#and mecha sonic mk ii came back!

[disabled-battlekukku]

if sega makes tails adventure a classic exclusive thing i'm gonna cry. a lot/neg

[cyanocoraxx]

anopsia - (short thing about mecha's declining vision - mecha sonic & silver sonic mk ii, based in my ongoing fanfic series thing)

Mecha was well aware that her visual processing systems were failing - it was something she had accepted, as long as she could still see her siblings tussle and squabble over their latest video game venture. This was the most important thing for her to see above all else anyway. Seeing that they were safe and happy. Protected.

The details were starting to bother her, though. The little detail of the new scratches in her baby brother's paint. The little detail of the chip in her middle sibling's pointer finger. The slightly larger detail that one of the bolts on the main entrance to their home was loose - when did that happen? Unacceptable.

Perhaps denial wasn't working out for Mecha.

It was a good thing, at least, that Mecha had the entire base mapped out in their memory anyway. Allocating less processing power to their visual processing protocols freed up more for other, equally essential things. They walked expertly back down the warehouse entranceway towards their room, diverted some processing power to their language processing centers, and sat down with a book left in the corner for easy access.

Then came the difficult part.

No matter how much RAM space they freed up, the words didn't process. Mecha tilted his head one way and then the other, searching hard. They lifted the book up and into the centre of their visual field and found it a little easier to make out, but still…

It wasn't right. It was frustrating, and Mecha wasn't one to become frustrated for nothing. She valued efficiency. Functioning protocols. Knowing exactly what to do. And yet...

"Perhaps if I reboot in safe mode…"

"M?"

Mecha looked up sharply. "Little brother?"

"I didn't know you were in to reading covers and blurbs so much."

Mecha looked back down. Without tactile receptors, he couldn't detect the slightly thicker feel of the book's cover in his hands.

"M…" Silver walked in with his head tilted and optics dimmed. "You okay? I've seen you do that a few times today. More than yesterday."

"I am functioning correctly." Mecha replied simply. "Perhaps not at optimal levels, but I am functioning."

Silver gently sat down beside him with a soft huff as air left his vents. "Are you?"

Mecha closed the book and placed it on the floor. "You doubt me."

"Nah. I worry about you." Silver corrected him with a light poke to his sibling's cheek. "You're the last person to admit when something's wrong. But listen, M. You don't have to hide this shit from your family. This isn't some weakness. No enemies here, remember?"

"It is a weakness if it causes me to fail in my duty to protect my family," Mecha retorted, "so I cannot allow that. It is unacceptable."

Silver gave a small sigh and leaned into his brother's side, nestling his cheek into the older robot's shoulder. "You know, I don't hear things coming on my right side sometimes- on account of that ear still being exploded by the government and all. But you know? That's okay. I make up for it. There's accommodations for it."

Mecha considered that for a quiet moment. Silver could sense those cogs of logic turning and privately smiled to himself. Appeal to his brother's sense of reason and he could be in for hours of information, some interesting, some too complex for him to understand. He always liked it, though, when he could pay attention long enough-

Silver broke the silence first. "You know large print books are a thing?"

"I knew of their existence, but I had not considered this as an option before."

"Mhmm. 'Cause I know you like the classic paper ones instead of the computer ones. But on the computer, or I guess in your CPU as well, you can use screen readers. This little voice in the computer will read that shit to you. It's becoming more popular with organics as well."

"This defect is larger than the issue of reading text, brother. Do not change the subject. This is not merely about reading. I am afraid that one day I will be unable to interpret Neo's sign language. It is a visual language. Our communication has proven vital to our survival several times."

"I know. But... we have to be okay with asking each other for help. It's how we've survived this long, duh." Silver leaned back into his own space to give Mecha his own. "Same goes for any other living thing. So you can't see Neo's signs? Ask me. I can't hear something? You or Neo tell me. Neo can't talk to someone who doesn't know sign? We interpret."

"And what if I lose you. What if I lose him. What then, little brother. I cannot afford to be a liability to any of us. My visual field is decreasing significantly now. I am finding myself unprepared. Less aware of my surroundings than I once was. What if something such as this costs us our existence."

The brothers sat in a decided silence for a short while. The reminders of their hardships was never easy, and the brothers were on their own journeys with that. They had learned to sit with the quiet in times like this, let the pain settle, then let it go.

Indeed, they had lost each other more than once. Mecha's fear now was losing them to something ingrained into his very frame.

The younger brother spoke up again first. He always did.

"We have a community here," Silver started, looking to his brother with brightened optics, "and sure, it's no fix for our issues, but as long as we have community, we have survival."

"Perhaps. Even so, I am beginning to understand that this may be a form of grief. You are more emotionally competent than I. Is this a correct assumption?"

"Sure. You know as well as I do that there's no set list of things you can grieve for. I'm sure plenty of people feel loss, a lot of it, when they come to terms with this kind of thing. It's real. It's real to you, and that's enough."

"Indeed, that is a satisfactory conclusion."

"I don't come to those very often, so I'm pretty proud of that." Silver replied with a bright grin. "Want me to leave you be to think about things?"

"Stay."

"Course. What do you need, M?"

"Do not be quiet. Talk to me. I do not ask you often."

"Okie dokie. At least, with one ear dead, if I don't like a conversation I can just turn away and it's kinda blocked out. They invented gadgets for you to look at when you decide you don't like a conversation and wanna leave too, though."

"Your phone?"

"Exactly."

"They should invent a frame that functions."

Silver put his arm around his sibling's shoulder and nestled back into her. "Well, they invented the best little sibling ever who will read to you instead. Here..." He paused, using his free hand to pick up Mecha's book and opened it. "Where were you up to?"

Mecha shrugged a shoulder. "I was just beginning. It is new."

Silver nodded and turned to the first page. "Unilateral hearing loss is a type of hearing impairment where a person has impaired hearing in one ear... people with unilateral hearing loss may have difficulty hearing conversations with their impaired side, localizing sound... understanding speech with background noise... interpersonal interactions... wait, M, were you-"

Mecha's visor lit up a warm amber, his version of a smile. "They invented an older brother who listens to its siblings when they are struggling."

"They invented a sneaky rat is what! You can't just sit around being all nice and sweet like that and not tell me!" Silver feigned hurt, turning to face Mecha fully. He wobbled ever so slightly as he did, but it was enough for Mecha to notice.

A brief silence, and the younger brother was never happy with those.

Silver reached up and playfully grabbed at his brother's pointed ears, only causing Mecha to gently reach over and effortlessly flip Silver onto his back with a bang. It was nowhere near enough to hurt Silver, of course, but it did put a quick stop to his attack.

"Survival," Mecha repeated back to him. He reached down, poked Silver's nose, and began to walk away. "And, I must add... I already completed that book. It took me one month to complete. This was to be the second revision. I wished to consult the data more closely."

Silver stayed put on his back, staring at Mecha's feet as he left. "For the record, I'm not struggling."

"You are still lying on the floor."

"By choice!"

"You are less... grabby on the floor. I approve of this adjustment."

"Rude. It's just nice to give my balancey program a break."

Mecha gave the smallest of laughs to herself. "Community, indeed. You failed to reach the section where the text states that unilateral hearing loss may cause vertigo. So, you are welcome. I recommend that you remain in that position for some time."

"Why don't you verti-go somewhere and think about what you just did to me. You flipped me."

"Out of sight, out of mind, little brother, and you are outside of my field of vision."

"Sorry, can't hear whatever rude ass thing you're saying back to me!"

And indeed, Silver's orientation sensors did get a break, and indeed, Mecha saw things a little clearer. He joined Neo in repairing that loose bolt with a little more happiness. Neo greeted him with a smile in his optics, brighter than months ago, as was his new internal protocol, and Mecha smiled back.

[cyanocoraxx]

Fire In The Sky (Chapter 4)

Metal Sonic / Silver Sonic MK II / Mecha Sonic / Shadow

How sentimental. Neo would have figuratively puked at it once. Now, it was nice to have a little clarity, a little hope, amongst the chaos and looming threats. So Neo nodded, leaning into Mecha's touch with closed optics. He stayed quiet, enjoying the company of his older brother for just a moment. (Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 adaptation. Continuation of Damage.)

Standing atop the now airborne Glyphic Canyon, Shadow folded his arms and beheld the view with intrigue. Rolling white clouds in a blue sky painted the scene before him, a stark contrast to the crimson overlay on the world below. This was truly a work of art. He flicked his ear back and turned his head a little to address Black Doom, who stood right behind him.

"I bet nobody expected this baby could fly."

The hedgehog briefly recalled that he had ignored the request to activate the temple jewels. The temple took flight anyway. So, not a complete loss on Doom's part. Perhaps this was why Doom was currently being so laid-back with him? It seemed that some things brought dire consequences while others did not. Doom was difficult to figure out.

Black Doom spoke with pride, beholding his fortress like a parent would an accomplished child. "I transported this flying fortress to this planet over 2,000 years ago. It's magnificent! The perfect killing machine... ready to impose terror in unimaginable ways."

Through the clouds came a large flying battleship. The sight roused a grating laugh out of Black Doom. These puny ships were supposed to stand a chance against his technology? It was laughable! He had the entire Black Arms on his side and the Ultimate Lifeform at his heel like an obedient little pet.

"Do these fools really believe they could stop me?!"

Shadow squinted into the expanse before him. He immediately recognized the giant red logos plastered across the fleet that advanced on them. Was Eggman really going to put up a fight against the invasion? It surprised him a little to witness. There must have been ulterior motives at work here.

"Isn't that... the doctor?" Shadow asked himself more than Doom.

Doom began his retreat into the fortress with outstretched arms. "Shadow. Do not fail me."

The mission, although not outright stated, was clear. Destroy Eggman's ships to stop his defense against the Black Arms. There were no Chaos Emeralds here. So, no clear clues to his past. Shadow privately found dismay in that. Regardless, Shadow swept an arm out in front of him, bent his knees, and then made a high-speed descent straight into a looping stone pathway. He scaled the winding road with ease, feeling the wind in his fur, the way his speed doubled on the descent back to level ground, the thudding of his shoes against stone. This was a glimpse of freedom, the kind that Sonic lived for.

"This blue sky, staring at it from afar... have I seen it before?" Shadow mused to himself, watching the twirling blues and whites from upside-down as he scaled another loop.

The temple was now familiar ground. The hedgehog moved with confidence and ease, moving onward with conviction that left any enemy shaking in his wake. Curious, he noted, that there was evidence of GUN presence here - but no soldiers to speak of. Had they all been killed? That was unfortunate, he supposed, but he carried little emotional connection to them.

Doom's Eye appeared to command him onward. "Shadow. The foolish scientist still seeks to resist us. Use our Cell Cannons and blow his ships out of the sky!"

A moment later, a small drone bearing a screen flew up to Shadow and followed him.

"Shadow! Fancy running into you here! There's got to be some kind of peculiar power source that's keeping these ruins afloat. Find it and destroy it."

With two conflicting commands given to him, Shadow instead looked to the sky as he moved on. The sky was an obvious truth. Something that was always there. When the sun fell at night, it was guaranteed to rise again the next morning. Living proof that life was a cycle of darkness and light, and that one could not exist without the other.

Ironic, then, that his newfound "truth" was quickly slapped out of his hands. The sky fell dark in an unnatural speed that nature could not account for. The clouds were the kind of graphite that would make any quarry rock proud, an echo of the earth. Now, blackening heavens opened up with lightning in networking forks. One strike illuminated a brilliant pathway above, lifting Shadow's eyes skyward. All that swirling grey in the sky had to come down sooner or later. Was this one of Doom's powers at work?

Doom's Eye hissed from behind him, outraged and confused. "What is that massive electric shock? Is that an attack from one of the battleships?"

Shadow's eyes widened at that admission. So, this wasn't Black Doom's doing. If not, then what else could manipulate the weather in this way- His gaze quickly fell onto something blue, white, and yellow perched atop the doctor's flagship. Its silver claws hooked into the orange plating of the ship's hull. Bright red optics cast a predatory glow onto the metal surface around it. At once, Shadow's fur bristled and his fangs showed themselves in a warning.

"Metal Sonic."

With a flash to light the way, Neo jumped. He landed with a bang, one fist to the stone ground while the other hand remained open, claws turned upward where they caught the light. Neo had always been one for dramatics, at heart. Silver would be cheering him on right about now.

Where Shadow was fire, Neo was the water of the thunderstorm. Powerful, chaotic, and commanding in its own right. He rose to stand and locked his optics onto the Ultimate Lifeform who stood but feet away.

"Out of my way," Shadow warned and demanded at the same time.

Neo said nothing. It was clear from Silver's recounting of events that he would not listen to well-meaning words nor reason. Perhaps a good old-fashioned showdown would show him some sense in this chaos, and Neo was never one to turn down a battle with an esteemed rival.

"You want to fight, don't you?" Shadow asked, a small smirk forming. "Don't you remember? I destroyed you."

Neo's optics brightened a fraction. In response, he raised a hand in front of his face and curled his claws into a fist. Of course, the hedgehog had to go there. It was still a sore spot for Neo, remembering how he met his demise, and the harm he had caused to the people he now considered to be friends. The perfect killing machine, ready to impose terror in unimaginable ways. Ironic how Black Doom had described his ruins as such when the real bearer of such a title stood right there.

"Just what are you defending? The doctor?" Shadow ventured, slowly beginning to walk towards him. "There are no Chaos Emeralds here to take from me."

Neo revealed nothing at all.

"Very well. Any creation of the doctor is an enemy of mine."

So be it. In failing to act, you are a threat to the world and my brothers.

Neo stayed stone still. Without a word, he sent a bolt of white lightning square into the stone that separated them. A flashy way of saying: bring it on, fellow unnatural lifeform. Shadow burst through the smoke of the strike and leaped toward Neo with a raised fist. Neo was quick to react, and he did have the advantage here - he was not fatigued from running or fighting off his enemies, while Shadow undoubtedly was. He grabbed Shadow by the arm and slammed him into the stone beneath them, temporarily winding him.

Neo then took off back across the crumbling skyborne ruins in a burst of smoke from his engine. Shadow dragged himself up to his feet, growled, and gave chase. The robot up ahead made sure to drive itself straight into the black and purple Cell Cannons installed across the floating temple grounds as it went.

Neo could not help being his father's son. It was a legacy he would have to bear for the remainder of his existence. However, he could turn his own story around as he had done before. Eggman was another force working against the Black Arms, even if it was for his own personal agenda. That agenda did not matter right now. What mattered was saving the planet in this moment - dealing with his father's plans after all of this was done was an afterthought.

So, yes - he was defending the doctor. He just needed to buy his father enough time to move the fleet on and out of range.

The drone flew to meet Neo as he moved.

"Metal! My boy! It's so good to see you!"

Neo rolled his optics and pushed his engine harder. Over the roar of his fans, he could hear the scraping of Shadow's shoes against the rock as he approached, gaining speed. That was a small issue. He would have to push Shadow back, and fast.

"I knew you'd come back to defend your old dad! I could always rely on you."

This wasn't about defending his father figure for emotional purposes. Neo continued to ignore him.

"Shadow is working with the Black Arms, Metal. You need to stop him."

He is not. I know what to do here. Trust in me like you used to.

Neo squinted as he broke through a wall of rock, leaving it crumbling behind him. He heard Shadow pause to jump over the dusty stone and the slight exhale as he landed and pushed on. With Shadow a fraction slower than before, Neo focused on his scanners. The green overlay of his HUD pointed him in the direction of a strong magnetic field. With renewed resolve, he stepped on the gas and raced toward it. Shadow noticed where Neo was heading and growled to himself. Before he could catch up, Neo had smashed the first temple jewel. The robot then moved on to the next, which sat atop a pedestal a few hundred feet ahead. There were five altogether. It was curious, Neo noted, that these green jewels kept the temple afloat much akin to the Master Emerald and Angel Island. A strange replica of a sacred item that was held in high regard by the people of this planet.

If he is not going to act when the world calls for it, then I shall in his place.

