'You're gonna do it now, aren't you 2B? You're going to kill me.'
'…'
'2B?'
'…No…not this time. Not ever again. I'm…I'm deserting.'
'What?'
'9S…I want you to come with me. If I don't do my duty, then they'll have someone else do it. Run away with me.'
'I can't.'
'You can. We can get away if we go now!'
'What about their executioners? They'll send them after us.'
'I'll kill them. I'll kill everyone who gets in our way. I'll kill them all.'
'I can't let you do that, 2B.'
'Why not?'
'Because I know you. You'll blame yourself for every YorHa soldiers who dies, blame that you weren't there to help them. You'll blame yourself if we lose this war. And even if we win, you'll blame yourself that you didn't do anything to help. And as your first and last accuser, you'll be your own judge, jury, and inevitable executioner. You wouldn't be able to live with yourself."
'I can't even live with myself now! There has to be something deeply wrong with me that I can keep doing this.'
'Guess that's the curse of your programming. You're always thinking about others over yourself. But it'll be worse if you run. Hey, when this war is over you don't have to kill me anymore.'
'…'
'I'd…like to know something. That kiss we had last night? Did you kiss any of the other ones?'
'…Two other ones. I can't even count how many 9S's I've been through, each one with a slightly different personality. But, only two other ones had what we shared.'
'Heh… you think there's something deeply wrong with you. I'm getting jealous of myself. There's something deeply wrong with me. Whoa, ok, that joke didn't land like I thought it would. It must've been hard for you. Only two. Which means everything you shared with the other two got erased'
'You can't imagine how happy I was when you told me how you felt. You die, everything we shared…I might not get it back.'
'Our memories and experience shape who we are. And since we go through different things, you get different 9S's.'
'More than a few wanted me dead when they found out. The second one I shared something with…asked me to kiss him before he died. And he used that as a distraction to try to kill me. What if…what if I never get us back? What if…what if the last 9S to come is one that hates me?'
'You're going to have to have faith. Remember me and what we shared. I'm ready, 2B.'
'I'm sorry, Nines.'
'Don't be sorry. In fact, thank for your all you've given me in what time we had together.'
'Nines…'
'I'm ready now, 2B.'
-.-
"This is YorHa Unit 2B, calling any resistance camps. Does anyone read me? I repeat, This is YorHa Unit 2B. Are there any survivors?"
2B waited at the communicator, listening to the silence.
Nothing…
Was the resistance across the entire planet wiped out? Could they have lost this badly? 2B stepped back out, stepping into the now dead resistance camp.
Now what? Should she go check out the other resistance camps? That's what Popola and Devola were doing.
That's right. Popola and Devola weren't present for the slaughter. And Anemone said Jackass was still out there. Maybe they were alive. She hoped they were alive.
She had also decided she was going to bury 21O. Normally, YorHa androids leave their bodies for a retrieval team. But YorHa was gone and she's heard human honor their dead by burying them. She was just glad she had a body to bury.
That thought made her sick. She knew it was simply because out of all the friends she's lost, she finally has one she can honor. But it still made her sick that some part of her was happy.
But what about Anemone?
Anemone was the leader of the resistance in this region. She deserved to be with them. Honoring the resistance would take far too long. Too many resistance fighters and each one in too many pieces. So 2B laid Anemone's body in the most respectful way possible: on her back with her hands on her chest and her eyes closed.
She went back to Emil's little cavern with 21O's body and two stakes this time. First thing she did was plant the first stake. She didn't have any mementos from her friend, so she simply carved a name into the sake: 6O.
She planted 6O's memorial into the ground before plucking a lunar tear and fastening it to the top.
"6O," she said. "You had every right to hate me, and you still gave me a chance. Maybe you should've hated me. You died by my hand like everyone else. I did not deserve you. This world did not deserve you. You gave me light in my life. Made it feel like I wasn't alone. So thank you for everything. Maybe…maybe you can see that one operator you like. Hey, you can now rest with the Lunar Tears you told me about."
2B then spent the next ten minutes digging a grave. She put 21O into the grave then shoveled the dirt back in. She carefully arranged the lunar tears above 21O's grave.
"You can be with 9S now," 2B mumbled. "You can be far away from me… I wish…I wish I could've been there for you. I should've been there for you. Nothing I say or do will make up for what I did. Even if you can't find it in yourself to forgive me, at least believe that I am sorry for everything."
2B walked past 9S's memorial, pausing for a moment. She already said her goodbyes. But, she still had a question lingering on her mind.
"9S…were the choices I made wrong?"
2B stepped back, looking at the three memorials she made. Three people who died for making the mistake of being involved in her life. It was three too many, and yet she felt like it was a giant lie. That three was just her trying to downplay her crimes.
She should have a memorial for all the 9S's she killed. That was practically an additional fifty. Even though she wanted to lay Anemone to rest next to the resistance, should she still have a memorial down here for her?
Three people she's betrayed and killed was already egregious. But if she actually honored all of them, there wouldn't even be enough room in this cavern.
After that, 2B went back to the resistance camp. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to be. She had a lot to do. As she tried to find and reassemble the resistance androids the best she could, more questions ran through her head.
How did she survive this? This was the second incident she survived. First the collapse of YorHa. Then the end of the Resistance. She was present during both. And for both, she walks away as the only survivor.
But she was not only a YorHa android but YorHa's top executioner. YorHa were already super soldiers. Even among the super soldiers, she was a master assassin that specialized in killing other super soldiers. It only made sense she would survive the slaughter of the resistance, which was committed by another YorHa.
It just made sense she would survive this.
That's right. What she specialized in made her the perfect individual to stop the massacre.
'Stop' the massacre. If that was her goal, then she clearly failed. What good was stopping a massacre after everyone was dead? When the slaughter started, she was busy gawking as 21O butchered two resistance androids. Why did it take her so long to jump into action? If she didn't stop to gawk at the destruction, she might've been able to stop 21O and save a few resistance members.
DAMN IT! Her plug-in chips. She might've made it to the camp faster if she just took the time to reorganize her plug-in chips for speed. If she was a better person then 21O would never have needed to become a B-Model, go down to Earth, get infected, then get sent to massacre the Resistance.
If only she was a better person…
If only she was not poison for everyone who in her life…
Once again, the one android who deserved to die most was the only one to walk away.
After about two hours of trying to reassemble the resistance androids, she gave up. She couldn't tell whose arm belonged on whose body. 2B went to her and 9S's old room, opening the door and sitting on the bed. She pulled her legs close to her chest and sat there, replaying past events.
YorHa and now the Resistance. Her world was burning around her. And those who knew her were all meeting their end by her hands. She was poison for anyone who dared to care about her. 9S was the closest to her so he soaked up her evil like a sponge. Now that he was gone, she was spreading. 6O. 21O. Anemone.
2B slammed her eyes shut. She couldn't think like that.
She got up and walked through the devastated camp. She lifted the only intact chair left into an upright position and sat in front of the jukebox. This area was usually empty but sometimes a handful of resistance members would linger back here, use the music to unwind. She and 9S would come back here to rest up once and a while too. And now she found herself back here.
