Restoring Mankind (NieR Automata) Chapter 13 preview 1/3 (Patreon)

+++

If people had told Jackass that she would be participating in a offensive against the machines with a bunch of human pilots who flew around in death-defying mecha suits with the fire power of a thousand suns as well as YoRHa in its entirety, she would think that said android had overdosed in the E-drug and should lay it off. 

A bit ironic considering she was the one that synthesized it and peddled it at competitive prices but still, if they overdosed and became doddering loonies, she'd be losing a valuable customer.

The whirring of the Ural she and other androids rode on was a small cog in the factory of war that was now pumping out its instruments for the orchestra of death. She glanced up and beheld the sight of angels. Human YGGDRASIL units tearing through the skies, thrusters roaring balefully and with promise. YoRHA Ho.229's flying higher in formations akin to a spear tip. And much like a spear-tip, it would be fatal to whoever poor bastard was going to get stabbed. 

Jackass sighed in bliss. 

She hated it immensely that she had missed out in the early skirmish against the machines. Her fellow androids in the Resistance ranted and raved about it, how the missiles flew high and made small suns in the desert, how their miniguns whirred its death song and claimed countless machine units. But now? 

Oh, the sheeeeer fucking bliss she felt. 

She was pumped. Her booted foot tapped against the flatbed surface she stood on, itching just to move and run. Her body felt warm and ready, her core beeping with life. Gloved fingers tapped against the magazine of her rifle, her new old rifle. The Resistance in this fight had been upgraded significantly. Colonel Smith, in his glorious wisdom, had allowed for units to be equipped with the energy rifles they had. Since he wasn't going to let his regulars fight, considering what they were facing, might as well let the tankier androids have them.

"Never in my life had I thought we'd have something like this," an android muttered, awe in his eyes as the the armed might of the Army of Mankind poured into the Ruined City. 

"Neither did I," Anemone added, ethnic beads swaying as the truck passed over a rock. Jackass had to admit she was impressed how Anemone kept her face cool and stoic despite the excitement happening around them. "We live in very strange times." 

"Strange? Fuck that! We live in amazing times!" Jackass enthused, grinning from ear to ear. "Look at that, Anemone. YoRHa is getting off its ass to support us and there's real and actual humans with us!" 

A strong gust of wind picked up as a squadron of YoRHa fighters flew low, just above the skycrapers of ruined Tokyo. Her grinned widened some more, like a kid getting a gift in Christmas. As they sped off, their communicators rang. 

"This is Big Bertha," came a voice. It was a human, Jackass realized. The inflections and tone was different. YoRHa androids spoke with the best and most pleasing voices. Androids in the Resistance like her were rougher. But Bertha? She spoke in the way that was just right. "We are closing in to the Amusement Park." 

A voice filled with life that made every android that heard it calm and be at peace. Jackass had long imagined it. She felt it, with Mr Sharpie. It was everything she had every dreamed. 

"Overlord copies. What's the situation, over?" came the notable voice of Smith. 

"There's foliage, sir. Thick ass trees the size of roided Redwoods. The Resistance won't be able to get their trucks in. They'll have to hoof it." Bertha reported. 

"Part of the plan, Bertha." Smi-no, Overlord reminded her. "Maintain holding pattern around the Amusement Park, over." 

"Roger that, Overlord. Bertha out," the human said before clicking out. 

"Man. I definitely must be dreaming," the same android from earlier said. 

"Nope. You ain't and this is real," Jackass cheekily said, sticking her tongue out at him. The truck swerved into a corner then onto a parking lot. As it neared, Jackass saw other Ural trucks there with its passengers already dismounted. One of the androids there strode over to their truck, saluting Anemone as their Ural stopped. He blinked, looking at the fresh rifle slung around her shoulder before turning to her. "Anemone! Back from your vacation in the Desert Region? Who's your new friends?" 

"Havoc, good to see you," Anemone greeted him as she hopped off the Ural. She dusted herself off what dirty particles that was on her before turning to him. "These aren't normal guests. They're humans." 

"Yeah, we quickly figured. We never saw those suits before. Too advanced for our types, too rugged to be YoRHA," Havoc replied, his face bemused. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about going in this with you but, what are humans doing here on the planet? Thought they'd been laying safe in the Moon." 

Jackass and Anemone shared a look at they digested Havoc's tone. There was relief there, excitement. But a undercurrent of bitterness was there. Understandable. For a thousand years, the androids kept the fight up for the planet with humanity by their lonesome, only receiving updates from a disinterested and detached humanity in cold and emotionless speeches. 

