Chapter 1 - Separation

Atlas, Year 73 Vytal Era

[A/N this chapter begins approximately seven years before the canon events of Volume 1 (Year 80 Vytal Era) and takes place in my "Grimmling-Verse" AU.

Deep in the bowels of an obscure and obfuscated Atlesian laboratory, Dr. Pietro Polendina lay enclosed in a complex device.

He was nervous. Who wouldn't be.

But he was also excited.

And claustrophobic.

The Aura Field Inducer was, by necessity, cramped. Even with his best efforts, the fields generated by the thousands of individual elements could only extend a few inches from their physical structure, and thus they all had to be placed rather closely to the surface of his skin. It was… much like being cocooned by short filaments of metal, ceramic, and plastic.

And it had to be his skin. He would not risk anyone else's life to his experimental designs. Oh, his research partner and closest friend would have taken his place in a heartbeat. Had volunteered and tried to insist, in fact. But Dr. Jade Buyanto was, at this moment, even more critical to the safety of Atlas than Pietro himself.

Because Dr. Buyanto was Atlas' second-greatest mind ever in the fields of electronics and communications.

And both men knew who held the highest rank in that field, and now who he served, and that thought terrified them.

No. If either of them had to be risked now, it would be Dr. Polendina. They needed Jade working behind the scenes with the little cabal seeking to counter Arthur Watts, whoever their members were. Polendina wasn't the least bit curious about their identities, either. All of them knew the capabilities of who they faced, and had been careful to compartmentalize. All Jade knew was that Dr. Polendina had friends, somewhere outside Atlas, who were doing discrete work as well, as they fed data and analysis back and forth by courier.

He shook his head metaphorically, since he couldn't move it physically. It was all very 'secret agent'. He preferred this type of hands-on research, to be honest.

"Are you ready, Pietro?" Jade asked quietly, green eyes betraying his concern.

"As I will ever be, my friend." Polendina said, working to keep his voice even. "Initiate."

Pulling up a holographic control panel on the podium next to him with his right hand, while his left hovered over a physical disconnect switch, Dr. Buyanto entered a sequence of commands, and then gently slid a control upward, watching the readouts carefully and eyes flicking to Dr. Polendina sporadically.

Dr. Polendina felt it when the AFI activated. At first it was a gentle tingle across his skin. Then slowly it warmed like the sun on a cloudless day. Not yet painful, but… uncomfortable. He would have to remember to—

And then a slight tugging sensation emerged, as if his skin were being pulled outward.

All of his skin at once.

He grimaced against the sensation. He couldn't look down with his head so restrained, and he couldn't lift his limbs either. But he could see in his peripheral vision that the skin of his cheeks was most definitely not being pulled outward.

But something was.

Something more innate to his being than mere physical matter.

"It's working!" Jade exclaimed. "External Aura expression at 1% above nominal!" He breathed deeply, checking vitals and then back to the aural display. "Two percent!"

The feeling of being… separated, of nearly having a portion of himself torn loose, grew, and Polendina grit his teeth against it.

Discomfort shifted to slight pain.

"Three percent!" Dr. Buyanto frowned as a soft alarm sounded. "Heart rate elevating. Describe the sensations." Buyanto was, first and foremost, a scientist.

"Like… being… drawn out," the older man gasped. "Not… pleasant."

"Noted. Possible future application of a sedative or analgesic."

"Yes… I…" Polendina groaned, "Gods…" and then he gave a cry as he felt a portion of his Aura literally torn from him.

"Pietro!" Jade yelled, and he immediately reduced the field strength.

"No! Not- Blast it, Jade! We were so close!" Pietro gasped, panting as the field slowly died around him to the point where the tugging sensations disappeared, leaving only a generalized rawness.

"Close to tearing you in half, my friend." Jade scolded. "Your vitals jumped well out of safe parameters just then."

"Close to a breakthrough in Aura manipulation!" Pietro corrected. "Vitals or not!" He sighed as the feelings of discomfort faded. "Get me out of the field generator, I want to review the data and see where we went wrong."

Dr. Buyanto moved to do so, and then paused, eyes widening. "Pietro… we didn't! It worked..." he breathed. He hit the release controls, causing the elements to withdraw and loosen the restraints that held Dr. Polendina in place. The older man staggered out, legs feeling like jelly.

