NieR:Remnant

XVII - Final Deliberation

Linus made his smashing entry, with A2, Anemone, and Pod-006 in tow.

"That's everyone, cap'n!" he shouted while sprinting to Pascal's side. The positive energy was welcome, but 2B still couldn't shake free of the nerves. She'd never had a problem with this before, even during that all-out assault on the city ruins, and that was her biggest fight ever!

"H-hey guys," said Pascal. 2B relaxed a bit, knowing that she wasn't alone. She gave a quick glimpse towards Nines, who was giving the nervous machine his undivided attention. "Remnant is moving. This is it."

"Aerial scouts put 'em here!" Linus pointed on the map where the desert transitioned to the city ruins. "And heading this way! Uh, I think east?" He dragged his hand to his right, through the city ruins. "And there is an absolute multitude of an army around It, the biggest any of us have probably seen!"

"A legion is moving across the land," continued Pascal. "The larger the force, however, the longer their traversal, especially when taking the treacherous terrain of the city into account."

"About time for that damned tower to do us a favor," said 9S following the brief moment of silence. "Fitting that it'd wait until it's in pieces."

"Heh." A2 chuckled, to 2B's surprise.

"So what's the plan?" inquired the former executioner model.

"I'D ASSUME WE FIGHT THEM, AND KILL THEM, RIGHT?" His typical volume made 2B jump. Without any animals present, synthetic or otherwise, she'd forgotten the Animal-Loving Machine was attending.

"Exactly!" replied Linus. "I like this guy."

"That is much easier said than done." Pascal stepped around to the closer side of the table. "Remnant, as far as we can tell, is situated in the center of the mass, but further back." He gestured on the map where they'd placed them. "In order to get to the beast, we'll have to fight. Hard."

"I see," replied 9S. "So we meet them halfway, carve a path through the army, and take the fight right to Remnant?"

"You'd think that!" said Linus.

"Not quite," continued Pascal. "Even with the entire crew, machines and androids united, this force dwarfs our numbers beyond any form of margin one could ever imagine." He turned, with his gaze up past A2. "Pod-006?"

"Thank you, Pascal." She hovered forward and up a bit higher before addressing the group. "What we lack in quantity, my friends, we make up for in quality. As several, or all, of you know, this quality is sought by Remnant, and this is our greatest advantage against the damnable creature." She flew around them, along a portion of the group starting with 9S, then passing by 2B, and rounding it out around A2's left side, before stopping herself centered on the three. "You, my friends, are the key to our victory."

"We shall draw the beast out, make It come to us." Pascal nodded their way. "Here, where Remnant first made landfall." He tapped his hand on the area representing the flooded portion of the city.

2B shared a long series of looks with both Nines and A2.

"It's perfect, isn't it?!" Linus jumped where he stood.

"Here, not only will we have our entire force ready for a fight," Pascal said while walking alongside where Pod-006 had been, "but we'll also have the ability to provide fire support, from here, on the water." Everything connected. He wasn't gesturing towards the room. No; he was gesturing towards the entire structure.

Pascal was referring to Grun himself.

"You got the weapons working..." 9S's speech carried an air of awe.