A2 knew this kind of situation would eventually present itself, YoRHa being much too powerful and omnipresent for them to completely avoid, she had just hoped it wouldn't have happened so soon and with Leah hidden away somewhere safe. Because what was about to come would surely put Leah's and even her own life at risk.
Standing in the shallow flood plain, effectively blocking the way to the entrance of the Resistance Camp, were two androids donned all in black with two Pods floating around them, the robots hovering close to their respective owners, clearly in the midst of communicating with them.
A female model with short silver hair and wearing an intricately designed combat dress was staring directly at them, the blades hovering behind her back confirming the former YoRHa soldiers suspicions of her being a battle model, A2 able to sense the woman's intense gaze through the tactical blindfold covering her eyes.
A2 was a little less worried about the woman's companion, his slight frame and boyish features denoting him as a scanner model who are much less combat-oriented than their brethren. While still able to hold their own in a fight, against even an outdated model as herself he would stand no chance. The only thing A2 would have to keep an eye out for was his hacking abilities, her more primitive functions putting her at a strong disadvantage should she be caught by it.
Feeling Leah's hand grab a hold of her, her trembling fingers gripping her arm tightly, A2 pulled her gaze away from the YoRHa soldiers to stare into the emerald gaze of her human companion, fear and worry the primary emotions shining in the brown-haired girl's eyes. A2 noticed a slight quiver running through the girl's body as she held the lead pipe defensively in front of herself, clearly unprepared to wield it in any useful fashion.
Placing her hand comfortingly over Leah's, her shudders subsiding slightly at the androids gentle touch, A2 gave her a reassuring smile, or at least the best one she could manage. While fairly confident in her battle prowess, the odds were still stacked against her. But for Leah, she would take on the entirety of YoRHa to keep her safe.
"Unknown android has been confirmed as YoRHa Type-A No. 2, currently wanted for desertion. Annihilation is recommended. Secondary android remains unknown, caution is advised."
"Shit." At the Pods directives A2 immediately summoned her weapons as the YoRHa androids entered a battle stance, the female android dashing at her with alarming speed, weapons at the ready. Stepping between Leah and the oncoming battle android, A2 braced herself for the ensuing battle.
"Stay behind me, Leah!" Not waiting for a response, A2 bolted toward her female adversary, hoping to head her off before she could get too close to the vulnerable human. She needed to keep them as far away from Leah as possible, knowing that any errant attack could gravely injure, if not kill, the last-living human. And A2 was never going to let that happen.
Their swords clashed with a deafening clang, resounding around the deserted flood-plains as the water around them rippled with the force of their impact. A2 had to push against the opposing sword with all her might, a grunt of effort rumbling in her chest, feeling the power of her opponent through her blade. This android was very strong, the slight burn in her limbs proving that without a shadow of a doubt, but the gritting of her opponent's teeth let A2 know she was at least on equal terms with her strength wise.
A sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught the combat androids' attention, A2 quickly leaping out of the way as a rain of bullets embedded themselves in the ground where she once stood, the gray Pod hovering nearby training its sights on her. Dashing back and forth, the former YoRHa android dodged the Pods bullets expertly, making sure to keep Leah out of its line of sight. Ducking low, the water splashing upwards at her sudden movement, A2 made a beeline toward the offending Pod, hoping to take it out of commission before it could cause any more problems.
A sudden flash of steel at her side caused her to halt her forward momentum, bending back sharply as she narrowly avoided the female androids attack, the sharp blade singing past her face barely missing her body. Twisting in mid-air, A2 launched a powerful kick into the YoRHa soldier's side, sending her flying across the field, her Pod swiftly moving to her side. Righting herself, the opposing android landed in a low crouch before immediately rushing back into the fray.
'This isn't good. She has a counter for everything I throw at her. And that Pod of hers will definitively be a problem.'
Swiping horizontally in front of her in a large arc, hoping to halt the female androids advance, A2 grit her teeth as she merely jumped over her blade as she switched her weapon to a large two-handed broadsword before coming at her with a deadly downward strike. Summoning her bracers, A2 blocked the gigantic sword before it could collide with her body, her feet digging roughly into the ground below her, a small shock-wave blowing out from the point of impact.
