Rise and shine, to the sun or moon depending on time zone, my glorious readers. Through the boundaries that divide our universe from others, a brave twenty-nine-page word document has crossed the infinite event horizon and has traversed its way across the cosmos to our backwater, but not with out its charm, planet. As this piece of writing laid in wait, it watched the emergences of civilization and even writing itself…which is unfortunate that it was discovered by a man who clearly struggles with all the rules such an institution built up.

Alright, combining a over the top poetic intro with my apologies against the English langue, it is my pleasure to bring you this nonstop installation of The Electric Lens. Still advertising, I am searching across the horizon for a beta reader as well (more information as always in the previous chapters)

Now onto the review section!

Joecola double 'O' embodiment of the sun: As always thanks for the review, and yeah Penny's CPU has been snatched, but according to the most humorous no-nonsense agent on the planet, it was not running nor giving off heat. As for the Grimm, he is a mediocre sniffer, but his presence makes him the best by far…however, as you might soon see he's got some other tricks up his…bone plated arms.

Alright with all that addressed and getting me hyped up, I present to you all chapter 14 of my RWBY Fanfic (Small hint this one in the story outline was title Highway to Haven just to get everybody topped off with human fuel in the form of suspense)

Text Key

"Speech"

'Quote'

Thought

"Flashback", scene

"Electronic Speech"

Electronic Text's

"Langue that isn't understood by POV Character"

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Chapter 14

Having a form, or at least the mental produced imitation of physical mass, Penny hadn't thought or prepared for the possibility of not having control of her own body when, and or if, she ever possessed one again. But as Gareth came back into view, his body appearing in his, or the electronic Atlesian's, mental landscape she put aside her overactive and confused thoughts...although his presence would certainly invite more.

For the last two days Penny had been truly perplexed...and worse yet she was suffering from her own lack of understanding of a situation much like a human or faunus would. Unlike other moments in her existence where she could search for information, or rather upload it, through an online storage unit, she was left with only an organic view of a situation...that she didn't understand.

From the moment she pretended to lie down next to Gareth, to him appearing as an incorporeal blue field above her head, Penny did not experience any change in time. She briefly recalled accessing memories to her past and creation when the youngest Cadarn called out to her but had no idea why...although given the level of negative emotion she had been feeling she certainly knew why she responded so immediately to him.

However, after that, his astral akin form dispersed, and Penny was left in a location that...well it felt like a location, which itself was an illogical sensation. The first thing the coded sentience had noticed after her emerald eyed roommate had vanished was that...she could feel again and that she had a body...only it wasn't...well it didn't feel right.

That isn't to say it wasn't hers, but it was like she was simply willing herself into being. Or maybe it was just that after solely being a series of computer codes with a nonexistent nervous system she had grown accustomed to not having real, or simulated, senses.

Unfortunately, nothing had revealed itself since then about Penny's current predicament, and even more detrimental any new piece of information that arose only seemed to add on to the problems of her current scenario. For starters...she didn't know where she was. Only that it was a filled in void... one, with at least, a floor to stand on.

She could no longer access her CPU, nor could she connect with her housing computer or any electronic on her command. Rather than that...she was pushed out and into the void at the beckon call of another individual. The first time this occurred she had been shot into, what she quickly deduced as, a car. One that, to her surprise...she had unintentionally shut down.

Before she could access any systems to see what was going on, she was recalled to this place and found she couldn't disobey the command.

The next time her stay in a foreign mechanical unit was much longer...but that had only caused more confusion and panic. When she entered the machine, it felt like she was operating as if her metallic skeleton was outside her body. Trying to act efficiently and take advantage that the unpredictability of when she was sent out could be counter by her perspective of time, she quickly accessed and brought to life any sections of the machine that housed a camera. Luckily it seems to have a visor and earpiece interface, which returned her to the material world.

Only her arrival was ushered into the sight of Gareth kneeling down on a dirt pathway, his skin glowing blue with aura, and a man's gauntleted fist, and something she was reading as an Anti-Personnel Grenade, ready to come down on his head.

Acting before she could process more, Penny took control of the suit, and caused the attackers' own weapons to turn against him. Seeing more and more information as she attacked to the man, the pastel green huntress picked up the distress call of Velvet, only to then see faunus be silent as a white cloaked woman easily broke the faunus shielded soul.

Having connected back to reality in the presence of an aura user, even the relative time the copper headed android was operating at wasn't long enough for her to comprehend all her newfound fear...fear not for herself but rather Velvet and Gareth.

However, with the woman being far superior to the man's exo skeleton, the array wielding sentience found her power source disconnected, and she was once again called back to the filled void...although this time she saw her own green aura be recalled into Gareth's blue.

And as she entered the boy's mind, she could barely piece together how he had unlocked his soul before he came crashing down into her newfound residence. Like the previous encounter he appeared to be a levitating mass of electricity at first, only for that to be a precursor to him appearing as the being of matter he was as he crashed to the horizon of his own mind.

"...What the", looking at him with a widening camera lens, Penny saw Gareth's body ping off the surface protected by a shield he didn't need or knew he had. Clearly confused, he stated his question on where he was, as if he was trying to voice his hatred of having answered the question, 'who somebody was'.

"Gareth", she whispered it to herself, not even sure what was firmly based in reality or not, or if she had simply short circuited herself back at the hospital and this was all a result of her core system shutting down.

Not having heard her, the emerald eye boy continues spinning his head around as if searching for somebody. Eventually he realized he was no longer in the park and kneeled down on his own mental floor,

"Am I unconscious again...or did I just never wake up", he sounded exhausted, clearly, like Penny, not wanting to have the situation they came from be real, but with him there was an almost begging tone to that. Produced by more than just the fact Velvet and he had been attack, "God, you know what…that wouldn't actually be so bad, rather be in a coma then have to see that asshole-"

His words were growing angry, only for them to be cut off by Penny acting on her own relief and joy. Running over the ground between them, she launched herself towards him, and by the time he saw her coming, he could do nothing to get out of the way,

Despite not being real, and despite just being one or maybe even two people's mental fabrication, Penny felt her version of warmth, as she wrapped her arms around the startled Cadarn. The computer signal telling her core processor her synthetic skin was being indented with pressure, the temperature gauges causing her to feel warmth at his own biological simulation of a living energy being she never wished to be without again.

"I-I…uh…", the stutter of his voice, out of nervousness she was only beginning to understand made even the very real idea that he and Velvet were kidnapped by an aura user momentarily tolerable.

"Salutations Gareth", it was whispered at first, and one to herself, but as with all her other senses being used on other living things she soon became addicted to the vibration of her own words exiting her mouth, "Salutation, Salutations, Salutation!"

She buried her head into his shoulder, and didn't even mind the momentarily loss in sight...although her, albeit imaginary, units were indicating his core temperature was rising and she hoped he did not gain a make-believe fever,

"H-hello to you too...Penny?", he questioned the name, but backing out of the hug from suffocating to now half an arm length away, the mechanical girl could only smile at the sound her name being spoken, "...so uh...this probably says a lot about me if my dreams revolve around turning my computer into a cute girl"

"You think this is a dream?", Penny cocked her head, the smiling now becoming an adorable quizzical look as she...well she wanted to go red like Gareth was doing.

"Given a beautiful woman just voluntarily ran into my arms it's either that or heaven", she giggled, not ecstasy knowing why, but coming to understand she, against logic, wouldn't be opposed to him thinking this was all an illusion of his cerebral cortex if it meant he kept complimenting her, "but although Lance killing me makes sense...I'm kind of an atheist so even I'd raise an eyebrow at being allowed through the pearly gates"

"Why would an entrance way be constructed out of aquatic organisms by product", he now looked like the one more confused.

"I...don't know...although I'm impressed my mind could put together such SAT words in a coherent sentence", Gareth's eyes darted around, but had yet to make a move to...well move from the now half hug.

"I have formulated such a response, and I do not believe this is a result of night time brain activity Gareth", still staying closed, Penny tried to help him up, "I can only theorize at the moment, but I believe information I've kept from you is responsible for you current predicament...if nothing else know I am real"

Almost to prove it to herself, when they both stood up, she once again went through the motions of an embrace. Before looking up with now honest eyes, and a smile.

