A2 held her weapon tight, still as a statue but for a slight flow in her hair.

"Everything. Everything. Everything." Pascal was still shaking beneath her blade, his two metallic hands planted hard on the sides of his head. "It's all there. It's all there."

"That's not possible. This is a trick." She took her first good glimpse at their surroundings. Android and machine, the latter green in pitch, stood alongside one another dressed in flowing cloth that looked to serve as shelter from the mist of the sea. They were all in varying stances, some aggressive, others frightened, but none made a move. It was an insane sight, in a world of insane happenings of late. A2 jammed the gigantic sword into the plated surface not an inch away from Pascal's head. "That thing, did it get all of you too?" There were a few murmurs, but no clear reply. She set her eyes back on Pascal. "You have five seconds before I split this one apart like the damned machine it is, so someone start talking!"

"A2, listen to me." Anemone pulled her away with a strong hand on her torso. "A lot has happened, which you're clearly aware of, and I'll tell you all about it, but not here. Just-"

"Let me see your eyes."

Anemone paused with a blink. "Uh-"

A2 grabbed the resistance leader by the jaw and pulled her closer. The nearest onlookers moved in, weapons drawn, but Anemone signaled them off. Sure enough, her irises were consistent pools of green, not a pitch of violet in sight.

The attacker model looked to her lodged weapon. It vanished, and Pod-006's inert body fell from where the hilt had been. A2 stepped over Pascal, her glaring sight on him as she moved to grab the pod.

"Alright, back to work!" ordered Anemone. "Move us south, sporadic route, and give us some cover!" Pascal moved to stand as everyone sprung to action. "A2, 9S. This way."

A2 looked to 9S, who was staring into space without having uttered a single sound since completing his climb. She gestured towards him, and after a brief moment, he moved to follow with a slow, almost reluctant step. Some sort of energy, like a shield, started to form above them all, but everyone kept going paying it no mind, so A2 did the same.

The large metal door slammed behind them.

"What the hell, Anemone?!"

"Listen, they saved us." Anemone stepped back, hands raised toward her guests. "We had nowhere else to go. All of them, they're with Pascal."

"Pascal's gone!" shouted A2. "Along with his entire village, I saw it myself!"

"I know, I know," replied Anemone. "There's an explanation, like you-"

"No, it's different," she interrupted, looking towards 9S. "Pascal didn't… It wasn't that kind of 'death.'"

"As I've heard," replied Anemone, eyes also on the scanner model. "I've also heard that 9S's resurrection faced similarly impossible trials, that being the supposed loss of his personal data, and yet, here he is." She crossed her arms. "Lot of impossible happenings in our post-YoRHa world, aren't there?"

Both female androids kept staring at 9S, who hadn't moved since making his entrance.

"Look." He gestured forward with two diffusing hands. "I don't understand the full extent of how I came back, nor do I know if we can trust Pascal, or even my own mind." One of his hands came to rest on his temple. "All I care about right now is…" he paused, a sudden wince in his eye. "That thing took 2B." His hand moved to his forehead. "I-I dropped her… That thing took 2B…"

Anemone's arms unfolded, her adamant stance breaking a bit.

"9S." A2 moved towards him warily. "We're in no state to go chasing after this thing, and on top of that, we're down three pods."

"Who cares?!" replied 9S with a rapid, furious gesture towards their surroundings. "What are three pods against thousands?! This damned thing we're in is capable of setting off a nuke! I say we go now and just annihilate Remnant out of existence!"

"It's not a nuke, that's ancient tech; don't confuse all that old world data with our reality." Anemone's arms were folded again. "It's less of an explosion and more of a discharge intended to deal less damage at the source and the exact opposite all around, and the most power-hungry module of a weapons system that will never be fully operational as it was again. This titanic machine, 'Grun' as it was referred, has been refashioned as a vessel for the machines' crew. It's just a husk, not what one would classify as 'alive.'"

9S kept staring without a single move. "So it's useless, then."

"Not at all. We've managed to get the jammers online, and have even gotten the diving module working, at least partially. We can stay hidden while we reconvene and plan out how we're going to, well, survive." She paused. "Apparently, this being you refer to as Remnant wanted to restore Grun for assimilation onto Its outer shell. Pascal was one of hundreds of machines compelled to rebuild it, but something they discovered at the heart of this dead beast wrested them free, and, well." Anemone turned to address A2. "You'd have to ask Pascal, he knows the details better than me."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," said A2. "Establishing trade with a village of supposedly peaceful machines is one thing, but cooperating with them this closely?" She smashed her fist hard on the plated wall. "They can't be trusted! There could be traps all over this thing!"

