~Third Person~
"Penny, I...I don't understand."
"I don't even think I do...androids but no space age tech!? Come on, Remnant!"
The Pilot yelled into the air as he shook his fist wildly. The sun was beginning to set as evident by the red and orange in the air as the three stood at the same junction. Ruby was still confused yet, the young Pilot understood exactly what Penny meant.
"Penny-bot? Elaborate."
"Ruby...most girls are born...I was made. Im the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura...I'm not real..."
"Now hold on just a minute-"
The Pilot stopped his rage directed at nothing as he then placed a hand on Penny's shoulder before Ruby took Penny's hands. Rolling them lightly as she spoke.
"Of course you are. You think just because you got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any different from me?"
"I wouldn't have worded it like that but...Penny? That night at the dock, you showed genuine worry for Ruby when she got knocked back. Had I not known any better? I'd say you just have robot hands. But ya don't. You're a real caring person...who happens to be a robot."
"I don't... understand...You're taking this EXTRAORDINARILY well!"
"You're not like those things we saw back there. You got a heart! And a soul! I feel it!"
Ruby would poke at Penny's chest as a metallic set of taps was heard as the Pilot simply snickered and patted Penny on the back. He would make a comment that he is used to human shaped robots but, his definition of that is more...complex. Far more complex. Suddenly, in a moment of glee and pure happiness, something a regular robot would not be able to do, Penny cheered. Grasping the both of them, she yanked them into a hug as Ruby's face was pressed against her chest. As for the Pilot? He ended up suspended in the air as his legs came off the ground with a heave and gasp.
"You're the best friends anyone could have! Wait...no. That would be wrong! I can only have one best friend! Ruby? You're my best friend! Pilot? You're my boyfriend!"
"Oh, that's sweet-excuse me!?"
"I could see why your father would want to protect such a delicate little flower!"
Both said in a strained tone, although (Y/N)'s yell was suppressed by the fact his ribcage was bending inward. Setting them down, both would grasp at any air as (Y/N) was red under his helmet.
"Oh! He's very sweet! Father is the one who built me! I know you would just love him!"
"Wow! He built you all by himself?"
"Well, almost! He had some help from Mister Ironwood!"
"Okay! Just glide over boyfrie-! Wait...What?"
Both Ruby and Pilot were taken aback by the fact Ironwood of all people was involved in the making of Penny. A fact that didn't seem to sir right with the Pilot since he saw all the massive firepower Penny was packing. From laser beams that melted steel to butter, and blades that spread the steel butter with ease...all over the battlefield.
"The General...? Wait...Is that why those soldiers were after you?"
"They like to protect me too!"
"There's a difference between 'protect' and 'hide', P-Bot."
"He doesn't think you can protect yourself...?"
The tone would take a more serious tone as the Pilot thought back to everything that has occurred since his arrival. Initiation, Vale...the Docks...He thought to how those fools would need A LOT more than just soldiers if they were to try and beat Titans.
"They're not sure if I'm ready yet...One day, it will be my job to save the world...I still have a lot left to learn...That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival! I want to see what its like to rush into the world and test myself!"
"Penny, what are you talking about? Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace!"
"That's not what Mister Ironwood said..."
~First Person~
Save the world. Don't try to be a hero...you'll live longer...Fuck off, Blisk...I need to have a nice chat with Ozpin and Ironwood seeing as how I can actually talk with them. But I'll do that on my own. Until then? I need to confirm IMC presence here and sabotage their shit-
"She's over here!"
Shit! They found us!"
"You have to hide!"
Suddenly, Penny would pick up Ruby, much to her dismay and carry her over to a trash bin nearby. And without warning, just tossed her inside as I stood in shock at what just transpired before Penny reassured Ruby they were nice people and she didn't want Ruby to be in trouble. Penny looked to me as if saying to hop in but, I simply held up my scroll with the badge on screen. Seeing this, she gained a nice set of "ooo" to her face before nodding with a smile as the soldiers approached. Spotting me, they were about to question me when I held that badge up to them. Guess this thing has more authority than I thought because they stopped in their tracks and nodded towards me.
"Sal-u-tations! Officers!"
"Lucky I caught her before she got into more trouble. Which begs the question..."
"Sorry. Penny? Why were you running? And what happened to the other girl?"
"What girl? I've been by myself all day!"
Without warning, she would let out a hiccup to show she was blatantly lying yet, the officers seemed to buy it with a sigh. Although Penny straightened herself as I simply snickered under my helmet.
"You shouldn't cause such a scene."
"Are you okay?"
"Just a scratch."
Holding out her hands, she'd show them the mangled "skin" and the metal beneath it. It still shocked me how human Penny acted despite being a robot. Unlike simulacrums, who have their conscience uploaded to hardware, they change heavily. Remove the human aspect, it creates a hole. But if you build that hole to be human, then it's likely to be human minus the whole hole bit. Makes sense...I hope.
"Penny, your father isn't going to be happy about this..."
"Please...just come with us."
"I gotta go. Doing more patrol rounds on the roofs. Y'all take care."
"Sir, yessir!"
Watching Penny walk off with the officers, I let out a breath of relief before turning to the dumpster to see Ruby peeking. Her face was worried. Snickering softly, I made my way up to it an leaned against it with a grin that made Ruby giggle.
"Y'know, the trash actually suits you best."
"What-?! No it doesn't!"
