Hello fellow RWBY lovers! I hope that October is going well! This story is a collaboration between myself and Mr Ilax, so make sure to check out Ilax's profile too! Hopefully you are as excited for the upcoming Volume 4 as we are!
Walking down the halls of Beacon was not something that she has had a chance to recently. The aftermath of the White Fang attack on the school had been devastating and the repairs were extensive. She was one of the first people to return to the school once it had been repaired, as being a huntress was the true calling in her life and she wasn't going to let anything jeopardize that. Seeing the halls devoid of other students was always off-putting, but they would be filled again soon enough. The light patter of footsteps notified her that she was no longer alone.
Turning around, she saw two women walking towards her. Both had long black tresses and walked with equal measures of determination and grace. Clad in battle gear, and wielding swords, the two women approached her. As they got close, she was able to determine one had blazing red eyes while the other's eyes were a glowering amber. Both of the women briefly made eye contact with her without hesitating, a silent judgement that she instantly knew that she failed. Without breaking rhythm, both women slipped past her and disappeared down the hallway.
Before she had a chance to recover, more footsteps sounded down the hallway from the same direction. This time two shorter cloaked figures approached her. While they had mismatched cloaks, one in red and the other white, they had matching silver eyes and red tipped hair. These two smiled at her briefly as they approached but, like the women before, their acknowledgement of her was brief. Soon they cast their vision back down the hall as though she didn't exist and walked past her.
An unwelcome tear slid down her face as she realized that she now had been judged and found unworthy four times now. Heavier footfalls reverberated through the building but she was almost too afraid to look at the newcomers for fear of further rejection. A hand hooked under her chin and brought her gaze up to meet two sets of male eyes, one blue and the other red. Both men smiled at her and briefly embraced her, before she could return the hug, both dissipated into the air. They were gone, and she was alone again.
Yang gasped as she awoke from her nightmare. Chilled sweat covered her body as she attempted to kick off the blankets that covered her. Only succeeded at entangling her legs, she tried to push herself upright only to fall heavily on her right side. A dim light filled the air as her hair started to glow from the anger and frustration that coursed through her. How could she have forgotten, yet again, that she was missing her arm?
Rolling to the other side of the bed, she grabbed the first thing she saw and hurled it across the room. Her frustration only increased as instead of a satisfying crash, the light plastic cup bounced off the wall impotently. Glaring at the container as a it rolled to a halt, the faint moonlight streaming in through the window reflected on the shards of glass that were not swept up properly from the last cup she threw. The last one was made from glass and shattered spectacularly against the wall and had helped ease her turmoil. Her father was less than pleased from the mess and had only brought Yang food and drink in less breakable dishes.
Using her one remaining arm, she scooted herself back against the headboard of her bed so she could sit up properly and stare out the window. Not that it would do her any good, the moon wasn't shining bright enough to see far and it wasn't like anyone ever came to visit her. Even her own father has been leaving for days ever since Ruby took off with Ren, Nora, and Jaune.
Her own sister left her here to wallow in despair on her own. Not that this was new to her, abandonment has been the one consistent thing that she had in her life. Raven left when she was only a few days old, leaving without a trace or any memories that she could cling to. Summer chose to take high risk missions instead of raising her family and got herself killed in the line of duty leaving a even bigger hole in the brawler's heart. After Taiyang, her own father, became distant and, while physically present, he did nothing to support his daughters. Qrow subsequently disappeared off the face of Remnant for his own missions.
She would have thought after losing an arm, someone might stick around, but no. It made sense, though. She was worthless now and no one cares for worthless things. Ruby, her own sister, someone she sacrificed her childhood to raise, left before Yang had even recovered from her wounds and Blake… her partner, someone she had actually been able to trust and confide in, someone she gave a piece of her heart to, just vanished. There was only one person who had selflessly sacrificed herself for Yang and asked for nothing in return. The only person who had held an unshakeable faith in the blonde was gone now; having been abducted from the country by her own father. A girl that she had learned to love instead of hate. Someone she had considered as close to her heart as her partner and sister. At least She hadn't willingly abandoned her.
