A medium biped looks around the area while armed with an R-201 assault rifle. His companions are surrounded with the dead bodies of Militia and machine villagers alike, they even went as far as to kill a child machine along the way. But this was all for the Forest King in the end, they must protect him with their very lives as they are family and this is their home. A dying soldier pulls out his pistol on him but the medium turns around and guns down the soldier. All for the king. Meanwhile, a small biped hears something rustling in the bushes causing it to walk towards the source...Only for an a small explosion to happen indicating a death causing it's companions to head towards the source with the medium loading his assault rifle. They see nothing...One of them is shot in the head all of a sudden.
Bottom Of The River By Delta Rae.
The machines all form a circle hearing rustling in the trees. One small biped thinks the rustling is coming from above and shoots at the tree. Chunks of leaves and wood fall off seeing there's no one in the trees much to its relief but a sword slices it in half causing it to explode. Coming out of nowhere is A2 herself who lands in the middle of the machines who turn to her guns aimed. She slices a machine's gun in half then impales it in the chest as all of them start opening fire on her as she dashes away again then slices a small biped in half while the medium biped aims its gun at her causing A2 to turn around and cut its hand off then stabbing it in the head. The last two machines, both a medium and small biped, fire their devotion light machine guns at her to which A2 dodges all of the shots then kicks the medium into the air and slices him in half next then plunging her sword into the small bipeds head. A2 releases the sword off of the machine's head as it falls on the ground dead.
There's a reason why she's here and its to kill the Forest King or so they call him. She looks at the dead humans as if she ruminating on something or it reminded them of someone. These were soldiers probably had friends and families...And they were all killed just because they were passing through. It sickened her. This is the reason-why to her-all machines must die. To A2, they had no emotion nor sympathy, they just want to kill anything and anyone. Her hand curls into a fist just looking at the dead soldiers. One has his eyes opened and looks straight into her eyes, pupils shot and strains all around the eye. A2 respectfully closes his eyes then walks off.
What she doesn't know is that she's being watched from a tree in the distance. The watcher is Yoko Kaine who was planning to snipe the machines with a Kraber sniper rifle she picked up from a soldier. She lowers her rifle and raises it to let it rest by its stock. On her back is an EVA-8 shotgun and her smart pistol holstered on her side. There's no signal in the forest since the Militia didn't set up beacons in the place hence why soldiers or village aid workers tend to die here. In fact, there's crashed crows everywhere which is easy to get some weapons and ammo. But that wasn't what Yoko wanted, she wanted to be rescued and sure the Militia has advanced tech but she won't last long here. It's been one day but it feels like an eternity for Yoko, sooner or later one of the Forest King's royal subjects will find her and it will be game over due to the overwhelming odds. The castle from afar might be a key advantage since there is better comm reception up there but the place is filled with machines so she has to be careful at the same time. She attaches her grapple hook against the branch and rappels down. Her feet touch the ground as it makes a small sound of leafs being crushed as Yoko pulls out her smart pistol since it's easier to draw and gives more mobility in terms of stealth. She throws a pulse knife at a tree to see if there is anyone there. The pulse blade gives off an echo that reveals that there are machines on the other side causing her to crouch and head towards a bush and hides in it. The machine squad has a medium biped armed with a mastiff shotgun while the two small bipeds have swords. Among them is a flyer.
To Yoko, these machines look strange and almost look like knights. It makes sense though since this is what they called it The Forest Kingdom but all they do is kill outsiders and Militia soldiers who were just passing by, they aren't a kingdom. Just a bunch of closed minded homicidal jerks. A medium biped walks in front of the bush Yoko is in as its comrades walk the other way to investigate the bodies. She aims her smart pistol at the medium and shoots it in the head. The FMJ round goes straight through its head causing it to drop with Yoko catching the dead body then gently puts it down to avoid sound. It's teammates come back and notice the dead machine as Yoko shoots both of them in the head. She walks in the path ahead while looking around for any hostile enemies but none are spotted although Yoko stays vigilant to her surroundings.
Gates, Droz, Hannah, Davis, and Bear overlook the Militia base as their drop ship flies towards it. The Militia isn't always exclusive to the city but out in the oceans too since it is reported for possible machine activity. Earth is just one big mess and the Militia are basically the janitors sweeping the garbage with YoRHa being the extra helping hand. So far there hasn't been a sighting of any machines and their recon rotation is up so they had to get back to the base. But they did hear a message from Sarah Briggs citing that a pilot just went missing in the Forest Kingdom and they must work together with a battle unit and a scanner.
"You think YoRha had something to do with the missing pilot?" Davis asks Bear who turns to him as the ship lands. The mercenary group heads out of the ship with weapons still in hand and doubts floating in their heads about YoRHa and what they truly want. They heard of the executioner units who disguise themselves as Resistance or YoRHa members who are dispatched to kill any android who find out anything shady from Hannah which is alarming with just the thought of one of your own best friends can slit you in the throat in your sleep. Luckily, the Militia can identify which is an android but they come in diverse ethnicity's so it'll be hard for everyone to spot one although a YoRHa android is easy due to their appearances which are resembling teenagers or young adults or they can check the Militia database.
"What? No way. They'd never harm a human..." Bear replied as he passes by a Militia pilot testing out the flight unit via simulation as others are heading towards the crow drop ships which they get inside with the ship taking off. Gates doesn't trust YoRHa alongside Jack Cooper, they're too friendly and there's something wrong about them. She wonders what happened to the humans here too and remembers what Davis said...Gates wonders if Hannah knows. The mercenary waits for the androids to pass by as she approaches Hannah who is busy eating a sandwich and sitting on a bench. She was at the machine village just recently in fact with Cooper.
