"Sir? Are you alright?" White asked again, noticing the far off look on Smith's face. Androids, from the average grunt to the highest ranked officer in the Army of Humanity all shared on singular purpose and that was to serve humanity. This oft meant that they were extremely sensitive to the mood and emotions of a human, should they actually encounter one. A quirk to ensure they could serve according the the human's needs.
"This facility, Outpost 3, was constructed in Israel," revealed Smith. "How on Earth did we end up in Japan of all places?"
That revelation made the androids in the office look at each other in wonder.
"Perhaps Continental Drift had brought the bunker over?" theorized Popola. "This facility was built deep in the underground, yes? Maybe it had been brought over to Japan through that?"
Continental Drift referred to the theory that the plates of the Earth moved, inch by inch. It had been eleven thousand years now. It had some merit.
"Perhaps it was magical?" Devola offered. "Maso has limitless potential. The facility could have been transported from the Middle-East?"
This was making Smith's head hurt. "I will leave that sort of questions for the eggheads in storage. Now, the locations. Pod, I want you to highlight the places I will tell you."
"Understood," Pod 313 replied.
Smith took a breath, his mind racking his memory for what he remembered. "The Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado. Machu Picchu in the Andes. Mount Kailash in Tibet. Mount Kilimanjaro, in Africa. Uluru Rock, in Australia."
The androids listened intently, taking note of the locations that Smith revealed. Their expressions were troubled the more Smith spoke. Especially more so when he had revealed the final location. The Twins glanced at each other again. White was already mentally calculating the amount of androids and supplies that would be needed to secure and rescue the humans trapped inside. Anemone inwardly cursed.
"Judging from your reactions, there is something I need to hear," Smith observed.
"These locations present a challenge at this time especially for us," Commander White explained. She strode by Smith's side and looked down at the spots he had mentioned, now glowing with the UN symbol as markers.
She continued, "The locations in the Americas, sir, are in the Kingdom of Night. This is the side of the world locked in perpetual darkness. Compared to here, the Kingdom of Day, the Night Kingdom is a nightmare for the Army of Humanity. The machines there are wilder, more numerous, more dangerous. Android forces there use weapons of great power to fight the hordes there. Weaponized mechanical dragons, technical horrors."
Anemone then added in, her expression not entirely happy. "And there's Australia,"
"What's wrong with Australia?" Smith found himself asking. Surely, the wildlife there hadn't mutated or anything?
Devola found herself answering his question. She tried her best to remain explanatory but she couldn't shake off the anger in her voice. "In 4514 AD, groups of androids began to..." She tried to continue and explain but her logic died in her throat. Her hands crumpled into tight fists.
"Began to what?" Smith pressed, not exactly liking where this direction was going.
"Traitors, sir." Anemone answered. Despite her age and control of herself, even she couldn't hide the malice she had in her eyes. "They hold no loyalty to humanity. These Independists," Anemone nearly spat the word out as if it were a foul curse, "...They wanted lives free from humanity. There was a war before they were all exiled to Australia. The same continent that now holds a bunker of humans, the people they have betrayed."
The androids in the room exchanged dark looks and angry muttering under their breaths. Smith went back to sit on the overseer's chair. "And these Androids, would they take exception to us waking up the Uluru Bunker?"
"We...we don't know," White answered hesitantly. "When the traitors were driven there, Australia went dark. As for as we know, they could have been wiped out by the machines."
At that, Smith began to think. So, two of the bunkers were shit-deep in enemy territory. One was inside the confines of androids who held no loyalty to humanity. "And what about the other two? And the main Ark?"
"Considering that they are within the confines of the Kingdom of Day, we can go and send a force to secure those sights immediately," Commander White proclaimed. She paused then asked. "And where is the main Ark, sir?"
"Mount Ararat, Turkey," Smith revealed. Not a second later, the United Nations globe and olive wreath appeared on the hardlight globe projected by the Pod. A silence descended as Smith and the androids regarded the locations closely.
"I will inform High Command about this. The longer we delay, the more those locations will be lost to us," White muttered underneath her breath.
"But wait," Popola interrupted. "If this bunker complex was originally built in the Middle-Easy and appeared in Japan...what if those other bunkers aren't there anymore? What if they also moved as well?"
Another uncomfortable silence descended as Smith processed that question. It was highly possible that whatever process that catapulted his bunker somewhere else could have happened to the other bunkers too.
"Son of a bitch," Smith cursed. At that, the androids winced at his sudden outburst. Like children, they glanced downwards, fearful of Smith. Popola began to shake as she averted her eyes to avoid his gaze.
