Chapter 5: Proto's Decision

When Proto Man returned to where the other Half-Kins were, Blackwing had just landed. The Half-Kin had just had Blackwing lay so it was easier for their passengers to get off, and Mega was comfortably leaning against a nearby tree, Rush at his side.

“So who needed to keep up?” he asked Zatana. Blackwing rumbled something at Zatana, who laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“Blackwing said that she was in a giving mood and let you win because you’re new here.” Mega frowned playfully at the dragon, who just blew a little curl of smoke at him. An uncharacteristic chuckle almost slipped out of Proto’s lips - almost. He caught himself in time, confused. Since when did he laugh at things like that?

“Ah, Proto Man,” Dr. Light said, seeing him and approaching. “Have you decided whether of not to have your programming changed?”

“I have.” Mega looked over at him with a just barely concealed expression in his eyes that Proto had only seen once when he’d played the defector... Hope.

“And your decision?” All looked expectantly at Proto, who took a deep breath and steeled his nerves for what he was going to say.

“Dr. Light - reprogram me.” All concerned looked a mix of pleased and surprised. Dr. Light fortunately recovered first.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. And it should be fairly easy, since all Wily did was switch two wires in the original plans which disabled, at lease in part, the moral program that would’ve given you a fair decision. A quick switch and you will be able to feel all the emotions and comprehend the way you were supposed to. And I promise, it will only give you proper free will, nothing more.” He opened a compartment on Proto’s chest and swiftly switched two small wires near the front, then shut the compartment.

“That’s it?” Mega asked.

“For Proto yes. I made it a little more difficult to do the same to you, Mega.” The good scientist turned to Proto. “Now it may take a little while for the reprogramming to kick in, but when it does you’ll know it.” Already Proto felt - different. It was a strange feeling, not exactly new, but more pronounced. He shook his head a bit.

“Are you okay?” Mega asked his bro.

“Yeah. Just felt - funny for a second.” A noise caught his attention. Looking over, he saw a group of kids playing in the snow, building snow-creatures and making snow angels, laughing and talking about the upcoming pageant. Their laughter had an odd effect on Proto’s new programming.

“You may want to rest a bit,” Dr. Light suggested. “Just until the reprogramming settles.” Proto did feel a bit wobbly. Mega came to his side and slipped an arm around him, helping him keep his balance.

“I - might...” Mega helped his brother get inside and eased him into a nearby chair.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” The concerned tone struck another new chord in the red raider.

“Y-yeah. It’s just a bit of a rush.” He was unaware of it, but there was a slight reassuring smile on his face. But the gesture wasn’t lost on the younger bro-bot by a long shot.

“I think I’ll stay in here for a while,” he said, pulling a chair over. “Just to make sure.” Proto consciously thought that he normally could’ve said something rather biting, but this time he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. So he sat passively.

Mega saw Zentarou walk by, only this time he was wearing a dark indigo blue. He smiled at the Cat and called a greeting.

“Hi, Zentarou.”

“Huh?” The cat turned to look at Mega, and Mega saw that he had made a mistake. This cat couldn’t be Zentarou, for this new cat was much older than the younger feline twin.

“Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“My son Zentarou, I take it.” He strolled over to them. “Don’t worry. The three of us look so much alike that if we aren’t standing side by side we’re often mixed up.”

“I’ll say so,” Proto managed to comment through his slightly muddled programming, which was beginning to slowly settle down. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought you were either of them or a brother to them both.”

“Are you feeling okay? You look a little out of it.”

“It’s nothing,” Proto assured, trying to sit up a little straighter. “I’m Proto.”

“And you must be Mega. Zentarou has mentioned you both to me. I’m Zentor.” They shook hands. There was a noise from somewhere else in the building. Zentor glanced over his shoulder towards it and smiled slightly. “Ah, I think the women are busy in the kitchen preparing all sorts of Winter Fest treats.” He pulled over a third chair and joined the two. “I must say that Winter Fest it my favorite time of year.”