"I'm joking. Just hurry on up before a rat eats you up-"
Suddenly, loud squeaking of a rat was heard in the dumpster as Ruby panicked and fell back with a yell. Panicking too, I yelped out and pulled my Flatline off my back before opening the bin. Jumping in as the cover fell behind me. Rat Vs. Pilot. Who will win?
"En garde, Rodent!"
~Third Person~
Yang had just made her presence known to the entire nightclub owned by Junior in the form Yang knows best. Blowing the doors open...literally. After a small stand-off that was a dozen or so guns aimed at her, she walked over to the bar as she dragged the large owner with her. After a small talk that ended in a dead-end, Junior slammed the cup of water onto the bar.
"I don't know."
"How can you not know?"
"I haven't talked to him. I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid up-front, I lent him my money and none of them. Came. Back."
Junior was understandably frustrated with the situation since he had to evacuate his clients the moment Yang arrived at the bar. Evacuation is wording it nicely. However, his frustration grew with more hatred when Neptune slammed his hand on the bar table with enough force that the cup tipped over. Making Junior glare at the blue-haired macho man.
"What kind of stupid question is that?! They never came back! Who is this guy?"
"Don't worry about him, worry about me if I don't find out what I want!"
"I already told you every-...! Wait...I'm lying...he came back a while later on terms of a 'business growth meeting.' Brought some...Atlesian Knight...? It was super thin though with red coloring and that voice sounded way too human! It freaked me the hell out! The robot brought some men with it that seemed like average muscle but, the way they glared at my men? Had I not known any better? I'd say they were itching to drop them dead...After that, he never came back. Guess he didn't like the condition of my men. WHICH IS SOMETHING I CAN RELATE TO."
Junior's patrolling and standing around men would turn with looks of genuine hurt. With this new information, Yang was confused since she knew he told the truth. And the fact he didn't know who these men...and robot were? Made her only more confused...She'd then leave right after with Neptune.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Downtown, Blake and Sun had just finished infiltrating a White Fang meeting since they presented their faunus traits at the front door. Now adorning White Fang Grimm masks with their current outfits, they slipped past the crowd to be all the way in the front. Or relatively close since they didn't want to raise any suspicion. All around the two, were dozens of faunus wearing the same mask yet, some were uniformed whilst others were what they had with them. At the front, stood a pacing Lieutenant that wanted to rile up yet, keep the crowd peaceful at the same time. One could tell he was a lieutenant due to the fact his mask was far more bigger and the eye slits were curved. On his arms were a set of distinctive tattoos. Finally, the show would begin.
"Thank you all for coming. For those of you who are joining us for the time tonight, allow me to introduce a VERY special comrade of ours...I can assure you, he IS the key to obtaining all we have fought for, for so long!"
On the right side of the stage, a familiar face would step into the spotlight as he swung his cane idly in his hand. Roman Torchwick. He wore the usual grin that he is known for having at all times. Almost immediately, the crowd burst into uproar, no pun intended, at the sight of human at their all faunus meeting. Despite this, Torchwick continued with a nice strut to his step.
"Thank you! Thank you! Please...! Hold your applause..."
"What's a human doing here!?"
"I'm goad you asked, dearie~!"
Even despite the feral attitude towards him in the room at the moment, Torchwick still found a way to spite yet, address the question on ever faunus's mind at the moment. Why?
"Now, I'll be the first to admit. Humans...are..the..worst...Case in point. I understand why you would want to watch locked away! Or, better yet, killed-!"
Somehow, Torchwick was now on the mind of every faunus in the room in a neutral light. Speak the words of the people, and they will listen to you. Still, there seemed to be no true point, as said by Sun as he leaned over to Blake.
"Is he going anywhere with this...?"
"But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms-!"
With that, he began to share their resentment, more appropriately, voice it loud and proud with no fear of repercussions. Something that began to make the people cheer him on as he continued his walk and talk rant.
"Government, military, even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around...well, was until some competition entered the area. But we now see each other in a colleague type of light...And before I forget! No offense to any rodents in the room."
Blake and Sun shared a look as the cheers for Torchwick amplified in the room tenfold. Yet, the cryptic sentence near the end made everyone begin to question, who else was involved in the crusade against humans? A look that Torchwick seemed to notice as he grinned and continued on in the form of a snap of his fingers. A snap that made the curtain fall to reveal an Atlesian Paladin in all black yet, the only contrast was a red White Fang logo upon its left shoulder. This caused the crowd to finally let out their inner animalistic voice and roar out in cheers.
"Woah...That's a big robot..."
"How...did he get that...?"
"As some of you may have heard, this right here...is Atlas's newest defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my 'employer', we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, 'hit the shelves'. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine...But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?"
He continued his speech with a tap to the leg of the Paladin as an added moment to show the people that this monster of a machine was indeed real. Ending his speech with a question, it was answered in the form of a faunus cheering on heavily. However, Torchwick soon stuck a finger into the air with a yell.
"Ah! How rude of me! I forgot to introduce my little exterminator friends of mine to the people! Please, make your presence known!"
Right after, the lights would go out as everyone panicked a bit despite being able to see in the darkness. Yet that only made it far more frightening when they saw four figures hop down from above and land with a a crouch. Standing up, they would only see a glowing red light source from each figures head as if they were glaring. When the lights came back on, many of the faunus panicked when they saw the figures in full light.
"A-Atlas!? R-Run!"
"Oi, you mongrels! You best calm down before I sick each of my dogs on those being loud!"
