Chapter 7
Got Something To Drink?
One Week Earlier
"You're a fucking idiot."
That's what Zero had said in response to everything that she had been told from the people walking with her through the derelict ruins of a city of some...strange design.
"U-ummmm…" 50D meekly spoke.
"That's...definitely not the reaction I was expecting," 47G added.
"I did," Jackass thought but decided to keep it to herself.
"You want me to believe that I've somehow skipped over TEN FUCKING THOUSAND MILLENIUM," Zero continued. "That I got blasted into the future."
It wasn't that Zero didn't...well, completely gave the idea some thought, especially considering that she met someone who...well, didn't claim to either be from or know the future, at least not per se. But the way Accord described the Branches...to call it time travel would VERY inaccurate, if her notes, or what little Zero could make of them, were anything to go by.
If Accord wasn't capable of doing it, or so she claimed, then Zero failed to see why it could happen to her. If she got stuck in another branch around the same time period, that thought was more flexible, given what she had dealt with in the past. But a straight jump several thousand years later? And on top of that…
"Along with these… 'aliens,' whatever the fuck that means, have come from the sky, wrecked the...world, assuming that' what 'planet' means, and then forced the humans to evacuate to the fucking MOON of all places. And to top this rediculous tale off, this war agains these…Machines or automatons or whatever the fuck they are, has been going on for THOUSANDS OF YEARS. There is NO WAY any kind of war would last that long. People would get sick of it."
"We are sick of it," Jackass replied. "I've been in this war since the 10th Machine War. But this planet ain't gonna save reconquer itself for mankind."
"Tenth?" Zero added incredulously. "How many 'Machine Wars' have their been?"
"Right now, we're on the 14th," 47G replied.
"Ugh, you're all so full of shit."
"Look, kid," Jackass started but then was cut off by Zero.
"Stop CALLING ME THAT!" Zero had enough of this nonsense. With her anger at her boiling point, Zero summoned her sword and pointed it at Jackass, preparing to strike.
At the time she did this, 47G pointed her rifle at Zero, while 50D fumbled around with her sheild.
Jackass however was prepared. No sooner than Zero had taken out her weapon, the mad bomber had intercepted her. She dashed forward, ducking underneath Zero's sword, then struck her stomach with her palm, careflul not to apply too much force, lest she break Zero's back.
Zero wheezed heavily, not expecting the sudden action from Jackass, and dropped her sword, as she began to clutch her stomach in plain. Jackass then grabbed Zero's right arm, bent it behind her back in a way that the human arm generally isn't supposed to bend, and then slammed Zero face first into the ground, holding her in a submissive possition.
Zero yelled in pain, her arm feeling like it was about to be ripped out of her socket. She may have survived getting stabbed and mutilated multiple times when she still had the flower to regenerate her, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt still.
"J-Jackass…?!" 50D gasped, not really sure what to make of the sudden action of the Resistance Android.
47G on the other hand watched with her mouth slightly agape. She had no idea that Jackass was capable of a basic human combat technique called hand to hand. Or CQC as it was commonly refered to.
"Rgh…wh-what…the fu…rgh…" Zero tried to struggle against Jackass's grasp, but was met with a surprising ammount of resistance.
"Look, Zero, you want me to help you?" Jackass started. "Then you'd better can the attitude. You don't wanna believe anything I say, then fine, that's your problem. Can't help you with denial. But so help me God, if you're going to continue to be a brat, then I will gladly toss you back in the desert where I found you. Whitey can melt me into scrap metal for all I care."
"Whoa, what?!" 47G exclaimed.
"B-but…Jackass!" 50D cried out, horrified at what she heard. "She's a human! Her kind created us! You can't do that to her!"
"Except she keeps telling me that she's not human," Jackass countered.
"Because…urgh…I'm not…" Zero grunted. "I…lost the right…to call myself…that…a long time ago…"
Jackass held Zero down for a few more moments, then she let her go. Zero grabbed her left sholder as she rubbed it to ease the pain, if only a little. "Something isn't right," she thought. "I'm not supposed to be this weak. I should have reacted faster to an attack like that." Could it have been that she doesn't have as quick reflexes as she used to because the flower was gone? She still had some residual magic within herself, that much she knew, but it wasn't as potent when she had the flower. But if the flower was gone than why was she still alive. None of this made sense to her. "And Jackass's strenght and movements…they remind me of…"
"Now, if you've got that worked out of your system then c'mon," Jackass said. "We're almost at the Resistance camp."
