Chapter Text
The first thing Eve recalls is light. The next thing he remembers was seeing someone -- a boy who he would soon come to know as an android named 9S -- though most of his vision was obscured by his long hair. He didn’t recall why, but his first instinct was to yell. Yell and scream until wherever he was came crashing down.
“2B! We gotta get out of here!” 9S had said. 2B. So there was someone with him.
Eve turned around and picked up the other machine life form from which he came who he would soon call Brother.
The first few days (or day? The sun was always shining so maybe days were little more than a concept now) was a rush of information for Eve. His brother had gained an instant and natural curiosity, absorbing all the information he could into his database. Eve did the same. His brother gathered many books for them to read later, for more intelligence. His brother later decided that their place of living was to be the top of a large structure, that had a long table mysteriously on it.
The first time he tried to read a book, Eve’s hair kept getting in the way, even when he pushed it out of his eyes, the wind was insistent on putting it back. That’s when his brother, Adam, who gave himself and Eve their names, had found something sharp and gave Eve the haircut he desired. It was all very short now, and Eve loved it.
The book Adam had given both of them was a dictionary to learn definitions and meanings of words. It was entertaining to say the least, but there were more than a few times where Eve had to ask how some words were said. Turned out Eve was much slower at absorbing info than Adam, and ended up asking many questions in those first days, and didn’t manage to finish the dictionary. One thing Eve did manage to absorb was the concept of playing games. It was a fun concept, and some of his questions were asking Adam if they could play, though there were little games Eve knew about, like tag.
One day, Adam left abruptly, and told Eve to continue reading. Eve had tried to question him about where he was going, but he left without another word. Eve did as he was told and continued his reading. Adam soon came back, holding two pieces of white fabric in one hand, and a bag in the other. He ordered Eve to wear one of the white fabrics, called undergarments, demonstrating how to put it on. Once Eve followed his instructions, he gave him a round plant matter.
Eve couldn’t help asking a day later why they had to wear the undergarments and why they needed to eat the plant matter to Adam while he read a book. Adam told him that humans, beings who once ruled the planet, wore them in their everyday lives as revealing the genitals was seen as problematic, and that humans ate the plant matter called fruit to gain great intelligence. After being asked, Adam promised they would play for a bit, to which Eve promised that he would eat lots of fruit.
They both learned from the data of other machines that their creators, aliens, had died centuries before the current moment in time by their own creations.
It wasn’t long before they met with 2B and 9S again, who infiltrated the alien’s base and realized they had died. At this point, they discovered the concept of wearing pants above the undergarments, wearing gloves, and Eve had made an intricate design on his left arm. Eve fought 2B while Adam fought 9S and explained the fate of the aliens, how machines could become aware, about how intriguing the duality of a human was, and asked the two androids to locate the humans. When they refused, Adam threatened to destroy them.
Of course, ‘time grows short’, as Adam said.
“This here… this is the fate that befell our creators.” Adam said.
“As for your beloved humans...I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Eve said before they departed.
It was some time before they met the androids again. During the time gap between their next meetings, Adam had found a piece of clothing called a shirt to wear. Eve asked if he had to wear a shirt too, but Adam told him that some humans had a weird affection for shirtless men, so Eve could remain shirtless if he pleased.
Adam had started making the both of them read more books than before, and Eve had to ask why they had to read all of them, couldn’t they just transfer the data over instantly?
“Knowledge expands horizons and enriches existence.” Adam responded. “Into your head, perhaps. But not to your heart.” He said in response to Eve’s next question.
Eve accepted that answer. Then he asked why his name was Eve if the book he was reading told him that Eve was a woman's name. Adam had given him his copy of the Bible to read once, and thus knew about Cain and Abel, so he thought that would fit the both of them better, but Adam told him that humans wouldn’t change names so easily. ‘Besides, you should be proud of the name Eve.’
“Huh, well if that’s what you think, then I’m fine with it.” Eve replied. If Eve were to be honest, he loved Adam. He loved Adam with everything he had. Adam was everything to him. If he lost Adam, he would be left all alone. Eve couldn’t have that.
Eve ends up reading a book that has death in it, and it starts talking about a funeral, but gives no explanation as to what it is.
“Brother, what’s a funeral?” Eve asks.
“A funeral,” Adam replies, “was a sort of ceremony held by humans mourning and honoring another human who was deceased. The deceased was either buried in a coffin or burned, but the data suggests that being buried was more common than being burned.” Adam continues by explaining what exactly happens at a funeral.
“Oh.” Eve says. Then he asks, “Hey, Brother? If I were to die, then would you hold a funeral and mourn for me?”
Adam is quiet for a moment, the only sounds to hear are the turning of a page, the wind blowing through the leaves, birds chirping. Then Adam responds. “Yes, I suppose I would. You are my brother after all.”
Eve is overjoyed at that response, but doesn’t show. His joy comes in the form of a “Good.” As usual, after that, Eve asks if they can play after they finish their books for today. As usual, Adam agrees.
