Restoring Mankind

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"Light them up!" Anemone yelled out.

At her prodding, the full arsenal that the Resistance brought to bear opened up in its terrible salvo like the start of the armament orchestra. Mortar pieces erected and pre-sighted lobbed their high-explosive payload, its shells screaming into the sky and landing onto the sand in a great explosion of light. More heavy caliber machine guns had sprung up, a wellspring of staccato booms and .50 caliber rounds that pierced through machine forms as a hot knife would through butter. When they went closer in range, small-arms joined in the chorus, ringing out as small bells would with the bigger bells in this church of armaments.

Anemone had rushed as quickly as she could towards the surface entrance, androids in tow. She had found her men already engaged with the incoming machines, the smell of power, oil, and synthetic fluids filtered through her senses. Immediately, her programming went to work, commands and internal systems preparing her for battle.

Her men here were the best of the best that she could organize and it showed. Magazines were chambered and rechambered. As others fought, some carted in fresh supplies, fresh shells. Each android new what they were doing and constant battles throughout the centuries had kept their skulls fresh and fluid.

But their best simply did not compare to the black-uniformed android units that fought in the distance.

The YoRHa units in the distance were like hummingbirds if they were murderous, white-haired, and gothic lolita maid dressed anroids. They were a blur in the battlefield, cutting and slicing the machines apart as easily as combine harvester tore through a wheat field. They jumped and leapt, avoiding the crude blades the desert machines wielded. Their tactical support pods followed after them, tearing what machines they could with their defense programs. Spears of white light piercing through the sand, impaling machines with searing stakes. Missiles flew freely, screaming in deadly promise as they landed, dousing those in distance in fiery balls of light. Like the gatling guns of old, pods poured bullet upon bullet on the hordes.

In the midst of it all, 2B gave the machines a lesson on why a YoRHa unit was worth a thousand of their filthy machine bodies. Virtuous Treaty and Virtuous Contract were wielded by her now, and she used them to their full capacity. Those caught in their deadly touch only realized they were separated from their bodies when they finally exploded. Her head craned as a large machine formed arose from the sands, its pilot blinking atop its absurdly large body. Electronic screeching pierced her ears as it activated its attack, punching the sands and sending a shockwave attack of energy that froze a few YoRHa units in its path. It screeched electronically again, proud in its small victory.

A victory that was going to be short-lived.

"Pod!" 2B yelled out.

"Affirmative," Pod 042 flew up next to 2B. There was a short whine as 042 opened up, revealing twin metal disks that began to glow slowly. The large machine noticed this and turned but in its size, it was cumbersome and couldn't move as quickly as the androids. It was time 042 had to charge up his attack and poured forth a streak of hot light that struck the machine. The machine screeched as the laser drilled a hole through its chest yet it still stood but injured.

2B rushed forward, a literal blur that the Resistance androids could barely keep up with. Virtuous Contract sliced and diced freely, machine stubbers and mediums falling underneath her. She leapt atop one machine and in a split second, dug her katana into its neck. It died flailing but 2B wasn't finished. Her knees swivelled as she launched herself yet again, using the falling machine's corpse to support her. The flying machine unit she grasped on blinked and screeched in surprise as she thrust Virtuous Contract through its energy weapon. it sputtered helplessly as 2B pulled out and launched herself at another flying unit that came to support its fellow unit. The pilot blinked in obvious panic as 2B loomed over it menacingly, her emotionless expression underneath her blindfold scaring the machine its programming kept on repeating it to flee. It flew high, wiggling and flailing to get the YoRHa android off it.