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

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Anxiety wasn't something new to White. 

Her mentor had once told her that being nervous before a mission showed a degree of care towards the outcome. It meant that she still gave a fig about the lives of her androids, the resources that they spent on that mission, and the difficulties they would face. It meant she still cared and hadn't fallen into the coldness of unfeeling and calculating logic that some had resorted to. A safety net for their mental wellbeing. 

But that was then when she only dealt with androids. 

Now, she was dealing with actual live humans, her gods. 

And one of them got injured.

[spoiler=Recommended OST: War to War]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd67uSWHk2g[/spoiler]

The ice in hell froze, its fields of fire burnt so hot that it surpassed the sun in its warmth. White's core programming wnet haywire. Blood. Human blood, spilt. Dread threatened to grip her with the consuming maw of fear that would have stilled hearts. But, she was not the grunt in the frontlines who would have frozen in fear. She was the Commander of YoRHa and she wasn't going to freeze in her place. 

"Recall all units from their missions now!" Hers was not the voice of a frightened android, unsure of what to do or say. She was the Commander and she was going to show the machines exactly why she was that. Her Operators felt the shift in her aura and immediately followed suit. Commander White smacked her palm with her whip, the crack of it sending them into workmode. 

"Captain, this is 23O. You are to cease operations in your area and hand over control to local Resistance fighters. This is not a drill." 

"7D, this is 32O. Your team has been recall-Yes, I know that your force has been trying to pacify your region but this is far more import-No, this is orders coming from the Commander herself. If you want to complain, complain to her!" 

"52B, P-please halt y-your efforts. Um, the Commander has r-recalled everyone and, um, it's important!" 

Vengeance alit in White's eyes as she surveyed the room, her heels clacking as she walked amidst the sounds of finger typing and voices arguing with her deployed YoRHa troops. Her face was stern and cold, quiet fury burning behind her gaze. A human was hurt and injured. Blood taken, spilt, from their holy forms by some base disgusting machine lifeform. 
The very thought of human blood being spilt was maddening to think of. But for it to actually happen.....

Oh how she and YoRHa was going to be the instruments of mankind's fury. By her authority, she was going to make the machines pay. 

"Direct this message to all YoRHa units," she commanded. 21O heard her and nodded. Not a second later, she was connected to every single YoRHa unit via the Bunker link. Still stern in her looks, she looked up, dominance oozing from her form and voice. 

"You are all being directed to the Desert Region," she spoke clearly and succinctly, not mincing her words. Many times she had said lies, this time, she was telling them the truth. 

And never before had it felt so good and righteous. 

"For weeks, we have been defending an asset that transcends even our current military objectives," she continued, noting that every single android was paying her their full attention. 

"A bunker of humans, frozen in cryostasis," Gasps broke around as she delivered the news. 

"Some have awoken and even went into battle with your fellow YoRHa units," Excited chattering broke around. Humans were fighting with them? That was marvelous news!

"However, in one of these skirmishes, a human was injured," It took all her willpower to say it clearly without hissing in rage. Her soldiers however had no such patience. Even with their blindfolds, rage and horror emanated from their faces. 

"You only have one goal. When you arrive at the desert. Kill every single goddamn machine that you find. It does not matter if they are the smallest biped or the largest goliath. Kill them all!" Her order came out as a bloodthirsty snarl, an act that earned approval from her troops. Commander White took a step forward and held out her riding crop. 

"Go! Go into the sand, and the dust, and the sky! For every drop of human blood lost, we, YoRHa, shall make a new desert and call it peace! GLORY TO MANKIND!" 

Her battle-cry was met with equal fervor. 

"GLORY TO MANKIND!"

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The skies roared with the screaming of jet engines. 

Clouds loomed over the desert, casting shades that any hardy creature could rest in. But new shapes loomed over the shifting desert sands. Shapes that were bird-like in the distance, but with the deep and searing roar of a dragon. Like silver and black knives, squadrons of the YoRHa Ho.229 streaked across the sky in a fury that the angels of God and the Legions of Hell could scarcely comprehend or even grasp. They were relentless, breaking the sound barrier and the laws of everything that had governed the natural world. 

