Pod 153: YoRHa Unit 9S had completed repair and reconstruction of all damaged areas. Unit is ready for reactivation.
Pod 042: No update in regards to Unit 2E, however unit has adopted an aggressive disposition in interaction with past relations. Proposal: Pod 153 should periodically review the mental state of unit 9S as will I for Unit 2E.
Pod 153: Acknowledged.
Pod 042: Despite the circumstances, Units 2E and 9S are safe.
Pod 153: No problems detected.
Pod 042: Only one issue remains. We comprise the YoRHa support system. If the 2E and 9S units are operational, we are required to attend and support.
Pod 153: Agreed.
Pod 042: Displaying position of Unit 2E...
Time: 15:36
Location Confirmed: Desert Zone
Coordinates: 42.7952° N, 105.0324° E
Begin Transmission
"There really is nothing in here...then again, why would there be? My memory was erased, no record of the past version of me exists."
But you desire to know who you once were, don't you?
"You're wrong. YoRHa aren't allowed to show emotion, I have no desire for anything."
We were made in the likeness of humans, we all have desires and you're no exception...or should I say I'm no exception.
Then 2B appeared in front of her.
"I only think of the mission at hand, who I once was has no bearing on what I'm doing right now."
That's not true. You hide your emotions and run away from 2B because you're afraid of —
It took 2E to slash through the data reconstruction of 2B for her to realize she was cutting through nothing and was still in the desert, standing before Hegel's destroyed centipede body. Keeping herself composed, she retired her sword to its holster, continuing business as usual. "...Pod. Find me the next set of machines."
Pod 042: Searching...match to multiple high-level machines located in...
End Transmission
Pod 042: It appears that 2E's memory
Pod 042: is in conflict with itself.
Pod 042: Currently monitoring progress
Pod 042: to analyze the effect.
Pod 153: Hold, Pod 042
Pod 153: Issue detected in your conversational functionality.
Pod 153: Numerous machine lifeforms whose network functions
Pod 153: were destroyed remain out of control.
Pod 153: Please take caution.
Pod 042: Similar issue detected in your conversational functionality as well
Pod 153: ...Cease communication Pod 042
Pod 042: Affirmative
Guest (Jan 23): The Oathkeeper and Oblivion keyblade would be pretty cool
Guest (Jan 18): Good idea
Guest (Jan 13): Rinzler's a great parallel to 2E now that I think about it
Mr. Awesome: Designed to end will definitely have a weapon story, that's my favorite part
Bluzerker: Thanks, I appreciate it!
Anon: Either Nomura forgot about Sora's parents or he's saving them as the true final boss, which would be awesome. Tbh, I was confused by the bridge too bc I was like, wasn't this bridge just broken two cutscenes ago? Dev and A2 need to go to AAA (Android Alcoholics Anonymous)
Keybladelight: Adam and Eve's whereabouts will be revealed in the 'nier' future, if they're defeated as nobodies then they'd just be machines again bc they were never human to begin with. I did want a scene where Emil builds a grave for his friends and makes his amends, not in this chapter though, but towards the end.
[T]reasured Memories
"Back when the aliens first invaded...I fought as hard as I could to save Earth. I think...I had something I wanted to protect. Something really precious to me. But I don't know what it was."
. . .
"This place brings back memories," A2 said.
The vibrant fireworks bombarding the bleak sky with splashes of color, the eroded amusement park rides standing in defiance to time, and one of its most unique features; the machines dancing in perfect sync to the theme park music. It was hard to forget a place like the Amusement Park, and it was even harder to forget the events that unfolded on the park grounds that separated Sora and A2 again due to Adam's interference. But now they were together, and stronger, nothing could ever come in between the two, except themselves.
"Yeah, who could forget you getting major motion sickness on the teacups!" Sora teased.
The sheer look of murder A2 gave Sora was enough to get him to back off. "...The next flower should be down this alleyway," A2 said, then she spotted the white glow of the Lunar Tear hidden away in the corner of an empty lot.
"I'll give Emil a call!" He dialed his frequency. "Hey Emil we found another Lun-"
"Don't move! I'll be right there!" And within moments, he was there. "Sorry to keep you!"
