Commencing System Check. . .
Memory Unit: In Process
"It'll be easy to find him, we'll just go to wherever the heartless are."
"It's just like A2 to run away..."
"I don't know why, but you're really familiar, maybe it's because you're scary just like she was. Maybe even scarier!"
"I could re-chain your memories because they still existed, if hers are truly gone, then they can't come back."
"Whenever we figure out how to get the machines back, your village will be as good as new!"
"I don't want data... I want you to be real."
"May your heart be your guiding key."
Memory Unit: Green
.
.
.
All Systems Green
Combat Preparations Complete_
Location Confirmed: Desert Zone
Coordinates: 42.7952° N, 105.0324° E
Sora, Riku and Kairi were well on their way to the Apartment Complex, although the only direction they had to go off of was their own memory so their journey was taking longer than expected. Not that they minded, as long as they still had each other's company, being lost in a desert wasteland wasn't so bad. Aside from their dwindling resources of course, but Riku was confident they'd get to their destination by day's end.
"Wow Sora...so you've been kidnapped like three times already? Guess you know how it feels to be me, huh...In fact, I already got kidnapped once here so including all the other times, I think that brings my kidnapped total tooooo-" Kairi paused to work out the math in her head. "Four times, five if you count the time Isa took me to their creepy Nobody Castle, but I was already technically kidnapped by Axel... well either way, I'm definitely winning with this one!"
Sora rubbed the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh. "Kairi, I don't think that's something to celebrate..."
"I know, but looking back reminds me of how far I've come. Although I think me and you should be taking after Riku in the future, he's the only one who hasn't been kidnapped before, it's probably the intimidation factor."
"Wha- Kairi, but I'm intimidating too, right?!"
"Um..."
"Riku, back me up! I'm really intimidating, especially when I blast the bad guys with my shotlock and they don't even know what hit 'em!"
"Whatever you say. Hey Kairi, does your gummiphone have any reception, I took a picture of the spot where we entered this world so we'd at least know what to look for, but none of my pictures are loading," Riku said.
"That's strange, once a picture is taken, it automatically downloads into your photo album so it should load with or without reception. Maybe something's wrong with your phone, I'll check mine to make sure," She got out her gummiphone, then clicked on the photo album application. "Oh my gosh...mine are all gone too! Ugh, and I took some really nice ones at the beach, something's definitely wrong here."
"You're telling me, damn, we'll just have to follow the heartless to the source instead." He shoved his gummiphone back into his pocket. "It's just weird that I suddenly can't access my photos anymore when they were working fine a minute ago."
"And this is why you can't trust technology," Sora said.
Riku gave him his usual smirk. "Says the guy who's technology illiterate."
"Hey, I'm still learning! Besides, I've been surrounded by androids and complicated computer stuff so I'm sure some of it's rubbed off on me. Kairi, let me see your gummiphone, maybe I can fix it!"
"Sure, just be careful with it Sora."
But when she handed him the phone, Sora realized the problem ran much deeper than what he was equipped to handle. "Kairi...is this supposed to be all glitchy and stuff?" Before she had the chance to respond, the answer to their connectivity issues lied right below their feet when several small biped machines emerged out from under the sand.
Unlike past models, these machines had extendable necks resembling humans spinal cords with an electromagnetic current running along the column. A feature that would be devastating for androids or anything technological, but meant nothing to a human.
"So these are the guys that's been messing with our signal," Riku said, he brandished his keyblade, which was enough for the machines to start backing away from them when they realized their EMP attacks had no effect on the humans.
However, the machine's fates were sealed the moment Kairi laid eyes on them, her mindset reverted back to when she was in the factory, evoking her innermost human desires to survive. Her keyblade manifested in grasp, then the blade effortlessly slashed through the machine bodies until there was nothing left but scrap metal in the sand. She squeezed her arm to hide how badly it was shaking, then turned back to Sora and Riku. "I'm...I'm sorry...this isn't me."
Sora squeezed Kairi's hand. "It's okay Kairi, I'm here for you no matter what."
She buried her head into his chest. "Take me home, Sora. Far away from here."
"It looks like we're almost there," Riku made a gesture to the cluster of buildings along the horizon. "Those are the apartments."
