A/N: Hoo, boy, was this a ride. Sorry I'm late, everyone. I just had a hell of a lot of trouble with this chapter for some reason...among other things.

It's almost over! Wahhh! Only one chapter to go after this, not including an epilogue if I write one.

Reviews time! I got two anon reviews this time. It makes me very happy, though I wish I could reply to you guys via PM! Oh well. :)

Willso: Thank you much, I aim to please!

Caroline: Why thank you! I am all better now, virus is gone (ahem!). While I am aware about the outside information - such as from the concert script, having been shown by a friend. But I only wanted to go off of what information the game gives us this time around. I'll admit: I might've forgotten to add the flight unit bits in this chapter, I was meaning to and everything! I'll see if I can sneak them in next chapter somewhere.

Thank you for reviewing guys! They really do help!

Ahem! Back to business. I initially wanted to go with ending C, where A2 deletes the logic virus from his system, but it didn't really FIT. Which really freaking frustrated me. So I had to go with ending D.

Well. This gets a little not-so-child-friendly. Might have to bump the rating up if people complain.

Childhood's End

As A2 stared down her fate in the form of a white-haired, pissed-off Scanner model she had been asked to protect, she found herself wishing that things had been different. Not just wishing; it was a desperate want lodged in her heart, in her throat, and she gripped the pristine white blade in her hand with all the strength she could muster.

Because there was no way in the world she could kill him. There was no way in hell. If 2B still existed, she would most certainly kill the outdated YoRHa model herself if A2 so much as entertained the prospect for a second. And, despite the cold, harsh attitude interspersed with hot-blooded rage he had treated her with, she cared for him.

She blamed it entirely on 2B's memories, now interwoven tightly with her own.

The memories of jibes, of laughter. Of working together as a cohesive, functional, two-man team. Of the small begrudging smiles she would give him, and the bashful, shy smiles he would give in return.

And the other memories, ones with a less roseate hue – the memories of running a sword straight through his black box, or choking him with her sometimes bare, sometimes gloved, too-experienced hands. Of leading him into traps in secluded areas to finish him off when he got to know too much. Of hearing the order issued from the Commander and swallowing down her own, completely forbidden emotions until the job was done, only to sob dryly in her quarters after the deed had already been done and there was no way to go back.

There was only the next body. And the next, and the next, for three years straight – ever since she was manufactured as part of the E-Designation.

E for "Execution".

Those memories flowed into her mind, unbidden, uncontrollable, and with a mind of their own, coiled around her brain, her heart, until she couldn't care less about the rest of the world – until all she wanted to do was collapse onto her knees and sob, or better yet, take 9S into a comforting hug.

Something that 2B had always had to restrain herself from.

Something that the 9S standing before her would never, ever accept from her.

He was too far gone – anyone could see it. Mere words could not reach him. Her actions spoke louder – too loudly – and only one action in particular.

Running 2B through with her own blade – if only as an act of mercy, so that she didn't have to live under the effects of a logic virus with a particularly nasty algorithm, until she collapsed in the ruined city streets – more than likely, after she had killed 9S herself once again.

But 9S didn't know that one crucial detail. And, it seemed, he didn't care to know. All he wanted was the bloodshed, the revenge. All he knew was the virus currently hijacking his logic processes, turning him into a crazed, homicidal maniac hell-bent on putting the painful memory of his 2B to rest.

And A2 knew the source – the grafted arm, obviously taken from a 2B body, many floors back down the Tower.

His eyes flashed red as they collided with her own.

How did he find one of her models? Better yet, how did the machines manage to get their hands on so many?

All she had seen, when she had made it to the hole 9S had fallen into, was more 2B body parts than she could ever have wanted to see – more than she could have wished to see in a lifetime. Enough to make her sick. Because, for all intents and purposes, she came from her. A2's programming, hell, even her likeness, was what had made 2B. And YoRHa had taken her and molded her into a killer, an assassin, chosen specifically to keep an eye on the best Scanner model they had – to keep him under wraps. She was – she became – his jailer. And, without meaning to, she fell for him.

A2 knew, because 2B's memories held her heart in an iron-hard fist, clenched so tightly it hurt.

All of this flew through her mind in the few seconds it took to analyse the Scanner standing across from her, sword drawn and visor off, staring squarely in her direction, ready to kill.

She was told to take care of her friends, the future, and, most specifically, him.

2B would hate this.

"9S…he'll find me…" 2B ground out, forcing herself to speak. "You…need to make sure…he's safe…because I no longer can."

The familiarity A2 felt with Virtuous Contract was cast aside as she forced herself to focus on the matter at hand. "You want me to kill you." A statement, not a question. Because she already knew what she wanted.

2B gave a small nod. "I'm infected. I can't…be by his side…anymore. And the Bunker…"

"I know. It's gone." A2's voice turned bitter.

"I don't…have much time left…A2, please…"

A2 watched as a flight unit deposited a male android on top of a ruined motorway before them. "He's here." She looked down at 2B, uncertainty lodged in her gut. Did she want this android's blood on her hands?

"That was quick…." 2B coughed, doubling over. "He must…be angry…"

"It'll be worse if he watches me kill you."

