CHAPTER 14

9S was dreaming. He was at home, in the white-washed walls of… the Bunker? It wasn't his room at the bunker, but it was familiar all the same. He was happily chatting with 2B. But then intruders appeared, and 2B vanished. He needed to get to her, but the intruders were blocking his path. "...Stop…"

He tried to shove past them, but they grabbed him, seizing his arms. "Stop…!" He struggled against the grip, but it just got tighter. He needed to go to 2B right now, she was in grave danger. He had to do something, it was important, couldn't they see? Just let him go already!

"Stop getting in my way!" 9S shouted, as he sat bolt upright - or tried to. On either side of him, the twins were holding him down, their hands pressed down on his arms.

Reality returned to him in pieces. The twins, the medical tent, the… dream test. Right. He'd been dreaming just now. The twins had been monitoring his sleep to check for irregularities. And 2B…

Was still there. She was sitting in a chair across the way, looking as dignified as always.

He… Had he shouted all that aloud? Blood rushed to his cheeks as a wave of embarrassment washed over him. He couldn't quite bring himself to look anyone in the eyes, so he just looked down at the cot underneath him and wished for the moment to be over.

Eventually, it was Devola who broke the awkward silence. "...You were thrashing in your sleep. We didn't want to lose connectivity for the test, so we tried to hold you down." She rubbed at a spot on her arm which seemed a bit bruised. "You've got quite a kick for an intelligence gathering model."

Oh god, so the arms from the dream had actually been... "Uh, yeah. We YoRHa models are built tough," he joked weakly, attempting to deflect some of the awkwardness. "Sorry," he added quietly. He hadn't meant to hurt anyone, and to do so when unconscious and unaware didn't sit well with him.

"Eh, no biggie. We've had worse," Devola made a waving motion as if to dismiss the apology. "At least tell me we got the data, I have no desire to do all that again." She directs this question at her sister.

"Mm, yep, seems like." Answered Popola, who was looking over the machine readout. "We should be able to process this and get back to you in just a bit. Don't go anywhere, 'kay?"

With that, the redheads wandered off somewhere, bringing the machine cart with them. Suddenly he was left alone with 2B, and the awkwardness intensified.

"So, uh, 2B… did you manage to get some rest?" Because he sure hadn't. If anything, he felt more tired than before.

"Oh. Yes. I rested sufficiently while you were asleep," 2B answered stiffly.

"That's… good."

"..."

"..."

And like that the silence returned, even more oppressive than before.

Before 9S could attempt another round of smalltalk, and likely further embarrassment, the twins returned wearing indecipherable expressions.

"We've analyzed the findings, but you're not gonna like it," announced Devola.

Fear clutched 9S's heart, and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. Over the rushing in his ears, he could barely hear 2B prompting for the results.

Popola pulled up an output graph that meant little to 9S - if he were sent it as a data packet he could have easily analyzed it, but in the moment his eyes just glazed over the visual without processing it.

Devola launched into an explanation. "Like we planned, we monitored your brain processes during the dream sequence. You've got your sleep protocols activating here," she points to a location on the graph, "where you produce a collection of input sources for the dream generator. These typically include recently acquired audio, video, and data packets."

"We found nothing odd about the input files - they included your personal authentication codes, and closely resemble the existing data on your hard drive. As for the dream generation function itself, that's harder to say - dream algorithms are specialist stuff, and the implementation is pretty much a black box. I don't know how you'd go about debugging it. Arguably you could have problems with the dream generator? Which could result in PTSD-like symptoms, including nightmares. It's rare, but not unheard of."

"I-I don't have... PTSD, or whatever! What is with you people trying to diagnose me with human illnesses?!" cried 9S in indignation.

"Did I hit a nerve? I told you you weren't going to like it," Devola said with a shrug. "You know, Android brains are heavily based on human neurology. And that can even extend to 'human' mental illnesses, at times, like anxiety and depression. Don't assume Androids are above all that."

"That said, I was only speaking hypothetically. My best guess? You had an alarming experience and now you're having nightmares. End of story - nothing weird here, nothing to find. We found nothing in our results that proves anything nefarious is going on."

There was a heavy silence following this proclamation as 9S attempted to process this, along with the strong emotions he was still reeling from.

"Okay. Thanks, for taking a look," he finally choked out. They were staring at him, all three of them, and the concerned gazes felt like daggers. He was overwhelmed with the urge to be anywhere but here, and since he's apparently healthy, there's no reason he has to stay, right?

In an instant he rose to his feet and walked out of the tent, and away from the Resistance camp. Behind him, he thought he could hear 2B saying something, thanking the twins maybe, but he didn't care. Once he left the camp, he broke out into a run. He didn't have a destination in mind, he just ran.

He hadn't gotten far when a hand grabbed his wrist, forcing him to a halt.

"9S! 9S, are you alright?" called 2B, voice laden with worry.

"Do I look alright?!" 9S snapped. Immediately he regretted it, as he saw 2B flinch away. "I'm sorry, it's just… been a long few days."

They're near the pond outside the Resistance camp where they went fishing sometimes. Almost on autopilot, he wandered towards it and sat at the water's edge.

Tentatively, 2B sat down next to him, looking forward rather than at him. She just sat there for a minute, not saying anything, before she ventured, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, no, there's nothing… it's not..." 9S sighed in frustration. "I just feel so useless sitting here and doing nothing. It gives me too much time alone to think and it's driving me nuts. I need something to do, to work on, I need to help with something."

"Oh," breathed 2B. She didn't provide additional commentary, and they both sat there in silence.

9S felt slightly better for having got that off his chest, and he allowed himself to take comfort in 2B's presence. He took a moment to just appreciate the scenery, and the person he was sharing it with.

Beside him, 2B let out a small gasp. He turned to look at her in confusion. "What's up?"

She turned to face him, and suddenly her face was all business. "You said you wanted something to do? Well I've got good news for you. We have a new mission from command."

"O-oh." He wasn't expecting that, but he probably should have been. It had been a while since their last mission, and they've just received the all-clear from medical.

2B continued seriously, "We've been instructed to track down a group of YoRHa deserters and detain them for questioning."

Ending N: [N]eural Network

# A/N: For some reason, my version of 9S seems to have social anxiety. No one is more surprised about this than me. He might also have some other problems right now, but it's probably nothing... (Also, as a blanket statement, the characters opinions about mental health do not reflect the author's opinions. 9S is a very judgy person sometimes.)

Meanwhile, the curtains open on the next mini-arc! Once again, this side quest was entirely outside of my initial plans for this fic. Let's see where this goes!