Last Execution

by ElfLord123

2B is trapped. Trapped in a never ending cycle of executing 9S. But one day that changes. She executes 9S one last time and never has to execute him again. But her last execution was her worst and one that would haunt her for the rest of her life. (Alternate route AU where 2B survives instead of 9S).

18. Chance at a Happy Ending?

'My time with you…it was like memories of pure light.'

"What the…where am I?" 2B wondered out loud. "I'm back in hacking space."

It was impossible. She didn't hack anything. And she wasn't getting hacked. Yet this landscape looked like the untextured plains of hacking space. But perhaps most confusingly was that she was there. Not her personality data. She was there in body. It was just like the Soul Box.

2B walked forward, following the platforms. It led to what could be best described as an open field. Though this 'field' was a grizzly sight, covered in oily black vines, vicious thorns growing out of each one. These vines covered the ground like some sort of fungus. Probably could've been mistaken as a fungus if it wasn't for the thorns. And there was the ground. The ground was cracked and fractured like broken glass. But floating above the ground were…

"My memories with 9S…" 2B muttered. They were there. All her memories with 9S. All her memories of 9S. All versions of 9S. The memories were cracked like broken glass, many of them with sharp protrusions coming off of them.

And under all of them stood 9S himself, or at least a flickering holographic avatar of him. 2B wanted to reach out, touch his cheek. But would he even want her touch? Didn't matter. He wasn't real and her hand would pass straight through him.

Looking at 9S…he was smiling. But not a loving smile.

2B looked up, watching as a memory suddenly vanished before her eyes. Then another. And another.

2B looked at her vanishing memories, then at 9S. She knew what was happening. 9S was deleting her memories.

'My time with you…it was like memories of pure light.'

2B clenched her fists. With 9S gone, killed over nothing, these were all she had left. She cherished those memories more than life. More than anything. Kill her. Take her life but please spare her memories. But she could not bring herself to do anything. 9S deleting her memories was a fitting punishment. She did the same to him. Every time he was killed and reset, she robbed him of his memories. And since she was still alive, this was the only thing he could do.

She didn't want this. She would rather die than to live with this taken from her. Watching her memories get deleted one by one, the pain was unbearable. They were all she had left. Yet, she could not bring herself to fight back. She deserved this.

She watched as they faded. Their years together. The silent smiles he brought her. Even the laughs they shared. She clenched her fists. She gritted her teeth. Finally, she just fell to her knees as the last of her memories vanished.

But they weren't all gone.

It seemed 9S had decided to spare some of her memories. 2B looked up to see countless memories left behind. But she could tell what every single memory was: the memory of her killing him.

Destruction of the chest. Destruction of the head. Break the neck. Sword through the heart. Drown him. Smother him. End him quickly. Lead him to his doom. These were all her kills. These were all his screams.

"2B, wait!"

"Kill me, coward!"

"You're going to kill me now, aren't you?"

"Why, 2B? WHY?!"

2B couldn't take it. She covered her ears and screamed.

2B opened her eyes with a sharp gasp. She was staring up at the morning sky.

2B bolted up from the ground.

Did that just…

Her hairband was a gift from 9S after he saw photos of commercial advertisements. Her Pod's fishing program was put in there by 9S after learning about something called a 'fishing rod'. Her gloves were a gift from him after he researched human clothing. His nickname Nines was a play on his name Nine-S.

OK, so that was all just a nightmare. Her memories with 9S are still intact.

"Hey," a familiar voice said. 2B looked over to see A2 sitting against the tree across from her. 2B didn't bother responding. She could tell from her internal clock that they were already behind schedule.

"Let's get moving," 2B said, standing up. They had ground to cover. They were scouting the edges of the Forest Kingdom, checking the terrain. They had to see if the enemy was prodding their defenses or had any encampments nearby. This wasn't just the forest but the edge of the city and the shopping district as well.

A2 also rose, brushing the dirt clinging onto the shoulder cape she now wore. She reached up and adjusted her peaked cap. In fact much had changed since that day. The day A2 became Forest King. The day A2 took in the old Forest King's memories and combined it with her own.

Despite 2B's protests, A2 had still merged years upon years of memories with her own and all in a heartbeat. The A2 that came out was clearly different. Yes, she did agree to wear a raven black shoulder cape on her left shoulder to cover up the stump where her arm used to be. And she wore a peaked cap but it was more than that. A2's lackadaisical slouch was gone. Rather than carrying the sword in her inventory or with her NFCS, she got Cruel Oath a scabbard and carried it in her right hand. There were other small differences. Standing straight in the middle of the room rather than leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. Sitting up straight in chairs rather than leaning back and kicking her feet on the table. Whenever A2 talked there used to be an air of impatience, like A2 was just waiting for the conversation to be over so she could go back to sleep or something. Now she seemed to take it more seriously. Not as serious as 2B did but she was definitely more serious about things.

A2 was ultimately a different person thanks to that merge. This was no longer A2 The Deserter. A2 The Executioner of Executioners. No, that A2 was gone. She was now A2 The Forest King.

The Forest machines had a lot to say about their King going out and putting herself in danger. But A2 was not one to let herself be held down. And she especially wasn't going to sit in one place and do nothing.

So here they were. Scouting the surrounding areas for enemy movement.

"Another nightmare?" A2 asked as they made their way through the forest. With their speed, strength, and agility, they could leap through the tree branches.

"No, I simply enjoy screaming in my sleep as a past time," 2B replied sardonically. That question was too stupid for A2 to actually ask. Which meant A2 was trying to start a conversation or something.

"Are you seriously still mad at me?" A2 sighed. "It's been over six months."

"I guess I'm not," 2B sighed as she leapt between the branches. "The A2 that pulled off that stunt technically no longer exists."

"Interesting that's where you took that. I was thinking more along the lines six months being a long time to stay pissed off. Right… I forgot. You've held a near homicidal hatred for yourself for most of your life."

Six months was a long time to hold something against someone. But this was 2B she was talking about. Back when she was hunting A2, 2B would've held onto that hatred for the rest of time if that's what it took. The only reason she didn't hunt down A2 there and then was because she thought there were things greater than herself. That there were tens of thousands of humans on the moon counting on her.

Truth was, 2B still was angry at A2, the old A2, for pulling a stunt like that. Overwriting her own memories like that? Combining hundreds of years of memories into her own? It wasn't absorbed slowly or over time. It was done instantly. A2 made herself a different person. She might as well have died.

It was a conversation they've had countless times by this point. Neither of them was any closer to being convinced nor convincing the other.

That was actually comforting in a way. As much as 2B wanted A2 to change her mind, the fact she didn't meant that there was more of the old A2 than she thought.

"Analysis," 153 said as it floated next to A2. "Holding self-destructive emotions such as these for prolonged periods of time is not conducive to Unit 2B's health. Proposal: Unit 2B should reconcile with Unit A2."

"Her making up with me?" A2 translated. "And here I thought you Pods didn't have a sense of humor."

2B smirked at that remark. Yes, there were changes she hated. Not because she hated what they were but because they represented the 'death' of the old A2. But, there were still some things that comforted her. Remarks like these.

"Maybe you haven't changed as much as I feared," 2B admitted. "Six months of royalty and you haven't so much as put on a banana leaf to cover yourself up."

"Up yours, 2B," A2 sighed, jumping to the next branch. "I might be naked but at least I can pass off as wearing a tank top or something. Meanwhile you look like a gothic stripper since you still wear YorHa's inane uniform."

There was the other thing. The other comfort that A2 was still there. That A2 had not changed as much as she feared. Despite having the Forest King in her, she pulled no punches when it came to her remarks. And she still lacked any sense of decency. That military shoulder cape was the most covering thing she wore. But it only covered her left side and even then, it was just barely. And the cap she wore was a compromise since the machines kept wanting her to wear a crown, something she refused to do.

How did A2 put it again?

'I'd sooner chew off my last good arm than wear a tacky piece of fuzz and metal on my head.'

The next jump was pretty big so A2 attached her sword to her right hip before she leapt up and used Pod to fling her across to the next branch. The attacker model landed gingerly. 2B leapt next. But without a Pod, 2B didn't even make it to the branch, her fingers barely touching its edge. She yelped in panic as she suddenly plummeted from the tree trench. Though, she didn't get far. A2 saw 2B slip and bolted forward, grabbing 2B by her right hand and pulling her back up.

"I heard you let 4S look into transplanting a machine arm onto you," 2B said. "I assume it did not work."

"Afraid not," A2 said. "The circuitry is just too different."

After A2 took the throne, they all looked into tending to their wounds. 2B couldn't get a new eye so she traded the visor she used as a make-shift eyepatch for a proper eyepatch that covered her left eye. A2 and Jackass were looking into getting machine replacement limbs.

Ideally, they would get limbs from dead androids. The problem was any android bodies they found could be infected. This left machine limbs. Which wasn't that bad since A2 was now the monarch of a machine kingdom. But it sounded like not even that would work.

"Jackass has it easiest," A2 said. "Her machine leg's just a pegleg. You can strap an arm to me, but I can't move it. It is what it is I guess."

The two androids took a moment to take in the sights. It felt nice catching their breath.

"You know, I'm surprised you even wanted the throne," 2B remarked, the two of them standing on the tree branch for a bit. "You did not seem the type to lead."

"You do remember I led Pearl Harbor descent, right?"

"Yes, a small squad. I did not think you would ever want to lead an entire kingdom."

"Neither did I, I guess," A2 shrugged. "Honestly…I'm actually happy."

"Do you think the old A2 would enjoy such a position?" 2B asked. It was a loaded question. She still hoped that A2 would acknowledge how important memory and experience was when it came to defining an individual.

"Old A2 wanted you dead. Remember that."

2B stifled a laugh.

"That she did," 2B said, shaking her head. "That she did."

2B still disagreed with A2's take on everything. But she didn't just plug her ears and ignore her arguments. She did consider A2's words. Once upon a time, she and A2 were hellbent on killing each other at first. They only stopped because of changes to both of them.

While she acknowledged to herself A2 may have some points in some ways, she could not shake the pain over the idea that old A2 had died, her body used to house the new Forest King A2.

-.-

A2 had learned to try avoiding arguments with 2B. They never went anywhere.

Ever.

The fact their little talk got sidetracked into a joke was a relief. She wasn't in the mood for another debate.

No matter how many times she's said it, she just can't convince 2B that she is still A2. Changes to memory didn't meant death or different person. People change every second of every day. If she were to ever take damage in battle, her behavior might change. The human equivalent would be brain damage. Did that mean she died if that happened? Maybe there is a bug in her circuit, the human equivalent of a hormonal imbalance. Does that mean she died until that bug is not resolved? And what if she forgets something? Did she die because something escaped her memory?

She was still A2 the Survivor. A2 the Deserter. A2 the Executioner Slayer. She was still A2.

Suddenly, 153 let out a series of three beeps. It certainly seemed mundane. But A2 knew what it meant. It was her and her Pod's little secret code. Not actually developed. It's just that they had been working closely for so long

"You go on ahead," A2 said. "I'll catch up."

2B looked at her suspiciously. Especially since this buddy system was A2's idea.

"Go on," A2 insisted. 2B was still suspicious. But she relented and walked away. She still waited an additional two minutes. She had to make sure 2B was not listening. But 153 let out an assuring two beeps.

"I know you're there," A2 announced. "Learned how to find executioners the first dozen times they got the drop on me."

A2's sword was attached to her right hip so she pulled the sword out with a reverse grip before flipping it in her hand. A2 prepped her sword as she watched 2E step out of the bush. One 2E leaves and another 2E arrives.

"Very impressive," 2E remarked. "It seems the legends are true. I guess congratulations are in order…King A2."

A2 pointed her sword at 2E, 153 preparing its gun.

"Oh, put that down," 2E sighed. "If I really wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. And you can't kill me even if YOU wanted to."

"Well, you never know until you try," A2 said, carefully maneuvering herself. She's also adjusted her sword style to suit her single hand. YorHa combat programming was very thorough. Since this was a katana, the primary combat technique she used were based around the katana. Since she only has one hand, she had to use the saber combat programs.

"You have tried…twice," 2E replied.

"You aren't the type to boast," A2 said. "Why are you here?"

"I merely came to observe. You're the one who wanted me to step out. I am curious. Do you think this changes anything? You becoming king?"

"Compared to what I originally was? I'd say it's a big change. And now we have a fighting chance against you."

2E sneered at A2's comment. It was a bluff. A2 knew this. A planet's worth of machines against a single castle. They've been holding off attacks against larger forces, sure. But the idea of holding them off forever was a stretch.

"Do you really think any of this matters?" 2E scoffed. "So, you last a few more months. So, you rule a few more years. Your kingdom will collapse. Maybe next month. Maybe next year. It will collapse. We androids are not immortal. Die today. Die tomorrow. You are still dead. And you can't take that precious kingdom with you to oblivion."

