A/N: Took me a while to update this particular fic, but this second chapter is now ready for all of you lovely readers. I hope you guys enjoy what's presented here. Thank you all for reading and for leaving me so many lovely reviews for the first chapter. I was genuinely shocked and happy by all the input. Some of you asked questions too, but I don't remember if I responded to you guys individually. In the ending author's note I'll answer whatever questions were left for me in the reviews for the first chapter. Once more, thank you all again for reading. You've made this crazy lady very happy! Best wishes and God bless you all!
Disclaimer: We don't have time for a disclaimer right now. We got angst to get into!
Warnings: The aforementioned angst. Mild blood/gore. Will keep the story at a T rating for now.
Wretched Weaponry
Chapter 1: Route [A] - Oath
Landing the time machine has never been the easiest thing in the world. It requires a lot of sensitive inputs to slow down its descent so that it doesn't immediately crash into the ground, but even with all my focus fixated on the piloting process, my fingers were clumsy over the keys, making for a haphazard and violent entry into an unfamiliar forest. For a few seconds, all I saw was a mix of shadows and blinding sunlight. A second later, one of the machine's legs slammed into something, (probably a massive tree trunk), and the turbulence caused more incorrect inputs. Next thing I know, the ship is flying horizontally through the air with the damaged leg about to fall off.
"Come on," I groan, blinking repeatedly to clear my vision of the blood leaking into my eyes. "Work with me!"
Typing in a new input got the machine right side up again, but the movement came at the exact wrong moment because yet another leg slammed into a tree - the right one this time. An immediate warning message filtered through the screen, alerting me that this part had opted to bid me adieu pretty much immediately, which sucked because it threw the entire machine off balance and left me flying in a horizontal position again.
Grunting furiously, I quickly pull up the machine's internal blueprint to initiate the emergency brake system while steering myself back into an upright position. Using the emergency brakes was a gamble with one leg of the thing lost and the other severely damaged. If that damaged leg broke, it would spell disaster and I really can't afford another one of those, not when I still have a job to do. I have to warn everyone about Cell. If I die because of a stupid crash...then...
Shaking my head of the invasive thoughts before they can come, I maneuver the machine into position. I can see a clearing up ahead and a steep drop-off into what might be a ravine.
So it's now or never.
Now activating emergency brake system.
I shut my eyes and wait as the machine abruptly falls to the ground. There's terrible turbulence as the remaining legs skid along the ground for over a minute, but eventually the movement stops and for a few blissful seconds, I feel like I can breathe again...
Warning! Engine failure detected. Combustion imminent. Evacuation recommended.
My eyes snap open and my finger frantically dance over the inputs necessary to open the machine. The second the glass dome opens, I burst out of the vehicle with nothing but the clothes on my back, my sword, and the small container holding my capsules.
Beyond that, I have nothing else. No home to return to and no hope beyond the last mission mom gave me.
Diving to the ground, I bury my face into the grass just as the engine explodes. The sound is a deafening reminder of all I've lost. Even though I know my mom is alive in this timeline, it's a different version of her. My mom - the one who raised me and encouraged me to keep fighting...she's gone now. Her time machine and the capsules she prepared for the journey are all I have left of her...and one of those things just exploded.
"I'm sorry." The words come out of my mouth unbidden as I continue to lay there, paralyzed with guilt. "I'm so sorry."
For a few moments, all I could do was lay there and listen to the shrill hiss of the destroyed engine and the crackle of flames. I could have died in that moment. I was tired enough to simply lay there and never move again, but dying now would just be another failure.
I have to live long enough to do what mom asked of me. It's all I can do.
And so, with much reluctance, I force myself into a kneeling position on the grass in order to look at my surroundings. A large medieval castle immediately catches my attention when I glance to my left. The structure is imposing and completely unfamiliar. The coordinates I asked mom to program into the machine were just a few miles shy of South City, so a castle seems out of place here. Now that I think about it, the forest shouldn't be here either.
My mind quickly drifts to the extra keys I'd pressed before I left mom and Cell behind. "Maybe I messed up the coordinates."