Clenching her fist tightly, she tried to sort through the tangled mess of thoughts that ran through her head when she heard a noise outside. Rustling of leaves, a squeak of a loose board on the deck, a tap on the front door. When the knocker received no response, they continued tapping against the door, slowly increasing the volume until it became a loud bang. Checking the illuminated face of the clock next to her bed, Yang sighed. At a few minutes past three, unless she answered the door, whoever was knocking would be left without an answer.
Ever since Ruby had left, their father had become almost as much as a drunk as her uncle, but without the ability to function. The few nights he had actually stayed in the house he had fallen asleep in an intoxicated stupor, completely oblivious to the world. Just another person that was, yet again, abandoning her.
Too lost in her own self-deprecating thoughts, she almost missed the soft patter of footsteps and hushed voices that barely filtered through her closed door. Straining to hear the soft voices, she couldn't even determine the gender of the people talking, only that both sides were rather amiable to each other. As the voices stopped, she heard footsteps approach her room.
Slipping off her bed, she readied her one remaining fist she had. She may only be a shadow of her former self, unwilling to fight for those who left her behind, but she wasn't quite ready to succumb to a mysterious stranger in the the night, As she cocked her left hand back, she heard the sharp clack of heeled boots approach her door. Whomever it was, they weren't overly concerned with sneaking about.
Yang gasped as her bedroom door swung open. Her heart leapt as she beheld the features of the intruder; the pure white hair, those piercing blue eyes, that stern, no nonsense expression. Her missing teammate had returned.
No. Yang shook her head. This girl, no, woman, was too tall, even taller than Yang herself. Her hair pulled back into a bun with a small fang of hair partially obscuring her right eye. There was no caring behind the icy exterior like her teammate carried; this had to be her sister.
"Winter?"
It had to be Winter. Yang had never met her teammate's older sister, but the many stories she had heard indicated there couldn't be anyone else that even closely resembled the elder Schnee's daughter.
"You are correct." The woman's demeanor refused to fluctuate. "And you are Yang Xiao Long. Sister of Ruby Rose, your team leader, teammate to my little sister, and, most importantly, the one blamed and hated for causing the Grimm invasion and the war with Atlas."
"Tell me something I don't know." Yang turned and walked back to her bed, flopping down in disgust. It didn't matter if Winter was Weiss' sister or not, she was pissing her off. "What do you mean by war anyways?"
"I mean that Atlas is actively invading Vale and Vacuo with technologically superior armies and weapons."
"What?! Why would they do that?"
"The last thing anyone saw was the world turning against them and decided to retaliate with a preemptive strike. Then again, who knows how long they have been looking for a reason to start another war. They've been quite dissatisfied with the way that the other countries have handled their affairs."
"We didn't turn against them! If anything they turned on us! Their Knights and Paladins just started attacking us out of nowhere!"
"That's what people in Vale saw, but the rest of the world saw it differently. From Atlas it looked like you intentionally stirred up the Grimm to distract Ironwood's armies, then started attacking his soldiers when they were trying to protect the city."
"What about Pyrrha and Penny? You never mentioned if Mistral was attacked."
"Mistral blames both Vale and Atlas and refuses to get involved. The country is too spread out and defensible, Atlas is probably saving them for last. I still wouldn't recommend travelling there anytime soon though, it was one of their students you maimed on live TV after all."
"You're an icy bitch, you know that?" Yang turned stare out the window, avoiding looking Winter in the eye. "You seem to be in the wrong country if we're at war. What are you doing here anyways."
"I'm here to give you a choice Yang Xiao Long."
"Can you stop it with that formal crap? Just tell me why you are here."
"I'm here on behalf of your uncle." That got Yang's attention.
"You know Uncle Qrow?!"
"I may have a… passing acquaintance with that buffoon."
