"Our enemy is this being!" Commander White bellowed, snapping her riding crop. The monitors at the control room displayed the image of a tall armored humanoid crushing a medium-biped under its boots while holding the mangled remains of a stubby in its hands. "We ignore how this thing came to be but we do know it is a danger we can't allow to roam free on earth! It generates a corrupting aura capable of affecting machine lifeforms, turning them into deranged beasts! We still don't know if this infection can affect androids but we will not take any chances, especially when the androids at the Resistance do not have the same resources YoRHa has! We can't allow ourselves to lose them; They are an important asset in our war against the Machine Lifeforms! We can't lose them! We. Will not. Lose them!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" The androids in the Control Room yelled.
"Good! Currently, Unit 2B and Unit 9S are valiantly fighting this powerful enemy, and although I trust they are capable enough to complete any mission given to them, I am afraid this situation might be beyond anything they can accomplish! That's why I am sending you, our special response team, to deal with this menace once and for all! Glory to Mankind!" White finished, standing straight and placing her right hand over her chest.
"Glory to mankind!" The team responded, saluting as well, and leaving the control room. White nodded and turned to the monitors, watching the recording of 2B precariously managing to dodge everything the green berserker threw at her while her Pod rained bullets on its armor, the broadcast had stopped a few minutes ago and Commander White feared it wasn't due to interference.
"That sure is one hell of a Machine." A voice said behind her, White turned around and saw an operator walking towards her with a data pad on her hands "Or maybe, it is something far more sinister."
"I hope it is not… Any luck in the archives, 4O?" White asked, grabbing the data pad and skimming through it.
"Sadly, not much." The Operator answered tiredly "As far as YoRHa is concerned, that thing is even more alien and the damn aliens that started the war; There is not a single coincidence in our main databases and everything else is pure speculations and arguments devoid of evidence and logic."
"Is that so? What exactly did you find?" White asked, looking at the operator with interest.
"Just a bunch of works of fiction from centuries ago: Something about Space Marines and things like that."
"Space… Marines…" White tasted the words on her mouth, savoring every vowel and syllable; It felt strange but not unpleasant.
"Nothing but fantasies from a brighter era; This monster is clearly a mockery designed to attack the humans on the Moon. How did the Machines got their hands in such data is beyond me but we must not lose focus; That things must go down."
"I suppose you are right… What's the status on the team?"
"They are at the hangar, ready to leave at your command."
"Excellent, tell them they are authorized to take off," White ordered, looking as the Flying units began flying out of the hangar and towards the earth.
A grand total of Forty YoRHa androids were sent to kill this unknown enemy, a team formed of thirty 'B' series as the main force, five 'S' series and five 'H' series acting as supports. In all honesty, White wanted to send more forces but sadly, everyone else was already on a mission and she couldn't just call them in. Still, she was confident this platoon would destroy it… Or at least, that was what she repeated in her mind to control her anxiousness and reign over the cold chill running down her spine.
"Lieutenant 27B here, we are entering the atmosphere" A voice chimed in, making her jolt slightly "We will have visuals in a few seconds." That gave White some relief, Pod 042 had stopped broadcasting and White feared the worst. "Approaching the site; Visuals in 3… 2… 1…" The main monitor came to life and White was finally able to see the situation. "Oh, no…"
What she saw almost made her heart break:
2B was lying on the ground, her arms laid limp at her sides, and her legs were completely gone; Nothing but a devastated stump remained from where her lower limbs used to be. She was currently biting the armored boot of the green berserker, her eyes shining a terrifying crimson light, filled with nothing but madness and hatred. The armored humanoid simply stood there, watching her as an ancient double-barrel shotgun rested in its left hand, the cold-blue visor reflecting 2B's pitiful form trashing on the dirt.
"NO! 2B!" The voice of 6O filled her ears, making White unconsciously grab her riding crop, hoping the cold surface of her favorite item would ward away the crippling fear gnawing at her chest.
"M-Ma'am… What should we do?" 27B asked, the voice of the veteran filled with uncertainty.
"Where is 9S?" White asked, unable to answer 27B's question, for she herself ignored the answer.
"We… We cannot detect his black box." 27B spoke professionally, making Commander White tighten her grip under her riding crop "I am afraid to say we have lost him, Ma'am…" White looked to the side, her eyes looking for a certain operator known for her voracious curiosity for human culture; 21O said nothing, her face betraying neither her feelings nor her worries, but White could see her fingers tapping furiously at her terminal, her eyes completely focused on whatever was displayed in her terminal.
She was looking for him, White knew it very well.
"2B, No! Someone save her, please!" 6O yelled again. White turned to the monitor again and watched in horror as the green berserker lifted its shotgun and aimed directly at 2B. White wanted to bark an order but she was frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch as it pulled the trigger. In a single second, 2B ceased to exist, her entire body reduced to scrap with only her useless arms remaining, managing to survive the brutal and unrelenting force of the buckshot. "NO! NO! 2B! NO! PLEASE, NO!" 6O cried helplessly. White watched as the berserker kneeled in what used to be 2B and picked a small and cracked thing from the remains.
2B's black box.
"You bastard!" 27B yelled, "Everyone, kill that thing!"
And it began; A maelstrom of bullets, missiles, and energy-based projectiles rained on the green berserker, flinging it through the air, riddling every part of its body with bullets and explosions, powerful enough to reduce goliaths to ashes in mere minutes. The barrage continued until the humanoid fell in the dirt, where he was mercilessly gunned down like the animal it was, burying further down in the dried dirt. After half an hour, the barrage stopped, revealing a deep hole where the corpse of the berserker laid, hidden from view. Nobody said a thing while the special unit pummeled the berserker with everything they had, some were focused on the main monitor, watching in slight awe as the androids rained righteous fury on it. Some others had decided to help 6O, who was currently suffering a mental breakdown, crying and helplessly calling for 2B. The only one who was still working on her terminal was 21O, still looking for 9S.
"Target remains silent," 27B said darkly "Awaiting for further orders"
"Well done, Lieutenant. I will send a recovery team to retrieve whatever is left and ship it to the Bunker."
"Permission to speak freely, Ma'am."
"Permission granted, soldier."
"With all due respect, is it wise to bring that thing to the Bunker? We know little to nothing about this thing; For all we know, that infection could still be active; We cannot allow it to take root in the Bunker; We should just dispose of the damn thing." And in any other situation, White would have agreed with the Lieutenant… But White couldn't ignore how powerful that thing was; If they could unlock its secrets and integrate them to the next generation of YoRHa models. They would finally have the edge they needed to win the war… Or so the excuse went: Her real motives were far more obscure. After all, winning the war would mean humans could return to earth from their fortress in the moon…
And that was something she knew very well would never happen…
"Wait… I am detecting something…" 27B suddenly said. The monitor displayed a magnified image of the crater… And suddenly, the berserker emerges, pulling his unharmed body out of the hole, sporting not a single wound in its rugged and inferior green armor. The armored berserker stood and eyed the YoRHa androids with its cold-blue visor. "That's not possible…"
"How can that thing be alive?!" An operator yelled in disbelief "That should have been enough firepower to down a gargantuan Goliath! Why is it not dead?!" At this, the room was filled with voices, demanding answers, speaking their theories, or simply babbling their utter shock.
Commander White simply watched the armored being in silence, both fascinated and horrified with its endurance, power, and skill; Across her long life, she had seen many strange and downright bizarre things, the truth about the humans was among them, but even with more than an entire lifetime behind her back, this was something she had yet to see.
"What the hell is that?!" 27B's voice cut through the noise, gaining the attention of every android in the control room.