"B-but...your my computer...what could you have lied to me about...how can you even lie?", the emerald eyed boy suddenly found the nonexistent sky very interesting, "Jesus, between this and being rammed into by… an asshole wearing an Exoskeleton I...I mean how could I even make this stuff up"

"Because you are not", Penny stated the answer as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I do not know if I have the time to explain, and truthfully Gareth I am unsure I possess the resources or knowledge to accurately portray to you what has happen"

"W-well, I've got nothing else to do...except for wake up to either a hospital room", stepping back the robot allowed him to breathe, and as such he now directed his pupils to the nonexistent, but visible, floor, "...or wake up to being kidnapped or killed...by freaking Aelle...so why don't we start with the truth"

Penny had only heard that name twice but given how the hurt it produced was the same as Arthur she possessed the reading skill necessary to make the connection...even if the emotional intelligence was just now starting to catch up. Avoiding the topic, Penny instead tried her own version of a human gesture, and reached out and grabbed Gareth's hand, and gave it a squeeze to non-verbally voice support at that still unknown situation.

"Every word I convey to you will be fact Gareth", the brunettes face went pink at the touch and words, but luckily it was from embarrassment rather than anger, "and the objectives of our meeting is I am an artificial intelligence being from a celestial body called Remnant"

"...", he blinked twice in response, but Penny, still getting handle on human signals, took that as her own to continue,

"But do not worry, remarkably I was created by humans, and thus am only a foreign, not alien, pieces of technology, although I now prefer to use the term sentience", she spike with pride at her self-realization and Gareth's lips thinned out and he once again blinked twice, "I am unaware how I came across your planet, but Vivian and I appeared to be unintended travelers by another groups voluntary attempt to make contact with Earth"

At this the glasses free orbs might as well be trying to communicate something through morse code,

"Vivian herself is a native as well, who I have disguised as a human on Earth to better communicate with her", the copperhead, trailed off at the last bit, unaware that Gareth was far too caught up on the meaning of the words then how they were said, "Her true identity is actually Velvet Scarlatina, and like I, she is a Huntress"

Mixing things up, the boys head looked left, then right, then back down towards the mechanical protector's camera esc eyes,

"Of course I will inform you on the role of Huntsmen on Remnant when times allows it", she looked up with her smiling turning to determination knowing that huntsmen are also a topic of concern outside of Gareth's cranium as well, "But first I must remove you and Velvet from hostile ones, when you wake up I will figure out a way to take advantage of your aura and electronic-"

"So….not to sound rude or anything...but you know I don't believe any of that right", his voice came across with...monotone like sorriness.

"...But I have informed you the truth, I have yet to hiccup once", she stated now overlooking how illogical that sentence would be to Gareth.

"I...why would hiccups-...listen Penny, I don't care if your nose grew...what you said...not only is it confusing, it's impossible", he stated that, as if he was telling a child their favorite fantasy character wasn't actually real, but in response Penny could only tilt her head in her own perplexed state...that and bring a hand to her odor imitation unit, "Vivian and you...you're not aliens...that's just...I mean aliens wouldn't evolve to be human on another planet...besides space is huge, people aren't just gonna appear on Earth by accident"

"...", bringing her hand back down to her side, but now concerned about what could be wrong with her nostrils, Penny's determination faltered, realizing how there was no way Gareth would logically believe what she said. The reality of being able to truly communicate with him for the first time, now being overshadowed by the literal reality he knew making her statements impossible, "I...this is the truth Gareth, although I can come to terms hiccup with your viewpoint on this matter"

"Oh, thank God", if nothing else the boy's sigh of relief seemed to indicate that he didn't want to offend her...even if right now he technically thought she was more unreal than ever before.

"This is a large amount of information for you to take in", she looked up towards him, the corner of her mouth dipping down as she soon realized he wasn't even doing that, "However, there is a situation at hand that must be dealt with"

"...", Gareth's blank stare once again returned, although it didn't last long as he brought up a hand to run through his hair, "I don't know if you've been paying attention...but my plans to hope that all this is just a dream...and to be honest I don't see how it couldn't be"

"Do you not want this to be real?", Penny quietly voiced the question, wanting to have only though it...especially the instant regret on Gareth's face.

"I...I mean...this is cool, but you have to understand Penny", he was struggling to find the words, and if nothing else he was trying his best to not offend her in anyway despite whatever he may or may not have believe, "Disregarding my impossible recovery, and even disregarding my sudden ability to see...what I just came from...it couldn't have been real"

"Did it feel realistic?", it was probably ironic for a computer to be asking such a thing to a human, but the electronic Atlesian felt the need to ask it. Gareth...despite his best effort to make it sound like all of this was hilariously impossible, when he mentioned the last event...he was almost desperate in his need for it not to have occurred.

"...Yeah", he rubbed the side where he was rammed, and the cranium that had taken the accelerated weight of an axe head...although Penny unfortunately didn't get the greatest view of the weapon, "but...Vivian's spine didn't shatter when that woman jetted her spear into her back"

His view of the assailants arsenal seems less accurate then my own, with the topic on hand, Penny wanted to shake her head in order to refocus her thoughts...but analyzing the situation more based in existent then Gareth she now had to start formulating ways to actually get him and Velvet to safety.

"More than that...if it was real I should be dead, I got nailed by that thing too Penny", despite his fear of that maybe making his dream actually the afterlife, he was far more concern with the one statement he had yet to bring up, "and that's after...I had already been hit so hard I was thrown two feet in the air, yet I got up with even my broken arm still intact"

Wanting to make his point, in order to avoid getting to his last one he gestures towards his right arm...only to see that in his own mind it was fine,

"Besides, I mean you feel real here, so who's to say that wasn't also a dream", almost on cue his hand was placed on her shoulder...only for him to blush and quickie bring it back toward his body, "...sorry, I didn-"

The coded soul followed the appendages and once again brought her hands around Gareth mid-section. Although this time she was not doing so in a jubilant way, rather a comforting one, as well as a way to prove her own point,

"From my perspective the fact you can process my existence in here, is evidence that both this moment, as well as the one preceding it our very real", she didn't look up, but knew his gaze was elsewhere, part of it out of embarrassment, the other out of guilt, "and because it's real I care. So even if you believe me a prank, even if Velvet does not forgive me, and even if you both think I am incapable of saying the truth for a I have lied to you both far too much, I will do everything in my capabilities to ensure both your safety"

Logically she knew there was so much in her statement that Gareth didn't know, so many things he couldn't possibly make sense of...but from her experience, many of the most honest moments among humans didn't require both to be on the same page,

"But I believe...", she stated the final word normally, knowing full well it was part of her choice to do so despite the algorithms supporting a different conclusion, "I believe, you already know all this to be true, even if you cannot understand what is occurring"

"I…", he faltered in his speech, probably not willing to accept her theory, but growing quiet because he knew full well why he didn't want to.

"Senses are important, but my touch is not what makes you come to such a conclusion", regardless of that she did squeeze tighter, if only to prepare him for what was to come, "It is because you have not spoken to me of him, you think I am real because you don't want to admit your hesitation in going back is because of Arthur"

"...Penny I...I can't explain...but he can't be real, I…", truthfully the carrot top didn't know how he would react to that name. She saw Laura's despair, but she could do no research into who he was...and, shockingly given the situation, she had less knowledge on the man then Gareth, "...Please don't let him be real"

Whatever reaction the electric huntress had expected though, she didn't think it would result in her feeling a shiver go through his chest. Looking up, she saw his own head angled upward, and in spite of his best effort to hold them back, she saw tears streaking their way down his eyes and cheeks. His slow trickle of water emerged haphazard, as he desperately tried to force them back behind the damn, but they came through nonetheless,

"Such alterations of reality are not within my capabilities Gareth", she locked her green eyes with his own emerald. Still hugging his body, but making sure he knew she would support him...even if he himself wanted to act as if there was no problem, "But I won't allow him to harm either you or Velvet-"

"It's not that…I mean it is, but", the very act of speaking caused a cry to make its way unimpeded and he immediately tried to hold his breath to stop the rest of the flow from cascading out of his mouth, "...I-I, I don't know how I'll react Penny...but I...h-he can't see this"

Another wave came out, as the water built up, he tried to bring up a hand to wipe the mental salt away, but it was a pointless gesture,

"Why not?", it was a question of curiosity, but more so a way for Penny to voice a question Gareth needed to ask.

"B-because this isn't...I don't want to react this way, I don't want him to think I'm crying for him", despite that his tears only quicken, "H-he's a bastard...I...I don't care about him, I don't w-want him to think I ever have. T-that I ever even pretended to miss that cheating lying son of a BITCH"

Gareth's tears were his own hiccups, but Penny didn't feel the need to voice them out. Even if he tried to make his lies real with anger at the end, that very statement, despite how vulgar or desperate it may be...even the mechanical girl could tell, was proof of what Gareth already knew. That he couldn't hide from that interaction, or that fear, because the situation that birthed them had happen, and was something he had to return to...although, programming be damned, nothing told Penny she had to make that known,

"I am sorry I cannot understand better Gareth", his eyes briefly met hers before darting away, embarrassed of his outburst and the tears still coming, "But I will help you through and protect you from all types of danger and harm Arthur puts you in...however I will need you help"

His blinks almost seemingly making the water in his eyes real, Gareth took in a grasp of breath just as disorganized as his sobs,

"I-I wouldn't be able to help Penny", realizing his state, his forceful use of 'wouldn't' instead of 'can't' was quietly stated to reinforce such an idea.

