User:FintanMajora/Sandbox

YoRHa Unit 2B

Main Continuity

Final Fantasy XIV

Soul Calibur VI

SINoALICE

Star Ocean

Shadowverse

“	Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle...and wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him.	„
	~ 2B in the Prolouge

“	What is it that separates machines from androids like us? The machines have grown emotions. ...Consciousness. The final screams they summoned on the edge of their death... They still echo within me.	„
	~ 2B at the end of Route A

“	This is YoRHa unit 2B...If anyone is listening to this, there's something I need you to do. If you ever meet up with YoRHa unit 9S...I want him...I mean...I'm sorry. Please just give him the following message: 9S...the time I was able to spend with you...It was like memories of pure light. Thank you...Nine...s....	„
	~ 2B's Final Message

Background

YoRHa No.2 Type B (Battle) or 2B later to be exposed as YoRHa No.2 Type E (Executioner) or 2E is a combat machine unit that serves as the protagonist of Route A and a small bit leading up to Route C/D in NieR:Automata. She is a YoRHa android what was created and deployed in the year 11945 to battle the machine lifeforms that have invaded the planet on behalf of what is left of humanity. She served during the 14th Machine War where the story takes place, she was sent on a mission which spiraled into multiple different missions, discovering the death of all the aliens, figuring out the sentience the machines gained, and how the machines are creating their own variant of "androids", putting a stop to it all in the end, and being sent on one final mission to end the war

2B is an all-purpose battle android programmed to be masterful in combat but also as an executioner unit, an expert in execution. 2B was deployed as a member of the automated YoRHa infantry to act both as a battle unit but to also keep an eye out on 9S in case he finds himself obtaining information that would be a huge risk to leak. She is equipped with a multitude of weapons for close quarters combat and can attack from range using the Pod support system, being able to use them naturally as if she has years of training in said combat. Her eyes are obscured beneath her standard-issue military visor, which she rarely removes.

2B throughout her mission acts cold but deep down she is only hiding her feelings because of her job, one she hates because of her feelings for 9S. Near the end, depending on the ending, the fate of 2B and 9S are up to whichever ending is chosen, regardless of it, there really isnt a happy ending for them.

This dropdown contains an entire explanation of the Nier Timeline, since a lot of information would be better to know to fully understand the lore, so Spoilers for Nier:Replicant and Nier:Automata will be present including Novellas which add to the lore, click at your own risk!

