Shirou was sitting in front of his shed with his hand rigidly wrapped around the door handle. There was a part of him that was wondering if everything that happened yesterday was truly real or just a dream.
The idea of android even existing in the first place completely baffled him. Let alone that he found an injured one and was currently trying his best to repair it.
No, she was not an 'it'.
She had a name, and it was 2B.
A machine though she may be, she was still a sentient living being.
Or at least he thinks she is.
Everything was honestly way over Shirou's head so he had no idea what he was supposed to think.
Last night he managed to repair her to some extent after weeks of failure. Until the day before when his hard work finally bared fruit with 2B now able to speak and move to a certain degree, thus proving that his feelings and effort as he struggled to repair her weren't in vain.
While it was only for a brief moment, he still remembered all of it… the meeting of their hands… fingers interlocking with one another… the softness of her gloves… and the crushing pain he felt when her hand accidentally started clamping down on his own.
Those sensations all felt real, they had to be.
Besides he also had the bruise on his hand as proof.
Yet strangely, it was her smile which made him doubt how real everything was.
Could a smile as beautiful as the one she briefly showed him truly exist?
Shirou reminisced as he recalled the image but shook his head in order to try and clear his thoughts. But still his cheeks flushed red in betrayal despite his best efforts to focus.
That aside, Shirou had other problems on hand to deal with. It was after the moment 2B gave her salute that she went silent and became completely still, no longer responding anymore to anything he said.
Shirou was aware that what he managed to do was far from a proper repair but he could only hope that what happened before wasn't just a one-time fluke and he could talk with her again.
It was all so vexing that Shirou suddenly got cold feet now when he is about to meet her again.
Perhaps he was scared at the thought of going in only to find out that she had stopped functioning for good while he was asleep. While Shirou was aware it was ridiculous to feel like this, he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of anxiety regardless.
The red haired boy took a deep breath and turned the door knob. There was no point in dragging on like this; it was only a waste of time that could be put to better use by helping 2B.
When he entered the shed he instantly looked over at the female android, unsurprisingly finding her in the very same spot he left her in last night, not having moved even a single centimeter out of place.
He wasn't sure if that was good sign or bad sign.
As he got closer to her he offered her a weak smile as he greeted her. ''Good morning.''
There wasn't any response.
2B gave neither a verbal confirmation nor physical sign of recognizing his presence.
The android simply stood lifelessly inert as she had always done since he first found her.
Shirou could only sigh dejectedly as he knelt down in front of her and prepared his tools to work on her. Maybe he was right and everything he thought that happened yesterday was just a dream.
The boy was so deflated that he missed the moment when 2B's lips parted. ''…mo…r…ni…ng.''
That made Shirou go still for a few moments, his eyes widening as he looked at the female android. Catching sight of her trying to lift her arm but failing to do so as it didn't work properly, shaking violently, and unable to properly control it.
Shirou took notice of this and held her arm. ''Easy there, no need to force yourself.''
While his action was sudden and perhaps a bit rude from a certain view point, he wouldn't want to risk her causing herself any additional harm. From what little he knew if you force an injured body part while recovering it could end up making things even worse.
While this was the general rule for humans and there was no guarantee it also applied to androids, if there was any chance of something similar happening to her Shirou wasn't going to risk it.
2B was a bit surprised by Shirou's reaction but complied with his request, stopping any further attempt to move. It was when the shaking finally stopped that Shirou took a deep breath and felt at ease as he realized that what happened yesterday wasn't a delusion on his part. ''Did you sleep well last night?''
''C…an…no…t.''
Shirou blinked in confusion a couple of times but soon realized what she meant by that. ''Oh right, android, sorry.''
As much as she looked like a human, 2B wasn't one. Most human concepts were probably very foreign to her if she even possessed them in the first place.
That was a lie however.
The YoRHa were able to sleep if they desired to. Not only that, they were also able to experience dreams just like humans did.
That was of course if the said android chose to fall asleep in the first place as it wasn't a necessity to them. It served no real physical purpose, in fact it was a waste of valuable time.
The only reason one would chose to sleep was to experience dreams. Many YoRHa androids did so, experiencing the mysterious phenomena know as dreaming.