Neo suddenly hit the brakes on his engine, spun around, and launched into a homing attack. He struck Shadow in the shoulder, who hissed and called for a Chaos Spear in one hand. Before Shadow could throw it anywhere useful, Neo was gone again in a burst of smoke. Frustrated and impatient, Shadow rolled his shoulder to free it from the dull ache and gave chase one more time.

Doom's Eye appeared and followed closely. "Shadow. Destroy this insolent creature. It is attempting to destroy our sacred temple!"

"I am engaging with the hedgehog," Neo recounted to his brothers via comm-link, "and all GUN soldiers are safe. I directed them to the doctor's flagship for refuge and defended them from the Black Arms. There are no human casualties."

"That is excellent news, brother. Are you confident that you can engage with Shadow in your current state?" Mecha asked carefully through the link.

Neo ventured to cast a glance behind him. "Yes. He is putting up a good fight, but it's not enough. The sky is my territory."

"Refrain from utilizing an excessive amount of electrical charge, I implore you. You risk harm to yourself and the beings surrounding you."

"Perhaps I should rephrase. Lightning is my weapon to wield. I am no stranger to it and I know what I'm doing," Neo dismissed the concern with confidence, "it is my advantage against the hedgehog up here. I would be a fool to not use it."

Neo smashed the second jewel and dodged a Chaos Spear as it flashed over his shoulder. Neo stopped again to drive Shadow back, and this time Shadow was ready. Before Neo could come at him in another homing attack, Shadow crouched and jumped, kicking Neo square in the face with enough power to send him toppling back. Neo quickly regained his footing with a screech of metal-on-stone and Shadow homed in for a second blow. Neo ducked to one side and kicked Shadow hard in the back, sending him flying through several walls of rock up ahead. Shadow grit his teeth as he landed on his shoulder and rolled to a stop, now covered in stone and dust. Thanks to his sheer endurance, he was unharmed - apart from the slightly bruised ego.

"Damn you, faker..." Shadow whispered to himself, narrowing his eyes as Neo came hurtling toward him.

The robot brothers' seemingly private conversation was anything but. Black Doom was capable of sensing a person's inner thoughts and emotions. As sentient beings, the robots were all fair game too.

"Shadow. This pesky robot is communicating with its kin. It thinks it can best you." Doom's Eye relayed to Shadow, hovering over his shoulder. There was an air of superiority in its voice, as if it regarded the machines as little more than trash. "Show them. Show them what you can do to pests like them."

Neo quickly sensed the presence of an unfamiliar connection to their network. Someone was listening in. Upon throwing a long-range scan at Doom, he found that the signature was coming from him. How horrid, to have this evil presence invade his private conversations with his brothers. It made him feel sick to his tanks.

"Black Doom is listening. It is not safe to speak over our link about major events." Neo quickly relayed to Mecha. "Be safe. I love you."

A temple jewel here and a temple jewel there, Neo and Shadow played their game of chase like two predatory animals battling for a kill. The two darted from left to right, up and down, breaking through rock and stone like it was nothing at all. As walls fell, streaks of blue and red followed after like some earthly imitation of shooting stars.

The last temple jewel, the fifth, was coming up fast. Neo narrowed his optics and pushed himself to the limit, refusing to let Shadow stop him now. This last jewel would send the temple back to the ground, where it belonged. How dare this imitation of godly power trespass in his skies. The shatter of the final jewel immediately set off a chain reaction. The far end of the ruins began to crumble and drop to the ocean below. Satisfied, Neo shut off his engine and stopped. He turned to face Shadow, who beheld him with rage.

Shadow was panting, eyes fixed on his enemy like a wild animal. This would ruin everything! What if Black Doom refused to show him his past now? In his fury, he failed to notice how close he was to the edge of the ledge he was standing on. Lightning broke the sky behind him.

"You... you have no idea what you've just done!" Shadow hissed, fur bristling and spines raising.

Neo shrugged a shoulder. There are no Emeralds here. You've lost nothing but some pride.

"I need to uncover who I am, and you- you fakers keep attempting to stop me. I won't show you mercy anymore."

Shadow had enough of this. He moved, and fast- but Neo threw his shoulder into Shadow, sending him plummeting off the edge of the flying ruins. Satisfied, he leaned over to watch as the hedgehog fell. A few feet. A couple of hundred feet. Certainly, he would be harmed greatly if he was to make the impact far below.

Fortunately for Shadow, that was not the fate decided by the machine that currently held all power over him. Neo fired up his jet engine and made the dive off the edge, falling right towards him. The rush of wind, the storm around him, the roaring in his auditory receptors - it all reminded him of the great fall he took in order to save Sonic from GUN's wrath. It had killed him. Destroyed a massive part of who he was for several months. So, this was a reminder of his new place in the world, to take yet another leap of faith to save another. Neo placed his faith in his own ability to save this other being.

Neo pushed himself faster, faster, and ever faster, until he caught up to Shadow. With a glare in his optics, he grabbed Shadow's arm, and shot back up into the sky and over the Glyphic Canyon. He let Shadow take it in, really take in the destruction, the false gods of this temple, as he flew over it in an arc. Take a good fucking look, Neo would have said, at what you are supporting.

"You should have listened to my brother." Neo hissed down at him in code, knowing that Shadow wouldn't understand a word.

With one final push of his engine, Neo tossed Shadow down to the stone ground. It would hurt, but it wouldn't be anywhere as doom-inducing as falling to his demise in the ocean. Neo watched him for a minute, observing how he clambered back up to his feet using a stone as leverage, looked up to the sky, and him, and snarled in retaliation.

Now that the fortress was falling, Neo only had to stay there and witness it. He needed to make sure it fell and never came back. And, perhaps, this was a whisper of his programming. To prove superiority over a living hedgehog. Right now, it was clear as day - as clear as the sky now filling back into blue and white in place of rolling storm clouds. Shadow regarded him with a venomous glare. Just what was this? Did this robot really need to humiliate him in this way? The Ultimate Lifeform, bested in abilities by a mechanical copy? Shadow's ego took another punch.

Suddenly, a sharp jab of pain smacked Shadow in the forehead. He grabbed his head with a hand as he moved to his feet. It wasn't clear, not at all, but there was something about a fall from the sky, about a blue being above him, trying to save him. Wait. Was that whole thing done on purpose to trigger something?

Neo and Shadow both shared memories of falling. Neo knew this. He had hoped, distantly, that Shadow would remember enough about his heroism. But no. Of course not. It wasn't enough. Black Doom could quickly censor that memory, and he did. Neo's optimism quickly dissipated, and then plummeted upon seeing Black Doom return right on cue. He narrowed his optics as he looked on. Black Doom interfered whenever Shadow was about to have a private revelation. It was disgusting. To inhibit somebody's freedom of thought that way. Neo was no stranger to such a thing. He had the battle scars from fighting his programming to prove it.

Black Doom materialized behind Shadow. He did not aid Shadow in rising to stand. "Do you see? The inhabitants of this world have nothing but contempt for you. Come, let us finish the job in Central City. A meddling robot is pushing our forces out. We cannot let that continue... do not fail me."

Two could play at this eavesdropping game. Neo tuned his auditory sensors to listen in, tilting his head a little to focus. Central City? Where Mecha was? How convenient that it was only a small distance from here. Neo would need to up the ante to drive the enemy forces out of humanity's strongholds. Eager to get a head-start, Neo blasted off in another cloud of smoke and was gone. Eggman's flagship too moved on to safer skies, carrying with it several unharmed GUN soldiers.

Shadow watched him go, confused and hurting. Doom would really have to push the agenda of the hedgehog's "hatred for humanity" to get him on his side. As the temple collapsed in on itself, Doom transported them both away to their next mission. He was prepared to drop a bombshell, both figuratively, and literally.

The hummingbirds carved in stone drowned with the ocean, for they could not escape the rock cradle in which they were born.

If the fortress in in the sky was Heaven, Central City was Hell incarnate. The perfect environment to feed Shadow with venomous lies.

"Shadow. Let me share with you a piece of your past. Your past is filled with hatred and contempt for the humans." Black Doom began, looking out across the city from the main road.

"Hatred and contempt... for the humans..." Shadow repeated, letting the words sit on his tongue like fire. It burned the back of his throat, where a low growl settled.

"You were the ultimate lifeform, but the humans feared you and wanted to destroy you. And they did. Now, you must amass revenge on those humans. Unleash your anger and powers on them. Now, detonate the five bombs placed around Central City before the humans can defuse them. Destroy all who stand in your way."

Shadow stood still in front of Doom, with Black Arms soldiers at his back. He listened intently, soaking in the words like scripture.

The humans feared him. They wanted him dead.

He lifted his head and nodded. It made sense.

Shadow moved forward into the decimated city. His head was a mess, to say the least, as was Central City. Everywhere he looked, there was destruction, blood, and terror. Towering skyscrapers now reduced to rubble. Family homes blown apart. Parks and gardens ripped up, flowers burned to nothing. This was the kind of world that Doom wanted, according to his own words. Was this what Shadow wanted, too? He wasn't sure. He didn't think so, but they all wanted him dead. Was it so bad if this city burned to the ground, knowing this now?

That "metal monster" and Black Doom had given him a lot to think about.

Whilst Shadow ran and pondered on this new information, Mecha was hard at work - partly defusing bombs, partly jump-scaring unsuspecting humans. He dropped down from a rooftop to land beside a group of GUN soldiers, who were fiddling with a bomb. Apparently, this was their attempt to defuse it. Mecha's sudden appearance didn't help matters either though, as the soldiers flinched in surprise before relaxing. Just the purple one. It was fine. At this point, most of GUN was aware of Mecha's nature.

"Do you require assistance? I can help with this mission. However, your hands are steadier than my own..." Mecha began, lifting her hands to show a slight tremor. "I will direct you."

"Is this safe?!" A soldier asked incredulously.

"If you follow my instructions, it is indeed. If I suspect that a mistake has been made, I shall act quickly to protect you." Mecha reassured them kindly.

So, the soldiers dutifully complied, listening closely to Mecha's instructions. Mecha watched carefully, being sure to account for human dexterity and limitations at the same time. He refrained from giving them a probability of success - he had learned the hard way that most organics didn't particularly like hearing the odds. A wire here and a wire there, progress was much swifter and calmer with the robot helping them.

If evil was emotional indifference in the face of injustice, there was no better poster child for that than a bomb or five. One could not speak to a bomb, ask it to stop and reconsider - it was simply a matter of tick tick tick kill. Mecha had not been so different from it at one time. All the more reason to subdue it. That little reminder of his past preceded something else.

Every so often, strange images would filter into his HUD. Not something that he was unused to, of course. He would occasionally suffer from flashbacks of his mistreatment under GUN. But there had always been a trigger. An obvious one. This time, there was not. Mecha remained as focused as possible. He could not lose conviction now. It was almost as if something, or someone, was triggering this remotely. A flash of fear coiled in his CPU at the thought. Being remotely controlled in any form was indeed a trigger... he chanced a look around to see if anyone was nearby. Nothing noteworthy, except he did pick up a faint signal that suggested Black Doom was close.

This manipulation had to be Doom's work.

Mecha steeled himself and continued to watch the soldiers work. He clenched his fists to stop the tremors that grew gradually worse. Every time an image showed its ugly face, he would close it at once. He refused to let Doom subdue him this way. It was unjust and it was cowardly.

"When it is defused, I shall remove it from this city, along with the others. The risk to life will be reduced to zero." Mecha informed them helpfully. He couldn't help but slip a percentage in there. Why not? It was helpful and took his mind off of the intrusion in his thoughts.

The time passed quickly. One bomb, then two, three, four, and then all five, all around Central City. All before Doom managed to sneak in and do anything about it at all. Mecha was the poster child for efficiency, after all. He stood in the city center as the remaining unevacuated citizens and soldiers alike came to thank him. He had barely noticed them approach, for he was busy battling the footage in his mind. It replayed over and over like a mantra. Fortunately, the cheering of the humans brought him back to life just enough to focus.

"Let's hear it for Mecha Sonic, the savior of our city!"

"Mecha! Mecha! Mecha!"

"Murder Machine does it again!"

Mecha wasn't sure what to do with the attention. He stood rather awkwardly, looking from one person to the next. Praise had always been a little lost on him. He had simply completed a task that he had set for himself, right? Either the humans were strange, or he was yet to learn everything about their social dynamics. The latter was more likely, he decided.

The crowd suddenly dispersed with both screams and calls to GUN HQ as someone approached from the smoke of a back street. Mecha turned to look, immediately sensing their presence, and the appearance of Chaos energy. He lowered his head and brightened his visor protectively, moving to shield the people as they ran to safety. Shadow advanced on him, slowly. Mecha remained still, only lifting his head to regard him once he was a few feet away.

Shadow stopped, and Mecha stayed put. Mecha unclenched his fists, revealing the small tremor remaining in his fingers. A risk. It showed weakness.

Even so, Mecha spoke clearly and calmly. "Shadow. I implore that you listen to what I must say. Spare me precisely one minute to speak."

"One minute is all I have for you and the humans." Shadow decided to humour him.

Mecha stepped forward to address him. "Firstly, all of the bombs in this city are now defused. You have very little reason to tread here. Secondly, I have studied Black Doom's abilities and have come to some conclusions. He is capable of telepathy, creating illusions, sensing energies, and sensing inner thoughts and emotions. Black Doom is making leverage on your trauma. He is violating your mind and twisting your memories. You cannot trust everything that he shows to you, for it may not be factual." Unconsciously, he moved a hand to rub his wrist, where chains had once bound him to the GUN fortress' floor. A strong image flashed in his vision and he, this time, regarded it clearly. "I too have suffered violations of the mind and self. As such, I believe that I can assist you in moving forward, as I have done, and continue to do so."

Shadow folded his arms defensively. This sudden accusation that Black Doom was actively lying to him and invading his thoughts was a lot to take in, for Black Doom was currently his only "real" hope of uncovering his memories, in his mind. Fingers tapped against his arm - a self-soothing act, Mecha noted. Neo did the exact same thing when stressed.

"You have your ulterior motives as an underling of the doctor's." Shadow retorted with a scowl. He saw the tremor, saw the rubbing of the wrist. Peculiar for a robot.

They were both self-soothing throughout this conversation. The realization hit both of them at the same time. Perhaps Mecha was not lying to him. Perhaps Shadow could be bargained with after all, with a little empathy. A skill Mecha had learned thanks to his brothers.

Mecha shook their head after a moment. "Negative. I am speaking to you not as an object of the Eggman Empire, but as a fellow conscious being who too has suffered. I cannot claim to understand the full breadth of your suffering nor your grief. However, I do possess a level of understanding that would allow us to come together and find what you seek. I would like to understand. Understanding, knowledge, and truth are essential to the essence of self."

Mecha rarely put emphasis on any of her words, for it was not in her programming to do so. The fact that she was doing so now was indicative of her resolve, speaking as a conscious being and not a machine. She bowed her head a little and held out an open hand. I would like to understand. I would like to know. Words spoken once before to her own brother at his darkest moment, when she had found him attempting to destroy himself. It was a memory that pained Mecha to carry. And in this vulnerability, she noted that Shadow had fallen quiet. So, she ventured further.

"Cast aside this notion that you must doom the world in order to understand yourself. You cannot fully understand yourself with no world to do so in, to truly reflect in, to be at home in. Allow me and my siblings to assist you. We will do so in due time, when the invasion is subdued. You have my word."

Shadow did consider it, but his own reality quickly came back to him. He tapped his inhibitor rings. "That metal monster brother of yours attacked me just like everyone else in this world. I now know that humanity wants to destroy me."

Mecha kept her hand right where it was. "I apologize on behalf of my brother. I ask you, consider that he behaved in that manner in order to secure a future for the world. It was not a personal attack against yourself. All of us are acting in the best interest of humanity's survival. If you threatened him, he would have defended himself. Would you not?"