==Pre-Automata/Post-Replicant Summary== During the events of Nier: Replicant, Nier kills the Shadowlord, who is the original Gestalt, unfortunately the death of the Shadowlord effectively dooms all of humanity, i.e. The Gestalts (shadow-like beings feared by the other Replicants that function as the enemies in Nier’s adventure, some are passive, but most are aggressive due to a relapse. They are the souls of the original humans separated from their old bodies, which was done to prevent a disease from wiping out humanity caused by the White Chlorination Syndrome, an incident caused when a dragon, dragon rider and white beast appeared from the sky over Japan, an event from Drakengard). The original intent for the Gestalts existing was for them to eventually be put back into shells, hollow human bodies designed and built from the Gestalts data to be compatible with their shells which are called Replicants. Replicants are artificial bodies meant to hold the original humans in the form of Gestalts waiting for the epidemic to clear, the Gestalt and Replicant need to be compatible via the information gestalts hold, once put back, it will be as if they were alive, these two plans were called Project Gestalt and Project Replicant. In an unexpected twist, Replicants started to gain sentience and life, dooming any changes of a Gestalt from returning to their bodies since they cannot naturally go back due to them fearing them and killing Gestalts, under the assumption they are hungry monsters. The death of the Shadowlord would force all Gestalts to slowly relapse one by one, meaning losing whatever humanity is left of them and become savage beasts. Nier also destroying Grimoire Noir prevented Project Gestalt from ever finishing since Grimoire Noir and Grimoire Weiss fusing would fast snap all Gestalts to their former bodies. Then a Gestalt relapses, the compatible Replicant ends up being infected with The Black Scrawl. When a bunch of androids who were built to watch over the project notice this extinction spiral, they decided to form an organization called the “Human Heritage Investigation Committee” in the year 3627 (changed to Human Heritage Reclamation Management in 3631), which was made to investigate what little information they could find about humanity and protect it, then changed to actively preserving and restoring what they could find of human culture. In 4198, the existence of intelligent life proceeds to meet its unfortunate fate. The last Gestalt perishes, and with no Gestalts, there are no Replicants, with no replicants, there is no humanity, humankind has gone extinct, the last “human” to live and that will ever live has drawn their last breath. With nothing left of humankind, androids started to wonder what was next, since the one thing they were designed to serve is dead. This causes android factories to shut down one by one, the same androids as Popola and Devola who were designed to watch over the replicants and cater to the Gestalt Project, machines who met their fate. The extinction of human’s lead androids who were made to serve humans to lose a purpose, their need to produce more androids began to diminish as they could not do more without command or a reason to even fight for anything. 300 years later, a group of androids found a reason, which is to live for themselves, calling themselves independentists, having no loyalty to humanity, the first ever instance of androids gaining the will of choice. This causes a dilemma between pro and anti-humanity groups, which eventually lead to a small civil war between the groups which was short-lived. A few weeks later after the war, the independentists established their own nation in Australia, never to be heard from again. Things would remain calm for the next 500 years, all until the year 5012. The androids that still supported humanity were shrinking slowly, their numbers going down as they still searched for a purpose to protect a long-gone race. That same year in 5012 CE, Aliens suddenly started to appear and invade earth, declaring war on the androids and to claim the earth. They unleashed a legion of weapons known as Machine Lifeforms to attack the androids, Machines capable of adapting and evolving, this exact evasion is what the androids needed, what they desired, a reason to go on, a reason to fight for humanity. Android production spiked, and the androids organized to create “The Army of Humanity” to fend off the invaders and protect their home, along with the human data they have collected. The attack still surprised the androids and forced them to lose a lot of ground, up to 80% of the earth. The aliens started to build factories to build many more machine lifeforms to expand their army in The Kingdom of The Night. The Human Heritage Reclamation Management Program had built a storage station on the moon to acuminate all the human data they have collected over the years, they also proceeded to build large space stations for bases to defend themselves from the aliens and machines. During the attack of the machines, one being that existed during the Replicant era was left to fend them off, one “human,” a young boy named Emil who was immortalized in a form that allows him to live without aging and possess powerful magic. Emil cloned himself an endless number of times to create an army to fight off the aliens and machines, causing him to lose his memories from all the cloning. Around this time, is when the very first machine way takes place. ==The Flame of Prometheus== 1000 years before all these events happened, a machine called Beepy (aka. P-33, a boss in Replicant) found himself still functioning, with no memories or proper functionality. Hours upon Hours of repairs later, Beepy finds out that he has a string of data telling him to see the outside world, data that confuses him since he does not remember who gave it to him, but it is a mission he is set to do. After being defeated, he attempted to slowly recover himself, repairing every bit of damage he has, absorbed new parts, other machines, and absorbing memory circuits to increase his intelligence, even managing to grant other machines their own will, the ability to think for themselves. Beepy spent the next 1000 years regaining his strength and power, reaching a point where he turns into a sphere 165 feet in diameter. Beepy fulfilled a promise with a child Gestalt before his defeat to see the real world, so even after absorbing so many minds, so still feels the need to fulfill that promise. In the year 7645, his preparations are complete, and he blasts off into the depths of space to see his world, only to see a war breaking out between machines and androids, machines he has never seen before, and androids so far advanced that Beepy never thought he would see anything like it, it was here that he discovered all the humans of the world are gone. Beepy is in the middle of this war, and begins to question everything he sees, he was afraid of being destroyed, but still questioned “why did the machines fought? Why are they waging war against the lady androids” Beepy simply concluded that because the machines were ordered too, they had no choice but to follow, without a consciousness, they did not feel fear, they lack the thoughts of self-preservation. This is when Beepy decided to act, he gave all the machines consciousness, the will to think, the desire to live, “Prometheus gave fire to the humans.” The machines now being able to feel and think for themselves cease, they decided to stop fighting, not only that but they also turned against the aliens when they went against the wants of the machines. In retaliation, the machines kill all the aliens, having nobody to command them anymore, they decided to live their own lives, unfortunately still having to defend themselves from the androids who are still attacking. (Which explains why they are all gone before the events of automata). ==A Long Silence== After the events of the aliens being killed, the longest period of silence struck, the machines stopped attempting to gain ground, although they still held most of the planet under their feet. The Army of Humanity tried to attack to claim back land, but the machines would fight back in self-defense, and each attempt always ended in a stalemate, no progress ever being made. Nothing really has changed for about 4000 years, all until the year 11502 when a floating city the machines built showed up, which the androids codenamed “Atlantis” for 2 years until it disappeared again, being a large mystery for a red herring for what is to come. 120 years Later, something else shows up, a behemoth machine named Grun, a titan machine that was a massive threat to both androids and machines since it could not be controlled once it went on a rampage. He was originally intended to be used as an attack measurement to the androids after 1000s of years of attacks they endured, they wanted to defend themselves. Their desire to self-preservation grew more, seeing Grun as more of an obstacle since it was destroying absolutely everything in its path, to them it was a mindless machine. Since the machines began to replicate human behavior and tried to copy their actions, they gained a desire to live like them, so they decided to deal with Grun. Grun would wreak havoc for a month until the machines were able to seal Grun in the ocean near the Izu Ogasawara Trench. Grun would stay under seas for hundreds of years more until it awakens again later. ==Formation of YoRHa/Pearl Harbor== In the year 11810, the android orbital base Kaguya was destroyed by an explosion, Kaguya would then be succeeded by a new orbital research station called Labo 5 years later after the disaster. During this, an android named Zinnia has been doing research into machine cores to turn them into something they later name “Black Boxes” to give to future androids. In 11928, Zinnia succeeded and created the first ever Black Box, all while creating two prototype androids to evaluate the black box. After the success of the black boxes, Zinnia wanted to find a way to boost the androids’ odds of winning, thing is that after the year 4198 when humankind went extinct, android production slowed down, even after the alien invasion happened, boosting the production of androids, the androids were constantly taking morale damage knowing humans no longer existed. In 5012, androids went to the moon to house data on the humans as a safe precaution. Zinnia originally made up the idea that he would fabricate a lie that humanity did indeed survive, fled to the moon, and formed “The Council of Humanity,” and ordering YoRHa to aid them in claiming their home back, returning once all the machines were eliminated. He would then assemble an elite force of androids to send this message across all The Army of Humanity’s forces. The idea of a “God” they must fight for would in theory boost the morale of the androids and help them fight better knowing they are fighting for reason. Zinnia thought about this plan and realized it was not the best plan for how extremely risky it was, little did he know Model 9 was listening in and believed that to be a good plan. No. 9 assassinated Zinnia and orchestrated the plan, adding his own spin to it and putting it into motion. No. 9 also intentionally created a backdoor to the YoRHa bunker, which would allow machines to access it if they were to find it, allowing them to effortlessly wipe YoRHa should the time ever come. The idea behind that was that if the machines completely wiped out YoRHa, all evidence of humanity being on the moon being a lie would be deleted, forever keeping the idea that there are humans alive for androids to forever keep that morale. No.2 caught wind of the plan and executed No.9, the beginning of a cycle that continues many years later. Few years later and multiple things happen. Like the formation of a resistance ran by Anemone who participated in the 8th machine war called “The 8th Descent Operation” and also formed the Android Gorilla Army, A Forest Kingdom being established by a lone goliath machine called Ernst, and the most important event, the foundation of YoRHa, an elite force of Androids, created to battle the machine lifeforms much more effectively. YoRHa was technically grounded in 11815 until the year 11932 where operations truly began (13 years before the main game). YoRHa went full on aggressive against the machines, all while pushing a lie that humanity still exists on the moon to motivate their YoRHa soldiers, not telling them the information of humanity’s extinction and all that is left is their data. In the year 11937, the first ever official YoRHa units were constructed and 3 years later, the bunker would truly finish construction. During all this, it became an issue that YoRHa android were seen as disposable, deployed for the purpose to gather combat data rather than any tangible gain in the war, their deaths merely being stepping stones in a lengthy process to grow and evolve. This leads to one of YoRHa most problematic and controversial missions which lead them to having to face their own creation, their own kind. In the year 11939, the 14th Machine war breaks out, 1-13 being a bit obsolete. One of the biggest and most catastrophic operations YoRHa launch was the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission on December 8th, 11941. This mission was led by an android named A2 and 16 other androids, all experimental androids designed to be tests. Their personalities being data found from previous humans applied to them, that being memory data. A2 at first was a lot more cheerful, her admiring the beauty of earth and being really close with her allies, especially No.4. This mission went horribly wrong, 12 of the 16 machines were killed before touching ground as they fell into a sudden aerial attack. The 4 that survived were able to endure and counter against the laser and missile attacks. After the attack, No.21 asks if they can scrap the mission, in which the operator refused. This puts the 4 androids in a tough situation where their chances of success are lowered and are forced to press on, amongst their arguing they were attacked by 128,000 enemy units. When the YoRHa girls begin to lose the battle, Rose and the rest of the Resistance appear help fight off the machines. Thanks to the YoRHa units’ influence, the machines began to gather in a single area—just what the Resistance had planned. At the right time, they set off a slew of land mines to decimate the oncoming machines. The remaining machines still left intact begin to withdraw. Just as when No.2 began to thank the Resistance for their help, they all turn their guns on the four YoRHa units. Rose is the first to speak up, demanding to know who they are. The Resistance had not planned to help the YoRHa units; it just worked out that way. No.2 tries to explain their mission while introducing each of them. Anemone speaks up and says that they never heard anything about a new mission, to which No.21 says it was top secret—therefore no information was relayed to them. This did not help convince the resistance but know drew a lot of suspicions. Anemone draws her blade, saying that there would be no problem, then, if the YoRHa units are all killed. She is about to rush No.4 when Rose stops her. The frightened girl Lily agrees with Anemone, saying that since the machines have been advancing so much, it could be possible for them to even evolve into humanoid robots. No.16 goes to attack Lily. Shino grabs Lily to protect her