A/N: TWs for gun mentions (no shooting), descriptions of dissociation, PTSD flashbacks, and suicide baiting (LMAO I know)
"And what kind of idiot tries to shoot a robot? Can you believe that moron?"
In the bright lighting of Eggman's office, Silver stood vigilantly by the door and watched his creator fix up his brothers once again. He fell into a brief silence as he recalled swiping the commander's gun right out of his hands. A proud smile came over him. He still thought that move was badass.
"Is it true?" Eggman finally asked as he tightened a bolt on Mecha's chassis. He gave it a quick wriggle to make sure it was in tight. Mecha had been near-silent this entire time - anxiety from being repaired was keeping his mind occupied. It never bothered him before, but after what had happened to him, having a human poke at his frame made him nervous. Despite this, he stayed quiet, not wanting anyone to know that he felt anything about it.
Silver waved a dismissive hand. "Of course it isn't! Unless it makes me look good. In which case, of course it is!"
Eggman cast a questioning glance over to him. "No, I mean... Sonic helped you? He didn't attack you?
That got Silver's systems running at a faster speed. He glanced sidelong at Neo, searching for a reaction. Neo met his anxious look with an unreadable one. Knowing that he had to explain, Silver sighed through his vents and leaned into the door frame with his arms folded. This might not be an easy task...
"Yeah." Silver started carefully. He deliberately avoided his older brother's stare now. "Please, just don't get all pissed at me. Any of you. I did what was best for all of us and I stand by that." The younger robot privately felt surprised at how firm he sounded at the end. "It was either that, or all of us potentially get scrapped. S- The hedgehog wasn't seen as an enemy by the place's targeting systems so... having him take down the mechs was helpful. I used him as a tool."
He omitted the part about actually having fun fighting alongside the hedgehog in their temporary truce.
Neo looked away to the far wall. He couldn't deny that Sonic had helped them. But he just couldn't fathom why. He had mauled all of the hedgehog's friends not too long ago, enough to cause Sonic to tip over the edge mentally. And then the Overlord incident, too. So why? Was he really just that hell-bent on being a hero? It was a death wish if he had ever seen one.
His claws dug into his arm plating unconsciously. Curse the hedgehog and his shows of "kindness." What was he supposed to do with any of it?
Sonic sure hadn't been kind when Neo was at his lowest point, begging to die... but at the same time, Neo had thanked Sonic for his help... he had been grateful that Sonic had helped to save his siblings' lives. But then again, Sonic had put them there in the first place, just not directly... Neo didn't know what to think or feel. It was all a mess. Couldn't Sonic just hate him? Couldn't Sonic just try to tear him apart again? That was so much easier than this.
Silver speaking up again snapped Neo out of his thinking. He looked over to his younger brother again.
"And listen. I know you said to leave that place, bro, but running away like that? I'm not keen on it. It's like - it's like fighting in the wrong direction." Silver added.
The robot's vision flicked down to the fresh scratches in Neo's paint. With a sigh, he walked over to Neo and prized his claws away from his arms. "Come on. Don't do that... You're okay." He smiled kindly.
Neo met his younger sibling's gaze with surprise. He hadn't even noticed himself doing it. Ashamed, Neo looked away and squinted his working optic in disgust at himself. He yanked his hands away from Silver and buried them under his legs.
Silver crouched in front of him, making himself smaller. "You're fighting in the wrong direction." He slowly raised a hand to Neo's scratched plating, slow enough that the other robot could reject him if he wanted to. But Neo didn't - and he refused to analyze that - just allowing his younger brother to place a hand on his arm. One of Silver's fingers traced the scratches to bring his point home as he spoke. "You're not the enemy, so don't treat yourself like one. You should give yourself the same kindness that you give to me and Mecha."
Neo just let him speak, for once. And he didn't fight the touch, either.
He was close acquaintances with pain. You get beaten near to death often enough and some wires are bound to get permanently mangled. He could turn off the pain receptors at any time, but chose not to. It made him more real. He wanted to feel, including all the terrible, painful parts that came with it. But it was true. It was true that it was unhealthy and perhaps oddly human for him to behave like this. It was an expression of violence against himself because he had no other way of sharing his feelings. No, more specifically, his anger.
Anger was easy on its own. Anger and other violent emotions kept Neo afloat for the most part... Staying alive just for a pre-programmed purpose was not going to work, and softer emotions brought him closer to the edge when he didn't know what to do with them. Spite, on the other hand, he could do. And it was so much easier when other people hated him, or wanted him deconstructed. Those gifts of hatred and loathing served as motivation to hold on just a little harder, a little longer. If he was taken offline, his enemies would get their wish, and he would be damned if he was going to satisfy them. In a roundabout way, his own life mattered more to him when others wanted to end it on their terms.
This whole redemption and being better thing was very difficult. Choosing to not be impulsive, to not use violence, to love and protect rather than destroy...
