Chapter 19. The Blind Men and an Elephant (End)


"As you can see, the nanobots I built so far are quite… limited in functionality." He said with a small pause while gesturing to the dancing figurine on the desk. "I mean, sure they can change shape and expand but that's it. That is their gist and the only things they could do."

She shot him a look. "I think you are severely oversimplifying them." She said.

"No, I am not."

"Li, I saw you used them in combat, all you need is one good hit, just a simple graze and they could potentially explode violently inside the enemy."

"Potentially. There, that is the problem." He pointed. "No matter how you see my nanobots transform, no matter how much damage they cause, those are their actual capabilities " He leaned in my chair, pen tapping the corner of his lips. "It cannot change its own shape, it needs the presence of another to work, and it is only self-replicating if there's another material available, it needs the existence of others to function."

"Isn't that how all things work?"

"No, you and I," He pointed at himself and her. "We both can work even if we are alone. This thing, no matter how scary it is, it is just that, a thing."

He stopped his technopathy and the figurine stopped moving, it fell down on the table like a puppet losing its strings.

"A simple hacking or frequency disruptor would cause it to cease working." He said easily. "Potential is fine and all but it won't work if you didn't get a chance to do that or it was intercepted, worse, used against you." And that was not outside of impossibility given how advanced the Machine is.

To make them very effective, there are a lot of things that need to be done. The math and calculations to predict their movement, the algorithms and programming to stabilize their existence via frequency and wavelength, and the energy and concentration to make sure they are feeding efficiently so they can grow and shrink accurately and not be hacked by their opponent.

Those are only fragments of what must be done. The Human brain is simply incapable of accomplishing such complicated tasks at the same time. He is lucky to have his Technopathy that allowed him to maneuver those things to a degree but even so, what he has achieved so far was merely a fragment of their full potential.

"Imagine, if you tune this properly, you can stabilize and destabilize them in a second, molding them at a thinking speed, and if you know the composition of a certain thing, you just need to have them go atomic size and have them rearrange it for you!" He let out a grin as he imagined the result. "You can make chocolate out of bones or wagyu steak out of lettuce!"

"... the first thing that crossed your mind if you reached what possibly could be a matter manipulation is to create foods," Ariadne commented in a mixture of stupefaction and mirth.

"No shit, there was this beef called Wagyu A5 back then, it was known as the King of Steak! As in, it will melt and explode in your mouth!" He rants defensively. "And eating one is one of the things on my list!" He then makes a petulant expression. "Unfortunately, the price was like royalty meat too, my family's finances were mediocre at best so…"

Ariadne let out a burst of pearly laughter. "Oh, honey. You really are so you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" He deadpanned.

"Nothing." She giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He felt a blush crept on his cheek at the sudden intimacy but accepted it nonetheless.

"Still… you should reconsider this idea because the implications of the final result are…"

"Godlike. I know but I am not interested in that."

He probably could achieve a fragment of that capability through the project he is currently working on privately but that is not the purpose of that project. It means to express freedom after all in a way, it can be said as… symbol of independence.

'Your legacy shall be upheld, Senator Armstrong! Believe it or as Naruto says, dattebayo!' He cackled internally.

This… this is actually bad. He used a meme for God's sake for this kind of thing, really, if his parents or government knew about this, he had a feeling he would be kicked out from his country or whacked with a ladle in his mother's case.

But hey, this World is already bad enough, having a little humor is fine, no?

"What with that mischievous look you have now?"

"Nothing." He said in his most stoic voice ever. "Just reminiscing about something funny."

"... please don't tell me you are planning to create something that could destroy this castle?"

He made a horrified face. "Babe, I live here as well. Why did you even think I would do that?"

"Honey, your newest electromagnetic wave bomb is actually nuclear without radiation and far more potent despite only could level a city. Like, I am sure if you shot it at one of the advanced Machine's bases, your bomb would just go through their shielding system and barrier like fire meet oil, and their defense system can tank one megaton nuke."

"I fail to see the point of that? I mean, isn't that the purpose of me being here? Building weapons for everyone?"

"Li, you already created something that could level this place and ruin the environment more. I am asking you to not make something like that again without consulting with us first."

That is actually fair. While he is always careful with his stuff, he tends to just tinker by himself.

"I did tell you about it." He said.

"True but the so-called Sages are unhappy about it." She rolled her eyes. "Saying that I provided a biased opinion since I am your girlfriend and all."

Sages. He snorted, what a ridiculous name. To think he would hear such things become an actual title…

'I know that "Sage" is usually a nickname for people with wisdom in fantasy settings or something but… come on, really?'

Shouldn't they call themselves Council instead? It sounds much better given their modern theme frankly.

Admittedly, part of him finds this to be amusing.

"They do have a point though." He said with a sigh. That doesn't mean he agrees with them. He trusts Ariadne with all his heart but those Sages, he only knows one of them and that android was quite militant in personality.

"I missed the part where it was you who was the one with responsibility instead of me." She grumbled. "This is no fun and all, I barely can stretch myself or spend time with you anymore!"

So does he but… he would be lying if he said life hasn't been easier for them ever since they joined this so called Independist. They no longer need to set a perimeter everyday or sleep in a cramped truck. They even have a proper lab to build their stuff now.

'They even provided very useful data against the Machine. No matter how much I don't like them, they are useful.' He sighed internally.

This is bound to happen actually, him becoming part of a group and he can't say he hates it. He missed it in fact, working in a group and with people like this.

"Responsibility is for everyone, not just me."

"I know that. Can't say I found it fully endearing but hey, it has its perks."

"Such as?"

"The result of your hard work." Ariadne brushed her hair and sat on his side, face set into a beautiful smile. "When I saw the people we fought for, when I saw how they cheered after the entire ordeal ended, it was… joyous. I am glad they can still show happiness in such a bleak World."

Bleak might be putting it too lightly to be honest. And he also wants nothing with this World but alas, not like he has any choice here.

Not yet anyway.

"And it's all thanks to you." She grinned at him. "I can't wait to reveal your status to them when the right time comes!"

The right time, the time when morale is at its highest. Such a time probably won't be long though. From what he heard they have experienced consecutive victories recently.

"I am admittedly very nervous about that one." He said. "I mean, the idea of this group is to show the androids didn't need human, which I supported mind you but… if they find out it was me, human, who helped them behind the scene then-"

"It is risky," Ariadne admitted with a nod. "But Li, we still can play this safely. In fact, it works both ways because through this? This can be seen as proof, living proof that human supports our ideal. That we should move on and reach the future through our own hands." She takes a deep breath. "Admittedly, the risk is big, yes but I am working on it already. Boosting morale, reputation, and everything. As long as we have a solid foundation for this? They will accept you."

"And if they don't?" He asked her in a blank voice or so he hoped it was because he doesn't want her to sense his fear.

Ariadne grasped his fingers and pulled him into a kiss.

He didn't expect that, but he definitely enjoyed it.

It wasn't a deep kiss but a long one for sure. Long and passionate. He could feel her warm breath washing his face. After a moment, she released him with a loud "mwah" much to his embarrassment – really, what was that sound effect for? – and gave Li a smile.

"Then we leave." She said solemnly. "Li, no matter what happens, I will always choose you over them. All the things I do and accomplish are for you, trust me."

"I do." He spoke softly and lovingly. He knew it but having her confirm the whole thing was…

He noticed how her body leaned forward now, noticed how she loomed over him, noticed their position and how her hands going down. Her blue eyes blinking prettily, her lips curl sensually and he welcomed them as he also bring himself forward, hands going up and-

RRRAAAANGGGGG!

A blaring loud noise came from her pocket, making them jump on the spot.

