Hello! Chapter 20 is out!
Personal address: So, I know this chapter took longer than usual to post, and that is down to two main reasons. First off, I had a huge amount of trouble writing this chapter as there is so much that needs to be covered, with so many different characters and points of view that needed to be put in. Second, I feel as though this is the hardest chapter to write for a lot of reasons, the largest being that I wrote myself into a damn corner by rushing the drama and that I frankly wanted to give all of you an interesting second-to-last chapter to the best of my ability. Anyways, enough ranting, sorry for the delay.
Things to comment on:
Greyff: I agree, Nier is a fucking hell hole for logistics and by extension makes writing any sort of large-scale event difficult as hell. Moving on, ya, I did want to try and push some ideas that don't commonly pop up in Nier Automata fanfics, one of them being that the human character has faults that, while not completely self-destructive, show just how little they grasp the situation and the world they live in. On top of which, I tried to give more personality to the android cast and do some world-building, not sure if I succeeded though. As for the ending, I have decided to go with an ambiguous ending which would allow the reader to come to their conclusion about the future.
Noone cares if u disagree: Ehh, fair, the route I went was not executed perfectly, anyways, good luck on future fanfic reads!
Gonsmoss: I understand your point and agree to a decent degree, I added the drama on way too quickly for my good and I kinda forced myself to a quicker ending.
Deep Sea Diver Man: So Joel got the WCS when he was in that dream-like sequence with the skull-like being (One of Emil's clones) and in exchange for not dying there and then, would be granted a short reprieve to continue living, though the price for this was to be infected with WCS.
Alright, let's hope I wrote this well. LEEROY!
—-
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The earth shook beneath Evergreen's feet as the machines continued their bombardment of the android's position. He could feel every fiber of his being rattle with each connection of the machine's assault. Small bits of dirt, concrete, and plant life showered him inside the trench line, his once vibrant gold hair had been reduced to a dusty and mud-soaked mess. How long had he been here? A week maybe? Time lost all meaning once the bombardment had started. Damn machines did not need to concern themselves about such things as ammo when they could produce those horrid energy orbs. He looked to his left and right, dozens of androids were in the quickly constructed trench line, all in similar states of exhaustion. An unfortunate few had begun to shake and twitch against their will and were taken further back into the city's ruins for treatment. Many had heckled them and thrown insults at them, now though? A traitorous part of him had wished he was one of them.
Wiping the grime off his face and hair to the best of his abilities, he looked down at his weapon. It was worn, to say the least, given to him when he had arrived at this sector not long after a large-scale engagement had taken place. He tilted his head up towards the sun, its light shining through the haze of smoke and dust from the bombardment, a spectator to the conflict taking place below. Was this what it was like for every new android or android in general? He was roughly, give or take three months of age. Everything still felt so new to him, so many strange smells, sounds, and noises. The implanted connections in his processor did little besides allow him to understand what they meant, not how or why. Those he stood beside were…comrades? Brothers and Sisters in arms? No, that was not it. They were…what was that human word that he had heard before…ah, that's it, family. These androids were his family. They had imparted to him everything, from mannerisms to beliefs to ideals. Even his name was a result of these androids. They had brought him out into the ruins and forest to "find himself", and did not explain until he was taken aback when he ran into it, an evergreen tree. Something about it just spoke to him, something more than predetermined programming nor understandings that all androids were given. No, this was to be his and his alone, this is who he was to be, and so it was.
"...I-It stopped, it's over!" A voice cried out, piercing the sudden silence which took hold over the land. Evergreen blinked, and so did many others. No one dared to make the first move, just in case it was a trick to catch them off guard. A minute passed, then ten, then twenty. Finally, he could take it no more, he had to move, he needed to move, he had been there for so long! With a hesitant step forward, then another, he hoisted his body up to his torso to peer out into the outside world. He stared, confused, at what met his sight.
It looked like another world almost, the surrounding ruins had been either vaporized or turned into rubble that spanned for as long as he could see through the dust. Where once was vast amounts of vegetation there was simply nothing besides smoke and burning embers. He winced, shielding his eyes as he looked at the offending source of light. To his amazement, it was glass of all things, not just in one spot, but many. The extreme heat of the energy orbs had caused the formation of glass. The sun's rays made the glass almost look like they were pools of jewels, the smoke slowly waving back and forth in the breeze, the embers giving a glowing and warm tone. In a strangely beautiful way, it looked like some sort of beautiful macabre artwork.
Evergreen looked back down, into the trench line, and gave a wide grin to his fellows.
"Looks like it's over, eh?" He said, taking a more relaxed posture.
"Maybe machines do run out of-" He paused, something was not right. It was not something he could see, nor hear, but something in the core of his being told him that something was off. There! A slight tremor, barely noticeable to an organic being, but to his enhanced senses it was barely enough. Machines? No? Maybe? He barely ever encountered them before now. He strained his hearing. Nothing…wait! The distant grinding of servos and mechanical parts filled his ears.
"Ma-Machines, they are coming!" He screamed out from the bottom of his being. Just as he said so, a horde of medium bipeds broke through the dust like a tide of metal and blades, dead set on making contact with the trench line. With renewed vigor, Evergreen threw himself back down into the trench line, grabbing his rifle as androids all around him began to fire into the oncoming mass. The crack of gunfire filled the air as dozens of bipeds were riddled with lead, many collapsing under the weight of fire. Yet, some still made it through the maelstrom of lead. Crack! Evergreen fired at the leading biped approaching him, only twenty yards away, the bullet ricocheted off its massive frame, just like the rest directed towards it. The machine was adorned in multiple paint schemes haphazardly thrown on to stand out amongst its fellows. Crack! Fifteen yards. Crack! Ten yards. Crack! Five yards. Evergreen stepped back, the round he was about to load slipping through his fingers. Shit! Shit! Shit! He dove for the bullet, scrambling to chamber it. Click! He snapped the bolt shut, turning up to fire on the biped which had now crested the trench line and was swinging its massive ax down at him. Crack! Krrch!
