As 6O looked over 21O's body with a thorough examination, Robin took the chance to ask Emil about the cloths they meant to ask about before.

"Well yes, I'd have them but…" the talking head used the arm of his wagon to leave a key in her palm. "I'm afraid I can't stay here, I have something important to do."

Robin frowned but didn't question it, however the tone seemed… tense.

"That's the key to my home, look for an elevator inside a pipe in the middle of the city where the crater is, it'll be down there. Bye bye!" before she could say anything more he just zoomed away.

"What the hell was that?" A2 frowned as much as she did.

"I have no idea." and right now they had other things to take care of too.

So for safety, since they were going to a new place, Robin went to where her Pod was lying and gently poked it so it woke up.

"Pod, I'd like you to accompany us for a bit." she says.

"Your wish is my command, unit Robin." she chuckled as he said so.

"Pods have a sense of humor too now?" A2 frowned as she walked over. "It's pretty amusing." she shrugged.

"You're coming with us?" she offered her a hand, which the rogue took immediately.

"Always."

And with that the duo departed once more towards the city.

Not much time later, 21O finally opened her eyes to meet the worried ones of her girlfriend, as she held her arms crossed, and glared at her, though it looked more like a pout than anything else.

Someone was disappointed here, no matter how cute she was looking at this very moment..

"What were you up to?" to cause so much tiredness on our body all at once, 6O wanted to ask but she knew that 21O knew it already.

"Did something bad happen?" the tone had immediately changed from a stern one to a softer one, after the first question.

She did examine her body, though despite signs of extreme fatigue she couldn't find any other damage. Which was positive and negative at the same time.

Good, because 21O was fine, even if tired and in need of rest, she didn't need more medical attention than that.

Bad, because she couldn't find the cause of the issue, so she had no way to know what it was nor act to prevent that from happening again. Unless 21O told her the truth.

"Nothing you should worry about." the Battler type shook her head.

Last thing she wanted was to make 6O worry for her, even though she knew she'd worry anyway, because she was that way.

But she hadn't lied entirely, nothing bad happened.

"Then what did you do to cause this overload?" one so big you fainted in the desert?

Thank goodness Emil spotted her, and that Robin and A2 went there.

Did she fight with an enemy perhaps? But with how little machines there were, considering also they were mostly peaceful too, and the vastness of the desert, it was highly unlikely she even ran into anyone.

Unless the offender was another android, but that was also debatable.

Maybe she could ask the other Number 21, the Scanner was with her, no? 21O had her blade floating on her back when she returned, which contained the redhead's consciousness.

Even now it was there.

But she wanted to chance hearing the truth from 21O's lips.

"Again, nothing happened. I went to practice a bit, okay? I may have pushed myself too far."

Also not a full lie, but not a complete truth.

She couldn't tell, not yet.

Not until she and her predecessor got the hang of it entirely.

If with the Scanner's help she could master this thing, then it would be a breakthrough, and she could protect people even better than just with a mere sword.

"You know… the battle in that server got me thinking…" she gave a small sigh. "That as a Battler model I have much to learn."

That compared to the other combat types she was too weak to compete.

It was true that machines were for the most part eradicated, but what if another enemy would arise? The future was looking as great as it was uncertain.

And she couldn't allow herself to fall behind and be a liability now that she too could fight.

Now that she had the strength to protect too.

And yet, all they did was to rely on A2, one of the strongest assets to protect Robin, and vice versa. Of course it was because they trusted their strength, and 21O wanted to become someone just as reliable too.

She couldn't let the weight of this fall always on the same people.

"I understand… I think." she could hear 6O mutter. "I may not be a Battler type, but as a Healer I am not all that useful either, especially not in battle."

She gave a bitter smile. "I didn't even have a weapon to carry anyone with."

These words resonated well with 21O, but even more so with Number 21.

That as an older Scanner model, had no combat data, and was stuck relying on her companions whenever a fight was involved.

She had often asked herself if there was a use for her existence if she couldn't be helpful.

Anemone had told her to find a reason to keep living when she addressed the issue with her, she hadn't lasted much longer after that.

Even now that she soon would be given another chance she still had no answer.

Which was why these words hit so close to home. 6O was going through the exact same thing.

But perhaps she could let her know she wasn't alone in facing this feeling of uselessness.

"Have her reach out to me, please." she told her successor, who wordlessly took the YoRHa Sword in her lap, then placed 6O's hand on the hilt so she could hear her.

"Someone once told me something, when I expressed the same doubts, she told me to find my own reason to keep living." Anemone's words were too precious to not be shared.

"Back then, when we were about to enter the final phase of our mission, I thought of myself as a burden, I didn't know how to fight, or how to fend off enemies alone either. I doubted myself, and I am still unsure what the meaning of those words is, but perhaps you can find one for yourself."

