Going back to the generator, X1 began assembling the items with A2 now seated by a bed. Settling down against it, she watched the storm pick up, the rain striking against the glass with debris flying through the air. Old memories flashed through her mind, but instead of her comrades it was that of her false memories.

…

"Grandma, why does it always rain?" a young girl asked.

"Why, little one, it is because Mother Nature is giving the gift of life."

"A gift of life? How does she do that?"

"When all the rain goes away the plants use her love for the planet and give them the chance to grow stronger."

"Wow really? Do we get to see it?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, of course, but one must be patient and kind. Only then will they see what this world has to show"

Watching as the rain continued with her grandma, the little girl gave her a bright smile. Having watched the rain dissipate the life after such storm, she spotted the sun breaking through, lighting up the once gloomy sky. Walking out, she began dancing around the greenery, getting dirty from the wet earth. A rainbow appeared from the sky, captivating her.

"Grandma look, look! It's sooo pretty!"

"Indeed, it is, my child. This is the beauty brought on by her once the worse is over."

Looking back to her grandma she could not help but smile at such a wonderful person. Having been raised by her the little girl could not help but feel sheer joy.

…

X1, now finished setting up everything, looked back noticing the blank stare A2 gave. Worried she might have been damaged, he walked over and waved his hand in front of her to no avail.

"Hey, pod, is she ok?" X1 asked.

"A2 has no malfunction or damages to any of her internals. There seems to be a large amount of data traveling through her memory circuit. Proposal: A2 may be having what humans called a flashback due to her reaction to the surroundings," Pod 089 said.

"Hmm, I see. Well, let's get her back here, then," spoke X1 as he leaned down.

Grabbing her shoulder, he shook her a few times trying to get a reaction. With the gesture not working X1 sat down in front of her and pondered if he should let her be. Inside the dream, A2, realizing what was transpiring, jolted back to reality, giving X1 a fright.

"What the fuck!" he yelled out, falling over from the sudden movement.

"Why did that memory pop up all of the sudden…?" A2 wondered.

"If that memory was something important to you, it's going to pop up. You are bound to come across it again" X1 explained.

"It was my precious memory, despite it being fake…"

"Fake memory?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, it's something given to us to try to make us more human."

"That's a stupid way of doing it," X1 remarked,

"Stupid way?" A2 asked, stunned from his answer.

"If I were to fight a machine, a human way of thinking would only slow me down. An effective fighting method is nothing but combat."

"Why do you say 'human way of thinking'?" A2 asked.

"Because we're flawed… we as a weapon would not be effective. We harbor such emotions to the point where it would only slow us down as a fighting machine," X1 spoke.

"Is that why humans were losing to the aliens?"

"I can't say for sure… I was in a time when a disease was killing us. If they came in when we were weak then that might be the reason," X1 softly spoke.

Silence loomed between the two as the subject brought up held nothing but sadness to them both. Looking as A2's quiet face, X1 stood up and made his way to the boombox. Going to the bag he began digging through his CD collection, pulling out 'Survivor'. Deciding on lighting up the mood he popped the CD into the top and pressed play. A2 began watching him wondering what was going on in his mind. Soon the music began playing the first track, "Eye of the Tiger".

"What is this?" A2 asked, confused from the change.

"This, right here, is a blast from the past. Welcome to the old world, little lady."

As the guitar opening passed the lyrics began to kick in. X1, playing an air guitar, immersed himself as he relived what his life once was. Listening to the music, A2 began feeling soothed as the song resonated inside her mind. Into a minute of the song A2 began hearing parts of the lyric that pertains to what she had gone through.

"Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past/ You must fight just to keep them alive/ It's the eye of the tiger/ It's the thrill of the fight/ Rising up to the challenge of our rival/ And the last known survivor/ Stalks his prey in the night/ And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger"

"Hey A2, are you alright?" X1 asked as he spotted her making a stern face once more.

"I'm fine... just this song speaks to me somehow..."

"Does it? What do you mean by that?" X1 questioned.

"I often get flashbacks from my first mission when we were sent on a suicide mission. We were to destroy an enemy super computer. Originally there was 12 of us. But as we head down to earth 8 of us were shot down and from there I became the leader of the small remaining number of survivors. Having been thrown into chaos we met with more androids deemed the resistance, but all was not well; over time infections occurred, causing us to slowly kill each other off to spare them of the suffering..."

"A2... I'm sorry you had to go through all that... now I see why you were angry at me, finding out I was a human," X1 spoke as he sat down next to A2.

"Of course, I would be angry. We lived a lie. How can you imagine living such a life?"

"Being human is no luxury either," commented X1.

"How so?"

"Sometimes I wonder if we had been living a lie ourselves. All this crap about the greater good, unity… we are no different from you, A2. Sitting here I had lived a normal quiet life until that 6-12 incident happened."

