Chapter 30: Leading Fools is Logical
Kingdom of Atlas
City of Mantle
November 11th, 80 AGW
0930 Hours
Shockwave's worm inside of Penny Polendina had yielded some rewarding results. As his logic knew, General Ironwood did indeed know the whereabouts of the Winter Maiden. Not only was her location known, but wherever she was at any given time could be accessed. In essence, tracking her was no longer the problem.
The new problem was honing in on a new host for the magical power and despite possessing many potential candidates, each one possessed an illogicality that was hard to ignore, some with more than one.
Pyrrha Nikos was the perfect warrior. Her genetics were ideal and her training, experience, and overall skill were outstanding. No freshman student came close to her in combat, but her pure personality and her morals held her back. Unless she experienced true combat, she would never be a true warrior.
Penny Polendina, while an interesting subject, was also a shaky prospect. Her technical readouts, while very much able to outperform any human or faunus, was still a prototype, technology that had yet to be put through its paces and tested thoroughly. Observation and development was logical for the synthetic.
Emerald was loyal, but she was needed for her semblance. The power to make the mind hallucinate was an unseen power, which made it useful for subtlety. Further refinement was needed to develop it into a weapon that could be used on a wide scale. Additionally, the extra set of hands were necessary for his lab work.
Amber was an illogical choice. Even though the woman possessed maiden powers, giving her more ran the risk of her being attacked again. It would be worse for the enemy to obtain the power of two maidens on a single target. There was also the issue of being inexperienced and her inability to move freely due to Ozpin. Additionally, he had to further test her to see how much her loyalty to him would last.
None of the students couldn't be used because they were effectively under surveillance courtesy of the Beacon Academy faculty and staff. Students might not realize it, but the teachers and professors were very observant of their students. Even the smallest changes could be noticed by their discerning eyes. If he were to involve any female student in his plans, it would become noticeable by one of the other professors.
And their need-to-know basis will have to be limited given the full scope of this work.Shockwave could only frame everything as a Decepticon would. And now that I on the subject, contingencies will need to be established in the event of a compromise of sensitive information.
With that in mind and while he settled on his candidate, the scientist would continue to monitor the Winter Maiden closely to see if there was a pattern in her routine that he could exploit. If there was no consistency in her movement, he would simply have to seize his chance at a moment's notice, nothing he had not done before.
Also in the meantime, he made his way back to Mantle, having no business remaining in Atlas. With his remote access to Penny, he could have an eye and ear within the elevated city at any time. When he had said that he was here to obtain samples for Project Predacon, he had not been lying. There were some potential finds that might yield some tremendous progress to his ongoing research.
Atlas's arctic climate made attacks on the cities difficult for Grimm at best and nigh-impossible at worst. It was not uncommon to find different species of the monsters frozen in place, dissolving once the ice melted. However, just like the wildlife around it, a few species had adapted to the cold.
However, Shockwave had no interest in the Grimm that roamed close to the kingdom. Rather, he had a vested interest in the abandoned mines of Mantle, where not only the remains of unrefined dust could be found, but also the bones and DNA samples of other long-dead species. Unsurprisingly, digging hundreds of meters into the ground yielded some interesting finds other than the economic ones that the SDC was prioritizing.
Although he was not technically authorized to go in, the former Decepticon being an officially-licensed huntsman would make any problems with entry a non-issue. It was actually amazing the sort of access, immunity, and other privileges that the graduates of the four academies were privy to.
Besides, it was logical to keep his activities from those that did not need to know about it. Even among his peers at Beacon Academy, he continued to be perceived with uncertainty. The general population would likely react in a more exaggerated manner.
Back to the matter at hand, the specimens for Project Predacon were of a smaller variety. Generally speaking, animals that had developed within the confines of Atlas were generally smaller. That was not to say that none of these creatures could grow to massive sizes, but compared to the likes of Mistral and Vale, they were smaller overall.
While there was no particular target species, Shockwave did wish to conduct searches into the native predators of this continent, extinct and current. That being said, he would not exclude any chance to study evolution of any kind. There was something to be gained for any species with a lasting legacy.
