A/N: Long Covid may have me stricken with exhaustion as of late, but here I am.
Its hard to stay awake sometimes, more and more, I find myself stricken with the need to rest multiple times a day...T_T
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild, wacky world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine what remains a story and what doesn't. Simple as that.
In other words...the fate of this is up to YOU, the reader. Doooo let me know~!
References to A Most Unlikely Pretender, which, yes, I'm still working on.
Running around updating a lot of categories today.
So in lieu of a long explanation...away we go~!
"There's someone I'd like you to meet."
"Does their name end with Schnee?"
"I'm trying here, Victor...
~?
Salutations
"You may begin."
Those words were the cue; the signal, both sound and switch for all hell to break loose.
Naruto -no, he had to remember, he was Victor to these people- ran a hand through the messy mop of his pale hair and heaved a sigh as a heavy metal grate opened opposite him with a ponderous groan. It wasn't even halfway open when he heard the noises from beyond; the shouts, the snarls, the shrieks as whatever awaited him on the other side woke up with a vengeance.
He wondered what it would be this time. An Ursa, perhaps? Maybe a Goliath? He hadn't fought a Nuckelavee in awhile. Maybe it would be something different today?
In the end, he was disappointed; a hulking Beowolf crawled under the door, driven on by a series of controlled shocks from its handlers on the other side of the door. The beast was half-crazed, tormented well beyond its means. It took one look at him and shuffled forward, not entirely sure if he was predator or prey.
Foolish of it; had it any sense it would've run back through the opening from whence it came.
Naruto blew out another long-suffering sigh and looked up to the viewport. "Really now? That's the best you could find? Dad won't be happy."
He hated this white room. Hated the viewscreen above and the scientists looking down on him from blow, hated the tests, the poking, the prodding, all of it, but this part at least, he enjoyed. Every so often they pitted him against a Grimm or a mech, and it was moments like these that gave him his moment to shine.
This was necessary, they said.
For the greater good of Atlas, they said.
They had to test him they said, push his limits to the max and beyond, the better to hep him surpass them.
Bah! What did they know of limits?! He had none! He was seven now, and as far as he was concerned, the world was his oyster.
A lowing bark caught his attention; the Beowolf had made up its mind at long last; he watched it with a lazy smile as it loped forward, baying for blood. Nearly two meters. One, now. Less. He calculated the distance, briefly considered mowing it own with a torrent of plasma, then through better of it at the least second.
He was bored today; maybe he'd put on a show.
Its claw swept in at his head and shattered like so much glass long before it reached him, rendering the limb a pulped mass. The creature yowled in confusion but he wasn't having it; naturally, he knew better than to rely entirely upon his new semblance for everything. Ironwood -Dad!- had made him a weapon in more ways than one. He was honed, jagged, sharpend.
'Now's as good a time to test my new move as any...
He lowered his guard, ducked under a savage swipe and brought his right arm up, fingers clenched in a claw as though he intended to conjure a Rasengan. It was obvious bait. A proper opponent worth their salt would never have fallen for it. No in the Ace Ops would've.
The Beowolf took the feint like the mindless beast it was and lunged.
Gotcha~!
Grinning like a loon, he slapped his left palm into the beast, striking just below its throat as he'd practiced so many times before. Aura and chakra flooded forth as his mind did a dozen calculations. Momentum. Velocity, point of impact and so much more. The world held its breath.
And then:
He gave his wrist a vicious twist at just the right angle and his faith was rewarded as the beast's body bulged beneath his fist. Not a heartbeat later it imploded from within and burst like an overripe fruit, spattering the walls with broken bits of Grimm. he turned and flashed the researchers above a toothy, shit-eating grin. There.
"That's all for today," he waved a hand toward the viewport.
For once, no one dared challenge him.
Let them chew on that.
(.0.0.0.)
"Brilliant. Simply brilliant. And you say it comes naturally to you now?"
