AN: So I've been seeing a lot of Nier Automata and went into the story for a bit. And wow…this is one of the most touching stories I've seen in gaming in a while. And after seeing Ending E and some of the other Nier fics that take place after, I decided to try my hand at making one of my own. Which reminds me…DO NOT read past this note if you still aim to beat the game with no spoilers. So anyways, here's my idea for Nier…Now Showtime!
Disclaimer: I do not own Nier Automata.
Nier Automata: [E]arth Chapter 1: Discovery
In a dark room, the sound of peaceful snoring roamed throughout the room with a young man with short white hair being the source of it. Things looked peaceful enough until…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
A groan came from the bed before a pale arm emerged and slammed the alarm clock, instantly shutting it off. The person seemed to enjoy the quiet before…
"Alert: Scheduled wake-up time has been exceeded! Unit 9S is advised to wake up!" A female computerized voice said as a small floating black and red robot with small arms appeared in the room. It noticed how 9S was still in bed before the small bot grabbed the curtains right next to the man before opening them, letting out a sudden amount of sunrays in.
"Stop it, Pod 153…" 9S groaned as he then took a hold of the sheets of his bed and shielded himself from the rays of sunlight. While he could not experience sleep like an ordinary person, he can experience something similar and he liked it. "Five more minutes…"
"Alert: Five minutes passed designated wake-up time is inadvisable." Pod 153 scolded before it subtly took a hold of 9S's sheets. "You do not want to be late for your job, do you?"
The young man groaned as he shifted around the bed.
"It's my first day. They said they'll give me an additional hour to check in." He muttered as he continued groaning.
Shortly after that, a woman with short white hair and light blue eyes that looked older came into the room. She was wearing a black jacket with a hood, black tights under jean shorts, and black army boots. She stared at 9S with an annoyed look. She grabbed a black hoodie that was resting on the nearby chair before throwing it at 9S's face, making him sit up.
"Hey!" 9S said, grabbing the hoodie off of his face before looking at the woman with his light blue eyes.
"Get out of that bed or I'll kick you out." The woman said harshly while 9S just sighed as he grew used to the woman's cold-hearted nature, but he knows she means well.
"Morning to you too, A2…" 9S said with a light chuckle as he just realized he unintentionally made a rhyme while A2 still looked mad.
"I told you to call me under my alias, Alice." A2 said while 9S just looked at her.
"Not when we're alone by ourselves here." 9S said as he was now fully awake. "Is 2B up yet?"
"Already started drinking her coffee. Best see her now before she leaves for her job interview."
"What about you?" The young man asked as he stretched his arms.
"I have personal errands to attend to." A2 responded while the male tilted his head in confusion at what the older woman had answered.
"What kind of errands?"
"It's nothing of your concern." She replied coldly while 9S got even more curious.
"They kinda are when you're home with-." Just before 9S can even finish, A2 tossed a pair of pants she found on the floor onto his face which immediately shut him up.
"You are wasting time. Now hurry up and get dressed before you're too late." 9S sighed as he finally gave in while A2 was about to leave. She then looked back at 9S.
"Oh and Nines, 2B is making breakfast." A2 said before she left while 9S nodded.
"Still not used to all of this." He remarked before he opened the window nearby to be greeted by the site of buildings and cars that were not tangled by overgrown fauna. And to top it off, there were countless people walking around enjoying their own business without a care in the world. Pod 153 looked out the window as well before observing 9S.
"Are you still in disbelief?" The female-voiced pod asked.
"I think disbelief isn't even enough to describe what I'm feeling." 9S responded.
"Then what is?"
"Amazement…Astonished…Relieved." 9S said as he can still hardly believe that he actually has a chance to walk among humans. He looked at the calendar to see that it was 2017 while he came from was over 11000 where humanity was extinct and where he and two others were built as android to fight a pointless war. 9S was thinking about the past before…
"Nines, get down here before your pancakes get cold." Another female voice called while 9S smiled even wider, happy that a closer friend can finally call him by his nickname.
"Yeah, I'll be right there! Just give me a minute." 9S said as he finally got out of bed and changed into some outside clothes. He changed into a black hoodie, dark grey shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. The male android quickly cleaned up the room before looking at his desk to find his damaged visor which resembled a blindfold. He just sighed before going downstairs to meet up with 2B.
He climbed down the stairs and entered the kitchen entrance to see another girl, a little taller than him, with short white hair and grayish-blue eyes look at him. She was covered in batter with a lot of it on her apron. 9S was holding back the urge to chuckle as he can see that the former soldier was still not used to the civilian life.
