They found out that Pascal had been telling the truth. As soon as 2B and 9S told Anemone that they had returned with an item from a Machine named Pascal, Anemone replied, “Ah, the fuel filter. Thanks.”
Apparently the Machines from that village specialized in fine precision work. They made parts that were difficult to manufacture at the resistance camp. Anemone and the resistance exchanged oils and other hard-to-obtain materials in return for the parts.
“Well, they’re a harmless bunch. There’s no need to worry. If you’re going back to the village, bring this for Pascal,” said Anemone.
2B and 9S revisited the village with a greasy can of oil from Anemone.
“Thank you so much for your effort,” said Pascal, bowing his head. He received the greasy oil from Anemone. It was uncomfortable to see and hear a Machine act in such a sophisticated way.
“I’m glad Anemone is a cooperative person. If only all androids and Machines could get along peacefully,” said Pascal.
“That’s nothing more than a dream,” said 9S. He was also probably getting uncomfortable. 9S argued that it was easier said than done.
“Machines have no emotions,” added 9S.
Those were harsh words for their host, who could understand what they were saying. But Pascal seemed to take no offense and replied, “You may be right.
“But if it’s not too much to ask,” insisted Pascal,” Please come by this village more often. I believe that the only way to reach mutual understanding is through communication.”
2B didn’t know how to answer. She felt like she couldn’t ignore the request, even though it was suggested by the enemy. If anything, he was right. But she didn’t want to admit it. 2B searched for the right reply. As if to disturb her thoughts, there was suddenly a sound similar to an earthquake or explosion.
“What was that?” 2B asked.
Pods 042 and 153 opened their communication displays as 2B and 9S exchanged glances. The voices of operators 6O and 12O started reporting the same news from pods 042 and 153.
“A Goliath-class enemy has appeared near the city ruins! There are multiple accompanying Machine signals!”
It was a combat order to all YoRHa squadron troopers. That earlier sound had come from the Goliath-class enemy.
“2B, these guys were trying to trap us all along…” said 9S, giving Pascal a look of exasperation.
His plan had probably been to lure 2B and 9S away and release the Goliath-class enemy while fewer personnel were stationed at the city ruins.
They hadn’t seen it, though a Goliath-class was an enemy large enough to make a mighty noise. If it was also being accompanied by multiple Machines, did luring two androids away make such a big difference?
“We were also not aware of that information. You may not believe me, but I hope you do,” said Pascal.
He was a Machine that should have no emotions, yet his tone of voice sounded somber.
“It’s okay either way. We’re going to go destroy it,” said 2B.
It didn’t matter if it was a trap or not. She was going to dismantle the enemy. That was her only job.
Even if Pascal desired communication, the YoRHa squadron troopers were built for battle. 2B bitterly remembered Pascal’s praise for Anemone’s cooperation and understanding.
2B could tell that the ground was shaking, even in full sprint. It wasn’t just the ground. The buildings and even the air were vibrating. It was easy to imagine how giant of an enemy was causing the ruckus.
But they could not get visuals on the Machine. There was a gray cloud, unidentifiable as dust or smoke, that covered their field of vision. 9S yelled, “2B!” from the side.
“Command deployed flight units! The building up ahead!” said 9S.
It was the roof of the building they had descended onto the other day. There were many similar buildings surrounding it, obscuring it from the prying eyes of enemies. The only downside was that it was far from the resistance camp and the area they were coming from.
The ground shook violently and a hot wind almost toppled her forward. A projectile had landed right behind them. If they hadn’t been running at full speed, it would’ve been a direct hit.
On the way they occasionally ran into wandering deer and boars. Even with their wild instincts, the animals were lost as to which direction to run for safety. The smell of burning flesh was proof that a significant number of animals had been caught in the crossfire.
On the other hand, they hardly saw any Machines. They had probably evacuated to safety right after the Goliath-class enemy appeared. Individually they were slow, but as a group they moved disturbingly quickly.
Their responsiveness always spelled trouble for the YoRHa squadron…
She ran with urgency up the stairs of the building and into the flight unit. She received a transmission from Operator 6O just as she was taking off.
