The Watchdog Army Files

2046: The Redemption

A/n: Sorry I'm late with this. Had to finish posting The Hater Empire Archives on AO3.

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"Lieutenants! Report to the bridge! I need your input on something!"
"Yes Sir!" Said First Lieutenant Eyela, quickly turning to her Second Lieutenants, Iris and Retina, who just so happened to be her children. "Come on. We better go."

Her son and daughter nodded before following her to the bridge. They were running at their top speed, and reached the desired point within minutes.
"Sir? What did you want our input on?"
"A very sensitive topic. Especially for you three." He paused in nervousness. "It's Cornea." He admitted with a sigh. "He's come straight from prison. And it's not revenge he seeks." Again, he paused. "It's forgiveness."

As the senior officer predicted, the three Watchdogs before him looked surprised. Then Retina gained a look of disgust. "No way!"
His sister immediately reproved his outburst. "Retina. Traitor or not, he's still our brother."
"I know Iris. But he's the one responsible for hundreds of deaths. Including Dad. No way can I forgive him for that."
"Retina. He's coming home." It took Eyela a while to realise that the last voice was hers.
"But Mum..."
"No buts. Give your brother a chance." She sighed. "28 years and I'm still mothering you three and settling fights... What would your dad say?"
Retina sighed, voice suddenly heaving with emotion. "He'd tell us to get along."
"Exactly. And we're not going to disappoint him now, right?"

Nerve stepped in. "Your mother is right. Give him a chance to redeem himself."
"Okay." Agreed a reluctant Retina, still unsure.

———

When Cornea arrived, he received hard, cold stares from some of the Watchdogs who recognised him. He sighed regretfully. Why did he have to change sides? None of this would have happened.

Too bad he couldn't change anything.  But there wasn't a day that went by where he wished he could.

He was greeted by Nerve and his family. He was surprised at how similar Nerve looked to his father in the Commander's helmet. It was a sign, he thought, that Peeper's metaphorical spirit still lived within these walls, fuelling the determination of the soldiers and guiding Nerve throughout his leadership.

Cornea was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his mother speak. "How have you been keeping these past few years?"
He looked thoughtful, then replied, "In prison, I guess." He sighed. "I'm sorry about everything I did. I hope you can forgive me eventually."
Eyela replied evenly. "I can. But I can't speak for the others."

Cornea looked downcast, but his sister cheered him up straight away. "You know something? Hater, Dominator and Dad were villains longer than you were. If people can accept them, they can accept you."
"Yeah, but if there is a some divine being out there, He didn't forgive them. Don't mean to remind you, but all three are gone. And one of those is my fault."
"Well, then maybe that divine being had a better plan for them. I know Hater achieved his purpose. He said so himself. And Dad and Dominator did all that they could within their power."

If Retina was honest, he was glad that his brother had returned. He supposed it brought some normality back into their lives. Even so, he was hesitant about speaking to his eldest sibling.

"Hey. I forgive you."
Cornea looked shocked. As if he had expected Retina to refuse giving him forgiveness and storm off. "Thanks bro."

Retina then rushed forward toward his brother. It surprised everyone when they saw that Retina was hugging the former villain. They continued to look on as Cornea returned the gesture, the two brothers sharing their first hug in years.

It was then that Cornea realised. It didn't matter how long it took for the rest of the army to forgive him. All that mattered was that he had been reunited with his family.

And for now... that was enough.

A/n: Usual rules apply. I don't own the show or its characters. I do, however, own the following characters in this chapter: Nerve, Eyela, Cornea, Iris and Retina.