AN: This is going to be a LONG AN so if you wanna skip it go ahead. But for those of you who are curious to my plans on this story, you may want to read this.
First off, I'm glad to see that this story has been well liked. It always warms my heart to see that I'm doing something right to make you guys like it. So with that, I'd like to address a few questions and statements in the reviews that I believe should be explained.
Nerf585: Check the summary. The character mentions are in brackets.
Darkuz: When you throw an average character into a post apocalyptic world, I always think there needs to be a fear/shock factor…or cripple factor in this case I guess, that serves as a driving force for the character to get stronger. I mean, if Sam has any hope of getting home, he's GOING to have to find a way to get stronger somehow. I REALLY don't like Itadeki (In Another World) characters that can't fend for themselves and always cower behind someone else (like a love interest) or too over powered (i.e. Kenchi. Him AND that wussy attitude of his.)
Madame De Blanc: Zero's still gonna have her powers. Most of them. Since she's no longer serving as The Flower's host, she doesn't have abilities like regeneration or reattachment of limbs. Other powers like weapon summoning, as mentioned in in the previous chapter, Intoner Mode, Counter Burst, charged attack, and superhuman strength will stick around, but they're going to be toned down a bit. Let's just say being brought back from the brink of death via a rip in the time space continuum has some side effects. And trust me, Zero's not the only one from the Drakengard 3 that'll appear in this fic. Ditto NIER.
GVN Chaos: Oh don't you worry, the meeting of Zero and A2 will happen in the future. And when they start conversing on a personal level (which won't happen for a LONG time) I tend to make it interesting. However, with A2's introduction to this story…well, let's just say she won't be alone.
RaphiTheOne: First off, do you really expect the Machines to piece that together when information about the old world is EXTREMLY scarce? Second, as one of the best students of my Biology class in 2012, I know for a fact that you can survive the blood loss from a severed arm. Granted, the deciding factors are how healthy of a body you have, how strong your immune system is, and how much Vitamin D your blood has, along with other variables, the fact remains that it's still possible. Still, too much blood loss and you can die, that much is true. That's part of the reason why I left Chapter 2 off with a cliffhanger, to let the realism of both possibilities sink into the readers' minds. As for blood transfusion, yeah that's very unlikely in this world. However the human body does have a very uncanny ability of generating more blood as long as the heart is in good shape. Sam would just need a lot of orange juice. And a ton of other stuff to strengthen his immune system after that ordeal.
On another note, I have recently finished playing NIER, the first installment that preceded to NieR: Automata, which, btw, those of you who DID know about its existence and HAVE played it BEFORE Automata was even conceived (not me), then give yourself a medal, for you are an explorer of the EXTREMELY underrated. Seriously the game deserves way more attention, same with the Drakengard games.
But I digress, the reason I'm bringing this up is because I am having this fic be post ending E for NIER. And yes NIER technically does have a fifth ending, but it's not in the game, at least not in the States or European version of the game.
See, here's the thing about the first NIER game. It was originally released in Japan in two separate versions. NieR: RepliCant and NieR: Gestalt. RepliCant was a PS3 exclusive and Gestalt was for the Xbox 360. However, when the game made the jump to the west, we only got the Gestalt version, which was multiplatform for both Xbox 360 and PS3 in English and was retitled as NIER. The only differences in the two versions were Nier's design, his relationship to Yonnah; Ditto Shadowlord, and the time where the story takes place. In RepliCant, Nier is Yonna's older brother, but in Gestalt, he's her father (and a super badass one at that! I'm tempted to make a top ten fathers in video games list when Father's Day comes around). And while both versions do have the same four endings more or less, ending E does, sorta, kinda, stem from the RepliCant version.
Exactly why the RepliCant version never made it to the States, I'm not exactly sure. One reason could be that Square Enix of America didn't really see the point, nor had the budget to translate two entirely separate versions with minor differences (which is bullshit, because the whole father/brother thing is a pretty big difference in terms of character development, and I guess they didn't want to go through finding an alternate English VA for Brother Nier), or it could have been because of some licensing issues. I mean, this was back during a time when games from Japan took about a year to come to the states after their initial release in Japan, that that was if a company's respective PR department in the states saw a market for it. A whole bunch a wasted opportunities back then.
For example, Drakengard's original name in Japan was Drag On Dragoon. Not sure why that change in title was necessary, but then again these legality issues always tend to fly over my head. And remember when we almost didn't get the first Xenoblade game? We had to wait TWO FUCKING YEARS until Nintendo of America FINALLY caved in to popular demand (although the whole Game Stop exclusive crap was total BS. You want a product to do well? Don't sell it exclusively. That's just bad marketing, and you're just making its value worth more than it actually is). Ditto The Last Story and Pandora's Tower. Thank God for Operation Rainfall. You guys rock!