"Ya know, if he wasn't such a drunk, lying runaway, I'd be even more pissed at you right now." Yang eyes narrowed on the operative. "That tells me why you personally are the one here, but that doesn't answer why Qrow needs something from me."
"Because you have had everything taken from you. Your reputation, your freedom, your power as a huntress, even your family and teammates. He wants to give you the ability to take it back."
"I don't understand. There is nothing I can do!" An angry fist clenched as the tips of a wild mass of blonde hair began to glow. "I failed everyone!"
"No." Winter's stern face maintained composure despite the volume of Yang's voice. "They failed you. If I could give you the chance to take back your life, what is the one thing you would want the most? Revenge against Adam? Your partner or sister? To continue looking for your mother? Tr-"
"Weiss."
"What?" Winter's composure broke for the first time since they met as her eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.
"I. Want. Weiss." Yang terse reply elicited a small smile from snowy woman.
"Qrow said that would be your response." She stated as she regained the same frosty visage as before. "I am pleased by your claim, and I will do what I promised."
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
Without responding, Winter dropped her hand to her hip and pressed a button on a small black box that she wore on her hip. Moments later, Yang heard the front door swing open again and several sets of footsteps entire her house.
"If you could follow me to the kitchen." Winter commanded.
"Why? Who is with you?"
"Just the best surgeons and cybernetic technicians I could scrape up in a moments notice." Winter smirked as she beckoned the brawler forward. "We have a new arm for you and with it, the power to achieve your goals."
"Yeah?" Yang perked up and rolled off her bed to stand again. "What's the catch? There is always a catch."
"We are going to have to take the last thing you have." Ice blue eyes bore into muted lavender. "We're going to have to cut your hair."
Just about everything that had originally been in the kitchen had been cleared out. In its place was a portable, metallic operating table. Surrounding the table was several standing lamps, trays clustered with various tools and implements, and half a dozen figures shrouded in medical scrubs and face masks.
Yang shifted uncomfortable on the metal table. The thin fabric of the sheet she was laying on offered little protection against the hard and cold surface beneath her. Likewise, the sheet above her barely protected her from the cold air that had entered the house while the technicians set up the equipment required for the operation. While she would normally be able to keep herself warm with her semblance, she was unable to heat herself as she had been given a dose of Aura-inhibitors with the painkillers and other medicine via an IV. They couldn't risk her Aura flaring up to try to protect her from the surgeon's tools or her semblance from activating by accident.
Despite the various painkillers and anaesthetics she was given, she could still feel pressure on her shoulder and sporadic muscle twitches as nerves were being connected to the artificial synapses in her new arm. The small areas on her scalp where her hair had been shaved down to allow for neural implants itched. The implants were installed early on in the procedure as her stub of an arm was being prepped and a metal cap was installed so her body could interact with the new limb. She had been laying here for several hours now and could see red tendrils start to weave their way through the sky out of the kitchen window. Dawn was close and that meant that the operation should almost be complete.
Unsurprisingly, Winter's last words before agreeing to the surgery caused turmoil in the blonde. Her hair was something that she valued over any material possession, and more than most other people. Winter seemed to be in tune with this fact and continued to explain the process. They wouldn't be taking very much of her hair. There were numerous sites on her head where they would need to implant neural receptors, and each location would need about a square centimeter area to be shaved to implant. After the surgery, the hair would grow back normally. This was not something that was normally done for a cybernetic limb, but Winter had briefly explained that the arm special capabilities beyond a regular cybernetic limb and a direct link to her brain was necessary. She then promised to explain more after the surgery was over. It was a difficult decision, but the blonde was certain that she made the right one.
"Yang." Winter's voice assaulted the drug induced sensitivity of her ears. "We have completed all of the surgical aspects. We are going to put you into a medically induced sleep and purge your body of the Aura inhibitors before injecting you with Aura enhancers. After eight hours we are going to wake you back up. Hopefully, this will be enough time for your Aura to heal your body from the surgery. After that we are going to install the arm onto the nerve cap."
"Mmmkay…" Yang murmured back, barely noticing as a hand switched the bags attached to her IV.
