A/N: because of the mistakes i made in the previous chapter, this chapter and others going forward will be shorter so that i can focus more on the actual content and what it discusses! anyways, enjoy the robot banter and stupidity. and also emo bits. and also me floundering between british english (the correct one) and usa english (lame) because grammarly refuses to let me spellcheck in BRITISH. there's always emo bits. you know the drill by now. let's GOOOO
"Is it GIF or JIF?"
Silver sat back in Neo's executive office chair as his older brother sorted through his data on the computer screen. Neo paused his search to look at Silver with a squinted optic.
The three brothers were in Neo's own room. Aptly painted navy blue, he had put up dragon posters as well as space ones too (and of course, a Libra constellation poster, put there by Silver). Blue and red LED lights lined the top of the four walls - blue on one side, red on the other. A conspiracy board sat on the far wall, mostly spouting nonsense that apparently made sense to Metal, but Neo could never make sense of it himself. A lightning-shaped LED light sat above his computer, casting a little amber on the screen below - and on the small, yellow Little Planet flower that he had hidden under the desk. The Sonic part of him that secretly liked nature came out in small ways like that.
"GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format." Mecha reminded them both. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, sensing that a pointless debate was about to ensue. There was that "acceptance" part of healing again.
"Exactly. So, it's not jraphic, it's graphic." Neo typed out on a notepad document. He highlighted the last word and underlined it for emphasis.
"Indeed. However, the creator of the filetype declared that it should be pronounced as "JIF" rather than "GIF." Mecha added helpfully.
"Do you get people jifts for Christmas?" Silver asked, smirking. He prodded at a hole in the backrest of the chair, made by Neo's sharp spines. Well, that didn't last long.
"There are several words in the English language that utilize a soft G. Gingersnap, giraffe, genius, gender... the list goes on." Mecha stated factually.
"Okay, but saying GIF doesn't break any rules. We still have golf, gold, progress, hedgepig with a hard G." Silver retorted.
"So what you're both saying is either one works?" Neo typed out quickly.
"What I'm saying is that JIF sounds stupid and I'll say GIF forever." Silver concluded.
"I believe your language processing banks have been affected by your virus." Mecha commented sarcastically.
Neo rolled his optics and went back to sifting through his little brother's data. He was quickly interrupted by a mouse running across the keyboard. Neo paused, lifting his hands away from it in surprise with a quick beep to boot.
"I apologize. My mouse behaves erratically." Mecha excused himself, scooping up his new friend and petting it gently with a finger. It climbed up onto his finger and sat mid-way up it, where it groomed itself peacefully.
"I can relate, little mouse." Silver said, smiling at the Micky in Mecha's hand.
"Let us have a normal day once you are well." Mecha proposed. "Please."
"Is that even possible?" Neo lamented to themselves, typing out his response with an attitude. "You're holding a mouse. He's become a spam e-mail. I'm Metal Sonic."
"You ableist piece of shit..." Silver muttered. He went to elbow Neo but stopped when he hiccuped out, "HAVE ARTHRITIS PAINS? THERE IS HELP FOR YOU!"
"We must attempt it." Mecha said definitively. He ignored Silver's outburst to the best of his ability. "If we aspire to integrate into Mobian society we must cast out our concerns and meet our challenges."
"ATTENTION BENEFICIARY!"
Neo and Mecha shared a look.
"I love him, I do. But this is a little funny." Neo explained in that infuriating code that Silver couldn't understand.
"Delete the file. My auditory sensors are becoming overwhelmed." Mecha replied flatly. "I will return in ten minutes." With that, Mecha turned and left Neo's room with his mouse perched on his hand. He walked into his own room and closed the door - an improvement from the last couple of weeks. He had always kept it open, before. Keeping it shut reminded him of being back there.
But, his room was anything but a military jail cell. He had told Silver that he "did not require" his own space, but Silver had insisted that he have one. Each wall was painted a deep purple-blue with red lights atop the walls, in a similar way to Neo's. The colours came together like a sunset, a phenomenon he had learned to love. Not only that, but he had read that red lights could help to calm humans with PTSD down, so it was worth a try. A small black tent sat in one corner for the nights when he was overwhelmed by his robo-PTSD - inside was a mattress and soft walls so that he wouldn't cause as much harm to himself.
Mecha crouched down by his tent and placed the Micky down onto the mattress. It was already full of holes and tears from his own spines and nightmares, but he didn't mind. He tilted his head as the mouse scuttled down onto the soft fleece, watching as the tiny creature turned around to continue grooming. It sneezed, scaring itself for a second.
