The FourthState Protocol

Starting From Scratch

The next day, listening to how his engineers were all clucking in distress for not noticing how bad his injuries truly were made Big Red feel like the biggest piece of shit this side of the cosmos. He just kept his head hung low as they stripped away all the coverings he had been using to hide the fracturing. He tensed up when they got down to taking his pants off, they hadn't had a reason to take those off since he'd returned post-infection and he was hiding an even bigger secret there. When they took the pants off he could hear Harman and a few others hitting the floor in shock. TV was stood there as support but Big Red wished he wasn't seeing any more than he had already, Big Red was so ashamed.

As TV watched he saw the pants come off but Big Red's legs looked all wrong. He had some plating there in places to keep the leg shape but he also had huge gaping holes where there was meant to be different bits of his legs, only wiring and the metal skeleton could be seen, no protection for any of his parts at all. Thinking back to when he had had his hand on Red's leg he must have had it on a piece of plating because he doesn't remember there being anything wrong under his fingers. Watching Harman get up off the floor, TV spoke up.

"Harman, you don't need Red himself in his frame while you take notes on all the damages do you? Wouldn't it be easier if he was out of his frame in core form so you can investigate properly and it wouldn't hurt him even more then?"

"Yes, yes it would be easier for everyone if he weren't in his Titan frame. Then we know we're not hurting him further. Right now, I think we're all too scared to start doing anything seeing all this damage, we didn't know. We should have known. I should have known." Putting a hand up to Harman to stop him breaking down further at the sight of his Titan's damage, TV just shook his head slightly at him. Harman, seeing how much more hunched up Big Red got hearing how he was lamenting, put his hands to his face plate in horror at adding to his dearest Titan's trauma.

"Red, c'mon, out of there and while they fix your frame up I'll take you back to the plateau or even Blue's if you want. Doesn't matter to me where we go but we're leaving here while they fix your frame up." Hearing Big Red's frame starting to shut down immediately after saying that to him, TV cupped his hands just under Big Red's core entrance so he didn't have far to go when he emerged from his frame. As the little plasma core form dropped out of his core entrance into TV's hands, TV watched as Big Red curled in on himself in shame. Bringing him close, TV used a finger and gently stroked Big Red to make him look at him. "Where do you want to go?"

"Away, don't like the looks. Please, just anywhere away from here." Seeing Big Red was getting more and more agitated, he looked at Harman and Metz and then vanished with Big Red in his hands.

As the two Chief Engineers got to work, the sheer list of damages became apparent and they both knew they would need more help than what was currently there. Speaking briefly to Bayer and Alice on the comms and informing them of the situation, they all agreed that Big Red needed to be a priority and started gathering up materials and more help. Getting some TV units to help teleport them over to the Speakermen's main base and Big Red's own hangar, Polycephaly also helping by teleporting a large container filled with supplies as well as helpers a few times. Everyone was struck dumb at the sight of what the Sound Titan had been hiding from them all, all this time. It helped steel everyone's resolve however, they were going to make sure he was fixed and like new when they were all finished. However, because TV had taken Big Red's core form off elsewhere meant Blue and Vex couldn't quickly teleport there but after getting the co-ordinates and checking with Alice that pulling Vex along at supersonic speeds wouldn't harm her or her Elites, Blue decided he would fly there, Vex in tow as well as his polishing/cleaning kit. When he was shown how bad his best friend's body had been, he had wanted to do something, anything to help. It would only take them a couple of hours to get there thankfully.