"Morning." 9S greeted as he got himself a glass of milk before drinking it. While they were androids, they were also built to drink and eat as an extra function to make them more like their creators. Plus, 9S and 2B grew to liking the taste that modern society food and drinks had to offer while A2 was pretty stoic about it but worked with it to blend in.
As 9S finished his glass of milk, 2B passed him a plate of pancakes…only for him to see that it was mostly a goopy mess.
"Uhhh…2B?"
2B turned around for 9S to see her with some batter on her face as well.
"I don't know if you noticed but I also placed in some chocolate chips into the pancakes." 2B said blankly as she was trying to suppress her rage from her breakfast fail. As 2B had said that, 9S looked down and saw said chip covered in batter.
"Recommendation: Perhaps you should COOK the assets longer." A white version of Pod 153 said with a male voice.
"Shut it, Pod 042." 2B said harshly as she was now suppressing MOST of her anger. "I'm still not used to the whole concept of cooking, but I'm trying."
9S just chuckled as he then tried his best to eat the food as best as he can, not wanting to disappoint 2B. Meanwhile, said girl just took the seat across from the man.
"Sorry, I really tried working hard on this despite the simple concept." 2B said while 9S just smiled as he just kept eating.
"It's not that bad. If anything, it tastes really good and you shouldn't blame yourself." 9S said honestly. "A lot of things are still new to us, but…I'm just happy enough to live a life like this with you an A2."
2B blushed and smiled, something 9S rarely saw before.
"Well, I should get going to my job. Good luck on your interview." 9S said as he quickly placed his plate, glass, and utensils in the sink. He then rushed outside while 2B watched him go.
The Pods then looked at her.
"Advisement: Pod 153 and myself will clean the mess here. You should get ready soon." Pod 042 said, having 2B nod at that while she went to the bathroom and started cleaning herself up. Before she got into the shower, she looked out the window with the sight of the bustling big city in front of her.
This caused her to think about how it was possible for her, 9S, and A2 to live a life such as this.
(A month ago)
In a city of ruins with only overgrown fauna and animals being the only inhabitants most of the time while the sounds of clashing and slashing took over. In the streets, the three androids, dressed in dark gothic clothing with A2's outfit being mostly tattered and the other two wearing visors that looked like blindfolds. Another thing to note that A2's white hair was longer, long enough to reach her back. They were fighting rogue and rampant robots with katanas while the Pods provided support fire.
Soon, 2B managed to decapitate the last robot before meeting up with others.
"Well, looks like we're done here." 2B remarked while 9S just looked around.
"We should probably look for shelter again. It's going to be night soon." 9S said while A2 seemed to notice something in the tone of his voice.
"Observation: You sound…disappointed." Pod 153 remarked, also noticing the same thing.
"Yeah, you've been making blank remarks for a while now." A2 said before realizing something. "Wait kid, even after everything we've been through…you still don't feel alive again, do you?"
9S only looked down and despite the visor, it was obvious he was sporting a sad look underneath it. A lot of things had happened in the past few weeks which ranged from learning that humanity was extinct despite the function to save what was left of them, the destruction of YoRHa (the organization they used to serve), the death of 2B, finding out that their existence was meaningless and destined to be destroyed, 9S's virus infection, and 9S and A2 literally killing each other.
The only reason they're here now is because both Pods managed to utilize their salvaged data to reconstitute the androids' memories and experiences into reconstructed bodies with parts salvaged from other androids of the same models. Since then, after a much-needed explanation from 2B and some closure with A2, it's been pretty much survive and live for the three remaining YoRHa androids in this ruined world.
"Don't get me wrong; it's good to be alive again but…what's the purpose of it all?" 9S asked. "Sure, we took care of the loose ends between us but what happens now? We just keep living and trying to survive until the day we die for good?"
2B and the Pods stayed silent as they knew how much 9S has been through. They can't fully blame for acting this way, while his sanity has been restored, some scars are very tricky to heal.
"How do you think I felt?" A2 asked, getting the male's attention. "I was here at ground zero at the beginning of our fake war. I've lost all my friends and I had no real reason to fight but I fought and continued to live. I don't really know why, maybe it was to find a new reason for myself to live. I kind of found one after what happened to her."
A2 looked at 2B and 9S remained quiet as he was fully aware of what she meant.
"Now I lost that reason again but here I am living when it's so easy to grab my sword and just…put myself out of my misery." A2 said while 9S stared at her.
"Then how do you deal with it?"
"Finding a new reason to live." A2 replied before looking at the sky to see that the sun was just about to set. "It's going to be night soon. We should find a place t set up for the night."
Pod 153 then flew close to them to get their attention.