"Bless you." Mecha said, tilting his head the other way. "Do you require sustenance?"
The mouse stared up at him.
Mecha nodded. "I see. Allow me to inspect what "food" items I have in my possession." Mecha turned slightly to inspect the strawberry plant that sat on the floor beside him. "One garden strawberry contains 1.11 grams of protein, 12.7 grams of carbohydrates, 3.30 grams of dietary fiber, 27 milligrams of calcium, 0.68 milligrams of iron, 22 milligrams of magnesium, 40 milligrams of phosphorus-"
The Micky reached up and touched a leaf. It gave way just a tiny fraction under the subtle touch.
"A Micky requires 5 grams of calcium, 35 milligrams of iron-"
It took a nibble from the leaf. A strawberry would do, apparently. Mecha "smiled" and picked a berry from the plant, then gently handed it to the little rodent. It took it between its hands and started to tuck in. Mecha watched for a while, content, and curious about the little organic.
"Your diet should consist of 20% fruits and vegetables, and 75% fortified pellets. I must acquire the correct diet for you if you are to recover."
Mecha placed a hand on his knee as he stood up again. With the mouse temporarily happy, he turned his attention to his room, looking around calmly. His books (instruction manuals) were neatly arranged on a black bookcase, so they didn't need sorting yet. The plants, an assortment of both tropical and desert, were healthy and happy - he had his computer brain to thank for that, for he could research their precise needs in just a few seconds. Wait, that Philodendron was toxic to Mickies - Mecha quickly moved to lift the pot and placed it on a shelf to keep it out of his new friend's reach.
Mecha could just hear Silver's comments on his plants from the other day. "Soon you will have national park designation and the government won't be able to tax you. You are literally getting to the bottom of tax evasion."
"We already commit tax evasion every day. We do not pay taxes." Mecha had replied.
The mouse finished its strawberry and scampered up to Mecha. It placed a little hand on his leg and sniffed to get his attention.
Mecha went to take a step but suddenly looked down in alarm. "I instructed you to exercise caution around me."
The mouse tried to climb up his leg, but his shiny armour was too slippery. It slid back down with a soft plop and sat on his foot.
"Are you seeking interaction?" Mecha asked. He gently leaned down to present his hand to the rodent, who climbed on and sat there looking at him. Slowly and carefully, he sat down on the floor and held his hand in front of his face.
"You must be careful," Mecha said gently, "for I am not harmless. I have attempted to murder someone in the past. I have caused devastation. I stole something that was not my own. These might be concepts that you cannot understand, but you must try if you are to survive around me."
The mouse reached out and held his nose in its hands. Mecha thought back to the human child he had saved from a building. He lowered his head in thought. A "good" action, yes, but as he had once said - present him with a plate of good and evil and he would acknowledge their existence. It was a concept. Even so, he wished to be "good", for being good brought others peace. After everything the robot had been through, he decided that peace was worth striving for, for he knew the pain of loss ran deep.
Perhaps this was a concept that a creature like the Micky could not comprehend with its innocence. Mecha kept that in mind.
"I could hurt you. I could kill you. And I do not desire that. I wish to protect you and creatures like you from being hurt. Life, although it may have brought me and my brothers anguish, is dear to me, and I shall defend it. I suppose I love this life, and life itself, for although it brings pain unto all of us, it also brings..."
Mecha looked over to a picture of him and his brothers on the wall. Silver posing dramatically with his rifle aimed at the camera, Neo looking irritated at his little brother's shenanigans, and Mecha with that "smile" he was trying to get right. Together, they could face any hardship. Together, they taught each other what it meant to live, and love. And, dear Chaos, to laugh, too. The Micky placed a paw on Mecha's wrist, where the paint had now dried.
"... Happiness."
Mecha detected a signal outside his room and lifted his head.
Silver knocked before pushing the door open a little and peering through the gap. "You closed it today?"
Mecha looked up to him and nodded. "Indeed."
Silver grinned at his older brother and pushed the door the rest of the way open. "Proud of you. Sorry for pissing you off like that. I'm all better now. It wasn't anything like yours, just a simple spam-type thingy."
Mecha sat back, petting the mouse in his hand softly. "There is no need to apologize. You could not help it, and I am glad that you are functional once more."
Silver walked over to him and knelt down and, without warning, put his arms around Mecha and squeezed him tightly. He nestled his muzzle into his brother's shoulder. "I mean it when I say I'm proud of you. You're so strong all the time."