But it was worth it for them.
Neo finally met his little brother's encouraging gaze. In response, he freed his hands and placed one hand on top of Silver's.
For his siblings, he would keep choosing.
Mecha quietly watched the exchange. He had predicted that the encounter with Sonic, and then discussing it, would stir something in his blue brother, especially as things had been too calm surrounding the topic up until now.
He leaned over and rested a supportive hand on Neo's shoulder plate. "He is correct. Although I do not possess the depth of emotion that you do, I understand that it is unwise to direct your rage inward. Do not harm yourself. It will not end in a favorable outcome for you."
Eggman would have said something, but the 'bot's siblings seemed to have it covered. He smiled to himself as he finally finished patching up the had-been hole in Mecha's chest, applying the last few strokes of paint to restore the violet robot's appearance. He heartily patted Mecha's shoulder and took a step back. "Good as new. Just... don't get stabbed again, my boy. It's not been the easiest repair job."
Mecha gave a respectful nod to his creator. "Thank you. I do not seek to attain further damages for the foreseeable future."
The doctor smiled at him. A brief moment of tiredness came over him, though, and he stifled a yawn.
"Don't you humans need sleep to like, function?" Silver stated more than asked, tilting his head. "Maybe you should erm, do that."
"Yes. Well, no. Not if I rely on coffee and adrenaline for two days, I don't!" Eggman wiped his forehead with his sleeve and sighed. "You three are going to give me a heart attack one day. Actually, the day one of you comes back in one piece, I think I'll throw a party!"
"Yeah, sorry pops. Kinda comes with the territory when you're a murder machine." Silver replied with a shrug.
The doctor then turned his attention to Neo. He gave him a stern look. Neo returned it with a defiant one.
"You rest." Neo signed forcefully. "I wait."
"Metal. You know I have no choice. Let's just get this over with."
Silver nudged Neo with his elbow. "C'mon bro. Don't be difficult. The sooner pops cures your uh, blindness, the sooner he can go do that organic resting stuff."
"Do not tell me what to do." The blue robot responded curtly.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't tell you to do." Silver prodded him, smirking.
Neo shot him a look and signed, "I would turn you into a JPEG if I could."
"But that's the worst choice for most graphics!" Silver gasped, feigning offense. "But that does imply that I'm currently better than a JPEG..."
Neo squinted at him. "You are a monochrome bitmap at best."
"Just go the fuck to sleep bro!" Silver gently shook him by the shoulders. "We can finish this file format banter later."
Begrudgingly, he shut off his power so that Eggman could work on his very broken face. His body fell awkwardly to one side, but Silver was there to steady him. Silver wrapped his arms around his brother to sit him upright so that Eggman would have an easier time working on him.
He rested his head on Neo's shoulder and watched as his creator got to work with fascination. The silence didn't last for long though.
"Hey guys? Am I a JPEG or a monochrome bitmap to you?"
Mecha weighed in on it. "Neither. You are not an image. If we reduce your existence to a file format, it is more appropriate to deem you an executable file."
"No, Mecha, no - I would argue that he's also an audio file." Eggman added with a smirk. "A big one, too."
"If that's a joke about me talkin' too much, I just want you to know that you're so, so funny." Silver sarcastically replied, resting more of his weight on Neo's shoulder. "I just got a lot to say."
"Any updates on whether water is still wet?" Mecha asked, studying his hands in the light.
Silver gasped at him. "You... I can't even be mad at you because when you're sarcastic it's actually hilarious."
"Perhaps we should compress the audio file, doctor." Mecha proposed nonchalantly. "It may interfere with the quality."
Silver didn't say anything this time.
Mecha looked at him now, expecting to get a response, and was confused when the other robot didn't react.
"What? I just shrugged a little. You missed it." Silver replied. "I'm experimenting with subtlety."
"When I think of you and subtlety, Silver, I picture the word 'subtle' in all-caps and on fire." Eggman jabbed at him, but reached up and scrubbed his head affectionately. "That's okay, my boy. We can work on the impulse control."
"My impulses aren't that bad."
Both Mecha and Eggman looked at him.
"Wow, okay. This is oppression of a fire sign if I've ever seen it." Silver pouted dramatically. "You air and water signs wouldn't get it."
"Come again?" Eggman raised a brow at him. He recalled their brief conversation about him being a Cancer before this.
"What? Mecha's an Aquarius. You're a Cancer." Silver explained, messing with his hands. "You guys are all about, like... thinking or crying. I'm all about getting shit done fast. Nothin' wrong with that, it's just my style."
"Well, if you hush up just a bit, we can finish this repair job fast." Eggman reminded him, deliberately quieter. "And you stereotype Cancers so painfully, Silver. We're not all like that."
Apparently satisfied, Silver fell quiet now, instead focusing his attention on his father's work, and messing with his hands more to stay focused.
