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Chapter 15: Gaining allies
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"You can do it, Alexander! Come on!" A2 coaxed. The last human alive pouted but took a tentative step forward. Then another. Soon, he was slowly and clumsily walking.
With a cheer of motherly joy, A2 swooped down and picked up the adorable little bundle of cuteness.
"You did it, Alexander! You walked!"
"Momma!"
"Yes, yes I am!" A2 cooed, rubbing her cheek against Alexander's.
"Aww, that's so cute," 2B cooed. Everyone turned to the normally stoic and taciturn ex-YoRHa gynoid, and she flushed. "What?! I can like cute things!"
"Um, sure, but it's just weird seeing you of all androids express emotions so openly," Sebastian pointed out. "Did you take some of Jaqueline's E-Drugs, by any chance?"
"No!" she shouted hotly. She then turned away, fuming, when no one looked to be believing her.
"So, anyways, back to what we were discussing," 9S said, steering the conversation back around to the red-headed twins and the info they'd come bearing, "There was an incident at the Factory, right?"
"Yeah, earlier in the week Resistance scouts noticed a commotion. It appears that one of the cultist Machines went crazy and began cannibalizing some of the other Machines in the area. At least, as far as they can tell. All they found was a number of dismantled Machine bodies with a bunch of missing parts and their memory banked wiped," Popola said, relaying the information they'd acquired.
"Strange. Do they know where the Machine that went berserk is?" the Scout model YoRHa android asked.
Devolva shook her head. "No. They did notice a path, though. Whatever Machine made that mess, it walked off in a straight line away from the Factory. In fact, it looked like it was heading deeper into Europe."
"Any idea where exactly?" 9S pressed.
"No. We're unsure if it kept going straight, or if it deviated in its path. At this point, though, we know it's not here," Popola said.
"Alright, then. I suppose it's nice not to have to fight off deranged Machine Lifeforms for once," 9S said, though his tone was somewhat wistful.
"You know, as amusing as this whole thing is, I'm still confused as to why you two are here, and not Jaqueline," Hatchet said, walking out of the kitchen, wiping off his grease covered hands with a rag. "By the way, 2B, the stove is fixed."
"Miss your girlfriend?" Devolva teased, sending a wink at the mechanic. He spluttered and turned red, trying to deny it. The curl-haired twin laughed at his plight.
"She's working with Anemone right now. The refinery in the desert no longer requires Jaqueline's constant oversight, so the boss is putting her on different duties," Popola explained. She then frowned, worried. "However, I think she suspects Jaqueline is up to something. She's been giving her lots of duties in the camp, or at one of the outposts where she can't leave as easily as she'd like. Hence, why it's us delivering this week's supplies and not her."
"Yeah, we got the scrap and parts and stuff you wanted. Plus, the latest gossip and news," Devolva said proudly, tapping the metal crate the twins had brought into the house and set next to the couch.
"We may need to bring Anemone into the fold sooner than we thought," A2 said, glancing over and joining the conversation. "If she is suspicious of Jaqueline, it's only a matter of time before her attention falls on you two as well. And given who you are and what you know, YoRHa might even be called in if Anemone feels threatened by all this secrecy."
"Can we trust her not to spill the beans to YoRHa?" 9S asked cautiously.
"If we tell her the whole truth, then yes, she should be loyal," A2 said firmly.
"Yeah, I agree. Be upfront with her, and you'll have a close ally," Hatchet added, agreeing with A2. "She's a good friend to the androids under her. It was through her changing the work schedule that I managed to get assigned to Graveyard duties, thus allowing me to acquire Sebastian. Plus, she didn't inform YoRHa of my departure when I went AWOL."
"She's always been nice to my sister and I, as well," Popola said softly. "She fights her programming that tells her to hate and shun us. If not for her kindness, we'd have been thrown out of the camp years ago."
"Yeah. I trust her as well. Honestly, I think she's just nervous that whatever secret Jaqueline is keeping from her may endanger her androids," Devolva claimed.
"To be fair, Alexander's existence is a big deal. It could endanger the camp if not handled carefully," Sebastian pointed out.
"New fwend?" Alexander suddenly asked, looking out over the crowd.
"Aww!" Devolva cooed, before coughing into her hand. "I mean, yes, that's right, Alex, a new friend!"