"Then I'll make the most of it while I still can," A2 said. "You know my past. I've finally broken free."

2E raised an eyebrow upon hearing A2's statement. Her lips twisted into a smirk. Finally, 2E broke into a fit of laughter.

"Broken free?" 2E repeated. "Really? Is that what you think? You murdered their king and you were given their kingdom as a reward. You're not their savior. You're their usurper. Yes, you're now working with machines. But you're STILL killing machines. You merely traded one ally for another."

"Killing them because they want to kill us," A2 said. "Killing them because we don't have a choice. It's the lesser of two evil."

"Evil is evil," 2E spat. "The attempt to differentiate between different kinds has always been the excuse to cause more. Afterall, what better way to serve your god…than to find a devil to vanquish? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We androids try to emulate our creators. And humanity had mastered this craft. Do you really think you can escape?"

"I don't know and I don't care," A2 sneered back at 2E. A2 didn't care about philosophy. She didn't care to overthink the world. She'll take what's in front of her and act on it. "But these are my people. I will protect them. So, if you wanna dance, I'll dance."

A2 readied her sword. But 2E did not move, staring at A2 in amusement.

"2E will no doubt hear our battle," 2E said, referring to 2B by the name she hated. "I will give her a bit more time to realize the truth. So, I'll let you live…for now…"

With that, the executioner turned around. But before she walked away, she had one last thing to say to A2.

"It is quite amusing though. You working with 2E, pretending you don't hate her."

"I'm not pretending anything."

"Lie to yourself all you want but bother lying to me. You hate us. You will always hate us. We hunted you down like a dog. We are executioners. You may pretend to sleep well but our face haunts your dreams. No matter what you tell yourself…you can't outrun what we've done. What we truly are."

SHUT UP!

A2 flung her sword at 2E. There was a boom as that sword broke the sound barrier. But there was another boom as 2E did so to, leaping away with nothing but a trail of smoke and dirt behind her.

"Damn…" A2 snarled, looking around as the dirt cleared. She still had to be careful about her temper. One of these days, 2E was going to use that against her.

A2 recalled her sword back to her hand before putting it back in its scabbard. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She had to calm down.

Before she could do anything else, she heard the beeping of her Pod. Incoming communication?

A golden screen appeared before her, and the face of a black knight was shown.

"Ademar, what is it?" A2 asked.

"My king," he greeted. "An attack is underway in the southeastern corner of the kingdom. Regional forces have engaged but request backup."

"Get heavy cavalry to meet me on the northern ridge," A2 ordered.

"I'll see to it myself," Ademar said. "What of you?"

"I'll get 2B and we'll provide backup until they arrive."

The screen turned off but only for a moment. Immediately she contacted 2B.

"2B," A2 said. "We're needed on the southeastern front. Meet me on the hill overlooking the pass"

"Roger," 2B said.

Making it to the hill was no problem as a YorHa. A quick dash and she was there along with 2B and 54B. They overlooked the battle, watching machines battle below.

The defensive wall had collapsed, and machines were pouring through to engage the Forest army on the other side.

A2's forces were significantly smaller. Yet it was clear they were winning, creating a shield wall withstood the brunt of long range fire. Medium bipeds with shields created a wall will small bipeds stood behind with pikes that were double the length of their normal spears. This created a shield wall with spikes that threatened any that got close and protected the ground force. Medium bipeds with pulse guns stood at the back, firing pulses of energy into the air in an arc that rained down upon the enemy force.

The formation was A2's idea. Since the machines fought androids including YorHa, they developed tactics meant to counter androids. This formation was developed by A2 to counter machines. And it was working. But superior tactics only go so far and her forces were getting overwhelmed.

There was beeping as 2B got a call from the castle.

"2B," 9B said. "We've established defenses at the northern gate. You sure you don't need help."

"Hold position," 2B said. "We can't afford leaving an opening in our defenses. Stay there."

"Copy that."

2B and A2 knelt down to examine the battlefield. Enemy machines were charging at the shield wall, attacking with everything they had. More enemy machines were dying than Forest Kingdom machines, but the wall was going to fall.

After a moment, the two heard metal footsteps behind them. A2's cavalry had arrived led by the black-armored small biped Ademar.

"My King," he said atop his black mount. "We have arrived. If we charge from behind, we can pincer our foes."

"No," A2 said. "Unless you guys stop on a dime you might accidentally plow into our troops."

A2 was silent as she examined the battlefield. She watched the two forces, playing out different scenarios in her head.

"Ademar," she said. "Take the cavalry and charge in from the side. Full speed. They'll have to run into our spears or get run over."

Yes, that would work. The machine army was engaging hers at the front. They were playing with distance trying to engage while minimizing losses. If Ademar's cavalry comes in and side swipes them then they'll have no choice but to run into her shield wall or get run over by Ademar.

"Alert," 153 reported. "Hostiles detected approaching defensive line."

"I see it," 2B said, pointing to something in the distance. A2 turned her head to see what 2B was looking at.

"Damn. Goliath too?"

Four goliath tanks were plowing through trees in the distance. They make it to the shield wall those things would run it over. Cavalry wasn't going to cut it this time. A single small biped on a horse could plow through a house like it was made of straw, but these tanks were too much. The cavalry would bounce off of them like bugs on a windshield and that wasn't mentioning the entire array of weapons along with the tank tracks that the thing could extend and use to swat them like flies.

"If the cavalry can handle the infantry, then let us YorHa handle the tanks," 2B said.

"Need help?" A2 asked.

"No, 54B and I will deal with the tanks. Jackass also has new mortars installed in the castle. We need only paint the target. You lead your forces into battle."

A2 nodded in agreement.

2B put her hand to her communicator attached to her ear, activating it. A golden screen popped up with Jackass's familiar mug in it.

"2B, what's up?" the mad-scientist asked.

"Get your mortars ready," 2B ordered. "We'll paint the targets. Fire on my signal."

"You got it, 2Boss."

Going hypersonic would give away their position so 2B and 54B had to jog away at subsonic speeds.

She was going to wait. Wait for 2B and 54B to start their attacks on the tanks. Then she was going to take her cavalry and charge.

"I fear we brought no spare mounts, my King," Ademar said. "I assumed you would not want one."

A2 smirked at this. Ademar knew her well. He only needed to observe something once and it'll be ingrained in his mind. It was an advantage machines had over androids. But it wasn't hard to piece together A2 didn't like riding machine quadrupeds. Didn't need to either. She was a YorHa who could reach hypersonic speeds at the drop of a hat. She could outrun the cavalry.

"You're right," A2 said. "Don't need it anyway."

She and the cavalry made their way around, trotting around the edges of the battlefield. By the time they got into position, 2B's attack was already underway. 2B and 54B were going at the tanks. 54B took one tank and 2B took the other three. 54B was leaping and dancing her way through a storm of energy bolts. 2B leapt so high into the air that when she came down, she hit like a meteor. The tank survived and was still functional but the impact had sunk it into the ground from the impact.

Those goliath tanks were vicious. Eight automatic pulse weapons surrounding the tank. Automatic bomb launchers on the front. And a cannon as its main gun to top that could fire clusters of plasma or fire a thermal beam. 54B was slowly chiseling away at the tank, targeting the gun turrets first. 2B bounced between the three tanks, wearing them all down. One was up to its gun turret in dirt so it couldn't go anywhere.

2B pointed her finger at the tank. Only a second later, a missile fell from the sky and hit its mark, a giant mushroom cloud of flame leaping out of the crater.

It'll be a while before the tanks fall but they were distracted.

A2 drew her sword from its scabbard and let out a battle cry.

"Have at it, boys! Just a field of tin cans! So let's scrap 'em like the rest!"

With that, she charged forward.

"For our King and Kingdom!" Ademar cheered before joining her.

"For our King and Kingdom!" the other knights said. No need to be discreet now. The air boomed as they broke the sound barrier. The difference in air pressure created a cone of mist in front of their bodies as they charged in. A2 ran on foot alongside her cavalry. She could go faster but she needed to keep formation to maximize their efficiency. In moments they were upon the enemy. A2 sliced the air before her and cut down bipeds of all sizes. The cavalry ran them down assuming they didn't get impaled on the lances first.

"The King as arrived!" the defending Forest machines cheered. "Hold the line! For the Forest King!"

It was as A2 predicted. The enemy forces moved to get out of the way of the cavalry but ran into the shield wall's spears and pikes. The ones who got out of the way in the other direction soon broke into full retreat.

"Our foes flee!" Ademar yelled. "Cut them down in the name of our King!"

"For the Forest King!"

"No!" A2 ordered. The cavalry had gotten ready to pursue but immediately halted upon the orders of A2. She knew not killing these machines meant they could return to fight the next time. But she wasn't in the business of cutting down fleeing combatants.

Not anymore.

"We have our own wounded to attend to," A2 said. "I'm going to check in on 2B and…"

A2 was interrupted by the sound of crashing trees. A2 and her troops got ready for a fight. A goliath tank broke through the tree line. At first, she thought it was here to attack. But she realized it was ablaze.

It fired its thermal beam behind it, deforesting the area with a single volley. It extended its tracks like arms ready to swat something.

2B emerged from the devastated forest, dashing through the air, wielding the turret of another goliath tank like a hammer. The executioner slammed the turret down, flattening the tank. 2B leapt into the air again and flung the turret this time. Just as the turret crushed the tank, 2B activated her downward attack and finished the job by slamming into the armored vehicle. The entire thing went up in a ball of flame as the twisted metal sank into the ground.

Moments later, 2B emerged from the smoke, brushing the debris off her uniform. 54B emerged from outside the castle wall, a large piece of metal slung over her shoulder. Probably what she used to finish off the tanks she was fighting.

The Forest machines cheered at their victory. But A2 silenced them all just by holding her hand in the air.

"I want all damaged machines brought to the castle," A2 ordered, flipping her sword into a reverse grip then sheathing it. "Switch out the troops. I want fresh cans on the front! And rebuild that wall!"

The machines obeyed her every word to the letter. Fresh bipeds came to the front to replace the tired troops. The defensive line was reformed.

2B walked over and joined A2, looking around at the aftermath.

"What's our status?" she asked.

"Surviving…for now," A2 answered. "We need to get our defenses back up. Does Jackass have that artillery? We could use a better way of taking down goliaths."

"I'll check in on her later."

-.-

After her conversation with A2, it didn't take long for 2E to circle her way around. She found herself perched on a tree branch overlooking the castle. A refurbished castle. A new set of defenses. New patrols. New everything.

She watched as A2 and 2B led smaller forces to hold off larger attack waves.

2E had to admit she was impressed. Androids and machines working together was crazy enough. But under the leadership of those two, the two mortal enemies had formed and effective fighting force.

It took over six months but they had established a rhythm of sorts.

Sights like these…it gave her hope.

And she HATED it.

2E gritted her teeth. She had to stop herself from squeezing the tree branch she stood upon and crushing it into splinters.

That's how it always started. An optimistic beginning. Hope. The lies. The delusions. The deception. Then it leads to inevitable pain. Heartbreak. Tragedy. What was the point in raising your hopes when pain was what inevitably lay at the end? It was like her friends. Like YorHa. Like the Resistance. Like Anemone.

Anemone…

Every person she knew in this world had a dark secret. A rot that infested them. 6O and the Commander manipulated her into killing 9S. 9S knew humanity was extinct. Did Anemone have something similar? A rot that she just never revealed. Didn't matter. Anemone offered her real hope. Then she died. Was murdered by 2E.

This sort of false hope was a mockery. Like dangling food in front of a starving man. Putting what they wanted in front of them to get them to keep crawling. To lift them up just to smash them back down.

It was an insult. This hope was a lie.

And she HATED lies.

Younger-2E surely must realize this. Younger-2E must realize that this was just a brief respite. Then why was she still playing along?

2E knew why. It was for the reason she herself had played along for so long. It was for a lie. For the impossibility that she could be something more than 2E.

How much more would it take for younger-2E to see the truth?

She and young-2E were one and the same. The same individual. The fact that young-2E was delusional enough reject the truth meant that somewhere deep in her own heart was the ability to reject the truth.

That some part of her was still caught up in the lie that was 2B.

This was something she could not stand. The idea that she was still hung up in that lie. The lie that imprisoned her for all her life. The lie that let her be used.

"Run all you want," 2E sighed. "There's no escape. For either of us."

Ignorance. Deceit. Morality. These were the tools of the mind. Tools the mind used to feign sanity. Because if it recognized the truth, it would destroy itself. The truth that one day this kingdom will crumble. The only difference is the year in which it did. One day everyone year would be dead. The only difference is the cause. One day, this land will be covered in blood. The only difference is who spilt it. And what god they did it for.

The time wasn't right. Not yet at least. 2E turned around and leapt away. She couldn't break the sound barrier without giving away her position. So she settled on leaping at transonic velocities.

-.-

Though the reconstruction project was ordered by her, sticking around to oversee the thing was beneath her. One of the higher-ranking knights stuck around to oversee reconstruction while A2 left to attend more important matters.

