Note: I have decided to give this story a rework from the ground up. Since the release of the previous iteration's second chapter, I have been debating constantly if I should redo everything. I simply was not satisfied with a lot of the minor events going on at the beginning of the old work. Certain scenes, interactions, and plot points will find their way into this new project, but every chapter will be totally rewritten. The story will ultimately go down the same route as its previous version, but these beginning chapters will go about it in a different way.

For those of you who are newcomers, this story is mostly based on a lot of the backstory so if you aren't familiar with it then these first few chapters might be somewhat difficult to follow.

I will go more into depth about these changes especially for those of you who are unfamiliar with the old work, but for now, I do hope you all enjoy this revamp and I look forward to any feedback you may have.

Mission Log: The machines have finally gone the way of YoRHa. Good riddance too! Still work to be done, though.

This 9S fella better be worth the effort. I have no idea why the boss lady wants him on our side so badly, but whatever. It gives us something to do.

Old World Commandos

The sky was blanketed with heavy storm clouds. It had been threatening to rain for the past few hours but not once did a droplet of water come down. Lightning and thunder were becoming more and more common as time went on. It was only a matter of time before the storm could truly get going.

Quietly, Devola carried her seemingly lifeless sister up the various sloped paths that would lead them both out of the pit surrounding the Tower's entrance. Devola paid careful attention to her surroundings. While the last thing she wanted was to be ambushed, she had not seen much of anything since she woke up. The few machines she did see appeared to have no interest in her.

It, however, did prove to serve as a nice distraction. The more time she spent looking for potential threats, the less likely she would be to see her sister in such a miserable state. The sound of Popola's heavy breathing was only enough to keep Devola from having a mental breakdown.

Devola glanced up to the top of the cliff, expecting to see nothing. She froze in place when she caught a glimpse of someone or something standing above her. She only saw it for a moment. Whatever it was, it was not a machine. It was far too humanoid to be a machine. While it was extremely tall and strikingly pale, it looked like no YoRHa android she had ever seen before.

She blinked and just like that, it was gone. Devola looked around frantically in search of whatever that creature was, but she was unable to locate it.

Suddenly, she did not want to rush to the top of the cliff anymore. However, with her sister's life on the line and with the Resistance Camp still, so far away, she did not have the luxury to hesitate. Devola took a deep breath and pressed on.

Devola made her way through the ruined streets. She had yet to catch another sighting of that pale creature, but she felt no desire to stick around merely to see if it would show up again.

Of course, it was not a completely peaceful walk back to the camp. As she turned a corner and started down a new path, Devola once again found herself frozen in place. Just down the cracked road, Devola spotted a blond scanner model staring right back at her. He had piercing red eyes which immediately caught Devola's attention.

He looked very similar to 9S at least in the face. Devola also could not help but notice the pod floating by his side. That had been the first time she had seen a YoRHa pod aside from 9S' little assistant. The pod had a mostly dark gray finish to its metal, and like all pods, it had a separate color highlighting certain components. This pod was given a bright green trim.

Oddly enough, the android made no attempt to mindlessly charge her like the other infected androids were doing to just about anything that crossed their path. Instead, he simply stood there and smiled at her.

"Well, hello there," the android spoke out. "You look familiar. Where have I seen you before?"

His voice caught Devola off guard. The last thing she expected was for him to form any semblance of a coherent sentence.

The android slowly approached Devola. Naturally, she started backing away as he drew closer.

"Ah, now I remember," the android explained. "How could I've forgotten? You were the two rejects back at the camp. Always got the shit jobs, from what I recall. Not that you deserved much better."

"Back off," Devola warned. She lowered her arms in preparation to drop her sister in the event that she needed to draw her sword.

The scanner made no attempt to heed her demand. Instead, he continued to prance forward. He gave her a mocking smile along the way.

"So how is the old Resistance doing? Still wallowing around in their own blood and feces? Is that darling, Anemone still leading that lost cause?"

