Welcome to CH 13. Somehow managed to write it in time. JJD somehow managed to make it readable.
JJD: Deadlines are some bullshit
Jaune dropped on his bed, a wide smile on his face. He and Gepeto had spent the whole day sitting in this basement, designing new weapons for ARES.
"We have money and time, no need to limit ourselves to a single one." The old scientist said with a happy smile. Jaune wasn't sure which one of them were more excited at the prospect of arming ARES, but it didn't matter, did it?
The blond chuckled, new ideas still floating in his mind. A lot of his ideas were shot down, due to being 'impractical', like his request for a full auto grenade launcher. The blond turned his head and stared at a small device sitting next to his head. It looked inconspicuous, one could easily mistake it for a simple backpack. It was made of metal, but what was really important was what was inside.
Penny's 'core'. Her heart. Her soul.
The blond sighed. He had mixed feelings about bringing Penny out of the clinic. On one hand, he was happy for her company, and for the ability to link with her whenever he wanted. And she was happy she could now leave her room, and, thanks to the camera installed in the container, observe the world around her on her own. There was even a special headset attached, to allow him - and potentially anyone to talk with her.
On the other hand, whatever this 'core' was - Jaune never dared to even try and open the container - it was what essentially made Penny, well, Penny. The blond didn't even dare to think about what would happen if it was damaged, or worse, destroyed.
The only thing that allowed him to remain calm was the knowledge that Gepetto wouldn't allow any danger to come to Penny.
And the fact it had to be done eventually. Afterall, the whole point of making a body for Penny was so she could live a normal life, not be locked in her room forever.
With a sigh, Jaune closed his eyes and relaxed. For a few moments he just lay there, unmoving, in silence. The sound of leaves rustling on the wind reached him, and suddenly he could feel said wind on his face, and the soft grass he was sitting in. A small smile crept up on his lips.
Transition from being awake to the Room was always sudden, he never could pinpoint the exact moment it happened. But recently it was becoming much easier. Jaune didn't know why, but frankly didn't care. His eyes slowly drifted open to the now familiar sight.
A giant oak tree standing alone on a small hill, among a sea of green grass, waving gently in the wind. There was a small lake nearby, but besides that there was only grass as far as one could see. For some reason, the blond boy always found the sight very calming.
"So, where are we going tonight?" he asked when he felt a familiar presence next to him.
"Oh, you are going to love this one! And it will be an educational trip too!" Penny exclaimed happily.
"Oh?" Jaune chuckled nervously. Last time Penny wanted to help him with his education she decided she would help him study marine life forms.
The blond shuddered at the memory
He never knew just how many terrifying creatures lurked at the bottom of oceans, and most of them weren't even Grimm!
"Yes! Oh, I can't wait!" Penny cheered.
Jaune took a deep breath and steeled his resolve, ready to face the horrors that awaited him. He liked Penny, he really did, but he couldn't deny that she lacked… common sense.
At least she didn't try to take me on a tour through some secret military laboratories or something.
"Allright." he said, closing his eyes. "I'm ready."
He most certainly wasn't.
Penny smiled brightly, and his vision faded into black.
History, Jaune decided, could be quite an interesting subject. Especially if you didn't have to read about past events from some boring books, but could experience them on your own, thanks to your super-awesome digital friend.
The blond shifted on his horse, watching as his troops broke through enemy lines. Sure, he didn't actually lead them to victory, he was just an observer, but just being here on this ancient battlefield witnessing the battle on his own was much more interesting than history lessons with Gepetto.
He smiled, as the vision slowly faded away, and he found himself in a small room, sitting in front of a small desk. In front of him stood Penny, dressed in black suit, sending him stern look. Well, she tried at least.
"And that concludes today's lesson." she announced, in her best professional voice, fixing her comically oversized glasses.
Jaune somehow managed to resist the urge to head pat her.
"Now, time for your test." she said, and a sheet of paper materialized in front of him. Jaune glanced over the questions.
"Does it make any sense to test me in my dream?"
Penny again tried to glare at him.
"Are you questioning your teacher, Mr. Arc?"
Must… resist… the cuteness…
The blond chuckled.
"Allright. Give me a moment."
Penny crossed her arms over her chest, smiling smugly at him.
So adorable...
Life, Jaune decided, was good. Almost a week had passed since Gepetto took him to the small log cabin in the woods. Almost a week since he'd fought real Grimm for the first time.
