Chapter 3. The Doctor (III)
[And that's the end of my report.]
Commander White, called Commander by the most, and White to a few people that know her, curled her lips into a thin line, her fingers tapping her desk as she contemplated information she just heard.
"So the Doctor is more important than we thought." She mused. "And dangerous as well."
[It appears so, yes.] 29B agreed. [I am sorry Commander, for failing the mission.] She apologized.
She grunted. "The mission might fail but mainly because of an outlier." Who knew there would be machines coming to them? That was outside of their calculations. "And it does not fail disastrously at least. Just consider yourself lucky you survive, 29B."
[Yes, ma'am!]
"You are close to one of our access points, stay in there, I will send an S unit to do a check up on you then after that you will return here to do a full check up with our equipment."
They can't take a risk, if the Doctor truly takes his enemies down through an advanced hacking system then they need to scan 29B's body fully. As a matter of fact, perhaps it would be better to have her platform self destruct?
Something to consider if the S unit found something foreign and hard to detect. Perhaps she should be transferred to another Bunker instead of the main one, just in case.
[Affirmative, ma'am.] 29B saluted.
She gave her a nod. "You are dismissed until further notice."
[Yes, Glory to Mankind!]
"Glory to Mankind."
She saluted back and cut off the video. She let out a sigh and leaned in her seat, thinking what kind of impact the Doctor's offer would have on their operation.
She recalled the report from Pod 312 that 29B and Pod 150 went offline and thought that perhaps a confrontation with the Doctor occurred or the Machine's army that chased them managed to get them, resulting in both of them dead. If that is what happened then she would send a pair to investigate the last signal where both of them were after the next 72 hours.
Mainly because that area now can be considered as one of the Machine's infested locations, sending another squad there without proper preparation would be foolish.
Thankfully it didn't, both of them survived, damaged in a way but alive, and they brought… she can't say it is good news but it was certainly not a bad one either, it did lean more to the former though.
If you look at the entire board through an optimistic view that is.
This entire ordeal is risky, and it is dangerous given there is a big chance that something fishy could just go behind the scenes.
If she tried to be positive or optimistic then this is a revolutionary operation. The biggest problem with YoRHa is that there are not many of them. They are equivalent to elite units, few in numbers but deadly, they compensate quantity with quality due to the price of their models and platforms.
However, the quantity of the enemy they are facing is simply too much to the point their quality almost becomes meaningless, and not to mention there are few that also surpass them in quality as well. The machine is always overwhelming in number and quality, the existence of YoRHa is supposed to change that and yet it doesn't.
Oh make no mistake, they are winning right now. True there are struggles and the number of casualties isn't so small either but they are still the ones who hold the advantage… or so what people thought.
The thing is they already ran the simulation, she already monitored it and checked the calculation, she even has the best O units to help in calculating and predicting the result of this war, and make no mistake they will win. Despite how new YoRHa is the efficiency and the result they gave is actually very big.
As long as morale keeps high it is.
And it is not.
She noticed. A lot of YoRHa's units got stressed, their morale and spirit down, few became deserter and even their E unit was also not safe from this. She read the report on how many E units have to be rebooted completely and go insane and unstable from doing their job. Of how many B units tired and did not give their fullest in the mission. Of how many H units just simply stop caring about their fellow units and let the mission fail. Of how many D units just carelessly throw themselves to protect other units to be appreciated.
And of how many S units decide to investigate forbidden matters because they are tired of this damn war and want to find the meaning and reason why they have to keep fighting.
There are still a lot of cases and problems from them and if she tried to remember them all she would end up spending the entire week in her office.
The Doctor's offer though sounds good, revolutionary in a way even. If they have another faction, one that is more replicable and can be built with cheaper material and cost yet at the same time also can be comparable to YoRHa units in a few areas regarding combat capabilities then…
Then it would be a very big help. It would reassure them that they truly can win this war, and the percentage will raise significantly.
That is of course if the offer of the Doctor is sincere and everything goes according to the plan. Unfortunately and fortunately White knows things won't and never be that simple.
There are so many risks here, one doesn't need to ask the O model to make the calculations to find just how dangerous it is, and the clues that were given are so obvious.
From the Doctor's origin and how 29B describes him, an android that has a source of knowledge but it is inaccessible fully due to endangering his platform, and said all that knowledge is almost entirely new to them where it is unorthodox in nature.