"6-12 incident?"

"Yeah around June 12, 2003, a giant statue and a dragon with its rider came into our world. At that time I was no older than 11 years of age but when that event occurred I think we humans were put to the test."

"Why would you say they were put to the test...?"

"Slowly after each passing year, this disease called the White Chlorination Syndrome began killing us off. Sometimes the disease would drive a human to become a monster themselves or turned into salt. Over time I grew up watching as the world was turned upside down. With betrayal after betrayal, death after death. But I didn't care. I believed we were damned for our sins."

"But if such event happened how do we not have a recollection of it?"

"You guys are 9000 years in the future it might have all but become lost."

"That could be a reason."

"It matters not now. What happened in the past is but lost. Now I intend to truly find out what had transpired. There are too many elements to why humans ceased to exist. It bothers me that I was asleep, betrayed by my own kind. I'm now someone who has the power to bring them back."

"Does it bother you that you have such a job?"

"Yes, it does. I'm thrown into this shitstorm, no pun intended. But regardless, I was tasked with this so I'll see it through."

Getting up he went back over to the boombox and switched out the CD with Aerosmith. Finding the track he wanted, he played the song 'Dream On' and sat down. A2 listened in on the song and let her mind wander. Time passed with the two silently enjoying the peace. A2 began slowly slipping into sleep, having not rested the wear on her system finally took its toll. Having X1 at her side she let her guard down and fell into a quiet slumber.

Looking over his shoulder he noticed A2 had closed her eyes and slumped over. Getting up quickly he rushed over and was about to grab her until the pod spoke up.

"A2 is not injured. She has entered sleep mode."

"Really? Are you sure she is not injured or something?" X1 asked.

"Affirmative. X1 does not need to worry about A2."

"If you say so... but I'll at least put her on a bed."

Picking up A2 he placed her on the bed she was leaning on. Tucking her in he went and shut off the music.

"Pods, stay and watch over her. Do not follow me, I'll be fine on my own."

"Pod cannot find a reason why X1 would leave without his support pods."

"Nothing is going to attack me. Even if they do I have the strength to at least fend for myself. But she's asleep, take care of her. I order you all to stay by her side," X1 commanded.

"Affirmitive. Pods will remain by A2's side."

"Good. Now if you all will excuse me, I want some time to myself," said X1, leaving the room.

Making his way out of the store he went to the main entrance at the top level floor and stared out into the storm. Not more than a few minutes passed when his shoulder began to burn as his mind was pulled back into the darkness. Looking around, he spotted the same dreadful golden eyes but this time a head of a dragon appeared, looking back at the man.

"You are a fool, human. Bringing back the humans yields only more destruction."

"Oh, now you decide to speak to me. Tell me dragon, why the fuck are you trying to destroy this world for? We have nothing left, only remnants of what humankind has left behind."

"You are blind, this world is still brimming with life. I must exterminate that which keeps this world alive."

"What the hell would be living in this world? Are you talking about the wildlife because of course, they would remain."

"I am talking about the Gods. They have their grip on this world."

"Gods? what the fuck are you going on about now?"

"I have a stupid human as a host..." snarled the dragon.

"How about you shut it and explain why God is holding this world."

"In due time, you will find out. This meeting is but brief; your eventual doom is soon, I will consume your body and free myself from this shackle." The voice echoed as the dragon disappeared into the darkness.

"Hey, get the fuck back here! What is this God you are talking about?" X1 yelled out into the darkness.

With no sign of the dragon X1 had screamed out in his mind. Having a clue on what could be the truth to the world disappear, he could not feel but great rage. Waking up from his sleep he gazed back out into the storm. Punching the wall next to him he left a large indention from the sheer force. Sitting down he could only let his mind wander, trying to control all the emotions surging out of him. Feeling sleepy, X1 leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. Moments later the man had entered dreamland.

…

Hours passed. With the storm continuing to blow, A2 had begun to struggle with her thoughts. Seeing her friends get killed in front of her once again, she woke up and immediately went into a sitting position. Looking around her surroundings she spotted her weapons next to all of X1's arsenal. Soon all 3 pods hovered into view and greeted her.

"Good morning, A2." spoke pod 082.

"Yeah, yeah, where the hell is X1?" A2 asked.

"X1 left into the main shopping area and vanished. He requested to be alone, ordering us to guard unit A2 while she rested."

Getting up, A2 made her way over to the weapons and drew her type-40 sword and walked out of the store. Tracking around she found no traces of X1. Going from store to store she made her way to the main entrance, spotting a shadowy figure there. Finding X1 leaning against the wall with a giant crater above, she assumed he was attacked. Rushing over she shook X1 fearing the enemy might have slain him.