About an hour later, Neo awoke. His systems booted fairly quickly, so it didn't take long to get re-oriented. A system scan told him that his vision had been fully restored, and the software responsible for processing his eyesight installed an array of updates in quick succession.
When his optics focused, he was met by his younger brother staring down at him in apparent excitement.
"Hey! Welcome back."
Startled, Neo sat up, threw his arms out, and shoved Silver away. Did he have no concept of personal space at all like Mecha or something? He stared at the younger robot incredulously. Wait... He lifted his arms up again. Slowly, his optics trailed down both of them.
White paint?
Silver held up a paint can and grinned. "The look wasn't complete with just the arrows on your face. Thought you'd like to have the rest of that getup, too. Oh, Mecha did the rest. He has a steadier hand than me and you kicked him at one point."
At this, Neo looked down at his leg plating to find the same white markings running down them... Just as they were in his actual Neo form.
Silver wasn't going to admit it, but Neo's treatment of himself was what had inspired this in the first place. By decorating Neo's armor, especially his arms, he hoped to deter his sibling from scratching at himself again. He knew these markings were special to him - they represented something that Neo had chosen for himself, something that reflected who he was.
Overcome with gratitude and apologeticness, Neo brought a hand up behind Silver's head and bumped his forehead against his. Silver smiled and returned the gesture, just happy that his sibling was pleasantly surprised.
"You're welcome, bro. Anyway..." Silver pulled away and stood up. "Dad has a surprise for us, he says. I'm itching to find out what it is, so let's go!" He held out a hand to his older brother. Neo took it and let Silver help him to stand. Silver released Neo's hand, not before giving him a quick fist bump, and led the way out of the office.
Neo walked behind him at first. As he followed, he noticed that Silver's tail was wagging. Something shifted in Neo's processor. His younger brother was so kind, so optimistic, even after everything that had transpired.
Although he enjoyed their banter and sometimes borderline cruel interactions, he couldn't deny that he wanted to protect the younger robot at all costs. If anyone ever took away Silver's happiness... Neo picked up the pace to walk close by his younger brother's side, unknowingly setting his scans to a wider range as protectiveness came over him. He had failed Mecha once and refused to do it again. With this in mind, he refused to fail Silver even once. If anyone ever wanted to leave so much as a scratch on his younger sibling's paint they'd have to go through him first...
A nudge from Silver brought Neo back to reality. "Always so tense, aren't you? Relax, Mr. Assassin. Only thing you're killin' right now is the vibe."
Neo finally said something after hours of complete silence. He signed, "Relax. Not compatible with who I am as a person."
"Well, write a program for it or something. Call it meditation dot exe."
The siblings soon made it to the correct room. Neo knocked on the door and took a step back, prompting Silver to do the same. The door opened a moment later, and Mecha gave a nod in greeting. Neo instantly relaxed upon seeing his older brother again and his optics squinted slightly in a smile.
"You may enter." Mecha told them and took a step back.
"Thanks for the permission, boss." Silver walked in without hesitation, giving Mecha a pat on the arm as he passed him. Mecha watched him for a moment before looking to Neo again.
But before he could repeat himself, Neo pulled his older brother into yet another hug and rested his head in the crook of the taller 'bot's neck. Mecha didn't respond at first, unsure of what this was for. This type of gesture was usually a good thing, but Mecha wasn't the best at reading social situations, and... after what had happened... his processor jumped to an illogical conclusion.
"You do not need to keep restraining me. I am not going to do anyth-"
Neo pulled back and shook his head "no". He pointed to the fresh paint on his body.
Mecha realized then, and visibly relaxed - though he had been completely unaware of his tension before. "You are welcome."
He took his younger sibling's hand and led him into the room, where Eggman was waiting for them. Neo folded his arms and waited for whatever was going to happen, while Silver shifted his weight from foot to foot in anticipation next to him. Mecha, as always, stood motionless beside them.
Eggman instructed the three to sit down, and they did after exchanging confused glances between themselves.
"Is this the group interview?" Silver asked as he sat. "I'll take it I passed the first one after all."
"It's something like that." Eggman answered him, deliberately vague to keep Silver guessing. He disappeared into a cupboard, returning a moment later with three large boxes. When it looked like he was going to drop one, Mecha shot up to his feet at once and stopped the top box from falling.
Eggman uttered a "thank you" as he steadied himself. "Oh! That one's yours anyway, Mecha. You can take it."
Mecha nodded and gathered the top box into his hands. He then sat back down as Eggman placed the remaining two in front of Neo and Silver.
Eggman motioned for them to open their respective boxes.
"I wanted to treat you boys. You've all had a horrible time away from home, so it's the least I can do."
