Chapter 28: Finding the Winter Maiden is Logical

Beacon Academy

Science Laboratory

November 4th, 80 AGW

1200 Hours

Shockwave had fully adjusted to his life as a teacher of science at Beacon Academy. While it was not the life that he had planned for himself, his logic dictated that he make do with his circumstances and make the most out of the opportunities given to him, especially since his stay on Remnant was looking to be longer than anticipated.

Because of a lack of energon or the resources to create synthetic energon, he had to substitute dust as the main power source. However, as long as he only had dust, he would not be able to evolve his ground bridge into a space bridge. Dust's inability to function outside of Remnant left him with a challenging problem.

Furthermore, in order to return to Cybertron, he would have to know where Remnant was in relation to the homeworld. The former, he knew where that was, but again this world's severely limited understanding of space and anything existing within it left him nearly blind. Even something like a planetarium would help him immensely. At the very least, he would be able to roughly triangulate the group of galaxies in which Cybertron belonged.

With his ongoing efforts in finding a way back home, a question crossed his mind: what would he do if returning was impossible?

That question gave him pause for a moment, but then his usual mental train of thought returned to him. If finding a way to Cybertron was not within his ability, then he would simply spend the rest of his existence as a Faunus man living on Remnant. He would simply have to work harder to make up for the many illogicalities that surrounded him.

And what better place to correct the illogical than with the students that were currently in his classroom?

Today, instead of launching into a lecture or a practical exercise, all of the students were now engaged with their teams, comparing notes and information. Although finals for the semester were still nearly two months away, he had given them all their first warning to review the material. In order to better facilitate good results during testing time, he would give students at least once a week to work with each other and if necessary, ask him questions.

Regardless, he was predicting who was going to succeed in this class and who was not. It was not hard to predict the outcomes given the homework turned in thus far and cross-referencing that with general attendance, the attitudes in the classroom, and overall attentiveness.

Ruby Rose was no doubt going to be the highest-scoring individual. Not only did she have a knack for scientific approaches, she was heavily devoted to the subject. Her passion, while illogical, was useful to the former Decepticon.

Weiss Schnee would score high as well. Her more rational personality and diligence when it came to her studies did her much credit. If anything, the young heiress would be competitive with her partner and team leader.

Blake Belladonna could be counted on to score fairy well provided that she actually cared to delve into the material with some level of attention. As things were, the girl was distracted, although her focus was no longer on suspicion cast on the Beacon faculty and staff.

Yang Xiao Long would be… difficult to say the least. The female brawler was certainly able to learn, but she required practical exercises to internalize information into her long-term memory. Academics were clearly not her strong point.

The four students of team RWBY were of great importance to him because each one provided a unique talent and challenge for Shockwave to nurture and overcome respectively. While some would take more time than others using his usual logical approach to problem-solving, in the end whatever doubts he had were more than made up for the logical gains he stood to achieve.

That and the fact that Ozpin, for one reason or another, seemed to favor Team RWBY and whatever was of interest to the headmaster was certainly something the scientist wished to understand as well.

His internal systems detected a message being sent to his scroll, so he pulled himself from his mental processes and retrieved the pocket-held device. It was a message from Amber and what she began with was immediately of interest.

Queen's pawns are on the move.

Shockwave had no reason to believe the woman was lying, but with her ability to move about freely severely limited, the only way she could know this was by hearing it from someone else, most likely Ozpin.

Still, the former Decepticon had questions. There is more. What is it?

Amber's reply came within half a minute. I was informed by the headmaster. He has reason to believe that the Queen is taking more aggressive action in response to your disruption of her plans.

So far, what she was saying was indeed logical. It was not a hard conclusion to reach.

Did he specify what he believes the Queen's next actions will be? Shockwave rattled off a text.

A few moments later, Amber replied. No, he sounded cryptic and evasive, like he didn't even know what to say about it.

