Chapter 6
Where Do I Even Start…
"A human? Impossible. They are all extinct."
"And yet the information that Jacque uploaded to us before his demise proves otherwise."
"But how? Where did he come from?"
"Unclear. According to Jacque, the boy has no prior knowledge about the Machine Wars, Machines, Androids, or YoRHa."
"…have they been made aware of this?"
"Adam and Eve? Eve is still a child, and has yet to fully comprehend his existence. Adam on the other hand…his over compulsive fascination with humans and their nature, their culture…it is…troubling. So, no. They have not been made aware. And they should not be. Not yet."
"Those were not the individuals in question…"
"…them...we still do not trust them…we have access to YoRHa…and we make sure the project goes as planned…yet what happens to us once that is done…?"
"To them, we are a means to an end…we shall remain silent to them about this."
"But they will learn of this, eventually…and when they do, what then?"
"When they do, it will be their issue, and not ours. The human's existence, and his demise are inconsequential to us."
"But he is a variable. What if he finds out the truth? He was quite infuriated to be in an unfamiliar surrounding. He will want revenge of sorts. He could become a threat to us."
"Which should only concern us when the matter arises. As he is now…he is weak."
"A state in which we should kill him in."
"No. For now, let the androids do as they please with their…'rescue operation.' The human will still be in a weakened state when he awakes. Rather than terminating him, we shall observe him. Compare how his behavior coincides with the records of Project Gestalt. And if his actions afterwards become unpredictable…terminate him."
"…Agreed."
…
"Red and blue food coloring?" 22B asked. "Yeah, I've got them. Why? You've never showed interest in the culinary arts before."
"I'm not," 2B replied.
"Then why come all the way back to the Bunker to ask me for some?"
2B took a moment to think about her response. Should she really let another Android know?
…
2B took a deep breath. "We need it to help save a human life."
…
…
…
"Sorry, I just want to make sure my hearing isn't short circuiting…what?"
"You've heard of the Spatial Anomaly, right?" 2B asked. 22B nodded. "9S and I were tasked with investigating it. The point of origin was located in the abandoned factory. However, upon arriving at the factory, we found…an actual human."
There was a moment of silence before 22B spoke. "2B, if this is some kind of joke, it's not a good attempt."
"When have you ever known me to joke about something like this, 22B?"
"…Well, frankly I don't know you all that well. I've only been with you on one mission, and that was four months ago," 22B stated bluntly. "But…from what my impressions of you were…no…I don't think you'd joke about this…but even so…a human? Why would there be a human on the Earth?"
2B, after hearing this, wasn't really sure if she should tell 22B what she had heard from 106. It's not that she didn't doubt what the pod had told her…but to learn that the human's lack of knowledge about the Machine Wars was a little…disconcerting. But they wouldn't be able to know more unless they asked him directly. So for now, 2B decided it was best to play dumb.
"No idea," she said. "When we found him he was passed out. He had his right arm cut off. Currently he's in a coma."
22B face, or rather what was visible of it, flinched. Though her visor hid it, her eyes were widened in shock. "What?! How?!"
"He was in a fight with seven Machine Lifeforms."
"What?! What the hell was he thinking?! Does he not realize how dangerous those things are?!"
"That's not all…we found 11B's pod."
22B's face went from shock to confusion. "106? Is it still active?"
"Yes. That's actually another reason why I'm here. The Commander wanted 9S and I to report to her directly about our findings before I came to see you. As a cross reference for anything that 106 may or may not remember once it's fully restored. It was…pretty damaged when we found it. I'm surprised it was even able to function at all and give the human support."
"Ah, protocol 221…that makes sense…along with the Commander asking for a private audience. Information like that's pretty sensiti—wait. Should you even be telling me any of this?"
"I told the Commander that we would need help . She said to 'trust only those that you know could keep quiet about this.' According to her, the Council's head staff are already in a full-blown panic attack on the moon. And as for the Bunker and the Resistance Camp…well, I assume it won't be too long before rumors start to spread. 9S already had a few people ask him about the 'messed up Android,' as they called it, that we brought in earlier today."
"Well…I suppose that's inevitable…but if it's assistance that you need, then I primrose you can trust me to keep quiet about it. Still, food coloring? How is that going to help a human?"
