Restoring Mankind (NieR Automata) Chapter 11 preview 4/4 (Patreon)

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Damian's suit launched the opening salvo, the arm-mounted minigun fired, whirring its ominous song. Such was its power that the air would have burnt if they weren't already in the desert. The maso bullets were thrust and cratered the machine's thick armored plates. A2 and 2B rushed forward, their speed near matching. Barrelling forward, the YoRHa androids carved a path as the machine detached itself to engage the three.

Skittering and chittering, and with clawed legs, the machine formed a ring around them.

"High energy levels detected!" Damian said aloud, his HUD screaming at him to weave away. Kicking into high gear, the YGGDRASIL screamed high into the air and just in time as a burst of pure energy screamed from the Machines. He grit his teeth, his arms spread as one of his pods opened fire. "Launching missiles! YoRHa, out of the way!"

A missile screamed, thrust out of its pod and aimed directly at the machines. It opened up, spilling smaller micro-missiles at where the machines stood.

2B and A2, who had been engaging their own targets, looked up at Damian's warning. Gritting their teeth, the two androids braced themselves as a fusillade of missiles descended upon them. Dust and soot kicked up as orange-light consumed the sands, burning anything caught within its range.

High above, Damian's HUD registered the smoke obscuring his sight. "Switching to thermal," Damian said. Immediately, the thermal signatures of A2 and 2B's nuclear cores were registered. The dust settled a bit more now, revealing A2 still gripping her sword and yelling at Damian. "Give me a little bit more warning before you decide to fire your missiles, you fucking asshole!"

From where she stood, 2B took a step, disapproval in her eyes as she heard A2's tone. "Watch your tone, deserter," she said coldly. Just because Damian had, for the moment, told her that they were going to be temporarily working with that wayward android didn't mean 2B was going to give her due deference.

A2 narrowed her eyes at the model. Always, always, the newer models high-horsed themselves over her. "You are a brainwashed moron. Command betrayed us, betrayed my team. I did nothing wrong deserting YoRHa when it was YoRHa that fired the first damn shot!"

2B's grip on Virtuous Contract tightened. Seeing this, A2 held up her own sword, ready to fight. But that was broken when Damian cried out. "Ladies! The battle is not over!" his voice boomed. Metal groaning echoed in the air as the machine whose true name was Hegel revealed itself again.

"Missile barrage ineffective, target has personal shielding!" Damian cried out as his HUD noted the white bubble shield around the Trade Federation ship looking bastard.

"Don't you fucking douse me in missiles or I swear to-" A2 cried out as she somersaulted into the air, just in time as one of the machines dug its claws into where she stood, its shielding slowly dissipating. Landing on her feet, she fell into a combat stance, a heavier sword appearing in her hand. The Type-3 Sword was a older design. But it old didn't mean obsolete and in A2's hands, the tougher machine bastards would be turned into scrap. 

Resting against her shoulder, A2 locked into the closest target, the same machine that tried to stomp her underfoot. Like a speeding bullet, the Attacker model charged, her blade eager for Hegel's armored plate. She turned on her heels, and like a whirlwind, swung her blade into Hegel. It's singular red eye glowed red, firing a barrage of machine orbs at A2 but she merely withdrew her sword and swiped it. Rearing back, the YoRHa model roared as she thrust the blade into Hegel's eye. 

"Watch out!" A2 suddenly heard Damian cry out. Behind her, a pair of Hegel machines were ready to fire upon her. The Yggdrasil sergeant swooped down, barrelling towards the Attacker model as fast as his suit could allow. Just in time however as the Hegel units opened fire, dousing where she stood and the other injured Hegel in laser fire. 

With wide eyes, A2 stared up at the golden-visored Yggdrasil. Aware that it was holding her down. she withdrew her arm. "Don't you touch me," A2 warned Damian before shaking herself off and charging towards another Hegel. 

"You're welcome!" Damian yelled at her before sighting the earlier Hegels. His shoulder mounted cannnon swivelled to them and fire continuously,  armor-piercing shells piercing through their plates. They had thick armor but the cannon on his shoulder was designed to penetrate plates thicker than it. Electricity crackling from the crators, the Hegels tipped careened over and detonated. 

