The next morning, Yuren awoke to a weight on his chest. He groaned, his body ached, and he felt stiff. His mind was cloudy, and he was still half asleep.
"Eri?" Yuren called.
"Morning, Commander." A voice, not Eri's, greeted.
"Huh?" He immediately sat up, "Bei?!"
"No you dumbass." She shook her head.
Yuren blinked. The dark-haired girl standing aside from his bed was not the woman he expected.
"Garra?!" Yuren was shocked, "W-what are you doing here?!"
"Waking you up." She rested her rifle on her shoulder. "I don't know what the fuck you're still sleeping for. Get your ass in the shower and hurry up. Command is having a briefing soon, and you're already late."
"What the hell, where's Eri?" Yuren demanded.
"She's off doing her job, securing the area for your sorry ass. Me and Eri are one unit, both of us are your bodyguards until Lina gets back." Garra explained, "Now get your lazy ass up."
"Wait, wait, wait! I'm not ready for this!" Yuren exclaimed.
Garra dragged him out of bed and shoved him into his bathroom, "Stop wasting time."
Yuren groaned and rubbed his face.
"Hurry up!" Garra shouted, "I don't have all damn day."
He showered quickly and got dressed. Garra was waiting for him with a stern look. Her abrasiveness was the last thing he wanted to deal with; she was always so serious.
"I can't believe she assigned you. She didn't even give me a heads up." Yuren sighed.
"Why the hell are you so attached to Eri? Piss off." Garra grumbled, "We always switch who's close and who covers from afar and you don't even fucking notice when I'm around."
"I'm not used to having guards, okay? I don't know what I'm supposed to expect." Yuren argued.
"Pay attention to your surroundings." She barked as she led out the door, "If you were paying attention, you'd realize it's not just me and Eri. There's also others at various times depending on the location."
"I guess I'm just not observant." Yuren shrugged.
"You piece of shit. Don't be complacent." Garra scowled.
"Sorry..." he sighed.
"Damn rookie... did you learn nothing from the academy?" Garra grumbled.
Yuren quietly followed her down the halls to take a moment to review her records again.
She was among the oldest androids in the battalion, with a flawless single-mission completion rate. If she weren't an android, she'd probably be a senior officer among the command ranks.
He understood why having a less experienced superior would make her upset. But he also didn't know what he was supposed to do; he wasn't here because he chose to be; the position was thrust upon him.
He couldn't imagine what it was like to serve for half a century and not be recognized.
Then it dawned on him: fifty years? He stopped.
"Are you slow? Hurry up!" Garra scolded.
"W-wait a second!" Yuren cried.
"What is it?!" Garra demanded.
"H-how old are you?"
"Why?" She glared.
"Well, your service record is much longer than the 701st's existence. Even before public adoption of androids was approved." Yuren pointed out.
"Right, that. I guess it is a detail that stands out under closer inspection." Garra nodded.
"It doesn't match the manufacture date for you in the battalion's records." Yuren added.
"I've had different bodies, that's the manufacture date of this body. It isn't that hard to figure out. My core was manufactured more than 175 years ago, do things make sense now?" Garra rolled her eyes.
"T-that long ago?!" Yuren was shocked, "But the public records state androids were only invented seventy years ago."
"The Ministry has had its own process for creating androids for a long time. But the public doesn't know that, and they're not supposed to." Garra explained. "Androids made by public corporations are entirely different than Ministry androids. I'll let you figure out why."
Yuren pondered that for a moment. One key difference he noticed was that the androids made by the Ministry had resonance factors, while the public ones had zero. The difference was likely caused by the different processes and technology involved.
It was also quite strange that they needed a commander with a resonance factor higher than their own.
How was it possible for them to be so different from normal androids? What gave them the ability to induct and control resonance, or have a resonance factor in the first place?
Yuren believed that was exclusively a human trait, but now he was having doubts. Just how were these androids for the military being made?
"So... are you... hum-" Yuren tried to ask.
Garra stopped and turned, gripping his collar tightly.
"Do, not, finish that question." Garra snarled, her green eyes burning with rage. "That train of thought leads to sedition."
Yuren stared at her, unable to respond.
