Immediately after the incident, 9S and Devola began working on Popola's body with renewed vigor, Devola in particular, as Anemone's previous words had a positive effect on her.

Or maybe she desired her sister back that much too.

A2 had known Robin just for a few months, and she was missing her more than anyone else would know how much, she couldn't imagine what it meant for Devola, whose sister had been at her side since the beginning of everything.

Ten thousands of years were a damn long time, even for androids. And who knew just what those two had been through during this whole time?

With the corner of her eye, A2 spotted 2B returning to the camp, after Anemone asked her something, apparently it had something to do with punishing those men of before, though she hadn't been close enough to hear.

She just knew they went somewhere, escorted by her younger sister, who now decided to take place on a chair by the infirmary and rest, it seemed.

"So, what exactly did you have in mind for those men anyways?" A2 asked, she herself was sitting down but near Anemone at her desk, as she observed all the movement coming from the Scanner and the redhead with curious eyes.

"I sent them to Jackass, she always has means to give work to other people, I sent them to slave away under her supervision. I'm sure she'll have fun." a small laugh came from Anemone.

So, Jackass huh. A2 couldn't help but think she lived up to her name. The first impression she had of her was not positive in the slightest.

"She creeps me out. You should have seen the way she was eyeing me before, and the way she talked about Robin too…" she was still annoyed about it.

"She's like that, always trying to find more adventures, even in bed." Anemone shrugged. "Reminds me of Gerbera in a way, curious about anything and everything, and has a thing for tech."

"Maybe they have a similar personality." a bit like she and 2B did, given they shared the same model number too.

"Speaking of these things, I'm curious about something, about your dear Executioner."

"Free to ask, but I don't guarantee an answer." some things like Robin's former identity were not her thing to tell.

She would prefer her to explain herself. Also, she was unsure at how Anemone could react at the reveal of a human turned android, when she'd just told her that humans were already all dead even before they were all created.

Silently she wondered, if in their long life, Devola and Popola had ever known humans.

"Her name, why do you call her by name and not by her YoRHa model like everyone else?" Anemone doubted that the woman had, for how good of a soldier she was sure she must have been worth a name.

Sometimes she wondered if she should do Rose's job and give one to Number 2, given she was indeed still here and alive after that mission.

But at the same time she didn't want to disrespect neither her nor the former Resistance Leader either.

"I… well it's the name she'd given me as a cover." not properly a lie, she'd given both names and she'd chosen not to use the E type one. She couldn't tell Anemone that it was her proper name since birth.

She couldn't tell of her humanity, not yet.

And she'd have to be careful if she were ever to accidentally mention it, or if 2B or 9S would. She'd let them know not to spill anything, at least not until Robin would be wide awake again and able to explain and defend herself.

"I see…" Anemone's eyes eyed her up and down. "There's more to it though, isn't it?"

Damn her and her bloody observational skills…

"I can't tell you. For now." A2's blue eyes traveled to where the broken body of the former human was laying. "She'll tell you, I doubt she wishes to keep any more secrets."

"And speaking of secrets…" Anemone eyed the people before her. "I'll have to tell them what you told me sometime in the future, about humans…"

Made sense that Anemone didn't wish to keep secrets between the people of the camp, but for now it was still too early, and A2 was sure their reaction wouldn't be as calm as her friend's was.

But that was because Rose and her group had been different, about the whole serving humans thing in the first place.

"Again, I need to ask you to wait until Robin will be awake."

Maybe if they heard her story they would be less angry, or perhaps it would be worse. But better if the former human could hear and explain things, even if she didn't wish to tell her story, but in case someone heard them talking and spread the word.

Besides she still had the documents found in the Tower, they were her weapon to prove her innocence if things were to go horribly wrong.

But A2 was not going to let anyone get in the way of bringing her back first, nor to disrespect her in death, and not even in life. And as much as it pained her, that included Anemone too, for the time being.

Soon she'll join the group of the ones who knew though, at least she hoped it'd be soon, as A2 doubted her ability to keep secrets for a long time, and also she was still afraid of listening ears around the camp that could hear not only her, but 2B and 9S too.

"You're making no sense, Number 2." did the Executioner know something she wasn't supposed to? Was that why she ran? And found an ally in her old friend?

And later on a lover too?

"I know, I know, but please trust me on this." A2 joined her hands to plead, and Anemone sighed.

"Fine…"

Just had to hope nothing slipped through by mistake in the meantime. They'd all have to be careful about it.

Hours passed in the camp, none of them really kept track of how many, 2B had been dozing off in her chair too at a certain point. Fair, considering she'd been running back and forth so much.