Perhaps that could help 6O more than her, while she searched for her own meaning for existing.

"Then why don't we try to find out together?" the Healer unit placed her free hand on top of 21O's. "I mean, we are all looking for a way not to live without being weights to the rest of our friends, and the people we care for, no?"

"Might as well try to find our own reasons, but do it together, and help each other out? As friends and for our friends."

Even if she felt the key was in the very last few words she said.

What if the answer was easier than they thought?

"Maybe we just need someone to be strong for." which they already did, but didn't realize the importance until now.

"I mean look at it, Robin and A2 are so powerful because they don't want to lose each other again, neither do 2B and 9S." with a sweet smile, she took 21O's hand. "And I have you."

"Of course we have all of our friends too, I think that's what those words mean."

Of course she was right, all of them were strong because they had something to protect, and had no fear in showing it when the time came. Perhaps it was out of fear of losing the other another time, perhaps it was out of love and a deep bond of friendship, perhaps it was both things at the same time.

And that was 21O needed to be able to dominate and use this thing within her, at any cost.

"I think I'm beginning to understand." came the Scanner's voice.

This strength 6O had been talking about, it was well within her, she'd shown it before, to save Lily and to make sure Number 2 and Number 4 got where they needed to be, despite the virus corroding her head and the rest of her whole being.

She'd fought against the pain, against her own systems revolting and fighting back using just her own willpower, to accomplish the objective she gave herself for the sake of finishing their mission.

She thought that her worth ended there, but perhaps she still had something worth living for.

Or rather, someone she'd been waiting a long time to see again.

Even if it wasn't the way she expected, they could still be together again soon… if she still wanted her.

But she could feel 21O give a smile as the Scanner poured her thoughts into her. "She missed you dearly."

She knew, because Anemone told her so while they were traveling to the island where they found them all again.

What a twist of fate.

But for once it was in a positive manner, and a very much welcomed thing.

"I'm glad…" the Scanner also gave a smile, so Anemone didn't forget her after all…

Should have been obvious from the way she tended to keep close to her while inside the server, and from the way she got mad at Adam from grabbing her, but right there there was so much more to focus on, along with trying to not let him choke her to death.

However, knowing she still thought of her felt… nice.

"I don't know who you're talking about, but it sounds like we've got to reunite a couple." 6O rolled up her sleeve. "You rest up, I'll deal with it." they watched as the young Operator rushed over to where they were rebuilding Number 21's body, putting herself to work once more.

Who was she to keep two lovers separated any longer? It was time to finally reunite them.

It didn't take much to find the elevator Emil was talking about, there weren't too many broken pipes at the crater, and getting to it was even easier since now they could climb on the remains of the Tower instead of having to jump down from the ravine to reach it, and then climb inside.

When they descended, they were met with a dark cave, thankfully Robin remembered to bring her Pod with her, as his flashlight illuminated the surroundings.

"It's very desolate…" A2 commented, as they walked in, heading further down.

Why would someone as bubbly as Emil live in such a place?

During the descent, they could spot a number of dead machines, though there was no indication if they were killed or deactivated when the network fell apart.

But something that Robin caught with the corner of her eyes told her it was the first case. So she headed over to examine a Goliath one.

Better chances to find what she was looking for.

"What's the matter?" A2 asked as she joined her standing at her side.

"Nothing, but these machines were definitely killed, I'm curious to know how." carefully she climbed on the body of the fallen thing, searching for answers. "Emil doesn't seem like someone aggressive, or like something that can wield weapons, doesn't he?"

She didn't have records of androids being here, so what could it have been?

Finally she spotted something, that again didn't look like something a blunt weapon, nor a Pod could do.

A burn mark, or rather, more of them, and somehow they seemed they were still sizzling?

But machines tied to the network would have died all months ago when the Tower fell, so this must have been caused before that, so how would it still be warm?

She recoiled with a yelp when she tried to touch it. It still burned!

Very much obvious as the white glove she wore burned away, and her hand was left slightly charred.

"What in the damn hell is this?"A2 took her hand, at least it didn't burn away the skin exposing metal, but she felt like it very much could have.

Whatever it was could easily melt through android armor.

"What kind of weapon could do such a thing?" Number 4 asked.

"No idea. Not even my rifle could do that." Number 16 mused. Surely her gun could be very much destructive, but to leave burns that could damage even after so long? No, absolutely not.

"Any ideas, Rose?" Robin asked.

"None, nothing at all." she shook her head. "Not even in my long life I've seen such a wound before."

But A2 still stared at the hand as she applied the gel given from Pod 007, frowning.

She was sure she saw something before, or rather felt it.

Then… everything clicked.

