A letter from the High Chancellor from the Altesian Consul to General James Ironwood
Dear General Ironwood,
We respectfully choose to decline your suggestion of fortifying the defensive firewalls within the CCT. Despite your recent military and technological progress within certain aspects, both for civilian life and for our own purposes, we must remind you that we are in times of peace. The idea of someone even attempting an attack on the CCT is not only ludicrous, but preposterous.
Additionally, some of your more recent actions have left us...concerned. It has recently come to our attention that many of your visits to Vale have not been logged properly, or the reason behind these visits have not been specified as for the purpose. It is an error that must be corrected as soon as possible.
While we have allowed you some liberty, given your value to us holding both a seat as the Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs, please do not forget that even a precious resource can eventually run out.
And also, do remember...
...that even our trust has its limits.
RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:
"Metastability"
Chapter IV: Party in Downtown Smashville
"Remind me again..." Church groaned. "Why are we walking into a place that's going to be crawling with terrorists? I mean, sneaking in, I can understand. But we're just walking in!"
"Quiet down!" Blake hissed. "Meetings like this are open to all Faunus. So it's not unusual for those of us to simply walk in. We need to blend with the crowd."
"Well, in case you all forgot one small, minor detail...Vomit Boy's not a Faunus."
Maine growled. 'I've told you not to call me that, Alpha.' he warned.
"Which do you prefer?" Church shot back. "That? Blondie? Or Meta?"
'None of them!'
"Then we stick with Vomit Boy. Besides, it's a hell of a lot more hilarious. And I'd like to remind everyone here that he doesn't have ears or a tail."
Blake shook her head. "So long as he keeps his hood on and shows his scar, we have a good cover story. They'll think the humans did that. If anyone asks, just say you're a Lion."
Church cocked his head. "Why? Not judging, though. Lions are kickass."
"Lions usually take pride in their appearance. Losing their ears or tail is a huge blow to their self-esteem, generally speaking." Sun tried to explain. "And any self-respecting Faunus knows better than to pry about a Lion's missing ears." He paused then laughed. "Who knew being mute could have its advantages?"
"Especially when said mute is a scary asshole." Church added, causing Maine to growl in protest. "Oh, up yours."
Blake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Enough. Both of you!" she snapped at the AI and human. "Come on. The entrance should be around the corner."
"How could you be so sure?" Church asked.
As they approached the wall, Blake traced three fingers along three scratch marks; the same marks on the White Fang insignia. "I just know."
"Wow...!" Ruby breathed as she, Weiss, Pyrrha and Ren approached the CCT tower. "So awesome...! This was the one built after Atlas, right?"
"Indeed. With the CCT, long range communication between all four Kingdoms was made possible. It transmits data via airwaves to its intended recipients."
Pyrrha smiled thinly. "Although, it's only flaw is that, if one falls, the entire communication system goes down." she said, bringing up the fatal flaw. "Thankfully, not even the White Fang would be foolish enough to attack a place so heavily guarded. Not to mention the fact that it would make them coordinating much harder."
"Perhaps." Ren agreed. "But you never know. We're looking for information about the Dust robberies, is that right?"
Weiss nodded. "Yes. Normally, anyone else would be denied access, but since I'm apart of the company, I should be able to get access to every Dust shipment that was robbed or whilst in transit or while it was in cargo." She paused briefly, then grimaced. "Assuming my father is preoccupied."
"You don't sound very fond of him." Ruby noted.
Gingerly, Weiss touched the scar on her eye, a pained look in her eye. "Let's just say...he contributed to this." she said, gesturing to the scar. Thankfully, no one said anything. "Anyway, let's-"
"Aah! Friend Ruby!" Before anyone noticed, a blur dashed by and picked Ruby up, squeezing the life out of her. "It is so good to see you again!" Penny Polendina cheered, unknowingly suffocating the poor, hooded girl.
"P-Penny! S-So nice to see...you again..." Ruby gasped, her face soon turning blue from lack of oxygen. "Um...can't...breath...!"
Thankfully for the little reaper, the girl released her hold, allowing her to regain oxygen as she was set back down to the ground. "I never thought I would run into you after I came back!" Penny grinned. "This is great!"
"Y-yeah! It really is." Ruby smiled, rubbing her back. Who would have thought Penny had such strength? Then again, she did bring down an entire Bulkhead by herself. "So, what brings you back here? The Vytal Festival?"
"Actually, I am here with General Ironwood. The students from Atlas Academy will be arriving next week."
Weiss blinked. "The General of the Atlesian Military is here?" she asked in surprise. Then she realized how close the Vytal Festival was. No doubt other Headmasters would arrive ahead of time as well. "Hm, that would explain the increase of soldiers I've seen around."
"Indeed!" Penny nodded before she took notice of Pyrrha and Ren. "Oh. Who might you two be?"
Ruby giggled. "Oh, right! You've never met them." she said, smiling as she introduced her two friends. "These guys are Lie Ren and Pyrrha Nikos, members of Team JNPR!"
"Salutations! I am Penny Polendina!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Pyrrha smiled.
"Indeed." Ren nodded politely.
Penny grinned and bowed back. "So, what brings you all to the CTT Tower?" The group of four looked at one another, unsure how to answer. They couldn't just explain to the girl that they were trying to extract corporate secrets to uncover a criminal organization's activity in Vale. Of course, before any could offer any sort of excuse, Penny changed the topic when she seemed to remember something. "Oh, right! Before I forget, I want to introduce you all to someone!" she said, clapping her hands. "I've been trying to get him to open up, and it's been slowly progressing. He's still very shy."
"Really?" Ruby asked. "Who is it?"
Her answer came in the form of a mix of purple-and-pink holographics, forming into a miniature soldier.
Hiding behind Penny's head.
"Oh, come now, Theta." Penna gently admonished him. "Say hello."
"B-but...they're girls." the small AI stammered nervously. "I-I don't know how to deal with girls other than South!"
"It's okay. I'm a girl too. Just pretend that you're talking to me when you're talking to them, and you should be fine." She advised him.
"I-I don't know..."
"Please Theta?"
The AI moaned, vastly uncomfortable. Weiss and Ruby looked at one another before looking back at Penny. "Um, Penny? Is-is that...North's AI?"
"Why, yes!" she nodded with a smile. "Everyone, this is Theta. Former Freelancer AI Fragment. Theta, these are my friends!"
"..lo." Theta waved at them shyly.
"H-hello. It's nice to meet you." Pyrrha bowed cordially.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Theta." Ren followed suit.
Weiss bowed her head, still a bit surprised. After seeing Delta, though, she really shouldn't be.
Ruby, however...
"He." she gasped. "Looks. So. AWSOME...!"
"Huh?" Theta took a nervous step back. "Ah, um..."