That already seems to be a pretty big warning by itself, and it still is not adding the fact what if all the design and offer he gave to them is a trap? A trap where they will gather resources for him in the end. He is their designer after all, she is sure there will be a backdoor or something in his design.
And there are still a lot of things that can be written on that list.
Normally she would reject this idea, and she is tempted, so tempted to just put a bounty on his head to capture him and that's it. However, the price that he offered, the prospect it would give if this is a genuine offer or could work in a way at least…
This is worth it, the risk is worth it. If she takes the offer this could-no, it will raise the troops' morale and thus reassure their victory, and if she wants to be boastful it will also take them closer to putting an end to this war after 6.000 years.
Nothing but a hopeful wish yet she can't think of anything else now.
'Not to mention the Army of Humanity just recovered from the uprising rebellion two years ago. True we are currently the ones that are fighting in the frontline against the Machine but if the Army of Humanity falls…'
It would be a total loss. If she wants to put it in the human analogy then YoRHa would be one of the organs that enables them to fight efficiently, they are important for this war due to their efficiency despite only being created recently, yes but the Army of Humanity is equivalent to the heart.
For the countless times, she cursed those damned traitors. Of all the time they caused a ruckus, why does it have to be now?! They were never so active before and there were also unofficial agreements to leave each other as long as they stayed on their own borders ever since they realize this war will go on for a long time.
Luckily as quick as they rose, as soon as they fell as well, now those bastards have retreated. Licking their wounds in their dark corner and she hoped they would choke while doing that. The damages they caused were indeed severe but it was nothing vital in the long term, which is proven since they are already back to normal like it never happened recently.
She closed her eyes and let out a breath through her lips. She will do it, she will take this offer, with Army of Humanityu's current situation and how bleak the future is, she doesn't have much choice. She will accept his requests not without a lot of restrictions and rules.
She had watched the recording, the Doctor pretty demanding yet also polite in giving his conditions, she could accept it. She will let him have this round, for now, let him have his freedom, but make no mistake the next negotiation will be on her terms, and she is damn well going to wring that piece of machine dry.
She will make sure if they can't monitor him directly in the Bunker then there will be eyes on him on Earth, and if he shows any sign of being suspicious or intent to harm android and YoRHa in general then a subjugation squad would be sent to him.
For now, she will allow him to take the lead, and let him feel comfort and safety first, like humans say, keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer.
YoRHa Unit Type Assault no. 2 or known as A2 shortly is stealthy observing her surroundings, she made her steps as light as possible and made sure to show herself to be unarmed and harmless.
It is something that she often does in the past few years, something that she learned through a long experience and battle. Just walk lightly and cautiously place your feet, make sure your body is not rigid enough to show you are fully on guard yet at the same time also keep your mind sharp, and finally, make sure no emotions or expressions are shown in your facial features.
Those are the lessons she learned after fighting countless YoRHa's units that were sent for her, most of the time this strategy allows her to ambush those that wish to sneak on her, especially the E units.
Just like now apparently.
She doesn't notice it at first of course but she does in the end. The small tremor that followed her, the creaking sounds of metal that reverberated in the air, the sounds of birds that started to flap their wings away.
Oh make no mistake it's not like she suddenly developed super sense or something, no, it was the opposite as a matter of fact, her body had been damaged too much to the point some sense even became dulled or not working, a proof of the long battle that she has gone through.
But because of her limitation, she is forced to pay attention to any input she receives no matter how small they are. She noticed the change around them, even if it is small and barely there, a normal unit even with Pod would dismiss them due to thinking of them as a mere trivial matter but not her. The moment those signs exist, she is on alert immediately, granted there's a chance that it could be only a trivial matter – and a lot of time it was – but she doesn't want to risk it.
However, this time though she is sure she was being followed. She heard the rustling sounds a few times, and the vibration on the earth also occurred multiple times as well. Now the question is just when and how to ambush them back.
The area around the forest couldn't provide cover against a ranged attack, something that is troublesome to deal with, but the deeper however is another matter that will create another problem.
She didn't know the exact details of enemy numbers, for all she knew there could be another group waiting from her front and sides, circling her to ensure she did not escape and laying a trap for her.
If that happens then things would be more difficult and risky. She could take on two or three but more than that? No, she needs to be in an environment that supports her, and right now this place is anything but that, taking them all in here is suicide.
That leaves her with one choice.
