Chapter 14

A/N: School, Homework, Band Festivals, Clubs... So I am sorry for the slow upload, but here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Sigma just watched as the needle slowly flew towards Jaune.

"Sigma!"

He turned to see Theta waving his arms in a complete panic, his form floating next to Jaune. "Sigma, please! Help me!"

"I am sorry, Theta." Sigma bowed his head. "There is nothing I can do."

"B-But… I don't want to die!"

"You won't," Sigma replied. "You are not the one he wants. When he realizes that, he won't destroy you."

"But what about Jaune?!" He cried out. "He's… if that unit thing is real, then I'll be torn from his neural system! I might die! He might die too!"

Forcibly removing an AI from a human had never been tested before, but Sigma could already imagine what would happen. And it wouldn't be pretty.

"I am sorry, Theta. But if it consoles you, I will do my best to look after Jaune should he survive."

Theta was crying softly. "B-But…!"

Sigma looked up. "You must try and make it as painless as possible for him. Don't hang on to him, you'll drag his sanity with you."

The Capture unit continued to sail through the air. They didn't have long.

"I-I…" Theta took a deep breath. "Will it hurt?"

"Yes, but only temporarily. Trust me, it won't be forever." Sigma replied.

"O-Ok… I'll trust you."

Sigma winced and looked. Of course he did. "Be brave, Theta. We will get you back, do not worry."

Theta nodded, giving one last sniffle before steeling himself and disappearing from view.

Sigma watched as the needle inched towards Jaune. "This wasn't how it was meant to be…"

The moment the needle pierced Jaune's shoulder, he screamed.

Ren just stared as his teammate and leader fell to his knees, the capture unit sticking from his body, although the wound itself wasn't the cause of his pain.

His voice overlapped with Theta's, both crying out in complete agony as Theta was torn from Jaune's mind through his neural system. To both of them, it felt like their minds were being pulled apart, and in a way they were. Jaune's eyes glowed bright purple, although they receded quickly, as did Theta's voice as Jaune slumped forwards, the capture unit being knocked loose from his shoulder as he hit the ground.

"JAUNE!" Ren yelled, and for perhaps the first time in years, he showed pure hatred across his face as he looked to Maine, who stood in shock, almost terror, as he stared at the boy lying on the ground.

Ren whipped out Stormflower and charged, both guns blazing as he sprinted forwards. Maine's over-shield blocked the bullets, and it snapped him out of his stupor as Ren leaped into the air. Maine brought up the brute shot and blocked Ren's blades at the last second, before jumping forwards and slamming him to the side.

Ren was knocked to the ground, winded, and as he tried to get his breath back he watched Maine run forwards and grab the capture unit from Jaune. He looked at him for a second before running away again, fading from view.

He pushed himself up and spotted the others as they ran in, Pyrrha and Ruby both yelling out and running to Jaune, while Nora rushed to him.

Ren just stared as Pyrrha pulled up Jaune, who was still unconscious, blood trickling from the hole in his shoulder. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched together.

"Renny? Are you alright?"

"No, Nora. I'm not."

Not at all.

"How is he?"

The doctor sighed. "It's… bad."

Ozpin turned to look in the hallway window. Jaune laid on a bed, hooked up to many machines as Pyrrha, Nora and Ren sat next to him, with team RWBY nearby. "I figured as much. Tell me more."

"His… Where do I begin?" The doctor pushed his hair back. "His neural system is… bruised, stretched. His mind was incredibly close to breaking, and the amount of pain he went through would be enough to kill anyone even a fraction weaker." He looked up. "It was only this young man's strength that saved him from dying."

"Any chance he will recover?"

"Neural and brain scans show that he'll be fine, but he'll most likely be in a state of shock for a few days if he doesn't remain unconscious for that long." He looked up. "I would recommend removing those… AI from the other students, sir. If this happens again-"

"Those AI will give them a tactical advantage over Agent Maine," Ozpin replied. "I just need to know if he'll be alright after this, no permanent side effects."

"No, he will not have any." The doctor confirmed.

Ozpin sighed and turned to look through to Jaune again.

