NieR Automata: Life's Meaning

When he first said fuck the resistance and their members, it'd been meant as a joke to try and lighten the somber atmosphere. That said, the longer he sat here, the more genuine that crude bit of phrasing became.

Soldiers of the hidden camp came and went. It would've been one thing if they ignored Popola and Devola, a cruel thing to do in a world full of murderous machines, but a cold shoulder would've been a massive step compared to the treatment the twins faced and that was saying something. They glared, snatched the parts they needed without thanks and tossed damaged metal parts into whatever box they pleased, sometimes missing the boxes intentionally.

And the twins suffered it all without a word of protest, organizing whatever mess passing groups left behind in time for the next to show up and make another. He wanted to say something but he could tell that two wanted to avoid trouble and him running his mouth about something he didn't understand could easily worsened their situation.

Apex finished up helping them clean up the latest mess before joining the two back on the roll of cloth.

This is what they did every time they left their cabin? Sit out beneath the burning sun and get trampled all over by anyone and everyone all while providing said people with fresh water and supplies? He knew they were pushovers but why would anyone chose to do this? He'd have abandoned these ungrateful bastards and kept to the woods.

Apex looked between the quiet Devola and Popola.

He was surprised the two weren't suffering from dehydration or sunburn. His body could self-regulate no matter the weather but that was a given considering his unique biology. Other than an occasional drink from the canteens at their hips, the two were completely fine, not even sweating.

Still, their grimaces when no one else was around gave away their discomfort however fine they looked.

He kept his thoughts to himself, mimicking their silence as yet another group entered the alleyway, returning to camp. Clinks filled the air, dirty and rusted pieces of machinery tossed into boxes as they passed.

For once one stopped. And stared down directly at him. He might be willing to keep his mouth shut and keep his nose out of the twins business but that didn't mean he was going to completely follow their lead. Apex met the stare with one of his own.

"I never seen you around here before." The resistance member, a tall lean man with black hair and dark eyes, said. "What are you doing hanging around this trash?"

'It would be unwise to antagonize someone armed with a rifle.' Navi butted in, fully aware of his spike of anger. She was right. Perfectly logical as always. The man had a rifle slung around an arm like many others, his clothes ripped up but mostly intact. He'd been in battle against the machines at some point.

Apex, as he so often did, tossed caution to the wind.

"Watch your mouth." He said.

The man blinked, briefly taken aback by the response. That surprise morphed, the man's eyes narrowing as he stepped forward. "Who do you think-"

The man abruptly pushed aside, Apex suddenly found himself face to face with a woman, her right eye covered by blackish-blue hair swept over it while her visible dark eye scanned him. "OOhhhh, he is right. I don't think I've ever seen a model like you." In a flash the woman's gloved hands were suddenly pulling at his cheeks, running across his chest, then squeezing his abs. By the time his mind caught up with the sudden molestation of his body, slight laughs slipped free from him as she poked certain parts of his side. "Ah and you're ticklish too! I've heard some of us had that function, but I've never met one with it. You've just gotten ten times more interesting my new friend." If anything that encouraged the woman who released him but kept her face way too close, a wide grin spread across it. "You have to let me take you apart. Oh please-"

"Stop it, Jackass." His harasser was pulled back by the blue scarf around her neck by a different member of the group. A woman with light brown skin and most of her features hidden by a brown cloak. She was the shortest among the people before them but spoke with such authority that Apex instantly pegged her as the leader of the group. "I'm sorry about that. We'll leave you be."

"Aaaahhh, but, captaiiiinnnnnn, this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. If I find-" His harasser's whines fell into quiet grumbles as the dark skinned woman's blue eyes swept over her. The man who'd been pushed aside could do nothing but glare Apex's away as those eyes fell on him as well, the group of resistance members following their leader deeper into the allies.

"Thank you but you shouldn't have done that." Devola said, giving him a subdued smile. "Getting yourself in trouble isn't worth it."

"I'm not going to let someone call my friends trash." Apex said absentmindedly. Model? Function? Take him apart? Was that woman crazy or something? She had been talking about him like he wasn't human.

Almost as if he was some kind of machine.

'Given my presence within you, it is not inaccurate to refer to you as such. The exact term would be cyborg.' Navi informed. Huh, how about that? You learn something new every day.

Deciding to put the odd interaction at the back of his mind for, Apex realized the twins were smiling at him. "…did I miss something?" He questioned with a blink.

"Nothing at all." Devola said, her smile growing slightly. Now he really felt like he missed something. Unfortunately, their smiles fell as footsteps filled the air.

He couldn't wait for this to be over.

