Dare to [L]ive

by SakuraAlexia

Summary:

“All we have left is their memory.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if they were still alive?”

Rose held no hope anymore, and she knew the rest of her group didn’t either.

But…

“That would be a nice dream.”

Chapter 1: A [C]lone for another lie

The city ruins were busy on this day. Under the orders of the Resistance Leader, Rose, the androids gathered at one of their supply warehouses, to pick up the remaining items, and move them somewhere else.

 

Lately, even though the machines were low in activity, they received reports of them assembling around this particular part of the ruins. Best to use the moment of quiet, to take away whatever was left, before they found out where their supplies were, and destroyed them.

 

With how quickly machines were multiplying and evolving, Gerbera suggested they did this, because there was no telling just how smart their enemies had gotten this time around.

 

And best not to risk anything.

 

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Margaret glaring slightly at two men, but not for anything they did, but rather what she overheard them say. 

 

“I’ve heard that a new type of androids called YoRHa have been deployed.”

 

Margaret went to sit by the truck where currently the rest of their little group was standing by, without a doubt they had heard those men talk too, judging by the look on their faces.

 

“YoRHa again huh?” Dahlia half whispered and half growled.

 

That name surely brought back memories.

 

They weren’t quite new androids, but the people here except them didn’t know.

 

None of them spoke of YoRHa with anyone but between each other.

 

They hadn’t seen any other unit around these parts in years either, perhaps they got here recently.

 

It almost made them wonder who they were, and if they looked like them…

 

And this time what their objective was.

 

But one thing was pretty much clear, whoever they were, and how many, surely they weren’t interested in helping them.

 

They never were.

 

Not their Commander at least.

 

“Do you think we’ll get to see other units of theirs one day?” Daisy asked quietly, so only they could hear.

 

“Best if that doesn’t happen.” Anemone was quick to shut down their thoughts, but it wasn’t because she wanted to be mean or anything.

 

She was just stating something that was in all of their minds since they heard of YoRHa.

 

“Whoever they are, we don’t want these people to end up like them again, don’t we?”

 

No they didn’t.

 

Those poor four girls…

 

They had given their lives for them, for showing them what friendship and family meant, believing that their sacrifice would be worth something. Believing that accomplishing their mission would have brought peace into this world, for them that would keep on living on…

 

But as soon as their group was brought here, to this other camp among these other refugees, they saw immediately how big of a lie that had been.

 

How worthless their sacrifice had been…

 

They had given away their young lives of barely a few months for them…

 

And for what?

 

For the machines to keep running free as they pleased, making even more victims…

 

Everything they had done had been useless…

 

Everything, except their friendship.

 

“We’ve got to keep living, and never forget.” it had been one of the first things Rose had said, after they were brought here, and patched up.

 

They must never forget.

 

“We will destroy these machines from the first to last.” 

 

After they had laid eyes on machine lifeforms yet again.

 

“We owe them.”

 

They had believed…

 

They had given them a new hope…

 

They would have wanted them to keep living in a better world…

 

“It’s up to us to make sure that they haven’t sacrificed their lives for nothing…” 

 

Rose’s voice had been so cold that day, like part of her had died alongside those young girls they had just begun to know.

 

Torn away from them way too early…

 

No one could object to anything, no one wanted to object anything, no one needed to object anything.

 

In a way, it was true…

 

With those girls something went alongside them.

 

Their friendship.

 

And all it remained was just their cold memory of a time that had been so short.

 

Too short…

 

All of them lost so many comrades in those 200 years they spent in this seemingly endless war, but for some reason, they had just been… special.

 

The more of them died, the more their hopes went.

 

Those four YoRHa and their seemingly impossible mission had restored that hope, the hope to be able to finally strike back at those machines, something they hadn’t been able to do in so long.

 

Forever even.

 

And once again, that hope had been shattered with their lives once again.

 

Like a never ending cycle.

 

And they were trapped in it, like rats in a laboratory.

 

Only useful to be experiments, or sacrifices, whenever the council felt like picking them out from the cage they decided to put them into. 

 

“A declaration to androids struggling on Earth from the Council of Humanity on the Moon. Currently the battles against the machine lifeforms are at a stalemate. You all must be exhausted from an extended duration of combat. However, I would like you to continue striving without giving up. For the several hundred thousand humans on the surface of the Moon, winning Earth-”

 

What a damn mockery, now of all times. That was what Rose thought as she crossed the distance from where she was to the truck transmitting the message to turn it off.

 

Easy for them to say, they weren’t the ones who were fighting day and night.

 

And they weren’t the ones watching their friends and family die before them all the time.

 

Not that they ever cared.

 

Rose stopped caring about humans long ago, she and the rest of her friends both, when said humans abandoned them in the lands of Hawaii without help.

 

They were all alone.

 

And the only time they had gotten help was when…

 

“Huh? You’re not going to listen to the end, Rose-san?” her musings were interrupted, as she turned towards the person that asked.

 

“I already know what they are going to say.”

 

Heard them too many times.

 

And none she cared one bit.

 

Any respect she and the others had for the Council died long ago.

 

But these people seemed rather hopeful and naive still, and she was not going to deny them that.

 

She didn’t have the responsibility of just her group anymore.

 

And they all owed these people for saving, patching up and giving them somewhere they could stay. In exchange she took them under her protective wing, doing the best she could.

 

There wasn’t much else she could have done after all.

 

She tried to give them some kind of direction to follow, so they wouldn’t be lost.

 

But if she had to be honest, she had no idea what direction to take anymore.

 

They had one when they encountered those four.

 

But with them gone…

 

They were left as lost as before they had met, but with a new empty hole deep in their chests, that their loss had left them with.

 

Rose gave the man before her a harder stare than she meant to. “They just want us to fight until we die, that’s about it, really.”

 

She wasn’t going to lie about this.

 

With all the friends they had lost, she couldn’t see the words of the Council any other way, and her group shared the same feeling.

 

There was nothing good behind these transmissions.

 

Not until she saw those humans with her own eyes pick their own selves up, and work towards the goal they claimed to want but left the androids to sacrifice themselves for.

 

If those humans even existed.

 

With time, Rose had even begun to doubt their existence.

 

Never saw even the face of one of them.

 

Only heard cold and emotionless messages like this one over and over.

 

And they only ever said the same thing every time.

 

She decided she wouldn’t believe their words any longer, until her green eyes laid on an actual human form, and only then maybe she’d believe them again.

 

Too long had passed…

 

And nothing happened but death…

 

“Rose-san, you always sound so harsh.”

 

Not harsh, just realistic.

 

She didn’t quite know what the people of this camp had been through, or if they had been alive as long as her and her group, to witness what they did, and she wouldn’t pry them to tell either.

 

Somehow they still hoped.

 

It reminded her of a young Attacker with white hair at times.

 

But she always made a point to speak her mind about things.

 

Unlike the Council, she was no liar.

 

Didn’t want to be one.

 

“Help me out here!” someone called. “Jeez, can’t she do it by herself?”

 

“Go help her.” Rose urged, not really feeling like picking up the subject they were talking about.

 

It was rather sensitive.

 

But she couldn’t blame him, nor anyone else.

 

They didn’t know.

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

“Stop that already.” she reprimanded.

 

“Roger that, Leader.”

 

She sighed.

 

Well at least it was amusing, but…

 

“Just Captain is fine.” she was used to it.

 

At the moment she wanted to seek out the company of those she was closest to, that most likely listened and watched the exchange.

 

They weren’t saying anything about it.

 

Nothing of what she said was any different than what they all thought anyways. 

 

Probably, much like her, they were just musing whether or not YoRHa was truly active in this area, if they were up to their missions or not.

 

And if they’d send someone their way again.

 

Would they be as helpless and lost as they were?

 

“Those guys on the moon speak in high spirits.” Rose heard Dahlia mutter as she walked to her and the others. “Easy for them to say, staying all safe on the Moon.”

 

As she spoke these words she could hear the same words spoken with the voice of a certain Gunner type so similar to her. She had said something similar in a moment of despair for having been refused help yet another time.

 

She wasn’t holding back on her words, that's for sure.

 

“Not even a single gun has been given to us, we always had to pick ourselves up on our own.” what Gerbera said was also true, and no one better than her could say it.

 

She was the weapon expert for a reason.

 

Even after centuries, not even that little luxury.

 

They had to learn to repair and construct the guns by themselves when the need arose, or find them elsewhere somehow.

 

Nothing they had compared to the seemingly endless arsenal the machines had.

 

They could build more and more of themselves.

 

And evolve at an even faster rate too.

 

Whatever the androids could do, somehow they already knew how to counter it, before they could put their strategies to use.

 

This proved to be true even with those girl’s help.

 

Despite how new as a surprise they were, and despite the intelligence of a certain Scanner type.

 

But even that hadn’t been enough.

 

It still remained that they still had nothing more than what was in their hands, and in these storage places. Which was why they were here, to preserve whatever supplies were left.

 

They thought the end of this whole thing would have been in sight with them, and their mission.

 

It was one of the reasons they were ready to die then and there.

 

Other for their friendship.

 

And it ended up the way they knew.

 

Rose spared a glance up to the sky, where the Moon was looking down on them, and almost glared at it.

 

Just how long would they have to keep going until one side fell?

 

How long would they have to survive until they could get some actual help?

 

If ever…

 

“As soon as we’re done loading, we’ll head to the next resource storage!” Gerbera announced, since the moving was looking like it would be done soon, only a few boxes remained.

 

About time, they spent enough in the area.

 

“Go on and scout as soon as you’re able to!”

 

Not wanting to be outdone, even Dahlia and Anemone took their rifles to go scouting. They were better at that than stuck carrying things.

 

And the recent news put the group on edge, that they felt the need to be moving.

 

Sitting in one place didn’t suit them.

 

On the other side, there was a loud crash of boxes falling, and the twin redheads working to pick up the pieces they scattered.

 

And someone scolding them for being so slow.

 

Rose wanted to tell them to not be so harsh on those two, but she didn’t manage to do so.

 

“Enemy attack!” she heard Anemone call out, realizing with much horror that a horde of exploding machines rushed towards their location.

 

Towards them.

 

Quickly she grabbed her rifle, as they all did the same, trying to shoot the walking bombs before they could get close.

 

Despite their best efforts and the barrage of shots, one of the machines still managed to pass through. Its body collided with one of their trucks, blowing it up with it, and the people in and near it too.

 

Rose covered herself from the debris with her cape, her eyes searching for both her group, hoping they all survived, and for those injured.

 

“Retreat! Abandon the resources!” she called out.

 

Best to save as many people as possible.

 

The resources could always be recovered, if there were any left.

 

But the people could not…

 

“Load the wounded onto the remaining trucks! Hurry!” they had to leave before even more of them could be hit.

 

Before more of them died.

 

She could already see Gerbera revving the engine of a truck, Daisy, Lily and Margaret already on it, waiting for them. Rose waited as Dahlia and Anemone rushed over to them from where they were guarding the place, since they had strayed further out, before jumping in the truck herself once she knew they were safe.

 

Gerbera wasted no time in driving them away from here.

 

There was no time to assess the damage nor mourn, not if they didn’t get out of it alive first.

 

They drove towards the outskirts of the ruins, towards a minefield Gerbera herself had set up with the aid of Jackass, as a defensive measure a while ago.

 

If anything it served to buy some time for Devola and Popola to look after the injured.

 

Hoping to save at least some of them.

 

While she and the others kept watch.

 

“Kill. Kill. Kill.” the horde approached, slow and unrelenting, repeating this same word over and over.

 

The mines set before exploded as the machines passed on them.

 

But they did nothing to stop them.

 

Not even slow them out a bit.

 

“The minefield is useless…” Rose spoke through gritted teeth.

 

It wasn’t Gerbera nor Jackass’ fault of course, the minefields they could set up were still one of the best strategies they had in their arsenal.

 

But they had discovered long ago that they could be ineffective…

 

Hadn’t they?

 

“How are the injured?” someone asked, it didn’t even matter who.

 

Any kind of remotely good news would help.

 

But… they helplessly watched as the twins shook their heads, keeping them low in shame.

 

They patched them up the best they could, and as fast as possible, but their injuries were simply too much for them to even live through just a bit longer.

 

If they managed to get out of this situation…

 

The odds weren’t looking in their favor.

 

But Rose refused to voice that thought.

 

It wasn’t over until it was over.

 

Hadn’t they taught them just that? To hope? Until the end?

 

She heard the others speak about sending a distress call to the camp, and how they wouldn’t last until they arrived.

 

But there had to be something they could do to stall until that happened.

 

Something…

 

Anything…

 

“What about an assistance request to the Council of Humanity?” that ticked Rose off, but the one who answered was Anemone.

 

“How many times do we have to tell you!? Those guys will never send any assistance!”

 

They never did.

 

How many more times did they have to repeat themselves?

 

“They’ll never help us.” Dahlia added, keeping her sights on the machines, and her finger on the trigger.

 

They had never received any help before, wasn’t it clear enough yet?

 

It’d just be useless.

 

Rose told them so many times already, and not only her, all of them did.

 

She was almost tired of them asking about it, she knew the others were, that was why they were so quick to snap.

 

She watched as Gerbera pulled the pin of a grenade with her teeth, before throwing it into the horde, turning around to the rest she gave an order.

 

“We’ll lure them out to the valley up ahead, and then drop the bridge!”

 

Rose had never been more glad to have someone that could think at strategies other than her. She was glad to have them all still here.

 

“All of those who can, follow us!”

 

She didn’t need to say anything for her group to follow, it was more for the rest.

 

Anemone and Dahlia ran at her sides, Lily was close behind her with Daisy next to her for protection, Margaret and Gerbera tagging along just after them.

 

The rest followed behind.

 

Whoever was left, that was.

 

And behind them the horde of machines…

 

They crossed the bridge as quickly as possible, setting the explosives under Gerbera’s suggestions, and then they waited…

 

This was the last hope.

 

As much as Rose didn’t want to admit it, to anyone nor herself. 

 

“Here they come.”

 

Her eyes were fixed on the mass of machines, when she heard the man at her side mutter something.

 

“What is it?” she asked, mentally praying there wasn’t something wrong.

 

Or even another complication.

 

The situation was dire enough.

 

A matter of life and death even.

 

“There’s a strange one.”

 

“Don’t mind it.” she honestly didn’t care. Didn’t care about any machines.

 

They took their friends away from them.

 

So whatever that thing was doing, it didn’t matter.

 

“Draw them in really close, then drop them.” those machines hadn’t hesitated to launch themselves to their trucks, and kill part of them.

 

She had no pity in doing the same thing.

 

They would have none for them.

 

They never had any for them.

 

If machines could even feel.

 

At all.

 

That would be kind of scary…

 

“They’ve passed the center!” soon…

 

Just a little more…

 

“Now!”

 

The button had been pressed, once, twice, multiple times, and yet…

 

The bombs wouldn’t go off…

 

Were they set too quickly and not well enough? Were they defective?

 

“Did it break?”

 

“What are you doing? Set it off already!”

 

“Damn it, It won’t explode!”

 

Damn it!

 

Damn it!

 

Damn it!

 

This was their only plan!

 

Rose rushed ahead pointing her rifle to the machines ready to fire.

 

“Leader! It’s useless!” but even as the others screamed, she watched the rest of her friends do the same.

 

“Let’s retreat!”

 

If they retreated, they would follow them to the camp, and the chance of having more victims was almost guaranteed.

 

They had to fight for their survival, and make it out of it.

 

Somehow…

 

It all happened in a moment…

 

Something set off the explosives they had placed on the bridge, sending the machines flying everywhere, while a barrage of missiles rained down on the rest of them.

 

“What the…?” Dahlia frowned looking at the sky.

 

Who?

 

What?

 

What was happening?

 

In a matter of a few seconds the horde of machines was dead, and their bodies fell from the sky and around them in piles of burned metal, and body parts.

 

Ahead of them, on the other side of the bridge just fire and smoke remained.

 

“Who in the world…”

 

The only thing Rose had known had come down from the sky, had been those four YoRHa back then…

 

No…

 

It wasn’t possible…

 

But as the smoke cleared two flying suits, a white and a black one approached them, stopping right before her and the rest of her group.

 

From the white unit, a female descended, sinking an all too familiar white sword in the head of a machine that was still alive. However, the weapon was not the only familiar thing they saw.

 

It was all too similar…

 

Those white hair in the same bowl cut, black dress and blindfold…

 

“Number 2…” Lily whispered from next to Rose.

 

She and the rest all had the same expression of disbelief, and wide eyes.

 

She looked exactly like Number 2…

 

How?

 

Why?

 

Was it her?

 

That last question was written on their faces as they looked at each other and back to the familiar, yet stranger android. 

 

“2B-san, we have completed the suppression.” while the male one was definitely unfamiliar.

 

Maybe a newer model.

 

Maybe both of them were.

 

Despite everything, Rose refused to believe that this was the same Number 2 they knew, because if that was the case, it meant that YoRHa hadn’t left her in peace even after she died.

 

And had turned her into something else.

 

If it had been her, she’d recognize them.

 

Whatever happened, she, they really hoped it was a completely new unit that just looked like her.

 

Because otherwise would be disrespecting the dead.

 

And they could not accept that.

 

The boy mentioned her name was 2B, so hopefully…

 

But the more Rose stared, the more shocked she became, as memories surged forth from the depths of her mind.

 

She watched as Lily sat down from equal confusion, staggering to remain on her own two feet. Daisy placed a hand on her shoulder, even though she had no idea what to say either.

 

The rest of them gathered closer to her.

 

None of them seemed to have anything they managed to voice, if not for Lily herself.

 

“Is this… some kind of cruel dream?” she whispered in her daze.

 

They knew why she used cruel as an adjective out of all of them, whether this was the same Number 2 or another, their Commander must have known they had been involved in that mission, if she somehow got to know that they had survived it.

 

That was why…

 

“It feels like she’s mocking us…” Dahlia growled quietly.

 

It hadn’t been directed specifically to this new android, most likely, she was just answering orders, it was referred for that one that gave said orders from the comfort of her little satellite.

 

It felt like it was done on purpose, somehow.

 

“Don’t trust them, yet.” not until they found out who they were and why.

 

Using the same exact strategy they used with those four, well, maybe besides the whole almost killing each other scenario, Rose thought.

 

Watch and see how they acted.

 

It wasn’t because of these two specifically, the one she didn’t trust was who sent them here.

 

She had no reason to.

 

And none she’d been ever given.

 

Not after what they had been through.

 

Still in their daze, they hadn’t noticed that one of the machine corpses around them had still been active, until the boy alerted them of it.

 

They managed to dodge the punch coming down on them rolling out of the way, except for Daisy, who as loyal as ever, shielded Lily with her own bigger body.

 

The machine had been quickly dispatched from whatever those floating things accompanying those YoRHa, but not before Daisy sporting a gash on her arm for her courageous act.

 

“Daisy…” Lily held onto her other arm.

 

“It’s just a scratch.”

 

“Okay, everyone. It’s all right now.” Rose watched as the boy android started to make his way towards the rest of the Resistance.

 

She pointed her rifle at him like she did long ago to them.

 

“Stop!”

 

Not knowing who they were or what they wanted, it was better to be safe than sorry.

 

And considering their past regarding YoRHa…

 

Being too cautious never hurts.

 

“Rose-san!” she ignored her name being called, preferring to keep an eye on them, as Dahlia did the same, pointing her weapon at the boy, while Anemone, Margaret and Gerbera kept an eye on the girl.

 

But she didn’t seem intimidated or asking to not fight like Number 2 did back then, even if this was a similar situation.

 

Maybe they were not so similar then, looks aside.

 

“Pod, give me some staunching gel, and the logic virus vaccine.” she heard her speak to her own flying companion instead.

 

Those items most likely were for Daisy.

 

They even had vaccines now, huh?

 

But still…

 

“No need.” Rose motioned to the red haired twins to patch up Daisy’s wound instead.

 

If she had to choose, she’d trust those two more right now.

 

Immediately they answered her order, sending healing nanobots from their own hands to Daisy’s wound, patching it up.

 

In the meantime the others started gushing over these two new YoRHa units, but only because they had never met. They wouldn’t do so if only they had known that it meant only one thing.

 

Those two were here seeking out the Resistance for some kind of personal objective, and they were just bait.

 

Just like their Commander wanted to use them as such before.

 

If it hadn’t been for them and their good hearts… then most likely they wouldn’t be here…

 

But this gave Rose the ability to wait before casting her judgment just yet. It was very much possible that these two were also just sacrifices, much like those four.

 

So for now she’d give the benefit of doubt.

 

Also because if YoRHa finally decided to assist them, then it would only be beneficial.

 

And she had to remember that this time it wasn’t just her own group she had to look after, she had a bigger responsibility now.

 

These people hadn’t been the same ones that followed her with no hesitation for centuries either. They were still unaware and naive about certain ordeals, and she had to do what was best for them too.

 

“The Council of Humanity answered our request.” someone said.

 

Anemone watched, her rifle still drawn as the Number 2 clone and the boy looked at each other, and shook their heads.

 

“Somehow I don’t believe it.” it was all she replied with.

 

It hadn’t been the Council back then, and it surely wasn't their doing now.

 

If they did, why wait so many years since their creation to send help?

 

Rose gave the twins a nod as Daisy’s injury had been finally fixed, before addressing the rest while they were bickering.

 

“We’re heading back to camp.” she declared, as she turned to the two YoRHa.

 

“You two, we’ll talk once we get there.” out here in the open with so many people and dangers it made no sense.

 

And she wanted to avoid watchful eyes as much as possible.

 

Both machines and not.

 

Because certain matters and things were just between her and her group, no one else.

 

They weren’t there, so they wouldn’t understand.

 

Immediately as they started heading back, her friends held themselves close to her, though she could see both Dahlia and Anemone still keeping a wary eye on the two YoRHa, they had always been the two most suspicious after all.

 

Back then it had been them pointing weapons first too.

 

Certain things didn’t change, as apparently it didn’t change the face of Number 2 units either.

 

“What do we do now?” Margaret asked, sparing a quick glance to the female YoRHa.

 

“We keep an eye on them, and find out as much as we can as to what they want. I don’t want to be suspicious of them, but I am suspicious of who leads them.” Rose declared in a low voice, so only they could hear.

 

“After all, we wouldn’t blame them either, for the orders they had, wouldn’t we?”

 

They never blamed Number 2 nor anyone else of the other three, they couldn’t, and they wouldn’t. It wasn’t their fault that their Commander had meant to use them as sacrifices so they could proceed in their mission.

 

Hadn’t it been why they had been spared from death after all?

 

So if anything, for the sake of these two other models, Rose wanted to hope it was just a similar case.

 

That somehow they could still collaborate.

 

They still needed all the help they could get, and they knew well how much just a single YoRHa could contribute and turn things around, even when there was little hope.

 

They were rather special.

 

True to their word, those two were actually being helpful, carrying part of the supplies themselves. Yet another similarity.

 

Rose remembered how effortlessly even Number 21, supposedly the weakest of the four, used to be able to carry more bags than any person of their little Resistance group could. Just how the ones of this new group were praising these two for being so strong.

 

She couldn’t help but stare at this other Number 2 when she stood nearby.

 

“Number 2… Type B…” she let her name pass through her lips.

 

If it were the one they knew, it would be Type A.

 

She had introduced herself as Attacker Number 2, and the others as Attacker Number 4, Gunner Number 16, and Scanner Number 21.

 

None matched.

 

Only the number of what she now assumed being a new Number 2 model, and his saying, the model of the boy, a Scanner, like Number 21, but of a different number.

 

The similarities ended there for now.

 

Still, looking at her wasn’t easy on their eyes, and much less on their minds.

 

Again it felt like some kind of mockery.

 

They waited for the gates of the camp to open as soon as she whistled, before turning again to those two.

 

“Welcome to the Resistance’s Camp.” a formality.

 

But if they were to help them, then it wouldn’t be so bad if they had a place to stay.

 

She wasn’t going to be so evil, after all, they saved them from an almost certain death, or at least more certain losses.

 

There had to be a reason why, no?

 

Immediately as they entered, people began swarming and getting acquainted with the two newcomers, not that they would blame them, they too used to be, other than careful, curious about those mysterious girls in black.

 

Rightfully so.

 

And some of them had gotten closer to some of them than ever expected.

 

But that didn’t change anything…

 

Perhaps it was time to find out more about these two, and maybe give them an apology for the way she acted.

 

She had apologized back then too.

 

“You two from YoRHa, can I have a moment?” Rose had them follow her to the inner part of the camp, where her desk sat.

 

Though they were alone, she could see the rest of her little group sitting close by. 

 

Probably just wanting to listen and to know more as well.

 

“Sorry for pointing our guns at you earlier. My name is Rose. I lead the android Resistance in this area.”

 

More like after finding out her knowledge and expertise in leading a group, and her former status of Captain, though her friends still used the honorific, these people pretty much elected her as their leader.

 

Someone that could give them a direction to follow, at least.

 

“First of all, let me thank you for helping us out.” she wasn't going to be so ungrateful.

 

“Helping the Resistance is one of our missions. No need for thanks.” so very formal, this Number 2 was. 

 

The one they met was so cheerful, positive and full of energy and emotion.

 

“Now, now, let’s just be grateful for their gratitude.” speaking of cheerful, the boy here certainly was.

 

Or seemed to be.

 

“Rose-san, I’m YoRHa unit 9S, and she’s 2B. And those floating around us are our Pods, tactical support units. Nice to meet you.”

 

Perhaps she’d been staring at 2B too much, losing herself in thought as he explained, and she noticed.

 

“There’s something wrong?” the woman asked, but the boy, 9S, seemed to pick up more of it.

 

“Oh? Perhaps you know 2B?” had she truly been looking so hard?

 

How embarrassing.

 

She hadn’t meant to, but it was hard not to.

 

“No. I don’t.”

 

“Leader.” she hadn’t been more thankful to have Jackass around than right in this moment. At least it got her out of a potentially uneasy situation.

 

“I heard you got assaulted. I'm glad you’re okay.” yes, they were.

 

Even for as curious and hyper she could be, Jackass had many aces up her sleeves, and was good to have her around.

 

Immediately she began introducing her to the two YoRHa, watching her fuss over them, before reminding her that she claimed to want to speak to her because she had something to report.

 

Said report said that there was a new phenomenon going on between the machines of the desert, finding out that the two YoRHa were here to do the exact same thing.

 

So them coming to their rescue had just been a lucky coincidence. 

 

Still, they were asking to entrust them to investigate it.

 

She… wasn’t really willing to send these two people they just met to do something so dangerous, the last time they saw YoRHas for a mission it ended with them dying… they had just been thinking about how if they were going to meet more of them, that they wouldn’t have a repeat…

 

It was the Resistance’s duty, but they were asking for it too…

 

What should she do?

 

Should she accept?

 

Maybe she was being too cautious due to their past…

 

“It’ll be fine. If they want to help us recon, then let them help.” Jackass wasn’t wrong either.

 

Rose sighed.

 

“All right… but do be careful.”

 

And she meant all of them.

 

Lowkey she did want to see these two again, maybe it was just a matter of settling some kind of score with the past, but still…

 

Watching them leave, she joined her friends sitting in the area of the jukebox, they were listening to some kind of slow music, kind of sad and sorrowful, in a way it matched their feelings.

 

“So… can we trust them?” Anemone asked, she, who wouldn’t trust so easily.

 

“I’m not sure yet, for their sake I hope so…”

 

The air around them was heavy. They were happy to have been saved, but having YoRHa around again brought back unpleasant feelings.

 

Not that they didn’t want to remember, but memories hurt…

 

Both happy ones, and the ones that weren’t.

 

This was useless, but…

 

“Everyone… we’re still fighting.”

 

They couldn’t hear them, but maybe, hopefully, they were watching down on them.

 

Wherever they were…

 

After all, seeing them here, still alive, was what they would have wanted.

 

Chapter 2: Recollection of a [T]ime that was

“Rose-san, I was wondering… why hasn’t the Resistance collaborated with YoRHa before?”

 

The question came from the ever curious Scanner boy, 9S.

 

Rose had accompanied him and his partner, 2B through the City Ruins like he had demanded, claiming that he wanted to install a system of alarms in case of machine attacks, so the Resistance would be safe.

 

Well, they had met while they had been attacked by a large number of machines, of which these two had taken care of, pretty much saving them all. 

 

With time she had gotten to know the duo.

 

2B, despite being a Number 2, was way different, colder and aloof than the young captain of those years ago.

 

She who made emotions the source of her strength.

 

And 9S, another Scanner.

 

Rose and her group couldn’t say they met many of their type before, actually, no one else before him but Number 21.

 

They quickly learned how very curious and inquisitive the boy was, compared to the woman they knew, he’d easily speak his mind even when not asked, so very much the opposite than her.

 

At least they seemed kind.

 

Kind like the girls they had met, and the question, she knew sooner or later would have arrived, didn’t make it any easier on her already heavy heart.

 

Three years…

 

It had been that long since then…

 

But it still felt like yesterday.

 

She didn’t give him an answer, preferring to keep a hard stare.

 

The woman at her side seemed to catch the hint, that she was unwilling to share, and prompted him to get going to do his job, and fix the malfunctioning unit.

 

Once he was out of sight, Rose spared another glance at 2B, noticing how the shadow behind her was literally identical to Number 2, despite the different attire.

 

Though even that was similar.

 

She had sworn, alongside the others, that she wouldn’t talk about that time with anyone else that wasn’t her own group, that remembered as much as she did.

 

Maybe spared a few words, but never made names.

 

It felt… disrespectful towards the girls for the way they had been used by YoRHa to speak about them with others that came after.

 

But in the end, perhaps they were all just victims.

 

For the soldiers, that was. For their Commander? She didn’t know, but there wasn’t any pity towards her from her side for how she tossed away the life of those girls that despite everything, still believed she’d aid them, and in a better future.

 

And that their mission would have brought peace.

