Chapter 24: Stealing is Logical

Mountain Glenn

Outpost Kaon

October 13th, 80 AGW

2200 Hours

Shockwave had his reasons for killing Mercury Black on the spot. The teenage boy was far too much of a wild card. He was an assassin, motivated only by what he could gain for himself. He didn't really understand the concept of loyalty, not to the extent that Emerald. Also, his combative capabilities, while greater than the average student at Beacon Academy, was nothing that couldn't be replicated with some time and effort. In the end, there wasn't a reason to keep him alive.

That being said, it would be a waste to not study the dead man's DNA. At least his body was useful in that regard. A wider selection of genetic material to study would allow the scientist to further his understanding of the body of humans and faunus. Even blood from an individual that had defects was useful; knowing how to identify weakness and isolate them would be the key to strengthening future generations down the line.

Having recently gotten done a significant portion of work for Project Predacon as well as further indoctrinating Emerald Sustrai, there was time to see if Black's DNA would yield anything promising.

And promising it was indeed.

The first thing Shockwave noticed upon first reviewing the blood sample was that there was something off about the aura signature flowing through it. There was nothing wrong with the aura itself. It was there and it was fully functioning. He knew this by comparing the sample to his own blood traced with aura, yet there was something that did not make any logical sense when comparing his aura to that of the assassin's. It was almost as if there was a missing component that had been gone for some time.

In the interest of making more comparisons, the former Decepticon had brought in Emerald to see if using a sample of her blood would help him discern the flaw in Black's aura. What he found was interesting indeed. Unless he was misinterpreting what he was seeing, it appeared that the assassin didn't have any trace of a semblance. To be more specific, it was like the semblance was the missing component taken out and then forgotten, leaving only an aura for use in combat.

Before making any premature conclusions, it was important to remember that there were huntsmen and huntresses that would fight for their entire careers and never unlock a semblance. It wasn't unheard of, even if such instances were uncommon cases amongst those who wielded aura. It usually took an unusual occurrence to awaken this unique power and sometimes, a person could go through life and never experience anything abnormal.

However, Shockwave wasn't convinced that a child raised by a well-known assassin had not experienced any sort of trauma that might cause a semblance to actualize. Yes, he had done research on Black's family history. Marcus Black was the only name that was a match. The details about this well-known underworld figure was largely unknown, but there were hints and rumors about the man being something of a nightmare to fight, even for veteran huntsmen and huntresses.

Slowly eliminating the impossible, it all came down to one theory that sounded illogical still, but remained the only possibility: Mercury Black's semblance had somehow been stolen by his father. Tying this theory to the fact that aura and semblances were connected to the DNA of a person, then it could be assumed that Marcus Black was the sort of person that took from others voraciously. This conclusion was further corroborated by looking at the crime scenes connected to the infamous assassin and seeing that more often than not, those who confronted him often were left with far less, be it huntsmen without a semblance or a wealthy person without an expensive trinket.

A best case scenario if a sample from Marcus Black could be recovered, but according to the memories of Cinder Fall, the son had been recruited after he killed his own father, meaning that the body was in a less than ideal place, but however small the chances of obtaining stable samples, this could prove to be invaluable in semblance research if this semblance stealer was truly as powerful as it was purported to be.

At least a week would need to be set aside to make the journey to the former home of Marcus Black and see if there was anything worth salvaging. That would mean having to leave his classes with some material to hold them over until his return.

Also, Shockwave would also need to relay to Ozpin that he was journeying in order to find a potential weapon to help their side. He might disapprove of the actions of his boss, but it was still logical to remain affable if nothing else.

In other DNA work, Cinder Fall's ideal warrior was starting to shape up into something more tangible. Ten clones were being prepped, each of them nearly in the infancy stages and ready to be fed information that was necessary for their operational usage. The individual clones would be prepared for different combative scenarios in order to fully assess the capabilities of the original donor. Only by pushing these clones to their absolute limits and beyond would he be able to witness the true potential that the progenitor had.

It would have been better if he had the production capacity to go into mass production of clones so that he could have more avenues of experimentation available to him. He would have to make do with quality over quantity in this case. As long as he didn't have the backing from major players, then he would always have to work with less. That meant his initial calculations would need to be perfect the first time. The next proposed generation wouldn't be able to go into operation for at least another year.

It would have taken much more time were it not for Emerald helping him out while also attending to her combat training. Having an assistant was doing wonders for him. Even when the scientist was away, she was fully capable of performing some of the more rudimentary and menial tasks necessary for these projects. Granted, her knowledge base wasn't enough for her to truly be his replacement, but she understood enough to get by.