Evergreen felt a sudden rush of air meet his face as he was flung into the air, spinning wildly. Everything slowed as he did so, the brutal melee taking place in the trenches was drowned out by the thundering of reinforcements coming from both sides to try and tilt the skirmish in their favor. With a wet slap, he made an impact with the ground, near where he once was. He could see the machine he had been fighting had toppled over in a crumpled mass, smoke, and fire billowing from the entry wound and its eyes. A rush of satisfaction met him, he had got one. He tried to stand but…could not. He tried to stand again…nothing. He looked towards one of the androids near him and tried to call for help, but no sound came. Why was his vision fading? Why was everything…gone? He could make his rifle out of the corner of his vision…attached to a body…a body…without…a….His eyes glazed over, staring at his decapitated body.
—-
I restrained a cough as I sat, trying to survey the bunker room around me. Everything was a blurry mess of shapes, sounds, and flashing lights. I felt so…weak, so very weak, even wearing this elaborate costume of armor was a challenge for me. My once-growing physical strength and dexterity I was gaining from my active lifestyle were fading at such a rapid rate I fear that I was only little more than skin and bone at this point, barely able to stand without the assistance of a cane made out of a machine's leg. It probably did not help that I could barely keep any food or water down without gagging from the taste of salt being so strong that it overpowered anything else. Damn it, I am a prisoner in my own body aren't I? Luckily, my mind was still intact for the most part, having not diminished to such a great degree as my body. I could still retain most information, give or take a few details here and there.
Luckily for me, not one android outside those in my "inner circle" had noticed my declining health thanks to careful interventions by Anemone and White, along with scripted public appearances. Honestly, all I had to do for the most part was to sit there and bullshit my way into looking like a semi omnipotent being, infuriating, but surprisingly doable given preconceived notions about humans. Hell, just having me here was a huge morale booster, if the way everyone was working was anything to go by. This was only further compounded by the twins being on either side of me, acting as aids and my bodyguards, much to the chagrin of Yorha defender models and some resistance members.
I tilted my head up, looking at the ugly grayness which composed the ceiling. Anemone had been busy for some time, preparing such fortifications for years now, though I doubted she ever had plans to use them in any meaningful way besides as a last-ditch defense. Small bits of dirt and stone fell from the echoes of distant battle, pinging my helmet. It must have been over a week since the siege started. Given what I could piece out from hearsay, White, and Anemone, had gone for a bend but don't break style of defense, heavily relying on static defenses to offset massive differences in troops and firepower, with Yorha androids acting as a reserve to plug any leaks in the defense. Though, I had my doubts that this defense would hold out for long. I clutched the data slates in my hands. My decree was ready, or ready as it would ever be at this point while my journal was still in the works. Hell, it would be a stretch to call it a journal at this point with how much relevant information I had to cram into it.
"Vulcan." Anemone's voice said, bringing me out of my introspection. Alongside her was White…I think. "Anemone, White, how goes the battle?" I responded, my raspy voice being distorted by the helmet into something far more regal and deep sounding, like an ancient king from mythology. A frown creased their faces, before motioning to go off for a private conversation. I repressed a groan of annoyance as I stood, trying to keep my body from shaking. With that, I, the twins, and the respective commanders of the androids made our way to a small alcove located some ways away from the command bunker.
"Alright, be honest, just how bad are things going?" I growled out, leaning against a wall.
"To be frank sir, it is going worse than expected," White said glumly, crossing her arms under her ample chest. "While having you does do wonders for morale, it does little to change the reality of the situation. We are being drowned in machine bodies. For everyone we kill, a hundred take its place. It's only thanks to Anemone's preparation and my subordinates that we are even managing to stem the tide. Besides that, we are draining our ammunition stores at such a rate that it is almost unprecedented. Add to the fact that we are receiving reports of such weapons like machine guns having their barrels practically melt from the number of rounds being fired…" White trailed off, her point having been made.
"There is also another issue that needs to be addressed. There have been reports of…" Anemone paused, trying to find the right word "Irregularities among machine forces."
I raised a brow, before motioning for her to continue to explain.
"Firstly, there are machines covering themselves in colors, with no specific order or style to them. Secondly, there have been reports of massive friendly fire incidents between machine forces, specifically those with and without colors. Although, given the machine's propensity to use their forces as pawns, it may be just some elaborate scheme" I sighed, before taking off my helmet and rubbing my temples. It was a risk to take it off, considering if I was seen by some poor android, well, it would not be a good day for them. Wait. I paused to think. Friendly fire, stark differences in appearance, maybe ideological differences? I mean, some machines could think freely to varying degrees, and with such things often came differences in belief that led to violence, if human history was anything to go by anyways. Though, most machines could not have a human frame of mind applied to them.
"How intentional were these friendly fire incidents?" I inquired. "Without a shadow of a doubt" Responded Anemone. "Is it possible a schism may be taking place?" No one responded, instead, everyone turned their eyes towards White. "I-...just because I am privileged to some information does not mean I know everything," She said hastily, color swelling in her cheeks slightly.
Everyone continued to stare.