"He's so much different from Delta." Ruby whispered in awe as she tried to get a better look at Theta, only for the AI Fragment to maneuver around Penny in hopes to evade her. "Are they all color coordinated? Oh, and what does he do?" She paused briefly before frowning. "He's not foul-mouthed like Church, right? Or as cranky?"
"Oh no." Penny shook her head. "He is actually very sweet and shy."
"Oh...he's just so adorable..."
If it was possible, Theta's helmet seemed to burn, burying himself into Penny's body as if to hide his embarrassment. Pyrrha personally found it to be quite adorable while Ren likened it to a child hiding behind a mother. Weiss smiled a bit, thinking of how she used to be when she was much younger, before she remembered their purpose for being here and shook her head, clearing out distracting thoughts.
"Well, why don't you help Penny with Theta?" she suggested. "In the meantime, I'll make my call at the CTT."
"H-huh?" Ruby blinked, snapping away from theta. "Why? Shouldn't we be together?"
"Ruby." Weiss gave her a flat stare. "Be honest. The only real reason you came with was to take pictures."
"Y-you can't prove that!"
"Then why do you have your Scroll out?" There was no answer. She grinned. "And there you have it."
Without waiting, she turned on her heel and entered the tower, thus leaving Ruby, Pyrrha and Ren with Penny and Theta.
"So...what now?" Ren asked, now that they were left behind.
"...maybe take a look around the area?" Pyrrha offered.
Penny nodded strongly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" she said rather giddily. "This way, I can show Theta and Omega Vale!"
"Omega?" Ruby tilted her head. "You mean the angry AI Church mentioned?"
"Yes. He's still a work in progress."
"LET! ME! OUT! OF! THIS! DISGUSTING! PLACE!"
A few drivers who happened to pass by Yang as she drove on her beloved motorcycle Bumblebee, Neptune holding on tightly as he could behind her, looked at the site strangely. Now, the image of a girl and her boyfriend on a motorcycle wasn't unusual. Sure, it was kind of illegal, but sometimes you could get away with it.
However, the sight of a girl and her boyfriend on a motorcycle with a girl on rollerskates riding behind her, courtesy of a rope tied to the back of the bike, was most definitely bizarre.
"You okay back there, Nora?!" Yang shouted over her shoulder.
Her answer came in the form of squeals, drifting back and forth while striking various poses as a few brave drivers had slowed down to take pictures of the unusual sight.
"I think she's fine!" Neptune hollered over the rushing air, noting the girls enjoyment. He nearly lost his grip and struggled to remain on the bike. Why couldn't he have just gone with Sun instead?! At least then he wouldn't have to worry about Yang's crazy driving!
'Then again, I would be walking into a room full of terrorists.' he reminded himself. 'Between that and walking into a club of goons...' Neptune whined almost pitifully, realizing that he was practically screwed no matter what he did. Thankfully, however, it seemed that they had reached their destination as Yang pulled up to a curb with a jerk, nearly throwing him off. Nora flew through the air before landing, spinning around in place like a ballerina.
"We're here." Yang announced as she removed her helmet, taking in the smell of the place. "Just as dirty and danky as I remember it."
"Cool..." Neptune said before he fixed his hair and goggles. "And where exactly is here?"
One of the guards standing by the door turned to their direction. He grew panicked as he alerted his partner. Both flung the door open and scrambled inside, likely barricading it.
Neptune quirked an eyebrow at this whereas Yang grinned, strutting her hips while cracking her knuckles. Nora then followed after her, grinning all the while. For a while, the suave blue-haired teen wondered if she never stopped smiling before following after them.
"So, what do we do?" he asked. "Just ask the guy in charge whats what?"
"Hm. Something like that." Yang responded.
Ember Celica wrapped around her wrists, forming into the familiar yellow gauntlets before she cocked a fist back and threw a punch. Neptune's jaw dropped, however, when said punch threw the door off of its hinges, smashing and flying into what looked like a dance floor, causing everyone in the viscinity to scatter. Men in black suits with red sunglasses looked at the doors, and then to Yang who casually approached with a grin.
"Hello boys!" she greeted. "Miss me?"
In response, every last goon in the club brandished a gun and aimed it straight at her. Yang's smile faded as she glared at the mob and clenched her fists, ready for a fight.
But that hope was dashed by the owner.
"Stop! Stop! Nobody shoot!" The crowd parted to reveal a middle aged man with short black hair, a dark beard, and dressed in a bartender's outfit. He looked at the blonde with a mix of exasperation and reluctance. "Blondie. You're here. Why?"
"You, still owe me a drink." she said simply as she passed through the crowd, grabbing Junior by the collar of his shirt and pulling him towards the bar. Neptune whistled, greatly impressed and perhaps a little aroused. "What a woman..." he moaned before he looked to the side, noticing the absence of their third member. "Wait, where's-?"
"My dress is NOT made out of newspapers!"
"Then why are their pictures and words printed on it? And in the same way a newspaper's written?!"
He looked over and found Nora with two girls: twins with black hair and green eyes, wearing a white dress and a red dress respectively. Both were definite hotties in his opinion, though the sharp wedges of their heels made him quite a bit nervous. Women with shoes like that tend to do that to him. That, and one of them had claws fastened to her wrists as well. One of the twins looked amused by Nora's innocent inquery, whereas the other was close to blowing a fuse.
Neptune was tempted to try his luck, but then remembered what they were here for. Information. He sighed, shaking and cursing his luck before calling out to Nora. "Yo. Hammer girl. Come on. Yang's waiting for us."
"Coming!" Nora called before turning back to Militia Malachite with narrowed eyes. "And for the record, that is so newspaper clippings!"
The red-clad twin scowled. "It is not!"
"...hold it."
The three tensed as the White Fang guard stood between them and the door. Underneath the mask, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Mostly at Maine, who glared back at him. "You. Take off the hood."
"He can't." Sun said hastily. "It's kind of...personal for him."
"Why?"
"His ears were cut off by the humans." Blake said, trying not to sound desperate but neither to confidant whilst doing her best impression of sorrow. Not that it was hard. During her time with the Fang, espionage missions often required acting. Something she was incredible at. "Same with his vocal cords."
The Guard tilted his head, looking at Maine. The blonde raised his head enough for the man to see the scar along his neck before giving a low growl, his best intimidating impression.
"Whoa...damn humans..." The guard cursed before looking apologetic. "Sorry about that. Didn't know. You guys can go ahead."
"It's fine." Blake waved a hand.
The guard stepped aside, handing them silver half-masks that were standard among White Fang soldiers. Soon, the three entered the entryway, where several Faunus, all wearing the Fang masks, were flooding into a door. Near that door was another White Fang guard. "New recruits, stay to the left side!" he shouted, trying to keep order in the chaotic flood.
Sun frowned heavily, looking at the mask. "I don't get it. If you're fighting for what you think is right, why hide who you are?"
"The masks are a symbol." Blake answered. "Humanity views us as monsters, so we give them what we want."
"Yeah, but Grimm masks?" Sun asked as he put his on. "That's...kinda dark."
