Robot Ninja

Can this wait? I'm working right now. ((An RP blog for Archie Shadow Man, draws from Archie only.))

[fallvictimtomymetaldance]

"How odd… For once I find myself with nothing to work on."

[toserveanewmaster]

"Somehow I very much... mm... doubt that."

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

"……" Snakeman didn’t respond to Shadow, instead pulling him closer. He bit his lower lip. He was listening to Shadow, of course, but he didn’t have much of a response to formulate— especially considering that he was trying to hold back more tears, and speaking would damage that effort.

"Yes, I’ll stay with you." He agreed, nodding and looking down at Shadow. He was still clearly upset, and looked away a moment later.

It wasn’t long until they got to Shadow’s room, and Snakeman opened the door, leading Shadow inside and closing the door behind them. He flicked the light switch on, not yet letting go of Shadow as if doing so would somehow cause his brother to vanish.

"This is your room."

[toserveanewmaster]

This was his room? Shadow supposed it must be, it was in the right location, after all... but it was strange to see something supposed to be so personal and have no real memory of it, no knowledge of its contents. As much as he didn't want to upset Snake further - this brother he didn't remember was so hurt! - he shifted closer and glanced at him, expression uncertain.

"It... is?" He echoed, the words forming a question despite the fact that he was attempting to become more certain of the room's nature. "I---" he started to add, then had to stop abruptly and completely as the words he was searching for simply would not come. Frustration gripped him, then, and the damaged Master slumped a little, synthetic teeth grinding as he struggled with himself over the difficulty he was having.

A wordless whine of simple but powerful frustration escaped him, and he shoved it back before it could grow into something louder, aware that Snake - his brother, but what did brother mean, exactly? He felt safe with him, Shadow knew that much - would only hurt more with every sign he gave of being upset.

Were he human, he would be huffing by now, frustrated puffs of air that gave away every bit of emotional tension he was feeling... fortunately, he wasn't, and what would have been a glaringly obvious sign of his growing unhappiness was thankfully not present. Instead, he closed his eyes and searched his shattered databanks for the words he wanted, trying not to focus on the numerous errors and missing or corrupted data he continually ran across.

"Can... will... you --- tell me..." What was the word, what was the word?!? "...Things." Not quite, but it would have to do. "What I... what... I don't..."

...And just as the word he wanted started to load, a series of errors and fragmented, corrupted data washed over his systems and it was lost, buried and leaving him twisting in the wind with no way to end his sentence.

[afrozenmomentintime-archive]

FLASHMAN YOU NEED TO STOP BEING SO PRECIOUS RIGHT NOW

"I can assure you I am doing no such thing."

[toserveanewmaster]

"Do the anons assume things like this often?"

[toserveanewmaster]

"I have a bad feeling. I'm not certain why, or what about. It's just a feeling..."

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

QUICKLY LOOKS AWAY.

"There’s nothing wrong! Go about your business!"

[toserveanewmaster]

"If you say so."

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

you + shadow

“NO.”

[toserveanewmaster]

"That is disgusting. Snake is my brother and frankly I'm appalled you would imply something like that, anon."

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

((For Sadistic!AU if you want!)) "Please don't hurt me!"

Sadistic!AU

The DWN froze at the words that came from Shadow’s mouth— he wouldn’t dare lay a single hand on the third line with the intention of seriously harming them, and certainly not within their current circumstances.

He looked ready to move toward Shadow, and he did— taking a step or so forward, but stopping himself. Advancing toward Shadow would likely give off the impression that he was trying to hurt him.

"I’m not going to hurt you, Shadow." Snake said gently. "…I would never hurt you."

[toserveanewmaster]

The fact that he had managed to get out a whole sentence was enough to surprise Shadow, but he would have to deal with his shock later. Right now, he was too startled, too frightened by the faint memory he could now recall, and that was at the forefront of his mind right now.

