“No. 4, let’s go!”
“Leave it to me for support!” yelled No. 16 from behind. No. 2 felt like she needed to get in front of No. 4. No. 1 had always fought like that, protecting her comrades. No. 2 wanted to at least emulate her fallen leader. If she couldn’t become as strong as No. 1, then at least she could become a shield for her comrades.
The first wave of enemies came forward. Their bodies were grotesque, with two long, thin legs protruding from their torsos.
And while they were bipedal, their gaits were slightly off. From legs that bent at close to 90-degree angles to bodies that contained the head within the torso, they were more insectoid than humanoid.
“So these are … Machines.”
No. 2 forcefully cut them down, driven by an innate hatred, rather than just the fact that they were enemies. She wanted to cleanse them from her sight.
The Machines toppled over so easily it was almost disappointing. Their behavior and their gaits were hideous. Just when No. 2 was about to fling her sword down to put an end to those she had thrashed, they quickly spun around and stood up. It seemed they had just lost their balance because of their high centers of mass, and had hardly taken damage.
No. 2 swung her sword wildly. Machines collapsed and got back up again. She wanted to cry, because she knew her actions were futile. Still she whirled the sword in all directions. There was nothing else she could do.
When she looked over her shoulder, she saw No. 4 struggling. No. 16 was having a hard time too. They were hitting their opponents, but inflicting little damage.
Why me, she thought again. No. 1 should have survived, not me. No. 1 would have come up with some gambit to turn the tide in our favor …
If not, maybe No. 3. She had recorded the most kills during the training, and would have faced all these enemies without hesitation. Or No. 5, who was the fastest YoRHa. Or No. 11, who could use both gun and sword. Or No. 14, who used multiple guns simultaneously.
Why? Why was she here? She wasn’t strong or exceptional, just mediocre.
Before she knew it her attacks were deflected. No. 2 awkwardly fell on her bottom. the Machines crept closer with jerky movements.
“Sorry. I can’t …”
“At this rate we’ll all be dead,” muttered No. 16. The Machines drew nearer.
“We won’t let that happen!”
The Machines in front of her suddenly collapsed. She thought she could hear gunfire. Somebody had mowed down the Machines. They lay on the ground, motionless.
“You all get out of the way!”
As if that were a cue, unfamiliar androids streamed in. Probably older models, and ancient at that. They wore clothes that completely disregarded temperature. The guns they had equipped were also clearly of antique vintage. But yet, the androids were killing off Machines as if it were a game.
“Use your thermo sensor! The cognitive unit swims in coolant. That’s their weak point!”
The only thing she knew was that these women had come to save them from their predicament …
“R-roger that!”
She wasn’t going to be dead baggage for her saviors. No. 2 stood up, and readied her sword.
“Thermo sensor, on!”
Just as the unfamiliar androids had said, the Machine heat signatures contained a peculiar cooler spot in their torsos.
“There’s the weak point.”
She stepped forward and closed the distance with the nearest enemy. She thrust her sword at the section with the lowest temperature. It didn’t feel any different from before. But after its long legs trembled for a moment, the Machine stopped moving.
“I … beat it?”
She heard a series of explosions beside her. It was No. 16. Once they knew their weakness, it was easy. All they had to do was fight just like they had done in the training.
The waves of enemies that had once seemed endless gradually dwindled. No. 2 started to think that victory was possible.
“New enemy signals detected. It’s their reinforcements!”
No. 21 had sensed them first via radar. The signals showed up on No. 2’s goggles after a slight delay. The number of reinforcements was far greater than the number of enemies they had destroyed.
“There’s no end! At this rate, we’ll be wiped out!”
No. 4 screamed the near identical words that were going through No. 2’s mind. Even her tone of voice, on the verge of breaking into tears, was similar …
“Withdraw!”
It was the same android that had alerted them to the enemy’s weakness. On her cue, all the other androids began a systematic retreat.
“It’s going to plan.”
“As expected, Rose!”
It seemed that the leader android was named Rose. Rose glanced back at her comrades.
“Gapera, what’s your status?”
“Preparations complete. I can blow them away at any time.”
“What’s happening?” No. 16 questioned Rose.
“We drew all the enemies to one spot. You were all a big help.”
They gathered all the enemies in one spot … to wipe them out? Did they set some kind of trap?
“If you don’t want to be blown into smithereens with the rest of them, retreat! Hurry!”
A smaller android pulled her arm as she scolded No. 2. She didn’t know her name.
“R-roger that. Everyone!”
No. 21, who seemed to understand the situation, nodded and started running. A hesitant No. 4 and discontent No. 16 followed.
“Land mine!” Rose yelled.
“Okay! Let’s do it! Everyone, lie flat and brace yourselves!”
No. 2 followed Gerbera’s order and lay flat on the ground. Immediately after, a roar, vibration, and shock wave assaulted them at once.
“So this is a land mine,” mumbled No. 2. It was her first time seeing such an old-fashioned explosive in action. She had knowledge about it, but had never used it during training.
The thick smoke covered her line of sight. But through her goggles, she could see moving heat signals beyond the smoke. The enemies were beginning to retreat.
Eventually No. 21 reported, “No Machine heat signatures in range.” We survived, No. 2 thought. She held back No. 16, who was obviously still wary about the situation, with a glare. Then No. 2 thanked Rose. Without them they would have surely died.
“Thank you for saving us. We are …” No. 2 started to introduce their group.
“I don’t recall saving you.”
“What?”
Rose raised her right hand. The guns of her comrades, which had been shooting Machines just a few moments ago, were now pointed at No. 2 and her squadron.