He had nightmares for two days, and was a bit jittery for three, but right now he was feeling rested, focused, and ready for action.
He was also properly armed.
Jaune admired his suit - and he wasn't even sure when he started to think of it as 'his' - with a small smile.
The massive chunk of steel that Jaune used in his first battle was discarded, and ARES had three completely new weapons.
First, a modified S.A.A.R. Though that wasn't exactly correct - when they were brainstorming ideas for Jaune's main weapon, they simply decided to pick one Jaune had at least some experience with as base. What they ended up making was much bigger than the original, with higher caliber, fire rate, and almost double the magazine capacity. After some debate, they decided to include two fire modes - burst for regular encounters, and semi-auto for when precision was needed. To help with it even further, ARES was equipped with an advanced targeting assistance system, as well as optical zoom. Unfortunately, the gun was too big, and had too much recoil for Jaune, or anyone really, use it effectively without a suit. Truly, it was more of a hand-held autocannon than an assault rifle.
The secondary weapon was small, at least compared to the main rifle. Jaune smiled proudly as he examined the weapon. It was, afterall, his own design. He put a lot of thought into it, and he was very proud of the result.
The idea behind the weapon was simple - he wanted something easy to handle if he ever found himself in a situation where he had to fight outside of the suit. As he was toying with various designs, some news flash about another attack from the White Fang caused him to recall his own encounter with the faunus terrorists - and with it few more ideas. The end result was a gun that was frankly more of a utility tool. It looked like a revolver, but its drum could hold twelve rounds. Instead of regular ammo it used dust-infused bolts, that could be modified to produce various effects - flashbangs, smokescreen, sleeping gas, anything was possible with just a bit of tinkering.
The last addition were two blades mounted on suit's wrists. Seventy centimeters long when fully extended, they could bend at about two thirds of the length to form hooks. Not as effective at killing things, but a great assistance if Jaune needed to climb a wall or something.
"So…" Gepetto turned to Jaune " wanna take it for a spin?"
The blond just grinned.
"So, how was it?" Gepetto asked two hours later.
"The Recoil is much bigger than I thought, and burst fire is far less accurate than I expected. Though that might just be me being bad at aiming." Jaune took a sip of his energy drink. "Semi-auto is… I'm not sure. More accurate than burst for sure, but the recoil is still insane. I feel like I spend more time aiming and re-adjusting after every shot than actually shooting, and I don't think I'll ever try sniping with that thing."
Gepetto nodded, noting something on his scroll.
"So, recoil is the biggest problem?"
"Yes, I would say so."
"And how about your little baby?"
Jaune smirked.
"Better than I thought, to be honest. I'll need more practice, especially with reloading, but it does its job. The two problems I noticed are that the projectiles are rather slow, at over a hundred meters it's very hard to hit fast moving targets, and the grip is a bit too small."
Jaune lifted said gun, looking it over.
"But I can use it even without a suit, and the special ammo works as intended. I probably won't be killing Goliaths, or Nevermores from it, but it's good for what it was designed for."
"All right. I will try to do something about the recoil on your rifle. You…" Gepetto trailed off. "I guess you are free for today. Or you can go back to the shooting range, get some more practice."
Jaune got up from his seat, rolling his head.
"I think I'm going to do just that." He walked up to the suit and smiled. "You there Penny?"
"Always." she answered, her full sized avatar popping up right next to him. The blond smiled.
"Then let's do it."
A crippled fifteen year old boy, a mad scientist and the general of the strongest military in the world, sit around the table. It sounds like the beginning of some joke, but for Jaune it was reality.
A very stressful reality.
The last week had passed relatively calmly for him. He was busy studying, hanging out with Penny, designing, and testing weapons for a super advanced suit of powered armor - you know, normal teenage stuff.
Then, just an hour earlier, when they were enjoying their lunch, Gepetto remarked that they would have guests today. That got Jaune excited - he didn't get to meet too many new people, or make too many friends.
In fact, ever since coming to Atlas, the only people he hung out with that weren't family were Penny and Gepetto.
But when General James Ironwood stepped through the front doors, Jaune just froze. Who could blame him? It wasn't everyday you met one of the most influential people on Remnant. So, now they were sitting in the living room, around a small wooden table, General Ironwood idly chatting with Gepetto, and Jaune trying his best to melt into the chair he was sitting at, become invisible, or develop a teleportation Semblance and get the hell out of this room.
