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Bundle Of Joy
The war against Salem and forces had gone on for almost decade without respite; with each side growing more desperate and extreme in their methods. Arthur Watts had convinced the Winter Maiden to join the side of the ancient witch and she, alongside a seemingly endless tide of creatures of Grimm and Atlas's own mechanical forces had laid siege to Atlas Academy to seize the Relic of Creation; it was at this point that Arthur Watts had delivered a final spiteful blow to the Kingdom that had scorned and exiled him by using the relic to create a legion of a thousand copies of Tyrian Callows and shatter the Scorpion Faunus's already broken mind beyond repair. The legion of Tyrian's was used to attack the Atlesian Council and chase down any students escaping from Atlas Academy; in a single bloody night the Kingdom of Atlas almost ceased to exist, it's military crippled, it's government assassinated en mass and the next generation of its' Hunters massacred in their school.
Following the breaking of Atlas the four Kingdoms formed a unified resistance effort against Salem, whose presence could no longer be hidden or denied and this resistance waged war against the darkness with ferocity that rivalled the Creatures of Grimm themselves; culminating in a daring attack by Ruby Rose, a rebuilt Penny Polendina, Oscar Pine whom had merged with Ozpin in such a way that the former farmhand was now the dominant force within their shared psyche and the Summer Maiden. Ruby had used her silver eyes to cut a swathe through the seemingly endless horde of Grimm and allow the Summer Maiden to use both her own powers and the Relic of Destruction in tandem; wiping Evernight Fortress from the face of Remnant in an attack that cost the young woman her life.
Ever since Evernight had fallen there had been no sign of Salem, though it was obvious that the witch still lived as the Grimm continued to act with co-ordination that could only be the product of an organised, yet unspeakably hate filled mind. As months and years passed however, whilst many maintained that this relative peace was nothing but the calm before a storm of apocalyptic proportions, many others began the process of rebuilding and creating a new society from the ashes of what had been lost. Weiss reconciled with her brother and the pair ran the Schnee Dust Company as joint heads, working to correct the sins of their father. Ruby alongside Penny, to whom she was now married, and Oscar continued the search for Salem and any of her agents who remained unaccounted for; Jaune, Ren and Nora had begun work on creating a new Hunter Academy named for the fallen Pyrrha Nikos, joined in their efforts by their former professors and in an odd but welcome turn of events, Hazel Rainart. Yang and Blake had chosen to take advantage of new technology created during the darkest days of the war and start a family.
What remained of the Kingdom of Atlas had refused to go gently into the night and had instead begun turning all of the ruthlessness and ingenuity that those native to the icy Kingdom were renowned for toward the creation of a new kind of weapon and a new breed of Huntress. Following the destruction of the original android known as Penny Polendina General Ironwood had recruited the professor behind her creation for one further task, promising him all he would need to recreate his daughter once more in exchange for his services. Professor Geppetto Polendina was to lead a research team using the genetic material of the captured Cinder Fall to create true artificial humans, all of whom would be potential Maidens; forming the core of an army that would retake Atlas's territory. The project had ultimately been cancelled, though not before news of its' existence was leaked to the public whose outcry could only be described as righteous fury. In an effort to sooth the masses the new Atlesian Council offered a discovery that had been made from the research to the public; it was no possible to create a viable fetus from any two donors, regardless of gender; a child born of this process would always be female and the process could not be considered natural in any way, yet to countless couples across Remnant Atlas's gift to the world represented hope and answered prayers.
Currently Yang and Blake, now in their mid thirties, were enjoying breakfast with their children born of the 'Kindling Process' a name chosen by Geppetto Polendina because in his mind the creation of new life and giving it to others was the exact opposite of everything Cinder Fall had stood for.
"WOAH! AUNT RUBY IS SO COOL!" the energetic voice of their eldest daughter, five year old Yinying Belladonna exclaimed, whilst four year old Ranshao nodded silently in agreement due to having a mouth full of food at the time. Both of their children had inherited Blake's Faunus attribute and feline ears adorned their skull, though they had also both inherited Yang's blonde hair giving them fur that was almost golden in colour; however both children had also acquired some of the genetic oddities that were for more common in the children of the Kindling Process, Yinying sported Yang's pale amethyst eyes and Blake's naturally pale complexion whilst her hair was unusual in that it was golden yellow at the roots but gradually darkened to glossy ebony at its' tips in an unnatural gradient. Ranshao's hair was entirely golden and she was naturally tanned with a light dusting of freckles across her nose, she was also heterochromatic with her right eye being a bright amber colour and the left being the fiery bright red of Yang's own eyes whilst her Semblance was engaged and both eyes featured slitted feline pupils giving her an appearance utterly at odds with her sunny disposition.
"Yeah she is" Blake chuckled as she ruffled her daughters' hair, the comment had been prompted by a news program that Blake and Yang had been paying limited attention to until a story detailed the latest exploits of Ruby in her exploits to find Salem and defend Salem from the forces of Grimm; currently the television showed shaky footage, recorded by a civilian, of the scythe wielding Huntress single-handedly halting a three headed dragon Grimm large enough to house a small village on its' back.
"Hopefully she'll come and visit soon" Yang noted "She's gotta be worn out after that" the children seemed to inflate with giddiness at the prospect, Aunt Ruby, Aunt penny and Uncle Oz told the best stories and brought the best gifts whenever they came to visit.
"Our next story" the voice of long time news anchor Lisa Lavender announced "Is that several scientists working at a Kindling Clinic close to the Vale, Vaccuo border have been reported missing. Police are treating the disappearances as suspicious and there are unconfirmed reports of White Fang graffiti being found at the scene"
"Damn it!" Blake spat, suddenly incensed before catching herself and realising that her daughters were staring at her in wide eyed shock; Blake never cursed where the children could here her.