Before Devola was given the chance to come up with a response, the scanner's pod spoke out in a feminine tone.

"Pod 665 to Unit 12S: There are more important matters to attend to at the moment. The Dragon has given us an assignment to complete in a timely manner. Testing her patience is not advisable."

Briefly, the smile on 12S' face faded. He glanced over his shoulder and glared at his pod.

"Thank you, 665! I'll keep that in mind," 12S retorted, ever so slightly raising his voice. He then returned his attention to Devola.

"Well, before I get going, I've got a question for ya. Know where my good buddy went? I lost track of him again. He's really tall and pale. His skin looks like salt. You saw him?"

"I saw somebody near the cliff," Devola replied. Her desire for him to leave her alone was enough to compel her to give him such information. "Didn't get a good look at them but your description sounds about right."

The android's sinister smile grew wider. He walked past her. All the while, Devola kept her eyes locked on him.

"Thanks for the info," 12S replied. "Maybe you're not so bad after all..."

12S left her sight. Devola quickly twirled around as the thought of him being behind her was rather unsettling. To her amazement, the moment she turned around, he was gone. Both he and his pod were nowhere to be seen.

Devola glanced at her sister who was still barely clinging to this side of life in her arms. She turned back around and doubled her pace to the camp. She had no time to worry about that strange scanner model, although, one image did stick in her mind.

" His skin looks like salt."

As that echoing line overshadowed her thoughts, Devola stared down at her sister. "Surely he doesn't mean…"

Devola cut herself off.

"Has to be a coincidence."

12S skipped merrily down the cracked and overgrown pavement. He kept on the lookout for his 'good buddy,' but apart from his search, 12S showed no concern for his surroundings. He pulled his sword, not out of worry that he might be attacked by a machine or mindless android, but simply for occupying himself.

He twirled it around and around in his right hand as if it were a cane that would soon be involved in an overly choreographed dance number. He jumped over the mutilated corpse of a random android that just so happened to be lying dead in his path.

"What a great day," 12S gleefully announced.

He left the body behind but quickly stumbled upon a severed hand lying a few feet away from the corpse it so obviously belonged to. 12S promptly kicked the bloody hand and sent it tumbling down the road.

"Analysis," Pod 665 interrupted. "Unit 12S is experiencing an abnormal level of joy."

"You bet your rectangular backside I am! The Network is eradicated. Finally! Our last big obstetrical. Those machines were the only group that could offer up any resistance. Now, they've gone the way of YoRHa. Of course, I'm fucking ecstatic right now!"

"A reminder that the Dragon has yet to order a departure for Jerusalem," Pod 665 explained as if solely to dampen the scanner's mood. "Her current orders are as follows: Locate and apprehend the Machine Lifeform under the alias of Masamune. Based on current intelligence reports, this will require a deep excursion into the Forest Kingdom. The secondary objective is to recruit YoRHa Unit 9S to the Legion. All other goals and objectives have been placed on hold for the foreseeable future."

12S suddenly went from skipping down the road to angrily dragging his feet along the ground. He was on the verge of kicking that disembodied hand even further down the road but decided not to even bother.

"You don't have to remind me. Ugh, don't you have something else to do aside from cramp my style?"

"Negative."

12S had no desire to continue bickering with his pod. He kept moving in the direction of the Tower. It made sense that all of his pals were headed down that same path. That was where their secondary objective was to be found. Of course, if that woman with the odd colored hair was lying, he would surely pay her another visit in the future.

The scanner turned a corner and nearly bumped into a familiar monster. A looming humanoid creature that towered over him. A creature who was both tall and had skin that resembled salt in both color and texture. 12S smiled at the sight of him.

He wore a tattered uniform that was at one time colored in a digital urban camouflage pattern. The monster wore a black Kevlar vest over his faded uniform. It was riddled with bullet holes. His rifle was strapped to his back. An old G3 that had surely seen more time in combat than 12S had seen time in general. To top of his ancient wartime outfit, a black helmet sat atop his head.

