Remnants Cyborg
By draconianerror
Chapter 1
Sup guys I've been reading fanfiction for years and I finally decided to try my hand at writing. This Is going to be a self insert fic and I have a pairing in mind already. I'm going to make this as close to canon as possible, meaning there won't be a team of OCs. Starts one year before canon with a time skip at the beginning of the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, any of its characters, or any other media that may appear in the story. I'm just a broke high school senior that's trying to find his way on the road of life :P
Bio
Ash Harkin
Appearance: Ash has Spiky black hair, reddish brown eyes, and a tan complexion. He has the build of a runner (so he's muscled but has a body built for speed).
Personality: Ash Is very laid back but will get serious when the need arises. He's extremely smart as you will see when he designs his weapon. He also doesn't tolerate when people mess with his friends, bully others, or act racist. He is also somewhat dense when it comes to girls.
Likes: Hanging out with friends, music, mechanics, making people happy, fighting challenging opponents
Dislikes: Racists, bullies, pointless violence
AN 11/21/16: Made minor edits to the chapter for clarity
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'Ugh schools about to start next week' I thought as I stared at my reflection in the window of the plane. I was greeted with the sight of my unruly short black hair that spiked in every direction, reddish brown eyes, and tan complexion. Summer vacation was about to end and I was not looking forward to my second year of high school. I didn't hate school, I just felt that It wasn't challenging enough. At least I have some cool friends there. Speaking of which, I pulled out my phone and began to message my friend Bradley.
'Yo Brad what's up'
'Nothing much Ash how was your trip to England?'
'It was pretty cool. I got to see my grandparents and hang out with my cousins. I'm over the pacific and 5 hours away from New York right now.'
'So Ash you ready for sophomore year'
'Hell no the classes are so boring '
'Everybody can't be a genius like you Ash. I mean seriously you managed to Ace all of your classes last year and half of them were college level'
That was true. As a freshman I took college biology, chemistry, calculus, and history.
I was broken out of my stupor when the plane started to shake. 'It must be turbulence' I thought.
'True hey I gotta go. I'll talk to you when I land'
'Alright and Ash happy 16th birthday in advance'
'Thanks Brad! Later' I honestly forgot my birthday was 3 days away.
The plane then began to shake violently. "All passengers and flight attendants please return to your seats," said the pilot. "We are approaching a large mass of clouds and we cannot avoid it." I look out my window and I see nothing but a mass of ominous black clouds surrounding us. It was as if a black tidal wave was about to swallow the plane whole.
Lightning flashed around the plane, the white beams of light only furthered my fear of the inevitable. 'Are we going to crash? Was I going to die?' These were some of the thoughts whirling around in my head as I look out the window and into the hellish storm.
As if answering my questions, a stream of lightning launches itself at the plane's right wing. "SCREEEEEECH" In slow motion, I watch in horror as the wing is wrenched clean off the fuselage (the body of the plane). And then we begin to nosedive.
"EVERYBODY PUT ON YOUR OXYGEN MASKS AND BRACE YOURSELVES!" Yells the pilot over the screams of my fellow passengers. Myself and the other passengers hastily put on our masks. Then the planes left wing is struck with a strong wind current turning our uncontrolled nosedive into a downward spiral of death.
'Shit shit shit oh god oh god I'm going to die' I scream in my head. Looking out the window I see that the plane is falling to fast to safely fall into the ocean. The Pilot begins to count down to the time of the impact.
"Thirty Thousand Feet."
"Twenty Five Thousand Feet."
"Nineteen Thousand Feet."
"Eight Thousand Feet."
"Three Thousand Feet."
"Five Hundred Feet."
Then everything fades to white.
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Pain. That was what I felt when I regained consciousness. "AGHHHHHHHHH!" I Howled out in agony. It felt like my body was ripped apart and I couldn't move my limbs. Dense smoke floated around me, stealing my vision. So I continued to lay on what felt like snow and waited for the smoke to clear. As I laid there, I felt something wet and sticky pooling around my body. It also smelt metallic like coined money. After several moments the smoke dissipated and I looked down at myself and screamed in horror. My body wasn't just ripped apart, it was utterly mutilated.