Ariadne let out a curse and she pulled it out, it was a modified phone that only worked in this base due to the entire system using an advanced local network.

"That ringtone," He noted warily. He recognized that particular ringtone. "That was meant for an emergency, right?"

"Yeah." Ariadne nodded with a scowl.

She then hung it up.

"There, done." She grinned much to his incredulity.

"Should you do that?"

"This is my break time, unless this base is attacked, I am not going to be away from you. We barely spent time together in the last two weeks!" She huffed.

The phone rang again soon.

"Honey, I know you love me and all, I love you too, but-" He stopped when noticed she crushed the phone under her fist. "Babe, what the heck?"

"What? It is easy to build, I will make a new one later. And whatever that emergency is? It ain't gonna pull me away from my husbando!" She exclaimed happily.

'Should've never introduced that word to her.' He deadpanned internally. One moment, only one moment, a single slip of "waifu" word somehow led to this name calling.

The World really has it on him, truly. He is a human yet he got called husbando a male version of waifu, an anagram that is supposed to be used on fiction boys but he is not. Ariadne's concept of existence is actually the one that is fictional yet she used it on him.

"Now… where were we?" Ariadne smiled sensually down on him while closing the distance between again and-

Another phone rang, this time, it was his, from his pocket.

The beautiful android's face curled into a frustrated look and she let out a long groan as she threw her head up. "Oh come on! You can't do this to me!" She groused petulantly. "I need my hubby-hubby battery charged here!"

'That's not even a thing.' He doesn't know whether he should be flattered, cringe, or cooed at her cuteness. In the end, he settled to exasperation. "Babe, I think you should pick this up." He said as he thrust the phone to her.

"No! My hubby-hubby time!"

"Ariadne!"

She pouted cutely and grumbled angrily while snatching the phone. "If it is another power core goes red because some guy feels inferior and all knowing, I am piking their heads into the hall!" She said darkly.

"That was too extreme!"

"Don't care!" She stuck her tongue out and answered the call. "Yes? This is Doctor Ariadne. What is it?" She demanded annoyingly. Her angry face melted in an instant though, replaced by alertness, then concern, and back to alert again.

He narrowed his eyes. Those aren't good signs.

"What?! How?! The wavelength of me and my hubby-" Must she call him that in front of people during an emergency situation?! Really?! "Worked on that disruptor so how did it-" She stopped speaking and clicked her tongue. "Maso particles, of course, our tech sole blindspot."

Oh fuck. No wonder there's chaos or situations. Things are always bad for him when it is related to them. And he can't help her because his nanosuit Maso filtering system is still limited. Maso particles are the only thing even now he can't study properly due to worrying it would kill him with a small contact. He doesn't want to touch those things without extreme precautions.

"Alright, I will be there in the next 15 minutes. Prepare fast evac and cover for our signals, I don't want to risk it." She ordered as she hang up the call.

"What is it? Did the Machine somehow able to use Maso now?" He asked with slight dread.

"Not… exactly but it is something like that, I guess." She takes a deep breath. "I want to explain the whole thing but right now? I don't have the time, sorry Li." She said in a tone that conveyed regret and shame.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." He honestly feels bad to see her in such a state honestly.

"No! It's not okay! This is supposed to be our time together and-"

He cut her by grasping her shoulders. "Ariadne, things happen. As a leader now, you have a responsibility and I understand that." He smiled reassuringly. "Go, I will be waiting."

She bit her lips, uncertainty and indecision reflected in her eyes but she closed them and nodded. "Fine." She mumbled. "I want a good luck kiss." She demanded childishly while puckering her lips.

He snorted and gave a short peck to her.

"That was too short! Give me the deep one!"

"What happened to the "I can't explain the whole thing." moment ago?!"

"This won't even take a minute!" She hissed. Her blue eyes then narrowed. "You know, you sound a bit eager for me to leave. In the last two weeks, you also look slightly happy when I left early too."

Ah crap, she noticed it! How the heck did she rememb-oh, right. Android, eidetic memory. Damn it! No! She can't find out! The project isn't ready let alone close to completion at all damn it!

She pressed her lips together. "Now, I am sure you aren't cheating on me but these signs are familiar, and usually it ends up with us running from Machine units. Li, are you hid-"

"Oh look at the time! Quick! Quick!"

He cut her abruptly by spinning and pushed her away, using Technopathy to help him – because for all her prettiness and average size, she is in reality weighing around 200 kilograms – to move her.

"Did you just hack my motor function?! Li! Li! Stop that! Don't make me pull up the flip-flop and threaten to send you to Jesus!"

Ignoring the temptation to laugh aloud for hearing a meme he introduced to her being used, he gave a solid pat on her back, prompting her to glare at him but he only smiled warmly.

"Go save them, Doctor." He said encouragingly.

Her blue eyes widened as she stared at him. Then she let out a small breath while smiling. She stood properly, fixing her coat, adjusting her hat, and she flashed him a wide and confident grin.

"Worry not, everything will be fine." She made a small pose. "The Doctor is here."

He chuckled tenderly. Yeah, everything will be fine for sure, this girl has it under control.

"Also, I know you tried to distract me. We will talk about it later."

Hergh!


As the whole thing unfolded, A2 only can watch in horror and grisly. She felt as if a heavy cold stone dropped to her stomach.

She isn't a stranger to death nor is she a stranger to killing. She has done them. Resistance and YoRHa, it mattered not, she has done them.

It was never personal nor does she actually seek them of course. She did that because they chased after her. Some bounty hunters wished to claim her as a prize, and YoRHa being the YoRHa they are.

So yes, one can say she has quite a close acquaintance with violence.

This?

It wasn't simply violence.

It is a Goddamn massacre.

There is no battle or fight. Fight implies two forces clashing against each other and providing a challenge to a measure. This entire thing? It only goes in less than five minutes at most, and they are so hopelessly outmatched that it wasn't funny.

The only reason it almost looked like one was when the big girl managed to get close to the Doctor but she is sure as hell he allowed that to happen instead of just offing her right there and be done with it.

Meaningless. What's the point of even doing that?

And then to say she felt sick when Li used Hazel's corpse to stab Heather in the back – because no way Hazel miraculously revived just like that – is an understanding.

I don't even… why? Why did you do that?

"You, A2, are one of those blind men."

There's no more noise as the entire thing is finally over. Li stood there, among the corpses, surrounded by the bloodied black tendrils hovering ominously in the sky.

He was quiet. Face staring at Heather's and Hazel's corpses who are still standing.

A chortle reverberates in the bloodied area.

A2 slowly and stiffly turned to the source.

Li was laughing.

Laughing while holding his stomach.

Giggling as if the entire thing that just happened was a joke.

"Hehehe, hehehe, hehahaha… did you see that Arie? See how they popped? Hehehe. See how they flopping around? Hilarious."

A2 felt a stake pierce her core directly at such sight.

"Could be better? What the fuck did you even see in them? They died just like us. Crying pathetically and blinded by their anger. What the actual fucking things you see in them? They are no better than us, heck, they are more like us than the other androids even! Fighting for freedom and everything, spewing stupid spiel about freedom of self and all in the middle of a war."

He fell to his rear, sitting on the ground while cackling to the sky. His laughter sent an unpleasant chill to her spine.

"Their combat capabilities are not even that good anyway. I can create something stronger and better! How can you consider these people as… pffft! Hahaha! What were you thinking? Silly girl, and I thought you were supposed to be smart! For us? What could they even do anyway? Why Arie? Just why?"

He broke into another laughing fit as if he is admonishing someone but no one is there, no one but him and the slithering bloodied black tendrils.

He was…

"He is in hysteria right now." Popola whispered in horror.

