A/N: Hello, once again, after a long wait, I have returned!

After reviewing my story, I have a few changes I'd like to inform you of.

To lessen the power of Colt, I have decided to remove the Gauntlet's ability to create weapons and blast things like a cannon. It still will have the pocket dimension, but will have limited use while in combat.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, the AIs of RVB, or the songs involved.

0ooooooooooooooooooooo0

Song: Mausoleum Suite – O'Donnell and Salvatori

Underground Facility

Colt

"Please remove your shirt." I was instructed, and I stripped off the shirt and threw it to Rowan before approaching the table, a large machine up above reaching a probe to send a scan around my body.

"This is a very delicate process, so this machine will be helping me with the installation." I heard Doctor Nike say as I was strapped into the chair, face down, but the table was currently vertical, so I was able to look him in the face.

"Alpha, make sure you're locked into your chip." Ozpin told Church.

"Yeah, yeah, all exterior programs cancelled. Tell me what you need."

"I think I have everything I need, Alpha." Nike said. "Be ready to insert into our patient's body."

"Ugh, that sounds weird."

"I suggest the other students wait outside of the surgery room." Ozpin ordered, and slowly my teammates filed out of the room.

"Are you ready, Mr. Silver?" Ozpin asked.

I nodded, and I felt a needle insert itself into my neck.

"Well, that was easy." I joked.

'"That was the anesthetic." Nike told me, and I groaned as everything blurred. The table lowered itself and my eyelids drooped closed, then slowly slid open. I felt a slight prick at the back of my neck, and it started to tingle, so I had supposed they had begun surgery.

Voices were muffled, and I felt something unfamiliar slide through me and up against the top of my neck. It formed to the back of my neck, then then sense of being electrified overloaded my senses I roared in pain as I felt something spread into my brain and down my spine, then felt the cooling sensation afterward, almost like it was freezing. I shivered as the doctor adjusted the device on my neck, which I now saw through a schematic that popped into my head surrounded my spinal cord.

Hey, Colt. I'm in. Their finalizing the new chip, making sure it won't interfere with any muscles, and that it connected properly.

I felt odd with this voice in my head, and I began to question. Can you read all of my thoughts?

Just the main ones. You know, the ones that you really think on.

Can you still port to other devices?

Church took form in my mind's eye. Yes, and other AI can jump into your unit, even if I'm in here, but I can put up a firewall to stop unwanted AI from entering your system.

What else can you do?

With a chuckle, Church answered. We'll see our full capacities once we go through the testing stages. By the way, they're stitching you back up. Once the bring you up out of it, they're going to put you through a test run, make sure everything's connected okay and there's no excess or out of place pieces.

I felt the tiniest pinch, but then my eyes widened as things became slightly clearer, including a dull pain from my back, neck, and head. I was being unstrapped, and I felt groggy as I was carried out on a stretcher to a bed so I could sleep off the pain.

0oooooooooooooooooo0

Same song

Hours later

I woke after a dreamless sleep, sore pain shooting up my back as I tried to sit up. I still wore no shirt, as did Rowan and Mark, who also lay on hospital beds.

"Ah, Mr. Silver. First awake, I see?" I heard Dr. Nike yell, and I held my head with my hand.

"Easy, Doc, not so loud."

"I apologize, but you are just experiencing one of the normal side effects of implantation. Your senses will be highly elevated for a few hours, so don't travel down to any raves." The doctor joked. "Meanwhile, let's go ahead and give you a test run."

I nodded, then grabbed my shirt, which lay next to my bed on a table, and he turned and led me to a bare room with nothing but a table with multiple objects laid on them and a couple of Atlesian Knight-200s standing next to each other on the left side.

"This is Doctor Reginald Nike running through the AI-Human installation initial inspection. Test Subject Alpha, consisting of Church designation 'Alpha' and Colt Silver, codename 'Shadow Hunter.' The Doctor said after pointing at a camera. "Alright, first, do you feel any fuzziness at the back of your brain or a slight headache?"

"Yes, but it doesn't really seem to affect me." I told him, a slight tinge of uneasiness.

The doctor smiled. "Don't worry, my boy, it's perfectly normal."

I sighed in relief as he gestured to the table. "I want you to pick up each of these objects and inform me as much as possible about their nature."

And so I began, stepping up to the table and picked up a standard revolver. Schematics and lists began to pop up in my mind's eye as Church spoke in my mind.