But eventually, as 9S and Devola checked the last things through their screens, making sure that, after all the taking apart, changing broken and burnt wires with new ones all over Popola's body, that her systems were all in working order.

Wiping his eyes and with a nod to Devola, 9S announced that she was ready to be re-awakened, as the redhead held her twin in her arms, wanting to make sure she'd be the first thing she'd see when she opened her eyes.

With a wave of her hand, Devola called the attention of Anemone and A2, who still appeared to be chatting with each other, and then A2 gently shook 2B's shoulder to alert her of what was going to happen and wake her up so she could see too.

Swallowing hard, Devola waited as 9S input the commands of Popola's restarting sequence.

Holding her sister's body closer than ever Devola held her breath for what seemed like an eternity of those few seconds after which Popola opened her green eyes.

They moved slowly and unfocused, but upon landing on Devola's face, Popola broke out in a smile, raising a hand to wipe at her sister's cheek, who she hadn't even realized she was crying until Popola did just that.

"Devola…" upon hearing her whisper her name, Devola held her impossibly close, burying her face in her sister's shoulder.

"Sorry I made you worry so much…" Popola's own arms embraced her sister.

The group watched them reunite with each other, looking at themselves and silently wondering if they shouldn't just leave them be, until Popola's eyes finally landed on them.

"Thank you." she said, with the most sincere and grateful smile she could manage. "I couldn't imagine how hard it would have been for Devola to live alone."

And finally when Devola decided to let go enough that she could move, Popola took a proper look around, noticing the broken android lying in the cot next to hers, hidden away from everyone, and also at the boxes with all the materials.

When she turned again, her green eyes met A2's pleading blue ones.

"I…"

"There's no need for words, I already understood." they didn't expect Popola to drag her legs down the bed, wanting to immediately get to work just as she woke up.

"Shouldn't you take it easy first?" again, the redhead's eyes looked at A2.

"I appreciate the concern, but I assume you all must want her back as much as Devola wanted me back too, so I shall not waste time. I'll be seated the whole time if it'll ease your worries." Popola explained, looking at Robin with a fond smile. "Besides, we owe her our life, it'd be cruel of us to make her wait."

"Besides I'll be at her side the whole time." Devola nodded.

"Me too…" 9S got up from his seat, but as soon as he did his legs wobbled under him, 2B steadying him.

"Nope, you're too tired." Devola shook her head, pulling up a screen and checking them out.

"Actually all three of you YoRHa have a high level of tiredness and stress on you, and it makes sense since you've been active before you woke me up, and have been running yourselves ragged for us. So to rest you all go." she motioned at the door where 2B and 9S used to sleep in.

"We'll be getting started, you can aid us later when you'll be functioning better." Popola nodded, agreeing with her sister.

"We will be of aid too." two voices joined the mix as a purple and a black Pod floated over the shoulders of the twins.

"Pod 153 and I will provide all the data needed for a successful repair."

It all seemed that none of them was having any other way unless they rested up.

"Well then, I suppose I shall find myself somewhere to sleep, since there's only two beds in there, and if you share I don't want to be there to see anything happening." A2 shrugged, turning their back on them.

"Actually, there is something I've been meaning to tell you two about." she turned again as 9S spoke up, frowning the same way 2B was doing. "It just seems the best opportunity, without anyone listening to us."

The duo of women shrugged to themselves, and helped the Scanner boy get in the room and on his bed, 2B sitting at his side, while A2 decided to settle herself on the ground near the bed. Whatever he meant sounded serious, if he needed the attention of them both.

"So what is it that is so important that no one has to hear?" 2B asked first, before A2 could.

9S fidgeted with his gloves, seemingly unsure how to measure his words. "Inside the box of materials for 26E, I mean Robin, there's a machine core…"

"A machine core?" why? Had been the first question that popped in A2's head.

Why would such a thing be of any use to a YoRHa?

He paused, not knowing how to proceed from there, and then decided that the best truth would be to show them what he found out when he was alone.

"In one of those machine recovery units, I found these…" he pulled up a screen, with documents, not surprisingly stolen info from the Bunker.

But what was written on them was enough to cause more than just surprise in the two women.

"Our black boxes… are machine cores…" 2B's eyes were fixed on the screen before her, reading the words over and over again.

She couldn't believe it… she knew from A2 that they were all disposable beings for whoever created them, but to not have even been given even a proper AI like other androids…

That was too much!

But before she could form words, a broken, almost hysterical laugh made her turn towards the other woman in the room. A2 was… laughing… covering her eyes with her hand, but laughing nonetheless.