"Oh God." Devola murmured in an equal tone. "This isn't him fighting, this is him…"

Then the Doctor's body lurched down, he fell to his knees. His hand went to his mouth as if trying to prevent something from coming out, then he began to gag before throwing up.

At the same time, the translucent barrier that encases them goes off.

She immediately rushed over to him on reflex, trying to-

Pair of hands snaked into her arms, preventing her from reaching her.

'What the hell?!'

She turned and found Devola holding her, preventing her from moving. On her side, the same goes for Popola who is grasping Chloe's hand.

"Those things were controlled by him, right?" Devola asked, her sharp voice stopping A2's immediate response. "Right?!" She repeated in a louder voice, eyes glazing in a certain direction.

A2 followed her gaze and found the black tendrils that were now flying in the air like fishes swimming on the water moved erratically, lashing out in every direction like a lizard's tail that had been cut off from its body.

"There's a chance, whatever is in his eyes now," Popola continued after her sister with a swallow, there is fear in her eyes. "He didn't see us, if you approached him carelessly…"

They would be attacked as well.

Chloe casually releases the red haired android's grip by swatting her hand. "I know how powerful he could be." She said coldly before walking to Li.

"Wait, Chloe!" Popola yelled at her. "Don't just-"

Whatever she was gonna say, she stopped herself, her eyes focused on the front, at Li who is now staring in their direction.

A2's heart clenched further as she took sight of Li. His visor was tilted down now, allowing them to see a lone tear from his left eye, biles from his vomit plastered over his lips, his hair was a mess and blood that was not his were over his face.

That sadness only lasted for a moment and turned to cautiousness when she noticed how his face contorted into terror and hatred.

She had never seen such an expression on his face. She knows he could be angry or upset once or a few but raw hatred like this?

She felt part of her wail to have him giving her that look but her mind was now more focused on the black tendrils that began tilting in their direction as well.

Well, shit.

"Father," Chloe called, her voice soft and respectful like always when addressing him. "It is done, you killed those worms and-"

"You!"

Those black tendrils snapped and soared into Chloe at abrupt speed in an instant, like a pack of hungry animals smelling food after years of hunger.

The AI didn't pay attention to them however.

A2 winced as those tendrils plunged into her, piercing her body in various parts: collar, shoulders, thighs, hands, chest, and stomach. Her artificial blood splattered into the ground and painted more red there.

Then as if it wasn't enough, those things curved back and stabbed her more.

The blonde android looked almost like a pincushion now and not ended there, those things definitely grinding her inside judging from how they rotated and spun like a drill.

If she had any pain receptors, A2 is sure Chloe would be screaming right now.

Those tendrils then corked back, pulling her in Li's direction, to the man who now slowly stood and waiting for her.

The black tendrils made of nanobots that flailed around him morphed, from liquid to solid repeatedly, squirming haphazardly; it no longer has coherent form almost like amoeba.

"You did this!" He snarled as he brought himself close to the AI. "You made me do this! Charlie!"

Chloe spoke, through her broken state, she still replied. "Fa-"

His hand clamped her throat immediately, preventing whatever words that she was about to say. His face curled into a snarling rage.

"I should've never created you!"

'Oi, oi, what the fuck was that?' A2 noted with shock as she watched the nanobots behind Li now started to solidify into something.

It's… it is like a fusion of the machine and organic, a sick amalgamation specifically. Sounds of grinding gears and keening noise rumbling in the area. It expanded rapidly like an airbag and took the shape of a monstrous mechanical creature with countless drooling maws and eyes. Lodged on its body were gigantic cannons humming with electrical sparks, glowing molten colored swords and various strange devices that she didn't recognize.

All of them are aimed down at Chloe's pinned form.

'Bitch, I hoped you know what are you doing because that…'

That thing… Even if she has no specific energy detector, her simple analyzer system still pinged her warning radar. That thing, if it attacked, a city would be wiped out in an instant.

"It was you who killed them all! Both you and Emil!" He roared loudly as if damning her very being. "Ariadne! The whole island! The children! You-"

"Who's Charlie?"

That question from Chloe who never needed a body to speak froze Li on the spot.

It is as if watching a balloon deflate. The monstrous mechanical creature behind Li shrunk and dispersed into black motes particles, scattering among the winds. In no time, it was gone as if it was never there.

Li himself retracted his hand from her throat as if it was on fire. The haze around his eyes was gone, clarity returned there, A2 could see it from where she was despite the distance.

"You… you aren't…" His expression was akin to a lost child. Fear, confusion, and uncertainty are evident on his face. His lips still opened but no noise came out from there.

Then after what seemed like a long time, he snapped, he recognized Chloe's state. "Ah, shit, hold on Chloe, let me just…"

The tendrils that curved and lodged in Chloe's body began to liquefy like water, they started to coat her entire being, blending themselves into her, and mending her this time.

A2 exhaled a rough breath as she watched this. The tension in the atmosphere is gone. Li… definitely came back to his senses now.

She feels Devola's grip on her arm slacken and wasted no time approaching Li. Her eyes though still focused on her surroundings, she knew, that whatever thing Li spawned before is possibly still there, lurking and watching.

'No, they are always there.' She deduced perilously.

The nanobots are always around him, they are just never visible to the naked eye given their nature and size.

He is never armless nor defenseless. He always shrouded himself in those things. Always encasing himself in them like a blanket.

"Here, Chloe, as good as new," Li said in a low voice. "I… I didn't-"

"Thank you, Father." Chloe replied pleasantly as if he was never about to murder her vessel painfully.

Li was quiet for a moment before bobbing her head up and down once. Then he turned to her, his face scrunched into a grimace in an instant, there was a fright in his eyes when his gaze met hers.

"Look, the implications of him just telling you he is a human after quite some time aren't good because it means he doesn't trust androids."

"And that kind of distrust, it didn't just come out of nowhere." Popola continued after her sister while biting her lower lips and showing a concerned expression. "Humans begin to distrust things after they are betrayed, and how much distrust they harbor, it depends on how meaningful that betrayal is and what they lost because of it."

"And in Li's case…" Devola makes a somber face. "It's probably big, very big. You said he was settled down somewhere before, right? Then you should wonder, where are the people that should be with him now? Because I am sure as hell ain't no way androids who know his nature as human will leave him alone."

She stopped in front of him, and he seemed to be shirking under her gaze.

What the fuck was that?!

That was what she was about to ask him. She was about to pull his collar – policy be damned, she doesn't give a shit after what she just saw – down and demanded him to explain himself.

But what came out instead was…

"Are you okay?"

Her hand tenderly grasped his, her blue eyes studying his facial feature clearly, seeking any hint of injury or further discomfort.

It is undeniable she wished to have him explain everything and was also apprehensive of him. But to A2, what just occurred before wasn't a madman slaughtering androids ruthlessly.

"Why Arie? Why?"

It was a man in pain who lashed out while burying his anguish and seeking an answer to his suffering.

The incoherent mumbling he uttered in mania, the broken laughter he let out while gazing at the sky, the frustration behind them all, the cold rage and cruelty he displayed.

I didn't know this. I didn't know you are…

Li recoiled as if he had been slapped.

"I… I…"

His words trailed into a choked noise. His concerned face shifted in mixtures of anguish and sadness. It was as if just speaking brought him pain.

She waited though, letting him finish, never once her eyes leaving his despite how he turned away.

After what seemed to be a long time, he finally answered.

"I am not okay."

'At least you admitted it.' She thought with a bit of relief. Because that means, he is aware something is fucking wrong with his head. She sighed and gave him a brief nod. "Let's get you out of here then."

However, Li shook his head. "No, I need to finish this."

Finish this? What the hell is he talking about?