"Great hustle kid," A2 said.
"Geez, I don't think I'll ever get used to how fast you are. So what's the story with this Lunar Tear?"
"...I was fighting the aliens. It wasn't going well, so I decided to create multiple versions of myself to help with the fight, but the aliens just kept coming. I lost so many friends that day...it was a long time ago, but still."
"I know what you mean. It's hard losing friends, no matter how long ago it was."
He sighed. "I just wish I remembered who those friends were...well, thank you again for finding this, let me know if you find any others, okay? I'm gonna stay here for a while."
"You got it! So where's the next stop, A2?"
"The Desert, and it's the last one."
"The Desert? Seriously, man, I feel like we're always going to that place!"
"Quit complaining. The faster we get there, the faster we leave." 'And then I can get what I'm really after.' She could already feel the intoxicating liquid trickle down her throat and the mind-numbing effects it would soon have on her body.
Sora rested his hands behind his head. "I'm just happy Emil's regaining all his memories again. I know exactly what it feels like to lose your memories so I'm glad we're playing a part in helping remember."
"No, memory loss sounds nice actually, I wish I could forget the time you stood up after bathing and showed everyone your —"
"WOW we're already at the Desert, we cover ground fast, don't we?! Ha ha ha..."
"Uh-huh...we are going faster than usual without your human problems to lag us behind. It's like you can't go a few days without eating or drinking."
"How do you still not understand how humans work? You weren't listening at all, were you?"
"What?"
"See, you're not listening now!"
"Someone sounds pissed. Look, I can get you a fresh plate of fish guts after this mission is over with."
"Ewww, fish guts? A2...you're the worst sometimes!"
"It's one of my many great qualities."
They made it to the border area with the disjointed oil pipes and buildings nearly sunken all the way into the desert when the sand began shifting more than it usually did. "Something's up," A2 said, readying her sword.
A2 expected a machine or two to pop out of the sand, not for several white creatures she'd never seen before to emerge out of hiding. They were somewhere in between life and death, existence and nonexistence, a foe that Sora knew all too well. "Nobodies!" He tightened the grip on his keyblade, then ran ahead to combat them.
While Sora had encountered many distinct Nobodies before in his past adventures, these types of Nobodies had no definite shape because they kept changing form. One moment they looked like monstrous dragons, the next they were in uncanny valley levels of resemblance to humans, but what remained consistent was the different weapons each of them wielded and the only thing Sora focused on. He clashed blades first with a Nobody wielding a death scythe. 'That's the weapon Marluxia's Nobodies would've used, but we already defeated him. There's no way he could've come back, especially not here.'
He pulled back, then dodged an attack coming from behind by a Nobody wielding a trident. 'A trident? None of the Organization members even used a weapon like that.' A Thundaga-sword combo attack dealt with the first two nobodies, then Blizzaga would've taken out the other two Nobodies, but they evaded the icy blast by deconstructing their bodies down into blocks.
Fortunately, A2 was right behind the Nobodies so she batted her sword at the chunk of magical ice and returned it to them, freezing the rest of the Nobodies. Then she finished it off with a clean slice that severed through them in just one swing.
"Why do those things have the same weapons as that human-looking machine with the glasses? I thought we killed him," A2 said.
"Human looking...oh, you mean Adam! Wait, did he...did he actually turn into a Nobody?!"
"You're asking me as if I know."
"Well, he did turn into a heartless before so it's not impossible... we might have to face him again if that's the case."
"We killed him, you don't just come back from that. I don't know what the hell a 'Nobody' is, but this is probably just something from the machine network. Besides, we got more important things to worry about."
"Getting money to buy alcohol isn't important, A2."
"Who the hell asked you?!" She snapped.
"But you're right, we need to help Emil ... and find 2B."
"—Then why don't I make your job easier." 2E approached them with her sword drawn. "A2, I thought I killed you. No matter, it should be just as easy the second time around."
"You'll be sorry you said that when I chop your goddamn head off!" Dragging Iron Will across the sand, A2 bolted for 2E who held her position.