“Christmas, where we come from, is one of my favorites too,” Mega agreed. “But what do Half-Kins do around Winter Fest?”

“Well, today the tree will be decorated. Tomorrow’s the Eve of Winter Fest Eve, as the kids are fond of saying, and there will be a Pageant and Talent show, which is always fun to watch.On Winder Fest Eve, there will be a worship service for those who wish at attend, and those that attend will sing some hymns and carols. Then, on Winter Fest Day, everyone gathers around the tree for worship and afterwards exchanges and opens gifts there, as well as play some traditional games and enjoy the treats that there are to eat.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” Mega said, and Proto silently agreed. He felt a little stronger, and he felt a few more emotions growing powerful inside him. What he felt most now was curiosity. He could hear things and songs that he’d never heard or understood before, and a part of him wanted to find out what they were and what they meant. He sat up a little more.

“Feeling better?” Zentor asked.

“Yeah. Much better.” Proto glanced out a nearby window. “I think I’d like to go outside and - see what everyone’s doing.”

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” Mega asked. “After all, you could hardly stand a few moments ago.”

“I’m sure.” And before he could even think, he’d patted his younger brother’s shoulder almost reassuringly. Zentor wasn’t quite sure who was more surprised.

“Well, if you two are heading outside, then I’d better head out too. I’m helping put up the set for the play later on.” Zentor stood and wrapped a scarf (the same shade as his clothing) around his neck and tugged matching gloves on his hands. He tossed a scarf to Mega - since Proto had his own - and offered them gloves and jackets if they needed them.

“Just the scarf,” Mega said, slightly recovered from Proto’s sudden show of brotherly emotion. He flung the scarf (ironically blue) around his neck and they followed Zentor outside. Everyone that they could see was heading towards the evergreen tree to decorate it. Alcor and Twitch ran by, then paused when they saw Proto.

“Hey, Proto, we’re sorry we got on your nerves earlier,” Alcor said, and Proto felt a new emotion. It was kind of painful, in a way.

“That’s - okay.” The emotion pulled the next words from him. “And I’m - sorry too - that I snapped at you.” The two kids smiled and scampered on ahead, and the odd feeling in Proto’s chest vanished. He was secretly amazed at the new emotions he was experiencing that he had never known existed. Behind his visor he glanced at Mega, wondering if he felt the same emotions every day of his life. Zatana came up beside them and asked if he was feeling better.

“Yeah.” He looked from Mega to Zatana, a thought having occurred to him. “Why is everyone asking me that?’

“When one friend is hurt or not feeling well,” Zatana explained with a smile, “it concerns everyone who is a part of that person’s life.” Her smile turned into a grin. “And, like it or not, you’ve got friends now.” For some reason hearing that sparked off a warm feeling deep inside the red raider that he couldn’t describe. The two continued on with Zatana until they reached the tree, where everyone else who wanted to help was sorting out lights, tinsel, and strings of beads while Zant and some others played music. Zatana smiled at the two robots and then fell to her knees beside Zantar and began to help him.

“What should we do?” Mega asked.

“Whatever you want,” Zantar answered. “Some are sorting out ornaments, and others are tying bows, and the kids are creating a few new home-made ornaments.”

“That sounds like fun.” Mega turned to Proto. “What do you say?”

“Lets - go.“ They found the kids busy at a table cutting paper and gluing things together or onto other things. With them was Roll.

“Hi. Feeling better?”

“Yeah.” They sat down, Proto across from Mega and Roll. Alcor was doing something that looked odd. He was smearing what Proto thought was something like peanut putter on something that resembled a pine cone. Nearby was a paper plate with bird seed on it. Proto watched for a while, the asked, “What are you doing?”

“Making a bird’s ornament. Watch.” He took the thoroughly coated cone and rolled it in the bird seed. Then he tied a red ribbon to the stem and help it up. “See?”

“I understand,” Roll said. “The birds come along and eat the seed off the cone, and the coating makes it stick.”