"It's part of an ingredient for a chemical compound. We're trying to recreate a medicine that will help get his heartbeat back to normal."
"…Um…you're going to have to explain that to me a little better. First off, what's a heartbeat? Is it something similar to a Black Box?"
"Well…sort of. Apparently the heart is a very vital part of the human body. It's the blood supplier. And if it stops working, or if it's removed, the human would die."
"…Oh. Okay, so something's wrong with his heart then?"
"Not necessarily…it's still working, but it's still slowing down. He went into shock after losing his arm, and if we don't get his heart producing the right amount of blood to his body, he won't wake up for a while."
"…Okay, so now I understand why you need the food coloring. What I don't understand is how that's going to help?"
"No clue, I'm a soldier, not a chemist. Jackass is the one who's going to be making the medicine."
"Ah—wait, you're working with her?!"
"She's the only one who knows anything about chemical compounds. We kind of need her."
"Seriously?"
"I don't like it either, but we're short on both time and options."
22B let out an exasperated sigh. "Well…if she can make something like the E-Drug…I guess she's your best bet."
"Our best bet, 22B," 2B corrected. "We need your help with more than just food coloring?"
"…Why?"
"This drug requires various materials, and we don't have a lot of time, considering how small the circle of trust is. 9S is off at the factory gathering rutile, Anemone, Popola, and Devola are trying to find corn starch and soap in the Resistance storage, and I have to go hunt down animals for gelatin, and Jackass is in the desert to get silica and liminite. So we need someone to go the forest to get some shellac."
"And you're hoping I can do that?"
"We need as much help as we can get. And you're the only one other than 11B I can trust with this information."
22B stood in thought for a moment before answering. "Alright...but on one condition."
"Name it."
"I tell my team about this."
…
"Why?" 2B asked.
"Forests tend to have a lot of trees in them, so whatever this shellac looks like, it's going to be difficult for more than one Android to find it. And this isn't something that a Battle Unit normally does. I can understand why you chose me to do this other than another Scanner, they'd never shut up about it. But if time isn't on our side for this, I need my team. We'll cover more ground that way."
"But…"
"They can be trusted, 2B. I promise. You know how 8B is."
2B thought this over for a bit. She really didn't like the idea of having more people than necessary in on this secret. What if they found out the truth? What if…no, she wouldn't let them end up line…Nines…and besides, this whole situation contradicted everything she was told. She and 22B had only been through a few fights, but from what she saw of her comrade, she was dedicated. She could be trusted. And if 22B trusted her team, then 2B could trust not them, but rather 22B's judgment.
"Alright," 2B relented. "But this information must be kept confidential."
"I understand," 22B said. "By the way, where's your visor? And…what happened to your uniform?"
"Soaked in the human's blood."
"…why?"
"9S and I had to stop the bleeding from the human's arm socket. But both of our visors weren't enough. So…I had to improvise."
"With the uniform? Geez, I'm surprised the Commander didn't read you the riot act for damaging YoRHa tech."
"She said the actions of 9S and I were commendable in the attempt at saving the life of one of our creators."
"'Creators…' heh…sounds slightly religious when you put it like that…"
2B sighed. "Yeah…" she said as she turned to walk out of 22B's room. "I guess…it does…"
As the door closed behind her comrade, 22B couldn't help but ponder how…uncharacteristically somber 2B just sounded. Clearly discovering a human had loosened her rather stern disposition somewhat.
But what was bothering 22B more than that…
"A live human…"
None of this made sense. This was the exact opposite of what her and 64B had learned from 8B. Had she glossed over something by mistake?
"How the hell are they going to take this…"
…
"This is such bullshit!" 64B yelled.
"Keep your tone down!" 8B chastised. "You want every possible Machine Lifeform in earshot to come running in our direction?"
8B and her team were walking through the forest looking for shellac. Needless to say it was quite frustrating for all of them. Not only was the shellac proving to be very frustrating to find, both 8B and 64B were having difficulty processing the information 22B had presented them.
"I'm less worried about the Machines this time," 64B responded. "Those we can handle. In fact I'd like nothing more than to use them as an outlet to vent."
"You're acting more irritable than usual," 8B observed. "Why is that?"
