Fipp: I burst out laughing when when I found out the drug dealers in the desert lived, so I wrote something about them.

Purpose on the Oil Field

"Okay, I think I need to go out and do something," called out 42B, jumping off the supply crate.

"Huh?" 65B looked up from the circle she had been drawing the in the sand, and gave her redheaded friend a curious glance. "What was that? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

42B growled in annoyance, stomping away from her friend, a hand running through her hair. "I'm just getting bored here, we're doing nothing!"

65B gave a nonchalant shrug. "But we never do anything. We always do nothing."

"I know! Don't you see that's the problem!," 42B cried out as she threw her arms into the air. "I need to go out there and find a machine to kill, you know, get my rep up."

65B twirled a blonde strand of hair in her fingers. "You have a rep? You know, like reputation?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't why? If I go out there and take out some really big machines, you know, tough guys, I bet I would get a lot more people looking my way."

"Uh huh... But, um, why would you try and pick fights? Ever since that thing with the tower, all the machines either died, chilled out, or, you know, like developed a sense of consciousness and self. Not many of them are going to try and kill you on sight anymore, you'll have to go out of your way to find a fight."

"So?"

"Well, first of all it'll make you look like a jerk; I know I wouldn't want some random lady running at me with a sword or something just because she wanted to feel big about herself. Second; it seems like a lot of work to impress who? Like, no, seriously? Who would you try to impress? Me? Because I don't give a shit."

"You know, people," 42B tried. "Important people. I don't know, Anemone I guess, she's top honcho around here, maybe I can..." A sigh came from her as she lowered her head.

"Are you okay?" 65B asked, pushing herself up from the ground and walking up to her friend. "Is something the matter? You've been kind of touchy lately, it's seriously a mood killer."

"It's just that when we were with YoRHa, I had big goals and aspirations, I wanted to be one of those units that the others turned their heads to and thought 'Man she's so cool, look at that 42B, she's so awesome'. I wanted to be one of the Commander's top girls!"

"Oh, 42B," 65B said, her voice sympathetic, as she reached out and gently placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I want to tell you this because you are my friend, and as my friend I care about you, and I want you to know the truth; we suck so much."

42B gave a frustrated groan and pushed herself away from 65B. "You're not helping me! We are state of the art combat androids, how can we suck?"

"It's true though!" 65B said with one of the most earnest expressions 42B had ever seen. "Despite being the most advanced androids to be produced, we were terrible at our jobs. We always lost fights, we barely ever got our missions done, our commanding officers were always yelling at us..."

"I get it..."

"Remember that time we went into a mission and you forgot all your weapons back at he Bunker, and all my plug-in chips were actually hacker chips? Hell, we were killed in the first ten minutes of the fight, and not because we got killed by a machine, but because we fell off a bridge."

"Yeah, I know! That's why they stuck us here!" Her arm stretched out, gesturing to the inky blackness below them. "They told us this oil field was a precious possible resource for the future, and that we are to safeguard it from machine forces, but we're seen like one machine this whole time, and it called the oil shit before it went away."

"I'm no expert on oil, but that sounds correct."

"Jackass said it was unsuitable in any capacity for either androids or machines to use, and that it would cost resources to refine it. Even she didn't use it for her bombs, and she'll use anything just to see if it'll work."

"I mean, it's got fish in it so-"

"I don't even think those are fish."

"But hey, it's a good life. Right?"

"No. They put us here so we wouldn't get in anyone's way, because we've never done anything right. So you know what? Screw off." With a scowl on her face, 42B stormed off, dust kicking off her boots as she turned away, going for the path down.

"Okay, just tell me what is wrong!" 65B called out. "You're kind of acting like a bitch!"

42B stopped, shoulders slumping down, as a foot kicked at the dirt.

"You okay? What's wrong?" 65B carefully asked, taking a couple of steps towards 42B.

"...Is it wrong that I sometimes feel bad that out of everyone, we survived YoRHa biting it?"

"Where's this coming from?"

"It's just that-!" She spun on her heel, turning back to 65B. "Like I said, I always wanted to be someone important! Someone that mattered! So when the most important mission was underway, we were told to stay here and keep the oil field safe, as always! And we couldn't even do that because we got high!"

"And you should be glad we did," 65B pointed out. "Because we go so shitted out of our skulls, we got desynced from the Bunker, that's why we didn't get go insane and try and kill one another, like nearly everyone else. I mean, yeah, I feel bad that a lot of our friends died, but I can't say I feel bad about YoRHa. We know now they were filled with shit! Hell, I never really cared about fighting for the humans anyway."