"Oh," 12S exclaimed in cheerful surprise. "Uh… The hell did I name you again… Oh, yeah! Jeremiah! There you are!"

The monster he so fondly dubbed 'Jeremiah' made no verbal reply apart from a quiet grunt.

"So, uh," 12S stammered as he examined the desolate area. "Where's everybody else?"

Jeremiah silently nodded his head toward the open entrance behind him. A doorway leading inside the building that he was currently leaning against.

12S scratched his head for a moment but brushed off the initial confusion.

"Okay… Take me to them, soldier! I've got an announcement to make!"

The reaction the pale soldier had was not exactly what 12S expected. He would have preferred his order be met with cheering and optimism. Instead, Jeremiah huffed and pushed himself off the wall. He then lazily stumbled inside the old structure.

Just as 12S was about to follow his salty comrade into the darkness, his pod's voice broke the silence.

"Pod 665 to Unit 12S. Keep in mind that the Black Box signal of YoRHa Unit 9S was lost shortly before that beacon was launched from the Tower. The Dragon has insisted that Unit 9S is just as detrimental to the Legion as are those twins. If we are unable to recruit him, there might be consequences for us to pay."

12S gulped in fear. He had almost forgotten about that little detail. Almost.

The trio stepped out onto the roof of the ancient structure and was immediately greeted by a group of five pale humanoids. All of them develop in the same tattered attire worn by Jeremiah, and they were equipped with similar old world weapons.

The first of the pale aberrations to notice their presence. He wore the same uniform as the others. The only difference was a cluster of bloodstained bandages wrapped around his right bicep. The creature used an enormous Barrett M82 as leverage as he lazily hoisted himself upright.

Another one of the ghostly soldiers stepped up as well. Equipped with an old FN SCAR that had a very eroded finish, he stood tall over the scanner model. He had a strange smile eternally plastered to his face. A smile that never failed to unsettle 12S.

"Ezekiel," 12S exclaimed. "Status report!"

Silently, Ezekiel pointed to somewhere off in the distance behind the android. As 12S turned around, the other soldier crouched down at the edge of the roof and started setting up the massive sniper rifle in his arms.

12S watched as he planted the bipod on the outcropping ledge of concrete and took aim with the scope, pointing the barrel in the same direction that Ezekiel was pointing.

"Ah, good thinking… uh…"

Once more, 12S had forgotten one of the names he gave to the otherwise nameless monsters that surrounded him. He repeatedly snapped his fingers as he tried to force the name to come to mind. He even considered pulling out that old leather-bound book with those fancy gold pages to remind himself. Fortunately, after some time, it came to him.

"Obadiah!"

12S knelt down and looked through the scope. The crosshairs were perfectly aligned with a YoRHa issued pod that was floating above the roof of a faraway building. That structure in question was shorter than the building 12S and his pale cronies were occupying which gave the scanner a decent angle to view the targets. The pod had a dark gray, almost black finish, and red trim. 12S moved the scope around to get a better view of everything going on out there.

It did not take long before he spotted another pod hovering in the air above two seemingly dead androids. A pod with a much lighter finish to its body and had an orange trim. There were a few other pods loitering in the area, but those two drew his attention merely because of their more varied colors.

He lowered the rifle downward to gain a better view of the corpses lying on the roof. He still could not make out any details on them.

12S leaned away from the scope and glinted toward its owner.

"Hey, does this thing have a magnifier?"

Obadiah reached forward and fiddled with the controls on the scope while 12S lowered his head and resumed his survey of the area. The scope zoomed in, giving 12S a better view of the androids down range. One of them looked oddly familiar.

"Is that our guy!?"

12S handed the Barrett back to its owner and immediately felt relief after letting go of that incredibly heavy rifle.

Fear began to set in as 12S continued to stare off in the distance. He could still see those pods now that he knew where to look.