while Dahlia, drawing a sword, angrily goes to confront No.16 who intern draws her knife. Dahlia and No.16 begin to fight while Anemone and No.4 do the same. Rose then steps in the way and tells Dahlia and Anemone to stand down. She says that she does not yet believe the YoRHa units, but they must think and figure out the truth of the matter. When Dahlia and No.16 are unstoppable, No.2 steps up to stop them. No.2 calms down the chaos and goes on to explain that their mission began with 16 units, but since their Canceller turned out to be ineffective, most of them did not survive, leaving only the 4 of them left. She continues and says that the Commander will not send a rescue team or anyone to replenish those they have lost and must continue with only 4 units. That is why the most important thing they need are friends, allies, someone who they can trust and not have to fight. Sonia points out the similarities between the Resistance and the remaining YoRHa units—they were all abandoned by the Moon. Rose also understands the situation and commands everyone to lower their weapons. Rose explains that they are the last survivors of the 8th Descent Mission—and compared to the new model YoRHa units, old and outdated androids. The 8th Descent Mission took place 200 years previous, sometime around 11,741. Sonia and Dahlia comment that they have been fighting long before the YoRHa units were even made. Rose says that since they lost contact with the Moon, no one even knew they existed, truly they were abandoned, forgotten by the commander entirely. The YoRHa units explain their mission to the Resistance. The must travel to the top of Mt. Ka’ala from which point there is an elevator hall. Luckily, there is a hidden door somewhere on the beach that will lead to the same elevator hall. An infrared scan of the area from the Moon revealed its location. Unfortunately, the technology in the hall is so old, they do not know how to use it exactly… so they must research the technology as they go. Once they get to the bottom, they will find the main server which controls *all* of the machines and allows them to function. If they can destroy the server, they will likewise stop the machines. But any further information—like how to destroy the server—was classified as top secret. Even if this may be the most important part of the mission, the Commander has not relayed this information to the YoRHa units. The discussion of then plan and its flaws pissed off No.16 and she ran off saying the four of them can finish the mission on their own. No.2 tries to tell No.16 that if they talk and explain more to the Resistance, they will surely understand the situation. No.4 says that No16 is just being short-tempered as usual, by which No16 gets angry and wants to know what she means by that. No4 just tells her to “think about it”. As they argue, No.21 calmly says that they are unable to complete their mission without their help. In any case, there is no hope for success, which is why she hoped the Commander would abort the mission. No.2 refuses to believe that their fate has already been sealed—if they work together with the Resistance, there could still be a chance—! The four YoRHa units are severely divided. When they go back to explain more, Rose agrees to help the YoRHa units on their mission. Gerbera says that they will need some new weapons, so she will talk with Kalmia. While at the camp, one of the resistance androids gets infected, wreaking havoc, but No.21 manages to make a cure for her, gaining the trust of the resistance. The androids finally venture off, half way up Mt. Ka’ala. The girls first start talking about how there is nothing around the area, and Anemone comments that it has always been like that, for a long, long time. No.4 asks if shes been like that for a long time, too. Anemone does not understand what she means, so she elaborates, saying that it is as though Anemone is completely empty inside. Anemone says that she does not remember what she was like back then, but then No.21 says that, as an android, she should remember. But Anemone is adamant and says that she forgot. The person she is now does not need to remember who she used to be. Erica and Gerbera come back from scouting for the enemy. Anemone says that many of her friends have died. Gerbera says that she worries too much, and Anemone says that she does not worry enough. They continue their descent, even turning on thermo scans, but they still are unable to find any machines in the mountain, theorizing that adapted to camouflage and can turn off their heat insulators. Although they receive a call from Futaba that the enemies are homing in, and that they should hurry, refusing their requests for help which pisses some of the androids off. Lily steps in and holds off the incoming enemies as the rest head for the elevator, some stay behind to fight with Lily. They all eventually reach an elevator hall, which cannot be open since it is protected. No.21 hacks into it and gets everyone to go into the elevator, except herself since she needs to remain hacking the elevator for it to even move. Anemone jumps out and stands with No.21 as the machines approach. No.21 reveals that she is infected, and asks Anemone after she finishes hacking, execute her. When making their descent, No.2 grows concern after hearing an explosion that sounds like her allies have been hurt, but everyone talks her into calming down. Once they make it into the server room, they encounter two red-haired girls, oddly moving like dolls. They reveal that they are the terminal of the Bio-machines made in their image. The red-haired girls jam their signals, they want to talk with the currently present androids. After the androids retaliate by blaming them for taking over their planet, the two girls reveal that humanity has abandoned them, they refuse to believe and No.4 draws her sword to attack, but they dodge nimbly. It was then that one of the biggest secrets was revealed, what the androids did not know was that command intended this mission to fail since they merely were experimental androids, knowing the whole squad would get wiped out and citing this all as a scenario. No.2 starts to feel the weight of the truth, but the other androids tell her to not believe her and fight. The red-haired girls retaliate and create clones to fight back, quickly slaughtering 2 androids and bringing them back to life under their control. The inflected androids attack Rose and Sonia, killing them, all that is left is No.2 and No.4. Eventually No.4 tries to attack but is fatally wounded, leaving No.2 in a pure rage, but No.4 pushes away No.2 and goes for one last attack, she then dies from the final blow. No.2 in a berserk state defeat all the inflicted androids. No2 manages to defeat the Bio-machines, but her attacks have no effect on the Red Girls. The Red girls tell her she cannot defeat them, and to even come close to destroying the server room, she needs a great amount of energy, here they reveal something else. YoRHa’s actual intent was to bet on an android dying in the server room, allowing their “Black Box” (an altered machine core rebuilt to help function YoRHa androids via acting as a conscious and a portable nuke) to self-destruct, destroying the entire mountain along with the server room. None of the first gen androids knew about this, so when finding out about the plan, No.2 was devastated. The red girls amused by her failure taunts her, but suddenly No.4 stands, she turns around and says goodbye, to No.2’s dismay. No.2 witness one of her last surviving comrades die and their black box detonate, destroying the entire mountain along with the server room. YoRHa plan was successful, it went as they expected it too, just as they were about to close the book on this mission, an alarm goes off informing YoRHa they detected a black box signal, No.2 survived the explosion, throwing YoRHa off entirely, after the events of the mission, No.2 abandons YoRHa, becoming a rouge android to be hunted. YoRHa Boys YoRHa Boys revolve around multiple male android units, typically healing units, but they all are grouped as “M Types”. These android units manage to get a hint that command didn’t really care for them and merely saw them as fodder. The boys now exactly happy with this idea come up with a plan to escape to the Kingdom of The Nights, sharing their aspirations with each other and wondering what will happen after the war. Yet a breakout happens when their plan is opposed by their YoRHa voting counterparts. This doesn’t help that one of the boys is secretly an executioner model disguised as an H unit. Their inability to work together got some of them terminated and they were designated as failures. All were salvaged as scanner type units, programmed to always work alone, and here is where 9S came from. Beasts Of Slaughter No.2 who is now known as A2 wonders the world on her own, killing machines on her own will, forever having to live with the memories of her ally’s dying. A2 for the first time finally meeting the YoRHa Android known as 2E and 9S, both androids constantly pursued A2 to terminate her by the order of YoRHa, neither of them retains their memories of ever encountering her though. A2 at first is upset at this idea that YoRHa is hunting her after everything she found out, and after YoRHa refused to ever send help. A2 had to face both androids’ multiple times as they are dispatched multiple times to take care of A2 who notices their patterns overtime, slowly growing numb over it all, all while leaning how YoRHa is attempting to dispatch of her. Their encounters slowly drove A2 into a state of purely loneliness, making her angrier with YoRHa, becoming more bitter and cold, even to the point where she refuses to visit the resistance camp. Yet her encounter with both 2E (as 2B) and 9S felt different in the Forest Kingdom, as if they both are old friends together, this meeting felt less like an execution attempt, but more so a normal encounter. A2 acts differently, hinting at both android who while are still aware that she is an android with a bounty on her head, still tell them that the real enemy is who they are following, telling them YoRHa has abandoned them. Memory Cage (Story) Chapter 1 As if cutting through a cloud of dust, a close-range weapon flash. The Type-4O Sword — a state-of-the-art saber granted to those elite fighters on the front lines. Lightning bursts from the blade, its hemispherical body flying in an arc. A now headless machine lifeform ceases movement, its cylindrical body lying motionless in the sand, before exploding moments later. The debris caught up in the explosion rain down on the surrounding area as nothing more than hunks of metal. Once the explosion clears, all that remains is the sound of the desert wind. As the clouds of sand fade from the air, a figure appears. The figure can be easily recognized as an adult woman; her soft curves and slender body, as well as her beautiful legs extending from the hem of her skirt, give her away in an instant. Though in actuality, she is neither an "adult" nor a "woman". The owner of said figure is not even a human, nor does she have a sex, in a biological sense. She is a YoRHa model android, No.2 Type B, or more commonly known as 2B, specializing in combat. On this Earth, humans are already long gone. Due to the invasion of aliens, humans were forced to escape to the moon. The planet is now a battleground for the machine lifeforms created by those aliens, and the androids who are tasked with their annihilation. Sheathing her sword, 2B directs her attention behind herself as she speaks. "Is that all of them?" In response to her question, an object floating around two meters above the ground lowers itself. It is a tactical support unit known as a pod. With a rectangular head and four arms of many sizes, it moves about through the air, however water deployment is also possible. Equipped with long-range attacks, situational analysis, transmission capabilities, as well as first aid equipment and so on, it has every function necessary to assist YoRHa androids. "Affirmative: No enemies detected within five kilometers of the access point." "I see," 2B mutters, as she steps up to a large metallic box, which only happens to be slightly taller than her. The access point, which is disguised as a relic of human civilization known as a "vending machine", is an important facility for conducting communications with the Bunker and checking information on the surrounding area. Whether they are aware of that or not, machine lifeforms tend to find and gather around access points. From the corners of ruins to the middle of the desert, it does not matter. They swarm like bugs to fallen fruit. Consequently, when YoRHa members send and receive mail to Earth, or need to obtain information on the surrounding topography, they must first get rid of the machine lifeforms gathering at the access point. It has already become a normal routine for them. Now, having completed the usual procedure, 2B is able to fulfill her original goal. She selects the latest message from her list of mail and opens it. However, just as her line of sight makes out the name of the sender and the words "top secret", she hears him. "2B!" The sudden surprise is caused by 9S, No.9 Type S. While he is also a YoRHa member, unlike 2B, he is not built with the appearance of an adult female, but his appearance mimics that of a human boy. "Is that a message from the Commander?" While he may not have been able to catch a glimpse of the message, Scanner models specialize in investigative purposes and have high intuition and observational skills. Since it was not the usual time for communication to arrive from the Council of Humanity and reading personal e-mails directly before commencing an operation is highly unlikely, he'd come to the conclusion that it must be a message from the Commander. "No, it has nothing to do with the current investigation. It is instructions for another assignment. More importantly," she says, to change the subject, "this wasn't our rendezvous point." The chosen rendezvous point was a location closer to their destination. "Well, yeah, but you looked like you were in the middle of a battle, so ... I thought I'd come support you." "That's unnecessary." If she weren't even capable of dispatching of a few machine lifeforms alone, she'd be defective as a B-type model, after all. "Yeah, looks like it," 9S responds, with an exaggerated shrug. "Well, we managed to rendezvous safely, so why don't we head towards the target area?" The coordinates in the map data update from the previous rendezvous point to their target destination, and 2B and 9S begin moving. Chapter 2 "Gah! There's sand in my shoes again!" While walking through the desert, 9S gets the strange feeling that his shoes are flooding with water, but it turns out its sand, instead. It is a perfectly natural thing, which 2B does not believe is something to shout about, but that doesn't seem to be the case for 9S. They walk a few meters, he frowns, they walk a few more, and he is shouting again. And it repeats just like that. "Doesn't it bother you?" "Doesn't what bother me?" "The sand! Aren't your shoes full of it, 2B?" "They are, and while it's an odd feeling, it isn't causing any hindrance to my movement." The sand in the air is causing poor visibility, but the sand in her shoes can hardly be recognized as a problem. And with that dismissal, 9S's shoulders blatantly drop. "It's not movement that's the problem, it's the way it feels! Don't you hate the way it just sloshes around in your shoes like that?" "Feelings are prohibited." How many times has she had to repeat that phrase to him, she wonders? This isn't the first time she's been paired with him for a mission. "Yeah, yeah." 9S replies roughly the same way every time. With that pouty tone and facial expression. Well in the beginning it was more of a 'sorry', with him huddling in on himself instead. 