"Hey wait!" a voice reached the group coming from the side of the camp.
Turning around they could spot Jackass rushing over to them holding something in her hands. Though as she ran the terrain at the edge of the crater gave out under her.
She would have fallen in if it wasn't for the white gloved hand reaching for her, and pulling her back.
"You should be more careful."
"Ah I just got carried away." Jackass grinned at the blonde woman that was holding her. "I'm sure someone would have caught me, your soldiers are so fast."
Even despite what happened the woman still giggled, she was too carefree.
But it was true that the other androids present already began moving towards her to catch her, even though the Pods would have gotten there first. Still White's presence had been enough for them to breathe a sigh of relief.
At least nothing happened.
The three Pods still floated towards the two women allowing them to safely reach them.
Still Jackass ignored the questions if she was fine and just rushed over to 6O, taking her hands and placing an item in them.
An odd looking handgun that looked like it had an extra magazine for… something.
"This is yours." without taking a moment to breathe, she began explaining. "Look, this is a small tank of nanobots that recharges over time, of course it can be refilled faster by using recovering items, just put them in it." and in fact there was a small cylindrical thing attached to it, with tiny yellow healing bots inside.
"With this you can shoot the bots at distance without needing to expose yourself too much to danger, and to heal small wounds and sustain others quickly and efficiently." she then gestured to a switch near the handle.
"While this switch allows you to change bullet type at will, these bullets are less powerful but they're like the ones the rifle Number 16 uses, and don't need to be reloaded, as they regenerate like hers. With this you can protect yourself or help in dealing extra damage."
The Operator took a look at the weapon analyzing it with her eyes.
"This was a prototype of the guns we wanted the first Scanner generation to have, now made better and repurposed just for you." White added.
And if it worked she may even consider making them an actual weapon for those older Scanner types that came between Number 21 and 9S were deployed, perhaps scrapping them hadn't been a good idea.
Well, once and if they will be able to bring back more people. White didn't doubt they could, she still remembered their data, but with the resources they had on hand it wouldn't be possible here to reconstruct and fix more bodies.
For now all they had was left to use to complete this project to get on Nico Robin's planet, and to heal eventual and possible wounds sustained. Rebuilding more units had to wait until they got to that planet and settled down, hoping to find what they needed, and wanted there.
Then the harder part would be to explain the truth to them, unless she decided to directly put the new data in their brains, hoping it would bring them to a better understanding.
But until they found out if it was doable or not, everything else would have to wait.
"Now the issue is, I don't have much combat data." right, 6O being an Operator knew as far as to throw a punch and a few moves.
No weapon data was given to O types, much like the old Scanner types, and strength wise they were even weaker, since they were never supposed to be deployed on Earth, and fighting should have never been their problem.
Number 16 put a hand around the young blonde's shoulders. "I'll help you, as a G type I'm the more qualified." she grinned at Dahlia's glare, knowing she couldn't do anything about it.
"I'm also your only choice now." given they were going to fight those guardians, while the people of the Resistance had to stay here.
"The best way is being thrown in combat, and I'll be by your side all along, okay?" because they had little time to waste.
It was amusing to see this soft and helpful side of Number 16 though, perhaps she enjoyed the fact of being a mentor to someone younger than her.
6O didn't seem so sure, but still nodded. "You'll be just fine." Robin told her, hoping to make her less tense.
"Then, once this thing is done, I will have time to grow stronger."
But…
"This means you're refusing the possibility of coming with us on this first trip." this first hopeful try. Both her and the Gunner alike.
"It's all right. The way I am, I'd be too weak, and I have much to learn about my role as healer, I wouldn't be very reliable." the way 6O said so she didn't appear angry, all the opposite, she seemed firm in her decision. "Also since we'll be thrown into a world of humans, I want to learn what I can about helping them too, as a medic."
And for that, only Devola and Popola could teach her.
"I'll be fine too, since I know there are other people just as strong, if not stronger than me that can come with you." and the Gunner knew well that most likely Number 2 was willing to go.
No, that was certain.
And she'd grown so much since then, even if she did miss her older and more innocent self, her colder and battle hardened self was the result of what she went through, Number 16 understood, but still it was weird, and took time to get used to, when she and the other two barely changed.
Personality wise that was.
But for them it seemed like yesterday that they died, time passed weird for them, while for her it passed 3 long years.
Still, Number 2 was as worried and affectionate as ever towards the people she loved, that never changed despite the years. That was what mattered.
That despite everything she was herself at core.
"I respect your decision." Robin nodded. If they wanted to stay and improve she would not say no.
"Speaking of, have you made a choice yet?" Rose asked. "Not yet, but I have a pretty good idea." but the human refrained from giving details just yet.
First, the decision wasn't final, and second, she didn't want to disappoint anyone.
And it wasn't time to think about it now, she'll make her observations and then decide.
"I suppose we should be on our way to the factory then."
The other YoRHas nodded at her as she said so, but still…
"Wait…" White's tiny voice made itself heard. "I just… I just wanted to wish you luck in your search."
But the words weren't very much appreciated.