"I told you, they saved us," replied Anemone. "Most of us."

"Most?" 9S had moved to sit and seemed to be drifting in and out of the conversation.

"Yes." The resistance leader's tone softened a bit. "When that damned thing flew over, a handful of us turned and started decimating anything in swinging range. We thought the infection that brought down YoRHa had survived to come for us." Anemone sighed. "Another third of our number were put down, and when one of our scouts reported that horde of machines rising from the sewers, I led our retreat to the factory; I figured its various choke points could help us hold out against larger numbers, and luckily, the upper levels were pretty much desolate save for a couple of smaller foes. That is, until we saw Grun rise up out on the water.

"We hunkered down and decided to wait everything out. It wasn't long before a scavenging party headed by Pascal himself walked into our ambush. Thank God for the white flags they'd fastened to their bodies, otherwise we wouldn't have hesitated." She shook her head at the thought. "Anyway, Pascal explained that they were on our way to our camp and that they required our assistance in combating a 'grave threat to both our civilizations,' offering a temporary coexistence in the form of sanctuary. And so, with a ruthless horde at our backs and a less numerous but still outnumbering force presenting themselves as allies before us, I made the call, and here we are." Anemone walked to her company and eyed them one after the other. "Have I lessened your concern, A2, even just a bit?"

"Hell no," she was quick to reply. "Nothing ever will."

"Thought so," said Anemone. "Well then, it probably won't make a difference at this point, but you should know that it was the machines who pinpointed your location. Their Flyer scouts determined the horde's origin to be the flooded region, which clued Pascal in to the fact that Remnant's followers hadn't stopped building until recently. A quick sweep of the area combined with established intel suggested something big was about to go down, a less literal hypothesis at the time, and so there we headed. One single YoRHa signature was detected as we approached – yours, I assume – and when Remnant appeared stunned, Pascal himself made the order to head in for rescue." She kept staring at A2. "He made the order that saved your lives at a rather substantial cost of his own kind. If it's worth anything, that sounds a hell of a lot like the Pascal I was familiar with, and has banished any amount of distrust I may have been harboring."

A2 remained silent for a good while, leaning against the wall she'd just struck. "Well, good to hear," she finally managed to say.

"Anemone. Listen." 9S moved to stand. "Thanks for your part in all this, and I'll be sure to thank Pascal and his crew on the way out, but this just isn't my place." He glimpsed back towards the door. "I need to get after 2B. She still has time. I was inside Remnant's mind and it… It almost seemed frustrated that so many have been able to resist Its call." He released a deep breath. "I feel like It's planning to channel the bulk of Its rage into an attempt to claim 2B, for no other reason than to assert the point that It can't be denied."

"Yeah, I don't think so," said A2 with a quick step toward him. "I just saved your impulsive ass. If you think I'm letting you go off to die after all that, you've got a screw loose."

"A2, you probably haven't notice, but I'm in much better shape than I appear." 9S stepped back to lean against the door. "Your close-quarters module is barely holding together. I saw your arms going limp. You might require maintenance, but I sure as hell don't."

"Yeah. Sure," said A2 with a roll of her eyes. "That thing had you not an hour ago. You said yourself that you can't trust your own mind."

"Well I don't necessarily have a choice, do I?"

"Don't talk to me about choice," she replied, her voice raised.

"Then don't talk to me about what I should or shouldn't be doing!"

"Okay then, let's hear it!" A2 moved almost right up against him. "What genius plan have you put together with this wisdom, this insider knowledge? How are you planning to wrestle 2B out of that damned abomination's grasp unscathed without the both of you winding up dead, or worse? Hm?" There was a long quiet moment, then another, and another… "Answer me, 9S!"

"I-I don't need a plan!" he said. "The two of us, me and 2B, we'll make it up as we go. That's what we've always done! And we've defeated every foe we've ever been faced with!"

"Oh right, that should work out fine." She moved even closer while voicing her next low, venomous reply. "Pardon my ignorance; I didn't realize you both had experience felling eldritch horrors made manifest straight out of texts derived from this dead world's infancy, the nature of which insight chaos simply by existing."

"Alright you two, that's-"

"And you do?!" shouted 9S. "Look A2, I don't expect you who's been living in her own little sad solitary shell to understand, but I'm going, and I won't let you stop me."

She grasped his arm tight. "What was that?"

