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Chapter 10: Delicious suffering
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"And there… we… go!" There was a clunk and a buzz, and then a low humming sound. Hatchet stepped back, a wide grin on his face as he examined the machine in front of him. It looked similar to a blender crossed with a sewing machine fused with a coffee maker made entirely of chrome.
When 9S had asked the ex-Resistance android 'Why chrome?' the answer had been a simple 'Why not?'
9S had then tried to explain to Hatchet that that was not an acceptable answer when performing science.
Jaqueline – or Jackass back then – had then interrupted and claimed that yes, that was a 'totally acceptable answer, dipstick.'
To this day, neither side would give an inch when it came to the debate.
But back to more important matters!
The Food Processor and Sterilizer gurgled for a bit before a pale blue nutrient paste was expelled into a cup.
Hatchet picked up the glass and dipped a swap into the blue goo, checking the substance with another device nearby. His grin grew wider.
"We have food!" he exclaimed.
"Wooo!" 9S cheered, clapping wildly. 2B and Sebastian's applauded as well in a more subdued manner, while Jaqueline rolled her eyes at their antics. Still, even she couldn't keep a smile off her face.
"Wow! Great work, Hatchet!" Emil praised. The mechanic took a bow.
"No problem at all! Now, the final test!" the male Resistance android said, handing the glass of blue paste to a silent A2. She took it, and using a spoon, scooped out a tiny bit and held it out to Alexander.
The baby examined it curiously, leaning forward in his highchair. He knew that spoons equaled food, but he had come to find that they tasted yucky. Still, it was blue, unlike the evil orange stuff they tried to make him eat…
He opened wide, and A2 slipped the spoon in quickly. All the artificial people in the room held their breath as they watched the baby swallow.
"Nummy!" Alexander exclaimed. "Mo!"
"He likes it!" A2 cried in joy.
"I added some blueberry flavoring to the mix, hence the blue color," Hatchet said cheerfully. "This way, even he could enjoy it!"
"Brilliant idea!" 9S praised. Emil nodded in agreement.
"I concur! I always hated carrots when I was a boy, so I completely sympathize with Alexanders dislike of that mashed version of the food we tried to get him to eat," the skull-boy said.
"Well, now that you have food, and the last of the medicine should be finished by week's end, what do we do?" Jaqueline asked.
Stillness feel onto the ground, and everyone looked at each other.
"Well, it's been a while since Sebastian and I were back at our home in the desert. We really should be heading back to check on it," Hatchet said eventually. There was a clear note of dismay at the thought of leaving, though. One that Sebastian echoed with his depressed nod.
"Anemone has been riding my back for a while now about getting that damned oil refinery upgrade," Jaqueline added, an annoyed frown on her face.
Emil and 9S let out disappointed sighs.
"Well, it's been fun," 9S said sadly. "But we won't forget the fun times we've had together."
"You're right!" Hatchet agreed.
"True that," Jaqueline added.
"What are you all talking about?" A2 demanded, confusion written across her face.
"I think they believe they have to leave now, since their jobs are done," 2B said, which caused A2 to shake her head in disbelief.
"Why on Earth did you think we would throw you three out?"
"Pardon?" Sebastian asked, head tilted to the side.
"You don't have to leave if you don't want to," 2B elaborated.
Emil nodded. "That's right! We're all friends here! And the mansion has plenty of room for everyone to stay!"
"So, we don't have to pack up our stuff?" Hatchet inquired.
"Well, you should you probably clean up the mess you made while building the FPS," A2 said dryly. "But other than that, I think Alexander would be sad if everyone left. Isn't that right?"
"Dabba!" the toddler called out cutely, blue paste smeared over his face.
"How did he make such a mess in so short an amount of time?" 9S wondered.
Hatchet, on the other hand, grinned and guffawed. "Well, you heard the human! Guess we can't leave anymore!"
"I'm glad. I am rather fond of everyone. It would have been lonely," Sebastian claimed, a smile on his face.
"Does that include me too?" Jaqueline said, fluttering her eyelashes at the boy-bot.
"Of course. I would miss seeing you and dad fight and be unable to express your love for each other through verbal sparring," the rebuilt android stated, causing the two in question to stare at him slack-jawed.
"Wait, what are you talking about, son?" Hatchet cried.
"Based on observations, as well as figuring out what Emil meant when he called Jaqueline 'tsundere,' I have extrapolated that Miss Jaqueline is madly in love with you, father, but does not wish to be the first to say so. This results in insults and barbed wrapped in thinly veiled sexual frustration. Much like how 9S and 2B's own relationship is. Minus a great deal of swearing."
Utter silence fell on the room, broken only by the gurgling of a baby playing with blueberry flavored mush.
"I-is this true?" Hatchet asked, staring wide-eyed at the female Resistance android.
Something was going wrong with her face. She was blushing. Her system was overheating in her head.
"N-n-no! It's all a lie!" she shouted angrily, glaring daggers at the refurbished S-type.
