Tonight had gotten out of hand really quick. I mean, really quick. Normally the sun would already be set before things started getting crazy. Maybe that was just me, trying not to make things more visible for everyone.

But it was hardly half past five and everything had practically gone to hell in a handbasket.

Over simplified, yeah, it'd really only gotten out of hand in the past ten minutes. But a lot happens in just a few minutes.

Running into Penny again had been a surprise. Good to see she was doing alright, even if she was being kept under observation.

Hadn't expected to run into an Atlesian military expo, but I'd found them lacking anyway. Maybe a basic display of programming was impressive to most. But outside some improved mobility, doing some simple posing wasn't anything special.

Then Penny's chaperones got testy, and forced me to react in a wholly appropriate fashion. For me at least. What followed was us going completely off script and performing what was tantamount to a kidnapping. Yeah, Penny didn't necessarily resist coming with us, but just because she didn't see it that way didn't change that we had. A child might think the nice man offering them a FancyLad might be a nice guy. Their parents, on the other hand, would have a shotgun trained on him in half a heartbeat.

Which was followed by us fleeing completely outside of our prescribed territory. Which made matters worse on both counts.

It somehow got worse when, in the half second I spent covering our tracks, she and Ruby somehow got hit by a truck.

And did more damage to the TRUCK.

Wish I had that kind of Luck.

Despite all that, however, I only just then started to feel out of my element. Right then, as I rounded the corner, in the bowels of yet another alley, having watched a several ton vehicle moving at high speeds, slam into someone, and crumple around them like a rooted tree.

Somehow this was where my line in the sand was.

Think it said more about what this world had done to my standards than anything else. Frankly, I didn't know I had standards left to get broken until that moment.

Penny and Ruby were standing in a small junction for the alley. Where the dumpsters, fuse boxes, and runoff all ran together before the alley jutted back out the other side.

When I'd gotten to them, they weren't standing too far from one of the two ways in. Ruby with her back to me, Penny facing towards us both. Her arms hung low, palms of her hands facing up. They were a bit scraped and torn. You'd expect worse, from someone who'd just stopped a speeding truck. In any normal circumstance I'd have been rushing to get her bandaged too. Wounds like that can cause massive problems if not properly treated.

But she wasn't bleeding. Seeing what was beneath the damage, I didn't even know if she could anyway.

The skin of her palms had been torn up, couldn't have been more than maybe a quarter of an inch thick.

There was no flesh underneath, nor sinew, blood, or bone.

Only solid, gray steel. Hinged and articulated in the facsimile of a wrist and scaphotrapeziotrapezoid. Try saying that three times fast.

I could tell this was going to be one of those moments where my understanding of matters was going to be redefined.

"Penny-" Ruby started, head rocking up and down, regarding Penny. "I… I don't understand."

"… Most girls are born." Penny explained, pensive, apprehensive. "But I was made… I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura…" She paused for a moment, her lips pursing as she tried to find the words. Maybe already having found them, but not wanting to say them. "I'm… I'm not real."

Her words lingered in the air for a moment.

"…Not to correct you, being born doesn't preclude being made." I said. "Most girls, or boys for that matter, don't just magic themselves into existence. They do technically have to be made-"

"Six!" Ruby hissed.

"I'm trying to process this, I needed something to latch onto!" I snapped back.

"Why that!?" She asked.

"I don't fucking know!" I answered.

My words, however, did not help Penny. She didn't get any worse than where she was, but I wasn't exactly improving her mood either. After a moment, my brain caught up to the situation and started doing what it loved to do when presented with situations like this. Though I myself didn't always do it.

"… So you're a cyborg?" I asked, choosing to approach the two. As I did, Penny looked up to me, tracking my movement.

"Cyborg?" Ruby asked, processing what was asking. "… you mean like the ones from the movies? People who are part machine and- um… meat?"

She said the second part with a wince. There weren't a lot of words to adequately describe them and being brief only made that worse. Though we technically preferred the term Mechanically-Advanced individuals.

"In a nutshell." I agreed, looking down at Penny's hands. "My understanding of things might be shaky, but I gather you need to be alive to generate an Aura, right?"

Penny pursed her lips again, then shook her head. "I'm… I'm not a cyborg, no."

"So a gynoid then." Looking her up and down, nodding. "Damn, that's actually pretty cool."

"A what?" Ruby asked.

"A gynoid." I told her. "A robot built to resemble a human, specifically a female. The male synonym would be an android."

"I've never heard either of those words." Penny said.

"They're rooted in dead languages." I explained. "But they're popular terms in sci-fi comics and books where I'm from. Though most use android interchangeably."

Penny nodded, only shrinking further, as though her being a robot somehow made her less. "Just as you say, I'm not real."

"Not real?" I asked. "That's what you're going to take away from it?"

"Like you said." Penny said sadly. "Built to resemble a female, a girl…" She shook her head. "I'm not-"

"Oh stop!" Ruby said.

Penny jolted slightly, looking back towards Ruby, who didn't waste a beat in closing the distance between her and Penny, catching her by surprise. Ruby took Penny's hands in her, turning them gently to face her. Making it clear she could see exactly what was underneath. She then gently closed Penny's hands, and gently clasped them with her own.

"So you're made of nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts?" Ruby asked, smiling. "So what? You feel pretty real to me."

"I…" Penny stuttered, looking between the two of us. "I don't…"

"Looks real, sounds real, feels real…" I said, ticking off my fingers. "Three out of five ain't bad."