"You..." he started to say, then closed his eyes and took a simulated-breath before trying again. "You hurt... the... blue... robot?" He ventured, voice shaking as he tried to pull at the defragged memory, trying to gather more pieces of it. "Fighting... I don't..." There were too many pieces, too much missing - he could only gather what he already had:

A little robot in blue, surely much too small to be meant for combat. And Snake...

"I don't... understand?" Why had there been fighting? Where was this? There was too little there, too little information. He simply didn't know what he was remembering, and because of that he was frightened.

[toserveanewmaster]

"I wonder if I could keep a pet... nothing that would bother anyone. Just... a little frog, maybe..."

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

Snakeman looked away after Shadow wiped his tears away, ashamed that he had let them fall. He felt guilty for sending Shadowman into a panic like that, which only strengthened his attempts to hold the tears in. They still fell despite these attempts. It was too much to see Shadow the way he was, to see him not functioning the way he should, to see him so worried—

The entire situation had been bad enough, but this…

Snake opened his mouth to say something and then closed it, thinking on what he wanted to say. “…I shouldn’t be upsetting you like this. I apologize…”

His voice was level in that spoken sentence, but he broke out into a short fit of sobs. Looking down, he took in Shadow’s words.

"I’m… still here… so… So…" he paused and frowned, searching for the words, then continued, "Be… here now… okay?” And he smiled at his brother again, hoping that this time he would feel better, at least a little.

He wanted to be happy that his brother was alive— and truly, he was. It was better than Shadow being gone for good, but the cost of him living was a cost that Snake had trouble handling, and Shadow had hardly been online for an hour or so.

"…I…" He cleared his throat, the tail on his helmet curling around himself a tad, almost timidly. "…I’m trying. I’m happy that you’re back online, Shadow, but…"

It was hard to drag his attention away from the fact that Shadow had been tortured and killed, and now he was living with malfunctioning systems.

"…" Would Shadow even understand it if Snake told him exactly what happened? His poor sibling was already under enough stress currently…

"…Let me…Let me bring you back to your room." He stuttered, letting go of Shadow but still keeping an arm around him as he walked down the hall, pulling his younger brother along with him. Snake kept his head lowered, at least trying to make sure that Shadow didn’t see the tears that were going down his face.

[toserveanewmaster]

"Me?" Shadow echoed upon hearing his brother's apology, and he shook his head. "No... you." Snake was the one who was upset; Shadow was only bothered by how torn up the taller robot seemed to be. "I"m.... okay," he assured, and nestled against his brother with a tiny smile. "Not... un...unhappy...."

He didn't fully understand what Snake was talking about, but he was happy to let his brother lead him through the hallways to his room - the longer they were out here, the more likely he was to run into more brothers he didn't remember, and Shadow wasn't certain he could keep up with more than one person at a time. "...Okay," he said quietly, and offered his big brother - how did he know that? - another smile.

"You can... come in with... with me?" He offered slowly, accepting the closeness of his brother and trying to comfort the taller robot however he could. "I would.... like... c-comp...compan..." The word simply would not come, and he sighed, deciding to change course rather than continue struggling with what simply wasn't going to compute. "You? ...Stay?"

Maybe... Maybe this brother could help him remember; there was obviously a lot that he was missing...

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

Snakeman didn’t hesitate in performing the action of nuzzling back. In fact, he kept at it for a bit, finding slight comfort in doing so.

"It’s…. okay," the ninja whispered, tightening his hug. "Not…. not your… fault."

"It was— Is." He replied almost automatically. He was the eldest of the third generation, and Shadow was one of the youngest. Snake’s job was to protect them no matter the cost, no matter the risk to his own life— and is had failed. "It…I should have been there…" He brought Shadow closer to himself. "I should have been there…"

He forced down a sob that was threatening to come out. He could already see how badly Shadow’s experience has affected him, even after he had been repaired. He was having trouble speaking, he couldn’t even remember anything as far as Snakeman was aware—

Was Shadow in physical pain as well? If the damages to his processor were this bad, then…It was very likely that it was causing him some sort of pain.