Suddenly, White noted its shotgun had somehow morphed into something far bigger and more menacing: It looked like a long and large piece of metal, split in the middle with strange blue hue emanating from its central piece. She studied the weapon with interest, tracing the shape of the strange object from top to bottom, finding herself mesmerized by its terrifying yet impeccable beauty.
By all means, this was a killing machine.
She could hear the platoon, asking her for orders but she simply couldn't comply, frozen in place as the green berserker pressed a trigger in the handle, waking up the terrible demon that was its weapon. The core came to life, humming like a beast and exuding a white light as if it were preparing itself to spew a hellish maelstrom upon its foolish enemies. White felt shivers as the weapon was done charging its unholy payload, and as she watched the armored being release the trigger, she could have sworn she saw the shadow of a savage smirk behind its visor.
"RUN!" Someone yelled but it was too late.
In less than a second, a white streak of light flew out of the weapon and collided against 27B's waist, cutting the android and her flying unit in half. After that, the projectile hit another unit, an 'S' series named 25S, blowing a large hole where his black box was supposed to be. It then blew the head of another 'B' series, killing 3B instantly. And then, it bisected 1H's, a member of the 'H' series, arm, making the petite girl lose control of her bearings and scream like a wounded animal.
Suddenly, every voice in the room died as the deranged and pained shrieks of 1H filled their ears, watching how the corpses of their fallen androids remained flying in the air, either by force of will or obeying the last command sent when they were alive. And then, one by one, the bodies of the dead began falling; 25S fell first, the hole in his chest causing a few of the Operators to turn around and gag. 3B fell next, the stump where her head used to be spilling a wave of oil on the dirt. 1H followed, managing to land roughly just to eject herself, and start trashing on the ground, holding the stump that used to be her arm, and begging for anyone to stop the pain. The last to fall was 27B, who remained on the air, her eyes concealed by her blindfold but with her mouth wide open, the ghost of the last ordered she uttered before she died. Slowly, her flying unit began failing and she fell… But as she descended, Commander White felt time stop for her; She could feel it somewhere deep in her being, a small voice whispering an unforgiving and cold truth she would have to accept: Words of power speaking from the depths, where the dark gods dwelt, peering through the worlds and stalking from the shadows in the dead of the night. The smell of death reached her nostrils and she knew they had committed a mistake: She didn't want to fight this entity, whatever it was. She didn't want to face against this enemy, no matter how much carnage and chaos it would bring to this broken world. For she knew there was no way she could win…
27B hit the ground and time resumed its course, with 13B, as the next in the line of command, barking orders, the rest of the YoRHa androids complied, surrounding the armored being, fury exuding from their bodies and their weapons promising nothing but pain and death.
And even with their numbers, the armored berserker seemed relaxed, once again displaying something akin to magecraft, as the large weapon turned into two: A Heavy Assault Rifle and a combat pump-action Shotgun, obsolete weapons from a time when humans fought against each other and killed in the name of their fabricated beliefs.
It was at this moment that White knew she would spend the rest of her life trying her damn best to avoid any confrontation, any battle, any war with this thing… But there was nothing she could do now, there was no way she could stop the slaughter that was going to take place in the plains of City Ruins. There will be no mercy, no surrender will be accepted. White could only fight tooth and nail, hoping that some of the androids survived, but it was but a fickle and foolish hope...
They were no longer in control, they were new to this, and HE had chosen their fate…
Doom.
"Kill it!" 13B shrieked, as her Flying unit spat a barrage of missiles. The rest of her platoon doing the same, raining bullets, missiles and lasers. The maelstrom collided against the armored being and it disappeared in a curtain of smoke and fire. "Don't stop! Keep going until there is nothing l-" The rest of her sentence was lost as a bullet penetrated her forehead and destroyed her cybernetic brain.
"13B!" 7S, her support, roared in pain "You will pay for that! You will- huh?" Suddenly, a small sphere flew from the curtain of smoke and hit him in the chest "What the f-?" And then the sphere exploded, a wave of shrapnel cutting through 7S, killing him instantly and detonating his flying unit.
"Fuck!" 45B, the next in command swore, aiming her laser cannon and firing at the smoke "Keep moving! Don't let it get a mark on you!" She ordered, hitting the thrusters and propelling herself upwards. But suddenly, a barrage of needle-like projectiles came out of the smoke, aimed directly at her "Shit!" She yelled, forced to do a rough turn to avoid the attack "Ha! I ain't that easy to-!" And then, the projectiles turned mid-air and homed in on her "You got to be fucking sh- ARGH!" The needles penetrated her skin, burying deep in her body. "Son of a b-!" And they detonated, blowing 45B to pieces.
"That is not possible!" 18B, the current lieutenant screamed "How could those things penetrate our shields and platting?! That is not possible!"
Suddenly, from the curtain of smoke, the armored being emerged, its weapon trained at the androids. 18B barked something and the YoRHa once again unloaded everything on it… But this time, the green berserker dashed with an unnatural speed, avoiding every projectile coming its way: The missiles simply couldn't keep up with its speed, the bullets that managed to hit it simply bounced on the rugged armor, and the lasers were swatted as if the dangerous arks of light were nothing but flies.
"How is it so damn fast?!" 20B bellowed in disbelief "Not even veterans can move like that! How can it be-!?" She was silenced as bullets hit her throat and torso, riddling her with holes and detonating her flying unit.
"20B!" 11B cried in pain "You will pay for that, you monster!" The android roared in anger, transforming her flying unit into its combat configuration and dashing towards the green berserker, her power blade coming to life "DIE!" She yelled, swinging the weapon in a wide arc… But to her shock and horror, the armored being stopped the energy blade with its bare left hand; The sword cackled against its armored glove, attempting to cut through the armor but with no purchase "That is not-!" But before she could finish, the berserker pulled and ripped her arm apart alongside the flying unit's limb, 11B managed to let out a single cry of pain before she was bisected with her own energy blade, her two halves exploding, bathing the merciless berserker in fire.
"We can't keep doing this…" 17S panted, landing and getting out of his flying unit "I am going to end this now!" He claimed as his left arm began glowing with a golden light "You are going down!"
"17S, STOP!" His pod chimed in, displaying an operator "Don't you dare hack into that thing!"
"I can end this right now! I just need to kill it from the inside!"
"Negative! 17S, stand down!" This time, it was Commander White speaking "Pod-153 reported Unit 9S tried to hack the armor and was infected by an unknown virus; This infection attacked his black box… He is gone"
"I didn't hear any of that in the briefing!"
"We just received Pod-153 report now! Don't do anything stupid boy! I don't need an infection attacking YoRHa directly just because a Scanner was unable to accept his limits!"
"I am not like 9S! He was too cocky just because he was a bit faster than the rest of us! I know I am better than him! I know I-" Suddenly, his entire head exploded as a wave of buckshot hit him straight in the face.
"Arrogant idiot!" 18B cursed, watching as 17S body plummeted on the ground "But he was right; We can't keep doing this; That thing has defeated Ten of us already and we are supposed to have superior weapons, skills, and numbers… We must put an end to this right now!"
"What do you suggest?" Her partner, 72B asked, flying just behind her "We have already unloaded everything on it, hacking it is out of the question, and even with our flying units, we can't overpower it with raw strength; What is left?"
"An orbital strike from the Bunker…" 18B said quietly, "If we can distract it for long enough, the Bunker can unload the big one on it, reducing it to atoms."
"Do you think the Bunker will approve something like that?" At her question, 18B's pod chimed in, displaying the image of an Operator
"Operator 4O here; Your plan has been approved by the Commander. But she wishes to let you know you will only have one chance. Nothing more" And the transmission ended.
