Confusion was the first emotion Leah felt when she awoke from her slumber.
Eyes fluttering softly, Leah awoke to the sight of a dimly lit storage room, her mind desperately trying to claw back any kind of recollection of the events from the previous day that would have led her to sleep in such a strange location.
Sitting up in the unknown bed, the stiff mattress creaking in protest to her movements, Leah scratched her head lazily as a big yawn came out of her mouth. Smacking her gums, the brown-haired girl surveyed the room with bleary eyes until she came upon the sight of a shock of white hair at the edge of her bed, the person's steel-blue eyes staring intensely back at her.
Everything came rushing back to her in an instant: Awakening in the arms of a beautiful woman, the world having been rendered almost unrecognizable, and finding out all of humanity had gone extinct except for her.
Grabbing her forehead, Leah shook her head gently, trying to calm the rising swell of emotions inside of her. Now was not to the time to have another breakdown. She was sure she had enough of those to last a lifetime.
"Are you ok, Leah?" The soft voice of the combat android brought Leah's mind back into focus, back to the present, A2 now hovering over her with a worried expression on her face. Nodding slowly at the towering woman, head lolling weakly on her shoulders, the time-traveling girl not quite fully awake yet.
"I'm ok, A2. Just a bit disoriented." Fighting her way out of her sheets, her legs having tangled themselves in the blankets overnight, the groggy girl lethargically scooted over to the edge of the bed and dangled her legs over the side as she rested her head in her hand, exhaling loudly in exhaustion. Lazily scanning the room, Leah noticed a strange absence of any kind of clocks.
"Hey, A2?" Nodding toward the human to let her know she was listening, A2 gestured for her to continue. "How long did I sleep?"
A2 momentarily went silent, Leah assuming she was doing some kind of internal computation to figure out the exact time, the idea of the silver-haired woman being some kind of machine still seeming foreign to the young human. No, A2 wasn't just some machine and neither were Devola and Popola. None of them were. They were surely something more.
"I'd say about 16 hours." Eyes widening dramatically in shock, her head slipping out of her hand causing her to flop unceremoniously back onto the bed, Leah unable to believe what she had just heard.
"What?! 16 hours!" Pushing herself frantically back into a seated position, arms spasming from exertion after 16 hours of disuse. Leah tried to push herself to her feet, taking a couple of tries to lift herself out of the bed, her legs wobbled fiercely as she stumbled a bit before catching herself. A light laugh to her left drew her attention toward the amused android, who was quietly giggling into her fist.
"What's so funny?" Indignant at the android's amusement at her misfortune, Leah playfully nudged A2's side, the silver-haired woman merely giggling harder. Despite her annoyance with the android, the young human couldn't help but smile at the joyful expression on A2's usually stoic face. It was a welcome sight after the android's strange behavior the day before.
"It's nothing. I just never thought seeing a dazed human would be so cute." A light dusting of red crept on Leah's face, the time-traveling human fairly unaccustomed to being called cute, or any compliment really, and especially not from a gorgeous android. Though she assumes she is quite unique in that situation. Shaking her head softly, the movement causing a small bout of lightheadedness, Leah started making her way to the nearby bathroom, the familiar blue sign saying WC guiding her way as her feet still struggled to get their strength back after the long rest.
"Give me a break. I've been asleep for 9000 years, 16 hours is quite the improvement." Throwing a sarcastic quip back at the giggling android, Leah pulled open the washroom door and stepped inside as the silver-haired woman took a seat on the edge of the bed, preparing to wait for the human's return.
"Damn androids and their beautiful smiles." Muttering to herself, Leah began removing her clothes, musing on the fact that she had been technically wearing the same outfit for 9000 years, relieved to spot a shower situated in the corner of the room. A stack of towels sat atop a basic dresser, Leah thankful for the fact that androids practice proper hygiene. Frowning slightly, the human noted with chagrin that they did not have spare sets of clothing sitting around though as she turned the shower knob to hot, the water sputtering momentarily before rushing out of the showerhead.
"Guess I'm stuck wearing my old clothes." Leah mused sadly as she pulled her top over her head, nose crinkling at the slightly sour smell wafting off of the fabric, revealing the simple pink bra underneath. Undoing the button on her jeans and sliding out of them, the girl sighing in relief at finally being able to remove them after having slept in them for god knows how long, the denim having irritated the skin at her hip. Lightly scratching the bare skin at the base of her hip, her finger playing with the waistband of her matching pink panties, Leah slipped them off with practiced ease before unclasping her bra.
