The immediate trepidation in Dr. Polendina's voice gave Yang pause. For a moment, she began to feel incredibly guilty for so brashly dismissing the man's welcoming gestures. Her own determined expression melted away as she watched the older man's lips droop into a sorrowful frown, and within seconds, she looked away in shame. With a defeated sigh, she raised her natural hand and ran it through her hair, working through the thick strands as she shifted her weight to one side.
"…sorry," Yang offered quietly. "I… guess you have an idea, already."
"I think I do," Dr. Polendina agreed. "And… it's alright. I was actually expecting this to happen earlier."
"Is something wrong!?" a harsh female voice clearly strained with the weight of aging called from somewhere on the other side of the lab.
"No, no!" Dr. Polendina called back as he turned his chair slightly, its mechanical legs whirring and buzzing as their joints flexed. "Just one of the new kids coming to visit!"
A small pause in conversation filled only by the gentle beeping and shifting of electrical and mechanical equipment occurred before the female voice called back.
"Tell 'em we're too busy for their crap! If they've got complaints, they can take it up with James!"
Yang snorted in amusement despite herself and broke out into a grin as Dr. Polendina turned to face her with an apologetic expression.
"Err… don't mind Maria," the man reassured. "She can be a little ornery, especially when she's distracted while trying to work. You're quite welcome here."
"For now," Yang joked before letting out a sigh. "Sorry for coming in hot. I've just… I've got a lot on my mind, and I don't know how this talk is going to go down. I've been holding myself back from marching down here for days, but… my team has been talking a lot about making peace with things. Dealing with loose ends, mentally steeling ourselves for what's to come before we find ourselves knee-deep in a fight. Until I've got answers, I'm not going to be at that point… so here I am."
"That's a mature way of looking at things," Dr. Polendina offered as he took off his glasses and withdrew a worn red rag from his vest pocket. "And I don't blame you in the slightest for having questions. This is about Penny, I assume?"
Yang let out a breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding before moving to sit upon a vacant countertop. She pressed her palms down into the black surface and crossed her legs in front of herself, giving Dr. Polendina her full attention.
"I just… want to know why. I need to know why Hope is what she is, and why you haven't told her anything. She doesn't recognize me, she doesn't remember Ruby… Penny was our friend, and I feel like I'm the only one who cares. Everyone else thinks that it doesn't matter, or it isn't a priority right now, and to an extent… maybe they're right. Maybe I'm just being stupid, but I can't just let people go that easily. Not when things could be different, and she's right there. Not when I've lost people and had to feel what it's like to live without closure. Please, just… tell me why."
Dr. Polendina puffed a few hot breaths onto the lenses of his glasses as Yang spoke, before beginning to clean them off with circular motions of his rag. He kept his eyes down on the lenses as he listened, his brows furrowing in thought.
"…I don't think you're being stupid at all," the man said softly. "I've seen the footage from Beacon… probably too many times to be considered healthy. I have optical recordings of everything Penny's ever seen, records of every conversation she's ever had. I feel like I know you, and your sister, too, so… I get it. I understand your pain, Yang. I want you to understand that Penny was indeed a person, like you said… and she was my daughter."
Yang blinked, unsure what to make of the statement as she tilted her head to one side.
"Like… her consciousness? Put into a machine?"
Dr. Polendina looked up and locked eyes with Yang, equally confused. Quite suddenly, he burst into a soulful peal of laughter, his chest rising and falling as he put his glasses back on with a smile.
"No, no, not my biological daughter- never had one of those. Just… family, in the same way that I'd wager you feel like the people you came here with are part of yours."
"They are," Yang confirmed, feeling rather stupid. "Now more than ever."
"I guess there's also the fact that I did literally create Penny that strengthened the bond I had with her," Dr. Polendina considered. "That, and the fact that she was given a part of my aura."
"A part of your aura?" Yang asked. "Do you mean… permanently?"