It could hardly be called surprising that Ozpin was concealing information. It had been like that from the beginning and there was no reason to think it would end now. If anything, the headmaster would likely never reveal everything unless he was backed into a corner with nowhere to go.

It would seem that once more, a more proactive approach would be needed.

And unfortunately efforts to locate the Summer Maiden had been somewhat difficult to say the least. Vacuo was not exactly known for its technological advances and the flow of information and communication across vast expanses of desert was a challenge.

Shockwave made a mental note to himself to accelerate his plan to acquire the Winter Maiden. By the end of this month, he would have to make sure that a new host ideal for his assault against Salem was in place.

Pyrrha Nikos was still his top candidate. Her skills, talent, and dedication to her job were not things to be found easily.

However, candidacy would have to be put on hold. He had to see the current Winter Maiden with his own eye and optic. Without proper information, he could not make an informed and logical decision. And in order to do so and guarantee that his knowledge was accurate, he would personally go to Atlas and discern what he could.

While he was known in Vale and less so in Mistral, he should be unknown to Atlas. Particularly, General James Ironwood and his cohorts. Although, if his profile information was correct, Winter Schnee was a close aide to the headmaster of Atlas Academy. She no doubt would remember him; whether or not she had spoken of him to anyone was another story. Depending upon whether or not she had chosen to speak of his getaway, things might go more smoothly.

Already, Shockwave had drawn up a mental map of all the multitude of scenarios that would play out depending upon various factors both within and not within his control. To a normal person, the speed at which his mind worked would be far beyond even a genius or even Remnant's best supercomputer. Even so, the overall plan he was coming up with was rather barebones in comparison to how he usually planned out major missions or operations.

Although it was in his nature to map out every single detail possible in regards to what he wished to accomplish, there was some logic in taking action and being able to adapt on the fly rather than preparing for every single possibility. In fact, it was close to impossible, even for himself to anticipate every single little thing.

Megatron had once explained to him such a concept in a single sentence.

At times, a decent plan executed violently and immediately is superior to an outstanding plan executed in a cycle's time.

Shockwave returned his attention to his scroll and typed out a message. There has been a change of plans. I will be making my way to Atlas.

Half a minute passed, then Amber responded. What for?

Sooner or later, the Fall Maiden would have to know about the greater plan to take down Salem and that meant meeting her fellow maidens.

Shockwave opted for the truth. To make contact with the Winter Maiden.

He expected her to ask questions or give voice to some doubt. She might owe him a great deal, but she was not completely subservient to him.

Is there any assistance I can provide? Her words were unexpected to say the least.

Shockwave typed back. Not at this time. I will inform you if you are needed for this mission. For now, monitor Project Predacon and inform me of any unusual or unexpected developments.

Understood. Amber provided her last word before the conversation ended.

"Hey, Professor Shocky!" Yang had appeared in front of him. "Got a question for ya!"

He briefly pondered the new nickname given to him, then decided it was logical not to question it.

More importantly, it appeared that the blonde brawler trusted him.

RWBY - - - Transformers

Clock Tower

1900 Hours

Ozpin found himself with a splitting headache as he attempted to process what he had just heard.

Multiple times in any given week, he had to remind himself that taking on Shael Watson came with considerable risks. It was to be expected; the man was quietly frankly unlike anyone he had ever met before in his life and considering the types of individuals he had seen in all of his existence, friend or foe, that was saying something.

The science teacher's penchant for ludicrous-sounding plans and courses of actions bordered on insanity, yet he called them logical and well-conceived. Tough as it was to admit it, there was some truth to be found in those words. Despite the unlikelihood of success, there had been no failures yet.

And now this latest one was just another in a list of insanity. At this point, he wasn't the least bit surprised by anything, but that didn't change the fact that his head hurt. He was going to have to lay off on the coffee and drink some more water.

