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Continued from here

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"I...I can get there. I'll just go to the old place, if you're no longer there then....have someone meet me there and take me to your new place. I need to go."

There was a click as Proto hung up the phone. The bot glanced around, pulling his cloak hood back around his head. Earlier this evening the General had snuck out of the Tower in his disguise. The phone he had chosen to contact his father was a simple payphone, one he was now leaving and moving away from.

Hopefully Light was still in the same neighborhood. It wouldn't surprise Proto all that much if Wily actually -knew- where the Doctor was and simply refused to make a final move on him. After all, wasn't it just as satisfying to know he still lived, watching his City prosper under Wily's rule?

It wasn't all that long before the cloaked figure found himself back in the neighborhood he had been created. It was not the high-end houses of the inner-city but it had been home at one point in time. Now to see if Light was still around. Proto shifted his injured arm underneath the cloak and walked up to the door to the old House of Light.

There was no knock...just the whistled tune from earlier on the message. If his Father was here, surely he'd answer to that. If not..he'd move on to continue his search.

Proto took a step back...not because he wanted to leave, but because he was startled at just how -quick- Light had answered the door. He made no move to enter the hug, only moving in once the path was clear. His movements were very...guarded. This was a bot who had to fight for his life before, and at the moment he looked ready to do it again.

An unreasonable reaction considering who he was in the presence of. But there was a chance -others- were around...Light was a builder of robots after all.

His vision was flickering, torn between how he remembered this place and how it looked today. God damned memory glitches. Uncomfortable, Proto shifted on his feet a bit before moving to pull off his cloak. The first of the damage would be quite easy to spot, namely the wrecked up arm suspended in a sling, damaged chest panels...

...and his stupid blue ears.

Proto almost brushed off the help. His usual response to everyone else was that he was -fine- and it was nothing he couldn't repair. But...he had to hold it back. After all...he was here to seek his Father's help.

No...he had to confess just how bad this was.
"A Citizen did this..one of the rebels. He apparently got a hold of a rocket launcher and took a shot at Wily....I got in the way. ...Without my shield."

What a stupid move that had been.

"..There's something more though, something internal and it's screwing up my memory banks."
Proto gave a frustrated -growl-, one paw bunching into a fist. Really he just wanted to punch something. ....He was refraining for his father's sake.

"...I don't -want- Wily touching anything in there..."
Internal repairs were frightening. Proto was deathly afraid someone would, one day, open him up and simply reprogram him to be someone else.

The discomfort he felt was practically radiating from Proto. Still, he moved to go into the lab, and even went so far as to hop up onto a table. If Wily knew just how 'easy' this was going for Light he'd surely be jealous. Proto was known for putting up one hell of a fight any time he needed repairs.

It was not without it's difficulties. Light's son was busy trying to distract himself...and it wasn't working. Ears flattened back, and his tail gave agitated twitches all over the place. He looked like a cornered animal, ready to bolt or fight for his life.

Instead he forced his hands into his lap and did his best to actually -sit still-.

Proto's ears perked back up as the music filled the air of Dr. Light's lab. Blues music had been one of the first things he heard when he was awoken for the first time. All these years later it was still a source of comfort for him, and as the music continued to play he slowly started to calm. At least a bit.

Last time he had been here Light had been a bit more...happy. The situation in the City had been bad, but the 'birth' of Hope had been a thing to celebrate. His training had gone quickly, but Light had been supportive and rather jovial. That's how Proto remembered him. So when it was the more somber faced version of his father that broke through his scrambled memories and offered him the lollipop it was a bit shocking.

He shook it off, reaching out his good hand to take the offered pop. It was...interesting? The doctor actually thought to offer the bots variety by giving them alternate ways to intake fuel? Most simply sucked down E-tanks and went on their way...

But when Proto gave the pop an experimental lick he was surprised. It tasted great! And offered a more lasting eating experience than just drinking his fuel. With a slight tail wag, he shoved the thing in his mouth.

...Yeah, he seemed much more content than before.

Oh yeah, Proto was definitely side-eying that box of E-pops. These things were great! And....well, who knew when he'd get the chance to have them again. It just wasn't likely this was going to be a very extended stay. Light's first son had a lot of...trauma to deal with, and unfortunately most of it was Light's fault.

Still, he -had- come to him. There was some level of trust there. Or maybe it was just out of desperation.

At the announcement Proto nodded a bit and shifted to allow easier access to his arm. He was still a bit tense, but as the work continued and he helped himself to a second E-pop he seemed to relax a bit more.

"It was nearly off...I let Wily get it a bit more attached but..."
Well it wasn't -working-. It just sort of flopped around uselessly.

See! This was easy. Light was gentle, and since he had built Proto in the first place he knew exactly what he needed to be fixed up. Plus, there was no random blue fur being added to him. Always a plus!

One thing was of note....the repairs Light were doing felt...great! Not as stiff as when he repaired things himself. No, this was just as Light put it. Good as new!

New felt damn good.

There was an audible crunch as Proto quickly finished off the E-pop. It..had not been on purpose, rather that he just bit down as soon as Light mentioned the next repair. He KNEW it was necessary...but that didn't make it any more comforting to hear how it was going to be done.

The twitch was back, the red bot shifting uncomfortably on the table a moment before he managed to calm his nerves again. s**t. s**t s**t s**t.

UGH.

"Just...do it. Before I change my mind."
He couldn't keep going like this. The scrambled memories were making him weak, and this City didn't take kindly to weaklings. Still, even without seeing his eyes the discomfort was clearly written all over his face.

Proto was absolutely terrified.