"Fine," Zero said begrudeningly. Clearly, letting her temper run wild would do her no good.
50D and 47G put away their weapons and began to follow Jackass with Zero bringing the rear, still clutching her arm.
"Okay so…" 47G began. "What the hell was that?"
"Huh?" Jackass muttered.
"The whole CQC shit," 47G answered. "I thought you used bombs to beat the shit out of things."
"I do," Jackass replied. "But she's not a machine. Whatever an 'Intoner' is, her body is clearly human enough. And since I've studied the human body a bit since our first arrival, I know the weak points of it. It's just a matter of where to strike it. Non lethaly of course."
"Wow…" 50D said in bewilderment.
"You guys keep saying this shit like you've never seen a human being before," Zero stated.
"Cuz we haven't," Jackass replied. "We don't exactly have the resources to go back and forth from the moon."
"I'm still having trouble believing that part," said the Intoner.
"You stick around long enough and you'll see proof," Jackass countered.
"Well what about you?" Zero asked. "You look human, but I can sense that you're not."
Jackass gave Zero a quizical look. "What do you mean you can "sense" that we're not human?"
"I can sense life energy," Zero answered. "It's a common ability to learn as a practitioner of magic."
Jackass sighed. "This again?"
"And I sense zero life energy coming from you all," Zero continued. "The only thing I can sense from you is a lot, and I mean a LOT of magical energy. Mostly from these two." The last part was said as she pointed to 47G and 50D. Both of whom just gave Zero a very puzzled look. Or what Zero assumed to be a puzzled look, considering she couldn't see much of their face with those rediculous blindfolds. Seriously, what the hell was up with those?
"U-ummmm…" 50D really didn't understand any of what Zero was saying.
"What the hell is she talking about?" 47G asked Jackass.
The mad bomber sighed. "She thinks magic is real."
"I don't think, asshole—"
"Jackass, Z. Say it right."
"I know magic is real," Zero contunued, ignoring Jackass's backsass. "And whatever you guys are, I've seen one of you before. Her name was Accord."
Jackass came to a complete halt upon hearing that. She turned around and gave Zero a glare that was a mix between shock and anger. "What did you just say?"
Zero, not expecting this sort of reaction, gave a very puzzled look before ansewering, "Uhhh…Accord? What, do you know her?"
Jackass then walked over to Zero and grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her to a nearby grass covered alleyway. Were she any ordinary human, Zero's wrist might have snapped from the iron grip she was giving her.
It still hurt though.
"OW, what f—"
"Shut up," Jackass said curtly before looking over at the two YoRHa models. "You two! Make sure we're not disturbed."
"Uhhhh…" was all 47G could say before she was interrupted.
"And no eavsdropping!"
50D and 47G just starred at Jackass as she was continuing to drag away Zero, the latter of whom was giving the former an extremely vicious glare with her crimson eyes. If looks could kill…
"U-ummm…" 50D spoke nervously. "W-what…do you think that was about…?"
47G sighed and shook her head. "With Jackass? Who knows. Probably won't make much sense, so I don't think we'll be missing much."
She didn't know how wrong she was.
…
Present Day
The room was silent for a good few moments. The people across from me were just…staring. Like they were…I dunno…in awe of me or some shit…or worried about what I was going to do. Hell, I was worried about what I was going to do. I thought about dashing for the door and trying to escape again for a few seconds…but with the number of people near by the door, and if my recent attempt was anything to learn from, I either wouldn't get very far and end up with another tranq in my neck, or I'd just end up dead for good this time. Honnestly, I was still amazed that I was still alive at this point. But right now, being alive was the last thing on my mind right now.
I needed a fucking explanation for this malarky.
"Okay," I started, my voice trembling with both fear and anger. "If you guys are just going to stare at me like the goddamn Mona Lisa, I guess I'll start talking."
The white haired girl with the crimson eyes and the bandage on his nose made a "tsk" noise before speaking up. "I told you he was going to be pissed."
"'Pissed?'" I repeaded before letting out a dark chuckle. "Hohoooh, boy, lady, there are no words in any existing language that can describe the different kinds of absolutly fucking livid I am right now. But to give you an idea, I'll summarize."
