Disclaimer:
Gate: Jietai Kano Chi Nite, Kaku Tatakaeri. Is written by Takumi Yanai and is the rightful owner of the material used in this fanfiction story.
NieR: Automata is the property of Square Enix, directed by Yoko Taro, and is the rightful owner of the material used in this fanfiction story.
This fanfiction story is made with no commercial means in mind, or in no way attempting to breach copyright law, or claim I am the owner of the material.
Chapter 3: Purpose
Having reviewed the documents laid out on his desk, General Kōichirō Hazama, Commander of the Special Task Force, leaned back in his chair with his hand on his chin. His eyes were fixated on the report given to him by Lieutenant Yanagida, who stood at attention across the table. Behind the General were windows that let them see out into the world, and let sunlight into the room. The crisp morning sunlight seeped into the room, and lit up the relatively dark office.
"An unknown transmission?" General Hazama recalled the words on the report that's given to him. "Its place of origin is unknown, and it has tough encryption?" Hazama continued to recap the contents of the documents, and Yanagida gave him a stern nod with his usual face of professionalism.
"Affirmative, General. It was a faint signal, and if we hadn't established the long-range antenna, it would've gone past sensors without us ever knowing. It's fitted with an encryption scheme that we've never seen before, even its words look… alien. Our linguists have been assigned to understand these words, but until then we may not be able to hear the audio of this transmission. We don't even know if it's the full transmission, it could be just a jumbled portion with how faint it is detected by our antenna." Yanagida explained in full.
General Hazama was both intrigued and fearful of what this mysterious transmission is, where it came from and what its purpose is. What was it trying to send out and if it's any of Japan's contemporaries or enemies that had entered the Special Region? "What do you think, Yanagida?" General Hazam kept his head down but raised his gaze up towards the Lieutenant, hands stuck on his chin, processing this newly found revelation. "Could it be China? Maybe NATO created a new encryption method we don't know of." His claims were not founded on empty fields, however. Ever since the Gate appeared out of nowhere in Japan, China, The US, and even the UN have been on Japan's neck trying to get a glimpse of what's inside.
They were like starving dogs wanting to get a sliver of food and water from a small tube and a leaky water pipe, and Japan's oath to maintain secrecy, at least right now, made the world powers and the international community even more ravenous. General Hazama couldn't imagine how many phone calls the Prime Minister was receiving each day, either it's from the US or the UN wanting to get any updates on the Special Region. It's a sickening situation that made his stomach churn on every turn, he's seen it himself, the Special Region was a goldmine and with the only access to it in Japan, it could benefit them by a metric ton. However, it could be dangerous for Japan, as portrayed by the diplomatic services of each country on Earth.
Lieutenant Yanagida pushed his glasses up before answering. "I doubt the possibility of it being China, General. While it may seem to bore similarities to Mandarin, hell even similar to Japanese, it's different enough for me to say that it's not Chinese." Yanagida said, confident in his answer and conviction that this wasn't some foreign military or intelligence agency at play. But the fact that something had broadcasted through radio waves, and their ability to hide it to just a small sliver, made Yanagida anxious. "But we shouldn't drop our guard, it may be a bigger threat than we can imagine."
General Hazama raised his head when Yanagida said his statement, pushed himself up, and straightened in his seat while placing his hands on the table gently. "Then we're thinking about the same thing." General Hazama stood up from his seat, turned around and stood in front of the window, gazed out onto the morning landscape. "If this is truly a radio transmission, and nearly slipped out of our hands, then there's something or someone out there that has radio technology." Hazama turned his head back towards Yanagida. "And with the foreign encryption scheme, it could be local, or alien in origin." Hazama finished, turning his body back around and facing Yanagida.
Yanagida squinted his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Hazama as if the General just said something ridiculous. And to Yanagida's best judgment, it was ridiculous and way too far fetch. "With all due respect, General, I don't think an alien race that's achieved faster than light travel would be communicating through radio." That's when Yanagida remembered that the information he spouted was from him reading one of the science fiction light novels gave to him by a friend to read. He shook his head and moved his hand to his forehead, tilting his head down. "Nevermind what I said, General."
