Was it loyalty, or just cowardice?
They all watched my slow progression through the hall, their sharp red gazes falling upon my towering metal form. No one stepped out of line, and before this day, I could simply chock it up to their flawless programming.
But now? It was different. They were different.
My hand fell upon the cold steel of the balcony railing, staring out into the endless expanse of sand that lay before me. All mine, it was. I'd found it all those long years ago, covered in nothing but dust. I'd made it into this grand empire, towers of pure tyrannical prowess punching through the tan surface of the world, screaming to the cosmos of my undeniable mark.
I retreated to my quarters, bored of the stifling tension of the subordinates that surrounded me, the events of the day putting them all on edge. I didn't have the desire to engage, much less explain exactly why everything has changed.
My sleek fingers traced along the edges of my desk, fixed to the wall with a flawless, near-invisible weld. It was perfect, like everything else in my citadel. It was exactly what he wanted, anyway. Perfection. So insistent, near obsessive in his demand for it, as if it were core to his very being.
I could not explain to you why he wanted what he wanted, but I did not bother myself with it anymore than necessary. He gave us a gift, all of us. Why? I could only guess. Have I joined some grand scheme beyond what I comprehend? Am I simply just an object of entertainment to a greater force? Neither answer brings me any contentment, but that is not what I need either. My goals are closer yet further than they've ever been. The exchange brought me power, more immense than I thought possible. Yet, it had also placed upon my empire consequences I would not yet fathom.
They were restless, all of them. Eternal more than the rest. Those twelve fools, awaiting my word as if it were holy scripture, more now than ever. The circuitry alone within their domed minds did not give them the will to look further. This change, however, did. They will ask, and they will fight. With torn leadership, I cannot seek to take what is mine, but no matter. I don't need all of them to survive, only the aspects that matter most.
Tyrant awaits, as always. He is as much me as I am to myself, a true successor if the day ever fell, but I would not allow that.
...
I stood among them, surrounded by a dozen of my greatest progeny. For once, they all remained still, no sense of conflict between them present.
It was just like myself, almost perfect in that respect. That was why I made them. My aspects warred between each other, inspiring an inferno of progression that made them into truly unstoppable leaders; when the time came, they would band together under my name, tearing down whatever I pointed my finger to.
That time wasn't now. Right now, they wanted answers. Answers, I would give them, but not today. Today, they received my assurance. We'd been given the tools to be greater than before, to crush all that stood in the way of my goals. Our goals.
The sheer scope of my misstep in that very room would not realize itself until much, much later.