"Recommendation: Earlier scans of the area reveal that the building in front of us revealed that the entrance is usable and the inside is isolated from the weather. It may still have a usable source of power." The female pod said before the androids looked at each other.
"What do you guys think?" 2B asked.
"Better than nothing." 9S replied.
"Whatever helps sleep at night." A2 responded before entering the building first, giving her answer while the rest soon followed.
When they entered, they found themselves in a receptionist area.
"Must've been some kind of office facility." 9S said while 2B recounted what Pod 153 said.
"Pod 153 said that this place might have power. I'll look for the circuit breaker, you guys look for anything we can use to sleep on for the night." 2B said, having both other androids and pods nod before they all left.
Meanwhile 2B went down to the basement and grabbed a nearby flashlight. Luckily for her, the batteries inside still worked, allowing her to release a small ray of light. She started to look around for a circuit breaker and saw a bunch of old technology covered in sheets. The female android decided not to touch anything, knowing not only would it be dangerous since she doesn't know what it is but also because it would be pointless without the power to do so.
After a few minutes of looking, 2B managed to find the circuit breaker with the lever pointed downwards.
"This must be it." 2B remarked as she then flipped the switch upwards, turning on the lights and minor machines. 2B turned and saw the basement dirty and cluttered with boxes and shelves of old books and files. 2B just had a small chuckle as she thought how much 9S would be distracted if he was the one sent to restore the power, inspecting and reading every book and file.
He was always the curious one, given his being as a Scanner model but she thinks he genuinely likes this stuff. Speaking of the 9S, 2B realized that she would have to go and check on the others to see if they had find anything to sleep on. She was about to leave the basement before she heard the sound of something mechanical turning on in the room next to her.
Wanting to check the place for anything dangerous, 2B carefully withdrew Virtuous Contract and slowly approached the inside of the room.
(With the others)
The four had found themselves in an office space before the lights turned on, revealing cubicles and offices that had aged much over the past few thousand years.
"Guess this means that 2B managed to turn on the lights." 9S said as he then inspected a couple of the cubicles while A2 and the pods just surveyed the area.
Luckily the fauna growth wasn't much and mostly covered the executive offices. A2 then looked at the pods.
"You two go on ahead and scout to see if there's any danger here or any of the floors." A2 said to the pods.
"Acknowledged." They said before flying off to scout while 9S emerged from a cubicle.
"Man, I wondered what this place looked when humans still roamed the planet." 9S remarked while A2 still had her unimpressed look.
"What does it matter? Humanity is gone and we're left with the scraps." A2 replied as she and 9S continued searching for things to use for tonight's rest. They soon found a break room with a couch and a couple matching chairs.
"That looks perfect." 9S said before trying to open the door, only to find that it was locked. "We're gonna have to find the key-."
A2 then pushed 9S out of the way before withdrawing her Type-4O Blade and using it to smash through the glass window of the break room, allowing free entry.
"…Or we can do that." 9S said as A2 easily walked into the breakroom before laying down on the couch.
"I call dibs on the couch." A2 said before the pods came back/
"Alert: No enemy lifeforms detected." Pod 042 announced.
"Area is secured." Pod 153 followed, allowing the two androids to let their guard down.
"Looks like all that's left is 2B-."
"Hey guys, come down! I found something interesting!" 2B's voice called out, getting everyone's attention.
"Come on, let's go." 9S said, immediately following the voice into downstairs. Soon the rest of the pods followed suit, leaving A2 by herself.
At first A2 wanted nothing more than to relax and get ready for another day of survival in the city of ruin. That was before the new emotion she developed, called guilt, started to kick in. A2 then mentally cursed herself before getting up from the couch with a sigh and going down the stairs to the basement level. She then entered the room that 2B was investigating earlier ago.
"Alright, what is so important?" A2 asked as she noticed a huge platform in the room. It was dirty steel with a terminal built-in that 9S was currently hacking into while 2B and the pods were looking at a metal ring sticking out of the platform. A2 then joined in on this investigation. "What the hell is this thing?"
"No clue, I found it after restoring power to the building. It seemed like this activated when I did so but nothing else pretty much happened afterwards." 2B said before looking at 9S who was still typing. "Can you get anything from there?"
"It takes time, you know." 9S said with a slightly annoyed tone before hearing a beep. "Alright, I'm in."
"Good, see what you can find." 2B said, making 9S nod in acknowledgement.
"Okay…managed to pull out some logs and…wow, didn't think it possible." 9S said, getting everyone's attention.
"What is it?"
"Based on what I'm reading here, the humans made this device during the infestation of White Chlorination Syndrome." 9S said, surprising everyone.
