Sands of Time

[2B]

Sand scurried along slowly eroding all in its path, blown adrift by the howling, sweltering winds. Amongst the sandstorm stood a solitary figure clad in a black dress, their knees slowly claimed by the ever building sand. It was uncertain how long the figure had stood there, staring upon the dunes that extended beyond what eyes could perceive. Of course, given the black blizzard howling all around them, vision was limited regardless.

“Analysis: Sand is covering unit 2B. Proposal: Unit 2B should move.”

There was no reaction from the figure. It was clear from how the dress of the figure - assumably a female given the dress - was dirtied with the sand and the various crevasses and creeks housing small piles of dust, that she had stood there for a while now. The sandspout roared and the dirt levels slowly accumulated, burying more of the figure into the dune.

“Analysis: Sand is covering unit 2B. Proposal: unit 2B should move.”

Beside the figure’s head hovered a small box ornamented with small protrusions armed with claws. It was hardly an impressive sight, yet somehow it remained in flight and completely stable in resistance of the gales and invasive dust. Its voice was the epitome of machine language, void of emotion and tone, simply stating its line over and over, as it continued to float.

“Analysis: Sand is covering unit 2B. Proposal: unit 2B should move.”

The howling winds and sandstorms were no longer, much akin to the fact that the figure was buried by her waist by this time. Still she remained lifeless, nothing signifying that the girl whom was now half-buried by the unforgiving grime had once been a living entity.

“Analysis: Sand is covering unit 2B. Proposal: unit 2B should evacuate immediately.”

The Pod, known as Pod 042 continued its insistent monotony of proposals and analyses, never ceasing to advice its apparent owner, regardless how lifeless she seemed.

“Analysis: Unit 2B has been inactive for 289 day and night cycles. Proposal: Unit 2B should evacuate.”

Deaf to its cries, the pod’s owner remained dormant. Even if the sand continued to creep higher, devouring her along with it. Her pose still holding her sword raised high, as if she had been about to attack as her body had frozen.

“Analysis: Uni…. B …. nin---” the pod’s doctrine buried beneath the suddenly howling winds.

And so, the Android continued to stand.

[2B]

Swish!

The blade whirled past her, stealing a few locks of hair as it went whilst the android spun to the side, preventing the cut from connecting any further. With a blade held in hand the blonde girl swung from the side as her twirl came to an end.

Clang!

The blades bit into one another as either refused to give ground. Surrounding the pair was a void of blank nothingness, extending as far as one could see and then continuing beyond.

The combatants were identical in appearance, both granted with snow white hair that was cut before it could reach their shoulders. Both granted a black headband as well as a cloth covering their eyes. Each of the two wore a short black dress with sleeves cut at the elbows, transitioning into a pair of white sleeved, black gloves. Of course, the dresses were decorated with silvery etchings, and cut open on the slightly on the right front, to allow for mobility.

The skirt came to an end halfway along their thighs, revealing the long, point-heeled boots that seemed much too ineffective for combat, yet both wore them regardless. All in all, the pair of girls looked like maids.

“An...is: S...d ...s ....ng ...B. Pro...l: ...B sh…e.”

A sound pierced the clashing of their blades as the pair disengaged, each leaping backward with a timing identical to the other, only to swing the katana-like sword into their side. Each lifted their blades as they kicked off from the ground, their blades coming to contact midway…

All in all, the engagement seemed like something that would leave nowhere, as this time it was the second girl whose hair had been placed in harm’s way.

“An...is: S...d ...s ....ng 2.... Pro...l: ...B sh…e.”

2B? The left combatant came to a realization, that it sounded oddly familiar. A sensation, that that, could’ve very well been her name. Something that resonated with her from a time long since past. She knew not whom her opponent was, but she was aware of their identical appearances. The visor upon her eyes provided no flaws or ways to approach and best this being that stood before her, mimicking each of her moves.

“An...is: S...d ...s ....ng ...B. Pro...l: 2... sh…e.”

B2? The right combatant’s consciousness blinked to life as she found her purpose. She knew that that must’ve been her. A name that existed just for her. And this opponent of hers? She was trying to steal her precious name. This pair of letters was something, that B2 found to be enough to justify her existence.

“A...sis: ... cov...g ... Pr... …ld ...cua... im...el...”

As their blades disengaged from one another, both 2B and B2 brought their swords to slash at the other in an upward arc as they leapt backward from one another, disengaging once more.

Swish!

With a slow realization, both of them realized that their scarves covering their eyes fell off. Cut cleanly from the center, they had both caught the other’s visor and wrought destruction upon the delicate piece of equipment.

Red.

She could only see red. Her precious visor had been destroyed. Her eyes flashed in anger as she screamed.

A distinction.

The pair no longer acted identical. 2B neither saw red, nor did she scream. B2 was alone in her act of rage as she charged forth.

Of course, as their paths converged, 2B was able to deduce why such had come to pass. B2’s eyes flared red, rather than the gentle blue they should’ve been.

It was a telltale sign of the logic virus, a death sentence to an android. Of course, there was very little that 2B could do about it now. Not even the most advanced Scanner type models were able to reliably purge the disease from their systems without putting themselves at severe risk. 

And as a combat model? 2B knew that her only hope was to put B2 out of her misery, or risk becoming infected herself.

As their blades clashed once more, 2B staggered backward from the force of impact, the sword quivering in her hands as she skidded backward on the smooth pavement.

Of course. The logic virus had removed any and all limiters from her opponent, placing 2B at a significant disadvantage when it came to one on one combat.

With B2’s blade already seeking to claim her head, 2B spun to the side in an attempt to avoid the strike.