Silver was the first to react. He gasped and dropped the lid before excitedly picking up what was inside. A toy gun, painted silver and orange, with his name on it. He aimed it at different objects in the room, pretending to pull the trigger. "Blam! Man, I wish this was loaded. But this'll do. Thanks, pops!" He looked down into the box and noticed something else - rubber bullets. He gave a beep of surprise and looked at his weapon with newfound mischievousness. Oh, the things he could do with this!
Neo opened his next. A tin of pearly white paint and some kind of metallic object - his optics brightened in surprise and gratitude. He picked up the metal object and messed with it in both hands, instantly noticing the texture and pressure on his palms as he did. He was surprised at how nice it felt.
"It's a tangle, Metal." Eggman told him with a chuckle. "It's a sensory aid. I thought it might come in handy for when you feel out of it. I did some research on it, so..."
Neo nodded and wrapped the object around his wrist, much like a bracelet. He signed a thank you in reply.
Mecha opened his last. He lifted the lid very carefully, as if afraid to damage it in some way, and peered inside. Eggman crouched down in front of Mecha and rummaged through the box, seeing that Mecha was being hesitant about it. He pulled out a tiny chip and held it up. "I'm going to update your software - security, anti-virus, all of it." He paused, picking up what looked like a circuit board and a light. "And we'll install a wrist light into both arms so that you have torches for when it's too d-"
Mecha froze up at the sight of that little chip. He unconsciously straightened as a jolt of fear strangled his systems. Suddenly, he scrambled back and pressed his back to the wall, as if preventing someone from walking up behind him. His posture was stiff and distinctly fearful.
"You are not authorized to tamper with my software. Stop. Stop."
Broken out of their trances, Neo and Silver were quick to come to Mecha's aid. Silver pressed up against his side with his gun in his hand and pretended to aim it at an unseen enemy. Neo sat at his other side, an ever protective presence, and took his older brother's hand in his.
Mecha stayed frozen in place. His processor clock speed shot up too high to keep up with any rational train of thought. In his fright, he gripped Neo's hand hard and tried to push back even further into the wall, but when he found that he couldn't, his free hand shot around to his back and covered it. "You are not authorized. Stop." He repeated himself without even thinking about what he was saying. "Do not come any closer."
It was happening all over again. In his mind, that virus was about to infect him and finish off his CPU. The dizziness that came with his fear only tipped him further over the edge of rationality. It didn't matter that he had already had an episode like this, either. It didn't do anything to tell him that it wasn't really happening right now.
"We've got you, bro. Don't worry about a thing." Silver gently told him, continuing to hold his "aim". "Nobody's gonna get to you, not while your little bros have anything to say about it. Mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."
Neo squeezed Mecha's hand supportively. Then, he had an idea. Slowly, he lifted his other hand so that his palm was upturned, and he closed it into a fist. When Mecha finally broke out of his stare to look down at it, Neo uncurled his thumb. After a few moments, he held up one finger. Then two, and then three, and lastly four. He gave Mecha a moment to process before he re-started the sequence.
Mecha found himself counting. One, two, three, four, five... one, two, three, four, five... it gave him something to focus on other than his fear. Silver saw what Neo was doing and quietly murmured the numbers along with them out loud, in case Mecha was finding it hard to focus. It took several more sequences before Mecha seemed to start to break free from the painful flashback. His grip on Neo's hand became softer.
He was safe. At this realization, Mecha visibly relaxed and sat forward, finally releasing his back from the wall.
"I apologize for my reaction. It was not intentional."
Eggman put his hands up and knelt down so that he wasn't crouching anymore. "No need at all. I won't do anything without your consent, my boy. I promise." He cast a thoughtful look to the robot's younger siblings, one hand coming up to his chin in consideration. "Or... If the prospect of a human being installing your upgrades is too much, I'm sure Metal and Silver can help."
Silver perked up at this. "Yeah! Don't forget, you said you'd show me how!" He excitedly looked from Mecha to Eggman a few times. "Can I help, big bro? I'll be careful, I promise!"
Mecha took a few moments to consider this before nodding in reply.
With that, the robots and their organic creator made their way to the office to get started.
With Eggman guiding his every move, and Neo watching intently over his shoulder, Silver was doing a surprisingly good job. He was dead set on doing the best job he could, and when he was set on something, he would see it through. Having his father and older brother there to help made things much easier, too.
Silver paused in his work to check in on Mecha. "You doing okay, big M?"
Mecha gave a nod. "Affirmative. I have no issues to report."
"Awesome." Silver gathered the next set of tools beside him, but didn't start anything else just yet. "So, what I gotta do now is solder a lil' something to get these lights connected. Is that okay with you? I'll be using a soldering iron and a solder material. Nothing else is gonna touch you."
Mecha nodded again. "Affirmative. You may proceed."
Silver smiled at him. He took a clean cloth and wiped down Mecha's newly installed circuitry with a solvent. "So what I'm doin' now is important. Dirt and grease on your component connections, circuitry, or wires might stop a good soldered joint from being made." After quickly wiping the area, he started cleaning the soldering iron with a damp sponge. "Now, I'm just quickly cleanin' the soldering iron bit. This has to be clean 'cus it gets dirty quickly with flux residue..."