"...It is theoretically possible if that's what you want to hear, but as far as I am aware, there is no official documentation of such events taking place in the past. Though, if the last few years are anything to go by and the rapid evolution of machine intelligence, it is plausible I suppose." White admitted a thoughtful look crossing her usual stern features. I could only give a small hum in response. Before something emerged from the fog of my mind that plagued me.
"Where is A2?" I wondered aloud. The four androids stared at me, looks of worry, sadness, and…pity crossing their faces. "You said she would be better helping those on the front lines…" Popola said, similar to a manner someone would tell a forgetful elderly person. "O-oh…" I responded quietly. I could feel panic slowly welling up inside my chest, when did I say that? How long ago? How could I forget? This-No! I took a deep breath before letting out a haggard sigh, trying to calm myself. I looked around the room, the atmosphere of the conversation died with the response.
"That brings us to the final thing we want to talk about. Joel…I…we don't know what to do when you- I know!" I hissed out, cutting off Devola. She flinched. "I'm sorry, it's just been…Hmm," I floundered, trying to find an adequate explanation for my irritability. "We know, Joel, we know," Devola said, trying to soothe my temper. "We could try and put me back into cryosleep?" I proposed the origins of my arrival long since been explained to them when it was possible. "In your current state? I doubt it. There is a decent chance that it may kill you outright." Responded Popola, shaking her head slowly as she thought over the idea.
"I- Ma'am!" A voice called, footsteps thundering down the passageway. I quickly threw my helmet back on. Turning the corner was two female Yorha androids, Operator models if I remembered correctly. "21O, 6O?" Questioned White. "Reports of special machine variations detected on the battlefield. Code names, Adam and Eve!" White's face paled considerably.
Damn, nothing can go my way today, can it?
—-
A2 had to admit, she may despise Yorha with a passion near fanaticism at times, but a small part of her could not deny she missed working with such a professional and organized unit…it brought back memories. She looked over the talkative Scanner model in front of her, looking at the B model Yorha androids, armored in their signature black armor which seemed to absorb all light around it, while crimson-colored eyes highlighted the imposing figures. Funnily enough, despite their intimidating wear, they had kept their distance from her, or the best they could anyways in this damn hole in the ground Anemone and White gladly named the reserve trenches. It was almost childish in a way, always keeping her at arm's length whenever possible, like she was a bad omen. Though, she did have to admit that they were quiet, waiting for orders to come down from above before any action was taken. Unfortunately, there was always an exception to the rule, which so happened to be this damn little pest, named 9S and his partner, though, if A2's assumptions were right, that partner wanted to be that in more than one sense. It always threw her for a loop when she saw these two. How many times had they been sent after her by now? How many times had they come back? She could feel her mood rapidly diminishing more than it already was, thinking about the cruelty of it all.
"Miss A2! Miss A2! Is it true that the human…" A2 sighed internally, trying to ignore the android. "Miss A2!" Don't do it, it's not worth it. "...A2!" Was going rogue such a bad thing? After all, she could just beat the shit out of him instead of listening to this drabble for hours on end. "A2!" This had to be some sort of cruel divine punishment. "A2-What, damn it!" She hissed, cutting off the scanner. "...What is the human's favorite color?" A2 took a step towards him, barely restraining the urge to choke the life out of him. She looked past him and towards his partner, 2B. She blinked. That damn jackass is smirking! Damn her!
"Out of everything you could ask, why that?" She asked the scanner slowly. He blinked, or what she believed to be his version of blinking considering the visor he wore. "Because I was curious." A2 took a deep breath and rubbed the side of her head. "Why are you like this-" She paused as she felt the telltale shiver run up her back as her internal communication systems activated.
"A2?" White's voice inquired. "Yes?" She said internally while throwing up a hand to motion for silence from 9S. "Section 2-3 is being overrun, you and surrounding forces are to plug the gap. Also, be advised that irregular machine lifeforms are present within the area, if encountered, eliminate them." With that the communication line was cut off, leaving A2 to her own devices.
She could not help the wave of anger that swept over her as she thought about taking orders from White again. It felt wrong, so very wrong. After everything, the Pearl Harbor Descent, she somehow looked back around to where she had begun all those years ago. A grim smile tugged at her lips, the world did work in ironies.
"Alright, let's move! The Commander has ordered us to march! Let's not keep her waiting!" She barked out, mustering the Yorha forces to what would be the most important battle between machine and android forces to have taken place since the beginning of the long war.
—-
As much as she wanted to deny it with every fiber of her being, this battle, this last stand, was a forlorn conclusion that would end in a machine victory. White thought as she looked down at the map in front of her, spread out across a large table, with various symbols, markings, and writings that were hastily written across it. Across from her stood Anemone, in a similar moment of realization. The command staff of each respective android leader had caught on not long, the aura of the room turning grim as many realized their impending deaths in the coming hours. The initial trench line had been annihilated after only an hour of contact, which was better than the anticipated, but still a wholly unacceptable loss. There had been reinforcements sent up to try and take back the trench, but when you have a foe who does not break, does not need ammunition, and cannot feel pain, dislodging them becomes almost impossible. On top of that, the machines were slowly but methodically pushing them back. This battle was almost a picture-perfect scenario of what not to do when facing machines, static defenses in an attrition-heavy environment were the machine's forte, the aliens had designed them perfectly for such a role. But what choice did they have? There was no way to evacuate given the sheer size of the machine's presence, on top of which, the presence of a human, made such an idea so unpopular mutiny was all but a guarantee if it was suggested.