"What do you mean?" She asked.

He takes a deep breath. "There's a reason why I dragged the conversation that long." He answered, he licked his lips and seemed quite hesitant to speak but he continued nonetheless. "Other than confirming their identity by hacking one of their terminals, I also tried to… sense a particular thing. I am having a little difficulty figuring it out, hence why I tried to buy time."

That made her concern return but for a different reason. This guy is a genius, undoubtedly, yet he has a difficulty in figuring out something?

"One moment."

Li turned to their right, and walked, she followed him. There, parking on the corner is one of the Independist androids' trucks, the largest one.

From the corner of her vision, she saw Chloe and the twins following them as well.

"Father, I detected a dense amount of Maso particles from there," Chloe warned him.

What?

"I know, I know in the first place what is running in there." Li answered with a troubled face. "By the Gods above, please, don't let what I think is be right."

"Sir, I don't think it is safe for you to be close to it if there are dense Maso particles inside that container." Devola commented worriedly.

"Agree, maybe you should stay back and let us see it?" Popola agreed with her sister. "Even with your nanosuit, it is better to never be exposed in the first place, right?"

Li turned to stare at them, then he gave a stiff nod. "Fair, but be careful. They have a security system installed, I will break it first then you guys can open it."

"We will." Popola smiled and nodded. She turned to her and Chloe, her own face tightened. "A2, Chloe, be on guard."

"Affirmative."

"Same to you."

The twins picked up their weapons and carefully approached the container. They both reached it in no time. They turned back to Li who had his left hand aimed at the container.

"Alright, I am breaking it in 3… 2… 1, there."

A clacking noise could be heard by them as soon as he finished. A2 gripped her weapon, widening her stance, and watched warily as the twins grasped the container's handle and pulled it quickly, revealing a… a…

The best A2 could describe what was inside the container was a mutilated corpse of a mechanical beast. Its main body is strapped on a table with a lot of cables plugged into it and its limbs were placed somewhere else in a posture mimicking an antenna.

Her lips wrinkled into a thin line. What the hell is that?

She heard a step behind her and she turned to see Li who was now sporting a horrified face while staggering.

"Li?" She called.

"They dug it up." He muttered. "They really dug it up, I… I don't even…" He let out a distressed chuckle. "What the fucking hell? Was it not enough I kept dreaming about her recently, now I meet Independist and this?! Is this some kind of karmic joke or a sign?!" He yelled angrily.

Not good, this guy probably would have his episode again! Fuck!

"Hey, Li, hey." She clamped a hand on his shoulder. Behind her, she can tell the twins immediately closed the container again. She stared at him in the eyes, making his focus only on her. "Calm down, that thing? It is dead, deader than those androids you killed. It can't hurt you or anything."

"No! It does not matter if it is dead or not but that thing!" He replied in a frightened voice, eyes glazed into the container that was now resealed. "I sealed those things! It's not supposed to be here or discovered! At least not until the next five years!"

"Father? Your brainwaves and pulse are lowering." Chloe commented in a worried voice. "Your breath is also-"

"That's not important! Burn that thing! Nuke it if you have to!" He cut her with a scream, eyes dilating. "Their mission! Chloe, convert their corpses! Their mission! Send them to me! We are leaving now! The Project! I have to go! I have to-"

"Li, calm down! Ease your breath. Calm down." She said as urgently as possible while keeping her tone low. "Li, calm down, breathe damn it! Calm. Down." She hissed.

"No! A2! You don't understand! That thing! I don't even know the exact creation of that thing! I can't sense it completely! It is more magical than technological! It could lead into-"

Oh, for God's sake!

"Calm. Fucking. DOWN!"

SMACK!

She smashed her forehead to his head as hard as she could. Seriously, she is getting tired of all this bullshit!

She immediately regretted that as she found his head actually harder than she expected.

"Fucking! Shit! Ouch! You asshat!" She hissed while clutching her throbbing head. What the hell is his head made- 'Oh right, nanobots!' She thought irritatedly.

WHACK!

"BITCH!" She roared as another stinging sensation hit her on the back, momentarily sending her vision into the stars.

She spun and quickly found Chloe holding a hammer while glaring at her. "You rotten good for nothing tin can. You have five seconds to fucking explain before I-"

"You hit him." Chloe hissed angrily.

"Well, I am sorry for that!" She hissed back. She did feel apologetic but she doesn't regret it. "In case you didn't see, dipshit, he is about to get his episode again!"

"You still hit him!"

"Oh please, it's not like he is…" She trailed off as she turned back to him and found he was slackened in her grip, head bobbed up and down with eyes rolled to the back. "Oh damn! Hey! Nerd! Hey! You okay there?!" She asked frantically while checking on him.

She didn't hit him that hard! Well, maybe she did, but he is protected by his nanobots! He should be fine!

"Let us see."

Devola came in, took Li from her, and placed him on the ground gently. Popola silently kneeled on her side and also began to check him.

A2 huffed and crossed her arms, she ignored the hot glare Chloe sent to her. Internally, she prays to whatever Gods exist out there Li is fine.

After a moment, Popola let out a sigh.

"He is fine, that headbutt barely did anything." She declared relievedly.

'Oh, thank God.' A2 thought while letting out a small sigh of relief through her nose.

"He passed out because of stress mainly," Devola added while shaking her head. "Man, I never thought I would see a human get knocked out by an android via headbutt." She turned to A2 and gave her an uncertain look. "On one hand, you stopped his panic attack that could lead to many complications but on the other hand, you hurt him. Dunno I should praise or whack you on the head for that."

"Same here, sister."

"Oh shut off you two!"

WHACK!

"Decision taken."

"FOR MACHINE'S DICK-SHAPED HEAD'S SAKE!"

She drew out her sword and started swinging at Chloe who was now carrying a spear and blocking her furious attack.

"You wanna go bodiless freak?! Want me to cut you into pieces?! Don't think that just because you were injured a moment ago I would hesitate!"

"Hmph, worry not, I never expected such courtesy from a crude woman like you in the first place."

"That's it! When I am done with you, Li would need to remake your entire body from scratch!"


What a mess.

It was just one day. One day. One single day where they found their happiness again, reunited with their beloved creator. Not only did they earn his forgiveness and praise but he even honored them by choosing them as his companion to work on the cure for WCS, for something they failed on.

He gave them a chance for redemption.

Even among humans, they know how rare such behavior is, they are aware of how lucky they are. Failure at the scale of their works was… never going to be taken lightly by humans.

But Li did.

It was wonderful. They could… die happy knowing this. The burden that weighed on their very being for thousands of years was lifted just by his words and existence.

And then the next day, everything goes apeshit.

Their creator is… he isn't well.

And the cause is not the Machine but instead their fellow androids, the one that was tasked to take care of their very being in the first place.

Failure doesn't even enough to explain all this mess.

'We should've killed them all before.' Devola thought angrily. 'If those Independist didn't exist, he would never be with them! He would never be betrayed!'

Devola is aware her own thought was irrational but she hardly could bring herself to care. Right now, to her, Li's existence is the most important thing in the World. A group of traitors could hardly compare to him. They lost any privilege of pity when they launched those heavy assaults two years ago on them.

It is a sentiment shared by her sister, Popola. They do not need to relay their thoughts to know what's on their mind. Both already know each other pretty well to make an accurate guess of what's on their minds.

It has been an hour ever since their departure from the Independist' incident. After Chloe torched everything in that area and fiddled with the traitors' corpses, they left immediately to where Project Armstrong would be enacted. They will arrive approximately in the next 120 minutes according to what the AI said.

Li was sleeping the whole time, lying on the bed in a container with them, and A2 watching over his unconscious form and monitoring his health.

