White is the color of peace and harmony.

It symbolizes light, goodness, innocence, purity, safety...and most importantly, hope.

And that was the color of the flag that the machine was holding in its small floating ship.

9S and 2B were just about to exit out of the amusement park until this mysterious machine appeared right in front of them, holding a white flag behind him as he then spoke to them.

"You defeated broken machine. You saved us."

What's this now...?

9S thought in his head as he then spoke to 2B, who continued to stare at the robot with a dark glare.

"This thing is awfully verbose for a machine..."

"We repay you. Come to our village."

The robot claimed. This made 9S very suspicious...him and 2B just destroyed an evil machine, what would they want to do with a machine like this one? Could it be that it wanted something...?
Did it want to get revenge perhaps?

"It could be a trap. Still, we should at least head over there and gather data, right?"

2B thought about it for a moment before nodding her head, her short white hair swaying.

"We shall go to your village. Show us the way."

"Follow me."

The floating machine said as it then flew ahead of them, the two androids now following after it to where it was taking them. As they crossed several bridges, 2B looked up at the orange-red sky, spotting missiles flying above. 9S noticed this and explained to her that it was supplies being sent up to the moon for the humans and to the Bunker. 2B understood and the two continued to follow the floating machine with the flag. That's when they realized that they were deep in the woods, trees covered their surroundings as they heard birds chirping and saw several mooses prowling the area. 9S then smiled at a moose who was being followed by her baby, the small moose wobbling as it tried to learn how to walk.

Looks like another life has been brought into this world...

"Hey, 9S?"

"Hm? Yes, 2B? What's up?"

"So why don't the machines or the aliens who created them, attack the Bunker directly? They originally came here from outer space, right?"

"Well, there are a few theories about that..."

Theories that even we YoRHa androids can't solve...

"But no one knows for sure. Hard to tell what an alien is thinking, you know?"

9S then chuckles, only to stop when he realized 2B didn't get his joke. He lowered his head as they continued following the machine, till 2B then spots something in the distance that was hidden behind all the trees and green leaves. She then points towards it.

"9S, look!"

9S then stared at the sight in front of him and gasped. It was a small village that was tucked away in the woods, small wooden shacks surrounding a massive tree as the androids spot many machines waving white flags on wooden sticks.
2B noticed this immediately.

"They all have white flags..."

"Looks like they really don't want to fight..."

But does that really mean we should trust them just because they have a simple white flag? I don't think so...

After all, behind that white flag could be something dark and evil. At least, that's what 9S thought.

***

"Nines, you have to SHOOT the aliens! Don't RUN away from them!"

(Y/n) screamed to Nines as she shook his shoulders, the whole group watching in excitement as Nines was playing the game, "Aliens: Extermination."
Everyone was chanting his name as he kept shooting at the disgusting aliens on the screen, only to miss over and over again. Rocco was munching on his popcorn while Lolita and Russell were holding a handmade sign that said, "NINES OUR MAN!"

Nines was scared though, for the enemies on the screen were a lot were frightening than what he encountered before. Has he even killed an actual alien before while being stuck in the military base...?

"You're missing! They're literally 3 feet in front of you and you're missing every shot!"

"S-Sorry! There's just too many of them!"

"YOU HAVE A MACHINE GUN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM?!"

It was too late however, for Nines had already died and was now being eaten by the space creatures. Everyone sighed as they pat his back, trying to calm the android down from his adrenaline rush.

"Aww hey man, it's okay! Those aliens will feel your wrath someday!"

"Damn Nines...better luck next time, bud."

"It just takes a little more practice, that's all."

Nines softly smiled at everyone, including (Y/n), who was stroking his hair.

"Thanks guys...I just never killed an alien before. Are they even real?"

Rocco shuddered, hiding in his blankets as he pulled his hood over his head.

"Of course they're real, man! They're from outer space! I've heard rumors that astronauts have seen UFO's flying around up there! I bet that they'll take over our planet one day!"

"Oh please, Rocco. By the time they take over the world, you would've finally lost your virginity~"

"H-Hey!"

Lolita laughed as she pats Rocco's head while he sat there with a pout.

"Don't worry Rocco, we still have plenty of time to live~"

"Oh shut up, you wench!"

Russell then catches everyone's attention as he tunes to the news broadcast on the tv.

"Hey guys, you better have a look at this..."

On the broadcast, it showed the news anchor standing in the middle of the woods, police tape covering the area as protesters surrounded the scene, holding multiple signs that read,

All trespassers must go!

This isn't your home, this is OUR home!

Go back to your country and stay there!

"Looks like they're fighting again..."

Rocco said with a sigh as he plops down on the couch next to Lolita, who was staring at the tv with seriousness.

"Why can't the government leave these people alone...? All they want is to live a much better life than what they've been through before..."

"These protesters aren't wrong though...some of these people are taking over our jobs. I mean, look at what happened to Russell after he got replaced by someone from Japan..."

(Y/n) states as the group watches the news broadcast, hearing many protests and offensive language as the news anchor tries to get away from them. The camera then switches to a small village hidden in the woods, many different human races surrounding it as they waved their white flags, shouting to the protesters,

"We're no threat! All we want is peace, not war!"

"When will the government learn that all these people are no different from us...? They just want to join us...they just want to live like us...damn politics, why is it always politics?"

Nines notices this and holds (Y/n)'s hand, gently squeezing it as he stared at the television screen, watching in sadness as the human protesters kept telling the other humans to leave their city and to never come back. Some even had the nerve to tell the others to go fuck themselves...