Shit.
"No, no. I am not angry at you, Popola. It's just..." Smith sighed. "The only way we can know is to go find the main bunker in Mount Ararat. You see, the main ark tracks and monitors the other outposts. It's like the main brain while the other outposts are the appendages. It's from there that we can also activate the other bunkers and open them up as one. That was supposed to be the plan originally. However, if it came to the time that an outpost would activate without getting the alert from the main ark, we were to contact them."
His fingers went up to type on the computer before him. He punched in certain keys with practiced efficiency. The androids went to circle around the table to watch Smith work. Not a second later, the image of the United Nations appeared on the screen, welcoming Smith. He took hold of the mouse and pressed on what needed to be pressed. Smith felt a tinge of apprehension as he clicked and typed on the keyboard. Popola was correct that whatever phenomena that brought his bunker over to Japan could have happened to the other bunkers too. Thankfully and like a balm to his soul, there was a pop-up that appeared green.
"We are connected," Smith declared, earning some smiles from the androids around him. "The Bunker is still there!"
"Order it and YoRHa will scour Mount Ararat clean of any machine that dares stand on it. Shall I give the order sir?" White's voice was intense and to show her seriousness, she hit her palm with her riding crop for emphasis.
Anemone, not wanting to be left out, strode over to Smith. With her chin high, the Resistance Colonel stood at attention. "The Resistance isn't as advanced like YoRHa, sir. But we have grit. We've held the line for thousands of years and we will not fail especially with a mission this big. Let us handle it."
White and Anemone shared a glance.
Their eyes narrowed at each other.
If this wasn't a matter of life and death, Smith would have found this peacocking adorable considering how much these androids wanted to be of use to him and humanity. However, now wasn't the time for inter-service rivalry not when humanity was at stake. "Ladies, please. I will have to rely on you both. Make your calls and more, alright?"
White saluted him, quickly giving Anemone a side-eye look. "Yes sir. Glory to Mankind."
"Glory to Mankind," Anemone asserted herself, not exactly backing down either.
Well. At least they were motivated.
Smith suddenly felt very tired. This was a long conversation. The reveal about everything, the fact that there were five-hundred humans currently being the only remaining members of humanity left...it exhausted Smith. He wasn't exactly sleepy however, having slept for eleven thousand years. He could use a conversation that didn't involve the fate of his species. "For now, that will be all. You are all dismissed. White, a word please?"
At that, White looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a incoming car.
White didn't know for what reason Smith would ask her to stay behind but experience had told her that when a superior officer would ask a subordinate to stay behind, it was either to give them a verbal tongue-lashing that would make them regret ever being activated or they were going to be congratulated and promoted. Or both.
"Sir? How about...us?" Anemone asked, not exactly liking the idea of leaving White and Smith in one room alone together. She hid her dislike with a facade of professional stoicism but White could see it, feel it. She was an old android and she already knew what to look out for when someone was hiding something from her.
"You're asking us to leave? What would happen if you...forgot to breathe? You will need Popola and I here with you!" Devola protested, much bolder than Anemone in letting her feelings out but masked as a way to not make it too suspicious that she wanted to stay with Smith.
Inwardly, White wanted nothing more but to tell them off. How dare they question a human's orders? If the Colonel wanted to have her all to himself then who were they to argue with that?
Again, Smith couldn't help but be amused at the androids vying for his attention. They really were just like kids trying to compete for their dad's affection and attention. He understood where all this peacocking came from however. These androids, they hadn't seen a single human in their long lives. And now that humans were now around, they wanted as much time as they could get with him. Now, Smith was a hardened military man. He had seen war, both against his fellow humans and against nightmarish magical creatures that came from Satan's asshole. He wasn't one that was prone to softness. But, at this time, his heart thawed slightly.
How could it not? Not when he knew what sort of existence these androids lived?
When humanity would settle itself and not have annihilation looming over them, he was going to make sure every single of these androids from top to bottom would be honoured formally and properly for all their sacrifice, their hardwork.
"You know...this is going to be something for you all to hear regardless," Smith suddenly announced. He stood up. "Get every one of your boys and girls for a meet and greet. It's about time they should see me anyway."
"Sir?"
"I want to see your men, Anemone. White, get your guys too." Smith declared. "Have them all meet me in Level 2 Entrance Hall."
"But sir...most of my men are outside guarding the bunker. They can't leave their positions," Anemone pointed out.
"If I may sir, pods are also capable of making records should you wish it," White added helpfully. Smith looked pleased, which also made White pleased as well. Her inner programming was going haywire at the thought that she made a human happy. Smith turned to Pod 313 and leaned down slightly.