Mecha put his free arm around Silver and gave him a squeeze back. He rested his head on his baby brother's shoulder.
"Are you certain that you are functioning correctly?" Mecha asked carefully and hesitantly.
Silver gave a small laugh. "Yeah. I just, I dunno. I want you to know I appreciate you and everything you do for me. You never get mad at me when I fuck up or act annoying and you're so chill about things. You're the best biggest brother I could ask for." A tighter squeeze.
Mecha paused, processing that affection slowly. "You are a sufficient little brother."
Silver laughed again. He loved how Mecha worded his fondness sometimes. "I love you, M. You're the best."
"I love you too, Silver." Mecha replied, leaning into Silver calmly.
Silver noticed the picture on the wall and smiled into Mecha's shoulder. Neo stood quietly in the doorway and watched with a smile in his optics.
Love, that was so often foolish in its objectives, but never in its choices or its intensities.
Silver plopped down beside Sonic, letting a leg dangle freely over the edge of the skyscraper's roof. The two hedgehogs looked on as the sky darkened to night one more time. The last remnants of the sunset disappeared, crowning the night as it came alive. Far down below, Mobians and humans alike walked home from their day jobs. Cars rolled by, lighting up the streets with bright white headlights. As the stars twinkled into view, lights inside peoples' homes did too, matching their intensity. A few drops of rain fell from the sky.
Silver ran a thumb down the black arrow on his forehead, wiping the raindrops from it. He shook his hand free of the water.
"You excited to hang out with everyone?" Sonic asked, smiling.
"Yeah. I'm glad your friends are getting on with us." Silver commented with a small smile. "I think it's what Mecha and Neo need... actual friends. We have the Pawns and we have each other, but only associating with your family and nobody else isn't exactly healthy, I think."
"You said it, kiddo." Sonic agreed. He mirrored Silver's posture and gave a contented sigh.
Silver looked down to see Neo and Mecha talking with Knuckles and Tails. Tails excitedly showed his newest invention to Mecha, waving his arms with enthusiasm, and Mecha looked on with clear interest. Neo and Mecha stood rather awkwardly with their arms crossed, unsure of how to react to each other still - Knuckles didn't speak sign language, and Neo had no other way of communicating with him. After a long few moments of silence, Neo tried signing something anyway, making sure that it was clear and easy to understand. He pointed to Knuckles and then gave an "okay" with his hand and tilted his head, asking if Knuckles was okay. Silver saw, even from all the way up there, how Knuckles' face lit up just a little at the robot's effort to talk to him rather than dismiss him. Knuckles nodded and let a fang-toothed grin show.
Sonic and Silver stood up at the same time, again mirroring each other. The wind gently rustled Sonic's spines and he took a deep breath of the fresh night air.
"It's crazy, isn't it? How this all turned out, I mean," Silver said, watching as more stars poked into the sky, "we all used to be enemies, once."
"Yeah. We all just go where the wind takes us," Sonic replied, looking down to the ground below, "and it brought you guys right to us at the right time."
"You think we'll ever be like them?" Silver asked, looking down, too.
"Like who? My friends?"
"Yeah. Like, normal. We're ex-attempted murderers."
"You're doing it right now, aren't you?" Sonic said, looking to Silver with a warm smile. He placed a hand on the young robot's shoulder and gave it a light shake. "You're my younger brothers. That's enough for me."
"Some people still see us for who we used to be. Do you think that'll go away?"
The wind blew.
"In time, everything does."
Silver smiled back. "Then we'll keep waiting. Also, is it GIF or JIF to you?"
"GIF." Sonic replied quickly. The two shared a look and grinned at each other.
"So alike." Silver said with a laugh. "I knew you'd get it."
With that said, the two hedgehogs took off down the side of the building at the same time, using their super speed to run vertically with ease. They reached the ground and jumped off at the last few feet, landing in unison in front of the group. Sonic caught how Neo's optics lit up just a fraction at the sight of his younger brother. Tails greeted them with the same enthusiasm he gave to Mecha, and Knuckles grinned at them. The mismatched group of heroes walked into the cafe and were greeted by Pisces.
"Let's get some grub." Sonic proposed as he took a seat at a table.
Silver leaned over to Mecha, who was studying the menu intently. Mecha moved it closer to Silver so that he could read.
"There is a wide array of items. You may choose whatever you desire." Mecha informed him helpfully.
"And how do I know what I desire?" Silver asked, confused.
"I have observed that organics tend to select their food based on their mood." Mecha noted studiously.