Anyways, for those of you wondering, if you are, why you weren't made aware of this until now, well that's what happens when you don't delve into the lore of any franchise in existence. Especially when a lot of their backstories are implied. Sometimes that works, other times that doesn't. Ending E isn't in either versions game stories, but it is in a novelized short story called "The Lost World" found in Grimoire Nier, a book published exclusively in Japan that gives further insight to both versions of NieR. This story can be found on the NieR wiki and in a Google document that is linked on the page about Grimoire Nier. However it should be noted that its English translation on both pages are incomplete summaries from Chinese forums and blogs, and a full translation has yet to be made. It should also be noted that, while continuing from ending D, it is unknown if ending E refers to Brother Nier or Father Nier. Brother is more than likely implied, but it's very ambiguous. Regardless, I'm going with the version that I know, which is Father Nier.
Despite the fact that ending D is the cannon ending to NIER, there have been a few discussions on how ending E can tie into NieR: Automata. So as long as it's possible, I'll take it.
Jesus CHRIST, whoopin' 2+ pages of AN boredom! Well now that I've got that drivel out of the way, let's get on with it shall we? Oh, just a heads up:
SPOLER WARNING!
Okay, now…NEEEEEEEXT!
Chapter 3
I Get The Feeling A Storm Is Coming…
Pain. Sharp, searing pain. That's what I remember feeling when I woke up next.
Inhaling sharply, I cursed as I clutched the area where the pain was…and found that my right arm was missing.
Wait…what?
I slowly turned to my right to find that my right arm was indeed missing. And there were white bandages all over where it used to be. But…why was…
…
Oh…
Oh God, no…
Please, please, PLEASE do NOT tell me that the shit that I went through actually happened! Where the hell was I?! Did I get captured by that fucking insane Sword Machine?!
Pure fear fueling me, I was wide awake now. I quickly looked at my surroundings. I was in a room that had seen better days. There were four walls each of them grey with faded and cracked plaster. I was on a bed that had an okay matress, considering the room I was in. There was a brown worn sofa across from me and a small two story bookshelf next to that. There were some books on there but not a whole lot, and they looked pretty old. There was an old wooden coffee table in the middle that had a lot of dents and nicks in it. There was a single light bulb in a socket on the ceiling with a pull string switch. There was a doorway in the wall adjacent to the sofa. The door was made of dark brown and worn wood with a bronze colored door nob that had lost its shine for what seemed like decades ago.
A door…
A DOOR!
As soon as my brain was able to register that, I quickly scrambled to throw the sheets off of me and get up on my feet…with less than success.
I hadn't even taken a step when I collapsed face first on the floor.
WHAM!
"Ow, fuck!"
I had completely forgotten that I had twisted my ankle. It still hurt pretty badly. And my body felt extremely weak. Weaker than I had ever felt before. The loss of one of my limbs was something I was not used to. And it still hurt. A lot. But I couldn't let that stop me. I needed to get out. I needed to know where I was, and if possible, escape.
Struggling with what little strength I had, I used both my feet and my one remaining arm to lift me back up, trying not to put too much strain on my ankle. How the hell was I ever going to explain this to my family? If I ever saw them again…
I then noticed that I was wearing nothing but the same sweat pants that I went to bed in before I woke up in this hell hole. My white t-shirt was gone leaving my torso completely exposed, and my socks were gone too. My ankle was also wrapped in some gauze, but it wasn't as dense as the stuff on my right arm socket. Even though it still may have been twisted, the upside was at least my feet weren't sore anymore. Walking around on that factory's iron and concrete floors was a trial.
I slowly limped over to the door and reached for the knob. But I guess someone must have heard me curse, because before I could even grasp the knob, it turned and the door opened. Standing before me was a boy that looked to be about a year or two younger than me, with pure white hair, a black buttoned up coat and black shorts complete with same colored boots and gloves. I couldn't really make out his face because he had a black blindfold over his eyes.
…wait, didn't I see this guy somewhere before?
"Oh," the boy said. "You're awa-oof!"
Fuck it, I didn't care about who this guy was, I wanted to get out! I shoved the boy aside, seeing this as my chance to get out. I didn't care where this place was or how I got here, I was NOT going to stick around and risk losing my other arm!
"Urgh!"
Immediately I was starting to realize this may not have been a good idea. With my ankle in the shape it was in, escape was not going to be easy. But it was either that or stick around and let whatever they were going to do to me happen.
Apparently I was in an apartment of sorts, because I saw a lot of other doors that looked like the same one I just ran out of. And true to my shitty luck streak so far, I was on the second floor. Perfect.