"This is a Forrester .45 Caliber revolver used by an Atlesian soldier during the Great War, and has the initials PFC JR inscribed along the wooden handle, serial number 0076538, registered on the Atlas armament records to a Jackson Ramirez, who is listed as deceased, died of natural causes two months ago. Confirmed kills with this weapon is 130, and it is currently fully loaded with blanks." I told him, then added as an afterthought, "The revolver hasn't been cleaned for at least three months."

"Very good, and spot on. Subject Alpha seems to have blended well, and Mr. Silver's reflexes and short term memory, as well as his speed with responding to the Alpha AIs input seems very sharp, currently no signs of negative side effects or hindrances. Please continue."

I next picked up a lien card, and Church advised me to slide on my headset, the eyepiece flickering over my eye and turning black with whitish-blue glows on the card with fingerprints.

Okay, I'm running the print, here's what I have so far…

"This is a 20 lien card that was last traded at a school concession stand during a chess tournament, two fingerprints belonging to two individuals rest on the card. One is that of Sun Wukong, the other of Velvet Scarlatina. I suspect that Sun used the card to pay for some snack and Velvet was the cashier that exchanged the card for him. It was printed in 2014 in Vacuo."

The doctor nodded. "Alright, I'll let the eyepiece get by, Church seems to be really able to use it. Very good work, Alphas."

"Wait, are we both 'Alpha'?"

"Yes, we will address you as either 'Colt' or 'Alpha', and Church as his preferred name or 'Alpha AI', but together you are Alpha-Proper."

Ugh, that's confusing.Church said in my mind, and I chuckled.

I moved through the items one by one, including a wristwatch, a short baton, and at the end of the line was a gambling card I well recognized immediately. Church began to pull up files, some including pictures of me and a video of me selecting the card, then came files of its origin and its previous user.

"Dad." I whispered as images of a boy near identical to me as he lifted the card from its pedestal. He gave a cocky grin to his teammate, a young man who just rolled his eyes with a slight smile gracing his mouth. My father had hair and eyes much like my own, with very tan skin and a navy blue trench coat with golden buttons, two cutlasses on his hips and multiple flintlocks in the coat and one on his right leg and two on the belt, with a bow and quiver on his back.

"Let's get out of here." The other boy urged, "Before more students bring Grimm."

"Alright, Hei Xiong." My dad told him. "Let's get back to the cliffs.

I realized this boy's name as soon as he hefted the large club onto his back, then pulled on a pair of red sunglasses.

"I told you, call me Junior."

Junior? As in, the club owner, Junior?

I know him as the Man Who Knows Everything in Vale. Apparently he also knew my father.

From behind me, I heard Ozpin speak. "I figured you should have that card, Mr. Silver. In memory of a great man."

"Thank you, sir." I said, staring into the card that symbolized my father's life, then hardened myself. "Let's continue, Dr. Nike. I need to punch something."

"Good, because that's your next exercise." The man told me, gesturing to the two bots, who quickly moved the table to the side of the room. "We will next see how Alpha-Proper contends against two Atlesian Knights in melee combat with the new implantations."

The two bots drew their weapons in unison, and Ozpin, who had been carrying my belt, handed me my weapons. I strapped it on and turned to see the two bots begin to circle me.

Analyzing, be ready, I'll try to guide you through this, but don't hesitate to use your instincts, we're partners, and now DUCK!"

I bent and felt the Knight's blade whiz over me, and I rolled to the side as it followed through by driving his other blade into the floor, cleanly cutting through the metal, and I completed the roll and onto my feet, then kicked the bot in the head.

"Professor, am I allowed to use any melee weapon?"

"Yes, Colt." Ozpin answered as I drew my longsword, blocking one of the incoming Knight blows, then I called my chain into existence, feeling it coil around my arm and into my hand. I lit it, and the flames spread along my arm before I flung the chain around. The paladin dodged easily, and I flicked it to the side, attempting to trip the second, but it leaped above it.

Knight 1 charged, and I blocked the two strikes it sent my way as I jerked the chain up and back so it wrapped around its chest, then twisting under its arm and wrapping the appendage in the chain before flipping it into its partner, who was approaching from ahead. I loosened the chain with a flick of my hand as Church began suggesting angles and unique combos, the steps showing up on my eyepiece.

I began to follow one of his suggestions, jerking my chain back behind me and using it as a whip to knock away a Knight's arm as it attacked, then went for what seemed like a strike for the exposed arm until I bent the chain into a loop that the robot's arm sailed right through, and I pulled back, locking the two arms back and shifting my blade to behead the machine, the head rolling onto the ground.

