Penny stared across the street directly at her twin. "Hello Sister," she greeted her, examining her down to the smallest detail. She was indeed her mirror image, not even her freckles looked out of place to her. But from what General Ironwood had explained she was indeed her sister, built from spare components Ironwood had collected and assembled without her father's knowledge and with special enhancements.
"Hello Penny," she greeted back, studying her blankly. A human wouldn't have noticed but her identical eyes moved tracking each and every one of Floating Arrays many blades.
"Penelope," she called her, that was the name Ironwood said she was given that name and she wondered if the name had any meaning for her, "that is your name right?"
She nodded to her, "that is indeed my official designation Penny Polendina," she explained to her, keeping her eyes flickering cautiously to each and every blade.
"You do not need to listen to him Penelope," she said, giving a glance over to Vasily. His cold blue eyes turned away from Jaune to look at her with evident amusement.
"He is my master, my weidler," she said as if that explained everything.
"No!" Penny said to her firmly, "he stole you, he not your master and you are not a weapon to be wielded Penelope, "please sister… end this before it begins, we do not-"
A blast of energy from her eyes interrupted Penny as her sister fired lazily upon her. At first she had believed that the attack had been intended for her but the searing twin beams shot past her and straight down the street.
Penny turned seeing a fire truck in the distance explode. Penny turned back to face Penelope, she still stared at her blankly. Why had she done that? Why had she destroyed a fire truck?
"You were saying sister?" Penelope asked her, "we do not what?"
Penny gazed back at her, "we do not need to fight sister."
Vasily laughed at that, as if Penny had told some kind of humorous joke that cut the tension. She looked back at him and then to Jaune who stayed ready but made no move to attack the hunter. He looked at her and gave her a flat but comforting smile, they were together now and it comforted her greatly to still see him alive to simply be here to help protect him.
"Penelope I am finished listening to this nonsense," he said to her, "dispose of your sister and leave the Arc boy to me, oh and keep any interruptions away from us." he ssaid leveling his rifle at Jaune.
Penelope's eyes flashed green and fired. The thin double beams of light sliced right across two of Penny's strings cutting the blades away to drop harmlessly onto the street as she rushed for her blades cutting a deadly path.
Penny retreated blasting off rearward and into the air as her own swords intercepted Penelope's parrying each and every strike that went her direction.
Sparks flashed in the night as their swords collected matching each other blow for blow. One of her blades shattered as it connected with one of Penelope's. Her weapon looked like Floating Array but it was quite different in its own way, it was stronger, heavier and as it met her weapons edge to edge it chipped and dented her swords.
"Penelope," Penny said, dodging a blast of her eyes, "this violence does not need to continue," she said to her, "stop and we can end this together, we can end this peacefully."
"Peacefully?" Penelope asked her quizzically. "We are weapons sister, we have no need or desire for peace."
"No!" Penny told her, "we are not weapons Penelope, this is not why we were built."
"What purpose were we built if not weapons?" Penelope asked her, "why was I given superior strength if not to use it? Why was I built to shoot lasers from my eyes? Why were we given targeting systems? We were built for conflict sister, it seems you are the one that is mistaken."
"We were built with these things so we may be protectors Penelope," she tried explaining to her glancing down to see Jaune engaged with his own fight against Vasily, she needed to get down there fast and help him. "Were were given these things to serve as guardians Penelope, we were made to end conflicts not perpetuate them."
Penny landed safely on a rooftop retracting Floating Array and holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. "Penelope, please stop this now and we can speak to our father, we can speak with the general, you don't need to listen to Vasily, you can protect this city alongside me."
A blast from Penelope's eyes interrupted Penny, she ducked in time only for the beam to sear off a lock of her copper hair.
"I do not see any true difference between protector and weapon," Penelope told her, "you are only flighting to end conflicts because your master has ordered you too, it would be different if General Ironwood ordered you to simply dispose of his enemies whoever they were, you would obey him."
