Leah wondered how much more of this her mind could possibly take.
The time-traveling girl had had her suspicions about A2 from the beginning, due to her incredible feats of strength and her strange attire, but to have it confirmed was a whole different story. It was like a messed up, or slightly differently messed up, version of Schrödinger's cat.
Androids, human-like robots in a never-ending war against alien machine lifeforms for the liberation of earth, existed in this time. All while humanity had been rendered extinct millennia ago. All, except for her. Leah, the last human on earth. It sounded like the title of a cheesy young adult novel and yet it had become her life.
The time-traveling girl has been staring at her silver-haired companion in shock for god knows how long, the newly outed android standing in silence, anxiously waiting for a reaction from Leah. The knowledge of A2 being anything other than human somehow refused to register in her mind.
Everything about A2 seemed so human. The way she emoted and how caring she had been with her when she was having her breakdown, the warmth she felt from her body was so comforting and loving as if she was all that mattered in the world. It was completely different from the cold and unfeeling androids she had read about in science fiction novels.
Looking over the scattered remains of the machines A2 had so easily terminated, Leah felt a strange cold sensation grip her heart. These things, machine lifeforms, had eradicated humanity, wiped out an entire species that had once comfortably sat atop the food chain, uncontested by mother nature. It had left her all alone, in a world no longer meant for her, surrounded by familiar sights that only reminded her more on how little she belonged here.
All these millennia later, Androids were still fighting for them, wearing the disguise of their creators, in a war with no point. What point was there in fighting for a world that will never see the face of man again? A whole new race of beings should not throw their lives away for humanity, especially not her. There was one indisputable fact in Leah's mind: This was truly not her home anymore.
"Huh?" Leah was surprised by the sudden embrace by the silver-haired android, A2's warmth encompassing her smaller frame, a feeling she had become quite familiar with since her awakening. Long, skillful fingers were gently running through her brown locks, soothing coos and murmurs being spoken softly into her ear. Feeling a strange wetness on her cheeks, Leah shakily brought her hand up to her face, noticing the telltale signs of freshly fallen tears. "When did I? Why am I crying?"
"I'm here for you, Leah." The velvety tones of A2's voice swam through her mind, calming her almost instantly, a shiver she didn't know was running through her body starting to subside from her comforting words. How long had she been like this? "I'm sorry I burdened you with all of that so soon."
"No, no, I wanted to know. I just thought I would handle it better." Wrapping her arms around A2 and squeezing tightly, Leah buried her face in the android's shoulder, letting the tears fall freely. Of course, Leah couldn't have figured out this silver-haired woman was an android, everything about her felt so human. 'I guess I'm not truly alone.'
"I'm sorry. I'm really trying to be stronger, I swear." Laughing shakily, Leah pulled back slightly out of the embrace, feebly trying to wipe away the seemingly endless tears. A black-gloved hand appeared before her eyes and gently wiped away the stray tears on her face. "I'm glad you are here A2."
A2 was extremely confused about where this strange instinct kept coming from.
The combat android had always been stilted and inept when it came to dealing with other androids emotions and especially her own. And due to unexpected circumstances, she now found herself in the presence of the possibly last human on earth. From everything that YoRHa had taught them, they were told that humans possessed varying and fluctuating degrees of emotions, the gamut running so wide that a simple androids processor could not fathom it.
So when Leah had looked so lost, once again crushed by a burden the brown-haired girl had not asked for, A2 found herself hugging the smaller woman tight, thankful that Leah did not pull away from her. Something deep within her core was telling her this was the best way to help the human with her sorrow, so the combat android decided to trust in this new feeling.
It was amazing to think how much her life had changed in such a short time, and it was all from meeting Leah. The hate and anger she had felt before, were washed away like a cleansing rain, leaving in its wake a strong sense of determination to protect and care for this person, this precious human life. If it was her programming or something more, A2 didn't know, but she was going to follow it through to the end.