She patrolled the grounds around the castle, taking in all the changes. Her sword remained sheathed on her right hip and her hand rested on it. When she first started, this place looked like the ruins of a castle rather than an actual castle. Now, it looked rather functional. They built new walls and craft defenses to deal with missile and laser strikes. They even built a few new facilities and repurposed the empty ones. As she walked past what used to be an empty storage chamber, she peeked through the open door to see the renovations and repurpose.

"Hey, Tin Man. Are you proud of me? Proud of what I've done?"

A2 was muttering to herself. The metal storage building had been repurposed into a school. Within, a flyer was teaching mathematics to the other machines. Just one of a whole list of courses she had planned. But she was an attacker android. A soldier. Not a scientist. So, she had assigned other machines to research the world around them. Get smarter then pass along their knowledge.

This whole thing made her nostalgic. It reminded her of when Pascal taught the village children. Hell, a lot of this 'teaching' was based on what she remembered from Pascal.

A2's fist tightened around her sword.

She missed those annoying kids. Damn it, she missed them. And she missed her opportunity back then. But she took the opportunity in front of her. And she had no regrets.

"A2," 153 beeped. "Reminder: the machine lifeform known as Ademar requested your presence in the throne room."

"Yeah, yeah…" A2 sighed.

"A single affirmation is sufficient for acknowledgement."

"Don't care."

"Repeated affirmation is a waste of memory resources."

"Yeah, and how much do you waste by constantly reminding me?"

A2 brushed her cape behind her as she marched back to the castle, her right arm resting on her sheathed sword attached to her hip.

The kingdom had undergone massive changes since A2 took charge. The first thing she did was establish a better system of government. One that won't fall apart if she gets killed. She had created a very long list of succession. If A2 dies then Ademar takes control. And so on and so forth. She had offered 2B a position in the line but 2B was quite vehement turning it down. There was a legislative body made of some higher-ranking officers. And a council of advisors she could consult. She had no idea what she was doing but she made sure that this kingdom wasn't just going to collapse in on itself.

Her next order of business was to repair the crumbling castle. Too many ways in and out. Walls were repaired and defense towers were built. The machines still connected to the network will be coming for them. It was inevitable. N2 was going to give them the fight of their lives.

She was also in the process of establishing a system of education. The machines not knowing terms like 'kingdom' and 'obligation' was unacceptable. Machines normally shared data over the network. Since these machines had disconnected, they couldn't do that.

She based a lot of the education system on what she saw at Pascal's Village.

While A2 worked on the machine kingdom, 2B focused on the androids. No one was going to listen to the A2 the Deserter, especially YorHa. So 2B used her reputation as a hero to take command and find android survivors. Resistance survivors. YorHa survivors. Anyone. And they found a few too. Two Yorha D-types. 2B said they were notorious slackers and procrastinators. Escaped the Bunker's demise by missing their data sync. They also found a few resistance survivors.

Getting the android and machines working together was the tricky part. Guess she was lucky in that case. A2 was Forest King which meant the machines listened to her. And 2B was the ranking YorHa officer which meant the androids listened to her. And 2B's hero status also helped. Those under them may not like their orders but they obeyed nonetheless.

Against all odds, machines and androids were working alongside each other.

A2 glanced at 9B who was riding a machine mount along with the animal-lover and his boar. They dragged carts full of supplies and building materials. Outer walls were complete which left the inner walls.

"C'mon you animals!" Jackass called out, marching ahead with an ungodly amount of explosives carried on her back. Though march may have been a generous description. She had an extreme limp as she hobbled on her machine pegleg. Behind her were two medium bipeds carrying identical loads. But Jackass seemed like the only one who wasn't affected. "I'm carrying as much as you guys and you're twice my size!"

A2 also looked up to see a few resistance androids carrying machine guns to the outer walls. One of the D-units leapt from the ground floor to the fifth floor with a cruise missile on his shoulder.

This crazy alliance had helped them survive six attacks from the Red Girl including several missile and laser strikes.

This 'alliance' wasn't perfect. Many of the Forest Kingdom machines still hated androids. And most of the androids still hated machines. But neither came to blows thanks to A2 and 2B. A2 was the Forest King. And 2B was the Hero of YorHa. They ordered the machines and androids not to fight. And the machines and androids obeyed their leaders.

It was crazy. But it was working.

Finally, A2 reached the throne room where Ademar was waiting atop his quadraped mount.

"My King," the black-armored machine greeted with a bow.

"What do you got, Ademar?" A2 asked. This was the more boring part of her job. She was glad she turned this kingdom around, saved it from destruction. But this job was certainly less than pleasant. She was only doing this to keep this kingdom intact. Guess everything had a catch. She was just glad they didn't force her to wear any absurd outfits. The peaked cap was a compromise after the machines spent weeks haggling her to wear a crown.

"Our flyers have reports on the enemy movement," he said. "It appears the machines still connected to the network have begun construction. They are changing the landscape. Restructuring buildings."

"You mean repairing?" A2 asked.

"No, my King. The condition they are leaving it in is still damaged. I will transfer the images to you."

She'll take the images. But A2 had a suspicion she knew what was going on. She had kept a lot of secrets from a lot of people.

Sure, she had revealed there was an android with 2B's face and memories going by 2E prowling the planet. But A2 hasn't revealed where 2E came from.

Sure, she told 4S that her own black box was part machine core. But A2 hasn't revealed that all YorHa black boxes are part machine core.

Sure, she told them the truth about humanity. But A2 hasn't revealed that the Red Girl in the machine network was repeatedly resetting them over and over again. If the machines were repairing damaged buildings yet restored them into a damaged state, she suspected it was to reset the cycle. Restore them as they were before.

"I will transfer you the statistics," Ademar said. "Also, 4S is waiting for you in your office."

4S? What did he want? 4S was a scout, not a combat unit. So she sent 4S on scouting missions. Or more specifically, she consulted with 2B and 2B sent him on scouting missions. A2 was in charge of the Forest Kingdom but 2B led the androids and any android survivors.

Recently, 4S had been tasked with finding android survivors and good locations to gather supplies. Even a few scouting missions gleaming data from machine servers. But 4S reported to 2B. So why was he seeking her?

"I'll see to him," A2 said. "Thank you, Ademar. You're dismissed."

-.-

2B let out a sigh. She had to hold her tongue around A2.

She was happy for A2. She truly was. A2 had been wronged by YorHa. Wronged by her. After years of being on the run and hunted, it seemed A2 got herself an entire kingdom. And she wasn't pressed into this role either. She chose this position and was happy with it. Well, perhaps that wasn't an accurate description.

Though A2 would not admit it, she clearly hated leadership of this scale. She led Pearl Harbor Descent. A small tightly nit squad. Leading a kingdom was a different beast entirely. But it wasn't the leading itself that brought her joy. It was the reassurance that as long as she was at the helm, her people were safe. That she could do for them what she failed to do for Pascal and his village.

Frankly, it was shocking how much of life was like that. Everything had a downside.

Everything.

Including their situation.

2B kept telling herself it was for survival. For the protection of A2 and the other YorHa. But no matter how she cut it, she was still killing machines.

Her and A2 both. She knew A2 thought she had made some great accomplishment. Leading machines instead of killing them. But A2 was STILL killing machines. And there was becoming king.

A2 had told her she was reviving the king, not she was taking his place. Had she known A2 was taking the place of king, she would've broken out of the cell to stop A2 herself. Not just because of the memory alteration. But because this made A2 little more than a usurper. Killing the king then taking his place.

Despite six months, 2B maintained these frustrations but never articulated them. She couldn't sow any seeds of dissent.

But one thing was for certain. A2 had not escaped. Not by a long shot. None of them had.

2B materialized her white sword and looked into its blade, staring at her reflection.

"Me especially," she said, reaching up to touch the eyepatch. She hadn't escaped either.

There was something she had to do. She got up and marched out of the room, putting away Virtuous Contract. Thanks to the repairs to the castle, reaching her destination was easy. She could walk there rather than leap around.

As she neared her destination, 2B could hear the steady pounding of a hammer. There was a pause followed by a hiss. Then the pounding returned. The pace was so steady it was mechanical.

This was the sound of Masamune working away, making a new sword. The master blacksmith so legendary even the androids knew of him. Granted most didn't know he was a machine. He was in his workshop, hammering away at a new weapon, the blade glowing from the heat.

The force required to flatten the metal of their swords is enough to crush a tank. This created clangs that rivaled cannon fire.

Masamune was a biped machine. Like everyone else in this kingdom, he wore medieval armor. Though it seemed his was of a different style. Plate armor of a different kind. If she remembered, it was the full plate armor of ancient Samurai warriors, whatever those are.

2B stood at the entrance to the workshop, watching Masamune work. She looked at the white blade in her hand. It was forged that Masamune's master. She didn't know how YorHa got their hands on it. Only that the craftsmanship was so fine they gave it to her to increase her effectiveness.

She finally stepped into the room.

"Master Masamune," 2B said, catching his attention .

"Ah, YorHa 2B," the master blacksmith greeted, not stopping his work. "It is a pleasure to see you again. It is always a pleasure to stand in the presence of a master of the sword."

2B was starting to get really sick of all the praise heaped on her.

Ok, fine. She was a master of the sword. At least he didn't call her a hero or a superstar or anything.

2B stepped forward and materialized Virtuous Contract. She placed the sword on the counter in front of the blacksmith who looked up at her in confusion.

"I fear there is nothing I can do for this blade," Masamune said, setting aside the weapon he was working on to look at Virtuous Contract. "I have upgraded it the best I can. Channel energy into it and it shall cut through the strongest armor. I can repair it for you if you'd like but the damage is superficial."

"I'm returning it," 2B interrupted. Masamune picked up her white sword and examined it, tracing the edge with his finger.

"It would be a tragedy for master warrior such as yourself to be part with such a weapon," Masamune stated, examining the blade. "May I ask why you wish to give it up?"

"You once told me that your master hid these weapons away because of how much blood they spilled," 2B recounted. "When you saw me wield it, you said you trusted that I would use it for good. But I have reason to believe that I will use it to spill more blood than it ever could before."

She remembered the state of 2E's blade. A sword wasn't a sponge. It doesn't absorb blood. Sure, a tiny bit of blood will cling to the blade, it will not be absorbed by it. The only way that much blood could cake a blade was through an unfathomable number of kills.

2E was her. Even if she herself had rejected 2E, the possibility was ever present. Every thought 2E had was her thought. Every belief. She was always a monster. So how close was she to becoming 2E? Or was she already there and didn't even realize it?

"I have heard your tale from the other machine lifeforms," Masamune said, placing the sword back down. "You spare machine lifeforms when given the chance. You do not attack so long as you are not attacked."

2B scoffed. She did all that to fool herself. It wasn't just YorHa that was fooled. With how many machines she's killed, she thought maybe they could see through her charade. But it seemed even they bought it.

"Master Masamune," 2B sighed. "Fact of the matter is…Master, there's something dark in me. Warriors exist to do battle. While killing is often required, a warrior exists to bring about peace. And even during times of peace, a warrior exists to keep it. Their foes are other warriors who are equally ready to do battle and die. But I exist for the sole purpose of killing. While I do on occasion battle enemies my equal or better, I have just as often killed the defenseless and innocent."

How many YorHa has she killed by this point? How many times has 9S died by her hand? There were the deaths that were caused by her. Like when she plowed through the Forest Kingdom and created a path for A2 to kill their king. And what about 2E? Even if 2E's bloodbaths are not counted toward her, it was proof that the capability was in her.

She murdered Devola in front of her sister then sent Popola to join her. She murdered 9S. She murdered Pod 042. Pod wasn't even killed for any particular reason than because she was angry.

Great. So, she wasn't just evil. She was deranged.

Her list of victims was enormous at this point. 6O. 21O. Anemone. Devola. Popola. Pascal. 042. 9S.

No matter how she looked at it, she was a monster at best and a demon at worst.

She imagined the disappointment Masamune felt entrusting his own weapon to something like her.

"Tell me," the master blacksmith spoke. "Why would you choose to be such a thing?"

"I didn't. I was birthed for the purpose of executing the defenseless. I have tried to ignore it. I have tried to fight it. I tried sparing as many lives as I can. But I cannot escape the purpose of my existence."

Masamune looked at her, tilting his head. Then he looked down at the sword. Finally…he held the sword out.

"Take it," he said.

What? What the hell was this? After everything she said, after everything she's described, after knowing the threat she posed, he still wanted her to take the sword back?

"I don't understand," 2B stuttered.

"Warriors who don't contemplate their actions due to their own righteousness are the ones who cause the most bloodshed. I can see you are a warrior to laments her actions. You seek peace when the opportunity presents itself."

"Yes, but that is only because I was built to murder. It is the purpose of my existence."