"Two down, six more!" Damian cried out. "2B!" 

"Yes sir!" 2B yelled aloud, Virtuous Treaty and Virtuous Contract appearing both in her hands. Like a ballerina of death, 2B hacked and slashed and attacked the nearest Hegel to her. It fared better against their thick skin, leagues more advanced than the arsenal A2 carried. But still, the Attacker model wasn't going to stand idly by and let the newer model take away the spotlight. 2B was the initial charge, chipping away at a Hegel with her blades. A2 acted as the upper cut, pummelling away with her Type-3 sword. With a Hegel softened up, Damian finished with his cannons. 

Together, the three synchronised their attacks, going from one Hegel unit to the next. 

The machine did not take it lying down however. It spread out, forcing the three to personally engage units one by one. As they did so, the other units fired at them, laser and machine projectiles being freely lobbed at them. 

However, the three continued on, taking damage when they could and Damian shielding 2B and A2 when he had to. Slowly by slowly, the Hegel units were being whittled down only until a single unit remained. Breathing heavily behind his helmet, Damian glanced at the final one. A curse left his mouth as he glanced down at his HUD. "Shoulder cannon out of AP shells. Suit integrity at fifty-three percent," he reported. 

2B and A2 stood at his side, both eyeing each other warily but their attention was placed solely at the last Hegel unit whose singular red eye darted between the three. 

"You're alone now, asshole!" A2 swore at it, Type-3 sword dripping with viscous oil. "I'll take your damn eye and feed it to the boars!" 

"Language!" 2B scolded the crass Attacker model. She simply couldn't take her crassness in front of a human no less. 

"Report: YoRHa Attacker models were noted to be stubborn and free-spirited. This is in line with Unit A2's personality," Pod 042 added. "Clarification: Boars do not feed on metal. It would otherwise be indisgestible for their digestive systems as they are omnivores and-" 

"Both of you, shut up," A2 groused, rolling her eyes. Still gripping her sword, she glanced up at the suited figure. "You. You sound like you're getting tired there. What sort of model gets tired so easily? It's hasn't even been three hours yet." 

"A non-android one!" Damian replied, taking a breath. "You can speculate on that sort of detail once we've finished this lone ranger." 

A non-android one? 

A2's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Damian. What did he mean by non-android one? As much as curiosity gripped her core, there was that single asshole Hegel to take care of.

"...Fine," A2 puffed before turning to regard the Hegel. "What now, asshole? Ran out of tricks?" 

Some chittering left its eye. A2 took a step forward. "What the fuck did you just say to me?" she snarled. 

"Report: The unit called you a lower life form." Pod 042 droned. Eyes widening, A2 gripped her sword even more. 

"I'll show you lower life-form with my boot up your ass!" A2 yelled. 

"Report: Machine units do not have a colon to penetrate with Unit A2's standard issue heels," 042 reported again. 

"Pod, shut up! I did not ask!" 

"YoRHa unit A2 does not have the authority to give orders to this support unit," deadpanned 042. Hearing that, A2 wondered if she hated machines more or the snarky asshole that was right next to 2B. The battle-model however glanced up at Damian. 

"Sergeant, what are your orders?" 2B asked, noting the silence from Damian. 

"I've been reporting our situation back to the bunker. They've been noted about this. If there are more of these types of machines, we need to be ready." Damian said, shaking his head as he glanced at the single Hegel unit left. "I have no shells left and I'm saving up my last missile if we really need it. It'll be overkill if I use it on one machine. My minigun won't do squat either and the machine's armor has tanked most of my bullets. That only leaves this." 

The YoRHa units glanced up at Damian who took out his melee weapon, a claymore that was twice the height of his YGGDRASIL. Laying flat against his shoulder plates, Damian took a breath. "Let's finish this." 