"We are weapons, don't try to preach that we need rights." She released him, "Don't think the circumstances are that simple. You'll harm a lot more thinking so simply. I won't warn you again."
Yuren nodded and remained silent; he had no intention of asking the question again. He wasn't sure what he should say; her words had him conflicted. He was trying to find some kind of middle ground.
In the end, the two walked in silence to a briefing room, several officers were present and waiting for the commanding officer to finish his preparations.
"Commander, glad you could join us." Rolf greeted.
"Sir." The boy saluted.
"Come in and take a seat, we have a lot to discuss."
Yuren took a seat, and Garra stood beside him with her arms crossed.
"Alright, I'll start by bringing up a map of the border regions, and the current military dispositions." Colonel Freide started.
The table's holo display came to life, projecting an aerial view of the eastern regions.
"Our main priority is keeping the alliance line strong. The 204th is holding the most ground in the center, and the 211st is defending the southern front. The 72nd, 69th, and 315th are currently engaged in combat operations around the north."
The Colonel pointed at a section of the border region.
"The Charstire Republic has been pushing hard against the west, and have made a lot of gains. In fact, they have pushed nearly all the way into the neutral zone and are threatening our western border. We are going to launch a counter offensive, and drive them back. But before we do that, the 701st is tasked with investigating the source anomalous energy readings along the southern border."
"Colonel, the southern border is a long stretch, there's a lot of black-out zones." Fleet Admiral Argentine spoke up. "How are we supposed to pinpoint the source without a proper signal?"
"Our best bet is the 701st, they can make quick coverage across in the zone and locate the source. It'll take us longer to send the a proper to investigate." Rolf answered.
"So what, we're expected to fly blind?" Yuren asked.
"That's what black-out zones are, you won't be getting any satellite or communications feed."
"What about drones?" Yuren inquired.
"Unusable. You are going to have your NUWA guide the 701st, and they'll have to report everything on their own. The only way to keep track of the operation is if the 701st manually updates us. The battalion's airship is capable of reaching a high enough altitude that'll re-establish communications and relay the data, but the black-out zone is still going to be a problem." Rolf explained.
"And the black-out zones are because of what?" Yuren asked.
"Densely scattered Resonance energy." Admiral Argentine answered.
"I see, the energy interferes with signals. So drones and satellite won't be usable, even with an NUWA." Yuren realized.
"The energy doesn't have to be dense for it to be an issue, but in that region it's so concentrated and will interfere with signals and the enhanced combat functions of weapons and equipment. It's better to treat the entire region as an electronic deadzone, which makes the mission harder for us." Rolf nodded.
"And what about the 701st?" Yuren questioned, "Wouldn't that effect the androids as well?"
"No, your androids are made specifically with resonance in mind. The black-out zones will interfere with certain capabilities, but it won't affect their combat ability." The Colonel assured.
"If it'll cause problems with certain functions, won't it still hinder them?" Yuren was unsure.
"It won't. In your case, you should be able to mitigate most of the effects with your resonance. If the interference is too great, then your NUWA can use your own body as a conduit to allow the 701st's androids to function at full capacity. That's a last resort, however. We want to minimize the use of resonance on the mission." The Colonel replied.
"Why?" Yuren was curious.
"Resonance is extremely dangerous when condensed, there's no telling what will happen to you if enough of it condenses in your body." The Colonel warned.
"I can't tell if that was a joke, or not..." Yuren shook his head, "I was under the impression resonance had no adverse effects."
"On the contrary, the more you use it the more your body deteriorates." The Colonel corrected, "It's why we're trying to avoid it."
"For a normal person that'd be true..." Rolf mumbled.
"What was that, General?" The Colonel inquired.
"Nothing." He waved him off, "Please continue the briefing."
"Right, anyway. The mission is to identify the source of the energy and eliminate it. The 701st will conduct reconnaissance in the black-out zone, and determine the target's position. Once you have confirmed the location, the 701st will engage and eliminate the source."
"So, I'm just supposed to rely on my NUWA implant for the entirety of the mission?" Yuren asked.
"It is the nature of the 701st, you can't expect them to follow you if you're not a good conductor." The Colonel answered.
