Chapter 20
Weiss just sat through Professor Port's class, staring at the clock on her scroll. Everyone agreed when class was done for the day, they would meet up and discuss what to do. It was right now 3:59 and it looked like it was never going to stop.
"You know, Weiss," Theodore whispered, "staring at the clock won't make time go faster."
"Do you have a spell that can?" Weiss asked without looking at him.
"Sadly, no. Wish I did though."
Theodore returned to reading the book on Grimm studies. He looked behind him to see Jaune talking to Pyrrha about something, what he heard made him smile.
"So Pyrrha," he said, "I was thinking after this, we could go grab a bite to eat?"
"I would like that Jaune." Pyrrha replied, "Are we going to do anything else after that?"
I always knew those two would get together sooner or later. Theodore thought, Unless, Jaune still only sees Pyrrha as a friend. He can be so dense sometimes.
"Yeah, I also got two tickets to the new Spruce Willis movie if you want to make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awesome."
"That would be great. I haven't watched a movie in a while."
DID HE SAY SPRUCE WILLIS?! Theodore shouted in his mind while covering his mouth to try and contain his laughter.
"And then maybe after that we could come back and study. You know, since we have a test in a few days."
"That's a good idea Jaune. After class?"
"Yeah, after class."
Still seeing her as a friend. You are dense, Jaune. I guess that what makes you a fun and lovable guy.
Theodore then heard an alarm go off signifying that class had ended. Professor Port was still speaking until he noticed the time.
"Oh, uh, timed that one wrong I guess." He said, "Well, the stunning conclusion of this story will have to wait. Until next item."
Everyone got up out of there seats and left. Before Theodore left to join Team RWBY, he walked to Team JNPR to talk to Jaune.
"Hey, Jaune!" Theodore called, "I overheard yours and Pyrrha's conversation. Did you say Spruce Willis?"
"Well, yeah." Jaune replied, "Why are you smiling like- "
Theodore couldn't contain his laughter any longer. He fell to his knees laughing his head off. Team JNPR looked at him like he had gone almost insane.
"What's so funny?" Ren asked.
"In my world, ha ha ha ha ha…" Theodore said through laughs, "There is an actor with almost the same name, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Except, it's...BRUCE WILLIS! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Theodore just burst into another fit of laughter. After laughing for almost three minutes, he was finally able to calm down enough to stand. Theodore then walked to his dorm to grab some things before he left with Team RWBY on their mission.
Team RWBY had just finished getting dressed for the task at hand. Ruby was dressed in a grey dress with an outer overall skirt over it and her cape to complete it. Weiss' attire consisted of a button up battle shirt and black skirt. Blake had a white button up short-sleeved shirt with black jeans to go with it. Yang was wearing a white vest shirt with black sleeves on it with a purple gem necklace instead of her scarf.
"I thought that class would never end." Blake said with walking through the room, adjusting the ribbons on her arms. A knock was heard at the door, so she went to answer it. Opening it, she saw Theodore wearing an ocean blue t-shirt with black pants and a grey sweater. Blake stepped aside so that Theodore could come into the room. Once he was inside she closed the door.
"No dramatic coat today, Magic Boy?" Yang asked with a smirk, noticing his attire.
"I was going to but decided against it." Theodore replied, "The job is to find information not draw attention to ourselves, and what kind of a name is Magic Boy?"
"The funny kind."
"I'll tolerate that name…for now."
"Alright guys!" Ruby said from her bunk bed, "Today's the day! The investigation begins!"
"I am glad to see we are taking this so seriously." Weiss said with some sarcasm in her voice.
"Hey, we got a plan." Yang said back, "That's…moderately serious."
"Right!" Ruby said, "Everyone remember their roles?"
"You, Theodore, and I will head to the CCT to check the Schnee records for any other dust robberies or inconsistencies." Weiss said, "Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."
"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to handle orders and recruit new members." Blake said, "If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."