Stairs.
I needed to find some stairs. Getting down them with a busted ankle would be a bitch, but I was going to have to do it one way or another.
"Anemone!" I heard the boy call to someone behind my back. "The guy's awake, but I think he's trying to run!"
Oh FUCK, they did capture me, didn't they?! Forget my arm and ankle, if they were going to do experiments like Sword Machine was going to, there was no goddamn way I was sticking around!
I finally found some rusty stairs and made my way down as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I think I might have been going a little too fast, because as soon as I reached the third step, a sharp pain entered my ankle. I shouted in slight agony, loosing my balance in the process, and fell forward. Thankfully the stars weren't very high. But I still ended getting a face full of dirt. And it hurt like a bitch.
"AUGH, FUCKING CHRIST! AAAGH!"
My face was wracked with pain from the impact. I tried to ignore it as best as I could and right myself up. That last curse drew attention to me, if that boy yelling off in the distance didn't already. A whole bunch of people of different shapes and sizes, all wearing drabbed garb that looked like they hadn't been washed in ages, turned around to look at me. I didn't really pay them any mind.
"Hey wait!"
Mostly because I was too busy trying and failing to run from that one boy, and anyone else who might join in on the chase. I quickly got up on my legs and started running again as fast as I was able to.
"Wait! I just want to talk!"
"Fuck you, I'm-rgh-I'm not letting you dissect me!"
As I continued to limp/run, I caught bits and pieces of what people were saying about the whole chase thing. Specifically me.
"Who's that kid?"
"He looks like he just got dragged of a pretty bad spot."
"Where's his other arm?"
"Maybe he needs to repair it?"
"His foot probably needs some spare parts too."
"Wait…isn't that the Android the two YoRHa Units brought with them a while ago?"
A while? Oh God, how long have I been out?! My parents must be flipping their SHIT right about now! I've gotta call…and of fucking course I left my phone on my desk! Son of a BITCH! If that ended up anything like my bed back at the factory, then wherever it was now, it was more than likely destroyed.
Okay, focus…I gotta get out of this place. Maybe I can find this Resistance camp and get into contact with…wait…didn't one of the bystanders already mention Your…aw, SHIT! What happened 106?! What happened to my sword?!
"106!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, continuing to hoof it. "106! Where are you?! I need help!"
It was in vain. If 106 was still around, or hell, functional even, my plea fell upon deaf ears. That or it just wasn't getting here fast enough.
"Hey!" A woman in front of me called out. "Stop!" She held out her arm and grabbed for me. She succeeded, but only for a moment.
"Get off!" I yelled. I punched her in the gut with my remaining arm as hard as I could. I wasn't expecting to make contact with something that felt like titanium however. "Augh! What the fuck?!" But at least it caused the woman to loose her grip on me. I rubbed my left fist against my sweat pants, almost forgetting that I no longer had a right arm to cuddle the pain. This was going to make clapping a real bitch.
Eventually, I managed to find an alleyway that led out into the open. That was my exit. No turning back now. I ran through the alleyway and into the clearing. Unfortunately, someone was there at the other end. I couldn't tell who it was, they came from behind and grabbed my left arm, twisting it behind me.
"Let me go!" I shouted frantically.
"Calm down, you little pansy wuss!" a medium low and rather raspy woman's voice spoke. "We're trying to help you! Just stay put until Jack-OW, FUCK!"
I couldn't use my arm this time, so instead I bashed her face with the back of my head. This time it felt like I collided with bone and muscle instead of some type of metal. It still hurt though.
I stumbled forward a few steps, rubbing the back of my head with my one remaining arm, muttering about how lucky I was not to have broken anything else between the ankle, the stairs, the titanium gut, and that woman's face. However, that pain I was feeling, immediately died away when I looked up.
The place I was in was completely unrecognizable. It looked like it was a city, but…it was completely destroyed. Building structures of all shapes and sizes had massive chunks missing, either crumbled, ripped out, or simply pushed aside by the gigantic plant life that was growing out of them. It looked like a scene out of a post-apocalyptic film. I never thought it was physically possible for trees to grow that big. Where was I? What the hell had happened to this place?
"Hey!" It was the voice of that boy again. They caught up to me. Quick, think! Do I continue running or…I noticed a small Machine Life Form waddling around a pond nearby…okay, maybe running wasn't a good choice. I did not want to come into contact one of those things again anytime soon. But I also didn't want to stick around here.
It was then that I noticed an iron pipe lying next to my right foot. As I looked at it I continued to hear footsteps behind me. Without even thinking, I bent down, picked up the pipe with my left hand, turned around and swung it as hard as I could…only for it to be caught in a single hand by another black blindfolded person. This time it was a girl.
