Knox: Boom! 100 baby~! We've gone above and beyond at this point~

King: Yeah... We have.

Knox: Hmm? Something wrong, King?

King: Not really. But, now that we've hit this milestone, I want to say something to the audience. This has been seriously fun. But I also have other projects I want to work on. The Stereotypes series is going to come out due to fan requests. I also have other ideas and stories I want to work on. We're not going away, but we're not going to be meeting as often as we have. This isn't goodbye. It's just goodbye until next time. And for this round, we're going back to the beginning. This was going to be either the last chapter or the hundredth. Lucky us as which came first. It felt like an appropriate way to cap things off.

Inspiration: Red vs Blue

/\

King looked on to the theater in silence. This is it. Number 100. King took a breath and sighed. Here we go.

As everyone celebrated among themselves about the last world, the next began to form.

The screen formed on black static. Then, they saw a number take shape in the static.

2.

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Okay… where's this going?"

Then the static morphed the number.

4.

Then again.

1.

10.

2

4

1

10

Yang tapped her chair, "What the heck is going on?"

Winter thought over the pattern for a moment. "It… reminds me of a radio check."

Ironwood nodded. "An all frequency check. Someone calling for help."

[Am I transmitting?]

[Is anyone listening?]

[Contact.]

The static gave way to show a minimalist office. The only furniture was a desk in the center and a set of trophy stands to the side. The door on the far side of the room opened and a man in aqua armor ran in with a rifle in hand. Without his helmet, they could see it was Neptune behind the armor. He looked around and calmed. "No one's here?" Neptune lowered his rifle and placed it on the side of the desk. "Jaune? Anything?"

Jaune's foot tapped on the floor in anticipation. What would this version be like?

"Jaune?!"

"Yeah! Yeah." Jaune flickered into form over Neptune's shoulder. "I'm here."

Nora gasped, "Oh! I remember this one! It was the first one we got to see!"

Yang crossed her arms and grinned, "Oh yeah. The one with that Director…" Her grin faded as she remembered the events that world showed them.

Jaune was looking over to the trophies. He floated over and images flickered in and out of his mind with each item. That floating laser orb… thing he was trapped in for a while. The Brute Shot used by the Meta. Caroline's magnum handgun. The last item made him freeze up. A black helmet, its faceplate shattered with a hole in the center. It was a sight that would haunt him.

Jaune… No. Let's stop this. Epsilon had too many memories of her. When the Alpha AI was created by the Director, the man he was based on, a shadow came with him. A shadow of the woman he loved so much, who died at the hands of the alien forces in the war. She was his pet project to bring her back from the dead. But all he remembered was that she was gone. As a result, no matter what she tried to accomplish, it would blow up in her face and fall apart right before she could accomplish it. This was the result of one such an event. Agent Nikos… Pyrrha Arc, died again that day.

Jaune stole a side glance to Pyrrha. The two aren't married or anything, but he couldn't begin to imagine what would happen if she died. He turned back to the screen and let out a silent breath.

Jaune tightened his digital fist in anger. "Where is Watts?"

A holographic screen formed on the far wall with Watts appearing in the camera feed, "Safely aboard the bridge. Until you and the rest of your annoying group are dealt with." Sounds of a battle started to seep in through the door.

Jaune shook his head and spoke to the computer system, "F.I.L.S.S. The controls." A holographic terminal formed. "I won't be more than a minute." Jaune disappeared within the terminal system.

Watts shook his head, a certain level of disappointment on his face as he addressed Neptune, "Do you really think you can escape this? You had to have realized it by now. You may save the Colonists. You might even save the Freelancers. But you cannot save yourselves. You are your pathetic little friends will not leave this ship alive."

Neptune smirked and shrugged. "Eh. We'll wing it. It's done wonders for us so far."

Yang chuckled, "Nice comeback."

Weiss turned to her blonde teammate, "Is that a comeback?"

Yang shrugged with a grin, "Don't really care if it's the textbook definition or anything."

Jaune reappeared over Neptune's shoulder. "And, done."

Neptune pressed a button, ending the feed.

The system in question controlled multiple walker mechs on the ground below. The camera tracked one as a man in black and gold armor jumped onto the mech's back. He fired several piercing rounds and destroyed the internal system. As he tumbled off, another mech moved in for a strike, but this was the moment the order took hold and the mech shut down. The man in black and gold sighed and let his head fall to the ground, able to relax again.

Yang grinned and pumped her fist in excitement again, "That was awesome!"

"Question is," Blake asked, "who is he?"