2B wasn't completely honest with Shirou in this regard. It wasn't that she couldn't sleep, she simply chose not to.
Her dreams were always haunting nightmares.
The red haired boy scratched the back of his head as he picked up a pair of tweezers. ''Well then, I somehow managed to make you talk, at least to some extent anyway, so I might as well try to make it better today.''
Before Shirou could get on with his work the white haired android spoke up. ''Wa…it.''
''What is it?'' Shirou asked curiously, hoping he wasn't about to do something bad to her by accident with his attempted repairs.
2B was silent for a few moments, performing a quick scan on her body. Once she was done she spoke once again. ''Ne…ck.''
This caused Shirou's own neck to tilt in confusion. ''Your neck?''
''F…Fi…x.''
The young redhead was unsure of why she asked this from him since her neck area seemed to be the least affected from all the other body parts. However this was her body they were talking about, so it was her right to decide what got fixed first or not. ''Ok, if you say so.''
In all honesty Shirou had no real clue with what he was going to try to repair next. The whole success he had with partially repairing 2B's voice along with one of her arms was more along the lines of random dumb luck than actual skill. If he could compare it to anything it would be perhaps akin to a TV being stuck in static and suddenly smacking it which somehow made it work properly.
Just as his dexterous hands were about to touch her neck section the female android spoke up. ''B-Bl…ue… w-wi…re… atta…ch… rig…ht…co…rner.''
''You know what I have to do?''
''Y-Ye…s…'' Shirou couldn't see it, but 2B was able display diagrams of her body within her mind, showing every affected area down to the smallest misplaced wire. She knew everything that needed to be repaired as well as how to handle each one of them.
There were many critically affected areas and she knew that it might take a while before she was back at proper working parameters but everything had to be handled delicately considering that her savior seemed to lack the skills and necessary knowledge to work on his own.
This was also good news for Shirou.
Now that young Emiya thought about it this was actually a lucky break for him to be guided by her like this. He did tend to lose a lot of time trying to decipher her inner workings and decide what he should try to fix next after all. He couldn't even fully structurally grasp her in one go due to 2B's immense complexity, being forced to scale down his focus and working on her piece by piece making only incremental repairs. That being said, despite his best efforts he had no idea if what he tried repairing previously was even linked with what he was trying to fix next.
A cheeky smile formed on the boy's face, unable to hold back his excitement. ''Well then, lead the way.''
''Cy…lin…dri…cal tu…be… in… low...se…cti..on.''
This was a novelty for Shirou if he were to describe his current situation. Up until now he would always handle any kind of appliance or machinery repairs by himself. All that he knew was mostly self-taught and learned by hands on experience, so having someone guiding and instructing him step by step on what to do was certainly a new experience to him.
Due to the nature of the structural grasping spell he used, he was able to see how the object was originally supposed to be by design and structure. Using the details he surmised by his structural grasping, he was able to find out what had caused them to break or stop functioning.
Essentially he was reading the history of the object in a sense.
If for instance a wire misfired in a heater he would then proceed to visualize the state the heater was currently in and the state it was in before it malfunctioned. Because of this and then comparing past to present, he could see what parts were affected and what needed to be repaired or replaced.
It was a weird way of doing things now that Shirou thought about it since most of the time he simply went in blind and it was only after tinkering with so many appliances that he slowly began to actually understand how certain parts would work and what their role was within structure to make it function.
In general this was basically the same with cars, motorcycles, air conditioners, and many other electrical or mechanical objects. He learned a little from here, a little from there, and now had a general understanding of how they are all supposed to run which helped him out greatly nowadays when fixing things.
… Except when it came to 2B.
The girl was so God damn advanced that he felt like a kindergartener trying to learn Quantum Physics, in a different language from his own.
As he reattached the part as per 2B instructions there was a small spark that ignited where the parts connected, causing Shirou to stumble backwards, panicking that he might have just caused a short-circuit potentially frying 2B. ''Did I do something wrong?!''
''You did not.'' The YoRHa android had finally spoken, this time however her voice was no longer distorted and lagging. It was back to her usual monotone, yet soft voice. ''That was a sign that my audio systems are back at proper working capacities.''
Shirou had to take a moment and pinched himself, making sure he wasn't dreaming, once he felt the pain a smile spread on his face in awe and fascination. ''Wow, you can finally talk properly.''