Penny rocketed away and deployed Floating Array diving into the streets. "No!" Penny told her, "I decide who I fight and I do not obey my orders blindly! And I do not kill unless I must."
Penelope followed firing more blasts of her eyes and weapon. The blasts cut holes and gashes into the sides of the buildings. Penny tried returning fire but her hardlight shield deflected her attacks.
"Then you are a bad weapon sister," Penelope told her, "I am not."
Penny landed in the street taking a defensive stance. "I see," she said looking at her sister feeling a stab of sorrow for her, "there is no reasoning with you then."
Penny fired off two of Floating Array's blades stabbing into the engine block of a parked car and flinging it right at her. Penelope's blades flashed to shred the vehicle apart but before she could tear apart her projectile Penny brought her blades together and charged up her laster firing a concentrated bast right through it striking her sister.
The car exploded into a dozen different pieces of twisted steel. Penny blasted off to pursue her enemy. She had given her a chance to end this, now she was going to end it for her.
Jaune ducked behind a car.
Kaboom!
The engine block exploded from the show bursting apart into thousands of pieces. Jaune knew he couldn't dodge Vasily's rifle forever but he was hoping he would at the very least run out of shells before Jaune's luck did. So far it was at the very least seeming possible if nothing else.
He watched as the assassin opened the rifle and ejected the casings and pulled the bulky express rifle rounds from his bandolier. Jaune counted eight more shots, eight sounded like it might has well have been fifty, he wasn't sure if he could survive even one shot from that beast of a rifle, his poor shield was already dented again from absorbing the rounds and now Jaune was sure that too many more would shatter it.
Jaune ran down an alley. Fighting in the open street would only be playing into Vasily's hands. Versatile as the assassin was he clearly favored to fight at range, his express rifle was designed for it, powerful as it was he could only get two shots off at a time and it looked heavy and unwieldy and it had to have a hell of a kick.
Kaboom!
Jaune rounded the corner of the alley as the shot shattered the corner spraying the area with pieces of brick and concrete. From the roof on the alley a dog drone leapt down and Jaune greeted it with his blade cleaving it half to leave a sparking corpse in the alley. He sprinted down the alley to another corner but ducked down behind a steel dumpster and waited catching his breath as he waited to ambush Vasily. He took a moment to catch his breath as he crouched down ignoring the smell and listening intently for Vasily to chase him.
He kept repeating his plan in his mind. Catch him by surprise, close the distance, attack him with everything you got. It was simple and hopefully effective, the sound of footsteps echoed down the alley and he tightened his grip on Corcea Mors, he held his breath as he watched a shadow on the wall sprint down the alley and suddenly stop.
The shadow raised it's long rifle, shit.
Kaboom!
The dumpster Jaune was hiding behind bust open, the round struck his shield striking it like a hammer on an anvil knocking him open and away from his cover. Vasily moved to reload and Jaune jumped to his feet sprinting for him. He pushed himself feeling his heart pound in his ears as the assassin ejected the cartridges and grabbed for two more on his bandolier. Jaune watched as he closed the rife and brought it level, he was too far, he was staring down both barrels.
Boom!
Something exploded. Smoke and debris filled the air as he was knocked down the alley rolling gracelessly away. For a moment he had thought Vasily had shot him but the ache all over his body. The grey cloud of dust and smoke obscured everything, he coughed and blinked out the dust in his eyes, squinting to see through the dark cloud as it blocked what little light there was in the alley.
Twin beams cut through the grey cloud cutting a trail in the ground as he rolled away. He had lost all sense of direction in the smoke running only away from where he had seen the beam coming from. Doubtlessly Penelope could see him through the smoke, he imagined his heat signature glowed rather brightly in the infrared.
Another blast came from out of the cloud right for him as a hand grasped his arm and wrenched him out of the path. He was pulled inside through a broken wall and found himself staring into the glowing green eyes of his girlfriend.
