Recorded for posterity, in case the original references are removed.
NieR Replicant stories are not included here.
Chronological-ish Order
- Project YoRHa
- References
- Scenes: 1: Zinnia ∙ 2: Name ∙ 3: Constellations ∙ 4: Project YoRHa
- Pearl Harbor Descent (in-game archive)
- Memory Cage
- Memory Thorn
- A Repeating Prayer
- References
- Scenes: 1: December 29th ∙ 2: April 6th ∙ 3: January 18th ∙ 4: February 4th
- NieR:Automata game
- Orbital Bunker Observation Diary (before & concurrent to game prologue)
- References
- Entries: TB 13:30 ∙ TB 13:40 ∙ TB 14:00 ∙ TB 14:30
- Beasts of Slaughter (before & concurrent to game A/B)
- References
- Scenes: 1: Pearl Harbor Descent ∙ 2: Executioner ∙ 3: Pursuer ∙ 4: Reunited
- Lies (concurrent to game A/B)
- References
- Scenes: 1: Exchange Test ∙ Pascal’s Scene ∙ 2: Access Point ∙ 3: Betrayal ∙ 4: Message
- Precious Things (concurrent to game A/B/C/D/E)
- References
- Scenes: 1: 9S ∙ 2: 2B ∙ 3: Infection ∙ 4: Treasure
- Farewell
- End of Data
No.9 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
No.9 (narration): We are perpetually trapped ...
No.9 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
No.9 (narration): Is this a curse?
No.9 (narration): Or some kind of punishment?
No.9 (narration): I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle ...
No.9 (narration): ... and wonder if we'll ever have the chance to kill him.
(Zinnia speaks in a cheerful voice.)
Zinnia: Hey, the name's Zinnia. But everyone just calls me Genius.
Zinnia: ... Just kidding!
Zinnia: It's just Zinnia, like the flower. I've heard they take a long time to bloom.
Zinnia: My job is ... Mmnn, how do I put this ... I'm the chief of technical development for the human forces, I suppose.
Zinnia: I'm developing a new type of android known as a "YoRHa" up on the sixth orbital base, the "Lab".
Zinnia: This Lab is equipped with not only the most state-of-the-art development equipment, but excellent staff, as well.
(No.9 speaks up in the middle of his speech.)
No.9: Zinnia ... Are you talking to yourself or something?
Zinnia: Oh, No.9!
Zinnia: Well, I figured once you YoRHa-type androids are perfected, the whole world's eyes'll be on me, so I thought I'd practice my speech.
No.9: Hahah, seriously? Don't you think that's jumping the gun a little?
Zinnia: A first-class researcher such as myself must be prepared for anything and everything!
No.9: Oh, so that's it, is it? ... Oh, No.2.
No.2: What is it, No.9 ... Do you need something?
No.9: Uh, no, not really, but ...
No.2: Then you're just wasting my time.
No.9: Wasting your time?
Zinnia: Hahah, don't fight now, you two.
Zinnia: No.2, communication is of the utmost importance for androids.
Zinnia: So I'd hardly call it a waste of time.
No.2: ... All right.
Zinnia: Okay, then! Today we're going to test everyone's motor functions.
Zinnia: So I'd like for you to tell everyone to meet at the testing block.
Zinnia: No.9, you especially ...
(No.9 mimics Zinnia's voice.)
No.9: "You especially need to remember to head there, seeing as you're always getting distracted by everything!" ... Right?
Zinnia: Oh, so you do realize it!
No.9: You've only said that a million times. It'd be hard not to.
Zinnia: Right, then. Testing block in ten minutes. Got it?
No.9 and No.2: Okaaay.
(No.2 's response is much shorter than No.9's.)
Zinnia (narration): They're the base models for the new units, but ...
Zinnia (narration): To me, they're like my cute little family ... No, maybe more like my students.
Zinnia (narration): It's painful for me to send them off to the battlefield, but ...
Zinnia (narration): All I can really do is train them so that they'll be strong enough to withstand whatever they face there.
(Zinnia pauses, face growing dark.)
Zinnia (narration): At least ... that's what I thought.
No.9: Hey, Zinnia, there's something I wanted to ask you.
Zinnia: Oh, No.9, No.2. Is it just me, or are you two always together?
No.2: Just a coincidence. I'm only here to deliver the documents you asked for.
Zinnia: Right, right, thanks for that. And what is it you wanted to ask, No.9?
No.9: Uh, nothing in particular, actually. I just saw No.2 passing by and decided to follow her.
No.2: Creep.
No.9: Hahah, aw, come on, don't be like that.
Zinnia: Geez, if you two are just going to flirt, do it somewhere else. I'm too single for this.
No.9: No, wait, wait, I really did have something to ask you about though!
No.9: Your name's based off of that flower, right? The Zinnia?
No.9: Why do you have a name like that?
Zinnia: Wasn't my choice. My former senior officer called me it.
No.9: Huuuh. So names can be given out that easily?
Zinnia: Well, nicknames aren't really a problem, but for an official name, you'll need permission from the human forces' higher command.
Zinnia: If you don't get that, then it'll be a hassle for administration to deal with.
No.2: Um ... Could we ...
Zinnia: Hm?
No.2: Could we be given names ... too?
(Zinnia hesitates for a moment.)
Zinnia: Sure ... Once you've finished all your tests and your assignment has been decided, I think Command will give you your official names.
(No.2 looks a little happy about that.)
No.2: I see ...
No.9: Oh, hey, No.2. It's almost time for us to get our memory storage checked.
No.9: We should head over to the server management room.
No.2: Understood ... Zinnia, thank you.
(There is a pause.)
(Zinnia's expression suddenly grows dark.)
Zinnia (narration): Those two can never be given official names.
Zinnia (narration): Within YoRHa units' bodies lies a powerful energy source made from the core of a machine lifeform.
Zinnia (narration): Using the enemy's technology in their bodies like that ... disqualifies them from being treated as legitimate androids.
Zinnia (narration): It's already been decided in my meeting with Command that they'd continue to be named by their model number.
Zinnia (narration): What am I ...
Zinnia (narration): What am I doing ...?
(Zinnia speaks in a serious tone.)
Zinnia: Two weeks ago, a vast portion of the eastern Eurasian continent fell into the hands of machine lifeforms.
Zinnia: Not only are we unable to deploy Dragoons to the "Kingdom of Noon", but androids have begun to retreat from the front lines, as well.
Zinnia: But I'm fully aware of the cause. It's all because androids have lost their will to fight.
Zinnia: We have an urgent need to introduce the new "YoRHa" units, but they're still riddled with problems.
Zinnia: Although they're exceptionally powerful, they require multiple high-quality cores from machine lifeforms, and thus their operating costs are far too high.
Zinnia: If I'd have to give an estimation, it's unlikely we'd be able to deploy more than a hundred or so units.
Zinnia: At this rate, turning the tide of battle to be in our favor will be exceptionally difficult.
No.2: Zinnia, may I come in?
Zinnia: Ah, No.2. What is it?
No.2: I just have a question.
Zinnia: Ask away.
No.2: When we receive Earth's relative coordinates while on the satellite, how should we measure our position if we can't see the ground due to cloud cover?
Zinnia: Hmm ... That sort of thing seldom happens, but ... if that happens, you should calculate your position using the current time and stars within your observable range. For example, the constellation Orion, perhaps.
No.2: Orion?
Zinnia: That's right. Humanity once looked up at the night sky and would often compare the arrangements of the stars to their gods.
Zinnia: We don't have any particular gods we believe in, but the coordinates of those stars still remain, so if we look closely at them ...
(Zinnia suddenly thinks of something.)
Zinnia: Oh, I see ... So that's it ...
No.2: Zinnia? What is it?
Zinnia: No, no, it's nothing. Rather, I should be saying thank you.
No.2: What a strange person ...
Zinnia (narration): That's right. Androids have lost the will to fight because they've lost the one thing they believed in: humanity.
Zinnia (narration): And in that case, we'll just have to create that.
Zinnia (narration): I spent a week devising the draft for said plan.
Zinnia (narration): But here's a summary of it:
Zinnia (narration): We have to release an announcement to all androids around the globe that humanity is still alive.
Zinnia (narration): Of course, naturally there will be some who'll demand proof.
Zinnia (narration): And in order to convince them, we'll create a server on the moon from which we'll broadcast communications from humanity.
Zinnia (narration): Right now, we have an unmanned base there where we store information about humanity, so we can go ahead and just use that.
Zinnia (narration): For the time being, we'll refer to this server as the "Council of Humanity".
Zinnia (narration): Next, in order to get the communications I mentioned going, we'll have to prepare full-time android special forces as well as a thirteenth orbital satellite base.
Zinnia (narration): But until all androids know about the Council of Humanity, this plan will ...
(Zinnia hesitates halfway through.)
Zinnia (narration): No, there's no way it'll work. This plan poses to great of a risk, and we'll never be able to keep all of this a secret forever.
Zinnia (narration): I should just dispose of ...
(In that moment, No.9 speaks up.)
No.9: Huh? Zinnia? Is there something wrong? You're looking kind of upset ...
(Zinnia speaks while shaking.)
Zinnia: O-Oh, um ... was I?
Zinnia: Well, it's nothing, No.9.
(Zinnia speaks with a dark voice again.)
Zinnia: It's really nothing ...
(No.9 speaks in a serious tone.)
No.9 (narration): At the time, No.2 was undergoing tests on breaking through the atmosphere outside the Lab, and was out in space on standby.
No.9 (narration): As she'd just finished her preparations for being a descent test unit, she was merely waiting for the Lab to instruct her to begin.
No.9 (narration): However, her signal to begin the test never came as scheduled, nor was there any response from her attempts at communication with the Lab.
No.9 (narration): After around fifteen minutes of waiting past the scheduled time, she decided there must be a problem with communications, and she decided to return to the Lab.
No.9 (narration): And there, she witnessed it.
No.9 (narration): What was really happening in the Lab ...
(No.2 notices something.)
No.2: What's ... going on? There's smoke ... coming from the Lab ...?!
No.9 (narration): There was smoke bellowing out of the catapult on the Lab.
No.9 (narration): When she arrived in the hangar, the area's usual lighting was completely out, and all that existed was the red blinking of the emergency light.
No.9 (narration): It was a fire.
No.9 (narration): But a fire on a satellite base is completely different from one on the surface of the planet.
No.9 (narration): Not only is there nowhere to run, but more importantly, the Lab is packed full of various materials that are no less dangerous than gunpowder.
(No.2 begins coughing.)
No.2: No.9 ... Zinnia ...!
No.2: Don't worry, I'm coming ...!
No.9 (narration): Without even giving it much thought, she made a beeline for Zinnia's room.
No.9 (narration): Due to the gravity in the hallways malfunctioning, it was difficult for her to even walk.
No.9 (narration): By kicking against the walls, she was able to eventually make her way to Zinnia's lab, and open the door to it.
No.2: Zinnia ...!!
No.9 (narration): And what she saw there, was a raging fire engulfing documents and various equipment.
No.9 (narration): As well as her fallen friends.
No.2: No.4 ... No.21 ... What happened to you?!
Zinnia: Ngh ...
No.2: Zinnia?! What happened here?! Everyone's ...!
(Zinnia appears to be on the verge of death.)
Zinnia: No.2, no ... You have to get away from here ...
No.9: Hmph!
(No.9 attacks, landing a hit on No.2.)
No.2: Aaah!!
(No.9 speaks in a cold tone.)
No.9: Heh ... Just what I'd expect from a combat model like you, No.2 ... Looks like I couldn't land a fatal hit so easily ...
No.2: No.9 ... What are you ...
No.9: Hey, No.2, didn't you know? There's a little hidden secret about us YoRHa units ...
Zinnia: No.9 ... Don't ...!
No.9: You shut up!!
(No.9 kicks Zinnia, causing him to faint.)
Zinnia: Gah!!
No.2: No.9, stop! What are you saying?! What did he ever do to you?!
No.9: What, him?
No.9: Well, you see ... You'll never believe how he's been creating us YoRHa units ...
No.9: You know about the Black Box we have inside us, right?
No.9: We were told that it was just an abnormally high energy efficient fusion reactor, but ...
No.9: But the truth is that they've been salvaging cores from the machine lifeforms and reusing them in our bodies!
(No.9 laughs dryly.)
No.9: Isn't that hilarious?
No.9: We may not be humans, but of all things — our structure is the same as those damn machines!
No.9: Like this, we're not even androids ... We're just monsters!
No.2: But ... Even if that's true, going this far ...
No.9: Oh, but I've only just scratched the surface!
No.9: You see, it's Zinnia here who set this whole thing up!
No.9: It was all just a ruse, telling everyone humans are still alive on the moon, just to give androids the will to fight!
No.9: But that little plan of his was incomplete.
No.9: There was a risk of information leaking out from that satellite base that was meant to manage the human server on the moon.
No.9: That's why I decided to rewrite his plan.
No.9: I rigged the thirteenth base to have a back door that'll open at a certain time.
No.9: The base'll be destroyed by an attack from machine lifeforms, at which point only the server on the moon will be left with transmission capabilities.
(No.9 slowly turns back, his tone sounding like he's just giving a speech.)
No.9: And so, I'll create a "god" on the face of the moon for us androids.
No.9: I've already sent a program to the server there to carry out this plan.
No.9: It even contains the blueprints for all our YoRHa designs.
No.9: Through this, the automated production of YoRHa units will give birth to our god ...
No.9: And then ... us YoRHa units will truly have a god worth dying for ...
No.9: Hey, No.2. I think I'll call this plan "Project YoRHa" —
No.9: Guaaaah!!
(As he's turning around, No.2 suddenly thrusts her sword through No.9.)
No.2: Please ... No.9 ... You've — gone mad ...
No.9: Ugh ... ghhhh ...
No.9: There's no ... stopping this plan now ...
No.9: We'll all be ... manufactured all over again ...
No.9: But I'm happy ... that this version of myself ...
No.9: ... could be killed by you ...
No.2 (narration): I sunk to the ground, after having killed No.9 ...
No.2 (narration): I thought I could see No.9 smiling through the flames, even if just a little.
No.9 (narration): Hey, No.2.
No.9 (narration): I wonder, why do you think we were born?
No.2 (narration): I don't know, No.9 ... I just don't ...
No.2 (narration): I believe ... only tragedy awaits us in our futures.
No.2 (narration): And that ... we made a mistake somewhere along the way.
No.2 (narration): We can never ... ever ... be forgiven ...
No.2 (narration): Never ...
As if cutting through a cloud of dust, a close-range weapon flashes. The Type-4O Sword — a state-of-the-art saber granted to those elite fighters on the front lines. Lightning bursts from the blade, its hemispherical body flying in an arc.
A now headless machine lifeform ceases movement, its cylindrical body laying motionless in the sand, before exploding moments later. The debris caught up in the explosion rain down on the surrounding area as nothing more than hunks of metal.
Once the explosion clears, all that remains is the sound of the desert wind.
As the clouds of sand fade from the air, a figure appears. The figure can be easily recognized as an adult woman; her soft curves and slender body, as well as her beautiful legs extending from the hem of her skirt, give her away in an instant.
Though in actuality, she is neither an "adult" nor a "woman". The owner of said figure isn't even a human, nor does she have a sex, in a biological sense. She is a YoRHa model android, No.2 Type B, or more commonly known as 2B, specializing in combat.
On this Earth, humans are already long gone. Due to the invasion of aliens, humans were forced to escape to the moon. The planet is now a battleground for the machine lifeforms created by those aliens, and the androids who are tasked with their annihilation.
Sheathing her sword, 2B directs her attention behind herself as she speaks.
"Is that all of them?"
In response to her question, an object floating around two meters above the ground lowers itself. It's a tactical support unit known as a pod. With a rectangular head and four arms of various sizes, it mainly moves about through the air, however water deployment is also possible. Equipped with long-range attacks, situational analysis, transmission capabilities, as well as first aid equipment and so on, it has every function necessary to assist YoRHa androids.
"Affirmative: No enemies detected within five kilometers of the access point."
"I see," 2B mutters, as she steps up to a large metallic box, which only happens to be slightly taller than her. The access point, which is disguised as a relic of human civilization known as a "vending machine", is an important facility for conducting communications with the Bunker and checking information on the surrounding area.
Whether they're aware of that or not, machine lifeforms tend to find and gather around access points. From the corners of ruins to the middle of the desert, it doesn't matter. They swarm like bugs to fallen fruit.
Consequently, when YoRHa members send and receive mail to Earth, or need to obtain information on the surrounding topography, they must first get rid of the machine lifeforms gathering at the access point. It has already become a normal routine for them.
Now, having completed the usual procedure, 2B is able to fulfill her original goal. She selects the latest message from her list of mail, and opens it. However, just as her line of sight makes out the name of the sender and the words "top secret", she hears him.
"2B!"
The sudden surprise is caused by 9S, No.9 Type S. While he's also a YoRHa member, unlike 2B, he's not built with the appearance of an adult female, but rather his appearance mimics that of a human boy.
"Is that a message from the Commander?"
While he may not have been able to catch a glimpse of the message, Scanner models specialize in investigative purposes and have high intuition and observational skills. Seeing as it wasn't the usual time for communication to arrive from the Council of Humanity, and reading personal e-mails directly before commencing an operation is highly unlikely, he'd come to the conclusion that it must be a message from the Commander.
"No, it has nothing to do with the current investigation. It's instructions for another assignment. More importantly," she says, in an attempt to change the subject, "this wasn't our rendezvous point."
The chosen rendezvous point was actually a location closer to their destination.
"Well, yeah, but you looked like you were in the middle of a battle, so ... I thought I'd come support you."
"That's unnecessary."
If she weren't even capable of dispatching of a few machine lifeforms alone, she'd be defective as a B-type model, after all.
"Yeah, looks like it," 9S responds, with an exaggerated shrug. "Well, we managed to rendezvous safely, so why don't we head towards the target area?"
The coordinates in the map data update from the previous rendezvous point to their target destination, and 2B and 9S begin moving.
"Gah! There's sand in my shoes again!"
While walking through the desert, 9S gets the strange feeling that his shoes are flooding with water, but it turns out it's sand, instead. It's a perfectly natural thing, which 2B doesn't believe is something to shout about, but that doesn't seem to be the case for 9S. They walk a few meters, he frowns, they walk a few more, and he's shouting again. And it repeats just like that.
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"Doesn't what bother me?"
"The sand! Aren't your shoes full of it, 2B?"
"They are, and while it's an odd feeling, it isn't causing any hindrance to my movement."
The sand in the air is causing poor visibility, but the sand in her shoes can hardly be recognized as a problem. And with that dismissal, 9S's shoulders blatantly drop.
"It's not movement that's the problem, it's the way it feels! Don't you hate the way it just sloshes around in your shoes like that?"
"Feelings are prohibited."
How many times has she had to repeat that phrase to him, she wonders. This isn't the first time she's been paired with him for a mission.
"Yeah, yeah."
9S replies roughly the same way every time, with that pouty tone and facial expression. Well, actually, in the beginning it was more of a 'sorry', with him huddling in on himself instead.
2B had heard that the reason YoRHa members were encouraged not to have emotions was because of a group of them who failed their mission because of them. Of course, emotions cause fluctuations in judgement and behavior, so she believes it's unnecessary for them to have them anyway. ... Herself, in particular.
"Hey! Is that it?"
In the direction of 9S's pointing, the shadow of a building-like shape suddenly emerges. Well, it's not exactly 'sudden', as its location was already properly displayed in the map data, but due to the sandstorm and uneven terrain, 2B wasn't able to see it until now.
"Affirmative: That is the target of investigation. A large structure left over from human civilization."
The pod responds from beside her. However, it's not the pod assigned to 2B, Pod 042, but rather the pod that had been assigned to 9S, Pod 153. Unless specifically spoken to or deemed necessary, pods won't answer questions posed by anyone other than those they directly support.
Suddenly, the wind quiets down, and visibility improves. From the shadow, which was originally blurred by sand clouds, a large arch comes into view. 2B can see that the building had been built within the side of a hollowed out mountain, partially facing a nearby valley. Overall, it has a strange architectural style.
"Looks like it's the structure known as a temple, some sort of religious facility. I think its formal name was the "Barren Temple". It started out as a place of residence, but humans later began using it as a temple instead, or ... something like that!"
2B can hear the liveliness in 9S's voice as he says that. S-type models are characterized by their research and information gathering abilities, so they tend to hold a great deal of interest in just about everything.
"Come on, let's go, 2B!"
He speaks in a tone that suggests waiting isn't an option, as he breaks into a run, kicking up sand in his wake. It's like he's totally different from the boy who was whining about sand just moments ago. No doubt, these are his emotions at work. Watching this, a smile begins to tug at 2B's lips, but she's quick to suppress it.
"Emotions ... are forbidden ..."
She'd only meant to think those words, but they slipped out of her mouth before she'd realized it. At that, 9S turns back to look at her as he shouts.
"Did you say something?"
"It's nothing," is her response, as she, too, begins heading towards the building known as the Barren Temple.