Groaning she sat up weakly, as though her Aura hadn't returned yet, and groggily shook the sleep from her eyes. She looked around, barely able to see through the thick fog that surrounded her, trying to find something that would tell her where exactly she was. Last thing she could remember was lying on a cold surgical bench. A quick glance to her right arm confirmed the existence of a nerve cap, but it lacked to the cybernetic arm.
Slowly shuffling through the swirling fog pressing in on her, she found herself at an archway. The familiarity was striking, but her mind was too clouded from the drugs that had put her under. It wasn't until a small, almost imperceptible, gust of wind briefly cleared the area that she recognized where she was. She was once again back at Beacon, standing at the top of Beacon tower.
Panic ran through her as the reports of firearms, snarling of Grimm, and clash of weapons filtered up to her overlook. Wrapping her one arm around the side of the archway, she leaned out over the edge of the tower to see what was happening. A burst of heat blasted her face as she looked down. What she saw horrified her.
Almost all of Beacon was destroyed or in flame, and the parts that weren't was covered in a sea of black as Grimm infested all parts of the academy. Everyone down there needed her help and she was useless, incapable of helping anyone.
As quickly as the mist had separated, the swirling clouds pressed back down on her surrounding her with a dull grey. As she turned away from the edge she heard a large crack as part of the tower crumbled and fell out from under her.
Falling, she was able to grab a small outcropping with her only hand, bring her to a jarring stop. While the handhold felt stable, she knew she could only hold on for so long and without a second arm climbing back up would be almost impossible.
Through her hopelessness she felt a familiar presence. Looking up she saw a small figure wearing a familiar red cloak standing at the edge of the fractured ledge.
"Ruby! Help me!" Yang shouted up to the other girl.
"I'm sorry, Yang." Emotionless silver eyes gazed down at her.
"What do you mean? Please help me!"
"I tried to help you before, but you're too broken to save."
"Please, just-"
"I can't help you. I need to save the world and you're just holding me back."
With that the cloaked girl turned on her heel and wandered into the mist.
"Ruby! Ruby!" Yang's voice caught in her throat. Her sister had left her again. "Don't leave…"
Her eyes drifted back downwards.
"Why wouldn't she leave?" Another voice spoke up.
Yang's head snapped back up to see another figure standing above her.
"Blake! Please, I need help. I can't hold on for much longer."
"Why should I save you, if you couldn't save me?"
"Please, Blake."
"In the end I couldn't rely on you, for anything. You've always failed me."
Yang could feel the rest of her heart break as she whimpered. "I tried."
The faunus girl simply turned away and retreated back into the mist.
"Goodbye, Yang."
The brawler wept silently to herself, turmoil raging through her. Like her sister, her partner wanted nothing to do with her. She was just a tool, something to be kept until she useless, then discarded and abandoned.
Through her ruminations she could feel her tenuous grip on the ledge starting to slip away until a familiar clacking of heels filled the air.
"Yang? Yaaaaang?" Yang's heart lept. That was Weiss' voice. Her last teammate was nearby.
"I'm over here! Hurry!" She called back hoping Weiss was able to pinpoint her location. She didn't want to shout again as she focused all her attention on her slowly weakening grip.
Like a ghost, the white-clad girl emerged from the mist only a meter from where Yang held on for dear life. With a glance, she took in the situation and immediately dove for Yang's hand right as her grip slipped away.
"Yang!" Weiss cried out. The smaller girl let out a grunt as she barely managed to grab Yang's hand. "Hold on!"
Bracing herself, the heiress pulled Yang back over the edge onto the platform. Panting, they sat side-by-side in silence. Yang still dealing with her tumultuous thoughts and Weiss seemed perfectly content to sit by her side quietly.
Finally standing, Yang reached down and offered her hand the the fencer. With Weiss accepting, she pulled the smaller girl into a strong hug.
"You came back for me." Yang could feel tears slowly leaking out.
