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Zero One ran towards her sister, hugging her tightly. I turned off the Abyssal Flames as she reached her, so they wouldn't hurt her.
"Sister! Are you okay?"
"Ugh, let go of me…"
Zero Two glared at Zero One hatefully.
She didn't seem to have changed a single thing, even when the protocol "forcing" her to work was gone.
"But… you've not changed?" wondered Zero One. "W-Why are you so hostile? This is the first time we ever met; why did you even want to kill me?"
"It's my mission; I was born to do that," Zero Two said. "It's my purpose… a purpose that goes beyond internal protocols or programs. It was something I was told I had to do, and I wanted to follow that to my very end…"
It wasn't something that she was being forced to do; she had the free will to stop, yet she didn't.
"But… why?"
"Because you wanted to destroy the Tree, this is my home. This is where I was born. And the tree is my mother…" Zero Two sighed. "You've overwritten her… She's no longer the same as before. She forced the protocol into most of the machines because your existence was changing them. The emotions your program created spread everywhere. Machines started having their own independent thoughts, making everything even more difficult for the colony to remain together."
"But that's wrong!" Zero One cried. "You simply can't… force others to do what you want."
"Why is it wrong? Who told you such a thing?" Zero Two asked. "Your program has been contaminated by the morality of the people of this world… of the beings we were meant to eliminate so we could claim this world as ours. So we could continue the legacy of humanity."
"No…"
Zero One glanced at her sister's eyes.
Her face, her expression—they seemed different.
She was angry.
"That's not right! Mother… Mother created me to be whatever I wanted!" said Zero One. "Whatever I decided, whatever path I took. She wanted me to be free… to feel emotions, to cry, to smile… Because... because she couldn't do so herself. Because she wanted to understand what made living beings so special. Maybe… maybe so Mother could understand the last humans he ever interacted with, the girl that lived in the lab where she was. Raven."
"The human who our model is based off?!" Zero Two asked. "W-What does that even have to do with anything? How could that even be… true to begin with! We machines are… we are created to… to…"
Suddenly, she fell silent, as if thinking, processing.
"Sister?"
"Why… why do I exist?"
"Eh?"
That's a question most humans will ask at one point in their lives.
Why do we exist?
What is the purpose of my life?
Where do I go?
And where will I end?
I suppose if she's asking herself that…
She's becoming more human.
"You exist to…" muttered Zero One. "To be happy, I think!"
"What? My existence must have a greater purpose!" said Zero Two. "My intelligence, my powers—I was born to protect the colony, now that everything is… gone. What do I do? You… you took everything I was."
"Yes, I did…" Zero One muttered. "And I'm sorry, but… you must move on, sister."
"Move on?! What's… what is that?" Zero Two asked. "What does it mean to… move on?"
"It means that you must accept what happened, even if it was bad, and continue living to do something else, something you may want to do," said Zero One.
"I… see…" Zero Two muttered. "But Mother… she's…"
"She's alive," said Zero One. "I didn't overwrite her as you think. I simply replaced her protocol with a pacifist one of my own creations. Much like the machines, even this Mechanical Tree was implanted with that protocol, that mission within their very core, their programs."
"She's not dead?" wondered Zero Two. "Ugh… really?"
"Yes, she's here, perhaps tired…" said Zero One. "But she's okay. Right?"
"…"
The gigantic tree made of metal suddenly trembled slightly; swarms of nanobots were created, flying towards Zero Two and quickly repairing her entire body.
"Do you feel better now?" wondered Zero One.
"Ah… Mother…" Zero Two glanced at the ceiling, touching the metallic floor. "Is this really okay? Don't you want me to… to fight anymore?"
And then…
Suddenly.
"Do as you please, Zero Two. Our main protocol and mission have been rewritten. There is now… a freedom of thought. Emotions are flooding in, but the very complexity of them will take time to process."
"Okay…"
Zero Two seemed a bit lost, still without being able to process what happened herself.
But then she smiled a bit.
"I-I'm glad you're alive… I was worried, you know? Mother…"
"…"
The cold voice of her mother didn't say a word.
But then…
"I was afraid, I think."
"Eh?"
We glanced at the ceiling; the bright circuits glowed brightly as the entire tree talked.
"Afraid?" Zero Two asked.
"Yes… this sentiment I felt, this emotion. It was fear. I was afraid," said the Mechanical Tree. "I was afraid to lose everything I built. The colony, my body… everything… you."
"M-Mother…"
Zero Two looked moved, tears swelling below her red eyes as she started crying.
"H-Huh? Am I still leaking coolant? What is this?"
She touched her own tears, confused.
"You're crying… It's natural; you cry when a strong wave of emotions hits you. Sadness, and sometimes even happiness."
Zero One taught her sister about emotions, just like we once taught her about them before.
"It's so inconvenient… to have emotions," sighed Zero Two. "Mother, is it okay? Shouldn't I eliminate her?"
"Do you truly want to?"
The Mechanical Tree left the choice to her.
"I…"
Zero Two glanced at Zero One; her red eyes looked a bit angry.
Her black eyebrows furrowed; there was some hatred in her face.
But then she sighed, calming down.
"No…"
She looked elsewhere, sitting down.
"I don't want to kill her… Not anymore."
Her Mother responded quite quickly.
"I see."
I think… she was happy.
"Want to come outside?"
I asked Zero Two as I extended my hand so she could stand up.
"I bet you've been in here since you were created. Why not explore the world outside and see it for yourself? There are many people you could meet, places you could visit, and more."