"You think bargaining chips?" Yang offered
"I don't know, I honestly don't know any more" Blake sighed, clearly saddened beyond words that the hatred between their species still persisted. With the White Fang's involvement in the early atrocities of the war and the legion of Tyrian's that had wreaked carnage in Atlas anti-Faunus sentiment continued to rise despite the best efforts of Ghira Belladonna with Blake at his right hand; this had in turn led to countless smaller militant Faunus cells springing into existence and touting the name of the White Fang; ensuring that even long after his death Adam Taurus's spectre continued to haunt Remnant in the form of a legacy of hatred and violence.
"Hey, focus on what we can fix" Yang advised her gently "You've got that business trip coming up soon right? Give Weiss and Ilia my best….and tell Weiss to pick up the Scroll when she gets five minutes to herself; Schnee-ds to relax more" the children giggled at the pun even as Blake rolled her eyes.
"Will do, come on Yinying it's time for school" the eldest Belladonna hopped out of her chair with a bright smile and life inside the Belladonna household continued, the news of scientists being captured by the White Fang being pushed to the back of their minds within moments.
It shouldn't have.
After a little over six months of searching Team CFVY had finally gotten a solid lead on their quarry, the White Fang cell responsible for the kidnapping of a group of scientists from the border. The information had come courtesy of Sun Wukong who had formed a detective agency in the crime filled desert Kingdom of Vaccuo that he called home and that Team CFVY had adopted as their own since the fall of Beacon. The Monkey Faunus had a natural affinity for crime and getting even the most dour and stoic people to talk; he had also recruited the reformed Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai as well as predictably working alongside his old partner Neptune Vasilias. Team CFVY had vehemently refused the offer of assistance from Mercury and Emerald when tackling the White Fang; which instead left them with Neptune; something which Coco noted may not be better.
"Target sighted" Neptune informed them coldly, a great change had befallen him since his time as a flirtatious and image-obsessed transfer student and it could not be said that it was an improvement. Neptune had been horrifically injured during a bloody battle against Salem's forces and the extensive reconstruction surgery had left him more machine than man. Three of Neptune's limbs had been entirely replaced, leaving only his left arm remaining, his spine and heart had been repaired with cybernetic implants and several other organs had been replaced entirely whilst the goggles that had formerly adorned the top of his head were placed over cybernetic eyes and he spoke with a voice that was synthetic enough for those who heard it to know that his vocal cords had been damaged beyond repair. The physical damage had been devastating in the extreme, though the psychological trauma was arguably worse; whilst Neptune Vasilias had once been deathly afraid of heights, and water, and enclosed spaces he no longer felt fear; he longer felt anything at all.
"You're sure that's the place?" Coco asked, an eyebrow raising above the frame of her sunglasses
"Affirmative" the reply was unsettling to those who remembered Neptune as he had once been, Coco refused to visibly shudder though; out of respect for what remained of the mans' soul if nothing else. Staring at the target in question, truthfully little more than a hole crudely gouged into the side of a mountain which served as the entrance to one of Vaccuo's long since tapped Dust mines the fashionista pursed her lips and motioned to her team
"Honey-bun, Fox you got anything?"
"Will you not call me that in public" Velvet gasped from her scouting position atop Yatsuhashi's shoulders, cheeks flushing as she did so
"It's hardly public when you're in a wasteland" Fox noted before addressing his team leader as he crouched low and placed an open palm on the dusty ground "Place reeks of Grimm, can't sense anything moving around though….we're clear on that front at least
"There's spent casings everywhere, I can see them catching the sunlight" Velvet added as she took in all the details that human eyes might miss; there's some blood in the sand over there and a few claw marks on those boulders"
"So" Coco paused to rationalise the information she had been given "Something is drawing Grimm here but is well equipped to fend them off rather just simply fall back to a safer position"
"It seems that we've found the White Fang" Yatsuhashi nodded calmly "Negativity and a lot of weapons"
"Let's go" Coco ordered, marching towards the entrance with her team and Neptune following behind her. As they entered the cave system it soon became apparent that they would have to split up as there was seemingly an entire facility built at ground level within the hollowed out mountain in addition to a lift shaft which appeared to still be functional and well maintained despite the passage of time, leading into the subterranean depths.
"Yatsu cover the entrance, I don't want any nasty surprises. Fox, take Neptune and work through this facility; see if you can find the scientists"
"Got it" Fox nodded
"Permission to use lethal force against hostiles" Neptune intoned, a touch of deep festering rage tingeing his words in a rare display of his remaining humanity. Coco scowled for a moment as she considered everything that the White Fang were responsible for
"Only if they shoot first, no killing non-combatants"
"Understood" Coco let out a quiet breath at that before turning to Velvet "Come on, we're seeing what's downstairs"
The descent into the reclaimed mines had been silent and tense, though Coco had still reached out and taken Velvet's hand in hers to squeeze it reassuringly; with nobody else to see them Velvet had responded by planting a soft kiss on Coco's cheek. Then they had stepped out into the tunnels as the sound of gunfire echoed down to them from above
"Looks like they found something" Coco noted, desperately trying to maintain her calm and composure as she and Velvet carefully moved through their surroundings, the tunnels were large enough to walk though comfortably and dimly lit with flickering lights though this did nothing to detract from the sense of foreboding that gripped them both.
"What the fuck?" Coco demanded in a harsh whisper as they rounded a corner and came across twin rows of cylindrical tanks; each tank roughly eight feet tall and filled with a greenish blue translucent liquid and housing a single occupant.
"Dead" Velvet mouthed out, wiping tears from her eyes as she inspected each other tanks which lined the walls of the tunnel "They're all dead….dead Faunus babies"
"This is what they need the scientists for" Coco realise, fury and disgust permeating her tone "Breeding an army"
"Let's go" Velvet snarled, voice filled with more fury and outrage than Coco would have thought possible "Whatever is at the end of this tunnel, we're putting an end to this!" with their course of action decided the pair marched swiftly through the tunnels, Coco deploying her Mini-gun as Velvet clutched at her camera and prepared to spring into action at a moments notice. They came to a steel door that had been roughly fixed in place and simply kicked it free of its' hinges; bursting into the room on the other side
"ON THE GROUND YOU SICK FUCKS!"