"So, can you make a recording for me later, little buddy?" Smith asked gently.
"This Pod is ready to assist Colonel Smith and will make a recording as requested," Pod 313 asserted himself. At that, Smith reached out and offered the Pod a gentle pat, much like how one would praise a particularly pleasing dog. The pod froze in place, as if it's entire systems was being drowned in ice. As Smith pat the pod, 313 floated a bit closer towards his hand.
"Report: This is pleasing,"
Smith pat 313 a bit more then pulled back, to the quiet displeasure of the pod. Looking to Anemone, he nodded. "Go get your men. The ones inside at least. And before you say anything else, this is a underground bunker. The only way in and out is through the front door. I doubt anyone can slip past not when I have your guys and YoRHa troops protecting this place, right?"
"R-Right. I'll get my men, sir," Anemone promised as she went out. Smith then turned to White who was looking at him a bit too intensely for his taste. Raising an eyebrow, he took a step forward.
"White? You in there?"
"Huh? Oh, um, yes," The Commander of YoRHa shook her head, offering him a strained smile. Strained because to Smith, it looked like White was trying her best to look presentable and didn't exactly have good control over her facial features. It would seem to Smith that her default facial expression was glaring and frowning. "I was just..."
"Just...?" Smith asked slowly.
White sighed. "Sir I...Anemone and those two in the corner...they have had days to get used to you. But right now...this is the first time that I had come to meet you, face to face. It's...overwhelming to me."
For a moment, the Twins allowed themselves to look smug.
"I can see that. And tell me, Commander. Have I been up to expectations?" Smith asked. Commander White mouth opened slightly. Her lips quivered as she struggled to answer. Smith stood patiently, waiting for White to think of an answer. She eventually did, her voice shaking slightly. "I was activated in a world bereft of my creators. We were alone. When the invaders came, we were so lost, ready to accept death. But the Council of Humanity made itself known. I knew for certain that was a lie as they came out of nowhere but I believed in it, just to preserve my own sanity. When I was chosen to lead YoRHa and the truth of humanity was revealed to me, I still chose to believe in the lie."
White looked up at him, looking more and more mournful and regretful as she spoke. "I shouldered the lie, ordered the deaths of good androids who found the truth, all because we needed a God worth fighting for. And...now...you are here. This bunker...it is here."
She looked up at him, the stern features gone, replaced by one of desperate longing and pain. "But to see you now...right here...in front of me...can...can I touch you? Hold your face?" Her voice was soft, begging. Her words were choked with emotion, desperation mixed with reverence and vulnerability. Smith listened and listened closely. He took another step forward. There was a clang as White's riding crop fell on the floor. The blonde commander of YoRHa shakily reached out with both hands to cup Smith's cheeks. White marvelled at the warmth of his face, the sheer life on his eyes. She could feel the blood coursing through his veins, the beating of his pulse...
"You really are real..." White whispered in awe.
"That I am, Commander," Smith said, grabbing a hold of her hands. He held her palms, pressing gently against her gloves. "And I am not going anywhere, nor is humanity going anywhere either. We are here and we are staying.
At that, White lunged forward, wrapping Smith in a wide hug. She pressed her face deep into his chest, taking in his scent and warmth. Smith sighed in exasperation and let the girl hug him. Goodness, he already was thinking this was a woman and not a android. His ears perked when he heard Devola clear her throat.
"Oh, come here you two," Smith said, inviting Devola and Popola to join in. They did so heartily, rushing to his sides and pressing themselves against him.
As they did so, their memory banks was updated as they saved a soundfile they marked as vital.
The sound of a human heartbeat.
It was then 313 began to ring loudly.
Alarmed, White pulled away from the embrace first. The stern image she had cultivated since her ascension returned. "Pod. What is it?"
313 opened up, projecting a screen. The face of 2B appeared. "Commander, this is 2B. We are under attack. Machine units are assaulting the main gate as we speak," reported the android. In the background, the sounds of gunfire and explosions, as well as Resistance androids yelling expletives registered into Smith's ears.
"What?" White said in shock before she recovered. "Drive all units to the main gate. Not a single machine will touch this bunker! Drive them back to the sands!"
2B nodded and cut off the connection. A sense of serenity returned to the overseer's office. A stark contrast to what was happening outside the bunker. Smith pulled away from the embrace he was giving to the girls to sit behind the overseer's desk. Typing away, his computer screen pulled up images of what was happening outside. Thanks to hidden cameras positioned at certain spots, he was given a live image of the violence happening outside.
