smash_logs | Grab your spanner, grab your DW-40, it's time to fix this robot.

Entry tags:

Grab your spanner, grab your DW-40, it's time to fix this robot.

Who: Knuckles, Copy X, Zero and Goombella
What: Mechanical Engineering
Where: Knuckles and Goombella's apartment
When: One fine day
Warnings: SUPER FIGHTING ROBOTS, DUNNA DUNNA DUNNA DUNNA MEGAMANS (Possibly some robot on robot on Echidna on Goomba violence maybe later at some point? IDK? Also - Robot guts.)

The date had been arranged recently for repairs on Zero to get underway. He'd had a surprising number of offers to his original plea - many from people he trusted to do a great job. But only one of them had specific experience with reploids because, well, he WAS a reploid. And in the end, Knuckles knew how much that would improve their chances of success.

He wanted Zero to come out of this, free of Eggman's manipulation, and sound in body and mind. He felt it was his duty to ensure this. Zero had been placed in a sitting position on his couch and had been there a while. Knuckles kept him clean and dusted. And even spoke to him on and off - 'Good Morning', 'How you doin' today?', and 'Hey, pass me the remote, guy? Hahaha! Kidding, kidding.' being the standard. He knew Zero was in a state of stasis and probably couldn't hear any of it, but still. He was there, he was a presence in the house and so it felt somehow unkind to exclude him altogether.

So, it wasn't surprising that Knuckles spoke to him today, too.

"Well, fella - Today's the day. Gonna finally get you patched up. Or make a start on it, at least." he said, sitting down on the couch and taking a sip of coffee. "Just gotta wait for X to show up. He seems like a real nice guy. I'm pretty sure we're gonna be able to do right by you."

The coffee table was covered in tools. Knuckles didn't have an extensive tool set of his own for fine work like this, but he'd managed to borrow the things he figured they might need from the autoshop room and science department with staff permission. Luckily it was summer and the need for these items within classes was non-existent. He expected X might bring tools of his own, but he wanted to make sure they had their bases covered. He'd also bought some extra drinks and snacks. He had a vague recollection of being told that reploids didn't need to eat, but they could if they wanted. It only seemed right they be offered any courtesy he'd offer to an organic guest in his home.

Now all that was required was to wait. He flicked on the TV, changed it to ESPN, and started watching whatever was on. Probably cheering loudly every so often.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Of course, Goombella was there. It was also her apartment, after all. She adjusted her glasses, looking over the smattering of parts all over their living room, and asked the question that was foremost on her mind. "Are you sure you want to try making these repairs here? Aren't the auto shop or the mechanical engineering classrooms better equipped for this, and less likely to lose small parts in the carpet?"

"Yeah. I mean, I thought of that. But I dunno how long this is gonna take and I don't wanna risk takin' thins guy through the city and back to school. Eggman's bots are between here and there and the Egg Carrier is still hoverin' around the school like a giant blow-fly." Knuckles replied with a small shrug. "I want this to be done as securely as possible and that means doin' it here."

"Besides. I've been collecting newspapers to lay down so nothing gets on the carpet." he said, pointing to the pile of them under the coffee table. There was also a fire extinguisher under there just incase the welding torch or soldering iron started a fire.

Goombella tilted her head to look. "Oh, THAT'S why you were keeping those. I thought you just forgot to put them out with the rest of the recycling."

She found herself a seat and looked over the pile of parts. "Think you can fix him?" she asked.

"Me? Forget to recycle? Never." Knuckles replied with a grin. He was always on top of the recycling. It was his duty to Mother Earth, after all.

"I... I dunno, babe." he said, scratching at his chin and shrugging. "I'm really not any good with this kinda work, so, X is gonna be doin' most everything. I can weld and I can solder where I have to. Tighten screws and strip wires and that kinda thing but when it comes to the in's and outs of robotics? I'm clueless. If he was a CAR I could maybe figure it out but... guy's a completely different thing. There ain't even any guides online that I could find."

He'd looked. Guurgle had failed him.

