[Bunker]
"Augh why does Commander always leave her room like this?" grunted a young cleaner as she picked up a sock from the floor.
Another unit that appeared more woman-like was replacing the bed sheets, "Exactly she acts all proper and elegant around us but can't even bother to throw away a piece of trash into the bin. Like how is that so hard it's right next to the door for crying out loud."
The other girl chuckled as she mopped down the floor "Well aren't you flustered. What happened to all that talk about how you need to do your duty as a YoRHa unit and accomplish any task without complaint?"
After tucking in the sheets the older woman turned to her "Yes I did say that but there's only so much I could take before I start to get annoyed. Like that time you came to me the umpteenth crying about why some of your favorite animals have to kill each other for food."
"HEY I WAS STILL LEARNING! The concept of survival of the fittest was still new to me."
The woman masked her satisfaction as she turned over to the table. Crumbled paper and used tissues strewn about the smooth, white surface. For such the hardass professional image Commander has built for herself she sure is sloppy in terms of hygiene. As matter of fact does she ever perform maintenance on her body? The cleaner couldn't recall.
'Just clean. If she wants to keep these habits then let her. She's the boss after all.' One after another she scooped up the trash and discarded them into the bin, she was about to dump what appeared to be a thin box before she opened it up to see what was inside.
"Since when did Commander use make-up?" The cleaner said with a raised brow.
"She-she does?" Her partner asked who just placed a fallen book back on the shelf.
They stared at each other in silence. YoRHa's leader never really showed an interest in cosmetics only ever having that mirror of hers and using wipes to remove any remedies from her face. Though it was quite understandable she was already one of the most attractive people in the Bunker, the use of cosmetics must've been seen as unnecessary for someone like her. However her position and overwhelming aura of authority she gives off completely overshadows those traits. She herself was never seen to be bothered by it either so one has to wonder why all of a sudden a box of make-up suddenly appeared in her private quarters.
"It must be for the meeting she's attending right now. Yeah that's seems right." The older cleaner reasoned.
"Yeah I guess but with all the other meetings before we never found this did we?" The younger unit gasped. "You don't think she's finally starting to drop old habits?"
"Maybe but if that doesn't involve picking up after herself then that just means more stuff for us to clean up."
The younger cleaner frowned and was about to say something before the door to the room open. The cleaners immediately recognized the person and hurriedly stood at attention.
"Ah 57C, 44C are you two done?"
"Just about Commander, we didn't expect your meeting to end so soon. Forgive us for not speeding up the process."
Commander walked around the room, her face lacking any emotion. The pair held their breath remembering the fate of that one cleaner who neglected to do her duty. It's safe to say that she wasn't the same since. The blonde stopped in front of them, her superior height overshadowing the pair.
"You two did a fine job, my room hasn't looked this clean for some time. Your free to leave."
The tension that were within the pair washed away, thanking their boss they started walking to the door. However, 57C felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around.
"I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you." The cleaner immediately realized what she's talking about. 57C faced her and offered it back she apologized profusely before making her way out. Once the door closed she collapsed to her knees. Her partner looked at her worryingly but she assured her that she was fine.
"It's okay. It's just...she can be really scary at times." The cleaner said, anxiety still lingering within her.
"You said it. C'mon I think 6O said she wanted to talk about something very important." The cleaners packed everything up and left the area.
On the other side of the door White looked at the kit before placing it onto her desk. She made her way to the bed and fell right on top. Her green eyes stared at the ceiling blankly as she recalled the meeting she just attended a few minutes ago.
"That...went better than I expected."
[Earlier]
White was in her office, sitting behind her desk waiting for the meeting to begin. A meeting that will inevitably decide on the future of everything. She tapped her fingers nervously against the desk, something she rarely does nowadays. Her body also felt a little warmer than usual perhaps it's because she rarely ever does maintenance on herself and something might've short-circuited. No, if that were the case then she would've been notified with an error message. What she was feeling could only be described as her abdomen tightening in on itself. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down she reached for a drawer and pulled out a stress ball.
'How do humans come up with ideas such as this?' She pondered looking at the squishy white marble in her hand. She found out about this while looking through their archives. Due to the current predicament that has just about every single one of her soldiers working nonstop in and out of the Bunker provoked her to review the files they have on humans. Not that she wasn't planning to do it anyway but at that point in time it felt most ideal.
