You didn't sleep long- getting six hours of sleep before the whole medical examination process really helped. As you opened your eyes, the first thing you noticed was one of your pods hovering right next to your bed. Good old 320. You remember all the... fun you had chasing him down in the river. You thought back to the conversation you had with 904, how he said that 320 set you as his parent unit. Part of you wonders if 320 knew or had some idea that you were human before the revelation to 2B and 9S. You noticed that he looked far better than before. That one dent on his back that you could normally see from the front was completely gone, and his dark-grey metal had a low sheen in the low light in your room. You began to sit up in bed.

"Good morning, Theodore." The voice was unquestioningly female.

Crap. Of all the things- Did you assume the gender of a robot? Man, whatever's left of Tumblr is going to be mad at you. You hid your embarrassment.

"Morning, 320. Did they finish up your repairs?" You started to stand up.

"Affirmative. 904 had a number of unexpected errors during his repairs. Unfortunately, no estimate was given for his return. This unit was given the following query about 904: Has 904 been subjugated to severe blunt force or exposed to partially to completely conductive liquids, such as water?"

"When I first… found him, he had been thrown into a wall."

"This event does not seem extremely forceful."

"Do you remember the crater right above the entrance to my makeshift base?"

"Affirmative."

"I found him in there."

"...This unit will correct a previous statement. This event fits within the estimates given for the scale of the damage. Query: Do you possess any information regarding the other part of the original query?"

"904 said that all Yorha units are good underwater up to a certain point. Hundred meters, I think."

"904 probably had not mentioned said statistic assumes no major surface damage has occured. Query: is there an incident where 904 would have exposed to conductive liquids?"

"I took him with me when I went fishing in the river. He gave me the 'hundred meters underwater' thing when I asked if he'd be fine. I thought that meant it'd be okay."

320 hovered back down over the bed and started pulling the sheets back into place. "904 must have been unaware of his status." You started to feel bad- you didn't need someone else to make your own bed for you, much less one of your pods. She had already finished before you were able to voice any complaint, however.

320 continued to speak. "The units known as Popola and Devola wish for you to return to complete a number of tests which returned inconclusive results. This unit has also been told to alert you to the fact that the leader of this camp- a Resistance android known as Anemone- will be visiting at some point."

"Alright. Popola and Devola will be picking me up, right?"

"Affirmative."

Silence fell for a short while. You watched 320 bob up and down slightly in the air before asking your next question.

"So what's going to happen? I'm at the camp now and Popola and Devola are running tests. What's going to happen afterwards?"

"Hypothesis: these details will be brought up during the meeting with Anemone. To the knowledge of this unit, talks are ongoing between Anemone and the Commander."

"The commander of Yorha, I'm assuming."

"Affirmative."

"So we just have to wait for them to stop by?"

"Affirmative."

You hummed in thought and sat on the empty bed. Guess you could have slept a bit more, but you couldn't do that now that 320 made your bed. Well, you could, but that would be rude, wouldn't it? You heard footsteps approaching. Huh, maybe Devola and Popola were alerted to you waking up?

"It's somewhere on this floor, isn't it?" A woman's voice crept through the door- it was neither the voice of Devola nor Popola.

"Yeah," a man responded. "It was the first window whose blinds were set, remember? I told you something was going on this building."

"I saw the reports. Apparently, they took it off its storage designation and had everything cleared out in record time. Wonder what it's being used for now."

"You heard about that group of androids that arrived eight hours ago? They supposedly had a non-YoRHa android with them."

"And? Happens all the time. Some poor schmuck gets lost during a mission 'cause he thought he didn't need the maintenance, and then the YoRHa units eventually find 'em- 'cause they're everywhere- and bring 'em back to where they're from. They almost always stop here as well, when they move on. I think there's a deal covering just that interaction between us."

"The YoRHa units broke up when they got here, and the resistance android disappeared."

"Well, yeah. You want to be known as one of the androids who got lost?"

"Have we had someone go missing recently?" There was a short pause.

