Full steam ahead! Looks like I'll be able to keep up the new writing pace, which is nice, because I'm itching to work on some other ideas I have. A younger, less intelligent me might have tried working on two stories at once. Been there, done that, not making that same mistake again, thank you very much.

Had some fun with a computer update yesterday. I got about a half-hour of work done, went to save, and found that I couldn't – the document was opened as a read-only file. It took me about as long to save the work to a flash-drive, figure out that I needed to change the permissions on the C drive to allow me to edit my own files and then implement those changes as it took to write what progress I was trying to save. And now my computer wants to make another update. It can wait until I have this posted.

Before me and my computer have a meltdown, how about some review responses?

To D.N. Works, evil was exactly what I was going for. I felt that in the canon, Weiss was way too supportive of Yang, and Blake could've been harsher as well, but having Ruby turn away from her, even though it hurt, was the icing on the cake.

To xfel, the briefness of Qrow's encounter with Cinder is what I'm banking on, not to mention it looked as though Emerald ran interference with her Semblance. So yes, Qrow's here.

To jupitermonkey4, it was a Cardin fic that inspired me to write this one. I don't remember much about it, save that I dropped it after the first chapter because I was disappointed that they had rationalized and smoothed down all the nastiness in Cardin's personality. It felt contrived. I thought it would be neat to make a fully fleshed out character that still behaves as he's depicted in the show, and so, here we are. I'm flattered that you think my story stands at the top of Cardin-centric fics, even if it's a small pile.

Alright, that's enough out of me for now. Time to look in on Cardin.

Also, fun fact: I had planned to name this chapter "Awakening" but that one's already taken. Oops.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Defender

Cardin awoke to a boiling hot sensation coursing through his right arm. Opening his eyes, he saw Jaune, disheveled and sweaty, pouring Aura into his wrist. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his head was slumped forward. He looked as though he'd fall off his chair at any moment.

"Jaune?" Cardin croaked. "What happened?"

Jaune's eyes snapped forwards, and some warmth returned to his face. "You're up. Good. I'm going to bed now."

The warmth in his arm cut off abruptly as Jaune rose from his chair and wobbled out the door. The cold crept inward, and he nearly passed out, but a sudden spurt of adrenaline kept his eyes open. As he took in the foreign room, its stark walls and stiff mattress, its sparse collection of medical equipment, and the IV trailing out of his left hand, panic stirred his mind.

Pieces of memory came to him slowly as he struggled to recreate the events that led him to this room. The conversation with Penny came back first, but he shoved it aside, digging deeper for answers. Bits of the match against Yang replayed themselves, but jumbled, like a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces crammed together willy-nilly. As he remembered his defeat, struggling to hold back frustrated tears, the moment hit him. Eyes wide, he forced his head up. Swollen red lines criss-crossed with blue stitching marred the skin around his stomach.

The doctor jogged into the room, his blue scrubs stained by sweat marks. "Thank the Brothers, you're finally awake. Are you able to talk?"

Cardin licked his lips, suddenly aware of how parched his mouth was. "Water."

The doctor handed him a cup. It held only a spoonful of water, but the trickle that went down his throat revitalized him.

"Where am I?"

"Aboard the Defender," the doctor answered. "Pride of the Atlas Air Fleet."

Cardin scrunched up his brow. "Why here?"

The doctor tsked in irritation. "You have Ironwood to thank for that one. I tried telling them you needed to go to Vale Central, but they insisted on having you treated here."

Another memory returned, the two empty seats where Cinder and Nelly had sat, as crystal clear as a photograph before his mind's eye. He smiled.

"Good," Cardin said as the doctor studied his expression. "The food at that place sucks."

The doctor chuckled. "Believe me, our food is worse. How does freeze-dried refried beans sound?" He consulted the charts next to Cardin's bed. "Not that you'll be eating anything until tomorrow."

"How bad was it?"

The doctor took a deep breath and flipped through the charts. "The good news, she missed everything important. No damage to your lungs, liver, or kidneys. The bad news, a lot of your small intestine was destroyed beyond repair. I had to remove half of it. You should be fine, but I'd advise taking nutrient supplements to make up for the loss of absorption." The doctor grumbled under his breath, "The doctors in Vale might've been able to save it, but I had to make do with what I have. Also, you'll also need to take antibiotics for the next month."

"Thank you, doctor. Could you let Ironwood know that I'm ready to talk to him?"

"You should rest some more. Jaune did a lot, but your Aura's still depleted, and the internal injuries haven't completely healed yet. You can talk to him tomorrow."