It's been a while since she last scoured these documents, she read them numerous times throughout her life in the Bunker. It always gave her a feeling to what humans describe as "nauseous" knowing the very thing they're supposed to be fighting for isn't even here anymore. These ancient pages of texts now serving as the only reminder of the human race.
Well until now that is. With the discovery of not one but two human beings currently on Earth gave the blonde a whole new perspective on these documents. In a way she felt betrayed by the universe and mentally scorned it for doing her this way. Of all the times why now? Why not during the first machine war? She let go of the thought. It's better to focus on the now instead of then. Speaking of which...
She has yet to get an alert of the humans while that makes half of her severely worried for their safety the other was relieved to still have time to mentally and physically prepare everything for when the time comes. She just has to take the initiative and turn the meeting in her favor which will be the first step in many to bring mankind back from the dead. Technology has come a long way so the idea of reviving their masters wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
She grinned momentarily before a thought crossed her mind.
'How are they gonna take this? Right now all they now is that I'm calling for an mandatory meeting.' She squeezed the ball.
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
'Here we go.' Quickly composing herself together White answered the call. YoRHa's leader was greeted with the faces of two women. One had a dark complexion with purple hair flowing over one of her dark eyes. The other shared the same skin tone as White but had chocolate dark hair with yellow eyes. They both wore the same attire that shared a resemblance to White's albeit it being different colors along with unique designs that differentiated themselves from the blonde.
"Hello White it's been a while." The purple-haired woman gave a warm smile.
White grinned "Violet it's good to see you. How are things going over at Russia?"
"Well the machines have started to go on the offensive but with our artillery as well with the help of some of your soldiers we won't have any trouble for the time being."
White nodded "That's good to hear. Oh and Black how goes the-"
"You, Violet, and I all know that you didn't call for this meeting just so we can talk casually. So cut the act and let's get down to business." Her words pierced the air like a knife.
White dropped her smile and sighed. "As all of us know this war with the machines have lasted for many, many years. Time and time again the machines have proved themselves that they are a force to be reckoned with. They hold a great portion of the Earth despite our best efforts to keep them at bay. Each and everyday Androids lose their lives or fall victim to the logic virus."
"Yes ever since the it's discovery it's been difficult for us to find an absolute way to counteract that sort of attack." Violet chimed.
"I think the same Violet. However what I wanted to discuss about today is the future of Androids.
"I thought we already discussed about this last time. Don't tell me you've forgotten." Black said.
The blonde looked at the brunette before swiping through her HUD.
"I remember it very well. We discussed many things. Our weapons, staff, enemy bases, etc...but there was one thing that we overlooked."
"Oh and what would that be?" Black asked.
"The deserters, the ones who got away."
The purple-haired woman leaned forward "White the amount of deserters isn't that big. Ever since Project YoRHa was launched morale was boosted significantly. I've even got word of some Resistance members outright refusing to leave their posts."
The blonde looked at her with a neutral look "It is small yes. But like a snowball rolling down the hill, all it takes is a little push for it to become a bigger problem."
"Then we'll neutralize them. There isn't that many anyway." Black suggested.
White stopped swiping, her green eyes gazing over a certain video file "While the idea sounds most fitting I have a better solution that may ultimately put an end to not only future desertions but to everything we have struggled to deal with for so long."
Violet and Black looked puzzled unable to fully understand what she meant.
"What do you mean?" Black questioned.
"Yes your being cryptic White. It's very unlike you." The purple-haired woman spoke. They were meant with silence until a message occurred on their screens.
"Please review the following video as well as the chart in it's entirety. I'm warning you this may not seem real but rest assured that everything has been examined and analyzed multiple times." White said sternly as the other two heeded her words.
"..."
"..."
"..."
White remained silent as she watched the two women went through a series of disbelief, bafflement, and realization.
"There's...no...I..." Violet trailed off. Her eyes widened as she desperately tried to say something but simply couldn't manage.
"..." Black stayed silent for what seems like an eternity, her face entranced on the video.
After a long period of time they turned to look at YoRHa's leader.
"White are you absolutely sure that there isn't a bug in your systems?" Black questioned.
"Yes Black. As I said before I did everything to make sure that this isn't some sort of error."
"This...this doesn't make any sense." Violet stumbled as she wiped what looked to be a tear from her face. White looked on with sympathy as she gathered the rest of her words.