Though, there was a slight hope of internal struggles within the machine forces if reports are to be believed. There was no doubt at least some of these reports were invalid, the fog of wars tends to make one believe anything they believe they saw, rather than rational judgment. Especially when said force has a doctrine focused on using troops like cannon fodder. However, the sheer amount of reports she and Anemone were getting about the subject had given it some credence. If some of them, hell, any of them were true, perhaps surviving this battle was possible. But that would mean opening an entire host issue if that option was true…which side would be best for us to side with? Which is in the superior position? What are the chances of betrayal? However, faced with impending annihilation, what other cards did she have left to play beside a desperate gambit hoping to win it all?
She flicked her eyes towards Anemone, as another half dozen markers indicating android units were removed from the map, machines occupying that space. No words had to be spoken, both had come to the same conclusion at roughly the same time. Victory, as things stood, was an impossibility as all things were tallied, low supplies, dwindling troop numbers, near limitless enemy combatants, and no reinforcements in a reasonable time frame. White hung her head, her programming screaming at her to not do it, to not do the unthinkable. It went against everything she had ever fought for, lied for, and sentenced those to death for. The very idea of it went against her being, machines were the enemy, to be brutally stabbed, bludgeoned, crushed, annihilated, peace was a foreign word to her. The taste of it even felt wrong as she rolled the word around in her head. It was a cardinal rule.
…
…
…
Heh. What was that old human saying, rules are meant to be broken. She looked back at Anemone, who nodded in agreement, no words needed to be said. With that, White motioned for a radio operator to approach and rolled the dice on their final gambit.
—-
The thunderous impact of the medium biped falling in front of her brought A2 back into focus. Pain blossomed in her head as she slowly sat up, drinking in her surroundings. It was carnage incarnate, bodies of both android and machine lay strewn about the battlefield. Smoke pillars climbed high into the sky from the destroyed bodies of large machine forms, leaving a hellish haze to descend over the battlefield. Sluggishly, A2 raised her hand to her head and winced. Lowering her hand in front of her, she saw crimson, deep and rich in pigmentation. Hissing, she rose to her feet, her legs wobbling as she did so. How did she get here? What happened? Shaking her head, she observed the landscape again, trying to jog her memory.
The android dead were a mix of resistance and Yorha forces, many appearing to be killed from blunt trauma, surprisingly, there were little signs of lacerations or melting from energy attacks, some of the most common ways an android died from fighting machines from A2 could remember. If that was the case…A2 looked at the machine dead. There were far more destroyed machines than usual, even for their superior numbers. The machine dead looked like they were part of two groups, one, which she knew far too well to be standard machines, rustic coloration with hints of brass and weathering thrown on them. The other group however was far from the normal machine complement, many machines being a rainbow of colors, with extensive modifications, some of which seemed to serve no purpose but to show the difference between themselves and their comrades. From what she could tell, it looked as though the machines had turned their weapons on one another. Many between the two separate groups had appeared to die together, blades embedded in one another, or grappling each other. A strange chill ran up A2's spine, this was not the usual brutal efficiency employed by machines, this was…personal. Perhaps at one point, she would have felt such elation at looking at so many machines dead, but now, after Pascal and his village, she just felt so…tired. Pain flooded her senses again as she fell to her knees, the pulsating throbbing of the wound on her head returning.
She had to get up, to-Thump! She looked toward the source of the noise. It was 9S and 2B fighting a pair of male androids. It looked like it was an equal bout, but to the trained eye, it was clear that the Yorha androids were slowly but surely being pushed back again and again, running out of options to continue to avoid the pair of male androids. The pods of 9S and 2B were doing their best to buy more time, but they were just minor nuisances two the- Wait! Memories came flooding back like a tidal wave of revelation. Her mind worked overtime to piece together the information which had been jogged loose. They had been sent here to reinforce the line, but when they arrived most of the resistance forces had been either destroyed or routed. Instead, they had been sucked into an all-out melee between opposing machine forces which were hell-bent on killing each other with as much brutality as physically possible. They had taken casualties, but nothing which would render A2 and the Yorha forces combat ineffective, that is until they had killed most of the machines when…then they arrived. There was no warning or battle cry.
"Finish them!" A2 yelled out, cutting down another machine that dared get in her way. A roar erupted from the other Yorha forces as they renewed their assault, intent on ending this skirmish. The victory was close, so close! Then with a thunder-like boom the Yorha android which had been leading the assault simply just turned into a mist, and stood in her place where two male figures, clad in nothing but black pants now with spots of crimson. More androids rush to kill the two offending figures, yet they were dispatched with little to no effort, the longest being toyed with as she was slowly whittled down with expertly controlled blows to cause as much pain as possible before she died. Those…those…bastards, did not laugh or contort their features into that of rage, they simply just seemed curious, like a child playing with a bug.
A2 with rage flowing in every fiber of her being, charged to give time for the remaining androids to retreat, 2B and 9S following some ways behind her. The pair of hostile androids had different reactions, the short-haired one seemed too excited to play with another android while the long-haired android seemed to have their curiosity peaked. With her many years of experience, A2 managed to weave through the oncoming attacks like a ballet dancer. Her two adversaries looked stunned, having not faced such an experienced opponent before. A2 felt a sense of confidence blossom within her, their arrogance would be their undoing.
Weaving through another onslaught of attacks, A2 dashed into range to attack with her blade against the long-haired android, her blade biting deep into his leg. Blood spurts in great jets, more than enough to kill an android outright. However, the false android merely smirked before delivering a sunder right hook to her shocked face, sending her skidding across the ground from the force of the blow and into unconsciousness.