Number 2 glared lightly at her, Number 21 blankly stared back at her while Number 16 opened her mouth probably to yell at her, but she was promptly cut off from Number 4's hand that shut her up.
"Thank you." the Attacker replied back to her, earning a glare from the Gunner.
The others didn't express themselves, 9S mirrored A2's look, while 2B and 21O just looked back without saying a thing, 6O stayed silent too, but at least she didn't appear hostile.
"Thanks, Commander." Nico Robin replied, as she motioned for the others to follow, with White staring at their backs.
Someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
Rose.
"They will understand, with time."
White just hoped it was true.
"Why did you interrupt me?" Number 16 yelled at Number 4 as soon as they were far enough from the rest.
"Because there was no need to yell at her."
"Have you forgotten what she's done to us? She doesn't get to be forgiven because of a few little words." and for that even Number 4 agreed but…
"No one ever said you have to forgive her." Robin interjected. "None of you has to, but it is wrong to not acknowledge that at least she is trying to make up for her past mistakes."
"As we all are, no?"
At that even the Gunner stayed silent.
"She knows she did wrong, and that she's willing to change, and that's all that matters. But it takes time and effort, we have to be patient." and no one was more qualified than her to say this.
"I used to be a much different person, but you all have made me better, so perhaps we can do the same with her too, spewing hate will just bring us in the wrong, and will only hurt her further, she knows very well all she did to us, perhaps better than we do."
Since some of them didn't even remember parts of their life, or their many lives, like 9S, and none of them truly knew what went behind the scenes when White was given an order but her unless she told them.
"All I ask is to give her a chance, like you'd given one to the people around you that are now your friends."
And who knew if this couldn't turn into something good too? Perhaps not a friendship, but maybe just to rebuild some kind of trust on who once was their Commander.
As the group chatted, they made their way through the deeper parts of the factory, as Pod 007 signaled them that the next guardian was in the lowest and most obscure levels of this place.
"I remember this place, they called it the junk heap, and even then it was a factory of machines, just not this advanced and big." Emil stated as he floated close to Robin's shoulder.
"So machines existed even before the invasion, or perhaps the aliens just took and used them to their advantage, all could be." machines went way back then. "And some of them were turned into magical guardians too."
If Robin had to guess, these guardians could be referred to as Goliath class machines, she imagined them big and powerful.
This was the first, so she had yet to find out how strong they could be.
But somehow she didn't feel scared.
Because of the people that were at her side, even the newer ones, because A2 trusted them, and she'd seen their battle prowess just a while before, against Emil's clones.
She could hear Number 16 chatting animatedly with 6O, explaining things about her weapon, and how to use it optimally even if the Operator never held a gun before in her life.
Robin just felt so positive just by watching them, so much that she found herself smiling.
Since when did it start to be so natural for her to do that?
That she found herself genuinely trusting so many people?
She didn't know, but she knew that this was right.
For their own good she'd look out for them in this adventure, because without them, it'd have no meaning.
Her life had no meaning.
With these thoughts in mind she tightened the grip on her sword once they arrived at the deepest level, and again, there was a large room, this time round instead of a square, and a wall.
She looked back at the group, as each of them in turn took out their weapons, and in Number 21's case, she hid herself behind her hood, and nodded, signaling that they were ready for the fight.
"Let's see what you're made of." Robin whispered as she threw the spell at the wall, that like the other times glowed to reveal what was behind it.
What came out of it looked like a machine Goliath that some of them already knew, like those Engels units, but somehow a prototype of it, and probably it was. Looked like it was mostly the head, whose eyes glowed red like any other hostile machine, and two giant fists at its sides.
Even if it looked similar, there was no way to know if the attack patterns also were or not.
Or rather, not until it began attacking them.
And it didn't waste time, because as soon as it laid its eyes on the closest person, that being Robin herself, a fist descended on her head, which she jumped away from, and back to the rest of the group.
"This thing is angry." Number 4 commented, her new sword in hand. "They always are." A2 answered her.
Or well, hostile machines always were, in her experience, and in general.
All of them here killed way more than what they could count, so they knew it pretty well.
"It's weak spot seems to be the head." Number 21 could see from her screen. "Well easy then."
But it wasn't so easy, because as Number 16 shot the thing straight between the eyes, her bullets just bounced back.
"Not so easy then…" she sighed.
She and neither the rest had the time to dwell in the failure, as the machine began shooting lasers from its hands at them, forcing them to run and separate.
"If one of those touches us we'll be fried." 9S said, trying to come up with a strategy, and with the corner of his eyes he could spot his predecessor doing the same thing.
Though the Pods didn't specify if the lasers were magical based or not.
"Best to not get hit." 2B told him, as if it wasn't obvious enough, but he would never say that because it would be too mean, but only because it was her.
"No worries, we have speed on our side." to prove Number 21's point, even someone not too fast like an old Scanner such as herself could swiftly maneuver through the beams without getting hit.
Though some still got too close for comfort, feeling the heat on her skin was pretty uncomfortable.