"And if something happens to my NUWA, what then?" Yuren asked.
"If your NUWA malfunctions, or is disabled, the 701st has a self-sufficient operating mode. At that point you still have normal strategy and protocols to utilize. I'm sure you can figure it out." Rolf replied.
"Right... okay." Yuren sighed; he didn't like the idea.
"Alright, any more questions?" The Colonel asked.
"When will the mission start?" Yuren asked.
"Once the 41st and 217th secure and clear a safe corridor, you'll be dispatched immediately," Rolf answered.
"I have a question." Fleet Admiral Argentine raised his hand, "This is the second mission I've seen assigned to the 701st, the first was a direct request from the Ministry. Why are they now being used as an investigative unit?"
"Only the 701st is capable of operating within a black-out zone this dense. The resonance density is far too high for conventional military units, they won't survive a minute inside the dead zone." Rolf replied.
"And this black-out zone, who else has access to the region?" The Admiral asked.
"Nobody, the 701st was sent on previous assignments directly to these sites and eliminated the issues there. But we still aren't sure why they keep appearing, or how." The Colonel explained.
"I see. Thank you." The Admiral nodded.
"Is that all the questions? No? Good. Then, dismissed." The Colonel finished.
Rolf and the other officers got up and left the room, and the boy found himself alone in the briefing room with Garra.
She was intensely looking at the map and mission details.
"You're really invested in the mission. What's your opinion of the briefing?" Yuren asked.
"I was really hoping they wouldn't immediately send us to one of those black-out zones... goddamn it..." Garra growled.
"Do you know anything about these places?" Yuren was curious.
"I've been in a few. They're nasty." Garra sighed, "infested with machine lifeforms, and the ambient resonance energy is insanely toxic."
"Toxic?"
"No energy weapons, no passive shielding, no communications. Enhanced radar and sensors will be useless, androids will be limited to basic functions. What they lied about is that your NUWA doesn't work like a conduit. It's an amplifier, and your resonance will have a multiplying effect on the ambient resonance. The only thing it'll do is make the black-out zone denser, and increase the effects." Garra explained, "Try to use any VS weapon or tool and you're dead."
"You seem very familiar with the black-out zones, how often are the 701st sent out for this kind of mission?" Yuren was worried.
"Every time there's a report of an anomalous energy source, we get the order to investigate and eliminate the lifeform causing it. The 701st always gets this mission, no one else can handle the conditions." Garra explained.
"Doesn't the 701st have some kind of anti-toxicity protection? I thought androids were supposed to be able to resist that kind of thing." Yuren commented.
"Resonance in extreme density will deteriorate an android just as it will a human, the difference is our cores are designed to self-repair and maintain their structure. But if you're asking if we can still operate, the answer is yes." Garra answered.
"But I was told that resonance can't harm an android. Is that not true?" Yuren was confused.
"That's the theory. And it's true to an extent. The reality is that androids have a high tolerance, but it's not infinite. We have the same limitations as a human." Garra explained.
"I see..." Yuren nodded.
"But that's not the worst part." Garra grumbled.
"What's the worst part?" Yuren asked.
"The androids have the possibility of transmutating into a machine lifeform. It's rare, but it's not impossible. I've seen it happen."
"Transmutation? As in, turning into a something else?" Yuren was shocked.
"Yeah, worst case scenario. That handgun you're told to keep has special termination ammunition, and you're not supposed to hesitate to shoot any android if the transformation process has started." Garra explained. "There no other way, if it comes down to it, you'll have to put down one of those girls."
Yuren's hands tightened into fists.
"I hope it doesn't come to that..." he sighed.
"It'll happen eventually. I've been through a dozen black-out zone missions, and lost at least one person each time." Garra remarked.
"Is the death rate high?" Yuren asked.
"For Android unit commanders? Really damn high." Garra replied as she turned to leave. "We androids can always be rebuilt and remade."
"That's..." Yuren trailed off.
Garra only huffed as she walked out the door.
Yuren stood there quietly. He couldn't help but think about what he was just told.
If the 701st's androids were susceptible to the black-out zones, then that meant his own safety was dependent on their ability to remain operational. And if any of them became a machine lifeform, he had to put them down.