"wh..whh...aaa..t...tt...hhh...eeee...hee..lll" X1 spoke being violently shaken by A2.

"Are you ok? X1? What attacked you?"

"Wait, what?" X1 responded, confused.

"I found you lying by this crater over here; did something attack you?"

Looking up X1 spotted the wall and the damage from when he struck. Looking back at the concerned android he could not help but laugh. The cold demeanour she had exhibited had now been shattered. X1 knew deep down there was something else to her as she was not always like this, but now, seeing as she revealed a soft side to her he could not help but feel as if she was no different than what a human would be.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" A2 yelled.

"You. I didn't expect you to be caring as such," X1 commented.

"Whatever. If you are unharmed then I'll make my way back."

Turning around, A2 was about to walk away before she felt a strong grip holding her in place. Looking back, she noticed X1 had stood up and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Why don't you join me for a bit, A2, if that's alright with you?"

"Why do you need me to join you?"

"Well... it's not like you have anything else to do."

"Hmph," A2 grunted, seating herself by the door.

Staring out into the storm, she continued brooding over such troublesome weather. X1 sat beside the Android and stared at her unwavering beauty. Closely examining her face, he noticed a lot of grime and dirt stuck on her; standing up he made his way behind them towards a clothing store. Grabbing a bunch of towels with a bucket he came back and opened the door, letting in a strong gust of wind, causing A2 to flinch slightly. Gathering water, he entered the mall once again and sat down beside A2 dipping a towel in.

"What the hell are you doing," A2 asked, confused by his actions.

"Getting ready to clean you, that's what."

"Why would you need to do that? I have no need to be clean."

"Well, it bugs me that you are not, so shut up and accept it."

Reaching over after wringing off the towel, X1 made contact with A2's face. Feeling his touch, she wanted to strike him but a calm fell over her as he slowly wiped her face. A2 looked towards him making eye contact and could not help but feel a wave of happiness as she watched him, so deep in focus as he slowly traced her face. Both made eye contact with one another with X1 feeling embarrassed as A2 broke his focus with a heart-warming smile that threw off his guard.

"A2, you're smiling!" X1 commented.

"Don't ruin the moment, dumbass."

"Oh... right, sorry..."

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome, A2."

Finishing up, X1 held out the towel for A2 and beckoned her to wipe the rest of her body. Nodding she took the towel and began wiping at her body with X1 getting up and heading out of the store. Moments later he returned with a new set of clothing on, now with black cargo pants and a red under-armor shirt. Exchanging his boots he now wore a pair of black and silver boots in place of his old ones. He spotted A2 had finished and sat down next to her watching the storm slowly whittle away.

"Look A2, it's slowly dying."

"Good, I was getting sick of seeing the rain for so long."

"Well anyways, now that you're all cleaned up, let's go find some clothing for you."

"Why would I need such items? You know I'm a combat android; such lavishery is meaningless to me."

"I'm a combat unit too. Plus, the only clothing piece left on you is on your stomach. Let's at least cover you up."

"Fine, whatever, if it makes you shut up about it."

"Good, let's go then."

Both made their way out of the store with A2 following suit, heading into multiple stores. A2 could not decide on what she wanted; heading over to the dress store she spotted a black dress with silver embroidery similar to hers. Walking over to the dress she took it off the mannequin and threw the dress on.

"Well now, that's a good look for you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Uhhh, you look beautiful? Like stunning, you know, girly things."

"I'll presume it's a compliment?"

"Yeah, but anyways, I think the storm is over. I can't hear anything."

Going back to the entrance, they noticed the sun had revealed itself once again. Heading back to the makeshift campsite X1 created they gathered their things with the newly made Generator. He stuffed it inside a backpack and gathered his weapons. Letting go of each weapon he allowed them to float at his side once again. A2, meanwhile, had hers equipped to her body as always, like X1 before. Opening the door, the two were greeted by the beautiful scenery. Before them, life began blooming as insects and animals revealed themselves once again.

Looking around, the two marveled at such scenery, having been thrown into what was essentially hell. They enjoyed a bit of the peace this world still offered. Looking at A2, X1 gave a big smile with a nod, only to be met with a smile once more.

Well, then I have returned from the pits of writer's block hell. Sorry for the long wait I had a major case of writer's block and was unable to write anything. Also with my laptop being broken, I had to write mostly on my phone. But enough about that I want to give many thanks to 0erbayunfang she has taken the time to pick up my story as an editor so as of now my past chapters are being revised slowly. But that won't stop us from continuing on with the story

This chapter probably kicked my ass due to me getting the curse.

A2 and X1 will be closing soon and jumping to 2B and 9S kind of like in the game so with that said they are popping up really soon get ready.

And as always leave a review it helps allow me to see as a writer if I am doing anything good or bad so with that said the long awaited chapter 12