Do Androids Dream of Electric Grimm? Chapter 13, a rwby fanfic

"Again," Tai said, "we are so sorry."

"But, really, don't go spooking people while they're trying to fish," Yang said with a nervous chuckle, hoping she could sorta "laugh away" any hard feelings about being hit in the head multiple times in multiple ways.

"Don't worry about it," Jaune insisted. "I'm grateful for the ride."

He looked across the ocean at the nearby shore, a line of greenery from the forest and tan from the sands.

Sopping wet, he was glad to get dry and relax for the final stretch of his journey. Tai and Yang manned the oars, meaning he could just sit back.

"You're sure you're okay?" Ruby asked. She fretted and poked at his forehead again, gingerly looking for any bruise.

"It's fine; my aura soaked up most of the hit anyway!"

"You have your aura unlocked?" Ruby asked excitedly, a giddy spark suddenly glaring in her eyes. "Are you a huntsman?"

"Um, I'm trying to be," Jaune answered uncertainly.

"Hey kid," Tai asked, "what's your name? We've been too busy saying sorry to have any proper introductions."

"The name's Jaune!" he said.

His eyes widened.

He had just given his real name. And he was still in his true form.

"Jaune what?" Tai asked.

"Arc!" he replied.

His shoulders stiffened. He had just given his real last name.

Wow, I'm really bad at being a spy.

At least it was better than giving some sort of horribly obvious fake name, right?

"You want to be a huntsman?" Tai asked.

"Um, yes?" he said cautiously.

"How were you under the water?" Yang asked. "We didn't see anybody else for miles."

"I'm really good at holding my breath."

"How did you get out there in the first place?" Ruby asked.

"Practicing for the Olympics," he answered.

Ruby scrunched her brow curiously. "What's the Olympic?"

"Anyway," Yang said, "you're be a huntsman?" She flexed her impressive biceps. "Well so are we!"

"Yang's gonna go to Beacon!" Ruby said.

"Ha, that's not confirmed just yet," Tai said. "She still needs to pass some of the entrance exams. Including"– he narrowed his eyes –"the conventional academics tests."

"Ah man…"

"Hey, I want to go to Beacon, too!" Jaune said.

"Really?" Yang said. "I'll see you there!"

Tai wiped some of the seawater that had splashed up onto his hands against his pants, then said, "The applications end sort of soon. Have you gotten them in yet?"

"Nope!" Jaune replied cheerily. Then he tapped a finger against his cheek, thinking. "Actually, I'm not sure. My dad might have signed me up already, I don't know."

Tai chuckled. "You should definitely check in with him about that. I already signed Yang up a while ago."

"When I meet up with him in Vacuo, I'll ask."

"So that's where you're headed?" Tai asked. When Jaune nodded, he looked behind him at the vast stretch of ocean. "How'd you even get out here, by the way?"

"Well, I swam."

"You swam that far off the coast?"

"Well, I walked a bit of the way."

"Into the ocean?"

"Um, a bit of walking."

"From where?"

"Uh, not here."

Tai cracked a laugh. "Are you just planning to just wander on down to Vacuo?"

Ruby gave a thumbs-up. "That sounds fun!"

"Sounds dangerous," Tai warned, now with a serious 'dad face' of paternal worry. "The road to Vacuo isn't that safe, even for a huntsman. Grimm and bandits start to be a problem after you get out of Vale territory."

"I'm combat ready!" Jaune declared, brandishing his fists with a proud smile. "I'm actually going to Vacuo to fight!"

"Really?"

"In the tournaments!" he explained. "My dad wants me to fight in the tournaments and do well to get the attention of Beacon!"

Tai whistled a long note. "Tournaments in Vacuo can get nasty, especially the ones that aren't so official, which are a lot of them. Even the kids' bracket can be not so pretty." He raised a curious brow. "You ready for that?"

"I am combat ready!" he repeated. "Besides, I kind of have to. It's what my dad has planned."

"You're talking a lot about your dad," Yang said. "Are you just going along with what he wants?"

"Yup!"

"Is that what you want to do?" Ruby asked. "I mean, do you want to go to Vacuo?" She sheepishly poked the tips of her index fingers together. "Uh, just asking."