"Wait a minute...where is he?" Black demanded.
The blonde closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Currently my soldiers are searching for him. I ordered every available YoRHa unit to find him 24 hours ago and I have yet to receive any sort of notification on his whereabouts."
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"I...I gave it some thought and decided it would be in our best interest to notify the Resistance settlements nearby."
The women stayed silent, contemplating on her actions.
The purple-haired woman spoke "I see I have to admit that I would have done the same."
The blonde let out a small smile "Thank you for understanding Violet." Black however had her attention away from them.
"I'm looking back at the video and I have to ask...what has become of the healer unit? How is the human capable of performing on par with an Android? And are there others?"
"..." White squeezed her stress ball. "Rest assured that she was properly taken care of after interrogation. The reason the human is able to overpower her may be due to his magical abilities as you can see in the video. As for your last question, yes there is another human detected on Earth and fortunately his last known sighting was near a Resistance camp."
"There's another?"
"Magic...he's capable of using magic?"
White nodded, the seconds that followed were filled with silence.
"I'll have to look into that a bit more, so White may I ask what our next course of actions with this newfound information?" Black inquired, eager to know the blonde's answer.
The Commander stayed quiet for a bit, the stress ball in her hands utterly crushed in her grasp before she released her grip. She stood up from here seat and looked attentively at the pair, "Despite YoRHa's relatively short lifespan I have always agreed to whatever offers the both of you gave to me in these past few years. I give you my best, sending my soldiers to fight along side yours for the sake of the Earth. That is why I ask from the both of you for the sake of not only YoRHa but for every Android on the planet to help bring our masters back from the dead."
Violet put a hand over head as she laughed at those words.
"As much as I eagerly want to I have to ask how are we going to do that? You mentioned the both of them as being male and humans can only reproduce when they are from opposite genders."
"I've stumbled upon the same situation Violet however did you forget the moon's database?" White said with intrigue. A gasped was heard from the brunette.
"White going through the moon server is strictly off limits we can't just sim-"
"I know Black but with the current situation at hand this maybe our one and only chance. Our technology has improved exponentially over the years, maybe we can construct some sort of artificial reproduction contraption that can make this idea into a reality."
Black looked troubled she opened her mouth but no words came out.
"White we need some time to think about this. What you just laid down upon us is something we never expected to occur. Give us both some time until we reach our final verdict, as for now just make sure the safety of the humans remain top priority." The purple-haired woman voiced her thoughts. The blonde became internally conflicted, she knew something like this would happen and quite frankly she's surprised they took it all in better than she would've expected. Though right now she's not happy about Violet's words she can understand why.
"Please take your time. With nothing left to say I call this meeting adjourn. Glory To Mankind." She saluted.
Both women despite not being part of YoRHa copied her. "Glory To Mankind."
With that they both hung up as White collapsed on her chair, grabbing the stress ball and crushed it with all her might.
[Present]
After recalling the recent events White giggled, she knew that eventually Black and Violet were going to side with her. Their Androids and the need to protect and ensure the survival of their creators was something they were all built with although some felt it stronger than others they all shared something in common. Disregarding the fact that they actually need to ensure victory over the war and the careful planning that will follow suit, the thing troubling her is the humans' naivety of the situation they're in. The fact that one of them attacked her healer unit gave her the theory that they must've been in some type of cryogenic chamber this entire time. Why did she believe this well because of his magical artillery, which is an element people used back in the old world.
Magic from what she was able to gather granted the user abilities far beyond anything a normal person could ever hope to achieve, from teleporting to making things appear out of seemingly nowhere. This must explain his unnatural speed and strength. But for the other human that's where she was stumped. He's in possession of an old world arsenal but also uses weapons that she would never even think are capable of performing.
'They must have some sort of relation. Everything about them just doesn't line up.'
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
Leaping out of her thoughts she sat up and looked over at her HUD. It was a notification from one her operators.
"Commander!" A voice containing an unusually motherly tone exclaimed as soon as she answered.
"Operator 21O, may I ask what is bothering you." She said in her commanding voice.
"Apologies for my actions Commander but I'm letting you know that my ground unit 9S as well as unit 2B have found one of the humans." 21O informed her, the leader felt everything within her jolt with happiness although she didn't express it outwardly.
