Polendina's Parenting Problem

Chapter 2:

Family

Atlas, 9 years prior to Salem's attack

"Someday, you'll be the savior of our world, but not quite yet. First you must learn to live, and experience all the beautiful things this world has to offer before you can start your training."

He then laid a hand on his chest, formally introducing himself even though he knew that she was fully aware of who he was, as personal data on him and several other key individuals was already encoded in her AI before her activation. That was one of the things the General insisted upon, to ease the integration of the girl into the team she'd be working with and, hopefully, speed up her training when it came to that.

"My name is Pietro Polendina. I'm your father, as my aura was used in your creation. I will be by your side, as your mentor and your legal guardian. Please consult me about anything you need or are unsure about, at any time of day. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes sir, every word." The girl saluted him formally, sending a twinge of pride through the old man's heart and earning an affectionate chuckle. "I'm happy to serve under the Kingdom of Atlas."

He smiled down at her, glad that the formal and official introduction that protocol dictated he was required to give was over. He much preferred a more personal and gentle approach.

"Now that that's out of the way," he reached down and gently placed his hand on top of Penny's hair, ruffling it slightly with a look of pure and genuine parental affection.

"Welcome to the world, my darling."

A full week passed in the blink of an eye, and everything still felt somewhat surreal to Pietro. He had a daughter! Just saying those words filled his heart with joy, as it had seemed like something out of his reach only a few months ago. Despite being overjoyed at the existence of his daughter, he was still a very busy man and the days working in the Atlesian Military compound were long and exhausting.

Each day started with a routine check-up on Penny's systems, as they were still very fresh and there was a possibility of errors in her internal systems that needed to be smoothed out. He referred to them as "bugs", as Penny seemed to be more fond of that term than 'error'. and Pietro was more than happy to change to suit his daughter's wishes. And right now, all he cared about was making sure she had the best start to her life possible.

She was destined for a far greater purpose, but not in his eyes. To him, this was more than enough.

After the check-up, Penny had several hours of study under the watchful eye of doctor Braun, covering a range of topics from the history of Remnant to the socio-political intricacies of it's peoples. General Ironwood had explicitly stated that it was of utmost importance that such a groundbreaking and state-of-the-art piece of technology understood and was capable of dealing with humans perfectly, and had more knowledge than any human alive to be able to assist with their military dealings.

Again, these were the General's wishes rather than his own.

But the girl seemed to be eager to learn, readily taking in all the information that doctor Braun shared with her, and her ability to retain this knowledge impressed them all. Needless to say, Pietro was beyond happy with this development. Watching Penny grow filled him with joy. She was naturally inquisitive, and it seemed that her curiosity was a key component in her behaviour, with Penny often wandering around and exploring any part of the military facility that she could whenever she was free from duty.

After lunch time (although Penny didn't need to eat, the rest of them certainly did) and assuming all the tests and studies that day had been satisfactory, it was time for relaxation. This was Pietro's favorite part of the day, as he got to spend time with his daughter. It was the time where she got to experience childhood, or as close as was possible. It meant more than anything being able to share with her all the stories and tales he could think of, and teach her all his life's wisdoms, and to create a deep, meaningful bond with the robotic girl.

Fortunately, today was no different.

"So," Pietro began as he moved a chess piece across the board, hoping that his upcoming move would outsmart Penny. "Did doctor Braun teach you anything fun today, darling?"

"Oh certainly!" The girl responded with a smile, moving a piece in response to counterplay her father and negate the move he had planned next. "He taught me every one of the 161 weaknesses a Boarbatusk grimm has! It was really interesting."

They were seated at a small table in Pietro's personal office, the normally formal workspace feeling so much more welcoming now that he had company. Company that, at the moment, was beating him handedly in chess while chatting about things that weren't work related.

"That does sound interesting! Tell me more."

Penny began to talk enthusiastically about the large spot beneath a Boarbatusk's chin that could kill it instantly if it was struck, while Pietro sat back, barely saying anything, content to just listen to her talking, the old man spacing out every now and then.

He couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly Penny's personality was developing. This level of growth was expected over months, not weeks. She was developing and exploring out of her own free will. She continued to be polite and courteous towards the General and the rest of the 'Penny Project' team, but towards him her behaviour had started to change, acting less formal towards the darker complexioned man, and opening up more about the things she discovered while roaming the facility or things that she found fascinating and interesting.

Pietro treasured these little moments, enjoying Penny's company more than that of his colleagues that he'd known for decades, as harsh as it might seem.

"Checkmate." Penny abruptly said, pulling Pietro out of his train of thoughts. "That was a good game, father. Thank you."

