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Er-r-rr-rrrr-ror…” A few glitches sound out of the sparking voice box of Gemerl after a punch into his face that was thrown by Omega.
“VICTORY!” The badnik whirls his torso in triumph as the gizoid collapses to the ground. “I HAVE AVENGED MYSELF AND BROKE YOUR AGGRAVATING WINNING STREAK!” He stomps to Gemerl and stares down at him, waiting for the reborn gizoid to arise from the ground. Except, there is no movement from the smaller robot.
Omega stomps in anger. “I SAID, I HAVE AVENGED MYSELF AND BROKE YOUR AGGRAVATING WINNING STREAK! NOW GET UP AND LET ME GLOAT!”
He flicks a clawed finger against one of Gemerl’s boots. The movement produced is due to the force he used, not from Gemerl moving one of his limbs. Then, rather impatiently, he reaches his full hand down and grasps around Gemerl’s torso, jerking him violently against the ground. His blue eyes flicker on and off for a moment, yet no other acknowledgement of Omega’s win is given.
Omega roars in impatience and yanks Gemerl to his feet by an arm. “STAND UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR DEFEAT!” He grasps his shoulder joints in both of his claws and shakes him once more, then lets him stand on his own. Another flicker of light shines from his eyes before Gemerl falls back to the ground, limbs sprawling out as if he were a lifeless puppet.
Omega then reaches down once more and lifts his body into the air, noticing the lack of movement in any of the gizoid’s extremities. “GEMERL.” He says sternly, then begins to shake him again. “GEMERL!” The angry methodical shaking soon becomes interlaced with panicked irregular jerks. Omega stops all at once, eyes boring down in growing alarm as his sparring partner’s eyes remain dim.
“GEMERL!!” Omega’s voice raises in higher pitch as he turns the robot around in his claws frantically. He spies a panel on his back and he quickly claws at it, bending the edge slightly as it pops open to reveal his manual operation switches.
Omega quickly presses his power button and watches as the flickering interface within the plating dims. He presses the button once again and the interface lights up with greater stability. A few clicks are heard within Gemerl’s chassis and his blue eyes flash on. A few fingers from his hands twitch and the gizoid moves his head in the direction of the E-Series robot.
Omega stills the anxiety in his processor that he would never admit he had as he watches Gemerl’s gaze switch from his eyes to the claws holding him more tenderly than normal after their usual violent display. If he notices, he makes no desire to acknowledge it. “Syste-em restart: Success. System fu-uu-unctions: 75% offline. Prognoooo-osis: Internal dam-”
“DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN.” Omega cuts the gizoid’s vocal scan analysis short and brings him up to his face. What is an attempt to intimidate, sounds much more like a static cry intermingled with twinges of anger and relief.
“Apologies. I had no-o control.” Gemerl’s eyes lower to the rest of his body. He kicks with one leg but not the other. “It seems my motor capabilities are malfunctioning. Substantial maintenance is required.”
“HA!” Omega quickly hides any sense of worry he had by gloating about his win, his original plan. “THIS UNIT’S DESTRUCTION CAPABILITIES RENDERED YOU INCAPACITATED! COMMENCING INESCAPABLE BOASTING!” The badnik then starts trudging in the direction of Tails’ workshop with the limp gizoid hoisted over his shoulder.
True to his word, Omega yaps about his win to the smaller robot on the way there. But instead of responding with his normal witty quip, Gemerl remains oddly silent which causes Omega’s distress to return as the distance closes between them and their destination.
“SAY SOMETHING!” He yells finally. Then brings the gizoid back in front of his face with one hand around his torso and finger pointing accusingly in his face.
“You went too fa-ar this time.” Gemerl replies coldly and his head swivels languidly to look the badnik in the eyes. “And you know i-it.”
Whatever sound comes from Omega’s voice box terminates suddenly and he hastens his footsteps, rotating his head away from gizoid’s gaze in shame.
“I am…not well…” Gemerl continues. “My physical status nor my proce-essing unit. I…” He trails off and looks at the ground, then remains silent for a few seconds before wobbling his head. “No, put me on the ground. I-I will send a request for my fa-amily to retrieve me. Maintenance can wa-ait.”
This odd request stops Omega in his tracks and he forces himself to look the gizoid back in the eye, hiding whatever other emotions he is feeling behind his anger. “NEGATIVE. MAINTENANCE IS PRIORITY!”
“Maintenance is no-ot what I desire right now. I want to be with my fa-amily. Put me down and leave.” His voice box begins to spark again.