The fact that Silver was explaining his every move put Mecha at ease. He stayed very much relaxed and let his younger brother work. He cast a wandering glance up to Neo, though, who was watching over everything with a distinct protectiveness. It was almost funny to Mecha. This was the same robot who had once expressed so much irritation towards him for being "overbearing." It was interesting if not ironic to note how the tables had turned in this short time.
"Okay, so now we're ready! What I'm gonna do now is put the wires through holes in that circuit board. Is that okay with you?" Silver asked for permission again, which he got with ease. He carefully threaded a wire through, frowning a little as he concentrated. Once everything was in place, his smile returned again. "Now we're onto the last bit. I'm gonna go ahead and solder that joint. It'll be hot for a little bit, but it can't hurt you." He picked up the solder and the iron and waited for permission again. "Okay?"
"Affirmative."
"If you need me to stop at any point, tell me. You're totally in control of this." Silver reassured him with a smile. After melting a small amount of solder on the iron, he looked to Eggman for approval. Eggman nodded and gave a thumbs-up, telling him he was still doing fine. With confidence, Silver went ahead and applied the iron and the solder to the joint simultaneously. It only took a couple of seconds before it was all done on one arm. He moved on to the other and finished just as quickly. "Aaaand done!"
Eggman went and re-attached Mecha's arm plating as Silver held the iron whilst it cooled. The doctor motioned for Mecha to try moving his arms, which Mecha did obediently. He opened and closed his hands and studied the new components. Around both wrists were a red-orange band going all the way around, matching the one around his middle. He searched for the new program in his directory and ran it - causing the lights to switch on. He watched the glow brighten curiously.
Silver was beaming with pride. He leaned down to get a close look, studying his handiwork in amazement. "Wow. I did that! I really did that!" He looked up to Eggman for approval again. "I did good, right?"
Eggman chuckled and patted the 'bot's head. "You did excellently! Just as expected from one of my creations!"
Neo listened to the exchange with a sense of pride for his younger sibling. He copied Eggman's gesture to Silver, but was a little rougher on the pat on purpose, causing Silver to bat his arm away playfully.
"Quit it, asshole. I get it." Silver snarked at him, reaching over to hit Neo gently on the head, who batted his hand away just as hard.
Neo then turned his attention to Mecha and gestured to his new lights. "You do not need to fear the dark again. Your power over it has been restored."
"I dunno what they said, but I agree, probably." Silver chimed in as he packed the tools away. "Unless it was something about me being like a low-quality file format."
Mecha sat up and looked at his little sibling. "Thank you. Your ability to learn and apply new information is admirable."
Silver looked away with a smile, cracking his knuckle wiring as he did. "Shuddup. You're the cool big bro, I'm just the baby."
"You do not possess the capacity for a physically neonatal life stage." Mecha simply replied.
"I didn't mean it liter- Okay, fine, Mr. Logic. Have it your way, just 'cause you've had a bad day."
"What is your definition of a bad day? This day is not yet complete, it is too early to form such definitive judgements on it."
"Wh- I mean, you had a panic attack. That counts as having a shit time, even by robot standards."
"Such thinking dooms the rest of my days to be "bad." Consider reframing your judgement." Mecha responded, brushing off his arm with a careful hand. "It is likely that the same event will repeat itself in the future. I do not seek to prematurely assume that failure will occur due to it."
"Is that optimism I hear, Mecha?" Silver prodded him and smirked. "What happened to you having no feelings on anything at all?"
"Experiences shape my worldview just as they do for you." Mecha answered him matter-of-factly. "It does not require a great depth of feeling to learn from experience. By presupposing that the future is always going to be negative... it reduces efficiency and inhibits rational decision-making. I would rather approach the future with neutrality or informed optimism to ensure that I continue to operate within logical grounds."
Silver shrugged a shoulder. "Huh. I guess. Being an emo bitch about things doesn't exactly make it easy to fight on top form."
"Affirmative."
Watching his siblings and creator together, Neo felt a strange hollowness come over him all of a sudden.
It wasn't jealousy, nor was it anger, or sadness.
It was regret.
Talking about not needing to fear anymore, not writing off the future, having his new markings, and seeing his siblings truly happy... he remembered there was still something that needed to be done.
He looked down at his hands in thought. It was as if he wanted to sign something, but decided not to do it.
Maybe it was best to not say anything at all.
Instead, he sent a ping across the network to a specific set of users, ordering them to gather in a specific place.
He turned and left the room in silence.
In order to grow, one must place themselves in uncomfortable situations.
Or, that's what Neo kept repeating to himself as he readied himself to open the door in front of him. His hand reached up, but stopped, claws flexing with uncertainty.
He hesitated.