If she was not so cold to 9S, would she and him have had a few dances back here? Like she had with a few of the other 9S's?
The pain in her heart was still fresh but she could not stop. She couldn't waste time wallowing in her own pain.
"Pod," 2B said. "Get me the coordinates for the other resource recovery units."
"Affirmative. Marking on map. Unit 2B should state her intentions."
"They haven't changed," she replied. 9S. 6O. 21O. Anemone. All this death had to mean something. And the only way for them to mean something as if she brought the humans back. Her goal hasn't changed. In fact, nothing has changed. A2 will still die for her crimes. But until that day, 2B will carry out her mission, make sure all the friends she betrayed did not die not in vain. She will continue to fight until her day of reckoning. And thus she declared her intention. It didn't matter if she was doing it alone or with an army behind her.
This was a job originally done by hundreds of YorHa and thousands of resistance androids all across the planet. She didn't know if the resistance remained and it was irrelevant. Even if it was impossible, she was going to do this.
She was doing this:
"I have a war to win."
She marched back into the communications room. There was one more thing she had to do before she left.
"This is YorHa Unit 2B. I don't know if there's any surviving resistance members out there. The resistance camp in this area has been destroyed. There's…there's nothing left. The giant tower in the center of the city is locked by three resource recovery units. I've already shut down one. I will be heading to the one located by the coast before I go to the one at the amusement park. If there are any survivors, meet me at the unit in the amusement park."
2B hung up the communicator and let out a sigh.
It was all in her hands now. The fate of humanity lay in her hands. The burden of winning the war lay with her. Logic would say this task was impossible for her alone but she had no choice.
"Query," 042 spoke up. "Why would 2B request surviving resistance members to meet her at the amusement park when she is currently headed for the recovery unit located in the flooded city?"
"I don't know how long before anyone hears that message," 2B said as she did a quick inventory check. She'll have to raid the supply room for as many recovery modules as possible. "And even after they do, it'll take some time before they reach the amusement park. That leaves time for me to take out the one on the coast."
2B stepped outside, taking in one more breath before walking off into the sunset.
-.-
'A2, I need your aid. I...I cannot live with this heartbreak inside me. I need you to delete my memories. And if not, I need you to kill me.'
-.-
A2 observed a group of machines patrolling the field. Four stubbies, two medium bipeds, and a forsaken linked-sphere worm.
A2 hated these worms with a burning passion. If she ever misjudged her distance and got too close, the spinning blades on their body would shred her. But, having Pod might even things up.
A2 let out a yell and leapt out of the giant tree she had been hiding in. She dropped down, plunging her sword into a medium biped, the downward momentum letting her pin the machine to the ground.
As she expected, the worm made a beeline for her. A2 leapt back, looking for the glowing orb it always kept open to avoid overheating. It was on the tail end.
"Hey, Pod," A2 called out. On command, 153 fired right at the glowing orb. A stream of bullets tore into the weak spot, sparks and oil flying out from the impact. Bullets may have been strong in the old world but this was taking too long.
A2 yelled and rushed in, bringing her sword down on the orb and slicing it in half. The worm exploded and came apart.
But, as she expected, she had just misjudged her distance and the spinning blade on the outside of its body nicked her arm.
She growled in anger, the blades tearing away at some of the flesh on her right arm. She was already falling apart the away it is. She didn't need to lose even more pieces.
The other medium biped leapt into the air and came crashing down where A2 was. If any human had been watching they would swear that for the briefest of moments she disappeared before a flurry of slashes engulfed the humanoid machine lifeform, mincing the metal body. Finally, A2 reappeared as the machine fell over.
The last four small bipeds were…running?
Not so fast.
A2 pinned one of the tiny tin cans to the ground, putting a firm heel on its body and raising a sword above its head.
"Where is 2B?" A2 demanded to know. Her patience had reached its end. 153 wasn't providing enough information fast enough.
The spherical head actually trembled in fear as A2 readied her blade above the machine.
A machine feeling fear? Absurd. Where was the fear when they killed her friends? They didn't feel fear.
'Uncle Pascal. Help me. I'm scared. I want to go back to the village.'
No. No, that was an exception. Machines..they…it didn't matter if they could feel fear or not. This machine had something she needed.
"Who-who is 2B?" the machine asked, its body shaking.
"The YorHa android that trashed your factory!" A2 roared. "She was here just a few days ago. Where did she go?"
The machine stopped shaking for the briefest of moments, almost as if the memory of what happened was more terrifying than A2.
"YorHa android…" it repeated, almost in a daze. Was this thing…traumatized? As if machines could feel trauma…
'Fear destroyed them. I caused them to take their own lives…'
"SHUT UP!" A2 snarled. The machine looked up at her, confused by her sudden outburst. "Not you. Keep talking."
"A YorHa android…she was like a force of nature. Destroyed everything. Killed everyone. Then left."
"Where?"
"I…I don't know," the machine stuttered. "We got her a few times. I hit her with my axe. My brother stabbed her with his spear before she killed him."
"You mean the dried blood on the ground?" A2 demanded to know. "I can't follow that! There has to be more." She found dried blood on the concrete of what was left of the factory when she first arrived. A lot of it. 2B was definitely in bad shape when she left. But A2 couldn't follow this trail very far. The blood soaked into the soil and left nothing behind for her to follow.
"That's all I know, I promise," the robot pleaded in the same irritating voice.
"Then you're no use to me," A2 concluded. She bent down and grabbed the machine by its collar, ready the plunge her sword into its head. She raised it up…but couldn't bring it down.
What the?
She tried again, raising her sword back but she could barely move it down an inch before the muscles in her arm would seize up.
What was she doing? Machines were the enemy. They killed countless androids. They were all the same. They needed to be punished.
'Big Sis, Big Sis, play with us!'
"Shut up and get out of my head," A2 panted, her arm shaking as it continued to aim the blade right at the machine she held.
She couldn't do this…
A2 threw the machine back to the ground. Between the metal parts and how heavy it was, it sounded like a car crash.
"Get out of here before I change my mind," A2 said. The machine didn't question. It just scurried away on its tiny stubby legs.
'I wonder, if I had lived instead of 2B, would I turn out like you? Driven insane by the grief. Torn loving and hating her.'
"Shut up, 9S," A2 growled. "You're already dead. Besides, I'm doing this for you…"
That wasn't a lie. She was doing this for 9S. And for her absent friends. But also for herself.
Killing machines wasn't the same anymore. She kept hearing the voices of Pascal and the villagers. She almost had a panic attack when she attacked one machine and the shadows made it look like he had glasses drawn on his face.
After YorHa, she didn't know what to do with herself. Killing machines just seemed fitting because of what they did to her and her friends. But now…now even that has been taken away from her.
"Unit A2?" 153 asked. A2 didn't answer. She roared in frustration and brought her sword down upon a nearby tree, cutting it in half.