Shivering at the cool air against her naked body, the human girl hurriedly hopped into the shower, yelping at the intense heat of the water as it made contact with her skin. Dancing around the spray of water, Leah quickly adjusted the knob to a more manageable temperature, small squeaks of 'hot, hot, hot' coming out of her mouth as she waited for the temperature to change. After a much too long time, which was really only a couple of seconds, the shower's temperature started to simmer down, Leah letting out a sigh of relief as she could finally relish in the comforting feel of water caressing her naked body.
Leah stood underneath the spray from shower head for a couple of minutes, merely enjoying the sensation of the water cleansing her body. After the crazy day she had yesterday, she allowed herself a brief moment to relax and contemplate the events of the last day.
She thought about how much her life had changed, going from a fairly normal college student, to a participant in a radical human survival project, to being the traveling companion to an android in a world where humanity has ceased to exist.
In the grand scheme of things, she felt as if she was handling it all pretty well and she knows it was mainly due to the support and help she has gotten from her new companion. A2 had not only saved her numerous times, both from her eternal sleep and the rampaging machines, but also provided her with comfort, emotional support, and had inspired her to keep fighting. To make the deaths of her fellow humans worth it, both for herself but also the countless androids fighting for their memory. Looking down in contemplation, Leah noticed the lack of a certain hygienic product.
"Wait? There's no shampoo!" Grabbing her head, her brown hair sticking to her scalp, Leah frantically searched the edges of the shower for a sign of the essential product she had grown accustomed to over the years. All she managed to find were crudely made bars of soap, androids apparently not requiring shampoo as humans do.
"Dammit. Guess I'll have to figure out how to make my own." Sighing heavily, picking up one of the bars of soap, the dejected human began scrubbing her body clean, being thankful for whatever familiar comforts she could get.
After removing the last of the suds, Leah turned the knob to off as she watched the water spiral down the drain, her body preparing itself for another day in an unfamiliar world. Though the times ahead were going to be tough, the young human knew she would get through it. For she knew was not alone.
Climbing out the shower, goosebumps spreading across her bare skin as it came in contact with the cool air, Leah quickly dashed over to the towels and wrapped it securely around her shoulders and began drying herself off rapidly. Leah was really not a fan of the cold, especially not after the mysterious weather changes that happened all over the globe before she was put into cryogenic sleep which had caused snow to fall in summer.
After sufficiently drying herself, her short hair still a bit damp at the edges, the time-traveling girl began putting her clothes back on, greatly displeased with the fact she had to wear the used clothes once again. She'd have to ask A2 if there was a place she could find some old human clothes, both the more militaristic clothing worn by the resistance camp and the more fanciful outfits worn by the twins and A2 not really tickling Leah's fancy.
Embarrassment still coursed through her body If she thought too hard about A2's lack of clothing and her frankly stunning body. Leah knew for a fact she could not pull off anything like that due to her more modest curves, and that it would frankly lead to a severe case of blushing to death.
Wiggling her jeans over her hips, Leah finally finished getting dressed and headed back out the door, finding A2 casually reclining on the bed she had been previously sleeping in, her legs crossed over each other as she leaned against the back wall, arms gently folded over her stomach. Leah was sure the silver-haired android was unaware of just how suggestive, and frankly sexy, the pose was to the flustered human, Leah once again becoming excruciatingly aware of just how beautiful A2 was.
Stepping fully into the room, A2 deftly hopping off of the bed with unnatural grace, Leah retrieved her skater shoes from next to the bed and began slipping them on her feet as the combat android waited patiently at her side. The brown-haired girl couldn't help but smile at the android, something about her just always seeming to cheer her up.
"Alright A2! Let's get this day started!" Smiling at the human's exuberance, A2 began leading the way as Leah dutifully followed behind, glad to get out of the stuffy room for awhile. Especially after 16 goddamn hours of sleep, she could do with a little fresh air. Opening the door, Leah was immediately bombarded by the harsh rays of light from the sun, leaving her temporarily blinded as she stepped out the door.
The first thing Leah noticed was the general hustle and bustle of the camp, which oddly started to die down before being replaced by excited murmurs and whispers. Blinking her eyes rapidly to regain her eyesight, Leah searching out for the familiar sight of A2's striking silver hair to help focus herself, she noted the tense look of trepidation on the combat androids face. Looking around at the camp, the last living human became quite aware of why.