"Very good work 21O make sure to let those two know that I am very well gr-"
"That's-that's not all Commander." The operator interrupted her, she seemed hesitant.
White raised a brow "I beg your pardon?"
21O broke off from her gaze and looked offscreen. If it wasn't for her veil White would undoubtedly see the look of fear written on her face. "You'll have to see for yourself." She ultimately answered. The leader was about to give her a demand until a notification was seen on her screen and she viewed the contents.
The amount of happiness she felt before was replaced with absolute horror.
[Resistance Camp]
"There, all done." The Android looked at her arm and gave it a good swing. It didn't burn anymore. She looked towards the person who healed her before taking off without a single word.
Popola could only sigh at the lack of gratitude she received. Seeing no other patients in the medical bay she grabbed a kit before making her way to the back of the main sector of camp. The redhead maneuvered through the busy alleyway, though on her way she felt multiple gazes burning through her person. She ignored them as she continued forward. However what she couldn't ignore were her ears picking up on various whispers among the crowd.
"Why did Anemone let them stay here?"
"They'll never be forgiven."
"If boss didn't sympathize with them so much I've would've let them have a piece of my mind."
"They failed everyone."
"Everything's their fault."
"I hope the humans will never have to meet those two failures."
Popola forced her eyes from watering. Making it to the residential area she was greeted with a broken-down decayed fountain at the heart of the plaza. A structure that for some unknown reason gave her a strange feeling every time she looked at it. She doesn't recall any fountain in her memories so there wasn't much she can do.
"Hey move it. Your blocking my way."
The redhead was too deep in her thoughts to notice that she was standing in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Oh I'm sorry. My mistake." Stepping out of the way she noticed how the amount of people here remained high so she quickly darted to her building. Grabbing her keys she opened the door and entered.
It wasn't much two couches with a table and some chairs filled the majority of the room. Bookshelves filled the wall while a hallway in the back led into the bedroom. Boxes with various stuff were stacked on top of each other from the corner of the room.
"Sister I'm back. And I got something to hopeful-DEVOLA!" As soon as she closed the door her eyes caught the sight of her sister that shared the same appearance with her. Albeit her hair was wavy with a flower on the opposite side of her head as well as a matching wristband. However what made the woman frightened in the first place was that Devola was on the floor, struggling to get up.
"Hey Sis. Didn't expect you to come back so soon heh." She chuckled. Popola rushed to her side and picked her off the ground.
"I told you to stay in bed. The gel takes longer to dry with our models."
"Sorry Popola I just thought-"
"No nothing you just need some rest." Popola shushed as she carried her sister to their room.
Devola laughed "I need rest hah. We're Androids we don't need to sleep." Popola ignored her as she placed her sister on her bed. The straight-haired twin shifted over to her leg and rolled up the sleeve covering her shin. The sealant covering her wound cracked and parts of her skin were reopened.
Popola looked over angrily at Devola. "You couldn't wait a little longer?" The devious twin put on a look of innocence that just made her sigh. "Just wait here. I'll go get it."
The redhead proceeded to the main room for the kit she dropped.
...Hahaha look she's crying...
...Pffh as if she can cry like that knowing the sin they've committed...
Popola stopped herself from diving too deep into her memories and went back to aid her sister. Using a clean cloth she wiped away the remaining gel that didn't dried up. She heard her sister wince before applying a new dab of staunching gel.
"There now this time wait until it fully dries up."
"Yeah yeah." Popola just rolled her eyes as she covered the injury. After ensuring that the cloth will hold she walked over to sit down on her bed.
"So how was work?"
"The usual. People getting themselves hurt from either expeditions or machine encounters."
"Did anyone treat you badly?" Popola perked up at her words.
"Oh no. They didn't for today but they're still cold y'know."
The injured twin sat up "As long as no one is jumping to attack you then that's all that matters. Anemone sure is nice to let us in." Devola remarked.
"Yes I really wasn't expecting her to welcome us so easily. The last town had us hauling all this stuff across the region filled with machines and even after that we still had to do more work just for them to accept us." Popola said with a somber look.