Guest: Wow, you predicted like everything I was going to do, time to change it up and pull a Game Of Thrones on y'all. Angelus, turn Growing Wings up.
Anon: Your play by play of my chapters is seriously the best thing ever, can't wait for your reaction when things go off the rail
TalonScythe: Yeah, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into with everything I put in, but I think you guys will like what's in store for the next part of the story, maybe
Face [M]y Fears
Effervescent, bronze liquid sloshed around in a metal container with some of its contents spilling over onto a makeshift table. A2 set the flask down, then stared at 9S who nervously looked the other way. "You haven't touched your drink, 9S."
"Oh uh," He rubbed his neck. "I don't really drink, I'm mostly here for 2B."
A2 scoffed. "I didn't take a hardass like her for being a lightweight." She motioned over to the center of the camp where 2B was drunkenly swinging a stick around at imaginary machines. "Gotta say, it's pretty entertaining."
"Yeah, it comes as a surprise for me too, but I like this side to her..."
"Not sure how a few shots from some cheap booze can get someone so drunk."
"It's a...it's a mystery, huh."
'Why is he still acting so nervous around me? I guess it's the inherent intimidation factor.' "Hey, if you're not gonna drink that then I won't let it go to waste." A2 reached over for his untouched glass, but someone else swiped it off the table and guzzled it down.
"Oh man, this stuff tastes like machine oil, I think you need about 50 of these for it to have any effect."
"Not the best thing to do post-recovery, Dev."
Devola and Popola took their seats at the makeshift table, garnering confused looks from A2 and 9S. "Shouldn't you two be in the infirmary right now, Anemone said the heartless did a number on you," A2 said.
"Not when there's a shop to run, besides I'm feeling pretty good right now. My core functionalities are already at 46%," Devola said.
"Shit, you couldn't even wait until it was at half functionality."
"That's just Dev speaking, I'm going right back to the infirmary after this, but I wanted to see you guys off before everyone goes their separate ways, you know." Popola leaned in. "So tell me everything, was it really true that the world was ending?!"
"It was pretty post apocalypse-y, especially when Eve turned into this huge monster. I had no idea machines were capable of stuff like that," 9S said.
"Uh-huh, meanwhile I thought I was gonna die like three different times. I've been trying to forget that whole thing ever happened, but the only one who's had any luck is 2B," A2 said.
"—Hey- hey! Stop it! Get this crazy android away from me!"
"Oh no, 2B!" 9S shot up out of his seat and ran over to 2B who was attacking the strange resistance woman, thinking she was another machine enemy. "Uh, sorry about her ma'am." He grabbed 2B's arm then pulled her away. "Okay listen 2B, that one's not a machine...even though she does kind of look like one. You already defeated the bad guys, so I'd say this mission is accomplished."
"Mission accomplished? Woo hoo! Now we gotta report to the Commander, Nines!"
He smiled. "Yeah, I think it's about time we go back to the Bunker. She'll be expecting us with all the crazy stuff that's happened."
"Wow, you're always thinking ahead. Then less go to the transportation thing-y!"
"Hold on, that one's ...offline, we should go to the one in the center of the City Ruins instead." 'Hopefully, that'll give her enough time to sober up.'
"What-ever you say Nines!" As 2B began walking out of the camp, she tripped over some rubble, but 9S caught her in his arms before her face could get acquainted with the ground.
"You alright? Watch your step next time."
"Uh...you're so warm Nines..."
"Ah-" He quickly puts his hands behind his back, then stepped away from her. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"No, I don't mind. Can you hold my hand so I don't fall again?"
"Y-yeah sure! I-I can do that for you." 9S felt his pulsation rate skyrocketing as he reached his hand over to 2B's. It was the type of rush he only experienced when he was fighting for his life on the battlefield and yet something so simple like holding a girl's hand almost made him short circuit. The funny thing was, the moment he wrapped his hand around 2B's, those feelings went away all at once, leaving him breathless.
"You lead the way Nines, 'cause my vision field's totally messed up!"
"Heh, you got it, 2B!" He waved goodbye to the androids, Devola and Popola returned the gesture while A2 merely shook her head and cracked a small smile.
"You don't get to see things like that every day," Devola said.
Popola crossed her arms. "But you do get to miss the world ending, ugh, we just had to get jumped by the heartless!"