“The sky is full of enemy antiflight measures. Please approach the scene at a low altitude.”
2B replied with a “Roger that” and lowered her altitude. With such poor field of vision, it was impossible to tell where the enemies were, much less dodge their attacks.
She passed between near-collapsing buildings and mowed down trees to close in on the Goliath-class enemy.
“Ms. 2B! I’m sending you data on the enemy’s weak points!” said Operator 6O.
“Roger that,” replied 2B.
She rapidly ascended and fired multiple missiles at the displayed points. This flight unit was of recent manufacture, but it had already been modified with measures against Goliath-class enemies. The battle data from the factory ruins had been analyzed and integrated into the firing components.
But this enemy was the same type as the one they had struggled with in the factory ruins. Even with the modified missiles, one attack was not enough to take down the enemy.
Avoiding the enemy’s laser cannons, 2B waited for her missiles to recharge. The downside of the newly issued unit was the slight delay needed for consecutive rounds of firing.
This time it was a transmission from 9S.
“Initiating hacking of the enemy system!” said 9S.
“Roger that. I’ll cover you,” replied 2B.
9S would take control of the enemy and 2B would destroy it. Last time they had lost out on numbers but this time there were only two enemies. This tactic was more than enough.
The enemy movements noticeably dulled. The missiles had recharged as well. 2B heard 9S report that his hacking was a success as she focused her aim.
The repeated hacking of 9S and firing from 2B eventually led to silence. The light in the enemy’s eyes vanished. The giant head slumped forward, pulling the body after it. 2B checked for the Machine’s signal. She was reminded of the countless times 9S had told her that it was dangerous unless she thoroughly checked that the enemy was dead.
“Goliath-class enemy, confirmation that all functions are down,” 2B reported clearly. The other enemy was on the verge of defeat. The surroundings were remarkably quiet compared to a few moments ago. Was the resistance camp okay? She told herself that she would go check after returning the flight unit to the Bunker.
Just then, she heard an ominous rumbling. Sounds similar to the earth rumbling became louder and higher in succession. The light returned to the eyes of the Goliath-class Machine.
“Impossible…” said 2B.
The enemy had definitely been dead. She had destroyed that arm with the blade as well. In reality, the enemy was functioning but not moving. There was no way it could move.
“Enemy is recharging!” screamed 9S.
His warning was drowned out. It was hard to hear anything because the atmosphere itself was shaking. The Operator’s voice came through in patches, reporting the increasing resonance from the enemy.
The shaking in the atmosphere grew into a shock wave. The most they could do was blast forward at full throttle to stay upright. They could hardly stay in position, much less transition to firing mode.
She thought she heard the words battle area, underground, and resonating, and moved her gaze to the ground. There was a crack. 2B gaped as building after building of considerable size was swallowed by the chasm, dust clouds rising everywhere.
The ground, the atmosphere, and everything around them was resonating. The Goliath-class Machine swayed and keeled over. She knew she had to withdraw, but she couldn’t move.
2B put her unit into full throttle and braced for a shockwave. She saw a white light. She thought she heard an explosion. There was a furious tremor.
Then, very abruptly, the light and noise disappeared. The silence was complete enough to make her think she was in outer space. Her auditory mechanisms were impaired from the shock wave.
2B’s ears rang. She grimaced and looked around to confirm 9S’s safety and gauge the situation. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Maybe her visual mechanisms were impaired as well.
All the things that should have been there, were not. The groups of buildings, the dense forest, the fragmented roads, and even the ground were all gone. There was a large crater, as if someone had taken an enormous spoon and scooped away the earth.
She righted her flight unit and flew over the depression. The Goliath-class Machine was not in sight. It was extremely lucky that both of them were okay given the scale of the explosion.
She breathed a sigh of relief. But it was drowned out by an obnoxious alarm. At the same time, the communication display turned into a sea of red.
“This is…?!” exclaimed 2B.
2B had never seen the words that were being displayed on the UI. alien alert—words that signified that the aliens, who had not shown themselves in several hundred years, were underground.