"Hey Hannah." Gates greeted the pilot causing her to look up at her.
"Yeah?" Hannah greeted.
"You know anything about the Council Of Humanity and why they are so secretive?" The commander asks and sits in front of her. Hannah swallows her food in response to what Gates asked. To be frank, the Council always sound like asses to her, especially when they keep spamming those broadcasts which annoyed her to no end. They remind of her of that secret organization from that one anime she watched that involved some emo kids fighting aliens.
"Just a bunch of old men broadcasting stuff from some bunker up in the moon. Only the commander talks to them." Hannah answered as Gates sighed.
"You get the feeling that...Something is off with the Council?" Gates asked.
"Yeah I do. They sound like prerecorded messages sent by the higher ups there." Hannah agreed.
"Well Davis came up with a theory." She spots an android walking by so she falls silent and waits for her to pass.
"That the Council Of Humanity is a front and the humans here on earth are dead thus making them a morale boost." The commander explained. A woman resembling 2B walks behind them escorted by Jack and a couple of SRS soldiers with three YoRHa soldiers following them as Hannah leans over behind Gates with her eyebrow raised for a moment then back at the helmeted woman.
"That theory...Makes a whole lot a sense. But if I were you, I think I would be quiet about it because YoRHa is like a great white shark: Once they smell the blood, they'd go for whatever is causing it and its goodnight Irene from there. Forever." Hannah advised her knowing about how the executioner units work. Gates nods before her team, Sarah Briggs, 2B, and 9S as Hannah stops eating her sandwich.
"Commander Briggs." She saluted with Hannah doing the same but notices 2B who she swore she saw walking with Jack and a couple of androids.
"Commander Gates. This is YoRHa android 9S and 2E..." Sarah introduced causing 2B is choke as if she was caught doing something very wrong much to 9S's curiosity. The commander realizes she made a mistake by the letter.
"Whoops, 2B. My bad." She corrected herself. 2B sighs in relief grabbing Hannah's attention...And her sudden realization. The pilot eats her sandwich carefully at her while avoiding eye contact in a fearful look.
"Commander Briggs, I heard what happened about pilot Kaine. Is there a chance she's still alive?" Gates asked.
"Her vital signs say so. Anyway, 9S will explain everything to you." The female commander allows 2B to speak as she steps forward in front of the mercenaries. Pod 042 flies in front of her and activates a holographic map outline of the forest they were in.
"Just today we were attacked by machines using Militia equipment like archer rocket launchers. During the ensuing fight, private first class Yoko Kaine was caught in an explosion and fell down into the forest below." The pod highlights where Yoko fell.
"So far her vital signs are active and she's moving. Although flying in would be logical, there is numerous anti-aircraft placements utilizing the equipment this faction of machines have stolen. So we will have to extract Yoko via land vehicles and take out the placements in the process then hold out until air support arrives." 2B explained her plan. Her com goes online to reveal Pascal calling on their channels.
"A machine!" 9S panicked.
"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt anyone. I'm aligned with the Militia. My name is Pascal." He introduced himself much to 9S's confusion knowing a machine has just contacted them.
"Pascal, what do you want?" Sarah asked.
"I hate intrude in on your operation but there is a high chance our village will be caught in the crossfire. Perhaps there should be a more peaceful solution to this." Pascal replied. Davis and Gates look at each other as Hannah looks at the map of the forest realizing where she landed. The Forest Kingdom which is a big no-no for a peaceful solution. Even Pascal knows seeing as they are hostile to outsiders.
"Hey I hate to say this but the Forest Kingdom are a bunch of homicidal jerks and now they've become homicidal jerks with guns and rocket launchers." Hannah countered.
"Hm...Perhaps. But the notion of fighting next to the village will cause distress among the villagers. I know the Forest Kingdom well and they're hostile to outsiders but I think it best to talk to them and convince them that we mean no harm." Pascal explained.
"But drop ships have been disappearing off of radar there. They must be responsible for it." Davis countered.
"Indeed they are. But all they want to do is protect their king. I know this because I was attacked by one of them recently." The machine argued. Sarah crosses her arms to think. The Militia just want to reclaim earth and they need a lot of ties and friends to help out in their efforts. A potential ally is one of them. 9S silently disagrees, why would a machine want to be peaceful? Something is wrong with this picture. Machines aren't supposed to feel anything nor have a purpose yet according to Yoko's account-There are machines who are peaceful.
"Commander-" Before 9S can speak, 2B motions him not to do so causing him to turn silent.
"We'll try the other route." Sarah agreed.
"But commander! One of our teammates is stuck there!" 9S advised knowing that machines cannot be negotiated with as Sarah sighed and hangs her head.
"I know so I have a plan. Pascal shall negotiate with this...Forest Kingdom to get any stranded Militia soldier out of there but if things go South real quickly then you will resume the operation. Understood?" Briggs asked.
"Yes mam." The two androids answered in unison.
Yoko scavenges the crashed drop ship for any food or rations as its near the cliff. Maybe even a soccer ball she can a draw a face on to keep her sane. She hated being alone cause it brought back bad memories like the food shortages after the battle of Fracture even though she is good at being alone. Those years of scavenging scraps of food made her strong and even going out hunting hence why she's good at tracking. It was enough for Yoko to join the Militia and become a pilot. Yoko goes to the cockpit and checks the dead pilots and soldiers to see if they have anything. She finds some shotgun ammo from a soldier's body then slides the shell on her belt where the ammo is then reaches the inside of his jacket pocket and feels something rubbery to which she pulls out. It's a ration pack. Yoko sighs in relief knowing she won't starve out here. She looks around then sits in the seat inside the ship and opens the pack revealing it to contain spam, stacks of crackers, beef, and a water pack. Yoko disengages her helmet and begins eating her meal.