"I had gone back to sleep after another exhausting day at college, shortly after I had started the Spring Semester in my Junior year. Then, I wake up the next day to find myself in the middle of some factory that had seen better days, and I find a talking mechanical box that tells me that there's a war going on and I apparantly slept through most of it, Aliens, of all things, have invaded with their mechanical creations, and that it's gotten so bad that the rest of my kind has migrated to the effing moon, when I know for a fact that collinaization up there hasn't even reached the beta stages yet!"
"To top that off, I get fucking ambushed by a bunch of overgrown children's rusty wind-up toys that were apparantly the same 'mechanical creations' the box told me these alleged aliens create. So I had to fight for fucking life, when I've never held a sword or fired a gun in my life, and I have zero combat experience, not even basic self-fucking-defense." I let out a sigh before I continued. "It was going okay for a while, but then, because I suck at this in general, I twisted my ankle, got myself pinned down by the remaining Machines that I didn't destroy, and MY GODDAM RIGHT ARM GETS CUT OFF! A PIECE OF ME IS GONE, A LITTERAL CHUNK OF MY FLESH, BONE, MUSCLE, AND BLOOD IS GONE! And I'm never, gonna get it back!"
"And then after I wake up after who knows how long, I find out that, not only am I alive, but the shit that just happened to me wasn't a nightmare! It was real! Wake up in yet another unfamiliar place, surrounded by people I don't know, and I'm am FREAKING THE FUCK OUT! What I have to say now, are three simple questions. Where the fuck am I? Who the fuck are you? And WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?! So if you can answer those for me, and give me one reason, and I mean, and really damn good reason why I shouldn't CALL THE MOTHERFUCKING FBI, THAT WOULD REALLY BENNEFIT EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM!
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I don't think I had ever shouted that loud in my entire life when I'm not standing in front of a mic. My throat was sore and I was breathing raspily. The white-haired girl was right. I was pissed.
The lady siting in front, the one wearing a bunch of drab, cleared her throat before speaking after a few moments of silence. "Are you done?"
Truthfully, no, I wasn't. I hadn't even mentioned that I had gotten fucking tranqed by these people, but my throat was pretty sore after all that ranting. Plus if I kept going, I'd never get my answers. So all I just said was, "Yeah…I guess…" I decided then and there it was probably best I calmed down for now.
"Good," the woman spoke. "Now then…where to start…first of all, I personally would like to appoligize for what happened to you. We had no idea there were…some of your kind left on the planet. We have just as many questions as you have, if not more. But first of all I would like to ask you, your name is Sam King correct?"
I stared for a moment before answering. "Uh…yeah…it is, but…how did—"
"106 told us," the girl with the blind fold spoke in a rather serious and monotonus voice.
Wait a minute…that's the girl that bent the pipe with one hand! My rage had now shifted over to warry. If these people actually captured me, I had to play this very carefully. I had no idea who these people were or why they saved me. Anything I said could very easily put me in a worse position than I was in right now. "Okay…um…where is it?"
"Maintenance," the boy said. "It got banged up pretty badly. Honestly, I'm surprised it was even functional the way it was."
I riased my eye brow at this. "Wait, you guys are fixing it?"
"All Tactical Support Units are valuable assets to YoRHa. If possible, retreival of all damaged YoRHa equipment is nessecarry," The white Pod floating next to the girl spoke.
"Your…ha…" Why did that name sound familiar? "Wait…you guys are from the same group that 106 is from?"
"Correct," The black Pod answered.
I took some time to ponder this. Part of me wanted to be skeptical, because these people could be lying to me and giving me a false sense of security…however, if these two Pods were just as truthful as 106 was…well, sort of, if you didn't count the fact that it was witholding information from me when we first met, then chances were more than likely that they were telling me the truth.
"Okay…" I said with apprehension still in my voice, cuz I wanted to error on the side of caution. "So then…" I turned to the two blind folded people. "You guys are…Your ha or whatever?"
"Yes," the girl replied. "I am YoRHa Type 2 Battle Unit. Designation: 2B."
"And I'm YoRHa Type 9 Scanner Unit," the boy added with a bit of a smile on his face. "I'm designated as 9S."
Once again I gave a really confused look. Those were extremely odd names for people. "Soooo…2B and 9S? Those are your names?"