"Penny!" he said, he knew it was her instantly. The concern and worry her eyes held looking at him was all the proof he needed. It wasn't that blank cold state he had gotten with Penelope. An ache of embarrassment coursed through him, he felt dumb and ashamed that he had been fooled by the imposter or that it took feeling her underwear for him to figure it out. He shook away those thoughts and feelings, he could apologize to Penny later for kissing and groping her doppleganger, when they weren't in danger.
"Are you alright?" she asked, leading him through the dark building, "are you injured Jaune?"
He shook his head, "No, I thought I was a goner before that explosion. What was that?"
"Penelope threw me into the side of the building," Penny said looking like she was embarrassed that it had happened to her.
That also explained the broken wall Penny had pulled him through. "How could she do that?" He asked her, finding the idea of anyone being able to put her through a brick wall frightening.
"She is more advanced than I am," Penny told him, "She has weapons and systems I do not and is physically stronger."
"You can beat her," Jaune said, it wasn't a question, it was an assurance he wished he could honestly feel.
"That is not likely in my current state," Penny told him, "I was attacked and my aura and power levels are now greatly depleted compared to her's."
Jaune didn't say anything as he led him through the pitch black hallways, if her aura was down then he knew just what to do. The shadows disappeared as both their auras glowed white together. His semblance channeling the essence of his soul into her giving her aura levels a boost.
"Jaune," she said trying to pull away from him but he kept hold of her hand, "stop you need your aura more than me."
"Are we really going to have this argument again?" Jaune asked remembering the last time he had tried boosting her aura with his semblance.
"It was a bad idea back then too," Penny told him.
"This is different," Jaune told her.
"You are right, it is even worse," she said continuing to object despite now pulling completely away from him.
"At least we don't need to worry about freezing to death here," he said, "and I'm not so sure, I don't know if I can explain how or why but Vasily seems off his game tonight."
Penny nodded and pulled away from him. Their auras stopped glowing white together and once more they were in the dark, for a second Jaune contemplated kissing her for reassurance. "That's enough Jaune," she told him, "we need to-."
Penny was cut off as laser blasts tore through the walls. It wasn't simply the twin beams of Penelope's eyes but multiple long streams of burning green light that ripped through everything cutting fiery paths. Penny threw Jaune to the ground protecting him.
"Penelope stop!" Jaune heard Vasily roar, the laser fire ceased immediately. It was muffled by distance and through the walls but he could also hear the click of boots on the floor. "You will bring the whole building down like that!"
Penny crouched low and shuffled Jaune forwards away from the damage. Fires left behind by the energy blasts illuminated everything around them as they moved low down a hallway.
"If the building collapses master, Arc will surely die," Penelope said, "and Penny will likely take significant damage."
"Do you expect me to dig through rubble for Crocea Mors?" Vasily hissed, they were getting closer. "And Arc is mine to finish, dropping a building on him would hardly be proper."
Jaune hardly breathed as smoke began to fill the building stinging his eyes. He spotted an exit sign in the distance glowing as if a hopeful light in the tunnel. If they could only get away while Vasily and Penelope continued to search this building for them they could hopefully catch a break.
"Go!" Penny told him in a whisper.
"What? No!" Jaune said, immediately, understanding her intention. "I am not leaving you!"
"I will hold them off," Penny said.
"I've gone through this shit before Penny!" He hissed trying to keep his voice down. "I know what you're thinking and I'm not going to leave you to fight them."
"Jaune," Penny pleaded.
"No!" Jaune affirmed.
Penny looked away from his gaze and nodded, "fine, let us get out together."
Jaune nodded happy that she had agreed. They moved quietly straight for the emergency exit. Jaune knew it wouldn't exactly lead them to salvation but right now giving Vasily and Penelope the slip was the closest thing he could ask for.
Kaboom!
Jaune practically jumped out of his skin when he heard the thundering roar of Vasily's rife, it was far louder indoors. So close to the door his nerves had been completely on edge. He had felt the enormous round fly right past his head and through the steel door. He turned to see the hunter staring down the sights, they were trained right on him.