"Of course I did. You're my teammate." Weiss pulled away slightly, a small blush creeping up on her cheeks. "And… my friend."
Completely removing herself from Yang's embrace, the white-haired girl straightened her jacket and looked around.
"Come on, let's go find the others."
"No." Yang bowed her head. "They don't want me around."
"They can't actually mean that. You know they both lo-" Weiss stopped abruptly, turning and unsheathing her sword is a swift motion. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Yang looked at the girl curiously. She hadn't seen or heard anything.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." Weiss cautiously walked forward through the mists, Myrtenaster held at the ready.
Silence enveloped Yang again as Weiss completely disappeared into the fog, swallowing up all sounds, including the characteristic click of the heiress' heels.
A moment became several, and then over a minute. Starting to worry about her friend Yang debated following the girl despite being unarmed and Auraless. A loud yell struck fear through the brawler's heart. Weiss was in trouble.
"Let go of me! I'm not leaving with you again. I'm staying here!" Yang could hear the volume of Weiss' protests become quieter as if the girl was getting farther from her.
"Weiss! Weiss!" Yang screamed out into the mist. She tried to follow, but quickly found the opposite edge of the tower. In desperation she turned and ran the other direction still calling for the white haired girl until she reached another arch. No matter which way she turned, she couldn't find her teammate.
Losing hope she slumped to the ground crying bitterly. Not only was she rejected by her sister and her partner again, but she still couldn't save the one person who believed in her.
As the swirling fog began to weigh her down a faint call come out to her.
"Yang, wake up!"
Lavender eyes flashed open as the misty world dissolved around her, replaced with a bright winter's afternoon.
"I'm awake," She murmured out before taking a deep breath. "I'm alive."
"Good." Winter scoffed lightly before continuing. "Though we were quite aware that you were still alive."
"You suck at making jokes." She retorted breathlessly as she struggled to recover from the latest nightmare.
"That is a well known flaw of mine that I have never been eager to correct." Silence followed the dismissive statement.
Yang felt herself dozing back off a little when Winter spoke up again. "If you cannot stay awake we will inject you with a dose of adrenaline."
"Fine." The blonde grumbled as she tried to push herself up into an upright position, only notice moments later that she still didn't have a right arm. "I think you forgot something."
"No." Winter stated as she made eye contact with the patient. "We need to talk, and I felt it would be easier to hold your attention before attaching your new limb. This one in particular comes with its own unique set of… distractions."
"Can it turn unto a really big gun?"
"No." The operatives eyes narrowed on the blonde.
"It won't distract me then."
"Hmm…" She sighed. "As tempting as it would be to test your theory, we are doing this my way." Winter turned to address the physicians and techs who were now packing up equipment. "If you would all leave us for a moment."
As everyone filed out of the room, Yang slowly rolled onto her side and pushed herself up using her one good arm. After a few more moments of fidgeting, and tugging at the surgical gown she was wearing, she was sitting on the edge of the table facing the other woman. The warmth of her newly invigorated Aura caused a small smile to grace her lips. Though something felt a little off, her Aura felt a little too strong. She had been on Aura boosters before, but they usually left her feeling as though her Aura was almost out of control. They also left her jittery and worn out, as though she had too much caffeine, but this was nothing like that. She felt as though she had unimaginable power at her fingertips now, just waiting for her will to unleash in any matter she saw fit.
"So?" She leaned forward and shook her head to allow her hair to fall down by her face like a curtain, though it never came. Dismayed, her still sleep addled mind tried to remember what Winter had said about cutting her hair. "I'm not bald am I?!" She shrieked as her left hand flew up to her head.
She still felt hair, it was just pulled into a tight, albeit comically large, bun.
"Don't worry." No comforting inflection was present in Winter's voice. "We didn't shorten it either. As I told you before we started, we merely had to shave ten spots around your head. Each spot is just over a centimeter in diameter. It was necessary to do so to install the neural interfaces."
"W-will… it really grow back? You promised it would."