"I…" Jaune hesitated. Those thought he'd had back in the bullhead came back to haunt him like whispering ghouls of doubt.

He metaphorically beat those back with a stick. "I want to. I really do."

I want to help people, after all. And I want answers.

"That's good," Tai said again. He grinned knowingly. "But what does your mother think about all these plans? She on board too?"

"Oh, I don't have a mom!"

Tai's, Yang's and Ruby's smiles all dropped; Tai and Yang both stopped rowing.

"Oh…" Ruby was the first to speak. She looked down between her feet. "Sorry."

"It's alright!" Jaune said. His smiled turned nervous as he noticed the sudden drop in the mood, unsettling like a drop in temperature. "I've never had a mom, so I'm used to it."

All these few weeks I've been alive, he thought, I never really wondered about having a mom. I guess I don't really need one?

"But hey," he continued, "my uncle actually said that that was a good thing, since now I'm immune to 'your mom' jokes!" He laughed.

His laugh died when none of the others joined him. If anything, his words had made them wince.

"Well," Tai muttered, "I guess that that's one way to try and put a positive spin on things." He shrugged. "But hey, you seem to be close with your dad."

"Never met him," Jaune replied.

His eyes widened.

Wow, he thought, I'm bad at being a spy. Or maybe I'm just bad at talking?

"I mean," he hastily continued as they all shot him weird looks, "that I haven't seem him for a while." He shrugged weakly. "Um, just joking?"

"Right," Yang tugged up a little smile. "Just joking."

"Sorry," Tai said, "but the girls here lost their mother when they were young, too."

"Oh."

"It's alright," the dad said, "we just all keep going, huh? I'd love to meet your pops sometimes. Being a single father can definitely be tough."

"You have any siblings?" Yang asked, pushing the topic of family along but in a different direction, like someone leaving behind a muddy and dirty patch of a road. "Like any brothers or sisters or…?"

"Nope—well, I got my uncles and my babysitter!"

"Your babysitter?"

"Hah, my one uncle calls her that for fun!" The lab assistant who helped make me. "I guess she's more like a family friend."

"Oh that's nice," Ruby said. "Still got family."

"Ha, we have a trollish uncle too," Yang said. "Likes to get on people's nerves. Maybe he should meet up with yours?"

"Actually," Tai said, getting an idea as his protective dad instincts kicked in, "Qrow (that's the girls' uncle) is coming through here in just a few days. He's heading on up to Vacuo with a friend of his; bet he wouldn't mind you tagging along."

Jaune's smile beamed. "That would be great!"

"You really don't have to—" Jaune protested.

"I insist!" Tai insisted. "I won't accept any protest."

The two stood on the front porch. Tai held out a towel and some clothes; they were nothing special, just some old blue jeans and a graphic t-shirt with the word 'BACK' printed on the front, a cheesy little joke or possible reference to something.

Jaune had helped them paddle back to shore and get their little boat fixed back to the humble wooden dock by their house. They hiked up through the woods and to a charming cabin. Jaune then said he would be fine to wait around outside and dry.

"Go in and have a shower, then change into this." Tai forced Jaune to take the clothes. "Down the hall on your right, last door on the left."

"I… okay!" Jaune smiled and nodded at the nice man. Then he shuffled across the house's porch and into their comfy little home.

The sisters followed their father in and ambled into the living room. Ruby chewed the ends of her fingernails and paced back and forth in front of the tv. Yang flopped back onto the sofa and stretched her arms up over her head. Tai himself sighed and sat down in the large comfy seat at the side of the room.

"Weird guy," Yang said.

"Do you think he's mad at me?" Ruby asked. "I mean, I hit him pretty hard, and I was the first to hit him—"

"Rubes, we all said sorry and he really doesn't—"

"But what if he's mad and just hiding it?" Ruby fretted. "People do that all the time right? They're mad at you and just don't tell you…"

"Hon, try to rein your thoughts in," Tai said.

"And get out the way!" Yang picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. "Vale's Got Talent is coming on soon."

