I don't own Nier Automata or Worm, they belong to their respective Author.


Prologue


Unit 29B is currently on run and for countless times, she cursed the Machine. Everything wrong in this world is because of their existence.

It was supposed to be a simple recon, investigating a faculty that was believed to be the base or home of an unknown android who they had searched for weeks to find.

She was tasked to investigate a certain facility along with her squad, a faculty that was believed to be the base or home of an unknown android who has been investigated by YoRHa in the last few months.

And yet when she arrived with her teammate, there were Machines waiting for them, a lot of Machines, and they were ambushed.

She got separated from her squad and her pod got shot, it wasn't destroyed but it's incapable of functioning and now she is forced to carry it with her unless she wishes to be stranded without any communication device to contact her team later.

And that is what made current the situation difficult.

Fighting alone is one thing but fighting with baggage is another.

Abandoning her pod in an area infested with machines means losing it, permanently possibly, and losing it means there's no way to return or contact her team unless she found something that allows her to do so in the future.

Not impossible but will be troublesome and difficult. Without Pod to detect danger, navigate, and communicate, she would travel half-blind, something that is not wise in this situation.

But at this rate, it seems she will be forced to abandon it.

The machine is relentless as always and they pursue her with fervor, at this rate she could be forced to enter the faculty, something she hoped to avoid because that place is supposed to be a base of an unknown android, who knows what kind of trap it could have or set, and without pod helping her that is very risky.

Alas, she doesn't have a choice it seems, she has to use-

She cursed loudly when one of the giant machines opened fire and launched numerous missiles at her. She twisted in her feet, calculating the projectile's speed and direction, she then leaped, flipping in the air, rotating her body almost at an inhumane angle, and dodging the attacks.

She landed on the ground, perfectly with her pod strapped on her back, one knee touching the ground, and the other leg pressed firmly beneath her to support her body.

Then the missiles behind her explode, prematurely.

The shockwave sent her tumbling and she was blown away, her vision was filled with static for a moment as she crashed to the ground with a groan.

A remote-controlled missile? Damn, if the pod were active it could warn her so she activated her shield at least!

As she pushed herself to stand, she then noticed that she was surrounded and grimaced, three of the Machine is large in size and surrounded by dozens of small ones in number.

This isn't good, not at all.

She grits her teeth and grips her sword as the machine opens its part and prepares its weapons. She can't escape, not anymore, and to be honest she is afraid, she doesn't want to die here, but she doesn't have any choice now and she would rather go down fighting than crying.

She will take as many of them as she can.

And judging by the numbers that she saw before, there would be more coming.

Just as she was about to charge forward to one of the big machines, suddenly the entire machine jerked, an electrical noise erupted from them and their body started to convulse.

"ErRrOr. eRroR. FOrEiGN pRogRAM is-" one of the machines uttered but it suddenly slumped before it could finish its words.

The other machine soon meets the same fate as they slumped and fell to the ground, one by one, their menacing red eyes shutting off.

"Wha…" She muttered in astonishment. "What happened?" She asked aloud to no one. She was silent for a moment, eyeing the fallen machine warily. "It talks… That was new. Since when did machines talk?" She asked aloud in confusion. "Did their intelligence grow or what?"

Cautiously she takes one step forward to one of the big machines and then stabs it in the neck. Her blade pierces through the body and the machine still does not move.

Corking her blade, she swung it, decapitating the dead machine. She stares at it with skepticism before turning to another machine, are they truly dead?

From the corner of her vision, she caught a figure approaching, coming out from the base and she turned to them, her weapon still drawn and ready but not aimed at them. Not yet at least.

The figure is clad in some kind of coat that covers their body, 170 centimeters tall according to her calculations, and judging by their humanoid shape and legs that are visible but wearing leather boots, they are an android.

An android who came out from the faculty whom they were supposed to investigate. It only means one thing, they are the android they are looking for.

An android who has been traveling and fixing everything whenever he decides to take a rest or reside in some of Resistance's bases before leaving after gathering some materials.

Now normally they will just let it be, it wasn't an extraordinary case, after all, unusual but did not warrant any investigation. However, the result of his fix is… efficient, very efficient.

Those that have slow programming have a better one, not so much but it is still an increase. Those that have their limbs or body parts damaged were restored in a good condition and can perform better as well.

Now that is still not enough to warrant investigation with a squad, so what if some android could repair better than the others? It is good, yes, but there's no need to deploy a squad, just spare one or two and ask the help from Resistance to help them and that's it.

