Chapter 8
"There's Paulette! After her!" Penny ran off as fast as she could in pursuit of the sinister virus.
"MWAHAHAHAHA! You'll never catch me!" Paulette remarked.
"Come on, Ruby! We have to-!" Weiss tried to drag the Mental-Ruby along with her, but the imaginary huntress wouldn't budge.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Weiss growled, very nearly declaring how much of a dolt Ruby was for not recognizing her...only to freeze as her eyes landed on the spot where her mental image - Ruby's memory of her - was no longer standing. A chill ran down the heiress' spine as she realized that this had been Paulette's plan all along. If Ruby no longer remembered even one of her friends or family members, she'd have less of a reason to resist the rogue computer program's influence. "Ruby, it...it's me. Weiss. Weiss Schnee. You know? Your friend? Your partner?" she nervously asked, feeling a mixture of panic, guilt, and fear upon realizing the very real possibility that the girl in front of her genuinely did not remember her.
Said fears were proven all too true as Mental-Ruby just tilted her head in confusion, and perhaps a little frustration. "I'm sorry; we're friends? Even though this is the first time I've ever seen you? You really expect me to believe that?"
Weiss couldn't help the tears that appeared in her eyes, feeling like a knife had pierced her heart, before shaking her head. "No, I suppose not. You were a great friend to me, but I always took you for granted. No apology I could give you would even come close to expressing how sorry I am for not treating you like the friend, the partner that you deserved. For losing my temper and giving Paulette the opening she needed to hurt you, to damage your memories. For breaking my promise," she declared, recalling a certain night not so long ago when she'd begun to see the girl in front of her in a new light with a teary-eyed frown. She then gained a steely expression, realizing the time for repairing her bond with Ruby would have to come later. "...but that isn't important right now. I'm sure you've noticed that something feels… off about your little mindscape - about your memories." No words could describe the amount of relief she felt at the look of confusion and/or curiosity that filled Mental-Ruby's eyes upon hearing those words even as she pointed in the direction that Penny and Paulette had run off in. "Penny is currently chasing after the one who took something from said memories. Do you think you could stand to help her? To help us to stop Paulette here and now?"
Mental-Penny just huffed. "But how can I be chasing anyone when I'm standing right here?!"
Weiss sighed, then nodded. "Yes, you are, and if you...if any of you were able to remember the explanation the two of us gave you earlier, you'd know why there are suddenly two Pennys running about. Look I don't have time to explain, and I know you have no reason to trust me right now, but please do when I tell you that if you don't want Paulette killing all your friends and loved ones, we need to go now."
Mental-Ruby stared at her for a few moments, before slowly gaining a small smile. "It's weird; I've just met you, and yet, I feel like I could trust you with my life."
Weiss gave a resolute nod, not quite registering the resigned/relieved smile that graced her features. "Believe me when I say that I'd rather die and have you forget me forever than let anything happen to you, Ruby Rose."
Mental-Ruby shook her head in amusement before gaining a determined grin, "I won't let it come to that...'Weiss,' was it? If you're talking about the same 'Paulette' that I think you're talking about, then you're right: we do need to stop her sooner rather than later. That said, if you want to help out in that regard, I won't stop you. I don't know what it is, exactly, but something tells me that you and I are going to be great friends."
Weiss just gave a tear-filled smile. "I certainly hope so." She watched as Mental-Ruby gathered everyone for an assault on Paulette with a resigned sigh. "Even when I'm practically a complete stranger to you, somehow you have enough optimism and kindness in you to want to trust and protect me. You really are something else, Ruby Rose." Before she moved to follow her best friend and partner, however, she turned towards where Mental Weiss once stood with a solemn nod. "I promise: I'll keep Ruby safe. I still need to give her the kindness that she deserves...and to make sure Paulette regrets ever having messed with Weiss Schnee." she declared, gaining a steely expression with that last bit.