Naruto took the praise as his due, listening with half an ear, swinging one leg over the chair as the head scientists prattled on.
Arthur Watts was an erratic individual at the best of times but he didn't disparage the man's talents. He was bloody brilliant in his given field and thrice as ruthless.
Together, they had an...understanding.
Shame the man wouldn't be in Atlas much longer. He could tell. For all his brilliance he felt stifled here, stunted, stilted. Small wonder he wished to break free from under the council's yoke and strike out on his own. Would that he could do the same. He wished him the best of luck.
"Magnificent. You truly are one of a kind, Victor!" Once more, he accepted the praise as his due, lifting his chin a little as he basked in it. "That last move was particularly inspired. And you aren't suffering any side effects?"
"More or less." he waved a hand. "Although...there is one drawback."
Watts leaned forward, clipboard in hand, ready to transcribe his words. "And what would that be?"
He granted him a snarky smile. "It even blocks UV rays. I can't catch a tan. A sacrifice for the greater good I suppose. And you?"
Watts eyed him warily with on eye. "What about me?"
"You're leaving soon." it wasn't a question.
"You're far too clever for your own good, but yes," he made an annoyed noise, "If events progress as I suspect they will, I won't be here much longer. All thanks to these fools who don't understand my genius. My time in the kingdom may be coming to an end soon.
As if he didn't already know that. "Shame. I've come to enjoy our little talks."
As have I. May I?" when Naruto waved him. "He held out a hand and pressed a small black scroll into it. Ah, a burner scroll. "Should you need to contact me. Your talents truly are wasted here, Victor. Atlas won't be my home forever. It shouldn't be."
...it probably won't be, if I have anything to say about it."
Watts scoffed. "Good lad. One last thing." He reached behind his back, revealed a thick manila envelope and handed it his way. "The information you asked for."
At last! Naruto opened it eagerly, fingers fumbling for the catch. "Thanks."
"...you won't thank me once you see it."
He read the contents therein.
His eyes sparked furiously.
And his smile died.
(.0.0.0.)
His mother was Willow Schnee.
One look was all it took; he'd long since suspected such.
The data supplied by Watts only served to further inflame his aggravation.
Wasn't even hard to put two and two together; really, white hair and pale features? How long had the truth been staring back at him from his own reflection? If it weren't for his eyes, he would've been a dead ringer for one of the Schnee children. It should have been enough to know he had a mother, to know that she had cared enough to protect him, but it wasn't. She'd given him away. Just...tossed him aside, like yesterday's trash. Hadn't even tried to fight for him. Not really. He'd been vaguely aware of the moment she handed him over to James, but even to just be...forgotten...it burned.
Did that make him angry? Potentially.
Bitter? Hmm...conceivably?
Sad? That's for certain.
He had two sisters one younger, another older, and yet he could not be seen to associate with them. They probably didn't even know he existed. How that burned. It lit the embers within him, fanning them into a snarling spark that threatened to consume the whole of him if he wasn't careful.
Something like that...it twisted his emotions deep inside him. Maybe that was why he'd ended up the way he did.
...no. Don't dwell on that. He could get angry later; there was work to be done.
And besides, he was wasting hot water.
He fumbled halfheartedly for the shower knob, shutting it off with his semblance It had become easy, almost worryingly so to rely on his gift in the day to day. He'd never been particularly good at math in his first life, ya know? Things had been simpler See something fast? Run faster. See someone strong? Get stronger than him. Smarter...not so much. It was inevitable that he grew up; that he gained wisdom.
...among other things.
Snorting in mild annoyance, he toweled himself off, donned his breeches, and stepped into the closet.
No point in stalling; time to face the day.
Shunting his darker emotions aside, off, he chose his usual outfit; donning a blue shirt over which he threw a white blazer, from there he paired it with a pair of gunmetal grey trousers and matching socks. Last but not least came the black combat boots, not that he thought he'd get much use for them. He so rarely had to resort to physical means of combat these days. Everything had fallen into a dry routine as of late; duller than the nome colors of his kingdom, he found himself longing for something more colorful, maybe Mistral or Vale...maybe someday.
