Chapter 5 alert! Chapter 5 alert! Welcome back everyone to the next chapter of the white knight of atlas, brought to you by your's truly. I hope you all had a great christmas and new year, but more importantly that you and your families were safe during these troubled times.

Now as usual let's get this show on the road.


The ceiling was what filled his vision as he laid on his bed at 4:30 in the morning. Jaune didn't know what to do with himself now that he'd been given the day off but that didn't stop him from waking up at this god forsaken hour of the day. He tried going back to bed but the only thing that accomplished was wasting the time he could've been up doing something more productive. Jaune pushed himself out of bed and quickly got ready for the day ahead as per normal. His first stop was to head to the library for some light reading since he had nothing better to do. Even if there wasn't going to be training, Jaune figure that he could at least study a little.

The whole reason he was even here in the first place was to catch up to the other people his age that had been training for years to become hunters. A day wasted in being lazy meant an even less chance to close the gap between him and them. Jaune pulled a few books that he recognized off the shelves and carried them to the empty table he always sat at. The books he took covered the same material Winter was already going over, so he thought it would help if he got a jump on it before Winter's next class. Maybe if he was lucky he might just surprise her.

It was a nice thought, and when Jaune started he ended up getting himself lost in his work until his scroll started beeping several hours later. Jaune closed the book he'd been reading and whipped out his scroll to see an unknown number displayed on the screen. It could have been a telemarketer for all he knew, so to be on the safe side Jaune denied the call. The second he set his scroll on the table it started beeping once more. Jaune picked it up again and saw the same unknown number display on the screen. He could've ignored it again if he wanted to but they would've probably just called him again and again until he actually answered.

Jaune clicked the accept button and held the scroll to his ear, "hello"? The person on the other end cleared their throat for a second before speaking. "Hello there, would I be right in assuming that this is Jaune Arc that I'm speaking too". Jaune raised a brow, "yes I'm Jaune Arc, can I ask who's calling"? The man on the other side chuckled lightly, "ah yes, where are my manners? Doctor Pietro Polendina at your service young man". It was good to put a name to the person he was talking to but that did beg the question, "was their something you needed from me Doctor? I would assume there would be if you've tried to reach me twice".

"As a matter of fact there is. You see I am currently working on your huntsmen gear at the behest of the General and I'd like your assistance with your sword. If your free could you swing by my lab? It would help me greatly if you could".

Jaune didn't really have any reason to disagree, and if this ended up with him seeing his gear before it was finished...well that would be a plus. "Okay Doctor Polendina, send me the location of your lab and I'll be there as soon as possible". The call ended and soon after the mini map on his scroll showed the way to the good Doctors lab. Jaune put up the books he gathered and was on his way within a few minutes after the call ended.

/

Along the way to the Doctors lab, Jaune looked through articles on Doctor Polendina since he didn't want to meet the man blindly. It seemed the good Doctor was more famous then he had thought. "Jeez, the man practically made Atlas what it is today with all that he's accomplished" Jaune whispered to himself as he swiped to the next article with his finger. The list of awards the man earned in his life time eclipsed the number of years Jaune lived on this planet. With a frustrated sigh the blonde shut his scroll off and shoved it into his pocket. He arrive shortly after and was met by a sight most intimidating in the form of two guards.

The two guards stood next to the labs door and watched him slowly approach them. "H-Hi, I'm here to see Doctor Polendina about my gear. He should be expecting me...Jaune Arc I mean" the young Arc said nervously. Honestly he couldn't help but feel nervous when talking to these two because of how intimidating they looked fully geared up with their assault rifles out. Who in their right mind would walk into Atlas looking for a fight anyways? He found himself wondering. The two guards exchanged looks with each other before they smiled at him. "Don't worry kid we were told in advance that you'd be coming" the Guard on the left said. The Guard on the right quickly swiped his scroll over the lock on the door and stepped back, "your clear to enter" he confirmed for the young Arc's convenience.

Jaune felt a little embarrassed for being so nervous but pushed it down and quickly entered the lab. The lab was quite spacious and filled with different computer screens with what looked like robot parts and diagrams that displayed the inner workings for those different parts. It was far too complicated for him to decipher but that didn't stop him from gawking like idiot at all the crazy tech displayed on those screens.

"Well now, kids these days don't ever show such interest in tech unless it's the new scroll models we create".

Jaune turned to where the voice came from and saw a man in a chair that literally did the walking for him. "Doctor Pietro Polendina I'm guessing"? he asked as he held out a hand to the elder man. Pietro shook his hand and chuckled, "that's right but please call me Doctor Polendina. Saying my whole name get's tiring really quickly otherwise". Jaune nodded and looked back over the monitors with a smile, "if you don't mind me asking, what are these part designs for"? Pietro moved over to one of the nearest monitors and smiled brightly at the question, "these are designs for the new white knight units we've been working on to replace our old ones".

