Avery was slowly approaching the lab, his robotic spine tingling. He opened the door to see Gibson and Sparks shaking hands.
"It's nice to see you two getting along, now get out SPX77." Avery said. Gibson laughed and motioned to the door. Sparks huffed and left, leaving back towards the pod room. Avery turned on Gibson as soon as the door was closed.
"What the fuck Hal?" He asked. Gibson played innocent for a moment and Avery grabbed his tail and squeezed.
"OW OW OW OKAY!" Gibson screeched. "I'm sorry!" Avery released his tail and turned around, folding his arms.
"I specifically told you not to be doing this." Avery said with a dark frown. He was punching things into the computer system and Gibson approached.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm calculating how long it's going to take you to do that update." He said.
"Hey! Have some more faith in me. I wouldn't make a bet I thought I'd lose!" Gibson defended. Avery scoffed and kept typing.
"Nobody does." Avery said. He stepped back and sighed. "It's going to take you six hours nonstop to finish."
"Oh come on!" Gibson whined. Avery made a sharp glance and he shut his mouth.
"You made a bet without information. I expect better from you." The feline said, his robotics whirring. Gibson hardly noticed the sound, given his own. He'd learned to tune it out long ago.
"Is it really something to get so bent out of shape over?" Gibson asked. "It seems harmless enough. Plus, when I win, Sparks will clean our experiments up." Avery stopped and looked at Gibson, then started typing again. Gibson sighed. "What are you typing now?"
"I'm calculating how much more time I'm going to spend boning you down once you've won this." Avery said casually. Gibson choked on his breath and started coughing.
Sparks re-entered the pod room.
"Novaaaa, this isn't fair!" Otto whined. "Why do you get to know and I don't?"
"Because it's for me to know, and for you to find out." Nova said, turning away.
"Aww, that's no fun." Otto said pouting.
"Well, you'll know. Eventually." Nova said with a wink. Sparks approached her pod and knocked.
"Mind if I join you?" Sparks asked.
"Not one bit." Nova said with a smile. Sparks climbed in and snuggled up against the yellow monkey.
"I know what you meant now." He said quietly. Not quietly enough.
"Oh MAN! Sparks gets to know too?!" Otto whined loudly. He was real salty now. Chiro and Antauri were the next to walk through.
"What does Sparks know?" Chiro asked. Antauri was hovering slightly as usual, floating towards the pods.
"He knows Antauri's secret!" Otto said grumpily. Antauri fell out of the air. He stood up and shot the darkest glare he'd ever mustered towards Nova. Antauri glanced towards everyone, but his gaze lingered on Otto.
"Nova, we must speak. Now." Antauri said, moving towards the door. Otto folded his arms and grumbled.
"What happened to a team doesn't keep secrets?" Otto asked. Antauri stopped, guilt starting to eat him. He'd taught the other four monkeys, and even Chiro, that a team doesn't keep secrets.
"I'm sorry Otto. I promise I'll tell you, it's just a very difficult topic to approach. Please, give me enough time to figure out a way." Antauri said carefully. The green monkey looked concerned at the black monkey.
"Are you safe?" He asked quietly after a few minutes. Antauri's moth twitched up into a smile.
"Yes, I'm safe Otto." Antauri said softly. Him and Nova left and wandered down to the medical bay. The yellow monkey's stomach was in knots the entire time. Antauri's silence wasn't his normal silence, it was, deafening. She gripped her stomach the entire time and wringed her hands together. The door slid shut behind them like a judge's gavel.
"I would like to express my sincerest disappointment Nova." Antauri said, folding his arms. Nova flinched a little but kept quiet. "I trusted you with this before any of the others, and I came home to find that everybody knew except for Otto himself. And now," Antauri's breath quickened. He had to sit down for a minute. Nova stepped closer and tentatively put a hand on Antauri's shoulder. He looked up at her and sighed loudly. "Now, Otto is feeling left out, and because of my teachings, I have to find a way to tell him, and very fast."
"I'm sorry Antauri. I didn't mean to, but I still shouldn't have said anything." Nova said, her tail drooping. Antauri frowned and leaned against her. He was trembling gently. Nova's stomach twisted back into knots.
"Nova, I don't know what's happening. My stomach hurts, and I can't breathe, and, I don't know what to do, or to say? How," Antauri took a deep breath. "How do I tell Otto?"
"Antauri, you're afraid." Nova said gently. The upset monkey shook under her hand.
"I, yes Nova… I'm afraid." Antauri said quietly. "Oh dear, I haven't felt like this since…" He stopped.
"Since Mandarin?" Gibson asked, entering slowly. Antauri turned, and nodded. Gibson and Nova stood side by side and Antauri stood up.
"Yes. That was the last time I suppose." Antauri said. He was suddenly very tired. He needed to recharge for a while.
"Antauri, it'll be okay." Nova said. Gibson nodded and smiled kindly.
"We'll get through it. We always have." He said.
The three monkeys re-entered their pod room and found Sparks and Otto playing a video game. Antauri tried to float past them, but fell flat on his ass again. The two jumped and Antauri was faced with two huge magnets and whirling blades.
"Oh, awesome." Otto said, turning back around. He was clearly upset about being the only one left out on it. The guilt Antauri felt was creeping back in. He sighed and sat down next to Otto.
"Otto," He started. The mechanic wouldn't look at him. "Otto, please understand, I never intended for any of the others to know. Actually, I never intended to have this secret at all."
Otto looked over at Antauri with a frown.
"Then why do you have to keep it?" He asked. Antauri bit his metal lip a little.
"I guess I'm trying to spare your feelings as much as I am my own." Antauri said.
"That's selfish Antauri, it isn't like you." Otto said. "It's the easy way out."
Antauri nodded and looked at the ground. He stood up and exhaled shakily.
"You're right Otto. I'll tell you tomorrow, I promise. Just, let me be selfish a little longer?" Antauri asked. Otto looked forward at the screen for a long time and eventually nodded. Antauri smiled and went to lay in his pod. He was exhausted from all of the emotion of the day.