For the first time, he had a good look at the machines that was gripping the earth in their iron grip. The first thing that he could think of was that they looked like the mascot for an old technology company. They had an assortment of designs, his eyes registered. Most numerous were these little cans with noodle legs. Others hopping on stubby some running into the Resistance line of fire with crude looking blades. Then there were those bigger tin cans running like a man yet moving stiffly and robotically which Smith guessed was the point.
"Ugly bastards," Smith commented as the sands outside erupted into flashes of bright orange-yellow light as the machines stepped on the mines places by the androids. Behind sandbags, the Resistance androids opened fire with their weapons, dousing the incoming machine hordes in a a sea of firepower. His eyes registered a pair of androids rushing into a particular sandbag, something heavy on their shoulders. A part of him whistled as they hurriedly set up a heavy machine gun that looked way too much like a .50 cal. Slapping a bag of ammunition onto it and cocking it, the android grinned as he pushed the trigger. Loud staccato booms echoed in the air as the machine gun tore through metal and iron.
Smith approved of their efficiency. They knew how to fight.
But if he was impressed then...he blinked when he saw dark figures rushing into the horde.
White smiled.
With speeds that would be impossible, 2B and her fellow YoRHa units rushed into the incoming machine horde, blades glinting under the oppressive desert sun. Machine units carrying blocky looking boxes saw them approach and lifted up what they were carrying. Blobs of malevolent red energy spouted forth from the boxes, a sea of red that would no doubt damage an android if it found its mark.
But these weren't ordinary resistance androids that would struggle to move and dart around.
These were YoRHa ones and 2B was one of the best.
Virtuous Treaty slashed and heaved, cutting the blobs into nothingness. She leaped, her blade finding a nearby Machine unit. Her weapon cleaved the machine in two, a super hot glow left behind her attack. As the machine's body fell on the sand, it erupted in a fiery explosion. Light flashed against 2B's blindfold as she turned, finding another machine. She went towards it in a flash and the machine unit, seeing her run towards it, fired blobs upon blobs to stop 2B. But the YoRHa android did not stop. She was on it in a second and with supernatural grace, she bisected the machine without a second's glance.
"Goddamn!" whistled Smith, watching it all happen. So immersed was he that he actually stood up, pushing back the chair he was sitting on. A slow smile appeared on his face as YoRHa and Resistance androids cleaned up the incoming horde. Eventually, the battlefield was cleared of all machines and left only behind a smoking ruin, victorious YoRHa and Resistance units standing victoriously.
But Smith's smile vanished when the sands erupted once more, kicking up great pillars of sand. It erupted not from android placed mines but from numerous machine units rising from the sand, killer intent in their eyes. Again, 2B and her fellow androids charged without hesitation.
"How did the machines find us?" Devola asked, peering over Smith's shoulder.
"While they face difficulties in traversing the desert as much as we do, the Machines are interested in certain areas here. Strategic resources to fuel their war effort. If I remember correctly, there is a oil well somewhere over here," Popola offered her theory. "They probably assumed that the Resistance and YoRHa build-up here was to contest that."
"Let them keep on thinking that. The less they know about the humans here, the better," White asserted. If the Machines learned that their creators were here, buried underneath sand and asleep in ice, who knows what they might do to them? Smith however took a breath and pulled back his chair to sit back down.
There was a slight buzzing in Devola's pocket. The redhead reached into it and pulled out her communicator. She pressed into it and Anemone's voice came through. "Devola! I need to speak with the Colonel!"
"I am here, Anemone." Smith announced himself. Devola strode over and offered the device to Smith.
Anemone wasted no time. "Sir, we are under attack! Sorry, sir, but your speech is going to have to wait..." She sounded apologetic about it. Anemone was given a task by a human, her first actual task from a human mouth and she failed.
Smith shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Shit happens. Get to the front gate. We will be joining you shortly,"
"Understood, sir. We-...Wait. You will be joining us?" Anemone's voice was rife with apprehension. Around him, Smith felt the stares of the Twins and White dig into his back.
"You'll see," Smith said before clicking the communicator off to Anemone's protests. As soon as he did so, a barrage of voices registered into his ears.
"You aren't actually going upstairs are you?" Popola laughed nervously. Her face faltered when she saw the serious look on his face. "You are actually planning to...?"
"Absolutely not! These machines are dangerous!" Devola protested, her face contorted in irritation. "You are absolutely not going to go and get yourself killed out there!"
