Chapter 27
For what felt like an eternity, Qrow had been waiting for Penny to respond. He could understand that such a bombshell would leave her speechless, but Penny just stared at him with a perplexed expression. But he hoped she would eventually respond before the guards caught up to them. At last, the android girl gave an eloquent and appropriate reply to his statement.
"You're a fucking idiot."
"Wow." Qrow gaped. "That is not the response I was expecting. How much time have you spent with Yang?"
"Well, what did you expect?!" Penny spluttered. "You want me to believe that I'm some kind of ghost with elemental powers?!"
"Well, yeah." Qrow shrugged. "Why's that so hard to believe?"
"Uh, how about because I'm a machine?" Penny snapped back. "And I have been my whole life! And I have memories of being programmed! And at no point was I ever a fairy tale!"
"Well, because of the nature of your reincarnations, any memories of your past lives aren't going to immediately catch up to you." Qrow explained. "Add that to the fact that Penelope here is the fragmented piece of your memories and-"
"No! Stop talking! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" Penny crossed her arms, angrily. "I can't believe that this was all just a monumental waste of time!"
"Oh. So, I suppose you being a robot with feelings makes more sense?" Qrow arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah. It definitely sounds less stupid."
"A machine."
"Yes."
"A living A.I."
"Yup."
"A robot!"
"01011001, motherfucker."
"What's going on in here?" Ruby couldn't help but ask as she walked into the room.
"Your Uncle here has been trying to convince me that I'm the Summer Maiden," Penny said with an angry shrug.
"...okay."
"Wait, what?!" Penny looked at Ruby in shock. "You...you don't seriously buy this, do you?!"
"Why would it matter if you were?" Ruby couldn't help but give a shrug as she asked this. "We all accepted you when we thought you were just a machine. Why wouldn't we accept you if you were a Maiden like my Aunt? I mean, granted, Qrow's probably just trying to buy time so he won't go back to prison, but…"
"I'm sorry, what!?"
"Yeah, we stumbled upon some old Project Guardsman files while arranging that distraction you two needed and decided to copy them in case we needed the info later. Don't worry, we deleted them afterwards. Anyways, apparently he accidentally killed someone while he was in possession of his old A.I. and Jacques used his influence to try and lock him up and throw away the key or something." Ruby said with a shrug. "I admit, I didn't exactly understand everything, what with how I don't really understand politics all that much."
Qrow couldn't help but snort. "Don't stress yourself out kid: nobody truly understands politics."
"Well, he's not wrong." Raven declared as she entered the room, not quite looking smug. "But I guess this means you can't hold me accidentally killing Carla over me anymore, huh?"
"Don't push it." her twin replied with a roll of his eyes. "The point is, with Penelope, we now have everything we need to sink Jacques Schnee. All we have to do is get her out of here then make sure this place never gets back on its feet."
"And how do we do that?" Yang asked.
"Simple; all we have to do is set off an EMP." Qrow smirked.
"You mean an emp?" Yang asked.
"What? No. EMP."
"Yeah, that's what she said." Ruby nodded. "Emp."
"You're - you're not supposed to spell it out!" Qrow replied. "It's pronounced EMP!"
"However it's pronounced, you couldn't have timed this better, old friend," Professor Ozpin remarked as he suddenly appeared.
"What do you mean?" Ruby couldn't help but ask.
"I mean that I intend to cast a spell - my last spell - to bind my life force to the EMP you plan to set off. Thanks to the information Ozymandias provided me, I now have the means to end the cycle of rebirth and render Salem mortal." the reincarnating wizard declared.
"Oz." Qrow gasped out. "That won't stop her. Not right now, at least."
"Perhaps not," he said with a sigh. "But I'm willing to take that risk if it gives you - gives humanity - the chance to finally set both of our spirits at rest...alongside our children."
"Are you certain?" Raven asked. "We never did learn what happened to the Winter Maiden."
"She won't be harmed, but like with Salem and myself, the cycle will end...for all of the Maidens." Ozpin - no, Ozma - declared as he let his true age show in his voice, but somehow managing a melancholy smile nonetheless. "But take it from me: death isn't so scary once you accept that it's a part of life."