"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale." Yang stated, "Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."
"Great!" Ruby exclaimed, "We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!"
"Yeah!" Shouted a new voice. All five students turned to see Sun hanging upside down by the window with a smile on his face. By how long he was hanging there, he must've heard the whole thing. Seeing him there caused all four girls to take a step back from the window.
"SUN?!" Blake exclaimed.
"How did you get up there?" Yang asked.
"Ah, it's easy." Sun replied, "I do it all the time."
"You do what?!" Weiss asked with an angry look on her face.
"I climb trees all the time." The monkey Faunus answered then jumped into the room landing on his feet. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"
"We are going to investigate the situation…as a team." Blake answered, putting emphasis on the last part.
"Sorry, Sun." Ruby apologized, "We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."
"Ouch. I'm hurt." Theodore intervened, "I'm a friend and I'm involved. Plus, I invited him."
"YOU WHAT?!" All four girls shouted.
"We need all the help we can get." He replied, "After seeing him hold his own against both Torchwick and the White Fang, I figured he would be great help."
"You got that right!" Sun exclaimed, "I also brought Neptune."
Team RWBY and Theodore looked out the window, to the right to see Neptune standing on the ledge with his hands and back up against the wall.
"Sup." He said with a smile.
"How did you even get up here?" Ruby asked.
"I have my ways." He replied, then supported a scared look, "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like…really high up right now."
"I got you." Theodore said. He then whispered something in an unknown language and Neptune teleported into the room. He said a quick 'Thank you' to Theodore and then stood to attention.
"All right." Ruby started, "I'll go with Weiss and Theodore. Sun you can go with Blake, and Neptune you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. Everyone good?"
"Actually Ruby," Weiss said, "why don't you go with Yang. After all, she is your sister."
"But Weiss, who would go with you, besides Theodore?"
"Well, I guess Neptune could come with me."
Ruby just laughed followed by a simple 'Nah' and dragged Weiss out of the room. Theodore stayed behind to give Yang and Blake a gold coin with his symbol on it, explain what they are for and followed Ruby out.
Theodore, Ruby, and Weiss arrived at the tower. The young sorcerer was impressed by the size and design of the tower.
It's not the Empire State but it's impressive all the same. Theodore thought.
"WOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ruby exclaimed, "I forget how big the transit tower looks so close!"
"You should see the one in Atlas." Weiss said.
"That was the first one, right?"
"Correct. Atlas developed the cross continental transmit system to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."
"Ohhhh, look at me. My name is Weiss. I know facts. I'm rich." Ruby tried to contain her laughter after her little imitation of Weiss.
"Ruby…be nice." Theodore said, "I think you're annoying the Ice Princess."
"Thank you, Theodore." Weiss said, then turned her attention to Ruby, "The only reason we're here is because she likes the tower so much. We could've just as easily made a call from the library."
"I know but it's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, "Oh, I'm gonna take a picture."
The young huntress pulled out her scroll, then accidentally dropped it. Theodore was going to retrieve it until it landed at the feet of someone familiar. That said person picked up the scroll and held it to Ruby.
"Oh." She said, "You dropped this."
"Penny?!" Ruby said.
"Uhhhhh…"
"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks."
"S-Sorry, I think you're confused." Penny said before hiccupping and sending the phone flying into Ruby's hands. "Uh, I've got to go." Shen then turned around and walked away.
"What was that about?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know," Ruby replied, "but I'm going to find out. You go make your call. I'll meet up with you and Theodore later."
"Wait!" Weiss said, but Ruby went ahead and followed Penny. The heiress then looked at Theodore. "Well, I guess it's just you and me."
"Sorry Weiss but I'm going with Ruby." Theodore said. He then turned to Weiss, grabbed her hand and placed a gold coin in it. "One of my contacts is in the building waiting for you. If he asks about me, show him the coin and he'll know you're a friend."
