Alright! RGQC back here with another chapter for you all to enjoy, and I hope you all are enjoying Wintry Shackles with Alpha Crimson Weave as much as I am because, God, she is such a badass to see and play as! Admittedly, it took a pity pull to get her and her signature weapon, but man, is it worth it!
Also, holy shit! A Dillongoo and PGR collab animation was released a couple of days ago! Oh man, that was so awesome! But poor Lucia is just being the punching bag against herself. Also, is it just me, or is Alpha's chin unusually pointy?
Okay! Enough of me geeking out on how cool she is. It's time to address some comments first!
TechBlade9000: Maybe? Or something else could happen instead of a powered-up virus. If you ask me, having Cinder go for the virus path is boring, you know? Let's just say that things won't go the canon way.
SolSparda36: Yup! After what happened at the docks, damage control is inevitable with what the world witnessed of two humanoids yet Grimm-like things. Of course, dealing with them is a different story, but Lucia and the others will be there to stop them.
Singular Ash: Really? Huh? I looked back on the previous chapter and saw nothing wrong with it. Perhaps it's because I tried something different that's affecting the grammar. Cos, I did a grammar check, and it seems fine to me. But just in case, I'll be more cautious with it in this chapter.
longbowchris50 : I hope you also got your pull for her!
UnusedCheese358: Really? To be honest with you, I have no idea in the slightest. I just think of potential plot stuff and write it out. Perhaps it is just me, but I like to take things nice and slow, which earns other readers' complaints about how slow it is to them. Eh, people are entitled to their own opinions.
ChoosyElk: Congrats! She feels so good to play as in the game!
And we're done with the comments. So, let's get this show on the word.
Like always, I do not own any of RWBY or their content. They all belong to their respective owners. Nor do I own any content belonging to Kuro Technology and their series Punishing Gray Raven.
Hours had passed since they left the General's office, and it was getting increasingly close to midnight. But Pietro and Watts still have one more task to complete before closing off for the night. And that is to check on Lucia's mental state. After witnessing what had happened to her hours back, it only makes sense to ensure that she is alright after her memories of her massacre are restored.
But by the time both Chief Scientists arrived at Lucia's room, they found her already in a deep sleep state in her maintenance pod without her clothes with wires attached all over her body with what would be her chest cavity exposed with surgery table arms poking around her insides with her Dust core and Aura generator exposed.
In addition, several screens were on display, showing the current status of Lucia's internal workings, including her system stability, which was notably not as hundred percent as it should be.
"I see she's already begun work to fix herself." Pietro could only hum out loud as they approached Lucia's pod and surveyed the data, which allowed them access to Lucia's memory banks. However, some of the data was locked behind a convoluted lock that required her permission to access. It was as if Lucia desired no one to access those memories in particular.
Another thing was that in those data locked away, their recorded date was even more eye-catching, and it was simply tagged as unknown instead of a proper date. Nevertheless, despite this interesting predicament, Pietro and Watts decide to take a look through Lucia's memories, and they see everything she has done so far, from her first activation to developing sentience to growing as an individual to the final days in which she mercilessly butchers every single living thing in the facility that housed her.
In an ironic twist, Lucia, regaining her memories of the horrors she brought, points to the fact that Racher should have bled out from his injuries as it was clear as day from the gruesome replay of him losing his entire arm and lacerations on his chest.
"She has experienced so much in the past few months, hasn't she?" Pietro hums as they gaze upon a memory of her teaching team RWBY and JNPR how to improve their skills. Watts could only nod in agreement as he watched another segment of Lucia's memories, starring her as she enjoyed her time in the arcades with the same team.
"I concur. But I can't help but wonder if this is just Lucia blending in or her displaying actual emotions and connections as she said herself.…" He wonders before returning to the point and mentioning that Lucia is downloading a backup of her memories into the pod. "Back to the point, you need to see this." Watts mutters as Pietro leans.
"Curious…"
"Indeed. I wonder why she's doing this?" Watts could only utter out loud. "I understand the need for a contingency protocol if anything happens. But if we were to think it through, this raises more questions about the backup's nature." He points out next before scratching his moustache while Pietro nods in agreement.
"Yes… Is the backup the same individual or a soulless clone with the same memory?" Both could wonder since all three Constructs have a soul at this point. Yes, memories could be transferred from one body to another, but Aura could not. So, if a backup of Lucia was created in theory, she would have her memories but severely lack the same aura as the original.