"Well, that was convenient …" 72B muttered, glaring at the Pod suspiciously "But how exactly do we distract it? Even with our flying units, that damn thing is both faster and stronger."
"We do it as 2B did."
"And look how that turned out" 72B snorted.
"Do you have any other suggestions?!" 18B growled angrily
"No, Ma'am; But I really would like to go home on my own, and not in a body bag or as a freaking puzzle."
"Your comments are duly noted and I will make sure to let Commander White know personally…"
"If you survive, that is…" 72B mumbled. 18B glared at her but said nothing
"Alright! Everyone, listen up: There is still plenty of us but I get the feeling this tactic will not yield any results. As such, I have decided to try something else: I need Seven of us, myself included, to distract that damn monster long enough so the Bunker can vaporize it with an orbital strike! I will not lie to you, this is a suicide mission; You will either die at the hands of that monster or the orbital strike will reduce you to tiny bits… But it is everything we have left. The only thing I can promise you is that I will be there when the thunder comes." 72B rolled her eyes but said nothing so 18B continued "I don't want to force anyone to die so if anyone wants to join, you are free to do so. For the rest, 72B will become the new lieutenant after… After I am gone." She managed to say, taking off her combat visor and gazed at the berserker. "I don't know what you are, but I swear I will take you down…" She looked at 72B and smiled softly "Make sure they get home…"
"I know how to do my job." 72B retorted, turning and flying away "Hey dummy!" She called from afar and 18B turned to look at her "It was… A pleasure, to be your partner, that is…"
"The pleasure was all mine." 18B nodded and dashed towards the berserker.
Even though the wind was hitting her eyes, 72B never closed them, refusing to lose sight of her target for a single second. She knew she wasn't the best 'B' series out there; She wasn't as strong as 8B, nor was she smart like 64B, or as skilled and graceful as 2B. She lacked many qualities other androids had, and sometimes, she herself wondered how could YoRHa accept and use a mediocre like her in the war. Despite all this, she was not going to let some unknown thing defeat her here and taint the pride of YoRHa androids. She might be nothing but a weak android in comparison to her superiors, but she still dreamed about the humans in the moon, listening to their words, and obeying their every command… And this thing was a danger. No matter how strong it was, no matter how powerful it was, no matter how tough it was, no matter how fast it was…
She was going to bring it down.
"FOR THE GLORY OF MANKIND!" She yelled, ejecting herself from her flying unit and landing on the dirt, her [Type-40 Blade] hitting the ground, the steel cutting through the floor as if it were butter. She looked up and saw as her flying sped up, on collision route against the armored being.
The berserker simply dispelled his combat shotgun, making it disappear in thin air, rolled its right arm, and punched the flying unit. Steel met steel, a shockwave was sent her way as the flying unit was utterly obliterated by the unforgiving fury of its fist, crushing the flying unit under its own weight and inertia, turning it into an unrecognizable piece of metal, wires, and fire, before sending it back towards 18B. The android gasped and precariously managed to dodge the boulder that used to be her flying unit, missing her by a hair, and crashing on the dirt behind her, creating a medium-sized crater. 18B slowly got up, gripping the handle of her blade tightly, wondering if this had been a very bad idea.
The berserker simply eyed her blankly, standing taller than any android she had seen before. It then did something she was not expecting, it cracked its knuckles as if it was expecting a good fight. After that, it began walking towards her, its hands empty, letting her know it did not need any weapon to finish her off. And she knew it as well…
But then, a flying unit flew over her and crashed against the berserker, throwing it to the side. The green armored humanoid attempted to get up but another collided against it, exploding and throwing it to the side again. And then, another came, and another, and another and another until a grand total of twenty-three flying units crashed on top of it, burying it deep in scrap and fire.
18B watched the mound of mangled metal dumbfounded; She slowly turned around and what she saw made her smile softly: There were twenty-three YoRHa units ready to serve and die in the name of mankind alongside her
"24B, ready!"
"26B, ready!"
"48B, ready!"
"19S, ready to kick some ass!"
"142B, ready!"
"126B, ready!"
"20B, ready!"
"28S, armed and ready!"
"67B, ready!"
"59B, ready!"
"81B, ready!"
"43S, locked and loaded!"
"79B, ready!"
"56B, ready!"
"65B, ready!"
"80B, ready!"
"15H, here! I-I will try my best!"
"130B, ready!"
"46B, ready!"
"68B, ready!"
"136B, ready!"
"12B, ready!"
"123H, I will not fail!"
18B had to look down, so they wouldn't see her shed some tears. Controlling herself, she looked at the heap of fallen steel and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"For the glory of mankind!"
"FOR THE GLORY OF MANKIND!" The androids chorused behind her, wielding their weapons with pride and honor.
They were ready to stop this monster, they were ready to pierce its armor with their steel, they were ready to hack it down, they were ready to save this world…
Or so they thought…
The Doom Slayer found himself annoyed.
Which was something he hadn't felt in a really long time.
Across his life, he had felt anger, wrath, fury and other not so nice things. It wasn't as if he had a bad temper… On second thought, he did have an awful temper but you can't blame him for his short fuse; After all, he had been surrounded by the most infuriating bunch of blood-thirsty assholes, megalomaniac retards, narcissistic psychopaths, and a complete myriad of colorful idiots he had come to hate with his entire being, even more so than demons.
So imagine his surprise when he found himself fuming instead of exploding in a wave of pure and unadulterated anger; He was pissed off, but not enough to start a holy crusade against the foolish androids that protected this planet. Sure, he was still going to kill all of them but he was doing something he hadn't done before, he was thinking. Of course, he was no fool and despite his appearance and his legendary reputation as a deranged meathead, he was rather smart. Sadly, the blessing given to him by the Seraphim had condemned him to chase after demons relentlessly, disregarding anything or anyone in his way. It felt like a tireless chant pushing him forwards, making him brutalize any demon in his path, filling him with nothing but contempt over anything slightly demonic or unholy, forcing him to forget who he is, who he was, and what he could have been had the eggheads at the UAC minded their own business instead of playing with a ouija board.
But here in this land, the voices were completely silent… After several millennia, he was finally capable of listening to his own thoughts, to feel who he truly was, to know what he truly felt, and to do what he loved the most…
Killing demons
At the end of the day, cursed or not, those bastards had killed Daisy, the only family he had left, and destroyed his homeland, sacrificing millions of innocent souls to the dark lords in their demented conquest across the cosmos. When he saw Daisy's head pierced by a stake at the doors of a devastated human city, he simply lost it; He hunted and killed every single one of those disgusting fucks, brutalizing their bodies and carving his own bloody legend in the memories of the Slaves of Doom; Saving what was left of the human race, and allowing them to escape to safety in the vastness of space. After that, he had gone to hell, to keep them busy and away from other unsuspecting worlds.
But deep inside, he knew he enjoyed the carnage, he reveled in the intoxicating flavor of their fear and the taste of their blood. After stepping into hell, everything was history: Argent D'nur, the Night Sentinels, the Great Betrayer, The Icon of Sin, the Titan, The Seraphim, the Wretch… And finally, the UAC once again, and the circle was complete.
It was almost poetic.
To hear himself once again was invigorating; The Seraphim had him chained for far too long, it made the Slayer suspect she was a dominatrix bimbo hiding behind her pure and holy facade. He had never visited heaven and as of now, he preferred hell; They were at least honest in there, always trying to disembowel him like a pig.
Good times.
So it made him curious; No matter where he went, so long as there were demons, the Seraphim's song would always follow him, chanting ancient and powerful words, binding him to her, making him obey her every command. In front of her voice, he wasn't a man, he was a dog, ready to obey his master and do her bidding. In this land, she was gone… And that could only mean one thing.
There were no demons in this land.