A2 appears from behind the trees and notices the woman from behind causing her to pause to see if she was an android sent at her or from the Resistance. She pauses at the sight of the familiar olive outfit and the back of her helmet. Could it be? An aura of peace settles on A2 upon seeing Yoko. The first person to offer her friendship after everyone left her in the end. Sure they talk a lot but A2 doesn't consider Yoko her friend besides the ones who died. Just an acquaintance. Yoko pauses for a moment as A2 walks up behind her...And pulls out her smart pistol with A2 aiming her sword at her. For the first time they were seeing each other eye to eye. Her eyes widen while A2's remain sullen.
"...A2?" Yoko gasped causing A2 to stand down. She know Yoko's physical appearance but never her face and the notion she knows her name means she's Yoko. The pilot holsters her pistol then back to eating her food. A2 stands next to Yoko observing her. She must've been one of the lucky ones who survived the Forest Kingdom's forces. A2 did hear how skilled pilots are so she wasn't surprised that Yoko survived.
"Didn't know I'd run into you out here. Want some?" She asked.
"I don't need food." A2 replied bitterly and almost annoyed at her. Yoko rolls her eyes since this means more for her. The rations almost taste good but its still that stale feeling and chewy too. Last time she nearly choked on a ration when she was in patrol in the woods back at Harmony.
"So what are you doing here then?" Yoko asked.
"I wander around and kill any machine that come by so when I heard talks of a kingdom in the forest containing hostile machines-I had to respond." A2 explained. Yoko is disturbed by this and confused, if she wasn't a part of YoRHa anymore then why does she continue her mission? She gulps a little.
"So why do you kill machines for a living?" The pilot asks again but gets a glare from her. Her gaze pierces through Yoko's helmet with a realization that she doesn't want to talk about it at the moment...Or any time for the matter. Yoko tries to change the subject.
"Right..." She sighed. Yoko finishes her rations then throws the plastic bag into the river below as it floats away across the stream leaving the two in the crashed ship. A2 notices the bushes on the cliff across them rustling causing her to squint her eyes while Yoko hears it too. The female android turns to Yoko who nods and gestures her to be quiet. The pilot tosses a pulse knife on the edge revealing a team consisting of medium bipeds armed with strange cannons on their arms and small bipeds armed with R-201 assault rifles all waiting to ambush them. A2 pulls out her sword while Yoko picks up her shotgun and aims it while turning to the side...
Yoko is suddenly shot in the head by a bullet much to A2's shock. She turns at the falling body of Yoko as A2 regains her bearings while she only hears ringing in her ears as the machines head out of the bushes A2 reaches her hand out to Yoko but she suddenly disappears into blue energy as she hears jump back boost sounds with the real Yoko almost stepping on her hand and jumping forward while spawning another hologram as the machines hit it with Yoko shoot one in the face taking a good chunk off of it in the process and lands on the ground although loses her balance a little and almost trips but she regains her footing quickly as A2 joins in with her sword ready. The biped's eyes blink red as the machines surround them. It launches a burst of red orbs into the air as they drop on the android and pilot. Yoko shoots the glowing orb causing it to burst as a test. The machines begin firing at them as the two split up with A2 blocking the shots from the small bipeds to which she slices their rifles in half right before one leaps in the air and tries to slam its head at her but she backs away then slices it in half right before kicking the top half at its teammates head then the lower half at its chest. A2 then speeds towards them and slices both in half.
A2 is almost hit by a red orb to which she dodges as Yoko fires her EVA-8 shotgun at the medium bipeds shooting at them as the pilot pulls out her firestar and throws it at one's face causing it to scream in pain as the thermite burns its face and fall off the side and into the stream where it falls. She runs towards the other one as it aims its cannon again but Yoko slides and shoots it in the chest and between its legs before she gets up then shoots it in the head. Another runs up to her and is about to melee Yoko only for A2 to intercept it quickly by stabbing its cannon causing the weapon to jam and explode on its hand as A2 slices its head off. More red orbs almost hit them causing both to get out of the line of fire as the medium bipeds aim their cannons. Yoko activates her hologram as her holographic self lunges in the air ready to kick the biped in the face but it is quickly shot down with the real Yoko shooting it in the head. A2 on the other hand charges towards the two bipeds in front of her to which she bisects first then leaping over it to use as a shield as the second shoots at her then stabbing her sword on top of its head.
A small biped is still trying to get up as its legs are missing but Yoko presses her foot against it and shoots it in the head. She rests the gun on her shoulder and huffs in exhaustion as A2 holsters her sword. A2 is impressed though seeing a pilot in action, its almost in the same level as an android but the jump pack emulates it. Yoko smiles underneath her helmet at A2 showing her skills in combat to which A2 rolls her eyes at-
A stream of bullets almost hit them causing the two to take cover behind the trees. A2 peers over to see a medium biped armed with a devotion light machine gun as it reloads the gun. It resembles a knight like the others but also has an ammo belt slashed on its chest. Yoko reloads her shotgun and returns fire on it causing the machine to turn and take aim then fires to which Yoko goes back to cover. The machine then activates an A-wall much to Yoko's shock seeing it using a tactical ability. It may have good cover but that won't stop someone from flanking it. A2 looks at Yoko as if she was planning something...Flanking it. Yoko nods and peers out of over and starts shooting as it returns fire on her. She gets back to cover to reload her gun again then notices the branch above her. Yoko fires a grapple hook at the branch and is hoisted up. She crouches and gently climbs to the branch in front of her that is aimed at the biped before it reloads. The biped notices that its out of ammo and removes the magazine then replaces it and pulls the hammer of the gun back. A2 comes out of the bushes as Yoko leaps towards the biped with her shotgun aimed at its face.
