Chapter 15: Where Left
6H felt less comfortable wondering the market as time passed.
She wasn't sure what caused it, but the world seemed to shrink and tighten around her the longer she looked around. It had even gotten to where she swore people were giving her looks.
Why were they looking at her?
Were they looking at her?
She continued to weave through the crowd until she found herself back at the entrance to the marketplace. She took refuge by an unassuming crate and collapsed against it, catching her breath.
This place is too much- she thought, as she was catching her breath. It all feels too strange…
As she sat in silence, a shadow loomed over her. Looking up, it was her partner. Dressed in similar garbs to her own.
"O-oh. Thirty-Three! I didn't know you were awake." 6H said, rubbing her face, in a vain attempt to focus.
"You good?" 33E reached out a hand. Hesitantly, 6H grabbed it, and was pulled upright.
"Y-yeah," she stammered, "I think so…"
33E looked into the marketplace 6H seemed to have came from, spotting to odd looks directed towards them.
"I saw that… Guy… Again…" 33E said.
"Um…" 6H tried to remember who she would be referring to. "Oh, Dimos?"
"Who?"
"The man with the machine arms? He helped us?"
"Oh. Yeah, same guy. They eat, you know?" 33E spouted.
"R-really?" 6H asked.
33E nodded, "It's weird. Not sure if I'm a fan of this place."
"Its pleasent, but I don't think we're trusted very much." 6H looked back at the marketplace.
"I got that impression too…" 33E began tapping her foot impatiently.
The two stood in unsure silence. Their brains were still processing everything that happened in the past twenty four hours.
"Look," 33E deflated, taking a seat on the crate 6H was leaned against, "The bunker may be destroyed, but there's a chance that there are YoRHa members somewhere on this island. Defects or not, we should at least make sure if there are any more, that they're safe."
6H silently dreaded the idea of finding more members of YoRHa. If what Fargo said about 33E was true, she'd stop at nothing to destroy any other traitors, whether she actually wanted to or not.
"Well, since we're still waiting," 6H stood, "Was there anywhere else we could look in town?"
33E shrugged, "I think Dimos has a shop or something but-"
"Perfect!" 6H interrupted, "We can look around there."
"… Why?" 33E asked with a grumble.
"Why not?" 6H shrugged as she began walking over to the pier.
With a hefty sigh, 33E followed.
The docks themselves were rather quiet. Not many people seemed to frequent it, at least at that time of day.
The two YoRHa androids approached the rickity door attatched to the large shack. 6H stepped forward, knocked, and stepped back to 33Es side.
33E folded her arms, "This is a waste of time…"
"That's the idea, isn't it? We still need to meet with the village leader, you know." 6H said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah." 33E sighed, "I know."
"Hold on!" a deep and somewhat ambiguous voice called out.
33E raised an eyebrow, That wasn't Dimos… Do they have extra help?
After some additional rustling inside, the door swung open, revealing a short yet very pale android. It was clear they didn't see the sunlight too often.
"Oh. Good afternoon!" the android greeted cheerfully, "Please come in! Take a seat! I'll be right with you."
The android appeared to be female, but the voice was some weird in-between of the two. Their baggy clothing was tightened by the apron tied around their front and their hair was pulled back into a rather sizable brown bun.
Their musculature was also curious, as their arms were a cross of machines and android parts. Seemingly hiding their oversized nature relative to the rest of the body.
33E furrowed her brow. Something was absolutely strange about this one.
"Say, 6H-" 33E said, taking a seat at one of the free tables.
"You can still call me Hives, you know?" 6H interrupted, taking her own seat.
"S-sure… Is there something strange about that android?" 33E tried subtly pointing at the android who was fussing behind the front counter, mumbling to themselves.
"Hrmm… Maybe." 6H tapped the side of her head, "I can't tell their gender, if thats what you're talking about."
"Yeah… I think that's it." 33E trailed off.
"But it is strange… YoRHa specifically made us models to be female for some tactical reasons." 6H mused, "As far as I'm aware, no one ever questioned or contested this. Then these androids were just made for other miscellaneous purposes. I think gender was always arbitrary for them, if I had to guess."
33E hadn't considered the idea of gender being arbitrary. Androids didn't reproduce and, ideally, they can be programmed with specific skills. YoRHa androids were a bit different. Their combat skills and data was a result of years upon years study and interpretation of mankind's condition as well as a neural network of machine focused combat data.
I wonder, if I was a man, would I be much different? 33E trailed off herself. She definitely wouldn't willingly behave differently. She was already comfortable with herself, to a point.