Of course, that did not mean this world was safe: It simply meant its turn had yet to approach. So long as there were souls to corrupt, demons would eventually come. No matter how long it took, they always came.
And that's why he needed to find the humans; To warn them, to prepare them, to let them know there were far more dangerous things out there. Sooner or later, Hayden would fuck things up and the toaster would call him back. But until then, he had enough time to organize and train this world for the incoming war.
Or at least, teach them the most important rule in the entire multiverse:
Never get in the way of the Doom Slayer.
And sadly, he would need to make an example out of these dolls.
He pushed against the tons of mangled metal that the androids had so politely crashed on top of him. The Marine got himself up and eyed his next victims: A total of twenty-four: Nineteen women, three boys, and two young girls. He could see the rest flying away, retreating from the battlefield. He narrowed his eyes, feeling the proverbial slump on his stomach, telling him he was walking straight into a trap. He grinned under his helmet: Of course, he was going to let himself fall into the trap. He was going to let them believe they had him, and at the last minute, he was going to smash against any cage of whatever they wanted to use to restrain him. Anything short of a gargantuan blood temple would do nothing to him. Whatever they had in store, he could take it…
He had endured worse.
The android holding a rectangular and humongous sword, the leader most likely, barked something and the rest of the androids cheered. He simply cracked his neck, it was time to work:
I've seen some folks doing this so I wanted to try
Borderlands 2 - Bloodshot Ramparts Combat
He dashed like he always did, head first into the heat of the battle. The androids got away from his path, dispersing and surrounding him completely, so they could attack from all sides. They didn't know he was used to that tactic: The Slaves of Doom always did the exact same damn thing, and if this dolls thought they could succeed where a millenarian demonic and all-powerful race had failed, they would soon discover the folly in their arrogance.
The first to attack was a blonde female wielding a spear: A peculiar and elegant weapon, but judging by its design, it was a mass-produced tool given to the main body in the army. Strong, yes. Adequate, yes. Effective, yes. Deadly, yes. Now, would it work against the Doom slayer? No, not in this life or any other alternate universe out there in the cosmos: The tip of the spear broke against his hell-forged armor, its earthly materials unable to match the durability of demonic steel. The android had just enough time to realize she had committed a great mistake before a brutal punch reduced her torso into a mess of scrap, wires, and murky oil: Her puny chest exploded and the mangled remains fell all around the battlefield, an appropriate example of the destiny that awaited each and every single one of these dolls.
Another android, a female with short red hair, wailed in agony at her fallen comrade and slashed at the marine using a short golden sword with simple filigree in the handle. He grabbed the sword and snapped the blade in half easily, the stick surrendering to his iron grip; The female had her head pierced by her own blade, right in her temples. The corpse collapsed in the ground just as he blocked a peculiar long sword with his forearm, a katana if he remembered correctly. The wielder, a blue-haired android, was snarling at him like a wild animal; He returned the favor by stepping on her feet, flattening her toes into a fine paste. The android let out a pained yelp before he exploded her entire head with a well-placed jab. As the pieces of what used to be an android fell, a black-haired woman leaped with a warcry, wearing an interesting set of braces sparking with electricity. He snorted and met her challenge, his right fist colliding against her left, reducing the bracer, her fingers, her whole hand, and her entire arm all the way to her shoulder into nothing. The android fell on the ground, covering the stump that used to be her arm and screaming in pain. Her cries were stopped as a brutal kick snapped her neck, bending her entire head in an unnatural angle. Turning around, he backhanded a female android with short brown hair that had tried to sneak on him with a short silver blade, cracking her face. He grabbed her by the hair and forced her back; The android shrieked before her entire face caved in, courtesy of an uppercut that fused her lower jaw with her brain. He ducked under a vicious mallet that attempted to crush his head. Of course, said weapon wouldn't have dealt any damage but he felt like showing he wasn't just a walking tank, strong enough to take any hit to the face. He kicked the handle of the mallet, snapping it in half. He then grabbed the head of the mallet and squashed the android wielding it, turning her into a disgusting dough on the floor. Using the same head of the mallet, he blocked three swords attempting to bisect his chest and pushed, making the offending androids lose balance and fall on their backs: The first had her head stepped under his armored boot, crushing it like a melon. The second lost her head as he kicked it, tearing it out of her shoulders and making it fly into the skies. The third was grabbed by her right ankle, crushing her limb and was wielded as a makeshift club, crushing a boy with a longsword under her weight. He then slammed the android on the ground, a satisfying crack told him he had broken her spine, he let her go, knowing she would not move ever again. Around him, the remaining androids were keeping their distance, aware they were no match for him in hand-to-hand combat: It made him wonder what was their plan, and what was the best way to crush it.
Suddenly, a rain of bullets, small missiles, and lasers fell on him. They had changed tactics and attempted to bring him down using long ranged weapons: A respectable strategy, especially if they acknowledged they were utterly outperformed in hand-to-hand combat.
Will it make a difference?
No.
Their pathetic projectiles bounced against his armor; He couldn't even feel the kinetic force produced by their attacks. Truthfully a waste of his time but if this is how they wanted to play, he was going to humor them: The UAC EMG Sidearm materialized in his right hand, he took aim and picked his target, choosing a young and absolutely terrified girl with ashen hair, and pressed the trigger. His pistol hummed, signaling it was ready. He released the trigger and a small but concentrated, projectile of plasma flew from the barrel. The shot hit the young girl directly between her concealed eyes. The back of her head exploded, staining the floor behind her with whatever she used to have inside her skull; Her blindfold fell, revealing a pair of empty silver eyes before she collapsed, her short sword clattering on the floor.
The reaction of the remaining androids was instantaneous: They leaped away, their weird flying bricks still shooting at him with their laughable arsenal. He simply stood there, carefully lining his next shot before he fired again: A female android with orange hair fell on the ground, her left kneecap busted, releasing a wave of oil. She attempted to cover the wound but another shot blew both of her hands and then, her chest opened as another shot pierced where her heart would be, revealing the robotic components that made her entire body. She stared at her innards briefly before she moved no more. One of the remaining boys roared at this and dashed at him, his brick still shooting a continuous barrage of a strange light-based weapon: He was wielding another golden blade and started slashing wildly as if that would somehow help him achieve his objective. The Marine simply stood there and allowed the boy to struck him on his ribs: The blade collided but was not able to cut through the rugged armor. The Slayer grabbed him by the face and simply crushed his entire head, the now headless body fell to the ground, like a puppet without strings.
Looking through the pouches on his belt, he grabbed a single grenade and pulled the pin but he didn't toss it. Instead, he dashed forward and snatched the first android within reach, a female android with long black hair. He grabbed her by the neck, making her open her mouth in pain. In that short time, he stuffed her mouth with the grenade and threw her at her comrades. Four androids were caught in the blast of the explosión, losing their limbs and having their entire bodies pierced by the shrapnel. One managed to survive, barely: Her four limbs were gone and there was a gaping hole in her left eye socket, she was dragging herself through the dirt using her ruined stumps, staining the green grass with oil and other liquids. The marine ended her suffering by stepping on her back and blowing what was left of her head with a well placed charged shot. He turned around just to receive a punch from one of those strange braces in his face; A female android with short blonde hair roared and the braces activated, releasing a deadly current of electricity through his body. Of course, it would have been deadly for any lesser man, but in comparison to dealing with Vega's core, this was but a faint massage. He grabbed her arm and pulled, tearing her entire limb alongside part of her shoulder. She didn't even manage to scream in pain as he slammed her own arm into her face, breaking her head and sending her tumbling on the dirt. He discarded the arm like common trash and lifted his left hand just to catch the last boy by the throat, who was trying to slash him from above. The brown haired android trashed under his iron grip, uselessly trying to break free by striking him in the head with his spear and kicking his chest plate. He tightened around his throat but the Marine didn't just crush his neck or ripped his head out of his shoulders. Instead, he tore a large chunk of his throat: The boy fell, his head precariously connected to his body by what was left of his neck. He covered the wound and gurgled, copious amount of oil emerged from the wound as the boy uselessly tried to stop the flow. Slowly, his attempts became weaker and after a while, he moved no more.
