Chapter Text
Where is he?
He's down here!
Oh god just look at him!
What the hell do we do about him?
There's no way I'm going down there.
Maybe it'll be different here.
Who cares? You saw what he did!
He wasn't in his right mind!
He knew what he was doing.
Hold on, he's waking up!
Wait, something's not right!
Shit! No!
Everyone back! He's still *̞̝̪̦̺͓̻ͣ̈́ͯ͆ͤ̆͠ͅ*̍̈́ͤ́ͩ͜͏͎͍̼*̶̝̹͚̣̖̣̩̦̯̿͟͟*̏́̓̅͊͏̛̼̗͈͍̺̼͔*̘̜͉͕͛̓ͭ̈́!͇̱̱̞̥͆ͦ
“Oh... Nines...”
A wide, white sword penetrates 2B's stomach as delicate, red blood drips down her.
He's ok.
Her vital signs begin to fade.
I'm so... I'm so glad...but...
Heart rate decreasing.
I never got... to say... good...bye
Body temperature declining.
No... not yet...
Motor functions failing.
I have to... I... I...
Pupils dilating.
...No... it's... ok...
As every one of her parameters break down and her world faces to black, her final thought flickers weakly in her mind.
...You're free now... Be safe.
“...B”
A dull ache weaved its way through 2B's entire body as her systems slowly came back online. The single pain was quickly replaced by waves of conflicting sensations and it took all of her limited energy just to stay on top of it.
“...2B...”
...2B... YoRHa Model 2 type B. That was... her name... but... B? ...No... that wasn't right. She was...
“2B!”
The voice kept calling but the growing sensations in her body drowned out any attempts to recognize it. Cold. Hot. Cold. Pain. Pain. Dull. Sharp. Heavy. Falling. Loud. Noise. Static. No. Stop. Can't. Move. No. No. Help. Help. Help!
Her thought processes were a jumbled mess as her mind struggled to orient herself. She wanted to move, to scream and run her sword through whatever was causing this, but she couldn't even manage so much as a pained groan or a twitch of a finger.
“2B! 2B wake up!”
A warm, soft hand tenderly molded itself against her cheek and soon after, trembling fingers wrapped around her hand and held tight. Instantly, a wave of serenity washed over her body, reducing the overwhelming feelings significantly as a warm, almost tingling sensation radiated outward from where they connected.
“2B please wake up.”
That voice... she could finally begin to hone her perceptions on the one calling to her... at least a little bit.
“...Please...”
It was so familiar... so... calming. Despite its mounting desperation, she felt the crushing static begin to subside. Bit by bit, she dragged herself out of the suffocating void in her mind. With what little energy she could muster, she forced out a response.
“Ngh...”
The owner of the voice let out a sharp gasp and squeezed her hand with trembling fingers.
“Yes! 2B! I'm here, it's ok. Just follow my voice. I'm here. Wake up, please.”
The name that belonged to the mysterious, soothing voice still escaped her, but every fiber of her being that wasn't still overrun by static and pain knew it was a voice of someone precious to her.
With another burst of energy, she forced her eyes open.
There he was, leaning over her, face just inches from hers, close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. His pure white hair hung forward, framing his worried, tear-stained face in a sort of angelic glow.
Behind him, a thick canopy of leaves attached to ancient, towering trees shielded them from the harsh midday sun; the dappled light that filtered through was the source of the soft, glowing aura around him. A strained smile spread across his lips the moment their gazes met and the faint trembling that was plaguing his body quieted down to a shimmer.
Ahh... that's who it belonged to.
“N-nine...s.”
“Oh thank god.” He breathed. A cool puff of air blew across 2B's cheek as he removed his hand to shakily wipe away the tears that were threatening to fall from his deep blue eyes. Before she could react further, he pulled her into his arms in a tender embrace, weaving his fingers through her hair and burying his face into the crook of her neck.
“I was so scared.” He rasped, barely above a whisper. “You were taking so long to wake up I was worried you would never...” He cut himself off with a sharp gasp and pressed his face deeper into her neck. “2B... I'm so glad...”
