Tails turned his attention to Metal Sonic. "Sorry about… all that. Told ya he'd argue. And for bringing up the Neo Metal thing. That's probably a sore spot, isn't it?"
A tiny nod.
"Thought so. Sorry."
Tails looked over his workbench, nudged a few things, then stepped back, satisfied with the setup. Then he got to work. He picked up a small device and a cord.
"I'm just gonna connect this and look over a few things before I start, okay?"
Metal Sonic felt a visceral dread of what was about to happen. Was it because he didn't trust Tails? Most likely. Although he never particularly liked having tests run. He always wanted to do something other than just stand around and wait for data to upload. Still, he knew it was necessary for his plan to work, so he forced himself to agree.
Tails wiped the dirt off of Metal's head and found the port at the back of his head. He connected the small tablet, then turned his attention to the radio on a nearby shelf.
"You're not much of a talker, so I just wanted some background noise. Hope it's alright."
A faint fizz sounded from the radio, then it picked up a signal and cheery guitar music flowed out.
As the tablet connected to Metal's systems, Tails busied himself with cleaning up the dried mud. He hummed along to the song as he chipped flakes of dirt off Metal's chassis. As the chorus of the song picked up, so did Tails.
"I wanna fly high!"
He drummed his fingers against the table.
"So, I can reach the highest of all the heavens!"
A huge, genuine smile crossed the little fox's face as he sang.
"Somebody will be
Waiting for me, so I've got to fly higher!"
He laughed to himself.
"That's my favorite song! It makes me feel like I can do anything I try to do!"
A curious look crossed his face. "Do you listen to music?"
Metal considered the question. Sometimes his Master listened to music while he worked, but Metal himself never paid much attention to it. He shook his head no.
"Oh. Maybe I can find something you'll like. Do you like this?"
Metal shrugged. It was certainly enthusiastic, but he didn't really like cheerful.
Tails thought as he continued his battle against the mud wall coating Metal.
Another song began to play. This one was even more cheerful. Metal groaned.
"I'm not a big fan of love songs either," Tails laughed. "Let's try this."
He fiddled with the radio for a moment, switching between static, music, and chatter. Finally, he settled on a station announcing itself as "The best rock station on air". Metal was unconvinced. Then the screech of an electric guitar filled the workshop followed by an energetic guitar riff. A hoarse voice began to sing "I don't care what you're thinkin' as you turn to me! Cause what I have in my two hands is enough to set me free!"
Metal noticeably perked up, to Tails' delight.
"Sonic loves this band. I thought it might be more your style. It's fast and thrilling!"
Tails glanced back at the tablet, nodded to himself, and began to tap at the screen. Meanwhile, Metal focused on the music. It was intense, just what he liked. He barely noticed his remaining hand tapping along to the guitar riff between lyrics.
"Try to reach inside of me!"
Tap-tap tap-tap.
"Try to drain my energy!"
Tap-tap tap-tap.
"Let me show you just what! I'm! Made! Of!"
For once, Metal had to agree with Tails. He liked this song. It made him feel like he could do anything.