The Fish That Got Away

The YoRHa Squad 1, consisting of 16 prototype pilots, was tasked with landing in the Pacific Region to destroy the Mount Kaala Server.

During the journey, the first squad repeatedly requested support from the bunker, but the requests were repeatedly rejected.

In the end, only four survivors reached the finish line!

"Shooter Unit 16, sacrificed himself after encountering a large Terminator that was ineffective against conventional weapons while covering his teammates' retreat..."

"Attacker Unit 4, opened the elevator, remained alone in the corridor, and perished along with 10 T-00s and 3 T-800s..."

"And the Combat Unit 3 and No. 7... the Defense Unit 8 and No. 11... a total of 12 prototypes, were torn apart by the Terminator Force as they approached Pearl Harbor Base!"

"That's right, we gained control of the Pacific Theater Time-Space Shuttle in the future, but the first squad only consisted of me and Scanner Unit 21, the two survivors!"

"According to Scanner Unit 21's report, YoRHa Squad 2, which also received no support, was almost completely wiped out, with only 2B, the Executioner, remaining..."

A2's voice was low and indifferent, but the emotion he felt, called "anger," was like magma about to erupt.

The commander of the First Squad destroyed the Mount Kaala Server during the Pearl Harbor Airdrop Operation and seized control of the Time-Space Shuttle from Skynet.

However, feeling abandoned and betrayed by the bunker, she refused to report any situation to the command center and defected without authorization using the Time-Space Shuttle and the heavily injured Scanner Unit 21.

From then on, A2, who was originally gentle and kind, gradually became indifferent under the continuous blows.

Since the objective was not achieved, the command center decided to summon the second Yoroi Team to continue the Pacific Airdrop Operation.

Meanwhile, A2's online presence was deemed "defection." To prevent these two abandoned pawns from interfering with the plan to save the Mother of New Humans, Executioner 2B was placed into the second YoRHa squad.

But to everyone's surprise, only 2B from the second squad managed to break through the blockade and use the Time-Space Shuttle to arrive in the modern era.

Therefore, this executioner bears the mission of protecting the Mother of New Humans, while also possessing the hidden order to eliminate the defector A2.

As for Scanner Unit 21, she is already listed as a "fallen" in the command center's database.

"In retaliation, I kidnapped Sarah Connor, so that neither Skynet nor YoRHa Unit can achieve their goals..."

"However, Scanner Unit 21 remains loyal to humanity, so she decided to impersonate Sarah Connor, both to attract Skynet's attention and to facilitate a reconciliation between me and the YoRHa Unit."

"But I actually derive a strange sense of excitement and satisfaction from this behavior that harms human interests..."

"Perhaps the thought processes here are changing back to the way I used to hate..."

A2 pointed to his head, his expression somewhat self-deprecating.

"If a definition is needed, it would be called -- humanity..."

"Besides its baseness and selfishness, it also possesses nobility and kindness..."

"So, even though you had countless opportunities, you never made a move on Sarah..."

Kevin sighed slightly, listening quietly to A2's outpouring of emotions.

"That's due to the limitations of Three Laws of Robotics; otherwise, that stupid woman wouldn't have survived this long!"

A2 turned her head and snorted coldly, tearing off her mask of indifference, her tone fiercely rejecting the accusation.

"And now? You've absorbed the mind program of Skynet nanobots, those things that hunt humans, which should have already helped you break through the limitations of Three Laws of Robotics..."

"But Joe and I are still alive..."

Kevin smiled slightly, leaned against A2, and responded softly.

"No need for pretense. Actually, according to Scanner Unit 21's analysis, you've been on guard against me ever since you abducted Sarah Connor..."

"Just now, you tried 12 different levels of pressure on my reconstructed spine, seemingly testing how well I'm recovering and whether I've become infected..."

"Don't worry, while I don't have much affection for humans, I also have no interest in siding with [Skynet], so we're allies for now..."

A2 turned her head slightly and spoke earnestly to Kevin, whose expression was somewhat serious.

She then frowned, glanced at the person who was bending over to cover his lower body, thought for a moment, and responded indifferently.