A2 yells in fury then notices Yoko with her shotgun and turns into screams of an incoming accident. Before she can stop herself, she stabs the machine in the back while Yoko shoots it in the face but she crashes into her in the process. Yoko blacks out for a second then opens her eyes as she is on top of A2 much to her shock. The android is shocked too as her face turns red alongside Yoko's.
"Get. The. Hell. Off. Me." A2 hissed causing the pilot to get off of her as she gets up.
"Sorry!" Yoko apologized right before looking at the dead machine. She scans it for a moment as the data is uploaded into the multi-tasker thus giving her the ability to use an A-wall now which would prove to be useful.
"Alright, got myself a cover!" The pilot spoke to herself seeing how handy A-walls are. Although the problem is how long they can last. A2 is about to leave her...Only to hear more rustling behind them causing Yoko cock her gun again and turn around. Standing in front of her is a Militia soldier that appears to be wearing some leaves on his outfit making it look like a ghillie suit. He is armed with a mastiff shotgun and has a shotgun ammo holder on his wrist. His outfit appears to be made from scavenged materials.
"You two! Come with me!" He whispered. A2 and Yoko look at each other in doubt then follow him as he looks around while aiming his gun and continues to walk with the two following him. More soldiers appear from the bushes, both armed with silenced R-201 assault rifles with HCOG scopes on them. They arrive at a clearing revealing Militia soldiers both alive and some wounded although still can fight. Others are badly wounded with medics trying to keep them alive. A2 spots a soldier with a bandage over her right eye leaning against a rock and armed with a CAR SMG while another who is male has a bandage over his broken arm and is armed with a pistol. The soldier leads them to a man in a drop ship pilot suit with a boonie hat on his head who is armed with a G2A5 semi-automatic rifle. His skin is black and he appears to have a gash on his head while the rest of suit is dirty indicating he's been in the forest for quite sometime. He appears to be looking at a map of some kind.
"Sir." He called causing the man to turn around. Yoko feels familiar with the pilot as if she saw him from somewhere.
"Yoko Kaine?" The man asks her.
"Yeah? Have we met somewhere?" Yoko asked. He rests his gun by the stock and tilts his head.
"You don't remember me? Samuel F. Packard!" Packard introduced himself causing Yoko's eyes to widen up remembering the drop ship pilot. Colonel of the Sky Devil squadron that flew in the most dangerous missions of the Militia and they deserve a quiet place after the battle of Typhon so they were relocated to Harmony which is the Militia homeworld. He and the Devils are good friends with Yoko and Nelson.
"Oh hell...Long time no see sir!" She replied and gives him a hug before letting go.
"Looks like the things are looking up. We got the most baddest motherfuckers in the galaxy: A pilot and an android. Now we can get out of this damn place!" Packard cheered since pilots are revered and well trained while an android is in the same league but whole lot faster and almost unstoppable.
"Why don't you fire a flare for others to find you?" A2 asked him.
"Last time that happened, we almost got shot up by a group of them." The colonel explained to her.
"Sir, where are we anyway?" Yoko asked.
"Here? We call it hell but to what those freaky robots say, it's the Forest Kingdom. Apparently they tried to make their own nation but I think the king went crazy and now they're going after anyone and anything that enters or just simply passes by. We've been stranded her for two days already and the Militia doesn't know if we're dead or alive. Just MIA." Packard answered her.
"Who's the king?' A2 asked again.
"Don't know but I think he's holed up in that castle. As much as I want to kill the motherfucka himself for causing all this shit, I just want to get back to the base." He replied.
"What's the plan to get out?" The helmeted woman asks before Packard shows them the map.
"There's a downed drop ship carrying enough weapons and explosives just a few clicks from here. We're going to use those explosives to create a distraction for the machines to make it look like an attack is happening while our men will attack the castle and fall back. Once the machines have been alerted to these key specific points where the charges will be set giving us the signal to run to the machine village where we can contact Militia forces and get out." Packard explained his plan with the map highlighting the west side, east side and south side of the forest on where to plant the explosives.
"Sounds like a plan. Just scare them and run." Yoko commented.
"Thing is, we're low on supplies and ammunition. No one can't do the job...That is where you two come in." Packard looks at A2 and Yoko.
"So you want us to get the explosives and place them in those points. Why can't you just put them in the castle? It'll wipe out all the machines in there." A2 asked.
"Because it's a suicide attack and it'll cost more lives than ever. We're not an army, we're just a bunch of soldiers stuck here with no one coming to help." He countered. To Packard, A2 was giving off some bad vibes, especially with her outfit. She doesn't look like YoRHa at all...
"Alright, we're off to find the ship." Yoko spoke breaking the tension with A2 and Packard. She taps A2 by the shoulder who follows her into the woods.
2B and 9S sit in the seat of the jeep as the soldiers up front drive to the destination. The convoy consists of a four assault cars, three paladin tanks, two legion titans walking on the side, and also a group of destroyer titans leading them. The destroyer resembles an ogre titan except a little slimmer and has a charge cannon on its left shoulder and has a mask-like structure on its face with two optics slanted on both sides. Destroyers are mainly used for high value escort missions and this was one of them.