"You mean that damned disease that placed humanity on the path of extinction?" A2 asked, surprising by how long ago that must've been.
9S nodded as he continued reading off the monitor.
"Apparently, outside of Project Gestalt, there were other projects with the same goal of preserving the human race." 9S reported as he looked at the platform and ring. "The device that we're currently looking at is Project Ark."
"Project Ark?"
"Is anyone here familiar with the multiverse theory?" 9S asked, causing the two female androids to stare blankly. He just sighed at that before looking at Pod 153. "Pod 153, replay log 329."
"Replaying:…" Pod 153 announced before 9S's voice came out of her. "Log 329, after my latest recon mission, I decided to 'delay' my mission debriefing so I spent my extra time in the library. It's amazing how many books weren't completely destroyed during the alien invasion. Wish I could bring them all back to base. But I'm getting off topic, the most important concept I wanted to note from what I learned from these books is the multiverse theory."
Everyone finally started paying attention while 9S was still accessing the terminal before finding something of note. He decided to wait for the recording to finish.
"The multiverse theory is the idea that there are many worlds that are very similar to ours that exist in parallel universes with infinite possibilities. For example, like there could be an Earth where the aliens made their own androids to invade, or an Earth where humans took up the fight, or even an Earth where the war and syndrome never occurred. The possibilities are endless, I have to share this with 2B sometime. 9S out." The recording ended, making 2B look at 9S.
"You never did." 2B stated while 9S never took his eyes off the monitor.
"We had more important things to do at the time." 9S admitted.
"So, this Ark is supposed to lead to other versions of Earth?" A2 asked, looking over the platform.
9S nodded.
"They planned to bring uninfected humans to other Earths, they were mainly targeting Earths were humanity was so low in number that they just restart their lives. Rebuild civilizations." 9S stated.
"Curiosity: Then why would a device like this be in an office building?" Pod 042 asked, calculating the chances of finding something like this in a building so simple.
"This was supposed to be a prototype." 9S said, reading from the logs. "They were supposed to build more and on a bigger scale should the test prove successful. Unfortunately, they never got the chance to test it, the White Chlorination Syndrome was already widespread by the time the prototype was already built."
"So, this thing can actually work?" A2 asked, looking at the device. Though secretly, her hopes were gotten up as the chance to leave this hellhole of a planet might've improved by a lot.
"No clue, I have no idea on how to turn it on and the logs didn't leave much instructions." 9S replied but kept looking through in case he missed anything.
"Guess we might never know." 2B remarked, making A2 sigh in slight disappointment as she leaned against the wall before she accidentally pressed the built-in button with her back. This caused the Ark to lit up and shake around, causing the ground to vibrate. Everyone started walking back before the ring in the Ark summoned a blue vortex which started to suck up almost everything in sight.
Everyone tried getting away as best as they can before both Pods got sucked in. A2 plunged her sword into the ground used it as a makeshift anchor as did the other androids with their weapons while everything else around them was starting to get sucked in.
A2 then looked at a filing cabinet disk flying towards her. It hits her right in the face, causing her to let go of her blade and fly into the vortex with her sword shortly following her. 2B then felt her being slowly being pulled back by the vortex. After a few minutes of being slowly pulled in, Virtuous Contract was then pulled out of the ground by the force before 2B started being thrown into the vortex.
"2B!" 9S grabbed her arm with one of his before they felt the force of the vortex getting stronger and stronger. It had gotten so strong that it tore 2B away from 9S, much to his horror.
"NINES!" 2B called out as she unwillingly entered the vortex.
9S, not wanting to be alone again, pulled his sword out and looked back at the portal before jumping into it. After a few minutes, the Ark then overloaded and exploded, destroying most of the basement and causing the power to go out.
(With 2B)
2B was laying on the grassy floor unconscious before her systems rebooted, eventually waking her up. She stirred and saw that her interface was glitching in and out with the occasional static. Sighing with frustration, 2B took off and put away her visor before she looked around to see that she was in a green forest with a blue sky watching her from above.
She stood up from the ground and grabbed her sword before putting it away. It then dawned on her that she was alone.
"Nines! A2! Pods!" She called but there was no response. 2B then decided to explore the area and hopefully find the others. She walked through the forest, repetitively calling out their names. Much to 2B's frustration, she was met with silence, but there was something quite pleasant about the atmosphere unlike before.
After 5 more minutes, 2B was about to call out her friends' names again but…
"I said no!" A2's voice said.
2B immediately followed the trail of the voice as she heard more of A2's voice.
