"You okay?"

Pyrrha felt a smile tug at her lips, and smoothed it out as she turned towards Jaune. He bore that same lovable curiosity on his face, the kind she'd been seeing more and more of within her dreams. No wonder Ruby grew affectionate for him: he really was a caring boy. But, alas, that was all he would be at heart: a boy.

How many times had he died young? Or, better yet, would he be allowed an easy, normal growth this time around?

"I'm well." She spoke anyway, continuing now to fiddle with her thumbs. The academy was situated right at the top of Atlas itself, overlooking the city from an eagle's point of view. It was magical, to say the least; she'd never had the chance to truly take in just how... encouraging the sight of so many people living their lives could be. Sure, she couldn't actually see any one person from so high up above, but the view of their creations was enough to bring about wonder.

"You sure?" Jaune prodded, and as she continued to stare out the window her friend drew closer. His face twisted, not into concern, but instead towards a childish mask of confusion. "Because you've been standing here for the past hour.

This... had an effect on Pyrrha, who was suddenly ripped from her peaceful mood.

"Really?" She twisted around. Honestly, it didn't feel like that much time had passed: to her, it had been only fifteen or so minutes.

"We passed you by a couple times... but I don't think you heard us calling out."

"I see... sorry."

"No no, it's cool." Like always he was quick to wash away any and all sense of fault from her, waving his hands as he so often did. In a way, he was almost as animated as Ruby herself at times, which only strengthened Pyrrha's own affections towards her team leader. Once more her smile relaxed itself, and she chose to start up again: this time with a question.

"Is there anything you wanted to tell me?"

"I mean... kind of." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I wanted to check up on you too."

'I'... not 'we', 'I'. While she had no doubts of her other teammates' worry, the fact Jaune chose to use 'I' over 'we' made it clear his approach over her wellbeing wasn't exactly discussed entirely with Ren or Nora; heck, she doubted he even ran it by with Oscar or Maria either. They were most certainly worried about her, based on what Jaune implied anyway, and she appreciated them for it, but it appeared he hadn't exactly mentioned to them he'd be checking up on her first.

If he did, the others would have begged him to let them come too; although, perhaps she was just overthinking things - she'd been doing that recently as well.

"And I am thankful for that." Seeing his face tense up just the tiniest bit from embarrassment made her happiness blossom. "Now, what was it you needed me for?"

"Oh, yeah." His face lit up. "Nora got talking with Neon, and she's agreed to show us some of the more exciting places down in Atlas."

"Neon?" Pyrrha felt like she knew that name, and Jaune confirmed it.

"Yeah, you know: Flynt and her fought against Weiss-"

"Oh!" Pyrrha felt a little stupid for forgetting that, especially with how 'out there' Weiss had been during the fight. "That one! I'm so sorry, they slipped my mind!"

"Hey hey, easy!" Jaune brought her back down to ground level. "It's not your fault. We only got to meet with them during the fight for Beacon, remember? Besides, if you ask me... I think they forgot about us too."

It was obvious he was just trying to make her feel better, Pyrrha knew this, and yet, she was fine with it. Sure, it was somewhat rude to completely forget someone, but like he said, they hadn't known each other for very long. Maybe this was their attempt to get to know one another again, and if so, she was perfectly fine with that.

"You're right... I apolo-"

"It's good, really." He took her hand. "How about, instead of saying sorry, we just go meet with them? From the sound of it, Neon's been planning this for at least a week now, so whatever they're going to show us has to be something pretty cool."

Neat... of course.

Pyrrha expected to be pulled back to their room, so it was a bit of a mild twist when he directed her not towards their lodging, but to the hanger on the lower floors. From here, she could see the rest of her team in the distance, and not only them, but Oscar and Maria too. She hadn't expected everyone to be here, but it was nice in its own way.

"Hey! Glad you made it." Flynt seemed fairly smooth with his greeting, but seeing as his main weapon of choice was a trumpet, she kind of expected a relaxed sort of feel around him. "So that makes everyone, yeah?"

"Yep!" Nora answered for everyone, chuckling darkly afterwards. "Now we're complete, and nobody will be able to stop us."

"We're just going out for fun; not to take over the world." Ren's automatic response wasn't quite as plain as it ordinarily was. Actually, he appeared to be in an outwardly good mood, which was rare for him. He was happy and calm most of the time, but he was genuinely showing it for once.

"Oh ho ho! That's where you're wrong buckaroo~" Nora's grin could be described as maniacal... if you didn't know what she was already like. Seeing some of the other loitering staff and soldiers nearby slowly move away from the girl was entertaining though. "Conquest is the epitome of fun. I'd dare say there's nothing more relaxing than the screams of your enemies as they beg and cry for mercy~"

"The Grimm can neither beg, nor cry."