"Yes, you can Gareth", she moved a hand down to grasp his own, "I will assist you, and know that I have always been truthful about doing such. You deserve an explanation about what is transpiring...and although I cannot explain how your father is involved"

His hand tightened around hers. It had attempted to make a fist at the use of his own version of the 'f' word, but upon realizing the copper haired girl's digits were in the way simply grasped onto them for support.

"But I will find out, you may not know your own strength", he seemed to snort at that, not in a negative way but more so humerus. Although it confused Penny, she sense she was missing something cliche about her own word choice, but continued nonetheless, "but I do have proper understanding of your newfound physical ability hiccup and resilience, as well as a theory for many more unexplained phenomena that have occurred around you"

She moved back a step, but with their fingers still intertwined. Looking up toward him she smiled...one that shined with a kindness he had already seen and thus naturally drew his own irises towards,

"I promise such thoughts will be made known to you, but I will need your trust on what I request of you even if time does not allow me to give you contexts", she saw him nod, and edges of her lips traveled further upwards, as her eyes soften, "Simply find any digital device you can Gareth, even if you do not know how it operates. Once you do my assistance and help will come...the explanation of why must wait, but I will be there, and no harm shall come to you or Velvet"

There was a moment of silence, although Gareth did fill his own void. Pulling her closer again, the brunette Cadarn flipped Penny's own script and was the one to initiate an embrace. Truthfully it was a selfish one on his end, although the electronic huntress hardly cared, and even if just a product of an organic creature's mind, the heating of her cheeks did not either.

Nevertheless, Gareth held onto her as if she was the only thing anchoring him to his own falsehood, he so desperately wished to be real. Minutes passed like this...and despite Penny knowing she could fill that time with at least another attempted explanation...she had no urge to. Fully aware the time for that would come, but this moment could last as it was uninterrupted.

However, nothing beautiful exists because it is immortal, and moments are bound to life cycles at a shorter rate then the beings they travel through. Only giving out small sniffs to time passing, and still having his own desires and logic war, Gareth's body knew this scene was coming to an end before his mind could even comprehend what that even meant,

"I-I can't have that be my reality Penny…", he trailed off but Penny smiled, knowing she wouldn't have to take the first part of his admittance at face value, "but if it is, and even if it isn't...I trust you"

His body began to fade away, and even if her processor and code said it was a waste of time, and against her objective, she watched him disperse in his entirety. Shifting from his pale complexion, back to blue, and then just to charged air before heading back towards reality.

"...Thank you, Gareth,", she voiced the words to an empty environment, and taking the second she should be using to prepare. She instead took in a deep breath, feeling air travel traveling down a throat that didn't have or need lungs.

She felt a pulse, and she clenched her fist as the particles remained trapped in her body. Feeling another one, she shut her eyes knowing that she solved all the problems either the universe or she herself created. With another electronic shake, she let out the air as her own oncoming freedom did so to others.

And with one last shattering of reality, she felt herself follow Gareth and was embedded into a world of sight, sound, and chaos...but even in a moonlit hell she knew nothing could stop her determination to keep a promise.

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"Did you even try to put her in gently", a blonde's panic voice cut through the already broken air of a cramped SUV.

"Her position is fine", a female one responded with her own monotone efficiency, and as always, every time the shaded agent spoke, she did so with intent to end the conversation in victory.

Watching Nimue calmly drive down an unsuspecting freeway, while her own husband tried to relax himself through a paranoia filled rant was...well for Summer it was most often amusing and should be nostalgic. But as he turned around from the passenger's seat, and outstretched his anxiety filled arm past her black bangs and into the overfilled rear of the vehicle she could only find herself matching his concern.

Of course, calmly grasping his arm and moving it back towards the front, Summer' panic was mostly inward. After all, she had a level of professionalism to live up...especially since she was thrust back into the role of an elite Huntress once more.

Having Arthur and Nimue's one sided argument, which basically just conveyed that the latter did her job excellently, turned to static, Summer shifted her gaze back to the other occupants of the car.

Lying with her to the side, Laura was placed farthest back in the now smart car esc feeling government vehicle. Her knees were bent to allow her to actually fit horizontally across the trunk, and with her chestnut colored bangs slowly being blown outward only to fall back in...she looked peaceful in her unconscious position...not that her husband seemed to notice.

She's cute...why did he even leave her, with a frown on her face, Summer knew there was a billion and one things she should be thinking instead. She also knew that answering questions she already knew wouldn't help with anything.

On top of all that...the thought she just dwelled on was incredibly inappropriate considering that Summer herself was the adulterer the sleeping woman's husband had cheated on her with.

The Remnant native really wishes she could say she didn't know Arthur was married when she and him eventually started dating...but she did. And, if she was just counting Earth, even above Gareth, Laura was by far the worst person Summer had wronged.

That's going to change soon...okay focus up Summer. Focus. Up. Summer. Rose, mentally slapping two hands to her face, the hidden eyed woman moved her pupils over to the other...last minute packages, can't focus on guilt...and I can't think of that bird at a time like this. Just move onto analyzing the more immediate and world ending problems

Her eyes falling onto another, much messier haired, brunette Summer only found her guilt increase. Her thoughts only turning more and more depressed,

Gods, he really does look like Arthur...which means he looks like Amr, , this one connected to the Remnant altercation...but for all the wrong reason, Summer found herself staring at Gareth longer then she probably should have.

The boy's head hung low, as his body was positioned in a sitting posture against the passenger side window furthest back...a move done completely on purpose.

You couldn't even tell it was him...You didn't even wait to see how he's grown up even when we had the footage, the guilt was getting worse, but at the very least her thought process evolved from that of a teenage girl.

Despite having thought back to the beating Arthur had started, and Summer had regrettably finished, giving the youngest Cadarn, he truly looked no worse for wear. The only injury he displayed was the plaster white cast covering his broken right arm...an impairment that wasn't even related to his last assault.

But it was because of that, that unlike Laura, Gareth's appendages had to be treated with extra precaution.

His feet and hands now bound by interlocking restraints that had digital gears designed to hold back somebody with strength more on bar with a polar bear then a snapped stick proportioned teenage boy...although given what happened to his blonde hair father they might be as useless at restraining him then just letting his limbs hang free,

How did he even have his aura unlocked? Earth humans shouldn't even have any aura to unlock in the first place, unfortunately glad to be back on track in terms of thought, Summer glanced over towards Arthur. Her eyes truly perplexed at this development since...well since she had tried to unlock his unsuccessfully multiple times.

However, her head swinging back towards the final unconscious individual, she was face to face with the only possible answer.

...but more importantly, why did you unlock it, there were many possible, and one even logically selfless reason, but being the only person Summer hadn't technically wronged, she narrowed her eyes on to the fallen Faunus.

With five-inch steel locks on her hands and feet, the brunette exchange student known as Vivian laid in a more cramped and uncomfortable position then both Cadarn's combined.

Although with a chocolate pair of rabbit ears sticking out from her scalp, the Scandinavian native had now proven herself to be anything but. Unless the northern part of Europe was hiding humanities sister species from the rest of the world.

However, the material that Arthur's top field agent had collected, and that now Summer stood guard over, debunked that theory,

According to your sigil you're a second-year student, the white cloaked huntress said, pulling out a dirtied, but well folded, huntress outfit. The high-quality stitching, and interlace steel proved both flexible and durable. This, accompanied with her general physic gave Summer a pretty good idea of any fighting style the individual might possess...and how she could counter it, but how on Earth did you get to...Earth

Being a rare occasion, Summer was actually able to deduce the value and importance of the items that were in the bag better than the Nimue. As such she quickly pushed past all the mundane material that was either connected to Earth, or just basic survival equipment.

However, given the fact that her rations were all but empty, this person was clearly not prepared for the environment she found herself in now. It was also somewhat off putting how much concern this Vivian seemed to have when she saw Gareth get tackled...mostly because her voice was filled with genuine fear. Fear that wouldn't exist if she knew his aura had been unlocked.