The first figure would speak in a loud and authoritative voice that sounded almost tired and digital. Yet it was still able to come off as human. This one seemed like an Atlesian Knight yet, it was far more slender than any Atlesian Knight they have seen before. Its metal plating had an orange and red camouflage to it as that glaring light of red came from its head. On its back, near the base of the hip, was a large device that had more LED lighting yet, it also had two sets of exhaust ports.
The next figure over seemed like a slim built woman wearing combative armor at the shins, knees, thighs, front and back and along the arms. She wore a helmet that had a sideways K that glowed a bright red. Much like the painting of her attire given it had a white, black and red color scheme to it. Yet on her left forearm was a small device that had a nozzle at the end. She too had a device behind her yet, this one was more box like that had extensions to the sides with flaps or wings, better yet.
"Boss, we should be-"
"What boss says, boss says! Now, lets get this impromptu partnership on the road!"
The female's voice was very much that of a common military woman. Authoritative and calm. Next came the excited male that had armor similar to a flight suit, a flight suit that Blake was familiar with given her friend. Yet it was heavily militarized to have a plate carrier and numerous spare magazines. His helmet mirrored that of a fighter pilot with a visor that was red in color and a half circle in shape. A lamp attached to the top of said helmet. Behind him, he wore a device like the others that was even more basic. Having two rectangular boxes and two extensions that were triangle in shape. All of this was all-white.
"I too want to see where this leads...I am...intrigued by their animalistic properties. It's almost...cute."
The final figure was female yet, she had a very large build that could very well have been all the padding to her armor, all the gear with spare magazine holders, odd rectangular slabs on the sides of her hips and the fact her device seemed like one large oval with two protrusions. Her helmet had small LEDS all around yet, her main visor has an X to it. The most eye catching thing was the fact she had a large robotic appendage hovering over her left shoulder. Unlike the others, her voice was deep and rough to the point it made the animal instincts within every faunus in the room to run...but they didn't. More so, they couldn't.
"Okay! Okay! Let's all calm down. Boy? Girls? Robot...? Introduce yourselves!"
Without another word, they all stepped up to introduce themselves in their own ways yet, all the while having their arms behind them. Like military personnel usually do.
"IMC Second Lieutenant Pilot 'Haytham.' Just hurry up, Ginger Pimp..."
"IMC Sergeant Pilot Marissa Barker. Let's work towards success."
"IMC Sergeant Andrew Scaletta! All you feisty faunus chicks watch out~!"
"IMC Lance Corporal Alondra Caldwell. Let the hunt begin, my pets."
Blake would confirm with their introductions...the IMC were here...and they brought Pilots. As Sun would listen, he would tilt his head in confusion of how they all had the same name as his new friend. Then it hit him. That name "Pilot" wasn't a name but, a profession.
"Will all new recruits, please come forward!"
Soon after, despite the fear they had instilled into them, the newest recruits of the White Fang would begin to step forward. Meanwhile, Blake and Sun had to make a run for it or else be found out yet, they still continued to follow the large line.
"What are we going to do?!"
"I'm thinking..."
As they continued with the crowd, Torchwick would laugh and enjoy a cigar as a bi-color haired girl stood next to him. She was wearing a white and pink-lined jacket that exposed her stomach, which had a brown cotton leotard covering it. Accompanying all this was a brown pair of jeans and white boots with high heels. Yet, as he laughed, Torchwick would notice the two as his eyes squinted on them. Sun, in the heat of the moment, waved with a sheepish smile. Just then, Blake noticed a junction box on a wall nearby...
"He sees us!"
"But can he see in the dark?"
Without further word, Blake pulls out Gambol Shroud in its pistol form and fires at the junction box. Striking it would cause the lights to die out as the faunus frenzy kicked up into overdrive as everything went pitch black.
"Don't let them get away-! Umph!"
"Sun! The window!"
Right after, Blake and Sun crashed out a window with Blake rolling forward as Sun simply leapt out in time to jump over a rooftop wall. Blake overcame this obstacle by sliding over it before continuing to run across the rooftops. Why? Well, the answer soon came in the form of that same Paladin crashing through the side of the building. Meaning whoever was inside, had it out for the two. However, back at the stage, the lights would come back Pilot Haytham growled digitally as his other "teammates" watched everything transpire. Finally, he would turn to Pilot Scaletta, who felt the eyes on himself before chuckling giddily.
"On it!"
Back with the two faunus, they would hop from rooftop to rooftop in order to evade the giant mecha suit on the street below. As they ran and jumped, Sun would bring it to their attention they needed the help.
"So, you wouldn't happen to have- oh I don't know- some form of backup!?"
"O-On it!"
~First Person~
"Phew...that was close..."
After the sudden rescue mission, Ruby and I stood outside the dumpster the rat attacked her in. It was boarded up AND it now had a healthy peppering of holes. Reloading the magazine of my Flatline, Ruby then got a call from Blake as we both cocked an eyebrow before she finally answered.
"Big robot! And it's big! Really big!"
"Oh, I am NOT missing this!"
"Oi! Wait up!"
Sun and Blake were being pursued now...I'm not even surprised given the fact Blake isn't really a low-profile type of gal, odd I know. Running down the streets, this outfit felt nice to run in. I may use it when my Pilot suit is getting cleaned up by Athena. Speaking of which, I got a message from her as I fiddling with my helmet to play a nice little song for the running Ruby and I were going to do.
<PILOT, UPDATE IS %93 PERCENT DONE. STANDBY FOR FURTHER NOTICE>
"Sorry, A. Not now!"