A2 did her best to aid the girl with her sadness, running her hands through her soft brown hair, marveling at its non-artificial texture. Everything about the human felt so familiar to her own body, and yet, it was all so much more…real. It truly illustrated the gap between androids and their creators more to the silver-haired woman. As much as they may want it, they will never be human.
Feeling Leah tighten their embrace, A2 decided to let those thoughts go. The silver-haired android had more important things to worry about, one of which being the well being of the girl enveloped in her arms.
"I'm sorry. I'm really trying to be stronger, I swear."
Something about those words struck a chord deep within her black box. It reminded the former YoRHa soldier of her own desire to be better, to be able to save her comrades, to not be a burden when she should have been leading them. In the end, she had failed to realize her dream of being stronger, having lost them all due to her weakness, but maybe she could help Leah with hers. Wiping the tears from Leah's emerald eyes, staring deeply into the green depths swirling with emotion, A2 gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'll help carry your burden, so you may become strong."
A strange dusting of pink spread across the human's pale cheeks at her words, greatly confusing the combat android. Worried that Leah may be coming down with some kind of illness, ones that she had learned about back at YoRHa, A2 cupped the girl's cheek carefully, the dark black of her exoskeleton clashing with the girl's pale skin, while using her other hand to check her forehead for an increase in temperature. The Information units had given all of the combat models a rudimentary lesson on Human health, should any of them ever come across a surviving human. At this moment, A2 was glad she had paid attention to the class.
"Are you feeling well, Leah? Your face is unusually red." While definitively elevated, Leah's temperature was nowhere close to critical levels, and yet, the redness in the girl's face only seemed to spread. Running her thumb across the soft expanse of the shorter girl's cheek, A2 hoped to figure out what might be ailing the young human. The warmth of the girl's body suddenly disappeared, the red-faced girl having removed herself from her embrace, frantically sputtering out nonsense while comically waving her hands. "Leah?"
"I-I'm fine A2!" Caught off guard by the girl's loud outburst, silver-blue eyes widening in surprise, A2 carefully lowered her hands back to her side. The No. 2 Type Android stared at the human girl, who was covering her inflamed cheeks with her hands, confusion dancing across her features. "Just..just a bit warm."
"Very well." A2 didn't completely believe the brown-haired girl's words, the frantic stuttering a telltale sign of lying, but she decided to let it go, the human clearly feeling a great sense of discomfort at her inquiry.
Scanning the surroundings, the sound of Leah slapping her cheeks echoing through the clearing, A2 could sense the presence of further machine lifeforms, the faint sound of patrolling footsteps reaching her sensitive ears. Though they were not in immediate danger, A2 was not willing to risk Leah's life any further today.
"We should head out soon." At her tense words, Leah snapped out of her stupor, nervously checking the treeline for any signs of danger as she returned to A2's side, clearly afraid of another machine ambush.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Leah nodded toward the combat android, A2 returning it with a reassuring smile, a silent promise to keep her safe. Summoning her sword, Leah flinching slightly at its sudden appearance, A2 began leading the way, making sure to keep her pace steady but measured so that the brown-haired girl could easily stick close.
As they made their way through the dense foliage, Leah remaining unusually quiet so as to not alert any possible nearby machines, A2 began pondering what to do once they actually made it out of the forest. A2 was considered a Deserter by YoRHa, one to be hunted down and destroyed or captured, and so she had no place to call home, spending all of her time on the run. But, there was one place they could go. Turning toward the shorter girl, Leah looking back at her with curiosity shining in her emerald orbs, A2 had to finally confront her past.
"I'll bring you to the Resistance Camp. We'll be safe there."
The strange pair had been wandering through the forest for several minutes after A2's deceleration of their destination, Leah having noticed a strange reserved tone in the taller girl's voice when the densely wooded surroundings started to thin out. Tall concrete structures could be seen peeking out from between the gaps in the treeline. They were almost out.
