"Ah, 2B, the materials you're looking for are over there."

Immediately as the sky got bright again and the rain stopped, 2B had rushed to the storage of the Resistance in the middle of the city, where Jackass was waiting with all the materials Anemone requested ready to be taken away within their boxes.

However, looking at the amount of them, she wished she hadn't come alone for this job, though, thinking about it, there were few other people suited for this kind of hard labor.

She could maybe transport a couple of boxes, maybe three from here to the camp, it wasn't the fact they were heavy, but the distance and the terrain didn't make things easy to carry things precariously stacked on top of one another.

Also she didn't want to break anything, not even by accident. That wouldn't be of use to anyone.

"This will take a while." she sighed, resigning to the fact that she'd take more time than she would have liked.

"Need a hand?" a voice called from behind her, and as she turned she looked at her own face but with longer hair.

"I thought you wanted time alone, A2." looking over her shoulder, she could see that on her twin's back there was a familiar black and red sword. "9S gave you her message, I assume?"

A2 just nodded, and since she didn't share what it was, 2B didn't press further. It was a personal matter between her and Robin after all.

"I'm here to do my own part in this. I can't leave all the work to others when I'm the one that wants Robin back the most."

Or she assumed that she was the most desperate out of everyone, she was pretty sure that, even if 2B didn't say or show it, that she surely wanted Robin back just as much too.

She was her teacher after all, and from 2B's memories, the two seemed pretty tight.

Actually, from watching Robin through her younger sister's eyes, it seemed that the human was fond of pretty much everyone around her, or at the very least respectful.

"Ah so you're A2 huh?" the blue mantle of Jackass entered their vision, as the woman made her presence known to the YoRHas.

And A2 could feel her green eyes checking her out, and not even being subtle about it. Then she looked at their faces both.

"It's like looking in a mirror. You two truly have the same face, like Anemone told me about."

"Are you here to confirm if Anemone's right or what?" A2 gave Jackass a small glare, not wanting to waste time with meaningless chatter.

"Relax girl. Anemone told me all about you, her dear friend she thought dead for years or so, very touching." again, Jackass' eye roamed her body, and it made A2 highly uncomfortable, like a prey. "Also you're pretty hot too."

Crossing her arms, A2 gave her an annoyed look. "I'm not interested." and not sorry either to be this rude.

Her heart belonged to someone else.

"I know, I know, you make sweet eyes only to that beautiful tall Executioner woman I've seen around the camp a few times. Hard to forget such a gorgeous woman." Jackass only grinned. "A fine choice."

Before A2 could yell or put her hands on Jackass' neck for talking about Robin as nothing more than just a pretty woman, which she was, though that wasn't the point, the Resistance scientist cut her off.

"Now go save your girl, will you?"

2B urged her to turn around and help her out with a tug on her arm, instead of wasting time with Jackass.

If Robin would be fine again, surely she was keeping her far away from this woman, who only appeared to want to get her hands in her pants. Or everyone's pants, for that matter.

Creeped her out, if A2 had to be honest, and she was glad for 2B's presence that distracted and reminded her of the task at hand. Robin was more important than arguing, even Popola's life was.

She was just terrible at keeping her emotions in check, if she had ever been able to.

Her head told her she hadn't.

After all, she always did what her instinct and her feelings told her, instead of thinking with her head. 2B was way superior to her in this regard.

Upon taking the first couple of boxes away, she wondered… what if she was wrong?

What if her feelings for Robin were leading her to a bad decision? She wanted her back because she was the woman she loved, but… did she want to come back to her?

To come back in this world that stripped her of her own life, her own dreams, her own name, and forced her to become something else entirely? What if she just wanted everything to be over, and to rest?

Just like she had wanted too, but was dragged back from the Pods' act of love.

Would she be okay with it? Would she be angry like she'd been?

Would she want to see everyone again? Would she want to see her?

"Care to share your thoughts?" 2B's voice reached her, she hadn't realized she'd been staring at nothing the whole time.

She too knew when she was getting lost in her mind then. What was she saying? Of course she did since she had actually been in her head for months.

If 2B didn't know her well then who would?

She still took a moment to respond.

"You know… what if she doesn't want any of this anymore?" she looked up at the sky. "What if she just wants to rest? Who are we to drag her back here again?"

Who are we to make her suffer even more?

Sure, she heard Robin's last words, about happiness and love, but would she find them again if she were to be brought back?

Could she be able to give her what her heart desired? A2 wondered.

"What if this is all a mistake we're making?"