Pressing play button that was added onto the side of my helmet, a very suiting song from my home would begin to play. One that made it known that what occurred next, would be one helluvah Encore. Ruby would look over to me as we ran as she then gained a grin that told me exactly what this join into the fight would become. A race. Whipping my head forward, some people were walking along the side walk as I jumped onto the wall to my left and ran against it. My hand sliding across the wall acting as a way for me to know when I had to jump off. Meanwhile, Ruby would jump and bring her legs up to long-jump over a few people before using her semblance as she burst into a whirlpool of rose petals. A stream that only came to a halt as she reappeared a few feet ahead of the crowd. Not feeling the rough masonry of the building against my fingertips, I leapt off and over the crowd with a long-jump of my own. The moment my feet touched the ground, I let my jump-kit activate its power-slide mechanism as I shot forward a good ten feet ahead of Ruby.
She didn't take this too lightly as she growled out before her eyes zoomed around. Hopping against the body of a tree, she kicked off it with a twirl and enough force that she zoomed past. Rolling to her feet and running alongside me now as I snickered.
"Who knew our friends being in danger could be so fun!?"
"You won't win this time! A Rose always remembers defeat! Us being late to class minus you will not go unanswered!"
"Then make me pay for my crimes, Red!"
This made her gain a grin as she used a nice burst of her semblance to gain a fifteen foot advantage with her stream of rose petals. A stream that slipped against a wall and shot off it to make the fifteen foot a nice thirty. Seeing this, I grinned as I reached into my utility belt and pulled out a gravity star before hitting the activation button with my thumb. Tossing it forward, it landed a good ten feet away as it then released a field of gravity that sucked in some street trash like a plastic cup and leaves. Flexing my gauntleted hand, I activated my STIM boost as a green streak was left in my wake with me closing the gap to the star almost instantly. Yet not to fast given the fact the moment I stepped foot into the thing, the pool of gravity exploded outwards as I was now in front of it. This caused me to shoot forward with a prolonged "WOOHOO" as I saw Ruby's image grow closer to me. Zooming right past her, she let out a loud yell as she even tumbled thanks to the jump-scare of me suddenly appearing before her.
Seeing she was about to fall over, I shot my gauntlet out in front of me before a grappling hook shot out. Whipping my hand towards her, the hook wrapped around her waist as I then yanked her towards me as I ended up stumbling as well thanks to me still running when I did. Catching her in my arms, the cord undid itself as she yelped out as I snickered to myself.
"Alright! Enough racing! Hang on, okay?"
"A-Alright! Just give me a warning-! Woah!"
I cut her off by shooting my gauntlet out to the corner of a rooftop ledge as I then activated my jump-kit with a jump forward. This naturally made me shoot forward yet, in a whip as well as I swung through the air as Ruby clung to my side. Letting the cord release itself, I swung out the city and towards the outskirts where a large highway system was in plain view. It must be a mess if a car crashes-
Suddenly, and I joke not, a set of cars were flipped into the air as I saw that Paladin chasing down the others. Probably even trying to escape given the fact it didn't try to engage the others. Landing softly with a few steps, Ruby would cling to me before shaking her head and hopping down with a wobble in her legs.
"Floor! Nice and stationary floor!"
"Oh calm down! We got a bigger issue..."
And on cue too since the Paladin would slide off the highway and land in front of us on its feet. The other girls would land right next to us as I pulled out my Charge-Rifle before flicking it on. The batteries on the side of the body flexed a bit before the beam concentrator spun lightly. Through the Paladin's broadcast system, I'd hear a chuckle.
"Torchdick? Man you have put on some weight! Lay of the bread and go out for runs!"
"Funny you say run! Cus' you all are going to run once my associate gets here~! Tell him, Kitty~!"
Looking at Blake with a quizzical look, I noticed how she had sweat lining her forehead as if nervous. Not to mention, her ears flicked madly in all directions before Torchwick began to approach. On cue, Ruby took leadership roll as I rolled up my Charge-Rifle.
"FreezerBurn!"
Blake would leap back as Ruby used the recoil from her Crescent Rose to launch backwards. As for me? I shot my arm up into the air as my gauntlet fired out a grappling hook that clung to a bottom side of one of the many highway roads. Zooming up, I let the charged up shot rip out with a nice reverberated DING. The beam hit the side of the Paladin and, as expected, scorched the outside and left a nice red mark yet, that was all. Much like a titan would react. As soon as I was out the way, Weiss spun her blade around before stabbing the blade of Myrtenaster into the ground. A sheet of ice covered the ground below her as Yang launched herself into the air above with a twirl. Weiss leapt back before Yang shot out a large incendiary shell from Ember Celica. Both fire and ice would mix to create a large plume of mist that covered the area below enough that Torchwick activated, what I thought was, the external scanning system. From up above under the highway, I caught glimpses of the girls running around as I charged up another shot. However, one set of shots from Torchwick actually knocked back Yang as Blake was lucky to dodge. Suddenly, Ruby flew out with a warcry as she slashed at the metal behemoth to no avail yet, didn't mean she shouldn't try. Cocking back Crescent Rose's bolt, she then called out-
"Checkmate!"
With that, Weiss and Blake sprang forward with attacks at the ready since they immediately chipped away at Toechwick's armor. In one moment, Weiss even knocked out that external scanning system by stabbing a scanner ball before jumping with a backflip and help of a glyph. However, poor Blake was left behind to meet a cruel fate...I'm screwing with you! A glyph from Weiss appeared beneath her feet as she was yanked back with a yelp. Yet with that cleared, turns out the Paladin had even more defensive measures as it launched a volley of rockets at them as they backflipped to avoid them.
