Salutations fellow readers and Happy 2020!

Sorry that this chapter took long, had to deal with a lot of holiday stuff and work stuff, you get what I mean. It was going to be longer but I just got so exhausted that I had to cut it in half. The next chapter will come out soon, if not in the first week of February.

I have been keeping up with episodes of Volume 7 and...wow. Just when things were starting to look good for our heroes, fate throws the mother of all curveballs at them just like in Volume 3. If you guys thought Ironwood was paranoid before, just wait till he hears about the Confederacy and Sarrano in this fic.

Review Time!

POOTISPOW: You know, you might be onto something. I think I will use either of those mechs, they could fit very will into this universe.

METALHELLSPWN: Thank you for sponsoring the Tourge Corporation! You will receive your free, complementary Flakker in the mail within 2 to 3 delivery days!

Thaqif: It looks like a pretty good spiritual successor to Dead Space. I will resume Ultrabots sometime this year.

kerrowe: Nah, it's only gonna get crazier.

Guest #1:You guessed it!

Guest #2: You'll find out soon enough in the next chapter.

evolution-500: They do have a lot in common, don't they? Waggleton will appear and there will be sort of an adjustment to him.

Elusive Prey:Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and I'm glad that you like this story so much! Also, yes, I am following the Bulletstorm storyline. I think I mentioned something about that in the author's notes of the very first chapter. I just don't want to fall into the same pitfalls as countless other RWBY fanfics.

Guest #3: You're not too far off but I am implementing something similar to your theory!

Guest #4: Cool story, I saw the western dragon the first time around! I never noticed the eastern dragon before but now I see it thanks to you.

SilentKnight: Exactly and you will find out more about Salem in the next chapter!

RWBY and Bulletstorm belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.

Chapter 13

The Nest

"Mommy's very angry…"

-Ian Malcom, The Lost World: Jurassic Park

THE EMERALD FOREST-CANYON

"Alright, who's not dead? Sound off." The collective groans of everyone trying to sit themselves up were Grayson's answer. Hunt was the first person to regain consciousness after the crash and the others were slowly beginning to come to.

"Argh, that's gonna be sore in the morning…" Nora grumbled as she rubbed her aching bottom.

"Ditto." Grayson agreed. "Didn't know my ass cheeks had bones that could be broken."

Everyone stood up but as soon as they did, they eyes nearly bugged out of their heads and a chill went down their spines. They were standing on top of the train but it was hanging sideways while dangling over a deep canyon. Looking up, they all saw the platform car dangling precariously off the edge of the mangled bridge, it and the train held aloft by disconnected suspension bridge cables.

Ruby stared up at the wreckage in disbelief. "H-h-how did w-we even survive that?!"

"We can ruminate on that later." Grayson said as he looked downward at the canyon, vertigo already starting to set in. "This thing is hangin' on by an ass hair."

"Gross!"

"Grow up."

Ren looked down and gulped. It was a very long drop. "Anybody know of a way we could get down?"

"I have enough Dust to make a Glyph stairway." Weiss offered. "Though we would have to hurry; I'm not sure how long I'm able to keep them up for extended periods of time."

"Or we could use that bridge cable." Ishi suggested an alternative. "It looks sturdy enough." He was pointing to a relatively intact cable that led all the way down to a clearing at the bottom of the canyon.

As much as Weiss detested being shown up, Ishi had a good point: it was the safer option. "Or that, we could do that instead."

(Borderlands-Welcome to Fyrestone)

One by one, everyone jumped off the train and rappelled down the cable to the bottom of the canyon, with the exception of Penny who used her jetpack. Grayson was the last one to set foot on solid ground but had to blow on his hands due to rope burn from the cable. He and the others looked up at the still hanging train.

"Ah man, we had no business surviving that." Grayson shook his head. "Some good and kind deity somewhere wants to see us all pull out of this."

"A moment of luck in a sea of misfortune." Ishi deadpanned.

"I wouldn't say misfortune." Blake disagreed. "More like… bizarre circumstances."

Everyone walked up a rocky pathway leading to an outcropping that overlooked the area. The two earthlings were treated to the beautiful site of a valley teeming with plants and small waterfalls with a crystal clear river running through it. It truly was a place that was totally owned by nature and reminded the two of The Grand Canyon…before it was turned into a dumping ground for biohazardous waste by The Confederacy.