The interior of the temple is so quiet, it feels like sound itself has disappeared. The wind, which had so incessantly rang in the pair's ears not long ago, now sounds as though it's been muffled by a thick wall.
"Huh. It almost feels like this place has air conditioning."
Pod 153 promptly responds to 9S's statement.
"Negative: No air conditioning equipment detected within the structure. The current perception of temperature is merely being caused by the difference between the interior and exterior temperatures."
"Oh, for the love of ... Yeah, I know. That's just how it felt."
9S's words come out in a sulking tone, as he hustles through a small passageway. 2B follows close behind, remaining vigilant of her surroundings.
The sound of the duo's footsteps echo and overlap with the sound of their pods' low humming. Suddenly, a portion of the ceiling collapses, creating a place from which light can shine into the area. Thanks to that, the surrounding area becomes a little more visible, and the two are able to make out rectangular stones, systematically placed throughout the staircase and landing.
"Man, did sand seriously get this far into the temple?"
9S peers over the railing of the staircase, looking down at the area below, which happens to be completely buried in sand. It's not just the ground, but even the walls are covered, like the sand had formed itself into small mountains.
"Hypothesis: The accumulated sand within the passageway was placed artificially, however date and purpose of placement are unknown."
"Artificially? You mean they made it flow all the way in here themselves? Like a river or something?"
"Affirmative. It is conveniently referred to as artificial quicksand."
"I wonder why they'd do such a thing. You said the purpose was unknown, right?"
"Affirmative."
There are still so many mysteries surrounding the old world. Mankind may have escaped to the moon, however that doesn't mean they were able to bring all of their information with them. That's why androids continue to conduct investigations for recording and preservation purposes.
"Are there any machine lifeforms nearby?"
Despite not receiving any indication that enemies are in the area herself, 2B poses the question to Pod 042. It's better to be careful in situations like this.
"Analysis: Scans indicate no enemy presence within the temple."
That means that even if, in a fit of curiosity, 9S were to do something rash, he wouldn't be placed in immediate danger. Although, there are machine lifeforms capable of jamming radio waves, so it can't be said for certain whether the area is safe just yet.
"Alert: Damage detected in the floor and staircase ahead."
9S laughs at Pod 153's advice.
"I know that even without your warning. Right, 2B?"
2B merely nods, as she notices a huge stone blocking the descending staircase which leads further into the building.
"This rock looks like it was a part of the ceiling. It's a bit damaged, but you can still make out the patterns on it."
Kneeling down, 9S investigates the large stone before them, before turning his gaze upwards, 2B following suit moments later. The two of them notice the dazzling blue sky above, peeking in from the hole in the ceiling.
"I wonder what caused it to collapse like that."
At the very least, it doesn't appear to be due to machine lifeforms. The purpose of androids is to return the Earth to its rightful owners, humans, and if possible, in a condition as close as possible to how they left it. Therefore, it's best to avoid engaging with machine lifeforms, so as to keep from destroying the ruins further.
Thus, it's difficult to believe there would have been a fight in this vicinity. If an android were to encounter an enemy here, they would most likely have led it to a more open location, away from the ruins.
"Analysis: The collapse appears to have occurred thousands of years ago. Therefore, it is impossible to identify the cause."
"Whoa, thousands of years, huh? That's amazing!"
"Amazing?"
"Yeah! I mean, if the ceiling here collapsed thousands of years ago, then that means this whole place must've been built much earlier than that. I can't believe it's in such good condition. Since the desert climate's harsh and all, a stone building like this should be way more weathered than it is."
9S practically says all of that in one breath, but once he's finished, he gets to his feet, and begins making his way to the room to the side of the staircase, almost as though he's being called to it.
"Now what?" 2B asks, in mild amazement.
9S keeps his eyes fixed on the half-open door to the room.
"How do you think this door opened and closed? I mean, this is stone, right? And look at how thick it is. There's no way an average human could've moved something this heavy."
The door is made up of a pair of sliding doors, but there's no signs of movement by either pushing or pulling on them. 9S eagerly tilts his head.
"Do you think there's a power source for it somewhere?"
9S peers inside the room. However, unlike the passage they're in now, which has natural light pouring into it, the inside of the room is nothing but darkness. Pod 153 moves around to the front of 9S, just as he's about to carelessly step foot into the dark room.
"Proposal: Light function should be utilized."
"Got it. Go ahead and activate it."
"Affirmative."
With that, Pod 153 lights the area, covering quite a wide portion of the room. Though when 9S, accompanied by Pod 153, makes his way further in, the entrance becomes dark again as a result. 2B follows suit, having her own pod activate its light as she steps into the room.
9S peers up at the ceiling, before breaking into a run, moving his eyes toward the walls next as he does. His footsteps echo throughout the room, as he continuously stops to investigate the stones paving the floor below him. 2B feels as though her head is spinning just watching his behavior.
"The floors, the wall, even the ceiling — everything's made out of stone! They cut out huge slabs of it, arranged them, and lined them up accordingly ... It's totally unlike any architectural styles I've seen before! What kind of machinery did they use? How did they manage to transport all of this stone? And how is this single pillar managing to maintain the whole thing intact?"
9S can't help but speak with excitement in his voice, as he runs up to a portion of the wall.
"I think they might've used this area for lighting. On this elongated stand, here."
"Affirmative: There are traces which indicate a light fixture known as a "torch" may have been placed there."
"One, two, three, four ... There's eight of them in all. I wonder what this room was used for. There aren't any signs of it being used for rituals or anything."
Having finished his investigation of the room, 9S makes his way to the door in the back. While the door at the entrance had apparently been left open, the door in the back was closed shut.
"It sounds kind of ridiculous, but ..."
9S places his hands between the area where the sliding doors meet.
"I'm gonna see if I can open this. Though it'll probably be impossible ..."
The sound of 9S's words overlaps with the sound of the door's creaking, as he slowly manages to move it to both sides.
"Wait a sec, it seriously worked?!"
9S looks on in utter shock at the now open door, as his pod moves in and out of the newly opened room, shining its light as it does. Gaining knowledge of the surrounding area in advance of the unit it supports is also a part of a pod's duties.
"Alert: Extreme differences in elevation between the door and passageway. There is a possibility of it hindering movement."
Unfortunately, Pod 153's warning alone isn't enough to curb the curiosity of a Type-S android.
"I'm just gonna take a quick look! I'll be right back!"
And just like that, 9S moves forward, his hand letting go of the door as it creaks shut behind him.
2B lets out a small sigh the moment 9S and his pod disappear into the other room. She isn't about to let this chance slip through her fingers.
"Pod, initiate short-range battle support and deploy weaponry."
"Affirmative: Initiating short-range radio-wave camouflage and activating short-range attack gear."
Pod 042 proceeds through the protocol indifferently.
"Switching battle mode to Anti-YoRHa. Disengaging ID signal."
Thinking of what she'll have to do from here, 2B's heart sinks. And though it takes a great deal of effort, in order to keep her thoughts in line, she stills herself.
This is merely a part of her mission. Yes, it's just a mission. In her head, she focuses on the words "top secret".
It was only just after she'd disembarked from her flight unit that she'd gotten the mail notification. It happened neither while she was still on the Bunker, nor when she was entering the Earth's atmosphere. The moment she stepped foot in the desert, her pod had informed her of it.
Right then, she immediately knew what it meant. The mail had come directly from the Commander, rather than through an operator, at a time when it would be difficult to intercept. The highest level of secrecy.
No, actually, 2B knew what she'd have to do long before that message had been received. She knew from the moment she was instructed to investigate the ruins with 9S, that it wouldn't be long before she'd be given the command to strike him down. Unfortunately for her, that premonition would come true.
"Pod. Locate 9S's position and provide the best route for approaching from the side."
"Affirmative. Locating unit 9S's black box signal and commencing search for optimal route."
2B turns away from the door 9S and Pod 153 disappeared through. It's better to use a separate route to pursue them. Rather than follow them, she should find a way past them and lay a trap before they get there.
Her target is a Type S, after all. And the newest model in a type that excels at research and information gathering, no less. If she isn't careful, she won't be able to take him by surprise.
But then again, in terms of fighting ability, 2B has the upper hand. The outcome has already been decided, so in truth, there's no real need for a surprise attack. However, she'd rather get it over with quickly, if at all possible, before 9S even has a chance to realize he's being attacked. If she can manage that, she can end things before he feels more fear and pain than necessary ...
"Search complete," Pod 042 utters, its voice acting as her cue as she turns back towards the passageway they were in before. She makes her way up to the huge stone blocking the stairs, and leaps over it, 9S's black box signal immediately coming into range once she does.
2B descends the staircase making as little noise as possible. The source of the black box signal is in the next room. Quietly drawing her sword, she closes in on the door.
Just like the first door they came across, this room's door has also been left open. However, 9S is no where to be seen.
2B approaches the door further, making sure to check her surroundings as thoroughly as possible. There are no obstacles to be seen in the vicinity. In other words, that means there are no places for him to hide. However she still can't be sure whether it's safe to set foot inside the room just yet ...
Suddenly, she can feel a presence behind her, and in an instant, 2B barrel rolls to the side, as bullets rain down upon where she was once standing. There's no doubt — that was a long-range attack from a pod program.
As she's working on righting herself, 2B spots a blade coming down at her. 9S, who had at some point looped around behind her, was now engaging her with a short-range long sword.
She never imagined she would be the one attacked by him. Despite having planned to be the one to initiate a surprise attack, for her to be the one hit by one is unexpected.
As she aims a kick to the hand 9S is holding his sword in, alarms go off in her head.
Why is 9S is possession of a short-range weapon? He shouldn't be capable of even holding a long sword in such a fashion.
2B quickly puts distance between the two of them, watching as 9S's sword burns in the heat of battle and dissolves away. If she had gone through with that kick carelessly, she would've suffered a substantial wound to her right leg. Aware of his disadvantage in close combat, 9S had probably set a trap of his own.
She needs to change the location of their battle somehow. In a dark place with poor visibility like this, it's unfavorable for her to have arrived later than he had.
With a huge leap, 2B puts distance between the two of them, and heads straight through one of the doors. She comes out into a room different from the one 9S's black box signal is coming from. Thinking over the amount of time it's been since they originally separated, she doesn't believe he'd have had enough time to place traps in this room as well.
9S follows quickly behind 2B. Despite having no where to hide, 9S shows no hesitation. Using Pod 153's laser as a distraction, he sets up a close range attack of his own. 2B is nothing short of perplexed by 9S's aggressive fighting style; he fights as though he's fine with the concept of risking his life here. She's never seen him like this before.
Dodging Pod 153's lasers, 2B quickly moves to slash at 9S. But 9S's movements are quicker than she'd expected, and her attack fails to connect. Or, rather, it's his pod's long-range attacks that are causing the most trouble. Wanting to stop the movements of Pod 153 first, she shouts the order to her own pod.
"Pod! Set Pod 153 as your primary target!"
There is no setting which allows attacks at the risk of one's own life in a support unit's programming. Therefore, if one comes under attack, it will immediately switch over to evasive behavior. In other words, she can interrupt its long-range attacks during the moments it uses to evade. It only affords her about one or two seconds at a time, but it's enough.
The previously never-ending stream of lasers ceases for a brief moment, and in that moment, 2B quickly closes in on 9S. Not having expected an attack on his own pod, 9S stops in his tracks, giving 2B the opportunity to close in, her blade pointed directly at him.
"This is it," 2B thinks to herself, before she's overwhelmed with an intense feeling of discomfort, and the sword she'd been clenching so tightly falls to the floor.
2B tries to open her eyes, but she's unable to do even just that. Her arms, her legs — she's lost control over her entire body.
Suddenly the stones paving the ground approach her eyes, or more accurately, her body's the one that approaches them. As she falls, she can hear 9S's voice beside her.
"I'm sorry."
"So it wasn't just a misunderstanding," 9S mutters. Or, rather, his words don't actually make any sound. "Voices" within hacking space are only recognized as his own personal data. The white surroundings are also nothing more than that.
"I wish it really were a misunderstanding," he thinks to himself. That 2B was willing to kill him is just too much. With each of his words comes inadvertent changes in his expression and tone, showing small glimpses of his doubts. Though soon, those doubts turn to confidence and that confidence becomes reality.
"I really didn't want to have to do this ..."
That isn't a lie. It's the truth. He just couldn't think of any other way. From the moment he realized that 2B was sent from the Commander to keep watch over him, he tried to think of whether there was any other way, but it was no use.
"There's just no way a Type-S could win against a Type-B."
9S knows 2B's battle capabilities well, as they've been sent on a number of missions together. If he didn't take control of her body through hacking, it'd be a one-sided fight. In order to hack 2B, who rarely ever shows an opening anyway, he had to seize the right opportunity while engaging her in close-range combat. It's in the moment of capturing prey that predators become most defenseless. It's through observing the remaining life on Earth that 9S has realized this.
Conversely, this was a successful hack precisely because 2B had really meant to kill him in that moment. If she had not had murderous intent, no matter how much 9S had attacked her, she would've just reverted to evasive maneuvers, and he would've never had the right opening he needed to hack her. The fact that 9S is where he is in this moment is proof of her intent to kill him.
"No matter how you look at it, we were both acting in our own selfish interests."
Though right now, 9S feels as though he's doing something even worse than merely killing her. Not only is he trying to kill her, but he's also forced himself inside her head without permission. He knows that's terrible. And yet.
"There's something I wanted to know."
9S cautiously proceeds towards 2B's memory storage. He didn't hack her solely for the purpose of taking control of her body and killing her. There's something he needed to know, no matter the cost.
"Therefore, you are to eliminate 9S."
The most recent thing in her memory seems to be the contents of a message. There's no doubt this was the message she received at that access point not long ago. Unprocessed memories are not stored in chronological order, but by the strength of the impression they leave on the unit.
The moment she'd opened that message, her eyes jumped right to those words. "Therefore, you are to eliminate 9S". In other words, 2B must've been anticipating that message from the beginning. All because she'd been thinking about how it'd be coming soon, her eyes darted straight for those words before anything else.
"Confirmation received."
"He appears to have tried ..."
"Contents,"
"Accessed the main server ..."
"Pending issue for some time ..."
"Several instances ..."
"Forbidden ..."
"9S has ..."
Fragments of her memory are scattered about. The words being as disjointed as they are indicates that 2B must have been very upset when she read them. Moreover, 9S himself had appeared while she was reading them. She hadn't been allowed the time she needed to organize the sentences in her head ...
9S presses on further into her memory storage, seeking the answers needed to satisfy his questions.
"Is this it? The ... secret conversation between 2B and the Commander."
2B can be seen looking at the back of the Commander. Rather than a confidential conversation exchanged through a transmission, it seems she spoke to her in person.
"But isn't it standard for an S-Type to conduct field surveys independently?"
"You're too concerned about what's standard. There can be exceptions. For example, what if it were an area showing multiple enemy responses? S-Type's are unsuitable for battle, so that would create the need for someone to go along and support them."
"... Understood. Then I'll proceed with that."
"For the time being, I only want you monitoring him. You'll be given more instructions at a later date."
It's a memory of 2B from before she'd ever cooperated with 9S. But, at this point in time, he shouldn't have done anything "prohibited" yet. Nevertheless, the Commander felt she needed someone to monitor him. He wonders what she was even basing her suspicions on.
Then, suddenly, a memory concerning 9S surfaces.
"Scanners like me mostly work alone. Scouting out enemy lines and all that? I don't usually get a partner. It's kind of fun!"
Ah, he remembers this. Those are the words he told her in their first mission together. Apparently 2B must've thought about her conversation with the Commander during that. 9S didn't realize that, even then, 2B had been monitoring him. Not to mention, he had no idea that they'd even be together "at a later date".
With the bitter taste of that memory lingering, he moves on to the next one. It seems to be a memory of a conversation with the Commander again, this time through a transmission, though the Commander's voice is hard to make out through static.
"... S-Type's specialize in research and information gathering. Due to those characteristics, they tend to know too much. Perhaps this is the fate of S-Type models ..."
"What's wrong with knowing too much?" 9S thinks to himself. "Is that really a thing?"
"I'm certain that someday 9S will partake in something he shouldn't. No, he may even have already crossed that line."
9S can't refute that claim. It's true that he'd already attempted to access the main server without permission.
"There is as of yet no confirmation. However, it seems someone has already attempted unauthorized access to the main server. This attempt appears to have been a failure, but the next one ..."
That's right, he failed the first time. He had to escape due to an attack barrier. He withdrew immediately, so he shouldn't have left any traces behind. But he abandoned his next attempt after having already broken through one of the barriers. And during the next one, he was able to break through even more. The more barriers he broke, the longer it'd take him to withdraw. It became easier and easier for them to catch him.
It may have just been a matter of time, for his illegal access to be discovered. Even so, he wanted to know. The harder the barriers became to overcome, the more he wanted to see what was on the other side. Even though he knew it was dangerous, he couldn't stop. If there's something he doesn't know, he can't just leave it that way.
This must be what she meant by the fate of an S-Type model. What the Commander said was true. She had every right to monitor him, and maybe even kill him.
The next memory once again takes place in the Bunker. However this time, it's not showing the back of the Commander, but instead the front of her.
"S-Type models are not suitable for battle. You should not have any difficulties disposing of him. However just because close-range combat isn't their specialty, doesn't mean they don't have the ability to fight. And in addition, S-Type models are sharp. There's a high possibility that he'll realize someone has been sent to monitor him."
"He doesn't appear to have realized it ..."
"You just aren't suited to be observing him. Just as he isn't suited for combat."
Once again, the Commander wasn't wrong. 2B really didn't realize it — that 9S had seen through her identity a long time ago.
At first, 9S thought she was only pretending not to notice, but that idea soon disappeared. 2B just didn't have the qualities she needed, or rather, she was clumsy. She'd show glimpses of kindness or concern during unexpected times ... It wouldn't be strange if she were just hiding who she truly was under that facade, but to an S-Type model, it was easy to figure out.
"Either way, if you attack him, he's sure to attack back. And with that hacking ability S-Type's are so skilled at."
What a good eye she has. 9S wants to give her applause for it. Because, right now, things are proceeding exactly as the Commander had believed they would.
With this, he's found half the answers he'd been searching for. The reason 2B wanted to kill him was because the Commander had ordered it, due to him knowing too much. 9S wonders where the key that'll unlock the rest of this mystery must be, and then he hears it.
"I'll let 9S go on ahead, and then I'll be able to deploy my weapons and make my way past him for a surprise attack."
Fragments of memories from a different time period interrupt the memory of her conversation with the Commander.
"If I can just end it quickly ..."
It's obviously an older memory, compared to the other one. 2B seems to have been thinking about how to dispose of 9S long before the Commander ordered it.
"... Then 9S won't have a chance to realize what's happening ... And I can end it before he feels more pain and fear than necessary ..."
The other half of the answers he sought.
"So that was it, huh," 9S thinks to himself, as he watches the interrupting memory disappear.
"Even for someone like you, who's superior in close combat, if you were to be hacked by him, you would lose all locomotive functions in your limbs. That's why ..."
"That's why what? What'd she do to 2B? So the Commander didn't instruct her to use a surprise attack. But then what did she instruct her to do?"
These thoughts run through 9S's mind, before the answer reveals itself.
"Set a trap for him in hacking space."
9S is overcome with a terrible feeling upon hearing those words. And in the next moment, a black wall appears in contrast to the white space around him, and purple and orange balls of light come flying at him. It's an installation-type logic virus.
By installing a logic virus in her memory storage, she created a surefire way to effectively attack him if he were to hack her. However, 2B could also be affected by said logic virus, so he hadn't expected her to have gone this far.
"Crap, I was careless!"
Well, actually, rather than being something he hadn't expected, it was more something he had just hoped wouldn't happen. The Commander always tended to choose methods which would place 2B in great danger.
"I gotta get out of here before my data gets contaminated."
"Unfortunately, even logic viruses aren't perfect. So let's take the necessary precautions," 2B's memory continues on.
"Where's the exit?! Where's the route I secured?!"
"If you utilize a closed barrier, you can lock him within your logic circuit."
Before he can even fully realize what's happening, 9S's body ceases movement, and dark spheres begin to rapidly appear within the hacking space, caused by a barrier with a self-closing algorithm.
"Pod! Construct a new escape route!"
No response.
Not only did the logic virus attack 9S's personal data, but it also cut off contact to the outside, effectively severing any paths out.
He only has a few seconds remaining before his "current self" is crushed by the virus and disappears. He watches helplessly as the white space around him becomes painted over by black.
"Is this ... it ..."
The location from which 2B received her orders was from the access point within the desert. There were so many opportunities for her to kill him before they even reached their destination. There was no place to hide, the footing in the sand was terrible, and 2B is easily the better fighter — she had all the advantages in the world. Nevertheless, 2B didn't even attempt to attack him until they were already inside the temple. But 9S was able to see her memories, and find the answer to all of that.
"2B sure is clumsy ..."
It was all so she could end it quickly. So 9S could die without realizing what was happening.
The black spheres fill in the remaining space, leaving no gaps. However, somehow it's a strange and quiet feeling. 9S feels neither fear nor pain.
