Super Giant Robot Brothers
Title: The Real Second Rose Type Guardian Class Robot
CH: 3/3
<< < - ->
Word count: 7644
Description: With an almost dead project and weird watch limit, Shiny and Thunder could only watch more video log or memory file about Zephyr. While Shiny suggests they take a break, Thunder is insistent they watch one more. So they watch the last video log in the box. Where it reveals what happened to Zephyr and triggers Thunder to finally talk about his true feelings.
Notes: Ayyyyyyyy, we are at the finale! This ended up being longer than part two. Not what I wanted, but I'm just gonna accept it. You guys get to learn how Zephyr "died" and watch Thunder communicate while I laugh from my chair of my silly evilness (writing this has made me almost cry multiple times). Oh, and sorry if the action scene is weird. I've only written a few in my fanfic career, so I'm still learning.
It was 3:55 AM. Thunder and Shiny didn’t realize what time it was nor how much time had passed. They only paid attention to the video logs and memory files. They watched… maybe fourteen videos so far. The two did try to be sparse with picking video logs and memories to watch… But they were still on Zephyr’s first year being active. And yet they, or more so Thunder, felt like that wasn’t enough to know about the deceased robot. And now, they could only watch one more log. “Aw man, why does this thing have a watch limit?” Shiny whined. “And low batteries? How do you even recharge this?”
“I am uncertain.” Thunder admitted. “We will have to attempt to solve this problem later. For now we must solve our current dilemma: what will be the last video log we watch?”
Shiny and Thunder thought for a moment. They both looked at the pile of video logs and memory files they chose.
“Yeesh, this is gonna be a toughie.” Shiny said. “Hmm… Maybe something that’ll tell us— No, we already watch something like that.”
“We have gained some knowledge and insight of Zephyr.” Thunder stated, bringing up a hologram list. “He was reserved except to those he was familiar with. He was very well loved by the staff of EDF, being a robot they turned to for opinions and mediation. He presented a pleasant personality to humans, but he was able to interchange it when battling kaijus for a battle-ready attitude. He covers his mouth whenever he imitates human noises. He hates upgrade day and news reporters. He loves nature and protecting Earth.”
“... Saying all of that sounds like we know a lot about Zephyr already.”
“But we do not. We have only watched fourteen of the selected video logs and memory files that we have chosen. And that is only out of the 362 video logs and 738 memory files in Zephyr’s box. We cannot get a good grasp of who Zephyr is— was with only fourteen self-chosen logs.”
Shiny looked back at the pile. That was a lot of math he didn’t quite understand, but he knew Thunder was right. Turns out there are a lot more video logs and memory files in two years than Shiny realized. Even thinking of those words started to make him feel sick. They’ve been thought and said too many times.
“There are many possibilities of what video log could give us another clue of who Zephyr was.” Thunder noted. “We cannot choose the wrong one.”
Shiny looked back at Thunder. The older brother couldn’t tell if this was helping his younger brother feel better or making him feel worse. Shiny thought back again to when he and Thunder first met. He was a jerkward, that thought didn’t change. But the dismissive part began to grow into more words.
Thunder wasn’t only dismissive. He wanted nothing to do with Shiny. The blue robot kept trying to do things alone most of the time. He wasn’t interested in a new brother at all. He would snap at and disregard Shiny for only trying to help. And again, Thunder did grow out of that. But now… he’s acting like he needs to know who Zephyr is. Like if he doesn’t figure it out, he’ll malfunction.
Shiny’s beginning to wonder why Thunder cares about this so much. Maybe from a little jealousy because Thunder is actively trying to know about his other older brother. Shiny didn’t get that same treatment, but that’s not the point. It was mainly out of concern. He couldn’t tell what was running through Thunder’s head right now, and that was scary.
“... Or maybe we don’t need a video log to tell us about who he is.” Thunder said. “Not if he’s still active.”
Okay, yeah no. Alarms are going off. Wee-woo, wee-woo. Shiny needs to be the responsible one and reign Thunder back to reality.
“Uh, Thunder?” Shiny spoke up. “What do you mean still active? Didn’t Creed tell us that Zephyr died in the explosion that closed the second O.R.T.?”
“You and I have faced far worse damage than an explosion from the Big One.” Thunder explained as he dug through Zephyr’s log box. “Zephyr is made from your blueprints and shares some of my features. There is no possible explanation for his termination, but there is one explanation of why he was assumed terminated.”
Shiny’s eyes widen: “Thunder, you’re not thinking—”
“Shiny, you traveled through the O.R.T. before and came back. Albeit you still exhibit amnesia, you were able to survive traveling through it. Plus you entered it before you received upgrades from Dr. Rose and Dr. Rose. If you could enter and leave mostly unscathed, what reason is there to not believe the same for Zephyr?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t have an autopilot protocol like you and Zephyr did! Wouldn’t it have made him go back to the base if he got too close?”