"It would appear that we have landed somewhere in Earthscar Canyon." Penny informed out of the blue. "It is the largest known naturally made canyon on the Sanus continent and was a popular tourist destination until increasing Grimm activity rendered the area too dangerous to visit."

"Huh. Thanks for the info. Uh, Penny was it?" Grayson inquired as he took a better look at her features. She had curly orange hair with a pink bow tied to the back of it and had bright green eyes along with freckles. She wore a gray colored blouse with green feminine overalls along with a black and green collar with matching stockings and also wore a small backpack where her blades originated from. The term "Old-Timey" fit her perfectly.

"Penny Polendina, sir! Proud Huntress of the Kingdom of Atlas and Ruby's friend!" She vigorously shook his hand with a surprising amount of strength. "And who might you be?"

"Grayson Hunt. Thanks for the help back there." Grayson introduced as he shook her hand, taking note of how "tough" it felt in his grasp. "This is my friend, Ishi Sato."

Ishi stepped forward but Penny suddenly bowed to him in an apologetic manner. "Please forgive my earlier rudeness, Mr. Sato. I did not mean to offend you."

"It's okay." Ishi assured her as he held out his hand. He did feel guilty for snapping at her earlier. "You didn't know."

Relieved, Penny shook his hand and smiled cheerfully. Ishi returned the smile and the handshake but then his eyes widened in surprise. "Ishi? Something up?" Yang asked.

"She's…not human." Ishi breathed in astonishment, with everyone hearing him his response. Penny looked outright terrified and yanked her hand back. How did this man know?! Ruby had the exact same reaction; completely forgetting that this was how Ishi discovered that Blake was a Faunus. Her friends already accepted her but could the same be said about Penny? She was frightened.

"She's a Faunus too?" Grayson inquired as the others looked at him while some stared at Penny, making her more anxious.

"No, my scans indicate she is a highly complex automaton -" Ishi explained before he was interrupted by Ruby who practically popped up right in front of him out of nowhere.

"Whaaaaaat?! Don't be silly! She's completely normal!" Ruby quickly rattled off with a face-splitting smile. She nervously turned to her friend. "Isn't that right, Penny?"

"That is correct! I am a normal non-metal human person just like you!" Penny said awkwardly. Ruby smacked her head as everyone looked at her oddly.

Grayson slowly turned his head over to Ishi. "So is she really…?"

Ishi nodded. The others looked completely floored as started shifting their gazes to Ruby and Penny back and forth. Penny was a robot this whole time?!

"Ruby…" Yang started off with an expression of confusion. "Is Penny really a…a robot?"

Ruby stood frozen to the spot, her face wracked with fear and uncertainty. She was afraid to tell them and more afraid of what their reaction would be if he did. She feared how Penny would react-

"It's true." Someone spoke. That person was, to Ruby's surprise, Penny. "I was created by Atlas to be the world's first fully synthetic human capable of generating an Aura." She confessed as she looked at the ground.

"But that doesn't make her bad person!" Ruby exclaimed in panic before anyone else could react. "She's a really nice person and she only wants to be a Huntress like us!" Tears began brimming in her eyes as a lump formed in her throat. "Yang please, she my friend-don't be mad at her!"

Ruby was seconds away from breaking down when her sister quickly went up to her and gently held her shoulders. "Ruby! Ruby, calm down! We're not mad! None of us are!"

Ruby blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked up at Yang."R-r-really?"

"I mean, I speak for all of us when I say we're a bit surprised but we aren't mad at her. I mean, why would I be angry at a friend of my sister who just helped us fend off a bunch of Grimm?" Yang reasoned.

"It honestly explains why our first meeting with you was a little awkward." Blake said to Penny. "But like Yang said, you helped us. We owe you a great deal of gratitude."

"Same here." Weiss said as she looked over at Penny with great interest. "Though I must admit, I am very intrigued to know more about you."

Penny's face slowly lit up into an overjoyed smile. "You…you do?"

"Are you kidding?!" Nora ecstatically shouted. "This is just like Exterminator 2! Who wouldn't want to know more about their awesome, kick ass robot friend!" She cheerfully said as she began to strike numerous poses. She suddenly gasped in realization. "Ohmygoshimsosorrywasthatrobotpartracist?"

"I do not think so…" Penny gave it some thought. "Though I would prefer the term android if that is okay with you."