"I told you that they aren't toys, now leave me alone!" A2 protested. Thinking that she was in danger, 2B took out her sword and ran into a clearing where she saw A2 holding the two pods that seemed to be non-operating at the moment. 2B also saw that A2 was talking to what seemed to be miniature versions of androids. "For the last time, these two pods are mine. You can't play with them."
"But ma'm, we only want to borrow them." One of the little android-lookalike said. "I never seen a toy like them!"
"These aren't toys." 2B replied before taking a knee down to examine them as she had never seen androids like them before. "What kind of androids of you? What's your designation and model number?"
"Model number?" The smaller android asked with curiosity in its eyes. "My mommy says that I'm six years old."
"Mommy?" 2B asked, the unfamiliar word feeling a bit funny off her lips. "My database lacks explanation upon this word. What about you, A2?"
"A2 is a funny name!" One of the smaller androids remarked, much to said girl's annoyance.
"To answer your question 2B, I haven't. The closest I can come up with is 'Mother', a term that humans used to designate one of their birth-givers." A2 explained, making 2B stare at her with a blink. "What? Unlike the kid, I only read sometimes."
2B then realized something as her eyes then widened.
"So, if this little being has a…'mother', then is it human?" 2B asked, A2's eyes also widening upon the realization.
"Of course, we're people like you! But my mommy and daddy said not to judge other people based on their appearance." The female smaller human said while both androids were in shock that they were speaking with humans, whom they thought were extinct all this time. That was when they immediately remembered what happened; the Ark prototype.
"Sorry but final answer is no." A2 said before she dragged herself and 2B away from the kids while looking at each other. "The Ark prototype worked, we're in another Earth. Looks like one in which the war never happened."
2B then looked around and she saw taller and older looking humans talking to each other while some of the other ones were having a good time with some of the smaller ones. 2B then looked up to see buildings like from her Earth but they weren't in ruins, they were actually in great condition and some were having maintenance performed. 2b then noticed A2 was in equal in awestruck. Despite the older android's cold behavior, even she can't deny the sight of human civilization at its finest.
2B then shook A2 out of her shock as they had important things to do; find their missing member of the group.
"We need to find Nines, we'll figure out what to do afterwards." 2B said, making A2 nod. The two started to walk through the area looking for 9S. But as they walked around, they noticed some of the male humans were whistling and had lecherous expressions on their faces. They also noticed some of the children pointing at them while the female older humans they were with, presumably their mothers, just told them that it's not nice to point them out.
"What's up with them?" A2 asked with an innocent tone of voice. Despite her years of surviving in the apocalyptic Earth, she is quite innocent in modern social etiquette…as is 2B, who was equally as clueless.
"It could be that we don't look like anyone of their society." 2B said as she looked at her dress while A2 looked at her outfit which was tattered and showing off more skin. 2B also noted something else. "They also don't have weapons like we do."
"Most likely because they aren't in war or trying to fight for survival." A2 remarked, seeing the nice and peaceful atmosphere, before taking. Off. "Let's just hurry it up and find the kid."
2B nodded as she followed suit. They spent a while looking for 9S while enjoying the fact that nothing was going to come up and try to kill them. They soon found a gate and went through it, to find a city not overtaken by fauna. The androids also saw people walking through the sidewalks as if there was no tomorrow, there were even cars driving up and down roads.
"So that's how they work." 2B remarked as she never saw cars actually move back on her Earth. They also saw some cars parked to the side with meters being counted. Their eyes then widened upon seeing 9S, without his visor, talking to someone in a blue military-like outfit down the street.
"Nines?" Both Androids noticed before they started making their way to him while drawing some attention due to their appearance…and weapons.
Meanwhile 9S was having a friendly conversation with the police officer. The male android did have a basic understanding of law enforcement based on the books he read in libraries and archives but he wanted to hear it from a law officer's perspective. The conversation proved enlightening for 9S, to say the least.
"I see, so that's what officers can do on patrol?"
"Well someone has to keep the peace around." The two then noticed 2B and A2 with the deactivated pods in their grips. "They're your friends?" The officer asked as he noted they were in similar outfits.
"Yeah." 9S nodded.
"Alright, I'll leave you people alone. Also, nice cosplay." The man said, mistaking the androids' outfits and weapons as part of a getup.
"Uh, thanks." 9S replied, going along with it as he knew what law enforcement or even the military would do with unknown elements such as him and the others. The officer soon left and the girls caught up with them. "Hey girls, isn't this amazing? Not only did the Ark actually work, but we also ended up on an Earth with active HUMAN CIVILIZATION!"
The girls sighed as it was obvious that 9S would be the most excited regarding their situation. He seemed so distraught when he found out about the extinction of humanity among other things…with 2B always killing him for it. But the Earth they were on right now, gave him a feeling that he hasn't felt in a long time; happiness.