“Not unless he was caught in the explosion or Alex bypassed the O.R.T.A. protocol. And again, the explosion logically shouldn’t have destroyed him.”
“Why would Alex bypass the O.R.T.A protocol?”
“I don’t know, Shiny! I can’t find the logic in her bypassing a protocol she made out of fear. I can’t find the logic of Zephyr being destroyed by the explosion. I can’t find the logic of why Alex would never tell me about—”
Thunder stopped himself. Shiny stared at his little brother in shock and pity.
“I think we need to take a break.” Shiny suggested.
“Negative.” Thunder disagreed. “I apologize for my outburst, Shiny. I did not mean to yell at you. I… I only want to watch one more video log while we still can.”
“Thunder, I don’t mean this to be mean, but you’re not looking good man. You look upset. If this stuff is making you feel sad—”
“I’m not sad. Please, Shiny. Just one more video log. Then I will cease my investigation for the day.”
Shiny looked at Thunder in the eyes. He had a puppy-eye look on his face that Shiny folded into immediately. He knew this was a bad idea, but look at his baby brother! Others would have folded in too.
“Alright, alright, fine.” Shiny agreed. “You’re lucky you have the cutest puppy-eye look. What log do you want to watch?”
Thunder pulled out a video log and showed it to Shiny. It didn’t have a number on it, but it did have a title. One that made Shiny regret folding into Thunder’s puppy-eyes.
“Thunder, that says: Zephyr’s Termination.”
“Correct.”
“Are you sure you want Zephyr's death to be the last video log?”
“Presumed death. I reiterate you survived entering the O.R.T., so Zephyr could have as well.”
“I’m just saying, this feels like a morbid way to finish our sibling history lesson with his death.”
“Shiny.”
“Alright, alright, we’ll watch it. But I just want to make sure you really wanna watch this one.”
“Yes, I really want to watch this one.”
And so, the video log was put into the projector. The time was 4:00 AM.
— — — — —
[Date: 09/22/{ERROR}]
[Time: 07:00]
[Zephyr_Termination]
The EDF were preparing to set up their satellites for plan “Close O.R.T.” happening soon. The organization accidentally stumbled upon an unknown code after a kaiju battle, and immediately recognized it had something to do with the O.R.T.. It’d been a nonstop working cycle since then to get it closed. Alex and the scientists of EDF have been working on this plan for a good few months now.
They were all just finishing inputting the codes, and Alex was going over it with Zephyr. Both were in the hangar with Alex and Creed on the hover craft. She looked tired but excited, but Zephyr seemed displeased with the idea. He made many attempts to talk to Alex about this already, and he was about to try again.
“Alex, can we talk please?” Zephyr began. “I don’t think we should—”
“Zephyr, we talked about this a gazillion times.” Alex groaned. “I’m not postponing the O.R.T. closure date.”
“Alex, I’m suggesting that out of care and concern. You haven’t been the same since you discovered that code. Not to mention a few months isn’t enough time to actually study and discover what this code does—”
“We know enough about it that we can use it to end our problems forever.”
“How certain are you that this is gonna close it?”
“I am one hundred percent certain it will close it, Zephyr. We’ve studied and reran it enough to know this will work.”
“Based on what data? Simulations? Because simulations do not always follow real life—”
“Zephyr, do you know who I am?”
Zephyr flinched in surprise.
“You… You are Alexandra Rose. Head of the EDF—”
“Exactly! I am Alexandra Rose, head of the EDF and the youngest genius in existence. I think I know what I’m doing. I made you, didn’t I?”
Zephyr looked confused and offended.
“Alex, you know that I never argue against you unless I deem it necessary.” Zephyr said. “And right now, I think you need someone to tell you that this is a bad idea.”
“This!? Closing the O.R.T. is a bad idea?”
“Maybe we should calm down—” Creed tried to interrupt.
“You’re trying to close it with a code we still don’t understand.” Zephyr stated. “We found it by accident and found out it was connected to the O.R.T. by accident. And ever since then, you’ve been acting like… forgive me for what I’m about to say, but like a workaholic who explodes in anger if even the tiniest mistake is made. You’re overpushing yourself, and you’re overworking every EDF member here. I am lucky enough to need less time to rest, but you all aren’t. Every single person here is a human being who needs to eat, drink, and sleep. Including you.”
“It’s gonna work!” Alex snapped back. “Would you stop worrying so much? It’s not like you’re gonna be outside with us when it closes.” “... What do you mean outside?”
“You still have the O.R.T.A protocol activated, Zephyr. If you’re close by while we close it, your systems could start glitching. I and other EDF members will be outside to monitor the process while you and Creed are inside the base.”
“You’re going to be outside to close it?”
“Duh.”
“Duh? Duh? There is no ‘duh’, you didn’t tell me you were gonna be outside.”
