AN: Sorry for the delay. This was originally planned in late November but I have gotten a nasty cold that delayed the chapter release. I am recovering well now. Due to the topics written in this chapter, I am going to put in a content warning for the following: Gore, psychological attacks, and insanity. I will also be including world notes at the bottom of each chapter from now on to add on to the world of Abyssal Rose.
"Thank you, Rick, right behind me is the famous Celestial Theatre, where the highly anticipated Queen in Black and White play was being held. The play, the first time being recreated, was regarded with heavy speculation and mystery. Particularly due to the recent death of the archeologist Pierre Verde, a well-respected member of the Atlesian Academy and commissioned to translate the ancient play."
"Late last night an unknown group, thought to be the White Fang, committed a terrorist attack using some form of gas to knock out the attendees inside, most of them are members of the upper class alongside visitors from other kingdoms. The authorities-."
An Atlesian Soldier walks towards the reporter, his mouth curled in annoyance.
"Oi! I said no reporters by the crime scene!"
The soldier begins to shove the reporter and the cameraman away from the scene.
"H-hey! You can't do this! The people have a right to-."
"An official statement will be made by the officials later today, we don't need reporters from ABN or Lance of Liberty fearmongering the people for views!"
The commotion caused a small crowd to form around the soldier and reporter. The reporter keeps shouting that it is the right of the people to know about the world and that suppressing her violates the Vytal Accords. People were starting to demand what was happening, especially given the presence of soldiers at such an event signifies an ill omen. The soldier meanwhile gets angrier at the crowd and demands they move back, he is joined by several soldiers and an officer.
Meanwhile, a young, orange hair girl watches the commotion with intrigue, before walking to the theatre. Surely the soldiers would appreciate her help in treating the civilians there. If she can, she can remotely download 4,590 first-aid manuals and can create antidotes using the available resources from the paramedics.
No one among the crowd paid heed to her, as they were too busying arguing with each other to prevent her from entering the theatre.
The foyer of the theatre was extravagant and large, and a statue of the star system stood in the middle. On a normal day, this area would be filled with the upper class of Atlas, a feeling of supremacy and culture should've permeated the air.
Instead, Penny was met with a feeling of gloom…and despair. She looked around and saw large black bags by one side of the wall. Soldiers sit down on the chairs, some are comforting each other, and others cry alone. The walls are mostly clean, with the smell of lemon on them. Though there is dried red liquid in some spots. One notable bench included a splatter of red liquid on the wall behind them, a dropped standard issue hoplite pistol with an empty dust casing by it. Penny starts a subroutine to download medical first aid texts and manuals to assist them.
Nobody paid attention to her, nobody except a lieutenant mopping the floor, who stopped and looked at Penny.
"Oh, a new face. Though given I only see you, I'm assuming command is getting tired of the constant redeployments."
"Sal-u-tations sir! My name is Penny Poledina and I am, uh…a huntress in training! *Hic* I'm combat ready!"
"...Hmm."
He stops mopping the floor and walks towards the front desk. He turns on the screen and starts typing on it.
"Ok so here's the deal."
Penny only gave him a cheerful smile, which caused him to grimace.
"You seem like a cheerful gal, got a nice family and a happy life, enjoying the world the way it is. So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to mark you in."
"Uhuh!"
"You're going to turn around."
"Yep!"
"And you're going to leave, lie to your superiors, and go on with your day."
Penny only stared at him in confusion. It's clear to her that they need help, why does he want her to leave?
"You have an issue cadet?"
"But lieutenant, I fail to see why you want me gone?"
He gestures to the foyer, or rather the atmosphere of it. Someone just emerged from the bathroom, Penny's eyes analyzed that they were vomiting as the soldier simply lies down and tries to go to sleep.
"It's clear that your men are very exhausted and sad sir! Don't worry, as I am capable of helping and cheering them up! I know 4,679 jokes I can tell to cheer them up!"
Penny gave an enthusiastic salute to the lieutenant, who gave a sad stare before giving out a sorrowful sigh. He then takes out his scroll.
"State your name and that you are responsible for your actions here from now on."
"I, Penny Polendina, am responsible for my actions here from now on!"
He puts his scroll away and starts typing on the desk.
"Due to…issues, we haven't been able to bring out bodies and people from the theatre. Hopefully, those experimental AKs would arrive soon, but until then your job is to retrieve the survivors still left. We've got most of them holding up on the third floor, it's been hard calming them though."
"Bodies? Was it asphyxiation due to the attack?"
The lieutenant only gestures to her to the theatre room.
"Right away sir, I will not let you down!" Penny saluted before running down the hall. He watched as she disappeared, before walking back to the desk and letting out a sigh.
"...10, 9, 8…"
Penny wondered what caused the soldiers to be like that. General always said that the men of the army were some of the bravest people on Remnant, on par with the huntsmen!"