Moreover, Ozpin's personal opinion on the matter wasn't what mattered, at least not morally speaking. What mattered was that he needed to tip the scales in his favor; up until a few months ago, there had been a stalemate between himself and Salem. Now that she had taken action, he had to react accordingly. It was not a position he wished to be in; millennia of conflict had taught him that more often than not, the party that was proactive would always have the advantage compared to the party that was reactive.

Perhaps his desire to win this shadow war was now bordering on desperation if he actually chose willingly and knowingly to take on Watson. He couldn't blame anyone else for the decision and he certainly wouldn't blame the latest addition to Beacon. The man was simply doing what he promised to do, nothing more and nothing less.

The headmaster took a few deep breaths in to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time to lose his control. Any sign of weakness or hesitation would be problematic in the future, particularly if he intended to keep the faunus man in his corner, which he hoped to, even if he was living on borrowed time.

Watson was ever the stoic and calm individual. His face gave away absolutely nothing. This was without a doubt a poker face to be sure, but unlike most which tried to hide true intentions, this one was simply due to a severe lack of emotions. No matter how much this expression became commonplace, the feeling or lack thereof never would lose its novelty.

Opin pinched the bridge of his nose. "So let me clarify so that I'm not misunderstanding. You want to travel to Atlas in search of… samples for your side project?"

"Correct." The man's wolf ears didn't move much even as his head nodded. "I believe I have collected all the specimens that Vale has to offer. I would thus like to travel to Atlas."

Even a normal man would be able to see that something didn't add up. It seemed more rational and convenient to travel to Mistral in search of more fossilized specimens. That being said, Atlas had many things going for it despite the militaristic and harsh weather that were common knowledge among the uninitiated.

"I appreciate your dedication to our efforts, but you have duties as a teacher here." Ozpin sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "In fact, I would say that your teaching efforts have more than exceeded even my expectations. Students not only show up to your class, but they actually are very attentive. For you to take an extended leave of absence out of the blue would be a problem to say the least."

And predictably, Watson had a solution. "I have prepared a month's worth of material for them to cover. Additionally, I will be within reach of communications, able to relay information and instructions whenever it is prudent that I do so."

If Ozpin was a more ignorant individual, he would say that this man clearly had thought out every avenue and he might even heap praise.

If only such a perfectly-conceived cover-up was too good to be true.

"I'll be perfectly straight with you, Shael." For once, the roundabout approach was abandoned in favor of something more direct. "I don't doubt your dedication to our side. Your actions against the would-be killer of Amber proves otherwise. However, I can't say that I approve of your decisions which have caused more than a few concerns about your… trustworthiness."

A lesser man might reconsider his position, especially when their superior was bringing accountability issues to light.

Watson was anything but a lesser man. "Then perhaps it is time you cease withholding information that is affecting the entire outcome of this shadow."

"I'm sure that you're familiar with a need-to know basis." Ozpin unfolded his arms slowly. "That's exactly why you're not privy to the information that you believe I'm not divulging."

And there was truth to those words. His past relationship with Salem wasn't necessary information. Even if he did reveal everything behind his lengthy and troubled past, what would it change?

Watson appeared thoughtful. "There is logic in your words. I already possess the necessary information to combat Salem effectively. Furthermore, the acquisition of one Cinder Fall has provided me with vital intelligence on her capabilities."

"You may wish to exaggerate those capabilities ten fold." Ozpin couldn't help but issue a warning. "Salem no doubt showed only what she felt was necessary to gain that girl's loyalty and instill a certain amount of fear. Still, I appreciate your understanding."

The science professor nodded. "This does not change the fact that your ignorance on my matters within Atlas is critical to the success of Salem's downfall. If a need-to-know basis is what you are saying I do not have, so be it. The same applies in this scenario."

"...I see. Very clever, Shael." Ozpin chuckled, not even offended that he failed. "I should know better when it comes to you."

Watson still had more to offer. "In order to deceive your enemy, sometimes that same deception must be used with allies."

"Agreed." Ozpin knew quite a statement to be true over the course of his many lives. "Very well, I won't ask for details. However, is there anyone else that knows what you're doing?"