"Now, doctor." Cardin put as much emphasis into his voice as he could. "There's no time to waste."

"Fine. You're to keep it under ten minutes."

Cardin nodded, and the doctor went to a phone in the other room. Just a few minutes later, General Ironwood and Winter stepped into the room.

"One visitor at a time," the doctor said, barring the door against Winter. "I can't have the patient stressed out."

The General nodded, and Winter stood out next to the door. At a signal from Ironwood, the doctor closed the door, leaving Cardin alone with him.

"Was it Cinder?" Ironwood asked.

Cardin nodded. "She had a front row seat, but she was gone when I was taken away. Where did she go?"

"I don't know. She and a teammate left the stands a few minutes before it happened. We weren't able to track them on the cameras." He stared down at Cardin's midsection, examining the criss-cross of red lines and blue stitching. "Do you think Yang was complicit in her plans?"

He shook his head and said, "I asked if Cinder had spoken to her. She acted surprised, but not nervous. Not to mention, she may hate my guts, but not enough to kill me. What happened to her anyways?"

"She's under house arrest for now, and she was disqualified from the tournament. Once this whole mess is sorted, she'll face charges for assault, along with any civil lawsuits for damages you would like to present." The last bit had the hint of a question behind it.

"I don't intend to press charges, but I might not have a choice. I'll have to speak with my father about it."

Ironwood scooted a chair next to Cardin's bed and sat down. "By the way, it was decided that the rest of finals would be postponed until you recover."

Cardin had to hold back a laugh at that. Whatever Cinder had done to make Yang try to kill him gave him another shot at winning the Festival. Even with Aura, a few days wouldn't be enough to heal severe internal injuries, but perhaps Jaune's Semblance would get him ready in time."

"Do you think it's safe for you to return to Beacon?" Ironwood asked.

Cardin chuckled dryly, which turned into a hacking cough. Ironwood leaned forward, offering a helping hand, but Cardin waved it away.

"Cinder may as well have snipers on every roof for how safe I'd be there, but I can't stay on here for too long."

Ironwood frowned. "There's been… pressure to release you to the care of Vale Central."

"Let me guess, a media shitstorm about how I'm dying, and Atlas is trying to finish me off so Penny will win, or something?"

Ironwood groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I swear, if I have to listen to another hour of that filth, I'm bombing the news stations. If it's not us trying to secure victory in the Vytal Festival, it's holding him hostage for political advantage, or getting even for splitting up our army. And that's when they even bother to try to explain why we're stopping the 'finest doctors in the world' from saving 'Beacon's star pupil'."

Cardin snorted. "Give me five minutes in front of a camera. They'll be singing praises for your decisive and generous aid."

"Until the five o clock news, when they say I forced you to cover for me."

"That's politics for you."

A knock came at the door. Ironwood tried talking the doctor into extending the conversation, but the doctor all but shoved him out the door. The doctor gave him another glass of water and a little white pill. Within minutes of taking the medicine, the dull ache in his chest faded away, and before he knew what was happening, he was out like a light.

He woke the next morning, famished enough to wolf down the sludge-like oatmeal mush the doctor had apologetically set before him. Once he had finished eating, he looked down at his chest. The stitching was gone, but pink scars still trailed across his stomach. The doctor had explained that Jaune healed him through the night, that his internal injuries had healed without complications, and he had more Jaune therapy sessions scheduled throughout the day.

Shortly after breakfast, Ironwood returned to his room. It took pulling rank three times and threatening to throw the doctor out the nearest dock door to get them alone. Cardin was still confined to his bed, but he was able to sit up with the help of some pillows propped around his back and sides.

"I announced that you have recovered enough to leave our care," Ironwood said. "Officially, the doctor says you are to stay in a wheelchair until tomorrow morning. Winter has generously volunteered to escort you while you are recovering."

"Bad idea," Cardin said. "There's enough talk already of me working with the SDC, of possible arrangements."

Ironwood looked puzzled for a moment, but his face hardened when he saw the implications. "I see. Then who would you suggest? I could assign you any of my soldiers."

"What about Penny?"

Ironwood was taken aback. "Why her?"

"It'd look good, having a Vytal Festival finalist helping another finalist recover. Good sportsmanship and all that."

With a smile, Ironwood said, "I'll send for her. Anything else?"

Cardin thought back to the conversation with Penny. "Yes, actually. Is Penny some sort of project of yours?"

Ironwood grimaced. "How'd you figure that out?"