"Goodbye, 2B ..."
And in that moment, darkness takes over.
Just as quickly as when she'd lost control of her limbs before, control returns to her.
"Closed barrier operational. Logic circuit blockade complete. Isolation successful."
2B blinks a few times to confirm the success of the operation, before slowly rousing her body awake. Her motor functions are perfectly operational now.
"Elimination pending."
She feels numb, so much so that not even a needle could make her feel pain. The only thing she can feel is the feeling of having completed a mission, as she looks down at 9S's lifeless body before her. His black box signal hasn't faded, but the loss of his personal data has caused all of his functions to cease.
If she could've killed him with just close combat then it would've been fine, but if she couldn't, then she could easily have used the logic virus to take him out. Even if 9S were to remove the virus, if he's imprisoned within the logic circuit due to the closed barrier, she'd still be able to erase each of his circuits. It was all the Commander's idea.
9S may have had his two-tiered strategy of hacking during close combat, but the Commander, who'd thought of a three-tiered strategy, had won this.
2B grasps her sword with the opposite hand, and thrusts it downward.
"Destruction of head."
The palm of her hand feels strange as it resists, a feeling she's never experienced before. It's not like this is the first time she's been made to destroy a friend's body. When another member of YoRHa became inoperable on the battlefield, and she had to destroy them, she didn't feel anything like this. She wonders if she's finished destroying him yet.
"Destruction of chest."
Once again, she thrusts her sword downward. It's peculiar. That strange feeling from before is spreading. It was only the palm of her hand moments ago, but now she can feel a sense of pressure in her upper body as well. Despite no signs of anything physically placing that pressure on her, she feels like she can barely breathe.
"Black-box signal confirmed offline."
His body lay before her, completely destroyed. With his personal data also destroyed, 9S can officially be considered dead. Her mission is complete. And yet, despite that, she feels as though she's left something incomplete — she feels strangely forlorn. She can't figure out why her respiratory functions feel like they're failing.
"Goodbye, 2B ..."
His words play back in her mind. The data that still remains in her memory, 9S's final words. It's a strange feeling, but she finally realizes what's been causing that pain in her chest.
"Right ... So this is ..."
The feeling known as guilt. Or perhaps even remorse. But regardless of what it is, emotions are forbidden.
In the moment she tries to suppress those forbidden feelings, 2B feels something else well up within her, as if to resist that. Memories of 9S.
His voice as he'd shout, '2B'. The smile he made when when he told her how fun it was to have a partner — it was such a bashful smile. She wonders during which mission it was when he was so shocked by her unexpected clumsiness, as well.
She can feel a lump form in the back of her throat, as her chest tightens, and she grits her teeth. For the first time, she understands the pain caused by the memories of those left behind. But this is her own fault. She's the one who's accumulated more memories than necessary.
"Goodbye, 2B ..."
Again. That voice again.
2B shakes her head in an attempt to drive his voice out of her mind.
"I won't apologize."
It was her mission, after all. She holds no feelings of guilt. None whatsoever. If she's given the order to do this again, she'll do it in a heartbeat.
"Because this is my duty," she says to herself, as she raises her head.
"Pod, contact the Commander."
"Acknowledged."
Pod 042 begins communications, causing a projection of a screen to appear.
As her pod does its job, she thinks to herself. She knows she'll have to do this again, so she's decided she'll forbid herself from becoming too close to anyone else. She'll keep the time she spends with people, the conversations she has with them, to a minimum. That way, she won't create unnecessary memories again. That way ... she won't have emotions that should never have existed in the first place.
"Commander here."
2B breathes in deeply, pushing out all the remaining pain in her chest — everything.
"2B here. I've completed the mission."
From her indifferent voice, something within her fades away, like the sand which falls throughout the temple.
In a flash, a close-quarter weapon cut through the sandstorm. It is the type 4O sword - a state-of-the-art blade bestowed to only the elites fighting at the frontlines. The blade surges with lightning, knocking away a round object in an arc.
The now headless machine lifeform ceased its movements. A few seconds later, its cylindrical body toppled over on the sand and exploded. The explosion engulfed the bodies of two previously defeated machines and turned all into a shower of scrap metal.
Only the telltale sound of desert winds remain after the fiery explosion faded away.
As the sandstorm settles, a humanoid silhouette appears. You could tell that the silhouette belonged to an adult female by the gentle slope of its shoulders, its slim and tight waistline, as well as the well-shaped legs extending from its skirt.
However, the silhouette is neither an ‘adult’ nor a ‘female’ in the strictest sense. She is neither a human, nor does she have a sex in a biological sense. She is a type YoRHa android number 2 B type, or 2B for short. A model optimized for battle.
It’s been a long time since humans have left the earth. Humans had no choice but to flee for the moon in face of an alien invasion. Currently, the earth is nothing but a battlefield for the alien’s machine lifeforms and the androids tasked to destroy them.
2B sheathed her sword and directed her attention behind her.
“Is this all of them?”
In response to her question, an object floating about three meters above the ground began its descent. It is a support unit called the pod. Composed of a rectangular head and four arms of varied sized, pods spend most of their time in the air, but can be deployed underwater if need be. They’re equipped with various functions in order to support YoRHa type androids, including long-range attacks against enemy units, analysis of the situation at hand, communication, as well as first aid.
“Affirmative: No enemy signals detected within a 5 kilometer radius of the access point.”
I see, 2B replied, and started to make her way to the metallic box slightly taller than her. Access points camouflage themselves as a relic of human civilization, but it is an important facility both as a method of communication with the headquarters as well as a source of information regarding surrounding lands.
It’s unclear whether they’re aware of that fact or not, but machine lifeforms tend to gather around access points. Be it in a corner of some ruins, or the middle of the desert. Their behavior resembles insects gathering around a fallen fruit.
Therefore, YoRHa units have to destroy nearby machine lifeforms whenever they want to check their mail or retrieve geographical information about their surroundings. This happened so often that it became procedural for them.
After going through the motions of destroying machines, 2B was finally able to accomplish her original goal. She selected the newest message from her inbox and opened it. Her eyes skimmed over the sender and the words ‘top secret’ in the title, and was just about to read its contents.
“2B!”
YoRHa unit number 9 type S, or 9S for short, appeared out of nowhere. Unlike 2B, who has the form of an adult female, 9S was created after the imagine of a young boy.
“Is it a message from the commander?”
Not really, 2B answered curtly, and tried her hardest to cover up how shaken she felt.
“More importantly, why are you here?”
“Huh? What do you mean, 2B?”
“It’s not time for the mission yet.”
Since the pod notified her of a new incoming message, 2B decided to make her way to the access point earlier than planned. Even though she lost some time dispatching the machine lifeforms, she still expected to be able to finish reading the message before 9S arrived.
“Well...the operator told me that 2B is in the middle of combat. So I thought…I should help out.”
“That’s unnecessary.”
2B shook her head slightly, trying to rid herself of something that was neither irritation nor anxiety.
“I guess that’s true.”
9S gave an exaggerated shrug. 2B finally understood what she was trying to rid herself of. It was something borne from her piled up memories of past conversations and past actions.
“Well, now that we’ve met up with each other, we might as well head towards the destination.”
It was deja vu.
“Urgh, sand in my shoes again?”
He just couldn’t bring himself to like the desert, and it’s all because of the sand. It’s annoying when the wind blows and makes things hard to see, and his shoes are just full of sand as he walks. It’s pretty fun to slide on the sand slopes, but walking on anywhere but the slopes is a pain in the ass. 9S scowled, and glanced at 2B. However, 2B walked on without any change in her expression.
“2B, don’t you mind?”
“Mind what?”
“The fact that your shoes are filled with sand, 2B.”
“While it does feel strange, it doesn’t interfere with walking.”
“Don’t you hate it when the sand sloshes around in your shoes? Sure, it’s not a hindrance, but it’s a matter of feeling!”
“Emotions are prohibited.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
You’re one to speak, 2B, 9S thinks to himself even as he responds.
2B isn’t as good at holding back her emotions as she thinks. At least, that’s how it appeared to 9S. It’s just a guess, but 9S thinks that her spiel about emotions being prohibited is more directed to herself than to 9S. She’s scolding herself by saying it out loud. It’s definitely a very 2B-ish thing to do.
9S thinks that she doesn’t have to try so hard. She doesn’t exactly have to walk the talk. Just how many YoRHa units actually follow the clause of not having emotions, anyways?
...but even if he says that out loud, 2B won’t change the way she is. 2B isn’t skilled enough to untangle her true feelings from how she acts on the surface.
9S glanced over at 2B again. He saw something behind those tightly shut lips. 2B was never very good at hiding things, after all.
“Nines?”
2B gave him a strange look. She’s probably wondering why he’s staring at her.
“Oh, it’s nothing...just...there’s so much sand...it’s so hot...I’d really love to take a bath right now.”
No. That’s not what he wanted to say.
“We have no need for baths.”
“That’s what I thought…”
What are you hiding? You’ve been acting strange lately. Anything on your mind? Or…?
9S knew that he won’t get an answer even if he asked those questions. They’ve been working on missions together for months, after all. Instead, 9S simply raised his voice.
“Oh! Is that the target for this investigation?”
He saw the hulking form of what appeared to be a huge building beyond the sandstorm. They’re very close to the desert’s end.
“Affirmative: The large building to the front is the target of our current investigation.”
The pod beside him answered. It is pod 153, 9S’s personal support pod. 2B’s support pod, 042 simply floated behind her in silence.
“They call this building a temple. I think the official name is the “Stone Temple”? Something of great importance was transported here - I guess like a god’s statue or something? And they’ve used this as a temple ever since.”
Silence. 2B stood frozen with her mouth open.
“2B? What’s wrong?”
Her lips moved as if to form words. ...but 2B changed her mind at the last second before speaking again.
“No. It’s nothing.”
Of course it’s not nothing. She clearly struggled to come up with an answer. But 2B had no intention to tell 9S why. Even though she addresses him as “Nines” now, he still feels an insurmountable distance between them.
“Let’s go, 2B!”
9S made himself sound more cheerful than he’d liked. He took off right away, making it seem like he was excited about the prospect of an investigation.
No matter how he asked, 2B probably won’t give him an answer. He knew that from the very beginning.
It was unbearable.
The Stone Temple was built in a deep valley. Because it was surrounded by steep cliffs, it took quite a bit of time and effort to reach the temple.
“Of all places they could’ve built a temple in...why here? I don’t get it.”
Reaching the temple was no easy task, as they had to descend to the very bottom of the gorge, cover a significant amount of ground, and then climb up the cliffs just to get to the entrance. 9S is completely within his rights to complain.
“Conjecture: The remains were surrounded by a “lake” or a manmade “canal” in the past, and access was made possible by ships or bridges.”
9S thought pod 153’s answer made sense. He knew that buildings which contained important people or objects were often surrounded by water. Perhaps that would explain the temple’s cylindrical shape as well - it was trying to get as much space as possible from its limited land mass.
“But that doesn’t explain...this.”
9S looked up at the huge tree in front of him. Clearly, it had withered a while ago, and its blackened trunk leaned powerlessly against the spiral staircase.
“What’s the point of planting such a huge tree inside a building?”
The cylindrical building had an open ceiling, and the spiral staircase that extended all the way from the first floor crumbled away right before the topmost floor. Perhaps the staircase had once connected all the floors, but it’s hard to tell from its current sorry state.
“2B, what do you think?”
No reply. She didn’t even realize that 9S was talking to her until 9S turned to face her. Startled out of whatever daze she was in, she blurted out a response.
“What?”
“It’s a spiral staircase.”
9S deliberately chose to not repeat himself.
“What...what about it…?”
As expected, she wasn’t listening at all. If she even caught a bit of what 9S said before, she would’ve probably replied with something like “But that’s not what you said”. The only reason she didn’t do so was because she wasn’t listening.
“Let’s see how far up we can make it.”
Deciding to not point out their failed communication, 9S made his way towards the spiral staircase. 2B followed in silence. Something is wrong. It’s not like 2B at all.
2B is tasked with a mission, so why is she acting like this? Or is her mission the reason behind her current behavior? 2B has been acting strange lately, and 9S decided to stay silent on the matter ever since he figured out why. He pretended that he was none the wiser, and interacted with 2B the same way as before. Contrary to 2B who can’t seem to keep a secret, 9S found it pretty easy to keep up the masquerade. Otherwise, he wouldn’t try to access the main server illegally. Not even once, but multiple times.
Well, enough about himself. He’s going to be disposed of soon enough, anyways. He knew that. And he knew that 2B will be the one to do the job.
He knew that ever since he received orders for the current mission. The investigation is just a farce, and there’s no doubt that 2B had been given a separate mission.
The commander’s orders...must be to eliminate 9S. Me. Right, 2B?
But even then, 2B’s actions just seem...off. She’s so distracted, and 9S doesn’t feel a shred of tension from her. He didn’t think 2B could undertake a top secret mission with such a lackluster attitude. S types can’t match B types in close-quarter combat, but they can and will counterattack, and they can let their pods provide long range support as well.
So...maybe there’s another reason for 2B unnatural behavior. A reason unrelated to 9S’s illegal accesses.
2B, who was walking in front of him, suddenly lost her balance.
“Watch out!”
9S reached out hurriedly and caught 2B with his arms.
“What’s wrong? I’ve never seen 2B trip on a staircase.”
It’s true, the quality of the spiral staircase left much to be desired, years of wear and tear leaving holes and bumps. But there’s no way that 2B, with all her athletic ability, would let herself be caught off guard.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah….yes.”
She replied absentmindedly.
“I guess we’re lucky there aren’t any enemies around here. That could’ve been fatal if machine lifeforms attacked.”
“It could’ve...been fatal…?”
9S doubted his eyes. 2B was smiling. Her lips were curled unnaturally in a very strange smile. There’s clearly something wrong.
“What’s happening? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No...I’m..I’m fine…”
2B wobbled as she tried to stand. Seems like she couldn’t control her strength very well.
“Do you hear what you’re saying!? You’re clearly not fine!”
Why didn’t he catch the signs of her worsening condition? But no, all her checks were green before the mission.. 9S was responsible for 2B’s maintenance, so he would’ve requested to cancel the mission if he found anything wrong.
“Let’s retreat for now.”
However, 2B ignored 9S’s words and began making her way up the stairs again.
“2B!”
9S raise his voice and grabbed 2B’s arm.
“Warning: Enemy signals detected above.”
“Warning: Multiple signals at 2 o’clock.”
The two pods simultaneously warned them of danger. The chances of running into machine lifeforms were supposed to be close to zero according to the headquarter’s prebrief.
Yet here they are, six aerial units approaching them from above. Their shapes resemble what 9S liked to call ‘small fry’, but they seem to possess the ability to emit jamming signals. That’s how they were able to avoid detection until they came within range…
“Dammit.”
They were certainly opportunists, choosing to attack when 2B wasn’t at her best. Retreating is made difficult by the fact that there is an open ceiling above the spiral staircase - 9S and 2B would always be in the machine’s range of fire.
“Nines! Get back!”
A sharp cry. 2B ran up the stairs as if a switch flipped inside her. Unlike the past few moments, her movements were smooth. She’s back to the usual 2B.
“I’ll provide support!”
Then the only thing left for him is to provide support as usual.
“Pod! Analyze enemy units’ flight patterns!”
Careful to not get in the way of 2B’s personal pod 042, 9S issued a command to 153. Machine lifeforms generally move in patterns specific to their overall shape. If those patterns can be predicted, then 9S could inflict the most amount of damage while sustaining the least amount of injuries.
153 used its long range attacks to strike down a machine that was trying to approach 2B from the back. The machines weren’t that fast.
Just when 9S thought they had a chance, the two pods again issued their warnings in unison.
“Warning: Enemy signals detected in overhead corridor.”
“Conjecture: Multiple non-aerial units. Enemy form and numbers remain unknown.”
The aerial units are interfering with the pods’ ability to obtain enemy data. That’s something that needs to be taken care of first.
“2B! Go on ahead! I’ll take care of the aerial units!”
Type B units are better at dealing with with non-aerial types due to their strength in close-quarters combat.
“Understood. I leave this to you.”
2B jumped over the handrail, took ahold of 042’s arm and glided towards the corridor. There was no hesitation in her movements.
“Pod! I’ll be hacking to take control of the enemy!”
“Understood: Providing support.”
9S rushed up the stairs and closed the distance between him and the enemy. Luckily, the enemy was slow to react and 9S managed to launch his invasion in no time.
Once he’s in, machine lifeforms are often left defenceless. They’ve picked up a great variety of physical attacks, but they haven’t quite learned how to deal with hacking internally.
Having found the control unit, 9S overwrote the system settings. As long as he gained control of one unit, the rest was easy.
9S used his controlled unit to attack the remaining five aerial units. None of the aerial units responded in kind when attacked. Maybe the machine lifeforms don’t have a concept of friendly fire - because even when 9S approached them with his controlled unit, they did not evade and were shot down immediately.
Having destroyed all five units, 9S activated self-destruction on his controlled unit and returned to the physical world. He ran up the spiral staircase, aiming for the corridor that 2B was fighting in. He thought he could provide some support, but it was clear that it was no longer needed.
“I guess you’re all done here.”
2B was surrounded with various pieces of scrap metal - what remained of the non-aerial units. They couldn’t let their guard down completely because there might be enemy units in the floors above, but they’ve certainly cleared out their immediate surroundings.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
Before he could even relax from hearing that, 2B abruptly dropped her sword. 9S ran towards her. He had a bad feeling.
“2B!”
“Don’t worry. My hand...just slipped…”
Strange noises accompanied her voice. Her hands, shaking uncontrollably, scratched at her own neck.
“Logic virus!?”
2B fell down on her knees. 9S tore off 2B’s goggles - 2B’s eyes were shining a bright crimson. No doubt. She was infected by an enemy unit.
“I’ll remove the virus through hacking!”
“Wait….don’t…”
2B shook her head in pain.
“What are you saying? We have to remove the virus now!”
He can’t afford to waste any second. Once the infection reaches her personality data, there’d be nothing that he could do. 9S laid down 2B on her back, and forcibly hacked into her despite her still shaking head.
What used to be a pure white hacking region was stained black at various parts. A classic effect of the logic virus.
A logic virus takes over an android’s memory area and logic circuits, effectively taking control of their personality and body. If left to its own devices, the infected android will destroy its surroundings and even attack its comrades.
“I have to hurry…”
Luckily, 9S has seen this type of virus before. He had already succeeded in combating this virus in the past.
“But the infection is progressing too fast. Plus…”
An orange light whizzed past 9S’s personality data. It was an attack from the virus.
“Such a pain.”
But since the virus didn’t appear to be irregular, its attack patterns remained the same as before. 9S had no problem tackling the virus while avoiding its attacks.
It didn’t take long before he removed all traces of the virus. All he needed to do was to make sure that no viruses were hibernating inside 2B’s logical circuits. As simple as performing a quick scan.
“Huh? This is weird.”
As he was scanning over her logical circuits, he discovered cracks in 2B’s personality data. In general, hacking regions appear as ‘pure white walls without a single crack’, but what he saw in front of him resembled the cracked walls of an abandoned building. He just didn’t see it before when the virus’s black color covered up the cracks.
“Is this an aftereffect of the virus?”
He had to find out more. He began a deep search, and was immediately met with the sound of rushing wind. Words filled his entire field of vision.
“You are ordered to terminate 9S.”
It was a fragment of 2B’s memories. These words were probably part of a mail’s contents. The sound of the wind is probably reflective of the location itself - the desert. 9S remembered the sight of 2B receiving mail in front of the access point. That wasn’t too long ago.
9S paused his scanning activity and accessed the memory at hand. He felt a pang of guilt, but since his own name was mentioned, he should probably be privy to its contents.
“...has attempted illegal access to the main server multiple times. We found traces of him having accessed the most confidential layer in the past few days.”
The words are wavering. The sounds of the wind are no more. It seems like 2B was shaken to the core during this memory.
“Therefore, you are ordered to terminate 9S.”
2B refused to have her virus removed because she didn’t want him to see this memory.
“You shouldn’t even let that bother you. I knew that you were an assassin sent by the commander.”
The only thing he didn’t know was the when. But he knew it from the moment he met up with her at the desert’s access point. He felt something from 2B as she read her mail with her back turned towards him. The final nail in the coffin was how she didn’t even realize 9S was approaching until he called out to her…
“Destruction of the head.”
The sound startled 9S. Fragments from a different time were intermingled with the memories of 2B reading the mail. It was a low, emotionless voice. But since it sounded so much like 2B’s voice, 9S couldn’t help but follow that voice.
“This is 2B. I have accomplished my mission.”
It’s the same voice. If the previous words were from 2B as well, whose head did she destroy?
9S approached the scattered memory fragments.
“What...is this?”
Upon first glance, these fragments appear to be scattered, but they were actually bent and connected in unnatural ways. What’s more, every single fragment had thorns protruding from them. 9S had never seen memory data like this.
They were full of thorns, they were disfigured, they were intermingled...they were 2B’s memories.