A single shake of the head. "No outside help will be necessary. All bases have been covered."

"... that seems incredibly risky not to mention reckless."

"If outside help is required, I will request it."

"You are determined to keep me out of the loop."

"Only to ensure success. The enemy is becoming more proactive. It seems only logical to do the same."

Ozpin frowned. That second part seemed just a little bit too pointed to have been thought up on the spot. It sounded awfully like the tip he had relayed to Amber not that long ago. The fact that the Fall Maiden was becoming a bit loose-lipped in regards to discussions with her savior was somewhat discomforting.

The headmaster elected to ignore that feeling for the time being. "You see to be taking Salem lightly. I would advise that you not do so. Many have died facing her or even standing against her. None have defeated her."

"Your concept of defeating her is illogical and archaic." Professor Watson moved to immediately cast away doubt. "You see death as the only true end to a threat. That is why you will never be rid of her."

But what other way was there to beat Salem?

In all of his time trying to find a solution to put down Salem for good, it always came back to his former lover's immortality. No matter what plan he could concoct, she would always win in the end simply because she could outlast him.

Additionally, the time spent transferring to new hosts once the old one died and the added burden of retraining said the new host was inefficient compared to simply being brought back to life minutes after being struck down.

Ozpin sighed, an uncharacteristic display of a defeatist attitude. "Perhaps you're right. I don't see an end to this conflict, not for a long time."

For a moment, the man of many souls folded his hands together in front of him and leaned his head into his hands. He let out a few long and heavy sighs.

He was then alerted to the sound of the only other person in his office rising from his seat. The headmaster raised his head to look up.

The face of his newest teacher was as unreadable as ever and yet… it seemed like there was something else in his eyes.

"I find your lack of a true plan to be highly… illogical."

With those parting words, Watson simply turned to leave, exiting without so much as a farewell.

And then Ozpin realized fully what had happened.

A lot of trust and respect had been lost.

If not all of it.

"Fuck."

Transformers - - - RWBY

City of Mantle

Polendina Pharmaceutical

November 6th, 80 AGW

1400 Hours

Doctor Petro Polendina was busy, busier than he had ever been in past days. The clinic already provided him with more than enough to occupy his time. However, his recent work with General James Ironwood had only added more to his plate. For most people, such a workload would be hard to take on at best and impossible at worst. It was only thanks to his mastery of his subject that he was able to work efficiently and quickly.

Still, now that Penny, his daughter, was living proof of his work as well as his own pride and joy. From the moment she became sentient, his life had become much more full and much more joyful. He had never really had the time to settle down and start a family of his own, something that he had come to regret deeply. In a way, Penny was his way of living a more normal life that a part of him wished to have.

But part of the deal in regards to his cooperation with the Atlesian military was that Penny was going to be showcased to the entire world via the 40th Vytal Festival. There, her powers and her existence as a sentient synthetic being would be revealed. It would show to the world that no longer would men and women have to take up arms themselves and put their lives on the line.

Logically, Pietro understood the conditions when he agreed to work with Ironwood. Still, he couldn't help but feel protectiveness when it came to the daughter that he had poured his life's work into creating. She was far too innocent and joyful for the world out there. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his girl to the ravages of reality. She might not be of his blood, but she was of his heart.

Despite his jolly nature, he wasn't blind to the harshness of Remnant. He simply decided to combat such negativity with his own work in helping people. Hopefully, Penny would inherit that same desire to assist those who couldn't help themselves.

For now, it would be in her best interest not to stray anywhere that she didn't need to be. She had a purpose and she needed to stick by it. It was regrettable that she wasn't able to fully embrace life in the way that every single human and faunus could, but such was the price to pay for being the future protector of the world. The liberty of the many had to be paid with the servitude of the few.

Today, however, wasn't reserved for Penny. She was undergoing training under Ironwood's supervision. It was just him and his humble little pharmacy providing prosthetics to those who had lost a part of themselves.