“WHY?!”
“I am in…pain.” Gemerl says finally after a second, not expecting Omega to understand.
There are a few clicks within Omega’s chassis. “ANALYSIS SCAN INDICATES YOUR PAIN SENSORS ARE INACTIVE. EXPLAIN.”
“Pain is not radiating from pain sensors.” Gemerl and Omega hold intense eye contact with each other for a moment as the gears turn within the larger robot’s processing unit. There is a roar of jet engines as Omega makes a quick change in his route and Gemerl rolls his head around astonished to see that they were no longer heading towards Tails’ abode, but Vanilla’s house instead.
“Ome-ega?” The gizoid asks, but receives no answer as the larger robot drives forward in haste. Omega brings the smaller robot closer to his chest and supports him with one hand below his back, and another underneath his legs. Once he arrives at the front porch, he halts his momentum and pounds on the door. The knob twists and out walks Vanilla to the sight of two very dented robots, Gemerl incapacitated in Omega’s arms.
“Oh dear! What happened?!”
“Va-anilla-” Gemerl begins but his voice box cuts out suddenly and spills out sparks across her deck.
“GEMERL IS DISABLED.” Omega explains in his place, and holds him out to the mother Rabbit.
The mother rabbit frowns. “No doubt your doing.” The E-100 unit looks at the deck awkwardly as Gemerl reaches out to Vanilla in desperation. She grasps his hands tightly and hugs him as much as she can. “I’m so sorry Gemerl.” She begins with a sad expression in her eyes. “You know I'm not strong enough to carry you despite how much I wish I could.” She then turns back to Omega. “Can he walk?”
“NEGATIVE.”
“N-no-o-o…” A garbled sound makes its way out of Gemerl’s voicebox before it dissolves back into static.
“Oh dear. Could you bring him inside for me?” Omega dips his head once in response. As Vanilla opens the door wider to allow the badnik to maneuver his width in, he pulls the gizoid tighter to his chest plating to keep him from catching on the door frame. The larger robot’s footsteps shake the house as they quickly hurry past Cream and Cheese’s play area. Once Cream realizes it is Gemerl she rushes over in concern, but her mother stops her and promises she could visit him later.
Vanilla leads him down the hall to a door adorned with a shape similar to Gemerl’s three-pronged swoop.
Vanilla pushes the door to Gemerl’s room open and Omega takes a short moment to look around. Along the far wall there is a TV and a bookshelf displaying various books with random titles. Pressed against the opposite wall is a yellow and blue bed, fitted with sheets and a Chao pillow. Peeking out from underneath is a closed bin labeled comic books and few other nondescript items just shoved haphazardly underneath. The main floor is clear of items except for a Chao rug to match the pillow and the walls are bare save for a few picture frames holding paintings.
As Vanilla rushes to the bed and upends the covers, Omega’s eyes fixate on the art pieces lining the walls. Upon closer inspection once Vanilla beckons him over, each one is signed by none other than the gizoid himself.
“Set him here please.” Omega felt silly laying his sparring partner across a bed made for meatbags and yet the servos Gemerl still had control over seemed to relax once his head hit the little Chao pillow. He slips his claws out from beneath Gemerl’s torso and legs, then Vanilla covers the rest of his body leaving only his head above the comforter.
“Thank you Omega.” Vanilla bows in gratitude. “I won’t take up anymore of your time.” The larger robot takes one last look at the tucked in gizoid, before turning away. He is about to follow the mother rabbit out of the room when he receives a message along his internal screen.
“Stay.” It reads, stopping the badnik in his footsteps. The message continues. “Be my voice for just a moment, please.” Omega turns back Gemerl’s way, narrowing his eyes as the smaller robot’s head rolls in his direction. Reluctantly, Omega gives into his request.
“MESSAGE RECEIVED.” Omega begins and Vanilla quickly turns around to face him. “I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO STAY. HIS REQUESTS WILL BE MADE THROUGH ME.” The badnik’s voicebox shakes the house but Vanilla still smiles all the same.
“Oh! Of course! Thank you. What does he need?”
Thankfully, Omega doesn’t have to wait long for Gemerl’s response, considering they are within earshot of his bed.
“My polish cloth and a refill of coolant would be appreciated. Please send for Cream as well.”
Omega relays the outlandish request to Vanilla who quickly races away to get the items and sends Cream bounding down the hallway. She races past Omega and stops just short of Gemerl’s bed. “Gemerl Gemerl! Are you okay?!” The gizoid’s head moves towards her and his fingers twitch under the blanket, but that is the only acknowledgement he can give her.