"Can't think of one." The woman responded. "So what are you saying?"

"Isn't it a bit odd that someone is dropped off at the camp, having a room dedicated to them? And on such short notice."

"Alright. I can see why you're interested. Why d'you need me?"

"You know how the doors are locked here. Just let me in for a minute, and I'll have the bugs down in no time." Bugs? So he's planning on eavesdropping. "Besides, you owe me."

"Alright, alright. I'll give it a try. But you're taking the fall f'we get caught."

You heard the door and doorknob rattle, like she was testing it to see how easy it would be to open.

"Yikes." The woman paused. "Sorry, that's a no-go."

"What? You can't just-"

"Are you seeing this? They got a whole new electric lock on it and everything. They want to keep this whole thing silent."

"Why do they? I can't think of anything so-"

"Hey!" A shout from Devola silenced the two. "What are you doing here?"

"Calm down." The woman sounded hostile. "It's not like we're not allowed to be here."

"That's odd," Popola's voice was more muffled, "that's not what the rules in the entryway say."

"What?" The man and woman said in near-unison.

"Oh," Popola almost sounded smug here, "and I think you were supposed to receive this." There was silence for a second before the interlopers each let out an expletive and ran off.

"Why do they keep falling for that?" Popola asked her twin.

"You're really asking? Just keep abusing it. If it ain't broke…" Devola paused as you heard the lock click. "Hey, why do you have that key? Shouldn't Theo have it?"

The door opened, then paused, as if Popola froze in realization. "Eh… Well…" The door opened in earnest, and Devola and Popola stepped in, Popola looking entirely guilty and sheepish. She handed a key over to you.

"I'm sorry, I just- It was a long day for both of-"

"It's fine, Popola," you said, as you stood up and took the key, "So we're heading out?"

"Yeah." Devola said as she turned back, "Sorry to say this, but some of the blood tests were inconclusive, so we'll have to stick you with a needle again."

"I'll suffer through somehow." A thought struck you, as you noticed 320 following you. "320, do you have a plan to minimize your profile? You being with a non-Yorha android would raise suspicions."

"There are some techniques this unit can apply to minimize exposure to unwanted individuals."

"It'll do for now." You closed the door behind you and locked it, then turned to follow the twins. "So do you two know who was trying to break into my room?"

"No," Devola replied, "but the problem is they won't be the last. Let's hurry, before anything else happens."

You followed the twins as they left the apartment area and hurried to their house. 320 tried to position herself so that she was on the other side of the group as you headed out of the busier side of the entrance. Thankfully not too many people looked your way.

With the door shut behind them, they brought you over to the room you were in before. It looked far less organized than it was yesterday. A few bottles were set in neat rows, but the rest was mostly pushed off to the side. Perhaps the rest of the examination material had been packed back up. You sat down in the same place as yesterday and let the testing continue- swabs, blood draws... It wasn't long before there was a knock on the entryway door. Popola set down what she was working on and left the room to check on who it was. You heard the door open.

"Popola!" When she heard the female's voice, Devola pulled back and turned her head to the doorway, although she had almost inserted a needle into your arm to draw blood.

"Anemone!" Popola genuinely sounded enthusiastic to see this person again. Even Devola was torn between finishing what she was preparing, and going to meet her.

"I hope I haven't interrupted anything. Something came up and we've had to put the talks on hold." Popola re-entered the room with someone you didn't recognize- this, you figured, was Anemone.

She wore a white shirt stained tan with dirt and dust, fastened with a large black belt with a slightly oxidized brass insignia on her mid-stomach. A green cape and hood covered her shoulders and head, decorated by a number of repairing stitches whose colors rarely matched the fabric beneath. Her grey pants had a number of items strapped over them. There were spikes on her knees- you didn't know what they were for- and a red pouch on her right thigh.

"Hello, Devola." Anemone turned to you. "You're Theodore, right?"

"Yes," you said, standing up. "I believe I've heard of you. It's Anemone, correct?" You extended a hand for her to shake. She took it and- well, pain shooting through your hand was a testament to her grip.