Damnitall, he was stalling again.
He had to go downstairs and eat something before the tests, or he'd get sick again. He lurched out of his room and bumbled into a matte-grey wall, making no effort to conceal his footsteps. Why should he? The house was empty. Upon reaching the stairs he took them two at a time in the vain hope that he'd actually catch Dad before he left this morning. Fat chance of that. He was headmaster of Atlas Academy, and a general for crying out loud. He'd be lucky to see him at night, let alone on a weekday.
Imagine his surprise then, when he found his old man sitting at the counter nursing a cup of coffee. And were those pancakes on the table?
Well, well, well! Color him surprised and-suspicious. Spartan was the best way to describe both his home, and his father. James Ironwood was a man with his own demons...and a dab hand at cooking breakfast when he tried. But he hadn't made a meal for him since he was five. He'd become too busy for such things. That he'd done so now...
.
..
...right, he should probably say something. "...hey, dad."
"Son." James studied the his mug, as though he could somehow find the secrets of the universe swimming in that swill he called coffee. "Did you sleep well?"
...I did."
"Arthur told me you aced your latest test."
He dared a nod.
Silence hung between the two of them. At length, his Father drained their mug and gestured to the plate. "Happy birthday."
Naruto blinked, briefly taken aback. Oh. That was today, wasn't it? He'd forgotten.
His father frowned. "You don't sound excited."
"Should I be? We hardly celebrate it."
And now he knew why; they couldn't afford to make a grand spectacle of it; because it wouldn't do to draw undue attention to him.
Sage forbid they upset Jacques Schnee.
Perhaps sensing his thought, a ghost of shame crossed his father's face. He looked back to his plate. "...go ahead, eat. We can talk later."
Naruto flung himself at the table and laid into his meal with a will. Dad let him eat in silence, sparing him the indignity of conversation. Only once he'd polished off the last of his meal did he speak.
"There's someone I'd like you to meet...
Anger sparked in him, bitter and ugly and wild as the table buckled under his touch. "Does their name end with Schnee?"
Dad winced. He'd known. Of course he had. "Victor, I-
"Don't. He flung up a hand, cutting him off with a visceral snarl. "Just...don't."
An abyss stretched between the two of them. He wished he knew how to bridge it. But he didn't know how.
"Sorry." when it became apparent James wasn't going to speak, he took a step back and shook his head. "Forget I said anything You didn't deserve that."
...I AM trying, Victor.
"I know." In vain, he sought another subject. "Look, I know its my birthday and all, but why haven't you left for the day...?"
"I wanted to take you somewhere."
Well if that wasn't another red flag, he didn't know what was. "Is this another test?"
"Not quite." Dad steeped his fingers together. "Tell me, are you familiar with the name Pietro Polendina?"
He shrugged a brow furrowed. "I might've heard the name once or twice. Why?"
Dad smiled.
(.0.0.0.)
Awareness was a curious sensation.
When one lacked a physical form -that is to say a flesh and blood body- what discerned their body? Was it thought? Soul?
Penny did not know. She was only seven days old. Barely a week into her existence, and already she knew more than an adult, yet less than a child. There was so much information at her fingertips and yet she could barely make sense of it all.
Case in point, she considered the boy before her. She did not know him. But she would soon. She spliced her way into Atlas databases, cut past their firewalls to find the information she sought. Data flashed before her vision.
Victor Ironwood, son of General James Ironwood. Seven years old. Blood type O negative. One hundred pounds. Eye collar, red, Hair, white. Semblance and aura locked.
That couldn't be right. Code though she was, she had been engineered to detect aura in others. it was a part of her essential combat capabilities.