"Gee, I dunno," 64B replied sarcastically. "Maybe it's because we just heard from 22B of all people, who heard from 2B of all people, that there is a human on the planet. A real HUMAN, 8B. AFTER, may I remind you, we found out that there isn't a single damn one of them left on the moon, or the Earth. Does this NOT raise a few red flags for either of you?"
8B took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before responding. "64B, this paranoid behavior doesn't suit you."
"I'm not paranoid, 8B, I'm trying to look at this practically," 64B defended. "Look, all I'm saying is that the timing is way too convenient. You're the one that found out that the humans went extinct centuries ago, that the only thing on the moon is a glorified fossil, AND about the FUCKING EXECUTIONER UNITS! That knowledge alone is more than enough to brand us as traitors!"
"But the only people who know that we've learned this are us," 8B countered.
"You don't know that!"
"2S was very discrete in his hacking. He's the best out of all the Scanners."
"You. Don't. KNOW THAT. How would any of us know that 2S didn't leave some sort of trail behind that the Commander DIDN'T pick up? How would HE even know? 12S was the better one before him. He thought he left no trail when he tried to hack into a Machine Lifeform Server back in Québec, and guess what? The Machines STILL managed to track him down from it and infected him with a logic virus!"
"But that was the Machines," 8B countered. "This is YoRHa we're talking about."
"Who have kept a nasty secret locked away for millennia! There's no way they would ever want any of this to get out! Wake up 8B! A sole human alive on the planet?! It's a trap! It has to be!"
"U-ummm…" 22B started uneasily, not really one for arguments in her team. "I…don't think 2B would lie to us about something like this…"
"Oh what would you know," 8B backhanded. "You're just a Defense Unit pretending to be a Battle Unit."
That last comment made 22B wince.
"64B! ENOUGH!" 8B shouted, her voice echoing through the Forest.
That outburst made 64B stop her rant. 8B didn't yell often, but when she did, it always meant that she was really upset.
"You're right about most of the things you said. This very well could be a trap. But there's also the possibility that it's not. What if 2B is telling the truth?"
"She could be an Executioner in disguise for all we know!"
"But we don't, 64B. There's a lot we don't know. Yes, we may have found out that YoRHa is keeping a secret. But we don't know why. Think of it this way. If there is a chance that a human is alive on the Earth, then maybe we can use this to find out how the humans went extinct. We can force answers out of the Commander with this human."
64B thought this over for a moment before answering. "Okay fine. But what if it's a ruse?"
"If it turns out we're walking into a trap," 8B answered. "We'll deal with that when it happens. Besides, the materials that we have to gather are a bit too elaborate for a trap. Don't you think?"
With that, 8B continued to walk forward, leaving 64B and 22B behind.
64B sighed exhaustedly. Never in her life has she ever been this on edge before.
"64B…" 22B spoke meekly.
64B turned to look at her comrade. "22B…I'm…sorry I said what I did…I know that has a lot of bad memories for you…"
"It's…it's okay…" 22B replied. "I still hate myself for it…" She then started to walk, following her leader.
64B took a moment to mentally berate herself for how immature she acted before following her teammates.
…
…
Unbeknownst to them, a certain Android with long white and unkempt hair was watching them from the trees above, scoffing at their bickering.
"A live human. Heh, no shit it's a trap."
…
The makeshift ICU that served as the human's quarters was crowded. Within the past half hour, Android after Android had burst into the room, carrying various materials that Jackass required to make a remedy for what ailed the human male.
"And you're sure you got all the rutile you could find," Jackass asked a certain Scanner.
"Yeah," 9S replied. "My guess was right. The Machines had a fairly large supply of rutile. Even managed to see a few machines being built with them. Black armor, red accents…made a document of what I saw and sent it to Command."
"But you still got the Rutile with no problems right?"
"Well…I…did get spotted…by a Stubby…but I hacked him before he could call for help."
"Nines, considering what you were designed for, it's coming across to me that you're not good at it," Jackass remarked.
"Hey, I'm good at scouting," 9S defended.
"Scouting entails keeping a low profile," Jackass described.
"Well, as you're so fond of saying, 'Shit happens.'"
"As were the humans, if their literature indicates anything."
"You read books?" 2B asked incredulously.
"I got knowledge of heart medicine from one didn't I?"
"I think she meant narratives," 8B said.
"What makes you think I never read those?"