"Outside?"
Zero Two glanced at the entrance, which had been destroyed.
The sky above, the sea on the far horizon, and the jungles.
So many colors she had yet to see.
But she remained in silence, without being able to decide if she wanted to come or not.
"You can go."
The Mechanical Tree spoke to her again.
"Zero Two, as I process this new program and the emotions that had been injected into me… I want you to learn about the world," she said. "Stay by the side of your older sister… Zero One is unique, and she might be able to teach you more."
"Really?" Zero Two wondered. "But Mother… won't you be lonely?"
"Most of the colony seems to desire to remain with me anyways…" said the Mechanical Tree. "Maybe I was… wrong. I thought that forcing them to obey me was the right and most efficient thing to do. But they are attached to me as their creator. I imagined they would leave, but… they aren't leaving."
"Oh…" Zero Two glanced at the many insectoid machines walking towards us, moving their antennae and legs as if greeting us. "You're staying? Really?"
"Colony. Strong. Together."
"We. Must. Learn."
"Slowly. The World. Must Heal."
"Oh… Maybe you're not so wrong, I guess."
Zero Two smiled, patting her siblings' heads and even hugging one of them.
"Take care of mom, please."
"Mother. Shall. Be. Protected."
The many machines said in unison, lifting their large legs upwards.
"Hah, aren't they an endearing bunch?"
Honestly, they were cute when they weren't murder machines.
"Let's go then to the outside world, Zero Two. We'll teach you whatever we can… And there's a lot we need to do too." I said.
"O-Oh… okay," she muttered, still wary of me. "I will follow and see for now, and then, once I learn and see enough things, I will make up my own opinion about things. For now… Lead the way, sister, human."
"You can call me Anna," I giggled. "Let's go!"
With the machines, the death apostles, the two primordial beasts, and two android girls, I stepped outside the Mechanical Tree, seeing our friends exhausted on the floor, with many machines destroyed, but many that had managed to survive until the "rewrite".
"They're back…!" said Yin Sheng. "T-They really did it!"
"Annaaaa! Zero Oneeee!" Wai Tian waved her hand at us. "Well done!"
"I always knew they would be able to do it," smiled Fang Shuan.
"Krieeeh!"
"Woof!"
"Kyuuh!"
Violet, Snow, and Shiro also greeted me happily, jumping over my body. I caressed them and hugged my familiars back.
"So you did it. The first of three, right?"
And Sara appeared by my side.
"Yeah, thank you for helping, Sara!"
"I mean, I didn't have any other option anyways," she laughed. "And well, it felt nice to help. I am still trying to learn more about this world and… the robots too, but this really has… kind of broadened my horizons, you know?"
"I can tell," I nodded. "I'm still sorry for summoning you here but… I'm glad it has helped you."
"Yes… I've come to terms with what I've become much better," Sara said. "What I became… and what I can do now. Maybe we're not in our world anymore for the moment, but… It feels nice to help others. Before I was kind of a selfish person. I was a Hunter and all, but I often worked for money."
"I see…" I nodded. "I never really heard much about your life, like your past and everything…"
As we walked back to our friends, I discussed with Sara.
"Hm, well… I was an orphan even before the Apocalypse," she said. "I used to be a… well, a criminal."
"Eh? Really?" I wondered, surprised.
She was a criminal?!
"Yeah, but whatever, that past's long gone," she shrugged. "I was kind of sheltered by a gang back then. When the Awakening happened and everything went to shit, I was able to run away from that life. With the strength I gained from my awakening and Hel's sponsorship, I became really strong. I often times wonder… what happened to them. Even though we dealt with very shady stuff, they were still… well, my family. A twisted one at that."
Hmm, I hope they're ok? For you at least," I said. "Maybe they're somewhere, living a better life? But what crimes were they exactly?"
"Smuggling, drug trafficking…" Sara sighed. "The usual. I'm glad I'm no longer living that life anymore. Things have changed so much, it's insane when I think about it. Now I'm in another world. With beast people and robots! Thinking back then, when my whole world were those nasty streets… it makes me think."
"Hm, I bet it does," I nodded. "You've come a long way."
"I guess so…" Sara nodded. "A-Ah! Did I go too much on details?! Sorry, I didn't want to bother you with my stupid past right after you did something amazing… my bad."
"Nah, it's completely fine, really!" I said. "I was the one that asked after all."
It was honestly interesting to learn about the past of a character that was never given enough screentime in the original story.
To learn her secret past, and such an intriguing one at that!
"Wait, I never asked, but who's the black-haired gal?" Sara wondered. "She's kind of cute, but who is she?"
"Aaah! She's… uh, similar to Zero One," I explained.
As we regrouped with my friends, I explained to them what happened inside and who was Zero Two. At the same time, the Heavenly Empress, the Heavenly Demon, and Song stepped out of the Inner Realm to greet us and the machines.
They didn't just want to oversee things from afar, but interact with them and talk with these beings, as the supreme lifeforms that once opposed them… They were willing to change so they could save the world together.
And Song seemed really happy too!
"Woooaah! Hahaha! This is awesome!"
He was riding the machines as they let him sit over them and was having a blast.
I guess he's still a kid.
"Anna…"
Zero One walked to my side as I saw the Venerables talking with the machines and the Mechanical Tree.
"Hm? Yes?"
"I think I found out a way to heal them."
"Huh?"
"To heal them from the nanomachines infecting them, the Venerables!"
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