[Chapter 2: Freedom]
*SPOILERS* Read at your own risk!
"What did you say?" I ask, trying to make sense of this chaotic situation.
"Jeez, enough with the questions. Besides, I just said it, didn't I?" A2 replies.
"I'm the last where? Last one in this building? The last one in this town? What the hell am I last in?"
"The last human, period, dummy. Weren't you listening? It's like talking to a brick wall with you…"
A baffled look overcomes my face. This conversation is ridiculous. "Again, is this some kind of joke? That's impossible. You're standing right in front of me, aren't you? What you did with your arm, that was just a prosthetic, right?"
A2 looks at me with daggers in her eyes and a blank and serious face.
Without saying a word, A2 proceeds to begin picking at her face using her fingernails. A scratchy noise creeps its way into the room and cracks begin to accumulate on the left side of her face. Skin glides along the air, finding its way to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" I ask in horror, wanting it to stop but at the same time I can't look away.
She continues, the scratching gets louder and becomes abrasive. Blood trickles down her porcelain face, dripping to the ground. It feels as though something is gradually squirming through my skin. I want to throw up.
"A-A2?" She reaches further into her face, and starts pulling off a large piece of skin, similar to tearing off Velcro. I'm overcome with dread as reality sinks in and my disbelief is shattered.
Underneath were cheekbones, not of human nature, but cold and artificial; metallic and thoroughly manufactured. "Enough already! I believe you…" The android woman, knowing she got her point across, reattaches her skin.
"You believe me now?" A2 questions, serious in tone.
"But the blood?" I ask, trying to find one last semblance of humanity in her.
"Artificial."
"It's just that… the way you move, talk, get angry, get annoyed, you even bleed…" she must be programmed to act this way, right? There's no way she could have actual feelings, she just responds to certain programming to simulate being "human". She's just- no, it's just a bunch of steel and circuitry put together. It's not possible for it to have sentience. No emotions. No heart. No living person. Mimicking is not the same as feeling.
"Let's get back to why I'm keeping you here. As I've made abundantly clear by now, you're the last human, and…" A2 hesitates and briefly glances away.
"And… I just have this feeling that I should... protect you." It seems embarrassed. Again, completely fake. I'm not falling for anything.
I inquire, "And why is that?"
The pod, as A2 calls it, interjects for another mouth full of information. Useful, though annoying. "All YoRHa type androids have a programmed predisposition towards fulfilling and maintaining our priority objective: The protection of mankind."
The thing is only confirming what I already know. A2 doesn't care about me, it's just made to give the impression that it cares. It's only a tool, like an automated security system; it'll protect me, but it sure as hell doesn't give a damn about my feelings. Let's see if I can get more out of it.
Hmm, let's see, it was talking about how I'm the last human earlier. We'll start there. "A2, if what you say is true, about me being the last one, what happened to the rest of my kind?"
The android tilts its gaze to the ground, almost as if it was deep in thought. "Command had lied to us this whole time…"
"Command?"
"Ah-! Forget what I said. As for the rest of your kind, I'm not even sure myself. We were told that it was the machines that wiped out the human race. That machine that almost killed you was one of many, created by the aliens. But I don't believe that to be true."
Aliens creating machines it says. Wiped out humanity it says. All totally absurd. What is this? A plot to a crappy sci-fi B movie?
Maybe I should just go along with it to avoid fighting.
"Well, if that's how it is… then so be it. When do you think I'll be fully healed?"
"Analysis: Estimated time, five to six weeks," the pod replies.
"You've gotta be shitting me…"
"You heard the junk. You're not going anywhere. This is the easiest place to protect you without the risk of you getting injured," A2 asserts.
I can't stay confined up here forever. "What about the bathroom? Food? I'll have to go out sometimes you know."
"Bathroom?"
I am fucked….
The pod answers A2's question while I'm stunned silent. "Humans must defecate and urinate regularly in order to get rid their bodies of waste from the digestive tract. The extraction of all useful components, from foods and liquids, within the digestion system, leaves the rest to be evacuated through the anus and genitalia."
"What does any of that even- Oh whatever, I'll take care of it." A2 starts towards the door.
"Wait, how long will you be gone?" I ask, shaking myself out of shock.
"Not sure, but I have to gather supplies for you and take care of some business. I'll be back soon," The android assures. "Just stay here."
A2 closes the door behind her and I hear mumbling back and forth between it and the pod. Their voices get quieter till they're no longer audible.
It's just a robot, I can't get caught up in – well, I'm not going to stay here for five or six weeks, that's for sure. As soon as I can walk…
[A few weeks later]
Boring. So. Damn. Boring! I can't get any sleep, and it gets more difficult to try each day. Same ceiling fan. Same white wall. Same cabinets. I've been lying here for what seems to be eternity. Nothing to tell the time with, unless you want to count the clock lying on the ground, busted and stiff. Heh, just like me.
Everything is strange. The sun doesn't even set, I've yet to see night time. Is it the fifteenth day? Or was it the seventeenth? The only thing to do is to try and count the days, to maintain my biological clock even a little bit. The only thing to see outside my room is light protruding through a slit under the door. It's my only contact with the outside world. I'm a brain in a jar at this point.
'You're not going anywhere!' is what it said. But it's not like I was able to move in the first place. Though, I do owe it to A2. I'm lucky it arrived when it did. I would probably be lying face first, buried in sand, rotting away. If it weren't for the android, that is…
Everyday A2 visits me. Takes care of me. Feeds me. Changes my bandages. Yet it rarely speaks, aside from our first encounter. Recently it's just an occasional "I'll be back", or "How are you feeling?" I try and prod for more but it's like trying to open a lock without the key.