"Alright-" the android approached with a smile, "My name is Senalda, how can I help you two today?"
"Hello, Senalda!" 6H lit up, "I think your brother recommended we stop by when we have the chance. We were killing time and wanted to see what this place was."
"Oh!" Senalda's eyes widened, "You know Dimos, then?"
"He kind of-" 33E sighed, "Saved our lives. I guess."
Senalda smirked at 33Es hesitation, "So you're the YoRHa units my brother saved then."
6H nodded along.
"S-say- Senalda…" 33E spoke up, "I was just wondering, about your… Appearence."
6H elbowed 33E, glaring daggers at her.
Senalda winced, keeping her smile, "I'm a ma'am, ma'am. That's all you need to know."
"R-right. Sorry if that's was…. Weird to ask." 33E rubbed the back of her neck.
"It's fine." Senalda smiled sadly, "It's not the first time I've been asked something like that."
"Really?" 6H piped up, "Oh, s-sorry. I'm just surprised. Everyone here seems so welcoming to everyone.
Senalda shrugged, "It wasn't always that way."
"I see…" 6H seemed to drift into deep thought.
"You got some plain filtered water for now?" 33E asked.
"Sure. Since you're new here and friends of my brother, this one's on the house." Senalda tapped the table and turned around to fulfill their request.
"You alright, Hives?" 33E asked. 6H seemed to ignore her. She waved her hand in front of her face.
"Hrm?" 6H snapped to attention.
"I asked if you're alright?" 33E leaned in.
"Oh. Yeah… I just thinking about this whole town… It's strange. Isn't it?"
"Yep."
"I don't think it's bad. Just different." 6H interleaved her fingers.
"I suppose we think differently in that way." 33E leaned back, crossing her arms.
"How so?"
"I'm… Troubled by a lot of the things I've seen. Even though YoRHa might be gone, should we just turn our backs on everything it stood for?"
"Maybe…" 6H pulled her hands up and leaned on them, "Or maybe not. At the very least it's time we reevaluate things, right?"
"I guess." 33E rubbed her temples, the whole ordeal was giving her a headache.
With a clank the drinks were placed in front of them.
"Did you both need anything else?" Senalda asked.
"No, thank you." 6H waved.
Senalda nodded and returned to behind the counter where she continued to rifle through whatever was underneath.
"Reevaluate, huh?" 33E muttered to herself as 6H drank from her cup.
After some time passed, Dimos entered the establishment with a sack of what 33E assumed to be more fruit slung over his shoulder.
"Senalda, help me out here, would you?" Dimos said, placing the sack down.
Senalda rushed out from behind the counter and began rifling through it.
With a frown, she produced a fruit, "Weren't these supposed to go to the client?"
"Yeah, apparently they changed their minds and didn't tell us." Dimos grumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Assholes…" Senalda muttered.
"Look at the bright side, more produce for the bar!" Dimos pulled out a fruit and took a bite.
"There's less than what we pulled, though? You haven't been eating on them all day, have you?"
Dimos froze with a mouthful of fruit, slowly swallowing, "No! I tried to sell these in the market."
Senalda raised an eyebrow.
"OK, OK I also may have taken a few for myself. It's not like we'd be able to sell them all."
Senalda scoffed, "You got that right…"
6H glanced at 33E, who was looking at the conversation with intent.
"You want a fruit?" 6H asked in a hushed tone.
33E jolted to attention and shook her head, "N-no. What makes you-"
6H waved at the sibblings, "We'll take some!"
In a flash, Senalda grabbed a few fruits and began preparing some drinks for the duo.
Meanwhile, Dimos pulled up a chair, "So, how's the town been treating you two?"
The YoRHa androids looked at each other, expecting the other to say something.
"Seems not especially well." Dimos said, leaning back. "Honestly, I figured as much. We're definitely different compared to any other group of androids-"
"You mean that you're not all androids?" 33E interject.
Dimos furrowed his brow, "Yeah. I guess so. You got some comments, didn't you?"
6H looked down at her empty glass, still feeling somewhat guilty about her interactions in the market.
"I get you're all new here, but you're going to have to learn the hard way. Much like this town did years ago." Dimos took another bite of his fruit.
"Existential." 33E blurted.
"I'm… Sorry?" Dimos leaned in.
"That's how the town has been making me feel. I think. By what YoRHa has told us, this town shouldn't exist. Machines and Androids shouldn't be able to coexist. But… Here it is…" she gestured around.
"It's making me question…. Everything I've been told, really." 33E said with a sigh as she ruffled her hair.