She remembered both of them talking to the leader for the first time. When Anemone saw her carrying her sister with an arm over her shoulder Popola expected the scorn to come. It's how it usually goes once they meet the person in charge they will either keep a neutral face or a downright furious expression. So far Anemone looked at them with a neutral one. After explaining the situation they were in the Resistance leader didn't say anything as she turned her back towards them. Either she's plotting a labor-inducing chores for them to undergo or just delaying the inevitable no and let them perish under the harsh conditions the world has to offer. The last town chose the former so Popola had every right to be afraid, not just for herself but for her injured sister. The last town someone attacked her out of rage and eventually they were driven out entirely, that's how they ended up here.
But Popola wasn't sure if she was ready to do it all over again, not when her twin is like this. She looked back at Devola who was still in pain from her injury but despite it all she managed to give her a smile.
A smile that she can never get upset over. A smile that reminded her no matter how hard the world can be they will always have each other. Why? Because their sisters, they were twins, they were family and family will always stick together.
That's all it took for Popola to make her decision. It didn't matter to her the impossible and life-threatening tasks Anemone might have for them. At that moment she didn't care, if it was for the sake of her sister than she would comply without any hesitation.
But much to Popola's shock Anemone welcomed them with open hands. Offering them their own place and even giving them the materials they needed to fix the injured twin. It was rare for them to see this type of gratitude from anybody they've come across. It felt foreign but they welcomed it. This all happened recently but the number one rule in Anemone's territory is that no one gets anything for free. So Popola had to take some jobs around camp, but she wasn't upset by it. Rather she was happy to do it, happy to find a place they can call home for now.
Happy to know that not everyone is against them.
"Cheer up P. We have our own place and on top of that the work she's been having you do isn't life threatening." Devola cheered.
Popola looked up and saw her sister's smile.
"Well I guess your right. But it's only a matter of time before everything repeats itself."
"Awww c'mon Sis, enjoy it while it lasts. Besides look what I got." Reaching underneath the bed the devious redhead pulled out a bottle of liquor.
Popola's eyes widened "How did you even get that when your le-"
"Don't worry I didn't steal it but I may be busy for a while when I'm up and running again." Her sister said with assurance.
The straight-haired twin could only huff in response. 'Of course she would do something like this.' Being quick she snatched the bottle out of her twin's hand before she had any time to react.
"POPOLA!"
"Sorry Sis but in your condition having a hangover is the last thing I want for us." The straight-haired twin exclaimed. Before the injured twin could berate her a knock was heard at the front door. Popola glanced at Devola who in turn stuck her tongue out before proceeding to make her way to the front door. Placing the bottle somewhere out of sight the redhead turned the knob and pulled.
"Oh Anemone is there some-" The leader made her way inside and signaled her to close it. Popola was hesitant at first but complied.
"I'm sorry for intruding on your privacy Popola. But I need to talk to you about something majorly important and I didn't want anyone to overhear us." She explained.
The twin nodded her head "I understand."
Anemone let out a sigh of relief "How's your sister?"
"She still needs a bit more time to recover. Why? Do you need us to move somewhere else?"
Anemone shook her head "Oh no. You're both fine. It's just..." she trailed off, her face looked utterly conflicted. As to why, Popola wasn't so sure.
"What do you know about humans?" She said with a serious form of eagerness.
The redhead was caught off guard at her question "I...can you be more specific?" She felt uneasy. Humans were a rather sensitive topic for her and Devola alike and talking about them made her feel a very negative emotion within herself. But if Anemone wants to know then who is she to deny the person that gave everything to them.
The leader opened her mouth but didn't speak, appearing to find the right words to use. "How...how deep is your understanding of the human anatomy?"
Popola stared at her briefly before answering "We have a good level of understanding but compared to everyone else I say it's above average. May I ask why?"
Anemone felt the huge weight on her shoulders ease up but that didn't stop the crippling fear inside her. "Listen I need the both of you to be here. Can you go get Devola?"
Okay now this must be something very urgent. What does she need if she requires both of their attention if one of them is wounded?
Popola agreed and left the room, murmuring could be heard and she soon came out with her sister in her arms.
"Devola." The leader greeted her with sincerity. Popola set her down on the couch and sat right next to her.
"Anemone." She nodded respectively.
"Now that introductions are out of the way..." Anemone took a deep breath. The twins watched with curiosity in their eyes.
"Promise to keep this a secret between us. Only me and a few others are in the know."
The twins looked at each other, both showed uncertainty but as if they can telepathically communicate they turned back to her.
"We promise."