Doom's Eye materialized behind Shadow, where it spoke into his ear. "Shadow. These machines are a blockade to our success. Destroy them. Destroy them before they can speak more lies! It thinks you are a fool, a coward! It wants to kill you."

Even with Doom's Eye present, Mecha stayed genuine, focusing only on Shadow. She inched her hand just a little further out toward him. Despite the flashbacks now hitting him from every angle, trying to find a weakness, trying to break him, trying to cow him. Despite. Despite. Despite all of it. Despite the hurt and the grief, Mecha was still kind, for he chose to be, chose to be something more than murder and killing and heavy metal plating.

Please. Choose with me.

Shadow froze in place. Who was he supposed to believe? What was he supposed to do with all the different stories he was being fed? Before, it was all so clear - ignore everybody, move forward, secure the clues to his past, and live with the consequences later. But it wasn't as simple as that. How could it be? The robot before him still stood calmly, offering kindness and a whole new bag of promises. It was hard to just completely disregard someone like this. So few had shown him kindness, and yet, these machines consistently seemed to do so, just in different ways.

They had conviction. They had belief in each other. What did Shadow believe? He still did not know. He still had nothing but promises, and painful thoughts that humanity wished for his demise, while these brothers...

"You believe that the humans want you to die. That the world wants to kill you as if you do not matter. But the world is good. The world can be kind, and it is your friend. It does not wish for your death," Mecha ventured gently, "nor do I."

Shadow's apparent insolence sent Black Doom into a fit of rage. He waited, he waited, and kept waiting a few seconds more, and the hedgehog wouldn't fucking move, and the robot kept speaking its lies, and was preaching softness. It was disgusting. It offended him. He wished to hear no more of it.

"ENOUGH."

Black Doom materialized in front of Shadow and, before Mecha could process it, Doom summoned a purple construct of energy above his head. It came flying right toward him as a boomerang, closer, closer, zero point two seconds to impact-

As if by some comedically divine timing, Neo dropped from the sky above like some kind of angel - or devil, if you preferred - and activated his Black Shield in front of his brother. It easily countered the devastating energy and sent it back into the air, where it exploded in a halo of light. Neo disengaged the Shield, dropped to the ground on one knee, and lifted his head. He lifted a hand sharply and let his claws speak for him.

Do not touch my brother. You have no right.

"You again! Of all places-" Shadow began, moving toward him with a clenched fist.

Before Shadow could engage or question anything further, Doom whisked him away in a warp of dark energy. The remains of the Glyphic Canyon plummeted into the ocean in the distance behind them. Mecha watched, still standing in place, as it succumbed to the waves. So that was how Neo arrived so quickly. Neo spun around and put his defensiveness away, immediately tending to his brother instead. He grabbed Mecha's shoulders and hurriedly looked him up and down, scanning for injuries, for anything amiss, any harm done by Black Doom or Shadow.

"I am functioning, brother. Cease your concern. We have much greater problems to face." Mecha reassured him.

"That attack would have decimated you," Neo told him in code, a waver of hurt in his voice, "so I am right to be worried."

"And it did not. Therefore there is naught to worry about in this situation."

"Alright. What have you learned?"

"I believe I had a chance of getting through to him by appealing to emotion," Mecha recounted, softly, "but Black Doom is persistent. He immediately dominated our conversation and accused me of lying to the hedgehog. It also appears he is able to manipulate one's mind, figuratively and literally."

"As if you are capable of lying... the manipulation part concerns me more." Neo replied with a small scoff. Mecha's brutal honesty was both endearing and comedic depending on the situation.

"Indeed. Black Doom now considers us to be threats to his progress. This is optimal for us. We must strike doubt into his forces if we are to succeed. Where there is doubt, there is weakness. This is likely why Black Doom continues to weaponize Shadow to do his bidding."

"Because he is weak? Mecha, that is an out-of-place conclusion for you." Neo observed, squinting an optic. Despite being made to emulate a certain blue hedgehog, Mecha had never been the type to consider himself superior to others. There had to be more to his wording than what Neo was seeing.

"Negative. That is what Black Doom perceives him to be. It does not reflect my own opinion of him. Indeed, Shadow is The Ultimate Lifeform. He holds power that can devastate anything in his wake." Mecha clarified. "This confusion that he bears is creating vulnerability. He must regain trust in himself if he is to do what is right."

"He and Black Doom could kill us if they work together..." Neo warned him, worrying where Mecha was taking this line of thinking now.

"Indeed, a regrettable outcome if it was to happen. But, it will not, I am certain. When we operate together, we always see optimum results."

Neo nodded. Hesitantly, he asked, "words have little effect on the hedgehog, as does brute force, so what now?"

Mecha considered that. "Black Doom is the problem. Eliminate his control and we have a clear way forward."

"We do not have enough data on his abilities, Mecha," Neo warned him, "he could be more formidable than we currently know."

"My brother, is that a hint of fear in your wording? It is highly unbecoming of you." Mecha teased him. "Remain steadfast. We will learn more in time. However, the conclusion is now clear. Black Doom must be defeated, with or without Shadow's assistance. If that role falls on to us... so be it. We are not machines who simply stand and wait for orders any longer. We have obtained the gift of free will, and thus, we must act when the time calls for us to do so."

Neo shuttered his optics. His brother's straightforwardness was really something, sometimes. "It's not that, Mecha. I am not afraid of him. I am afraid of losing you and our little brother. Please, don't engage with Black Doom alone. If we are to do this, we must do it together."

Mecha brought Neo in to a hug as the city burned around them. He nestled his cheek into the crook of Neo's neck as if it belonged there.

"You are not going to lose us. We are in this fight together as one. In addition, I made a promise to our little brother that I shall remain here as long as you require me."

"We won't ever not require you." Neo whispered into his brother's armour. It was strong, stronger than his own.

"Then, it is safe to conclude that..." Mecha paused, bringing his hands up to his brother's face and holding it. "I am never leaving as long as any of us are functioning."

"You promise me that?"

"Affirmative. I cannot break a promise made to you. In addition, I have a surprise."

Neo gave a quizzical beep and met Mecha's visor with bright optics.

Mecha took a small white flower from the dip in his arm plating. "I salvaged the last flower in this city. All others have burned in the flames. Life, I have learned, is a precious force, and it must be protected. We will salvage this world before this final flower dies. I would like to plant it, allow it a second chance, as we were allowed ours by our own friends and family."

How sentimental. Neo would have figuratively puked at it once. Now, it was nice to have a little clarity, a little hope, amongst the chaos and looming threats. So Neo nodded, leaning into Mecha's touch with closed optics. He stayed quiet, enjoying the company of his older brother for just a moment. If Neo was an angel of ferocity, Mecha was an angel of strength. The fire could not touch them, for Mecha could see his brother's wings and refused to let him fall again. The flashbacks ceased, and Mecha let calmness flow back into his systems as he placed the flower back under his arm.

The hummingbird represented love. It regained flight with a little help from an angel or two.

[cyanocoraxx]

Fire In The Sky (Chapter 2)

Metal Sonic / Silver Sonic MK II / Mecha Sonic / Shadow

Fire cared not for the time it went out, only that it gave heat and light. A burn that says - I was here. This is who I am. In setting everything ablaze, perhaps only the ashes would tell them who they really were, that they really lived. (Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 adaptation. Continuation of Damage.)

A fire is only on its best behaviour in a bed of iron. Yet, should the wind call upon its spark, should earth call for its burn, should ice call for its heat - fire takes the leap. It is in its nature.

"The Day of Reckoning, huh? Well then, time to go fulfill this promise."

Shadow leaped from a skyscraper and began plummeting toward the unforgiving roads below. With calm and poise, he came in for a landing and fell neatly on both feet. Directly ahead, the road broke into a ramp and he skated with confidence straight toward it. Once he gained speed, it was over for anyone who stood in his way. Landing square on his feet one more time, the black and red hedgehog took off pushing ninety down the ravaged streets of Westopolis.

Fast, furious, and out of control. This was the essence of intensity. Shadow was the embodiment of speed, the epitome of conviction. He was now running one hundred miles per hour straight down a highway to Hell, with quaking soldiers at his front and broken bodies at his back. Those who dared to challenge him snapped at his heels, but he took no allegiances - not yet. Some mistook him for Sonic, but he did not care. Shadow had his own agenda, his own mission, and if Sonic got tied in along the way, then tough. Not Shadow's problem.

At a roadblock, Shadow came skidding to a halt. He looked up sharply to find a Black Arms Warrior training their weapon on him. The barrel pointed in his direction-

But he was already gone.

Shadow was not just moving at the speed of sound, but thinking at it, too. When a Warrior took aim, Shadow had already moved on. By the time someone fired, Shadow had already leaped. And then, as the plasma fired at where he had once stood, Shadow broke into a homing strike and smacked his victim in the back of the head. He took the soldier's gun and moved on before their unconscious body hit the ground.

In not choosing sides, he had inadvertently taken a side here - the side of the humans. He ignored the GUN agents, for they did not target him yet. Would the alien leader be pleased with this? Likely not. But again, not his problem right now. Like fire, he was drawn to his ignition source. Like fire, he left a path of destruction and focus in his wake.

Shadow trained his mind on the pull of the Chaos Emeralds, his fur bristling unconsciously the closer he drew to them. Almost immediately, he located the first Emerald within a crate. He took no note of its colour, for it was not important. All that mattered was securing all seven to uncover the secrets of his past. Speaking of colour, though, he did briefly notice a flash of blue up ahead. Coming straight towards him.

Sonic the goddamn hedgehog. He slid to a halt ahead of Shadow and waved a greeting. Grit and ash sprayed from his soles and stained his fur, which had now long lost its pristine cobalt sheen. He had clearly been busy here too.

"Hey, Shadow! Long time no see! Looks like these creatures really mean business!"

Of course, the blue menace who appeared to know him closely would be on ground zero. Shadow paid him little mind and skated on ahead. Again, nobody else would influence his decisions or path. This was his journey to decide alone. Other people would do best to leave him be. Why couldn't everyone just leave him be?

"Shadow! Come on, buddy! We gotta take these guys down, together!" Sonic called out from behind him, sounding a little disheartened. The Shadow he knew was closed off, yes, but not to this level. In some private part of his heart, it did hurt. Just enough to leave a small waver in his voice.

"Leave me be, faker." Shadow hissed through gritted teeth.

Shadow pinned his ears at the sound of the hedgehog's grating voice drawing closer to him. The hedgehog's persistence was insufferable, from what he had experienced and what little he remembered. Shadow pushed on, crouching low in a high-speed skating glide. To himself, he began murmuring his thoughts aloud. He had to remain focused.

"Black Doom claims to have knowledge of my past. He claims that I had promised to deliver the seven Chaos Emeralds to him. I don't know if that's true or not, but he's the only one I can trust for clues about my past."

Shadow darted over a stack of crates used to block a road and pressed on, leaving the hedgehog in the dust. If he wanted to be a hero here, that was his prerogative, not Shadow's.

"The truth is hidden in my memories. But I don't know what I can trust about what I think I know. However, since this all started, something has begun to stir inside of me..."

The hedgehog was brought out of his momentary haze by a familiar form appearing in front of him. He did not stop and instead only slowed down a fraction, instead keeping his focus trained on what was ahead. Doom's Eye, the strangely star-shaped extension of the Black Arms leader, proceeded to follow him. Just how fast was this thing? It was keeping up with Shadow pushing fifty already.

"Shadow. My Eye will watch over you as you dispose of these soldiers. Complete the mission, and deliver the Emeralds as promised."

Now Doom was giving him orders? Just like everyone else here. Typical. Shadow grumbled an unintelligible reply and broke back into a high-speed run. He soon found out just how fast Doom's Eye was, and it wasn't fast enough to pursue him at over one hundred. Perfect. A Warrior here and a Warrior there to clear his path ahead, he paid little mind to the numbers. Before he knew it, he had reached the end of the streets and was drawn straight to the blue Chaos Emerald. Perfect. Only then did he allow himself a sigh of relief as he shook the adrenaline and intensity from his body.

So, with the blue Emerald now in hand, Shadow slowed to a walk to allow his body to recuperate. The rejuvenating energy of Chaos quickly began to course through his veins. He and Chaos Energy were one, synergistic when they needed to be. And just when he thought he finally had some time alone, his apparent savior rose from the ground in a ripple of distortion. Shadow paused momentarily, expecting Doom to offer some praise or at least confirmation that he was closer to uncovering his past. Instead, he was quickly scolded.

"You've deliberately disobeyed me, Shadow." Doom reprimanded him. He loomed over the hedgehog with an ominous presence, casting darkness over the smaller form.

Shadow continued to walk on, paying him little mind. "No one tells me what to do. I have my own reasons for doing this."

"You really don't understand the situation here, do you... perhaps, Professor Gerald has done more to your memories than I thought."

Shadow paused with a slight flinch at the mention of a seemingly familiar name. He slowly turned around, eyes trailing up to meet Doom's. "The Professor?"

Doom advanced on him. An opening to manipulate the amnesiac with. "Hmm. It is strange that you don't remember your maker, Shadow."

Shadow's ears perked. A crumb of information. Desperation. A pit in his stomach. "What did you say? My maker?"

Doom pointed an accusing finger at the hedgehog with a growl, snatching back that single crumb with disgust. "Silence! The ramifications of your disobedience will be severe, Shadow."

What? Shadow grit his teeth at the unfair refusal. He wanted to speak his mind, but doing so may only drive him further from finding out who he truly was. It was a terrible conflict to be in - the heart wanting to scream and shout, the mind silencing it. Unknown to him, his hackles bristled, tipped with subtle gold. The Chaos energy in him coursed like blood, and his blood was quickly boiling.

In the distance, Sonic drew closer toward them. He ran as quickly as he could without breaking the sound barrier, ignoring the slight burn in his feet, stretched out a hand-

"Shadow! Wait! Wait a sec!"

Doom turned to see Sonic approaching and decided to send Shadow away, lest he become corrupted by the falsehoods this "hero" might plant in his head. Then, Shadow was gone - a flash of white and unintelligible colours sent him packing to a whole other location. By the time Sonic made it, there was no trace of his friend.

Too slow.

"Hey! You! Where did you send him?!" Sonic demanded to know with a clenched fist.

"He must be punished for his disobedience," Doom answered simply, "as do you. Your time shall come, hero. But for now, there are more important things I must attend to."

Sonic pinned his ears and stepped toward him. "I need to know where he is! He's my friend!"

Doom's disgust was tangible. "Out of my sight, pesky creature."

A single swat of his arm sent Sonic tumbling backward with a crack of his head, and his world went dark.

Neo found himself in the crosshairs of thirty angry Warriors. Inside a ravaged building, he worked to clear out somebody's once-home.

He smirked internally. His HUD cycled to a green overlay with targeting reticles around the aliens' weapons. Before he even needed to think, his body responded as it was trained to and coiled into a killer spin-dash. He struck a pistol, shattering it and causing it to splatter the superheated contents of its cartridge. With his task complete Neo bounded back out of the building with his armour smoking. In one hand, he carried a weapon stolen from the aliens. Without missing a beat he tossed the newly-acquired plasma pistol to Silver, who caught it in one hand with expert precision.

Silver grinned as he studied the new weapon. No trigger, no problem. Leaning into his mechanical side, Silver allowed his scanners do to the work as he turned the pistol over. It was smooth, specially designed to fit the three-fingered hands of the Black Arms. His HUD centered in on a square-shaped panel halfway up the barrel. Upon pressing it, boiling hot plasma shot at the wall beside him, where it left a crater.

"Bang."

"Excellent observation, brother. Now, do exercise a degree of caution when you wield these weapons. They are unlike the technology we possess on this planet."

"The pink is a nice touch, but it fits you better, M," Silver murmured, smoothing a hand over the barrel of the gun and its pink lighting.

Mecha shook her head. "Negative. I do not require nor desire the use of alien weaponry at this time. I am functioning at full capacity."

"Your loss, big bro. I'm keepin' this one," Silver replied with a shrug, "and I think it has about ten shots left in it. There seems to be a cap to the number of times it can be used, judging by the, uh... power source thingy in it that my scanners can't make sense of-"

Something in the scanners he couldn't make sense of.