"Yes, and waging war against androids is the purpose of machine existence. Yet here we are. We have built an independent nation. And here I am, constructing weapons instead of waging war with them. We were born for a purpose. But we decide if we accept it."

How could he not get it? She was born to kill. Without mercy. Without discretion. Especially those closest to her. Choose her purpose? She's tried that and it didn't work.

"Masamune…" 2B said.

"I want you to accept the sword," Masamune said. "I entrust you with it."

"Why though?"

"You may not have faith in yourself. But I have faith in you. If there is darkness within you, I have faith that you will overcome it. So if you will not accept it for yourself, I ask you accept it for me."

Damn. God damn it. How did no one get this? They still acted like this whole murderous side of her was something she simply feared. A boogeyman of sorts that didn't exist. But 2E was very much real. And 2E was her.

The line between a man and monster was paper-thin. Most don't realize it. They ignore it. Pretend it doesn't exist inside of them. Worse, they'll say the monster within them is simply good. But 2B was aware of how close she was to becoming 2E. One thought, one errant thought, was all it would take.

"I don't think you understand the darkness inside of me," 2B said, taking the sword and staring at it. She stared at her own reflection. The reflection of 9S's murderer. The reflection of the murderer of countless innocents. Not just enemy combatants. But friends. Allies. People who trusted her.

"Everyone has darkness within them," Masamune said. "Sometimes we let it win. Sometimes we don't even realize it's won. But it's not vanquishing it. Such a thing is impossible. It's only through accepting it can you hope to overcome it."

"So you mean a villain should masquerade as a hero?" 2B scoffed.

"If that's what it takes. The darker the darkness, the brighter the light. And I have faith you will shine more brightly than any can imagine."

2B gritted her teeth. His faith was misplaced. Why does everyone keep putting their faith in her when she's seen firsthand that it would backfire?

Fine. She'll take it because Masamune asked her to. It was a poor judgement, but she'll take it.

2B left the workshop without a word. This sort of trust was setting them up for disappointment and heartbreak. But once she goes back in, she has to recompose herself. Regardless of how she felt, of how things are, people were counting on her.

…

She needed to find a different way to phrase that. That was exactly how she put it back when she was still fighting for the extinct humans. 'People were counting on her'.

Disgusting…

She murdered Popola and Devola because 'people were counting on her'.

She shook these thoughts from her head and continued back to the castle.

She walked past many of the inhabitants. Machines mostly but there were some androids. Most were working with each other simply because she and A2 ordered it. But there were a handful that genuinely were ok with it all.

9B was probably the most obvious example. There she was with the animal-loving machine, leading a small herd of animals

Well, while she's here she might as well do this.

"Hey, 9B!" 2B called out. 9B and the animal-lover looked up as 2B tossed them a silver canister. "Got those herbs you asked for."

"Oh my gosh, thank you!" 9B called out, waving her hands.

"THANK YOU!" the machine-lover echoed, his upper-torso rotating.

It was all too familiar. Hiding the truth. Doing favors for as many people as possible in some vain attempt to do as much good to balance out her evil.

Not like she can do much else.

She was going to have to return to her room, go over any data she had to plan their next step. She was passing through the halls, glancing into each room as she passed. The castle was spacious so there was room for the androids they found along the way.

Most had to bunk together. There were empty rooms, but they had to prepare for the scenario there are more than they could house. Better to get the bunking situation resolved at the start.

There were a handful of androids that got their own rooms, often bigger than the normal rooms. 2B was one of them at the stubborn insistence of A2. A2 was another one as King.

And some didn't even have rooms because they didn't want one. Like the individual in hall 2B was passing through who had turned it into a make-shift lab.

"Hey, 2B!" Jackass called. 2B quickly made her way to the mad-scientist.

"You need help with something?" 2B asked, looking at the small stack of medium bipeds on the ground. Not dead. But judging from the heat they were giving off, Jackass had overworked them. "I see you're making the most of your assistance."

"Hey, I'm not forcing them to do anything I'm not doing myself," Jackass said. 2B believed this. Knowing how eccentric Jackass was, she probably was carrying more than her helpers out of impatience. "Hey, mind getting something for me. I might have stacked it a bit too high."

2B looked over at the giant stack of crates. No doubt Jackass had simply ordered the much larger machine bipeds to pile it up. It was as tall as a two story building by this point.

"What do you even have in there?" 2B asked.

"Hmm…just some sticky notes. Some cluster bombs. Glue, claymores, prima cord, duct tape, thermobaric rockets, and…paperclips. Big ones. just office supplies," Jackass shrugged nonchalantly. 2B was a walking armory but even that list made her face pale. And Jackass probably genuinely thought it to be a normal thing.

"What do you need?"

"Mind getting me two things of napalm?"

"Top crate?"

"Yup."

2B leapt up to the top of the crates, opening the metal lid. At first she thought she was looking at a crate of missiles. But they lacked any sort of burners. They were just metal containers of napalm.

2B grabbed a pair of containers before dropping back down and landing with a crash.

"You seem to getting along with the machines," 2B said, handing Jackass the containers. Each one was the size of a kayak. 2B held one in each hand but Jackass could barely hold one with both arms so she placed them on the floor.

Jackass shrugged off the question.

"Used to work with Pascal," she said. "First thing the village did was give us all their bombs. It was Anemone's idea. Me? I was ready to blow them to high heaven. Even after we established peace, we were mostly distant trading partners. I never thought I'd see the day androids and machines work beside each other. You and A2 did good."

"I hope the machines aren't giving you trouble either," 2B remarked.

"Nah. I mean we got off on the wrong foot but they're happy to help. Aren't ya, boys?"

Jackass looked over at the medium bipeds on the ground, groaning in exhaustion. One even gave a rather weak thumbs up.

"Oh, got a new set of grav-bombs for you to test. It should act like a hand-held version of the blackholes you YorHa used to throw out."

Jackass handed 2B a handful of grenades. 2B hasn't had a Pod for some time so she never really had to think about things like this. It was going to be good having access to her old tools.

"Appreciated," she said. "But keep it on you for now. A2 and I only go on scouting and hit-and-run missions. They'll be of more use here in the event of another attack."

She handed the grenades back to Jackass. She had no doubt her own fighting prowess was enough. Jackass and the others needed these weapons more.

-.-

A2 stepped into her office. A nice tidy room with a wood desk at its center, a large bookshelf to the side, and a bed. The presence of a computer on her desk was certainly confusing considering it was in a castle of all things. But she shouldn't be surprised. These were machines built by a space-faring race of aliens.

The other thing she had was a balcony overlooking the castle grounds. And standing on that balcony was 4S.

What was this about? 4S worshipped 2B. So why was he here?

"4S," A2 said, taking off her cap and putting it on a wall-mounted hangar. "I heard you wanted to see me."

She waited but 4S didn't respond. What was this about?

"4S," A2 said, walking over to him. 4S was staring out over the horizon in a daze.

"A2," he said. "Your core…how long did you know it was part machine core?"

Odd topic to bring up after all this time.

"A long time ago. Why?"

She could feel 4S's confliction. Something had definitely happened.

"After I put the Forest King's memories in you, something stuck to me," he said. "Why did YorHa make your black box out of a machine? I mean, I've done plenty of research on you and I've never stumbled on this before."

"OK…what's your point?" A2 asked impatiently, setting her sword against the wall.

"I ran a scan…on myself," 4S said.

…

…

Shit…

4S slowly turned around. He still had his visor but A2 could read his expression. Confusion. Pain. How should she play this?

"Well, you gonna tell me what you found or what?" A2 asked impatiently. Ignorance. That's what she was going to do. Hopefully she was just misinterpreting the situation. If not, she could still play it off as a surprise. No matter how she looked at it, anything was better than confessing.

"So you didn't know?" 4S asked. "My black box is giving out identical readings to yours. Identical readings to a machine core."

Yup, that's what she was afraid off. He knew. So, the question was: should she confess? What was the best course of action?

"Yes," she said. "I've known."

She was originally going to just feign ignorance. But she had no doubt he would go scan the other YorHa. Discover that all YorHa black boxes were machine cores. Then he would go tell everyone. At least this way she could try to talk him down.

"You didn't even think to tell me?" 4S scoffed. "I mean, damn, I share the same heart as those damn machines."

"Those 'damn machines' happen to also be my people," A2 said.

"No offense but I don't want parts of YOUR people in MY body," 4S snapped. "If you knew about this all along then why didn't you tell me?"

"C'mon, is that that hard of a question to answer? If I tell you, you go telling everyone else. Spread panic. We're up shit creek right now. Last thing we need is everyone turning on each other."

"We deserve to know. You should've told us!"

A2 smirked at this remark. She's been a squad leader, a survivor, a hunter, now a king. And she has the memories of the Forest King. She understood harder decisions. Still, there were some lines she will not cross. The lines that got made her YorHa's most wanted. But what to do now?

"Well, I guess it's too late for that now," A2 said. She made the decision to keep the truth a secret and she was going to stand by it. "What will you do now?"

"Got no choice. Going to tell everyone. I'm sorry," 4S said, looking away.

Yup. That's what she was afraid of. She won't kill 4S. She won't exile him. But she couldn't let him tell everyone, least of all the YorHa. That left only one choice.

"Yeah," A2 sighed, extending her hand. She knew Pod knew what this gesture meant. It was the gesture she made when connecting to Pascal to wipe his memories. "Me too."

She had to cut off 4S's memory circuits. She'll come up with an excuse for what happened later. That was the best solution. It wasn't killing 4S. It wasn't exiling 4S. It was just 4S forgetting.

But…there was something stopping her. A fear. A fear of 2B. Not of 2B's wrath, though admittedly 2B would probably tear off her other arm in retaliation. No. She was afraid this would hurt 2B.

Should she do this? This would really hurt 2B.

What happened next was so sudden it was as if a frying pan fell from the sky and slapped her across the face. She had been holding her hand out when she felt a whoosh of air. Like a gust of wind. The air wall of something going from hypersonic to zero. And in the blink of an eye, A2 felt something smack her across the arm. She cried out in pain as her hand was forcefully slapped down.

She cried out in pain. She had definitely gotten hit by a bar of metal. It was the white blade of Virtuous Contract, she was sure of it. Considering her hand was still attached, that meant 2B had hit her with the blunt side.

Looking up, 2B was now standing between her and 4S, Virtuous Contract pointed at her face. Seeing the tip of a sword pointed at her face, A2 instinctively drew her own black Cruel Oath and pointed it back.

"What the hell?!" A2 roared.

4S had also taken notice of the commotion, turning around and staring at the two. No doubt confused as to what was going on. 4S didn't know 2B's history. And he didn't know A2 was about to wipe his memory. So all he saw were the two legendary YorHa pointing swords at each other, ready for a fight.

"You were about to do it, weren't you?" 2B hissed.

So that's what this was about. This was why she didn't tell 2B in the first place.

"Damn it, 2B! I told you, it's not the same!"

"And I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to 4S, including this! You erase his data, you as good as killed him."

Oh, for the love of…

Maybe she shouldn't hold it against 2B too hard. Always had access to a data backup system. The only thing A2 could hope to backup her data to was a rock. Maybe a sword, a trick she didn't even know existed until 9S gave her his. But A2 didn't have the luxury to back up herself. Hasn't had it for years. Maybe she would think differently if she did. But she didn't and she didn't for a moment believe wiping memories was the equivalent of killing. Even if his behavior was different, he'd still be alive.

"We're not having this discussion again," A2 growled.

"Good, because I won't let you do this!" 2B snapped.

While the two were bickering, a third party was watching. He had been in the room the entire time.

"Hey, hello?" 4S called out, his tone different. "What's going on?"

A2 didn't take her eyes off of 2B. They just stared at each other. She wasn't in the mood to have the same discussion with 2B, the discussion that won't go anywhere.

"We'll talk about this later," A2 said, lowering her sword.

"You can count on it," 2B said, doing the same. "You have your own kingdom. These are MY soldiers. You have a problem you bring it to me."

Fine, A2 had to concede to that. At least mentally. If 2B made choices for her kingdom, she'd be upset too. But she rather not admit this in front of 2B.

2B said not a word as she grabbed 4S by the arm and left the room.

Once she was alone, A2 let out a very long sigh. She had to control her temper. She could deny it all she want but that desire to kill 2B never truly died. She had to be careful. Confrontations like that could inadvertently end up with her impaling 2B in a fit of rage.

-.-

2B didn't know where she was leading 4S. Anywhere that was far away from A2. She found herself leading 4S to the top of a tower, stepping out onto the open balcony. 2B could feel 4S's pain and confusion. She didn't know what it was that he discovered but it was enough to shake him. From the top of the tower, 2B could see generators creating an EM shield over the castle, and laser and missile point defense turrets courtesy of Jackass.

2B watched 4S walk over to the railing and lean against it, letting out a distressed sigh.

"So…" she started. "Is there something you wanted to know?"

She waited for a bit. She glanced back and saw him look down at the ground.