"Cool" was the only word to escape his mouth as he stared in wonder.

"Penny can you fetch the item in box A-1 for me"? the Doctor spoke out loud. Jaune raised a brow and nearly screamed when a White knight prototype from near by suddenly stood up and walked out of the room. "What the heck was that"?! Pietro smiled warmly as the white knight prototype returned with the item he requested, "thank you. Oh, and feel free to stick with us for a bit, it could be quite the learning experience for you". The white knight prototype - or Penny, as Pietro had called it - nodded and stood beside him without a word.

Pietro looked to the young man in his lab, "sorry for scaring you like that but Penny's never interacted with a boy of your age before. She was quite nervous you see, so she decided to hide away and observe you a bit to make sure you weren't a danger in anyway. Oh, and before I forget, let me introduce her to you, this is Penny. She's...a virtual intelligence I created". A name was good and their relationship seemed nice...but that was about it for him. In that moment something felt really off. Jaune replayed the conversation in his mind and found a few things the good Doctor said to be quite strange.

First off, how could a V.I be nervous? That could only be experienced if the mech was somehow aware of danger in the first place and felt some type emotion. Then there was the fact that Pietro said "it could be a learning experience". Gaining experience was a sign of growth that a V.I had no way of being able to accomplish unless it was preprogrammed in. "She's an A.I" the words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them and Pietro, along with Penny suddenly became still and very quite. The tension in the room could easily be cut with a knife. Pietro let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead, "how did you..."?

"How did you know"?

Jaunes head turned to the source of the new voice and saw the white knight prototype. "You can speak"? he asked and the white knight nodded in response. That was surprising to say the least, then again with a voice like that he could understand why she didn't say anything before. The robots voice sounded like an online gamer with a very crappy mic. Jaune gulped and decided to answer, "movie logic". Penny tilted it's head as if it was slightly confused. "What is a movie? And what is this movie logic you speak of"? Jaune thought it over before answering, "A movie is a long video that people watch for entertainment. As for movie logic, well it's the rules and laws within a movie...I think"?

"Look there was a movie that gave me the idea about A.I but if I'm being honest I didn't really know for sure" The blonde finished off. Pietro after a moment of silence broke into a fit of laughter, "to think Atlas's top secret project would be discovered because some kid watched a movie". It took a minute for the elder man to get control over himself but when he did he asked, "Out of curiosity, what movie was it that gave you the idea of A.I"? Jaune ignored the part about being a kid and focused on the second part. "Uh, the movie was called the Exterminator 2. In a scene of the movie they ask the exterminator if he could learn to be more human like them, and it turns out he can because like the A.I program that built him, it also installed a learning computer in the exterminators mind".

Jaune shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed smile, "it was a really good movie".

"Okay okay" Pietro chuckled while trying to calm him down "why don't we get back to the reason why your here in the first place"? Jaune accepted the sudden change in topics easily cause things were starting to feel a little too tense for his liking, "r-right, what do you need me to do"? The Doctor handed over the item he had in hand to the blonde and took a step back. "That right there is to be the new handle for your sword, but before we can move on to assembling the rest of the weapon, I wanted to know if that felt alright in your hands"?

Jaune hoisted the handle up and tested the feel of the it in each hand. "It feels just like Crocea Mors original handle, slightly on the heavy side but just about what I'm used to...I guess". Pietro raised a brow in surprise, "no discomfort whatsoever"? Jaune turned the handle over but it never once felt uncomfortable in anyway. "Nope, feels pretty good to me" he said before handing the handle back to the good Doctor. "I-I see, well then I'll get started on assembling your sword right away. In the meantime Penny can show you the designs we've come up with for the finished product. If you'd like you can even customize the colors of your weapon from the terminal at my desk. Penny, be a dear and help the young man out won't you"?

"Yes dad".

Penny walked over to Doctor Polendina desk and started tapping away at his computer. Pietro nodded to the young Arc before allowing his chair to walk him to a door that led to another lab where his equipment was. Being left alone with a robot had him on edge slightly, but if this Penny was truly an A.I then treating it well would up his chances of survival should anything happen. And there he was thinking of that movie again...ugh. The world wasn't some movie to be figured out. Jaune shook his head and joined Penny at the computer. "So...I was thinking of keeping my weapons original colors where they were but what do you think"?

Penny looked to him and tilted it's head slightly, "what do I think"? Jaune pushed whatever problems he had to the side and focused on the here and now. Besides it was easier to talk to a robot and not some random girl. "Yeah, what do you think of the original colors of white and bronze for my sword and shield"? Penny pulled up the 3D model of Jaunes sword and shield on the screen and looked it over. What could she say? Honestly there wasn't anything to comment on because she wasn't sure what looked good or not, she hadn't learned enough about human preferences to offer an opinion. "I think the white and bronze colors look...nice" she finally answered, thinking the time pretending to think would do enough.

