Chapter Text
They spend their days [Exploring], since there is nothing else to do.
[Wandering] through the wide city streets, hunting for trinkets and [Relics] that remain hidden in the grass, with the sunlight glinting off of them being their only clue that they’re even there. Most of what they find is junk; pieces of metal or machine parts. Yet they keep everything they find, because who knows if it’s going to be useful in the future?
The streets and fields are so [Empty] now. They were supposed to be peaceful, but A2 only found the quiet that more disturbing. Perhaps it was from four years of [Constant battle] that taught her to never let her guard down, that there could always be an enemy just around the corner.
A shadow [Flickers] out of the corner of her eye, and she thinks it’s a machine’s arms spinning. She hears the snort of a moose nearby, and in her mind it is the [Clank] of a machine’s footsteps.
In an instant, her mind kicks into high gear.
She drops everything she’s holding and [Instinctively] reaches for her sword, and when she realizes she doesn’t have it, that she left it back at the apartment, she switches to her [Bare] fists, swiftly assuming a defensive stance. It usually takes a minute for her to realize she’s not in battle, that there is no enemy, but sometimes it takes longer. Sometimes, it doesn’t register at all.
The first time it happens, she activates B-mode without thinking and falls into a wild [Frenzy], charging everywhere and smashing into everything in sight as her panic, her fight instinct takes over. She flies around in a blur of red, [Screaming] wildly, her thought processors racing so fast she can hardly think, everything in front of her a [Blinding] white.
2B and 9S finally find her crumpled up against the side of a building, exhausted and gasping; so thoroughly drained that she can barely get on her knees, much less stand. Her vision [Glitches] as she slowly moved her head to look up at them, her visual processors struggling to register their presence. She can barely hear them call to her through the whining of her audio processors, and the pain is throttling her body so hard she can barely move.
The last thing she sees before her [Consciousness] fades is 2B’s hands reaching out to cradle her body.
“…2…”
“…[A2]…”
“…you…right…”
“…Can…hear…me?”
“A2? Can you hear me?”
A2 slowly opens her eyes, squinting at the sunlight on the ceiling above. Turning her head, she comes face to face with 2B standing over her, with 9S sitting in a chair nearby and both Pods hovering close. Both androids have equally concerned expressions on their faces.
“Where…what…?”
A2 squeezes her eyes shut, drawing in a sharp breath as a wave of pain overccomes her, followed almost instantly by dizziness.
“What happened?”
“According to Pod, you entered B-mode out of nowhere and went rushing around the area. When we found you, you were on the verge of [Deactivating], the damage was so bad.”
A2 exhales shakily at the worry in 9S' voice, fire roiling through her muscles.
“…I see.”
The attacker startles lightly as she feels 2B’s hand on her shoulder. Looking over to her, A2 sees the short-haired android smile.
“You’re home. You’re [Safe] now.”
A2 nods in acknowledgement and closes her eyes, her head spinning. She feels so disoriented, her thought processes all [Jumbled] together, like tangled wires. She just wants to sleep.
But as she begins to fade, her audio processors alert her to something drifting over from the other side of the room. After a few seconds of trying unsuccessfully to ignore it, her curiosity finally gets the better of her.
“What’s that?”
9S turns his head. “You mean the music? It’s from an old jukebox we found a while back.”
“[Music…]”
A2 strains to listen for a bit longer, despite all of her processors screaming at her to shut down.
“It sounds familiar. The voice, I mean.”
The others turn to her in surprise, 9S tilting his head inquisitively.
“The singing?”
A2 nods. “Yeah. I feel I’ve heard it before somewhere. I just can’t remember where.”
2B looks back towards the jukebox. “If you want, we can bring the box closer so you can hear it better.”
“That…that’d be nice.”
A2 hears 2B’s footsteps recede into the distance. A moment later, A2’s audio processors begin to pick up the music more clearly as it is moved closer to her bedside. As 2B sets the jukebox down on the nightstand, A2 gazes up at her.
“Thanks.”
2B smiles. “No problem.”
The group sit in silence, listening as the sounds of a choir floated around the room.
“This music…it sounds beautiful.” 2B’s voice comes out a bare murmur.
“Yeah.”
A2 hears 9S humming along quietly and cranes her neck to look at him. There is a [Faraway gaze] in his eyes.
“You’ve heard music like this before too?”
9S’ voice is low as he responds. “Mm-hm.”
A2 nodded. “I see.”
The three androids perk up as the choir transitions into a more rhythmic section, drums and horns rising to join them. They listen, enraptured.
“Wow,” 2B’s voice is low with awe. “This song is really powerful.”
“Seems most humans back then really liked this kind of music.” A2’s gaze falls towards the jukebox. “I can see why.”
“You don’t say,” 9S chuckles quietly. “This is some amazing stuff.”
2B smiles at 9S as A2 grunts in agreement, before laying her head back on the pillow. The music quiets down from its roaring symphony into a mellower state, a single [Melodic voice] rising up to close the piece, soaring over the shimmering harmonies below.
A2 smiles and closes her eyes as the singer’s voice envelops her like a lullaby, finally drifting off to sleep once more.