Shaking her head, Summer moved onto the next two items that were clearly of Remnant origin. Both were square boxes, although one matched the coloring of the unconscious rabbit faunus' suit, and the other was black and had an Atlas insignia on its back.

Although she only had a moment to try to open the former, the false brown-eyed woman found that she couldn't, and that its northern Kingdom sibling wasn't something that should be open.

Cold as ice it was some sort of processor unit, and despite Summer having large amounts of distrust for Atlas, she knew more than anyone that she wasn't qualified to access the data stored on it.

What the cloaked huntress was left with then was a simple camera...one that looked archaic by even her standards. Which was saying something considering she had missed ten years of her home planet's technological development.

Well at least I can make some use out of yo-, Summer's thought was interrupted when she saw the latest photo the camera had taken.

She should have paused because she saw Remnant again, because she knew instantly this photo was taken at Beacon, in the arena she had only heard construction rumors about. However, what caused her to pause, and even grip the metallic rim of the device in anger, was the black ichor-like monstrosity dangling before her eyes.

Shadowed by a green young woman, a silver haired man counterpart, and somebody who fit that witches' henchmen role like a glove, Simmer knew that she was staring at,

Salam, she looked back towards the girl and subconsciously rested her hand on Hwyelbane. Even if the photo, and the shocked look of the three mortals was anything to go by, suggested she wasn't part of the sinister trio, Summer wasn't taking any chances.

Gods...you can't have one of those here, the white cloaked woman thoughts became paranoid, but justifiably so, knowing full well what that type of Grimm could do...having been a victim to what it could do, I don't care how many lights years, or Galaxies I could be away from her...I don't want to tempt fate if she can-

The thought was interrupted by the sudden stop in Nimue and Arthur's one-sided dispute… which was in terms halted by the stirring of their most immobilized prisoner. Her hand now resting on the metallic staff at her side, ready to unleash the Hwyelbane, Summer stared down the waking Rabbit Faunus.

"Yatsuhashi, I think I'm done training for the-", Arthur shot Summer a glance, clearly not understanding the tongue, but she simply raised a hand to stop his interruption while still staring at the girl, "Oh my gods, Gareth"

She seemingly wanted to jump with concern as she remembered what had actually happened to her. Only for that concern to turn to disbelief when she saw Gareth, to horror when she saw Linda, and to fear when her chocolate eyes met Summer's false counterparts.

"He and Laura are okay, now let's not do-", the girl immediately struggled against her restraints.

"How do you know their names, I told you they had nothing to do with this!", Summer took her hand off Hwyelbane, but only to clasp the girls mouth shut.

"Just to make things clear, this isn't calm...and if you bite my hand again you'll wish you hadn't woken up so soon", the falsely named Vivian had seemingly already opened her mouth to attempt an action, but her eyes shined with receiving the message.

"Alright, now that's better", the girl gave a nod, and although still afraid didn't utilize her job, "You know English"

"I-I do", the brunette stuttered, clearly either being a very good actor, or truly just a lost Beacon student.

"Good, cause that's what we're going to be using", Summer said switching over back to a tongue of their current planet, "How did you get here-"

"How did you gain knowledge on Laura and Gareth", the moment Arthur heard the one word he could understand he jumped in with a command rather than a question,

"...I-I", the girl looked between them confused

"Arthur", the raven-haired woman hissed out her husband's name, clearly knowing he wasn't built for this type of information gathering.

"Arthur?...wait Arthur Aelle", the head knight's name seems to trigger a memory for the young girl and she looked between the blue eyed man, Laura, and Gareth, "oh my gods is this a trick, are you luring me somewhere under false pretenses...are you them!"

The poor girl seemed ready to jump out the car window as soon as she could figure out a way to take to two Cadarn's with her,

"How did you gain access to that name, see I knew something was up with her", her husband spoke as if he wasn't consumed by paranoia, and this whole interaction was causing Summer's right eye to twitch.

"For gods sake Arthur, we saw the lawyer tell her your name...and she's been living with Gareth and Laura for a month, of course she knows it! Now turn around and shut up before I put you to sleep too"

The blue-eyed man's lip immediately shut, and although he still gave Vivian a distrustful look, he followed the order and turned around. But not before everybody in the car could see Nimue produce the closest thing to a smile and or sneer she could,

"Alright, now back to-", once again Summer's patience was being tested as another interruption came barreling through her words.

"Wait, you saw what the lawyer said...are you getting involved! I can personally attest to what-", turning her gaze back, the movement of Summer's right lid picked up, and the rabbit Faunus sentence trailed off as she remembered the order of her own priorities.

"From this point on, unless I directly tell somebody to speak, the only voice in this car will be mine. Do I make myself clear", she spoke with the authority of a mother who raised three children through toddlerhood, and everyone, even Nimue if she caught herself halfway through, nodded at Summer's new tone.

"Good, now how did you get to Earth", the chocolate themed huntress hesitated before she answered, and it wasn't until Summer sighed and gave off a nod did, she feel she had permission to speak.

"I don't...I don't know honestly", seeing her Camera in Summer's hand the rabbit Faunus bit her bottom lip, "I was at the tournament during the Grimm attack on Vale, and after the CCT tower went down I found those people in what was left of the arena"

Summer face remained unmoving, but the moment she heard the tower went down and that her own capital city had experienced a Grimm attack she wanted to interrupt,

"That...that thing", the restraints didn't allow her the ability to point all that well, but the eldest Rose already knew what the beacon student was addressing, "It...a woman came out and then it burst...next thing I knew I was falling through the sky...I"

She grew silent as her words faded, and seeing the photo's her eyes locked onto the other three people,

"H-how do I know you're not with those people...and even if you're not, that you won't hurt the Cadarns", the girl tried to steel over the glaze, but admittedly to Summer, it just made her look cuter, "A-all I know about him is that his very name made Laura breakdown, and made Gareth look ready to attack somebody"

Summer couldn't see it, but she knew Arthur was frowning, but right now the personal involvement had to be put to the wayside,

"Listen...we don't want to hurt them, and I don't know any of these people in the photograph...but I know their type", the imposter Dane eyes narrowed a bit at that, "as you could probably tell, I'm a huntress too, and a pretty damn good one"

"What's your name?" the girl's voice betrayed her body language, for it was spoken expecting an answer. Under normal circumstances, the snow themed grim reaper wouldn't give out her name...but it wasn't as if she was hiding it that well at this point.

"It's-"

"Is that a good idea to give", she turned her head around, but unlike his last interruption Arthur spoke up this time out of genuine concern. Unsure of what the results could be for giving either of her name, "After all she apparently got information on me"

"I stumbled onto Gareth by accident...I lied to them, but he and Laura let me stay at their house because they thought I was...they think I am an exchange-", the girl spoke with desperation, wanting the three other conscious members in the car to know, that if nothing else the Cadarn didn't know about any of this.

"I don't believe in such coincidences Vivian", Arthur's voice carried the same concern, not that the other could pick it up beneath the venom.

"Neither do I", the pole axe wielding huntress said wanting to rub her temples, "but I do believe in patterns"

This seemed to get Arthur to go quiet, as he still had his head turned back, but didn't open his mouth to retort.

"Besides it wouldn't take a genius on Remnant or Earth to figure out either of my identities", he seemed to want to grumble something at that, but the action only made the black-haired woman's face go softer in amusement. Which helped her seem more...trustworthy hopefully, to her fellow misplaced Remnant native, "My name is Summer Rose and I arrived on Earth eleven years ago under...similar circumstances. Until I know you aren't with-"

"...I knew you looked familiar", the faunus' eyes widened as she seemingly put a picture of the lost mother and another individual in her mind side by side, "You're the mother of Team RWBY's leader...and Yang!"

The car grew awkwardly quiet, with only Nimue left in the dark as to why Summer had heard the names of her daughters twice in the span of four hours...and was finding the guilt they brought wasn't diminishing. Trying her best to put on a stoic face and not seem affected, although she clearly was, she tried to move questions,

"I...Listen we're not here to hurt you Vivian-", the white clothed woman was interrupted by newfound trust

"Velvet...that's my name", although she didn't give a last one, the connection to her two-daughter put this girl far more at ease then Summer thought healthy.

"Well...it's nice to meet you Velvet", coming out of his own shock, Arthur looked at her with a raised eye, never having seen her this unprofessional...especially in this type of environment, "But you shouldn't lose track of the situation you're in. I'm asking the questions and you're going to answer them, the reverse will not continue to happen-"

The girl had opened her mouth as if to intervene, but the sudden jolt of the car, and the deafening explosion that shone through the back window beat her to the punch.

