[Chapter 1: Savior]
This feeling, of being unconscious and unsure of where I am or what happened to me. Déjà vu much?
Once more I open my eyes. Guess I'm not ready to meet my maker quite yet.
Fluorescent lights seep in between my eyelids, causing me to flinch away from the brightness. After my eyes adjust, I find myself staring at a white ceiling, accompanied by a ceiling fan twirling about, low in speed. My back rests on a soft cushion, not at all like the rigidness of my apartment floor. Surrounding me are cabinets filled with what seem to be medical supplies.
Already an improvement compared to the last debacle.
My body aches all over but doesn't seem to yearn for sustenance. I make an effort to get up but I find that my movement is limited. I remove a sheet covering me and crane my neck to look at my lower body. I have two casts, one on my right leg and another on my left arm.
My entire torso is also wrapped in bandages. The handiwork of whoever saved me is definitely not something to be unappreciated. The sight of my treated injuries envelops me with comfort and nostalgia. It kind of reminds me of something... Something nice…
Whatever the case, I seem to be out of harm's way. Relieved, my head plops back down onto the cushion. Soon, though, questions begin to rattle off in my head, but I ignore them and try to relax. Despite my efforts, they continue to gnaw at me.
Where was I? And what was that thing? Some kind of...walking machine... and why did it just attack me all of a sudden? It all just seemed like a vivid nightmare. But the injuries all over my body say otherwise. I could've lost my life then and there. I'm alive though. And that's a good thing. Right? I at least get to see another day. Breathe another breath.
I grow heavy and feel my body sink further into the cushion. Looks like I've managed to somewhat calm myself. Have to keep looking at the brighter side of things; I think it's making me feel better, mentally at least. Alright, after I heal up, I have to–
"Hey, are you alright?"
Huh? M-my cheeks feel a little warm…
Guh, th-that was... was rude. I–
"Can you hear me?"
–was staring…
My eyes dart to the ground in embarrassment. Sheesh, I can already feel my cheeks flushing red. What do I do? I'm choking up again; I've never been any good at talking with women, especially with pret–
"He's finally woken up but seems completely out of it."
How could I have missed her? Was she sitting beside me this entire time? Jeez, I must seem so weird not saying anything. It's just that, wow... she has round... pretty eyes. They're a vibrant light blue, soothing to look at.
Her heart-shaped face is complemented by smooth hair running down past her shoulders, completely white in color. To the bottom right of her rather full lips is a small, cutely placed beauty mark. Her skin was almost ceramic-looking, almost as if she was manufactured to look this beautiful.
Although, something seems... off about her. Some of the skin on her lower body is scratched off and what almost looks like a silvery smooth metal is in place of what should be flesh. It's kinda creepy...
Not only that, but looking closely at her, I can see that her clothes look weird, like they're part of her skin – no, more like a drawing was etched into it. I turn my attention back to her face. I say in a low, weak voice, "Um... Are you the one that saved me, Miss...?" While waiting for a name in reply, I avert my gaze in slight fear at the expression on her face... scratch that, there is no expression on her face. It looks as if she's never smiled a day in her life. That stern glare is intimidating.
"YoRHa Type A No.2." A robotic voice breaks the silent atmosphere. Next to the woman, I've again failed to notice another... wait, what IS that? It's an upright rectangular box made out of metal no bigger than a dictionary suspended in mid-air, and nothing seems to be helping it stay up; no rockets, boosters, or anything. Two pivots take their place at the bottom of the machine, small pipe shaped arms are attached to the ends, each with three finger-like appendages.
"Don't speak for me, idiot," the woman coldly replies to the machine.
"Analysis: YoRHa Type A No.2 was having difficulty replying to the human's inquiry as to how he should address you, and it is part of my protocol that I assist y–"
"Be quiet! You talk too much, useless pod." The woman turns back to face me. "As for you, just call me A2. And yes, I was in fact the one who found you writhing in the sand, blood spattered everywhere. Those damn machines..."