The music ends here
The Hellwalker let go of the boy's crushed throat and looked at the remaining androids: Four androids were still standing, baring their teeth and holding their weapons in challenge: Three women, one holding a golden spear with feathers at the tip, another holding a thin and white katana, and the last one had a large rectangular sword. Behind them, stood the last young girl, with fluffy blonde hair, holding a small dagger between her trembling and dainty hands. She looked ready to run away and abandon her comrades, but she was still here, boldly challenging his might with her cowardice and pathetic resolution. It almost made him chuckle.
But it was not time to laugh.
As far as he was concerned, he had delivered a convincing message to whoever sent these dolls to put him down… But still, he felt like there was something missing: There was one last thing he could teach them. A valuable and painful lesson these puppets will never forget.
And he knew just the right tool for the job:
He dismissed his pistol, making the androids tense and then, their tension turned into absolute horror when his second favorite toy made an act of presence:
Back in the UAC, this was nothing but an industrial chainsaw, a piece of ancient machinery some psychopath had brought into the Phobos base, claiming the thing would eventually be useful once they were invaded by creatures of nightmares. The sergeant had confiscated it, claiming why the hell would they use a frigging chainsaw when they had high-powered and futuristic plasma weapons. Soon enough, the sergeant found himself swallowing his own words, and a few bits of demonic fire, once his 'high-powered and futuristic' plasma pistol ran out of cells and was overrun by Pinkies. The Marine hadn't been that foolish and had taken full advantage of the unforgiving and deadly kiss of his new chainsaw. But do not fool yourself, this USED to be nothing but an industrial chainsaw. Now, after millennia of soaking in argent infused blood and other supernatural essences, The Doom Slayer's chainsaw had effectively become a proper tool to rid this multiverse of the demonic scum: Capable of cutting through any alloy and material in any mortal, and immortal, planes. Fueled by his everlasting rage, and a reliable supply of ammo when his guns ran dry… Okay, he still didn't know why demons simply turned into mars bars and piles of ammunition whenever he killed them with 'The Great Communicator' but he was not one to question awesomeness; He simply nodded in approval and went to kill the next poor bastard in the line.
Doom 3 - Main Theme
And now, his tool of nightmare was out, proudly showing itself to this new, innocent, and virgin world, still soaked in demonic blood. He could see the androids beginning to back away, pure fear polluting their bodies, making his chainsaw twitch in anticipation, eager to once again rip and tear like the good old days.
The Marine grinned behind his visor, revved up his chainsaw and the old monster roared, letting the world now it was hungry for blood and flesh. The teeth came to life, spinning at vertiginous speeds, ready to bite these new and foolish enemies. The Marine didn't know if the androids would drop health packs and ammo but he was sure it would be a sight to behold. Now ready, he dashed, his chainsaw howling in delight, happy to be unleashed once again.
The first to react was the android with the spear: She met the marine and thrust her weapon, attempting to skewer the deranged Berserker. The Slayer simply swatted her puny spear away and stabbed the android with his chainsaw: The industrial blade easily pierced her belly, effortlessly penetrating her reinforced skin and eliciting a pained yelp as the teeth bit at her innards. And then, the Marine began cutting upwards, the chainsaw easily obeying as the android screamed in utter pain and tried to stop the chainsaw, grabbing the blade with her bare hands: To her horror and nobody's surprise, the teeth cut right through her pathetic limbs. The Marine kept going until the blade finally exited her body: The android was still alive, desperately trying to keep herself in one piece as her innards and oil fell on the ground. The Marine snorted and kicked her away, she fell on the ground and moved no more.
His oil-stained visor turned to the remaining androids, his chainsaw still thirsty for more carnage, twitching impatiently, eager to brutalize these new and weak enemies.
Without a warning, he dashed forward, chainsaw roaring in glee at the slaughter. He leaped in the skies and brought down his chainsaw on top of the android wielding the white sword: She managed to block but had to kneel under the strength and bulk of the Marine. The Slayer kept pushing, slowly bringing the android down; She was clenching her teeth and doing her damn best to hold her ground, her sword sparking as the teeth of the chainsaw bit at the pure white blade. At her side, her comrades were frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch in horror. The android yelled something and her comrade with the rectangular long-sword snapped out of her stupor, dashing away with her steel ready to cleave the Hellwalker.
Sadly, it was too late:
The flimsy steel broke and the chainsaw made contact with her pretty little head. The android screamed for a little bit before her voice deteriorated into an electronic bellow originating from her throat. Then, she simply went quiet and limp, the nightmarish weapon still cutting her down like an animal, staining the slayer and the area around him in fluids and scrap. Finally, the two halves of the android fell to the sides, sparking and bleeding murky oil, filling the environment with a characteristic scent of charred metal. The Marine eyed his handiwork: It wasn't as satisfying as cutting demons down but it was a new experience. His chainsaw still twitched in anticipation; Its thirst for more violence not quenched just yet… And to its luck, there were two more enemies to kill:
At this point, the young girl was on the ground, her blindfold completely drenched in her tears, her face twisted in utter horror, her hands trembling uncontrollably, and her blade discarded like the useless stick it was. The older woman was faring slightly better, holding her sword defensively in front of her, baring her teeth in anger, her eyes filled with disbelief and fright. She wasn't trembling like the little girl but the Marine knew better: She was frozen in place, too scared to do anything but wait for the inevitable end.
Slowly, so painfully slowly, the Hellwaker began walking towards them, knowing very well they were no longer a threat but a medium: The unlucky sacrifice needed to let this world, the humans in hiding, and any enemy lurking in the shadows know the most important truth in the entire multiverse:
Don't fuck with the Doom Slayer.
They had broken the only rule that truly mattered and now, there was nothing she could do; No power that could save her; No alternate routes; No saves files to load…
There was nothing left for her to do…
Nothing…
But fight like hell.
His chainsaw roared and he dashed towards the android with unholy speed. The white-haired woman had enough time to bring up his longsword and block the nightmarish weapon: Sadly for her, she wasn't strong enough: As soon as the blades collided, she was launched in the air, unable to hold her ground against the vast strength of the Slayer. She fell on the dirt roughly, rolling on the grass and mud, like a ragdoll. She managed to recompose herself and had just enough time to raise her sword and block another brutal strike from his chainsaw. Just like before, she was easily batted away as if she weighed nothing. On the ground, the android rolled to the side, just so she could avoid the teeth of the chainsaw by a few inches. She managed to recompose herself and faced the marine, her broadsword already cracked by the brutal assault of the marine.
The Slayer studied her briefly, somewhat surprise she had managed to last for quite a while, but knowing full well his next attack would break her weapon. There was no point in dragging this matter any further, there were a lot of things he had to do. His chainsaw roared again and he dashed, swinging it in a wide arc. But then, the android simply phased out of existence and vanished from sight. Of course, the Marine knew exactly what this was: He had seen the female android with white hair do the exact same thing when he was in Berserker mode. A neat trick, quite outstanding if you thought about it… But still not enough: The Marine followed her as she transitioned, his gaze never leaving the trail she left behind. And once the android appeared once again, his fist collided against her weapon, shattering her sword into pieces. The shards of the broadsword fell all around him just as his chainsaw came down, bisecting the right arm of the android easily; Without missing a beat, he cut through her right leg and part of her left. And just as she was collapsing on the ground, his fist collided against her dumbfounded face, reducing her entire head to nothing but mangled scrap.
