Diversions
A new threat is defeated ... but is it the real danger?
[Author's Note: This story follows the story A Glass Vase, and is the third episode of Volume 7.]
"It is a pleasure to deal with you," said Arthur Watts, sipping the expensive wine. "You are much less ... volatile ... than your father."
"I like to think that I am capable of taking a longer view," said Whitley. He gestured to the city of Atlas, spreading out from the rooftop restaurant. "Seeing the big picture. Now, I assume you have the ... material ... we discussed?"
"And I assume you have your part of ... our agreement?"
Whitley held up a mini-disk. It was the type that would fit into a scroll and provide a graphics display.
"May I ask how you know so much about the layout of Mantle Academy and its security arrangements?" said Watts.
"Schnee Construction practically built the place," said Whitley. "Before my time, of course, but it's amazing how many blueprints are stored in the company archives. But as I said we didn't build the computer system that runs the place, as well as most of the Command Precinct."
"Let me handle that part," said Watts. He handed Whitley a small briefcase. Whitley opened it.
Three portal stones.
"I have heard a great deal about these things," said Whitley. "I am sure that our research division can find out how they work."
"Good luck with that," said Watts. "It's a shame that my colleague and I cannot use one of these to enter the Mantle vault itself. But of course you have to have seen a place before you can create a portal opening to it. And I understand that there is ... protection. Of a ... mystical ... nature. Provided by Ozpin."
"Ah, Ozpin. The fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench. Allow me to also remind you, Doctor, that our agreement extends to a half-share in whatever you ... acquire ... from your ... excursion. As the basis for an ongoing arrangement."
Watts smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "You'll get what's coming to you."
"Special delivery for Mantle Academy," said Emerald, handing a piece of paper to the guard. On the paper the words Security Passes Request were written.
She put her finger to her temple.
Team NAME, plus Cinder, were dressed in overalls, recently 'borrowed' from the Command Precinct supply room.
The guard looked at the paper. He saw the required form, filled out and signed. "Well, all this is in order," he said. He handed each of them a security pass. "A-level access. But what are you delivering, exactly?"
"The boxes we are carrying," said Emerald.
"Oh, right," said the guard, as he lifted the barrier bar. "I didn't see them until you pointed them out. Well, go straight through. And have a nice day."
"We certainly intend to," said Emerald.
Arthur Watts put a data card into the slot on the computer terminal. Lines of writing began to march up the screen. The writing stopped. Some of it began to change.
"Dum de dum de dum," said Watts, watching the screen. He took out his scroll and checked the map of the complex. Yes, without the disk he would not have been able to make a safe path to the vault. The little twerp had delivered.
"Am I going to get to kill anyone?" said Tyrian Callows. "I haven't killed anyone in ... well, a long time. Several days."
"Let us not forget the mission parameters," said Watts. "But I'll see what I can do for you."
"It's not exactly the Penny you knew at Beacon," said the General. "Think of this as Penny 2.0. An improved version."
The four women looked more closely at Penny. Yes, she was not exactly the same. The hair was not in the same little-girl style, and the freckles were gone. Her clothes were more streamlined, even a little sexy. She waved happily at them.
"Have you been having adventures?" said Penny.
"Uh, one or two," said Ruby. "How about you?"
"Totally re-built, after the engineers retrieved my head – that is, my old head – from the stadium. The chips and circuits within it were largely undamaged. Tell me, is Pyrrha alright? I felt terribly sorry for her, until they re-wrote my sympathy program."
"It's a long story," said Ruby. "But it is good to see you again, Penny. If that is the right term. So you remember everything about Beacon, and the tournament?"
"I have all of my old memories. And new and upgraded obedience protocols. So I no longer wish to train as a Hunter."
Blake turned to Ironwood. "So that is how you managed to give an android an Aura," she said. "With the power of the relic."
He nodded. "It is proving difficult to replicate on any scale, although we have been able to store some of the energy in batteries," he said. "In the meantime, we have been working on a new line of mechanised guard units, the Praetorians. I'll show you the prototype. Come with us, Penny."
As Ironwood led them out of the main building, Weiss said: "More killer robots, General? After what happened at the Battle of Beacon, with the Paladins?"
"We learned our lesson," said Ironwood. "The computer systems of the Praetorians are completely unhackable. There is even an emergency back-up, based on voice commands by myself."
They entered a large courtyard, obviously a training area. There was a large robot there, with several techs doing various things to it. It was slightly smaller than a Paladin but looked more sophisticated, with an array of weapons and sensors.
"Shiny," said Ruby.
"It is not activated at the moment but I assure you that it will be entirely safe, except to enemies of Atlas," said Ironwood.
"Atlas or Remnant?" said Yang.
He looked at her as if the question was irrelevant. "Would you like to see a demonstration?" he said.
"No, that's alright, if you tell us that it's a big scary machine we'll take your word for it," said Ruby.
"Hey, what was that?" said Yang suddenly.
"What was what?" said Blake.
"I ... I thought I felt something," said Yang. "Something that brushed by. Touched my arm."
They all looked around. Nothing.