A human had been hurt. A human had been injured by the machines. 

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. 

"Multiple signatures detected," 7D alerted her fellow units. She dialled up the Bunker and received a call back.

"This is 320. You are all cleared to use whatever is in your arsenal. Go wild, 7D. 32O out." 

7D grinned. 

"You heard our lady operator, ladies. Let's get them all!" she cheered, with an equally enthusiastic cry coming back to her. In the distance, a machine airship with its escorts flew in a straight pattern. The fact that they were turning towards 7D and her flight group could only mean that they had detected them coming. Their cancellers had all been turned off in this operation, considering that they were all going loud. And go loud they did. 

Twin autocannons sprang to life, staccato booms of maso bullets pouring forth like rain in a storm. The sky glowed as searing white bullets arced forward and tore through machine flight units with the hotness of a knife through butter. 

"Let's see how they like missiles!" 7D roared to the delight of her team. Their Ho229's opened up their missile ports and joined streaked forth against the machines. Hundreds of missiles poured like water breaking through a dam. Harkening back to the Katyusha's of WW2 and the Hwatchas of Korea, they saturated the sky in glorious explosions, smashing into hostile flight units. Stars formed, blinking in and out of existence as each missile found its mark. 

"C-Captain, the airship is still standing!" One of her androids reported. 

"Not for long!" 7D cackled as her Ho229 shifted mid-flight. A glowing yellow blade spouted from the flight unit as 7D turned off her thrusters, only using her momentum to barell towards the airship. As she neared, 7D let out a great cry as she smashed into the airship, the Ho229's blade cutting through the engines of the airship. The blade did its dirty work, tearing through the airship with its searing hotness, a hot white trail left behind and the only sign of its mark. As 7D passed through, she shifted her flight unit and returned back to her normal form. Her engines roared to life as she adjusted her flight path. 

Behind her, the airship sputtered helplessly before sparks of electricity broke out of its frame. Then, a flash of orange-yellow light as it exploded. 

"Airship eliminated!" 7D said proudly, to the cheers of her team. "Alright, there's gotta be more around here. Come on, ladies! Don't you want to live forever!?" 

"YEAAAHHHHHH!" 

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White watched with a critical eye from her perch in the bunker. Around her, the Operators clicked and typed into their terminals, speaking into their mouthpieces. The giant screen in the nerve center displayed data that streamed back from the ground in quick succession. Numbers galore poured forth. machines casualties rising with every second. Her androids were methodical and bloodthirsty in equal measure. They hit hard and left nothing behind. 

It was only natural after all. Proper payment for the Machine Networks sin and offenses against mankind and its children, the androids. 

Oh, White never felt more alive in ages. Before, her commanding of YoRHa felt routine-like. But now, the fires of ambition and vengeance burned brightly inside of her. She felt revitalized, like the dawn of spring flowers. Her Operators too were equally revitalized, as if the blood of mankind was the push they needed to feel alive again. 

"Squadron under 7D reports success in Sector AF in the Desert region. Machine squadron plus airship destroyed." 

"Z-zeta squad with 52B reports engaging goliath units. 2 c-casualties on our side so f-far. They've returned to the Bunker in short order and w-will be re-deployed, m-ma'am!" 

"Captain 4E has succesfully purged areas of the abandoned Residential Ward of machine units. Will be moving on to a different sector." 

Wonderful news. Excellent news. 

A dark sense of satisfaction came through White. She hoped the Machine Network felt this. She hoped that the alien bastards controlling their faceless legions felt the pain and fury she and so many of YoRHa felt. As she relished in the highs of bloodlust, the voice of 21O entered her consciousness. 

"Ma'am, we are recieving a direct call from the Outpost in the Desert. It's the Colonel," 23O reported. Her heart soared at that. How she couldn't wait to relay the good news to him. 