"They used machine parts because giving an AI was too cruel, they said…" A2 began pacing in the room.

"A waste of resources, that's the only thing we ever were to our creators, so they went with the cheaper option, since machines were the thing they could afford the most." she then pointed towards the door.

"They even turned a human into one of us for their own sick experiments, made her into part of a machine like us, like those things that were made to kill her kind!"

How damn far would those people of the council, if it was even a real thing, willing to go for their entertainment? Androids were never supposed to be humans, no matter how similar they were made to be, but taking a real human and literally dehumanizing her…

"The cruelty of humans knows no bounds… Robin used to say." and A2 knew well that she was not lying about it, she had experienced it first hand more than they probably ever will.

"I'd say it applies to those that created Project YoRHa very well, humans or not I don't care." A2 shrugged. "We are made in their image, and as such we imitate them, don't we? So in the end it doesn't really matter who or what made us, the sentiment is just the same."

9S looked down. "I thought you had to know about this, before we rebuilt Robin."

A2 chuckled again."It's funny, how when we were at Pascal's village, she often used to say that our kinds weren't that different in the end, and now you tell us this…"

"I think she had a different meaning for those words though." it was the first thing 2B said, preferring to watch and listen to A2 talk and rant, rather than do it herself, since her sister perfectly said what she was thinking in her place.

"Of course she did, but wouldn't surprise me if she noticed." she was still the smartest person she met, then again, compared to herself, the standards were pretty low to begin with.

Silence fell into the room, heavy and deafening…

That was until 2B shot up from the bed and stood straighter than ever, Virtuous Contract in her hand.

"A2, please spar with me." she asked, no, demanded that her sister would comply with her request.

Thankfully, watching her summon her Type 40 Sword, she could tell that she wouldn't refuse.

"You truly always know what I'm thinking about."

9S watched the two women leave, he knew well what they were up to, since battling was a way to unleash anger and tension, especially for combat types, they were going to spar with each other in absence of hostiles.

He did hope they wouldn't hurt each other with those weapons though.

The two women didn't walk too far, in fact they stopped right outside the camp, their boots splashing water everywhere as they walked in the small sort of lake there was, either of them walking at the opposite side from the other one.

With a nod, they rushed forward, meeting each other in the middle, swords clashing against one another one time, two times, three times.

And many more times.

Until one of those times while they locked in trying to push the other one backwards, blades almost touching their respective but equal faces, 2B decided to speak up.

"Thanks for sparring with me, A2." she wheezed, struggling against her older model's strength. "I really needed to get rid of all that anger."

A2 pushed her back with a small burst of energy from her Berserk mode. "What do you believe I have done while I was alone?" she asked, bracing herself as 2B launched herself at her again.

"Fighting machines was not just for revenge, but a release from all the feelings I felt when I lost everything." swords clashing again she added. "I knew exactly what you wanted the moment you opened your mouth to ask." and she needed it as well.

And besides it was the best way that combat type knew to communicate and know each other, how else if not through strength and battle prowess?

After all, they were made to fight, they were made for conflict.

And without either of those, then what use could they have anymore? After all, weren't they just mere weapons not worth even the respect of who made them?

So it was nice to have someone to share something with, beyond all that they already did share, even if just for a friendly battle to blow off all the anger due to the recent news and events.

Things they've come to know that were hard to accept for them, who had been made to destroy the machines, only to find out part of them was just the same.

It felt… disgusting, to say the least. But again, they were never worth a thing, so why bother using expensive resources for androids that were nothing more than dolls?

"Are you going to tell her? About everything we found I mean." 2B asked, if it was for her, she'd tell her mentor everything, but A2 may not agree with it.

"Of course, I want no secrets between any of us." A2 gave a nod after dodging an incoming attack.

"We've all been lied to since we were created, and I'm goddamn tired of lies and secrets and hidden things." for too long all of them were kept from the truth, a truth uglier than ever imagined.

About their purpose, about their creation, about everything they ever believed in.

"Robin left YoRHa in search of the truth, and she believed she'd find it with me, so I shall give it to her." she told her so many times to not guilt her of the decision she took when she left all she had..

She deserved to know all that had been done to her and to them all, possibly more than anyone else.

The two of them battled one another, only using their two main swords and nothing more, nor anything less than them, sounds of metal filling the air along with their voices as they moved and danced between and with each other, water splashing over their bodies and clothes as they did.

Never truly coming close to harming the other once though.

The spar lasted hours, at one point they even spotted the Resistance's Leader coming over to check on them, and staying to watch them fight for a while.