I was missing everything from my pelvis down (thankfully I still had what makes me a man), both my arms and had a massive laceration running diagonally from my left shoulder to the right side of my abdomen. I also realized that despite the plane crashing over the ocean, somehow I was inside of a large crater with what appeared to be scorch marks surrounding me. But I pushed that out of my mind for now. And continued to scream in pain hoping that someone could relieve my of my misery. I was writhing in pain and my body felt frozen. 'I'll just take a quick nap to regain my energy.' The last thing I remember was hearing the roar of an engine in the distance.
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James Ironwood was a very far-thinking and tactical man. He liked to believe that If an opponent's actions could be predicted then victory could be assured. Unfortunately some circumstances cannot be foreseen.
'Hmmm how many Atlesian airships should I send to oversee the Vytal Festival?' Thought Ironwood. Currently, said general was going over the security detail from his office at Atlas Academy.
The unexpected thud on his door broke him out of his thoughts. "Come in," commanded Ironwood in a professional tone.
James is greeted with the sight of Winter Schnee. "Hello General," greeted Winter with a salute.
"At ease," replied the general.
"Sir, scanners have indicated that a massive surge of electrical energy is being produced in the snow fields north of here," articulated Winter.
'Hmmm… interesting. perhaps we can harness this energy?' mused Ironwood. "Alright. Go prepare an airship and I'll be with you shortly. Grab Penny and debrief her on the way; she could use the experience from this investigation."
"Sir, we're approaching the LZ and the electrical pulse seems to have died down, but there is a single massive aura signature about 150 meters east of here," stated the airship's pilot moments before they landed in the frozen tundra.
"Alright stay here and be ready for a quick take off in case the person is a hostile," ordered Ironwood. The pilot nodded in response as James turned around to address his subordinates.
"Like I just said to the pilot, stay vigilant. We don't know if this person is a hostile, but if they are, immobilize them so we can bring them in for questioning," said the general.
"Affirmative General." "Ok Sir." replied Winter and with determination stated Penny.
And with that, the three disembarked the ship and began their trek towards the aura source. The group was continuously buffeted by the unrelenting force of the wind. While the two humans were cold, they were not deterred from their objective.
"We're nearing the objective. Stay sharp," Said Ironwood as the three stalked towards the signature.
"Look over there…" whispered Penny as she pointed towards a humongous smoke filled crater that spanned 8 meters in diameter. When the group cautiously strode closer, they were met with the unmistakable scent of blood. The rank smell of blood permeated the air. It was so thick it's was almost palpable. When the smoke finally dissipated the group could only stare in horror. In the center of the crater was the dead body of a boy, who was missing both legs, both arms, had a massive cut across his chest and was floating in a pool of his own blood.
'Oh my god…' thought Winter, too shocked to say anything.
Penny was also in a similar state of mind, 'This poor boy, how did it happen?'
James was the only person able to move after witnessing the macabre scene. After steeling his resolve, he stepped into the crater leaving Winter and Penny to guard the area. 'His chest is rising and falling,' Ironwood realized in disbelief after closer inspection. He knelt down next to the boy's neck and checked for a pulse. The boy had an extremely faint pulse and James knew that if he went any longer without medical attention he would die. Thinking quickly Ironwood tightly wrapped the boy in his jacket and carried him out of the crater.
"He's somehow alive, but his pulse is faint we have to hurry if we want to save him" solemnly said James to Winter and Penny.
"O-ok" stuttered out both of them still shaken up by such a gory scene. And with that the group sprinted back to the airship. The airship's door opened and the three rushed inside. "Hurry and get to the hospital, we have a wounded boy in critical condition!" shouted James to the pilot.
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1 week later
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was laying in a hospital bed with a blanket draped over my body and an IV drip inserted into my chest. The second thing I noticed was that I couldn't feel my legs and arms. 'Oh no no no that was a dream a bad nightmare,' I tried to reason with myself. I looked around the room for a way to escape but I was incapable of doing anything besides moving my neck (I was unknowingly still sedated). All of a sudden a sharp pain traveled through my body. My nerves felt like they were on fire. I was afraid that I looked down I would find blood seeping out of my pores. But when I looked down I was greeted with the sight of purple lightning sparking around my body. I screamed out in fear but the lightning only intensified. It continued to discharge off of my body. For what seemed like hours it assaulted the walls of my room, leaving black scorch marks in their wake. When I calmed down they finally dissipated and I passed out.
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3 weeks later
"The boy's vitals have stabilized and we believe he will recover without complication," A female Deer Faunus informed the other two people in the room as they all looked at the unconscious form of Ash.