Yes, there is a way to transfer Aura via the Aura transfer machine or ATM (Funny, I know), as they call it. The very same machine they used weeks back on Liv to transfer her soul into her new Construct body to save her life. The main issue is that it requires the user to be in the machine as it transfers their Aura to their new body. So, if Lucia were to be destroyed on the battlefield and they could not secure her aura generator, the new Lucia would be different from the original one.
"Let us hope that doesn't happen then." Watts frowns at the idea as this opens a can of worms that neither he nor his friend is willing to deal with. "If possible, I wish to understand why Lucia created an emergency backup of her memories. It is as if she's planning for a conflict that could result in her untimely destruction…"
Pietro nods quietly as he reads more data on Lucia's internal stability. "Yes, I can see that. With Ironwood's plan to launch an assault on Racher and Merlot's laboratory, many things can go horribly wrong. I feel Racher's spitefulness might cause him to act irrationally."
Hearing Pietro's statement made Watts raise an eyebrow. "Care to enlighten me what you meant by that?" "He asks as his friend acknowledges his need for clarification and responds.
"Of course, as we both know from hours ago, Racher has an insatiable grudge against sentient machines like Lucia, which no doubt applies to Luna and my dear girl. If the assault on his laboratory goes according to plan, I feel he might take more drastic actions to save himself or perform a… last effort to push back our assault. Or he might choose to go down fighting."
Silence rolls by as Watts absorbs his friend's theory, and he agrees. This is concerning, and to add Dr Merlot in with his experiences into the matter and both creating their own Constructs to fight back. In addition, who knows what Merlot has cooked up in that laboratory?
"Concerns we should raise to the General when we have the time."
"Agreed."
So, both Chief Scientists continued their work on Lucia before departing for the night. But. they were unaware that Lucia was partially aware the whole time while listening to their conversation without alerting them. While she was a bit peeved about them prodding her memories like that, Lucia felt happy at the same time that they cared for her, even if they got distracted looking through her memories.
For a moment, though, she was alarmed by their discovery of her memories from Earth and other vital data her father had given her. But she was glad none of them could be accessed without her permission. Then, their conversation about her plans for a backup brought up another point that made Lucia herself wonder as well.
If her memories were transferred into a new body without her Aura, would that make the new her a soulless copy of her? Then what would make her her? In a world where the soul exists in the form of Aura, how do one's memories compare to the soul of theirs? Pietro sacrificed a portion of his Aura to make Penny, resulting in holes in his Aura.
Then does one who possesses the memory of another but not the soul make them soulless? Or an entirely new entity that has to live its life without it?
Never in her life did Lucia find herself dabbling with philosophical questions about who she is. If she has the time, she could read up on it. Though the idea of a war machine reading on Philosophy is humorous at best, should it somehow leak out that I'm doing just that.
Then again, humanity exists because of the Brothers and is given life. Then, humanity creates its own version of life through Lucia and her sisters. This puts the creation of life and the ideas of the soul into perspective. She could think about this at another time. Actually, shutting down her systems does sound pleasant to process it all.
Lucia POV
A day has passed, and things have returned to normalcy, well, as much as one can be after everything that has happened up to this point. Especially after Pietro and Watts checked up on me last night. Still, by the time it was 0600, I was already back on my feet and checking up on Penny's situation in Beacon. The good thing is no one has figured out that she's a Construct at all, and her help in distracting ATL-01 to buy time for Luna and me to reinforce had earned the respect of Team RWBY, according to her.
Since then, Ruby has insisted on inviting Penny and her team to join them for food, and I couldn't be happier for her. It's good to have friends. In addition, the social lessons she has undergone under me and Luna have paid off. Good for her. Another thing was that Luna's appearance that night sparked a wave of curiosity from them since neither my sisters nor I looked similar in the slightest, as Sun pointed out that night before Blake bonked him over the head.
My poor little sister had to do her best to assure team RWBY and JNPR that we are sisters, not by blood but by choice. More accurately, all three of us are linked by our code history, but she can't precisely say that now, can she? Outside of checking on Penny, I've resumed training Liv to fight with a sword while Luna was elsewhere. Something about Watts needing her presence about something. What he needs her for is not of my concern.
"Alright. I want you to try your best and block all my strikes," I said as Liv stood at the other side of the training room with a wooden sword. So far, she has gotten used to blocking and not falling down every time she blocks me, but that's only with a single strike. I need to see if she can continuously block any attacks I throw at her, and once she can, we can move on with her training.