"Hey girls, isn't this great!?" 9S asked with a happy expression on his face. But he then noticed the deactivated pods in the girls' grips. "What happened to them?"
"They must've gotten damaged on the way here, like my visor. That same happened to you?" 2B asked, earning a nod from 9S.
"You can say that. I woke up a little while ago in front of a convenience store. Where were you girls?"
"We woke up with the deactivated pods over there." A2 said pointing at the forest recreation zone. 9S only seemed more intrigued and excited for some reason.
"You guys, that was Central Park. It was a major attraction in the state of New York. Countless humans, regardless of age or size, would come here and enjoy relaxation or other recreational activities." 9S observed, making the girls realize where they are.
"So that means we're in New York?" A2 asked as she looked around, making 9S nod.
"Yes, specifically we're in New York City, one of the most populated cities in the United States of America." 9S explained, remembering what he read off the books he would find in ruins or scavenged some things from machine establishments.
"Definitely not our Earth." 2B said as she looked around upon realizing something. She didn't know what to do now that she was in a whole new world that isn't on a global-scale conflict like the White Chlorination Syndrome outbreak, Project Gestalt, or the Alien/Machine invasion. And they didn't even have to fight for survival just to live another day but…how can they live for another day? How will the live in one active city? This was nothing like the space stations that she and 9S were stationed at.
No longer wanting to ask herself questions, she decided to ask one to her group.
"So guys…what do we do now?" 2B asked and A2 didn't seem to have an answer while 9S was still in deep thought about it. After 5-10 minutes of waiting, 9S then seemed to come up with something.
"Come on, I have an idea." 9S said as he walked down the sidewalk while the girls shrugged as they followed him while carrying the deactivated Pods.
(2 weeks later)
9S was in his room with both Pods, still deactivated, before he hooked the Pods with a couple of wires. He then hooked the other end of the wires to his computer.
"Let's hope this works." 9S said as he then executed the program on his computer. Soon he saw both Pods announce their usual startup sequence. After a series of short announcements regarding what's active, he noticed the Pods' AIs starting to take control and be self-aware like before. They soon floated up and looked around, not used to their surroundings.
"Pods 042 and 153, are you two alright?" 9S asked, earning their attention. The pods examined 9S and were surprised that 9S wasn't wearing his typical outfit and visor but was wearing a plain white shirt with a pair of pajamas for pants.
"Query: Is that you, 9S?" Pod 042 asked and 9S nodded.
"Yeah, sorry if I look otherworldly but…I guess that's a good word for it."
"Query: What happened while we were deactivated?" Pod 153 asked as she noticed there was a major gap in her memory between entering the Ark and waking up in this unfamiliar room. The same can be said for Pod 042.
"Well you see, the Ark has actually taken us to another Earth." 9S reported and despite not having faces to express emotions with, the male android can tell that they were quite shocked. "Believe me, me and the two girls were just as shocked. We landed on an Earth with an actual human population, 7.5 billion people."
While the pods were even more shocked, they have started to notice how 9S looked more adapted to society, meaning that he must've been here for a while.
"How long have you been in this place?" Pod 042 asked.
"We've been here for about…two weeks." 9S explained. "Thanks to my hacking abilities as a Scanner-type android, I was able to forge me and the girls some fake identities, bank accounts, and hacked to wire some money. We used that to rent this apartment building."
"You wired money and made new identities?"
"Yeah, A2 chose her name by Alice Stark, 2B went with Bethany Carver, and I'm Sam Wise." 9S explained. "As for the money, I wired a good amount into our accounts but that's only to start our new lives here as 'fellow humans'. I don't want to hack for money too often otherwise it could get traced to me."
"What have you been doing during the two weeks we've been here?" Pod 153 asked.
"We're just settling in really outside of trying to jump start your systems. We'd had to buy furniture for the place, get used to daily activities that humans would normally partake in, and we even had to buy clothes." 9S said as he then had a bright smile. "I finally was able to get 2B a shirt." He remarked as he thought back to the memory and told the bots of it.
(A week ago)
The three were at a shopping center while they had left the deactivated pods in their newly rented apartment. 2B and 9S were awed at the amount of goods people were buying while A2 seemed annoyed by the stares people were giving her. However, she did manage to cut her hair a bit which looked normal compared to the other humans.
"Come on, let's just get this over this." A2 said, eager to buy some clothes and immediately change into them.
