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The charging station's gentle murmurs were his only company. He could let himself sleep, of course, but no dreams would come. None that achieved higher meaning than indiscernible streams of code.
It was because his sorting algorithm was severely unoptimized. It had cost him one fight too many.
And so he scanned his entire database, again. It was easier now than when he'd started a few weeks prior. Some of his programming was internally editable - and it was that which bestowed sentience. He imagined his claws as a fine-toothed comb, carefully teasing out redundant code and repurposing snippets.
He did this for some hours, until he'd achieved a 0.4% improvement in biodata retrieval. It was his greatest time save yet.
When he came to, his body was hot. Uncomfortably so, as it made his movements labored. It was then that he realized that he'd been siphoning power much more quickly than he'd been charging. He'd have to stop there if he wanted to be of any use in the next day's mission.
He started his fan.
"Go to sleep, Shard," Harvey sighed. The owl was working in the neighboring section. The door was slightly ajar.
"Don't need it," Shard replied simply.
There was no response. Despite himself, curiosity sparked along his spines. Shard was well aware that Harvey worked late into the night but the two had never convened after-hours.
"Why are you up so late?" Shard ventured.
Nothing again. Shard unplugged. He could spare approximately 34 minutes of chatter before needing to resume charge for the morning. He barged into Harvey's room.
The area was well-kept. Harvey had few possessions - a portable blackboard, small bookshelf and an unadorned cot. One picture frame hung at the far end of the room. Even in this temporary home, Harvey kept more things than Shard had ever owned.
The owl’s desk faced away from the entrance, but Shard could tell he was rubbing his forehead. "I work better at night," Harvey eventually replied. "You're disturbing my peace."
Even now Harvey maintained an impervious air. Shard was impressed. “What are you working on?”
“An infiltration scheme.” The reply was immediate. Curt. Conclusive.
Shard paced until he stood squarely in front of Harvey. “Can I see?”
Harvey raised an eyebrow, finally looking up from his notes. “Charles neglected to warn me that I’d be a target for nighttime harassments.”
Shard shrugged. “Guess you don’t know me that well, pops.” He plopped onto a wooden footstool.
"Hm. Maybe we should fix that," Harvey mused.
Shard leaned forward in his seat.
"Could you print the log from your latest full-system scan?"
Shard obliged, projecting the contents of the 5-page document onto the clean blackboard. The information would be useful for an engineer, of course. It could succinctly tell you everything you'd need to know for the upkeep of his unique technology and moving parts. But for Shard, the data was hardly sufficient.
"This is from tonight?" Harvey asked, almost to himself.
"Yeah, that's why you heard that noise."
"And over there…it says the nine previous scans were done within the week."
Harvey scratched his chin. "I recall Charles saying that a report was to be generated every six months." He opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out an envelope. Shard recognized it immediately. General manufacturer's notes. Uncle Chuck's handwriting.
“It says that right here," Harvey confirmed.
"What do you think of the report?"
"I can’t read this."
Why’d you ask, then? Shard thought frustratedly. Harvey failed to look even the slightest bit embarrassed.
“Give me a blank sheet,” Shard insisted. When Harvey produced one, Shard lasered onto it the statistical output of his series of optimizations. Harvey was no technological genius, but he would be knowledgeable enough to decipher Shard’s less obtuse vernacular.
“This is what I’ve been doing. Over six weeks: 1.0% increase in power output, 2.4% decrease in data retrieval time, 2.3% -”
“Paltry. Now tell me - do you think this is worth the electrical footprint? Unusual usage will tip us off to the suppliers. Have you forgotten that this is a covert operation? That we’re harboring the king?”
Shard felt hollow. “That sounds a bit paranoid.”
“Careful planning is what kept me alive on this planet. I was one of the kingdom’s best, with decades of experience in the secret service. Don’t doubt my ability.”
“Then tell me how to improve mine.”
“We’ll have Charles take a look.”
It was the last thing Shard wanted - and an admission of failure. Chuck could access parts of Shard that he couldn't and effect more substantial changes. But this was something Shard needed to do himself. What good was he if he couldn't?
"I don't know what else Chuck can do. I'm still mostly Eggman proprietary software," Shard replied. It wasn't exactly a lie.
"Then do we invite Eggman into our fold to reprogram one of his deadliest creations?" Harvey countered Shard's feeble excuse. "Your uncle will suffice."
Deadliest creation. Harvey had probably intended it as a compliment, but it peeved Shard to no end. He was becoming increasingly certain that he wasn't powerful enough. And yet, despite Shard’s devilish charm, most regarded him as a weapon. Or maybe it was his charisma that betrayed him, for it reminded others of Sonic. And that he was not him.
"He isn't my uncle." But Shard's spiteful words rang hollow. Chuck had only been kind.
Harvey sighed. "In that case, I'd suggest scheduling in some more daytime training. Work with the others. This is a team, after all."
Shard gave this proposition hefty consideration. "Silver's psychokinesis has an interesting effect on my circuitry. If we worked on it, he could overclock my system."
"And I'm sure that system would automatically reject his interference. That's the only valid point I ascertained from your complaints about Silver. You could seriously damage your network."
Shard shrugged. His internal temperature still read that his body was overheating. He was running on backup power, which had a much less efficient energy conversion. It was uncomfortable…but he could get used to it. He tentatively reached for his power core, surprised to find that it was cold.
"Parts can be replaced. With practice, this system will become more resilient to magnetic flux," Shard responded.
"Is – what – you want?" Harvey's voice came in fragments. So too did Shard’s vision. Absent chunks of data were crudely filled with approximations from memory. The result was absolutely surreal, with some abstraction of Chuck's sympathetic visage superimposed on Harvey. They held out caring arms as if to hold Shard, and so he imagined his own furred hand reaching out. His fingers twitched in anticipation.
When they spoke, the voice was serene and unified. You can do it. I love you, S-
Shard savored every moment of the fabrication. With his power so dwindled, he was unable to record, but he couldn't imagine forgetting the experience.
And then he blacked out.
Shard was only offline for 5 minutes. He searched himself and found that his most recent memory was a rather disappointing conversation with Harvey. The owl must've brought him back to his room.
It was 3:26 am. The team would convene at 7:00 am. Shard had to sit still for a long while.
The charging station's gentle murmurs were his only company. He could let himself sleep, of course, but no dreams would come. None that achieved higher meaning than indiscernible streams of code.