"Shh quiet now" a deep and sinister voice, oily in its' smoothness sneered back at them "You'll wake the baby"
"Yuma!" Velvet bellowed; the Bat Faunus had escaped prison on Menagerie years ago and had become one one the prominent leaders of the scattered terrorist network that the White Fang had become. He was flanked by pair of robed Faunus, one sporting large pincers in place of hands and the other having a chitinous exoskeleton growing over their flesh. Behind them was a single containment tank like the ones they had passed, though this one was connected to a series of computer terminals and was by all estimations functional.
"It's over!" the Rabbit Faunus assured him "You won't breed our people to die in your war!"
"You've got one Faunus to show for your plan to build an army, you're a failure" Coco added "Get on the ground and we'll take you into custody instead of painting the walls red"
"An army?" Yuma chuckled "You simple minded human, this is a far greater endeavour; this is the second coming and the salvation of the Faunus race….I'm not creating an army, I'm creating a Messiah!"
"You're sick" Velvet replied simply before rushing forwards, with a single nod Yuma's followers shot forwards to meet her only for the Insectoid Faunus to collapse to the floor as they came jerking to a halt when Coco opened fire
"WATCH THE TANK!" Velvet exclaimed as she leapt into the air; leaping over the Crab Faunus and rotating as she passed over them. A copy of the staff used by Sun Wukong manifested in her hands and as Velvet fell she brought the shaft of the weapon down onto her opponents' neck before driving her knee into the back of their skull as they fell. With the underlings removed the equation Yuma was forced to enter the fray himself and a single flap of his powerful wings brought him within inches of Velvet's face; her frantic attempt to create some distance between them was to no avail and she found strong hands closing around her throat and hoisting her into the air; Yuma had always favoured strangling his victims to death
"PUT HER DOWN!" Coco roared as she charged them, collapsing her weapon back into its' handbag form and simply swinging the compacted weapon at the Bat Faunus's elbow, breaking his left arm with a sickening crack and forcing him to release his grasp on Velvet. Struggling to breathe she rose to her feet and saw with widening eyes that even one handed Yuma was a capable fighter and was holding his own against Coco. Taking in a gulp of air the Rabbit Faunus clutched her weapon and decided that the only course of action would be the one that the White Fang had chosen to make their hallmark; swift and extreme violence.
"COCO GET CLEAR!" she called out in warning as she created one of the largest weapons that her camera could replicate; an entire Atlesian Paladin of the latest model. Yuma's futile attempt to flee as the hard-light construct brought a mechanical foot down on him resulted in his legs and lower torso being crushed beyond all recognition rather than his skull; the result was still the same and the Bat Faunus died before Velvet's construct had entirely faded away due to her weapons' low power.
"Oh my Gods" Coco breathed out as she rushed to Velvet's side and scooped her up into a crushing hug, inspecting her for any sign of injuries
"It's okay, it's okay, we're gonna be okay" she whispered gently into one of the Faunus's rabbit ears only to trail off as she got her first real look at the figure within the tank that Yuma had been defending
"What's wrong….Oh my Gods" Velvet mouthed, after a few moments of shocked silence as they stared at the motionless and hauntingly familiar form Coco simply stated
"Resistance command needs to see this"
"That thing should be destroyed!" the furious assertion came from a member of the Atlesian Council who also held a seat on the Resistance Command. The small and secretive group had convened aboard a cloaked Atlesian vessel and included members of each of the Kingdoms' Councils, Ghira Belladonna in his role as Chieftain of Menagerie, the heads of each of the remaining Academies and were joined by Glynda Goodwitch, Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee in her capacity as leader of the Specialist Branch as well as the most senior members of the scientists kidnapped by the White Fang. The conference room was darkened to allow images of what Team CFVY had discovered in Vaccuo to be projected onto a screen and be seen clearly
"That Faunus is in the custody of my Specialist Branch" Winter cut across the speaker, her tone icy "I will not be partaking in the political assassination of the unborn"
"Oh come now, you've killed without question more times than you can count" another voice scoffed "Besides, it's hardly a baby is it?"
"Enough!" Qrow snapped gruffly from his position at Ironwood's left hand, he turned to the lead scientist and in a much more gentle tone asked "What exactly are we looking at here?"
"Answer him" Ironwood instructed as the scientist looked to the General with a questioning expression.
"In essence an effort to restore the Kindling Process to it's roots and create a super soldier" the greying woman began, continuing as horrified gasps filled the room "Not in the sense you might be thinking; Yuma had no interest in creating a Maiden. The um….sect of the White Fang he led was comprised mainly of individuals whose….I mean no disrespect Mister Belladonna….deviations from humanity made integrating into human society difficult for them. Yuma had convinced this group that what the Faunus need is the 'Unifying and destructive spirit of Adam Taurus' to lead them again….this is the first viable specimen created from some, admittedly old and borderline unusable genetic material stolen from Atlesian records; blood and hair samples from police files if I recall"
"So it's just another artificial person" a Mistrali councilman sneered; bigotry towards those born of the Kindling Process was beginning to become an issue that would have to be tackled, though in this case the culprit quailed under a glare from Glynda Goodwitch.