Although I don't know anything else about it, it's the only thing that keeps me from losing myself. A deep sigh exits my chest. I wish I could just leave right now. I wish I could just step outside of this room.
"Mmph! Pl- please," I can't do this anymore, this is just so disgusting. "A2, Enou- guh, enough already!" I shove A2 away with my body and begin to hack up what tasted like a putrid mixture of fish, animal hide, and… is that grass?
"What's wrong? It's food, isn't it?" A2 asks sternly.
Coughing violently, I reply, "That's what you think food is?"
"But I saw animals eating the same thing…"
"I'm not some wild animal that can graze the pasture!"
"Humans are unable to digest grass due to their lack of a bacteria called symbiont. Symbiont is required to break down the bond within cellulose, which in turn gives a variety of herbivorous animals their sustenance. For example: Cattle." The pod informs.
"So it was grass!" I explode. "Look A2, just bring some fish by itself. Don't go mixing and matching, else humanity might finally go extinct…"
"I'll take care of that after we deal with this. Turn over," A2 commands.
"Huh?"
"You never listen. I said turn over."
"W- Why?"
"Onto your stomach, come on."
"Okay, I guess?" It takes a lot of effort, but after healing for however many weeks I can turn on my stomach.
"Alright, let's get this over with." A2 aggressively yanks at my pants.
My face instantly turns red and I can't stop the panic from filling my voice. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Stop it!" With my free hand, I tug at my waist line, struggling to keep my pants on.
"Bathroom."
"What are you talking about?" Trying to maintain whatever's left of my dignity, we continue the duel for my pants. I mean it's just a machine, but still…
"I'm going to use the bathroom for you."
"That's not how it works! You don't use the bathroom for another person!" I nearly scream. This is so fucked.
"You said that within a day or two after eating you'd have to use the bathroom. Stop resisting."
Jesus Christ, enough of this insanity! I'm able to barely pry off its hands. "A2, I'm the human here, just grab me a pot or a bowl or something and let humans do their human business."
"Tch." A2 walks away from the end of my cushion, exiting and slamming the door in anger. I wait for its footsteps to disappear into the distance.
"Thank god, that was close. Who knows what she would've done." Alright, this is my chance; it'll be out catching fish or making death food for a while. My hand reaches to grab a worn-out crutch, hiding beneath my cushion. I steadily get myself up. Looks like I'm getting good at this kind of thing.
Carefully making my way to the door, avoiding any sound, I press my ear to the wood and listen for the machine and its friend. It's quiet. It's as if I'm trying to escape from some psycho kidnapper. I twist the knob and crack the door open. I look through the small opening, making sure not to get sent back to my isolated box. I move the door further and slip through into a hallway lined with many rooms, just like mine; walls worn and decrepit. From the worn red strips on the wall, it seems to be a hospital. Or what was a hospital, anyway.
The hallway is dark and only small skylights illuminate my path. I seem to be good at getting into situations like this… I work my way down the hallway, careful not to step on the broken glass or trip on any of the spilled-over cabinets. Each room I pass looks like they've been void of human life for ages, dark and dusty with cracks running through the walls. I'm starting to believe that machine…
I continue and make quick work of a staircase. At the bottom is the entrance, freedom and fresh air. The rhythm of my crutch and foot alternate, echoing through the hospital.
Suddenly, I begin to hear the noise I could've gone a lifetime without hearing ever again.
That damn mechanical whirring.
I quicken my pace and drop behind the lobby counter, hiding in a cubby as I wince. My bones haven't fully healed yet, and they ache as I crouch down and hide. My heart rate starts up and sweat beads form on my forehead.
I sit in dead silence, staring at the checkered floor. It sounds like there are multiple machines out there. Hopefully they'll leave before A2 gets back, I can't afford to miss this opportunity.
The footsteps enter the lobby, and one is getting closer. Fuck, not again.
I can try and fight it, but it's just a hunk of metal, I'll end up breaking my fist before anything. I need something else… I look around in desperation and find a rusty pipe on the ground. This will work. It has to.
Each step gets louder, I feel my clothes drenched in sweat. Shit, shit, shit! My right arm trembles, making it difficult to hold the pipe straight. Calm down. I can do this.
The machine walks past the desk and with all my effort, I swing the pipe wildly at its legs as loud banging rings my ears. After a couple of seconds, I force myself to stop swinging and reorient myself. Breathing heavily, I see the machine squirming around on the ground, having trouble getting up. It's like the one I encountered in the desert. Relieved, I quickly grab my crutch and hasten pass the machine on the ground to the exit.
I'm about halfway to the door when three machines spot me. Oh god. I try and increase my speed but the cast on my leg limits my ability. The machines are getting closer, why the hell is this happening again? I exit the building and–
The concrete is cold. Another broken nose. Wonderful. I raise my head up to look around for my crutch but see it on the steps outside of the exit, close to the machines. Instead of crawling, I lay down on the ground, too tired to move. My arms want to crawl, but they just can't. I close my eyes once more, ready to rest.
Slashes of a sword cut through the air. I open my eyes to see shockwaves cutting through the machines, exploding into bits and bolts. Someone drops down in front of the hospital exit. It looks like…
"A2? You're not A2, are you?"
A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Any comments or critique is well appreciated^^ See you then!
Edited and polished by: Recycler and 0erbayunFang
Thank you guys!