Summer, Nimue, and Arthur immediately switched back to military mindsets, and the vehicle immediately began increasing in speed as three sets of eyes turned to see what just happened.

Oh gods no, met with a sight she hadn't seen in person in over a decade. The car that had been just behind the government SUV was flipped and impaled into the guard rail. Even from the ever-expanding distance Summer could see the man driving the poor vehicle had died on impact...and given what stood atop his broken car that may have been a merciful fate.

Giving out a gut-wrenching screech that silenced all the car engines roars, a black and white ichor abomination slammed its head into the already beaten vehicle. Looking as if in pain or trying to get a possessed demon out by any means necessary, the creature repeatedly hit his skull and limbs into the metal, but only the Earth material ever gave way.

However, as its self-imposed hits got worse, its hound-like features and lizard like snout suddenly stopped. Seemingly having refocused all the energy it directed towards itself, by sniffing the air, then slowly redirected its head towards their retreating vehicles...more so than that, it directed its hatred filled eyes through the impossible tinted glass and onto Summer.

"Nimue, no matter what happens, do not stop this car", Hwyelbane was already at her side, and the white cloaked woman spoke as if she was the incarnation of seriousness.

Giving a sharp nod, the agent's eyes never left the rode in front of her, as the engine spurred to a higher gear and began weaving through the traffic.

"Summer wai-"

"I-I can help too"

Reaching towards the side door, and hearing Nimue unlock the metallic gears, Summer shot open then out the car. Her halberd unfolding, the hook end briefly turned into a white rocket as she allowed physics to take over a reversed pendulum her way onto the top of the car.

Using the lengthen handled to shut the barrier between the safety of the car and outside behind her, she landed on the top of the vehicle flawlessly, taking solace in that fact that both the newly revealed Velvet, and Arthur were cut off by the sound of the pixie cut agent once again engaging the impenetrable locks.

Only the relief of this noise was cut off...when the ping of another individual landing atop the car struck four points. Having shot out from the woods, a slicked back ponytail individual crouched atop the vehicle across from Summer. Instantly bringing up Hwyelbane to be horizontal with her body, she took a defensive stance, as the sadistic looking man licked his lips, then ready to pounce like a cat of prey, he brought up one paw to lick a stain of crimson on his twin axe gauntlet...and action made even creeper as a sharped insectoid tail prove to classify this feline as part arachnid as well.

"So, I've finally found you", singing of the words, the blade of his weapon cut the tip of his own tongue. Giving it a fresh new coat, his smile grew more pleasurable and disgusting, "Mother will be so please to know I got to play with her lost bitch"

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Becoming a tradition, the transition from the realm of dreams to reality featured a dark screen. Only when Gareth opened his emerald eyes to the world, he immediately had the urge to close them back shut and return to his now humanized computer side.

His eyelids rising with the same rudeness as the slamming of a car door the first thing Gareth noticed was his mom lying unconscious in the trunk of an SUV. Before he could even comprehend whether to feel disturbed, panicked, or angry about such a sight, his instinctual action to reach out and make sure his mom was okay revealed the next shocking bit of information.

Are these handcuffs?, the thought was already answered by the time he looked at the material holding his hands and legs into place...although the added question mark certainly was necessary given that the devices encompassed his entire jobs rather than just his wrist, ...oh God Penny was right...or at least kind of right...at least I hope only kind of righ-

"I-I can help too", his thoughts getting derailed back onto the track, Gareth looked up to the sight of Vivian...only she seemed more panicked than usual, in heavy chains sort of speak then even him...and had two sets of rabbit ears seemingly curling and uncurling themselves atop her scalp.

"...Vivian", the girl's mind halting shock now latched onto Gareth, as her pupils dilated even more. Looking between him, and what was now revealing itself to be a black leather and metal car, a closed door, "...are those real?"

It was by far the stupidest question the Cadarn had ever thought he'd ask in his life, and it wasn't as if that list was easy to get upon let alone sit at the top of. However, as his body began squirming around, unsure of what to do in this situation, his voice echoed around inside of the vehicle as the physical embodiment of confusion.

"I...uh…can...well I actually can't", the now rodent eared woman sputtered, clearly not expecting to have seen Gareth awake yet...but more perplexing then her tone, was the fact her sentence contained words in three different languages...and that the high school senior could make out two.

Her eyes darted between him, the side, and behind her, Gareth's own began going between her face and ears...or rather her top ears...or her non-human ears.

...Okay...okay, Penny what you told me hasn't help me understand this situation at all...in fact I think it may have just made it all the more confusing, finally tearing his emerald iris off the chocolate fur coated organs, Gareth look down at his metallic restraints, but I want to be in a new environment where it can be explained...so if your gonna do something do it no-

The young knight interrupted his own thoughts, as new muscles, appendage, and or sense revealed itself to him. Feeling the small, but present, current flowing through his handcuff, the boy, with his skin now having a blue glow atop it, felt as if he could reach in and touch the moving electrons themselves,

...alright...don't know what I'm doing, but maybe if I just, it was like dusting off an old muscle he'd never used in his life. The motion was natural, but the mere fact he felt it made him jump back.

However, it would appear his part was already played, as his northern aquatic outer layer, briefly shined emerald, then yellow, surrounded his digits before sinking, or rather, attaching itself to the lesser CPU's processor units.

Only having the bare minimum in terms of knowledge in how that just happened, when Gareth raised his face, he saw his own wide expression on Vivian. One that grew only more intense, as the two teens saw the locks click off of Gareth then fall to the floor.

Before he could even have time to take in the feeling of air on once considered skin...and plaster, an electric spark shot its way over to the Danish students' own inhibitor device. The only difference being that, when hers fell to the ground, or rather seat of the car, their added weight and momentum threaten to split apart the leather seat.

"... you really are named Velvet aren't you", his body breathed out that whisper reflectively, but with nobody else speaking, the newly named foreigner heard her own name clear as day.

She opened her mouth to speak but was experiencing the speechlessness of multiple different events...only one of which Gareth found himself a part of. Luckily, and as was in her nature, the two brunettes found them being interrupted by their third-party member.

Flowing from low potential to high, the green bolt of plasma embedded itself into the very vehicle itself. The lights of the car momentarily flash on and off, leaving only the noise of the engine...and some sort of hyenine like laughter coming from the roof, to fill the silent void. Although that was quickly cut off the moment the world regained color,

"I must request everybody to stay calm, I am analyzing the situation-", the voice Gareth had just woken up from echoed through the car with a static, but now female and emotion filled ring...only for the electronic soul to cut herself off through the simple action of having processed part of the environment. Switching from English to the tongue Gareth unexpectedly knew as universal, Penny adopted a more leader esc tone, "Velvet, your weapon is located to your right approximately three inches from your left hand. I have released the restraints to the middle side door only."

Both teens blinked at the sudden order, but, even if her mind was just as lost as Gareth's, Vivian's, or rather Velvet's, body seemed to already be acting on command. Grabbing the weapon that Gareth could only view as a brown and beige color box, the girl was already beginning to attach it to the base of her spinal cord...on a belt her left hand had also instantly removed and was equipped from a...superhero like costume.

"I am trying to gain information on the white cloak huntress atop the vehicle, but she is engaging with the Scorpion faunus from your photo and will need assistance"

"H-heading up there now", while her normal stutter was there, he Danish students' literal transformation to Velvet, caused it to be said with a level of determination Gareth had yet heard from her...nor sounded like the response somebody would give after a supposedly devastating argument.

Turning back towards Gareth, the action seemed like it was being used in order for her to tell him something. But as her face went blank, she simply realized she didn't have the time to find the appropriate or even inappropriate words to convey him anything.

So, with a side door effortlessly pushing itself open against a far outclassed air current, the bunny headed girl simply put her hand atop the guard rail, then defying all laws of physics swung herself atop a movie car.

...How come the last realistic thing to happen to me was Lance snapping my arm, as the metal and glass barrier reset itself into place. Gareth's eyes still stared at the now stationary object...unsure how to take the sight of his housemate not even blinking as she had perfectly swung herself like an acrobat atop a car...that was speeding down a highway at top speed.

"I would advise you to please remove the firearm from the speaker. The central unit of the car is not located behind the audio projector", Penny suddenly switching back to English caused Gareth's eyes to stare towards the front section of the car.

No longer blocked by the animal eared brunette, the youngest Cadarn saw two more figures. Adhering to Penny's most recent statement, the driver of the car had one of her arms outstretched, and with it perfectly still trained a silencer- covered Glock towards the heads up display right of the wheel...a wheel that she still roasted around calmly with her other hand.

