A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter was pretty much done shortly after I wrote the third one, but things in my life got kinda crazy. My dad got re-married (for context my mom passed away last year, but that's a whole other story that I'd rather not get into.) The point being is that with wedding preparations, moving mama #2 into the house, a yard sale, plus the actual wedding...things have been chaotic for me and have only now settled down enough for me to update this story. And I hope you guys enjoy this fourth chapter. Thanks for the patience! Best wishes and God bless you all!
Disclaimer: NieR: Automata is the property of Square Enix, Platinum Games, and Yoko Taro. This work is merely a Fanfiction.
Warnings: Point of view switching will happen in this chapter. Also...9S is still kinda murder happy I guess. Aside from that I don't know what to warn you guys about. Enjoy the chapter!
With how extensive 9S' repair process seemed to be, I thought I would have more time to recover before it became necessary to leave the Resistance Camp.
Unfortunately, as 042 was running a diagnostic scan on my joints, the Scanner started to stir. Pod 153 was near him, its ventilation systems kicking into high gear once it noticed the twitch of his fingers.
"Pod...cut off the diagnostic check..."
"That is inadvisable..."
"I said cut it off!"
"Affirmative."
Swinging my legs off my cot, I stumble to my feet, muttering a curse as a painful jolt shoots through my right knee.
"Unit A2 should not..."
"I know."
Biting down on my tongue, I force myself to take slow steps to the maintaneance area's exit to look for Anemone.
He should have been in extended rest-mode for at least another week, not a mere fifteen hours since my reboot.
"Warning: Unit A2's joint systems are unstable. Probability of malfunction is currently 38%. Additional maintenance needed."
Stopping mid-motion, I pivot slightly, which pulls a hiss out of my mouth as I address 2B's pod .
"Didn't I tell you to..."
"Alert: Unit 9S is entering his reboot sequence," 153 blurts before I can even finish talking. "Proposal: Unit A2 should retreat before..."
"Shut up," I bark, gritting my teeth when shifting on my heels aggravates my weak ankles. "I can only move so fast."
Practically limping, I walk to the outskirts of the maintenance area and spot Anemone stationed at her usual work area motioning with her hands for a resistance member to set a box of materials he was carrying along the table next to her. She dove into examining the contents of the box the second the burly android set the thing down, turning her back to me in the process.
Groaning, I prepare myself for a painful trek only to stop moving when 153 announces 9S' operational status.
"Well...that just sucks for me," I moan internally, truly irritated now. With my joints as fragile as they are, springing into a sprint away from here could do irreparable damage. That chance isn't something I can afford to take unless it's an emergency.
It's a shame, honestly. With another day or so of recovery time, my joints would have been stable enough for me to bolt from here no problem. I could have made a clean exit from the Resistance Camp and 9S' life altogether.
Instead I'm left with no other choice but to face the Scanner once more. With how bad things went last time, I don't expect anything good from interacting with him, but there's nothing I can do to avoid that outcome now.
Inhaling deeply, I turn around to face 9S, an involuntary grunt of discomfort leaving me upon seeing the shock in his expression when he registers my presence. The initial astonishment quickly transitions into a disgust so potent I have to resist the urge to wrap my arms around myself as a means of cover from his hateful gaze.
When we met in the tower, the vitriol he hurled my way didn't bother me nearly as much.
But now...
...
"How he feels about me doesn't matter," I muse, calling out to Anemone and the resistance member near her with a growing sense of unease. "I don't need his gratitude or forgiveness for doing what 2B asked of me."
As Anemone approaches, I keep my expression neutral and stand aside so she can see 9S fumbling to rise from his cot while 153 tries in vain to advise him to stay still. With a nod and an expression of concern, the resistance leader and her subordinate brush past me to stop the rage-fueled Scanner from hurting himself.
042, who maintains his position close to my side, hesitantly addresses me.
"Unit...A2?"
"Hmm?"
"This pod detects an abnormality in your black box cavity."
"Do you now? Heh."
Feigning detachment is the best way for me to ignore the invisible yet heavy weight pressing down against my chest.