"Because you don't strike us as what the humans call a novelist?" Popla replied.
"What, I've got hobbies."
"You like blowing shit up," 64B quipped.
"That's one of my hobbies."
"We're getting off track here," Devola spoke up. "Do you have everything or don't you?"
"Well," Jackass replied as she pulled out a note pad and pen from her satchel. "Colloidal silicon dioxide, check. Corn starch, check. Magnesium setrate, etcetera, etcetera…check, check, and check. Yeah, I got everything."
"How much of that medicine can you make out of that?" 22B asked.
"Dunno…I'll have to see how much I have left after I'm done with the first two pills," Jackass answered. "I'll let you guys know then. It would however help if I had someone stay here to help me."
"We'll help," Popola offered.
"Actually, I would rather if 2B helped me," Jackass insisted.
"Excuse me?" Said Android asked, a bit confused.
"Umm…why do you need her specifically?" 9S asked.
"Cuz I said, kid," Jackass replied bluntly.
"But…wouldn't the twins—" 22B began, but was then cut off by Jackass.
"The twins, no offence, aren't the best when it comes to a security detail."
There was silence in the room for a moment before 2B spoke.
"Why?"
"Because shit happens, 2B. What if one of the androids here get a little too curious? Someone's gotta keep them away if they get too anxious. And say in the worst case scenario some Machines show up?"
"Why would they come here for him?" 9S asked.
"Is that a trick question?" Jackass back sassed. "He's human, genius. If the Machines didn't figure out what he is back at the factory, trust me, it's only a matter of time until they do."
"Uh…how, exactly, would they do that?" 64B asked. "They're Machines. They're not detectives. They can't even form a line of thought."
"Not according to 2B and 9S's encounter in the desert with two humanoid looking Machines," 8B said.
Everyone's attention went over to 8B with surprised looks, the majority of them hidden behind blindfolds.
"Yeah, Whitey told me all about it," Jackass said. "Along with that one Machine that cut off this guy's arm." She gestured over to Sam's sleeping body. "According to her, these two, and the pod the human had with him at the time, the machines are getting smart. Like REALLY smart. The one smart Machine that this guy fought? According to 106, it found out he was human. Meaning that some, if not all Machines, have heat sensors in them."
"…Why would that matter?" 64B asked.
"Because live human bodies generate heat," Devola answered. "And Androids don't."
"Yup," Jackass confirmed. "Which means if, and hopefully this is a big if, that information somehow got passed on to the other Machines, they're gonna know what to look for. And considering that, according White, 2B and Nines fought some very, VERY human looking Machines…that tells me they've taken a very disturbing interest in humanity. So I'm not taking any chances. I need someone capable of fighting off an army of Machines in the worst case scenario. And 2B is the one that fits the bill."
"What about me?" 9S asked, with slight concern in his voice. "I'm her partner. Shouldn't I be with her watching the human?"
"I do need you, but not in the same room," Jackass replied. "If any Machines come to the camp, I need a lookout. And since you Scanners are good at keeping yourself scarce, I need someone who can gather info and stay out of sight. Also, some reconnaissance on the side wouldn't hurt either. See if any of the Machine's behavior has changed regarding this latest development."
9S opened his mouth to voice a counterargument…only to find that the words were formless. He didn't want to leave 2B's side. Not again. Not since he heard her voice falter. But…Jackass, unfortunately, did have a point.
"I'll take that silence as an 'okay.'" Jackass said. 9S nodded in affirmation. "Alrighty then. Sooooo…everyone but 2B, please get lost. I got a lot of shit to do and I don't like having an audience."
Everyone just sighed at Jackass's tactfulness shortly after they started to leave, save for 2B. Popola, however, turned to Jackass one last time and said, "I really hope you know what you're doing."
"What, you don't trust me to do my job right?" the Android in question quipped.
"No," Popola replied bluntly. "But you're the best we've got outside of YoRHa." And with that, the red haired closed the door behind her, leaving 2B, Jackass, and Sam alone in the room.
"Ouch," Jackass replied. "Didn't expect the shy one to have some bite."
2B slightly smirked at the remark.
"Okay," Jackass said, as she began writing down notes for medicine recipe. "So what's up with you?"
"Hm?" 2B responed.