"Hard for me to stay hidden with my position." She said with a laugh. "Have things been going well? I trust Popola and Devola have been welcoming while you've been here."

"Everything's been fine, no complaints. They've been excellent." You were curious about what the talks were about, though. Should you ask? The worst she could say is no. "I've been told that you've been talking with the commander. Is that going well?"

Her face fell for a moment. "She's really being adamant on... certain points, but everything's going fine. In essence, status quo." She clapped you on the shoulder as her smile returned. "But don't worry. You'll definitely be under the Resistance's jurisdiction, and we'll make sure we'll do everything we can to protect you."

"This camp isn't in that much danger is it?"

"Oh! No, no, it's not in danger. Mostly."

"Hm." You were almost reluctant to have to ask this question. "Anemone, what's the plan for me actually being in this camp?"

Anemone suddenly became dour. "I've… tried to be reasonable with some of my confidants, including Devola and Popola. They… haven't all seen eye-to-eye. Rest assured, we all want the best for you-

"I'm sorry, I'm dodging the question. I can trust these two," she gestured toward the twins, "to help with any medical problems that may arise- or, God forbid, will arise. There are one or two more androids that will be arriving within a few days- they'll be better cooks, but the twins will do for now. Hopefully, we'll be able to start up life here for you with as few hindrances as possible."

"So you're getting things figured out behind the scenes?"

"Yes, almost everything's in place."

"Great. One… kinda big question: How are you- if you will be, that is- going to let all the androids know that there is a human among them?"

Anemone took a deep breath, closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and then sighed deeply. "I can't make the announcement until the relevant talks with YoRHa have come to a close. The Commander's under the same condition. The problem is, I know word's going to spread around- if it isn't already- and I can't say anything. The Commander won't give ground on anything in time for me to do anything. The fact you're here is something that's far too large to hide forever. I trust my confidants with my life- several times daily, sometimes- but even they are prone to slip up with a few words."

"So you can't do much, in that regard."

"No, but-" Anemone flinched. "Figures. Just now something comes up. Sorry, I need to leave. Right now." She turned and ran out the door.

After a moment, you turned to Devola and Popola. "Is this normal?"

"Unfortunately." Popola was answering. "It's always 'something urgent', and she never tells us what it was."

Devola spoke up. "I think I know what your next question is going to be. No, we don't have food prepared right now. The tests kind of took up all of our time, but we did get a couple of other androids to deal with it for us."

"Devola!" Popola turned to her sister. "Theodore would have had better and more pressing questions than that."

"Eh..." You were quite reluctant to say that you hadn't, in fact, been thinking of a different question. You tried your best not to look guilty, but…

Popola sighed. "Fine. I'll bring you back to your room. Devola, you head on over to make sure they're finishing up with the meal."

Everyone filed out of the twins' house and headed back to the camp. Once you entered, Devola broke away and went further in, instead of following you and Popola to the apartments. Popola hurriedly opened the door and ushered you inside- even you noticed the androids as a whole were far more curious this time around. You could almost feel their stares track you across the camp. It worried you that both Yorha and resistance androids were equally suspicious and trying to figure out who you were. How much longer did you have before they found out?

You and Popola climbed up to the second floor. She turned to leave once you unlocked the door.

"Wait, Popola."

She stopped and turned back.

"Do you have any idea," you continued, "of how long this secret can be kept?"

Popola paused in thought. "I'd say you have a day or two, at maximum, before some android finds out that you're a human. After that, it's uncertain. Word of mouth moves faster the more you try to keep it quiet."

You sighed before responding. "Great. Thanks, anyway." You turned to go back into your room when Popola spoke up.

"You keep acting as though this is going to be horrendous. Have at least some faith that things could go well."

"We'll see. I'm not entirely convinced, though." You closed the door behind you and listened to Popola slowly descend the stairs. Before she reached the bottom, you heard two sets of footsteps swiftly ascend, then make their way to your door. A knock soon followed.