Where did she even hide the gun, the question had multiple answers if Gareth didn't think the solution had to be tied to the mysterious woman's cloth.

However, looking like a professional kidnapper, the woman was dressed in a black suit and tie. The smoothness of the cloth flowed mathematically into flawless pale skin that was topped with short blonde hair.

Despite the time of day, she had sunglasses that complete hid her eyes, but given the monotone thin line that was her mouth the out of place knight could guess her emotion,

"I can assure you, that given my day, I know this car's inner workings better then you", her words were cold spoken, but out of emotionless, "So leave it now"

At that Gareth felt the urge to jump out of the vehicle, even if his ears had just started picking up the sound of warzone apparently taking place outside,

"...Please don't shoot my friend-", the woman's cold stare looked back at him, and as the wheel moved on its own, Gareth realized some of her anger came from the fact Penny had taken control if her automobile in the most literal sense possible, "I-I don't know who you peopl-"

Not having the mental fortitude to lock eyes with the void filled lens, Gareth had moved his own emerald ones to the right...only for them to meet a blue pair.

Seeing the reflection of his own messy hair dyed blonde, and his face aged to that of a man about to exit his thirties, Gareth was glad he had gotten his tears out with Penny.

Neither one of the differently aged clones possessing the brain power to immediately speak, they simply remained staring at each other for a solid ten seconds. With even the stone cold agent looking towards them both momentarily realizing this shocked filled stared down didn't have an end in sight...well, not until the only non-human spoke up that was...just in time for Gareth's fear, and even sadness, to be replaced by anger as his head swirled slowly back towards his mother's brown hair.

"Gareth, please remain calm, as promised I will ensure your safety but that requires patei-", unfortunately for the peacekeeper electronic peacekeeper, Gareth's next had brought itself back to its starting position.

"You were better off with this just being a dream Aelle", all the rage was released, as Gareth's grip broke seats in his attempt to move up and grab at the now fish mouthed passenger, "Because now I'm gonna rip your fucking heading off!"

"Gareth...I can explain", instinctually Arthur moved back, but didn't go for any of the weapons he clearly had….although he had to reach out an arm in order to stop the other occupant who did, "Wait Nimue don't!"

The agent had brought her gun to face Gareth, and although the young man did flinch as a round went off, the continuation of it, and the noise given...made it clear that any guns being fired were doing so on both sides of the car.

"You clearly can't explain Arthur", her gun was a mere inch away from his forehead, and even as the emerald eyed boy stopped his movements, he was surprised his anger was over shadowing the urge to piss his own pants, "and he doesn't know he can actually kill you right now"

"Yes I do-", before he could say something stupid, two sets of gunshots cut him of, although thankfully no bullets had traveled though the car...or Gareth's skull.

However, one caused an explosion to even bend the tinted windshield on the right side, as the pitter patter of rapid file bullets vanished beneath metal hitting pavement on that side. To make matters even more hectic, the second shot must have struck the car's front left tire, for the vehicle violently lurched to the right.

Remarkably, still remaining stable, the bullet didn't blast the rubber or steel frame to shreds. But the unnamed agent lips turned downwards in annoyance.

"I have no intention to die because of your family problem, or because my own car decided to gain sentience-", she spoke as if daring somebody to interrupt her, only for a kind, but somewhat stern voice, to take her up on that offer.

"I highly recommend you adhere to my instructions Agent Dumond", Penny's politeness made the statement far less demanding than it should have, but the double eyebrow raises signal the now revealed driver treated the words that way, "None of you are equipped to take on the current assailants. Therefore, this vehicle's weapons are, and have been, under my control."

The blonde-haired young woman stood as still as a statue, clearly not wanting to follow through with the order, but not in a position to rebel.

"As such, I and the two huntresses currently stationed on the vehicle's roof will deter the threat. In order to ensure the greatest odds of survival, all none Aura using individuals, and Gareth, will remain here.", the brunette felt as if the words were now being focused on him, "That means you will not shoot Agent Dumond, nor will he assault Director Aelle. Any such action could interfere with Velvet and Mrs. Aelle work, and jeopardize their, and your own, wellbeing"

With how kind she had stated her fact, the three people on the receiving end were stunned into silence. But as the explosion hitting the side of the car increased, and the noise of pavement being unearthed by a jet engine erupted behind them, the brunette found himself nodding at Penny's request.

Still angry, staring at his father, as if daring him to move, Arthur gave the same gesture in worry, and his blonde compatriot moved her head up and down with gritted teeth.

However, as all of the mechanical girl's words thank in. Gareth found himself making one last angered filled comment through his clenched jaw, "Mrs. Aelle"

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Using her cloak like a matador, Summer dodged as a scorpion-like tail shot through a portion of the cloth that used to house her. Her newfound opponent not having moved from his cat-like posture, and only sending out his obviously offensive oriented extra appendage, the knight equipped grim reaper spun around.

The hook of her halberd turning into a miniature exhaust port, a white flamed increased her rotation, but as her momentum gaining spin put her back in view, she realized the strike of her weapon was doomed to fail,

I've gotten slow, the bladed end of her modified axes was reflected by his own on his right gauntlets. Having stood up, and even using his tail as a leverage point to better absorb the attack, he shot her a sinister smile before rotating his head unnaturally, got to shake off the rust Rose, and you've got to do it now.

With his left gauntlet being raised, Summer had to bring back her weapon to its horizontal defense stance. Spinning it in hand to deflect the buckshot like bullets her sadistic advisory now unleashed.

His movements were haphazard and his whole fighting style was self-invented rather than self-constructed out of existing ones. Following his laughter in, his blade swung themselves at Summer, and she found herself pushed further and further on the defensive end as she blocks strike with the staff instead of her blade,

Rookie mistakes, the moment he gets serious he'll have his blade travel down and strike my hands, collapsing Hwyelbane, the weapons handle becomes thicker, and the axe and hook end easier to maneuver to deflect his blows properly.

"Stop being such a native, purebred", the man's motions were all incorrect, or rather that is what he wanted his opponent to believe, as he easily ducked beneath one of Summer's rare counter attacks, "I. Need. This! You know how boring and easy it is to kill these locals, give me some excitement, give me some pleasure!"

How are your threats saner than your attack, mistakenly using her weapons propulsion system to create speed rather than assisted acceleration. The Rose matriarch was coming to terms that all the obvious openings the faunus was making, were just that, obvious one that she should be taking.

However, as she kept realizing strike after strike, he allowed them because it threw his opponent off guard. Made them hesitate to take advantage of his stance's flaw because it had to be a trap...only that hesitation in thought was the trap.

"Just let go already, let your body take over so we can indulg-", her Halberd's axe and hook morphing into a crossed barrel, a stream of white energy erupted into the oily haired man's face.

Having leaned in to state a mock that Summer was glad she interrupted, the fire-like exhaust violently shook him off the car and into the guard rail.

Gotcha pawn, the huntress thought with a smile. The gears finally clicking she seemed momentarily pleased to have seen through his fighting style's double flaw...only for her to realize such a feeling during a fight was still proof of her getting back on the horse.

Hearing the ever-approaching sound of asphalt breaking breath claws, Summer saw the hound like ambition quickly approaching her vehicle. While most cars on the freeway had stopped the moment the first explosion was heard, they did little to stop the hound from seemingly going out of its way to ram its head into any piece of metal between it and the white cloaked Huntress.

"Hehe that's more like it Rose!", having been shot into a guard rail, her opponent's sickening laugh proved he was still ready and able, "You ready to play fetch now!"

Despite the metal not snapping back into place, the scorpion tailed man certainly used it like it was a sling that had built up potential energy. Streamlining his weapon, he shot out two charged shots that propelled him back towards the top of the car.

Looking between him and the Grimm, Summer expanded Hwyelbane back to its most common form. Then with the white jet engine hook sparking to life once again, she began spinning the weapon rapidly.

Sure thing, why don't you be the stic-, the eldest Rose knew better than to trash talk, even if it was just in her head, so the bullet that struck her back was probably well deserved in cutting her off.

However, while the one that interrupted her mind didn't stop her circular momentum, the encore of hail that kept depleting her aura, was threatening to interrupt her entire counterattack.

Oh shit, she thought, seeing the man launched towards herself, and knowing that she was too dedicated to the swing to stop. However, just as she turned all the centripetal force horizontal, she felt no alteration in her path, as the dust fused projectile ceased hitting her.

The man cocked his head in confusion as he reached out towards the car, limbs stretched out as Summer was able to unleash all her built-up energy. Now unimpeded, Hwyelbane connected with the scorpion's Faunus jawline bladed side first.