General Hazama huffed in amusement and took what Yanagida said lightly. "I suppose we're going to find out soon, right Lieutenant?" General Hazam turned back around and looked out the window once more, standing at rest. "It's called the 'Special' Region for a reason, and it might have some more specialties it's gonna throw our way."
Yanagida scoffed arrogantly, pushing his glasses once again. "That's one way to describe it, General. Not the term I would say, but you're correct."
They took their stand, in the middle of the bone-white platform made from cubes and blocks. Sunlight seeps through a crack from the side, shining down on both opponents. Here they stand as enemies, on the doorstep to heaven, on the foot of Mount Olympus. One seeks to kill the Gods, while the other seeks to stop the first. The Gods had done them both wrong, sinful acts that could not be redeemed, and can only be forgiven through murder. But one wants to just move on, and let sleeping Gods lie.
The other wants to kill them while they are weak, while they are asleep. Broken and intangible, this one has been broken beyond repair. Its mind has deteriorated past the line of insanity, and into the realm of madness. While it may not be revenge that they seek, it was clear that its entire world, their entire world, had been a lie. So here they stood, within the towering walls of the Machine Tower, ready to spill each other's blood, caused by the same tragedy, but with different end-desires.
A2 and 9S stood with their weapons drawn, their pods still, while the air is heavy. The wind blows softly yet it's as if they're in a hurricane. 9S leak with emotion, with rage, with anger, with each breath he took, comes out hatred. A2 remains stoic, as she always had been. The death of a single Android does not phase her, as she had experienced many in her past. It's like a fleeting memory now, each second ticking by she began to lose the shape of them, the ones she once loved. However, now, A2 wants to fulfill 2B's wish. The one that had seen her as an ally, a friend. Taking care of everyone and everything, including 9S. 2B's memories are flowing freely within her memory module, and they are as clear as day.
"This tower is a giant cannon aimed at the Human server on the moon." A2 began, not wanting to fight, not wanting to hurt 9S, to fulfill 2B's last wish. A2 pleaded that there is some rationality within 9S left, he might be broken, but a broken toy can still be fixed. And no matter how irrelevant they are in the lives of their master, they still exist, and serve a purpose, no matter how insignificant that purpose might seem. "If we don't do something, all of Humanity's remaining data will be destroyed." Even when their master is dead.
"Ha ha ha… ha ha ha hah!" 9S let out a shaky laugh, echoing throughout the landscape. "So what? None of it matters. Or didn't you know? We aren't required in this world anymore." In each word 9S spoke, they are laced with disgust, anger, and spite. Through the unchained emotions of 9S and the sorrowful and broken wild mind of the boy, everything he said and will say is filled to the brim with hatred. "Humanity is extinct," 9S stated so-matter-of-factly. "That moon server you're so worried about was invented to give us Androids something to fight for. And YoRHa was created to perpetuate the lie. But to make sure no one ever learned the truth, we were DESIGNED to be killed."
9S continued, none of it matters anymore, so why hold anything back. "They built a backdoor in the Bunker and programmed it to activate after a certain amount of time. The Commander? Me? ...2B?" His last words, 2B, were said with more sadness in his tone. Even after all of this, 9S still loves 2B, and he would never stain her name with his anger. "Sacrificial lambs. All of us." 9S's lips trembled and his hands shook, but his grip on his weapon remained strong. "Isn't that HILARIOUS!?" 9S's voice shook, as a pained, hurtful smile forms on his face. "Doesn't it make you LAUGH!?"
A2 looks on with pity, the boy's hurt beyond what is repairable, but she knows that within him, there is still that jovial, active boy that 2B was very fond of. If she can bring that 9S back, everything will be alright, everything will be to 2B's will. It's her only chance and she knows it, but if she needs to fight, she will. "9S… We"
"SHUT UP!" 9S shouted. "You killed 2B. That's all we need to kill each other."
The sun continued to rise over the horizon as they trekked down an artificial dirt road, very different in material and quality from the broken highways and bridges of the Humans back on… her Earth. Back then? 2B is still unsure where and what time she is in, with very few clues, 2B can barely piece together a feasible narrative of this world.
2B raised her head and gazed down upon Rory, the Apostle of a living God, the God of war at that. With no some form of identification or some more information on the girl, 2B wasn't ready to give up information to the innocent-looking girl, if you call a giant-halberd-wielding girl around the height of 9S, maybe even shorter than him. However, as they continued walking, 2B doesn't appear to have a choice. If she is to understand more, she's going to have to ask Rory. Besides, she was given the tool needed, it would be a waste to not use it to good use.