"I kinda have a headache after the whole virus thing. I need something... appropriate." Silver tried, resting his chin on one hand.
"When the doctor was in a bad mood, he would sometimes eat something containing chocolate." Mecha stated factually.
"Chocolate?" Silver tilted his head a little.
"Indeed. Take chocolate ice cream, for example. Although I cannot speak from personal experience, I have noted that it appears to have a profound psychological impact."
"I'll have ten chocolate sundaes." Silver announced. He placed his hands on the table to affirm his decision.
"Ten?!" Sonic piped up from across the table, alarmed but intrigued.
"I have never seen anyone eat... ten chocolate sundaes." Mecha stated, sounding almost, just almost, baffled.
"My head really hurts, M." Silver said through a sigh.
Ten chocolate sundaes, a chilli dog, a grape soda, and a mint chocolate chip cake were presented on the table fifteen minutes later. Mecha and Neo were content to just sit and watch over their little brother, while the Mobians enjoyed their snacks after a long day of adventuring together.
Sonic stuffed his chilli dog down and leaned back on the chair, taking it off of its two front legs to swing back. "So how are things with you guys?"
"The usual. I'm still on that vigilante stuff, Mecha has a pet now, and Neo is still a dick." Silver explained helpfully.
Neo reached across to hit Silver on the back of the head.
"Case in point." Silver said, shrugging a shoulder.
"Wait, what? A pet?" Tails asked through a mouthful of his cake.
"I have acquired a Micky. It was injured, thus I am rehabilitating it to the best of my ability." Mecha explained. He clenched a fist. "I will achieve my goal."
"Do they have a name yet?" Tails asked, curious.
"Negative. Do you recommend that I seek one for them?" Mecha queried.
"Yes! People name their pets. It's a symbol of your bond." Tails explained.
"Our bond..." Mecha said, looking down to his hands for a moment. "I understand. I will give them an appropriate designation once I locate one that is suitable."
Tails nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention to Silver. He was already through five chocolate sundaes.
"Uhhh, Silver? Where does that go?" Tails asked with a furrowed brow, confused.
Silver shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno! The void, probably. I've already eaten a bullet, a computer chip, and some other stuff."
Tails looked the robot up and down, brow still furrowed in concern. "That's kinda weird. Are you sure you should do that?"
"Nope! But I feel fine." Silver reassured him. "This 'bot has never killed anyone, but it knows how to kill a chocolate sundae."
In the background, the TV on the wall was an afterthought to most of the customers. Ever perceptive, Neo looked over and noticed it was on the news channel. He watched, folding his arms, as the reporter moved on to their next headline.
"The hunt for the killer is still on."
Neo squinted an optic as he listened. The word "killer" was pretty much synonymous with Metal Sonic and caught his attention. His name was Neo but somewhere deep down he also answered to killer, switch-blade, assassin. A weapon at the smallest call. He put that imaginary weapon away as it became clear that it wasn't about him, not this time.
Silver and Mecha noticed that Neo's attention had drifted and they too looked up to watch.
"The lead researcher of GUN's robotics department was murdered. It's believed that a GUN robot is the culprit, and it has not yet been apprehended. Do not approach any GUN robots, they are armed and dangerous and may attack. Call the police immediately."
Neo drummed his claws on the table at that. The sick part of him that still lurked was glad to hear that the man was dead. Was it sick? Did he deserve it? Probably. He did torture his older brother after all.
Pisces leaned forward on the counter to get the robots' attention. "You three know that guy?"
Silver dropped his spoon with a clink. "02..."
Neo looked to him with surprise and signed, "what?" He had promised to kill 02 if it hurt his brother, and 02 had done just that. 02 would have sold him out to the rogue GUN researcher in a heartbeat, apparently. So Silver's reaction felt like whiplash to him. He couldn't quite comprehend his brother's compassion - surely he should want revenge? Neo's sharpness softened after a moment and he lowered his hands. This was his little brother he was talking about. Of course he would help someone in need. Of course he would help someone harmed by the military after everything he had gone through. He was good like that. Neo felt a pang of guilt in his tanks for speculating otherwise.
The irony of Silver's arrows being black like death while his were white like purity wasn't lost on him.
Mecha tilted his head quizzically. "That is the friend you spoke of, correct?"
"Fuck. No." Silver pushed himself off of the chair and onto the floor in a hurry. "Shit! Not them!"
Neo grabbed his little brother's arm before he could run off to Chaos knows where. He narrowed his optics, telling Silver to explain the plan and fast.