Copy X was kind of sweating over this.

Well, he would be if he were physically capable of sweating. But the fact stood: somehow, he was on his way to go help piece together the reploid who had killed him. The one who could completely blow the cover he'd been setting up for months. The guy who was probably physically incapable of mercy, discretion, or anything that wasn't ruining Copy X's life. Honestly, Naoya's suggestion was still very firmly rooted in the back of his head: he was still seriously debating whether he would be able to get away with killing Zero before he had the chance to wake up.

He stood for a long time outside of Knuckles' door, burdened down with all the repair and maintenance tools his room had. Croire flittered somewhere above him, invisible to all but him -- and, eventually, Zero himself. It wasn't too late to back out of this, was it? There was always the chance that none of the other people who had offered to fix Zero would know how to do it, right...?

...It seemed like an awfully slim chance to him. Not without reluctance, he raised his fist and knocked.

Knuckles had gone back to hollering at the teeny tiny athletes running around inside his TV when he heard the knock.

"Oh! That's probably X now." he said, jumping off the couch and clapping Zero on the shoulder. "Not long now, guy."

He jogged to the door and swung it open, smiling at his new house guest.

"X, right? Come on in, man. Again, appreciate you makin' the trip and taking the time to help me out here." he said, stepping aside to allow the reploid entrance to the apartment.

As nervous as he was, Copy X managed to put on a smile. Acting, after all, was the sole reason he'd been built -- it wouldn't say much about him if he couldn't look convincingly X-like now, after all. "Of course. I couldn't just do nothing, could I?" (Though it wasn't as though he hadn't considered that option heavily.) "I brought everything I thought might be of use. Between the two of us, we should be able to get him up and running again."

Though it wasn't quite just the two of them, he realized once he was inside. He gave Goombella a curious look, then glanced over at Knuckles, clearly expecting an introduction. Another helper, perhaps?

"This is Goombella. She's my Girlfriend and we share the apartment." Knuckles explained, taking the tools from Copy to add to his own arsenal laid out in the other room.

"If I remember rightly, Reploids can eat and drink if they want to? If you want something before we get started, that's more'n fine. Wasn't sure what you liked, so, I got a few different things to try'n cover my bases."

"Hi," Goombella greeted the guest. "I'm not sure how much help I can be, but... I kinda live here, so..."

"I'm sure every bit of help will be appreciated," said Copy X, secretly sort of hoping he could leave Goombella in charge of the most complex and fragile bits of Zero.

The offer of food and drinks was a generous one -- Knuckles was nothing if not a good host. Copy X, however, had been built in much more of a hurry than the guy he was imitating: a digestive system was a bit too complicated of a luxury to be worth including. He only shook his head at the offer. "I'll pass. I think we ought to get straight to work, don't you?"

"OK, no prob." Knuckles replied. Well, he guessed he'd just have more things to snack on himself down the line. "I'm sure you're right - my buddy in there's been waitin' a while."

Knuckles led the way into the living room and set down Copy's tools near his own before he started laying out newspaper.

"I brought some tools too so I guess between the two of us we should have most everythin' covered that we're gonna need." he said. "I'll be upfront, though - I'm no robotics expert. That's why I needed somebody who knew his systems well enough to do most of the technical stuff. I'm good at soldering, welding... pretty much anything involving a tool. You direct me with what you need me to do and we'll be golden."

Zero sat on the couch, obviously immobile in his state of stasis. Duct tape gleaming a dull siver where Knuckles' punch had torn open his torso.

"Where would you even START on a job like this?" Goombella asked quietly, deciding perhaps she should start by getting the duct tape off to give them access...

Yes, Goombella, starting with the duct tape was an excellent idea.

"Open him up first. I need to see what we're dealing with, and this tape is only getting in the way." Even though it was pretty funny to see Zero all shoddily taped together like an old radio or something, they were going to need to get at his insides if they wanted to patch them up. "I've brought a Cyber-Elf along that says she knows Zero; if we can just get all the parts hooked back up, she should be able to get him running again." Thank goodness for Croire: a Nurse Elf (she... was a Nurse Elf, right?) could go a long way in healing a reploid, which was certainly nice in a case where replacement parts could potentially be expensive and time-consuming to locate -- anything that required more than the bare minimum of personal cost and effort was frankly a bit more than Copy X was willing to offer.