Damn that pacifist machine and his damn village. She should have…she never…
A2 couldn't bring herself to finish that thought.
It wasn't like she couldn't kill machines anymore. But she certainly didn't feel as satisfied doing so. It didn't matter. Even if she couldn't kill machines, she still had 2B.
She'll find and kill 2B.
'I mean you were wrong about us machines. Perhaps you're wrong about 2B.'
"SHUT UP!" A2 yelled, flinging her sword behind her and into the ground. "Just…just shut up."
She stayed there for a few more moments. Stayed there to catch her breath and let her thoughts organize.
A2 stood up and walked away, picking the sword back up. She pushed past the bushes and trees, finally stepping out before the ruins of a machine factory. The entire place had collapsed, only a few walls standing and the rest of it a smoking heap of twisted metal and shattered concrete. Metal rebar poked out of the debris in random locations making it look like a spiny mess. Machine parts were completely scattered across the dirt that made the trails that would lead to the factory.
And on those trails were a dozen demolished trucks and the smoking remains of two goliath tanks.
Two goliath tanks and two armies of machines…
A2 had to admit she was impressed. One army would be bad enough but 2B managed to tear through two. Still, she didn't walk away unscathed. A2 could see a dried bloody handprint on the ruins of a wall. 2B may have walked out of here on her own two feet but it clearly was not easy.
Still, all she got from this was 2B used to be here. It didn't help her figure out where 2B is.
"How are you?"
"What?" A2 stuttered, looking at 153. 153 had spoken with the same monotone voice but her words did not match her tone.
"Unit 9S believed casual discussion of one's emotions assist in the coping of difficult situations."
"You mean you're trying to be my shrink?" A2 scoffed.
"Affirmative."
"Pass."
A2 had been on her own for years. While there were moments she would love someone to talk to, she wasn't in the mood at that moment. How could she tell someone else how she felt when she herself didn't understand how she felt?
It didn't help that 9S's memory data had merged with her own. His instability was now her instability.
Digging through his memories, she could see that he was very adept at denial. There were his conflicting feelings on the machines, his dismissal that machines were just automatons lacking anything resembling sentience while also being fond of Pascal and his villagers. Then there were his feelings for 2B. Hatred for her so strong that if someone else were to kill her he might kill them not out of grief but because they denied him the opportunity to kill her himself. But, his love for her was also ever present. A2 had to wonder if that love was just part of the denial, just a way to convince himself he didn't hate her.
Unfortunately, it seemed while he saved the emotions he was in denial of, he forgot to include the actual denial of those emotions.
A2 wasn't going to pretend she didn't have her own share of denial. She had insisted that she was in the machine village simply because she had nowhere else to be. But now, she realized, she just liked being there. She had a place to be. She had insisted they were the enemy. But any time something threatened their safety, it was worry that grasped her heart. She had grown to care about them.
But with the village gone, how did she feel now?
Regret for having to do anything with Pascal's village and put herself in such a vulnerable position? Regret for not lightening up on the village earlier?
She still didn't understand it, but Pascal's village gave her something. She didn't know what, but it gave her something. But their demise didn't mean she lost that something. She may not be able to look at killing the machines the same way anymore, but she still had one more thing in life.
She still had to kill 2B.
Right?
She once fought to restore humanity. Then she fought both machines and YorHa executioners as retribution. Then she helped Pascal's village. Now, she's just hunting 2B.
What was she looking for? And why was she so desperate to find it?
A2 sighed before turning and leaving. It was a day's walk to get…to get home. Or what was left of her home. As she walked up the ramp to the planks that surrounded the giant tree, she had to close her eyes to clear her head of the memories.
Watching the villagers that she had spent nearly a month with get eaten alive…by their own neighbors no less. If this had been some outside invading force she could take some glee in the destruction of her enemies. But her 'enemies' were the villagers that she had lived amongst, gone berserk for some inexplicable reason.
Now there was nothing left.
She didn't know what this place gave her, but she wanted it back.
She lingered around the corpses of the villagers. Grizzled. Ripped open.
What was wrong with her? Pitying machines of all things.
A2 jumped when she heard something clattering in the next house. She materialized her two swords, Cruel Oath and her Type 40. Weapons at the ready, she slowly approached the sound.
But she eased up when a familiar face appeared.
"Oh, hello," Pascal greeted sweetly.
"Pas…" A2 began to say, stopping herself at the last moment.
That's right. After the village was massacred, Pascal couldn't bear the heartbreak. Given the choice to kill him or erase his memories, she chose to erase his memories.
So here he was.
It also meant she had to be careful with what she said or did. She wasn't a scanner. Her hacking skills were mostly picked up out of necessity and that was mostly to fight off the scanners sent after her. She knew her severing his memory circuits was flimsy to say the least. And that meant there was a possibility Pascal could remember his past.
And the devastation.
"It's you, Tin Man," A2 sighed. She didn't know what it would take to accidentally trigger Pascal to remember but she wasn't going to take the chance.
"Welcome back," Pascal said. "Did you have a good trip?"
"Sure," A2 said dismissively. Good? She went out to look for 2B and came back empty handed.
A2 looked over to see that Pascal had started piling up the corpses of his former neighbors. A2 would be lying if she said she didn't mind that sight. But it didn't bother her as much as it probably should have.
They were dead, eaten alive by people they trusted and cared about. Either that or they killed themselves out of fear. The worst has already been done to them. She didn't like seeing their bodies treated like trash, but she already expended her rage when they were killed
"Hey, what's that?" A2 asked, noticing something in Pascal's hand.
"Oh, just something I found in one of the houses," Pascal stated, handing A2 a piece of paper. "The big thing in the center looks awfully familiar."
A2 looked at the thing given to her. It was a hand drawn picture of Pascal and two of the village kids.
She didn't know machines could draw.
And that 'big thing' that Pascal talked about was Pascal himself. Deleting Pascal's memories also deleted all knowledge about himself including his own appearance. Unless he stumbles across a mirror or a reflective surface, Pascal didn't even remember what he looked like. But, him saying his own picture looked familiar sent chills down her spine. That meant he was close to remembering.
"I'm sure it's nothing," A2 said, the paper vanishing in a cloud of golden particles as she added it to her inventory.
"You sure, A2? I mean, it looked like you recognized that big thing."
"What…did you call me?" she stuttered. Pascal paused, replaying the last few seconds.
"Huh…that's odd," he said. "I don't know why but the letter A and the number 2 pop up in my head when I look at you."
"Yeah…odd," A2 sighed, trembling. "Pod…"
"Affirmative," 153 replied. It took only a few moments to re-sever the memory circuits, Pascal falling over unconscious again.
And there was the pain all over again.
A2 didn't know what it was this village gave her but she hoped that Pascal could still give it to her. Even if her home was in ruins, she was hoping that maybe she and Pascal could rebuild their…friendship.
She was never going to get used to calling machines her friends but she wasn't going to pretend they weren't.
But her hopes were never going to come true if she keeps having to wipe his memories.