"Then you'll be happy to know that's fine with all of us. We won't call you anything less." Pyrrha assured Penny as she, along with Jaune and Ren, stepped forward. Penny saw the warm smile the Champion of Mistral had on her face and looked to her friends.

"Honestly, you were amazing back there! Maybe when this whole thing is over, you could show us how that backpack of yours works." Jaune said in a friendly manner, completely undisturbed that she was an android.

"You've aided us so much, Penny. You'll hear nothing but gratitude and acceptance from all of us." Ren told her in a comforting tone. Nora went up and stood next to him with an excitable grin.

There was no way to describe the joy that Penny was feeling at this moment. Ruby's friends were just like her: they didn't care that she was an android. They all saw her as a comrade regardless of her true nature. If Penny was able to cry tears of joy, this would be it and she launched herself at Team JNPR; pulling all four of them into a bone-crushing hug.

"Felicitations~! I am so glad to have new friends!" Penny cheered joyfully as she squeezed them harder, oblivious to the sounds of their bones cracking.

"S-s-swell…!" Jaune croaked as his friends shared the same strained face he had from Penny's literal iron grip. Emerald and Mercury didn't exactly share the same feelings as everyone and we far from happy. How the hell was Atlas able to build something like her?! Was she some kind of spy drone created by Ironwood? If she was, then this could potentially derail Cinder's plan more than it already had been. And why were these idiots so accepting of her? She was a godsdamn robot for crying out loud! A machine!

Penny let go of team JNPR, leaving them sprawled out and gasping for air on the ground and turned to Emerald and Mercury with an expectant gaze. Emerald quickly thought up of a good cover story.

"No worries, we're totally cool with what you are!" Emerald waved with a tone false sincerity that nobody noticed. "I mean, Blake's a Faunus and we're fine with that!"

Blake was caught off guard when she heard that. "Wait, how did you know I was a-?"

Mercury pointed to the top of his head. "You got your ears hidden underneath your bow, right? They twitch from time to time; kinda hard not to notice that." Blake's face flushed with embarrassment as she looked away shyly.

Penny's smile grew bigger at the prospect of having more people accept her and was just about to launch herself at them when Mercury held up his hands. "Not huggers. We're not huggers."

"Oh. Okay!" Penny said politely as she folded her hands behind her back, Mercury and Emerald breathing a sigh of relief as she did. Ruby wiped the stray tears out of her eyes; happy that Penny wouldn't have to fear being ostracized or rejected and found new friends to boot. Yang gently patted her on the shoulder while giving her a smile, Weiss and Blake included.

"I apologize, Penny." Ishi said, appearing remorseful. "I was under the assumption that they already knew."

"All is forgiven, Mr. Sato." Penny replied almost immediately with a chipper tone. "We are all prone to mistakes; I'm capable of glitches myself, though those are rare."

Ishi smiled; content with knowing that she didn't harbor any resentment towards him for unintentionally revealing her secret. Ruby felt the same too. Grayson walked up to Penny and the android saw that his expression was unreadable. He was looking down at her, given his height, with a neutral expression that looked like he was silently judging her. Everyone, save for Mercury and Emerald, felt worried when the saw Grayson wordlessly stare at her.

Penny felt like she was shrinking from Grayson's seemingly condemning gaze. She turned away and twiddled her fingers together in anxiety. "I can assume that you are displeased about my status as an android Mr. Hunt. And your discomfort is understandable-"

"I am a pretty little flower. Like a prom date, maybe?"

Everyone blinked in confusion as they all looked at Grayson. Ishi shook his head. Penny was having a very difficult time trying to process the strange gibberish Grayson just uttered. She tilted her head. "I'm sorry?"

"Enjoy the silence." He continued, leaning in close to her face. "Are you for supper?"

Penny was at a total loss. "I-I-I-I don't-"

"Turtles! Now let's go dream about little breaded chicken fingers."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Weiss shrilled, her mind snapping like a pretzel.

"I think his brain's gone bye-bye." Nora whispered to Ren who nodded in agreement.

"Nope I'm pretty sure I still have my brain cells intact." Grayson assured Nora before he turned his attention back to Penny. "Congrats, you just passed the test!"

"Test?" Ruby asked as Penny tried to make sense of what was going on.

"Y'see, where I come from we do have androids but they're more of the clunky, shovelware rent-a-cop type that are programmed to respond to 700 different questions; none of which include chicken fingers. I do that whole babbling bullshit on em' to make them short circuit, shut down or glitch out. Pretty funny to watch!" Grayson explained humorously.