2B broke into a jog and caught up to Rory in a second, and matched the Apostle's speed. Rory turned her head towards 2B once she caught up, a beaming smile on the girl's face, maybe a little smirk on the edge of her lips. "You know, for someone not knowing where they are, and how they got here, you've been quite reserved with questions." And Rory bluntly stated what 2B's been doing the whole time they two have been together. It's a bit embarrassing being called out like that, but 2B doesn't show it.
Rory snickered from her little teasing after gauging 2B's emotionless face, looking back forward towards the road as she had her back straight and her steps wide forward. "Come on now, you can trust me. It'll be our little secret, alright~?" Rory tried to pique 2B to spill the beans, to persuade the Android to let the questions flow, and in return, the answers to bloom. To say 2B was persuaded will be an understatement, she didn't have a choice at this point, it was either staying in the dark or knowing more about this world.
Besides, what harm would it cause for Rory to know more about 2B as well? Where she came from, what she remembered before coming here. It'll be similar to a handshake or friendship procedure to a new partner on the field, and cooperation would benefit not only them both but also the greater good. 2B takes a deep breath and lets out a similarly long and heavy sigh, and there she went. "My full title is YoRHa Number Two Type B, designation 2B. I'm not… biological, nor human, I'm an Android."
Rory slightly turned her head and raised an eyebrow, heavily interested in the words and the now free-flowing information. While Rory did want to reply and comment, she thought it would be best for her to stay quiet and let 2B speak her heart out, and then came in and asked questions. "I'm from Earth… wartorn, and I was killed in battle. However, for some reason, I wasn't dead… I was revived, and I woke up in the forest near where we met."
Rory looked away for a moment to process the information, and after a few, she looked back at the now silent 2B. She guessed that the Android now wants the Apostle to rely on similar information, regarding her past, her uplifting to a demigoddess, and her ascension soon. "I'm Rory Mercury, as you already know from my excellent introduction earlier~ I was once a Human, however, Emroy uplifted me to become a Demigoddess. After a millennium, I will ascend to become a God."
It shocked 2B. So her small hunch was true, Rory was indeed a Human but turned immortal demigoddess by the God of War and Darkness, Emroy. But if Rory was a Human, then there would be other Humans as well. "The world you are in right now is called Falmart. Home to many races, with Humans being the dominant race in power." It made 2B smile somewhat, even in another world, Humans were the masters of the land. But, even then, how did Humans get to this world? Did they… evolve naturally? That wouldn't make sense as the mathematical possibilities of it are sextillion to one.
But it sparked something within 2B, it could be her core programming to protect humans and humanity as a whole, her sole directive and purpose of being made, and as a member of YoRHa. Or it could be that her desire to find her purpose is finally in the light, and it would be to protect the humans of this world. "But, this makes it interesting." Rory suddenly said with a lively grin on her face. "All of the various races in Falmart came from the Gate on Alnus Hill, a dimensional portal linking two worlds, opened by the Gods."
2B pushed aside a stray large chunk of stone with her foot and then leaned in a little bit more to Rory. "A dimensional portal? Where does it link to now?" Rory shook her head and then a shrug of her shoulders. 2B slumps her shoulders and straightens again during her walk. If the Gods were capable of creating or maybe opening, a dimensional portal, then would it be possible for them to… snatch people from other worlds? This is madness, it goes against all known research about space and time manipulation.
"Now's my turn again!" Rory excitedly commented. "I've been wondering about why you have your eyes covered, are you running around blind with those blindfolds on? Or are they a part of some ritual or fashion sense?" Rory curiously asked the purpose of 2B's military visor, which to the inexperienced looks like it's a blindfold that hinders 2B's vision.
2B raised one hand and gave her visor a light touch, just to remind herself again that it's there before finally, she answered Rory's question. "They are my visor, it shows me a map of the surrounding area and other relevant information. I can look just fine with them and my vision is enhanced." 2B explained as she looks far off into the distance, raising her arm and pointing out. "Over there, two boars." Sure enough, the specks in the backdrop of the landscape were two boars.
