15 - ||

…

Any second now.

…

Or not.

I looked over my shield to see the arena in exactly the same position as it was before, not so much as a tile scratched by the burst of energy that the knight had let out.

"Maybe it was a dud?" I postulated, trying to think on what could have possibly gone on there.

The knight moved in a blur of motion, drawing back its arm and throwing Penny at me like a fastball, my friend flying at me as an impromptu projectile.

I lowered my shield, opening my arms as I readied myself to catch her, not willing to let her slam against the arena floor.

Penny slammed into my chest with incredible force, all the air in my lungs leaving me in an instant as I was lifted from my feet, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop.

I bit off a groan, rolling Penny onto her back as I checked that I hadn't broken anything catching Penny.

Nothing feeling too broken.

I'll worry about the rest tomorrow, if I get there.

Suddenly I was pulled to my feet by a great strength and I looked up to see Peter staring at me, Blunderaxe in hand while a green blur that I presumed to be Doctor Oobleck blurred past us, engaging the knight with Tob providing supporting gunfire from the back.

"Get Penny out of here. We'll take it from here Jaune, my boy." Peter commanded, his tone deadly serious before he turned and sprinted off towards the conflict.

I paused for a moment, going over what had been said before I nodded moving back towards Penny.

I needed to get her to Geppeto.

"Jaune!"

Speak of whom.

I turned my head to see the man in question sprinting towards me, arms up and waving frantically, trying to draw my attention.

I raised a hand in acknowledgment, before I saw him thrust his hand towards me and suddenly I was shoved as if Cardin had body checked me, sending me tumbling away from the fallen Penny.

"What the he…" I started only for the words to die in my mouth as I witnessed the emerald lasers lance through where I had been moments ago,

What the?

Had Penny just attacked me?

A decaying Grimm corpse slammed into the ground in front of me, the massive hole through its chest a clear sign of Tob's involvement, shaking me from mental blank.

Now was not the time to be losing focus.

"Catch!" I heard and I turned, my hand whipping up to catch a fast moving blur just before it hit me in the centre of my face. What I held in my hand looked like a white earphone, albeit one without a cord and with some kind of thin toughened plastic extending from it.

I placed the device into my ear, the extension pressing awkwardly against my jaw. Suddenly there was a whirring sound and the device clung tightly against my jaw, no longer hanging loose in any way. "Don't worry that's supposed to happen." Geppeto's voice appeared, sounding as if it was coming from within my own head. "It feeds vibrations through your jaw to both receive and transmit sound."

I started, turning to look for Geppeto but not seeing him anywhere in sight. "Geppeto? What the heck's going on?"

The sound of gunfire filled the arena once more only this time it was accompanied by the screams from the crowd, the sound of Geppeto swearing filling my ears.

The Atlesian Knights had stopped firing at the massive mechanical knight, instead now firing indiscriminately at the crowd sending those remaining in the stadium scrambling for cover against the barrage. I spun to face my team to see Ren and Pyrrha standing in front, my partner's semblance and Ren's aura protecting all those nearby.

And there standing behind this impromptu shield wall was Geppeto, eyes glowing an unnatural gold as his hands working away frantically at his opened scroll.

"It's the P-01s' Puppetmaster Protocol." Geppeto's voice appeared again, the words ringing inside my head as I spotted Doctor Oobleck break away from the conflict to try and engage some of the Knights although the sheer number of them meant the barrage continued. "It's overwritten the control algorithm of any of the mechs in the arena and slaved it to itself."

As Geppeto finished speaking I watched as Penny rose to her feet slowly, mechanically turning to face me as the remainder of her weapons retracted back into her suitcase, eyes firmly closed. "Wait does that include…" I went to ask before I saw Penny's eyes snap open, revealing blood red eyes instead of the typical green.

Oh that is not a good sign.

Penny's form blurred and suddenly she was above me, fist drawn back to deliver a vicious blow. I flipped backwards just as she slammed into the ground like a rocket, the floor of the arena pulverised by the force of her strike.

I swallowed. Looks like Penny may have been holding back more than I thought during the match.