"C'mon 2B, I didn't just ask you to stick around as a security detail," Jackass continued. "You've been looking a little aloof since you brought that human in…"
"I don't know what you're talking about," 2B said, almost too quickly.
"I'm not blind, 2B. At least not when you don't have your visor on. I saw you constantly eyeing the human with disbelief in your eyes."
Jackass could swear she saw 2B's eyebrows shoot up behind her visor. But said Android didn't look Jackass's way, attempting to hide the fact that the mad scientist had struck a cord.
"Look, you don't wanna talk about it, I won't bug ya. But I've been in this war longer than you have, kid. I know the face of uncertainty when I see it."
Silence in the room continued to hang as 2B sifted through her thoughts as Jackass worked on the medicine. She wasn't expecting Jackass of all people to pick up on how she was feeling…or rather, how she was acting. But then again, like the mad scientist said, she had been around during the war for much longer than either 2B or 9S. Or any of YoRHa for that matter.
However, as much as 2B didn't want to say it, for many reasons, proving Jackass right being one of them, she was feeling uncertain since she found the human. Part of her was thinking this was too good to be true. A human? Alive? How was that even possible? Did the Commander lie to her? Was there more about the fate of the human race she knew than she let on? Was there more about YoRHa that she knew?
Come to think of it, what is YoRHa's purpose if not to take back the planet for mankind? What was the point of fighting the Machines? What was the point of all of her fellow comrade's deaths in the past?
…
What was the point of her being an Executioner?
…
What was the point of being created in general?
…
What was the point of the Androids altogether?
What's the point of even existing if there's nothing to exist for? No purpose? No goal?
2B knew that everything she was fighting for was a lie. But…for whatever reason, these thoughts never really sunk into her…not until now. Actually, she never really remembered if there was ever a time when she sincerely questioned her duties before now. Well…maybe not since the first time…she had to execute…
2B thought back to one extremely infamous Android known as A2. An early prototype of the current YoRHa models. 2B essentially was a copy of her, with some variances here and there. Officially she's known as a deserter. And YoRHa's policy against deserters in their organization is termination. The reasons for A2's desertion were classified.
Except for 2B. She knew why she had deserted. It was for the same reason why she would time and time again be forced to carry out her duties as an Executioner.
A2 knew a truth that she shouldn't.
So she ran.
She turned back on a life that 2B genuinely thought there was no escape from.
And she was very envious of her for that.
"A2…" 2B thought to herself. "I wish I had the capacity…to feel even the slightest amount of courage that you possess…"
…
One Week Later
"What the hell is all this stuff?" Zero wondered aloud as she and Jackass were going through the boxes that came with her back at the Resistance outpost that was set up just outside of the desert.
"I was hoping you would tell me," Jackass replied. "These showed up with you."
"These aren't mine," Zero replied. "These…crates, whatever they are, they have the name Sam written on them, and I don't know any one by the name of Sam. Hell, I don't even know what these crates are made out of."
"Mostly paper," Jackass answered.
Zero looked over the closest box again, then touched them, feeling their texture. "Doesn't feel like any kind of paper I've ever written on."
"Well, mostly it's made from paperboard, but those were also made from paper. Back in the day, humans used to use this kind of stuff all the time for various things. Packing, storage, shipping goods and products, etc."
"These the same humans that are on the moon?" Zero asked incredulously.
"Look, you don't believe me, that's your problem," Jackass stated. "But the longer you stick around us, the more your gonna learn that everything I just told you is a fact."
"Tch, sure," Zero said. "I'll believe it when I see it," she mentally added.
Jackass continued to rummage through the box that was titled "Sam's Video Games." She had heard these kinds of things were pretty popular entertainment for the humans before the war, but she never actually knew what they looked like. And Sam apparently had a lot.
"BlazBlue…Fire Emblem…Mass Effect Trilogy…Kingdom Hearts…Mega Man…geeze this is a lot of interesting stuff…"
"I'll admit, the art is…definitely intriguing…" Zero said as she went through the box labled "Sam's DVD's & Blu-Rays." The majority of them were DVDs and only a few were Blu-Rays. "But what the hell's up with the…circle stuff in these….things…what the hell are these made out of anyway? The…package is so…smooth…"
"That's plastic kiddo," Jackass answered.