"…..Are you serious right now?" Pyrrha nervously chuckled.

"He's being very serious." Ishi answered in a resigned tone.

"Oh, I see!" Penny realized. "I was not aware that I was under some form of test. I am actually capable of answering up to 100,000 different questions provided they are relevant to -"

"Ah, relax!" Grayson laughed heartily as he ruffled Penny's hair. "I'm just yankin' yer chain! I totally knew you wouldn't blow a gasket! Just like I said to Emmy and Merc: any friend of Rubes is a friend of mine, no matter who or what you are."

Penny felt like she was going to explode with excitement and happiness. She immediately hugged him as hard as she could, heedless of his groans of pain. "I look forward to emotionally bonding with you, Mr. Hunt!"

"Just…call me….Gray…" He croaked. Penny released him once she felt she was satisfied with the hug and Grayson checked his leash, activating the waypoint function.

"Well, the good news is that we're not that far off from the Ulysses. Bad news is we're gonna have to navigate our way out of this canyon if we're ever going to make some progress." Grayson debriefed.

"I'm sure we'll find ourselves a way get back up to the forest." Ruby observed as she looked up. "Let's head on out, guys!"

"Hold it, hold everything." Emerald spoke out, causing everyone to stop and look at her. She narrowed her eyes at Grayson. "How do you know the name of that ship that crash landed here? And what did you mean by 'where I'm from'? Which Kingdom are you from anyway?"

"Uhhhh….not from any of them-"

"Alright, look. I just had a brush with death from a Goliath and the train earlier and I think I earned myself some answers. Who are you two and why are we going to that ship?" Emerald demanded.

"I'm with her." Mercury said as he folded his arms. "I'm not settin' another foot till I find out what's going on."

Grayson swallowed lightly with Ishi and the others having the same look of concern and apprehension he had. Penny looked at Grayson and Ishi curiously, She did admittedly express the feelings of uncertainty that Emerald and Mercury had, though not overly hostile. The others knew that they would have to reveal the truth to them at some point and now there was no use trying to stall it for longer.

"Okay. You deserve to know the truth." Ruby admitted, stepping forward. "The thing is-"

A shadow suddenly flew over Ruby, cutting her off as everyone looked up. High up in the air, they could all make out the distinctive shapes of several large birds circling overhead above the canyon. Although they were but mere specks given how deep the Earthscar Canyon was, they could easily identify what those shapes were.

"Nevermore!" Ruby whispered in fear.

"They're tenacious sonsabitches, I'll give em' that." Grayson smirked.

"They haven't spotted us yet but that doesn't mean we're safe." Weiss stated before looking to everyone. "We need to find a way out of this canyon before more Grimm come."

"We'll have to find another form of transportation. Preferably one that isn't currently out of commission." Ishi said as he looked up at the still dangling train.

"Say, what's that?" Nora spoke as she pointed to the far side of the canyon. Looking over to the right, everyone saw a metal container near a riverbank. It was the size of a house and had the cover ripped off, with a small aircraft sitting a few feet away from it.

"Is that a Bullhead?" Yang squinted her eyes. It did look like one but was thinner and sleeker than the average Bullhead.

Penny's eyes zoomed in on the aircraft and scanned it. "That is an Atlesian Nightingale: A reconnaissance craft mainly used for counter-terrorism operations."

"I noticed similar looking crates back on the train." Pyrrha remembered. "This one must've fallen off in the crash."

"It looks intact." Grayson noticed. "I bet if we can fire that bird up, we can get ourselves a ride out of here!"

"Yeah! We'll be able to slip right past that flock of Nevermore." Jaune added enthusiastically.

Grayson nudged Ishi in an attempt to get his friend's hopes up. "Feelin' lucky now?"

Ishi looked at the Nightingale and frowned deeply as he pointed at it. "Yes. The fates would've delivered a spectacular bounty of great fortune if it weren't for them."

Everyone turned back to the aircraft and saw five Beowolves come into view. The Grimm were sulking about, sniffing the ground in search of something. They were obviously looking for survivors of the crash. Blake swallowed. "If one of them spots us, they'll alert the Nevermores. We'll have to sneak up on them."

"We could use the pincer movement. There's a cave exit right near the Nightingale on the right and the cliff wall to our left looks stable enough to clamber across." Ren planned out.

"Me and Ishi'll find the cave entrance. We ain't as athletic as you guys." Grayson volunteered, clearly mentioning the wall.

