"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.
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.