"Permanently," Dr. Polendina confirmed with a solemn nod. "That's part of why Penny was… well, Penny. She had a bit of soul in her- a gift from me that gave her life, at my expense. When she was… retired at Amity Coliseum, a piece of me went with her. That's one of the reasons Hope is what she is- if I give up much more, I'll be risking my health more than I already have by creating Penny. Aura entwines with the body once it's unlocked. Keeps it running efficiently, aids biological processes almost like a background program, you might say. Suddenly losing some of it on a permanent basis led to some adverse effects that I didn't see coming."
"…and that wasn't the only reason?" Yang questioned. "What else is there? That seems like it would be reason enough on its own, if the toll it took on you was that bad."
"Oh, it was," Dr. Polendina acknowledged with another nod. "But… I don't think I could lose another daughter like I lost Penny. The Hope that you're familiar with is Hope Mk. III. Watching her get disassembled out in the field is hard enough, even knowing she's 'just' a machine. Maybe I just get too attached to my work… but given how special Penny was, I think it's justified."
Yang paused and folded her hands neatly in her lap as she considered the man's words.
"…so… Ironwood never ordered you to make Hope a construct without memories? Without a 'soul' like Penny had?"
"James?" Dr. Polendina asked, seeming surprised. "Oh, no- he had nothing to do with it. Never has, actually- I've been given total creative freedom, so long as my creations are combat ready. That's all he ever asks, when I'm making tech for him. If you're wondering why he's so adamant that Hope remains ignorant of Penny's life, well… that's simply because she 'works' right now. Showing her the footage from Beacon, or insisting that she try to 'remember' data she doesn't have? It could have unpredictable effects, and what we need right now from Hope is stability."
"…oh."
Yang couldn't bring herself to say anything more for a moment.
"That being said… Penny was a part of me," Dr. Polendina continued. "I lost something in her creation. I lost something in her decommission. I don't think I'll ever be quite the same, but I did learn valuable lessons each time. I have a feeling you might be able to relate to the idea of losing a part of yourself, through someone else."
Yang slowly lifted her mechanical arm, flexing each of its saffron fingers inward to touch lightly against her palm. She turned the limb over as she extended her digits once again, looking them over as if it was the first time she had ever seen the device.
"…yeah, I think I get it. I just… don't know if Ruby will. She's stubborn like that, when it comes to sentimentality. Thanks for the arm, by the way. I don't know if I ever actually thanked you directly…"
Dr. Polendina waved a hand and tilted his head downward with a smile.
"Think nothing of it. As for Ruby… I do hope I can meet her in person, someday. She helped Penny grow throughout her time at Beacon, maybe even more than I did. I'd hate to break her heart going into details about Hope like I have with you, but… it may be necessary for closure's sake. We all suffered a loss, and we'll be better able to make it through that fact if we support each other. No different than any other loss of a person."
"Yeah. Maybe," Yang agreed. She watched as Dr. Polendina's chair suddenly began to turn, and she slid off the countertop and back onto her feet in response. "Going somewhere?"
"Mm-hmm," the man answered as he made a beckoning gesture. "Come on. There's something… I think you ought to see. The sooner you come to terms with it, the better."
"I really don't like the sound of that," Yang warned. "But I also have a feeling I might know what it is."
"I'd be surprised if you did," Dr. Polendina offered as he led the girl through rows upon rows of shelved electronic equipment. "Still… this is something that James did ask me to do."
"What, is it some kind o-"
Yang abruptly stopped walking as she saw what awaited her at the end of the aisle. Maria Calavera was stood upon a long countertop, barely visible behind the torso of the machine she was working on. The humanoid construct sat at the edge of table, its palms pressed down into the surface and its legs crossed in a familiar pose. The machine had the features of a young woman, its skin pale, and its uniform a reflection of Hope's in red and black coloration. Its black hair was styled in the same two-tiered way as Hope's, though the fibers were jet black instead of ginger. A red sword was laying atop the countertop next to her right hand, and for a moment, Yang saw something other than a machine sitting there and staring through her.