"Yes," 2B replied curtly. Judging from her tone I could already tell she was probably bussiness oriented. Great. Not my kind of girl. She was very attractive looking though. But…huh…c'mon Sam, there's no chance in hell that's gonna happen, especially after…her…
"Uh…Sam?" I heard 9S say.
"Huh?"
"2B just asked you why you weren't on the moon."
"Ugh, this again?" I groaned. "Look, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told 106 and that hunk of junk that took away my arm, I am not, repeat, not, from the fucking moon. I've never been to the fucking moon. Last I heard, colinolization up there is still years away. Possible, yes, but only in theory. We're still pretty far from actually doing it."
Everyone stayed silent at this. Well sort of. The wavy red-head whispered something over to the white-hared girl, the latter of whom just grumbled. I'm not really sure what that was about but I decided to save it for later.
"Alright…" The woman in drapes continued. "Well then, to answer one of your questions, you're in the Resistance Base."
"Resistance…" another name that sounded familiar. "Oh wait, are you the guys that 106 mentioned that are fighting the…aliens or some shit?"
"Don't tell me you actually believe that crap," the white-haired girl spoke.
"No, I don't," I said. "But something made those walking talking rust buckets. I'm just skeptical about the whole alien thing."
"Ahem," Anemone cleared her throat. "In short, yes, we are combating against the aliens. Or more specifically their creations. I believe you already met them."
I snorted. "Yeah, and I've got a lot of 'fond' memories about my close encounter of the thrid kind."
It was hard to tell with the blind fold on, but I think 2B gave a look of slight confusion. "You consider loosing a limb to be plesant?"
"Ummm…I think he's being sarcastic, 2B," 9S corrected.
Once again I gave a confused look of my own to 2B. "I take it you don't get out often."
"Command has me deployed on various missions across the world," 2B said. "Your assumption is incorrect."
On the contrary, 2B, you just proved my point.
The white haired girl lightly face palmed. "It's like dealing with Mikhail all over again. But without the childish antics."
"Sounds like you enjoyed being around that little spit fire to me," the girl with eye patch commented.
The white-haired girl flipped her the bird. This in turn caused the wavy red-head girl to snicker, while the girl with the straight red hair was giggling as well, but she was trying to stiffle it.
The woman once again cleared her throat. "Getting back on topic…I am the leader of this particular Resistance base. My name is Anemone."
Yet another strange name. "You're named after an aquatic animal?"
"Yeah, that's what I said too when I met her," the white-haired girl commented.
"I'm not the one that came up with it," the woman now identified as Anemone spoke. "It's the name I was programed with."
…
"What?" The word "programed" is what caught my attention. "What do you mean by that?"
Anemone gave me a puzzled look. Apparantly there was a lot of that going around today, and I had a feeling it wasn't going to get old anytime soon. "I'm…afraid I don't understand what you mean?"
"The whole 'programed' part. You're saying that like you're a robot or something."
Anemone pursed her lips together, as if she was thinking of how to answer this. "Well…" she began. "In a way…I am…we all are…"
…
"W-wh…wha…I…I don't…what do you mean…?
"We're Androids," 9S said. "Your kind created us."
"W-wait…so…none…of you are…human…?"
"…No…" the straight haired red head said softly. "No one has seen another human being in thousands of years."
The white haired girl cleared her throat.
"Besides you, Zero," the wavy haired girl said.
"Wh…th…thousands of years?" I was having a lot of trouble beleiving any of what I was hearing. And I also wasn't liking any of what I was hearing.
There was a rather long moment of silence before Anemone took in a deep breath. "106…told us that…the last day you remember before ending up in that factory…it was in the year 2018…is that right…?"
"Uhh…yyyyeah…why…?"
"Anem," the eye-patch girl spoke. "Are you really sure you wanna tell him this?"
"He has a right to know, Jackass," Anemone replied. "He'll find out about it either way."
"Find out about what?!" I shouted.
Anemone sighe again before speaking. "The year right now…is 11,945 A.D."
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"…You're lying."
It had to be a lie.
"It's the truth, kid," the eye-patch woman said.
"No…no! No it isn't!" I yelled. "You want me to believe that I've somehow managed to jump several thousand fucking years into the goddamn future?! How the hell does that even make any sense?!"
"Trust me," the white-haired girl spoke. "There's a whole lot about this stuff that doesn't make sense. But the whole part about the machines, and the future shit? That stuff is a hundred percent true, loathe as I am to admit it."