How the hell had that P-0…

My train of thought derailed as a new one popped up. "How do you know what that thing is? And what it's doing?" I asked Geppeto, all but demanding answers before swearing as Penny charged towards me once more her movements no longer graceful but undeniably filled with power.

"Simple, I made it." Penny's father answered bluntly, his tone making it clear that his attention was held by something else. "The P-01s, codename: Prometheus. First piece of completely intact lost tech combat blueprint I ever attempted to make. Never got the thing to work."

I blinked at that before leaning backwards, tripping a charging Penny with a well-placed leg, sending her tumbling away to slam into the wall of the arena, a prisoner to her own momentum. "Hate to break it to you Professor, but it seems someone has." I said caustically, my shield up and ready for the next stage of the conflict between Penny and I. Something like that wasn't enough to defeat her.

True to form, Penny surged out of the smoke with incredible speed, the floor beneath her shattering from the force of her steps before she all but slammed into me with all the grace of a speeding bullhead, hoping to overcome me with brute strength.

"That's the thing. The P-01s was destroyed years ago when my first lab exploded, turned everything inside it into nothing more than hunks of scrap metal." Geppeto continued talking, apparently not taking notice of the fact that I and the possessed body of his daughter were fighting each other out on the arena. "But we'll deal with that once I've fixed Penny."

My feet slid backwards on the floor as Penny continued to charge forward, her clenched fists slamming against my shield like machinegun bullets, the bruising strength causing me to wince with every new strike.

I planted my feet releasing my guard as I let Penny rush by me like a charging boarbatusk before she slammed her arm into the ground, halting her forward momentum with a forceful yank that would have caused a dislocation at the very least on a regular huntsman. "And how do we do that?" I asked him, legs tense for the next explosive movement.

"Well you keep occupying her attention, while I break through the firewall that Prometheus has installed to keep Penny from regaining control." Geppeto said blandly even as Penny blurred into place before me once more, one of her legs lancing out with a brutal kick that knocked me off my feet sending me skidding across the arena before I regained my footing.

I stopped mid bounce, bruising pressure on my ankle as I looked down to see the possessed android holding me by my ankle, emotionless red eyes staring balefully down at me. Penny's form twisted and with that I was careening through the air, tumbling over and over before I smashed into something solid once more. I blinked off the dizziness to see Pyrrha and Ren staring up at me in shock as I slowly slid down their shield, Geppeto still devoting the entirety of his attention to the tablet in front of him even as I spotted the others pulling spectators either towards the exits or towards the safe zone provided by my teammates.

"Any day now." I half growled, pushing myself back up off the wall of aura and surging back towards Penny, a battle cry roaring from my lips.

Alright that is it.

Penny leapt forward with a leaping two legged kick aimed squarely at the center of my chest and I bought up my shield, the image of a shattering moon briefly filling my vision. Then Penny's attack connected before all the momentum pressing against my shield abruptly reversed, sending her soaring backwards like a missile before rolling to her feet.

I can't hold back against Penny, even if she is being possessed.

"Almost there…" Geppeto spoke up, his concertation clear from the sound of his voice and the crescendo of typing sounds reached an all new level. "Got it!"" He proclaimed triumphantly.

Penny paused for a moment and I felt hope run through me.

Then Penny's backpack opened up and her swords came out.

"Not it, that was not it!" I yelped, Penny's lethality near tripling in an instant, one of the swords damn near chopping my head off if not for a hasty leaning dodge that still managed to ruffle my hair with its passing.

"Son of a…he renamed my files! Oho I am going to piss on his hard drive." Geppeto exclaimed indignantly before the sound of frantic typing filled my ears once more.

But to be honest I was far too busy trying to not die to respond to his complaints, the floating blades swinging with twice the speed and force as they had last time, my whole body shaking with every impact against my shield or deflection by my sword.

I twisted around one final slash before I unleashed one of my own, my sword striking across in an attempt to create more distance between me and Penny.

My sword halted mid-strike, Penny's left arm having neatly caught the strike between her fingers and her palm in a move eerily reminiscent of the Atlesian Knight that had attacked me during the breach.

Then Penny's right hand surged forward, grabbing me tightly around the throat as she lifted me from the floor and began to squeeze.