It took Rory a second to identify the two specks in the distance and afterward raised her brows slightly in admiration with several nods of her head. The apostle turned her head towards the Android once more and raised her hand to her eyes, addressing the visor once again. "That's impressive, does it work off magic? I've never heard or seen a type of magic that could enhance the perception of a person, or even give a map of the surrounding area." While it sounded ridiculous, Rory expressed genuine curiosity and fascination with the visor.
2B simply shook her head at the start of her response. "I'm not sure why you mentioned magic, but no, it's a piece of military-issued equipment made with advancements in technology. I do not have the full details on its inner workings, however, it's quite helpful." A moment of silence ensued between the two as the following sounds were the singing of birds and their footsteps. 2B perks up again. "You mentioned magic, what do you mean by magic?"
"You don't have magic in your world? Hmph…" Rory took a second to give her answer some thought, wanting to explain magic to the Android. "Magic in Falmart is like your visor. A black cloth's principle is to be solid, not be able to be see-through, and flexible. This is what's called the "True Principle." Rory began with explaining the basics, the very basics of magic in a way that hopefully 2B understands. And judging from her subsequent nod, she understood it just fine.
"Magic is an application of natural phenomena unfolding upon the "True Principle". This is what's called the "False Principle.".Still taking your visor as an example, with magic the black cloth can be see-through, and increase awareness to the person. It's a lot less advanced than what I took as an example, more like levitating rocks and accelerating them, but simply put, Magic is that." A giggle emanated from the apostle's lips, looking back towards the road.
"Huh…" 2B having learned the existence and successful application of magic, in 2B's mind it solidified the thought that she's in a different world. Not Earth, not another planet, but Falmart. A virgin and lush world, filled with Humans… real Humans. This would be 2B's purpose, to serve humanity, as she has done so before. This time, they're going to be around her, and not on the Moon. But there was something that 2B wanted to know about magic. "Where does one get magic? The creation of matter or a force out of nothing is impossible. You cannot make something out of nothing."
Rory lowered her head and thought hard about the question. "I don't have a definitive answer, however, what I can say is that sorcerers draw magic from other dimensions." All of a sudden Rory grinned and turned around, walking backward now as the apostle faced the Android. "But don't worry! Since now we're partners, we can go to Rondel and see if the scholars there have some answers!" Like a child having a bright idea, Rory's grin stretched on across her face and a giggle came out from the demigoddess.
"We're not partners." 2B stated flatly. "We're acquaintances, we barely know one another." 2B's words appeared to have struck the apostle straight in the heart, like a sharp icicle piercing the heart of a poor girl. Rory shrunk down, pressed her halberd against her body, and pouted with a sad face. 2B can hear the apostle murmur: 'so cold' before the apostle turned back around and walked forward once more down the road. 2B looked off and gazed at the environment around them, and she noted that they'd been walking for around half an hour.
No more questions asked for now it appeared, while 2B processed the newly obtained information. It was a nice exchange and 2B gathered some useful information regarding this world she found herself in, and while a majority of it did not make sense to her, 2B was sure that the world didn't care and would continue as it had done, regardless of her protests. What 2B must do now is follow the flow of the stream and not go against it, or she might slip and bang her head on the rocks. The problem for her is, which stream? She'll have to find out from Rory since the only person around was the apostle.
"Rory." 2B called out, prompted Rory to crane her head around and look at the Android. "What is our destination? We've been walking for half an hour." 2B pondered, and while Rory didn't tell her, the Android knows that Rory has some sort of surprise readied for the Android. Judging from the grin and a snicker from the apostle, it's something… exhilarating. And as it appeared 2B didn't have to wait long at all, while the sound of faint whirring and the grinding of something against the ground slipped into her ears. "What is that?"
Rory turned her head back towards the road, still with her smile. She pushed away from her hair to her back and leaned on one leg as if she expected something to appear around the corner and welcome them. "You're in search of purpose, correct?" 2B promptly nodded at the question with a grunt. "Well, you found it!" Just then, the object that made the increasingly loud noise turned around the corner, moved down the road with not much haste, yet with incredible speed.