Shockwave regarded his scroll as he began to receive scroll messages. They were from Ruby. The girl must be working on one of his side projects he assigned to her. The silver-eyed warrior had no sense of self-restraint when it came to weapons. He was perfectly fine with her cooperation. It turned out that when it came to learning new information, her brain had proven to be as fast as her semblance.

That discussion that the two of them had some weeks ago regarding using missile systems to seed uncharted land with deposits of dust was currently what he was having her work on. He was incapable of procuring the necessary resources to build such a large-scale effort at this time. He had not even done the groundwork. No sketches, no blueprints, and no precise calculations. That was what the scythe-wielder was doing for her, albeit she was under the impression that it was merely a hypothetical scenario rather than an actual plan that would come to life in the future.

But there was a reason for him to offer her this work beyond using her good will for his own goals.

Shockwave recognized that his work would be condemned according to society's standards and Ruby Rose was the type of individual that believed in morality and goodness. It was simply in her nature to correct the supposed flaws that she saw in the world according to the morals that society set forward for her to follow. It had occurred to him that one day, his work could be discovered by those he associated with. People with strong morals tended to stick their nose in business that was not their own.

But when that day inevitably came, it would not be as simple as good and evil. After all, while his methods were going to be questioned, there would be no denying that everything that he was doing was in pursuit of the survival of Mankind and the Faunus. The Grimm were illogical and their existence only served to place the world of Remnant in a never-ending state of war that served only to turn a hammer into a scalpel, which in turn was only used as a more precise weapon of pointless, illogical conflict.

He thought back to his time as one of Megatron's most trusted advisors. Being close to the leader of the Decepticons gave him a wealth of first-hand experience in understanding how a more tyrannical rule, while primitive and ultimately crippling invention and innovation for the sake of one individual's vision.

Shockwave learned from the mistakes of his lord and created a vision that would better suit everything and everyone.

Immortality was not his goal, nor were accolades or legendary status.

A more logical universe was what he wanted.

RWBY - - - Transformers

Amber's job as the Fall Maiden carried with it many conditions she had to meet and concessions she had to make. There were no if's, and's, or but's about it; that was simply the nature of the duty thrust upon her. If society knew about what she was and the nature of how she obtained the power, they would say that this life was unfairly thrust upon her along with all of the responsibilities associated with it.

In the face of a hypothetical argument such as that one, she would say that nobody in the entire history of Mankind chose to be born. In fact, no parent could ever say that they really chose their child. It was all about chance in the end and everyone simply had to either accept it or reject it, end of story. By the same token, being the Fall Maiden was just a product of chance and nothing more. The current couldn't even say that she knew her predecessor at all, at least not personally.

Ozpin had always said that it was better that she knew only what she needed to know about her power and how it affected her. The other maidens, the other relics, everything else about magic, she didn't need to know about that. She only had to focus on honing the power that she wielded and protect the Relic of Choice from the Grimm and from Salem.

In hindsight, although Amber took her job seriously ever since she inherited the Fall Maidens power, perhaps she had not been serious enough. She had been aware of the threat that the Grimm possessed and Beacon's headmaster warned her about their enemy's queen, but the reality had not quite set in, not until her near-death experience. It was one thing to hear about individuals who chose to serve Salem; it was another thing to experience it first-hand and live to tell the tale. Whatever might happen down the line, she knew that she would never be caught off guard like that ever again, this she vowed.

But the brunette woman wasn't content to just sit around and wait like the damsel in distress that she felt like right now. More and more, she came to despise her situation. Because she was essentially a key to a powerful relic, Ozpin was now content to have her confined and out of sight, doing nothing about her situation. As much respect as she had for the headmaster of Beacon Academy, she didn't appreciate his lack of trust in herself. It wasn't just restricted to him either. All that knew of her existence were treating her in a similar manner.

All except one: Shael Watson, or as his students were calling him, Professor Shockwave, or just Shockwave. That made her giggle a bit, yet it also felt like a strangely deserving nickname. It was clear that he too wasn't a man to sit idle while the world kept going at its own pace. He was determined to do things by his rules.

So here she was.

"I believe I understand your predicament." Mister Watson spoke in his monotone, yet intimidating voice. "You seek to take action against our enemy."

"Yes." Amber appreciated his swift understanding. "I can't bear 'standing by' any longer. Even if Ozpin knows more about the threat than I do, that's not an excuse to keep me here indefinitely. Sooner or later, I'll need to face the threat."