A hand reached down toward him. The man looked up to see a woman in cyan armor with her red hair tied back into a ponytail. Her blue eyes helped to differentiate her from her mother. "Nice work, Argus."

Argus took Caroline's hand and stood up again, brushing himself off. "Let's never do that again."

"Sounds good to me." Caroline looked up to the ship that still held their new friends, "But we can't rest just yet."

Argus looked up to the ship, "Better get moving then."

The two ran off to find a transport.

The camera returned to the inside of the ship to see Neptune's satisfied stance. This broke away as the door behind him opened and gunfire poured into the room. More soldiers in a rainbow's worth of colored armors ran into the room and took cover behind the steel walls. But, they all had familiar faces.

Ironwood nearly burst into a rage, "What in the world is wrong with those uniforms? They're ridiculous! Not to mention the fact that they're all different colors!"

As the doors closed, Yang, dressed in orange armor, spoke through anxious breaths, "Okay! That way isn't looking so good for escaping."

Jaune used the radio system, "Caroline! We need an extraction."

The Freelancer replied over the radio, "We're on our way! Just wait for a few minutes."

A series of sparks shot out from the lower section of the door as Watt's soldiers tried to breach the door. Weiss, in maroon, moved her foot away from the sparks, "We may not have that kind of time…"

They all backed away from the door as the sparks began to rise along the door frame.

Kali got a little worried. There was only one way into the room. "How are they going to get away?"

The camera spun around to show Blake, dressed in red armor, as she smirked. She dropped a strange rifle an pulled a shotgun off her back. "Well, you know what they say. Today… is a good day to die." Blake was the commanding officer of the Red team, now a Colonel. She was also very… enthusiastic about her job.

Yang snickered while hiding her face from Blake.

Blake just rolled her eyes. But those words told her enough about the moment. All of them wouldn't make it out. But… that was always the case in stories. If there was one thing she learned about her friends, it was to have faith in them. That they would find a way passed whatever stood in their way.

"Permission to speak freely ma'am?" The camera panned back to show Yang behind the group, Brute Shot in hand, "Fuck that."

Yang grinned at the scene. They were going to fight back, and she had faith they'd find a way out.

Blake chuckled and grinned as she cocked her shotgun.

Penny, dressed in brown armor, flipped over the desk and pushed it over as a barrier in front of the door.

Weiss took the magnum pistol from the stand. It was an old model, designed for the early years of the war. It had the stopping power beyond any other like it, killing any armored target in three clean shots. She tossed the gun to Ruby, who wore pink armor, who coupled it with her own model.

Ruby groaned a little, "How come I couldn't have the red armor?"

Yang chuckled, "I mean, it's like a red color. Pink is just a… a light-ish red."

"That's just called pink!"

Nora, dressed in dark blue armor, grinned and held up her computer assisted assault rifle. "Ready!"

Weiss grabbed another item, the orb, and walked back toward the door, "Do you think the laser on this thing still works?"

Neptune nodded, "We got this." He turned to the holo-Jaune to make sure, "I mean, we do have this, right?"

Jaune shook his head. "I've been running the numbers, and no. Not yet. We're still missing one piece." Jaune looked up to the ceiling, "F.L.I.S.S. The suit."

A section of the floor behind them opened up and a pod rose up from the floor. The camera tracked from the pod's point of view, looking out over the group. As it stopped, Weiss dropped the orb, "Holy…"

Neptune couldn't believe what he was seeing, "Is… is that what I think it is?!"

Ruby got a little excited that it might be some kind of new weapon, "Ooh! Ooh! What is it?!"

The camera snapped to the other side to show a stark white suit of armor with a golden, rounded face plate.

Velvet's ears perked up for a moment, "Oh! I remember that style. It was from when I was that 'Meta' person."

Coco looked over the suit. "Oh, yeah! It's a little different, but its obviously the same suit."

Jaune nodded, "I saw it when I connected to the terminal. It has everything we need to turn this in our favor. Neptune… take off your armor."

Neptune looked at Jaune like he was crazy for a moment. But, the camera moved behind the pod as it descended, revealing Neptune in the old armor of the Meta, complete with the face obscuring helmet. Neptune snapped his hand to the side and a pair of energy blades shot out from a device in his hand, forming a katar made of energy.

Ruby was geeking out over the weapon, obviously.

Neptune let a small smile appear on his face. "Not too bad. Might have to modify my weapon when we get back."

Jaune appeared next to him again, "How's it feel?"

Neptune stretched from side to side, "A bit tight, but…" The white armor faded into his preferred aqua coloration, "I could get used to this."

