On the edge of the super robot's shoulder,sat a certain blue monkey. A certain blue monkey everyone referred to as 'Gibson'.
As any scientist would be,he sat there,his mind running million miles per second,thinking and wondering questions and answers. Yes,that was what made his life.
Equations. Formulae. Theories. Diagrams. Calculations.
The blue simian's would not rest a second,even if it was offered a chance to. It was running;running even in the darkest of sleepless nights he had spent,trying to prove himself.
But trying to prove what of yourself?
The simian's steady breath slowed down for a moment,pondering over the question. The answer immediately beeped to his mind,as usual. But when he usually answered questions,it gave him the feeling of smartness. But this answer did quite the opposite.
It sunk like a heavy rock,a heavy rock trying to break through his soft Cardinal muscles of his heart. It gave him shivers-the healed hurt opened up raw again in his heart,and the simian cringed at the thought.
You're worthless! You fool,you insolent fool-you were always a curse to this team. You are always dragging the team down,not uplifting it. You are of no value to this team! A FAILURE!
Wrapping his arms around himself,his head tilted down. He had been thinking about it since the moment Mandarin left,creating this self-inflicted,continuous study cycles with no breaks or pauses for his own caring.
When Mandarin was there,Gibson used to be in the same pattern,for in the fear of upsetting his leader scared him. Now,his leader's words haunted him,and he was doubling his efforts,in a manner-straining himself-, to quench his thirst for proving that he was worthy.
"Gibson." A feminine voice said."Please don't think about it."
"But...Today..."
His voice stopped,leaving a cold trail,leaving the sentence fade.
"Mandarin left his marks on all of us,my friend. We all have undergone his wrath,but we know that he used those words out of pure hatred and rage. We know that he didn't mean it." A deep,wise voice came second.
"I can't stop,Antauri. Eight years...it has haunted me. His words had haunted me.He had haunted me,even without his presence. And he still does. It's just...too much to take on alone."
The trio watched the evening sun's myriad of colours,of reds,oranges,yellows and pinks,with a slight trace of silvery white in some places. The warm breeze blew by them,and it was not the kind of wind that blew eight years ago. It was gentle,and it assured them that the future would be much better.
The female put her hand on the blue simian's shoulder,wrapping her tail around his in a comforting manner.
"No,Gibson. You don't have to take this on alone."
Sound of footsteps resonated to the right of the scientist,and he tilted his head to meet the blue eyes of his second in command.
"No monkey team member is ever alone."
The scientist turned to look at the yellow warrior next to him. She offered him a weak smile,saying it was going to be alright,but he could see the hurt that she acquired a long time ago. But as they said...
You don't have to take it on alone. No monkey team member is ever alone.
They would face it together.