Cover Art by CHE3ZY.

The poll for the favorite OC is still open. Rahm is currently winning with Dr. Haze in second and Jai and Terre tied for third. Be sure to vote.

Even though it's only been a few days, it feels like forever. Here's chapter 19! Please leave your thoughts in the reviews section!

"Again!"

Jaune obeyed Pyrrha's command as he sprinted at Jai with his sword and shield at the ready. Jai stood stationary with his sword in a defensive position. Jaune let out a battle cry as he swung his sword at the super soldier. Jai raised his sword and parried the strike. Jaune grunted as he tried to overpower Jai but no matter how much force he applied it felt like trying to move a mountain. Jaune attempted to strike Jai in the face with his shield, but Jai ducked underneath the strike and hit Jaune with a firm open-palmed strike to the chest, sending the blonde skidding back several feet. Jaune was panting, he had been at this for hours, while Jai hadn't even broken a sweat. Before Jaune could comprehend what was happening he found himself receiving a roundhouse kick to his head, sending him stumbling back further. Jaune raised his sword and shield in defense as Jai began to bombard him with quick, precise attacks from his sword. Jaune used his sword and shield in tandem to parry and block the strikes, but he soon found it more and more difficult to keep up with Jai. Jai swung his sword down only for Jaune to block it with his shield. Jaune attempted to hit Jai with a sword strike of his own to Jai's head, but Jai moved faster than he could follow and dropped to the ground and performed a leg sweep, knocking Jaune to the ground on his back. Jaune groaned in pain as he looked up to see Jai's sword pointed at his throat.

"Good work Jaune," said Pyrrha. "That's enough for now. Let's take a break." Pyrrha made her way over to them, smiling warmly as she did so.

Without a word, Jai withdrew his weapon and slung it over his back. Jaune wiped the sweat off his face as he forced himself to his feet.

"You're making good progress Jaune. You lasted much longer against Jai this time." Jaune still had a long way to go, but given how much longer he managed to last against Jai spoke volumes of his progress. Jai was something else, though. His form was flawless and none of his movements were wasted. They were all deliberate and they all served to ensure his victory. She had yet to face Jai in a sparring match, but she would be sure to do so soon.

Jaune was panting heavily. "T-Thanks Pyrrha…that means…a lot," he said between breaths.

Pyrrha frowned. "Jai wait here with Jaune. I'm going to go get us some water."

Jai only nodded in response. Pyrrha ran off to get the dehydrated blonde some water, leaving the two alone on the rooftop.

"You're not thinking before you attack."

Jaune looked up at Jai with a confused gaze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that on your last attack you charged me mindlessly. You have no strategy in mind. You need to think before you act when you're faced with a stronger opponent. If you can't overpower him then maybe you can outsmart him. Also," he added, "you need to remain calm. Don't rush into battle with anger or any other emotion. It will only cloud your judgment."

Jaune knew that Jai was right. When he charged at Jai he didn't have a strategy in mind. He was driven forward by frustration mainly while Jai remained completely calm. What was he thinking? Calm didn't describe Jai. The guy was borderline emotionless the entire fight. He moved with such calculated precision and focus that it was actually terrifying. Jaune nodded in agreement.

"You're right. I just want to get better, but I guess I let my frustration get in the way."

"Understandable," Jai nodded.

Jaune cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, uh…" this was the most Jaune had ever spoken to Jai, "what's your story?"

Jai looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know anything about you. Where are you from? What do you do for fun? Got any family?"

Jai remained silent for a moment. He carefully considered what his next words would be. Everything about Jai Gris was a lie and he needed to sell it as truth.

"Well as you may or may not know my team and I are from Atlas. As for what I do for fun, I mainly enjoy training. I've taken up music lately as a side hobby."

The love of training was the truth. That information wasn't classified by any means. Interestingly enough, the interest in music was not a lie either. During his time at Beacon, Jai found himself listening to music more often.

"As for my family, I'd rather not talk about it…"

Jaune nodded in understanding. He wouldn't press that issue further.

"What about you?"

Jaune blinked. He was caught off guard by the question. Actually, no. He was caught off guard by the fact that Jai asked him that question. Before now, he had only heard the big guy speak maybe once or twice. He shook himself out of the stupor.

"I'm from a small town just outside Mistral. I grew up with seven sisters and I like to read comic books."