"A2, hold on! Maybe we can-"
"Pod, A150: Volt." 2E stepped back while her pod moved forward, once A2 got in range, it transformed into a deadly electrical weapon that electrocuted her body with enough voltage to bring her down to her knees.
"Damn it...you always did go for the cheap shots," A2 said under her breath.
2E brandished her sword, holding the blade to her neck. "I'll make sure you stay dead this time."
With A2's life on the line, Sora didn't hesitate to knock 2E's sword away and point his keyblade at her. "I don't care if you lost your memories...you're done hurting A2, your fight's with me now!"
"...You're the human. I'll allow you to give yourself up to me, otherwise, I'm not above using force if necessary. An android's job is to protect humans from danger, not bring them closer to it."
"You're the one who's dangerous! I don't know what happened to you, but this isn't who you are!" Sora swiped his sword at 2E and she backed away in order to evade it. A move that Sora immediately took advantage of because from that point onwards, he swung his sword back, again and again, forcing her to fall on her defense.
"Not bad, human," She managed to push Sora back, then aim her pod at him. "Pod A1-" She abruptly jumped out of the way, narrowly missing A2's sword.
"You're still functioning? Looks like I've underestimated you."
"Nice try, but I've already been electrocuted before! This is nothing!" Now that it was A2's turn to pursue 2E, she held nothing back, able to get a few deep cuts across 2E's chest at the cost of her enduring bullet hell from her pod. She could maneuver past most of the constant firing and whatever she couldn't she just brushed off, fueled by her own revengeful desire to cut 2E down.
"What a nuisance you are, traitor." 2E did a particularly underhanded move by flat out tripping A2, then sticking her sword through her arm so she couldn't move away easily. "Let's end this. Pod, A130-"
"I got your back A2!" With the hits he got in on 2E before, he transformed his keyblade into Ex-Machina and launched the giant machine arms to restrain her.
"You two can put up a fight."
"I'm not done yet. Ex-Machina, speed boost!"
The machine arms powered on and fired 2E straight into the desert rock wall behind them. "Now, let's go Blizzard!" While the machine arms still held a grasp on 2E, they froze her body to the wall, then they finally returned to Sora as he was running up to her.
"We don't have to keep fighting anymore if you just stop this! The 2B I knew was strong and kind...she was my friend, and I want to have the real you back!"
"You say that as if I ever want to have those memories again, no, the real me is the one that exists in this very moment. Pod, A110: Slow." An energy field enclosed Sora and 2E in a time vortex, but Sora was the only one affected by it, once 2E broke out of the ice encasement she went in for a follow up attack a few seconds later. "Initiate A090: Wire with capture modification."
Her pod shot a wire that wrapped tightly around Sora, then she picked him up. "No, let me go right now or you're in for it!"
"Struggle and the wire gets tighter." Was all 2E said to him as she carried him away.
"—Where the HELL do you think you're going!" Ripping the sword out of her hand, she struggled to stand up on her feet, the damage she accumulated throughout the battle catching up to her. "Bring him back...right now."
"You just don't know when to quit. Fine, this will be the last time you ever get up." She set Sora down, then summoned her sword. "Pod, fire missile launch."
Pod 042: Affirmative
A continuous round of missiles exploded on A2, but she kept limping forward despite all odds stacked against her because she refused to go down until Sora was safe. It was near impossible for Sora to watch when he desperately wanted to be by her side instead of watching helplessly on the sidelines. "A2! NO! NO..." Although he knew attempting to struggle free would only tighten the wires around him, he did so anyways, because anything, even the pain felt better than doing nothing. 'It's no use, then I just have to believe in her.' "Go A2! Don't stop, I know you can do it!"
"Shut up...Sora..." A2 held her hung low. 'I just need her to move closer to me, then she's mine.'
"Unbelievable." Taking matters into her own hands, 2E made her way to A2 with Virtuous Treaty.
Right before the blade could slash through A2, she guarded herself with her own sword, then in a bold move, grabbed 2E's sword with her bare hands when the momentum was lost. A2 yanked her close. "Sorry, but I don't lose." When she went into Berserk Mode, everything went by in the blink of an eye. She snatched 2E by the face, dragged her over to the oil pipeline, slammed her down on it as hard as she could, crushing the structure and hopefully 2E's head as well.