NOTHING CAN INTERFERE
The instinct returned, if only for a brief moment. 33E figured it was time for her to shut up.
Finally, Senalda dropped a pair of drinks in front of the two YoRHa units and, with great hesitation, they drank from the glasses.
6H eyes widened while 33E nodded solemnly.
"Th-this is-"
"Good?" 33E interrupted once again, "It is, isn't it?"
A smile crept across Dimos' face as he observed the previously tense androids finally take a moment to relax.
He knocked on the table, "Well, once you're finished, you should make your way over to the town hall. That's where our leader will provide you with a proper explanation for what you've seen so far."
6H nodded with newfound energy, "Yes of course. Thank you for all of the help, Dimos."
He nodded, "Thanks for potentially uprooting your entire world view and soaking up the town. It's fantastic here, if you find you want to settle somewhere."
6H frowned slightly, "We'll- think about it."
Once the duo finished their drinks, they set off towards the town hall.
It was hard to miss. While the building was tucked behind the trees that grew away from the shore, it was the largest of them.
The trees obscured the details, but the roof was curved upwards and out. With either side meeting at the middle, sloping to a point.
The height of the building insinuated at least three floors.
As 6H and 33E approached up the concrete slabbed stairs, a pair of androids stood at either side of the entrance.
"State your business." one said.
"Your leader called us? We're the YoRHa units." 6H stepped forward.
The guards looked at each other.
"I see. Wait here." the same guard waved inside. Another android approached as he whispered into their ear, and returned inside.
"This is a bad idea," 33E muttered, "If we're not welcome here, what if this is a trap?"
"If we weren't welcome, we'd have been thrown out by now." 6H retorted.
"Maybe they want to kill us themselves, since we know about this village…"
"You're too distrusting, Thirty-Three…"
"Funny, I was going to say you're too trusting."
The guard returned from inside, "Follow me."
"Do we still have our weapons?" 33E whispered.
6H shrugged.
33E realized she'd never even seen 6Hs weapon. If she even had one. She sighed, "Guess we'll find out, then…" the two followed the guard inside.
The primarily wooden construction was long. Immediately past the entrance was three large rooms connected one after the other. Each doorway similarly sized, exposing the next room through a tall doorway.
The last room was a round table with a number of android seated around it. At the head of the table was a dark skinned android, her attire was similar to their own, but more Regal in nature, being adorned with red silk strips of cloth around her neck that fell all around her, forming a shawl.
The woman took notice of their approach, waved around the table and loudly broke through the conversation, "We'll continue this discussion once we've come to a better consensus. Until then, disperse."
The crowd mumbled and muttered to one another as they began to stand and take their leave.
6H and 33E stood in front of the table, the guards stepping away, allowing their leader to take charge.
The woman took a moment to size up the duo, her curled deep black hair falling over only one side of her face.
She waved towards the two chairs in front of the pair, "Please, sit."
6H glanced at 33E before taking a seat.
33E simply crossed her arms, "I'd prefer to stand."
The sound of approaching foot steps began to resound behind her, but the woman waved her hand, shaking her head. The guards backed away. "Fine. Then state your business."
"We're the ones Dimos saved, ma'am. In the canyon?" 6H said.
The woman nodded, "So then you're the YoRHa androids?"
6H nodded in kind.
"Then that must mean we owe you an explanation…" she interlocked her fingers and leaned against them, considering where to start.
"I am Akeha. I oversee this village with the power given to me by the villagers."
"First," she began, "What are you're designations?"
"6H, ma'am." 6H said. She looked back to 33E, who was unmoving, "And that's 33E." she said, glaring at her comrade.
Akeha's eyes flinched for a moment before resting narrowed, "E, you say? Of all of my encounters with YoRHa, I've never heard that one before. What do you do?"
"She-"
"I kill traitorous members of YoRHa." 33E interrupted.
6H let out a frustrated sigh.
"I see…" Akeha took another moment before standing.
"This island, I'm sure you know, has a reputation. Bad things seem to happen here. More specifically, it attracts the wrong crowd. This town is intended to be a haven from all of that." she stated. "The androids you ran into are antithetical to everything we stand for. They're known as The Cannibals."
6Hs eyes widened, "Isn't that an old world term? Doesn't it mean-"
"That those androids-" 33E interrupted, "They can't eat… So what- they strip others for parts?"
The woman nodded slowly, "Based on our limited negotiations, they see our methods of survival as… Unclean…" she turned to the table behind her and refilled her empty glass, revealing the mechanical left leg she possessed.