"Just cuz you say it doesn't mean that…" Just as I was saying all that, I had remembered something 106 said to me as I was walking though the factory.
"The information pertaning to Sam King's query may be misunderstood and possibly denied. Therefore, this unit would become a biased source of information. Sam King has previously expressed skepticism at the mention of extra terrestrial lifeforms invading the Earth. Query: Would Sam King be inclined to believe any further information disclosed from this unit with out cross referencing information from a separate individual or party?"
I remember that 106 had been witholding information from me when I first asked about when the whole "Machine War" thing started. If this was why 106 didn't give me a straight answer…
"No, no, I'm not believing this until I have some goddamn proof!"
"That missing arm of your's isn't proof enough?" the wavy red-haired girl commented.
"Devola!" the straight haired girl exclaimed with a horrified look on her face.
I shot a glare over to her. "Fuck. You."
There was a slight flich in her stance when I said that. Probably realizing the comment, while probably true in hindsight, was poorly timed. Looking back on it I feel sorry for the response I gave, but at the time, I was too close to the verge of hyseria to even care.
"You two," I pointed to the two Pods which had yet to identify themselves. "Uhhhh…"
"Tactical Support Unit Pod 042," The white pod spoke. "Assigned to YoRHa Unit, 2B."
"Tactical Support Unit Pod 153," the black Pod spoke. "Assigned to YoRHa Unit 9S."
042 and 153 then. "Okay, look, I'm kinda freaking out here, so I'm hoping I can get a non-biased asnwer. When I was in the factory with 106, I asked about when this whole mess started. It didn't give me a straight answer and just said to wait until we got to the Resistance or whatever for them to give me an answer. So if I really am in the Resistance base right now, and these guys aren't posers, I'd like some clarity."
There was a bit of silence before 042 answered. "Query: Does Sam King know why Pod 106 denied information?"
"It…said that I wouldn't understand the answer and deny it without hearing from someone else." Honestly that was a pretty accurate assumption.
"The information disclosed by all present individuals is one hundred percent accurate," 153 spoke. "The current date is March 23rd, 11,945."
"…You're not lying are you?"
"Tactial Support Units are not programed to lie," 042 stated.
"But 106 didn't tell me anything about this! This is the first time I'm hearing of it."
"Correction," 153 began. "Unit 106 simply witheld information from Sam King. This is not the same as stating false information."
Looking back, I made that assumption about 106 as well, but at the time it was just an assumption. With how blunt and mater of fact 106 spoke to me, I didn't think it was lying, but I couldn't be sure. But now there were two other Pods like 106 that were speaking in the same manner.
"Uh…okay…so…when did this…whole war start…?"
"The date when the Machine War occoured was Jully 4th 5012," 042 answered.
"…I…wh…" There had to be some mistake. My brain went into overdrive, trying to find something, anything, to prove that this was all a hoax. But…the more I thought about it…the more I came to realized…that there really wasn't anything to refute it all. The Machines…both functional and deceased…their abilities…the Pods…and their abilities…these so-called "Androids"… the ruins outside…structures that looked like they hadn't been touched in decades or more…the overgrown plant life…
But…all of my friends…my family…they…
They're…
All…
…
…
…
. . . . . .
"…Listen, if you really are from 2018, I understand—"
"What the fuck do you know?!" I shouted. The words left my mouth before I realized it.
There was a bit of an akward silence before the woman with the eyepatch walked up and placed a hand on Anemone's sholder. "I think we oughta leave him alone for a bit."
Anemone looked like she wanted to protest the idea for a moment but then seemed to conceed. "Come on, everyone," she spoke. "Let's leave."
"But…" 9S was about to say something but then was cut off by 2B.
"9S," she said. "This is not the time."
9S looked a little disappointed, but relented. Everyone started to leave, with Anemone being the last. But before she left, she turned to me. "I truly am sorry, Sam. We'll be back to check on you in a few hours. In the meantime, just rest. You need it…"
Anemone then closed the door, and once again, I was alone. Alone with my thoughts…my losses…my pain…
I gently reached with my remaining arm to touch the stump of where my right arm used to be. I fliched slightly at the pain of the severed nerves and muscles through the cloth of the gauze that covered my injury. This triggered the pain in my sprained ankle, causing me to realize just how broken I was. And it wasn't limited to being broken physically.