"Not….exactly" the scientist sighed "Yuma had those of us he kidnapped….how to say this, modify the specimen"
"That's why they're older than they should be?" Ironwood surmised
"Indeed, whilst they were 'conceived' a little over two months ago I'd put their estimated age at around fourteen years old"
"What else?" Goodwitch asked, pinching the bridge of her nose as the feeling that the worst was yet to come washed over her
"We were ordered to routinely dose the specimen with banned combat drugs, as we know being subjected to their effects in the womb-"
"Can have affects on the Aura reserves of the child, including increasing it" Winter nodded; scrapping the program had been one of her first actions upon taking over the Specialists, far too many test subjects had died
"The specimen also has a purpose built mind"
"What on Remnant does that mean?" a Vaccuan voice demanded
"I believe I can explain" the reserved voice of Geppetto Polendina, member of the Atlesian representatives, offered
"Please do" Ironwood nodded
"I assume you are all familiar with my daughter Penny….or at least aware of her due to her wife Ruby Rose" there were murmurs of assent before the frail and old professor continued "The purpose built mind is an aspect of her design, something I can only assume the White Fang learned of through Arthur Watts after his defection. In essence key parameters are set and through as series of algorithms the mind grows and develops at an accelerated rate as information is uploaded into it….in Penny's case the parameters were based on her personality before, before her flesh and blood body died; with the addition of things such as the desire to protect life at all costs and loyalty to Atlas" Geppetto's voice turned harsh as he glared at Ironwood, at whose insistence his daughters' mind had been tampered with.
"And in this case we have no idea what parameters were used?" Ironwood sighed
"None" the kidnapped scientist answered "Though certain assumptions can be made"
"As I said!" an Atlesian voice barked "It should be destroyed!"
"Not on my watch" Qrow growled, hand tightening around Harbinger
"I am forced to agree with Mister Branwen" Ghira Belladonna chimed in, soft spoken mannerisms at odds with his hulking frame as always "It is not for us to play judge, jury and executioner when the only crime this as yet unborn girl can be charged with is the circumstances of her birth"
"Agreed" Goodwitch nodded curtly "And shame on any of you who disagree. There can only be one course of action; this child is a minor and so should be transferred into the custody of her surviving parent….I assume DNA tests have been run?"
"They have….it's exactly as we suspected" Qrow visibly flinched as his worst fears were confirmed whilst Ghira seemed to collapse in on himself "I concur with Goodwitch, I'll have the….Specimen woken up and someone contact-"
"I'll do it" Qrow rose to his feet faster than Ghira Belladonna could intervene "Ghira, you love your daughter….trust me it's better this way; she's going to hate whoever tells her that some sick bastards made a White Fang Messiah out of her and Adam Taurus's DNA"
"For what it's worth I'm sorry" Qrow's voice was unusually soft as he watched, broken hearted, as Blake and Yang tried to process the information. They were in the living room of Blake and Yang's home, surrounded by pictures of a family life that was normal and happy despite the state of the world and the urge to drink himself into oblivion tugged at Qrow's mind despite being for sober for years as he wrestled with the fact that he may have just help destroy that happiness.
"The girls are upstairs" Yang told him, voice devoid of any emotion "Go say hello, they haven't seen you in months" Qrow nodded silently and left, the door echoing as it closed behind him. Yang and Blake stared at each other in shell-shocked silence for an indeterminate amount of time before tears began to fill Blake's amber eyes and a terrified whisper escaped her
"Yang what do we do?"
"I don't know" Yang admitted before taking her wife's hand in hers and brushing the thumb of her metallic limb against the back of Blake's palm and adding "But I'm here for you whatever you choose" Blake took Yang's hands in hers and remained silent as tears streamed down her cheeks whilst she tried desperately to channel some of the strength that she felt the blonde sat beside her embodied; despite her best efforts she couldn't stop herself from trembling
"I'm scared" she admitted, loathing herself with each word "I'm scared of a child"
"You're scared of what she represents" Yang amended, sensing the root of Blake's worries "And that's okay. I'm scared….I'm scared that we live in a world where there are people sick enough to do what Yuma did, or world where people think that Adam Taurus deserves some kind of legacy. But that isn't this child's fault"
"How are you not angry?" Blake whispered, wiping her tears away "I feel sick, what if she's like Adam-"
"What if she isn't?" Yang countered "What if she's amazing and kind-hearted like her mother?" Blake blinked a few times and stared at Yang in stunned disbelief
"You're actually considering this?….you're considering letting this child into our lives; into our children's lives?" her feline ears lay flat against her skull in a display of distress, causing Yang to gently pull her closer and rest her forehead against Blake's
"I'm here for you whatever you choose" she reiterated "I just don't think we should rule anything out just because of how this little girl got here….No kid should be abandoned" the last words were a hushed murmur that Yang hadn't really intended to say aloud.
"You're thinking of Raven" Blake noted "This isn't the same Yang"
"You're right it's not" Yang nodded "I had Summer and my Dad, this child had nobody….not unless we step up"
"My parents could raise her?" Blake suggested, Kali Belladonna had opened her home to countless orphans from war-torn regions of Remnant over the course of the war; raising humans and Faunus alongside each other in a gesture that had single-handedly done more to improve relations between the two species than decades of politics could have hoped to accomplish.
"They could" Yang agreed "But would you ask them to lie to this child about where she comes from? Would you lie to the girls about this?….There's been enough lying and secrets in our lives Blake"
"I know" Blake admitted, leaning into Yang "I hate what she is, but I don't hate her and I don't even know if that makes sense-"
"It does" Yang assured her
"I can't even imagine what must be going through her head" Blake visibly shuddered at the thoughts that occurred to her "Born with her childhood already taken from her and being told that a terrorist cell made her to be a weapon and a symbol….she must be so alone" the Faunus was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that this child was an anomaly in yet another way; there were no happy accidents in the Kindling Process, every child born of the gene-splicing science was planned and wanted and their mere existence served as proof; not so for this girl whose name neither Blake or Yang had learned thus far
"Then what better place for her than part of a family?" Yang offered "Besides; whatever is going through her head now….it'll be nothing compared to what happens if we don't take her. She's going to want to know about you one day, better it be on our terms" she took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm even as fears that she refused to acknowledge bubbled to the surface; after all it was unfair in the extreme to assume that this girl would stalk and terrorise them as retaliation for rejection based solely on the fact that she shared DNA with Adam Taurus.