"Independist," A2 uttered the name. "What can you tell me about them?"

"You didn't know?" Popola asked with a blink.

"I am not gonna ask if I know."

"But aren't you the newest model?" Devola pointed with confusion. "After what transpired two years ago, I thought all of you should at least know about them."

"I was created around four years ago, and after going rogue, I only paid attention to the Machine."

Ah, that kinda explains it. They probably didn't think such a thing was necessary because the rebels' existence wasn't that important at that time.

"Thousands of years ago, after Project Gestalt failed, a group of androids declared their independence." Popola began with a tired voice. "They said they didn't need humans anymore, they should live by themselves, let the humans die and honor their passing."

"They gained a lot of support but a lot was also in disagreement with them. So naturally, there was strife, conflicts, a brief and short fight ended up with a lot of casualties, which lasted only two weeks." Devola continued, her hand ruffling her hair. "They settled on Australia after that, declaring their freedom and all."

"I know what you are thinking," Popola called, eyes narrowing at A2 who made a contemplating face. "They aren't wrong, we should move on, live on our own."

"That sentiment was shared even by the others hence why the conflict was brief and short. However, it wasn't that simple, you haven't seen the humans until Li," Devola closed her eyes, shoulders sagged as she tried her best to remember the eroding memory that she preserved."How they worked on, how they struggled valiantly, how dauntless they were even in the middle of despair, and how much they care for us."

"It was a beautiful sight," Popola murmured wistfully. "A beautiful memory."

"So we worked. Even after Project Gestalt ended up failing, we still worked, and tried to use the remaining data to revive Humanity. We prayed, we hoped, and we struggled, all for mankind's sake."

"Sounds like to me you guys are just repeating things," A2 commented.

"Look at him." Popola gestured to Li, her voice cold and her usual demure expression replaced by strictness. "Look at him and tell me, you wished for him to be forgotten, a mere footnote in history. Look at him, remember the entire time you spent with him and say it to me, you don't want to experience them again." She challenged the younger android.

A2 tilted her head down to him, looking at his face. She didn't say anything, simply staring at him with a pensive look, after a moment she shifted her gaze back to Popola.

The white haired android's face tightened and she turned away.

"That's what I thought." Devola snorted. "Look, we understand it wasn't rational but humanity didn't give up on themselves even in the face of despair and we are their creation," Her eyes reflected solemnity. "They expected better from us, trusted the androids to oversee the whole thing. And who are we to not answer that faith and dedication?"

And now their dedication and faith were answered. Li is here. A human is walking among them once more. A damaged and injured human but a human nevertheless, their beloved creator.

"Besides, it wasn't like it was paradise in the Independist faction either back then," Popola said exasperatedly. "We don't remember much, but even after their inception, there was a lot of internal strife. We heard one of their higher even commit suicide."

"Then the aliens invaded." Devola said in a 'well, shit' tone while clutching her head. "Australia was one of the continents that was conquered in an instant." She let out a mocking snort. "Meanwhile us, the Army of Humanity, managed to put up a fight longer than them before No. 7 bought us some reprieve."

"They wished for independence but deep down they weren't aware of the concept of freedom perfectly. One of the reasons why they fell early was because their army didn't have proper structure and hierarchy at that time." Popola continued after her sister while sighing.

"Then they scattered among the World, and rarely mentioned anymore. Heck, you can say they might as well have already been destroyed. Most of them were in the Kingdom of Night, doing God knows what." Devola's face darkened and she stomped on the container angrily. "Then two years ago those bastards somehow reformed and attacked us. It led up to the demise of hundreds of thousands of androids and the decrease of army production by 15%!"

Even A2 cannot hide her disbelief and surprise. "Hundred thousands?" She uttered.

"That's what we were told by our informant. We don't know the details but the Independist raided one of the secret facilities and factories, that attack led them open and vulnerable to the Machine." Devola made a disgusted face. "You do the math after that what happened."

"And after that assault, the Machine seems to be… aggravated, and they rampaged more than they should be, resulting in more casualties. We aren't told in detail but from what we put together, whatever in those factories and facilities, it was meant to be secret from the Alien," Popola took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it out, she felt a headache just by thinking about it. "And those secrets were exposed due to the Independist' attacks."

"The report was that they used weird and unorthodox technology, gadgets that were unfamiliar to us yet very effective. A few of them were described as a teleporter that allowed them to sneak inside the faculty without detection, one gadget was noted to be able to control a Goliath class Machine to a degree, and another is a transmitter that sends broadcast signals that bait the Machine to a particular area to distract the security."

Devola sent a meaningful glance to Li.

"And now we know where their techs came from." She muttered. From what they have seen, Li is more capable of inventing such things if he had the proper equipment and tools.

"... why the fuck did they let him in?" A2 asked with a scowl. "Independist was all about androids' freedom, so why they accepted him? Heck, a better question, why the hell does this guy even join them?"

Indeed those are good questions but the answer wasn't hard for the twins to guess given what they know about Li and Independist so far.

"They were probably unaware of his human's status," Popola answered carefully. "The whole Independist didn't know he is a human but there was definitely a group or individual that did. "

"And they probably planned to use him, say what you want but Li's inventions and gadgets are unquestionably great. In a way, it could be poetic too to raise their morale, they were using mankind's inventions, a proof that even Humanity supports them."

"And that is still not considered a morale blow." A2 mused, seeming to understand their points now. "After all, if you have humans on your side fighting for you, the rest of the androids would immediately give up. The reason why they kept it hidden was probably that they worried about internal strife or fearing Li could be persuaded by the Army of Humanity, so they needed to cement themselves first." She concluded.

"Exactly." Devola nodded grimly. "They would be able to roll the entire hierarchy. Heck, I say just give them six more months, only six more months of operation and they would be able to establish themselves."

"And as for why Li joined them…" Popola's face shows a melancholic expression. "He was probably unaware of it."

"Not possible," A2 shook her head and tapped his bed. "Nerd is the smartest guy I know, ain't no way he wasn't aware or at least suspect the nature of the group he was in doesn't like humans."

Devola makes a pained face. "You underestimated how desperate he was."

"Desperate?" A2 echoed.

The twins shared a glance at each other. The scene where the Doctor kneeled while vomiting and calling for a particular name flashed in their mind.

"Humans are not species meant to be alone." Popola started with a tinge of sadness. "One of the reasons why androids were made was not just to help them but because they kept dying to WCS. They had no everlasting companion nor someone who could… be there for them. And Li had spent a year completely alone in a hostile area."

"That name, Ariadne or Arie." Devola's face marred with a bitter expression. "She was probably his first companion or someone very important to him, and remember what that Heather woman called her? Lady Ariadne."

A2's face contorted into various expressions as she put the things together. Her face settled into a cold and emotionless look.

Li's companion was probably one of the top brass in the reformed Independist. And there is still a matter of how he called her, Doctor Ariadne.

"Desperate, huh…" A2 whispered.

Had they not seen how she cared for him, the twins would dismiss that tone of hers as nothing but a restatement. However, they know she did, and they knew, even if it was hidden but there was empathy in her voice.

"We already can conclude how… bad things probably went for him," Popola said sadly. "He wasn't unaware but he probably blinded himself partly, or perhaps he just didn't care anymore."

"Nevertheless, I suspect that it wasn't long before Li opened his eyes or realized the Independist's true nature." Devola sighed. "Because not long after those successful assaults, one month afterward, they stopped."

"We stopped keeping an eye on them from that point but from what that Independist said, we can deduce Li struck them from the inside." Popola continued and then her face curled into a grimace. "Which according to her, ended up sinking half of the island and everyone died save for him."