Deflecting the blade to the side, causing the battle android to momentarily lose her balance, the long-haired woman spun in a tight circle before launching a devastating punch into her opponent's face. This time, her attack was successful, as she felt the androids mechanical body impact with her fist, sending her flying toward her scanner companion. The female android skidded through the water for several feet, kicking up a large wave in her wake, before flipping into an upright position and landing safely on her feet.
Hopping lightly from foot to foot, A2 tried to work some of the kinks out of her shoulders, her opponent's last attack having stressed her internals with its devastating power. If it had hit her she would have been severely damaged if not incapacitated. The longer this battle went on the more it favored the YoRHa androids, their numbers eventually going to overwhelm her. She was already struggling with the female android and her pod and the scanner hadn't even joined in the fray yet. As soon as he did, it would pretty much be over for her.
As if summoned by her thoughts, she noticed the scanner model aim his hands at her, a small sphere of light careening toward her. Dashing out of the way, A2 threw her sword at the male android, hoping to disrupt him from his attack. Luckily, her aim was true and he had to halt his attack to dodge out of the way, the sword quickly fading away before returning to her side. Deciding that she needed to take more drastic measures in this fight, A2 pointed the tip of her blade at the female android, her lips curling into a cocky smirk.
"What's wrong, girl? Can't fight on your own?" A2 taunted the short-haired android, as she wagged her blade in a come hither motion. "This the best YoRHa's battle androids can do? Relying on their scanner servants."
Despite her taunts being childish and simple, A2 had made sure to poke at any possible insecurities the opposing android might have. In her short insults, the former combat android had managed to insult her by calling her a girl, appealed to her competitive nature, insulting her glorious leaders, and questioning her independence. A2 just needed to goad her into wanting to take her on head-to-head.
Luckily for the silver-haired android, one of her taunts ended up being successful as an angry scowl formed on the short-haired woman's face. Shooting some pointed words at her companion, the scanner android clearly objecting to her plan, the battle android summoned her short sword and once again rushed in to attack. Materializing her bracers, A2 got into a defensive stance, preparing herself for her opponent's attack.
Trying to catch A2 by surprise, the short-haired android slid through the water, causing water to splash into the combat androids face, momentarily blinding her. Swiping low, her enemy tried to take out her legs but A2 had expected that and leapt over the YoRHa soldiers blade, flipping forward before launching a ferocious ax kick at the android below her.
Feeling her leg impact with the android's body, A2 prepared to follow it up with another when she suddenly felt a sharp searing pain in her thigh. Her opponent had blocked the attack with her arm, small sparks shooting from where her foot had connected with it, using her other arm to impale her leg with her sword. Removing the blade with a wet squelch, the YoRHa soldier reeled back in preparation to stab her again. Pushing off of her opponent's body with her damaged leg, wincing as pain surged through her system, A2 created some distance between her and the short-haired android.
Landing several feet away, her leg buckling slightly as she rested her weight on it, A2 inspected the wound with a look of concern. The blade had dug deep, piercing cleanly through her leg, leaving two bleeding wounds behind. Luckily, she had missed the vital parts of her mechanism, meaning she could still use it, though not without a great deal of pain. A sudden cry pulled her out of her examination as her head whipped terrified toward the human girl.
"Please stop!"
Leah was clutching her chest tightly, her fingers aching as they gripped the fabric of her shirt, tears of fear streaming down her cheeks as she watched the two androids locked in battle. The terrifying sounds of the combatants clashing shook the terrified human to the core, her heart clenching painfully every time A2 came within an inch of being hurt.
Leah knew A2 was strong and extremely capable, the way she easily dispatched those violent machines being enough proof of that, but this unknown android was matching her move for move, her power and skills being on par with her silver-haired companion. Not to mention she was dealing with a numbers disadvantage, the male android firing a strange ball of light that A2 had barely managed to avoid. A2 had to contend with this all while making sure she was safe, Leah being a proverbial weight around her neck.