"So was the one who started it."
Maine rolled his eyes as he slipped on his mask. [Sunshine and rainbows, that girl.] Church said in his head. Since he couldn't properly show himself, he talked with Maine via the comm link established by the collar and his implants. [Here's my thing, though. Blake said that the White Fang used to be good people, right? And it all changed when the founder stepped down. Why? If you ask me, letting somebody else take his job and then turn the protest group into a bunch of murdering psychopaths seems kind of counter productive.]
'The previous leader probably had his reasons.' He answered. 'One possibility was that he was pressured by the current leader and their followers to make him step down. They were most likely tired of the peaceful route yielding no results, and decided a new change of leadership was in order.'
[Makes sense, I guess. But still, with how violent these furries are, you'd think he'd be vocally opposing them or something.]
Maine paused, frowning. The Alpha made a good point. Why wasn't the old leader doing anything to try and pull the reigns? Even if they were a former leader, they should at least have some sway in the Fang still. Yet, from what he understood, he hasn't made any arguments or attempts to convince the current regime to stop.
'...worrying about shit like this isn't our priority right now.' Maine reminded. 'What matters is figuring out what the Fang is up to here in Vale. Speaking of which...'
They passed by the guard, giving him a respectful nod before entering the large open room, littered with hundreds of Faunus civilians and soldiers. At the far end was a tarp hanging like a banner, bearing the White Fang insignia.
'...how many soldiers do you count?'
[A shit ton.] Church answered bluntly. [If you guys are thinking about fighting your way out, you probably should have brought your Brute Shot.]
Grunting, Maine looked around. By his count, there were thirty or so. Not a very big number, but with so many civilians, it would be a pain to push through in the event they needed to escape. Blake herself seemed anxious, looking around nervously. Noticing this, Sun touched her shoulder in concern. "You okay?"
"Yeah." she said with hesitance. "Just...keeping an eye out for a certain someone." Her voice turned lower, barely above a whisper. "Someone I'd rather not run into so soon."
Maine glanced at her in confusion. Someone she didn't want to run into? [Probably that Torchwick guy.] Church answered. [Catgirl did say he was with the Fang back at the docks.].
'Maybe...'
Soon, the murmurs in the crowd ceased as a White Fang member walked up to the front. Unlike the others, his mask covered his entire face and had red markings, which only added to the intimidation factor. "Thank you all for coming." the man spoke, his voice low yet booming. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!"
Then, out from the curtain, a man walked unto the stage. One that was most certainly not a Faunus.
He bore slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. He wore a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather, and black eyeliner. He was dressed in a red-lined white suit and a small gray scarf, complete with black gloves with rounded sleeves, as well as long black pants and black shoes. In his hand was a black cane with red highlights. In the other hand was a cigar, which was lit and was in the process of being put in his mouth.
Already, Maine had a good idea who he was. Confirmed by Blake suddenly becoming more tense, and Sun's hand slowly inching for his weapon, held safely in the leather pouch strapped to his thigh.
Roman Torchwick.
Naturally, his presence created a stir amongst the Faunus in the room. Shouts, jeers and boos roamed through the entire area, though the mobster didn't look the least bit intimidated. Instead, he smiled back mockingly. "Thank you, thank you!" he said. Maine noticed a woman coming out from behind the tarp, narrowing his eyes. He couldn't quite see her from this distance, but something about her set off alarms. "Please, hold the applause!"
"What's a human doing here?!" one Faunus, a deer judging by the antlers atop her head, shouted and pointing a finger at him. Many were with agreement, looking ready to strike at him.
"Glad you asked, "Deerie!"" Roman retorted with a grin. "Now, let me get one thing straight with you all. Something I'm sure you'll all agree with me here. Humans...are the absolute WORST." Many shouted in agreement. The man simply gave a salute. "Case in point, yours truly. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed!"
The crowd grew silent. Roman grinned. Good. he had their attention. Maine frowned. This guy was making the crowd fall into his pace.
"But, before claws come out..."
"Is he going somewhere with this or...?" Sun whispered to Blake as Roman resumed speaking.
"...would like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy. The ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty rotten humans that run our kingdoms. Government, military, even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life!" The crowd looked at one another. Slowly, the murmurs of disagreement faded away and turned into hushed whispers of agreement. "And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around... No offense to any rodents in the room."
Roman raised a hand and snapped his fingers. On cue, the unknown female tore the tarp down. What came down was something that made Maine snarl and Blake and Sun lose all color.
"That's..." the Monkey Faunus gulped. "A really big robot."
"How did he get that?" Blake wondered in alarm.
[I bet ya he probably stole the damn thing.] Church stated.
'Yeah, no shit.'
"As some of you may have heard this right here..." Roman gestured to the Atlesian Paladin. "Is Atlas' newest defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my employer, we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, hit the shelves. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine... But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you."
He stopped his pacing, holding his cane in both hands. He craned his head to the crowd and smirked. Maine knew that, by now, he had everyone in the room by the palm of his hand.
"Any questions?"
The entire crowd exploded into applause and cheers.
"We should get out of here." Blake said. "If we stay any longer..."
"Will all new recruits, please step forward!"
Before they could move back, the Crowd moved past them in the opposite direction.
[Well, so much for that plan.] Church commented blandly.
"What do we do now?" Sun asked.
"Like I keep telling you..." Junior downed the last of his drink, much to his disappointment. One of the many unlucky aspects of booze: it runs out too damn fast. "I don't know!"
Nora leaned in, narrowing her eyes. "And how do we know your telling the truth?"
"Back off, brat." the bartender growled. "Or I bash in your face!"
"You back off, Junior." Yang glared, practically daring him to touch her friend. "And how can you not know? He came to you for help, Junior!"
"I haven't seen hide nor hare of him since the last time you came in here, Xiao Long." Junior scoffed. "He paid me. Up front. Ten guys. And do you want to know something?" He leaned in, narrowing his eyes. "They never. Came. Back."
Neptune gulped. "And...what does that mean?"
"The hell do you think it means, Don Juan?!" the bartender hissed. "Who the hell are you anyway?!" He flinched when Yang pounded a fist on the table, lilac eyes turning crimson. A sure fire sign that he was treading on thin ice. Reigning in his temper, and trying to lessen this damned headache, he groaned and palmed his face. "Look. Roman hasn't come here since the last time he wanted my boys. My best guess? He wasn't satisfied with their work. Not that I blame him!"
That last bit was directed to the mooks currently walking about. Upon hearing him, they flinched and avoided his gaze, returning to business.
Junior sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That is all I know, blondie. Bottom line: Torchwick hasn't come here since then. Just cause I'm an info broker don't mean I know everything that happens in this stink hole.'
Yang narrowed her eyes. She wasn't satisfied with Junior's answer, but his irritation and annoyance were clear signs that he was telling the truth. Not satisfying, but there wasn't anything she could do. She gave a sigh and turned away from the bar. "C'mon, guys. Let's go."