Keep having to reset him.
-.-
Ever since that fateful day one month ago, 2B had refused to go anywhere near the pipe that led to the flooded city. It was the place where she made the biggest mistake of her life. The place she decided to prioritize herself over 9S.
As she walked down the dark pipe, her hand gently touched the sides of the pipe. If only she hadn't chosen to treat her logic virus then, 9S would still be alive and leading a happy life.
She drove her fist into the wall, denting the thick steel outward from the impact.
That…dream. That memory she kept having of her dying on that cliff instead of 9S. She didn't know what it was, but she wished it was true. She wished it was real. She'd be free of her curse of killing everyone she ever knew or loved, and he would be free to lead a happy life. It would pain her that she couldn't share it with him but at least he would lead a happy and fulfilling life. To explore the world at his own leisure.
But that dream was not reality. Clearly, she was still alive and 9S was dead. So, she continued walking down the pipe. She was walking with the flowing water which meant she had to be careful not to get swept away.
She had so many regrets she didn't even know where to begin. Well, regrets may not have been the right word for it. She had a Number 2 personality type. She was programmed to prioritize other over herself. This let her charge into battle without a second thought.
Yet, she wondered if her past actions were selfish. What was the right choice? If given the chance again, would she choose differently? Those two questions had begun to haunt her. Were her choices wrong? And if given the chance, would she choose differently?
A memory of her and 9S kept replaying in her head. As evil as betraying and killing a loved one was, if it meant saving thousands then was it the right choice? Should she have deserted like she wanted?
If given the choice again, then what would be the right choice? And what would she do if given the chance again?
As she neared the end of the pipe, she materialized her sword on instinct. Last time she was here she was mobbed by a squad of machines.
But it looked like the machines had all left. This place was completely deserted.
Odd…
Usually there would at least be a few flyers. But there were no machines in sight. In fact, come to think of it, there seemed to be fewer and fewer machines lately.
2B's eyes fell upon the metal monstrosity floating at the edge of the broken road. Like the previous, it seemed to have its door exposed to the ground.
There was one more thing she wanted to check out before checking out this resource recovery unit. She had to leap across the tops of the demolished and sinking buildings but she reached the shore line.
This was where it happened…
2B cried out and fell over.
The pain she felt was nothing like she's ever felt before. It wasn't a physical pain. It wasn't a sword through her chest. It was a sword through her soul.
This was where it happened. Where she sent 9S away. Where she crashed landed. She found herself focusing on that memory again. She was back where it started. Surely some magic or some god could turn back time, let her go back to this moment and choose differently. Let her choose something that would let 9S live for once.
But nothing.
No time travel. No second chances. No mercy from god. What sort of god would let a monster like her run free while 9S dies?
As she picked herself up off the wet concrete, she had to chuckle. She was a combat model with a fear of death. That made about as much sense as an executioner with a heart. She was both. If androids had no soul then she would be taken by oblivion. Never to experience, never to feel, never to think again. But if they did have souls, all that awaited her was eternal suffering.
But as terrified as she was about dying, if it meant ending this pain she felt, if it meant paying 9S back in some way no matter how minute, she would throw herself into the ocean and let herself sink.
But she couldn't. Not yet.
2B got back to her feet, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She had to keep going.
"For 9S," she muttered. She had to keep going for him. If she didn't bring humanity back then she murdered him in vain.
2B walked forward, looking behind the building. This was the spot. The location of the resistance fighting arena. It was where a few resistance members took their prisoners of war and secretly forced them to fight to the death for sport. With her fighting skills it was easy to rise through the ranks and slaughter the machines she was pitted against. But when she realized what was really going on, she refused to get near that despicable place again. It was not her duty to dispense justice to resistance fighters, so she let it go. But she held more than a little contempt for the androids here.
Still, she was confident their evil was nothing compared to hers. And wasn't sure if they deserved this…
The elevator doors were ripped open, the android normally stationed in front missing but there was a fresh blood stain in the grass.
2B approached the elevator, looking down the shaft. She could see a ladder leading all the way to the bottom. That would be her way out.
2B jumped into the shaft, grabbing Pod's arms so he could slow her descent. It took a few moments but she finally landed on the smashed roof of the elevator car. She jumped down in, finally laying eyes on the lobby for the first time in months.
It seems the machines really were systematically wiping out the android resistance. Like the resistance camp, this place was a slaughter. Though, this was certainly not as clean. Unlike the ruthless efficiency from 21O, these wounds were more savage.
Burn marks on the walls. Small craters. And a few slices here and there. These were made by machine weaponry. So, did the machines manage to escape?
2B went through a door at the side. She gasped when she saw the cell holding the prisoners. It was not busted open. It was still sealed shut. But the machines within had been executed. The scorch marks suggested machine pulse fire. But why? Why would the machines kill the prisoners?
Still, there was some twisted comfort that these machines no longer had to suffer.
2B walked to the arena. Now there were bodies of both machines and androids. They were everywhere. Strewn across the arena like confetti. Laying on the bleachers like forgotten trash. Something had torn through here and slaughtered everyone. Androids and machines. Evidence pointed to it being done by machines. But why? Why would the machines slaughter their own?
'There's no point trying to work out unsolvable problems.'
2B turned around and left the arena, returning to the elevator to make her way up the shaft. She won't spit on their corpses, but she won't bury them either. Was that hypocrisy given all the things she's done?
Even if she wanted to bury them, she'd need to find a more appropriate time. She came to the flooded city for a mission.
She reached the surface and headed for the resource recovery unit, leaping up to reach the door.
"More writing," 2B observed as she approached. "Pod?"
"It reads: 'soul box'."
"Soul box…" 2B repeated. "I wonder what's the meaning behind these names…"
The meat box had no meat in it. So why was it called Meat Box? All it had were machine parts…
Machine parts…
For machines, those machine parts would be the equivalent of meat. So, would this tower contain the machine equivalent of a soul? Did machines even have souls? It wasn't even a prejudice thing. She didn't know if androids had souls either. She hoped for 9S that they did but she still didn't know.
2B equipped her white sword and stepped into the elevator. She still didn't trust these things. If these things were traps then the machines could've easily blown her up in the first one.
"Pod," 2B said as the elevator went up. "Your analysis. Why is this tower here?"
"Unknown. If these were weapons, why would the machines make them conspicuous? If these were a trap, why have the machines not yet taken action?"
"Yes…why didn't I think of all that?" 2B sighed, rolling her eyes. This wasn't getting her anywhere. Pod was just reiterating things she already figured out. None of this made any sense.
"Hypothesis: these structures are not related to any military action."
"What? Then why would the machines make something like this? Why would they broadcast about these things?"
There was the other mystery. You don't broadcast something unless you want someone to hear it.
"Hypothesis: these structures exist simply for Unit 2B."
"You mean they made these things just for me? That doesn't make any sense. Why would they?"
"Unknown."
This conversation was getting her nowhere. The only theory they had didn't make any sense. Why would the machines do all this just for her?