Croire, for one, was quite relieved that X had opted to go with the much kinder decision to not murder Zero. She had been quite worried for a bit! But it turned out X was a nice guy after all!

She orbited the blue reploid restlessly as the last of the tape was removed, sparkling more than usual in her gladness. Finally she'd found Zero! She could help him! It was all her little A.I. mind had thought about since arriving at the city.

In a voice that only mechanical life could hear, she cheerfully told X, "Could you please ask them to back away from Zero for a moment?"

Copy X nodded, repeating Croire's request for the less-robotic lifeforms in the room. He stepped back himself, announcing to Knuckles and Goombella, "She wants you to back off. Give her some space to work."

It was, of course, entirely normal back home to talk about invisible data fairies and assume that the people who couldn't see them would know what you were talking about; it took Copy X a second to recall that this was not, in fact, the distant future. "I know you probably can't see anything, but trust me. She's going to make our jobs much easier."

Goombella nodded and stepped back. "Cyber-Elf, huh?" she asked, opening up her Tattle Log and trying to see what it could tell her about this invisible force.

Guys. Really? What's with all the duct tape hate? It can fix ANYTHING.

"Yeah, pal. I'm not... spotting anything. But.. uh. I'll take your word for it." Knuckles replied, stepping back to where Goombella was. He hoped that this Cyber Elf was a real thing and he hadn't just let some guy with the robot equivalent of rabies into his apartment. (Robies?)

"Let 'er rip, I guess?"

Croire's circling came to a stop as she hovered in the air right in front of X, shining brightly as though she were smiling. "Thank you, X. Thank you for finding and taking care of me! And thank you for bringing me to Zero instead of killing him. I hope you two can be friends now!"

Little Cyber-elf, how little you knew.

Having expressed her gratitudes, she flew at Zero. For a moment, even Knuckles and Goombella might have been able to see a glittering orb of light in the air as she accessed her true power. Croire was no mere Nurse Elf. No, her ability to mimic other Elf abilities without exhausting her own life in the process put her in a class all of her own. Her body seemed to dissolve as she flew into Zero's chest; the moment they connected, there was a blinding flash right before the battered reploid's body was completely engulfed in a pillar of light.

It felt like she had been with Zero practically her whole life. She'd healed him, fought beside him, supported him. There was so much broken inside him, so much that wasn't right - but she could re-write the code of this reality, and bring him back to the Zero that she knew. He could be whole, and she could be with him again.

The light lasted only an instant, but it felt so much longer. And when it disappeared, in its place was Zero, completely restored. The red reploid looked like new, not a scuff on him, as though he had only napping on Knuckles's couch this whole time.

There was a moment of stillness. Then suddenly, the crystal on his helmet came to life, glowing bright green. Movement stirred beneath Zero's eyelids and slowly, sleepily, they began to open.

Copy X had never known a Cyber-Elf quite on Croire's level -- her healing influence had been much more potent than he had expected. He'd been prepared for the eventuality that Zero would be up and running again, one way or another, from the moment Knuckles had first made his network post... but still, this was a lot sooner than he'd been expecting that eventuality to rear its head.

He thought he'd be explaining the concept of Cyber-Elves to his present company, but that particular idea was quickly crushed under a tsunami of frantic thought. Maybe he should have warned Knuckles and Goombella beforehand that he and Zero were on unfriendly terms -- but maybe speaking up would have looked more suspicious than silence? Maybe it wasn't too late to snatch that stupid saber of his up and jam it through his skull. As sweet as Croire's thanks may have been, they didn't amount to much -- Copy X didn't trust that Zero would leave him alone just because of some sense of honour or debt or anything.