The pain of my body gave way to the pain of those I'll never see again…
Mom…
Dad…
My friends…
My classmates…
…Sarah…I wish she was still here…
Tears started to form in my eyes as I started to sob softly. And then louder…until I was crying uncontrolably into the pillow of my bed…and I just cried…and cried…and cried…
Until both my tears and voice ran dry…
Meanwhile in the Flooded City
When Five woke up she noticed two things. One was she was under water. And the other…she couldn't breathe.
Upon realizing this part, she started frantically swimming up to the water's surface, thaking in a hoarse gasp for breath as she broke through. Five subconciously then grabed the nearest piece of soil rock to prop herself above the water with and she coughed up the remaining bits of water from her lungs.
"Okay…I am never doing the zombie thing again…wait…" Upon speaking for the first time in…well, since she remembered, she realized that something wasn't the way she remembered it.
She was alive.
"But…how?" she thought as she dragged herself out of the ocean and onto the rock. She remembered that Zero had killed her…again…and that Ditto had betrayed Zero before he went back to being a bird brain…Five had to wonder where his loyalty really lied, if neither with her or Zero…but…if she was alive then…what happened to the Flower…?
Five let out a sigh. "Zero, you're too couragous for your own good…" Although the word "corageous" might be the wrong adjective to use to describe her motives. But a lesser person wouldn't be willing to run straight to their deaths to save the world.
That aside, how was she even still alive? Five couldn't feel the influence of the Flower's power in her head anymore, so that's definetly a good sign. She could barely hold a decent conversation without slipping into an inuendo with that thing hanging around her. Noth that she minded, but it got old after a bit. Even for her.
After catching her breath, Five took a moment to look around her. She was suround by water and a lot of ruined buildings. But the buildings were of very strange designs. The looked like towers made out of stone that she had never seen before. In fact, when she looked where she was laying, the "rock" turned out to be a toppled building that was submerged in the water.
"Where am I?" Five wondered aout loud. It obvoously appeared to be a city of sorts, but it had definetly seen better days.
"Aaaaaaaaaannnnndrooooooiiiiid…"
Startled at the suddon groanding speech, Five turned her head to see…something really strange. Two large and long metal worms of sorts that seemed to be made up of rusty metal spheres. On some of the spheres there were sharp metal spinning blades, and on both ends of the worms there were sharp twisting spikes.
There were also two flying…things…that seemed to aslo be made out of the same kind of rusty metal as the Worms. They had some kind of short hunchback golom with red beady eyes controling them, and there were cannons of some kind attatched to the front of them.
"What in the…" Five began, but never got to finish. The Flying Things began to shoot out purpule orbs of energy at her. Five wasn't the smartest in the world, but she didn't need to be to figure out that those would probably hurt her. Acting on reflex, she rolled over on to her feet and summoned her Cross Lance.
"Kiiiillllllll…kiiiillllllll…"
"You can try," Five smirked right before she dashed forward to meet her strange foes.
…
Two Hours Later
I must've fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing I heard was a kock at the door followed by a very, very groggy feeling.
"Sam?" I heard a woman's voice. Anemone's I think it was.
"Uuuuuuuuuugh…" was all I could get out.
"Are you okay?" I heard her ask again.
The answer to that of course was a big fat no. But…I wansn't going to be a dick about it. "Yeah…yeah I'm fine…just dozed off for a bit…"
There was a few seconds of silence before she spoke again. "May we come in."
I took a moment to think about this. On the one hand I really wasn't in the mood to see or talk to anyone…but…on the other hand…maybe it was something I needed…I still had some questions…and moping wasn't going to get me answers…
"Sure…I guess…" I begrudingly mumbled as I sat up on my bed.
The door opened and Anemone stepped in along with the two red heads. The three of them all looked at me with very somber expressions. No doubt worried about how I was.
"Sam, there's—"
"Wait…"I said, realizing there was something more important I needed to say first. "I…need to appoligize…"
Anemone and the two red-heads gave me puzzled looks at this. "For what?" Anemone asked.
"My last outburst when you were here…" I said. "I…was stressed and…the information you told me was…a lot to process…and…I just kinda…got mad…and then broke down after you left…I shouldn't have done that…so…I'm sorry if I seemed ungreatful…and…thank you for saving me…"
At the time I wasn't sure why the three of them had shocked looks on their faces. It seemed as though I had said something they weren't expecting.