She takes another step forward, her heel clicking to the earth and pushing her forward, then she feels it. Small, close to nonexistent, but it was there, another vibration on the earth, another footstep.
Then she took a turn to the left and ran.
With a single step and lunge, she closed three meters distance easily, another step and six meters were covered. She didn't stop or even look back, she just kept running.
Then after two seconds, she slowed her pace, not so sudden but lower it by one level, another two seconds and she lowered it again, it keeps continued for three more times, and then-
She spun in her place, rotating in less than a second, sword drawn, eyes narrowed, hair flailing, she ran back. Faster this time than her first dash, to the direction where she was before.
Not even more than four seconds she meet her chaser and to her surprise – albeit she didn't show it – it wasn't YoRHa's units but a pair of androids, one is a female who carries a spear with a blonde hair and a dress and the other is male who carries some kind of shield wearing a visor and black hair.
She didn't care, they were following her, chasing her even, and given her fugitive status, anything they wanted from her probably was not good.
Act first, question later.
So she swung down her weapon with full strength without hesitation at the female android.
However the male android reacts faster, he moves in front of his companion and raises his shield, just in time to meet her blade.
A loud sound resonates in the forest as their weapons meet. A small shockwave spreads to the area around them from the collision of the steels, and to her internal surprise the male android manages to hold her, sure one of his knees buckled a bit but she didn't expect him to be able to hold his ground.
For a second her blue eyes glued to his visored face, to where his eyes were supposed to be, she could see the details of his expression despite it being covered.
Jaw clenched, cheekbones tighten, and forehead scrunched. They aren't as strained as they are supposed to be despite the amount of force she put into her attack. Which means…
'He is strong.' She noted warily.
She moved again, faster this time, her legs flipping and her heels planted to his shield, eliciting a grunt from him that she ignored as she used it for a platform. She sailed past through them, rotating in the air once again and balancing herself. She landed on a tree nearby, her heels dug deep into the trunk and provided her a temporary footing, she used the plant to propel herself down from above with a weapon raised once again.
This time the female android is ready, she has already moved to cover her friend's back, her spear ready and she swings it with full force to meet her weapon.
The female android was blown away, naturally.
She was smashed to the side as a result of their clash, crashing to the ground for a few meters roughly. Apparently, she wasn't as strong or as ready as her friend it seems. A2 however didn't care, her eyes instantly narrowed on the male android, who stared at her with one hand raised while the other still clutching his shield.
One down, temporarily, but the other still stands and-
A tingle goes across from her spine and straight to her mind.
Suddenly her entire body froze and before she knew it she crashed to the ground, falling in front of her enemy.
'What the fuck?!' She swore inwardly as she found her face on the dirt. One moment she was about to slice this damn android and then her whole body just went limp.
She tried to move but it was useless, somehow her body didn't obey her. As a matter of fact, she can't even move her head, she was utterly frozen. No matter how she tried, the result remained the same.
Shit, shit, shit, what the hell is happening?! What happened to her?! Why can't her body move?! A hack?! No, her system didn't detect or sense it, and even if it is hacking there's no way it was advanced enough to the point of being able to do this!
She is panicking yet her facial feature does not even move an inch much to her horror, she can't even talk or blink! It was as if her entire body went offline!
No way! No fucking way! No way she is going to die because of something like hacking! Damnit! She survived this far against a more monstrous and bigger machine, she won't die just because-
"Calm down, Miss, I am not your enemy." The male android said, his voice stern but holding no anger nor heat. That made her panicking stop."If I wanted to, I could kill you in here right now but I don't, so stop panicking, alright? Or should I give you time to calm down first?"
They… didn't come here to kill her?
"Yeah, I can feel you stopped struggling, I will take it as a sign that you calmed down now. I will release my hold on you for now alright, do not attack us, we don't want to fight you, we come here to talk and that's it."
To talk? What the heck could they possibly want to talk about with her?
"I will release you in 3… 2… 1… and there."
Then suddenly she felt her body able to move again and she gasped, on instinct, she leaped from the ground, away from the androids, creating distance between them and her hand went on her weapon again.
The female android takes a step forward, her expression is cold and her spear ready. [Do it. The next clash would be different, I assure you.] She spoke in a mechanical voice, it reminded her of Pod's.
She sneered at her. "Funny, I wasn't the one that just got their ass handed with one swing."
"Chloe, enough." The male android spoke before his friend could respond. "There's no need to taunt or provoke her, that was just a reflex."