"He's been speaking a lot more recently," A2 praised, giving Alexander a smile and a hug. "Combined with his newfound ability to walk, he'll be a big boy soon!"
"I must admit, I'm not sure how much this is normal human development," Popola said, watching Alexander fondly. "Devolva and I were not designed to care for infants. That would have been the task of another series that sadly were not produced."
"We think he's almost two years old right now," 9S claimed. "The data I obtained from the Server relating to childcare seemed to put walking and talking in two-or-more-word sentences around that time."
"How long ago did you save him from the Cryo-pod?" Sebastian asked.
"Um, let's see…" 9S began, only to be interrupted by A2.
"It has been close to five months," the veteran android warrior stated.
"What are your plans for winter, then?" Popola asked, concerned. The group all turned to her, and she frowned in confusion.
"You know, winter? Snow, and all that? When it gets cold? A phenomenon humans are susceptible to?"
"Uh-oh," 9S and Sebastian said as one, looking at each other in worry. 2B gasped and bit her lip, while Hatchet groaned and slapped his forehead.
"Ah, damn it, that's right!" He looked around the house, eyeing the patchwork repairs with concern. "I don't think we took that into account when we started rebuilding. Damn it!"
He shook his head. "Going to have to find Emil, get him to help me insulate the place and set up a heating system!"
"Argh! And food! We'll need food for both Alexander and Chompy!" Sebastian cried, hopping to his feet in worry.
"Does Emil have any canned food left in stock?!" 9S cried in a panic.
A2 clutched Alexander closer to her chest as everyone began to run around, panicking over the threat of winter. For a moment, A2 thought everything was going to collapse around her.
Her son, her beloved Alexander… he wasn't ready! None of them were! Could they survive the winter? Could he?!
"Everyone, calm down!" the flurry of activity stilled as they all turned to 2B, who had her hands on her hips.
"Panicking won't help! Besides, we have a few more months to prepare, don't we?" she demanded, staring at everyone. "The leaves haven't started to change color yet, so we're still in the clear. We can stockpile supplies now, as well as prepare for reinforcing the home with heat and insulation."
"You're right, 2B. Sorry, we just sort of… went crazy for a bit," 9S said sheepishly.
2B nodded at the apology, before turning to A2. "We should get Jaqueline to set up a meeting with Anemone sooner rather than later. If we want to get Alexander through the winter unscathed, we'll have to get her, and her access to better supplies, on our side."
"We'll have to reveal Alexander to her," A2 stated, catching her fellow gynoid's meaning. 2B nodded solemnly. A2 sighed, then nodded.
"Understood." She turned to Popola and Devolva. "Will you two help us facilitate this meeting?"
"Of course we will," Popola said without hesitation, her sister nodding resolutely at her side. "For the sake of the Last Human, we'll do anything."
It took very little to convince Anemone to follow Jaqueline for a meeting with Alexander's guardians. However, she refused to meet with them on their own turf. And A2 refused to go to the Resistance camp with Alexander.
After much talking, cajoling, and thinly veiled threats on both sides, the two sides agreed to rendezvous in a small area in between. It was one of the many meadows that had sprung up in between the crumbling sky scrapers and was filled with late summer wild flowers.
"Well, you weren't kidding. Your little secret will definitely change everything," Anemone said slowly. Only centuries of learning how to control her emotions, reactions, and facial algorithms had ensured she had not gawked at the human toddler like he was a circus act.
The adorable baby was frolicking in the grass with Chompy under Sebastian's watchful eye. A2, 2B, and 9S stood next to Anemone, while Jaqueline and the red-heads acted as the Resistance leader's escort. Hatchet and Emil had stayed back at the house, working hard on preparing the building for the inevitable winter.
"We don't want YoRHa to catch wind of Alexander's existence until we're ready," A2 claimed. "Until he is ready. He'll be put on a pedestal regardless of if he wants it or not, so we felt that he should experience childhood and be allowed to explore his humanity while he can. Commander White will want to keep him locked up. 'For his own safety.'"
Her tone clearly showed how little she cared for the thought of her precious baby being used as a political tool.
"We're slowly gathering allies," 9S cut in, allowing A2 to calm down. "We can't keep him a secret forever, but we'd prefer it if we could have some people on our side to care for him and protect him."