Although 2B couldn't show it, she also felt fascinated by the way Shirou reacted. ''You seem… happy to see that?''
The boy rubbed the back of his head, feeling suddenly sheepishly in front of the female android. ''Oh, well, it's just… I've been working on you for a couple of months now without any sign of progress so I often thought to myself if I can even fix you to begin with.''
2B happened to share this particular sentiment with the boy.
She often wondered if there was any chance for him to succeed with her repairs given how many times she felt like shouting at him for the sheer number of countless basic mistakes he performed along the way. It was a good thing her voice didn't function at the time, she couldn't have been so disrespectful to the person who might for all she knew be the very last human being in existence.
His existence was crucial.
She had to make contact with the bunker and inform the commander about Shirou. This was her self-imposed mission at the moment, return to proper working capacity and make sure to deliver the news to her superiors.
This took priority above everything else.
Of course this wasn't exactly up to her.
It all came down to Shirou and whether he could successfully repair her or not.
As such 2B couldn't help but throw in a remark about this.
''Your methods were indeed lacking, however the instruments you used were quite primitive so I'm not surprised you would say that.'' The android replied in her usual stoic tone, which felt kind of like a slap to the face for the young man. While he himself was aware he wasn't doing so well, it was a completely different thing entirely to hear this coming from the android 2B herself.
At that moment 2B felt like she made a big mistake when she saw the change in Shirou's facial expression. She was concluding that the rather cold and snarky personality she projected in front of 9S had become something of a habit by this point, one that she definitely had to start working on changing. ''True as that may be, you never gave up in spite of how impossible the task seemed. That shows your dedication, so allow me to offer you my sincere gratitude. I apologize that I can't bow down to you but my body is still unable to move.''
Shirou inwardly panicked, he wouldn't have minded a thank you from her, but the bowing down part was a bit too much for his taste. ''There's no need to do that, I just wanted to help you.''
I just wanted to help you.
2B felt like those kind and gentle words he said were being wasted on a person like her. For all that she did to 9S… she honestly felt like she deserved anything but kindness.
Would Shirou still be able to offer her such kind words once he learnt of what she had done up until this point?
That thought was… fearful?
Emotions and logic were once again at odds. She had to gather more information before drawing any conclusions.
''… For what reason though?'' She began softly, the eyes hidden behind her visor narrowing at Shirou. ''You have never met me before, nor have I done anything to earn your sympathy, so why do you desire to help me as such?''
That was a valid question, Shirou could understand that. Yet, it didn't feel something he could just explain on the spot. ''Well, it's not wrong to help those in need.''
This was the same answer that Shirou always gave to those that inquired why he went out of his way to help others yet never asked for anything in return.
Many would see it as being a good hearted person.
Others however would see it as being disturbing. Finding more sense and logic if a reward was involved for the actions they performed.
Humans were by nature rather selfish creatures, while the act of selflessness was preached and encouraged by the media, very few people actually adhered to such a doctrine. Such was the case that it often confused many people whenever they saw a completely selfless person before them.
2B was also not satisfied with that answer, it didn't solve any of her dilemmas. Rather it only added more questions to be answered.
''… Every action we take has reason behind it doesn't it?'' the YoRHa android further inquired. ''There must have been more to it than just a simple principle.''
''... I guess.'' Shirou muttered awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. He never really gave it that much thought in general, just going by instinct most of the time. Only later after everything was said and done did he actually try thinking about the reasoning for why he had helped. This case however had more to it than just the normal random requests for help; there was a certain emotional weight to it. ''If anything… I just can't stand to see people suffering.''
For a brief moment Shirou's face went blank, passing so fast that a normal person would have easily missed it but not 2B. She saw the expression he had and didn't enjoy what she had seen.
In that single moment, Shirou's eyes looked dead.
Just like those of a terminated machine life form.
Yet, what truly disturbed her was that they were identical to how his eyes looked to those of 9S whenever she was forced to kill him.
''When I saw you there in that crater all broken and lifeless I wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel, but it was the expression you had on your face that made me feel… frustrated. At that moment what I thought wasn't why I should help you or what I could gain from it, but rather how would I be able help you.''