 

They had tried until the end…

 

Sacrificing all to save the first and only people that ever treated them with respect, and had shown them what friendship was.

 

For some, even beyond that.

 

However…

 

She just longed to share the story with someone, and 2B was just too similar to Number 2…

 

Too much…

 

“What’s wrong?” the YoRHa asked, surely she seemed apprehensive.

 

Number 2 would have asked the same thing…

 

Rose grit her teeth, trying to keep herself from talking, but as she turned away the words fell from her lips on their own.

 

“There was one time when we worked together…”  

 

As she realized what she just said, her mind was just screaming don’t tell her. 

 

Don’t tell her.

 

Don’t tell her!

 

What if she and eventually 9S were going to report this to their Commander? Was she going to finally sacrifice their lives like she had wanted to long ago? When she meant to use them as bait for her soldiers to proceed?

 

She couldn’t risk it for her sake and the other’s. 

 

And yet…

 

The damage had already been done from the moment the first word left her mouth…

 

So then…

 

“A few years ago, the Resistance rescued a group of androids.” she turned around, so she couldn’t see 2B’s face, she didn’t want to.

 

Not right now…

 

She still remembered the four of them, trapped in the middle of an enormous wave of machines, when they had landed in the desert.

 

Alone… and helpless…

 

The question that arrived broke her out of her musings. “Why are you telling me this?”

 

Why? She wasn’t quite sure herself.

 

But turning around again to face 2B, she may have had an answer, or one of sorts.

 

“I’m not really sure but…” as she said so, her eyes flashed the old Number 2 right where 2B stood in front of her. “You remind me of their young Captain, she said she called herself Number 2.”

 

“Number 2 models use the same synthetic body.” it was 2B’s reply.

 

“It might be because of that.” because every time she looked at her, her mind flashed back to that day, when Number 2 and her comrades suddenly appeared before them in the middle of nowhere.

 

Dahlia and Anemone had immediately jumped at them, pointing weapons to these four that had appeared out of nowhere. The group accused them of being android looking machines, and trying to deceive them.

 

They had always been on the defensive side of things, ever since they had left and ditched, or rather, killed, their former superiors. Rose did, at least, for Lily’s sake.

 

They lived with a don’t trust anyone but each other rule for years and years, losing more and more of the group to machines as time went on.

 

Her friends’ mistrust wasn’t wrong, at first.

 

She could still picture Anemone, who had acted first, and her knife against Number 21’s neck, Number 4 jumping in to protect her comrade, and Dahlia and Number 16 pointing their rifles at one another, after the Gunner had taken Lily by her neck, angered from her words of accusation.

 

“The situation was looking like it was going to be a bloodbath, however…” Rose very well remembered how Number 2 stepped in between Number 16 and Dahlia.

 

Despite everything, the Gunner had still hit her with the butt of her gun.

 

She very well recalled when Number 2 retaliated grabbing the gun, and how the stray shot came so close to her face.

 

And then… she begged both her comrades and the Resistance to stop fighting, and how they needed allies.

 

When Rose heard that they too had lost the rest of her squadron while landing, that had been when she lost her suspicions, and what prompted her to listen to their story.

 

And find out just how similar they just were.

 

“Number 2 begged us not to fight each other, because they needed our help.” turning around, Rose began walking on the bridge they were standing on.

 

She didn’t feel like sitting around, the memory still made her and the others restless even to this day.

 

And it was still hard to look at 2B and not call her Number 2, so she made sure she didn’t have to.

 

“We found out that the rest of their squadron had died during the descent, they were left alone, without aid from your Commander.” despite her best wishes, her tone was still accusatory. “There was an initial reluctance, but I decided to trust them.”

 

After all, they had known what loss meant way before Number 2 and her friends ever did.

 

What it meant to be abandoned in a wasteland without anyone coming to save them, what it meant to feel helpless…

 

She resonated with their story.

 

Rose never regretted her decision that day.

 

“Their mission was to destroy a machine server located at the base of Mt. Ka’ala, but with just them four, the task was just impossible to achieve.” she recalled Dahlia being the most reluctant to trust them, especially when they refused to share classified information.

 

And to this day, even Rose didn’t know why they still held on to the rules given to them, despite the obvious betrayal from their creators, and Commander.

 

“Trusting them would have meant to put our own lives at stake too.” though 2B probably knew that as much too. “After living for thousands of years surviving, with no change at all, and comrades after comrades dying, we decided that this would have been our chance to strike back.”

 

They decided that those four were there to give them a change to achieve something concrete for once, even at the cost of their lives.

 

However…

 

“There were still some of us that didn’t trust each other, but what happened next cleared out doubts.” even for as terrible it had been to see and experience.

 

One moment it had been all fun and games, with Lily, Gerbera and Number 21 returning from their scouting, meeting them again after she and Daisy spoke about a promise she didn’t get to keep to Number 2 and Number 4.

 

The hug Lily gave to the Scanner, how easily the girl trusted this stranger, and how awkwardly the red haired woman looked back at her, looking like she never experienced affection, and probably she never did before then.

 

Dahlia and Number 16 racing to get back to the camp as quickly as possible, challenging each other through anything and everything, hitting each other in the face before collapsing in an exhausted heap.

 

People laughing at them, Daisy chugging down all the water Margaret had brought back, and people complaining after.

 

And then…

 

Anemone walking up to Lily, with her gun drawn to her…

 

“Lily had been infected with a logic virus.”

 

“A logic virus…” 2B seemed to ponder on her words for a moment, she too must have known what kind of threat that weapon was to androids. 

 

And probably she’d been thinking about something else too.

 

“Lily is alive though.” she’d seen her walk and talk like everyone else that met her did. Though 2B here was the only person Rose ever told the story of, but she was too far in to stop now.

 

The others that knew were the ones that were there during those times.

 

Rose nodded at 2B’s words.

 

“We of the Resistance hadn’t known how to deal with such a threat, so all we could ever do was to kill the infected before it spread to the others.”

 

They had pointed their weapons to Lily, as she screamed and punched people left and right with a kind of strength that didn’t belong to her.

 

“As we raised our rifles towards Lily, someone refused to let that happen.” the determination of that woman still baffled her to this day.

 

“It was Number 2’s Scanner friend, Number 21.”

 

“Wait!” despite the threat of the line of rifles pointed at Lily, the red haired Scanner put herself in between, showing a courage and an emotional side that Rose didn’t know she possessed. “You can’t just let your friend die!”

 

Easy for her to say, for such a young android.

 

This was probably the first time they saw an infection, most likely.

 

“Number 21…” Number 2 called softly with worry for her friend.

 

“Lily said you were a family to her!”

 

“So what?” Rose had snarled back. It was because they were a family that they had to end Lily’s suffering as soon as possible!

 

“You can’t abandon family before you’ve exhausted all possibilities!”

 

“So what can you do then!?” Rose lost her patience. Time was running out, for them, for Lily, and with Number 21 being so close to her, the risk of something happening to her too was very much concrete.

 

Couldn’t she see how foolish she was being?

 

The person they thought was the most level headed of the four YoRHa girls…

 

But what she said after, threw them off entirely, not only that, but the tone of absolute decision she had made them falter.

 

“I will use my power to eliminate the virus.” 

 

“That’s impossible.” but despite her words, Rose’s heart skipped a beat at the possibility, but… no…

 

It just couldn’t be real.

 

They had seen this so many times already.

 

Dahlia lost her patience first, pointing her rifle even closer to the Scanner woman that still insisted to protect Lily, but as she did, Number 16 did the same thing, pointing her own weapon against Dahlia’s head.

 

“No one that has been infected has even come back, move aside before she’ll go berserk!”

 

“Shut up!” the Gunner growled. “If Number 21 says she can do it, she will!”

 

Rose hadn’t missed the relieved look on the redhead’s face as the raven took her defenses. Her comrades believed her, all other three of them, and subsequently even Rose’s own friends took part in helping her all together.

 

The next moments were a blur, between the girls trying to hold down a much too strong Lily, Number 2 begging her to believe in them, Dahlia crying that she didn’t want to lose more friends.

 

The gravity wave, Number 21 managing to grab onto Lily and the two of them tumbling on the ground, with the Scanner struggling with the other girl’s hands on her neck wanting to kill her, when just a few minutes before she was holding her in her arms with much affection…

 

As Lily fainted Rose rushed to hold her, while Number 2 did the same with her friend, eventually when Lily woke up again, she’d been healed.

 

“Number 21 saved Lily.” and even to this day they wouldn’t be more grateful for her bravery, and for having hope when they didn’t.

 

But Rose still thought at that moment of weakness, when she saw the Scanner stumble on her own two legs, almost falling, not too long after they had stopped worrying about Lily.

 

She had assured them she was okay, with her usual calmness.

 

She should have known it would have ended the way it did, that signal had been evident but had been easily masked as tiredness from the earlier struggle…

 

Number 21 had been infected herself, and none of them noticed. 

 

She kept this secret within her until she could no more…

 

“That was what made us decide that we’d be ready to die for these people, they gave us the hope we had lost long ago.”

 

The times they spent after were spent traveling towards their destination all together, and knowing each other better as far as YoRHa rules allowed them to, growing closer.

 

Some of them got very much close in such a short time, despite the initial dislike.

 

“What happened to the mission then?” getting curious now, 2B? Rose thought. Perhaps there was a little of the old Number 2 even in her.

 

“Together we made it up Mt. Ka’ala, where their objective was, but awaiting us was a massive horde of about 3.000 machines that kept us pinned.” way too many for just the few of them to handle.

 

Though Gerbera had been smart to come up and set up a strategy with land mines to get rid of as many as possible, the machines had seen right through it, and it had been rendered useless.

 

All of this at the exact same time when the four YoRHa had been contacted and pretty much rendered to leave them behind and move on, which had given Rose even more the idea that their Commander wanted to use the Resistance as shields to let her soldiers proceed.

 

They had done no such a thing though.

 

Proving that unlike the ones in command, they had a heart.

 

They had been friends before, no?

 

And they were the reason why they were here today, and those four weren’t…

 

They had tried multiple times to not think of them as gone for the longest time, a desperate hope that faded more and more with each day that passed.

 

Days turned weeks, weeks turned months, and months turned years…

 

Still no trace of them at all…

 

Eventually they had just started thinking about the worst. Those four were never meant to make it out of that mission anyway. 

 

But that didn’t mean that they didn’t leave a sign of their passage.

 

And it didn’t mean that it still didn’t hurt.

 

“3.000 units? What about backup?”

 

Oh how naive 2B was, another trait in common with Number 2, or perhaps things had changed within YoRHa since then. Rose didn’t know, but wasn’t sure of her thought either.

 

“There was none.” like there never had been before, ever, in 200 long years.

 

The Council of Humanity just never cared.

 

“We were all sacrificial pawns, all of us.” but those four in particular. Had they never met, their fate would have been just the same.

 

Only that to this day they would have had no one to remember they ever existed.

 

Their memory remained, at least.

 

They flooded Rose’s mind as she kept walking ahead on the broken highway.

 

Pinned halfway up the mountain the machines kept them from going anywhere, until Lily’s courageous act, revealing that she had kept the gravity wave and was now able to use it, kept the mechanical beings from advancing.

 

“Now hurry to the elevator hall!” she had begged them, but that meant leaving her behind…

 

What followed was a discussion between them, as Lily still pleaded to leave it to her, so for once she wouldn’t be a weight, and could be useful too. In the middle of it, some machine must have gotten loose and shot at Lily, but Daisy had noticed in time, and shielded her with her own body.

 

“I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt me.” as if she’d been heard she’d been shot again, Gerbera running to her aid, but the bigger woman took the attack and looked back with absolute determination.

 

“I won’t move! I won’t flinch! I will protect Lily-chan!” just like that, she had made up her mind, and looked like Gerbera was going to stay with them too.

 

“If that’s your will, then I will support you!” Dahlia had announced out of the blue, following her immediately after, Number 21 had put a hand to her heart. “Then I will…”

 

“No.” the much louder and imperative voice of Number 16 cut her off, as she walked closer to the small group that was forming. “I will stay, a Gunner is meant for long range battle, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving everything in the hands of a newbie like Dahlia.”

 

“Who are you calling a newbie?” it was the woman’s response to the raven after she and Anemone shot down some machines that had gotten too close, before Lily could deploy the gravity wave to block them again.

 

“Dahlia, you…”

 

“Anemone, I can say this now. I never digested your personality, but your shooting is first class.” the way she said this, almost sounded like a goodbye, as she joined her fellow companions in the front lines, rifle raised in front of her.

 

“I’m leaving Captain Rose in your care.” after all, both her and Anemone had somewhat been her vices, well, they acted like it. 

 

They made it their duty to try to take some of the burden off her shoulders, often taking over when it came to take out a dear friend so she wouldn’t have to do that. Anemone had always been the first to pick up when something was wrong, and despite the words of dislike, Dahlia was always ready to side with her when the need arose to protect the others.

 

There was a mutual respect between each other that went beyond their different personalities.

 

In a way, she’d seen it a bit between the Gunner and Scanner too, divergent personalities, the most opposite ones they could have, but when Number 21 issues a command, or needed help, Number 16 was always at her side before the others, she hadn’t missed the worried look the Scanner gave to her companion after the decision she took either.

 

The situation with Lily had told her that most of all.

 

“YoRHa unit Gunner Number 16, from now I declare my new designation to defend Mt. Ka’ala with the Resistance.”

 

“But Number 16, you…” the young Captain was cut off sharply just like the Scanner did before. “Number 2! No… Captain, I won’t die as long as I’m with them.”

 

She even had the strength to smile, placing her shoulder against her shoulder. “Once this mission is over, let’s head back to the Bunker and kick the Commander’s ass.”

 

It was a facade more than anything else, made to ease Number 2’s worries and to make her look like she was her usual confident self, despite the situation, and to convince the Attacker that they would survive this, so she would proceed on with the others.

 

“I can’t accept this! It’s too dangerous to separate!” who knew what could have awaited them ahead? They needed all the people they could have.

 

But part of her just didn’t want to leave them behind, with the fear of never seeing them again… 

 

She would have been selfish to not admit that.

 

“If we’re all stuck here then the mission will fail! Captain Rose, please let us stay.” Oh Dahlia, what a kind heart…

 

Rose put a hand to her heart.

 

Androids… they were all meant to die for humanity, but… after surviving for so long together she didn’t want to leave her family behind…

 

The only people she ever cared about…

 

“Rose, what do we do?” Number 4 asked, urging her to take a decision, because they were running out of time.

 

Her eyes shook as she met the eyes of Lily, Daisy and Gerbera, they looked back just with the same determination Dahlia had, they were willing to stay.

 

“Please.” they begged, let us stay.

 

Let us stay, their eyes spoke.

 

“Dahlia!”

 

“Margaret! You must go…” yes, they had to go.

 

They had to…

 

She took Margaret’s by the arm, forcibly dragging her away from Dahlia as she weakly tried to resist.

 

I’m sorry, she wanted to say.

 

But she needed someone still at her side, she was being selfish, Rose knew.

 

“Margaret, follow me.” it wasn’t an order, but a request to not leave her and Anemone by themselves, but mostly her.

 

Swallowing her sadness in the depths of her heart, she spoke again.

 

“I’m leaving this to you.” please do not die on me, she wanted to beg, instead, she turned towards Number 2. “Number 2, shall we go?”

 

Rose watched the young Captain struggle to get the words out, her lips pursed in a tight line. Though she couldn’t see her eyes, she knew she was trying so hard not to cry, and break down entirely.

 

Number 16 was her dear comrade after all…

 

Still, she nodded. 

 

“Yes.”

 

Rose left first, rushing towards the elevator, dragging Margaret with her still. Anemone followed, ever loyal, with Number 21 at her side, her face held low, covered from both the hood and visor, there was no telling what she was thinking, but she too must have been affected by Number 16 staying behind.

 

She had tried to protest against it, but it had been the Gunner’s decision in the end.

 

Number 4 and Number 2 lagged a little far behind, with the long haired albino staying at the other woman’s side, a hand placed on her shoulder through the entire way for support.

 

Just when they thought that at least they could have made it through the rest of the journey together, another heavy weight threatened to crush them.

 

Surely it must have crushed one of them.

 

Rose still didn’t know today how the Scanner managed to hide everything until then…

 

Even then she hadn’t noticed until Margaret told them she saw her stumble, and almost fall while standing in the same place.

 

But if she replayed the memory in her mind, now she did notice, if she paid enough attention, ignoring her aching heart of that time, that her voice had sounded much more winded and weaker than it would usually be.

 

Back then Rose had been too distracted from the thought of leaving part of her family behind to pay attention to the Scanner.

 

She felt bad for not doing that now, but what was done was done.

 

Her family had to stay behind so she’d continue, and give a sense to this damn mission. She didn’t regret wanting to help the four YoRHa, that no, especially not after the bonds they developed after.

 

It was the fact that she may never get to see that part of her family anymore that hurt the most…

 

If they were ever going to make it out of this, that was.

 

“Rose, are you alright?” no, she wasn’t, she wanted to tell Number 4, instead she found herself whispering their names in the quiet of the elevator hall.

 

“They aren’t just pawns to be sacrificed, they will fight.” the hopeful voice of Number 2 reached her ears.

 

Yes they would, she knew that they wouldn’t die for nothing.

 

Back then, Rose had no idea what the true meaning behind those words was, whether they had been spoken intentionally or not.

 

Something told her that Number 2 had done it on purpose, given how things ended up. 

 

That kind naive fool…

 

Not too far from them sat the rest of the remaining group, with Number 21 focused on the panel of the elevator, furiously tapping away at it with a hurry that didn’t belong to her.

 

Margaret looked over her shoulder. “What’s wrong, Number 21?”

 

“All that’s left is to head down to the server room, but the elevator won’t activate.” so that was why she was checking on it.

 

“Why?” Number 2 asked.

 

“The machines have it protected, we can’t get to the server room without removing it.” as she spoke, she lifted the hood of her dress over her head, a gesture she didn’t understand.

 

But she didn’t question either.

 

“But it’s not a problem, I’ll just hack it.” and matter of fact, moments later the doors of the elevator opened with a ding.

 

Immediately the group rushed in, but… Number 21 remained where she was standing.

 

“Number 21, what’s wrong?” as Number 2 looked at her comrade, Rose had a sinking feeling that she knew what.

 

“Please go on ahead.”

 

“Why? Number 21, you have to come with us…” but the Scanner shut down Number 2’s protests.

 

“I want to, but if I don’t keep working on this, the elevator will stop before it reaches the server room. That’s why I must stay here and continue hacking it.”

 

There it was, the feeling Rose felt deep in her chest.

 

They were about to lose another one…

 

“No… we can’t leave you…” Number 4 cried out after her friend. 

 

But hers was more than simple worry, because Number 21 couldn’t even protect herself, what if she were to die before she could complete her task?

 

Who would protect her?

 

Suddenly the doors began to close, she and Margaret moved to stop them with their strength. Something told Rose it had been the Scanner’s doing, she was trying to make them leave by force.

 

Because there was no time.

 

“The enemies are coming, please, just hurry!” the tone Number 21 used was uncharacteristically desperate.

 

They had to go, and they had to leave her here.

 

That much was clear.

 

But someone needed to stay, that was why Anemone stepped out of the elevator, taking place at the Scanner’s side.

 

“I’ll stay behind and protect Number 21. You go down to the server room.” her statement left no room to argue.

 

How many?

 

How many did they have to leave behind and risk never seeing again before this would end?

 

Her heart ached hearing Number 2 crying for her friend, but…

 

“Let’s go. We can’t let their decision be in vain!”

 

She too wanted it to be a different way, but just like Dahlia and the others, there was nothing else they could have done, without risking to fail and to throw all of their efforts in the wind.

 

It wasn’t until a while later, when Number 2 had been musing if Number 21 had been okay, that they discovered about the infection, only because Margaret revealed that she saw her stumble in place.

 

And Anemone had stayed behind to give her the peace she deserved, she revealed later on.

 

Back then, when Margaret revealed the truth to them, not even Number 2 nor Number 4 had known, Number 21 had hidden everything even to her comrades, a monumental task given what happened.

 

How they saved them…

 

Hadn’t she been there to see Number 2 desperately trying to stop the elevator in vain, hearing about her dying comrade, and hearing the sound of Number 16 sacrificing herself outside, she almost thought that it had been planned.

 

She had seen Number 4 reach out to the woman with a tight hug.

 

“We can’t help them.” she heard her say.

 

The Attacker had whispered something in Number 2’s ear, Rose had watched her lips move, but she didn’t know what she said.

 

Only that the young captain nodded at it.

 

If she had to guess, it was something related to the reason why they let them live.

 

“Eventually we reached the server, but I don’t recall much of what happened there.” her memories of that part were very fuzzy.

 

She didn’t even know why, but perhaps it was a response to the trauma of the loss.

 

She wouldn’t know how else to explain it.

 

“I just remember that Number 2 and Number 4 had us leave the place.” Margaret was hurt, that much she recalled, and that she helped her get away.

 

But she still heard their voices.

 

“We already made up our mind about this, we’ll deal with everything.” 

 

Number 4’s words rang in her head, urging them to leave, and to live.

 

“We decided that none of you should be sacrificed.” 

 

Number 2 spoke solemnly, like the captain she was supposed to be.

 

She and the others had decided beforehand to save them…

 

“We were made to die, but for once… allow us to save you like you did for us.” 

 

Dahlia told her that Number 16 told them these words before having them run, and before shooting out her reactor like a bullet, sacrificing her life with it.

 

Without them having a say in it.

 

“If you don’t live there will be no one to remember our existence.” 

 

These were the last words Number 21 had managed to tell Anemone, before she took her life. If the Scanner had said more, that was left between her and Anemone.

 

No one asked her to tell.

 

Perhaps what she had said had allowed them to make sense to all of this.

 

Those girls wanted them to keep living, instead of being sacrificial pawns like they were meant to be, and that they expected to end up being.

 

So that someone could remember that they had existed, and that could mourn their passing.

 

If only she could have…

 

If only she could have at least told them the names she had picked for them like she had promised to…

 

Out of instinct, her hand reached into her pocket, where the small notebook with those names was.

 

She kept it as a memento, and took it with her everywhere she went.

 

“If we survive this, let’s meet again someday. These were the last words I remember that Number 2 said to us.” 

 

But…

 

“When the server exploded and we woke up again, we only found each other on the ship that came to rescue us.” a ship of the Resistance, probably alerted from what had happened, came looking for them.

 

Rescued and healed them.

 

That was how they met Jackass after all.

 

“We went back multiple times, sent search parties, but we never found anything, not even their bodies.” so that at least they would have something to mourn.

 

They made graves for them, like humans used to.

 

But without a body or anything to leave there, there was little meaning to them too. However it eased their minds, at least a bit.

 

Those girls couldn’t be at peace even after death…

 

“All we have left is their memory.”

 

Even if they had lost a lot of comrades over the years, Rose could say that the loss of those four somehow hit them the hardest.

 

Perhaps it had been the feeling of hope they gave with their mere presence.

 

And safety too, in a way.

 

But during those short weeks they’d been together, she could say that in some way, they were the closest to happiness ever since.

 

Number 2’s naive but always present hope was contagious.

 

With a sigh, she turned again to 2B. “And you? What kind of memories do you have, 2B?” 

 

The other android didn’t reply, but she watched her look over to where 9S was, waving at them with a smile on his face.

 

Whatever it was, it must have been something special.

 

Something special between them.

 

Instead of answering, 2B said something Rose didn’t expect. 

 

“Wouldn’t it be nice if they were still alive?”

 

Rose held no hope anymore, and she knew the rest of her group didn’t either.

 

But…

 

“That would be a nice dream.”

 

Unfortunately, it would be all that it could be, and nothing more.

 

Chapter 3: Adaptation to [R]eality

2B is way too nice for her own good, 9S decided, as they made their way up the stairs of the throne room, where that machine said their king was.

 

The audacity to ask them to save him…

 

They had already wasted enough time finding that other machine on Pascal’s behalf… but 2B already decided to help them without him having a say in this.

 

There was still that whole story of the intruders, still, it was beyond him as to why 2B would want to aid machines even in this state, androids were supposed to be their enemies anyways.

 

But he would be lying if he wasn’t at least curious to know who these people were.

 

The damage they had caused was impressive to say the least. Like he had said when they had seen the first victim perfectly cut in half, it had to be the work of a master.

 

Someone that knew what they were doing.

 

And knew it well.

 

Having observed the corpses a bit, there seemed to be no distinction to the type of wounds sustained, both cuts and bullets alike, which meant that whoever killed all these machines had to be part of the same group of people.

 

Pascal claimed that in the recordings he had seen from the memories of a fallen soldier, he spotted more than one silhouette, which meant there was more than one android potentially lurking around the castle.

 

Which was why he wished that 2B would just leave this place, for safety.

 

But she didn’t seem to care.

 

When they got to the top of the staircase a shrill sound reached their ears… was that??

 

They both rushed to the end of the path, where a crib sat, when 2B removed the cloth, a small infant machine lying among red flowers looked back at them with its big eyes. 

 

Kind of cute…

 

“This is…”

 

“The little king.” 2B finished the sentence for him.

 

However they couldn’t do or say anything more, before someone dropped from above on the crib, pushing them backwards from the impact.

 

When they laid their eyes on the crib again, there was an android, and the little king impaled on her sword, only to be thrown away like trash right before them, his eyes turning off as he died.

 

The woman before them stared at them with glaring and cold blue eyes.

 

She had long white hair, and her body was missing pieces and most clothing, an evident state of disrepair.

 

In her hand, a Type 4O Sword that she just used to brutally murder the harmless king.

 

Was this one of the intruders?

 

“2B, that’s an android…” a YoRHa type android no less, that was evident.

 

But his Pod had told him before how no other squadron was sent here, and the way she carried herself she couldn’t be of any of them either.

 

She wasn’t wearing neither a uniform nor a visor.

 

Did she run?

 

If so, then why would she expose herself like this?

 

Who was she?

 

“So, this is one of the intruders that destroyed the kingdom…” Pascal hovered behind them.

 

And he never should have…

 

Because it seemed that this android clearly had no intention to speak peacefully with anyone, at all. As soon as she set her eyes on the peaceful machine, she rushed over with her sword drawn.

 

With a clear intent to kill.

 

The two YoRHa barely had any time to react and put themselves between her and Pascal, shielding him. The unknown android didn’t like that one bit, as she only glared harder.

 

“YoRHa units protecting a machine lifeform?” she spoke with such venom.

 

Whoever this was, she despised machines more than anything.

 

2B managed to push her away with a kick, but what they hadn’t realized was that the rest of the intruders were just waiting to make their move.

 

Only now they remembered they had only seen one of them, but were warned of multiple ones.

 

The Pods thankfully did, they put up a preemptive barrier as a rain of bullets came down on them, as a second android showed up.

 

“How low YoRHa has fallen.”

 

And then a third, with a much bigger sword than the first charged at them, together with the first woman they had seen. 2B intercepted that first one again, as Pascal managed to fly away from that other android that came out of nowhere with the massive Type 4O Blade, avoiding being cut in half.

 

Just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, as Pascal attempted leaving, a fourth android showed up, using a Type 4O Lance as leverage to jump, she threw herself at the machine.

 

While 2B and the Pods kept at bay the other three, 9S managed to see right through this last android’s plan, taking notice of her exposed left hand extended towards Pascal, and the signature round lights Scanners used to send impulses for hacking, and manipulate hard light.

 

She was trying to hack Pascal!

 

He didn’t like him but… he had nothing wrong to them, he even saved him before, so…

 

Extending his own hand, he hacked into this other supposedly S type android.

 

Her barriers were really strong, sending him out of her systems almost immediately, but those seconds were exactly what he had needed to keep her engaged to defend herself from the inside, and to sit still enough so Pascal could run.

 

And he did.

 

9S watched as the Scanner almost stumbled when she landed from his motion, he couldn’t see the eyes of this one, but she pointed the lance towards him.

 

The four androids were now circling them, weapons drawn.

 

In this moment of stall, Pod 042 spoke, shedding some light on the situation.

 

“Confirming that these units are wanted by YoRHa. The fugitive units A2, A4, G16 and S21. Annihilation recommended.” 

 

Still… how could they be enemies?

 

Weren’t they still androids?

 

“But they are YoRHa units just like us…” why should they kill their similars?

 

Weren’t machines the enemy?

 

“They are deserters. They betrayed the Council of Humanity and destroyed multiple pursuit androids.”

 

9S watched as presumably, judging from the outdated rifle in her hands, the one known as G16 scowling at the words the Pods spoke. 

 

These four were… deserters?

 

Well, the state of their broken down bodies should have been an indicator, but…

 

“But why?”

 

What happened to them?

 

He wanted to know more.

 

He had to know more.

 

But 2B once again had other ideas, and didn’t seem to question anything.

 

“9S, let’s go.”  without more words she threw herself at the first android before her, that one they saw before the others.

 

They were two people and two Pods, technically four against four, but… would it be a fair fight? 9S had no time to give himself an answer before what he could guess was the G type shot at him again.

 

He barely had the time to block the shots before the other Scanner rushed at him, swinging her lance against his sword.

 

Older S types but he shouldn’t even have weapons as far as he knew, so how…

 

There were so many questions he wanted to ask them, but the situation didn’t allow him to.

 

Why did they even attack them? 

 

Did they think that they were here for them? Pod 042 implied that they should, but they weren’t here under any orders though. He wanted to at least say so, but 2B wanted to follow through fighting them, as if she’d been told to, technically she did, but…

 

With the corner of his eyes he could spot her engaged in a heated battle with both the two albinos, the one holding the Type 4O Blade shielded herself from the bullets of Pod 042, while the other clashed swords with 2B.

 

Pod 153 did the same, trying to keep at bay the other Gunner, who somehow had no fear of being hit instead, as she ran straight through the barrage to come to him, and aid the Scanner one against him.

 

So far he managed to push her back a little.