"Understood." That was all I needed to know as I dashed and swung my wooden sword to her left. Her reaction was instant. Liv brought her sword to the side and successfully blocked my attack with a clack as our swords collided. Bringing my sword back, I sent another attack to her right instead, and Liv proved capable of reacting quickly as she blocked me again.
Though, she did have to take a step back to do it.
Seeing her learn this quickly made a smile grow on my lips. She's learning faster than anticipated, and I have to reevaluate all previous calculations on the duration before she knows how to fight with them. With a final overhead swing, Liv blocks again, though I did use enough force to force her to her knees, and she grunts with surprise at what I did.
"Eh?"
"You're learning quickly. Blocking can only get you so far and may become detrimental if you face a more potent or faster opponent. I will now teach you the next defensive move you can make to prevent this scenario from happening." I explain as Liv blinks curiously at me. How is she so cute?
"What is it?"
"In such scenarios, deflecting is a recommended action. It is used to glance off an attack from away from you before responding with a counter-attack. However, it will be more practical to show a demonstration." I say as I take a step back. "I require you to do an overhead attack on me so I may show you how a deflect is done."
"Um… Got it." Liv blinks as she gathers her bearings. Then she does what I ask her to do and swings her blade down from the top down towards my head, and I react instantly. By stepping to the right with my sword slanting to the left, Liv's sword completely slides down and misses me as I respond with a swing and tap lightly on her back.
"The idea of deflecting is to redirect the opponent's attack away from you," I said as Liv turned to face me with a surprised look. "As you can see, by deflecting your strike, I'd left you exposed to a counterattack. Your opponent will not hesitate to abuse this opening I've shown. Another way to avoid damage is to simply dodge away from the attack."
"I understand." I smile at her confidence and the determination I see in her eyes.
"Understood, I will now attack you. Do your best to deflect my strikes." I said as Liv nodded at me before I moved in to resume her training. For the next few hours, it was mostly my training Liv how to defend herself with the occasional Altas personnel stumbling across us, but I paid them no mind.
I cannot lie. The day passes quicker than expected since Liv learns quickly. By the end of it, we're engaging in minor spars, which ends with Liv on the floor. It's a no-brainer that she won't stand a chance once I get serious, but I'm proud of her progress in just a single day. Thanks to our mechanical nature, we can perform such feats without rest for hours straight.
…
Mechanical nature, huh…
…
It's funny how I've gotten so used to being no longer human…
Never mind. I can think more about that later when I feel like it. Where was I?
Right.
A day later, I was in my room performing regular maintenance on Benizakura when I received a notice that my sister was outside the door. "I wonder what she needs me for?" I thought momentarily before the door to my room opened behind me, and Luna floated in.
"Sister." I heard her calling out as I sheathed Benizakura and glanced behind me.
"Yes, Luna. Do you need something from me?" I said as my sister floated towards me while I faced her.
"Affirmative. Requesting a spar between the two of us. It has been a month, two weeks and twenty-one days since we last engaged in a spar." Wanting a spar, huh? It's been a while since we last did that, and it would be nice to pass the time. General Ironwood had ordered my sister and me to wait for further orders and lay low until he called for our presence in his office again.
In addition, it's easy to figure out that he was using the incident at the Vale Docks as a negotiating tool with the councillors to speed up cooperation and focus on Racher and Merlot in their ocean. Data suggests that the Vale councillors purposely stalled the agreement under the guise of bureaucratic obstructions.
Still, it was pretty clear that they were reluctant to allow Atlas to post their military in Vale not only to guard the Vytal Festival but also to allow Atlas to deal with Racher and Merlot simultaneously. They worry about their approval ratings and whether they should rely on another kingdom to protect the festival while it is in their city.
It's understandable should they wish to remain seated on the Council, even if it's illogical in the long run.
Politicians… Always focusing on the now instead of the future.
I suppose some things remain constant across different worlds…
"Understood. I recommend we have it in thirty minutes at the training arena." I suggested, and for a split second, I noticed my sister giving me a small smile before wiping it away.
"Affirmative. I will see you there." And there she goes. Luna's always one not to talk, but I find it strange that she went up to ask me instead of simply calling me via our connection to the CCTS. Compared to everyone, including Liv, who's still getting used to her new Construct frame, Luna is the only one who prefers personally talking, even though she doesn't say much to begin with.