The memory replayed in Shirou's mind.
It was disturbing how much 2B had resembled a corpse at that time.
''I just couldn't ignore you…'' The boy tightened his fist, knuckles turning white as old memories began flooding through his head. Shirou couldn't let them keep him down though and he tried his best to suppress them with a smile. ''So I just tried my best hoping that in the end I would be able to save you.''
A heavy silence befell the room as 2B tried to logically analyze the conversation that just took place and comprehend all of what he just said.
There were so many things that didn't make any sense from a logical stand point. Doing things without a rational thought process… to someone like 2B which have had her actions dictated by order and reason her entire life, this sort of thought process felt so completely foreign.
It wasn't like she never did anything that was simple and without any deeper implication but even then the smallest of her actions had a certain amount of reasoning and purpose behind them. Actions like reading or fishing which were once recreational activities for humans, she would do the first not for the pleasure of reading but to get a deeper understanding of human thought and culture, while the latter would be for financial gain as the fishes she caught could be exchanged for different goods within refugee camps.
Did she ever do something without a reason backing it up?
Just out of a whim?
2B couldn't recall if there was ever such an instance.
It was not surprising that this discussion felt so incredibly foreign to the YoRHa android.
''… I see.'' 2B couldn't think of what else to say to continue on with this discussion.
Or was it perhaps that she didn't want to go on with it, seeing that it made Shirou so uncomfortable?
The YoRHa android was very uncertain about this.
Shirou on his end only nodded awkwardly as he picked up his work tools. This discussion wasn't really up his alley. So he tried to shift it back to business. ''Well now that the voice works properly we can focus on the rest.''
''About that…'' 2B cut him off just before he was about to choose the next section to try and repair. Shirou looked at her, raising one of his eyebrows in curiosity. 2B hesitated for a moment as it wasn't proper to stop him like this, even though she had existed under strict military regime for so long and knew very well the importance of showing proper respect to her superiors; however Shirou was very similar to 9S with his childlike appearance and the easygoing attitude. This made 2B subconsciously act similarly more familiar to the human as she did with her old partner. ''I may have a more productive solution if you would be willing to listen.''
Shirou was actually very intrigued when he heard this, it took him so damn long to barely put her voice back together so if there was a way to repair her even faster he was all for it. ''Well, hit me.''
2B would have tilted her head at this question if she was still able to move. ''For what reason would I hit you?''
The red haired boy felt a bit awkward for the misunderstanding. ''N-No, it's just an expression, I meant say what you want.''
2B acknowledged this as she narrowed her eyes at the remains of the machines stashed in the corner of the room, the arm of a familiar device peeking through the pile of parts. ''My pod, the block like machine over there, has field repair protocols among its functions. If you repair it first, the rest of my repairs can be handled as efficiently as possible as it possesses proper maintenance systems.''
Shirou didn't respond and instead quickly dashed to the pile of scraps to excavate the so called pod. Once he found it, he brought it in front of 2B and asked for confirmation. ''So I repair this little guy and then he repairs you?''
''Basically.''
''Well then I will do just that.'' The young redhead lightly chuckled as he placed the pod down and started inspecting it, but stopping midway as he realized that the pod was most likely as technologically advanced as 2B was in spite of its rather simple exterior design. Shirou laughed awkwardly as he looked over towards 2B. ''Um, do you happen to know how to repair this little guy by any chance?''
''It is not within my designed functions.'' 2B stated simply, she was a combat model, maintenance and repairs weren't among her features, if it were 9S he could definitely have helped. 2B then noticed that a dejected look on Shirou's face had appeared again and started reconsidering. ''However, I might be able to offer support.''
This put a small smile on the boy's face. ''Let's get started then.''
The repair on the pod seemed to going well overall. It was different from what he previously did with 2B as he knew from her if what he did was right or wrong. However since the pod was not responding, he wasn't sure if he was on the right track or not.
Most of the time it would consist of Shirou holding the thing up close to 2B so she could get a good look at it and tell him what she thinks he should handle next. It was certainly weird to hold the box like machine in front of her like a billboard but he could honestly use all the help he could get.