2B had heard that the reason YoRHa members were encouraged not to have emotions was because of a group of them who failed their mission because of them. Of course, emotions cause fluctuations in judgement and behavior, so she believes it's unnecessary for them to have them anyway, Herself, in particular. "Hey! Is that it?" In the direction of 9S's pointing The shadow of a building-like shape suddenly emerges. Well, it's not exactly 'sudden', as its location was already properly displayed in the map data, but due to the sandstorm and uneven terrain, 2B wasn't able to see it until now. "Affirmative: That is the target of investigation. A large structure left over from human civilization." The pod responds from beside her. However, it's not the pod assigned to 2B, Pod 042, but rather the pod that had been assigned to 9S, Pod 153. Unless specifically spoken to or deemed necessary, pods won't answer questions posed by anyone other than those they directly support. Suddenly, the wind quiets down, and visibility improves. From the shadow, which was originally blurred by sand clouds, a large arch comes into view. 2B can see that the building had been built within the side of a hollowed out mountain, partially facing a nearby valley. Overall, it has a strange architectural style. "Looks like it's the structure known as a temple, some sort of religious facility. Its formal name was the "Barren Temple". It started out as a place of residence, but humans later began using it as a temple instead, or ... something like that!" 2B can hear the liveliness in 9S's voice as he says that. S-type models are characterized by their research and information gathering abilities, so they tend to hold a great deal of interest in just about everything. "Come on, let's go, 2B!" He speaks in a tone that suggests waiting isn't an option. As he breaks into a run, kicking up sand in his wake. It's like he's totally different from the boy who was whining about sand just moments ago. No doubt, these are his emotions at work. Watching this, a smile begins to tug at 2B's lips, but she's quick to suppress it. "Emotions ... are forbidden ..." She'd only meant to think those words, but they slipped out of her mouth before she'd realized it. At that, 9S turns back to look at her as he shouts. "Did you say something?" "It's nothing," is her response, as she, too, begins heading towards the building known as the Barren Temple. Chapter 3 The interior of the temple is so quiet, it feels like sound itself has disappeared. The wind, which had so incessantly rang in the pair's ears not long ago, now sounds as though it's been muffled by a thick wall. "Huh. It almost feels like this place has air conditioning." Pod 153 promptly responds to 9S's statement. "Negative: No air conditioning equipment detected within the structure. The current perception of temperature is merely being caused by the difference between the interior and exterior temperatures." "Oh, for the love of ... Yeah, I know. That's just how it felt." 9S's words come out in a sulking tone, as he hustles through a small passageway. 2B follows close behind, remaining vigilant of her surroundings. The sound of the duo's footsteps echo and overlap with the sound of their pods' low humming. Suddenly, a portion of the ceiling collapses, creating a place from which light can shine into the area. Thanks to that, the surrounding area becomes a little more visible, and the two are able to make out rectangular stones, systematically placed throughout the staircase and landing. "Man, did sand seriously get this far into the temple?" 9S peers over the railing of the staircase, looking down at the area below, which happens to be completely buried in sand. It's not just the ground, but even the walls are covered, like the sand had formed itself into small mountains. "Hypothesis: The accumulated sand within the passageway was placed artificially, however date and purpose of placement are unknown." "Artificially? You mean they made it flow all the way in here themselves? Like a river or something?" "Affirmative. It is conveniently referred to as artificial quicksand." "I wonder why they'd do such a thing. You said the purpose was unknown, right?" "Affirmative." There are still so many mysteries surrounding the old world. Mankind may have escaped to the moon, however that doesn't mean they were able to bring all of their information with them. That's why androids continue to conduct investigations for recording and preservation purposes. "Are there any machine lifeforms nearby?" Despite not receiving any indication that enemies are in the area herself, 2B poses the question to Pod 042. It's better to be careful in situations like this. "Analysis: Scans indicate no enemy presence within the temple." That means that even if, in a fit of curiosity, 9S were to do something rash, he wouldn't be placed in immediate danger. Although, there are machine lifeforms capable of jamming radio waves, so it can't be said for certain whether the area is safe just yet. "Alert: Damage detected in the floor and staircase ahead." 9S laughs at Pod 153's advice. "I know that even without your warning. Right, 2B?" 2B merely nods, as she notices a huge stone blocking the descending staircase which leads further into the building. "This rock looks like it was a part of the ceiling. It's a bit damaged, but you can still make out the patterns on it." Kneeling down, 9S investigates the large stone before them, before turning his gaze upwards, 2B following suit moments later. The two of them notice the dazzling blue sky above, peeking in from the hole in the ceiling. "I wonder what caused it to collapse like that." At the very least, it doesn't appear to be due to machine lifeforms. The purpose of androids is to return the Earth to its rightful owners, humans, and if possible, in a condition as close as possible to how they left it. Therefore, it's best to avoid engaging with machine lifeforms, so as to keep from destroying the ruins further. Thus, it's difficult to believe there would have been a fight in this vicinity. If an android were to encounter an enemy here, they would most likely have led it to a more open location, away from the ruins. "Analysis: The collapse appears to have occurred thousands of years ago. Therefore, it is impossible to identify the cause." "Whoa, thousands of years, huh? That's amazing!" "Amazing?" "Yeah! I mean, if the ceiling here collapsed thousands of years ago, then that means this whole place must've been built much earlier than that. I can't believe it's in such good condition. Since the desert climate's harsh and all, a stone building like this should be way more weathered than it is." 9S practically says all of that in one breath, but once he's finished, he gets to his feet, and begins making his way to the room to the side of the staircase, almost as though he's being called to it. "Now what?" 2B asks, in mild amazement. 9S keeps his eyes fixed on the half-open door to the room. "How do you think this door opened and closed? I mean, this is stone, right? And look at how thick it is. There's no way an average human could've moved something this heavy." The door is made up of a pair of sliding doors, but there's no signs of movement by either pushing or pulling on them. 9S eagerly tilts his head. "Do you think there's a power source for it somewhere?" 9S peers inside the room. However, unlike the passage they're in now, which has natural light pouring into it, the inside of the room is nothing but darkness. Pod 153 moves around to the front of 9S, just as he's about to carelessly step foot into the dark room. "Proposal: Light function should be utilized." "Got it. Go ahead and activate it." "Affirmative." With that, Pod 153 lights the area, covering quite a wide portion of the room. Though when 9S, accompanied by Pod 153, makes his way further in, the entrance becomes dark again as a result. 2B follows suit, having her own pod activate its light as she steps into the room. 9S peers up at the ceiling, before breaking into a run, moving his eyes toward the walls next as he does. His footsteps echo throughout the room, as he continuously stops to investigate the stones paving the floor below him. 2B feels as though her head is spinning just watching his behavior. "The floors, the wall, even the ceiling — everything's made out of stone! They cut out huge slabs of it, arranged them, and lined them up accordingly ... It's totally unlike any architectural styles I've seen before! What kind of machinery did they use? How did they manage to transport all of this stone? And how is this single pillar managing to maintain the whole thing intact?" 9S can't help but speak with excitement in his voice, as he runs up to a portion of the wall. "I think they might've used this area for lighting. On this elongated stand, here." "Affirmative: There are traces which indicate a light fixture known as a "torch" may have been placed there." "One, two, three, four ... There's eight of them in all. I wonder what this room was used for. There aren't any signs of it being used for rituals or anything." Having finished his investigation of the room, 9S makes his way to the door in the back. While the door at the entrance had been left open, the door in the back was closed shut. "It sounds kind of ridiculous, but ..." 9S places his hands between the area where the sliding doors meet. "I'm gonna see if I can open this. Though it'll probably be impossible ..." The sound of 9S's words overlaps with the sound of the door's creaking, as he slowly manages to move it to both sides. "Wait a sec, it seriously worked?!" 9S looks on in utter shock at the now open door, as his pod moves in and out of the newly opened room, shining its light as it does. Gaining knowledge of the surrounding area in advance of the unit it supports is also a part of a pod's duties. "Alert: Extreme differences in elevation between the door and passageway. There is a possibility of it hindering movement." Unfortunately, Pod 153's warning alone isn't enough to curb the curiosity of a Type-S android. "I'm just gonna take a quick look! I'll be right back!" And just like that, 9S moves forward, his hand letting go of the door as it creaks shut behind him. Chapter 4 2B lets out a small sigh the moment 9S and his pod disappear into the other room. She isn't about to let this chance slip through her fingers. "Pod, initiate short-range battle support and deploy weaponry." "Affirmative: Initiating short-range radio-wave camouflage and activating short-range attack gear." Pod 042 proceeds through the protocol indifferently. "Switching battle mode to Anti-YoRHa. Disengaging ID signal." Thinking of what she'll have to do from here, 2B's heart sinks. And though it takes a great deal of effort, in order to keep her thoughts in line, she stills herself. This is merely a part of her mission. Yes, it's just a mission. In her head, she focuses on the words "top secret". It was only just after she'd disembarked from her flight unit that she'd gotten the mail notification. It happened neither while she was still on the Bunker, nor when she was entering the Earth's atmosphere. The moment she stepped foot in the desert, her pod had informed her of it. Right then, she immediately knew what it meant. The mail had come directly from the Commander, rather than through an operator, at a time when it would be difficult to intercept. The highest level of secrecy. No, actually, 2B knew what she'd have to do long before that message had been received. She knew from the moment she was instructed to investigate the ruins with 9S, that it wouldn't be long before she'd be given the command to strike him down. Unfortunately for her, that premonition would come true. "Pod. Locate 9S's position and provide the best route for approaching from the side." "Affirmative. Locating unit 9S's black box signal and commencing search for optimal route." 2B turns away from the door 9S and Pod 153 disappeared through. It's better to use a separate route to pursue them. Rather than follow them, she should find a way past them and lay a trap before they get there. Her target is a Type S, after all. And the newest model in a type that excels at research and information gathering, no less. If she isn't careful, she won't be able to take him by surprise. But then again, in terms of fighting ability, 2B has the upper hand. The outcome has already been decided, so in truth, there's no real need for a surprise attack. However, she'd rather get it over with quickly, if at all possible, before 9S even has a chance to realize he's being attacked. If she can manage that, she can end things before he feels more fear and pain than necessary ... "Search complete," Pod 042 utters, Its voice acting as her cue as she turns back towards the passageway they were in before. She makes her way up to the huge stone blocking the stairs, and leaps over it, 9S's black box signal immediately coming into range once she does. 2B descends the staircase making as little noise as possible. The source of the black box signal is in the next room. Quietly drawing her sword, she closes in on the door. Just like the first door they came across, this room's door has also been left open. However, 9S is no where to be seen. 2B approaches the door further, making sure to check her surroundings as thoroughly as possible. There are no obstacles to be seen in the vicinity. In other words, that means there are no places for him to hide. However she still can't be sure whether it's safe to set foot inside the room just yet ... Suddenly, she can feel a presence behind her, and in an instant, 2B barrel rolls to the side, as bullets rain down upon where she was once standing. There's no doubt — that was a long-range attack from a pod program. As she's working on righting herself, 2B spots a blade coming down at her. 9S, who had at some point looped around behind her, was now engaging her with a short-range long sword. She never imagined she would be the one attacked by him. Despite having planned to be the one to initiate a surprise attack, for her to be the one hit by one is unexpected. As she aims a kick to the hand 9S is holding his sword in, alarms go off in her head. Why is 9S is possession of a short-range weapon? He shouldn't be capable of even holding a long sword in such a fashion. 