Anemone unclenched her fists that she didn't know were formed in the first place. "We've recently came into contact with a human. He...didn't reveal a whole lot about himself at the time so his existence as one wasn't with me during our encounter. It was only until recently that I now know but something's come up." She paused to let them take this all in.
"H-human? Y-your say-ying there's one...here." Popola said quiveringly. How...how was she supposed to feel about this? A human HERE on Earth. But why? The chances of humans coming down from the moon didn't seem reasonable given the current war. Are they planning something? What could it be? Many more questions swam through her mind, it distracted her from the shifting on the couch.
"What's happened to him?" Devola spoke. While her sister was going through an inner turmoil she however was full of concern. Anemone mentioned that something has happened to him and apparently the Resistance leader didn't KNOW that he was human because he kept it a SECRET? Where's the sense in that? Her eyes were narrowed and if it wasn't for her leg she would be standing up right now.
Anemone saw their reactions and knew she had to be reasonable "I wasn't informed of all the details but two YoRHa units have gone to look for him because I-I sent him to scavenge for some materials we need. It was only until when those two found him that I was informed of something." She stuttered briefly.
Popola shook out of her thoughts and Devola dropped her gaze as they both waited in suspense.
"Right now the YoRHa units are currently on their way with the human in tow. He's been wounded and since you two have a better knowledge of humans than anybody else I figured you two will be willing to help." She had on a pleading look, something the twins never see from other people besides themselves.
The room went silent, the sisters seemingly frozen at her proposal.
"OF COURSE WE WILL!" They shouted in unison, the leader was a bit startled by their reaction. But a smile grew on her face, which the twins took as a thank you.
Devola and Popola immediately turned to each other and started to murmur multiple things that Anemone couldn't make out. Just then she heard a ring on her device.
"Anemone this is 2B we're almost at the Resistance Camp."
The Resistance leader took note the lack of her visor "Alright. The guards are waiting for you at the front. They will show you a passageway out of the eye of the public."
"Augh I think some of his blood got into my eye." A voice whined.
"Bear with it 9S! Machines are nearby so we have to hurry!" 2B shouted with a distressed look.
"I'll see you two there." Anemone said ignoring the YoRHa unit's yelling. 2B shifted her blue eyes back at her.
"Right. 2B signing out."
Anemone felt a nudge at her shoulder causing her to shift back to the twins.
"Anemone...when providing medical support to humans we need equipment that aren't common with Androids." Popola appeared gloomy while her sister gripped her head in frustration. However the leader chuckled.
"I had some of my people go through the storage units and we found some old stuff that should be of use for humans. Well let's get going." Her response seemed to raise their spirits as Popola picked her sister off from the couch.
Before they left the leader looked at the devious twin "I know I called you in here but are you sure you want to work in your condition?"
Devola laughed "If it's anything for the human I'm up for it. Plus I'll be up and kicking in no time." Anemone felt at ease as she opened the door.
With that said the trio left their home but due to the reputation they both hold Anemone guided the pair into the shadows. Usually she, her guards and a certain scientist knows of this secret route but she trusted the twins to keep it a secret. After moving a fake wall all three entered a disclosed path of alleyways. Once they were a good distance in Popola spoke up.
"So how injured is he?"
The leader sighed as they kept on moving "Pretty badly. The YoRHa units didn't want to specify when I asked them about it."
"That's bad." Devola whispered to her.
"C'mon your already judging way too quickly." Popola reasoned.
"They've never seen a human before how are they suppose to know if he's close to kicking the bucket or not?"
"Shhh don't say that. Let's just wait until we see for ourselves." Inwardly the straight-haired twin felt her stomach twist of the idea of one of their masters dying due to the naivety of others. But for all they know he could've just got a minor cut so the nervousness she felt lessened.
They continued to walk until they reached a set of buildings that were unfamiliar to sisters. Once they entered not a single Android was in the hallway. They ascended to the stairs, their shoes broke the silence.
"Anemone?" Asked the devious twin.
"Yes?" The leader kept her professional tone.
"What's his name?" Popola looked at her questionably, her sister saw this and smirked.
"He...calls himself Dante." Anemone replied.
"Dante." The twins said to themselves. Had a nice feel to it. He was a human after all he wasn't named after an object or plant so the name had a lot of charm to it.
'I like it.' they both thought with a small smile as they reached the third floor.