"Don't tell me he's actually dead. What's going on over there?"

"Pod 665 to Unit 12S," the little robot interjected. "I will investigate these matters. Stand by."

665 flew off in the direction of the other pods. As she flew past 12S' head, the scanner model called out to her.

"Hold on!"

Pod 665 ignored him and continued onward without uttering another word. She only stopped when 12S shouted at her.

"I said stop!"

Finally, his pod complied with his demands. She turned to him and slowly approached the roof.

"Analysis," Pod 665 proclaimed. "YoRHa Unit 9S appears to indeed be dead. However, those pods look as though they are working on repairs. Recommendation: Allow me to make contact with them and gain further insight into the situation."

"No," 12S snapped. "No talking! We don't have that kind of time. So long as his memories are still intact then we can finish the repairs ourselves. The boss lady gave me these orders before she left to do… whatever it is that she's doing. If she comes back and finds out I still don't have him then she'll eat me or something!"

12S turned to the pale soldiers surrounding him. Each of them were well armed even if their weapons were older than YoRHa itself. He noticed the other two creatures standing in the background. He recognized the one he named 'Amos' simply by the weapon he wielded. A massive rifle that looked more as if he had taken two different weapons and stacked them on top of each other. The bottom weapon looked like a more traditional submachine gun with its own magazine, barrel, and frame. The top half of the weapon was a 20mm launcher. It too had its own magazine situated under the stock. It too had its own barrel positioned above the first.

To top it all off, a rather complicated optic sat atop the weapon. It like the rest of the gun was littered with buttons and controls. The front end of the optic looked more like a small, curved computer screen than a traditional scope.

Apart from the odd weapon, 12S could always spot that particular creature by the bizarre device attached to his helmet. It was a screen that hung from his helmet and was positioned directly in front of his left eye.

The last of 12S' friends stood next to Amos, toting around one of the old world weapons that Pod 665 referred to as a 'SPAS-12'. Apart from being the only one to utilize a shotgun, he was also the only one who refused to wear a helmet. Opting instead to wear a bulky set of red headphones with a cable that presumably attached to some sort of music player in one of the pockets of his uniform.

12S knew that device was operable as every time he stood near that headphone wearing abomination of salt, he could hear the echoing of obnoxious music. How such an ancient piece of technology still worked remained a mystery to 12S.

"Jubal," he called out, pointing at his own ears.

The creature lifted his right headphone off of his ear in response.

12S glared at the ground where a particularly disinterested soldier was lying at his feet with his head propped up against the roof's ledge. 12S was able to swiftly remember his given name as he was the only member of the group to carry two primary weapons. An M249 SAW covered in rust but apparently still functional was strapped to the front of his torso while a Milkor revolving grenade launcher was normally strapped to his back, however, he set it to the side before lying down.

In frustration, 12S kicked him in the shin just to get his attention. The salty creature responded by growling at the android.

"Isaiah! Listen to me!"

With all eyes firmly on him, 12S pointed to the building up ahead in an almost accusing fashion.

"Look! If the Dragon comes back and sees that we lost him, she'll fucking roast me alive! I don't want to die. I'm too young and important to die!"

A few of the soldiers exchanged snarls and glances as if silently disagreeing with that last statement.

"She would especially be angry if she found out why you were unable to stop Unit 9S from entering the tower in the first place," 665 interjected.

12S responded with a death stare. "I was achieving enlightenment!"

"Correction: Unit 12S was rendered incapable of assisting Legion personnel at the Tower after having consumed a large number of hallucinogenic mushrooms. All further operations were halted as a result."

"Anyway," the scanner shouted, reclaiming the attention of his small audience. "Our objective is right over there! We need to grab him, dead or alive."

12S pointed to the group's resident sniper who still conveniently had his Barrett still aimed in the direction of the scanner's goal.