2B quickly puts distance between the two of them, watching as 9S's sword burns in the heat of battle and dissolves away. If she had gone through with that kick carelessly, she would've suffered a substantial wound to her right leg. Aware of his disadvantage in close combat, 9S had probably set a trap of his own. She needs to change the location of their battle somehow. In a dark place with poor visibility like this, it's unfavorable for her to have arrived later than he had. With a huge leap, 2B puts distance between the two of them, and heads straight through one of the doors. She comes out into a room different from the one 9S's black box signal is coming from. Thinking over the amount of time it's been since they originally separated, she doesn't believe he'd have had enough time to place traps in this room as well. 9S follows quickly behind 2B. Despite having no where to hide, 9S shows no hesitation. Using Pod 153's laser as a distraction, he sets up a close range attack of his own. 2B is nothing short of perplexed by 9S's aggressive fighting style; he fights as though he's fine with the concept of risking his life here. She's never seen him like this before. Dodging Pod 153's lasers, 2B quickly moves to slash at 9S. But 9S's movements are quicker than she'd expected, and her attack fails to connect. Or, rather, it's his pod's long-range attacks that are causing the most trouble. Wanting to stop the movements of Pod 153 first, she shouts the order to her own pod. "Pod! Set Pod 153 as your primary target!" There is no setting which allows attacks at the risk of one's own life in a support unit's programming. Therefore, if one comes under attack, it will immediately switch over to evasive behavior. In other words, she can interrupt its long-range attacks during the moments it uses to evade. It only affords her about one or two seconds at a time, but it's enough. The previously never-ending stream of lasers ceases for a brief moment, and in that moment, 2B quickly closes in on 9S. Not having expected an attack on his own pod, 9S stops in his tracks, giving 2B the opportunity to close in, her blade pointed directly at him. "This is it." 2B thinks to herself, before she's overwhelmed with an intense feeling of discomfort, and the sword she'd been clenching so tightly falls to the floor. 2B tries to open her eyes, but she's unable to do even just that. Her arms, her legs — she's lost control over her entire body. Suddenly the stones paving the ground approach her eyes, or more accurately, her body's the one that approaches them. As she falls, she can hear 9S's voice beside her. "I'm sorry." Chapter 5 "So it wasn't just a misunderstanding," 9S mutters. Or, rather, his words don't actually make any sound. "Voices" within hacking space are only recognized as his own personal data. The white surroundings are also nothing more than that. "I wish it really were a misunderstanding," he thinks to himself. That 2B was willing to kill him is just too much. With each of his words comes inadvertent changes in his expression and tone, showing small glimpses of his doubts. Though soon, those doubts turn to confidence and that confidence becomes reality. "I really didn't want to have to do this ..." That isn't a lie. It's the truth. He just couldn't think of any other way. From the moment he realized that 2B was sent from the Commander to keep watch over him, he tried to think of whether there was any other way, but it was no use. "There's just no way a Type-S could win against a Type-B." 9S knows 2B's battle capabilities well, as they've been sent on a number of missions together. If he didn't take control of her body through hacking, it'd be a one-sided fight. In order to hack 2B, who rarely ever shows an opening anyway, he had to seize the right opportunity while engaging her in close-range combat. It's in the moment of capturing prey that predators become most defenseless. It's through observing the remaining life on Earth that 9S has realized this. Conversely, this was a successful hack precisely because 2B had really meant to kill him in that moment. If she had not had murderous intent, no matter how much 9S had attacked her, she would've just reverted to evasive maneuvers, and he would've never had the right opening he needed to hack her. The fact that 9S is where he is in this moment is proof of her intent to kill him. "No matter how you look at it, we were both acting in our own selfish interests." Though right now, 9S feels as though he's doing something even worse than merely killing her. Not only is he trying to kill her, but he's also forced himself inside her head without permission. He knows that's terrible. And yet. "There's something I wanted to know." 9S cautiously proceeds towards 2B's memory storage. He didn't hack her solely for the purpose of taking control of her body and killing her. There's something he needed to know, no matter the cost. "Therefore, you are to eliminate 9S." The most recent thing in her memory seems to be the contents of a message. There's no doubt this was the message she received at that access point not long ago. Unprocessed memories are not stored in chronological order, but by the strength of the impression they leave on the unit. The moment she'd opened that message, her eyes jumped right to those words. "Therefore, you are to eliminate 9S". In other words, 2B must've been anticipating that message from the beginning. All because she'd been thinking about how it'd be coming soon, her eyes darted straight for those words before anything else. "Confirmation received." "He appears to have tried ..." "Contents," "Accessed the main server ..." "Pending issue for some time ..." "Several instances ..." "Forbidden ..." "9S has ..." Fragments of her memory are scattered about. The words being as disjointed as they are indicates that 2B must have been very upset when she read them. Moreover, 9S himself had appeared while she was reading them. She hadn't been allowed the time she needed to organize the sentences in her head ... 9S presses on further into her memory storage, seeking the answers needed to satisfy his questions. "Is this it? The ... secret conversation between 2B and the Commander." 2B can be seen looking at the back of the Commander. Rather than a confidential conversation exchanged through a transmission, it seems she spoke to her in person. "But isn't it standard for an S-Type to conduct field surveys independently?" "You're too concerned about what's standard. There can be exceptions. For example, what if it were an area showing multiple enemy responses? S-Type's are unsuitable for battle, so that would create the need for someone to go along and support them." "... Understood. Then I'll proceed with that." "For the time being, I only want you monitoring him. You'll be given more instructions at a later date." It's a memory of 2B from before she'd ever cooperated with 9S. But, at this point in time, he shouldn't have done anything "prohibited" yet. Nevertheless, the Commander felt she needed someone to monitor him. He wonders what she was even basing her suspicions on. Then, suddenly, a memory concerning 9S surfaces. "Scanners like me mostly work alone. Scouting out enemy lines and all that? I don't usually get a partner. It's kind of fun!" Ah, he remembers this. Those are the words he told her in their first mission together. Apparently 2B must've thought about her conversation with the Commander during that. 9S didn't realize that, even then, 2B had been monitoring him. Not to mention, he had no idea that they'd even be together "at a later date". With the bitter taste of that memory lingering, he moves on to the next one. It seems to be a memory of a conversation with the Commander again, this time through a transmission, though the Commander's voice is hard to make out through static. "... S-Type's specialize in research and information gathering. Due to those characteristics, they tend to know too much. Perhaps this is the fate of S-Type models ..." "What's wrong with knowing too much?" 9S thinks to himself. "Is that really a thing?" "I'm certain that someday 9S will partake in something he shouldn't. No, he may even have already crossed that line." 9S can't refute that claim. It's true that he'd already attempted to access the main server without permission. "There is as of yet no confirmation. However, it seems someone has already attempted unauthorized access to the main server. This attempt appears to have been a failure, but the next one ..." That's right, he failed the first time. He had to escape due to an attack barrier. He withdrew immediately, so he shouldn't have left any traces behind. But he abandoned his next attempt after having already broken through one of the barriers. And during the next one, he was able to break through even more. The more barriers he broke, the longer it'd take him to withdraw. It became easier and easier for them to catch him. It may have just been a matter of time, for his illegal access to be discovered. Even so, he wanted to know. The harder the barriers became to overcome, the more he wanted to see what was on the other side. Even though he knew it was dangerous, he couldn't stop. If there's something he doesn't know, he can't just leave it that way. This must be what she meant by the fate of an S-Type model. What the Commander said was true. She had every right to monitor him, and maybe even kill him. The next memory once again takes place in the Bunker. However this time, it's not showing the back of the Commander, but instead the front of her. "S-Type models are not suitable for battle. You should not have any difficulties disposing of him. However just because close-range combat isn't their specialty, doesn't mean they don't have the ability to fight. And in addition, S-Type models are sharp. There's a high possibility that he'll realize someone has been sent to monitor him." "He doesn't appear to have realized it ..." "You just aren't suited to be observing him. Just as he isn't suited for combat." Once again, the Commander wasn't wrong. 2B really didn't realize it — that 9S had seen through her identity a long time ago. At first, 9S thought she was only pretending not to notice, but that idea soon disappeared. 2B just didn't have the qualities she needed, or rather, she was clumsy. She'd show glimpses of kindness or concern during unexpected times ... It wouldn't be strange if she were just hiding who she truly was under that facade, but to an S-Type model, it was easy to figure out. "Either way, if you attack him, he's sure to attack back. And with that hacking ability S-Type's are so skilled at." What a good eye she has. 9S wants to give her applause for it. Because, right now, things are proceeding exactly as the Commander had believed they would. With this, he's found half the answers he'd been searching for. The reason 2B wanted to kill him was because the Commander had ordered it, due to him knowing too much. 9S wonders where the key that'll unlock the rest of this mystery must be, and then he hears it. "I'll let 9S go on ahead, and then I'll be able to deploy my weapons and make my way past him for a surprise attack." Fragments of memories from a different time period interrupt the memory of her conversation with the Commander. "If I can just end it quickly ..." It's obviously an older memory, compared to the other one. 2B seems to have been thinking about how to dispose of 9S long before the Commander ordered it. "... Then 9S won't have a chance to realize what's happening ... And I can end it before he feels more pain and fear than necessary ..." The other half of the answers he sought. "So that was it, huh," 9S thinks to himself, as he watches the interrupting memory disappear. "Even for someone like you, who's superior in close combat, if you were to be hacked by him, you would lose all locomotive functions in your limbs. That's why ..." "That's why what? What'd she do to 2B? So the Commander didn't instruct her to use a surprise attack. But then what did she instruct her to do?" These thoughts run through 9S's mind, before the answer reveals itself. "Set a trap for him in hacking space." 9S is overcome with a terrible feeling upon hearing those words. And in the next moment, a black wall appears in contrast to the white space around him, and purple and orange balls of light come flying at him. It's an installation-type logic virus. By installing a logic virus in her memory storage, she created a surefire way to effectively attack him if he were to hack her. However, 2B could also be affected by said logic virus, so he hadn't expected her to have gone this far. "Crap, I was careless!" Well, actually, rather than being something he hadn't expected, it was more something he had just hoped wouldn't happen. The Commander always tended to choose methods which would place 2B in great danger. "I gotta get out of here before my data gets contaminated." "Unfortunately, even logic viruses aren't perfect. So let's take the necessary precautions," 2B's memory continues on. "Where's the exit?! Where's the route I secured?!" "If you utilize a closed barrier, you can lock him within your logic circuit." Before he can even fully realize what's happening, 9S's body ceases movement, and dark spheres begin to rapidly appear within the hacking space, caused by a barrier with a self-closing algorithm. "Pod! Construct a new escape route!" No response. Not only did the logic virus attack 9S's personal data, but it also cut off contact to the outside, effectively severing any paths out. He only has a few seconds remaining before his "current self" is crushed by the virus and disappears. He watches helplessly as the white space around him becomes painted over by black. "Is this ... it ..." The location from which 2B received her orders was from the access point within the desert. There were so many opportunities for her to kill him before they even reached their destination. There was no place to hide, the footing in the sand was terrible, and 2B is easily the better fighter — she had all the advantages in the world. Nevertheless, 2B didn't even attempt to attack him until they were already inside the temple. But 9S was able to see her memories, and find the answer to all of that. "2B sure is clumsy ..." It was all so she could end it quickly. So 9S could die without realizing what was happening. The black spheres fill in the remaining space, leaving no gaps. However, somehow it's a strange and quiet feeling. 9S feels neither fear nor pain. "Goodbye, 2B ..." And in that moment, darkness takes over. Chapter 6 Just as quickly as when she'd lost control of her limbs before, control returns to her. "Closed barrier operational. Logic circuit blockade complete. Isolation successful." 