Until both of them were too tired to even lift their arms, and let alone their weapons any longer. Shameful of her, A2 had to yield first, only because out of the two, she was the most tired, her older body giving out first, not because 2B actually beat her or anything.

But her younger sister had rested after she'd come back from her last errand, while she hadn't, and had stayed to chat with Anemone instead.

Of which offered her own room to stay and rest for the time being, as following 2B in the room with 9S felt a little too awkward for A2. Who knew what they could be up to?

She didn't really want to find out nor see it happen.

And true to her word, Anemone had looked for an extra mattress to put in her room, specifically so Number 2 could stay, and not have to share a bed, that would also be awkward too.

More time passed, since Anemone offered to let her stay in her room, A2's internal clock told her that it was the next day already. She wasn't quite sure how many hours she slept, only that she collapsed as soon as her body touched the mattress brought in the room for her.

With the corner of her eye, she could spot Anemone nearby, looking for something in her wardrobe it seemed.

"Good morning." felt weird to say what had been once customary when they were still in training at the Bunker, between each other, whenever a new day came.

"Oh, you're awake."

She nodded. "So, what happened?"

Did the twins make some progress while she was asleep? Was everything going alright?

"Well I made sure that both Devola and Popola took their proper breaks as they worked, 9S joined them again at some point as far as I know." she turned to her wardrobe again, rummaging with the stuff in it.

"Actually, since your dear pretty woman no longer has her uniform, I offered to ask around the camp to find something that could fit her." she motioned to the items on her own bed. "Was quite the task, honestly. Never seen such a tall android before her."

A2 doubted anyone did, because that was the height of a human, though she didn't know if it could be considered standard, or if there were humans even bigger, or smaller too.

Stretching herself a little, she got up and examined the items Anemone picked out. A simple white shirt with long sleeves that no doubt would end up short, and a pair of light brown pants, which also looked short too, but they did seem wide enough.

Then a pair of fingerless gloves the same color of the pants, and regular military shoes.

Silently she wondered how Robin would look in them, since she had only ever seen her with her YoRHa uniform before, and nothing else. And had seen multiple broken down versions of said cloth too as the dress got damaged in fights.

"Here." with that single word, more clothes came flying her way, Anemone had literally thrown them in her face and on her head.

"What was that for?" she took the offending items off her.

"Those are for you, silly."

"Why?" A2 frowned.

"Can't have you running around naked anymore, can we?" Anemone shrugged. "Come on, at least cover up the important bits, Number 2."

Even if the metal skeleton under made it look like she was wearing something, she didn't, and it would be about time she showed some modesty.

"No need to be all savage anymore." Anemone grinned, but it faded away a moment later. "Besides, don't make your girl worry for you right away, will you?"

Another shrug. "And besides, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't take care of you? Put the damn things on and let's go see what the others have to say."

A2 clutched the items to her chest for a moment, before finally deciding to put them on. Nothing more than a plain white t-shirt and military pants, Anemone's own ones for sure, given the way they fell a little short on her. She was still taller after all.

She moved to head out, however it seemed that Anemone still had something to say, or rather, to give, as a heavier black item was placed on her shoulders.

A mantle… like the people of the Resistance had…

"I had this custom made for you since we met again months ago, but I could never find an occasion to give it to you."

A2 clutched the mantle around her shoulders, as Anemone wrapped it properly on her neck.

"Thank you…" was the only thing she could say as she bit back tears.

"Hey, we're family, remember? Even if it's just us two now it doesn't matter. And besides, it suits you."

With an arm around her shoulder, Anemone took her along to meet the twins and 9S, and see what progress they made, and what news they had to say.

As soon as A2's eyes landed on Robin's body, she didn't need confirmation that things went well, as she could see before her, the face of the woman she'd come to know and love again.

Currently her chest was held open, as 9S installed the freshly made black box and calibrated it, saying it was the last thing left to do. It still disgusted her to see that thing in her body, especially knowing that it was supposed to replace a beating heart, in Robin's case.

But in the end, it still hadn't been their decision for how they were all created, and 9S could do nothing more than follow the instructions of how their bodies were made, and what they required.

It was enough that he took it upon himself to even reveal the information and to fix Robin, when he could have very well not have done that, and leave A2 to suffer loneliness, again.

Slowly and carefully, the twins closed the opening and stitched the skin with practiced ease as soon as the thing was installed, and after they did, Anemone gave them the clothes she gathered from other people, and waited as they dressed the woman up.

"All systems are green." 9S turned to A2, asking her with his eyes, if she was ready.

Swallowing hard, she nodded at him, bracing herself for what it would be, as he initiated Robin's restarting sequence.