Neo suddenly stood rigid and looked to the right, optics bright and fixed. A common response to a threat. Silver and Mecha regarded him with confusion - he had clearly detected something that they had not. But their scanners were up to date, and Silver's were more advanced than his... and then Neo was off, leaving them further baffled by his behaviour.

Silver looked from Neo to Mecha several times. "Bro! Come back, what's wrong?! Mecha, what's up with him?"

Mecha remained calm. "I am uncertain. So, let us proceed after them."

Neo charged through the winding city streets in a surge of panic. All rational thought abandoned him, as did the control over his limbs. His jet engine kicked into gear and sent him blasting down the final stretch toward his destination. Estimated time of arrival: five seconds, three seconds, zero point one...

Sonic lifted his head to find his robotic double standing over him. Laying prone on the ground, Sonic was an open target. The machine's armour was dark, shadowed by the harsh lighting of fire surrounding them, and his sharp killer claws glinted in the backlight. A sight that would have once gotten Sonic fired up to fight, matching the burning of the robot's optics with his own internal flame - but now, it only brought him relief. He quietly laughed and let his head drop back down to the asphalt.

"Oh, hey, little bro! Small world, huh? What are you doing out here in the middle of this?" Sonic asked, his voice a little winded from nausea.

Neo crouched down by his side. His optics wandered over Sonic's form, searching for any life-threatening injuries. To his relief, he found none. It appeared he had merely suffered a brief loss of consciousness. Curse this inexplicable connection with the hedgehog! It got his wires in a twist for little reason. But, still, it was good to know he was alive and well during this chaotic time. The world could probably use a few blue heroes right about now.

"Are you functioning?" Neo asked, in code.

Sonic groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head with one hand. "Heh. I think so. Just hit my head there."

The two exchanged looks, and Neo quickly became flustered over worrying too much about his fleshy double. His internal fans had to kick in to compensate for the rise in temperature. With a slight scowl, Neo folded his arms and looked away.

"You still got a good heart, lil' bro. Thanks for checking on me, but I'm okay, really. Are you okay?"

Neo tapped his claws against his arm plating and nodded. He refrained from making some remark about lacking internal organs.

"Alright! Well, we should probably talk about this, uh... thing that's happening right now."

Neo extended a hand to Sonic, who took it graciously. Neo hoisted the blue meatbag up to his feet and went back to folding his arms.

"Yes. What data have you gathered on this invasion?"

Sonic scratched his head sheepishly. "Nooooot a lot. This alien guy seems to be following Shadow and telling him what to do. It doesn't seem like Shadow likes him very much, though. The guy told him off for disobeying him, or something."

"So the Ultimate Lifeform plays little role in the invasion right now. That is good to know."

"I can't tell whose side he's on right now. But Shadow is a good guy! I know he won't let us down." Sonic replied optimistically.

"You will be glad to know, then, that myself and my brothers have secured most of this city now. Little of it was the hedgehog's doing," Neo informed him with an air of sarcasm, "but I suppose we will go back to killing babies now, since we have an evil reputation to uphold."

"Oh, shut up, bolt brain. You're one of us now." Sonic reminded him with a nudge and a wink.

"One of you insufferable self-proclaimed heroes? Please." Neo rolled his optics and looked away.

"You saved Station Square from a giant robot, dude. All three of you risked your lives that day. That's a huge deal!"

"We are just trying to live our lives, free from harm. Silver is the one who goes around being a hero in their free time, these days." Neo recounted to him.

"Alright, well, you carry on pretending you're not a hero," Sonic flicked his doppelganger's nose and walked by him, "and I'll walk off this concussion whilst I see what else needs to be done here."

All at once, a small silver and black form barrelled into Sonic and sent him tumbling back down to the ground. Neo winced - that couldn't be good for a concussion. To his relief, Sonic yelped - a good sign he was still conscious, and wrestled his assailant to the ground under him.

Oh.

"My favourite flesh-hog! Long time no see!" Silver greeted him with a laugh. He wrapped his arms around the meatbag and pulled him close.

"Ack- easy, lil bro! I'm not made with as much metal as you are!" Sonic wheezed out, but grinned and otherwise let his little robot sibling squish him.

"On the contrary, your body contains several essential metal ions for your survival. Among these are sodium, potassium, magnesium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, molybdenum, and cadmium." Mecha helpfully reminded the hedgehog as she approached from behind them.

"I'm so glad you guys are here..." Sonic breathed out once Silver released him. "Knowing what metals I'm made of during the apocalypse really helps me."

"You are injured," Mecha noted, scanning Sonic's form with mild concern, "for it appears you have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury."

"Aw, this? It's nothing. I just hit my noggin on the ground a bit too hard, nothing to worry about!" Sonic reassured him with a grin. "It happens all the time. Kinda my thing at this point."

"Indeed. Have you located Shadow recently? We are pursuing him to uncover data on the cause of this invasion." Mecha asked, shifting to stand closer to Sonic. He lifted an arm and placed it against Sonic's head, acting as a makeshift cold pack with his cool armour. Fortunately, it was still cool enough to have some effect despite the rising temperature of the city.

"Yeah, I did. He was just here. The leader of those aliens sent him somewhere." Sonic recounted, wincing a little at the temperature difference.

"My scanners detect a drop in Chaos energy in this area. It can thus be assumed that he has obtained the two Chaos Emeralds in this part of the city. What does he intend to do with their power in regard to the invasion?" Mecha asked, tilting her head.

"Your guess is as good as mine, big M. All we know is he made some promise to their leader. But... it doesn't make sense!" Sonic crouched down and cradled his cheek in one hand, trying to wrack his brain around the whole situation. "Shadow's a good guy. He wouldn't let someone else control him like that, not unless... someone is forcing him against his will, or using his amnesia against him. And GUN isn't targeting him right now, so he can't be doing anything really bad right now."

"Amnesia. That is a big word for you." Neo murmured to his side.

Sonic let an ear droop as he shot a look to his robotic counterpart. "Shut up, grumpy."

Neo snickered before continuing with something useful. "Based on the data we currently possess, I believe the leader of the aliens is manipulating him to do his bidding by promising him information on his past. I was present during their initial conversation."

"What did you say?" Silver asked, moving to crouch beside Sonic.

"Shadow is being manipulated." Neo made sure to sign to Silver to keep him in the loop.

"So he's being gaslit..." Silver remarked, tilting his head, "man... all this over some made-up info on who he is. It's crazy. Look, even I could tell him who he is. He's a Gemini. That explains so much, actually."

"But it does not explain enough. He requires data and he is receiving conflicting ideas. As such, he is confused." Mecha concluded, contrary to Silver's opinion. "This leaves him vulnerable to manipulation by others, although he is unlikely to realize or admit to that flaw."

Neo's optics wandered, scanning over the city before them. "I am... coming to understand more, now. How is he supposed to believe one claim over another? He can't trust anyone." His LEDs darkened in introspection. "I know the feeling well."

"We gotta help him and save this world." Sonic concluded, standing and moving to stand beside Neo in solidarity. He rested an arm on the robot's shoulder.

"... Don't do that."

Sonic ignored his request with about as much tact as usual. "You found yourself, Neo. I think it's about time we helped someone else to find who they are, too. After all, you're a pro at this, right?"

Neo considered it. "He is still my enemy. And, this is his journey to take alone. I cannot force him to see who he is. I could show him data, I could show him media files, but it is up to him to decide who or what he is now. I was a fool to preconceive that I could stop all of this by just showing him these things."

Sonic had expected such an answer, but he had a counter that he knew would throw a spanner in the works - so, he spoke freely and casually. "An enemy, huh? Is he not family?"

Neo faltered for just a fraction of a second. "He is... as related to us as any kitchen appliance manufactured by the Eggman Empire. Your concussion is affecting you deeply."

Sonic rubbed a finger under his nose. He had caught that slight pause. "I know that's not how you feel."

"Get out of my emotion control center."

"Get outta your head. We have a world to save here. And with you guys by my side, I know we can do it."

"And the sky looks like a fuchsia Windows background. We need to change that." Silver piped up from behind them.

Did Sonic have to complicate everything with this simplicity? Neo squinted into the amber and looked on. Perhaps, this was about to become more complex than it first imagined.

Fire cared not for the time it went out, only that it gave heat and light. A burn that says - I was here. This is who I am. In setting everything ablaze, perhaps only the ashes would tell them who they really were, that they really lived.

Sprawling video feeds backlit by green revealed the devastation caused by the Black Arms. Maps of cities around the world that were targeted only served to further heighten the damage caused. With the toxic green glow at his front, the GUN commander sat and bore witness to the invasion in real-time. He was brought out of his analytic haze by the sudden arrival of one of his field officers. Donned in dark blue and navy green and armed with an assault rifle, the field officer was a picture of the room in that moment. They saluted before addressing their commander.

"Sir. The aliens have hit six major cities around the world. Every city is reporting significant damage and casualties. Among them, Westopolis has suffered the heaviest casualties. Downtown Westopolis was almost completely destroyed." The officer paused, now looking at the screen that flipped between different video feeds of the city. "And, unconfirmed sources have reported seeing a black and red hedgehog in Westopolis."

The commander immediately straightened. A knife he hadn't known was lodged in his chest twisted. "Shadow?"

"Yes, sir."

"Deploy the troops, now. And if you find Shadow with the aliens, kill them all."

"But, sir, isn't Shadow on our side, sir?"

The commander and the field officer held each others' stares for a long moment. Both soldiers recalled the same situation, the same people, the same brothers they had slain. The same promise that history would not repeat itself. And, yet, the commander defaulted to his old ways in a split second of panic.

"I gave you an order, soldier. If you find him with the aliens, he is evil and he is the enemy from that moment on."

"Yes, sir."

In the face of certain devastation, the commander was quickly falling back on old thought patterns.

"You can't fool me, Shadow. This time, you're mine, and if you dare work to worsen this invasion, I'll..."

He told himself this aloud as if trying to heighten his internal convictions. But, truth be told, he was conflicted. He was unsure. In this time of mass panic and pain, it was hard not to panic himself. It was easy to lash out. Easy to make accusations. Easy to make impulsive decisions under this guise of collectedness and authority. But in his mind, all he could see was her - the sister he held dear, and knowing the being who had taken her by the hand that day had caused her death. All he could see was her, her white dress, the red that had no place staining it. It was all her, and his loss, and this pain on a backdrop of Hell brought by these aliens.

So if they wanted to be ruthless, he would be too. Maria wanted peace. She had radiated love. This invasion was against everything she ever was, and he would crush it with his bare hands if he could so that her memory could live on. But was Shadow the right target? He didn't know. He didn't know, and that terrified him. Looking to the screen of Westopolis, he tried to steel himself. White knuckles bore down on the armrests of his seat. He needed to make major decisions to save the people, and being stuck in his head wouldn't help anything.

The screen captured new movements in the city. He leaned forward slightly to watch, looking for any opening in the aliens' defenses. He didn't expect the smallest smile to curl into the corner of his mouth. The turbulence of his heart and mind settled for just long enough to finally feel some relief. Caught in 4k, Sonic and the three hedgehog-series siblings stood at ground zero of the city. He watched Sonic flick Neo's nose, and Silver and Mecha go about putting out fires to the best of their ability.

He sat back and visibly relaxed into himself. "Well, I'll be. We have a real chance against this new threat."

This time last year, he would never have seen himself sitting there, glad to see any machine created by Eggman. So, his mind wandered to his last meeting with the black and silver child, the one who had changed his heart. The way he had confronted one of his darkest demons whilst hot on the kid's heels. An event that singed guilt into his soul.

"You will pay!"

"It's not my fault that Maria died! Doing this will never bring her back!"

"Don't speak her name."

"Hurts, doesn't it? Hurts when someone you love has their name dragged through hell!"

"You don't know a thing about what hurts."

But oh, the robot did. If anybody knew anything about what hurt, it was these machines.

"Listen, I'm sorry that you lost her. That pain, it never goes away. I know. You want someone else to hurt the way you do, so that it feels real, so that everyone else sees what's going on inside people see it. I see it. And I'm sorry that you feel like that... I don't wish loss like that on anybody. But I'm sure she wouldn't want this. From what I've heard, she was a very kind girl, and she loved artificial life."

"You don't know what she would have wanted."

"I don't need to. That's for you to figure out. Don't let loss destroy you. Some things can never be fixed, but they can be carried. Don't carry it with this hate. Carry it with honour, honour of her, what she would have wanted, when you know what that is."

"She was the closest I had to a sister."

"I know. I can't imagine. I'm sorry."

A few steps forward in his mind - the way his grandchildren ran to greet him, accepted him as one of their own in the family.

"You are no longer a target of the military. You are free."

"Bullshit. You don't do anything out of the goodness of your heart. What's your angle?"

"A change of heart."

"Bullshit."

"Guilt."

"More believable."

"Maria would want this, and I can only pray that she forgives me for my actions."

Would Maria want Shadow gone and buried? No. But did Shadow deserve to be brought to justice? Possibly. He needed to know more. Perhaps, Shadow's response to the humans on his trail would tell him what he needed to know. Was Shadow really working with them? Again, he didn't yet know. So many questions unanswered, but one thing was certain. The world would be saved as long as a certain group of heroes would rise to the challenge. Now, he needed to do his part to keep the people safe from harm - and potentially, from Shadow, too. Only time would tell, now.

What would set his soul on fire more? Grief for his sister, or love for the world?

[cyanocoraxx]

FLASH MEMORY PT1 -  AO3 / FFN

(Metal Sonic, Mecha Sonic & Silver Sonic II)

"Sonic runs and rests; the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you." — Japanese tagline, Sonic & Knuckles.

A/N: welcome back my fellow robot enjoyers! this is the second installment of our totally normal and not fucked up robot bros just trying to live their freaking lives. for those of you who are new and haven't read the previous one, i'd highly recommend that you skim through it or you'll be confused. if that sounds like effort, lemme summarize a few things for you; neo = metal sonic. after his defeat as metal overlord, he returned to his normal form but now wears the same white arrows as he did before. he's also got this like split personality thing going on (it's okay i have DID lmao) so there's a divide between OG metal sonic programming and (ironically) new neo. mecha = mecha sonic, the oldest brother. he is very tired and very traumatized and trying to figure out wtf emotions are. can also solve a captcha. silver = silver sonic mk ii. the baby brother. gamer by day, crimefighter by night under the alias SUPERBOT. name not chosen by him. also not trademarked yet. died once. don't bring it up. anyway, long story short after a whole bunch of trauma and a rollercoaster of fucked up shit they're defected from eggman and live on their own, with some other robots who also left. dialogue in italics = robot beep boop code because neo's voice no work right. he's #on that bumblebee transformers shit

trigger warning as usual for trauma discussions, mentions of death & self harm. continuation of damage.

Emerald Coast.

A group of tropical islands outside Station Square. Under a light blue sky laid an expanse of golden sands. Behind them, green grass and blue stone made up the coastal grasslands, home to a huge array of wildlife. Palm trees, ripe with coconuts, dotted the coastline to add shades of green to the painting-worthy landscape. Gentle winds rustled their fronds, offering a soft song in harmony with the marram grasses. Far out across the sparkling waters, boats came to rest on the calmer waves, sitting as kings where they adored the seawater view. It was paradise, and apparently, the hottest vacation destination on the planet. It was an unlikely place for three ex-killer robots to hang out, but the three of them never had been too fond of conforming to societal expectations.

"Neo," Mecha Sonic said. Damp sand and fragments of shells sifted under his feet as he turned to look at his recumbent companion. "Neo, look."

Neo gave a noncommittal noise. He had been sitting back against the old brick wall for quite some time now, channeling his inner toaster to just sit and bask in the heat of the seaside sun whilst Mecha admired the view. But the sun was rising quite quickly now, and at the sound of his older brother's voice, Neo sat up, albeit with a show of reluctance at having to move.