Winter pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Qrow warned me about your vanity. We have bigger issues to worry about. But!" She held up her hand to prevent Yang's immediate interruption. "Qrow made sure that I brought some dust from the Schnee… Cosmetic Division. Your hair will indeed grow back in the shaved spots, and the dust that was infused after the surgery will make sure it grows back within a few weeks."
The brawler looked thoughtful for a moment before digging her fingers under her hair to find one of the shaved areas. The spot was sensitive, and she could still feel the incision lines, she was able to corroborate Winter's words. On top of the surgery sites, she could already feel a short growth of hair already.
As she moved her arm about exploring the different areas, she noticed an odd soreness in her back. Dropping her hand from her head, she reached back to probe the skin around her spine where she could feel the tenderness of her flesh.
"You didn't perform back surgery on me too, did you?" Yang grimaced as she continued to trace her fingers as far up as she reach, noting at least half a dozen hairline incisions.
"Not necessarily." The white-haired woman responded. "Like the neural interfaces we had to implant, your new arm required a little extra… power to run.
"By directly interfacing with your central nervous system, we were able to donate you a significant amount of Aura. I'm sure you are feeling some of the effects of it right now but, as your body adapts, you will only become more powerful."
"More Aura?" The blonde narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "How is something like that even possible? Isn't it supposed to be our soul? I don't have two souls now, do I?"
"Don't be so naive. Aura is like any other type of energy. It can be measured, quantified, and, in the right circumstance, transferred."
"If it's so easy, why isn't it more common? Why isn't there a super powered army of hunters to save humans and faunus? Why haven't you had this done to yourself? As a Schnee wouldn't you want anything that puts you above the rest of us?"
"It's not as simple as that." Winter ignored the brawler's taunt, though Yang thought she saw a shadow of sadness cross the woman's face. "Sources of Aura are hard to come by. Even so, most Aura sources are only compatible with specific people. Then, of course, there is a moral grey area involved in the process. One that your Uncle is very vocal about.
"Please." Winter held up her hand as Yang opened her mouth again, preventing the blonde from making a comment. "Let us continue with your arm and I will do my best to explain.
"As we speak, Qrow is in Atlas infiltrating the SDC to rescue Weiss. That was originally my idea, but he somehow managed to track me down before I could attempt it. I am too recognizable and my father would have me under heavy supervision. Qrow's talents as an infiltrator and saboteur are unparalleled and, luckily, he was able to actually provide me with a coherent argument and plan.
"I don't know how he managed to find out, but my sister is being experimented on by my father. That man is obsessed with power and is willing to try to brainwash and 'enhance' his own daughter to get what he wants. In exchange for your uncle's help, he sent me down here to do a task that was 'more up my alley'."
"Your father is doing what to Weiss?" Yang's eyes flashed to red for a brief moment. "How dare he experiment on her!"
"Please calm down." The operative instructed. "You are still healing and we don't need your implants rejecting you."
She wanted as the blonde took several deep breaths and her eyes faded back to a vibrant lilac.
"From the research notes I have been able to get my hands on, my father is running dust experiments on Weiss that are both incredibly dangerous, and exceeding painful. Qrow promised me he would get her out, so I am here to get you back in fighting shape so you can help her when she gets out too. You are supposed to meet them on the coast north of Vale. From there, Weiss is supposed to assist you in your next task."
"The shores north of Vale?" Yang deadpanned. "That's a huge area. Please tell me that he gave you a more specific location. I won't even have a way to contact him with the CCT system down."
"He gave me a device to implant in your new arm that will allow him to locate you at any time. No one else should be able to detect it though." A white eyebrow arched slightly. "Aren't you curious what your second task is?"
"Yeah, sorry." The brawler rubbed the back of her head, wincing as she hit some sore spots. "I just wanted to make sure I could find Weiss first."
"Your focus on helping my sister is commendable, and it is something that I am greatly thankful for. Not many people have shown her kindness in her life." Winter stern visage cracked briefly once again before refreezing. "But after you and her reunite, you need to hunt down your mother, Raven. I-"
"She isn't my mother." Yang gave a stern look. "Summer Rose was my mother."