"It is more preferable to strike first than to wait." Shockwave paid attention to her words while doing his work. "However, being on the offensive before your opponent carries significant risk. If you fail the first time, it will be more arduous to carry out further offensive action."

"And I've come to understand on a personal level, but I believe it's a risk worth taking." Amber didn't know if he was testing her or not, but she wasn't one to falter easily. "Now that I understand the gravity of the situation, I'm ready to be as serious as I need to be in order to contain the threat and eliminate it if I must."

And by her own word, she meant she was willing to take a life. Killing was never a good thing, but being the Fall Maiden, there was one cardinal rule that she had to abide by. Should she ever be attacked for any reason whatsoever, she had to assume that the hostile intent was in relation to her being a maiden, thus she had to silence the attacker.

Mister Watson was silent for a moment before stopping what he was doing. "I have been meaning to undermine Salem's efforts further and since you are eager to face her ranks, your assistance would be useful."

"'Further?'" Amber picked up on what he had said. "You mean to say that you've already taken action against them?"

"I have." Shockwave's answer came with blunt honesty. "To be more precise, Mercury Black is dead, killed by my own hands, Emerald Sustrai is no longer in any condition to be a threat, and Cinder Fall is effectively crippled."

The Fall Maiden knew these names and their faces thanks to the man she was speaking to. To think that he had dispatched all three of them, probably alone, was both fantastically hard to believe, yet also somehow not completely impossible. She didn't think he won any of his battles by chance, so that meant that assuming he wasn't overinflating what he had done, which didn't seem like something he would do, then his combative skills were even more impressive than ever.

"I see." Despite her disappointment in not facing them herself, Amber breathed a sigh of relief. "That is one less thing to worry about."

"There is one small matter that I would request you attend to immediately." Mister Watson's red eye and red optic scrutinized her. "Consider it as my condition for your involvement in my proposed offensive action against Salem and her forces."

Amber didn't miss a beat. "Whatever your condition, I'll do it. Whatever it takes."

She might've been a bit too impulsive to just say that she would do as he said without at least thinking about it a little bit, but her impatience had gotten the better of her. Still, she wouldn't take back what she had said. She was the type of person to believe that she had to own up to her actions, no matter how small.

Apparently, it appeared that her savior appeared to have his own reservations about her undertaking his test. He continued to appraise her words and her face. She managed to keep her composure, albeit barely. The less reason she gave him to deny her, the better.

"Your single condition is as follows." Shockwave spoke with perfect clarity. "I currently have Cinder Fall in custody, fully restrained and still alive. You will execute her."

Amber raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"Yes." Shockwave answered. "If you cannot do this, then you cannot help me. The choice is yours."

"I'll do it." Amber let the words spill from her mouth. "I have every reason to make sure she doesn't cause any more problems."

Mister Watson's expression shifted slightly. "And that reason would be?"

"She works for Salem and she has a small piece of the Fall Maidens power." Amber referred back to her duty. "As long as she's alive, there's a slight chance she could return to her master and they might find a new way to bring harm to me, maybe even kill me. To protect the power I wield, I have to do this."

Again, another pause of silence. He really made effective use of these moments to test her. Even if she had found her own way to face up to them, there was always an undercurrent of frayed nerves beneath her carefully-composed exterior.

"Very well." Shockwave pointed to a point directly in front of the LCD screens that occupied the front of the room. "Stand there. I will bring her here."

"Here?" Amber felt a small trickle of sweat against her back. "Is that really okay?"

"If you are worried about security risks, I have made the necessary preparations." Professor Watson pointed out. "Now take your position and be ready."

"Yes, of course." Amber gracefully placed herself as requested. "Is she… already here?"

"No, but she will be." Shockwave stared at the device embedded into the floor. "I will return with her in a moment."

From seeming thin air, a circle of eerie green winked into existence. It was perhaps four meters in diameter and it sounded off in an unfamiliar way. The Fall Maiden couldn't really fully explain the phenomenon in front of her, only regarding it with awe.

But she kept herself in place, marvelling when he walked into the portal-like shape, and then disappearing. He didn't return for a few minutes, but the green whirlpool was still there. She wondered where it led to.

Then, something came through, but it wasn't him.

It was Cinder Fall, her hands tied behind her back, her legs restrained, her mouth gagged, and a collar around her neck. She didn't come through elegantly. It was like she had been thrown into the room.

Then Shael followed, the portal behind him closing.