Every, and she meant every, android was looking at the foreign pair, or more specifically, at her. Excitement and disbelief, and every range of emotion in between, played across the resistance androids faces as if they were staring at some mythical creature out of some kind of fantasy book. Well, to the androids, Leah might as well be one, none of them having ever seen a real human before, only ever hearing about them from their stories and whatever remnants of humanity remained in the world. She was truly an unbelievable sight to them.
The dark-skinned leader of the camp, Anemone as A2 had called her, walked toward the pair, barely restrained excitement playing on her face as well. Leah smiled at the approaching woman, any friend of A2 must be a good person and stuck her hand out for a handshake as soon as Anemone got up to them.
"It's nice to meet you, Anemone. Thank you for letting us stay here." Shock registered on the camp leader's face, her bottom lip trembling a bit at the human's unexpected gesture as Leah stared at her in confusion. Raising a shaking hand, Anemone gently gripped the human's hand, a brilliant smile spreading on her lips. To be accepted so easily by a human brought the resistance leader immense joy.
"It is no problem at all. A2 is a close friend from the past and I would do anything to help you, Leah." Leah really had trouble getting used to the android's devotion to her, not really seeing anything special about herself except for what race she was born as, but seeing the dark-skinned woman's happy smile did bring the brown-haired girl a bit of happiness. Leah always did like seeing people happy and androids were no exception.
"Here," Removing her hand from Leah's, Anemone began rifling through one of her combat pouches before producing a couple of square boxes and a bottle of water, "I got you some rations and some water. I assumed you might want something to eat. It's not much but we have more on hand if you need it."
"Thank you so much, Anemone. For the food, for the shelter, and for the protection. I'm very thankful." Smiling gratefully, Leah graciously accepted the offered food from the taller woman, before unwrapping the dried bread and taking a tentative bite. While quite stale and tasteless, it was still food and Leah was hungry.
"You don't need to thank me, but you should give your thanks to Devola and Popola." As if summoned by her words, the twins appeared from the back of the camp, their aqua eyes instantly honing in on the lone human in the camp as they began running over to her with ecstatic smiles on their lips. "The two of them kept watch at your door for hours to make sure nobody disturbed you by trying to catch a glimpse of the rumored human."
Opening her arms wide, letting out a squeal of joy, Leah pulled the redheaded twins into a big hug, the trio laughing joyously as they held each other in a tight embrace.
A strange pain stabbed through A2 as she watched Leah hug the twins close, the cheerful smile on the human's face causing the former YoRHa android to feel a strange ache in her black box. She should be happy to see the human in such high spirits, but as she happily conversed with the twin redheads all A2 felt was sadness and resentment.
"A2?" Pulled away from the strangely painful sight, A2 turned toward her former comrade, the resistance leader looking at her with a questioning gaze. Shaking her head to let her know she was ok, A2 brought her attention fully to her former comrade, doing her best to ignore the joyful scene next to her.
"I know you just arrived and I hate to do this, but would you be able to do a mission for me? We desperately need some new supplies from the desert complex but all of my soldiers are already deployed somewhere else. You are the only one I trust to complete this kind of mission."
Anemone gave A2 an apologetic look, quite aware of what she was asking for from the former YoRHa android. To go back out and fight, to leave Leah with complete strangers or to put her life at risk in the outside world. The hesitation in those steel-blue eyes confirmed the resistance leaders hunch.
"I would do anything to help you Anemone, you know that. But," looking over to the brown-haired human who was animatedly chatting with the twin androids, a beaming smile shining on her face, A2 was wary to agree to a possibly risky mission, "I'm not sure I can risk anything like that."
"We have to help." Startled, the two former comrades whipped their shocked gazes toward the shorter girl, the human, flanked by the redheaded androids, staring at them with conviction in her emerald eyes. "They have done so much for us. We should help however we can."
A brilliant smile came to Anemone's lips, the usually reserved leader genuinely touched by the human's consideration for them, a race that was so far below their creators. And yet she seemed to truly care for them and treat them as equals.