"We've befriended a few machines. They had spare parts that were unused, so we came to a compromise. We provide shelter and protection, and we can repair our failing bodies from their spare parts." she took a drink from her glass.
"Then those feral androids… I'm guessing those cannibals have something to do with them?" 33E asked, stepping forward.
Akeha shook her head, "We're not sure. We assume so. But any questions we attempt to pose during negotiations left us…. Unclear still."
"B-but- then, what about that thing that lead those androids? That ghastly figure?" 6H asked.
Akeha's face grew grim, "That- even now isn't certain to us. But what we do know is that it is known as The God of Myth. But is often referred to by its followers as Gestalt."
A shiver ran down 6Hs spine, "Wh- why is it called that?"
Akeha shrugged, "I'm not sure. Supposedly, according to rumors, it was the first and only word it's ever spoken." she shook her head, "But enough about rumors. I need to be certain of something, do you intend on staying here?"
The YoRHa androids shared a pensive look.
"I don't think we're ready to decide that, yet. First, we need to search the rest of the island for any other members of YoRHa." 33E said.
6H looked up, surprised.
"Traitors or not, they're all we have left. If nothing else, we owe it to them to provide some closure." 33E continued.
Akeha folded her arms, "You say you execute traitors, yet you're willing to make an exception?"
"I don't know if I have a reason to execute them anymore…" 33E looked down, the mental image of debris from the bunker falling straight towards her and 6H flashing through her mind. Simultaneously, on saying this the burning sensation returned. Not for long. Just as what felt like a reminder.
Akeha placed her arms on the table, "Very well, then you intend to use our facilities and our shops, yes?"
33E shrugged, "I suppose we might."
"Then I have no reason to intrude." she waved her hand, "But I do have a favor to ask, if you're able."
"We will at least listen." 6H said, "Not sure if we can promise anything, though."
"If you find any lone machines or androids on your treks. Please let them know we exist and can help." Akeha said, a sincere tone in her voice.
"Yeah." 6H nodded, "I think we can do that."
Akeha knocked on the table as she stood, satisfied by the transaction. She downed the remainder of her drink before she spoke, "I appreciate it. I understand you both have been undergoing some… Troubles… But unfortunately, we can't pay it much mind currently."
33E almost scoffed, "And why's that?"
"The Cannibals have been increasingly aggressive recently. No one knows why, but it's almost like they're looking for something." Akeha narrowed her eyes as she spun the glass in her hand, "Our resources are focused on protection and scouting."
6H grabbed 33Es shoulder as she stood, "We understand. Your people come before some strangers. I don't think there's much anyone can do to help anyway…"
Akeha placed the glass by its accompanying bottle and wiped her hands clean, "Well, I'll leave you two to it. You're free to use your huts for continued rest, and roam our facilities to trade for supplies."
She began walking toward the westward exit, "Dimos also informed me that he has your original clothing and equipment. Talk to him to check when they're finished being repaired."
6H bowed, "Yes. Thank you, ma'am. Good luck with your endeavors."
Akeho stopped at the exits doorframe, smiling, "You two as well." and made her exit.
The guards escorted them both out, where they then returned to Dimos' shop.
6H stopped just outside the entrance, "Was that necessary?"
33E blinked, "Was what necessary?"
6H frowned, "The tone? The attitude? The borderline antagonism?"
33E crossed her arms, "We're in a place that no one has even heard of, and by all accounts shouldn't exist. I think I have the right to stay skeptical."
6H sighed in defeat, opting to drop the topic.
Upon entering, they saw Dimos sat behind the front bar, polishing what looked to be an already cleaned glass, seemingly out of boredom.
"Hello again, Dimos! We're here to collect our things." 6H hopped up to the table.
33E, on the other hand, was looking around the shop quizzically, taking note of the random fishes mounted on the walls for the first time, "Where's, um, your sister?"
Dimos raised an eyebrow, noticing her distracted gaze, "My, sister is out fishing on the dock by the back exit. That's actually where your clothes have been drying. I expect you're here to get them?"
6H nodded, "You also mentioned they were going to be modified?"
Dimos smirked, rubbing his chin mischievously, "Maybe…"
"After all the mixed signals, I'm surprised to see that you're all able to give us any sort of accommodations." 33E retorted, looking out one of the side windows towards the ocean.
"It's… Complicated…" Dimos rubbed his neck, "But I can show you your stuff now, if you want."
"Yes, please." 6H stepped forward, following Dimos towards the pier behind the establishment. With a sigh, 33E followed as well, as they retrieved their new garbs.