When Ryou woke up, for a moment he had no idea where he was. What greeted his eyes was a grimy concrete ceiling. Cracks ran across it, thin steel beams exposed here and there. A musty smell stung his nose. His back ached dully from sleeping on the hard floor. *(Ah, right.)* It came back to him. Yesterday, surrounded by Raptures and nearly dead, he'd been saved by a NIKKE named Marian. He'd learned about her Corrupt-Seed erosion, and even so, he'd decided they would survive together. He looked at his left wrist. The Link Band—a tactical data-sharing terminal normally worn around the neck—was still there, broken and left unfixed. The screen remained cracked. Its functions as a Commander were dead, but maybe it could still serve some purpose. "[gentle]Good morning, partner. Did you sleep well?" He turned toward the voice. She was already awake, leaning against the wall, gently combing her long silver hair with her fingers. The hair flowed smoothly between them, gleaming strangely even in the dim underground light. Her blue eyes gazed at him, a small smile on her lips. "Yeah, well enough." He tried to get up and realized he had no strength in his arms. The exhaustion hadn't left him yet. Or rather, he hadn't eaten properly in three days. He'd gotten two biscuits yesterday, but there was no way that alone would let him recover. "[gentle]Don't push yourself. I'll guide you to a supply point today." "Supply point?" "[gentle]The old Vendahl station building. It's on the north side of Sector 12. Elysion Manufacturing used it as a forward base a long time ago, so there should be something left." As she stood, she readjusted the large rifle slung across her back. The motion was efficient, that of a trained combat humanoid. But when she looked at his face, her expression was soft, like an ordinary girl's. *(I still can't get used to that gap.)* He stood up too. He scratched the back of his head vigorously. That habit coming out was proof he was nervous. "Got it. Lead the way." --- The two of them passed through the underground parking garage and climbed up to the surface. Through a gap in the collapsed wall of a ruined building, the gray sky peeked through. Heavy clouds hung low as always, blocking the sunlight completely. The air was cold, mixed with the smells of machine oil and rust. Marian poked her head out from the shadow of the ruins, quickly scanning the surroundings. Her ponytail swayed gently in the wind. "[serious]So far, I don't see anything moving. But we can't let our guard down." She touched the band on her left wrist—the one engraved with a NIKKE identification code. "[gentle]Ah, right. Speaking of which, partner, is your Link Band still alive?" "No, it's still broken. Won't even power on." "[gentle]Let me see it for a second." She lifted his left hand, cradling it in both of hers. Her cool fingers touched his wrist. The sensation made his chest thump just a little. Marian tapped lightly on the side of the Link Band, then brought her own wrist band close. A small electronic beep sounded. Suddenly, the Link Band's screen began to glow faintly. "Wh— It turned on?!" Blurry text surfaced on the screen. [[Tactical Data Sharing Link Established]] [[Connection: NIKKE Model ES-74M Identification Code <<Marian>>]] [[Status: Damage Rate 12% / Ammo Remaining 84% / Electronic Brain — Abnormal Values Detected]] "Electronic brain, abnormal values..." The Corrupt-Seed erosion. The numbers were still low, but it was proof that it was steadily eating away at her brain. "[gentle]Don't worry about it. It's still only the first stage, so it's fine." She said it so casually. As if it were someone else's problem. But deep within her voice, he sensed just the slightest hint of something hard. "I see..." He didn't know what to say. Instead, he stared intently at the Link Band's screen. Damage rate, ammo remaining, operational time. Her condition, which he'd never been able to see before, was now displayed as numbers. *(This feels like I'm being shown, in vivid detail, the fact that Marian is a "weapon.")* But she just smiled at him, as if she didn't care about those numbers at all. "[gentle]It's a little embarrassing, being seen like this." "Huh?" "[gentle]I mean, you can see everything inside me now, right, partner? It kind of feels like you're seeing me naked." She said it in a teasing tone, and he almost burst out laughing despite himself. "What am I saying to a machine... wait, no, that's not what I—" "[laughing]Hehe, partner, your face is red." "N-no, that's, uh..." He scratched the back of his head in a fluster. Thanks to that stupid exchange, the heavy atmosphere he'd been feeling just moments ago lightened, just a little. --- The two of them moved along the shadows of the ruined buildings, heading north. Marian took point, with him behind her. Being a combat humanoid, her footsteps were almost silent. She easily climbed over the rubble of the ruins, occasionally stopping to wait for him to catch up. A simple map she had mapped out was displayed on the Link Band. The mark for the old Vendahl station building was blinking on the north side of Sector 12—commonly known as the "Graveyard." About two kilometers in a straight line from their current location. "Ahead, if we cut through the alley on the right, it's a shortcut, but there's a possibility two Grinder-class are patrolling there." He tried to give instructions through the Link Band. But. *(No, wait. What if there's a trap in that right alley? Wouldn't another route be safer?)* Options swirled in his head. Tactics he'd learned at the Ark's training school surfaced and vanished like flashbacks. "Partner? What's wrong?" She turned around. "No, it's just... maybe it'd be better to detour around the back of the building on the left..." That was when it happened. —*CRUNCH.