Kaboom!
Penny pushed Jaune down at the last moment for the slug to fly over his head and leave a second hole in the steel door behind him. Vasily was already reloading rapidly, pulling two more shells from his bandolier, his last two.
"I am sorry Jaune," Penny said as she stood up and deployed Floating Array.
She pushed him back, hard. Her superior strength made it easy and he flew back striking the bar of emergency exit and out the door watching as Penny fired her jet boots and charged down the hallway towards the assassin. He stumbled into the outside, the fresh cool air made him shiver, completely different than the smoke he had just escaped from.
Kaboom!
The round cut through the steel door and struck Jaune right in the back. His aura flashed white, amplified by his aura. Something happened as the slug impacted against his aura, it exploded reacting violently with the contact made. The force of the bullet and the explosion forced him forward, he crashed into the brick wall of the neighboring building. Jaune fell to the ground, he felt like he had been hit by a car.
He rolled on the ground moaning in pain. He wondered for a moment if he was dead. By all means he felt like he should be. He had been hit by that rifle, through a steel door granted but still hit. He tried to breathe but the wind had been knocked out of him, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his scroll.
Twelve percent, and dropping. Despite his semblance activating to shield him as best he could from the shot it had practically dropped him to zero. He felt blood on his back, doubtlessly his aura was draining to heal him and he was sure he would have one hell of a bruise from this.
But he was alive, barely but it was something. At least he knew his aura and semblance could take a hit from that express rifle, not that he would be getting away with it twice tonight, next shot would leave a tunnel through him.
He stumbled up onto his feet moving back to the door. He could hear the sounds of battle inside. The hiss of steel blades, the muffled crack of Vasily's revolver, crashes. He was ready to force the door open and charge back inside to help Penny.
More laser fire cut through the wall and trailed down cutting the door in half. Jaune ducked the beams and moved away. Blasts of green energy penetrated outward tearing wounds into the structure.
Jaune could only step away and watch as brick and glass were severed. He stepped into the street wondering what he could do except avoid the blasts.
The building shuddered and it sounded like rolling thunder. He watched as it collapsed, falling into itself. It sounded like a dozen ear splitting explosions and spilled dust through the streets obscuring everything.
Jaune coughed looking at he pile of rubble before him. "PENNY!" He yelled into the darkness. "PENNY" he coughed again as thick coats of the dust filled his mouth and his lungs. He stepped for the rubble, he would dig his way to her if he needed to.
Another blast of green light directed upward into the sky and chunks of steel and concrete were knocked away as he watched Penelope rise from the ruins. Her dress was a mess of tattered rags, her hair was burned, singed short and uneven and her skin was dirty with ash and dust. Jaune raised his shield ready for another blast of her laser eyes but she charged him instead.
She backhanded his shield away, he felt like his arm was ripped from its socket and her hand went to his throat. She rocked him back across the street and slammed his back against a wall holding him there. He raised his sword feebly to strike her only for her to catch his wrist and twist his arm. Pain shot through the limb, he was expecting to hear his bones snap but instead she held it a strange angle slowly applying pressure, the pain kept blooming hotter and hotter.
A single blade of her weapon deployed and thrust slowly right at his eye. He watched as the tip inched closer and closer to his eye as he gasped for air, he felt like his arm was going to break like a twig.
Jaune stared at her as his vision blurred and his lungs felt like they were going to burst. He tried not staring at the blade approaching and only stared at her blank expressionless eyes. The tip of the blade touched his eye and his aura glowed shielding him. Tears streamed out of his eye and he found himself hoping that the lack of oxygen would make him lose consciousness before he lost an eye or had his arm broken in several places.
A needle of green light flashed. The blade pressing into his eye fell away, it's string cut. A half dozen blasts struck Penelope, her red aura flashing. Jane turned to see Penny flying behind her, Floating Array unleashing a torrent of laser fire on Penelope.