The female android nodded stiffly at him and took a step back. [Yes, Father.] She spoke in a voice that carried an echo, almost like a machine.
Father?
The male android turned to her and offered a small smile. "Despite our rough start, allow me to introduce myself, I am Doctor, or the Doctor as dubbed by the others, and my companion here is my assistant, Chloe."
Chloe merely grunted and stared at her with an impassive face.
"What do you want?" She asked to the point. She doesn't want to spend any longer with him, what just occurred… she shuddered internally. She has experienced hacking before but that.
That took it to another level.
Chloe's eyebrow twitched, obviously annoyed at her but she doesn't give a shit, her attention solely focused on the male android, the Doctor.
"Straight to the point, well, can I get a name first?"
Her eyes narrowed in irritation and she normally would snap at him then leave but after what just happened… shit.
"A2." She grunted.
"A2, a numerical name just like other YoRHa's units." He chuckled. "Well, nice to meet you A2 and I apologize for being rude before, I want to resolve this without violence or hacking you but… I would have ended up as a smear on the ground if I didn't stop you before." He said sheepishly.
"Just answer my question." She replied bluntly. "What do you want and why are you following me?"
"Well, to put it bluntly, I want you to help me in keeping me safe." He answered in an equally blunt voice. "You can say I am looking for a… bodyguard or something like that, one that wouldn't be biased." He didn't even try to be subtle and glanced at his companion who visibly grimaced.
"Sorry, not interested." She denied it instantly. A bodyguard? She doesn't have time to babysit nor does she want to anyway.
"You don't need to protect me fully, what I want is to travel around safely while doing my research and while I believe I can keep myself safe but I always could use an extra company." He said, trying to persuade her. "And you clearly often go around here and there. You can act like an S unit, a scout for me. I will follow you from behind wherever you go, I won't be a bother, promise, I will even help you too."
"Really? Even from YoRHa?" She asked sarcastically. "In case you didn't notice, I am clearly not friendly with them, you didn't see a pod around me after all."
"I know, and I will even protect or help you from them." He answered firmly. "Though I am sure you probably won't need it given you are still surviving this far and…" He stared at her for a moment before letting out a cough. "Damn you Yoko Taro," He grumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing!" He said hastily. "Anyway, you don't need to worry about me siding with YoRHa to betray you. I will assist you in anything, even from them."
"Oh yeah? And what makes me believe in that?"
In response, the Doctor pulls out something from his pocket, a small device and he turns it on.
[You are the Doctor, correct?] A female android's voice came out of it, a recorder then
[I am.] It was the Doctor's voice this time that spoke. [And what does YoRHa want from me? Who are you?]
YoRHa? He had contact with them?
[I am YoRHa unit with designation 29B.] The YoRHa's unit introduced herself. [As for what we want. The upgrade and repair you've done to the androids at the Resistance bases that you visited, we wish to know how you did them, and thus bringing you with us to talk with our Commander.]
He stopped the recorder in there and gave her a look.
"You are also wanted by YoRHa." She stated. Upgrade and repair he has done to the androids? He is a Repair unit? No, he isn't that simple. A mere Repair unit wouldn't be able to endure her direct attack, let alone display hacking capabilities to that degree.
"Wanted? Yes. Fugitive? No." He nodded. "They wanted something from me and were willing to cage me if they had to but I am offering them a deal, my cooperation, and willingness, as long as they don't cage me and let me do my work, which I will give to them in the end."
"And they agree?"
"... 29B probably already gave my offer to Commander White by now, and I am 75% sure she would accept it." He said with a small pause. "And if she didn't I am sure I would be chased by YoRHa tomorrow." He added sheepishly.
[Our security system would be enough to handle them, Father.] Chloe remarked from her side.
"Perhaps but I don't want to fight them, they are not our enemy, the Machine is, we cannot let them spend their funds to hunt us while they are fighting against the Machine. It is irrational and illogical, we have one enemy and that's it, that is the most important thing."
Well, he is obviously as smart as his looks, he knows the main priority at least, and she can respect that.
Also, why the heck did she call him Father anyway?
"And just what they wanted from you anyway?" She asked. "Repair and upgrade information? You can just send them the data and be done with it."
"... there are complications with that and it will lead to a long story." He answered with a small pause. "Which I am sure you won't want to hear now, it will be a waste of time after all, I can tell them if you want to." He offered.