Although he didn't have a bell or any indicating sound to alert him of a new customer, the sound of the door opening from the outside was enough.

From his mountainous stack of papers and parts scattered on his desk, he quickly moved them out of the way to ascertain the individual who had come inside.

What he saw was strange, even with all of the people he had provided prosthetics to.

A faunus man.

One red eye, One red optic.

Purple hair. Wolf ears.

Regardless, Pietro smiled. "Welcome. What are you here for today? Or perhaps we've met before? Are you a returning customer?"

"No, this is my first time in Mantle." A deep and strangely enough, mechanical-sounding voice responded in kind. "I am simply browsing what is available."

"Your first time in Mantle?" Pietro took an immediate interest. "In that case, I would like to ask: where did you get your prosthetic work done? Who made them for you?"

"They are my own design." The man said. "My optic and my arm."

Pietro regarded the man who was wearing long sleeves. "Your… arm?"

The newest arrival simply rolled up a sleeve and in its place was indeed a prosthetic in place of what should be an organic arm. However, what he saw astonished even him. Not only was the metal polished, but its outer shell was sleek and it's profile was so close to a normal arm that unless someone knew that it was a prosthetic, no one would even know that it was.

Pietro couldn't help but marvel. "This craftsmanship is outstanding. I must ask yet another question: are you in the market for this or was this a one-time deal?"

"It was done for myself. I have not considered going into business with my skills, although I might reconsider." A moment's pause, then some additional words. "You seem to be proficient in prosthetics as well."

The Mantle native nodded. "I would hope so. I've spent the bulk of my career in Atlas, perfecting my craft. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Doctor Pietro Polendina. This is my pharmacy and I occasionally do work with Atlas."

"Shael Watson, licensed huntsman, and professor of science at Beacon Academy." His opposite introduced himself. "I specialize in engineering."

Pietro instinctively moved his walker chair closer. "It does my heart good to meet a fellow scientist. If it is at all possible, I hope that we'll be able to exchange research and findings. More often than not, my work is elevated when peers review my work, something I've been lacking as of late."

"Your proposition is logical. I too find much greater success when working in conjunction with a comparable peer." Shael was of the same mind. "However, I find it odd that you do not have others surrounding you."

Pietro sighed sadly. "Well, it's more like my colleagues and I went our separate ways. Same goal, different methods. One of them is… no longer with us."

The pharmacy owner turned to look at the picture framed nearby on his desk. In his younger days, everything was much different. He had friends who shared a genuine passion and drive to accomplish great things for Atlas. However, as he came to understand, good things never lasted forever. Still, no matter how much time made him more accepting, there was always a feeling of pain deep within.

Pietro composed himself to salvage some of his dignity. "I apologize for lamenting the past. You didn't come here to listen to me in that regard."

"Your apology is unnecessary. If anything, you have helped me understand your situation." Shael regarded the photo for a few more moments. "It would be illogical of me to disregard your past. Past events are what shape much of our present selves."

Although they were little better than strangers, Doctor Polendina couldn't help but feel like the two of them would get along well enough. "Yes, you're right. You possess quite the rational mind."

"I find emotions to be highly illogical." Shael said as if it were fact. "That is why I have little need for them."

For a moment, Pietro considered that bit of information. "While I wouldn't go that far, I can understand that mentality."

It was interesting to get at least a glimpse into the mindset of this man. While he couldn't confirm just how impartial his new cohort was, he could say that it was far more detached than what he was used to seeing. No matter how much a person relied on science and knowledge about the physical world, emotions were always going to be at play. Truly impartial individuals within the field of science were extremely rare.

"Besides prosthetics, what else do you do?" The young professor seemed eager to move on.

Pietro tapped his fingers on his chair. "I also have a hand in artificial intelligence. I would even say that it's my primary specialty. I have been working on developing an A.I. that is capable of possessing both sentience and emotions."