Jai listened to what the blonde was saying, doing his best to maintain interest in the conversation. The two continued to talk for the next few minutes. Jaune did the bulk of the questioning, however. The attention of the two shifted to the rooftop entrance as Pyrrha returned with a few bottles of water. Her warm, radiant smile was ever-present.

"It's nice to see you talking more with someone other than me, Jai," she teased lightly. Jai didn't laugh, but the faintest hint of a smirk formed itself on his face. She tossed Jaune a water bottle, the blonde fumbled the catch. Pyrrha laughed at Jaune's fumbled catch before tossing Jai a water bottle too, the super-soldier caught it with ease. "Ready for another session Jaune?"

Jaune nearly choked on his water. The blonde groaned at the thought of getting his ass kicked by Jai again. This was going to be a long night.

Jai's scroll rang. The super soldier paused momentarily to retrieve it. He saw that there was a message from Rahm waiting for him. He opened it.

Meet in the dorm room in 15 minutes. Terre's called a team meeting.

Jai looked up to Pyrrha and Jaune before speaking.

"I'm afraid I have to go."

Penny sat on her bed and looked down at the floor in sadness. Terre, Rahm, and Jai stood in front of her. Terre and Rahm had their arms crossed while Jai looked a bit more relaxed.

"Penny, General Ironwood gave you one task. What was your one task?" Terre's gaze seemed to drill into her.

Penny looked up at Terre with sad, almost puppy dog-like eyes. "To not let anyone know I was a robot."

"And what happened?"

"I-I accidentally let Ruby find out when I saved her from being crushed by the shipping container."

Terre nodded solemnly at Penny, though his expression did not indicate that he was remotely satisfied by any of this. Penny shifted her gaze to her feet, her expression downcast.

"I'm so sorry. I-I did not mean for this to happen. I just wanted to save Ruby..."

Terre was going to continue but stopped as he thought to himself. While Penny's nature was to be kept an absolute secret, Ruby's safety was also a top priority. As far as he could reason, Penny took on a mission directive he was supposed to take charge of, and thus, she had only followed an order.

"Please forgive me."

Penny didn't seem like she was willingly violating directives, and if anything, she was reassigning priority. In his situation, he likely would have done the same. He closed his eyes briefly and then spoke.

"There is nothing to be forgiven for. As far as I can tell, while your primary directive may have been violated, it was in service to another equally important objective, if not more so." Terre paused momentarily before continuing.

"I suspect Ruby will have questions, but I doubt she is the type to spill classified information provided you give the appropriate reasoning."

Penny perked up at that. Rahm looked between his comrades and at Penny's remorseful face. Although his posture was more casual than either of them, this was not a time to be soft.

"For now... you'll have to limit contact with her or anyone else," Terre said firmly, "and wait for this situation to clear up."

A worried look etched itself onto Penny's face. "She will not say anything Terre. She promised me she would not tell anyone!"

"That remains to be seen."

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked.

Terre's gaze remained fixed. "As I said before. Limit your contact with her and anyone else. You are to keep a low profile until further notice."

Rahm nodded in agreement before he spoke. "We cannot allow this to happen again."

"I promise it won't ha-"

Rahm cut her off. "You will also need to explain what happened in a report to General Ironwood. He needs to know."

"But what if he takes me away from you all?! I do not want to leave!" Penny found herself stammering, struggling to speak. The poor girl was terrified.

"I-I like it here. I love my friends and I love you three. You all are like brothers to me. You were the first ones to accept me. P-Please...I do not want to go…" Penny buried her face in her hands.

Jai had remained quiet the entire time. He hadn't been present during the whole ordeal. He was with Pyrrha and Jaune. Granted, Rahm hadn't seen the ordeal either, but Rahm had at least arrived on the scene afterward. Jai uncrossed his arms and walked over next to Penny and sat down next to her. Jai placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the robot girl to look up at him in surprise.

"We won't let that happen. You are one of us, Penny. You are our sister, and we will fight for you and protect you at all costs. We will vouch for you with General Ironwood."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Penny's expression lit up in joy. She immediately enveloped Jai in a bone-crushing hug. Jai didn't show it, but his enhanced physiology was struggling under the force of Penny's hug. Jai returned the hug as he silently struggled to breathe.