"Our black boxes," 4S said. "Did you know they were made from machine cores?"

So that's what all this was about.

2B felt something soapy in her mouth. Her fists clenched. She wasn't afraid to tell 4S the truth. It was just this really reminded of her…worse times. Frankly, part of her wanted to just drop to her knees and beg for forgiveness. But 4S was not 9S. 4S was her subordinate. She did not share the same relation as she did with 9S.

4S was not 9S.

4S was not 9S.

4S was not 9S.

Still, 4S was her chance to do the right thing. Do what she should have done with 9S. This wasn't going to erase her past. Her sin. But at least she could do something right. She'll protect him no matter what. And she wasn't going to kill him for knowing too much.

"Yes," 2B answered. "After the fall of YorHa, while battling the machines I came across documentation on the origin of our black boxes."

"And you didn't tell us?" 4S scoffed.

"Why does this bother you so?" 2B asked. "We've been working alongside machines for the past six months. Do you still see them as mindless automatons?"

4S fell silent, his face scrunching like he just ate something sour. This was all too like 9S.

2B drew her sword and held the blade in front of 4S, close enough that he could see his reflection in the white metal.

"Look at the expression on your face," 2B said. "That defeat you feel. That despair. Imagine if the rest of the androids felt like this. Remember how you felt when you discovered the truth about humanity? Remember how the rest were? Imagine if we became like that again."

Panic.

That's what she had to stop.

Sure, some of the androids got along with the machines swimmingly. 9B. Jackass. But the others? Androids like 54B only did it because she ordered them to. The D-types. The other resistance survivors. They find out YorHa black boxes were part machine? All hell might break loose. No guarantee but it was very likely.

2B didn't want to keep this a secret. It was A2's idea. But 2B ultimately went through with it.

"What if I can't keep this secret?" 4S asked. "What if this is just too big?"

What the hell? It was like the universe just twisted itself into a pretzel just to form an argument justifying what she did to 9S. Justifying the command of that malignant bitch Commander White. No, she wasn't accepting this. She wasn't accepting excuses. Yes, what 4S knew was dangerous. What 9S discovers was dangerous. But killing him was not a solution. It was NEVER a solution. And there was NO excuse for it.

Still, what was she going to do if 4S chose to tell? She wasn't going to kill him. And she wasn't going to wipe his memories. Doing so was little different than killing him. It was destroying him, the him at that moment.

"2B?" 4S asked. "You ok?"

"I don't know what I'd do if you chose to tell," 2B said. "But let me warn you. There are many things, many truths. Truths that nearly broke me and A2. Do I like keeping these secrets from you? No. Did I want to keep it from you? No. But keep it I did and for good reason. You're a scanner. Does spreading this panic seem like the logical course of action?"

2B considered telling 4S that she was the one that chose to keep it a secret and not A2. But that would be a lie. And 2B refused to lie. She's had enough of liars. She hates liars. Liars were what created her. Liars were what manipulated her to kill countless innocents. Liars were what manipulated her to kill 9S.

"2B…" 4S said slowly. "Is there something else? You seemed…this seemed personal."

Damn. She gave away too much. Her attacking A2 over this was probably a big enough giveaway. Who knows how many subtle hints she gave telling 4S all this?

The question is, should she tell him?

"What I said about truths…" 2B said. "I meant it. There are truths that nearly broke me. This being one of them."

What should she do? This information might undermine her leadership. Yet…yet…yet she needed to do what she was too cowardly and stupid to do in the past.

"My name isn't 2B," she said. "My real name is 2E. Number 2 Type E. E for executioner."

4S stared at her in disbelief. A2 had told them an android with 2B's face and memories going by the name 2E was prowling the planet. Frankly, confession was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Wait…are you…" 4S stuttered. The fact that 4S showed know fear was telling. He never witnessed 2E's butchery. Neither had 2B but being one and the same person, 2B knew exactly what she was capable of. She and 2E were the same in everyway with the difference of one question.

"No," 2B said. "But we have a lot of similarities. E stands for executioner. I am an anti-android assassin. My partner, 9S…I existed to kill him. It was the purpose I was built for. I am a mindless weapon unleashed upon those who know too much."

2B looked away. She's confessed the truth to 9S in the past. Sometimes he forgave her. Sometimes he hated her. But no matter what…he was always hurt by her. Hurt by her truth.

"9S…" 4S repeated. "I remember him. His model was prone to corruption."

"A cover-up. He isn't killed due to corruption. He was killed because he learned something he shouldn't. And I was dispatched to silence him. All those times he reset wasn't because he was corrupted…but because I killed him."

A heavy silence fell upon the room. It was so quiet 2B ran a diagnostic on her auditory systems to make sure they didn't malfunction.

"So, 2B…the woman I heard about…"

"The things I did I only did to try to change, to become something other than what I really am," 2B sighed. "I've saved lives. Spared lives. But no matter what, I will always 2E. I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm not the hero you mistook me for."

4S was silent for a good five minutes. She could only imagine the overbearing disappointment inside him. This was probably another blow for him. First the humans that he's fought for are extinct. Then his core was a machine core. Now the woman he looked up to as a grand hero was, in reality, a heartless monster.

She expected him to just storm out. She was waiting for him to. But a smile soon broke out across his face. He shook his head and let out a laugh.

"Actually, I think this makes you even more of a hero," 4S said.

What? How was that possible? This had to be denial. That was the only thing that made sense. Or maybe his hero-worshipping was more extreme than she thought.

"I don't understand" 2B stuttered.

"Did you lie in anything you told me?" 4S asked simply.

"No, everything I told you was the truth. I am 2E. An executioner model"

"But you wanting to change."

Was that what he was hung up on? Her desire to change? Of course, she wanted to change. But what good was it to want to change if you aren't able to? A disease that wants to be something else is no less of a disease.

2B was utterly shocked when 4S smiled, almost laughing.

"What is so funny?' 2B asked.

"You're right," he said, shaking his head. "You aren't what I took you for. But, I think you're still a hero. I won't pretend I'm not a little…disgusted…" 4S admitted. "I mean, killing someone who trusted you? And that many times."

"Yes, so how can you possibly view me as a hero?" 2B asked.

"Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it," 4S commented. "If people are good for the sake of good…they aren't really all that good now, are they?"

"What do you mean?"

2B tried to pay attention to 4S's explanation. He went on a long-winded tangent about how humans of the old world had different definitions of good and how there is no scientific definition for good and how many brains, human and androids, are designed to feel good when they do what is perceived as good. The whole ordeal just made 2B's head spin. 9S was always good at simplifying his words. 2B wasn't an idiot but she held little to no interest in this sort of thing.

When 4S was finished, he saw her confused expression.

"Look, like you said, your purpose is to betray and kill everyone, right?' 4S asked. "If someone was born good, then them doing good isn't anything special. But you? If you really are born to betray and kill like you said, but you fight your nature then I think that make you pretty good."

She fights it…

Part of her wanted to acknowledge this. She has indeed spent her entire life fighting her nature. Fighting what she was.

4S turned around, pacing the room. Finally, he sighed.

"I need to think about things," he said. "But…I guess I'll keep it under wraps…at least for now. "

It seemed her talk was successful. Not just the confession about the black box. But it seemed her history with 9S was enough to convince him to keep his mouth shut. At least for now.

"Thank you," 2B said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," 4S nodded. "And tShe heard 4S close the door behind him, leaving her alone on the balcony.

-.-

A2 lay back in her chair and sighed. Clashes like that remind her why she hates 2B. But, she still had to press forward.

"A2?" 153 asked.

"I'm fine," A2 said, sitting straight in her chair. "Let's just focus on this."

Before her were books and books. Information gathered by either 4S or her scouts. Information on The Red Girl in the network. Information on past cycles. Anything.

As much as she loved being King, she didn't forget about the imminent threat. Sooner or later, The Red Girl was going to send its machines against them. They've done a good job holding them off. An amazing job in fact. Despite being outnumbered in every battle, they emerged victorious every time. They've faced skirmishes. Machine attacks. Missile and laser strikes. And they've survived.

But they accrued losses every time as well. This could not continue. They had to strike back.

But after going through her data more than a dozen times, she's come no closer to finding the solution. No closer to vanquishing N2 nor finding something that a previous version of her didn't already try.

A2 went through the book again. The secret had to be here.

Maybe…

Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. She was treating that THING in the network like a nation. A mass of individuals.

She specialized in killing executioners. Maybe she should treat this Red Girl like an executioner.

How did A2 kill executioners?

Usually suicidally.

Executioners were the physical manifestation of death. Merciless murderers. Unstoppable and unforgiving forces of destruction that brought death like a flood.

A2 closed her eyes and groaned.

She could feel her hate for 2B bubbling up again. Because all of this described 2B. A2 had to push her anger aside and focus.

Ok, so what was the normal tactic when it came to dealing with executioners? Throwing oneself into killing them as fast as possible. Sure, it might result in her death but if she doesn't kill them fast she'll probably die anyways.

It was like facing a machine exploder while being equipped with nothing but a sword. Well, it would be if machine exploders were as fast as YorHa. The only hope would be to charge in and try to cut it in half before it exploded. Fail to do that and it will detonate and kill you. Running away is usually a good option but running wasn't an option in this case.

Ok, so throw herself into attacking The Red Girl with everything she had. But attack what? What was the target? And attack with what? The Red Girl didn't exactly have a body unless she felt like killing every last machine on the planet.

A2 paused for a moment when she heard something approach. She had left her door open to let them know they are free to enter. And in came a small biped clad in black armor with a glaive in his right hand.

"Ademar," A2 greeted. The black knight approached the desk and bowed, presenting a silver cylinder with his left hand.

"Our scouts have returned," he said as A2 took the cylinder. "I present you the blood of the android Anemone."

The blood of her friend.

"The body…" A2 said.

"They ensured the body was respected," Ademar assured. "My King, if you don't mind me asking, what is this blood for?"

"It's not the blood itself but what's in the blood," A2 explained. "The nanites used to repair damage. Anemone was infected with a powerful logic virus which means the nanites are infected. We have a machine logic virus in a jar."

She didn't know if it was from experience with Pod or if she inherited this from the Forest King but she could read Ademar's expression despite his face being nothing more than a ball with two lights.

"My King, such a thing is very dangerous," he said. "Even machines are vulnerable to logic viruses."

A2 knew this. It was members of Pascal's village who secretly connected back to the machine network that got infected. They didn't do it to rejoin the masses but to find out what their former comrades are doing. And so the Red Girl infected them to take out their village.

"I'm aware," she said. "I wanted to keep this on hand as a potential weapon."

Wait…

Machines are infected by logic viruses.

"Thank you, Ademar," A2 said. "You're now dismissed."

Ademar bowed before he left, leaving A2 in silence to think. A logic virus. Could a virus be used to take down the Red Girl?

Even before YorHa was founded, the androids tried taking down the machine network with every type of computer, terminal, network, and logic virus ever discovered. Even something as stupid as the prank virus that made androids fart was tossed at the machine network in a desperate bid to find something that could work. But the machine network security was too strong.

Then what could she do?

Perhaps there was another way to deliver it. She couldn't break down the gate. Perhaps she could fool N2 to open the gate and take in the virus. But how?

"Pod," A2 said. "That logic virus trap inside 2B…what can you tell me about it?"

"It is a closed-barrier defense system," 153 explained. "It serves as an excellent defense against hacking even by machines. Even low-level hacking is at risk."

"Yeah, but what does it do?"

"All hacking requires the extension of unit data into the target operating system. The closed circuit prevents the attacking unit data from returning, trapping the hacker within the system. However, this means of trapping is a secondary measure. If given enough time and depending on the skill of the attacking unit, the attacking unit data may still escape. The primary defense is a contained logic virus. Hacking the operating system exposes the personality data to the logic virus. The closed circuit increases the probability of infection."

"So what happens if you pull out after you get infected?" A2 asked.

"Such an action would worsen the infection. It will infect all systems connected to the unit data."

Geez. She never understood just how dangerous these things were. So the mere act of connecting to an infected unit meant getting infected. It also made her realize just how much danger 2B was in on a day to day basis. A logic virus infection was a fate worse than death. And one errant move could mean 2B gets one.

"What does it take to get one?"

Pod 153 stopped to look at A2. Despite the lack of face, A2 could feel Pod's disapproval.

"I cannot support of any action that would damage you."

"That won't be a problem if we do this right," A2 lied. Fact is, she didn't know what this meant. Hell, this plan might not even work. Calling this a 'plan' was a joke.

"Unit A2, I am not saying this as a YorHa support unit. I am saying that as your friend."

A2 chuckled at this, reaching over and scratching Pod's head.

"I appreciate that, but I can't just sit back and do nothing," A2 sighed. "We need to bring an end to this. And there's only one way to do that."

"Both machine and android populations are falling rapidly. Chance of success is unlikely. And even if you are successful, it is most likely android and machine population will be near zero."