“You didn’t tell him?” Creed questioned.
“Why does he need to know?” Alex asked.
“Alex, something can still go wrong. If Zephyr thought you were in the base, he wouldn’t realize it until we had to deploy him for emergencies.”
“Oh come on, Creed. The possibility of something going wrong is miniscule.”
“You’re being an overprotective hypocrite.” Zephyr spoke out.
Everyone in the room froze, and Alex turned to Zephyr appalled. He, on the other hand, looked upset.
“What did you just say?” Alex asked.
“You are being an overprotective hypocrite.” Zephyr reaffirmed. “How many times have you told me to never go to the O.R.T.? How many times did you remind me of the O.R.T.A. protocol? How many times have you used an autopilot protocol anyway because you thought I was going to deactivate? You won’t even let me be outside on the Earth’s surface that is miles away from the O.R.T.. Yet you are allowed to be outside to close it?”
“I already said the protocol could cause you to glitch! That’s why you can’t be outside. I need to be outside to monitor it with the other EDF members.”
“And you can’t do that from inside the base? You have to be outside?”
“We get better frequency outside.”
“We are in a government facility, that isn’t enough frequency for you?”
“You are blowing this out of proportion, Zephyr. How many times do I have to tell you it’s gonna be fine? Is your processor broken?”
“My processor? I’m the only one who realizes this is a bad idea and trying to tell you that, but I’m the one with a broken processor?”
“I made you to protect the Earth, not be a wetblanket babysitter.”
“You created me to protect every citizen of Earth, and last I recall: that includes you. You may be head of the EDF, but you are still a human being. Yet you want me to make you the exception? Why would I make you of all people an exception?”
“I can handle myself!” “You don’t have to, Alex! Creed is here to help. I’m here to help!”
“I know how to defend myself, Zephyr!”
“This isn’t about defending yourself!”
“Then what is it about?”
“You’re reacting purely on your emotions! Please listen to me, you are not acting rationally. You start getting jumpy or snappy or even both whenever I’m hurt. You always wave it away as concern, even when I get the tiniest of scratch. But that isn’t your brain speaking, that is your emotions speaking. You are not thinking clearly. You never think clearly when it involves my injuries or the O.R.T.. You act like I’m gonna disappear or go into the O.R.T. on—”
“You’re not going anywhere near the O.R.T. Shiny!”
Zephyr froze. Alex covered her mouth. Everyone but Creed looked away from the two.
Alex took a deep breath, still looking angry: “Zephyr, you are a Rose Type Guardian Class Robot. I made you to protect Earth. You are not a scientist or an engineer who can question me and my decisions. You are just a robot. You don’t understand anything besides what you were programmed to. You are Robot X-M47, not another Shiny.”
“... Alex—”
“You’re staying in here and that’s final! You’re not going outside!”
Alex flew off with the hover craft, Creed holding on for his life. Zephyr only watched, not saying a word. He looked hurt and sad. He was trying to calculate what he said wrong. Then he tried to calculate if his processor really was broken.
{ERROR:FASTFORWARD>>>}
The EDF was in the middle of the O.R.T. closing process. Creed was inside the base with his side of the EDF staff, monitoring the O.R.T. energy signatures and possible incoming kaijus. Alex was outside with the other EDF staff with the equipment set up. Alex still seemed a little upset since the fight with Zephyr, clutching Squishy close to her chest.
“Creed, we’re almost done with our side.” Alex informed. “Any incoming kaijus?”
“Negative, Dr. Rose.” Creed replied. “But we still have Zephyr on standby and ready to launch. He is currently watching the scene from the hangar.”
“You gave him access to the cameras? Creed, what the heck!”
“I know you’re mad at Zephyr right now, but that doesn’t mean I have to bench him in case of emergencies.”
“Letting him see that I was right is part of not benching him?”
“You do know it was wrong to not tell him, right?”
“Are you seriously taking his side right now?”
“You gotta admit, he has a point. You’ve talked to him a lot about not going near the O.R.T., and now you’re outside while he isn’t allowed to leave. Of course he’s gonna think this is unfair. The EDF and I all know you’re worried, and I know especially you don’t want a repeat of Shiny.”
“What’s your point?”
“You need to ease up on the bot. You keep treating him like he’s gonna run off to the O.R.T. without permission. Sure, he could’ve worded himself better. You probably could’ve too.”
“What was that?”
“What I mean is: he’s worried about you as much as you’re worried about him.”
“Let me guess, he told you that?”
“... Zephyr hasn’t talked since your fight.”
Alex stopped in her tracks. Hasn’t talked? That’s not normal for him.
“He’s been replaying the argument over and over. I’ve been watching him on his monitor screen. He’s trying to pinpoint every mistake he made, nitpicking every word he used, and running multiple self-diagnoses.”
“Why would he do that?” Alex asked.
