Chapter Text
Rain. A quiet downpour settled amidst the ground. The air was humid and chilled.
The landscape was seemingly calm. The gray color of the rocks meshing with that of the dim, dark skies.
The facilities in the terrain lay abandoned, no chatter or work to be seen. The reason of that should be made obvious.
Bodies. That of androids and machines alike, lay littered along the shore and the mountain area. Water pooling and sliding along the metal and flesh of the deceased. The androids all had a variety of expressions. That of fear, regret, confusion, and for some, calmness and acceptance. Though for the machine lifeforms, it may have been harder to determine how they may have felt, but with how the bodies were positioned, it may seem that they shared similar last feelings as well.
A dim light flickered in one of the abandoned buildings. An oil lamp being lit.
A2 felt a chill run down her spine as she quickly wrapped the blanket ever tightly around her frame and huddled even closer to the source of light and heat that she had provided herself.
"Just for five minutes," she whispered to herself. She dared not to fall into unconsciousness, even with all the machines in the area currently inoperable due to the server shutdown. She remained wide awake. Allowing herself only a moment's rest for her body to recuperate a bit after the previous day's activities. By her side lay her sword, a flask of water, a few books, and 2 sets of YoRHa-issued visors.
A2's eyes drifted between the flickering light of the lamp and that of the visors on the floor. Eyes growing heavy, she picked up one of the books she had brought with her from the server facility.
A bunch of rabble of complicated words, processes of how the server ran, how power ran through the facility, and other sorts of personal notes from the one who had scribed the notebook. The book was thick and had leather covering. The pages were worn and some of the handwriting was illegible in and of itself, but A2 focused on the words and what they could mean, doing her damnedest to avoid thinking on her own. Avoiding to dwell in her own thoughts and emotions.
She went through a quarter of the book before her mental clock told her that five minutes had passed. A2 quickly gathered her belongings and put most of it into a small satchel bag. She draped the blanket over herself and formed a makeshift poncho and then clutched her sword before making way out onto the wet landscape.
As the android made her way through the corpse infested island. She took note of how the machines that were not operational had no damage on their bodies, they were simply disabled due to the server being offline. All thanks to a certain someone.
The bodies that had belonged to the androids, however, were fresh. Their bodies still showing that life had coursed through them not too long ago. Cuts and bruises shown through the ripped black leather. The wounds were precise; accurate. Hardly any wasted movement in taking the lives of the assailants.
A2 counted the sixteen YoRHa units mixed along with the disabled the machines. Knowing that she was the one who had dealt their last. It must have been so easy, descending to this part of the planet in comparison to the rest of the machine-infested parts of it. To survive the descent, only to die mere moments, nay mere minutes, upon landfall. Then she heard it.
A roar from the sky. A flash of light appeared above the wandering android. Flashes of light. Eight of them.
"Shit... " The android began into a sprint and then slid down the a smoother part of the cliff side. The friction caused by this action ripping part of her blanket. Once she hit solid ground, she took cover in a small opening in the mountainside.
The cave gave A2 some cover from the rain, but hearing through the soft downpour in contrast to the draft of the cave would not let her know when the flashes of light had landed. The ground underneath her earthy and damp from sand, rain, and rock. She laid herself down against the side of mouth of the cave and simply took comfort in the pitter-patters of the rain in the area around her.
A2's eyes shot up immediately. She had not meant to fall asleep. Maybe it was some form of unconscious force warning her, but she was able to pick up more sounds along with the rain and wind.
Quick and silent sounds of tap, tap, tap on the mushy sand and mud betraying any form of stealth the objects approaching her position had. Two sets of footsteps is what A2 quickly deduced. They must have split up after they hit ground.
The objects began slowing their approach. A2 took a peek from around the cave's entrance and saw a pair of female models. One of the pair spoke up, "Are we sure the image data we got was right? It could have easily been trash falling off the cliff or something."
"It's better to investigate it now, instead of regretting it later," said the other. They began to survey the small beach.