"Alright here's the room." Anemone approached a door. Inside was a whole set of medical equipment and machines surrounding a bed with some chairs near a window.
The sisters were baffled at the amount of machinery inside. Though despite their presence they didn't look to be in good condition but the leader assured them that her engineers fixed them up for her so they wouldn't have any issues later on.
There was a wheelchair right next to the bed which Devola was placed onto. For the next few minutes they checked everything out in order to figure out how it worked and what it does. After gaining some familiarity with what they got the leader spoke up.
"So do you think this'll be enough?" Anemone questioned.
"Well right now we don't know how critical his condition is but I think it's more than enough right Devola?" Popola asked.
The devious twin nodded but looked confused "Say where is he?"
"They should be here an-" Anemone was interrupted when the doors bursted open. 2B and 9S entered, their visors gone and their black uniforms stained in red. It's when they saw the unconscious man in their arms was when the reality of the situation truly settled in.
Words couldn't even describe what they felt when they saw him. Multiple slits covered his body revealing muscle, his white hair was messy and stained in mud. His glove-covered hands looked like they went through a shredder as bits of bone were visible. His clothes had multiple tears revealing other parts of skin that were oozing out red. His chest and waist showed signs of major blood leakage but was wrapped in black cloths in which they could only guess were the missing visors. The smell was noticeable too, human blood contains iron and when exposed to the nose a distinct metallic scent could be picked up.
All in all this was the absolute worst case scenario. A human has been severely wounded to the point that he appeared to be only a sliver away from death. What on Earth happened to him? Machines don't brutalize Androids to this extent? Perhaps the local wildlife but they don't leave prey in that state.
Popola wiped away some tears, unable to speak any words. Devola looked on with widened eyes as the leader took the initiative.
"Get him on the bed!" Anemone ordered. The YoRHa units didn't hesitate whatsoever as they walked over and with care placed the unconscious man down.
"How did he end up like this?" Devola asked morbidly, her hand covering her mouth as she could seem to look away.
"We...can't really say." 9S said with some sincerity.
"What do you mean?" The Resistance leader asked, she couldn't avert her gaze from the person she've met just a few hours ago.
"It was deemed classified by Command." 2B said, she tried to keep her professional tone but just couldn't.
"You can't be serious." Anemone spoke out clearly upset.
"We're just following orders."
"Following orders? Following orders? Look at him and tell me this is something I should turn my back on." The leader scolded them.
"We understand your concern ma'am but under the words of-"
*Cough*
*Cough*
Devola garnered the attention of the trio, stopping the argument that was going to escalate.
"Right now the human is in critical condition. We need the upmost focus and would appreciate it if we're left alone." She said with an empathetic tone.
The leader looked at her briefly with confusion but ultimately came to an understanding. She turned back to 2B and 9S.
"It's for the best. C'mon we should leave them be." She made her way to the door the battler gazed at the unconscious man before grabbing her partner's wrist and followed her out. The scanner's whines were ignored as the door closed leaving the twins turning all of their attention to the human.
Putting two fingers near the throat Popola felt a pulse, relief washed over her. She began removing his clothes revealing more cuts that weren't visible before.
'So this is Dante?' They both thought. Devola removed the black cloths expecting to see a gaping red cut across his skin but when she removed it the cut wasn't that big.
'That's weird. All this dried up blood is telling me that his cut was gonna be huge.' She speculated briefly before she continued to undress him.
"Popola can you help me with his pants?"
"Huh? Oh yeah I got it."
"I'll clean his body."
"Can you get me that syringe over there?"
"Attach this into his wrist. May not be the real thing but it's better than nothing."
"Gotcha. Wrap his leg up."
"Check his head to see if there was any damage to the brain."
"His breathing rate seems to be steady so we don't have to put this thing in."
"Woah is this his..."
"Huh what was that? Devola? De-DEVOLA LET GO OF THAT!"
"Get me more wipes."
"What about this part?"
"Just disinfect it."
"His blood pressure is...surprisingly stable."
"Did you see anything on his back?"
"Yeah can you hold him for me?"
They were so focused on aiding for his well-being they didn't notice the slightest twitch of his fingers.
[?]
"Augh." A hand met his forehead. Something cold and delicate was all over his skin. Opening his eyes up he was met with small snowflakes gently raining down from the cloudy sky. He didn't mind the cold, after all he faced temperatures far worse than this.