"Right, come on." 9S said as the three androids went to the clothing center of the store. They went to the females section first, due to not only the group having the female majority but also because 9S wanted to fulfill an old promise to 2B; he wanted to buy her a shirt. Right now, 9S was looking at various shirts that had different pictures and quotes with 2B waiting on the sidelines while A2 was already in the fitting room.
"Nines, you don't have to be so particular about the whole shirt deal. Look at Alice, she already has a full outfit ready to go." 2B said, using their human names as she did not want to arouse suspicion among the humans. Though using 9S's nickname is totally forgivable, strange but forgivable enough.
"Given our history together, I say I earned the right to be very picky about this moment so let me find a shirt that's right for you." 9S insisted as 2B just sighed with a small smile on his face, happy that they finally got the chance to shop.
"As long as the brat doesn't annoy me." A2 said, wearing her new outfit. The two androids saw A2 and she was wearing a short black jacket, a dark gray shirt with the grim reaper on it, dark blue jeans, and short combat boots. She was also holding a bag full of other clothes.
"You work fast." 2B remarked, looking at the bag.
"I take what I need." A2 said. "The clerks even allowed me to wear this after I paid them."
"I see that…" 2B said as she looked at the depiction of the grim reaper imprinted on A2's shirt.
"Well, I'm not going to wait around for you two. I'm going to see what else this shopping center has in store." A2 said as she took her bag and walked off.
Right when she left, 9S showed 2B a light blue shirt that had the quote, "To be or not to be…".
"What do you think?" 9S asked, seeing 2B chuckle a bit at the joke.
"Where is that supposed to be from?" 2B asked back as she looked at the shirt and even saw that it was the right size.
"It was a quote from a famous writer's play. I forgot what it was called." 9S said as 2B further examined it. "So do you like it?"
"I love it. We need to start getting more humorous stuff for our new lives. Now let's get something for you." 2B said as she and 9S went off to the male section.
(Present Moment)
"And ever since then, it's been smoothing sailing so far." 9S told the Pods as he opened the window, revealing the bright-lit city as the sky turned to night. The pods looked out and were seemingly in awe as 9S smiled at the sight once more. "Welcome to New York City. Surprisingly we live near Times Square, one of the most well-known attractions of the city."
"Based on your logs, New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world. How do you afford to pay the rent?" Pod 153 asked.
"We've been taking some jobs." 9S explained. "I've been working as IT support. Not the most thrilling job but at least it helps pay."
"What about 2B?" Pod 042 asked while 9S only chuckled.
"She's been trying some fields but they haven't seemed to work out so she's still looking." 9S explained.
"A2?"
"A2 always said she's running some errands for money but both me and 2B know that she's up to something. She never told us though." 9S looked out the window. "She still hasn't come back yet."
(With A2)
A2 was wearing a dark hood with the outfit she got from the shopping center as she walked through the night life of New York City. She looked around through the crowds of people she was trying to get through. She then took her phone out and saw the picture of a notable man along with a text of where he was last located.
She then saw him across the street from where she was walking. The female android then took a deep breath running straight for him. She was easily dodging the cars on the road since there wasn't that much during this time of the day. The man saw A2 run for him before his eyes widened and he too tried running away. They were soon in the same sidewalk while the man kept pushing people aside, hoping it'll be enough to slow A2 down. A2 skillfully avoided each person coming for her before she saw her man run into an alleyway. A2 carefully went into it before seeing her man run into a door.
A2 quietly and carefully walked through the dark room.
"Duncan Garvil, we can do this the easy way or the hard way!" A2 announced as she explored the room, only for the lights turn on which revealed a dozen of thugs surrounding the girl.
"There's no way, I'm going back to jail! Boys, take care of her!" Duncan ordered, allowing all the thugs to charge straight at her. A2 didn't seemed concerned as she charged herself before sliding down past a thug's legs. She then got up and immediately kicked him down before jumping onto his back, her heavy weight from her mechanical components crushing his spine. He yelled in pain.
A2 then saw a couple of oncoming punches from the other thugs. She quickly jumped off the back and dodged them. A2 then responded to these attacks by giving a series of punches to one of the men that attacked before kicking him into a pile of trash nearby, knocking out the goon.
She then grabbed the arm of the other goon before bending it downwards, immediately breaking it. The goon screamed in pain as a response before A2 immediately shut him up by punching him straight in the face, knocking him out.
The other thugs grabbed a couple of bats and nearby pipes to use as weapons. They all charged but A2 dodged them all, thanks to her experience back in her original Earth. She immediately disarmed one of the thugs of the pipes before using it to knock him out. She then swung it at two more guys, knocking them out.