Ruby just brought the old man into an embrace. "Goodbye, Professor...and thank you...for everything. I hope you find the peace you're looking for."
Ozpin just gave a bitter chuckle as he returned the hug. "You're welcome, my student...and I hope that you and your friends find your own peace as well."
Meanwhile, Rachael and Mikhail caught up to the rest of her friends. "What'd we miss?" Rachael asked, carrying Mikhail bridal-style.
"Well, it looks like Team CPPR won't be able to finish the semester at Beacon." Jean sighed, dejectedly.
"That's okay." Rachael smiled. "I was going to tell you this later, but I suppose now is as good a time as any."
"Que veux-tu dire par là? (What do you mean by that?)" Ciel's eyebrow arched.
"Well, Mikhail tells me that he used his money from working here to buy a small patch of farmland near Mistral." Rachael - not needing to know French to understand what Ciel was asking - remarked as she gave her childhood lover another kiss. "So, I decided to drop out of Team CPPR and move in with him! We're getting married!"
"What?! But what about us? How can you just say goodbye to Team CPPR?" Jean whined.
"Well, to be honest, I'm tired of all the secrets Ironwood's been keeping from us." Rachael shrugged. "I mean, he didn't even tell us Penny was a robot girl."
"And I've grown pretty tired of this place, too." Mikhail added.
"So, we basically decided that we could use a break from this life." Rachael concluded. "From now on, I just want a nice, quiet, simple life."
"Wow…" Coco tilted her sunglasses down. "I can't imagine a life outside of being a huntress."
"Oh, stop." Velvet scolded, slapping her girlfriend's shoulder. "I think it's sweet!"
"Oh, speaking of which, there's something you should know, Blake." Yang declared. "I picked up a little something while I was in Anima with my Mom and Holly."
The Cat Faunus couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow here. "Really? Well, what did you…?" She sucked in a breath as Yang suddenly got down on her knees.
"Blake Belladonna, I know that you've technically already asked this of me around the time Holly showed up, but when this is over, would you do me the honor of making me the luckiest girl in Remnant?" Yang Xiao Long asked as she held out a ring.
"Yes." Blake replied as tears of joy welled up in her eyes. "A thousand times, YES!" No one was surprised when the two locked lips. In fact, some of them even broke out into applause.
"We can do a double wedding!" Rachael suggested. "This is officially the best day of my entire life!"
"Yeah!" Nora cheered. "Hey… I feel like I'm forgetting something."
"Me, too." Ren scratched his head. "But what?"
Suddenly, an explosion shook the entire compound, making everyone freeze.
"... I'll bet that has something to do with it."
"Yup."
Back in the lab, Qro handed the cylinder to his niece. "Ruby, you and Weiss take this and get it as far away from here as possible!"
"What?!" Ruby spluttered. "I can't just leave you! There is nothing that will get me to-!"
"If you don't, Penny will die!"
"Good luck, Uncle Qrow! C'mon, Weiss!" The Schnee heiress shrieked in shock as she was whisked away by her girlfriend's semblance.
"Clearance verified. The failsafe is now online. Awaiting activation."
Jacques - having shown up alongside General Jame Ironwood on one of the base's screens upon being alerted via silent alarm of the chaos occurring on-sight - blinked in shock at what the computer had just declared. "How did you get those codes?!"
"You might be surprised what I know, Sir." Qrow declared, not even trying to hide his disdain for the man, once again thanking the gods that Winter and Weiss were nothing like him.
"Warning, this is a last resort measure. Activating the failsafe will destroy all electronic equipment in this facility, including this terminal. Please confirm."
Jacques growled in irritation. "It was Penelepe. She inherited the memories, didn't she?"
Qrow gave a curt nod in response, knowing it was a statement more than a question. "I've known about what you did since the moment you implanted her in me."
Jacques simply gave a scowl. "Well, then I am very sorry, Agent Grey, but Project Guardsman no longer has need of your services."
"Aw, shit." Qrow muttered as he dodged the enemy fire. "Confirm command!"
"No!" Ironwood shouted. "Override! Passcode: Tinman!"
