After leaving the flooded city, 9S temporarily returned to the resistance camp. His close combat fighting management system had been severely damaged, and he was having trouble with sustained fighting. He couldn’t even draw his sword.
Devola and Popola took one glance at 9S, then screeched in horror. He was apparently in gruesome condition. Before Pod could give an explanation, Devola and Popola detected the damaged areas and dove into repairs—as expected for androids specialized in maintenance.
9S ignored Devola, who had told him to rest a little bit, and made to leave the resistance camp. At the gate, he heard Popola’s voice calling from behind him.
“Hey 9S. Don’t try to die on your own.”
“I know,” was all he answered. It’s not like I’m trying to die, he thought. At the very least he would stay alive until he destroyed the Machines and killed A2. If he died first, he wouldn’t be able to kill them.
He never thought he would have such a strong intent to kill and destroy. He had thought that since Type S androids were not suited for battle, they would have less of a thirst for blood. Maybe that’s what he wanted to think. Perhaps he had held himself back with the excuse that he lacked battle skills—the same way he had held back his feelings for 2B.
2B had died, and there was no longer a need for him to hold back. He didn’t have to hide his thoughts or his desires for 2B. 2B would never know about them.
The moment he realized this, he lost self-control. He was unable to control anything. He could feel everything bursting. Everything shameful and dirty that he had pent up flowed out of him, bit by bit.
Like I care, 9S thought as he walked. He emerged from the underground waterway, passed through the partly busted gates of the amusement park, and cut through the square where there were no longer any Machines.
“Hostile android approaching. Switching to self-defense mode.”
“Again?” spat 9S. He had heard the same phrase three times, and it was getting to him. Even if he knew this was the last time, it didn’t change the fact that it was irritating.
And again, the entrance had angelic script inscribed above. This uninspired process exasperated him.
“Pod, what about these words?”
“Answer: labeled as ‘god box.’ ”
“God? How dare the Machines use such a word.”
It was offensive for the plebeian Machines to mention God. God was an entity humans worshipped, a being of the highest order. It was unacceptable for scraps of metal to speak of God when even humans had occasionally hesitated to do so.
He would destroy every last remaining one of them. And in the most excruciating ways possible.
Once he infiltrated the facility, he was met with the same interior, with Machines that he was tired of seeing. This time, there was no treasure chest. As a result, he wasn’t distracted by any questionable information.
He hijacked the Machines by hacking, made them fight each other, and they exploded. 2B had been infected by a virus, showered by bullets from other YoRHa-type androids, and killed by A2. 9S wanted the enemy to experience something similar.
This was the only time he wished that Machines had emotions. He wanted them to feel the trauma of getting attacked by comrades and the anguish of being betrayed by their trusted allies.
He wanted to hear the Machines genuinely cower and wail in fear, instead of simply playing prerecorded audio…
“Report: Excessive fighting strains the chassis.”
Pod interrupted his flow, its warning irking 9S.
“Shut up!”
Strain on the chassis? Did he care? But Pod was being unusually stubborn.
“Negative: This support program functions as an assistant to 9S. It reserves the right to concern itself with its user’s well-being.”
Its nagging bothered him. It reminded him of someone.
“Do what you want!”
He yelled, and left the area. No matter how fast he walked, or how abruptly he started to sprint, Pod followed suit. Even if he knew that was the nature of Pods, he still hated it.
9S made it a point to stomp loudly as he stormed into the elevator. More than anything, he loathed the way he acted so childishly.
✦ ✦ ✦
In front of the core installed on the roof was an enemy he did not expect. It was not a Machine. It was an android.
“Operator…”
It was Operator 21O, who had been assigned to aid 9S. Normally identical to the other YoRHa types, her eyes glowed red. But her appearance was different from how 9S remembered. She was in battle uniform.
“Why is there an operator model here?”
“Inspecting: Operator 21O. In the previous descent battle, by her own volition decided to convert to Type B. Newly appointed as 21B, she was stationed on the front lines, and four hours later reported missing.”
“No…”
Before the previous descent battle took place, 9S had been nullifying the enemy’s aerial defense system on Earth.
During battle, please stay as far away from the field as possible.
A scanner model like yourself is not suited for battle.
21O’s words flooded back to him. Right after their exchange, 21O became 21B, and descended to Earth.
Because he had replied with a mischievous answer like, “Aw, are you worried about me?” 21O had coolly said, “No, you would only be a burden on the battlefield.” But in reality 9S knew that she worried for him. She always did…
Simultaneously, he was filled with a feeling of rabid hate toward the Machines that purposefully made 21B guard the core of the “god box.”
The Machine that had invaded the Bunker had no doubt been eavesdropping on 21O and 9S. From that, they knew she was an individual that 9S trusted, and deliberately planted her as an enemy. They probably expected 9S to be conflicted, to fight under immense stress and confusion, and eventually succumb at her hands. They probably planned to watch him struggle, and laugh at him for doing so.
Like I’d let them, he thought. 9S attacked with no mercy.
“Pod! Support with maximum-power fire!”
It had not been long since 21B converted to Type B. She was most likely thrown on the front lines with little training, and was probably unfamiliar with the equipment and behavior of a Type B. If he could exploit that weakness, even as a Type S, he had a chance against her.
“Please…refrain from conversation irrelevant…t0 the m1ss1on.”
He almost stopped at the words that spilled out of 21B’s mouth.
“A single confirmation…is…en0ugh…”
She was only reciting phrases that lingered in her memory. Don’t falter, he told himself.
“Please…kill me…”
9S widened his eyes. 21B’s hand was shaking as it held her sword. It was unclear whether 21O’s consciousness was the cause, or if the enemy was intentionally dragging out 21O’s consciousness.
“Operator… It’s okay! It’ll be okay!”
He readied his sword and charged. His loathing of Machines galvanized him.
“I’ll kill you…now!”
He heard a scream. But 9S was unable to tell anymore if it was his or 21O’s.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Good morning, A2.”
The moment I opened my eyes, I was baffled by the greeting from the rectangular box. I thought I was still dreaming. But I’ve seen this talking box before. When I met No. 2 and No. 9 at the forest castle, this box was floating next to them. It had transmitted that revolting voice. That woman that said whatever she wanted, about how I was a traitor and that I was a dangerous android.
Just thinking about it made me annoyed, so I was planning on ignoring the box.
“I am support unit Pod 042. I will assist YoRHa android A2 with artillery support.”
“I didn’t ask for that.”
“Affirmative: I did not receive an order from A2. This action was directed by the previous user, 2B, as a final directive.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“YoRHa android A2 does not have the right to decline.”
Eventually I got tired of resisting and let the box do whatever it wanted. But it was really a useless box in terms of its so-called “support.” When I asked it about the identity of the strange fissure-inducing structure, the only thing it said was, “Unclear, but speculated to be the Machines’ doing.” Even when I asked it about the whereabouts of 2B’s corpse or 9S, it echoed “Unable to answer.”
If anything, its artillery function was useful. Since I didn’t have the means to perform long-range attacks, it conveniently diversified my attack maneuvers, though I was fed up with it trying to act like it was doing me a favor, saying things like, “Recommendation: Gratitude to this support unit for providing the user with long-range attack capabilities.”