"I don't want to make a decision about this right now" Blake sighed "I need time to let this all sink in, I want to talk to my Mum"
"Of course" Yang nodded understandingly, reaching up to gently stroke one of Blake's feline ears whilst leaning down to kiss the space between those ears on the top of her head
"I'll ask Ruby and Penny to use Penny's clearances and try and talk to her….all things considered Penny might be able to relate to her"
"Good idea" Blake admitted, Yang let out a soft groan before adding
"Telling the girls that they have a younger sister who's older than them is gonna be weird"
The Atlesian scientist hit the ground clutching their mouth and Ruby Rose was left staring at her wife's furious expression and bloody knuckles in shock and admiration. It had been two months since Yang had contacted Ruby and informed the caped Huntress of the existence of her third niece; whilst Atlas the resistance government as a whole had agreed that the child created by Yuma's White Fang should be released into Blake's custody the more inquisitive and less scrupulous elements of the Atlesian Military had seen fit to use the intricate behemoth that was the Kingdoms' legal system to stall the process and afford themselves more time to study the girl they had callously dubbed 'Zero-One' for their own research purposes. During this time Penny and Ruby had visited the girl several times in an effort to give her some normal interactions; Penny had high enough clearance to be able to simply walk into the facility without question and to deny Ruby Rose in the current political climate would be career suicide; Oscar however had been consigned to waiting aboard their personal transport. They had arrived at the facility today in high spirits only to be informed of the news which had sent Penny into an attack that was out of character yet evidently had somehow failed to clash with her core parameters.
"Stand down!" Ruby snapped, appearing in front of a pair of armed with a flurry of rose petals before they could even lay hands on their weapons
"That's quite enough everyone, if we can all calm down please" the lead scientist of the facility, an ageing and frail man declared in a thin voice "Miss Rose, Penny. I assure you that the decision was not final it was merely a suggestion that-"
"You will not mind scrub a fourteen year old girl" Penny asserted, tone icy "That decision is final Doctor" the utter disgust in the androids' voice at the name of the memory wiping process, often referred to by the equally dehumanising name of a 'Factory Reset' was enough to make the lead scientist look anywhere but at her
"Oh do get up and get yourself cleaned up you fool" he snapped at his colleague whom Penny had punched in the mouth for initially making the suggestion "Penny, Ruby"
"Missus Rose and Missus Rose" Ruby correct "We're not your friends"
"Understandable" the man accepted, stroking his beard as he began typing passwords into a nearby computer before bidding that Penny and Ruby come and look at a series of files he was opening
"Hopefully this will make our reasoning more clear" he sighed "I must stress that Zero-One has had no training of any kind, everything you're going to see is the product of built in instinct" Penny and Ruby both folded their arms and wore identical scowls as the scientist played a series of videos, showing their niece being put through gruelling training programs that had been repurposed as a means to gather information, equal to those used by the Specialist Branch
"YOU LET THEM USE LIVE ROUNDS!" Ruby demanded incredulously, instantly tempted to follow Penny's lead and break this mans' jaw
"They can't hit her" Penny breathed out, her computerised mind analysing the data before her. The footage was currently showing Zero-One facing off against a squad of a dozen well armed and well trained Atlesian soldiers being led by a familiar Huntress; Penny and Ruby were both left open mouthed as the girl weaved around gunfire and picked off her assailants one by one with ease before leaving Neon Katt on the ground after a brief skirmish, Penny had catalogued over a dozen fighting styles that Zero-One had seamlessly blended together as well as her impressive capability with both the ranged and melee weapons she had taken from her opponents. That this was the result of mental programming rather than years of intense training left the girl in a category that Penny herself had previously been the sole occupant of.
"This doesn't justify a mind scrub" she asserted forcefully
"Alone no" the scientist concurred "But in conjunction with her mental parameters it might; she seems to know vast portions of Remnants' history without being taught any of it….we still don't know precisely what she was made for and can't learn without doing serious damage to her; simply giving her a fresh start is the most humane-"
"No" Ruby cut across him bluntly "The paperwork was finalised today. She isn't yours to experiment on, she's a little girl and if you make any attempt to sedate or lobotomise her there will be consequences" the Ruby Rose that spoke now was a far cry from the timid and shy fifteen year old that had arrived at Beacon, this was a hardened battle commander who had faced down monsters capable of levelling cities with nothing but her own abilities and if she was lucky her friends at her back. With nothing more than nervous stammering coming from the Doctor Ruby and Penny took off, making their way towards the room in which Zero-One was kept; to call the room hers or call her existence within said room living would be a barefaced lie. They found themselves both reaching out to take the others' hand in unison, which was mercifully enough to bring genuine smiles to both of their faces and wipe away the cold expressions filled with unrelenting scorn that they had reserved for scientists who saw life as, not something precious and to be protected, but merely another subject to be dissected.
"Salutations!" Penny called out happily as they reached Zero-One's quarters and opened the sealed sliding door with a hiss of compressed air; revealing a grey walled room sparsely furnished with a desk, chair and cot that were designed with functionality taking precedence over comfort and utterly devoid of any decorations or personal touches.
"Hey, enjoying the comics we brought last time?" Ruby asked with a bright smile as their niece turned to face them and rose to her feet.