Nora's response to Ren's logic was to pout.

"Well, a lady can dream."

"Huh..." Oscar leaned over to Maria, lowering his voice, but keeping it high enough so that Flynt and Neon could still hear. "She's actually toning it down for once."

Maria played into his little joke.

"When her man asks, she provides." This was followed up with a short little laugh. "Ah... I remember being young and spunky like her once."

Oscar visibly cringed.

"Please don't say it like that."

The faces of both Flynt and Neon slowly going from once cool, to restrained concern, and finally to hidden horror was... more than a little amusing. Pyrrha actually had to hold back her desire to let her amusement show, but it was quickly picking the locks she'd set in place. Rather than let her instincts win, she decided to take their host's minds away from the uncensored lunacy of Nora's mind.

"Pardon." She began, locking eyes with Flynt, who in turn nudged Neon to listen as well. "I was told you were inviting us to see some 'cool' places according to Jaune. Would you mind telling me what they are?"

"Cool places huh?" Flynt smirked, and despite not looking at him, Pyrrha knew Jaune was shying away a little. When put like that, it sounded rather silly. Flynt never made any humor besides a slight hum. "Well, we do have a place in mind, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'cool'." He paused for a second, leaning on his hip. "I'd say the spot we're headed for is rather warm. It does look nice though."

Ah yes, a cold joke... With all the ice and snow surrounding the kingdom, it was a wonder she got this far along before it happened; Pyrrha wasn't complaining though - that joke was in tune with Jaune's pickup lines in terms of quality, so really, it was quite pleasant to hear.

"Warm... okay then." She let herself snicker this time.

"Alright, I'll admit: that probably didn't sound too good." Flynt was interrupted by Neon, who offered him a gentle slap to the back.

"How about I just tell her?"

"Yeah, sure." He pushed up his glasses. "It seems I'm a bit too chill to lay out the facts."

"Haha haha, yeah." Neon twisted around, losing all fake cheer, and simply telling Pyrrha exactly what she asked for. "There's a nice overlook near the edge of the city. You can see the park from there, and also - unfortunately - the Schnee manor."

"Weiss's home?" Pyrrha found that more than a little intriguing; the Schnee household could be seen from an overhang.

"Look, Jacques Schnee is infamous for his less than subtle ego." Neon's grin was... just a little bit forced. "Basically, don't expect to visit any huge landmarks up here without being able to see the weirdo's influence in some form or another."

"I... feel like I shouldn't ask this, but when you say ego-?" She should have known it would be bad, but Neon made it more than clear her previous expectations were a tad too low.

"Have you ever seen one of those pictures where someone clearly just edited someone else's face over a body?"

"Yes..."

"It's like that." Neon's shoulders slumped. "But with statues."

Why did I have to ask?

.

.

"Woah!"

To be fair, Clover was putting up quite the fight... and by fight, she meant 'flailing around like a goofball at every last moment. But hey, on the bright side he had yet to get hit, so that had to count for something.

"Aww yeah!" Harriet cheered from her side enthusiastically, but Elm knew better: she was just as unnerved as the rest of them. "Show 'em who's boss Penny!"

"Hey!" Clover shot a quick look, only for his eyes to zip back to Penny, at which point he nearly slammed his face in the floor while ducking so low it near-physically hurt Elm, and she was only watching. He sent back a slight glare to the team-swapper. "You're supposed to be cheering for me!"

"No go." The shorter woman slid out a sly smile. "You pissed her off, so now you face the consequences."

"Not cool-YOW!" He skipped to the side, narrowly dodging the mechanical killing motions of the inorganic guardian.

"Meh." Harriet tossed up a shrug. "Sucks to suck."

"Oh come on!" His whining expression turned to fright again as he - this time - leaped over a lunge, landing behind Penny and having just a single second to breath before falling back on the defensive.

How Clover managed to come up with such a comical excuse as to Penny's sudden attack was something Elm was sure most of them would be mulling over for probably a week or two. But that was what made him so special, and was probably the deciding factor for his position as leader: his ability to improvise on the spot. None of the civilians were questioning the scene, and a few of them were even giggling along to the 'show' they were throwing.

As far as Mantle was concerned, this was just a little bit of entertainment before the main speech: a way to... liven up the party, so to speak.

"Hey, Vine." She casually called on the guy who was a few spots away, knowingly drawing the spying ears of the few citizens between them. "Take my spot for a bit; I need some time to myself."