The taller one of the two, the one who had spoken first, picked up a rock and looked under it, disappointed when she didn't find anything, "Yeah, yeah, but couldn't they have sent us on a... y'know, less rainy day?"
"They want to eliminate this rogue android as soon as possible, so no."
The taller one then kicked over another rock, "I heard that this one is rather dangerous, 11E. Are you sure we shouldn't be with the others? Looking at the buildings and stuff?"
"What? You scared?"
"I mean, a little. We did find all those bodies of the group that was sortied here a day ago, and there was also one other group that was sent just last week."
"Makes you wonder how good this rogue unit is, doesn't it, huh?"
The taller one had gotten dangerously close to where A2 was now, she was still kicking over rocks. A2 began to steel herself.
The rather playful android began to speak again, "I don't think it really matters, we have the numbers; so hopefully, if she is still on this island, we'll be ready fo- GAH! ACK!!! *gurgling*
"5E?" came from the other android as she turned to where A2 had her sword through 5E's neck, "OH FU- 5E!!! YOU BASTARD!" 11E began to charge towards the
A2 unsheathed her sword from 5E. Leaving her to spasm, clutching in vain at the open hole through her throat.
11E's sword clashed against A2's.
The blanket covered android pulled herself up the cliff once more. Noting the signs of heat and marks on the ground where the flight units had touched down before taking off towards the Bunker once more.
A2 knew the reason for this, it was a one-way trip even if they did manage to kill her. Poor things. Just blindly following orders from Command.
The heat in the air told A2 enough in that she wasn't unconscious for too long, so the recent assassins had just touched down roughly 15 to 20 minutes ago. Thinking to outmaneuver the other androids, she laid herself down next to the corpses in the area. Waiting for them to come out from inspecting the Ka'ala sub-facilities.
This was when A2 realized that she had made a mistake. She laid herself motionless but in front of her, was another YoRHa assassin. They were dead, of course. But the lifeless eyes of the android disturbed her. A2 froze and wasn't able to move herself, her eyes glued to one of her victims. A victim of her own making, not the machines. Entirely fixated on the color and last bit of emotion the eyes exuded, A2 had not noticed the rain stopping or how much time has passed. The sun now peeking itself from the clouds, now highlighting their figures.
She was only taken out of her stupor by the sound of voices, one of which was a bit too high-pitched. Very unlike the first two voices she had heard earlier.
"Hmm, are you sure she wan't mixed with the bodies in there? She's not the one with the ponytail?"
Another voice picked up, it was soft-spoken, "The blackbox of our target is still active. And I hardly believe she's dead, given the amount of other bodies besides Pearl Harbor Descent team we have discovered so far."
A third voice was added to the mix, "Huh, a shame they're all dead, and we have to get rid of the last one. That team was filled with cuties." Three other androids followed after that one.
The second android spoke up yet again, "I-I say we should stake this place out, set up camp, and wait her out."
"Huh, smart thinking, but we're just wasting our time while we're still full of energy, we should spread out more and-"
"Exactly why we should set up camp and conserve all that energy; our target, YoRHa Type A No. 2, must be exhausted after fighting yesterday. Who even knows how long her current fuel filter will hold up. She cannot maintain proper maintenance without the proper equipment. An android can only subsist so long on water alone."
The third voiced android simply nodded her head to the second. The second android continued, "We set up shop here on this clearing on the mountain, wait to hear back from 5E and 11E, and we'll go from there, sound good?"
No one raised an objection. Now, unfortunately, their target overheard everything.
A fourth voice started to speak now, "Alright then, first thing's first, let's start cleaning up this place. Hey 1E, can you help me move the bodies?"
"Yeah sure!" said the second voice. As they started to gather the YoRHa corpses and machine lifeforms and putting them into different piles, A2 could feel the beating of her black box getting faster; she tried to steady her breathing as to not break her cover.