The City of Altas would be of no help in that regard; their technological state as well as the nature of their high-class citizens all but nullified any chances of valuable finds save for ones in laboratories and those fools probably did not have a concept for fossils other than for museum displays. Maybe scientists like Polendina would conceive of an idea to reverse-engineer DNA, but that kind of research was fairly niche, not to mention relatively unknown to the general public.
Shockwave was not one to work in tandem with others. More often than not, he worked alone. Solitude afforded the ability to make tremendous progress in his research. However, he acknowledged to himself that logically speaking, all of his projects would have greater efficiency if he could delegate tasks to trusted peoples.
The trouble was finding such competent help. For all of the connections, associates, and allies he had garnered in his short time on Remnant, virtually all of them possessed morality that ultimately would not align with what he intended.
If only I could create competent help. The scientist mulled to himself. Then I would no longer have a need to rely on emotional individuals.
…then again…
…perhaps he could do just that.
As an idea began to form in his head, he pulled up the DNA profile of one Cinder Fall. Her body had been disposed of long ago, reduced to ashes, but he had saved a hefty sample of her blood and he had deconstructed her DNA. Although she was of no significant threat to himself, she was above the level of what the students at Beacon Academy could do. She could even be competitive with huntsmen and huntresses many years her senior.
Some experiments will need to be conducted. Shockwave began to make some mental notes to herself. But the expenditure should not be much. The outpost laboratory already possesses the necessary equipment.
He briefly considered only using Emerald for this experiment, however his logic pointed out that sooner or later, Amber would find out and if she did not find out from him, he could compromise her trust in him. Although friction between himself and the Fall Maiden was not preferred, the long-term benefit of her knowing would be all the more worth it. Convincing her would not be an issue.
The former Decepticon stopped in his tracks in order to be checked by security personnel guarding one of many exits into the wilds. From this point onward, he was on his own, not that he had any particular concerns about fighting Grimm.
Once he was cleared, Shockwave took a moment to orient himself, then began moving southeast. The abandoned mines were expansive, not to mention highly unstable. A healthy dose of caution was needed to navigate these tunnels without error. Regardless, he would be slowed down by the simple fact that he was one individual. Helping hands would have been more logical in this instance.
If the clones cannot serve as functional combat units, then they can be repurposed as manual labor. The scientist silently amended.
With his mind thinking up numerous ways to overcome the illogicalities that he needed to correct, he kept a swift walking pace. It was only when he began to see the outline of mining machinery and vehicles did he stop to take stock of his surroundings.
…and he froze, remaining still as a statue.
Someone else is here. Shockwave reconsidered his surroundings. No, two others here. Did they follow me or were they here already?
After a moment, he decided that unless they became disruptive to his objective, then it would be illogical to waste processing power on their existence. After all, they could be here for reasons unrelated to him.
Although that seems highly unlikely given the nature of my work.
RWBY - - - Transformers
1111 Hours
Fiona Thyme made it a habit to know faces and names around Mantle. It was simply in her nature to meet people and get to know them. She wouldn't claim to have good enough memory to recall every single person she had ever interacted with, but she could say that even at a passing glance, she could recognize a face at the very least. The city was her home, after all and she got around.
When she saw his face, not only did she recognize it as unfamiliar, but the striking and unusual features he possessed made an impression on her. Unfortunately, seeing her fellow faunus with scars and prosthetics wasn't uncommon. However, his prosthetic ears and eye did more than just make her stare at him. They looked nothing like Doctor Polendian would make. Hell, they didn't even look anything like Atlesian technology.
Furthermore, his face had a look that she couldn't place. Getting past his attractive features, there was something alien about the way his expression was adorned on his face. Stone-faced was something she had seen before; amongst the Happy Huntresses, they had all mastered it to one extent or another. This was something else. If she had to describe it, it was a face that seemed indifferent to the entire world.
Whatever the case, the man had gotten her attention and sheep faunus felt compelled to see what his business in Mantle was, so she fell back onto her knowledge of discreetly tailing. Her backup was Joanna, who was out of the loop in terms of her thought process or why they were pursuing this new query.