Transformers - - - RWBY

Cinder didn't know what day it was today. That wasn't the only thing that she wasn't aware of. She also wasn't aware of where Emerald and Mercury were. She wasn't aware of where she currently was. It was hard enough to comprehend her own identity, her own personality, and her reasons for existing.

It felt like her mind was all over the place, like it had been taken apart piece by piece, and then reassembled. That was the only way she could describe what she was feeling right now.

How much time had gone by? Days? Weeks? Months?

Surely, she must've lost enough tim

But being who she was, it didn't take long for her to remember a few things. She had been fighting someone, her and her subordinates. They were fighting the one who had disrupted her attempt to steal the Fall Maidens power. They had been ambushed and swiftly defeated. She had been taken to a laboratory where she was… experimented on.

There was no physical pain, but what she felt there was greater than any wounds inflicted to the body. He had been tampering with perhaps her most important weapon, the thing that made her who she was and he had done it so effortlessly.

Iti was the first time in her life that she had screamed so harshly. She thought that she understood what it meant to be torn down and taken apart. The first few weeks of Salem's training were some of the hardest days of her life, yet somehow those days paled in comparison to when her mind was being systematically shredded.

Even more frightening was when that red eye and red optic stared at her with the most indifferent look that she had ever seen. Her captor wasn't the least bit sympathetic to her suffering at all. Perhaps he had no moral code to speak of. That type of enemy was perhaps the hardest to deal with. An enemy with no boundaries was capable of doing virtually anything given enough time.

And he was the first thing she awoke to, which caused her to break out into a sweat and her body to freeze, but he paid her no mind, instead restraining her and handling her in a most undignified way. Then they moved from his place of experimentation to what appeared to be a classroom of sorts. He wasn't gentle when he threw her body into this strange portal-like apparatus.

And there was the one person that she sought to kill for the power that she craved: the Fall Maiden. The brunette woman regarded her as if this meeting was to be expected. There were no emotions playing out, only a contemplative look.

It took another few seconds for Cinder to realize the gravity of her situation. Captured liked this in enemy territory, there was only one rational outcome for her. She was about to die and that thought was enough for her to try and use her aura.

Only to realize that she had no aura.

"If you have any questions for her, then ask them." The faunus man spoke in his indifferent tone. "This is your last chance to do so."

"Very well." The Fall Maiden said quietly. "I assume it's okay that I remove the gag?"

A few seconds of silence reigned before herself being moved again roughly. Salem's servant found herself sitting on the ground with her legs folded to her left. Her back was now straight, allowing her to get a slightly better picture of where she was, but not enough to see where entrance and exits were.

In any case, she found herself face-to-face with her number one target. Both women looked each other in the eye, one with calmness, the other with a growing fury. Only one of them should be alive, yet here they were.

Why couldn't she kill her target right now?

Why was she so weak?

This wasn't what was supposed to happen.

"My name is Amber." The Fall Maiden said as she removed the gag in her mouth. "And you're Cinder Fall. I wish I could say it was a pleasure."

"Spare me your platitudes." Cinder snarled the moment her mouth could move freely. "If I weren't bound like this-"

"Well, you are." Amber interrupted her. "If only you hadn't chosen Salem, you wouldn't be here now."

"And I supposed joining your side is better?" Cinder scoffed. "I wanted power. I wanted to be feared. Those were things that Ozpin and his lackeys would never give me."

"Because somehow, you deserve all of that." Amber narrowed her eyes. "Do you believe it's your destiny to have these things simply because you want them?"

"Yes." Cinder said it.

Amber shook her head a few times. "Then you're not only foolish, but delusional. Whatever you hoped to achieve with Salem, all the power and fear in the world wouldn't have saved you from her."

Cinder grit her teeth. "Salem gave me what I wanted, plain and simple. She recognized me for my talents and skills."

"Do you really think she would've let you live long enough to indulge in your wants?" Amber still was the dominant one in the conversation. "You're only useful if you can access the relics, and right now, you can't."

It was hard for the ashen-haired woman to deny what was being plainly spelled out for her. All the same, in her heart and mind, she refused to give up what she had. This dream, these goals, these ambitions, they were all she had left to keep living for. Even if everything she was fighting for wouldn't come to pass, she had to fight as if they were things that she would get and then keep for all of her life.

Otherwise, what was the point?

"Well all make choices in our lives for the sake of our own existence." Cinder uttered some quiet words. "I chose to make a deal with the devil and I intend to stick by that choice, no matter what."

"You could've done better with us." Amber spoke solemnly. "You would've been surrounded by friends."