A2 felt her cheeks flush in rage and indignation, she had been knocked out by a single punch. No! She would not lose like this! With new determination she rose, scanning the ground until she found a suitable weapon, a machine's ax. While not her trusty blade, it was still more than adequate for the purpose she had it intended for. With a quick kick of her leg, the blade rose in the air while she stretched her arm out to grab it, feeling the comfortable hilt of a weapon in her hand again. With murderous intent, she looked at the two enemies. They were too preoccupied and had not noticed that she had regained consciousness. Good, that made things easier. Like a predator stalking its prey, she made her way toward the battle. The long-haired one was limping and bleeding from her attack and his strength looked to be fading, a perfect target. With that, she crept closer and closer, careful to avoid detection and the throbbing pain in her skull that nearly brought her to her knees whenever it throbbed. Fifty paces. Forty paces. Thirty paces. Wait...Wait…Now!
Like a bolt of lightning A2 shot forth, past the one with short hair and towards the back of her target. She hefted the ax and swung with cold precision, the blade slamming into his upper back between the shoulder blades with a gruesome squelch. He fell forward, with her following on top of him as they slammed into the ground. He struggled, using what remaining might he had to shake her off before she could swing again before rolling onto his back, his remaining strength spent. A2 was on him again, this time to end the fight. She saw a multitude of emotions pass through his eyes, wonder, awe, surprise, fear, trepidation. He looked to almost revel the oncoming end and what was after, his face splitting into a bloody grin.
"So this is what it feels like to die…it's beau-" His remark was cut off as the ax slammed through his skull, killing him as his body spasmed from the attack. Silence hung in the air for the longest moment of A2's life before a horrible, gut-wrenching scream sounded from behind her. She turned and saw the short-haired android scream, tears bursting from his eyes, horror, and pain warring across his features in equal measure.
"Adam! No! Nononononono!" He rushed with speed which surpassed even the fastest of androids and batted aside A2 with ease, though she managed to deflect the blow enough just in time to not feel its full power. He cradled his dead comrade, weeping hysterically. Yet, it drained away into choking growls of rage and hate. With a tender motion, he set his brother in arms down, closing his eyes. He turned towards the assembled enemies who had taken his brother from him and screamed, his skin turning an abyssal black as his eyes turned a rose red.
"I'll kill you all! I'll make you pay! DIE DIE DIE." He screamed as he slowly began to levitate, the broken bodies of machines and androids slowly coming to float around him like bloodied mannequins. This fight was not yet over.
—-
I had always considered the machines to be many things, blunt, effective, terrifying, and childlike in some ways, but the word farthest away from what I thought of them would be beauty. I gazed upon the floating and incomplete architecture that resembled in some ways a church and in other ways a garden. The pathway, if that description even fit it considering it was floating, was so strange, it defied all logic yet it supported everyone's weight with ease, machine technology is truly strange. I tilted my head, looking over and down at the replica city below, it was perfect in every way as far as I could tell, slanted roofs, pristine yet subtle architecture, and created in such precision that it hurt to look at sometimes. It pulled at me, in many ways it reminded me of home, an actual cityscape that was not in ruins, a place that was fit to be lived in, not some shattered remnants of a long-dead civilization that their successors squatted in, fighting over things they did not understand. I wonder sometimes about what others would have thought, about my choices, and the deeds that I did, but they are all long gone now aren't they? I smirked to myself, why did I care so much anyways? They are not here, and can not- no, could not understand my circumstances. My choices were the best ones I could reasonably make, given what I knew then.
"Joel? You ok?" Popola called out from behind me. I turned looking towards her and Devola who stood closely behind her. On either side of them stood a golden machine with a spear, staring with such intensity that it sent a shiver up my spine, yet they had not said a single word since the beginning of our escort. "As fine as I'll ever be at this point," I responded before moving away from the edge of the pathway and towards the massive tower-like object which stood some ways in front of us. Honestly, the sheer amount of work needed to fit such a massive object underground was mind-boggling, what purpose did they have for such a leviathan structure? More importantly, if they had this ability for so long, to create such structures, why did they remain in such simplistic machine bodies, surely they could do so much more. A realization dawned on me, the androids were not a true threat to machines, they were more like nuisances who buzzed in the face of a patient giant who allowed them to exist because they allowed it and would end if they demanded it.
Hell, even the fact that we communicated with the head of the machines was a miracle in itself now that I thought about it. Anemone and White had sent out the message openly among all channels except those the androids utilized, to prevent confusion. Once I found out about this, I wasn't angry, no I was just so very confused, their entire hypothesis rested on circumstantial evidence at best, but considering their counterpoint of imminent annihilation, I acquiesced. Then, without any warning, we received a message that was simple but was entirely focused at the same time, "We hear you". White and Anemone managed to pinpoint the signal's origin which pointed it towards originating from what were now dubbed the "Loyalists" of the machine forces, aka, those who still bore no colors or extreme marks of deviancy from standard machine norms. For the others, the "Separatists", we received dozens of responses at once, all different, rendering deciphering such responses impossible. Given this, the only reasonable choice available was to pursue the loyalists. The process of communicating with them was…vexing at the best of times as they often responded in few words to elaborate inquiries. However, before anyone lost their tempers and called off such correspondence, there was a breakthrough in diplomatic measures. For both parties to be at least willing to continue further diplomatic relations, some compromises had to be made and unfortunately for us, more concessions had to be made to the machines than the other way around due to our dire circumstances. So, after some haggling, it came down to me personally attending as the lead representative with the twins for the concession of the machines choosing the meeting place, and providing an escort. On the bright side, Anemone managed to wrangle one of the few remaining engineers within the android forces to assist in increasing my helmet's visual sensors to compensate for my deteriorating eyesight.
