There were more survivors than anyone had originally thought. Yes, YoRHa no longer existed, the Bunker had been reduced to cosmic dust, and most of the troops had succumbed to every Android's deepest fear: the Logic virus.
But not all of them had died.
Many of the Bunker survivors could lay their thanks at the feet of 3S. The Commander had not been the only one to notice 9S' poking about in the server. 3S had been conducting his own illicit investigations for some time, though had never been brave enough to breach the firewalls and defensive measures that 9S had. But he had learned enough to warn those who loved and trusted him enough to believe him. There had been evacuees, and he and 801S were alive with them somewhere on the surface of the Earth. At least, that was what the scan using the Pod network had concluded.
There were other blackbox signals online and blinking all over the world. Not all of them were nearby. Indeed, most of them were in regions yet unexplored, so distant that their individual signals could not be identified. There were androids alive out there, but the Resistance and surviving YoRHa soldiers had no idea who they were.
4S had survived primarily by remaining inside the castle during the last battle. He'd stayed safely in the library while the machines stampeded toward the Ruined City square to answer Eve's summons. He had only emerged upon receiving communication from 9S that the coast was clear.
32S appeared a few days later with his "father", also not as dead as everyone had thought. Apparently there was more than one merciful assassin among the Type E models. 32S and his guardian might have been damaged, but their black boxes had remained intact. Instead, they had been disconnected from the YoRHa server. This alone had saved them from contracting the Logic virus.
11S had to be scavenged from the rubble of the Flooded City defensive lines, but booted up quickly enough upon repair. He'd lost a sizable chunk of time, but perhaps it was for the best that he had no memory of anything beyond the battle with Grun.
That left only one brother missing.
42S had been the most famous, the most beloved of all the Scanners. He'd been the closest thing Androids had to a celebrity, and countless fans had been left bereft when his voice disappeared from the airwaves. Since that lost battle, he'd been listed as "missing in action, presumed dead." No one wanted to believe it, but they also knew better than to hope.
Finding 42S' Type-4O lance in 8B's possession had been a shock. For one, the brief audio log stored in it did nothing to reassure any vague hopes that he might still be alive. For another, how and why did 8B come to have it? True she had been part of the detachment sent to North 12C, but 42S had not been part of the combative force. Until, apparently, he'd had no choice but to fight. 9S refused to touch it, the panicked voice of his brother's last words flitted through his mind whenever he held the lance in his hands. It was too much like listening to a ghost whispering the frightened syllables of its dying words. Perhaps out of respect for him, 2B rarely used it herself.
Yet without it, they might never have found 42S. The last transmission had not come from Defense HQ, but from somewhere else in the uncharted wilds of North 12C. 42S had been sent to take the measure of the topography as much as the morale of the troops. Sadly, he'd included neither map nor notes, but there were a set of coordinates marking the place where he'd transmitted and recorded his final message.
Between the two of them, 9S and 4S managed to work out an approximate location. North 12C was- as the name suggested- north of the known regions of the immediate area. Beyond the factory, east of the desert, lay an empty stretch of industrialized coastline where even machine fish would not swim. The area had been so decimated by war, and endless ages of factory runoff, that there was little more of the surviving landscape than desolate tundra. As one proceeded north, the damp chill of ocean air gave way to icy wind and rain, and eventually snow.
"You really think he's out there?" 4S asked, unsure if he had it in him to hope.
"We've got to look," 9S replied, determined. "If there's even the smallest chance that he's still alive, I'm going to go look for him."
However, the circular patch of red flickering off the far edge of the map seemed awfully small against the mostly uncharted wasteland of North 12C. But they only had to search that one area, not the whole of the tundra. 42S might still be alive out there. Maybe not conscious, but still salvageable. If he were functional, he would surely have made his way back before now.
4S nodded. "I'm going with you."
9S blinked at this, but nodded. "Let me explain things to 2B and B9. They'll worry if we just take off."
"Yeah, I'll let A2 know as well. When did you want to leave?"
"As soon as the girls know and we've got everything together. He's been out there for too long already."
"I'm coming with you," 2B announced upon hearing 9S' plan.
"Bea…" he began.
"Me too!" B9 piped up, saving him from having to explain further. Instead he put an arm around his daughter and pulled her close.