"She thought you told me her secret. I said something about her transcript not being very thorough, so I'm guessing there's something you're hiding."

Looking off to the side, Ironwood said, "It's nothing relevant to our Cinder problem, and it would be best if word doesn't get out."

"If it's something you don't want people knowing, that makes it even more important I know. You wouldn't want Cinder using that secret against you, right?"

"It's not one I can see her using." Ironwood stroked his right arm for a moment. "However, I suppose I can trust you."

As Ironwood explained the details of Doctor Polendina's project, Cardin felt his jaw drop.

"Let's see if I understand this correctly," Cardin said. "You created a robot with a soul that can perfectly mimic human appearance and behavior." He thought back to Penny's antics and amended, "Well, almost perfectly. You snuck this robot into Vale as a student without telling the general public, and you plan to have it win the Vytal Festival to show how amazing it is."

"She is," Ironwood cut in.

"Whatever. Don't you think people are going to freak out about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You created a weapon that can stand toe to toe with a trained Huntsman, one that can blend into human society and acts directly under your control. Don't you think that'll make people paranoid? For all they know, their neighbor could be an Atlesian robot, reporting everything they say and do to you. They might even think a robot uprising could be brewing without anyone the wiser. And, pop quiz Ironwood, what happens when feelings of fear and paranoia spread through a major population center?"

"The situation is under control," Ironwood said. "The Dukes have been made aware of Penny's unique circumstances and have agreed to sponsor this project. They were very eager to see a mass-manufactured weapon to stand against the Grimm in place of people."

"Those Dukes work for Cinder. She knows, and I bet you anything she's planning to unmask your pet project in front of the world. And those same Dukes who told you it was fine to conduct military experiments in Vale will claim they had no idea and that you had snuck a dangerous weapon into Vale, disguised as an innocent-looking child."

"We have written agreements!"

"And I'm sure they were accidentally dropped into a paper shredder."

As Ironwood silently fumed over Valean politics, Cardin assessed all the options. They could try to bury the fact, but Cinder would undoubtedly find a way to dredge it up at the worst possible moment. They could have Penny withdraw from the Vytal Festival due to health complications or some other vague reason, but Cinder could expose such thin excuses as lies to get a military project out of Vale before it was discovered.

"You have to go public with this," Cardin said. "Right now."

"We're already have the media shelling us and you want me to give them more ammunition?"

"That's what makes it the perfect time. People are already up in arms about Yang, so Penny won't get as much attention. Phrase it as a fear that the prototype would be destroyed, and you didn't want to startle the public when nuts and bolts fell out instead of blood. Make it very clear that there's ways to distinguish robots from people, magnets, for example, and throw in other talk of safety features. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have footage of Penny destroying a swarm of Grimm to sell the deal."

Ironwood considered his proposal for a moment. "There's still the problem of having unauthorized military hardware in Vale. Even if we come clean, there will still be political repercussions."

"Ask Jacques for help from his lawyers. They know how to find legal loopholes, and Vale's code of law is designed to have more loopholes than the Gordian knot."

Ironwood's face curled in disgust. "I'd rather not owe him any favors."

"I'll have a word with him. I'm sure I could get him to help out of the kindness of his heart."

An eyebrow rose on the General's face. "I don't think he has a heart. He keeps himself alive through greed and spite." With a sigh, he said, "I'll leave that to you, then."

"Now for Penny herself? I presume you can explain some details about how she was made, or more to the point, how other people can't make knockoffs."

Ironwood smirked and fished around in a jacket pocket. A shimmering green sliver sparkled in his palm as he held it out for Cardin to see.

"What is this?" Cardin asked, holding it up in the light.

"A newly discovered type of Dust. We've decided to call it Life Dust."

"And this stuff is what lets Penny use Aura?"

"It's what gave her a soul."

Cardin sat up straighter in his bed. "What do you mean by that?"

"A machine does exactly what you program it to. You design the code, it receives an input, and it gives you an output based on whatever algorithm you used. The designer has complete control over the results. However, our experiments with Penny indicate that her code is… inflexible. Any attempts to override its programming are resisted by the Aura residing in it."

"So, what, you made a robot you have no control over? You might want to phrase that more carefully."

Ironwood nodded. "Once the initial program is set, it cannot be altered directly. Rather, the code changes gradually, over time, as Penny interacts with the world. She forms friendships, learns new ideas, and finds her own preferences. She grows, just like any other human."

"Which means she could learn to be evil," Cardin pointed out.