“Uh huh.” The lion cub looked at the three. “Do you want to make something?” Mega and Roll looked at each other, then shrugged and nodded, taking paper and glue themselves. But Proto held back. He’d never done anything like that before, and prior to his reprogramming would’ve thought the idea silly. But now he felt just unsure.

“It’s fun, Proto,” Roll encouraged.

“Uh huh,” Twitch, at Proto’s left, agreed. She held up a triangle of paper that had various sizes of shapes cut into it.

“What’s that?”

“A snowflake.”

“Huh?” She opened it, and indeed it was a snowflake. Then she took glue and glitter

and decorated her creation. This did look interesting to Proto, who looked across at Mega. Mega smiled back, then frowned at his hands, which were covered in glitter. He tried to wipe the glitter off on his thigh, and only succeeded in getting some of it on his leg. Proto almost laughed, then took up a red piece of paper himself.

“I know what’s really fun to make,” another Half-Kin kid said.

“What?” Proto asked. The Half-Kin, a wolf, held up a small paper balloon that he had cut shapes into and had decorated.

“What’s that?” Mega asked.

“A light cover. You make one of these and slip it over the magic lights that are on the tree. It makes the light come out looking really cool.”

“And you can do a lot of things to the covers,” another said. She held up hers, and Proto saw that she had somehow put colored transparent paper inside the cover. She held it up over a nearby candle, and the light came out of the holes colored blue like the paper.

“How’d you do that?” Proto asked.

“Like this.” She cut some holes and glued another piece of transparent paper to a piece of regular white paper and waited a bit before beginning to fold it. Proto mirrored her movements and every fold she made. “First you fold it like this - then like this - then this way - ” After a few moments, she lifted a flat shape.

“Now what?” Proto asked, wondering how they were going to get the shape puffed out.

“You blow it up.” And the girl put a hold left in the bottom of the shape to her mouth and blew, and like a regular balloon it literally blew up.

“Whoa!” Proto looked at his shape in his hand, then put it to his mouth and blew. It filled up on the first puff.

“That looks great,” Mega said from where he was finishing a star. He gave it a look, then at himself. “I’m not sure which has more glitter on it: me or this ornament.” A new feeling rippled through the older bro-bot, and once again he almost laughed. He was finding it harder to not laugh at things. It was like the laughter was building up inside him, just waiting to escape. Behind the dark visor he shut his eyes for a moment and felt his body twitch somewhere around his middle as he suppressed it.

“Now what?” he asked once he had successfully swallowed the chuckle.

“Well, we’re almost out of stuff,” Alcor said, “and we’ve got tons of new ornaments. So now we each put our names on them and what year they were made.” He took a pen and wrote Alcor 122837 on his dove. The other paper light cover maker handed Proto a small length of red yarn and a small tag.

“We can’t write our names on ours, but I’ll show you how to tag it.” She used a sewing needle to thread the yarn through a cover near the top and, after writing her name and the year on the tag, tied the tag to the cover. Proto did the same.

“Skit rehearsal!” Zatana suddenly called. Youths and a few of the older kids leapt up and headed towards the stage.

“You can come and watch if you want,” she invited the three robots, who followed. They sat on the logs set up for chairs and watched as the others went through the skit. It was comical in parts. Zatana’s character was bouncy and cheerful, Zantar’s was funny, and Zentarou’s was calm. One of Zatana’s friends was a little sarcastic, and another talked about food at every turn. Proto could barely hold in his laughter when she mistook the word “Budge” for “Fudge” and said that she couldn’t be merry without her cherries. Mega and Roll doubled over laughing, and when Zantar had to pretend that he was some mythological hero and Zatana and her friend had to say two very over-dramatized lines, all that bottled up laughter inside of Proto became too much to hold in. He laughed right out loud. He couldn’t help it. Mega and Roll stole quick, somewhat startled looks at him, for this was the first time the had heard him laugh like that, just laughing because something was funny, not because he was being cynical or mean. Zatana noticed too, and almost missed her next line. But she caught herself and the act 1 group left the stage. The curtain rose and fell with the act 2 group on stage. Proto once again laughed as Wroul, a wolf whom he’d met, skipped around sing-songing “Winter Fest is coming! Winter Fest is coming!” over and over. And his character had the bad habit of messing up whenever he was trying to say names, often with humerous results, expecially when he was corrected and misunderstood the correction. Proto had never laughed so much in his life, and to his surprise he found that laughing felt good. At the end of the skit the actors took one final bow to enthusiastic applause, then separated. Zatana and Zantar went over to the robots to ask their opinion.