"You know what I said," rasped 9S. "I won't let 2B die like your squad all those years ago, not again. You deny it, but there was a choice at the Pearl Harbor Descent, for all of you, and when both your damned squads chose wrong, you both selfishly made the decision they couldn't rather than following them." A2's grip had been tightening. "Let me go. I'll never leave my companion to die alone, A2. Never again, mark my-"

A2 threw him to the floor, but immediately winced in pain with a hand over her adjacent shoulder. Anemone was quick to put herself between them, but just as 9S started to raise himself up, a violet color filled the dim bronze room, acting as introduction to a distorted, elder voice.

"This course of action is not recommended," said Pod-006, releasing itself from the hilt to levitate.

"A2!" Anemone drew her weapon. "Move away! Your pod's been-"

A2 could only shake her head as she raised her working hand to cover Anemone's gun.

"Greetings unit A2, unit 9S, resistance leader Anemone." It faced each android as it called out to them with a motion resembling a bow. "I am pod designation 006, former caretaker of the YoRHa moon base, and following the abandonment of my post, former fragment of the shell of Remnant, momentarily."

9S watched the pod move as it spoke, eyes squinting towards the glow. "Pod-006?" He glimpsed towards A2. "I was wondering how you managed to stun it like that."

"Yes," replied the pod in her place. "And I'm also the one that deployed the countermeasure within you to suppress Its voice. I'm glad to see you're still doing well; simulations of the program during development suggested two planetary revolutions before an afflicted individual would require another dose, but they weren't certain. For this reason, please notify me when you start to hear Its whispers again."

"Another dose?" There was a tremble in 9S's reply. "So, it's not permanent?"

"Affirmative," replied the pod. "Yours is a special case, unit 9S, as your personality data appears to have been touched by Its influence while in transit to your shell." Its light dimmed a bit. "However, I'm afraid that the act of combating this horrific creature takes more of a toll on my stability than prior calculations could ever have predicted. I will not be able to apply more than one countermeasure per twenty hour period, lest I'm to risk being torn apart before my deed is concluded." Its glow flickered once again as the three androids remained silent. "Forgive me."

"No, you're fine," said 9S with a sudden bounce in his voice. "A sight for sore eyes, in fact. My partner, 2B, was taken by Remnant, and I need to get her back." His smile faded, almost like he already knew the details of the answer to the question he was about to ask. "I want to move immediately. Can you help?"

Pod-006's light normalized as it settled into a more regular hover pattern. "Affirmative: We… Excuse me; I will perform every act in my power to undo the scourge's dark influence, but not now. I must prepare by rebuilding damaged infrastructure; like you, I must rest."

"Rest?" replied 9S. "I don't need rest, I need to rescue 2B!"

"Scanning." Pod-006 flew closer to 9S. Anemone kept her eyes on it, while A2 just kept breathing heavily. "Analysis: Multiple lacerations, blunt trauma and minor third-degree burns detected, many of these injuries deep enough to deduce that damage may have been done to trivial modules that will affect output in combat and mobility. As for A2, my lovely savior veiled in flowing hair of white, she's suffered more severe injuries to her upper body region, resulting in regular systemic lapses in the field."

A2 released a long, drawn-out sigh.

"This unit is equipped with all standard-issue tools and systems, including those necessary for limited repair, so I shall get started immediately before my own maintenance!" It flew higher, but soon made another descent, lower this time. "Starting with this." Two slim beams came out of its appendages, and a more familiar light soon filled the room, mixing with the violet glow. "Good morning, Pod-153."

Pod-153 came to hover on 9S's side, while Pod-006 moved to A2.

"Okay. This is a lot to take in," said Anemone, breaking the silence. "Pod," she turned to Pod-006, "you're to brief me and the rest of the crew on everything you know about all this, as soon as you're able."

"Affirmative," it replied. "Right this way, then."

9S's repairs, with help from a strange duo of resistance androids who were apparently trained by Devola and Popola, were taken care of easily enough. He'd been seated on deck since, away from the masses, up against the wall next to the heavy door to the quarters that Anemone had called them into earlier, just staring an aimless stare at the horizon.

Or rather, that's what he would have told anyone if they were to ask; the scanner model had become a bit wary towards the tales trickling down from the higher chains of command given more recent revelations, to say the least. Ever the curious in his own right, 9S's enlightenment as to his true purpose made it that much more difficult to just turn a blind eye towards whatever shit his "betters" would shovel into him on a daily basis. Following the completion of his maintenance, 9S drifted away in silent stride to get a more internal peek at the husk that his hosts have purposed into their new home.