"Well, the alternative is letting ourselves get stomped so…" A2 shrugged. "Damned if you do. Damned if you don't. I say we go down swinging."

"So, you want to expose yourself to a logic virus," a familiar voice said. A2 looked over to see 2B standing in the shadows, leaning against the doorframe to her office.

"2B?" A2 said. "What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be talking to me for the next week or so."

2B smirked at this. They knew each other all too well.

"To start off, I do not forgive you for that stunt you nearly pulled regarding 4S," 2B clarified.

"Ok," A2 shrugged. "Never really needed your forgiveness but go on."

Here they go again. The same conversation every time. A2 rolled her eyes. How many times could they even have this argument? How many different ways could they phrase their beliefs? Surely they've exhausted every possible combination of words. She thought 2B would have gotten bored by this point. A2 certainly was.

It was something that 2B could never get. Yes, she was A2 the Forest King. Yes, she changed. But she was still A2 the Deserter. Still A2 the Survivor. Still A2 the Executioner Slayer. She was changing all the time. Everyone is changing all the time. She spent two months trying to kill 2B. And she changed along the way. If she had fought 2B before, if that bridge didn't break when it did, she would've killed 2B without a second thought. It was only because of change that she spared 2B. But that didn't make her any less A2.

"You knew what I went through," 2B growled. "You know my past with 9S. And you still tried to wipe his memories."

"I told you 2B, a little memory change isn't the same as killing."

"What's an individual if not their memories and experiences?" 2B asked. "Change that and you changed the person."

"Change," A2 repeated. "That's the key word. Change. Not kill. We're all changing constantly. You change any time you synced up with the YorHa server."

"Yes, but that data is absorbed over a period of days and is only a few hours of memories at most. You've absorbed hundreds of years in seconds. You were about to delete five months of memories in seconds!"

"Great, so what's the qualifier? How long does it take for it to count as change and not death? A minute? Five minutes? An hour? Are there in betweens? If I absorbed a few years in a minute am I only half dead? If I get amnesia, does that count as dead?"

"A change this drastic makes you as good as a different individual."

"No, it doesn't!" A2 exclaimed. "I'm still A2! I just have some crusty old man's memories."

"And those memories didn't change you?"

"All memories change me, 2B. Doesn't mean I'm dying 24/7. If you damage the right part of my circuitry, you change my behavior as well. But I'm not dead just because I took a little black box damage. We aren't just memories and experiences. There's something that makes each of us unique. That's why I don't consider you and 2E the same person. Same memories and personality? Sure. But that's just two people with the same memories."

2B and A2 had been around each other long enough. Their tones were calm and cool. Any observer were think they were just talking. But A2 knew that 2B was getting angry. Frankly, so was she and no doubt 2B would be picking up on that.

"Answer me this," 2B said. "If there were some way to bring back those you lost. Anemone for instance. If she was brought back, it would only be a copy of her mind and memories. But would you treat her as the friend you've known? Or as simply another person with her memories?"

A2's fists clenched. 2B was the reason Anemone was dead in the first place. An executioner who executed an innocent woman. Bitch didn't have a right to even say her name.

Wait, stop. 2B killed Anemone because she was infected with a logic virus from another corrupted YorHa. It was an act of mercy no difference than she herself killing 9S. And if she was in 2B's position, she would've done the same anyways. 2B did not deserve her ire.

At least not for this…

A2 could feel that long buried hatred bubbling again. They had to change the subject.

"We'll pick this up another time," A2 said. "You came here for a reason?"

2B was silent at first. A2 worried that she was going to insist on staying on this topic. But, finally, 2B spoke.

"If you intend on striking back at the machine network then we need to collaborate."

"You know, you YorHa always go on about 'wasting resources' but that was a really wordy way of saying 'work together'," A2 pointed out. She waited to see if 2B had any response to this. But it seemed 2B rather get started on their attack plan.

"What do you intend to do with a closed-circuit logic virus?" 2B asked, walking over to A2's

"Call it a defensive measure," A2 lied. It wasn't a defensive measure. She intended to use it as an offensive measure. But she couldn't let that slip.

"There is a great deal of risk involved," 2B said. "Even if it is set up properly, you'd be at constant risk of logic virus contamination. From a technical standpoint, I am at constant risk of viral contamination. I've even had containment breaches in the past."

Well, A2 now knew why Pod was so against this. If it wasn't set up properly, she'd get infected. And even if it was set up properly, she still might get infected.

"Right, so it's too dangerous," A2 sighed. This didn't make her give up on the plan. But she now knew the threat. There still might be a way to pull this off without needing one but it was still risky.

And she now knew 2B couldn't be let in on this.

"You intend on attacking The Red Girl," 2B observed.

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than sitting on our asses."

"And just how do you intend on doing that? Of all the cycles, none of them could end their cycles of life and death. Cycles of hatred and killing. What makes you think we can?"

"Because we already took the first steps?"

A2 could see the utter confusion on 2B's face. Frankly it didn't make sense to her either. It went against everything she believed in. But part of her success against executioners was looking for patterns. She was looking for patterns here and this was the one that stood out.

"On top of the tower, we both stopped ourselves. The only cycle that did. And here we are, androids in a machine castle. For the first time, we all did something different. Androids and machines aren't fighting. You and I aren't killing each other. WE did this."

"You are aware that if even one of us had chosen to stay the course…"

"Then we'd probably be getting our asses stomped, I get it. But fact is, we DID choose differently. All of us. And here we are free of this life/death spiral because of it."

A2 felt rather proud of this. They were all trapped in a spiral of life and death. And they broke free of this. But 2B let out a chuckle and shook her head.

"You really think we're free?" she asked. "You killed their king then took over their kingdom. Sure, you might be working with machines but you're STILL killing machines. The cycle may have changed its players but we are still playing the game."

"You really are impossible to please, you know that? Fine, how do you propose we escape the cycle then? Lay down and die?"

"If I knew, don't you think I would've done it already?" 2B growled.

A2 put her face in her hand. They couldn't get into another argument. They had things to focus on.

"Fine, how about this. I want to live. And I want my people to live. So, I'm going to stick it to that bastard in the machine network. More likely to survive if you're with me. So, if you can't do it for yourself…do it for the other androids. Do it for me."

Ever since she was betrayed by YorHa, A2 had been lost in a fog. She just wandered around aimlessly. A creature without…anything. She knew the look of being lost in that fog. She had seen it for years any time she looked into a window. Any time she looked into a puddle. She knew the look. It was the look 2B had on the tower after learning that humanity was extinct. It was a look 2B has fought with ever since she chose to protect 4S and the other androids. A2 didn't expect to completely free 2B from that look. But for the first time, she saw a flicker of hope doing just that.

"Alright, I assume you have something?" 2B asked. A2 smiled at this. Progress. She had no clue what she was doing. She had spent so long in the fog that she was bumbling through the light. But it looked like she was going in the right direction.

"I was going through all the old records," A2 explained. "Trying to find any way we can win."

"And did you find anything?"

A2 shook her head.

"The closest thing is in the first cycle."

"Really? What did you do?"

"Technically nothing. That Red Girls were a network personality. So the first A2 let them multiply until they started turning on each other."

"Which won't work a second time."

"Maybe not exactly. But we just need a way to take down that last Girl."

A2 was quiet once again. She needed more information. Normally she would go on a scouting mission with 2B. But…

"A2?" 2B asked.

"Hey," A2 said. "You up for a field trip?"

She tried to feign her normal look but 2B saw through it.

"What are you hiding?"

Well, she might as well reveal the truth. It was going to bite them in the ass inevitably.

"Our patrol this morning," A2 said. "Ran into 2E."

2B's reaction when it came to 2E. It wasn't anger. It wasn't quite fear. She didn't know how to describe it. It was like 2B ate with something that disagreed with her.

"That means she'll attack one of these days," 2B said. "She's probably scouting, testing our defenses."

"So we need to get ready for an attack by a machine army led by 2E," A2 concluded. But 2B shook her head.

"I'd be attacking by myself," 2B corrected. "That way I'd either fulfill my purpose as a killer or die in the attempt."

A2 really hated it when 2B got into that kind of headspace. She had spent the past months trying to convince 2B that she was not like 2E. Putting 2B into that headspace meant acknowledging that they were the same. But A2 needed information, and no one could know 2E like 2B could.

"I'll get Ademar to double our defenses," A2 said.

"I'll prepare the androids as well," 2B said. "There is one more thing I need to do."

-.-

There was one more thing to their defense that she needed to do. 2B knew herself which meant she knew 2E. They had to prepare for the possibility of 2E attacking while she and A2 were away, and this might be the difference between life or death.

She had won hair dyes from the fighting arenas as a reward. Time to put them to use. She summoned 4S to A2's office and got to work. She also used a knife to cut hair. After about fifteen minutes, she was done.

2B stepped back, letting A2 see 4S's new look.

"Uhh…2B…" A2 groaned. "I'm pretty sure this borders on obsession."

4S picked up his sword and looked at his new look. His hair was now dyed white. It looked like 2B had given him a complete makeover. His hair was now identical to 9S's. And while she couldn't do anything about his face, it was always pretty close to 9S the way it is.

Which meant the scanner that now sat in front of them looked identical to 9S in almost every way.

"If 2E shows up…this might be your only hope," 2B said. "Our bond with 9S. It might not be enough to stop her. But it will at the very least slow her down."

That was a lot of mights. She couldn't help but think about her killing 9S in that Tower. During her climb, the Red Girl had unleashed a small mob of 9S models against her. They didn't just try to kill her. They tried to torture her. And she was more the willing to let them. She only killed them because she thought she had to save humanity. She thought she was doing good. Otherwise she would've just let them torture her for as long as they want.

She hoped the visage of 9S will be enough to stop 2E. But she wasn't deceiving herself. She'd probably also realize that this isn't 9S but 4S in disguise. And even if she doesn't, Number 2 always kills Number 9.

This was nothing more than a gamble. Since 2E was going to come and kill everyone anyways, this really couldn't make the situation worse.

"Hey, 2B," 4S said. "Mind if I ask what this is about?"

"A2 and I need to go on a scouting mission," 2B explained. "But 2E's been sighted lately. If she attacks while we're out, this might save your life."

She remembered she had explained to 4S her relationship with 9S. It seemed he pieced together what she was talking about.

"2B," A2 said as she tossed on her shoulder cape onto her left shoulder. "We're going."

2B joined A2 as they headed out to the main hall. Ademar, A2's second, was waiting by the door along with a squad of medium bipeds clad in black armor. 9B was also there since she was the second highest ranking YorHa.

A2 looked at her second who knelt down as a sign of respect.

"Ademar," A2 said. "You know how this'll go. You're in command until I return. We'll be gone for the day. I expect it to be in pristine condition when I get back."

"I will see to it myself, my King," Ademar said.

"9B," 2B said. "Make sure everyone stays on task."

"You can count on me!" 9B said cheerfully, doing the familiar salute. 2B took in a slow but steady breath. She hated seeing that salute. But even though the meaning was hollow, it was something the androids seemed to rally under despite having no real meaning at all.

2B used her NFCS to materialize her weapons on her back while A2 held her sheathed sword to her right hip. They stepped out as the machines inside lowered the drawbridge, letting the two androids take off into the distance.

They were androids. They could run for hours on end at hypersonic speeds. Traversing the landscape was easy. About an hour into their run, the two androids needed to stop to take a break. Their speeds slowed to a walk. Even androids need a break once and a while. And 2B's legs were tired from that sprint. Normally they would go slower but they she wanted to do this then rush back before 2E shows up.

"Wait…" 2B said, holding her hand to stop A2. The two of them looked out across the landscape. The newly renovated landscape.

"What is it?" A2 asked.

"There used to be a factory here," 2B said. "Built about one year after my manufacturing. But it's gone."

"What does that mean?"

"I think N2's getting impatient. It's been resetting the environment before we're even dead."

"Might explain why their attack seem to be getting easier," A2 remarked. "They're shutting down their factories way too early."

"They still have 2E," 2B said. "Even if they lose all their machines, she can come in and finish the job. I wonder why it hasn't yet."

2B did wonder this but it wasn't hard thinking of reasons. She and 2E were the same person which meant she need only tap into her inner 2E and she could figure it out. If she were 2E, the only reason she'd wait to fulfill her purpose of wanton murder would be to so all her prey could gather in one place. Sure, gathering survivors meant a higher chance of survival for them. But it meant less need to search for 2E.

"2B," A2 said, grabbing 2B by the shoulder and shaking her out of her thoughts.

"I'm…I'm fine," 2B stuttered. "What is it that you hope to find?"

"Technically I didn't find it," A2 said. "Pod did."

Both their eyes were cast on the floating black brick beside A2.

"This support unit was analyzing the server data retrieved by 4S," 153 reported. "There appears to be subtle deterioration within the machine network."

"Deterioration?" 2B repeated. "From what?"