“How’d we do?” she asked, knowing that they’d be honest.

“It was terrific!” Mega complemented. The other two nodded in agreement.

“Thanks,” Zantar replied, and Zatana playfully sighed in relief. Proto was smiling broadly, and he suddenly realized that he had been doing so for quite a long time and had been hardly aware of it. It was much easier to smile than scowl.

“Hey!” Wroul called, waving to the group. “They’re going to begin decorating the tree, and you guys are going to miss it.”

“We’re coming,” Zatana answered, and she ran off, the others following.

They got to the tree just as the adults had finished putting on the string of magic lights which Zatana said were anciently old, the most difficult part. A few of the dragons were around, reminding the three of just how much they weren’t home, and they couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive, like they were outsiders. Dr. Light was there as well, standing off to one side and watching the others.

“So, Proto,” he said when they went over to talk with him, “How’s the new programming going?”

“So far, it’s quite an experience,” he answered honestly.

“Should we light it up, kids?” Zant asked, holding an cord that had a little box with a switch on it.

“Yeah!” all the kids yelled, and Zant flicked the switch. The tree lit up and glittered with a myriad of colors, filling everyone around with a sense of awe and wonder. And it wasn’t lost on the guests, including Proto Man. Another new chord was struck deep within as he took in the glittering lights and warm glow that seemed to suddenly fill the air. It seemed to radiate from the tree and those around it, including Mega, Roll, and Dr. Light, even Rush, who sat by Mega’s side. But no matter how much he tried he couldn’t put a name to the warmth. Slowly one very little girl was aided up to the tree. In her tiny hands she held a simple wooden ornament.

“Zant told me that it is a Half-Kin tradition for the youngest child present to hang the first ornament,” Dr. Light told the others, “and it is always the same ornament; a glass star, hung near a yellow or blue light to give it a glow.” Zatanari lifted the little girl, and she hung the star on the tree in front of a yellow light, and to Proto it did seem to glow. Then everyone else came forward to help. Mega turned to the others.

“Should we help too?” he wondered to them. Roll shrugged. Zatana turned and saw them just standing there.

“C’mon,” she said, waving them over. “Everyone helps that wants to, including guests.” Free to help, they mingled in with the Half-Kins, hanging ornaments and bows. Proto saw his light cover on one light, and he smiled. One little tiger boy beside Proto suddenly hit his hand just as he was hanging an ornament.

“What?” Proto looked down at the boy.

“That’s not where the angels go,” he said. “Angels and snowflakes go near the top of the tree, close to heaven. Only one angel goes by the star to be our guide through the darkness of the night and the troubles of life.” He looked at the simple wooden angel Proto held, while proto looked at the fancy angels still in the box near him. He was trying to guess which one would go by the star. The boy tugged on his hand gently.

“Yeah?”

“You’ve got the guardian angel.” Proto looked down at the simple wooden angel he held. It wasn’t as near fancy as the others, not made of glass or painted brightly, and its wings were made only of fabric and wire. And yet, for some reason, it felt right to him that this one should keep watch. He hung it by the star, and the light from the bulb behind the star caught the little angel, making it glow as well. “Perfect,” was the boy’s comment. Proto smiled for some reason he couldn’t even b

begin to understand. Soon all the ornaments were up, and in the darkening night the tree glowed brightly, looking splendid.

“Lets go inside for hot chocolate,” Zant suggested, and all readily agreed. And so the night passed peacefully with all resting by warm fires in their homes, and the warmth that filled the air touched Proto, staring into the fire at Zatana’s home, deeply, and he began to feel - at peace.