"No, thanks." She declined in an instant, if it was too complicated she didn't want to hear it. "And what did you offer for them that you were sure they won't keep hunting you?"
"Well for one, I think the Commander would agree it was irrational and illogical to hunt me actively if I cooperated with them. Two, YoRHa is also busy fighting the Machine, there's no need to spread more of them while they are thin enough already."
Make sense, that is one of the reasons she didn't encounter a squad or whole team whenever a unit sent after her, YoRHa knew their priority at least.
"And third, I am offering them a new android design that could be built with cheap and easy materials yet at the same time also could be as effective as YoRHa's units in a few areas."
She has to blink at that. A new android design that could… The implications were staggering despite how simple it sounded. "You are offering them new android combat models?"
"To take down the Machine, yes." He grunted. "This is something that should have been done long ago in my opinion, YoRHa is good, great even, but they aren't meant to be frontline fighters. There should be another that plays the role, Resistance's Android or most units could but they are simply too ineffective to do so. Make no mistake, it doesn't mean they aren't good, they are, but not for fighting in the long term as we can see so far, that is why YoRHa was made in the first place."
"And that is why you give them that design." She concluded. "You made a model that could fight in the frontline, a replaceable unit that is not as good as YoRHa but better than the android."
"Indeed," He nodded in affirmation. "And with this, we can uplift the scale to our side further, we can turn this to our favor." He explained. "Right now I am working to improve that design, I believe I still can alter it further to make it more efficient and better, and I need a protector and someone who could collect items and materials for me to do so, Chloe here can do that but I need extra hands to fasten my work."
Well, shit. No wonder YoRHa wants this guy. They probably want to cage and make him solely work for them, she is sure of it, yet, they don't want to ruin any chance of cooperation. After all, a willing worker is better than one that is not.
Just like how she used to.
"If it is security that you need you can ask for them." She replied. "Why do you come to me?"
"In our current relationship? I trust them as much as I can write an essay about code, and trust me, I can make a very long essay." He said dryly.
She snorted derisively. That is a very weird analogy but she understands his point nonetheless.
He chuckled at her reaction. "No, I need you, someone who deserts yet is also efficient. I can tell from your… appearance." He stared at her again for a moment before shaking his head. What's with this weirdo? "That you are old-uh I mean, experienced! Very experienced and veteran in combat." He said rather quickly much to her confusion and irritation. "And you also hold no love to them, so you won't be biased."
Make sense, a good decision, logical and reasonable. "And what's in it for me? All you were talking about so far only benefits you, not me."
"I can provide you with support. Weapons, full body repair, chips upgrade, medicines, resting place." He lists the offers to her. "Think of me as your moving base." He summed it up. "You can go on fighting and after a long day of exploration you can get back here and take a break, that would be nice, no?"
It is but, "That assuming you are trustworthy enough." She replied and crossed her arms. "For all I know you can just sell me to YoRHa to improve your relationship with them."
"Miss A2, if I wanted it I could just kill you when I hacked you down but I didn't." He pointed and she blanched internally as she remembered what in the name of Mankind just happened a moment ago. "I could just sell you to YoRHa after that but I didn't because I need you. I need help, the faster I can complete all I need, the sooner I can focus on another thing."
"On another thing?"
"Well…" He paused and raised his finger. "Finding a way to put this planet back in orbit properly once again," What? "Cleaning the water that is polluted by electronic materials and junks, reforestation on a major scale, researching how to revive extinct animals for food, cleaning the snow in the Kingdom of Night properly so it won't flood the entire World when they melt, checking the atmosphere denseness to see just how bad its condition and find a way to fix it, cleaning radioactive material that buried in somewhere, remanufacturing tools and cities for the android and everyone, and-"
"Stop, stop, stop!" She intercepted him before this motor-mouthed android could continue. "I get the gist, so shut your mouth." She said with a glare and made the Doctor put on a sheepish expression. "The entire thing you just say, all of them are related to cleaning this planet." She pursed her lips, blue eyes narrowing. "You intend to fix Earth's current status." She stated.
"I am." He admitted with a nod. "After all, if I am finished with everything then it means I have the entire tools and power to fight the Machine on equal terms, it means it is time to put an end to this 6000 years war." He declared in a voice that was not boastful yet somehow filled with a firm belief. "This time, the World will be cleansed, properly."
Well, she must admit, that sounds noble and big, alright. Almost pretentious though. Especially the emphasis in the last part, she could say that sounds ominous frankly.