Fiona usually wasn't this single-minded and once she realized that she was seeing tunnel vision, she took a moment to mentally compose herself. Acting on impulse was one of the quickest ways to get killed in the huntress line of work. If there was one thing she took away from Atlas Academy, it was that lesson. Military or not, that lesson applied to every licensed Grimm killer.
When her current partner gave her a questioning look, the white-haired woman could only signal for them to be quiet and keep a low profile. Their new target wasn't interested in being unseen or silent. That meant one of two things: he either could handle any threat that came his way single handedly or he thought he could handle any threat that came his way single handedly… or perhaps both were the case.
The only silver lining was that thanks to her faunus trait, she was able to pick up a distinct smell from him. At first, she thought she had the wrong scent; it was very clearly metallic in nature as well as… something else that she couldn't place. As she and Johanna continued to follow, she continued to detect the same smell.
Perhaps his unique prosthetics were giving off the other half of the smell that she couldn't identify.
"Now can you tell me why we're chasing him?" Joanna quietly spoke. "I've never seen you like this before."
"I know, I don't usually do stuff like this. Sorry" Fiona replied back with a shy smile. "I just… something about him just led me forward."
Joanna kneeled to get more comfortable. "Okay, how so?"
"I feel like… hold on, I need to think about it for a minute." Fiona took a break in, then out, taking the moment to gather her thoughts, then speaking again. "Call me crazy, but I get the feeling that he's here to cause a bit of chaos."
Joanna lifted an eyebrow. "Chaos? Like, to Mantle or Atlas or both?"
"No, not that kind of chaos." Fiona shook her head while maintaining eye contact. "More like shaking things up, disturbing the status quo, if you will."
The taller woman let out a small huff. "That's oddly specific for someone who we don't even know the name of let alone anything about his character."
"It's something about how he moves, how he looks at the world." The sheep faunus attempted to dive deeper into her intuition. "I've never seen a look like that one before. It's like…"
How could she even explain this when she didn't even understand it herself? She might be good at reading people, but she was no psychologist. Intuition might give her an understanding on an instinctual level, but that meant nothing if she couldn't put that understanding into words.
Joanna then offered her next suggestion. "Maybe we should just call this one off. We might have a day off, but this wasn't what I had in mind."
"I don't know…" Fiona said the words, but her eyes kept focused on the distant form of her fellow faunus.
Joanna sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope." Fiona let the word pop.
"Brothers help us. Alright, fine, we'll play it your way. Do you at least have an idea of what you want to do?" Joanna, despite her misgivings, decided to back up her friend.
"Nobody has any business going into abandoned SDC mines, especially not a faunus." Fiona didn't have first-hand experience in regards to working in dust mines, but she knew more than a few people who were intimately familiar with the job. "There's not enough dust to turn a profit and the place is infested with Grimm. That means he's got another goal in mind."
Joanna narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What could be down that gods-forbidden shaft that's worth risking life, limb, and eyesight?"
"I don't know, but we're about to find out." Fiona determined that they begin to move again. "We'll continue to monitor him until I can see what he's doing."
Joanna chucked at thought. "I don't suppose asking him what his goal is would work?"
"Have you seen his size?" Fiona shivered slightly. "Compared to him, I'm tiny. I think he's bigger than you even."
The green-haired huntress gave a bemused look. "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"
"Neither. It's just what I've observed." The shorter one shrugged her shoulders. "Now let's get moving."
So they continue to trail him, leaving at least two hundred meters between themselves and him. Even if he didn't appear to be suspicious or showing any signs that he was aware that he was being tailed, they aired on the side of safety, sticking to cover and concealment whenever possible.
Both women remained silent for a while until they reached the mouths of the first network of tunnels. As always, the sight of this place left a feeling of uneasiness between the two of them.
"Something's not right." Joanna commented in a hushed tone. "I'm not sensing any Grimm nearby."
Fiona thought about that before adding her own two lien. "Maybe he's got a semblance that controls his emotions, or he could be extremely in-control of himself. It's been documented before."
"But we're not at that point yet. Sure, we're good, but compared to veteran huntsmen and huntresses, we've still got some work to do." Joanna pointed out their shortcomings. "How old is this guy anyway?"