But maybe he did have the upper hand here? Everything here was his word against Zero's. What mattered most was how this looked to Knuckles and Goombella. He had taken the trouble of showing up to fix Zero, after all: if Zero went and tried to rip his limbs off, then any claims he might make about Copy X deserving it wouldn't look too substantial, right...? It wasn't like Croire could tell anyone about that whole internal struggle about whether to just murder Zero or not -- even if a Cyber-Elf could survive being used, who was going to hear her? It was a pretty thin gamble, but empty confidence with precious little to actually back it up wasn't something Copy X was a stranger to.

"I told you she would make our jobs easier. Look, he's already waking up," Copy X said, sounding much calmer about this than he felt.

"....huh. Well. OK."

That had been pretty crazy! He hadn't been expecting flashing lights and instant repair. He suddenly felt like they had substantially over-prepared for this. And a little bad for doubting the existence of Cyber Elves.

"She made our jobs pretty much non-existent, dude. He looks as good as new." Knuckles replied to Copy, before taking a few steps towards Zero.

"Hey, guy. Welcome back to the world of the waking. How you doin', there?"

He hoped that the reploid's programming had been fixed too - the last thing he wanted was to fight Zero in his living room. He liked his living room.

That flash of light was just the thing to help Goombella find the correct entry, which she read while watching Zero's repairs. "Cyber Elf: A form of digital life form, typically taking the appearance of small winged humanoids or animals. Cyber Elves have the power to enhance Reploids and other mechanical beings, but typically at the cost of their own lives. Invisible to humans and other non-Reploids. Avoid if you value your rank."

Zero's eyes were still bleary from booting up; he slowly blinked a few times as the lens inside his visual receptors recalibrated. At the same time, his fingers twitched - more internal diagnostics. It appeared that all the damage his body incurred prior to shut down had been healed, thanks to a certain digital orb of light that was leaving his body to hover around him enthusiastically.

There were voices and figures before him, both familiar and unfamiliar. The red one was the first to register, being closest to where he sat and the last person Zero remembered fighting. So, he really had kept his word. That was heartening. Knowing now how he decried Eggman, it seemed as though the echidna was someone he could trust. He breathed out a small sigh (or an emulation of one, since he didn't actually need air).

As for the other two... Zero raised his head to take in his surroundings. For the split second before his final eye calibrations were set, the blurry shapes looked almost like... X and... Ciel?

But the confusion lasted only a moment. No, this was just a different blonde girl with a ponytail talking about Cyber-elves. And the blue armoured reploid with red eyes and that voice...

Suddenly, Zero leapt to his feet and into a fighting stance. Pulling out his Z-Sabre and activating it in the blink of an eye, the reploid's burning gaze was aimed directly at X. The imitation that passed himself as his old friend, the tyrant that ordered countless innocent machines to their deaths. Copy X was twice dead. So how...? Why?!

"What is he doing here," Zero growled. Nevermind that he just woke up - he sounded more than ready to throw himself into battle if necessary.

Edited (just realized that knuckles and zero don't know each other's names) 2013-08-19 20:04 (UTC)

As happy as he was to see his house guest up and around again, the sight of the Z-Sabre was a little less appreciated.

"I put out a call to see if anyone could repair you properly. A few people said they'd give it a whirl but bein' as this guy is a reploid and seemed familiar with you, I figured he was your best shot of comin' outta this OK. Turns out he has a Cyber Elf that did the trick."

He took another step forward, standing between Zero and Copy and offering something of a smile. "Look, I hate to ask, but... would you mind puttin' the weapon away? You're in my home, and if possible, I'd kinda like to avoid any fighting in the living room."

He was pretty sure the land lord would be less than accommodating if there were energy weapon gouges in the drywall.

"He had Croire...?" Floating beside him, the Cyber-elf in question glittered in confirmation of the fact. Zero's eyes widened in incredulity, never once leaving Copy X's face. This was starting to make less and less sense.

If what he was hearing was correct, then not only did Copy X have his Cyber-elf in his possession, but he willingly answered Knuckles's hails for assistance. All to restore a reploid who was his enemy.