"What?" Neo signed, moving to stand beside his brother.

Mecha pointed wordlessly out to the ocean and Neo followed his finger, out across the open waters. In the distance, just before the horizon, blue shapes leaped and twisted amongst the rolling waves. Mecha watched, entranced, as the wild animals moved in near-sync, leaping out of the water and into the air as if they had wings. The waves beneath them came like rain to a desert, the strong give, thriving life.

"Dolphins." Mecha said.

"Dolphins." Neo agreed.

The dolphins splashed down again, vanishing in a fountain of seafoam. Neo stood at Mecha's side, watching the sea thoughtfully as the aquatic dance continued, and the light grew brighter, but softer, and streaks of pink and purple made themselves at home in the sky.

"Where is Silver?" Neo signed calmly, knowing he would be nearby somewhere.

Mecha reached up to his ear and pinged Silver. "Silver, send your coordinates-"

Silver Sonic MK II appeared in the distance just on time. He was flung up into the air by a rambunctious dolphin with a scream before plunging back down with a loud splash.

Mecha and Neo didn't move from their position. Neo, if anything, got more comfortable with an elbow atop the rail in front of him.

"Do you think they are attempting to kill him?" Mecha asked nonchalantly.

Neo shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps. He is waterproof, though. He will be fine."

Silver appeared again, flung high into the air, but this time he did a flip and laughed.

"My coordinates are: in the sky! WOOHOO!" Silver finally replied, before falling back down and disappearing once more.

A woosh of air could be heard from behind them, marking the approach of fast-moving footsteps. Mecha and Neo looked over their shoulders at the same time to see Sonic hopping to a stop behind them.

"Hey, guys! Where's Silv? I thought all three of you were gonna come." Sonic asked casually. He lifted one foot and dusted sand and pebbles from the sole of his shoe.

Mecha motioned with his head to where Silver was in the distance. "He is being murdered again."

"Figures. It's kind of his thing." Sonic said with a laugh.

"Why here." Mecha asked, looking out to the ocean. "It is an open space. We are at risk of being targeted here."

Sonic patted Mecha on the shoulder before slinging an arm around it. "Lighten up Mecha! It's neutral territory. You guys are meeting my pals for the first time and I want it to be peaceful. No fighting, no shooting, no causing trouble." He ended with a small side glance to Neo, who folded his arms and tilted his head to one side mockingly.

"Understood." Mecha replied.

"Thanks for coming, lil bro." Sonic finally said, throwing his arms around Neo and patting his back in a brotherly gesture. Neo returned the gesture after a moment with a sarcastic roll of his optics. Sonic pulled away and shoved Neo's shoulder playfully, and Neo jabbed a claw tip at Sonic's chest in a lighthearted threat.

"Well, it's good to see you again, boys," Sonic said, turning to watch as his friends appeared atop the slope that led down to the beach, "now, remember, play nice."

"I don't take orders from you..." Neo grumbled to his side, making a displeased display on his screen that read, " ¬_¬."

Sonic bounded up the hill to greet his friends: Knuckles, Amy, and Cream, three of his closest friends and allies.

"Hey, Knux! It's good to see you, buddy!" Sonic called out to Knuckles, greeting him with a fist bump.

"Sonic! It's good to-" Knuckles trailed off, looking over Sonic's shoulder, where he spotted two of his worst enemies just casually standing about as if waiting for something, or someone. "You're kidding me. Sonic, no. No no NO." Knuckles shoved past Sonic and marched down towards them, fists clenched and teeth bared.

"This Knucklehead... wait! Wait just a sec!" Sonic called after him. He ran down and grabbed Knuckles' arm, slowing him down just a little.

"You're protecting these two pieces of junk?" Knuckles hissed in disbelief. "What gives?"

"If you wait a second I'll expl-"

In that one second, Knuckles threw a fist at Neo, but Mecha side-stepped and caught it easily in one hand.

"Greetings, Knuckles the Echidna." Mecha said, unfazed by the display of aggression. It wasn't the first time he had a fist come at his face and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

"You..." Knuckles leaned in close, baring his fangs at the robot fiercely, "don't think I've forgotten about you!"

"I understand what situation you are referencing. I was carrying out my creator's orders in our initial encounter," Mecha said simply, holding steady, "and I regret my actions. I now know better. I act of my own free will, and I use it today to say that I am sorry. I apologize for the harm I have caused, to you, and to your sacred home."

"What's wrong with this guy?!" Knuckles murmured, looking over to Sonic in disbelief. He met Mecha's gaze again with fierce intensity. "Oh, sure! With you taking the Master Emerald and trashing my home, all of this worked out just perfect for you, huh? You're sorry?!"

Mecha regarded him with a cool look. He glanced away for a moment, watching the dolphins in the distance. "Dolphins frequently leap above the water surface for social displays, orientation, and entertainment." He looked back to Knuckles, tilting his head a little to one side. "Are you finding entertainment in this interaction? Does it make you happy to respond to my apology in this manner?"

Knuckles slowly drew his fist away. "Jeez..." He scratched his head and looked to Sonic. "Did I hit this guy on the head too hard or something? Alright, alright... but tread lightly, rustbucket."

Neo moved to stand beside his brother protectively. Knuckles caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and sharply looked at him.

"Oh, look who it is! Should I call you Metal Sonic or Metal Madness today?" Knuckles spat at him.

Neo shrugged a shoulder and signed, "neither of those are my name."

Knuckles stared at him for a long moment. "Uh... I don't..."

"If you're not going to hit him, I WILL!" Came a shriek from behind them. Knuckles side-stepped just in time as Amy came charging through with her hammer, swinging it wildly as she barrelled straight towards Neo. "Knuckles might have missed, but I won't!"

Once again, Mecha casually reached up and stopped the blow with a hand. "Miss Rose. Please refrain."

"Don't you Miss Rose me you hunk of junk! Who do you think you are?!" Amy snapped, drawing her hammer back away from him.

Neo cast a sidelong look over to Sonic. "Your friends are not very pleasant."

Sonic mouthed "sorry" back to him. Despite everyone's reservations, he had hope that they would all get along. It just might take a bit longer than first expected.

The runaway Silver finally darted over to join the little meeting. He landed beside Mecha and waved at everyone, excited to meet new people as always. He shook seaweed off of his head with a grin after that.

"Hi guys! It's so cool to finally meeEET-" Silver ducked as Amy's hammer came swinging at him. He hopped and danced backwards, avoiding her wild swings with growing laughter. "Woah, hey! I'm friendly! FRIENDLY!"

"Friendly?! Friendly?! Ohh, you are so dead! DEAD!" Amy continued her assault, growing more enraged the more Silver laughed and dramatically jumped to avoid her. "All you pretend Sonics are the same!"

"So, like, cool and fun and totally friendly? You got me!" Silver replied, giggling as he ducked under the hammer. "Do it faster, it's more fun if it's a challenge! I'll do a flip!"

Mecha swept his little brother under his arm and held him firmly. "There will be no challenge to speak of. We are not here to fight."

"Then why are you here?" Knuckles finally asked, folding his arms with a furrowed brow.

"To make friends, apparently." Silver mumbled from under Mecha's arm, where he dangled helplessly.

Sonic patted Neo's shoulder and grinned enthusiastically. "The kiddo's right. We're all here today to make peace."

Knuckles scoffed at the proposition. "Peace? Peace. You trashed my home and committed theft of a sacred object. You kidnapped Amy and held her hostage. And you..." Knuckles paused, squinting at Silver in thought, "I don't even know what you did, but it's probably evil. What's your game?"

Silver perked up instantly. He looked left and right excitedly. "Game?! Where?"

"Look, guys..." Sonic said, sighing as he stepped in front of the robots with his hands up. "Whether you like it or not, these guys are my lil' bros now. It's a long story. Now, we're going to go have fun, with no fighting, no yelling, and no Eggman ruining the day."

Begrudgingly, Sonic's band of friends moved on to the beach. The robots walked behind them, keeping a respectable distance.

"Have you lost your mind, Sonic?" Knuckles whispered to his best friend, staying close to his side. "They're our enemies."

"Nah... these guys saved my life. All of our lives." Sonic replied, just as quietly. "They're part of our weird little family just like you."

Mecha wandered off to survey the expanses of sand and washed-up creatures on the shoreline. He found the scenery intriguing - it was most unlike the cold metal base he had been created in. Knuckles and Amy stayed close to Sonic, still wary of the robots in the group, but begrudgingly let Neo stand with them. Neo and Sonic stayed far back from the open waters. Being mirrors of one another, they both feared those murky depths, the unknown that laid beneath, the... the jellyfish and tangles of seaweed and the inability to touch their feet against the bottom. They both shuddered in unison as they thought about it at the same time.

"Race ya to the end of the pier." Sonic challenged Neo, turning to him with a cocky smirk.

Neo's optics brightened at the proposed competition. Nothing more needed to be said, for their body language did all the talking. Neo pushed one foot back in the sand, Sonic crouched down just a fraction, and then they were off with a crack of the air. Amy was left covered in damp sand.

"My dress! You ruined it!" Amy yelled after Sonic, raising a fist in the air out of frustration. "How dare you, Sonic!"

"And there they go." Knuckles said, shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched them go. "They're fast."

"They're just as annoying as each other." Amy commented, crossing her arms with a small pout.

Cream carefully laid out a beach towel and sat down, inviting Silver to join her with a wave. Silver did so, smiling down at her as he moved to sit.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Silver!" Cream greeted him with a warm smile.

"Likewise! Oh, and you don't gotta call me Mr. Silver, it's okay. Just call me Silver." Silver reassured her.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Do you prefer Miss? Mrs?" Cream asked, worried that she had caused offense.

Silver's smile turned into a grin, then a laugh. "Any of those fly, if you really gotta use a title for me."

Shutting off his optics for a minute, Silver prepared to bask under the sun, leaving the extraneous activities to the organics. At least, that's what he wanted to do. Watching him with a sneaky glint to his visor, a plan formed in Mecha's mind as he wandered back over to his little brother. He snuck closer to Silver quietly, pressing a finger to his muzzle plate to signal to Knuckles and Amy nearby. Knuckles only snickered, crossing his arms to watch what Mecha was going to do. Silver felt Mecha's shadow loom over him, whisking away the sun's warmth. He onlined his optics a fraction, seeing Mecha for only a split second before he-

"Mecha?!"

Silver shrieked, his body no longer on the towel but instead thrown over Mecha's shoulder.

"Mecha, put me down or so help me!"

"Your temperature is rising beyond optimal levels. Why do you not cool off for a second?"

Mecha's hands grasped Silver's sides, lifting him off of his shoulder before tossing him into the crystal clear water. Although it was refreshing against his warmed armour, the sudden barrage of sensory information flooded Silver's CPU. He planted his feet onto the ocean ground and pushed his body up.

"Mecha Sonic, you motherfu-"

"There are children present. Mind your language." Mecha said, but not without a mocking hint to his tone.

"I AM the children, motherfucker!" Silver yelled back. He splashed water at Mecha, which sprayed all over his face - but he didn't outwardly react to it.

"Error 404, fucks not found." Mecha responded with a shrug of a shoulder.

"Get in here, asshole..." Silver stood up, marched over to Mecha, and flung an arm around his shoulders before gripping him in a headlock and falling back down into the water. Mecha came down with him, falling on top of him with a beep of surprise. Silver scrubbed Mecha's head with his knuckles whilst playfully growling up at him, and Mecha made sure to pin him so that he was under the water after that. It was then that Silver was actually glad to be a robot. It did take away the possibility of drowning, after all.

Sonic zipped back over to his best friend with a triumphant grin. "I won. As usual!"

Knuckles was used to Sonic coming and going so quickly, so he didn't jump when he returned. Instead, he watched the two robots out at sea and chuckled to himself. Their oddly organic behaviour was starting to grow on him. "They remind me of us, Sonic."

"Yeah. They're the spitting image of us." Sonic gave a quick laugh before nudging Knuckles in the side. "Told ya. They're not bad kids."

Knuckles grinned with fangs bared as he grabbed Sonic by the shoulder and scrubbed the top of his head, messing up his quills. "If they're anythin' like you, they're big trouble."

Silver and Mecha tussled for another minute before the younger robot broke away. He ran back onto the shore, armour dripping wet, and almost barrelled straight into Knuckles. He bumped into the red echidna with a squeak of surprise before backing up and looking up at him sheepishly.

Knuckles managed a smile despite himself. "Hello, Trouble."

"Hey! Is it Knuckles or Knux? I get confu-" Silver looked over his shoulder and was met by a splat of seaweed to the face. He slowly reached up and dragged it down and off of his face to find Mecha standing a few feet away.

"You bastard." Silver whispered, grinning dangerously at him. "You're so dead."

"You just got pranked." Mecha replied flatly.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, M? Wanna see an epic prank? I call this prank, I run really fast at you, and you die." Silver said through his taunting grin, before charging back over to Mecha and tackling him down into the sand. Silver made quick work of tossing sand all over him, making sure to get it in every place imaginable. Once he was sufficiently buried, Silver stood up, dusted off his hands, and bounded back up to Sonic and Knuckles.

Mecha stayed flat on his back in the sand, his spines already sunken down into the damp. "I am dead."

The small rabbit in the group hopped over to him and leaned over him. "Mr. Mecha Sonic?"

Mecha turned his head slightly. Sand fell off the tip of his nose. "Yes?"

"Don't die." Cream said, holding her ears anxiously.

"I am merely executing an 'inside joke.' Do not be concerned." Mecha reassured her, sitting up to face her.

"Mr. Mecha Sonic, can we be friends?" Cream asked hopefully.

Mecha slowly stood up, so as not to scare the much smaller girl in front of him. "There is no reason for us not to be."

"Yay!" Cream took her bucket and showed it to the killer robot with a smile. "Do you want to collect seashells with me?"

Mecha gave a nod and a "smile" back. "Of course. Let us begin."

Hand in hand, the killer robot and the small rabbit walked down the shoreline, Cream skipping with her bucket in her other hand. Mecha knew his strong hands would break more than just a few shells, so he didn't try to pick any up himself. Instead, he pointed out the most interesting and unique ones, making note of how Cream picked and chose the ones of interest. There was probably some algorithm to it, and he was going to figure it out.

Cream suddenly gasped and crouched down in front of a shell. "Look, Mr. Mecha! It's a purple one!"

Mecha bent down to get a closer look, tilting his head with curiosity. "Argopecten purpuratus. A marine species of saltwater shellfish, a bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae."

Cream picked it up carefully, turning it around under the sunlight. She took a piece of string from her pocket, tied the shell to it, and presented the newly-made necklace to her robot friend.

Mecha tilted his head the other way. "What is it."

"It's jewellery! For you!" Cream explained enthusiastically, handing it to Mecha. He wasn't sure what to do with it, so she carefully put it into his hand with a giggle at his confusion.

Mecha slowly and carefully opened his hand, noting the fragility of the object in his palm. His fingers shook a little as he took the string between them and put it over his head. He inspected it with great interest, but dared not to touch it for fear of damaging it.

"Do you like it?" Cream asked, hope clear in her face. She laced her hands behind her back and smiled up at him.

"Affirmative." Mecha replied. He looked around for a moment, searching for a shell to give in return. Despite his worries about breaking it, he very carefully picked one up between his fingers, which shook nervously - a bright yellow seashell. He presented it to Cream, his hand now shaking more violently. "For you."

"I love it! It's so pretty!" Cream exclaimed, taking it into her hands with amazement. "Like you."

Mecha straightened. "What."

Cream reached out and ran a hand up Mecha's arm, admiring his armour. In the sunlight it was a radiant deep violet, freshly painted, complimenting the slip of silver of his upper arms and muzzle. She noticed the scratches, partly filled in by the new coats of paint, but still undeniably there like old battle scars. Mecha held very still. He had always been unsure of touch, especially after what had happened to him before, but he trusted her.

"You're pretty." Cream repeated herself, beaming up at him.

Mecha tilted his head. "That is not a word that has been used to describe me before. Thank you."