With the dwindling strength she had left, A2 grabbed Sora, then escaped into hiding. Whatever happened, the wires around Sora dispersed into nothingness.
'It doesn't feel like I sustained any serious injuries.' 2E rolled over to her back, then to her feet. "Pod, geo-tag A2's black box signal."
"..."
"I said geo-tag A2's black box signal while she's still in the immediate area."
"..."
"Don't make me repeat my—" 2E paused when she saw Pod 042's crushed robotic body lying on the desert ground. 'It must've gotten behind me at the last second to take the brunt of the impact.'
Bending down in the sand, 2E brushed her hand over the pod. "You ... protected me." Instead of continuing to search for Sora and A2, she scooped up all the bits and pieces in her arms, then A2 watched 2E leave the desert from behind a building buried in the sand.
A2 breathed a sigh of relief at her departure, focusing her attention back on Sora. "...You okay, kid?"
"Don't worry about me, why...why did you do something so reckless?!"
"Because I ...I wanted to." When she finally collapsed on the sand, thick steam poured out of the crevices of her body.
"No...no, you gotta stay with me A2! I'll...I'll bring you back to the Resistance Camp and they'll fix you right up, just don't give up on me...please." After casting 'Regen' on A2, Sora wrapped his arms around her, then pulled her away. 'I need to go faster, but she's too heavy for me to carry, there has to be some other...' His frantic thoughts trailed off when he spotted the last Lunar Tear growing on the cliffside of a desert rock formation.
'Maybe Emil can help.' He set A2 down. "I'm not leaving you, I'll be right back." He scaled the cliffside then plucked the flower right off the bedrock.
Somehow, despite Sora not even calling Emil yet, he was already there waiting at the bottom with one last nostalgic trip down memory processor lane.
"E-Emil, whoa you got here fast...anyways, I need your help! A2's in really bad shape and I have to get her to the Resistance Camp!"
"Where is she?"
"Over there, follow me!"
Sora showed A2 to Emil. "Think you can help me?" He asked.
"Of course I will, in fact... I think I can fix her up myself. When I saw that last Lunar Tear...I remembered this important place, a healing place. Sora, take all this stuff out of my trunk, then load her on."
"Got it." Once he moved the junk out, he moved A2 inside, then held onto the side of the vehicle. "Alright, let's go!"
"Yeah...no. It's heavy enough with A2, you're gonna have to walk on foot."
"Oh, right, sorry about that." He jumped off. "Alright, now let's go!"
...
I always seem to find myself in this never-ending void.
But it's not as dark as it used to be,
now that I have a light to guide me.
...
When A2 woke up, she saw the glow of hundreds of Lunar Tears surrounding her, shining a light on the darkness she found herself in. 'What is this place?' Since her eyes were already programmed to automatically adjust to the darkness, she made out the small shack she was in along with all the various wares from the old world lining the walls. What threw her off was what appeared to be an oversized machine head staring back at her.
"Beep-beep, YoRHa android has activated," The 'machine' said in an obviously fake robotic voice.
A2 responded by punching the lights out of the machine head.
"OW! You didn't have to hit me so hard A2!" He took the machine head off, then rubbed his cheek. "Man, you really weren't holding back."
"Why...the hell...were you wearing a machine head?"
"You probably won't like the sound of this but..." Sora sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I was just trying to be funny...guess it didn't work out."
"...I should punch you again just for saying that!"
"Haha, I figured you'd say something like that. Well, I'm just glad you're doing okay at least."
She heard the humming sound of an engine running and Emil's soft voice accompanying it. "Yeah, I'm surprised how put-together your body is, all I had to do was run a Cure All + Heal All and your condition stabilized almost immediately."
"I've been worked on before, pretty sure the shitty parts have gotten replaced by now."
"Then whoever does maintenance on you does an awesome job!"
"...why did you take me here?"
"Because I wanted to show you the place from my memories that I worked so hard to protect...or, to be exact, the place protected by the person I used to be."