"They aren't from the Moon," Anemone replied, earning looks from the other androids. She pointed at Jackass. "She's found them on accident. A massive underground cryostasis facility. That's why I was there in the desert, making arrangements for them to be safe." 

"Ah. Explains why you had us hunt boar and do menial work," Havoc said, realization dawning on him. "Though, it would have been better if you had told us since the beginning. We'd know what it was actually for." 

"Operational Security, Havoc," Anemone deadpanned. "Let me remind you, Havoc, that the walls and ground have ears." 

"So much for secrecy, with YoRHa and those suits buzzing around," Havoc replied tersely, glancing up at the sky. 

Jackass took a step between them, placing a hand on Anemone's shoulder. "Welllll, the reunion was great but it's time to focus on the mission! See you around Havoc!" She then gripped Anemone's shirt and tugged her along. Havoc waved them off before turning to his men. As soon as they went off, Jackass's expression shifted. 

"He still hates you," Jackass whispered. Anemone rolled her eyes. 

"It is not my fault that he was overlooked for promotion because he's hard-headed and a bully," Anemone said. "Tch. Let's set the politics aside. We have an amusement park to invade." 

High above the clouds, 2B's face was impassive as she eyed the data being fed into her monitor. Like the rest of her squad, she was ensconced in her own flight unit. 

"This is 1D to all squads. Report your status," 1D spoke through their comms. 

"12H, ready to support!" came 12H's peppy voice. 

"7E, on standby," reported the stern model. 

"11B, ready to rock," 

"And 4B is ready to roll!" 

It was her turn to report in. "2B, ready," 2B said simply. No need to be extra with her words. Normally that would have been the end of it but...

"9S, ready to support!" came the Scanner's eager voice. 

He was here. 

She resisted the urge to sigh and take in how he sounded. They were on a mission for goodness's sake. There was a time and place for everything. Command had, in all its wisdom, decided to insert 9S into her squad citing the damage she had faced. To make sure that her well-being would be well sought for. Normally, 12H would handle that but she alongside some of her squad had been pulled out for a nearby mission. 

Now they were here and when she had heard that Damian was injured, she was more than happy to volunteer when a vanguard was needed. 

The plan was envisioned as followed. 

Human YGGDRASIL's and squadrons of Ho.229's would turn the amusement to scrap with a CAS run. A YoRHa squad to secure a landing site with the Resistance arriving to mop up what was left. 

And judging from the flashes in the distance, the opening stages had started. 

YGGDRASIL's high in the air opened up their pods and out came a pair of missiles. Nothing impressive by the grand scheme of things but then, it opened up and multiple smaller missiles emerged. "Pod. Magnify times 10." 2B requested her pod. 

"Understood," 042 replied. Her screen shifted, giving her a closer look at the amusement park below. It was built in that manner, designed as a place of fun and innocence. A picturesque and fairy-like castle dominated its skyline, rococo towers and with clear glass windows glowing with internal light. Before it was a marble building with glass roofs, long standing bridges that served as a roller-coaster cutting through it and a ferris wheel half-leaning stood next to it. 

Her screen flashed as the missiles rained down upon the amusement park. Stone cracked under the weight of the blasts, glass shattering into a thousand pieces as multiple suns alit the ground. The ferris wheel groaned loudly, metal bending in death throes as it collapsed from one of its supports being split by the blasts. Then, multiple signatures appeared on 2B's screen as YoRHa flight units dived from multiple angles. Maso autocannons and missiles rained upon what was left. Their terrible work continued, firing until they were forced to bank up to avoid hitting the ground. 

This terrible calamity visited upon the park all stemmed simply from one human injured. 

2B shuddered, wondering how their rage would be like if Damian had died. 

Oh, how she absolutely detested that idea. Just entertaining such thoughts alone made her programming go haywire. 

"H-hey, 2B?" came the soft voice of 9S. "Your vitals were spiking there. You okay?" 

His voice brought 2B out of her blood-lust fueled mania. Taking a breath, she spoke slowly. "I just...had a thought. No need to worry, 9S." 

She hated how much his relieved sigh made her heart flutter. "Whew! Okay. You just tell me if something's wrong and I'll go help you, okay?" 

"...Roger that." she whispered before turning back to the show. 