Fiona bit her lip, then tsked. "I only got a brief glance, but from what I could tell, he looks to be our age or maybe a little older. Like I said, he could be in-control or simply have no fear. There is such a thing as talent and prodigies."
"Yeah, brings me back to the academy days." Joanna's expression adopted a reminiscent look. "We really thought we were the best."
Fiona nodded. "Until we knew that we weren't."
The conversation lulled and they merely observed the mouth of the tunnel. It had been a few minutes since he had gone in.
"We headin' in?"
"No, I think we can wait until he comes back out. I don't want to take any risks today and then have to explain it to Robyn."
"I don't think she'd fixate on it that much. Curiosity might play a hand, but she's got plenty of things to do. You know how hard she's been working to shore up support in her bid to be a councilwoman in Atlas."
White fluffy ears whipped in the wind. "I have no doubt she's going to do her best to pull it off. It's just… the powers that be in Atlas might not see things her way."
"She's not going to stop until she gets there." The taller one laid a reassuring hand on her companion's shoulder. "We just need to do what we can to support her. Happy Huntresses all the way."
"Yeah… we can do this." Fiona offered a grin of her own. "We're still here; that means we haven't lost."
Joanna looked back at their objective. "How long do we wait?"
"Not for long."
They were used to the cold, but that didn't mean they enjoyed being exposed to it any less.
If there was one thing Atlas winters taught them all, it was that training in sub-zero temperatures was miserable.
Transformers - - - RWBY
Kingdom of Atlas
City of Atlas
1333 Hours
Winter was ultra-focused at work today. Not just today, but yesterday as well. More specifically, she was intent on figuring out something that was nagging at her.
She wanted to know the truth.
But what would she do with it when she found it?
The Atlesian specialist wanted to believe that she would be stalwart no matter what. She wanted to believe that she would remain true to the service, the entire military, and her country. When she swore an oath to serve and protect Atlas, she took those words to heart and for as long as the military would have her, she would not waiver.
However, to say that her loyalty was absolute would be a lie. All she had to do was look back to how she was once the former Schnee Dust Company Heiress. She thought that she was loyal to her father and to the legacy her grandfather had created. Now here she was, swearing allegiance to a different entity.
Winter wanted this time to be different. She wanted to know that she was in good hands. To have to leave a place she once all but worshiped in exchange for what she had now was a hard choice. However right for herself, it did not make the transition easy. Even now she was still feeling the effects of that choice.
The former heiress took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This Watson character was getting to her more than she cared to admit. She should be better than this, more in-control of herself. There was no proof that anything he claimed was true. Furthermore, she had no reason to trust him. He was a rogue element and his word compared to that of General Ironwood was suspect at best.
Still, the logical presentation made it hard for her to completely ignore and she was nothing if not a rational woman. After all she had learned about the history of Remnant and the conflict between the Grimm and Mankind, it did seem odd what common knowledge and common sense told her.
I have to put an end to those stray doubts. Winter resolved herself. And in order to do that, I must keep my eyes and ears open.
The problem was gaining the means to obtain what she required without anyone knowing. While she did have a top-secret clearance, she did not have a need-to-know basis for the things she had to find out. It did not pertain to her duties, thus it would be suspicious if she attempted to access said information. In the event she was caught, not only would she likely be punished, but the Schnee name would be tainted unquestionably. For herself, the eldest daughter did not care.
But for the sake of Weiss, I must not add more fuel to the fire. The question still remains: how do I obtain the info without getting caught?
"Salutations, Winter Schnee!" That familiar jovial voice of Penny sounded from her right side. "It is a splendid day!"
Winter gave a polite nod. "Hello, Penny. Yes, the weather is indeed favorable for us."
"You do not appear busy today." The synthetic girl made an observation. "Have you not received any tasks to complete today?"
"No, I have not. I was simply… lost in thought." The white-haired woman shook her head.
"I understand." Penny said, then stepped closer. "Would those thoughts have anything to do with doubts?"
Winter made eye contact slowly. "What makes you say that?"
