Glory to Mankind (Nier Automata) ch 3

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Behind an observation room, Popola sat cross-legged on a crate, overlooking the cryo room. She stared at the human forms encased in the cryo machines, naked as the day they were born. Devola paced angrily around the room.

"I can't believe this!" she shouted. "We're the only ones qualified to handle them, but no, they just have to dangle the fact that we messed up—once!"

"Devola..." Popola whispered softly, her voice filled with pain. "We can't do anything about it now. We can only hope that Anemone will allow us to thaw them out."

Devola's fists clenched, her face twisted with frustration. She wanted to argue, to scream even more, but it would have been futile. Instead, she turned and slammed her closed fist into a wall. The metal groaned under the impact. Drops of water fell from the ceiling. Devola shivered, but not from the cold.

"It's... it's so unfair!" the redhead cried out.

Popola cried too, though her tears were softer, more restrained. This... this was just the way things had turned out, even if she didn't dare speak the words aloud. They deserved it, after all. Project Gestalt had been a complete failure, caused by the models of the Devola and Popola line. There were too many variables, too many uncertainties—a desperate attempt that hadn't accounted for the Replicants forming souls of their own. And that had sealed humanity's fate.

That was why they were punished. Why only she and her sister were the last remaining Devola and Popola models, living with the weight of this sin for thousands of years. It was only right that when humanity was uncovered again, they would be excluded from letting them rise.

But even with all that... it couldn't stop her from yearning. She longed to be down there too, to see the humans in their slumber. She craved their touch, their warmth.

When word had spread that humans were below, the other resistance members rushed in, weapons aimed at her and Devola, demanding they step aside or else. For their protection, Anemone had intervened. A kindness from her, one that had been constant ever since they'd met.

"This sucks," Devola groaned, the tears now dry on her face, as she sat down beside Popola.

"We have to bear with it, sis," Popola reminded her gently.

Frustration still twisted Devola's expression. "But we're right here!" she shouted. "Step 2: Access facility infrastructure. Step 3: Awaken Facility Chiefs! Step 4: Await instructions!" She recited the steps hotly.

As soon as they had seen the symbol at the Gate, a file hidden in their systems had sprung to life, guiding them and instructing them. They knew what they had to do now. But...

"Let's just hope Anemone gets us out..." Popola whispered, her gaze returning to the humans through the glass.

​Devola sniffed. She rested her head against Popola's shoulder, her lips dry. "What do you think they'll be like?" 

​Popola smiled slightly. "What who like?" 

Her sister rolled her eyes, her lips curling upwards. "The humans, Popola." 

Popola leaned in closer with her sister, her mind thinking of the possibilities. She sat silently for a minute, then settled on one that most made sense to her. "I think they would be alive." 

"Of course they would be. They aren't dead," Devola scoffed. 

"Compared to us, I mean," Popola clarified, holding out her hand and turning it over, inspecting every detail. "They have hearts, they have blood, they have souls. We're not like them." 

Devola listened in silence, taking in her answers. Then, she whispered, softly. "Do you think they'll forgive us?" 

Popola closed her eyes, her fingers grabbing at the hems of her dress. "...I don't know." 

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"Anemone." Jackass's voice cut through the silence, sharp and insistent.

Anemone stood on the catwalk, her gaze fixed on the cryo machines below. Her men moved about in the shadows, their firearms set aside, wary of even the slightest misfire. Outside, Jackass's camp had been fortified with machine gun turrets and makeshift barricades. The air was thick with urgency as they worked fast—another driver sent to fetch more supplies. If things went south, they would defend this bunker to the death.

"Yes?" Anemone responded without taking her eyes off the frozen humans below.

"We've completed a sweep," Jackass said, coughing slightly as she stood beside her. "Four chambers, 300 cryo machines each."

Anemone's breath caught in her throat. "A thousand humans," she whispered, her mind reeling. She had inherited a regiment's worth of humans. It was good that the bunker was hidden in a valley for if the Machines would find this place, she only had twenty men to count on, the rest were fortifying the surface, securing the outer perimeter. Even if she recalled every single fighter from her sector, she'd have no more than a hundred at her disposal and doing that would leave the Resistance Camp unguarded. That was barely enough to hold the line. Reinforcements from the desert, the forest, the sunken city? Even if they arrived, it wouldn't be enough.

The logistics gnawed at her too, assuming they would thaw out the humans. But what then? They would need food, water, shelter… basic supplies. The launch missions to the moon had always been about that—keeping humanity sustained. But how much dried meat, fish, and rice could a human survive on?

"What else does this facility have?" Anemone asked, still staring at the cryo pods.

Jackass shrugged. "Wouldn't know."

Anemone's eyebrow quirked. "What do you mean?"

Jackass shot her a dry look. "The facility wouldn't let us in certain areas. The rooms we did find were sleeping quarters and a kitchen. As for food... no clue. It'd be nice if we had someone familiar with human biology around."

Anemone's eyes flickered shut, a flash of irritation passing over her face.

"It's for their protection, Jackass," she said, her voice clipped. "The Twins are hated for a reason. Did you really want them to get shot?"

"You don't want to bring the Twins into this," Jackass frowned. "Fine. Don't use them. Call YoRHa or the Council of Humanity then."

Anemone's lips tightened, a frown deepening as she turned to face Jackass. "You think I haven't thought of that?"

"Then why haven't you called them?" Jackass pressed.