Any of those would work for him now.
A pair of slightly transparent arms wrapped around him, and Jaune managed a small smile. It was strange, really, how comforting Penny's presence could be. He couldn't actually feel her hugging him, and the fact she did so from behind meant she was currently standing inside his chair, which probably would look really weird if he turned, but the gesture itself was enough to let him relax a little.
"Thanks, Penny."
"You are welcome, Jaune."
The blond smiled hearing her speak. Recently, the times she referred to him by just his name, without adding 'friend' were more and more common. He personally liked to believe it was a good sign - that she no longer felt the need to confirm their friendship.
"Well, it's nice chatting with you, Doctor, but I think we should get to the main topic." General Ironwood said, setting his empty cup on the table. His eyes focused on Jaune - or rather the metallic object he was clutching.
"So, is that her core?"
"It's inside, General. But I believe you asked to move onto the main topic?" Gepetto answered.
"Yes, that's true." The General lifted his gaze, meeting Jaune's eyes, who in turn stiffened. "Jaune, was it?"
The blond nodded.
"Please, be at ease. We will probably be meeting a lot more often from now on." He tried to offer a smile to the younger boy.
It wasn't very effective.
The General let out a small sigh and turned back to Gepetto.
"So, what is the status of Project ARES?"
"The suit itself I would consider complete. As you already know, it has no problem standing up to your average Grimm. All that is left is to arm it properly - we already started working on it - and put Jaune through proper training."
"I see." General hummed, leaning back in his chair. "Is it possible to mass produce them?"
"No, not yet. Production costs are still far too high. Not even the materials themselves, but the equipment necessary to produce them. I was able to complete the mark 3 only because I already had a decent stockpile of materials. That, and Jaune still remains the only person capable of operating the damn thing. I have few ideas to fix that, but I don't think it will be that easy." Gepetto sighed, annoyed. "If all else fails, I think I'll just simplify the design. It will have much lower specs, but will be much easier to operate. On the brighter side, production costs will go down too."
The General nodded.
"Very well. I'll leave this matter in your hands, but I'll need regular updates on your progress. It would be nice if you gave me something I can appease the rest of the Council with at some point. Sooner, rather than later."
"Speaking of which, how did things go on your end?"
"Quite well, I would say. I managed to convince them it's not worth using taxpayers money to invest in another one of your crazy ideas. ARES will remain as a private project, done in cooperation with the Atlas army. As such, you retain full control over it, and only need to follow standard procedures - avoiding endangering the civilian population, avoiding any collateral damage, and not acting in any way that will bring danger to Atlas, or aiding others with such intent. You know, the usual."
Gepetto nodded.
"That sounds good. What's the catch?"
"You will have to inform the proper authorities of any live test you want to perform, especially if they will involve the usage of weapons. Also, they 'suggested' I appoint someone as an 'advisor' to your project. You don't have to accept, but…"
"I know, I know. In fact, it's a good thing. Jaune doesn't have any formal combat training, and simulations and practice against droids can get him only so far. If you can spare someone who could teach him not only fighting, but proper tactics, we could kill two birds with one stone."
The General hummed.
"Not a bad idea." He seemed lost in thought for a few moments before his eyes lit up. "And I think I have the perfect candidate on hand. One of my Specialists, currently on mandatory leave due to an injury sustained in the line of duty. They are young, but have an excellent track record."
"I assume the injury wasn't that bad and they constantly complain they want something to do?"
The General laughed.
"Exactly. So, what do you say?"
The old doctor nodded.
"I think it would be for the best. What do you say, Jaune?"
The blond blinked in surprise. It had looked like two adults had completely forgotten about him - and he was frankly glad for it. Now, with the two of them staring at him, Jaune didn't know what to do.
"Ummm… yes?" he tried.
Gepetto rolled his eyes.
"You don't have to agree with everything we say, you know? I told you before, and I say it again - ARES is as much your project as it is mine. As such, your word has as much, if not more, weight than mine. After all, if you decide to leave, we have no way of continuing it. So, tell me, Jaune, and think carefully before you answer - are you ok with being trained by one of the Atlas Specialists? I'll warn you right now, this will mean that training will get more intense. Up until now, we've been pretty casual about the whole thing, but if we accept this offer, things will become much more serious."