 

His fellow S type seemed the less expert in fights at least, but she still had the ranged advantage with the lance against his sword.

 

A stray shot from Pod 153 came close to the redhead’s face, damaging the visor she was wearing, as the cloth came loose the woman reached for it, the battle seemingly forgotten.

 

Whatever happened, the android wasn’t willing to expose her eyes.

 

9S couldn’t muse about how she was the only one with her eyes covered, when he had his breath knocked out of him from behind, as the Gunner rammed into him, making him fall flat on his face.

 

It was a blur, but the raven reached for her friend’s arm, dragging her away from him, as he recovered from the impact.

 

On the other side of things the clear sound of metal clashing and breaking could be heard.

 

When he turned, there was that first android and the Type 4O Sword she had broken in half, as her companion kept on guard, her larger weapon drawn, as they retreated, quickly reached from the other two as well.

 

Sharing a nod, they walked until they were standing on the edge of the castle.

 

Was it over?

 

Still…

 

“Why? Why did you betray us?” 9S managed to ask as he recovered, even taking a step towards them.

 

That one long haired woman from before stared back at them with the same cold eyes as before, her voice was just like ice like them too.

 

“Command is the one that betrayed.”

 

What did she mean…?

 

With a motion of her head, she threw herself down from the edge of the castle, wordlessly telling the other three to follow her, and they did seconds after.

 

What just happened?

 

“2B, I will submit a report to the Commander.” and hopefully know some more about them.

The four quickly made their way back to their hideout down the ravine close by, after being certain of not being followed, but Number 21 claimed that she wasn’t reading any black box signal but theirs, meaning that those two must have stayed where they had left them.

 

Or so they assumed.

 

It wasn’t their problem as long as they weren’t chasing them.

 

“I can’t believe YoRHa has gotten to protecting machines now.” Number 16 growled as she sat down in a corner of the cave, her rifle in hand, inspecting it.

 

“Disappointing, but as long as we didn’t get killed, who cares?” Number 4 placed her big sword on the ground, heading for the nearby stream of water to clean her face. 

 

Number 21 did the same thing taking off the visor and gingerly cleaning the cut on her right cheek. “You okay?” the attacker at her side asked.

 

“It’s nothing, just a scratch.” hardly something she couldn’t fix. “Are you?”

 

“None of us got harmed, only my sword.” Number 2 shrugged, they were fine, and she’ll find a replacement. “It seems those two were holding back.”

 

“It doesn’t matter, we’ve destroyed all the machines in the area but the one with them, our job is done, and they can go back licking the Commander’s boots or whatever.”

 

Despite the way the raven put it into words, she was right.

 

They did what they wanted, destroying the machines at the castle, and their king, encountering them had been unfortunate, but as long as they made it out all alive and well, it was all that mattered.

 

Sooner or later they’d get that machine they were protecting too, they couldn’t be around it forever after all.

 

Even if with those two in the area they weren’t truly safe, well, they never had been. 

 

“It seems they weren’t even there for us.” the redhead judged based on the words of those floating boxes that the new units seemed to love carrying around. With time she guessed they were just helpers to gain and share information, other than support fire, though she couldn’t be entirely sure.

 

It looked like it was the first time they had even heard or seen things about them.

 

But it wasn't the first time that happened.

 

No one they encountered ever appeared to retain any memory of their previous encounters.

 

However…

 

“This is the first time we’ve seen them together too.” Number 2 voiced the thought.

 

2E and 9S…

 

Usually they’d be sent individually, for whatever reason.

 

But they knew them perhaps too well…

The white sword fell on the head of the last machine standing, Number 2 collapsed on her knees moments later. Number 4 reached over with the help of Number 16 to pick her back up again, but both of them weren’t looking any better.

 

“We should try to find a place to rest.” Number 21 looked around.

 

The welcome in this forest had been all but nice, the machines had charged as soon as they saw them, so the two Attackers and the Gunners jumped onto them.

 

Those three wouldn’t admit it, but they must have been exhausted, and not just because of fighting.

 

More like they were slowly dying…

 

The Scanner herself wasn’t that much better, the signs of the virus still made themselves known every now and then with sparks of pain through her left arm and leg, sometimes so strong that she’d lose control over them for a bit.

 

Such an inconvenience all of this was.

 

But they had long made peace with the fact that no one was coming to help them.

 

So they had to help themselves.

 

However, she still hadn’t found a way to aid them, it had been a few weeks already, and they were running out of time…

 

First she should look for a place where they could rest up, and then even scavenge the machines for supplies if she had to, even if their components were not compatible.

 

Number 21 placed a hand over her reactor, at this point they were desperate enough… maybe…

 

She shook her head, walking ahead of them, one thing at a time.

 

Spotting a place in the shade covered from tall bushes, taller than them, this would do for now.

 

She had Number 2 sit against the trunk of a tree, Number 4 and Number 16 doing the same.

 

The redhead didn’t like how hard they were breathing, she didn’t need to check on them to know that their energy was fading away.

 

“Stay here, I’m going to scout around the area.” Number 16 tried to get up from her place. “I’m coming with you.” as soon as she tried to take the first step she wobbled right into the Scanner’s arms.

 

“No, you’re not.” Number 21’s voice was the most stern she could manage, as she helped her sit down again. “I can’t take any of you with me.”

 

There were too many risks, more for them than for her.

 

Which was kind of a paradox.

 

But at the moment they were in much more danger than she was, and she knew it well.

 

“We can’t allow ourselves to leave you out there alone.” even Number 2 was being stubborn, she knew as much as anyone that if something happened to Number 21, they could be in much more trouble.

 

She was in charge of keeping them in good shape, a duty she took by heart, especially in this situation.

 

They knew.

 

But mostly, she was their precious friend, and death was not an option for any of them.

 

Not until they discovered if Rose and the others were still alive.

 

“I know.” a heavy sigh left the Scanner’s mouth, she knew they were worried, but… so was she…

 

“Right now I’m the only one that can do this, and scouting still remains my job. You’re too exhausted, and we need to look if there is anyone out there that can help, or parts I could salvage.”

 

If she didn’t, then they…

 

“I know you’re worried for me, but I’ll be fine, I promise I’ll be careful.” and they knew she meant it. But still, the way their eyes looked back at her told her that she hadn’t managed to convince them yet.

 

“How about this, you stay here and recharge as much as you can, if you don’t see me return in half an hour, then come looking for me, I’ll be back in time I swear.” 

 

Every moment spent resting and saving energy was a moment they’d get to live a bit longer.

 

She couldn’t afford them to deplete their strength to protect her, they had done that enough, she would protect them now.

 

But so far this has been just an empty promise.

 

Number 21 turned tail, going back to the forest once again, looking up and glaring at the sky, where up above she knew where what they needed was.

 

In the Bunker.

 

However it was clear that just as the Commander left them on their own when they landed, even though most of their comrades had died, and the ones who were wounded didn’t make it, because she refused to send any help, she wouldn’t do anything now.

 

After all, even the machines told them that they were just mere experiments.

 

Why help them at all?

 

Only the Resistance ever did… the only reason they still had to keep going was to find out if they had made it out alive, just like they had wished them to. 

 

But right now, it was a personal challenge between the Commander’s wish to leave them to die, and her own intelligence and resilience to not let that happen, not now and not in the future.

 

She’d show her, make her pay for abandoning them by living on.

 

Contrary to what she desired.

 

“She’ll regret this.” she would regret everything.

 

Soon enough, her ears picked up the sound of crashing water, and nearby there was a small waterfall, where many animals came to drink from the rivers it made. Some water could help them too, for a little as it would last, but it’d give them some energy back, perhaps she should make use of it too, while she was here.

 

Slowly she made her way to the water, it felt cold against her legs as she stepped in it, her reflection showing how weary and dirty her body had gotten, she hadn’t realized how bad her own chassis looked.

 

She knew about the others, of course, and had known she was no different, she felt it, but the change from how they were before was jarring.

 

Number 21’s hands clenched at her sides.

 

Especially that damn red eye…

 

The others had struggled in breaking the news to her, but eventually she knew that she had something wrong, from the way they didn’t like looking at her face without grimacing.

 

A side effect of the logic virus, no doubt.

 

Gently she touched her neck, as were the metal that had grown over her skin, she had seen it on Lily too before.

 

The fact that she survived this didn’t mean that she had to like bearing the marks of it.

 

She was sure none of them did.

 

But at least they were alive.

 

The Scanner cleaned her face, being careful of her broken left side, and then drank some of it. After she was done scouting, she’d take them here, and actually, she should start heading back.

 

She got lost in thought and time passed quickly.

 

And she had no intention to make them worry more than she already did.

 

That was when her systems alerted her of the ping of another black box nearby, however… the only one in the area was hers.

 

Another YoRHa?

 

Even though she feigned ignorance, she remained on guard. There was no way to tell what this one wanted, maybe it had been sent on purpose.

 

Something about this put her on edge.

 

But she couldn’t tell what just yet.

 

Number 21 got up from where she sat in the river, turning around but she had no intention to lead this stranger to where her friends were, not before knowing if this person could be an enemy or not.

 

Ironic how she found herself thinking just the same as the Resistance did when they met.

 

It didn’t hurt to be cautious.

 

All happened in the fraction of a second, if she hadn’t noticed the stranger sooner, she may as well have been a goner.

 

The other android had charged at her, sword drawn, and Number 21 barely had the time to dodge, and jump back, otherwise her head would have been cut off.

 

“Who are you?” despite her best efforts, she failed to keep the venom from her voice.

 

But why would she be nice to someone that obviously just tried to kill her? Now she understood why she was so nervous, since she found out about the presence of this android.

 

They were definitely not friendly, in the slightest.

 

At least when they met, Anemone had the decency to hesitate.

 

This one was a YoRHa android, she was sure of that from the signature black clothing, even though the woman was turned away from her.

 

Though she also had white hair and a familiar bowl cut.

 

No…

 

It couldn’t be…

 

But when she turned around to face her, the answer was clear.

 

The machines had told them that the Council intended to use their data to create more perfect androids, but to go as far to use their likeness too…

 

Number 21 felt her blood boil.

 

How dared they use Number 2’s face against them!?

 

It was like adding salt to the wound.

 

Not only were they abandoned and left to die, but also now they sent these new androids that looked just like them as mockery!?

 

The woman before her didn’t seem to care, or be aware, her expression neutral.

 

As if she hadn’t just tried to murder someone.

 

A fellow android no less.

 

“YoRHa Number 2 Type E.” she replied. So she was a Number 2 then… “You’re YoRHa Type S Number 21, correct?”

 

She didn’t give her the pleasure of a reply, preferring to glare with her only eye she had left.

 

The other woman, 2E, seemed to get the hint that she didn’t want to talk, why should she? As far as this looked, she was an enemy, and nothing else.

 

And information was a powerful weapon.

 

“I have orders to execute you for desertion.” Number 21 gave a small laugh. “As if you haven’t made that clear enough.”

 

So not only did the Commander leave them to die, but wanted them gone for real, and sent her new shiny toy soldier to do just that, even lying on the true reason why they were here, they never deserted, they simply didn’t die off. 

 

Too bad that she had no intention to lay down and let her achieve what she wanted.

 

She had people to save.

 

Actually, for as dangerous as this was, it could very well be the solution she was looking for.

 

“Your only other option is to come with me back to the Bunker.” for how appealing that was, for the supplies they needed and nothing else, she knew this was a trap as much as the other thing.

 

The Commander sent an android to kill her, or them all, it was clear that they were too much of an inconvenience.

 

If she didn’t die here, White would cancel her in some other way.

 

She gave another cold laugh.

 

“In other words, you’re just here to finish the job that White couldn’t.” she didn’t refer to her with her title of Commander, she didn’t deserve to. 

 

Number 21 readied herself to counter other attacks through hacking. “I have no intention to answer any orders anymore.” she, who was one of the most serious and compliant units.

 

This must be such a slap in the face for White, to know that even such a loyal unit could rebel against her. Following orders didn’t mean that she was dumb, she was loyal only to her friends now.

 

But at least she was no longer the Commander’s plaything, none of them were, unlike the woman before her.

 

She doubted that she could defeat a combat unit, especially since she didn’t know how advanced compared to Number 2 this one was, but if she could resist long enough maybe they could come to her aid if they didn’t see her return in time…

 

She had told them, no?

 

But if she had her combat data… then she should have an advantage.

 

“I see you made up your mind.” not that she had an actual choice, did 2E even know how ridiculous she sounded? “Then there’s no need for more talking.”

 

As soon as the fake Number 2 ended the sentence, she was upon her with her sword again, and again she jumped away, trying to resist the assault for as long as possible. From the way this person blatantly seemed to aim for vital points more than to harm anything, it was clear that she was built to kill.

 

And from how relentless the assault was, Number 21 couldn’t find an opening to hack this android.

 

The only weapon she could use to protect herself…

 

But all she could do was run, and try her best to not get hit, her friends would come to her aid.

 

They would…

 

A sudden wave of pain took hold of her entire left side, as she lost control over it. Somehow this 2E person didn’t manage to cut off her head, because the sudden loss of ability to move her left leg caused her to fall in a way she didn’t expect.

 

But she didn’t avoid the powerful kick to her stomach that sent her flying, and rolling into the water as she landed.

 

Number 21 held her arm.

 

The damn virus…

 

Of all times it had to bother her…

 

If only she could get rid of it entirely…

 

But she couldn’t even move half of her body right now, so if anything, she’d be the one to get taken care of from the look of it.

 

If only she could buy some more time…

 

Even a little…

 

“Alert, logic virus infection detected in the rogue unit S21.” rogue unit even? What a way to say victim.

 

However, what the floating thing at 2E’s side said, caused her to stop.

 

Good, for now.

 

“Logic virus?” the assassin asked.

 

“It is unknown how the unit caught the infection. Hypothesis, unit S21 must have been carrying the virus within herself from before this encounter.” as if it was something unknown, the marks on her body and red eye should have been an indication already.

 

She’d been carrying it from way longer than just that too, not that she’d voice it.

 

Number 21 managed to raise herself on her good knee, still holding her still unresponsive arm, and refused to answer.

 

“It is worth noting that the level of corruption seems unusually low, and doesn’t appear to be increasing.” the redhead wondered just how much that thing could analyze.

 

It was true though, besides inconveniences like this one, the residue infection hadn’t caused anything more, besides the obvious signs that her body carried and were visible to see.

 

“Doesn’t matter.” she heard 2E reply. “Infected or not, my job is to kill her.”

 

Perhaps the infection was giving her even more of a reason to.

 

But she wouldn’t beg for her life.

 

From her words of before, it was clear that whatever she said wouldn’t work, White convinced her soldier that she deserted, when that wasn’t true.

 

She lied like she had done when they were in training.

 

Number 21, together with the other Scanner had even made plans based on said lies, that caused most of their comrades to die, and spent weeks blaming herself for it, when in reality it had all been decided beforehand.

 

She only found out because of what those machines told Number 2 and Number 4, only then it all made sense.

 

At least she could put the blame on the actual culprit.

 

It was all the Commander’s doing, just like this too.

 

So no, she wouldn’t try to convince this woman to spare her, she’d rather hope her friends would find her and save her instead.

 

And hope they wouldn’t find a dead body…

 

As she watched 2E point her sword at her again, she closed her eye, and all she could say was…

 

“I’m sorry…” 

 

She waited for the pain to come, she felt the blade graze the top of her head, and then…

 

Sounds of gunshots could be heard, she knew the sound of that gun…

 

“Get away from her!”

 

That was Number 16’s voice!

 

When she opened her eyes again, she watched Number 4 charge at the assassin with a yell, with the Gunner following close behind, forcing the stranger YoRHa away from her.

 

Number 2 took place at her side, sword drawn.

 

Number 21 took a breath or relief, it was okay, her friends were here, she was safe now.

 

She could hear them gasp in shock as they finally took a proper look at her assailant.

 

“Hey, you! How dare you have Number 2’s face!?” the Gunner yelled, rifle pointed and ready to fire at the first move.

 

“Who the hell are you?” the long haired Attacker joined in.

 

And how dared this clone attack Number 21? Their dear Scanner? Number 2 would never do that.

 

“I imagine this is what they have done with my data.” the redhead heard the albino next to her say. “So those machines were right…” she muttered quietly.

 

Which somehow made this even worse.

 

The fact that their enemies revealed the truth supposedly just to hurt them, and the Commander didn’t have the guts to do so. And now sent assassins after them to finish the job.

 

Suddenly Number 16’s suggestion of wanting to kick her ass was very tempting.

 

Not only because of what she did to them, and now this, but also for all of their comrades that died for nothing. Nothing at all…

 

Perhaps at least they were at peace now.

 

They had even dragged the Resistance into it too, their friends… they had to be alive…

 

Because otherwise, they weren’t sure how they could take knowing that they doomed the only people that cared for them for this too…

 

Could they even face them again?

 

The assassin didn’t reply, only backed off, nonchalantly wiping her skirt, turning to her floating box. “I wasn’t made aware that there were more of them.”

 

So she was just here for her? Number 21 mused.

 

Well, she hadn’t mentioned having a mission to kill anyone else but her, now that she thought about it.

 

Oh right! It made sense!

 

“Shut up! I don’t care who you are or whatever, you tried to kill Number 21, so you must die.” the way Number 16 spoke was colder than usual, as if something within her changed.

 

Number 4 nodded, while Number 2 remained at Number 21’s side, guarding her with her body. But whatever happened and whatever 2E wanted, that was not going to happen.

 

How outrageous that this android sent to kill even had Number 2’s face.

 

“Can you move?” she heard the Attacker ask quietly, as the other two threw themselves at the assassin, engaging in a heated battle of swords and bullets thrown.

 

Finding out that the floating box could shoot too, as Number 2 deviated any stray bullet that came their way.

 

Number 21 tried raising herself, but her left leg wouldn’t respond yet, the arm seemed to have recovered at least, as she flexed her fingers.

 

“Not yet it seems.” not entirely.

 

They couldn’t even drag the battle long, because the more energy they wasted, then the assassin would win by simply waiting.

 

But maybe…

 

“Number 2, you and the others try to draw her close to me.” she flexed her hand at her, and she nodded. 

 

She couldn’t find an opening to hack the assassin, but if she could deactivate her combat systems, then she wouldn’t be able to do anything at all. And she’d be at their mercy.

 

“Hey you! Come fight with someone that has your face!” the Attacker rushed over to the other Number 2, she still hated to see her face on this person, and everything that was tied to the reason why she had it.

 

Screw her and the Commander both.

 

The Council too.

 

As soon as Number 2 joined into the battle, from the way she posed herself, and the way she tried to hit the other woman, the other two understood what she wanted, and what the plan was.

 

Sparing a quick glance to Number 21 who nodded at them.

 

In a way, it was similar to when they all worked together, the Resistance too, to keep Lily still so she could hack her.

 

Only that this person was a dangerous android built to kill.

 

Whatever.

 

The Number 2 clone struggled under the attacks of the three of them combined, as they effectively pushed her where they wanted her to be. As soon as she was close enough, Number 16 slipped behind the woman and took her by the waist, as the other two held her by the arms instead.

 

The Scanner didn’t need to be told anything, as she hacked in with her hand extended towards the stranger.

 

Reaching in her mind was easy, it seemed that despite being sent after a Scanner, they hadn’t thought to install much protection, her systems weren’t hard to crack open and override, so she could take control of her combat function and deactivate them.

 

“You can let her go now, she’s no longer a threat.” as the others let her go, the assassin fell in a heap into the water, no longer able to move.

 

Number 21 reached for her visor, taking it off, showing how her face was entirely the same as Number 2’s one was. Even the eyes.

 

Everything.

 

“If you’re going to kill me, then just do so already.”

 

“Oh look, she’s eager to die now.” Number 16 mocked, as if moments ago she wasn’t trying to kill a dear friend of theirs.

 

And possibly all of them.

 

“Not yet, not until I get all the data we need from you.” Number 21 replied, immediately putting herself to work.

 

Now the data, and after something else.

 

In the meantime Number 4 dealt with that floating box too, so it wouldn’t try to shoot them again. She should hack it too after she was done with the assassin, Number 21 thought.

 

All the more information.

 

The more she found out just what the Commander meant to do, the more they could prepare and defend themselves against it.

 

Even if it was rather clear by now.

 

Suddenly 2E’s eyes started glowing a familiar red color.

 

“A dormant logic virus as a countermeasure, interesting.” so hacking into her memories and subconscious was indeed protected, yet Number 21 smiled. “Too bad it doesn’t work on someone that is already carrying one.”

 

It wasn’t properly a dormant virus, not hers, but rather the residue of the one she somehow survived from. But this meant it protected her from lesser infections like this one.

 

If anything, it made this defense useless.

 

For an inconvenience, it could have a use too.

 

She would rather have it not messing with her body whenever it wanted though, it had almost killed her just before.

 

“Now if you’d allow me…” being a Scanner also meant that she could get rid of said virus too, when the infection was at this premature stage, and so she did, rendering whoever made this system’s efforts useless.

 

“How did you…?”

 

“Never underestimate a Scanner’s intelligence.” Number 2 replied at 2E. 

 

They would trust Number 21 with their lives, they always did and always will.

 

“Seems that White did, now you’re stuck paying the price of it.” Number 4 shrugged, not that she cared, she wouldn't care for someone that just attempted to murder a friend, not even under orders.

 

And she didn’t like to see the face of her beloved Number 2 on this person either.

 

In a way, this was also rather personal.

 

“Sucks to be you.” Number 16 laughed.

 

Her mockery was cut short from Number 21 herself. “I gathered all the data.”

 

None of them thought they would hear from her the next words she spoke. 

 

“She’s no longer of use to us alive.”

 

“Wait… we don’t kill androids…” even if said android just tried to kill your friend? Number 2?

 

Was she trying to convince them, or herself?

 

Before anyone could voice a thought Number 4 reached for her sword, and cut off the head of 2E clean off.

 

“Number 4!”

 

“We need her parts, Number 2!” so please stop being so nice. “She wanted to kill Number 21, why would we be respectful?”

 

“I’m just trying to do everything in my power to make sure we survive, doesn’t matter how.” the Scanner replied, motioning for Number 16 to take the dead body, as Number 4 took the head.

 

“I already thought about it, but we are considered deserters, or rather, I am. White can only pick up the signal of one black box, because I’m the only one for now that has one.” she started explaining as they went back where they were before.

 

“We know too much, and we’re an uncomfortable inconvenience for the Commander, so she sent this new model made with Number 2’s looks and combat data after me, the only one she is sure is still alive to finish the job. And I am positive that after today, this won’t be the only instance, she knows we are a threat now, and if she didn’t know you three are alive, she most likely knows it now.”

 

Number 16 unceremoniously dropped the corpse on the ground, and then gave her knife to the Scanner, so she could get to work.

 

“She wants to get rid of us, and there’s no other way to put this. We are tired, hurt, and missing pieces, and if we mean to survive, we’ve got to do all we have to, forget dignity and pride, if you want to live.” she began cutting off the chest of the assassin.

 

“We’ve got to use all the resources we can find, doesn’t matter how.”

 

All this discourse was to convince Number 2 to leave her nice attitude behind, and accept this.

 

“This is our life now, we can either give up, or accept it.”

 

Number 4 and Number 16 already accepted it, just like she did. Inwardly, Number 2 did too, she just refused to admit it.

 

“And you know as much as me that if they are alive… we can’t risk putting them in danger again.” not with these killers after them, it wasn’t just the machines.

 

“So we’ll just kill everything that crosses our path, until one day we can see each other again, and if we’re all that’s left, it’s our duty to live to remember them.”

 

This was a sentence that Number 16 would say, but instead, it came out of Number 2’s mouth.

 

So finally, she adapted to the situation too.

 

For as cold as it was to say, this was it.

 

Their life had come down to this.

 

“They would do it for us.” hearing this, it was like hearing another Number 2.

 

Like the captain she would have wanted to be.

 

In the meantime, Number 21 had successfully extracted 2E’s black box from her chest, the thing she just needed to fix them. It would have been better if it was three of them, but one for now could be enough.

 

“You will have to share this for now. If the Commander sends more of those new models after us, we can do the same thing until you all will have your own reactor again.”

 

The Scanner showed them the black box. “I will pass it to all of you in turn, it should give you a boost of energy that will allow you to last longer, but one will have to keep it, eventually.”

 

When they were sure they all had one again.

 

“I’d say give it to whoever will keep watch.”

 

“A good idea, Number 4.”

 

“I’ll do it.” Number 16 raised her hand. “I don’t feel like seeing any more clones with Number 2’s face anywhere around us.”

 

None of them did.

 

“Well even if there are more of them with our faces, we don’t have to be intimidated by that. None of us would hurt the rest, ever.” even Number 16 and Number 21 that didn’t get along at times because of their personality, would ever dare touch the other.

 

They were all comrades.

 

And precious friends.

 

Number 2 knew, they all knew.

 

“Even if they may look like us, they are not us, always keep that in mind.”

 

“Now, line up so I can fix you.” the Scanner would rather not waste anymore time, even if they didn’t want to appear as such, they must have been really tired.

 

They already were, and the fight did not help in the slightest.

 

“What about your eye?” as Number 4 asked, she spared a glance at the head she cut off.

 

“That later, I am not in any immediate danger, and one eye is enough to do what I need to.” it hadn’t been too much of a hindrance, not as much as the residue virus was at least.

 

Number 16 sat down first.

 

“Let’s get this over with then.”

After Number 21 fixed them, and fixed her eye, it hurt, but the pain had been worth it, she had gathered all the data she could from the floating box as well, and scavenged in 2E’s inventory for anything they could use.

 

From medical supplies to weapons.

 

Since theirs were on the verge of breaking and were hardly any useful.

 

That was how they had found the Type 4O weapons, the sword, the other bigger sword, and the lance, with this last one being a puzzle as to who could keep it.

 

She recalled Number 16 reaching for it, when she did it first.

 

“I want to make sure a repeat won’t happen, and for that reason, I need to be able to defend myself too.”

 

The others had been more worried than contrary, they tried to tell her that it wasn’t a problem to protect her, but she didn’t want to feel like a weight. Even after she had gotten the lance, and had practiced with it, many of the other E models had the tendency of focusing on her, because she was the weakest.

 

Back then she had made a wise choice.

 

She wasn’t strong, nor very good with the weapon, but at least she was much less dependent.

 

Number 16 had even been eager to teach her.

 

Eventually they ended up bonding over this more than either had ever thought. 

 

But the circumstances would have changed anyone.

It hadn’t passed too long since the encounter with 2E, thanks to her reactor, the group could manage their energy by switching it between each other when it was needed.

 

A bit of an annoying process, but better than dying at any moment without one.

 

That day it had been Number 4’s turn of watch, as she held the reactor at the moment, and that same day it seemed that the Commander had the bright idea to change ideas, or perhaps it was just another test, and instead of another assassin like 2E, she sent a Scanner boy instead.

 

Unarmed it seemed.

 

Was this some kind of mocking thing to make fun of them?

 

Or did she want to test out how much better this S type was compared to Number 21, since she dared to defy White?

 

Perhaps both.

 

Perhaps none.

 

This one was way more annoying and had too much of a loud mouth, if the Attacker could say so, and was still attempting to kill them, this time from the inside out, if knowing what Number 21 could do was of any indication.

 

“Would you sit still for a moment?” despite her best efforts, she struggled to chase after him.

 

Well, it had been what their own Scanner had done against 2E, to wait for them to come to her aid, they had been told as she fixed them.

 

But the way this guy was making fun of her was getting on her nerves.

 

One was trying to survive, this one was just mocking her.

 

And them.

 

Did he even know what they had been through?

 

“If I did you’d cut me to pieces. I am not dumb, I know I can’t beat you with strength.”

 

So then…

 

“If you consider yourself so smart, why did you attack me first? I wasn't a threat.” she’d just been on guard, only walked around the area watching for hostiles.

 

He approached first, stating his intentions.

 

It was only then that she attacked him, seeing him as a danger instead.

 

“Besides, aren't you curious to know why we deserted?” she hated to use that word, they were survivors, but she had to.

 

Number 21 once told them that one of the weaknesses of a Scanner, is their curiosity, even hers. Because the desire to know could lead them into dangerous territories, such as when she found out the Resistance were also deserters.

 

Oh the irony of this all.

 

They hadn’t taken it too well, but to protect them she had to know who they were, she claimed.

 

So the only plan Number 4 had was to use this fact as leverage to possibly anger him.

 

“If you truly were smart, you would have hacked me right away, when I had yet to notice you.” she grinned back at him, and the effect was immediate.

 

“Why you…” he growled.

 

The bait had been thrown.

 

“You know what? I’ll do it now!” in a mere second, Number 4 found herself thrown in her own mind.

 

“I was going to just deactivate you and your little friends, but I decided I will cancel you from the inside out.” 

 

The Attacker found herself surrounded by a dark mist closing onto her.

 

“I will use your memories to know where the rest of you are hiding, cancel your personality data, and use you to lure and kill them.”

 

Perhaps it had worked even too well.

 

What he didn’t know was that both Number 2 and Number 16 were still around, and Number 21 in the safety of the hideout they found, because he could have picked up her signal, but the other two still had no black box to use.

 

So he couldn’t know.

 

She was just a bait.

 

They had worked on this strategy since the encounter with 2E, that one of them would expose herself, but never be alone entirely, so if the person were to be attacked, the others could throw said enemy off with numbers.

 

She still looked back at him with a cold smile.

 

“You’re a bit too cruel, you sure you’re not a machine?” it would be something they’d do.

 

If battling the corpses of dead androids in the server with Number 2 was of any indication.

 

Something to note for the future, that unlike 2E, the boy here, 9S he called himself, was easy to trigger and very prone to anger.

 

Should they ever meet again.

 

It didn’t take too long to be brutally thrown out of the hacking space, both she and the boy fell on the ground, but 9S had been hit in the back from Number 16’s gun, as Number 2 held him down. 