"That's quite enough," she said in a very cold, emotionless voice. Then she proceeded bend the pipe with nothing but just her hand! How did she even do that?! Was she on steroids?! Hell, how did she even know where I was swinging the pipe, SHE'S FUCKING BLINDFOLDED!
The girl then yanked the pike out of my hand and tossed it aside. After that she forced me to the ground flat on my back.
"Jackass. Quickly," she said to someone behind her.
"I got it," another woman's voice replied.
The woman, apparently named…Jackass?...walked over to me with a syringe in her hand. I didn't know what was in it and I didn't want to know either. So I tried to struggle free. But the blind folded girl had an iron grip on me. I wasn't getting up.
"Hold still," she said to me. "Things will go much smoother if you do so, human."
That last word froze me in place.
"I…wai…wh-uh…!"
Goddamn it. That syringe that "Jackass" lady was holding was a fucking tranquilizer of all things! There goes my escape. The tranquilizer already doing its work, I found sleep's embrace crawling over me once again…but not before I heard "Jackass" mutter some sarcasm, starting with an exasperated sigh.
"Whitey's gonna 'love' this…"
…
Two Weeks Earlier
YoRHa Unit 2B, having cleaved the Sword Equipped Medium Biped Machine in half thanks to the work of her Beastlord, looked at the Android that was now without a right arm. He had short messy brown hair and was wearing some very plain yet strange clothing. They weren't anything like the Resistance Androids wore, they looked way too clean. Or at least they would have, had they not been severely stained from the blood of his open socket.
"Odd," she thought. "Androids don't usually bleed this much…and…his skin…it has quite a few blemishes…wait…is…is he turning pale…?"
Her long time companion, YoRHa Unit 9S, was looking at the boy with a look on his face that was a mix between curious and concern. "What's a Resistance Android doing all the way out here?" He wondered out loud. "Wait…is…is that a t-shirt?! Where did he get that?! It looks brand…new…ish…?" His thought process trailed off as he remembered the blood stains.
"9S," 2B spoke to the Scanner. "Focus. We need to locate the source of the spatial anomaly."
"Reactivation complete," a monotone female voice spoke all of a sudden.
9S glanced at his Support Pod, 153. "I didn't realize you had shut down, Pod."
"Negative," 153 responded. "This unit has not been deactivated in the past 78 hours."
9S gave a rather confused look. "But…then what was…"
"Alert," spoke Pod 042, 2B's respective support Pod. "Signal detected. Tactical Support Unit 106 has been confirmed. Location: On the back of the fallen Resistance Android."
"106?" 2B asked. "That was 11B's Pod wasn't it?"
"Affirmative," the other female voice spoke. "This is YoRHa Tactical Support Pod 106. Request: Please state your designation."
"YoRHa Type 2 Battle Unit. Designation, 2B."
"YoRHa Type 9 Scanner Unit. Designation, 9S."
"Tactical Support Unit Pod 042. Assigned to 2B."
"Tactical Support Unit Pod 153. Assigned to 9S."
"Designations confirmed," 106 replied.
"106," 2B spoke. "Why are you partnered with a Resistance Android? This is a violation of Protocol 531."
"Negative," 106 answered. "This individual is neither with the Resistance or YoRHa. He is human."
Both 2B and 9S froze at this statement. A human? Here?
"As such," 106 continued. "Protocol 221 states all information pertaining to humanity must be preserved. This, by extension, includes any human survivors on the planet. Protocol 221 assumes priority over 531."
"This unit would like to express skepticism to Pod 106's claim," 153 spoke. "There are no records in the YoRHa database of any humans departing from the moon."
"Irrelevant," 042 countered. "Bio scan complete. Organic material confirmed. Human status verified. Warning: Vital signs minimal."
"What?" 9S asked. "What does that mean?"
"9S, quick, get his pulse!" 2B exclaimed.
"O-Okay!" 9S was startled a bit at 2B's sudden outburst, but he knew that Protocol 221 was a pretty big deal, so he wasted no time in following procedure. He quickly knelt down to the human and placed his thumb beneath his remaining palm. Sure enough, there was a pulse.
"Incredible!" 9S exclaimed. "He…he really is a human! But…why is he here in the first place?"
"9S! Focus!" 2B demanded.
9S froze a bit. "S-sorry…Um…well…he's got a pulse, but…it's pretty faint…"
"Affirmative," 106 replied. "Blood loss in large quantities are fatal to humans. If this continues, Sam will go into cardiac arrest."
"Sam?" 9S asked. "Is that this guy's name?"
"Affirmative."