Music ends here
Silence fell as the last remains of the android fell on the dirt, joining her brothers and sisters in the infinite mountain of corpses the Doom Slayer had accumulated throughout the years. He was still impressed she had challenged him head-on, even though the difference in strength between them was clear as day and night. Remarkable? yes. Now, wise? Not so much. His musings stopped when he felt a soft tap on his back, he turned around to see the young girl, desperately trying to skewer him with her pathetic dagger, her blindfold completely drenched with tears. He could hear her muttering something; Whatever it was, it didn't matter: His huge hand closed around her throat, making her yelp and drop her dagger. He easily lifted her so his visor was staring directly at her blindfold. She tried to claw at his armored hand, scrapping with her dainty and weak fingers to no avail.
Was this truly everything the humans in this world had to defend themselves? Pathetic, indeed. He could already see the Slaves of Doom plowing through these dolls, ripping and tearing them apart as if they were nothing but mere annoyances. If that was the case, he needed to hurry up and find them before the demons did. Otherwise, this world would fall with relative ease.
"Y-You… Monster…"
The words resonated across the silent battlefield, her voice trembling with both fury and terror. The Marine simply stared at her: Monster… If only she knew about the horrors he had seen and fought… But then again, she wasn't wrong: He had become something even the Slaves of Doom feared.
Monster…
Yeah, that sounds about right.
"Y-You w-will… Pay!" She managed to yell. The Marine snorted but to his surprise, she smiled "I… I hope you b-burn in hell…" The irony of that statement made the Marine l-
Suddenly, a bright light shone above them. The Slayer looked up and saw a yellow dot glowing just above him; He studied the strange phenomenon briefly, wondering what the hell was that… His eyes widened as realization washed over him.
He had fallen for their trap.
"Got you, bitc-" She began before the orbital strike fell, reducing her to mere dust, setting the world alight and filling the Marine with nothing but pure and searing pain.
"Visuals are down but we have scored a direct hit!" Operator 9O informed, tapping furiously on her terminal.
"Sensors are offline!" Operator 17O supplied next to 9O.
"The survivors have returned! I will go and interrogate them!" 71O offered, getting up from her seat and exiting the control room.
White simply stood there, eyeing the main monitor on the Control Room, displaying nothing but static. 18B's plan had worked… To some degree, at least: The orbital strike had hit the monster directly, releasing enough firepower to level an entire country if needed: It was, alongside the black box detonation, the most powerful tools YoRHa had at their disposal. It was rarely used, as it consumed far too much energy and resources, only used a few times during the machines wars whenever a gargantuan Goliath appeared. It wasn't something she would use lightly, as it was powerful enough to wipe out both enemies and allies alike… Just like in this case: Although it seemed effective, the black boxes that survived the first assault were exterminated alongside the Green Berserker. Sure, White could always re-construct the androids using pre-existing back-ups but that would not help her deal with the guilt. Even if those girls returned, she had used them as cannon fodder, sending them to their doom without a second thought, sacrificing their lives as if they meant nothing.
The Commander bit her lower lip, remembering that grim mission from Hawaii, a few centuries ago. A suicide mission with no chance of success… And how she had somehow achieved victory over every prediction. But from that encounter, White could only remember the last words they exchanged before she left: A cold truth lay bare for her to witness, the shame and guilt that would forever follow her, no matter how long this charade lasted...
You knew… Didn't you?
"Attention! We have re-established the connection! We will have visuals in a few seconds!" An operator said behind her, snapping her out of her musings.
Her eyes focused on the main monitor and she waited, praying that the sacrifices hadn't been in vain. After a moment, the static gave way to barren land, empty, devoid of any sign of life. As she had expected, the orbital strike had swept across the battlefield with terrifying efficiency: Clearing the large patches of grass, trees, and most importantly, corpses and evidence of the battle. White scanned the image carefully, hoping to find anything to send the recovery team, anything to tell her this had not been another blunder in her long list of terrible mistakes… But there was nothing to be seen. Nothing remained: Neither the remains of the YoRHa androids nor the corpses of the machines lifeforms...
Nothing…
Except…
"I am detecting movement!" One of the operators said as the monitor magnified a small section of the barren plains of the City Ruins: A small patch of dirt was trembling slightly as if someone was buried under it "Maybe 123H survived after all!" A few Operators agreed with her… But White knew better, and she couldn't help but sneer at the idiotic optimism of the operator. "It's…! It's…! It-" But the operator didn't continue and White didn't have to turn around to see the kind of expression she had on her face.
From the dirt, the green berserker emerged: His armor was considerably more filthy than before, charred even, due to the orbital strike hitting him directly but still completely undamaged. He shakily got out of the hole he had been buried in, his limbs trembling slightly as he got up, standing tall and proud in the aftermath of the cataclysmic fury rained by YoRHa. Suddenly, he turned and looked up, his visor focusing directly on the camera that was keeping track of him from orbit. The control room fell into silence as he simply stared blankly at them, unmoving, immutable, silent. And slowly, he lifted his right hand until he was pointing directly at them and…
Gave them the middle finger.
With that, he ran towards the buildings in the city ruins, leaving the androids at the control room stunned by the humiliating defeat and felony some of them had never suffered in their entire lives.
"Quite charming, huh?" 4O noted drily.
At her words, the spell broke and the androids got to work.
"H-he is running away!"
"Someone tag him! Don't let him get away!"
"Dispatching the reckon team at once!"
"He will not escape!"
"He will pay!"
"He will pay!"
4O watched the chaos with mild interest, never in her life seeing the operators work with such fury in their lives. A sight to behold, indeed. But one voided of purpose or logical reasoning: Her eyes focused on her commander, dressed in pure and pristine white among the black uniforms of her peers. White was the only one wearing an impassive mask, betraying neither the fury nor the fear she had displayed while the berserker slaughtered her forces. Her silvery-blue eyes stared directly at 4O, conveying the same truths she herself had come to accept. And with a subtle nod, only 4O was able to see, the old operator knew what had to be done: She tapped a few commands in her datapad, and waited…
And after a second, a message came through, stopping the operators completely. A message they knew very well… A message from the council of humans, hiding in the moon.
"This is a message for our valiant androids fighting for our future on earth: We, the high council of humanity, have observed your brave battle against this new and terrible enemy, and although we can understand your desire to defeat this unknown foe, it pains our hearts to see such beautiful creatures as yourselves being slaughtered without mercy like mere and baseless animals. As such we beg you to reconsider this faulty and flawed course of action: This enemy is far more powerful than anything you have encountered and as such, we advise finesse and dexterity over brute force and anger. We trust the Commander will guide you through the right direction just as she had done ever since this war began. We expect great things from all of you. Glory to mankind."
And the message ended.
The room was once again frozen in place, the androids unable to understand what just happened. It wasn't strange for the humans on the moon to send messages encouraging them or offering words of wisdom… But for them to actively interfere in their operations was unheard of: And some of them couldn't shake the feeling there was something off about this message.
"Glory to Mankind!" But before any of them had a chance to form any conclusion, Commander White saluted with conviction.
The rest of the androids looked at her dumbfounded but after a while, they slowly mimicked her, obeying the most important principle engraved in their minds since their creation.
"GLORY TO MANKIND!"
Total and absolute obedience to their masters…
Humanity.
"Good! We have received our orders and we will follow them perfectly! As such, you are forbidden from interacting with the green berserker! We will keep an eye on him but no contact would be allowed by any means until I have designed a way to effectively killing him! Am I clear?"