"And what if it is not?" 2B retorted. "We can't know what will be until she's going to open her eyes again, we can't be sure of if it's wrong, as we can't be sure of the opposite."

"But I know something, and you do too." 2B looked her in the eyes. "I know that it wasn't us that took her here in the first place, you read those documents we found at the Tower. It wasn't even the Commander's idea."

"If we were to take her back again, she wouldn't blame us for it, of this, I am sure. Because in the end we are all victims of events that were beyond our control, and as such, we are just trying to pick up what is left the best we can. That includes taking her back, for you and for us all."

The younger android placed a hand on A2's arm. "Now I ask, do you think that if she was the one that could save someone dear to her, do you think she wouldn't?"

No, she would do the same thing, because A2 knew she'd save everyone she could, she knew it well, her life had been spared too many times while Robin sacrificed her own wellbeing all along…

A2's mind went back when she still doubted that Robin should have deserted YoRHa, in order to look out and protect her. That she would have been someone worth protecting…

"I decide what you're worth to me." she had told her, and stuck by her side ever since.

Until the virus and the fire took her away, just like it always happened that she'd lose the people she loved…

Back then, at Mount Ka'ala, she hadn't been able to save any of her comrades, Anemone had survived on her own after all. But if she only could dare to hope to make things different now, then…

Then she'd do all that was needed to save her, should she run herself even more rugged than how she already was.

Should it take years even…

"She saved me too many times to say she wouldn't." she replied after a bit.

And Robin had done all never asking for anything in return.

"Then you have your answer." 2B began walking in front of her. "Now let's hurry back to the camp."

Where 9S and Devola were waiting for them to return, the Scanner had come back after talking with A2 with a smile on his face, and 2B had been so glad that things went well, and that they clarified things better.

She had doubted A2's state of mind, knowing her and her rash decisions, she'd been glad to be wrong, for once.

Suddenly a loud music invaded their ears, and the sound of a very fast engine.

"What the hell is this?"

But 2B didn't seem worried, in fact she was very much smiling.

"Someone that could help." she said, as she instructed 042 to head over to the source of the sounds, and to bring something over to them?

In no time at all and in a flash, a small truck appeared before them, and it had a weird grinning skull face on the front?

"2B, it's good to see you." the… thing chirped loudly, and it unsettled A2 more than ever.

"Good to see you too, Emil."

"Who… what is this?" A2 just sat there dumbfounded as 2B just talked with whatever this thing was.

"This is Emil, and he's a friend." that only got an even harder frown than before. "Before you ask, I don't know what he is either, but he's a friend of mine and 9S, you can trust him, A2."

"Oh, so this is A2 then. Nice to meet you." if possible, the face smiled even harder.

Before she could ask how he knew about her, 2B beat her in explaining. "We mentioned your name after you and Robin escaped us, at the castle, in case someone saw either of you."

"I see…"

"Wow, you two surely do look alike, like two sisters." she wasn't sure this was a compliment.

"Well, A2 is my predecessor, so to say, so technically we could be sisters." the head moved, a nod she assumed. "I'm sure you two care for each other very much too."

If only he knew what else there was behind this all… but this thing, person, seemed pretty naive, almost childlike, reminding A2 of the child machines, which made her desist in explaining truly what the relationship here was.

But, speaking of people they loved…

"In fact, we are trying to save some people important to us." she just said.

"A2's right, and I was wondering if you could help us carry all these components to the Resistance's camp, so we can get there even faster." 2B asked. So that was her plan all along then.

Smart little sister.

"Sure thing, just load the stuff on the back and hop on in."

"Just try not to drive too fast, we don't want to break anything." 2B told him as she put her boxes in the back of the truck, A2 following the example.

"I'll be as gentle as possible."

As soon as everything was loaded in and the two women sitting in the back, Emil took off in the direction of the camp as asked.

True to his word, Emil was rather careful as he went, a stark contrast as to when she and 9S met him, but not unwelcome.

Once they arrived, the duo of women bid their farewell to Emil, and got the stuff in the camp, where they were met from a very ecstatic 9S, as Devola just sat at her sister's side instead. But for sure they were both very happy to begin working.

They were sure that Devola wanted nothing more than to have Popola back at her side, as fast as possible.

However it seemed that some people were contrary to that, because as soon as 2B and A2 brought the boxes to the infirmary, a crowd began forming around them, 9S and Devola.

And none of them liked where this was heading towards.

"What the hell do you want?" A2 was quick to show that she was not in the mood to play games with these people.