1E began to speak to the other android helping her with the bodies. "Y'know 17E, all these wounds, they're quite fascinating. In training, they never taught us to kill each other; though, we are designed for that. However, this rogue unit..."
17E finished that thought, "She probably knows the best way to kill us." They tossed the 11th assailant into the pile as if the android were nothing more than scrap.
"Hmm, I wouldn't say that... it's more like, most of them have been stabbed through their black box with very few wasted cuts anywhere else, she knows not to prolong the suffering." Instantly, A2 thought of 5E writhing in agony, drowning in her own blood. Yeah.
With each machine and android body the picked up, the closer they got to where A2 was positioned along with her new friend.
"Okay, it looks like 30E was able to get a fire going. Once we're done, let's warm up."
"Sounds good, uh what was the count on the bodies we got so far?"
"Huh, 63 machines and 14 androids... why?"
"We still have a lot of machines to move... but there are 3 android bodies still out there. Didn't only 16 get sortied?"
"Maybe it's a body from the sortie last week?"
"Maybe, but the coordinates for that landing is 3 km away from here."
"Hey, alot can happen in a week? Perhaps it's someone of the Resistance."
"Hmm... that one in the... tarp could be it. Though Command hasn't heard from anything about the Resistance since the server went down 17 days ago."
17 days... It was still only late December. A2 could have sworn it has been longer than that since... everything. A heeled foot appearing in front of her face interrupted her train of thought.
"Oh yeesh, look at this one. She didn't have a nice death." They were talking about A2's new friend.
"Must have gotten surprised, the right hand was cut clean off. It also looks like the one who did this missed the black box, but cut through the ribcage so that they would still die from the bloodloss."
"Hmm, Oh! What about this one?"17E got on one knee as to inspect A2, "Oh wow, she's super pretty." The android got uncomfortably close as she got closer to A2's face, going so far as to grab her jaw and turn it.
1E moved next to her, "Hah? What's that supposed to mean? Aren't we all attractive? That's how we were designed right?"
"Hehe, I guess you probably wouldn't get it, but look at this beauty mark." 17E remarked. At this point 1E bended down, so that she was level with 17E.
"Huh, didn't know that the Resis-" Without a beat A2, seized her chance and stuck her sword through 17E's back, piercing through and hitting 1E aswell.
A2 quickly got up, and positioned herself so that 1E wouldn't be able to escape the end of the sword without the sword following her aswell. 1E was forced to the ground on her back, crying out in pain, with 17E already dead on top of her.
The other four androids that had set up camp, had come running quickly trying to surround A2. A2 blinked.
When A2 came to again, she was sitting in the same spot of the facility she was earlier. Book in hand, oil lamp burning, and warmly wrapped up in a blanket.
Something wasn't right.
She looked out the big open window next to where she situated herself and saw the same sunlight she always did, save for when it rained. However she did note that the mountain clearing outside the facility looked a lot more clean.
Then she heard a groan. A2 looked directly in front of her, a bloodied android leaning against the wall.
A2 spoke first at her strange visitor, "What happened?"
The android looked like they were in a daze, "Huh?"
A2 could see it. Half of the face was gone, exposing the metal endoskeleton that was typically underneath. She winced as she continued, "What happened..." She pointed outside. "Out there."
The android lifted their arm motioning to A2, "Y-you."
"Me?"
The android slowly nodded before resting their skull on the wall again. Keeping an eye on A2.
"..."
It slowly came back to A2 as she to recall what happened. It had to be in her memories, though she didn't want to go too far. She recalled herself surging with energy, but everything else was a blur. She ripped through 30E and two other androids as soon as 1E had expired and A2 had pulled out her sword from the lifeless androids. Killing them just went by so fast, like her sword was cutting through hot butter. However, she tossed her own sword aside though as she made her way to the last android, one of the two who had not spoken earlier. The one who ran back to the fire as soon as she saw one of the others get their heads split into two. When A2 reached her, by hand, she ripped the android to shreds, tearing off fingers... then limbs, it was like how... her friends and the machines killed... Rose as she was trying to protect Sonia.