 

“Let go of me!” he squirmed under the Attacker’s body, prompting for the Gunner to join in to hold him down better.

 

“Should have stayed in your little comfortable orbital station.” the raven glared down at him. “You lost the right to complain about our life being spared since you set foot here.”

 

And like him, whoever else that would come after.

 

Because they would.

 

White made it clear that she wanted them dead, one way or the other, so they prepared in advance.

 

“We have acquired another part, good work.” Number 21 showed up, unlike what she had said. She had gotten tired of waiting, or rather, she had gotten worried when she picked up the other android’s presence, but he’d been too busy to notice her instead.

 

Once he saw her, 9S only squirmed harder.

 

“Stay away, you’re infected!” right, the red eyes…

 

Even after she put the new one 2E had where she lost her own in its place, the day after, she woke up only to see it stained of that horrible color too, even though it had been blue when she had taken it.

 

Still, a Scanner type… perhaps he could be useful for the other problem…

 

She crouched in front of him.

 

“You, can you get rid of it?” or at least, get rid of the part that caused her arm and leg to die at the most random, and sometimes worst times.

 

“Why should I tell you?” the redhead took him by the chin, forcing him to meet her crimson stained eyes. “You either do or I will find out myself, as a Scanner you should know well what we can do.”

 

He grimaced, realizing she was right.

 

“I do have a residue virus that is bothering me, and I want it gone.” she couldn’t do it herself though, if she did she would have already done it.

 

“It will infect me too.”

 

“If you help me, we may consider letting you go.” even if she didn’t see them, she could feel the eyes of her friends on her.

 

It was a lie, of course.

 

They still needed the reactor.

 

But he seemed interested, so…

 

“Hold him still, only free one of his arms so he can hack, and you, no surprises, or I will use said virus as a weapon on you.” she glared at him slightly, and once again he grimaced, he was scared, good.

 

She almost felt pity for him.

 

If only he wasn’t here to cancel them.

 

He only nodded, doing as he was asked, Number 21 felt him moving within her mind, keeping watch over him in her own mind. She guided him where the systems the virus corrupted were, they were surrounded in an ominous red mist. “I can’t access those systems anymore.” she told him.

 

It was like the virus shut them off, but at the same time it still interacted with her body.

 

“How did you even survive?”

 

“This is no place for you to ask questions.” more like she had no real explanation, she had yet to find one, but somehow she was alive, and she’d rather pick up the pieces, and think at what she could do to aid her friends instead.

 

“Can you fix them? Or at least lock the virus up?” so it wouldn’t bother her at all?

 

“You need a stronger barrier, but I think I can chip away at the most of it.”

 

It looked like he was no longer scared now, when put before something challenging, or curious. Well, as long as he helped.

 

She watched him work and saw the virus disappear little by little, until it remained just one small cloud encased in a sphere of light.

 

It’d still always be there, but it would do no damage any longer, which was what she wanted.

 

“There, done.”

 

Number 21 just stared, before going back to the real world. “You don’t seem too bad.”

 

If only things were different… maybe they could have even worked together…

 

9S sighed “I thought… I thought androids weren’t supposed to fight each other.” even if he did under orders. “Why did you desert YoRHa?”

 

“It wasn’t our fault.”

 

With that said, they both re-opened their eyes back where they were before, in the forest.

 

“I thank you for your help, however, I’m afraid it’s not all I need from you.” Number 21 motioned with her head to Number 2, who readied her sword.

 

“Wait! You said you’d let me go!” he resumed struggling, but Number 16’s strong arms held on.

 

“Believe me or not, I don’t hate you, my gratitude was sincere, however, I have people to protect.” and for that, just like she told them, she had to let go of pride and dignity.

 

That meant with everything.

 

Including lying to use someone to her advantage, skills and equipment.

 

And even their body.

 

“You’re a goddamn liar! I helped you!” in his rage he hit Number 16’s face with the back of his head causing her to let go and hold her bleeding nose. 

 

This prompted Number and Number 4 to act immediately.

 

His destiny was the same that 2E met, as his body without a head crumpled to the floor.

 

His screams echoing in their ears.

 

Number 21 clenched her hands and looked away, Number 4 came to lie a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

 

“It’s not our fault.”

With 9S, another reactor had been added, and also, given his Scanner designation, Number 21 had picked him apart, and powered herself up with his upgrades.

 

Herself and subsequently her friends too.

 

Becoming more and more resistant to hacking, and even learning to hide the signals of their black boxes too.

 

But even though thanks to 9S’ intervention the virus had stopped bothering her, the signs still remained, meaning that even to this day, she still had those metallic parts on her neck and left arm.

 

And the eyes never recovered either…

 

That was why…

Number 16 found Number 21 staring in the water of the nearby stream of the refuge they found. She despised those eyes, but even more how lately the androids sent after them, seemed more inclined to kill her, under the assumption that she was infected.

 

She was already a weakling due to being a Scanner, and was still learning to use that lance too.

 

She didn’t need more problems to give her comrades…

 

“Are those eyes bothering you that much still?” the Gunner sat down next to her, her reflection joining the other in the water.

 

A few days before, Number 4 had made a comment about how their hair had started to grow too, how Number 2’s ones reached her shoulders, and her own red ones way past that, Number 16 didn’t even bother trying to tie them up anymore, or keep them out of her eyes.

 

It wasn’t that much of an issue yet, but the long haired Attacker had ripped a small stripe from what little remained of her dress, and tied them again the best she could.

 

She didn’t reply, not really knowing what to say.

 

She didn’t want to bother them with this too…

 

However…

 

“Here.” the Gunner held a black cloth before her. “It was my visor.”

 

The one she discarded as soon as they landed, because it bothered her, she claimed, it had been in her inventory ever since.

 

“I hated wearing this thing, but if it’s of any help…”

 

Slowly the Scanner reached for it, and then tied it over her eyes, effectively covering the problem. If they didn’t see they couldn’t know.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Look, I don’t like your personality much, but you’re still my friend, anything I can do to help I will.” and also. “And you saved our lives, this is nothing compared to that.”

 

“You all saved mine too.”

 

“All that matters is that we support and look after each other, as long as we do, nothing bad can happen.” Number 4 joined them, wrapping an arm around both of them, as Number 2 came to sit at her side.

 

That night they slept like that, close to one another with their arms entwined.

And the many nights after that too, not always, but often. It was the best comfort they could manage, the closeness helped more than any word.

 

The scars they gathered during these years accumulated on their bodies, even though Number 21 did her best to keep them all as performing as well as she could, but the passing of time was inevitable.

 

Their bodies weren’t the only ones either.

 

Number 2’s kindness had been replaced with a cold lack of emotion entirely, she lost respect for other androids that weren’t them, and all the hope she had as time passed.

 

Number 4 had become bitter with the world to the point she stopped smiling, her positivity and cheerful attitude gone with it to never return again.

 

Number 16 would be easily triggered by anything, and even more prone to killing everything in her sights with something that wasn’t violence, but pure brutality at times.

 

Number 21’s intelligence was directed only on keeping her friends alive, and to make up cunning plans to make sure that happened. She’d given up any grace entirely, she’d do anything as long as it served that single purpose, including lie with a straight face, and pick apart corpses with no regard.

 

All that mattered was each other.

 

And to keep the memory of their friends.

 

Years went by, and no voice about them, nothing at all.

 

The only reason they were still here was to remember their existence, like they would have done in their place.

Chapter 4: Messenger of [S]ecrets

“We engaged with A2, A4, G16 and S21, the deserters wanted by YoRHa.” 9S spoke sending recordings and pictures of the four androids they encountered just a short while ago, and that attempted to kill them. 

 

“The targets escaped.”

 

The Commander’s voice came through shortly after, with a barely restrained sigh. “I see… so you saw them.”

 

“Those four are extremely dangerous androids.” and that much was obvious, just given from the way they attacked without many words, or any at all, angered just from Pascal’s presence.

 

And very much likely, or rather it was confirmed that they were behind the massacre of the local machine warriors of the castle too.

 

Something must have happened to spark such burning hatred for machines, and also androids too it seemed. The answer was soon clear.

 

“We have sent pursuit units time after time, but every single one has been destroyed. Don’t think of them as fellow YoRHa. They are enemies.” 

 

Those four must not have taken such actions lightly.

 

They must have been part of YoRHa before though, the look and clothing, even though all of them still wore very little, was a clear indication.

 

The visor the one named S21 wore was the biggest one.

 

They ran away, and destroyed whoever was ever sent after them. Well, if the Commander considered them enemies, it was easy to figure out that they must have been thinking the same thing.

 

Hence why they attacked.

 

They must have thought they were there to kill them.

 

The question was… why?

 

Why do all of this?

 

“Why did those four become deserters in the first place? What happened?” 9S asked, tilting his head. He had this question floating in his head since they met.

 

“I’m afraid that’s classified.” 

 

Of course it would be…

 

They had never heard the names of these four before then, so obviously the Commander wanted to keep that hidden.

 

The realization made 2B’s hair stand on edge.

 

Please don’t go digging around…

 

Even though she was positive 9S would… and then…

 

“2B and 9S, you have a new mission. Pursue and investigate those four.” wait… what? She was willingly telling them to go searching for information?

 

After all, you’re still one of them, aren’t you, 2B? 

 

It made sense.

 

The Commander wanted them gone, so obviously she’d ask her to look for them, who knows if one of those pursuers had been her? Very much possible, but 9S…

 

Something about this didn’t feel right, but 2B couldn’t quite place what yet, and not just because of him and all the implications she went through so many times, and she didn’t like it one bit.

 

Still…

 

“Roger that.” they replied in unison.

 

A mission was still a mission.

 

She heard 9S mutter something, looking down at the remains of the Type 4O Sword A2 had, before Pascal interrupted them. She only half listened to what he said, preferring to fix her hair and dress from the wind he caused, but the machine they were looking for was safe, at least.

 

“Uh, is something the matter?” 

 

And the question that the boy wanted to ask her, was directed to him instead.

 

"Pascal, about those androids of earlier, do you know anything about them?” 9S once again pulled up a screen showing pictures of the four, and their cold, angry, glaring eyes, but also more information about them.

 

Including the names.

 

At least they had those.

 

The machine’s green eyes stared intensely to the screen, taking in said information.

 

“Oh them… they are contained within our archives as well.” they were? “Dangerous androids that go around destroying many machine lifeforms.” 

 

And given their reactions earlier, that hatred… it was not hard to believe that the machines would be well acquainted with them, as much as it went the other way too, they assumed. 

 

Longer than them too, since they were listed as prototypes.

 

“However, they never showed up at our village.” could it be possible that they didn’t know?

 

Unlikely, given they had a Scanner type that could easily pick up their presence.

 

Perhaps they never happened to go near it.

 

9S gave a heavy sigh, obviously not satisfied.

 

They did nothing with just assumptions.

 

“That’s all the information I have.” meaning they would have to ask other people.

 

Because this wasn’t much different from what any other android would do, they and machines were enemies after all, meant to destroy each other.

 

So they decided that the next place they were more likely to find anything would be the Resistance’s Camp.

When they arrived it was unusually quiet at the camp, and the Leader Rose wasn’t present at her desk. A quick look told them that neither the rest of her closest group wasn’t either.

 

But someone noticed they needed to speak with someone.

 

“You two look a little lost.” as bubbly as ever Jackass walked over to them with a smile. “Are you here for more jobs?” probably she was still hoping to pick them apart in some way or another.

 

“Not quite, we are looking for information.” 9S replied, once again taking the opportunity to show the faces of those four rogues to the person before him.

 

“Have you ever seen these people?” 

 

Jackass put a pensive hand on her chin, observing, before sighing. “Nope, never.”

 

“If there’s anyone that may know something it’s Leader Rose… but she’s not here right now…” they didn’t miss the downcast expression the scientist made, as if she was pondering about something important.

 

Most likely she knew where she was, and what she was up to.

 

Or rather, what they all were.

 

“Follow me, I’ll take you to her.” but the tone was still rather serious. “Does it happen often? Her and her group being absent I mean.”

 

“Once every month.” Jackass replied as they walked, exiting the camp from the back, and heading to a place only she knew through the outskirts of the city. “Did you know humans used to bury the people close to them in graves, that they’d leave them flowers?”

 

“I read something about it, something about having a place to mourn and honor those people.” but why was this important now? 9S wondered.

 

“Well, we tried to have something similar.” once again Jackass sighed. “Rose-san and her friends go there one day every month, always the same one, always taking with them the same flowers too.”

 

It wasn’t hard to imagine that they too had someone to mourn.

 

2B knew they did.

 

Wait…

 

That odd feeling of before… 

 

It finally clicked…

 

That day, when Rose told her that story… she had spoken about meeting some YoRHas before, four of them…

 

And the Numbers…

 

They were the same ones too!

 

She recalled asking the Resistance Captain if she ever thought if those four were still out there, Rose had replied that it would be just a dream…

 

But maybe…

 

Just maybe…

 

“Rose-san and the others are very reserved about this whole thing, I barely know anything myself, but I know for sure they were deeply attached to these people…” yet another sigh. “When we found them, they were all hurt and covered in dirt and debris on an island that defining it deserted was an understatement.”

 

There had been nothing at all there, just dead machines and ashes.

 

“Devastated would have been a better term.”

 

In her long life, Jackass had never seen so much devastation, she didn’t even know what could have caused it, and she was a master of breaking things.

 

“I was in the group that saved them, that’s how we met. I don’t know what happened, something big, none of them would ever go into any detail, but I saw it in their eyes…”

 

Their eyes lacked any spark of life back then, after they had woken up here at the camp.

 

Like part of them was just gone.

 

“They had lost something important…”

 

“All we have left is their memory.” Rose’s words rang in 2B’s head. 

 

But if those four were truly them then… 

 

Shouldn’t they know?

 

Since they thought they were all dead still, but now… now the truth was that they most likely weren’t…

 

Those four were deserters though, and 2B knew well what happened to them…

 

What if revealing their presence would put all of them in danger?

 

“If we survive this, let’s meet again someday. These were the last words I remember that Number 2 said to us.” 

 

But they wanted to meet again too…

 

2B could tell that much.

 

Staring ahead she noticed they had arrived at the place, as before them stretched a field of white flowers, growing around what Jackass told them were graves. In the far distance, she could see the silhouette of Rose and the others in a corner, far from the other graves.

 

Once again hinting that they had to be someone they deeply cared about.

 

“I’ll leave you here, don’t want to intrude.” the scientist turned tail, going back the way they came with a somber expression on her face.

 

Perhaps she didn’t want to bother.

 

They shouldn’t bother either.

 

But…

 

As 2B’s feet carried her over to them, she decided.

 

They deserved to know, for their own peace of mind.

The more they got closer, the more wrong it felt to interrupt the group, after all, they deserved to have their moments of closure, but at the same time, 2B almost felt eager to break the news to them.

 

Even though she was unsure how they would react.

 

No one was supposed to know.

 

And the four YoRHa were still wanted and up for execution.

 

What if this ended badly?

 

Too late to back out though, because if she didn’t say it, then 9S would.

 

“What do you want now?” Dahlia’s sharp voice cut the silence, as the woman gave them a glare, clearly unhappy to see them here, and now.

 

She didn’t make it a secret to show that she wasn’t a fan of them, and neither when she had to remind them.

 

“Dahlia…” Margaret placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down, even though she didn’t swat it away, it did little to change things. “Don’t “Dahlia” me, they interrupted us in the middle of something important.”

 

She had the right to be mad.

 

“We’re sorry, we can wait for you to return to camp.” 9S bowed his head.

 

Shouldn’t have accepted Jackass’ suggestion as soon as she said that they were here…

 

Mourning…

 

They should have waited for them to return, maybe ask someone else first.

 

“It’s all right.” Rose spoke, as she gently left flowers on the graves.

 

Noticing how they were different from the white daisies that bloomed around this place that the rest had. Was there a reason?

 

There was a meaning, for sure.

 

“Freesias, amaryllises, lycorises, and cattleyas…” 2B heard 9S mutter, seeming that his attention was taken by the flowers, from the white freesias, the more colorful amaryllises and cattleyas, and the striking red lycorises.

 

“Quite a peculiar selection.”

 

Suddenly he made a noise, like something hit him.

 

“You all have flower names too, don’t you?” an affirmation more than a question. “They were your friends too? Those flowers were their names?”

 

A bit insensitive of him to ask this way, 2B wanted to reprimand him for doing that, since they weren’t here for this either.

 

But his curiosity… she knew it too well…

 

And technically speaking, the more she thought about all this, the more she was convinced it had to be those four they saw… only that he didn’t know it.

 

Hopefully he never will.

 

But there was no guarantee of what Rose and the others would say now, and it was too late to not be involved in this.

 

They could tell everything, like the Captain did with her, or they could say nothing.

 

Rose walked over to them, her green eyes soft and full of sadness. “I wish they were.” she briefly turned back to the graves, watching as Lily fixed the flowers better.

 

“I didn’t manage to give them the names they deserved in time.” they watched as from her pocket she took out a small notebook. She didn’t quite show them, but they could see a bunch of names on the pages, some of them with a circle around them.

 

“I… we’re sorry for your loss…” 9S spoke quietly, once again pondering on their decision to come here.

 

2B only nodded, sharing the feeling.

 

She would have liked them to know, but perhaps this wasn’t the right place…

 

Or maybe it was just the perfect one…

 

“I assume we’re all familiar with death after all.” Rose shook her head, addressing them once again. She didn’t know how close to home it hit 2B. “But I believe you’re not here to listen to these old androids ramble about the past, aren’t you?”

 

In a way they did, since they were here for information.

 

“Oh right.” and 2B braced herself for their reaction. “We’re looking for information about a group of deserters.”

 

She didn’t expect them to flinch at the sole mention of the word “deserter” once it left 9S’ mouth.

 

Perhaps there was even more to that story than Rose told her.

 

Which was fair, some secrets were meant to stay that way, she knew it way too well.

 

“A group of deserters?”

 

2B didn’t know if Rose was feigning ignorance or not, but she was looking stiff and tense.

 

Defensive.

 

“Yes, do you know anything about them?” 9S pulled once again a screen with the images they recorded, and what little data the Commander allowed them to have.

 

“These androids are registered as prototype YoRHa models.” 

 

The pictures of the four rogues showed up one by one.

 

“Attacker Number 2.”

 

The first android they had seen, the albino with long straight white hair and cold blue eyes.

 

“Attacker Number 4.”

 

The other white haired one with the bigger sword, her wavy hair barely held tied from a string of cloth was one of the few differences from the previous one.

 

It was hard to distinguish the two.

 

Other than that it was the fact that A4 wore a cloth on her right shoulder, rather than her abdomen like A2, and that the state of their legs appeared to be opposite from each other.

 

But that was it, arms, legs and lower regions were exposed for both.

 

“Gunner Number 16.”

 

The woman with long wavy black hair and possibly the one with the most anger in her eyes, they seemed to burn through the screen from how fierce they were.

 

Pure hate, one could say.

 

Her state was similar to the others, but focused on the top part, her chestplate and arms were much more exposed than the two Attacker units, but the legs seemed less destroyed, though one had a few bandages on it.

 

The only thing she wore was a pair of shorts, most likely she still had those parts instead.

 

“And Scanner Number 21.”

 

Most likely the peculiarity among them.

 

Not only was she the only prototype of those four of a type that still existed, 9S was living proof of it, and even had a weapon when other S typed but him didn’t, but also the way she carried herself, though similar, was a little different from her companions too, in a way.

 

She too had an exposed chestplate, but compared to her friends, no other really big wound was notable on her, except the gash on the left side of her head and face, which was most likely why she wore the visor still, for protection.

 

Her left hand was exposed too, with the arm covered in bandages from wrist to elbow, but besides that she appeared the one with the more functioning body.

 

All she had were minor parts of missing skin, dirt and scratches, and of course her red hair long, wild and unkempt like the other three. She wore what must have been the remains of the skirt of her dress, even with whatever remained of what was likely a ribbon at the back of it.

 

But the biggest puzzle would be those metallic bits on her neck, jaw and partially her left shoulder, that poked out from the remains of a scarf she wore. 

 

Were those makeshift repairs, or something else?

 

2B had a half idea of what they could be, but she wouldn’t say, she swore she’d seen them before though.

 

She didn’t want to think about it though.

 

Her blue eyes watched from behind her visor how Rose’s ones widened, and the rest were no different, but the Captain was the one she could see best, because she was closer, while the others kept their distance.

 

So… she was right then?

 

Was it them?

 

With these questions came the hope that 9S wouldn’t press for too much information, regardless of what the Resistance Leader would say. The fact that the existence of those four was classified put her on edge.

 

And with a good reason.

 

The woman took a long moment to reply, her head low, and her hands clenched one around the notebook, and the other on the belt holding her rifle, as if she was trying to find something to steady herself.

 

2B wouldn’t blame her.

 

They showed up interrupting the group mourning for those same people that they just revealed were still alive, and that they didn’t know, for all these years…

 

The Battler took a moment to look at the others.

 

Anemone lowered her hood so she avoided looking at anything but the ground.

 

Dahlia at her side had the biggest frown on her face, her arms crossed.

 

Margaret was just turned away, refusing to meet their eyes.

 

Lily had her arms tightly wrapped around Daisy, the bigger woman rubbed soothing circles on her back, her attention all on the small android.

 

Gerbera instead held her eyes wide and fixed on the screens 9S projected.

 

All of them were just as shocked and in disbelief.

 

But also just as silent. 

 

“Do you know something?” 9S pressed on, but only Rose had to give an answer.

 

That answer was a question, spoken with a cold tone and cold eyes.

 

“What do you plan on doing after finding them?”

 

If 9S knew what she did, the reason why Rose asked was because she was being defensive, rather than curious.

 

2B figured out from that story how protective of her family she was.

 

Again she wouldn’t blame any of them.

 

If placed in the same situation, she would do the same thing, especially hearing these next words.

 

“The final decision will be handled by Command, but currently they are set as targets for destruction.” and they did fight before.

 

2B realized, had they fought and won, then they would be talking of other things entirely… they would have killed any hope, even though they already thought their friends were gone.

 

Maybe they would have never known…

 

And had they come to know about it, she wouldn’t imagine how devastating it would be to hear such news. To hear their friends were alive all along, only for them to be killed.

 

In a way, it was better like this.

 

She didn’t find it in herself to think that this wasn’t right.

 

“I see. Unfortunately I have no clue.” and she admired how steady Rose’s voice was, as she lied.

 

She didn’t know if she would have been capable of it.

 

The Resistance Leader and her comrades must have been having all kinds of thoughts right now, and yet, ever loyal, none of them spoke, to not betray those dear friends of theirs.

 

Such respect and affection…

 

Admirable, really.

 

“But…”

 

For that reason, she’ll help them.

 

“Let’s go, 9S.” she urged, wanting to leave these people alone and in peace.

 

“Wait a second.” Rose called as she turned tail. “Could we have their data? Just for safety.”

 

Yes, those four’s safety.

 

And so they could have something they could look at, other than empty graves and colorful flowers, that meant little now.

 

Something real.

 

Pod 042 didn’t need her to tell him anything, as Gerbera walked forward, holding her tablet out, allowing him to pour data in it.

 

Without many more words they left, with 9S talking her ear off wanting to ask the others too, and how she wasn’t allowing him to.

 

That was not going to happen.

 

2B turned around just a moment to see Rose mutter a quiet “thank you.”

 

She only nodded as she left.

The group waited until the two were far enough to not be seen anymore before saying anything, and even then, there was still a long silence.

 

They were…

 

They were…

 

“They’re alive.” Lily managed to voice her thoughts first.

 

Everyone’s thoughts.

 

Daisy hugged her with a bright smile, sharing the happiness.

 

“I can’t believe it… after all these years…” Gerbera stared at the screen of her tablet, where the new information was stored, and their new looks…

 

Surely it was a stark contrast to how they were before.

 

That was a thought for later though.

 

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go find them.” if only that was so easy, Dahlia. But that was not the main problem.

 

“We can’t.” Anemone spoke up before Dahlia could go anywhere, and she had already turned to leave. “Why not? They must be out there needing our help as soon as possible.”

 

Well… in reality she just wanted to see Number 16 again.

 

She… missed her…

 

And their stupid fights and arguments over anything and everything…

 

A lot more than she’d say out loud.

 

Or ever.

 

“That’s true but…” Margaret tried to speak up, but she was cut off. “What’s wrong with you? Haven’t we been wishing for this for years?” and Dahlia was sure those four must have been too.

 

Unless they forgot them…

 

No, that would never happen.

 

“Just think for a second!”

 

“I am thinking, Anemone! And I think that we’re going to find them, and take them here and help them.” they owed them their lives after all.

 

Why the hell the others couldn’t see that she just wanted to help them?

 

Why didn’t they want to do that?”

 

“Anemone is right, Dahlia.” finally, Rose found the voice to speak, even though her eyes were fixed on those bundles of flowers on those graves they made.

 

She never imagined that one day they would be worth nothing.

 

Well, they served their purpose for what was needed, but… Rose clenched her hands at her sides…

 

How they didn’t think about the forest? The place with the most dangerous machines, the place most androids wouldn’t dare to set foot into.

 

Of course they’d be there!

 

They never should have stopped looking…

 

If they didn’t, then maybe they could have aided them sooner.

 

Maybe the threat of YoRHa wouldn’t be so heavy.

 

But that was exactly why they had to stay here, with their hands tied.

 

“We can’t help them.” she stated.

 

“Captain Rose…”

 

“Didn’t you listen, Dahlia? You should know it, we were deserters too.” once before, but it seemed no one here knew about it, which helped, their reputation didn’t matter, it hadn’t mattered to those four either.

 

Number 21 had found out but Number 2 decided that since they helped them, the past didn’t matter, only the present. How kind they were…

 

And how actual that statement about past and present was right now.

 

But just because they had been in that situation for so many years, they knew that they couldn’t risk exposing them. They had stayed hidden and fought machines for centuries, until they met, and no one knew.

 

This was the same thing.

 

Because…

 

“They are wanted for desertion.” she stated what should have been the obvious.

 

“I know, but…”

 

“The Commander may find out we were the same people they knew, who knows what will happen should we meet and found out?” Anemone didn’t want to glare, she didn’t want to be so harsh, but this was the reality.

 

Poor them…

 

Poor Number 21…

 

How much she wanted to hold her in her arms and tell her she’d be safe…

 

“They are protecting us, again.” Rose made the statement. “I know it hurts, it hurts a lot, we dreamed that this would happen for so long, we mourned them for so long, and now they are right here, so close, and yet so far.”

 

She too missed them.

 

She missed Number 2 being a little shy chatterbox.

 

She missed Number 4’s cheerful attitude and laugh.

 

She missed the squabbles Number 16 did with people, and mostly Dahlia.

 

She missed Number 21’s quiet but calming presence.

 

Their family wasn’t the same without them.

 

But trying to find them right now would cause more harm than good, for all of them.

 

“You all remember as much as I do that their Commander wanted to use us as a means to let them proceed, sacrifice us so they could get to the server room.” Dahlia had been the first and most vocal about this too, that was why Rose looked straight at her right now.

 

“What do you think will stop her from trying to do the same to catch them? Or worse.”

 

They could end up all dead, just because they listened to their aching hearts.

 

Instead of their heads.

 

Sometimes the heart had to be ignored for the better good.

 

Dahlia lowered her head, realizing, even though she probably too already knew, but emotions drove every single one of her decisions.

 

She didn’t blame her.

 

None of them could be blamed.

 

They had to hurt some more so they could still live.

 

“We would be wasting all of their efforts.” Anemone stated. Not only those of years ago, where they were ready to sacrifice themselves for them and their friendship, but also through these years.

 

Whether those four knew or not that they were alive, staying hidden alone brought YoRHa’s fire off their backs, and only on theirs.

 

So, for as bad as it was…

 

“We can only hope that they will be safe.” Rose sighed. “Or for as safe as they can be.” Gerbera added.

 

She still had under her eyes the pictures of those girls for this reason too.

 

“They don’t look so healthy.”

 

In fact, not at all.

 

“Probably they didn’t have too much to fix themselves with.” Margaret leaned over to look, and grimaced.

 

“Given how they were never given help, they probably had nothing at all.” finally Dahlia was speaking sense again. 

 

The only help those girls ever had, were them.

 

It was hard to force themselves to not do it again. 

 

If they could, they would jump at the first occasion to, but the implications were too dangerous.

 

Despite everything, they couldn’t defeat a YoRHa.

 

Otherwise they wouldn’t be sitting here needing 2B and 9S’ aid.

 

Gerbera’s eyes softened more and more as she looked. “They look awful.”

 

“I’m sure Number 21 is doing her best to keep them alive.” Lily replied, after all, she knew probably better than others how good the woman was with this stuff.

 

And also how much she cared about people.

 

She saved her from the virus, even though they had known each other from very little, and she’d even been mean to her at the beginning.

 

At least she had managed to give her a well deserved hug, for putting up with her.

 

And then she almost killed her with her own hands…

 

Lily hadn’t forgotten the red marks she had left on her neck, even though the Scanner hid them well under the scarf she wore and never spoke of them again.

 

She thanked her, but she never said she was sorry…

 

She wasn’t herself but…

 

“I don’t doubt it, however…” Gerbera sighed, it was in her nature to analyze and pick apart things after all. “Looking at them it’s hard to believe they are still running.”

 

But they were, which was a good thing.

 

Again, like Lily said, the Scanner was surely doing all in her power to keep them well.

 

But she too wasn’t looking too great.

 

What struck the most wasn’t even the lack of skin, parts or clothing, neither was the fact they were dirty with unkempt hair.

 

But it was like…

 

It was like it wasn’t even them.

 

They almost didn’t recognize the girls they knew in those faces.

 

Number 4 was one that cared about looks the most, and she wasn’t keeping herself at all. Number 21 was the other one, but she lacked all the grace she used to have entirely.