It seemed the 2B had the same idea, placing herself at her side, shielding their friends, both alive and not, with her own body.

"We won't allow you to bring back those damn wretched androids!" one of the men spoke up, and Devola recognized him as the person that had dared to talk ill about them in front of 26E.

Easy to speak now that the Executioner could no longer threaten him or his little group of friends.

"Those twins are a curse, they've been here long enough!" another one joined in.

"Let that one suffer loneliness like us!" a third one pointed towards Devola, and protectively, 9S moved at her side, as both 2B and A2 placed themselves at the front.

"You're not going to touch a single hair of Devola, nor Popola." 2B was the one to reply, summoning her white sword, trying to scare them off.

A2 following her example, but instead of calling her Type 40 sword, she reached on her back, where Scarlet Despair was hovering. Upon laying a hand on the weapon, she felt a tingle of some kind of energy coursing through her hand and arm, into her whole body, as if sending her feelings.

So that was what Robin meant by saying that the sword seemed to have a will of its own.

"Who are you even? Some kind of protectors like that damn Executioner?"

"Hey, that's her sword that one is holding." one of them pointed to A2 holding Robin's weapon.

"That goddamn murderer good for nothing…"

"They did not just say that in front of A2…" 9S whispered next to Devola. This was bound to get bad.

And it did, as immediately A2 lunged for the man in front of her, grabbing him by the collar, holding the glowing blade against his throat, and pressing until it cut the skin layer.

"One more word and I'll show you exactly what the word murder means, using you as an example."

The men around him drew their guns at her reaction, 2B stepping closer, Virtuous Contract ready to deflect as many as possible. 9S in the back held screens before him, his left hand flickering with electricity, signaling he was ready to hack anyone before they got too dangerous, as Devola too drew her own Type 3 sword from behind him.

It didn't matter who these people were, from the Resistance or whatever, they were not entitled to treat and disrespect their fallen friends this way.

"Enough!" the voice of a woman broke through the tension, as Anemone marched towards them with a harsh glare, in her hands her trusty pistol, though she hadn't raised her arm to point it against someone yet.

"All of you of the Resistance, step away from the infirmary at once!"

However, none of the men moved, even if A2 had let go of the guy she was holding so he could leave. So in a swift movement, Anemone shot at his feet, in a threatening manner.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"But Leader Anemone…" all she did was to point directly at him.

"Shut up and listen to me, and that's an order. Or I'll blow your head off with the next shot." the group of men finally moved away from the YoRHas, however none of them felt like putting away their weapons just yet.

"I have had enough of this behavior, and I've excused it for far too long. We Resistance exist with the goal of helping androids survive, not to kill each other."

"Leader Anemone, those two are guilty…"

"Of what?" she glared back. "Of exactly what are they guilty of? Can any of you explain it to me? I'll answer that for you, no, you can't."

"Because none of us nor they know exactly what happened ten thousands of years ago for them to be exiled, you're all only acting based on the actions of our predecessors without bothering to ask yourself if this is wrong or right." she walked closer.

"Devola and Popola have done nothing else but give us their knowledge and aid when needed, to all of us, they even aided YoRHa in the fall of the Tower, and the machines. And this is how you would repay them back?" Anemone looked at them all one by one.

"We wanted peace, and thanks to all of them we've achieved it, so I demand respect for each and every single one of them, because they were able to do what we weren't. We owe them everything."

From the way she spoke, it reminded A2 of Rose back then. Anemone truly did step up from back then, though still rather trigger happy at times.

"As for 26E, she's done us many favors in the past, and though threatening, she has never harmed anyone and even contributed to keeping this camp safe, and you all know it."

Finally, she turned to Devola.

"I apologize for tolerating this kind of behavior from my people for so long, however, I announce that from today this shall no longer be tolerated, and punished as I see fit."

She bowed a little, as an apology that in all honesty, Devola never expected would happen, that she never would hear those words ever. She just wished that Popola could have heard them too.

"You can put the blame of this on me, however do know that you two are as important to this camp as anyone else." raising her head again she looked at the red haired woman in the eyes. "I'll make sure no one will disturb your work. Please pass on my words to Popola when she'll be awake again, she deserves to know too."

The group watched as Anemone quite literally took those men away dragging them by their ears, those people sure were in for a punishment now.

But upon watching and hearing her, A2 couldn't help but smile a little witnessing how much her friend had grown since they met.

Rose and the others would be proud of the person she became.

She was sure.