"Eh? What do you—" He followed Dr. Buyanto's shaking finger to the isolation room to his right. A hard-light field separated it from the rest of the lab, and inside it a complex containment chamber with overlapping fields sat, still powered up.

And in the center of that, a tiny, marble-sized ball of… something now existed. Something that glowed and pulsed with its own energy. Something that Polendina felt drawn to.

A tiny fragment of his very soul, drawn from him and kept separate. So small he hadn't even noticed its absence.

He felt both horrified and elated.

"Gods… it worked," he tried to take a step forward, and found his legs unsteady. His friend hurried over to help him. "Help me to a chair, we have to go over the data! Determine how to make the process less stressful next time."

"Yes… next time," his companion said doubtfully.

But Doctor Pietro Polendina had zero doubt. After years of research, he'd finally managed that first critical step, a tiny one but also spanning a mind-boggling deep chasm between the theoretical and the practical.

He had taken Aura, quantized it, drawn it from its source, and contained it. It wasn't enough, however. Not nearly enough, if his calculations were correct. The amount of Aura contained within that field represented approximately 20% of what he needed to test his theory fully, to take Project P.E.N.N.Y. from a madman's dream to a reality that would, finally, release Atlas from its most catastrophic risk, a reality that would save future generations of young women from a life of protective isolation.

Two hours later, as they closed the lab for the night, the room darkened, lit only by a few indicator lights and a single, tiny ball of Aura, casting its faint green rays about the room.

And on the opposite side of that room stood a plastic and metal prototype. It was little more than an adult-sized caricature of a creature at the moment, all structural elements, circuits, wires, and tubes.

But it already had a name, the plaque beside it proclaimed:

Personality Emulating Neural-Networked Yeomanette (P.E.N.N.Y.)

And it had an open space, there in the center of its torso, that waited for something. For one critical element.

As the dim light of the Aura reflected off its exposed visual sensors, one could only imagine what dreams might someday haunt its artificial neurons.

Some Years Prior

James Ironwood, newly minted Headmaster of Atlas Academy, flexed the fingers of his prosthetic hand, and marveled at the tactile feedback. The smoothness of its response to his effortless, almost negligent commands. It had been a long road to get to this point. They had not yet perfected the skin that would cover its mechanisms so that it would match his own in texture and resilience, but the clear membrane that covered it would do for now.

He looked up, and gave Pietro Polendina, the man who over the course of two years had literally rebuilt a large portion of his body, who had given him his functionality back and who had just finished running diagnostics and made some subtle adjustments, a warm smile as the man began gathering his tools and diagnostic instrumentation. "Pietro, I can't tell you how incredible it feels to have… such a natural-feeling prosthetic after the previous versions."

Polendina frowned. "Yes well, James, I daresay there's still significant room for improvement. Many of the innovations in this version are still… hmm… crude to say the least."

Ironwood laughed. "Oh really?"

Polendina joined him, chuckling. "Apologies, you witness the scientist's curse," he rubbed his eyes. "Nothing is ever good enough, because perfection doesn't exist. It's a goal to be forever pursued and never reached."

Now that, I can understand, Ironwood mused.

Polendina paused, suddenly appearing unsure of himself. "Though I admit that I do have an ulterior motive for this particular visit, beyond evaluating your prosthetics' performance."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I have a… rather unusual question to ask you. One that has begun to nag at me most troublingly. It's become quite a distraction." And with that, Dr. Polendina, Atlas' premier scientist in the area of prosthetics and automation, explained his conundrum to James Ironwood, latest keeper of many deep and dangerous truths.

It had apparently begun as an offshoot of Polendina's research into power sources for a next-generation Atlesian airship. He had been playing around with modeling, and had on a whim created a model for Atlas itself.

And the conclusion his model provided had been anomalous.

. . .

It was well-known that Gravity Dust occurred naturally, but could also be synthesized from Fire and Lightning Dust. A quantity was, in fact, produced by a handful of Dust refiners, including the Megoliath in the room, the Schnee Dust Company.

It was also well-known what the functional characteristics of passive Gravity Dust were. That is to say, how much a given mass of gravity dust would distort the gravitational field for a given mass of attached matter. A mere high school student could roughly calculate that by observing the floating islands of Lake Matsu and comparing their estimated mass to the size of the embedded Gravity Dust crystals present in each.