"You're… both taking this ex-traordinarily well." Penny said.

"Penny." Ruby said, still smiling. "You are not the strangest thing I've learned about in the past few weeks."

"Same." I added.

"-You've got a heart, and a soul!" Ruby squeaked. "Those are both pretty real to me. I saw both at the docks, remember?"

Penny didn't answer. I frankly had no idea what they were referring to, but I'd side with Ruby in any case. Penny looked at her, looked at me, then back to Ruby. The sad, melancholic look about her melted slowly, and she began to smile.

Then her arms shot out like set springs and lashed around Ruby. Ruby let out another squeak, and was promptly dragged into a hug by Penny.

"Best Friend!" Penny shouted. "Best friend anyone could ask for!"

"Ack! Crushing!" Ruby choked out. "Choking! Help! Six!"

Almost like she'd been given a command, Penny snapped upright and spun towards me, her arm beginning to lash out. However, halfway into the motion, she slowed to a stop, arm hanging in the air. Her expression fell again as she looked at me.

"…What?" I asked, half ready to leap back.

"I know you don't like robots." Penny said, pulling back. "I'm sorry for startling you."

"Don't like what?" I asked.

Penny pulled back, giving Ruby one last squeeze, then slowly released her.

"I can see why your dad and the general would want to protect such a delicate flower." Ruby said, rubbing her possibly cracked ribs.

"Well, they did build me." Penny said. "Papa mostly, but Mister Ironwood helped. They're both very sweet, I'm sure you'd love them if you met them."

"Can't say much for the general, but credit to your father, to get the kind of security you had, he must've cared a whole awful lot." I said. "… which means we're probably going to be in an ass-load of trouble."

"Language." Ruby said, before giving Penny a confused look. "I'm kind of surprised they'd think you need the protection though. Do they really not think you can protect yourself?"

"They're not sure yet." Penny shrugged.

Ruby sputtered at that. "Not sure!? Penny I've seen what you can do! How are they not sure?!"

'Makes one of us at least'

"I've got a big responsibility." Penny answered. "They just don't know if I'm ready yet. I have a lot left to learn."

"Which is why you're here." I said, recalling some past conversation. "You're here to fight in the tournament, right? Which I guess makes the rest of us the test bed."

"It's only meant to be out of respect." Penny explained, quickly. "People fighting in the tournament are some of the best fighters of the coming generation. They've already compared me to some of the best soldiers Atlas has-"

"But they need to know how you stack up with what's coming." I finished for her. "It's ok, I'm not judging, I understand the method well enough."

"And I wanted to see what it was like in the world." Penny explained, clenching her fist. "I wanted to test myself... but there's more out there than just fighting, right?"

I smiled at that sentiment.

Not a real person my ass. I'd met centuries old ghouls who couldn't even figure that much out.

"What do they need you to prepare for though?" Ruby asked. "We're in a time of peace, aren't we?"

"Si vis pacem, parabellum." I said, turning to look at Ruby, who looked back at me in confusion. "'If you want peace, prepare for war'. Ironwood might not be looking for a fight, but I'd have to guess-" I motioned up towards the invisible skyline, and the myriad airships there in. "He's got a pretty decent grasp of the concept."

"That's not quite right." Penny said, looking confused. "Mr. Ironwood said I needed to be ready for something that was coming."

"Oh… well, that's not ominous in its own right." I said.

Great, even a world away, military leadership was still hyper paranoid and trigger happy.

Though the fact he was at least letting Penny stretch her legs and effectively prepare already put him leagues ahead of Lee Oliver. For the little achievement that was.

The three of us fell silent for a moment. With one massive revelation out of the way, there was only one other problem that needed to be addressed.

"… Well, what do we do now?" Ruby asked, looking back the way we'd come. "I don't think we were followed." She then looked towards Penny. "But we can't keep going if Penny's with us, can we?"

"Keep going with what?" Penny asked. "What're you doing?"

"Troublemaking of its own special breed." I explained. "Which I think both Ruby and I would rather not drag you any further into if we can avoid it."

"We're trying to help Blake still." Ruby explained. "Like we were at the docks. But what we're doing isn't exactly something we can be as open about."

"Oh…" Penny scanned us both briefly with her eyes before smiling. "So you're Crazy Steve?"

"…" I exhaled calmly through my nose. "How?"

"General Ironwood has been observing the White Fang's activities while preparing for the festival and tournament." Penny explained brightly. "He took special note of the vigilante hampering their efforts. He's actually quite impressed at how effective they've, or I guess you've, been."

"Of course he is." I sighed, not annoyed in the slightest. Could only hope neither he nor Ozpin had pieced that much together. Didn't need that extra annoyance in my life. "… Well, yeah, it's me. Just keep quiet about it, alright?"

"Of course!" Penny chirped. "Your secret's safe with me…" She grew quiet and asked. "Mine's safe with you too, yes?"

"Naturally / Duh~." Both Ruby and I agreed.

"Sensational~!" Penny smiled.

"Still doesn't change the current situation though." I said. "We need to keep moving tonight, but don't want to drag you into our mess again. We're going to need to get you back to your people without getting caught."

Ruby pursed her lips, thinking, and asked, "Are there any more of those expos happening tonight?"

Penny's eyes rolled around for a moment, clearly processing or thinking. She then refocused and nodded. "Yes, there were to be several of them this evening. Including one at a gala the general is attending this evening."

"That means there's probably soldiers at each of them too." I said. "Do most of them have any idea who you are?"