If White's glare could kill, Smith would have been dead. "Sir. With all due respect, YoRHa and the Resistance are giving their all in protecting this place. There is no need to go and endanger yourself. not while we are handling everything."
Smith gave them a look. "I am the Commander of this facility. I must defend it," his voice was stern.
"But YoRHa and the Resistance is already doing that!" Devola nearly yelled in frustration. "Let them do their jobs!"
"Colonel...please," Popola all but begged, her eyes slightly watery in a attempt to move the Colonel. She had noticed that he was pliable when she would water her eyes a little. Perhaps this could work again?
"Ladies, listen. I understand your concern but this is my facility. My outpost. My responsibility," Smith explained his reasoning. Standing to his full height, he made sure to glance at each and everyone of them in the eye. "I am not going to sit back and relax while you all fight. You androids have been fighting for thousands of years in our name. It is prime time for humanity to pick up the slack. Humanity will fight with you, not sit back." A grin born not from arrogance but experience decorated his features. "And besides...my men and I have fought the Legion. An unending horde of relentless monsters? That's exactly our skillset."
White did not know how to feel. Utter frustration that Smith was a stubborn prat who not only is endangering himself but other humans or absolute happiness that Smith wanted to fight and bleed alongside her and her soldiers.
Devola just wanted to slap him.
Popola simply swore to herself to work on her crying skills next time.
With a sigh, White slumped her shoulders. "If...If this is what you want, sir...then very well. But you must promise us, promise me that you and your men will be careful."
Devola rounded on Smith, her hands on her hips as she looked up at the silver-haired man. "I swear, if you come back with even a slight scratch on you, I will be the first one to tell you I told you so!" Her feisty glare softened slightly as Smith planted his hand on her fluffy red hair. "I-If you t-think this w-will sway me...!"
"I won't. I promise," Smith smiled, looking down at Devola. Her cherry red lips quivered. Suddenly, Smith felt a presence at his side. Turning, he found Popola, White, and 313 coming up to him, expectant looks on their faces. His hand also found their hair and for 313's case, his chassis.
"I'll be alright. Now...time to wake up my men."
Deep within the cryo chambers, there was a hiss as the box opened up.
Damian's eyes opened.
"Light them up!" Anemone yelled out.
At her prodding, the full arsenal that the Resistance brought to bear opened up in its terrible salvo like the start of the armament orchestra. Mortar pieces erected and pre-sighted lobbed their high-explosive payload, its shells screaming into the sky and landing onto the sand in a great explosion of light. More heavy caliber machine guns had sprung up, a wellspring of staccato booms and .50 caliber rounds that pierced through machine forms as a hot knife would through butter. When they went closer in range, small-arms joined in the chorus, ringing out as small bells would with the bigger bells in this church of armaments.
Anemone had rushed as quickly as she could towards the surface entrance, androids in tow. She had found her men already engaged with the incoming machines, the smell of power, oil, and synthetic fluids filtered through her senses. Immediately, her programming went to work, commands and internal systems preparing her for battle.
Her men here were the best of the best that she could organize and it showed. Magazines were chambered and rechambered. As others fought, some carted in fresh supplies, fresh shells. Each android new what they were doing and constant battles throughout the centuries had kept their skulls fresh and fluid.
But their best simply did not compare to the black-uniformed android units that fought in the distance.
The YoRHa units in the distance were like hummingbirds if they were murderous, white-haired, and gothic lolita maid dressed anroids. They were a blur in the battlefield, cutting and slicing the machines apart as easily as combine harvester tore through a wheat field. They jumped and leapt, avoiding the crude blades the desert machines wielded. Their tactical support pods followed after them, tearing what machines they could with their defense programs. Spears of white light piercing through the sand, impaling machines with searing stakes. Missiles flew freely, screaming in deadly promise as they landed, dousing those in distance in fiery balls of light. Like the gatling guns of old, pods poured bullet upon bullet on the hordes.
In the midst of it all, 2B gave the machines a lesson on why a YoRHa unit was worth a thousand of their filthy machine bodies. Virtuous Treaty and Virtuous Contract were wielded by her now, and she used them to their full capacity. Those caught in their deadly touch only realized they were separated from their bodies when they finally exploded. Her head craned as a large machine formed arose from the sands, its pilot blinking atop its absurdly large body. Electronic screeching pierced her ears as it activated its attack, punching the sands and sending a shockwave attack of energy that froze a few YoRHa units in its path. It screeched electronically again, proud in its small victory.
A victory that was going to be short-lived.
"Pod!" 2B yelled out.