"You came into contact with a machine? You do realize that what they do doesn't serve a purpose right? They just do what they see." 9S spoke to the soldier in front of him. The soldier looks at the front mirror at him as he sighs.
"Well we gotta have friends somewhere and we have doubts ourselves about Pascal too. But we gotta play it safe you know? Our forces out there maybe be fighting the good fight and winning at it but the machines-They just don't let up. They don't give up unlike the IMC who have the dignity to fall but the machines just keep going." The soldier replied. 9S rolls his eyes underneath his visor before the convoy stops in front a wall made from large steel beams.
"Pascal, we've arrived on your destination." Sarah notified as Pascal comes out of it. 9S raises his eyebrow at the strangely shaped machine, the records don't state anything about his kind for that matter. But he still doesn't trust them and is skeptical about this Machine Village as they head out of the jeeps. The destroyer titans climb over the wall while leaving a large thud that shakes the ground a little due to the vibrations. More soldiers enter as Pascal looks confused.
"I thought you weren't attacking?" Pascal asked.
"No, they're armed escorts in case things don't go so well." Sarah assured him. Pascal nods in response to the commander and looks over to see 2B and 9S.
"You must be members of YoRHa! I'm glad to meet you two!" The machine greeted.
"Right..." 9S replied.
"Anyone associated with the Militia is already an ally to us." The group enters the path leading to the machine village. The destroyers walk beside them as they head into the woods to give the group space. The path to the village is moderately short as they spot a walkway leading up to it then a bridge. In front of them is a large tree with floors serving as supports with Militia and machines all around living in harmony. Some are trading with the soldiers which 9S finds a red flag since giving guns to machines is a bad idea. Beneath it are more machines including a goliath biped being checked out by the engineers.
"Wow..." The scanner awed at the sight.
"See? We don't mean harm. We cut ourselves off from the network years ago and we've been living together in peace for many years. In fact, we support the Resistance. Although we don't fight at all. Commander Barker found us while he was drunk and went hiking, luckily I found him wandering near the Forest Kingdom so I got him to safety. But he was kind of...Strange." Pascal explained as they walk on the bridge and remembers how Barker puked on him then passed out.
"That's Barker for you." Sarah rolled her eyes and observes the sights. A Militia soldier walks beside a machine as he stops and salutes her to which she nods then continues walking with the soldiers alongside 9S and 2B following her. The group walks across the bridge connected to the other platform and head down below. In front of them is a gate and on the other side is the Forest Kingdom.
"I should be the one to go first." Pascal stated as Sarah nods. The gate opens revealing a stone pathway with pillars on both sides. In front of them are a small stubby with armor and another a medium biped armed with an axe turning towards the machine knowing that gate was always closed.
"Hello there. My name is Pascal." He introduced himself. Militia snipers position themselves on the guard tower with the two androids standing by for backup.
"I wish to speak to a councilman of the king." The machine spoke causing the machines to look at each other then back at him.
"Sure." It replied.
Yoko and A2 walk in the forest looking for any machines. On her map is the point where the ship has crashed but she needs to be careful, the place is peaceful and beautiful with trees all around them. But anywhere can become a battlefield which ruins the vibe. Yoko walks ahead with A2 on the look out as she aims her new weapon which is the R-201 assault rifle since her shotgun ran out of ammo although she still has her Kraber sniper rifle on her back. Her rifle is now customized with an HCOG scope and also a silencer on it with a laser sight on it. They are almost there to the point...A2 then senses something as Yoko spots the downed ship.
"Jackpot-" A2 grabs her by the shoulder and points at a machine hiding above the trees. It looks like a multi-legged model that is covered in leaves and dirt thus blending in the cover. Yoko aims her gun and shoots a single round into its head causing the machine to fall on the ground while twitching right before going offline. She lowers her rifle as they head towards the crash site. It is littered with dead soldiers and machine villagers who attempted to fight back as guns are scattered all over the place. Yoko closes a soldier's eyes then goes for the crate. She opens it to reveal satchel charges whom she puts away. Among the crates full of guns and ammunition is something Yoko wasn't expecting...In front of her is a four legged vehicle that is about a human's height and has a machine gun underneath it and one on its back alongside a missile launcher and stands on all fours. She knows what it is: A gorilla tank. These are used for recon and pursuit. Basically mini-titans.
Yoko circles the tank. It looks like it was supposed to be shipped to the Machine Village for some reason, perhaps to give it more defenses. She remembered piloting these back at basic training although it was hard and she struggled how to use them but got the hang of it sooner. Although she never piloted one in years so it's going to be difficult. Very difficult. A2 observes the vehicle and touches its surface in curiosity.
"Oh hell yeah...Looks like things are starting to look up for us." Yoko chuckled looking at the tank. She looks for the button on it so it can open the cockpit and let her in so she can pilot it. The tank suddenly comes online sensing a human and scans Yoko then opens the front so she can enter in it. Yoko slides into the cockpit before it is sealed. Inside has a light feel to it, almost like she's being lifted and suspended in midair. There is also no neural controls like a titan, the joy sticks are the ones guiding it.
"You alright in there?" A2 asked as Yoko activates the microphone on the tank.
"Yeah, feels a little different compared to a titan. It feels more...Closed and a little claustrophobic." Yoko replied as the systems come online showing the environment around them. A2 can tell by her voice that she's uncomfortable to piloting the tank given by the tone of confusion.