A2 stared at Leah fixedly, concern dancing across her features, her mind at war with itself on what she should do. She couldn't deny Anemone's request now, due to her being her friend, but especially because of the earnest plea from the human girl. The combat android did not feel comfortable taking Leah out into the world again, with all its various forms of danger that the human was ill-equipped to deal with. It just did not sit well with A2. But staring into those emerald orbs, A2 found herself nodding in agreement. She must have gotten soft in the last day.
"Ok. I'll do it." Anemone smiled gratefully at her old friend, Leah cheering happily as she grinned widely at the silver-haired woman. A2's next words though caused the human girls smile to falter.
"But I think it would be best if you stayed here." A2 couldn't look the young human in the eyes, guilt coursing through her system at the look of disappointment in those emerald eyes. It wasn't as if she wanted to be separated from the brown-haired girl, the thought of being away from her causing a strange uncomfortable sensation to settle in her stomach, but more than anything A2 valued Leah's safety over anything else.
"No."
"Huh?" Everyone stared at the brown-haired girl in surprise, having not expected such a strong reaction from the usually cheerful girl. Leah's fists were clenched tightly at her side as she stared up at the silver-haired android, A2 shocked by the girl's fierce response to her decision. A2 knew she would be upset, but that she would understand that it was the best decision in the long run.
"No, I'm not going to leave your side. I want to stay with you. We work together, whether you want to or not. I don't want to be hidden away somewhere and have everyone put themselves in danger while I sit around and do nothing. I won't be able to adjust to this new world if I never live in it."
The small congregation of androids looked at the human girl with varying degrees of happiness and admiration after her speech, none more so than A2 herself. When Leah had said she wanted to stay with her, her specifically, had caused a large surge of warmth and joy to flood her system. Placing her hand to her chest, A2 couldn't help but smile as she felt what she could only describe as a flutter in her black box.
"I vow to protect you with everything I have." Bowing her head slightly, A2 peered deeply into Leah's emerald eyes with a soft affectionate gaze. The shorter girl looked up into the A2's silver-blue eyes, the pair sharing a silent moment of understanding and trust.
"I know you will. You have so far."
"Well," The pair ware pulled from each others gaze by Devola, the wavy-haired android smiling knowingly at the brown-haired human, a small blush appearing on Leah's cheeks which confused the combat android, "you'll need some form of protection, even if A2 is more than capable for the task, it would always be good to have a backup plan. Just in case, right?"
"That would be a good idea," Anemone agreed with the boisterous twin's suggestion, the resistance leader making her way toward a nearby armory rack, "we can provide you with some basic weapons. None of them are as high tech as what YoRHa is equipped with but we manage just fine."
Leah curiously approached the weapons with a bit of trepidation, A2 and the twins following close behind, slightly amused by the human's inexperience with weaponry. Walking up to her side, her shoulder pressed up against the young humans in a comrade-rely fashion, A2 began explaining some basic functions of each as Leah listened on with rapt fascination.
"The guns might not the best fit for you. Due to the thick chassis of the machines, it takes several shots to take one of them down, meaning a rifle would be your best bet. Which would be quite heavy and I assume you have no previous experience."
Leah shook her head no at the combat androids accurate assessment, a look of embarrassment crossing her features. Patting her gently on the shoulder, A2 reassured her that it was ok and started offering her potential alternatives.
"Close combat weaponry has proven to be most effective against the machines, blades having an easier time cutting through their tough outer shell. That is what I use primarily, though I am trained in all forms of combat."
Leah let out a quiet 'wow' at the silver-haired woman's explanation, A2 feeling a slight twinge of pride in her system, glad to know that all her training and programming have not been for nothing. It has kept her alive and she will make sure it keeps Leah alive as well.
"From what they have here I'd recommend a short sword of some kind, maybe paired with a knife in case they get too close or if you want to go for more of a surprise attack."
Grabbing a simple katana and combat knife from the weapons rack, finding them to be suitable starter weapons to judge Leah's acumen, A2 held the sword out to the human who looked at it for several seconds before hesitantly gripping its hilt firmly.
As soon as A2 released her hold on the sword, Leah stumbled forward a bit, unprepared for the surprisingly heavy weight of the weapon. A light grunt of strain rumbled through Leah's chest, the human struggling to hold the sword in her right hand, her arms tensing in an effort to keep it aloft.
"Well…maybe we should go with something lighter." Noticing the girl's struggle, A2 gently took the sword from her hand, before returning it to the weapon rack with a stylish flurry. A light 'show off' mutter from the disgruntled human caused the combat android to let out a small giggle before she turned back to the brown-haired girl, whose cheeks were lit up with an embarrassed blush.