But the thing about this android, all the repairs and fixes he has done, all of them are unique.

Attempting to study or relearn how to produce the upgrade from the Resistance has no result, even YoRHa's technology also found some difficulty to do so. Sure in a way it is replicable but it is less efficient and also more costly, it is almost not worth it.

It just… doesn't make any sense, it is as if they are following different laws of physics and science! Whatever the upgrade he gave them was almost like…

An alien.

Something new to them, something that they almost have no idea how it works.

And anything related to aliens can never be good.

And thus they were deployed, a squad, four units. One S model, one G model, and two B models.

As the android gets closer she gets a better view of him. Beneath that ragged coat, the android wears some kind of visor not unlike YoRHa's unit, this makes her think, was he supposed to be one? A deserter?

Damn, she wishes her pod was not broken!

"A Yorha's unit." The android speaks, voice masculine. "I knew I would run to one of you eventually but to find you in a situation like this? Truly unexpected." He commented while shaking his head under his hood. "Also, a cute petite android clad in a gothic lolita outfit, oh yeah, I can see the human's taste in there alright." He said almost in an exasperated and mirthful voice.

She felt her eye twitch under her visor. "You are the Doctor, correct?"

Doctor, an epithet for a healer by humans, a profession that heals and saves others' lives,a noble and revered job. For an android to use such a job as their name, how presumptuous of him but not like she can judge, using something related to humans as their name is a way to praise their creator after all.

"I am." He admitted. "And what does YoRHa want from me? Who are you?"

"I am YoRHa unit with designation 29B." She introduced herself. "As for what we want. The upgrade and repair you've done to the androids at Resistance's base that you visited, we wish to know how you did them, and thus bring you with us to talk with our Commander." She answered. "But we should talk about that later, for now, I must ask you to evacuate us, there are machines coming this way."

The Doctor tilted his head. "And their numbers?"

"Dozens, a hundred at minimum."

"... well, that was clearly bigger than the previous group." He mumbled.

"Previous group?" She asked.

"A group of machines infiltrate the place I lived before, I annihilate them naturally then I decide to move out." He answered. "The last group is only ten, why are there a lot of them now? Could I trigger N2's too early? No, that was not possible, I did everything thoroughly, a coincidence then? Or did they find my true nature? No, the Brothers would be the one that comes if they do. Hmmm, perhaps-"

"Enough!" She snapped at him. Seriously, what with this android? "You can ponder the possibility or reason why they are here later, for now, we need to evacuate and find a place to fix my pod so we can reunite with my squad." She ordered.

"Right, apologies, I tend to ramble at random times." He chuckled. "There's no need to evacuate, come to the faculty, even if the machine comes there I doubt they will survive, I also will fix your pod."

Wordlessly he spun and walked back to the abandoned factory. 29B watched in silence for a few seconds, contemplating whether she should follow him or not. This could be a trap, entering the base of someone with unknown allegiance is anything but wise.

He stopped when he was at the entrance and turned to her. "You coming or what?"

'Not like I have any choice.' She thought as she let out a sigh and proceeded to follow the man. She is still combat ready if the situation comes to worse. 'Still… What did he do to the machine?' She inquired silently as she spared a small glance at the fallen machine. If only her pod is online then she could ask for a scan but alas. She shook her head and turned back to the android who was waiting for her, together they entered the abandoned factory.

Had she stayed behind for a little longer and turned back, she would see the sand and ground beneath the fallen machine rise, crawling and swallowing their corpses like a snack swallowing rat wholly, then the ground shifted back and looked as if what occurred moments ago never happened.


The base… or what it is supposed to be called is more like a garage, a workshop in 29B opinion as she follows the android to the basement of the abandoned factory and went through a few security gates that opened when he put his eyes on the scanner.

They are looking old and rusty but she could tell they are anything but fragile. After all, despite the appearance their function and movement were fluid, and it is clear that they were designed to be looking like that instead of truly old and rusty.

"Welp, here we are, not amazing like your bunker but hey." He spread open his arms and 29B took a look at his base.

It was… small to be called base frankly, only approximately 8 x 10 meters in size, there was a bed on the corner, a table in another, and what appeared to be a kitchen not far from it. There is also what appears to be a large computer with a few monitors that are interlaced to each other in the middle corner of the room.

Suitable for living but working on androids? Definitely not.

"Sorry for the messy appearance, I didn't expect to get a guest before." He chuckled. "Anyway, bring your little fella to that room, that is the laboratory, put them in the bed and I will meet you there as soon as I set up the security system."

"Security system?" She inquired.

