Restoring Mankind (NieR Automata) Chapter 16 preview 3/4 (Patreon)

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Too long. 

Camille had fought for the preservation and the glory of Mankind for far too long. Despite her attempts, she could always remember the day when they first arrived. The alien invaders who unleashed their hordes upon the world. She was young then, one of the few newly built androids meant to be a caretaker for what was left. And then they came and nearly drowned the world in a tide of iron. 

She made friends, lost them as well. She had lovers, she lost them too. All that, countless battles of horror and war had made her and those that sat at the head of the Army of Humanity near numb to everything. Nothing was new. They had all lived it after all. The only thing left for them now was to give their lives in antonement for the androids collective failure in living up to their gods. 

Mankind. 

How far away they were, yet so near. Every time she glanced at a mirror, it felt like looking into a ghost of what could have been. She had long since accepted the demise of their gods. Everyone save them knew how risky Gestalt was. When the Replicants eventually formed their own consciousness, it was a numbered experiment. The Twins who oversaw the project were blamed for it but recollection and hindsight only showed that there was nothing else they could do. 

Gestalt failed and humanity was forever lost, their echoes remaining in their works and in the genetic material that they all could save on the moon. Their gods were gone, the purpose of Camille's existence taken away in a blink. 

Then, a miracle.

Humans. On the ground. On the planet where they had died. 

Camille didn't believe it. It was simply impossible. They had all died off with Gestalt's failure. 

But no. 

They still lived. 

Camille was looking at one of them, seated on a chair, and giving those around the conference table a smile.

Vibrant, strong, oozing with authority.

No E-drug could ever hope to compare to the rush that Camille felt, the sheer life that coursed through her veins just seeing the man across her. Her core would have jumped out of her flesh just looking at the human, exultation and praise only being held back by iron-will. 

"Before we continue on, it would be best for those of this table to introduce themselves," Tizona began. "As you know, sir. I am Tizona, the councillor for the defense of South America. I mostly handle the Pacific side. From Pantagonia to Central America. The old Canal is where I am based at."

Smith nodded and turned to Camille next. She shivered at his gaze. With a practice grace, she stood up. 

"As introduced, I am Camille. I am charged with the defense of Europe," she introduced. Quick, clean, and straight to the point. No frills. She then sat down, letting the one next to her talk. 

"Winter," spoke up the Russian coordinator, his medals swaying as he stood. "I am in charge of Russia but my actual area of control is the Russian East, as well as East Asia. However, I promise you, sir, that I will do my best to ensure that all of Russia is reclaimed. I will not stop until our song is heard in the ancient Kremlin," he said steely and firmly. 

"I am sure that the Russians in my care will be pleased. Hell, I think they'll want to go with you," Smith said jokingly. The scarred android smiled before sitting down. 

"Azalea, I am accountable for Africa and the Middle-East. However, my area of Operations are centered on the Cape, East Africa, and the Suez," declared their resident Zulu. She stood high and proud, her breasts shaking slightly as she did so. A part of Camille felt that it was deliberate.

"Those feathers...I assume they are ostrich feathers?" Smith asked, glancing at her head-dress.

"They are!" Azalea said excitedly. "If you would like, I would be more than happy to show you what they are closely later?"

Certain eyes turned to the Zulu for her rather open invitation. She sat down and the Indian Coordinator spoke up.

"I am Singh, the android holding the Indian Sub-Continent and certain parts of Asia together. It is a great great honor, to meet you, sir." Singh whispered in awe, standing tall. He then unsheathed his sword, raising it aloft and yelled, "Shout aloud in ecstasy, true is the Great Timeless One!"

His chest rose and fell in exultation before finally, he sheathed his sword  and sat down. Smith blinked, awkward at the greeting but replied, amused. "I'm no rockstar, son. But I am flattered," He then turned to the final android who stood up, her hair now flowing freely. 

"Sir, I am January. The android councillor for North America and Mexico," she introduced herself, her hips swaying provocatively. Camille would remember that. 

"I'm American," Smith revealed, his eyes looking at her from top to bottom. "Some of my men are. How's home looking like?" 

January's lips turned thin. "It's...the American continents both North and South lie mostly in the Kingdom of Night, sir. Frankly speaking, the further east you go from the Western Seaboard, the higher your chances are in well...getting killed." 

"Indeed," Camille interjected. "Those of us that operate in the Kingdom of Day face difficulties yes, but the Kingdom of Night is a whole new theater entirely." 