"But can you pilot it?" The female android asks her.
"Sure. We've been taught how to use these things in basic. In fact, it works like a dream. Allow me to demonstrate." She commands the gorilla tank to move by moving the joystick forward but she accidentally presses the button that locks onto A2 causing her to pull out her sword. Yoko deactivates the gun realizing it's aiming at her.
"Yeah...Taught..." A2 grimaced.
"Well I'm sorry that I was too hungry to listen to the lesson...Or was it because the drill sergeant said that this is most irrelevant part of training since we will never pilot a gorilla tank. Meh, either way." Yoko replied. She opens the cockpit and sighs realizing it's going to be a long time to relearn the controls.
"Here. Take this." The pilot pulls out her satchel charges and gives them to A2 also the detonator.
"I'll cover you since I only know the gun part. Let's keep going." A2 holsters the charges around her waist then moves to the points Packard told them about. The surviving soldiers arrive to get the weapons but notice Yoko in the vehicle.
"Alright, we got ourselves some heavy firepower." A soldier commented before heading off to the get weapons. The walk to the west end is moderately short but for Yoko, it felt like an hour. When you're in a titan, everything feels small and the urban area you are in feels like a small area compared to being on foot. In a gorilla tank, it feels slow. A2 crouches behind the bush and signals Yoko to halt to which she does commanding the tank to lower itself down. It's an ammo depot for the machines.
"I got them." A2 informed before running as she readies her sword. She moves up ahead and walks behind a stubby armed with a sniper rifle then stabs it behind the its back. The medium biped hears the scratch of metal and sensing its comrades death causing it to turn around to see A2 running towards it before he can use his axe to attack her but his head is sliced off in the process as he falls down. A2 plants a bomb on the ammo depot then signals Yoko to move to the east side of the forest. The pilot looks at the features of the tank while moving forward and finds a sonar lock feature similar to the tone's acolyte pod. She moves slowly alongside A2 like a predator stalking prey, it reminds her of when she went hunting with her mom after fleeing from the food shortages. They spot the site with Yoko positioning herself and fires a pod at a tree giving off a wave that detects the machines guarding. She counts about four hostile machine lifeforms, mostly made up medium bipeds.
"I got four scraps around the ships. Can you take them?" Yoko asked.
"You've seen me take on a couple of machines. No point in asking that." A2 whispered as Yoko smiles. She gets up then speeds towards a medium armed with an axe as it turns around and swings it at her but she dodges the hit then slashes it numerous times right before slicing it in half. The other mediums turn around. One is armed with a mastiff shotgun and the other has an L-star. They begin firing at A2 who moves left and right to avoid the shots right before leaping in the air and slicing both of them in half. A2 walks up to the ammo depot and plants a bomb on it.
"Alright, let's get to Packard."
The king's councilman arrives in front of Pascal as he is eagerly awaiting to make peace with the Forest Kingdom. There is an aura of distrust around them, especially with the Militia who don't agree with what is going on. They lost a lot of ships going to there and there is a high chance that they are responsible for them evidenced by the guns they are carrying. The councilman is being escorted by two medium bipeds armed with devotion light machine guns strengthening the theory of them shooting down ships. No where else they would get guns of that caliber which can only be found in the Frontier.
"Hello, my name is Pascal." Pascal greeted the councilman who walks up to him. He is a small stubby and wears almost a royal gown.
"Greetings Pascal. why exactly have you come here?" The councilman asks him. Pascal is holding his excitement, this is what the world needs. Humans have returned and hostile machine lifeforms are slowly dying off due to sheer combined might. This could mark the end of the war and the beginning of a new era of peace.
"I'm here to propose an alliance between our people. I know you're hostile to outsiders but I think it's high time we work together to make this world a better place. Maybe create a nation out of this." He explained.
"Nation? I never heard that word in a long time...Our leader wanted something like that. To him, a nation was like a big house or...A family." The machine commented. He looks over to see Militia soldiers causing his optics to shrink in fear. The reports from everywhere state how dangerous these humans are, they weren't like the weaklings they attacked a thousand years ago. These humans have a ferocity none of them ever seen. They were different...And that made them a threat to the king.
"Why are they here?" He asked.
"Oh, we've aligned ourselves with the Militia. They've been trading supplies with us and helping us increase our defenses." Pascal replied. 2B could tell something is going wrong. The sudden stillness of the councilman...His hand curls into a ball. 2B looks at the Militia sniper who looks at her nodding in agreement on what is in their thoughts right now-It's going to get ugly. The sniper loads his sniper rifle with 2B gripping her sword.
"...HOW DARE YOU." The councilman said.
"What?"
"HOW DARE YOU WORK WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DESTROY US!" The machine roared in fury. He saw what those bombers look like, those titans and soldiers with their guns and weaponry. Enough to slaughter an entire colony in a minute.
"They don't want that to happen. They want peace!" Pascal countered fearfully.
"THEY ARE USING YOU CAN'T YOU SEE?" The soldiers grip their assault rifles and look at the machines. Picking their targets. Among them is the 6-4 who are watching from the watchtower with fingers on the trigger ready to open fire on all of them.
"They aren't! In fact, they are reasonable and-"
"ENOUGH!"
"Please listen! Your kingdom is among the rarest of us! You can't let it end this way!" Pascal begged.
"WE ARE TRYING TO PROTECT THE KING! IF YOU DON'T SEE THAT THEN YOU MUST DIE!" The medium bipeds all aim their guns at the soldiers as Sarah's eyes widen then turns to his soldiers.