"You didn't?"

"No, of course not! They never even bothered to let us to actually look at the humans, and if you're not going to let me see the thing I'm supposed to fight for, why should I care? It's like Big Foot."

"Big Foot?" 42B asked, deeply confused.

"Some monkey, I think. I'm not too certain actually, I just heard it was about something that nobody ever saw. But yeah, anyway, I never liked being a soldier to begin with, it's too gross and dangerous, hell, I even considered asking if I could go undergo conversion into a non-combat unit. Scanner or Healer, I thought at first, but I don't actually know the difference between them, and I gave Operator a consideration because I though their veils were super cute. But hey, things worked out in the end for me, huh?"

42B sighed. "I just want to feel important, to something. Not even something big like that stuff with the tower and what those androids did with it."

"I'm not to impressed with what I heard actually," 65B said with a shake of her head. "I heard one of them was dead for the most part, one went kind of nuts for a while, and one's a nudist, though I don't think she has genitals, so I'm willing to let that slide."

"What do you mean 'let it slide'?"

65B shrugged. "I just don't like genitals, they're creepy. Why do you think I never had them installed?"

"DON'T TELL ME THAT!" 42B shouted. "Why would you think that was something I needed to know?"

"It's important to know where I stand on this subject."

"I'm having an existential crisis here," 42B moaned, dragging her face down her face. "I do not need to know your stance on what is between your legs."

"Nothing. That's the point," 65B said, simply and happily.

42B made a sound that was similar to a dying cat, not that either of them knew what exactly a cat was. "Are you seriously being content with just sitting around here, doing nothing?"

"Like I said, I don't like fighting, I'm not good at it, and I'm lazy." With a smile she placed her hands on her hips, chest puffed out. "I have always taken pride in my position as the best of the worst that YoRHa had to offer. I am Queen of the Trash Tier, and you can be my vice-president."

"I don't think that's how that works, you would need to be president for me to be vice-president."

"King maybe?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, it would depend if this is a patriarchy or monarchy, and since YoRHa was a nine-to-one girl-guy ratio, I guess monarchy. Ever wonder why that is? I would have liked a more even number, since that's how I like things."

"..."

"Yeah, that's the look you give me when you're getting into a mood."

"I just want to feel important," 42B said, again, while she began to cry. "Is that so hard to ask? I just want to know that something I do affects someone in some way, I don't want to just hang around this shitty oil field for the rest of my life!"

"Hey what's that?"

"Huh?"

"By the entrance, it looks like a couple of machines."

"What?!" Spinning on her heels, 42B ran to the edge of the cliff, nearly tipping off due to the force of her own momentum, to see two Medium Bipeds approach the oil field, one of them haphazardly painted red, while the other one of splashed with blue. The blue one was carrying a bucket. "Huh? Who are they?"

65B shrugged. "I don't, why not ask them?"

"HEY!" 42B shouted. "Rust buckets! Who the hell are you?!"

The blue Biped dropped the bucket, causing the red one to cry out in shock. They both looked around frantically before they finally turned their attention to the cliff where the two androids stood.

"What the hell?" the red one cried out, it's voice vaguely male. "I thought you said there was no one here!"

The blue one gave what they assumed to be a shrug. "I also said I haven't been here in like ten years." It's voice was more or less the same, only it sounded a bit deeper.

"Just who are you two?" the red one called back.

"We asked first!"

"Dammit," the red one cursed. "Got us there..."

"I'm Sandy and this is Rocky," the blue one called out.

"I'm 65B and this is my friend, 42B!" answered 65B with a cheerful way.

"Why did you tell them our names?" 42B hissed.

"They gave us their names, it's only polite."

"Now we're on even terms with them!"

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"We had an advantage!"

"We did?"

"Goddammit, now we might as well go down there now. Gonna yell right at them. In their faces." With an annoyed grumble 42B trudged down the path to the two machines, who seemed to be bickering between one another, until Sandy tapped Rocky and the shoulder and pointed to the approaching androids. Rocky's response was to jump into the air in surprise, almost falling onto the ground, waving his arms wildly as he tried to maintain his balance.

"Do not sneak up on us, androids!" Rocky yelled, pointing his arm at the pair as they came to a stop in front of them. "What is it that you are doing on this holy ground?"

"Holy ground?" 65B asked, looking to the oil, thick and black, things that may or may not be fish moving just underneath the surface.