"We got everything we need?" Neptune asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they left the club. "I don't think we got much of anything."
"Yeah." Nora mumbled. "Talk about grumpy."
The blonde brawler shrugged. "To be fair, I did wreck this place once." she admitted. "I just hope the guys have better luck than we do right now."
"So many people..." Theta stammered, trying his best to stay out of sight from the many passerbyers in the crowd. "Are all cities on Remnant like this?"
"Mistral's main city's worse." Ren chuckled at the AI's shyness. "Though, of course, that also depends on what level of the city you're living in."
Pyrrha nodded, knowing full well what Ren was referring to. Having hailed from Mistral herself, many of the city levels were heavily occupied. Mainly the middle levels, given that they were centered mostly around trading and whatnot. "So, Penny." she said, walking side by side with her. "How are you enjoying your time in Vale? From what Ruby told us, you had to cut your sight-seeing short because of what happened at the docks. Isn't that right?"
Penny nodded. "Yes. To be fair, though, Father hadn't intended on me exploring the city until the Vytal Festival was much closer." The strange girl giggled. "Then General Ironwood and he talked it over. Though, the only reason why I'm allowed to explore Vale is to try and help Theta get accustomed to his new surroundings."
"Well, I'm glad you're doing it. It's good to get this little guy comfortable as much as he can." Ruby cooed as she tickled the AI's chin.
Theta's helmet glowed as he flickered, moving around Penny to avoid Ruby. Penny couldn't help but giggle. It was very adorable seeing how they interacted, but she was also glad that Theta was slowly starting to become used to their presence, despite having just met them. It was a vast improvement since Penny first met the timid AI. Before, he refused to open up to her. Now, he was slowly getting accustomed to other people.
Now, if only such improvement could be done about Omega. She had opened a visual link for the AI to view. She hoped that, by mingling with her new friends that she would be able to help him open up. Or at least lose that aggression of his.
Sadly, the results were...not as she hoped.
[What a backwater city! These military soldiers are nothing compared to my evil genius! Conquering it will be so easy! They'll all taste OBLIVION!]
The android sighed. Even now, in such a therapeutic environment, Omega was still scheming of world domination. She could not understand what she was doing wrong.
"Something wrong, Penny?"
"Oh no, nothing." she assured her friend. "Just...a troublesome patient."
Ruby blinked. "You're a doctor?"
"Of sorts!" Penny chirped. "I'm trying to help Omega, but he's quite the hassle." She gave a sigh, shaking her head. "I wonder what I'm doing wrong?"
Theta tilted his head. "You...have Omega?" he asked, genuinely curious. "I don't see him with you."
"He's in an isolated black box room in the [Sub-Home]. Until I can make sure he isn't likely to hop into someone like Agent Maine, he's in quarantine. The General has been asking me to look into restoring Iota and Eta, though."
Pyrrha tilted her head. "Iota and Eta?"
"They're twins!" Theta chimed. "Iota always happy-go-lucky. Eta's a big scaredy-cat."
"Is that right?" Ruby smiled. "So, who they partnered with?" Theta turned quiet. The sudden silenced notified Ruby she might've stepped on landmine. "O-oh. I u-uh, I didn't mean...if you don't want to talk about it..."
"...they..." he slowly spoke in a quiet tone quiet. "They were given to Carolina. But, then the Meta..."
"We know what happened." Ren told the AI, much to his surprise. "One of our friends. He was...a former Freelancer Agent. A few months ago, he went missing. Then, about two weeks or so ago, he came back." The Mistralian's face softened greatly, taking a breath. It was still very hard to remember battling his friend and leader, especially in the state he was in. Yes, he had gotten better, but it was still hard to think about. "He came back changed. The only reason he got better was because of Church."
Theta tilted his head. "Church?" he asked. Strangely, he felt as if he heard the name before. However, he wasn't sure where. "Who's he?"
"Oh, he's just some grumpy AI that likes to call himself a ghost." Ruby told him with a pout. "He's so mean too! And he swears too much!"
The AI of Trust looked at them while deep in thought. Those qualities, they seemed so...familiar. Then it finally hit him. "...Do you mean...Alpha?"
"The who?"
"Alpha was the designation Mr. Church was originally given by Project Freelancer shortly after his creation." Penny explained. "At least, from what Delta told me."
"And Delta said that he and the other Fragments were originally apart of Church." Pyrrha recalled. "I guess it makes sense."
"Is the Alpha here?" Theta asked. For a moment, the group thought he sounded very eager. "O-on this Planet, I mean?"
"I believe so. He should be with Agent Ma-"
Immediately, Ruby clamped a hand over Penny's mouth. Theta tilted his head as he looked at Ruby strangely. "She means he's with Jaune!" she said quickly. "Our old friend we mentioned! The former Freelancer!"
"Oh...so then they're partners?" Theta asked curiously.
"Well, it was a recent development." Ren admitted. "Theyre still trying to get used to one another."
"Oh..."
Pyrrha leaned in next to Ren, frowning. "Why did she stop Penny?" she asked. "Jaune and Maine are the same person. He'll find out eventually."
"If you remember, Theta was taken along with other AIs. Regardless of whether or not Jaune was sane at the time, Theta will probably still see him as The Meta. And not to mention that it was the Meta that killed Agent North Dakota, Theta's partner."
It was reasonable to think that the childish AI would still likely hold some form of resentment against Jaune. Perhaps even anger over what happened. Regardless, it would be a very bad idea if the two were to ever meet. It would be best to keep this information under wraps for now, regardless of the fact that Sigma was the primary culprit behind Jaune's drastic change.
Of course, both members of JNPR knew that it would be futile. Sooner or later, the two would meet. And then they did, well...they didn't really want to think on it too much.
Just then, Ruby's Scroll began to ring. Removing her hand from a very confused Penny's mouth, she opened it. "Guys? What's wrong?"
"HEEEEEEELP!" Sun's voice cried. "WE NEED BACK UP! LIKE RIGHT NOW!"
The group looked at each other, concerned. Had they been found out?! "What's happening, Sun?" Pyrrha asked. "Were you found out?!"
[That Torchwick asshole's chasing us around with a damned mech!] Church growled. Theta leaned in, noting how familiar the voice sounded. Was that the Alpha? [He's chasing us around, and if you assholes don't hurry the fuck up, we're GOING TO DIE!]
As it just so happened, the group was actually catching notice of this mech. Three figures, two Faunus and one hooded male, ran as fast as humanely possible from the other end of the street, soon vanishing from view. Of course, seconds later, a giant metal machine came into view, stomping after them.
"...well." Ren said simply. "That's convenient."
Penny's eyes widened once the mech passed from view, jaw falling in disbelief. "That's the Atlesian Paladin!" she cried in shock. "But those haven't been primed and ready for deployment yet! Why is one chasing after those three?!"