Back in the real world, Yang was growing more impatient. The blonde brawler had resorted to punching the wall to pass the time, much to her teacher's annoyance. "Miss Xiao Long." Glynda spoke evenly, with just a hint of venom in her tone. "If you are so eager to vent your frustrations, we have a new mission. We've gotten reports of a new type of Grimm near Kuroyuri, and we need someone to investigate."
"I'm not going anywhere until I know that my sister is alright!" Yang snapped back. "It's been three hours!"
"I can assure you, your sister is in good hands." Glynda promised. "These things just take time. I will tell you when there are any new developments."
"Like how when you told us Penny was a secret Atlas robot?" Yang retorted, sarcastically. "Or when you told us Cinder was a criminal? I don't think your word is good enough for us anymore."
Glynda could only watch as the student walked away in anger. Truth be told, the dominatrix huntress was growing weary of all the secrecy, herself. Then again, what was she supposed to expect from a life of clandestine organizations? "You two watch over them." She told Ciel and Rachael. "I'm going to call Professor Ozpin."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oui, m'dame."
"Wait… where's your 'medic' friend?"
Outside the school, Jean Purple was busy trying to call General Ironwood to smooth out the possible destruction of her career. But after she had stepped outside to clear her head, she ended up stumbling onto a remarkable discovery inside one of the caves in the Emerald Forest. Thinking this discovery would give her a chance to redeem herself, she immediately called Sally. "Hello, Sally? I need to speak to General Ironwood."
"Hello, dude. Sorry, dude." Sally replied. "I'm afraid General Ironwood is preoccupied at this time."
"Well, can you tell him I called?" Jean asked, urgently. "I found a… uh… it's, uh…"
"A what, dude? I haven't got all day."
"Well, it's hard to describe." Jean rubbed her chin as she circled around the strange vehicle. "It's like… it kinda looks like a Grimm thing. A purple Grimm thing."
"Oh, wow, dude. That is urgent. Let me whip out my dictionary of 'purple Grimm things.' General Ironwood will be so proud."
"But, I just-!"
"Gotta go, dude. Lots of things to do and huntsman/huntresses to call, y'know? Later gator."
With that, the Atlesian secretary hung up, leaving Jean most agitated. "Man! If it's not Ciel, it's Jaune, or the teachers, or Sally! Next time she calls me back, I'm gonna tell her to go straight to H-E-double hockey sticks!" She kicked the dirt out of frustration before leaning against the bizarre vehicle with a guilty expression. "Aw, geez. I really shouldn't talk like that."
Back inside Ruby's mind, Weiss and Penny had finally caught up to Paulette. "Alright, you nasty virus! Your time is up!" Weiss declared, proudly. "From now on, the only person who gives Ruby Rose headaches is me!"
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Both the real and imaginary Penny's gushed in unison.
"Oh, come off it." Weiss blushed.
Paulette just growled. "I'll deal with you two later," he directed and Penny and Weiss with a scowl before turning towards Mental-Ruby. Here, however, she suddenly gained a smug smile. "As for you, Ruby Rose, I must say I'm surprised. I could understand you following Penny into battle against me, as foolish a notion as it is, but I know for a fact that you don't even know her companion, as this would be the first time you'd have even met each other. Why do you align with her against me? Doing so certainly flies in the face of our little deal, don't you think?"
"Deal? What deal?"
Weiss couldn't help but relish in the shocked expression Paulette gained upon hearing those words from Mental-Ruby's mouth. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess what the deal you made with my partner, my friend, was, Paulette: you would keep her friends and family safe and in return she would aid you in your endeavors. Well, if that's the case, you broke your own little contract the moment that you killed off the memory of one of her friends."
Mental-Ruby nodded. "I couldn't have said it better myself. While my memory is honestly a bit hazy at the moment, I do recall you saying something along the lines of planning on sparring a certain someone I was friends with: someone whom I no longer remember the name of. Between that and the fact that I recall you being not so nice to my sister leads me to believe that you might have had a hand in that gap in my memory, and if you so casually killed off my memory of said person then the question of exactly how safe the rest of my friends and family would be with you around must be asked. In short, sis, the deal's off, and I'm going to take you down."
