NieR Automata: Life's Meaning

Clothing store abandoned, Apex, Popola, and Devola kept low to the ground as they rushed down the direction A2 went. They passed sparking machines and the faint imprints left behind by her heels in dustier areas, both allowing them to pursue her with relative ease; he wanted to hold off on enhancing his senses unless absolutely necessary.

"Why'd she suddenly run off?" Devola questioned as they entered a partially destroyed stairwell.

Had she gone up or down?

"It sounded like someone or something was fighting off machines." He explained while looking around for any hints but finding none. "Maybe she wanted to help them?"

"I knew she was a softie but running off on her own is a bit much." Devola muttered with a shake of her head.

"Hopefully nothing happens to her." Popola said, more concerned than anything else.

Giving up on the search Apex focused on himself, ready to-

"VWOOM!"

Before he could enhance his hearing, an odd sound broke the silence followed by an explosion above that rocked the building, more of the stairs crumbling away and dust falling free.

Up it was.

As soon as they steadied themselves, Apex jumped past portions of the missing stairway, turning to ensure the twins made it before the three of them rushed up the last few floors and straight to the metal door that should lead right out on the roof.

The clangs of clashing metal. A near constant stream of gunfire. And plenty of footsteps; more than one person was capable of creating on their own.

Instead of just pushing open the door and rushing headfirst into a fight, Apex slowly cracked it. If A2 needed help he was going to give it but that didn't mean he should draw any unnecessary attention towards Popola and Devola. As they peeked out onto the sunlit roof of the mall, they were faced with a field of dismantled machines.

And in that field, A2 fought not one of those things, but an android with silvery-white hair, front decorated by a black band while the rest was pulled into a long ponytail that flailed about.

The white hair android wielded a long spear like weapon, backpedaling away from A2 as she sent out a barrage of stabs. All were avoided, A2 slipping between her defense, sword pulled back. Before she could let that attack fly free, some kind of small rectangular machine that been floating around the two released a burst of gunfire from the multi-barrel beneath it. A2 leaped back, shifting into a curved sprint towards the machine.

Just as she closed in enough to get a hit, that android interfered and forced A2 to focus on her with another collection of stabs.

Who was the aggressor and who was the defender? Impossible to tell. As for who had the upper hand? While A2's remarkable skill clearly outclassed the other android's, each time an opening was created that machine was there to provide cover fire. And, of course, whenever A2 tried to take it out the attempt was thwarted by the android. If the fight were one on one A2 would've won by now but that wasn't the case.

The mysterious android realized that as well, going all in on a defensive style that kept A2 at bay long enough for that machine of hers to line up shots. The plan was the drag things out until A2 made a mistake or faltered in anyway.

At this rate it was going to work.

"I don't think it's a good idea to go out there." Popola said. She and Devola were struggling to keep up with the battle before them, their eyes darting here and there but neither truly capable of keeping up with the fight. He wasn't doing much better. "We'd only get in her way."

He couldn't argue with that but that didn't mean he was going to try to help.

Apex held out his right palm, gripping that wrist with his left hand, and focusing solely on the floating machine rather than the battling androids. He only needed to level the playing field.

A2 would take care of the rest.

As bone began to peek out from his skin, it became increasingly clear that that was easier said than done. The floating box shaped machine wasn't as quick as them so it was always in pursuit of them, never staying still. Even when it fired at A2 its kept moving, being sure to stay close enough to that other android so that they could always support each other.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to predict its path rather than follow the machine itself.

A burn jumped to his head, his eyes alight. Color drained from the world and things began to slow. He could suddenly make out A2 quick exchanges with the android. He saw how she used the flat end of her sword to redirect stabs from the spear or narrowly stepped around them, allowing the attacks to leave shallow cuts on her body as she closed the distance. He could see, how despite how focused the other android was on defense, she paid just as much attention to her footwork and surroundings, never allowing herself to be cornered against any of the machinery on the roof or fall into any of the holes scattered about.

Most importantly, he had little issue tracing and even predicting the path of that floating machine.

A2's fellow white haired android stepped back from a slash that nearly nicked her neck. She jumped back, landing on the roof's relatively intact helipad as the machine released another burst of gunfire. This time A2 didn't fall back, jumping for the surprised android and slamming her sword onto the handle of the spear, the floating machine ceasing fire.

"Pod!" The android yelled, abandoning the spear, allowing A2 to slam it into the helipad, kicking up a cloud of dust. She held both her arms into the air as if clenching something as A2 burst out of the smoke, ready to run her through. Just as A2 reached her, a steel blade, easily bigger than any of them, appeared in her hands and she brought it down with a yell, a wide eyed A2 forced to block it with the flat of her sword least she be cut down the middle. "Run program R010!"

"Order confirmed." The floating machine said, its voice clearly robotic. The multi-barrel retreated into its main body, and two almost solar panel like extensions took its place and began to glow with yellowish black energy as it stopped all movement.

A2's kneels buckled slightly, cracks beginning to spread across the ground beneath her, unable to push back the massive blade.

With that machine finally still Apex took a breath and fired.

A bone, thin and spotted with bits of his blood, cut through the air. It pierced clean through the machine's main body. As the thing began to fall out of the air, the energy it'd been gathering sparked before exploding outwards in a ball of blackish yellow energy that left nothing behind.

