3 Chapter 3

*Commander White's pov*

Humanity was gone, extinct, and not one person left for us to serve. Our purpose, our reason for existence was gone. Such thoughts plague my mind every day as I put up a facade to the rest of our race that humanity still exists and that they were doing fine on the moon. A few models were regularly....shut down, as they slowly came to learn of the truth. These boys and girls shouldn't bear the burden of the truth. After all, ignorance is bliss.

But does it matter if they found out? In the end, we would all be wiped out to just start anew. This never-ending war. This facade to prolong our existence. I'm not sure how long I can hang on. Even now, as I stand here in the operation room overlooking the operators, I can't help but feel helpless and hopeless for our race.

Though I have to put up a strong front for every one of them so that at least they have someone to rely on, someone they could look up to. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for myself. Who should I look up to? Who can I rely on?.....Who do I serve? I was pulled out of my thoughts by 6O's report regarding the squadron sent to eradicate the multiple Goliath-classes sightings at the Abandoned Factory.

"What is the situation?" (Commander White)

"They have reached landfall and are making their way towards the indicated coordinates commander." (6O)

"Good, keep me updated." (Commander White)

As I was about to went back into my thoughts I was once again interrupted by 6O, this time with grave news.

"Commander! The machines' anti-air laser has shot down 12H the....11B has been shot down as well!" (6O)

"*sigh* At least they have backed up their data before the mission." lamented Commander White. This was one of the advantages of us, the androids. We didn't have to worry about losing ourselves and death as long as we managed to upload our data back to the servers here in the bunker. The only thing we would lose was our bodies. Which we can easily recreate.

But even then, due to interferences from the machines, some of us were unable to upload our data and are lost forever. I closed my eyes for a second in silence to pay respect for their sacrifice.

*End of Commander White pov*

"Commander, we are receiving a weird encrypted transmission not far from the Abandoned Factory sector. The encryption is really old," reported operator 21O.

"Decrypt it, and find out where it is coming from," commanded Commander White with a frown on her face. For all she knows, it could be a new threat from the machines.

"Yes, commander." (21O)

"T...The rest of the squadron except 2B and 4B has been KIA commander!" reported 6O.

"Order 2B to....." commander white was interrupted by 21O as she was about to order 2B and 4B to rendezvous with scout model 9S to scout out the surrounding terrain.

"Commander!! This.....Please listen to this!" (21O)

-Playing transmission-

To all military personnel, Subject 0, code-named 'Zeus', has been awakened, requesting armed personnel to contain the subject.

-End of transmission-

A robotic female voice rang out in the operation room as all other operators too were now focused on the transmission. Both their face and their wide-open eyes display disbelief and shock. Commander White too was in shock but she quickly recomposed herself and ordered 2B and 4B to change courses immediately, only to realize that 2B was the only one left.

"21O did you manage to track down the coordinates of the transmission?" calmly asked Commander White.

"Yes commander, sending it to 6O to be relayed to Unit 2B," replied 21O even more seriously.

"Good. This is Commander White, Unit 2B, you are to change course immediately towards the coordinates Operator 6O will be sending. This is mission priority one, failure will not be tolerated. The fate of humanity rests in your hands," she strictly commanded. Hearing 2B acknowledgment Commander White set her sights on operator 21O.

"21O put the data of the transmission on the main screen, I want you and any other available operators to get me an ariel view of the location! All other Units that are near the Abandoned Factory also converge to the location!" ordered Commander White.

As various operators got to work, the room became a lot more lively. One of the operators could be seen telling the Units in her care to be on standby and went to work with 21O since they were too far away from the location. Others were telling the Units in their care to abort whatever missions there were doing if they were near the Abandoned Factory sector to rendezvous with 2B at the signal's location.

"Commander...this....this is not one of the machines' machinations right?" asked a hopeful 6O.

"I don't know 6O, but this is the only lead we have on finding him," replied Commander White seriously.

*Commander White's pov*

Subject 0 or code-named 'Zeus', his real name was Azriel. He was one of our creators. It was because of him that we have a body that resembles humans. All of us androids were grateful to him because of this. We were able to feel the closeness to our creators and know what it was like to be our creator's race, humans.

We learned about his situation from one of the records we discovered in the wreckage of a long-abandoned laboratory in Alaska, and we have been looking for him ever since. We only knew that he was kept frozen and that his body was studied by the replicants, the artificially created bodies to house the human souls (gestalts), for any possibility to replicate what happened to him. They were trying to weaponize the virus against the gestalts instead of the original plan which was to recombine the souls with the body.

These replications gained sentience and refused to recombine with the souls while the souls became corrupted and turned into monsters. I frowned when my thoughts reached here. In the archive, it was stated that we androids that were assigned in the lab tried to reason with the replicants that he should be awakened and that he would be able to help more awakened than frozen. After all, it was his project, he should know more about it.

But the replicants refused as they were afraid that the virus in his system would spread and effectively and immediately kill off all life in the world. And as he was the only 'pure' human left alive, we androids did what we were programmed to do. To protect him. In this case, awaken him and stop the replicants from further experimenting on him without his consent.

They were unfortunately caught in the act and were...swiftly shut down. When I read this part in the archives I was truly livid. How dare these replicants, just mere copies, dare harm the original. We served them because they were the only semblance close to a human left in the world and because we were told to look after them but these.....these duplicates!!.....*Fuuu* I breathe out a sigh to calm my thoughts.

They were lucky that they died off long ago or else...at this, I shook my head thinking that it doesn't matter anymore. After the androids tried to awaken Azriel, the replicants moved him to some undisclosed location secretly.

Telling the androids that he had to be put down because he mutated and became hostile towards everyone there when he woke up abruptly. And that the androids in the lab sacrificed themselves to do it.

The AUDACITY! *Fuuu* I calmed myself again as I can't be seen blowing my top in front of everyone now, can we.

There was no more information about him after that but we held hopes that he was still alive and was just waiting to be found and awoken somewhere. It has been 11 years since we found the archives and yet we have no clues of his location, until now. We were highly disappointed in ourselves that we couldn't find him. We felt like we failed our creators. But now, we can finally do what we were supposed to do, what we were meant for.

"2B.....I hope that you will give us some positive news." I muttered under my breath.