"Hey, you're still a badass." Yang reminded him as the others headed out.

"Wait-hold up! Didn't I just-"Emerald protested before Ruby cut in.

"Once we get down there and clear out the Grimm we promise to tell you everything." Ruby swore truthfully. Emerald stared at her before turning to face Mercury who shrugged. Emerald complied and followed the others, albeit begrudgingly. Grayson and Ishi made their way along the pathway to the far end of the canyon, making sure to conceal themselves within the foliage to avoid being spotted by the Beowolves. They found the cave entrance a bit further down the path and entered inside while Ruby and the gang continued to scale the cliff wall. Following the winding cave system, the pair's path was impeded by a wall of boulders; a result of a cave-in a long time ago.

"Shit." Grayson cursed. "End of the road."

Ishi inspected the boulders. "No, some of these are loose. We can still get through." He said as he began to clear away the rubble.

"I like the optimism." Grayson encouraged as he holstered Boneduster and helped his friend. After a minute they had cleared the way and resumed their trek through the cave. It was getting darker as they went in; forcing the two to squint their eyes to see the path.

"You think the others are alright?" Grayson asked.

"I'm sure they will just fine." Ishi answered. "You've seen how skilled they are."

"Believe me, I have. I'm just glad they're actually helping us. We wouldn't last for another hour on Remnant without them." Grayson said, thinking back to the dozens of Grimm they slayed; the Goliath included.

"Indeed. This planet…barring the Grimm, it's so beautiful." Ishi said wistfully as he and Grayson entered a massive cavern with multiple light shafts poking from the roof, finally giving them some light.

"Oh yeah, I'm totally with you on that one." Grayson agreed right off the bat. "Every other planet we've been to has either been a craphole or owned by the Confederacy." His expression saddened when he remembered Rell saying he wanted to build a vacation house here.

"Which is why we cannot let Remnant fall into their hands." Ishi said sternly as he turned around to face Grayson. "I guarantee you, the Confederates will absolutely steamroll this entire planet and there's no telling what will happen if they discover the applications and strength of Dust."

Grayson paled. He didn't want to know what the Confederacy would do with that kind of power or to the people of Remnant. The implications were scary as hell. "But how do we do that? I mean, I don't even know where to begin…"

"Neither do I." Ishi admitted in defeat as he hung his head. But he collected himself, raised his head and resumed walking. "But for now we can focus on that subject once we get off-world and remove this damn logic code out of my head."

"I know this is a bad time to mention this but how are you doing with keeping it from taking over?" Grayson hesitantly asked as he followed him.

"I am engaged in an endless struggle to maintain dominance of my own mind." Ishi grunted.

"Well, try and make jokes maybe, use sarcasm. The AI can't read it and might help keep you in the driver's seat." Grayson awkwardly reasoned. Ishi looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just sayin'." He shrugged. The two continued through the cavern until the came across an overlook up ahead. They went up to it to get a better look at their surrounding and as they stood atop the outcropping, their jaws fell open.

(Amid Evil-Obelisk, ends at 3:00)

Before them was bigger section of the cavern, roughly the size and length of several football fields, But what surprised them the most was a large village near the bottom that led up to an area covered up by spire-like stalagmites arranged in a circle. A mist permeated the very bottom of the cavern, making it impossible to know if it was a bottomless shaft or what.

"Holy crap…" Grayson whispered in awe, taking in the view.

Ishi was stunned as well but then he saw small pathway alongside the wall on the other end of the cavern leading to a small cave. He figured that was where the needed to go to regroup with Ruby and her friends. He cleared his throat.

"If you're done soaking in the ambiance, I've located the exit on the far side of the cavern." Ishi said to Grayson as he pointed over his shoulder.

"Right." Grayson nodded as he looked down from the overlook. "We're gonna have to cut through that town."

Finding a steep slope that lead down into the derelict settlement, Grayson and Ishi slid downwards into the village. They came to a halt at the bottom and began their trek through the ruins. The village was surprisingly intact despite being exposed to the elements. An overgrowth of vines and flowers covered most of the buildings, wagons, market stalls, storefronts and stables of the forgotten hamlet. Grass sprouted up from the cobblestone streets while assorted old vases, baskets, tools and other assorted archaic items lay strewn throughout.