"Thank you, Jai! Thank you!"

"Your gratitude has been noted, Penny. Now...please stop crushing me..."

Penny immediately let Jai go. The ginger robot girl laughed nervously. "Sorry!"

Later that Night:

If there was one word to describe what Ironwood was, it was furious.

"What the hell do you mean Penny blew her cover?!" General Ironwood glared daggers at them from his end of the communication screen. They were currently on an encrypted call to ensure no one could spy on the conversation.

Terre nodded solemnly. "Sir, I tasked Penny with keeping an eye on Ruby while I handled the White Fang reinforcements. Ruby's safety was the priority."

Terre looked at Penny and gestured for her to explain. Penny looked uneasy, fidgeting nervously as she prepared to explain herself to the general.

"Y-Yes, sir. My cover was blown when I caught a shipping container to save Ruby from being crushed."

The general didn't look any less happy.

Jai decided to speak up at this point. "Sir, if I may?"

Ironwood looked at Jai through the communications screen with a raised eyebrow. Penny moved away a little bit to give Jai more focus. Despite that, she wasn't totally certain the general kept his keen eye on her.

"What is it Jai?"

"Penny acted out in the pursuit of a greater mission objective. While it is unfortunate that her cover was blown, the only one who is aware of it is Miss Rose.

"I can confirm this," said Terre, "I was attending to both Penny and Miss Rose at the time of the incident."

Ironwood turned his attention back to Terre. "Terre, out of curiosity, where were Rahm and Jai during the time of this incident?"

"Rahm was accompanying Miss Schnee somewhere in Vale and Jai was accompanying Miss Nikos at Beacon."

Ironwood frowned. He looked as if he was in deep thought. "I won't lie. I'm not happy in the slightest. We need to be careful with how we proceed."

Rahm raised an eyebrow at that. "Sir, how should we proceed?"

"As of now, until I reach a decision, all options are on the table, including recalling Penny back to Atlas. Ms. Rose knowing about Penny can jeopardize this whole operation."

Penny paled at that. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her worst fear was confirmed. She moved to protest but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder from Terre.

"...Sir. Over the past few months, I have been assigned to watch over Miss Rose, I have come to believe that she is no security risk. Though she will demand context, I do not suspect she has reason to give up this information under any circumstance." Terre paused to make sure the general was listening to him. Seeing that he was, Terre continued. "Being that it happened under my watch, I shall accept responsibility for this breach in secrecy. Penny only acted in deference to the greater interests at hand."

Ironwood frowned as he placed his hands behind his back.

"What do you recommend Terre?"

"...That Penny only divulge what she deems necessary, so that Miss Rose will find no reason to push further or for the motive behind Penny's presence here." He had surely spared Penny the anxiety of being immediately whisked away back to Atlas.

Rahm nodded in agreement. "I concur with him, sir."

Jai, likewise, nodded.

Ironwood's facial expression seemed to relax. "Very well. I concede that you are right. However, I expect you all to engage in some serious damage control. And Penny," Ironwood looked at her, "I do not want a repeat of this incident. Otherwise, you will be recalled to Atlas immediately. Am I understood?"

"Y-..." The girl looked up to her brothers, who gave her the go-ahead. "Yes sir!"

"Good. Then let's consider this matter shelved. I'll see you all at Beacon at the start of the next semester. Ironwood, out."

The four members of Special Mission Unit 117 saluted the general before the communications screen cut to black.

Penny looked up at her brothers. "I... suppose that went over well."

"Indeed," said Jai.

"Thank you all for standing by me."

"While your appreciation is noted, Ironwood won't let a second offense slide so easily," replied Terre, "and Ruby will want answers for what happened tonight."

Penny nodded in understanding. "I understand."

"You must only tell her the bare minimum. Nothing beyond that. If she asks if we know about your secret, you are to tell her that we don't know. We can't let Miss Rose suspect more," said Rahm.

Penny's response was one of her signature bone-crushing hugs. She enveloped her three older brothers and smiled. "Understood! And thank you again for standing by me! I love you all!"

The Bad Batch silently struggled under Penny's hug. Terre spoke up in a slightly strained voice. "Penny, if you could let us down..."

Penny didn't realize she had lifted all three of them up in her glee. She quickly released them. They may have been biologically enhanced super soldiers, but Penny's strength eclipsed theirs.