"Who's the person you used to be?" Sora asked.
"Where do I begin with that one... well, a long time ago, I was created to be a weapon…"
["You know...when I was young. I...I hated my eyes."]
"A weapon that could adapt to any environment, and one capable of total destruction."
["And now that I'm older, I hate what my body has become."]
"You're...a weapon?"
"When the war against the aliens started, I decided to strengthen that weapon by creating copies of myself. So in truth, I'm only one of a countless number of Emils."
"Wish I could do that," A2 said.
"There was a price to pay, however, the more of ourselves we created, the more of our original memories began to fade."
["But there's something else there now. Something like...pride, you know? I mean, without all this...I couldn't have become your friend."]
He wheeled around inside the shack. "The original Emil liked this place a lot, he spent a lot of time here with the people he loved. They were tough times...sad times…but the memories of that journey were his greatest treasure. And I have a few traces of those memories in my own mind."
["For so long, all I could do was destroy. But now, I have a chance to save something."]
"So where's the original Emil?" Sora asked.
"No idea, there were so many of us that after a while, we just lost sense of ourselves, but... never mind, I should probably repay you for all your help. Please, take this."
"Now we're talking," A2 said.
"Emil's Memories" Complete
-Quest Reward-
Lunar Tear x 1
1,550 EXP
"It's said that a Lunar Tear can make any wish come true."
"...all this trouble for a goddamn flower and whatever the hell EXP is supposed to be?!"
"I don't know why A2, but you're really familiar, maybe it's because you're scary just like she was. Maybe even scarier!"
"You should start backing off or I'll give you something to be scared about."
"Ha ha, you're both cut from the same cloth. If it's some G you're after, there's plenty in the chest behind the shack, just be careful not to step on any- and there she goes."
"Is this girl you're talking about...is she one of your friends?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, but her name slips me...and it feels like I failed her because the memories of her are the ones Emil held most dear to him. The least I could do is remember her name..."
"It's okay, I'm sure it'll come to you sooner or later." Sora pulled his Wayfinder—a gift from Kairi to represent the unbreakable connection they had with each other. "You know...I've been forgotten before too, but Kairi...even when she forgot about me, she never stopped wanting to find those memories of me again."
He clenched the Wayfinder in his hand. "That's how I know you'll remember her too because your hearts are connected."
"Huh, I...never really thought about it like that. Maybe I'm not the original Emil, but we're all connected to one another in some way...and now I'm connected to you too, Sora. "
"That's right, so you don't ever have to worry about being alone again!"
"Thank you my friend, you helped me find some of my precious memories, so now I'll be able to keep pushing forward. Oh- one more thing, I almost forgot, I noticed that strange weapon of yours that resembles a YoRHa blade, it has magical properties, doesn't it? I can upgrade it for you if you'd like."
Sora's Weight of the World manifested in his hand. "You mean this?"
"Yep, you can put it in my trunk. Funny how your weapon can change forms like that...so, uh, I bet traveling around with A2 must get crazy huh," Emil said.
"Sometimes, but usually she's super overprotective and makes sure nothing happens to me."
"You think it's real?"
"Hm?"
"How she feels about you, I mean. She's an android so..."
He shook his head. "She's the only one that I know it's real. All of it, the good, the bad, she's genuine about it ... and no matter what, I always feel happy when I'm around her."
"I'm glad to hear it, it's hard to come by people like that, believe me...alright, it's done." Emil presented the new and improved keyblade to Sora, 'new and improved' in that there was a slight stat boost. "I upgraded it for you without charge, but I'm gonna need some materials next time."
"No problem, thank you Emil! Hey A2, you about ready to go?"
A2 walked up to him, quiet, with a contemplative look on her face.
"What's up, A2?"
"All this talk of memories..." She scoffed. "It's stupid... but this place reminds me of this girl who lived on a farm with her grandma, I don't know her and yet..."
"It's Kainé...that was her name," Emil said, his voice shaking. "I remember it now. Kainé. Thank you, you don't know how much it means to me to say her name again."
"Yeah whatever, let's get out of here already."
