Restoring Mankind (NieR Automata) Chapter 12 preview 4/5 (Patreon)

+++

"Where am I?" A2 demanded, the grip on her sword telling of her intention should Damian give her an answer that reeked of lies. He held his hand out placatingly, both to show A2 that he meant no harm and as a non-verbal signal to the others not to escalate any further and wait until Colonel Smith would arrive.

As strong as A2 was, she was surrounded by other androids such as Devola and Popola whose hands itched to bring out their weapons, 9S who was still in the middle of trying to wake up 2B but could still quite use his abilities to shut off A2 if Damian commanded it. Tension gripped the air, A2 glaring at Damian while the other androids glanced to him for leadership.

Damian weighed his options. A2 was more than a capable fighter as he had seen. There was a guarded look about her. Truth, Damian decided, was the best course of action. He spoke up, gently and softly as if he was trying to calm a spooked horse. A long haired and murderous horse. "You are in the infirmary in the United Nations Outpost 13. Those redheads are Devola and Popola; android specialists, that one is 9S from the YoRHa people and finally, doctors and assorted medical personnel." He pointed and glanced to every single one of them, the Twins staring at her with barely disguised wariness and 9S awkwardly trying to defuse the situation with a wave, yet he stood protectively over the fallen 2B. 

"Fascinating..." one of the doctors said, earning a glare from A2. 

"Not the time, Doctor," Damian said, nervously smiling. He turned to A2. "I promised you that you could speak with my Commanding Officer. He is on his way. I assure you, no harm will come to you. Please, put your sword away. We all here are unarmed." 

A2 stared at Damian, her natural paranoia and distrust of others flowing through her. Yet, Damian has shown he was true to his word and in her vulnerable state, he could have had her killed or worse. But nothing happened. Against her better judgement, she lowered her sword slightly. 

"Your sword is still in your hand," Damian pointed out. 

"That's as far as it will go. If you do something to me, I swe-" 

The door to the infirmary opened. "Nothing will happen to you, I promise you, soldier," Colonel Smith declared, walking in with Naoka and 1D trailing behind him. The YoRHa captain glared at A2 and tried to move to her but Smith held out his hand, shaking his head. Hesitantly, she pulled back. 

"Now, I am here. How can I help you...A2, was it?" Smith asked, shaking his head. 

A2 glanced a2 the Colonel and scanned him. An air of quiet confidence surrounded him, his eyes sharp yet not unkind. She hated how her programming pumped her with orders to give him her trust. 

"Why did YoRHa betray my squad? Why were we sent there to die?" A2 began strongly, getting into the heart of the issue. There was little point in prolonging it. She wanted, needed to know. 

A grave look came on Smith's face. A2 inwardly revelled in her victory. That's right, you bastard. Get torn apart by your guilt!

"I do not know what you are talking about," Smith replied, his tone honest and sincere. 

This answer, A2 did not like. She held up her blade, turning to Smith. But as she did so, her entire system and being rebelled against her. Hate, betrayal, and anger kept her hand from shaking and her crying for her grievous sin. She was more than likely going to get destroyed for this but, it wasn't as if she had any undue cause. YoRHa and the Council of Mankind was the one that betrayed her and her squad first after all. "You fucking liar. You're an officer, aren't you? Call the Council!" 

"I cannot call what does not exist," Smith said bluntly, again. Those that knew such as the Twins sighed. Those that didn't however...

"What do you mean the Council does not exist?" 9S found himself asking. Confusion and doubt gripped him. What on Earth was going on? Smith turned to 9S who quivered under his gaze. A human was looking at him after all. 

"Your Council of Humanity is not real, son. I'll be having a talk with White about getting the truth out soon. And when I do actually get to meet the leaders of the Army of Humanity," Smith said, clearing his throat. He turned back to A2 who was now quivering openly. 

"So my team...we were sacrificed...we died for nothing? Betrayed for nothing? Humanity is dead?" A2 whispered, disbelief and shock in her voice. Smith took a step forward. 

"Whatever happened to your team, I am sorry that it had happened and I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this. You will get justice, A2. You have my word on it," Smith said, his voice soothing and calming. Gentle as the morning breeze. A2 glanced up, unsure of what to do or say. "And no, humanity isn't dead. I am here, Damian is here, and so many others still yet to be unfrozen. This here facility has grown men and women, yeah. But we also have children too. A few of them. So much has happened but humanity is not dead, not one bit." 