 

Even Number 2 was all but her old cute self.

 

Perhaps only Number 16 was the exception, but the way she kept her hair loose told them she didn’t care to keep the hair out of her eyes anymore, when she used to hate wearing a visor even.

 

It was like none of them cared for themselves as much, or at all.

 

But perhaps they shouldn’t judge so harshly.

 

After all, they didn’t know what they went through these years. Nothing good was the assumption.

 

Their eyes though…

 

That light they still held when they met, despite the hardships… 

 

The hope…

 

It was gone…

 

“We can’t do anything to help them.” Rose repeated, her head low. They couldn’t see each other again until the war raged, until YoRHa was after them.

 

“The best we can do is withhold information to YoRHa itself.” which wasn’t too easy, especially since she messed up herself by telling their story to 2B, but if she knew then why didn't she tell?

 

Rose didn’t know how much she could trust the woman with what she knew, but had she meant ill then she would have reported it to the Commander already.

 

Given they were looking for information, it was very likely that she kept silent.

 

Yes, but for how long?

 

But somehow Rose didn’t find it in herself to doubt the woman.

 

Must be because she was another Number 2.

 

Humble, honest, and caring.

 

Despite the difference in attitude those sides of said personality remained to her too.

 

After all, hadn’t she told them they’d still be here thinking they died, like they did for all these years. They were in this place for that reason after all.

 

Still somewhat unbelievable, but there they were, the pictures didn’t lie.

 

Or at least Rose hoped they didn’t, given how elaborate their Commander’s plan had been, but why only ask now if she knew they were the same Resistance of back then?

 

She didn’t see a reason.

 

And hoped there wasn’t something more shady behind this.

 

As if knowing that their friends, though alive, were out there hunted from the same person that put them down here on Earth, and could die at any moment from them or machines wasn’t bad enough.

 

“Only time will tell if we’ll see them again.”

 

They could only hope.

 

Once again her eyes laid on the flowers, a reminder that she still had a promise to keep.

 

Chapter 5: [F]ragmented memories

Today was an odd day, bad, terrible even, one could say. The machines were more restless than usual, and aggressive, and numerous, a real pain.

 

Number 16 shot another round of bullets taking down more of them, Number 2 and Number 4 cut down others at her sides, but they didn’t seem to stop, or slow down, nor diminish in numbers.

 

Number 21 stuck her lance in the head of a stubby, her radars going haywire with hostile signals, her screens displayed way too many red dots.

 

It almost looked like the horde from when they landed on Earth the first time, only that the type of machines was different.

 

“How many of these assholes are here today?” the Gunner growled, planting her knife between the eyes of another machine.

 

“Number 21, what is happening?” Number 4 asked, cutting in half a machine with her heavy sword, and then any other that tried to get closer to her, and the Scanner, Number 2 joined her in protecting the redhead, so she could check without worrying, while Number 16 engaged with the rest at distance.

 

Number 21 looked at what her screens displayed better, but the more she looked, the bigger the number of machines got.

 

She wished she had an answer to give.

 

“I’m not so sure, there have never been this many enemies.” except…

 

“Except when we were deployed.” 

 

“What does it mean?” Number 2 frowned, she didn’t want to think about the implications of all this, but she was afraid that the Scanner would say just what she feared.

 

Many enemies also meant many androids deployed.

 

And more of a risk to be found.

 

But also… Number 21 mentioned their mission so…

 

“It might mean there could be another big operation going on.” much like their descent.

 

“So what? More people White has intention to sacrifice?” Number 16 snarled, hitting a machine that came too close with the butt of her rifle.

 

More people like their comrades that died before even touching Earth?

 

More people like their comrades that they couldn’t save for the lack of help?

 

More people like their only friends of the Resistance, dragged into this madness because of their own decisions, but that White decided had to die anyways?

 

People like them?

 

This was a lingering thought, one that they didn’t want to admit being true, given how many androids were sent after them.

 

But…

 

“If this would have gone differently, maybe we could have been allies…” it was something Number 2 said one day, years ago, after yet another android defeated by their hands.

 

It was way too hard to admit.

 

But despite everything, they too were only under orders made up from lies, just like they were back then…

 

And to perpetuate said lie, their former Commander deleted the memories of the people she sent after them each and every time, so whatever happened the time before, of anything they did or said, they would have no memory of it.

 

So even if they tried to convince them of their innocence, or justify their actions, it ended up being completely useless. 

 

They had no allies but themselves.

 

So they stopped trying.

 

And just accepted things the way they were, surviving using any means necessary.

 

It hadn’t been too much of an issue for Number 16, admittedly her thing for violence, and rough personality helped in numbing down everything, she killed to protect her friends, didn’t matter who, not before and not now.

 

It was what she’d been built to do.

 

For the others… it had been way harder.

 

Number 21 had been the first to accept this. She was someone that cared for people, she who always put the wellbeing of others before hers, such was being a Scanner type, and behind that seemingly cold exterior, there was a caring heart.

 

Perhaps something changed when she met 2E the first time, finding out the harsh truth that she might have even been thinking about all along, way before it happened, but never voiced before then. She was smart after all.

 

Coming to the realization that they had to die made her even more protective towards them, she’d fuss over every little thing, and check them up multiple times after any battle, even more than she used to.

 

And for her own peace of mind they’d let them, the reason they were alive, was her.

 

Focusing on them made her come to terms with this faster.

 

Number 4 had a bit of a harder time, even if she, much like the Gunner, wouldn’t hesitate to kill for the sake of the rest of the group, especially at the beginning, when they needed the parts to just… live.

 

She and her were similar, Number 16 found, they’d face anything for the sake of the others, because if they didn’t protect each other, no one else would.

 

But despite everything the killing did affect Number 4 more than she’d say, and looking at her the change was evident. She was someone that easily got along with people, someone that loved to bond with others.

 

She bonded well with everyone in the Resistance almost immediately.

 

Killing fellow androids wasn’t something that fit her… she forgot how to smile, she forgot how to laugh, she forgot how to be that annoying happy-go-lucky tease she used to be.

 

Someone that loved people wasn’t made for this.

 

But her friends were more important.

 

As was Number 2.

 

Especially Number 2.

 

Their young and naive Captain whose world had fallen on her, way too fast and way too hard.

 

She, whose life was to protect others…

 

She failed and failed…

 

Their companions… the Resistance…

 

They were all ready to sacrifice themselves for them, Number 16 remembered objecting to it but she could say nothing when she looked into her eyes, how determined she was.

 

So she followed through.

 

And yet… here they were, still together.

 

But of them there was no trace…

 

She failed…

 

They failed…

 

And then her innocence and hope had been crushed further from reality, they were just sacrifices, but never she thought that White would go as far as to seek them out to destroy them.

 

And the choice was to either lay down and die, or kill fellow androids to live.

 

Number 2 who could barely destroy machines back then…

 

Her kindness was just gone, replaced from just cold indifference for anything else that wasn’t them.

 

And of course, the ever present rage towards the machines, that despite everything tore away their only friends from them, and for the Commander that had been behind all the lies and betrayals.

 

They used to be so nice, the three of them, but perhaps it was what made them even colder in the face of truth after, compared to the Gunner, that prided herself to be the most indifferent when killing was involved.

 

Whatever the target was.

 

She didn’t hesitate, didn’t think, but she wished she did.

 

After all, she too wasn’t built to kill androids, no?

 

She would have never harmed any of her comrades, or the Resistance before.

 

Those were simpler times , she thought.

 

Despite their mission they were indeed easier, having people they could count on at their side.

 

How… how she wished they could somehow go back in time…

 

“We can’t know for sure.” it was Number 21’s reply. “But we can’t be sure of the opposite either.”

 

Again, the more she looked, the more red dots appeared.

 

“Something big is happening, of that I am certain.” yes, but what exactly? 

 

“What should we do? Retreat and wait it out?” if there was someone Number 16 trusted with coming up with solutions was Number 21.

 

“I… I’m not sure…” but even she had no clue.

 

“How?” Number 4 frowned. “The way I see this, is either run and hide, or try to find out what is going on, with the risk of YoRHa finding us.” the Scanner replied.

 

“Number 2, what do you want to do?”

 

Time passed, but when it came to taking big decisions, they still trusted Number 2’s heart.

 

She was still their Captain.

 

The Attacker clenched her hands at her sides.

 

Should they prioritize being safe? Number 21 would have certainly wanted that. Their safety came first, but…

 

“I want to see what is going on.” she stated.

 

She knew it was the wrong decision, however…

 

“If… if we could aid even just one of them…”

 

After all, weren’t they just tormented souls in search of redemption for their failures?

 

For failing to protect what was important to them?

 

Now, if only they could protect something important for someone else…

 

Somehow…

 

In some way…

 

Number 16 sighed, but nodded, placing her rifle against her shoulder. “All right, fine. Let’s go then.” she already started heading towards the city.

 

“I’d still suggest not going any further than the bridge.” Number 21 followed. She was still prioritizing their safety.

 

But this wish…

 

It was ever present.

 

Even if only Number 2 still had the courage to put it into words.

 

As they went, Number 21 gave another warning as they got closer.

 

“I’m picking up several YoRHa signals.” just as they thought, many machines also meant many androids.

 

But…

 

“There’s something wrong.” the Scanner called out, before she could explain, or anyone could ask what she meant, a chorus of sinister laughs reached their ears.

 

A group of androids came into vision as they reached the commercial facility.

 

From the sluggish and unnatural way they moved, it should have been obvious, but as they turned their eyes game no doubts.

 

Red and glowing…

 

“They’re infected…” Number 4 tightened the grip on her weapon, it seemed that they hadn’t noticed them yet, but she prepared herself for when they would.

 

Number 2 looked at Number 21, but the Scanner shook her head.

 

The infection was already too far to be removed, also they were just too many too.

 

This wasn’t a situation like Lily, it was something much worse.

 

Perhaps even worse than Number 21’s own virus, and to be able to take over a Scanner, a type that was supposed to be highly resistant to them, that one had been strong, though it had taken its time to take hold.

 

But to infect this many people at once…

 

It had to be something else entirely.

 

Something scarier than the virus they used to know.

 

They didn’t manage to think more about the situation, they had walked right into it, and now those androids were quickly upon them, and the Scanner’s cry to be careful was lost in the wind.

 

She barely managed to draw out her lance to protect herself, but the pure brute strength of this android threw her on the ground.

 

Thankfully Number 2 was close enough to intervene immediately, and stab the android’s chest before she could do any damage, and Number 21 had never been more glad to have picked up this lance when she decided to.

 

Or she’d probably be dead at least ten times over.

 

As much as she was still a dead weight sometimes…

 

In the close distance, Number 4 and Number 16 dealt with the other ones that were approaching. 

 

“Their strength limiters are not working.” Number 21 said as she picked herself up.

 

They had seen it with Lily too, how she was able to throw multiple androids around with no effort at all, despite not even being built to fight at all.

 

Which brought the question, why did she still have control over it?

 

Hadn’t she been infected too?

 

Even after years the Scanner still had many questions about her own survival to her own virus, and how somehow her body adapted to its presence, not without some aid though.

 

But it still puzzled her how it lived almost in symbiosis with her.

 

So much so that she was even able to use it as a system of defense when needed, all thanks to the encounter with 2E, that showed her how to, and the encounter with 9S, that let the thing stay in a corner of her mind, without causing more neither physical nor mental damage.

 

However she never had this augment of strength like infected units usually did.

 

She wondered if it had to be because of the presence of an already similar system within her, and her comrades too.

 

The B mode.

 

Another augment of strength and speed, at the cost of losing mental defenses, that meant being more exposed to hacking. Not a system Number 21 loved to use, since hacking was her specialty and best weapon.

 

She talked to the others into not using it often either, for how weary it was on the body as well.

 

With limited resources, pretty much what they could salvage from those they killed, she could only do so much to repair them.

 

This made her wonder what happened to YoRHa for allowing so many of their units to get infected in the first place. Some kind of twisted scheme to deny them the possibility to repair themselves? 

 

2E had a virus in her own body set to trigger if she were to access her personal information, did these do too?

 

But she hadn’t touched them.

 

Was it a remote trigger?

 

Or was it something else entirely and it had been the machines’ doing?

 

Did they get so smart and powerful to infect so many units at once? It was… a scary thought…

 

It meant that they had evolved way beyond those they knew about.

 

She… sort of documented this evolution, in particular how they somehow learned how to speak, which she hadn’t liked either.

 

Did they evolve even more?

 

A dumb question, of course they could have.

 

It still remained the problem that they had to deal with these androids now, whatever happened.

 

Number 21 managed to sink her lance in the chest of the closest one.

 

And here they thought to come here in search of redemption…

 

Of some kind of hope…

 

Anything…

 

But all they found was even more death.

 

She could see it in their faces, she could see it in Number 2’s face…

 

That look of defeat…

 

It seemed that it was one of the few things that they were still able to express these days.

 

Using a moment of quiet after all androids fell, Number 4 went to put a hand on the Attacker's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Number 21 was just about to do the same, when Number 16 caught their attention with a shout.

 

“There’s someone on the bridge!” she had perched herself on a higher spot, so she could overlook things better, and being a Gunner type her eyes were the sharpest.

 

When she noticed it.

 

A person crossing the bridge nearby.

 

She motioned for the other three to join her where she was, just for safety, in case of more hostiles, and so they could watch over too.

 

“Who do you think it could be?” Number 4 frowned, but mostly, was it someone still sane?

 

That was the bigger question she didn’t say.

 

She didn’t need to.

 

They heard a growl from the Gunner. “It’s that fake Number 2 again…”

 

And well known was her dislike for her, well, not that they didn’t share it, only that the raven was the most vocal about it.

 

As was with most things, especially when annoying.

 

“2E…” Number 21 whispered, her eyes narrowing behind the visor.

 

But…

 

“She looks hurt.” she added.

 

Of all the people they had to run into…

 

And underneath them, even more infected androids were gathering near the bridge as they spoke, and as the Executioner approached, precariously wobbling as she went.

 

They had been enemies but…

 

Watching her be cut to pieces from these infected units was not something they were going to see happening.

 

They still held some kind of dignity… 

 

Somewhere deep within them.

 

“Number 2!” Number 4 called out as the Attacker threw herself from their perch, and down in the fray without saying a word, slashing down the infected as she went.

 

It seemed that the decision was already taken.

 

It was almost predictable, knowing the way Number 2 acted.

 

Especially knowing how kind she used to be.

 

That kindness was buried deep under layers of cold indifference, anger and hate, as was everyone else’s, but they were still those naive units that set foot on Earth years ago, hidden under whatever they had become.

 

Time passed, but some things never changed.

 

Following her, they got rid of those few androids quickly enough, before they could lay a hand on 2E.

 

However…

 

As she took off her visor they saw it…

 

She was infected too…

 

“You…” barely a whisper, as she looked at them, eyes tired and unfocused. 

 

While the three of them turned to Number 21, and the Scanner nodded.

 

The infection progressed far, but she could still take it off as long as it hadn’t taken control of 2E entirely.

 

As the redhead walked over to where the E type sat, she looked down at her, her eyes compassionate, even though the other woman couldn’t see them.

 

She didn’t know she knew exactly how this felt… the pain… the sense of losing control…

 

The situation reminded her of when she had asked Anemone to kill her.

 

She hanged on to every little drop of sanity she had left until the end, to not let her see her lose her mind, to not let her see become a shell of herself.

 

To not become a monster.

 

To not hurt her…

 

If only she had been as strong and as capable as she was now…

 

2E sank her sword on the ground, that white sword that used to belong to Number 2, her hand leaving a gentle caress on the handle with the utmost care.

 

Like it was something precious.

 

“These are… my memories…” matter of fact, they were precious, for her.

 

Number 21 crouched in front of the woman, taking in her suffering form up close, and the more she looked, the more she felt like she was looking in a mirror.

 

She’d been in that place before.

 

She understood.

 

She had left behind something important too.

 

They all had left something important behind, without meaning to.

 

For this reason, if 2E had something so precious as well, then, she had to keep living for said reason.

 

Enemy or not, right now it had no importance.

 

“Don’t be so hasty.” she said, placing a gentle hand against the E type’s head.

 

And then she plunged deep in her mind.

What greeted Number 21 was a jumbled mess of fragmented memories that flickered all around her, in a scenery stained of a crimson red color.

 

As if 2E was desperately trying to hold on to her memories to the very end.

 

Like some sort of lifeline to cling onto.

 

Once again, the Scanner could feel her heart ache at the similarity, when it had been her time she had done the same.

 

Clinging on the memories of her friends, her family…

 

Lily had done that too, recalling the time when Rose had saved her from the group’s ex General’s hands, quite literally.

 

Memories were the thing of the biggest importance androids had, she spoke to this with Anemone before, back then… after all, it was what made them what they were, their experiences, and the relationships with the people around them…

 

They had no price.

 

All these memories she could see and hear had one single common thing.

 

The Scanner boy, 9S.

 

The feeling they mused about when they met them together a while ago, about the fact that the two looked like they had known each other for a long time might have been correct.

 

No.

 

It was definitely correct.

 

Various memories of him invaded Number 21’s vision, depicting the boy as an outgoing and quirky person, much different than the one they met.

 

In every single one, he was smiling.

 

From the very beginning, we were forbidden from harboring emotion.

 

Wrong.

 

A Number 2 shouldn’t think this way, her Number 2 didn’t, emotion drove her decisions.

 

Their decisions.

 

And defined their feelings for those close to them.

 

She knew.

 

They knew.

 

She had tried to hide her feelings too, back then, tried to keep a cooler attitude for the safety of her comrades, thinking that if she kept distance, she could help them better with less distractions.

 

That she could keep them safe.

 

Not knowing that it had been emotions making said decisions for her.

 

All her convictions had crumbled on the warmth of Lily’s tiny arms wrapped around her.

 

And then they fell further and further away.

 

The more she tried not to care, the more she did.

 

The face of a darker skinned woman, with black hair, hardened but kind green eyes, hiding under a long green cape came to her.

 

Anemone…

 

If you don’t live there will be no one to remember our existence.

 

She had told her taken in the throes of the virus, and then she couldn’t even die off and be with her…

 

She was here and Anemone was not…

 

She couldn’t…

 

They could not forget…

 

I’ve been… 9S…

 

Despite all 2E ever did, everything always ended up in tragedy.

 

With her having to kill him, each and every time.

 

Perhaps they weren’t so different…

 

Perhaps they weren’t the only victims, but for so long it was just them alone against the world.

 

Unaware of the suffering of others.

 

More like they didn’t want to acknowledge it, too wound up in their pain, and in their own memories to do so.

 

But in the end, they were all born cursed all the same.

 

They were all alone.

 

I’VE BEEN ****ING 9S.

 

Love.

 

It was love the word 2E was searching for.

 

Not kill.

 

Despite all she had to do to him.

 

Number 21 knew, she felt it from inside her mind, these feelings she felt for him, she felt them deep inside her chest.

 

They mirrored what she once felt for Anemone.

 

To the point that she’d give her life for her, she meant to give her life, and yet…

 

They mirrored what Number 16 felt for Dahlia too, even for as hard as it had been to admit for her, she did say so one night neither of them could sleep, taken by nightmares of the past. 

 

She kept all she had said that time a secret out of respect.

 

They mirrored what Number 2 and Number 4 felt for each other too.

 

At least they had each other still…

 

She and the Gunner took it upon themselves to protect them, and this love, because they no longer could experience that, and they didn’t want them to feel that pain too.

 

At least that.

 

If they could spare them any more suffering…

 

Their love… it must never be lost.

 

My dear…

 

If only…

 

If only she had the courage to tell Anemone how she had felt back then… but she didn’t, not even when she thought it was the end…

 

So then…

 

“Hold onto your memories a little longer.”

 

For his sake.

 

For her sake.

 

She’d save her.

 

She’d save them.

Number 4 stared at 2E’s lying form and Number 21’s hunched over form over hers and frowned, worry increasing.

 

“Do you think she’s okay?” hacking was… a hard procedure, despite how easy the Scanner made it look like. But possibly there were more dangers in there than there were in a sword fight.

 

The redhead had been in there for a while.

 

Suddenly that gray floating box 2E always had with her, chimed in alerting them of incoming tremors.

 

“Great… just what we needed.” Number 16 rolled her eyes, as if today hadn’t been problematic enough… when looking at the bridge, she saw another figure.

 

And said figure was approaching rapidly too, despite how wobbly the bridge had gotten, as the ground began to shake under them.

 

9S.

 

Of course it had to be him.

 

He was also screaming from the top of his lungs.

 

“What have you done!? Get away from her!” he kept yelling, and shouting 2E’s name.

 

Though he called her 2B, for some reason.

 

Even drawing his sword.

 

Did he think they harmed her?

 

Well, she was lying down, but she was just unconscious.

 

No way he could have known though.

 

When they thought they had to prepare for a fight, the tremors intensified, causing the bridge to collapse entirely, and 9S to fall with it.

 

Or rather, he would have, hadn’t Number 2 reached for him, managing to barely grab him by a sleeve of his vest, almost diving to reach him.

 

Despite the precarious situation, he kept thrashing in her grip, and if he kept doing that they might as well both fall down in the pit.

 

“I’ll kill you!” he still repeated.

 

“Shut up!” Number 2 yelled after him. “We are helping her!”

 

It seemed that the message had been delivered well enough, as he halted all his movements in a second, calming down immediately.

 

Sensing that he was no longer a threat, the Attacker pulled him up, so he could sit on solid ground.

 

“Number 21 is trying to remove the infection.” Number 4 crouched next to them.

 

Hoping she could.

 

And hoping she’d come out of it unscathed too.

 

9S crawled over to them. “I’m gonna help too.”

 

While the girls looked at each other, questioning if they should intervene or if they should let him do what he wanted, it was then that Number 21 came back to her senses with a painful sounding gasp.

 

“Virus… eliminated…” she could barely whisper before she collapsed in a heap next to 2E’s body.

 

Number 2 was immediately at her side, holding her.

 

“Unit S21 entered forced shutdown due to excessive mental stress.” the black floating box 9S had chimed in, explaining what happened.

 

So she was okay then?

 

They couldn’t do or ask more, when more tremors could be felt, and white eerie structures started emerging from the ground.

 

“We’ve got to leave.” Number 16 urged, as Number 2 took Number 21 in her arms, and Number 4 did the same with 2E, carrying them away.

 

The group retreated to the safety of the commercial facility nearby.

 

Safety first, questions later.

They took refuge inside the broken building, now a whole mess, and whatever was left had been overtaken from overgrown plants, and the passage of time.

 

9S had offered to check on both 2E and Number 21, but his floating box, Pod he called it, told them that the two were in forced rest mode, so their bodies and minds could recover from the intense stress the virus caused to them both.

 

Currently he sat with 2E’s sleeping form against his legs, as Number 16 did the same, keeping the Scanner on her own ones, holding a protective arm around her.

 

She still didn’t trust the boy entirely.

 

However, as long as he wasn’t being hostile she could deal with it.

 

Right now there was little they could do about this, so they took the opportunity to try and get some rest too, getting as comfortable in each other’s presence as they could, sitting down against broken walls and furniture.

 

As the gray Pod suggested.

 

Apparently 9S had been rushing over from a long trek in the desert, where he met some annoying machines himself. He and 2E had been separated.

 

Or maybe… knowing the evil thing she had within her, she had wanted to spare him the agony to watch her die, or to have to kill her.

 

She surely wouldn’t be here right now hadn’t it been because they found her, and for Number 21’s intervention.

 

But there were still questions.

 

“So what happened to YoRHa?” Number 4 had been the one asking, she hadn’t forgotten all the infected people they had seen.

 

And from the look of it, it seemed these two might as well have been running from whatever happened too.

 

Since so far they had been the only sane people they could see.

 

Or well, one of them, and the other had been saved.

 

“The machines accessed the Bunker’s servers through a backdoor, all the units synced to the server got infected with a logic virus.” the boy sighed heavily, preferring to occupy himself with stroking 2E’s hair. 

 

“We’re the only ones that managed to escape.” he stated.

 

“I assume the rest you may have figured it out yourselves.” the girls nodded. “We have met a number of infected units, yes.” Number 2 replied.

 

Some of them almost killed her successor, but they were dead, so he didn’t need to know.

 

Alongside a ridiculous number of machines too.

 

Now it explained why there were so many, and also why they were so restless.

 

It all made sense now.

 

“In other words, there’s no one left but you two and us.” Number 16 looked at the duo with an intense look.

 

Of all the people… the two that had been the most problematic in the past.

 

But she supposed there was little need for hostility now that YoRHa was gone though.

 

Technically they were free now.

 

Or at least, no more wanted and hunted.

 

It had to count for something.

 

The boy nodded, then made a noise as if he remembered something. “Thank you for saving 2B.” he bowed a little.

 

Even though his eyes were covered from the visor, the way he looked at the woman was full of love, just from the way he smiled when he looked at her resting form.

 

“S types like me don’t usually get a partner.” he said.

 

Was he aware of what she was though?

 

But also, did he care?

 

Well, that was their issue to solve.

 

“2B, she’s my family.” and pretty much the only thing he had left now.

 

He decided to address them instead.

 

“I assume that with how close you seem to be, that it’s the same thing for you as well.” he said, almost as if he was looking for a confirmation of something he knew.

 

The girls didn’t answer for a while, preferring to look at each other, and then down at the ground, fidgeting slightly.

 

9S was about to apologize for being too personal, when Number 2 spoke first.

 

“We had a bigger family once.” he didn’t miss how Number 4 reached for the Attacker’s hand, placing hers on the other woman’s one.

 

“We were deployed as a squadron of 16, but the team was decimated mid-flight, we couldn’t save any of them…” Number 2 continued.

 

She didn’t even know why she was saying this.

 

Perhaps she just felt that he could understand, somehow.

 

“The four of us were alone and lost, that’s when we found a group of the local Resistance. They rescued us.”

 

Number 4 closed her hand around Number 2’s one, gently squeezing it.

 

“The start had been rough, but during that short time we have been together we’ve been the happiest we have ever been. They taught us what it meant to care for those close to us, outside mere YoRHa rules, and to love.”

 

“They taught us to live.” Number 4 finished what Number 2 struggled to say. “We were made to be sacrificed, to die, so we tried to at least spare them, they didn’t need to meet that fate, but…”

 

“But for some kind of twisted joke, we are still here, and death took them away instead.” Number 16 growled a little, she hated to say this.

 

They hated this all.

 

“I’m sorry…” 9S looked down, then displayed something on a screen. “I had done some research on you four after we met.”

 

On said screens, there were the reports of each of them, and their mission.

 

About Number 2’s questionable actions as captain, about Number 4’s personality no longer being used because deemed unsuitable, about Number 16’s type being eliminated, and merged with Attackers to build this new type called Battler, and about Number 21’s greatest feat saving Lily from the virus, and how the results would be implemented in newer units as well.

 

And of course, the order for the E type division whose data came from them first, to take care of the still living problem.

 

“The documents are classified, now I see why.” he stated. Now they realized why he would have a partner E type as well.

 

YoRHa must have fallen before they realized he found the data.

 

They were a problem because they knew too much, so why wouldn’t he be as well?

 

There were even more similarities between them, that before they didn’t even have the possibility to see they were there.

 

“Hearing this now, I see that there’s much more behind what we were told.”

 

That was one strong sentence.

 

But it was true.

 

“White only says what is convenient to her. We were lied about our purpose too.” Number 2 replied. “We were just a means to create better androids.” she gave a pointed look to 2E, 2B, whatever one wanted to call her.

 

But in light of what they just found, it hadn’t been her fault.

 

She’d been an enemy though, and old thoughts were hard to die.

 

“Given what I have found, I don’t find it hard to believe.” and judging from this, it wasn’t hard to imagine that they had wanted the only people that ever treated them as friends, and not as items, to keep living.

 

“How awful…” the word left his mouth before he could stop them.

 

But that was how he felt.

 

It wasn’t hard to guess that A2’s data was used to make his beloved 2B, and perhaps even his Operator had been made with S21’s data as well, as far as the same numbers went.

 

And who knows how many other androids?

 

“But, thank you again for saving 2B.” he said it because he meant it.

 

He also said it because given what he just heard, it felt right to tell them that they had done something right, and saved a person that was precious to him.

 

Perhaps he wanted to console them over losing those dear to them.

 

A reminder that they did something good.

 

That most likely back then it hadn’t been their fault, even if he didn’t know the exact events.

 

Somehow…

 

Somehow it told him that these four still lived to find some kind of redemption, or at least he felt that it must have been one of the reasons.

 

Well, they had found it.

 

And he wanted to let them know.

 

Like she had heard him, he felt movement, as 2B finally woke up from her slumber, much to his delight.

 

A moan from the other side, where Number 16 was sitting, told them that Number 21 had come back to her senses too.

 

They watched her hold a hand to her face with a grimace.

 

“How are you feeling?” the Gunner asked, looking down at her, eyes soft with worry.

 

Even 2B rolled over, holding herself on one elbow so she could look at her. She’d hate to be the cause of a problem, even though the Scanner had decided to hack into her without her managing to even protest against it.

 

She’d seen it all, from there…

 

“Alive…” the redhead muttered.

 

“That is something good, at least.” Number 2 replied.

 

It wasn’t like her to be so vague, but she must have been under a lot of stress, perhaps she still needed to recover.

 

But it looked like the Scanner did not want to rest, as she hastily tried to raise herself in a sitting position, and almost falling over on her face from how weak she still was, hadn’t it been for Number 16 holding her.

 

“Easy.” the Gunner reprimanded, but Number 21 shook her head, hard.

 

“You don’t understand.” she sounded winded, shocked, almost in a panic.

 

Which worried them.

 

What happened in 2E’s mind to shake her like this?

 

She hadn’t been reacting this way even when they found out that they were being hunted.

 

Her voice was nothing more than a choked sob.

 

“They… they’re alive.”