"The White Fang probably stole it somehow." Pyrrha deduced.
"White Fang? Are they after you?" Penny questioned.
"It's a long story! We gotta go help!"
[Oh shit, flying car!]
Maine growled as he jumped over to the next vehicle, avoiding certain death as the car struck the one he was on previously. Metal crumpled and twisted upon collision, tossing about and tumbling through the highways before slamming into one of the walls.
[Ouch! I feel sorry for the poor sap driving that thing!]
'No shit. We're putting people in danger like this!'
[Hey, we gotta survive somehow!]
Maine grimaced. He didn't like that answer, but when he remembered his time in Project Freelancer, he knew that such things were unavoidable. Casualties were always going to be guaranteed, no matter how thought-out the situation. While this was far from thought-out, it still had the idea of casualties.
He also hated not having his weapon. He should have brought the Brute Shot MK-II with him, but he instead chose to leave it with Pyrrha. What the hell was he thinking?
For now, all they had to do was avoid Roman and the Paladin long enough for backup to arrive. Then he could tear this bastard apart!
He jumped onto another car as the Paladin got too close to his liking. Its feet skidded as it tried to take a swing at him. He promptly ducked, barely missing him by a hair before he jumped over to another car, which ended up being smashed to pieces beneath the weight.
Unknown to anyone, though, Yang, Neptune and Nora were right behind them.
"Okay!" Nora shouted. "That's a really big, really mean machine!"
Yang scowled as she was forced to swerve to the left, avoiding being hit by a car. Nora had taken to the opposite direction as she slid on her skates, though she soon trailed back behind the blonde brawler.
"We've got to slow it down!"
Neptune nodded. "Got it!" he shouted as he took out the weapon strapped to his back. Yang, however, was forced to evade again by hanging to the right, avoiding another destroyed car. This time, Nora was hanging on to the back of Bumblebee. Once they were in the clear, Neptune stood up and raised his weapon: a cross between a machine gun and a rifle. Nora, while steadying herself with one hand, also brought out Magnhild in grenade launcher form.
The two then proceeded to open fire. Inside the Paladin, Roman found himself nearly falling out of the pilot seat, feeling the impacts of both weapons. Growling in anger, he looked at one of the holographic monitors and found the three kids. "Okay, you brats. If that's how you want to play...!"
Without turning around, the Paladin's shoulders suddenly opened up, revealing two large mounted guns, which created red lined sights, aimed directly at Bumblee.
Yang blinked. "Uh-oh."
Then the Paladin opened fired, releasing four rockets. All of which aimed for the three.
"Hang on!" Yang warned as she made a series of sharp turns and swerved to avoid being bombarded by the missiles. Neptune nearly fell off of the motorcycle due to the abrupt motions. Fortunately, he was able to hang on.
Soon, they made it out of the bombardment.
[Back ups here!] Church told him. [I'm picking up Red on the way too.] The self-proclaimed ghost formed over his shoulder, looking on nervously. "Jesus Christ that thing is armed. Hey, Vomit Boy. You sure you can take that thing out?"
'If I had my weapon, maybe.' Maine replied.
From behind, Neptune slowly got up to is feet. His weapon also shifted forms, parts mixing around while extending into a long spear with a glowing-blue blade at the top. "Get me in close!" he asked. Yang nodded and sped up, Nora continuing to bombard Roman in an attempt to distract him. Once they were close enough, Neptune jumped up, raising his spear high. The parts mixed about again, the blades separating into three and forming into a trident. "Heads up!"
He swung his weapon down and stabbed the giant mech right in the shoulder joint. It was wedged in between the plates, preventing it from moving. Upon pressing a button, Neptune's weapon released arcs of electricity that zapped the Paladin. The result was gratifying: the Paladin's arm began to whir out of control, swinging and wishing about haphazardly. In its craze, it struck a car at its side, destroying the driver side and sending it flying at Maine. With no cars nearby, he knew that he was going to be hurting once it hit. Thankfully, Blake hadn't forgotten about him as Gambol Shroud wrapped around his wrist and pulled him away, letting the two cars meet and smash together into a heap. Maine found himself thrown atop the roof of a truck, much to his relief. He pulled himself up and found Sun looking on in worry as Neptune struggled to hold himself up.
"Hold on, partner!" the Monkey cried. "I'mma coming!" He clapped his hands together and shut his eyes. A golden glow began to dance around him, spreading out and forming into outlines of himself.
The glowing copies rushed in, hopping onto the roofs of the cars until they landed on the Paladin. They proceeded to strike the cockpit to try and slow down the machine. They exploded into golden bursts upon impact. The machine staggered in its approach, allowing Sun the opportunity to move. He bounced off the truck and unto the car behind it, proceeding to leap into the air and brandish his staff. Roman growled and tried to get Neptune off, but Nora fired a few rounds on his back, causing him to fumble a bit.
'These brats don't know when to quit!'
Sun landed atop the Paladin and then proceeded to hop over to the other arm. He looked over at Neptune. Together, the two nodded and raised their weapons overhead and slammed them straight down on the joints of the machines. Neptune's second strike caused the right arm to cease movement altogether, stuck in place while Sun's strike, followed by a gun shot, courtesy of the firearm installed into the staff, caused the left arm to slouch and slant a bit.
"Take off his arms!" Church shouted. "We don't fancy getting turned into pancakes here!"
"We're trying, man!" Sun shouted back. "Don't rush!"
Roman scowled. "Annoying little shits." he said. It was one thing for the cat girl and the monkey kid to mess up his glorious moment with the White Fang recruitment, but now they were trying to smash the merchandise. Didn't they know what he had to do to get his hands on this? "Okay then..." he said slowly, inputting a few commands. "If that's how you wanna play...!"
The Paladin whirred up before it spun its torso around. The sudden movement caused the two to lose their footing before flying off the machine. "Aaaaaaaand there they go." Church deadpanned, watching them hit the ground and left behind quickly, soon vanishing from view within seconds. "At least both arms are-"
Suddenly, more mounted weapons emerged from the Paladin's body: this time one on each side of the hip, followed by one over the chest unit and another directly below it.
"Oh, motherfu-"
He was cut off a a series of multiple projectiles flew from the Paladins body and soared toward their direction. Blake cursed as she and Maine immediately made a run for it. As they advanced along the highway, missiles impacted the ground just behind them. Soon, the rockets struck the truck. The force behind those explosions began to shake the truck to the point where its longer, larger half began to swerve. Maine leaped over the edge, landing atop a car while Blake was forced to use Gambol Shroud to latch on to the car ahead of her. Her body flopped, stomach hitting the ground as she was being dragged.
Were it not for her Aura, this would be a major case of road burn right about now. Especially at this speed.
[Blake! I'm in position!]
Blake's eyes widened. Then a smile touched her face before she began to pull herself up the black fabric that connected Gambol Shroud to her. She landed on the roof with her weapon in hand. She turned to see Jaune on the car parallel to her.
