A/N: Well...it took me a long time to get this chapter up. Though there are viable reasons as to why it took me so long, I don't feel the need to really explain it. The point is that there's a new chapter ready for you guys. The third chapter is also already written out. Just need to give it a solid edit, so I may be able to update this story again soon. Many thanks to all of you for your patience. Updates are often slow with me, but I try to finish the stories I start...even if it takes me a LONG time.
Many thanks for reading. Best wishes and God bless you all.
Disclaimer: After a long period of waiting, we ain't got no time for this. You guys know who NieR: Automata belongs to. This is merely a Fanfiction. Get it memorized. (Yes I'm quoting a Kingdom Hearts character. What of it?)
Warnings: At this point, this story is now an official sequel to NieR: Automata - Vague Hope. Well...sort of. You don't need to read that story to enjoy this one, but I am referencing it in this chapter so...you may want to have read that before diving into this story.
The war with machines has been at a stalemate for several years now. New machines enter the fray faster than we can destroy them, but YoRHa's advanced models and weaponry combined with the perseverance of the Android Resistance has led to some pretty impressive victories on our end, especially recently.
However, typically speaking, every YoRHa operative stationed on the Bunker follows a standard, monotonous routine with little to no variation. It's honestly a little depressing. Even with the more recent victories...things don't change very much around here.
Scanners probably have the most exciting tasks, or at least the tasks that actually vary day to day. Most of them are scattered about the Earth gathering reconnaissance data. This can range from general geographic information to the discovery of a new hidden factory producing machine lifeforms. Each time a new Scanner is built, Commander White will assign that Scanner specific coordinates on Earth for them to investigate. She also supplies that unit with an Operator and a Tactical Support Unit. From that point, the new Scanner will travel to Earth using a flight unit or a transport terminal, then begin data collection once they arrive. When an area is thoroughly examined, which could take weeks or months depending on the amount of data a lone unit can salvage, the information is sent to their assigned Operator through the Tactical Support Units, which most of us call Pods. The Operator will compile the data into documents categorized by subject and level of importance for the Bunker's main archive. After this process is finished, the Scanner is reassigned to a new location, and the pattern repeats from there.
My case is different, obviously, but this is generally how things go for the others.
Part of the reason my case is so unique is because I'm still in the area I was first assigned to. With a collective of independent machines nearby and a library with most of the books in decent condition, the Forest Kingdom Castle is a constant source of data. The sheer amount of information makes it very unlikely that I'll ever be reassigned. It's definitely too much for one Scanner to collect, especially without the assistance of a Pod or Operator, and my unit designation prohibits long-term partnerships.
So yeah...my workload is substantially heavier than that of other Scanners.
Data I collect in the library, for instance, can be tricky. Several books are written in languages I don't have stored in my brain circuitry, so I spend an ample amount of time deciphering patterns in whatever foreign language I come across. Eventually I can translate them into the various languages most Androids know. This alone is a tall order, and I can't spend every waking hour on this task when there are other books I'm already able to read and preserve. There's also field and enemy data I'm required to collect on a weekly basis, and without an Operator...I have to write and archive every report on my own.
Thanks to my level of proficiency in spite of these challenges, Commander White had an Operator station placed in my quarters on the Bunker about a month ago. A lot of other Scanners have started calling me "the favorite" or "privileged" because of this, but their name-calling doesn't factor in how I consistently completed the tasks of a Scanner, Operator, and Pod for over a year without it.
All this responsibility...
All this pressure...
The human whose memories I possess felt the weight of these things so often that he considered his constant state of stress normal. That's why working like this doesn't bother me too much. I'm grateful for it, honestly.
So what if I'm alone?
So what if those comments hurt sometimes?
I'm useful to the cause. That's all that matters in the end anyway, right?
...
So why does my life feel so empty?
YoRHa Unit 4S stops typing at the sound of an erratic beeping from his Operator station. Quickly swiping away the personal log from his HUD screen, he gets up from his bed and strides over to the advanced operating system.
"Ah, there's enemy activity in the forest again," he mumbles once he's able to get a good look at the map data on the screen. "Looks pretty big. Might be Goliath activity."
Reaching for his visor on the desk, 4S quickly straps it on over his eyes before gathering a few supplies for the trip down to Earth. The forest region is his assigned area. If there's Goliath activity there, he has no choice but to investigate it personally.
"Hopefully it's not too strong." With a sigh he sits down at the desk chair to pull on his boots while keeping an eye on the data. A new symbol appears on the map, indicating a YoRHa B-Model engaging with this presumed Goliath-Class enemy. Once through putting on his boots, 4S expands the map and notices a YoRHa S-Model engaging machines just beyond the bridge leading to the commercial facility.
"2B and 9S, eh?" Smirking, 4S turns off the monitor of his Operator station and quickly checks his supplies again to make sure he has everything before leaving his quarters. Outside of his room, he immediately sees a Gunner Unit marching down the hall with an expression of excitement. She gives 4S a casual wave. He returns the gesture just as she passes him by.
