Chapter 33

I awoke back to the soft lights I had set up so many years back in my bunker and I could only groan as the knot in the back of my head announced its presence. "Jake are you alright!" 9S asked me as she hurriedly sat down on my bed beside me obviously scared about how hurt I was and didn't know whether she could hug me or something.

"I will be fine Nines I probably got a concussion or something when my head hit that wall." I propped myself up a little higher and even snagged another nearby pillow in order to prop myself up higher. "Nines come here I am feeling cold so just rest your head on my chest." I offered and 9S's smile was blinding as she slithered into my bed and gently laid her head on my chest.

While I petted 9S's hair I tried to replay that battle and think of any ways I could have done better and I had a couple of thoughts already like if I instead of trying to fight that monster of a machine in close quarters I should have just taken the androids to the top of the skyscraper and just rained down magic down the skylight for a while and then maybe went down to retrieve a sample of whatever it was between it making new bodies.

But then again with the weird magic it was coming up with on the fly, I wouldn't be surprised if it would develop some method of flight so maybe us disengaging before we pressured it into further evolving is for the best.

"We were all really worried about you..." 9S muttered and I could only pale at the thought of A2's reaction to my limp body from being brought back here.

"Did the twins already check on me?" I asked hoping that 9S had already heard any diagnosis they may have made.

Before my snuggle buddy could answer I heard the bunker door grinding open and the twins arguing with Commander White.

"No, we will not move Jake to whatever little forward operating base you guys setup through up in the last twelve hours, he needs to remain in one place and not be jostled around as he has suffered cranial trauma and him being jostled around could result in more serious effects forming," Devola said in a no-nonsense tone.

'"In any case, this bunker is in no way fortified enough to protect Jake." Commander White spoke as the twins and the leader of YoRHa walked into the bunker and saw 9S lying beside me as well as me awake.

"White, I didn't think we would be seeing each other so soon." I looked back at my twin androids, and I could tell they were torn between throttling me and smothering me in tight hugs, so I went for the obvious option. "Devola, Popola this blanket is too thin could you both hug my side while White keeps my chest warm," I said with zero shame, and they all rolled their eyes before the twin's eyes sharpened as they glared at me.

"And where do you get off getting hurt with neither of us being around huh?" Devola asked folding her arms over her chest and giving me the stink eye.

I could only shrug making 9S whimper at me moving her and breaking the airtight seal she had made with her ear as she listened to my heartbeat with all her processing power. "It was a weird machine, android thing and I got hit by one of the blast waves of Maso magic it was sending around like it was nothing." Honestly, unless I get comfortable with spatial magic or find a conceptual disintegration ability within my magic, I don't see myself being able to kill that monster unless he only has so many bodies, it can create.

White nodded to my words and sat down in one of the chairs next to my bed. "Yes, and it's a miracle you four made it out of that battle in the first place as the building was brought down upon that machine as 2B carried you out of there." Ah, so that explains how they managed to bring me out of the battle without the machine chasing them or something.

"So White... Has YoRHa decided to move down to Earth?" I asked trying to just rip the metaphorical band-aid off.

White blushed and broke eye contact as she coughed. "Ah yes certain members of YoRHa have come to the realization that we need more boots on the ground so to speak so I as the leader decided to come here and set up a fortress to which supplies can be sent through the space elevator you advised us to research between the fortress and the space bunker."

I could only stare at her blankly as that recommendation was only stated a few days ago unless I have been in a coma and I know for a fact that isn't the case as I hadn't had a chance to grow a decent stubble or anything and none of the androids would even consider the idea of running a sharp blade up and down my throat even if it was to help shave or anything as they won't even help me cut my hair...

"How the hell did you build a space elevator and why havn't the Machine destroyed it?" I asked incredulously and I realized I wasn't giving the twins the attention they wanted with how focused I was on White I jumped lightly when Popola laid down beside me with Devola laying between my legs and resting her head on my stomach as both sides of my chest were now taken.

Commander White smiled proudly obviously preening at how she and the other androids were able to surpass my expectations by far. "We already had the science for it figured out for centuries by ourselves and by the humans before. It was only you pointing out that the carbon nanotubes we already use in our clothes and armor could be used in the construction." I couldn't help but gasp at how everything basically fell into place, and I had to wonder how many other scientific marvels the androids have just spaced out on...

Wait is that why they are using swords and not some super fancy railgun or Spartan Laser from Halo to easily blast holes into Goliaths?