"What do you mean by 'cardiac arrest?'" 2B asked.
"Sam's heart will cease to function," 106 replied. "And he will die."
There was a moment of silence; both Androids and Pods were taking this reality into their minds. The first human that any of them had ever met…and he was already on death's door.
"Okay, u-ummmm…what can we do?" 9S stated. He had done some research on human customs and traditions, but human physiology was something he wasn't well versed in. Same for 2B.
"Proposal," 153 spoke. "Stop the bleeding."
"How are we supposed to do that?" 2B asked.
"Proposal," 042 spoke. "Seal off the wound with a cloth-like material."
"Cloth?" 2B asked skeptically. "How's that going to help?"
"It is a common medical technique, typically referred to as 'First Aid,'" responded 042. "The fabric soaks the blood into the cloth, creating a clot, blocking the flow of the severed blood vessels, thus, preventing further blood from escaping. This procedure of First Aid was commonly referred to as 'Bandage.'"
"Cloth…wait, I've got it!" 9S quickly undid his visor and placed it on the human's, now identified as Sam, wound. He made sure that it covered the entire socket before tying it. For a moment it seemed to work. The blood was being absorbed, staining the visor a dark crimson. However, it wasn't enough. Droplets of blood were starting to seep through.
"Okay," a disconcerted 9S said. "I don't think this is working."
"The amount of bandage required depends greatly on the severity of the wound," 153 added.
"So in other words we need to place more cloth on the wound," 2B stated. She took off her visor then and added it on top of 9S's. But it still wasn't enough.
"Damn it," she cursed. What were they to do now? "We need more cloth," she thought, her mind slowly teetering on the verge of frantic. "More…cloth…" She then found herself staring at her skirt. Without a second thought, she summoned Virtuous Contract, and immediately cut off her skirt at the waist.
"Tw-2B!" 9S shouted, failing to hide the blush that was creeping up on his face. "W-what the heck are you doing?!"
"Applying more bandages," replied 2B. "9S, contact your operator and tell her the situation. Get her to connect the Commander if you can."
"U-understood!" 9S exclaimed, using this as an excuse to turn away from 2B's exposed buttocks. "153, connect me to 21O."
"Affirmative."
A holographic screen appeared in front of 153, displaying that the call was being made. After a few rings, the connection was finally established. 21O appeared on the screen.
"21O here," she said in her usual business like tone. "Have you determined the cause of the spatial anomaly?"
"Ummm…well…that might be part of the reason I'm calling," 9S answered, trying to figure out how to explain this…predicament.
21O sighed. "Am I to take that as 'no, you haven't?'"
9S froze up slightly at that. "Well…no…we didn't find the source per sé, but-"
"9S, the Commander's orders were to investigate the source directly, not indirectly."
"21O, please, listen!" 9S exclaimed defensively. "We found a human!"
…
"9S, I'm neither have the time nor the patience for one of your jokes. Frankly, I'm half inclined to tell the Commander to restrict your access to the arch-"
"I'm being serious here!" 9S shouted. "153, did you record the data on the human's pulse?"
"Affirmative."
"Forward that to 21O right now."
The left of the screen displayed that a file was being sent to the recipient of the call. 21O glanced at a screen to her left and arched an eyebrow, confused. "9S, what exactly am I looking at here?"
"It's the human's pulse," 9S replied.
"Pulse? …wait…you mean…"
"Exactly! This guy's got an actual beating heart!"
21O's face for a moment showed a look of shock at what she just heard, followed by concern at what she was looking at. "It's…slower than I thought it would be…it's below 73 BPM."
"Um…yeah," 9S said. "He kinda…got his right arm cut off."
21O's eyes widened. "What?! How?!"
"Well, it looks like he got stuck in a fight with some Machine Life Forms. When we got to the entrance of the factory, we heard a pretty loud scream. So we ran to the door, and we found three Machines standing over what we originally though was a Resistance Android. 2B and I disposed of the Machines, and thankfully, it looks like we got here only a few seconds after the leader cut off the human's arm. 2B and I are working on bandaging the wound but…I don't think it's going to be enough. We need to get him some serious medical help. Like, take him to the Resistance camp or something. Popola and Devola would probably have more insight on this kind of thing than us."
21O pondered over this overwhelming information for a few seconds, until she made the only decision that made sense to her. "Standby, I'll connect you to the Commander."
"Wait, hold on! There's something else!" 9S quickly stated before the connection could close. "We also found 11B's pod, 106. It's with the human."
21O gave a quizzical look. "That's a direct violation of Protocol 531."
"Not if you're following 221, apparently," 9S answered.
"I see," replied 21O. "Did it happen to know the status of 11B?"