"Snow? It's not Christmas yet is it?" He got up and saw that he was in an abandoned city covered in snow.
He didn't say anything as he made his way across, boots leaving footprints in the snow.
"Is anybody out there?" He yelled. No answer.
"Kssch. Just my luck." He grunted. Something appeared out of the corner of his eye and he turned towards it. There was a dull yellow glow within the shadows. It slipped through the buildings but he wasn't gonna let it get away. Following it he jumped through a window, sprinted across the ground floor, and into another building. He chased it for a bit until it lead him back onto the snow-filled streets.
Despite his efforts he couldn't seem to catch up with it as it seemingly disappeared when it turned the corner. He scoffed, "C'mon your gonna leave me hanging?" No answer once again.
He crossed his arms and began debating on his next course of action. However his ears picked up on something in the distance. Sounds of someone yelling and an ominous red glow reigned over a couple of buildings.
Sprinting across the snow he leaped up onto a nearby light pole and began swinging until he looped the entire way over. Once his body cycled at the highest degree he released his grip and let the momentum carry him to the highest level. Gripping the edge he pulled himself up top and was now on the roof. He jumped over to another and finally met the source of the sounds.
There in the parking lot of an old store was a kid in a dark coat and he was fighting this...this...
"What the hell is that?" He made out what looked like a giant humanoid thing, it's entire body consisted of these strange black markings. Like a shell of some sort that as you were able to see through the other side. It glowed a yellow hue. The same yellow hue that he was following prior.
"Shit the kid's gonna get himself killed. I better get down there and-"
A floating book was beside the boy. It opened it's pages and out came a giant crimson fist that slammed itself over the black being. It collapsed as it spewed blood from what he can only assume it's mouth to be.
"Huh. Neat book." The man remarked, surprised to see the outcome of the fight. But then he felt this strange sensation from the book. His eyes widened 'Magic?' his senses told him. As a matter of fact he felt traces of it coming from the strange black thing that just got killed. Was it demonic magic? He wasn't sure, it felt different than what he was used to whenever he was out on the job. So what was it?
Right after the being was dealt with the kid muttered something before heading into the store. In desperate needs of answers he jumped down the building and followed him inside.
"Hey kid." He called out, his response was a series of sobs.
Making his way to the back of the store he turned an aisle and saw the boy hunched over holding a little girl in his arms. Right next to him was a cookie and another book shared a resemblance to the other one.
"Hey." He said again. He went unheard once more, it was as if his entire presence wasn't there. He reached out to him before the boy raised his head up to the roof and screamed.
"YONAHHHHH!"
He shielded his eyes as a bright light flashed over everything with the cries of the boy fading into silence.
After a few moments he felt major pain from his cranium.
'Man what's up with this headache?'
Opening his eyes up he saw that he wasn't in the store anymore. There wasn't any snow to be found and the boy wasn't here. In fact he wasn't even standing, he was in a bed surrounded by old hospital equipment with parts of his body covered in what looked like bandages. His body felt colder than usual and when he lifted the sheets he found his entire being completely ridden of clothes.
'How did I get here?' he thought before he was hit with a wave of memories.
The portals, Androids, his little duel with his brother. He remembered it all.
'Vergil! That means...' He tried to find his mother's keepsake, even going through his pocket dimension where he keeps his devil arms. No amulet, Beowulf, and those annoying scimitars were missing.
"Shit. That asshole must've took them as well." He frowned, he can't let this world go to shit if his brother has the Sparda. 'First find your clothes, get Rebellion, and go find Vergil and kick his ass.'
Slamming his fists in determination he yanked the blanket off and got out of bed. Just as his feet touched the ground the door opened and two redheads in matching clothes came in.
"This is a really nice shade of red."
"Yeah I really like his fashion sense though it irks me to see him without a shirt. So maybe this will look nice on him."
"Irks you? Yeah right, I saw how you were staring at his body. You were checking him out weren't you?"
"W-w-what n-no. It's just that I-I-I think he looked...a...little...cold..."
The one with straight hair slowly trailed off as her green eyes met his blue ones. She stopped dead in her tracks as her body became frozen. The other looked confused before following her gaze. She too became shocked as they both shared a look of bafflement and surprise.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Heh, at least you two know style when you see it."