"General," said Weiss, "I thought you said that Robo-Godzilla here was inactive."
"Yes, that's right."
"Then ... why are those lights on?"
"Uh, what?"
Weiss pointed. There were sensors starting to light up. And then the machine moved. It raised an arm and began to swing one of its weapons into firing position. The techs began to back away.
"I am assuming that this is not supposed to happen," said Ruby, as she snapped Crescent Rose into its full length. The others drew their weapons as well.
General Ironwood stepped forward. "Stand down!" he said to the machine. "This is General James Ironwood! You will recognise my voice and obey my orders!"
The machine turned, as if looking at him.
Then it swung one of its massive arms, knocking Ironwood aside.
"Double-diamond, then checkmate!" shouted Ruby.
Immediately, Blake and Yang dived one way, and Ruby and Weiss dived another way – just in time to escape a stream of bullets from the Praetorian's mini-gun. Yang and Ruby fired, to divert the Praetorian's attention, and Blake and Weiss went leaping in, swinging, aiming for the weak spots they remembered from fighting the Paladin driven by Roman Torchwick.
But those weak spots no longer existed. The Praetorian swivelled, first one way and then the other, knocking both of them aside. And the bullets from Ruby and Yang were merely bouncing off. The Praetorian fired again, making Ruby and Yang dive for cover.
"Miss Polendina!" said Ironwood. "Take it down!"
"Yes, sir, take it down I certainly will!" said Penny. Her backpack opened and a series of swords appeared. She gestured, and the swords zoomed towards the Praetorian. They sliced into the joints of the machine, and one arm sagged. The Praetorian came running forward, and its other arm punched out at Penny. But she caught the fist, and held it. The Praetorian pushed, and Penny slid backwards a little, but she was not going to let go.
Team RWBY fired at the Praetorian, volleys of bullets and blasts of ice. It pulled its arm back from Penny and turned towards them.
Penny manipulated her swords into a rotation pattern, and in a moment a ball of energy had appeared. It zoomed towards the Praetorian, smashing into it and driving it back. Then there was another ball of energy, and another.
The Praetorian staggered, staggered ... and fell. One by one, the sensor lights blinked out.
"Mission accomplished!" said Penny.
"Outstanding," said Yang. "And now, General, I think it might be time for you to get out of the giant robot business."
"I just can't see how it could happen," he said. He had been hurt; his flesh-and-blood arm looked broken. The techs helped him up.
The Praetorian gave a shudder. And then a dark shape emerged from it.
"Oh ... dear," said Ruby.
The Geist hung in the air, as if studying them. And then it moved ... towards Penny. In a moment, it had dived into her.
Penny gave a cry. Then she fell to the ground, convulsing.
"What the hell was that?" said Ironwood.
"A very nasty sort of Grimm," said Ruby. "It can control inanimate objects."
"If Penny turns, she's going to be hard to stop," said Yang, cocking her gauntlets.
"Can we afford to wait to find out?" said Blake.
Weiss raised her sword.
"Wait!" said Ruby. She knelt down next to Penny, and took her hands in her own. "Fight it," she said softly. "Tell it that it will not have you."
Penny stared into Ruby's face. Her eyes were flashing, shifting from her green colour to the darkest black. She clutched Ruby's hands.
Ruby bent her head. Her eyes began to shine silver. A current of energy began to pass between them. Penny convulsed again. Her eyes began to turn back to green.
"Whatever you're doing, keep it up," said Weiss to Ruby.
"It ... will ... not ... have ... you," said Ruby, through gritted teeth. "Not ... this ... day."
Penny gave another cry, and a savage, sharp convulsion. And then the Geist leaped out of her.
"Kill it!" shouted Ruby.
Yang and Blake fired together. A series of bullets smashed into the creature, and it exploded.
"Holy ... shit," said Yang.
"Indeed," said Blake.
Ruby helped Penny to her feet. "How do you feel, Penny?" she said.
"As if all my circuits have been fried, good friend Ruby," said Penny. "But I will live. In the sense of continuing to operate. I believe some high-level maintenance will be required, however."
"Ruby, what did you do?" said Weiss.
"I ... I'm not sure," said Ruby. "But ... it worked."
"And I am glad," said Penny. "I suppose this means that I am not an inanimate object. Obviously, I am not human either. I must be ... something in between. Thank you, Ruby, for ... whatever you did."
"I hate to be the one to spoil all the congratulations," said Blake, "but why would Salem do this? Where is the advantage for her in taking over a Paladin?"
The Team RWBY members looked at each other.
"Nowhere," said Yang.
"Which means ... that this was a diversion," said Ruby. "And her real target remains the relic."
"We have to get to the vault," said Weiss.
An alarm went off.
"That's the lockdown signal," said Ironwood. "Someone has tried to put a virus into the computer system. Now all the doors and barriers will shut."
"Then we will have to move fast," said Ruby, folding her scythe into its carry-case.
"The guards will be locked out but I'll get to a control terminal and over-ride the security to open the doors for you," said Ironwood. "Here, take this." He handed Weiss a mini-radio. She clipped it onto her ear.
They ran.
END (to be continued)