WHATEVER IT TAKES | boboiboy ! cyclone [ ✔ ]

05 | EXECUTION

Now with the siblings and their teammates back in the space station, they were slowly beginning to adapt back into their old habits. Just this time, without Solar. The radiating joy that had once peaked was no more, leaving TAPOPS in a rather silent mess.

It has been three days since the day they had moved in.

"Solar, please come home." Cyclone whispered, hands clasped together in a whispered prayer. "Everyone misses you."

There was a gentle whirring in the background. The boy turned around, finally letting his hands drop onto his sides. He felt another presence in the room, almost taunting. "I knew you'd come, Ochobot."

"I'm here to stop you from doing it. I can't let you do this, it's too risky-"

Cyclone grinned, showing his pearly white teeth. "But that's why you're here. To prevent it from happening and making sure that Solar comes back altogether in one piece. You're here to help."

The power sphere sighed. "We can prevent this from happening."

"EmotiBot, I'm ready." He turned to the other robot, ignoring the other. "I need your help to temporarily erase all my feelings- including joy, happiness.."

"But it's the source of your existence!" Ochobot retorted, his tone panicked.

EmotiBot looked at Cyclone uncertainly. "Are you sure? Before I do this, you should know that the consequences may be risky. This might mean that the emotions might cease to return-"

"I know what might happen. Sooner or later, we're all going to turn into it. There's no point in changing later- I might as well speed up the process to bring Solar back."

"We still have other choices. Please don't do this. I thought of ways-"

"Yeah, no." The brunette declined, looking at the blueprints that the robot had clutched in one arm. "They might work, but they're not as fast or as possible as this one. Thanks for the effort, Ochobot." He chuckled weakly, smiling merely. "But I've chosen."

"Cyclone-"

The said boy shushed the robot, nodding to the responsible emotion manipulating sphere. "Start."

EmotiBot hesitantly started the process, crossing his arms as he enabled the extraction method. Ochobot looked away, staring at the floor as he dropped the maps to the floor. He couldn't bear seeing his best friend's core existence being sucked out- yet there he was to help.

"If I summoned him here," He grimaced, feeling the effects take place. Bit by bit, he was slowly being evaporated of joy- he felt ridiculously numb, for once. "They can all still fuse, right?"

"Yeah, they can. But-"

"That's all I need to hear." He hung his head low, groaning as EmotiBot proceeded to manipulate another emotion. "T-They can f-finally be happy again.. even without m-me." Cyclone coughed, feeling a rush of adrenaline as sweat beadily formed on his forehead.

"Just a little bit more.." EmotiBot voiced. "Your emotions are going to be-"

"Do it."

"Cyclone.." Ochobot trailed off, watching with sad eyes. "You don't have to do this."

"Don't stop me now, Ochobot. I know I'm selfish. I know I'm annoying." He held his hand up as the power sphere wanted to retort. "But I know what I'm doing and the risks I'm taking. I'm doing this for myself, not anyone else. So none of you should guilty for whatever might happen, okay?"

"How can you say that? You aren't selfish."

Sky blue orbs opened with a mismatched smile. "Don't bother me. I'm concentrating."

"As important as Solar is to us, you are too-"

"Stop." The tone dropped, a strained pain showing. "Stop talking. Don't say anything, please." He begged, furrowing his eyebrows. "Don't let me regret the choices I made. Don't make me think things the way I don't want them to go. I don't want to regret. Please, stop talking."

Ochobot stayed silent, finally giving up on the argument. As much as the bot wanted to stop the brunette from committing a so-called "suicide" mission- he didn't dare try anymore. Seeing how hurt Cyclone was made him think that even the boy himself didn't want this.

"Emotions stabilizing in two minutes." EmotiBot informed them.

He closed his eyes, exhaling. "Two minutes. Just two minutes. For Solar."

But for the sake of his family's happiness, he had to. Afterall, he was the epitome of happiness. Everyone relied on him, for his capabilities to cheer people up and brighten their day. It was now ironic as his only source of existence is casually being erased as a sacrifice.

Cyclone- no. He was no longer Cyclone.

Despite all the happiness, the laughter- the endless jokes and attention-seeking, he wasn't always the symbolism of his existence. Ever since Solar's death, it was clear that he was grieving in another way that people don't. He was acting, faking. He was the family's acting entertainer.

Ochobot scanned the boy, noting the changes taking place.

He wanted to tell the others. Stop everything from happening and disrupt the process before everything was too late. Before the power sphere himself could live in future regret.

But he couldn't. For Solar's sake.

"Emotion has been replaced. Happiness is now erased."