"... I'm gonna need you," Silver slowly said, looking over to the crowd of Mobians, "all of you."
"What for?" Knuckles asked, leaning forward and furrowing a brow suspiciously.
"Look. We're not exactly best buddies yet, but my friend needs our help, like, right now." Silver explained urgently. He pulled against Neo's grip, who relented and let go.
Sonic shrugged a shoulder and jumped down from his seat. "You had me at your friend needs help."
Tails nodded in agreement. "A friend of yours is a friend of ours!"
Silver nodded, and then promptly ran off alone. He didn't know where exactly to go, but he let his synthetic adrenaline guide him. It started to rain, beginning as a drizzle and cascading into a heavy downpour. His scanners were on high alert, looking for any robot lifeforms. He reached up to his ear and comm'd his brothers as he rushed off ahead of them.
"I'll go to 02 alone. We don't know what the situation is. If too many of us go, it might think we're a threat. Wait for me." Silver explained. He then threw his hand back down and pushed himself harder.
"Understood, Commander Silver." Came Mecha's reply. He told the Mobians with him what Silver had just said, and they stayed put.
Silver kept running to the outskirts of the city and went on. The winding roads spaced out into one long road that stretched out across a grass field. Finally, he picked up a signal. It had to be them. Ashpalt was traded for mud as Silver cut across the field towards it. Closer, closer, but frustratingly far away through the downpour. Silver skidded to a stop upon noticing a form up ahead. Mud sprayed up his legs and onto his arms as he raised them, but he didn't care. All that mattered was getting there quickly.
It was them. Thank Chaos.
But, to find them out here, in the middle of seemingly nowhere, sent a jolt of dread through him. There was no reason for a GUN robot to stray from its home like that unless it was on the run. So it was true.
Silver walked towards 02, slowly. Disbelief washed over his face at the sight in front of him.
The Gun Hunter who had helped him now stood there covered in blood.
Silver stopped a few feet away. "What have you done..."
"I terminated him."
Silver stared at 02 through the rain. 02 was already damaged, with marred armour and a sparking knee. The hedgehog's expression twisted with dubiety and pain that sat in the bottom of his tanks. Someone had been killed. If he had stayed just a little longer, it could have been prevented. The taking of a life was something so abhorrent and disgusting to him, and standing opposite the very robot responsible sent his morals and his allyship with this robot at odds with each other. The robot in front of him had been hurt, and was going to be hurt more if it was caught. And, he would be a hypocrite to turn this machine away, for his own brothers were ex-killers themselves. He walked closer, closing that gap between them.
Fuck his morals right now. There was probably much more to this than he could see on the surface, complexities at play that he didn't know about. He didn't know what that twisted man had done to 02. He wasn't going to react impulsively, not this time. They would figure this out without 02 being trashed by the cops.
They would figure this out.
Slowly, he reached out past the rain and took 02's hand.
"They'll destroy you. You know that, right?" Silver said quietly, optics fixed on 02's unfeeling stare.
02 said nothing.
Sirens in the distance marked what was to come. Silver looked up to watch as the alternating red and blue lights lit up the road ahead of them. All at once, his adrenaline went skyrocketing, and he considered what to do in a slight of fight or flight. But he already knew. Silver set his jaw and let a determined expression darken his face. His optics met 02's again.
"I'm not letting you go down for this."
"What?"
Silver tightened his grip around 02's hand, turned, and pulled it with him.
"Run."
"What?"
"Run with me. We're getting out of here."
"Why, Silver?"
Silver looked down at their hands, watching as the blood trickled down onto his own fingers. He looked up to meet 02's gaze. They were both too young for this, and they knew that. Silver tightened his grip just a fraction and his expression softened in contrast. The orange glow of his optics lit up the black arrow on his face. A fire trying to put out the cold of death.
"You're just a baby, 02. I'm not letting you die."
"Okay."
So they ran.
I hope you can keep up with me, Silver thought again.
"We're running away?" 02 asked him.
"It's okay to run away sometimes." Silver told them.
02 looked at him as they ran. As soon as it heard those words, the chaotic energy within it changed direction. There were times when the power of one's words was unfathomable. Those with power should fight, 02 had always been taught, but that responsibility had crumbled down with what it had done. One's heart can find a resolution just by being offered a hand. And in that moment, all of 02's energy was tossed right into its savior. It was running away, and it felt refreshing. All that was left in its "heart" was gratitude.
It found itself admiring Silver Sonic MK II all over again.
