There's a long pause, so long it might seem as though 9S won't answer the question.
He's never had someone to talk to about his problems before. He never had someone who could be entrusted with them. Not even 2B, who had her own secrets that forced them to be apart even when they were together. But Strange is a human, asking a question that is within his power to answer... and he thinks that Strange is one of the people who could understand at least part of it.
"...Imagine that the ball was the only time you and Arabella were honest with your feelings for each other."
He'd kissed 2B... ... And 2B had kissed him back.
"...2B was going to come to the carnival with me." Strange was right about him having an Arabella, so he thinks there's no need for him to explain who 2B is. 9S looks away, voice choking up. "She told me... everyone back home... They're all infected by a logic virus, including her. The virus corrupts androids and causes us to go crazy and attack the uninfected. It's not curable."
At least, most of the time. The virus mutates too quickly for the vaccines they have to keep up. If they're lucky a vaccine will work when treated in the early stages. If not, a Scanner like him could potentially remove it. But it would be an impossible task for him to save them all... and 2B... she...
"And I'm the only one who isn't infected."
Well there's A2, but he can't care about someone he's never met.
"We were going talk to the Ringmaster together. It was the only way to save her. ...But 2B... she wasn't real." He balls his hands into fists, voice growing louder as rage colours his words. "So nothing that happened that night matters. It was a fake, made to toy with my feelings. The things it said about me, about her, about everything, lies, all of it."
He laughs brokenly, a hand covering his face.
"But why can't I believe that? Why do I believe the words of something that wasn't real?"
no subject
He's never had someone to talk to about his problems before. He never had someone who could be entrusted with them. Not even 2B, who had her own secrets that forced them to be apart even when they were together. But Strange is a human, asking a question that is within his power to answer... and he thinks that Strange is one of the people who could understand at least part of it.
"...Imagine that the ball was the only time you and Arabella were honest with your feelings for each other."
He'd kissed 2B...
... And 2B had kissed him back.
"...2B was going to come to the carnival with me." Strange was right about him having an Arabella, so he thinks there's no need for him to explain who 2B is. 9S looks away, voice choking up. "She told me... everyone back home... They're all infected by a logic virus, including her. The virus corrupts androids and causes us to go crazy and attack the uninfected. It's not curable."
At least, most of the time. The virus mutates too quickly for the vaccines they have to keep up. If they're lucky a vaccine will work when treated in the early stages. If not, a Scanner like him could potentially remove it. But it would be an impossible task for him to save them all... and 2B... she...
"And I'm the only one who isn't infected."
Well there's A2, but he can't care about someone he's never met.
"We were going talk to the Ringmaster together. It was the only way to save her. ...But 2B... she wasn't real." He balls his hands into fists, voice growing louder as rage colours his words. "So nothing that happened that night matters. It was a fake, made to toy with my feelings. The things it said about me, about her, about everything, lies, all of it."
He laughs brokenly, a hand covering his face.
"But why can't I believe that? Why do I believe the words of something that wasn't real?"