At that, Damian took off, his thrusters giving him both speed and torque as he launched himself at the Hegel unit. 2B and A2 followed after him, near matching him in speed. The Hegel unit dug its claws into the ground, pouring forth machine projectiles from its eye as a machine gun would fire. Damian's eyes widened as he saw that the speed of the orbs were faster now, unlike the slow and relaxed pace earlier. He veered right, cutting down the incoming shots with his blade. 2B and A2's eyes widened in shock but they still pressed their attack. With Damian preoccupied, the Hegel quickly changed its approach. It turned towards the charging YoRHa units and fired a laser lance towards them, forcing the two to dodge and separate. 

It's claws detached from the sound as it chittered. Rolling into a ball, the Hegel charged towards 2B, rumbling as it barrelled toward her. 2B grunted as she leapt out of the way. "It's faster now?" she cried out.

"It doesn't matter! I'm still killing it!" A2 snarled as she prepared for the rolling Hegel to turn towards her. She settled into a combat stance, ready as the Hegel loomed over her. Inwardly, she timed her strike, waiting until the Hegel was nearly upon her. She quickly took her chance, side-stepping but as she did so, she swiped her Type-3 sword up, gutting the rolling Hegel. 

It shrieked, its momentum halted by A2's attack. "Nice!" Damian praised. "My turn!" he declared as his thrusters once more roared to life. Like a battering ram, he fell upon the Hegel with his claymore. The thick armor plates groaned as his sword cut away a big piece, leaving searing hot metal in its place. But Damian was not done. With a roar, he thrust the sword deep into the Hegel's eye. 

"Raaagh!" A2 joined with a roar of her own, launching herself and thrusting her Type-3 blade into the machine. 2B got to her feet, and yelled out. "Pod!" 

"Understood." Pod 042 affirmed as he flew up and unleashed a burst of white laser into the Hegel. 

For a moment, time stood still. Slowly, Damian withdrew his blade, backing up as the Hegel buckled, falling on its side. A2 fell back as well, her Type-03 weapon vanishing. "It's dead," Damian noted as the Hegel's red eye began powering down. He turned to the two. "Alright, listen up. Check the Resistance truck and see if the drivers are alright." 

2B nodded, ready to turn but A2 simply refused. She stood her ground, glaring up at Damian. "And who the fuck are you to order me?" She couldn't believe the audacity of this...thing. The design was far too robust and utilitarian for it to be YoRHa. Resistance then. 

"The Sergeant," Damian reminded her. "And this Sergeant has ordered you to check on the well-being of those resistance drivers over there." 

"Fuck you and your orders," A2 simply spat at the ground.

2B narrowed her eyes. Virtuous Contract was raised, pointed at A2. "Refusing to followed the orders of a commanding officer and a human is punishable by death," 2B said cooly, her katana-like weapon glinting. 

As A2 was ready to retort, she froze. Did she just say..."Human?" A2 said sharply, disbelief in her eyes. She turned quickly to Damian whose hand reached up to take his helmet off.

Dark blue eyes stared at her, a singular scar running across his nose and to his left cheek. His features were sharp, experience written all over him. "Told you I was a non-android," Damian said bluntly. The shock on A2's face stayed. Protocols long since hidden and forgotten coursed through her mind. Her programming yelled at her to kneel, to give this human adoration. But...

She resisted. 

For as much as she loved and yearned the love of humans...A2 also held nothing more but hatred and contempt. 

"W..." her lips started to speak. "Why?" 

"Why?" Damian asked, tilting his head. His reaction irked A2. Her Type-4o sword appeared in her hands. She fell into a combat stance, glaring at Damian. 2B's eyes widened behind her blind fold and she moved to strike at A2 but Damian simply held out his hand, urging 2B to stop. She did, hesitantly. 

"What do you mean why?" A2's voice was both a cry of pain and anguish. "We...we..." She struggled to speak, her voice a tremble. "We fought for you....we gave everything for humanity. But...my team and I...were betrayed. WHY!?" yelled out A2, her voice reaching a high pitch. 