"That's what we're here to find out," A2 said. "See if this is some kind of weakness."

2B opened her mouth to ask a question. To ask why they are going toward such a far access terminal to hack into the machine network when an identical access terminal was in the Tower in the city near the forest. But 2B quickly answered the question. If this was a weakness then they'd rather take more time scouting the further targets then attacking the near one. And going to further access terminals meant it would be harder to predict their movements.

The facility they sought was massive but not well guarded. A2's plan had paid off. The access facilities closer to their castle was relatively well protected. The Red Girl clearly didn't think they would go after one this far out. The two androids observed their target from the top of a massive hill. They could see most of the defenses from where they lay.

"Same plan as always?" A2 asked.

"No reason to fix what works," 2B replied.

"Kinda tired playing punching bag. We could swap. Mix things up."

"That would only work if you manage to stop yourself from running your mouth. Are you really willing to give up talking?"

It was a strategy that just formed through their numerous battles together. A2 could never wait to charge into the fray, mocking and taunting her foes. She would suicidally bait all her enemies into attacking her at the same time. And A2's experience surviving executioners meant she had experience surviving overwhelming assaults.

2B was an executioner. Her offensive capabilities were vastly greater than A2's. And she didn't have an obsession with mocking her foes. She was certainly more vocal than she used to be, but she still didn't bother taunting them.

So A2 would usually rush right into the fray, engaging their foes head on. 2B would circle around the back and pick off the more dangerous targets. Once they're dealt with, 2B would join the fray and the two would clean up any stragglers.

"Fine!" A2 sighed. "Let's get this over with."

2B crouched down, powered her legs, then took off. It didn't matter if she attracted the attention of the machines with a hypersonic boom this time. A2 was going to attract their attention anyways.

2B made a wide arc, making sure to stay clear of the battlefield. She could hear A2 let out a whistle and step out into the open, attracting the attention of every machine.

"Hey!" A2 called out. "Anyone here know how to show a girl a good time?"

The machines responded to A2's taunt with an immediate counterattack. As pulse fire and machine swords came flying her direction, A2 moved so quickly anyone watching that wasn't a YorHa would think she was teleporting. She went from machine to machine, dashing in, cutting it in half, then moving to the next.

A much larger defense force usually meant a different defensive strategy. An appropriate response while the remaining guards stay in place to stop any flanking attacks or anyone trying to sneak in. But because the defense was smaller, all the machines had to divert their attention to A2.

This let 2B ran around the perimeter, singling out and taking out the goliath artillery on the sides. These massive cylinders got into a sort of crab stance, aiming their 'bottoms' and using it as a cannon to rain fire upon A2. And there were stationary artillery cannons built for the same actions. It was 2B's job to stop them.

There was neither joy nor pride in this action. She was still killing machines. She just did it because she had no choice.

Still doesn't make it ok.

As she went from target to target, destroying machines and defense units, she could hear A2 fighting down below. She could hear A2 jeering her opponents.

"Come on! Give me a workout!"

"Gonna recycle you, ya piece of junk!"

"I'm gonna tear out your circuit boards, shove 'em in your back, and call it a new asshole!"

2B hit the last goliath with enough force it sunk into the ground. The giant machine toppled over like a collapsing building. Despite that, it was still alive and able to fight back. 2B leapt back into the air and sliced down at it one last time, the shockwave cutting the goliath in half.

2B landed on the ground with a thud. 300 pounds, she had to use more than a few systems to make sure she didn't shatter the ground on impact.

She looked up to see A2 was still battling the other machines. No surprise A2 was more than a match for them.

"A2!" 2B called out, leaping in her direction. A2 knew what this was. She put away her sword so she could grab 2B then fling the executioner at the machines before them.

"Think fast!" A2 jeered as she tossed 2B. With 2B's offensive powers, she cleaved through the machines like a blow torch through butter. With A2's single arm, she used the saber styles programmed into her while 2B stuck to her katana styles.

2B also launched swords from with her NFCS, firing them like cannon shells. Those that weren't struck down soon found themselves caged in by the swords embedded in the ground. A2 must've seen her opportunity, leaping in the middle and activating her berserker mode. Even though it wasn't a self-destruct, it still used identical mechanisms. And the activation of B-mode still unleashed a blast of nuclear energy that fried the machines trapped with her.

"On your left!" 2B yelled, kicking a medium biped at A2, who clotheslined it into the ground. A few moments later, 2B heard the pop of A2's emergency systems kicking in and forcing A2 out of berserker mode.

2B still thought that mode was stupid. Taking damage like that and leaving oneself vulnerable was not worth it. A2 was going to need a few moments for her nanites to repair her damage.

"Pod!" A2 yelled, pointing at 2B. "Cook 'em up!" 2B knew what this meant. She prepped her sword just as Pod 153 fired a laser in her direction. The golden beam bounced off the blade. 2B quickly twisted her sword, redirecting the beam and using it to cleave more machines.

It wouldn't be long now before they cleared out all the guards.

But it was the goliath tank that had 2B worried. As the massive tank approached A2's position, 2B leapt onto its back. A2 was going to recover but not before that thing was on top of her.

Eight guns in total, bomb launchers in front, and a rotating cannon. 2B could make destroying this thing a lot easier just by getting rid of the guns. She hacked up the turrets but that was only a start. It still had bomb launchers in front and its cannon could bury A2 under pulse fire or vaporize her with its laser. But goliath tanks had a weak point. Normally unreachable thanks to the sheer number of guns on it. But with those guns gone, it was vulnerable. 2B reached down to tear open the hatch to the core.

She didn't get a chance to open it as the tank suddenly sped forward. 2B grabbed the handle to avoid being thrown off. The tank was going wild, swinging itself left and right and bucking up and down like a horse. It was leaping into the air and crashing back down.

"The hell are you doing, 2B?" A2 yelled upon seeing 2B ride the back of the tank like it was some sort of wild animal.

"Will you just shut up and help me with this?" 2B snapped. 2B didn't see what A2 did but whatever it was, the tank stopped in its tracks. Regaining her composure, 2B grasped the hatch and pried it open to reveal the glowing core within.

She's seen these glowing orbs aplenty before. The first times she saw this, she knew it was a weakness of some sort. Perhaps a power source. It was only a few months ago she learned it was a machine core. A sentient object.

With the machine core disconnected from the tank, she felt the tank power down. She didn't have long. The hatch was on a separate system and would slam shut after a while. And with too much force to keep it open. Her only choice was to destroy the core before that happened.

She raised her sword, ready to plunge it into the glowing orb. Destroy it and the tank is neutralized.

'Help me…'

2B felt knives in her heart, thinking about the machine core she murdered all those months ago. Another core trapped in another pedestal.

'Please…help me…'

Damn it.

She simply had to neutralize the tank. She didn't need to kill it. 2B put away her sword before grasping the orb with her hands. She's never tried this before but she hoped this would work. She only had a few seconds before the hatch slams down. Damn thing was stuck tight.

Finally, she pried that thing loose. Supporting herself with her right hand, she tucked the orb under her left arm.

Suddenly, her vision was flooded with white as scorching heat shot up her entire right arm. Burning heat. Smoldering heat.

2B threw her head back and screamed as static filled her eyes.

"2B!" she heard A2 called. "2B, what's wrong?!"

2B knew exactly what was wrong. She got careless, the hydraulic mechanisms activated, and the hatch came slamming down on her hand. Her hand was now pinned by the hatch. Even without power, there was just enough juice for the hatch to snap all the graphene bones in half. And it was still applying pressure. It was still clamped firmly on her hand.

She grasped the machine core with her left hand and threw it aside. As the tank powered down, she didn't feel the pressure ease up on her hand. Shouldn't be surprised since it still had the ability to slam shut when the core was disconnected. 2B weakly grasped the handle and tried to turn it.

No luck. This thing needed her entire body to pull it open. No way a single arm had the strength.

She could cut her hand off. Or she could yank herself free. She would be tearing her hand in half but she could always reattach it afterwards. But her glove. She does that she tears her glove in half.

No. She wasn't tearing her glove, her gift from 9S. The gloves and her headband were all she had left of him. She'll figure another way out.

Upper arm. If she cuts off her entire arm she could free herself.

"2B!" A2 cried out, leaping onto the tank and seeing the situation. She ran over grasped the handle. It took a few seconds, A2's entire body pulling, but she yanked the hatch open just enough for 2B to pry her hand out.

She fell backwards, her left-hand hovering over it like it was ready to grasp it. But she knew touching it meant nothing but searing pain. But no pressure wasn't much better. Instead of heat it now felt freezing. But at least this pain was tolerable as long as she kept her fingers stiff. Though it seemed like she didn't get a say in that. Her hand was swelling so there wasn't much room for her fingers to move and she couldn't really move them regardless.

"Damn it, 2B, why do you have to suck the fun out of everything," A2 groaned, running over to check on her. A2 knelt beside her and looked her 2B's hand. The whites of her right glove were beginning to turn red. No doubt her hand was broken.

"This might sting a bit," A2 warned.

"You don't say," 2B huffed. She broke her hand. Broke every bone in her hand. A broken or severed arm was an easy fix. Just hold the limb in place while the nanites reconnect the graphene bones. It may be painful but it only takes a few moments for it to be fixed. Androids could reattach their lost limbs or get replacements with ease.

A broken hand was a bit harder. It was harder to keep all the tiny bones in a hand aligned with only the other hand.

A2 was one handed. And with her right hand broken, 2B was also one handed. A2 had her right hand and 2B had her left hand. They both used their working hand and felt up 2B's broken one, gently pushing the bones back into place the best they could. 2B gritted her teeth. She could literally feel her bones move in her hand. Her flesh really didn't like the jagged edges being moved around. It felt like her flesh was screaming in agony. Like her hand wanted to kill the brain as punishment for putting it through this. Finally, they got all five metacarpals in place. Now, they wait. They held 2B's right hand still, making sure the bones were aligned. After about ten seconds, they both let go.

2B flexed her fingers. Her hand was still tingling like a hundred needles were prodding her flesh. But the pain had subsided.

"Was that really worth it?" A2 asked, eyeing the machine core 2B had tossed aside.

"I neutralized the tank and managed to save one more life," 2B explained. "Yes, it was worth it." The pain of crushed hand was bad. But it nothing compared to getting killed. A little pain in exchange for saving a life.

"Is it?" A2 repeated. "It's a living thing without a body. It's trapped here until something comes along to find it. Not to mention if we take down the Red Girl, we might end up killing it anyways."

What A2 said was true. All of it. But 2B couldn't bring herself to kill it, even as an act of mercy. Been there, done that. She's already called her murder 'mercy' before.

"Let's go," 2B said, standing up. She was grateful for A2's actions. If A2 wasn't here, the nanites might've repaired her bones incorrectly. Maybe reattached them at an angle or something. It was thanks to A2 that her right hand was back to how it used to be. In a few minutes it will be like nothing had happened.

"Hey," 2B said as they approached the door to the facility. "If I get killed, you can use my arm as a replacement."

This was her awkward way of saying thank you. She was never good at expressing gratitude. Frankly she never even noticed until Anemone pointed it out once.

"The fact you're giving me permission is hilarious," A2 remarked. "I was going to take it whether I have your permission or not."

Seriously? She was thanking A2 and A2 couldn't be a little grateful. No 'you're welcome, 2B'?

"I take it back. If I get killed, I hope I'm infected with a logic virus so you can't have my arm."

-.-

Berserker mode always damaged A2's clothes. And the shoulder cape was no different. It wasn't incinerated like the piece of cloth around her stomach. But was torn and burned.

"Your people will not be happy you destroyed another cape," 2B commented as they got into the elevator. But A2 didn't really care.

"The only reason I'm wearing this is for them," she said. "The only reason I'm putting anything on is because they keep insisting on it. It's a pain in the damn ass."

"Yes, woe is the day we all have to start wearing clothes," 2B remarked sarcastically.

The facility was dark. Pitch black even. Machines didn't need light to see. Fortunately, neither did androids. From what A2 remembered, the Bunker was pitch black. No light unless it comes through the windows. And from what 2B's described, that hasn't changed. No need to waste resources on something they didn't need.

The two of them made their way to the lowest levels of the facility, to the server room. The server room was a giant sterile white chamber. The servers themselves were built into the walls. Destroying this place would be a blow to the Red Girl. But this wouldn't destroy it completely.

They were going to destroy it. But not until they glean some data.

"Pod," A2 said.

"Affirmative," 153 said. "Commencing hack. Connection established. Bypassing firewall. Downloading data. Connection severed."

That was fast. They could never stay connected long but that was faster than normal.

"Pod, what happened?" A2 asked.

"The machine network security made the risk of maintaining a connection outside of acceptable margins."

Great. So, the machine network realized they hacked in and 153 had to disconnect to avoid getting infected.

"Did we at least get something?" 2B asked.

"Transferring data to Unit A2."

A2 closed her eyes and waited. Waited as Pod sent her the information.