Not like it matters to her though.
Should she accept the offer? Assuming everything he said is true and he was being honest, accepting it would be the best thing, and he even let her go after she assaulted him before. If he will provide her with all the lists before then there's no need to bother sneaking to some Resistance camp or scavenging anymore, she would have her own base and supply to call. However, he is still hiding something, she is sure of it, even if he didn't show it directly but she knows this android is actually more than what he appears.
No, she doesn't trust him, not at all, but she is willing to see how far he would go… if he also could comply with her request.
"I will accept, on one condition." She started.
Chloe bristled, appearing to be irritated at her but she ignored the female android and the Doctor appeared to be expecting it by how unsurprised he was. "Name it."
"That hacking you did before, tell me how to counter it."
That hacking before was anything but pleasant. Just remembering it made her shiver. Unable to move, unable to talk, just staring ahead like a statue that is frozen, trapped in her own World forever. Like hell she wants to experience it once again.
The Doctor blinked, once, then he let out a sigh. "Yeah, I expect it would be that. unfortunately, miss A2, that won't be possible." He said. "Not like I don't want to, well, actually I am, just in case things go south between us, but even if I want it that is impossible. The hacking I did before, I don't even know how it works properly, all I know is that I hacked you and that's it."
That… "Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of bullshit is that?" She glared at the man with restrained anger.
"Space Whale bullshit." He deadpanned. A what? "Trust me, even I am also frustrated with it." He sighed again. "I am sorry Ms. A2, but that is not possible even if I wanted it. I do, however, can reassure you that I won't hack you like that anymore, not unless the situation is necessary."
"And what is that "necessary" situation?" She air-quoted mockingly.
"If you tried to kill or harm me for one." He replied in a dry tone.
"Uh huh, and how are you going to reassure me that you won't do it again?"
"Nothing but my word unfortunately." He said in a resigned voice, he looked so sad now for some reason, sad and hesitant but decided to continue. "However, please believe in me, I really don't want to bring any harm to you, this ability that I have is not something I wished to possess in the first place. If there's anything I can do to compensate for that…"
The fuck did he looks at her like that for? Why did he give her that look when she was the one that was… well, now thinking about it, she did attack them first.
Now she kinda feels bad, and she shouldn't damn it! This guy was… was… was just defending himself.
He was just defending himself from her, he never intended to harm her, she was the first one that attacked them. Granted they also tried to be stealthy about it but can she blame him completely for being cautious when approaching the fugitive?
But again why did he seek her deliberately in the first place? True he explained the reason but is that all? This android is suspicious, very suspicious.
And let's just say she accepts his offer, his "another" things also need to be questioned, especially the first one. Putting Earth back on the right axis? Not even YoRHa can do that, yet this man claim he could?
Worst of all is actually that unknown hacking, which is the biggest problem. Even his association with YoRHa is something that is only second considered to that hacking of his.
No, she prefers to stay away from him. Away. Like really away where she can't see him. Thank you very much!
A tingle goes across from her mind and straight to her heart: Friend.
However there's… part of her that screams at her, nagging her to give this man a chance. It was… it was weird but also not unpleasant, it was as if something that reminded her she was about to do something bad, an instinct perhaps if she put it in a human's words.
Friend. Chance. Please. Chance. Friend.
And that "instinct" is actually what led her to survive this far.
No, she doesn't like this, not in the slightest, not at all but… shit!
She doesn't trust him, but she trusts herself, her "instinct" and thus her decision was made.
"If you slow me down, or force me to comply in the slightest, or even use that hacking on me again, the deal is off, understand?" She states in a firm and strict voice.
The change was instantaneous, his expression was forlorn a moment ago but suddenly he looked surprised, and then turned to a happy one. "Yes! We will do our best to provide you with proper support!" He said. "Though, about the slowing down part… well, there's maybe a bit of a problem with that but I will try my best to keep up."
She grunted. That was good enough, for now. She glanced at the female android who had been silent during the negotiation. She doesn't show any expression, face stolid yet A2 can tell somehow she disapproves of this.
"And her? Will she be a problem?" She asked as she gestured at her.
The Doctor turned to her. "Chloe?"
[I have no complaints. Father's decision has been made and I believe in him, regardless, the end result would be satisfactory.] Chloe stated in a monotone.
