Robert wiped his hands on a grease-stained rag and headed back toward the lab, boots dragging a little more than usual. The suit bay lights hummed softly overhead, too bright for how exhausted he felt. His gaze stayed on the floor as he walked, jaw tight.
The astral pulse had failed again. And again. And again.
Every diagnostic run blurred together at this point, malfunctions stacking on top of near-misses, feedback surges that rattled his bones and came a little too close to killing him for comfort.
It was exhausting in that quiet, bone-deep way that didn’t go away with sleep. Still, he kept pushing. He always did.
Because it was his suit. Because it was his legacy.
Giving up wasn’t an option. It never had been.
He was halfway through steeling himself for another long night when something felt off.
Robert stopped short.
Someone was standing in front of his mech.
Not Roy. Not anyone he recognized.
The words were out of his mouth before his brain could catch up.
“Hey—! Who the hell are you? How’d you even get in here?!”
His voice echoed sharper than he meant it to, and the stranger flinched. Robert had already taken a step forward, pulse spiking, every worst-case scenario flashing through his head at once. Unauthorized access. Leaks.
Someone figuring out who he really was—
“Rob—ROBERT.”
Roy’s voice cut in fast and loud, and Robert snapped his head toward him. The bigger man raised his hands in that familiar calm down before you blow a gasket way.
“They’re with me,” Roy said quickly. “Another mechanic. Brought in to help with the rebuild. Sorry for not telling you this before, mate.”
The tension drained out of Robert all at once.
His shoulders slumped, breath leaving him in a long sigh he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
Oh. Okay.
Not a threat. Not a fan. Not someone about to put Mecha Man on blast.
Just… help.
He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly very aware of how loud he’d been. When he looked back at the mechanic, his voice dropped, rough but sheepish.
“Sorry about that,” he muttered. “I thought you were just… y’know.”
He trailed off, giving a vague gesture toward the mech—toward everything it meant—before clearing his throat and stepping back to give them space.
“Uh. Welcome to the mess.”