"YES, MA'AM!"
"Good! For now, I want complete surveillance on the machine lifeforms dwelling near the buildings in City Ruins! We must ensure they don't take advantage of our weakened state to launch an attack on our forces stationed on earth or the androids of the Resistance! But above all else, begin the process of replacing our fallen comrades with new iterations of the same models! There should be some old back-ups we can use to replicate their complete personality and memories as best as you can! We will need them in the incoming battle… Any questions?"
"NO, MA'AM!"
"Excellent! Now, if you excuse me, I must attend to some business. I will return shortly with our next plan of action. Glory to mankind!" She ended, saluting and leaving the control room.
As soon as the commander left, every operator sat in their terminals and began working, furiously tapping on their keyboards, relaying orders to their agents as well as keeping tabs on enemy movements on the surface… All but one:
4O eyed the other operators, paying close attention to 6O and 21O: The former was sitting at her terminal as well, her fingers moving with practiced discipline… But 4O could see her eyes were staring at nothing, lost in space as she mechanically obeyed her orders. 21O looked slightly better: Still working like she had been doing ever since 9S was confirmed killed in action. Of course, whether she was working on White's orders or something else was up to debate but 4O didn't feel like asking: She herself had an important mission to do, far more important than anything these clueless androids did here.
Without saying anything, she exited control room and walked down the pristine hallway, catching sight of earth outside of the Bunker. She eyed the marvelous third planet in the solar system with mild interest, wondering just what kind of events this new development would cause down there.
Her steps took her to a peculiar door lacking any nameplate: She took a deep breath, knocked at the door, and entered without waiting for an answer
The inside of the room was just as she remembered, a complete and utter mess: Boots and other forms of footwear were sprawled across the floor alongside some trinkets and other items whose purpose she ignored. The small bookshelf was filled to the brim and a few of the books were dangerously keeping a precarious balance at the edge. The table at the end of the room was covered in disorganized stacks of papers, pencils, and pens, and some interesting toys 4O was sure were not there last time she came here.
And on the bed, covered by pieces of wrinkled clothing, laid the perfect and stern Commander White, content with the disastrous state of her room. 4O watched as White napped, wondering how someone as smart and graceful like her could live in such detrimental conditions. Then again, that was above her paygrade…
If she had one, of course.
"Did it work?" White asked, not bothering to look at her or change her position.
"So it seems…" 4O answered, tapping into her datapad "I have yet to detect any move against the green berserker. Everyone seems to be following your orders diligently… There are some cases I'll have to monitor myself just to be sure."
"21O and 6O?" White asked.
"Who else would it be?" 4O retorted in mild annoyance
"Make sure to prioritize the reconstruction of units 2B and 9S: I think their pods brought enough data to recreate their personalities. I hope that helps those two."
"I will never understand your infatuation with those two…" 4O said, shaking her head "Anyways, what is the next move? We may have bought some time with that little stunt but I'm sure a few will start asking questions sooner or later, and I would rather not have our entire staff executed in a row."
"The next move, huh?" White said, sitting on her bed and looking at the floor "What to do, indeed?" 4O eyed her commander silently, perfectly still and waiting patiently for her orders "If I am honest with you… I don't know what to do."
"What do you mean? It is obvious we should eliminate this new threat before it escalates into something we can't control."
"How?" White asked, looking directly at 4O "How can we eliminate something that has survived everything we have thrown at him? How can we kill something that can survive orbital strikes from the Bunker? How can we do it?" 4O didn't answer and White giggled lightly "You know… When I saw that thing simply rip and tear the machine lifeforms, I felt… Mesmerized: Across my long and dull life, I have never experienced something as visceral and brutal. Something we have never encountered, something born to dominate and exterminate everything in their path… Bigger than you, me, and this pathetic game we have been playing for far too long…" As soon as those words were uttered, White found herself staring at a golden sword, directly resting at her forehead. Without losing her cool, she slowly turned her head to stare directly into 4O cold eyes "Stand down, 4E. I am not planning on betraying the cause…"
"Are you sure about that? Your statement just now sounded quite traitorous" The executioner whispered lowly "Maybe it is time to initiate your iteration cycle once and for all…"
"We have been together ever since this charade began: I saw you being born, I saw you pledge total obedience to your mission… And I saw you cull the failure that came before you and your sisters"
"1E…" 4E mused to herself, remembering the Titanic and downright cruel mission she and the entire 'E' series had to fulfill in the name of 'Mankind'.
"The first of your kind; Stronger than any other android ever created in YoRHa. Capable of completing any mission given to her… But also weak in comparison to you or the rest of your sisters: Too kind and compassionate for her own good. In the end, I asked you to eliminate her… And you accepted without a shadow of a doubt."
"It was my job: I was created to do this. No one but me could have succeeded…"
"Or so you say but in reality, you know very well 2E or 3E could have done it… But you decided this was your burden to carry. You decided to put yourself in a dark place so the rest wouldn't have to face the terrible truth. Just like I have been doing for as long as I can remember." Slowly and gently, White caressed 2E on her cheek "And that's what made me choose you as my overseer, so you would end my life the moment I gave up entirely on this lost cause… And ever since, you have been with me; Watching my every step in this war. So I ask you… Do you think I have given up just yet?" She asked, staring directly into 4E's eyes.
"No" The executioner answered, returning her sword to her sheath and concealing it within her clothes.
"Good… Truthfully, I was feeling overwhelmed by everything: This new threat is not one we can ignore and sadly, normal methods will not yield any meaningful result."
"What is the next move, then?" 4E asked, as White rose from her bed and walked towards her bookshelf, tracing that books with her finger "Because apparently, you don't want to kill him."
"Is not that I don't want to kill him… I simply don't know HOW: The most powerful weapon in our arsenal proved useless against him: If an orbital strike couldn't reduce him to mere atoms, what could a bunch of swords, missiles, bullets, and even a black box detonation do?" 4E wanted to answer but found no argument capable of refuting anything White had said "Killing him is out of the question so I suppose we should the next most sensible thing available at the moment…"
"Which is… What?" Finally, White had found the book she was looking for. A large volume with golden letters over a red background. She slowly gave the book to 4E so she could read the title.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream?" 4E read and looked at White in disbelief "How is this supposed to help us?"
"It's not about the story on itself; After all, the characters created by William Shakespeare have nothing to do with us and the Green Berserker. But there is a method depicted in the book we can use… And no, it doesn't have anything to do with magic paste or fictional beings."
"You don't mean… Manipulating the berserker, right?" White nodded with a small smile "And how are we supposed to do that?
"Truthfully, it will not be an easy feat to accomplish." White accepted, taking the book from 4E and placing it in its place on the bookshelf "As of now, we have effectively become enemies with the armored being: Our relationship is based upon anger and vengeance. He has slaughtered many of us, and we would do anything to have his head in a silver platter… But the reality is that we will not survive an open encounter against him. We must avoid any confrontation… He is a dangerous being: A ticking bomb capable of destroying everything we have worked for."
"A terrifying thought."
"Yes, indeed. When I first saw him, I couldn't help but tremble in fear. But within that crippling horror, inspiration struck me with the most deranged idea I have ever conceived…" She turned around and smiled at 4E "He doesn't need to be a bomb… Instead, we can use him as a cannon."
"A cannon? I don't think I follow…"
"In his current state, he would most likely kill us on sight. But maybe, we can use other assets to change his focus: Guide him towards other enemies…"
"The machine lifeforms…" 4E muttered as White's plan began taking take form inside her mind.
"Exactly! After all, the machines did try to kill him as well, So it is safe to assume he feels rather hostile against them as well."