Zero-One was striking in appearance, as she rose she stretched meaning that ones' eyes would naturally be drawn to her Faunus attributes; due to the randomisation that occurred when a Faunus child was born of parents who were different subspecies of Faunus Zero-One had been born a Bateleur Eagle Faunus and as she stretched great ebony feathered wings with snowy white at their tips and golden brown patches where the sprouted from beside her shoulder-blades in a display that added to her already impressive profile. Zero-One was tall, having inherited the towering height of Adam Taurus and sporting a truly impressive physique, the cocktail of combat drugs introduced into her developing fetus had not only boosted her Aura reserves but allowed her to build and retain muscle mass easily; rather than the typical out of proportion awkwardness and gangly frame of adolescence the dull grey jumpsuit that she had been outfitted with was strained by shoulders, biceps and calves that while not bulky in a way that would limit movement were clearly defined. Her face was shocking in its' similarity to her mothers', a pale complexion and high cheekbones framing narrow eyes; though those eyes were a piercing shade of blue and the hair that cascaded down her back was a deep and vibrant scarlet which seemed to naturally form spikes in some places, giving her a windswept and artistically ruffled look that many models would have been envious of. As she drew close, wings folding back into their natural place resting across her back, Penny and Ruby were both suddenly very aware of just how much Zero-One loomed over them with her height of six feet and three inches.
Then she spoke
"Hey Aunt Ruby, Aunt Penny I've missed you!" and with that any half-formed concerns were quashed, whatever the circumstances behind her creation were and whatever Yuma had intended to use this girl for Ruby was certain that her niece was absolutely nothing like Adam Taurus and that Blake and Yang would both adore her
"Well hopefully we'll be able to see a lot more of each other very soon" Ruby beamed as she reached into the folds of her cape to produce her Scroll from one of the many pouches and pockets filled with Dust, ammunition, snacks and useful gadgets that she carried with her at all times.
"What do you mean?" Ruby noted that Zero-One's voice was similar to Blake's but possessed a musical quality to it that was somewhat lessened by the faint traces of an Atlesian accent that she'd picked up. Ruby merely smiled and showed the teenager a digital copy of an official document bearing Blake and Yang Belladonna's signatures
"It's official; you're leaving here"
"Wow" she breathed out, wandering over to the metal framed cot she had in place of a real bed and running her hands through her crimson locks "I'm gonna have a real family?….when do I leave here? I don't have any bags to pack" the eagerness to be free of this facility whilst perfectly understandable in its' own right was enough to reignite the temptation to do bodily harm to the scientists for both Ruby and Penny
"It might be up to a week" Penny admitted "These scientists don't want you to leave….ultimately what they want is unimportant"
"Sensational" Zero-One grinned, having picked the word up after interacting with Penny
"Yeah it is" Ruby murmured "These people think you're some sort of weapon….you're just a kid that's been kept isolated and pushed and pushed until you get angry….you should really meet Weiss sometime" the last part was mumbled as an afterthought and brought a slight smirk to her lips
"We brought you something as well" Penny added "Show her Ruby"
"Right" she quickly reached back into her ragged and well worn cape and produced a book which she then made her way across the small and barely furnished room that was in no way fit to house a teenage girl.
"I don't understand" Zero-One admitted, a lost expression on her face as she looked at the book she had been presented with "Baby names?"
"Well most people get their names when they're a baby" Ruby shrugged awkwardly "Zero-One isn't a name, it's like product number….they shouldn't be calling you that" Penny, suddenly overcome with emotion rushed over and placed her hands on the teenagers' shoulders
"You're a real girl. No matter what they tell you you're a real girl….so take that book and find yourself a name; one that means something to you or just one that you like the sound of"
"A real name for a real girl" Zero-One murmured, seemingly transfixed by the book in their hands as the notion took root; when she next looked at her aunts her eyes were filled with tears "Thank you so much"
The day had finally come. Despite their best efforts to delay relinquishing their most promising test subject the Atlesian Military scientists had been forced to comply with the laws of their Kingdom and Blake and Yang had travelled to the floating city which presided over the frozen and desolate wasteland that was Mantle. They had elected to leave their children Yinying and Ranshao in the care of Taiyang; reasoning that it would be better to introduce the newest addition to their family in smaller increments, upon leaving her children with their grandfather Blake had also noted that a trip to Menagerie was long overdue; Ghira and Kali would love to see the girls and Blake herself hadn't seen enough of island home of late.
Upon arriving in Atlas Blake and Yang had been informed that they would not be taken to the facility in which Blake's daughter was currently being housed due to it's classified nature; instead they would be taken to a secure yet more accessible location and wait for Winter Schnee to bring their daughter to them.
"You okay baby?" Yang whispered, lacing her fingers through Blake's; her wife leaned against her and was immensely grateful for both the gesture and the immeasurable help and moral support that Yang had provided these last few months
"I'll be okay" Blake murmured back, trying to convince herself "Being here reminds me of Atlas Academy though….Tyrian" the blonde beside her nodded in understanding; they had been brought to 'Fort Resurgence' Atlas's replacement for it's destroyed Hunter Academy and the sight of the happy, yet unnervingly well drilled students here served as a stark contrast to the bodies strewn across the floor and walls painted red with blood that they had found at the sight of the 'Callows Massacres' as they had become known.
"It's gonna be fine" Yang assured for the umpteenth time "You know that right, we're gonna be fine. She's gonna be part of our family and nothing Adam did or could do is gonna change that" Blake found herself swallowing a lump in her throat and trying to ignore the tears beginning to sting her eyes as was once again left in awe of the bravery, kind-heartedness and sheer unshakeable goodness that her wife possessed.