There had to be something more to this, some motive. Zero didn't trust for a second that the sight of his broken body somehow inspired such a altruistic urge in the former tyrant. It was just too out of character for him to let go.

But... right now, he was standing in someone else's home. This small, red creature had helped him, and it would be poor recompense for his house to get ruined because of it. After a long, tense silence, Zero sheathed his sword.

Begrudgingly. Very begrudgingly. All the while boring holes into Copy X with his eyes. Waiting. For the slightest act or sound from him.

"...Fine."

Edited 2013-08-19 20:29 (UTC)

"You haven't changed."

Copy X was a lot of things, but he wasn't easily scared -- a fact that was probably more due to naivete and arrogance than to actual heroism, but he nevertheless stood unflinching until Zero had agreed to backing down. About as friendly of a greeting as he'd anticipated. He'd been right, he was sure, to not expect an ounce of gratitude or mercy from one of the bad guys. The only thing here that was really unexpected was the fact that Croire was... still alive? It was hardly the time or place to be chatting about Cyber-Elves, though: there was a bit of a bigger priority looming in front of him right now. These next few moments were going to be the ones that mattered.

It didn't really matter whether Zero believed in him or not, but making a point of acting like he was taking the high road seemed like the best possible option for his continued survival. That was the whole reasoning behind fixing Zero in the first place: better to have a hand in it and actually make himself known as the good guy here. If he'd left it in the hands of Knuckles and any of the myriad other people who had volunteered to patch Zero up, that would have given his enemy all the time in the world to spread whatever lies his precious little army of extremists believed in.

"You're certainly quick to go pointing that sword around. You must think we're still at war, don't you?"

Zero narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think we aren't?"

It figured that Copy X would play innocent around other people - though this by itself didn't explain all his actions. As much as Zero wanted to truly confront him here and now, the red creature that stood between them didn't want any conflict. He was a bystander to their personal history, after all.

And there were other matters at stake here. Zero's memories of his time as a reprogrammed minion were coming back - and with it, some knowledge of the martial law the city was under. They'd been his orders to carry out as well, after all.

He finally broke eye contact to glance over at the window. Still light outside, well before curfew. But the peaceful sight was only a calm veneer by daylight.

"...Just a different war," he mused finally. This was a different city, with a different tyrant. An old enemy returning wasn't ideal, but not the worst of his problems. With a hint of a scowl on his face, Zero continued, "The Eggman Empire... and Dr. Eggman. I remember now." What he did; what he made me into - that went unspoken.

Turning his attention to the echidna for a moment, he recalled, "When we fought, you sounded like you knew him well."

Edited (waugh) 2013-08-20 03:59 (UTC)

"Well... the guy DID just kinda save your bacon, bud." Knuckles reminded Zero. "Like I said, a few folks offered to help but I'm no robotics expert and even I know you reploid guys are really advanced robots. There's no guarantee we coulda got you workin' right without this fella helping you out with this Cyber Elf magical technical... thingie."

And if that last sentence didn't prove Knuckles wasn't a robotics expert, nothing probably WOULD.

"As for Robotnik, or Eggman, or Baldy McNosehair or whatever you wanna call him... yeah. We got a long history. Guy is a monster. I knew from the way you were fighting he must'a been messing with you pretty bad. Made me angry - I don't care what he thinks. Robotic life is still life and he doesn't have the right to take yours from you by making you his slave."

He extended a hand to Zero. "Knuckles, by the way. Knuckles the Echidna. This is my Girlfriend Goombella, and the couch there is where you've been crashed out the last couple weeks."

"I see..." The reploid was contemplative as his eyes trailed over to Knuckles's outstretched hand. For a moment he stared at it, as though questioning how to return the gesture - it may have been a simple handshake to the echidna, but Zero was not a tactile person, unless something was being destroyed upon contact.

Nonetheless, Knuckles helped him without thought to any benefit of his own. That deserved acknowledgement, even if Zero was not well-versed in expressing himself. Despite his expression softening, the change was barely perceptible past his permanent look of seriousness. His voice, at least, was that of respect. "You're a man of your word."