Ruby pouted for a second, then relented and went over to the kitchen. "I'm making some coco, anyone want some?"

"Nope."

"No thanks."

Tai sighed and looked back to the hall; he just barely heard the shower running. "Weird kid…"

"How do you think he wound up underwater in the middle of the ocean?" Yang asked.

"Well, it wasn't the middle of the ocean." Tai furrowed his brow pensively. "But yeah, too far out to just be going for a swim. Maybe his boat capsized or something? And he's been making his way to shore? He said he was heading to Vacuo."

"Maybe he's being honest?" Ruby called out from the kitchen. "I saw on TV that someone managed to swim the Atlas straits, and that person didn't even have aura or anything!" She yelped as she dropped a few spoons on the floor, which clattered loudly.

"Better clean those!" Tai said.

"I will…"

"With soap, don't just rinse them!"

"He seemed pretty blasé about being stranded in the ocean," Yang said. She scowled as the tv remained focused on advertisements. "Stupid commercials... why don't we just get FlixNet already?"

"Because that stuff rots your brain," her dad said.

"More than network tv?"

"Maybe. You don't know."

Ruby threw all the spoons into the sink and filled up an electric kettle with water, then set it to boil. "I'm glad that uncle Qrow is going to take him to Vacuo." She shuddered. "Man, I'd hate to try and hitchhike all the way to Vacuo on my own. Sounds scary."

"I don't think that guy can be scared," Yang said as she mindlessly skipped through channels. "He seems to mostly just feel weird cheeriness."

"And indecision," Tai said. "Like when you asked him about his father and his own plans." He shook his head. "I hope he isn't getting forced into being a huntsman. A lot of hunter parents pressure their kids to follow in their footsteps. They even unlock their aura for them at a very young age and give them virtually no other route."

"Yeah," Ruby said, "meanwhile, we had to beg you to sign us up for Signal."

"Yup." Tai was utterly unapologetic.

Ruby tore open a packet of instant coco, poured it out into a mug with a corgi's smiley face on it and dumped in the steaming water. Looking at the mug reminded her of something.

"Zwei!" she shouted. "Are you taking a nap you lazy dog!"

Per her demand, they heard the scrabbling of little claws against the hardwood floor. Their corgi careened around the corner and jumped into the living room. He excitedly circled around before hopping up into Yang's lap.

"Aw, good boy," Yang cooed as she patted his head. Then she looked up at the hall. "Hey dad, where is the guy gonna sleep?"

"The barn."

"The barn!?" Ruby asked. "That's just kind of mean!"

"Do you want the kid you just literally fished up from the ocean to sleep in your house?" Tai asked with a judging eyebrow raise. "I think not. He gets to stay in the nice warm barn with some extra blankets." He pointed at the tv, proving their would be no discussion. "Hey Yang, switch to the news for a bit. You're show won't start for a while."

"Ugh." The teen groaned but knew any complaint would be in vain. She clicked through the channels and stopped on the international news one. Simultaneously, she pulled out her scroll (an expert maneuver from one well-practiced in dealing with dad's tv demands).

"Oh man…" Tai muttered worriedly as he saw what was on screen. None other than Lisa Lavender presented the update, and this was a serious one.

"A brazen attack," she said, "in broad daylight in the outskirts of Mantle. An unknown assailant attacked an as yet unidentified Atlesian household. Eye-witnesses report fighting gunfire and even explosions, as well as Atlas security at the premises…"

"How in the name of all the gods and all their love and anger did this happen!" Sundown roared. "I want answers!" He slammed his hands down on the conference table, rattling the heavy piece of furniture beneath his palms.

His team sat before him, the elite counter-intelligence agents of the Atlas Intelligence Service. Plus an intern. The only person standing was Moonlight herself, always at his side. She, however, kept her gaze down like everyone else.

"And if I don't get answers," Sundown shouted, "then I want heads!"

He smashed a fist down against the table again, hard enough to make Moonlight wince.

"Hell, I want heads no matter what!"

One agent dared to speak up. "Sir, Tyrian Callows is one of the world's most formidable assassins. The Specialists decreased the security detail provided to Doctor Irkutsk due to a belief of decreased flight risk and acting upon our own conclusion that his role as a mole was inconclusive."