"I..." A2 found herself unable to speak. This was simply...too much. Of all the things she expected, this was not it. She needed to run. She needed to go away, as fast and as far away as she could. She tried to take a step forward but her leg collapsed under her. Her sword clattered noisily at the floor as she fell, her hands shaking and despair gripping her face. Tears threatened to break free from her eyes as the full weight of what she had learned dawned on her. 

"Kill me," A2 whispered. 

What else was there to live for? 

A shadow loomed over her. She prepared for death. Yet as she yearned for it, No.4's final orders filtered in her mind. 

Live. 

Instead of a blade or even a bullet, A2 felt warm as Smith took off his jacket and draped it over the fallen android. His face was grave as he knelt, lowering himself down to her level and brought her into an embrace. Some long forgotten memory played in A2's head, of a happy girl living in a farm with her grandmother. But this time, it was a new memory, with this human Colonel. She felt warm, and safe, and protected, as Smith brought her into his arms and held her protectively. "It's okay, A2. You are not in danger here. I promise you. Whatever happened to you and your team, we'll do something about it but I need you to tell me all about it at a different time, alright? You're safe here. Live, A2. Don't wish for death." 

Live. 

And so, the taciturn and aggressive A2, alone for so long and hunted and hated and feared, broke upon hearing those words from a human. Touch long since denied and kept from her reach was given. Trust and care after a lifetime of betrayal. She reached out, curling into a ball as she cried. She wept, openly and massively, as a torrent of emotions she had hidden broke free. She cried and cried and cried and cried. 

"No.21..! No.4..! No.16!" A2 wailed, tears steaming down her face. Smith sighed, tapping the back of her shoulder, his voice calm and gentle. He glanced up at 1D and the other YoRHa to vacate the room and they did so hesitantly. As they took a step, he glanced down at A2. "It's going to be okay, A2. It is going to be fine. Stay here for awhile and we'll take care of you, alright?" 

"I..." A2 wanted nothing more but to rebel. To lash out against this human. But his voice, his gentleness and warmth. She couldn't. And what was the point? Rush out to the desert and live a lonely life? She was in pain, her inner core felt grief grip her. Humanity was here. In a real and tangible sense. 

She..she just couldn't. 

A2 did not say anything. Instead, she simply melted into Smith's embrace. He glanced up towards Damian. "Son, find this girl a room. Remember, she and 2B are your responsibility, alright?" 

"Aye, aye." Damian nodded, his heart feeling for A2. That girl really went through some shit. Damian didn't really consider himself an optimist or a soft-man by any means but...emotions. Real and genuine emotions could not be hidden. A2...she was hurting, that was clear. He did find it fascinating and ironic that this girl who by all means was synthetic and not real in a organic sense acted more human, more alive than some people he knew. 

"I'll also help monitor her though I will need assistants," Naoka volunteered. She...she admitted that she found it difficult to feel anything nowadays, with her own reasons. But this girl, the sorrow and grief in her voice and tears, that was something that she....understood. She wanted to be there for A2, to let her know that she wasn't the only one who was also hurting. Sides, she wanted to understand how these androids work anyway. 

"We can help, Doctor," Devola offered. 

"We've worked on countless androids before. You can count on us," Popola nodded, standing by her sister. 

"Very well then," Naoka nodded. She turned to Damian. "Shall we?" 

"Alright," Damian said, slapping his knee once before standing up. From where he knelt, Smith placed a gentle palm against A2's cheek. "Listen. They're going to take care of you, alright? Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise you." 

A2 hesitantly nodded. She parted from Smith's embrace. Glancing up, Damian had leaned slightly as he held out a hand for A2 to reach up to. She held up her own hand, letting both her fingers intertwine with Damian. She marvelled at the life, how warm he was. With a huff, Damian pulled her up, a smile on his face as he regarded A2. 

The attacker model saw how bright his smile was, how happy he seemed to look at someone like her and...glanced away. 

"Let's get you somewhere nice, yeah?" 

"M-mhm," A2 nodded, her gaze still away. 

And so, they hobbled off, Naoka and her new assistants walking away. Smith sighed as he turned to 9S who was silent, tending over to 2B. His back was turned so Smith couldn't see what the boy was feeling. 

"Kid?" 

"H-huh?" 9S suddenly said, spooked at Smith's tone. He sheepishly smiled at Smith before turning back to 2B, still asleep. 

"You've been awfully quiet," Smith noted as he went and dragged a chair, sitting down at the foot of 2B's bed. 