Paulette stood stock still upon hearing those words, before slowly but surely gaining a maniac laugh. "'Take me down?!' Foolish girl: you have no idea who you're messing with...or how much control of your own mind I've already taken from you. While I'll admit that our time together was enjoyable, all good things must end eventually. Goodbye, Ruby Rose."
Weiss felt a chill run down her spine as those words reached her ears...even more so when she saw a mental projection of the tank that Beacon had turned it's turret towards her partner. Before she could make a move, however, she saw that Paulette was just standing there with a smug expression, leaving herself wide open to be taken down. Had she still been the same Weiss she was before coming to Beacon, she wouldn't hesitate to take the rogue computer program down and eliminate the threat in front of her...but now the new Weiss, the one who had become Ruby's friend and partner, was faced with a choice: kill the one who had insulted the Schnee name, her name, or save the seemingly insignificant girl who had somehow made it into Beacon two years earlier than her. She clenched her fist as a single thought coursed through her head: "My choice is clear."
Mental-Ruby wasn't sure what happened: one minute, she was staring down the barrel of a tank, and the next, that "Weiss" character was pushing her out of the way and taking the shot meant for her. "NO!" she yelled out in more emotion then she was expecting, before running over and cradling the girl in her arms. "Why?" she couldn't help but ask, tears flowing freely, "We only just met a few moments ago. Why would you…?
Weiss just gave a bitter chuckle even as she held her ribs with a wince: despite how the tank had managed to shatter her aura, there was a good chance she'd survive this if they were able to take down Paulette...but even if she didn't… "It might have been just a few moments ago for you, but believe me when I say that I've known you for much longer. Long enough to know that this is the least that I owe you for everything you've done for me. Besides, it's like I told you before: I'd rather die than let anything happen to you. And hey, if worse comes to worse, if I did die, I could do so knowing with certainty that I kept my promise to keep you safe. To be a better person. To be the best teammate you'd ever had."
"Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have."
Mental-Ruby silently gasped as those words echoed through her mind, feeling like something from a dream, or perhaps a dream of a dream, and yet somehow feeling all too real. She teared up a little as she gave a smile to the girl she had just met. She then shook her head as she realized that statement wasn't completely accurate." "It's not supposed to be a competition, and besides, I already told you that I wouldn't let it come to that… my friend."
The Schnee heiress blinked in shock and happiness, noticing a spark of recognition in Ruby's silver eyes. "'Friend?' Wait, Ruby, does that mean that you…?"
Mental-Ruby shook her head. "It's all a bit fuzzy, actually, and honestly, I'm still not sure that any of the stuff I do recall is even real. That said, and this might seem like a strange question, even to me, but I need to ask: does this mean that you don't hate me?"
Weiss could only shake her head as tears of both joy and sadness streamed down her cheeks. Like Ruby said, the memories weren't complete, but they were there, and she had been given a chance to help her make some new ones. That said... "I won't lie: once upon a time, that sentiment might not have been too far off the mark...but having gotten to know you, I can honestly say that you are, without a doubt, one of the most important people in my life, Ruby Rose. Honestly, Atlas would've felt a lot less cold if I had someone like you there while I was growing up."
"Pfft, a bit sappy for my tastes, but a sentiment that even a Princess of Atlas such as myself could agree upon nonetheless."
Weiss could only join Mental-Ruby in gasping as Mental-Weiss appeared before them again, looking a bit more calm and, dare she say it, regal then she had previously. The Schnee heiress could only nod as Mental-Ruby squealed and glomp-tackled her mental image. "So, did I do a good job of protecting her?" she felt the need to ask "herself."
Mental-Weiss could only scoff even as she returned the embrace with a roll of her eyes. "You ask that like you don't already know." She gave her a kind smile as she broke the embrace, before giving "herself" a grateful bow. "I thank you for looking after my future consort, other me."
Weiss could only give a good natured roll of her eyes, even as she blushed as she realized that, while Ruby's mental image of her had changed, Ruby herself was still as silly and doltish as ever. Still, she reflected as she returned the bow, she supposed that she wouldn't have it any other way. "I'm certain you'd do the same, your grace," she couldn't help but remark.