From a first look estimation most of the pods structure was currently intact except for an arm that got ripped off. Overall Shirou only had to deal with replacing some wires and fixing that arm. If what 2B had said was accurate, the pods systems and data should still be working, so as long as he managed to turn it back on things should proceed without any troubles.
''Master Shirou, you connected the wrong wires together, go back and redo them.''
Now if he only didn't make a mistake like every two minutes Shirou would be satisfied.
His lack of dexterity aside, the red haired boy felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead as he heard the way 2B had kept addressing him for the past few hours. ''Umm, could you drop the whole 'Master Shirou' bit, it feels kinda weird, just call me Shirou.''
''Are you sure that's what you want, is it not proper to show your superiors the respect they deserve?'' 2B asked rather curious herself, it was the first time someone told her they didn't like to be properly addressed. However if she was being fair, she herself didn't enjoy it when 9S called her ma'am.
Shirou stopped tinkering with the pod and rubbed the back of his head again, uncertain of where this discussion was going. ''… That may be true, but I'm not your superior.''
''Of course you are for you are human, those I was created to serve. '' This remark from 2B didn't feel like just a simple remark to Shirou, but a solid statement.
''… If you say so.'' The boy muttered unsure, the discussion feeling like it was once again heading down an alley he wasn't familiar with. ''Look just call me Shirou, its simpler for both of us.''
''As you wish.''
With that the discussion ended rather abruptly.
Shirou wasn't sure what to feel about how it all just went down.
He always have had sibling like quarrels with Taiga every now and again. The two of them constantly bickering back and forth for a while before one of them (mostly him) eventually caved in. The point being that their arguments required a bit of time and process before things were actually settled.
The small conversations he had with 2B on the other hand felt… too easy if he were to describe it. Now 2B was anything but similar to Taiga of all people, but the fact still remained that this felt like there was barely any sort of fight from 2B. She stated her opinion, but that was about it, 2B didn't try to uphold it and simply let it go after he made his thoughts be known.
She was very submissive in a sense, which didn't feel very good with Shirou, it was making him feel like he was taking advantage of her or something.
This made Shirou stay silent for next half hour.
It also didn't help that 2B wasn't engaging in any kind of conversation besides telling him what to do next with the repairs.
When Shirou couldn't take this anymore he tried to start up a conversation again, though he spoke before thinking things through properly. ''So… uh…''
''Is there any problem?''
The young Emiya stuttered as he tried to put some order with his thoughts. ''No… it's just… would it be okay if I ask you some questions?''
''Not at all, proceed.''
That was good and all, but he didn't know what he wanted to know in the first place. Shirou took a moment and thought about all that had happened up until this point, and what were the things that he didn't have any understanding about.
Once he recalled the very first encounter with the android he spoke up. ''That day when I found you, there was no one around and yet there was this big crater with you in it all messed up. How did that even happen?''
That was a fair question 2B thought, but she wasn't sure about the exact answer herself. Everything after the activation of the experiment in that old base was a blank slate.
Perhaps a more detailed report going through the events that led up to it would be more beneficial.
''I was on a scouting mission together with my assigned partner when we were ambushed by hostile machine life forms within an old human research facility. It was during the battle that some sort of experiment was activated. I was in the middle of it when that happened and the next thing I knew I was in that crater with my body severely damaged.''
Shirou nodded slowly as he tried to process this, he had no idea what these machine life forms she mentioned were, but he had a hunch that those old rusty robot remains he found in the crater around 2B were just that.
All in all it sounded like something right out of a cartoon. 2B and her partner together on a mission exploring a facility, and then getting attacked by killer robots.
That aside, there was something in her explanation that got his attention. ''What about your partner?''
''I'm not sure... I pushed him away when the facility started initiating the experiment it was built for and ended up getting caught up in the blast. The last record I have of him was of him being right next to the platform where it all happened, but it should have been outside of the blast area.'' 2B explained with a small tone of sadness wrapped around her voice, now that she thought about it… this was the first time she and 9S were apart for so long… it made her realize how much she missed him and how desperately she wanted to see him. ''When I came back online I tried contacting him and the base, but I can't seem to connect to the network.''
Shirou thought about what 2B had said and sighed, this was probably one of those advanced and confusing technological stuff he saw in the movies. ''Wish I can help you with that but I'm not that good with modern technology. The fact that it took me months to make your voice return should make that pretty obvious.''
