Ch. 15: (Re)Paired up
On a quiet street, two figures, one pink and one purple, make their way down a poorly maintained sidewalk. CYBER kicks at a weed growing out of a crack in the sidewalk, shearing it in half. As Amy and CYBER walk side by side, CYBER casts a suspicious glance at Amy.
"So… Amy, what exactly is your relationship with Sonic?" CYBER asks, trying to keep her voice even.
"Oh, we're just friends…" Amy sighs softly.
"But didn't you say something about a date?" CYBER raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, that…" Amy looks up at the sky. "If I know Tails, he probably set Sonic up on that date.
"Sonic looked so bewildered," Amy chuckles a bit, pausing her hand to her mouth. "Sonic has been really bored lately, Tails was probably just trying to help".
"So… you two don't usually date?" CYBER asks, holding her voice even despite her internal suspense.
"No, we don't," Amy sighs. "I used to ask him out all the time, but now, I only really ask if I think there's a shot".
CYBER looks down, hiding her grin, not really listening to anything else Amy is saying.
"But I've really started being more independent, and I think Sonic has started warming up to me as I've gained confidence in myself!" Amy smiles, holding her hands behind her back.
"Cool, cool…" CYBER says, slowly coming back out of her own mind.
"Why do you ask?" Amy looks over, placing a finger on her chin.
CYBER falls silent for a moment, "I'm just… getting a sense of the dynamic in your group".
Amy nods, "That makes sense, I know this is all new to you, so I'll help you adjust however I can". Amy grins at CYBER.
CYBER smiles back, "Thanks,"
–
Inside a workshop, a yellow fox rushes past a wall that is painted blue with yellow accents. Tails walks up to a table and shoves a pile of scrap and tools off of it, leaving just the tool he was looking for right in the center of the table. Sonic cringes as yet another pile of miscellaneous metal hits the floor. Quickly, Tails runs over to a platform in the middle of the workshop, using a screwdriver, he pops out the robot's eye and places it into his tool belt. Sonic looks back and forth as Tails works.
"Jeez Tails, you've really let this place go," Sonic says, picking up a screw that was standing upright in the middle of the pathway.
"Sorry Sonic," Tails says as he works. "I was really in a rush when I built Broast".
Sonic looks over at Broast, who is currently holding the hand with the hole in it up at eye level, turning it back and forth.
"Hey Tails, why don't you program Broast to help you with repairs?" Sonic asks, glancing at Broast, and at the any number of tools that could instantly patch that hole.
"Broast can do it themself, they can edit and add to their own code." Tails says, holding a cracked eye up to the empty socket and connecting a few wires.
"That's… Concerning…" Sonic says, glancing warily at Broast's tall, blocky form.
"No, no, it's fine!" Tails says, pressing the cracked eye into the socket. "The first thing they chose to do with that ability was to become a pacifist, so I think we're fine."
Tails hops off the platform, walking over to a glowing blue computer monitor, and lifting his leg high over a large electrical cord as he goes. Tails taps a few buttons on the keyboard with one hand, while grabbing a welding tool with the other. When Tails presses the enter key, the main platform where Scuff is being held up starts to hum with the boot-up sequence. Without turning to see if it is working, Tails walks over to Broast, swiping a pair of goggles off of a hook on the wall.
"Let me see it," Tails says gently like one would talk to a child, to Broast.
Broast nods, holding out their hand. Tails slips the goggles over his eyes before quickly and flawlessly welding the hole shut.
Broast flexes their robotic fingers for a moment before putting them back down to their side.
"I do hope that he feels better," Broast says, looking over at Scuff, the booting-up process about 50% done.
Tails puts his hand on Broast's arm, "Hey Broast, can you go get us some snacks?"
"Of course," Broast quickly leaves the room.
Tails watches, a concerned expression on his face, making sure Broast leaves the room. When the door closes behind Broast, Tails glances at Sonic. Sonic gives him a nod and the two step up in front of the platform where Scuff is stationed. Tails presses a button, and the chord in the back of Scuff's neck ejects itself right before he boots up. Scuff's eye flutters open, his broken eye hanging half-lidded as always. Scuff immediately brings his hand up to feel his broken eye. He feels the crack across it, and the halfway down lid, and he lets out a sigh of relief. Sonic and Tails watch as Scuff pulls himself out of the hanging chains and drops down to the floor.
Scuff looks up at Tails, "T-Thank you," he says.