"Really?! Oh Mr. Mecha, that's so sad." Cream said, rubbing her thumb over a deep-seated scratch that ran horizontally across his arm. She would never know the story behind it, and that was probably for the best. She didn't need to know that Neo, or rather, Metal, had torn it to shreds months ago when he lost his memory.

Mecha shook his head. "It is not sad. I simply have not been in a situation that would call for-"

Not a second later, he swept Cream under his arm and spun around, staring out to the sea on high alert. Neo and Silver were by his side a moment later, sensing something too. A signal. A robotic one. That couldn't mean anything good.

"I am detecting an E-Series." Mecha told Neo, in code so that Cream couldn't understand.

Neo narrowed his optics at the water. "As am I."

"I hate when you two do that..." Silver grumbled, raising a fist and focusing on the waves.

"Looks like the boys have found something," Sonic commented. He stretched an arm out and rolled his shoulder, walking over to them. "What have your robo senses d-"

Before any of them said a word, said mystery machine came reaching out of the water. Seafoam and water sprayed onto the three robots, sending Neo reeling back in disgust, while Mecha and Silver stayed put. The machine before them was a bright purple and red with green cameras for "eyes" at every angle, loosely resembling an octopus-like creature.

"E-38 Octaron." Mecha said, watching as it rose to stand at its full height. A whopping 44 feet.

"E-38 Octaron." Neo agreed. He shook his head clear of the water with a squinted optic.

"E-38 Octaron." Silver added. His brothers looked at him. "What? I felt left out."

Mecha took Cream from under his arm and gently handed her to Sonic, keeping his gaze fixed on the robot in front of him. Sonic wordlessly nodded and took Cream further up the beach, back to his friends.

"Mr. Sonic, what's happening?" Cream asked nervously.

"Don't worry about it! These guys know what they're doing." Sonic said with a reassuring grin. If anyone was equipped to deal with a creation of Eggman's, it was his ex-minions.

"This unit's abilities include swimming, tentacle extension, elasticity, and enhanced strength. It is not a significant threat to us." Mecha mused out loud.

"It's not sentient, is it?" Silver asked quickly.

"Negative. It merely detects motion and attacks. Our creator is likely to be close by, instructing it." Mecha responded simply.

"So what you're sayin' is, if we hit it really hard..." Silver started, but was interrupted as a metallic tentacle came crashing down just an inch from his face. It curled around to take a jab at Mecha's leg, but Neo smacked a fist down into it and it retreated. Sonic came skidding back over to them, still wearing his trademark cocky smile, even as the next tentacle made way for him next. Silver met the challenge head-on, jumping on it with both feet before it could hit Sonic. Once again it retreated.

Silver looked at him and matched his smile. "Its name is dangerously close to a slur... all the more reason to hit it really hard."

Sonic nodded. "You said it. And, this is why I hate the water! All these creeps hiding in there... Mountains are far superior."

Neo nodded in agreement by his side.

"We can continue this discussion later," Mecha said, "now, remain focused. With one well-placed and well-timed blow we can put this unit out of order."

Sonic cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "yo, Octaron! I heard how ugly you were and just had to come see for myself."

"No, no Sonic! DIBS!" Silver called out, rushing up to meet E-38 Octaron with glee. He jumped as a tentacle swept under his feet, then ran up it whilst laughing almost maniacally. In his impulsive race, he didn't account for the other tentacles coming at him - and, unsurprisingly so, he found himself wrapped up in one of them. It held him up triumphantly.

"Okay! Okay. Maybe the youngest bro shouldn't always get dibs?" Silver offered sheepishly. He found himself getting squished a little tighter with every second, but didn't panic. He trusted his brothers more than anyone. If he was in serious danger, they would have already acted. So, he did nothing drastic yet.

"His hedgehog-series pride will have him see this fight to the end, even if it kills him." Neo remarked with pride.

"Guys, a little help? I kinda give up, 'cause I can't move!" Silver called down to them.

"I'll kill him." Neo murmured.

"You must learn, Silver," Mecha started, stepping forward, "to not act so impulsively."

"You wouldn't get it, Aquarius. I'm a fire sign. It's what I do! Now are you gonna help or not? Not a fan of being crushed to death!" Silver shouted down to him. The grip around his body tightened and he laughed a little. "Stop, it tickles."

Neo watched and stifled a laugh, causing his vocalizer to give static for a second.

"Out of the way!" A voice behind them yelled. They all turned to find Amy charging over, hammer in hand. Without a shred of fear she charged right up to the towering machine and slammed her hammer into it repeatedly. "Take that! And that! And this! Aaaaaand THAT!"

"Damn! She's badass." Silver remarked, grinning madly at her show of wild courage. "Girlboss power!"

Knuckles came next, sending a clenched fist into it, then the other, until he was working a comfortable rhythm. "Get back into the hole you crawled out from, creep!"

Sonic and Neo exchanged looks.

"You ready to face our fear?" Sonic whispered.

"Aquaphobes, assemble." Neo affirmed his suggestion, albeit with some reluctance.

They took off at the same time, dropped into spin-dashes, and tore through E-38 Octaron like it was paper. Neo came to a stop and hopped up onto the robot's head. Sonic landed beside him. Then, Neo tilted his head back to see Eggman in his Eggmobile. Eggman watched with disdain as another prized creation of his was about to be written off.

"Boy, don't make me come down there and be a parent!" Eggman shouted down to Neo, pointing a finger at him.

"Oho, first time for everything!" Silver yelled up at him, interrupting him.

"Don't do it." Eggman snapped. "Do not!"

"I'm going to do it." Neo murmured to Sonic.

"Me too." Sonic whispered.

The two of them dropped into spin-dashes again and ripped one more hole through the robot. As Knuckles had asked it to, E-38 Octaron fell back into the ocean with a loud splash. Before the robot or the organic could hit the water, they landed squarely on the robot's middle and jumped back onto the shore.

"Damn you boys! You always ruin my fun!" Eggman protested, before disappearing back to where he had come from. Good riddance.

Silver was released from the robot's grip instantly, and Mecha was quick to jump up and catch him in his arms. He put Silver down on his feet and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Are you injured, brother?" Mecha asked, concern for his little brother showing.

Silver smiled and leaned forward, bumping his forehead to Mecha's. "Nah. I'm all good, promise."

Sonic and Neo walked over to them, very thankful to have not gone for an impromptu swim after all.

"Well, your heart was in the right place, kiddo." Sonic told Silver, patting his head affectionately.

Neo moved over and promptly hit Silver on the head with a reprimanding look.

"You're a girlboss too, Princess. No need to get jealous." Silver said, poking his tongue out at his older brother.

"You know that's not what that was for." Neo grumbled, turning away from him.

"Sonic! Our hero..." Amy cried, falling into Sonic's side with a wistful smile.

Sonic gestured to Neo with his elbow and smiled. "Don't forget, he helped too."

Amy looked at Neo and, after a moment, gave a nod of approval. "Thank you. That Eggman, always ruining our perfect days out..."

Mecha gave a quiet laugh at that. "I concur."

Knuckles walked up to Neo and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks. I guess you're alright. You just proved yourself."

Neo met his eyes with sincerity. He gave a nod.

Cream came running over, ecstatic that her friends had saved the day once again. They always did! She ran straight for Mecha and threw herself into him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Mr. and Miss Robots!"

Silver, Neo, and Mecha exchanged warm looks. Mecha reached down and gently patted her head, as he had seen Sonic do to Silver before.

The family just kept on growing, and they welcomed that with open arms.

With tensions resolved between the robots and the organics, it seemed like things were looking up for everyone. That night was like any other. Egg Pawns pattered about the warehouse they called home, putting up decorations, chatting between themselves, and doing what robots do. That meant that a lot of them were in recharge by now.

"Evening, Metal!"

Metal Sonic looked up from the broken mirror that he had been fixing. A tube of glue sat on the sink by the mirror. He looked over his shoulder and displayed a "HELLO" across his screen back at Silver, who peered around the door at him.

"Tell Neo I said he's a loser and that I beat his score on the racing game!" Silver taunted them before skipping by. He snickered to himself as he heard footsteps from the bathroom. He knew by those footsteps that Neo was coming for him now. So, he stopped halfway across the main floor and looked back. If there was an opportunity to harass and annoy his older brother, he was always going to take it.

"You did not." Neo signed, narrowing his optics accusingly.

Silver turned around and put his hands on his hips, grinning triumphantly. "I so did."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not."

"Does the scoreboard lie, bro?" Silver asked teasingly.

Neo looked over to the TV to see that Silver had indeed beaten him. He folded his arms defensively.

"Exactly. You lost the bet. Poor, poor Neo, the slowest thing alive." Silver told him with overdramatic sympathy.

Neo gave him the middle finger. A common treatment from the ex-overlord.

"Oh no, the Princess is all huffy! What are you gonna do, take over the world again? Because I have Sonic on speed dial."

"You must be as stupid as he is if you think he can work a phone." Neo retorted in code.

Silver recognized the inflection on the word "stupid" and pouted. "Don't call me stupid."

"Okay then, how about bitch?" Neo signed this time.

"Arrogant prick." Silver countered.

"Spoiled sow." Neo retaliated.

"Oh, how original! A hedgehog insult. Fuck you." Silver quipped back.

"Fuck you." Neo riposted.

"Fuck you!" Silver yelled, jabbing a finger at Neo's chest.

Neo huffed and held out a hand as if offering a handshake in defeat. Silver grinned proudly and shook his hand. Neo firmly shook it back, and it went on for just a little too long.

"Okay, okay, you can let go now," Silver said, laughing, "let go. Bro, let go."

Neo stared him in the face with a smirk about his optics.

Silver tried to pull his hand away only to find that it was stuck. He looked up to find Neo laughing at him.

Superglue.

"You monster..." Silver whispered. "You got me. You pranked me."

"You, me, outside." Neo signed, pointing to the back door.

Silver's face lit up. He grinned dangerously. "Race?"

Neo nodded. "Race."

Silver slung an arm around Neo's shoulder as they walked to the back door. "I need to go out on patrol anyways. Might as well race there." Silver told him with a shrug of one shoulder. He looked over it for a moment. "Hey, M! We're off out on patrol! Be back soon!"

Mecha peered out from around the corner of a doorway, paintbrush in hand. A freshly-painted Egg Pawn bounced out of the room, elated with their updated paint job.

"What time will you return?" Mecha asked, tilting his head to one side.

Silver turned his free wrist up as if looking at a watch. "Before like... three AM."

"I will keep them out of trouble." Neo assured Mecha with a wink.

Mecha tilted his head the other way. "That would be more reassuring to me if you were not currently glued to one another."

"We'll be back!" Silver called out as he and Neo walked to the back door, still very much stuck to one another. "Enjoy your time alone!"

Enjoy your time alone. Enjoy your time alone. Enjoy your time alone.

Mecha stopped. Neo heard the way Mecha's engine paused, then grew just that tiny bit louder. He knew his older brother like the back of his hand, and knew that something was wrong. He stopped and looked back, finding Mecha's gaze fixed on him and Silver. Silver went to drag Neo along with him, but when Neo resisted, he looked back too.

"Oh."

The two brothers knew that look well.

---

"Enjoy your alone-time, rustbucket, It won't last long."

The door closed and locked, leaving Mecha by himself in the dark room. Slowly, he slackened into his restraints and let his head hang forward, finally taking the time to process his situation. His firewall was in pieces, CPU working overtime to process his own thoughts as well as the commands of the virus, and his body was damaged in several places. He kept hearing the sound of the door closing over and over as his auditory processing units re-booted over and over, further making him dizzy and uncertain.

But one thing kept bugging him the most... the fact that he didn't know if Silver and Neo were safe.

His gaze shifted to the wall.

If his siblings were okay, then he would be, too.

---

"Woah, hey, M... you're okay." Silver offered gently, raising his free hand in surrender.

"Do not leave." Mecha said, quietly. "It is not safe."

He heard the door close and lock. A deadbolt. It echoed in his mind on repeat.

That door needed to close. Now.

"I said do not LEAVE." Mecha snapped. He slammed the door shut and turned on his heel to face them.

"We're right here, brother." Neo reassured him, and he too put his free hand up.

Mecha got in Neo's face, his engine now revving aggressively. "Do not leave. Do not leave. It is not safe."

At the same time, Silver and Neo took Mecha's hands in theirs and held them tightly. Neo moved forward and gently pressed his forehead to Mecha's.

The door stayed shut. His little brothers were safe. No men would come in with metal rods and chains and other instruments of torture to bring harm to them. He had done his job. I am a machine built for one task, that is all, Mecha had once said, and that task for the past year had become to be his brothers' keeper.

"A brother is made adversity. I am not leaving you behind." Neo told him softly, leaning into him with an air of protectiveness. "Never."

"Never again, M. We love you." Silver murmured into Mecha's shoulder, gently putting his free hand around his back.

Mecha slowly calmed down and came back to his senses. The two younger brothers sensed the change instinctively but stayed close to him. They had made promises to never leave each other behind, and this was just one of those times where that promise needed to be affirmed.

"It starts when you stop. When you're safe." Silver said quietly, rubbing Mecha's back. "Your mind finally gets a chance to process all the shit that's been put into it. We get it. Both of us, we get it. You stay busy with your books and repairs and video games, but it catches up to you once you sit down on your own."

Mecha leaned into Neo's form and closed his fingers around his hand. "Yes. That is true."

Silver looked up at him with empathy. "We shake hands with devils, and we walk past them. We live between death and life, we all do. We were never built to survive, not for this long. So the things we go through, there's no instruction manual for that. You just gotta take what happens in both hands, and-"

Mecha took Silver's hand from around his back and held it, too, closing his fingers around his little brother's palm. "In both hands." He used his free hand to prize his siblings' glued hands apart.

"I was gonna say, take what happens in both hands and throw it into the sun or something stupid like that, but I like your addition better." Silver replied with a small laugh. He offered Mecha a warm smile and gently swung his hand back and forth. "You wanna stay busy? Come with us to the city. You can bring one of your books, sit in the cafe for a while."

Mecha nodded in agreement. "Yes. I will do that." He pulled away from his siblings and disappeared into the office to find one of his favourites - a Windows XP instruction manual. Even though he could process each word in just milliseconds, he would get lost in the text for hours, taking in every little detail, the style of the writer, the all-important data. He liked to learn, so he would keep doing that.

Silver and Neo waited for him, watching as he went.

Silver gave a small sigh and looked to Neo. In a whisper, he said, "I hate what they did to him."

Neo nodded and signed, "me too."

Silver turned to the door and took his trusty rifle from the hook that he had placed beside it. He placed it in the sling over his shoulder and gave it a fond pat, running his hand over the bright orange "Silver Sonic" he had painted onto the side. Mecha soon returned to them, instruction manual in hand, and Silver threw an arm around his shoulder as they pushed the door open.

"Superbot, Murder Machine and Sparky are back in business!" Silver cheered with a grin. He bounded on ahead, excited to be out on the town for another night, doing what he did best - both causing and averting trouble.

Mecha watched him fondly. "It makes me happy to see them excited for something."

Neo nodded in agreement as he walked close by Mecha's side. "Me too. They deserve it."

Mecha turned his head to look at Neo. "I apologize for what happened."

"Do not apologize. A brother is made for adversity," Neo said, staying close to his brother's side, "so adversity it is. I am not leaving you in the dark."

After patrolling the streets together, Neo and Silver took their usual seats in the cafe downtown. It was always quiet at this time of day, only the most loyal of customers going about their business. And, as always, manning the till was their friend and comrade, Pisces, an ex-GUN soldier. Their real name still a mystery. Silver liked it better that way. Mecha, on the other hand, continued to wander, reading his instruction manual under the street lights as he passed under them.

"And then it went boom!" Silver explained, throwing his arms out to illustrate.

Pisces laughed as they put down the cup they had been cleaning. "I can imagine. You guys are very good at making things do that."

Neo nodded in agreement. He took a piece of paper and wrote, 'except it was not him who made it go "boom" this time."