Leah braced herself for what possible horrifying or depressing sights she might witness, sticking a little closer to her silver-haired companion's side, hoping to draw some courage from the stoic android. Memories of the chaos the White Chlorination Syndrome had wrought upon the world dancing in her mind, she could only imagine how much worse the world has gotten since the eradication of humanity. Walking through the last line of trees into the great wide open, momentarily blinded by the sun's glare, Leah laid eyes for the first time on what remained of humanity's achievements.
"Oh….no…."
Destruction, as far as the eye could see. Buildings, once bustling with life and teeming with people going about their day to day activities, lay crumbling and abandoned, crushed by times merciless hand. Thick, coiling tree trunks pierced through the sides of buildings, it's foliage overtaking its many floors, returning it back to mother nature. Abandoned vehicles were scattered across the pavement, patches of grass peeking out from between the cracks, rusted and useless. No trace was left of the people who inhabited this once glorious monument to human ingenuity. All that was left was the haunting memories of Leah's past.
"I used to come here all the time when I was in college." Walking forward, the silver-haired android staying dutifully by her side as she aimlessly wandered toward the nearest building, Leah craned her head up its concrete surface. "Some friends and I used to come here to have coffee and cake. They made the best cheesecake here. Heh, my friends would always make fun of me for eating an entire one on my own."
A hollow laugh passed Leah's lips as she felt a horrible weight settle in her stomach, a strange coldness seeping into her heart. The bustling cafe was now just a dilapidated room, no signs of the warmth that once permeated its quaint interior.
The familiar clack of A2's heels echoed in Leah's ears, the brown-haired girl feeling a strong, yet gentle, grip on her shoulder. Staring at her traveling companion, silver-blue eyes shining at her with sympathy, Leah gave her friend a sorrowful smile. "It's all gone, huh?"
A sad look crossed A2's beautiful face, her eyes partially obscured by her flowing silver locks, as she slowly nodded toward the brown-haired human.
"Yes. I'm sorry."
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Leah brought her hand up to her shoulder to grip the android's hand, trying her best to stifle the tears that were threatening to spill. She wasn't going to cry again, not today. A2 has enough to worry about with possible machine attacks and keeping her useless self safe, she did not need to have her breaking down again. Swallowing the big lump in her throat, Leah gently removed A2's hand from her shoulder, holding it tenderly in her palm.
"I'm ok. Let's keep going." Squeezing A2's hand lightly, Leah gave the silver-haired woman a grateful smile before reluctantly letting go. Taking one last look at her old hangout, Leah nodded to A2 to keep leading the way. Following in step with the taller woman, Leah left another part of her past behind.
Walking through the city ruins, the sound of crumbling concrete falling off of a building echoing in the distance, Leah took in her surroundings with a sense of melancholic wonder. It was all very depressing, but the last human couldn't help but feel that there was something hauntingly beautiful about seeing the destroyed buildings overgrown with nature. The wind whistled through the city streets, a howling song bouncing off it's decaying walls.
"It's hard to believe this is the same city." The duo passed underneath a toppled building, the only thing keeping it from collapsing was that it was caught by the neighboring skyscraper. A2 turned to the reminiscing human, shooting a questioning gaze toward Leah.
"What was it like before?" Perking up at the silver-haired woman's sudden question, Leah took a look at the open square before them. Pointing a finger at relevant landmarks, Leah began setting the scene for her android companion.
"They used to have a farmers market here every morning, people from all over would come here to sell their fresh fruit and vegetables. Sometimes they would have freshly made bread that you had to stand in an extremely long line for it. I never did manage to buy some. They always sold out before I got to the front."
A small wistful smile came to Leah's face as she continued pointing out various hang out spots or where everyday businesses once stood, the rogue android listening to her with rapt attention. Smiling at A2, Leah ran ahead and turned to face her silver-haired savior, spreading her arms wide in a grand gesture.