Jaune cupped his chin and hummed lightly, "actually I think more bronze on the shield would look a lot better then before. Maybe a new guard for the sword as well"? Penny looked back at the screen and decided to map out where more bronze could be added to the shield and sword. With some input from the blonde next to her, the two were able to come up with a unique design of bronze and white to satisfy them both. It was a first for her to talk and work together with someone else besides her father, it was new and she quite enjoyed herself so that was something too. But like all good things in life it had to come to an end at some point.

When they finally finished with designing the color scheme of his gear and weapons it was already a bit late. The sun had nearly set over the horizon and Jaune let out a yawn and stretched his arm's over his head. "Who knew the quest for perfection could eat up so much of our time"? Penny clicked on the save and uploaded the color scheme and alterations to the computer in the lab. "Is that what you've done? Created perfection"? she asked. Jaune chuckled at the question, "we, Penny. We've made perfection...or as close to perfection as we could in one day".

Jaune checked the time on his scroll before putting it back in rest mode, "I guess it's time to head out and pick up some dinner before bed". He couldn't help but groan at the thought of what his dinner was going to be like this time. "If you are dissatisfied with your current food arrangements, I can always order something from my father's computer. He orders a lot from there anyways cause he too dislikes the food from the cafeteria" Penny said after seeing his displeasure.

Jaune smiled at the robot, "if you could do that for me, I'd be grateful, truly". He watched the Penny tap away at the computer and answered any questions it shot his way to get the sandwich he wanted. When the order was sent the room went quiet as neither of them knew what to say to each other now that they weren't working or anything.

"Sooooo...is there anything you'd like to ask me while we wait for my food"?

Penny tapped her mechanical chin in thought. Truthfully there were a bunch of questions she wanted to ask about the human physiology. Like was the human penis truly a necessary part of the males gender specific trait. From some of the videos readily available on the internet, there were some woman with that physical feature as well. Did that make them men? Did genders even have meaning anymore? And why was intercourse considered to be making love?

So many questions indeed. And that only covered a single subject. She did understand that some questions brought discomfort and a need to divert from an answer, so she chose a fairly simple question to start off with. Maybe it could lead her to understanding the meaning of love making. "Jaune, what does it mean to love someone"?

Jaune nearly fell backwards but caught himself at the last second. "A-ah, well...that's a bit complicated to explain since there are so many types of love" he said with an embarrassed blush tinting his cheeks. "There's the love you feel for family, love for a significant other and even love for things you possess. H-haven't you ever asked your father about this before"?

"Yes I have but father is very keen to not talk about it much. He has on numerous occasions called me his daughter but seems reluctant to engage in love making, or even describing it for better understanding". Jaune blinked once, then again as his mind tried to naturally scrub the last few seconds from his memory for the sake of his own well being. "Penny" he said slowly just as his brain started to work properly "you do know... love making is not something a father and daughter do together, right"?

"Why not? I would think that would be natural if he loves me like a daughter".

Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He was far too young to be giving the talk about the birds and the bee's, especially since this robot wasn't even his to begin with. Then there was the fact it wasn't a kid at all. "There are many reasons for a daughter and their father to not engage in that type of physical activity, many of which I refuse to speak of for my own sanity. Getting back to the original question about love, It's just like I told you before we got off topic, there are many types of love but it's kinda up to you to decide which love belongs where".

Penny, for the longest time just stood there thinking about what he said. There was no telling what she was trying to piece together because she had no facial features to read. Time continued to tick by when suddenly Penny leaned back against the desk causing it to creak under her weight. "I cannot say I fully understand it all, but from your reactions to my questions I can tell that such a subject is very uncomfortable to speak of. I'll have to speak with dad about it before I can really decide anything".

The two chatted about other things like what normal teens did in their spare time or what books Jaune liked to read. Comics were a given but lately with all the work he'd been putting in he hadn't had the time to keep up with his favorite series. When his food arrived, Jaune looked up scans of his favorite comic online and read them with Penny to give her a taste of why he liked them so much. Honestly it was easy to tell when she got hooked because the scans began to flip faster then the human eye could comprehend and he had to slow her down so he could read too.

The time they spent was fun for the most part but they couldn't put off how late it was becoming. "Jaune, will you be able to visit again soon"? Penny asked as the two walked to the door. Jaune thought about it but knew that his new schedule would undoubtedly keep him busy for most of the week. "I would love to come back Penny but my dream depends on my training. Between that and what little time I get for rest already, I don't think anyone besides my teachers will be seeing me for a while".

Penny's head lowered a little as she nodded. "Your training to be a huntsmen, right"? She asked.

Jaune nodded with a small smile, "that is the plan".