"Very well." His approach was just as easy as their whole attitude towards the scene, but it still drew in a few spying glances to them. At the very least they were nothing more than a curiosity. Right as he took her place though, and as she started off, the prick decided to have some cheeky fun of his own. "You know you can just say you need to use the washroom, right?"

Son of a bitch!

Elm made nothing more than a grumble as she passed along, no doubt with more lighthearted jabs being laughed about silently behind her back. Yeah, saying she needed some time to herself sounded questionable, but with how mundane it was, she believed the people nearby would just shrug it off. Okay, so this was a bit of a laugh and would leave them with less questions, but she still wanted to keep at least a little bit of her dignity intact.

A frail hand took hold of her arm, and she looked over to see a short, older looking lady.

"It's alright dear: we all have to go from time to time. Pay their giggles no mind and take your time."

Yep, she was mortified. Clearly the little elder was just trying to ease up her nerves, which was nice, but it drew even more hidden laughter from the other 'less mature' patrons of the event. Still, she wouldn't condemn a woman who was only trying to help, and Elm did her best to appear thankful.

"Y-you're right, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Soon after, Elm finally made it to the washroom, and was left to bask in the soundless echo of basic plumbing. Apparently, nobody else was 'needy' right now, which was good. Letting a sigh of relief escape her, she walked over to the end stall, and after taking a second to appreciate the cleanliness of the place - seriously, there wasn't a piss stain anywhere in the stall; hopefully the janitor got a raise - Elm got down to business.

Taking out her scroll, she dialed up the one contact crucial to figuring out what was going on. For a few seconds the tone droned on, only for the voice of a man to ring through.

"Elm?" General Ironwood sounded a little confused, which was displayed in full as he spoke. "Has something happened? Usually, it's Clover who calls."

"He's busy 'sparring' with Penny, which is exactly why I'm calling."

"Sparring? I don't remember requesting a match between the two."

"I know." Elm hushed her tone. "Something's wrong with Penny."

"Wrong how?" The two words came out an octave lower, which was all Elm needed to know that he was up and alert.

"She's not speaking a word, and for the first time since the embargo she looks serious." Penny was a fairly chipper girl, and even when dealing with criminals she always had the time to smile for the press and public. Needless to say, when Penny wasn't smiling, chances were she wasn't functioning properly.

"Listen to me Elm, and listen well." His voice sent shivers down her spine, and despite all her usual bravado and strength: she was afraid. "Penny is under no orders to act out whatsoever. She is also not the type to lash out violently for no reason. Her systems are in perfect condition according to Dr. Polendina's reports, so defects are nearly impossible as well. And, with our current situation dealing with 'rogue pieces', I believe this sudden 'action' on Penny's part isn't mere coincidence, especially during such an important event. Whatever's going on with her, I can guarantee it isn't by choice."

"Sir, are you suggesting-?"

"Yes." She never even got to finish. "Penny has been hacked."

"What do we do?"

"The only thing you can do." There was a bit of bite in his remark. "Bring her in, by any means necessary. You have permission to trigger the kill switch."

This was not going to end well.

.

.

This isn't going too well.

Clover had to step back from another slash, and then another, and then another. Though not much of a surprise, the raw ferocity of her fighting style was a bit of a shock for him personally. Penny liked to 'dance' as she often called it when sparring up in the academy, so seeing such a direct, brutal, and efficient series of motives behind each movement was a little jarring.

Worst of all, however, was that she seemingly chose to stay quiet the entire fight so far.

Penny liked to talk, and learn, and listen to anyone who'd give her the time of day. So, when she finally tones it down, usually it's a sign something's significantly wrong. Even then, most of those times were just her being a bit upset about little things, such as the usual existential crisis of whether she's actually her own person or not.

What most of the others didn't know was that he'd spent a good many days and nights with Penny, mulling over and discussing these questions at great length. Time and time again he'd reassured her that she was indeed her own person, a real person. Her flesh may be synthetic, and her innards wired, but she was just as alive as every other individual walking the streets. Ironically enough, she had more heart than many of those who'd claim themselves tolerant of one another.

This Penny wasn't talking, or joking, or even looking at him like she normally would; this Penny had a single, solitary goal, and that was to fight.

"Look!"

He weaved back, stepping close again as she twirled around in hopes of grabbing her. Penny unfortunately dashed back, leaving him open for the kick she sent his way. Blocking with both arms, he was jutted back and spent a good second or so skidding across the floor. Looking up, he tried speaking with her again.