“Mmm...” She mumbled as she fought to recall the events of the past few hours. They were all surrounded by a thick, dark fog but soon enough, flashes of clarity and light began filling in the missing pieces of the puzzle.
The desperate battle with Eve. The following assault on the surviving machines. The collapse of the Bunker. The virus that tore at her systems bit-by-bit. Her final, desperate attempts to protect 9S from herself. The deserter known as A2. Her last wish granted by the one that owed her nothing. The sharp pain that tore through her gut as her own sword pierced her body. Seeing her love one last time before the darkness swallowed her whole.
But... She's alive? Had 9S...? But how?
“Nines.” She murmured as she reciprocated his embrace with a light touch on his back. “Did you... save me?”
A noticeable shock ran through his body as he clenched his teeth and gripped her even tighter. He didn't respond for a moment, preferring to hold her close and slowly rock her back and forth.
“2B I...” He choked. “I'm... I'm not the same Nines you've been with for the past three-and-a-half months. I'm...” He pulled back from their embrace and looked deeply into her eyes.
It was only then that she noticed a slight difference in his eye color, and in the dappled lighting of the thick forest that surrounded them, she might not have even noticed it at all if on her own. The deep blue of his eyes was tinted ever-so-faintly with green and almost shimmered in the reflected light of the forest. Just like...
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before slowly undoing the buttons on his unfamiliar black shirt. 2B stared in horror as the shirt fell away bit-by-bit to reveal a long, red, scar running cleanly from the top of his right shoulder all the way down to the top of his left leg, where it disappeared below his waistband.
2B could only manage to stare at the sealed gash in shock as the realization of who she was talking to began to cement in her mind. 9S shifted slightly in his seat as he waited just a few seconds longer for 2B to take in the sight before quickly covering himself back up. Her eyes followed his hands as he fumbled with the buttons until his scar was completely covered. Her gaze continued upward, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape until she met his worried eyes once more.
“My name is 9S.” He began, voice leaking out a fragile sort of strength that could shatter at any moment. “On March 8th, 11945, I was killed in battle with the machines in a raid in the Kingdom of Night. I took a blow meant for you... because I knew that Command had just ordered you to... terminate me at the end of that mission... so...” The temporary strength in his voice began to crack as he slowly broke down again. “...I wanted to... ease your burden as much as I could so I... jumped in front of that final machine's blade even though I knew you would have dodged it.”
2B's wide eyes bored into him as he spoke. Every question he answered only raised a hundred new ones. Ones that she couldn't even formulate the words to ask in that moment.
“I'm not the 9S that saw you die on that bridge.” He continued, solemnly. “But... I'm still a 9S you worked and bonded with... I'm still your Nines...”
“My... Nines...” She stuttered. “You're... alive...? But... how did... why are you... wait... If you're that Nines then...” Panic grew in her chest her mind wrapped itself around this new information. “Wh-where is he? The one that I was with? Is he ok?! He didn't fight A2 did he? He saw... he saw her... oh god, did she tell him? Did he—”
"It's ok. It's ok, 2B." He softly assured her, doing his best to retain as calm of an aura as he could in that situation. "He's unconscious but alive. The bridge collapsed before he reached you and he fell. But he's safe where he is and his pod is sending distress signals out as we speak so he'll be ok. I promise."
“H-how do you know?”
“Nearby there's a... holo-screen of some sorts that lets me see what goes on outside this place. I've been... watching over you since I arrived here and I've been doing everything I could to try to contact you. I just... wanted to let you know that I was ok... but I never could find any answers.”
“But...” She stuttered. “I don't understand... I don't understand any of this... What is this place? Where did... how did... any of this... your scar... it... ughh...” She doubled over as the thousand fluttering questions made her head spin and stomach turn.