"Good Job Crystal, but did you manage to find any information on him?" Ironwood questioned.
"Well that's the thing sir. The DNA matches came back and nothing on file resembles his DNA and there are no identifying marks on him besides his wounds," The now identified Crystal responded.
Sighing in resignation he turned to the final person in the room. "Doctor Brown do you still believe in your absurd theory?" He asked the only scientist in the room. (AN:Yes he's the doctor from back to the future)
"Yes I do," Doc Brown responded jovially "With a high enough controlled electrical output, the fabric of space and time could be distorted, allowing for inter dimensional travel or even time travel. And when this boy appeared in the tundra, he was discharging over 1.21 gigawatts. Which, according to my research, would be strong enough to cause temporal distortion, allowing time travel to take place."
Pinching the bridge of his nose "While I don't agree with your theory, your scientific achievements speak for themselves. After all, you did design Penny and countless other atlas weapons." Ironwood stated honestly "Fine I'll humor you and believe that your theory holds true but make sure the boy is under watch 24/7."
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1 week later (Ash has been unconscious for roughly a month)
I awoke feeling a slight pain in my phantom appendages. "It was real" I breathed out in shock of what happened. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door. "Come in," I replied hoping to get some answers as to what happened to me.
Two men strode into my room. The first man was wearing a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, and a red necktie. The other man was an elderly Caucasian and had white hair and a lab coat. I focused on the first which seemed... familiar to me.
"Hello young man, my name is General James Ironwood," greeted the now identified General. "What is your name, where did you come from and what is the last thing you remember? We have nothing on file about you." Questioned Ironwood with narrowed eyes.
'Wait Ironwood isn't he from RWBY?! This must be another hallucination' "My name is Ash Harkin I'm turning 16 years old in a few days. I was born in New York on the continent of North America. I remember riding a plane to get home but a storm ripped off one of its wings causing it to crash. After that I woke up in that crater only to pass out from blood loss," I said.
The two men shared a glance before the man in the lab coat nodded to James. "My names is Doctor Brown. Roughly a month ago, there was a large electrical pulse that originated from where General Ironwood found you. When you were brought here, your aura was measured. You have so much aura our scanner can't read all of it. Actually, the amount of aura you have can easily be the largest that has ever been recorded. And judging by the electrical burns on the walls, you're the source of the electrical surge. In regards to this 'North America' neither myself nor the General have ever heard of it. I have been researching temporal distortion for a long time and have come up with the theory that a strong enough electrical force can create a rip in the space time continuum. My theory was proven true by you and your arrival." stated Doc Brown internally happy at discovering a scientific breakthrough.
I stared wide eyed at the both of them. 'I still think this is a dream but for now I'll roll with it. But if it's not a dream, I can't tell them about the show because it might alter the timeline' I thought. "Ok, is there anything either of you two can do to help me with... you know," I said pointing my head at my missing limbs.
James then stepped forth and unrolled his right sleeve showing his robotic appendage. "I lost my right arm and leg. So like you I know how it feels to be research, and development has been working on creating newer, lightweight cybernetics, but lightning dust can only power it for so long. They believe that your lightning manipulation semblance and high aura capacity could be the key to making said robotics work," Said James sounding sincere.
"Are there any strings attached?" I questioned.
This time it was Doctor Brown that spoke. "We would have to monitor you constantly but besides that there Is no catch. Since we can't power them for prolonged periods of time you're the only person who could possibly use them. Until we figure out how to make it more energy efficient, it's nothing more than a pipe dream."
"Ok, when can we start the procedure?" I asked excited at the idea of having my legs and arms back.
"We can start now, but we'll have to put you under anesthesia now and you will be unconscious for several days. You also shouldn't have to go through therapy because you can manipulate your bio electricity to control your robotic limbs." warned/stated Doctor Brown. He left the room only to return shortly after with a gas canister with a mask attached to it. Doc then put the mask on me and released the gas into my lungs. Like a swift punch to the head, I was out.
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Several Days later
I awoke back in my hospital bed, with a blanket still draped over my body. The silence in the hallways and lack of sunlight in my room alerted me that it was around evening. I sat up and was startled by the sight of Penny staring at me. 'Wait, if Penny is still alive then I arrived here before Volume 3' I thought
" Oh hello your awake. My name is Penny Polendina," said Penny who continued to look at me.
