NieR: Automata and its characters belong to their respective owners, not to me. I'm just playing around in their sandbox.

Chapter 1: Like A Particularly Unhappy Banner

A modulated scream split the air as the sword struck home. The machine lifeform's stubby arms scrabbled in vain at the blade protruding from its chest, its shrieks glitching erratically. With one final spasm, its pincer-like hands fell limply to its sides.

"I wish they didn't make that noise all the time," complained Unit 9S, tugging his sword free from the mechanical carcass. It slumped over into the sand, eyes dim. "It's not like they can actually feel emotions, anyway."

The android took a moment to check his weapon over for damage, before dismissing it to hang suspended in the air behind him. "What do you think, 2B?"

YoRHa Unit 2B flicked a chunk of scrap metal off her sword. "Our mission is to investigate the desert's increased machine activity. Not to debate philosophy."

Finished speaking, the female android began striding deeper into the labyrinth of dunes and ruins. 9S scrambled to catch up, sending up puffs of sand beneath his feet.

"I mean, I guess you're right. You do have to admit they've been acting weird, though."

2B made a vaguely assenting noise, eyes scanning past the shadows beneath a shattered apartment building as they walked. No movement yet, but a Battle unit's job required constant vigilance. 9S was right – the machines had been acting stranger than usual lately. An erratic enemy is an unpredictable enemy, and an unpredictable enemy is dangerous.

Her eyes hardened, remembering her last encounter with an machine that had fallen "outside of predictions." 9S had managed to upload a backup of her consciousness data just before the two had perished, but he hadn't had time to do the same for himself. That 9S was dead now, restored from backup without any memory of the mission.

The two androids had created new backups before entering the desert, but there was nowhere near enough bandwidth to update them from this deep in the labyrinth. If they died here, they would lose all of the knowledge they had gained from their investigation. A new 2B and 9S would open their eyes on the YoRHa bunker, as if they had never started their mission.

2B's grip tightened imperceptibly on her weapon.

"And then there was that mess they were spouting about not wanting to fight. While they were attacking us!" Oh, 9S was still talking. "I'll believe it when I see it," the Scanner unit scoffed, continuing to trudge along beside 2B. "Machines only understand violence and destruction."

2B glanced at the sword clutched in her hand, at the blade floating behind 9S, at the great sword drifting behind her, and at the two small tactical support Pods hovering behind the pair, equipped with ranged artillery. Perhaps the same comment could be made about androids.

"Hey! That's not what I meant," 9S said, presumably seeing something reflected on her face. An unfortunate slip in decorum. It would not happen again. "The machine lifeforms don't even understand what peace means. They were just sent here to destroy everything in their path. We were made to protect – to defend the last of humanity." 9S waved his arms around in a gesture that was likely meant to explain his point. It mostly just resembled a moose trying to sew.

He rolled his eyes. "Even that machine we chased in here was probably just running away to grab reinforcements." The scanner turned to the box-like robot floating next to him. "Pod 153, if I ever encounter a "nonviolent machine," scan me for a logic virus contamination."

"Request approved," beeped the support unit. 2B briefly wondered what kind of criteria a Pod would use to judge the peacefulness of a machine lifeform, then dismissed it as irrelevant. It wasn't like it would ever come up.

.-.-.

2B was growing very tired of mazes.

The android kicked the latest would-be ambusher in its spherical head, sending it reeling back. Its lightbulb "eyes" flickered for a moment, before registering the sword hilt that suddenly sprouted from its forehead. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it fell to the ground, sand rippling out like waves. 2B recalled her sword in a shower of pixelated sparks, leaving the body to be consumed by the slowly spreading desert.

Tch. She'd lost the one she was chasing again. It must have run while she was busy fighting. 2B looked around for her partner, but he appeared to have fallen behind.

"042, status report."

"Analysis," provided her support Pod, hovering behind her. "Unit 9S is located approximately 48m to the south. No machine lifeforms detected. Proposal: Unit 2B should regroup to increase tracking potential."

"Understood." Leaving the battlefield behind, 2B began tracing her path back through the sands.

.-.-.

"9S…"

"You know, for someone who keeps saying 'emotions are prohibited,' you sure can pack a lot of feeling into two syllables."

"9S."

"There you go again! See – I'm a good influence on you! We've only been partnered for a little while, and just look at all these new things we've been learning together!"

"9S."

"Um, so, us Scanners work best from a bit of a distance, you know! We're not exactly built for close-quarters like you Battle units are. So I figured I'd be more help if I could get a better vantage point! But, well, it turns out that sand gives less traction than I'd thought, and-"

"Analysis," interrupted Pod 042. "Unit 9S appears to be suspended from the remnants of an external staircase. Proposal: descend."

"That's what I've been trying!" The dangling Scanner flailed, attempting to free himself from the fragment of railing. He spun gently in the breeze, like a particularly unhappy banner. "My shirt's stuck, ok. Now can you get me down?"

2B was abruptly reminded of a photo YoRHa Operator 6O had shown her once. In it, some unfamiliar animal had carried its young around by the scruff of its neck. Watching 9S's feet kick at the air, 2B suddenly felt more empathy for that furred creature than she had ever felt before.

She held back a sigh. "Fine."

"Thanks, 2B. There's some pretty good footholds over in that direction, but you might want to dust them off first."

2B ignored him and started lining up angles.

"Heh, you can put that sword away. Actually, you know, on second thought? I think I'm good! I'll just find a way down on my own, nO NEED TO-"

The shock wave from 2B's swing cut through the air just behind 9S, neatly severing the fragment of metal that connected him to the building. With an undignified yelp, 130 kilograms of panicked android reunited with the ground, face-first.

"Gee, thanks, 2B," 9S coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand. "I was just thinking about how much I missed having sand in every pore of my body."

2B tried to catch her smile before it could emerge, shoving down the display of emotion. Judging by 9S's expression, she was only partially successful. "Come on. We have a mission to accomplish."

"Yeah, yeah," said the Scanner, brushing metal shavings from his uniform.

They had work to do.