I gasped, trying to force more air into my lungs only to find that Penny's grip prevented any from passing though, my supply of air shortening with every passing moment.

I slammed the hilt of my sword into Penny's face, trying to stun her long enough for me to break free only for the android to all but ignore the blow, the inhuman red eyes calmly observing me as I struggled for breath, my shield arm going up to try and force one of the fingers gripping me loose.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

"Cut the arm off!" Geppeto's voice ordered me, as I fought to break out of Penny's inhuman grip, slowly starving me of oxygen.

"Are you crazy?" I grunted, the fingers around my throat tightening even more so even as I fought to loosen them with my left hand.

"I can reattach her arm later but I can't unsnap your neck, so time to man up and cut the bloody thing off!" He all but bellowed at me, my head ringing as the words echoed through my jaw.

I swore internally before acting, my sword flashing out, aiming for the cut I had inadvertently made earlier on, slamming my sword through it with what little strength I could muster.

Candidus Mors sheared through the metal with only the barest hint of resistance, the arm coming free with a rain of emerald sparks, the red-eyed Penny staggering backwards, one hand coming up to clutch at the stump that used to be her arm.

I would have made use of this opportunity to attack her but I was already making use of it to do something far more important to my continual survival.

And by that I meant I was forcing as much air into my oxygen starved lungs as I could physically muster.

"Jaune! You still breathing boy?" Tob's voice yelled out towards me, Matilda still firing rapidly at the massive mechanical knight as Peter all but tossed the thing over his shoulder to crash into an empty section of the stands.

I flashed a thumbs up in his general direction, forcing myself to my feet as I warily watched the possessed Penny reacquire her bearings.

"I have a plan!" Geppeto announced in my ear suddenly, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin as he broke my focus. "I think it may work."

I shook myself. "You think it might work?" I questioned before swearing as the enslaved android resumed its attack, using the lasers floating behind it as propulsion to rocket towards me, slamming her remaining fist into my shield as I slid it into place to block.

With one of Penny's arms gone, the blades that floated behind her now moved at a much slower and predictable pace, now directed solely by one arm as compared to the previous two.

"Fifty/fifty." Penny's father reaffirmed as I skipped backwards to avoid one of the floating swords from pinning me to the ground through the top of my skull. "I just need you to connect your aura with Penny's to help kick-start her back up enough that I can jam the P-01s and restart her from controlling Penny again. With Penny helping me, I should be able to put her back in the control seat."

"Okay, how do I do that?" I asked, batting a sword away before twisting and angling my shield so one of the lasers fired towards me reflected back at the gun that fired it causing it to explode in a conflagration of green energy.

"You're the one with the magic changing aura Jaune!" He retorted as Penny's blades regrouped behind her back, now wary of me reflecting another attack back at them with my shield. "Just make physical contact and use your aura if all else fails."

Physical contact.

Okay, I can do that.

As Penny charged forwards I dropped my sword before weaving to the side as Penny's remaining arm surged by me with enough force that I could feel my clothes ruffle with its passing. I grabbed Penny's wrist before twisting, my hips letting out a roar as I sued all my strength to hip toss her considerable weight onto the arena floor, her back connecting with the tiles so heavily that they fractured from the impact.

I landed on her stomach, preventing her legs from lashing out at me even as both hands grabbed her free arm trying to force it down before she could throw me off.

The shattering moon filled my mind and my aura surged through me as I tried to force the energy down through Penny's arm.

"It's not good enough." Geppeto's voice informed me, the sound of frantic tapping still as ever present as it had been since the beginning of this fight. "The energy is dissipating to fast before it can reach Penny's central aura cage in her head. You need to get the energy closer to it."

"My hands are kind of full here." I grunted in exertion, shaking from the strain of trying to keep the mechanical arm from overpowering me, even as Penny emotionlessly glared up at me.

And that's when an idea hit me.

On the plus side, no one would ever see it coming.

On the down side, the Old Bastard was never going to let me here the end of it.

Screw it.

I moved my head down before I could start having any second thoughts about how utterly stupid this plan was, closed the gap between Penny and I and kissed her.

The android's eyes shone, the light behind them all but blinding as I called upon all the aura I could, keeping my lips firmly fastened over Penny's.