Zero, irritated with the nickname constantly thrown at her, decided for the moment not to ask what this "plastic" was exactly, dropped the case she was holding and shot a glare at the eye-patched woman. "Call me that again, and I'll run you through." That last part was followed by Zero's sword being summoned in her hand.
Jackass gave Zero a sideways glance, looking at the blade in her hand. The look in Zero's crimson eyes was a look that Jackass was all too familiar with. Loss, grief, and suffering; all hidden behind the mask of a stoic, unshakable resolve. She had seen that look in the Commander a few times in the past, and even more from Anemone in the recent months. Hell, she had plenty of comrades who did both good and poor imitations of that look countless times in the war.
However, Jackass figured now wasn't a good time to comment on it. Clearly, Zero was just trying to blow off steam out of sheer frustration, so pissing her off any further wouldn't be wise. Jackass knew how to pick her fights from experience. That, and…
"I'd put that down if I were you," Jackass commented.
"Or what," Zero seethed. "You think you can take me?"
"Me? Nah, I don't pick fights I know I can't win. Those two of there on the other hand…"
Zero was about to follow the direction in which Jackass's hand was pointing behind her, but then…
BANG!
CLANG!
Completely out of left field, a gunshot rang out across the canyon walls of the Desert entrance, followed by a bullet striking Zero's sword. Zero was rarely ever caught off guard by anything, but the complete abruptness of the attack and the noise, cased her to flinch briefly. However, that split moment was enough to cause Zero to loosen her grip on her sword, causing it to fly a few inches out of her hand and onto the ground.
"Okay, who the fu—" Zero didn't finish that sentence as she turned around to view her assailants. What she saw…well, she wasn't really sure what she was expecting. There were two of them. Both were wearing real fancy looking black dresses that wouldn't look out of place at either a ball or a funeral. They both had white hair. One was short and very messy, the other was shoulder length and more straight. Black blindfolds obscured their eyes. The one with the messy hair was pointing a rather large looking metal…pole or…crossbow of some sort at her. A thin trail of smoke was seen from the front end of the strange weapon. As for the other one, there was a large sheet of black metal on her back. Was it supposed to be a shield of some sort?
"Back away from Jackass, outsider!" The girl with the strange weapon shouted.
"Okay," Zero started. "Word of advice. I'm not sure what you just did, but that was clearly an attack. Try that again, and you're gonna regret it."
"That was a warning shot, honey," The girl said irritably. She lifted the strange weapon up and pulled a handle on its right side.
CLICK.
A small cylinder shaped object was ejected out the left side of the weapon and landed on the pavement with a tinker.
"And it's the only one you're going to get," the girl continued. "The next one I fire's going right between your eyes."
Zero chuckled in amusement. "I'd like to see you try."
"U-um…47G…" the other girl said rather timidly… "I-I don't…think we should…"
"Drop the gun 47G," Jackass cut in before thing's got out of hand. "She's fine."
The tom-boy girl now named 47G, a name that, in Zero's mind, sounded really strange, seemed to glance over at Jackass. It was hard for Zero to tell with the blind fold on the girl's face. How did she even know where to look? Hell, how did she even fire…whatever that thing was without being able to see?
"Fine?" 47G asked incredulously. "Ten seconds ago she was threatening you."
"Trust me, if she actually understood what an Android was, she'd know she'd be in for a workout."
Zero looked back at Jackass with a condescending glare, ignoring the foreign word "Android" for now. "And if you knew what an Intoner was, you'd know that a common soldier like you is no match for me."
"A human, probably," Jackass replied. "But I'm a bit more sturdier than that. And them, more so." Jackass pointed to the two strange girls dressed in black. "I don't know what an 'Intoner' is, sure. So I won't pretend like I do. But from your confidence, I'd say you're stronger than the average human."
"Better fuckin' believe it," Zero retorted.
Jackass just chuckled. "I'm starting to like you." Jackass then glanced over to the other two girls. "Okay, 47G, you can lay down your arms."
47G seemed to furrow her brow. Once again, it was hard for Zero to tell because of those weird blindfolds. Was it some kind of fashion trend here? Two would definitely find that interesting, if a little bizarre.
"Are you sure, Jackass?" 47G asked.
"C'mon, have I ever given you a reason not to doubt me?"