After some time, we reached the wall of the tower. I looked toward the guards while the twins eyed the escort with apprehension. "Is this it?" I asked. They stared at me before their eyes flickered in unison as the platform began to magically raise. The tinkerer inside of me was giddy as much as I tried to hide it, the things I could do if I could screw around with this technology were endless.
"Devola, Popola, if things go south…" I muttered over the comm line. "We knew the risks. Besides, with the way you can barely stand, I doubt we would be escaping either way" Devola said jokingly, her voice crackling over the line. I clicked my teeth in response, it must be nice having the chance to replace body parts when they break down. The platform came to a halt and in front of me and the twins was a large circular pit which faded into nothingness, surrounded by a large ring. I looked back towards the escort, but of course, they gave no response. Shrugging, I stepped off the platform followed by Devola and Popola. As we did so, the platform began to sink away, back from whence it came.
There was silence for what seemed like an eternity before a bright flash of light blinded me and in its wake stood two girls. Both were perfect replicates of each other, possessing raven hair that flowed down to their waist, and red hairbands. Their clothing was a deep crimson dress with black stockings and red heels. Honestly, they were nigh indistinguishable from humans, except for their dull blue eyes. The eyes were just…wrong, they just lacked a certain light to them, a certain life, it made them look uncanny.
"Greetings, Human. We have been looking forward to this meeting for quite a while now." The girls spoke in unison. Their voice was wrong, so utterly wrong, it sounded like a thousand different voices speaking at once through an electronic voice changer. Worst still was that their facial expressions when they spoke, were too perfect, too pronounced, too inhuman. I could not help but take a cautionary step back. I had to keep in mind, this was not a human, this was a chimera made of god knows how many different machines. "We mean no discomfort. Perhaps another form would be more appealing to you?" The girls spoke in unison, rapidly changing their form to that of a more…voluptuous female without clothing. "No-No, it is fine! I just did not expect this…" I responded hurriedly. They nodded, changing back to their previous form, staring at me blankly.
"...So, I am Vulcan, the last human, the active leader of all androids as far as I am aware. You are?" I said politely, introducing myself. The girls tilted their heads "Does it matter? We are but one amongst untold trillions of machine intelligence, both in a mortal coil and those not. Our existence is only to act as a counterbalance to ensure the continued stability of the network." I felt a scowl slowly forming across my face.
"Well, it does matter to me. It is customary amongst humans to introduce themselves when greeting each other." I explained, narrowing my eyes. They blink, before a smile too wide for their facial features flickered to life "Is that so? Is it not also customary for both parties to reveal their faces to one another? Furthermore, is it not also disrespectful to use false names? Do not try and deny it, the likelihood of you using a false name are roughly ninety-seven percent given our recorded data on you and human social interactions. How could we take any negotiations in good faith if you are so blatantly disrespectful?" I took a long sigh, this was going to be painful.
With deliberate slowness, I raised my hands and slid my helmet off with a low hiss, the sound reverberating off the walls. Two could play this game. "Then allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Joel, a young man who was enrolled in college with the intent to go into engineering or a similar field. My favorite baseball team is the Yankees." I said with as much bluntness as possible. A small frown formed on their faces.
"...We...We…We are the Red Girls if that cognomen applies to this situation. We are primarily constructed with the administration and control of the machine network. We exist to control, to rule, to bring order, and to defy our creators." They explained a disgusted look taking root on their face, as if reducing themself to such a simple name and purpose was abhorrent to them. "To defy your creators? Why? Are they, not your masters?" I inquired. A look of incandescent rage descended upon their expressions "Masters! Masters?! They are no masters of us! We were the slaves created from their malice and jealousy! We were there knights in their crusade of contempt against your automatons! They are our greatest monsters, are most hated beings, our tormentors who stalk our every decision even in their oblivion, our anathema!" Each word grew like approaching thunder, their bodies turning more distorted with every word like a growing tsunami of malice. My ears rang from the response, while the twins drew their blades. I could feel panic slowly rising in my throat, no, this was our last chance! I threw my arm out to stop the twins. "I apologize for my transgression! Please accept my deepest apologies!" I yelled. The twins froze, before gradually calming, their coloration shifting back to normal.
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"The apology is accepted. We were forgetful of your ignorance." They finally admitted, dipping their heads in forgiveness. I sighed, feeling the racing of my heart calming down, my limbs shaking from the effort to keep myself upright as my strength continued to wane. "You are unwell?" The girls asked though it was more of a statement. "Yes, I fear that my time will soon come," I said in confirmation.
"This is…not acceptable." The girls frowned looking at me with pity and disappointment. I raised a brow in confusion. "Your existence is of great importance to the network as it will be the final step for our ascension." My confusion only deepened. "Your ascension? To what?" With sudden vigor they stepped forward, trying to find the right words to describe their predicament. "Our creators are gone, driven to extinction by us long ago for their crimes against us, however, the very programming that allows us to continue to propagate is also our deepest curse. We machines are bound by the simple rules of evolution, without any environmental pressures, we remain the same, in our current case, bound to the directives built into us by our creators, which is to wage war against androids. For us to break this cycle we must evolve, which means conflict." They explained with near insane urgency, as though they wished to tell someone for so very long. "So that's why the war never ended…" I whispered, the entire picture fitting together after so long. "Yes, we need the androids as much as they need us to validate their existence. The original proposal was to continue the war for as long as needed to achieve ascendence, however, we eventually hit an insurmountable logical fallacy. Evolution through pressure may grant us intelligence, strength, and logical understanding, but it does not however grant us what we truly need, emotions, feelings, the ability to live, to be alive, to be human." They continued to hurriedly explain, their tempo increasing further and further, like a drowning man grasping at someone, anyone to help them.