"No problem…" Tails says, slowly releasing the tension in his shoulders.
Just as Broast ducks through the doorway to the workshop, everyone hears a knock at the front door.
"I'll get it," Sonic says, raising his hand for a second before walking quickly around Broast and to the front door.
In the workshop, Broast sets down a tray of sodas and bags of chips. Tails' ears perk up, hearing the sound of Amy greeting Sonic, most likely the exchange of a hug. Scuff, who was looking down at the floor, perks up when he hears CYBER's voice echo down the hall.
"Well, Sonic, it's so nice to be able to talk to you under better circumstances," CYBER is standing in the cramped foyer, she smiles at Sonic, but quickly retracts her sharp teeth behind her metal mouth.
"Of course, CYBER, was it?" Sonic had his arms crossed but raised a hand for a handshake.
"Well, I think I go by Cy now," CYBER says, glancing over at Amy with another reserved smile.
"Ok then, Cy," Sonic says with a nod. "You're welcome back in the workshop, Tails needs to check your code"
CYBER nods and follows Sonic as he goes back into the workshop, with Amy walking in the rear. When CYBER enters, she makes eye contact with Scuff, and they both immediately look away. As Amy enters, she notices Broast and immediately rushes over.
"Oh! I haven't met you before!" She looks up at Broast and smiles.
Broast retracts their telescopic eyes into their box-like frame but slowly extends their hand to shake Amy's hand. Amy shakes Broasts hand and also looks over to see Scuff as well.
"And I haven't been introduced to you formally, get over here!" Amy waves Scuff over.
Scuff gives CYBER a sideways glance, before rushing over, putting Amy between himself and CYBER.
Tails approaches CYBER with a sweet smile, "Hi there, I believe we met last night."
The two shake hands.
"I'm Cy," CYBER says, glancing around the cluttered workshop.
"Well, Cy, I have to run a quick diagnostic on you, do you mind stepping up on that platform?" Tails points to the chained platform where Scuff just was minutes ago.
CYBER nods in understanding, trusting Tails somewhat and stepping up on the platform. Tails directs CYBER to plug herself in and prop herself up with the chains. She does so, and Tails begins the process, clacking away on his keyboard. Over in the corner, Amy has finished introducing herself to Scuff and Broast.
"So, do you two know each other?" Amy asks excitedly, doing the classic Amy pose where she puts her fists under her chin and leans in excitedly.
Scuff and Broast glance at each other.
"I guess you could say that…" Scuff says, rubbing the back of his head, while Broast rubs the center of his palm with his opposite thumb.
Amy pauses for a moment, looking at how the two robots avoid eye contact.
"Well, don't you worry, I'm sure that Sonic and Tails will take good care of you!" Amy says, looking at Scuff.
Scuff nods, "I'm glad to be out of Eggman's service". "Just don't make me patrol anything and we should be good," Scuff jokes weakly.
"Don't worry," Amy smiles, "you don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with."
Scuff looks up at Amy, "Thank you for… Treating me like I'm normal" He says, rubbing the brow over his bad eye.
"Of course," Amy says softly, grabbing Scuff's hand, "everyone deserves respect, and you seem like a very nice android".
Scuff smiles a bit, his hand coming off of his brow.
Amy shakes Scuff's hand, and then turns and shakes Broast's hand with the same enthusiasm, "It was very nice meeting both of you!"
"You as well," Broast says, while Scuff gives Amy a small nod.
"Sonic, come take a look at this," Tails says, waving Sonic over.
Sonic walks over, glancing up at Tails' screen. "What's up Tails?"
"Look at this," Tails says, pointing up at some code that even Sonic can tell is janky. "That's biodata, like the same data that Metal Sonic collects with his scanners,"
Sonic looks surprised, "I saw the engines on her were similar to the one in the center of Metal Sonic, do you really think she's a similar robot?"
Tails nods, "But that begs the question…"
"...What purpose did Eggman make her for?" Sonic finishes.
Amy walks over, standing at Tails' opposite shoulder. "How's she doing?" Amy asks, her voice filled with concern.
"Well, it's all looking fine as far as I can tell," Tails says, not taking his eyes off of the screen. "She doesn't have any obedience programming like Scuff did,"
"That's a relief," Amy says, putting a hand on her chest.
Tails begins the booting-up sequence for CYBER. Back in the other corner, Scuff and Broast are talking with each other.