"Thank you."
Silver kept quiet. He focused on running, the pounding of his feet against the muddy ground resonating in his ears too loudly. This was life or death, and he would keep choosing life. Fuck the killer robot thing. Fuck all of it. He ran back towards the city, where his brothers and friends would be waiting for him. He trusted them with his life and they would have his back.
"I am sorry." 02 apologized.
"Don't be. You did what you had to do to survive." Silver said quietly.
"Yes. I did." 02 agreed.
The rain washed the blood from between their hands, leaving a trail behind them.
"When I said I never wanted to see you again, I lied." Silver said, again, quietly. He tried to hide the break in his voice.
"Why?"
"You hurt my feelings, yeah. But you know what? You deserve a chance and you don't deserve what they're gonna do to you. Me getting my feelings hurt doesn't mean I should let you get killed." Silver explained. The city drew closer, the lights of the skyscrapers beacons of hope. City stars.
"I didn't want to do it. I felt like I had to. I could not stop myself." 02 admitted openly.
"I know. It's okay." Silver replied sympathetically. He glanced back over his shoulder to see the police cars gaining on them. "Shit. How fast can you run?" His optics trailed down to 02's knee, seeing that it was already giving up the fight.
"I trust you, Silver."
That was all Silver needed to hear. He ran faster, holding 02's hand tighter. They reached the city outskirts and kept going into the streets of Station Square. The robots would have to come up with something and fast. 02 was injured and couldn't move like this forever.
"Times are tough, but fortunately, Silver Sonic MK II is forklift certified."
"What?"
Up ahead outside a corner shop, Silver spotted a motorbike and locked his sights on it. 02 couldn't keep up with him, so Silver had to compromise - a dramatic compromise, yes, but one that would get them out of there. Without hesitation he swung himself up onto the seat, bringing 02 up behind him. He flipped the choke lever open, turned the ignition on, and squeezed the clutch lever while holding the start button. A twist of the throttle lever brought the engine to life, and it revved beautifully. Just as the police cars behind them caught up, he took off with a loud and angry purr of the engine.
He would return it later. They were just borrowing it.
"Hold onto me, tightly." Silver told 02 over his shoulder as they set off. He pulled in the clutch, released the throttle, and kicked the gear shifter up.
"Okay."
The night-lit streets moved in a blur around them. Silver swerved around other vehicles on the road to overtake them. He took it up another gear. 100mph. 106mph. 132mph. 150mph. The wind raged in his ears and he leaned down slightly on his hands, optics fixed on the road intently. The rush of the air and the strobing of the city lights around him were little distraction to him. 02 held onto Silver a little tighter as they went through an underpass and came out the other side.
"You're amazing." 02 said with admiration.
"No, you. You're a badass." Silver told them right back.
They swerved around cars as Silver shifted onto the other side of the road into oncoming traffic, hoping to lose the cars chasing them. He pushed himself to focus hard, for he didn't want to endanger other people in his reckless move. Only a few cars here and there were on that side. One driver flipped him off as he zipped by.
"With the cops hot on their trail, the two robots encounter Sudans, angry Sudan owners, and the driving laws that say nothing about robots." Silver added his commentary, still with a serious expression in contrast. Trash talk was all effortless to him. "Maybe one day, the Ghost of Station Square will extract and locate the hidden element known as being fucking subtle. Just not today."
"We can't drive forever, Silver." 02 reminded him.
"No, we can't," Silver let a smile form in the corner of his mouth as he spoke, "but I have family who can help us out here."
Ping.
160mph.
Silver finally let himself laugh, enjoying the speed. It felt like flying but down low on the ground and with added risk. He twisted the throttle twice more, amping up the speed, and let out a "WOOHOO" of thrill at it all. A helicopter joined the chase from above. Its propellers thundered in the sky as it descended closer to them, turning to take aim. The ping reached its target audience a second later. Neo landed with a loud THUMP on the helicopter window and sent a quick jolt of electricity into it. He so hated helicopters after his last game-over moment.
Neo had his own commentary running in the back of his mind as he worked to put the chopper down.
'Hey, Neo. You still crazy?' Metal asked mockingly.
'Little bit. You still into murdering people?' Neo replied sarcastically.
'Little bit. How's your imaginary heroism?' Metal asked, just as sharply.
'It's good. How's the view from your backseat?' Neo queried. His hand stayed on the window.
'It's good. It would be better if you killed them all though.' Metal hissed at him.
'We don't do that anymore. Now watch. This is just as effective.' Neo informed his other half.