"Not if…he understands why…"

"There's no time to explain," snapped A2. "In a few moments, you'll be just as gone as those YoRHa nutters I saved you from."

In a final, surprising burst of strength, 2B grasped the end of the white blade, its sharp edge cutting into her fingers, her blood dripping from her flesh onto the rock below and staining her weapon. Trembling, she held it to her chest – where her black box was. "Right here," she grunted. "Do it. Make it quick. Before…"

Closing her eyes, A2 grasped 2B's shoulder to steady them both. "I'll do what I can." She shoved the blade in deep.

2B cried out in pain. "Th-thank you…A2…"

"2B! Are you–"

2B managed to turn her head and make eye contact with her partner. "Oh…Nines…" she sighed, a smile still on her face as her body became a dead weight and slid off Virtuous Contract to the rocky ground.

9S's tormented scream soaked the air.

Dammit, I'm sorry.

"I'll kill you!"

Such simple words. Three little words. 'I'll kill you'. But to 9S, they weren't little. They were the sole reason keeping him alive, his new driving force. Before, it was 2B. Now, it was vengeance. Revenge.

An emotion he wasn't supposed to know. Something a good YoRHa soldier would never give into. But YoRHa was no more. And emotion governed his mind – the most chaotic of which eating at his heart.

A2 stood before him, her expression giving little away. Her stance was tense, but her sword was not drawn. Not yet. A few moments later, her expression shifted, pity evident in those swirling blue irises that looked so much like 2B's.

How dare she feel pity for him? She was the one responsible for the anguish raging inside him. She looked too much like her. Too much like 2B. He couldn't take it.

Gritting his teeth, he looked like a little wild, a little animalistic as he gripped his sword tight, knuckles white against his already-pale skin under the glove.

Finally, A2 spoke. "This tower is a giant cannon that's aimed at the surface of the moon. If we don't do something, all of humanity's remaining data will be destroyed."

This, for some reason, made him laugh. "So what? None of it matters. Or didn't you know?" He sounded almost crazy. Maybe he was. It didn't matter. "We aren't required in this world anymore. Humanity is extinct. That moon server you're so worried about was invented to give us androids something to fight for. And YoRHa was created to perpetuate the lie." His voice turned acidic. "But in order to make sure no-one ever learned the truth, we were DESIGNED to be killed. They built a backdoor in the Bunker and programmed it to activate after a certain amount of time. The Commander? Me? …2B? Sacrificial lambs. All of us." He began to laugh again. "Isn't that HILARIOUS!? Doesn't it make you LAUGH!?"

A2 shook her head. "9S, we–"

"Shut up!" he snapped, interrupting whatever it was she was about to say. "You killed 2B. That's all we need to kill each other."

"…2B hated to keep killing you," she said. "It caused her so much pain…" Her voice was laced with it. He almost believed her. "The 9S type is a high-end model. They knew you'd discover the truth eventually. But the model designation '2B' was just a cover." She raised her head, her eyes connecting with his. "The official designation…is 2E. Number 2, Type E. They were a special class of members designed to kill YoRHa units."

Memories flooded them both. The aftermath of the battle with Eve. Putting their black boxes together at the Abandoned Factory.

"But you knew that…right, 9S?"

His hand – 2B's hand – curled into a fist. "Shut up…shut up!" He raised his sword, pointing it squarely at her. Because he couldn't admit she was right. He simply couldn't.

A2's eyes widened at yet another flash of red. It was his eyes. They flashed the tell-tale red of a logic virus at work. "What do you know? You don't know anything at all about us!"

"Proposal: Cease combat," said Pod 153. "Fighting her at this point would be irrational and–"

"Pod 153!" he said, interrupting it. "I order you to halt all logical thought and speech! This order shall remain in effect until you confirm the death of either myself, or unit A2!"

The Pod did as was told, shying away and watching from the sidelines as A2 resigned herself to drawing her sword and facing him.

But now, she knew what she had to do.

She shifted away, just as he initiated a gravity program, missing her by inches. Skirting the program, she lunged forward, striking at him, trying to remove the hand from where she was certain the virus had entered his system. But he was too quick, darting away and successfully hacking into her mind.

"Damn it all," she muttered, now in a hacking body with a vicious attack barrier coming at her from all sides. She fended them off the best she could, shaking him from her mind, and he staggered back. She used the opportunity, launching him skyward and ramming him back down to the ground with a set of combat bracers before shifting to a lance and striking in a wide arc, keeping him away from her. She used 042 to keep a continuous line of fire on him even as he hacked into her once more.

She staggered backward, a warning lodged in the upper-right corner of her HUD. "Warning: visual sensors abnormal." She lost sight of him.

"Alert: Functionality reduced due to hacking activity. Proposal: Destroy unit 9S."

"Damn it!" Somehow, she managed to catch him in a major hit just as he tried to take advantage of her poor visual. She kicked at him, landing a vicious hit straight after with a large sword and sending him flying headlong into the wall, stunning him.

"It doesn't matter," he yelled. "None of this matters!"

"9S!"