He walks near a few chatty Scanner models a few seconds later, but they stop talking upon noticing him. In his peripheral vision, he notices how the visors do little to cover up the disdain on their faces.
4S smiles and keeps moving forward as if he didn't notice it.
With his footsteps echoing through the base, the Scanner eventually comes to a stop in front of a transporter and starts the usual routine of inputting his pass-code and the location he wishes his body and consciousness sent to. He starts to choose the terminal near the center of the forest region only to notice the device was offline.
"Some machines must be near it," he mutters with a groan while withdrawing a small, handheld tablet. Tapping his foot along the floor, he impatiently waits for the device to boot up then inputs map data for some of the surrounding areas.
"Given these readings, it'll be best to transfer to this terminal near the bridge to the commercial facility. From the look of things, 9S has already cleared the path of enemies."
Following 9S' black box signal on his map, 4S tracks the other Scanner to see that he's closing in on the Goliath and 2B, whose black box signal was cutting in and out.
"Looks like things are going to be rough down there," he murmurs, releasing a sigh as he places the tablet back in his pocket. He logs back into the transporter in front of him afterward. His movements slow while contemplating whether he should back up his memory data before heading to the field.
From his roll out date to the present, 4S had yet to experience death.
Of course, with the way things worked within YoRHa, no one really died in the traditional sense.
However, losing memory data often left some of the operatives feeling like they weren't wholly themselves, even if they'd only lost a few minutes.
4S had witnessed some lose far more than that. Not everyone handled it well. He specifically remembers one Gunner model, not unlike the one that passed him a few minutes ago, going completely mad over it.
Startling as it was to witness a fellow soldier's mental decay, the occurrence was common enough that memory backup became an almost ritualistic routine the organization's general protocol supported.
Losing pieces of oneself was an unspoken fear all YoRHa Units shared.
And yet, the policy wasn't something 4S ever felt the need to adhere to.
There were several memories he would be glad to lose.
A body without the eyes he hated wouldn't be so bad either. Obviously he wasn't looking to die. Survival is etched into his very being, but...
Sometimes he thinks he might let himself fall one day, just to see if anything would change for him.
But was he truly prepared to lose everything if he got killed on the field gathering data today? Was he prepared to lose his memories of all the stories and manuscripts he'd poured through in the Forest Kingdom? Was he prepared to potentially lose his entire being?
If he died, it'd be a near factory reset. What he was now would be gone forever.
4S smirks, a bitter laugh on his tongue when he dismisses the save prompt to start the transport process.
"I've already made contingency plans in the event of an unexpected death," he thinks, sucking in a deep breath as the transport doors close him off from the sterile world of the Bunker. "No one would ever know I didn't backup. Even if they found out...no one would really care. There's tons of my model running around. The things that make me different from them aren't useful to the cause..."
The black box serving as his heart constricts slightly, sending an unfamiliar sensation through his systems.
As a soldier duty-bound to mankind, 4S couldn't help but wonder if he was being callous in risking the destruction of the human memories implanted in him.
But then one of the more traumatic experiences of that boy's life assaults his mind in a torrent of images that make him wish he could vomit.
"They don't belong to me...so why..."
The transporter door opens, exposing him to the outskirts of the City Ruin limits. Hacking out a shaky breath, 4S takes a few seconds to scan his surroundings for hostiles then dashes toward the bridge leading to the commercial facility. His mind quickly empties itself of anything that doesn't pertain to the mission at hand. His duty as a Scanner comes first, regardless of whatever bitterness rests beneath the myriad of masks he wears to protect himself from the scorn of others.
He has no inkling of what is to come as this day marches on.
A wanderer will cross his path soon.
She too carries the burden of human memories.
Though a fearsome warrior on the outside, loneliness threatens to crush her from within.
Speaking isn't her strongest suit due to years on the run. 4S is in the same boat thanks to his role demanding isolation.
Overhead, thick clouds gather together in the sky, darkening it significantly.
The wanderer, the fugitive known previously as Number 2, has no reason to wear masks. Not anymore.
Her eyes tell her story.
As for 4S...
What story will his eyes tell?
A/N: Many thanks to all of you for reading. I hope this second chapter was to your liking. And to those who have favorited this story or left nice comments for me, thank you. I really appreciate it and I hope that I can continue to provide good work for you guys.
Additionally, if you guys ever get antsy waiting for me to update, please feel free to check out my YouTube channel, Lillymu961. It is slowly turning into a NieR-based channel at the moment. A few months ago I finished a project entitled Rambling About NieR: Automata's Music, and have recently started a project entitled BTS Songs as NieR: Automata's Soundtrack. (I mean, you guys are reading a story that was inspired by a BTS song so...yeah this madness was inevitable. And seriously, you wouldn't believe how well certain BTS songs fit into Automata's narrative and themes, it's kinda insane.) If you guys are interested in either of these projects, definitely check out the channel. Thank you all again for reading. Best wishes and God bless you all!