Damian attempted to speak but he held his tongue. Letting his helm hang, he held out his one free hand up placatingly, his other he hid behind to be as non-threatening as possible. "I..." Damian said, choosing his words carefully. "I truly have no idea what you are grieving, Miss YoRHa. I have been out of the loop, and so were the people I woke up with." 

His answer momentarily confused A2. "What do you mean you don't know?" A2 demanded. "So that's it, then? My team's sacrifice was forgotten? There's not even a mention about them?" 

"I haven't have an idea about that. I am telling you the truth," Damian admitted, his most sincere voice out. 

"The Pearl Harbour Descent Mission!" A2 yelled again, as if her yelling would give Damian knowledge. "The Honolulu invasion!" 

"I...am sorry. But I do not know about that. You see...I awoke in a bunker not far from here. Cryogenics. My commander, Colonel Smith, he is the one you should air your grievances to. I do not know what happened exactly but I can recognize someone who has served and you, Miss YoRHa...I can see that haunted look in your pretty eyes." His voice was soft, gentle, and calming. 

A2 recognized that. And she hated it on how much it was actually calming her down. Damian continued. "So...here's what I propose. Come with me, back to our outpost, and you can speak with my Colonel. I promise you, he will do everything in his power to make sure what happened to you and your team will be made right." Damian had no idea why he was offering her this but, the pain in A2's eyes, the sheer anguish in her voice. The girl clearly had some issues and that needed to be resolved. There was also the fact that she looked like she had been through hell and back. Like, seriously, was that skin dangling off her?

"What do you say?" Damian finished, looking at A2, his hand still raised placatingly. 

A2 stared at him. She did her very best to see if he was lying and she found none. He sounded earnest, sincere and was offering her answers and justice. She should take it?

She went into this desert to find out what the hell the Resistance was doing here and it turned out, they were supplying a whole facility of humans, based on what the suited human was telling her. Her own issues aside, it was every androids dream to see and feel and touch their creators. 

Despite her pain, despite everything that had happened...A2 still felt that yearning. To be with the ones who so cruelly used and discarded her and her team. And the more she looked at Damian.....the stronger that yearning became. And so, she made her choice. 

"Fine," A2 said, turning away from Damian. "I...I will go with you. But if this is a trap, I swear to..." 

"This isn't," Damian promised. "I swear it on my mom and my dad." 

"...Alright." A2 said, still looking away and arms crossed. Damian smiled, putting on his helmet again. From where 2B stood, she saw it as a sign to put away her weapon and she did. Despite her guardedness, she felt relief. Even despite her service record, 2B did not take any pleasure for actually carrying out her job. As Damian prepared to move and turn towards the Resistance Truck, the sands shifted. 

"Wh-"

"Watch out!" 2B yelled as the fallen Hegel suddenly went back to life. Chattering, it raised a clawed hand to stab at Damian's flank. He reacted too late and a ear piercing scream left his lips as the razor-sharp claw dug into his armor plate. 

"NO!" 2B and A2, to her own surprise, yelled out as Damian groaned, clutching at the embedded claw. Virtuous Contract and the Type-3 blade tasted the air as both androids charged, bloodlust in their eyes. But as they neared, Hegel began to glow a malevolent red, streaks of power emanating in the air. 

"Warning: EMP dete-" 042 tried to warn but his voice died down as the a blast of electricity left the Hegel. A2 and 2B dodged too late, dropping down onto the sand like flies. Damian grit his teeth as his suit took the blast and his hud went dark. Falling onto the sand with a thud, Damian groaned as the Hegel took out its claw, drawing blood from him. He could hear some chattering as the Hegel drew back and launched itself out, its chittering dying down. 

His breaths were laboured as he tried and failed to clutch at his side. Pain coursed through him as he felt warm liquid pour from his wound. Slowly by slowly, his suit returned to power as the EMP's effects wore off. Quickly, his suit reacted to his wound, covering it with a thick and viscous gel that halted the bleeding. He still needed actual medical attention however, the gel merely a stopgap. "2B, Pod...Miss YoRHa!'' Damian said, turning to the fallen YoRHa members. 

They still were lying in the sand, facedown and still. 

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A/N: Oh no.