"Oh that's right, shit, how are we gonna fight them now that Sora's gone? You think YoRHa's working on something we can use to defend ourselves?"
"Hopefully or we're definitely screwed down here. And you know what the worst part about all of this is? I don't think I'm ever gonna see 13S again and he was serving in the looks department!"
"Yeah...yeah between almost getting our circuits clawed out and being unconscious, not seeing some random guy again was definitely the worst part."
"What? I'm being hyperbolic...mostly."
Staring into her machine oil drink, A2 could feel emotion sneaking up on her like the dreadful hangover that awaited after long periods of drinking. She ran her finger along the brim of her glass, the whole reason she even fathomed the idea of wasting booze on 2B and 9S was that so she could forget him and escape the loneliness that would inevitably eat her up inside. Yet there his name was 'Sora', slipped in so casually into conversation as if he were just a fond memory.
Taking matters into her own hands, A2 set her glass on the table, then pushed it over in Devola's direction. "—Devola, I think now's as good a time as any to share a drink. I have to leave soon, since I can't stay in one place for too long."
"So this is the last time I'll see you before you go on another machine hunting craze...in that case," She uploaded her finest bottle of desert rose booze then poured them both a glass. "Let's make the most out of it."
"Oh uh, Popola, you can join us if you'd like," Devola said, sliding her a glass. "Anemone said a little booze would help expedite our system recovery."
"She didn't say anything close to that, and you know how I get whenever I'm tipsy, it's better that I don't."
"I know, but this is probably going to be the last booze we're getting for a while." She nudged her in the shoulder. "Come on, just one shot won't hurt and you got the worst injuries between the two of us so you deserve it."
"...fine. Just one shot."
One shot translated to ten shots because Popola had no self-control and before the girls knew it, they finished off the entire bottle of booze in one sitting. While Devola and A2 were far gone, Popola appeared to still be mostly put together, until she accidentally broke her chair when she stood up from the table. "I...I think I'm going back to the infirmary." She tried to leave, but Devola held her arm.
"No...ur gonna brEak more shit. Just stay here, okk?"
"I'm NOT going to break anything!" She slammed her fist on the table, incidentally breaking it in half.
"Heyyyy wat's ur $%#5&!7 problem Dev #2," A2 said.
"POpopola, why... why do n't we stop this?" Devola asked.
"Stop? Stop? You want me to stop? You think I have the luxury to stop? I took ten shots of sand booze and you tell me to STOP!? No one STOPS! It's way too late to STOP! No one... STOOOOOPS!"
What followed next was nothing short of a disaster and the path of destruction Popola left in the Resistance Camp reminded Devola why her sister shouldn't come anywhere near alcohol. Anemone approached the three of them with a murderous look twisting her face, but she resisted the urge for any physical repercussion and opted to instead throw a tiny data chip to Devola.
"That's a list of all the supplies needed to rebuild the rest of the camp so...double that by about..." Scanning the area, she estimated the toll from Popola's damages. "Twice the amount to cover everything. Return shipment in no less than 8 hours, the Forest Kingdom should have everything you need. That'll be all."
A sigh escaped from Devola's lips as she downloaded the data chip's content, she turned to A2 with a smirk on her face. "I guess we're going on this machine hunting craze together."
—
[Maintenance Request]
[444 Days Since Last Full Body Maintenance]
[Would_Confirm Authorization_]
[Authorization Confirmed Would_Commander White_Like To Perform Regularly Scheduled Full Body Maintenance?]
[Yes_No_Maybe Later]
[Direct Input From Administrator: DO_NOT_REPEAT_THIS_GODDAMN_MESSAGE]
[Maintenance Request Successfully Denied Until Further Notice_Have A Nice Day]
Commander White stepped up to a podium where she stood before the entirety, or at least what remained, of the YoRHa forces, suited up in reinforced battle armor that reflected their true purpose as warmongering androids. 'They're all here, let's not prolong this.' She let out a deep breath, then became their Commander. "We've confirmed that the network core units known as Adam and Eve have been destroyed. The enemy's chain of command has been thrown into complete chaos."