A horrified gasp tore through her throat as she watched the short-haired android stab her blade through A2's leg, her beautiful features twisted in a grimace of pain before she managed to create separation between them. Covering her mouth, Leah watched a large amount of blood trickle down A2's thigh like a river, a sick feeling churning her stomach watching her savior get hurt. All because she protecting her.
"Please stop!"
Before Leah had time to think, she wailed out a desperate plea for them to stop fighting, her scream overflowing with anguish and despair for her injured friend. A2's steel-blue eyes locked in her direction with worry overflowing in their crystalline depths, her gaze sweeping over Leah for any signs that she had been hurt.
The enemy android was momentarily distracted by Leah's cry, her blindfold covered face turned toward her before she continued her relentless assault on the former YoRHa soldier, A2's attention pulled away from the human as she was pushed on the defensive by the brief disturbance Leah's scream had caused.
Leah watched mortified as A2 was slowly but surely being overpowered by the gothically dressed woman, her wound and the distraction caused by Leah's cry putting her at an even greater disadvantage. The brown-haired human felt the tears in her eyes fall even faster, her mind screaming at her that A2 might surely die because of her, her heart squeezing painfully at the thought of losing her android companion.
Sweeping her gaze across the flooded plains, desperately searching for anyone, anything, to help A2, Leah's eyes widened in alarm as she saw the male android staring in her direction, her scream having pulled his attention toward her. Despite his slight build, Leah knew the hidden strength within him, having witnessed what androids can do first hand.
He was staring at her curiously or at least Leah assumed so, his blindfold making it hard to gauge what he was feeling. Taking a couple of shaking steps backward, preparing to run at the first sign of danger, Leah's fears were proven right when he suddenly pointed his open palm toward her, the same beam of light that he shot at A2 earlier appearing before him. Before Leah had a chance to dodge, the orb of energy flew toward her, the human girl crossing her arms in front of herself as she braced for the inevitable rush of pain.
For several seconds Leah stood that way, eyes clenched firmly shut, but the pain never came. Peeking one eye open, Leah glanced at herself, checking her body for any damage, surprised to find herself completely unharmed. The male android was staring at her, mouth agape, shock plainly visible on his face. Cupping his chin in thought, his strange floating machine companion flying in closer to him, the two of them seemingly conversing with each other.
A look of realization suddenly dawned on his face as he slowly removed his blindfold, his sky blue eyes staring at her in wonder. His gaze hovered over her form, Leah recognizing the look in his eyes. It's the same one she saw in Devola and Popola just the day before. He had found out she was human. If that was a good thing or not, Leah would have to wait and see.
"2B!" Placing his blindfold back over his eyes, the boy cried out to his companion, the short-haired woman expertly dodging a large overhead swing by A2, landing only a few feet from her partner, water splashing around her like a halo.
"What is it, 9S?!" The female android, apparently named 2B, angrily shouted at 9S, her eyes darting back and forth between the boy and A2, unwilling to keep her eyes off of her opponent for too long. She was preparing to jump back into the fray when she was suddenly stopped by 9S placing his hand on her shoulder. A low growl rumbled in her chest as she glared at the boy, shrugging his hand off violently.
"2B, that girl!" Pointing an excited finger at the worried human, Leah backing away slightly from the pairs sudden scrutiny, a joyous smile curled on the male androids lips. "She's human!"
2B body went slack after that statement, her mouth hanging open in shock, as she stared in disbelief at Leah, the human girl standing like a deer in the headlights as she tensely awaited the android pairs next move. Calling her machine closer to herself, the gray flying contraption dutifully drifting to her side, she began conversing with it all while gesturing toward the suspected human.
Leah flinched slightly when the flying robot turned its featureless face in her direction, a strange light projecting from the little bauble on its head that seemingly scanned her body. Perking up suddenly, it turned to its owner, robotic arms gesticulating wildly as it relayed the information it had gathered to the pair. The androids turned slack-jawed in Leah's direction as 2B dropped her weapon into the water, the blade lying momentarily under it's rippling surface before fading away in a beam of light, much like A2's do.
