“She’s a violent person, isn’t she?” 9S mumbled and sighed as they walked along the narrow path, a faint burning smell lingering. While she was taken aback by Jackass’s methods, 2B didn’t think she was as violent as 9S made her out to be. If an explosion was necessary to open the sealed path, that must mean that the seal had been heavily fortified. Jackass was doing her job well.
“It’s not a problem,” said 2B. Maybe the reason why she had ignored 9S’s call was to lead them away from the explosion. In hindsight, by being ignored, 2B and 9S had moved to Jackass’s location.
That meant she had accomplished her objective with minimal effort. Of course, she could have just been playing around, which wouldn’t be too hard to believe. “We obtained the intel on the enemy. She’s already given us all the information we need.”
The recent Machine outbreak was happening around an abandoned and dysfunctional pipeline. It was unknown why Machines had taken a liking to such a thing, but it was convenient. If there was a clear destination, there was no need to search the vast desert.
It was not the first time 2B had visited the desert area. She was well aware of how troublesome the desert could be. Despite multiple visits, it was not a place that she could grow to like. On top of that, the desert area and its surroundings had had their fair share of misfortunes. Visiting the place brought back various memories of such misfortunes.
“It seems like we’re close,” said 9S as he lowered his voice. The enemy signals were getting closer. The sensor in the goggles flashed red to show the proximity. But there was no enemy in sight. Wherever they looked, there was only the color of sand and the occasional rust-colored pipeline extending into the horizon.
All of a sudden, the sand burst up. A black mass flew out with a harsh metallic sound—a Machine. The Machines had been waiting in ambush beneath the sands.
Their cylindrical bodies creaking, five Machines charged at the trio. Small and bipedal, they were a common Machine type, but they had all tied rags to their bodies and were wearing strange planks that almost looked like animal faces—as if donning clothes and wearing masks.
Bracing her feet against the unstable surface of the sand, 2B pulled out her military sword. Then 2B realized something else. The Machines’ appearance was not the only thing out of the ordinary.
“Ki1l…”
A voice, if it could be called that. It was clearly different from the mindless noises that Machines usually made.
“Destr0y…the enemy…”
“Words? The Machines are speaking?” said 2B.
There was no time to think about it. She sliced through the bodies that approached rapidly, flailing their appendages. The bodies, with shabby rags flying from them, fell back with a screech. More Machines rushed in from behind.
While she was fending off the second wave, the fallen Machines from the first wave picked themselves up. Hits like those they’d suffered weren’t going to keep them down for long. 2B swapped her sword for a larger one, and leapt into the air. Using the momentum generated by her attack arc, she slammed her weapon into the spherical head of a Machine. YoRHa androids have an approximate weight of 150 kilograms. The wooden mask split in half, and the metal head flattened into a semi-spherical shape. One down.
Pulling out the large sword that had been lodged into the enemy’s head, 2B flung it back down immediately. The large sword smashed into the side of a Machine that had been sprawled on the ground, caving the body in. Two down.
“2B! Dodge!” screamed 9S.
She leapt backward to create space. An awkwardly moving Machine suddenly started shaking, and exploded. 9S had hacked and taken control of the enemy. The explosion swallowed the nearby Machines, reducing them to metal debris.
The remaining Machine was routed under concentrated fire from Pods 042 and 153. Considering that there were only five Machines, the extermination took longer than expected. The resistance leader was not exaggerating when she had said the fierce Machines were a lot of trouble. Indeed, it would be difficult to deal with them without the specialized martial ability of the YoRHa.
“I wonder why they were wearing such superfluous items,” said 2B. Rags tied around their bodies and masks on their faces. Their appearance and their peculiar ability to speak set them apart from their counterparts in the city ruins.
“They look similar to how humans dressed in the past,” said 9S, who explained that he had seen the items in the Human Era database. “Now that I think about it, their face paint, too—it looked like face paint used in tribal societies.”
“Machines imitating human culture? Why?,” 2B asked.
“I don’t think they’re doing it with a specific intention,” said 9S, whose lips contorted into a condescending smirk. Yeah, probably, she thought. They are only Machines, after all. “There are more enemy signals up ahead,” 9S said as an annoyed expression replaced his smile.
“You don’t call five Machines an outbreak.”
“You’re right,” replied 9S, sighing deeply.
✦ ✦ ✦
Moving along the pipeline, they fought Machines again and again. They were all aggressive like before, but after the first battle things moved along more smoothly. Even if they were stronger than usual, after a few fights it became easier to face them. The trio had gotten used to them.
Despite making noises that were assumed to be words, and wearing human clothes, in battle the Machines were mediocre.
The enemies operated in groups of five or six. As if they had marked territories, they generally stayed in one place and fought. Perhaps they didn’t have enough awareness to use the land to their advantage or use strategy to surround their foes. However…
“N0… I… scare…d”
“He… lp… me”
“Help”
2B hesitated. “Help.” They were calling for help. She had known the machines were making word-like sounds, but she didn’t expect them to say something like that.
Observing that 2B had become tentative, 9S sharply yelled, “2B! They’re just saying random words!” That’s right, Machine sounds have no meaning… 2B beat down the head that had been asking for help. She knocked away the Machines that were approaching from the side. With little resistance, the Machines rolled down the steep surface of the sand dunes. “Besides, asking for help while attacking is a contradiction,” said 9S.
2B nodded in agreement. Machines are just that, Machines. Focus on destroying them quickly.
Just then, one of the Machines that had rolled down the dune popped up. 2B’s attack had been insufficient to incapacitate it. “I die… Run… Run… Scared,” the Machine said. It quickly turned the other way, and started running. It moved much faster than it had before. So this is what it means to “take to your heels,” 2B thought, half-amused.