Finally, the elevator reached its destination. 2B readied her sword, expecting an army to wait for her. But she was instead met with an empty room.
"No hostiles…" she muttered. It was a circular chamber like the ones in Meat Box. But, this time, it was completely empty short of a locked chest.
2B eyed the red light on the elevator on the other side of the room. Locked. Normally she would walk away from locked elevators like that one. But that wasn't an option this time. She didn't care if she had to go to the outside of this tower and climb. She was reaching the top.
Scanning the room, 2B's eyes fell back upon the locked chest in the center of it.
Normally, 9S would hack these chests. But that wasn't an option thanks to her.
"Pod, is there any way I can hack this chest?" she asked.
"Affirmative. This Pod can grant hacking-interface access rights to Unit 2B. However, this course of action is not advised. Unit 2B does not possess the necessary hacking skills to unlock the chest."
"Give me hacking rights," she ordered. Pod was silent for a bit, as if he was hesitating. "Pod?" 2B called out impatiently.
"Hacking rights granted to Unit 2B," 042 finally said.
2B closed her eyes and put her hands against the lock. Even if she had hacking rights she still lacked hacking equipment which meant she was going to need physical contact.
The surreal planes of hacking space filled her mind. A murky space filled a solid texture-less platform. She had neither eyes nor ears, yet she knew what was happening around her. Hacking space was not a physical realm but an ethereal one. Masses of solid darkness appeared before her. Violet and auburn light flashed past her as the system fought back, attacking her personality data.
But 042 was right about her lack of hacking skills. Within moments, she was tossed out of hacking space and into her body. She fell backwards, gripping her left hand. It felt like her circuits were being fried, the pain making even the cool air burn her finger.
That's right. Taking hacking damage meant taking damage to her body as well.
"Unit 2B?" Pod asked with concern.
"I'm fine!" she declared, storming back to the box and grabbing it again. And again she failed, being tossed out. Pod wasn't kidding when he said she didn't have the skills for this. But she didn't have a choice.
Again and again she tried, taking damage with each failure.
Finally…
2B cried out in shock when she was thrown out of hacking space again. But this time she didn't take damage. Looking up, she saw the chest open and the red light on the other side of the room turn blue.
"Pod, I need a recovery module," 2B ordered. Her body was overheating, steam rising from her skin. She pulled at the keyhole in her dress to try to vent more heat.
Elevator open so she had to continue.
"Proposal: Unit 2B should cease her current action," Pod said as 2B limped into the elevator, not giving the nanobots time to heal her injuries.
"There's no time," 2B growled. Black box temperature was going down and she could finally feel her legs. But she had taken too much damage in her failed hacks for her injuries to be healed instantly.
She may have been determined but she wasn't stupid.
"So, I need to get through each level of protection to reach the top," she muttered, the pain in her left eye finally vanishing. "But why is it unguarded? Pod, I want you to begin scanning the area for any hostiles or unusual energy readings."
During the YorHa attack, she heard 9S cry out something about visual camouflage. She wasn't going to take the chance there was an enemy she couldn't see.
As she reached the next floor, a familiar mocking voice called out to her.
"Welcome back to the Soul Box, 2B. You've been so understanding of machines right before you murder them. You've actually killed more machines than any android in history. You've even killed more YorHa than any android in history! You must just really love to murder. Such an accomplishment is deserving of a special prize!"
"Psychological warfare," she muttered. There was no pride in her kill count. There was no pride in cutting down anyone whether they be YorHa or machines. The machines were trying to get inside her head. But, she didn't completely believe her own words. She knew she killed more YorHa than anyone else. But how did the machines know? Did it see her go after deserters? Or did it know her real identity? How would it even know that? Even if it knew she was an executioner, how did it know she was the top executioner? If she didn't hold the highest kill count, this psychological tactic would fail. And what does it mean by 'welcome back'? She's never been here before. Admittedly there was an eerie familiarity with this tower. Like the dream of her dying on the cliff, like the tower, it was like she's been through all this before.
Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong…
The trek to the top of the tower was long and tedious. 2B was not a scanner and she found even the simplest system security a challenge. Again and again she was ejected out of hacking, each failed hacking throwing her systems out of whack and damaging her body.
She was still in agony over her murder of 9S. She didn't need to feel useless without him too.
Finally, she cracked the next chest open. But she still got a burst of pain despite her successful hack.
What was that? Was a file downloaded into her mind?
2B took a moment to open the file and read it.
"Unit 2B?" Pod asked when she went quiet.
"The chest I opened," she muttered. "It contained a data package. Statistics on the tower…" She fell silent again as she continued reading. "According to this data, the giant white tower is some sort of launching platform. Something that large could shoot something into orbit. Pod, could the giant tower be built to destroy the humans on the moon?"
"It is a possibility," Pod 042 stated.
2B gritted her teeth. Part of her felt a tinge of panic. If this was true, then she had a big problem. She had to destroy that massive structure before it destroyed the remnants of humanity. 9S, 6O, 21O, Anemone, she killed them to bring the humans back. She wasn't going to let them die in vain.
But 2B still had her suspicions. Why was this data here of all places? Why unguarded? Sure, it was in a locked chest but the fact that even she could hack it open meant the security was nothing special. Something like this should be in a fortress with a lock that would give 9S trouble.
And why was the tower so large and conspicuous? They could've easily kept it buried under the ground. Adam built an entire city over the course of a few months. The machines could've easily built the cannon and kept it under the ground, and no one would ever know. Instead they chose to reveal it before it could even fire.
Sure, YorHa and the Resistance were wiped out, so retaliation was almost impossible. But they couldn't have known it would work.
Regardless, her mission just became that much more urgent. She couldn't take the chance that it was true.
"There's another data file," 2B said. "This document has been marked with Level-SS confidentiality and should not be disclosed to any YorHa personnel…including the Bunker commander?"
What? So, this file was classified to the point that even the Commander didn't know. How did the machines get their hands on this? She took a moment to read over the document.
"According to this…" 2B muttered. "YorHa black boxes are made using machine cores. It was…inhumane to install standard AI in androids that are destined for disposal…"
Her black box was made from a reused machine core? So…YorHa was very good at recycling? No, YorHa was built by humanity to fight the machines. So…humanity was good at recycling? She applauded the idea of using enemy technology against them. This idea that she was like the machines didn't bother her in the slightest. She was who she was. Her flesh may be of a different origin than she thought but she was still 2B. And she accepted the idea that she and her enemy had plenty in common when they started begging for their lives. So as far as psychological attacks go, this one was a failure.
Wait a minute…it was inhumane to install standard AI in androids ultimately designed for disposal? What did it mean 'designed for disposal'? Was it referring to how they were soldiers and would have to risk their lives in battle? No, the resistance androids were doing the same. Then what was it referring to? And why was it classified from even the Commander?
What did it mean 'designed for disposal'?
Why did it feel like it meant to say she and everyone she knew was destined to die?
"2B?" Pod asked.