 

Chapter 6: A [F]ateful reunion

The three girls looked at Number 21 like she had grown a second head. 

 

She… she said…

 

She couldn’t possibly mean them, right?

 

But the Scanner was no liar.

 

Not with them at least.

 

“What… are you saying?” Number 16 managed to whisper, still holding the weakened woman in her arms, hearing those words made her grip tighten.

 

“It means what I said.” it was the reply, the Scanner was still rather winded from the discovery. She had tried to reboot her systems as fast as possible, ignoring the numerous warnings telling her she should have rested more, so she could tell them.

 

She had to tell them.

 

She just had to convince them, but it seemed that the woman she just saved was the one that came to her aid.

 

“Rose-san told me about you.”

 

2B watched their eyes widen at the mention of said name.

 

“Rose…” Number 4 whispered. That Rose? The Resistance Captain?

 

“I saw their faces in her memories.” Number 21 spoke quietly, she saw them, she saw them all…

 

They were alive…

 

It felt… it felt like a huge weight had just been lifted from their shoulders.

 

Their friends…

 

Their family…

 

“So it wasn’t all for nothing…” the words left Number 2’s mouth in a quiet breath, voicing what had been their hope for all of these years.

 

They spent all this time thinking they were gone.

 

That their efforts had been for nothing.

 

But now…

 

“I am so glad…” a stray tear made its way on the Attacker’s cheek, Number 4 scooted closer, holding Number 2 in an one armed hug.

 

Number 16 and Number 21 looked at them both, a fond smile on their faces, as the Scanner relaxed in the Gunner’s grip, as the raven left a comforting squeeze on her shoulder.

 

9S however, looked at his partner with much confusion. “I thought they didn’t know each other.” he said, recalling how Rose denied to know these four, even though he never truly believed her, given the interest.

 

She had lied, and 2B aided her in covering said lie.

 

Why?

 

“She did it to protect them.” and he didn’t doubt it, even if he hadn’t heard the story.

 

Maybe in the future.

 

“Rose-san didn’t know they survived either, she discovered it when we asked them for information.” much like these four. 

 

2B’s eyes softened, looking at the Scanner that saved her. “They miss you, a lot, I figured that for you it must be the same. I wanted to thank you for saving me, so I showed you those memories. I thought it would be the best thing I could do to repay your kindness.”

 

She thought it would be the best way to tell them.

 

After all…

 

“If I only said so, you might have not believed me, but you would have believed your friend instead.” and they did, she knew.

 

The trio hadn’t doubted the Scanner’s words, they had just been as shocked as she’d been.

 

2B didn’t blame them, Rose and the others were the same.

 

She didn’t know if she could have reacted any differently, she wouldn’t.

 

She felt just the same way just a while ago, hadn’t she? When the Bunker had fallen, and everyone she knew with it…

 

But at least… she still had 9S.

 

2B couldn’t imagine being entirely alone in this situation, and it applied to them too.

 

For as hard as things were, at least having someone at their side, despite believing that their friends were dead, must have given some sort of relief.

 

But she didn’t want to assume too much, she wasn’t them, nor lived through what they did.

 

“Thank you.” the redhead nodded.

 

And 2B noticed, they were smiling, their faces entirely different from the coldness they had when they met. 

 

She was glad to have made the right choice.

 

For once.

 

Perhaps she too could do good.

 

It was then that an alert from the two Pods broke the moment of calm, and happiness.

 

“Alert: Goliath class machine lifeform detected.” Pod 042 chimed in. Just what they needed…

 

“The machine lifeform seems to be heading in the direction of the Resistance’s camp.”

 

The Resistance camp?

 

No…

 

All but that place!

 

“We’ve got to stop it!” Number 2 shot up in a second, quickly followed by her friends, even though Number 21 stumbled a little as she did, Number 16 catching her quickly. “Are you sure you can manage?” the Gunner wouldn’t ask her to stay, it was out of the question.

 

If Rose and the others were alive then she wouldn’t stay behind for anything in the world.

 

The Scanner nodded. “I’m not the one you should worry about.” 

 

She could fight a bit longer.

 

As long as she knew that their friends were safe.

 

They wouldn’t risk losing them now that they knew they were alive.

 

Not this nightmare again…

 

“We’re going to warn them.” 9S stated, and they should hurry, so they could act accordingly.

 

“We’ll fight with you.” 2B said, because they had to.

 

Rose and the Resistance were still their allies, and also pretty much all they had left to turn to, without YoRHa.

 

Losing them would be awful.

 

And they had a family to reunite with, now that both groups knew the other was alive, despite thinking the opposite for all this time.

 

They deserved to meet again.

 

Just…

 

Just like she promised to reunite every single time with 9S, no matter how many times she had to kill him.

 

She understood that they were as important to each other, like he was to her.

 

She wouldn’t wish this curse upon anyone else.

 

And they all had been cursed long enough.

 

Besides, she still had a debt to pay.

 

2B told them the truth because she saw it in the eyes of them all, how this hurt them, she felt S21’s understanding when she was suffering too, when she’d been plagued from the virus.

 

A memory of Rose telling her that the Scanner had been previously infected surged forth.

 

Perhaps she understood more than she gave off.

 

Besides, thanks to 9S she understood that the people YoRHa wanted to execute were just victims, like him.

 

They were all victims.

 

She’d avoid killing, if she could.

 

And looking at how A2 acted, most likely her predecessor, and hearing how she wanted to protect people, she understood where the feeling came from.

 

If only she would have been as brave before…

 

Their kindness saved her life.

 

They could have left her to die, they were enemies after all.

 

Given what they had been through, she wouldn’t have blamed them for growing cold, and yet… they still chose to be kind in the end.

 

That was why she was willing to help.

 

“We’re going ahead then.” from the tone A2 sounded like she was hoping they would come to their aid, after they warned Rose and the others, so at least they were aware.

 

“Pod, go with them, if anything happens we can communicate.” 2B urged her companion, that thankfully agreed with her. “Understood, this Pod will now temporarily support unit A2, A4, G16 and S21.”

 

None of them said more, as they just rushed out of the building, with 042 in tow.

 

Yes, they would help.

 

“We should get moving too.” before the last allies they had ended up like YoRHa.

When 2B and 9S rushed into the camp, they found Rose pacing around it, restless. She visibly relaxed once she laid her eyes on them.

 

“2B, 9S, we thought we’d never hear from you again.” she immediately walked over to them.

 

“What happened?”

 

9S however shook his head. “We can explain everything, but we have worse problems right now.”

 

“There’s a Goliath class machine headed for the camp.”

 

Rose grit her teeth and the news, she could hear Dahlia nearby voicing the curse she only thought.

 

That thing could destroy everything they worked for.

 

As if the failure of the massive mission YoRHa was taking part of wasn’t bad enough.

 

Well, she and the others assumed they failed entirely, after she watched the S types get taken and corrupted back in the desert. All they could do was to retire to the safety of the camp after that.

 

They didn’t really know what happened, but they did hear the explosions, so it couldn’t be anything too good.

 

At least 2B and 9S survived.

 

They weren’t attached to them like she’d been to those girls but…

 

They’d still be sad if they died.

 

After all, they helped and saved them more than once.

 

They fought together too, against that humanoid looking machine Adam.

 

But they still cared, and those two had been nothing but kind to them. Hadn’t it been for 2B then they may have never known Number 2 and the others were still alive.

 

Rose briefly wondered where they were now.

 

But there were more pressing matters.

 

“Then we’ve got to stop it.” she stated, if they didn’t survive now, then there would be no hope to see each other again.

 

And the rest of their new family they found here may die as well…

 

Why couldn’t they finally have any kind of peace?

 

“We’re heading there now.” 2B stated, hoping A2 and her group of friends were keeping the thing busy enough so they could have time to warn them, and then get over there too.

 

They said they would be going there, to protect their family.

 

Same thing as Rose wanted to do.

 

They could see her giving orders to the people of the camp, so if they were to fail, at least they would hold down the fort, the last resemblance of a home they had.

 

Before she came back to them too.

 

“I’m coming with you.” she said, weren’t her friends going to tag along too?

 

They always did.

 

And they didn’t seem to take the decision too well, as Dahlia stomped over. “What do you mean “you”? We are coming too!”

 

“You and the others should be staying here, Dahlia. It’ll be safer.” even though the tone was stern, Rose didn’t sound all that convincing.

 

If there was something that both 2B and 9S saw while being here, it was that she and her group did everything together, every time it was possible, so of course they wouldn’t agree if she were to leave them behind.

 

Especially someone as fierce as Dahlia.

 

Fierce, but also extremely loyal.

 

“Bullshit, and you know it too!” usually, Dahlia would never go against an order, but Rose was sounding ridiculous.

 

The last time she had doubted, was when they met those four…

 

But this was different.

 

No matter how dangerous, they had always stuck together, so she wouldn’t take this whole safety thing as an excuse.

 

Anemone came to her aid.

 

“What happened to all or none? It was what we had decided in that mission!” the mission they were all ready to die, them and the four YoRHa units.

 

When they had been saved.

 

They had sworn to stick together, because they were all that was left, they did it for years.

 

Before finding out those girls were still out there.

 

Wasn’t seeing them again the reason they should fight together even more?

 

“We want to fight!” Lily’s voice made itself heard loud and clear over the others. She, the little lover model that wasn’t even built for combat.

 

That experience made her much braver.

 

She no longer was afraid.

 

“Captain Rose, you said we would protect our family, then please let us.”

 

“Number 2, what is the meaning of your life?”

 

“The meaning of my life is to protect everyone.”

 

“I feel the same.”

 

Lily’s words made these memories surge forth in Rose’s mind, matter of fact, Number 2, she did protect all of them.

 

It was why they were still together.

 

Rose shook her head.

 

What a stupid decision she was trying to make, taken from the momentary fear to lose what was dear to her, to them, again.

 

“Thank you, Lily.” she looked straight at the smaller girl. “For reminding me what matters.”

 

She had been the first reason she wanted to protect the people she cared for.

 

All those years back then…

 

“Well then let’s go. We’ll protect our family!” including them. Especially them.

 

So one day they could see each other again.

 

2B and 9S watched the whole exchange, wondering if they should have just revealed that the rest of their family would also be there, but eventually decided against it.

 

There was no time for too many words.

 

And hopefully, despite how bad the situation was looking, it would also be the perfect way to let them meet again, hoping those four were okay, that was.

 

They had to be, they also desired to see each other again.

 

It was written on their faces.

 

It was evident in their words.

 

Everything had to be okay.

When the group arrived at the Flooded City, 2B and 9S noticed something was off. A2’s group wasn’t there.

 

Did they lie?

 

Unlikely.

 

Given how they reacted at the news of the rest of their friends being alive, those friends they desperately had wanted to save and live on, it was not possible that they could have been lying.

 

Something must have happened.

 

But neither of the two had the time to wonder about what or why, as ahead of them stood tall and menacing an Engels unit, its steps so heavy the ground shook.

 

They could hear Dahlia cursing loudly. “That thing looks like…”

 

“It looks like that giant machine we fought at Mt. Ka’ala, and that we couldn’t defeat…” Gerbera grit her teeth as she spoke, not willing to relive the memory.

 

The memory of Number 16 begging them to leave and save themselves, her confident grin had been the last thing they had seen, before the explosion triggered from the YoRHa’s reactor being shot like a bullet went off, and they had all been sent flying, everything going dark after that.

 

The fact they knew that she, and the others were still alive, didn’t cancel the pain they felt through these years.

 

It wouldn’t pass just because of words and pictures.

 

Not being there with her had been one of the group’s biggest regrets.

 

But this time perhaps it would be different, that was, if 2B and 9S had any ideas to face this thing.

 

They both had drawn their sword, but there were doubts if they could get any close to do any damage with them.

 

“This would be much easier if we had a flying unit…” they heard the boy mutter.

 

The Resistance had never seen one of them before the day they met these two, even though they knew it was how Number 2’s group descended down to Earth, but just because they knew just what happened to said units, they knew that those weapons weren’t all that sturdy either.

 

Still their best bet, and yet, they had none.

 

They didn’t have any weapon left from the massive assault they tried to launch in the desert not too many hours ago either.

 

No heavy artillery.

 

And that thing was approaching faster than they wanted to.

 

“I can try to slow it down.” Lily spoke up, holding her hands out. “Lily, wait! The gravity wave won’t work, you know that.” as much as Gerbera didn’t want to tell her, as much as she would like to tell her to try anyways.

 

But that ability was too much of a stress on the girl’s tiny body, for the little effect it would make.

 

They had seen back then, it had been useless.

 

Just like everything they had tried.

 

But to sacrifice Number 16’s reactor.

 

They thought her life would go with it, but somehow she was alive…

 

So they had to live too, so they could see her again and ask how she and the others survived situations that were self sacrifices.

 

No matter how grim this was looking.

 

“There isn’t any other way!” Lily argued back. “If I can hold it still even for a little bit…”

 

Then maybe there would be enough time to do something, anything.

 

There wasn’t more time to think, as the machine spotted them, as it did, it reared its massive chainsaw arm to strike.

 

“Gravity wave!”

 

Contrary to any indication, Lily unleashed her power at said arm, managing to slow it down, only for a little bit.

 

9S called his Pod to unleash its laser at it, only managing to make a dent on the appendage.

 

Daisy took Lily and held her tight to her body, as she collapsed from the strain of the machine ability, taking her away from danger as the Goliath’s arm still attacked them even though the act was successful in changing the trajectory, narrowly missing the group, as they retreated back, so the debris wouldn’t hit them.

 

“If only we could get close…” closer than this.

 

If he could manage to just touch it, he could attempt to render it defenseless through hacking.

 

But with a machine this size it was easy to get cleaved for trying.

 

Android bodies were resistant, but only to a certain point.

 

And without the safety the Bunker provided any longer…

 

How did the Resistance, and even A2 and her friends survive without a backup option? Were there ever one back then? 

 

Perhaps this wasn’t the time for questions as the Engels unit charged its own laser.

 

Suddenly they watched as Dahlia rushed forward, rifle drawn.

 

“What are you trying to do, idiot!? You’re going to get killed!” Anemone reprimanded her, trying to drag her to safety.

 

“Dahlia!” Rose called out.

 

“I don’t know, but we’ve got to do something!”

 

Like what? She already knew well how useless bullets were, and yet, she still shot at the machine with a desperate yell.

 

The damn thing that took Number 16 away from her, from them, for all these years…

 

It had to disappear!

 

This thought clouded her mind, but she was never one able to think very well.

 

She just wanted it gone, somehow…

 

Who knows… who knows if the Gunner was here if she would have known what to do now…

 

She hadn’t hesitated to sacrifice herself back then, so why should she hesitate, again?

 

She promised she wouldn’t do it anymore, that she wouldn’t leave anyone behind at the cost of her life.

 

Not anymore…

 

Not again…

 

Dahlia heard her name being called out as the thing shot its laser at her.

 

Maybe she should have run like she was told to…

 

But she was done running away.

 

For once, she’ll take the consequences of her own stupidity.

 

All she had wanted was to see her dear raven again… 

 

What a fool she was…

 

The heat was becoming unbearable, soon it won’t be anymore…

 

“It’s not time to die yet!” how weird… she could almost hear her voice again…

 

Was this how dying felt? How you’d see your loved ones when the end came? Humans used to say so.

 

Almost poetic.

 

It happened too quickly to realize it, she could still feel the heat of the laser close to her body, but something pulled her away with a hand on her shoulder, and the next thing Dahlia knew was that she and that person were tumbling on the ground.

 

But she was… alive?

 

When Dahlia opened her eyes, she felt that she could cry.

 

On top of her there was her… Number 16… with a bright grin. “Fancy seeing you here.” 

 

Oh girl…

 

She watched the Gunner turn to another of those Pods, and only now she realized it was the same one 2B had with her. “Thanks little guy.”

 

When Number 16 had seen Dahlia get shot, she knew she had to act fast, and the Pod offered its help, using its program to launch herself with a light cable, she threw herself in rescue of the woman.

 

No time to think.

 

While the others went to aid the rest.

 

Number 21 stood in front of Anemone, crouched on one knee as she held the woman down with one hand, and with the left she projected a shield in front of them so the debris of the explosion wouldn’t harm her, since she was also far out compared to the others.

 

“Number 21…” a whisper in shock, to which the Scanner replied with a smile when she turned around.

 

“Number 2! Number 4!” Rose called out the other two, as with their swords cleaved through the remaining pieces of walls flying towards them.

 

So they did come, why were they so late? Was the question the other two YoRHa had.

 

“Sorry, a horde of machines was in our way.” Number 2 told them the answer.

 

Did the machines not want them to reunite?

 

“They’ve been dealt with though.” Number 4 placed her sword on the ground, leaning against it. “That’s one big guy huh?”

 

She diverted the attention towards the Goliath again, there would be time to catch up after.

 

“Looks like the one I destroyed with my reactor.” immediately upon hearing these words, Dahlia took the Gunner’s arm. “Please tell me you won’t do that again.”

 

Not her, not the others.

 

Not again…

 

Not now…

 

She didn’t want to go through it another time.

 

Yet Number 16 smiled. “Nah, we have a better idea.”

 

They had found out about this not too long after the first execution attempt, when Number 21 insisted to do a thorough examination of all of them, even though she’d been the one hurt most.

 

The Commander had kept more things hidden from them.

 

Including their full potential.

 

If they had known, perhaps things would have gone better back then…

 

Or at least, differently…

 

“9S, we could be needing that Pod of yours for a moment, alongside 2B’s one.” A2 stated, motioning to the Scanner’s black companion.

 

“Sure.” he nodded, and so did 2B.

 

Whatever got them out of this mess.

 

If they had a plan, they might as well put it into action.

 

“The use of said mode to increase performance may cause consistent damage to unit A2, A4, G16 and S21’s bodies, it is inadvisable.” Pod 042 seemed to already know what the four were thinking about.

 

Was it worrying?

 

Certainly other people were worried.

 

“Then we just have to get this over quickly.” Number 4 readied her sword again. 

 

Getting things done fast before their bodies would collapse on themselves, were the reason why they needed the aid of the Pods.

 

Despite never using them, they did know the potential by having them as enemies before.

 

Number 21 took her time to analyze even them, when she had the chance, they were not short of information on them, or anything they met.

 

Perhaps too overly safe, but they would let her so she would worry less.

 

And a Scanner was still a Scanner, this was what they did.

 

“Number 21, whenever you want.” Number 2 called out to her and she nodded, screens in hand.

 

They could all use that mode on their own, but it was easier if she had control over the activation herself, especially when multiple people needed it all at once.

 

“Number 21…” Anemone whispered her name at her side. “Don’t worry, we won’t die.” it was the Scanner’s reply, already knowing she was going in that direction with her words.

 

“Activating Berserker Mode!”

 

The bodies of the four YoRHa prototypes began glowing red from the intense heat, as they overclocked their systems, sparks of electricity circling them as they did.

 

Eyes changing color to red, with an intense blue glow.

 

Almost the opposite of a logic virus, in a way. 

 

In the meantime, as they powered themselves, the Goliath moved to attack again, swinging its arm yet another time, now in the direction of Anemone and Number 21, faster than they expected, much to the Resistance woman’s horror.

 

The Scanner summoned her Type 4O Lance as Anemone called out for her to move away while she could.

 

She didn’t.

 

Watching in wonder, as the arm never hit either of them.

 

Number 21 blocked it with her weapon, using just brute force, unmoving, despite the arm that looked like it would crush her body underneath.

 

But she stood in place, unwavering. 

 

One surprise after another, she had a weapon and was so strong…

 

Was it this mode they heard her mention?

 

Number 2 quickly jumped in the action, using the arm as leverage, using her Type 4O Sword to cut it down in one swift strike, as if it was made of nothing.

 

“Let’s go.” Number 16 called out to Number 4, as they both reached for the two Pods, as they deployed a long rope, so they could use it to swing in the air.

 

The Attacker vaulted in the air with elegance, and with her blade, she made quick work of the remaining arm, much like Number 2 did with the first.

 

The Gunner hovered even higher in the air, she had launched herself even further up than the machine itself, aiming down with her rifle, Berserker Mode overcharging the weapon much like her body.

 

She shot bullets full of energy at the head, before the Goliath could recover from the damage her companions caused.

 

With the corner of her eyes, she could see both Number 2 and Number 21 doing the same thing she and Number 4 did with the Pods, coming to their aid should they need it.

 

The bullets hit their mark with precision, the charge given from B Mode rendering them explosive, as the face broke down to pieces, Number 16 grinned.

 

Stupid machine, that was what it deserved for almost killing Dahlia. 

 

If only it wasn’t so big to need an augment of power, she could have done worse, taking her time with it out of revenge.

 

But Berserker Mode required fights to be over quickly.

 

Their Scanner had been very adamant about this, the usage had to be rare and for as little as possible.

 

Just when they watched the Goliath fall, they readied for the final strike, when they heard their friend’s voices calling them out in alarm.

 

The machine sizzled with electricity, and before they could get to safety, the explosion hit all of them at once.

 

As their bodies flew in the air like leaves in the wind, everything went black. 

If only we could have done more…

 

We shouldn’t have let them sacrifice themselves for us…

 

If we were stronger…

 

If we were better…

 

Voices flooded 9S’ mind as he woke up, from the darkness around him, he could recognize that he must have been in a hacking space.

 

“What happened?” 2B’s voice came from next to him, tired and confused as she raised herself in a sitting position.

 

Thankfully their two Pods came to their aid to clear the confusion.

 

“The Goliath class machine released an EMP blast upon its destruction, as a result the consciousness of all androids present have merged together.” Pod 042 explained.

 

So then…

 

“What we are hearing are presumably thoughts and memories.” he assumed. 

 

“Proposal: Find the Goliath’s core and destroy it.” Pod 153 instructed them. Of course, the machine was keeping them locked here unless they got rid of what caused it.

 

“Let’s go then.” 2B got up and extended a hand to him.

 

Somehow she had the feeling that the journey towards the core wouldn’t be pleasant.

 

As it mustn’t have been pleasant the journey S21 had in her own broken mind, for some reason she felt this could be a similar occurrence.

 

With years of pain and regret pouring out outside of their control.

 

She knew well the tone of those words they just heard.

 

She… she had them too…

 

And knew exactly how all of this felt…

 

If she could help them out of this…

 

She’d done it already by telling each group about the other being alive, this should be easy.

 

2B has seen how much their eyes full of sadness had gotten back a spark of hope, that she was sure wasn’t there before they heard of their friends.

 

Now that they were all here again, she wouldn’t let a machine ruin their reunion.

 

For once she had the chance to do something good…

 

As she and 9S progressed further, more voices and even images seen from the eyes of those androids assaulted their senses.

 

They watched and heard the panic that unveiled in the sky, as the YoRHa squadron was descending down to Earth, how those four witnessed the death of many of them.

 

A2, put in the role of captain that she didn’t want, and how she decided that despite everything, she still wanted to try and save those comrades on the verge of death.

 

Her wishes weren’t answered, the girl she was carrying died right in her arms.

 

As did the other two in the arms of her comrades.

 

Despite that, A2 looked like she didn’t want to give up.

 

Even if she knew…

 

They knew…

 

G16 and A4 called her out, yet she marched on, until an explosion nearby cut them off, and promptly came S21’s notice on the approaching machine horde.

 

“We need to prepare to return fire, hurry up and set her down!” the Gunner laid a hand on A2’s shoulder, before rushing forward, as did the other Attacker.

 

When A2 tried to argue, A4 cut her off. “We couldn’t save any of the three, you understand, don’t you?”

 

She knew it already, she didn’t want to give up.

 

“That’s not true. We couldn’t repair them in our current state.” S21 clarified.

 

No one came to our aid from the moon…

 

They didn’t answer our cries…

 

The machines spotted them, and they couldn’t even lay their dead comrades to rest, as their lasers destroyed everything and their bodies burned to ashes.

 

Left on the run with nowhere to go.

 

Until they crossed paths with Rose and the others.

 

They saved us…

 

Despite the initial attrition, and even attempts to kill each other, with Anemone aiming to hurt S21 first, and the others reacting in kind to her move, with Dahlia and G16 ending up nothing short than shooting each other, hadn’t it been for A2’s intervention.

 

And her desperate plea to join forces, that Rose decided to accept.

 

They were our hope…

 

What followed were quiet moments of bonding, the two feisty women of each group took every occasion to challenge one another, when not long before they had been just holding each other at gunpoint, like nothing happened.

 

Rose’s promise to give them names, and wanting them to become part of their family.

 

“A name means being a family.”

 

S21 on her own side found similarities with Lily, seeking to aid her.

 

And help her she did.

 

Eliminating the logic virus plaguing her.

 

“I told you I’d help you.” the Scanner spoke softly, held in the arms of A2, just as Lily was being held by Rose, as they both recovered from the traumatic event.

 

S21 wasn’t wearing her visor, and her eyes were so kind from Lily’s own ones, as she shed tears of gratitude.

 

“I wasn’t made to fight, so everyone is stuck protecting me. I wish I could save everyone for once.”

 

Lily had been crying in the throes of the virus.

 

We were just the same, her and I…

 

All of us…

 

“Uh… will we… will we stay together forever?” it was Lily again that asked with a timid voice, looking at the rest of the group, while they traveled up the mountain. 

 

Her words were met with a general hilarity.

 

“I’m already sick of looking at her face.” 

 

“Same goes for me.”

 

Dahlia and G16 grinned at each other, touching their foreheads as a sign of challenge, but they were smiling. There was affection behind those games.

 

“It’s only been a week, you know?” Daisy panicked from next to them.

 

“To be precise, 6 days, 12 hours and 48 seconds.” S21 clarified, earning a look from Anemone at her side. “That’s not what she meant.”

 

Though she sighed, her eyes as she looked at the Scanner were soft.

 

Lily pouted. “I’m just saying that it looks that way! Sheesh!”

 

We have seen all our other friends die before us…

 

Rose however smiled at the smaller girl. “I hope it’ll be like that.”

 

We just wanted to be together with them…

 

“Rose-san, the meaning of my life is to protect everyone.” A2 stated, replying to a previous question.

 

“We’ll definitely stay together!”

 

She smiled so bright as she said that, they all did.

 

We wanted to protect them…

 

Our friends…

 

Our family…

 

More images passed quickly, of quiet moments, of friendly conversations about mindless things, of times of rest sleeping next to each other, against one another, holding each other close.

 

Of laughs, hugs, and smiles shared, that spoke of affection and encouragement.

 

And our lovers…

 

A4 laying a comforting hand on A2’s shoulder. “You’re doing great, captain.” the long haired Attacker pulled the other in her lap, holding her close. “I’m proud of you.”

 

Dahlia taking G16 by the hand. “Come help me carry some things.” the Gunner didn’t reply with any snarky remarks, nor tried to pull her hand away from the other woman’s one.

 

If anything she looked like she wanted it, as her fingers interlaced with Dahlia.

 

This was just an excuse to be alone together.

 

“I was thinking about whether there was a meaning in the life of a doll with no role.” S21 held her arm, barely managing to look at Anemone.

 

“We will never understand the meaning of life fulfilling a mission.” it was the reply.

 

Shortly after, with tentative steps, the woman pulled the Scanner in a heartfelt hug, which the redhead tentatively accepted, seemingly not knowing how to react to it at first.

 

They taught us what it means to live…

 

To be alive…

 

There was G16, together with Dahlia, Gerbera, Daisy and Lily in front of the same Goliath type they had just fought, the Gunner holding her black box in her hand.

 

“You can’t use that, you’ll die!” Dahlia grabbed her arm but the YoRHa pulled herself out of the hold. 

 

“I know! But as long as Number 2 and the others make it to the server then so be it.” she turned to the group.

 

“You guys run!”

 

The girls tried to argue, but they were cut off, and they had no time left.

 

“Allow us to save you this time, now go!”

 

We were always alone…

 

In front of an elevator, there was the trembling body of S21, taken from the virus, as her eyes glowed brightly, Anemone in front of her, on the verge of tears, pointed her gun at her, struggling to hold her hand steady.

 

“Don’t worry, I will join you soon.”

 

But with the last of her energy and sanity, the Scanner shook her head.

 

“Please… don’t die for me…” she wheezed. “If you don’t live… there will be no one to remember us…”

 

She was pleading Anemone to live on, the woman sniffled, but she nodded. “Okay…” she barely choked out, not managing to say any more words.

 

She’d live for her, because it was her last wish.

 

The Scanner managed to smile despite no longer having control over her body.

 

“Thank you… for having given me real memories…”

 

We were only weapons…

 

“Rose-san, please save yourself.” A2 told the woman, as she held a wounded Margaret in her arms. Machine corpses around them, signs of a recent fight on them.

 

The girl had been wanting them to run.

 

When the Resistance Captain tried to argue, A4 came to her own Captain’s aid. “We decided that your lives aren’t worth sacrificing for the whims of our Command.”

 

“We’re grateful for all you’ve done for us, but now we will end this.” A2 continued, she had a soft yet sad smile. “If we survive this, let’s meet again someday.”

 

And then, they went separate ways.

 

In the server room, two entities dressed in red stood in the middle of a horde of infected androids.

 

“This is a truth we obtained by hacking into your servers, so listen well.” they said.

 

“A harsher, crueler battlefield will nurture a warrior. That’s what Command thought.” as they spoke, they sent the androids they were controlling against the two YoRHa.

 

“They had planned unplanned battles and harsh situations in advance, for their new experimental weapon, the YoRHa soldiers. And the results were just what Command planned! Even on the brink of annihilation, you survived and arrived at this location! Using this experimental data, they can create even more perfect automatic infantry dolls.”

 

Even though they knew they were just sacrifices, they still had believed their Commander gave them a mission worth something.

 

“This is humanity’s objective.”

 

In the end, it was all for nothing, but at least they would live.

 

But they gave our existence a meaning… 

 

On the elevator going down, A4 held A2 back with a hug from rejoining the rest of their friends, after finding out about G16’s sacrifice and S21’s virus.