"Definitely keep the knife. We might want to use something more lightweight and blunt. That way you can knock them off balance long enough to get away or for me to deal with them."
Grabbing a nearby lead pipe, A2 handed it to Leah who performed a couple of practice swings with the makeshift weapon, finding it to be a more suitable, if not demeaning, weapon. Albeit clumsy, A2 did observe that Leah did show a bit of promise and that with a bit of training she could become quite proficient in combat. But that would have to wait for another day.
"You are welcome to take any weapons you might need too, A2." Angling her head toward her former comrade, Anemone gestured at the weapon rack, the combat android nodding in thanks before perusing the lineup of weapons.
They were all fairly worn and/or outdated, but any of them were a better choice than her makeshift sword that she had made herself out of random machine scrap and dented metal. Summoning her old sword, the mess of intertwined metals appearing in her hand, A2 gave silent thanks for its service before placing it onto a nearby storage crate. Grabbing a used YoRHa Issue Short Sword and some combat bracers, storing in them in her NFCS circuit, A2 gestured to Leah that she was ready, the human nodding her own affirmation before the pair began heading toward the exit of the camp.
"Before you go." Pausing momentarily, A2 staring at the straight-haired twin with clear exasperation shining in her steel-blue eyes, she watched Popola run-up to her with a coy smile on her face, before she deposited an assortment of program chips into her hand. "These should help with any obstacles you might run into."
"Thank you, Popola." Leah gave the red-headed android a grateful smile, A2 giving her own nod of thanks, before turning to the other two androids. "Thank you as well, Devola and Anemone."
"We are always here to help." The trio of androids saw the odd pair off, a small giggle of joy finding its way past their lips as Leah enthusiastically waved farewell before running to catch up with the retreating combat android.
Leah stared at the great ball of light in the sky through squinted eyes, her hand shielding herself from the suns harsh rays, in quiet contemplation. Lowering her gaze from its blinding light, Leah quickly caught up with the patiently waiting android, A2 having gone ahead a couple of paces to scout for possible hidden machines.
The pair had been lucky in their travels thus far, merely finding docile green-eyed machines that simply waddled around the destroyed city in a mindless stupor. The sight of Leah, a human they had been created to destroy, did not garner a single response from them. Leah decided to count her blessings, the weight of the lead pipe in her right hand reminding her of what the alternative would be.
Despite her alert and tense posture, A2 still seemed to exude a quiet confidence, her weapons currently stored in that magical portal thing, or whatever, she uses. Passing between a couple of overgrown buildings, the pair arrived at one of the main roads as A2 continued to lead the way to their destination. Catching up A2, Leah began walking in step next to her silver-haired savior as she smiled up at the taller woman, who graced her with a small one of her own.
As they continued down the concrete pavement, Leah started to notice a large amount of sand starting to cover more and more of the road until a large mound of it appeared before them, leading through a set of collapsing buildings whose descent had been stopped by the large accumulation of sand around them.
"How is this possible?" Leah turned to her traveling companion, confusion flashing in her emerald gaze, as she witnessed the bizarre natural event before her. "The forest is not too far from here. How can two completely different biomes exist so close to each other?"
Looking back into the sky, the sun hanging directly above them, another thought came to the human's mind. Considering her long sleep and the location of the sun at the time, Leah was sure it should have been a different time of day for them when she awoke. Emerald eyes widening dramatically, Leah turned to her android companion in shock.
"Has the sun been in the same position this whole time?"
"Yes." A simple nod confirmed Leah's suspicions, the current state of the world forming another wrinkle in Leah's perception of how much has changed during her 9000 year slumber. "A cataclysmic event centuries ago has caused the earth's rotation to come to a stop, which has caused the geography of the world to shift dramatically from your time."
Nodding dumbly, the information presented to her by A2 started swimming uncomfortably in Leah's mind. It's like the world itself was messing with her at this point, trying to freak her out at every turn. This time Leah was able to process the new information a bit better, a couple of deep breaths being enough to calm her. A2 stood patiently at her side, prepared to comfort Leah at any moment should the need arrive. Smiling gratefully at her companion, Leah gave A2's arm an affectionate squeeze to let her know everything was ok.