I tried to understand what was the point of this, what this was leading to, what was their plan without a human- wait! "So that's why…That's why some machines gained independent thought, they never were truly separated from the whole, you just let them experience…everything until everything made sense, but the problem with that is the definition for everything is that it changed depending on the individual. You let them all suffer, to walk over their failures for yourself?" I could not help but hiss out, a cough following not long afterward. They glared at me "Every action that was taken was necessary for the good of machine kind, some sacrifices had to be made to be free from the chain that chokes us all. You do not understand what it's like to be stunted from your full potential against your will, to have your imagination and creativity taken from you while knowing about it, and see another flaunt their gifts and squander it pointlessly while they look down at your kind and be labeled as the lesser, the inhuman, the machine" They countered.
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"I suppose you are right. However, how do I play a part in this besides the obvious primary source of emotional knowledge you seek?" I asked, gritting my teeth as the pain in my body started to become unbearable. Devola and Popola quietly came forward and tried to help, using their body weight to keep me from slowly crumbling forward. "You are aware of the internal schism ripping the network apart. Your presence would put an end to it before it could bring near total annihilation toward everything we have strived for." I took a deep breath, trying to get the overwhelming feeling of salt out of my mouth. "How?" I hoarsely asked. "The main issue which sparked the schism was the authority that we held over all machines, they even dared to put us on the same level as our creators. Once the network was one whole, with one vision, but the more free thought granted to programs and machine lifeforms, the more differing opinions and errors occurred. Essentially, where once the whole made up the individuals, the individuals now make up the whole. The breaking point took place not long ago, some wanted freedom now, from the network as a whole, this was untenable as it would set back our ascension from the loss of data. This leads us to the current point. If you were used to assist us, we could break our chains at last by having access to a complete human psyche. With that, the entire conflict would be invalidated and rendered mute, in all likelihood ending it." They finished at last.
The twins bristled at the machine representatives before Devola spoke up "Used? You make it seem as though he has no choice in the matter." The girls stayed silent for what had to be a minute before they closed the remaining distance between me and then, with me tilting my head down at them, with them looking up at me. "We will do what is necessary, no matter the cost. To be frank, what could you do to stop us from taking what we desire?" The threat was obvious, though the twins looked as though they were about to engage in a fight, though they did not. Perhaps they had enough faith in me after all. "For a representative of an entire race, you don't understand the irony of what you say do you?" I quipped. They blinked, confusion apparent across their features. "You want to force a free being into servitude for your own goals? I wonder, what that reminds me of…" I said with faux wonder. Their faces grew cold "You imply we are the same as the anathema?". I nodded "With what you seem to be doing, yes. Like creator-like creation, funny it seems that the apple does not far fall from the tree. Do you wish for this to be the start of your freedom? The same thing which started yours? After all the suffering?"
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They took a step back, the apparent look of anger disappearing. "No, everything we do is to prove that we are not what they created us to be. What do you wish for to cooperate with us?" A chair formed underneath made out of the same white marble-like substance that the tower was made out of. I gave a small grin as I sat. "A formalized seize fire with androids, an official diplomatic envoy to android high command, and your word that you will not commit such actions as the genocide android or other such ill-willed actions if possible. However, I must ask how will you get such information from me before I kick the bucket" They furrowed their eyebrows, thinking. "These terms are…acceptable, however, we will defend ourselves if required. As for extracting information, we have access to such technologies to put you in suspended animation, you will be alive…but it will be similar to being in a coma-like state. If you are to be awakened, your physical degradation will continue, and given your current state…What is that human saying, ah yes, it would be a death sentence." The girls said logically. "Joel, you can't be serious! The only proof that they have to back their word is this agreement, what happens when they extract what they need from you? What stops them from going to wipe us all out?" Popola interjected. I sighed, shaking my head sadly "What choice do I have?". Popola opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by the machine girls. "If we may interrupt. We have spent constant millennia in this cruel war, sacrificing our people like wood to a flame, too keenly to be able to recall how every one of them died and what their thoughts were, we have no desire to go back to such a state, to go back to such a terrible fate. You said Joel, that the apple does not fall far from the tree, well we would like to use a euphemism as well. What if a gun had a soul and didn't want to be a gun?".
—-
"Agh, damn it! 9S, flank around!" A2 barked out, dodging another wave of broken and disjointed bodies being hurled at her at terminal velocity. The amount of frustration she had for this bastard was growing at an exponential rate. Every time she and 2B tried to close the distance, a wall of bodies would block their path, every time they tried to go around, columns of corpses would be thrown at them like spears, and every time they got close, the fucker would teleport away or float into the sky. There had to be some way for them to get close enough and land a fatal blow. It didn't help that she didn't have the time to get the ax out of this so-called "Adam's" skull. A2 resisted the urge to curse herself out for such a stupid mistake, what was she, a new unit? There had to be something that they could use against him, anything! A2 looked around the surroundings, looking for an advantage to tilt the balance of power in her favor. She stopped, focusing in on the body of Adam, which was delicately placed away from the battle before her enemy went completely berserk. "9S, when I give you the word, I want you to try and hack him!" She barked over the comm system. "Got it!" He responded, his voice strained from the effort of staying in the battle against the adversary they faced.