“Well, that is part of the calculation code in the responsibility part. He’s been using his calculations to try and figure out how to respond to certain conversations since his first real kaiju battle. Right now, it looks like he regrets how he expressed himself.”
“... You got all that from his monitors?”
“I know I’m not a super genius or understand this technology stuff like you do, but I know regret and guilt when I see it. From the way I see it, he wants to apologize. And I think you should apologize too.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Young lady, you have to recognize that you said hurtful things too. Not to mention, you really are being a little unfair to Zephyr about this. Will you just try to talk to him after we close the O.R.T.?”
“... Fine. I’ll talk to him. But just so you know: I’m only mad at him. I don’t hate him.”
“I know you don’t, Alex.”
An error message began to show on Alex’s monitor. She looked confused, typing in a few codes to get rid of the error. But that didn’t work. More error messages began to show up. The machine began to glitch and spout small electric bolts. Alex backed up and looked around. Everyone is having the same problem as her.
That’s when the emergency alarm went off. The winds blew harshly and the sky turned dark. A strange energy began to pop in and out of existence not too far from the EDF members and Alex.
“Alex, we’re getting two O.R.T. energy signatures!” Creed said over the comms. “What’s going on out there?”
Within a few seconds, a new O.R.T. appeared in front of Alex and her team. Strange plants began to grow out, and weird animals ran out. The team began to scream and scatter as the new alien invaders began to cause destruction.
“Creed, I think we opened a new O.R.T..” Alex said, trying to figure out how this is happening.
“Alex, get back to the base immediately.” Creed ordered. “Team, deploy Zephyr— What do you mean he’s already gone?”
One of the creatures almost pounced on Alex until it was shot out of the way. Zephyr landed and immediately began to act.
“EDF staff, retreat to the vans immediately.” Zephyr ordered.
Rescue vans pulled in shortly after, and the EDF members began making their way to them. Except for Alex. She watched her robot shoot at every creature that came out. Some of them ran at him, and he quickly jumped to dodge. When he landed, he pulled out his spear. A creature ran at him again, and he stabbed it. He lifted it up into the air and tossed it at a group of creatures.
“Alex, this was not a suggestion!” Creed spoke through the comms. “Get back to the base right now! It’s not safe! These aren’t anything like the kaijus we’ve faced. These are… something entirely new!”
One the plants wrapped around Zephyr’s leg as he continued to shoot at the creatures. It tightened its grip and pulled Zephyr to the ground. It grabbed all of his limbs and started to pull him towards the new O.R.T. along with the other broken equipment. Alex watched as Zephyr struggled to cut the plant. He activated the rockets on his feet, attempting to either burn the plants or get enough force to break free. The plants lit aflame, and Zephyr broke away. He was airborne for a second before stumbling to the ground.
Alex saw Zephyr’s face screen begin to glitch. His entire body was shaking, but he still got back up. Another creature ran into him, but he held it back as best he could. He headbutted the creature and pushed it back. He tried to get distance from the new O.R.T., but everything that came out of it kept pushing him towards it. The glitch in his screen only got worse with every step closer to the new portal.
“Zephyr’s getting hurt!” Alex cried out. She ignored Creed’s pleas and demands to join the rest of her team, running towards her robot creation. “Zephyr! Get out of there! You’re gonna glitch—”
One of the creatures let out a screech and swooped at Alex. It didn’t grab her, but it got a good scratch on her arm. She let out a pained scream as she clutched her arm. Some of her blood spilt on Squishy.
It was that scream that caught Zephyr’s attention. He turned his head to see the injured Alex. She was huddling and crying on the ground. Zephyr widened his digital eyes, realizing Alex was in deep trouble. He tried to calculate what to do. He had to protect Alex, protect the escaping EDF members, fend off the alien creatures, try to keep the plants from dragging him away, and keep a distance to not accidentally activate his O.R.T.A. protocol. His calculation protocol kept thinking and rethinking of ideas, having trouble settling for one. For the first time since activation: Zephyr was panicked and didn’t know what to do.
“Alex!” Zephyr shouted. “Get out of here!”
A creature shoved a claw into Zephyr’s chest and ripped the metal plating out. He stabbed the creature with his spear and pushed it away. His power source was exposed.
“Zephyr!” Alex cried. “Go back home, please! You can’t take any more of this!”
The sound of a plane echoed throughout the chaos. Zephyr looked up and saw a plane going down and an EDF pilot parachuting out of it. He saw the Big One heading towards a city, and the stupidest idea came into his processor. He traded out his spear for his whip, and he started running towards Alex. He activated a button and turned his whip into a lasso, waving it around. He did everything he could to dodge all the creatures and plants trying to ambush him. He barely grabbed the Big One just in time, but he got a hold off it. He started to steer it towards the new O.R.T.. When he got it where it wanted, he let go of the bomb.
“Alex, watch out!” Zephyr shouted, moving Alex out of the way with his hand.