"I'm ok, A2. Thank you. Let's move on, ok?" An almost imperceptible nod of affirmation was her only response as the pair began walking up the sandhill, their destination obvious now to the time-traveling human.
"I am going to miss the stars though." Musing to herself sadly as they passed between the wrecked buildings, Leah lifted her gaze back to the blue sky, not quite able to believe that she wouldn't be able to see the calming night sky again.
"I've only seen them from the bunker, back when I was still in YoRHa." Leah's lowered her gaze from the sky back to the silver-haired woman, A2 currently staring at the sky as well, a pensive look in her gray-blue eyes. "They always looked so beautiful as they surrounded the earth. I wonder what it was like from the other side."
"I always loved the night sky. It's scary at first, being surrounded by all of that darkness, but the little lights in the sky, twinkling like little dancers. It made me happy in a way. I would always look toward them to keep me calm."
Memories of her family came to mind as she reminisced about the night sky, how her mother loved to describe the different constellations and their stories and how frustrated she would get when Leah kept making up new ones. She would always try to find the Knife-Wielding Maniac later, especially after her mother succumbed to the White Chlorination Syndrome. It helped connect them together after she was gone. I guess she won't find it again.
A soft hand was placed on her cheek, Leah unconsciously leaning into its warmth before noticing what she was doing. A2's steel-blue eyes, so full of sorrow and sympathy, stared into her own emerald ones, the human not having noted that a couple of tears had begun falling from her eyes.
"Heh, happened again, huh?" Laughing shakily, Leah grasped A2's hand in her own, gently removing it from her cheek, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Gotta stop doing that."
"Yeah, I'd say so cry-baby." An unknown voice rudely interrupted the pairs tender moment, A2 summoning her bracers as Leah held her pipe in front of her for protection.
"Jeez, calm down lovebirds, it's just a joke." An android decked out in desert gear and a head shawl walked up to the battle-ready pair with casual indifference, her piercing gaze locked onto the two of them. "Anemone let me know you were coming. I'm here to give you more instructions on where to go and what you are looking for."
"My name's Jackass." Leah quirked an eyebrow in bewilderment at the very unique, but oddly fitting, name as she lowered her weapon, A2 de-materializing her bracers at the same time. "Didn't mean to interrupt but there is only so much of that lovey shit that I can handle."
A blush spread across her cheeks like wildfire at the rude androids assertion of the pair's relationship, Leah taking a sidelong glance at her silver-haired companion who was merely looking at her fellow android in annoyance. Looking at A2's profile, the way here silver-haired sparkled and swayed majestically, her gorgeous face covered with little flecks of dirt, steel-blue eyes gleaming in the sun caused her blush to only burn brighter.
"Well anyway, guess I'll give you the info before you burn a hole in my face with that glare." Walking to a nearby garrison tent, Jackass picked up a small electronic contraption and brought it over to A2, Leah still fighting to get her blush under control.
"We are looking for more filters like this. The desert area and some of the smoke from the factory cause ours to get clogged so we need more. There is a nearby housing complex that apparently has a stash of them hidden somewhere. Lots of android corpses were found there and we assume either a rogue android or just a very curious machine has removed a lot of their parts and kept them for themselves. We would appreciate it if you can return them for us."
"That shouldn't be a problem." A2 responded coolly, Leah assuming the combat android was wishing to get away from the chatterbox as quickly as possible, her impatient stance, hip cocked and arms folded, being a very strong indicator.
"Alrighty then." Dropping the filter back on the table, Jackass began gesturing toward the nearby path. "If you follow this path you will eventually reach a large open space. Keep heading straight, there's a shortcut to the housing complex that way. It's a small climb but should be no problem for a combat model like you, right Miss Angry Face?"
A2 shot the antagonistic android an angry glare, Jackass simply ignoring her deadly stare to look at Leah, a look of contemplation on her face. Stepping closer, too close for Leah's liking, Jackass began circling the nervous human, sweeping her gaze all over the young girl's body. Stopping in front of her, Jackass's expression suddenly switched from inquisitive to full-on excitement, startling the time-traveling human at the rapid change.
"HOLY SHIT YOUR HUMAN!" Reeling back from the androids sudden explosive outburst, Leah felt Jackass grab both of her hands and begin shaking them excitedly, jostling her small frame with her intense movements.
"Oh my fucking god this is so exciting! A real human! Crapping fuck shit! I got so many questions! You have to let me study you! This the single best thing to happen in my fucking life!"