"W-Wha?" Pietro stuttered, rapidly checking the chessboard to see if there had been an error. But there wasn't, and Penny had indeed beaten him at a game he was extraordinarily good at, and for the third time in a row. He sighed with a smile, admitting defeat.

"Guess I can't defeat someone who thinks 72 times faster than I can." He chuckled. "You've really improved, darling."

At this remark, Penny smiled kindly like a child who just scored highly on a test. She then proceeded to clear the board and put away the game on a nearby shelf, relieving her father of a task she knew would be difficult for him due to his rapidly deteriorating legs.

Taking her seat on the chair in front of him again, Pietro noticed a somewhat troubled expression on Penny's face, as if she was unsure about something, but didn't dare speak of it. Knowing that it was his role to be the one she could confide in, he spoke up in an attempt to help.

"What's troubling you, dear?" He tilted his head in slight concern, his face wearing a worried expression.

"Well.." She hesitated, pointing her gaze down into her lap. "There is something I was wondering about, but I'm unsure if I can ask such a personal question. I don't want to upset you, sir."

Pietro moved his chair around the table until he was seated next to her and he reached down to rest a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. Her movement sensors picked up on this and she turned her head to look up at the man, who offered her an encouraging smile.

"There's nothing you aren't allowed to ask me, Penny. I want you to remember that."

"Alright." She sighed deeply, preparing herself for the scolding she was sure she would receive for asking about someone's personal life.

"Father, do we have any more family besides the people who work here?" Penny questioned, somewhat unsure whether she had crossed a line she shouldn't have crossed.

But her father's reaction was different than any of the outcomes her systems had predicted could be possible reactions to her words. She noticed the subtle changes in her father's expression, as it went from curious, to slightly surprised for a brief moment before shifting to an expression Penny hadn't seen before. It was an expression of melancholy and sadness, as he slowly shuffled his chair towards a nearby desk without saying a word to the girl.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to cause distress." She hurriedly apologized , but her father once again reassured her that what she had said hadn't crossed a boundary, and he handed her a photograph with his signature smile.

Carefully inspecting the photograph, Penny noticed three people of darker complexity standing in front of a small house. Two men and a woman, one man standing a good foot taller than the other, with the woman somewhere between the two men in terms of height. Although the details had faded somewhat since this picture had been taken, she could see a lot of similarities in facial structure between the two men. Judging by their similar appearance and the layout of the photo, Penny's algorithms suggested a very high probability that this was a family portrait.

"Who do you see, dear?" Pietro smiled, hoping she'd catch the resemblance between him and the little boy in the center, despite the colors in the photograph being faded and worn.

Penny pointed a finger at the small boy in the picture, much to his surprise and delight. "Is this you, father?"

"Correct, dear." He nodded, moving his chair closer and looked over the child's shoulder. "And who are the other people?"

Gently, Pietro took the picture from the girl and laid it on the table so they could both have a good look at it.

"These people are your grandparents. And that's me when I was younger, at our house. I was born and raised in the city of Mantle, below Atlas." He said, indicating to the boy who when this photo was taken, was roughly the same age as Penny.

Penny inspected the picture more closely, analysing more elements in an attempt to understand and learn from it.

The house that the three people stood in front of looked to be in a poor condition, especially compared to the houses that stood left and right of it. With a broken front window, and a missing handle on the front door, the house was a far cry from the wealthy estates Penny had seen in Atlas.

The people she now knew as her grandparents both wore tattered overalls and a hardhat with the unmistakable symbol of the Schnee Dust Company just about visible despite the dirt and grime - a symbol she had learned about during one of Doctor Braun's lessons - on the front of it, and both of them were covered in a layer of dirt and muck, but looked happy nonetheless.

In the middle of them stood her father, dressed in clothing that looked notably out of place next to the work clothes of his parents.. Instead of rough overalls, he was dressed in a fancy blue jacket with white trousers and black shoes bearing a symbol she did not recognize and a smile that decorated young Pietro's face, one that seemed to be a combination of the smiles of both of his parents. She wondered how it was possible for the same family to have such significant differences in standards of wealth?

"My parents worked for the Schnee Dust Company. Everyone who lived in Mantle worked for them back then. They delved for Dust in one of the larger mines a few miles out into the tundra. It was long, hard work for relatively little pay, and I didn't see them as much as I wanted to. There was always more work to do." Pietro explained to the young girl, helping to clarify why her grandparents were clad in their dirty attire for a family picture. They must have not had much time for anything other than work.

Penny found her curiosity getting the better of her, and she continued her line of questioning. She wanted to know more about these people, her grandparents. "What happened to them?" she asked hesitantly.