"Your weapons." she blurted out, looking at Robin.

"My weapons? But I've never been here." she frowned, unless it was another memory that had been manipulated, but she doubted it.

She really didn't want to doubt of White again, not after she proved to have regrets, and that she cared for her soldiers, and was trying to change despite people not trusting her yet.

"No, I mean, they leave a similar trace. They burn too." out of instinct, A2 placed a hand to her abdomen, reminiscing the wound that Robin inflicted her, that had almost caused her demise.

But that also had been the start of everything…

If she focused hard enough, she could still feel the pain, besides the stab wound, there was a burning feeling of the metal inside melting, though not as intense as probably was whatever that killed this machine.

"But they don't hurt me." and to prove the point, she took out Scarlet Despair from her back, and held the offended hand against the blade, not enough to cut though.

Nothing bad happened, not now, not ever before.

But she did recall people saying about the whole burn feeling whenever the blade cut them, even when not too deeply.

"I've been wondering something, and I'm sure you have too. Why does it glow?" Rose asked, such a peculiar weapon indeed.

"I never managed to find an answer to that." she shook her head, though she'd always been curious about it.

"Perhaps one day we'll find out." she let the sword hang on her back again. "We have other things to do now."

Maybe they could ask Emil later anyway. It still bothered her how he disappeared so suddenly, but there was little she could do about it right now.

She'll ask if they saw him again, because they had to, no?

At the moment they had their own people to think about, just when they were so close in bringing the first two back, and then subsequently all the others too.

Waiting wasn't an option, those androids waited three whole years for this moment, it was more than enough time. Too much time, actually.

Eventually they reached a part of the cave that led them even further down, very much deep inside it, where at the end there was a pond of a pretty decent size. Once again she was thankful that Pod 007 was with them.

Without a word A2 threw herself down, hair and mantle whipping in the wind as she fell, but she didn't reach the water, as the purple Pod came to her aid and allowed her to glide safely to land.

"I didn't remember you being this reckless." Number 4 commented. "Number 16 was."

"Hey…"

"It's true though." A2 could feel the Gunner literally pouting.

"Things change. Besides, wasn't my decision to trust Rose and her group when we knew nothing about them reckless enough?" for as good as things ended up being later.

And then bad, and even worse…

The two didn't reply, as they watched Number 2's companion do just the same thing, and land gracefully at her side, and not even address the issue, so much that she was used to A2's antics, and her acting completely on instinct.

"Thanks Pod." she petted the little purple friend, and so did A2.

She'd gotten used to Pods in due time, 007 was always with Robin since the beginning, and even aided her plenty of times, and then 2B had given her 042.

Sometimes she wondered how she managed for so long without one.

Not to mention the big hand they were giving in rebuilding the others, alongside the twins, 9S and 6O.

A2 couldn't help but feel a little… useless…

Just like she felt the same when they brought back Robin, and then the Operators and White.

She didn't love standing around much, combat types weren't made for it, but besides retrieving things they couldn't do much more to help.

But at least Robin was here, and soon the others would again too, she just had to be patient.

No matter how hard her heart was beating at the thought of seeing everyone again, and actually having them at her side one more time, and to spend the future with them.

Whatever awaited them.

Eventually they reached the cave Emil mentioned, which looked very much similar like the one they saw with the Lunar Tears, only that this one was lit artificially, but there was a similar shack.

And a lot of chests.

"Emil must trust us a lot to invite two people that to survive had to steal what they needed." Robin referred to them both with this.

She had stolen her way through her life, her old powers had made it easy too, and with time she'd grown pretty sneaky at it too. Food, medicines, clothing, anything she needed.

She'd try to get things normally, but most times people would throw her out of the stores, when there weren't marines around the corner waiting to ambush her, and to capture or kill her.

If she wasn't welcomed then why would she try to have respect for people that had none for her.

As for A2, she had to steal supplies from fellow androids too to keep herself functioning.

But now there was no need for that anymore.

However she could indulge a little… she was still an archaeologist, and Emil was still a total mystery as to what he was, not to mention everything about him spoke of something weird never seen before.

And she was curious.

Once done, Robin left a sizable amount of gold on a box so Emil could find the coins for when he returned, hoping he wouldn't notice she snuck away some papers she was very much interested in reading.

She already owned one labeled with "Project Gestalt" on it.

Another thing she meant to solve. Whatever that was.

Perhaps it could give hints on how this world was before the humans died.

"Number 2, I have to tell Robin something." Number 4 piped up, and it was something she didn't want her to hear.

With a shrug A2 passed the Type 40 Sword to Robin.

"I have an idea, let's make Number 2 a new uniform, so she won't feel different, and she won't hate wearing it like her old one."

The human gave a smile. "I agree."