"Forgive my slip of tongue." Winter gave a small nod back. "We need to you to hunt down and contact Raven Branwen."
"How am I supposed to do that? She had avoided everyone who has searched for her for the last seventeen years!"
"Qrow gave me the information that you will need to find her. It will just take time and effort. If you agree to look for her after reuniting with Weiss, you get your arm."
"And why should I care about her?"
"We believe that she has captured your missing teammate, Blake, and may have ill intentions with her."
"Again, why should I care? They both abandoned me."
"Would the continued existence of Mankind persuade you?'
"I… Yes, it would. But how could they be important enough?"
"I am not sure, Qrow refused to give me any specifics on why they are both significant. I do know that both Qrow and Raven were looking for different solutions to the same problem, and disagreed on each other's methods. Once you agree to finding her, you will be able to access that information yourself from your new arm."
"Fine, I'll do it then. If only to beat an answer out of both of them as to why they would just leave me."
"Thank you, Yang. Once we complete this, and you and Weiss reunite, I will be able to use my resources to help fight back against Atlas."
With that, Winter went to the door that lead to the next room and signalled the technicians to come back in. On of them was carrying a robotic arm that had a very familiar color scheme to it, and on the arm was the missing half to Ember Celica.
"You found Ember!" She cheered, elated to know her weapon was not lost.
"We found your arm too." Winter beckoned the man forward. "We were able to take measurements to ensure the replacement would be the correct size. Unfortunately, your arm was too damaged to do anything with."
"Eww… You touched it?"
"No!" The operative exclaimed as her eye twitched a little. "One of the technicians did it."
"Ok, ok." Yang smiled at the beleaguered Atlesian before laying back down. "Just give me my new arm."
"This won't take long." The technician holding the arm grunted to her.
True to his word, the man and one assistant quickly attached the arm to the nerve cap that was fixed to Yang' upper arm. She watched in fascination as the systematically connected all the the neural pathways to the artificial couplings on the limb. A few bolts later and the arm was connected.
"Alright." The lead engineer stated as he look to his cohorts. "Preparing for low power operation."
Inserting one last driver, Yang felt something click.
"Just think about raising your arm up towards the ceiling and make a fist." The man instructed, not as gruff as he was before.
Yang watched in awe as she saw the robotic arm lift up above her head and the hand on it balled itself into a fist.
"Right now it is in low power mode." He explained. "When it is like this it will operate as a basic prosthetic. No tactile feedback and limited strength, but it will operate endlessly and can perform all your basic household tasks. Next we are going to activate all of your nerve endings. When we do this, try to move your arm like normal. It should give feedback via temperature, pressure, pain, and kinesthetic awareness. In a sense, it will operate like a normal arm. If you treat it right, it should be able to run in that mode indefinitely as well, with the dust power cells recharging overnight while you sleep.
"If you go into combat, you should be able to channel your Aura through it like you would through any other limb and it should respond in kind. Finally, there is one last feature about this limb that is different than other prosthetics. It is the reason that we had to install the neural interfaces in your skull and give you a stronger Aura."
"Oh? What is that?"
"It would be better if we just showed you." Winter interjected, closing the final pieces of casing around the arm. "Initiate procedure 'No Strings On Me'."
"Affirmative." A small speaker in the arm squeaked to life. "Salutations! My name is Penny and it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Xenon - Poor Yang, hopefully life will start looking up for her! This idea has been kicking around for awhile, but summer is so busy that we were just able to get it out now. Just in time for Volume 4! Hopefully it is happier than the end of Volume for reading. Please favorite, follow, or review!
Ilax - So fun story, the name to this came around because I can't pronounce untitled properly. After making fun of me for weeks, we realized that the way I pronounced actually worked for the theme of our story. Anyways, enough trivia today. I hope you all enjoyed and I am happy we were able to get this out before Volume 4 dropped! Let us know how we did with a fav, follow, or the best things, a review.