"Contact?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah. You think I could keep tabs on the whole city? Even if I used my magic, I wouldn't be able to, so I have contacts. Eyes and ears everywhere in Vale. They let me know what's going on and what is about to happen. Gotta go. Be careful."
Theodore then turned and went to follow Ruby and Penny. Weiss just stood there confused for a few seconds then just started walking towards the entrance of the tower. Theodore caught up enough to hear Ruby talking to Penny.
"Penny, where have you been?" Ruby asked, "It's been weeks!"
"There seems to be a misunderstanding." Penny replied.
"What?! Penny, is everything okay? Penny, please stop!"
Theodore decided to help and teleported in front of Penny, making stop in her tracks. She had a look of surprise on her face. She didn't see nor hear Theodore and yet he appeared right in front of her.
"Penny, please just listen to us." Theodore pleaded.
"Look, I don't know what's wrong, but you have to listen to me." Ruby said, "Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something big, something bad, but I need you to tell me and Theodore what happened to you that night, please, as a friend."
Penny sighed and then looked around courtyard. She then walked up to Ruby and Theodore.
"It isn't safe to talk here." She whispered.
Weiss entered the building and moved toward the elevator. If she wanted to make her call, the top floor was her destination. The doors opened, and she entered. There was someone else inside, but she ignored the person. Once she was inside, the doors closed.
"Hello, welcome to the CCT." A voice on the speaker said, "How may I help you?"
"I'd like to go to the communications room, please." Weiss replied.
"Absolutely. Could you please place your scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?"
Weiss pulled out her scroll and put it near an open console. A scanning noise was heard for three seconds before it died down.
"Perfect." The voice said, "Thank you Miss Schnee."
The elevator then started to go up. Weiss was trying different smiles just in case her father answered the call. The first smile she thought was to casual. The second smile was too polite.
"If you're auditioning to be a clown, you're failing." A male voice said. Weiss turned to see the person she ignored when she first entered the elevator. He was a boy 18 year of age. He had jet black hair that reached to his neck. His height was 6'2", the same height as Theodore. His attire looked like a combat outfit for a soldier in the Atlas Military. It was red with black outlines on it. She looked to see what looked like a high caliber sniper rifle on his back. His shoes were combat boots that were a very dark brown. Looking at his face she saw his eyes, she saw they were an emerald red.
"Excuse me?!" Weiss exclaimed, "Do you know who you are talking to?!"
"Weiss Schnee." The boy replied, "Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and student at Beacon Academy."
"How did you know about Beacon?"
The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin with Theodore's symbol on it. Weiss had a surprised look on her face, opened the palm of her left and showed the same coin. She then put two and two together.
"You're one of Theodore Constantine's contacts." She stated.
"Yes, I am." He replied, then held out his left hand to shake Weiss', "Titian."
"Titian…" Weiss replied while shaking his hand expecting a last name.
"Sorry, my first name is all you're going to get right now." Titian replied.
The elevator stopped moving signifying they had reached the intended floor. Weiss walked out to the receptionist desk hoping to ask for help. Out of the blue a hologram of a woman appeared behind the desk.
"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center." The woman said, "How may I help you?"
"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas." Weiss answered.
"Absolutely." The hologram said and punched in some numbers before returning her attention to Weiss, "If you could head over to terminal 3, I'll patch you through."
"Thank you." Weiss said and started walking to specified terminal. She looked behind her to see Titian close behind.
"You make your call. I'm going to keep watch and make sure no one is trying to listen in." he said.
She nodded and walked to her terminal. As she sat down, Titian leaned against one of the walls next to her and kept watch. A few seconds later the computer turned on and an employee from the Schnee Dust Company appeared.
"Thank you for calling the Atlas-Oh!" the employee exclaimed, "Miss Schnee! Good Afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."
"No thank you." Weiss replied, "I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list."
The young heiress placed her scroll in a slot that transferred the list to the employee for verification.
