CHAPTER 5

The air in the Library felt inexplicably heavier, with the weight of the information they had accessed there. The two androids remained fixed in their poses, neither looking at the other as they took in their recent discovery.

Top secret Level-SS classified information. The Council of Humanity. The disposal of YoRHa.

The quiet seemed to close in on them, making the circling thoughts that much more loud. But neither android seemed able to breach the silence. What was there to say? There aren't words for something like this.

Finally 9S couldn't stand it.

"2B-"

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off as suddenly, they heard a faint sound from behind them. They turned on their heels to face… it. The fake 9S.

Both androids immediately jumped backwards and drew their swords.

"Ah, what a cold welcome," not-9S said. "Did you find anything… interesting? In this library? It's all true, I can assure you." The Thing wore a knowing smile on his (not his) face.

9S felt rage pooling up inside of him again, hot and fierce, "You! You planted this didn't you? You planted this here for us to find, that's why you let us go earlier!" He thinks he might be choking up a little, and he's grateful that his blindfold hides his eyes so no one else can see the tears threatening to form. It's easier to be angry than to keep feeling afraid, betrayed, and hurt.

Not-9S glaced towards 9S, with a hint of disdain in its eyes, "That would make sense, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, I can't take credit for the careful curation of this library. I just... appropriated it, from the original creators."

2B spoke out, voice clear and commanding, "What are you planning to do?"

"Do? That's a very good question. It depends, I guess. What are you planning to do?" The question was very much directed at 2B. The Thing didn't offer 9S so much as a passing glance.

(9S would very much like to know that answer to that himself, although it sickens him to think that he has any common thoughts with the Thing before him)

2B pursed her lips, but didn't respond. Instead she barked, "How did you get this information?"

As 2B tensed up further, the Fake (not-9S-doesn't-even-look-like-9S-monster) seemed only to relax more.

"Who knows. That was before my time. I figure the machines were keeping watch on the Moon Base communications for a long time, waiting to discover a weakness in the Moon Base server - a small moment of vulnerability is all they would need. And once they had a way in, they just copied all the information they could find."

The Fake looked around the Library critically, "It was shoddy work - some of these files are basically useless, but others," it grinned at this, "others are quite damning. Don't you think?" It offered a long, knowing look at both androids. For a second, 9S can't move under the pressure of its gaze and the choking certainly that it knows that they know oh god.

"But!" continued the Fake, breaking the tension of the moment, "Like I said, that's all speculation. The original creators of this Library are long gone, and good riddance. The less said about them, the better."

A thoughtful expression crossed its face (wrong wrong wrong) as it added, "Oh, but if you're asking how I came to be in possession of it... well, after the previous owners were gone, there was something of a power vacuum. And I decided to fill it," it stated matter-of-factly.

Maybe because 2B was feeling emboldened after the Thing answered her questions, or maybe it's just that she's 2B and is somehow actually unfazed by all this, but she kept her voice and expression level as she asked another question. "Who, exactly, are you? Where did you come from." Narrowing her eyes, she added, "Are you collaborating with those humanoid machines?"

And it struck 9S all of a sudden how obvious it was. Of course. The glowing red eyes, the appearing out of nowhere. He'd seen it all before, in that chamber where they fought the machine lifeforms. It's so obvious he feels embarrassed he didn't make the connection sooner.

It's one of the humanoid machines.

They already know that the machines can create a humanoid body out of essentially scrap, what's stopping them from making one in the form of a YoRHa unit? And one that they'd fought before?

It all clicked into place, and 9S felt something ease inside of him as he realized that this Thing, this Fake, was just that - a shoddily made facsimile, constructed by a bunch of unintelligent machines who only know how to imitate the behaviors of others.

Meanwhile, the Fake (machine-imitation) was still facing 2B, who was waiting for the answer to her question. "Who?" it asked, seeming genuinely confused for a moment, before it's expression cleared in recognition. "Oh, what, Adam and Eve? I'd like it if you didn't compare me to them," it crinkled its noise in disdain. "I guess they were pretty advanced, for machine tech, but still far behind the YoRHa models. Their strength lied in their connection to the network."

It paused for a moment, seeming to consider its own words. "I suppose by that reasoning, you're not too far off." it said with a cheeky grin.

9S took in every motion of the too-wrong face (he doesn't look like that, his expressions aren't so perverse, he's almost insulted that this is the best facsimile the machines could make, this is how they see him) as the Fake seemed to think something over.

"Sure," it said at last, "let's go with that. You asked who I am, right? There's plenty of YoRHa units Type S, and 9 is just a number. You can call me... Cain."

(Does the machine think it's really 9S? Then it's delusional as well. It's almost pitiful.)

Heedless of 9S's thoughts, the Fake - Cain, he supposed - repeats its chosen moniker a few times, seemingly getting a taste for it. "Yes," said Cain, "I like it. It's a name all my own, so that will be less confusing for the two of you, right? And, well, it does kind of fit."

"Cain," 2B called, "you didn't answer my question. Are you working with the humanoid machines? What are your intentions?" Her tone was relaxed and measured, coaxing even. The only sign of tension was her sword, which she's gripped firmly in a Battle-ready stance.

"Cain," it repeated, "I really like the way it sounds when you say it." For what might be the first time, a smile - a truly genuine smile - lit up its face. "I'm glad... that I came here. I'm glad I got to see you again. After all this time."

"And I'm sorry," it continued softly, "but I think it's best we end it here for now. I really do have a lot to do. Until next time."

Cain's figure seemed to blur slightly, and that's all the warning 9S had before he felt a sharp pain in his head, felt the world jerk underneath him, and finally, as his consciousness shut down, he mercifully felt nothing at all.

Ending E: Know Thy [E]nemy

# A/N: This marks the end of the first mini-arc, and most of what I had envisioned when I first started writing.

Meanwhile, I just found and fixed a couple typos in the process of readying my chapters for cross-posting, so this has already been a worthwhile endeavor! Expect another two chapter batch in the next week or two~