Satisfied with that conclusion, I rise shakily to my feet and try to assess the damage done to my body. My head injury isn't bleeding as much as before, but the effort it takes to stand makes me dizzy. My knees aren't bleeding anymore either, which is a definite plus. The puncture wound on my left side is a different story though. I'm lucky Cell didn't damage my internal organs, but the wound is still deep enough to pose a threat to my life if I don't find a way to handle it soon. I don't know if the few medical supplies I have on me will do the trick. I definitely don't have enough ki to fly to a hospital either, so...
"Accursed android!"
My muscles tense and I pivot on my heel to look towards the castle. A collection of stubby robots dressed in armor stand before me with spears raised.
"Excuse me?" I ask, unsure of what to make of them.
"Accursed android! You intrude upon our kingdom! This is unforgivable!"
All I could do for a second was stand there with my mouth agape. How could these...things...confuse me with an android? What even are they?
The eyes of these strange robotic creatures glow red. "We must defend the Forest King from all intruders!"
"Look, I don't want any trouble," I mutter, grasping the hilt of the sword attached to my back. "But if you attack me all bets are off. You'll get no mercy."
"FOR THE FOREST KING!"
The stubby robots, armed with their spears, charge straight for me. With a quick movement that elicits a sharp hiss of pain down my side, I withdraw my sword from its sheath and use my ki to propel me away from the first set of attacks aimed for me. The strange machines chortle another battle cry then shift toward my new position, but they're too slow to do much of anything.
By the time they begin their charge again, I'm already behind them.
With a grunt of effort I push the blade through the center of a machine directly in front of me. The other machines surrounding it let out mechanical shrieks of surprise as I yank the sword out. The blade is stained with an oil-like substance resembling blood, but I pay it no mind and fling the weapon into another machine on my right.
"We'll get you for..."
I send a weak ki blast through this machine before it can finish speaking. Two more charge in and I dodge before lunging forward with my sword to take both of them out at once. My body cries out from the movement, but there's still a good number of these things surrounding me and I need to conserve as much ki as I can.
"We will never forgive you, Android!"
Gritting my teeth, I watch in grim anticipation as a large shadow appears over my head before turning around to see a massive machine approaching. The smaller ones, though they still had their weapons trained on me, slowly stepped back to make room for the larger one. Its arms begin to rotate, slowly at first, but within seconds they're moving at a rapid speed I can't keep up with. Under normal circumstances, keeping up with the motion would have been child's play for me, but right now the spinning motion of its arms makes me feel queasy.
"I'm not an Android," I scream out, taking a few steps backward as a means to prepare my next strike. "Stop calling me that!"
"You will never be forgiven! You will never be forgiven! You will never be forgiven!"
Their chanting grew in volume as the seconds ticked on, making it that much harder to properly focus on the big machine's spinning arms. Staggering backward, I shake my head and blink a few times in an attempt to clear my vision but it doesn't help much, especially once I realize blood is flowing from my head at a much faster rate than before.
"You will never be forgiven! You will never be forgiven! You will never be forgiven!"
"Shut up!" With a snarl I rub my forearm against my forehead and eyes. The fabric comes back bloody, but my vision clears up enough for me to see the giant hand of the tall machine racing toward me. I start to sidestep away from the hand only to feel the weight of another large metal hand grab me from behind. The shock of it causes me to lose my grip on my sword.
"You will never be forgiven! Accursed Android! Die! Die! Die!"
Looking over my shoulder graces me with the sight of a second large machine.
"Crap...I was too distracted to notice this guy." Growling I struggle against the machine's grip. Its fingers press hard into my wound and along my ribs, but there's no way I'm giving these things the satisfaction of hearing me scream from any kind of pain.
"Death to Androids! Death to Androids! Death to An..."
A feminine wail erupts through the air, silencing the chant. My eyes immediately drift down to see what had happened, but the instant I try to look the tall machine holding me tightens its grip and slams me down into the dirt. Something in my body cracks. I can't decipher where it came from, only that it hurts...a lot.
"But I can't...give up. I have to...keep going."
Mechanical screams pierce through the air while I make an attempt to rise to a sitting position. They mix with the sound of a blade slicing through thick metal. Explosions follow, but right now I'm much more concerned with the sheer agony that occurs when I put any kind of weight on my right arm. It's...definitely broken.
