Author's Note: I had a random idea at 1AM one night and rolled with it. I hope I can fix the story from here!

Red was staining Number One's vision as she reached the end of the desert. She knew what she had to do, all because of the memories she'd seen.

"I'm looking for a woman named Jackass." She pinned the Resistance Member against the cliff walls, preparing to draw one of her weapons.

"She's gone on a mission! I don't know where she is!" The Resistance Member attempted to struggle his way out of his captor's grasp, but he couldn't seem to beat her raw strength.

"Then give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now."

The sun was then blocked by a shadow casted from the cliffs above. "Take your hands off of him, YoRHa." Jackass lightly tossed a grenade in her hand as she jumped down from her vantage point and walked towards the rogue YoRHa. "So, you're the one they call Captain Red. I'm Jackass. Now, can you please get your hands off of my partner? He's the only one I've got left!"

Captain Red loosened her grip and crossed her arms as she glared at the new arrival. "I need you to do something for me."

"Is there going to be some sort of payment involved?"

"It depends on how well you do your work."

"I don't work for free, missy. I'm a solo act."

The Captain's eyes darted around for something to offer the sassy android. "Hmm... how about revenge on the person who caused the entire fall of YoRHa?"

"That idiot's probably dead somewhere in a wasteland. Why would I care?"

"Because he's not. Tell me, Jackass, have you met 9S?"

"HIM!? He's probably killed less than a hundred machines!"

"Your impression of him is completely wrong. I know the truth behind it all."

Jackass leaned in, and whispered, "Then tell me before I blow your sorry ass to bits."


2B shivered in the garden as she shot up from the pain of 9S's error in repairs.

"Sorry, ma'am!"

"You really have to stop doing that."

"Calling you "ma'am" or making mistakes?"

"Both." 2B rubbed her arm. There was no damage, just a slight glitch in the pain receptors.

"I'm just as nervous as you. This Captain Red is serious business."

"No kidding." 5B moved away from the wall and towards the hut. "If we're going to have any chance of beating her, we need to be in top shape. That also means you, 9S."

"I don't know what's wrong with me right now. I know I would never do this on purpose..."

2B's hand touched 9S's shoulder. "I know. We're all tense."

"I know what you need, bro! To get out of this dark cave!" 4S slammed a rock against the cave walls repeatedly. "It sucks down here!"

"Yes, but it's the only safe place for us. No transmissions can get in or out, and A2 is monitoring the Commercial Facility for any sign of Captain Red. We're taking every precaution. Everyone who knows about this situation is a threat to our survival. That's why all of us are down here." 5B set her hand on one of the swords.

"What if 4S is right? What if we just need to get out of here and get some fresh air?" 2B's shivers didn't stop.

"Before we discuss that, I must've done some damage to your nervous system. Give me just a moment..."

2B's hand was too quick. She caught 9S's hand before he could touch her circuitry again. "It's not your fault. As you said, we're all nervous. We do need to get out of here, though. Our batteries can't last forever in the dark."

"She's right. 5B, you need to set aside your fears for a few moments and let us try to go about our normal lives. We have 2 Scanners and 2 Battlers. Together, we'll make a great team! What else could we need?" 4S looked at his comrades.

"A Defender," 5B replied.

"A Healer." 2B rubbed her arm again, and the pain started to subside.

"An Operator," 9S sighed.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, this can't be all that impossible. You two managed to do plenty on your own! One crazed android isn't going to kill us!"

"Oh, but she will. Trust me, 4S. She was my captain, and 2B's. She's trying to pay for something, and we don't know what."

2B pressed the button to open the elevator. "4S is right! We've survived a lot. Besides, didn't 4S once tell you something about having no regrets, Nines?"


"Alright, Agave, you're my guinea pig again!"

"Seriously, Jackass? I thought you promised no more crazy experiments."

"Like I care what you think, jerk!" Jackass inserted a needle into his arm. "Now, press the button!"

Captain Red pressed one of several buttons on her remote that sent a signal to the nanomachine that Jackass had just inserted into her partner. "If this works, I'll owe you a lot."

"Explosives would be nice. Since the fall of YoRHa, I haven't had access to many of the crucial ingredients for one of my most powerful bombs..."

"Explosives? No problem. Have you ever used a black box bomb?"

"Nope! But it sounds cool."

Agave's piercing scream echoed off of the cliff walls as the nanomachine finally reached his central nervous system.

"Bingo." Captain Red pushed another button on her remote, and the android began doing whatever she willed it to. "Perfect. How long will it take you to make another?"

"Already done. A good scientist is always prepared with backups."

"Now it's time for payback. Stay here, I don't want any more unnecessary casualties."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Captain Red tossed the black boxes of android corpses she'd found in the desert to Jackass. "Just activate them and touch them together. You can destroy plenty with two of those boxes."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet."


As the elevator doors opened, 2B and 9S met with a familiar foe.

"Nines, go back to the garden. I'll deal with her."

"No! I'm not leaving you again!"

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine."

A2 swung down from the walls, throwing Captain Red away from 9S and 2B with a single attack. "Told you I could handle myself."

"Thanks, A2. Now, let's finish this!"

"Pod! Unit B is now under the control of Unit A2!"

"Understood. Commencing support of Unit A2." The white and orange box with a black box on its back flew towards A2.

"I missed you a bit, you dumb box."

A2 used the pod's attack to start firing lasers at the Captain, providing cover fire for her to attack fiercely.

"2E… you…" The silver spear nearly missed 2B's arm as Captain Red swung at her. "Stop it!"

"I'm not going to stop! Not when you're the only thing that stands between me and the dream you've so cruelly ripped from me dozens of times."

"Are you still crying because you had to kill him so much?"

"You gave me the order to kill him 47 times! I killed him 47 times for you! Was that blood not enough for you?"

"I thought you said it was 50!" 9S drew his sword and tried to attack, but was swung away.

"Yeah, twice we detonated our black boxes to destroy enemies, and then you asked me to kill you after Eve infected you!"

"Right, my bad."

2B quickly dodged another attack. She had a slight advantage over Red, but she didn't want to have to kill her. She had never wanted to kill anyone, but this was her duty. She was going to atone for what she'd done to 9S. And this would ensure that their future was secured. A future she'd prayed for often, and without success too many times.

She'd done the Captain's dirty work 47 times. Every time she'd met 9S, a sense of false hope was instilled within her. She'd always thought that one day 9S would stop. That 9S wouldn't suspect Command any more, and he'd get to continue going on missions with 2B. It wasn't a perfect world, but it was better than the life she'd led up until they were assigned here. A chance slipped through her fingers every time she took a sword to 9S. She wouldn't do it again. Especially since their happy ending was so close that she could almost grasp it.

A2 ran towards the broken escalators for distance. Once she reached the top, she sent out a volley of small explosives that began exploding around the red haired android in short succession.

"One, you have to stand down! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Of course I know what I'm doing, A2!"

Captain Red was now locked in a tight duel with 2B. The white sword clashed against the silver spear over and over until 2B's breath began to falter. That's when the Captain made her strike.

Like deja vu, the Captain jammed her needle into the same spot on 2B's arm where 9S's failed repairs had pierced her earlier. With the click of a button on her remote, 2B was soon screaming in pain.

"That's what you get for disobeying orders."

All of the color drained from 2B's eyes as her target locked onto 9S.