And what Polendina's exercise had found, for his own amusement, was that the raw mass of passive Gravity Dust required to hold Atlas in place above the surface of Remnant was more than the combined totals of all known naturally-occurring and the synthetic production capacity of all existing Dust manufacturing.

This, Polendina explained to James, did not immediately disturb him, because it was also well-established that Gravity Dust could also be changed to an active state by the introduction of an external power source, including by using Aura or other Dust sources. The activation of Gravity Dust in this manner could dramatically increase or change its field effects in very predictable ways that made it exceptionally useful in weaponry and in global transportation, from the augmented rails of the Argus Limited, to the streetcars that plied the more affluent cities of Remnant, to the private, commercial, and above all military airships that plied the skies of Remnant's.

As Polendina, in the way of many scientists, continued to methodically lay out the path of his analysis, James Ironwood felt his stomach dropping, though he worked hard to keep his expression neutral. He could see the direction the tracks of this conversation were heading, and he had slowly dimming hope that it might be derailed, at this point.

"And my curiosity having been thoroughly set alight at this point," Polendina chuckled at himself deprecatingly, "and having due to my trusted position access to information that no one else in Atlas could possibly draw from, I… perhaps spent more time than was justifiable, or reasonable, refining my model." He gave Ironwood a careful look. "And I reached a rather troubling conclusion."

"And that is?" Ironwood asked quietly.

"That while it is theoretically possible to maintain Atlas' position in the skies of Solitas by activating the estimated upper range of available natural and produced Gravity Dust, the amount of power required would be an order of magnitude greater than even the most liberal estimates of Atlesian mining and refining capacity could support." He shook his head. "Fire Dust. Lightning Dust. Any known combinations of these. Even if we utilized every quanta of Gravity Dust ever mined, there simply would not be enough power available to activate it all, and keep it activated. Not even if we stripped all other uses."

He gestured around them, "And yet here we sit, inside this technological wonder, that scientifically cannot work." His eyes roamed over Ironwood's face. "And as a scientist, I cannot tell you how much that realization shook me."

"Well, Pietro, I-"

"I'm not finished," and Ironwood was surprised by the tone of his interruption. "I… continued to dig into the matter. Seeking an explanation. I found, James, that the supposed energy source for Atlas predated it, and had been integrated into the structure of this very Academy. And further, I determined that no one in the scientific community actually understands how it works, nor has enough information to determine why it should not work. Your average Atlesian Engineer would likely just assume it was some classified technology they didn't have access to."

Ironwood leaned back in his chair and replied quietly. "Have you considered that possibility?"

Polendina gave a thin smile. "James, there is no classified technology that could generate those levels of power now, and certainly any such technology didn't exist when Atlas was created." Polendina stood and began pacing. "It would defy all known laws of Dust Dynamics!" He paused. "And before you say that perhaps there is someone who specializes in Dust Dynamics, someone who knows more than I do of that field, that is likely. But I know these people personally. I studied under Doctor Niccolite prior to his retirement." His eyes bore into Ironwood's "No such novel physical law exists, now or then."

Slowly, Ironwood let his shoulders drop. And here it is.

Polendina slowly returned to his seat, and lowered himself back down. "James. I believe that… Atlas Academy has a secret. A conundrum. An anomaly."

"And you believe that I hold the answer to this riddle."

"I'm confident that if anyone does, it's whoever currently sits in the seat you now occupy."

To say that Ironwood had been placed in a pretty pickle would be understating the matter. Polendina was a senior member of a critical team of researchers who were progressing Atlesian technology rapidly. His inventions were already making a difference in the life and death struggle against the Grimm. If he decided to force the matter, to threaten to go to the Atlesian military hierarchy… or worse merely to voice his questions to the scientific community… he would be listened to.

And yet he was demanding an explanation that was fraught with danger for both himself and Atlas at large. But Ironwood knew by now that the man before him would not be mollified by claims of classified information, or vague explanations, or assurances that he didn't need to worry about it.

"And if I am… unable… to provide you this explanation? What will you do then?"

