Humanity was being held together by the strings of anger and deceit. In the aftermath of the alien invasion, betwixt the constant barrage of machine lifeforms humans were only concerned with surviving. The bodies of their enemies lay strewn in piles of sparking junk across the fallow earth.

The testaments of architecture, the beauty of mankind's scientific mind, now slowly sank into the wastelands of soil and sand. Unrest filled the hearts of men.

It had become widely apparent that humanity was losing hope.

One day out of the rubble, a Commander rose above the chaos. She took charge with an iron fist, forming a gang of ruthless people named YORHA. What made any force fear them was the sheer fact that they acted almost robotic, destroying anything in their path with emotionless instinct.

How she ever accomplished such a daunting, near impossible task was lost to time itself. Many whispers and rumors came about the resistance forces…some claimed it was the calm demeanor of the commander. Some blamed magic…and some stated that the warriors of YORHA were machines themselves.

The resistance force had formed as a branch of the YORHA forces, and they brought back the emotion and life…reminding them that indeed they were human.

What set YORHA apart from them however was the tendency to name their warriors by codenames. "Operators" were considered those who would comb the outside world, and instructed others of precise targets and potential sources of food and water. Scanners were considered fodder for enemies and animals almost, seeing as they were usually meek and scrawny men and women who were only looking for a few scraps of meat or some clothes to wear.

And assassins, eliminators were the coldest of their forces. Among their ranks, one girl's name would ring terror through entire camps. 2B…despite her small stature and soft features, she was a killer at heart. Relentless, almost cruel, she would cut down machine and man alike without thought.

She was also an odd enigma. She wore a dress that exposed part of her bust, with lovely patterns sewn into the edges of the skirt. She was balanced and moved seamlessly even with long boots that hugged her curvy thighs. 2B spoke in short, concise sentences…and usually didn't initiate conversations without reason to. Her voice was heartless, and monotonous. Even her silvery hair seemed supernatural, almost as if she was artificial.

Many would often scoff at her for this, blaming the Commander for brainwashing her. Even her close friend, an operator lovingly called 6O, could not break her of her robotic mindset. But 2B often assured others, she was doing in accordance to her own wishes. She never let anyone stand in her way.

But things were going to change and shake her world.

It was a relatively normal assignment. One of Scanners was too absent-minded and was not completing tasks in an orderly, speedy fashion. 2B was ordered to eliminate him…a boy her age they had once code-named 9S. The last time he had been spotted was in the overgrown ruins of the nearby city, just across the desert from their broken abode. The district was barely being kept together in the heated sands and 2B was almost relieved to remove herself from the suffocating happy faces of neighbors and their children frolicking among ruined playgrounds.

She muttered to herself, "Why are they always so happy? The world is at it's end and yet there they are…with all of their false hope."

It made her almost jealous…it had been so long since she had known a genuine happiness. It was almost as if some kind of cruel god had reached out and snipped the cords of her brain…turning her into this…thing. With clenched teeth, she stomped to the barrier and placed her hand upon her hip.

The operator, 60 was busy typing away on a clunky machine, barely able to see the screen she was working upon. "Kinda sad you have to off this kid huh? Did you two ever meet?"

"Never saw him." 2B quickly responded, crossing her arms, "Can we cut this meaningless conversation out? I have an assignment to complete."

"Sheesh…lighten up would you? I was just saying. I think you guys would have been good friends. He's got hair just like yours."

2B cautiously glanced to her operator, looking at the swish of blonde that covered her scalp. Her crystal blue eyes almost reacted with an emotion, before she glanced back at the heavy iron gate that separated their base from the rest of the world.

"Looks like there's a pretty clear path to the city today. Just a few bots. Don't forget to take your Pod."

2B sighed, turning around to a large metal cabinet. She wasn't too fond of these things, Pods. They were meant once for medical assistance at the beginning of the war, but now they could talk and help provide communication between the world and the base. Data was collected and processed through them. And they were annoying…2B preferred the time before their introduction when she could aimlessly roam and finish her assignments in peace.

She knocked on the POD with her name underneath, and it floated into the sky before holding her long katana in a magnetic halo. "Pod 042 activated. Good morning 2B."

"Don't try to conversate with me. Let's just get this over with." She turned back to 6O sharply and crossed her arms, "Happy?"

6O pouted gently at the straight line that was her friend's mouth. "Fine be like that. Don't die out there. Try to be safe."

2B stepped out into the emptiness of the desert, and sighed with relief once the gates were closed behind her. "Finally." She effortlessly glided through the sand like a hawk on the wind, feeling free.