A vein in Sundown's forehead bulged furiously, like a worm squirming under his skin. "The Specialists are only good at busting down doors. This mission is too important for them. I want them kept in the dark about everything from here on out. Everything relating to this operation that they do, I want us to shadow. If they don't assent, do it anyway without them knowing.

"The Schnee somehow managed to get duped in the middle of the ocean. Now they've let a critical suspect get killed. I don't want any of Ironwood's racket involved."

"The general—"

"Can complain but can't act," Sundown said sharply "We helped him get where he is, and we can help put him back in his place if we want to. He knows that. And he knows that we're loyal to Atlas, not him. We can do what we need to."

Sundown breathed deeply, then let the breath go.

"Everyone but Moonlight, get out." He waved them all away as he turned back to the whiteboard behind him, which itself was a smattering of notes and magnet-affixed pictures. "Get back to your stations and pull in every scrap of information about the assassination there is. Make sure that nothing gets public, definitely not that it was Callows." The agents began to shuffle out the office, but their boss's temper wasn't quite sated. He looked over his shoulder with a scowl. "Hurry up! Go!"

Everyone rushed out and back to their desks. All but Moonlight. She remained silently by her mentor's side, a scrollpad in her hands. She waited as he got his breathing under control.

Sundown rapped his knuckles against the white board, smacking the smiling photo of Leif Blarson—Deceiver.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

"It's fifty-fifty in my mind," Moonlight said. "Either Irkutsk was the mole, and they're covering their tracks; or this is a diversion from the real mole."

"Exactly: there are many—many—better ways to kill someone than attacking them in plain daylight. In this case, the attack itself was as much as a message as it was an operation. They wanted us to know that the same people who helped the Deceiver escape also did this."

"To shove our inadequacies in our faces," Moonlight said, "or throw us off the trail." She cleared her throat. "Watts has adamantly requested his vacation to Vacuo. An attempt to recover from trauma; or an effort to rendezvous with the Deceiver."

"Give it to him," Sunlight said. "Keep a few of our own agents tagging him the whole time. Slip anti-poisons into his food regularly. Bug him in ways that can get around that stupid jammer he uses." He scowled and glared at the photo of Watts on the whiteboard. "A paranoid but patriotic genius, or a self-serving traitor.

"If they attack him in Vacuo, that's good for us. Another lead we can follow, more pieces for the puzzle. And we'll be ready."

"If he's hurt or killed?"

"A sacrifice for his country. The man's a hero." He shrugged. "He did it once. He'll do it again." He tightened a fist and rested his chin on it. "Our own entourage will keep him safe. Or contained. Unlike the specialists."

"Of course," Moonlight said with a nod. She bit her lip, then followed through: "I also wanted to speak about the Schnee's failure on the boat."

Sundown scoffed. "What about it?"

"The bullhead pilot."

"What about her?"

"Her report was downright bizarre, and it contradicts are characterization of the Deceiver thus far." Moonlight stepped beside Sundown and pointed at the list of traits written below the android's picture. Deceptive. Ruthless. Opportunistic.

"I can't help but feel," she continued, "that someone like this wouldn't refuse to hurt the pilot and then talk with her about her kids. It's hardly the most effective way to get out of such a rough situation."

"What's your conclusion?"

"Perhaps he isn't as 'nefarious' as we originally believed?"

"I hope not; otherwise, extrajudicially siccing a killer robot on him would sort of make us the bad guys."

"Thank you again," Jaune said. "But you really don't have to—"

"Don't have to, but I want to!" Tai insisted. "must be starving after all that swimming." Tai pointed to the feast of microwaved frozen mash potatoes and meatloaf spread out on the table.

Jaune, however, had meant his statement with a more literal spin. After all, the food was just going to be annihilated by the acid in his stomach. No nutrients taken, no worth. He didn't want them to waste anything on him.

No, Jaune thought, it's not worthless. He's giving it to me to be nice, and that's worth a lot, isn't it?

He smiled and scooped up some of the food onto his plate: a mound of mashed potatoes and a few juicy chunks of meatloaf.