He saw the older man's wry expression at his very specific choice of words. "James… I would like to think that you and I have come to know each other well, during our work. I believe you to be an honorable man. One dedicated to the good of our Kingdom's citizens. Before I agreed to work on your prosthetics, I read the reports regarding how, as Deputy Headmaster, you threw yourself into harm's way to protect students and civilians." His rich voice softened. "It's one of the reasons I agreed to personally oversee your recovery in the first place." He glanced at Ironwood's hand. "I would like to believe we're… allies in this, if not friends." He leaned forward. "I won't threaten you, James. Nor will I involve others if you refuse me. But… it will eat at me for the rest of my life. I have few vices, James. One of them is a nearly debilitating curiosity. It's something that has served me well in my career." He chuckled ruefully. "I'm not sure how a willful refusal to satisfy that curiosity will impact our ability to work together in the future."

James Ironwood felt the impact of his words.

Not what I expected.

He stared at Pietro. A man who, he realized, he was indebted to. A man who had made it his personal mission to see James restored to a fully-functional member of Atlesian society over the last several years.

A man who was asking for his trust in return.

James Ironwood made a decision.

Very slowly, and very carefully, James Ironwood explained Atlas' true power source to Pietro Polendina, and watched his… friend's face go slack with the knowledge. Partial, incomplete, knowledge. But enough.

Magic. An ancient Relic, discovered long ago and kept secret and safe by this very institution. Magic that could fashion one, and only one, device or mechanism. Anything that man could imagine and clearly define and document could be created.

But only one. And only one at a time. The creation of a new device would cause the near-immediate dissolution of the original.

"But that means…" Pietro's dark face paled, "that if this Relic were taken and used… the power source would cease to exist and…" He performed some mental calculations on the fly. "The Gravity Dust would become de-activated within thirty-five to forty minutes. The results would be-"

"Catastrophic. And now you understand why this knowledge is guarded jealously. So jealously that the Atlas Council themselves are unaware of it. Only the Academy Headmasters," and a few others he added silently, "are told this, handed down one to the next. It is a sacred duty, Pietro, to protect both the secret and its source. To protect Atlas."

And to his relief, Pietro both accepted the explanation, and never again brought the matter up. He was a man of science, not magic. What desire did he have to delve into the occult? Let Ironwood bear this burden.

And over the years, their working relationship, their friendship, continued to strengthen, to the point that when Ironwood found himself troubled by the dangers that the Winter Maiden's security represented, he went to the one man in Atlas he knew he could trust with his fears, and might have a solution. The one man who had proven completely trustworthy.

And from that conversation had been born Project P.E.N.N.Y.

[A/N] As mentioned, this story takes place in my Grimmling-Verse AU and is a standalone excerpt from my longfic "Grimmling". It will update periodically as I reach Penny-centric chapters in that longer story. If you only really care about Penny, I hope this scratches an itch. But if you find this work intriguing, please check out my other works.

In this chapter, we explore Dr. Polendina's initial experiments with Aura transference and also see the earliest technology that would eventually become the Aura Transfer Device that was intended to transfer Amber's remaining Aura to Pyrrha Nikos. And as hinted at here, such a transfer would likely not have allowed Amber to survive the process. You may have also noticed, even in Dr. Polendina's case, a potential side-effect of Aura 'separation'.

We also explored the origins of Dr. Polendina and James Ironwood's trust, along with my fanon rationalization for the origins of Project P.E.N.N.Y.

And I introduce an OC that is not quite an OC, Dr. Jade Buyanto. In canon, there is a photo of Polendina's research team from years prior on his desk. I decided that the stocky man standing to Polendina's right (your left viewing the photo) remained a colleague and friend, and gave him a name and specialty. I've also given names and specialties to the others in the photo (other than Arthur Watts, who needs no introduction).

My headcanon is that the individuals in that canon photo are (left to right) :

1 As Yet Unnamed Man - Moved into direct Atlas weapons research. May be retired now.
2 Jade Buyanto - Electronics, Communications, and later AI
3 Dr. Polendina - Creator of Penny
4 As Yet Unnamed Woman - After the Paladin Incident, exited Atlas Military Research and eventually became CEO of HumanNextwork Game Developers.
5 Arthur Watts - Nuff said.

In my headcanon, Buyanto had an "accident' in canon prior to Volume 7 because he stumbled upon some of Watts meddling, and hit one of his 'tripwires' which is why he doesn't appear in any of the canon Volume 7-9 material.