Snake felt as if he was going to collapse, legs starting to shake as he was standing. His eyes widened as he felt tears roll down his cheeks.

“I’m so sorry…" He spoke quietly, voice barely a whisper as he choked.

[toserveanewmaster]

No - nonono, he was crying. Shadow gasped and broke the hug so that he could try to wipe away his brother's tears. "No," he murmured, squinting subconsciously as he focused on pushing the words out. "Don't... cry." He wiped at Snakeman's tears and hugged him again, getting caught up in a nearly-frantic cycle of doing both in an attempt to calm his weeping brother.

"Don't... cry," he repeated, having to pause after a few repetitions of this to let his systems catch up with each other. Everything was so slow and sluggish - it was... frustrating trying to deal with this and his lost memories, and Shadow did not like it. "Not... like you," he added, blinking as he realized he knew this wasn't typical of Snakeman.

He wasn't sure how he knew - or was it remembered? - this, but he was absolutely certain: Snakeman was not, under normal circumstances, a crier. But that wasn't important - reassuring his upset brother was, and it beat out his own desire (need?) to sort through his tangled systems in an attempt to self-repair what little he could.

"I'm... still here... so... So..." he paused and frowned, searching for the words, then continued, "Be... here now... okay?" And he smiled at his brother again, hoping that this time he would feel better, at least a little.

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

Snakeman only tightened his grip on Shadow when he felt the other robot return the hug. His jaw was clenched, and he let out a shaky synthetic breath.

He looked down at Shadow when he felt his head move. Snake was trying to remain composed and calm, but said composure was fading away bit by bit. Shadow’s hand brushing against his cheek didn’t help that much, but regardless of that he moved his head to nuzzle Shadow’s hand. His eyelids lowered, his expression becoming very tired as he pursed his lips for a moment. He began to tremble slightly, growing visibly upset the more that time passed by.

"I know…That you’re here. I know that you’re here." Snakeman said, voice becoming shaky. "You…I’m sorry because you…"

'Because you were hurt and I wasn't there to protect you. I failed you.'

Snake had these thoughts, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say them. He brought Shadow’s head to his chest again, not wanting his younger brother to see the tears that were coming to his eyes. Would it even be right to tell Shadow what had happened to him? As far as Snake knew, Shadow didn’t recall any of it. Causing Shadowman more pain was one of the last things Snakeman wanted to do. At the same time, he would no doubt find out eventually, if it didn’t come from Snakeman.

His trembling increased. “You…Something bad happened to you and I wasn’t there to…T-To protect you…” Speaking was getting more and more difficult considering that the more that Snake spoke the more he was at risk of crying. “That’s why I’m sorry. You’re here now but you still got hurt. I should have…I should have prevented it.”

[toserveanewmaster]

There was something odd about Snakeman's explanation. A hesitation, a level of distress that Shadow could only assume was related to the memories he couldn't recall. The younger DWN did not like seeing this much distress, and for some reason it seemed wrong, especially wrong on this brother he didn't remember.

A soft warble escaped his throat and Shadow shifted his hug, wrapping his arms around the taller DWN's neck and nuzzling against him. He didn't remember Snakeman, but that didn't mean he wanted to see him upset. He nuzzled against the taller robot and crooned, a wordless sound that communicated more than his struggling words could manage.

"It's.... okay," the ninja whispered, tightening his hug. "Not.... not your... fault." He wasn't sure how he knew this, but it was an absolute certainty in his processor: whatever it was that had happened to him, it had not happened because of anything Snakeman had or had not done, but rather because "I was... sloppy." The words tried to catch again, his language processor locking up briefly before finally, falteringly, letting him continue. "Don't... blame.......please?"

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

Snakeman’s concerned expression didn’t leave his face even when Shadow tried to offer him a reassuring smile. No, he could tell that something was very wrong with his sibling. He ran a scan on the other, and already found several issues with his systems. They weren’t running at 100% at all.