"9S! Hold still!" Anemone shouts, doing her best to pin him down. "You're going to undo all the work we did putting you back together at this rate..."
"LET ME GO! I have to avenge her!" 9S pauses for a moment, his voice cracking in a sob as he continues to thrash against the cot.
But amidst all the chaos, his eyes never leave mine. Not for an instant.
Anemone addresses me next with a question she doesn't quite finish.
Even if she had...I know the answer.
"You took her! YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!"
"Query: Are you alright, A2?"
Emotions are prohibited.
"I'm fine."
~A few minutes earlier~
"Unit 9S is now operational."
Exiting an extended rest-mode cycle is always a little disorienting. Groggy and weak, I can't help but feel a sense of deja vu upon waking at the Resistance Camp. Devola and Popola had been there to greet me then.
Now, all I see is the endless blue sky above.
And the first sound I hear is...
"Nmph..."
Hearing the feminine grunt accompanied by heels ceasing movement along pavement heightens my senses, filling me with hope as I fumble to rise into a sitting position. My body...feels off-balance.
"My left arm. What happened to my..."
The thought leaves me the second my eyes lock onto hers.
My breath catches in my throat upon seeing those familiar eyes, and for half a second my black box swells with joy...
But then, all too soon that feeling of elation dissipates into recognition of a different sort. The YoRHa Unit before me looks similar to 2B with short, platinum-colored hair and those ice-blue eyes I only ever saw a few times. However, as the seconds pass I take in the stark differences between this android and the soldier I loved.
Though her face is almost a mirror image of 2B's, those eyes are empty of feeling. Her lips, despite being the same color and shape, remain pressed in a thin line. This android's synthetic skin is rusting in patches along her nose and in spots down her neck. The dermal plating connecting her arms to her torso is exposed along her shoulders, showcasing the separate parts locked in place. Normally that's covered completely by several layers of skin, but for this android, that skin has been worn down to its innermost layer.
Her outfit was different too. Instead of 2B's sleek and alluring YoRHa uniform, this unit's ensemble is extremely simple. Maybe it was once part of a more elaborate uniform, but as it stands, it's little more than what humans would have described as a black tank top, black short-shorts, black stockings, black ankle boots, and black elbow-length gloves. Practically every article of clothing on this android has melded with the synthetic skin beneath. Even the boots look as if they're permanently attached to their feet.
All of this is attributed to a lack of regular maintenance.
This isn't 2B.
The first time I ever saw this android...concern for her mangled state of being was my gut reaction.
But she's a deserter. She betrayed YoRHa.
Why? Why did you betray us?
Command is the one that betrayed you.
...
Given what I know now, abandoning YoRHa is the least of her crimes.
This tower is a giant cannon that's aimed at the human server on the moon. If we don't do something, all of humanity's remaining data will be destroyed.
Ha ha ha...ha ha ha hah!
So what?
None of it matters.
Or didn't you know? We aren't required in this world anymore.
The memories of that confrontation descend on me like a cold, violent wave. A grimace slips out of my mouth as my enemy pivots away from me, calling for Anemone.
Humanity is extinct. That moon server you're so worried about was invented to give us androids something to fight for, and YoRHa was created to perpetuate the lie.
But in order to make sure no one ever found out the truth...we were designed to be killed.
Anemone reaches me first, her voice full of concern when she tells me not to move, pointing toward my left arm as she does. Glancing over at it shocks me, but then I remember...
"That's right...I lost it in the tower, but..."
During my campaign through the tower, I stole an arm from one of the corrupted 2B models. My anger burned for the machines so deeply that all thoughts of self-preservation faded from my mind. Even in hacking into myself to delete the logic virus from my systems, I wasn't as thorough as I could have been. There was no need for me to be so methodical when my intent was to go down with the tower. I didn't even know A2 was there then, but something inside of me knew we would encounter each other.
And when we did, I was elated at the thought of running her through with my blade. Having to work with her to defeat the machines that followed us up to the top of the structure was a maddening irony.
You know ma'am, I'm glad you're here.
Why?