"Oh no you don't!"
Disconnecting the cord from my gauntlet I fell downwards before firing off my Charge-Rifle at the two missile pods. Of course I only got one yet, the moment I landed on top of the thing, I held onto it as I move my Charge-Rifle to the side with the help of the sling before reaching near to it and pilling a nice package of C4. A satchel charge. Ironically, one of the few weapons on the Frontier that hasn't changed next to the Fragmentation grenade. Plopping it beside the second pod, I jumped off in front of the Paladin so Torchwick could see me with the detonator in hand. Clicking down on it, the Paladin rocked furiously due to the explosion as I could hear Torchwick yell out. However, he still fired the gun on the right hand wildly as one of the shots actually splashed down near Weiss as she let out yell. Spinning in midair, she quickly dished out a yellow glyph under Blake that appeared like the cogs of a clock. Acting fast, I extended out my gauntlet towards Weiss before a grappling hook shot out from the end. Going right past Weiss, I flicked my arm to the side as the line wrapped around Weiss's waist. Now feeling the nice snug fit of the cord, I yanked her backwards as she yelled out before I hopped up to catch her in my arms. Landing on my feet with a nice skid, I looked at Weiss as I held her princess style. Fitting.
"Oi, you good?"
Looking at me, her face went a deep red as she nodded towards me before I set her down with a chuckle in time to pay witness to what that glyph did. Blake would glow a bright yellow as Torchdick launched-MORE ROCKETS!? How many silo systems does this thing have!? These were obviously a bigger payload yet, like that mattered given the second they were heading towards Blake, she yelled out whilst swinging at nothing. However, what came out was far better than some flimsy cuts. Instead, purple arcs sliced through the air and ground to dice those missiles up without remorse. Leaving me in awe as I turned to Weiss as she grinned proudly.
"Time dilation. And yes, I will use it on you next time we get into a huge fight."
With a giddy cackle, one that made Weiss recoil in how horrible it sounded and, not to mention, evil. Suddenly, Ruby dashed out from behind us with a yell.
"LadyBug!"
What occurred next made me yelp out and cover my crotch as Ruby hooked her scythe around the crotch so she could shoot up behind it. Using a shot from Crescent Rose, Blake met her half way as they began to chip at the legs before I gained an idea. Charging up a shot from my rifle, I concentrated before finally letting the shot rip out in glorious orange-yellow beam that hit the next point of contact with Blake. Essentially adding a bigger depth of damage to her slash that made the Paladin stumble heavily as the two leapt up to dodge a shot from it. However, the moment it turned around, it was met with Ruby and Blake slicing the arm clean off as I chuckled.
"Tis' but a flesh wound!"
As if my day couldn't get even more prouder, Yang leapt in and began to rodeo it as she let her gauntlets smash and fire into it with roars. Making me cackle out heavily.
"Good job, Dragon! Now finish the job!"
Oh that was a bad thing to say since the Paladin then thrusted backwards into two pillars that made Yang smack and stick to the third one. A sight that made all of us, ironically not Ruby though, fearful since Torchprick then slammed a fist into her and through the pillar as she skid on the ground.
"Y-Yang!"
"Dragon! Bastard!"
"Don't worry! With each hit, she grows stronger! And with that energy, she uses it to fight back! That's what makes her special!"
Little Red, you aren't the one who just got slammed through three concrete pillars-! Suddenly, Yang rose up to her feet as her hair shone a glowing gold...As for her eyes? A furious crimson red. Torchdick then launched a fist at her yet, she caught it much to the surprise of everybody. It wasn't long after when she let out a loud roar and with a single punch, turned that arm into bits. The Paladin's, not hers. I just stood back in awe at how much of a literal bombshell Yang truly is. It's sorta-wait no! An annoyed Torchwick would kick Yang backwards as she zoomed past as before I charged up a round and shot at Torchwick's hatch so he stumbled back. The more he tried to advance, the more shots I laid on him and he even tried to avoid some shots. Tried.
"Bumblebee!"
"Ruby, now is not the time for naming insects-!"
Well I'll be...Turning around in time, I watched as Blake shot Gambol Shroud in a straight shot at Yang and boomerang as she held onto the ribbon connected to it. Much like a grappling hook...As soon as Yang caught it, Blake yelled out snd she swung her partner around in a wide arc. And whatever comes around, goes around. The Paladin and Torchwick would stumble back as Yang kicked that front yet, Torchwick was still approaching as I began to just take potshot after potshot. Of course they hit unintentionally but, it was still working lacking.
"We need to slow it down!"
"And how do you suppose we do that!?"
"IceFlower! Join in, Pilot!"
I was confused to what they were doing but, it came in the form of Weiss forming a set of glyphs in front of us as Ruby dug her scythe into the ground. Right away, she shot a round that turned an icy blue upon exit that collided into the chassis of the Paladin to form a very large ice splatter. Now seeing what this meant, I grinned and fired through the glyph too as the beam of the Charge-Rifle turned a nice blue. A blue that slammed into the joints I was aiming for as I noted my theory was right. The joints were cracking. Ultimately slowing down Roman in his tracks.
"Temperature Shock!"
