself exploring tunnels or doing whatever you want to do. When you come up for air, you can do all the little things that keep Section E running. And once you're able to take on more mental stress, you can start helping me with the Medical Data. 12 hours in the pod, 12 hours of data mining, or fixing the habitat if something breaks. Lots of sleep, good food, and time off for your head. Keep things balanced until you're ready to do stupid things again."

Milo realized how much he had missed the game. The only time he'd played lately was helping Larry with his quests and the details were fuzzy. He wondered if he'd done some of that in his sleep, the way he kept working on Run, Run, Ramona.

"Fine. That sounds like a plan."

"Good, because Mama's plan was feeding you desert and then stuffing you in the pod and locking it for three days."

"Dessert?"

"Yes. Something called Creamcheese Pie with strawberries on top."

Milo hopped up, wincing as he put weight on what he normally thought of as his 'good leg.' "Just one pie?"

"Don't be silly, she defrosted four of them."