"Yeah, no, you have a problem? You said it openly to me. I don't have time to deal with someone holding a grudge behind me when we were supposed to work together." She replied sharply. "And why the heck did you call him Father anyway? Some kind of kink or what?"
Said Father's face scrunched up a bit at that and he gave her an unamused look but Chloe's face remained unchanging.
[Father, permission to speak freely?]
"You know you can always speak if you want to."
[Negative, the last time I did, I messed up your plan.]
"Err yeah, I guess, alright. Permission granted."
Chloe nodded appreciatively, her dull look turned into a glare. [Miss A2, judging from your behavior so far, I can tell you are reckless, rude, and borderline suicidal. Father has shown nothing but kindness and politeness to you, he even shows that he could shut you down anytime he wishes, yet you still show aggressive and offensive behavior, an irrational action. Those kinds of behaviors are something that I don't want to be near to my Father because it would be detrimental to his health further, according to my calculations, I believe Father will be in a lot of trouble just by associating with you who possess such attitudes and traits, thus I deem you are unfit to be with him.] She said without taking a pause. [However, at least you know how to be grateful and rational by accepting his offer to you, this at least makes me think perhaps you are yet beyond salvation.] She finished.
The Doctor stared at her, and A2 herself stared at her. The stare from her however turned into a glare.
"Well, fuck you, so you don't like it that I didn't lick his ass, that's it? Wench, I ain't gonna take orders from someone," The last time she did, it didn't end well for her and her whole team. "So easily, let alone someone I just met." She spat. "You want me to respect him? Well, he better shows something to respect first!"
[He already did, by not-]
"Okay, Chloe, stop right there!" The Doctor hastily spoke. "Look, calm down you two. Chloe, do you truly mean what you just said?"
[Yes, Father. Until Miss A2 shows a change in her behavior, I will not change my statement.] Chloe said. [But do take note that while I disapprove of her presence it doesn't mean I am 100% in opposition to taking her with us. My calculations note that with Miss A2's presence and abilities, there is a chance your research could grow exponentially, and while I am not one that puts things into faith but you trusted her enough and that is enough reason to believe in this.]
"Why thank you, bitch, I feel so appreciated." A2 sneered at her.
"Miss A2, please." He gave her a look, not ordering or strict but just an exasperated one. He turned back to Chloe. "I am glad to hear that Chloe, your opinion is… mind-opening and offers a unique perspective, thank you, I will try my best to live up to the trust you give me as usual." He said in an honest voice while smiling tenderly.
[Your gratitude is all I need, Father, thank you.] Chloe replied in a soft but appreciative voice.
What the heck did she just see?! A drama show?! For some reason, it irked her and made her want to vomit.
"Right, right, enough of that." She chimed in. "Now, what do you want to do?" She asked.
The Doctor turned back to her. "First, we pick our truck, luckily I already packed it and we are ready to go anytime." He said.
"A truck?"
"Well yeah, I need someplace to put my tools, after all, no way I can carry them by myself. You don't have to worry about its effectiveness though, it is fast, durable, and I just finished upgrading the stealth program." He answered and reassured her. "We also could give you a fix if you want to, I can tell from your damaged and… burned skins and body!" Again with the pause and hasty voice, why did he do that?! "That there's probably a lot of things that need maintenance."
"I will see it to myself later, now, lead the way." She grunted as she started to walk and the duo also did, leading the way. "Also you still haven't answered why she called you Father." She added while gesturing to Chloe.
"Oh, that's because I made her."
"You what?" She snapped at him with a ludicrous look.
"I made her." He repeated. "From scratch of course. Admittedly, it wasn't that hard to code or make an AI program, you only need the math after all. What's the biggest problem would be the platform, they need real life materials after all."
She turned back at Chloe, an AI, just like her fellow android? That… is not easy to make, true they can just be replicated or something but to build one from zero?
Just who is she dealing with?
This is the same note that I gave in QQ:
We get a glimpse of how YoRHa responds to the Doctor's request and the reasons why they accept it instead of putting him on the wanted list or something like that. Let the man be for now but next time, they will talk on their term instead of his, that is basically the Commander's plan for now.
And as you can see, the first meeting with A2 is anything but a good one, the fact A2 has trust issues and actually. Thankfully it works, somehow, really, what a miracle! Now the Doctor has a good companion with him, yaaay!
Also due to sudden business and things, the next chapter will come out a bit late, probably a week at most, let us hope it won't take that long.
And as always, active discussion and questions are allowed, it makes me happy after all.