Colt!Church warned, and I looked to see the second Knight in mid-leap. I knew the force of the blow would knock me back or down if I stayed and tried to block the attack with my sword, so I let the chain fall from my grasp and took Shadowsteel in both hands, deflecting the blow to the side, then slicing, to which the robot easily parried, then counterstruck with a run-through, which I knocked aside with my gauntlet, then blocked his follow-up with the other arm with my blade, twisting it to the side. And drawing my knife from my back, plunging it into the Knight's neck, cutting off its central cords.

I returned my blades and the chain to their places while Dr. Nike spoke. "Very good, Alpha Proper seems to have successfully merged without any normal side effects. You may have headaches for a while, and you'll come to learn that some of the AI like long nights, but other than that…"

And the inverted penis.Church said very seriously

"What?" My eyes widened, and Church laughed.

I'm kidding, Colt.

"We'll be spending the next few mornings in live combat training in the Emerald Forest, so we can begin working on the AI-human bonding." Ozpin stated. "With this new technology, the AI will help you become better, smarter, and enhance your Semblances and Aura to the highest level."

"What about the Vytal Festival? Will my team be competing in the tournament?"

Ozpin smiled. "All of the schools have their secret projects, their own 'best of the best', and they come together to make the Ultimate Tournaments, with higher prices on seats, due to the 'Sheer intensity and epic fighting skills of these students', according to advertisements. You and your team will be competing, but without the use of your AI."

"I understand." I told him, and he nodded.

The intercom in the room buzzed on, and a voice said, "Dr. Nike, Subject Beta and Delta have awoken, Omega still sleeps."

"Alright, bring in Beta." Nike told the man. "With Ozpin's permission, I'm signing you off as mentally stable and fit for duty."

"I permit it." Ozpin stated. "Grab the rest of your gear, Mr. Silver, and take a walk with me."

"Yes, sir." I responded, then hurried to grab my jacket.

We stepped out to the main hallway, where one end held the elevator to the surface, the other covered by curtains.

"Do you recall how I told you how many horror stories and fairy tales were true to some extent?"

I nodded as we walked, his cane tapping on the floor. "Well, there is one that you must know immediately. You know of the story of the Four Maidens?"

I groaned. "That one's real?"

"While we don't know how accurate the tale is, I do know that there are Four Maidens. The energy is transferred from generation to generation, and the Syndicate is devoted to their protection.

"I want to introduce you to the Fall Maiden, Amber." Ozpin and waved his hand, the curtain falling to reveal a pair of pods with an elaborate machine in between. In one slept a sleeping woman with a hideous scar marring her face.

"What's happened?" I asked.

"She was attacked by someone who tried to steal her powers. Half of it was taken, and she was immediately brought here and put into a preservative comatose until we found a suitable person to take the other half."

"Why are you showing me this?"

Ozpin looked at the Maiden and sighed before looking me dead in the eye. "Colt, something bad is about to happen. You can almost taste it in the air. I fear that this school may be in danger, and I may not be here for much longer."

"Professor, don't say that!" I protested.

"Should my position be vacated, you and your team must make sure the Syndicate prevails in order. And above all else, you must ensure that the Maidens are protected at all costs." He told me. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Swear to me, Colt."

"I swear I will uphold the Syndicate and protect the Maidens with my full conviction."

"Good, now enjoy the rest of your evening. And do not tell anyone of what you both have heard today."

"Sir, what should happen if I am in danger of being taken or killed?"

"Above all else, you must ensure that Church leaves your system and jumps to another before they have a chance to use him for evil."

Whoa, whoa, you're not gonna die, Colt! You've got me at your back.Church tried to say.

"For now, I want you to train to your best, and forge as many allies as you can. They will all be there to help you in your darkest hour. And be willing to forgive past sins for those that have truly changed." Ozpin smiled, "Those are my final words, Mr. Silver. You will be sworn in tomorrow, for now, enjoy yourself, make sure your settled in and finally have that party I know you've all been planning."

"Yes, sir." I grinned, banishing dark thoughts from my mind, then turned toward the elevator and walked away.

0ooooooooooooooo0

Rowan

Hello, Rowan. I am AI designation Psi.A happy-go-lucky tenor voice seemed to say in my head. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

What's happened?I mentally asked as I opened my eyes, viewing the hospital room I lay in.