Scanners like me mostly work alone. Scouting out enemy lines and all that?
I don't usually get a partner. It's kind of fun.
Emotions are prohibited.
That mantra was never really for me, was it, 2B?
Without sparing another thought toward the wires and tubes sticking out of my elbow, I fix all my attention on A2. She meets my stare head on, her icy, calculating eyes impassive even as I continue to fidget and struggle to escape Anemone's hold.
"9S! Hold still!" she commands, motioning another nearby resistance member to help lay me back down. "You're going to undo all the work we did putting you back together at this rate..."
"LET ME GO!" I scream, thrashing even harder now. "I have to avenge her!"
My voice cracks on the last word, for an invasive image of myself continuously stabbing 2B sails through my brain circuitry...only to transform into a recent memory of her choking me.
2B hated to keep killing you. It caused her so much pain.
Anemone glances in A2's direction. "Doesn't he know...?"
I did know. How could I not?
The 9S type is a high-end model. They knew you'd discover the truth eventually. But the model designation "2B" was just a cover.
A2 shook her head in response to Anemone's unfinished question, a sigh on her lips as she takes careful steps to the cot nearest to her. 2B's pod floats near her head as she sits down while 153 buzzes near mine. My eyes continue to follow the YoRHa fugitive when the more burly resistance member's visage nearly blocks my view of her. Like Anemone, he was trying in vain to restrain me.
"You took her!" I roar, violently pushing the man away from me. The man clatters to the ground with a metallic clang I barely hear amidst my own screams.
"YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!"
"Caius!" Anemone screams, her hold on me disappearing as she moved to check on the other resistance member. "Are you alright?"
"Gonna have a headache later, I know that much..."
"Alert: Unit 9S' vitals have entered the danger zone."
Anemone backtracks then, her expression stern yet full of compassion as she makes a slower approach towards me.
"9S, you have to calm down. Everything is alright now..."
"Nothing is alright!" I screech, breathing erratically in response to my black box ramming itself against the metal casing surrounding it inside my chest.
Every ounce of my focus zeroes in on A2 sitting on the cot closest to the maintenance area's exit. Her expression remains in its neutral state, angering me further.
042 shifts in A2's direction. "Proposal: Explain to 9S what transpired between you and Unit 2B."
The official designation is 2E. Number 2 Type E.
They were a special class of members designed to execute YoRHa units.
But you knew that...right 9S?
"There's nothing to explain," I shout, summoning Cruel Oath to my hand from my inventory while simultaneously glaring at Anemone, warning her to step away from me. With a frown, the resistance leader wordlessly takes a few steps back, allowing me room to stumble off the cot to approach 2B's killer.
"You took her from me. You and those machines took EVERYTHING FROM ME!"
My screaming quickly drew in a crowd, but Anemone prevents anyone from intervening with a single motion of her hand. At this point she knows there's no stopping this conflict, but rather than allow me to take my revenge here and now, she moves to position herself between me and A2.
"Get out of my way, Anemone," I mutter, seething. "I don't want anyone else involved in this."
A2 shakily rises up from the cot she was sitting on.
"It's okay," she murmurs to Anemone, steadying herself. "You don't need to protect me."
Anemone doesn't move, instead she extends both arms out to her sides, further blocking my path. "Is revenge so important to you that you would strike down a comrade? Do you not realize by now that you aren't the only one here who's lost someone!?"
"Get...out...of my way."
"Not a chance," she answers, gritting her teeth. "Throwing this tantrum instead of thanking A2 for saving your life is a disgrace to 2B's memory! She had a logic virus, 9S! 2B asked A2 to kill her..."
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!?"
Anemone's words falter, pure surprise washing over her features.
Nothing changes in A2's expression, and it takes everything inside of me to keep still for Anemone's sake. Despite all the wrath churning within me, I don't want to hurt her or anyone else here.
A2 is the only one left that needs to die.
My grip tightens around the hilt of my sword. "Please...stand aside, Anemone."
Though she lowers her arms, the resistance leader still doesn't move.
"2B wouldn't want this, 9S."
