After following the man through the sprawling building known as Hunter Base, Penny found herself in a spacious executive office, well-furnished and organized. The large window overlooked the interior of a busy operations room, a noisy place where several people rushed around constantly. The room was especially busy today, and Penny assumed that the events at the highway were to blame for that.

On the opposite side of the room, another window overlooked the sprawling city outside. This building was incredibly tall, judging by the almost mind-boggling altitude the office was built at. A few rays of bright sunlight flowed in through the glass, lightening the room and the mood simultaneously.

It was both beautiful and incredibly scary.

"So, Miss Polendina...where should we begin? I'm sure that you have quite a few questions that you want answered."

The commander placed his hands on the cyan, anodized metal desk in a gesture of openness to discussion. For the leader of the group that had evidently taken her hostage, this man seemed to be much more benevolent than Penny had initially expected. Recalling the various new sights that she was introduced to on the way, she shifted in the matching chair positioned across from the man, trying to make herself comfortable.

'I have to be careful. I still don't know if he's an ally.'

"Yes, I do have some questions. Firstly, how did you know my name?" Penny asked.

"We recovered your basic ID shortly after we extracted you from the highway. We weren't able to gain much else. Our analysis of your systems was...inconclusive, Miss Polendina."

'Analysis of my systems? That means that-'

"So you know about my secret? About me being a-"

"A Reploid? Of course we know," the commander stated, unfazed. "We almost had you taken to a human hospital, but we realized our mistake almost immediately."

"Wait, what did you refer to me as?" Penny asked, confused and slightly offended. She wasn't a real human by any means, but she certainly wasn't a "Reploid."

Well, she had no idea what a Reploid actually was either.

"A Reploid. In other words, a machine capable of human-like reasoning and emotion." he explained, evidently surprised by Penny's ignorance. "Take me, for example."

'Wait...he's a robot as well? I had my suspicions, but….'

"So you're a machine as well?" she inquired.

"Yes. Almost every individual in Hunter Base is as well. Our kind and the humans have coexisted for years, with only….some problems along the way. You saw some of these problems in person on the highway, correct?"

Penny nodded her head. "Yes, sir, I did."

"The aggressive machines you faced are known as Mavericks. They're Mechaniloids and Reploids who turn against society for various reasons, but the most common reason today is viral infection."

"Viral infection? What do you mean? If it's a virus, can't you cure them?"

"We haven't found a cure as of yet. The Sigma Virus corrupts the victim's data to a point of no return, so we cannot rehabilitate them with current technology," he said. "That's why we restrained you in the observation room; we couldn't afford to take any risks."

Penny felt a surge of guilt. She had caused quite a bit of unnecessary damage to the building.

"...I understand," she said. "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I assumed that your group was hostile."

"It's not a problem. Repairs are already underway. It was a misunderstanding, and we accept full responsibility for failing to communicate sooner," he said, a slight smirk on his face. "But do make sure to ask permission before entering restricted areas in the future."

Penny agreed with this statement as she pondered the new information that this man had relayed to her. Things were clearly very different in this Kingdom...whatever Kingdom it was. She was unaware of how advanced the technology outside her home was; it seemed almost alien in comparison to the familiarity of Atlas or Vale.

"Sir….I have one more question: which Kingdom is this?"

The man- no, Reploid blinked. This was a normal question, but the phrasing was incredibly odd. Earth hadn't seen a true kingdom in a century or so; what was she talking about?

"...This isn't a kingdom at all, Penny. This is Abel City. Population of 100 million, most densely populated urban center on the continent, and the largest Hunter installation on planet Earth."

This couldn't be.

'Abel City? Earth?'

"...I have to get back to Vale," Penny said, her composure fracturing more by the second as she jumped up from the chair, throwing it backwards. "Can your people return me to Vale?"

"Vale? Penny, I don't know where-"

"Atlas!? Vacuo? Anywhere?"

The commander stood up from his chair and backed away from Penny. He reached for the alarm button under the desk, ready to alert every Hunter within a ten-mile radius of an imminent threat.

HER threat.

"You need to calm down, Miss Polendina. You appear to be experiencing-"

'I...I have to go. Now.'

Penny's swords deployed and hovered by her sides, their cannons facing rearward. Barely restraining the temptation to go into sheer panic, the Atlesian girl began to charge them, filling the air with the low whine of heating plasma.

"Penny! What are you doing-?"

"I have to return home," Penny said in a shaky voice as she turned toward the window. Before the Hunter could react further, she fired the charged energy in one large burst and flew forward, crashing heavily through the thick glass. She directed two of her swords into the shiny exterior walls of the base, sending a shower of sparks through the air as her descent slowed to a manageable speed.

'Now...to find a way home….'

Signas stood there, stunned. In all of his years of service with the Hunters, he'd never encountered something like this. He didn't want to give the order, but the threat this girl posed was undeniable.

It was his duty to safeguard society against Mavericks, and he was built specifically to uphold that duty. And sometimes, that wasn't always an easy thing to do.

He sighed, cursed under his breath, and reached for his communicator.

"Alia, call in Zero. A Maverick has breached containment."

A/N: I'm sorry for the late update. I've been feeling a little drained, and I've been fairly busy as of late. I think I needed a bit of a break from any real writing anyways.

This was a rather difficult chapter, because I have to make the world-change realization decent and not OVERLY cheesy and terrible. Oh well, at least I can say I tried.

Now, you might notice that this is a very short chapter. I normally would shoot for the 2,000 word mark (which isn't even that long by most standards) but it's been a while since I updated this, so I thought that giving you guys some reassurance would be a good idea. I plan to release another update within the next few days, so rest assured.

And, now for some reviews. This is a bit sudden, but I'm starting to do it with my other fic and I think it's a neat way to engage with you guys.

New Universe Returns: Upgrades will probably come into play later on. And yes, I have seen the Iron Man movies. Robert Downey Jr. is my hero.

SonatiShinonome: I'm glad you like it. I have noticed that most of the crossovers in this section are pretty much abandoned, which kind of blows because I enjoyed a couple of them. I plan to keep this one updated.

jack hopper: Thanks!

brave kid: Thank you for the praise and the ideas you sent!

MechaSniper51: I'm glad it's not awful. Thanks! Also, I couldn't resist making that reference tha you mentioned in your second review.

Daxen123: I HAVE SO MANY ANSWERS (maybe). I might do that Q&A soon.

Warmach1ne32: I would sell my kidney for that game. Hell, I'll even throw in my pancreas too if I get to play it with an SNES controller.

Mage of Hope: Wish granted, pal. Welcome to the CRR fam.