In response, he merely walked to the computer and she followed him, her eyes fell on the monitors, showing the area around the abandoned factory, a CCTV system.

So that's how he found her.

As he began tapping the keyboard, 29B decided to enter the room she was pointed into.

She observed the laboratory, it was clean, white, and neat, a contrast to his living place even. Not too big and not too small, enough for two or three individuals. Its design is also elegant, almost futuristic like YoRHa's laboratory only on a smaller scale.

'Did he build this by himself? How?' She wondered as she placed her pod on the nearest bed that had some scanner device above it. She recognizes a few of the technologies here and they are not easy to make by any means yet here they are. No wonder he could give an upgrade to the android he met, he could create something better after all.

The door opened and she turned to find the Doctor had entered the room, no longer garbed in his ragged cloak, she got a full look at his appearance now.

Like all androids, he looks like a human. Short black colored hair with a bang that framing over his visored eyes, fair skin, and wearing clothes similar to the noncombat Resistance's android.

"Right, let's check what is wrong with your friend first." He said as he walked to the bed and pulled the scanner down. "Chloe, do a scan over and send it to my visor." He ordered.

Chloe?

There's no response from anyone but the android making a noise of contemplation and pursing his lips. He was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought, the shot here." He gestured to the damaged part of the pod. "It fried the cable that connects the battery to the core system, the OS chip, that's what makes it not functional. Sure it also fried some circuits and chips but the battery and core system are still intact, that is the important part. I only need to fix them and replace some parts here and there then viola, they will be as good as new."

That was great, she was afraid the pod would be irreparable. "How long will it take for you to fix it?"

"Eh, not long, an hour the most, fifteen the fastest." He answered. "Though before I do that, I need to know what's your intention for coming to me?" He asked. "Okay, I made an upgrade and everything for a few androids, but why does such a thing warrants an investigation from YoRHa of all things? Shouldn't you be on the frontline now and fighting machines instead of wasting your resources looking for a simple repairman like me?"

Repairman? Repair unit perhaps is what he means. "You are correct, however, the upgrade and repair you provide have shown interesting prospects."

"Interesting prospect?"

Should she tell him? Admitting his upgrade is something that is unfamiliar to them seems like admitting a weakness. Moreover, what if he refuses to comply? Normally she would subdue him first before listing the reason so she could be in an advantageous position however right now she is not in a normal situation.

She is alone for one, her pod, a way to hold communication or contact, is damaged, and not to mention this android has shown that he is capable of taking down entire squads of machines with an unknown method.

Let's just say she managed to take him down and then what? Her pod still would be damaged and she doubts he will work honestly to fix her pod if she forces him to.

There are no other options, so complying with him is the only thing she can think of now.

"Your upgrade and repair, while they proved to be efficient and good but we cannot reproduce it, we cannot find a way to copy your method. True, we can replicate the upgrade but it is more costly."

"So you wish me to educate your people on how to do it properly?" He inquired.

She nodded. "And we also wish to know where you get this knowledge from."

He was silent after that, his face contorted into a thoughtful expression. She keeps staring at him and beneath her visor her eyes are glued to his body, studying him in case he wants to attack her.

After almost a minute he let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Damn, this is why I hate Tinker powers." He mumbled before turning to her. "Unfortunately I have to refuse."

A refusal. That is to be expected somewhat but she is not one who would take a "no" as an answer that easily. "This knowledge and information you possess could be useful for all of us. A faster processor and program, stronger limbs and body, and all the materials you used are not expensive or hard to collect yet you manage to produce that." She listed to him. "Imagine the things you can do with a proper resource, with your help, we can get a high advantage in this war and perhaps end it." She said, attempting to persuade him.

In response, the Doctor let out a chuckle, one that oddly sounded bitter. "Ending this war? Ha! As if it was that simple." He said in a mirthless voice. "29B, I am not some moron who will be inspired easily or something like that just because you try to use "End this war" speech." He declared. "But make no mistake, I understand your implications but there is a problem with that. You see, it's not like I don't want to share this knowledge but I can't."

"You can't?" She asked in confusion. "What do you mean you can't?"

"Because while I can build things and even replicate the most complicated blueprint you have in time, however, the advanced upgrade that I have done to the androids in Resistance's Camp is not something I can give, to be specific, I cannot access the full knowledge."

He cannot access the full knowledge? What does that mean? "Is there something wrong with your CPU?" She asked.

