𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚'𝒔 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕

𝐒𝐢𝐱: 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

"I ought to say, how can you even stand that combat unit? She's so irritating, isn't she~?" the anonymous voice purred, accompanied by a small chuckle. "9S, right? Why don't you just be a good little scanner and hand the human over to me? She'll be handled with the utmost care."

"Not a chance," my android companion shot back immediately, "Machine Lifeforms don't deserve to care for the humans. Your species destroyed their home and their lives."

"How cruel of you to say, and here I was thinking we could become great friends."

Shortly, the leaves behind us rustled and out came another white-haired figure, followed by another. The pair stood side by side, both seeming equally unpleased. One of the figures, who stood about two or so inches taller than the other, was shirtless with what looked like a sleeve of tattoos on their left arm. While the other was at least fully clothed. They looked essentially identical to one another almost like siblings or twin brothers.

Are these two really machine lifeforms? They look just like the androids.

"Eve and Luciel... I'm suspecting Adam is the one 2B is dealing with?" 9S babbled, his exposed hues shifting between the two machines.

"Accurate," the shirtless one responded, his voice sounding much different from the one previously.

I'm going to assume the shorter one was speaking before they bestowed themselves...

"My, she's is very more attractive up close~! Don't you agree, Eve?" the shorter one cooed, his red orbs growing wide with what seemed to either be love or admiration. The one, who I now know as Eve, nodded with a grin. Their words and reactions provoked heat to crawl up to my cheeks.

"Adam will adore her."

"I will adore who?" another voice rejoined, this time to the right of us. Yet again, another figure, this time one with long white hair, appeared from the nearby bushes. His attire was very different from the other two, it was more proper in a sense.

So, that's Adam... wait, if he's here then where is 2B?

"What's with that look? Your precious companion is quite alright," Adam sounded with an amusing expression. He wasn't looking at me, which indicates that 9S had the same thought that ran through his mind. "Ah, so this is the extraordinary human that the machines and those androids have been abuzz about?"

Adam moved Nines out of his way by thrusting him to the side as he crouched down in front of me. Before I could scurry away behind the safety of my adorable android, the long-haired machine seized my chin. His touch practically froze me, I felt too terrified to move.

"Luciel, you said her name was (Y/n), correct?"

"Yes, big brother~!" Luciel acknowledged with a smile as he held onto Eve's arm. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Well, yes. She's quite beautiful... boys, you do know we outnumber this android three to one, right? We could take her without much of a problem," Adam spoke, glimpsing back to the two before his eyes swiftly sprang to 9S.

"I won't let you take her. You'll have to get through me first," 9S declared promptly. He was now back on his feet, his visor was also back over his eyes.

"Oh, don't worry. I was only just proposing it to my dear brothers. However, I deem the fight will be way too easy, especially against a scanner. Scanners aren't as entertaining to fight like battle units and berserkers are... or those experimental units." Adam hummed, releasing my chin at last as he stood up to face Nines at eye level, "Though, I will say scanner units are fun in other ways..."

What...?

"Oh! I do agree~" Luciel purred prompting him to be hit in the back of the head.

"Hush," Eve muttered as he belatedly advanced towards me and yanked me to my feet. I speculated he would throw me over his shoulder in the process, but he surprisingly never did.

"So, you're just going to let us go?" 9S vocalised as his voice had an underlying hint of uncertainty in it, his hand that clutched his sword fell to his side.

"Of course, it wouldn't be much fun taking her without a good fight, after all. Perhaps next time." Adam shrugged, turning on his heels and striding over to where Eve stood in front of me.

Now that I saw the two standing next to each, they looked even more identical than Eve and Luciel. Not to mention, Luciel called Adam; 'big brother'. So perhaps they're siblings but Adam and Eve are primarily twins while Luciel is like a younger brother?

Err, this is not the time to be thinking about that.

"It's time that we take our leave, come along," the long-haired machine lifeform announced twisting his frame to where Eve and Luciel had first emerged from.

"Aw~," Luciel whined, "Well, this is goodbye, for now, sweetheart. So, don't have too much fun without me~"

"Until next time, (Y/n)." Eve bid his farewell last, grinning at me before hauling Luciel out of sight.

9S and I just stood in silence for a solid few minutes, staring in the direction that the three had disappeared in. But, soon, I felt Nines' warmth embrace me from behind and he began to nuzzle his face into my neck.

"You're not terrified are you?" he mumbled into my skin, but since he was right by my ear, I could hear him perfectly.

"N-no..." I eventually spoke after the entire ordeal, "...okay, maybe just a little bit."

The white-haired android breathed heavily while sitting down on the forest's floor, which sequentially took me down with him. I was now in his lap as he gently put his chin on my shoulder. "I should've just took you straight back to the camp... or just have picked you up and ran again once I heard Luciel's voice."

"Hey, now. It's not your fault, how could you have possibly known that this would happen?" I objected, leaning my head against his. "I hope 2B is alright."

"I'm quite fine, thank you."

The two of us, surprised, sprang away from our prior position, contorting our bodies to see 2B standing there while she leaned against a nearby tree. She had an inadequate frown on her face as her arms crossed.

"9S, I told you to take her back to the camp, not to the forest. You're fortunate Adam, Eve, and Luciel didn't try and take her," she lectured. 2B was obviously dissatisfied in her comrade's decision.

"I know, I know. I just felt like the forest could be safe as well. We were halfway across the city..." he grumbled. Shortly, he stood up, capturing my hand and effortlessly hauling me to my feet. "I'm sorry, 2B. For disobeying your orders."

"Why are you apologizing to me? Er, fine, whatever. Let's take her back to camp and call it a day, the Commander contacted me before I got here. We're required back at the Bunker."

"Understood." Nines nodded, taking my hand in his as we began our trek back to the Resistance Camp.