The Long Blinding End
"Warning: Time and Space travel, even with current technological innovations, is to be considered extremely high risk, and was the source of multiple quantum anomalies throughout the artifact sites. Query: Are you sure you wish to attempt this?"
Walking on, the android ignored her drone-like companion.
"Analysis: Calculations put the chance of your success to be very low of 4%-...Correction, 1.279% with your primary functions intact. Proposal: Wait until further research can be done, along with assistance from Resistance survivors."
Again, she chose to remain silent, slipping through the decrypt entrance. She was just outside of the City Ruins, facing down an isolated building. It was a small structure, at least from where she currently stood.
But then again... things have proven to be bigger than they seem before, what's one more thing?
The interior of the structure was dark and had probably been so for thousands of years. Dust and overgrowth muffled her lithe movements, though little but the wildlife remained to hear her.
"Pod. Which way to this 'Lab' from here?" She spoke, turning in place as she studied a skylight. "And yes, I'm sure. This… is the only way left now. I have to make things right."
The path had led her to a circular room, a hub of sorts. Battered and forgotten machines littered her way as she stared down the multiple hallways branching out, lined with multiple doors.
She had to do this. She had to, for the sake of…for Her sake. For everyone's sake. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless.
There was nothing left, not even among the now victorious Resistance androids. Anemone and Jackass would welcome her but…YoRHa had to die, once and for all. Otherwise, everyone's sacrifice would be in vain.
2B and 9S. Commander White. Her old squad and the fighters at Pearl Harbor from all those years ago. The countless YorHa androids lost to their own virus.
And A2 herself.
All of them had given everything for the lie.
It was a lie that made her a renegade, that pushed her away from everyone.
It was a lie she would finalize by going away, further entrenching the future of the androids. Perhaps, to drive them to the Stars, like the Machines?
The small device hovered past her, glinting briefly in the sunlight. It 'nodded', motioning down the hallway to the right. She wasted no time, casually stepping over long-dead ghosts and their machines, shrouding herself in darkness once more.
A2 didn't look back.
Her internal timekeeping told her that had spent a mere 13 hours and 21 minutes traveling downward, but it had felt like days. The dilapidated structure had no power, at least in the upper levels, so the elevator leading into the deeper sections was obviously not a choice.
There were also the numerous traps and alarms- still armed and lethal after countless centuries- frequently placed in the elevator shafts.
They were of no issue. Her mobility, impromptu hacking abilities, and her vast amounts of experience assured that.
Eventually, she stood before a very large blast door. It was the only sign of civilization in the yawning cavern, and it felt even darker. Heavier, even though she knew that a lack of light energy did not mean increased gravity. Far to the side, nearly blocked by the crumbling piles of rock and stalagmites, was a console. Stepping past mounds of rubble, she stood before it, blowing the dust off the screen.
The former YoRHa android moved aside, allowing her companion to access the decrepit system. Annoyingly- and as per usual- it prattled about how old this system was. No doubt it was even older than the ruins above. Finally, a deep thrumming noise was heard, followed by a rumble. The doors began to screech, seemingly in agony as they were forced open by mechanisms unknown.
Then, it stopped. Running diagonally, not unlike a crooked beast with gaping, serrated jaws, was a split seam. The doors were stuck, with less than two feet opened.
"Alert: the door is obstructed, and likely damaged-" The companion cut off in amusement as she disappeared in a blur of movement. "…Of course. Rescind this pod's statement…"
Brash and aggressive, A2 never wasted time. With a running start, she leaped through the gap, contorting her body lithely.
On the other side, she strained her optical systems to match ominously green luminescence. She was in a circular room, circular and centered around a green obelisk. Aside from dust, there were only computer workstations around the spire, all of which were shattered. Rolling chairs and scattered holo-tablets littered the floor, though there were no signs of human remains.
The strange spire was the source of light- rather, the glowing holographic cube atop its point.
The pod companion hovered to her side, watching her with subtly hidden concern.
"This Pod must warn you again." It stated, moving forward with the young 'woman'. "All experiments past the test were shut down. Chances of success are minuscule. Once through, contact between us will be slim, and I cannot guarantee-"
"That's enough, Pod. For what it's worth... thank you for taking me this far. I can handle it from here."
For the first time, her face twitched into something that might have been a smile. The little machine's concern was touching, if not something her past self might have questioned.
After another moment, the machine gestured. "Very well." It hummed, two metallic arms simulating what a human would call a 'thinking pose'. "This pod will ensure that the programs run optimally, and make attempts to re-establish contact. It should be possible if this Lab's data logs are correct." Methodically, it hovered from console to console, until it found what it was looking for. A microsecond of interfacing later, the ancient machinery hummed to life for the first in centuries.
After nearly 9,000 years of brutal conflict between the Androids and Machines, next to nothing of the Old World remained. However, during A2's time on the run, the rogue had stumbled across an ancient data storage. Locations of warehouses, weapons, power sources, material refineries...and one of the remaining labs dedicated to the restoration of humanity, back before they had gone extinct.
At the time, the latter hadn't meant much to the bitter A2, but her confrontation with a pair of optimistic, bright YoRHa android units had changed everything.
She strode forward and laid down on a table that looked all too similar to an altar. Unbuckling her gear, she set her advanced, highly upgraded Type-40 Blade against the table. Her damaged, synthetic skin felt the coolness of the metal, but she paid it no mind.
With a clicking sound, a field of energy enveloped her like a capsule. Metallic restraints bound her at the wrist, ankles, waist, and head. Taking care not to damage anything, she tested their strength.
Good, nice, and secure. The bindings would likely hold against even her highest levels of strength- restraints were something she would have once resisted with all she had. Things were different, and with a deep breath, she knew this was her only option... To make things right.
The companion finished accessing the table's monitoring station, then moved to hover above her. "This is it… If it all works well, you will be back soon. Proposal: take care, A2."
A smile finally reached her face, closing her eyes to her faithful companion. "You haven't stopped telling me what to do," she thought… and it all went black.
Notes: Some of you reading may have noticed, but this isn't the original note I had. But, this will be shorter than the previous, heh.
This story is dedicated to someone I greatly cared for and lost earlier this year in 2020. It's been, well, a horrible year, to say the least. That's at least my excuse for not updating recently. Suffice to say, as of Dec. 2020, I am making very small but needed changes, but more importantly, I have decided to resume work on this story, for my friend's sake- she pushed and guided me when I first wrote this, and though it may be hard to write, I'll be damned if I don't do this for her. While I am making some changes from what it was supposed to be, that isn't a bad thing.
Suffice to say, THIS FIC CONTAINS SPOILERS for Girls Frontline and Nier: Automata. Play both of those, please, they are good.
I am also posting this to SpaceBattles, where you can comment, view pictures, or chat together about the story and franchises.
Extra important: I cannot promise anything in regards to scheduling, for this story or any of my others.
Thank you.