Hacking in, everything physically related to its signs of "life" were indeed long offline, but something remained. That powerful wanting for a maternal figure that 9S had discovered all those months ago, a fragment of it still existed, pulsing in the dark vacant shell like a dying star's final twinkling. Small as it was, that it persisted in the data space was a testament to just how passionate Grun's thoughts had been on the matter.

Moving on, having ordered Pod-153 to keep an eye out for unwanted visitors and determine an optimal silent escape route, 9S guided his avatar deeper in to where the systems for the combat and utility modules of Grun resided. Some security was in place, but nothing 9S couldn't easily handle. He breezed past the pellet fire of the few defense nodes, making short work of them and evading the more distant ones to carve a path straight to the central systems.

It was a typical central hub with branching hallways each leading to a different module, but something 9S hadn't accounted for was how huge the space was to match the size of Grun. There were hundreds of systems present to span the complicated workings of such a large machine, too many to manually check if 9S wanted to be quick about it.

His mind raced. Which ones should he check first? He thought back to what Anemone had said, and decided to start with the radar jammers. Operational they were, but certainly not in an organized fashion; the general randomness and claustrophobia of its paths through the datascape implied a ramshackle setup was done to get it working again, probably with use of salvaged parts that weren't fit for a complex model such as Grun. Hell, some of the things they crammed into it might've just been makeshift. 9S saw the diving and shield modules in action first-hand, the latter applied simultaneously to prevent water from getting in, and they couldn't remain active together for more than ten minutes. Even at its operational best, Flyers were soaring all around to deal with random leaks. It was a miracle this damned thing was operational; 9S couldn't shake that niggling worry that the floor beneath his boots would collapse without warning and send them all to a watery grave.

Fear of detection mounting, 9S decided to do one more quick check; he sent his avatar soaring towards the radial discharge weaponry, and as he fast approached, a projectile clipped him, followed by a barrage.

"Damn!" Heightened security? Here? What the hell? 9S had to get a closer look. He analyzed the barrage's pattern and zipped through until running into about two dozen turret nodes. 9S kept to the unrelenting pattern, adapting where necessary as he returned fire. Another projectile grazed him, things were looking grim, but he managed to fend them off and soar past the rest.

This module was different. Branching paths were everywhere, most leading to dead ends. Those that didn't were so jumbled and convoluted that 9S couldn't make sense of it. A lot of work was being put in to optimize the energy flow of this cursed thing, and the way the datascape came together to form a more straight path further in, it almost looked like the weapon was being modified to function differently.

Why would Anemone not mention any of this? Could she be unaware? The amount of workload that had to be going into this module, 9S was sure they were focusing the bulk of their attention right here, but he wasn't familiar enough to make sense of what they were doing to change this thing. Should such a weapon be left in the hands of these machines?

What if A2 had a point?

"Alert: Exposure imminent. Unit 9S, recommend escaping through plotted route."

He watched as other avatars blinked into the system, some heading his way.

9S dove out to see a shadow being cast through the distant doorway.

"Argh! This door was just closed!" The high-pitched voice had a strange accent. "Is somebody in there?! You'll be marooned if I catch you off duty, mark me words!"

"This way!" whispered Pod-153 while shining a light on a hatch up above. 9S leapt and slid it opened, grabbing the ladder as the square door slammed shut beneath him.

"You know, pod, you've been pretty quiet." 9S rested a hand on the floor and turned towards Pod-153 as his mental awareness returned to the present, knees bent up in front of him.

"Affirmative: This unit is simply following orders."

"Huh? From who?"

"From unit 9S," replied Pod-153. "This unit was ordered to speak only when spoken to, with inference drawn to also speak during pivotal moments in the carrying out of unit 9S's proposed mission objectives, which I have."

"Oh." He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face. The memory flashed in his mind. Fresh as it was, being under Remnant's control had left a lot of events scattered, jumbled. "I did, didn't I?"

"Affirmative."

"Well, um, I retract that order." 9S rested both hands on his lap and looked out towards the horizon again, the pods' selfless "counter-offer" echoing in his ears. "Sorry about that, pod. I wasn't myself."

"Affirmative," it replied. "Apology appreciated and accepted, 9S."

9S chuckled under his breath, low enough that the pod wouldn't hear. This felt weird, but he spoke on regardless. "Do you think we'll ever see her…"He paused, rethinking his question in favor of who he was speaking with. "Them, again?"

"Confirmation: You're referring to unit 2B and Pod-042?"

"Yeah." He turned to look at the pod once again.