The chopper lost control and swept down to the nearest landing spot, atop a hotel, so that the pilot could flee safely.
'Innocents will be caught in the crossfire. We're inclusive here.' Metal said scathingly.
'Nobody is going to get killed, not anymore.' Neo said decisively. He landed atop the roof, watching as the pilot climbed out to examine the damage to their vehicle.
The reflection in the puddle on the roof looked back at Neo. He squinted his optics and stepped through it, the weapon flipped back into his imaginary pocket.
Silver looked up to watch the takedown, amazed and impressed by his brother's restraint and smarts. He couldn't help but feel pride swell in his chest. Shaking his head to regain focus, he locked his optics back onto the road. They rushed up onto an overpass that overlooked the city - Speed Highway.
Whoever's idea it was to make the overpass twist and turn like this needed firing from their designing job.
Silver twisted the throttle to shoot up the elevated road. Then, with one hand, he took his rifle from his back, twisted around and fired a bullet into the tyres of a car. It swerved and came to a stop, temporarily halting the chase effort as it blocked the road.
"The Ghost of Station Square places an order on Amazon single day shipping for an ass-kicking at 11.59PM. Chaos bless those drivers."
Silver looked up to see another chopper descending on them as he put his rifle back in its sling.
"He accidentally steps on one of those ordering buttons and buys an entire helicopter."
Silver then spotted another problem up ahead. The road was closed off by construction equipment. He looked over his shoulder to see the cars behind as they moved around the blockage and gave chase one more time. The sirens went back on and blared, lighting up the roads blue and red one more time.
"Online Tech Tips arrives to challenge Windows 11 and their sidekick, Windows Vista." Silver offhandedly continued his commentary.
"I don't run on Vista!" 02 protested.
"Sure thing. You ever flown before?" Silver asked nonchalantly.
"Not yet." 02 replied, shifting to hold on.
"Hold on tight. We're going for a short flight. That rhymed. Cool."
"What? Silver, what?"
The dead-end came up ahead and fast. Instead of slowing down, Silver hit the throttle one more time, speeding across the overpass with determination. The lights flashing red and blue behind were almost playing a game of "the floor is lava" with him. He wasn't going to let the lights touch 02, nor the tracking missile that now hurtled towards them from the next GUN helicopter above. Neo hadn't gotten to it yet. Mecha was the obvious solution here. Everything came together at breakneck speed.
Hedgehog-series were faster. They always were.
"Do you trust me?" Silver asked one more time. He glanced back over his shoulder, looking for the go-ahead.
"Yes. I trust you." 02 rested its head between Silver's shoulder spines.
Silver smiled and looked back to the road.
"This is your pilot speaking," Silver announced with another hit of the throttle, "prepare for takeoff."
"Preparing."
Releasing one of the handlebars, Silver reached up to his right ear to comm his older brother.
"M, I need you."
The bike and its two riders crashed through the roadblock and went hurtling through the air. Silver focused intently on the ground below, leaning forward a few inches to calculate where they would land. The tracking missile coming for them wasn't even on his mind now. He trusted that Mecha would come on time. She always did.
"Silver, it's going to hit us-" 02 started, but quickly stopped.
Mecha appeared right then in a cloud of engine smoke. He caught the missile in one hand, spun around mid-air, and hurled it into the sky as hard as he could. It exploded just a second later due to the contact with the robot's hand. He landed on the ground on one knee with a thud and looked up. The explosion lit up his armour in amber for a moment, and he gathered himself up to watch out for his little brother and their companion.
The bike landed with a loud thump and skidded sideways. Silver steadied them by letting a foot touch the ground, adding a metallic screech as the vehicle came to a halt. The wet road surface didn't help matters, adding to their stop time. After a few moments, the bike finally stopped and the two robots shifted forwards with the force of their standstill. Silver let out a heavy sigh of relief, leaning further forwards now to drape his arms over the handlebars. He let his head drop onto the speedometer with a light clank and a laugh.
"Holy shit. Talk about a rush!" Silver said, sounding breathless.
"You are crazy." 02 murmured from between his shoulders.
Mecha walked over to them as his jet engine whirred to a stop. 02 tilted its head to watch him approach. The great Mecha Sonic. The one it had heard about. Even with everything that had happened to that robot, she was still strong and formidable. Respectable. Everything about Mecha's power was true, and 02 got to see it up close and personal. 02 logged Mecha as an ally in its databanks.