"Pod!" The android shouted before her attention snapped towards the now ajar doorway. Despite the black blindfold that covered her eyes he could tell that she was staring directly at him. She said something but whatever it was, he didn't catch it, coughing out globs of blood as his head hammered against his skull and color returned to the world.

His vision blurred in and out, but he could still make out the fight.

A2, now glowing an ominous red energy that almost seemed to lift parts of her hair, pushed back the massive blade with a yell. Staggering backwards, the android could do nothing to stop A2's sword from piercing the center of her chest.

He expected her to stop there. The battle was done and over with.

A2 was not of the same mind.

She let go of her sword and pushed the android onto the ground, foot placed upon the side of the android's head. The android was in the middle of limply reaching out towards him when A2 pressed down, crushing her head in bloody show of brutality.

A2 left her sword behind, taking the sizable blade that the android had dropped before walking over to them. He wasn't the only one taken back by the merciless display, Devola and Popola unsure if they should raise their weapons or focus on him.

"I told you to stay." A2 said, staring down at them, her blue eyes colder than ever before.

"W-What was that?" He asked.

She ignored the question, walking past them and heading back into the buildings. "Get moving. We're leaving."

Popola and Devola were unsure of what to do but after a nod from him, Devola helped him to a stand, the three of them following after A2. He knew A2 was easily agitated and well adjusted to combat but he never expected to see her do something like that. Android or not, seeing someone's head crushed like that? That image would be swimming around his mind in the days to come.

Whatever that battle was about A2 would give them answers.

-Route A, No. 021-

The truck shook as they drove over roots and rocks, the city ruins long since faded in the horizon.

Against their insistence, Apex sat on one of the benches lining the back of the truck, directly across from A2. She'd been silent the entire time and kept to it, not saying a word no matter how long he stared at her. She wasn't going to share anything unless he forced the issue.

"That android-" He started, finally tiring of the tense quiet. "-did she attack you?" A2 didn't answer. "Did you attack her?" again, she didn't answer. "What was the fight about?"

His brow furrowed, his diminishing migraine and growing hunger doing nothing to help him keep a handle on his growing annoyance. "Dammit A2, you can't pretend like that fight didn't happen. I can't. I helped you kill someone. I need answers."

She grimaced. "I didn't ask for your help."

"As if that's what matters here." He bit back glaring at her. He took a moment to take a breath before continuing. "Devola and Popola believe you're a good person and I think they're right but we just watched you kill someone with no explanation. You went out of your way to, to-" Apex felt a little sick just recalling how A2 had turned that woman's head into a sparking mush. His transformations were a nice thing to look at but that was totally different.

"I did what I had to."

"Why would you have to do something that cruel to someone?" He stressed. "I'm not telling you to spill your whole life story but you need to give us something to work with so we can understand what happened."

A2 finally looked up from the bed of the truck. The frown on her face had been permanently fixed there since that battle on the roof but she wasn't glaring at him. Not yet at least. "That android is a unit from YoRHa. She's not dead, not really. The data they have backed up on the Bunker will be used to give her a new body." She said. "I can't risk YoRHa gathering any combat data on me so I had to make sure her memories couldn't be recovered."

Androids were built in the image of humans, so if A2 wanted to destroy any chance of another android's memories being recovered that meant going for the head. That explained that specifically but nothing else. "And YoRHa, you're a part of them?" He guessed. Its what Popola and Devola had been assuming all this time and based on the similarities between their black clothing and white hair, it seemed even more plausible.

"Was." A2 spat out harshly though it wasn't directed at him. "They betrayed me; lied and left me for dead. Now they're sending other units to destroy me." A2 didn't bother with details, laying out the barebone essentials out from him. She wanted the conversation to be over with then and there.

And he obliged.

Apex nodded and let the conversation die. For now, that was good enough for him. A2 was protecting herself from those who wanted her dead and that cruel display at the end had been out of necessity rather than some sick twisted desire.

He had other questions but he pushed enough for one day.

A2 opened her mouth to say something but fell quiet, the rest of the ride spent in silence.

-Route A, No. 021-

"Stop worrying so much, I'm fine now." Apex assured the twins as he dropped out of the truck's back. Both were at his side, making sure he didn't trip over himself or suddenly pass out.

According to Navi, he'd made some on the fly changes to his eyes as well as his brain, altering how quickly he processed information. While the rest of his shifting and abilities came with pain he found tolerable, the after effects of that was in a league of its own.

"That's what you always say." Devola pointed out while walking with him towards the cabin front door.

"I'll get some food ready for you." Popola said, moving ahead and disappearing inside.

"Apex." As he headed up the front porch, he stopped, surprised to hear his name called by A2 of all people. He turned to find her standing at the bottom of the steps looking up at him. "I-" She started only to stop short. She tried several times before huffing and taking off, circling the cabin and disappearing from sight.

"She's shier than I thought." Devola said with a shake of the head. She and Popola had heard their conversation in the back of the truck and were more at ease now that they somewhat understood what happened. "Is it that hard to say thank you?"

Apex hummed in agreement, genuinely tired for once.

He was ready to hit the hay and go through their scavenged loot later.