2B blinks a few times to confirm the success of the operation, before slowly rousing her body awake. Her motor functions are perfectly operational now. "Elimination pending." She feels numb, so much so that not even a needle could make her feel pain. The only thing she can feel is the feeling of having completed a mission, as she looks down at 9S's lifeless body before her. His black box signal hasn't faded, but the loss of his personal data has caused all of his functions to cease. If she could've killed him with just close combat then it would've been fine, but if she couldn't, then she could easily have used the logic virus to take him out. Even if 9S were to remove the virus, if he's imprisoned within the logic circuit due to the closed barrier, she'd still be able to erase each of his circuits. It was all the Commander's idea. 9S may have had his two-tiered strategy of hacking during close combat, but the Commander, who'd thought of a three-tiered strategy, had won this. 2B grasps her sword with the opposite hand, and thrusts it downward. "Destruction of head." The palm of her hand feels strange as it resists, a feeling she's never experienced before. It's not like this is the first time she's been made to destroy a friend's body. When another member of YoRHa became inoperable on the battlefield, and she had to destroy them, she didn't feel anything like this. She wonders if she's finished destroying him yet. "Destruction of chest." Once again, she thrusts her sword downward. It's peculiar. That strange feeling from before is spreading. It was only the palm of her hand moments ago, but now she can feel a sense of pressure in her upper body as well. Despite no signs of anything physically placing that pressure on her, she feels like she can barely breathe. "Black-box signal confirmed offline." His body lay before her, completely destroyed. With his personal data also destroyed, 9S can officially be considered dead. Her mission is complete. And yet, despite that, she feels as though she's left something incomplete — she feels strangely forlorn. She can't figure out why her respiratory functions feel like they're failing. "Goodbye, 2B ..." His words play back in her mind. The data that still remains in her memory, 9S's final words. It's a strange feeling, but she finally realizes what's been causing that pain in her chest. "Right ... So this is ..." The feeling known as guilt. Or perhaps even remorse. But regardless of what it is, emotions are forbidden. In the moment she tries to suppress those forbidden feelings, 2B feels something else well up within her, as if to resist that. Memories of 9S. His voice as he'd shout, '2B'. The smile he made when he told her how fun it was to have a partner — it was such a bashful smile. She wonders during which mission it was when he was so shocked by her unexpected clumsiness, as well. She can feel a lump form in the back of her throat, as her chest tightens, and she grits her teeth. For the first time, she understands the pain caused by the memories of those left behind. But this is her own fault. She's the one who's accumulated more memories than necessary. "Goodbye, 2B ..." Again. That voice again. 2B shakes her head in an attempt to drive his voice out of her mind. "I won't apologize." It was her mission, after all. She holds no feelings of guilt. None whatsoever. If she's given the order to do this again, she'll do it in a heartbeat. "Because this is my duty," she says to herself, as she raises her head. "Pod, contact the Commander." "Acknowledged." Pod 042 begins communications, causing a projection of a screen to appear. As her pod does its job, she thinks to herself. She knows she'll have to do this again, so she's decided she'll forbid herself from becoming too close to anyone else. She'll keep the time she spends with people, the conversations she has with them, to a minimum. That way, she won't create unnecessary memories again. That way ... she won't have emotions that should never have existed in the first place. "Commander here." 2B breathes in deeply, pushing out all the remaining pain in her chest — everything. "2B here. I've completed the mission." From her indifferent voice, something within her fades away, like the sand which falls throughout the temple. ==A Repeating Player Script== Scene 1: December 29 2B (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end. 2B (narration): We are perpetually trapped ... 2B (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death. 2B (narration): Is this a curse? 2B (narration): Or some kind of punishment? 2B (narration): I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle ... 2B (narration): ... and wonder if we'll ever have the chance to kill him. (December 29th.) (9S speaks while struggling painfully.) 9S: Damn ...! 2B, why?! Why did you ...! Pod 153 (narration): A wide, white sword penetrates 9S's stomach. Pod 153 (narration): As delicate, red blood drips down him. (2B hides her pained feelings.) 2B: You attempted to access highly confidential information ... therefore ... 9S: B-But ... 2B ... T-Trust ... me ... Pod 153 (narration): 9S's vital signs begin to fade. Pod 153 (narration): Heart rate decreasing, body temperature declining, motor functions failing, pupils dilating. Pod 153 (narration): As every one of his parameters breaks down, he chokes out his final words. 9S: I-It hurts ... It ... h-hurt ... s ... (His heart stops, and there is the sound effect of a flatline beep.) 2B: Kh ... ngh ... (Unable to bear it, 2B begins to cry.) Pod 153: Pod 153 to 2E. Pod 153: Proposal: Delete 9S's personal data and reinstall default personal data. 2B: This is ... too much ... Pod 153: YoRHa unit No.2 Type E. Pod 153: Unit 9S's actions of obtaining sensitive information from the Bunker were within the predictions. Pod 153: Model No.2 Type E's duties include the punishment of such actions. Pod 153: No.2 Type E should have understood that this mission's outcome was already determined, and acted accordingly. Pod 153: Question: Requesting current status of unit No.2 Type E, who, despite the predicted events, has yet to complete the given mission. 2B: Shut up already ... Pod 153: In addition, emotions are prohibited for YoRHa units. Pod 153: Proposal: Halt the expression of emotions, terminate unit 9S's current personal data, and reinstall — 2B: I told you to shut up! (2B becomes enraged.) (While breathing heavily, 2B murmurs.) 2B: 9 ... S ... Scene 2: April 6 (9S and 2B's respective monologues.) (9S speaks in his usual, cheery tone.) 9S: My name's 9S ... YoRHa unit No.9 Type S. 9S: Us Scanner models make use of our abilities in order to gather information on certain areas, as well as obtain data on our enemies, the machine lifeforms. 9S: Sometimes we make use of our hacking abilities, too, but combat's never really been our forte. 9S: We usually work alone, though. 9S: But even so, we're able to be useful to the rest of our fellow YoRHa units ... 9S: Or, that's what I like to think. (2B speaks with a cold tone.) 2B: My name is 2B. YoRHa unit No.2 Type B ... is the name I'm operating under. 2B: Type-B models specialize in combat. We're a type of unit deployed to the front lines whenever an intense battle breaks out. 2B: As a result, we feel nothing at the thought of throwing our lives away. That's ... just how we were created. 2B: ... I wouldn't hesitate for even a moment to give my life in battle. 2B: But ... After meeting, you, 9S ... I ... 9S: After being partnered with 2B, I've had to fight a lot more often than I used to. 9S: She just gets into more and more dangerous situations all the time! 9S: Just watching her makes me nervous! 9S: As a Scanner model, I'm only able to equip one type of weapon at a time, so it's not easy for me. (9S begins to look a little happy.) 9S: ... But even if it's hard, I'm just happy to be by her side. 9S: I'm ... not alone anymore. 9S: It almost feels like ... I have a family. 2B: They knew even from the design stages that the 9S model's observational skills would be exceptionally high. 2B: So they had already foreseen that he'd someday attempt access to Project YoRHa's confidential data. 2B: My official designation is ... 2E. No.2 Type E. 2B: From the moment 9S gains illegal access within the Bunker, it becomes my duty to carry out his execution. 2B: It's a duty that I must repeat ... over, and over ... without end. (9S's voice becomes calmer.) 9S: I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel something special towards 2B. 9S: But that sort of thing isn't allowed for us YoRHa troops. (2B, with a hint of pain in her voice.) 2B: Over and over ... I continue to kill 9S with my own hands. 2B: And every time, it feels like a void within me deepens. 2B: I wonder ... if it's okay for me to hope ... 9S: For the day ... 2B: For the day ... 2B and 9S: When my sins can be forgiven. (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline beeping.) Pod 153: Unit 9S's death and deletion of current personal data confirmed. Pod 153: Memory banks completely eliminated. Beginning installation of default personal data ... Scene 3: January 18 (9S is seen investigating something.) 9S: So, uh ... I guess this is the commercial facility. 2B: Yeah. 9S: Seems like the people of the old world were able to get a lot of shopping done here. 9S: And even if they didn't buy anything, they still had a good time just looking at everything. 9S: According to the records, they referred to that as "window shopping". 9S: Man, humans sure are weird creatures. 9S: Hey, why don't we try it someday? Window shopping. 2B: We're soldiers created solely for the purpose of fighting. We don't need useless things like shopping. 9S: Once we eradicate the machine lifeforms, us soldiers won't have anything left to do. We'll enter a new age of peace. 9S: I'm talking about for when that happens. 9S: I bet it'll be fun! 2B: Hmm... When that day comes ... I'm all for it. 9S (narration): That's what she said, as she turned her back to me and began walking. 9S (narration): Almost like she was embarrassed or something. 9S (narration): Almost ... like she was sad. 9S (narration): Later, we spent a day fishing together in the Flooded City. 9S (narration): Well, we were actually investigating some marine resources, but we couldn't manage to catch the fish we needed. 9S (narration): There wasn't a lot of talking. We just ... spent the day fishing, watching the gentle waves in front of us. 9S (narration): The salty, humid wind blew against us. 9S (narration): The surface of the water sparkled brilliantly. 9S (narration): I remember all those little details, even now. 9S (narration): But the memory that sticks out to me the most happened in the City Ruins. 9S (narration): It was right after we'd finished our current mission. 9S (narration): I went and provoked a wild boar, and it ended up chasing the two of us around the whole rest of the day. 9S (narration): We didn't have any information on creatures that were more powerful than the machine lifeforms we were always fighting, so we had to retreat to the top of a building to get away from it. 9S (narration): And while we talked about whether the collection of data for wild boars should take priority over the collection of data for machine lifeforms, 9S (narration): we sat atop that ruined building, covered in plant life, 9S (narration): looking out over the rest of the city. 9S (narration): Plant and animal life has increased since the Old World. 9S (narration): But some things haven't changed at all, like the smell of crisp air, or the sound of rain. 9S (narration): But those are all just a part of my ... most precious memory. 9S (narration): We went around to a whole bunch of places together. 9S (narration): Er, for our missions, of course. Not for fun. 9S (narration): We were always running into some sort of trouble, like intense fights with huge machine lifeforms. 9S (narration): But for me, the memories that stuck with me the most weren't the ones having to do with those battles, but instead ... they were just the ones where 2B and I spent our time doing insignificant things. (9S looks a bit lonely.) 9S (narration): Those memories ... are going to disappear soon, like all the rest. 9S (narration): Along with my personal data. 9S (narration): But "this" me ... is just happy to have gotten to spend those days with you. 9S (narration): Goodbye ... 2B. (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.) (January 18th.) Pod 153: Unit 9S's death and deletion of current personal data confirmed. Pod 153: Memory banks completely eliminated. Beginning installation of default personal data. 2B: I see ... (There's a small pause.) Pod 153: Because unit 9S continuously carries out illegal access to confidential data, he must be terminated repeatedly. Pod 153: However, during this confrontation, there was little resistance detected from unit 9S. Pod 153: Further, according to his memory banks, he was aware of unit 2B's true designation as an Executioner model. Pod 153: Question: Why did unit 9S not resist? 2B: 9S ... knew that I was ... an Executioner model? (2B laughs, though it's full of sorrow.) 2B: Hah ... hahahah ... 2B: Pod 153, you ... 2B: You could never understand 9S ... Pod 153: Negative: This is the tactical support unit assigned to unit 9S. Pod 153: This unit is with him during operational hours, as well as during maintenance. Pod 153: This unit is also responsible for reporting when he accesses the Bunker's data illegally. Pod 153: It can be inferred that this unit is aware of all information regarding unit 9S. Pod 153: Therefore, the claim that this unit "could never understand 9S" is inappropriate. 2B: You don't know a single thing about 9S. 2B: You ... (2B speaks with a lonely tone.) 2B: And me both ... Scene 4: February 4 (2B is crying, in pain.) 2B: No ... Enough already ... Pod 153: Proposal: Unit 2B should carry out her assignment. (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.) 2B: I don't want to kill him anymore ... Pod 153: Negative: Unit 2B's assignment is still in effect. Pod 153: The Commander has already denied the mission cancellation request submitted 64 hours ago. (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.) 2B: Why ... do I have to ... Pod 153: Report: Unit 2B was modeled after a YoRHa test model who was the last surviving member of her group. Pod 153: Unit 2B was chosen due to her ability to adapt to harsh environments as well as her combat capabilities. 2B: I'm not suited for this mission at all ... Pod 153: Negative. 2B: Someone ... help me ... (Pod 153 begins repeating itself as if it's broken.) (Behind the pod's voice, the sound of a flatline beep can be heard.) Pod 153: Negative ... Report: Proposal: Destruction: Order: Punishment: Humanity: Moon: Fiction: Machine: Boy: Conviction ... (2B shouts as though to block out the pod's voice.) 2B: Nines!! (There is a long pause.) 9S (narration): Us YoRHa units ... only exist to be destroyed. 9S (narration): Over and over, we die, and we're just reborn again. 9S (narration): A lot like cycle of life and death that living creatures have. (9S now speaks with some worry in his voice.) 9S (narration): ... But, why does my chest always feel so heavy? 9S (narration): How come every time I lose my life, I end up feeling like something important was taken from me? 9S (narration): Hey, 2B ... Will I ever be able to see you again? 9S (narration): Why does losing my current self ... 9S (narration): ... make me feel so lonely? (There's a long pause.) 2B (narration): Us YoRHa units ... only exist to destroy. 2B (narration): In order to recapture Earth and restore humanity, I'll harbor no regrets. 2B (narration): Even if ... I must kill my fellow androids. (2B now speaks with some worry in her voice.) 2B (narration): But killing 9S like this, over and over ... 2B (narration): It feels like I just keep staining my heart with more and more dirtied blood ... 2B (narration): And no matter how much I try to wipe it off, it won't disappear. 2B (narration): The heaviness of 9S's words just keeps getting worse ...! (Despite how much she wants to speak with honesty, she shuts her feelings inside herself.) 2B (narration): ... 2B (narration): ...... 2B (narration): Hey ... 9S ... 2B (narration): I wonder ... Were the choices I made wrong ...? (February 4th.) (The continuous beeping sound of an error.) 9S: Gah ... Ahhhh! (9S appears to be suffering, on the verge of death.) 2B: 9S ... Nines! (Still suffering, his breathing becomes rough.) 9S: Hah ... hahaha ... 9S: So you ... finally called me Nines ... at the very end, huh ... 2B: Why ... Why did you activate your own self-destruction ...?! If you do that, your personal data will ... Pod 153 (narration): Due to a self-administered physical virus, 9S's body began to collapse on itself. Pod 153 (narration): His hair, his fingertips, his arms ... They all felt the intense pain of decomposition. 9S: ... It's okay ... 2B ... You were assigned to — to kill me ... weren't you ...? 