A tall shadow looms over me then, and looking up I see the expressionless face of the tall machine. Its arms are rotating again, which probably means its gearing up for a final blow against me.
"Get up. Get up. Get up. GET UP!"
My mind screams at my body, but every ounce of strength has completely drained itself from me. Black dots line the edges of my vision too...
It can't end like this. I won't...let it end like this.
Digging my fingers into the dirt, I force weight on my right arm in spite of the pain so I can sit up while gathering energy in my left palm.
"One final attack..."
The thought trails off when a lone figure appears to stand between me and the giant machine.
"Who..."
At first I just see a woman with long, platinum-colored hair wearing black shorts that may as well have been underwear, a black tank top with a slit cut up the center of the back, black elbow-length gloves, and black thigh-high stockings with a pair of black pumps. There's an odd-looking weapon in her hand right hand. It looks like a sword, but it's sparking with electricity.
As the seconds tick on I start to notice strange things...like how her stockings and gloves look like they've melted into her skin. There were odd lines near her shoulder-blades and around the upper part of her neck...almost as if they were indicating separate parts that happened to be linked together.
That was when it clicked...
"Android."
With a huff, the android points her weapon toward the machine that had been about to strike. "I'll turn you into scrap metal."
Her voice is a low murmur of sound, so soft that it would be soothing if not for the bitter edge to the words she spoke. For a brief instant she glances over her shoulder at me. Cold, pale-blue eyes meet mine...
They remind me of 18.
"I'll kill her. I'll kill her. I'll kill her. I'll kill her. I'll kill her. I'll kill her."
The words continue on like that in my head while the woman dashes forward into her first attack with speed and elegance. Jumping up, she slashes at the machine's arms then summons a great-sword out of nowhere. It too sparked with massive amounts of electricity. It was almost comical how the weapon seemed to swallow up her frame, but she handled it in the same way she had handled the smaller sword, with precision and grace. Once through slamming the giant blade at the machine's legs, she switched back to the smaller sword. The great-sword continued to float a few inches behind her.
She was like a magician, switching back and forth between two weapons on a whim as she fought. The massive machine made several attempts to strike her, but she was too fast and agile. It didn't stand a chance.
With a few more strikes against its back, the colossal machine clattered the ground with a ruckus of sound. The smaller machines that had hung back until then started to back away, but the android merely scoffed at their feeble attempts at retreat. Without so much as a word, she bolted over to them and began slashing away at their tiny bodies one after the other until all of them lay in heaps of scrap metal.
Through it all, I could only watch in silent fury.
An android had saved me.
What cruel twist of fate is this?
Did Dr. Gero make more of these deplorable things in this timeline?
With the weird machines dismantled, silence settles around us save for the low crackling of flames. Flinging out her wrist, the android placed the smaller sword she carried near her hip. A small band of gold light wraps around it, making it so it hovers near her side without actually touching her. Then, with careful movements, she finally turns to face me.
My gut instinct propels me to gather what little energy I have to stand up, but it was an agonizing process. Involuntary grunts of discomfort spilled past my lips, angering me all the more.
As I struggled, the android watched me with a blank expression painted across her face. However, the more those cold eyes studied me, the more that expression shifted into one of confusion which morphed into something resembling shock when her gaze settled on my arm.
Eventually, I finally manage to get to my feet. She lets out a low growl, but I ignore the sound in favor of peering around the area for my sword.
While I was searching for it, she spoke.
"Y-You...you're a human, aren't you?"
My gaze immediately narrows on her. "More or less." Technically I was only half-human, but it's not like this android needed to be privy to that information.
"How...what were you thinking fighting the machines?"
"They attacked me," I answer, deciding to entertain the conversation to distract her since I'd spotted the blade. "Was I supposed to just let them kill me, Android?"
Dragging my feet, I slowly but surely make my way to my weapon in the grass. The Android continues to watch me, perhaps guessing my intent when I come to a stop next to the weapon. Being careful not to aggravate my injuries, I kneel down and gently pick it up with my good hand.