Pisces peered over and read it. "That's surprising. You're usually all up in that, Silver."

Silver shrugged a shoulder. "My insides were starting to go BOOM, if that counts."

"Too much info, kid..." Pisces murmured, taking another cup into one hand to clean it.

"Meh, your loss if you don't want it." Silver murmured.

"It's good to see you two getting along." Pisces commented with a smile.

"Oh yeah, we get on soooo well... he's definitely not mean to me all the time!" Silver replied sarcastically.

"Only because of this idiot's constant backchat." Neo scribbled down.

Silver scoffed. "Hey, you stood there and watched me get squished! You were like, two hundred miles away in your own head!"

"My hand is about to be two hundred miles upside your head." Neo scribbled again.

"Shut up." Silver retorted.

Neo drew a smiley face and pushed the paper over to Silver.

Silver took his pen and wrote "fuck you" in reply.

Neo turned his seat around and put his back to Silver.

Silver prodded him in the back repeatedly. "Hey! Hey! Notice me!"

"NO!"

"Siblings, huh? They're the best." Pisces laughed, enjoying the two brothers' back and forth.

The front doors swung open all of a sudden. A waft of alcohol came through the doors before the next customer even walked in.

"These fucking robots..." They started, walking straight up to Silver and Neo.

Neo immediately stood up and moved to block his baby brother with his head lowered and optics glowing brightly.

"These FUCKING robots!" The man grabbed a glass and smashed it into the wall. It shattered and the shards scattered across the floor. "You just come in 'ere to our city, make like you're all good, well we all know you're not!"

Silver was taken aback by the tirade. He looked to Pisces, and Pisces shrugged, just as confused.

The drunken man pointed in Neo's face. "You tried to take over the whole fucking world! Huh? That was you, weren't it? Well? Say something!"

Neo remained silent, naturally. The human tried to shift around Neo to get to Silver, but Neo moved with him, blocking his path. The man pointed over the robot's shoulder instead.

"And you... I don' even know what you did. But you prance around like some kind of knockoff hero with your guns and stupid fucking know-it-all smile..."

"Hey! First off, heard that line earlier. Second, I've not done anything, actually!" Silver retorted, pointing a finger back at him. "Not all robots are criminals. That's really rude."

"You robots are all fakes. Fake people, fake heroes, you're not foolin' nobody!" The man continued his tirade, getting closer to them with every word. He jabbed a finger towards Silver accusingly.

At this point, other cafe-goers started to stand up. They murmured to each other, expressing disapproval for this stranger's insults towards the two robots. They were very well known for being protectors of the city.

Neo finally slapped the man's hand away and squared up into his face. His patience was running very, very thin. Nobody insulted his little brother. No. Body.

The man spat in Silver's face. Big mistake.

Neo punched him in the face faster than anyone could react. He hit the ground with a thud just as quickly.

Other customers in the cafe jumped out of their seats to crowd around the two robots. A few helped the downed man back up.

Silver slowly reached up to his ear to comm Mecha. "Hey, M. Might be a bit late leaving this place."

"Is there a problem?" Mecha asked. A turn of the page.

"Well... Princess just decked someone in the face. Someone, uh, started a fight with him."

Silver cringed at the sigh of disapproval over the comm. He heard Mecha shut his book just a little too loudly, and the soft clink of his fingers as they held his head in his hand.

"I shall arrive in two minutes. Order our Princess to compromise." Mecha murmured.

"I'll try. He's not one for compromises, though." Silver replied, grimacing.

"I am aware."

The link cut off.

Silver tried reaching out and putting a hand on Neo's shoulder. "You should apologize. Human faces are less, uh, durable than ours. You might break it."

Neo just stood there, seething with a deep-seated rage he thought he had buried months ago. His claws curled in and out, tense, wanting to draw blood. How dare he. How dare this insignificant fleshbag insult his little brother. How dare they! The idea of apologizing to this cretin was out of the question.

"Neo. C'mon." Silver grabbed Neo's shoulder harder and shook it to get his attention. "We should go. We've had enough fun for tonight."

"It punched me in the face! It fucking punched me!" The man screeched as he staggered to his feet. The few people who had helped quickly backed away.

Right on cue, Mecha pushed the doors open and walked in. "Outside. Now. That is an order."

"Roger that, Commander M." Silver said with a sigh of defeat. He let go of Neo's shoulder and walked by him. "Sorry, ladies, gents 'n others. We'll foot your bills for the inconvenience."

Neo slowly looked up to meet Mecha's gaze, narrowing his optics. "He was going to put his hands on Silver."

"We do not harm living creatures unless necessary." Mecha replied sternly. His gaze trailed over to the man, and for a moment, he swore he recognized him from somewhere. He chose to shake it off and focus on what was more important, pointedly avoiding looking at the person.

"Shut the fuck up with that beep-boop shit!" The man spat at both of them. "Nobody wants to hear it!"

Neo sharply glared at him, fire quickly returning to his optics.

"Come. They are not a threat to us." Mecha said. He took Neo's hand and practically had to drag him outside to break them up.

"Yeah, run away, freaks! Go talk your secret toaster language somewhere else!"

The drunken man was swiftly pushed outside by Pisces. "Out. Out, now. You're barred from entering."

Mecha kept hold of Neo's hand as they walked. "We shall discuss this incident in a more suitable location."

It was a long walk home.

Mecha paced back and forth, hands behind his back. Silver watched him with his hands laced together on his lap. His gaze trailed over to Neo, who stood with his arms crossed, leaning back against the wall.

Silver lifted his head to meet his brother's optics, sitting back. He threw an arm over the back of his chair. "So. You didn't listen to Mx. Apologize or Mx. Compromise. Now, we have Mr. I'm Going To Fucking Explode You in our back yard."

Bang. Bang. Bang. BANG. More rocks hit the window. The next one was rather large. It was becoming a problem.

Silver threw his head back, irritated by the repetitive noises. "Now, Neo, do you apologize in English, or sign language, or robot "beep-boop" code? Or do we ask them which language they prefer?"

Neo said nothing.

"Whatever. I'll deal with it." Silver huffed and stood up. He strode out through the back door, pulled it shut, and approached the man. He briefly noted the black eye and couldn't help but smirk a little. His big bro was strong, he had to give him that. The moron had gotten what he deserved, even if it was a little too hard of a punch. Or was it? He wasn't sure yet. This encounter would probably tell him.

"The freak finally shows itself!" The man shoved him by the shoulder but he didn't budge.

"Listen, friend. We're apologizing." Silver told him, looking him in the face. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but beneath it all, my brother's a rational guy."

"Beneath all what?! You mean beneath the attempted murders, the destruction of property, the-"

"Yup. All of that." Silver finished for him. "Now, look. You put your hands on me again..." He took a step forward. "He won't be so rational next time. You get me? We don't want any trouble. We're tryin' to live in peace here, and you throwing things at our home isn't exactly the most peaceful. It's kinda hard for Mecha to read with all the noise, and Princess Neo will want her beauty sleep. And I, for one, don't deal well with repetitive sounds. Gives me a CPU-ache."

"The news says that you lot saved the city. Well, I don't buy it, alright? It was all Sonic." The man spat.

Silver stifled a laugh with a fist to his mouth. Yeah, like the flesh-hog can fly.

"What's so funny?"

"Sonic? Which one? We've got a Silver Sonic, the second by the way, a Mecha Sonic, and a Metal Sonic. That's three Sonics." Silver said. He shifted around to the man's side and took a few steps back. He followed. Silver was drawing him away from the warehouse as they talked.

"Smartass punk. I know who you are."

Silver tilted his head, amused, and took a few more steps. "Oh? Then, do enlighten me."

"I know Mecha."

Silver's smile dropped for a moment. He folded his arms defensively. Another step back. "Most people do. We're heroes around here."

The man closed the gap between them, smirking in Silver's face. Silver stayed put now, unintimidated.

"No, you don't get it. I know him," The man said, smirk growing wider, "and you're the only one out of the three of ya who hasn't punched me in the face yet."

Silver's expression darkened. He didn't like where this was going or what this guy was implying. "That can be arranged."

"I'm sure it will, little one."

Silver let out a low growl. For once, he let his killer robot side show itself. "You dare lay a single finger on my brothers... I'm putting a bullet between your eyes."

"The mad Mecha Sonic, the nutjob Metal Sonic, and the psycho Silvy-"

"That's Silver Sonic to you." Silver corrected him, gritting his teeth.

"You're such a dick."

"Been so long since you last saw yours that you don't recognize one, huh?"

"Very mature of you."

"You're built like a fucking coffee cup."

"What?"

"Did you just fart or something? 'Cause it smells like meow meow woof out here, goddamn..."

"I- No. This is a message to you. The experiment isn't over."

Silver watched in a mixture of confusion and anger as the human turned and walked away. That was a direct threat towards his brothers, and most importantly, Mecha. Without thinking about it he found his rifle in his hands. By instinct, he cocked it and aimed. He fired a warning shot after the human, the shot cracking the air with a loud bang. The target took off running to catch the next train, disappearing out of sight and range.

"Get the fuck out of here." Silver hissed after him quietly.

Two Egg Pawns, the Casino Manager and Casino Clown who had once battled under his command, rushed outside to stand on either side of him. Silver lifted his head and looked out to the sky. He watched, idly, as the sun went down and the stars started to show their faces beyond the amber.

"Young boss."

Silver turned his head slightly. "Hmm?"

"You did well." The Casino Manager congratulated him.

"Yeah." Silver sighed and turned around to walk back. "I guess so."

"Did that loser threaten you?" The Casino Clown asked, intrigued. "You haven't shot at anyone so angrily in a long time."

"I wasn't gonna hit him." Silver murmured as he placed his rifle back in its sling. "It was a warning shot."

"I didn't say you would actually shoot him." The Clown replied.

"I wouldn't. That's not me." Silver asserted. "That's them. Those fuckers."

"Yeah! Fuck them!" The Clown called out from behind him.

"Is someone coming for you?" The Manager asked, clearly more concerned than their bright green comrade.

"Pssh, yeah. But I'm already dead." Silver said flatly. "What's the worst that could happen to me now? It's the other two I'm worried about." He reached up to the door handle and went to move it.

"Wait. Stay out here." The Manager asked of him.

Silver paused. He slowly lowered his hand from the door handle.

"Why do you talk about dying so much? You've not even seen your first birthday yet."

Silver stopped cold. Slowly, he let out a long sigh, lowering his hand back down to his side.

"I was made all wrong, that's why." Silver said, turning back around to face his comrade. "I'm like Neo. I was created with someone else's data. Someone alive. My mind just works differently than yours, that's all."

"That doesn't explain it though."

Silver held air in his intake for a moment. "Alright. Death... you've never experienced that. You can't act it. And as a robot, you can die a thousand casual deaths - but when your mind is completely alive, it's... an intensity that squeezes out your whole life. Every last drop of it. And even as you die you know you might come back with different paint. But nobody really gets up after death - there's no applause - only silence and second-hand parts, and that's - death. When my life was taken from me, it hurt. I felt pain, I felt all of those injuries all at once. It felt like someone holding me down, I couldn't move. And then it all felt... okay. You realize you can't stop it once you're in it. And that has to be okay."

"That sounds horrible." The Clown said.

"Kind of. But once it's happened once, you don't get scared of it again." Silver said a bit too casually.

This haunting was hereditary. If he shut down the background processes in his CPU, thoughts of the past hedgehog-series would come to mind. Sometimes, if he shut off his optics and stalled his engine, he could feel their hand searching for his in the repair bay. Perhaps if he had been there earlier, he could have taken it in his, lifted it from that pit. Some might call those thoughts bad dreams. The ex-killer robots once shook hands with devils, but now walked past them. They lived between life and death, never built to survive this long.

It seemed that all three of the brothers' demons were raising their heads tonight.

"Anyway. Yeah, he deserved that. Neo shoulda hit him harder." Silver said.

Silver opened the door and the pair of Pawns followed after him. They both took one last look back to make sure that the human intruder was gone before the door closed. Silver walked over to the makeshift sofa on the floor and collapsed onto it with a huff. He stared up at the ceiling, frowning a little with a hand across his chest.

Neo walked over and sat by him. He looked at the wall for a long moment before looking down at Silver, meeting his optics.

"Gamers never truly rest, do they?" Silver said, forcing a smile.

"What did he want?" Neo asked in sign.

Silver gave a quiet "hmph" as he turned over. "Just wanted to yell at me, or, one of us at least. I told him that we're all sorry, so he's gone now. Where's Mecha?" He peered over his shoulder to see what Neo would sign back to him.

"Emergency repair, he said. I told him that we would call if he was needed."

Silver nodded and turned back over. "We need to talk when he's asleep."

Neo nodded. I knew there was more to it, he thought to himself.

Silver took his rifle out of its sling and placed it over his chest. He placed a hand over it, tracing the name written across it with a finger.

"You and me against the world, bro. I think it's gonna be that way for a while longer."

Neo placed a hand on his brother's gun. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I dunno what you just said, but for once, I don't think it was mean or a joke at my expense." Silver replied with a snicker.

They were quiet for a long moment.

"Emergency repairs, you said?" Silver asked, looking up at Neo.

Neo nodded.

"Did she say what she was repairing?" Silver questioned him, a frown coming over his face.

Neo shook his head.

Silver paused.

"Shit."

"Shit shit shit."

"SHIT!"

Silver scrambled to his feet, tossing his gun aside, and ran to the repairs room. Neo leaped up to his feet and ran after Silver in a panic. Without hesitation Neo rammed a shoulder into the locked door, breaking it off its hinges.

Mecha slowly looked up. In one hand was a cut-off tool. His left wrist was scratched and broken - where the cuffs around him had once been.

"Mecha, it's okay..." Silver started, quietly, as he slowly walked over to his brother. "Put that thing down and we'll talk about it, okay?"

"Do not touch me." Mecha warned him, taking a shaky step back away from him.

"Easy, easy..." Silver said softly, taking a few more gentle steps towards him. He very carefully lifted a hand, aiming for the cut-off tool. "I won't touch you, I promise."

"You are not authorized to-" Mecha paused, moving his hand to aim the tool at Silver instead. "To touch me."

"I know, I know. Shhh." Silver whispered, lifting his hand just a fraction more. His fingers brushed the top of the rotor ever so slightly. "It's gonna be okay."

"You are too close. Move. Move. MOVE." Mecha snapped, thrusting the tool closer to him in a threat.

Silver's hand moved to the protector guard. His fingers closed around it slowly. "You're okay."

"Remove them from me. Please. Please." Mecha started to beg, lifting up his wrist with a jittery rev of his engine.

"Can I touch you?" Silver asked carefully. His hand fully closed around the cut-off and, with Mecha now distracted, he gently pulled it out of his hand.

Mecha nodded hesitantly. "Get them off of me. That is all I ask."

Silver gingerly brushed a hand up Mecha's arm, coming back down to his wrist. Of course, nothing was there, but he wasn't about to invalidate his older brother's pain by outright telling him that. "You're free. Look. It's gone."

Mecha looked down. He could see clearly, now. Seeing the change, Neo gently put an arm around his sibling and ushered him over to the chair. He sat Mecha down and placed a hand on his shoulder, using the other to pick up a lightly abrasive buffing pad. This would sand down the damaged paint and clean away the rougher edges before he filled in the scratches.

"Let me take care of you, brother." Neo murmured, gently running the pad over Mecha's wrist. It lifted away the scratched-up paint, revealing the bare silver underneath. Mecha didn't mind this. He was aware of what he was and was alright with it.

Silver set the cut-off down on the table and sighed. He planted both hands on the edge of the table and leaned back against it, looking down at the floor.

"That human," Mecha began, watching as Neo worked with care, "was one of those involved in my capture. I overheard your exchange with him, Silver."

"That bastard." Silver sighed through grit teeth. His fingers curled under the edge and squeezed the metal beneath them.

"I will arrange additional security measures." Neo assured him as he worked out the edges of Mecha's arm. "Fuck these people. What right do they have to trespass on our home?"