But Zero merely put his own hand over the echidna's spiked glove - a touch, something closer to a pat than an actual handshake. It didn't last long. With his distant, stern demeanor, the gesture and his face's inability to hold a smile, it was probably easy to gather that this was already more than Zero afforded most people. He used his sword hand and everything.

Now that introductions were underway, it suddenly occurred to him how strange it felt to tell people his name. He came from a place where people all seemed to know him by reputation - and had formed prior assumptions, as well. Either that, or they seemed to know more about him than Zero's amnesia allowed him to know about himself.

"I am... Zero." He might have sounded the slightest bit awkward. A glance was spared for Goombella as well. "...Thanks."

As for Copy X - Zero looked over at him as well, with decidedly more coldness. "We have a history too." The implication being that it was just as friendly as the one between Knucles and Eggman. His mouth thinned into a look of distrust as he questioned, "What have you been calling yourself here?"

Edited 2013-08-21 13:47 (UTC)

"X, of course. It's my name," Copy X answered, a note of defiance in his voice. That much might have been pretty dang debatable, but it was the closest thing Copy X had to a name, anyway. Now that there was no other X around to dispute that, he felt he had a right to it that no stupid evil extremist jerk should be trying to snatch away from him. Getting called out for the replica he was had been another possibility he'd prepared for -- probably the most inevitable possibility, all things considered -- but he was nonetheless eager to try and nudge the conversation away from that particular secret.

"I don't know what sort of rights the laws here grant reploids," Copy X continued, looking over to Knuckles and Goombella. Frankly, he wasn't even sure if there were any machinery-specific rules granting reploids any rights at all. Nor was he especially interested in diving into that particular cause, frankly; he didn't especially believe Knuckles' claim of robotic life still being life to be much more than lip service. When Eggman had first established his martial law, Copy X honestly hadn't been too convinced it was such an awful thing -- establishing order and security during troubled times had been an important thing, after all.

"Maybe this Eggman hasn't done anything wrong by this place's rules, but reprogramming a reploid to serve your own ends... that's not how good people act." Probably the only statement that wasn't rooted in a bald-faced lie; even if he couldn't care less if Zero met with an unpleasant fate or not, being rewritten into some gross old guy's pawn was at least going to be something that hit close to home. "Even if we have a history, that's not something that should be ignored. I won't forgive you, but we aren't necessarily on different sides this time." A statement that carried an undertone of because you aren't siding with the evil army now, but that much stayed unsaid. Knuckles and Goombella didn't need to hear about their dirty laundry, especially because airing it would probably be spectacularly disadvantageous for Copy X.

"..." Zero's frowned deepened as the word 'X' passed through the other reploid's lips, but deigned to comment. But the false X wasn't the one with the tyrannical regime in place. 'Not how good people act' earned a raised brow on two fronts as well, along with the remark, "That's putting it lightly." Having been on Eggman's examination table, having been altered and subservient to him, Zero couldn't imagine a bigger understatement. Just thinking about it sickened him. That this doctor reminded him so much of Dr. Weil was no coincidence.

Recalling Weil gave Zero pause. The last time he and Copy X had fought, the other had been controlled and betrayed by the immortal doctor. Brought back from the dead only to be a mindless pawn - was such an experience really enough for Copy X to lay his grudge for Zero aside to save him? Of all the words he could think to describe his old enemy, 'empathetic' was not high on the list. No, there must have been a part of the Copy that relished seeing the red reploid's broken body, he was sure of it.

But enemy of my enemy, and all...

Zero's gaze was stern as he begrudgingly agreed, "No, we aren't." His hands balled up into tight fists at his side, as though his body opposed the logic of his mind. "But we need to talk."

In private. The air between them seemed so heavy that, perhaps to their onlookers, the subject of this impending conversation seemed to go hand-in-hand with Zero's blade being drawn again.