The Doctor was quiet for a moment before he scratched his head. "Something like that, I suppose. My CPU works perfectly fine actually but the space… well, let's just say I don't have a lot of space inside here," He tapped his forehead with his finger to emphasize his point. "So some information must be pruned so I can keep functioning."

That was… that was a very basic problem that had been solved a long time ago as far as she knew. Memory space is something important after all so it has become a focus to be fixed.

Just how big the data he has to the point some of it needs to be pruned?!

Then a thought occurred to her mind and she stiffened, her hand unconsciously moved to her blade again. "Who built you?" She asked, her voice now taking a colder edge. "Because I am sure no android is built in that way or even has a design like that." Not anymore at least, but machines mimicking humans? That is not impossible even if it sounded insane.

The Doctor's face scrunched to a stoic expression. "If I were an Alien's machine I would kill you on the spot instead of lending you a hand." He said. "Rest assure, 29B. I have no intention to harm YoRHa and all androids." He declared. Then he turned his back on her and began to work on the pod. "You are free to believe in me or not, take what you will but I will not go with you to the Bunker, after I fix your pod we will go separate ways." He said. "For now, feel free to enjoy yourself in the living room, there are drinks and food in the fridge if you want to, or check the area around us through the computer, as long as you don't break anything feels free to do whatever you want."

29B stared at the android's back. The idea to cut him down and force him to comply still tempts her. In fact, it is stronger now given this man is also completely unknown and leaning toward the "not good." category as well.

Alas, she knows that is not possible. Perhaps after her pod is fixed but for now? She will let him do his job. So she spun and left the laboratory, entering the living room.

He said she is free to do anything, well then there's no need to be subtle. She will search the entire place to gather more info about him.


Hello, welcome to my new fic, Nier Automata x Worm CYOA 6.1 Interactive story. This is an ongoing side project that I wrote, I make this one like... long ago, ever since 2020, and before I noticed it, it already become 60k++ words long, so I just look at it and think: "Eh why not? I just need to copy-paste them, who knows it might entertain someone."

So I decided to post it. This fic is also Posted in Questionable Quest, since that place is a forum and you can get to view links and pics, I would recommend you to give a look on that site.

Fair warning, it is 18+ site stories mostly so... :v

Fret not, it hasn't a lemon scene yet, and if I did, I will post it in a different rating.

This story started like... long after Worm was over, long after Ward even, so, unfortunately, you won't see Taylor or anyone from there, the setting will be purely Nier Automata, the title is Stranded Shard after all. Perhaps there could be another parahuman or Worm element entering this World but it is unlikely for now. I might use them for omake though.

In any case, this is a side project, a relaxation story when my head is full I feel need a change of scenario so I won't update it as quickly as my main story in FFN unfortunately. Nonetheless, I feels like I should tell you all about this just to be fair given how I am actually also busy in real life. Luckily I already have like... 5 chapters of this story, and I will upload them one by one after rechecking them again.


CYOA Interactive build for the MC

Someone Else, Someone Else, Normal, June 24th, 2063, Chaotic, Good, Reincarnation, 14 to 18 years old, Other, Male, Average, Shard of the Warrior Entity, Vital, +25 SP -50 CP, +15 SP -30 CP, +2 SP -4 CP, +1 SP -2 CP, Cloak Mark II, Cloak Mark III, Mental Barrier, Trumped the Trump, Peaceful Vibes, Negentropy, Extended Range, (Minor) Conscious Geas, (Moderate) Unconscious Geas, (Severe) Unconscious Geas, Monologue, Orphaned, Corona Pollentia, Ditz, Poor, Homeless, Tinfoil Hat, Fallen Worship, Genius of Hard Work, Martial Arts, Learning, Pickpocketing, (Brute/Striker) Captain America, (Master) Technopathy, (Tinker) Jack of All Trades, (Tinker/Master) Nanobots, (Tinker) Code, Bonesaw, (Tinker) Hero, Breaker, Tinker, Blaster, (Moderate) Other World, Intruder Alert

Code for CYOA:

zp9a,trog,jqcg,y68r,sp1y,7z83,kht1,myd7,zsp0,ilp3,gl7t,0s6z,ttv5,glyh,hfao,wg6e,jrdv,uh4g,9mam,42jg,w0ll,mnpg,48m6,2b7c,7jpe,8ej5,7aoo,x88q,6zrd,r1r7,tn6g,vrqv,s4ui,pl4z,kvpo,vntt,x09z,8cwa,zam7,q5du,5mks,ui8c,ue1o,6oda,rnkx,j4ms,k345,mv7e,dy7h,19bz,h1lv