"Alright, let's continue our previous topic, although I won't obey your orders."

"But as compensation for saving my life twice, if you want to mate, I can consider fulfilling your request the same number of times..."

"After all, as a defector, I wouldn't mind sharing the taste of disobeying the prohibition with the Creator..."

In reality, in the future world, Terminator robots are everywhere YoRHa Unit, Machine Lifeforms that are awakening to humanity, will subconsciously mold themselves into perfect humanoid bodies based on historical data.

Unfortunately, the ruthless Terminator Force naturally lacked this aesthetic sense.

Within the YoRHa Unit, in order to suppress the awakening of human nature, members are also prohibited from contact to prevent the development of highly free-spirited consciousness.

Among these, reproductive behavior was considered heretical and taboo.

Kevin immediately raised his hand, his expression stiff, gave an awkward smile, and slightly increased the distance between them.

"No, since we're allies, I think it's better if we're just friends, or even brothers..."

For some reason, when the commander uttered the word "brother," he couldn't help but recall the Countess who had tainted their pure friendship.

P. S.: I'm writing another chapter now, it should take about two hours. You can all go to sleep now.

In addition, I've connected and sorted out the plots of NieR: Automata and Terminator, and I think they're logically consistent.

Chapter 270, Section 284: The Running Fish

"Sister, could you help me pick up the balloon?"

"Here you go, take it. Don't come looking for me if you lose it next time..."

"Sister, you're so pretty, can I take a picture with you?"

"Trouble..."

"Emily is very good, can you hold me?"

"Enough with the nonsense, just this once..."

"Can I give you a kiss? Just one kiss..."

"... First, wipe the ice cream off your mouth, left cheek, make sure there's no drool..."

Kevin, who was resting on a beach chair, couldn't help but chuckle when he saw A2 being entangled by that clingy little girl with pigtails.

Who would have thought that just minutes before, this YoRHa Unit, who constantly proclaimed his hatred for humans and identified himself as a "threat," would be unable to refuse a little girl's repeated requests?

This "cool older sister" even took out her handkerchief and carefully wiped away the remaining cream from Emily's lips.

This unexpected contrast between his tsundere attitude and his genuine feelings made Kevin chuckle.

"Sister A2, how about we go scuba diving together? Paragliding is also great. I want to go through the fog to see flying fish and dolphins!"

Half an hour later, the mischievous little girl, having figured out A2's hypocritical nature, hugged her neck, opened her big, watery eyes, and made a request.

A2 frowned slightly, but her words of refusal were gradually worn away by the little girl's longing eyes.

"Alright, Emily, go home and be a good girl. Maybe your mom Mother's ship will be back in a couple of days."

Just as A2 was struggling with a difficult decision, the forensic pathologist, Joe, who had prepared lunch, pulled Xiaoya aside and calmed her anxious mind.

"After the fog appeared, her father, who ran a speedboat rental business, was among the first to lead customers away, but then he disappeared without a trace..."

"Her mother firmly believed that her husband was still alive, so after entrusting her daughter to me, she also went to sea recently..."

"So, this little girl has been coming to the beach every day lately, hoping someone can take her out to sea and find her parents..."

The female forensic pathologist handed the sturgeon sandwiches to Kevin and A2 respectively, sighed slightly, and then revealed a faint smile.

"Here you go, it's Old Jack's treasure from the convenience store. I heard you guys can solve this sea fog problem, so it's a free gift..."

A2 fell silent, finding the sandwich in his hand somewhat difficult to swallow.

Kevin devoured the sandwich in no time, his gaze fixed on the silvery-gray sea mist, deep and thoughtful, as he murmured softly with a slight upturn of his lips.

"Let's go, there are paragliders on that cliff over there. Let's take this little girl and go check it out."

"It has indeed taken too long. I'd really like to know what it's like inside..."

A2's tense expression relaxed slightly, and she couldn't help but nod slightly to Kevin.

"The wind is right, it's time to set sail, Captain!"

On the cliff, Kevin lowered his voice, picked up the tattered black veil-like goggles of A2, and tied them over her left eye.