Rahm straightened himself out before addressing her.

"You're our sister Penny and that means you're one of us. We never leave one of our own behind."

Penny stood outside team RWBY's door, her hand positioned as if to knock but she was hesitating. The robot girl was absolutely terrified. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A few seconds went by before the door opened to reveal Yang. The blonde bombshell smiled upon seeing her.

"Penny!"

Penny looked a little awkward with her nervous fidgeting. "Hello, Yang. Is…is Ruby here?"

"She sure is!" Yang glanced behind her. "Ruby! You have a visitor!"

Yang waved goodbye to the robot girl and stepped aside for Ruby to appear. The leader of RWBY looked a bit surprised to see Penny.

"Hi Penny…"

Penny could hear the sadness in Ruby's voice. It was clear that Penny's refusal to tell her anything left her feeling a little betrayed.

"Can we please talk Ruby? I want to explain myself to you."

Ruby's eyes lit up in excitement. "Yes!"

"Could we go somewhere more private please?"

"Of course, Penny."

Ruby closed the door behind her and led Penny outside to the gardens. Once Penny determined that no one was around she proceeded to hug Ruby tightly. The human girl was caught a bit by surprise but she returned the hug.

"I am so sorry Ruby. I did not want to lie to you. I was scared, I was-"

"Penny…it's ok. Please, tell me what's wrong."

Penny broke the hug and nodded solemnly. The robot girl looked down at her hands and revealed her palms to Ruby, revealing the scraped synthetic skin and the metal underneath it.

"Ruby…I am not a real girl…"

"What do you mean Penny?"

Penny looked down at the ground as if she was ashamed. "Most girls are born, but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura." She turned her head away, sadly. "I'm not real..."

Ruby took Penny's hands in her own. "Of course you are. You think just because you've got screws and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"

"I don't... um..." She leaned a bit closer to Ruby. "You are... taking this extraordinarily well."

"You're not like those mindless robots I've seen before. You've got a heart, and a soul; I can feel it! You may be a robot but you're the realest person I've ever known. You have more love and spirit in your heart than anyone I know and I'm proud to call you my friend."

Penny smiled warmly. "Oh... oh Ruby!" She grabbed Ruby into a hug and shook her back and forth. "You are the best friend anyone could have! My father would be so happy I met you."

Ruby struggled to breathe under Penny's hug. "Your father?"

Penny released Ruby. "Oh, he is very sweet! My father's the one that built me! I am sure you would love him!

"Wow. He built you all by himself?"

Penny hesitated to answer. "I think he had help…I am not sure," she lied.

"Oh, I see…"

"Did…did you tell anyone about me?"

"No," she replied.

"Thank you Ruby. Please keep this a secret between us."

"I won't tell anyone Penny, but why can't anyone know? Why is this a secret? Do Terre, Rahm, and Jai know?"

"The world is not ready for someone like me. I was sent to Beacon to better understand what it means to be human before I can save the world. I still have so much to learn about being a hero and being a normal girl. And no, they do not know. As far as they are concerned, I am just a normal girl."

Ruby nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I won't say anything to anyone."

Penny looked overjoyed. The adorable robot girl enveloped her best friend in another hug. "Thank you Ruby! You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for!"

Ruby didn't reply. She was too busy being hugged to death.

The three survivors of Project Guardian were alone in their room. They were waiting for Penny to return from explaining herself to Ruby. With Penny gone, Terre cleared his throat.

"There is something else we need to discuss now that Penny isn't here." Seeing that he got the undivided attention of his teammates, Terre continued. "We may have discovered our person of interest in Vale."

"Who is it boss?" Asked Jai.

"You remember that crime scene we told you about last night?" Terre asked.

Jai nodded. Terre and Rahm had filled him in on the Dust shop that they along with Penny and team RWBY came across. The police had speculated that the White Fang was behind it without any evidence whereas Ruby speculated that Roman Torchwick, a high-profile Dust thief with who she had a run-in a few months prior, was behind it.

"It turns out that Torchwick and the White Fang were behind it," said Terre.

"How do you know?" Asked Jai.

"When Penny and I accompanied Ruby to find Belladonna, I spotted something interesting at the docks. White Fang members were working with Torchwick. The fact that the White Fang was working alongside a human criminal leads me to believe that Torchwick is the associate in Vale that Lacertilia mentioned."