Maybe he shouldn’t see them. Maybe ignorance is bliss. Logically, he knew that, but couldn’t stop himself anyways. He was slightly resentful of his natural curiosity as an S type.
He touched one of the fragments and was immediately wracked with pain. But the pain helped him make up his mind - he needed to see this.
“But there’s no way an S type can win against a B type.”
This voice belonged to no other than himself. Since this is 2B’s memory, he must’ve said those words to her at some point. But he couldn’t recall anything like that. His memories were erased at some point.
By whom? For what?
Seeking for answers, 9S accessed another piece of memory.
“Goodbye, 2B.”
His own voice again. Hearing such a frail voice, 2B tried her hardest to keep her emotions in check. 9S didn’t get any visual information, probably because 2B had shut her eyes tightly at this point.
“Goodbye, 2B.”
“Goodbye, 2B.”
“Goodbye, 2B.”
These same words repeated themselves. When 2B read the message from the commander at the desert access points, these were the words that she heard in her mind.
But when and where did he say that?
Another piece of memory began its playback at that point. It took place during the mission at the so-called Sand Temple. It was the first time 2B executed 9S. She trapped 9S in her hacking space, cut off his escape routes via a wall created by a self-closing algorithm and erased his data.
Those were 9S’s parting words, right before he was about to be annihilated in 2B’s hacking space…
“2B has killed me before.”
That makes sense, he thought to himself. It certainly explained the sense of wrongness felt all along.
He attempted to access the next fragment. Again, he felt pain, but there’s no way he could stop now.
That particular execution happened in outer space. 2B destroyed 9S during their descent to earth. Another execution happened at the Sand Temple. Having learned from her previous mistake, 2B immediately killed 9S with a flash of her sword once they stepped into the temple. A few of the executions also happened right here, in the Stone Temple.
Sometimes she executed him after undertaking missions together. Sometimes she attacked and executed him while they were “total strangers”.
No matter how many times he’s executed or how many times his memory got wiped, 9S will always reach the same conclusion - that the commander is hiding something. And to sate his curiosity, he will always attempt to access the main server.
2B tried to stop him. Multiple times. When she got the chance to work with 9S, she tried her hardest persuade him to not suspect the commander. When she had to execute him without a chance to interact with him, she erased his memories and tried to nip his suspicions in the bud.
But all of her efforts were fruitless. No matter what she did, she couldn’t change the end result. It didn’t matter if she treated 9S with affection or indifference. It didn’t matter whether she called him “Nines” or not. At the very end, 2B will always receive orders to kill 9S.
“So that’s how it was…”
He’s been wondering about this ever since he first met 2B. 2B sometimes seemed like she was talking to someone else while they were alone. Back then, he concluded that 2B must’ve worked with other S types in the past.
His conclusion wasn’t completely right, nor was it completely wrong. 2B didn’t work with another S type - she worked with 9S. But not the “current 9S”.
“That could’ve been fatal if machine lifeforms attacked.”
He now knew the reason behind 2B’s peculiar actions after he said those words. Because a previous 9S said the exact same words in the exact same location in the past. He was killed by 2B right after that. His words triggered 2B’s memories of that time and caused her suffering.
And not just this once. Every memory she had of 9S brought great pain to her. So much that her own personality data is in tatters.
“I won’t apologize, because this is my mission. I won’t feel any guilt. Not now. Not ever.”
9S looked over 2B’s personality data again. It was pure white, but looked like it could crumble to dust at any moment…
Her consciousness surfaced from the darkness. She blinked, and saw 9S’s face close to her. He had a downcast expression. Or did she imagine it? 2B blinked and looked at him again.
“Nines…?”
That’s right, they were attacked by machine lifeforms. She fought them but became infected with the logic virus. Her last memory was of her trying desperately to stop 9S.
“I have removed the virus.”
She didn’t manage to stop him. 9S forcibly hacked her and dove into her memory regions.
“So...you’ve seen it all, huh?”
9S nodded silently.
“I see…”
She wasn’t surprised. She knew that this day was coming. S types are very insightful. 9S has already seen through her secret mission multiple times.
“2B wasn’t your actual name, huh.”
But this scenario had never happened before.
“2E.”
This was the first time 9S called her by her real name. E type number 2. Tasked with pursuing and executing deserters or rebels, as well as finishing off fellow androids that could no longer function on the battlefield. She is a YoRHa type android specializing in such dirty jobs.
2B drew her sword. 9S’s shoulders were shaking. He knew that 2B had killed him countless times before.
“I don’t intend to kill you anymore.”
She pointed the tip of the blade towards herself and gave the handle to 9S.
“So kill me.”
Her mission ended in failure. She failed as an E type. She’s now a defective product that can’t even justify her own operating costs.
“At the very least, I want to die by your hands…”
She had no illusions about this being any form of atonement. But if she could even give back a sliver of what she’d taken from 9S...there’s nothing much left for her to give. This is the only thing that she had to offer.
She saw 9S tighten his grip on the sword handle. She smiled and awaited her last moments.
The sword flashed. However, the blade was not aimed at 2B.
“Nines!?”
2B widened her eyes in shock, her head covered in a shower of blood. 9S, having sliced his own throat, slowly fell over. She cradled his body in her arms, her own screams of ‘Why?!’ sounding distant to even herself.
“Because...I had fun.”
She doubted her ears. He had fun? That’s impossible. There’s no way that’s true.
“I really enjoyed the time we had together. I think...that goes for all my previous selves as well.”
“Nines…”
I’m sorry, she wanted to say, but 9S interrupted her unspoken apology.
“Don’t apologize. Instead…”
Even with his rough breathing, 9S was smiling.
“Next time...don’t hesitate...to kill me. Because we….will meet again.”
As long as he wipes his memory regions and re-installs his personality data, he will get to meet 2B again. Even if he won’t be his current self anymore.
“I want….to see you...again…”
Even if their next meeting is nothing but a preface to another execution.
“I understand.”
Her vision blurred, and she couldn’t discern 9S’s last expression.
The body in her arms became heavier. The hand touching her cheek fell limply to his side. His black box signal was weakening by the moment. It would be cruel to let this drag out any longer.
She laid down 9S’s body and thrust her sword through his chest. His black box signal disappeared completely.
“I promise you.”
That I won’t hesitate to kill you. The next time, or the time after that. Not because of her mission, but because that’s what 9S wanted. To grant his wish of meeting again...she’ll kill him.
2B silently withdrew her sword from 9S’s chest.
2B (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
2B (narration): We are perpetually trapped ...
2B (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
2B (narration): Is this a curse?
2B (narration): Or some kind of punishment?
2B (narration): I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle ...
2B (narration): ... and wonder if we'll ever have the chance to kill him.
(December 29th.)
(9S speaks while struggling painfully.)
9S: Damn ...! 2B, why?! Why did you ...!
Pod 153 (narration): A wide, white sword penetrates 9S's stomach.
Pod 153 (narration): As delicate, red blood drips down him.
(2B hides her pained feelings.)
2B: You attempted to access highly confidential information ... therefore ...
9S: B-But ... 2B ... T-Trust ... me ...
Pod 153 (narration): 9S's vital signs begin to fade.
Pod 153 (narration): Heart rate decreasing, body temperature declining, motor functions failing, pupils dilating.
Pod 153 (narration): As every one of his parameters breaks down, he chokes out his final words.
9S: I-It hurts ... It ... h-hurt ... s ...
(His heart stops, and there is the sound effect of a flatline beep.)
2B: Kh ... ngh ...
(Unable to bear it, 2B begins to cry.)
Pod 153: Pod 153 to 2E.
Pod 153: Proposal: Delete 9S's personal data and reinstall default personal data.
2B: This is ... too much ...
Pod 153: YoRHa unit No.2 Type E.
Pod 153: Unit 9S's actions of obtaining sensitive information from the Bunker were within the predictions.
Pod 153: Model No.2 Type E's duties include the punishment of such actions.
Pod 153: No.2 Type E should have understood that this mission's outcome was already determined, and acted accordingly.
Pod 153: Question: Requesting current status of unit No.2 Type E, who, despite the predicted events, has yet to complete the given mission.
2B: Shut up already ...
Pod 153: In addition, emotions are prohibited for YoRHa units.
Pod 153: Proposal: Halt the expression of emotions, terminate unit 9S's current personal data, and reinstall —
2B: I told you to shut up!
(2B becomes enraged.)
(While breathing heavily, 2B murmurs.)
2B: 9 ... S ...
(9S and 2B's respective monologues.)
(9S speaks in his usual, cheery tone.)
9S: My name's 9S ... YoRHa unit No.9 Type S.
9S: Us Scanner models make use of our abilities in order to gather information on certain areas, as well as obtain data on our enemies, the machine lifeforms.
9S: Sometimes we make use of our hacking abilities, too, but combat's never really been our forte.
9S: We usually work alone, though.
9S: But even so, we're able to be useful to the rest of our fellow YoRHa units ...
9S: Or, that's what I like to think.
(2B speaks with a cold tone.)
2B: My name is 2B. YoRHa unit No.2 Type B ... is the name I'm operating under.
2B: Type-B models specialize in combat. We're a type of unit deployed to the front lines whenever an intense battle breaks out.
2B: As a result, we feel nothing at the thought of throwing our lives away. That's ... just how we were created.
2B: ... I wouldn't hesitate for even a moment to give my life in battle.
2B: But ... After meeting, you, 9S ... I ...
9S: After being partnered with 2B, I've had to fight a lot more often than I used to.
9S: She just gets into more and more dangerous situations all the time!
9S: Just watching her makes me nervous!
9S: As a Scanner model, I'm only able to equip one type of weapon at a time, so it's not easy for me.
(9S begins to look a little happy.)
9S: ... But even if it's hard, I'm just happy to be by her side.
9S: I'm ... not alone anymore.
9S: It almost feels like ... I have a family.
2B: They knew even from the design stages that the 9S model's observational skills would be exceptionally high.
2B: So they had already foreseen that he'd someday attempt access to Project YoRHa's confidential data.
2B: My official designation is ... 2E. No.2 Type E.
2B: From the moment 9S gains illegal access within the Bunker, it becomes my duty to carry out his execution.
2B: It's a duty that I must repeat ... over, and over ... without end.
(9S's voice becomes calmer.)
9S: I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel something special towards 2B.
9S: But that sort of thing isn't allowed for us YoRHa troops.
(2B, with a hint of pain in her voice.)
2B: Over and over ... I continue to kill 9S with my own hands.
2B: And every time, it feels like a void within me deepens.
2B: I wonder ... if it's okay for me to hope ...
9S: For the day ...
2B: For the day ...
2B and 9S: When my sins can be forgiven.
(The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline beeping.)
Pod 153: Unit 9S's death and deletion of current personal data confirmed.
Pod 153: Memory banks completely eliminated. Beginning installation of default personal data ...
(9S is seen investigating something.)
9S: So, uh ... I guess this is the commercial facility.
2B: Yeah.
9S: Seems like the people of the old world were able to get a lot of shopping done here.
9S: And even if they didn't buy anything, they still had a good time just looking at everything.
9S: According to the records, they referred to that as "window shopping".
9S: Man, humans sure are weird creatures.
9S: Hey, why don't we try it someday? Window shopping.
2B: We're soldiers created solely for the purpose of fighting. We don't need useless things like shopping.
9S: Once we eradicate the machine lifeforms, us soldiers won't have anything left to do. We'll enter a new age of peace.
9S: I'm talking about for when that happens.
9S: I bet it'll be fun!
2B: Hmm... When that day comes ... I'm all for it.
9S (narration): That's what she said, as she turned her back to me and began walking.
9S (narration): Almost like she was embarrassed or something.
9S (narration): Almost ... like she was sad.
9S (narration): Later, we spent a day fishing together in the Flooded City.
9S (narration): Well, we were actually investigating some marine resources, but we couldn't manage to catch the fish we needed.
9S (narration): There wasn't a lot of talking. We just ... spent the day fishing, watching the gentle waves in front of us.
9S (narration): The salty, humid wind blew against us.
9S (narration): The surface of the water sparkled brilliantly.
9S (narration): I remember all those little details, even now.
9S (narration): But the memory that sticks out to me the most happened in the City Ruins.
9S (narration): It was right after we'd finished our current mission.
9S (narration): I went and provoked a wild boar, and it ended up chasing the two of us around the whole rest of the day.
9S (narration): We didn't have any information on creatures that were more powerful than the machine lifeforms we were always fighting, so we had to retreat to the top of a building to get away from it.
9S (narration): And while we talked about whether the collection of data for wild boars should take priority over the collection of data for machine lifeforms,
9S (narration): we sat atop that ruined building, covered in plant life,
9S (narration): looking out over the rest of the city.
9S (narration): Plant and animal life has increased since the Old World.
9S (narration): But some things haven't changed at all, like the smell of crisp air, or the sound of rain.
9S (narration): But those are all just a part of my ... most precious memory.
9S (narration): We went around to a whole bunch of places together.
9S (narration): Er, for our missions, of course. Not for fun.
9S (narration): We were always running into some sort of trouble, like intense fights with huge machine lifeforms.
9S (narration): But for me, the memories that stuck with me the most weren't the ones having to do with those battles, but instead ... they were just the ones where 2B and I spent our time doing insignificant things.
(9S looks a bit lonely.)
9S (narration): Those memories ... are going to disappear soon, like all the rest.
9S (narration): Along with my personal data.
9S (narration): But "this" me ... is just happy to have gotten to spend those days with you.
9S (narration): Goodbye ... 2B.
(The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.)
(January 18th.)
Pod 153: Unit 9S's death and deletion of current personal data confirmed.
Pod 153: Memory banks completely eliminated. Beginning installation of default personal data.
2B: I see ...
(There's a small pause.)
Pod 153: Because unit 9S continuously carries out illegal access to confidential data, he must be terminated repeatedly.
Pod 153: However, during this confrontation, there was little resistance detected from unit 9S.
Pod 153: Further, according to his memory banks, he was aware of unit 2B's true designation as an Executioner model.
Pod 153: Question: Why did unit 9S not resist?
2B: 9S ... knew that I was ... an Executioner model?
(2B laughs, though it's full of sorrow.)
2B: Hah ... hahahah ...
2B: Pod 153, you ...
2B: You could never understand 9S ...
Pod 153: Negative: This is the tactical support unit assigned to unit 9S.
Pod 153: This unit is with him during operational hours, as well as during maintenance.
Pod 153: This unit is also responsible for reporting when he accesses the Bunker's data illegally.
Pod 153: It can be inferred that this unit is aware of all information regarding unit 9S.
Pod 153: Therefore, the claim that this unit "could never understand 9S" is inappropriate.
2B: You don't know a single thing about 9S.
2B: You ...
(2B speaks with a lonely tone.)
2B: And me both ...
(2B is crying, in pain.)
2B: No ... Enough already ...
Pod 153: Proposal: Unit 2B should carry out her assignment.
(The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.)
2B: I don't want to kill him anymore ...
Pod 153: Negative: Unit 2B's assignment is still in effect.
Pod 153: The Commander has already denied the mission cancellation request submitted 64 hours ago.
(The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.)
2B: Why ... do I have to ...
Pod 153: Report: Unit 2B was modeled after a YoRHa test model who was the last surviving member of her group.
Pod 153: Unit 2B was chosen due to her ability to adapt to harsh environments as well as her combat capabilities.
2B: I'm not suited for this mission at all ...
Pod 153: Negative.
2B: Someone ... help me ...
(Pod 153 begins repeating itself as if it's broken.)
(Behind the pod's voice, the sound of a flatline beep can be heard.)
Pod 153: Negative ... Report: Proposal: Destruction: Order: Punishment: Humanity: Moon: Fiction: Machine: Boy: Conviction ...
(2B shouts as though to block out the pod's voice.)
2B: Nines!!
(There is a long pause.)
9S (narration): Us YoRHa units ... only exist to be destroyed.
9S (narration): Over and over, we die, and we're just reborn again.
9S (narration): A lot like cycle of life and death that living creatures have.
(9S now speaks with some worry in his voice.)
9S (narration): ... But, why does my chest always feel so heavy?
9S (narration): How come every time I lose my life, I end up feeling like something important was taken from me?
9S (narration): Hey, 2B ... Will I ever be able to see you again?
9S (narration): Why does losing my current self ...
9S (narration): ... make me feel so lonely?
(There's a long pause.)
2B (narration): Us YoRHa units ... only exist to destroy.
2B (narration): In order to recapture Earth and restore humanity, I'll harbor no regrets.
2B (narration): Even if ... I must kill my fellow androids.
(2B now speaks with some worry in her voice.)
2B (narration): But killing 9S like this, over and over ...
2B (narration): It feels like I just keep staining my heart with more and more dirtied blood ...
2B (narration): And no matter how much I try to wipe it off, it won't disappear.
2B (narration): The heaviness of 9S's words just keeps getting worse ...!
(Despite how much she wants to speak with honesty, she shuts her feelings inside herself.)
2B (narration): ...
2B (narration): ......
2B (narration): Hey ... 9S ...
2B (narration): I wonder ... Were the choices I made wrong ...?
(February 4th.)
(The continuous beeping sound of an error.)
9S: Gah ... Ahhhh!
(9S appears to be suffering, on the verge of death.)
2B: 9S ... Nines!
(Still suffering, his breathing becomes rough.)
9S: Hah ... hahaha ...
9S: So you ... finally called me Nines ... at the very end, huh ...
2B: Why ... Why did you activate your own self-destruction ...?! If you do that, your personal data will ...
Pod 153 (narration): Due to a self-administered physical virus, 9S's body began to collapse on itself.
Pod 153 (narration): His hair, his fingertips, his arms ... They all felt the intense pain of decomposition.
9S: ... It's okay ... 2B ... You were assigned to — to kill me ... weren't you ...?
9S: I-I knew ... How much it hurt you ... to have to do this ...
Pod 153 (narration): The hand he was attempting to stroke 2B's cheek with no longer existed.
9S: I-If it's for you, 2B ... I — I'd easily ... throw my life away ...
Pod 153 (narration): He attempted to squeeze even the smallest bit of hope out of his collapsing body.
2B: Nines ... How could you ...
(9S, in immense pain, attempts to tell 2B his final words.)
9S: 2B, I ... N-No ... YoRHa unit No.9 Type S ...
9S: ... h-has been truly honored to fight by the side ... of unit No.2 Type B.
9S: M-May your future battles shine brightly ...
2B: Ni ... ne ...
(2B can't even form words.)
9S: 2B, I — I have ... a final request ...
9S: If you and I meet again, I ... I want you to kill me. P-Promise?
(2B can only let out sounds of agony.)
9S: Hahah ... You sure are kind ... 2B ...
Pod 153 (narration): 9S's voice began to fade.
9S: The towns, amusement parks, and oceans ... we saw together ... I'll never forget them ...
Pod 153 (narration): His eyes no longer hold any light within them.
9S: Thank you ... for being with me, 2B ...
(The sound of a heartbeat stopping, and a flatline's beep.)
(9S breathes his final breath.)
(2B moans in grief.)
2B: I ... I ...
2B: Nines ... I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry ...
(Everyone raises their heads.)
Pod 153 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
Pod 153 (narration): "They" are perpetually trapped ...
Pod 153 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
2B (narration): Even if the pain of killing 9S is the sin I must bear.
9S (narration): Even if the joy of meeting 2B is my reason to live.
2B (narration): I'll still resist.
9S (narration): I'll keep fighting.
2B and 9S (narration): Even if that means ...
2B and 9S (narration): Going against God.
＜WHERE IS THIS?＞
＜WHO IS THAT?＞
2B likens it to trying to climb up a rocky slope.
Her left leg feels heavier than lead, and with just one step, she's already winded. When she's finally able to complete that step, her right leg's joints are the next to begin creaking.
From practically tumbling out of the flight unit, exiting the hangar, riding the elevator, and finally to reaching the hallway, the distance is only about a few meters. But when she thinks about the amount of time it takes her to do just that, she's dumbfounded. The Development Department is right at the end of this hallway. Thinking about how much longer it'll take to get there, 2B feels as though she's going to faint.
The orbiting Bunker is the front line base for YoRHa troops. Although it contains all the necessary facilities for battle and travel between itself and the Earth, as well as living spaces for its inhabitants, it can't really be considered big. Nevertheless, 2B feels as though the distance between herself and her destination is endless. As the floor is merely a gradual slope, there aren't even any steps for her to overcome, so it's a place that should be so easy to walk in that one could do it with their eyes closed.
This only acts as proof that the current problems with her motor functions are serious. She tries to up her pace a little, as she thinks about how badly she needs to reach the Development Department for repairs.
Just then, the Commander approaches her from the front. 2B attempts to move her left hand to her chest for a salute, but she can't even manage that correctly. She grimaces, as it seems that the malfunctions weren't only in her legs like she'd thought, but her arms as well.
"It's all right. At ease."
She'd noticed the extent of 2B's damage through that awkward attempt at a salute, and she gestures for her to lower her arm.
"You look to be in pretty bad shape."
"I wasn't able to receive the necessary repairs on the ground, so I was forced to suspend the mission in order to return here for them. I apologize."