He didn't have a voice. Not one that anyone could really understand, anyway. Not that it wasn't okay to be mute, but if he was going address a large number of bots.. not being able to speak was kind of a sore point. But Neo swallowed his pride. So what if he couldn't speak verbally? He didn't need to. Not when he was about to place himself in a position of deference like this. He wrestled some more with his pride, almost turning back on his heel and walking away. He didn't want to show any sign of weakness. Not in front of the very "army" he had once commanded. This mental tug-of-war persisted for several long seconds.
But this was the right thing to do. He had wronged other robots. It was time that he showed the remorse that he had learned to feel.
Those other robots felt fear, too. They feared him. And as much as it still felt good to have people fear him, those robots weren't his enemies, no. They shouldn't have had to be afraid in his presence. He took in a sharp breath of air through his vents.
Then, he pushed the door open and stepped in. His footsteps were quiet at first, unsure, but he kept going. His stride widened and his footfalls became heavier as his resolve started to come back. This was the right thing to do.
He came to a stop in the middle of the room, making his presence known.
The robot didn't need to say anything. The Egg Pawns in the room immediately panicked, moving away from him as far and quickly as possible. Neo felt a pang of regret, wondering if he should just leave now, but... he held firm, and waited for the other robots to settle. There was no backing out now.
Sweeping his optics across his unwilling audience, he took note of the designs of his fellow 'bots. Each Egg Pawn was primarily orange, with a round body and cyan optics, and glowing panels for mouths. He had never really paid attention to any of them before, but looking now, he noted subtle differences between each individual. Actually, a few here and there were green, pink, or grey rather than orange, now that he really looked.
Realizing these things now made him feel more remorseful. Just like he and his brothers, these robots were all unique too, even if they were mass-manufactured.
Now, they all waited for him to speak, or attack, or anything.
But to their surprise, Neo said nothing verbally.
Neo straightened. At first he hesitated again, unsure of how to begin, but then started to sign whatever came to his mind.
"I start by saying I am sorry."
This caused a few incredulous murmurs in the crowd.
"What is that lunatic talking about?"
"Is this a trick to trash us again?"
"Is he serious?"
"What happened to his voice?"
"I was wrong. I was not a good leader. Please allow me to speak on this."
Now he really had the attention of his ex-army. All optics were on him.
"I confess and acknowledge what I have done. I take ownership and responsibility for the wrong I caused. I understand the damage my actions have caused. So, I must apologize to the units who I have hurt. I must say, I am sorry that I have damaged you. I now decide to correct my behavior. The harm will not be repeated."
Neo let this settle over the crowd before him for a moment. Then, he bowed his head slightly to show his authenticity.
"Please, accept my apology."
Silence fell over the Egg Pawns for several long, drawn-out moments. Neo privately cringed at himself, but outwardly held his resolve.
But then, the very pawn who Neo had manhandled before Mecha had stopped him spoke up. "How do we know you're not just saying that to save yourself?"
"Yeah! Are you just going to turn around and blow us all up for not helping you now?"
"This is just some trick! We know you're going to turn into a dragon thing again!"
Neo met the first Egg Pawn's suspicious gaze with genuine remorse in his optics.
Hearing them speak now, he really saw how much he had affected these other robots. It wasn't fair, just like how it wasn't fair when G.U.N tried to destroy his brother. They had emotions, albeit less intense ones, just like he did. He almost felt disgusted at how he had disregarded this very simple fact before.
Now, Neo really shoved his own pride far down. Doing this next thing took all of his strength.
He bowed his head again and knelt down on one knee, making himself an open target.
Deferring like this wasn't easy. He wasn't the type to kneel for anybody... He almost regretted it, but something in him told him it was the right thing to do to prove his sincerity. To prove that he was sorry and had changed for the better.
The first Egg Pawn approached him, grabbing a laser-firing bazooka from another Pawn on the way. They stood in front of Neo and looked down on him. When this didn't get a reaction, they aimed the bazooka at the top of his head and pressed down ever so slightly, just letting him know the position he was in.
Neo didn't flinch. He stayed put, for once letting someone else assert power over him, as uncomfortable as it felt.
This wasn't the first time he had a weapon in his face, anyway. It didn't phase him in the slightest.
"Is this what you would have done to me if your friend didn't stop you? Is this what you would have done to any of us?" The Pawn chastised him, pressing harder now. "You used and abused us in your little game. It's about time we had the chance to do it to you."
For a brief moment, Neo acknowledged that he was outnumbered and that Egg Pawns worked best in large groups.
But Neo still didn't budge. He knew this was all talk from the lower-ranking robot, anyway. There was no way that they would get away with actually destroying him, not when they reported to Eggman again now. The Egg Pawn finally relented and took a few steps back. Neo lifted his head to look at them, which at first made them jump - as if they expected him to go after them for that little display of confidence.