"A2!" Seeing that the androids meant no more harm, Leah quickly rushed to A2's side, the long-haired woman currently kneeling on the ground, her hand still clutching her sword tightly as she grit her teeth angrily at the YoRHa soldiers, refusing to lower her guard.
Falling to her knees next to the former combat android, dropping her lead pipe on the ground, Leah gingerly inspected A2's body for damage, her emerald eyes widening in worry with faint signs of tears pooling in the corner of her eyes as she took in her companions damaged state.
The wound in her leg was still leaking a steady stream of blood that was staining the small patch of dirt beneath her with a growing pool of crimson. Scratches and scuff littered her whole body and god knows how much internal damage she sustained from the heavy kicks and punches 2B had landed on her. Leah needed to get her help, fast!
"We have to get you to the camp! Quickly!" Ripping off a large strip of her shirt, exposing her stomach, Leah desperately tried to remember the first aid lessons she took back in high school. Bundling up the strip, the time-traveling girl began applying pressure to the gash in the android's leg, cursing the fact she didn't have enough to cover the exit wound. Alternating between the wounds, Leah began to panic as she tried to help A2, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks as she worried for her android companion's safety.
"Leah. It's ok." A gentle weight on her shoulder pulled her out of her spiral, bringing her emerald eyes up to stare into A2's determined face, the android giving her small reassuring smile. Shaking her head, Leah took a deep breath before discarding the useless piece of fabric in the dirt, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, smearing a small bit of A2's blood on her cheek.
The sound of a pair of feet approaching them from behind caused Leah to whirl around, grabbing her pipe off the ground as she rose to her feet, standing protectively in front of the injured A2. 9S raised his hands in a sign of surrender, 2B merely standing next to him stoically as the floating contraptions circled the defiant human as curious blips and beeps emanated from their metal chassis. Leah darted her emerald gaze between the four of them, refusing to let her guard down. She needed to make sure A2 was safe.
"We don't mean any harm." 9S's calm voice pulled the human's attention to him, the boy taking a tentative step toward the human, Leah raising the lead pipe threateningly in his direction stopping him in his tracks though. "You're human….aren't you?"
"Yes, so what? Is that the only reason you stopped hurting my friend!? She saved my life! Shouldn't you be singing her praises across the world!" Leah barked furiously at the pair, 9S flinching back slightly at the human's harsh words, not really able to deny what she said. They owed the apparent deserter a deep debt of gratitude.
2B slowly walked toward the defensive girl, Leah aiming the lead pipe in her direction, her trembling form belying her air of courage. Carefully removing her blindfold 2B revealed her icy blue eyes to the surviving human, Leah astonished to see how much they reminded her of A2's, her gaze shining with nothing but caring and sorrow.
"I am truly sorry for attacking your friend. I was merely following orders." Bowing sharply at the waist, hands folded demurely in front of herself, 2B softly begged Leah for forgiveness. "It is not a satisfactory reason, but it is all I can give. Forgive me."
Leah wanted to stay mad at her, she had hurt A2 after all, attacked her with the intent to kill. If they hadn't figured out that she was human they may have done just that. But Leah knew better, she knew that soldiers are made to obey orders, even humans had fallen into that kind of brainwashing. When you are told someone is your enemy, your first instinct is to protect yourself and those you care about. But that didn't mean she could just easily forgive them.
"I can't forgive you," 2B's body tensed at her curt response, the shame and sorrow Leah's words had thrust upon her clearly visible, "but you can start proving to me that you are not bad people."
"How can we make up for what we've done?" The short-haired android lifted herself out of her bow, her hand resting in front of her black box, 2B's voice thick with remorse and shame, genuinely wishing to atone for their mistake. 9S watched the exchange between his partner and the human with rapt fascination, having never seen 2B display so much emotion let alone beg for forgiveness. Even the Commander had a hard time breaking the stoic androids' tough exterior.