"I need you to stay here with your dad," he told her gently. "Uncle 4S and I will go. A pair of Scanners will be able to cover more territory in less time. We shouldn't need offensive support for this."
"But you might," 2B pressed.
"A2's not coming either. 42S doesn't know either of you. He knows us, if he's injured or scared, he's less likely to panic if it's just 4S and myself. It's just a simple search-and-retrieve, Bea. In and out. We'll be fine."
She didn't look happy, but she nodded. "Alright."
"I'm scared," she confessed much later, after they'd gone to bed. "I don't want you going off alone into hostile territory without me. I can't protect you from here. What if something happens?"
"It's okay," he stroked her hair back with one hand. "I'm a little nervous myself, but all preliminary scans show there's no significant machine life out there. There's not even that much native wildlife, just a lot of ice and snow, and robots can't get frostbite.
"I'll never be as badass as you, but I can hold my own." He kissed her nose and she smiled briefly.
"How long will you be gone?"
"Three days, maybe four. Not more than that. If we don't find him before then, we'll turn back and make arrangements for a more thorough search."
"Could I come with you then?"
"There's nothing I'd like more, but somebody's got to look after B9."
2B sighed and closed her eyes as if she'd been scolded. Snuggling close, she laid her head on his shoulder. "I love her so much but I don't like being apart from you. I can't help you if I'm not with you, but I can't leave our baby alone either."
"I'm sorry, Bea."
"Don't. I'm the one who's whining."
9S kissed her hair. "You're not whining. You are telling me your thoughts and feelings on the matter and I'm glad you are. I want to know what's going on inside your head and your heart, I want you to be comfortable enough to share it with me. So thank you."
"Three days?"
"Maybe four. Depends on the weather and how quickly we find him."
"And you'll call me?"
"Every day."
"If something happens will you abort mission and come back?"
He hesitated for a moment then nodded. "If something serious happens, yes."
Knowing she could ask no more of him, she nodded. "Okay. Can I give you something to remember while you're out there?"
9S felt his face heat as he realized where this was going, and couldn't completely hold back a grin. "Sure."
North 12C was every bit as derelict and desolate as 9S had expected. At first there had been broken streets, empty buildings, the suggestion of civilization. As he and 4S went deeper into territory YoRHa had lost before it had even been able to map, the landscape became more and more empty. After a while, only the scattered remains of brick and cinder block lay in frost-flecked piles to break up the monotony of endless shades of white and gray.
There were a few Machines wandering around, none of which bothered with them in the slightest. Without the Machine network to guide them, they wandered aimlessly. Most had skis or tank-like treads on their feet, enabling them to get around the frozen terrain. Rather than try to engage any of them, 9S and 4S gave them a wide berth and pressed on. Neither of them were specialized for combat, and picking a fight was the last thing they wanted to do.
Aside from the Machines, there was a startling amount of wildlife. Birds large and small came and went overhead, their cries much harsher than the soft twittering common to the ruined city. There were moose here too, but no boars. 4S had suggested catching one to ride, but could not persuade 9S who had a healthy respect for them. Smaller animals such as mice and marmots were more common. Once or twice they heard the bark of seals, and even the distant cry of wolves. Perhaps because this area had been left wild longer, nature had been able to make more rapid progress in reclaiming it.
4S looked up from his map display, squinting at the endless flats of half-frozen plains.
"I'm going to have to recalibrate the legend," he remarked. "This place is bigger than it looks."
"Seriously," 9S agreed. The only thing that gave any hint to how truly vast the area was, was a line of bent and twisted electrical towers staggering away into the distance. 9S brought up his own map and compared it to the spires of warped rebar.
"42S would have tried to follow the electricity back to its source. We passed the remains of a power plant on the way in. These lead toward the area marked on the map."
4S closed his display. "Alright, let's go."
The electrical towers were at least easy to keep in sight amid the vast gray-and-white nothingness. The tundra- much like the desert- could be deceptive in its topography. What had appeared to be an endless stretch of dirty snow and icy sludge when viewed from a distance, proved to be littered with debris of all varieties. Rocks of various shapes and sizes, bits of broken Machines, expired Androids, as well as natural hills and valleys of the earth itself. Further complicating things was the deepening snow and the thick crusts of ice that crushed and crunched against each other in imitation of the earth's own tectonics.