She only calls when whoever she's trying to reach cannot come by walking, like in a different Kingdom or something similar. Well, I should finish my maintenance before meeting her for our spar. Luna can be surprisingly vicious in it. The last time we had it, we… obliterated the entire arena, much to the General's bafflement and annoyance at the repair costs and to Watts and Pietro's amusement. Penny was also there, being her adorable self.
Even more, at the General's request, should Luna and I spar again, Dr Watts or Pietro must oversee our spar to ensure we don't wreck the place again. This is a suitable compromise since the alternative is to ban us from sparring because repairs are expensive.
Well then, I should finish maintaining Benizakura before leaving.
Thirty minutes later, Luna and Lucia found themselves on opposite sides of the sparring room built specifically for their needs. Dr Watts and a group of scientists and engineers were watching them from a room above the area, just in case either of them went too far and destroyed the place again while gathering additional combat data as a bonus.
"You may both begin." Watts's voice echoed throughout the area. Lucia and Luna immediately disappeared in the blink of an eye before reappearing before each other's faces, their weapons already drawn and aimed at each other. Luna simply raised her hand as the swords on her back came up, locking Lucia's katana in a clash as the spheres still available on her back flew forward at frightening speeds.
Yet, that did not deter or slow Lucia down. She responded by disengaging and backflipping out of harm's way as Luna's spheres missed her by an inch and embedded themselves into the nearby Hard-light Dust wall with a tremors crunch! Lucia smirked in the air as she swung Benizakura towards Luna repeatedly before waves of white slash projectiles rained down all over the arena.
In the span of a millisecond, Luna activates matrix mode to evade and close on her sister, but she, too, knows what she's planning, and Lucia activates her own matrix mode to counter hers! Lucia and Luna suddenly vanished into thin air to everyone else watching the spar. However, it was clear that both were still there, as both would reappear while clashing against one another for a split second before disappearing again and repeating for seconds straight.
After that, a final clash launched the sisters away from each other and onto opposite sides of the area. Neither of them was worse to wear as Lucia plunged Benizakura into the ground to slow herself to a halt, while her sister did the same and slowed herself down while still in the air.
In fact, Luna was showing a relatively confident smile while her sister gave one in return.
In a place where neither of them has to hide their true strength from the outside world, it's incredibly refreshing to let it all loose and go all in with their full power. Well… almost. They still had to limit it to not destroy the training room with Watts watching them above. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean they can't push themselves to their limit with restraint.
Bringing her hand up, Luna fires a beam of energy at her sister, who dashes right for it before sliding underneath it and sending a single-blade wave that cleaves Luna's beam into two! In response, Luna immediately ducks to the side and sends her swords spinning like buzzsaws at her sister as a halberd way too big for her size formed in her hands.
Yet, seeing this made Lucia let out a single chuckle as she kicked herself off the ground and into the air, as Luna's spinning sword attack missed her completely. She proceeded to do a whole front flip in the air and sent another blade wave that acted like a buzzsaw of her own. Her sister barely had a second to react as she deflected her sister's attack away from her before it began digging into the hard-light Dust wall.
To Dr Watts and his fellow scientists, who were surprised at how deep it dug into the wall.
Lucia then came back down as she clashed again with her sister, who narrowed her eyes before she picked up Luna's swords and spheres coming straight behind her. But she was prepared for it. In a move that even stunned her sister, Lucia had the articulating arm on her behind to block or deflect all of Luna's attacks using the sheath of Benizakura. An idea that Lucia thought of to increase her defensive capabilities.
It is also part of why Benizakura's sheath is unusually more extensive than necessary. It has been modified to be more armoured, which allows it to shrug off hits.
"Surprised?" Lucia couldn't help but smirk at her sister's stunned reaction.
"Unexpected." Luna could only answer back before Lucia detected an increase in energy build-up within her sister. "But let's change that." That was Lucia's only warning before said energy build-up erupted from her sister and tossed her far back. Now, Luna simmered in blue as parts of her body, especially the opening valves on her body with nanobots pouring out of them at a constant rate as tens of swords materialised around her and a ball of pure energy gathered in her hand as if flexing her power.
Annihilation mode has been triggered, and Watts couldn't help but peer ever closer into the window. "Make sure you record all this data down." Luna had never used Annihilation mode except once to push her limits at his request when it was discovered that she could overclock herself beyond what was capable.
To see her use that ability now was surprising.
And Watts cannot lie.