A few machines were unlucky enough to be in her path. Without a second thought, or a concern to whether or not they were hostile, 2B grasped the end of her blade and cut through them without flinching. Their skewered forms lie in the baking sun, dead eyes gazing into the cloudless sky.

It wasn't long before the oil pipes showed up, guiding her back into the city. Slowly the earth became asphalt mixed with grass. How the world could shift so effortlessly from a dry, hot desert to a mild blustery city was still a mystery.

The target in question was apparently keeping close to places of information, old libraries and gardens. In a similar fashion to her previous assignments, she would gather knowledge about the target and watch him from afar. Sometimes for days she would go without food and water, only focusing to find her future victim.

But lucky for her this one did not seem as…intelligent as her previous targets. Within just twenty minutes of her scouting out the slowly crumbling buildings she heard a sound she thought almost didb't exist anymore. A melody…whistling…it was almost haunting. Lost in the sound, she almost found herself caught by the eyes of an average boy dressed in black who casually strolled down the street.

She hid herself in the shadows, but almost felt as if she could have hid behind a pole and not be noticed by his oblivious gaze. He was distracted by something, a melody he was trying to catch in the air by his off-key humming and whistling. It was true, 2B saw his hair shining with silvery glow in the light of the afternoon sun. He even had similar eyes, a light sapphire shade. His skin was soft, and his supple lips were constantly curled into a beaming smile. He wore the black of YOHRA's units, although his fashion was modeled with a pair of awkward looking shorts. "I wish I still had those records…" He told absent-mindedly to a nearby Pod that floated about him with a sword clutched in its grasp.

"They were quite enjoyable." The black pod responded, in a feminine voice.

"Too bad those punks stole them from us." He sighed while kicking up some of the dirt under his feet, "Well come on. It's just about time for lunch. I managed to snag us a boar."

The Pod gave him a thumbs-up and almost seemed to nod. "I saw that, very impressive Nines."

He chuckled gently, and 2B felt something ping inside her. Deep inside her heart, it almost winced with pain at his soft, innocent face. Why did they send her to kill him? What had he done wrong? "Thanks Pod. If it wasn't for you…I'm not sure how I would have made it this far."

"Let's head on back." He suggested and looked straight to the brush. 2B softly gasped, hoping he wasn't staring at her. He reached out and she recoiled further back, praying there was no debris to trip over. She flinched slightly, but noticed he was drawing his fingers back. His eyes were wide as she noticed there was a caterpillar crawling along his palm now.

"Hey there little guy. Sorry to bother you. I just couldn't help getting a closer look…you're gonna turn into a moth someday. I look forward to seeing you fluttering about, I'll leave the light on just for you."

2B watched intensely as he placed the insect back onto the tree. The Scanner turned around and made his way into the distance.

The assassin stood up and stepped over, purposely crunching the leaf with the insect placed upon it hearing it squish inside her fist. She clenched her teeth, and tried to eliminate the bubbling empathy and sorrow coming from her core. She cursed her fate…cursed her sword…cursed everything.

She drew her blade and exhaled, gazing towards him with determination. She had to do this…she had to prove herself strong…but deep down she knew that somewhere she was still human.

2B had to destroy him. She would have to kill this innocent boy.

6O's voice still echoed in her mind… 'You could have been friends'.

"Stop it." She instructed to herself, "Friends are for the weak. You are not weak. You can't…let…anyone know." She clenched her head softly and grumbled as the Pod pitched in. "Target is in range. Suggestion, destroy target as soon as…"

"I know!" She snipped back, a bit of a growl in her voice. The Pod almost seemed to back away from her. 2B sighed, "Let's…observe him for a little longer. I want to know why YORHA wants him dead for myself."

"Affirmative. Do as you see fit 2B." The pod quietly floated behind her.

2B knew she was stalling for time…stalling to do the inevitable. She stared at the dead insect in her palm and watched its unmoving form for just a moment…trying not to linger on how the Scanner would look like after she was through with him. His face sunken and pale…blood leaking from his wounds…that previous little mouth of his unmoving. She shook the image from her mind, and focused once more. She cautiously started to move towards the library, holding her breath just a little.

"Don't become empathetic. Empathy leads to weakness. You can't be weak. You can't let…anything happen to you…like…"

A2. She wanted to say her name so badly, but even trying to think of her made flashbacks fly through her memory. She bit the inside of her cheek, slogging along.

"Think about the assignment. Get it over with. Get on with your life. " She stopped herself, and hit the side of the library's exterior with a tight gloved fist, "And for fuck's sake 2B…don't fall for your target again."