"You want me to be one of these people. Help throw YoRHa off the trail if they catch wind of him?" Anemone inquired, already knowing the answer.
"Jaqueline, Popola, and Devolva are all wonderful people and even better allies, but the amount they can help us will become limited as Alexander grows older, and he needs more space to grow and learn," 2B continued. "You can help us a lot if you're decide to join."
Anemone was quiet as she stared at Alexander, her lips pursed in thought. Finally, after a few minutes of nerve-wracking silence, she spoke.
"You say he has magic? What will that mean for your future plans?"
"Well, Emil already has a training regime planned out, and hopes to start getting Alexander learning how to control his powers within the next year or so…" 9S began, but was cut off by a dismissive nod from Anemone.
"Not what I meant. I mean, what happens when the other androids find out Alexander isn't just human, but magical as well?"
When it was clear none of the androids around her knew what she was getting at, she sighed.
"Honestly do you not even know… look, Alexander is magical. Most, if not all, of the ancient humans regarded as prophets and messianic leaders were purported to have magic, or at least do things no other human could. Androids are already hardwired to love and adore humans. What does this mean for those androids who go too far and start seeing Alexander as some sort of divine being?"
A pause, and the sextet of androids all froze. The idea had never come up before. And they all knew some androids who'd been a bit too fascinated by humanity.
"Um, we'll get back to you on that," 9S said worriedly. He tilted his head. "But what made you think of that, Miss Anemone?"
"Some of the androids in one of the other camps have started to become a bit… unhinged in the wake of the Server's reveal," Anemone said slowly. "In the Resistance camp located in what was once Rome, a group of androids have started up a cult praising humanity. According to the rumors, at least. I don't have much contact with that group aside from rumors that come in off of the naval forces that frequent the coast."
"That's… worrisome," 2B said.
"No shit," Jaqueline muttered. "Ugh, we should have thought of that! Now what?"
Their conversation was halted when Alexander waddled over, a bunch of flowers clutched in his hands.
"Fo you," he said, holding out the slightly smashed bouquet of wild flowers to Anemone, who blinked in surprise.
"Um, me?"
"You! Pwetty flowahs, fo pwetty lady!" he said, smiling cutely. His longest sentence to date caused all the gynoids to swoon. With trembling hands and watery eyes, Anemone bent down and accepted the gift, her chest feeling oddly tight.
"Thank you. I'll keep them nice and fresh back home with me," she said softly, giving Alexander a wobbly smile. He beamed up at her, chortling happily before running back to Sebastian and Chompy to play in the grass some more.
Anemone took a deep breath to calm herself. "I think, if you want allies you can trust, you should go to Pascal."
"What?" everyone asked, shocked. The Resistance leader nodded.
"It makes sense. The Machines in his village love and seek to emulate humans. They'll keep him safe. Several of the child-like Machines who survived the Logic Virus would serve as excellent companions for Alexander. Playmates, and so forth. Plus, the Machine's village is still rather isolated, despite the trade we conduct and the treaty we have. That part is also another reason why you should go to Pascal. The Twin Metal Treaty we signed is still a bit… untested. Letting Pascal know about Alexander will go a long way towards improving relations."
"Well, we do know her," 9S began.
"And she's trust worthy," 2B added.
"I suppose having friends his mental age would be good for Alexander," A2 agreed. She then nodded slowly.
"We'll approach him after winter. I don't want to start anything now. Not when so much else needs to be done."
"Fair enough," Anemone agreed. "Before I go, did you have any other ideas for androids we could bring into the fold?"
"We've been thinking about that, but haven't come up with anyone yet," 9S admitted.
"Hmm. I might know an android or two you can trust. I'll have to see, though. And you'll get to vet them beforehand," Anemone said. She then turned to Jaqueline and the twins. "Come along, we need to return to camp before anyone notices I was gone."
Her escorts nodded in sync and led Anemone off towards the base. Meanwhile, A2 continued to watch Alexander frolic and play.
"We should let him play outside more," A2 declared, smiling fondly at Alexander as he pulled up tufts of grass to show off to Sebastian and to feed to Chompy. "Keeping him inside all the time is not good for his health."
"Well work on a schedule for that," 9S promised her. "For now, let's head back home."
The group collected their precious baby and headed back home. It was nice when things went according to plan.