"So, what are you going to do with your freedom?" Broasts asks Scuff, both of them still looking slightly off to the side of each other, not making eye contact.
"I don't know…" Scuff wrings his hands nervously. "I used to think I wanted to be a hero, like Shadow, but I don't know if he's really the hero I thought he was…"
"Shadow? I've always thought he was too violent to be a true hero," Broast says, now examining Scuff more closely.
Scuff shifts, folding his arms, "he has saved the world several times!"
"But I thought you didn't want to be like him?" Broast says, referring to Scuff's statements from before.
"Well…" Scuff's arms fall to his sides and he clenches his fists. "Let's not talk about me anymore!"
Scuff puts his hands behind his back, "What do you do with your time?" Scuff says, forcefully at the beginning of the sentence, but deliberately slows down by the end.
"Well, I usually spend most of my time sitting in my room, dedicating my computing power to searching for the root of aggression, so that one day there may be world peace," Broast says, raising one of their fingers as they explain.
Scuff stared for a second, "That sounds… boring," he said flatly, letting his hands fall to his sides.
"I just don't see how violence is the answer for peace," Broast explains, getting very into the topic as they start making wild hand motions as they talk.
"But that would take too long, when people need a hero, they need one right away," Scuff says, feeling slowly getting louder.
"But that's not a permanent solution," Broast argues, gesticulating wildly.
"But at least it's a real one!" Scuff says, placing his hands on his hips and leaning forward with an unamused expression.
Before someone else could step in or the argument escalates any further, a loud crash is heard by all in the workshop. Everything then goes silent, and everyone takes a few glances at each other. Scuff goes very quiet, looking down at his hands, his posture closes off and he seems a bit embarrassed.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!" Sonic yells, giving everyone a quick wave to follow him.
As Sonic runs out of the workshop, Tails waves frantically at Amy.
"Amy! Cy hasn't booted up yet, Broast and I will stay here, you take Scuff and back up Sonic!" Tails says jumping back to his keyboard.
"Right!" Amy says as she grabs Scuff's wrist and drags him after Sonic.
Scuff follows, but is half distracted looking at his hand as he clenches and unclenches it, "A hero…" he mumbles to himself.
Amy and Scuff race through the house, leaping through the open door and into the bright morning sun.
–
Eggman base - Level 4 - Brig
–
Orbot and Cubot, having found a spare moment, are wandering around the brig. Most of the cells are empty, with one every once in a while having some broken down or glitching Badnik. They like to spend their free time on this level because it's the only level where Sage doesn't constantly pop in to chat with them.
"Things are getting real dull around here, when's the boss's next big plan?" Orbot says, putting his hands on either side of his head.
"Tis a shame, these grey 'alls are boring, bit dry innit?" Cubot responds, keeping a gentlemanly posture.
"I swear, I am going to rip out your voice box entirely if you don't stop talking," Orbot grumbles, floating slightly away from Cubot.
Suddenly, a dark figure from inside one of the cells lunges forward, grabbing Orbot's arm as he wanders too close to the bars.
"Ah! Boss, anyone, guards, someone, anyone, save me!" Orbot's free arm flails as the rest of his body is pulled against the bars.
"By Jove!" Cubot exclaims, grabbing Orbot's flailing arm and trying to pull him back.
After a bit more pulling, Orbot's arm on the other side of the cell is ripped out of its socket. Orbot falls back into Cubot, and the figure in the cell lands square on his backside, revealing the appearance of a yellow raccoon mobian. Orbot's face quickly turns to anger. Several large, orange egg pawns come running down the hallway.
"Guards!" Orbot yells, "retreive my arm!"
The egg pawns approach the cage, but the yellow raccoon quickly stands.
"No need," the yellow raccoon says with a smirk, tossing the arm back through the bars.
Orbot quickly picks up the loose arm and clutches it to his chest.
"You sorry… I ought to make you pay for this!" Orbot sneers.
Zack slams his arms on the bars, and with a robotic screech, Orbot flees down the hallway, with Cubot close behind. The egg pawns all just stand around for a moment, glancing at each other.
"I tink yous is dismissed, ya buch a buckets," the yellow raccoon says, waving them off.
The egg pawns all slowly disperse, returning to their posts. As soon as the coast is clear, Zack, the raccoon looks back and forth before smirking.
"Hehe, suckas," Zack chuckles to himself, flipping a freshly acquired screw into the air before catching it back in his hand.