"I know and I love you so much" she managed to croak out. A few more minutes ticked by agonisingly slowly in the staff office that they had been allowed to wait in before the door finally swung open; revealing a pair of the latest model of Atlesian Knight ensuring that the area was clear before standing aside and allowing Winter Schnee to enter the office, the somewhat hunched form of a teenage girl was partially obscured behind her yet Blake and Yang could see that there were at least another two robots with weapons trained on their daughter
"What the hell!" Yang demanded as she flew from her seat and stepped into Winter's personal space, her eyes flashing red with furious intent "Wanna explain what the hell you've got guns aimed at her for?" Winter Schnee raised a single hand in a gesture that instructed the Atlesian Knights, which Yang now saw had all turned their attention towards her, to stand down. Winter met her stare calmly; the war had made the eldest Schnee Sibling even more fierce and hardened and had given her an appearance to match with a diagonal scar running from her right temple across her face to the left side of her jaw and a left arm that was entirely cybernetic
"Protocol, nothing more" Winter assured her in a tone that made it clear that she was utterly unperturbed; though perhaps as one eldest sibling to another she could respect Yang's protective nature.
"I'll give you all some time" Winter's tone softened and Yang stepped back as she continued "Let me know if there's anything you need, I'll arrange your flight back to Vale whenever you're ready" Winter left and her retinue of robots followed, their enhanced operating systems and programmed responses granting them just enough intelligence to know that pointing their weapons anywhere near their cargo again would see them violently decommissioned. When the door closed Blake and Yang were left alone with their daughter who was both fourteen years old biologically and yet had only been alive for a matter of months. Yang glanced from the girl to Blake and it was clear that whatever the feline Faunus had been expecting, this was not it; a tall and winged girl with her mothers' face and an appearance that could have been intimidating or serenely graceful were it not for the utterly lost expression on her face and the clear uncertainty that she carried herself with
"Mum?" the single word was enough to open the proverbial floodgates and in a single movement, aided by her Semblance Blake had crossed the small office and thrown her arms around the girl and been moved to tears when the gesture was returned, her daughter wrapping her wings around them both
"We've heard about you from Ruby and Penny" Yang offered as a way to ease them into a conversation
"They're Sensational" the girl smiled shyly "Did they tell you about the book they gave me?"
"They did" Blake forced her tone to remain neutral even as she privately seethed with rage at the designation that had been given to her daughter
"Did you pick a name?" Yang asked, the girl nodded eagerly as her smile widened
"Yep" the way she popped the P was something clearly appropriated from Ruby Rose
"You can call me Starlight" her smile faltered a little "But….I don't have a last name because-"
"Belladonna" Blake answered firmly
"Well Starlight Belladonna" Yang smiled, throwing an arm around her new daughters' shoulders "Welcome to the family….there's a lot of people who want to meet you"
"To help with the mission?" Starlight asked brightly
"The mission?" Blake asked, cold dread seeping into her gut as countless bleak possibilities occurred to her
"The mission" Starlight repeated, seemingly confused that Blake didn't understand "The one I was made for. I'm supposed to help the White Fang unite the Faunus, I'm supposed to end oppression….I was made to change the world, I just don't know how"
"Oh" Yang let out a breath that she hadn't been aware she had been holding as she and Blake both seemed to realise in unison that whilst Starlight's mind was artificial it was ultimately her own; her predetermined parameters had suffered the same pitfall that allowed Penny Polendina to disobey a direct order or attack an Atlesian Scientist, they were open to interpretation and Starlight Belladonna had chosen to interpret them in the most noble way she could.
"Don't worry about that right now" Blake smiled "You've already changed the world"
Authors Notes:
I did say I'd give you something unrelated to FADE: Legacy before I leave for London on the 8th of March.
On a side note, I may actually be able to cut the hiatus down a little….I'm pretty sure I'll have time to write most, if not all of the start of the first chapter of FADE Vol.7 before I leave and just post it as soon as I get back rather than making you wait another week while I write it.
Anyway this is an idea I've had in my head for a while but didn't have a reason to integrate into a larger story
Basically there's a trend in the FNDM that we've all seen, when someone makes an OC that's the child of two canon characters the fact that said characters are either both men or both women can be overlooked by the phrase "Atlas Science" and a lot of the time these OCs have appearances that are simply not how genetics work, the idea behind this one off story was basically to explore a version of Remnants' future where that kind of science is available, how it would come about and what kind of uses those with questionable morals would find for it.
This, like my story "Jiminy Cricket" was intended to be a stand alone piece but has plenty of room and potential to be expanded into something bigger should I ever feel like it.
Anyway let's summarise:
A decade of outright war and carnage, not quite "Darkest timeline" stuff but enough for the Kingdoms to get desperate and start developing some really questionable shit.
An army made entirely of Tyrian's….the horror.
Penny will ALWAYS be rebuilt in my stories that take place in the future, because it's what she deserves. Don't me.
You can't kill death and you can't destroy destruction so Salem isn't dead….however Little Red Riding Hood can decide to turn the tables and decide she'll be the one huffing and puffing and blowing peoples' houses down this time.
Beacon's successor in this timeline is the "Nikos Academy"
Honestly I can see Hazel being a teacher somehow, just not in a school run by Ozpin or anyone associated with him….I think if/when he eventually does ditch Salem he'll get on with Jaune.
So in Downward Spiral/FADE Penny's mind/soul are made wholesale and she's a new being, in this story she's the soul of his daughter in a new body. Until canon confirms one way or the other all options are open.
Ironwood let Penny's Dad perform experiments on Cinder….how much of that was for science and how much of it do we think was just for payback.
And there it is, that's how Atlas Science gave the FNDM their OCs….it was a failed Maiden creation program, because let's be honest there's no way that the Aura transfer device and robots with souls were the only things they were looking into.
Kindling Process…..the opposite of Cinder's; definitely one last fuck you to Cinder, whom it is safe to assume that Atlas had disposed of by this point.
And that's how the FNDM got their OCs with screwy genetics; these kids are the products of gene-splicing and experimental science; throw Aura into the mix and you get some odd results.
Also the names are in Chinese (Like Yang's) Yinying means "Shadows" and Ranshao means "Burning" I trust I don't have to explain those choices to anyone?