He named this ability as such because of how destructive it was when he witnessed it for the first time, even if it was a temporary effect since it would deplete her fully. Of course, that was before she received her upgrades. Now, seeing Luna pulling her trump card out on her sister, he fully intends to take advantage of this spar and see Annihilation mode's true potential.
Obviously, Watts would intervene if he felt the arena would be reduced to rubble by the two at the rate they were going or his fears that either Construct might accidentally destroy the other.
"Understood, sir."
As for Lucia, her systems were screaming in alarm in her head that Luna's threat level had now shot to the roof and was now thrice her original power level, and she could only conclude that her sister was now using her trump card. "Oh shit… That's… not good…" She could only gulp before kicking herself into overdrive as hundreds of swords descended upon her like in the three hundred movie scene.
With a mixture of evasion and deflection, Lucia did her best to avoid the endless bombardment of swords in her vicinity as they punctured the surrounding terrain before dissipating. However, she knew that her sister hadn't directly intervened yet. It was almost as if she was reenacting a move from somewhere with her arms folded as more swords were constantly created from thin air and launched at her.
But that quickly changed when Luna threw her hand to the left, and Lucia found herself falling in that direction before falling upwards into the ceiling when Luna brought her hand up. "Gravity! No!" Lucia could only cry out internally as she slammed against the ceiling before Luna quickly threw her back onto the floor and at another wall.
"Did Annihilation mode enhance her Semblance? When can she do this? Or did she already do this but choose not to?" Lucia could only wonder to herself midway through the falling as she sent another blade wave, but Luna quickly intercepted that with ease by simply blocking it with her countless swords on standby.
"This is unfair…" Luna mutters before she swings her hand behind her so fast and hard that Lucia can barely do anything before she crashes face-first through a hard-light wall. Frankly, Luna's ability to manipulate her own gravity with her semblance was powerful, but doing that to others like her sister?
If that is not unfair to anyone going up against her, then she doesn't know what is.
Luna then picked up her sister groaning out before getting back into her stance, though there were traces of artificial blood dripping down her forehead. She might have thrown her sister a bit too hard through a wall. But she knows her sister is not one to give up so quickly with the odds stacked against her, and she's made out of tougher material.
Literally.
Watts's POV
Overall, this sparring session has been quite insightful. Luna's Annihilation mode is one of the few features that made her quite unique to Penny or even Alpha herself. Still, thanks to its destructiveness, I never had the opportunity to test its limits thoroughly without causing Atlas much trouble. But seeing how powerful she had become now after her upgrade into a Construct that she could put Alpha on the back end puts into perspective how powerful she can be.
If I am correct at first glance, she can deal with hundreds of Grimm by herself for hours. Perhaps even for days straight at this rate…
Though I underestimated the Semblance she developed. Once an ability of convenience to grant her the ability to fly without gravity Dust in her body is now beyond what I expected with her developed inventiveness. Luna has surprisingly grown capable of experimenting with her gravity, but never in my life have I seen her utilise her semblance on someone besides herself entirely.
I was in awe as several colleagues watched with me, and many showed ecstatic reactions to this single spar. As unlikely as it may be, Luna could be much more powerful than Lucia, except that it comes at the cost of durability due to my request to pour more processing power into her offensive abilities.
Since then, Luna has become Atlas's trump card, partially after Lucia, due to her ability to produce a tremendous amount of damage in just a few seconds. Interestingly enough, some of my colleagues have begun to call her a glass cannon. Apparently, they got the idea from some recreational games they play during their breaks, and while I am unfamiliar with such gaming terms, it is interestingly appropriate.
Though I honestly doubt Luna would appreciate being labelled as a glass cannon.
"Lucia isn't taking this lying down, isn't she?" A fellow subordinate of mine walked up beside me as I watched Luna barely avoid Lucia's attack, only to be kicked in the gut so hard that Luna was sent flying back. Mm. She has finally decided to take this fight to the next left. I simply hope neither of them wrecked the place like the last time they did it.
"I doubt that. The sisters can be surprisingly competitive with one another, especially now that both are somewhat on equal footing." That is no lie. I've noticed how Luna seems more alive in battle or any spar. It is still unknown how or why she reacts this way, but I have reasons to believe her new emotions have started to make her enjoy fighting despite her calm demeanour.
This concern has been raised numerous times, but I'm confident she can control herself when the situation requires it.
BANG!