"You have to promise not to hurt A2 anymore. No matter what your orders are. No harm will come to her, understand?" Leah laid out her demand plainly and clearly as she peered deeply into the icy blue gaze of the short-haired android, refusing to back down an inch.
A deep frown settled on 9S's face, the scanner android unsure if they could so easily accept the human's request. Orders were orders after all and she was a deserter. Who knows what she must have done to be marked for execution.
"Of course. I promise no harm will befall you or your friend." 9S stared at 2B in shock, the male android rushing to her side and pulling on her arm forcefully.
"2B, what are you saying? We can't defy orders like that." The scanner android's voice broke, his disbelief at his partner's decision had sent him reeling, believing the once level headed and pragmatic 2B may have finally lost it. 2B calmly tilted her head toward the boy, 9S surprised by the strong conviction on her features.
"Protecting a human supersedes all other directives. We have to ensure her safety above everything else." 2B spoke calmly and authoritatively, her uncovered eyes unclouded by madness or rebellion, just the overwhelming desire and need to protect this human. 9S couldn't deny that the same feeling hadn't also coursed through his system, but his fear of his Commander had overridden his own desires.
"NO!" The group all turned to the sudden shout from behind Leah, the injured android trying to force herself back to her feet as she grimaced in pain before collapsing back to her knees. Leah rushed to A2's side, trying to catch her but the androids weight only pulling her down with her.
"Leah! You can't trust them! They are from YoRHa! They left us for dead! My whole squad! My..my friends!" Tears of rage poured out of A2's eyes, Leah taken aback by the hate and anger blazing within the icy depths of her savior's glare. All the animosity that A2 had built up over the years was pouring out of her in a white-hot frenzy. Stabbing her sword into the ground, A2 tried once more to get to her feet, to continue her fight.
"A2 it's ok." Leah's soft words managed to penetrate through the combat androids revenge-fueled haze, the human gently holding the android's clenched fist as she gave her a warm smile. "Trust me, ok? Everything will be alright."
A2 slowly began to relax, the iron tight grip on her sword loosening as the fire in her eyes began to simmer down. The combat android gave Leah an almost imperceptible nod, the human returning it with a resolute one of her own. Turning back to the YoRHa soldiers, Leah slowly walked up to the short-haired android, sticking her hand out to 2B.
"If I can trust you to not harm A2 anymore, then I'd be glad to work with you." The slightest of smiles graced 2B's lips, her gloved hand firmly grasping Leah's, as she gave her a confident nod.
"I swear no harm will come to her from me or 9S. We will contact command to rescind her fugitive status." Nodding in affirmation at their plan, the pair turning toward their floating robots, Leah watched on as they contacted someone named 6O, a projection of a blonde android with a veil covering her mouth appearing on the screen. The YoRHa soldiers relayed the events to the operator android, her bubbly voice shrieking with excitement and disbelief causing 2B to sigh heavily before asking to talk to their leader, Commander White.
A deep growl coming from the injured android at the Commander's name pulled Leah's attention away from the pair, A2 leaning heavily on her sword hilt, the blade impaled in the ground to help keep herself upright, the wound on her leg still bleeding steadily.
"We can't trust the Commander." A2 words were laced with years worth of hate and resentment, the human only able to imagine what A2 must have endured over the years due to her leader's decision, the person who she had trusted to have their back, to keep them alive.
Leaning over, Leah gingerly wrapped her arms around the seething android, making sure to not rest her weight to heavily on the injured woman, resting her forehead gently on the side of A2's head before quietly whispering into her ear.
"I'm sorry, A2. I can only imagine how much you suffered." Leah felt the silver-haired androids head droop slightly at her words, the anger slowly seeping out of her body as she leaned heavily into the human's arms. "But my priority right now is making sure you are safe."
"Protect the human at all costs." A strong female voice, the deep, authoritative tone cutting through the air, started coming from the robot's projection, the blonde operator's face replaced with a stern woman with flowing white hair. "Units 2B and 9S are assigned, effectively immediately, to the protection and oversight of the human's well being and continued survival."