Seriously, here's one thing that bugs me about the way the White Fang storyline has been handled in canon: The Faunus are not the problem. Everyone wants the people of Menagerie and all the other Faunus to show that they're not all terrorists, but nobody wants to acknowledge that the White Fang didn't just appear in a vacuum and that Sienna Khan's "Violence when it's needed" stance actually got more results than Ghira being a pacifist. Until the root of the problem, which is racism on the humans' part is tackled then the White Fang is always going to attract new recruits and killing Adam will achieve nothing but make him a martyr that someone else can hold up.
I didn't get enough Yang puns in this story.
Sun got his detective agency.
Seriously RT we want the Merc and Em redemption arc, they've had cold feet for a while now.
Damn Neptune got demolished…..I said that this wasn't a "Darkest timeline" story, I did have an idea for a darkest timeline AU once and that's where this version of Neptune originally came from.
It's been a while since I wrote flustered Velvet.
Nothing good ever comes from going into the lab in the sub-basement.
I had to get Yuma's "Quiet now" in there somewhere.
I was debating making the fight last longer, because honestly I feel like we were cheated a little with how much of a let down Yuma turned out to be but in the end I decided against it, it wouldn't really add anything.
Ah the "You need to see this" trope….well I suppose I'm gonna have Cinema Sins complaining about this story now.
Just a little glimpse into how shady resistance command is willing to be….I initially considered having it be Cordovin that suggestion killing Zero-One/Starlight but honestly, I doubt she'd survive another ten years.
Here's a thought, with Yuma's White Fang cell being made up of Faunus whose traits made it impossible for them to pass as human, how many of those dead prototypes in the tunnel were actually killed by Yuma himself because they weren't "Faunus enough" for his needs.
Of course kids made through the Kindling Process would be subject to bigotry….besides I'm a reader of the IDW Transformers Comics and I was reminded of 'bots who were "Cold Constructed" or as Tyrest said "Back in my day we just called them knock-offs"
My "Artificial mind" idea can also be transferred to how I view Atlas creating artificial souls/Auras; they don't program an Aura as such, they create the initial spark and then put a framework in place for that spark to then grow around, like shaping a plant as it grows.
Also, I can feel the influences of Mewtwo in Pokemon the First Movie, Gen: LOCK and Super Boy in Young Justice shining through in aspects of this story, it wasn't consciously done but I won't deny that they probably played a big part.
Of course Yuma used Adam and Blake's DNA….he probably couldn't find any traces of Ghira and Sienna's lying around.
Okay I realised I was writing the scene with Blake and Yang that this conversation could almost play out like an anti-abortion advert and I want to stress that I was not intending for that and I hope that's not the way it comes across, I am entirely pro-choice.
This situation puts Yang in an interesting predicament where her PTSD regarding Adam is pitted against her abandonment issues regarding Raven and Yang's own plain old goodness as a person.
Kali Belladonna opening her home up to human and Faunus orphans is an idea that I am here for….I'm pretty sure I've read it in the epilogue of another story somewhere.
Seriously being born from something like the Kindling Process (Or IVF/surrogate parents for LGBT couples in the real world) pretty much negates any chance of the child being unplanned; they literally could not have gotten here by accident.
Of course they gave her a designation instead of a name, of course they did.
Bad-ass Penny is always a treat to write.
"Missus Rose and Missus Rose, we're not your friends" Ruby grew up to take absolutely no shit and I think we can see the beginnings of that in canon.
Neon Katt….Because you can prise my Headcanon that she is one of Atlas's best and brightest and is basically considered their secret weapon from my cold dead hands.
It's probably a good thing that Ruby doesn't have kids in this timeline….can you imagine what these people would do with her genetic material.
Ah lewd hand-holding, how I've missed thee.
Had to pay homage to Maria in this story somewhere.
Seriously, google Bateleur Eagles….those are some majestic looking birds.
Zero-One/Starlight Belladonna was made to look bad-ass; and Yuma most likely specifically picked a Faunus with wings to be his messiah, because bias.
Yeah think Adam's height, hair colour and eyes but Blake's face and build….with a considerable amount more muscle and a pair of wings.
Seriously Adam looms over people, Starlight Belladonna couldn't loom if she tried; she's like an excited Great Dane.
She has a different accent though, because Blake was raised on Menagerie and I can honestly imagine Adam doing everything he could to get rid of any traces of a Mantle accent to distance himself from his past. Starlight at this point has only ever met Atlesians and Ruby (Penny is an Atlesian as well remember).
She really should meet Weiss sometime.
And that's why Penny is so protective; she sees everything that she was afraid of happening to her.
Also that's how Penny managed to punch an Atlesian Scientist in the face; her orders are to protect life, they were endangering a fourteen year old girl; her orders are to follow Atlas's orders, Atlas had ordered Zero-One be released into Blake's custody and the scientists were stalling….you can get away with a lot if you know how to interpret your orders (And why can I imagine it being Nora that explained that concept to her, smirking the whole time).
Seriously Tai, Ghira and Kali would all love being grandparents.
Yang is strength and she proves it in this scene.
Seriously Winter needs some battle scars.
I don't know why but I imagined the newer Atlesian Knights having the character of the Battle Droids in the Clone Wars series as I re-read this.
She uses her wings to give bigger hugs; she is gonna fit right in with this family.
Starlight Belladonna, in my head there wasn't any great meaning behind it like Blake and Yang's other two daughters; basically this girl was born into her edgy emo phase and just picked a name that sounded cool…..I toyed with her calling herself Raven; not after Raven Branwen, after My Immortal.
Be honest, how many of you panicked when you read "The Mission"
Here's the thing; Adam's followers never knew the real Adam, he portrayed himself as the Magneto to Ghira's Professor X but that's never what he really was. When Yuma had Starlight's mind artificially made it wasn't intended to carry on Adam's personal goals, it was to live up to the image that his followers had of him, she was based on an ideal.
Thank you to everyone who reads and a special thanks to those of you who follow, favourite and subscribe.