"W-well…" Anemone said, her composture shaken a bit. "That's…kind of you to say that…but you really don't have anything to appoligize for…if everything 106 told us about you is true then…your distress is understandable…"
"Even so, my behavior was still poor…I…hope you can forgive me…"
Nothing was said for a few moments before Anemone cleared her throat. "Anyways…Sam, I know this is probably…not ideal for you but…Devola and Popola need to sample your blood again now that you're awake."
"…uhhh…who?"
"She means us," the wavy red-haired girl said.
"Sorry…" the straight-haired girl spoke. "We never properly introduce ourselves. I'm Popola and next to me is Devola."
"Hey," Devola said casually.
"U-uh…hey…" I replied. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that I wasn't freaking out like I was earlier or if this was the first time I was conversing with them but…they looked…really pretty…
Their hair reminded me of…no, no, can't think of her, otherwise I'll cry again…
"Hey, you okay?" I heard Devola ask.
"Huh?"
"You're…um…staring…" Popola stated.
"O-oh…oh! I…sorry…I just…ah—nevermind…" I was not about to tell them they looked pretty…well I wanted to, but…that would've sounded akward, especially sicne we first met. And…I don't think I'm ready for another yet… "So…what exactly do you need my bl…wait, what do you mean 'again?'"
"Oh, right, we never got to that part," Anemone said. "Well…simply put…up until now, you've been in a…coma…"
…
…
…
I wanted to argue this…but after taking a look at my…missing arm…still not used to it…and recalling my spotty memory after I lost it… "How long was I out…?"
"Two weeks," Popola answered.
"And then about an hour after your, quote/unquote, escape attempt," Devola commented.
I let out a groan. "I guess that's something else I need to appoligize for."
"You were scared," Popola said. "And you had every reason to be. So it's nothing you need to worry about."
"Popola's right," Anemone said. "We're no strangers to fear with the war going on. You're in unfamiliar territory, Sam. A lot has happened over the centuries. There's a lot you have to learn…and a lot of it may…unsettle you."
"Compared to loosing a piece of me…I think I can handle it…" That of course was a lie…but why make the people who were looking after me worry anymore than they had to.
"So…may we see your…um…" Popola began, but then stopped, looking uncertain how to continue the question.
"Your…arm…" Devola replied, equally uncertain.
I looked over at my remaining arm, and only then did I notice a few small bruises on the elbow creace. "Oh," I said, realizing their cautious behavior. They weren't sure how to talk about my left arm without reminding me that I didn't have a right. Realizing this caused me to gently place my hand over the stump. "It's…okay…loosing a limb or two is nothing compared to my life…even…if I'm not where I would like to be right now…but…I'll get used to it…somehow…it's really all I can do at this point…"
I then held out my arm with the elbow face down. Popola then walked forward with a syringe in her hand. She still looked very nervous, like she was afraid of hurting me. "Um…this…might sting a bit for you…" she said, proving my guess.
I just chuckled. "It's okay…uh…Popola, right?" She nodded. "Well, if you're worried about hurting me, you don't have to. This isn't the first time I've had blood drawn from me." Glancing over at where my right arm used to be I added, "In more ways than one."
Popola still looked a bit nervous as she bit her lower lip, but proceeded. She gently stuck the syringe in my remaining arm. I winced a bit at the slight discomfort. Popola's eyes widened like she had made a great mistake, but I told her that I'm fine. She was hesitant, but she continued. She pulled the tab on the syring to draw out a little bit of my blood. In less then a second it was full, and Popola withdrew the needle.
Devola then came by and applied some sterilizing alcohol, I think that's what doctors put on a wound, dabbed it around with some cloth, and then put a band-aid on the area where the needle punctured me.
"Sorry about that," she said. "But your blood tells us how healty you are. Now that you're awake, somethings might have changed."
"We'll let you know if there's anything else we need from you," Popola added.
"Okay," I said.
"Is there anything you'd like to know before we leave?" Anemone asked. "I don't mean to be hasty, but as the leader of this Resistance outpost, there's a lot of matters I have to attend to, so anything you'd like to know since you've been out, you may want to ask now."
"Well…just two things," I said. "First…how did I end up in this place. The last thing I remember before going into a comma was loosing my arm…and then complete blank."