"I suppose that is a logical statement… But the question is, how can we manipulate him into attacking the machines and not us? Meeting him is out of the question and unless he finds the machine's HQ by chance, the most he can do is fight stragglers and small packs without eliminating any powerful Goliaths."
"Correct… But you are still forgetting we still have one more card in our deck. A wild card, but the last option we have left"
"You don't mean…" 4E began, narrowing her eyes in confusion. That was until realization hit her and she widened them as much as she could "The Resistance… You are planning on using the Resistance."
"Correct yet again!" White cheered "They don't know what exactly happened in City Ruins today: They can deduct a powerful enemy appeared since we used the Orbital Strike but the real nature of this threat is unknown to them… So maybe, we can feed them false information and guide them towards the green berserker."
"I see… It indeed sounds like a clever idea…"
"Exactly! Now we just need to-"
"But…" 4E interrupted "What makes you think he is going to accept the androids at the Resistance? As far as I am concerned, he could have qualified every single android as an enemy. The resistance may not be part of YoRHa but they are still androids. How can you be sure he will not simply kill them on sight?"
"I don't know…" White admitted in shame, looking at the ground "This is but a shot in the dark, a gamble… A leap of faith" She added, looking at 4E again "But deep inside, I feel this is the right thing to do but even if it isn't, we have nothing left: We could try to kill him again and again, dispatching bigger armies, using our most powerful weapons, raining brimstone and fury from the sky… But you know as well as I do that path will lead to our downfall: We can't waste our forces on a single target when the Machines Lifeforms are still out there. I will not fight him any further: If this plan fails, I will do everything in my power to make sure we avoid any form of contact with him. I don't know what the machines would do in that case; They would probably feel curious and chase him. In the end, they will draw the same conclusions, whether they waste more resources than us is yet to be seen but with time, they will understand he is not something they can defeat. If such scenario does happen, I am afraid to say I ignore the future waiting for us." She walked past 4E and stood at the terminal in her room "So that is why I pray we can pull this plan off: I pray he can accept the Resistance; I pray he will work for them… And one day, I pray our grudges will be forgotten, and we can work together to keep this worthless world from falling into oblivion."
"Are you going to tell Anemone?"
"No… Not yet, at least. Even though we must create the scenes and control the script, our influence must be kept to a minimum. Their relationship must be crafted naturally and developed at his pace. Sure, we can direct him towards certain key points but we will remain hidden until we are certain Anemone has enough control to stop him from brutalizing us. We will watch and whisper in their ears…"
"Like fairies?"
"I was going to say ghosts but I suppose 'fairies' is more adequate" White giggled "If our plan works, that is…"
"I will begin to plan countermeasures if everything fails…" 4E began, turning to leave the room "Speeding up the reconstruction of our fallen units will represent a problem but I am sure I will manage it somehow. I will also look into the archives and see if there are abandoned prototypes for new weaponry. If our current equipment is useless, a bunch of fresh guns might make the difference should the worst outcome happens."
"You do that…" White nodded as she tapped on her terminal "Also, 4E…" She called and the executioner in disguise turned to see her "Thank you for listening and not killing me."
"It was a pleasure, Commander." 4O bowed slightly and left the room.
White eyed the door for a few moments before she returned to her terminal and continued tapping. Suddenly, a holographic screen popped up in front of her, displaying the portrait of an exotic tanned woman with emerald eyes, wearing a tribal green cloak with a simple golden and black design at the edge of the cloth.
"Anemone, can you hear me?" The Commander asked.
"White! Is that you?! Thank god! I've been trying to communicate with you ever since we received that warning about a dangerous entity rampaging in the plains of City Ruins! We were ordered to stay at the camp and not come out until everything had passed! What happened, White? We saw several flying units flying there and even an orbital strike! Not to mention I haven't been able to contact 2B or 9S… White, what happened out there?"
The Commander looked at Anemone's portrait, carefully examining her noble and exquisite features. For a blissful moment, White was tempted to tell her the truth: To let her know about the imminent danger hiding in the fallen buildings just a few kilometers away from her camp, about the lives lost and the way they have been brutalized by him, and the madness she had planned for her and every single member in the Resistance…
Of course, only for a blissful moment…
"I apologize if I worried you, Anemone" White said in her usual cold yet gentle voice "An unknown Goliath appeared on the plains and we had to send a special team to deal with it. Since their current equipment proved useless, I authorized the use of an orbital strike. The plan worked and the Goliath was swiftly destroyed. Sadly, we overestimated its durability and most of its body was disintegrated during the explosion."
"O-Oh! I thought as much… Tell me, can I help you with something?"
"Actually, you can: The Goliath brought with it a large wave of machine lifeforms. We determined the swarm would represent a danger to you and the Resistance so we dispatched most of our forces to deal with the stragglers that survived the Orbital Strike. Due to that circumstance, we are unable to recover what little was left of it. I want the Resistance to investigate the site and bring back anything of meaningful importance so we may determine its origin and the cause of its sudden appearance in the City Ruins."
"I see…" Anemone mused to herself, thoughtful "I can have a team ready in a few minutes; Luckily for us, most of our agents were back here at camp. The others were too far away to suffer from the battle but I will check on them as soon as possible."
"That would not be advisable: As I said before, we are still trying to deal with the survivors and these are no normal machines. The best course of action is to send a single android to scout and recover as much as they can without being detected. Stealth is the best course of action and a large armed group would surely attract unwanted attention."
"I… I suppose you are right… But I am not sure any of the members of the Resistance are equipped to do something like that…"
"Don't worry, Anemone. If you excuse me, I would like to make a suggestion…" White began, wishing to whatever entity out there to forgive her for what she was about to make her friends do on her behalf "Is Jackass at the camp right now?"
"Yes, she returned just before everything started. I was planning to send her to do some recon at the desert… Why?"
"Can you patch me through? I think she is the one best suited for this mission."
"Well, if you say so. Give me a minute, I think she is napping at the warehouse…" Anemone said before the connection ended. White stood there, frozen in place, her mind working around the millions upon millions of scenarios. Trembling as each one had a worst outcome than the last one, wondering just how much would Jackass suffer before the berserker finally killed her, or if Anemone would ever forgive her for setting the Resistance up, or the consequences of failing.
Her thoughts grew darker and darker as the seconds passed painfully slowly.
And then, another portrait popped up in front of her: This was the picture of a young and dirty woman wearing a blue cloak over her raven hair. Her black and eternally impish eyes, as well as the cheeky smile, filled White with an unbearable pain:
She had always known she was a heartless monster for manipulating the lives of her dear friends like this: Hiding away the terrible truth behind lies, playing with their feelings as the androids couldn't wait to rid this world of the machines so their beloved humans would return and grace them with their holy presence.
It was painful enough to drive her mad… But nevertheless, the bleak future that awaited them should the truth escaped the confines of the Moon and YoRHa was enough to keep her sane.
Colony house - Lonely
For now, that is…
"Hey, Whitey! Anemone said you need me for sumethin'! What can little ol' me do for an old friend like you!" Jackass asked, mirth filling her voice.
White remained silent, knowing full well she was doing something completely unforgivable: Something that would forever chase her so long as she lived. She could feel her sins crawling along her back, letting her know once she took this path, death would be too good, almost merciful, for the likes of her.
"Hello, Jackass. I am glad to see you are as quirky as I remember" White managed to say in a somehow happy tone.
"You know me: Nothin' can keep this girl down!" White could almost picture her doing a fist pump "Alright, what do you need me for?" Jackass asked in blissful ignorance, not knowing the terrible and brutal events that waited for her in the deepest part of City Ruins
Chapter I
a m[A]rine in a land of machines
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