"This is our base," 42B said, arms crossed over her chest, authority filling her voice. "I'll have you know that this oil field is under the protection of YoRHa, and we are permitted denial to all nonessential personal. Machines, being the enemies, are not allowed access."

"Didn't YoRHa blow up or something?" Sandy asked, scraping a mechanical finger against the side of his dome.

"Yeah they did," Rocky said, before he gasped. "That is right! YoRHa is erased from this world for good! You have no right to deny us our birthright!"

42B huffed. "What do you want place anyway? It's not much here, just oil."

"Ah! You know not what you posses! You fools! Consuming the flesh of the creatures that dwell within this spring will grant a machine that is pure of core everlasting life!"

"Everlasting life?" 42B gasped, taking a step back, raising her arms in defense.

"Couldn't you get the same thing with good maintenance? 65B wondered aloud.

"Once we have taken one of these creatures, and carried them to our temple in the Grail of Righteousness, and bathed them in the Flames of Prosperity, shall we dine on their deified flesh!"

"What's the bucket for?"

"We're gonna put this fish in there and take it to our hut by the nearby ruins and cook it. I hope it tastes good," Sandy said with a nod.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that is simply not going to happen here." 42B moved, taking position between the oil and the two machines, and when she had stopped and taken her stand she pointed at the two invaders, one hand on her hip. "Yes, YoRHa is gone, but we still have a duty as enemies to all machine lifeforms to make certain they are to never gain a foothold. We shall strive to thwart any and all plots you have, I promise you that, for as long as the two of us remain here, your victory shall forever be beyond your reach!" She hoped that her pose was intimidating, as well as cool.

65B nodded. "Yeah, what she said."

"Bold words, girl," Rocky said, attempting to cross his arms over his chest. "But do your have the power to back up your words?"

"Hahaha! Do you have the back up?" 42B laughed. "Of course we do, we are top of the line combat units, why if we wanted to, we could slice you apart right now!"

"Where are our weapons anyway?" 65B asked.

"SHUT UP!" snapped 42B. In truth, she didn't know either, they had lost them sometime ago, at some point during a drug-filled haze, though 65B was partial to the theory they were used to see who could throw the furthest. 42B did not like the idea she had lost her spear somewhere in the dunes.

"Very well, we shall accept your challenge," Rocky said with a nod to his head. "We shall give you a moment of respite, for tomorrow we shall return with any army of our kin, you shall fall beneath our heels, and immortality shall be ours!" The machine began to laugh, a deep cackle that soon erupted into a maniacal state, before it was suddenly cut short. "Come Sandy, we must leave and gather our allies, lets these fools enjoy their numbered hours.

"But I thought it was just the two of us," Sandy said. "Also, didn't the local tribes tell us they wanted nothing to do with us?"

"Away!" Rocky suddenly broke into a sprint, running back to the entrance, with Sandy, after grabbing the bucket, tailing just behind him.

"That's right! Run you cowards!" 42B taunted.

"Losersayswhat?!" Rocky called back.

"What? Wait... Shit!"

Soon, the two machines vanished over the sand dunes, with Sandy taking a moment to wave goodbye to them, and gesture 65B returned in kind.

"I like them," she said, rather happily. "I think it'll be good to have some new neighbors."

"Attention Unit 65B!" 42B suddenly snapped.

"Yo what's up?"

"You heard those two, it won't be long before they come back, so we have to prepare for their upcoming attacks!"

"What's with that weird look on your face?"

"What look?"

"You're grinning ear from ear, like you're really getting into this."

"I am not!" 42B shot back, trying to suppress the wide smile on her face. "And why would I be getting into this? We are at war with a machine faction! We need to mount defenses and protect this oil field."

"I thought you said this oil field was shitty?"

"Yeah, but it's OUR shitty oil field! And like hell am I going to lose it to some rusty piles of scrap metal! No, we are going to fight them, work against them be it day or night, sleet or snow! They will not gain an inch on our territory!"

"Aw, look at you, it looks like you're having fun with this. This? This can be your thing!"

"Enough nonsense! Get everything in order for tomorrow we go to war!"

"...Okay, while I'm happy you seem to have found a purpose in life, I'm not a fan that this might result in me having to do, you know, actual work."

42B ignored her as she made her way up the trail to their camp, 65B following close behind with heavy shoulders. "First we need to build up our defenses, so we'll need to run out and gather varying supplies and materials, so that we might-"

"Yeah yeah, but want to get high first?"

"Oh god yes!"

000

Please be well,

Mrfipp