"Understood. Patch him through," White said, composing herself. She had already...showed a side of herself to Smith that only a relative few ever saw. She didn't want him to see what she looked like getting so excited by the high of killing. Not a second later, Smith's face appeared on screen. 

"Colonel, good morning," Commander White greeted him. "I am sure you will be pleased with what I will have to tell you." 

She blinked when she saw that he had a detached look on his face but that was hidden quickly by a smile when he heard her speak. "Really? What do you have to report?" 

A part of White felt nervous at his earlier look. Had she done something to displease him? Momentarily setting her fears aside, she went on to relay what she had learned. "My superiors have come back to me and reported that the station they are converting has been fully converted. Some areas need some refurbishing but it is habitable now for your people."

Smith nodded. "That's good news, Commander. The less time those people spend here, the safer they will be." 

"Indeed. In space, they will be out of the Network's reach," White said in agreement. "The station that your people will be settled in is also close to the YoRHa bunker so my soldiers will also be there to protect your people." 

"Seeing how your units fight, we will be in safe hands then," Smith said, his compliment making her and her Operators stand and sit a bit straighter. 

"It's only our duty, sir," White said humbly. She then perked up. "What's the status now of Sergeant Damian? I understand that he was pierced in the lower abdomen?" 

Disgruntled muttering came around from her Operators. No one really liked their gods getting hurt.

"Damian's fine. The Twins were able to heal him with their magic. Using magic isn't exactly an unknown art for us but we've dedicated maso to practical uses such as the maso generators our currenty technology runs on. Seeing it used as a craft like wizards was something new. Our science team led by Dr Naoka is very very interested in that," Smith said, chuckling at something. Seeing him laugh also made White feel a little bit lighter. 

"That is good to hear, Colonel. If you would like, our R&D would be more than happy to assist Dr Naoka with her project. YoRHa utilizes maso both in technology as well as practice." White said. She already imagined how giddy her researchers would be. 

"That would be fine and dandy. However," Smith trailed off, his voice a little off. "When Damian returned, he did not come back with just 2B but also with another one of yours, a YoRHa unit A2. That ring a bell?" 

All activity in the nerve center halted, the Operators ceased their typing, their chattering, as Smith asked that question. Memories surged through Commander White. Guilt. Shame. There was no point in lying here. Smith already met A2. Such was her bloodthirst she had nearly forgotten about the report 1D sent her about a YoRHa deserter being found. That time, she assumed it was one of the few foolish units that decided to forget about their duty and allegiance. 

Not A2. 

White sighed. She looked up at Smith, not willing to be like a child that was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "The Pearl Harbor descent mission was meant to attack a server of the machines there. By attacking it and destroying it, we would ensure that the central hub that controlled the machines around the pacific region would be disrupted." 

"So...like the wifi router that the computers aka the machines relied on?" Smith surmised. 

White nodded. "Yes, sir. A2...No 2's team successfully infiltrated the machine lines and destroyed the server with assistance from Resistance forces." 

"But what is missing here is, why did A2 say she was betrayed? She and her team?" Smith asked, his question filling her with dread. 

White replied, not missing a beat. "At that time...YoRHa units were experimental. We...we needed the data from the prototype units we had deployed. A2 and her team...from their bodies, we would harvest the data and figure out how best to make the next line of androids to more effectively fight the Machines." 

Smith stood in silence, listening to her explanation. White continued, feeling the noose around her neck tighten some more. "At that time, we had thought it to be the best course of action. YoRHa unit A2 and her team weren't meant for long-term survival. A2 herself surviving for this long...it comes as a surprise." 

"So they were built only to die," Smith again surmised, his voice cold. "And this, it was done under your command?" 

White nodded. She wasn't going to look away. She knew her sins. She was going to own up to it. "Yes. I carried out the order." 

Smith's eyes shifted. White felt like she was about to be cast into hell. 