"Your apology is unnecessary. Are there others who've been injured?"
"Due to the battle that broke out with the machine lifeforms during early morning, 1D has taken damage to her right arm and shoulder, and 4B's left thigh has sustained minor injury. However, 12H's first-aid treatment has managed to repair them so that the operation would not be hindered."
"I see."
With that, the Commander moves to the side, out of 2B's line of sight. This hallway, which connects the hangar to the Development Department, faces the "outside". The darkness of space, the scattered stars, and of course, mankind's original home, Earth, can all be seen from the windows.
Even now, upon that beautiful blue planet, YoRHa androids were engaging in combat against the machine lifeforms. No matter how many times they crush them, just like little mechanical bugs, the machine lifeforms tirelessly reappear.
"There just aren't enough YoRHa troops to handle the number of machine lifeforms ... But calling them the elite few sounds nice, I think."
Although there's an overwhelming difference in their numbers, androids have been able to make up for it through strategy and updated technology. However, they have yet to fully overcome their disadvantage, and thus the fighting has been prolonged. 2B believed that maybe, if they were to just push their efforts further, it could all end, but she realized she was wrong in that idea.
"Just make sure you don't push yourself," the Commander says, her lips forming a smile.
Occasionally, the Commander smiles in such a gentle fashion that it confuses 2B. After all, she tends to be rather cold, her speech is usually as rigid as one would expect from a leader, and her judgement is as sharp as a blade.
There were probably countless amounts of anguish and conflict hidden in the depths of that occasional smile.
"Commander ..."
2B stops herself from finishing her thought. This is her problem, not the Commander's.
"Never mind. It was nothing."
The Commander's smile vanishes, before quiet words escape her lips.
"No matter how cruel the mission, we must complete it. That is the duty of us YoRHa members."
Those final words echo within 2B's mind. There've always been difficult times for her, or even times when things were so painful she couldn't stand it. But 2B has never been dissatisfied with her duties.
"However, no matter the mission, all responsibility for it lies on my shoulders. Do not forget that."
It's as though the Commander was able to read her mind. 2B had always been thinking that the weight she'd accumulated each time she finished one of her duties was hers and hers alone to carry. No, even now, she still believes that. Even so, the Commander's words echo within her heart.
"Glory to mankind."
This time, 2B manages to salute properly.
"Glory to mankind," the Commander repeats in kind.
2B fights under her command. She always has, and she always will. Until the day Mother Earth returns to the hands of its rightful owners, mankind.
As she listens to the Commander's systematic footsteps fade behind her, 2B continues on towards the Development Department's room.
＜WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?＞
＜WHAT WAS THAT? JUST NOW?＞
＜SHOULD WE FOLLOW HER?＞
＜LET'S FOLLOW HER!＞
As the Commander enters the command room, she finds that she can't walk another step. A bunch of operators have rushed over to her and blocked the route.
"Commander! About the arrangement of materials in the Bunker ..."
"Please allow me to report the situation in the city ruins ..."
"Please approve the supply container to be sent to the moon ..."
"It appears the transmission bandwidth in Sector F Ward 3d is failing ..."
It seems that the operators believe that if one merely holds the title of "Commander" then that means their processing power must be higher than anyone else.
"With regards to the material arrangement, submit a map presenting three plans that take into account the movements of everyone in charge. After you've done that, I'll consider it."
"Understood!"
"I'll listen to your situation report in 330 seconds."
"Understood!"
"Supply container approved."
"Thank you very much!"
"Direct any troops in the F sector to move to the access point and investigate the cause."
"Understood!"
"Finally, that's finished ..." the Commander thinks to herself, but in actuality, it's not. None of the operators move from where they're standing. It seems there's still something they need.
"Is there something else?"
"Yes," the operators answer in unison.
"Commander! Please accept this!"
All at once, they present her with small gold and silver packages.
"What are these?"
"Today is February 14th! That date is also known as Valentine's Day, which is a day where you give brown objects to those you adore!"
"Valentine's Day? A custom from the Old World?"
"Yes! It appears that both the senders and receivers of gifts were made very happy by it. It also appears that it was customary to give brown objects wrapped in gold and silver paper."
"Ah, no wonder," the Commander thinks to herself. All of their packages are different shapes and sizes, but all of them shine brilliantly. Indeed, it seems that humans gave presents like this long ago.
She opens one of the presents to test out its contents, and it ends up being a dark brown ribbon. She wonders what to do with it, but for the time being, answers with a "thank you" instead of voicing that.
Many of the customs of the Old World elude her. While humans are the ones who created androids, it's ridiculous that they try to understand them, and not recommended that they mimic them. Therefore, she cannot officially authorize this attempt at mimicking Valentine's Day customs, but ...
She won't say such cold things for now. The operators here have very different hardships from those units fighting on the front lines.
"Commander, um ... may I ask for your permission on something?"
The one who asked that is an operator known as 6O, the one in charge of communications with 2B.
"What is it?"
"I'd like for your approval on experiments regarding implementing new equipment for flight units."
Regarding the matter of new equipment, the Commander had received reports from the Development Department several times about that. When dealing with experiments like this, a back and forth between operators and other members is required. It seems that 6O here is in charge of compiling those communications.
"Ah, yes. That. The preliminary investigation. The one who was assigned to that operation was ..."
"9S, ma'am. If no problems occur with the preliminary investigation, it'll be the descent force's final experiment."
Upon hearing that, the image of 2B from not long ago appears on her mind.
"I see, 9S ... That's right."
The words that she'd repeated so many times before echo within her heart, "all responsibility lies on my shoulders".
"Approved."
"Thank you very much!"
6O gives a bow and leaves the room. The Commander then turns her head to look over her shoulder.
"Now then ..."
It's been exactly 330 seconds.
"Let's hear that situation report on the battleground."
＜BATTLEGROUND? SITUATION REPORT?＞
＜BATTLE ON THE GROUND? TO REPORT ON THE SITUATION, RIGHT?＞
＜AH. WHAT DOES NEW EQUIPMENT MEAN?＞
＜WE DON'T UNDERSTAND.＞
＜SHOULD WE TAKE A LOOK?＞
＜LET'S TAKE A LOOK!＞
Operator 6O rushes to the hangar. She believes she'll be in trouble if she misses them. Well, actually, if she does, she can just contact them through a transmission, so she won't be in that big of trouble.
She slides herself through the door she'd just opened — it feels like the more in a hurry she is, the more slowly it opens. Because quick movement is necessary for a quick installation, she believes it's a point of hers that she should improve on.
"21O, are you there?"
From behind a flight unit equipped with a catapult, 21O's face emerges. She's still in the middle of her inspection work, it seems. What good timing. 6O immediately gets down to business.
"The implementation experiment's been approved!"
However, 21O's reaction is unexpectedly weak. 6O wonders if she's just forgotten about what the experiment entails.
"You know, the new equipment? For the flight unit!"
21O knits her eyebrows in an almost shocked expression.
"That's all?"
"What do you mean ... that's all?"
This time, it's 6O's turn to show a strange expression on her face. She can't figure out what's up with 21O's expression.
"You could've just told me that through one single transmission. You didn't have to come all the way here."
"Yeah, but ..."
21O wears an expression that suggests she believes she's done something useless, while 6O tries to think of how to refute that.
"But, but! We're always just talking through transmissions, I need more exercise!"
21O raises an eyebrow at that, as if to say, "so, what?"
"And besides! Isn't it more important to check the actual equipment with my own eyes? What is it we say again ... It's our duty? To do it perfectly? Er, what was it ... um ..."
"It's the duty of us operators to carry out everything we do with perfection."
"Right, that was it!"
21O finally nods her head at 6O's spirited response.
"I guess you're right. Whenever he asks about new equipment, he seems guilty. 9S is just a ball of curiosity."
21O's tone may sound like she's verbally shrugging her shoulders, but in actuality, it's meant to be gentleness. She's always like this when she talks about the unit she's in charge of, 9S.
6O leans over, suggesting she understands just what she means. Even though they serve different units, operators share the same sorts of feelings.
"2B's the same way, always doing unreasonable things."
S-Type's tend be guilty due to their intense curiosity, while B-Types are guilty of their lack of consideration for themselves. Though that's probably why they're able to fight on the front lines without hesitation.
"I guess you could say they're running us ragged."
"I get that there's no helping their characteristics, however ..."
"You wish they'd act with a little more restraint, right?"
"But even if we tell them that ..."
"It won't change a thing!"
"So," the two of them speak in unison. "Advanced preparations are especially important!"
As is the exchange of information between operators. Even if it's an insignificant conversation, there could be information within it. The accumulation of all that meager information could inform important decisions, or help units avoid danger. In short, everything in an operator's everyday life can connect back to a mission. Every day is their duty.
After checking some notes and changes on the new equipment, the two of them chat a bit. Of course, 21O never stops working, however.
"Okay, sorry to keep you waiting."
21O returns the flight unit to a fixed position after the inspection, and makes room for 6O. Since the catapult can only be equipped to one flight unit at a time, they'll have to be checked one by one.
"Well then, I'll go ahead and contact 9S."
"Okay! I'll leave you to that."
6O fixes 2B's flight unit in the open space, and begins her inspection work.
＜THAT MACHINE SURE IS BIG!＞
＜IS THAT THE NEW EQUIPMENT?＞
＜WHERE SHOULD WE GO NEXT?＞
＜WHERE SHOULD WE GO NEXT?＞
Locating 9S is an easy task for Operator 21O. When he's on Earth, there may be issues with the satellite resolution or the communication area, so sometimes the position information can be wrong. However, when he's within the Bunker, there's no mistake. "9S is right here," 21O thinks to herself, as she stands in front of the door.
The server control room — the room within the Bunker where a large terminal is installed. 9S has been in here analyzing enemy barriers and new hacking patterns. He loves that sort of detail work.
Whenever he isn't being sent out on missions, he's always, always, always guaranteed to be working in this room. Due to his intense concentration, he doesn't even hear the sound of the door opening.
"I knew it," 21O mutters, as she enters the room, without even gaining the attention of 9S, who's focused on the terminal. Despite being unable to see his eyes, she's sure they're shining as he immerses himself in his work.
Often, human beings seem to have become absorbed in the act of playing with their toys, forgetting about time entirely, and that's exactly how 9S feels in this very moment.
Actually, even before heading to the hangar, 21O had stopped by here. Since he seemed so absorbed in his work, she didn't call out to him, but even at that point in time, he'd already been in the room for over three hours.
She feels as though she should tell him to cut it out and take a break already, but all of a sudden, his shoulders tremble in shock, like someone had just come up from behind him and shouted in his ear.
"Oh, it's just you, operator."
He drops his shoulders, and turns his gaze towards 21O.
"What do you mean 'it's just you'? You've been working in here without even a single break for how many hours now? You need to quit doing that sort of thing."
"Yeah, yeah."
"One confirmation will suffice."
"Fiiiine," he responds, as though he's dissatisfied.
"Please disconnect from the terminal. I need to brief you on your next mission."
"Seriously? I can just listen like this!"
"That's unacceptable. You won't get sufficient exercise like that."
Suddenly she finds herself diverting the conversation in the same way 6O did not long ago. Though it is true that 9S requires exercise more than 6O does.
"Let's take a little walk."
9S reluctantly disconnects from the terminal.
"Soooo, where's the next mission?"
"Within the factory ruins. You'll need to survey the ruins as well as their surroundings."
"So that means I'll be alone again, huh? Sure is lonely like that."
9S drops his shoulders in a manner that suggests he's uninterested, but in the next moment, he lifts his head to look over at 21O.
"Think you could come with me, operator?"
21O knows he's not being serious with that. It may be true that he's lonely, but bringing an operator along on a mission is completely out of the question.
"Absolutely not. This is your job. Stop behaving like a child and just complete it on your own like you're supposed to."
"All right, all right! Sheesh ..."
9S puffs his cheeks up. She can hear he's a bit disheartened. She wonders if she should give him some "candy" to cheer him up.
"The next mission will also serve as an experiment for the newly implemented equipment."
"Wait, really?!"
She can hear the liveliness in his voice now. Just as she thought, the word "new" would have tremendous effect on him.
"I'll provide you with a more detailed explanation in the hangar while we check out the equipment."
"All right!"
Suddenly, 9S makes a strange expression, like he's taken aback by something.
"Is something wrong?"
Come to think of it, he seemed a bit strange a little while back, as well. She'd thought it was because she surprised him by suddenly being in the room with him, but at the time, his gaze wasn't even facing towards her, but in another direction entirely. Something else had his attention.
"Er, I just feel kind of uneasy."
"About what?"
9S turns his gaze towards the interior of the room, like he feels as though someone's watching him from it. He shakes his head a few moments later.
"No, there's no way. It's probably just my imagination. I wonder if I'm tired or something ..."
"That's why I've been telling you to take regular breaks."
"Yeah, yeah."
"One confirmation will suffice!"
After finishing the explanation of the new equipment, she'll have to remind him again to rest. If his fatigue accumulates, it may compromise the mission.
While thinking about that, she and 9S leave the server control room. But before she leaves entirely, she turns to look about the room one last time. Of course, there's no one there.
＜That was a close one!＞
＜We were almost caught!＞
＜But what does "lonely" mean?＞
＜No idea!＞
＜Androids are just full of mysteries, aren't they?＞
＜That's right. Full of mysteries ... and very interesting.＞
＜We want to play with them a little more.＞
＜Yes ... Play with them a little more.＞
Two words appear on the large terminal within the server control room, despite the complete lack of anyone's presence.
End Transmission.
A2 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
A2 (narration): I am perpetually trapped ...
A2 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
A2 (narration): Is this a curse?
A2 (narration): Or some kind of punishment?
A2 (narration): I often think about the god who blessed me with this cryptic puzzle ...
A2 (narration): ... and wonder if I'll ever have the chance to kill him.
2B (narration): She is A2. Attacker No. 2.
2B (narration): A test model for YoRHa.
A2: The first time I was deployed to the front lines was in the year 11941, on December 8th.
A2: During the 14th Machine War, in the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission.
A2: Decisive weapons created for the sole purpose of recapturing Earth from the machines.
A2: That was us ... That was "YoRHa".
2B (narration): The target of destruction was a server created by the machine lifeforms on the island of Oahu.
2B (narration): The server was the backbone of the network encompassing the entire Pacific Ocean.
2B (narration): And the plan, if it succeeded, would greatly influence the battle.
A2: However, due to an unexpected attack from the machines, our team suffered great losses.
A2: We joined with the area's resistance members, but one ... by one ...
A2: By the time I'd reached the server room, most of my companions had been killed.
2B (narration): And within that server room, A2 came to know the truth behind their mission.
2B (narration): Every one of their battles ... had been predetermined by the Commander.
2B (narration): Their true purpose was the collection of experimental data in order to create a more finished product.
2B (narration): Within the experimental bodies of A2 and her comrades ... bombs had been placed.
(A2, in despair.)
A2: Our bodies ... contain bombs ...
A2: That'll explode ... when we stop showing signs of life ...?
A2: N-No ...
A2: This can't ...!
2B (narration): Every battle had been planned.
2B (narration): Every death had been planned.
2B (narration): And as A2 fell into despair, her friend called out to her.
2B (narration): "Number 2 ... I'll destroy this place, so ..."
2B (narration): "Please ... live on."
(A2 screams out desperately while crying.)
A2: No! Number 4!
2B (narration): It was the final attack ... a suicide attack.
2B (narration): The server room was then enveloped in a bright flash.
A2: Number 4!!
(A2 hides her face.)
2B (narration): ... The enemy server was destroyed.
2B (narration): All enemies within a 250km radius went completely silent.
2B (narration): Their influence over the entire Pacific Ocean had been rewritten.
2B (narration): And ...
(A2 slowly raises her head.)
A2: I ... survived.
A2: I lost the goal I'd been fighting for, as well as betrayed the Commander I was supposed to believe in.
A2: And yet ... my life still remained.
A2: My comrades who lost their lives ... The YoRHa members who'd been shot down ... The resistance members ... Everyone ...
A2: Number 21, Number 16 ... Number 4 ...
A2: I ... I'll ...!
2B (narration): The black box belonging to the YoRHa member known as Number 2 was still online.
2B (narration): She was acknowledged as the holder of information for the most important, confidential YoRHa plan.
2B (narration): In order to prevent this information from leaking ... YoRHa test unit, Attacker No.2, was to be destroyed.
2B (narration): That was all.
9S (narration): Attacker No. 2. A2.
9S (narration): She actually had an obedient, kind personality.
9S (narration): She hated fighting more than anything else. She thought of her friends above anyone else.
9S (narration): Her type of thinking didn't fit a soldier at all.
A2: ... However, during my first descent mission, I lost most of my comrades.
A2: The Commander had planned those battles all along.
A2: While praying to those who died ...
A2: I lost who I was.
9S (narration): For a deserter like A2, there was no where she could return to.
9S (narration): But she couldn't just throw away the life they'd given her.
A2: I destroy more machine lifeforms each day.
A2: I don't believe a day will ever come where we reach a victory over them.
A2: But ... I can never forgive them for what they did to my comrades.
A2: So I'll continue to fight ... for myself.
9S (narration): She fought, she broke, she repaired herself ... and then she repeated it.
9S (narration): That pain ... and that pain alone ... was proof that she was alive.
9S (narration): But, one day.
9S (narration): She came face to face with an enemy she'd never imagined she would see.
(2B speaks with a cold voice.)
2B: YoRHa test model, Attacker No.2. A2 ... right?
(A2 looks astonished.)
A2: You're ...
9S (narration): The opponent A2 had been met with was a new, state-of-the-art YoRHa model.
9S (narration): And her face ... was exactly the same as A2's.
(A2 speaks, overcome with surprise.)
A2: The same face ... as me ... A No.2 model ...
A2: They can't be ... Are they mass producing new YoRHa units based on my battle data ...?
2B: A2, I have orders from the Council of Humanity for your termination based on the leakage of confidential information and the failure to manage said information.
A2: Orders ... for my termination?
2B: My name is ... 2E. No.2 Type E. I was dispatched from the Bunker to carry out your termination.
2B: Kindly cease function and hand over control of your body immediately. Otherwise, I'll be forced to destroy you.
A2: Hah .... Hahahahahaha ...
(A2 begins laughing, with anger in her voice.)
A2: You were dispatched from the Bunker, were you?
A2: To terminate me? You said you were an Execution model?
A2: So they created a YoRHa unit with the same face as me, and then sent her to kill me ...
A2: ... just so they could cover up their sins?
A2: Hah ... Hahahahaha!
2B: A2. I don't have the time to listen to your ...
A2: Shut up!
(A2 suddenly becomes enraged.)
A2: If you people really are going to try to kill me ...
A2: If you're truly going to hide the truth ...
A2: Then so be it. I won't show any mercy either.
A2: Machine lifeforms, the Bunker, the Commander, even the humans on the moon ... I'll kill them all.
9S (narration): In her hand, she gripped a sword which was meant to kill machine lifeforms.
9S (narration): In her eyes, the light of her old self was gone.
9S (narration): Suffering from her loneliness, focused only on revenge ...
9S (narration): She gazed quietly at her new "enemy".
2B (narration): Fearing a leak of confidential YoRHa information, an order was issued to terminate A2.
2B (narration): However, she was able to shake off pursuers, and survive countless battles with machines.
2B (narration): To her, everything had become an enemy, and she truly had no where she could run.
A2: Dammit! Sit still, would you!
9S: Hahah! Just throwing out random attacks like that isn't gonna work, you know.
A2: Then fight me head-on like a man!
9S: Well what do you expect? I'm a Scanner! Combat was never meant to be my forte!
A2: Geez, you talk way too much!
9S: And if you keep getting distracted like that, you're gonna show your weak point!
A2: Quit screwing around, dammit — auugh!
2B (narration): 9S managed to hack into A2.
2B (narration): He broke through her logic barriers, and ended up in her personal data.
2B (narration): All around her was nothing but white walls, closing her in.
A2: Th-This is ...?!
9S: Hacking space. I've sealed your personal data inside your head.
9S: Okay then. Let's see here ... YoRHa test model A2. Attacker No.2 ...
9S: Due to the possibility of confidential information being leaked, the Council of Humanity has ordered your termination.
A2: Heh. So you're one of the Commander's little dogs, huh.
9S: Man, you don't pull any punches.
9S: But it doesn't matter how much you shout in here, you're not gonna run away from me.
2B (narration): A black fog began to wind around A2.
2B (narration): It was a trap designed to restrict her personal data.
9S: That barrier's an installation type, but it faces inward.
9S: So no matter how much you thrash about, you're not getting out.
A2: Dammit ...!
9S: Don't you think you say that a little too much?
A2: What the hell did the Commander tell you ...?
9S: I just told you, didn't I? You deserted, so there's an order for your termination.
9S: But playing rough's not really my thing, so I'm thinking I'll send you back like this.
A2: That's all, huh ...
9S: Hm?
A2: You couldn't get more information than just that? You Scanner models are always curious, after all.
(9S's voice becomes cold.)
9S: Are you ... taunting me?
9S: I prepared that barrier so I could detain you, but ...