"Prepare to breach!" The men on the other side of the door were almost through.

Blake cracked her neck and pointed her gun toward the door, "Looks like this is it."

Weiss looked over toward her commanding officer, "Ma'am, it's been an honor."

Penny pointed a pair of heavy energy weapons toward the door, "If I die, make sure my parts are properly recycled."

Ruby pointed both of her pistols, "Won't matter. We're totally going to kick butt!"

Ren, in purple armor, was kneeling down with a rocket launcher on his shoulder, "Aw. That's so sweet." His expression shifted to be more menacing and psychotic, his voice morphing to match, "Now! Let us strike fear into the hearts of our enemies! Hahaha!"

Nora burst out into laughter hearing Ren talk like that.

Yang nodded, "Show no mercy!"

Nora cheered and pointed the gun to the door, computer system activating, "Yeah~! Let's get 'em!"

Jaune looked among the group and nodded, "I just… I wanted to let you all know that, out of everyone I've ever met… you're probably the only people I could call friends."

Neptune adopted a combat stance, "See you on the other side, Jaune."

The world slowed down to a frozen standstill.

Nora jumped up and shouted out to the heavens, "ZA WARUDOOO!"

Everyone around her jumped a bit at the sudden outburst. More than anything, they were just confused. Most were able to pass it off as Nora being Nora.

Jaune, being a military grade AI, was able to process the world at a speed that humans couldn't comprehend. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Not this time, buddy…" Jaune moved forward, walking on the air.

Ruby got more than a little concerned by what she was seeing, "What's he doing?"

As he did, a green variation of Jaune appeared from behind him. This was a memory of the AI Delta, another fragment of the Alpha. "Are you sure about this?"

Jaune nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure. Start a recording for me, D."

"Recording."

Jaune turned back to his friends, "Hey guys. If you're hearing this, it means you did it. You won. You kicked the crap out of Watts's forces. I knew you could. But this is my last stop."

Ozpin sighed, "A death message. He doesn't believe he'll make it though."

Penny gripped her chair. "I… don't think he intends to anymore."

Ruby turned to her friend, "Penny?"

"AI are… often obsolete rather quickly. Technology advances, but they are unable to do so. In many cases, they aren't even capable of operating for more than seven years without their programming falling apart. I… I believe friend Jaune will have to take drastic measures to get them out of this situation."

"When I came into this world, I was just a collection of someone else's memories. But, with your help, these memories… they took form. They became my voice. My personality. And, after a while, I began to make brand new memories of my own. All of these things are what make me who I am."

Jaune sighed lightly and shook his head, "But they're also holding me back. I can't run this suit… as Epsilon. But, if I… erase my memories. If I deconstruct myself, the fragments I leave behind will be enough to get you through this. I believe that."

No one dared speak. This was hard enough to hear as it is.

The scene swapped to show Argus and Caroline on route to the ship with a group of soldiers from the planet.

Jaune continued his speech, "I wish there was another way. But, I'm leaving this message, as well as others, in the hopes you'll understand why I have to go this time.

The camera panned along a group of soldiers in tan uniforms, looked over by a medical specialist in white. Looking over the group was Sienna Kahn, leader of the rebel forces and de facto leader of the combined militaries of Chorus.

Jaune let a slight chuckle escape him, "It was actually Ironwood that made me realize something I'd never really thought about before. There are so many stories where some brave hero sacrifices their life to save the day. And, because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after."

The scene returned to the colorful group with Jaune. He turned away from them and toward the door, "But the hero, never gets to see that ending."

So many in the audience felt their hearts weigh heavier in their souls. They'd read so many stories that were just like that, never truly considering the endings. The hero's sacrifice was one they were aware of, but not one they'd considered very often. This was a sobering realization for them all.

Jaune continued, "They'll never know if their sacrifice ever actually meant anything." Jaune's holographic body flickered as he was losing control of his body. He was falling apart. "In the end," he flickered again, seemingly splitting into multiple versions before returning to his normal form, "they just have to have faith."

Jaune turned back to them. Tears fell down his cheeks and a sad smile covered his face. "Ain't that a bitch?"

Jaune shattered apart and screen went black. The Epsilon AI has died.

Yang tried to stifle any tears from falling, "That's it? That's how it ends?"

Weiss nodded, "Looks like it…"

Blake looked away from the screen, "Pretty sad ending."

Jaune shook his head. "No, it wasn't."

This got his friends to turn to him in surprise. "Jaune?"

"It's not a sad ending… You just have to faith. Right?"