Finishing the memory, she dragged the android back with her into the facility, and huddled her self into her window corner. Now here she was, apparently now two-thirds done with the book. Which then reminded her, A2 saw that her hands were still bloody. Her breath started to become erratic, and she threw up outside the open window.
"Ar-are you o-o- are you okay?"
Weak. The words came out so weak. A2 was surprised that the longest sentence uttered by this android who themself were tipping the scale between alive and not alive.
A2 simply replied, "No."
"I-I th-thought so." The android then looked down, knowing that their system was going to fail at any moment. A2 thought to gain a few answers first.
"You were sent... by YoRHa?"
"Ye- Yes."
"To kill me? Why?"
"Ro-Rogue unit. Ro- classifi-clas- inf- classified information. Sensitive. Comma- the Commander issued. All Pear- All Pearl Harbor units be- must be destroyed- clas- must be destroyed. Test- you test- not sup- not suppos- to be alive. You are a traitor. Bei- being alive- you are- ma- makes you a- Huh? You ar-are a tra-traitor? Comma- Command betray-."
"Stop. Please," A2 knew that something was wrong with Command when their request for help and assistance was overlooked, but listening to the incoherent babbling only made the short-haired android more confused. "I am a traitor... for being alive? I don't understand."
"Wh-Why do yo- do live, th- why do you live, then?"
"For Seed, Daisy, No.4, the others... they died but I lived, I must... live long enough. At least for them."
"Why li-live? Why do yo-you even exist?"
"For YoRHa... to fight the machines," A2's brow began to furrow.
"To kill- to kill each other." The android's remark made A2's eyes widen in realization, the android continued, "Nothing-nothing else besides kill- killing each other. Machines, and-androi- kill- androids, kill them all. What el-else are we to do? Who- what do y-you- I have to exist for? Fam-family? Friends? Lo-Lo- Love? We kill, I-I kill, we need to kill you. We are Exec-"
A2 stuck her sword through the black box, and left it there. She was now all alone again. Just herself and silence.
It was clear to A2 that she was angry, tired, and bitter. She had no real way to vent herself besides through her sword, her fists. Physicality. It was all at the same time clear and then static. It felt all too unreal. YoRHa wants her dead, the Machines want her dead, and in the deep recesses of her mind, she wants herself dead too.
No.
She had promised Seed that she would live for her, experience life for her.
Then... Number 4... overloaded herself to destroy the server so that A2 didn't have to. To defy the Red Girls. That's what Number 4 did at the very end, she lived even though Daisy and Erica had ripped chunks of her body off. She lived despite what the Red Girls had thought earlier, thinking that Number 2 was the only one left to overload herself.
Yes. That was her mission. To destroy them all, the Red Girls. To not let Rose, Anemone, 4, 16, 21, or any of them die in vain for this futile struggle. She will live long enough to see the end.
Then what?
What was she going to do after?
She'll join them. She will wait and fight for however long it takes. No matter how many machines she has to cut down, no matter how many assassins YoRHa throws her way. She will overcome them all, all in the hopes that she can come back to her friends to tell them that they lived for a purpose.
A2 looks to the book she is holding onto. She sees how the blood from her hands has dampened the some of the pages inside. However, these pages were quite more comprehensible than the rest of the notes in the book. She flips through these pages, seeing how this worker was writing to their parents back home about their everyday life on the island. It is rather absurd, since this human is most likely dead by now, and so their parents never got to read any of the letters. But perhaps, they did get to share the stories, at least in the end, right?
How do the humans on the moon tell stories? What do they believe in?
None of that mattered to A2 now. Leaving Hawai'i and finding her next step to disabling the machines is all that's left. Staying here, sooner or later A2 was going to get herself killed. To stay alive, she needed to learn to adapt, to move, and survive.
She needs to survive. She absolutely has to.
She knows exactly who to first tell everything.
Number 4,