All of this was barely visible, hidden by the glare of sun on snow until one was almost on top of a feature. An ever-present icy fog hung at an indefinite distance, seemingly never within reach. 9S was getting a decided headache from squinting through the glare, and soon dug out his old combat visor just so he could see. 4S, however, seemed to be unaffected.
"Headache?"
9S shrugged. "Just not used to everything being so bright."
"Bright?" 4S seemed bemused. "It's getting darker by the minute."
"It is?" 9S squinted up through the fog, eyes watering against the light and building pain.
"Yeah. Looks like a storm's rolling in. Pod?"
"Affirmative," Pod 064 announced. "Inclement weather approaching from the north. High winds and heavy snow are anticipated. Proposal: Seek shelter until the weather event passes."
"Guess that's our answer," 9S muttered. 42S had been alone in the elements this long, he'd have to wait a little longer. "Let's find a place to shelter. Pod 153, scan for appropriate structures."
"Confirmed. I have marked an appropriate location on the map."
9S squinted at the red dot. "Damn. That's not exactly close. We better move it."
"Right behind you."
Approximately ten minutes later, the storm rolled over them. 9S snatched Pod 153 before she could be swept away, her repulsors no match for the howling winds. Hugging her to his chest, he put his head down and did his best to push against the elements. 4S latched onto his arm, clutching his own Pod with the other.
"You've got your visor on," he shouted over the wind. "How much further?"
The HUD only showed so much given the snow clinging to the mesh. 9S shook his head to try to dislodge some of it but only had minimal success.
"It's over this way, come on!"
He could only pray they were still on course. Without prompting, Pod 153 turned on her scanning beam. As they approached, the indicator beep became more and more rapid. At last 9S' foot kicked something hard and immobile. Putting out a hand- the snow was too thick to see- he encountered a concrete wall. They'd made it to the bunker. They had to edge around one corner before they found the entrance by tumbling through it and landing in a heap on the floor.
"We made it," 4S breathed, crawling inside and away from the doorless opening.
Finally out of the wind, the Pods floated up and clicked on their lights. The inside of the shelter was small and bare. A couple of articles of broken furniture and a pile of rusted electrical components took up most of the available space.
"This must have been built to shelter a generator," 9S observed. "Too bad everything in here's either rusted or frozen solid."
There were no windows, which left only the door frame to let in cold blasts of wind and snow. After some scavenging, they found the warped remains of a metal door, and propped it in place. It wasn't much, but at least it kept the worst of the weather outside.
"Pod 153, send a transmission to Unit 2B."
"Negative. Unable to process request. Weather event preventing signal transmission."
"Damn," 9S grumbled. "Record message to send as soon as there's an available signal."
"Affirmative." Her light clicked on, indicating she was filming.
"Hey Bea, hey B9. 4S and I have made it about halfway. We haven't found 42S yet. A snow storm rolled in, so we had to take shelter. We're fine, we're not in any danger. Weather permitting, we're going to press on tomorrow. Love you both. I'll call again soon. Bye."
The camera light faded and Pod 153 swung around to her usual position just above 9S' shoulder.
"It's freezing in here," 4S said, shivering.
9S was almost too hot beneath his heavy coat, but did not argue. His ears and nose had begun to sting with cold. It said something when the temperature got too low for an android to be comfortable.
"We can't do anything else until this lets up. Grab the sleeping bags. We may as well warm up and get some rest. We'll press on in the morning. Hopefully the storm will have blown over by then."
4S sighed and nodded, breath escaping in a frosty cloud. "Good idea."
They shook the snow off their jackets and kicked off their boots. 4S was visibly trembling with cold as he spread his sleeping bag on the bare concrete floor.
"Here," 9S said, laying a hand on his arm. "It'll be warmer if we share."
They unfolded the bags and then zipped them together to make one larger bag big enough for two people. 9S unzipped his jacket to let 4S claim some warmth for himself. Now that they weren't moving, exhaustion swept over him faster than the storm had, the threatening migraine digging its claws into his skull. It was just as well they were stuck here. There was no way he could have gone on like this.
"I'll take first watch," 4S offered. "Not that I expect anything to happen."
"Thanks," 9S mumbled and closed his eyes. Sleep came quick, but did not bring peaceful dreams. Beneath the howling wind, he thought he could hear the distant sound of an Android crying.