It still doesn't end there. So many things give unpleasant implications from his hysteria today. The level of betrayal and the consequences were definitely bigger than simply losing a companion. He lost everything. Everything that he treasured.

"Oy, Chloe. Who the hell is Ariadne?" A2 demanded while looking to the front.

Though she has no physical form, the AI answered nonetheless, her voice resonated calmly in the truck.

"Doctor Ariadne was Father's first company, she was a Love Model that he met not long after he left his ruined hometown."

An image of a beautiful brown haired android garbed in a white coat similar to Li's and wearing a hat appears for them to see.

"Lily?" A2 uttered in surprise.

Who?

"You are familiar with her model?" Chloe asked in her usual blank voice.

Judging by her compressed lips, it was clear A2 didn't mean to say that name aloud, she answered her nonetheless.

"... no, but I know someone who has… similar facial features to her," A2 informed with a small pause. "Save for her body, she seems to be more fit than the one I know."

"And that someone is a Love Model, I assume?" Chloe asked rhetorically.

"Yeah." A2 confirmed cautiously. "She was one as well?"

"Indeed, the Doctor was a mere Love Model before undergoing Father's augmentation and upgrade."

The white haired android scrunched her eyes. "... you know? Now I remember it. As far as I know, you never call him Doctor."

And that is a confirmation of another problem.

"Because to me, he will never be Doctor, an android who was a fool and betrayer." Chloe declared and this time there is a frost in her voice. "A mere Love Model who tried to climb her way by seducing him. The mere thought of her touching Father made me want to burn a city to ashes."

"Wow, wow, calm down girl," Devola said in a placating manner. "Don't go crazy on us now, that was too extreme even for a joke."

"Perhaps, but I care not for the fate of a mere Love Model who had been graced by Father's secret and benefits a lot from his augmentation yet still can be so shameless and insolent to betray him."

If she put it in that way… she isn't wrong. Because if they view it in religious terms then what she did wasn't just blasphemy but it was spitting on everything they are made for.

Seeking freedom is one thing but betrayal after Li helped her? The mere thought of such a thing made them feel nothing but disgust for this android.

"How much augmentation she got?" A2 asked.

"... normally, I would share anything I know about this glorified sex toy but I cannot. Father has put a lot of restrictions on me to investigate deeply or talk about her."

Glorified sex toy was… very crass words. That isn't even the reason why Love Models were created in the first place!

Again, why did he put those restrictions on her?

"Hoo, not gonna say we don't have clearance or even trying to hide it?" A2 noted with dry amusement.

"As I said, I don't give a single care about this mechanized failure excuse of onahole." Chloe stated coldly. "What can I tell you are limited but suffice to say, she was the one who coaxed Father to join the Independist, and her augmentation level was well enough to the point she could dispose of a squad of YoRHa that chasing the evacuating Independist during one of their invasion without much difficulty."

Capable of destroying a squad of YoRHa's androids? That…

The twins were flabbergasted to say. They had seen how YoRHa's androids fought before with 29B and her group and how powerful they are, each of them is one man army and she beat them easily?!

That wasn't just a "well enough" level of an upgrade! That was an outstanding and massive scale of amelioration from a Love Model who was supposed to only provide a morale boost and manage the stress level of a group from the background!

"A squad of YoRHa," A2 repeated, her blue eyes narrowed. "When did that happen?"

"In 11943, the exact dates and units that participated… are unknown. I cannot tell, but it involved six versus one fight."

"Six on one, and she won by herself alone?"

"Yes, and it's open field combat."

Which means a direct fight. Face to face immediately against six YoRHa's androids, and not only she won but by Chloe's description, she manhandled them.

"And after becoming that much stronger, she betrayed him?!" Devola spat angrily. "Fuck that glorified failure of onahole!"

"Devola!" Popola immediately chided her. Even though she feels anger as well, there's no need to be so… vulgar about it.

"Sis, we both know just how much that woman means to him through these entire things. There's a high probability Li took the Doctor's name because of her!"

Her, someone who has betrayed him yet he decided to use her title as his new identity. Either the hatred went so deep that he did that to spite her or he loved her so much that he cannot move past her betrayal.

'A mix of both possibly.' Popola thought sadly.

"Six on one, open field combat," A2 meanwhile thought of something else. Her fingers drummed her arms coolly. "My record was eight on one, I still won."

Eight on what?!

"That's what you focused on?!" Devola asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, because that means that bitch has nothing special on me," A2 said neutrally. "Which means, whatever followers she left behind, I won't have many problems in destroying them if they try to do something to Nerd here." She exclaimed with a dark smile, her blue eyes promising pain to their targets.

Well, that was morbid but the twins couldn't find themselves to care about it. After what did the Independist put Li through? They felt they deserved it.

Still, is A2 that powerful and capable of taking on eight YoRHa's units at the same time?

"One moment, I have to decrypt some particular data I got from those traitors' corpses," Chloe said.

"Anything notable?" A2 asked immediately in a wary voice.

"Their security systems and firewalls are nothing to me but they do know how to erase their stuff at least."

The twins felt a chill in their spines as a dark chuckle emanated in the chamber.

"They cut loose their failed organs without hesitation. Disgusting yet so persistent, truly traits of inferior lifeforms, they are befitting of cockroaches." Chloe's sneering and contemptful voice was clear for everyone to hear. "It mattered not, I will have them all in the end before Father wakes up. You can carry on with your conversation."

A short silence appears in between them. The twins meanwhile take another look at each other before giving a glance to A2.

Who returned their look with her own and even if they cannot communicate telepathically, they knew what her silent message is

Not here.

"He mentioned children before," A2 said, breaking the silence and moving away from the previous topic. "As far as I know, there aren't androids modeled after children." She spoke in an edgy tone. "What do you girls think he means by that?"

Ah, yes, the children.

Even just by thinking that, the implications make them squirm. They are bad, very bad.

"I should've never created you!"

"Worst scenario, Li had children. Real biological human children and they…" Even just by thinking it, Popola wants to gag. "They died." Possibly, he had a part in it indirectly judging by how he screamed in his hysteria.

Despite how uncaring she looked, one can tell through her eyes A2 also found the idea sickening, her fingers clenched and she took a deep breath before slowly exhaling it.

"And how big is the probability of that?" She asked gravely.

"Small, because the timeline doesn't match, and you need 9 months to conceive human children," Devola answered. "If we followed the chronological structure, from what we gathered, Li was alone for a year or more. Which means it was already 11943 when he joined them, and their base where Li was sunk was around… 1 year 6 months ago. He is probably only with them no longer than 5 or 6 months, not enough time for children to be born."

"However, it is not impossible for them to be born earlier," Devola noted worriedly. "Li is also an expert on biology, his nanobots require a vast understanding of medical knowledge after all."

"Unlikely." A2 said in a heavy voice. "Look, I might be blind and unaware of how… cruel he could be but even I think the chance of that nerd messing with his own children is zero."

"We agree on that hence why we called it small," Popola commented tiredly. "The most likely scenario is that perhaps the Independist in there created children models and Li probably has something with them, perhaps a symbol or something to raise their morale as well."

'Or using them to bind him further.' The twins noted darkly.

It is not a secret that humans are very affectionate to their children. Those who behave cruelly or immorally to them are treated as outcasts or given extreme punishment no matter how they try to justify it. Even among those that are labeled as criminals, children are still considered sacred and shouldn't be harmed.

'One of the likely scenarios is he found out that the Independist' environment wasn't very good for the children and decided to break out but…'

It ended up in failure, and they died.

Betrayed and losing everything at the same time. All of them possibly occurred in one day, in a single day everything goes wrong for him.

There was silence on the truck as they contemplated the entire information, the only noises that procured were wheels grinding on the road and the rumbling of the engine of their vehicle.