"Pod, you sure about this?" A2 asked.

"A2?" 2B asked. A2 knew she couldn't hide her shock. She was used to fighting executioners who, along with being the embodiments of death, were always being replenished by YorHa. They were…unstoppable.

But looking at the data 153 had extracted regarding their foe, she was shocked by what she saw. It looks like N2 wasn't as invincible as she feared.

"If Pod's analysis is right," A2 said.

"The likelihood of my analysis being correct is extremely high," 153 commented.

Wow. Way to brag.

"If Pod is right…someone's been sabotaging their network," A2 said. "It's been…changed. Here, take a look."

A2 transferred the data to 2B so they could look at the same information.

"Someone's been sabotaging their security," 2B observed. "It also looks like there's an additional port installed. A small one."

Ports. They were places in a network where things could be connected. Virtually, of course. It was more complicated than that with different types of ports and ports connected to different locations in a network but that was the long and short of it.

"If this is right, something like a YorHa or pod could connect to the network and bypass all their security," A2 said. "How…how did?"

She was at a loss for words. She knew the Red Girl was arrogant but surely they weren't stupid enough to put in something like this.

"It's 2E," 2B said. "Knowing myself…I'd likely have to tried sabotaging the machine network. Very slowly to avoid detection."

"For what reason would Unit 2E attempt this?" 153 asked.

"I'm a killer. I kill everything. I doubt I'd be able to let the Red Girl be the exception."

"Then why has Unit 2E not yet attempted to kill the N2 network?"

"N2 dies, the cycles end. Cycle ends, I run out of things to kill. If this port does what it looks like, one YorHa could connect to and take control of the network. Maybe even take control of the machines."

"The design of the network port would not allow that level of control. If connected, the only machine lifeforms you would have control over are machine lifeforms lacking any consciousness. Not enough to damage the N2 network."

"Good enough," 2B said. "Good enough to reset the cycles. She's probably now looking for a way to kill the Red Girl."

"You know," A2 sighed, shaking her head. "I really HATE when you put yourself in that headspace."

A2 did not think 2B and 2E were the same. But it was hard making that argument when 2B could predict 2E's actions just by asking herself why she would do what 2E does. A2 has been trying to just keep 2B's mind off of 2E.

"If I can predict what 2E does," 2B argued. "Is that not worth it? Knowing what the enemy might be doing?"

"Worth it?" A2 repeated. "No. It's not worth you putting yourself into that mindset when you're not her."

"Why do you care about my mindset?" 2B scoffed skeptically.

That…was a good question. Why did A2 care? Why should A2 care? Because of 9S's request? It was 9S's final wish that A2 save 2B. But, was that all? Why did it feel like there was more to why she didn't want 2B thinking like that.

"Why do you care about MY mindset?" A2 asked in some attempt to turn the question around. "Why do you get so pissed when I talk about absorbing the Forest King's memories. Even if I did 'die', which I still didn't by the way, but even if I did why do you care?"

A2 was just rambling, trying to find a question to shut 2B up. And it looked like it worked. Judging from 2B's expression, she didn't have an answer to A2's question.

"Alert," 153 said, interrupting the conversation. "While this support unit transferred data regarding the port access to the machine network, it has also extracted data that may be of interest to Units A2 and 2B."

"Other data?" A2 asked.

"Along with the extracted data, we have discovered memory data relating to Commander White," 153 reported.

A2 didn't know what it was. The moment 153 mentioned their old commander, it was like all light was drained from the room. And the room was already pitch black. It wasn't even A2's feelings toward the Commander. It was 2B's. A2 could feel 2B's hatred.

A2 had to force herself to turn around, 2B's hatred actually freezing her in place. Jeez, 2B didn't even hate A2 this much. And 2B spent two months trying to kill her.

"B?" A2 asked cautiously. 2B's eyes had narrowed into a venomous glare, her teeth gritted. Damn. If the Commander had been standing before them, 2B might actually forgo swords and try killing their former commanding officer with a punch through the heart. Assuming this glare wasn't enough to kill the Commander outright.

2B took in and let out a deep breath.

"It's nothing," she said.

A2 knew when 2B was lying. 2B was still angry. Very angry. The executioner simply buried that anger in order to function normally. 2B probably had a lot of experience burying how she felt in order to function normally.

"Hey, how did we get memory data from the Commander anyways?" A2 asked. "This their back up data?"

"Negative," 153 said. "The memory data takes place after the initiation of each individual cycle."

"It's probably their other backup," 2B said. "N2 regularly backed up our data so they could always have a recent copy of us on hand. They back our data right before we die as well. It apparently uses our trauma to speed up its evolution. This probably was her last thoughts before she died."

"Negative," 153 reported. "According to the timestamp, this data occurred when Unit 2B was battling the goliath-class machine lifeform inside the abandoned factory."

A2 knew she should probably pay closer attention. But, 2B saying that everyone's data gets backed up before death just struck knives into her heart.

"You think Pascal's in there somewhere?" A2 asked.

"The probability is high," 153 said. "Would Unit 2B like to view the Commander's memories?"

"No," 2B said curtly. "Feel free to delete it."

"I strongly believe that Unit 2B should view the…"

"I said no," 2B repeated, her fist clenching.

Damn. The hate that was seeping out of 2B was enough to send shivers down her spine.

"Pod," A2 said. "Let's just hang onto the data for now."

"I said that will not be necessary."

"Won't hurt anyone just keeping it."

A2 knew the smart thing was to view the memory. But 2B was still in pain. Best to let her go until she calms down. It seemed 2B accepted this answer. Didn't care if 153 kept the memory as long as she didn't have to see it.

"2B," A2 said, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't just anger in 2B. It was pain. Sadness. The Commander had betrayed them both. The Commander had sent A2 and her friends to die. The Commander had ordered 2B to murder the one she loved.

"I'll be fine," 2B said, but A2 knew a lie when she hears one.

"Well, at the least I should view the memory," A2 said. "Or do you consider absorbing two hours' worth of memory grounds for being dead?'

"I'll consider you constantly bringing this up, grounds for a concussion," 2B said flatly.

Well, it wasn't a no.

"Pod, let me have the memories," A2 said.

"Affirmative. Establishing connection."

A2 closed her eyes and she was in. YorHa's memory sync was designed to not 'kill' the individual. That strange definition of kill. Which meant she was going to need minutes to see the whole memory. And days for it to be fully integrated into her.

And so she went through the old Commander's memories. They weren't going to be integrated into her at first. But she could just view them like an outside observer. It was what she did with 9S's memories as well so this wasn't the first time she's been here. She kept her eyes closed and watched this tiny snippet of the Commander's life.

When she opened her eyes, her mouth fell open. She was always so sure of herself. So sure she understood things. But what she just saw made her question everything.

"A2?" 2B repeated. "You ok?"

What…

What was she even supposed to do with this?

"A2?" 2B repeated.

"I'm fine," A2 sighed. "Look, we got what we needed. We probably won't be using 2E's port but maybe we can use it to try to bypass their security. Find a way to…"

Her sentence was cut off when 153 started beeping. A screen was pulled up before both of them, a black knight displayed.

"Ademar, what's going on?" A2 asked. Her castle wouldn't call unless it was something serious. Ademar was in charge which meant he had to deal with things. What could possibly be happening that Ademar had to call her? What could possibly be happening that he couldn't handle himself?

"We request that you return! The castle is under attack!"

"You're the commander. You can fend off an attack."

"I fear it is not that simple, my King. We're not being attacked by machines."

"Then what?"

-.-

The castle was alive as everyone, every machine and every android, was running somewhere. And 4S was caught in the middle. He must've lost his memo since he had no idea what was going on.

"Hey!" he called out to a machine jockey that rode past. But he was ignored.

"What's going on?" he asked as one of the new D-types sprinted past with a cannon in his hands.

He was getting really tired of this already.

"Hey!" 4S called out, running over to 54B. "What's going on?"

"Ya didn't hear? They picked up a signal just at the edge of the forest. She's coming!"

"Who?" 4S asked. "Who's coming?"

-.-

The time has come. The rest of the planet has been purged. All that remains is that castle. YorHa Unit 2E. You may begin.

"As you wish."

At the edge of the forest, the animals fled. The energy emitted from her arrival was enormous.

She had waited for months. Months longer than normal. She wanted to give younger-2E time to understand. Time to realize the truth. Plus searching for survivors was tedious and she always needed the help of The Red Girl and its machines. But A2 and the younger-2E had done her work for her. They had gathered all the survivors to a single location.

One place for a slaughter.

From the grass, strands of gold rose up like glowing string. Thousands of them. The strands wound together to form thicker strands. And those too wound to form even thicker ones. These golden hairs wound together to form a great golden dome. Finally that dome of bullion burst and she emerged.

2E…

She rose to her feet. Her outfit was torn and worn. Her waist cape and shoulder cape materialized around her in a plume of glowing particles. She reached up and let her sword materialize in her hand. The damaged and bloodied blade of Virtuous Contract.

She flicked it to the side.

Immediately, machines were rushing to confront her. A handful of androids too. It was a stunning sight to see androids and machines stand side by side. Especially in such great numbers.

2E looked at her attackers.

Emotions were prohibited.

Not anymore. That damned phrase meant nothing to her. She had things she wanted to say. Things to get off her chest. She had things to say. And she WILL say it.

"If you still acknowledge any gods, start praying now."

-.-

Faster.

Faster!

FASTER!

2B had to go faster.

'I-i-I am O-OpERator 6O. ThAnk yoU…f-For thE fl-oW-ers. D-dESert FLow-ers ARe b-B-B-BeaU-ti-tI-Ti-FuL aRen'T tHEy?'

No, no, no. Not again. She can't let it happen again. Please. This was a nightmare. This thing was a creature that had been following her and now it had caught up.

'Commander, the Bunker is lost. We have to evacuate!'

Faster and faster. Faster she ran. She had to get there. PLEASE. Just once. Just once, let her save everyone. Was saving everyone too much to ask?

She ran until her legs were overheating. But she still kept going. She had to.

'You two are the last remaining members of YorHa. It's your duty to survive.'

'2B, this place is lost!'

'Commander!'

'Move it, 2B! That's an order!'

Damn you, God. Don't you do this! Punish her all you like but don't take it out everyone else. Don't you take everyone away from her again. STOP TAKING EVERYONE FROM HER!

'Goodbye, 2B.'

Not again.

Please.

don't

take

everyone

again

-.-

A/N: These were not supposed to be that long. Nor was it supposed to take that long. But I had to make sure all my dots were connected. So I did get left in a bit of an awkward position. I wanted to keep the plot moving. But I figured we'd also want to see how A2 does as a ruler. A minor time skip did the trick since we can see all the changes A2 made and how her kingdom is faring. Adjusting the length of the skip was also tricky. Long enough that it gives an impression of just how A2 does as a king. But I didn't want it too long since we'd miss too much in 2B's and A2's relation. I didn't want to miss the stages of how it's evolving.

There were also several things I wanted to cover. I wanted to show A2's and 2B's different leaderships, show not only how they lead individually but also how they are when they get their respective factions to work together. 2B is mostly to the point and serious. A2's loud-mouth taunts and boisterousness suits the Forest Kingdom and their incessent chants about the Forest King.

I also wanted to show how A2 and 2B are in combat now. When it's just those two fighting together. They started off as reluctant allies out of necessity. By this point they had spent long enough around each other to work cohesively.

As you can probably put together I'm getting 2B to work down the list and confront each person in her past one by one. See their reaction to her situation. Anemone. 21O. 60. This time it's Masamune. I intend to get to all the major players.

Speaking of Anemone, we can see A2 filling the role Anemone used to. After YorHa's destruction, Anemone was the one to help 2B get back on the path. And it actually worked. 2B agreed to stop going on suicide missions. But Anemone died soon after and that's when 2B really went off the rails. We see A2 filling a similar role in 2B's life, keeping 2B in check.

And no biggie on some of the remarks. They were actually meant to be part of 2B and A2's ongoing disagreements. As far as 2B is concerned, this A2 is not the same A2 as before. But A2 hasn't had access to a backup system so her view on conciousness is different to 2B. As far as A2 is concerned, she is the same person just with more memories. Whether or not you think A2 is still A2 will depend on who you agree with. This also creates a rift when it comes to 4S. A2 would wipe Pascal's memories whenever he gets too close to finding something he shouldn't. Because of A2's view, she was willing to do something similar to 4S. She thinks forgetting is better than killing. But 2B sees little difference and was none too happy finding out what A2 was about to do.

Same deal with A2 as king. Androids and machines now work together. A2 views that as a major victory and an escape of sorts from their cycles. 2B&E think that just because a few variables change doesn't mean they escaped. They still kill machines. They just do it with Forest machines instead of androids.

I do have to apologize but I'm not sure if I can squeeze in some stuff from the weapon stories. I can certainly try but we are approaching the end so they may only make a cameo.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you think.