In their spare time, Eve helps Adam make a copied version of the city. It’s a little too bland for Eve’s tastes, after experiencing the colorful world outside for who knows how long, but if Adam wants it, then Adam gets it.
“Brother, can we paint your city someday? I think a little color might be nice.” Eve says.
“Not right now,” Adam responds, “but after we defeat those androids, maybe.”
Adam doesn’t see it, but Eve smiles a little.
It’s after the giant machine that rose from the ocean is defeated by androids that they find 9S weak and injured. Adam finds this as the perfect opportunity to lead 2B to his city, and Eve agrees. He helps Adam stick up 9S by using sharp rods to stab his arms and legs through, leaving 9S helpless and immobile. Adam covers 9S up using the white blocks, ‘a surprise for 2B’ he says.
Eve is excited to fight 2B when the time comes. Unlike last time, with their combined powers they might be able to defeat her and Eve can hopefully live with Adam for the rest of his life and Adam can get the answers about humans he’s been searching for.
Unfortunately, his hopes are dashed when Adam tells him not to involve himself when the fight comes. Eve tries to give his argument that the both of them with their power could overcome 2B easily, but Adam says he’s sure he can win the fight, as he’s just a little stronger than Eve. Eve agrees, but he can’t help feel that Adam is hiding something from him. Eve trusts in Adam though, believes Adam can defeat 2B by himself.
At their place of living, Eve decides to read all those books he’s put off because they were too difficult and eat lots of fruit to make Adam proud when he comes back, then Adam would play with him lots and lots!
Much later, Eve’s trying to get through a long paragraph that’s giving him trouble when something like an electric shock races through him, a feeling of dread. A voice comes into his mind.
Brother has disconnected from the network.
Eve is filled with anxiety, but tries to give himself excuses for why, the major one being that Adam just disconnected to fool the androids into thinking he was dead. An hour later Eve cannot shake the feeling of dread, abandoning the book and racing for the Copied City. He keeps repeating to himself Brother isn’t dead Brother isn’t dead Brother isn’t dead Brother isn’t dead Brother isn’t-
Eve doesn’t recall entering the Copied City, doesn’t recall running past all the androids they collected for the ruse, he does recall running to the space they put 9S in. When Eve sees red, he prays to whatever god he read about that it is 2B or another android lying there in a pool of their own blood.
Adam is lying there instead, face down.
"Brother!” Eve calls out, rushing to kneel by Adam’s side. He pushes Adam to his back, where his stomach reveals what looks like a stab wound. “Brother?” Adam does not respond. “Oh, I-I get it. You’re just playing around, right? Want that android to believe you’re dead, right? By pretending to bleed and disconnecting from the network, right?” Eve shakes Adam’s shoulder, hoping his red eyes would open and mildly scold Eve for disrupting the trick he’d placed for 2B.
Eve shakes Adam harder. “Come on, Brother, we gotta go home. The android might not be coming. If you can hear me, I read all those books that were difficult for me! There were some hard parts but I got through them!”
Eve becomes desperate. “Come on, wake up! I-I know you can hear me! Just wake up and come home with me! I ate lots of fruit too! Doesn’t that make you happy!? Brother!!”
Eve stops completely. He knows he can't fool himself. The same voice comes into his mind. Brother has died.
Eve feels numb. Gently, he picks Adam up like he’s a doll that’ll break with too rough a movement, like how he had done when they were first born. He walks past the androids scattered across the ground and finds himself outside, where the sun shines too brightly for Eve’s numbness. He continues to walk until he’s in the real city and finds a large patch of ground. He gingerly sets Adam down, and begins digging with his hands.
He doesn’t notice a few other machines come near and begin digging too. Adam told Eve that graves were usually six feet deep, but a shallow grave for Adam would have to do for now. He wishes he could find a coffin for Adam as well, but he doubts there are any nearby.
Ever since he found out about funerals, Eve always thought that it would be Adam burying him, not the other way around.
Once he thinks the grave is adequate enough, Eve gently drags Adam into it, crossing Adam’s hands over his chest like Adam had told him about. The machines around him begin covering Adam with dirt, as Eve can’t bear to do it himself. He can’t even look as they cover his brother’s face.
Eve almost thinks that he has nothing to mark Adam’s grave with when one of the machines pull off the torso of another machine, leaving it as a head and feet. Eve accepts the torso, and carefully carves out a cross shape with his sharp fingers. Once that’s done, he carves in Adam’s name in shaky writing. Placing the cross at the top of the grave, Eve internally apologizes that he cannot give his dear brother a proper funeral.
Slowly, as the robots kneel before the grave, Eve stands up and walks toward their place of living. It takes him a while to climb the ladder. When he finally arrives, he sits at the table they always sat at, when they read books and ate fruit.
It all comes rushing to Eve too fast.
Eve only felt tears once before, but those were tears of laughter when he giggled too hard at a book of jokes he found. Adam told him about the different kind of tears. What Eve knew what he was crying right now were tears of grief.
He read about grief before, but now that he was experiencing it, he found that grief hurt. It hurt so much he couldn’t stand it. He slammed his fists on the table, screaming and crying for his brother.
His brother was everything.
And everything must die.