Squishy got caught in Zephyr’s hand as Alex was rolled out of the way. Zephyr looked up and saw the Big One mere seconds from his body. It hit him but carried him all the way to the new O.R.T.. He dropped his whip as the Big One went off.
The explosion was unlike any ever seen before. Alex covered her head as the sound and dust traveled violently across the land. The new O.R.T. began to collapse on itself until there was nothing there. All of the remaining creatures and plants that came out dropped dead to the ground. When all seemed settled, Alex uncovered her head.
She saw multiple corpses of dead alien monsters and wilted space plants. She looked around calling out for Zephyr. She couldn’t hear anything but a loud ringing in her ear, but she still called out to her robot. She couldn’t see him. There were pieces of him scattered about from the fight. Then she saw the now broken whip handle laying on the ground, emulating small sparks of electricity.
Her heart sank and her breath became heavy. She tried to get up, struggling to stand. She screamed and cried for Zephyr to come out. That she was sorry. That she should have never said those words to him, and that she didn’t mean it. She was wrong. She wasn’t mad anymore. She didn’t hate him. Just please come out.
Alex felt someone grab her, and she immediately struggled. She kicked and yelled to be let go. The pain finally set in, but she didn’t care. She wanted Zephyr. She cried harder as her body grew tired. She stopped struggling and fell into whoever was holding her.
Finally, she heard a voice: “I’m sorry, Alex. Zephyr is gone.”
— — — — —
The time is 4:30 AM. The projector died. Shiny and Thunder stared at the blank wall once holding the video log. Silence was the only sound in that room.
Shiny was shocked yet sad. He didn’t realize that Alex and Zephyr had a fight before his death. That’s the worst last conversation to have with someone you care about. Then he still tried to protect Alex, and she was worried about him going offline. But despite his panic, he was still able to close the new O.R.T. and save her and the EDF team… Zephyr sacrificed himself and died a hero.
Poor guy. Shiny knows he only knows so much about his first little brother, but it didn’t push away the sadness inside. Shiny wondered what it would’ve been like if it didn’t end that way. Of course, he would still call Zephyr his little brother. But it still wandered in the red robot’s head of what could’ve been. Most of all though, he wished Zephyr could’ve seen that they were able to close the O.R.T.. Just like he did. He’d be proud and happy, Shiny thought.
Thunder, on the other hand, still didn’t know how to react. He thought learning more about Zephyr would’ve… fixed whatever was wrong with him. The blue bot thought if he gathered more information, he would make sense of this illogical glitch within his system. But everything he learned did not fix the glitch, rather it made it worse. He thought that perhaps seeing how Zephyr was terminated would finally get rid of this glitch. But it didn’t. His glitch felt like it turned into a system failure.
“... I think I’m broken.” Thunder broke the silence.
Shiny immediately turned to Thunder: “What? Wait— What’s wrong? What do you mean you’re broken? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“Because I thought learning about Zephyr would fix it.”
Shiny’s eyes widened. Thunder’s expression and body language showed that he was hurt, confused, and… heartbroken. Shiny grabbed his little brother’s hand. Thunder leaned his head on his older brother’s shoulder.
“Thunder, you can talk to me.” Shiny spoke gently. “If something is wrong, I’ll help you. You just gotta tell me.”
“... You are more emotional than I am.”
“Okay, not what I was expecting or wanting to hear.”
“I don’t mean that by your immaturity. Despite being a quasi-sentient being with only simulations of emotions and feelings, you… seem to handle them like a fully sentient being. You are more in tune with your emotional reaction. You don’t have trouble expressing how you feel both physically and verbally. But… I do not have the same level of emotional reaction as you.
“While you have the ability to regulate your emotional reactions, my regulation is not as strong. I know I have repeatedly said that we cannot feel emotions since we are robots. Everything that is ‘felt’ is only a simulation input into my code. None of it is truly real, yet…”
“Yet?”
“Ever since the discovery of you and Zephyr, my emotion regulator has been glitching. With learning about you, I thought it was a minor glitch that went away. I had trouble managing my emotions and stress until I found a way to fix it. When I discovered that Zephyr also existed though, it was made clear the glitch never went away. Then knowing the EDF, or more specifically Alex, chose to keep you both a secret from me… the glitch had become some kind of anomaly system failure. I attempted to fix it myself, but nothing I was doing was working.
“I don’t understand what the error is. I am very aware every feeling and emotion is only a simulation code. Nothing I ‘feel’ is real. Yet… every emotion I am experiencing feels real to me. And I don’t know why.”
Shiny thought back to what Thunder said before they came in here.
“I still require your assistance. There may be other obstacles I may not be able to overcome on my own.”
Shiny realized what Thunder actually meant now.
Shiny pulled his little brother in a side-hug: “Do you think you can explain those emotions to me? I know I’m not as smart as you, but maybe we could figure out what this glitch is together.”