"I see." The employee said, "If you don't mind, what might I ask is this for?"
"School project." Weiss lied.
"Um…there are some sensitive documents on this list ma'am."
"Well then, I'll be sure to treat them with care."
"Right. Well…the data is being transferred to your scroll now."
"Wonderful. That will be all then."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Well then…have a nice day."
The computer then shut down and the call ended. Weiss had a sad look on her face after the call ended. She then became shocked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning to the source she saw Titian with a worried look on his face.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied.
On the other side of Vale, Theodore had finally explained his secret to Penny. She had a surprised look on her face after hearing the whole thing. She promised to never reveal the secret unless Theodore said so. Ruby finally came back after making sure they weren't being followed and all three of them walked down the sidewalk.
"I wish I could help you Ruby and Theodore," Penny said, "but I don't know anything about those men."
Figures that Atlas would keep their citizens in the dark about these problems. Theodore thought.
"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby asked Penny, "We were all together and then you just disappeared. Were you kidnapped?"
"Ruby, did you see what she could do at the docks?" Theodore asked, "I doubt anyone would even want to try to kidnap her. I sure wouldn't want to try."
"Theodore is right Ruby." Penny said, "It was nothing like that."
"Well then where did you go?"
"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out to far, but…you have to understand. My father loves me very much. He just worries a lot."
"Believe me, I know the feeling."
"I only knew that type of worrying through my mom." Theodore said.
"But, why not let us know you were okay?" Ruby asked Penny.
"I…was asked…not to talk to you…or Weiss, or Blake, or Yang, or Theodore, or anybody really."
"Is your dad really that much of a jerk?" Theodore asked while cracking his fists, "Give me his name and I'll show him what happens when someone tries to keep their child in solitary confinement."
"No, it wasn't my father." Penny said. Before she could continue, however, a voice interrupted the conversation. The three students looked to see the hologram of an Atlas soldier speaking to the crowd.
"The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant forces several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't you agree?" The man asked. The bulky robots took a bow and the crowd started to clap. Theodore finally recognized the man as General James Ironwood, the head of the Atlas Military, headmaster of the Atlas Huntsman Academy, and a member of the Atlas Council.
"But…the kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation," the general continued, "and fine…well that's just not good enough is it?"
Crates behind the robots opened, revealing more advanced and humanlike robots.
"Presenting, the Atlassian Knight 2.0." the general said as the new robots stepped over the old ones. The crowd clapped as they watched the display.
"Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly a little less scary." Ironwood said as the robots did funny poses. "These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone. Now, the Atlassian Military always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that undoubtabley require…a human touch."
Theodore looked unimpressed by what he was seeing while Ruby on the other hand had stars in her eyes from the display of tech and weaponry.
"Ruby?" Penny asked with a worried look on her face.
"Don't worry, this is normal." Theodore assured her.
"So, our kingdoms greatest minds in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company are proud to introduce…" the general stated, "the Atlassian Paladin!"
The hologram of the general vanished to be replaced by one of a mechanized walker with arms meant to be piloted by a soldier.
"That looks like a machine from Metal Gear Solid." Theodore said.
"Metal Gear Solid?" Penny asked.
"It's a video game."
"Now we couldn't have them here for you today," Ironwood said, "but these mechanized battle suits will be seen defending the borders of our kingdom within the year!"
"Great. Just what we need, more Atlas weapons in Vale." Theodore said sarcastically, "As if there weren't enough already."
Ruby was practically drooling over what she was seeing. Penny on the other hand was looking more nervous by the minute.
"Ruby, Theodore," Penny said while taking a step backward, "maybe we should go somewhere else."
"Penny, what's wrong?" Theodore asked. Penny didn't reply, just ran into an alley. Ruby noticed as well, calling out her name but failing to get her attention. Trying to learn why she ran, Theodore saw what looked like two soldiers from Atlas running in their direction. Ruby must've seen them too because she started to run in the same direction as Penny. Seeing this, Theodore decided to follow them.