"Theodore," someone hushed through the door, "it's me, 9S."

"Really?" You asked. "It sounded like there's someone with you, in case you weren't aware."

There was a pause before 9S spoke. "I am aware. It's 50G."

You pulled open the door, having forgotten to lock it. "It… it was… Nevermind, come on in."

As the two Yorha androids filed in, you raised an eyebrow. Neither of them was carrying any food, or had a container… But then again, you remembered 2B had pulled a katana larger than she was from out of thin air. Were they using a similar system, or-

9S wordlessly answered your question almost immediately. He put his hand out flat in front of him, and in a gathering of white-gold light, an opaque container appeared in his hands, with a set of utensils on top, which he handed to you. You weren't quite sure how you felt, handling something which wasn't there a few seconds before. You cracked the container open and found… grilled steak? And why was it still sizzling?

"Look," 9S started explaining, "we're sorry about the meal. We couldn't get anything else on short notice, especially since the twins told us so late."

"I won't complain too much," you said, "better something than nothing." You sat down on the unmade bed and set the lid underneath the body of the container. Just before you started eating, a thought struck you. "Hey, 9S."

"Yeah?"

"We both have a fair number of questions for each other. How about we ask them now?" You couldn't see his eyes light up, but his face certainly did. 50G only looked slightly perturbed.

"Sure! Sure!" 9S excitedly sat down on your bed while 50G disinterestedly tipped back into empty air at first, but then some sort of holographic chair appeared for her to lean on. That's another question for another time. "Do you want to start?"

"Sure." You started cutting up your odd breakfast. "Where to start… What's Yorha's plan for me being in this camp?" You had posed this question to Anemone before, but you wanted to see what someone else had to say. Both androids twisted their faces in thought.

"There's a little problem with that. I can't say anything for certain since I haven't heard anything from Commander or 21O."

"What do you think should happen?" 9S was conflicted. After a few seconds and clearly out of patience, 50G spoke up.

"Obviously, you're not going to get free reign to do whatever you want, with the war and all. I think you should be allowed to move around the camp, but you'll need to have two or three androids to go with you if you're going outside of the camp."

"What?" 9S was almost glaring at her. "He won't need two or three! He'll be fine with just one."

"9S, are you aware of how much a machine can screw up an android? Think about how much more that'll hurt him!"

"He has two pods with him! Scanners are sent out all the time on their own with even less and with few ways to defend themselves, and they come back fine."

"Fine? You've been on a maintenance team, you should know the poor conditions they come back in."

"Yes, I do know," 9S stood up, "and I know that they come back for checkups, not because they've been wrecked!"

"Oh," 50G stood up, her holographic chair flickering out of existence, "so it's suddenly fine to throw the human's safety into jeopardy? What if there's an ambush? What happened while we were bringing him here?"

"We can make reasonable estimates on where ambushes are going to be, 50G," 9S was really starting to raise his voice. "You might be forgetting that we were in the middle of a Machine operation. What were you expecting to happen? Why did you think we had five androids escorting him? Of course we'd need that many if it was going to be that bad!"

"Will you listen to yourself! So it's fine for him to be going with one android, but it's also expected for there to be five androids guarding him? It's not out of the question that he could stumble into a large group of machines- and we know how many machines can overwhelm one android!"

"Guys!" The two arguing androids abruptly stopped and turned their heads toward you. "I don't think this argument is necessary. Can you two please just calm down?" While they weren't shouting at each other, the rift between the two still existed.

"Look," 9S tried to convince you, "Whatever happens, don't worry. You'll definitely be under YoRHa's jurisdiction, and we'll make sure we'll do everything we can to protect you."

Wait, hadn't you heard those words before…?

So I tried to portray that rifts are forming- or will be forming soon- not only between the Resistance and YoRHa, but also in their ranks.

Tell me how this chapter feels- I'm not 100% sold on it. Am I worrying too much? Am I focusing too much on something? Feedback is how I make better chapters for you, and unless I hear something, I can't make that improvement.