Two monitors flashed beside her that displayed various tactical information to the androids while Commander White continued, "As such, humanity has chosen to seize this opportunity and launch a two-pronged attack against the machine forces. I know you are all aware of the monsters known as 'heartless' that feed off machines and give them power. Fortunately, YoRHa's leading research unit has worked tirelessly to counteract them and the answer lies in our very own humans-"
A giant keyblade along with three profiles on Sora, Riku and Kairi flicked on the monitors. "These three humans wield a weapon known as the 'keyblade', which has the power to eradicate the heartless from existence. It appears as though only a human can wield such a weapon, which is why I'm continuing the keyblade project alongside our current war strategy."
"Our two-pronged attack will happen simultaneously rather than in phases, a small team of androids will locate these three humans, then bring them back to the Bunker where we'll harness the powers of the keyblade and mass produce them for android use. Meanwhile, the rest of you will initiate the wide-scale attack against the machines, that way if the heartless do ally with themselves the enemy, we'll have the means to deal with them head on."
Commander White gazed at the YoRHa forces, unsure of how many would be left after this endeavor. She'd always tell herself they were meant to be expendable at the end of the day, but in truth, she never forgot the name or face of an android. "...Remember your pain, the pain of having your homeland stolen, we will never give up our struggle. We will take back the seas, the skies, the land, we will take back our world from the scourge of the heartless and machines. We will not fail in this mission, here and now we will put an end to this goddamn war!"
She placed her left hand over her chest. "Glory...to mankind."
"Glory to mankind!" The YoRHa forces repeated.
Leaving Mission Control Center as the YoRHa forces hurried to their stations, Commander White decided to clear her head out in the hallway. 'The intel 9S gave me was game-changing, I had no idea the heartless had as much power as they did. I'm afraid if this current project doesn't work, then we'll have no choice but to rely on the humans.' She heard the sound of footsteps approaching her from down the hall.
"Commander, there you are," 9S said.
"9S, speak of the devil."
"...what?"
"Nothing. Can I help you with something? You should be getting ready to go to your station."
"I know, I just wanted to talk to you for a second."
"Be quick about it, I don't have all day."
"You...you were right. I can't stand it. I can't stand living in a world where there's nothing to believe in, I can't deny this emptiness inside me anymore. So how did you cope with knowing that there is no mankind left to save?"
"...How did I 'cope'? We're androids, not humans. The sooner you stop pretending like you feel anything, the sooner the pain stops."
"But how is that any way to live? It's not wrong to feel emotions, even if they hurt, I just-"
"9S, you asked me a question and I answered you. Stop worrying about what we can't change and start worrying about what's affecting us immediately, we're built to fight machines and that's what we're doing right now."
"...Then why are you assigning me on the team to track Sora down instead of sending me out on the battlefield?!"
"Because that's where you're needed. Go to your station at once, that's an order."
"Yes ma'am..."
Before I could convince myself to tell 2B the truth...our final major operation had begun.
Commander White watched him run away until he disappeared down the hallway, then she returned to Mission Control Center where she initiated their two-pronged war strategy. "Operators, we should have located the three humans by now with the tracking device we put on our target."
"They're in the Desert Zone and by the direction they're traveling, they're heading towards the Apartment Complex," Operator 21O said.
"The Apartment Complex, huh? Then that's where we'll deploy our team of androids. Send out the coordinates of the location 21O."
"Roger that."
'According to 2B's intel, they should've been westbound to the Night Kingdom, so that was just a ruse to throw her off as I suspected. I suppose I'll find out what business they have in the desert soon enough.'
NieR: [O]blivion
The Death of Innocence
A/N: I finished N:A's keyblade design and posted it but this website is evil and I can't put a link anywhere on this goddamn thing so if you wanna see the design, everything's gonna be on my Ao3 account. Catch358 is my shameless plug, so check it out if you want.
Weight of the World
A black keyblade with long reach and a mysterious aura. What it lacks in magic, it makes up for in strength to destroy all those around you.
Lv. 1
Strength: 6
Magic: 4
Special Ability:
-heartless magnet
-combo boost plus
Weapon Story 1:
BREAKING POINT
Before you, the world was so black and white
Then you showed me what feeling was like,
And I wish you hadn't, because it's worse.
Take me back in time to uplift this curse
When everything was Android and Machine,
And there was no humanity in me.