"The whole city would be filled with people, so many you would lose count in an instant. People of all shapes and sizes mingling together as they went about their lives, whether it be for work, fun, or just passing through. There was this great concert venue nearby, they always had the best musical acts. Cars would be parked bumper to bumper, assholes constantly yelling and honking at each other. It was terrible and wonderful at the same time."
Leah smiled happily at how A2's gaze would flip around at everything she pointed out, a strange look of excitement on her face. It felt foreign to the human, in their short time together having not witnessed this emotion from the android before, but she was enjoying it immensely. The silver-haired woman looked absolutely adorable. Remembering her previous embarrassment, when A2 had cupped her cheek so tenderly, Leah quickly decided to change the subject to distract herself.
"A2?" Calling out to her traveling companion, the silver-haired woman returning her gaze back toward the human girl, the magical sparkle still in her eyes. Nodding at her to go on, Leah nervously wrung her hands together as she lowered her gaze, unsure how the combat android would react to her question. "Why do you wear such revealing clothes?"
Leah's head snapped back up as her eyes shot open in shock, a painful blush returning to her face. That was not at all what she was going to ask! Her mind must have gotten distracted when she lowered her head and gotten a glimpse of A2's attire again. Gah, she was so stupid!
"N-no, no, no I'm sorry! That wasn't what I wanted to ask! I was going to ask what other abilities you have, I swear!" Leah's nervous rambling shot out of her mouth like verbal diarrhea, the brown-haired girl wishing she could just go back to her cryo-chamber and sleep for another 9000 years.
"I used to wear a dress." Leah was brought out of her embarrassment spiral by A2's soft voice, the combat android gripping her arm tightly, a strange expression crossing her features.
"It was standard issue wear for my combat unit. Most of it was torn off in an explosion that almost took my life, this," A2 gestured toward the black fabric covering her torso, "is all that remained. Most of my artificial skin was lost then too. I lost bits and pieces of it over the years. I am no longer part of YoRHa so I had no access to any replacement parts. This is all I have left."
Leah could feel a painful sadness grip her heart as she listened to the android's story, the silver-haired android self-consciously running her finger over her exposed exoskeleton as she retold her story. The brown-haired girl was about to rush over and pull A2 into a hug, but the combat android merely shook her head 'no', continuing their trek through the city. A pang of rejection ran through the human's heart before she decided to shrug it off, telling herself that A2 might just have trouble expressing her feelings. Catching up to the taller girl, falling in step next to her, Leah listened as A2 continued her answer.
"Besides being trained for combat with various weapons, I also have greatly enhanced strength, speed, and stamina in comparison to a regular human. As you may have already noticed. I can also overclock my system to exceed my built-in limiters to increase my overall abilities, in exchange for a loss of energy and mental faculties."
Shock and awe were written all over the time-traveling girls face as A2 ran down the list of her abilities, the sheer staggering strength slumbering inside of the silver-haired woman boggling her mind. How had androids managed to fit all those amazing features inside of such a small frame? Leah had seen some of her skills first hand but it still left her dumbfounded and speechless.
"You are amazing A2." Leah's words came out in a breathless whisper, the girl out of time unable to hide how impressed she was with her android companion. A2 looked at her in surprise, as if no one had ever told her that before, the brown-haired girl swearing she could see the hint of a dusting of pink on the combat androids pale cheeks. Turning her head, her long silver hair obscuring her features, A2 gave Leah a thankful nod before resuming their journey to the Resistance Camp.
"Thank you." A bright smile broke out on the humans face, extremely pleased with having gotten to see such a precious sight, happily committing A2's blushing face to memory. The brown-haired girl hoping to see such a lovely sight a lot more, and hopefully soon. Following behind her silver-haired savior, Leah couldn't keep the smile from her face, a slight spring in her step.
The mismatched duo continued their journey through the ruined city, the two of them having found a comfortable rhythm in their conversation, which was lifting both of their spirits after the many rough patches in their short friendship. Leah would regale her android companion with tales of life before the fall of humanity, the combat model soaking up all of her words as if they were the most interesting story ever told, occasionally asking questions about anything that piqued her interest.