The whole arena shook, and I blinked as Luna crashed onto a nearby hard-light wall before my eyes while Lucia moved in at unseeable speeds. "Sir, we have detected that Lucia has overclocked her systems, and Luna is doing the same!" I see… to beat Luna while she's in Annihilation mode. Lucia has resolved to move faster than she can move or react.
Clever.
However, both are now beginning to tear up the place fast.
It would be wise to have them tune down the fight or stop them before repair costs get ridiculous. "Pass me the microphone," I ordered while my eyes were still on the training arena. It's getting increasingly more challenging to keep track of them. They are moving so fast that the spar has begun to blur altogether. I doubt that even Huntsmans could stop Luna or Lucia should either of them fight at their maximum strength.
However, the only one I've seen who could pose a threat to them from the reports is a year-one student and celebrity from Beacon named Pyrrha Nikos. Alpha had marked her as a serious threat and even requested research into magnetic-resistant alloys or metals. Looking through her profiles proves her justification; her semblance is Polarity.
The ability to magnetise and control metallic objects at will.
That is an understandable concern since she could instantly rip anyone with a Construct body to scrap metal. However, I doubt she would do that intentionally due to her overall kind personality from Lucia's finding. Still, it is something to look through when it is available. It would be a waste of time and assets if such a semblance could stop something as powerful as our creations.
"Here, sir." I barely moved as I took the microphone from my subordinate and thanked him.
"Thank you." Once I brought my attention back to Luna and Lucia fighting ever harder by the second, I realized they were taking it too far now! Every attack was obliterating anything they hit! "Luna! Lucia! Stand down! You're destroying the sparring arena!" The reaction was instant; both Constructs paused appropriately with their blades at each other's throats, though Luna had a dozen more surrounding Lucia.
"I believe we can end today's spar. You've done enough." I explain as I notice Luna deactivating Annihilation mode while Lucia sheaths her sword. But it should be best to have both come up here and look at the data collected. I believe they should know what we found. "In the meantime, can you both come up to my position? We have some data we've gathered, and I want both of you to have a look. In the meantime, I'll have the repair crew come down over there."
Creating Personal Data Log 76543…
User logged in: Penny Polendina
Send Data Log to Users: General Ironwood, Pietro Polendina (Father!)
Daily Report 64…
Um… Things have been complicated days after the battle of Vale Docks. As calculated and predicted of the aftermath, the whole of Remnant is up talking about the event! I am glad I can come up with a reason for why I was there, even though it was a half-truth. Lucia taught me that lying is wrong, but sometimes there are reasons to do it, like maintaining my mechanical origin, for example!
Anyway, friend Ruby and her team were also interviewed, as was that monkey Faunus, who I learned is named Sun Wukong! Moreover, he is a student from Haven Academy and is here to attend the Vytal Festival in the coming months! Oh yeah! After the events at the Docks, team RWBY, proposed by Ruby Rose herself, offered not only just me but also my team to eat with them during breaks, and I had the opportunity to meet up with team JNPR for the first time!
I wish I could tell my sister about this, but from what I heard and predicted in my calculations, you all must be planning for your next move, and I understand. But just in case she sees this log, they are almost like the data package she sent me weeks back!
Oh! Also, in the next few weeks, the mid-term vacations will begin, and I was thinking of coming back to Atlas with your approval to see big sister Lucia and Luna again! In addition, I would like the opportunity to meet Liv Idonia for the first time and congratulate her on a successful procedure!
And uhm… I've been on a call with Luna recently and learned about the potential plans for assaulting Merlot's and the now identifiable Dr Racher's underwater laboratory. Do I need to participate alongside Luna and Lucia? Or am I to remain in my post as a student representative of Atlas? Sorry if it comes off as strange to ask.
I was just curious.
Oh yeah! I should also mention that the students in Beacon are talking about what happened at the Docks. Rumours spread among them about big sister Lucia and Luna's intervention, and many asked who they were. Thankfully, none recognised either of them. However, other rumours spread about the origins of BPB-26 and ATL-01.
In fact, from what I can identify, those two have become the Academy's major talking sessions. The theories vary, but all can be catalogued mostly under two categories. Theory one: BPB-26 and ATL-01 are theorised as a new breed of Grimm that evolved recently. But we know that is false due to their origins!
The second most common theory concerns its accuracy! Many have suggested that BPB-26 and ATL-01 are artificially made by someone or something, which is accurate and concerning if this theory is confirmed! All calculations indicate that if this theory bore fruit and were confirmed, panic would begin to spread among all the kingdoms at an alarming rate.