That comment seemed a little too specific to be just coincidence.
"There is a look on your face that suggests something that requires deep contemplation." Penny suggested. "Perhaps a dilemma that is uncomfortable at that."
Am I really that transparent?
Winter cleared her throat. "It is nothing you need to concern yourself with. I am simply grappling with some questions that have come up recently."
"...would those questions have anything to do with the nature of the Grimm and our fight against them?"
The specialist's eyes narrowed, a thought coming to mind. "Come with me."
"As you say, specialist!" Penny thankfully responded to her command.
I never thought I would be thankful that General Ironwood is not present. The former SDC heiress mulled to herself. Forgive me, sir.
In the interest of getting to the bottom of how the synthetic was able to discern the subject of concern to herself, it was time to relocate to a more private place where they would not be monitored.
Because of the nature of Winter's position within her boss's circle, nobody gave her a second thought other than to greet her by rank as expected according to military bearing. Despite her mind being on-alert, she did her best to render polite greetings in return.
A short walk outside and a car ride later, the two of them were relocated to an apartment complex several blocks away from Atlas Command. It was then a short elevator ride that felt absurdly long for some reason. Then a key card swipe, the door opening, and then closing.
"I have heard that friends invite each other to their place of residence!" Penny seemed excited. "Can I take this to mean we are friends?"
Winter quickly turned off her scroll. "If it pleases you, but I need to speak with you on a private matter, one that will stay between the two of us."
"As you say, specialist!" Penny saluted.
Winter gave her a look. "You don't salute indoors and you only salute for officers."
"Roger that, specialist!" Penny repeated with no salute. "Your military bearing is impeccable as always!"
Winter rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Let's just get down to the matter at hand. Your comment about the Grimm and their true nature: why did you ask that?"
"I asked because…" Penny's eyes were bright, then they appeared confused. "Um… huh… I can't explain why… it just came to my mind."
Winter crossed her arms. "How can you not explain it? You can literally disseminate the human psyche."
"Normally, I would agree with you, but this time, I cannot seem to figure out the origin of where my question came from." Penny adorned a thoughtful look. "It's almost as if… the thought was programmed into me without my knowing."
"Considering that your security is top of the line, I highly doubt that." Winter immediately disagreed with her companion's assessment.
"I know for a fact that I did not engineer that thought on my own, so I can only surmise that the question was given to me." Penny looked truly confused. "In fact, now that I consider it more, it would seem in light of my lack of duties, I have been in and out of areas within the limits of my security clearance and my need-to-know."
… he had to have made contact with her as well.
The former heiress had to be sure. "Penny, have you been outside at all in the last week?"
"Actually, yes!" Penny affirmed. "I was strolling outside, taking the time to get to know the people that I would be protecting."
Winter leaned in. "Did you become acquainted with anyone during that time?"
"I did not." Penny shook her head. "I would have appreciated the chance, but I'm certain my father would've found such action disagreeable."
Gods dammit. I was hoping to get at least some evidence, even if only peripheral, but who else could have done this to her?
Then another thought crossed the human woman's mind. "Penny, what exactly have you been searching for?"
The synthetic scratched her head. "I believe I was following a rumor concerning magic."
"...magic?" Winter felt let down. "Surely you realize that you have more pressing priorities than chasing after fairy tales and legends."
Penny frowned lightly. "But surely even the most outlandish stories have a grain of truth to it."
"It's probably nothing more than the ramblings of early civilization's primitive understanding of aura." Winter dismissed with a small scoff.
Yet at the same time, there was another growing sentiment.
This Watson character has to be involved.
"Your obstinance is incredibly illogical and your patience is severely lacking."
The words came from Penny's mouth, but the tone and manner in which they were said were wrong.
"...what?" Winter said.
"You are not brain dead nor are you slow of thought. You heard exactly what I said. Do not act surprised."
Winter felt her hand reach for her weapon. "...you. How did you-"
"This unit's primitive technology is hardly a challenge to hack and infect. By contrast, you will have no proof that any tampering has been done."
"What do you want?" The specialist ignored the disregard of her pride, albeit barely.