"I'm a Sagittarius, Leo." Silver reminded them as if it made complete sense. "Crazy is what I do best." He sat back and lifted up an open hand to Mecha, who slapped his into it and then held it tight. "Aquarius here is the sensible one."
"So it would seem, brother. You must cease engaging in these impulsive decisions." Mecha muttered to him. He gave the smaller hand in his a little squeeze to affirm his seriousness. "You could have been hurt."
"What can I say? High-risk, high reward." Silver replied with a shrug.
"I have something I need to admit-" 02 started, lifting their head from between Silver's shoulders.
"What is it." Mecha interrupted, tilting his head. Acquiring data was a prime directive for him. Social skills, not so much.
"I..." 02 began, but Silver interrupted next.
A police motorbike swerved around the corner and headed straight for the robots. Its lights and siren turned on a second after.
"Oop, gotta go fast right now." Silver shifted their bike into gear and took off again with a two-finger salute. "Later!"
Mecha stared after him for a moment. Neo appeared above Mecha and shot down to land in a kneeling position with a noisy bang. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails ran over to join them a moment after.
"Where are they gonna go?" Knuckles asked, throwing an arm out to gesture to the robots as they drove away.
"Back to their evil lair I guess?" Sonic proposed casually, rubbing a finger under his nose.
"Sonic! I'm picking up Chaos energy from around here!" Tails exclaimed, scrambling to get his tracker out from his bag. He lifted it out and held it up, prompting the two robots and two other Mobians to look.
Knuckles squinted as he looked at it. "He's right, Sonic. There's an emerald around here for sure."
Sonic's face lit up. "We can Relocate to get everyone outta here. Perfect!" He zipped off in a flash and returned with a red emerald in one hand. "Found it. It was in a trash can."
"Convenient." Knuckles commented.
Silver and 02 kept driving. The police bike caught up as they worked up to full speed again and moved to drive alongside them.
"Stop!" The driver yelled over the wind, pulling a gun and aiming at them. "Pull over right now!"
"A Redditor joins the fight." Silver narrated, looking over to the cop with a smirk. "To battle the arch-Redditor we will need to use all the skills we've got, 02. Dodging and driving really fast."
02 took Silver's rifle from its sling. It aimed at the tyres, as Silver had done, and prepared to fire.
"Get 'em, hotshot." Silver said through a grin.
Bang! The tyre went flat and the bike was brought to a stop. The two robots shot off ahead and Silver laughed at the top of his vocalizer. 02, for the first time, laughed too, copying him.
"Silver, I have to tell you something." 02 finally continued, dropping its laughter abruptly.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mecha, and Neo appeared in a flash of green up ahead. Knuckles waved his arms in the air, signaling for them to stop. Silver squeezed the brakes with a yelp.
"Uh, yeah, what is it?" Silver asked, gritting his teeth as he tried to bring the vehicle to a halt before it hit the people in front of him.
"I am infected with a virus. It's going to affect everything. It's been uploaded into cyberspace and-"
"You what?" Silver whispered over the screech of the tyres.
Sonic caught that last part. "Cyberspace?!"
The bike stopped, green enveloped all six heroes, and...
In a flash of light, they reappeared.
Not at home. Perhaps not even on Mobius.
No, definitely not Mobius.
Neon purple, red and yellow lit up the space surrounding the six heroes. The path ahead was made up of yellow bands that interlinked with each other, resembling a circuit board. The laws of gravity apparently didn't apply here, for they all felt strangely weightless - like walking on air, if the air was eyestrain-inducing colours and a background hum resembling tinnitus.
All of them were deathly silent.
"Okay. I'm gonna ask what we're all thinking..." Silver took a deep breath through his intake, clasped his hands together, and then whispered, "where the fuck are we?"
"I feel like I'm moving at 10,000 frames per second." Neo commented, looking at his hands and turning them over.
"I can feel the burden of taxes lifting from my body." Silver added, jumping up and down to test the weightlessness.
"It feels like someone turned up the graphics settings on reality. Is this reality?" Tails asked, looking around in wonder.
Knuckles looked around too, following Tails' lead. "I don't think so..."
"Great." Sonic said, stretching his arms up and out. "This might as well have happened, I guess. What's the plan guys?"
02 stood still, not saying anything. They slowly turned to Silver, giving him the most apologetic look they could manage. Silver caught it and gave them a shrug. They were both just as lost as each other.
"Neo? Any ideas on where we are?" Silver asked, looking up to him and scratching the back of his head.
Neo looked at him with squinted optics.
"We're in cyberspace you reckless son of a bitch."