 

“We can’t help them.” the long haired Attacker whispered in the other’s shoulder. “We’ll be with them soon, it’s what we wanted.”

 

Didn’t matter how it happened.

 

We had to save them…

 

As the two Attackers’ black boxes touched one another, down in the server room, a massive explosion occurred, but as they did, they were smiling.

 

Hopeful.

 

But naive.

 

Because they were the only people that cared for us…

 

They saw us as people, instead of items…

 

“Please go back!” Rose pleaded, taking by the shoulders a man from the local camp that 2B and 9S had known too.

 

She and the others appeared hurt, with bandages and loose parts.

 

It must not have been much after the events.

 

“There were more of us!”

 

The girls didn’t want to give up to the evidence of their friends being dead.

 

Rose pleaded and pleaded again and again.

 

But every single time she was met with the same results.

 

There was no one left at Mt. Ka’ala.

 

We should have been with them…

 

We ran like cowards…

 

In those memories, 2B saw herself now, of an occurrence she had no memory of.

 

She was trying to kill S21, claiming she was a traitor.

 

It must have been how the girls found out they were wanted for deletion, and she’d been the one handling orders…

 

And not only her.

 

9S saw himself too.

 

Then other times it’d be someone else, other people 2B knew being of her same type.

 

“No wonder they attacked us at the castle.” she heard 9S say.

 

They recognized them as enemies.

 

And yet, despite that attempt to kill her, S21 saved her life. Perhaps after this she could ask her why.

 

We got rid of everything in our path, so we could hope to be together again…

 

But we were too stuck in our own hell to even try…

 

If we were stronger…

 

Time passed, and of each other no trace…

 

In their minds, just one thought.

 

They are dead…

 

And it’s all our fault…

 

2B’s hand tightened on her sword, sparing a glance to 9S.

 

How she understood…

 

Stupid cowards…

 

The voices of the Resistance said.

 

Useless weaklings…

 

The other voices of the four YoRHa said.

 

“These people had such a pure friendship.” 9S spoke through gritted teeth. “They spent all these years thinking each other dead…”

 

Even now, even if their friends from the Bunker were gone, at least… at least they had one another.

 

But he understood the thought.

 

The loneliness.

 

2B did too.

 

She understood their wishes to save those who mattered in their lives too.

 

She was just the same.

 

It wasn’t a surprise that being the same number, she and A2 were much more similar that either of them knew, beyond just the way the Attacker used to look like.

 

The times she just wished she could save 9S…

 

That she could be better…

 

At least they had courage.

 

“YoRHa and the machines tried to destroy all of this…” she said, looking ahead, she could spot the core of the machine causing all of this.

 

“This ends today.”

With a swipe of her sword, the core was destroyed and she and the others were pulled back in the real world. An unpleasant experience, but…

 

Now the girls could be together again.

 

Somehow, 2B felt proud.

 

This was right.

 

It felt right.

 

What wasn’t right though, was the fact that despite getting them out of the hacking space, the four YoRHa girls were still lying on the ground, unconscious.

 

Why?

 

They watched Anemone crawl towards S21 first thing as she woke up, holding the woman’s head in her lap. The visor had fallen off in the fight it seemed, exposing the wound on her head she herself made.

 

Dahlia did the same, holding G16, A2 and A4 were held by Rose and Margaret respectively.

 

“Why aren’t they waking up?” Lily almost panicked, seeing that they woke up, and their friends didn’t.

 

They couldn’t be dead now, right?

 

They had to be fine.

 

They had to be.

 

“The usage of Berserker Mode causes an intense stress and damage to the unit’s bodies, currently they are forced in rest mode.” thankfully Pod 042 explained it.

 

So they were just tired?

 

Good.

 

Very good.

 

“Let’s take them to the camp.” as Rose took A2 in her arms to carry her, she smiled fondly looking down at her.

 

The others doing the same with the rest of them.

 

“I’ll have a look at them when we get there.” 9S stated, hoping to help them out.

 

He too really would like them to be happy again.

 

He was okay as long as he had 2B at his side.

 

Now they deserved to have their beloved at their side too.

 

The years of sadness, of blaming, of torment, that they had seen, were over.

 

It was time to start anew.

Just like 9S said, he took a look at the four girls, their bodies were tattered with missing pieces, with evident signs of weariness and exhaustion from within, but he had to admit, despite having no aid from anyone, S21 did a great job with the supplies she had to keep them running.

 

Well he assumed it must have been her, seeing that she saved 2B, and given her designation of Scanner.

 

She seemed to know her own.

 

Inwardly he wondered if her data had been the one used for his Operator, it was obvious that A2’s one was used for 2B.

 

He did notice the similarities in the Attacker’s memories.

 

She used to be kind like her.

 

They all used to be kinder back then, but he supposed he couldn’t blame them seeing what they had been through.

 

They were enemies, and yet they helped them.

 

So he, much like 2B, wanted to return the favor.

 

If she’d been gone…

 

He didn’t want to think about it…

 

“So how are they doing?” Gerbera asked, she’d tried to help but she couldn’t do too much, so she stood by and watched, occasionally helping them passing items.

 

At some point Devola and Popola joined in too, making the process faster.

 

The twins let the boy do the explanation.

 

“We performed minor repairs, their systems were put under a massive physical stress, but we managed to speed up the recovery. They might still be tired but they should be okay.”

 

Or as good as they could be in that physical state.

 

But if they needed it then they could ask for help now.

 

No more picking up for themselves.

 

How stressful it must have been, all of this… for years…

 

He was surprised they even let him in their systems for repairs, especially with how strong their hacking barriers seemed to be.

 

But he supposed they wanted the help too, now that they could have it.

 

“I can wake them up whenever you want.” 9S he looked at Rose, which nodded. “Go ahead.”

 

Though she tried to keep neutral, her tone betrayed eagerness.

 

They had all been waiting for this far too long.

 

Might as well not let them wait any longer.

 

When the girls woke up, not many words were spared, in fact none at all, as immediately they were pulled into someone’s arms, for long and heartfelt hugs.

 

“We missed you…” were spoken from both sides, through tears and sniffles.

 

They certainly did.

 

It had been so long…

 

“You look like shit.” Dahlia told Number 16 though she was smiling brightly. “Geez, this is how you greet me? Not even a thank you for saving me before?” but the Gunner was laughing.

 

She didn’t care one bit.

 

Besides they weren’t looking great anyways, so she expected the comment coming from Dahlia.

 

It was her own way to say she cared.

 

The moment of long awaited closure was suddenly disrupted from Number 21, as she noticed that the visor she wore was off.

 

“Please don’t look at me.” she shook herself out of Anemone’s hold, and covered her eyes with her hands.

 

She didn’t want her to see her eyes.

 

Not her…

 

She didn’t want her to have regrets for what she had to do…

 

Anemone laid a hand on her cheek. “It’s okay, I already saw them.” she did, and it didn’t matter. 

 

All that mattered was that her dear Scanner was here, with her.

 

Besides, she survived a damn logic virus, she couldn’t care less for her eyes to be a different color if it meant that she was alive.

 

“I’m sorry… the virus…” finally Number 21 let go, and opened her red eyes for everyone to see. “It left traces…”

 

She must be looking so ugly now. Those, and the marks on her neck and arm…

 

And yet, Anemone smiled, taking her left hand in hers.

 

“You’re as beautiful as the day I met you.” slowly she pulled the woman towards her, letting her cry into her shoulder.

 

How painful it must have been to bear…

 

“I just want you to stay at my side.”

 

“Oh my lord, what a sap.” Dahlia from the other side laughed, yet she herself looked unwilling to let go of Number 16.

 

“Shut up, Dahlia.”

 

Anemone’s remark sparked more laughs and joy.

 

It was…

 

It was as if nothing ever happened…

 

2B and 9S watched from the side, feeling proud of themselves, the boy took the opportunity to sneak his hand in hers. Nearby, the twins were watching too, smiling brightly like they have never done before.

 

In the middle of this long awaited reunion, eventually, Rose had to make the question no one wanted to ask.

 

“So, what happened to you?”

Chapter 7: [R]evival in ashes

It was silent and cold, surrounded by eerie looking mist. In reality, said mist was smoke, left from the explosion that had burned everything to the ground, reducing a once imposing and tall mountain into a smoking crater.

 

The ground was broken and scorched, and not a single soul could be seen or heard. 

 

Perhaps everything had died, the animals, the plants…

 

A desolate land filled with nothing but the metallic remains of machine corpses.

 

When her senses came back, all Number 2 could feel was pain, from her chest, arms, legs and everywhere…

 

Static filled her ears, and her eyes felt so heavy and hard to open…

 

After what felt like an eternity, finally she managed to open them, but she could not see the sky above her.

 

The smoke was covering it, just like the dirt that covered her.

 

It took a moment to realize something…

 

That she was alive…

 

But… hadn’t she blown herself up with Number 4?

 

Memories came back to her in a rush, the mission, Number 16 staying behind with Dahlia and the others, Number 21 abandoning them just before at the elevator hall with Anemone, then the server…

 

Those creepy girls in red… and the machines…

 

Rose… and Margaret…

 

Were they alive? She and Number 4 had them run…

 

Number 4…

 

If she was still alive then…

 

She may be too…

 

Number 2 tried to raise herself but the more she tried to move her body, the less it felt like it was willing to respond to her, and she could only scream as waves of pain rippled through her.

 

Well… if anything if Number 4 was alive too she would hear her…

 

She had little idea just how much damage her body had sustained, and from how much it hurt she wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

 

At least she could still feel both her arms and legs, it meant that somehow they were still attached to her. If they still worked it was another matter entirely.

 

Not only had she detonated her reactor alongside Number 4’s one, but she guessed that everything that was above them must have fallen on top of them, literally an entire mountain. She was surprised to have anything intact.

 

But if all of that fell on them…

 

Then Number 21 could have fallen with the debris too…

 

She had stopped at the hall of the elevator, which was at the top of the mountain, so maybe she could be close, and if she was alive somehow she could maybe patch her up…

 

But hadn't Margaret said she was infected?

 

“One thing at a time…” Number 2 reminded herself. 

 

First she should check on herself, because if she couldn’t move how was she supposed to find out if her companions were in a similar situation too?

 

Or… if they were…

 

No… she refused to think about that scenario, she knew it could be a possibility, but she refused to believe it until she found and saw with her own eyes their corpses before her.

 

Either way, she’ll find them…

 

And understand what had happened.

 

If she was truly alone…

 

Or if she wasn’t…

 

First, she flexed her fingers, then her hands, they were working, so did her toes, and feet. Then the arms…

 

She grit her teeth as her artificial joints protested at the motion, but forcing herself to soldier through the pain, she slowly pushed herself up managing to sit. She spent a moment to gain her bearings and catch her breath.

 

All she could see were dirt and debris for miles, nothing more, nothing else.

 

Then looking down at herself, like she thought, all her limbs were still attached to her body, a lot of her vest was gone, burned away with remains of her skin, singed from the flames, as black parts of metal poked through, on her legs, arms, and various now exposed plating.

 

Cracked, but not broken.

 

Number 2 raked a hand through her white hair, her headband was gone too.

 

Not that she cared…

 

She sighed, now she should try to see if her legs worked.

 

With the corner of her eyes, she spotted something among the burned brown and black sand, and broken metal, something white…

 

Something…

 

White…

 

“Number 4!” it had to be her, right?

 

It must have!

 

She was sure that she could see the tips of her hair poking through the dirt, burned and singed at the tips, but it must have been her.

 

Number 2 dragged herself to where Number 4 was, crawling and clawing her way into the dirt to her, not caring how much her body protested, she had to know…

 

If she was alive too.

 

Number 4 was covered with way more dirt than she was, as Number 2 wiped it off her with her hands, a hard task since she was far from clean as well. She too was in a similar state as she was, with little clothing left and parts of her skin burned away and exposed metal bits, but her body was sort of intact still.

 

Her eyes were closed, and her long hair untied rounded her face in a silvery crown.

 

She looked like she was sleeping…

 

Number 2 found herself hoping with all her might that Number 4 was just unconscious.

 

She gently placed a hand on the other Attacker’s cheek, when she didn’t respond she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

 

When… a soft noise left Number 4’s mouth.

 

There was hope…

 

So Number 2 began calling her, still keeping pressure on her cheek, caressing it lightly, as she added her other hand on the other side of Number 4’s face.

 

She lost track of how many times she repeated the Attacker’s name, nor she cared, before her own blue eyes opened too, staring at her blankly for a moment. Once she realized who she was, Number 4 gave her a small but always just as bright smile of hers.

 

“Number 4…” Number 2 lowered herself so she lied on her chest, being careful not to apply too much pressure to not hurt her further.

 

“Number 2…” the Attacker breathed. “You’re alive…”

 

And so was she.

 

With what looked like a monumental effort, Number 4 managed to wrap her arms around her, no matter how tired she was, or how much they were hurting, her hands clutching at whatever remained of Number 2’s vest.

 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just embracing one another, happy to know that at least neither would be alone, before one of them broke the silence again.

 

“We’ve got to find Number 16 and Number 21.” Number 4 gently pushed Number 2 off her so she could sit, as the former captain helped her with a hand on her back. “If we’re alive…”

 

“Yeah… then they may be too…” Number 2 knew it too, as much as they both knew the opposite could be as well.

 

But it was why she began looking for Number 4 in the first place.

 

“The elevator hall was above us, if everything fell down to the server, then Number 21 could be close.” she mused.

 

That was, if she had survived the fall.

 

Since they weren’t meant to fight, Scanner’s bodies were somewhat less resistant than the models that had to stay in the front lines, they knew.

 

And then there was the virus…

 

They hadn’t forgotten about that either.

 

So even if they were to find her, there was no way to tell in which state she could be in.

 

Not until they saw it themselves.

 

“I’ll look for her, you go look for Number 16.” Number 4 announced. “We’ll find them faster this way, and… assess the damage faster too.” she didn’t want to voice the other possibility, even if they both knew it could be reality.

 

Also unlike Number 2, she wasn’t sure that her legs worked as well as hers did yet, so she probably had a better chance to travel further to look for the Gunner, instead of her.

 

But if she had to crawl like a worm to look for Number 21 she would.

 

“Okay…” even though Number 2 nodded, slowly raising herself to her feet, even though a little wobbly, she didn’t sound too convinced.

 

More like worried.

 

“I’ll be fine, they need us more than we need each other right now.” because both the Gunner and the Scanner could have been already awake, but not able to move.

 

Or they may need a little aid, just like she did.

 

Or…

 

No… they couldn’t say that yet.

 

With another nod, she watched Number 2 turn tail and walk away in the distance among the debris. Unfortunately they had left Number 16 quite far from here, so whatever the result may end up being, she won’t be seeing them for a while.

 

But she still hoped to see the Gunner awake and alive just like them.

 

She could almost hear her curse for them to find her already…

 

Oh how she wished it was true…

 

And Number 21 as well, though she’d probably wait patiently instead. 

 

As she tested moving her legs, even though they protested at the motion, she still managed to pick herself up.

 

She wouldn’t be able to find the Scanner by sitting around on her ass.

 

Number 21 had red hair, so she should be able to see her decently well between the debris of the white eerie walls of the elevator hall and the server room, and the black charred ground, and the metal of machine corpses.

 

And she should be near.

 

“Number 21!” she tried yelling into the void, hoping for a response that didn’t come.

 

Of course it wouldn’t have been so easy…

 

And the smoke still lingered around, covering the sun, and made it hard to see well as it got in her eyes.

 

They stung, burning from the ashes getting into them, as she hastily wiped them with her hand with a small curse.

 

But as if the sky heard her, her eyes caught the glow of something, but unfortunately, or luckily, something white, stuck in the ground.

 

She’d recognize that a mile away.

 

It was her great sword, somehow still intact, and much to her surprise, lying nearby there was Number 2’s own smaller one.

 

She must have forgotten to look for it in the rush of wanting to find her, and her friends.

 

If she had to admit, Number 4 would have done the same.

 

Friends first, the rest could wait.

 

As she walked towards the weapon, she considered herself even more surprised than she already was, because among the rubble and the two white weapons, she could say she recognized that shock of red color anywhere.

 

Even in their group of 16 units, only one of them had that specific shade.

 

“Number 21!” even though she called her again, quickening her pace towards her, almost stumbling as she did, she still got no answer.

 

Her heart dropped, and she truly really hoped she was just unconscious.

 

Had Number 21 been awake, she would have been able to know just by scanning for a black box signal, and she would have known immediately all there was to know.

 

The irony of this all.

 

To think that when they had that disastrous landing on this place she’d been the first to awaken. Number 4 recalled well her soft voice and the gentle touch on her arm, as she roused her from unconsciousness.

 

She better do the same for her.

 

Yes, she had to.

 

Number 4 crawled the last few steps towards Number 21’s fallen form. She was pretty much covered in dirt like her and Number 2 were, but much like them, with burned clothing and skin, exposed metal bits, but with her limbs still attached.

 

She was lying pretty much on a dune of sand, that must have cushioned the impact when she fell down, she’d gotten lucky.

 

Though as the Attacker took the Scanner in her arms so she could have a better look, the most preoccupying thing had to be the broken part of her face on her left side, that could have resulted in a broken part of her brain.

 

She didn’t need to be an S type to know.

 

Number 21 also has some strange and metallic marks crawling on the sides of her face and neck, going down her body all the way to her arms and abdomen.

 

They knew what these were, they had seen them on Lily when she’d been infected…

 

This meant the infection definitely had taken hold of the Scanner in some form, Margaret had said so, no?

 

So then… was it too late for her?

 

Passing a hand on the exposed metal of Number 21’s face she could only guess that Anemone must have shot her, the wound was still dirty with artificial blood.

 

Her left eye had been blown off too…

 

Number 4 gently shook her by the shoulders, calling her name, but again, no avail.

 

She felt panic rise in her chest.

 

What was she supposed to do now? How was she supposed to tell Number 2 that…

 

She shook her head, hard.

 

No, it wasn’t over until all possibilities were.

 

Wasn’t it what Number 21 used to say?

 

So then what else had she taught them to do to check if a comrade was alive?

 

Right… the black box…

 

If that was still active then there was hope.

 

Pushing away the little bits of cloth that covered her chest for a moment, at least her chestplate wasn’t broken like hers and Number 2’s, she placed a hand between her breasts, where she knew their black box resided.

 

Number 4 closed her eyes, blocking every other sound and feeling but what was under her palm.

 

It was slow and irregular, but… there was a beat, and then another…

 

Number 21 was somehow hanging in there.

 

But she had little idea on how to help her more than this, she could wait for her to wake up on her own or… she could see if the others had any suggestions. 

 

Yes, that was probably a good decision.

 

Despite what their Commander always said about them, both Number 2 and Number 16 could be resourceful and smart in their own way, they weren’t just mediocre, dumb and ignorant. She just refused to acknowledge that.

 

So, with one hand she registered the two fallen weapons, as they disappeared in a light stashed away in her inventory for the time being. If she felt like being poetic, she could say they were almost watching over the Scanner. 

 

Perhaps they were.

 

Once she was done, she hoisted Number 21’s fallen form on her back, so her head would lie on her shoulder, and she could feel her ragged breath on her neck, which also worried Number 4, as if she was struggling, but as long as she kept breathing it’d be fine, no? 

 

She hooked her other hand under the Scanner’s legs, and slowly, on wobbly legs she raised herself up, carrying the other woman with her.

 

Number 4 didn’t know if Number 21 had always been so heavy because she was bigger and taller than her, of them all actually, or because her body was just in such a state of disrepair that she had a hard time holding her.

 

Probably she’d have to choose the latter.

 

If this had been a normal situation, she was sure that she’d have no trouble holding her, but this was no ordinary situation.

 

Maybe her body was more damaged than what the eye could see too.

 

Regardless, she’d carry her anyways, should her arms fall off then so be it. 

 

Once Number 21 would be awake she could repair her, she could repair them all, that was why they must help her now.

 

She just had to find where Number 2 went, and Number 16, then everything would be all right. 

 

Number 4 was sure that they’d have an answer, or some kind of idea.

 

“I won't give up just yet…” and Number 21 shouldn’t either…

 

With this new resolution, she started walking in the same direction Number 2 went, taking the unconscious Scanner with her.

Number 2 felt like she had walked for miles and miles, perhaps her body was still accusing the burden of her wounds, even though her self repairing systems had done what they could to aid her.

 

She saw more and more scorched sand, and debris and machine corpses. More and more accumulated on top of each other the more she went forward.

 

Right, they left Number 16 to hold off the horde, so she must have been going in the right direction.

 

The Gunner had to be close.

 

She had to, so Number 2 kept her eyes peeled for any shade of black or white she could see in the middle of corpses of metal.

 

The first thing she saw was not what she expected, however…

 

She had spotted Number 16’s weapon first, lying by, smoking and sizzling, there were cracks in it, as if it would break in half if someone were to pick it up.

 

Number 2 hoped that its owner didn’t meet a similar fate.

 

She found the Gunner nearby, in the middle of machine corpses, but her long black hair was quite the contrast against the metal. The Attacker just realized, none of them had ever seen Number 16 with her hair loose.

 

Crouching next to her, she looked over to how she was, immediately noticing her broken chestplate, way more broken that her own, or Number 4’s. It was not looking good.

 

But she too still had the rest of her body intact, well, as intact as it could be, but her degree of wounds was similar to hers, Number 4 too, while she didn’t know about Number 21, she could hope she too was this way.

 

And not worse.

 

Hoping that Number 4 found her. 

 

But for now she should focus on Number 16, making sure she’d be okay.

 

Gently she shook her by the shoulders, calling her name. One, two, three times, before she actually got a response.

 

A long whine.

 

As if Number 16 thought she was being awakened from a comfortable slumber.

 

But it wasn’t, and she should know.

 

Again she made more displeased sounds, briefly Number 2 wondered if she would scold her for waking her up, before their blue eyes met.

 

“Number 2?” immediately, caught from a wave of pain, Number 16 laid a hand on her chest and cursed.

 

It took her a bit to regulate her breath again, and get things under control, even though all was still hurting like crazy. Number 2 held a comforting hand on her shoulder, at least her presence helped.

 

“So… are we still alive then?”

 

“Number 4 yes. She’s trying to find out if Number 21 is too.” the Scanner was the only one they were still unsure of.

 

And unlike them, she may have had a complication that could have very well resulted in her demise…

 

The logic virus.

 

She helped Number 16 sit up. “She better be okay.”

 

Right, the Gunner didn’t know about the infection…

 

They found out later.

 

Number 2 didn’t know if the Gunner spoke out of sadness or bitterness should Number 21 have died, but she too would be sad if she did.

 

The four of them had been the only thing left of their original squadron, had hung together for weeks, and if one of them would not make it, then it would be as if they would be missing a limb.

 

“But well… not like we thought any of us would make it, no?”

 

No, they didn’t.

 

It may have been a possibility, not something assured.

 

“You want to save them?” Number 16 had frowned to Number 2, not believing what she was hearing.

 

“The Commander wants to sacrifice them so we can finish our mission, but… they saved us, no?” they did, even though they were hostile at first, they were here to risk their lives for a mission that didn’t belong to them.

 

“It’s unfair… I don’t want them to die for us.”

 

They didn’t want their friends to be sacrificed, that was clear, even without Number 2 saying so, but she was the captain, so…

 

“We were created to die after all.” Number 21 spoke up, well, that was the fate of any android.

 

But friends shouldn’t be sacrificed for the whim of a council that never cared for them.

 

“We can decide to change destiny.” Number 4 said. They already did, when their Scanner saved Lily from the virus.

 

“Whatever happens to us, don’t let them die, they don’t deserve it.” and that was an order.

 

It wasn’t because they were all androids, it wasn’t just because they were friends, but it was because they taught them what it meant to live.

 

There hadn’t been any true closeness in their squadron, even when they were in 16 people, except a but between her and Number 4, but mostly was just follow the orders of captain Number 1, and to plan, share data, do trials and to fight for a humanity that in the end didn’t seem to care about them.

 

Not even their Commander seemed to.

 

Rose and her group helped them when no one would, and taught them what it meant to love and care for the people around them, and what it meant to be cared for.

 

For this reason, they should live. 

 

And now they should have been safe, right? Since they weren’t here.

 

They could only hope that they ran away, and left them all behind, just like they asked them to.

 

There was nothing more to do.

 

But to wait…

 

Until a familiar white haired figure appeared on the horizon, emerging from the smoke with another also familiar red haired one.

 

From the direction Number 2 came from, they could see Number 4 approaching, and held tight in her arms there was the only missing companion of their little group.

 

Number 21.

 

But from the look of the Attacker’s face, she wasn’t looking too good.

 

Her eyes weren’t open so it was legit to fear the worst, because unlike them she had to handle the weight of a logic virus…

 

That could have crushed her without hope…

 

Number 4 laid down Number 21 next to where Number 16 was sitting, the Gunner taking the Scanner’s head and placing it on her legs. Immediately they could notice something different that she had.

 

“A gunshot wound, the bullet didn’t penetrate the skull all the way through, it just grazed the side, but the impact most likely shattered her left eye.” of course Number 16 would know, as she delicately examined the redhead’s face. 

 

“Anemone must have shot her.” Number 4 assumed. “Why?” the Gunner asked.

 

She didn’t know yet.

 

“Number 21 she… she was infected…” as she said so, Number 2 felt tears coming to her eyes. “She’s still breathing.” Number 4 cleansed her doubts, and crushed them again a moment after.

 

“She’s struggling though, and I don’t know how to help her…”

 

She made sure to keep the Scanner’s head against her neck so she could feel her breath, as a way to feel more hopeful about the situation, but Number 21 breathed in small and harsh pants.

 

Irregular, and… painful…

 

“It’s like she can’t get enough oxygen.” Number 2 lowered her face so she could feel it too.

 

“Then we give it to her.” Number 16 announced, unlike what it looked like, she had paid attention to the Scanners’ emergency medical lessons when they taught them.

 

She’d never let a comrade die if she could help it.

 

And it seemed that this was the case.

 

Even if it was Number 21.

 

She despised her personality and the way she acted, but a friend was a friend.

 

And they needed her.

 

“Be careful she… if she awakens you know there could be the possibility that she won’t be herself…” Number 4 said the heavy words that they didn’t want to think about.

 

And that she could attack them.

 

“It’s worth the try.”

 

Without more words or an explanation, Number 16 took a deep breath, with a hand she gently shut Number 21’s nose so she no air would get out, and with the other she pried her lips open, so she could blow air into her mouth.

 

The effect was immediate, as soon as the Gunner released the hold, the Scanner began to gasp and cough, and quickly Number 16 helped her turn on one side, caressing her back lightly.

 

It went on for a few minutes, listening to Number 21 heave until eventually it slowed and died down, and her head just fell back on the raven’s legs.

 

But she was breathing so much better now.

 

“Number 21…” Number 2 placed a hand on her shoulder, and so did Number 4, as all three softly called her name.

 

Finally after what felt like forever, she opened her only eye, the right one.

 

It was… it was red…

 

But… despite everything, Number 21 appeared just as calm as ever.

 

Looking at it better, even for as scary as this could be, they could see that even if it was stained of that horrible color, it wasn’t glowing.

 

At all.

 

So hopefully the corruption hadn’t taken a hold of her, or at least, not entirely.

 

She looked around in confusion for a moment, before visibly relaxing once she realized who was around her.

 

They watched her press a hand to the left side of her face, the broken one, probably it was hurting. Maybe that was why she took so long to wake up, and needed help in doing so.

 

“How are you feeling?” Number 4 dared to ask, hoping that there wasn’t the virus acting up again.

 

“I feel… in a lot of pain… but I’m myself, I think.” she sighed. “My left eye is gone, isn’t it?”

 

“We’re all a little broken at the moment.” Number 16 pointed out, she hadn’t even tried standing up, and now with the Scanner on her legs she couldn’t, nor felt like trying.

 

They avoided telling Number 21 about the horrible color the eye she had left was, for the time being at least.

 

As long as she wasn’t corrupted the news could wait.

 

“I will run a scan.” but she immediately regretted her decision to move, as a sharp pain cut through her head.

 

“Easy.” the Gunner reprimanded her. “Let your body recover first.” Number 2 added.

 

“It’s not like we’re going anywhere soon.” Number 4 shrugged, looking over at the horizon.

 

Or well, whatever there was beyond the smoke it was still lingering around.

 

“I guess not…” Number 21 sighed, she still raised a hand pulling up a screen.

 

They were still alive, somehow, all four of them. Even her, who had been infected and shot in the head, she should have been corrupted, or just died…

 

She wondered how it even happened.

 

“I don’t know how I survived the virus.” she felt that she needed to voice the thought.

 

But scanning herself she should find out, hopefully.

 

“None of us know how we survived, Number 2 and I blew ourselves up, but we woke up again.”

 

“Same here, really.” Number 16 remembered she overloaded her reactor and used its energy to overcharge her weapon, all to kill that Goliath.

 

But they did understand where Number 21’s doubts were coming from, it wasn’t a wound, but a virus that could overwrite data and cancel an android entirely, turning them into a shell of themselves.

 

She recalled speaking to Anemone, asking her to shoot her, her body wouldn’t respond to her any longer, the corruption had reached a critical level, yet somehow it was gone.

 

Or rather, for the time being it felt that way.

 

But she’d be too naive to think it was gone entirely.

 

Her head however, was thinking, reasoning, as if nothing ever happened. She could recognize the people and what was happening around her.

 

“I will scan myself first, I want to make sure I won’t turn on you all of a sudden.” if there were any remains of the corruption, like there was on her body.

 

She noticed the metal bits on her arms, and could feel them on her neck and face.

 

And to make sure that her companions wouldn’t have to ever do something that would hurt them deeply. Such as having to kill her.

 

It hadn’t been easy for Anemone to pull the trigger either, she knew…

 

Affection hurt…

 

She never wanted to pin this on her, as much as she didn’t want to pin this duty on her companions either, or anyone at all.