But I think this is all for today's report. I'll let you know if anything changes!
See you again!
User Disconnected.
In the darkness of the night in Vale, Torchwick and Neo found themselves in an abandoned warehouse with no one else present for security reasons. He had recently gotten into contact with his bitch of a boss about his findings. But she has proven not to care about someone wanting to see her and even threaten to burn him for wasting her time! It was only when he brought up that this could be related to those things that showed up at the docks that Cinder was willing to talk about.
Which brings it to tonight.
Torchwick was supposed to meet with Cinder at midnight at this location, yet she is not present. "Where the hell is that woman?" The criminal mastermind could only mutter to himself while Neo was not too far back as she leaned against the wall. "It's time, and I don't have to wait for her all day."
"How regrettable of you to say that when I'm busy, too?" Torchwick felt a cold shiver run up his spine as he turned to see Cinder and her two brats with her. "Now… you mentioned you have some information you wish to share with me. Correct?"
Torchwick could only nervously take a step back. This could get him killed if he's not careful with his tongue. Before he answered her question, he could only let out a nervous laugh. "Hah… Well… you see, some fella named Roland wishes to organise a meeting between you and his boss. He even has a photo of ya and clearly has info on you." Torchwick could only gulp as the warehouse grew warmer by a few degrees.
"Is that so?" Cinder formed a fireball in her hand. You better not lie to me. It would be a shame if anything happened to you for bringing this to me without evidence." Both of Cinder's companions nervously took a step back, only for a familiar voice Torchwick heard a day back to echo from somewhere.
"Hola, amigo! You found yourself in quite the situation, eh?" His voice earned everyone's attention as they looked out the window and saw someone hiding under the shadows, slowly walking towards them with a smirk on his lips. Immediately, everyone except Torchwick and Neo, who had met him before, could tell that something was off about him. Even Cinder's fireball burned out due to her surprise.
"Who are you?" Emerald was the first to speak as she drew her weapons while Roland opened his hands and spread his arms wide.
"I'm simply a pawn in this chess game, niñita."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Torchwick was next as Neo walked till she was beside him before everyone spots a smirk as he leaps down, and the shadows covering his body dissipated to reveal something else entirely. Besides his asymmetrical red, grey and black outfit, his whole body is cyberized to the point that it's hard to tell where the flesh ends and the machine begins.
But what was most alarming was his left eye, which reminded everyone of Grimm. Or, if you were Cinder, it would be her master, Salem. The sight of this man, who looked like a mixture of a Human, Grimm, and machine twisted into one horrible package, was too much for Mercury and made him blurt in horror and disgust.
"What in the god damn-"
"Oh, that's a good expression, everyone. But I am simply here because my boss is on his way with a friend," Roland said coolly, his smile never leaving his lips. "But fret not! The stage is only being set at the moment!"
"What are you…" Cinder hissed. This was unlike anything she had seen in her entire life before! Even more, she could sense through her aura that this thing had an aura. But it's twisted to the point that it feels more like an empty space that consumes instead. Yet Roland gave no response before everyone heard stomping behind them as ATL-01 showed herself.
"What the fuck!" Torchwick utters in utter shock. Yes, Roland's uncanny looks underneath the cloak is something, but this?! Yes, this is the same abomination he saw at the docks, and those two are in cahoots with one another?! What is it even doing here, to begin with?!
"Cinder…" Emerald gulps as she nervously glances at her saviour, whose eyes are as wide as plates. As ATL-01 finally emerges from the shadows that blanket her body, everyone is rewarded with seeing something that looks human but clearly isn't. A machine with the upper torso of a woman covered with minimal clothes and a greyish skin tone, and her lower body resembles a giant mechanical assembly with digitigrade legs and a tail made for aquatic needs.
She stomps towards them with the driest look on her face. "Remain still and do not move. The master wishes to speak to you. Do refrain from pulling your weapons. You cannot win against us," ATL-01 says as she stares down at Cinder, specifically with a spear in hand.
"What the hell are you?"
"Something that you don't need to bother with, Miss Fall…" Dr Racher's voice echoes as he and Merlot emerge from the shadows. Everyone raises their guard at Racher or Merlot, only to see that ATL-01 raises her spear as if daring them to try to do something to her master. "It's about time we meet personally."