"Umm hello. The general probably already told you but my name is Ash Harkin," I said "Would you like to be my friend?" I asked as an afterthought. 'This is totally going to bite me in the ass but I've always liked her character'.
"Really? That is sensational!" Penny squealed out in excitement. After calming down she asked, "So how are you feeling?"
"I don't feel any different," I said confused.
"Try to focus on moving your legs and arms," suggested Penny as she pulled off the blanket.
When I was uncovered I was greeted with the sight of my new metallic limbs. My legs and arms were gray and were surrounded by a purple glow. They looked almost identical to Genos' cyborg parts from One Punch Man besides the purple glow.
"Hey, why are they glowing?" I questioned.
"The general said that you're passively using your semblance to move your robotic features. But since you have so much aura you can still use your semblance in a combat situation," Penny said sounding a little bit uncomfortable after mentioning the word robotic.
"Oh It's fine I don't mind having cybernetic parts. It's what's inside of a person that matters," I said, trying to make Penny feel confident about herself.
She smiled at me and was going to say something but the door opened up. "Hello Ash," Ironwood stated as he stepped into my room. "The surgery was successful, but what do you plan on doing now? You could always become a huntsman." Questioned and suggested James.
"I would like to become a huntsman, but I've never received any kind of training before," I admitted.
"Well the cybernetics have increased your strength and speed exponentially. Now you just have to learn how to use them and create a fighting style along with a weapon," Ironwood replied before continuing. "But for now we'll let you rest and pick you up in the morning for training. Come on Penny," gesturing towards Penny with a come hither motion.
"Night Ash, see you tomorrow," Penny said excited at the thought of hang out with her new friend tomorrow.
"Goodnight Penny. Bye General Ironwood," I said as they left the room.
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Next morning
"SALUTATIONS!" Penny shouted running into my room.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" I screamed, falling off the bed, "Ouch… Penny, its too early to be talking that loud," I told her after picking myself off the floor.
"Oops, sorry…" She meekly replied.
I sighed, "It's ok, I forgive you."
"Alright Ash get changed and then let's go," Ironwood said, standing in the doorway before handing me a bundle of clothes and pointing towards the bathroom in the hallway.
Stepping into the bathroom I began to change. Surprisingly Ironwood has a good taste in clothes. I looked back over myself in the mirror. I was sporting a white undershirt, a black short sleeved jacket that had red fur on its collar, black cargo shorts with two red belts forming an X at his waist and, black and red combat boots (imagine a mix of Leon's and Sora's outfits from KH2) . After I finished admiring my new clothes I exited the bathroom. It only took me a moment to find General Ironwood and Penny waiting in the lobby
"Thanks for the clothes general," I said making my gratitude known.
"Don't thank me, Penny was the one who picked them out," Ironwood stated before walking over to the attendance desk to fill out my discharge papers.
"Oh. Well thanks Penny," I said smiling at her.
"It's alright, and you look pretty good in them," she shyly said blushing.
I awkwardly laughed unsure how to respond to Penny's red cheeks. 'Seriously, how Is she blushing and why is she blushing?' I thought confused.
"Alright, let's go," James said before leading us out of the room.
'This Is a lot bigger than I imagined it would be' I thought following Ironwood and Penny into the training room. It was easily larger than beacon academy's combat room. As we walked to the center I saw a familiar figure.
"Ash this is Winter Schnee. Winter this is Ash Harkin," James said gesturing to both Winter and I.
"It's a pleasure," Winter vocalized sticking out her arm.
"Likewise," I started shaking her hand.
"So Ash, for the next year we will be training you in hand to hand combat, aura usage, how to control your semblance, and you will create and train with your weapon of choice. But firstly, do you have any ideas for what weapon you would like to use?" James asked me.
"Yeah I do but I was also wondering if I can get hidden weapons installed into my arms and legs. That way If I get disarmed I'll still have some weapons on me" I replied.
"Good idea. Winter start his tortu- I mean training. Penny and I will alternate training him with you," Ironwood said before leaving.
'Oh boy…' I thought to myself, sweating nervously.
And Cut.
Muahaha I love a good cliffhanger. Don't worry there will be some fight scenes next chapter and RWBY's Canon starts next chapter. I already have a weapon design in mind and what hidden weapons he'll use. I don't really have an update schedule for this story but I'll try to update as frequently as possible. As I said before this is my first fic. So I would appreciate it if you guys could leave review of things that I could change to make the story better.