Mau5in' Around

Chapter 24

“GOODNESS MAU5…”  Thomas sighed. His voice sounded like a strange mix of grief and disappointment.

Guy stood next to him, looking down at their creation… at their child; now in a crippled state.

Mau5 lay on the air mattress, his head rolled to the side. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. His jaw… still shattered, fell awkwardly open and gnashed in a horrible position. 

He slept… he had lost so much energy; he could do nothing but sleep. 

Guy turned to his robotic companion. “THIS IS GOING TO GET OUT… RAVEN IS GOING TO BE HUNTED DOWN AND KILLED. SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH. SHE WON’T LAST LONG…”

Thomas continued to gaze down at the sleeping Mau5, his visor blank as he thought.

Guy’s monitor on his helmet lit up on the sides and an icon of an unhappy face appeared. “HONESTLY, THOMAS… WE SHOULD NOT INTERFER WITH THAT CHILD ANYMORE. SHE HAS CAUSED US MORE PROBLEMS THAN PLANNED. IT WAS HER CHOICE TO RUN AWAY… SHE WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.”

Thomas still did not stop thinking. He had heard Guy’s words, and considered them with his own thoughts. He knelt down next to Mau5, to get a better look at the damage. He observed the cuts and scratches on his arms, the tears and missing chunks of fur on his face, and the indent on the bottom of his broken jaw line.

“PLEASE TELL ME WE WON’T GO AFTER THE GIRL AND GET HER BACK. I DON’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER ANYMORE.” Guy’s helmet turned a bright red, expressing his rage. “WHATEVER SHE DID, SHE CAUSED TOO MUCH PAIN TO MAU5. SHE COST US A HUGE DENT IN OUR WORK.”

“I KNOW…” Thomas finally said. “WE WON’T GO AFTER HER.” 

He rose to his feet and looked over at his friend. The word ‘human’ appeared on his visor. “MAU5 IS TOO HUMAN. HE IS GOING TO EXPERIENCE HUMAN EMOTION AFTER ALL THIS. LOSING RAVEN IS GOING TO BRING A HUGE BURDEN ON HIM. WE CANNOT BRING HER BACK AND RISK HER RUNNING AWAY AGAIN. SHE WILL WANT TO… AND PROBABLY TRY AND GET AWAY EVERYTIME SHE IS TRAPPED WITH US.”

Guy nodded, for he agreed. He then looked down at Mau5, a question mark popping up on his screened face. “WHAT COULD MAU5 HAVE POSSIBLY DONE TO DO THIS TO HIMSELF?”

Thomas shook his head. The word ‘Another’ appeared on his face. “HE DID NOT DO THIS TO HIMSELF…”

Guy thought on his words, and then an exclamation point appeared, showing he started to understand something that Thomas had considered. 

“YOU REMEMBER MAU5 MENTIONING THAT RAVEN WAS FRIENDS WITH A MUTANT? A LABORATORY EXPERIEMENT THAT HUMANS HAVE CREATED?” 

Guy nodded. He remembered well. Their memory was strong.

“THIS IS ENGLAND. THIS IS WHERE THAT CREATURE LIVES. MIGHT IT NOT MAKE SENSE THAT IT CAME AND DEFENDED RAVEN… AND GAVE HER A QUICK AND EASY ESCAPE?”

Guy nodded again. “THAT EXPLAINS THE UNUSUAL WOUNDS.”

Thomas made a sound like an electronic sigh. 

"BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TELL THE AUTHORITY? THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T BELIEVE THE TRUTH." Guy said.

Thomas was quiet for a while... He was contemplating an idea. "THIS CONCERT WAS A BIG ONE... MANY PEOPLE WERE HERE.... MAY CRAZY, OUT OF CONTROL PEOPLE."

Guy looked over at Thomas again, the question mark reappearing over his face.

"THIS WAS A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. SEVERAL FANS WERE DESPERATE TO SEE DEAD MAU5 AFTER THE SHOW. THEY GANGED UP ON AND GOT PASSED OUR ONLY TWO BODY GUARDS, MADE A MAD RUSH TO THE BACK STAGE ROOMS, AND IN THE PROCESS... SEVERALLY WOUNDED MAU5 AND-"