"Speaking of YoRHa goons, I'm a bit surprised that you types are so… intellectual."
"I thought you combat models would be a bit more dense. Less thinking. More killing and all that?"
"Frankly, giving you any kind of intellect at all strikes me as pointless." said Jackass - a member of the android Resistance group operating on Earth. Being part of the Resistance, equated that YoRHa units 2B and 9S had the task of completing errands for them, due to what Command called 'an important ally' in the war against machinekind.
Those brutally honest words were plainly directed at only one of the two in the pair assigned to conduct data-gathering reconnaissance on Earth. Her given title was 'YoRHa No. 2 Type B (Battle)', however she was addressed as 2B just like the rest of the YoRHa members - their full titles were never used to address each other. Built as an android to fight against the aliens and the machines who have invaded Earth for their human masters on the moon, made to be an all-purpose battle android.
Whether those words were filled with barbs, of envy directed at the more functionally capable YoRHa models or whether they were merely an inference made from empirical observation due to Jackass's mad scientist tendencies, 2B herself would never know. But what she knew was that her 'heart' was conflicted.
There was a part of her who actually believed that the statement of removing intellect from the YoRHa units was enticing, and desirable. Although she would never voice this out to her assigned partner the Scanner model - 9S, her policy when dealing with her missions was-
'Emotions are forbidden' this line was repeated to 9S so much it sounded like a mantra of the humans, in a stroke of irony, those words were usually directed inwards rather than towards 9S (just like a mantra was meant to focus the mind, at least that was what she learnt from her Operator - 6O, when 6O was looking for one of those trivial things that 6O fancied as usual).
'If so why do I feel? Why must I feel?', wondered 2B - exercising this very intellect she had, an hated.
However, concurrently - she realised the other edge of Jackass' statement. If the YoRHa androids were to not have any intellect, would they then be no different from the machines who are incapable of emotion and reasoning.
'Would 9S then hate me like he hates the machines as well?'
She thought, and immediately rejected it. 'I don't deserve any of that. After all - I am the sole reason he had to go through so much pain.' The memory data of the countless 'missions' flooded her mind. Missions carried out by her due to a certain unit having discovered information that was above his designation. The images. The blood. The circuits. And those repeated last breaths.
But worst of all - his smile. The carefree smile. The childlike smile. The friendly smile. The unjudging smile. The pacifying smile. The disarming smile. The accepting smile.
It was a beautiful smile - something no one had ever directed at her in her life. Ever since she met him, he had never for once forced a smile at her - it was always a genuine smile. And it made her artificial heart 'beat'.
And it made it ache.
Was the swords that hung by her back truly something she could wield without contradiction? The Virtuous Contract and the Virtuous Treaty. Or was it - merely a way to justify her duty as righteous?
"..." 2B stood in silence, as her thoughts crashed against each other. One more emotionally-charged and damning than the next.
"More data… I NEED MORE DATA! And YOU are going to help me, right? That's a rhetorical question by the way." yelled Jackass.
Her train of thought de-railed, and in that moment - she managed to rein herself in.
Indicating silently to Jackass that she accepted her quest again, 2B went once more into battle - clearing her mind.
Could the feeling of battle, that helped her forget about her 'weight' - truly be the reason why Jackass surmised that androids gain pleasure from battle? Or was it...