"I, uh, what?" Unable to keep up with the excitable android, Leah merely stood in silence as Jackass poked and prodded at her body, too scared to move. Luckily she was saved by A2, the silver-haired android pulling the human girl tightly to her chest, wrapping an arm around her protectively.
"Thank you for the info. But keep your hands off of her." A small shiver ran down Leah's spine at the anger in A2's voice, a low growl reverberating through the android's chest echoed in her ear. She couldn't help but blush at the silver-haired woman's possessiveness and the fact that her face was uncomfortably close to A2's bosom. Turning them around, A2 began leading the brown-haired girl in the direction Jackass had pointed them with hurried steps.
"Fine, fine. But I'll make sure to stop by the camp to learn more about you human!" Jackass's loud voice began fading as they made their way further into the desert, A2's firm grip on the human gradually loosening, the combat android refusing to let go of Leah's hand. A fact Leah quietly kept to herself, enjoying the soft feel of the androids exoskeleton against her palm.
The aforementioned open space eventually came into view, partially buried buildings sticking out of the sand like ancient ruins. To the androids, they might as well be. The traveling companions managed to make their way through the area with little difficulty, the only machines they encountered having built themselves vertically but completely neglected to attach arms or any kind of weaponry to themselves. The best they could do was waddle over to them aggressively until A2 simply pushed them over, leaving them rolling helplessly on the floor like a turtle.
They eventually came upon the shortcut Jackass had mentioned, the rock outcropping giving them enough of a foothold to climb up. Well, Leah climbed up. A2 could jump the height in a single leap, soaring several feet into the air with minimal effort. Grumbling about 'overpowered androids', Leah clambered up the rocks awkwardly until A2 offered her a hand up which she begrudgingly accepted.
"Oh, wow." A beautiful, yet sad, view greeted the odd pair. A towering apartment complex rose out of the sand like Egyptian ruins, damaged but still shining with the grand splendor of their former majesty. It was hard for Leah to reconcile this stunning sight with the mundanity of its original design, merely created to house a large number of people for cheap.
Sliding down the long slope, A2 making the task look much more elegant than Leah's stumbling mess, the two of them walked into the ruined complex, eyes darting back in forth in wonder and with caution for any threats. A weathered playground sat in the middle of an open courtyard, the rusted chains of the swing set creaking in the wind. A wistful smile came to Leah's face as she giggled at a long-forgotten childhood memory.
"What were those used for?" Looking over at her silver-haired friend, the taller android staring at her with curiosity shining in her eyes, Leah smiled at A2's adorable expression.
"It was a playground. It's a place for parents to bring their children or for kids to just come to on their own to play. You'd go down the slide, play in the sandbox, or just sit on the swings and well, swing. It was a lot of fun, just whiling the time away with your friends or parents. Mom and Dad used to take me to the one near our house all the time when I was a child."
Leah turned her head back to the aged playground, her heart feeling a little lighter knowing she could share these memories and relics from the past with someone. It made the pain hurt just a little less.
A horrific, though sadly familiar, screech ripped them out of their momentary peace, A2 immediately summoning her bracers as Leah gripped her lead pipe tightly in her hands. Leah had hoped to not have to be stuck in a battle today, but fate had other plans.
A small group of machines, which were dressed in some odd tribal getup, were rushing toward the two of them, red eyes glowing from behind their wooden masks. While all of them being of the short variety, they did wield some very sharp and rusty looking knives, and they were wielding them with the intent to kill.
"Stay behind me. If any get past me, go for their legs. They are top-heavy and their joints are weak. They will topple over easily."
Nodding in affirmation, holding her pipe steady, Leah watched A2 dash into the fray, her fists flying like a professional martial artist. Despite her helpful instructions, Leah had no use for them as A2 dealt with them all on her own, each machine being crushed by her fists of fury. Occasionally, A2 would modify her deadly dance by substituting her bracers for the sword in the middle of an attack, carving the machines up with vicious efficiency. It was both frightening and beautiful to the awe-struck human.
Sending the last robot flying with a stiff soccer-kick, it's body crashing violently against the wall of a building before exploding in a fiery death, A2 returned to Leah's side, casually dismissing her weapons back to where they remained hidden.
"You really are good at that." Chuckling at the human's breathless exclamation, A2 gestured for them to continue on, an idea Leah was fully on board with.