"I see, then I look forward to seeing you again as we work towards protecting the kingdom in the future".

Jaune chuckled, "yeah I'll look forward to that too...wait what? Penny what did you mean by working together"? Penny placed a hand over her chest and explained that she was the first of a new type of mech that would portray a huntress in the near future. The truth boggled the mind, "but how would that even work? Even normal people have seen how the previous generation of mech's have worked against the Grimm, you'll be destroyed without aura". Penny place her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly, "No need to fear for I too possess an aura".

Jaune raised a brow and threw a light punch with him focusing his aura into his fist. Penny didn't see it coming and had her arm dented inward from the light punch. "I don't think you have aura to actually speak off" the blonde said once he pulled back his fist. Penny looked down at the new dent mark on her body and shrugged it away. "I do have aura, just not in this body. I have to wait until my actual body is finished before I can transfer my mind from this body to that one". Jaune scratched his cheek, clearly confused by the whole process that would allow Penny to be just like a hunter. eventually he gave up on thinking about it and held out a hand to her.

"Well if we are going to be working in the same field together then I'm glad I'll have a friend watching my back" he said with a wide smile. Penny looked down at his hand, "friend"! She looked up to the blonde and ignored the hand entirely as she threw herself at him and knocked him off his feet. "This is sensational, I've never had a boyfriend before" Penny gushed from on top of him. Jaune could feel his aura doing it's job of protecting him from breaking a few ribs, "boyfriend and boy who is a friend means two different things penny".

The robo girl sat up and tilted her head slightly in confusion. "How so"? The blonde was grateful that she wasn't crushing his ribs anymore but was a little more worried about his pelvis now. "A boyfriend is a male that you share an intimate relationship with, where a friend who is a boy is just a male you get along with". Penny considered his words carefully before rising to her feet and extending a hand, "then I look forward to working with you as well just friend Jaune". The young Arc took hold of the robo girls hand and allowed her to pull him up. "Penny, no just friend. Jaune will do just fine".

The two shook hands and although Penny didn't have a face, Jaune could tell she was smiling when she said "ok Jaune". He said his good bye's at last and left the lab and Penny behind for the nice warm bed waiting for him.

/

When the door to the lab closed, Penny walked out of the room they had occupied and into the next door lab. Pietro had on a special pair of goggles as he looked over the fresh sample of aura he had acquired. "Remarkable" the elder man whispered as he typed away at his computer. After various tests he put the sample through, the new aura infuser was ready to be tested. The sword came together nicely and the new Crocea Mors was forged. Pietro pulled off his goggles and stared at the new weapon in wonder, "Ironwood will be pleased with these results".

"Was the project a sucess"?

Pietro turned to his daughter and smiled, "on my end it was, what about you"? Penny nodded, "Jaune showed no adverse effects do to the aura extraction device built into the new handle". The Doctors smile grew, "then that boy maybe the only person who can use the aura device I created without damage being done to his soul". Penny walked over to her father and looked at the vial filled with Jaunes aura, "what do we plan to do with this sample now that we finished testing it"?

Pietro took the vial and loaded it into the handle of Crocea Mors before locking it up. "I would have liked fusing the aura your body is loaded with, with this portion of aura but there'd be a chance that one or both aura's could be destroyed in the process". Pietro sighed and rubbed a hand across his forehead, "unfortunately there's just not enough aura on hand to attempt such an idea". Penny nodded and followed after her father as he left the lab. If she was being honest with herself she couldn't wait to have her real body so she could go out and meet new people. There was only so much you could learn and experience in a lab before it became boring and repetitive.

"So how was your time interacting with someone your own age"? her father asked. Penny hopped a little in place, "it was truly fascinating father. There was so much that Jaune and I talked about that even I'm not sure where to begin. Perhaps from the beginning will do". She started from the beginning like she said she would and some of what she told her dad nearly made the man fall over in shock. "I'm so glad I skipped the infant years but in hindsight that may not have been the best idea" Pietro whispered to himself as Penny went on to talk about love.

The old Doctor wished he was still in the lab looking over new data from his experiment rather then deal with this.

"And then we talked about intercourse, or love making..." Penny started.

Pietro threw back his head and now he wished he was deaf.


Not as much going on in this chapter mostly because it's a day off chapter. And in case you don't know about the exterminator it's actually the Terminator 2 that I'm talking about. The perfect action movie of it's time and still beautiful to this day.

I know some people are going to be like "But nexus the aura machine the doctor used on himself ripped his aura badly". To you who would say that this is my answer "think of aura like skin, Jaunes has far more then anyone else and can self heal his where Pietro can't. It's pretty much a prick to a gash in this case which is why Jaune didn't feel it". As for Penny, she's just been created not that long ago. Otherwise she would've had a better understanding of the world she lived in when she met Ruby and friends.