“2B I'm sorry.” He sighed, pulling her back into him. “I didn't want to overwhelm you right after getting here. I was... hoping you'd wait a bit longer before asking me anything but...” He pressed his palm to his forehead and shook his head lightly. “...Hhhahhah... 2B we... we have a lot of catching up to do... don't we? Come on, let's go home. I'll tell you everything you need to know when we get there.”
The two set off from that strange forest clearing not long after 2B had regained enough strength to stand. 9S had insisted on carrying her despite her protests and assurance that she could walk herself. She quickly changed her mind, however, after another warm hug from her partner nearly turned her legs to jelly.
9S swept her off her feet with more ease than any of the 9S models she's known before. Was this another strange effect of this place? Now that she thought about it, her body did feel lighter than before.
He did his best to explain the strange phenomena to her as they clung tightly to each other on the way to their destination; the black, starless sky and the way the thick forest was illuminated as if it were in the midday sun was incredibly disorienting to 2B.
“It's night... but it's also... day?” She had said; 9S couldn't hold back a soft chuckle in response to her understandable confusion. His soft gaze followed her eyes as they flicked from place to place in childlike wonder.
Everything they passed seemed so familiar to her, yet so alien, painted against the inky black sky above. The trees, the rivers, the ancient, mossy bricks; they all filled her with a sense of nostalgia and she could swear she saw that exact tree or that specific wall before somewhere.
She didn't bring it up, however, although she suspected he knew she would ask sooner or later, judging by the looks he gave her at each flash of recognition that crossed her eyes. 2B decided she could wait for some answers back at the safety of... wherever 9S was taking her.
The moment they reached the edge of the trees and its abrupt transition into the city ruins, 2B nearly jolted out of his arms in shock. 9S gasped and struggled to keep his footing as 2B's head whipped back and forth between the clear-cut borders of the landscapes.
“What the hell?” 2B blurted out as her eyes traveled up a dying tree vertically cut clean in two and back down the adjacent building also cleanly sliced through. They continued on, tracing the hard line in the dirt that separated the two landscapes until it disappeared behind the buildings.
“That's... another thing I can only sort of answer.” 9S admitted once he regained his balance. “It's just... this whole place is made up of a patchwork of different places from the outside world. Over a dozen, actually. They're just kinda... sloppily pressed together like this. It's... something you get used to... like every weird thing about this place I guess.”
“The outside world?” She asked. “So these are real places then? Is that why everything seems so familiar?”
“Yeah. You've been to that forest before, and this city. Come on, you'll see in a bit.” He continued on, forcing his way through the thick underbrush until they rounded the corner of an exceptionally tall building.
2B's eyes widened as recognition flashed in her mind. Before them lay an exact copy of a Resistance satellite camp she and 9S... another 9S... had worked at several years ago.
It was vaguely similar to, but quite a lot smaller than, the most recent camp they were stationed at. A dozen or so white tents littered the courtyard sheltered by a circling of dilapidated buildings, Each one was filled with a mess of different tools and devices all meant for warfare. Even the pair of cots the two were awarded after preventing a machine raid were there, barely tucked away between two buildings behind a scrap metal door.
A mound of grass and flowers sat in the dappling of sunlight that filtered through to the center of the camp. There were poppies and daisies, and... some small purple ones with yellow on them and... some little blue ones she knew 6O had told her about at some point in time. She never really had the chance to admire their beauty before... but now, even at this distance, the delicate living rainbow had an almost soothing feeling. The striking contrast between them and their surroundings amazed her; how could such fragile life still grow surrounded by tools of death and destruction?
The whole area was just like she remembered... but...
...It was completely empty. There were no androids, no machines, not a trace of any activity. And now that she thought about it, the entire area had been eerily quiet since she arrived. No sounds of gunfire, or clashing metal, or warfare. No wind whistling through the trees or the skyscrapers. Only the occasional distant bird call cut through the deafening silence, but even that seemed warped and unnatural.
“Remember this?” 9S smiled.
“Y-yeah. But where is everyone? It's usually crawling with Resistance members.”