"Where the fuck is our backup?!" Church shouted. "I swear, if Red chose now of all times to take a dump!"
Unknown to Church, however, backup had already arrived. Up ahead, Weiss stood in the middle of the highway, heedless to the many cars rushing past her. Up ahead, she saw Roman approaching and Maine and Blake on two cars opposite to each other. The cars whizzed by and Roman was charging straight at her. The mobster smirked inside his war machine, ready to smash her to bits.
Weiss, on the other hand, had other ideas.
With a spin, she rammed Myrtenaster into the road. A series of glyphs formed and created a sleek path of ice. Roman couldn't notice it in time before the Paladin walked straight into it and slipped, causing its giant metal body to tumble and fall. It went straight over her and fell right over the edge of the highway, descending and crashing straight down into ground level.
"Ow..." Roman groaned, holding his head after it had slammed into the console. "That hurt..." He quickly checked to see if there was any damage besides the right arm being disconnected from the rest of the damn thing and then checked his monitors. There was a group of teens straight ahead of him.
Among them were a few familiar faces.
"Well, ain't this a party."
"About damn time!" Church snapped once Maine joined up with his Team and Ruby's. "Where the hell were you?!" He stopped when he noticed a familiar derpy face among them. "Wait a second. PENNY?! The fuck are you doing here?!"
"Salutations, Mr. Church!" Penny cheerfully waved. "To answer your question, I was with Ruby and her friends the moment you called for help. So I came along to assist. I also wanted to learn more about what is happening. I also wanted to show Theta around Vale! Until this happened."
"Theta? Who?"
On cue, a purple-and-pink holographic miniature soldier, much like himself, appeared over Penny's shoulder.
"H-hello?" The tiny AI shyly waved.
"...wait...why do you have an AI with you?!"
"She just said she was showing him Vale." Weiss sighed. "More importantly, need I remind everyone that a stolen Atlesian Paladion-250 is RIGHT IN FRONT OF US?!"
At this, everyone's attention turned to the giant mech, which got back up on its feet, mounted weapons all aimed and primed to eliminate them. Pyrrha stared at the machine for a moment before handing Maine the case containing his weapon. "You...might need this." Jaune grunted in appreciation. He pressed the button and the grenade launcher transformed into its battle axe form. Giving it a twirl, he hefted it up to his shoulder. He proceeded to crack his neck, giving Roman the stink eye before grinning and flicking his hand.
Church, for the first time, gave an accurate translation.
"Come get some, asshole."
[Red vs Blue OST: Terminate]
Irked by the blatant taunt, Roman was all too happy to oblige. He activated the machine's weapon system once more, preparing for another salvo of missiles.
Ruby grinned. "Freezer Burn!"
Yang and Weiss dashed forward. The latter spun her rapier before stabbing the ground, creating a sheet of ice on the ground. The former leaped up and slammed her fist on the ice, creating a burst of fire that instantly vaporized the frozen sheet and formed a heavy mist. Roman scowled, seeing how the sensors, while still able to pick up the brats, were all confused. Carefully, he moved forward, keeping an eye out for any movement. Every few seconds, motion was detected and the laser sights tracked them, but soon vanished. "Where are you...?" he muttered. Two figures dashed out in the mist. Not wanting to lose the chance, he fired off a few rockets. The explosions rocked the ground. Initially, he smirked, thinking he got two of the many brats out of the way.
Then a bunch of swords came out and stabbed into the Paladin. Seconds later, its feet were removed from the ground and ripped upward.
"What the shit?!" Roman cursed as the Paladin flew backward and crashed to the ground.
"BAAAAAAATTER UP!" Church bellowed once Roman came into view, holding the BS MK-II like a bat. And he damn sure used it like one. With a push of a button on the shaft in mid-swing, the tubes on the weapon burned and breathed out fire, increasing the power of his swing. The strike landed right in the center of the mech. Metal crumpled, but sadly remained intact. The power behind the swing, on top of Maine's already impressive physical strength, sent the Paladin flying through the air. "And he's outta here!"
The Paladin bounced atop the concrete before flipping itself up. The sparks dancing around its right arm ceased. Roman blinked, looking at the many screens. The blow had actually served to knock the connection with the right arm back into place. Grinning, he rotated the arm before taking notice of the kids coming up from behind. Immediately, the turrets aimed behind it and opened fire.
Ruby and Blake, however, were quick on their feet, as well as quick with their guns.
"Ladybug!" Ruby announced their next combination tactic.
The Paladin continued to shoot at them, switching missiles for bullets. Ruby's Speed Semblance, however, was enough to keep her away from the steady stream of bullets. Blake, meanwhile, was moving fast, her shadow copies being struck in her place. Once they were close enough, she switched Gambol Shroud into gun mode and wrapped her cloth around it, tossing it to Ruby. As she was directly underneath it, Roman saw an ample opportunity to turn her into paste, raising the Paladin's leg and bringing it down.
Maine and Pyrrha, however, weren't about to let that happen.
The Invincible Girl rushed in, using her shield to keep Ruby from being flattened. Her feet steady and her Aura strengthening her muscles, the Paladin's foot was locked in place. Taking in the opportunity, Maine placed himself right underneath it and switched the BS MK-II into gun form, loading in the Dust. Taking aim, he let loose two rounds, which exploded right into the Paladin's body. Roman jostled, nearly falling out of his seat.
With their target distracted, Ruby then tosed Gambol Shroud into an arc, having it loop around the Paladin's arm. Using Crescent Rose, she bounced into the air and grabbed it before using the recoil again to dash behind it, capturing the Paladin's left arm. Quickly wrapping Gambol Shroud around the shaft of her spear, she proceeded to stab it into the ground.
"We're good to go!"
Maine grinned as he looked over at Penny and Nora. "Ladies, if you would!" Church called out. "Give this asshole a good asskicking!"
"You got it!" Nora saluted as she dashed in with her hammer.
"Of course!" Penny nodded as she followed suit.
Roman clicked is tongue. "Not so fast, ya little shits..."
While the Paladin's left arm was pinned, it's right arm was still free. With it, he activated the guns built in and took aim at the approaching ginger duo. He opened fired, a stream of bullets pelting the ground and closing in. Nora yelped as she was forced to stop, nearly being thrown off her feet and stumbling back. Penny, however, was unconcerned as her swords began to dance around, slashing and cutting away every bullet that came her way. Some managed to slip by, grazing her a few times. One managed to scratch her cheek, but her Aura protected her.
"Friend Nora, are you okay?" she asked.
Nora nodded as she readied her hammer. "That depends." She looked at her fellow ginger and grinned. "Do you wanna get reckless?"
"I am willing to try." She returned a chipper grin.
"Then let's go!" She transformed her weapon into its grenade launcher form.