"Just like any other human," Ironwood said with a shrug.

"A 'human' that has superhuman strength, can survive conditions that would kill people, and can be mass-produced at your local Atlesian factory. Not to mention, if anyone else gets their hands on this Life Dust of yours, nothing's stopping them from making their own versions of Penny."

Ironwood smirked. "It's rather difficult finding a type of Dust that doesn't exist."

"And I thought you were an idiot. So, what, that's just some shiny rock?"

"No, it's real. You could use this to make a synthetic human, if you had enough." He took the crystal and put it away. "Takes a lot more than that, by the way. Anyways, this Dust was made artificially, using a one-of-a-kind device."

"So, we're back to square one. What's stopping someone from getting their hands on this?"

The General's face hardened. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. Be content that the protections around it exceed what Atlas technology is currently capable of."

His explanation reeked of further secrets, but Cardin decided not to dig any deeper. "Sounds like we have a plan then."

Ironwood nodded. "Grimm activity has spiked lately. Showing Penny deal with them would help our reputation and allay public fears." He smiled and gently patted Cardin on the shoulder. "If you ever want out of this madhouse for a country, there's a spot in my military for you. I'm sure I could get you promoted to Colonel before you're twenty."

Cardin smiled and shook his head. "If it were that simple, I would've enlisted years ago."

"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked. "Winter left home just fine."

"The position of CEO isn't usually hereditary, nor is it possible to take over the company through a convoluted string of inheritance laws. Vale is relatively safe because all Dukes agree that having assassins butcher whole family trees would be bad for everybody. There's all kinds of safeguards that make it difficult to assassinate someone here, from covert security screens to severe legal consequences, not to mention a Duke's mansion might as well be a fortress for all the security measures in place. The moment you leave the country, however, all bets are off. Foreign assassins are much harder to trace back to their source, and international travel laws prevent you from taking a full security detail everywhere you go. On foreign soil, you'd either have to travel anonymously or get protection from a local nobleman."

"Couldn't you abdicate your title, like Winter?"

"I'd be dead within a month. My father would remarry, and he'd have assassins after me the moment his new wife was pregnant. Thing is, abdication only bumps you down in the succession line. A member of the direct bloodline is legally required to take the claim before any branches of the family. It might be an option if I had lots of siblings, but I'm an only child, and even if I left, I'd be expected to serve the Duke or be suspected of plotting for the title."

"Let's see if I understand this correctly," Ironwood said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Your entire government is built around a succession system that forces people to assume power or get killed off by contenders that want it. How has your country not fallen yet?"

"It ensures that only the most ruthless and politically savvy Dukes can assume power. There's never been a weak ruler in all of Vale's recent history." With a shrug, Cardin added, "That's what my dad says, anyways."

"The sooner I get out of this country, the better," Ironwood grumbled. He stood and went towards the door. "I'll have you escorted back to Beacon when Penny arrives."

"Any press conferences?" Cardin could feel his heart racing. Just five minutes in front of a camera, and he could make Cinder and her allies hemorrhage clout and money.

"Oddly enough, no." Ironwood rubbed at the stubble on his chin. "Some producers have sent their well wishes and wanted you to know that they'll hold off on the media blitz so you can recover. Honestly, I'm surprised there's decent people in that line of work."

Cardin resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "Cinder doesn't want me on the news."

"Oh. That makes more sense."

The doctor kicked Ironwood out again, leaving Cardin to reflect on what Cinder might have planned. He could only imagine the public outrage at Yang's sudden attack after the match. Throw in some Atlesian military hardware posing as an academy student, and the whole country would be ready to boil over.

Questions circled around his head. Every so often, his mind would wander back to Ironwood's secrets, but he forced himself to focus on Cinder and her allied Dukes. What had she promised them to make them risk a Grimm horde at Vale's doorstep? What was her ultimate plan? Inciting distrust of Atlas, and perhaps Huntsmen in general, seemed part of it, but what could she gain? Dust prices would skyrocket if Vale cut ties with Atlas, maybe Torchwick had been used to horde Dust for the inevitable shortage? Then why have him at Mount Glenn? And there was still the matter of the goons sent to the Grimmlands.

He knew he was missing a piece of the puzzle. No matter how many times he reviewed everything he knew, he couldn't make sense of Cinder's actions. She was destabilizing Vale and cutting its ties with Atlas, perhaps priming a takeover from Mistral? Why would the Dukes agree to that? Was she tricking them somehow, and if so, what could she promise them that would make them ignore the risks?