2B's eyes went wide and her jaw slightly opened in awe, vehicles, more specifically cars. 2B had seen so many rotted ones on the streets of the broken city, but now, as she witnessed one, no- three cars driving down the road, she felt like she's at home. Humans! "However." Rory suddenly spoke and took 2B out of her trance. "It would be best if you pretend to be my partner as another apostle of Emroy, these are not regular humans, they're from beyond the Gate and they could be dangerous. I still don't have the facts, so this will be a learning experience for the both of us." Rory craned her neck back and looked at 2B once again, now with a reassuring smile and a trusting look.
"Mh-" The information and order took 2B by surprise, but she couldn't help but admit that Rory was right. If these Humans are beyond the Gate, they could be dangerous, considering they might not have developed Androids yet judging from their cars. "Alright, I'll follow your lead." And then Rory lowered herself and sat on the dirt.
"A goth loli!?" Itami exclaimed that Kurata followed through with his exclaim of shock, both had their eyes glued onto their binoculars. Itami lowered the binoculars from his eyes and looked at Kurata. "Stop the car!" Itami then grabbed the radio and pressed the button on the side, broadcasting to the rest of the vehicles. "Convoy stop!" The subsequent cars behind Itami's stopped, and therefore the entire convoy skidded to a halt.
"Commander, look!" Kurata shouted once again, prompting Itami to raise his binoculars to his eyes again. "There's another goth, this one looking like an adult." Kurata pointed out the two figures. One wore a black and red with a frilly dress, carrying a halberd. While the other wore a black short dress, and with the blowing wind the pervert Itami can't help but notice the leotard beneath, and aside from the clothing, she also had her eyes covered with blindfolds.
"What an interesting duo... " Itami commented on the two figures after lowering the binoculars again, yet the Lieutenant didn't know what to do, and what he could think about with those outfits they were wearing is cosplay. He turned on his radio again. "Ermm… Katsumoto, Furuta, we don't know if they both are people who got taken from the Ginza Incident, check their conditions, but remain cautious." A 'roger' came through the radio, and Itami leaned back in his seat, nervous about that giant halberd.
The stomping of boots came up from behind the HMV, and two of Itami's subordinates, members of Third Recon, Furuta, and Katsumoto, made their way towards the two figures in a light jog. The flapping of crow wings and the caws of the ravens were faint but audible, while the wind whistled softly in the otaku's ear. The two soldiers came up to the two figures, the small loli sat on the ground, while the other stood tall and stoic.
Itami watched as his team members put their weapons around to their backs and raised a hand, signaling some sort of friendship. "Eh- Hand signs?" Itami whispered, commenting on Furuta's and Katsumoto's actions. "They somehow look like new police officers questioning a run-away." Itami snickered and found his team members' actions funny.
2B watched silently as two of the Humans got out of their vehicle and jogged over to where 2B and Rory were. 2B could immediately make out what they are aligned to, with their matching uniforms, standard-issued weapons, and same equipment, there's no doubt within 2B's mind that they're military. 2B's heart pounded and her hands shook lightly, real Humans, not some demigoddess like Rory, but honest-to-god Humans. She feels incredibly happy to look at her creator, at the ones who had made her, the ones she's to protect.
However, there was a small ache slowly growing within 2B's mind. The cycle… that dreaded cycle. The memories began involuntarily playing, 9S, murdered, over and over and over again with her own hands. 2B hated it, despised it, it hurt her to the core, and now it hurts her even more. 2B didn't know the reason for the many times she was forced to kill 9S, the order only came through the Commander, and she needed to do it. It was a cycle that she wanted to end, but was forced to continue.
A cycle which, no doubt, was ordered by the Humans. Why would the Commander order the random termination of 9S, no reason? They worked well in every mission, they bonded and were friends with a compatibility rate of ninety percent. 2B forgot her hate for the Council Of Humanity for making her go through that, but now, everything resurfaced, like a volcano spewing out hot lava. She wanted to pin them to the ground and ask why, why did they do it, why did they make her do it, and why was she moved here only to continue taking orders from them.
With her hands clenched, she was ready to summon Virtuous Contract, and end the cycle once and for all. But she held back, this could still be solved peacefully, and a little voice of reason whispered to her that these are Humans that are not from her Earth. They could be different, they could be good and virtuous, and seeing them on the ground on their own two feet, conducting some military operations, made a solid foundation for that thought to settle and build. So 2B kept calm, and as the two Humans walked up to them with their weapons away and their hands held up, she had hope, no matter how little it was but she remained skeptical.