"I've heard stories. I've yet to see," Smith said, turning from Camille and January. "You mind showing me what sort of stuff we are dealing with there?" 

January nodded and pressed something on her chest. In the middle of the room, a holographic image formed. Then, Smith saw flames. 

With outstretched wings, teeth and claws glinting as scimitars did in the night, the dragon roared in bestial rage as fire pooled first in its chest like a volcano about to erupt then, it blossomed. Scores upon scores of machine abominations and nightmares were engulfed in fire and flame. The dragon flew off, the ground left burning in its wake yet one stronger abomination yet stood. Burning brightly, it held its ground before glowing red with power. Energy pooled as a massive blast of laser fired from its mouth. Androids screamed, a male voice calling for support. 

Smith leaned into his seat, watching as a tank-like vehicle floating held aloft by gravity came into view, the cannon on its turret already glowing brightly before firing into the machine. 

The machine simply took it, as if it was nothing. 

The recording stopped there and Smith, he unleashed a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"What the fuck was that?" he blurted out, true surprise in his tone. White and Anemone had told stories about the Kingdom of the Night.

"Dragon weapons, sir," January answered, face non-plussed. "In the year 6230, we unleashed the dragons as a form of support against the machines. We have mostly kept its use in the Kingdom of Night. The things we fight there..." 

Smith did not need to be a veteran to see the horror in January's eyes. His face hardened. "It's complicated then?" 

January could only nod. "Pretty much so. The West Coast is safer, relatively." 

"You've all concentrated on the Pacific," Smith remarked, expecting some strategy being in place. 

"Yes, sir. Most of us here are in a defensive ring on the Pacific. You see, it all begins at Hawaii," Tizona spoke up. Pressing something, the holographic image of the dragon turned to that of Earth. The planet rotated briefly before halting at the Pacific. Lines of red were drawn from Chile, to Alaska, then to Russia to the west, south to Japan and the Philippines and Polynesia. "The lines in red represent concentrated android presence all to defend Hawaii. On that island is a server that was crucial for the Machine Network. Disrupting it and controlling it ensured that the machines couldn't coordinate and direct itself well into the Indo-Pacific Region."

"Like a wifi router," Smith surmised.

Tizona nodded. "In a nutshell, yes. By controlling that router, it will make it far easier for us to protect what we can here on Earth." 

"There is a question regarding Hawaii that I have been keeping in mind, Tizona," Smith said, his voice level but sharp. "Tell me. How exactly was Hawaii reclaimed?" 

The androids all glanced at each other. The mood in the air turned tense, still. The proverbial forest animals became quiet as the androids sank in their seats, Smith's eyes feeling like heavy weight on their backs. No android dared to answer, save for Winter. He stood up, his chair rocking as he did. 

"YoRHa androids descended onto Hawaii with the intent to disrupt the server or totally destroyed it. They succeeded. However, the androids made also had another objective unknown to them. They were made as prototypes, test-beds. From the data gathered from them, it would be analysed to prepare the way for the next generation of androids." Winter narrated, succinctly and cleanly. 

"Hm. And a survivor now in my care told me that she was declared a traitor and hunted down," Smith revealed. A murmur broke out among the surrounding androids. 

"She must be taken to custody immediately, sir. This android is dangerous!" January advised him, her fist slamming onto her desk. Smith gave her a look. 

"And what crime did she do?" Smith asked calmly. "Refusing to be killed?"

January bit her lip, her gaze on the floor. Winter however continued to hold his head high. "At that time, the data to be gathered from those units would have been valuable. They were intended for nothing more." 

"Let me understand this, Winter." Smith said, fully drawing his attention to the old general. "What do you mean by they were intended for nothing more?" 

"Sixteen descended. Only that one, Unit No.2, survived. That was not intended. They were made with traits and features and tested for what was useful and what wasn't. It was debated to let that unit live on but as mentioned, her model had features that would have rendered her unstable and unreliable both on the field and off it," Winter explained, not skipping a beat. He was cold, factual, much like his name. Smith did not know what infuriated him more, his aloofness or the clinical explanation given to him. Still, he controlled his anger. Simply standing up on his seat, the scraping of his chair causing the other androids to cringe in their seats.

Winter remained standing, and looking at Smith, his finger thrust against his side of the table as he spoke. "Yet she lives, a beast in combat and a traumatized and scared wreck off the field." Smith inflected, each word making the other androids feel like they were drowning. "Not only that, there is also two other questions I wanted to breach. Why were Devola and Popola treated the way they were? And then, the lie with the Council of Humanity. White has spoken to me about both and gave me reasons. I want to hear what is yours."