"Get everyone out of the village now!"
"Wait-" Soon a Militia sniper lands a shot on a medium causing it to fall on the ground dead. The Militia begin opening fire at the machines who take cover and return fire at them. 2B and 9S spring into action as both of their pods open fire on them but a medium biped tosses an electric smoke grenade at them causing the two to take cover with the machines opening fire on them.
Yoko and A2 hear the gunfire as they walk towards Packard. The group is used to hearing small arms fire from the machines in particular but this is different, this is something else...It was an army. Help has arrived. Packard couldn't believe it...Either they saw the flare from a distance or someone planted a signal beacon. Yoko motions the gorilla tank as a gesture that she is hearing it. The soldiers stand in confusion then look back at the colonel.
"Sir, we still going with the plan?" A soldier asked. Packard holds still for a moment to think...
"A minor adjustment. My men and I will get the wounded out of here while private Kaine, whoever this chick is, Preacher, Leon, and Elijah to lay down fire on the machines." Packard planned. Yoko walks towards the three soldiers. Preacher is wearing a standard Militia soldier uniform but its dirty and has a helmet reading Machine Killer on the back of it although his weapon is different though, its a crossbow with an explosive tip and has a machete on his back. Leon is the same as him but he has goggles and also armed with an R-201 assault rifle with an EVA-8 shotgun on his back. Elijah is identical to the others except he is wielding a spitfire light machine gun and doesn't wear a helmet
"And Yoko..." She turns to him.
"Think you can pilot that thing?" Packard asks.
"Yeah...I think I can." The three turn to A2 who sighs knowing she has to lead them. Yoko can see sadness in her eyes as they lull as if looking at them reminded her of something. Yoko looks in worry at her...
"Alright, once we get there, we set off the charges." A2 informed.
"Let's move out!" Leon ordered.
2B and 9S cover Pascal as more machines come out and start shooting at them. Rockets fire on both sides since the Forest Kingdom machines have stolen rocket launchers too. The battle is yielding a mixed bag right now but Militia forces are slowly winning like always. Pascal hides behind cover thinking about what happened...He had one last trick up his sleeve but the Militia just opened fire without any warning. He looks at the soldiers fighting them...Such spite and hatred. Is this what humanity really has become? Sure they're defending the village but is this how they solve problems? Violence? Does it always end in bloodshed for them?
The machines continue to shoot as A2, Yoko and the others arrive. They appear to be putting up one hell of a fight for the Militia and it won't get any better since the convoy has to make an alternate turn which will take long. A2 looks at the detonator on her hand and sets off the charges getting the machine's attention. Explosions go off on numerous parts of the forest as both sides all stop quickly to notice what's going on. Packard and his men arrive with dozens of wounded as they continue fighting again. Preacher fires his crossbow at a medium biped which explodes on impact as the rest of the group runs out with Yoko activating the guns on the gorilla tank then moves the joystick forward and rams into a small stubby firing a RE-45 at 2B.
"Yoko!? Is that you!?" 9S asked. She turns to 9S while firing a missile at a flyer after finding the alternate controls on it.
"Yeah it's me! Took you long enough!" Yoko replied before dodging a rocket shot. A2 blocks a couple of shots from a machine armed with a devotion as she leaps towards him and bounces off of a pillar and slices his gun in half alongside himself causing him to fall on the ground. 2B observes the android while Yoko charges at the machines and runs one over. She throws one off of a cliff while another is shooting at her with an assault rifle but she turns around quickly causing it to run while she chases it. A four legged machine leaps out of the woods but 2B shoots it down with a charged shot as Yoko shoots the retreating machine and circles another group while firing the machine gun on the back as she kills most of them. The gun soon overheats as she switches to missiles and fires it at a group of medium bipeds. A swarm of stubby's armed with guns and spears led by a small stubby riding on a quadruped arrive as they run over a soldier killing him as Yoko motions to ready her speed movement by peddling her foot as a sign of charging. A2 lands on her back catching Yoko by surprise as she charges straight towards them.
"YOU HAVE ALL TRAINED FOR ONE PURPOSE! FOR THE KING!" The machine yelled. Yoko fires yells while charging straight towards the crowd as she fires the machine gun with A2 leaping towards the stubby riding on the back and impaling him off of the quadruped. 2B watches A2 alongside 9S...She looks like she's affiliated with YoRHa but she seems different...Really different.
"Pod?" 2B asked.
"Alert: This unit is currently wanted by YoRHa. Annihilation recommended." Pod 042 informed.
"But why is she helping Yoko?" The combat android replied as the YoRHa commander comes online.
"We've picked up a signal from the black box of a fugitive known as A2...What you see in front of you is your enemy."
"But she's helping us..." 9S countered.
"She deserted us. She's destroyed multiple pursuit androids. Now kill her before she kills you!" The female android ordered. 2B pulls out her sword as A2 dodges a slam from a medium biped then jumps on its weapon then kicks it in the face and stabs it in the head.
"2B-" They feel the ground quake for a moment causing the Militia to stop...All of a sudden, a goliath biped jumps out of the trees much to everyone's shock. It spins its arms towards a group of soldiers which knock them away or rip mangle them much to their horror. Gates's eyes widen underneath her helmet as she switches to her charge rifle with Hannah firing a rocket launcher at it. It does damage to the machine but not that much...They need something that could rival its strength and finish it off for good...They need a titan. Yoko charges towards the machine while firing then sliding and fires off a missile at it. Her helmet smells like sweat since piloting a gorilla tank requires more manual work. She shoots at the machine head underneath it as 2B runs towards the machine and begins slashing its legs as her sword rips off pieces of metal. A2 joins in as the machine groans in pain.