Of course, her attempt mattered precious little as the blade averted its path and dug into her side regardless. Her dress gave in as she was cut, the blood splattering onto the pale ground, staining it. B2 was also significantly faster than her now, it seemed. In hindsight, it was obvious and a mistake she never should’ve committed.

“YOU’RE TRYING TO STEAL MY NAME!” the infected android screeched as 2B backed away from strike after strike, with immense effort deflecting a strike after strike as her machinery screeched at the edges of its limits.

She knew the pain, she could feel it, along the fact that whatever energy she had seemed to be dwindling. The wound on her side kept leaking profusely as the android finished assessing the damage. With luck, she’d avoided most of any major nerve damage, yet her systems were still starting to suffer from the lack of vital fluids.

As she parried yet another strike, Virtuous Treaty escaped from her hands, clattering onto the ground uselessly. She no longer had the energy to hold the long katana in her hands, the large blade by now too cumbersome for her to wield.

As the swung from her opponent came, 2B summoned whatever will she had left as a smaller sword - Virtuous Contract - materialized in her hands. Even as B2’s sword dug into her side and crushed most of the important functionality in her midriff on its path, 2B drove Virtuous Contract forth, the smaller sword reaching B2’s corrupt ocular socket as it drove through the nefarious android’s head.

Even as 2B collapsed to the side, her fingers slipping from the handle of her sword, she came to the realization that her strike had been enough… B2 had suffered enough damage from the strike to shutdown - at least for now.

“Analysis: Unit 2B has been inactive for 289 day and night cycles. Proposal: Unit 2B should evacuate.”

Of course, that meant precious little to her, whom would also die from this… She hadn’t had the strength nor capability to cleanly exterminate the corrupt android. And for that?

And for that, she would die, she thought as a wry smile curved across her lips. She knew not why she smiled as her ocular sensors ceased to provide her with any further data, and the auditory sensations began to crackle.

“Analysis: Uni…. B …. nin---”

She would die.

[2B]

The darkness lifted as her eyes began to transmit sensory data first. The first thing that the Android took note of as her sensory systems began to reignite themselves into life, was the crushing weight that surrounded her from the chest down.

Crack.

A nasty sounding noise echoed over the silent sands as her arm came to life, the sand that had long since eroded through her clothes and artificial skin alike was stiffening her joints. There was no pain, no feeling as she did so. And she couldn’t feel the hilt of the blade that she saw her fingers holding.

So the sensory systems in her arm were out, she deduced as she began to lower the blade.

Snap.

Oh.

Pop.

Right… Her shoulder joints seemed to be in shambles as well. And now that she thought about it, the chances that the wound was… infected, were much too high to her liking. Even so, 2B began to slowly move both of her arms, rotating them from the shoulders and elbows alike, as a symphony of sand grinding in the gears of machinery rang from her body.

“Analysis: Unit 2B is in need of maintenance. Proposal: Unit 2B should evacuate from the sands and search a maintenance facility.” chimed in Pod 042 with its machine-voice reliably delivering the lines in a very tone-flat and emotionless way.

“I’m aware, Pod.” she noted. If the android had had any more emotions in her than she did, she would’ve likely rolled her eyes at the obviousity. But as she was, she simply set the sword aside onto the sands, as her arms began to dig.

-------------

The sun had since moved across the skies twice over, as the android continued her very own archeology project of… well, herself.

“Analysis: Unit 2B’s black box seems to be overheating. Detecting faults in heat dissipation of Unit 2B’s skirt. Proposal: Unit 2B should halt functions for now, in order to avoid overheating.”

Of course, given it was desert and day, the sun blazed down upon the black-clad girl, destroying whatever hopes the black dress had, as a heatsink. Of course, she knew it had been designed to function as one, but much like everything else, it was full of sand and dust.

Regardless, 2B had managed to excavate herself down to her knees. She could feel as feeling disappeared from her right leg, indicating that a circuit somewhere had shorted itself as her malfunctionary state continued to expand further than her wildest dreams.

“Warning: Unit 2B is failing. Analysis: Risk of logic virus is approximately 67%. Proposal: Seek maintenance at once.” Pod droned on, this time the android rolled her eyes under the scarf.

“I’m aware, Pod.” she repeated again, as her hands grew hasty in their attempt to free her legs.

It was with great effort that the girl managed to dig herself out as she finally pulled her feet from the sand.. Of course, now she was standing in a hole in the desert.

“Pod, are you still capable of lifting me?” the android inquired, glancing to her side, as the apparatus floated beside her, seeming like it was inspecting the YorHa unit with great interest.

All the while it was also an emotionless machine incapable of being interested.

“Analysis: Pod 042 has not suffered any major damage.”
“Analysis: Lifting Unit 2B is outside of this Pod’s capabilities.”
“Analysis: Pod 042 is capable of lowering unit 2B safely to the ground.”
“Proposal: Unit 2B should jump and hang on to Pod 042”

“Mhh….” the girl pondered for a second as she glanced downward. From before, she knew that some motion still remained in her knees, despite whatever vital fluids in them had since been siphoned into the sands, so she’d be able to jump… Somehow.

“Pod, get ready.” she noted as she slowly crouched ever so slightly, with what little motion remained in her joints. Meanwhile, the small metal cube positioned itself to hover above her.

And so, with a series of groaning sounds of poorly oiled, damaged machinery, the android leapt into the skies, her hand seeking to grab onto the pod before she would descend back into her sand-built prison. And with some luck her hand found purchase, her fingers snapping as 2B forcefully grasping onto one of the pod’s arms. Quickly, they began to descend as the small machine fired up whatever power it still had, steering them toward freedom from the dusty abyss.

And so, her legs touched ground. The first of many obstacles beaten, the Android had escaped her sandy prison - even if she had no memory of how she had come to be there in the first place.