A2's quiet voice shakes through the space, silencing everything around us for a few fleeting seconds.
Lowering my blade slightly, I stare at the YoRHa fugitive and watch her expression shift from impassive to something almost...mournful.
"A2..."
"I figured you knew the truth by now," A2 blurts out, cutting me off. "You're a high-end model after all. You can put two and two together from limited information. From my use of Virtuous Contract to me explaining what she wanted for you in the future...you knew she wouldn't have entrusted those things to me if she thought she was going to survive, or if there had been foul play on my part. But those facts didn't matter in the end, right?"
Her words give me pause, and for a brief moment, realizing A2 understood this part of me on a fundamental level re-contextualized everything that happened between us.
But...
...
A2 turns away, thus hiding her face from my view.
And when she speaks again...
"The circumstances don't change the results" she continues, her voice but a whisper. "I stole away your most precious treasure. No matter the reason, you can't forgive that. Is my assessment accurate, 9S?"
It is. Painfully so.
Loosening my hold on Cruel Oath, I allow it to transfer back to my weapon storage, heave out a slow sigh, and finally break eye contact with A2 to examine the faces of the resistance members gathered outside the maintenance area. Some stared at me with expressions of understanding, others anger, and there were even a handful who smiled in glee...as if all this were mere entertainment.
How could anyone find this miserable existence entertaining?
"9S..."
My attention returns to A2.
"When you've recovered," she begins, her voice eerily hollow, "Have 153 send a rendezvous point to 042. We'll settle things then if you want. Otherwise...this is goodbye."
Without another word, A2 departs, her heels clacking firmly against the pavement as she wanders past the crowd of resistance members. Anemone calls out to her, but the traitor continues to saunter away without any signs of stopping.
"Good riddance," I think, relaxing somewhat...that is until I catch a glimpse of Anemone's glare.
"I'm disappointed in your conduct," she mutters, shaking her head. "You were infected with a logic virus as well, and A2 was prepared to die in order to ensure you lived. She did everything in her power to give you a new chance...because that's what 2B wanted. As far as I'm concerned, A2 has more respect for 2B than you ever did."
I don't offer up an argument, even after she eases her subordinate I attacked up from the ground and out of the maintenance area.
There's no excuse for the way I'm acting. I know that.
But what A2 said is true. The circumstances behind 2B's death don't change anything for me.
"I hate her," I whisper, exhaling another shaky breath. "I realize she saved me, but...I can't even look at her without thinking about..."
No matter how much time passes, I still feel the instant my breath caught in my throat at the sight of 2B on her knees with Virtuous Contract embedded in her abdomen and A2's hand around the hilt.
When 2B turned her head to look at me...
Oh...Nines...
That was the first and last time she ever called me that name...
Except there are memories between us only 2B knew.
And now...I'll never know what they were.
I'll never know how many times she called me Nines.
I'll never know if we were ever truly close.
I'll never know if she let me hold her.
All of it is just...gone.
And there's no way to get it back.
Anemone is wrong. Saving my life wasn't out of kindness or respect on A2's part.
It was an act of sheer cruelty.
9S...I need you to promise me something. Don't die alone.
I don't think 2B would have wanted that either.
Remembering the twins makes me smile a little. "I haven't forgotten. I'll keep my word soon enough."
A2!
I'LL KILL YOU!
I won't go back on my oath to destroy her. She will die by my hand. No one else's.
And I won't let myself be killed by anyone else either.
We'll go down together...just like 2B wanted.
A/N: And that's the end of this chapter. I'll be honest and say that I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. I have an incomplete draft for chapter 5, but I haven't worked on it in months. Things have simply been too chaotic for me. But I still have a pretty firm idea of where I wanted this story to go plot wise, so I'll try to work on it whenever the inspiration hits again. Until then, thank you all for reading up to this point. If you guys ever get antsy waiting for updates from me, feel free to visit my YouTube channel. I am Lillymu961 over there. Thanks in advance if you choose to stop by. I also have other Automata stories here on Fanfiction. Feel free to check those out as well. See you guys next time! Best wishes and God bless you all!
