“Hypothesis: The sand in the hallways and near the walls was intentionally circulated by humans. However, the date of occurrence and motive are unknown.”
“Intentionally circulated? You mean they poured the sand into the temple? Like a river?”
“Affirmative: For convenience sake, we will call it artificial quicksand.”
“Why would they do something like that? Oh, did you say the motive was unknown?”
“Affirmative.”
There were many mysteries from ancient civilization. While humans had fled to the moon, they hadn’t taken all their belongings. That’s why androids performed research and kept records.
“Are there any Machines nearby?”
She didn’t see any enemy responses on her goggles, but 2B asked Pod 042 just in case. It was better to be safe than sorry.
“Answer: There is no enemy presence in the temple.”
That meant that even if 9S, a ball of curiosity, did something sporadic, they wouldn’t be in immediate danger. Of course, there were some Machines that could jam their sensors, so they weren’t completely off the hook.
“Warning: The stairs and a part of the floor ahead are damaged.”
9S laughed in response to 153’s warning. “I know. You don’t have to tell me. Right 2B?”
2B nodded.
She could see a huge boulder blocking the descending staircase by the entrance.
“This boulder used to be a part of the ceiling. The surface is worn down, but I can see some patterns on it.” 9S, who was kneeling on one knee inspecting the boulder, glanced up at the ceiling. Seeing that, 2B also looked up. She could see the sky through a gaping hole.
“I wonder why it collapsed …”
At the very least, it wasn’t the aftermath of a Machine battle. The androids were created to return Earth to its rightful human owners. So when they fought, they tried to use methods that wouldn’t put human artifacts in danger.
That’s why it was hard to believe that a battle would take place so close to such a large artifact as this building. If, hypothetically, androids had encountered Machines, they would have lured them to a different place before engaging in battle.
“Answer: The collapse is estimated to have happened thousands of years ago. Therefore, the cause is indeterminate.”
“Thousands of years ago, huh. Amazing.”
“Amazing?”
“Well, if the ceiling collapsed thousands of years ago, that must mean this temple was built even earlier than that? It’s amazing that this building is in such good condition. Since the desert winds are so harsh, I would’ve expected more erosion to take place, especially for a stone structure like this.” 9S, who had said all of that in one breath, suddenly stood up. As if he were being sucked in, he quickly headed toward the room next to the staircase.
“What next?” 2B asked, a little irritated. 9S was inspecting the open door.
“I wonder how they opened and closed this door. It’s stone, you know? This thickness and size. It’s not something humans would be able to easily move.”
The sliding door consisted of two panels, but neither would budge no matter how much they pushed or pulled. 9S tilted his head to the side as he stared at the partition.
“Maybe there’s a power source somewhere?”
9S peered inside the room. But in contrast to the hallway, which was lit by natural light from above, the room was pitch-black and seemed to extend forever. Pod 153 blocked 9S as he attempted to enter the dark room.
“Recommendation: Illumination area.”
“Okay, that’s perfect.”
“Roger.”
What lay illuminated in 153’s light was surprisingly a large space. 9S ran after 153 toward the middle of the room. The entrance grew dark again. After instructing 042 to illuminate the way, 2B also stepped into the room.
9S inspected the ceiling and the walls. As he moved, his shoes made squeaks that echoed throughout the room. Then he suddenly crouched down to inspect the tiles on the floor. Just watching 9S made 2B dizzy.
“The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made by stacking stones. They cut them uniformly, laid them out—this architectural style is different from any other one I’ve seen. I wonder what kind of equipment they used? How did they carry that much heavy material? How does such a thin pillar support a room this tall and wide?”
9S rushed toward a portion of the wall, talking with fascination in his voice. “Did there used to be a light here? On this thin table?”
“Affirmative: There is evidence that torches, a type of illumination, used to be placed here.”
One, two, three, four—there’s eight of them. I wonder what they used this room for? It doesn’t seem like it served a ritualistic purpose.”
After running around excessively, 9S headed toward a door in the back. The door at the entrance was open, but this door was closed.
“I doubt it but …” 9S placed his hand on the handle. “What if this door easily opens—yeah right,” 9S said, drowned out by a creaking sound. The door slid open from both sides.
“It opened?”
9S looked surprised as he looked at the open door. Pod 153 kept the light on as it went in through the door and then came back. Checking the surroundings for any danger was also a duty of a support unit.
“Warning: The hallway is significantly below the door’s height.”
But 153’s warning could not deter the Type S’s curiosity.
“I’m going to go look a little. I’ll be back right away!”
After 9S let go, the door closed behind him.
2B sighed after 9S and 153 disappeared from sight. This was her chance.
“Pod program, activate close-combat support and weaponry.”
“Roger: Electronic signal camouflage activated, close-combat attacks activated.”
Pod 042 went through the procedures.
“Combat mode changed to anti-YoRHa. Personal identification signal erased.”
Her heart was heavy as she thought of what she had to do. In order to settle herself down, 2B stood still as she drew her sword.
It was part of her assignment. It was a mission, in the category of top secret. She’d received a notification for new mail right after she exited her flight unit. Not on the Bunker in orbit, or after they had entered the stratosphere. Pod 042 notified her right as they landed in the desert.
She knew right away what the subject matter was. A message directly from the commander, not sent through an operator. Sent when it was least likely to be intercepted. Above top secret.
No. She knew far before she received the message. She knew when she was assigned to a human civilization research mission with 9S. She was sure she would have to assassinate 9S in the near future. Her prediction had unfortunately now come true.
“Pod. Give me 9S’s location and a route to approach him through this hallway.”
“Roger: 9S’s black box response targeted, calculating best route.”
2B stood with her back to the door that 9S and 153 had gone through. It was better to hunt him using a different route. It would be easier to run into him than chase him.
Furthermore, the target was a Type S, a new model that specialized in research and data collection. She had to be cautious, or else she might lose the element of surprise.
Of course, she had much higher battle capabilities. The result would be the same, regardless of whether or not she surprised him. But she wanted to be done with her task as quick as possible, before 9S realized he was being attacked. That way she could spare him some fear and pain …
“Calculation complete,” 042 said, as 2B retraced her steps through the hallway she had passed. She leapt onto the boulder that was blocking the staircase, and jumped. 9S’s black box response was much closer now.
This time she carefully crept down the stairs, trying not to make a sound. The black box response was coming from the next room. She quietly drew her sword and approached the door.
Just like the first room, these double doors were wide open as well. But she couldn’t see 9S.
She got closer to the door, and quickly scanned around. The room was empty. Which meant there was nowhere to hide as well. She wondered if she should enter …
2B felt a presence behind her. She quickly dove to the side and evaded a shower of bullets that rained down right where she had been standing. She recognized it as a long-range attack from a Pod program.