"But if it doesn't matter…why do I long for humans like this!? Why do I desire the touch of something that no longer exists!?" At this point in time, he didn't know whether he was talking about humans or 2B. He just didn't know.

"It's how we were made," said A2, dodging a strike meant for her abdomen. "Androids were designed to protect their human masters. Our core programming demands that we–"

"Shut up!" he cried, launching her into the air. "Shut up, shut UP, SHUT UP!" His voice broke. "Fine then…I'll just destroy it!" He began to laugh again. "If it all goes away, that'll solve everything!" Halfway through, his voice began to disintegrate.

Dimly, a still-rational part of his circuitry told him he was infected by a logic virus, that Pod 153 was correct, that he needed to stop and remove the virus from his logic circuits.

Every other part of him told that little voice to shut its trap.

He rode the high, as the virus stole his limiters, as he slowly backed her into a corner. "Damn it!" she cried, staggering as 9S knocked her backwards. She lifted her weapon just as 9S came at her in a downward strike, and their blades struck as she deflected every. Single. Blow.

Their swords sang as they ground together, metal on metal, and finally she threw him off. As she made to strike the killing blow, something stopped her.

A stranger's love coursed through her. A voice whispered in her ear. Take care…of 9S…

"2B…" she breathed.

9S ran her through.

She cried out, unimaginable pain extending from her torso outwards, overruling the love she'd felt before. But not completely.

He threw her down, and caught the end of her blade as they fell.

He groaned, struggling beside A2's now-still body, writhing in his own vital fluids. His agonised yells echoed from everywhere – he heard his own voice everywhere, and it drove him mad.

The sound of his body writhing in red. The blade running against the floor as he continued to move. Everything hurt.

Finally, finally, the pain began to ebb. He stopped moving, on his side, right next to A2.

I want…to rest, now…

Code flashed from one Pod to the other as they talked.

Pod 153: Fatal system error detected. Memory leak verified. Repair impossible. Beginning emergency evacuation of remaining memories.

"I'm…"

I don't know where I am.

"My name is…"

"My name…is 9S. A newly manufactured Scanner model."

"January 30th, 11942."

"Rolled out at 4:25 AM, Bunker Time."

Little flashes of data, of memories, before they disappear – are taken. As soon as I recognise a memory, it flies away.

"I will fight for humanity with all my strength."

"The pleasure is mine, Commander."

I lie collapsed in a space of blinding white. The pain…is gone. The light envelops me. It's so warm.

I was anxious. A soldier from the moment I was born, thrown into the world alone. Nothing to rely on. No God to believe in.

I was alone. Tasked with infiltrating enemy territory to gather intelligence. In the fog. In the flames. Alone.

"My name's 9S. I'm here to provide support."

2B came off as being rather aloof. Cold, even. She must have wanted to distance herself from me. I guess she didn't want to be attached to someone she had to kill again and again and again.

But…I…

"Scanners like me mostly work alone. Scouting enemy lines and all that? I don't usually get a partner. It's kinda fun!"

I was so happy to be with someone. It was like I had a family. At least, that's how it started.

My damage worsens. I start to lose my memories. The space fills up with pure white light. It's like being buried in snow.

It's a little bit cold. It's a little bit frightening. Will my soul…disappear?

A dark fog clouds my vision. As it ebbs and flows in its slow, dreamlike way, it gradually takes human shape.

It's the red girl. She slowly begins to speak.

"This tower is a colossal cannon built to destroy the human server."

Destroy the server…and rob the androids of their very foundation. That was the plan devised by those girls.

But they changed their mind. They saw us androids. They saw Adam. And Eve. They saw how we lived, considered the meaning of existence, and came to a different conclusion.

This tower doesn't fire artillery. It fires an ark. An ark containing memories of the foolish machine lifeforms. An ark that sends those memories to a new world.

Perhaps they'll never reach that world. Perhaps they'll simply wander an empty sky for eternity. It's all the same to the girls. For them, time is without end.

Adam and Eve are inside the ark. Eve is asleep. Adam holds him in a gentle embrace. He appears to be smiling at me.

I try to look up at him, but my body refuses to move. Looks like the damage has spread to my motor functions as well.

"Will you come with us?" asks Adam. The question was completely free of malice. It seemed I no longer had a reason to hate machines. Maybe I never had a reason in the first place.

What have I been fighting for? Who have I been living for? Do I know anymore?

I try to speak my mind, but the words don't come out right. My thought routines are losing cohesion. I don't… I can't remember my name.

"I'm…" Mustering all my strength, I force out the words.

"I'll go with you. We YoRHa have no right to remain in this world."

The ark fires into the sky. The tower crumbles, having fulfilled its mission.

Outside, at the foot of the entrance, lies the bodies of Devola and Popola, each clutched tightly in the other's embrace.

Everyone looks up at the sky. Pascal, without his memories, deep within the forest in the village he can no longer remember. The androids in the Resistance camp. Anemone. Jackass.

Everyone watches, and wonders what exactly it means for the world. And for themselves.

A/N: Oh wow. That was certainly something to write. Well, I'll see you next time for the next chapter.

Don't forget to review!

Fang out.