"Affirmative," Pod 042 flew up next to 2B. There was a short whine as 042 opened up, revealing twin metal disks that began to glow slowly. The large machine noticed this and turned but in its size, it was cumbersome and couldn't move as quickly as the androids. It was time 042 had to charge up his attack and poured forth a streak of hot light that struck the machine. The machine screeched as the laser drilled a hole through its chest yet it still stood but injured.
2B rushed forward, a literal blur that the Resistance androids could barely keep up with. Virtuous Contract sliced and diced freely, machine stubbers and mediums falling underneath her. She leapt atop one machine and in a split second, dug her katana into its neck. It died flailing but 2B wasn't finished. Her knees swivelled as she launched herself yet again, using the falling machine's corpse to support her. The flying machine unit she grasped on blinked and screeched in surprise as she thrust Virtuous Contract through its energy weapon. it sputtered helplessly as 2B pulled out and launched herself at another flying unit that came to support its fellow unit. The pilot blinked in obvious panic as 2B loomed over it menacingly, her emotionless expression underneath her blindfold scaring the machine its programming kept on repeating it to flee. It flew high, wiggling and flailing to get the YoRHa android off it.
2B granted its wish as she let go, but not before slicing it in half with Virtuous Contract. The YoRHa android fell freely but her descent was not unguided. Below, the large machine flailed about from 042's laser attack but it was slowly recovering, glaring at the bunker. 2B yelled out as she grasped Virtuous Treaty, spun around and descended like a whirlwind. Metal screeched as the descending 2B bisected the large android unit in half. She landed on her knees, on the sand, Virtuous Treaty dripping with oil and blackening the bright yellow floor with blackish tar. The large machine stood helplessly for a second before a line of searing hot light appeared on its body. It split apart, its two halves landing on the sand before finally exploding in a flash of light.
But despite this, the machines kept coming.
Like locusts, they were a never-ending stream of metal and battle-cries. Huffing, 2B hefted up Virtuous Contract and charged alongside her fellow units.
Back at the Resistance lines, Anemone shoulder her rifle against her shoulder and loosed its contents freely. Despite the YoRHa units shouldering most of the machines, many more still broke through.
"Not a single one shall step foot inside this bunker!" Anemone yelled, emptying her rifle and bringing in a new magazine. "Kill them all!" Her fellow units roared their affirmations, fighting with a rage and ferocity Anemone hadn't seen in a long time. She knew exactly where their energy was coming from. Their creators, their fathers and their mothers were slumbering deep in the sands. And they were going to give their all to make sure their sleep remained undisturbed.
Despite the fact that the machines could dangerously overpower them, Anemone never felt more alive. Her processors and inner wires coursed with life anew, purpose drove her every step and her every word. Hell, she was actually even smiling now and she never smiled in battle! This was what infected every android fighting now behind sandbags and fighting positions, a dangerous cocktail that could turn the smallest ember into the fiercest inferno.
They all had hope now.
And they were going to fight with their all.
Still, hope wasn't going to give them a practical edge in the battlefield. They needed more support, more weapons. The reason for Jackass's absence was because Anemone had sent her back before to bring in even more supplies. Hell, she should have been here by now.
"Carolina! Cover for me!" Anemone yelled as she turned on her heels and crouched behind a sandbag. The android in question yelled her affirmation, "Yip yip!" as she took position on where Anemone had stood. Digging into her pocket and with her back against the sandbag, Anemone rang up Jackass who responded after a good minute.
"Eyyyyyy, Anemone! Wha-wait, are those shots?" Jackass greeted her jovially before her voice turned questioning.
"YES! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE BY NOW!?" Anemone yelled into her communicator. Jackass winced, the volume of Anemone's voice a bit too loud for her audio receptors. Gripping onto the truck's wheels, Jackass responded.
"Woah, woah. No need to yell!" Jackass chuckled nervously before replying. "Erhm, I've been delayed because a sandstorm's been tearing up the route we usually take. I'm taking the long way there to avoid the storm!"
"We needed those weapons yesterday, Jackass! I swear, if we are ovver-run, I am going to strangle you myself!" Anemone yelled before shutting off her communicator, Jackass's protests dying as she turned it off. She immediately got to her feet, slinging her rifle back to her hands and re-joining the defence.
"Where's Jackass?" Carolina asked her, yelling over the gunfire.
"Delayed! There's a sandstorm mucking up the way!" Anemone responded. The machines now were getting so close and in the distance, the YoRHa units were rapidly getting surrounded. The words of Colonel Smith entered her mind again, his promise of support ringing in her ears. If he had something in mind, they sure as hell needed it now!
And just as if on cue, the sands slowly began to shake...