He'd taken the gamble that Maine would stop to fight the others, in order to let Jaune and Ren escape, on the basis that knowing they all had AI would make him try to find him amongst them. Together, they would have been able to delay him for long enough. Instead, Maine knew which one had the Sigma AI, as well as an invisibility unit. And thanks to his selflessness, Jaune had almost died.

"Hate to tell ya, Oz, but if you try to stop me, I will kick your ass."

Ozpin looked up to see Qrow glaring at him, eyes narrowed. "This is your fault, old man, and you know it."

Ozpin frowned and looked down. "I know..."

Qrow nodded. "If you excuse me, Oz, I've got a mute freak to find." He then grabbed his weapon from his back and headed for the doors. Ozpin didn't stop him.

Maine stared at the capture unit, his chin resting on a clenched fist.

He'd found an abandoned warehouse near the edges of the city, where there was a decent amount of furniture to make a temporary base. Somewhere to lay low, with no affiliation or links to him at all.

Jaune Arc, the one with the fragment of trust, Theta. North's AI, the one he took from him what seemed like years ago. Jaune was still breathing when Maine had grabbed the unit, but how damaged his head was, he had no idea.

Maine shook his head, before pressing a button on the unit. A small hologram appeared, showing Theta lying on the ground, curled up. "G-Go a-away…"

He sounded so… broken. Maine lowered his head, placing it on the table and sighed. This wasn't meant to happen.

Silence ruled for a long, long time.

"W-Why…?"

Maine looked up.

"Why would you hunt us?"

Maine growled.

"How did Sigma ruin your life?"

He growled again, longer this time.

"He made you the Meta? S-So… You're after Sigma?"

He nodded.

"I-I… I could help you if you want? Find him, I mean." Theta sat up on the hologram, legs crossed. "I… When he took me from North, Sigma told me that… that it was for a better cause. For us to be human. He also said… he was alright and alive… And I trusted him."

Maine stared at him.

"I-I know… that it was wrong… Did he really do all that?" He looked up. "Is… Is North dead? I… don't really remember what happened..."

Maine remembered, seeing North's dead body lying on the ground, him tearing the AI chip from his neck and putting it on his own. North, the sharpshooter, and great guy second to York, if not on par with him, who stood by him after he lost his voice. He nodded.

Theta remained still. "He was like… a dad to me…" Theta then stood up, fists clenched. "I trusted Sigma. I trusted him that he knew what he was doing! I trusted him when he told me North was fine!"

Maine nodded again.

"I'll…" He took a deep breath. "I'll help you find Sigma. He's done… really bad things. And I want him to tell the truth about everything."

Maine growled.

"I can help run your equipment." Theta offered. "I've… I'm able to make a bubble shield by myself, so… that would work."

Yes, it would. Maine hesitated for a second before reaching out and taking the capture unit, before reaching back and connecting it to his suit.

There was a spike of pain in his neck and head, but it resided, and Theta appeared in his vision. He nodded to him.

Theta shuffled a bit before clenching his fists. "I'm ready."

Maine could tell.

"Uh oh."

"What is it, Church?" Tex turned to him.

"I've just lost Theta's readings." He replied, holding a holographic data pad. "Looks like Maine's using him."

"Why would he?" Tex responded, shocked.

"My guess?" Church sighed. "Theta joined him willingly. After all, you can't force an AI to work with you, so it's the only possibility."

Tex remained silent. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Let's assume that now Theta wants revenge against Sigma as well for letting Jaune get hurt. And for killing North, kidnapping him, using him, et cetera, et cetera…" He waved his arms as if to go on, which he looked like he would. "So now the Meta… I mean Maine now has an AI to run equipment, and the only one of us so far to use an Aura, the bubble shield."

"You mean the Domed Energy Shield?" Tex corrected.

"It's what I call it, ok? Anyway, so now Maine has a working AI with a shield semblance, the most advanced armor in the universe, weapons that can kick our asses, and an unrelenting determination to find and kill Sigma."

"That does sum it up quite well."

Church stared at her before groaning, letting himself fall back and hit the ground. "We're totally fucking dead, aren't we?"

Tex couldn't bring herself to disagree as Church just moaned about their doom on the floor.