Watching him fly off, the now silenced pawn slammed into the charging Grimm as he now felt the effect of two different velocities.

"I-I can help, I promise", turning her attention around, the brunette rabbit appeared with her back to Summer. A blue shield of hard light, which seemed to have the Arc family crest on it, was being expertly moved around to block the high caliber rounds meant for Summer.

The worst decision you can make is not making one at all, the old quote from Beacon was all the old student could think off as she saw the current enrolled huntress deflect more and more projectiles.

Not in the position to cave into shock or indecisiveness, Summer began analyzing the new assailants. There were two distinct sets of gunfire, which, given the picture she viewed, meant the other two aura users were darting through the tree line next to the highway. Keeping a distance as they tried to incapacitate the vehicle.

"Keep this car moving, and don't let those two get close", the hidden redhead stated with battlefield like command as she reverted back to her old leader role, "I'll handle the one who wants to get into melee range"

Already seeing the maniac's shock turn back to a sadistic grin, the cloaked huntress knew she had to keep the orders short and sweet.

"The metal and glass cannot be breached", the student nodded, and while her timid nature was there, she clearly was no stranger to combat and would follow the command. Although as her own chocolate orbs briefly look back towards the psychopath, she did voice out a concern.

"W-what about the Grimm?", seeing the gauntlet's man position himself on the beast head, Summer opened her mouth to reason, only for whatever word she was going to speak was drowned out by the back headlights opening up as two barrels began firing anti-armor rounds.

"I shall distract the Grimm to the best of my abilities Mrs. Aelle", a feminine voice erupted in her ears, and the despite the communication device being designed to be for personal use, the faunus seemed to pick it up as well, "The vehicle's equipment is not enough to pierce aura or Grimm plating, but it should be enough to deter the creature while you and Velvet subdue the interloper"

"Mrs. Aelle?...oh", thinking once again about the quote Ozpin had told her and the other leaders right after initiation, the white cloaked woman didn't have time to question the new static voice in her head, or Velvet's realization.

"Just keep this car moving", shooting herself off towards her original target, Summer left the awkwardness behind, fully allowing her training to take over.

True to the static voiced girl's word, the bullets from Nimue add on seem to annoy the Grimm but dinged off the faunus aura harmlessly. However, even as the creature bellowed out vexed, the man now atop its head only increased his smile to an impossibly creepy angle.

Rocketing towards him, Summer's eyes widen as the Grimm seems to pulse with kinetic energy, as all damage it receives collects itself like a wave beneath its ichor skin and converged together beneath the deranged man's feet.

Releasing it there, the Grimm's hind like legs shattered the paved road beneath it. The pony tailed man himself, shot towards Summer once more, but at a far faster speed then even herself.

The bullets from the car now directing their way towards the new projectile, the man pushed the round aside as if they were snowflakes. Seeing his aura barely falter as he flew through the Earth based attack, Summer knew her own was about to be delivered a huge blow, as she couldn't even bring Hwyelbane up to block.

Colliding with his blade outstretched, the man's own acceleration proved greater than her, and she found her direction reversed. The crimson edge of his axe staining her cloak, he delivered a blow to the side of her head, and just as she could feel her brain stop rattling, he sent another blow into her abdomen.

Firing shots off above his weapon, the bullets dug into Summer's aura as they trailed upwards with the strike.

Using his own attack to her advantage, the cloaked huntress used the momentum of the bullets to create distances. Flipping backways, she landed on the pavement with a heavy breath, as he resumed the position that started this hell and stocked forward.

"Winded already...we've barely begun!", she clicked his tongue atop his mouth, as even the Grimm behind him regained its bearings and began moving forward, "I must say, you're not living up to your legend Summer"

He's right…, as the air stung her lungs, the mother could see Velvet barley keep the attacks from hitting the car, as the two figured began focusing more on the windows and structure the Rabbit couldn't easily intercept to protect, one Grimm and a goon, ten years ago I wouldn't have even blinked before both were taken care of...now I'm panting

Spinning her pole axes up, Summer's face remained stoic despite her thoughts. Although the only seem to grow worse, as for a brief moment, she saw brown eyes reflect off Hwyelbane's hilt and back towards her,

...But then again Summer might not even be here, reverting back to Ceinwyn briefly, the leader forsakes the first rule of battle and froze. It was brief, but as one of the rear turret exploded with a well-placed shot, and caused Velvet tumble and resummon her hard light shield, the matriarch's thoughts were filled with everyone in the car...every being at the mercy of the man and Grimm before her once she was removed from the equation.

"Summer Rose?", even as bullets kept firing, and even as the man kept crawling his way through them towards her, the wordless huntress heard pure curiosity enter her ear, "Leader of Team STRQ, reported killed in action eleven years ago?"

The girl spoke in the universal tongue, and although it was enough to bring the poleaxe wielding warrior back to reality, she could only offer a sad smirk in response,

"Maybe I used to be", the deranged man though the words were meant for him, and pleased by her apparent self-doubt slowed down his movement to savior her despair...being the lesser monster however, the Grimm behind him kept accelerating towards both, "...but given my performance, it looked like Summer was actually killed...listen I don't know who you are, but just get everybod-"

"I cannot do that Mrs. Rose. My logic states I should, but I will not allow you to die", her eyes once again meeting a false reflection on Hwyelbane, the duel identity woman saw her own lids narrow in confusion, "Not because you hold answers to still unknown variable, nor because your skill will assist in keeping the Cadarns and Velvet safe. I will not allow you to self-sacrifice yourself, because I will not let my best friend's mother die. I will not let Ruby's mother die"

She had heard that name three times today, but this was the first time it actually entered her mind. Feeling her pupils burn, and her true face reveal itself in her weapon, the mother of three saw the sadistic pawn about to pounce, saw the Grimm trying to pick up speed to surpass him midflight, and she saw a daughter she betrayed and one she never truly knew...but most importantly she saw Summer Rose.

A regained sight emerging, the cloaked huntress eyes glazed over steel as plastic was vaporized to nothing. Collapsing her pole axes, the handle collapsed into the hook and blade as they took over the entire weapon.

Letting it go, a rocket propelled spear began spinning itself upwards as it struck the Faunus lower chin.

His smile being literally knocked off his face, he found himself floating upright, instead of traveling horizontally, and, almost as if he was the only one in slow motion, he saw Hwyelbane shift back at normal speed to its medieval form.

Hanging in the air like a puppet, Summer jumped up and swung Hwyelbane down at his neck. However, using a backward grip, she trapped the witch's servant spinal nape between the hook and the spear point.

Bringing it down with her own strength, the man's face cracked the highway as he now found his chin stuck between Earth and Remnant. Not even giving him the satisfaction of a battle focused gaze, the cloaked huntress indented a lever on her weapons handle.

The axe ending proved to have a thin slit, a sheet of white dust erupted from the outer end. Burning at its hottest temperature, it cut a clean line through the garden railing that was a full two meters away from the exhaust port.

Rather than forcing physics, or being its victim, Summer worked with the force, as the man's entire cranium was cleaved through the Earth. His body following the weapon, and the stone biting away at his aura in large chunks.

Being at the mercy of a handheld jet engine, his body was thrown violently back into the Grimm, who merely depleted his life force at an accelerated rate, as it changed his trajectory and batted him leftward as if it just swiped at an annoying fly. Picking up more speed in his new direction, Summer saw her modified scroll blink red as the noise of the Scorpion Faunus splintering tree put him into critical condition.

However, not much thought was given to that sadistic condition, as the revived huntress eyes locked onto the determined Grimm. Giving out a shriek his inhuman roar was only met with a silver gaze,

"You're right, Summer isn't going to die here", the iris's glowing brighter and brighter, the silver pigment became lost beneath the glow of the moon, as two pure wing like lights shot out from the eye, "But she was found"

The night outshining day, Summer's own sight blinded everybody else's. Creating a blank canvas, the Grimm's noise was drowned out beneath the shade, and the Earth itself seemed to stop turning as all senses bowed before sight.

However, as the crack so far really began to disrupt the frame, the planet's eyes blinked away the bleach.

Seeing her own aura depleted and having the urge to buckle beneath her knew home's counterattack. Summer had to force herself to stay upright, not wanting to give her assailants the idea they could somehow still come away victorious.

Luckily however, as she stood before the sound of gravity assisting erosion, one enemy was truly taken care of. The Grimm, nothing more than a literal statue, its inanimate legs shattered beneath its own weight. Its reptile-like jaw only showed the last minutes of its pain, before it two surrendered to the Earth, shattering beneath the celestial bodies own rock.

"No no no, you grey eyed demon!", straining her neck, Summer looked over to the side of the road.