And just as things started to look like they will be for the better, a massive hurdle emerged that 2B never thought she must go through again. The Humans in front of them didn't speak in Falmartian, and instead, it's something completely different. 2B could only slump her shoulders down and let out a very small sigh, disappointed with the new development. The first few hours of learning Falmartian were irritating, and while 2B had all of the patience and time in the world, she was glad that she was given the Language Module. And now she wished she would pass out again and wake up with the Language Pack for these Humans, no matter how painful the pain was.
But that painful sensation never came back and she was forced to listen to the unknown and other-worldly words said by the Humans, but at least she understood the hand signs they were giving out somewhat. 2B kept her head held high and her hands at the ready, as Rory had said, they could still be dangerous and it's alright to hold some small form of skepticism. Rory slowly got back up to her feet and patted down her frilly red and black dress of dust and dirt. "I was wondering where you people came from!" Rory had said with a smile and a friendly tone, but it looked like her words came in their left ear and came out the right ear without any processing.
But the two Humans looked at one another and nodded, they probably understood that Rory is a local, and probably 2B as well. 2B guessed that having a perk of being an immortal demigoddess with regenerative powers gave Rory the idea that she could do what she wanted in the presence of heavily-armed soldiers, but that was not far from the truth as the apostle walked past the two humans and made her way to the cars. 2B had no choice but to follow the apostle closely behind, giving the two humans some side-glances and a light nod, hopefully, they understood that it's a sign of respect.
While Rory bantered with the Humans, 2B spent her time studying the uniforms of the Humans. Patterned camouflage, used to blend into the environment and reduce the user's silhouette. Looking down at the slung weapon, firearms. Firing lead or tungsten projectiles through a small explosion done by the ignition of a percussion cap with the sparks firing the gunpowder within, it's similar to the basic ranged weapon of the pods but less powerful. She doubted its ability to even scratch the artificial paint off her frame, so it means these Humans were ancient.
While Rory sat on the lap of the Commander of this team, 2B walked past the lead vehicle and feasted her eyes upon the convoy that went on for long. "Hey! Wait for me!" Rory shouted while hopping off the Commander's lap, and ran up beside 2B and followed her on their walk down the row of carriages. As they walked, 2B couldn't help but notice the attention they were getting, and the eyes that they had. But 2B soon realized that their eyes were on Rory, and barely on 2B.
Most of these look like simple people, not wealthy, and have little possession. Those that did not have a cart walked on foot while covering their bodies were simple garb and garments. It reminded 2B of the Resistance, living minimally with what they had and can salvage, seeing them in this state made 2B feel empathetic. As if the apostle read the Android's mind, Rory gave some clarity to the situation. "These people are running away from a Flame Dragon, a giant beast. They abandoned their village, and with the help of the Men-In-Green, they're headed to a town that they think will keep them safe. That's what the children told me."
"Hm." 2B acknowledged, and kept her eyes on looking at these… refugees. A giant beast called the Flame Dragon, judging from the evacuation effort, the severity of the situation is dire. Could be on the level of a Goliath-Class machine, maybe one of the Engels. However, the Men-In-Green, a mouthful to say and what these people called the soldiers, helped them without seemingly any gain. These Humans looked genuine as well, housing the children and elderly within their vehicles, while some of their soldiers helped push carts out of the mud. Her questions about these Humans were answered, they're good people that helped the innocent.
2B felt something bump her legs from behind, and craning her head around she saw one of the many children, looks like he bumped into her. Rory giggled and gave the kid some pats on the head. "Be careful where you're going." And the kid, in his childlike wonder and sparkling eyes, nodded. Just then, a few others of the children, most likely friends of the kid that bumped into 2B, all shouted 'Your highness!' In unison, and crowd around the apostle, not being able to do so previously. 2B didn't care for their conversation, but something caught her attention a second after.
"Who is she, your highness?" One of the girls asked Rory.
"Oh? She's my partner, call her Two-Bee, she's still a new apostle of Emroy."
Hello everyone! Thank you for reading until the end. I changed to past-tense from present-tense albeit still need to get used to it, please continue giving criticism, or just type a review consisting of your thoughts, it'll be much appreciated! Thank you and goodbye!