 

As she did, she frowned hard. “What’s the matter?” Number 4 noticed, so she asked.

 

“I can’t pick up any black box of yours, just mine.” she wondered how that was possible, if it was her mistake or the virus messing with her.

 

Or…

 

They had mentioned blowing them up, hadn’t they?

 

“Well we sort of had to use them as a last resort.” at least, Number 16 admitted she had to, but she didn’t particularly regret her choice to shoot her reactor like a bullet.

 

Number 2 and Number 4 looked at each other, then back to Number 21. “We are not quite sure how we are moving right now.” if what the Scanner said was true, they did not have any reactors in their chests.

 

So how?

 

“I know there is a spare source in case this happens, I would assume it’s a sort of emergency power, but…” 

 

She was afraid to say this, and judging from the look, the other three already knew what she was getting at. 

 

“That source will only be able to sustain you for so much time… unless we somehow find replacements.” and it wasn’t such an easy task, if it was possible.

 

Given how White left them to die here, she only assumed that she wouldn’t be sending help, or bringing them back to the Bunker, at all.

 

And the replacements, if anywhere, were there.

 

“Can’t you swap yours to us, at least for the time being?” well she could do what Number 16 said, but… 

 

“I could, but if it was infected…” Number 21 shook her head. “I am not willing to find out. It’s a lot that we’re still here, I don’t…”

 

She didn't want to see them suffer in the hands of the virus, she knew well how it felt.

 

It corroded your brain, destroyed you from the inside out…

 

It would be killing them with her own hands.

 

Then she’d be alone…

 

Alone…

 

Unconsciously the Scanner had wrapped her hands around herself, her mind plagued with the memory of that nightmare.

 

The Gunner opened her mouth to retort, but Number 4 stopped her putting a hand before her.

 

“Don’t worry, we understand.” she was sure that Number 2 and Number 16 wouldn’t risk the chance to have to kill their own friends with their hands, even the raven.

 

The redhead shook her head, breathing deeply. “I’ll find a way to not let you die.”

 

Somehow.

 

Wait… to let them die…

 

Right…

 

“The bomb!” Number 2 suddenly realized. “A bomb?” Number 16 frowned.

 

“Yes, we… found out that there are bombs attached to our black boxes that were supposed to trigger had we died.” those things in red had told them so, just like they told them how their Commander had intention of sacrificing everyone without a care.

 

They had guessed it, which was why they tried to at least save Rose and the others.

 

“In a way… I suspected that. That this was all planned.” Number 21 sighed again.

 

It all made sense now, the wrong data, and her wrong calculations made based on what she’d been given… but it hadn’t been her mistake.

 

It had been all pre-planned from the start.

 

The bombs must have been a backup plan in case they had all died, but… they were still here.

 

“These machines hacked into the server of the Bunker, we didn’t want to believe them at first, but the coincidences are too many.” Number 4 so much didn’t want to believe them, however…

 

Everything pointed in that direction.

 

“I would assume that since we no longer have a black box, then we should be safe… but…” Number 2 had realized it the moment she recalled about the explosive menace within them, as she looked on to their Scanner.

 

“But Number 21 does…”

 

“Then we’ve got to remove this bomb. I don’t know if the Commander can trigger it remotely, and I’d rather not wait for that to happen.” the redhead was already working to scan where the bomb was located within her.

 

The thought of White being able to suddenly just make her blow up whenever she pleased unnerved her to no end. 

 

“We’re still alive despite the odds, so then I don’t want to be a potential threat to any of you, be it this or the virus.” also because… “I’ll be honest, our possibilities of survival are slim, but if I were to die, then you wouldn’t have the possibility to survive if we were unable to find replacements for your reactors, I’d be willing to lend mine out, and risk an infection if it ends up being the very last resort, and only in that case. But if the bomb were to go off…”

 

Not only could she kill them with the explosion, and if they were to survive, her reactor would be shattered to pieces like theirs.

 

They’d be left with a slow death without power, and without a Scanner able to fix them.

 

“I am not taking that chance.” and she was sure they didn’t want either. 

 

They were alive for a reason.

 

And said reason was to find their friends again.

 

Even if the Resistance was gone and their sacrifice for nothing, they still owed their dead comrades, and them, to keep surviving. Their friends survived with no help but each other for 200 years, they did it for their friends, so they could do it too.

 

“Number 16, do you still have your dagger?” as Number 21 asked, the Gunner was reminded that she did have weapons that she didn’t know where they ended up. 

 

But looking around the small white knife was just lying by on a rock, still in it’s little pouch too, or what remained of it. It must have fallen when she blew herself up, which brought the question of where her rifle was too.

 

She’ll look for it later, if no one else had already seen it.

 

“I believe I do, why?” she asked, reaching for it.

 

“We need something to remove this bomb inside me, and I believe that’s the best thing we’ve got that can handle it.”

 

“We… have to cut you open?” Number 2 grimaced at the sound of her own question, but she didn’t doubt the Scanner’s guidance.

 

She didn’t want to see her friend in pain, but maybe she knew how to make it hurt less.

 

For her own sake.

 

“Well she can still lower her pain perception, and she won’t feel a thing.” Number 4 however had unconsciously found an issue.

 

Number 21 took a moment to answer.

 

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that…” matter of fact, as she pulled up the settings, the screens began to glitch uncontrollably. “I fear the virus could have corrupted them, irreparably.”

 

Checking if it would be possible to fix them would require time that at the moment none of them had.

 

“This means…” Number 2’s face went pale at the realization.

 

That she will be feeling the full thing with pure clarity, with the promise of it being so excruciatingly painful.

 

Number 21 wouldn’t say it but she was more afraid than she’d admit out loud.

 

She could collapse from the pain in the middle of it, should it be too much but… the fear of dying overshadowed everything.

 

Now that they were alive again it came back, when she wouldn’t have hesitated before.

 

If she had to die, she’d rather do it for someone’s sake, not for something she had no control over.

 

“The bomb is attached through some wires to my black box, this means we’ve got to carefully cut the wires in the correct order, and detach the device from the reactor, without damaging either or them.”

 

She met Number 16’s eyes. “As a Gunner, you’re the most adept for this kind of job, as you should be the most precise, and you know how to use that knife better than us.” and it was also better than risking the chance to cut anything with a bigger blade.

 

Number 21 couldn’t imagine if they had to use Number 2’s sword, or worse, Number 4’s even bigger one for the job.

 

“I will need everyone’s collaboration here.” because she could mess everything up by herself even without meaning to. “As Number 16 will work to remove the bomb, I need you two to hold me steady, I cannot be allowed to move.”

 

Not even in the slightest bit.

 

Both Attackers nodded at her, after they did, the Scanner locked eyes with the Gunner.

 

“Number 16, I’m trusting you to be able to handle the process after I leave you the sequence of the wires.” 

 

She then looked at all three again.

 

“Once we get to this, you must promise me that no matter how much it hurts, if I should cry or scream or anything else, you will ignore it and keep going, no matter how much it hurts me. It’s the only way we can succeed.” 

 

The only way was for them to pretend not to hear or see anything.

 

Because should they start panicking, it would only make things so much worse, so she had to make that clear first and foremost.

 

“If you’re ready, then I am too.” Number 21 punctuated the statement by taking off whatever there was left of the cloth covering her chest.

 

One time she would have been shy in showing herself half naked, but right now she couldn’t bring herself to care. Between women, also half naked, broken and hurt there was little shame.

 

Not like she would get to keep her skin anyways.

 

“We’ve got to cut away the skin first.” since their chest plate was already exposed and hers wasn’t, they had to go through an extra process.

 

At least the dangling remains hanging off her back would help.

 

She felt Number 16 begin cutting away from there, she watched her being slow and careful.

 

“It doesn’t hurt.” for now.

 

She said it so the Gunner could allow herself to be less slow and accurate.

 

It just felt odd and weird, but their fake skin had no nerve endings by itself, they were all in the metal. Removing her plate shouldn’t be a problem once it was exposed, the issue was what came after.

 

Still the Gunner was gentle in her touch, and seemed she didn’t want to lay her hands in any improper way, which she appreciated more than she’d say.

 

She’d never been fond of being touched, she didn’t even know why, perhaps just her personality, but right now it couldn’t be helped.

 

Unfortunately, she’d add.

 

If she could avoid going through all the pain that awaited her she would.

 

Bit by bit, the pieces of her skin went, falling onto the ground without any purpose anymore, and her own chest plate was exposed like everyone else’s.

 

She helped the Gunner remove that too, as it clicked off as swiftly as the others.

 

The Scanner pulled up a screen to show to Number 16. “This is the sequence, I’ll try to keep it showing as much as I can.”

 

Because once she began feeling pain, she wasn’t sure how long she could do that.

 

When the Gunner nodded she gave a heavy sigh, before lowering herself lying down on the ground. Number 2 placed her head on her legs, probably trying to give her some kind of comfort about this, as she held her by the shoulders, pushing down gently, but enough that she couldn’t move them.

 

While Number 4 did the same with her legs, so she could not kick anything or anyone even by reflex or by mistake. Her grip too was strong but not painful.

 

There would be enough pain coming soon.

 

“Number 16, whenever you want.” their eyes met for a bit longer, and the redhead nodded slowly to her.

 

A silent way to say that she was placing her life in her hands.

 

Placing her entire trust in the people around them.

 

As a non combat model, she usually had to, for protection, but this was something else entirely.

 

It was a kind of trust that had never been there before.

 

And it would not be wasted.

 

The Gunner stared at the knife in her hand, gripping it tightly to stop her hand from shaking, she shared one last look with the two Attackers, as they too were just as nervous but determined.

 

The life of their friend was on the line…

 

No mistakes allowed.

 

“Let’s do this…” she gave a sigh before reaching out for Number 21’s black box, as it poked out from her chest.

 

She flinched at the motion, but made no sound.

 

Number 16 admired her for being so stoic even in this situation, if it was real or all apparent she couldn’t tell.

 

But somehow the Scanner’s way of acting gave a degree of calmness to the whole thing.

 

Not much, but it was there.

 

That facade was gone as soon as the knife made contact with the first wire, first was just a little gasp, a whine…

 

And then turned into a full scream when the thing was cut off.

 

All three of the girls visibly flinched and grimaced upon hearing it, they never thought that Number 21 would ever be able to do that.

 

She was just too calm.

 

Maybe there was the occasional yell when she too got annoyed with them, or that desperate cry that brought her to put herself between Lily and the girls of the Resistance to save her.

 

But this was just so agonizing to hear…

 

Number 16 shook her head, she had promised Number 21 that until this was solved she wouldn’t have stopped, no matter how much pain she must have been in.

 

Because if she faltered and if she delayed this even longer, then the Scanner would suffer even more.

 

So…

 

“Keep going…” she whispered to herself.

 

She said it again as she cut the second wire, her voice overshadowed from Number 21’s cries.

 

She ignored how this all was making her eyes sting with tears.

 

With the corner of her eye she saw Number 2 whose eyes already let go of said tears, as they fell on the Scanner’s distraught face.

 

But she too, along with Number 4 were holding on for her sake, using their strength to make sure Number 21 didn’t move whenever a wire was taken off. She was trying her best, but her body would involuntary jerk as a reaction to the stabbing pain.

 

That was why she told them to hold her down as Number 16 did what she had to do.

 

It felt like an eternity, with many screams later, when the last wire came off, and with it the bomb.

 

The Gunner held it in her hands for a moment, then angrily threw it on the ground, for once actually having a reason to stand up, and to smash the explosive to bits under her feet.

 

She was so damn bloody furious about this thing…

 

And so upset that they had to hurt Number 21 like this because of it too.

 

Number 2 was holding the Scanner, tenderly wiping the tears she probably didn’t even know she cried, leaving gentle caresses on her cheeks and stroking her hair as she heaved, recovering.

 

Number 4 crawled over gently squeezing both Number 21 and Number 16’s shoulder, as she sat back down next to her, raking a hand through her black hair.

 

The Gunner felt just so goddamn awful.

 

She didn’t like Number 21, her personality always got on her nerves, but she didn’t want to hurt her damn it!

 

They waited for the Scanner to recover a bit more as Number 4 picked up her chest plate and she put it back on her, her hand lingering over her black box was a moment longer.

 

But now at least she was safe

 

They were sure that soon enough she’d find a way to not let them die either, so they'd be safe too.

 

“We should… we should try to leave…” it was the first thing Number 21 managed to whisper.

 

There was nothing more for them here.

 

Her chest still felt on fire, but she was glad that the girls followed her instructions even when she was in so much pain and couldn’t talk.

 

She tried, but the screams that tore through her throat prevented her from doing so.

 

Still… somehow it was better than suffering from a logic virus.

 

And obviously better than dying. 

 

But she knew she could trust them, back in the Bunker she probably wouldn’t, but the girls of the Resistance taught them so much about friendship.

 

They had to be alive.

 

They had to.

 

“Right.” Number 16 reached out to take Number 21’s arm, pulling her to hoist her on her back, as Number 2 collected her rifle for the time being.

 

“I can walk.” the Scanner tried to protest, though rather weakly.

 

She didn’t want to admit she was still hurting badly, but didn’t want to be a burden either, and put more weight on her comrade’s shoulders.

 

Both literally and figuratively.

 

“Shut up.” the Gunner grunted as she pulled the Scanner up so she could hold her legs, with her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

 

She clearly could see that this stubborn fool was exhausted, and still wanted to push herself further despite all she’d just been through.

 

“Don’t make me feel worse than I already do.” she said, quietly, so only Number 21 heard her. She still felt awful for hurting her even if it was necessary.

 

She felt dirty.

 

The Scanner’s head was literally dangling on her shoulder, looking like she’d faint at any moment.

 

“Thank you…” barely a whisper, but the raven heard it, and hopefully she’d tell the others.

 

“Just sleep, idiot.”

 

They could find a way out of this island on their own.

 

They owed her.

 

So they could find some kind of new hope to help her let them survive longer.

 

And keep living together.

 

Somehow…

 

Number 4 reached out so she hoisted Number 21 on the Gunner’s back better, so she wouldn’t fall now that she was no longer conscious, and lingered close to make sure that wouldn’t happen.

 

Number 2 walked on their other side.

 

Looking ahead, they walked forward.

 

Away from this island.

Chapter 8: Together to the future with [Y]ou

The group sat quietly as they listened to the four girls tell their tale. They had effectively woken up after them, it seemed.

 

“We managed to board a ship afterwards, that’s how we found ourselves in the nearby Forest Kingdom after a few days of travel.” Number 2 explained, but… didn’t Rose say that the ships they sent never found them?

 

“All the people we sent never reported finding anyone.” the Resistance Captain frowned.

 

Something wasn’t right.

 

All the tears she and the others cried, holding each other away from prying eyes, only between each other, whenever she’d ask, and the answer would always be negative…

 

But the people of the Resistance didn’t lie, did they?

 

As she said so, Number 21 raised her hand, the one with the lights exposed.

 

“That’s my doing.” she stated. “There was still something puzzling me about the whole ordeal, so for the time being, until I knew we’d be safe, I didn’t want anyone to remember our faces.”

 

“You deleted the memories of the androids that saved you.” 9S looked at her and she nodded, being a Scanner he knew exactly how to do that too.

 

Number 21’s move hadn’t been well received at first, because had the androids that found them found Rose and the others too, then they could have told them that they were alive, however, given how things turned out later, and how their Commander had been hellbent on getting rid of them, it had been a good decision.

 

The less people that knew about them the better. 

 

At least until they managed to get YoRHa off their backs.

 

This explained everything, and made total sense.

 

Directly and not, those girls protected themselves and them too, again.

 

“Given how your Commander wanted to kill you so badly, then better if no one knew your faces.” Anemone stated what the Scanner had been only thinking.

 

The people of the Resistance outside their group didn’t know these girls, and their story, so if YoRHa were to bribe them for information, then they would have had no problem in giving it out.

 

Especially if threatened.

 

Number 21 had been smarter than the woman that sent her and the others on Earth.

 

Impressive.

 

But nothing she hadn’t known.

 

She was special, and they had found out that these four girls were much better than what simple tests could prove.

 

They were people, not just mere numbers.

 

White never treated them as such.

 

And would never.

 

“Making sure to lead the squad on the best path is my duty.” as was to protect them, preventing losses with any means necessary, but there was no need for Number 21 to voice that part.

 

Anyone would throw away pride for survival.

 

They had just wanted to live…

 

Together…

 

“We didn’t know you survived too, so we spent these years just… killing everything…” Number 2 sighed.

 

They hadn’t known that their friends were living here, with the local Resistance.

 

Perhaps the androids that saved them were different, than the ones that had found them.

 

“We thought that despite our efforts the machines managed to take you away from us.” Number 4 clarified. They thought that somehow, even after destroying the server the machines had gone after the people they tried to save.

 

And that it had all been for nothing…

 

Triggering a repressed anger that went beyond just androids and machines being enemies by nature of their creation.

 

They had spent these years being so bitter about… everything…

 

Thinking about it, earlier this day, finding out their friends were alive, was the reason they smiled again, after these years.

 

And they had a reason to do so, finally and again.

 

“We understand.” Rose nodded softly. 

 

“After we found ourselves here, we wanted to keep a low profile, in a way, we didn’t want your Commander to find out we survived as well. I never trusted the woman, seeing the way she abandoned you.”

 

No matter how many times Jackass tried to convince her that White wasn’t like that.

 

That she was a good person.

 

A good leader wouldn’t leave her own soldiers to die in the battlefield, while she watched from the moon.

 

Safe and sound.

 

Never apologizing.

 

Maybe because she had been the type, and person who put the responsibility of the group before hers, and its safety, that included giving their comrades the peace they deserved when the situation called for it.

 

More times than she’d tell.

 

Her way of thinking was perhaps just different.

 

Rose wanted to doubt, to find anything to support Jackass’ words, to see the good in that woman too, like she saw it in the girls she had met, but sadly, she found none in her personal experience.

 

And would never find them now.

 

Yes, 2B and 9S somewhere down the line told them what happened after they had run from the assault in the city. How the Bunker was destroyed, and how everyone was infected, and there was no one left but them.

 

And that 2B was alive due to the intervention of the four, through them they had found out about the Goliath’s attack aimed at the camp, and how this was the occasion for their reunion.

 

Quite the chain of events.

 

But Rose wasn’t going to deny them a place to stay, to all of them.

 

So they wouldn’t be alone again.

 

“I wanted to keep searching for you, without having her eyes watching us.” Rose didn’t know if White was aware that she was the same Rose that encountered the four, nor cared to find out.

 

She didn’t want any of her soldiers on her back watching them.

 

In a way, that was what she thought 2B and 9S were, at the beginning. Sent to the camp to watch them, or to find something, even more upon laying her eyes on 2B’s face, as if it was a mockery of Number 2.

 

She’d been glad to be wrong.

 

They had been precious allies.

 

But no one could truly blame her and her group for doubting, especially now knowing how their four YoRHa friends had survived, and lived through these years being hunted from the same thing that created them.

 

“At the beginning, when 2B and 9S showed us your faces, we thought you were staying away to save us once again.” Gerbera voiced a thought Rose wanted to say.

 

Yes, they hadn’t known that they thought of them as dead too.

 

“We should have done something sooner…” Margaret sighed.

 

Yes, they should have…

 

But what?

 

Risking exposing each other to YoRHa and the machines, and ruining each other’s safety they so much struggled to find and build over the years?

 

Not worth it.

 

Either factions could have used the bonds they shared to their advantage to hurt the other.

 

They couldn’t trust anyone, nor take any chances.

 

“Either way, it worked out, no?” 9S shrugged. “Maybe it wasn’t the perfect thing, but you found each other again, you’re all here.”

 

That was true.

 

Also it was what mattered the most.

 

“And we have you two to thank for it.” Number 2 admitted, but she didn’t feel any shame in saying it though.

 

They had been enemies before, but in the end were they so different?

 

Weren’t those two just answering orders just like they tried to do back then? In their own mission? Thinking about it, the sacrifice they wanted to make for their friends had been planned too.

 

White had the ability to not make people question orders.

 

And the fact that time and time again, the more they met those two, but other androids too, and the less they recalled of the previous encounter, told them that wiping memories was an easy way to ensure they wouldn’t question a thing.

 

Because each and every time, despite the four of them knowing them, both 2B and 9S didn’t.

 

Ever.

 

The fact that 9S admitted searching for information on them was just more proof, because he should have known who they were already.

 

At least, when she had to, Number 21 deleted the memories of those androids for their safety, of all of them, not because it was convenient to keep spreading a lie.

 

“It wasn’t a problem, you did save my life too.” 2B replied, and on this topic… 

 

“Why?”

 

As she asked, her eyes met the Scanner’s red ones directly.

 

They were still enemies before.

 

“Perhaps we were just looking for some kind of redemption.” it was the reply. For what?

 

“Like we said before, we spent our years doing less than honorable things, to both machines and androids.” back then they hadn’t known their friends were alive yet. “We just wanted to do something good for once…”

 

“And in the middle of the madness of a horde of infected androids, there are hardly any enemies.” Number 16 shrugged. “The Bunker was gone anyway, and everyone was dead.”

 

“So in a way I was a scapegoat.” 2B didn’t know how to feel, but it worked out well, no?

 

She was here, alive.

 

She had 9S at her side.

 

And the Resistance and the four YoRHa found each other again.

 

“Sorry…” Number 2 sighed. “I gave them the idea first…” even if it had been the Scanner saving her.

 

2B shook her head. “No. It’s alright." 

 

“Like 9S said, things worked out in the end.” she could definitely agree that things could have gone even better, the Bunker could still be here and so their friends would. 

 

6O and 21O…

 

Their beloved Operators first and foremost.

 

But… she would be dumb to not accept this outcome.

 

Like things could be better, they could also be worse.

 

She couldn’t imagine had she died, or if 9S did…

 

They had to appreciate what they had left.

 

And not lose it.

 

Not now…

 

Not again…

 

The machines were still around, right…

 

“So now what?” Dahlia voiced the thought. It was all good and happy to have seen each other again, but until their enemies still tried to kill them, they’d never be safe.

 

They’d never be free…

 

“What do you mean?” Number 16 asked from next to her. “What else is there to be? We stay together, no?”

 

They waited for so long, they wouldn’t separate now.

 

“I know, but the machines are still here…” 

 

“So we fight them, like we’ve always done.” it was easy for the Gunner to say but…

 

“You make it sound so easy, I just…”

 

“No one of us wants to lose the others again, Dahlia. We know.” it was Rose who answered. Of course she would.

 

She felt Number 16’s hands tighten around her waist.

 

She wasn’t going to let her go.

 

Briefly the woman spared a glance to the rest of the group, and how they were sitting just as close as she and the Gunner were, they felt just the same.

 

She didn’t want to say it but she was…

 

Scared…

 

“We won’t be safe as long as machines will try to kill us, but at least now we are in this together, like it is supposed to be.” Rose looked at them all. “We have our friends back, and they have us, and no one wants to see anything happen to the other, I know. But we can’t let this stop us. We found each other again, it will make us stronger.”

 

In a way, Rose was also trying to convince herself too.

 

But she didn’t want to falter.

 

Another loss would certainly crush them, but that had to be why they could either cower in fear like they had done those years ago, and cry every day and night, or they should let the presence of their friends empower them. 

 

The choice was theirs.

 

And if she did have to choose, she’d choose to let Number 2 and the other’s presence be a point of strength.

 

Of a new beginning.

 

A chance to restart again, together.

 

But she understood where the insecurities were coming from.

 

There was no telling what the future had in store, and without YoRHa they also had little to no objective.

 

Their collaboration had been useful in advancing against machines.

 

At least until this last mission.

 

“I do admit I am a bit clueless as to how to proceed, but for now I’d take it easy.” she motioned to the girl’s bodies. “Maybe we can see if anything can be done for your bodies.”

 

Give them some kind of repairs.

 

“I’m not sure it’ll be possible to restore our bodies the way they were before.” Number 21 idly fingered with the metallic remains on her left arm. “The resources we had were all parts taken from other YoRHa androids, even machines if we were desperate enough...”

 

She didn’t like to admit that part, but without any help, they had to use what was left of what they killed, because it would be all they could find.

 

“Devola and Popola are our experts, I’m sure they can help in some way.”

 

Yet the Scanner frowned, she took a moment to voice a thought, one she’d been having for a long time.

 

“During these years I don’t even know how I survived the infection I had.” she never managed to find an explanation, but here she was.

 

Not to get her wrong, she was happy to be here, she didn’t regret being alive to aid her companions, and certainly she wasn’t regretting having Anemone at her side again too.

 

She felt the woman urge her to place her head on her shoulder.

 

No, she didn’t regret this.

 

Despite how she ended up looking because of said virus.

 

But it still puzzled her to no end.

 

“Didn’t you say your mission was to destroy a server room?” 9S suddenly asked. “We did, why?” Number 4 frowned.

 

They did blow up the server using her and Number 2’s reactor.

 

They had just told him the tale of when they had awoken in the remains of the island, if they could be called as such.

 

“Could it be possible that because the server was destroyed, the signal emitting it went with it, weakening the infection enough for your systems to fight back? It’s a theory, but…” it was the closest thing he could think about.

 

Number 21 hadn’t transferred the virus into another unit either, it had always been in her body, even if weak and dormant. The boy here had been the key to put it down entirely, maybe she’d tell him in the future.

 

“It does make sense…”

 

Without the signal from the server down in the mountain, the one in her body weakened, and somehow her own systems managed to keep it at bay until the two met.

 

Even though it had been almost the reason of her demise too.

 

More than once.

 

Either from the inside or being a target for executioners.

 

Speaking of this, shouldn’t someone here reveal her true identity? Well, she supposed it was for her to decide. She did see from her memories how that letter E hung heavy on her mind.

 

She also saw clearly what her mission was.

 

And why she was so close to 9S, and yet, so far.

 

Number 21 wondered if he knew, he did find out all the time, eventually.

 

But it wasn’t her place to say, nor her friends’ one.

 

She just hoped it wouldn’t be a problem, looking at them something told her it wouldn’t be. There was something in their eyes that just said so.

 

The same eyes she reserved for Anemone, the same eyes shared between Dahlia and Number 16, and the same eyes shared between Number 2 and Number 4.

 

She knew them well…

 

Love.

 

She had read of human tales that told that true love went beyond anything.

 

The Scanner wondered if here, right now, the people present fit that description, even though they weren’t human.

 

She felt Anemone take her exposed hand.

 

“What matters is that we’re alive.” long before, Number 21 had told Lily, when she mused about emotions and humanity, that they weren’t alive.

 

If she could go back, she’d tell herself that it wasn’t true.

 

Everything they had lived through, with the people they loved…

 

This was what being alive meant.

 

Even if they were made of wires and metal, instead of flesh and blood.

 

With the corner of her eyes the Scanner watched Number 4 squint ahead and above them. “What’s that?”

 

Only now the group noticed the sinister white building that loomed above them all.

 

Where did that come from?

 

How hadn’t they noticed it while they passed through the middle of the city either?

 

Well, perhaps they were too busy fighting the machine horde that tried to stop them from getting to their friends. Seeing them again had been the only thing in their mind, second was to kill whoever stood in their path as fast as possible.

 

But now, what could that thing be?

 

“We’re not sure, it just showed up out of nowhere from underground.” well, Rose assumed it was from underground. Why else would there have been an earthquake as it appeared?

 

On the topic, the two Pods shared what they knew.

 

Indeed the structure came out from the ground, right when the four girls had retreated in the commercial facility, to allow 2B and Number 21 to recover from their own ordeal. Though its purpose was unknown.

 

And of course, suspected of machine origin.

 

“Doesn’t it look like the copied city a bit?” 9S put an end to his chin, though the memories of that place weren’t pleasant, he recalled the same eerie white look everywhere.

 

He wondered if that thing was the same.

 

“Copied city?” Gerbera frowned. “A sort of copy of the city that Adam and Eve used as their playground.”

 

And another thing of machine origin.

 

“Maybe we could investigate.” Number 2 looked at Number 21, and she knew well the Scanner must have been eager to do that.

 

Eager to know.

 

“I guess we could take a look.” even if she didn’t show it, the way she stood from the bed she was sitting on, told them that she couldn’t wait to know more.

 

“I’m coming with you.” Anemone took her arm.

 

Of course she wouldn’t let her go alone.

 

Even if she wouldn’t be alone, her comrades would have tagged along too. Like always.

 

She was so glad to have people she could count on, and that counted on her more than she could say or express.

 

“Of course.”

 

“I’d say we all investigate.” Rose announced, not willing to let the girls go alone. Her eyes met 2B and 9S’, who nodded, willing to tag along too.

 

Not like any of them had anything better to do.

 

Maybe besides resting up.

 

But it didn’t look like anyone wanted to do that.

 

There were still machines to fight, and as long as they were, they couldn’t fully rest easily. 

 

They wouldn’t.

 

Because the safety of their friends depended on it.

 

As did their future.

 

“Well then, our goal is to investigate this machine structure, find its purpose, and if possible, destroy it, we must deal a strike to these machines, for us, and for the friends we so much longed to have at our side, that we finally found again, and for our new companions.” 

 

A wish that had been too long overdue.

 

A hope that they thought long gone.

 

It was time to take back what had been stolen from them through all these years.

 

“We have the opportunity to make happen something we promised long ago.”

 

So close…

 

Yet still so far…

 

Rose’s eyes met Number 2’s.

 

“We will stay together!” she declared, taking those words that the young and naive captain had spoken when they had met, with such a huge smile.

 

Smiles that were shared between each other shined just as brightly now.

 

There were laughs.

 

Held hands.

 

Friendly arms around someone’s shoulder.

 

As if nothing ever happened.

 

“Let’s take the future for ourselves!” Rose held her fist in the air, joined from a chorus of voices doing the same thing, just as excited.

 

The future would be theirs.

 

That was a promise.