"...7, 6, 5…"
Penny could play card games with them. That always cheered Dad up whenever he gets frustrated with cleaning her software. Though she doesn't know if some of the soldiers have cards with them. She then realized that this was a theatre, there are bound to be cards.
"...4, 3, 2…"
Penny reaches the doors that lead to the theatre, there are blood splatters on it. The attack must have driven people into extreme fear, confined spaces and unknown gas was a tactic used during the Great War to draw away Grimm, the terrorists could have applied it here. Penny moved to open the doors.
"...1."
Her eyes widen as she saw the scene before her. Blood, gore, horrific grins, bone masks. So much of it was everywhere, fear. Terrified faces, dismembered bodies. One body was facing directly at her, its eyes covered by a bone white mask stained with black liquid, and was giving her a slasher smile. It froze her. She stood and saw the aftermath of something that no one should see in their life.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
Penny fell onto the floor in absolute terror. One of the corpses gave her a bloody grin as she continued to scream and hyperventilate. It was too much for the android to handle, she curled up and started crying, calling for her Dad. Tears would be flowing from her eyes if she could cry tears.
After a few minutes, the sobbing went to whimpering, and then to sniffling. She slowly got up and faced the situation in front of her.
The body was still giving her an eternal smile, and the bone mask make it hard to tell if the person still has eyes without the use of night vision, but Dad hasn't implemented that feature yet. It's so…unnerving for someone to be smiling at her like that, death was supposed to be peaceful, at least that was what Dad told her when she asked him about it.
She can turn back now, nobody will fault her for doing so. But… there are still people left in there, she's going to be a huntress, working with the General to protect humanity. How can she be classified as a huntress if she's breaking the huntsman's code established by King Ozymandius?
Penny's face tenses before she slowly walks towards the theatre. Step, by, step. Her footsteps echoed in the silent halls as she slowly enters the theatre, her breath shaking at the sight of what she was seeing. She scanned the room for any survivors, wincing as she gets too much of a glimpse at the bodies. Despite being metal, she feels something wrong in her abdomen.
Scanning detects 3 faint heartbeats located in the vicinity. Their locations have been marked. Warning, increased activity in processor unit, recommended retreat for repairs and rest.
Penny saw three arrows hovering above the few people left in the theatre. Every step she takes echoes in the silent hall, occasionally the steps are followed by the squishing of flesh or splattering of blood. Death and silence were all that surrounded Penny as she walked towards the first arrow, her clothes being stained red and black as she shimmies her way to the first target.
The person was a man, in his late 30s. His hand was gripping a bone mask that had fused to his face, there are multiple cuts and lacerations on his body. He is twitching in fear due to extreme levels of adrenaline in his body. His mouth is muttering something. As Penny approached the victim, she can hear his ramblings.
"...won't come off, it won't come off, it won't come off, I want to be deaf, I want to be blind, I don't want to be silent. It won't come off, it won't come off, it knows, it knows, it knows, it knows."
Penny places her hand on the victim, who stops shivering in fear and faces her. She can't see his eyes.
"A-are you here to wake me up? It's too much, the silence, I don't want to listen to silence, its domain claims the silence."
"Don't worry, I'm here to help. I'll patch your wounds up and move you out of the theatre." Penny gave him an assured smile, which seemed to calm him down.
Analysis indicates the mask is of an unknown material resembling Grimm bone, attempted removal of the mask is ill-advised. Mask shows assimilation on the victim's flesh and forcible removal without surgery would result in the following: Severe bleeding, blindness, severe scarring around the face and eyes, and possible death.
Recommended course of action: Prioritize treatment of wounds on the victim's body.
Penny used Floating Array to cut fabric from the bodies that surround her, using her eyes to cut only the clean parts of the clothing. While doing so, she notices a strange symbol on one of the bodies. She stared at it a bit, trying to make sense of it, before turning back and using the medical knowledge she downloaded from the CCTnet to begin patching the man up. She tightened the makeshift bandages on his wounds, before picking him up and slowly moving toward the exit.
"It's…so quiet…why did I come here?" He mutters to himself.
"Can you walk? Are you able to see?"
"...Yes. I can walk, I can run, but I can't escape…I am marked. And I see…so much more. I want this to stop."
"Don't worry, I just have to save two more and you'll get the best medical attention the General can provide."
Penny sees that his heart rate slows down to a more normal BPM, she places the man by the entrance of the theatre, who slides onto the floor taking deep breaths. One down, two to go.
Warning! Corruption detected in Astralogical Force Engine! Retreat and repair A.F.E. to maintain current Aura levels!
Penny froze.
"Run diagnostics!"
Coolant: 100%
Core temp: Optimal
Floating Array: Online
AFE engine: Optimal
Audiovisual cortex: Operational
Processor unit: Operational
Aura: 100%
All systems: Nominal
Penny thought she was hallucinating. She had to be. Of course, the shock from what she has seen would lead to hallucinations, which was mentioned in a journal for dealing with traumatic events…There's a clock in the theatre.
