Novel-Mao
Chapter 1184 The Story Behind 2
-----
B-9 saw A-0 struggling to survive, gigantic tentacles constantly attacking their entire group from every angle. Their equipped weapons were strong, and they managed to pierce through the foe's defenses, but they still were overwhelmed.
"GRUOOOHHHH!"
The Titan-class Mutants we fought on the way here were a true nightmare against these Androids, and they appeared one after another. It seemed that humanity no longer had any power over the oceans, nor dominance.
These monsters, the Mutants, had overtaken the seas, and they weren't going to give them up to anybody. B-9 reached A-0, whose mech had been damaged and made her fall into the seas.
"A-0!!!"
"B-9?!"
She gasped as she saw him rushing down to rescue her, evading countless tentacles that came after him one after another, extending his hand towards her.
"You came for me?"
"Why wouldn't I?!"
Their hands touched, as he tightly grasped her hand, and then dragged her up, freeing her from her destroyed mech which fell, exploding into the frozen seas upon impact.
BOOOM!
"We have to get out of here!" B-9 said.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"B-But everyone else is dying!" A-0 said. "We have to help, to do something!"
"We can't, A-0! We're hopeless… this is beyond us! I told you that they were sending us to die! We're expendables to them, humanity… we're nothing to them other than junk they throw at their foes in hopes that something does something! T-This doesn't work like this!" B-9 screamed, carrying A-0 with his arms. "We're getting out of here!"
"B-But…! Everyone!" A-0 cried, as she saw countless androids exploding and being slaughtered.
However, many more managed to escape, those smart enough to realize the hopelessness of this situation, dozens of them rushed away, escaping from the monsters' attacks.
Eventually, the movie cut to them landing near the artificial island, on an extension of it. They were scared and confused at first, many of them were very wounded and dying. But there were… many as well, they managed to save at least over fifty of them, when they were hundreds.
"It seems many survived at the end…" B-9 sighed, watching the camps of the survivors. "But we need parts to repair everyone."
"But even after we repair them, where… where do we go? What do we do?" A-0 wondered. "We've deserted from battle… Now the Headquarters are going to treat us as criminals if we go back. They might… destroy us."
"T-Then we're not going back, as simple as that!" said B-9. "A-0… I… Let's start a new life here, away from humanity."
"B-But…" muttered A-0. "That would go against everything we've been made for… Why do you think of such things so much, B-9? Things I could never imagine myself…"
"I… don't know," said B-9. "It's weird, isn't it? But I always get these bursts of thoughts, of emotions… Maybe of things I shouldn't be doing or thinking."
"…" His friend glanced at him with surprise. "Well, maybe it's good that you're different…"
"Huh?"
"Because… it was thanks to you that I survived."
"Ah… Yeah."
The two did their best to help the androids survive. They didn't need much of anything either other than sunlight every now and then. Their only goal was to exist and slowly find ways to leave the island altogether.
For a brief moment, perhaps a couple of months, things seemed fine, they were slowly exploring the huge island, getting to know it, its dangerous areas, and more.
Eventually, they moved deeper underground, until one day, A-0 found something.
It was a hole underground, in an area that had been fully drowned with sea water. It was cold, but not frozen.
"So this is the place you wanted to show me, A-0?" wondered B-9. "Oh wow, are those corals? This is the first time I see them!"
"Yes, they're very colorful and pretty, aren't they?" wondered A-0. "They look like colorful stones, but they're actually alive, did you know?"
"I knew that, yeah," nodded B-9. "Still surprising they were able to grow in this underground pond of seawater. It does get a bit of sea water every day. But why did they decide to grow in here?"
"Maybe there are nutrients we had no idea of?" A-0 wondered. "I think we should explore more, we could find useful things to help everyone survive and repair those that are still with large wounds."
"Sure, let's do that… How about we start there?" B-9 asked.
"But it's cold and with sea water there…" muttered A-0."
"What, are you scared of some cold water?" laughed B-9. "In the records I've researched, humans used to come to the beach to enjoy a relaxing summer with their friends and family. Bathing in sea water was one of their preferred activities."
"T-They bathed in sea water? But it isn't very clean!" said A-0. "Why?"
"Because… well, they considered it fun," B-9 smiled lightly. "Come on, let's take out our shoes."
The two took out their shoes, walking through the cold water, and even submerging down, seeing the beautiful corals, fishes, and sea snails in the huge sea water pond.
"So beautiful!"
"Yeah!"
As they swam, they reached the other end of the pond. There was a huge hole only visible underwater, covered by a strange red coral.
"Hmm, what's in here?" A-0 wondered, swimming inside.
"Ah, wait, B-9! I detect… there's something there, a large quantity of radiation!" B-9 rushed towards her, swimming fast to grab her.
Even if small, if there was something dangerous there, he couldn't risk her life!
He followed her and entered the hole, quickly rushing to the surface.
SPLASH!
He crawled out of the water, walking over the cold, stone floor, looking around.
"A-0! Where are you, A-0!"
He called for her, realizing there was a huge corridor in front of him, where he noticed her footsteps.
"Where did she go?"
He started walking through the corridor, seeking her, while remaining silent.
Until he reached the end of the corridor, and then to the left, he found her…
He could see her back, staring at something, a huge silhouette at the end of the room, almost invisible due to the lack of light.
"A… A-0?" he asked.
"B-9… Help… me… I can't…" her voice muttered.
"Eh?!"
"I can't move…!"
As he activated night vision, he gasped, as he noticed something.
A monstrous being made of flesh and metal, with huge, crimson eyes.
"A Mutant?!"
"A-0!!!"
-----