9S: I think I've changed my mind.
9S: I'll be destroying your personal data here, like I was ordered.
(9S holds his hand out.)
9S: I'm going to make you regret talking to me like that.
2B (narration): 9S issued a command for A2's erasure.
2B (narration): However, the black fog surrounding A2 wouldn't react beyond a certain point.
2B (narration): On the contrary, something began to happen to 9S's body instead.
2B (narration): He suddenly realized multiple black snake-like bits of data wrapping themselves around him.
9S: N-No way ... It can't be ...!
9S: A counterattack-type logic barrier?!
9S: H-How did you ...?!
(A2 speaks, as she recovers from her damage.)
A2: To put it simply ...
A2: I got it from you.
9S: From ... me?!
2B (narration): Those bits of data wrapped further around 9S, slowly eliminating any possible chances of escape.
A2: YoRHa No.9 Type S ...
A2: This is the fourth time I've met that model.
A2: You were rather difficult to fight in the beginning.
A2: But ... after fighting you so many times, I became increasingly aware of a Scanner's habits.
A2: The others before you were the same ... They fought with various patterns, but ...
A2: You always end up trying to detain me with that damn hacking.
A2: It was a pretty close call the first time, but after the second time, I learned to block it with a barrier.
A2: This program was made just for you. A form of insurance.
(9S speaks up as he suffers.)
9S: No ... No! Dammit, I have to ... release the barrier ...
(A2 responds coldly.)
A2: It's no use. That barrier was made in order to collapse your own personal data.
A2: You're not getting out of that no matter what you do. That's how you made it to be, isn't it?
(9S, still suffering, collapses.)
9S: G-Guaaaah ...!! Damn ... Dammit!!!
9S: A2!!!!
(Once his screams die out, A2 begins speaking quietly.)
A2: This is the fourth time ... I've heard you scream like that.
A2: You should pray that we don't meet again.
9S (narration): We were wandering around a place known as the "Forest Kingdom".
9S (narration): Looking for the leader of the area's weirdly aggressive machine lifeforms, the "Forest King".
9S (narration): And we finally found it within a broken down castle. It was ...
9S (narration): It was almost like a baby, in appearance.
2B (narration): We were caught off guard.
2B (narration): It couldn't even walk on its own, much less carry a weapon.
2B (narration): This thing ... was the Forest King?
2B (narration): And as if sensing our hesitation, she came ...
A2 (narration): I was only there by chance.
A2 (narration): I had been disposing of machine lifeforms in the area, and their leader only happened to be there.
A2 (narration): The machine looked so small and weak.
A2 (narration): But I didn't hesitate to run it through with my sword.
A2 (narration): Its cries of death rang from its core to my sword.
A2 (narration): This is the enemy. This is the enemy. This is ... the enemy.
A2 (narration): I repeated that over and over to myself.
2B (narration): The android that had just dropped down before us ... had the same face as me.
2B (narration): YoRHa model No.2.
2B (narration): Her eyes gazed in my direction.
2B (narration): With a look of utter resignation.
9S: 2B! That's ... an android!
9S: A YoRHa-type android!
A2 (narration): I knew exactly who they were.
A2 (narration): Because I'd already killed them countless times.
A2 (narration): And just like always, I knew the order would once again be given to terminate me.
2B (narration): I had no memories of ever encountering her before.
2B (narration): But for some reason ... I could feel a deep discomfort rise up from within me.
9S (narration): Although she was a deserter, we were ordered to kill one of our own ... A YoRHa android.
9S (narration): Doubts began to sprout in my heart.
9S (narration): Was the YoRHa unit standing before us really our "enemy"?
A2 (narration): No.9 Type S ... No. 2 Type B. The YoRHa units I should've already killed so many times before.
A2 (narration): When I met them that time ... they were completely different from how they'd been in the past.
A2 (narration): I don't know why, but ...
A2 (narration): It seemed like they saw each other as old friends.
A2 (narration): ...
A2 (narration): It could've been some kind of premonition.
A2 (narration): That this was the end ... or maybe even the beginning of something.
A2 (narration): Number 21, Number 16 ... Number 4.
A2 (narration): If I die ... I'll be joining all of you.
(A2 looks forward.)
A2 (narration): So just ... wait for me, okay?
2B (narration): We YoRHa are weapons created to fight.
9S (narration): We YoRHa are a madness created to kill.
A2 (narration): This world is full of curses.
A2 (narration): And we are all links in a chain of killing one another.
2B (narration): Even so, we have to keep fighting.
9S (narration): That's why, we have to keep killing.
A2 (narration): Even if our fates are wrong, we can't stop.
All three (narration): Because that is the meaning of our existence.
2B (Narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
2B (Narration): We are perpetually trapped……
2B (Narration): In a neverending spiral of life and death.
2B (Narration): Is this a curse?
2B (Narration): Or some kind of punishment?
2B (Narration): I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle
2B (Narration): And wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to kill him.
Operator 6O: Operator 6O to 2B. Can you hear me?
2B: I hear you.
Operator 6O: Roger that.
Operator 6O: Now then, I think I’d like to initiate the scheduled tactical support unit exchange test.
Operator 6O: You normally use Pod model 042, but this time, we’ll be assigning 9S’ 153 to you for a few days.
Operator 6O: You were told this the other day, but this tactical support unit exchange is regularly used as a test to get information on the Pod; their usefulness, any problems they might have, that sort of thing.
Operator 6O: It’s called a “test,” but just go about as you normally do.
2B: Understood.
Operator 6O: Ah, looks like there’s a voice message from 9S, who’s already proceeding with the test. I’m playing it back for you now.
[The sound of data being played.]
9S: Ummm……hellooo? Can you hear me, ma’am*?
9S: This is 9S. I’m doing my best on this exchange test with the unsociable Pod 042.
Pod 042: Negative: Tactical support units do not have emotions.
Pod 042: The expression “unsociable” is inappropriate.
9S: …is what I’m dealing with. Well, I’ll try to enjoy it.
9S: Ah, one more thing, ma’am. If you get tired of doing the test, please let me know right away.
9S: I’ll do whatever I can to try suspending the te……
[The data replay is interrupted by a noise.]
Operator 6O: Ah…..ahaha…..
Operator 6O: Looks like the rest of it got erased by Command’s censors.
Operator 6O: ….W-Well, good luck with the exchange test!
2B (Narration): Operator 6O ends the transmission, inviting silence.
2B (Narration): Once the current task is confirmed, a nearby access point is displayed.
2B (Narration): It looks like an investigation is necessary for a body transport function error.
Pod 153: Pod 153 to YorHa unit 2B.
2B: What?
Pod 153: “Nice to meet you!”
2B: …..Huh?
Pod 153: “Nice to meet you!”
2B: ….What is that…..?
Pod 153: Report: a statement repeated in order to encourage a harmonious relationship between humans.
Pod 153: In accordance with YorHa unit 9S’ specifications, this is to be repeated until a similar response has been received.
Pod 153: “Nice to meet you!”
2B: N…..Nice to…meet you….
Pod 153: Understood.
2B (Narration): If the exchange test continues like this, it looks to be the cause of unnecessary stress.
2B (Narration): At a loss, I switched focus to the designated access point…….
*: 9S uses “2B-san” in this script, which was the English game’s equivalent to calling her “ma’am.” Operator 6O also calls 2B “2B-san,” but this was never addressed and it would’ve looked odd to use honorifics in one location and not everywhere else, too.
2B (Speaking): On the way to the target access point, I passed a village of machines. It’s a village of pacifists led by a machine named “Pascal.” In the distance, the children seem to be having fun, singing songs. It has been confirmed many times that the machines here are strange individuals.There are those who imitate families, those who talk of love, and the children…..
Despite being weapons created by the aliens, they have personalities.
Almost like humanity…..
[Short pause.]
2B (Speaking): …..It is not permitted for YorHa units to have emotions. We are models specialized for combat, after all. It is the most efficient, most correct choice. But, in doing so, I feel that something unseen in the heart is lost. Was our choice truly the correct one? Who would be considered a fitting existence in this world? Listening to the song of the children, I continued to walk the dark path alone…..
Pascal: Ahh……and there. I’ll be intruding for a bit……
Hello. My name is Pascal. I’m currently the chief of a village in which those who are tired of fighting have been gathered. What about all of you here, on these grounds?
[Pascal speaks as if he’s talking to everyone at the venue.]
Pascal: Are you not tired of fighting day in and day out? Being given orders by someone, overworking yourselves? ……If you work too hard, whether you’re a machine lifeform or a human, you’ll end up broken. Ah, that’s right. Why don’t I teach you something nice?
When times are hard, or you feel saddened, sing a song. If you do, you’ll feel better. What kind of song, you wonder? ……Hmm…….for example, a song like this.
Pod 153: Arrival at access point marked for investigation.
2B: Check the transmission status and body storage function along with the transport system.
Pod 153: Understood.
2B (Narration): The designated access point was located in the desert’s open area.
2B (Narration): Amidst the sand-laden wind, the Pod’s transmission light is quietly flickering.
2B (Narration): I was unable to see any signs of damage to the outer casing of the access point, so it must be an internal malfunction. If it’s the Pod, the problem should be resolved shortly.
2B (Narration): The sand-laden winds become stronger, obscuring the sun’s rays.
2B (Narration): In order to keep watch over the surrounding area, I climbed a nearby rocky area.
Pod 153: Body storage function and transmission status check complete.
Pod 153: Report: Malfunction in body reconstruction unit detected.
2B: Repair it.
Pod 153: Understood.
2B (Narration): My field of vision worsens as the wind becomes a sandstorm.
2B (Narration): I can see the silhouettes of old world remains made of stone here and there.
2B (Narration): A strong wind carries the sand.
Pod 153: Repairs on body reconstruction unit. 50% complete.
2B (Narration): Squinting my eyes at the occasional strong wind, [light hitting noise], I felt something touch my feet.
2B (Narration): It was a small flower that I recognized.
2B (Narration): I remember sending a picture of this flower to Operator 6O before.
Operator 6O: So this is a desert rose, huh? It seems almost…mystical.
2B (Narration): That’s what she’d said from the above orbit base, pleased.
Operator 6O: There must just be a bountry of nature down there, huh?
2B: ……Some, yes. I’ve seen lilies, cherry blossoms, daffodils, and even lunar tears.
2B: I’ll try to send more if I can.
Operator 6O: Thank you so much!
Operator 6O: I’m going to treasure this picture forever!
Operator 6O: Oh, and I’m going to send you a proper thank-you mail later, so keep an eye out for it. Bye!
2B (Narration): ……I didn’t know until later, but the “desert rose” is a crystal made of minerals, not a plant.
2B (Narration): Still, Operator 6O’s smiling face on the transmission screen…..I remember it looked really happy.
Pod 153: Report: Repairs to malfunction in body storage unit complete.
2B (Narration): I went to do a final check on the access point after receiving the work completion report from Pod.
2B (Narration): The foundational framework, the resinous material composing the body, even the small systems for weaponry production look to be in working order…….
[There’s a nuance of suspicion coloring her final words.]
[As if to punctuate 2B’s words, Pod reports.]
Pod 153: Report: Hostile machine lifeform signals detected.
2B: Understood. I’ll eliminate them.
Pod 153: Signal count increasing. 24, 26, 29…..
2B: ……With those numbers, just where have they been this whole time……!!
Pod 153: Signal count once again increasing. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34.
2B (Narration): It wasn’t that such a large number of machine lifeforms was approaching.
2B (Narration): From the start, they’d hidden in the sand, waiting in a suspended state to ambush us.
2B (Narration): That could only mean one thing.
[Pause for a bit.]
2B (Narration): …..This was an orchestrated trap.
[2B attacks the last enemy, her breathing ragged.]
2B: !! …….(heavy breathing noises)……
Pod 153: Destruction of all enemy machine lifeforms confirmed.
Operator 6O (Narration): After fighting against 34 medium-sized machine lifeforms, 2B somehow managed to stand up without collapsing despite her lightheadedness.
Operator 6O (Narration): Having lost two weapons and several of her sensors, she was restricted in how much she could self-repair.
Pod 153: Alert: Combat damage accumulation on YorHa unit 2B.
Pod 153: Proposal: Appropriate, repairs if treatment, exhaustion quality no exchange…….
Operator 6O (Narration): Pod 153’s voice garbles with noise.
Operator 6O (Narration): In the air, the Pod’s arms move in a disoriented fashion, like it’s convulsing.
Operator 6O (Narration): The blinking of its light shows the irregular state of its internal systems.
2B: What…..Pod? What’s wrong?
Pod 153: Appropriate, re pairs REpairs treatment to sy0 m0…….h1……..
[After 10 seconds of silence, suddenly, the Pod begins to speak at high speed.]
Pod 153: Deploying long range weaponry. Activating FFCS.
Pod 153: YorHa unit 2B recognized as enemy android.
Pod 153: Proposal to suspend tactile support mission. Acknowledged.
Pod 153: Begin attack.
2B: Pod!!
Operator 6O (Narration): A high-speed energy bullet the weapon-deployed Pod fires.
Operator 6O (Narration): 2B just barely avoids the attack.
2B: Pod 153! What are you doing!?
Pod 153: Unable to confirm destruction of enemy android.
Pod 153: Begin construction of firing correction program. Construction complete.
Pod 153: Request: Application of gravity control sphere. Permission granted.
Operator 6O (Narration): Without permission from either a YorHa unit or Command, a Pod can’t use its weaponry.
Operator 6O (Narration): However, Pod 153 has an internal bypass to its own recognition process applied.
Pod 153: Firing gravity control sphere.
2B: Ghh……!!!!
Operator 6O (Narration): 2B avoids the Pod’s released gravity attack.
Operator 6O (Narration): But her right leg is caught in the radius of the hemisphere.
Pod 153: Long range attack system. High output charge. Preparing concentrated laser attack.
Operator 6O (Narration): The Pod’s weapon deploys once more, turning and aiming at 2B, who can no longer move.
2B: Uu…….aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!
Operator 6O (Narration): 2B swings her sword down on her own right leg, intending to sever it.
[At the same time 2B cuts her leg off, Pod fires its laser.]
2B: Gaaah!!!
Pod 153: Firing high output laser.
[2B tosses her sword at the Pod. It hits its mark, damaging 153.]
2B: ……!!
Pod 153: (dying robot sounds)
Operator 6O (Narration): 2B, who’d narrowly escaped the attack, tossed the sword she’d used to slice off her right leg as a counter attack on Pod 153.
Pod 153: YorHa unit 2Bi…….tactile……un……
Operator 6O (Narration): About 15 seconds after convulsions from the Pod, who’d taken a direct hit from the sword, it emitted a strange noise and stopped. That sound was…..a high-pitched laughter, like a child’s voice……
2B (Narration): After taking down the rampaging Pod, I was stuck there, unable to move.
2B (Narration): There seemed to be no way to easily repair the heavily damaged leg.
2B (Narration): As I made my way over to the fallen Pod in something akin to a crawl, the Pod’s speaker activated.
Operator 6O: Operator 6O to 2B! 2B! Can you hear me? Are you okay!?
2B: ……This is 2B. I hear you.
Operator 6O: Aah, 2B. Thank goodness……
Operator 6O: I was monitoring you from here, but Pod 153’s attack mode suddenly became impossible to control.
Operator 6O: But the control program can only be rewritten with a code by the Pod’s original support target, 9S…….
2B: Operator 6O.
Operator 6O: Could it be that 9S was trying to…..But, for 9S, of all people, to implant an attack order in the Pod and aim it at you is—
[2B shouts to interrupt her words.]
2B: Operator 6O!!
Operator 6O: …..Yes? What is it?
2B: How long…..
Operator 6O: Come again?
2B: How long have you been there?
Operator 6O: Um….I’m not sure what you mean….
2B: The access point’s transmission functions have yet to be repaired.
Operator 6O: ……Huh?
2B: When I went in to do a final check on the body reconstruction unit, there was a small machine fragment remaining inside.
2B: I immediately judged the rusted piece to be part of a machine lifeform.
2B: It seemed odd, so I left the computer terminal’s final activation untouched.
Operator 6O: ……………..
2B: A laser transmission would have also been impossible in the sandstorm.
2B: In other words, you shouldn’t be capable of communicating with me from the above orbit satellite.
Operator 6O: ……………………….
2B: The one in Pod 153 right now….who are you?
[8 seconds of silence.]
Operator 6O: …..Fufu……fufufufufu.
Operator 6O: Hey, she figured it out.
Operator 6O: She sure did!
Operator 6O: Ahh. And here I thought it’d be interesting to pin it all on 9S and watch them fall apart.
Operator 6O: I thought it’d be interesting, you know?
Operator 6O: What a bummer.
Operator 6O: A real bummer.
[Operator 6O speaks as if there are two people.]
Operator 6O: We are a unified body of thought.
Operator 6O: We are numerous and singular.
Operator 6O: But 2B, I wonder if it’s really our fault?
2B: What are you talking about……
Operator 6O: This incident might’ve been 9S’ work, you know.
Operator 6O: Maybe he really had decided to kill you.
2B: ……………….
[2B shakes with anger, her breathing uneven.]
Operator 6O: The likelihood of YorHa unit 9S accessing confidential information was high.
Operator 6O: That’s why it was determined that an E model would deal out punishment.
Operator 6O: He might’ve realized, you know?
Operator 6O: That the 2B who’s killed 9S time and time again….is you, No. 2 Type E.
2B: ….Ahh!!
Pod 153 (Narration): 2B picks up her leg, which had fallen to the ground, and strikes the Pod with it.
Pod 153 (Narration): The struck Pod, while rotating strangely, slowly falls to the sand, all functions ceased.
2B: ……I……..I……..
Pod 153 (Narration): The sandstorm had subsided.
Pod 153 (Narration): The desert was once again bathed in the sun’s light.
Operator 6O: …….Hello? Hello, 2B, can you hear me? 2B!?
Operator 6O: Are you okay!? 2B! Please answer!!
2B: ……This is 2B. I hear you.
Operator 6O: Ah…..thank goodness…..I suddenly couldn’t contact you using the electromagnetic communications system, and due to the sandstorm, I couldn’t use laser transmissions either and I was thinking, “what if there’s an enemy attack?”……Then finally, laser communications came back up…..
2B: ……
Operator 6O: …..2B? Are you okay?
2B (Narration): “…..I’m okay. It’s…nothing.”
2B (Narration): That’s what I answered.
[Short pause.]
2B (Narration): Was it because I didn’t want to worry Operator 6O? Or maybe……
2B (Narration): I was afraid of seeing my own darkness?
2B (Narration): I still don’t know.
2B (Narration): If I look up, a white, bright, radiant sky would be stretched before me.
2B (Narration): As if it’s looking down on me. *
2B (Narration): As if it’s condemning me for continuing to kill 9S……
*[The reading of that word is “mikudasu.”]
Pod 153 (Narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
Pod 153 (Narration): “They” are perpetually trapped…..
Pod 153 (Narration): In a neverending spiral of life and death.
Operator 6O (Narration): But we were all born here.
Operator 6O (Narration): That’s why, in this place, we continue to live.
2B (Narration): No matter what lies pile up
2B (Narration): No matter what crimes are committed
2B (Narration): Even if the moment we are forgiven never comes to pass……
2B (Narration): We will continue to fight.
All (Narration): We will continue to fight.
All (Narration): We will continue to fight!
All (Narration): We will continue to fight!!
2B (Narration): Until the day when punishment rains down……
Pod 042 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
Pod 042 (narration): "They" are perpetually trapped ...
Pod 042 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
Pod 042 (narration): Is this a curse?
Pod 042 (narration): Or some kind of punishment?
Pod 042 (narration): "They" often think about the god who blessed "them" with this cryptic puzzle ...
Pod 042 (narration): ... and wonder if "they'll" ever have the chance to kill him.
2B (narration): When I met him "that time" ...
2B (narration): it was during our mission to destroy the Goliath-class weapon.
9S: You're 2B, right?
9S: My name's 9S. I'm here to provide support.
2B (narration): The No.9 Type S model is a high-end model.
2B (narration): And it's because of that there's a constant danger of them coming into contact with confidential information.
2B (narration): That's why I've been tasked with the duty of eliminating him ...
2B (narration): Over ... and over ...
2B (narration): But ... he was different this time.
9S: Scanners like me mostly work alone. Scouting out enemy lines and all that?
9S: I don't usually get a partner. It's kind of fun!
2B (narration): I simply ignored him when he'd speak.
2B (narration): If I were to grow close to him, it'd only become more difficult to kill him.
2B (narration): Even so, he wouldn't stop trying to make conversation with me.
(9S speaks with a bright tone.)
9S: Say, 2B? Don't you think this white flower would look good on you?
2B: I have no need for it.
9S: Aw, are you sure?
2B: Attaching a plant to my hair would do nothing for my combat abilities. Rather, it would more likely cause maintenance failure.
9S: Hahah. Man, 2B, you're way too serious, you know that?
2B (narration): I made a promise with 9S in the past.
2B (narration): A promise that I'd continue to kill him, without fail.
2B (narration): The 9S from back then, and the 9S before me, are two different people.
