Penny sat still in the dark room, her legs spread out, toes touching the edges of her cage. That same cage she came in when she arrived at the white fang's fortress. The same one she'd been inprisoned in for the past four years. Under her breath, she was singing, a gentle song that came from some memory of a mother she had never known.
"I've got no strings,
to hold me down,
to make me fret or make me frown.
I had strings,
but now I'm free,
there are no strings on me."
Penny blinked as a man opened the door to her room, shining light into the space, enough to see him holding a struggling girl with black and red hair, who was kicking and squirming in his grip. Her arms were bound to her stomache, and a hankerchief had been forced into her mouth to keep her quiet. The man threw her into the room, then slammed the door behind him, so loud that Penny could only barely hear the click of him locking the door over the echoes he left behind. For a moment there was silence, until she heard the girl scream at the top of her lungs, apparently have ripped through the hankerchief, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU WHENEVER I GET THE CHANCE! I'LL MURDER YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID! I'LL DESTROY YOU AND YOUR STUPID ORGANIZATION! I... I'LL...I...i..."
Penny froze as she heard the girl break down into sobs, quiet and shameful, like she hated herself for crying.
"It's okay," Penny said, and she heard the girl stop, "you'll like it here. They feed you and give you water and they won't punish you if you act good and-"
"SHUT UP!" The girl screamed at her, "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I NEED TO BE IN OTHER PLACES! I NEED TO BE WITH HER! I NEED TO BE WITH WEISS!" and the girl broke down into sobs again, this time screaming randomly and loudly.
"Shhh," Penny soothed her from across the room, "they'll hurt you if you keep being loud. Now who is Weiss?"
Ruby slowly grew silent, "She's my friend. They're going to hurt her. I... I have to get to her... I have to protect her."
"She must have done something bad if they want to hurt her, so your Weiss is probably a bad girl. A very, very bad girl."
"No!" the girl protested, "She's not bad! She's perfect! She never did anything wrong!"
"The White Fang only punishes bad people. Your Weiss is a bad person."
"No she's not!"
"Yes she is."
"NO SHE'S NOT!"
"Than why would they hurt her?"
Silence.
"They... they want me to do something for them. But I don't know how, and I don't understand what it is they're saying. They say that they're going to find Weiss and bring her here if I dodn't help them."
"Then you've been a bad girl."
"I never did anything!"
"Can't talk, Penny can't talk to bad girls. Bad girls are not good for Penny."
"Is your name Penny?"
Penny curled up into a ball, wanting to answer the girl's question but also wanting to be a good girl for the White Fang.
"Well, is it?"
Penny frowned.
"Penny?"
Penny sighed, "Penny is Penny."
"So you are Penny?"
"Yes."
"I'm R-"
"No!" Penny cut her off, "Penny doesn't want to know Bad Girl's name! Penny cannot be associated with Bad Girl!"
"I'm not a bad person, Penny!"
"Be quiet.."
"Penny, the White Fang are bad people, not me!"
"Penny is a good girl..."
"I need your help to get-"
"STOP IT!" Penny covered her ears with her hands, "Penny is a good girl! Penny is a good girl! Penny is a good girl! And you are a very, very, very bad girl! Penny cnnot talk to bad girls!"
"Penny..." the girl's voice was quiet and gentle, "I did nothing bad. The White Fang killed my father without reason. Please help me escape, and then we can get you back to your family."
"The White Fang is my family."
"No, Penny, the White Fang are evil people."
"... You are a bad girl. But Penny will help Bad Girl save her perfect Weiss."
She heard the girl sigh, "Thank you Penny. My name is Ruby. Ruby Rose"
"Penny doesn't care. Penny calls you Bad Girl because that is what you are."
"I... okay."
There was a moment of silence, before Penny spoke again, "Penny is a good girl, but Penny is going to be bad one time to help Bad Girl be good."
"Thank you Penny."
"Penny is a good girl."
"Yes, Penny is a very good girl."
"Does Bad Girl want light so she can see Penny?"
"Wha-"
A bright light suddenly lit the room, making Penny visible. She would have been a pretty girl, if not for the cyborg parts that covered her body. Hey left eye was shining the light, which seemed to be controlled by some unseen computer.
"Penny is not real, but Penny is a good girl," Penny said, "the White Fang had to punish Penny, so they made her a computer. But Penny still can be happy. Penny is very happy."
"Penny..." Ruby hesiated in choosing her words, "how did they..?"
"The White Fang needed a computer, and I was being a bad girl, so they turned me into a computer. Now they use me to find people. I found you, Bad Girl, they used me to find you. And now Bad Girl needs my help to leave. Penny has to do many things with her mind."
"But... does that mean they're using you to find Weiss?" Ruby looked up at the robot, desperation hidden in her eyes.
"They already found Weiss before you came in. Weiss is a good girl, so they will not hurt her unless Bad Girl misbehaves."
"What do you mean if I-"
"Shutting down now," Penny interupted her, "Penny has to recharge." And with those words the ligth went out and Penny became still, leaving Ruby wodnering what it was she had to do next.