"For what purpose would an artificial intelligence need emotions?" Professor Watson's question was expected. "Granting it autonomy and sentience provides it a means to evolve and become greater, but emotions are a disruption to logic."

Perhaps this strict adherence to logic was going to be hard to crack.

Pietro decided to meet halfway. "In a way, I agree with what you're saying. Emotions indeed can make fools out of us, make many problems and situations in life needlessly complicated, but it's who we are. We have to accept that imperfection and own it. In a sense, that's why I believe an artificial intelligence needs emotions, especially if we're the ones creating them."

"How so?"

"If an AI were to look into our history and see all that we have done and if it were only capable of viewing these events from a rational perspective, then it would ultimately jump to the conclusion that perhaps the entirety of mankind is flawed, even pointless."

"Then your desire to place emotions within the programming is so that understanding can be bridged between both parties." Shael formulated his own thoughts. "Thus, preventing a conflict which might be cause for concern in the future."

"That's correct." Pietro agreed.

That and the fact that it was his daughter and he wanted a kid that actually acted like one.

But that reasoning probably wouldn't work with Professor Watson.

Best to keep that to himself.

RWBY - - - Transformers

Shockwave had stumbled upon Polendina Pharmaceuticals by chance while making his way to Atlas and in just these past fifteen minutes, he had gained a wealth of information and knowledge that he found immensely useful.

Firstly, Arthur Watts. Apparently, he was a former Atlesian scientist that had defected to Salem's side. For what reason did not matter; joining the ruler of the Grimm was illogical. That could only mean one thing: emotions were at play and it was doubtful that they were anything but negative in nature.

What was important was that Watts had connections to Atlas. How far in, the former Decepticon did not know. It could be as little as just being another cog in a greater machine or perhaps the man was a critical figure who had developed a crucial aspect of the kingdom's hardware or software. All logic pointed to the latter being the case; after all, Salem was not known for choosing minions who could not affect great change.

Secondly, talk of artificial intelligence was something that Shockwave was indeed very interested in hearing. He assumed that this primitive planet was far too regressed to have developed autonomous programs let alone ones with sentience and the ability to mimic emotions. The fact that it was possible was something that presented him with great potential that he could use.

Furthermore, Polendina was far too good at his work to simply be doing what was essentially charity for the local populace. His reference to working with Atlas pointed to him being a figure with a high level of clearance and importance. Even from a glance, it was fairly simply to deduce that his work was high-quality, enough so that his talents and abilities would be wasted as he was.

Did that mean he worked for the Council of Atlas? The military?

If Polendina's AI work was indeed connected to the highest echelons of society in Atlas, then all the more reason to investigate.

While the idea of an AI possessing emotions was not something Shockwave cared to deal with, it did give him a new idea. If an AI was so developed that it could mimic humans and faunus with such accuracy to fool its organic counterparts, would that be enough for it to be accepted as a soul?

A soul that could inherit maiden powers?

If that were the case, then bringing the Winter Maiden's power under his control had just been made all the more easier. It was not easy to understand nor control a regular human or faunus, at least not completely. An AI on the other hand was handily within his realm of control. He had developed countless such programs over the course of the War for Cybertron. They could not be called sentient, but they were enough for combative purposes as well as advanced specialized tasks.

Even if these AI's had emotions, they were essentially part of its programming, thus removing a major obstacle to contend with.

Regardless, confirming the Winter Maiden's location came first.

Then he would need to evaluate Polendina's work to see if it could be repurposed.

There was a lot to do.

This is starting to get really old, but it's been a while. It's been a busy first couple of months this year and in light of recent world events, it's going to get busier for me. Even before all of this, we've been to so many fields this year alone.

But I hope to always keep my writing spirit alive. Actually, we're about to enter into what I consider a VERY interesting part of the story. It's one that I've been planning and looking forward to and you can infer as much from what you read in the chapter.

Thoughts? Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated, even for something as small as grammatical errors.

Thanks for reading.

-Ktyou