9S was torn between heading first to the flooded city or to the amusement park ruins. After some consideration, he chose the flooded city, while the transfer devices could still be used.
While the road to the amusement park ruins had been shattered, there were multiple routes, and it was close to the crater zone. On the other hand, there was only one route to the flooded city, which was through the underground waterway. There was a possibility that the dilapidated waterway could collapse. And now that the research and development team had dissolved, he wasn’t sure how much longer the transfer device would be serviceable.
That had been his reasoning, but perhaps it was just a hunch. There were some disintegrating remains of a flight unit in the shallows, stuck nose first into the sand. Something struck him the moment he saw the debris.
“Pod, is this…”
Various parts had been melted from high heat and bullets had disfigured the frame. But there was no mistaking this unit. Not this one.
“Affirmative: YoRHa squadron trooper 2B’s ID detected among this unit’s remains.”
2B had landed here. That meant that she had made her way through the underground waterway into the city ruins, followed the shrubbery along the flooded city, and crossed the bridge…to end up at the forest clearing.
If only he had gotten 2B’s location data earlier. He might have been able to catch 2B while she was still here. At least, before 2B had crossed the bridge…no, maybe even just before she had run into A2… He didn’t want to think about what had happened after that.
“Report: Unsent transmission detected from the flight unit’s memory storage.”
9S heard a familiar voice after he told Pod to play the transmission.
“…This is YoRHa squadron trooper…2B. If anyone is listening to this…I’d like you to pass…something on. If you…see YoRHa…squadron trooper 9S…I’d like to tell him…”
Whether because of damage to the memory storage device, or from poor conditions during the actual recording, the transmission suddenly cut off. Right as he thought the message was over, 2B’s voice became audible again over the static.
“…I apologize. The message for him is…9S, the days I spent with you…were like rays of sunshine…in…my…life. Th…ank…you…Ni…nez.”
9S was frozen in place.
“That is all,” Pod said.
Pod’s attempt at spurring 9S did not work. He was still unable to move.
“2B… She called me Nines…”
He wished he had heard her say it in person. How he wished he could hear a living 2B call him Nines in an animated voice, instead of over a static-filled transmission.
2B was no longer here. 2B was no longer anywhere in this world. He was struck by reality. By none other than 2B’s own voice.
His vision blurred. His vocal chords trembled. What a pointless thing to do, he thought. He told himself there were more important things to do. Destroy every last one of the Machines, and kill A2.
9S stood up, and headed toward the resource recovery unit. He ran. He sprinted. He didn’t want to waste a minute—no, not even a second—in destroying the Machines.
But inside of the building labeled “soul box” in angelic script, it was completely silent.
“There are…no enemies?”
The facility was constructed identically to the meat box, out of Machine parts. It also had an atrium, and an elevator used to travel up and down the building. Only the variously stationed Machines were missing.
“Is this elevator broken? Ah, they’re telling me to hack it.”
He was slowly starting to understand the enemy’s childlike tendencies. As expected, after he hacked and disarmed the system’s security, the elevator began to move.
Again, the next floor was devoid of enemies, and only accommodated a hacking point. It was intentionally made to look like a treasure chest and placed conspicuously in the center of the room. They were stubbornly foolish.
Furthermore, the treasure chest did not only serve as system security, but actually contained “treasure”—information—inside.
The first treasure chest contained blueprints for the tower in the crater zone. The tower was not simply a monument, nor solely a trap for androids. It had an exit portal, which also served as a launchpad.
At that size? And it was obviously not for intercontinental launches, but rather designed for ships capable of escaping Earth’s gravity well.
“Is it aimed at the moon? A massive cannon aimed at the human server?”
He looked at Pod. He wanted it to reject his hypothesis. Even if humans were extinct, their genetic profile data was stored on the moon. If that was destroyed then absolutely nothing would remain of humans.
“Due to lack of information, neither denial nor affirmation is possible.”
“Shit.”
If he explored the other floors, he might be able to find the rest of the information. 9S entered the elevator.
But the enemy was not so generous as to give him the information that he wanted. That was how enemies operated. The next treasure chest was a prime example.