"Override denied." The computer replied. "Voice authorization required: Agent White."
"What?" Jacques gasped. "Branwen! What did you do?!"
"Better question: what did you do, Jacques!?" Qrow barked out. "Winter always knew you were up to no good, so she made sure that you couldn't stop her - stop us - from completing her - our - mission, even now."
"Agent White," Jacques growled. "Even MIA, she still remains a thorn in my side."
"It's over, Schnee." Qrow remarked.
"For once, we agree, Agent Gray."
Qrow yelled out in pain as he was literally stabbed in the back, gasping when he realized who the culprit was. "What are you doing, Cinder?! Don't you realize that this place is about to blow!?"
"Of course I know," Cinder remarked, her anger/frustration clear in spite of how her voice was a scratchy mess, "but I'll be gone long before it happens. Plus, if it means that I can make your niece suffer for what she did to me, I could care less about what happens to this place. Besides, you have something that belongs to me."
"Good timing, Agent Crimson," Jacques declared with a smug grin. "Take out EX-Agent Gray, and your reward shall be great."
"Indeed," Cinder growled out as all of her stolen A.I.s appeared beside her. "We have a lot to discuss with you."
Phoebe raised a curious eyebrow. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to know where my sister is."
Priscilla gave an arrogant chuckle. "Yes: where is she located?"
Paulette simply growled in frustration. "Where is the Summer Maiden?!"
Jacques scowled. "The Maiden is not here. It has been moved far away. Attend to the matter at hand."
General Ironwood cleared his throat. "What he means to say, Agent Crimson, is that we can discuss the Maiden later. What's important right now is that you prove that you can be trusted again. We need to trust you before letting you meet with her, wouldn't you agree?"
Qrow couldn't help but give a bitter chuckle. "I see President Schnee's habit of lying has rubbed off on you, James. Why else would you fail to mention that Cinder has already met the Summer Maiden...multiple times, in fact. Isn't that right, Penny?"
Penny simply materialized over Qrow's shoulder as an A.I. hologram. "Salutations."
Paulette gave a teary-eyed gasp. "It's...it's her."
"Hi, sis," Luna/Pamela, Pearl, Phoebe, and two other A.I. called out with a smile.
"You...you were under my nose the whole time?!" Priscilla gasped out, Cinder's expression showing similar shock.
"You know I can see why you didn't want anyone else in your head. Got some pretty heavy stuff going on there. I think you need to talk to a professional." Penny couldn't help but remark, feeling strangely calm despite the circumstances.
Qrow - Agent Gray - could only give a helpless shrug in reply. "Well, that's too bad. I'm technically unemployed now, and my employers had great mental health coverage."
Penny simply nodded. "Ignoring that. How much time do you need?"
Despite, well, everything, Qrow couldn't help but hesitate with his answer. "Whatever you can give me, but Penny, you need to realize: when the EMP goes off…"
Penny shook her head. "When it goes off it won't matter if I'm the 'Summer Maiden' or what-have-you. Ruby was wrong before: it doesn't matter if I have a heart or a soul. At my core, I'm a machine, not a girl. When the EMP goes off, no matter how you spin it, I'm going to die…"
She then gained an expression of absolute resolve. "...but if I'm going to go down, I'm going down knowing that Jacques and company won't be able to force me to hurt my friends and family." She then smiled. "Besides, on the off-chance this doesn't work and it turns out you are right about me, I just know that Ruby would make an excellent Summer Maiden."
She then gave Cinder/The Meta a glare. "You want me Meta? Because I am COMBAT READY!"
Qrow watched as Penny dove into Cinder Fall/Agent Crimson/The Meta, nodding to himself even as she struggled to hold Cinder and the (other) Maiden fragments in place. "There goes a true huntress…"
Jacques couldn't help but growl. "What's going on!?"
General Ironwood, having finally realized what Qrow, and by extension Ozpin, was up to, couldn't contain the feeling of panic that surged through him. "Qrow, wait, stop! There's still time! If you help us to secure Agent Crimson, I'm sure we could discuss this situation in a more civilized manner!"
Qrow only gave a bitter chuckle in reply. "Sorry, James, but no, we really couldn't…" With that, he activated the EMP and by extension triggered Ozpin's spell.
