CHAPTER 17

9S let out a heavy sigh. "So much for not tipping them off. Now they definitely know we're after them."

He was trying not to show it, but he was feeling discouraged after the fight. He couldn't shake the feeling that 2B could have handled it, if he hadn't been there, getting in the way. Maybe she was right, maybe he should have just stayed behind.

"You're right," agreed 2B, never one to pull her punches. "If we lose their trail now, they'll go to ground and abandon whatever hideout they were using."

With this sobering proclamation, the two androids initiated pursuit. Their pace was slow at first, as 9S was favoring his wound, but it wasn't long before his autohealing took care of it and they were back to their regular pace.

Even so, the delay cost them. The deserters had scattered and hid expertly, confusing the trail and erasing their tracks. They lost the scent time and time again, only barely picking up a track or errant signal to put them back on track. The process had slowed them down to a crawl - they couldn't move fast, for fear of missing something.

It was while they were scanning a small clearing, looking for a clue to follow, that 9S noticed 2B spacing out. Upon closer inspection, he noticed her gaze was out of focus, and recognized the familiar look of someone who was checking their inbox.

"Another mission update?" he guessed.

"Hm? No, not a mission update," she denied distractedly. "Just a message from a… penpal."

Oh. That was unexpected. "I didn't know you had a penpal," he observed neutrally. Not that he knew everything about 2B, but she'd struck him as a loner, like himself. Realizing that she had her own friends that she kept in touch with digitally… made him feel a touch lonely.

"It's a recent arrangement." At her clarification, something inside him eased a bit in relief. Oh, so it wasn't like there was someone special to her out there.

(Not yet, a darker part of his mind whispered, they weren't close yet.)

No, he was above being jealous of a stupid penpal. He was her in-person friend, which counted for more. ...Even though she's his coworker, and therefore required to work with him. Even though he couldn't quite recall her ever explicitly admitting that he's her friend. And she refused to call him "Nines".

… Now he was just making himself depressed. Best not to brood on that, or there'd be no end to it.

Still bitter, he chided, "Checking a personal email during a mission? It's not like you to let yourself get distracted like that."

Was he only imagining how her shoulders raised up defensively, and how she tilted slightly away? When she spoke, it sounded as calm as ever. "You're right. It was my mistake."

9S snorted despite himself. Like 2B made mistakes. Then he felt ashamed a moment later, because that was unfair, putting her on a pedestal like that. He should know by now that she wasn't the perfect soldier she presented herself as - she could also be soft and compassionate, and was so awkward about showing it sometimes. It was part of her charm.

They lapsed into quiet, both lost in thought. He assumed the matter was settled, so he was surprised when she spoke up, voice quiet and soft. "I had asked them for help. I thought they might know something about the androids we're following." She shook her head. "They didn't."

Now 9S was more confused about this penpal than ever, and unbearably curious. But he swallowed down his questions. He had an unpleasant feeling that should he ask, he wouldn't like the answers.

They searched in this fashion for the rest of the day. Eventually they did find what seemed to be a hideout, which showed signs of being lived in, but it was thoroughly abandoned. There were hardly any marks that someone had been there, except for some conspicuous footprints and scuff marks.

It should have been easier to pick up the trail from there. But unfortunately, the area nearby the hideout was so covered in footprints that it was even harder to make out fresh paths from the stale ones. 9S and 2B found themselves wandering in circles, and coming right back to the abandoned hideout more often than not.

"Why is this so hard?" cried 9S in frustration as they reached yet another dead end.

2B looked around thoughtfully. "They must've been prepared for this to happen. This couldn't have been accomplished in the limited time they had. It would have to have been laid out days in advance. Probably they chose this hideout with a quick escape in mind."

It wasn't the most reassuring thing to hear, but it made sense. "Well I guess they'd have reason to be worried. Given that they've made an enemy of both YoRHa and the resistance. ...What now?

2B's lips thinned into a determined line. "Now, we widen the search. And we keep looking."

9S kept his head down while they searched, scanning for errant frequencies while 2B watched the terrain. He followed instructions dutifully for as day turned to night and back again, without any results. They'd been at it for over 60 hours straight, without rest, before he finally cracked.

"2B, wait, let's just - take a break, please?" Without waiting for confirmation, he walked over to a nearby vending machine and collapsed in a heap on the grass in front of it. He bemoaned, briefly, that the vending machines didn't actually distribute drinks as the veneer implied - he could go for a refreshment right now.

It wasn't long before 2B sat down beside him, daintily, into a seiza pose. He wondered that she could do so comfortably in heels. He wondered that she could do any of her fight moves in heels, really - must be part of her model design.

Aloud, he complained, "This isn't working."

"Do you have an alternative in mind?" inquired 2B. The hours were clearly grating on her too, as she seemed almost eager for another option.

He hadn't, actually, but now that she asked… "We need more intel. Something we can use to narrow down their new base of operations." It takes him barely two seconds to make the connection: "The thefts! 2B, our briefing said they'd robbed the resistance, right?"