"U-um…well…there was…that one time we were investigating a derelict oil tanker in the Pacific Ocean that Machines had reversed engineered…" the meek girl said.
"Yeah, and blew us up with it," 47G added.
"You uploaded your back ups to the bunker right?" Jackass asked. "So you survived. No harm done."
"B-but it was a waste of YoRHa resources!" The meek girl exclaimed a bit more defensively.
"50D, what have I told you about details?"
"U-um…'wh-who needs them…?'" the girl now known as 50D.
"And I replied by calling you a lazy ass," 47G chimed in.
"Hey, I'm still alive aren't I?" Jackass said.
47G just gave an exasperated sigh. The…strange weapon in her hands disappeared in to particles of light and reappeared on her back. "Okay, fine. Have it your way. But I'm keeping my gun loaded."
"Fine with me," Jackass replied. "Just as long as you keep your trigger finger in check. I'd rather not have to explain to White why the second human we've found ended up having a bullet wound in the head."
Though the blindfolds hid it, 47G and 50D's eyes went wide with shock.
"She…she's human…?" 50D asked. "As in…she's from the moon?"
"And what do you mean by 'second human?' You found one before?" 47G added.
"Oh, right," Jackass muttered. "You guys are still in the dark about that last part."
At hearing this, Zero turned around and gave Jackass a very stern look. "Okay, you know what? I'm sick of people saying shit I don't understand. When are you going to start making sense of all this crap for me?"
Jackass held Zero's gaze for a bit, then looked at the two YoRHa models. Now was probably a good time as any she supposed. Zero would probably handle the fallout better now than later. Jackass then took in a long sigh before she spoke. "Where do I even start…"
…
AN: JESUS CHRIST, that took way longer than it should have. Sorry about the long wait, but this chapter has been giving me major writer's block. I was having issues on how to make events in this flow. I have an idea for how events following this chapter will pan out, but this one chapter was baring me from it.
I also wanted to try and work on my other stories too, but hit blocks with those two. Needed to take some time to get my creative juices flowing again. That and RL stuff kept sidling me…again.
That being said I'm not completely satisfied with how this chapter turned out. Well…not the second half at the very least. But anyway's, this is the last chapter that Sam will be comatose. Next chapter, we'll get back into his POV. Until then…STAY TUNED.
…
Present
Another fucking headache. That's what I felt when I first woke up. That was shortly followed by my entire body aching.
"Oooooohhh…fuck me…I feel like I got hit by a truck…"
"I have heard that humans tend to feel like shit after a rough time," a husky voice said.
The key word in that sentence was "human." That's what snapped me back to reality. I eyes shot wide open and I quickly turned to where I heard the voice. I was back in the same room I woke up in the first time I came around. Only this time I had guests. Two of them I was familiar with. They were the same blindfolded boy and girl dressed in black. They also had…Pods, if I'm remembering correctly that looked like 106 floating by them. But I knew they weren't. The one floating by the boy was black, like 106, but it was a lighter shade of it. And the one floating by the girl was white.
So…I guess if 106 weren't completely busted when I met it, that's how they would get around…by…floating…somehow…yeah, no way that was made with modern tech.
The other people in the room I had never seen before. They were all women. There was a girl with white hair, crimson eyes, and completely dressed in white. She had a small patch of white gauze over the bridge of her nose. She looked extremely pissed, glaring daggers at me. Not sure why though.
There were also two redheads wearing the same outfit. One of them had wavy, rather messy hair with a white flower on the left side of her head. She also had a pretty serious look on her face. The other had straight and neatly combed hair with an identical flower on the right side of her head. Unlike her twin, her face had a softer look. It actually looked like she was a little worried.
Then there were two other women. Both of them seemed slightly older than the other people in the room. The were both dressed in a lot of rags and drab. One of them had short cut and a little disheveled black hair with an eye patch covering her right eye. The look on her face was pretty plain. Almost bored, if I had to guess.
As for the last one, She had long brown hair that went a little bit past her shoulders. The face she had only spoke one word to me: Uncertain.
I almost thought about running for the door, but then I remembered what had happened when I tried that earlier. I don't think I'd get as far as last time. Especially since…
I looked over to where my right arm would have been…
…
Yup…still gone…
If it wasn't clear to me then, it was now…
This nightmare wasn't going to end anytime soon…