"Friends are a liability." Cinder didn't believe in that for an instant. "They're just more people that can take advantage of you."

Amber wasn't buying that line of thinking. "And your current master isn't in a position to take advantage of you?"

No matter where this conversation went, it seemed that neither of them would be able to see the others' way of thinking, at least not under these conditions. Maybe in another life, they could've been allies, but when was there ever a use for thinking about a future that would never come to pass?

There was none.

"I will not beg for my life." Cinder mustered up whatever defiance she had in her veins. "I will not cry. I will do nothing."

But it was clear to everyone that she was absolutely frightened. Her words told one story; her eyes told another.

"It wouldn't do you any good if you did." Amber pulled out her combat staff. "I'll make this as painless as possible."

Denial was quite an interesting thing. It allowed a person to shut their eyes away from many truths about the world that were difficult to comprehend or accept. It permitted individuals to hold onto their own realities for a time. For a time, it was the ultimate way to distract a person from the objective reality.

Cinder would continue to believe in her own destiny no matter what. That was how she had made it this far with her life. She didn't cling to things like morality, karma, and the pontifications of the elderly. It was always about what she wanted.

"I pray that you find peace." Amber positioned her staff to impale. "May the Gods have mercy on your soul."

There was absolutely no trace of hesitation as the Fall Maiden plunged her weapon deep into the chest of the ashen-haired woman. There was no pain and then there was infinite pain. It was enough to emit an ear-piercing scream that echoed all around. Darkness began to encompass the corner of her eyes, rapidly spreading to every single part.

I will not relent. Cinder's will attempted to hold out. I will-

From her mouth, she coughed out blood, far more than she had ever seen leaving her body in her entire life. The sight of so much of it was enough to do her in.

And then she just ceased to think. Her body slumped forward, never to rise again.

RWBY - - - Transformers

Ozpin felt himself lean back into his chair with a serious look adorned on his face. His newest ally certainly had a way with taking action, that much he could say for sure after he had just finished reading this recently-sent report.

Apparently, Mister Watson had taken it upon himself to intentionally bait Amber's attackers and round them up for capture, interrogation, and then torture. Apparently, Salem's plan was to use her subordinates to cause a breach in the Kingdom of Vale's defenses, allowing the Grimm inside the walls and causing mass panic and chaos. In all that confusion, the stolen Fall Maiden power would be used to unlock the vault and retrieve the Relic of Choice. It was a simple plan and it was certainly ambitious, but it made sense, and under the right circumstances, it could have worked.

While the old wizard certainly couldn't say that he was happy about all the steps taken to obtain this information, it was useful nonetheless and they had all managed to avoid a major catastrophe, but they weren't out of danger yet. With her plans exposed, Salem would no doubt have to take a step back now that she had been compromised.

There's no guarantee that she won't attack. Ozpin considered. It might be too soon, but she might be in the mood for a more aggressive approach.

Salem valued other people only to the extent that they were useful to her. If too many of her pawns failed her, eventually she would become too impatient and simply take to doing the job herself. If there was one thing that the headmaster knew about his former lover, it was that her patience was finite. No matter how much she had developed it over the past few millennia, sooner or later she was going to make a mistake if her minions kept failing.

It would seem that Watson was proving his usage in more than just scientific endeavors. The man was brilliant not to mention capable in combat, a deadly combination. He was also proving to be able to retain the attention of his students, a feat that was difficult even for the best of the faculty here at the academy. He was so well-liked by the students that more often than not, he was going by his code name of Shockwave rather than his legal name.

As for the original reason why he was brought into the academy, the science brainiac was sending weekly reports about his progress in regards to something he called 'Project Predacon.' In essence, it was an effort to bring back long-extinct species to fight for them. It seemed a longshot not to mention very risky. The details of the exact specimen weren't known at this time and in all honesty, Ozpin wasn't sure if he wanted to know. The faunus was proving to be something truly frightening.

No, I made this bed. The wizard reminded himself. I'm the only one who can sleep in it.

Loyalty only because it was logical.

That was the price for victory.

Was it worth it?

How many of you have been waiting for this moment?

My return comes with some pros and cons. I'm here for a few days for sure, but starting a few days after New Years, I'll be busy once again and I can't be sure when I'll be able to update stories, but I'm still here and I'm not going to quit.

I have no notes for this chapter seeing as I'm rereading and reacquainting myself with my own stories, so excuse the lackluster author notes. I'll have more to say next time.

For any questions about what's going on regarding the Army, refer to my profile note or PM me.

Thanks for reading.

-Ktyou