Camille took a breath. She stood up, joining Winter. All eyes on the table turned to her, watching and waiting. "We needed someone to blame, sir. The loss of Gestalt...it was...it was their fault. We were lost, humanity was dead. Our gods had died. Their models, their models were the overseers. Naturally, they were blamed. So we discontinued their line, hunting down the others and leaving the ones under Colonel Anemone to be a warning for failure." Her voice was sorrowful, each word that left her mouth a cry both in bitterness and shame. 

"As my colleague said, our gods had died. We...we needed a god. We needed you," Winter quivered, emotion leaking from his voice. His ice melted briefly, his fists turned into a tight ball as he looked at Smith. "Before the invaders came, my people languished in depression. We failed you. We failed humanity. We...we revered you. We revere you still. The invaders, we couldn't fight them without you. We needed your light. We needed your guidance!" 

Fresh tears descended, from both his eyes. Zeal, sorrow, pain was on his gaze. "We did what we had to. We...we had no idea what to do!" 

Smith shared a look at each android in the room. His eyes scanned them, and found pain. Their uniforms, their head-dress and medals and pomp, each one of it fell away, revealing who they truly were. Scared. Traumatized. Alone. He...he could grasp the reasons for their choices. The necessity. The fear. Did it excuse them for what it would have meant for those unfortunate, like White who was the executor, A2, the unfortunate victim, and the countless other androids unfortunate enough to believe in a lie? 

No, it did not. 

Smith fell back, a stony expression on his face. Steam left his nose, his sigh like a whole new round of cringing for the androids, unsure of what the human meant by his actions. Winter, stony and icy, cringed as well. The ice he had kept up, melted away by the apparent displeasure in Smith's face. 

"A2, she is not a number anymore. She, like all of you, are all people now. Yes, you are androids, inorganic and made, but you are all people now. The time for sacrifices, for hard decisions, that is over," Smith said after a moment's thought. "I...I want to chastise you all so badly, but to chastise you after the fact would simply be needless compared to the weight you all carry." 

He glanced at Winter who wiped away the tears on his face with his sleeve. The android looked down, all of them did. The weight of the sinner was a burden they could not shed. Smith continued. "No more. No more lies, no more sacrifices. The lie that humanity yet lives on the moon, that is no longer needed. The sacrifice of innocent androids for some plan, no more." 

They all nodded quietly. No one wanted to contest that. Camille felt some weight in her chest leave her. Even despite the chastisement, the disappoint on Smith's eyes, she still felt warm. She yearned for the embrace of her father, of Smith. He and those that still lived were their parents, their gods. If they wished for it, demanded it even, she would do anything and everything to make it happen. 

Winter, yet their unofficial spokesman, braved to speak. "How will we breach that lie? Countless generations of androids have been made, believing that humanity is on the moon. If we tell them that, it will impact morale all over. And the Twins..." 

"The Twins...I want you all to meet them and apologize. Make a declaration that the Twins will no longer be subject to ridicule, and explain why. Tell them the truth, how painful it might be. As for the Moon...we will figure something out. I will also speak too, if that shall set your mind at ease. I certainly don't want you all to do the heavy lifting all the time. As I have told White, Anemone, and others, I will not have humanity's relationship with the androids be that of a master and a servant. We all will be equal, partners, allies, not that." 

Shame burnt in Camille's face. The humility on Smith's face, the gentleness of his voice was like a spear strike into her core and soul. 

"We would be willing servants, sir. We are made to be that, for the Glory of Mankind," Tizona whispered. 

"Not to us," Smith said firmly. "Not to me."

Camille felt light, as if she were being carried to the sky. Her heart and core swelled with pride, with joy. If Smith was willing to recognize her and all of them as that...then she would follow humanity to the deepest pits of hell. A lifetime of service, of crying and living alone, and finally mankind returns for them...

However, the feelings did not last long, as each councillor was alerted as their personal communicators all phoned in as one. 

Camille quickly activated hers, making sure to keep her voice steady. "This is Camille, what is it?" 

The next few words that came emptied the joy in her heart, dread creeping up her spine. The same feeling she had, on that fateful day, seeing them descend came to full force. 

"Power levels, ma'm! We are detecting power signatures in Tokyo!" 

"Who...what is it?" she whispered. 

"It's them, ma'am! It's the aliens!" 

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