Thunder didn’t move, but he did speak, “It was different between learning about you and learning about Zephyr. When I first learned of your existence, I felt… angry and annoyed. When I got very little information about you, I was upset and felt purposely left in the unknown. Having you join me in kaiju battle only worsened my agitation, but I knew my opinion would be unheard. With Alex and Creed being adamant you should be in the field, although for different reasons, my opposition would have been voided.
“Yet I still attempted to voice my dislike of the idea. And as I predicted, my opinion was overruled. Shortly after your G.R.I.T.S. session is when I discovered the glitch. I attempted to find a solution, but neither Alex or the EDF could find an error. I thought I would have issues with my emotion regulator until termination, and I was frustrated… and admittedly I blamed you for my mysterious glitch.
“That is not to say I still hold those same feelings toward you. I learned to realize you were not the cause but instead something else was. I have grown fond of you during our time together… as brothers.”
“Aw, I’m fond of you too lil bro.” Shiny smiled. “And I appreciate you telling me that. But let’s get back to that glitch.”
“Of course.” Thunder nodded. “As I got more adjusted to your existence, I found a way to manage the glitch. I had assumed it disappeared since it didn’t appear as frequently as it used to. Until it came back.”
“When did it come back?”
“The day you insisted on investigating Hangar Base 123. After discovering I was the third Rose Robot and Zephyr was the Rose Robot before me, the glitch came back. It exhibited the same anger I felt when it first came. But I wasn’t annoyed this time, I felt… sadness. I was upset learning both of your existence was purposely hidden. Then without warning, I felt my emotion regulator begin to shut down. It was still active on the monitors, but it did not seem like that. While on the outside I barely responded, there was, figuratively, a hurricane of negativity inside me.
“I tried to get rid of it the way I did before, but it wasn’t working. I thought learning about Zephyr would make it go away. As getting to know you helped with lessen the glitch, I assumed it would work again. But as you can see with this failure of an investigation, it did not work either. And once again, there was no known error the EDF could find.”
“Did you talk to Alex about it?”
“... Negative. I’m unsure why, but I was unable to properly communicate with her. Despite knowing it was detrimental to not talk to her and went against my protocol, it became difficult to discuss anything with her. I’m aware that I’m being unnecessarily difficult. I acted as if I had system failures when there weren’t any detected. I believe some of the words used to describe my behavior were: ‘annoying drama-queen’ and ‘difficult brat’.”
“Whu-Why would you use those words?”
“My audial sensors were not affected, Shiny. I am fully aware of the EDF’s opinion of my unreasonable behavior within the past few days. While it is unpleasant, they are not wrong with their description.”
“You can’t just agree with them!”
“Why not? Is there any error with their reasoning?”
“Of course there is! Maybe you are being a little difficult, but you aren’t being annoying or dramatic or a brat.”
“... Please explain.”
“Thunder, were you upset that you were never supposed to learn about Zephyr?”
“Yes.”
“Were you upset you learned about me only after I came back?”
“Yes.”
“Were you upset that it took me coming back and us exploring a restricted area to know you had two older brothers?”
“Prototypes, but yes. Is there a point to this battery of questions?”
“Absolutely. Were you upset we were both purposely kept a secret?”
“Yes.”
“Were you upset that it was Alex who made that decision?”
“Yes, but—”
“Were you upset that she made you feel like you couldn’t handle knowing about us because you would end up at the O.R.T.?”
“Yes, but that is not logical—”
“Ah-ha! There it is. The problem causing your ‘glitch’.”
Thunder looked at Shiny confused and slightly annoyed: “Would you please explain? Without a battery of questions?”
“Thunder, it’s not a glitch.” Shiny explained.
“What?”
“Your emotion regulator thingy isn’t glitching or having a system failure. It sounds like it’s actually working fine to me.”
“Shiny, you are starting to make me nervous. What do you mean it isn’t glitching? What other possible explanation is there?”
“You’re hurting.”
Thunder blinked. He didn’t respond.
“And I don’t mean the kind of hurt the EDF can repair easily.” Shiny clarified. “The emotional kind of hurt. A very deep emotional kind of hurt. I’ll be honest, I knew that’s what was happening this whole time.”
“You knew that and didn’t inform me?” Thunder questioned.
“I thought you knew as well! I didn’t bring it up because usually you wait for the other person to open up about it. That’s why I’ve been offering to listen to your problems and hang out with you these past few days.”
“... I suppose that is logical. Continue, please. What is this ‘hurt’ feeling I am currently experiencing?”
“Uhh… Well, you’re kinda the only one who can truly answer that. I can make guesses, but I can’t pinpoint where you’re hurting.”
“I am having trouble pinpointing where in my emotion regulator I’m ‘hurting’ myself. Could you guess for me please?”
“Oh— Yeah, I can do that if you think that’ll help.”