Sure he was able to repair simple devices like heaters, air conditioners, and maybe a TV on his better days but if he was given a computer to manage he would have a field day trying to fix it… though he might be able to repair one if he puts his head to it as long as it was just a hardware defect, if it was something he had to repair by fixing its software he would be completely lost.
Shirou grew up with basic utilities as his father wasn't all that into modern technology. He was a pretty minimalist person and could make due with very little at hand.
His father did own one of those laptops, but he never really did see him use it all that much. After his father died the thing was put into storage and left to gather dust as Shirou had no use for it.
… That and the damn thing had a password which Shirou was unable to crack.
Now the boy was well aware that snooping around in another person's belongings wasn't right, however he thought that he could learn a bit more about his old man. Because if he was being completely honest Shirou didn't know all that much about Kiritsugu Emiya, especially what his past was before he took him in.
Shirou sighed as he took a moment and looked at 2B, his eyes lingering at the wires and parts still sticking out from various parts of her body. ''Truth be told whenever I look at what's inside of you I can't help but wonder at all the parts and how intricately they all work like a human shaped clockwork.''
A big yet embarrassed smile spread on the boy face. ''I mean Japan is pretty advanced technologically speaking but I doubt we are able to create anything near as incredible to androids like you.''
Even though she didn't show it, 2B felt somewhat flattered by getting complimented like this. It was a very new experience to her, but she didn't dislike it.
The moment was short lived though as something felt like it clicked in her the very second she fully registered the entirety of Shirou's previous remark. ''Japan?... What do you mean by Japan?''
Shirou became very confused at her question, his eyes blinking repeatedly. ''The country you're currently in… you do know where you are don't you?''
Those words caused 2B to be unable to process what was going on for a couple of seconds.
2B was now drawing a blank.
This didn't make any sense to her.
She couldn't be in Japan that was impossible, for that human country no longer existed.
''This cannot be Japan… it was sunken at the bottom of the ocean during the seventh machine war.''
The red haired boy was unsure of how he was supposed to react to this statement. It was clear to him that 2B was in error here, but he was more curious about why she believed such a thing in the first place.
''Ummm… I'm pretty sure this is Japan, I would have known if my home suddenly ended up at the bottom of ocean floor. Also a seventh machine war… that's the first time I heard of anything like that.''
''This doesn't make sense….'' 2B muttered visibly shaken, unable to logically comprehend what she was hearing.
What was going on here?
Whenever she and other YoRHa units descended upon the earth from their bunker in space they were able to see maps of the world and its current state. Japan did not appear on any of them, there was nothing but the empty ocean.
No… it couldn't be.
Have the reports and records of the sinking of the Japanese archipelago been a lie?
Was it by any chance a cover up of some kind?
Were her superiors trying to keep something hidden here?
Like Shirou's existence?
Her silent contemplation didn't go unnoticed by the young Emiya, all of this making him feel more awkward than he already was. ''You think you're having a hard time processing all of this, I'm just a middle school student trying to repair an android of all things, if I were to tell anyone else in town about this they would probably think I went crazy.''
And with that one sentence Shirou sent 2B's mind into complete and utter chaos.
Her lips trembled and parted slowly, the words feeling like they were getting tangled up as she tried to speak them. ''W-Wait… you mean to tell that there are others like you in the vicinity?! Other humans?!''
The sudden outburst took Shirou by surprise; startling him and making him jump backwards from the unexpected action.
He didn't see what was so shocking about this that would cause the usually quiet and stoic 2B to shout like that, it wasn't like he was living in utter isolation like some sage cut off from civilization.
''W-Well, yeah, I mean Fuyuki isn't some big populated city like Tokyo but it still has a fairly large number of people living in it.'' Shirou explained slowly, unsure anymore of what he was talking about. ''You sound like there's something wrong with that…''
''It is… all you are telling me goes against everything I know of...'' 2B muttered in disbelief, trying to calm down and put to order everything in her mind, analyzing all the information that she currently had at hand.
Japan was not sunken as she was told.
Humans were still living within it even though the official records state that all of the remaining humans were supposed to have gone into hiding on the moon.
Shirou is clearly unaware of what she was or what she was talking about.