"I'm sorry, okay!" He clashed with her almost immediately. This time she used her thrusters to close the gap, and he was forced to catch her fist in his hands, taking a blow to his aura, which was dipping with every hit. "It was just a joke!"

"Oh yeah, that's surely gonna cool her jets; way to go boss." Harriet's sass, despite causing a bit more laughter from a few of the crowd, at least took some of the heat off their fight. Unfortunately for them, there were some sending concerned looks, and Clover realized they were losing them.

Come on, what's wrong! The people were used to her smile, and since she wasn't wearing one, it was easy to discern how some of the quiet onlookers could draw forth some reasonable concerns. But what was more concerning, aside from sliding under and past an incoming cleave, was the sight of Elm rushing around the crowds to his line of sight. Once she locked eyes with him, she mouthed something.

His blood went cold, and naturally, he was about to mouth a question... but she held up her scroll, and he knew what that meant: she'd conversed with the general.

Shit.

Eyeing down Penny anew, he considered if there might have been better options than this. The 'kill switch' as they called it wasn't something so easily approved, but if the general ordered it, then this was more than a potential defect in their friend's systems. The only thing worth triggering the kill switch over was a hack, and even then, Clover still considered it a bit 'iffy'.

She wouldn't die from it, so there was that at least. Despite the name, the kill switch was more akin to a hard reboot of a system: instantly halting any and all internal functions and cutting the power. With luck, she'd only face the expected drawbacks of the act... but on the off chance things went sour...

Her internals would be fried, and would require some major fixing.

Damnit!

Gritting his teeth, he ran through the options of continuing the fight for a little longer, but when Penny shot towards him, Clover realized he had no choice. She slammed into his chest, and her blades once more sliced down on his aura. But instead of just dodging or throwing her away, he pulled her in by those swords, and whispered the forbidden codeword.

"One-sixteen." January sixteenth: The day she opened her eyes for the first time.

And like a match, all light within her eyes vanished. Penny dropped, and he took her in his arms. There was some commotion around him for a second, but that paused when he let out a largely animated sigh.

"Elm's in charge guys." He called while standing with her, flopping the deactivated woman over his shoulder. "Penny's finally tuckered herself out. I've gotta split and take her back to the doctor; get her 'recharged' and all that." He started off towards the exit, with a few of the audience stepping aside to let him through. Raising up a hand he made one last call. "Later."

Knowing Harriet, she'd probably make another retort, and while he wouldn't hear it, Clover was sure it was at his expense. That was fine; right now, the only thing on his mind was Penny. Letting out another sigh, he casually made his way down the street, all the while hoping Robyn and her crew wouldn't badger his team with too many questions.

His eyes trailed up to Penny's motionless face, and inside he felt a little gross.

The kill switch was a reboot, but aside from potentially doing damage - which he'd need to have Dr. Polendina check over - it also corrupted her memory systems. Basically, everything within the past four hours would be segregated and disposed of. For the sake of efficiency, and to save on power, Penny's memory was kept in chunks: four hours per file. This allowed them to potentially comb through said memories when trying to discern certain details and reports.

This was, by design, a massive breach of privacy, and everyone knew it; this was why it was Penny's personal decision which memories were uploaded and presented for investigation or study, if any at all. That way, she could choose what's seen, and what's kept private; Dr. Polendina was adamant about that rule, and the general agreed. Ironwood wanted Penny to be just like any other person, and said as much when speaking with the doctor over such matters.

Clover had merely been assigned to look after her while in Mantle, and so was informed about most of Penny's abilities and tasks out of necessity.

Personally, he didn't give a damn about what those memories contained; he was more worried about how Penny would react to losing them, and their choice to use the kill switch. She would understand, she always did, but sometimes Clover wondered if it was by her own choice, or a sense of duty provided by her unique life circumstances.

Facing forward once more, he settled on crossing that road when he came to it.

Author's note

…

Okay, first off, the changelogs - I know, we don't do this often. Chapter 155 has had a slight alteration to keep Roman consistent. He was always meant to act and behave a certain way, as well as have certain relationships since he'd arrived in Atlas. Unfortunately, I must have been tired that day, and so I've adjusted a couple lines to fit with the plot better.

155 chapters overlooked, and so far two inconsistencies corrected - huh.

Anyway, this time we have Pyrrha showing up again, and seemingly getting a night out. Clover, meanwhile, is dealing with a hacked Penny, who seems to have gone down rather easily; for now, anyways. A kill switch is, perhaps, a bit extreme... but damn if it doesn't come in handy. Thing now is: will this have any problems?

We'll see later on.

That's it this time; take care.