As soon as he deactivated the security system, he was exposed to information he did not want to see—information related to YoRHa androids.
“A black box?”
The black box was a powerful energy source, and true to its name, not even the squadron troopers knew its origins. Not even Type S androids, who were directed to perform research. That was why 9S never even thought about what a black box was composed of.
“That can’t be…?!”
It might be misinformation. To unsettle him. That was the only explanation.
“The YoRHa squadron black boxes are made from Machine cores?”
That was impossible. It couldn’t be. To think he was made from his own enemies. 9S kicked the chest aside in fury. The enemy wanted to rattle him. Even now, there was probably one of those clowns watching him, snickering at his every move.
He moved on to the next floor, reminding himself not to be fooled so easily. Technically speaking, all the information was given to him by the enemy. He was at fault for believing them. The information regarding the launchpad was dubious as well.
He hacked the next chest, this time determined to stop being so gullible. The usual white expanse enveloped him. He disengaged the program’s attack mechanism, and waited for the security to deactivate.
“Huh? That’s weird.”
Did this treasure chest have better security than the others? 9S started to roam through the white virtual circuit dimension. At times a black wall would appear, but it was easy to destroy. The security didn’t seem like it was meant to keep him out.
“What is this…”
9S stared at his own hand. Something was off. While hacking in the circuit dimension, one’s physical body was never visible. Instead it was displayed as a shape or signal, while the enemy’s program was displayed as a black sphere or cylinder. This was done to optimize the hacking process, making program invasion and subroutine destruction of the program more efficient.
But right now 9S could see himself. He could see the arms and legs he was used to seeing. And if he had a mirror he would most likely see the face he was used to seeing in real life.
“What is this dimension?”
The white walls abruptly turned into screens, flooded with various images.
“Are these…my memories?”
Memories of his first flight unit training, his first Earth descent mission, his first encounter with a Machine, his first time meeting with 2B…
“Why are my memories here? Why do they know all of this?”
He briskly walked through the white passageway. There was a white door. He reached for it. It was unlocked.
Through the door was a large room—so large that he was unable to tell how far it extended. He could see human silhouettes in the center of the room. Clothed in black, they were…women.
“2B?”
He rushed toward them to check. Of course, they were not 2B in the flesh. They were her data. In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by 2Bs.
“You don’t have to use honorifics when you say my name.”
“It’s forbidden to have emotions.”
“I admire your passion for knowledge.”
“9S... Come on. Let’s go home.”
These were definitely 9S’s memories. He was being counterhacked. He had thought he was doing the hacking, but he’d allowed the enemy to invade his mind.
A black shadow materialized in the center of the room. It was the enemy that had counterhacked him. The shadow swallowed 2B’s data, one piece after another.
“Stop!”
The shadow persisted. It ate his memories of 2B: the look that she made when she was confused, the rare moments when she expressed anger, and the time she looked back at him.
“Stop it!”
He hurled himself onto the shadow.
“Don’t invade my memories!”
He held down the shadow and constricted him. He was beating down the enemy that had tried to take his precious treasures away.
“Don’t mess with my memories.”
In a flash, he found himself holding a sword. He stabbed the shadow over and over and over.
He straddled the shadow, and continued to stab it. He realized that the shadow had 2B’s face. Even then, he kept stabbing it. Red liquid sprayed out.
“This is…my memory!”
This is my memory. This 2B is mine and mine only. 2B is mine…
He kept stabbing until its chest was a mangled mess. When he looked down, his hands were covered—not in red liquid, but instead with a black and viscid substance. The enemy he had been stabbing was not 2B. It was the core of the soul box.
9S stood up. He heard the sword clatter to the floor.
What was I doing?
The back of his throat trembled. Laughter welled up.
I’ll kill anyone that hurts 2B. I’ll kill anyone that touches 2B. I’ll kill anyone that comes near 2B. I’ll kill anyone that looks at 2B. The only one allowed to look at 2B is me. The only one allowed to come near 2B is me. The only one allowed to touch 2B is me. The only one allowed to hurt 2B is me. The only…
His laughter didn’t stop. Standing there, bent over, 9S kept laughing.