Deciding to try something different, Robin summoned a series of orbs from her sword, if bullets weren't effective against it, maybe magic would be.
Though much to her dismay they had even less of an effect, in fact, none at all.
This also meant another thing, that Emil's presence was totally useless, besides how he served as a guide of the old world, that's why he refrained from attacking, he didn't want to risk accidentally hurting anyone.
It was starting to annoy Robin how things failed her, she was not used to failing, ever.
She let out a small growl of frustration.
When they got out of this, she hoped that the rest of these guardians didn't have protection against magic. Besides the ineffectiveness of her weapons, they were the best targets she could use to train herself to use this new power.
No way she'd risk using it on the others.
"I guess we just need to break this thing apart with our hands then." A2 took out her large sword, rendering it electric, as she threw herself at one of the hands using her enhanced speed as her body glowed red.
She slashed at it, leaving a sizable dent in the hand, and the electricity momentarily staggering the appendage as it stopped shooting for the moment.
Number 4 following her adding another dent right after.
While the other hand was dealt with from Number 16, at least unlike the head, the hands didn't deflect. And in doing so she encouraged 6O to follow her to cause damage. Her aim wasn't the best, yet, but she did manage to place a few hits, even despite the lasers putting her under pressure.
At least she tried.
If she never did she would never get better either.
It seemed that it triggered a reaction in the machine, as it pulled the hands back and instead opened its mouth.
That meant…
"The mouth is the weak spot." 9S stated.
But not because he said so it meant it would be easy to hit it, as instead of lasers the machines shot rockets at them, and worse, they were homing.
"Damn it!" came Number 16's angry shout, as she shot down the rockets heading for her, while the others slashed them down with their swords instead. 9S in a corner shielded 6O covering her from the incoming fire that 2B didn't manage to slash down while in front of them.
A2, Number 4 and Robin did the same right at the front, while 21O protected her older sister, who also had a shield around herself in case something got too close.
It wasn't a direct hit, but the blast of the explosion was enough to send Number 21 off her feet, as she flew backwards and into the pit of lava below. She screamed uncharacteristically, but even someone as calm as she was still feared death.
She braced for the pain, at least it would be a quick one, how embarrassing of her, just when she got to live and see Number 2 and Anemone again…
But nothing happened.
A long chain in red and black wrapped itself around her midriff, and with a strong pull, she felt herself flying in the air again, this time upwards, and into the arms of someone.
There was only one person that owned a weapon like this one…
Nico Robin.
She saved her.
"You okay?" she asked, worry in her discolored eyes, as she gently let her down on the ground.
"I think so." she was alive, and unharmed, perhaps a bit sore from being pulled, and a little scared still, but otherwise nothing else was wrong.
Once again she'd been saved because she was too weak…
"Good, now let's kill this thing." before if did something worse than this, Robin glared daggers at its face.
The machine resumed attacking with its hands, trying to squish them again.
"If only we could have enough firepower…" Number 16's rifle alone wasn't enough, they had the Pods, but 9S didn't know if they were enough either to take down that machine at once.
The best would be to shoot a massive thing all at once, cause so much damage it couldn't recover.
"The rockets!" he yelled.
"What about them?" A2 frowned.
"We need to have this thing shoot them again." he then turned to the Scanner they almost lost a few moments ago. "Number 21, are you able to hack the rockets?"
"Yes, I can." and as he asked, she realized what he wanted to do.
Why hadn't she thought about it right away?
"Perfect. We just need to resist, and wait for that to happen again."
And so they did, making the machine angry by slashing its hands again with more vigor, so it'd be inclined to open its mouth another time.
The machine fell for the trap, opening its mouth and firing the rockets again.
"Now!" 9S screamed putting his hands forward, white light emanating from them, as did Number 21.
With the aid of a second Scanner he could hack into the rockets and direct them back at the machine faster than he would have done alone. Even if her movements were a little slower than his, kind of expected from an older model, she got the job done just as flawlessly as he did.
Together they directed the rockets back from where they were shot, directly in the machine's mouth, the machine exploded, and from it, a red flash enveloped Robin.
A new spell.
But… that could wait for now.
"Number 21, are you okay?" Number 4 rushed over to her, giving her a hug, followed by Number 2 behind her looking her over, and Number 16 shortly after, though she chose to remain at distance.
"Yes. I'm all right." there wasn't a single scratch on her.
Still…
"Thank you, Nico Robin." but she shook her head. "I'm just glad you're alright."
She looked at the others. "That you all are."
"I'm sorry I worried you all." Number 21 held a hand close to her chest. She should have been careful, she should have known…
"I'm sorry too." this however came from the other 21, 21O.
Why?
"I failed to protect her, I should have deployed the barrier, if I did…" she would have saved her…
"We could stay here for hours departing on what happened, and what could have been done, yes, it could have gone better, but we're here, we're safe, and the enemy was defeated. That's all that matters."
Still, 21O found herself fidgeting with her hands, even despite Robin's words.
She had so much to learn.
Because the way she was she was so unreliable as a person and as a protector.
"We should get out of here, and rest some."