2B (narration): That fact ... makes my chest tighten.
Pod 042: Pod 042 to YoRHa unit 2B.
Pod 042: Report: Detecting errors occurring within unit 2B's memory region, likely due to unstable psychological state. Proposal: Moderate rest should cause improvement.
2B (narration): I've already been aware of that for a long time ...
2B (narration): But ... the day I'm freed from this pain ... will be the day I die.
Pod 042: Mail notification received from Command.
2B (narration): I wonder if I was afraid.
2B (narration): Or perhaps I was wrong.
2B (narration): Even so, I continued on by his side, without even knowing the name of the emotion I'd been feeling.
9S (narration): 2B and I first met in one of the hallways in the Bunker.
9S (narration): I'd received an announcement from the Commander that I'd be working with a partner this time.
9S (narration): I was ... a little uneasy about it.
9S (narration): Scanner models like me usually work alone. And ...
9S (narration): I'd always gotten the impression that No.2 models were somewhat cold.
9S (narration): So when she said those things to me in the hallway, I was ... kind of surprised.
2B: 9S?
9S: Yeah?
(A short pause)
2B: Thank you.
2B: For uploading my data to the Bunker.
9S: ... Um, I did that? Sorry, I don't remember.
9S: There wasn't a whole lot of bandwidth down there, you know?
9S: I probably only had enough time to back up your memories.
9S: Mine are only intact up to the point just before we rendezvoused.
2B: ... I see.
9S (narration): Things started out so awkward. At least, until that day ...
9S (narration): It happened after a battle.
Pod 042: Confirming the annihilation of all machine lifeforms in this area.
9S: Whew ...
2B: So we've destroyed every machine lifeform here?
Pod 042: Affirmative: No responses from any machine lifeforms in this area.
2B: Understood.
(9S notices something.)
9S: Huh? Hey, 2B ... did something happen to your right hand?
2B: My right hand ...? Oh, this. I must've injured my finger during the previous battle.
9S: Gah! You're — You're bleeding!
(9S becomes panicked.)
9S: Pod! Get me staunching gel and logic-virus vaccines! Then — uh —
Pod 042: Inadvisable. There is a high probability that excessive treatment will cause a decrease in movement efficiency to the unit ...
9S: Just shut up and do it already!
2B: ... 9S, don't you think you're overreacting?
9S: Huh? Not you too, 2B!
2B: Just leave it. The nano machines will heal it just fine on their own.
9S: Er, I guess so ...
(9S looks a little disappointed.)
Pod 042: Confirmation of mission completion by enemy annihilation.
Pod 042: Recommendation: Report results to Command.
(9S peers over at 2B.)
9S: Um ... 2B?
2B: What is it?
9S: You think we could at least use the staunching gel?
9S: If contaminants enter the blood stream they'll be difficult to remove, and if it's just staunching gel, then it shouldn't cause any problems to your motor functions, so, you know, just in case ...
(2B looks slightly amazed.)
2B: ... All right.
9S: Got it! Then I'll go ahead and prepare it right away!
9S: Now where's that case ...
2B: 9S.
9S: Yeah, 2B?
(A small pause.)
2B: ... Thank you.
(2B seems a little happy.)
9S (narration): I can't remember anymore what my response was when she said that.
9S (narration): Just that I was so happy to be useful to someone.
9S (narration): What was most important to me ... was being together with 2B.
9S (narration): ... At least.
9S (narration): Until the day that YoRHa fell, along with the Bunker ...
Pod 042 (narration): Large-scale attack ended in failure. The Bunker has collapsed.
Pod 042 (narration): Black-box signal for YoRHa unit 2B offline. Death confirmed.
Pod 042 (narration): A large "tower" produced by machine lifeforms rose within the city ruins.
Pod 042 (narration): Having lost a place to return to, unit 9S aimed for nothing more than the top of that "tower".
Pod 042 (narration): In order to destroy the machine lifeforms which caused this nightmare.
Pod 042 (narration): And to end himself as well.
(9S is contaminated and is breathing roughly.)
9S (narration): Haah ... Haah ...
9S (narration): I have to ... apply the vaccine ...
Pod 042 (narration): The virus corrodes his body.
Pod 042 (narration): His thought process breaks down.
Pod 042 (narration): Sound recordings found in the flooded city play back in his mind.
(2B is contaminated by the virus, muttering in pain.)
2B: 9S ... The time I was able to spend with you ...
2B: It was like memories of pure light ...
2B: Thank you ... Nine ... s ...
(9S begins crying upon hearing that.)
9S: Ngh ... Ghh ...
Pod 042 (narration): Those memories are his greatest treasure.
Pod 042 (narration): Living together, fighting together.
Pod 042 (narration): They were like a family.
9S: 2B ...
Pod 042 (narration): 9S holds that recording deep within his heart.
Pod 042 (narration): Treating it as if it were truly a treasure.
9S: 2B ... I ... I'll be with you before long ...
Pod 042 (narration): Reality and fiction blend together.
Pod 042 (narration): With clouded consciousness, unit 9S carries himself forward, his legs heavy.
Pod 042 (narration): He'll defeat as many enemies as possible, even if he is alone.
Pod 042 (narration): As if in response to that wish, a new enemy appears.
9S: Khh ...
Pod 042 (narration): Many enemies appear in front of him.
Pod 042 (narration): They're ... androids.
Pod 042 (narration): They're ... YoRHa units.
9S: 2B models?
Pod 042 (narration): The person he treasures above all else.
Pod 042 (narration): Someone who resides in a location out of his reach.
9S: Heh ... Heheheh ...
9S: I'm glad I got to see you here. I truly am.
(9S gives a distorted smile.)
9S: I'll tear you apart ... Every last one of you!
Pod 042 (narration): 9S draws his sword.
Pod 042 (narration): Is this an act of murderous intent? Or is it perhaps done out of love? It's no longer possible to tell.
Pod 042 (narration): Contamination from the logic virus is getting worse.
Pod 042 (narration): Nearly 80% of his memory is contaminated, and his thought circuits are severely damaged.
9S: Dammit ... I can't ... remove ...
9S: The vaccine ... it'll no longer ...
Pod 042 (narration): Unit 9S knows that there's only one solution left that could dispel the contamination.
Pod 042 (narration): To lock his personal data and reformat his entire system.
Pod 042 (narration): To throw away all of his current memories, and be reborn anew.
(9S speaks as if in response to the Pod's narration.)
9S: No ... I can't do that ...
9S: No matter how contaminated I become ... I can't lose this memory ...
(9S screams out, suffering.)
9S: If that's my only choice ... then I'm better off dead!
Pod 042 (narration): 9S is fighting with fear itself.
Pod 042 (narration): To have one's personal data contaminated means to lose one's ability to think for themself.
Pod 042 (narration): To androids, that is a fate worse than death.
9S: I am who I am ... because of 2B ...
9S: I have a reason to live ... because of those memories ...
9S: So ... please ... don't take them from me ...
Pod 042 (narration): To him,
Pod 042 (narration): calling her family feels too unreasonable.
Pod 042 (narration): But calling her a lover feels too distant.
9S: Machines ... A2 ... It doesn't matter ... I'll kill every last one of you!
9S: 2B ... I ...
Pod 042 (narration): Within the corners of his eroding consciousness,
Pod 042 (narration): 9S continues to protect his memories of 2B.
Pod 042 (narration): Even if ... his actions are completely meaningless in the eyes of the world.
2B: I am ... No.2 ... Type E.
2B: I was created to execute my fellow YoRHa soldiers.
9S: I'd already ...
9S: I'd already realized that ...
2B: The mission I had been assigned over and over again.
2B: Was to kill you, 9S.
(9S is crying.)
9S: Stop it ... Enough already ... 2B.
9S: Even if you were trying to kill me, I ...
9S: Being with you, it truly ...
9S: It felt like I'd found a family.
2B: Hey ... 9S?
2B: I wonder ... Were the choices we made wrong?
Pod 042 (narration): Within a pure white tower.
Pod 042 (narration): A small boy walks.
Pod 042 (narration): Suffering. Uneasy.
Pod 042 (narration): Holding within him many small, important memories.
Pod 042 (narration): They're of ... the time the two of them spent together.
Pod 042 (narration): His memories of those days ... were most precious to him.
Pod 153 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
Pod 153 (narration): "We" are perpetually trapped ...
Pod 153 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
Pod 153 (narration): Is this a curse?
Pod 153 (narration): Or some kind of punishment?
Pod 153 (narration): I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle ...
Pod 153 (narration): ... and wonder if "we'll" ever have the chance to kill him.
(September 5th)
Pod 042: Unit 2B's vital signs confirmed.
Pod 042: Memory storage, thought circuits, auxiliary motor functions, all confirmed to have been restarted.
Pod 042: Entering reboot sequence.
2B: Ugh ...
Pod 042: Good morning, 2B.
2B: I ...
Pod 042: Report: Unit 2B was killed by unit A2 approximately 1718 hours ago.
2B: 1718 hours ago ... So ... 72 days, then.
Pod 042: Following that, us tactical support units reconstructed your parts.
Pod 042: The virus previously inside you deactivated along with the tower's collapse, and remains in suspension.
2B: Tower ...? What happened ...?
(2B suddenly realizes something.)
2B: Ah!! 9S ...!!
Pod 153: Report: Unit 9S ceased activity approximately 740 hours ago.
2B: Pod ... 153?
Pod 153: Unit 9S was severely contaminated, however said virus deactivated along with the tower's collapse, and remains in suspension.
2B: So he's just ... asleep?
Pod 153: Negative: An error occurred during unit 9S's reboot sequence.
2B: What do you mean, an error ...?
Pod 153: Unknown: All checks were completed, however his personal data will not begin loading procedures, causing an inability to reboot.
2B: His personal data won't load ... Then in that case, run the monitoring sequence, and skip the check sequence ...
Pod 153: Negative: This unit has already attempted 345 combinations 34,500 times, and all have ended in failure.
Pod 153: Unit 9S's current state suggests there is a possibility his personal data has been lost due to some unknown cause.
2B: His personal data is ... lost ...?
Pod 153: Proposal: Unit 2B should consider disposing of unit 9S's body.
(2B speaks in a strong tone.)
2B: There's no way I could ... just dispose of his body ...!
(There is a considerable pause.)
Pod 153: ... Understood.
2B (narration): After being reconstructed, there wasn't even a hint of dirt on 9S's body ...
2B (narration): His face ... looked just like he was sleeping.
2B (narration): I took my weapon in hand, and packed the minimum necessary provisions, before standing up.
2B (narration): I had to go.
2B (narration): There had to be a way to get 9S to reboot properly.
2B (narration): That's what I believed.
2B (narration): I received information on what happened while I was gone from the pods.
2B (narration): About A2 ... and 9S.
2B (narration): I also heard about how the two of them destroyed some huge "Tower" that had been created by the machine lifeforms.
2B (narration): The rubble from it is still scattered all throughout the city.
2B (narration): The City Ruins' landscape had been completely changed.
Pod 042: Proposal: Unit 2B should gather information at the resistance camp.
2B (narration): The resistance camp was able to miraculously avoid damage from the collapse of the tower ...
2B (narration): However Devola and Popola, and a few others in the resistance, lost their lives in the fight with the machines.
2B (narration): Even though Anemone was faced with such a difficult situation, she still remained level-headed.
2B (narration): I tried speaking to Anemone about the situation with 9S's rebooting, but she wasn't able to provide me with any helpful information.
Pod 153: Report: Relevant records within the Bunker have been lost.
2B (narration): We YoRHa units are a special type.
2B (narration): We contain something other androids don't within us — a Black Box.
2B (narration): And due to that, we're capable of much higher functionality.
2B (narration): However, unlike general androids, our maintenance is only able to be done on the Bunker.
2B (narration): It's possible to make easy repairs with the small amount of materials and programs at access points, but detailed information about the insides of our bodies was lost along with the fall of the Bunker.
2B (narration): Even so, I was traveling from place to place looking for the information I needed.
2B (narration): No matter ... how long it took.
Pod 042: Alert: Unit 2B is taking damage due to maintenance failure.
Pod 042: Proposal: Unit 2B should perform proper repair and replenish materials.
2B (narration): With how tired I was, even doing simple first aid felt troublesome.
2B (narration): In the depths of my heart, I started to feel like ... everything I was doing was meaningless.
2B (narration): I don't ... care anymore.
2B (narration): I wonder if ... 9S will ever wake up.
2B (narration): That sort of dark thought process began to take over.
2B (narration): And I shook my head.
2B (narration): I couldn't give up. I couldn't give up. I couldn't give up.
2B (narration): Even if I was just deceiving myself, I couldn't admit that.
2B (narration): It caused my body to become heavy.
2B (narration): If I go further away from here, I may be able to find surviving YoRHa members.
Pod 153: Report: Mail notification received.
2B: ... Check it.
(The pod reads out the mail's contents in its usual tone of voice.)
Pod 153: Sender: Jackass.
Pod 153: Subject: About 9S's Personal Data Reboot.
Pod 153: Yo, how's it going, 2B?
Pod 153: I know a little something about 9S's condition.
Pod 153: I've been looking into a lot of things since everything happened, and I came across some concerning information.
Pod 153: There were some logs remaining in the access port outside of 9S's memory storage.
Pod 153: They were a communication record from the "Ark" object those machine lifeforms made.
Pod 153: I don't know anything about that "Ark" thing, but it might be some sort of server.
Pod 153: I'll send you the time and coordinates that were written in that log right away.
Pod 153: There might be a hint somewhere in them.
(There's a short pause.)
Pod 153: This concludes the body of the email. Time and three-dimensional coordinate data is attached.
2B (narration): Those coordinates ... were right in the area where the Tower collapsed.
2B (narration): Mountains and mountains of white rubble, as far as I could see.
2B (narration): I'd arrived at the center of where the Tower collapsed.
2B (narration): And it was there, where I began digging.
Pod 153: Hypothesis: Origin point is 40 meters below the current point.
Pod 042: Proposal: Search for a more efficient method for digging.
2B (narration): That's right, the coordinates Jackass sent me pointed right to a location within the Tower's rubble.
2B (narration): I was digging through it so I could reach the position she gave me.
2B (narration): But the material was much more firm than I expected it to be, and my digging wasn't going particularly well.
2B (narration): My breath began to show, and before I'd realized it, it was snowing.
2B (narration): It seems the Tower's rubble was absorbing the surrounding area's heat and causing the area to cool.
2B (narration): According to the pods, it was made of materials derived from the bodies of machine lifeforms, which centered around silicon, among other things.
2B (narration): But that didn't matter.
2B (narration): I only cared about my digging.
Pod 153: Hypothesis: Origin point is 25 meters below the current point.
Pod 042: Alert: Unit 2B is taking damage due to maintenance failure.
2B (narration): The Tower's materials became increasingly firm the further down I went.
2B (narration): I was using my weapon to dig, but I had to stop using my one-handed sword to switch to something better suited, and I proceeded downward by practically crushing the materials.
2B (narration): I continued on, my mind devoid of any other thoughts, until I finished.
2B (narration): I could feel an ache run through my pain sensors.
2B (narration): But it was only thanks to that pain that I was able to keep my sanity.
Pod 153: Hypothesis: Origin point is 12 meters below the current point.
Pod 042: Alert: Unit 2B is taking damage due to maintenance failure.
Pod 042: Alert: If no proper repair is performed, it will cause severe impact to the unit's body.
2B (narration): As I continued to dig, I found out what that "Ark" really was.
2B (narration): It seemed to be a huge memory unit, made by combining complex crystals.
2B (narration): However, as it'd been shattered to pieces, I couldn't find a single "living" crystal.
2B (narration): Regardless, I continued digging in search of the Ark's crystals.
2B (narration): With each swing of my weapon, blood began to scatter.
2B (narration): I couldn't feel my fingertips anymore, and the sensors running from my wrists had died.
2B (narration): The bolts I'd used to forcibly fix it were starting to dig into my skin.
2B (narration): But that didn't matter.
2B (narration): Somewhere up ahead, the information I needed to save 9S was ...
2B (narration): Even if only a little remains of the Ark, I ... I have to ...!!
(An error sound pings.)
Pod 042: Alert: Unit 2B entered forced shutdown due to overload.
Pod 042: Emergency nanomachine removal complete.
Pod 042: Unit 2B's vital signs confirmed.
Pod 042: Entering reboot sequence.
(A long "beeeeep" alert sounds.)
(Afterwards, a short three "beeps" sound.)
Pod 042: Good morning, 2B.
2B: Huh? I ...
Pod 042: You entered a forced shutdown due to severe continuous operation.
2B (narration): When I hurriedly asked about the Ark, the pods showed me a small, orange sparkling crystal.
2B (narration): What they found seemed to be a remnant of the machine lifeforms' communication protocol.
2B (narration): If we use that protocol and its data, we could create a key, and open up 9S's memory storage.
2B (narration): Although I didn't understand the details, there was meaning in my continued digging.
2B (narration): The pods siphoned out the data and recombined it to create a repair vaccine.
2B (narration): Then, we could pull the cable from 9S's access port and create a wired connection.
2B (narration): With that, I'd be able to insert the repair vaccine.
2B (narration): After that, all I'd have to do is hope that 9S's memory storage data could be evacuated into his personal data.
Pod 153: Repair vaccine injected.
(Three seconds later, the sound of a heartbeat stops and a flatline beeps.)
Pod 153: No effect. Re-administering repair vaccine.
(Three seconds later, the sound of a heartbeat stops and a flatline beeps.)
Pod 153: No effect. Re-administering repair vaccine.
(Three seconds later, the sound of a heartbeat stops and a flatline beeps.)
Pod 153: No effect.
2B: Why ... Why isn't it ...?!
Pod 042: Hypothesis: Repair vaccine is a failure.
Pod 153: Negative: Repair vaccine's functions confirmed to be normal.
2B: Try it again ... Administer it to him again!
(Three seconds later, the sound of a heartbeat stops and a flatline beeps.)
Pod 153: No effect.
2B: Try ... again ...
Pod 153: Report: Traces detected indicating the memory region of unit 9S's contents have been erased.
Pod 042: Negative: It is an effect of the repair vaccine.
Pod 042: Hypothesis: Unit 9S's personal data has been lost.
2B: His personal data ... is lost ...?
Pod 042: His personal data was wiped of his own accord, but there is the possibility it was moved to a different location.
Pod 042: According to unit A2's records, it is possible his data evacuated using the machine lifeforms' Ark.
Pod 042: Report: Possibility of recovering 9S's personal data extremely low.
S.P.
2B: No ...
(Three beeps suddenly sound.)
Pod 153: Report: Memory components discovered within traces of personal data.
Pod 153: Partial playback possible of memory containing the reason behind his personal data's reparation failure.
Pod 153: Query: Does unit 2B feel it necessary to repair this memory component?
2B: ... Repair it.
Pod 153: Understood.
Pod 153: Data repair complete.
Pod 153: Starting playback.
(9S's voice begins to play back with the sound quality of a radio.)
(He seems to be suffering.)
9S: I didn't ... get on the Ark created by the machine lifeforms.
9S: We YoRHa ... We don't deserve to be loved by this world ... We're just soldiers created to die ...
9S: But I ... I think I'm glad ... that I was born as myself ...
9S: My personal data, it ... it can't keep it's shape any longer.
9S: I wonder if I'm about to disappear ...
9S: But ... I'm okay with that ...
(2B begins crying, without making a sound.)
9S: Hey, 2B ... We're ... we're not immortal or anything.
9S: Someday, we'll break down and return to the Earth.
9S: But, my existence ... It wasn't meaningless ...
9S: Meeting you ... gave meaning to my birth ...
9S: Thank you ...
9S: Thank you ...
(9S's voice becomes hidden behind static.)
(2B begins weeping.)
2B: Nines ...
Pod 042 (narration): 2B didn't move from where she was.
Pod 042 (narration): She remained there, unmoving ... forever.
Pod 042 (narration): It was a completely irrational act.
Pod 042 (narration): However, "we" can now understand the reason behind it.
Pod 042 (narration): Why it was that 2B didn't move.
Pod 042 (narration): Why it was that she didn't speak.
Pod 042 (narration): Because "we" are now in that same place, feeling the same thing.
(There is a small pause.)
Pod 153 (narration): Everything that lives is designed to end.
Pod 153 (narration): "They" are perpetually trapped ...
Pod 153 (narration): ... in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
Pod 153 (narration): However ... life is all about the struggle within this cycle.
Pod 153 (narration): That is what "we" believe.
==Crumbling Lies==
2B (narration) Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death.
[sparks and static]
9S (narration) It started as a faint feeling that something was wrong. There was interference in the personal data and that faint feeling ended up being a virus that entered through a backdoor. It was the End Scenario: the one planned from the start.
[sirens and laughter are heard and grow louder as 2B continues]
2B (narration) Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle and wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to kill him.