After long hours of debate and reflection, Cardin concluded that whatever Cinder's plan was, the Dukes were in the know and complicit, else she could never have united the greater houses. All it would take was one Duke finding out the real intention behind her plans to topple them. Aside from that conviction, he had no way to string together Mount Glenn and the Grimmlands to the political tension Cinder was creating.

As the afternoon wore on, Jaune came in for a therapy session. He had the half-shut eyes of a sleepwalker, and every twitch of muscle seemed a Herculean effort for him. Grease matted his hair, and his clothes had sweat stains along the neck and armpits.

"You look like shit. Are they working you that hard?"

Jaune blinked sleepily at him. "I get airsick," he said in a thin, tired voice. "Haven't been able to eat or sleep much."

Once that was done, a doctor transferred Cardin to a wheelchair and helped Jaune out of the room. Penny came in once they left. She hesitated before placing her hands on his wheelchair.

"You expressed concern that I might have a contact-based Semblance," Penny said, leaning over him so her eyes stared straight into his. "Does this mean you do not wish me to touch your wheelchair?"

Looking closer into her bright green eyes, Cardin could pick out the unnatural way her pupils dilated smoothly and evenly, like the shutters on a camera.

"It's fine," Cardin said. "I know the truth now anyways."

Penny nodded. "Ironwood told me. He said he will tell everyone, soon." Her voice, more subdued than the usual saccharine happiness that infused every word she said, piqued Cardin's interest.

"You don't seem happy about that."

"My father warned me people would be afraid of me if they knew what I am." Her grip tightened on the wheelchair hard enough to make the plastic grips groan. "I have seen people afraid of me, and I do not want that."

"Do I seem afraid to you?"

She peered closer at him, nearly touching foreheads. Her eyes darted back and forth, like a scanner, analyzing every twitch of his face.

"You do not!" she said with a happy shout. "Ruby is the same way!"

"Wait, Ruby already knew?"

"Yep." She swung her head up and pushed the wheelchair out the door. "She has known for a long time. I asked her not to tell anyone, and she did not because she is my friend."

"How did she find out?"

As Penny pushed him to the Bullhead, Penny told him how Ruby bumped into her on the streets, then running into Atlas soldiers and running from them, Ruby nearly getting run over by the truck and Penny stopping it with her hands.

Cardin asked them to stop by the CCT first. Penny escorted him to a private room where he called up Jacques. It took a few calls to get a hold of his home phone, but after a lengthy conversation with a terse and distrusting butler, he finally had Jacques on the phone. His private study looked exactly like the one at his office, down to the stacks of papers on his desk, the Schnee silver paint on the walls, the positioning of the windows, and the carpet.

"Ah, Cardin, it's wonderful to see you up and about." His gaze flickered briefly to Penny, who stood behind him, before settling on Cardin. "I saw what happened on the news."

"Cinder had an unexpected ace up her sleeve."

Jacques eyes narrowed. "All the more reason to be grateful my daughter is coming home."

"Weiss?"

"You didn't know?"

He felt himself panicking and forced himself to breathe. He could sort Weiss out later, but now, he needed his lawyers.

"I was planning to steer her back to Atlas," Cardin bluffed, "But I hadn't expected her to change her mind so quickly. I presume what Yang did sped things along?"

"Her teammate? Yes, Weiss did mention her." Jacques smiled. "When were you telling me about your plans?"

"When they worked. I didn't want to promise you something I didn't know if I could deliver." He paused, pretending to consider something. "However, there might be a problem with that."

"How so?"

"It has come to Ironwood's attention that letting military hardware masquerade as a student might be bad for his public image." He felt Penny flinch behind him. "He plans to reveal Penny's identity before Cinder can use it to completely sink Atlas' foreign relations."

"Which means Cinder will try to strike after the announcement."

Cardin nodded. "Ironwood will need lawyers experienced in working with Vale's laws to find a loophole. As long as there's legal justification for Penny's presence, they can't impose sanctions on Atlas."

"Sanctions that might restrict travel to and from Atlas," Jacques continued. He checked something on his Scroll before saying, "I'll send them over in the morning. I'll get my PR people on it as well."

"Thank you, Mr. Schnee. Is there anything I can do for the moment?"

"Just one thing." He folded his hands and smiled. "Stay safe. I wouldn't want to lose a good business partner."

The line cut out, leaving Cardin staring at a blank screen. He pushed himself way from the table and turned towards Penny.

"Let's go to Beacon. I have to find out what happened there."