"Shaver, where are you!?" Sarah yelled on the coms as Pascal is escorted safely as she fires her wingman elite revolver.
"We're taking a detour mam! Just standby!" The titan pilot replied. Yoko continues to fire missiles at the goliath while A2 and 2B keep cutting its legs. 9S hacks the machine. He finds himself in the form of a cursor with two white covers covering him while there is two antivirus systems launching a projectile. On the top corner is the source launching orange and purple barriers while on the bottom is the same thing. 9S shoots down the antivirus systems as the cover disappears with the sources exposed. He shoots the one on the top corner and the other in the bottom. The HUD states that the hacking is complete.
The machine begins to malfunction and explode which severely weakens it in the process. Yoko continues laying down suppressing fire on the machine but it knocks her away and slams her against a pillar...Which begins to crack and fall on the machine. A2 screams in rage at what happened to her and slices its weakened legs causing it to fall over before 2B stabs it in the head. The machine begins to crack and explode into pieces.
"We gotta hold the line till backup arrives! We need to give Pascal time so he can evacuate the villagers!" Sarah yelled. The were basically a diversion...A2 has an idea. Before 2B raises her sword at her, A2 runs towards the bridge leading to the castle.
"Where are you going!?" Leon yelled.
"I'm going after the Forest King! It'll serve as a big distraction!" A2 replied getting the machines attention.
"She's going after the king-" 2B slices the machine in half as the cockpit opens to Yoko struggling to get out. 9S drags her out as she gets up and loads her gun with Yoko stumbling.
"A2!" Yoko called out but she is far away now. She goes after her with 2B and 9S following the pilot.
"You know her?" 9S asked.
"Sorta, she saved me and the soldiers stuck here!" They cross the bridge as they hear the sounds of metal being shredded in the distance with Yoko ignoring the pain and continuing to run like a true pilot. A ledge blocks her away so she boots up and continues running while gunning down a stubby with a sword. They arrive at the castle entrance and go through it. The halls are almost regal and Gothic in a way. In front of them is a dead medium biped that most likely killed by A2. Yoko continues to speed towards the next room. The room has the same design but lighter and has a banner on it. In front of them are dead stubby's which is another sign that they might be closer now. The next room is filled with windows and is grayer, again, it is filled with dead machines. They continue heading outside into the courtyard and pass by a dead quadruped.
2B is starting to feel worried about the human...Is there something more to them than meets the eye? She comes into a realization about Yoko and why she is so worried about her. At first it was unbelievable but the more she thought of it: Her body language,the way she was running and the fact she seems to know her...She's fallen in love with her. 9S could tell too and this was both dangerous and strange. A relationship like that is begging for trouble and controversy. Yoko enters a pathway that has knights on both sides although they've all been tipped over with the room full of slash marks. and dead machines. They reach to the other room across it revealing stairways then head into the library and into the pathway leading to the stairs. Yoko doesn't have time running up stairs...So she fires her grapple hook up as it drags her to the next room as she lets go then slides. The next room is another floor of the library as Yoko uses her hook to lift herself with 9S and 2B catching up to her.
"Why didn't we make those things in the first place..." 9S sighed. Yoko runs in the room that has knight armor in it then to the bridge leading to the entrance to the top of the castle...She spots A2 in the hallway. Yoko runs as fast as she can then uses her grapple hook to boost herself up as she disengages revealing she's jumping over a gap between the paths but she continues running while landing on her feet. The two androids catch up to her with 2B about to touch Yoko by the shoulder but she speeds off. They arrive in some kind of large hall made for a king. In front of them is A2's back as she standing and staring at awe at something.
"A2!" Yoko called while walking towards her but she too stops and stares in shock then looks back at 2B who catches up to her. Standing in front of her is a strange girl wearing a blouse and black skirt. She also has black hair and glasses alongside black stockings and black high heeled shoes. Near her is a crib that has a sword skewered
"Throwing your sword at me. Really?" The girl said.
"Who in the...?"
"My name is Accord and I'm a recorder. I keep record of the Militia activities here on earth in the past and...the future. Things might not be looking up to everyone soon when the truth gets out in the wrong moment." Accord commented before picking up her brief case and walks past Yoko then A2 alongside 2B and 9S.
"This is the perfect moment for you to run A2." A2 dashes past Yoko who tries to get her back but leaves her as she jumps off of the ledge. Militia soldiers arrive in the scene as Yoko walks away...
Bunker
"Um mam?" Bish greeted the YoRHa commander causing her to turn around to the technician.
"I found something in your systems and it was some kind of virus. Good thing it didn't spread otherwise we would have had a problem on our hand." The commander's eyes widen upon hearing this...Then turns calm.
"Thank you Bish..."
Base.
Yoko splashes water on her face as blood flows in the water. It was refreshing after a long fight...She senses someone behind her causing her to turn around to see 2B and 9S with their arms crossed.
"...You two are going to grill me for something aren't you?"
Bunker.
6O sits on her bed after hearing the evidenced by UC...She doesn't believe it. She can't. But the evidence was damming enough for her...Mankind is gone yet here they are! The lie became true...It's a paradox. On her com link is UC.
"It is okay for you to take your time." UC told her.
"I suggest not doing anything drastic for the time being. This is possibly confidential information, I am trusting you with this so I can have an insider within YoRHa to seek the truth." She explained her plan to her.
"Are you saying there is something more to this?" 6O replied while shuddering.
"Possibly."