"You’re not fine, your systems aren’t functioning properly." He said.

His brother’s question made Snake stop and fall silent. Snake’s eyes widened.

"…Snakeman." He replied after a long delay, blinking as it registered to him what the question meant. Shadow didn’t remember him. Did he…Remember anything?

Considering what Shadow had been through, it made sense. He had barely been saved, and it was a miracle that he had come back online. Snakeman had been worried about any consequences that could occur when his sibling was brought back, and it turned out to be worst than he had anticipated.

Seeing Shadow back away from fear made Snake tense. He was becoming more and more aware of the reality of the situation, and it only got worse with each passing second. He wasn’t sure how much Shadow remembered— or if he remembered anything.

He took a step forward, wrapping his arms around Shadow and pulling him close. He rested Shadow’s head against his chest, simply standing there and holding him.

"…I’m sorry." He muttered, giving a light squeeze. "I’m sorry…" He should have been there to protect him.

[toserveanewmaster]

So much was going on that Shadow didn't understand and couldn't follow. He listened to the other robot speak, and when he was finally - finally - given a name he could call the other robot, he offered him another uncertain smile.

"H-hello... Snakeman," he greeted, then fell silent as the taller robot pulled him into a ---- a hug? Yes, this was a hug. Snakeman must be one of his brothers. With that realization, the damaged ninja relaxed and nestled into the hug, accepting the comfort for what it was and simply trusting that this brother he couldn't remember would never hurt him. He was a brother, and that meant he was safe. 

"Sor...ry?" He ventured, pulling his head away from Snake's chest to try and peer up at him. His brow furrowed and he frowned, reaching up with one hand to brush at Snake's cheek.  "...Why? I'm...here," he said, hoping to get some kind of explanation for why this brother seemed so upset. "Don't... be so....rry? I'm... here."

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

Snake took a step back when Shadow jumped, startled at the action. He frowned when he saw how scared Shadow was, but seeing that fear replaced by confusion wasn’t all that comforting.

The softness of Shadow’s voice set Snake on edge, for while Shadow had never been one of his more outgoing brothers, he had rarely ever heard him speak that quietly. Lowering his hand down to his side, he looked down at Shadow, waiting for him to continue speaking before he asked any questions or continued speaking himself.

What his younger brother said seemed to confuse the snake-based robot, for he raised an eyebrow, looking partially confused and partially concerned, but mostly concerned.

"No, I don’t need any help from you." He said gently. From how Shadowman was acting so far, it would appear to be wise to keep his voice down low and his tone gentle. Shadowman had been through a lot, and Snakeman didn’t want to cause him to be more stressed than he already was.

"Are you…Alright?" He asked, knowing that "no" was going to be the answer. "Do you need anything?"

If he did, then Snake was willing to help out his sibling.

[toserveanewmaster]

So many words... Shadow had a difficult time processing them, and while his mind worked through the puzzle, he watched the strange probably-brother to see if he was going to say or do anything unexpected. The other robot seemed... concerned, and it was this that prompted Shadow's response to his initial question.

"I'm.... fine," he said, and offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Certainly, he was having processor trouble and his memory was mostly a blank, but he wasn't in any pain and had no real reason to be afraid. He didn't want this poor robot in front of him to worry more than he already obviously was - definitely not over something that apparently couldn't be helped.

When the second question filtered through, Shadow's smile melted into an uncertain expression, and he fidgeted, glancing about the hall nervously before a hesitant "Your...name?" escaped him. He should have known who this robot was, the stranger-brother knew him! - but he couldn't remember anything except heat, fire... pain... 

He winced and took a step back, fearful now that his question might upset - or even worse, anger - the robot before him. He had tried to remember, but the corrupted files hurt to keep trying to dig through, and he'd been online (again?) for such a short time, surely he could try to repair them later?

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

[take-a-bite-make-a-mark-blog]

Shadowman was back online.