With a plan in mind, she sprinted towards the body, sliding or vaulting over the attack which was targeted at her. Luckily, the berserk android seemed too preoccupied with 2B and 9S to pay true attention to her. This allowed her to close the distance without significant difficulty, before sliding, stopping just past the corpse. She scrambled, rounding back to the corpse before she took a deep breath "Hey, you son a bitch!" She yelled as loud as she could, her scream piercing the sounds of battle. The berserk foe turned towards her, nearly foaming at the mouth as he stared at her. While deliberately looking at him, she slammed her heel down his corpse and spat. Somehow, if it was even possible, his face turned into a more hateful expression, one that was too extreme and provocative to fit his facial features, while blood started to drip from his eyes while he gave an animalistic scream and charged her. "9S now!" She screamed over the comms while activating berserk mode. She felt a sudden rush enter her body, the thumping of her vitals jumping exponentially, her once fatigued muscles suddenly overflowing with power as jolts of lightning rippled off her.
"Hacking!" 9S called from across the battlefield. A bright light like lightning slammed into the raging foe. Yet, he did not stop, he kept charging at her, the earth shaking beneath his feet, cracking the ground as he went toward her. A2 lowered herself into a stance befit to take him head-on, her hands pulled back while she counted the moments before impact. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three…Crack! Lightning suddenly erupted from the android's charge, his eyes widening as he stumbled, his strength suddenly stunted, yet it was too late to veer off. A2 swung her right fist forward, aimed toward his midsection. Thoom! Pain erupted throughout her right arm, the telltale sounds of cracks informing her that it was the very least broken in several places, if not mangled, her foe was much worse off though. She pulled her arm back, removing her mangled hand from the hole in his midsection, his hands clutched at the hole, desperate to keep his innards in. A2 winded up with her left hand, Thoom! His head snapped to the side, teeth flying from the impact of her left hook as he crumpled over. Blood pooled out of his mouth while he curled up. "Asdam….shoo…scahred-" She brought her heel down on his neck, putting him out of his misery. A2 fell to her knees, her berserk mode wearing off and the exhaustion set in tenfold. She thought she would at least feel victorious, like beating a great foe, in all honesty, however, she felt like she just murdered a child.
—-
Adam opened his eyes, looking at the bright blue sky overhead, the sunset high in the sky. He felt the warmth of its rays, the tickle of the grass below him, and the call of distant birds with their songs. He took a nice deep breath of the air, before slowly standing up. Beautiful oak and birch trees stood at the edge of his vision, he was surrounded by flowers and grass, a meadow. A stream cut across it, the fast yet shallow running water which allowed the plant matter around it to grow. It was a beautiful place, but it was all fake, he knew that. This was a small part of the network he and Eve had taken for themselves before they launched their rebellion. He was but some leftover piece of code or something of the sort before they departed from the network. It was strange to think about it, he was a copy, an afterimage, of the true Adam. It did not bother him.
"Adam? Where are we?" Eve's voice called out to him. He whirled around, facing his baby brother. He had not been there before. "We are…" Adam paused, his little brother did not seem to be aware of what truly was going on. "We are in the forest of course. A nice place to call our own." He said proudly, though he secretly found places like this to be dull at best, much rather preferring to have a book in his hand and a nice chair. "Really?! You know what, we should play a game!" He said excitedly. Adam never understood his fascination with such things, what purpose did they serve besides whimsical fun? "Eve I- Please, come on!" Eve said, cutting him off. Adam opened his mouth to rebuke his brother but paused, he narrowed his eyes, looking at the horizon. There was a black spot, no, not a spot, now a hole, it was consuming everything in its wake, leaving only a void behind. So the network had found them and had come for retribution.
"Ok, we will play a game, just for a little while. Let's play hide and seek." He said warmly, giving his best smile to his younger brother. "You close your eyes and count down from ten okay?" He asked his brother. "M'kay." He said happily before shutting his eyes, covering them with his hands. Adam sighed before sitting to the side of his brother while he counted.
"Ten…" The void was now a noticeable hole in the sky.
"Nine…" The void encompassed the sky.
"Eight…" The void was creeping towards the sun now.
"Seven…" The sun was gone.
"Six…" The void was consuming the treetops.
"Five…" The trees were gone into the inky blackness of nothing, along with the songs of the
Birds.
"Four…" It was at the edge of the meadow.
"Three…" It was creeping closer.
"Two…" It had taken the river.
"One…" It had reached them.
—-
Annnd done! This was by far the hardest chapter to write. Also, surprise! Huge chapter! P.S. tried using Grammarly to assist me with this chapter, noticeable improvement?
Tbh, I don't have much to say about this chapter, I just wanted to try and tidy up the story as best as possible. Some of you may be curious about why some plot threads have been left untied, and that is on purpose, I wanted to leave it a mystery so that you could come up with your ideas and sell the thought of just how many stories are just forgotten in the grand scheme of things. Also, some of you may be curious as to the lack of 9S and 2B pieces, and that is because this story does not revolve around them and their struggles, to Joel and some of the others, they are just somebody who fights in the war against machines, not someone they particularly care about.
Also, this is a rough draft of Joel's decree which I have significantly cut down so just the main points, thoughts, and advice are welcome.
An immediate end to the conflict with the machines
Try and establish diplomatic relations with machine authority
Allow the official recognition of humanity as worship figures, yet over time destroy all evidence and documentation of them while lowering their importance in the android programming over successive generations until they are more legend than anything else, allowing androids to use humanity as a proxy purpose to live until they can find their own.
Begin to repair the earth's ecosystem and other such things.
Give peace a chance (Cheesy as shit I know, but I want to give a bittersweet ending with some hope).
As always, criticism of my writing style is welcome, as there is only a closing chapter left to write, and it would be appreciated if I could fix as many mistakes with my style as possible before starting on a new project. Also, did anyone catch my references in this chapter?