"I'm fine," 2B lied, closing the documents. Those psychological attacks may have been more effective than she initially thought. It felt like she was scratching the surface of something much bigger. And that sense of familiarity was back. It felt like she knew exactly what was beneath the surface, that there was a thin membrane between her and the truth in her mind, that she just needed to put enough force to break the membrane. Yet, she couldn't.
Why did it feel like she's seen the truth before?
No, she wasn't going to let the machines mess with her mind. If she hesitates and these documents were true, then humanity would get wiped out and she killed everyone for nothing.
One more elevator…
2B got on but dread was just bubbling in her chest now. It took a few moments for the elevator to reach the top.
"Something's not right," 2B said as she finally stepped out into the open. She prepared two swords in her hand, ready for something to just leap out at her. After the Meat Box, she had expected resistance climbing the tower. But it was strangely empty.
"Pod, run a scan," 2B ordered.
"No hostiles detected."
2B didn't like this. Why would this so-called Soul Box be unguarded?
Stepping out into the open arena, she could see another machine core nestled in the floor. 2B kept her distance, still examining the open space for machines. The ones she encountered right before the Bunker's fall had visual camouflage. But that still would leave a pixelated blur in her vision. There was nothing.
"Pod, is this also a machine core?" 2B asked.
"Affirmative. It is similar in design to the core from the Meat Box."
"Meaning it could also be alive."
2B remained at the elevator doors. She remembered when it appeared she was trying to save the previous core, the tower would make sure she couldn't. The core was just nestled in the ground, easy to pick up and run. If she made any indication she wanted to save the core, this tower might behave the same. It didn't cry out for help but 2B didn't want to take the chance that it was alive and she didn't know.
She knew what she had to do. She was going to rush at the core, grab it, then run. She wasn't going to give the machines the chance to trap it.
She rearranged her plug-in chips, got ready, then launched. She kicked off the ground so hard she flew at the core. She held her hands out, ready to snatch it and take it with her. But the moment her fingers curled around the sphere, something happened.
She felt white hot pain shoot through her body, everything turning black.
Then, it came back. Her vision returned.
"What…where am I?" she muttered as she stood up. The world was wrong. This wasn't even the world. The air was a murky brown and the floors a dull tan. There was no texture on anything. And the 'floor' was more like a platform. One step too far and she'd fall off. One other thing she noticed was how everything was cracked. The floor beneath her looked like it had been degrading, waiting to shatter at any moment.
"Hacking space?" 2B wondered. But she looked down at her hands. If this was hacking space, she should be a simple avatar representing her personality data. But she could perceive herself. She had limbs. She could feel her face and body.
2B got up, materializing her sword and looking around. She didn't try to hack the core. And the only other reason she'd be in hacking space was if she was getting hacked? So was she getting hacked? Why could she perceive her own body? What would happen if she walked over the edge?
With no way to go but forward, 2B began walking down the platform. Hacking space is completely empty. So the files ahead of her were obvious.
"What the…" she muttered. "My memories with 9S?" Years and years of memories of them together. They were just memories but she valued them more than her own life. They were her treasure, the only light in her life. Just looking at them, knowing she'll never be able to have more, she could feel her heart ache.
She looked at the screen closest to her. It was another version of 9S. The first time he had developed feelings for her. They were waiting for new orders and they got caught in a nasty downpour. They had taken cover beneath a tree. To pass the time, he played some music he saved on 153 that he found while researching the old world. There he was dancing like a dork, insisting she join him. After several minutes of insisting, she relented. They shared a kiss that same night. The first time she ever kissed him. The first time she ever considered that they could be anything…more…
That was what this war took from her. Not all 9S's felt that way. Some hated her. Some wanted platonic friendship. Some even preferred 21O. But there were a few like this one who wanted him and 2B to be more. She had prayed the 9S she didn't have to kill would feel like that too. She wanted there to be a 'them'. But she ruined that when she executed 9S one final time.
What was she and 9S? Even during the times when he was not interested in romance with her, the bond between them was undeniable. Friend was too distant. Lover seemed too narrow. Family seemed incorrect. It was as if no matter what happened, whether they be lovers or simple friends, the bond between them transcended any human term.
What truly disturbed her was how with every iteration of 9S, despite losing all his memories and everything that made him: him, it seemed that this indescribable bond grew stronger.
There was something almost comforting in that. God could destroy 9S's flesh, but their bond was beyond what he could touch.
2B looked around, still confused what this could all be about.
Looking ahead, she noticed something. People? There was a crowd further in the distance in front of her. Their faces and bodies blurred and pixelated but there they were, occupying her hacking space.
Who were they? And why could she see them? Or more like, why couldn't she see them? She could register their shape. Yet she could not register anything else. Their expressions. Their features. Nothing.
But there was something else just beyond the crowd: a column of light.
"What…humanity?" she muttered. She didn't know why on earth she would think that. Yet she knew. She knew that what lay in that beam of light was the key to bringing humanity back. It was like a dream where you just knew something without any explanation, she knew the key to saving humanity was in that light. How it could be possible or what it could be was beyond her. She just knew this light was the key to saving humanity. She just needed to get to it.
She started making her way through the crowd. She had to reach the light. She had to bring back the humans.
But these damn people. They weren't fighting her. But they were blocking her path. She tried to just walk past them but she was taking too much time.
"Move…" she muttered, beginning to gently push past some of them. She was moving too slowly. She had to reach the light. She had to bring back humanity.
Move. Who were these people? And why were they in her way? She had lives to save. Move!
2B shoved several of the figures aside, tossing a few others to the ground. Move. Get out of the way.
To her horror, the column of light was…shrinking. It was becoming narrower and narrower.
"No, no, no!" 2B yelled in panic. She tried to run forward but found herself plowing through the crowd that held her back. She was a car trying to force her way through a field of snow. A little snow is easily driven over. But if the field is too large or the snow too high it builds up in front of the car. There were just too many people in her path.
And she was running out of time…
The beam of light was getting narrower and narrower, and these damn imbeciles were still in her way. She couldn't let it all be for nothing. She couldn't have murdered 9S for nothing. She won't! Get out of the damn way!
2B roared in frustration and drew her sword. She hoped the crowd would disperse once she drew her weapon. Instead, they just stopped to stare her.
"Get out of my way!" she yelled, trying to shove through the crowd again. But the crowed was still stationary. The light was nearly gone. She was nearly out of time.
Enough of this shit. She wasn't going to let it all be for nothing. 2B raised her sword and brought it down on the person in front of her. She sliced the figure in half in a geyser of blood as she shoved past. But even that did not dissuade the crowd. They did not disperse. They did not move. They just stared.
Get out of the way.
She shoved forward but the crowd did not disperse. So, she cut down the next person. And the next. And the next. And the next.
These people were in the way of her goal. In the way of what she wanted. And so, she continued to cut. She mowed down everyone in her way. Heads came off. Arms came off. Bodies split in half. The floor with slick with blood that sprayed everywhere. It coated her clothes. It coated her blade. It coated her face. She cut and ran. She ran and cut. She cut and she cut. Yet, the column of light seemed no closer than it was before.