Rahm nodded.

"That checks out. When Weiss, Yang, and I arrived on the scene it was all over. The police were arresting the White Fang members who survived and didn't manage to escape, and Ruby was recounting to the police how Torchwick was involved."

"So he got away," said Jai with a frown.

"Affirmative," Terre replied, "I was busy handling the White Fang reinforcements. By the time I was done Torchwick was gone."

Rahm sighed. Their only lead in months got away and it was all because they had to keep a low profile. Rahm wasn't a betting man, but he knew that Terre would have easily caught him if he didn't have to tone down his abilities against the White Fang.

"While it's unfortunate that Torchwick got away, I see this as progress in my professional opinion," said Rahm. "The police have a few White Fang members in custody. We might be able to learn more about Torchwick and his connections to Salem's agent through them."

"Agreed," said Jai, "we finally have some leads to follow. General Ironwood will be happy to learn of this development."

Terre nodded. "Before we talk to the general, there is one thing that needs to be addressed."

"That being?" Asked Rahm.

"Belladonna knew where the White Fang was going to be. Her actions against the White Fang and Torchwick would suggest that she truly is no longer affiliated with them, but the fact she knew they'd be at the docks is nothing short of suspicious."

Rahm pondered Terre's words for a moment. He was right. It didn't add up. How did she know?

"Do you think she could be a double agent perhaps?" Rahm asked.

"I wouldn't say it's outside of the realm of possibility," replied Jai.

Rahm considered Jai's words carefully. They'd need to keep a closer eye on Belladonna in the chance that she was working for the White Fang.

"While I believe she is no longer part of the White Fang, Belladonna presents a potentially serious security risk. We need to keep a closer eye on her, and we need to learn how she knew while maintaining discretion. We can't just do a snatch and grab. The general's orders were clear."

Terre and Jai nodded in agreement. Whenever the Guardians were deployed it usually meant that someone or something needed to be killed. However, that didn't mean they didn't know how to abduct high-value targets and take them to a black site for interrogation. It wouldn't have been hard to don disguises, apprehend Belladonna, and interrogate her, but that would have opened the door for more issues. This whole situation was complicated enough with them trying to maintain their cover. With Ruby knowing Penny's secret, they needed to tread carefully.

"In that case," said Terre, "we'll inform General Ironwood tomorrow. Penny will be back any minute."

Rahm's head perked up at the mention of Penny.

"I have an idea," he said, earning the attention of Jai and Terre, "it's well known among the students at Beacon that Penny is curious by nature. What if she were to ask Belladonna how it was that she knew where the White Fang would be?"

Jai put his hand to his chin in thought. "That could work," he said.

Terre mused it over for a moment. "We'd certainly maintain discretion if we went that route."

The sound of the door opening drew their attention. Speak of the devil. The cheerful form of Penny walked in.

"Brothers! I have returned! I spoke with Ruby, and she promised to keep my secret."

Rahm gave her a small smile while Jai and Terre nodded.

"That's good to hear," said Terre, "very good to hear."

Penny continued to smile while her brothers simply watched her in silence for a few moments until Rahm spoke.

"Penny," he said.

"Yes, Rahm?"

"We need your help with something."

Penny nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! How can I help?"

The Next Day:

Rahm's eyes thoroughly scanned the forest around him, making sure he wasn't being watched. He glanced at his watch, which read 1550. He retrieved his scroll, pausing briefly to make sure that the encryption was still in place before he dialed in a number and called. The scroll rang a few times before an answer came.

"Go for Ironwood."

"Sir, Rahm here."

In Ironwood's office, the general leaned forward from his chair onto his desk with slightly widened eyes. The general glanced at his watch and took note of the time before he let out a tired groan.

"What the hell happened this time?"

Unit 117 was instructed to check in with him every weekend. Yesterday's call was terrible news. If Zero-One-One was calling him on a school day then that meant something else happened, and he wasn't in a good mood at all.

"Sir," Rahm said over the line, "you'll want to hear this. I've got some promising information."

"Well then let's hear it, soldier."

It appears as though Penny has truly become something more than just a mere mission to the boys and it looks like after a few months of quiet, the boys have found themselves a lead. How did Blake know where the White Fang would be hiding? What will be Ironwood's next move with this promising information? Find out next time.