In-text narration June 26, 11945. 01:12 A.M. A logic virus infects the orbital satellite base known as the Bunker. 01:23 A.M. The infection spread to information-regulation units. 01:25 A.M. External communication channels are blocked. 01:47 A.M. Several mechanics engage in a firefight in the hangar. 02:05 A.M. Infected YoRHa units launch random attacks in the command center. 02:20 A.M. An explosion occurs near the Bunker’s fusion reactor. 02:28 A.M. YoRHa units 2B and 9S escape the Bunker. 02:30 A.M. The Bunker falls. YoRHa is destroyed.
The cursed fate starts with a mistake wrought millenia ago. A mistake made at the hands of foolish humans and machines.
[Memories of Automata and then Replicant play]
9S (narration) August 6th. The Tower, the structure created by the machine lifeforms, was destroyed. I was caught in the collapse. All my functions ceased.
September 19th. I woke up. 2B was next to me. I had apparently been asleep for a long time. It seems that it was 2B who woke me but she didn’t say right away.
October 22nd. With the Bunker fallen, there was no way to conduct maintenance on YoRHa units. We aren’t compatible with the parts used by members of the Resistance so we needed to find another solution. I told 2B we should try tracking down every transporter we could find; YoRHa parts should be stored in them after all.
October 25th. After investigating the surrounding areas, we gathered our things. The future was dark. But hey, at least I got to travel with 2B. And that was more than enough for me. Well… that’s what I told myself anyway…
==City Ruins==
In the ruins of a forsaken city, in an old castle deep within a slumbering forest, we searched for replacement parts.
The machines bore no ill will, nor did we have reason to fight them. We were both just living our lives.
The freedom of wide blue skies, the beauty of gentle rain, and the kindness of sunlight— It felt like regaining memories we’d lost sight of.
As she gazed at the calm sea, 2B spoke. “This peace. This lack of bloodshed. This is how our world ought to be.”
9S offered a faint smile in return. He dared not say that weapons like themselves had no place in such a world.
2B (narration) I noticed a problem with my black box two days after my restart. When A2 killed me when I was infected, a portion of my black box was damaged along with the virus. The pods’ clever repairs are the only reason I remain operational at all. But occasionally, strange dreamlike images play out in my optic area. Maybe I’m still infected.
9S 2B, look! Ruins from the Old World!
2B (narration) An abandoned structure stood in the direction 9S was pointing.
9S I bet this was a supermarket! Humans used to go shopping in places like this. It would be great if we could go shopping together someday.
2B (narration) Humanity was gone. These idle dreams would never come true. But I leant him a faint smile and stepped into the ruin zone anyway.
==Snow in Summer==
In the unfathomably distant past, when the world was seized by a white disease...
A young brother and sister, huddled in a quiet corner of a city.
The sister was sickly, but kind. And her brother vowed to protect her.
But he couldn’t have known this desire would end the world.
Amid the ruins of skyscrapers, 2B and 9S pressed on through the rubble.
In the distance, they heard the weighty sound of a building crumbling to the ground. The slow rattle of its collapse felt like the gasp of someone’s final breath. Almost as if it were yearning for prosperity lost.
==Song of the Ancients==
In-text narration After thousands of years, Human civilization has regressed. Dark foes, called Shades Threatened people’s lives. As for us, our life was modest, but happy. All I wanted was for these days to last forever.
Clever people came up with a plan But it failed. It all failed. The disease was never eradicated. Poverty and starvation consumed the world. And yet… ghosts of the old world remain. They claw at those who seek to live, attempting to drag them into the darkness.
[Memories of Nier and his gang vs Gretel, of Kainé vs Hook, of Nier vs Halua, of Mother Goose, of Beepy and Kalil, of Wendy, of Kainé vs the divine tree admins Him and Her in Ending E play]
9S (narration) As we travelled to different transporters in search of parts, we identified a strange phenomenon. Though the transporters were meant for YoRHa use only, they contained random bits of information on the Old World. Someone must have left this information for… some reason.
2B Hey look, there’s a building over there.
9S (narration) I looked up to see an old, run-down manor.
2B Let’s go.
9S (narration) I nodded and followed after her. Her steps were ever so slightly irregular which is when I finally realised it. Her black box was damaged. But I couldn’t tell her that. A black box isn’t something you can fix with a snap of your fingers. So instead, I stayed quiet, gritted my teeth, and hoped that the powerlessness I felt didn’t show in my face.
==Amusement Park==
[Memories of Emil’s manor in Replicant shows as well as 2B & 9S’s travels of the Amusement Park play]
In text narration Photographs lie scattered on the ground in numbers beyond counting. Sounds of a joyful time echo from the worn and faded scenes.
2B and 9S stand in the middle of a silent room, and contemplate the places and the memories they have lost.
Broken machines sing In a manmade amusement park. They sing of friendship. Of pleasure. Of peace. Of affection. They sing of a time that will never return.
==Ultimate Weapon==
==Deep Crimson Foe==
December 2003 In Tokyo, a strange disease emerges that turns bodies into salt. This new illness is dubbed “White Chlorination Syndrome”.
Though rare at first, the number of cases explodes in February of the following year. Most of the infected quickly grow violent, bringing about massive societal upheaval.
October 1, 2004 Many of those afflicted with White Chlorination Syndrome are observed moving to the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. With the district controlled by the violent infected, the government constructs a massive wall to seal it off. Tens of thousands of residents—including many uninfected—are now isolated from the rest of the world.
2008–2009 The wall around Shinjuku falls. As White Chlorination Syndrome spreads across Japan, evacuations to Hokkaido and Kyushu begin. Soon, however, the Japanese government realizes it can no longer control the violent cases on the main island of Honshu, and they request support from the American military.
2010–2014 The effort to contain White Chlorination Syndrome to Japan fails, and the disease spreads rapidly throughout the world. Eventually, the cause of the disease is identified as an unknown particle called Maso. Project Gestalt is launched in an attempt to find a cure.
2019 Several years pass with no cure or treatment found. The world economy collapses as wars against the infected drag on. The human population drops to 830 million.
The history of White Chlorination Syndrome*,* the disease that brought humanity to ruin— was a memory of chaos and defeat.
9S projected his own kind’s bleak future onto the history of mankind.
Anger, despair, and disappointment...
2B (narration) Travelling from transporter to transporter, we discover memories of the Old World. When we put them together, we realise they formed a cypher for an entirely different piece of information. They referenced a hidden underground facility with the codename “Eden.” A facility designed to store YoRHa’s latest technological developments and other classified information.
9S This might be a trap… but there’s clearly something there. And if we find it, maybe we can fix your…
2B (narration) 9S’s gaze rested on my left hand. My fingers trembled faintly. There’s a fault in my drive systems. I don’t have much time left.
==Gods bound by rules==
In-text narration Long ago, masked people lived amidst the sand. Long ago, wolves dashed across the dunes. They existed in peace…until the sand and wind finally stole nature’s blessings from them.
There was nothing either side could afford to lose. 2B and 9S pressed forward through the shifting sands. The machines would attack sporadically. But there was hesitation in their violence. As though they’d thought twice about killing the pair. Memories of a long distant past… Gentle humans. Gentle beasts. Gently slaughtering each other.
==Shadowlord==
In-text narration Into the darkness, We were descending a spiral staircase. 2B’s body was gradually accumulating malfunctions. If only I could give her my black box. I can’t help but think that. By the time I lost track of how far we’d descended, a faint light began to appear below.
Before long, we emerged into a vast underground space. What covered the ground was the ship of the aliens, now without masters. A cold tombstone for the invaders. Something was written on the alien ship. The violently scrawled words stared at us in deepest crimson. They were the cries of a man who had lost someone beyond all value.
[Memories of the Shadowlord plays] He screamed. Tearing through the flesh of his enemies.
He wept. Unable to save what mattered most.
Even so, he gripped his sword and kept on fighting.
Trying to believe in a future that could never be.
◎ From silence, electronic beeping gradually begins to fade in. ◎ Beep. Beep. — the sound pulses once every second. ◎ After about ten seconds, the beeping continues uninterrupted.
9S (narration) The alien ship slumbering underground. Overwhelmed by its immense size, we searched for an entrance.
2B "Something... I hear a sound..."
9S (narration) It sounds like an electronic noise coming from inside. In other words, it means this ship is still alive.
2B "What’s the possibility that enemies are present?"
9S (narration) If it’s just possibility, there’s no end to them. However, no possible future with hope seems to exist.
But, somewhere in my heart… I was holding on to the small hope. That the enemies here might have the answers we need...
2B “9S.” 9S (narration) 2B points to what appears to be an entrance. Her arm, shaking slightly, telling us that we had no choice but to press onward. ◎ About five seconds after the narration ends, the beep sound cuts off.
2B (narration) The alien ship was massive. According to the pods, it was a large, disc-shaped structure three kilometres in diameter. We made our way to its centre where we discovered an entrance. The door was open as though inviting us inside.
9S Let’s be careful, 2B.
==Copied City==
In-text narration The inside of the alien ship holds a narrow passageway, its path descending gently in an undulating fashion. Metallic walls covered in intricate patterns weave a sight reminiscent of the insides of a living organism.
The scenery repeats over and over along the path. Repeat Repeat Repeat Repeat Repeat Repeat They notice their breath turning white as the temperature drops rapidly.
They trudge forward without a word. They must know. They must know who tried to eradicate them. Ingrained duty flares in their hearts, despite knowing they may find no answers ahead.
They opened a door to find themselves in a vast space. A faint light is shining, as though the ship still lives. Tall shapes can be seen all around them. Something like…trees? No. Upon closer inspection, they are corpses. Aliens impaled by spears. The aliens are pinned everywhere. The floor. The walls. The ceiling. It is a chilling sight. They are like criminals executed for their crimes. Or toys scattered by children. The exit leads to another passage below. One enveloped in impenetrable darkness. Slowly, 2B and 9S descend. They do not look back.
2B (narration) As we neared the depths, we found a YoRHa transporter. It was surrounded by walls and appeared to be a dead end.
9S There’s no way they would have installed a transporter in a place like this. The machines must have replicated it.
2B (narration) Suddenly, a quiet beep came from the transporter. The door slowly swung open. As it did, brilliant light poured out. I squinted at the light, struggling to see what stood beyond. I beheld a ruined human city of the purest white.
==Emil==
In-text narration The city was dyed in a frozen white, silent. From the sky, memories of the past fell like snow. Engraved within them was the cursed history left behind by humans.
3470: The original Gestalt (the Shadowlord) died. 3567: Production of defective twin models was banned, and executions were carried out. 3631: The “Human Heritage Reclamation Management Organization” was established. 4198: The last replicant died, and humanity perished. 5012: War broke out between Aliens and Androids. 11937: The autonomous infantry project known as “YoRHa” is completed.
A hopeless future, and the vestiges of war... The YoRHa units were annihilated, and the bunker no longer exists. Who wished for the repeated cycles of war and ruin?
The white, replicated ruins stand quietly. As if to show the two the foolish history of humans and machines.
[Memories of Shadowlord in the snow outside the abandoned shopping mall, of his throne room (boss arena), of his castle’s garden, of Devola & Popola boss arena, of Gretel and Hansel, of Nier vs Jack of Hearts, of Wendy at the battle of the Aerie, of Halua sealed plays]
2B (narration) We walked through the white ruins. Though most of the buildings were collapsed, a few structures somehow remained standing. None of them had ceilings, only walls. They looked like massive gravestones.
9S (narration) There was no sound. It’s like the city absorbed it all. I could see the icy puffs of 2B’s breath. They suddenly grew shallow.
2B 9S, they’re coming.
9S (narration) I followed 2B’s gaze and looked up. Lights were blinking on the ceiling. Suddenly, they descended straight towards us. The blades on hundreds of machines, their hostility on full display. Without a word, 2B and I drew our swords.
==A Beautiful Song==
In-text narration
Even after cutting down a hundred of them, the machines kept coming in droves.
9S calculates the predicted gaps in their attacks. He shares this information with 2B.
2B slips between the red orbs, Cutting down several machines as she does.
9S fights with a prayer, if only this battle could last forever.
As they try to catch their ragged breaths, a massive machine comes before them.
Flames pour from its mouth in agony, as it shouts at the two of them.
"YOU KILLED SO MANY! YOU KILLED SO MANY! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
As the machine spews fire and bullets… it begins to cry.
◎ 2B is slightly out of breath.
2B "...Extermination confirmed."
9S (narration) Once the last machine lifeform was destroyed, the white silence returned once again.
2B "Are you alright, 9S?"
9S (narration) I lifted my face and finally nodded.
9S (narration) When we destroyed the final machine, the city returned to white silence. 2B and I pressed on. Transporters were placed at regular intervals, almost as though they were showing us the way. Every time we accessed one, we were flooded with memories of the Old World. Project Gestalt. Replicants. Yonah. The Red Dragon.
While these unfamiliar words kept our attention, the scene around us changed. The rubble and sand disappeared, replaced by smooth walls and floors. The texture was… familiar. The corridors narrowed and the ceiling closed in. Ahead of us was a circular door. I waved my hand in front of it and it slowly opened. Waiting behind it was the heart of our YoRHa base: the command room of the Bunker.
==Forest Kingdom==
In-text narration Humanity’s last hope: The orbital base known as the Bunker.
But this Bunker is a mere copy; Unfinished and haphazardly thrown together.
Uncountable cables crisscross along the floor, twisted and tangled.
Their appearance is reminiscent of primeval plants.
[Visuals of corridors with countless vines endlessly twisting, walls composed of digital circuitry plays]
Hangars, corridors, elevators, the command center. The winding cables covered floors and walls entirely.
A place that should have been familiar. A landscape seen for the first time.
Cables stretched out like the roots of plants, throbbing slowly, as if they were veins.
The YoRHa soldiers who died here... It was as if the cables were feeding on their spilled blood.
Ever-repeating corridors, 2B and 9S advance through the forest of cables. The duplicate Bunker feels like a maze. Signs of major destruction appear here and there. Walls rent by large claws. Doors crushed by sharp fangs. It feels as though the curses of ghosts still linger in this place.
==Possessed by Disease==
In-text narration
The ghosts appear to them. They took the form of corporeal enemies. Monsters recreated from the memories of the past. They are Shades– The final twisted shape of humanity. And they know only an endless thirst for blood.
And then came a sound, as if something was rushing straight at them.
It was the sound of weeping.
With nothing left to believe in. No place left to return to.
Having lost the happiness they once knew as humans, they had become nothing but ghosts.
Crying, unable to accept that the calamity was of their own making.
==Fleeting Words==
In-text narration The bunker contains the memory of a Shade from the distant past. Though born of artificial means, she yearned to live among humans. But they rejected her.
[Memories of Louise plays]
2B and 9S hear her cries. The dreams of a mermaid. A happy dream not meant for her. A dream of sin and punishment. Where did she go wrong? What should she have done instead? She had but a single wish. A song. She just wanted others to hear her song…
2B (narration) We arrived at the hangar to find a single flight unit waiting. It was made from white plaster, obviously not real. Countless cables ran in and out of the unit. With a beep, it suddenly began to play a recorded voice. The voice could have been male or female, it spoke slowly and with purpose. “REPENT. REPENT FOR YOUR SINS.”
9S 2B.
2B (narration) My sword was drawn before 9S’s voice even reached me. More cables sprung from the flight unit one after another. “REPENT. REPENT. REPENT. REPENT.” The cables filled the hangar, thrashing and writhing like a living creature. They were like blood vessels, strands of hair. They whipped and swelled and slowly took the form of… a colossus. A colossus that once brought so much pain and suffering to the people of the Old World. Part of its face tore away to reveal a mouth, and the colossus gave an earth-shaking roar.
==Dark Colossus==
In-text narration OUR GREED WAS OUR UNDOING. IT DRAGGED US INTO THE DARKNESS WHERE WE BECAME A MONSTER. FOOLS VIOLENCE DESTRUCTION SLAUGHTER DEATH EXTINCTION
[Memories of Jack of Hearts attacking Nier’s village plays]
==The Sound of the End==
In-text narration Machine lifeforms, created for the sake of war. Their reason for existence: to annihilate all enemies.
But through repeated adaptive evolution, they began to acquire intelligence beyond warfare.
What is war? What is happiness? What is love?
They asked themselves these questions, though no answers could be found.
They dance, machine lifeforms are dancing, as if joyfully celebrating life itself.
But it is an illusion. Something they misunderstood, then lost.
A longing for a distant past.
Blades form in the machines’ arms. Fire lights up in the machines’ eyes.
To kill the androids. To drag down those who dragged them into the same hell.
==Bipolar Nightmare==
In-text narration Deepest level of the alien ship. The forms of the machine lifeforms are gradually changing. Clunky metal tubes begin to trace smooth curves, their limbs stretching into strange shapes. They resemble the form of humans who were wiped out. They resemble the forms of androids. And from their backs, black metal wings have begun to grow.
As they beat back the attacking machines, 9S could feel 2B’s breath, and 2B could sense 9S’s determination. Together, they can keep moving forward. Even if the path leads only to a dead end.
==Mourning== In-text narration They come to a place of worship Stilled machine bodies lie scattered about. One looks as if it was writhing in pain Another looks as if it was praying for salvation As they walk these halls that celebrate life and send off the dead, 2B and 9S understand. For they are the same. Abandoned children. Lost. Light pours in through the chapel ceiling. The blessed rays illuminate that which lies on the floor. They are clad in black, and they are numerous. They are the corpses of YoRHa.
[Visuals of the interior of a grand white chapel plays]
2B (narration) In the middle of the church, over a hundred YoRHa corpses lay strewn about. Most were facing a black sphere in the centre of the room.
9S What… is this? 2B (narration) The sphere stood ten metres in height, its smooth, dark surface cracked and broken. The pods began scanning it with various sensors. 9S This is either the alien ship’s power source or some kind of control mechanism. Whatever it is, it’s completely inoperative.
2B (narration) We suddenly understood. This was a graveyard. A graveyard that had been here since the collapse of the Bunker… or even before. YoRHa soldiers on the verge of death came here seeking salvation. They turned the crumbling husk of the alien ship into their church: a place where they could cling to something.
9S We’re not going to be able to repair your black box in a place like this.
2B (narration) Everything here was dead. This place only existed to welcome the dying. And yet, I was glad. I was glad the last place we came to was a place of prayer. And I was glad 9S was by my side.
9S 2B!
2B (narration) 9S’s voice was distant. I could see the ground growing slowly closer. Closer. Closer. Control of my body was slipping away.
9S 2B! NO!
2B I’m sorry, 9S. I’m glad I was able to be with you. Thank you.
==Ashes of Dreams==
9S (narration) 2B appears to be sleeping. But her black box was silent. Irreparable. Perhaps this is the only way to escape such a filthy world. Unable to do anything else, I softly press my hand against her cheek. If this is a punishment, why didn’t it happen to me? Is this the price for having taken so many lives? If so, then take me. Take my soul. All I could do was curse—and pray.
The other Yorha units slowly rose into the air. Black boxes appeared from their bodies and shattered into small pieces. The pieces became tiny motes of light that filled the space. Soon, the light formed a ring around 2B. Its gentle glow seemed to heal her. And then, the light was absorbed into her black box. The flush returned to her cheeks. I could hear her rhythmic breathing. I pulled her into an embrace as tears spilled from my eyes. This time, I swore I would not let her go.
9S (narration) 2B’s eyes slowly opened. The YoRHa corpses’ black boxes had shattered to pieces, and those pieces filled in the missing parts of 2B’s black box, restoring her functionality. It was a phenomenon unlike anything I’d ever observed before. Perhaps it was a hidden function of the YoRHa units. Or perhaps…
2B (narration) When 9S looked up, he found the black sphere had crumbled into a heap. Our black boxes are made from the cores of the machine lifeforms. Perhaps they resonated with that sphere, initiating repairs. The scene looked like a burial mound, a place where something slumbered deep. Maybe something did slumber here: the souls of YoRHa.
I clung to 9S and slowly got to my feet.
9S (narration) I felt such powerful strength from her thin frame.
2B (narration) We’ll be setting off again. 9S (narration) Not to kill machines, and not to save humanity. 2B (narration) There’s no meaning in this world. 9S (narration) We are cursed. 2B (narration) So we’ll be setting off. 2B & 9S (narration) To break this spell once and for all.
==Weight of the World==
In-text narration (from 2B’s POV) If it means these words will reach him, I would take on any burden. All that I ask is to take away his pain—the pain that lives in his soul. Even if it means irreversible sin.
In-text narration (from 9S’s POV) If it means I can hide this lie from her, I’d bear even the pain of death. I will not pray till I bring back her smile—her smile of hope for the future. Even if it means eternal punishment.
[Memories of 2B and 9S meeting, of 2B caressing an injured 9S in the first Goliath boss fight, of 2B carrying 9S out of the Copied City, of Ending A, of Ending E, and of their many lines together play.]
==Kainé==
2B (narration) I see a light. A warm light.
9S (narration) I hear a sound. A gentle sound.
2B (narration) Hopes of a distant past.
9S (narration) Memories of a distant future.
9S (narration) No matter how sullied the path,
2B (narration) We will continue this journey.
2B & 9S (narration) A journey to embrace this world.
In-text narration Light-filled memories. A willful future.
Our paths will cross over and over.
Until we meet again.