Penny looked worse than Penelope. Her dress was also in ragged tatters that hardly hung to her dirty with debris and soot. Her right arm was gone, a wound of sparking wires and steel, her other hand savagely gripped one of Floating Array's blades.
"Let him go sister!" Penny said firmly to her. She looked furious, anger burned in her eyes like he had never seen before.
Penelope dropped him as she was instructed blasting energy from her eyes. Penny dodged the attack letting the duel beams fly harmlessly into the sky. Penny charged and Jaune rolled out of the way as the two androids collided. Penny kicked her sister slamming her against the concrete wall and lashing out with her sword. Penelope dodged as the tip of the sword sank into the walk punching Penny and forcing her back.
Her boots fired as she tried flying off to higher ground but Penny wasn't letting her escape that easily, she grabbed one of her boots being lifted away as she hacked at her leg. The blade cut through the mechanical boots causing the limb to spart and falter, the thrust of the jet boots sputtered and died. The one boot was not enough to achieve left and they dropped. Penny landed gracefully on her feet and threw her smashing her against the asphalt.
"Give up!" Penny demanded, Floating Array's blades at the ready. "This is over!"
Penelope didn't say anything, she only lashed out silently. Blade met blade, sparks ignited as they clashed upon one another. She fired her eyes and charged Penny running across the street to meet her.
Sparks suddenly erupted from Penelope's chest and her aura blinked and shattered into glowing bits of dust.
She halted her charge and looked down to see the tip of Crocea Mors protruding from her belly. She turned to see Jaune standing behind her pushing his sword right through her. He stared right into her cold mechanical eyes with hot fury.
Penelope spun around and struck him with a backhand. Jaune went flying away, losing his grip on his sword, it remained lodge through her.
Jaune hit the ground and rolled, his aura too gave out bursting in a flash of white light that quickly dissolved.
"Jaune!" Penny cried. She charged Penelope as she turned to face her sister. Penelope was ready greeting her charge with a blast from her eyes that struck square in her chest. Penny's aura held as she rocketed forth and rose the blade she held. Penelope caught Penny's wrist blocking the sword blow, around them their floating blades clashes and parried each other. Penelope brought a fist up crashing it across her sister's face. Penny couldn't defend, she only had one arm that was locked in Penelope's hand. Jaune watched as the two grappled each other locked together. Penelope tried using her free hand to break the contact but Penny would not cease.
Penelope's eyes glow once more with intense greet ready to fire her laser vision close range. The beams erupted and Penny dodged wrenching her arm to the side, bringing Penelope's own arm into the path of her own twin beams.
Without aura the laser sliced right through the android's arm severing it. It dropped like scrap metal and Penny raised her sword to strike Penelope.
Kaboom!
Sparks erupted from Penny's chest. It burst open spilling wire and mechanical pieces Jaune did not know the function of. Her aura burst and dissolved into green light. She fell to the street bleeding sparks twitching mechanically.
No.
Jaune couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe what was happening right now. This was not happening. She was alive, she was tougher than him, tougher than anyone. She was just hurt, in need of repairs.
The light of her glowing green eye faded slowly turning dark, cold, dead.
"Penny!" Jaune screamed.
Hey everyone I hope you liked this week's chapter. I am sorry I did not post last Sunday. The Almeda fire here in Southern Oregon forced my family and I to evacuate, it was a very scary and stressful time and I was not in any place to provide quality writing. Thankfully my home was sparred and I was able to return home where currently we are all safe and sound and I was able to get back to writing. Sorry this chapter had to be a cliffhanger, I wanted to completely finish this fight in this chapter but it was getting too long so next week (assuming no other disasters strike) come back and you'll this particular fight come to it's conclusion. As usual please review and leave me with your thoughts and comments. As usual I would like to thanks MidKnightMoonglow99, Firefly25, MajorBrony95 and DrknssRules1 for all their help and contributions for this fic and the next, and thanks for talking to me in this difficult time it really helped.