-Route A, No. 008-

The ride back to the cabin was as depressing as the ride to the Resistance Camp. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but the day had worn down all of them. After being faced with such treatment for hours on end, it was only natural that they'd need some time to recharge as it were. That fact that they faced that day in and out was a sign of great resilience, but it couldn't be as easy as snapping one's fingers to bounce back to their usual kind selves. And he, on the other hand, was hungry. Navi was helping to keep the growls under control but it felt like his stomach was burning a hole in itself, a pain that was worsening by the second.

…in hindsight comparing his hunger to what they were feeling was insensitive but the point still stood; this trip took a lot out of all of them.

In light of all that, it was only once Popola pulled to a stop beside the cabin and the three of them shuffled out to empty the back of the truck that Apex popped one of the questions that'd been on his mind.

"You two heard what that woman was saying to me right?" He questioned while Popola climbed into the back of the truck and began to pass him the boxes full of damaged parts, all of which he laid at his feet, all while Devola held the flap open. They both nodded. "She was odd, wasn't she?"

"The way she jumped you was weird. I don't think anyone just touches a stranger like that." Devola agreed for far different reasons.

"No, well, that was weird too, but I mean what she was saying." He elaborated.

"While her approach was rather…eccentric-" Popola put it far more kindly than he would've. "-I do admit that I share her curiosity. We've never seen an android like you either."

Apex couldn't help the raise of his brow as he took another box from her. "Android? What are you-"

SNAP!

The unmistakable crack of a nearby branch filled the air, dozens more following as heavy footsteps came from the trees they'd just drove past. Popola and Devola moved quickly. The former drew the short sword from her back and leaped out from the bed of the truck while the latter abandoned the flap, pulling the handgun from the holster at her thigh, both moving in front of him, Popola at the forefront.

"You don't have a weapon, do you Apex?" She asked, a quick glance thrown his way. "Stay behind us. Run the moment you get the chance."

Machines emerged from the forest line. Most were the small basic ones but there were a few of the taller machines mixed, all of them deathly silent and eyes aglow with murderous crimson intent. The moment the machine's eyes laid on them that glow strengthened and the group charged forward.

Devola fired her gun several times, the shot doing nothing to slow down the group but a few well placed shots damaging their eyes. That allowed Popola to avoid the powerful swings of their limbs, hacking at their armored bodies.

They were no strangers to danger and facing down the machines but they were weak. Popola's sword didn't sink deep enough to disable the machines, rarely even staggering them, forcing her to backpedal to avoid being flattened by their charge. It was only a dozen but they couldn't handle it. It would've been smarter to run.

He suspected they would've if he weren't here.

Blocking the headbutt of one of the smaller machines, Popola stumbled back only for a kick from one of the few big ones to send her flying and tumbling through the dirt. A scream ripped free from Devola and she rushed forward while firing in a futile attempt to stop their advance on Popola.

Apex took a breath, a familiar burn racing across every nerve in his body.

He might be willing to standby as they put themselves to work for ungrateful bastards, it was up to them how they chose to live their lives, but he wasn't going to stand around when those same lives were being put on the line for his sake.

He shot forward, the grass around his feet left torn, and grabbed Devola's shoulder. He pulled her back and took her place, slamming his fist into the head of the machine preparing to step upon Devola. His skin tore and the head went flying, the machine collapsing into a sparking heap. He moved on to the next, leaping over their swipe for him and using his enhanced strength to hammer both his fists down into it.

Punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and more. He used every part of his body, the restless that plagued him all day fading as he smashed away at their forces, careful never to take a direct hit. Just being grazed was enough to bruise or rip skin unless he made full use of his abilities.

His stomach roared in protest, transformed into a raging inferno.

'Your energy reserves will soon be depleted, master. I recommend finishing the stranglers as soon as possible.' Navi said.

He did just that, ignoring the intense burn until nothing but sparking scrap metal remained. He took another breath and weight fell over his body, his shoulders dropping and his legs no different than jelly. Despite that he turned to check on the others.

Devola and Popola were on the ground mouths agape. The strangest thing wasn't even the fact that Popola was in remarkable good condition despite taking a full on hit from a machine but the fact that were greenish-blue eyes were glowing.

"You're-You're human?" Devola muttered in disbelief.

"And you aren't." He muttered, barely able to think straight. A lot of the things he thought odd about them made far more sense in that context. Navi's natural evolution theory wasn't enough to explain it all away.

Apex didn't have much time to dwell on it, his legs giving out as he fell face first into the dirt, groaning. Fierce burns consumed his stomach but he couldn't even muster up the strength to clench his stomach, forced to numbly lie there as the acidic gnaw threatened to consume his entire being. He could still hear Devola's and Popola's voices, the darkening world shifting as they picked him up.

Machine, human, maybe even the replicants Navi told him about, whatever these two were they were his friends.

They'd keep him safe.