Penny nodded. "Of course, most know me as Professor Polendina's daughter. Only a few people know the rest of the story."

"Ok…" I stroked my chin, thinking. I'd gotten us into this fine mess, I had no problem trying to be the one to fix it. A moment later I nodded. "… Ok. We need to keep moving, so here's what we're gonna do:" I turned to look at Ruby. "Though I'm not a fan of splitting up any further, I think we need to here. This is only going to slow us down otherwise."

Ruby thought on it for a moment, but nodded. "What are we doing?"

"I'm going to take Penny to the nearest rally and drop her off." I explained. "I'm the guy who attacked her bodyguards, so if they've got eyes on either of us it'll be me. I'd rather I get caught than you, worst case scenario, it at least means our cover's not as badly blown."

"What?" Ruby asked. "But I want to-"

"You, meanwhile, are going to head to our next spot and start scoping it out." I told her. "Watch who goes in and out, get a feel for the place, find out how much trouble we can expect."

Ruby gave me a pointed look, clearly not keen on the orders I was giving.

"…" I nodded, relenting. "If you do, I'll let you take point this time."

Ruby continued to eye me shrewdly. "… Deal."

I double checked my Pip-boy, snagging the location from my map, and explained to Ruby where it was. "I'll meet you there, assuming the soldiers don't try to nab me. Remember-"

"Low profile." Ruby nodded.

"Lower than kidnapping Penny was, at least." I said, before turning to the copper haired girl. "You know where the nearest Expo is?"

Penny nodded, a bit more solemnly. "I can lead the way if you want."

"That'd be for the best." I agreed, motioning towards the other path out of the alley. "Better get a move on too. Night's young but getting older by the second."

The three of us headed towards the second exit of the alley. At the mouth, or perhaps ass in our case, of the alley Ruby poked her head out, checking to make sure the coast was clear of people, and perhaps runaway delivery vehicles. We looked both ways, nodded, and split from each other. I was a little reluctant to do so. Ruby could handle herself, but I knew splitting up always had a big risk of going sideways.

On a night like that?

It was almost a certainty.

…

Ruby remained as calm and stoic as she could manage, as she hurried away from the Courier and their copper-haired friend. It was tough for her, but she did it. She kept herself contained until she was around a corner and half a street over.

Then she exploded, launching herself forward, laughing.

Ruby Rose had made friends with a robot.

Penny was more than a robot, but the idea was the same. She'd made friends with one. The sheer silly, awesomeness of that fact left her elated. The only way tonight could get better was if Crescent Rose started talking to her. Though she knew that wasn't going to happen, she was more of a listener than a talker. Though she could be quite loud when she wanted to be.

It was awesome either way.

Ruby felt herself touch down a hundred yards away, and multiple intersections later. A new personal record. On the whole, she felt tonight had been going great. Sure there'd been some unexpected surprises, and she had some questions she felt she really needed to ask now. But things were getting really exciting, and she had a feeling, as the night went on, that it was only going to get better…

Outside of having to sit around waiting for Six.

That part annoyed her, slightly. She wasn't a stranger to needing to wait, she understood the idea. Part of her training in combat school was learning what being an effective sniper meant. Which sometimes meant needing to remain still, for extended periods of time, being patient.

She could do that.

She also knew she hated doing that.

It made more sense to find a better angle and take the shot from there. That was more her style.

But, as the night had shown, being calm and patient was useful for more than just getting a good shot. It was about seeing when and where they might appear. Accounting for small details her usual way of doing things might miss, something Six had tried to impress upon her during their sparring session.

Which she totally could have won, had he not sucker-punched her.

But as she trailed her way down the sidewalk, towards the next location, she reminded herself what that meant. Calm. Peaceful.

Six was trusting her to go ahead and figure out what they could expect. That meant she needed to be calm. Focused.

As she approached the next crosswalk, she took a deep breath, steadying herself. She tapped the button on the crosswalk sign, and waited. Even as the traffic around her was effectively nothing. The only thing she could see coming were a trio of vans on the opposite side of the intersection. They were far enough away she could have made it across before reaching her, no sweat.

But she forced herself to wait.

It was slow and boring, and she didn't want to. But she knew it wouldn't hurt, trying to practice her patience. So she waited, watching as the vans approached, crossed the intersection at a yellow, or sped through a red in the third's case, then whizzed past her, letting her see the driver of the lead van, then the driver of the second, and the third. Each one felt like she was watching a copy of the last pass in front of her: Faunus driver, black short-sleeved shirt, white tunic over their chest, hoods hanging around their necks-

As the third van flew past her, Ruby found her head wrenching after it, her gaze trailing the three vehicles as they drew further away.

She swore her eyes had played tricks on her.

But she could feel something turning in her head, as the light of the crosswalk changed.

The vans, reaching the far end of the street, began to turn out of sight.

Something in Ruby's stomach twisted, and a feeling like a bolt of lightning went through her head. She couldn't quite place it. Couldn't quite shake it. Surely there wasn't something significant to this. They were just three Faunus. Each could own a van. Any of them could have similar taste in clothes. None of it meant anything. If she just made assumptions, that'd be profiling. Which would be incredibly insensitive of her.

The third van began to round the corner.

She turned and bolted after it.

…

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

If my understanding of Vale was right, Penny was leading us uptown. More towards Jaune and Pyrrha's portion of the city. I was going to need to trust she knew where to go. The Expos weren't going to be hard to find, since that would defeat the whole purpose of them, but it didn't change that I didn't want to waste time looking for one. Knowing my luck, I'd lose three hours trying to find one while always being one turn away from it.