"I didn't know."

A2's murmur broke the silence, prompting the twins to look at her.

"I was with him for a month, and I didn't know all of this."

A2's face was stoic and appears to be cold yet they could hear it. The self loathing and anger toward herself, the disappointment and bitterness toward this entire thing to herself.

How could I have missed this?

That is probably what she asked herself in her mind right now.

And the twins feel the YoRHa deserter deserves it. Deserves the anger and sadness she inflicted on herself. Because just like she asked, the twins wondered just how she could have missed this? What did she even do in that month when she spent her time with him?

But do they have any right to berate her? They, the one, who has made a worse mistake than her?

"I believe Li… tried to hide it." Popola said mildly. "He doesn't want you to know."

That was not an excuse. They knew. A2 herself knew. But at least they can say with certainty A2 was not 100% at fault since Li himself actively tried to shroud himself. He probably only opened up further as well not long after he told her about his human status.

That, or the meeting with the Independent just triggered the whole thing. They know that A2 could be emotionally blinded even just by talking with her for a day but there is no way she couldn't notice signs like this.

That is more likely given the whole ongoing scenario context. So she can't be blamed fully, it was just bad luck they encountered those traitors.

"Remember how he hacked that Research Model?" A2 asked. "Did you girls think he-"

"While there are possibilities that he did it for sadistic pleasure but I think that's more like him lashing out." Popola cut her, knowing what A2's concerned about despite the white haired android not showing it.

"Did you know how I felt on that day?"

"He was called a traitor by Heather," Devola pointed. "But do remember he was the one that possibly betrayed first. Even if it didn't, that betrayal cost him everything."

"And fortunately, he did react… negatively to it." Popola continued. Although that reaction could come from when he had his episode instead of feeling sick because of it but…

"You made me do this!"

"He was in denial as well, so we can say he possibly didn't intend to torture Heather psychologically like that."

"But it could change." A2 said, her voice taking a grim tone.

Popola closed her eyes and imagine that particular scenario. "If it keeps going? Yes." It could become his coping mechanism, as a matter of fact, one that is unhealthy and destructive.

And if someone at Li's caliber goes through that, the end result will not be good. Not at all.

"How do we heal him?" A2 asked instantly. "Make him better. Not having that moment again."

"Therapy," Devola let out another sigh. She was really sighing a lot today. "Therapy and time. Fleshed out his past one by one, set his mind properly on what is right and wrong through talking and acute observation, and help him move on."

"... knowing this nerd, I don't think we will have the time."

"Then make it. This is important for him. We have to convince him to take a break. Just a few times per week is fine. At least, he shouldn't bottle things anymore like this!"

"Convincing him wouldn't be easy, he is as stubborn as a mule," A2 grunted while massaging her temple. "Any other way?"

"Find a method for him to relieve himself from his stress," Popola answered. "This isn't 100% recommended because it could lead to dependence but through there, openings and chances would appear and we can exploit them to help him."

"Him playing music is actually a good thing," Devola smiled approvingly. "It could help him express his feelings better, and good music is also good for the brain." She makes a contemplative noise. "Cooking is also a good thing if he feels like he could relax through it."

Is this why Chloe never set his diet properly and let him do his things?

"However, we worried they wouldn't be enough," Popola added. "We should let him play his music when he wishes, and mayhaps allow him to cook more often if he truly wishes for it despite our agreement but we need something more… stimulating and physically active to ensure he has a proper exercise in body and mind, he also needs to receive positive feedback that could lessen his negative thoughts."

A2 was quiet for a moment. "... I can't think of anything else other than killing machines." She sighed. "You girls have any idea?"

They both shared another glance.

"There is… another idea, one that is presentable and perhaps might work." Popola started.

"It can be done by the three of us even," Devola added.

A2's curiosity and interest instantly picked up.

"What is it?" She asked eagerly despite her face remaining stoic as always.

To be honest, this… this is an incredulous idea. They would never propose it in the first place because it was so absurd and one must be out of their mind to even suggest it.

Just thinking it makes them want to squirm in shame and embarrassment. They both are no strangers to this but the thought of doing it with their creator…

However…

Li is not exactly in good condition, if there's no treatment be done soon…

"Sexual intercourse." Devola blurted out.

Oh God, someone please bury her now!

That sentiment was shared by Popola judging from the blush tinting her cheeks.

A2 blinked, once, twice, and thrice. She tilted her head in a slow and sedated manner. "Sexual intercourse?"

"Yes."

"..."

A2 raised two hands, one making an "o" motion while the other had her index and middle fingers pointed forward.

Then she jammed it in.

"This kind of sexual intercourse?" She asked while repeatedly pulling and pushing her fingers to the hole.

"Yes." Devola nodded.

"Jamming in and out repeatedly?"

"Yes." Popola nodded as well.

"The one with… dick and pussy?"

Oh God…

"Yes." Devola said tiredly.

"Pushing in deep and letting out sperm to ovum?"

Popola closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes."

"The one with-"

""YES!"" The twins yelled at her exasperatedly, cutting her from speaking.

"Is it so hard for you to understand?" Devola asked sarcastically.

To their shock, from the white haired android's blank face, it is actually that hard.

"Oh…" She intoned tonelessly.

"A2." Popola called her patiently.

"Yes?"

"You can stop pushing your fingers in and out like that." She said in a particular tone that seems to be used to speak to dull and dimwitted androids.

"Right."

She didn't stop.

'Welp, it is official, we broke her.' Devola thought in a mixture of amusement and mortification. Truly, to think such a thing would be enough to make her into this. What do you know? For all her crass and rude behaviors, A2 is actually still a woman at heart.

They both waited for the YoRHa's deserter who probably now has some of her systems just rebooted, staring at her patiently.

Then she eventually stopped jamming her fingers in her other hand, clarity seemed to return to her eyes as she slowly looked down at Li, her eyes then moved to a particular part of his body.

"So… you're saying, we have to fuck him?" She asked in a tone that wanted to make sure she got it right.

"Yes." Devola sighed, again! "Sexual intercourse provides the necessary stimulation for him, physically and mentally. Biologically it would allow his hormones to let out his pent up stress and mentally it would make his mind happy through the affection and compassion we give."

The thought of making love with their creator is… weird but not in a bad way. In fact, they would be very honored if Li found them to be attractive in that perspective and wished for it but…

It is weird. They feel quite… conscious about themselves because of this.

'Well, several human cultures do support polygamy or multiple wives,' Popola wondered with fascination and embarrassment. 'It seems to be one of the male's fantasies as a matter of fact.'

They stared at the A2 who is now standing and… patting her tummy?

"What are you doing?" Devola asked this time.

"I… I don't think I have it." She answered in a tone that conveyed morbidity. "The part that can be used for reproductive organs."

That… actually makes sense. She is a Combat model and seemed to be the earliest model. Why would YoRHa install such things on her?

As for them, they do have the basic one but they rarely tinker or maintain it. They just keep it to remind them of their creators.

"Actually, you do have it."

The three of them jerked when a familiar voice of a certain AI resonated in the chamber. They turned and saw a projection of Chloe appearing on A2's side.

"If you wanted to assuage Father through sexual relationship then you all must know you need to be quite… careful with it." She said in her usual monotone. "The Doctor and Father had a relationship, and I believe while insemination or intercourse doesn't happen due to the difference in the physical body but there were sexual activities between them."

That came out as a surprise. It was obvious they were close, however, to the point of doing sexual activities together?

The first thing that crossed their minds through this information was rage. While sexual activities can be done professionally and just for relief but those who do the deed while they were in close relationships commonly have very personal and perhaps sacred relationships.