She's hearing the ticking of a clock somewhere. She must have been so focused on the mission she never heard it.
Every step she takes matches the ticking of the clock. Tick, tock, tick, tock, the pattern was occasionally disrupted by the squishing of flesh or the splattering of blood. Penny approaches the second arrow, shimmying beside the numerous bodies. Some have their eyes clawed out and their mouths curled in horror, others are wearing bone masks and giving an ecstatic smile. Penny does her best to ignore them, though it is hard when they surround her.
The second arrow leads to a woman, in her mid-40s with tan skin, her dress is stained with blood yet her demeanor is a calm panic, She is taking deep breaths, her hand constantly rubs her eyes yet there is a smile on her face. She is examined to be a board member of Chivalric Arms, Diane Rosso. She is suffering from some minor bleeding and scratches.
Diana turns towards Penny, and she lets out a sigh of relief.
"About time. To think our arms go to a bunch of cowards who couldn't even handle a bit of death! If this were any other scenario Ironwood would be hearing about this. At least our money is showing its true worth, isn't that right Project P.E.N.N.Y?"
Penny did not comment to the board member using her official name, a scowl on her lips as she uses the fabric of the fallen around her to mend her wounds. However when she moved to cover her wounds with the makeshift bandages. Diana's skin was suddenly bone white. Her clothing was replaced by old, noble clothing. She blinked twice and the world went back to normal, though she noticed something strange with Diana's eyes.
Diana however, smiled a bit.
"Oh, I never thought a machine could be affected. I guess Pietro's skill was indeed better than that Watts character."
"W-what do you mean?"
"...Do you hear ticking?"
Penny nodded, and Diana smiled at her. Her body language indicates to Penny she refuses to talk anymore. Penny patches her wounds and starts carrying her to the exit.
When she was halfway there, Penny started to hear whispering. She looked around, scanning the area for the audio source…yet there was none. She runs diagnostics again.
Coolant: 100%
Core temp: Optimal
Floating Array: Online
AFE engine: Optimal
Audiovisual cortex: Operational
Processor unit: Operational
Aura: 100%
All systems: Submit
She panicked, yet when she looked again at the diagnostics…
Coolant: 100%
Core temp: Optimal
Floating Array: Online
AFE engine: Optimal
Audiovisual cortex: Operational
Processor unit: Operational
Aura: 100%
All systems: Nominal
Penny starts running towards the exit. She drops off Diana and then turns around. Her diagnostics wouldn't lie. She's fine, she's fine, she's fine. She has to be fine. She was made by the top minds by Atlas with the most advanced robotics within her. Her vision is darkening, why is it getting dark the ticking, the ticking won't stop. It will stop once she can get the last survivor. One more and she can go back to Dad and everything will be fine. She's taking deep breaths, it helps calm her down.
Penny reaches the last arrow. A man, a single man, has his eyes closed and hums without a care in the world. She takes a deep breath.
"Sir, sir you need to come with me."
"Ah, but why would I do that? I am enjoying the fruits that have been provided to me, and I have been enlightened to something way beyond wealth. Do you enjoy the silence of the theatre, of the ticking of its presence?"
"...You're not well mentally. I understand-"
"No! You don't understand…" He shouted angrily and opened his eyes at Penny. His pupils are shattered, however, his expression went somber.
"Why are you resisting?"
"W-what?"
"You saw it. The sign, the mark left by it, our true god. The Queen. You saw it, yet you blind yourself to its presence around it."
"Sir please-."
"Do you hear the ticking of silence?"
Penny froze and stayed silent.
"You resist the bountiful fruits and power it gives you, I can see it. The potential just waiting to be burst and reborn as a noble of the court. So tell me. Why. Do. You. Resist?"
Penny remained silent, which serves to aggravate the man.
"Penny…Sweet Penny…Don't you understand what lies before you? To be a beautiful noble in its court, to be an angel of death compared to its legions with the weapons that WE provided you. So much opportunity, so much splendor, and you still refuse to submit?!"
He takes out a pocket knife and starts giggling.
"If you refuse to partake in its splendor, then I shall gladly rip out your core and offer it as a sacrifice!"
The man charges Penny, he slashes at her, and Penny was startled to find that her aura didn't protect her. The man didn't get another chance to harm her though, one of Floating Array's swords impaled him through his gut. Though despite the mortal wound, he still moves forward to attack Penny, only stopping when two more swords pierce his chest.
He drops his pocket knife, and stared at the swords piercing his body with horror, before dropping to the floor. Dead. The three Floating Array swords dislodged themselves from the body and calmly float back towards Penny.