Fires had broken up all around the amusement park, explosions still coming up from somewhere. Most likely a gas pipe or line. Metal lines jutted outwards of ruined buildings, rock and glass all around. Appreciative whistles went all around as one particular YoRHa flyer dropped its payload into the castle. The castle shook as multiple cracks appeared on the stone then, a massive fireball as the ground seemed to pierce the sky, throwing rock and dirt and machine parts high into the sky. There was a rumble as the castle started to tilt then an avalanche as it collapsed forward, showring the marble building below it with its layers. Dust and soot settled, dulling their sight. 

"CAS run complete," the last squadron leader reported. "Good luck to you and your squad, 1D." 

"We don't need luck. We make our own," 1D replied before speaking to her troops. "Alright. It's time to show them how we work! Let's get a move on, ladies!" 

"But I'm a boy!" 9S protested. 

"You too, scanner boy!" 1D grinned. 2B frowned as appreciative giggles came from every single member of her squad. On her screen, she frowned even more when she saw how much 9S flushed from their leering. 

"Awww, look at him. He's blushing!" 4B pointed out, giggling. 

"He's so cute!" added 11B. 

"Pffft, Damian is waaaaay cuter, in my humble and non-biased opinion," 12H boasted. 

"Alright, alright. Knock it off, you animals," 1D said, rolling her eyes. "Maintain formation and descend," 

"Aye, ma'am!" her squad replied, their Ho.229's descending. 2B sighed in relief, opening a private channel towards 9S. On her screen, she saw 9S look surprised. He pressed into his screen and opened the private line between them. 

"Hm? What's up, 2B?" 

"Don't get swept up by their bullying," 2B asserted, her voice a huff. 

"D-Don't worry, 2B. I know they're just joking," he chuckled. He cocked his head to the side. "So, you're concerned about me h-" 

2B cut off the transmission. 

They were in a mission after all. 

The squadron of YoRHa descended, the ground looking closer and closer until finally, their flight units shuddered as they landed. A hiss escaped their cockpit as the YoRHa units leapt out of fliers like a pop gun. Finally standing on her feet, 2B took the moment to examine the damage done to the park. 

Skeletons of what was once vibrant buildings now stood over a land gripped by desolation and ruin. The color and joy of the park was burnt away by the fires of war. Paint and posters depicting scenes of joy were burnt away, leaving only behind husks. Rubble and stone littered the path on where they stood. Shattered glass was everywhere, streamers burning in corners and other items crowding the floor. 

"Damn. They really made this place into a desert," 12H whispered, her heels clacking over the ground. 

"And even in the desert, life can still grow," 1D muttered, her rifle appearing in her hand. "Fan out and be careful. Some machines might still be operational." 

At that, the others strode forward with grim purpose, their weapons held tightly in their hands. There was a brief flash as a underground pipe burst. Hot air poured forth in a controlled inferno, searing anything close to it. 2B's skin felt singed as she passed by it despite the distance. 

"Machines!" 7E called out. Heads turned to see the aformentioned machine units but, they were all destroyed. Sprawled about like corpses, the YoRHa squad passed by dozens or so. Many bipeds and stubbies, all in various states of death. 

"They're dressed like clowns," 11B noted. Many looked like they had party hats, or makeup. Where and how they got them, 2B had no idea. But seeing it, all of them sprawled under rubble or just lying flat on the ground felt...shameful. 

"Focus," 1D said, stepping over dozens or so corpses. 

"Aye, Capn. They're just machines anyway," 4B spat, kicking away the head of one into a corner building. Such was her force that the thing shook and fully collapsed under its weight. 2B watched and stared at the dusty ruins billowing in the air. 

"2B? You okay?" 9S asked, concern on his face as he stopped by next to her. 

2B looked away. "...It's nothing." she said simply, walking off. As they did, the pair perked up as 1D called out. "We got a live one, girls!" 

At that, 2B and 9s rushed forward to where 1D was. 2B watched, seeing her squad surrounding a lone stubby. It's make up was ruined, the clothes it wore singed. She took note of the damage on its form. It was only really a matter of time before it expired. Pools of oil dripped from its eyes in a never ending stream. 

It glanced up, noting 2B and 9S come close. 

"...W...Why..." it asked. 

1D took a step forward, her expression a frown as she regarded the machine. "You brought this upon yourself." 

An electric cough left its vocalizer. Oil left its mouth. "We...didn't...do...anything...wrong." 