Penny didn't say much, as we started walking. It stayed that way for maybe fifteen minutes, as she led the way. I'm no stranger to walking in companionable silence. There were plenty of times in the Mojave where me and my companions would go for miles without saying a word. Partly because we were watching for danger, yes, but also because there wasn't much to talk about. The company itself was what was worth something.

However, as we slowly plod our way through town, I knew something was off. It wasn't the fact that the crowds were thin for a weekend night, or the mostly set sun. Both those were about what I was used to for this time. Another half hour or so, things would be more lively. No, the trouble was with Penny. She and I hadn't had a great deal of time to interact in the past. We were practically still strangers, up until what had happened in the alley. Outside the chat we'd had at the docks, we hadn't had much time together. But I could tell that something was off. I'd keyed into it back in the alley.

So as we walked, I took a shot at conversation.

"So… Nice town, ain't it?" I offered.

"Hm?" Penny hummed.

"Vale." I said. "Not exactly from here myself. But I'm finding it has some charms."

"Oh!" She exclaimed, seamlessly sidestepping a jogger and their dog. "Yes, I suppose it does."

"Good nightlife, decent food-" I said, rattling off. "-quality entertainment if you know where to look."

"Mm." Penny nodded.

"… Y'know what, I'm curious-" I said. "Can you eat?"

Penny looked at me for a moment, pondering, mouth flapping open and closed once or twice. "… I don't believe I can, no." She answered after a moment. "My systems use a rechargeable Dust Pack, similar to the ones that power Scrolls… I don't think Papa built me with that in mind… Maybe I should ask."

"Tsk, That's a shame." I said. "I'm a deft hand with a skillet, you can ask Ruby."

Penny nodded, but didn't say anything.

"… So, seen any good movies?" I asked, then remembered. "Wait, shit, you've never even been to a park. You've never seen a movie either, have you?"

She shook her head.

"Shit." I cursed.

"Language." Penny said, smiling slightly. "Foul language is discouraged."

"Fowl language?' I asked. "…So I can't call someone a turkey?"

Penny's brow furrowed, and she looked at me, confused.

"I mean, I don't want to grouse." I said, knowing Yang would have a field day if she caught me. "But you can't be expecting me to quail to such a request."

"…"

"I mean, I don't want to be ducking your standards either." I continued. "But I mean, geese, you gotta give me a little leeway here."

"…"

"… Cock." I finished.

"…"

Penny erupted in laughter.

I felt my mouth tug up at the corners. "There we are, much better."

"They have multiple meanings!" Penny cheered. "Words are weird."

"Yeah, yeah they are." I agreed, happier she had an even momentary improvement to her mood.

Which is ultimately what it was, momentary. Eventually her laughter quieted, and we were in silence again, for a time. Wasn't sure what I could really do to change that.

Then, Penny spoke up. Said something I wasn't expecting her to.

"Six?" She asked, getting my attention. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"For being what I am." Penny explained. "I know you don't like robots, but I'm glad we're friends. You and Ruby are some of the best friends I could ask for."

The moment she said the words, I couldn't help but feel like she'd just hit me over the head. "Don't like what? Where'd you get that idea from?"

"From when we were observing the Expo before." Penny explained. "I heard what you said about the new knight model."

"… oh. Oh, Penny, no." I said, feeling like a complete ass. I could remember what I'd said just fine. Hindsight's a bitch. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay." Penny said. "I know that I'm just a machine, but I do appreciate you and Ruby being my friends."

"Penny I didn't mean it that way." I explained. "Even if I'd known the truth before, I'd never have lumped you in with those drones."

"Really, it's fine." Penny said, giving me a sad smile. "I know what I am, and it's ok."

I understood what she was trying to do. She wasn't trying to guilt me or anything. In a different context, that might have seemed the case. But Penny was a simple girl, honest to a fault really. I'd figured that much out. But that meant she really believed what she was saying too. That she was just a machine.

That couldn't be further from the truth. I wasn't going to stand her doing that to herself either.

"Penny, when I'd said what I did about the new knight drones, I wasn't talking about you." I told her. "They're not you, and you're not them. The knights weren't built to be people, they were built to be tools and that's it. If your Papa-er, dad, wanted you to be a tool, why bother giving you a face, or hair, or anything?"

Penny didn't answer. She just looked glumly down to the ground. Down to her balled hands.

"…" I put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at me, eyes gleaming green. "Come with me for a sec."

She didn't immediately comply, so I had to lead her off to the side. Which was like trying to drag a deactivated Protectron. But she complied after a moment, and we stepped to one side of the sidewalk. Under the shade and eve of a building, not quite away from prying eyes, but more private than we were. I stood in front of her and took hold of her hands. Gently, I began to open them, letting her palms turn up to face me.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

Penny didn't reply for a moment, but answered after some hesitation. "I don't feel pain the same way you might. There are sensors lining my epidermal layer, monitoring outside conditions. Including ones that may damage it." She wiggled her fingers slightly. "It's designed for my aura to gradually regenerate over time, like normal skin."

"Amazing." I told her. "Definitely sounds human to me."

She blinked and looked at me.

I reached into my coat and fished around among my aid supplies. My hand clasped onto a few cloth bandages and I took them out. Gently, like I would be tending anyone else, I began to wrap them around her palms. "Important rule of first aid, don't leave wounds exposed to the elements."