"I am merely observing your progress, but it would seem that in spite of your position and your station, you are still in the dark. I expected more from one that is reportedly superior than most."
Winter grit her teeth, her other hand clenching into a fist. "I couldn't care less what you think about-"
Penny's voice cut her off and continued to project Watson's words. "Since you seem to be lacking direction, I will point you to a person of interest."
The former heiress felt her scroll buzz. She retrieved the device, opened it, and took note of the information already front and center.
"Fria Rustici."
Who was this woman?
RWBY - - - Transformers
2007 Hours
Emerald had received orders from Shockwave about her next task. The fact that he trusted her to begin this project made her very excited. The nature of his work was complex and she wouldn't even begin to understand even a fraction of it.
That being said, she was also required to let Amber know about it as well. That wouldn't be a hard thing to do; the woman was known to frequent this laboratory due to her growing bond to the prototype test subject of Project Predacon.
And as expected, just like most days of the week, there the Fall Maiden was. With her right hand against the glass that separated her from the growing beast, she spoke to it in a very soothing tone.
"Can I talk to you?" Emerald placed her hands on her hips. "It's about something important."
Amber nodded, then spoke to the subject. "Hold on, little one. I need to take care of this."
Emerald couldn't comprehend such love for something that wasn't even fully alive and conscious, but kept that to herself. "I just received orders from Shockwave. He wishes us to begin a new project."
"A new project?" Amber parried her words with skepticism. "He trusts us enough to work on his complex endeavors?"
Emerald nodded. "He said that with his own mouth. Take it up with him if you're still not sure."
"No, that won't be necessary. Shael's never been one to be anything but straight-laced." Amber folded her hands behind her back. "What's the task he's delegated to us?"
Straight to the point, Emerald went. "He wants us to prepare a batch of ten clones of Cinder Fall."
"Cinder Fall… the deceased servant of Salem?" Amber's initial interest transformed into incredulity. "For what purpose?"
Emerald recalled the message she had received. "He believes that in order to accomplish everything he wishes, more manpower is needed to achieve more rapid results. That and he wishes to test these clones for combat purposes."
"...what is he thinking?" Amber crossed her arms. "Let me see the message he sent you."
Seeing no reason to disagree, the mint-haired girl let the Fall Maiden see her scroll screen. After taking a minute to read and reread the instructions sent out, the brunette stepped back.
"I'm going to have a talk with him. There has to be more to this."
"Feel free to call him. I'm going to prepare the DNA samples."
Fortunately, there were detailed instructions for her to follow regarding what she needed to do. For that, Emerald was thankful. Although she was generally competent in the lab, she did find all of this work more than a little intimidating.
As she got to work preparing all the material needed, the girl with red eyes couldn't help but wonder what the deceased original would think to know that her blood was going to be used to create versions of herself.
Not that it matters. She ought to be glad that she's not completely useless. She'll live on thanks to my master.
It's been a while. Life happened. I got transferred to battalion because I got a new job. I've been on leave for the past two weeks and I'm about to head back to work this week. I needed a break from writing to get some more ideas. I wanted to have more creative hobbies in my life. I think you get the point.
So Volume 9 is soon to be upon us. I'll admit that what I'm seeing is truly confusing. I'm not sure what CRWBY is trying to do, but based on what's available right now, I'm prepared for nothing to make sense. RWBY seems to be that show that wants to try everything half-heartedly, but never fully commit to one thing.
I rewatched (with patience) Volume 7 and 8 to get an idea about the Happy Huntresses. At this point, I'm interpreting what I can with what I've seen, which isn't much.
RWBY Ice Queendom is honestly kind of redundant. A few new details make for some more interesting storytelling, but frankly, I don't think traditional anime-style artwork is conducive to the combat scenes that the late Monty Oum laid the groundwork for. My opinion, of course.
And in regards to this story, since I don't trust V9 to give me information regarding Vacuo, my original plan for the direction of the story is now in full swing. Look forward to that.
Thoughts on this chapter? Reviews are always appreciated. Please don't hesitate to make corrections on grammar or give feedback on anything that's not making sense.
Thanks for reading.
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
Warren Bennis