Watching a small group of butterflies gracefully hover past him, Grayson let out a whistle. "So Remnant had a middle ages thing going on just like Earth. I ain't no Indiana Jones or Johnny Quest but I figure this place has got to be thousands of years old. Maybe even more."

"I agree with your observation. But something doesn't feel right here." Ishi slowly began to notice as he looked at his surroundings.

"Does it have to do with the fact that it's underground?" Grayson sarcastically guessed as he pointed to the light shafts high above them.

"No. Take a look around you." Ishi told him as he gestured to the village they were walking through. "Aside from the overgrowth, these buildings are completely undamaged. There's no evidence that it was under attack or the site of a battle. It's like everyone just dropped what they were doing and…vanished."

Looking around at the ancient, discarded objects lying about, Grayson saw what his fiend meant about this place. What exactly happened here? They kept of traveling though the town until they reached the main square with a large statue in the middle. It was a sculpture of a young man dressed in engraved armor with a decorative cape. He stood in a victorious pose like a knight in a fairy tale; he had his hand on his hip while the other hand held a staff-like weapon with a gemstone embedded at the top.

Grayson and Ishi marveled at the craftsmanship of the statue. Grayson's eyes drifted down at the vine covered podium it stood on and noticed a plaque covered in vegetation. Kneeling down, Grayson ripped away the vines to reveal what the plaque said.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR BRAVE HERO AND CHERISHED FRIEND

OZMA

'Wait, like the band?' Grayson thought in bewilderment. 'Nah.'

"This was most likely his hometown." Ishi surmised. "He was probably a great warrior."

"With a snazzy fansion sense." Grayson got up as he rubbed his stubbly chin while smiling. "Really diggin' the whole Lord of the Rings vibe he's rockin'."

"I'm leaning more towards Game of Thrones." Ishi said plainly as he walked away from the statue.

"Pfffft. Course you would." Grayson scoffed as he followed him. As they headed towards the end of the village that led to the area with the stalagmites, Grayson looked over his shoulder at the memorial. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he felt like there was something of importance about this Ozma character…

EARTHSCAR CANYON-RIVERBANK

After successfully scaling the canyon wall to sneak around the Grimm, the Huntsmen and Huntresses managed to silently take out the Beowolves before the creatures knew what hit them. Penny gave the Nightingale a quick diagnostic and confirmed that it was still operational and ready for flight. As they waited for Grayson and Ishi, Team RWBY and Team JNPR took this time to tell Emerald, Mercury and Penny what they had learned from the outer space duo.

"So let me get this right." Mercury started off as he sat on a boulder cross legged. "You're telling me there's another race of humans out in space…"

"Uh-huh." Ruby and Nora nodded.

"They've colonized millions of different planets…."

"Uh-huh."

"There's no Grimm, Auras, Semblances or Dust where they come from…"

"Uh-huh!"

"And Grayson and his pal are former soldiers turned space pirates?"

"Bingo! We have a winner!" Nora exclaimed.

Mercury stared in stunned silence. "No freakin' way…"

"You guys don't seriously believe all of this, are you?" Emerald asked them all incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Emerald, I know this sounds wildly imaginative but everything Grayson and Ishi have told us so far is the truth." Ren professed.

"They really do come from outer space! There's a whole new world out there!" Jaune exclaimed in excitement.

"But-but-but-!" Emerald stammered in denial. "That can't be real! I mean, they've got to be from another Kingdom-"

"They aren't." Ruby came forward. "They came from the first ship that crashed here and they don't know a thing about Remnant. You have to believe us."

"I believe you, Ruby." Penny said, earning a surprised look from Emerald. "The technologies of their weaponry and of Ishi's prostechitcs are like nothing found in any of the Four Kingdoms and their detailed knowledge of the Ulysses all points to the undeniable truth at hand: these men truly do hail from another world and there is life outside of Remnant."

Emerald was speechless. She looked at RWBY and JNPR who gave her silent looks that told her that they weren't making this up. It was all true. Her eyes wide as saucers and her legs shaking from the full weight of what was being thrown at her, Emerald sat herself down on the ground. "Oh my Gods…."

"Ha. Ha ha ha ha! Aliens really do exist!" Mercury laughed a little in amazement. He then looked down at Emerald and folded his arms triumphantly with a grin. "Looks like somebody better pick up that phone because I freakin' called it." He gloated as Emerald gave him the stink eye.

"Funny thing, Gray think's we're aliens too!" Nora added.