"YOU'RE DARN RIGHT! I'D NEVER LET THAT BITCH PAULETTE NEAR MY WAIFU!" Mental-Weiss shouted, giving "herself" a wink as she did.
Paulette could only stare in shock, even as Weiss joined Mental Ruby and her own mental projection in a laugh. "This...this isn't possible."
"Of course you'd think that," Penny declared as she approached the rogue computer program. "You were so focused on achieving your revenge, on trying to force Ruby to feel the same rage as you, that you never stopped to ask yourself why Weiss and I came here in the first place, why Ruby went after Cinder Fall in the first place...and no: it wasn't because you forced her to. Deep down, you know as well as I do that Ruby Rose would have gone after her with or without you. That it was her love for her friends and family that drove her forward, not her anger at Cinder."
Paulette could only shake in frustration and anger even as Penny approached her without an ounce of fear on her face. "Why?" she growled, "Why aren't you afraid? You know what I'm capable of: there's no reason for you to risk your life like this!"
"Is that what you think?" Penny said with a scoff, "I can't help but pity you: you just don't get it. Weiss and I didn't come for some cheap thrill. We weren't fighting for ourselves. We were fighting for Ruby, for Yang, for Blake, for all of our friends, and that's something you'll never understand, you malicious malware!" Quickly closing the gap between them, she slammed an item she'd been carrying with her onto Paulette's chest before declaring, "It's the very thing that makes us human."
Paulette just forced Penny off of her with a snarl. "Don't give me that crap. You aren't even…" Whatever insult the rogue computer program was going to make was suddenly cut short by her crying out in surprise, falling to her knees and holding her chest in pain. "What's happening?!"
"You're right about one thing, Paulette. I'm not a normal girl by any stretch of the imagination. Any humanity I have now I owe to my father, Dr. Pietro Polendina, and my best friend, Ruby Rose, the latter of whom you tried to force out of her own body and mind...a course of action a certain instructor we know felt appropriate to turn against you." Penny just gave a smug smile as Paulette looked up at her in shock. "Glynda Goodwich sends her regards, btw."
Paulette just snarled. "So that's the way you want to play it, huh? Fine. There's more than one way to skin a cat."
Mental-Yang just glared at the unwelcome guest even as she held Mental-Blake close by. "Go ahead and try it, punk!"
Mental-Blake just rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Pretty sure that's not what she meant, darling."
Still, despite everything, Mental-Ruby couldn't help but give Paulette a look of compassion. "Paulette, I meant what I said. I want to help you get justice for your sisters."
Even through the pain she was enduring due to the malware Miss Goodwich had provided for Weiss and Penny, Paulette couldn't help but give Mental-Ruby a reserved smile. "I know. You're a good kid, Ruby...though that's not too much of a surprise, given that you are Summer's daughter. But this isn't one of those fairy tales that your family read to you as a child; this is a war, and I intend to win it. That said, I really did enjoy our time together, so be assured that when the time comes, I'll shall repay your kindness by making your death as quick and painless as possible. Until then, however, farewell...sister." With that, Paulette vanished, a small disk landing on the ground as she did.
Mental-Ruby just collapsed to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. "I...I couldn't save her."
Weiss, despite knowing that this wasn't the real Ruby, couldn't stop herself from scoping up the young girl into her arms. "The thing is, I don't think she wanted to be saved. You did your best though, and you can take comfort in the fact that it's all over now."
"I wouldn't be too sure," Penny said with a frown, the disk from earlier in her hands. "The malware containment unit Miss Goodwich gave me isn't registering having caught anything. She might not be here anymore, but it's clear to me that she's not gone just yet."
Mental-Ruby rubbed her chin in thought, "Paulette did say that she considered this a war. You think she might have a 'plan b' lying around somewhere?"
Weiss gave a steely expression in response, "I'm thinking that maybe Penny and I should head back to Beacon and wake you up so that we can find out."