The scanner model did not know how to reply. Was it the fact that he learned YoRHa had sent androids to its death? Or the fact that humanity was dead and all throughout this team, they were all fighting for nothing? "It's...complicated," he admitted, turning back to 2B. As long as she was safe, he was willing to keep his emotions in check. 

"Try my," Smith said, crossing his arms. 9S blinked. "Try you, sir? Um, androids such as me don't need food to eat and what you are asking for is..." 

The scanner blinked then flushed in embarrassment as Smith laughed. "I don't mean it like that, kid. I meant it as a expression, It's slang for: Why don't you tell me and I will hear it out no matter how unbelievable it is?" 

"O-oh," 9S said, looking away. "That just..um..sounds needlessly complicated, sir. Why don't humans just say it immediately? N-no offense!"

Smith shook his head. "None taken. As for why I didn't say it immediately, well, humans are complicated. We can be both simple and complicated at times. Fact is, I am here to listen to what you want to say. I can see that you are conflicted, son." 

It was clear to 9S that there was simply no lying to Smith. "It's...I just feel, off, sir." 

"Off?" 

With arms still outstretched, 9S explained. "I...since you have told me that the Council of Humanity is a fiction, then that only means that humanity was really dead before you all were found. Androids, both YoRHa ones and the resistance, were fighting over nothing. It just..I am just wondering how I would feel if we hadn't discovered this bunker. What...what was worth living for? What could we do when our creators, our purpose, was gone?" 

9S paused to glance at Smith and found him looking grave. He felt terrible. "Um, sorry for asking. I know it's a stupid question and-" 

Smith cut him off. "There are no stupid questions, kid. That question is valid." 

9S felt giddy at that. A human thought that his question was alright. If only 2B and 210 thought his questions were fun...

"Well, I don't really know how to answer that, kid." Smith answered after a moment's thought. "What should we do, what can I do, questions like that has been thought of by philosophers for as long as humanity could think and write, you know?" 

9S nodded. "And...has humanity found the answer to that?" 

Smith chuckled. "If we did, I would have told you that I knew, which I don't. Humanity thought of religion, politics, and all that fancy shit to give meaning to our existence. If...we weren't here and you all were left without us...you'd have the same realization some people have gotten." 

"And what's that?" 9S asked, curious. 

"That there's really no set purpose for us, we don't have an objective and goal," Smith said bluntly, earning a sad look from 9S but the boy perked up as Smith continued. "But...that is not a bad thing. It means that we ourselves can make a purpose for us. We can do something about it. We have brains, we have a body to use. We can set our own goals and give meaning to our existence. Some find it though religion, others through their friends and family." 

Smith nodded, satisfied at his answer. "That's how I've lived my life, to be frank. And I am glad that you, all of you androids, are capable of that. You are not our slaves but living and thinking beings. We might never know what our purposes is but shit, I am still willing to find out. You reckon you wanna go find out with us, 9S?" 

"I...I would love that, sir," 9S answered with a smile. The relief he felt was palpable. 

"N,,,ines?" came a whispered and unexpected voice. Smith and 9S blinked when they saw that 2B had awoken! 

Her blindfold was set aside and her eyes were out in full view. Blue as the sky is wide and expansive, and full of life. 

"2B!" 9S cried out in joy as he rushed forward to her side. "You're awake! You're awake! I was so so so so worried! Wait...did you call me Nines?" 

"You must have misheard me," 2B replied colly. 

"No, no! I swore I heard you say Nines!" 9S said, exasperated as he glanced to Smith who was watching them with amusement. "She said Nines right, sir?" 

As Smith was about to reply, he turned to 2B and found her silently pleading. He turned back to 9S and found him pleading too. 

Well, that was just not fair now. 

"I will let you two talk and decide," Smith declared as he stood up. "I have to go and do something anyway. You two kids have fun now..." Before either could say anything, Smith had long since walked off, leaving the two of them alone in the infirmary, and only each other as company. Slowly....their cheeks began to flush. 

Smith chuckled as he left the infirmary. The hallway was much clearer now, the other androids being shooed off by 1D earlier. That only left the two YoRHa guards at the doorway as well as Anemone who crossed her arms as soon as she saw him. "I just came back from patrol only to find out what had happened. Goodness, is everything alright?" 

"It's been handled," Smith nodded as he walked past her. 

"Where are you going?" Anemone called out. "And do you need help?" 

Smith shook his head. "No need. I just need 343 with me in my office." 

He needed to have a conversation with White.

+++

A/N: Cute, innit.