Frightened by 'A2' and her serious tone, I reply timidly, "Well, um, thanks for saving me... A2."
What kind of name is A2? I mean that's not even her full name, I think it's pronounced Your-ha... something, something two? Maybe it's a codename or something. Still, I've got nothing better to call her.
"Say A2, I know I just met you, but what was that thing? The robot thing that attacked me?" I ask, hoping to find clarity in my situation.
"What? Oh. That's right, you don't... Let me ask you a couple of things first," she replies.
"That's fine, I guess. You saved me after all."
"Okay. Firstly, where did you come from? How did you end up out there like that?"
"Well, I woke up in my apartment on the brink of starving to death. I slowly made my way out and was attacked by that thing. It hit me pretty bad, and I blacked out as you killed it."
"You were 'starving'?"
The floating machine interjects, "Humans require food which provides nutrients in order to maintain life. YoRHa Type A No.2, I am worried about your apparent lack of knowledge on our creators."
"Quiet, you," A2 replies. "Do you remember your name? Do you remember any time or event at all before your apartment?"
Trying to rack something up in my mind, little more than an empty void surfaces up no matter how hard I try.
I do my best to answer her questions regardless, "My name is... umm…" What?
"It's..." How can I not know my own name? "I'm not really sure. I don't quite remember anything before waking up either."
A2 sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Pod, make yourself useful and extract data from his memory circuits."
The pod answers back, "Request: Impossible."
"What?! And why the hell is that?" A2 gets angrier at the pod.
"Humans do not contain memory circuits. Instead, they utilize a brain to recall memories. Memory functions in six different parts of the brain and is a basic structure of the human anatomy. The brain is a biological component and cannot be repa–"
"Ugh, enough! I know that..." A2 looks somewhat flustered and I sit and watch in silence as they continue talking.
"Proposal: A2 should replace the human's bandages. If left on for an extended period of time, unsanitary bandages may slow the healing process and cause an infection."
"Whatever..." A2 gets up from a small ottoman and places herself beside my bed. She rests her silky hands on my upper chest. I jump a little from the feeling. Her hands are freezing, but in contrast, my face begins to warm up again when she starts to untwine my wrap. She pauses for a second with a puzzled look. I think she noticed.
She stops for a second and turns to the suspended rectangle. "Hey, pile of junk, why does he keep turning red like that? Does he have an infection or something?"
It replies, "Analysis: The red hue is due to the human's experience with a self-conscious emotion referred to as embarrassment and is not a sign of infection. Hypothesis: Said embarrassment is most likely caused by YoRHa Type A No.2's designed appearance. The human male is partial to your appearance and has a natural instinct to look for an ample mate, so that it may rep–"
"Shut up!" My mouth opens to prevent the thing from speaking any further. I feel like I'm about to die from this humiliating situation…
"Said process is not possible with androids."
"Yes, thank you, it's not po – wait. What?"
"Repeat: Reproduction with an android is not possible."
"Android?"
"Repeat: It is not possible to procreate with androids, due t–"
"STOP! I get that part already. I get it. But what I don't get is why the fuck do you refer to me as 'Human'?" Looking back, I probably didn't catch the context clues from their earlier words due to coming off of some sort of delirium, and only now did the bulk of what they said hit me like a ton of bricks. "Why do you keep talking about me like I'm something special when you're exactly the same as me?!" Perhaps it was me trying to rationalize this entire rabbit hole I've fallen into, but I just couldn't accept what I was hearing. I certainly couldn't accept what I heard next.
"That's because I'm not human," A2 answers simply.
"What?"
"I'm an android. Look." A2 detaches her left arm effortlessly from her shoulder like some kind of Barbie doll. Wires protrude out of her shoulder. After reattaching her arm, she glances back at me. What the fuck is happening...
"The reason why you haven't seen, and will not see any other humans is simple. You are the only human left in existence."
Polished and edited by: Recycler and 0erbayunFang
Thank you guys!
A/N: As always, comments and critique are much appreciated!