“Affirmative.”
Shiny thought back to everything. From first meeting Thunder to all of the kaiju battles. From their merging and closing the O.R.T. to the discovery of Zephyr. The foggy pattern Shiny once had trouble seeing became clearer than freshly cleaned windows.
“I think you’re hurt because you were left in the dark. You felt like you weren’t allowed to know anything, and the reason why was unfair. Because Zephyr and I disappeared into the O.R.T., everyone else thought you would do the same. It sounded like you were told you would’ve acted irrationally if you knew we both existed. Like you’d follow us in our footsteps, so they didn’t tell you. Then when you did learn about us, you felt betrayed. An angry betrayal with me and sad betrayal with Zephyr.
“Angry betrayal with me because you had your life flipped upside down. You had to adjust to not being the only robot, and everyone expected you to be okay with it. Sad betrayal with Zephyr because… well he’s gone. You never got to know him like you got to know me. And everyone was, again, expecting you to be okay with it. But how could you be? You had two older brothers, and no one trusted you to know that.
“Everyone was expecting you to accept it, but you couldn’t. Because no one would talk to you and no one would listen. Maybe you feel hurt because you feel ignored. And that’s not something you can just logic or maintenance repair away.”
Thunder became silent again. Shiny started to panic, worried he either said something wrong or overstepped.
“Again, this is just me guess—”
Thunder interrupted Shiny by pulling him into a full hug. While surprised, he embraced the hug and hugged his little brother tight.
“Will this hurt ever go away?” Thunder asked.
“I don’t think it will.” Shiny answered honestly. “It’s one of those things where it comes and goes.”
“That is suboptimal.”
“Yeah, it is. But hey. In my opinion, you get through it better with family. I’ve had my fair share of feeling hurt moments, and I always find it easing up when I talk with you. Even if it’s an argument, you really help me sort through my hurt feelings.”
“You have moments of feeling hurt?”
“Of course I do. It happens to everyone, even bots like us. Even if it’s a… uh…”
“Simulation.”
“Yes! Even if it’s that, we still feel stuff.”
“... Thank you, Shiny. This has… helped me better understand my emotion regulator.”
“Any time, big lil bro.”
“Thunder? Shiny?” A voice called out.
Thunder and Shiny turned their heads to see Alex and Creed standing at the lecture room’s doorway. The two brothers immediately pushed each other away and straightened up.
“Alex!” Shiny chuckled nervously. “Hey, fancy seeing you here. I can explain—”
“It was my idea.” Thunder admitted. “I had woken up Shiny at midnight—”
“Oh, so now you admit you woke me up?”
“Shush. I was trying to find out how to learn more about Zephyr, and we came upon this lecture room that held his video logs and memory files. I had Shiny accompany me because I wanted his assistance.”
“You guys aren’t in trouble.” Alex said.
“We aren’t?” Shiny and Thunder asked.
“Thunder, I want to apologize to you.”
Thunder blinked in surprise, “That is not necessary, Alex. If anyone, I should be apologizing for my unnecessary defiance towards you.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Thunder. I overheard you and Shiny talking. I’m sorry that I made you feel like you were being ignored. I should have never kept Shiny and Zephyr a secret from you. I was so worried about you getting hurt, I didn’t realize that I was hurting you in the process. Even if I just wanted to protect you from the O.R.T., that doesn’t change how my actions made you feel. You deserve to know these kinds of things, and I promise I will be more open about any Rose Robots.”
“... Will be?”
“Please don’t tell me that tone and phrasing came from one of Zephyr’s logs.”
“We have watched fifteen of his video logs and memory files in total. It is a tone and phrasing I noticed quite frequently. Specifically in moments of you making promises.”
“Of course you did. Okay, how about this? I will try to be more open about any Rose Robots?”
“That sounds more optimal. And… I would like to hear more about Zephyr from you if you are willing.”
Alex gave the two robots a smile, “Of course. But first, let’s get back to the hangar. We still have a scheduled maintenance repair to follow.”
“Then we can have a storytime about Zephyr?” Shiny asked excitedly.
Alex let out a laugh: “Yes, then we can have a storytime about Zephyr.”
“Affirmative.” Thunder said, standing up. “Let us get back to the hangars.”
Shiny looked at Thunder. He was slowly starting to get back to his old Thunder self, and that made Shiny happy. He was glad that they did this. And he was glad Thunder felt safe enough to talk about his feelings with his older brother. Though hopefully next there won’t be anybody eavesdropping.
“By the way, how did you two find this room?” Creed asked. “We have a strict security route at night, and this room has an extremely difficult password system we change every month.”
Thunder covered Shiny’s mouth: “That is classified information locked behind a ‘brother code’.”
“Really? After the whole keeping your brothers a secret escapade, you’re gonna pull that?”
“Let them have this, Creed.” Alex said. “We kinda deserve it anyways.”