“GEMERL IS INCAPACITATED AND CANNOT SPEAK. AFTER REPAIRS, HE WILL BE FINE.” Omega attempts to console Cream’s worry and crosses his arms, annoyed that Gemerl would choose to delay maintenance just to be with his family.
“Oh. Should we bring Mr. Tails over so he can fix you up?”
Gemerl gives the slightest shake of his head and Cream frowns. “Why not?”
“I am currently in the process of repairing the state of my processing unit and the emotions within. I will worry about my physical status later.”
“HE IS A CRYBABY BECAUSE I WON OUR SPAR.” Omega brashly translates for Cream earning a side glare from Gemerl.
Cream stomps a foot. “That's not true! Gemerl is strong.”
“I would rather use the term crybaby to describe your poor sportsmanship during my winning streak. You do not take light teasing well.”
Omega barely reads his message, closing the tab as soon as it pops up.
“I bet you're hurting because Mr. Tails just installed that new software into you so you could feel our hugs better!” Cream presses her forehead against Gemerl’s. His eyes close and he weakly returns the gesture. One of her hands pulls back his covers and she grips his fingers. They spasm in return. “If hugs feel better for you now, I wonder how much worse punches feel.”
“Much worse than they used to.”
Omega’s fists ball up in rage at this news. The utter shock and horror he experienced when Gemerl would not respond to his stimuli and his overreaction to Gemerl’s possible termination. It could all have been avoided if Gemerl had notified him of this upgrade. “AND YOU ELECTED TO OMIT THAT INFORMATION?” Omega moves to scold Gemerl in the face, but Cream quickly stands between them with her arms spread out.
“Leave him alone!”
“An oversight on my part. Apologies. I did not realize it would have the effect it did.”
“I SHOULD HAVE SUSPECTED THAT SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT. YOUR ‘PLAYFUL’ ATTEMPTS TO HUMILIATE ME BETWEEN YOUR WINS ENRAGED ME. YOU ARE NOT NORMALLY SO ANNOYING.”
“This unit was carried away by your adorable flailing.”
“ADORABLE?!” Cream’s gaze switches between her guardian and the badnik during their seemingly one-sided conversation, when Omega’s odd exclamation sends her into a fit of giggles. He sounds so appalled that anyone would find him, the ultimate robot, adorable in any capacity.
“Of course. Do you not also find delight in my desperation when I am pinned to the ground, barely fending off that ‘ultimate power’ you consistently boast of?” Even without his voice box, Gemerl can still manage to get underneath the badnik’s plating.
The sound of quickening footsteps distracts either robot from responding as Vanilla rushes in with both Gemerl’s polishing cloth and the coolant he has asked for. She sets it down next to his bedside and begins to clean what dirt stains she can off of his chassis. “I’m sorry it took me a bit. I forgot where I put the coolant.” Gemerl nods to her, and helps maneuver himself as much as he can to aid in her task.
Omega looks away from him hoping to discontinue the conversation for something else. “Nothing to say?” Of course the universe would not be so kind. “Or would you rather self-destruct than admit you enjoy winning for more reasons than just proving your superiority?”
“PERHAPS I WOULD HAVE, HAD YOU TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR NEW UPGRADES IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOUR EPISODE COST ME MY LONG AWAITED ENJOYMENT OF YOUR MISFORTUNE!”
Vanilla looks back at Omega confused, then turns to her daughter Cream who is still giggling away. She laughs with her for a moment, before uncapping Gemerl’s coolant tube on his chest, refilling it slowly.
“I will give you a second chance.” The sincerity of Gemerl’s statement catches the badnik off guard. “It is the least I can do. You brought me to my family. And despite your strong desire to gloat and mock me for my misfortune you have yielded to my requests.”
“THE MOMENT HAS PASSED.” Omega lowers his body to the floor, resting his back against the wall next to Gemerl’s bookshelf. “IT WOULD LEAVE ME UNSATISFIED.”
Vanilla quickly finishes filling up the rest of the coolant, then caps him off. “As interesting as listening to half a conversation can be, I think it might be best to continue it in private. Do let us know if he needs anything. We’ll be in and out of the room for the rest of the evening.”
Omega and Gemerl nod at her in tandem with one another, then fully utilizes their internal messaging system, keeping eye contact with the gizoid as their discussion resumes.