"You know what? You just being you is punishment enough. You have to live with yourself." Another Pawn decided.
"You are correct." Neo signed with a nod. He carefully stood back up. But now, his optics were fixed on his hands, and then the floor. "I am remorseful."
"You always get away with everything!" Yet another Pawn piped up from the back, waving a lance in the air. "Were you not punished by the doctor for this?"
Neo took a moment to think before he responded. He needed to be honest if he was going to repair anything with his fellow machines.
"I begged for death for what I did."
He paused, briefly recalling the moment the wires in his back were snapped by his creator. The pain, and then the relief, was etched into his mind. He felt the ghost of that pain in his back now as he recalled it, and it made him unconsciously straighten up.
"I did die. Doctor killed me."
The gravity of those words weighed heavy on him now. He really had wanted to die, back then. He had pleaded for it with all of his metaphorical heart.
The first pawn interjected quite sharply. "In the hope that this can still have a happy ending, I just want to say that there's still time for you to do the right thing and kill yourself."
That callous remark threatened to drag a spark of anger from Neo, but he managed to stuff it back down.
"I did not ask to come back. I wanted to stay dead." Neo paused again, thinking about his next words. "But now that I live, I must be better. My siblings taught me this."
Now, another Pawn spoke up. "What happened to your voice?"
"It broke." Neo answered simply, his hand movements short. "And I left it broken. I will never raise my voice at another ever again."
This seemed to satisfy some of his audience, who gave nods of approval at the other robot's self-imposed punishments. It was more than enough for most of them, in fact.
But some still stayed angry, and those were the ones with who Neo had directly had conflict with before.
"So you failed to commit suicide and became mute." The first Pawn stepped close to him again, now right up in his face. "So what?"
Neo didn't say anything. Instead, he tried his best to listen to the 'bot he had wronged without getting annoyed.
But what came next was about to truly test that.
"You want to know something, Metal Sonic?"
Neo squinted an optic at them.
"It was us Egg Pawns who turned you and the others over to GUN."
The blue robot's optics brightened. At his sides, his hands curled into fists. He smothered his anger as best as he could.
"We gave them your coordinates. And your schematics."
Neo's optics slowly darkened to a deep red, his expression now contorting into a glare that he wore so well. Without thinking about it, he lowered his head in warning.
"Have mercy, Lord Neo Metal Sonic." They mocked him, repeating what they had said before when Neo threatened them during his reign. "I'll do anything!"
Neo had to consciously keep a strong grip on his violent urges now. If they leaked out in front of this audience, his apology would go out of the window in an instant, and although this one particular robot was provoking him, he really didn't want that to happen.
"Do anything to me." Neo signed, his hand movements firm. "But leave brothers out."
Oh, how he wished he could verbalize things right now. Talking in sign language was difficult when anger clouded his mind like this. Certain words either didn't exist in ASL and had to be finger-spelled, or he had to use roundabout ways of saying the same thing with more signs in between. And waving his hands around like this only made him look at his claws more, which in turn fuelled his violent impulses, which then fed into his growing desire to shred this 'bot in front of him. The others were fine, but this one was definitely the ringleader.
"They're not innocent either." The Pawn simply responded, staying squarely in Neo's personal space on purpose. "Not as bad as you, though. At least the purple one stopped you from time to time!"
Neo hissed a little through his vents as his anger grew harder to contain. "Mecha almost died."
"Good."
Now, Neo had to walk away. He turned and went to leave, but the Pawn got in his way on purpose. "What's the matter? I thought you changed! Liar!"
Neo sharply signed back, "you are being unfair."
The ex-overlord had apologized, offered himself to those he had wronged, explained the repercussions of his actions. Now, this robot was just trying to provoke him to get a reaction that would undo his apology.
But Neo was panicking now, struggling more and more to hold down his rage. His hand moved to use his new sensory aid, but he stopped, unwilling to show weakness in front of any of these robots. His claws tapped against his armor instead with agitation.
"Unfair? Unfair. Was it fair when you put your hands on us? Is it fair that you're still alive?"
Neo was seething. His tapping grew louder the more he struggled.
"Is it fair that you imprisoned our creator? Is it fair that you walk free right now? Is it fair that the purple one lived too?"
He could see red. He stopped tapping and turned away.
"Poor, poor Metal Sonic, having to face consequences. Are you getting angry? Does being made to face what you've done upset you? Did your lackeys getting hurt destroy you?"
One more quip, Neo decided. Just one more and he would turn around and do something that wouldn't be pretty. His claws flexed and tensed at his sides with promise.
All optics were on him and how he would react now... who would swing first? The killer robot or the Egg Pawn?
"That is enough."
A familiar purple hand took the Egg Pawn by the shoulder and firmly pulled them out of Neo's personal space.
Mecha. Thank Chaos he was here.
Mecha took a step in front of his younger sibling, causing most of the pawns to move back in anticipation of what the bigger, scarier-looking robot would do.