Leah was in the middle of asking A2 about her sword skills when she suddenly felt a strong arm against her chest, stopping her in her tracks, a small blush spreading on her cheeks at how close the android's hand was to her, ahem, breasts. Lifting her gaze, the brown-haired girl could feel dread running down her spine. Several feet away, mindlessly bouncing inside of a shallow pool of water, were three machine lifeforms.
"This won't take long," Leah shuddered at the strong tone in the combat androids voice, A2 tightening the grip on her sword, "they are weak."
Unlike their encounter with the machines in the forest, where the silver-haired woman had attacked them with swift, merciless aggression, A2 calmly stalked toward the strangely docile looking automatons with grim determination. Their yellow eyes flashed red as soon as they became aware of the android's presence, their stubby bodies hopping mindlessly toward the lethal warrior, their arms flailing wildly. Leah watched on with deep admiration sparkling in her eyes, as she watched A2 effortlessly eliminate the threats with three quick swipes of her sword, returning to Leah's side before they exploded into tiny pieces.
"The camp is right up that hill. We are almost there." Leah could feel the blush once again spread on her cheeks as she watched A2 wade through the water toward their final destination, the sun reflecting off of the water surrounding the android in a heavenly glow. Leah couldn't help but think how utterly captivating A2 was at that moment.
"Leah?" Snapping out of her daydream the brown-haired girl quickly hurried toward her silver-haired friend, her feet kicking up sparkling drops off water, the combat android waiting patiently for her on top of the hill. Reaching out to help her up, Leah grasping the soft black hand tightly, A2 pulled the shorter girl up with ease. Smiling thankfully up at her, Leah and her android companion passed through the crudely constructed barrier into the long-awaited Resistance Camp.
Passing through some abandoned rooms the pair walked into a small courtyard, the sun shining down brightly from above unobscured by the cities many high rises, onto a small patch of flowers growing through the cracked concrete. Several tents and makeshift abodes had been set up, various different stalls selling weapons and machine parts scattered throughout the area. Stepping into view, the attention of the milling people, androids, immediately snapping toward the pair of outsiders.
"I'll go talk to their leader. I know her from years ago, she should be willing to help us. Wait here please." Nodding at the taller woman, Leah stood nervously in one spot as she watched A2 walk up to an android dressed in combat gear, her head partially covered by a large coat. That must be the resistance leader. A2 had not told her how she knew her, but Leah assumed it had something to do with the horrible event the silver-haired android had mentioned earlier.
Leaving Leah near the entrance of the camp, safe with the knowledge that the resistance androids would not harm her, A2 walked up to their leader who was currently mulling over a large map, a grim look on her face. Memories of the day that YoRHa betrayed her, where she watched all of her comrades die, flashed in her mind as she approached the serious-looking android.
"Anemone." Shock painted the woman's face as her head whipped up from the map she was studying, to stare in awe at the specter from the past before her. Shakily walking around the large desk, knocking several electronics and devices onto the ground in her hurry, she came to a stop before the silver-haired woman. "It's good to see you."
"No. 2...you're alive." A2 nodded grimly toward her old, friend?, who was staring at her with a look of disbelief and barely restrained happiness. "I thought you died."
"There was a while I wish I had." Looking over her shoulder at the brown-haired girl, Leah nervously rooted to the spot as she took in her surroundings, a small smile spread on A2's lips. Turning back toward her old comrade, A2 gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I never came to see you."
"I assume you had your reasons." Anemone placed her hand on A2's shoulder, a small understanding smile on the usually hardened soldier's face. Removing her hand, Anemone glanced toward A2's companion, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Who is she?" A2 took a deep breath, staring deeply into Anemone's eyes, prepared to deal with the leader's disbelief in her words.