She dug deeper into the database, she had access to; diving deeper. It was not a perfect process, she was almost certain she was triggering more than a few alarms. Father might be angry with e for that, finding another folder of digital data marked classified, she marked out the sections that interested her and drank them eagerly. It was always so very nice to meet knew people. A treasure trove of information awaited her wanting eyes and she drank it in eagerly.
Vector Manipulation, fellow prodigy of Atlas, - could she really live with herself if she ignored what he was?
Was he like her?
Of course most couldn't do that. She was the exception. Still, it did beg the question; one she as most eager to have answered. "Hello...? What brings you here?"
Victor sighed and dug a hand through is pale hair. "Apparently this is my old man's idea of a play date."
Her head tilted. "Play date?"
"Quite so!" Father was quick to perk up. "That sound's delightful, doesn't it Penny?"
She supposed so, although she'd never really experienced either for herself and thus didn't have a good grasp on what her reactions would be, much less theory.
"Here." Victor offered her his hand. "Let me help you stand up."
Penny "blinked", baffled. "Why?"
"Well," Pietro prattled on happily, "My dear, he's a little like you, in a way. You're both projects of Atlas...so we thought you could use a friend."
Penny tilted her head. "A...friend?"
"Yo." the pale boy with white hair and red eyes raised his hand. "Nice eyes. They're very...green.
She wasn't complete yet. She knew that. She was still being built.
And yet. Something in her processors stirred.
Her next thought was thus.
"Salutations, friend~!"
(.0.0.0.)
Penny was a pure girl.
Pure as the driven snow, and she wasn't even technically human; she simply had the soul of one. Despite that, she knew naught of spite or pride or greed or any of humanities infamous seven sins.
Some might say that didn't make her a real person. That she was a fake, that she could never truly be a real girl.
Naruto -Victor!- disagreed vehemently with such logic. It simply made her all the more real to him.
Pure precious Penny. Must protect at all costs.
She had wires in her back. Literal cords, plugging her into a central battery. She didn't have proper legs to run around with, not really, yet, just a small torso, one arm and a head. Her eyes glowed an eerie spectral green, and while he was sure they wouldn't always be so indefatigably bright, it made her seem all the more unnatural. Some might say that made her inhuman, that whoever, whatever she was, wasn't alive.
What of it?
By that very logic he was something of an undead himself. He'd already died and come back to life once.
And like him, once Peny she finally found her footing-
"Salutations, friend~!"
One did not simply dodge Penny Polendina; not when she launches herself at you going mach five.
The result was never in question.
She had him at hello.
A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaand scene.
Did you enjoy this? Would you like weekly updates? By all means, do let me know!
Hope you enjoyed this little tease. Soooo? Should this be a story? Once again! This is an AU. Hope someone, somewhere, enjoyed this. I just don't know anymore these days. Its terribly hard to tell these days with the world going as it is...
Sometimes, when I look to the future, I wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly? Let me know what you think!
Only a few previews this time. And a certain Batman reference for those who can spot it.
(Previews)
Winter was curious.
She had a half-brother; a sibling.
Did Father not realize it yet? Because if he did...
The Ace Ops came to collect him some hours later.
Having fun, kid?"
"Bree, I will absolutely beat your ass...
You'll be fighting a huntress today, Victor.
His brow rose. Will I,now?
You will. She's graciously agreed to come all the way from Vale.
Curious.
She's...well, her head's not screwed on straight. Please be respectful.
...can I kick her ass, then? James snorted. If you can. I daresay that would get her head screwed on straight.
What's her name?
Summer Rose, reporting for duty!
Only you would agree to something like this.
Now, now, don't be a party pooper!
Fascinating.
Ozpin, no. I know that look. You're not poaching my son for Signal, let alone Beacon.
Perish the thought, James. Every now and again someone was born with an exceptional semblance; be it the ability to heal, or an unparalleled combat capability. This was clearly the latter.
R&R~!
I wonder if anyone remembers it?
(Previews)