It wasn't until she noticed that the construct's eyes were a deep blue that she found herself able to breathe again.
"…Yang?" Dr. Polendina asked as he parked his chair just in front of the counter and turned it to face her. "Are you al-"
"Fine," Yang said quickly as she shook her head and looked away from the waiting android. "I'm fine, I just… you're right, I wasn't expecting that. It's nothing. What is… who is this…?"
"Pax," Maria answered immediately as she twisted a screwdriver somewhere upon the android's back. The construct didn't react, staring straight ahead in Yang's direction. "Hope, but with more firepower and the capability of using dust. Something I'd wager you would appreciate, young lady. How are you holding up?"
"I…" Yang began, only to trail off. "Is that Hope, or is this… is she another…"
"She's another," Dr. Polendina confirmed. "First of her line, and one of four. James asked me to iterate upon Hope's design, to act as additional security for the upcoming election. Two to defend Robyn Hill's gathering, two for Jacques, and Hope to patrol the skies of Mantle throughout the proceedings. Afterward, they'll all be serving as Mantle's protectors while the rest of you focus on Amity."
All that Yang could bring herself to do was stare as Maria continued to tweak Pax's back. The android seemed to self-correct as she was twisted and jerked from side to side, maintaining her balance atop the table.
"Is she… off?" Yang asked.
"She's idle," Maria answered, peeking over Pax's shoulder. "She can't hear, if that's what you're worried about. The others are either deactivated and half-complete or still just a set of blueprints, and Hope is out in Mantle right now. We're alone."
"I understand your concerns," Dr. Polendina let on. "Both with me, and with the news of Arthur Watts being loose in Mantle…"
"Arthur Watts?" Yang asked as she raised a brow. "Who…?"
Dr. Polendina and Maria looked at each other as the woman stopped her work on Pax's torso.
"…a rival of Pietro's," Maria replied. "Thought to be dead for a while now, but he apparently didn't get the memo. You weren't told?"
"If this is something that came out of the meeting last night, I was… I was preoccupied," Yang admitted with a frown. "Sorry. I'll ask the others, but that's not why I'm feeling… are you going to be okay with this?"
Dr. Polendina chewed at his lip for a moment before turning to look over Pax as Maria began her work once again.
"…I'll be fine. Don't you worry, Yang. Everything's under control, and we've taken precautions against Arthur. If it's not that, then I'm not sure why you look almost like you've seen a ghost."
"It's… nothing," Yang answered as she kept her eyes upon Pax's deep blues. The cold, robotic stare she received in return seemed incredibly familiar, enough to elicit a full-body shiver. "I'm gonna get going. I should catch up on what I missed last night, but… if you ever need an extra set of hands around the lab, I can come and help, when I'm not busy."
"As long as you don't mind just handing me tools," Maria snarked. "I wouldn't trust someone outside of the field with equipment this expensive any more than I can throw it at them."
"That's fine," Yang agreed as she slowly began to walk backwards with a wave. "I'll come back later to check in. Maybe with the rest of the team."
"Pleasant evening," Dr. Polendina offered as he returned the wave. He watched as Yang hastily made her way out of the lab before letting out a weary sigh. "I'm not sure whether I'm pleased or not that she came to visit. I know you'd rather I keep my feelings out of my work, but…"
The sound of a wrench dropping to the tabletop caused Dr. Polendina to jump in his chair as Maria walked across the surface to meet him.
"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" the woman accused. "If it's that important, then take your own advice instead of wasting any more time sulking. You just praised her for coming to talk to you for the sake of her mental health."
"I know, I know," Dr. Polendina admitted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I do still have all of her data, but… bringing Penny back to us without that component of 'soul' would be pointless. It might only make things worse," the man considered, getting only silence as his answer. "Right…?"
Author's Note:
Next week- back to Blake, before Sun gets what I'll call a moment.
-RD