Right on cue, Yang swung around with a loud roar as she let go of Gambol Shroud so she could rocket right at the Paladin. And with one heavy punch, completely shattered the Paladin as Roman came tumbling out with a set of grunts. Miraculously, he was able to stand up and dust himself off as he made a witty remark.
"Just got this thing cleaned!"
"Good! I hope you got Car Insurance. Cus' that means you also got Health Insurance!"
In the blink of an eye, I was in front of him with a leap and arm cocked back as I was ready to deck him into the next prohibition era. Yang must have wanted a piece too since she fired off a shell from Ember Celica. Although, that round and my fist was blocked by a pink laced parasol that was held by a small petite girl with pink, brown and white in her hair as well as two different eye colors. Admittedly...she's cute-and thats a fist-Getting sent backwards with a nice tumble, I didn't expect her to have that good a form. But the fact my head hurt despite my helmet made it very obvious she did. Take pointers, Blake.
"Ladies and Pilot! Ice Queen..."
"Hey!"
"Always a pleasure. Neo! If you would? Oh! And welcome a new friend! You two should have something in common."
Cryptic...Neo would bow after Torchwick gave us a nice wave of his hat yet, it felt odd...and the reason why came when Yang launched forward to punch the smug look off Neo's face. However, they merely shattered as if they were made of glass or ice. Looking up, a VTOL Bullhead would be in the air to show the two looking at us. Oh no you don't! Priming my Charge-Rifle, I was about to let my firing peel off when the air began to feel...hot-
"Does anybody else feel hot?"
Oh no...
"Girls!"
Immediately, I activated my STIM, tackled Yang and the rest of the girls off to the side as the familiar mechanical whirl of a Titan Core rang out alongside a bright explosion. Coughing lightly, all of us, we recovered from my sudden tackle to see where we once were, was now soot and burning patches of flame. Not too far away, a dust cloud was up in the air that was opposite to where we stood. Just then, about a dozen glowing red dots appeared in the cloud as a huge bulky figure stood there.
"Oh! Boy! I haven't done that in a long time-! I-! Huh...? You're still alive? Ugh. Oh well. Hello, 'Pilot!' My name is Scaletta! Pleasure to meet ya!"
As the dust settled, the figure turned out to be an Orge Class Titan of the IMC. One I am far too familiar...A Scorch Titan. It had a matte crimson to it yet, down the hatch was a large messy gloss red stripe with a lot of glossy red streaks amongst the rest of the body. On the hatch was the words "The Roof is on Fire!" And judging from this guy's voice...he was a party type. However, the lens of the ocular system would focus on me before he let out a chuckle that turned into a laugh.
"Oh wow! You really do take after him!"
"Quit the cryptic bullshit! What do you want!?"
"Thanks for asking. I want...you."
The Scorch's hand rose up to point a finger at me as I went to prime my Charge-Rifle yet, even the girls joined in as I growled out. Whipping my head to them, I took off my helmet to show an almost deranged glare that made them freeze up.
"Stay out of this."
"But-!"
"This thing is a walking warcrime, Ruby! So. Stand. Back. If you want to help? All range. Nothing up close. That means you, Yang."
Pointing at her, she'd growl before nodding as I then tossed my helmet to her. Making her panic a bit as she tried not to drop it when she finally got it firmly in her hands. Looking at me with a cocked eyebrow, I gave her a grin.
"Keep it safe for me. Let me show y'all what a lone Pilot can do!"
"Let's burn this roof down!"
Scaletta would launch a shot from the Scorch's T-203 Thermite Launcher as the girls got into defensive positions next to Weiss as she summoned a glyph. She didn't need to though as I launched my grappling hook out from my gauntlet and stuck the shot to the projectile fireball. With a roar and flicking my jump-kit into overdrive, I spun around with the ball in midair before falling onto my feet. Whipping the cord around with a yell, it slingshot the ball back to the Scorch as it brought up its thermal shield to block it. Dashing forward, I fired the Charge-Rifle at the unshielded leg of the Scorch and Scaletta as he let out a grunt.
"Weasel-y type of guy aren't ya~?!"
Whipping the Scorch's chassis to the sides, it fired out two gas canisters to my sides so I was stuck right in the middle of the gas. Reloading the T-203, I took the moment to whip out a Firestar and hurl it at the chassis. Something they dodged by dashing off to the side before firing off that round from the launcher. As I saw the ball hurling at me, I quickly clenched my gauntleted hand as I charged up my rifle with my free hand and became familiar with the void dimension. Everything was a monochrome as I heard that familiar low ringing in my ears before reappearing with a low pop. Now standing right next to the Scorch, it whipped around its hand to activate the thermal shield yet, I quickly brought up the primed Charge-Rifle to shoot its hand as a nice red scorch appeared on the palm. Ironic.
"THERMAL SHIELD TEMPORARILY DISABLED."
"Don't announce it out loud, you moron! Fine!"
"ELECTRIC SMOKE DEPLOYED."
"Fuck!"
Whipping my body around, I activated my STIM boost without a missed beat as I dashed backwards and off to the side as the familiar crackling smoke appeared. The hair on the back of my head and neck would stand up towards the source as I growled. Dashing toward the side of the Titan, I dodged a mechanical punch in time to land on its fist before running up the arm. Hopping up onto the back chassis, I immediately got to work when I grabbed and twisted the battery out with a nice comical pop. Clipping the battery to my back, I pointed my Charge-Rifle down that same port and primed it before letting it fire as the Titan stumbled with Scaletta yelling out with a growl next.