Mental-Ruby nodded, "Fair enough, but before you go…" And that was all the warning Weiss got before getting a hug from the girl in front of her. "I know that this is all happening in my head, but that doesn't make it any less real, right?"
Weiss just shook her head in amusement even as she returned the embrace. "No, I suppose it doesn't," she replied, surprising Mental-Ruby, Penny and even herself when she laid a quick peck on the young girl's forehead, before gaining a glare. "This... never happened."
Mental-Penny just shared a sly grin with her real world counterpart. "Suuure, it didn't."
Penny just chuckled as she and Weiss, currently trying to suppress a blush, prepared to return to the real world, but not before giving Weiss a look of concern. "You took quite a hit back there; are you going to be okay?"
Weiss paused in thought, watching as her mental projection stared with jealousy as Mental-Penny showered Mental-Ruby with kisses, only for the latter to gesture for Mental-Weiss to sit with them with some slight hesitation. She nodded as her mental projection snuggled up to the girl, knowing that despite some setbacks, she was on the fast track to truly becoming close with one of the brightest souls in all of Beacon...scratch that, in all of Remnant. She allowed herself a small grin even as she and Penny prepared to exit the mindscape. "It'll take some time, but yes: I think I'll be just fine."
The Schnee heiress was the last of the trio to wake up. Yang and Blake were ready to help her up, as the process left her in a temporary daze. When her vision finally cleared, she saw Penny and Ruby talking on the other side of the room. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but Penny had her hands behind her back as she nervously drew circles on the floor with her left foot. Weiss finally realized that the android was capitalizing on her discoveries inside Ruby's mind. Specifically, how the hooded huntress felt about her. At last, Ruby smiled, kissed Penny's nose, and led her best friend outside with the robot's hand in hers. Weiss crossed her arms and huffed, an act that did not go unnoticed by Yang.
"What's the matter, Weiss?" She snickered. "Feeling some… jealous-SCHNEE?"
Blake rolled her eyes before flashing Weiss a sympathetic smile. "Penny explained everything to us. She woke up first, then Ruby followed five minutes later. I'm sorry… she remembers feelings, but she still doesn't quite remember… you."
"It's fine." Weiss sighed. "At least now, I know I can make a better impression."
"I hate to interrupt, but we have a problem." Glynda stepped up. "Ms. Polendina has informed me that the malware containment unit didn't capture Paulette. We are certain that she is no longer inside Ms. Rose's mind, but that doesn't mean that she didn't infect another."
"Oh, great." Yang grumbled. "Well, how are we going to find her now?"
Meanwhile, back in the cave, Jean Purple woke up to the sound of her scrolls ringtone. As she massaged her temples to treat the worst headache of her life, she saw that she has three missed calls from Sally. "Ugh, hello?"
"Hey, dude, what's up? How ya feelin'?"
"Sally? What happened?"
"Hey, your guess is as good as mine, dude. One minute, I'm trying to give you an update on General Ironwood. The next, you're talking in a scary voice threatening to kill my kids."
"I did?" Jean felt guilty. "Oh, geez. I'm sorry, Sally."
"Hey, no problem, dude. Don't have any kids, anyway." Sally smiled. "Baby factory has been closed for a long time now, if you get my meaning."
"Uh, okay. I-"
"I got the operation that limits population, now I can enjoy more copulation."
"Sally, I don't need to hear this-"
"They can check in, but nothing checks out, if you know what I'm saying."
"This is getting gross-"
"I got my tubes tied, dude."
"Okay, stop!" Jean gagged. "You mentioned General Ironwood. What did he say?"
"Oh, right, of course, dude." Sally cleared her throat. "He said he was not to be disturbed for the next few days. That is all. Bye."
"Wait, no! Don't hang up-!" After Sally hung up, Jean screamed in fury. "What does it take to get some respect around here?!" Suddenly, her eyes changed from purple to black. "I'll tell you how; you kill those that scorn you, and bathe in their blood!" Jean shook her head, changing her eye color back to normal. "Wait, what? That doesn't sound right."
To Be Continued