He mentioned that there were others like him close by, but he also mentioned that if he spoke of all of this no one would believe him.
Things were just not adding up.
All of these facts couldn't work together unless this area has been cut off from the world itself completely stuck in time before the downfall of the planet.
Wait…
Time…?
When she thought of that word… it echoed within her mind. The words from one of the journal entries she saw replayed within her.
Science alone won't save humanity, what it needs for it to survive is a miracle, magic. I have to recreate the Blue to go back and stop all of this from ever happening.
Something suddenly clicked in the deepest corners of her mind.
Her being unable to contact the bunker.
No networks appearing on her scanners.
The lack of any machine life form signals.
The antique instruments used by Shirou to fix her.
Shirou's complete unawareness about what she was talking about.
The old facility and the experiment… a way to save mankind.
The light from the experiment that consumed her before she had awoken here.
A miracle... Magic… Go back… Stop all of this from ever happening…
…
All the pieces of this disturbing puzzle began falling into place, only to reveal to 2B a most mind shattering result.
It was ridiculous, the conclusion she drew was utter nonsense, but at the same time it WAS the only theory making any sense given what she currently knew.
The idea terrified her… if what she deduced was true… 2B wouldn't know what to do anymore.
With an ice cold sensation lingering in her stomach area she slowly spoke up, hoping that she was wrong. ''S-Shirou… this may sound odd, but could you tell me the current date.''
Shirou was unsure where this question suddenly came from but obliged her. ''Uh, sure it's the 2rd of March.''
That only made her fears intensify. It was the middle of June when she and 9S discovered the old facility. Dread filled her to the brim as she weakly asked. ''W-What year is it?''
''Uh, 2002, but why are you even asking?''
Before she could register something in her figuratively felt like it had just shattered.
2B's still working arm began shaking and twitching violently, fingers curling and clicking repeatedly in a disturbing manner, unable to keep her lips from quivering.
No…this couldn't be.
It just couldn't be real.
Shirou's eyes widened as he witnessed the panic attack 2B seemed to have, discarding his repair tools and rushing to her side, pinning her arm down before something bad happened.
The boy grunted as he tried to hold her down, but just her partially working arm was giving him a rough time of it. ''2B!? 2B are you okay!?''
Shirou's pleas were heard but the shaking took some time to cease and for 2B to finally calm down. For the first minute she merely stared blankly at Shirou, any traces of warmth were now gone, just a cold blank visage remained. ''No... I'm not.''
A thin line formed on Shirou's face, yet his eyes filled with deep concern for the white haired android. ''2B… what happened?''
The YoRHa soldier sat lifelessly next to Shirou, behind her visor, her eyes gazed at the boy and contemplated what she should do.
Should she be honest and tell him the truth?
Avoid telling him and keep everything to herself?
In all honestly… she didn't give a fuck anymore.
''Shirou… try not to panic from what I am about to say.'' 2B spoke coldly, her voice stripped of any emotion. ''I believe I might have come from the future.''
Author notes
And that was chapter 3
For those who worried about 2B's voice being broken like that well its back to normal as you can see. I'm not that cringy to keep that thing on for multiple chapters.
I always did wonder how 2B would act if she met a human. If it was 9s I could see him all excited and ask all kinds of questions but 2B was more difficult to imagine regarding how she would react. I think she would overall be very respectful and dutiful, but not submissive and venerating.
It's quite a curios case indeed since to her meeting a human would be the equivalent of us meeting God. All in all it's a matter of personal view, perspective and belief. Some may instantly bow down while others would instantly demand answers to the questions that consumed them all their lives. And there are also those that would need time to accept the fact that God exists.
I'm not much a religious person, so I'm trying to look at things from both a spiritual and logical point.
And now our termi- I mean YoRHa android has realized that she is in the past. Hope the way I presented it wasn't too bad.
The reveal however is very bad for 2B. Oh, and for those that hate exposition chapters, don't be scared, there won't be one next chapter.
Now there's one more chapter and the first arc concludes. I will need to come up with a name for it though... probably next time I will give one.
I believe this story is slowly gathering a bit of following. Who knows if it proves popular I will keep making more chapters.
Don't forget to review... no seriously review, I could use some constructive criticism.