Part 97: Episode XCIV: Incoming Text Message

Episode XCIV: Incoming Text Message





This is Tactical Support Unit Pod 153, assigned to 9S.
We Pods often participate in the same battles. Exchanging our situational data would theoretically allow us to plan combat strategies in a more efficient manner. Proposal: Data should be transferred regularly between Pod 042 and Pod 153.
Analysis: This idea is sound. Proposal accepted. Records will be organized in time for the next situational exchange.

So the Pods are going to start automatically exchanging data at regular intervals on top of the private Slack channel they’ve set up earlier. That’s fine. I mean, they’re just being efficient support units. Nothing to concern ourselves over. But enough about that. What happened to 9S after he rode that missile? Well...








































































































New Music: The Tower (Quiet)



How did I...?



We are indeed in the Hacker Zone. We’re not going to learn how Adam managed to capture 9S. I like to imagine 9S just went blasting clear across the City Ruins and happened to crash land on that building with the long table while Adam was busy shoveling down entire bowls of spinach after reading of an old human folk hero who gained immense strength from consuming that particular vegetable.

In order to progress in this segment, we just need to maneuver 9S’s avatar to the nearest node in this (actually very linear) maze and activate it. Which results in...





I... am 9S.
That’s all I can remember.

Large portions of my memory may have been destroyed...

What if I forget everything? My memories? My self? My...

Okay, calm down. Calm down, calm down, calm down.


Just follow the emergency manual and execute the memory recovery program.


The recovery program beings to fill in the blanks in my memory.
They drift back like missing letters filling out a word.

The Bunker...
2B’s plan...
A colossal machine lifeform...
The last-resort missile strike...

Preservation mode was activated at the moment of the blast.
It halted most of the safeties the network had in place.





Hooked me up to the machine network too somehow.



I’m no IT security expert, but I feel like removing all firewall barrier constraints on an android’s network access in the event of suffering a heavy blow seems like a poor overall design choice. Oh well, let’s just keep diving into the machine network’s nodes while suffering a robot concussion.





It looks like the machines gathered and stored a lot of info in here.
It all seems pretty random at first... but on closer inspection, I learn how it’s all connected.

There are a variety of entries, such as data on human history and philosophy.

But what’s really strange are the records of the machines stored NEXT to those...

In the politics category are records of the machines’ own governmental endeavors.
They’d tried all sorts of things.
Absolute monarchies.
Republics.
Democracies.

And that wasn’t all. They all engaged in other scholarly pursuits such as philosophy, mathematics, science and social criticism.
It’s like the network was copying every possible human behavior and discipline.
Almost as if...





Why would they do that?



There’s no meaning behind anything the machines do. So let’s just go access the next node to see what the machines were meaning to do.





When it comes to combat, the machines show overwhelming adaptive behavior and evolutionary speed.

So why do they insist on imitating humanity?
And more specifically, why do they imitate their failures?

It’s almost as if the objective is failure itself.

I sense a change in the data. Some kind of movement.
I hone my perception and hold my breath.


Music: ENDS







Are they... talking?



Tch. Machines talking...? When has that ever happened in the 33 hours of interactions with machines we’ve done since this game began. Just move on to the next node and activate it like a good little drone, 9S.






New Music: Broken Heart (Instrumental)



Lies! Nothing but lies from mere machines!

Adam laughs. “And yet you androids claim to be alive? How very odd. You are puppets who lack even your own free will.”

No! You’re wrong!

His words flow through me as though they were poured into my ear.

“How am I wrong, boy?”

I’m... We’re...

“Perhaps you have a will after all, he chuckles. “Perhaps you have desires.”
“Now you see, boy! The true meaning of life... is hatred!”

You’re wrong.

“A vile hatred slumbers in the depths of your heart.”

You’re WRONG!

“The more you try to hide it, the more that darkness grows.”

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!





We were made to protect mankind.
We’re not the same as you machines!



9S, your debate skills need some work, my dude. But you’ll have to worry about that some other time. There’s one final node as the machine network trail ends here. Let’s see what we’ve got at the end of the path...






Music: Broken Heart (Vocal)




Music: ENDS





























Stop it... stop it...



Dammit... I... I...



Help me... help mE... hElP...
Nononononononon NonoOOOOnonononon NonononOOOOOOOOOoooo
Somebody please help me!










































Each of the machines treated their treasures with great care. One treasured family above all else.



Another treasured its older sibling.



Another treasured its own beauty.



But one more machine treasured something unique above all else...



Hate.





































Aaaargh!



Arrrghh... I-Is this... what the humans... referred to as... being owned...? <coughs blood>
No...



This is.



So dark... So cold... What did... they mean about... the corncob...? I-I do not... I’m not...



BARF! <dies>



9S!



Sadly, there is no random chance of 2B just running off in the other direction and abandoning 9S. Indeed, we’ve already seen every alternate ending in Route B back with Pascal’s Village genocide. Don’t worry, Route C isn’t far off and it’s still got the remainder of the alphabet to offer.



9S...
2B...



Come on. Let’s go home...
<smiles and nods>





And that concludes Chapter 8B of NieR: Automata. Yep, that was a real short one. 9S was crucified in an untextured Lego wall the entire time. What did you expect out of him, ****? We also bid farewell to the Copied City as this location will never be relevant again. But tune in next time as 9S gets shipped back into space and recovers from his weird time with the Adam the (dead) machine man, by poking around in the highest top secret files he can find as NieR: Automata continues...






Video: Episode 94 Highlight Reel (You should probably watch this.)





Adam Concept Art – At no point was Adam ever going to figure out how to properly die a necktie.



Copied City Concept Art – All that effort in Minecraft only for some androids to come along and immediately smash everything on the server.