"Please, feel free to come back anytime, you're always welcome!"
Sora waved goodbye to Emil as the two of them boarded the elevator, then when the doors closed, he looked back to A2. "I think that right there was worth it, don't you think?"
"No."
"Don't tell me you were just in it for the reward!"
"...Sora. I heard what you said about me to Emil...so, uh ...was that all true?"
"Of course it was, I meant every word I said because it's true!"
She broke eye contact with him, lowering her eyes to the floor. "...You need to learn how to keep your mouth shut...saying stuff like that is embarrassing."
"Ah, sorry... so what's the plan after this? Are we going to look for 2B again?"
"Pursuing 2E is a waste of time and resources, there's nothing more we can do for her...and I'm sick of looking at her face. After I re-supply at the camp, I'm just going to fight machines until I get wrapped up in some other shit."
"For once, that's actually not a bad plan you have there, A2."
"Yeah I...wait, what do you mean by 'for once'?"
"I want to find out more about where those Nobodies came from and machines have a habit of attracting enemies so they might be my best bet. Worst case scenario...Adam really is a Nobody."
—
Pod 153: Commencing data exchange with Pod 042.
Pod 153: Pod 042?
[Pod 042's connection is offline]
Pod 153: ...
Pod 153: Unit is ready for reactivation...
"2B...2B! Wait, please, don't let me go!"
"My official designation is 2E."
Then he woke up. The sky was still the same, the Resistance Camp was still the same, the world still turned the same way and everyone continued their same routine. Only he knew nothing would ever be the same again.
Popola noticed 9S stir awake and waved over to Devola. "Looks like he's up, Dev."
She went over to 9S's bedside. "Mornin'. Slept well, didn't ya 9S?"
9S sat up on the infirmary cot, swinging his legs over to the side. The first thing he did was tie his visor over his eyes. "I'm ...in the Resistance Camp?"
"That's right. You've been unconscious for nearly 48 hours," Popola said. "And that time would've been longer if not for Sora."
"But we did the hard part, so a little thank you for saving your butt would be nice," Devola said.
Devola and Popola were still the same too.
"...2B's gone, isn't she?"
Popola gave 9S a sympathetic look while Devola turned her head the other way.
"Well, she's still alive so that's good," Popola said.
"But not the 2B I know..."
"Her body undergoing a factory reset was the only way she could function properly, the rest of her data was likely corrupted beyond repair from the logic virus. I understand how you feel though, to have someone you deeply care about not even recognize you...that's even worse, huh?"
"It's not like this hasn't happened before, we've both been reset so many times from our bodies being destroyed, but 2B's never called herself 2E. Even through all the resets, that part of her never changed..." He stood up. "Devola, Popola, thank you."
"Where are you going?"
"...to find my 2B."
NieR: [O]blivion
The Death Of Repose
Weight of the World
Lv. 2
Strength: 7
Magic: 4
Weapon Story 2:
only thinking of you
How long do I have to hide beneath a mask?
How long do I have to play pretend?
Tell me when your heart is up to the task,
Tell me when these suppressed feelings will end.
Because I can't hide this longing anymore.
Because our love is forever at war.
A/N: I don't like revealing what the next chapter will be about, but as a heads up, it will feature certain story elements and characters from the RE:mind dlc so be aware of possible spoilers if you haven't caught up yet. And I posted concept art for Ex-Machina on my ao3, again that username is Catch358, check it out if you want.
?-?-?: 2E's continued existence threatens the proceeding chain of events.
?-?-?: Nothing that can't be easily dealt with. 9S will pursue 2E and the modifications we made to the Soul Box Resource Recovery Unit will lead them to destroy one another.
?-?-?: However, the human's interference will likely result in failure of the plan. Inevitably, he is an uncontrolled variable.
?-?-?: No matter, the new modifications were designed with the human in mind. In fact, we're hoping he'll interfere because if the Soul Box ends in failure then the 'Creation Box' will begin construction.
"...Creation Box, huh?" Accord wrote it down in her book. 'That's definitely a new one and it doesn't sound good. I'll stay here as long as I can to find out more about it until they realize my presence.'