Back to 2B, she breathed heavily, her synthetic systems overworked to its fullest. Grasping Virtuous Contract in her hand, she rushed again. This whole song and dance was not lost to 2B. This was exactly just how the war against the machines were like but in a short and condensed version. Despite their tenacity, despite the fact that a single YoRHa unit was worth a thousand machine units...there were still a thousand machine units. And a thousand more underway. 14 times the Army of Humanity tried to overcome the machines, 14 times they had failed.
All in the name of reclamation, all in the name of humanity, gods 2B swore and thought were gone from the face of the Earth. Despite her identification listing her as a battler, she was in truth an executioner model. Many times, she had killed those that came too close to the truth that mankind was well and truly dead. Many times, those being...9S. Yet, like a thunderclap that signalled the start of the rain, the Resistance found a bunker of their gods, sleeping peacefully underneath the desert sands.
It was...hard. Hard for 2B to accept that this was real, that humanity was not dead after all. She worried that a logic virus had somehow infected her and made her dream all this up. But it was not a dream. 2B saw those pods herself, touched the glass that contained her sleeping gods.
She had wondered what they would be like, how she would be like if she and them talked.
But it would seem she wouldn't find out. There was simply too many machines now, their models becoming harder and harder to destroy. She was a YoRHa unit, a proud soldier for the Army of Humanity. Her life, her duty, was to give everything for the preservation of mankind.
And she was going to do just that.
Her only regret was not being able to talk to him, one last time.
Then...she heard it. It sounded like the screaming of jet engines. This was strange to 2B as there were no aircraft around to offer support. Her pod would tell her of that. Then, 042 reported to her something strange.
"Alert: Magical weapons from the Old World detected!" the black-tinted pod warned her. "Magical weapons have a high probability of penetrating all defence systems!"
What?
-WARNING-
The world exploded in a fiery blast of light as multiple missiles streaked forth, landing into the incoming hordes. 2B shielded herself as something heavy landed next to her, kicking up dust and sand. As it all settled, her eyes registered...something. It was twice as tall as her, casting a shadow that loomed over her completely. It looked like a battle-suit of somekind, bulky and fearsome. The very air radiated war. On its left shoulder was a smoothbore cannon with belt-fed artillery shells glinting under the oppressive sun, missile pods on the right. In its right hand was a multiple-bored gatling gun taller than 2B. In its left was a blade, designed as a claymore. The suit was painted black, the only color being the silver eagle on its chest-plate and the white United Nations globe and laurel wreath on its shoulder pads.
It was a far-cry compared to 2B who despite her beautiful looks was very much still a weapon. A refined and sleek weapon. A different tool for a different war.
The suit spoke, its voice distorted and deep. "TARGETS IDENTIFIED" The gatling gun slowly began to turn. Whirring menacingly, the suit raised its weapon at the machine hordes who stopped, registering the new arrival dumbly. "TARGETS LOCKED,"
"ENGAGING"
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
In the distance, many more jet engines screamed...
Recommended OST: watch?v=QHRuTYtSbJQ
Sergeant Damian did not know what was happening or what the state of the world was. All he knew was that the Colonel needed pilots to defend the outpost and that the Colonel needed him to kill.
And kill he was going to do.
Red dots appeared on his HUD. Countless red dots that was bearing down on their position with intent. He spoke, his voice distorted and deep through the suit's speakers. "TARGETS IDENTIFIED" Damian lifted up his chain gun, slowly revving it up as he sighted his targets. "TARGETS LOCKED,"
His systems showed green. "ENGAGING"
Six gyrotating 20mm cannons fired, dousing the incoming horde in a storm of maso generated bullets. Metal was torn, oil splattered onto the sand as countless machines died under the onslaught of Damian's fire. He did not let up, firing until his suit's systems warned him that it was overheating. "Firing missiles!" Damian called out as his missile launcher chimed. A single missile flew from its pod, streaking into the air in a brilliant show of light. But, as it neared the machines, it suddenly split apart as multiple smaller missiles were dropped. The missile storm struck the sands, throwing up brilliant flashes of light and smoke.
"Area denied," Damian reported, seeing the plumes of smoke and ash in the distance. Yet still, more machines came. The machines recovered from their shock, recognizing Damian as a threat. A pair of medium bipeds charged up to assail him but before Damian could engage, 2B was at the forfront, cutting up the two in a flash with Virtuous Contract. Breathing heavily, the android turned to Damian who craned the suit's head down to look at her.