Penny's gaze only grew more curious as I worked. Once they were securely covered, I gently closed her hands. Wasn't sure how long it might take for something like that to recover, but better to treat her like normal than not.

"… I've got friends like you, back home." I told Penny. "Friends that aren't quite 'human' or 'normal' as it were."

Penny continued watching me curiously, but it suddenly felt like she was paying real close attention.

"Their names are ED-E and Rex." I told her, softly. "Rex is a dog, what we call a cyberdog. He got hurt a long time ago, and to save his life, they had to implant him with machinery. But that didn't change who he is. Nor how anyone treats him."

Penny nodded, tilting her head intently.

"And ED-E? He was technically never alive to begin with." I told her. "He was a robot from the moment he was created… But someone made him something more than that." I gently gripped her shoulder. "At some point, the person who made him took the time to give him something more. Made it so he could be more. He made friends, he learned about old shows, and wasn't afraid to try and see the world. Even if the world might not have been as welcoming to him…" I looked Penny in the eye. "I've met plenty of people who've got less right to the word than you do, Penny."

Penny looked back at me for a moment, then she pursed her lips. "But… But I'm not human. I'm not a Faunus. I'm not normal… You and Ruby are better friends than I can ask for. But that doesn't change what I am."

"What's normal?" I ask. "No one really knows what that means. It's a transitive state, lasting brief shifts in the wind and flickers in the light of the sun. It means what you want it to mean. And you seem pretty normal to me."

"… Well, you seem pretty normal to me too." Penny answered innocently.

It made me laugh. Bless this girl, she was sweeter than sugar bombs.

"But it's true!" She protested. "You, Ruby, you're both normal… I'm not."

As I finished laughing, I shook my head. She really had no clue. How could she? Cooped up in labs and airships. Kept away from everything…

I made a choice.

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked.

Penny stared at me again, for a moment, then nodded.

I took one of her hands in mine, gently nudging her to uncurl her fingers. My back curved and head bowed slightly, as I brought myself down more towards her level. A little awkward, me being nearly half a foot taller than her. But I guided her hand upward, as she watched curiously. What I was doing wasn't something I'd normally consider letting anyone do. But Penny was a rare case. It'd be easier for her to understand than anyone else.

My hand guided hers around the side of my neck, until I felt her fingers ghost over the back, hovering just around the base of my skull. Gently, I prodded her fingers around, feeling for the right spot. It really stuck out, once you knew what to look for. After a second or two of it, I pressed her fingers against something hiding just under the skin. It was solid, a bit blocky, and ever so slightly important.

Penny's brow scrunched in confusion, and she gave me a studying look.

"You feel that?" I asked. "That's-"

Before I could finish, there was an odd, sharp sound. A sort of *ping* that I felt snap through my body like a shiver. I know it was there too, because it felt like it ran directly into my eardrums.

Penny's eyes went wide.

"Um… ow." I said, slowly releasing her hand. "What was that?"

Penny didn't answer. Instead, her eyes just began slowly trailing up and down over me. Her jaw relaxed, and whatever gloom she must've been feeling seemed to disappear. There was a long pause, where she just stood there, looking at me.

"… Penny?" I asked.

Penny blinked, refocusing. "I-I'm sorry!" She squeaked. "I-I didn't mean to pry! It's just…" She forced herself to calm down, she seemed almost panicky. "That- that was a harmonic scan. I have them built in for diagnostics. They let me generate images using a high-pitched vibration… Do you know what a sonar is?"

"Uh… yes?" I offered.

"It's like that." Penny explained, looking slightly embarrassed. Not normal my boot. "It let me… scan you."

"Oh?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious "… What'd you see?"

Penny paused briefly, looking at me like a child on their birthday, suddenly very eager to unwrap the parcel in front of them. "I… I saw the thing on your neck." She answered. "The ones on your spine, your skull, in your chest…" she shrank slightly. "The ones covering your bones."

"… Oh." I said, very surprised. Seems she'd gotten to see a little more than I'd intended.

But then, she looked at me, eyes bright, wondering, maybe even hoping. "Are you… are you like me?"

"… Not quite." I told her. "But I don't think you got much ground to be calling me normal either, huh?"

She didn't answer, for a moment.

First she slammed into me and tried to crush me like an empty bean tin, squeezing a wheeze out of me like a popped tire.

"Best friends," Penny almost whispered. "Best friends I could ever ask for."

"…" I patted Penny on the back. "No problem kiddo."

What was one more existential secret between friends? Honestly, if I'd ever tried to explain that much to everyone else, how would they believe me? Wasn't like I would cut myself open and show them.

As I stood there with Penny, however, I heard a faint sound. Though a familiar one, even if I hadn't heard it in quite some time.

My Pip-Boy chimed, a new notification.

With a subtle motion, I checked it

-You've gained Penny Polendina as a Follower.

-Penny has given you the Machine Learning Perk.

As the moment of bone crushing turned into several, I marveled at the odd-timing of the device on my wrist. I wasn't sure what had triggered it, and it'd been a long time since it'd last happened, especially with someone I'd only just really become close with. I mean, Penny and I hadn't spoken, or even been in the same area more than a handful of times. I certainly hadn't managed anything like that with my group at Beacon.

It was strange.

Penny finally decided to release me. She looked at me, eyes almost sparkling. "How did you get like this?" Penny asked

"It's a long story." I told Penny. "Maybe if you come around for dinner sometime, I'll tell you about it. But if you're feeling better, we need to keep moving. The sooner we get you back to your people, the less likely we are to have problems."