9S: I-I knew ... How much it hurt you ... to have to do this ... Pod 153 (narration): The hand he was attempting to stroke 2B's cheek with no longer existed. 9S: I-If it's for you, 2B ... I — I'd easily ... throw my life away ... Pod 153 (narration): He attempted to squeeze even the smallest bit of hope out of his collapsing body. 2B: Nines ... How could you ... (9S, in immense pain, attempts to tell 2B his final words.) 9S: 2B, I ... N-No ... YoRHa unit No.9 Type S ... 9S: ... h-has been truly honored to fight by the side ... of unit No.2 Type B. 9S: M-May your future battles shine brightly ... 2B: Ni ... ne ... (2B can't even form words.) 9S: 2B, I — I have ... a final request ... 9S: If you and I meet again, I ... I want you to kill me. P-Promise? (2B can only let out sounds of agony.) 9S: Hahah ... You sure are kind ... 2B ... Pod 153 (narration): 9S's voice began to fade. 9S: The towns, amusement parks, and oceans ... we saw together ... I'll never forget them ... Pod 153 (narration): His eyes no longer hold any light within them. 9S: Thank you ... for being with me, 2B ... (The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.) (9S breathes his final breath.) (2B moans in grief.) 2B: I ... I ... 2B: Nines ... I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry ... (Everyone raises their heads.) Pod 153 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end. Pod 153 (narration): "They" are perpetually trapped ... Pod 153 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death. 2B (narration): Even if the pain of killing 9S is the sin I must bear. 9S (narration): Even if the joy of meeting 2B is my reason to live. 2B (narration): I'll still resist. 9S (narration): I'll keep fighting. 2B and 9S (narration): Even if that means ... 2B and 9S (narration): Going against God. ==Memory Thorn (Story)== Chapter 1 In a flash, a close-quarter weapon cut through the sandstorm. It is the type 4O sword - a state-of-the-art blade bestowed to only the elites fighting at the frontlines. The blade surges with lightning, knocking away a round object in an arc. The now headless machine lifeform ceased its movements. A few seconds later, its cylindrical body toppled over on the sand and exploded. The explosion engulfed the bodies of two previously defeated machines and turned all into a shower of scrap metal. Only the telltale sound of desert winds remain after the fiery explosion faded away. As the sandstorm settles, a humanoid silhouette appears. You could tell that the silhouette belonged to an adult female by the gentle slope of its shoulders, its slim and tight waistline, as well as the well-shaped legs extending from its skirt. However, the silhouette is neither an ‘adult’ nor a ‘female’ in the strictest sense. She is neither a human, nor does she have a sex in a biological sense. She is a type YoRHa android number 2 B type, or 2B for short. A model optimized for battle. It’s been a long time since humans have left the earth. Humans had no choice but to flee for the moon in face of an alien invasion. Currently, the earth is nothing but a battlefield for the alien’s machine lifeforms and the androids tasked to destroy them. 2B sheathed her sword and directed her attention behind her. “Is this all of them?” In response to her question, an object floating about three meters above the ground began its descent. It is a support unit called the pod. Composed of a rectangular head and four arms of varied sized, pods spend most of their time in the air, but can be deployed underwater if need be. They’re equipped with various functions in order to support YoRHa type androids, including long-range attacks against enemy units, analysis of the situation at hand, communication, as well as first aid. “Affirmative: No enemy signals detected within a 5 kilometer radius of the access point.” I see, 2B replied, and started to make her way to the metallic box slightly taller than her. Access points camouflage themselves as a relic of human civilization, but it is an important facility both as a method of communication with the headquarters as well as a source of information regarding surrounding lands. It’s unclear whether they’re aware of that fact or not, but machine lifeforms tend to gather around access points. Be it in a corner of some ruins, or the middle of the desert. Their behavior resembles insects gathering around a fallen fruit. Therefore, YoRHa units have to destroy nearby machine lifeforms whenever they want to check their mail or retrieve geographical information about their surroundings. This happened so often that it became procedural for them. After going through the motions of destroying machines, 2B was finally able to accomplish her original goal. She selected the newest message from her inbox and opened it. Her eyes skimmed over the sender and the words ‘top secret’ in the title, and was just about to read its contents. “2B!” YoRHa unit number 9 type S, or 9S for short, appeared out of nowhere. Unlike 2B, who has the form of an adult female, 9S was created after the imagine of a young boy. “Is it a message from the commander?” Not really, 2B answered curtly, and tried her hardest to cover up how shaken she felt. “More importantly, why are you here?” “Huh? What do you mean, 2B?” “It’s not time for the mission yet.” Since the pod notified her of a new incoming message, 2B decided to make her way to the access point earlier than planned. Even though she lost some time dispatching the machine lifeforms, she still expected to be able to finish reading the message before 9S arrived. “Well...the operator told me that 2B is in the middle of combat. So I thought…I should help out.” “That’s unnecessary.” 2B shook her head slightly, trying to rid herself of something that was neither irritation nor anxiety. “I guess that’s true.” 9S gave an exaggerated shrug. 2B finally understood what she was trying to rid herself of. It was something borne from her piled up memories of past conversations and past actions. “Well, now that we’ve met up with each other, we might as well head towards the destination.” It was deja vu. Chapter 2 “Urgh, sand in my shoes again?” He just couldn’t bring himself to like the desert, and it’s all because of the sand. It’s annoying when the wind blows and makes things hard to see, and his shoes are just full of sand as he walks. It’s pretty fun to slide on the sand slopes, but walking on anywhere but the slopes is a pain in the ass. 9S scowled, and glanced at 2B. However, 2B walked on without any change in her expression. “2B, don’t you mind?” “Mind what?” “The fact that your shoes are filled with sand, 2B.” “While it does feel strange, it doesn’t interfere with walking.” “Don’t you hate it when the sand sloshes around in your shoes? Sure, it’s not a hindrance, but it’s a matter of feeling!” “Emotions are prohibited.” “Yeah, yeah.” You’re one to speak, 2B, 9S thinks to himself even as he responds. 2B isn’t as good at holding back her emotions as she thinks. At least, that’s how it appeared to 9S. It’s just a guess, but 9S thinks that her spiel about emotions being prohibited is more directed to herself than to 9S. She’s scolding herself by saying it out loud. It’s definitely a very 2B-ish thing to do. 9S thinks that she doesn’t have to try so hard. She doesn’t exactly have to walk the talk. Just how many YoRHa units actually follow the clause of not having emotions, anyways? ...but even if he says that out loud, 2B won’t change the way she is. 2B isn’t skilled enough to untangle her true feelings from how she acts on the surface. 9S glanced over at 2B again. He saw something behind those tightly shut lips. 2B was never very good at hiding things, after all. “Nines?” 2B gave him a strange look. She’s probably wondering why he’s staring at her. “Oh, it’s nothing...just...there’s so much sand...it’s so hot...I’d really love to take a bath right now.” No. That’s not what he wanted to say. “We have no need for baths.” “That’s what I thought…” What are you hiding? You’ve been acting strange lately. Anything on your mind? Or…? 9S knew that he won’t get an answer even if he asked those questions. They’ve been working on missions together for months, after all. Instead, 9S simply raised his voice. “Oh! Is that the target for this investigation?” He saw the hulking form of what appeared to be a huge building beyond the sandstorm. They’re very close to the desert’s end. “Affirmative: The large building to the front is the target of our current investigation.” The pod beside him answered. It is pod 153, 9S’s personal support pod. 2B’s support pod, 042 simply floated behind her in silence. “They call this building a temple. I think the official name is the “Stone Temple”? Something of great importance was transported here - I guess like a god’s statue or something? And they’ve used this as a temple ever since.” Silence. 2B stood frozen with her mouth open. “2B? What’s wrong?” Her lips moved as if to form words. ...but 2B changed her mind at the last second before speaking again. “No. It’s nothing.” Of course it’s not nothing. She clearly struggled to come up with an answer. But 2B had no intention to tell 9S why. Even though she addresses him as “Nines” now, he still feels an insurmountable distance between them. “Let’s go, 2B!” 9S made himself sound more cheerful than he’d liked. He took off right away, making it seem like he was excited about the prospect of an investigation. No matter how he asked, 2B probably won’t give him an answer. He knew that from the very beginning. It was unbearable. Chapter 3 The Stone Temple was built in a deep valley. Because it was surrounded by steep cliffs, it took quite a bit of time and effort to reach the temple. “Of all places they could’ve built a temple in...why here? I don’t get it.” Reaching the temple was no easy task, as they had to descend to the very bottom of the gorge, cover a significant amount of ground, and then climb up the cliffs just to get to the entrance. 9S is completely within his rights to complain. “Conjecture: The remains were surrounded by a “lake” or a manmade “canal” in the past, and access was made possible by ships or bridges.” 9S thought pod 153’s answer made sense. He knew that buildings which contained important people or objects were often surrounded by water. Perhaps that would explain the temple’s cylindrical shape as well - it was trying to get as much space as possible from its limited land mass. “But that doesn’t explain...this.” 9S looked up at the huge tree in front of him. Clearly, it had withered a while ago, and its blackened trunk leaned powerlessly against the spiral staircase. “What’s the point of planting such a huge tree inside a building?” The cylindrical building had an open ceiling, and the spiral staircase that extended all the way from the first floor crumbled away right before the topmost floor. Perhaps the staircase had once connected all the floors, but it’s hard to tell from its current sorry state. “2B, what do you think?” No reply. She didn’t even realize that 9S was talking to her until 9S turned to face her. Startled out of whatever daze she was in, she blurted out a response. “What?” “It’s a spiral staircase.” 9S deliberately chose to not repeat himself. “What...what about it…?” As expected, she wasn’t listening at all. If she even caught a bit of what 9S said before, she would’ve probably replied with something like “But that’s not what you said”. The only reason she didn’t do so was because she wasn’t listening. “Let’s see how far up we can make it.” Deciding to not point out their failed communication, 9S made his way towards the spiral staircase. 2B followed in silence. Something is wrong. It’s not like 2B at all. 2B is tasked with a mission, so why is she acting like this? Or is her mission the reason behind her current behavior? 2B has been acting strange lately, and 9S decided to stay silent on the matter ever since he figured out why. He pretended that he was none the wiser, and interacted with 2B the same way as before. Contrary to 2B who can’t seem to keep a secret, 9S found it pretty easy to keep up the masquerade. Otherwise, he wouldn’t try to access the main server illegally. Not even once, but multiple times. Well, enough about himself. He’s going to be disposed of soon enough, anyways. He knew that. And he knew that 2B will be the one to do the job. He knew that ever since he received orders for the current mission. The investigation is just a farce, and there’s no doubt that 2B had been given a separate mission. The commander’s orders...must be to eliminate 9S. Me. Right, 2B? But even then, 2B’s actions just seem...off. She’s so distracted, and 9S doesn’t feel a shred of tension from her. He didn’t think 2B could undertake a top secret mission with such a lackluster attitude. S types can’t match B types in close-quarter combat, but they can and will counterattack, and they can let their pods provide long range support as well. So...maybe there’s another reason for 2B unnatural behavior. A reason unrelated to 9S’s illegal accesses. 2B, who was walking in front of him, suddenly lost her balance. “Watch out!” 9S reached out hurriedly and caught 2B with his arms. “What’s wrong? I’ve never seen 2B trip on a staircase.” It’s true, the quality of the spiral staircase left much to be desired, years of wear and tear leaving holes and bumps. But there’s no way that 2B, with all her athletic ability, would let herself be caught off guard. “Are you alright?” “Ah….yes.” She replied absentmindedly. “I guess we’re lucky there aren’t any enemies around here. That could’ve been fatal if machine lifeforms attacked.” “It could’ve...been fatal…?” 9S doubted his eyes. 2B was smiling. Her lips were curled unnaturally in a very strange smile. There’s clearly something wrong. “What’s happening? Are you feeling unwell?” “No...I’m..I’m fine…” 2B wobbled as she tried to stand. Seems like she couldn’t control her strength very well. “Do you hear what you’re saying!? You’re clearly not fine!” Why didn’t he catch the signs of her worsening condition? But no, all her checks were green before the mission.. 9S was responsible for 2B’s maintenance, so he would’ve requested to cancel the mission if he found anything wrong. “Let’s retreat for now.” However, 2B ignored 9S’s words and began making her way up the stairs again. “2B!” 9S raise his voice and grabbed 2B’s arm. “Warning: Enemy signals detected above.” “Warning: Multiple signals at 2 o’clock.” The two pods simultaneously warned them of danger. The chances of running into machine lifeforms were supposed to be close to zero according to the headquarter’s prebrief. Yet here they are, six aerial units approaching them from above. Their shapes resemble what 9S liked to call ‘small fry’, but they seem to possess the ability to emit jamming signals. That’s how they were able to avoid detection until they came within range… “Dammit.” They were certainly opportunists, choosing to attack when 2B wasn’t at her best. Retreating is made difficult by the fact that there is an open ceiling above the spiral staircase - 9S and 2B would always be in the machine’s range of fire. “Nines! Get back!” A sharp cry. 2B ran up the stairs as if a switch flipped inside her. Unlike the past few moments, her movements were smooth. She’s back to the usual 2B. “I’ll provide support!” Then the only thing left for him is to provide support as usual. “Pod! Analyze enemy units’ flight patterns!” Careful to not get in the way of 2B’s personal pod 042, 9S issued a command to 153. Machine lifeforms generally move in patterns specific to their overall shape. If those patterns can be predicted, then 9S could inflict the most amount of damage while sustaining the least amount of injuries. 