"Countdown initiated." The computer voice announced. "Five seconds to emp."
"'Emp?'" Qrow slapped his forehead out of frustration. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me-"
The huntsman was cut off as the EMP and spell were activated. Penny dropped dead, immediately, while Cinder clenched her head in pain as the Fall Maiden and all of her Summer Maiden fragments screamed in agony. Even Ozpin fell to his knees as the spell took effect. As the last of his strength faded away, he saw the Fall Maiden forcefully exit Cinder's body. "F-f-father…?" She trembled, smiling weakly. "Thank you…"
With that, the spirit of Ozma was finally put to rest.
Meanwhile, the magical dome kept growing as it caught up to Teams CPPR, JNPR, and CFVY. Raven fell to the ground, stumbling in the dirt. Her magical powers were gone. "What the hell?!"
Seeing that the spell and EMP were getting closer, Ruby grabbed the unit containing Penelope and used her semblance to propel herself forward. "Ruby, what're you doing?!" Weiss shouted as their Warthog shut down.
"Don't worry, Penny! I'll save you!" Ruby shouted before falling off of the cliff. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A few weeks later, Yang and Blake had officially tied the knot alongside Rachael and Mikhail in a small ceremony on Patch. Ruby and Weiss acted as their teammates' bridesmaids, with Holly being the flower girl. As a wedding gift, Raven and Taiyang offered to watch over Holly while the newlyweds were on their honeymoon. Said honeymoon was paid for by Weiss as her own wedding gift.
"This is much better than anything I imagined with Adam." Blake sighed, blissfully.
"Oh, so you are into dudes, too?" Vernal asked, curiously.
"Yeah!" Yang slung her arm over Blake's shoulder. "Blake's the bi in our Bumbleby!"
"Uh, Yang? I don't think there's an 'I' in Bumblebee no matter how you spell it." Blake corrected.
"Oh, no problem." Yang grinned, coyly. "I will just have to be in you to make it work."
Ruby rolled her eyes as her new sister-in-law blushed brighter than any rose she had ever seen. No longer in the mood for parties, the young huntress decided to check on her little pet project inside her dad's barn. With Beacon being shut down for the foreseeable future, she had to do something to keep herself preoccupied. Suddenly, she heard something rattling inside the barn. Arming herself with Crescent Rose, she kicked down the door, putting on her meanest war face. "Put your hands where I can see them!" She ordered.
"Ah! Please! Don't shoot!" The dismembered android only had half a torso, one arm, and a head, but she was trying her best to convince the huntress to spare her. "P-Please, don't hurt me!"
"Penny!" Ruby cried, dropping Crescent Rose and pulling the android into a tight hug. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she kissed her best friend's cheek. "I knew it! I knew you'd be okay! I was so worried! But you're back!"
"W-wait, wait…" The android smiled as she politely tried to push Ruby away. The huntress set the crippled robot down on her workbench, giving her a chance to breathe. "Um… yes. That's right, I'm Penny. Well, actually it's Penelope. But… who are you?"
"What…?" Ruby whimpered. Her tears stung worse than before.
"You must be thinking of my mother!" Penelope smiled in spite of Ruby's sadness. "I'm a fragment of her! Was she… your friend?"
"Y-yeah…" Ruby buried her face into her palms, sobbing. "Yeah, Penelope. We were friends. Best f-friends."
"Really?!" Penelope's smile grew wider. "That is wonderful! What is your name?"
"R-Ruby… Ruby Rose."
"Ruby? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?"
Ruby just wiped some tears from her eyes as she gave a bittersweet smile. "Yeah. Long story short, a man named Jacques Schnee went out of his way to hurt all of us, including his own daughters… but the important thing is your safe. The sacrifice Penny - the original Penny - made wasn't in vain."
Penelope nodded as she pulled the hooded girl into a one-armed hug. "Tell me more about her. I'd like to know more about her… and you. I'd like to know all about you and your friends. All of your friends. I'd like to get to know the people Penny gave her life to save."
Ruby chuckled, sadly. "Better get comfortable then. This might take a while."
To Be Continued