"Obadiah! Stay here and keep those pods pinned. Kill them or force them to retreat if possible, but don't let them take that body! Everyone else, follow me!"

"Recommendation," 665 interrupted once more. "We should at least attempt negotiating for the body. Perhaps trades or favors can be made in exchange for the corpse of Unit 9S. Allow me to make contact with those support pods. If an agreement can be reached, I am certain that much of our time, energy, and munitions could be spared."

"I won't repeat myself," 12S argued sternly. "I'm in charge while the Dragon is away! She said so, herself!"

"Negative. The Dragon explicitly assigned the role of second in command to Ezekiel," 665 retorted, only to be ignored by her stubborn android.

"You guys have all these huge guns," 12S continued. "Let's put 'em to use! We're gonna go over there and kill anything that moves! Simple."

An awkward moment of silence passed as the mute soldiers surrounding 12S all turned to Ezekiel for approval. While that act annoyed 12S greatly, nobody paid him any mind. Eventually, and to 12S' desperate relief, Ezekiel gave them all a nod of approval.

"Then it's settled," 12S immediately announced, not daring to so much as give them the time needed to change their minds. "Lock and load! Let's go kill something!"

A sequence of three bombastic gunshots rang through the air. Tearing their way across the sky. Devola jumped at the sound of them. They were close enough to make her think twice about standing out in the open.

She twirled around and stared down the same path where she met that strange scanner model. Devola had not covered much distance since she had last seen that red-eyed android. Popola started to stir in her arms which caused Devola to stop in her tracks and examine her. Of course, just when she was about to get a move on, those gunshots rang out above her.

Cautiously, Devola knelt down and prepared to bolt for the nearest wall at a moment's notice. Devola looked up and searched the skyline frantically.

She knew it came from one of the rooftops nearby, but she could not be certain as to which one. Suddenly, a hail of rapid firing projectiles erupted from the roof of a building on the on the other side of the ruins. The unmistakable fire of a YoRHa support pod. In fact, Devola was almost certain there was more than one unloading upon the building above her.

Suddenly, whoever was standing on the roof above her opened fire again. That weapon, whatever it could have been, was easily one of the loudest that Devola had ever heard. She and her sister had been around plenty of them when working with the Resistance but never had she heard a weapon sound quite like that.

Having no desire to get caught in the middle of someone else's firefight, Devola hoisted her sister up as she rose off the ground. She promptly stammered off in the direction of the camp, trying her best to ignore her sister's increasing activity until she could at least reach a safer location.

After all, she had been through up until then, the last thing Devola wanted was to be wrapped up in another fight. She was surprised to learn that, apparently, not everyone was so eager for peace.

Note: The first thing I changed was the title. While it was 'alright' I had always thought that the title of the first chapter was a better fit. I changed some of the Legion's equipment and weapons as well. The first couple of chapters were written months apart and long before I had actually published the original work so certain weapons that I had always meant to feature were just forgotten about.

Someone was always meant to have a shotgun. A SAW was also intended to be implemented, but I never showcased it. While Obadiah was originally given an unnamed rifle at the time, one of the original goals for the Legion were to acquire Barretts. With this new chapter, I decided to just give them one from the start. The first ten or so chapters of the previous work revolved around them attempting to obtain newer weapons, I decided to scrap that whole thing. It was just a side plot that was taking up way to much time.

Apart from that, one of the other major issues I saw with Iron Homunculus was the introduction to the characters. The Legion guys can't talk, obviously, so I had to develop them through the equipment they carry and their actions. The problem during the old work was that it took me several chapters to establish them and even then, I had only named them. Aside from Jeremiah and Jubal, there were no defined personalities. Here, I've decided to differentiate them right from the start.

This rewrite should take care of those issues that had been bothering me since day one. The rest of the story will follow the general outline of the first iteration. There haven't been many drastic changes to the plot so the project should at least seem familiar. However, they should be different enough so that the reader does not have to slog through a bunch of stuff that you have already seen.