"Bastard!"
"PILOT, SYSTEMS AT SIXTY PERCENT."
With a loud growl, the front of the chassis hatch would pop open as I immediately reached for my Flatline yet, it was too late.
~Third Person~
The girls watch on in awe and confusion at how this lone friend took on this behemoth of a fiery Titan with nothing but that odd laser rifle and his skill. Yet, the then watched as the hatch opened and out came a male in an outfit similar to (Y/N) yet all white and a red visor, swung out the Titan with assistance from the mecha's arm. Swinging around completely led to his feet hitting (Y/N) square across the chest as he flew backwards off the Titan's back with a roll. Pilot Scaletta would only laugh as he turned to the girls and, even despite the helmet, the felt him grin wickedly as the hatch closed. The eyes of the robot focusing on them as they all got into defensive positions with Weiss forming numerous glyphs of white in front and above them as the girl's primed their weapons.
"Focus on them, Ox."
"AFFIRMATIVE, PILOT. ENGAGING HOSTILE FORCES."
With malicious intent, the large robot would slam a cartridge into its T-203 Thermite Launcher before firing it at them. The ball that contained the hellfire, would be shot upon by Blake and Ruby before Yang fired shots at the Titan's chassis. LadyBug was effective in anti-air disposal as the ball burst mid-flight and scattered a mess of dying flames around that the girls were luckily away from. As for the shots from Yang, they did a pleasant job in sooting up the hatch yet, weren't as effective as she thought it would have been. The Titan would slam its left hand upon the ground as a firewall went racing towards the girls. Weiss had to hop out the way immediately as it crashed into her glyph. Completely shattering it before the Titan reloaded.
Meanwhile, Pilot Scaletta and (Y/N) were playing a not so pleasant game of "hide n' seek" as the IMC Pilot walked around the pillars with an IMC standard issue R-201 Carbine. Cackling to himself as he continued to look for the SRS, now Beacon Student, Pilot.
"Come on! The party is only getting started! Lotsa' people are waiting for ya! And you're on the VIP list...So come on...out."
Reaching to his vest's pocket, he pulled out what seemed to be a kunai knife that had a technological grip and ring. Along the blade was carbon fiber yet, with a press of the button, it seemed to cause the blade to blade to pulse with electromagnetic energy. Tossing it into a pillar nearby, it sent out an orange pulse that revealed (Y/N) right behind it as he held his B3 Wingman.
"Welcome aboard, junior!"
Reaching to his hip, he removed a fragmentation grenade that he soon primed before throwing it behind the pillar. The young Pilot would dash on out of the pillar as he had a green streak behind him whilst Scaletta fired upon him. Due to the sheer speed of (Y/N), he didn't land a single shot so as he slid behind a pillar. Seeing this, Scaletta quickly tried to reload his empty carbine rifle. However, the young Pilot denied him that right when he came flying from above after wall-running along the pillar he slid over to. Firing his B3 Wingman, Scaletta quickly dashed forward and pulled a power-slide with the aid of his jump-kit. Landing with a roll, both Pilot came face to face with one another when the other blocked a punch.
"How many of there are you!?"
"Enough to get the party started!"
With a jump up from the jump-kit, Scaletta aimed to smack his knee into the side of (Y/N)'s head as the boy naturally dipped downwards. Now being free, he went to reload his B3 Wingman and successfully did but, before he could fully turn around? Scaletta returned that knee around and hit him down to the ground with a nice twirl.
Meanwhile, Ruby flew backwards with a yelp as she had to use her semblance to make distance between herself and the Fire Titan known as Ox. Ox was wearing out the girls slowly as Yang and Blake were forced to pair so the former could escape given her gauntlets were out of ammo. As for Blake? She used the remaining rounds in her magazine to make distance away from Ox. And Weiss? She was currently holding the Titan by as it blasted its shield away against Weiss's own shield of her own made from glyphs. Yet, the heat was far too intense as the wall began to crack whilst the Schnee grit her teeth.
Scaletta took full advantage of his newly made opening by pulling out a kunai pulse blade and jumping onto the young Pilot. (Y/N) would stop his hands as they were put into a deadlock yet, Scaletta let it known he was playing dirty when he began to knee (Y/N) stomach. Making him falter and heave out as the blade's tip was inching from his face. Inches that began to fade the more hits he endured to the stomach and the blade now poking into his cheek as he grit. However, hope wasn't lost.
"PROTOCOL THREE: PROTECT THE PILOT."
"A-Athena!?"
~First Person~
Out of nowhere, Athena appeared as her giant made the earth shake from how fast she was going before finally coming into few. She had the Ronin's broadsword at the ready. And primed as well since it had blue arc streaks running along the length. And boy was it bad since I could feel hair stand up fully. Scaletta finally noticed the mad dash Athena was pulling as he immediately yelled out for his titan.
"Ox!"
"Behind you, Athena!"
As she grew closer, Ox came out from the side as he held up his thermal shield yet, Athena wasn't attacking. No. She was protecting. Finally, he hand would snatch me up before she activated her void dash as the two of us disappear for a brief moment before returning. Looking at Athena, she was focused on Ox and Scaletta as I chuckled out in relief.
"Athena! My gods! Please stop doing that! Its twice now that I've nearly died only to be saved by you!"
"FORGIVE ME, PILOT. BUT I CANNOT GO AGAINST PROTOCOL THREE."
"Eh. No issue. Now, open that big maw up. I got you a treat!"