1D snarled, jamming her rifle into the stubby's shoulder. What power was left in the stubby, it gave as it shrieked in pain. 

2B's lips frowned, a uneasy feeling rising in her chest. The stubby shrieked some more as 1D twisted the barrel of her rifle in its shoulder. She yelled and screamed at it, anger pouring from her like hot oil. "Didn't do anything wrong? You invaded our planet, you burnt our homes and drove away our people! You're a filthy machine. You don't know anything!" 

"I..I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR BEING A MACHINE!" the stubby cried, anguish in its vocalizer. 

"You're sorry, huh? I'll show you sorry!" 1D cackled as she pulled her rifle from the stubby and emptied a shot into its neck. The maso bullet penetrated it, the stubby's death sentence. 

"F...FRIENDSHIP...AND...LOVE..." the stubby whispered as it died.

Dark chuckles left the YoRHa androids. 1D shook her head. "Come on. Let's get moving. Oh and, 9S? Radio the Resistance that they can advance." 

"Y-yes, ma'am!" 9S said, knocked out of his reverie as he dialled up his Operator. As he did so, 2B glanced towards the machine. Even despite its last moments, it still yearned for friendship and love. 

No. Impossible. The machines were incapable of grasping that. All they did was mimic what they saw and learned from humanity or the records of humanity, as what was known. 

...Right?

"The Resistance is marching up. They're just combing through the forest in the way," 9S reported, standing by her side. "2B, let's go. The squad is moving on ahead of us." 

"...." 2B said nothing as she nodded, turning away from the dead stubby. 

The more they went deeper into the park, the more apparent it was that the Resistance needed not worry about machine stragglers. Most were already destroyed or were being destroyed by her and her team. With gleeful smiles, they shot or impaled what machines were left. But in the grand scheme of things, these were simply secondary objectives. 

That machine, Hegel, as YoRHa intelligence described, had fled deep into that marble building that once stood before the fairy-like castle. Now, it was merely a ruin, the roof having collapsed on itself. 2B glanced up at the dust still in the air, hovering over the skeletal remains. 

"It looks like that that collapse should have killed everything inside," 9S commented, analyzing the damage. 

"It's also possible that machine could have survived it. It's far sturdier than your usual vermin," 7E added. As they spoke, 12H's eyes narrowed. She took a step forward and held up her arm, a screen appearing that showed multiple dots.

Her eyes widened. "Captain!" she called out 1D. 

The rifle-holding Defender unit marched up. "Yeah? What's up?" 

She leaned in, looking at the screen on 12H. Her eyes widened. "Those are black box signatures! There's YoRHa units there!" 

Concerned looks were exchanged between the squad. Alarm filled 2B. "Does this mean that we bombed our own troops? I thought the machines never took anyone prisoner?" 11B asked. 

That implication did not sit well with the squad. "We need to rescue them immediately! 11B! 4B! Go ahead of us!" 1D cried out. 

"Roger!" 11B and 4B said at once, their blades vanishing as they rushed across the bridge that led into the marble building. The entrance was wide open, nothing but peering darkness inside, the door having been blasted apart. 

Then just as 1D was about to call the Bunker, each android suddenly froze as the pained screams of 11B and 4B came from the building. Shrieks of torment leaving their cherry red lips. "11B! 4B! Squad, with me! Let's go!" 1D cried out as she rushed forward, her rifle now in her arms and at the ready. What remained of the squad followed after wards. 

Dread gripped 2B the closer they went in, the dark open maw of the blown doorway feeling more and more like a portal to hell. They rushed through, ruin and flames greeting them.

As well as a dark and looming shadow. 

"11B! 4B!" 1D shrieked in horror. Beneath the shadow, the two Battle models were low on the floor, metallic tentacles coursing through their body, harvesting their skin with small blades. The YoRHa squad glanced up at the shadow and saw a looming giant, near the height of ceiling. It 'wore' a fiery red dress, a twisted crown upon its face. Slowly, it began to turn to them. Androids, stripped of their skin, were chained on it. A pair dangled from it's crown, with many skinned androids acting as cursed jewellery on its dress. Slowly, it held out its arms. 

Then it sang. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW5AnWT1d5E&t=18s

+++

A/N: Fuck this took too long. Sorry, gais and gals. My dad nearly got into an accident IRL because the shock absorbers of his car gave out while he was driving. That shit scared the fuck out of me. 

But here, you degens. Enjoy.