"Since they came from that little corner, which I believe is a dead end, it's safe to assume that's where the stash of android parts would be." Nodding at A2's deduction, Leah followed the silver-haired android up a small sandhill that had accumulated in between some collapsed buildings, where, sure enough, a large pile of android parts were found.
A2 began rifling through the large assortment of body parts with surprising nonchalance, seemingly unbothered by the macabre act of handling pieces that had been inside another androids body. After each successful find, the same light that surrounded A2's weapons would appear, Leah assuming she was storing them in the same location. Future technology was truly baffling to the young human girl.
"Alright, that should be all of them. Fourteen in total. That'll help the resistance a lot." Lifting herself back into a standing position, A2 approached the brown-haired human, Leah giving her an emphatic thumbs-up.
"That's great! Good job A2. Thank you so much for agreeing to help." Leah smiled happily at the taller android, A2 returning it with a smile of her own. Sliding down the small hill, Leah managing to do better this time, the two exited the ruined apartment complex and made their way back to camp.
"Man, Jackass really doesn't hold back when she pokes someone. I'm sure that'll leave a bruise." Laughing lightly, Leah lifted the side of her shirt to inspect her ribs, a small red spot standing out amongst her pale skin. "Yeah definitively going to bruise."
"Want me to cut her fingers off?" Lowering her shirt, Leah giggled at A2's joke, the usually stoic android smiling happily as the pair made their way back through the city, the stifling heat of the desert starting to abate bit by bit. Leah really was going to need new clothes soon. Maybe she could borrow one of Devola or Popola's shirts. They did look pretty breezy.
Turning down a familiar corner, Leah able to recognize where they were from the broken section of highway, the human girl knew that they were almost back to the camp. The pair had been lucky again, having not run into any hostile machines on their way back.
Deciding to have a bit of fun, Leah leapt onto A2's back with a happy squeal, hugging the startled android firmly around the neck. A series of joyful giggles danced through Leah's chest as she held the silver-haired woman tightly, enjoying the feeling of being close to A2. Something about the android just made her happy.
"Why did you do that?" Looking at the human girl latched onto her back, confusion in her steel-blue eyes, A2 nevertheless continued their trek back to the resistance camp, Leah weighing next to nothing to her after all.
"I don't know, I just wanted to." Leah giggled happily, as she hopped off of the combat androids back, missing the familiar warmth immediately. "Sometimes you just want to show affection to the ones you care about, y'know?"
"Care about?" A soft whisper passed A2 lips, Leah barely being able to hear what the android had said. Running in front of the contemplative android, the human girl put on her brightest smile as she grabbed a hold of A2's hand.
"Yes, of course I care about you, A2." Leah could swear she saw a small blush creep onto A2's pale cheeks, a sight that was painfully adorable to the young human. That was a sight she was going to treasure forever. Giving the android another quick hug, the pair continued on their way, the smile on A2's face never faltering.
"So what do you think we should do when we get back? I really need some clothes but I'm not sure if they have anything in my size. Everyone is so much taller and better built than me." Leah chatted animatedly about whatever came to mind, the former YoRHa soldier content with just listening to the human talk, occasionally chuckling at the brown-haired girl's enthusiasm.
Leah was about to ask A2 about any possible clothing locations when the combat android came to a sudden stop, the joyful smile on her face quickly replaced by one of shock and great anger. Muscles tensed, A2 summoned her sword as she gripped it tightly in her fist, the metal hilt groaning from the intense pressure put on it. What worried Leah the most, was the hint of fear behind A2's steel-blue gaze.
"A2? What's wrong?" Leah's voice quivered lightly, turning around hastily to see what had made A2 so angry and afraid, the human slowly retreating behind the combat android as she held her lead pipe between shaking fingers.
Standing in the middle of the flooded plains were two androids dressed all in black, their eyes covered by blindfolds.
A/N: I'm sure they will deal with this civilly.
Well, that was a much longer chapter than expected. Got into a rhythm though and just felt like expanding certain segments to have a little more detail.
A lot more bonding time between A2 and Leah in this chapter, the two of them having another little road trip together as Leah learns more about the new world and teaches A2 of the old. Leah is learning how to deal with the major changes a little better but it's still not going to be easy, the mysterious strangers in black being proof of that.
Thank you all again for the support and I will be continuing this as soon as possible, don't you worry! Stay safe out there and have a wonderful day!