The fact after she did this yet still ended up betraying Li… the twins want to murder her on the spot had that woman stood before her now.

Judging by how A2's face tightened, she also shared similar thoughts.

The second thing that crossed their minds was it seems sexual intercourse is not an option anymore given the circumstances. Because if they tried this method it could trigger his trauma about her but…

'But on the other hand, this can be used to make him move on from her.' They thought contemplatively.

It is a double edged sword. Chloe is right, they need to be careful in managing this. They need to deepen their trust first. Just knowing his status as a human won't do, it is simply a basic requirement, there's more that needs to be done.

"Wait, how the fuck do you know I have it?" A2 asked the AI.

"Oh, I installed it on you when Father finished repairing you after our battle against that ancient Machine lifeform," Chloe answered casually.

"You did what?! Wasn't it that Nerd who did the whole operation?!"

"He did, however, I am the one that he ordered to give the finishing touches, mainly the elasticity and firmness of your chests and region area. Father feels… it is inappropriate for him to decide for you regarding those terms so he asked me to be the one that makes the decision as a fellow woman."

The twins' eyes widened at the news. He feels what?

A vein popping on the top of A2's eyebrows. "And let me guess, you, with all your wisdom, decided to give me a sexual organ while doing that?" She asked annoyedly.

"Correct." Chloe answered proudly as if the white haired woman should praise the ground she walked on because installing something on her without her consent.

"You dam-"

""IT'S YOU!"" The twins exclaimed simultaneously, cutting any of A2's curses and prompting the YoRHa's unit to turn to them.

"What?" She asked in confusion and surprise.

"You're the one who can do this! You are the prime candidate!" Devola declared.

"Indeed, not only you are the one who has been with him for a while but you spent time with him without knowing his human status then he decided to tell you because he wanted to!" Popola nodded exuberantly.

They know not why but from the story of how they met, there's a big possibility Li already trusted her ever since their first meeting to a degree. He asked her to come with him personally instead of through a remote controlled unit, he always started the conversation when it came to her, and he also cared a lot for her.

And how he feels it is inappropriate to touch her despite him being able to build an android from scratch? That shows embarrassment!

"Hold on, hold on." A2 raised her hands defensively. "You want me to seduce him? Are you kidding?! Did your CPU get rotten due to your old age or what?!

"... she is right, it won't work." Devola commented after a moment of consideration "She doesn't have the right attitude nor knowledge to do that, she sucks."

A2's eyebrow twitched aggressively. "Excuse me?!"

"Give us a smile." Devola urged, leaning forward from her seat. "Like, sweet and cute smile." She made a smiling face as if to punctuate her point. "Even a boyish grin or sexy smirk will do."

"Why the fuck I should do that?"

"Please, A2?" Popola asked in a mellow voice. "For him?" She gestured to Li as she said this.

The white haired android's glare softened but remained there. Her eyes shifted to Li for a moment before she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Just so you know, I am doing this not because I agree to this fucked up plan." She said with pointing eyes. She grumbled something incoherently under her breath before looking at them and smiled.

Or at least she tried to.

What came out was a stiff, stony and cracked smirk that mixed with a grin which made her face anything but normal let alone cute, pretty, or seductive.

Devola closed her eyes. "Yeah, that plan is doomed." She declared.

"Oh fuck you!" A2 shouted angrily.

"You are making conclusions too early, Devola." Chloe chimed in. "A2 is a crass and vulgar woman but it is undeniable she possesses an attractive look, and she can show an appealing expression when the situation demands it, hard it is. However, all of them only come naturally instead of being requested like before."

A2 turned to the AI with a creeped look. "What the fuck are you even talking about now?"

"Oh, show it to us." Devola asked with an intrigued face.

A hologram shot out and showed A2's smiling face, it was… actually it was quite a sight.

"Well, I'll be damned, you do look pretty good." Devola remarked with a whistle.

"You look so pretty there, A2." Popola complimented sincerely.

She ignored their praise, however, the black outfitted android remains focused on the AI with a bewildered face now. "Why did you even have it?"

"A documentation, a proof." Chloe answered plainly.

"A proof? Proof of-wait, this look-"

"Familiar? Correct. It is your smiling face when you touch Father without his consent."

Hold on! Hold on! Hold on!

""WHAT?!""

A2 didn't yell or rebuke that statement. Instead, her face turned blank. Then slowly, menacingly, she stood.

Oh, boy…

"A2?" Popola called her.

In response, the white haired YoRHa's unit draws out her weapon, and a flicker of red electricity emanates from her body.

"I am going to kill you for real now."

"Hey, hey, we are still traveling here! Li is in here as well! A2, stop! Stop!"

As they tried their best to calm A2 so no fighting occurred while there was an unconscious human in the vicinity while at the same time asking for an explanation of what actually transpired, Popola couldn't help but think of something.

'This is the second time she did this.' She did it once before they left too. 'I thought they didn't like each other but…'

Did Chloe really just try to alleviate A2's distress regarding her own ignorance about Li's status by deliberately taunting and provoking her?

And that Blind Men and an Elephant story… Did she try to warn A2 about Li's distressing condition?

If yes then… the AI actually does care for her, in her own twisted way that is.

'Regardless, this sexual intercourse plan. We… shouldn't prioritize it, it is too risky. It is better after this project is done, we ask him to take a break and recover. Months of quietness and solitude would be more than enough.'

And they have no reason to be active again. Li doesn't need to concern himself with Maso particles anymore after this project is finished. They could isolate themselves somewhere, away from this war, and focus on his recuperation. There's no need for him to risk his health any further than this.

After all, it is android's duty to fight for him. They are sure every single one of them would agree Li should stay clean from the battlefield and let them handle this situation.


Kitsune Obsessed Freak: You are reading a free story, not just free but you can choose whether you can read it or not, if you don't like it then just kindly LEAVE, it's not like this story can actually harm you anyway, and if it did then it is your rotten balls own fault for thinks so because others that reading it seems to find no harm at all. I write this not to satisfy you, I always stated long ago almost in all my other stories that I write for my own satisfaction and relaxation. Selfish? So what, it is a free story you fucktard, and some people actually enjoyed it as well. You are seriously going from annoying to being toxic. And FYI, I never intended to make myself appear to be smarter than others, that was just your assumption. And who are you to tell me to get good? I owe you nothing.


Also, another note, since this is FF, I won't write a lemon scene in here (because there are rule that forbid it iirc) but fret not, it is not like we will get lemon scene anywhere soon anyway XD

The same note I gave in QQ:

It may not be so obvious in the last chapter but I believe there are already various clues about Li's odd behavior hence why the last chapter seemed to be off for readers.

Because true while it is a "fight" in reality, it is more like him lashing out, the guy was reliving his trauma at that moment.

Do note that while the twins actually licensed healthcare unit but their conclusion and guess are quite biased. Heck, as a matter of fact, every party here is biased and in a way, blind. Hence why the last few chapters it called "The Blind Men and an Elephant", it doesn't mean solely for A2 but for everyone.

Fun fact: there are six blind men and there are six characters involved in this entire arc: A2, Chloe, Devola, Popola, Li, and the Independist as a whole. Fascinating, this is actually coinci-I mean according to plan and all, hohoho~

Also yes, I know that having sex while reliving stress but not the main option, Devola and Popola could suggest another thing, I have a list of them in my head but because this is QQ, and Yoko Taroverse, it is not strange lewd happen because I wished for it. Besides, lewds are good civies anyway~

This is the longest chapter I've written in this story, 12k words. Maaan, I want to take a break, this is a bit tiring. Fun but tiring.

The next chapter will come out next week as usual but I can't promise it will come on time, hopefully, it would be early.