"Um, no, we didn't ask that," the Scanner admitted. "106?"
"…Acknowledged. Status of 11B unknown. Black Box signal not present in crash site. However, scanners did not indicate any trace of 11B's body. Hypothesis: 11B has either ceased to function, or is missing. Further analysis cannot be provided until this unit can receive proper maintenance."
"Understood," 21O replied. "I'll begin transferring you to the Commander now. She'll want to hear from both of you about this."
"Yes ma'am," both 2B and 9S replied.
The cut off for a few seconds before reappearing again showing the face of the YoRHa Commander, commonly referred to as Commander White.
"2B, 9S," the Commander spoke with that familiar composed tone.
"Commander," 2B and 9S acknowledged.
"Is the report that I just received from 21O one hundred percent accurate?" Commander White asked, rather incredulously. "You actually found a human on the surface?"
"Yes, Commander," 2B affirmed.
"That should be impossible. There have been no records of any humans departing from the moon."
"That doesn't matter right now," 9S said. "The human got into a fight with some machine life forms and he's seriously injured. If we don't get him treated soon, he could die real quick. If he lives, we can get his origin story from him directly."
"…Very well," the Commander replied after a bit of thought. "However, I still want the site of the Spatial Anomaly investigated. If the human is indeed related, we can learn more from him when he is fully treated. One of you will have to take the human back to the resistance camp, the other will investigate the source of the anomaly."
"I'll go," 2B responded immediately. "I can take the human back to the settlement. 9S can continue pursue the anomaly."
"Ummmm…" 9S had some reservations about this. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea, 2B. If you get ambushed by any Machines, you won't be able to fight them off with a crippled human in tow. And if you get spotted and try to run from them, you might end up leading them back the Resistance camp."
"Then I won't get spotted," 2B simply stated.
"But you're made for battle, not stealth," 9S argued. "That's more up my ally."
"But I'm also not suited for analyzing discrepancies in the fabric of time and space," 2B.
"But that kind of stuff was only theoretical until today," replied 9S. "I don't know if I can even make sense of whatever I find there."
"I'll never be able to make sense of any of it, 9S," 2B countered. "You may not be able to either, but I doubt that will stop you from trying. I've never seen you stop trying to solve anything that has piqued your curiosity." This last part was said with a…slight sad smile…in a memory of…other times…
This sight did not go unnoticed by the Commander. She knew full well what 2B was thinking about. "Then it's settled," she spoke, attempting to divert the conversation away from 2B's melancholy thoughts. "2B, take the human back to the Resistance camp. I'll contact Anemone and order her to clear out a room for him. Be discrete about this. Until we can figure out how this human came to the surface, I do not want word of this to get out to other Androids, YoRHa or Resistance. As of right now this operation is classified Level 5. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am," 2B replied.
"Level 5?" 9S thought. "That's the same classification that YoRHa Deserters are under…same with the Council of Humanity…but…why go to such secrecy for just one human? Is he a member of the Coun…no that can't be right. He looks way to young."
"Good," the Commander said. "Also, when you have the time, send 106 back to the Bunker for maintenance. I want a full debrief about the human's encounter with the Machines."
"Affirmative," 106 responded.
"9S," Commander White continued. "You are to continue to the site where the source of the spatial anomaly occurred. Report anything unusual you find, and if possible, find any leads to 11B's whereabouts while you're at it."
"Yes, Commander," 9S acknowledge.
"Good luck to you both." The Commander then raised her hand in salute. "Glory to Mankind."
2B and 9S mimicked her. "Glory to Mankind," the repeated in unison.
…
It had been about seven minutes since 2B departed the factory with the human on her back. She could still feel his heart beating, but it was getting slower by the minute. She only hoped she could get there before it was too late.
Thankfully, the Machines in the area were rather docile, most of them anyway. They usually didn't attack unless provoked. Still, 2B wasn't sure if they had the ability to tell the difference between an Android and a human. And if they could, she wasn't willing to take a risk on what might or might not happen. So she did her best to keep out of sight of any Machines she saw.
So far, so good.
Until she got a sudden call from the Commander. 2B was so concentrated to staying out of sight, the sudden ringing nearly made her loose her footing trying to stay hide under a collapsed bridge.
"Incoming call from the Commander," 042 stated.
Any call from the Commander was important, so stealth op or not, 2B was obligated to answer it.
"Patch it through," she said quietly.
The Commander's face appeared on the holographic screen within seconds. "2B here," the Battle Unit spoke. "What is it Commander? Is something wrong?"
"I want to confirm that you're not wavering from your duties," the Commander said.
"No," 2B replied. "So far I haven't had any Machine Life Form contact."
"That's not what I meant," the Commander said.