Edited 2013-08-23 23:38 (UTC)

Knuckles replied to Zero's touch of his hand with a firm nod. It might not be a handshake but the intention was clear. This guy was probably unused to having people look after him, so, he could see how it would make him feel awkward. He could empathize - he used to be very much the same way.

"I'm sure you two DO need to talk. Sure sounds that way." Knuckles replied, scratching the back of his head and looking between the pair as they spoke. There was obviously a lot left unsaid and a tension in the air that was probably thick enough to be cut with Zero's sword.

"So far as I know, X, reploids and other sentient robots have the same rights in this town as anyone else. What was done to Zero was a crime, plain n simple. Fact is, another blue robot's been goin' around and destroying... or.. tryin' to anyhow... robots and A.I.s at the school. Then he up and ran, like a little coward. Otherwise, justice woulda been served."

He was frowning deeply. "Guy messed up a good friend of mine. Anyhow, my point is... You two oughta try and reconcile your differences if you can. X helped save you and there's gotta be SOMETHIN' good in that, no matter what your history is. Plus, I'd feel kinda bad if you wound up getting messed up again right after you got your whole life back."

He'd still totally let Zero chill on his couch while they waited for someone else to do repairs. But next time he'd call Apple Kid and Zero would wind up being a dual function trout flavored yogurt dispenser and multidirectional laser pointer that played show tunes on request.

Something dangerous flashed in Zero's eyes just then, a cold fury directed right at Copy X. Gritting his teeth, he gave a low growl: "That won't happen again."

A robot in blue, destroying A.I. who were schoolchildren. Between that and reprogramming, it was hard for him to tell which act was more despicable. They both revolted him in ways that cried out for some kind of action. Even with Knuckles standing between them, Zero began to walk towards this blue reploid, each slow step a threat. His fingers closed around the hilt of his sword again, ready to activate it at any moment.

Zero didn't know all the details, but he knew Copy X's nature - and right now, nothing pointed to him more than these senseless attacks on other robots. He stopped right in front of the echidna, but it was clear that he wanted very much to have a closer interrogation. If he weren't certain that Knuckles would stop him, he would've walked right around him to personally confront the copy up close.

"You have some explaining to do, 'X'." It was only out of consideration for the two civilians that, after a long glare, Zero very gravely suggested, "...I think you should step outside."

Knuckles just had to mention that, didn't he? That conversation was going to be happening much sooner than Copy X had hoped it would, from the look of Zero's reaction. He didn't have any intention of trying to run or hide from a fight with Zero, whatever his track record may have been -- dying a third time didn't sound especially fun, by any means, but this time around there was none of Weil's sabotage to interfere. He sincerely hoped there wasn't, at least.

"Explaining?" Copy echoed, knowing full well that both he and Zero saw right through his feigned bewilderment -- maybe even revelling in that fact a little bit. Zero hadn't been around for any of that. As far as he knew, it could have been any reploid in the world. Knuckles had already said that the culprit had fled, hadn't he? Maybe Zero had his own set of opinions, but without any evidence beyond the wildly-skewed propaganda the resistance believed in back home, this was going to look like persecuting Copy X for being guilty of the heinous crime of being a blue robot. "I see."

Copy X looked over to Knuckles with an almost-apologetic shrug. "I'd hoped he might be more willing to cooperate, but he's not interested in being reasoned with." He turned his attention back over to Zero, slowly stepping back toward the door. "If you're so determined, I won't back down. You aren't going to intimidate me!"

It struck Knuckles as kind of funny for a brief moment - two fighters. One blue and one red. The red one far more eager to fight than the blue one. Where had he seen this scenario before?

"Like I said, Zero - Guy who did it left. I don't think it was X - if he was really interested in killin' A.I.s why would he come to help you out? It don't make sense, you know?"

Oh Knuckles. Examine your life. Examine your choices.

"If you two REALLY need to get this outta your system and you're gonna fight... just try and do it someplace else. This is a family neighborhood, y'know? Kids play here."

He gave Zero a pat on the shoulder. "Just so you know, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to, to get yourself sorted out, alright? If you can't get back to your home, there's plenty of things you can do in the city. My couch is yours as long as you need it."