"I daresay," Yang beamed, "that I'm a pretty good cook!" She threw Jaune a thumbs-up.

"You microwaved this…" Ruby murmured.

"Which takes skill! The difference between microwaving something for a minute versus a minute and thirty seconds is immense! You have to know exactly what you're doing!"

"It says on the box…"

Tai laughed and leaned over to Jaune. "These two are always like this, y'know? It's a wonder how I keep my sanity."

Jaune smiled and nodded. He felt… nice. He felt very nice. Eating dinner with a happy family was downright pleasant.

"I hope I can do this with my dad," Jaune said as he tasted the buttery, smooth mashed potatoes.

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Do what with your dad?"

"Like, just… sit around? I'm not sure. This."

"You mean 'quality time'?"

"Yeah! That!"

"You not spend quality time together?"

"Um… not really." Jaune quickly chucked a piece of meatloaf into his mouth as an excuse for not talking.

"Dad's a busy guy, huh?" Tai asked.

Jaune nodded, still chewing.

"And he's just trusting you to get to Vacuo by yourself? Including… swimming?"

Jaune nodded, still chewing.

"Sounds a little reckless to me."

Jaune nodded, still chewing.

"Uh…"

Jaune continued chewing, having already chewed more than a person could reasonably be expected to chew a piece of already pretty soft microwaved meatloaf.

Taiyang frowned disapprovingly, though not at Jaune so much as the thought of his dad.

Yang intervened against her dad's awkward prodding. "Hey wonder-boy," she said to Jaune, "if you're training to be a huntsman, wanna spar?"

Jaune swallowed immediately and smiled. "Definitely!" He raised his fork like it was a righteous weapon pulled from a stone and declared, "I am combat ready!"

"In the morning!" Tai insisted. "It's already pitch-black out."

"Sheesh, fine," Yang said with a roll of her eyes; it was a perfectly attuned and well-practiced display of teenage back-talk that always managed to make Tai grumble.

"Hey Yang, a new of The Single is out tonight!" Ruby added.

"Oh snap!" Her sister slammed the table excitedly, rattling the plates and utensils and making Zwei start out of his nap. "I can't believe I forgot!"

"What's The Single?" Jaune asked.

"One single guy is put into a mansion with like twenty girls who compete for his love!" Ruby said. "It's my favorite guilty pleasure."

"Oh, so it's just like The Bachelor?"

"The what?"

"Anyway," Yang said, "it's great. Even dad likes it."

Taiyang sheepishly nodded when Jaune glanced at him. "Everyone on the show is crazy. It's pretty fun."

"I don't want to get in the way…"

"Of course not!" Yang said. "There's nothing I love more than introducing a new and unsuspecting victim to The Single!"

"Um…" jaune nervously prodded at a chunk of meatloaf with his fork. "I…" He noticed their expectant looks. He smiled. "Sounds fun!"

"Yay!" Ruby pumped a fist in the air. "Time for stupid people falling love!"

"But hey"– Yang adopted a gossip-loving smirk –"while we're on the topic, you got a girlfriend?"

"Nope!"

"Got a girl you're interested in?"

"Yup!"

Jaune froze. He had been washed with giddy happiness and blurted out the answer before he could think. It had been an automatic response, as if someone had asked if the sky is blue: Yup!

He looked down and scowled. "Huh…" I don't know, he thought, about any girl I'm interested in. So why did I say yes?

Yang, however, leaned in. Her eyes dazzled. "Come on," she insisted, "spill the tea!"

Jaune glanced to the mug of tea that Tai had beside him. "I don't think I should."

"Not literally." She rolled her eyes. "Figuratively! Like, tell me all about this girl! Or guy?" She clapped her hands. "I love prying into other people's personal lives!"

"I, um…"

I actually have no idea who this person is.

Was it Omsk? No, she was like family. Hazel? He was handsome and buff, but also no. Tyrian? Gods no.

So who? It was a girl, right? Yeah, he was pretty sure of that at least. But who?

I know it's true, he thought. It really is. There's someone I like, but…

I don't know anything about them. Or at least, I don't remember them.