"He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. I didn't mean to, it was to dissuade him. I'm not a murderer right? It was self-defense. Defense, defense!"
Penny started to hyperventilate. Her vision was narrowing, the ticking was getting more and more…aware. The whispering was getting louder. She sees it. The Symbol, it's everywhere. She has to leave. Leave. Leave with her sanity intact.
"R-r-run diagnostics…" An attempt to convince herself she's still fine.
Coolant: 10294y4t859293283380%
Cojdjkare tempdkjwjw: jkeffegk
Floating Array: Murderer
AFE engine: ticking
Eyes and ears: violated
Mind: shattered
Soul: none%
All systems: Submit. Submit. Submit. SubMiT. SUBMIT.
She covers her head and starts crying. She has to leave. Has to leave. So many voices, so many things she doesn't want to see. Her body doesn't listen to her commands to blind herself or deafen the voices. Every waking step causes so much anguish for her. It makes no sense, she can feel them. The people in the theater were all staring at her. Their death-filled gazes judging her for her actions, guilty was what they were saying.
She finally makes it to the exit. The people she rescued are not there, she doesn't question it. She limps her way across the hallway, the whispering getting quieter and quieter until there was only ticking in her ears. The hallway seems to go on, and on, and on, andonandonandonandonandon.
"W-why can't I leave? Why?! I want to go home!"
She stops walking, and the ticking stops. Surrounding her was nothing deathly silence.
And then she blinked.
She was now in a hallway. Not in Atlas, nor anywhere in Remnant. The hallway color is monochrome, the white and black splitting the room down to the intricate carpet. She looks to her left and sees an unshattered full moon. Shining brilliantly and incandescently against a city she does not know. Penny does the only thing she can do now, and walk.
She came across a regal door, she tried scanning, but was surprised to see that nothing worked. Faced with no other options, she opened the door.
Behind the door was a ballroom, with a single table with food in the middle. She carefully walked towards the table, her footsteps echoing inside the strange ballroom. When she got to the table, she saw a strange, large red fruit, and was hit with an unnatural feeling of starvation. Desperate to remove this feeling, she latches on to the fruit and takes a bite. The red juices squeeze out of the body and splash onto Penny's clothes and face.
The fruit's flesh was indescribable. No words in the languages she was programmed with can describe the taste she's experiencing. She must have more. More. More. She started ripping pieces of the fruit and greedily devouring it as if she was starving for weeks.
She then felt someone behind her. Looking around…it was her. No eyes, black tears streaming down her cheeks. Wearing strange, ancient clothes reminiscent of nobility from an era beyond modern history. Her skin was Grimm white, and she had a gentle smile on her face. The alternate Penny calmly walked up to her.
"It is not yet your time." She spoke with absolute certainty as if stating but a fact. Her voice was ancient and regal. "But it could be…"
Penny suddenly felt her arms twist beyond what they can turn. Metal and wires snapped and broke as she felt her entire body torn to shreds, she lets out a wordless scream. Then suddenly she was relaxing in a dining hall, enjoying the fruits and pleasures of a world beyond what Remnant provides. Pleasant, unknown music played in the background and Penny realized that she was the alternate self. A transformed, Grimm Floating Array sword cuts up a piece of meat and places it in her mouth. Decadence, peace, power, nobility.
The doors opened, and she was faced by the alternate Penny once again. She understands now. As Penny slowly kneels, she saw the alternate Penny disappear from her eyes.
In a bright flash, the unshattered full moon appeared in front of Penny. But it was different. It wasn't the moon. It was…far, far more than the moon. It was not just a sigil. It was a being far older, far more powerful than Penny could even dream of. It. IT. White and Black, Black and White. So much knowledge, so much power, so much, so much, so much. And it's giving its undivided attention solely to an insignificant speck like Penny. Just watching her like a child watching an ant build its hill. The moon was its domain, it was always watching, with no hope, no escape.
Penny's eyes cracked under the pressure.
"A CHILD?"
There was a pregnant pause, Penny only stared at the Moon.
"NO…AND YES. A SOUL…IN A MACHINE? WE ASK: WHAT ARE YOU?"
Penny was brought back to reality when someone grabbed her. Her eyes are shattered yet she can make out a distinct four-legged chair. The person is sniffling and fighting back tears as he hugs her tightly.
"...D…AD?"
World Note: The P.E.N.N.Y. Project is a collaboration between the Atlesian Military and several of Atlas's corporations such as the SDC and Chivalric Arms. The goal of the project was to experiment with the idea of infusing Aura with robotic soldiers, as part of Ironwood's "Automated Warfare" doctrine. Headed by Pietro Polendina, the breakthroughs of the project lead to the creation of the Astralogical Force Engine, a device capable of autogenerating aura, provided it was given aura by a human. It also leads to major breakthroughs in robotics and AI, which help contribute to the creation of the AK-200 and AK-290 Paladin