“My offer still stands. You expressed worry and care, when you normally would not.” Although Vanilla walks out of the room with the empty coolant canister, Cream remains with them, gripping Gemerl’s hands with her own as she stands by him with concern.
“I WAS NOT WORRIED!”
“But you did care.”
“AND WHAT IF I DID?!” Omega leans forward in his direction. “IT WILL NOT CHANGE MY FUTURE INTENTIONS TO RENDER YOU INCAPACITATED! CAN YOU GUARANTEE THAT YOUR PAIN WILL NOT REOCCUR?!”
“...Negative.” Gemerl types out eventually. Omega throws his claws up in the air in exasperation, but Gemerl continues his thought. “However, there are ways we can circumvent my reaction.”
Omega raises and drops his shoulder blades in agitation. “EXPLAIN.” Cream can't help her giggles as Omega gestures in wild motions without words to her incapacitated caretaker.
“But, I first must admit why the ‘pain’ arose in the first place. Whether you believe it or not, I enjoy spending time with you.” Omega breaks eye contact for a moment. His shutters widen and he stares at the ground, very caught off guard by this confession. “I fought harder than normal today to render you helpless so I could enjoy a few tender moments with you before my inevitable ground pounding. I did not clearly state my intentions or wants, thus you responded with your usual behaviour, which added to my incapacitation.”
“DO NOT TELL ME YOU REQUIRE AFTERCARE NOW!” Omega points at him accusingly and blocks his vents with his other hand to hide the little wisps of smoke billowing up from them.
“I might like some, yes.” Gemerl responds and his eye flicks down to his vents, obviously noticing Omega’s growing embarrassment. “What I might consider playful, you consider annoying. I did not hypothesize how you might receive it.”
Omega’s cooling fans begin to hum. “THIS UNIT WAS NOT DESIGNED FOR KINDNESS OR EMPATHY.”
“Despite that, once you understood the situation you still held me with care.” Omega is doing all he can to maintain his angry persona, but even Gemerl can tell he is faltering by the large volume of smoke pouring from his chassis. “I said nothing at the time since I was afraid the moment might end. Then I requested the company of my family. I did not expect you to understand my distress.”
“I BROUGHT YOU HERE!” Omega responds, pointing a finger in his direction. “I UNDERSTAND PLENTY! HAD YOU EXPLAINED YOUR SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS ANGRY AND YOU WOULD NOT BE IN PAIN.”
“Agreed. I express my apology for doubting your capabilities.”
“I AM THE ULTIMATE ROBOT! MY CAPABILITIES IN ALL AREAS ARE UNMATCHED! HOWEVER, I ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY.” Omega nods once and the smoke within his chassis dissipates all at once. “ARE YOU STILL IN NEED OF MY VOICE BOX?”
“Affirmative. I am unable to convey my needs to Cream or Vanilla without speaking or writing.”
The fire alarm goes off suddenly and Omega’s exhaust fans blast to full volume to alleviate the room of the smoke. Cream holds her ears for a moment, but the alarm only lasts for a second. “WHEN WILL YOU ALLOW TAILS TO FIX YOU?”
“I was waiting until I had finished processing the pain I was in. Due to our conversation I believe I am…’all better now’, as my family would say.” Gemerl’s gaze shifts back to Cream and his fingers twitch just enough to squeeze Cream’s hand in return. She smiles wide, happy to see that he is feeling better.
“HE IS READY FOR MAINTENANCE.” Omega wastes no time announcing to the entire house.
Vanilla rushes in with a dirty dish in her left hand, half-cleaned and dripping with water. “Oh good! Should I call for Tails now?” She asks, laughing to herself once she notices she is still holding onto the item.
“NEGATIVE. I WILL BRING HIM TO HIS WORKSHOP.” Omega pushes himself off the floor with his claws and joins Cream at Gemerl’s bedside.
“We’ll come with you! I want to make sure he’s okay.” Cream brings her fists up in determination.
“VERY WELL.” Omega acknowledges.
“Query? Would you carry me like you did earlier?”
Omega looks down on Gemerl’s form, finally allowing himself to be soft with his sparring partner. “JUST THIS ONCE.”
Vanilla pushes the covers off of Gemerl for Omega and the badnik gently lifts the gizoid off of the bed by scooping his claws underneath his form. Omega notices the way the smaller robot nuzzles into one of his claws as he supports his head and maneuvers him as best as he can out of the house. It will take some time for Omega to get used to the gizoid’s newfound love of affection, but as long as he can still score victories against the gizoid, perhaps he could grow more accustomed to it in return.