2B gave a rather confused look. "Commander?"
"I thought you of all people were aware that emotions are prohibited, especially for you."
That's when it hit 2B. She saw. Before she answered, she gave a sigh. "No…Commander…I'm not…I'm not wavering. I'm devoted to my duties to YoRHa."
There was a long pause before the Commander answered, as though she were processing the validity of 2B's response. "Very well," she said.
"Commander," 2B spoke again before the call could end. "I know I've asked this before, but…is it really that important…that no one, Resistance or our fellow YoRHa comrades ever find out of our origins, or the Council…?"
"You know better than to question authority," the Commander responded sternly. "Not even I am in a position to question that. I'm just following my duties as acting commander of YoRHa. We all have our duties. I expect you to always bear that in mind…2E…"
The call ended at that.
2B clenched her hands tighter on the human's legs as she gritted her teeth together. She absolutely hated being called that. How many times upon performing her duties as an Executioner Unit had she wanted to scream her voice box out to the sky in rage, frustration, sorrow, and despair? What number did this time make?
She emerged from the bridge, continuing her hike to the Resistance camp. But she stopped once, and looked up at the sky.
Blue.
Endless.
And beautiful.
She absolutely loved it.
This planet, through all it had been, its beauty had not been marred.
But not even the sky in all its majesty could undo the pain she felt in her heart…or what ever would be the equivalent at least.
"How much longer, God," she thought to herself. "How much longer will you curse me to live this lie…?"
…
Commander White sighed heavily, placing a hand on her forehead, as though she were preparing for the worst headache of her life.
"A human on the planet's surface," she thought to herself. "A LIVE human…how is this even possible…?" And then there was the spatial distortion. There was no way this was a coincidence. First a time/space anomaly, followed by a human? This made zero sense.
The Commander sighed once again before voicing her thoughts to herself.
"I get the feeling a storm is coming…"
…
AN: What in the hell is it with me and my affinity for long chapters?
…
Three awoke to a rather familiar feeling on her back.
Grass.
Lots and lots of grass.
Letting out a groggy yawn, she stretched her arms and legs and slowly sat upright. Three was one of those people who could be described as a morning person. She absolutely loves waking up to the sounds that her forest produced.
…
"No," she thought out loud. "This…can't be right…"
Three clearly remembered being struck down by both Zero and Mikhail. So for all intents and purposes…she should be dead…right? Did Zero fail?
"No," she thought. "If she did…I would still be able to feel the Flower's power. But…it's gone now…so…does that mean that…the Flower's been destroyed…? Did Zero have something to do with this…?"
Stranger still, the forest she was in…it wasn't her forest. Not the way she remembered it. The trees were taller than they should have been, and they were all growing in the wrong places. She also didn't detect any fairies nearby, and her forest was supposed to be full of them. Well…not like it mattered to her in the slightest. Those floating orbs of lift were rather…rude, to say the least.
All of a sudden, Three sensed a presence. Reacting on instinct, she drew one of her swords, and whirled around her to point the blade at her stalker. However, she wasn't expecting her opponent to be equally as prepared.
Her sword clashed wit some kind of lance. And standing several feet in front of her was it's weirder. She was with pale skin, quite dirtied up in various places. She was wearing not a whole lot of clothing, save for a black breast plate of some sort that covered her her chest and stomach, , along with a worn out black loon cloth that covered up her front and rear lady parts. She also wore black leggings and sleeves on her arms that covered her hands up to just past her elbows. Her face was mostly covered by long, white, unkempt hair, just as dirty as her skin. Three could scarcely make out the girl's pure sapphire rigt eye.
The most bizarre part about this girl however, was her skin. A side from it being pale, as noted earlier, it also seemed to be…falling apart in various places.
"You so much as blink," the girl talked. "And I'll run you through."
Three eyed this girl carefully. For a mere human to parry a strike from and Intoner…this was no ordinary girl. Although…there was something different about her. Were it not for the eye, she could have sworn she was looking at an exact duplicate of Zero. But unlike her sister, or rather, anyone in existence, she lacked…hmm…
"And whom, might I ask," Three said. "Would give me the 'honor?'"
"Don't backsass me, Purple," the girl spoke again. "You're in my neck of the woods now, so I get to ask the questions. Who are and who sent you here? And what do they know about this place?"
Three arched an eyebrow at this, not expecting back talk, especially with such an edge. "Interesting," Three observed. "There are faint traces of magic coming from you, yet I detect no life force."
"Are you ignoring me?" the girl asked, clearly loosing patience.
"Ah, forgive me," Three apologized. "It's just, your existence is a rather…peculiar one, I can't help but be fascinated."