"So this is what humans are like, huh?" With a scoff, the android turns her back to me and begins to walk away. "A bunch of ungrateful brats."
I couldn't help but laugh bitterly at that. "Just because you saved me doesn't mean I owe anything to you or your kind."
Her footsteps halt, and the atmosphere changes. All sound seems to drain from the air, even as the wind blows fiercely through the valley.
Clenching her fists, the android turns to face me once more.
"Don't owe us anything!?" Pure rage drips from her demeanor, but she doesn't make a move to unsheathe her sword. "Do you have any idea how many of us have died in this never-ending war for the planet? We swore to take back this world from the machines because that's what we were built to do."
I start to open my mouth to ask what she was talking about, but she bulldozed right over me, her anger an unstoppable force.
"Androids were designed to protect and serve humans!" she roared. "We've all suffered so much to fulfill that purpose and you...you have the gall to stand there and say you don't owe us anything? YOU OWE US EVERYTHING!"
These outbursts nearly trick me into thinking this android has feelings . For a few seconds, a small trace of guilt makes me pause and consider the words spoken.
Deep down, I know something has to be seriously off with this timeline, and the best course of action would have been to calm down and think about things rationally.
But then the memories came. Memories of 17 and 18 tormenting and killing innocent people, memories of Gohan's strength, bravery, and his sarcastic humor, and memories of the rain, my mentor's lifeless corpse, and my first transformation into a Super Saiyan.
Those memories bring back the fresh sting of loss because of Cell...because of yet another one of Dr. Gero's twisted, vindictive creations.
Androids were designed to protect their human masters? As if I'd believe that nonsense. They're nothing more than killing machines who gain sadistic pleasure from destruction. This one saving me doesn't change that fact. I'll never forgive them for what they've done, and I won't rest until every last one of them is dead.
A/N: And that is the end of the second chapter. Right now I'm in between several stories, so I'm not sure when I'll update this one next. Feel free to submit ideas or theories of how you think this story will play out. It would definitely help with the brainstorming I need to do for future chapters. While I have some ideas, things from my day to day life have made me drift toward writing more humorous things for now. If you notice any major grammar errors up there, please notify me and I'll do my best to correct them later. Anyway, thanks again for reading everybody! Best wishes and God bless you all!
Additional note: As promised, below are answers to the questions I received in the reviews for chapter 1. (I'm mainly doing this because I can't remember if I replied to the people who asked these questions or not.) Also, if you guys ever get antsy waiting for me to update this story, feel free to visit my YouTube channel, Lillymu961. I mainly post K-Pop content on there right now, but from time to time I'll post things related to anime, games, books, music, Biblical content, etc. Depends on my mood really. Thank you in advance if you choose to check me out there. Until next time, bye!
Q&A for Chapter 1:
Q: Is the NieR universe in the hands of Zen-Oh?
Answer: I have absolutely no idea at this time. I'm not as familiar with DragonBall Super, so I can't say for sure whether Zen-Oh is the one in ultimate authority over the NieR universe. Might make a good spin for the story later though, so I'll keep it under consideration.
Q: Something else on my mind is regarding the MASSIVE power gap between DBZ and Nier. Is Trunks gonna get nerfed or is he still gonna stay a Chad that can just curb stomp everyone? Cuz Dragonball is just outright absurd with how strong someone can be.
Answer: Well, right now Trunks has been temporarily weakened due to injury. He doesn't have senzu beans or anything else that could expedite his healing process. With a broken arm, head injury, and a puncture wound that's making him bleed all over the place, he's not in the best shape. He may even have some cracked ribs thanks to the machine manhandling him in this chapter, so he will definitely need recovery time. Of course, should he be allowed to recover fully that Zenkai boost will kick in, and he'll most likely be able to obliterate everything in sight...but for right now, he's probably around the level of stronger androids like A2 and 2B while injured. I can't say power scaling is a major concern for me in regards to this story though, at least not right now. These early chapters are more about establishing relationship dynamics and emotional conflict rather than bombastic fights, although that'll come at some point since I need more practice writing fight scenes. We'll see what happens.
Many thanks for the reviews everybody! Keep em' coming! They help me make the effort to update faster...even if it still ends up taking me a while. God bless you all!