153 used its long range attacks to strike down a machine that was trying to approach 2B from the back. The machines weren’t that fast. Just when 9S thought they had a chance, the two pods again issued their warnings in unison. “Warning: Enemy signals detected in overhead corridor.” “Conjecture: Multiple non-aerial units. Enemy form and numbers remain unknown.” The aerial units are interfering with the pods’ ability to obtain enemy data. That’s something that needs to be taken care of first. “2B! Go on ahead! I’ll take care of the aerial units!” Type B units are better at dealing with with non-aerial types due to their strength in close-quarters combat. “Understood. I leave this to you.” 2B jumped over the handrail, took ahold of 042’s arm and glided towards the corridor. There was no hesitation in her movements. “Pod! I’ll be hacking to take control of the enemy!” “Understood: Providing support.” 9S rushed up the stairs and closed the distance between him and the enemy. Luckily, the enemy was slow to react and 9S managed to launch his invasion in no time. Once he’s in, machine lifeforms are often left defenceless. They’ve picked up a great variety of physical attacks, but they haven’t quite learned how to deal with hacking internally. Having found the control unit, 9S overwrote the system settings. As long as he gained control of one unit, the rest was easy. 9S used his controlled unit to attack the remaining five aerial units. None of the aerial units responded in kind when attacked. Maybe the machine lifeforms don’t have a concept of friendly fire - because even when 9S approached them with his controlled unit, they did not evade and were shot down immediately. Having destroyed all five units, 9S activated self-destruction on his controlled unit and returned to the physical world. He ran up the spiral staircase, aiming for the corridor that 2B was fighting in. He thought he could provide some support, but it was clear that it was no longer needed. “I guess you’re all done here.” 2B was surrounded with various pieces of scrap metal - what remained of the non-aerial units. They couldn’t let their guard down completely because there might be enemy units in the floors above, but they’ve certainly cleared out their immediate surroundings. “Are you hurt?” “I’m fine.” Before he could even relax from hearing that, 2B abruptly dropped her sword. 9S ran towards her. He had a bad feeling. “2B!” “Don’t worry. My hand...just slipped…” Strange noises accompanied her voice. Her hands, shaking uncontrollably, scratched at her own neck. “Logic virus!?” 2B fell down on her knees. 9S tore off 2B’s goggles - 2B’s eyes were shining a bright crimson. No doubt. She was infected by an enemy unit. “I’ll remove the virus through hacking!” “Wait….don’t…” 2B shook her head in pain. “What are you saying? We have to remove the virus now!” He can’t afford to waste any second. Once the infection reaches her personality data, there’d be nothing that he could do. 9S laid down 2B on her back, and forcibly hacked into her despite her still shaking head. Chapter 4 What used to be a pure white hacking region was stained black at various parts. A classic effect of the logic virus. A logic virus takes over an android’s memory area and logic circuits, effectively taking control of their personality and body. If left to its own devices, the infected android will destroy its surroundings and even attack its comrades. “I have to hurry…” Luckily, 9S has seen this type of virus before. He had already succeeded in combating this virus in the past. “But the infection is progressing too fast. Plus…” An orange light whizzed past 9S’s personality data. It was an attack from the virus. “Such a pain.” But since the virus didn’t appear to be irregular, its attack patterns remained the same as before. 9S had no problem tackling the virus while avoiding its attacks. It didn’t take long before he removed all traces of the virus. All he needed to do was to make sure that no viruses were hibernating inside 2B’s logical circuits. As simple as performing a quick scan. “Huh? This is weird.” As he was scanning over her logical circuits, he discovered cracks in 2B’s personality data. In general, hacking regions appear as ‘pure white walls without a single crack’, but what he saw in front of him resembled the cracked walls of an abandoned building. He just didn’t see it before when the virus’s black color covered up the cracks. “Is this an aftereffect of the virus?” He had to find out more. He began a deep search, and was immediately met with the sound of rushing wind. Words filled his entire field of vision. “You are ordered to terminate 9S.” It was a fragment of 2B’s memories. These words were probably part of a mail’s contents. The sound of the wind is probably reflective of the location itself - the desert. 9S remembered the sight of 2B receiving mail in front of the access point. That wasn’t too long ago. 9S paused his scanning activity and accessed the memory at hand. He felt a pang of guilt, but since his own name was mentioned, he should probably be privy to its contents. “...has attempted illegal access to the main server multiple times. We found traces of him having accessed the most confidential layer in the past few days.” The words are wavering. The sounds of the wind are no more. It seems like 2B was shaken to the core during this memory. “Therefore, you are ordered to terminate 9S.” 2B refused to have her virus removed because she didn’t want him to see this memory. “You shouldn’t even let that bother you. I knew that you were an assassin sent by the commander.” The only thing he didn’t know was the when. But he knew it from the moment he met up with her at the desert’s access point. He felt something from 2B as she read her mail with her back turned towards him. The final nail in the coffin was how she didn’t even realize 9S was approaching until he called out to her… “Destruction of the head.” The sound startled 9S. Fragments from a different time were intermingled with the memories of 2B reading the mail. It was a low, emotionless voice. But since it sounded so much like 2B’s voice, 9S couldn’t help but follow that voice. “This is 2B. I have accomplished my mission.” It’s the same voice. If the previous words were from 2B as well, whose head did she destroy? 9S approached the scattered memory fragments. “What...is this?” Upon first glance, these fragments appear to be scattered, but they were actually bent and connected in unnatural ways. What’s more, every single fragment had thorns protruding from them. 9S had never seen memory data like this. They were full of thorns, they were disfigured, they were intermingled...they were 2B’s memories. Maybe he shouldn’t see them. Maybe ignorance is bliss. Logically, he knew that, but couldn’t stop himself anyways. He was slightly resentful of his natural curiosity as an S type. He touched one of the fragments and was immediately wracked with pain. But the pain helped him make up his mind - he needed to see this. “But there’s no way an S type can win against a B type.” This voice belonged to no other than himself. Since this is 2B’s memory, he must’ve said those words to her at some point. But he couldn’t recall anything like that. His memories were erased at some point. By whom? For what? Seeking for answers, 9S accessed another piece of memory. “Goodbye, 2B.” His own voice again. Hearing such a frail voice, 2B tried her hardest to keep her emotions in check. 9S didn’t get any visual information, probably because 2B had shut her eyes tightly at this point. “Goodbye, 2B.” “Goodbye, 2B.” “Goodbye, 2B.” These same words repeated themselves. When 2B read the message from the commander at the desert access points, these were the words that she heard in her mind. But when and where did he say that? Another piece of memory began its playback at that point. It took place during the mission at the so-called Sand Temple. It was the first time 2B executed 9S. She trapped 9S in her hacking space, cut off his escape routes via a wall created by a self-closing algorithm and erased his data. Those were 9S’s parting words, right before he was about to be annihilated in 2B’s hacking space… “2B has killed me before.” That makes sense, he thought to himself. It certainly explained the sense of wrongness felt all along. He attempted to access the next fragment. Again, he felt pain, but there’s no way he could stop now. That particular execution happened in outer space. 2B destroyed 9S during their descent to earth. Another execution happened at the Sand Temple. Having learned from her previous mistake, 2B immediately killed 9S with a flash of her sword once they stepped into the temple. A few of the executions also happened right here, in the Stone Temple. Sometimes she executed him after undertaking missions together. Sometimes she attacked and executed him while they were “total strangers”. No matter how many times he’s executed or how many times his memory got wiped, 9S will always reach the same conclusion - that the commander is hiding something. And to sate his curiosity, he will always attempt to access the main server. 2B tried to stop him. Multiple times. When she got the chance to work with 9S, she tried her hardest persuade him to not suspect the commander. When she had to execute him without a chance to interact with him, she erased his memories and tried to nip his suspicions in the bud. But all of her efforts were fruitless. No matter what she did, she couldn’t change the end result. It didn’t matter if she treated 9S with affection or indifference. It didn’t matter whether she called him “Nines” or not. At the very end, 2B will always receive orders to kill 9S. “So that’s how it was…” He’s been wondering about this ever since he first met 2B. 2B sometimes seemed like she was talking to someone else while they were alone. Back then, he concluded that 2B must’ve worked with other S types in the past. His conclusion wasn’t completely right, nor was it completely wrong. 2B didn’t work with another S type - she worked with 9S. But not the “current 9S”. “That could’ve been fatal if machine lifeforms attacked.” He now knew the reason behind 2B’s peculiar actions after he said those words. Because a previous 9S said the exact same words in the exact same location in the past. He was killed by 2B right after that. His words triggered 2B’s memories of that time and caused her suffering. And not just this once. Every memory she had of 9S brought great pain to her. So much that her own personality data is in tatters. “I won’t apologize, because this is my mission. I won’t feel any guilt. Not now. Not ever.” 9S looked over 2B’s personality data again. It was pure white, but looked like it could crumble to dust at any moment… Chapter 5 Her consciousness surfaced from the darkness. She blinked, and saw 9S’s face close to her. He had a downcast expression. Or did she imagine it? 2B blinked and looked at him again. “Nines…?” That’s right, they were attacked by machine lifeforms. She fought them but became infected with the logic virus. Her last memory was of her trying desperately to stop 9S. “I have removed the virus.” She didn’t manage to stop him. 9S forcibly hacked her and dove into her memory regions. “So...you’ve seen it all, huh?” 9S nodded silently. “I see…” She wasn’t surprised. She knew that this day was coming. S types are very insightful. 9S has already seen through her secret mission multiple times. “2B wasn’t your actual name, huh.” But this scenario had never happened before. “2E.” This was the first time 9S called her by her real name. E type number 2. Tasked with pursuing and executing deserters or rebels, as well as finishing off fellow androids that could no longer function on the battlefield. She is a YoRHa type android specializing in such dirty jobs. 2B drew her sword. 9S’s shoulders were shaking. He knew that 2B had killed him countless times before. “I don’t intend to kill you anymore.” She pointed the tip of the blade towards herself and gave the handle to 9S. “So kill me.” Her mission ended in failure. She failed as an E type. She’s now a defective product that can’t even justify her own operating costs. “At the very least, I want to die by your hands…” She had no illusions about this being any form of atonement. But if she could even give back a sliver of what she’d taken from 9S...there’s nothing much left for her to give. This is the only thing that she had to offer. She saw 9S tighten his grip on the sword handle. She smiled and awaited her last moments. The sword flashed. However, the blade was not aimed at 2B. “Nines!?” 2B widened her eyes in shock, her head covered in a shower of blood. 9S, having sliced his own throat, slowly fell over. She cradled his body in her arms, her own screams of ‘Why?!’ sounding distant to even herself. “Because...I had fun.” She doubted her ears. He had fun? That’s impossible. There’s no way that’s true. “I really enjoyed the time we had together. I think...that goes for all my previous selves as well.” “Nines…” I’m sorry, she wanted to say, but 9S interrupted her unspoken apology. “Don’t apologize. Instead…” Even with his rough breathing, 9S was smiling. “Next time...don’t hesitate...to kill me. Because we….will meet again.” As long as he wipes his memory regions and re-installs his personality data, he will get to meet 2B again. Even if he won’t be his current self anymore. “I want….to see you...again…” Even if their next meeting is nothing but a preface to another execution. “I understand.” Her vision blurred, and she couldn’t discern 9S’s last expression. The body in her arms became heavier. The hand touching her cheek fell limply to his side. His black box signal was weakening by the moment. It would be cruel to let this drag out any longer. She laid down 9S’s body and thrust her sword through his chest. His black box signal disappeared completely. “I promise you.” That I won’t hesitate to kill you. The next time, or the time after that. Not because of her mission, but because that’s what 9S wanted. To grant his wish of meeting again...she’ll kill him. 2B silently withdrew her sword from 9S’s chest.

Statistics

Tier: 7-C to 7-A, Possibly 6-C. 7-A via Black Box Detonation

Name: YoRHa Unit No.2 Type B (2B), revealed to actually be a YoRHa Unit No.2 Type E unit (2E)

Origin: Nier:Automata

Sex: Female

Age: Ageless: Androids dont age, but she is built modeled off of an adult woman so her physical age matches that of an adult woman at her peak. Although her year of being created officially would be 2/3 years (created on January 7th, 11942.)

Classification: YoRHa Android Unit

Dimensionality: 3-D

Attack Potency:

Durability:

Striking Strength:

Lifting Strength:

Travel Speed:

Combat Speed:

Reaction Speed:

Stamina:

Range:

Intelligence:

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Powers and Abilities

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(to be due, remember to search for possible save and load, instinctive reaction, protection via the player, etc.)

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Other

Standard Tactics:

Weaknesses:

Battle Records

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|-|Victories=

None.

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|-|Inconclusive=

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