"If we bring YoRHa here, we don't know who might be listening," Anemone explained, her tone lower now, almost wistful. "Our comms aren't secure. It's too risky." The words felt weak even as she said them. She knew what would happen if YoRHa or the wider Army of Humanity learned of this—humanity's last survivors would be taken away, out of her reach, probably to the moon. Logically, she understood that. The humans couldn't stay on this planet, not in its current state.

But something deeper gnawed at her, something fierce and possessive. She had lived through the loss of Gestalt, the idea that humanity was gone, until the moon began broadcasting again. Humanity still existed—distant, unreachable. And she didn't want them to leave. Not yet.

"We'll wait for YoRHa," Anemone said, her voice hardening. "Then, we'll contact the Bunker."

Jackass was unconvinced, crossing her arms as she fixed Anemone with a steady, knowing gaze. "You just want them here, don't you?"

Anemone's face hardened at the accusation, but she didn't deny it. "I'm stating facts. It's better the humans stay with us. We thaw them out, and they'll just be standing around in the desert. Is that really what you want?"

Jackass raised her hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not trying to get in your head, Anemone. But the fact is, no one here is more qualified to help with the humans than the Twins." Her eyes flickered in the dim light. "Are you ignoring the commands in our heads right now?"

Anemone's gaze dropped to the floor. The commands were relentless—Assist the Administrators. Assist the Administrators. Assist the Administrators.

"They're not affected," she whispered, gesturing to the soldiers patrolling the cryo bay.

"Must be something with their programming," Jackass muttered. "You and I, we're from the old batch—before the aliens came. Reaper, Carolina, all of them... they're all from after the invasion."

Anemone glanced at her. "Are you suggesting something, Jackass?"

"Can't prove anything without data. But for now, it's just an observation," Jackass sighed. She stood up straight. "The important thing is, we need Devola and Popola. Let them do their job."

"The others will hate that," Anemone warned.

"Who cares?" Jackass shrugged nonchalantly. "You're the Colonel, not them. We're standing around here in the dark, whispering about what should happen. Help the Twins and get a human out. We need direction, not indecision. Do we really want to be making decisions for humans now?"

Anemone bit her lip, torn between logic and desire. What should happen... and what she wanted.

+++

The doors swung open with a sharp twist, and Devola sprang to her feet. Anemone entered, her face set in an expression of steely determination as she strode past the woman without a word. Devola's eyes narrowed, and she growled under her breath.

"Anemone!" she hissed, her voice a low warning.

Standing between them, Jackass held up a hand, her voice calm but firm. "Chill, chill, chill, Devola. Relax."

Devola's frown deepened, but she didn't back down. She took a step forward, her voice rising. "We know what to do! We have protocols to follow! Let us do them!"

Anemone's gaze flickered, uncertainty clouding her sharp eyes. She knew her orders were to assist the Twins, but the specifics were still hazy. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you two planning to do?"

Devola huffed, crossing her arms in a familiar defensive posture. "We're supposed to check the facility's infrastructure, but of course, we got locked up instead," she muttered, irritation clear in her tone.

Popola shot her sister a gentle reprimand. "Devola…"

Devola, ever defiant, only scoffed and refused to relent.

Anemone exhaled sharply, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she turned to face Devola. Her voice was steady, almost too calm. "Devola, it was to keep the others from putting bullets in you and Popola. They don't care what you two are capable of. They hate you."

Devola growled in frustration, but before she could snap back, Popola's soft hand rested gently on her shoulder. The touch grounded her, and for a moment, Devola's tension faded.

"We understand, Anemone," Popola's voice was quiet and soothing, her tone conciliatory. "But time is of the essence. We need to be down there, immediately."

Popola sighed softly and turned back to Anemone, her voice measured. "As my sister was saying, we need to run a diagnostic on the facility's systems. Once we confirm the integrity of the infrastructure, we can thaw out the commanding officer and his staff."

Anemone listened intently, her mind ticking over the possibilities. She folded her arms, glancing from one Twin to the other. "And then…?"

The Twins exchanged a brief, knowing look before answering in perfect unison. "Then we wait for further instructions."

"That's it?" Jackass blinked.

"That's what the protocol is telling us, yes," Popola confirmed with a nod. "We don't make the decisions, Jackass. Our line was meant only to administrate and observe, nothing more."

"How come this has never happened to you before?" Anemone questioned. "And why don't the other androids have the same orders as we do?"

"Because they're ass—" Devola tried to say, but Popola cut her off.

"We don't know," Popola sighed. "Even our own memories of Gestalt are hazy. In this case, when we saw the symbols, it just... it just awoke something inside of us."

Anemone stared, trying to figure out if Popola was lying. But through all of this, she knew that the Twins wouldn't lie, especially about something like this.

And so, Anemone decided. "Fine." Her voice was final. "But if something bad happens, I am going to hold you two responsible."

Popola sighed in relief. Devola grinned.

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A/N:  One thing I didn't get to put down in the last was the Twins getting the outcast treatment. It is going to be so satisfying when the Twins get to see the humans and the androids realizing that if they had committed to wiping out the Devola and Popola line, there would have been no way to extract the humans safely lmao.

In other news: Taiga is slowly recovering. He's returned to jumping up and down on places and his weight is getting back up. While it is not in the clear yet, he will be recovering.

Thank you so much to those that have helped out. Taiga owes his life to you all.