As the bullets grew closer, Nora fired off several rounds. The majority of which missed and nearly struck Maine ("God fucking dammit, she IS like Caboose!") and Pyrrha as they moved in to provide support for Weiss and Yang, who readied for the next phase. Roman scowled, but then gave a menacing grin as he touched a few key inputs. Suddenly, every mounted gun on the Paladin switched back to missiles. However, these ones were loaded with high-grade Fire Dust.
A good enough package to knock them out, or better yet kill them.
"Say night-night~"
With a push of a button, the missiles went flying...and then Ren and Weiss intervened.
The heiress created a glyph beneath his feat. It was fashioned after a clock, as the arms along the surface begun to spin rapidly, encasing Ren in a bright glow. As the missiles neared, the martial artist fired off his own weapon, Storm Flower. His arms moved in a blur as he shot down each of the missiles to make them detonate in midair.
Nora grinned, saluting her friend before rushing in and changing Magnhild back to hammer form. Penny, who understood what her fellow ginger was going for, jumped onto the flat surface of the hammer before the former swung with all her might, firing off a rind and sending Penny flying, spinning into a forward somersault while her blades spun in front of her, turning her into a flying sawblade.
Before Roman realized it, the left arm was sliced away and fell to the ground with a thud.
Ruby and Blake shared a look before they both grinned. The Cat Faunus tossed her leader a clip with a strange marking on it. Without wasting time, Ruby swapped clips and removed her scythe from the ground, taking position. With a pull of the trigger, her body was sent flying. Far more so than usual, even with the power of the recoil.
The reason for this was because the rounds used were Gravity Dust rounds. With the right arm bound, the cloth that wrapped around the joint connecting the arm to the Paladin was gripped. The Paladin momentarily lost its footing as it was pulled. Ruby pulled the trigger again. Twice. Three times before the cloth finally did its job and ripped the joint off its hinges, thus taking the Paladin's right arm and leaving it with only its turrets.
Blake smiled as she pulled Gambol Shroud back to her side. 'Thank you, polyfiber.' she thought before switching her weapon to sword mode, looking back to Yang. The brawler grinned as she cracked her knuckles, taking the opportunity to reload Ember Celica.
Then Ruby set 'em loose with one word, "Bumblebee!"
Yang and Blake advanced, the former propelling herself with her punches while the latter threw Gambol Shroud and held onto its ribbon. Yang moved around the Paladins legs and wrapped the coats around it, hampering its mobility.
With a tug, the mech lurched forward.
And in front of it was Maine, Brute Shot MK-II at the ready.
Roman's eyes widened before he scowled. "Oh, son of a bi-"
A series of grenades flew from the recreated weapon, impacting the metal hull and swallowing it in a cacophony of explosions. Then pieces of scrap metal started to fly everywhere, emerging from the mix of explosions. Coming out from that explosion was Roman, who's suit was understandably singed and his bowler hat slightly singed. He landed on the ground harshly on his rear, groaning as he pulled himself up. "Dammit. I just got this cleaned."
"Eh, don't think it really matters all that much." Church gave his two cents. "I mean, seriously. You look more like a gigolo than some bigtime crime boss. Also, eye-liner? Seriously?"
"Well, just what are you supposed to be? Some blue pixie?" He retorted.
"A motherfucking ghost. And hey, at least I don't have orange hair. I mean, seriously! What is it, Halloween?"
"Oh, so the pixie has a mouth, doesn't it?" Roman scoffed.
Church folded his arms. "Hey, at least I'm not the guy who got his ass kicked by a bunch of horny teenagers." he snarked, causing Roman to growl. "This really must be embarrassing for you. Its one thing getting your ass kicked by kids, but it's gotta be even more embarrassing, getting owned by a bunch of girls."
"You...are very annoying."
"I'm an asshole. It's my redeeming quality."
"So I've noticed." Roman groaned as he dusted himself off. "And while I've greatly enjoyed this little party, I think it's about time I left this joint."
Penny narrowed her eyes. "No, you won't. You are hereby under arrest for breaking and entering, armed robbery, illegal trading and fraud."
"And what are you supposed to be? A cop?" Roman shot back. "Also, I wouldn't really call it robbery. I'd like to think that Vale is offering me a generous donation!"
Church rolled his head. "Okay, are we seriously just talking instead of busting a cap in his ass?"
"Already on it, little man." Yang smirked as she threw a punch. "Heads up!" With a round from Ember Celica, a concussive blast was sent flying straight at Roman. It would have blown him straight out of the park...
...if it weren't for something repelling it. Everyone stared, slack-jawed, as a woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing between the group and Roman. Her hair was definitely bizarre, as one half was colored brown and the other was pink with white streaks, and her eyes two different colors: light pink and brown. She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. Under the jacket is a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of necklaces, which hanged haphazardly around her neck. In hand was a parasol, which was open and held as if she had intended to use it as a shield.
"...what the fuck?" Church asked, completely thrown for a loop. "Okay, I get that this planet follows some kind of color naming rule, but Neapolitan ice cream? Seriously?!"
'Technically, it is a color.' Maine responded.
"Oh shut up."
"Well, ladies, gentlemen, Ice Queen, Pixie..."
"Hey!"
"...always a pleasure." Roman tipped his hat before turning to his companion. "Neo, if you would?"
The now-named Neo smiled as she sweeped into a curtsy bow. As she blinked, her eyes shifted color: the left eye was now brown and the right was white. Roman, meanwhile, turned his back as if to take his leave. Penny frowned before she brandished her blades, sending them forward.
When they hit Neo, she and Roman shattered apart into glass.
"What the fuck?!" Church gawked. Then the group heard the sounds of a helicopter. They looked up to see Roman and Neo riding away.
The mobster tipped his head, grinning down at them before he threw something down to the ground. Ruby looked down and was suddenly hit by deja vu. Thrown about the ground, right at their feet, were an assortment of Dust crystals. Roman then aimed his cane, the tip opening to reveal a muzzle and a crosshair.
Weiss was the first to figure out what was to come and immediately shouted, "SCATTER!"
The group scrambled away from the point of trajectory.
Roman then let a blast from his cane go flying. In the next second, everything became wreathed in explosive fire, electricity, ice. The resulting shockwaves from a few Gravity dust crystals had also cracked the ground apart and threw everyone off their feet in the midst of their escape, knocked straight into the air before landing back on the ground. Roman smiled at his handiwork before he pulled the door to the Bulkhead close, retreating into the ship as it flew away and thus leaving the group of teenagers on the ground winded.
Maine groaned, shaking his head. 'Damn...I must be out of shape or something.' he thought. 'If this was because in Project Freelancer, his ass would be kissing dirt.'
"Yeah, whatever. Keep telling yourself that, Vomit Boy." Church snarked. "Anyway, is everyone okay?! Say bitch if your alive!"
"We're okay!" Ruby raised her hand as she and the others pulled themselves up.