"Right." Penny nodded, spinning on her heel. "This way! It's only a few blocks over."

"Of course." I nodded.

With a slightly lighter atmosphere, we soldiered forward. As we did, I took the time to check a little deeper into my Pip-Boy.

-MACHINE LEARNING

-Some machines are a lot smarter than you give them credit for, eh? While Penny is a Companion, you gain a computational boost to processing power, resulting in a 25% decrease in AP costs.

I blinked and re-read it. Then a third time. The fourth time, I checked the perk icon, a picture of a Vault-Penny sitting at a desk reading a book, then read it again.

No, I wasn't reading it wrong. It had just confirmed some part of me now considered Penny a Companion. The perk was a nice one too, but I doubted I'd get much use in the few minutes we'd be stuck together.

I felt something strange in my chest. A sense of weightlessness.

Frankly, I didn't like it.

…

It wasn't often that General Ironwood found himself forced to travel by car. He wasn't averse to the idea, but he had grown accustomed to the use of Manta and Stingray gunships to get from point A and B. He was a busy man, running both Atlas Academy, and leading the Atlas military. It behooved him to make sure he was making adequate use of his resources. Which conveniently, included both his vehicle privileges and time.

However, given the circumstances, he found his usual privileges did not apply. While he'd been allowed to secure airspace for the retinue of airships, the same could not be said for their use within the city's airspace. Which he found to be fair. Air traffic was a strenuous matter on the best of days, having to account for his fleet in addition to that would not be an easy matter. The most they'd been allotted was a landing zone near the city port. Space enough they could load and off-load supplies and personnel as needed, which he found more than fitting. With Amity Coliseum still en route to the kingdom, they would be claiming more of its airspace soon enough.

So for all that, taking a car was but a small price. Aside from that fact, he found he was actually quite enjoying the chance to see things from ground level once more. He found spending too long in the sky made everything below seem so distant. That's not why he did what he did. Though the car was also a nice one, which certainly helped.

"Have either of you gotten a chance to explore the city yet?" the General asked, gaze turning away from the window, towards his driver and attendant. Both soldiers were assigned to be his escorts for the evening, a formality from before his time. Both were dressed in the more formal uniform reserved for such occasions: blue and white uniforms, light double breasted coats, and high peaked caps. They were lighter than the standard would have been, back in Atlas. They'd have been roasting in the summer's heat otherwise. It wouldn't do for his associates to collapse from heat stroke during such a formal event. Which this very much would be, if all went according to plan.

One of the soldiers, a younger woman chiefly tasked as his bodyguard, spoke. "Not yet sir. We've been busy preparing for tonight, as requested."

The general nodded. "Of course… see to it that you take tomorrow off."

"Thank you, sir." The woman, a lieutenant Helles, answered.

He nodded, looking back out the window. Only fitting they get the opportunity for some shore-leave while they could. Once the festival proper began, they wouldn't have such a luxury. They almost never did, with the amount of security and manpower required.

But, part of tonight's event was to help alleviate that. Assuming everything went according to plan, they'd have a little extra funding, and garnered some much needed public support. The demonstrations were only the first step, the gala would be where things mattered.

Gently, the car slowed to a halt at the curbside, and the General stared out at the street beyond. There were some reporters, cameramen too, already recording and snapping pictures. There were guests out in advance of him, already queued and waiting to enter. The gala was being held on the top floor of the Grand Goudale, one of the ritzier hotels in Vale. They'd tried for the Royale, but found them to be a touch over budget. Damn bureaucrats.

However, he'd seen to the preparations himself, and was pleased with the setup. It would do well for what needed to happen tonight.

"Orders sir?" his driver asked.

"You can let me out here." The General answered. "Park the car and make your way up, I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding me."

Helles looked back at him. "But sir, our orders-"

"I'm your General, and I order you to let me leave my own car." The General ordered, smirking. "I'm quite capable of protecting myself for the few minutes it will take you."

"…" Helles face forward once more. "Understood sir."

With a smirk, the General left the vehicle. Shutting the door, it pulled away from the curb and moved down the street once more. It rounded a corner as he approached the entrance to the hotel. He chose to take the side entrance in, rather than waste time with the reporters. He would be having his picture taken for most of the evening, he didn't need to spend half of it stuck at the front door, preening like a peacock. So he avoided them, and made his way into the hotel.

The number of cameras inside was fewer than they had been outside. Courtesy of security, who were quite thoroughly checking everyone who entered with a press badge. Everyone else was either already broken off into their own cloisters or groups, likely waiting for those still outside. As it was, he was free enough to make the journey on his own.

He approached an elevator, a gilded thing, polished to a mirror finish, and took it up. It rode smoothly right to the very top of the building, and opened out into the hall they'd be holding their gathering.

It was a tastefully old place, the Goudale. It had stood since before the Great War. Carried the style of its era, brasses and coppers bracing, smooth cut and polished stone. Crystal glass dangled from the chandelier overhead like hundreds of glowing icicles, scattering warm hued lights into the dim-lit hall. Tropical shrub and plant growth dotted the room, broken by pillars of stone. Certainly not natural to Vale, or the surrounding countryside. Likely imported from Vacuo, once upon a time. Off to one corner of the room, an old band was keying themselves in. Many stringed instruments, a quartet of violins, a harpist, and a cellist. What it would sound like once they were all playing, he wasn't sure.