With everything having stopped, even the car and the gunshots being directed towards it, everything seemed to be focused on her. So as this man looked at the now void-filled corpse of the Grimm as if it was a priceless piece of art that had been defiled, she spun Hwyelbane in one hand, and struck its spear into the ground.

The movement tore at her muscles, or rather they tore at themselves, but the echo of her weapon got her point across. Although it was a slight bluff, she was flawlessly displayed her message,

"Ready when you are", her tone never flattered despite her lungs screaming for more air.

In truth, he probably knew her own aura was low, even if her posture and commanding presence stated otherwise. However, with a limp right arm, and a trail of blood spurting out of his mouth he didn't look like he would be gaining a second wind any time soon either,

"You hor, I won't let you hurt mother twice, I'll gut-", before he could finish, another piece of the universe regained motion.

The SUV momentarily stopped, its windows and metal seemingly indented to hell...but remarkably the frame and the wheels remained functional and un-pierce. Velvet herself seemed to still have half her aura, although standing tall on the car, she now gave up using the Vale coated shield...which was probably for the best since her body seemed to have taken over that role.

The hard light became a briefcase...then unfolding like origami, it took on the form of something that seemed to defy the very idea of conservation of mass. Growing put in length to a size larger than the car was wide, six barrels morphed into blue light. Beneath them a comically large drum magazine rested, and even dented the top of the government vehicle.

With one last shot glancing off her aura, the brunette rabbit faunus, seemed to find her own form of determination in brown eyes. Taking in breath, she clicked a button on the waves given mass, and with no passage of time, the gatling gun erupted to life.

The entire tree canopy being blown to shred, the two assailants found themselves with no cover in an instant. Being berated, Summer had never picked up their aura bars, but knew they could only be going down. Literally only able to dodge into a wall of bullets, both harassers found the table now painfully flipped...only for it to be shot up to nothingness as they could only retreat backwards.

Seeing this scene, the disgust on the arachnid faunus' face grew. The blood coming out of his mouth only increased as he clenched it shut to the sound of stained teeth. Turning his neck between the rebuilt then destroyed Grimm, his two wisely dispersed comrades, and Summer, the sadist could only find himself slowly backing away to the tree line.

"You'll never escape her bitch, and as I drag you along by your intestine to our mistress, I'll be happily rewarded with torturing you for the rest of your miserable life", Summer's lips remained thin, even as the hail of projectiles now passed in front of her.

Ignoring acceleration in his velocity, the scorpion tailed aura user leapt into the safety of the forest and was retreating before any of the bullets could reach him. But as he disappeared into the horizon, Summer knew he was gone...for now at least.

Her eyes waiting until his silhouette truly vanished though, and then even waiting the extra minute or so for her to see Velvet also relax her muscles, as her superior vision indicated they weren't coming back at this very moment, Summer eventually pulled her weapon out from the ground.

Under different circumstances her husband would have joked about how her pole axes should've been a sword in this moment, but as she slowly began walking back towards the now halted SUV there was no time for humor.

The highway had been drowned in the sounds of hell, so now it was only fitting that it looked like it as well. The hundred meters between her and her vehicles were altered with flipped cars, and in its inefficiency, the creature had actually expertly killed all the drivers...even if the individual had died from the crashes rather than the beast's intended rage.

Each second of hesitation is responsible for a death, it wasn't true, but then again, the saying wasn't meant to be taken as a quantitative fact. Not that Summer cared at the moment. The stench of death now rising into the road, she felt sick about how many people died because she had been living the easy life instead of keeping up her huntsmen work.

By the time the Beacon student hopped off the roof, Summer made it back to the SUV. The chocolate eyes turned towards the car to inspect its damage, most likely to distract herself from the carnage outside that she could see all the more clearly, she at least could give out a sigh knowing nothing got through the steel.

"I-is it-", Summer got up to the passenger side seat, and tapped the window, waiting as the inner of the car was revealed as the right middle door flew open.

"I'm still the one asking the questions here Velvet, and that goes for you as well", pulling at her earbud, the robotic girl didn't give a response as she got the message... although Summer new her own command would probably become a lie given what she just witnessed for her fellow natives.

Motioning her head, the brunette realized that the now crimson dotted white cloaked woman was waiting for her to get in first. Doing so silently, Summer then followed.

Only the matriarchal Rose soon found herself in a far more cramped backseat. Having to somewhat push Velvet in, the mother soon found out the girl hadn't stopped because of hesitation but because somebody was in her way.

Two sets of brunette's hair interlocking, Gareth revealed himself before Summer's eyes as the door closed behind her. Despite how close his face was now to Velvet's his eyes remained fixated at the blue one's before him.

Hatred and confusion shining from his own pupils so brightly, that he barely noticed her or the former exchanged students' entrance,

"Summer are you alright?", the blue eyes, under the emerald one's assault, flicked onto her with two sets of worry.

"They've retreated...but we shouldn't push our luck, does the car still work", the two huntress of two world sighed, especially when she was met with two answers and the lurch of the car going forward.

"Yes"

"The vehicle is still operatio-", Nimue shot an eyeless gaze at the speaker, and the static voiced girl ceased her response. But with the engine moving them along once more, Summer genuinely didn't care.

"Gareth?", the voice came from the rabbit Faunus, and it was filled with nervousness on the boy's behalf apparently.

However, just before she opened her eyes to see why, touch revealed an answer. Probably on instinct, Arthur had brought up a face to the cheek that had been sliced and bruised. Her aura having taken most of the brunt, the skin was already healing back over...but regrettably that did little to stop his concert.

Nor did it stop Gareth's head from following his father arms, to it resting on Summer's cheek, then onto her cloak...with a hidden sense of realization and betrayal before turning back towards Arthur,

"You bastard", the words were whispered out, and the sorrow the white rose felt from the tone wasn't the anger it wore, but the betrayal it truly felt.

"It's...i-it's gonna be okay Gareth", his aura lighting blue, Velvet reacted before Summer had to, and half hugging his back and half holding him literally back, she was able to restrain him enough that his outstretched arms couldn't wrap around Arthur's throat.

"...", unable to say anything to a son that wanted him dead, the blonde's defeated eyes turn towards Summer's unveiled ones, "...this, this isn't what you should do. I could not have made this situation any worse if I tried-"

"Thirty minutes", a monotone voice captured the attention of every being in the car.

"I'm sorry, what do you-", back in control of the wheel, and no longer trying to paralyze the sound system with sight, Nimue answered Arthur with her normal emotions effectively.

"Thirty minutes, that's how long the anesthesia was meant to last. Couldn't get a full dose so it was only good for half an hour", Nimue tilted her head back.

Confused, Arthur could only be met with a similar sight as he first laid on a similar perplexed Summer. However, as her own head turned around, her eyes widened as her frown dipped deeper.

Coming back to reality, a wide-eyed Laura stared at the scene before her, almost as if it was proof, she never left the unconscious world. With her son's hand outstretched, propelled by a murderous look, she no doubt saw him glowing blue. Only for that blue to morph into a bashed brown, as the Danish exchange student she housed was holding him back...with a new pair of rabbit ears having magically grown atop her hair overnight.

Even with a shattered window at her side, the sunglasses wearing men in black type agent barely caught the mother's attention as it proved to be the most normal thing about this situation. This, of course, was unfortunate, as her eyes only reached the sight of a man, she hadn't seen in over nine years all the faster...a sight that still featured his hand resting on Summer's cheek.

The world was silent as guilt overtook Summer, as most other occupants of the car were filled with sorrow at the vision she now had to witness. Gareth's own sadness at his mom having to wake up with this, was enough to even account for Nimue's professional hold on her emotions, and therefore had the despair of two people.

"A-Arthur?", the woman stuttered it out, probably unsure if she should feel Velvet's shock, Gareth's rage, or Summer and her ex-husband's regret.

Nobody even could pretend to open their mouths to speak, for there was really nothing anybody could say...well at least not anybody with a physical body that was.

"Salutations Ms. Cadarn. I know these are unfortunate circumstances you have awoken too, but it is a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance. My name is Penny, or rather P as you've heard Gareth refer to me as-", the tone was far too friendly then it had any right to be...but that only was because of the kindness it contained.

However, as Laura blinked once, twice, then three times at the impossible image stitched before her, the sound was what finally broke the camel's back. Her body not able to handle the emotional stress even with the physical one gone, her emerald eyes rolled back, and she decided to find normalcy within her own subconscious again.

And with her collapse the echo caused the apocalypse outside to now switch its way inwards as a blue aura grew, and the paused murder attempted was now resumed.