[Not this again. There has to be some way to avoid this exact same pointless argument, but if there is, Neo can't see it. They're stuck in here together until these damn bunnies get bored and leave them alone, so why not go right back to this? Why would it be anything else, anyway? After all, they're oil and water - they simply do not mix, and they're going to be a fire hazard if not handled properly.]
Because I'm not—
[And then for once Neo actually manages to shut his voice down there because suddenly he does not like the direction his own thoughts are going.
Because I'm not alive.
As though that matters? As though that one stupid, pointless word means anything? What does it matter if he isn't an organic being like the hedgehog and his weak little friends? Neo is better. He is the superior Sonic. He can repair and build himself into the fastest, most powerful version of Sonic that has ever existed. He can surpass this flesh-and-blood being.
...And yet.
And yet he hasn't. What good did all of that planning and preparation do, when the hedgehog was able to beat him into the dirt again? Who's to say that next time will go any different, when he doesn't even have a plan for next time? How is he to prove himself superior - that he is Sonic - if he can't even manage that?
He's been awfully quiet for far too long, lost in his thoughts that are once again pointlessly circling about things that do not matter here. Focus, Neo. One step at a time. Things will be easier - they will make more sense - once you're back home.]
You aren't allowed to die to something as pathetic as your own hubris.
[As if he can cast aside his thoughts entirely, Neo steps forward, invading the hedgehog's space and menacing down at him. His voice comes out hard, grating, almost like a snarl.]
no subject
Because I'm not—
[And then for once Neo actually manages to shut his voice down there because suddenly he does not like the direction his own thoughts are going.
Because I'm not alive.
As though that matters? As though that one stupid, pointless word means anything? What does it matter if he isn't an organic being like the hedgehog and his weak little friends? Neo is better. He is the superior Sonic. He can repair and build himself into the fastest, most powerful version of Sonic that has ever existed. He can surpass this flesh-and-blood being.
...And yet.
And yet he hasn't. What good did all of that planning and preparation do, when the hedgehog was able to beat him into the dirt again? Who's to say that next time will go any different, when he doesn't even have a plan for next time? How is he to prove himself superior - that he is Sonic - if he can't even manage that?
He's been awfully quiet for far too long, lost in his thoughts that are once again pointlessly circling about things that do not matter here. Focus, Neo. One step at a time. Things will be easier - they will make more sense - once you're back home.]
You aren't allowed to die to something as pathetic as your own hubris.
[As if he can cast aside his thoughts entirely, Neo steps forward, invading the hedgehog's space and menacing down at him. His voice comes out hard, grating, almost like a snarl.]
I am the only one allowed to kill you.