“I don't know really.” He sighed. “They just never appeared here, androids, or machines... It's good not having to fight every day, but it gets lonely only having yourself to talk to for so long... Anyway, let's move on, we're almost home, and I bet you need some rest.”
9S seemed in a hurry to move along, so 2B didn't push for any more answers in that moment; she simply gave one last glance over their shoulders as they disappeared into the ruins. 9S wasn't exaggerating when he said they were almost there; not two more minutes later, they passed another abrupt transition into a densely-wooded area. Just like before, the shorter, oaken trees filled her with a sense of nostalgia, and it wasn't long before she had a few ideas of where “home” might be.
Her suspicions were soon confirmed as a small, hastily-built shack appeared beyond the trees; it was another encampment that she had stayed at with another 9S. It was the same mess of half-a-dozen scattered barracks, the same flower-filled pots made of machine parts bordering some of the shacks, the same small clearing half circling them. Only...
What the hell was that black rectangle in the center of the clearing?
"This is..." She breathed as he finally set her down near the edge.
“Yeah.” 9S nodded. “The place you met me... or him for the first time.”
“And you've been using this as your base?”
“Mhm. The holo-screen over there is what's allowed me to see out of here. And like I said before... I've been watching over you and the more recent 9S you've been partnered with since I got here.”
“Wait... you can see 9S on this thing?” She gasped. “S-show me! I need to see him!”
“Wait a second, 2B! I... well... the screen went black shortly after he passed out...” He admitted. “That happens sometimes... it just stops working for a while after you die... It could be an hour or it could be a few days... It's pretty random... and it might be a few weeks before the Resistance is able to repair him since... well... YoRHa's gone and all." He glanced over at her and frowned as he caught sight of her grim expression.
“He'll be ok. I promise.” He assured. “Just, for now. Let's focus on getting you acclimated to this place. Ok?”
"Y-yeah..." She stuttered. "Ok." Despite his reassurance and the hasty change of subject, there was no way she could completely peel her mind away from her partner and how he lay broken and half dead at the murky bottom of the ravine. Who knows how long it'd take someone to find him. Who knows how long it'd take them to repair him. Who knows how well he'd be able to handle life without her. Who knows...
“2B?”
“Huh?” Her mind focused back on the present and the 9S standing right next to her. “Oh... right... So... this screen... you can watch anyone on it?”
“Well, just you and whatever 9S is alive at that time. We haven't been able to control it yet...”
“Oh.”
“But yeah, like I said. I've been here this entire time, watching over you and trying to contact you.”
“The entire time? Even...”
“Mhm... wait...” He gasped. “Oh, no no no, not every single moment! D-d-don't worry!” He coughed stiffly. “I gave you some privacy when you two... well... I knew it wasn't my place since the two of us never actually... anyway...” He shifted his body slightly away in an attempt to hide his reddening face.
“I know the whole thing sounds kinda weird and I really hope that it doesn't make you uncomfortable or anything but like, I was... I couldn't not stay here and watch or try to reach out to you and help but you were going through so much and it just hurt so much to be stuck here powerless to help you and—”
“Nines.” 2B hummed softly as she took his hand in hers and weaved their fingers together.
“Y-yeah?” Slowly his head turned back to look at her and her soft smile.
“It's ok.”
“Really?”
“Mhm... Plus, it's only fair really. Because well... what I've done.”
"2B..." His voice dimmed and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't... well... here, come, I have something to show you." He tugged on her hand and led her to the nearest shack, which was by far the most decorated of them all. The entire structure was surrounded by more types of flowers than she had ever seen before. Countless boot-prints packed the dirt down leading up to the entrance, more than a single person should theoretically be capable of since their separation, unless...
2B attention was caught by the glint of numerous swords leaning precariously against the door. Her eyes widened as she came to the realization that, at one point, each and every one of them had belonged to 9S... or at least one version of him. She remembered all of their names, and which 9S fought with them in battle… and... which one 9S ended up using against her... or himself.