Pietro sighed, knowing this conversation would have come sooner or later. Penny was still young and this was a lesson he'd hoped not to have to teach for a while yet, but it was a lesson she would have to learn. Especially if it concerned her own family.

"One of the mineshafts suffered a partial collapse while they were both there. They, along with several other workers were presumed dead at the scene. Though sadly, they were never found. The SDC isn't exactly known for their mine safety, I'm afraid." He said sadly, setting the picture back on the table.

"That's terrible!" Penny responded with a gasp. "What happened after?"

"Well, I was only a young adult when it happened, and my parents had invested all their lien in making sure I enrolled into one of Atlas' best academies, so I spent most of my time there. Their deaths motivated me to work for a cause that was greater than myself; I wanted to change the world, one small step at a time. I wanted to make them proud."

He smiled at Penny. "And I think I did a pretty good job at fulfilling that purpose."

Pietro didn't believe in a strict upbringing with unreasonably high expectations, despite (or perhaps because) being raised this way himself. With his parents spending all of their savings making sure Pietro got the best possible education, he felt obliged to make them proud, but it did cause a lack of bonding that he shared with his parents before their deaths that only made him feel worse after the accident. They were the only family members he had ever known.

His parents wanted the best for him, but that meant they expected the best of him. They expected excellence in his studies, and often he wasn't able to relax until he had shown an acceptable level. Pietro knew this was all from a place of love, but he didn't want Penny to feel the same distance he had with his parents. Even if much of her life was already laid out, he wanted this part to be different.

However, he was grateful for the way his parents pushed him to be the best he could be, and for the way they sacrificed everything they had to give him the best start in life

Because if they hadn't, he wouldn't be here right now.

Sitting in his office as one of the most renowned Atlesian scientists, working on state of the art projects at the cutting edge of military technology. And now, talking to perhaps the greatest Atlesian technical marvel, who also happened to be his daughter.

"I believe I feel.. sadness." Penny suddenly admitted, gazing down into her lap with a mournful expression, just as she had earlier in the conversation. "I'm sorry father."

"What are you sorry for, Penny?" Pietro asked, confused.

"For making you experience sorrow. I had no means to." Penny replied, looking at her father with apologetic eyes, fearing she had struck a nerve while discussing her father's late parents.

Then, for the second time that evening, her father's reaction did not match Penny's expectation in the slightest.

Because he laughed. He laughed loud and long, his kind eyes seemingly full of mirth and not sorrow as she thought. She predicted a 21.67% chance that he was doing this to mock her, but that didn't seem to be the case as he closed in on the girl, wrapping his arms around her petite frame in what she made out to be an attempt at a 'hug'. Although that gesture was something she was still very unfamiliar with, she tried to reciprocate it to the best of her abilities.

"Oh child. You have no idea, do you?" He laughed, pulling away from the hug and placing both his hands firmly on the girl's shoulders.

"About what?" Penny questioned, tilting her head slightly to the side and causing her signature orange curl to bounce on her scalp.

"Before I gave life to you, I was mostly alone, with only my work to keep me company and no one to share my days with. But now that I have you to care for, I may very well be the happiest man in all of Remnant!" The man exclaimed with heartfelt joy. "You're the child I always wanted to have."

For a moment Penny's expression shifted to what might have been the most human Pietro has thus far seen from her. It was an expression of affection mixed with a touch of pride.

"I'm happy to have you in my life too, father. I truly treasure our connection." She chirped happily, causing a swell of pride in the old man's chest and nearly bringing a tear to the scientist's eyes.

Their tender moment was interrupted by the harsh tone of the clock on the office wall signalling it was now 8pm, and that it was now time to leave the office and go back to Pietro's apartment in the upper ring of the military compound as the area would shortly be entering lockdown for the night.

In accordance with his wishes, Penny's charging station was moved from the main Project Room to his own personal quarters, just two days after activation as it only felt logical for a father to have his daughter 'sleep' in the same house he lived in. It also meant that, should any issue happen with Penny during the night, someone would be on hand to assist straight away. Luckily it didn't take much to convince the rest of the team, including the General, to agree to this idea.

So now after each working day, Penny would join him in heading towards his home. To their home.

"Let's go, darling." He gave her shoulders one last affectionate squeeze, before jokingly and giddily talking to himself. "Heh, I wonder how many fathers have a child that's as badass as my daughter."

Penny laughed at his remark, joining her father at his side as they left the workspace and the compound. However, a sudden thought began to process in the young girl's synthetic mind.

"Father?" Penny asked her father one last time while they were standing in the elevator.

"Yes dear?"

"What does 'badass' mean?"