"Forgive him." Mecha stated more than asked, looking back to Neo for a moment to direct that towards him. He then looked to the offending Egg Pawn. "If it is true that you turned us over, then that cannot be undone. What matters now is how you handle the aftermath."
The Pawn stared up at him incredulously. "What?"
"I understand that you were harmed by my brother." Mecha now closed the gap between himself and the pawn, looking down at them with that expressionless stare. "And your actions caused me and my brothers great pain." He paused, crouching down to be on the same level as the other machine. "I do not say this to evoke an emotional response from you. It is merely factual. However, just as my brother caused undue harm to you and your comrades who got caught in the crossfire of his reign... you caused harm to units who played little or no role in your own suffering."
The Pawn almost couldn't fathom Mecha's rational response after such an emotionally charged exchange.
"I advise that you consider your actions more logically before seeking revenge on other units. You are justified in being angry about your mistreatment. However, it is not justifiable to knowingly bring innocent units to harm and possible destruction." Mecha unconsciously brought a hand to his own chest and placed it there - where he had been stabbed by the Egg Emperor. "Seek to be better. Us machines are forever capable of improving, becoming more efficient. Do not stagnate in anger and vengeance this way. Each of you are capable of greater things, fulfilling greater capacities. You are greater than one emotion. You are greater than one purpose. Continue to grow beyond these things."
With his part said and done, Mecha rose to his feet and re-joined his younger brother. "Let us depart, now." He gestured for Neo to follow, but the other robot was in some kind of trance. Mecha figured that Neo was in one of his dissociative episodes again, and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. When this didn't get his attention back, Mecha put his arm around his brother's shoulders and led him away. In his desperate attempts to escape his anger, to be better, he had completely dissociated from everything.
Mecha paused in the doorway, feeling all eyes on him, and the disbelief at his display of gentleness with his sibling.
He looked over his shoulder.
This time, the other robots didn't shy away from his gaze.
"That thing is unstable." The same Egg Pawn from before had something to say, of course. "He's dangerous, you know."
Mecha paused, looking directly at them now. The brightening red glow of his visor coupled with the shade of the doorway made him suddenly so much more intimidating. He tilted his head downward, giving the impression that he was glaring at them.
"So am I."
The Pawn flinched. They went to say something else, but stopped. In that moment, they remembered just who Mecha Sonic was.
Neo's older brother and right-hand man.
Mecha let that sink in before saying anything else. He lifted his head back up and looked at everyone else.
"Be better. We are all more than this."
Mecha then left, shutting the door firmly behind them. He stopped to look at Neo, who was still deep in his episode. Mecha unhooked his arm from around him, instead lifting the smaller robot and carrying him over his shoulder into another room. It was nothing more than a cleaning supply store, but the quiet and darkness were what Mecha sought. He turned on his wrist lights to ease his own anxiety as he entered, before carefully placing Neo down against the wall at the back. Mecha then slowly sat down in front of him and gathered his hands into his, as he had done so many times before.
"Brother."
He gently called to him, setting the volume on his voice synthesizer deliberately low. He slowly ran a thumb over his brother's palms.
"Neo."
Still nothing, but Mecha remained patient as always. Mecha slowly interlocked his fingers with his sibling's.
"Brother... We are safe here."
He sent Neo the coordinates of the room to reaffirm his statement. Neo absent-mindedly read them and gave a slow nod.
"It is just you and I present at this current moment. Nothing will happen to us."
Neo gave another slow nod and tightened his grip on Mecha's hands just a little. He leaned forward a little as if going to pass out. Before he could fall, Mecha shuffled forward and gathered his younger sibling into the crook of his neck, allowing his dead weight to rest on him now.
"I am proud of you, brother." Mecha softly told him. "I would not utter such a thing if I did not mean it. You grow stronger with every moment that passes. To stand before those other units and be vulnerable was an enormous show of strength."
Beneath the filter of dissociation, Neo was so deeply, irreparably, angry. He wanted to scream. How dare that robot hand them over like that! How dare they take pride in the fact that Mecha could have died! How dare they put Silver, who was totally innocent, in peril! Were they still in contact with GUN? Would they do it again? How many other machines in this facility were in contact with the military? And the fact that the pawn spoke so much like the GUN commander... It made him sick. Mecha was traumatized by his ordeal, Silver was still so young and inexperienced in combat, and Neo was trying to be better person, but the universe just kept testing him.
He hated that this was out of his control. He had sworn to protect Mecha, and now it seemed like his safety was on the line again. The paranoia that the situation caused threatened to re-ignite his psychosis, too. He would have to keep a tight grip on that if it came back.
Mecha brought him out of his racing thoughts with a gentle hand on his back. "We will figure out a solution to these problems. Do not despair."
Neo sighed softly through his vents and buried his face into Mecha's chassis.
"Okay."