"You know what? You are this close," the girl emphasized with a miniscule amount of space between her finger and thumb as demonstrated with her free hand. "To my existence becoming the death of yours. Now stop fucking around and answer my goddamn questions!"
Three started to snicker all of a sudden.
"Okay, that's IT you little bitch!" The girl then pushed away Three's sword with her lance and immediately pulled back, followed by dashing forward in a thrust motion.
Three however, sparing with Five quite often, was far too familiar with this tactic. She immediately ducked under the lance, the pole just barely gliding over her bosom. Hands on the ground, Three shot her legs up and wrapped them around the pole twisting herself upright to sit on the lance.
The attacker gave a brief look of shock just as Three bent backwards and swiped at her with a horizontal swing of her sword. The girl immediately side stepped the attack, the point of the blade just barely gliding past the bridge of her nose. As if she were trying to shake of an insect…a rather large one, the girl swung her lance in a large horizontal arc to shake off Three.
It worked, sending the purpplete into a nearby tree. Unfortunately for the girl, Three's reflexes were just as good as hers. Three back flipped in the middle of her trajectory, lading on the trunk with her feet. Locking her momentum in place, she quickly sheathed her swords, and brought out her scissors. She pushed off the trunk and in a blur of speed at her attacker.
The girl, acting fast brought her lance up in a defensive stance, clashing with Three, holding each other in place.
"Scissors?" the girl asked skeptically. "Seriously?"
"Everyone knows how dangerous it is to run with them," Three remarked.
"Tch. Smart ass."
Their weapons broke contact, with Three going on the offensive, rapidly striking at the girl with her scissors. The girl kept parrying Three's attacks, spinning her lance around and around while twirling her body, looking for a chance to strike back. Whoever this purple haired Android was, she was good. Real good.
It was then that the girl noticed Three's legs were exposed, not in a suggestive sense, mind you. Seeing this opportunity, the girl ducked under another one of Three's strikes, and kicked her in the shin.
Three grunted in irritation as she stumbled. The girl saw this as another chance. She brought back her lance for a charged attack, thrusting it forward in a great burst of energy.
Three barely had time to bring up a barrier to block the attack. However, the force of the attack caused the barrier to shatter, throwing the quirky Intoner back a few feet, her back colliding with the nearest tree. Three coughed out large chunk of air from her lungs as she sank to the ground on her bottom.
And soon after she began to giggle some more.
"Okay seriously," Three's attacker said. "What the hell do you find so funny?!"
"Oh, don't mind me," Three spoke as she stood up. "I was just having a simple case of nostalgia."
The girl raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Um…okay…?"
"I'm sorry," Three spoke again, sheathing her scissors. "You remind me very much of someone I used to know."
"Heh," the girl chuckled. "If she was anything like me, then it's no wonder you were able to keep up with me like that."
"Not so," Three replied. "The person I'm talking about was the very same person who killed me."
The seemed even more confused now. "Um…okay, guess I must've hit you a little too ha-"
WHACK!
"OW! What in the fff—rrrgh!"
Out of nowhere a book fell from the sky and landed right on the girls head.
"Oof! By my pages!" a rather posh voice spoke in a regal English accent. "That has to be the second rudest awakening I have…wait…where am I?"
"Well," Three said, quite shocked by the new arrival. "That's certainly surprising. I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of meeting a self-aware tome before."
"What?" the girl said as she rubbed her head, still throbbing from the unannounced impact. She then looked on the ground where, sure enough, a book laid at her feet. She picked it up and studied it closely. The cover was made with a very oriental and intricate platinum border design covering a vast majority of space, with brown being shown in the empty spaces. A face was placed in the center of it all, looking rather serious. Bored even.
"Where the hell did this thing come from?" the girl wondered aloud. "The design shows really shitty taste."
"Oh, marvelous," the voice spoke again. "Yet another foul mouthed hussie."
The girl suddenly dropped the book, eliciting another pained yelp from the voice.
Did…did this book just…talk?!
…
And WHAT did it call her?!
…
AN: It should be noted that I have NOT played the prologue chapters of Drakengard 3; I will get to those in due time (when I have the cash) and then promptly edit any discrepancies in the Intoner's characters as necessary.
…
VOICE CAST
2B – Kira Buckland
9S – Kyle McCarley
A2 – Cherami Leigh
Pod 042 – D.C. Douglas
Pod 153 – Abby Trott
Pod 106 – Cynthia Marcucci
YoRHa Commander – Chikai Kano
21O – Connor Kelly-Eiding
Anemone – Erica Lindbeck
Jackass – Amanda Celline Miller
Zero – Tara Platt
Three – Mela Lee
Grimoire Weiss – Liam O' Brien