A cool and beautiful one-eyed female pirate made Emily clap her hands excitedly and cheer.

Immediately, the paraglider swept across the sky, with Kevin leading the way, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

He wasn't fully prepared and didn't want to act rashly, but sometimes, compared to rational judgment, emotional impulse is what makes a person proud.

A salty sea breeze brushed against my face, and the silvery-gray mist drew ever closer.

Kevin took a deep breath, the surrounding mental energy field rippled outwards, and he lowered his paraglider, swooping down towards the sea.

If I'm not mistaken, the composition of this sea fog should be similar to that of Skynet's nanobots.

In fact, after their first encounter with the Terminator Force, the Avengers began searching for their lair, but after searching many areas of Los Angeles, they found nothing.

It now seems that it wasn't that these guys were hiding too well in Los Angeles; perhaps everyone's investigation was going in the wrong direction.

Human beings may subconsciously believe that humanoid beings should live on land.

Los Angeles is close to the sea, an area that humans have not completely conquered, which actually makes it easier to hide.

In addition, liquid metals possess high reactivity, and mechanical nanobots have unparalleled infection capabilities.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable to establish a [Skynet] base in the ocean, which is rich in mineral resources, away from human attention focused on land.

The teleportation device that threw them into the sea, the silver hermit crabs landing on Catalina Island, and the disappearances of people at sea all corroborate this viewpoint.

Even if Kevin figured out the truth, he was outnumbered and outmatched, and didn't have much of a chance of breaking through.

"Be careful, this sea fog contains a large number of nanobots that can interfere with communications..."

At this moment, A2 broke through the fog and landed beside Kevin, whispering a warning to its temporary ally.

At the same time, to prevent the little girl from inhaling these things, she activated her Electromagnetic Shield, which already had very little energy left.

The commander did not reply, his solemn gaze fixed on the pitch-black sea.

To be precise... it was the dense, continuous shadows beneath the sea surface, which moved swiftly through the water, stretching for more than 40 meters.

Those silhouettes and shapes... are they a school of fish? One of the most famous tourist activities on Catalina Island is watching schools of flying fish on the sea surface.

As Kevin pondered, the still sea surface began to churn, and a school of fish, seemingly attracted by some signal, rose to the surface in droves.

Yes, these are fish... their scales shimmer with a metallic sheen... and they've sprouted sharp, silver teeth! The nanobots released by [Skynet] have infected the creatures of this sea!

"Retreat first! Lure them to the shore!"

Kevin's heart skipped a beat. He leaped off the paraglider, his black and white wings unfurling. Gripping the badge tightly, he summoned the Skyfire Greatsword and slashed horizontally.

Instantly, under the intense heat, water vapor filled the air, and hundreds of bio-engineered fish were melted into fish soup and spilled out.

A2 immediately pulled up its paraglider and turned towards Catalina Island, with Kevin following closely behind.

So, the female forensic doctor who remained on the shore witnessed a truly spectacular sight... thousands upon thousands of flying fish leaping out of the sea, chasing and devouring the three adventurers.

"Bang!"

As they fled, A2's paraglider was the first to crash into the soft sand. Kevin, who was responsible for covering the rear, also landed safely after repelling another attack from the flying fish.

"It's safe now..."

The female forensic doctor had just breathed a sigh of relief when her gaze suddenly went blank.

Fish running on the beach? What the heck!

She was astonished to see the flying fish continue their momentum, leaping onto the beach in droves, their fins transforming into claw-like structures.

So, thousands of flying fish that landed, taking strange little steps, swaying their heads as they rushed towards Kevin and the others.

"What are you standing there for? Run!"

Kevin immediately grabbed the female forensic pathologist who was standing there dumbfounded and leaped backward.

"Quickly tell anyone on the island who doesn't want to die to grab their guns and come out to blast fish!"

After the commander threw the pale-faced female forensic doctor and the little girl to a safe place, he gave them a few instructions.

He then turned to face the swarm of flying fish that had swept through the beach rest area, advancing like bees.

Sure enough, the presence of the Yuhar Robot alerted something in the sea. This was only the first wave; hopefully, they could hold out. Kevin's expression was grave.