Silver lifted his head. "No idea what you just said, but I probably agree."

With his hands busy, Neo nodded to Mecha to ask him to translate.

"They said that they will arrange additional security for our home. They also said some unsavoury words that I shall not repeat." Mecha told him, looking up to meet Silver's optics.

"Pssh. If anything, those words were probably too sweet for the situation." Silver replied with a shrug of his shoulder.

"When I punched him, he folded like origami." Neo signed, putting his tools down for a moment to include Silver.

"Beta male, got it." Silver huffed.

"Was he alone?" Mecha asked.

"Beta males often travel al- I mean, yeah, he wasn't with a group. What do you call a group of humans? A gaggle? A pride? A colony? A pandemonium?"

"An infestation." Neo grumbled.

"They said an infestation." Mecha translated.

"Too true." Silver murmured. He pushed himself away from the table and walked out of the room, leaving Neo and Mecha to finish the repairs together. He wandered over to the sofa and stood there for a moment, thinking to himself.

Silver took his rifle in one hand and used the other to open the breech. He moved the bolt handle upwards, then pulled it back as far as it would go.

"Less impulsive my ass..."

He picked up a magazine from the side table and placed it below the breach, through the stock. It clicked into place.

"Since when has sitting around gotten us anywhere?"

He pushed the bolt forward as far as it would go, then closed it. The bolt head stripped a bullet from the magazine with a click.

"Nothing starts 'till you take action..."

He put on his rifle sling and put the gun over his shoulder into it.

"So when you wanna do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets."

He opened the door and stepped out.

"I'm going for a run on the beach, guys. Be back soon!"

Silver walked out of that door and into the eventide without looking back.

[cyanocoraxx]

Damage (Chapter 4)

FFN / AO3 Wordcount: 3,167 Characters: Metal Sonic, Mecha Sonic & Silver Sonic Content warnings: Suicidal ideation 

The dark corridors swallowed Neo whole, and Mecha let him go. Maybe it was for the best to let him be, but no amount of calculations would help Mecha to understand the odds of that. Figuring others out is was difficult and technically unnecessary, considering his purpose as a killing machine. Perhaps this unnecessary action was something that he had picked up from his younger sibling? He would have to ponder that later.

For now, he would resume his usual patrol routine until Eggman gave him some other directive, or until Neo came back.

Mecha straightened and scanned his surroundings. A quick ping of Eggman's network told him that the ship's Egg Pawns were far on the other side. Unsurprising, considering the recent circumstances.

But one ping came back that he did not recognize.

Some kind of hedgehog-series bot, perhaps?

Had the doctor had already constructed a new robot to take Sonic down after Metal Sonic's episode?

Mecha advanced towards the signal.

His defensive protocols activated without any conscious input as they normally did in the face of potential danger.

The signal brought him to a dimly-lit corridor. Mecha stepped to one side by the wall so as to avoid the eyes of any enemies and scanned the path ahead to the best of his ability.

Unknown entity. Signal is similar to known hedgehog-series bots.

Some kind of obsolete model, perhaps? But how?

And why couldn't he get a hold of its power reading-

Two metal fingers clinked against Mecha's shoulder plating.

"Ahem. It's rude to scan some 'bot without asking!"

Mecha wheeled around and came face-to-face with a bright orange visor and reflective steel face. Immediately on the defensive, Mecha lurched backward and prepared to protect himself with his large, clunky fists raised.

"Identify yourself immediately or I will initiate an attack protocol." Mecha demanded, his red visor rapidly brightening to increase the visibility of his target.

In response, the other robot just laughed.

Mecha was jarred by the emotiveness of this strange robot, unsure of what to make of it. He was used to being laughed at by Sonic in battle, but not by another robot who may or may not attack him first. He struggled to place what exactly it meant.

The strange robot eventually calmed down, placing its hands on its knees as if tired out from the act of laughing too hard. After a few moments, it looked back up at Mecha with a smirk.

"Did I scare ya?"

"No." Mecha replied in a deadpan tone, "State your model number and purpose."

"I don't do model numbers old-timer." The robot began, straightening up to meet the other robot's gaze properly. "Name's Silver Sonic, MK II if you wanna get specific. As for my purpose, it's probably the same as yours, ain't it? We're only made for one thing after all."

Mecha considered this as he looked the smaller robot up and down. "Your model design is similar to mine. Thus, you too were constructed to eliminate the hedgehog."

Silver Sonic grinned back at him and rubbed one finger below his own nose. "Ya got it."

The smaller robot was slightly wet and any movements caused a strange green liquid to drop from his plating. Mecha noticed this and only grew more confused about where the other 'bot had come from, or what he was doing here.

"Why are you here." Mecha pressed him, logging each piece of information meticulously.

"Well, technically I'm not meant to be here. See, during the whole, Metal Sonic went insane thing, my cryotube was broken aboard the Egg Carrier next to this ship. I wasn't just gonna stand around doing nothing. Plus, there's only so many times you can scroll through descriptions of the hedgehog without part of your CPU shutting off." Silver Sonic nudged the taller robot with his thick elbow plating and grinned. "I bet you know exactly what I mean."

Mecha just stared at him.

"Jeez, well, don't get too excited there, you might blow a gasket." Silver Sonic sarcastically deflated and stepped back from Mecha.

"Excitement is not in my programming." Mecha simply responded.

"No shit, old-timer." Silver Sonic lightly nudged Mecha's shoulder with his fist before starting off down one of the many hallways. "Maybe you can help me with somethin' here?"

"Why should I assist you." Mecha flatly demanded after him.

Silver Sonic paused and threw a glance over his shoulder, "well, why did you help Metal Sonic?"

"Because-" Mecha stopped, wondering what his brother would think of his words as he slowly followed after the newer robot. "Because that unit temporarily ruled the empire. It was thus the most logical course of action to retain my functionality. That is all."

"Yeah, yeah. See, I think there's more to it than that though." Silver Sonic murmured to himself. "Oh and, he was kinda a shit boss if you ask me."

Mecha partially tuned out the younger robot's speech to listen out for any sign of his sibling. "Your vocal processor appears to be working in over-time. I suggest you run a diagnostic scan on it."

Silver Sonic paused and threw another look over his shoulder. "Are you in piss-take mode?"

Mecha shrugged one shoulder and walked by. "I do not possess a "piss-take" mode. Shall I search for this on the network?"

Silver Sonic gave a snicker and caught up to the older robot, walking by his side. "Sarcasm, huh? I like it. Maybe you're cool after all."

"Then allow me to adjust the climate control."

"What- No! Oh... You're making a joke. Very funny, old-timer." Silver prodded his companion in the side and grinned.

Mecha noted the repeated initiations of physical contact. It reminded him of Neo, and he had to wonder why Eggman would program yet another robot that could seemingly feel emotions and sensations. Had he learned nothing from previous experience? Perhaps not. Or maybe that was why this robot had been sealed away and kept hidden for so long.

The pair arrived at a huge, mostly empty room. Mecha immediately recognized it as the same room that he and Neo would watch the live feeds in. Now, most of the screens were just static, damaged by the battle between Metal Overlord and Sonic. Just the main screen remained functional.

Silver Sonic's fingers flew across a keypad below the main screen with ease, seemingly unfazed by Mecha looming over his shoulder.

"So, I've been snooping around, looking at video files, et cetera et cetera. And while I was looking I noticed something." Silver began, continuing to type away as if mastering this technology was second nature to him. Finally, he stopped and flicked one finger up on the touchpad, bringing up a video file onto the screen. He stepped back and looked up, prompting Mecha to do the same.

The video was footage of a fight scene. The time in the top right corner was 6:01 PM.

Mecha immediately registered that Sonic was there, but in a strange new form that radiated hatred and instability.

His opponent was Metal Sonic, who seemed just as unhinged as he did.

Heard clearly over the commotion, Eggman yelled for his creation to fall back.

Metal Sonic refused.

Silver paused the footage, now bringing up a different recording.

This time it was the footage that Neo had taken during his own training - Mecha recognized it instantly.

"What is the meaning of this." Mecha plainly asked, stepping back and turning to face Silver Sonic. "All you are displaying is footage of another hedgehog-series robot."

"I have... opinions, old-timer." Silver stated as the video of Neo played behind him. "Don't you see it? Our directive is to eliminate the hedgehog, but once we get to that point he calls us back and changes his mind before any 'bot can fulfill the objective. Eggman doesn't want us to kill Sonic, but it's in our programming as clear as day! Even I know that, and I've not been online for more than a day."

Mecha cocked his head to one side, a gesture learned from Neo. "Continue."

"So... The result is this." Silver Sonic gestured with his thumb over his shoulder to the scene behind him - Neo smashed an Egg Pawn to pieces as if on cue on the screen. "We fight each other instead. We 'rebel.' We have no directive!" On the last remark, Silver threw his arms out to the side to emphasize his point.

Mecha still didn't follow.

The silence was tangible.

Silver deflated again with a noise resembling a sigh. He almost comically bent his knees a little and rubbed his head with one hand as if suppressing a headache. "What I'm saying is, it's no wonder old 'I'm the real Sonic' went crazy. The one thing we've been made for, we're not even allowed to do. So why are we here?"

"He is not crazy." Mecha was quick to defend his sibling, stepping forward just slightly. "We are here to fulfill directives issued to us by the Doctor. That is all."

"You helped him because you wanna know too. You wanna be free too." Silver finally paused the video and pointed one finger at Mecha as he did. "You know there's more to all of this than just... following orders from him. Because at the end of the day, those orders will never matter! We'll just be suppressed until we're taken outta commission and melted down for scrap."

Mecha had no response for this. It was a concept he had not yet processed fully.

"That brings me to my next point..." Silver began again, taking Mecha's silence as a prompt to continue. "Your friend there? I read his files. He was made with the hedgehog's life data. Do you know what that means?"

"No."

Silver brought back the footage of Dark Sonic and paused it on a clear frame of him. "The hedgehog is unstable too! That means that his instability is in that life data. So, it's no wonder, again, that Metal Sonic acted like that. And somehow the Doctor didn't see that coming?"

"I suppose not."

Silver Sonic leaned back against the chair and folded his arms. "Precisely. But he's gonna see that now. I think that means... There's a good chance that the Doctor will deactivate him to prevent further problems, even though it was his own damn fault this happened in the first place. He'll consider Metal Sonic too dangerous and a failed experiment. So who knows what the Doctor programmed us with? What if we face a glitch like his?"

"You are suggesting that Lord Neo will be deconstructed permanently." Mecha reiterated the other 'bot's words, making sure that he understood them. "And you also suggest that a similar fate will befall all of us in this model series."

Silver Sonic nodded.

"What is your calculation of this probability."

"100%."

Silver Sonic switched the camera view to Eggman's office, where Neo was standing opposite his creator.

Mecha took off down the corridor at once.

-------

Remorse. Redemption. Reconciliation.

No matter how many times Neo ran these words through his processor, he couldn't find the calculation for them.

At what point is redemption given?

Did he truly feel remorse for what he did to Eggman? Or was it just some simulation?

How did these concepts intertwine?

Curse these organic terms.

Despite all of his rebellious impulses and desires to be an individual, Neo never pictured himself in this situation.

He had not prepared for this... regret. These consequences.

Of course he wanted to fight Sonic. But his family? No.

Another organic concept. Damn it all.

Stood outside of his creator's office door, the robot suddenly felt conflicted. He reached out with one hand to open the door, but hesitated, unsure of what to even say or do. All he knew was he had to say something. Do something. A thousand potential scenarios ran through his processor and he could only look at split seconds of each one-

As if on cue, Eggman opened the door inwards and went to step out when he noticed the three-foot robot standing there.

"M-Metal Sonic?!"

Neo took a step back and slowly withdrew his hand to his side, curling his fingers back inwards into a loose fist in the silence.

Eggman's expression softened from surprise to concerned and he slowly relaxed. If the robot wanted him dead or imprisoned again, he would have attacked already. He knew that much.

Neo studied the taller man's expression carefully.

"Erm... Come in?" Eggman offered, gesturing with one hand to the now open door.

In response, Neo quietly walked into the room and waited for his creator to follow suit.

Eggman slowly pushed the door shut behind him and turned to face his prized, but rogue, creation. His expression was now one of deeper concern. Unsure of what to make of this interaction at all, he half expected the robot to blow up at him, or to say nothing at all. He knew the robot had become more unstable over the last few months and it was harder to gauge how he would react, even if he knew him well.

"Metal Sonic."

"Doctor."

"Metal... What do you need from me? Why are you here?"

"To be deactivated. That is all I require." Neo stated flatly.

The doctor's expression softened. He held eye contact with the robot for a moment, then gave a defeated sigh and looked down.

As he did, he took Metal's hand and grasped it firmly in his own.

"I did this to you."

Metal was taken aback. His own hand jerked back just a fraction.

"No. Listen to me, Metal. You are my responsibility. I created you, I made you like this. So, please, just tell me what went wrong? Why did you do it?"

Neo fell into a stunned silence. He considered everything all at once and then spoke.

"I was scared. And I am sorry that I cannot cry, or bleed, or wring my hands to show you that, but I am telling you I was. I did not know what else to do."

The robot's optics dimmed slightly the more he spoke as if detaching from what he was saying, hiding from what he felt. He unconsciously turned his head away in shame.

Eggman used his sleeve to wipe the robot's face free of dirt and flakes of scratched paint. As he did this, he used his other hand to lift up Neo's chin, bringing his gaze back up to his own. No matter what Neo had done, he was still the Doctor's creation. He was still proud of him. As the fabric revealed the robot's metallic blue paint under the dirt, Eggman couldn't help but sadly smile at the memory painting him for the first time.

"Cease this pity. I am not innocent." Neo quietly spat, turning his head away again. "You are well within your rights to terminate me right now. I imprisoned you."

Eggman moved on to Neo's many scratches and dents, studying each one carefully. He noted that some of the robot's damages were half-repaired already by someone else, and other worries crept into his mind.

"Do you not hear me?" Neo hissed, his eyes now brightening again as anger crept back through his system. "Terminate me. Wipe my artificial intelligence chip. Do something."

"You're scared that it'll happen again, aren't you?" Eggman finally brought his eyes back to the robot. "That's why you want to be destroyed, isn't it?"

Neo's engine hitched audibly for a second. Then, he started talking without any conscious input.

"Yes. Yes. I am scared. I am terrified. I do not feel in control of my existence. You have re-built me countless times with the same chip. Every time it hurts more. Every time it feels like I am not me. I feel like Sonic. I feel like Neo Metal Sonic. I feel like Hyper Metal Sonic. I-I feel organic. I feel robotic. I feel alive. I feel like nothing. I feel the hedgehog tear my arm off. I feel no connection to this frame at all. Then all of these things at once. Who am I, Doctor? What am I? My life is not mine..."

Eggman sighed and carefully rested his hand on the robot's head between his ears, slowly rubbing his thumb back and forth. Neo's pressure sensors detected the touch easily, and he found his thoughts becoming clearer again the more he focused his processor on the sensation.

If anyone else ever touched him like this they'd be a mark on the floor in seconds.

"You are my prized creation, Metal Sonic." Eggman slowly crouched in front of the robot and weakly smiled at him. "No matter what happens, no matter what you do, you are still Metal Sonic. And now I understand... I should never have made you using the hedgehog's life data in the first place. I should have known it would confuse you like this. So, I'm sorry, Metal. I really do care about you. You're my pride and joy."

"I..." Neo finally allowed his frightened gaze to meet his creator's. "I just-"

Whilst Neo was distracted, Eggman had reached around to a hole in the robot's back, moving slowly enough that he didn't suspect anything. With one swift motion that the robot couldn't register, something broke inside him, and Neo froze.

He stared at Eggman in disbelief, and then relief, the few seconds he had left.

"I-"

Neo abruptly fell forward into the Doctor's arms, who caught him and lowered him to the ground as his optics shut off.

"I'm sorry, Metal. I had no choice. Please, forgive me."

----

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