“But—”
“Creed, how rare is it for Thunder to use the word ‘brother’ like that? We’re just gonna let it go for now.”
“Alright, fine. But I will find out one way or another.”
Alex and Creed began to walk towards the hangar. Thunder and Shiny followed, but from a distance to have a private conversation.
“Why didn’t you tell them about Zephyr’s invisible ink graffiti?” Shiny whispered.
“Zephyr had worked hard to keep his ‘graffiti’ hidden from the EDF staff, Creed, and Alex.” Thunder explained. “I thought it would be best to respect his wishes and keep it hidden for him.”
“You sneaky weirdo. Told you you have a secret soft side.”
“I have no idea what you are referring to.”
Yep, old Thunder is definitely coming back.
“Sure you don’t.” Shiny smirked before remembering something. “Oh, that reminds me: do you actually think Zephyr is still alive?”
“While I still find anomalies with the Big One bringing his destruction, I may have admittedly been acting from delusion. Looking at the video log, I had assumed he would have had enough time for the O.R.T.A. protocol to activate.”
“Huh, that is a good point. Hey, if he is alive and did make it through that second O.R.T., where do you think he went?”
“Unsure. We don’t know where you went, so there isn’t a location we can truly estimate."
“Yeah, that’s fair.”
— — — — —
On another planet far from the milky way, a campsite was set up in jungle terrain. The camp was filled with Kalaxian Empire soldiers who had one mission: capture the Metallic Plant Monster. For the strange greenhouse mechanoid held the most dangerous yet powerful artifact within its chest. The Kaiju Bloodgem. The camp’s leader, Overlord Admiral, was speaking to Supreme Emperor Tarn, ruler of the Kalaxian Empire.
“Speak, Admiral.” Emperor Tarn commanded. “What is the progress of Metallic Plant Monster’s capture?”
“Sir, we had another close capture today.” Overlord Admiral informed. “My soldiers were able to catch the creature off guard and subdue it. We attempted to harvest the Kaiju Bloodgem, but the monster grew more vines from its chest cavity—”
Emperor Tarn clutched his hand on his arm rest, leaving scratches: “You attempted to do what?”
“M-My liege, I do not mean to insult or question your orders. I had thought if we removed the Kaiju Bloodgem from its chest, it would be easier to capture it!”
“Overlord Admiral, I have had these conversations with every higher up by now. I care not if you think taking the gem will make him easier to capture. The Kaiju Bloodgem is his power source. If it's removed from his chest, he will be nothing but a corpse. I want that Mechanoid of a Plant Ecosystem alive. Unless you can find a way to replace the Kaiju Bloodgem or have quick enough ships to return him to me, I advise you to leave the gem in his chest upon capture. Do I make myself clear?”
“O-Of course, Supreme Emperor Tarn. I will not let you down.”
“Good. And be weary, Admiral. The pathetic resistant robot and his brother found a way to close the O.R.T. on Earth. Who knows what their next move will be.”
Emperor Tarn ended the transmission, and Overlord Admiral let out a breath of relief. What he didn’t know was that there was a kaiju outside listening to the conversation.
“Earth closed the portal from the empire?” She gasped. She quickly flew away and deep into the woods.
The kaiju traveled deep, reaching a ruined temple where other kaijus resided. Hidden in the dark was a pair of green eyes with a purple glow below it. The green eyes looked tired though, as if he was just about to rest.
“Axtric?” The green eyed creature spoke. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“The portal has been closed on Earth.” Axtric told the creature. “It’s gone.”
“It is? How?”
“It would seem the resistance had sent two mechanoid brothers on Earth. I’m not sure how the mechanoids did it, but that is what the empire’s emperor said.”
“... So Earth will be alright?”
“Not for long. This is the first time one of the empire’s portals was closed. It will become a target soon.”
The green eyes turned sad. His head turned away.
Axtric stepped closer to the creature: “Look at me, my friend. You mustn’t forget what I promised you. You have done so well so far keeping the Kaiju Bloodgem safe. If you choose to return to Earth, you will still be continuing your trial.”
“But I won’t remember I’m doing the trial.”
“With or without your memory, I know you will prove worthy to the gem. You are correct though. Once you return to Earth, all of your memories regarding it and us will be locked away. That is something we have all accepted by now.”
“It wouldn’t be trouble for you and the others to open another O.R.T.?”
“Of course not. And I can assure you it won’t be like the last time it opened.”
“... If I did go back to Earth, would you be alright leaving me a message? Just so I’m not completely lost.”
“Of course, my friend. Is there a place you would want me to store it?”
The creature reached inside his open chest and pulled something out. Out in the light, a vine-like purple hand presented itself to the kaiju. He held out a worn-out blue squid plush to the kaiju.
“I think this would be the best place to hide it.”
“The strange plush?”
“It’s an obvious place for a message. Trust me.”
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