It made Nines angry, very angry.

(Y/n) stared at Nines worryingly as she saw him gritting his teeth, his grip on her hand getting stronger and stronger till (Y/n) thought that her blood circulation was going to get cut off.

"Nines...?"

"Why...why are these humans being mean to their own kind...? They haven't done anything wrong...so why, why chase them away like they're rats?!"

"Hey Nines, look, it's just a small war that we've been having for a few years now...it'll come to an end one day, I'm sure."

"Yes...but what difference will it make? What will we even get out of it? MORE war? Human emotions don't make any sense to me...why treat your own kind any different than how they treat you? What are they trying to prove?!"

"Nines hey, hey, it's just a stupid war between us humans...I don't know why we're all like this..."

Just then on the television, the news anchor had nervously stated that if the others don't stop protesting, action was going to be taken. (Y/n) knew what THAT meant and she quickly shut off the tv, sighing as she puts a hand on her head.

"Let's go out to dinner, guys. That'll get our mind off things. Nines, do you want to choose where to eat-"

(Y/n) then noticed that Nines wasn't in the room with them, just an empty spot on the couch where he once sat. Pod was just floating there, shrugging it's shoulders.

"Where's Nines...?"

Pod then spoke.

"I believe he is going to where the protests are and put a stop to them. It should be noted that he also took his sword with him."

"What?! Shit! Don't tell me what I think I know what he's going to do with that sword..."

(Y/n) mumbled as she quickly grabs the keys and ran up the stairs, getting into the parking garage to find the gang's vehicle. Pod follows her behind and burrows itself into (Y/n)'s backpack, peeking its metal head out.

"What are you going to do,
(Y/n)?"

"I'm going to make sure Nines doesn't kill anyone...because I know for sure, he will."

***

The forest was filled with silence, the only sounds coming from it were the chirping of cicadas and wind howling. (Y/n) strolled through it, leaves crunching under her shoes.

"Nines! Nines! Where are you, kid? Nines!"

(Y/n) called out for her friend, only to have the howling wind respond back. She wasn't just worried for Nines, she was AFRAID for Nines.

She was afraid that either he killed another human or he got taken away...

She then came across the front entrance of the village, where she was greeted by emptiness. She checked every single shack, only to find no one in there. She examined the area around her, sad to find white flags scattered everywhere, some torn up and some covered with tiny drops of blood...and there were bullet shells littered around them.

(Y/n) knew what happened here, but she didn't want to think about it.

"All they wanted was peace..."

She heard a soft voice say.

(Y/n) then looks above her, finding Nines sitting on the edge of a small shacks roof, hugging his sword to his chest as he avoided her gaze. (Y/n) climbed up the ladder and once she reached the top, she sat beside Nines, staring at him with sad eyes. Nines then spoke to break the silence between them.

"My creator has once told me that peace was always an option...so why, why do humans choose to fight instead?"

"...Peace never always works, in some cases...we fight because we have no other choice..."

"...Where did they go? Where did they take them?"

(Y/n) knew that Nines knew and that he was possibly testing her to see if she was going to be honest with him. Unfortunately...(Y/n) was so used to lying that she didn't even know WHAT was real and what was not anymore.

"...I don't know."

Was the only thing she whispered to him.

Nines hummed in response before Pod suddenly came out of the bag, rubbing his head with its metal hand. (Y/n) and Nines just sat there, staring out at the green scenery before (Y/n) sighs and stands up, holding her hand out to the android.

"Come on Nines, let's go home."

Nines silently nods before grabbing her hand and the two walk through the woods, leaving the now
abandoned village behind them.

If only peace could work...

***

Turns out that Pascal, the leader of the village, knew who Anemone was. Pascal had asked the YoRHa androids to take a fuel filter to the leader of the Resistance Camp, to show that the machine life forms were peaceful and didn't want to have anything to do with the war between the aliens and the humans. 9S was against it, but 2B hesitantly accepted it, hoping that what Pascal had said was true.

And it was unexpectedly true.

Anemone was a close companion to Pascal and so, she sent the androids to give him high-viscosity oil, as apart of their trade.

9S couldn't actually believe it, a human and a machine life form trading just like that? How could it even be possible? How did the two even know each other?

Once the two gave Pascal the oil, he smiled.

"Anemone is just so kind and understanding. If only all androids and machines could live together in peace like this..."

"Never gonna happen."

9S bluntly replied as he folded his arms. That's when he heard the familiar voice again.

"Someday, we'll all be able to live in peace, Nines. Someday..."

9S looked around him, finding only some of the machine life forms walking around, minding their own business. He shook his head as 2B talked with Pascal.

Where does that voice keep coming from...?

All of a sudden, a loud rumbling noise could be heard coming from somewhere close and Pascal, along with the other machine life forms, quickly hid their heads under their arms, trembling with fear.

"What's that noise?"

9S said before the androids then receive a transmission from the Bunker.

"2B, this is an emergency transmission from the Bunker! We're reading a Goliath-class enemy inside the city ruins! And it looks like there are a ton of other machines there with it! All YoRHa units should proceed and engage immediately!"

"A Goliath?!"

9S gasped as he then takes a step back from Pascal.

"This WAS a trap! I knew it!"

As 9S was about to take out his sword, 2B quickly stopped him, shaking her head.

"We'll sort it out later. Let's go."

The two then left the village, going back to the city where they would soon come face to face with a monstrous machine known as the Goliath.

If only peace could work in this situation...but unfortunately, it won't.