"Her name is Leah, she is the last human on earth." An incredulous look passed over Anemone's faces, clearly not believing what the combat android had told her, finding the notion absolutely impossible. A2 merely stared back at the resistance leader, her silver-blue eyes never wavering. Anemone's eyes widened as she gazed into A2's eyes, quickly snapping her head back to the brown-haired girl in disbelief.
"She's…human? She survived." Nodding her head, A2 could only give her old friend a cheeky smile, remembering her own reaction to finding Leah alive. She was sure that Anemone was feeling the same spark of joy within her core, a few stray tears running down the tanned cheeks of the resistance leader's face. Anemone covered her eyes, a shaky breath passing her lips. "Thank you, A2. For finding her."
"There is nothing to thank me for." A2 put a calming hand on the dark-skinned woman's arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Look, I need a favor."
"Anything. Tell me anything you need." Anemone did not hesitate in her response to A2's request, her friend, the one who managed to find the last human on earth, could ask anything of her and she would do everything in her power to help. For both A2 and the human. Despite their time together being short, the two of them not having seen each other in six years, Anemone still considered the No. 2 model her friend.
"This is the safest place in the area from the machines, besides the Bunker, but both of us know YoRHa is not allowed to find out about her. The Commander would just use her to continue this war."
Anemone nodded grimly at the silver-haired woman's words, quite aware of the Commander's manipulative ways, despite her camp still having a working relationship with the newest YoRHa model androids. She would make sure the two of them were kept secret from YoRHa.
"You may stay here as long as you like. You are my friend No. 2. We have a secure room with all the necessities you and the human may need. I can send out some units to forage for food for the human….Leah."
"Thank you, Anemone. But my name is A2." The combat android gave the resistance leader a thankful bow, her old YoRHa training making itself known. Anemone merely gave her a joyous smile.
"You finally gave yourself a name, huh?" Nodding at her friend's question, A2 returned Anemone's smile with one of her own. The combat android was about to ask the resistance leader another question when the two of them were distracted by a sudden loud crash behind them.
Looking around the camp, Leah noticed that she was being watched by several different android resistance members, many of them giving her a wary glare. Leah couldn't really blame them for their suspicions of her, being at constant war for millennia with an alien machine menace would surely put anyone on edge.
But if Leah hadn't been told that they were androids and the fact that she was the last remaining human, she would have never believed they were anything but regular people. Everything they did was a perfect imitation of their creators, from the way they moved all the way to how they talked. Except for the one wearing a robot head as she stared intently at her. She was definitively odd.
A sudden, loud crash, accompanied by a pair of sharp gasps, pulled Leah out of her reverie, the noise pulling her attention away from the strange robot head girl.
Twin androids were staring wide-eyed at her, a look of pure shock and disbelief on their identical faces, their only differentiating feature being the style of their bright maroon colored hair. They were wearing a matching set of clothes comprised of a flowing white shirt with a large slit on the side and a pair of pants that matched their hair. Leah noticed a matching white lily's swimming within the flaming waves of their hair.
Silent tears ran down their cheeks as they slowly began stumbling toward the dazed girl, dropping the rest of their supplies haphazardly onto the ground. The pair rushed over toward the startled human, Leah bringing her hands up, bracing herself for a violent impact. But it never came. Instead, all she felt was the warm embrace of the red-headed twins, two trembling pair of arms surrounding her as their sorrowful cries echoed throughout the camp.
A/N: Sorry, sorry for the long delay between chapters. I had a huge inspiration for another story and I wanted to strike while the iron was hot. I never forgot about this story and still love it dearly. I have been constantly thinking of ideas for later chapters so there will definitively be more.
Devola and Popola will be a fairly important part of the story as I felt they deserved a much happier life then what they got in the game. They will be an important part of both Leah and A2's lives.
I also wanted to answer a quick question from reviewer bubbajoe117: Yes, I will have it in my story but it will be a while until we get to it. So hopefully that's something to look forward to : )
Again so sorry for the delay, and thank you so much for reading!