Biggest of all, however, was the far wall, climbing all the way to the ceiling overhead, made up of massive panoramic windows. They cast the warm sunlight into the room, and gave a view of Vale all the way to the coast beyond. Across the northern district, of course. Why would the rich want a view of the poors while they sip wine?

The general passed quietly through the room, noting the few guests that were already present. More than them though, he observed who was serving them.

Jacques Schnee was an absolute ass of a man if Ironwood had ever met one.

But the man knew business.

Programming a non-combat subroutine into the Knight 200 series was a smart decision. One the General knew had been almost purely for Jacque's own benefit, but beneficial in cases such as these.

He was only able to spare a handful for the evening. But their presence would still serve towards building public support. Every scrap of it mattered.

He knew the war they were poised to fight.

Placidly, the General crossed the great hall, approaching the massive windows, taking the chance to look out over the city, then down to the street below once more. More guests making their way in. Cars passing on the street, many just seeking to offload more guests at the curbside. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Despite that, he couldn't shake the phantom pain he felt in his mechanical arm.

He'd been keeping abreast of events within the city. The White Fang would see tonight as an easy target.

As hotel staff made their way into the hall, he found himself turning toward them. They were bringing in cloth covered carts and trays of sparkling wine, platters of food fresh from the kitchen. A fair amount of it at that. Unconsciously, he rested his hand on the massive pistol at his side. Were that not enough, he could have the drones ready for combat with a touch of his scroll.

Part of him hoped the White Fang would take the bait.

He'd be happy to help The Professor remove one possible enemy from their midst.

…

Ruby gasped for air, as she touched down in the alleyway.

Her Semblance made her faster than most, but trying to keep up with a speeding vehicle was pushing it. Much less three of them, with a head start!

She didn't really know what she'd been thinking, when she'd started tailing them. The only thing she had to go on was a gut feeling, which she knew wasn't good. She knew that if the Courier found out, or rather when he did, because of how far she'd followed them, he'd be angry with her. She knew she had to watch her impulsiveness.

But Ruby had a feeling. One of those she knew she shouldn't ignore, even if it meant she'd had to trail all three vans uptown at a dead sprint. Or, her equivalent to one.

She was glad she could practically fly over roofs. If she'd been stuck completely to the sidewalk she'd have probably lost them and made the whole thing pointless.

Hopefully it wouldn't turn out to be pointless.

Ruby watched from the rooftop as the three vans rolled slowly down the street, forced to worm their way through traffic. There was this large hotel, with a bunch of people standing in front of. Looked like they were going to some kind of party. The kind Weiss would probably know all about, with forty seven different kinds of forks, and a Jeeves.

She wasn't sure what a Jeeves was, but it sounded fancy.

Ruby watched patiently, trying not to make herself stand out any more than she already was. The vans continued to roll down the street, past the front of the hotel. They then turned down a side alley, falling out of sight.

With a deep breath, Ruby got a running start and leapt off the building. She vanished into a cloud of rose petals and shot through the air.

Ruby felt like she never really understood what her Semblance did. She understood that it allowed her to basically dash between two points quickly. But how she did, didn't make sense to her. Her body turned into a cloud of petals, she shot through the air in whatever direction she wanted, then landed. That in-between part had always confused her between starting and ending. She could see the entire world around her, but it was more than she normally could. Like her eyes were opened even wider. Trying to actually move her body while she was like that was hard too. She could just barely make out the shape of her body, it was like a red outline, which was probably her Aura. She'd seen it enough times to know the color. But so much of it didn't make sense to her.

Though it didn't need to make sense to be useful.

She held the form for the width of the street, then released it, landing safely on the opposite rooftop. For a moment she stayed there, catching her breath, but even as she did, she knew she couldn't do so for long. Even with her chest heaving, she crept across the rooftop, giving herself a birds-eye view of the alley below. She could see the vans below.

Two of them were currently unloading dollies and carts. The kind used for delivering food.

Ruby felt her heart sink.

Caterers.

She'd wasted all this time following a bunch of caterers.

Even as she looked at them now, yes, the uniforms were ever so slightly different. She watched as they began to bring the food inside through a side door, the first two vans completely unloading themselves. There were maybe a dozen people she could count, all workers.

Ruby wanted to kick herself.

All that effort, for this?

She wanted to turn around and leave right then and there. The only reason she didn't was because all the chasing had left her piqued.

So she sat there, and waited.

She would need the time to come up with an explanation anyway. She knew the Courier would be angry with her. Especially if she said something like: 'I chased a bunch of white vans because I thought-'

The back door of the third van slid open.

A half dozen fully armed White Fang climbed out.

…

The gala had begun, and the guests were enjoying themselves.

The general watched, quite pleased, as the various guests interacted with the Knight 200s, accepting drinks and food. The guests regarded the machines with a degree of apprehension, which melted into a placid curiosity a moment later, thankfully. He could not have hoped for a more peaceful introduction.

His personal guard had found their way back to him, a short time after he'd arrived in the hall. Despite the nature of the event, he noticed the vague outline of weaponry beneath their uniforms as well, which was good. Despite the circumstances, he'd rather they didn't neglect their duties either. The band itself had keyed around that point, and the guests began to stream in. The atmosphere grew close and stuffy. Reminded him of the parties he'd been made to attend with Atlas high society. Never particularly uncomfortable affairs. Though never a place he preferred to find himself either.