Jaune paused. Gepetto was right - and the realization shocked him more than it probably should. Up until now, ARES was a passion project. Everyone involved was doing it because it meant a lot to them. There was no set schedule, no deadlines to meet. If they started cooperating with the military, that would change. They, no, he would be expected to provide results.
And, probably sooner than later, he would be sent to fight real Grimm again.
He knew this would happen. That was the whole point of him doing it. But if they kept ARES just to themselves, it could take a lot of time before he faced Grimm again.
He closed his eyes, recalling the events from two weeks ago. Red eyes bearing into his very soul. An open maw filled with razor sharp teeth, just a few centimeters away from his face.
And a sense of dread that kept him awake at night, and restless during the day for a few days after.
He remembered all of this, and then felt something bubble in his chest. It was a familiar feeling, something he experienced many times.
Anger.
Those stupid, mindless beasts though they could scare him? That he would back away just because he would have to put in more effort?
Jaune scoffed.
Like hell he would back away. If General Ironwood offered one of his Specialists to train him, who was he to refuse? So what if it would be though ,and almost certainly painful. He was used to it. So, for the first time that evening, Jaune met the General's eyes, his expression firm.
"Let's do it."
James smiled lightly and nodded.
"Very well." He got up, offering his hand to Gepetto. "I'd better get going. Arranging the whole thing will take a while, probably around a week."
Then he turned, and, to his surprise, extended his hand towards Jaune. The blond hesitated only for a second before taking it.
The General's handshake was short and firm.
"I'm looking forward to working with you, Jaune. And Penny too."
The blond looked surprised for a moment before smiling confidently.
"Likewise, General."
The next week passed in a blur. After the General's visit, both Gepetto and Jaune agreed that they needed to step up their game. Jaune's regular schedule didn't change much. Regular studies in the morning, then ARES related stuff in the afternoon. The only difference was that they now had a set schedule.
And, on Jaune's request, they included physical training in it.
As a result, the blond had precious little free time for himself, but he wasn't complaining. This was what he wanted after all. He no longer could afford to take it easy. Like his father used to say - if you seriously want something, you better be prepared to put some serious effort into getting it.
And Jaune was very serious.
He even suggested they cut down on his sleeping hours, but Gepetto was adamant that he get at least eight hours of rest.
"You are still technically recovering. Don't overdo it."
And after just the first day, Jaune had to admit it was a good idea. After he retreated to his room, he all but collapsed on his bed. He would have probably have fallen asleep then and there, if not for Penny's nagging that he shouldn't go to bed without washing himself first.
Thankfully, Penny didn't ask him to help her with designing… herself. Whether it was because she realized how exhausted he was, or because she no longer needed his input, he didn't know, but he was happy nonetheless.
Overall, things were going well, in Jaune's opinion. Piloting ARES was now as natural as breathing for him, it truly felt as if he and suit had become one. He was doing well in his studies too, Penny's little sleep-teaching was helping a lot.
But as the weeks passed, the blond couldn't help but feel frustrated - angry even. While studying and the development of ARES were going well, there was one thing that wasn't improving at all.
His stupid, weak, broken body.
Oh, sure, in normal, everyday life there were no problems. He no longer needed a cane to walk, he could climb the stairs up to his room without much trouble, and often went for a walk around the house.
But he was still very, pathetically, weak. Any form of exercise and his muscles were screaming in pain. His reflexes and coordination outside of suit were trash. One time they made him run through simple exercise - dodging balls thrown at him by Gepetto, Jaune had to focus so hard on not tripping over his own legs that he wasn't able to pay attention to the incoming projectiles.
And the one time when he tried to have some hand-to-hand practice with a training bot? It was the first time in a long time that he had cried - not from pain, but frustration.
He couldn't land a single hit, he couldn't dodge even a single hit - unless you count the one he avoided by virtue of tripping over his own legs. Even after the difficulty settings were set to a minimum.
It wasn't even that he couldn't see them coming.
He could.
Even without Penny's help, he could see the attacks coming. Even on the higher settings, as long as he used Aura to augment his sight, he could pick up miniature movements to predict how his opponent would attack him.
But, as usual, his own body held him back. Even if he saw a perfect opening, he just couldn't move fast enough to take advantage of it. Even if he saw an attack coming his way, and knew exactly how to dodge it, he couldn't move fast enough.
Forget fighting, he couldn't even run without falling flat on his face after just a few steps.
Gepetto assured him that his condition was very good, all things considered, that it could be considered a small miracle he can even walk.