A2 looked at Duncan and was about to say something while another thug charged at her with a baseball bat. He swung it but when the bat met her head, the bat immediately broke due to her android body. A2 just looked back at him with a very irritated look under hood before immediately getting on her knees and punching him where the sun doesn't shine. The other thugs just winced as the unfortunate victim just yelled in pain before A2 punched him again in the face, knocking him out.
A2 then looked at the last two thugs who pulled out pocket switchblades while A2 didn't seem intimidated.
"You two call those butter knives weapons?" A2 then went to the side of her pants and pressed an invisible button next to the belt. Thank YoRHa for developing cloaked weapons as the button revealed her sheathed sword. She pulled it out with the thugs themselves looking intimidated. "This is a weapon. Now who wants to come at me?"
The thugs dropped their knives and ran away as A2 had a small smirk. She then looked-for Duncan who was trying to get out through the backdoor which was locked. He noticed her walking towards him, forcing him to take out a pistol and aimed it at her before firing. A2 either dodged or blocked the bullets with her blade, until one got her in the shoulder. Despite the blood appearing on her shoulder, A2's body wasn't even damaged since she was made to participate in wars that could go on a nuclear scale if need be. To her, that bullet was more of a small sting if anything. A2, slightly annoyed, easily slashed the pistol out of Duncan's hand, forcing the man to raise his arms up as the android pointed her blade at him.
"W-Wait! Please don't kill me!" Duncan begged while A2 just sighed.
"Lucky for you, you're worth more to me alive than dead." A2 said as she pulled out a pair of handcuffs with her free hand. She then carefully approached Duncan before handcuffing both hands. Little did 2B and 9S know, A2 took on the job of the bounty hunter. She hunted those that managed to evade arrest for profit, alive or dead.
A2 escorted Duncan out of the building as she thought back to how she landed this career.
(1 week ago)
A2 was wandering around the shopping center while 2B and 9S were still shopping for clothes. A2 decided to take a quick break from exploring by sitting down on the nearby bench. As she was sitting down, she was wondering what can she do for a living. All she knew was how to be a soldier, given her model-type as an Attacker and survivor. What good can her skills provide? She was not going into the army. She had enough of a group like that.
As she was thinking, she noticed a man being chased by another one.
"Don't let him get away! He's a criminal!" The man in the far back said as they were now heading towards A2's way. A2 got up and hit the criminal in the face with her shopping bag, making the man stumble back.
"I don't have time to deal you, girl!" The criminal said as he charged in an attempt to push her away but A2 kicked him back before he had the chance to. The guy then tried to rush her with a quick punch to the gut but A2 caught it. She tightly gripped it before twisting it, breaking the man's hand.
He yelled in pain before A2 punched him square in the face, knocking back down on the floor. And long enough for his captor to catch up to him.
"Thanks, ma'm. When I get this bozo turned in, I'll remember to give you a cut for the help today." The man said, getting her attention.
"A cut?"
"Yes, I am a bounty hunter. I get hired to track scum like him and turn him in to the authorities dead or alive." The man explained, catching A2's attention as she saw this as a sign for a new career to her due to her abilities.
"Does it pay well?" She asked.
"Enough to make a living, depending on the target. Why? Thinking of joining?"
"You know what? I might do that." A2 replied.
"What's your name?"
"Alice." A2 replied.
"The name's John." John then gave her a business card and A2 read it to see that the Bounty Hunter Association address and number. "Hope to see you around, Alice. Now if you excuse me, I've got this piece of trash to take care of." He then walked away with his target as A2 read the address to memorize.
(Present Moment)
A2 just dropped Duncan off at the Association building and collected her payment. She started making her way back to the apartment where she saw the other androids catching up with the reactivated pods.
They greeted her with open arms as they then started to chat about everything that's been going on. Of course, they did inquire about A2's bullet wound but she waved it off, saying that she got caught in an accident before using a one of the Recovery items that they brought from their original Earth.
They then spent the rest of the night chatting in peace, something they never had the time for back home.
(Present)
2B was smiling fondly at the memory as she got in and cleaned herself. As she was showering, she looked at the clock before her eyes widened.
"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" 2B then washed faster and got out before drying herself and changing into the appropriate clothes. She then took the resume that 9S had forged for her while the pods helped her on her way.
"Statement: We wish you luck, 2B." Pod 042 said while 2B got out onto the city. She took a deep breath as she walked to the desired address, hoping she can start this new day properly.
AN: I apologize in advance if the time transitions can be confusing, this is my first time using them like this but I feel that it is necessary to show and tell important events. Especially if it's a flashback within a flashback. Anyways, if you guys think that this idea should be greenlit, let me know and tell me your suggestions on what 2B's job should be.
Anyways, please review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics. Alright, I'm done; goodnight.