One by one, Team RWBY, JNPR and Penny got up from the ground. A little bit roughed up, but no worse for wear. "Ow, my face..." Nora moaned as she rubbed her nose. "I think I landed right on my nose."
"That could have gone better..." Yang muttered, rubbing her shoulder after having landed harshly on it. "At least we've alive, though."
"Amen." Pyrrha nodded in agreement before frowning. "Still, Torchwick escaped."
"We'll see him again." Blake said with determination. "Count on it."
The others could tell that she was far from satisfied with this outcome. Not that they blamed her. Even now, they still had no idea what the White Fang had in mind, nor why they were willing to cooperate with a villain like Torchwick. If anything, tonight only raised more questions than answers. Why did the Fang need so much Dust? Why work together with a human like that? In the end, all they could do right now was speculate, yet with nothing concrete to any clarification.
Maine likened it to a failed mission. The others, however, didn't quite see it that way.
"Well." Penny said as she dusted herself off, smiling a bit. "That was not quite what I had in mind for showing Theta Vale. Theta, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." the purple AI responded. "Um, are you okay, Penny?"
"I am doing great. Thank you for asking."
Church sighed. "Well, at least all of our asses are okay." he muttered. "To be perfectly honest, I kinda expected maybe one or two of you assholes to die."
"Wow." Nora rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, blue man!"
"Hey, just statin' things from personal experience." A pause. "Actually, I'm pretty sure the poor bastards on the highway got canned from all that car smashing." He then looked around and noticed the absence of two other males. "Hey, where's the pretty boy and the monkey?"
'Now that you mention it...' Maine started. 'Where did they go after getting thrown off the bridge?'
Meanwhile, at a small ramen shop near the highways where Roman had been chasing Blake and Maine, two young males could be seen eating from porcelain bowls, filled with broth and noodles.
"Hey." Sun looked at Neptune with worry. "You think they'll be okay by themselves?"
Neptune shrugged. "Who knows? I think so." he replied. "I mean, those girls are pretty badass. Same with that blonde guy with the pixie dude."
"...yeah. Your probably right."
"As exciting as this has been, I think we could probably use some sleep." Weiss said. "Plus, the police will be here any minute. Why don't we discuss what we found tomorrow morning?"
Pyrrha nodded. "That sounds like a good plan." she said, agreeing with the idea. They could probably use this chance to rest up. Especially since, chances are, class with Texas was going to be a killer on them. She then looked at Penny and bowed her head. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Penny."
"Oh no, it's fine." Penny waved a hand. "In truth, this incident will probably earn Atlas' attention. If the White Fang are in possession of Atlesian technology, especially a Paladin prototype, then the General will want to know about this."
Blake's eyes widened. For a moment, there was panic. Atlas investigating the White Fang? Somehow, that idea filled her with dread. If the strongest military in the four kingdoms was going to be coming after them, what was going to happen?
Penny, unaware of Blake's plight, then turned to Maine and smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself to you earlier, though. I am Special Operations Officer, Penny Polendina. And this is..." she trailed off when she noticed the purple AI next to her, hovering above her shoulder. "Um, Theta?"
Maine stared back at Theta, clearly aware of how the AI was staring at him. He bit his lip when he heard small echoes in his head, some of them haunting. Flames flickered in the back of his mind, accompanied by a deranged yet calm smile with a tempting voice. He scowled and curled his hands into a ball, blocking out the image. No. No way. He refused to return to that state. The Meta was gone. SIGMA was gone. And, in a way, so was Agent Maine of Project Freelancer.
He was just "Maine" Jaune Arc. A student. A former soldier. Nothing more, nothing less.
...it still didn't ease the guilt in his heart as he stared back at Theta.
"H-hello..." the little AI shyly waved.
Maine closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Uh, yeah..." Church rubbed the back of his neck. "Vomit Boy can't talk. He kinda got his throat shot all to hell. One of those days, am I right?"
"It's true!" Penny smiled. "I'm still surprised a human can survive nine consecutive bullet wounds at point blank range! Especially so close to the artiery! General Ironwood was not exaggerating about your toughness, Agent Maine!"
In response to her words, Ruby and Pyrrha's eyes widened in panic. "OH CRAP!"
"Agent...Maine...?" Theta questioned with a now blank expression. Gone was any bashfulness or hesitation.
Maine didn't look away.
"...well." Church broke the silence. "This is a pretty fucked up cliffhanger."
A response to the Atlesian Consul from General James Ironwood
Dear Chancellor,
You are making a grave error, sir. With all due respect, in spite of your claims of our world being in times of peace, we are far from that. Between the recent attacks from the White Fang here in Atlas and the movements of the Grimm in the Grimmlands, along with reports of the Branwen Tribe being on the move, I question if we are truly in what you call "times of peace."
I am fully aware of my limits as General, and as acting member of the Ministry. That does not, however, stop me from my ideals, sir.
For as long as we can remember, the CTT towers have brought us communications, messages and information that is all shared between us. There is no Kingdom exempt from this trust between the kingdoms. What is to say that there will not be an individual with cruel intentions that will try and destroy this link of trust?
Even if I am to test your patience and trust, I will not stand by on the prospect that our towers will be safe forever.
A/N: And at last, an update for this piece! And in 2018! Sorry I've been putting this story off. I've been focusing on my other stories, as well as helping a friend with his own. You might know it as "Of Crystal Shards and Dust." Speaking of which, that is going to be updated either this month or next. I'm in the zone, baby.
Anyway, again, sorry for the late update. Hopefully next one comes sooner, but hey. You people like my other stories. Oh, speaking of which, I recently published a new Red vs Blue fanfic titled "I against I and Me against You." Please give it a read when you have the time. I think you all may enjoy it.
I really don't have much to say here, actually. Surprising, really. But, before I end this Author's Note, I have spectacular news to you all:
RED VS BLUE: SEASON 16 HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AND IT WILL BE APART OF A NEW SAGA! Information right now is scarce, but it is set to take place immediately after S15! Hopefully they'll drop a trailer explaining the story in the coming months! Maybe once RWBY Volume 5 is wrapped up tomorrow by the time this chapter is published.
Also, I've said this before in my RWBY story "Clockwork Spectrum," but I'll say it again. People really need to stop complaining about Volume 5. Yes, it may have its problems, but you must remember that RT is trying their best without their mastermind Monty Oum. If anything, they're doing a far better job than I expected. If you ask me, Volume 5 is a lot like how Volumes 1 and 2 were. Volume 1 was like world building and suspense leading up to the White Fang's involvement in the story. Then Volume 2 ramped it up further.
And then we got Volume 3. Hoo boy, Volume 3. I still have PTSD flashbacks.
Well, that'll be it for now, everybody. If you liked this chapter, please leave a favorite and a review, tell me what you all thought of this chapter, and I'll see you guys next time!
PS: HOLY FUCK, RUBY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO CINDER'S FACE?!