How was this possible? Why was it not any closer? She must not be going fast enough. She must not be killing fast enough. So, she ran faster. She cut them down faster. She kept cutting and cutting, running and slicing through the crowd. Indiscriminate and merciless. Cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting. Why was the light so far away?
Finally, she reached the steps that led up to that column. She broke free of the crowd and took off up the stairs. She was so close. She ran until her legs were on the brink of just failing. She was out of time. She had to reach the light.
She made one final leap, but it was too late. She watched as that column of light thinned into a string then vanished.
"NO!"
No, no no…
2B screamed in anger, gripping at the ground in some desperate attempt to resummon the light. She punched it. She clawed at it. There had to be something she could do to bring it back. Did she really just lose her opportunity? Did she really just fail to bring back humanity?
Then that meant…
She looked down, her white gloves now scarlet. She shakily turned around, looking out across the planes of hacking space, now dripping red with blood just below her memories.
It seemed even the memories had changed. They still showed 9S. They showed all the ways she killed him. Decapitation. Disembowelment. Drowning. Smothering. Burning. Crushing. Tearing. Cutting.
Memories of corpses above. Actual corpses below.
Here she was, standing atop a dais, looking down upon a field of corpses, her hands, her face, her sword dripping with their blood. How many had she cut down? How many did she disappoint simply because she clung onto some laughable belief that she was a good person.
She killed them all. Killed them by the dozens.
All for nothing…
She had simply tried to push her way through the crowd. If only she had started cutting from them from the get-go. If only she had started killing from the start. She wasn't the hero. She was the villain. Why does she deny her true nature? And thanks her selfish attempt to fool herself, more had died.
If only she had started cutting sooner…
If only she had killed faster…
She prayed another light would show up, a second chance. And this time, she'll get right to cutting.
She looked out across the field of bodies she had left. Looking ahead, something else stood out. It was a single figure standing among the dead.
A survivor?
2B leapt off the dais and landed in the field of the dead. Of her handiwork. She was about to run up to this lone figure but something was off.
At first, she thought she was looking at android but something was off. Androids were modeled after their creators. They looked human. Sure, this thing looked humanoid. But did it look human? She couldn't tell. Its figure was pixelated to say the least. But not in the same was as the crowd she had mowed down. She could barely even focus on it. It was like looking at the sun or a bright sky.
No, that wasn't right.
That would imply she felt physical pain looking at it. She didn't feel physical pain. She had to fight to look at this pixelated figure but it was because of the icy cold sinking feeling in her chest, one that froze her muscles. Like she was falling into an infinite abyss as the fluids that flowed through her body turned to ice, her limbs seizing from both the cold and the solidified liquids in her.
This figure stepped forth, looking at her. It looked at the field of corpses she had left behind. Then it looked up at the memories around her. Why did it show such interest in her memories with 9S?
Finally, it looked at her again, its body trembling. It began to keel over, a twisted cackle leaving it. It was laughing. A long, demented laugh. But soon even that changed. Through its violent heaving and cackling, it began to change to screaming and cackling. And soon it became just screaming. It was letting out a long maddening scream that sent chills down 2B's body.
Then, it attacked. 2B barely had a chance to blink before it was up in her face, a pixelated sword in hand. She gasped as she blocked the attack. But the sheer force was enough to send her weapon flying out of her hand as she skidded across the blood-soaked floor. She rematerialized it in her hand but she had to leap back to not get cut down. This figure, this thing, it rushed at her with a ferocity that rivaled rabid animals. It was more beast than anything else, the way it was throwing itself at her with every swing of its sword, the way it screamed as it rushed at her. Even androids gone berserk from a logic virus did not behave this way. Even 21O in her rage did not fight like this. This thing was truly and completely mad.
As 2B was sent skidding across the floor again, she finally came up with her plan of attack. If it behaved like a beast then she shall treat it like a beast. She stayed knelt down, looking like that attack had knocked the wind out of her. But as the pixelated figure threw itself at her again, 2B set her plan into motion. As it swung down, she lunged forward to cut the beast open. But, to her shock, it raised its sword and blocked the attack.
This thing may have been mad, but it seemed whatever combat programming it had still existed. Still, it was clear 2B was a superior combatant. She pressed against her foe, who pressed back.
Big mistake.
She stepped to the side and let the pixelated creature stumble past her. It screamed and howled before turning around to throw itself at her again. And she lunged forward with her sword tip first drove her sword into the thing's chest. She kept driving forward, the two of them falling to the ground.
She then got to her knees to pulled out her sword before plunging it back down into the thing's chest. It thrashed and screamed on the ground. Insane no longer seemed like an accurate description of this thing anymore. Even feral didn't describe its behavior.
"What are you?" she panted, leaning her face in close, forcing herself to take a good look at this thing in front of her. She forced herself to stare it right in the face. The cold she felt in her body kept getting worse and worse until it felt like she had roots of ice growing through her and seizing her heart, until she started trembling, until she felt so lightheaded she thought she was about to collapse. But it worked. Finally, the pixels grew smaller and smaller until she could finally see the face of her foe.
"9S?!"
9S shrieked and lunged up from the floor and pinned 2B to the ground. 2B was still in shock when it happened and her sword went clattering across the floor. 9S started laughing as the pixels around his sword disappeared to reveal Cruel Oath. He raised his sword above his head and plunged it into her chest. 2B cried out in pain as she felt the metal tear into her flesh. But then he pulled it out and did it again.
And again.
And again.
All the while laughing with maniacal glee.
The sword sent white hot pain through her body like molten metal was being poured into her. But the icy roots that had seized her body did not go away. In fact, they got worse. The world was beginning to fade away not from blood loss nor damage but from the icy cold that now seized the stem of her artificial brain. She cried out in pain with every stab, her hands reaching to grab something, anything. But the ice in her system wouldn't let her move.
What could make 9S act like this? Why would he take such joy from killing her?
Did that mean he hated her? Hated her with such a passion he would revel in not just her death but the desecration of her body? Hated her to the point that the weight of his revulsion could break his sanity?
Was this why he took such interest in her memories before attacking? They were her treasures. And she had stolen his.
Was that why had had taken a moment to examine the bodies? Her legacy as a monster.
But this was not 9S. This was some trick.
But what if it was true? 9S died oblivious to her identity. Would this have been his reaction if he found out? Or what if he already knew? He's figured it out in the past. What if he had always felt like this? What if beneath his smile and outgoing persona was an android who was truly and deeply broken; and she was the one who broke him. What if this thing that had stabbed her so many times that her chest cavity was gone, this thing that now had its hands wrapped around her throat to strangle the life out of here, what if this thing was acting out what 9S always wanted? His deepest desire. There have been 9S's in the past that hated her. But she always corrected her mistake with the next one. There was no next one anymore. The feelings of the 9S who died on that bridge would be the last feelings he felt.
Etched in stone…
What if he hated her? What if he died hating her for what she did?