Explanation that important (I won't explain all drawbacks and perks, only those that will give you an idea of what the MC has, you can read the complete CYOA in the Interactive CYOA 6.1 Worm, just google it and put the code above):

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Age: 18

Scenario: June 24th, 2063 (50 years after Worm ended, to Worm's fans: yes it means no more Cauldron or Contessa, no Doormaker or anyone. And it has also been decades ever since Ward too so the MC is truly stranded here.) (Edit 22 June 2022: I just aware that this supposed to influence the World's timeline as well, and I already write 15k words, so I will just keep going like nothing wrong, MC actually arrived before Nier Automata started and that's it )

Powers:

Breaker: MC can change the temperature of his body from -50 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius with no negative effects on himself.

Tinker: When MC comes up with blueprints, his mental gaps will be filled by his unconscious mind as long as he has the prerequisite knowledge to come to the conclusion himself given enough time. Also makes it easier to learn to engineer or program.

Blaster: MC has perfect aim.

Captain America: enhances MC's physical body into a moderately above peak human body in every way and is able to turn circular shaped metal into a nearly-inviolable shock absorbing shield as long as its diameter is less than a meter. Only can be used on one object at a time.

Technopathy: Control over any electronics within 200 meters and become a genius when it comes to coding. Can hack further than 200 meters as long MC is using an electronic within 200 meters to do it.

(Tinker) Jack of All Trades: MC knows how to make anything that can be made in a mundane manner.

(Tinker/Master) Nanobots: MC can create robots as well as a headset to mentally control them. The robots can make robots as well. There is no maximum or minimum size to your robots except they can't go subatomic and that's the only real limit. MC has unlimited multitasking.

(Tinker) Code: MC becomes a genius when it comes to Code. MC could make AI that would revolutionize the world... if they didn't destroy it.

Bonesaw: Google Bonesaw power, enough said.

(Tinker) Hero: Specializes in wavelength technology aka Hero's OG power except it is not a dead shard, the shard could actively give some assistance.

Perks and Skills:

Mental Barrier: MC is immune to any and all Master and Stranger effects. He is also immune to other emotional effects caused directly by powers.

Trumped the Trump: Unless MC will it to be otherwise, Trump's powers do not work on him.

Peaceful Vibes: People of the same alignment as MC will be slightly more likely to mesh well with him. He will be more likely to work well together on a team.

Negentropy: MC's shard had the ability they sought for eons: it defies entropy. Somehow his power allows him to defy entropy, and uses this itself to keep it charged. MC powers are eternal.

Extended Range: Normally, the range of Shard wouldn't extend far out of Earth's atmosphere, but MC's Shard has an unlimited range.

Martial Arts: MC has mastery over one Martial Art.

Learning: MC finds it easier to take notes, pay attention, and follow along with speeches, seminars, lectures, discussions, and anything written.

Pickpocketing: MC knows how to pickpocket. This gives MC moderate skill at stealth and slight of hand.

Drawback:

Conscious Geas (Minor): Regardless even if the MC is immune to Master/Stranger powers or not, he has a geas on him, a compulsion he must obey. An example of a severe geas would be a geas that changes how you would act in a significant way, or causes severe repercussions the few times it does occur.

In this case, the Geas is: You cannot tell everyone that you came from a World where they are only fictional characters

Monologue: MC has a tendency to monologue, enough said. Fortunately, it's nothing overpowering so the chance he would be killed because of the monologue is not that big… it still exists though.

Unconscious Geas (Moderate): a geas that must change how you react to the world in a non-insignificant manner. It doesn't need to be something necessarily negative, but it can no longer be something like "Let me enjoy the taste of kiwi pie," or something like that. An example of a (Moderate) Unconscious Geas would be letting you focus on your classwork, making you more determined to complete your goals, or changing your non-core but still important beliefs.

Unconscious Geas (Severe): an upgraded version of Moderate level. It can no longer be something like "Make me more determined to fulfill my goals". An example of a (Severe) Unconscious Geas would be giving you tunnel vision with a goal, making you generally easier to motivate, giving you a non-mild mental disorder, or changing your core beliefs.

The Geas: Moderate (Mystery for now) and Severe (Mystery for now)

Corona Pollentia: MC has yet to trigger his powers when he arrives in this World.

Genius of Hard Work: All of MC's powers are weakened, he needs to train or use them excessively for a year at least to make them reach the level they described in CYOA.

So in summary, not only he didn't get to pick what powers he had in the first place but said powers also weakened and he had to be traumatized first before he get them.