The three students ran past streets and down multiple alleys hoping to lose the soldiers. Sadly, the little routine was not working, and the soldiers were gaining on them. Down another alley, Ruby got an idea. Seeing a stack of boxes on a pillar made of wood, she took out her weapon and cut it making the boxes fall, blocking the soldiers path. She then grabbed Theodore's hand and used her semblance to pull him along to catch up with Penny. She then had the young sorcerer hold onto her cape, while she held onto Penny, and dashed off the wall into a different direction. Once they were out of reach, some debris crowding the alleys because of how fast Ruby was going, she let go of Penny and tumbled onto the ground. Theodore tumbled as well before landing on his back.
"How does the Flash manage to go so much faster and not get nauseas?" he asked himself while rubbing his head. He sat up to see Penny doing the same but didn't see Ruby anywhere. Looking around he saw her in the last place she needed to be. Right, smack, dab in the middle of the street and in the path of an incoming van.
"RUBY!" Theodore shouted at the top of his lungs and ran to her. Seeing there was no time to push her out of the way, he enveloped her in a hug from behind and turned his back to the van while getting down on his knees, taking her down with him. If he couldn't get her out of the way, he could at least act as her shield. He hoped that either his aura or magic would protect them to some degree. Hearing the van getting closer, he braced for impact. He heard the impact, but he felt no pain. After a few seconds of wondering why they weren't hit, he looked behind him and was stunned at what he saw.
Penny had stepped in and stopped the van, with her bare hands. Some of the street had come loose and flown everywhere, but other than that, no one was hurt. Theodore let go of Ruby and stood up with a surprised look on his face. Ruby stood up as well with a look of surprise equal to his own.
"Penny?" Ruby asked quietly.
"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driver. He nodded his head, saying he was fine. She looked to see a sad look on Ruby's face while Theodore still looked surprised. She also saw a crowd forming around the scene. Feeling uncomfortable about the situation, Penny ran another direction.
"PENNY! COME BACK!" Ruby shouted and chased after her. Theodore followed close behind while making sure they weren't being followed. He and Ruby finally caught up with Penny and stopped in an alley corner with a garbage trunk near.
"Penny, please!" Ruby said and started bombarding her with questions, "What is going on?! Why are you running?! How did you do that?!"
"Is your semblance super strength?!" Theodore asked.
"I can't!" Penny replied, "Everything's fine. Hiccup! I-I-I don't want to talk about it! Hiccup!"
"You're lying, Penny." Theodore stated, "I noticed that you hiccup every time you say something that is not true."
"Penny if you can just tell us wrong, we can help you!" Ruby stated.
"No. No, no. You wouldn't understand." Penny said while turning her back to them.
"Then let us try." Theodore said, "You can trust us, just like I trust you."
Penny then turned back to them.
"You two are my friends, right?" she asked, "You promise you're my friends?"
"We promise." Ruby said then turned to the young sorcerer, "Right, Theodore?"
"Right." He replied.
"Ruby, Theodore…" Penny started, "I'm not a real girl."
Penny then showed them her hands and what they saw shocked them. Some of the skin had peeled away, but surprisingly there was no blood. Ruby and Theodore both saw that her hands weren't made of flesh and blood, but of metal.
"Oh." Was all Ruby could say. For Theodore, he had put the pieces together. The soldiers chasing them, her leaving early after the fight at the docks, and her orders to not talk to anyone. The answer came in three simple words in his head.
"She's a robot."
AN: Hey everyone. So sorry for the late update. I have had a busy month from returning from my sisters wedding to looking for classes at college. Thank you for your patience, even though it took me a while. I hope this chapter will make up for the long wait. I have already started on another story but haven't finished the first chapter yet. I will upload it when it is done though. Until next time, Sentinel Prime out.