* Behind them, the sound of metal crushing asphalt. He spun around on reflex. From the shadow of a ruined building, a black shape leaped out. A Stalker-class Rapture. A beast-type machine lifeform, two and a half meters long. Its four metal legs kicked off the ground, charging straight for its prey. At the back of its head—where its core was located—a red light flickered ominously. Fast. "Marian!" Shouting was all he could manage. There was no time at all to give orders. The Stalker-class's sharp claws swung down in an arc. *CLANG!* The grating sound of metal being torn. The armor on her left arm shattered into pieces. "—!" Her face twisted in pain, but she immediately shifted to a counterattack. Holding her rifle one-handed in her right hand, she fired at nearly point-blank range. *BOOM!* The bullet pierced precisely through the back of the Stalker-class's head, pulverizing its core. The machine lifeform let out a dying electronic screech and collapsed. Metal fragments scattered around them. The battle was over in just a few seconds. But. "Marian, your left arm!" He rushed over to her in a panic. The armor on her left arm was deeply torn from above the elbow down to the wrist. Several thin electronic cables were exposed from within, faintly sparking. Silver artificial muscle fibers were visible, their cross-section looking as raw as a biological wound. "[tense]I'm fine, it's just a scratch." She desperately made a smile. But sweat was beading on her forehead. The Link Band warned him that her damage rate had jumped from 12% to 18%. "No way it's fine! The armor is completely wrecked! It's my fault... because I hesitated with my orders..." His voice trembled. *(Again.)* Deep in his mind, the memory of that day flashed back. His first mission, ignoring the retreat order, unable to abandon his fellow NIKKE. As a result, they were all wiped out. He was the only one who survived. *(If I hadn't hesitated, if I'd given the order right away, this wouldn't have happened.)* The strength left his knees, and he slumped to the ground. His fingers, reaching to scratch the back of his head, froze, clutching his hair. "I... failed again..." He clenched the rubble on the ground. A sharp piece of concrete bit into his palm, and blood slowly oozed out. "[gentle]No, partner." She slowly crouched down. With her damaged left arm hanging limply, she placed her right hand on his shoulder. "[gentle]The reason you hesitate is because you don't want to make a mistake, right? I don't think that's a bad thing." "But you got hurt because of it!" "[gentle]I'm a weapon. Getting hurt is only natural." "No!" He was shouting before he knew it. "You're not a weapon! You saved me, didn't you?! ...As a fellow human being." Her blue eyes wavered slightly. He continued. "I'm not going to abandon anyone ever again. I'm not going to let you die because of me, either. But... I still wasn't able to truly trust you. I wasn't able to leave the judgment to you." Marian was a combat humanoid. She had far more combat experience than him. And yet, because he'd tried to give orders for every little thing, her reaction speed had dropped. "[serious]Next time... before I act first, I'll trust your judgment too. So tell me. How I should move." Marian stared into his eyes silently for a moment. Then, she smiled quietly. "[gentle]Understood. Then, when you're unsure, partner, I'll move. Let's coordinate together, the two of us." Her right hand gently overlapped his. Her cold, white fingers wrapped around his blood-stained ones. "[gentle]Because we're partners, after all." A warmth spread gently through the center of his chest. "...Yeah." He looked down and said just that. Having her see his face was somehow embarrassing. --- After that, as a makeshift first-aid measure, he tore the hem of his own coat into strips to use as bandages. He covered the gash on Marian's left arm, wrapping it so the electronic cables wouldn't be exposed, even a little. "Pretty pathetic, huh, using scraps of cloth like this." "[gentle]No. I'm happy." She stared intently at her wrapped arm and gave a small laugh. About one more kilometer to the supply point. Carefully avoiding the enemy patrol routes, the two of them continued walking, weaving through the gaps between ruined buildings. Before long, the collapsed arch of the old Vendahl station came into view ahead. "[serious]Partner, that's the station building you can see up ahead. But it's dangerous to enter from the surface, so I think we should use the underground passage." "Got it. I'll leave the route to you." This time, he didn't hesitate. She led, and he followed. Since tactical data was shared via the Link Band, he could grasp the situation too. They circled around to the back of the station and descended the stairs to the underground through a gap in a collapsed wall. The underground passage was dim, with water pooling at their feet, soaking their shoes. Station staff and passengers must have passed through here long ago; a faded route map was still pasted on the wall. "[gentle]We should be out of the Rapture patrol routes now that we're here. Let's rest a bit." She sat down, leaning against the wall. He sat beside her. The tension eased a little, and a deep sigh escaped him. That was when it happened. —*Beep-beep, beep-beep-beep.* The Link Band suddenly emitted a warning sound. "What is it?" He looked at the screen. [[Warning: Faint electronic signal leakage detected from connected NIKKE.]] [[The signal is reacting, albeit minutely, with the Hexalink—the Rapture swarm network.]] [[If this signal continues, there is a risk of location tracking.]] "Hexalink... that's the Rapture communication network, right?" His voice cracked. "[serious]Yes. My left arm, the armor is still broken. It seems electronic signals are leaking out little by little from there." Her voice was calm, but slightly stiff. "What do we do...? The supply point is less than a kilometer away. If we run, we'll be there in no time."