2B let out a scream as the light of the sun filled her eyes. She was back in the real world, laying flat on her back. She got to her hands and knees and looked around. The ground around her was covered in slashes, her sword not too far from her, and the machine core split like an egg.
One more act of murder.
But her mind was too preoccupied on what she just went through.
Could 9S actually have felt that way? There was no doubt how she felt about him, how much she cared about him. How much she loved him.
But did he hate her? Revile her? Want to kill her?
She understood now. She understood what the ice in her body was. It was fear. Fear of 9S's judgement. Her fear of his judgement always paralyzed her. Any time he found out, she would be frozen in terror, awaiting his reaction. It didn't matter if more forgave her than hated her. She could never shake the feeling the only reason he always forgave her was because he never realized the scope of her sins. Knew she would have to betray and kill him but never knew just how many times. Or how many others she's killed.
The last 9S. What would his reaction be?
Would he reject her? Hate her? Revile her? Want to kill her?
Each possible reaction she went through in her mind was worse than the last. But the worst possible reaction 9S could have was the one she saw in the Soul Box. Where the weight of her evil could not only break his sanity but plant in him hate so strong that he would not only revel in her death but the desecration of her corpse.
To see 9S, the face that once smiled so brightly, be reduced to a savage beast of demented laughs and madness…
2B curled up into a ball as she thought about what she saw. She glanced at her discarded sword, looking at her reflection. In the vision she was covered in so much blood that she still expected to be covered in scarlet when she looked into the blade.
The Souls Box had showed her something.
It showed her just what she needed to do.
She needed to cut…
-.-
A2's hands trembled as she stepped between the abandoned structures. She had to watch her step to not slip on the blood that had been splattered across the floor. It was clearly old blood but there was so much that it still hadn't all been soaked into the ground.
The resistance had been…butchered. They were lying in pieces everywhere. Guns and bullet casings still lay on the ground along with severed heads and severed arms. A lot of the tents and shelves were smashed like someone had been thrown into them, and the grill on one of the trucks was dented.
A2 stopped when she looked at what lay on the ground. She shook her head.
No. No, no, no. This can't be real.
On the ground lay Anemone. A2's legs could barely move so she hobbled her way to her friend's body. Finally, her legs gave out and she knelt in front of it.
A2 expected to cry at that point. She wanted to cry. But it seemed she had cried so much in her lifetime that she had no tears left. She could just stare at her friend's body. She gritted her teeth as she buried her face into Anemone's chest.
"DAMN IT!" she roared, punching the ground. "DAMNITDAMNITDAMNITDAMNIT!"
Again and again, A2 pounded the ground next to her until her knuckles started bleeding. And even then she continued.
When she got up she stormed up to one of the broken computers, tearing it out of the ground and throwing it into the wall with an agonized roar. She stormed over the heaps of equipment that used to belong to the supply trader, kicking a toolbox across the camp. She stormed up to one of the trucks and upended it.
She stormed around the camp, not sure what else to tear down or tear apart. Nothing seemed enough. She needed something to rip apart.
But…
But nothing she could rip apart would bring Anemone back.
Her friend…
First Pascal's village now this? Who could she even rip apart for this? Who did she need to make suffer?
At least Anemone was laid to rest respectfully, her body straight, her eyes closed, and her hands on her chest.
Wait…who arranged the body?
A2 gently patted down her friend until she found the wound in Anemone's chest. She then reached under her friend's body to feel the exit wound.
The entry and exit wounds were of roughly equal size. There was a slight curve to the stab as well. Looking around, A2 could see clean cuts on all of the bodies. They weren't like the hacks and chops of machine swords. It was a smooth cut like from a…
"A YorHa blade…" A2 seethed. "2B…"
"I do not believe Unit 2B is responsible for the death of the Unit Anemone," 153 said. "YorHa Unit 21O was detected in resistance camp earlier. Hypothesis: 21O was responsible for the attack on the resistance camp."
A2 examined the camp. She had to admit that something was off. Everyone else was completely torn apart. But Anemone was not only killed with a simple thrust into the chest but laid to rest respectfully. And there were clear signs of battle.
"This 21O wasn't the only one here," A2 concluded. "She fought someone. If 21O attacked the resistance camp, someone else killed Anemone." She could see the signs of battle. Things around the camp were cut in half. There were slashes in the walls and the ground. And Anemone's wounds were completely different to everyone else's. A clean stab through the chest as opposed to being cut apart like the rest.
"If Anemone was infected by a logic virus, Unit Anemone may have requested Unit 2B take her life, similar to how Unit A2 took 9S's life at his request."
Like how she killed 9S…
A2 snarled at this information. She knew it was an act of mercy. Death was preferable to infection. She knew she herself had done something similar with 9S. But that didn't make the hurt any less. It didn't make the hate any less either. The idea that her friend and only other survivor from that wretched descent mission was killed. By an executioner too. A2 knew in her mind that this was an act of mercy. But in her heart, she felt like that an executioner had finally come put Anemone down as a way to get to her. And it made her hate 2B even more.
There was something not adding up about Pod's words. But she'll think about it later. Right now, she was too pissed off.
She was going to mount 2B's head on a pike as a trophy. Death no longer seemed enough.
"2B…I'm going to kill you."
-.-
A/N: When I first wrote this, I had originally just skipped the recovery units. But, I figured the beauty of what-if scenarios is to see the different reactions of similar events.
Soul Box being the perfect example. So little story. My first two playthroughs, both times I ended up leaving the room during the soul box scene. The first time it was simply because I had become so attached to 2B that it was heartbreaking to me to see her getting stabbed like that after she's already dead. Second time, it was because of the revelation from the additional information of her real identity. That 9S was essentially conflicted about how he felt with 2B, hating her for what she did while still loving her. I actually reference the 'you want to **** 2B' line in an earlier chapter since that line (and its place in the conversation) makes more sense if used with words like kill instead. So what 9S sees is a manifestation of his internal conflict. Every time 2B kills him, she essentially takes all his memories away. So 9S experiences that in action right in front of him and he responds with violent hatred. The machines bring to light what he refuses to face.
So, 2B couldn't experience the same thing when she goes into the soul box. So what could the machines target in her? Her guilt and self hatred are ever present so it wouldn't be that impactful if it was that. So instead it targets her fear. Two fears I could think of would be in her. One is fear of 9S's judgement. What would his reaction be if and when he finds out the truth. Even if some 9S's are accepting, I imagine 2B would be terrified of coming across the ones that weren't. So she see's perhaps the worst possible reaction to it. The other fear is the lengths she has to go to achieve her goals. With how she feels, she wouldn't kill 9S unless she felt like it was truly necessary. So, when the chips are down, how far will she go to achieve her goals? Two things 2B wouldn't want to face.
There were other scenarios I thought up of but I didn't think they'd work since they either they were too similar to something else or they made future events seem like a deescalation.
I'll admit that I fear I picked the tamer of the scenarios though.
Anyways, I love hearing from you guys so please let me know what you think. And enjoy.