As the guest entered, he did as he usually would in these circumstances: he played the diplomat. Meeting and greeting with the upper class of the kingdom, exchanging the 'Hellos' and 'Good evenings', he even got the odd 'How ya doin' ya sonnuvabitch?' from one of them.

Lively crowd.

But eventually the number of guests began to stagnate, as most of them had found their way in. They milled about, some even danced. As they did, he took stock of the time by virtue of the large windows. The sun was going down, the sky was dyed in shades of deep red, purple, and nightly blue.

Which meant, it was time for things to begin in full.

The general withdrew his scroll and tapped at it briefly. After a moment, the Knight 200s began dispensing glasses of sparkling wine, including one he took himself. He could see some of the hotel staff doing the same, as they dotted the perimeter of the room.

His eyes scanned them, as he approached a small stage to one side of the room. There was a microphone waiting for him. He had a small speech prepared. The standard glad handing pep used for these kinds of affairs. It was all a part of the show. They expected it, he was inclined to give it, and his two attendants were to stand by and wait.

He climbed onto the stage and tapped at the microphone. The small feedback echoed through the hall, garnering the guest's attention towards him.

"Good evening everyone." The General spoke, scanning the crowd. "I take it we're all enjoying ourselves?"

A small chorus of agreement rang out.

"Well, before we get onto the real fun of the evening, I wanted to express my gratitude." He continued, still watching the crowd, looking at the staff along the walls. "On behalf of the Atlas Military and Festival committee, I would like to thank you all for your patronage. Without your support, these events wouldn't be possible. Nor half the fun, am I right?"

That earned a swell of chuckling.

"I encourage you all to relax, and enjoy yourselves." The General intoned, eyes still tracking back to the staff. "Our drones will be operating the entirety of tonight's festivities, there's more food on the way, and the entertainment will begin shortly. I'm sure it'll be something we can all enjoy."

A couple of small cheers.

Still looking at the hotel staff.

Another phantom pain said there was something he wasn't seeing.

"…" The general raised his glass, eyes steeled and smirk set. "To peace."

The sentiment was echoed, and the guests began to drink.

His eyes were locked on a server at the far back of the room. Watching intently. The general could tell the server knew it too.

They were watching him right back.

Then he saw it.

All the staff were Faunus.

Pain erupted in the General's arm.

The server gripped their cart, and ripped the cloth off of it, sending wine and glassware crashing to the floor. From an open space beneath the cart, leapt a fully uniformed member of the White Fang.

Brandishing an assault rifle.

They swung the muzzle into the air and pulled the trigger in a deafening roar of gunfire.

The hall exploded into chaos. People panicked, any immediately near the armed maniac immediately leapt away from them. Almost as instantly however, they found themselves without a place to go.

Every other server in the room mirrored the first.

Before the general's eyes, a dozen armed men appeared, scattered throughout the room. The number again doubled, as the presumed 'staff' drew weapons of their own from the carts. Thin, bone white masks sliding onto their faces.

"General!" Helles shouted.

The general turned towards the young lieutenant.

Right in time to see her go down in a hail of rifle fire, her Aura flaring as bullets slammed into her.

Without hesitation, the general dropped his glass and drew his weapon. He spun in the direction the shots had come from.

Only to immediately receive his own.

The bullets riddled him, robbed him of his balance as two scores peppered him. He stumbled back but managed to fall to one knee.

And was then immediately set upon.

Four White Fang pounced on him. The first he managed to counter with a solid cross to the throat, but the next two managed to grab hold of his arm before he could turn on them. He pulled his revolver into his off-hand and buried it into the stomach of one of the White Fang. He pulled the trigger and fired. The shot echoed in the hall, and the White Fang flew back as though he'd been hit by a car.

The general brought his weapon up, smacking it in the face of the White Fang still on his arm.

Then the fourth and final White Fang rounded on him, leaping in from his flank.

Even as the general's arm freed itself, he turned too slow.

His assailant had an assault rifle. Had he just shot the general, at that distance, maybe the barrel could've been redirected.

Instead, he swung it like a club.

The stock of it cracked hard against the back of the general's head. His Aura ate the brunt of the blow, and he tried to retaliate.

Then the first White Fang recovered and returned the punch to the general's jaw.

The third followed with a headbutt.

Then the second came running back with a dive kick.

The attacks began to come in series. He tried to guard against them. It ended with him pinned to the floor. They took him by surprise, and he struggled to react. The general had survived worse than a few poorly trained terrorists.

However, getting kicked in the back of the head with a steel toed boot realigns one's priorities.

He instead focused what he could of his aura into self-preservation, set his Semblance to it as well, to help block out the pain. Tried to grasp what was happening. Watched, through the gap in his attackers, as two dozen men corralled everyone present. He tried to track where his soldiers had gone.

Helles was down.

Where was Alder?

His question was answered when the soldier was slammed against the stage. But he couldn't see more than that.

The beating persisted for what must have been several minutes, but the general rode it out. His Aura was strong, and he knew better than some how to manage it.

By the time they were done, he wasn't much worse than he'd started.

But the situation was.

The screams had stopped.

Everyone was held in a tight group by two dozen armed men and women, four of whom were working to restrain him.

Then there was a chime. Barely audible through the blood in the general's ears. His head turned, and saw as the elevator door opened.

Six more White Fang strode out. Each heavily armed, each ready for a fight.

Leading them, a thin, lanky, almost emaciated Faunus with sharp teeth, pulled up in a rictus smile.

"Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen." The Fang spoke, voice a wheezing crackle. "We're tonight's entertainment."