Holding the battery up, she opened up her hatch right away before I climbed into the cockpit. Sitting down in the chair, I slipped the battery into the internal battery deposit. With a high-pitched whirl, Athena made it very clear to me she was excited to test out her calibrations.
"SWORD CORE ONLINE. LET US FINISH THIS, PILOT."
"Alright! On my mark!"
Taking full control, I would see the girls all tired out and in utter relief that Athena was here as I snickered with a small wave to them. However, Scaletta was still the slimy bastard he was since he fired a round from the T-203. Almost instantly, I made Athena dash to the left before running forward with the broadsword behind Athena's back before dragging the blade upwards with a roar. A streak of blue arc energy would be shot along the ground as Scaletta had to take that hit given Ox used his dash up. Scaletta would let out a heavy grunt before launching a gas canister forward before activating a firewall with Ox's left hand. Dashing foreard out of the pool of gas, I brought Athena's hands up and slashed at Ox before Scaletta could bring up his thermal shield. Activating phase dash with Athena, we appeared behind Ox and Scaletta before giving Athena the all clear.
"Athena!"
"SWORD CORE ACTIVATED. SLICE THEM UP, PILOT."
Slice them up I will...with a single prolonged roar, I would begin to slash at Ox's chassis nonstop as he tried to thermal shield me. Yet, I simply tanked it given Athena still had her shield up before finally, Ox entered his doomed state. Something that made me grin wickedly before kicking Ox forward and giving him a nice hardy slash that cut the left arm off. Finally, I swiped low as his legs were completely sliced off but, I wasn't about to kill Scaletta yet. Stepping on the chassis, I then opened Athena's chassis before hopping out onto the ruined Scorch as Athena closed her hatch.
"Athena? Can opener please."
Athena would use the tip of her broadsword to open up the Scorch's hatch as I heard the coughing come from Scaletta. His helmet now off to show his pale yet, now crimson face and blue eyes. A set of wavy black hair. He chuckled at me and coughed more as I saw his helmet next to him. Grabbing it, he was about to do something when I tightly grabbed his wrist with a glare. Making him chuckle even more as I ripped his hand away with a tug alongside his helmet. Looking at the side, I saw the communications set on the side of the helmet so, I took that off and pocketed it before tossing the helmet away.
"Scaletta? You're done. Give up and leave. Don't return to the IMC. Just. Leave. I'm fulfilling a promise here. Come on, A. Let's go. And grab the launcher too."
"AFFIRMATIVE, PILOT."
As Athena went to grab the T-203, the girls would run up to me with smiles on their faces. Seeing their faces, I immediately grinned in victory as I put my hands up yet, Ruby's face then became full of horror, followed by the others as I cocked an eyebrow. Turning around after giving them a raised eyebrow, I would see Scaletta holding up a MK6 Smart Pistol...I know I didn't have my helmet on yet, I could tell it would be blasting "PILOT LOCKED" into my ear. Meanwhile, Scaletta would laugh as Athena went to intervene yet, she stopped soon after.
"Don't you take another step! One more foot, one more flinch and they'll all drop!"
"Christ on a stick...Did you not hear what I said...? You lost. Just go live life..."
"Oh no! Nuh uh! I may have lost but, I can take you down with me-!"
Click. Right after, a loud pop rang out as everyone yelled out due to the suddenness of said pop. Yet everyone was fine. Why? Scaletta's hand that held the Smart Pistol was now gone alongside his forearm and on the ground as he then blinked. Yelling out in agony as the realization hit, he gripped the stub as I shook my head.
"Cocky bastard. You grabbed my arm to stop me. I put a nice dollop of C4 on your sleeve. The fact you tried to kill me far after proves more so the IMC will have to be dealt with accordingly...Girls? Look away..."
Ruby tried to be an objection as she went to grab my hand but, I stopped her via grabbing her hand. Putting it down slowly before giving her a reassuring smile. Reaching for my back, I pulled out my Flatline and was ready to pop him in the head when-CRACK! The sound of a Kraber going off made us all flinch as Athena then went to shield us with her chassis.
"Everyone okay!?"
With a nice reassurance from everyone, I looked towards Scaletta to see his head was completely gone. Up above on one of the high roads was a clear haze in the night...a cloak Pilot...it soon left though. I forget the IMC doesn't like loose ends...Ah well. Athena stood up as she looked at her new toy, the Scorch Cannon T-203 Thermite Launcher.
"Oi, like your new toy?"
"PILOT, THE T-203 THERMITE LAUNCHER IS NOT A TOY. IT IS A LETHAL SINGLE SHOT PROJECTILES THAT SET ANYTHING WITHIN RANGE ABLAZE. BUT YES. I DO FIND IT APPEALING."
This made me chuckle before I looked to the girls to see them wearing rather tired smiles yet, Blake's was full of concern, fear and disappointment. It definitely wasn't because of Scaletta though. Clapping my hands, I brought the attention to me with a grin.
"Well! All in a fair nights work! I say we head on back before police show up again like the dock-"
However, we were soon cut off by Bullheads flying in and swirling above us as we all yelped out and got ready for a fight. Yet, one of them landed nearby and showed something even far worse than more White Fang or IMC...
"Pilot!? Girls!? What is the meaning of this mess!?"
"Goodwitch, please calm down."
Yep. Ozpin and Goodwitch. With the latter being a VERY pissed off hot blonde professor with a riding crop for a weapon...I wish Athena would turn that Thermite Launcher on me and pull the trigger...