Jaune knew it was true.
It didn't make it any less frustrating though.
Jaune shook his head, dispelling those thoughts. Today was a big day. Today they would meet the fifth member of the ARES team - even if they would be here only temporarily. Jaune wondered what kind of person they were. In his mind, he saw someone similar to the General - stoic, composed, radiating absolute authority.
Jaune looked around the living room, desperate for something to occupy his attention. How long would they have to wait? There were only so many hours in a day, and he needed to train. In fact, his physical rehabilitation should be starting in…an hour?
Jaune blinked a few times, staring at the clock mounted on the wall. Just to be sure, he pulled his scroll and checked the time again, before letting out a frustrated sigh. They'd been waiting not even five minutes. Great.
"Nervous?" Asked Arhtur.
"Yeah." Jaune answered with another sigh. Seriously, couldn't they hurry? He had a schedule to keep.
"By the way." Gepetto spoke, looking up from his scroll. "Do you know anything about this Specialist?"
Arthur just shook his head.
"Nothing. I've been really busy these past few weeks, and didn't have a chance to talk with Ironwood."
Gepetto raised his eyebrow.
"Something serious going on?"
"Not really. At least I don't think so. We had a spike of Grimm activity, and some bandit problems, but it was taken care of."
Gepetto looked like he wanted to say something more, but the distinctive sound of bullhead engines interrupted him.
"Well." He said, getting up. "It looks like our guest has arrived. Let's go greet them."
The three of them walked out, observing as the sleek, white aircraft landed in front of them. The ramp lowered,\ and doors opened, revealing a lone figure, clad in an Atlas military uniform.
Gepetto, froze, his whole fram going rigid, as he watched them walk down in slow, measured steps. The waves of intense emotion that erupted from the old scientist was enough for Jaune to wince.
He looked up at the old scientist, who didn't even try to hide his glare leveled at the approaching person. Confused, Jaune looked at his father, but Arthur's face was so stiff it may as well be made out of stone.
Jaune knew this face.
It was his 'oh, shit, we are done for' face.
Confused, he focused on the approaching person, who just walked down the ramp, and stopped a few steps in front of them. She was pretty, he decided, in a cold, elegant kind of way. Her every movement was measured and graceful, her blue eyes scanned three assembled men - thought really she focused more on Gepetto and Arthur, barely sparing any attention for Jaune.
Jaune wasn't sure if he actually saw her frown when she locked eyes with Gepetto, or it was just an intense feeling of displeasure and… disappointment? Annoyance? He wasn't sure which one he felt from the woman in front of him, but he knew full well what he felt from Gepetto.
It wasn't anything nice.
Eventually the woman turned towards his father and saluted.
"Sir." she said, her expression completely neutral. "Specialist Winter Schnee reporting for duty."
Jaune could practically hear his father scream inside.
And that wraps it up. The last member of team ARES has appeared. I'm sure they will get along juuuuuuuust fine. Oh, and Jaune got himself a gun. Two even.
If you want a mental image of his new weapons, they are fairly simple. Jaune's main gun is just a big assault rifle, I didn't have any specific image in my head when describing it. The only thing I'm not sure I described properly are his wrist blades. Just google 'doom eternal wrist blade' to have an idea of what I had in mind. They also can bend at 90 degrees, forming hooks for easier climbing.
Lastly, I would like to talk about what was my inspiration for this fic. I see a lot of people bringing up Warframe and Halo in the reviews - and they are both correct answers. The idea with the implant was something I borrowed from the Halo series (I read somewhere that you need a special implant to operate the armors they use), as well as Penny appearing as miniature holographic assistant.
From Warframe - well, Jaune's suit looks pretty much like the Rhino warframe so there is that.
But none of those were what made me want to write this fic. No, they just give me ideas for certain elements. The 'true' inspiration for this fic was a game called Firefall. Unfortunately, it is long since dead, but I had a blast playing it when it was up and running. One day, I just accidentally stumbled upon a soundtrack from it on YT, and this idea just popped into my head.
Last one thing, unrelated to fic, but has anyone for you saw Baldur's Gate 3 reveal? What do you think? I personally think it looks really good.
It also caused me to remember I had D:OS 2 on my disc that I was neglecting, so I decided to jump in for a bit...and proceed to waste most of my weekend on it.
Anyway, that's it from me. See y'all later.