"Right..." 2B affirmed uncertainty, not quite following yet.

"That could lead us to their hideout - where did they rob from, what did they steal? The Resistance has multiple stashes at various hidden locations, to protect against thefts like this. Knowing which one they stole from might give us an insight as to where they're hiding. Also, if we can get an approximate list of the stolen goods, we may be able to deduce their current living conditions - and possibly set a trap for them, if they plan to steal again. They're bound to need more supplies eventually, after all."

As he talked about the idea, he started to get more excited about it. "You said before that we should avoid asking around too publicly, to avoid tipping off the deserters. But that ship has sailed at this point. There's nothing to lose by asking for help, and everything to gain!" He leaned on his elbows to look at 2B, smiling goofily.

2B appeared less enthused, for some reason. "I don't know if we should involve anyone else. Our mission is meant to be confidential."

Her denial doused his enthusiasm like water on coals. Only for those coals to light up again with an indignant outrage. With biting sarcasm, he retorted, "What, like you told your penpal about it?"

2B, for a moment, looked completely shocked. A flash of something that might've been hurt crossed her expression, before she schooled it into stone.

The pause was heavy and loaded. Finally, 2B pronounced stiffly, "Fine. We'll go with your plan."

As she got up and brushed herself off, she wouldn't meet his gaze. The very air seemed colder as she entered into the vending machine waypoint without a word.

As he got up to follow, 9S couldn't shake the feeling that he'd crossed a line he hadn't known was there.

Anemone looked at them both with a blank, confused expression. "I'm sorry, there must be some misunderstanding. None of the warehouses reported any stolen goods."

Something in 9S's stomach clenched. What?

Beside him, 2B asked, "Are you certain? Perhaps only a small number of goods were taken, or the theft was covered up."

Anemone frowned right back. "Even if that were the case, how would you all know about the theft if we ourselves don't? Look I… appreciate YoRHa's oversight and protection. But we know how to manage our own supplies. Nothing's gone missing." Diplomatically, she added, "If that changes, you'll be the first to know."

2B locked eyes with her, and Anemone met that gaze unflinchingly. What was communicated there, 9S didn't know, but eventually 2B was the first to break it off. "Thank you for your time," she said neutrally. 2B then turned, and made for the boundary of the camp in unhurried strides.

9S waited until they were outside of the camp, and far enough to not be overheard, before he hissed, "What was that?!"

2B didn't answer, only pursed her lips, but he wasn't really asking her anyway.

"This is ridiculous, there must've been a mistake in the mission intel. We need to clarify this with HQ right away."

"9S, don't," 2B protested softly.

But he wasn't listening. He was already dialing his Operator. "21O? This is 9S. I had a question about our latest mission."

From the phone speaker came a put upon sigh. "9S. Good to hear from you, finally. You're overdue for your regular check-ins, and you still haven't handed in your reports for the last two missions." There was no missing the prim disapproval in her tone.

"Not now, this is important," he argued impatiently. A grunt of disapproval came from the other side of the line, but no further objection was voiced. "It's about the YoRHa deserters. We need to know what warehouse they stole from in order to track them, but the Resistance Leader says they haven't had any thefts recently, at all."

This time, the silence at the other end of the line was much more foreboding. "I can't tell you much, 9S," said the Operator. "This order came from the Commander herself. I'm not privy to the details."

And why did that sound so ominous? Why did 21O sound so dead serious when she said that? "21O, please. You have to give us something. We need a lead," he pleaded.

More than that, he realized, he needed an answer. It had been bothering him all this time. Why were they hunting down these deserters? The answer was simple, on the surface: deserting YoRHa was an act of treason. It was a crime that was met with heavy punishment in the YoRHa military.

But then why would they include the allegations of theft? The accusation served to place the deserters in a negative light, only… The story wasn't lining up. Anemone, the alleged victim, was denying the charges. Did YoRHa discover something that the Resistance missed? If so, they would surely have notified the Resistance Leader about it, right? Unless… there was never any theft to begin with.

But why? Why make this up? Desertion was already a crime without adding theft on top of it, so why would they place false charges in the briefing?

9S couldn't think of a reason, and it was driving him nuts.

He was so lost in thought that he jumped in surprise when a reply finally came through the phone speaker. The voice was terse, but if he didn't know better, he'd swear that there was an undercurrent of fear beneath it.

"Be careful, 9S. I have no further information."

The click indicating the call had ended felt strangely like a betrayal.

2B's eyes on him, far too knowing and far too apologetic, felt like a betrayal too.

Ending Q: [Q]uestions with no answer

# A/N: Oh dear, 2B, you're making a mess out of this mission. This wasn't how it was supposed to go... :)

(Fun fact, for those that don't remember: the phone call to the Operator did happen in the original game... it just happened a little later. Right after the deserters were dead and it no longer mattered.)