Because as much as he'd tried to be reasonable so far? It really didn't seem to be working. Whatever past these two had, they had something they needed to work out. Some people worked on their problems using their words, and some people worked out their problems by fighting. These two seemed like two such people, and he wasn't going to try and Mother Hen them into being civil if that wasn't their nature. The best he could do was send them on their way and let Zero know he had a place to be once he was done.

She had been mostly silent up to this point, but now Goombella felt the need to say something. "Look, whatever bad blood there is between you two, and I can tell it's a lot, doesn't the fact that he brought a Cyber Elf to help repair you mean anything?"

Damn it. Zero grit his teeth, realizing he had been completely backed into a corner by Copy X. It wasn't for nothing that the other reploid had been leader of Neo Arcadia - he'd been able to deceive the human populace into blindly accepting the death of countless robots for their comfortable lifestyle, of course he'd be able to fool a few good samaritans. Reviving Zero had probably been part of his plan to reinforce his goodly image all along. He cursed himself for falling into it, even if he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

He regretted losing his temper in front of Knuckles and Goombella when they had been nothing but accommodating, too. In his confliction, Zero's face fell, and his shoulders sagged in an expression of shame. It wasn't for being suspicious of Copy X, though - just the fact that he had been put in such a position by the hack imitation.

This battle had been lost. He'd just have to accept that and carry on.

"It could mean a lot of things... I'm not ready to trust him just yet." Biting down on his own anger, he stepped back and looked down at the echidna. It took a second for him to continue forming the words.

"...Knuckles. I appreciate all you've done. I won't burden you or Goombella any further." As he turned away, the red reploid sheathed his sword again, promising, "This neighbourhood won't be endangered. You have my word," as he strode towards the door.

On his way out, Zero shot an angry glance towards Copy X has he passed by. They were still going to have A Talk, that was certain as well.

Edited (forgot a word) 2013-08-26 00:19 (UTC)

Oh, that was satisfying. Seeing Zero backed into the corner he deserved to be backed into, forced to concede to the good guys? That was a moment he wanted to savour.

In that moment, he knew that his gamble had paid off. Yes, he'd brought Zero back, but even if Zero felt no obligation toward him, the obligation existed in Knuckles and Goombella's eyes. If anything happened to Copy X, then word was bound to get out. It didn't mean Copy X was untouchable -- he was perfectly aware of the inevitability of that Talk with a captial T, but it did at least afford his continued existence some degree of security.

He said nothing as Zero headed for the door; there was nothing more that needed to be said, with his win so clearly acknowledged. To Knuckles and Goombella, he simply offered a look of resignation. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into that. I'm sure he really is grateful for everything the two of you have done for him."

"Zero, it really isn't a burden..." Knuckles said as he watched the reploid leave. He wasn't sure if he was heard, and he wasn't at all sure if he should follow the other warrior and talk to him. In the end, he just moved over to stand near Goombella and sigh.

"Yeah. I'm sure he's grateful too. If he wasn't, he might have decided to fight here anyhow." Knuckles replied to Copy, shaking his head. "Guy's got a lot to deal with. I get it."

He'd been mind-controlled more than once. Each time was a new kind of awful. It worked differently to Eggman's reprogramming, he was sure. But the general principle of being made to do things you didn't want to do - even hurt people? That was something that sat heavily on the shoulders. He'd wanted to spend time alone too, afterwards, and so he wouldn't try and pressure Zero into coming back.

"I'm sure he's grateful to you too, X. In his own way. Whatever your past is together, you came through for him in the end. You saved him in a way I sure as hell couldn't. Maybe no-one else could have done what you did... so. Thanks, man. We all owe you one."

He extended a hand to the blue reploid. It was a gesture of friendship and respect. It was a rare kind of person who could forgive past grievances and help out someone who perceived them as an enemy. Again, he'd been on both sides of that particular fence.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Grab your spanner, grab your DW-40, it's time to fix this robot.

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everyone examine your life and your choices

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