“Welcome home, 2B.” He said as he pulled the rusty door open. The squeak of the ancient hinges snapped her back to reality and pulled her gaze inside. A large hoard of pillows and mattresses covered almost every inch of the room with a spectrum of blankets messily draped over some of them, or balled up in various corners. The half-dozen or so desks pressed up against the opposite walls were buried in mounds of books, gadgets, and the occasional stray article of clothing.
“This is... the one we stayed in but.” She turned to him with a questioning look.
“Yeaaah... it's been upgraded a bit.” 9S chuckled softly. “No more scratchy cots, only comfort and relaxation in here.” He squeezed her hand again, tugging her inside and gestured at a particularly inviting mattress buried knee deep in pillows. She gladly accepted the invitation and nestled herself into the soft pile, pulling him down with her until he was almost completely buried. "I was hping to get it neatened up a bit before you came but..."
The cocoon of bedding surrounding her brought back flashes of memories from not one month's past. A gentle reminder of how much he cared about her and... loved her despite...
No... no... she didn't want to think about that right now. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned back to 9S, face just barely visible above the pillows.
“2B?” He asked, voice low and gentle. “Are you ok? I mean...”
“Y-yeah, I was just thinking... It's fine.” She squeezed his hand and was instantly reciprocated. “This room is just... It's wonderful.”
“You really think so?” He smiled, perking up a bit.
“Mhm... Thank you.”
“2B.” He breathed, voice wavering slightly. “I'm so glad you're here... I mean... I never wanted to see that happen to you... I never wanted to see any of that happen to you, but... I missed you so much. And...”
A warm feeling gently ignited in her chest and slowly radiated outward. “Despite everything I've done to hurt you?”
“2B, no.” He squeezed her hand again. “You never hurt me. YoRHa did. You know that.”
“I...” Bits of static flashed through the warmth as dark thoughts began leaking in. “I know but...”
Before she could continue, 9S shimmied his way between the pillows separating them and snaked his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. A wave of calm flowed through her as the warmth of his body began flowing into her. She marveled at how much of an effect his touch had on her as her breathing evened out and the tension began flowing from her synthetic muscles.
“Hahhah...” She breathed. “You really did miss me, didn't you?”
“Yeah.”
“And... there's really no machines here anywhere? We don't have to fight and die anymore?”
“No. We're safe.”
“And this... everything here... is real?”
“Well... depends on what you consider real, I guess.” He mumbled, voice low and soft. “But... yeah... it's as real as it's gonna get, and for now, that's ok with me.”
“Nines?” 2B let out a pent-up sigh and nestled in even closer to him.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For... everything...”
“Hhahah...” He breathed. “I should be the one thanking you. You gave my life meaning in that endless war. Even though I was never designed to be on this earth for very long, I'm glad I got to spend what little time I had with you.”
“Me too.”
The two androids held each other for what felt like an eternity. 2B didn't even know it was possible for her to feel that safe despite being so uncertain and confused about almost every single thing he told her about this strange place. He just felt so right in her arms.
She buried her face in his chest as he began stroking her hair as her exhaustion began catching up to her. All she wanted at that moment was to fall asleep in the comfort of his arms and stay asleep for the next two days but... she couldn't just yet; she still had so many questions that needed answers.
Like where did this place even come from? How did he get here? How did she get here? Why was it just him and not and not any of the other 9S she bonded with... unless...
She pried her eyes back open and hazily scanned the room again. Something didn't quite add up. Why were there so many beds? So many swords? So many desks, and chairs, and footprints? Why would one person need to have and use multiple people's things like that?
“Hey... Nines?” She mumbled.
“Hm?”
“You've... never been to that city we passed through, or this encampment... so how did you know they were places we've been together? And where did this place,” she gestured at the surrounding area, “this entire place even come from if you had no hand in creating it? And... how come this room is filled with so many mattresses and pillows and desks? And the swords out front, they all belonged to you... or... them... at some point... and...”
9S waited patiently as her voice trailed off and her mind began answering her own questions.
“Nines?”
“Yeah, 2B?”
“You're not the only one here, are you?”