"2B and 9S found you shortly after you lost your arm," Devola replied. "2B was the one who carried you back here. 9S stayed behind to…investigate something, I'm not really sure what."
"Popola and Devola oversaw your progress through the past two weeks," Aneomne added.
"'Progress?'" I repeated.
"Your heart was working slower than it should have, so we had to keep you on life support," Popola explained.
"Jackass came up with the medicine to help get your heart back in gear," said Devola. "Me, Popola, Anemone and a few other YoRHa guys helped gather the materials to make it."
"So it was a group effort," I deduced.
"It was very close, too," Anemone said, rather grimly. "If 2B and 9S hadn't found you when they did, you might have died right then and there."
At hearing that, I then remembered what that Sword Machine had said about taking me alive. "Not unless 'Clap-Trap' back there was on the level about that 'disection' shit."
Devola gave me a puzzled look. "What?"
"…106 didn't tell you any of this?"
"2B and 9S had the pod sent back to the Bunker for maintenance shortly after you got here," Anemone explained. "They were the last people it talked to before that."
"Okay, well…one of the Machines that attacked me seemed to be…smarter, I guess, than the rest. It said it wanted to disect me, saying that I was like…I dunno, some sort of 'rare catch.'"
Popola made a scared…squeak I guess?...as she placed her hands over her mouth. Devola's eyes wen wide, as did Anemone's. "Wh-what…the Machine…talked…"
"Uhhhhh…yeah...? Why, do they not…oh wait, 106 said that they generally don't talk. So…I guess their…evolving then? I'm guessing that's bad?"
"It most certainly is," Aneomne answered. "2B and 9S had a similar encounter in the desert, but theirs was…a bit bizzare…"
"Bizzare how?" I asked.
"Bizzare as in the Machines they encountered were human body immitations," Devola said. "Two guys, and one of them apparantly…was created from the other guy's…flesh…?"
"…huh?"
For a moment none of what Devola explained made sense. But the last part…sounded really familiar…wait…Adam and Eve? I remember Sword Machine saying something about some people that went by those names. Was there a connection? In the Bible it was said that Eve was born from Adam's bone. And Devola just said that one of the…humanoid machines, I guess, was born from the other guys flesh. But…if I heard her right, they were both guys…which, if the Machines are even capable of understanding either concept, is irony, or a straight up F you to God. Either way, I approve. Bravo Machine Lifeforms. Give me my arm back and we'll call it even.
"Sam?" Anemone's voice brought me out of my train of thought. "Do you know something about this?"
"Huh…? Oh, uh…no…well…maybe, but it's hard to say for sure. I'm just guessing right now. So, nothing noteworthy." No sense in telling them something I'm not sure about. Besides, I didn't know if it would help the Resistance, or how. "So, uhhh, the second thing is…" I let out a sigh. "Look, this probably isn't a good idea, but…I think I'm entitled to it after today…got something to drink?"
…
AN: Another month(s) another chapter! Better one this time with some exposè. Not all of it though. Sam is still…kinda in a daze…which will soon turn into getting shit-faced for understandable reasons. And it already seems he's eyeing the twins. But…who's this Sara person. Well for now, I trust you can put two and two together. I mean, how else would you be able to understand the lore of NieR and Drakengard outside of doing research? Ditto Kingdom Hearts. Seriously it's not that complicated of a story, just use your brain in a way that doesn't give you a headache. That's what I did. But that was also during a time when I was suffering from chronic insomnia. Really pumped for KH III.
Side note, SMASH ULTIMATE IS FUCKING AMAZING! TAKE THAT MELEE FANBOYS! (No offense to anyone who enjoyed Melee, just…tone it down for those of us who don't care that much about it, okay?) Seriously though, it's awesome, taking the best parts of Brawl, 3DS & Wii U and mashing them together. And also, biggest fucking roster ever in the history of fighting games…I think. 82+ FIGHTERS! And…I assume…counting, if the Joker reveal trailer was anything to go by, and the rease of Pirhanna Plant early next year.
Anyways, enough fangasming. Five is here! Bet you weren't expecting that, hue hue hue. Wonder what's gonna happen when she gets through the Machines? Anyways, I probably won't have the next chapter out until sometime after New Years. Gotta focus on getting holiday shopping done for the fam. Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! And a happy holidays to everyone! Until next time. STAY TUNNED!