"Thank you, sir. But we YoRHa have it covered," 2B spoke, glancing up at the suited human. It had to be a human inside that suit. It was far too boxy and bulky to be anything made by the Army of Humanity.
"It's Sergeant, not sir. I work for a living!" Damian responded. The cannon on his shoulder maneuvered downwards as he sighted a distant machine, a goliath biped. To him, it might as well be a walking tin can with massive iron hands. Thunder boomed as his cannon fired, a 150mm recoilless rifle. The goliath's plate cracked as shell after shell pierced through it. Stumbling back, the goliath tried to maneuver itself but a final shell tearing through its pilot was its death knell. It collapsed on the sand, exploding in a blaze of light.
He regarded the gothic lolita maid with as much seriousness as he could. The Colonel had given him and his men a quick rundown of everything when they awoke. As difficult as its was to believe, they all had an idea that by the time they would wake up, everything would be weird.
Androids, Gestalt failing, Aliens and their machine hordes.
In the distance, more jet engines roared as more of the suits arrived. Some landed by the Resistance lines, offering fire support with their weapons systems. Others went up to join Damian, others stayed suspended in the air, firing missiles onto the sands, saturating the machines in a sea of fire.
"Very well, Sergeant," 2B nodded. If this is what the human wanted her to call him, that was what she would call him. "Your orders?"
"What the Colonel ordered!" roared Damian. "Turn em to scrap!"
"Yes sir!" 2B yelled out, her grip on Virtuous Contract tightening. Damian's thrusters came to life as he ascended into the sky, his rifle firing as he did so. He found a target and landed on a medium biped, crushing it underfoot. His claymore flashed as he entered melee mode. Like a whirlwind, he leapt at the first medium biped, slicing it in two with a clean swipe. The next, he launched himself with the use of his thrusters, bisecting three more bipeds with a clean swipe of his claymore. The machines did not take this lying down, launching themselves at Damian. One biped leapt at him, blade glinting in the light. It was about to connect to Damian's suit but it bounced back, a shimmering light surrounding him. Undeterred, the machine reared back to stab the trooper but 2B was on it.
"Pod! Laser program!" she yelled. 042 acknowledged her order and fired a beam of light at the biped, throwing it away in the blast. She rushed to Damian's position, herself a torrent of death for the machines caught under Virtuous Contract and Treaty, 042 supporting her with his gatling gun program.
Back at the Resistance lines, their reactions were what you would expect. The Resistance androids cheered at the sudden reinforcements. They walloped as the armored suits with a ferocity and rage they had never seen before. They roared in triumph as they saw Damian's suit punch through a goliath with such force it had shattered the machine unit into pieces of metal and wires.
Anemone stood up slowly, watching in awe as one of those armored suits flew close to her position, its attention towards the machines in the distance. Her face was contorted in absolute awe as the armored suit let loose a volley of fire from its chain-gun. Her heart thumped in her chest as the suit hovered closely, firing even more of its missiles outward, orange light flashing against her eyes.
For a thousand years, she had long dreamt of those moment, to fight alongside her gods. And now, here they wore, punishing the machine horde with such fire and vengeance. She knew that the humans were fighting to defend their facility but to her...to her fellow androids...it finally felt like humanity had arrived to deliver retribution to the invaders ruining their home and locking her kind in a never ending struggle of life and death.
Humanity has returned and they were now showing the machines how war, true war, was waged. And what vengeance meant.
Pride and hoped soared in Anemone's chest, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long long time. She felt like she could fly, like she was being carried to the human heaven herself. Eyes widening and lips quivering, she shouted.
"Defend this position and make those bastards regret for ever coming here! For Earth! FOR THE GLORY OF MANKIND!" Anemone yelled maniacally as she emptied the contents of her rifle at the enemy.
"RAAAARGGGGGGH!" her androids shouted aloud in ecstasy, loyalty and pride brimming in their hearts. They had all fought this long war. The very first thing an android learned upon their activation was how to kill and how to fight. Each one of them was a veteran in their own right, some a bit more senior than others. Their lives were long thanks to them being synthetic and not exactly organic beings with a expiry date. In the course of this war, loss of friends and comrades, the weight of everything had made many lose hope. But now?
Humanity had returned and not only that, humanity had joined them in their fight.
They were going to give their all. Their very programming was screaming at them to fight and fight. And that was what they were going to do. What was once complicated programming, a simple order pounded in their minds. A simple phrase once uttered meant nothing but a whole world of hurt.
Rip and Tear.
Until it was done.
Another crossposting. There was a lewd here but it's only for those on QQ or Patrons.
My for those that enjoy the work: /pastah_farian