"And...did this idea come from you? You endorsed this?" Smith's voice was dreadfully calm. White shook her head. "No, sir. It came from my superiors, directly from the Army of Humanity itself." 

Smith took in a breath. White could swear she saw steam come from his nostrils. Her legs threatened to shake underneath her. Smith was furious, she could see it. There was a whimper coming from one of the Operators. 60, White saw, began crying at his gaze. Other Operators stood from their posts to offer the grieving android their support. 

"I...am not angry...not at you, White. These girls who were built to die...they were not your responsibility. You carried out your orders, as instructed. You did your job as a soldier in a apocalyptic war. I know how it feels. Believe me," Smith said, his words calculated and measured. He was trying to restrain himself. "However....I still cannot help but feel so fucking angry at that. First, Devola and Popola's entire production line getting culled and the current twins being ostracized by everyone. Secondly, the lie about the Council of Humanity being on the Moon. And now...this." 

Smith glanced up at her. "Starting this forth, YoRHa unit A2's crimes are to be forgiven. Her past sins, gone. If needs be, she is to be fitted with a new body. All YoRHa deserters, all are henceforth forgiven and offered a chance to come back to YoRHa's service. Furthermore, the lie about the Council of Humanity, it will be addressed as soon as our current crises is resolved." 

White felt eyes on her back, her Operators waiting for her orders. White nodded, relief that his anger wasn't at her. "Understood, sir." 

At that, they began to type. Orders were cancelled, E-models informed about the change. As much as it clashed against the directives of the Army of Humanity and its ruling class of androids, they were below in authority compared to an actual human. 

"Now, that machine that injured Damian. It is more likely aware about our existence. It must be destroyed before it can alert the Network," Smith said. 

"I concur, sir." White nodded, further relief flooding her. She could bear Smith's displeasure and anger. But...his hatred, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. "When the reports came about it, our satellites tracked the machine unit that fled from the encounter with Sergeant Damian. It's fled to a nearby..." White paused, not believing she was about to say such cursed words. "...theme park." 

Smith blinked. "Say again?" 

"A theme park. An amusement park, sir." White reported. "We had heard reports of such a place but we've never really given it much thought. But yes, our satellites marked its flight path and a scan had found it nestled inside the park. The scans also showed that the park is inhabited by machine units who have...adopted the lifestyle so to speak." 

"And what do you mean by that?" Smith asked. 

"They've been launching fireworks, dressed up as jesters, and restored the rides at the park, sir." White reported again. 

"Jesus Christ...an amusement park. We're going to send troops to fight clowns and fucking mimes." Smith shook his head. A blonde brow rose on White's head. 

"We?" 

Smith nodded. "I am also sending some troops there too. This is our fight too, Commander." 

White took a step forward. "Colonel, with all due respect, I have near emptied YoRHa to purge the desert region of machines. This all quite literally started because Sergeant Damian was injured. Sir, I cannot risk your men going into battle and suffering the same fate, or even getting killed!" White declared loudly and passionately. No way in all human hell was she going to let a human actually die on her. 

That weight on her conscience, on her soldier's conscience, would break them. 

However...

"Commander, let me remind you too that my men aren't exactly thrilled at the idea of sitting out this fight for our planet. We've gone into ice fighting monsters that trespassed on our home. Even if I will order them, they will still want to fight anyway. They know the risks. But they will do it anyway." Smith counter-argued. 

This miserable stubborn bastard...!

She crossed her arms. "...Are you really sure about this, sir?" 

"I am. And they are too." Smith declared with finality. 

Fine. 

"Very well then, sir," White grit her teeth. "However, they must be aware of the risks. If there so happens to be more machines than usual, they must pull out." 

Smith nodded. "Worry not, Commander. We know when to pull out. You'd know." He added with a wink. 

A silence descended as the Operators all slowly turned to White. Uncharestically, 21O chortled. 

This...This....THIS SON OF A B-

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A/N: Amusement park time. Though I know that the sequence of events are switched, I'll just be merging the birth of Adam and Eve with Simone in one go.