Leah wasn't sure how to feel about this development. Despite their rash actions toward A2, the YoRHa soldiers seemed to be good people and Leah was not adverse to learning more about them, given some time for Leah to forgive them for what they had done. A small part of her felt a little dismayed at the fact that she was going to be a burden on another set of shoulders, the feeling of her own powerlessness growing within.
"Furthermore," perking up at the Commander's voice, the human girl watched on curiously as the android's leader continued her delegation, "former YoRHa Type-A No.2 android, designated A2, is fully pardoned due to her heroic actions of finding and saving the human. She is no longer marked for execution and a temporary alliance will be forged with her."
Leah felt A2 scoff into her ear, clearly unconvinced by the Commander's words, but the human girl could feel the tenseness in the android's shoulders ease as a sense of relief washed over her, one she had probably not felt in many years. The brown-haired girl couldn't help but snicker at her companion's stubborn nature, a cheerful smile playing on her lips as she rejoiced for the world-weary android.
"C'mon. We got to get you checked out." Lifting A2's arm over her shoulder, Leah tried to help support the injured android by letting her rest her weight on her. What Leah did not expect was for A2's weight to almost cause her to topple over, just barely managing to catch her footing as she exerted every muscle she had to just keep the silver-haired woman upright.
"Jeez, A2. How much do you weigh?" While usually a very rude thing to ask, the weight Leah was currently struggling under was much too high to belong to such a normal-looking girl.
"139.2 kilograms."
"What?!" Leah gawked dumbfounded at A2's nonchalant response, the human girl almost falling over as she was momentarily stunned by the information she had just learned. She weighed over 300 pounds! How did all that fit in that body?! What kind of magic did YoRHa work with? Leah was once again reminded of just how much had changed since her time.
"Here let me help." 9S rushed to their side, his hand outstretched to help carry the injured A2 to the camp, but his gesture was rebuked by said woman as she slapped away the offered hand, a dark glare directed toward the boy.
"I don't need your help." The combat android growled out viciously, a dangerous flash gleaming in her steel-blue gaze. 9S stepped back nervously, his hands raised in surrender, doing his best to show that he meant no harm. A strong shudder at her side pulled A2 away from the cowering boy.
"A2, please. I'm sorry but I'm not strong enough to help carry you to the camp. We need their help." Leah's eyes stared pleadingly at A2, her voice thick with regret as she strained to keep the two of them upright. Worry briefly flashed in A2's gray-blue eyes as she saw how much strain she was putting on the human, before hanging her head in defeat.
"Fine." Nodding toward the male android, 9S quickly, but warily, rushing to their side, Leah lifted A2's arm for him to take over. With a small heft of effort, 9S held her steady, gesturing for Leah to lead the way.
"I'll accompany you, Leah was it?" The short-haired android approached the worried human, her blindfold once more adorning her face, as she held her arm out to allow Leah to go ahead.
"Yes, and you're 2B, right?" A small smile curled on 2B's lips as she nodded in affirmation. "I'd say we got off on the wrong foot, a very wrong one. But if it's alright with you, I'd like to ask you some questions. And feel free to ask me any. That's one way we can start building up trust between us."
"That sounds more than fair. I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have." Bowing slightly toward the human, the two of them began walking side by side toward the Resistance Camp, the initial tense atmosphere between them slowly dissipating as they fell into a comfortable exchange.
Unbeknownst to the conversing pair, they were being watched by a pair of gray-blue eyes, jealous anger shining in their steely depths, 9S staring between the irritated android and the girls ahead of them in wonder.
A/N: I have a feeling A2 is not fond of them.
All the major players are now introduced. Some more characters will pop up as the story progresses but we have everyone who will be the main focus of the story are now assembled. How they will all work together and fit into the plot? Well, guess you'll have to wait to find out!
I hope everyone out there is doing well and staying safe. Working retail I know just how scary things can be right now, but as long as we stay positive and help each other out in these trying times I know things will be ok! Thank you all again for reading and there are definitively more chapters to come in the future!