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Cinder hisses as a ball of fire emerges from her palms, only for the sound of a gun cocking before a shotgun is pointed directly at her head by BPB-26.
"Ah hah ah hah! It's not your turn, Miss Fall. Allow him to finish his speech or be removed from the table altogether in bloody pieces." He smirked while Emerald and Cinder glared at him. Though Racher clearly does not give a shit about the banter.
"I am Dr Racher, and this crazy fellow beside me is Dr Merlot. We have a proposition for you. And do not lie to me. We've researched you and found interesting details about you, and our findings make you seem as if you're part of some grand conspiracy. Whatever they are, I do not care." Cinder froze when he said that, and she was tempted to use her Maiden powers this instant to fry them and their unholy creations.
They know too much, but those… things, how did they make those things?
They're clearly part Grimm!
"Yes, what he said!" Merlot began laughing as if he had heard the funniest joke in his life. "A mere student of Haven somehow has the infamous Roman Torchwick and the Vale branch of the White Fang underneath her thumb? Clearly, we cannot miss such opportunities, you see!" Racher glances at his partner before continuing.
"What my partner is saying is that a deal can be struck between the two of us. A beneficial one should be maintained without any backstabbing involved." Silence overtook the warehouse. These two Scientists DARE threaten her life and then offer her a 'beneficial' deal with her? What do they even want in the first place?!
"Supplies of Dust and other necessities as well as manpower. Those are our requests. And in return, we'll offer our technology to you and…" Racher glared at Merlot, which didn't go unnoticed, before looking back at Cinder. "Grimm expertise to help your cause just as long as you help ours." The fury burning deep in Cinder's mind fizzed out and was quickly replaced by pragmatic cunning as she thought through Racher's words.
If what they say is true, then their technology would be beneficial. Seeing how they made these things... They are much more powerful than they look. However, the cost of manpower and resources would set back her plans for days or even months, depending on the load of their requests. And she can't afford delays!
Even then, it doesn't seem like she has a choice in the matter. If she resists, it is clear that they would most likely try to force their will on her or straight-up kill her and take the resources and manpower for themselves. Therefore, no matter how much she hates it.
She would bend the knee.
For now.
But if she can secure their knowledge and technology without their help, she'll eliminate this unfair deal and make demands on her! No one shall command her like this! "Very well. As long as you uphold your end of the bargain…" She grits her teeth and reluctantly spits it out, much to her companion's shock. While Torchwick and Neo watch on the sidelines curiously.
"Good…" Merlot grinned before Racher butts in.
"Then let us begin negotiations on the finer details. There is much you need to know first."
And cut!
Apologies for the late update. I was caught up in some real-life stuff and other businesses, like house renovations, which made it difficult to work on them when there was constant drilling in my home. Anyway, it is done, and I hope you enjoy reading this!
So, I wanted to add how Watts and Pietro would react to Lucia's memories, including her time in Beacon and her overall growth as a character. And yes, they know that Lucia has some memories that strangely require her consent to access them, and she has plans with a backup memory.
Moving on, we have Lucia resuming her training on Liv on how to use a sword, and finally, there is a thing I wanted to work on for some time: a spar between Lucia and Luna! It also finally gives a glimpse of Luna's Annihilation mode and semblance in combat. And yes, I made two references there. No surprise where those come from if you've been on the internet.
Next, Watt's POV. It took me a while to figure out how he would think and speak since this version is not his canon version. So, I wanted to portray him differently in terms of his views compared to Pietro. Also, Penny does daily reports because it sounds nice to see how she's doing.
Finally, there was a meeting between Cinder, Dr Racher, and Merlot. Oh, how things will not go the way canon is going. And yes, I find it fascinating that Cinder pre-Beacon fall is much more cunning and less hot-headed. So, I imagine her acting more pragmatically during her meeting with and making deals with the rogue Scientists.
While yes, she's placed in and accepts the cooperation at gunpoint. Now, I feel some of you would probably say how Cinder could beat BPB-26 and ATL-01, but let's not forget, while she is a half-Fall Maiden in the current timeline, she's still as squishy as any Huntress would be. Maidens are not superhumans. They are just women with magic powers.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt a half-Maiden would do well against BPB-26 and ATL-01 in the same room.
Well, I'm done now. Except that if you enjoy this story, do follow and favourite it! And while at it, do leave a review of what you think of this chapter, as I enjoy reading it and replying to it!
I will see you people in the next chapter!
RGQC out!