"Subject Psi-Proper is awake." I looked to see Dr. Nike as he wrote a few things on a clipboard. "The rest of your team has already awoken and had their initial exams. Let's get you through, and we can call it a day."

Rowan, I know all of what you've done in Project Archangel.Psi began speaking. I believe that you were the one that attacked Jackson City, and Ozpin and a select other few know this information, but I suggest that you tell your team, before they learn of their own accord, something tells me that Colt may not be very lenient.

I blinked and began to follow the doctor onward as Psi continued to inform me of different approaches to my new conundrum as he scanned my memories, seeming to be able to recover them from the closet I pushed them into.

Did you know that the mind can sometimes express feelings when you don't mean to? For example, in your recent drawing for Colt, then shading you've used suggests a feeling of apprehension and sorrow in the Nevermore, signifying your history in Project Archangel.

Psi?

Yes, Rowan.

Could youpleaseshut up for a few minutes and stop telling me how to live my life?I said in a sarcastic sort of mental thought.

Is it considered very rude?

Yes, to people, it's very rude to dig through their memories and tell them what they should do with their personal lives. I'm sure we're going to be best friends, but for right now, let's just get sorted out and comfortable with each other and fighting.

Psi picked up on that chain of thought immediately. Studies show that 'bonding' is usually done by discussing each other's likes and dislike. Perhaps we can work with this exercise?

I rolled my eyes. Sure thing, I'll start. I don't like it when people try to talk to me when there's work to be done.I told him. We will discuss this later, Psi.

Understood, Rowan.

0ooooooooooooo0

Later that night…

Rowan

I stepped into the rec room and glanced around, only seeing Mark and team CFVY inside, and sighed, holding the folder where I kept all of my sketches tightly in hand.

"Greetings, Emberstorm." Fox greeted, extending his unarmed hand to me.

"Call me Rowan." I told him, taking it and shaking, then sliding my folder into an inside pocket of my jacket. I saw Velvet's eyes follow it, and she rose her gaze to meet mine, giving me a lovely grin. "That all of your works?"

I gave a slight nod, and she smiled. "I'd like to see a few, if you're willing." She told me.

"I give no promises." I stated. "My sketches are very personal to me."

"Oh." She said, looking down with a touch of sadness in her eyes. "It's alright, I understand."

Immediately, I felt horrible

0oooooooooo0

Beacon dorms, that night

Ruby

…

All of teams JNPR, SSSN, CFVY and RWBY were invited to the initiation party held by CHRM. A few of the other new teams were there, including half of SSPR and Golem.

As I walked into the rec room they were in, I spotted Colt sitting on a table, dressed in a black T-shirt with a black denim jacket and jeans, a pair of square-toed cowboy boots almost touching the ground.

"Hey, RWBY's here!" Nora said aloud, then the others looked up and waved. Most sat in a circle playing a card game, Rowan carefully protecting a folder under his crossed legs, while Colt, Ren and Fox sat at a table in the corner and seemed to be just talking.

"Hey, Ruby!" Colt said, standing from his seat and stepping over to give me a hug.

"Hi, Colt. Where have you been? You had been checked out of the hospital and I was looking around the school for you."

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Colt said, scratching the back of his head. "Ozpin had some business he needed me for."

"Alright." Rowan started, standing from the floor with a groan. "Now that the gang's all here, I believe we have a deal to uphold."

Colt sighed. "I'd almost hoped you'd forgotten."

Rowan shook his head, then placed the folder on the table. "You'd better get your gear. Is it in your room?"

Colt laughed. "As if I'd keep it there. ILA, bring out package nine."

He pointed his hand at a spot next to the table he'd been sitting at, and the tendrils of material snaked out from under his sleeve, colors of black, white, grey, and silver combining and flowing together as they began to harden into form.

"What deal?" I asked as I studied the folder and the forming substance with curiosity.

"I made a deal that for every three songs I sing, I get to see one of his sketches." Colt told me as the material hardened into a guitar case on a guitar stand. The Wildsman stepped over and unzipped the case, then gently pulled out a guitar with tribal flames crafted into the base with the greys, silvers, and whites, and actually colored flames along the neck. A black strap with silver chains sewed as a design into it went over his head and he pulled a black guitar pick from the strings, a black binder being pulled from the case next. Taking a seat, Colt waited as we all gathered together. He set the binder on the floor.

"Alright, this one's a classic my Grandpa use to play."

And with that, he began to play.