"Okay, okay, fine." Emerald admitted a she tried to get herself up. "But can we really trust these guys? Gray's the one was got Remnant into this mess!"

"Yeah, didn't you guys say he was drunk when he attacked the Ulysses?" Mercury questioned.

The two teams felt conflicted. There was no denying that Grayson's actions did send Remnant into chaos but he didn't mean to harm anyone. Weiss sighed. "That's true but he never meant to get anybody involved in his vendetta with Sarrano."

"Grayson had no idea there were people living on Remnant, he didn't know Remnant existed at all." Pyrrha joined in. "He feels terrible about all of this and trying to make up for it."

"Plus, he was drunk. People do a lot of stupid stuff when they're drunk!" Ruby reasoned.

"Our uncle Qrow drinks a lot so we sorta know by experience." Yang admitted, recounting all of her uncle's numerous drunken benders.

Emerald and Mercury went rigid when they heard that name. These two were related to Qrow Branwen?! Memories of him mopping the floor with them after their attack on the Fall Maiden came rushing back. Although Emerald was able to conceal Cinder's identity with her Semblance, Qrow would most certainly recognize Mercury and herself. This was going to be a huge problem down the road.

"This Confederacy…" Penny started off worriedly. "Are they truly as evil Grayson makes them out to be? They would not be open to amicable negotiations?"

Ruby could only grimly shake her head as the others shared her look of unease. Penny felt very afraid. The same could be said for Emerald and Mercury. A new team had entered the playing field and they had enough power to burn it all to the ground. Fretting for Cinder's life, Emerald could only gulp and feebly asked, "What do we do?"

"As soon as we're done helping Grayson and Ishi, we're heading back to Vale and tell Ozpin and Ironwood everything we've learned." Blake explained. "Hopefully they might know what to do."

Emerald nodded, knowing that she could relay the info to Cinder as well.

"If I may ask, what are we helping Mr. Hunt and Mr. Sato with?" Penny queried.

"Right now there's an artificial intelligence taking over Ishi's brain when he got hurt in the crash and we've got to help him get off Remnant so Gray's outer space homies can help get it out of him!" Nora explained almost awkwardly as she pointed to her head.

Weiss rolled her eyes and stepped in to finish the explanation. "We're currently tracking one of General Sarrano's soldiers. The plan is that we tail him or her so they can lead us to the General and when the jumpship comes to pick him up, we help Grayson and Ishi sneak onboard."

"So how long do we have before Ishi turns into a killer toaster?" Mercury asked offhandedly. RWBY and JNPR glared at him with offended, displeased expressions.

"What?"

"I'm telling him you said that." Ruby warned Mercury in a dangerous tone.

"Hey, I'm just joking!" Mercury defended as Emerald rubbed her temples in frustration.

"This is no laughing matter, Mercury. We have no idea how much time Ishi has before the AI takes control of his body." Pyrrha seriously reprimanded. "He's hurting."

"Then it is imperative that we get him to the evac point posthaste." Penny insisted urgently. "Mr. Sato is in a great deal of physical discomfort. He's suffering."

Both teams were startled when they heard that statement. While they already knew that Ishi's condition was deplorable, they never really knew the true extent of his injuries barring the AI. "How bad is it?" Jaune gulped, knowing he or the others wouldn't like the answer.

"Very bad." Penny answered as she hung her head. "He is in a state of near-constant atrophy; his prosthetics are unsuited for his biology and are a massive strain on his nervous system. Coupled with the high fever he's running and the severity of the injuries he sustained in the crash, it's a miracle he's able to stand on his own two feet."

Ruby and Pyrrha felt tears welling in their eyes while the others had mortified expressions. They didn't think it was this bad; Ishi was a walking cadaver at this point. Was there any chance of saving him? Penny was initially going to suggest that they go to Atlas instead so Ishi could get immediate medical attention from her father, Pietro Polendina but she feared that they may not have time to get there due to the disaster and the AI would've assimilated Ishi's mind by then. She didn't want to trouble Ruby any further than she already unintentionally did so she kept it to herself.

"We'll just have to pick up the pace then." Yang shrugged. "With any luck we can get them both to the jumpship in time."

"We won't let them down." Ruby said determinedly as she clenched her fist. She turned to the cave exit a few feet away from them and wondered if Grayson and Ishi were okay. Yang could see Ruby thinking about them and gave her a reassuring pat on the back.

"I'm sure they're just fine. I'm sure it's nothing they can't handle."