While on one hand it seemed like a blessing, there was a heavy burden to go along with it. Shadow had died. He had been tortured, and they had nearly lost him…

Snakeman didn’t know what to expect when he’d talk to Shadow again. When he had heard that Shadow was online and alive, he had instantly set out to find his younger sibling. He had to talk to him.

He couldn’t stand to leave Shadow alone after what had happened to him, and as the eldest of the third generation he felt a strong protectiveness over his siblings.

The DWN eventually found his brother, no doubt trying to go to his room. Approaching him, Snake placed his hand on Shadow’s shoulder, making sure to be gentle. He simulated swallowing.

"Shadow…?"

[toserveanewmaster]

The contact more than the voice startled Shadow, and the repaired DWN jumped at the contact, turning quickly to face the speaker, fear obvious in his optics as he stared at the robot that had addressed him. The fear quickly faded, fortunately - unfortunately, it was replaced with confusion. 

This was... one of his brothers? Maybe? Probably, but he had no memory of this intimidating-looking robot. He might as well have been a stranger for all o the memory files Shadow could scrape together for him.

"A-ah..." he started, a soft, meaningless sound that did little but express his confusion and uncertainty about the situation he had just found himself caught in. 

"H-he...hello?" He tried, fighting to get the word out past a processor that simply did not want to let the operations needed to speak finish running. "Can...I...help...?" He was missing a word in that phrase, he thought, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was, and he frowned, wringing his hands together as anxiety began to raise its ugly head. Hopefully whoever this person was, he wouldn't be too angry at him for not remembering him.

[toserveanewmaster]

Family Reunion - Sadistic!AU

From the moment he first came online - the Doctor said it was 'again', but how could it be when he had no memory of there being a before? - Shadow had known there was something wrong with him. Granted, that had only been a short time ago, but it didn't change the fact that he knew. 

It was in the Doctor's eyes as he patted his shoulder, in the way spoken language was complicated and hard to follow - he knew it wasn't supposed to be like that, that it hadn't always been this way, but Shadow didn't know how he knew - and it was in the terrifying blank space that was his memory of a time 'before'. There was a time before, the Doctor had said so... but he tried to search for any memory files and all he came up with was corrupted, fragmented data that made no sense.

Straining to find something had only brought to his mind a dim recollection of fire and pain, both things that Shadow instinctively knew were bad. Bad things were not to be touched, to be investigated or poked at, and so he had stopped trying to think about anything relating to the blackness of before.

A few minutes ago he had been given the location of what was apparently his room in the fortress, and orders to go there and rest. He had been told he had brothers who would want to see him, but Shadow was... afraid to meet up with them. What if they didn't like him?

(He wasn't sure he liked him, with how much trouble he was already having doing simple things.)

So here he is, trying to get to his rooms in the fortress without running into anyone, and given the number of 'brothers' that lived in this place, calling it a challenge to avoid them all was an understatement. Still, he seems to be doing alright for the moment, and there is a small amount of satisfaction to be found in the fact that he has managed to avoid detection so far, even as crippled as his systems are.

[toserveanewmaster]

"I.... I may have overdone it a.... little that.... that time..."

[toserveanewmaster]

"My apologies, I was testing something, and I’m afraid I ended up a little… lost," the Wilybot said, and moved to back away. "I’ll get out of your way, now."

[rainflushed]

"Hmm… Shadow Man, right?" Toad Man asked. Shadow had been one of the ones he’d gotten along relatively well with, back when he had been programmed under Wily’s control… Of course, he didn’t realize that this wasn’t the same Shadow Man. "Just as well. One of your brothers dropped by- guess which one." 

[toserveanewmaster]

"Yes...?" Shadow peered at the strange robot, expression thoughtful - and somewhat confused. "Ah - should I know you, from somewhere?" He asked, wondering how this robot had recognized him when he had no idea who the frog-like being was. "As for which brother, ah... most of mine are rather... busy at the moment, so I'm sure I can't say."