"Truly? Then all the times you were talking to yourself about how 'that stupid, noble, handsome bastard' was going to get killed being too nice for his own good while father was gone was not about him?" Sebastian asked innocently, his head tilting to the other side.
"I-I-I!" Jaqueline stammered, looking around the room for a way out of the conversation. She found it by using the couch as a springboard and leaping through a nearby window before booking it.
Hatchet stood there, rooted to the spot in confusion. 9S and 2B were unable to do anything other than blush and avoid looking at each other.
Emil meanwhile, rolled over to Sebastian. "That was evil."
"I have no idea what you mean," the S-type said calmly. "I was simply wishing for elaboration on certain facets of their relationship. Nothing more."
"Still, it was quite entertaining," A2 said, before frowning at the broken window. "Excuse me, I have to go chase a certain vandal down and get her to fix her mess."
"Tell her that she also has to change the springs in the couch she used as an acrobatic aid!" Emil called after the elite android as she marched out of the house.
Chompy the goat suddenly bleated, happily licking the blue nutrient paste off of Alexander's face.
That, however was not what surprised the two.
"How did he get out of his highchair?" Emil demanded, turning to POD 153 who'd been observing the whole thing.
"Human-Alexander saw Chompy, and wished to pet her. He then began to perform an act of levitation and floated over to said goat, and proceeded to pet her."
"Do human babies normally float?" Sebastian inquired, curious. Emil shook his head-body.
"No. No, they do not."
Suddenly, a white glow erupted around Alexander, and he floated into the air, held aloft in the grasp of a pulsating energy field.
Alexander giggled as he floated around the room, causing the other androids to snap out of their stupor in their shock.
"Someone grab him before he falls!" Emil shouted, and everyone rushed forward at once to catch him before whatever magic he was using failed.
They ended up in a massive dogpile, with Alexander perch atop the mound of bodies with a smile on his face.
"This is going to be an interesting next few years," Emil muttered to himself.
Alexander just blew a spit bubble at him.
~/~/~/~/~
Deep within the massive metal tomb that was the Bunker, a woman with pale blonde hair and a tattered yet still pristine white officer's outfit faced the handful of monitors left intact within the command center. Behind her, a single android rested on one knee.
"Report," Commander White ordered, not sparing the android a glance.
"After detecting the rogue YoRHa unit A2 in the Graveyard, Flight Patrol Member 44B followed her, and her male android companion, to a machine base. She then dismantled it, and took a Plug-In chip from one of the plundered YoRHa corpses stolen earlier that week," the agent stated, head bowed.
"I see. Did you follow her back to where ever she's holed up?" Commander White inquired.
"No, ma'am. 44B was still assigned to the Graveyard, and didn't wish to disobey orders. Once the pair left the destroyed machine hideout, she stopped trailing them. However, 44B did note that they were headed in the direction of Relic City."
White frowned, annoyed at the lack of data, but understood 44B's reluctance to follow. Traitors had always been dealt with harshly, but many YoRHa had become fanatical in the wake of the Tower's collapse. Disobeying orders, even to assist others or find more data on enemies, was punished within the ranks by their own comrades.
Fear ruled YoRHa, now. Without a purpose, so many had gone rogue. Those who remained were far too zealous for White's liking, but it was all she had to work with, now.
"I see. Anything else to report?" she inquired, finally sparing the agent a glance.
"…there is one thing," the android said slowly.
"Well? What is it?" White demanded, impatient.
"Units 2B and 9S were detected within the forest near Relic City by a Recon squad. Said units proceeded to flee when spotted."
Up above in the terminals, two O-type androids stifled gasps at the mention of the units they'd once been assigned to. One of them couldn't help but reach up to her left ear where an artificial flower, a Lunar Tear, had been tucked.
Down below, White's hands clenched into fists. On the one hand, the two had been loyal androids to YoRHa for many years, and had even been the cause of the Tower's fall.
On the other, 9S was responsible for broadcasting the truth about the Moon base to everyone, while 2B had provided A2 with confidential YoRHa technology and secrets.
"Issue a standing order to all YoRHa and affiliated Resistance forces in the area: From this day forth, until further notice, ex-YoRHa units 2B and 9S are to be classified as Traitors, and eliminated on sight," she intoned coldly. Gasps ran through the Operators up above.
The two androids were well known and liked by many in both YoRHa and the Resistance! To order their deaths like that was unthinkable!
"Furthermore, I want a bounty placed on them, just like all the others on the Most Wanted List," White commanded.
"H-how high do you wish it to be?" an Operator asked nervously.
"The same as A2, since they are so clearly companions in crime," White said through gritted teeth.
Once again, a horrified silence filled the command center. White looked up, unamused.
"Well? Get back to work!" she shouted.
Up above, Operator 6O stifled a sob and hid her face. Next to her, 21O put a comforting hand on 6O's shoulder.
"They'll be fine," she said softly. "If they can handle Goliaths and Ascendant machines, they can handle anything!"
6O nodded, wiping tears from her eyes before getting back to work.
'Please, be safe, 2B,' she thought, praying silently.