"You sure?" Emerald said as she stood next to them. "Gray's a little unhinged to be honest."

"Yeah but deep down, he's a pretty nice guy." Ruby smiled happily.

"I agree! His mannerisms are remarkably identical to yours, Ms. Xiao Long." Penny cheerfully pointed out to her.

"Are you kidding? He's like the big brother I wish we had!" Yang grinned from ear to ear. "You just have to get used to him acting on impulse."

"And his brutally creative way of dispatching Grimm." Blake spoke.

"And his unnecessary, constant use of vulgarity." Weiss huffed with contempt.

"Definitely going to have to get used to hearing that." Ren sheepishly added.

EARTHSCAR CANYON-CAVE SYSTEM

"Uhhhh….what exactly are we fuckin' looking at here?"

"We're looking at a nest."

Grayson and Ishi had just entered the circular area with the large stalagmites and were met with a disturbing sight: fifteen SUV-sized eggs covered in a gooey, viscous substance (most likely placenta) clustered together in front of them. But what made the duo's hair stand on end was that the eggs were all colored black.

It was a nest of Grimm eggs.

Grayson eyes darted to the left and right, his mind reeling with fear that they had stumbled into the territory of a possibly giant Grimm if the size of the eggs were any indication. Ishi wasn't as jittery as Grayson but felt a tad fearful. He scanned the area and when the results instantly came back, he grimaced.

"The only way out of here is through them." Ishi said as he unslung HeadHunter and aimed through the scope.

Grayson took a quick look around before he took aim with Boneduster. "Let's hope mama's holed up in new digs."

BAKOOOOM

SKAPOW

The combined force of their weapons ruptured the eggs like they were balloons!

"Oh my-!" Ishi gagged.

"Holy mother damn that stinks!" Grayson held his nose.

Balloons filled with foul-smelling yolk, and half formed embryos. They carefully waded through the muck while holding their breath to keep themselves from accidentally whiffing the repugnant stink. They made it to the other side and finally exhaled the air they've been holding in. Grayson and Ishi followed the winding pathway that led to the wall of the cavern and to the cave exit.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGG…"

The duo stopped dead in their tracks; standing as still as statues. A cold chill ran down their spines as they looked at each other with expressions of fright and terror.

"Tell me that was you."

"It would be a lie."

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLL

The cavern instantly began to shake was stalactites and rocks rained down from the ceiling, forcing Grayson and Ishi to dodge out of the way and keep their balance. Another loud rumble echoed from the far side of the cavern as debris continued to fall from the ceiling. Looking behind them, they nearly crapped a load in their drawers when they saw a massive shape lumbering towards them from within the pitch black darkness of the cavern!

"ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit, MAKE LIKE A KAISER AND ROLL!" Grayson shouted as he and Ishi ran for their lives. The cavern continued to shake as the sounds of booming footsteps grew closer. The space pirates picked up the pace as much as they could, panic and sheer adrenaline running through their veins as they attempted to outrun the crumbling cave system, stalactites and whatever pissed off, monster sized Grimm was pursuing them.

"HHHRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNKKKK!"

Grayson and Ishi looked to their left to see a gigantic black fist slam down onto the old town they just passed through, flattening it like a pancake and sending whatever was left of it plummeting into the abyss!

"Man, I hope whatever made that sound isn't feeling maternal about those rotten eggs!"

"SHUT UP AND RUN! GO, GO, GO!"

Dodging a boulder that nearly fell on top of them, they began to near the cave exit when the unseen monster rammed the carven wall, collapsing the pathway and creature a smoke cloud the surged towards Grayson and Ishi!

To be continued...

Aaaaaand that's another chapter down!

This was a difficult chapter to write because I wasn't sure where to take it. I had multiple routes and scenarios for this but I think I'm pretty happy with what I got. I loved the idea of Grayson and Ishi discovering traces of Remnant's lost history and I think that knowledge might prove to be useful to them in the future. Another toughie I faced when making this is making the reactions towards Penny's true nature and the info they learn from the Bulletstorm cast believable. If you guys have any suggestions that could be an improvement, they will be well appreciated.

But no chapter would be complete with some humor added in; I put in a joke from Venture Bros! I think it works out pretty well. Also added in some elements of RWBY Chibi! The next chapter may come out sooner than you think since I cut this one in half and you get to see the full-reveal of the Hekaton.

Don't forget to review but please don't flame!