"Confession: There's no way to know for sure, but this unit…" Its voice came to a stop as if unsure of what to say. "I would like to believe so, yes, but I've also witnessed what the organism Remnant is capable of and, and am also…attempting to temper…" The reply faded until it was silent, and the pod remained quiet for a good few seconds. "Strange, I'm afraid I'm having trouble reaching consensus on your inquiry." Pod-153 hovered down to plant itself on the ground next to 9S. "I feel I must apologize."

The lone android sighed quietly, suppressing the sadness from his voice. "Apology accepted, Pod-153."

It vocalized an odd noise in reply, almost resembling a laugh.

9S and the pod sat alongside one another for a bit, the rolling sea echoing in the air along with the not-so-distant clinging and shouting of the machine crew carrying out their duties. 9S soon broke the serene moment with another sigh, this time louder. "I need to talk to A2," he said while getting to his feet.

"A2 is currently indisposed."

9S turned towards the newcomer. Pod-153 ascended to float beside its companion.

"How are you doing, unit 9S?"

It was Pod-006.

"Fine," he replied with a lingering eye on the horizon. "How's A2?"

"Damage was much more severe, especially when accounting for the model's lesser advancements. She will require more substantial repairs to reach peak performance, but fortunately, this is time we can all afford."

"We don't have time," said 9S at a low pitch, eyes still over yonder.

The pod hovered over to put itself in his vision. "I know what vexes you, and-"

"You know." A sudden venom entered 9S's voice. "The all-knowing pod that fell from the sky in a ball of fire. How do I know that you can be trusted?"

"9S." Pod-153 tapped its companion on the shoulder. "We'd already be dead."

9S's stare lingered on his pod for a moment. He understood, and with a glare, gave the other his silent attention.

"Unit 9S." Pod-006 floated around to hover at Pod-153's side. "I understand and empathize with what you're going through right now; I myself have lost every last soul I've called 'friend' to this cursed scourge." It silenced for a long moment. "That resolve, that hatred you're feeling for the being called Remnant, I encourage you hold onto it, but not too closely. While such stirrings can benefit us in times of combat, failure to manage them can be what tips us off the cliff to our demise. It's important, noble even, to have something – someone – to fight for, but nothing good will come for them from a suicidal charge. We must regroup and prepare for such an undertaking, or perish like those before us."

9S's arms were folded tight, and he made an apathetic sigh towards the pod's words.

"If it's any consolation," it looked to Pod-153, then back to the scanner model, "I agree with your hypothesis. I believe unit 2B yet lives, and I've seen firsthand how powerful your connection with her has become. If she looks to you mutually for even a fraction of what I saw in your memories, unit 9S, then I know that she's fighting and will continue to fight against the beast's will, not just for her sake but yours too." The pod's glow dimmed as it descended low. "I'm sorry, but I must retire for further maintenance. Pod-153, accompany me to my savior's side, if you would?"

"Affirmative." Pod-153 extended a helpful appendage to keep Pod-006 afloat.

"Stay strong, unit 9S. D-don't go d-doing anything…impulsive…" It darkened as Pod-153 vanished around the corner.

Now truly alone, 9S allowed himself to refocus on the horizon, on the cawing birds above, and the crashing water against the vessel that was a reflection of the storm within him. The words of Pod-006 spun in his mind, nothing more than a whirlwind of rage and grief. It was no help. No help. No help, because it had failed to touch on that which kept 9S tethered to that abyss he'd been drifting through since his rebirth; that which he'd held tight in his chest, right where that cursed part of himself resided.

That which was birthed from the damned recollections of every horrible thing he'd become in his previous life. That which persisted with his selfish reach towards the horror in his limbo, which led to his deception of the last surviving souls in the world he considered dear. He led her to It without a glance or even a blink, right to the shrine where Its maw had emerged to cut them from flesh to metal. And before that, the other, despite her protests atop the Tower, he turned a blind eye towards her logic in favor of that turbulence within. Polluted as he'd become, he wanted it, and carry it out he did, not before guiding his fury past the scolded pair who'd come to his aid at the gate, not a bat in the eye as they fell to become one with the earth beneath them. Not before laying waste to the childlike creature atop that device, its words so lost, his dismissal cold enough even to invite the concern of the small thing hovering at his side, thought until recently to be an emotionless tool in an eternal war for nothing.

Everything that lived was designed to end, and he was eternally trapped to be the bringer of it. Worthless; so worthless that he couldn't even die correctly, succumb to his own destructive wake, tool or not.

All he could do was settle on the truth behind Pod-006's words. If he was to save 2B, he'd have to wait.

Wait, as the storm inside spread and hardened to paste, to fester.

To fester until he'd drown again.