"Whatever you're doing its working!" Geppeto cried out excitedly, still apparently tapping away at his scroll if the sound was any indication. "Reboot complete, patched the exploit that allowed the P-01s to supersede Penny's commands and WHAT THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING?!" Her roared at me, apparently having noticed just how I was giving her aura.

I broke off from Penny and scrambled to my feet, all but gasping for air as I did so.

Not how I saw my first kiss going down, I have to admit.

Before I could try and explain myself to the now furious sounding father of the girl in front of me, Penny's eyes fluttered before the familiar innocent green eyes started back at me. "Jaune?"

I smiled. "Good to see you back Penny." I greeted tiredly, extending an arm down to help her to her feet.

Penny blinked seemingly still stunned for a moment before she reached up to grab my hand with her remaining one as I pulled her to her feet. "Jaune…I…" She stammered, struggling with what to say before a loud fake cough filled my ears.

"Well, now that Penny is back on her feet, the two of you can focus on fighting the Knights and draw their fire away from the crowd." Geppeto interrupted, his voice still serious as he focused at the task at hand.

Good idea.

Penny's fighting style is ideal for taking on large numbers of enemies if the fight against the White Fang at the docks served as any kind of proof. She'd be able to cut through them in no time at all.

And with the robots no longer firing at the crowd, the students that were still here would be able to retrieve their weapons through the rocket lockers.

"Laddie move!"

I obeyed Tob's shouted command without hesitating, throwing myself to the side as something slammed into the ground where I was standing, rolling back up onto my feet to face it.

The P-01s stood up from where it had been kneeling, retracting its fist from the latest crater to litter the arena, turning to face me once more. The red visor flashed.

PROXY INSUFFICENT

ASSAULT WITH PRIMARY UNIT DEEMED NECCESARY

Well, that's foreboding.

"Penny focus on the Knights, I'll keep the big guy's attention." I called out, telling Penny to get to work.

Penny nodded, her expression hardening as she did so. "Be careful Jaune." She called out before she blurred off, her weapons acting as additional propulsion to cut the distance between her and her targets.

I cracked my neck, eyeing the giant mech as it stared down at me, red visor scanning audibly. "Geppeto, any advice?"

"The P-01s is the most advanced combat mech in existence, bar none." Geppeto said bluntly, not sugar coating it in the slightest. "The original schematic had armour made of programmable matter, able to change in an instant to suit the situation at hand. I hadn't installed any of the weapons beyond the flamethrowers its currently using before the explosion but if its AI is intact, that won't matter."

"Mind filling us in?" Tob's voice appeared over the line, nearly making me jump out of my skin at its sudden appearance.

How the heck had he gotten in on the conversation?

Did he have a communicator as well?

"The P-01s is an adaptive intelligence unlike anything I've ever seen." Geppeto explained, his tone dead serious. "If it sees a move preformed in front of it once, then the next time it's used it'll be able to counter it perfectly."

Great.

That sounds…annoying.

Peter leapt up into the air and unleashed a devastating right cross at the metal knight only for it to swiftly bat him out of the air in a movement that should have been impossible for something with that much weight behind it.

Peter was on a painful looking collision course with the arena wall only for Ren to catch him in mid-air, using some kind of martial arts technique to redirect him into the ground.

The P-01s turned back to face me and started moving, big loping strides that closed the distance between us with incredible ease.

I exhaled.

Okay Jaune, here comes the next round.

The ground fractured as the machine leapt forward, throwing itself into the air as its arms extended towards me, the ports for fire in its palms unfurling.

SLAM

Something crashed into the back of the P-01s, staggering it mid-flight.

A flurry of somethings rained down from the sky to embed themselves into the back of the mech, sending it crashing down into the floor, creating a furrow as it slid to a stop.

There, stuck in the back of the giant killing machine that had just gotten in a slug fest with The Old Bastard, Peter and Doctor Oobleck all at the same time, and hadn't lost immediately was the familiar sight of the rocket boosted lockers that we students could summon to our side at any time.

There was a sea of students running forward, all dashing towards their own lockers as they slid open, revealing the weapons that they weren't allowed to bring into the arena as spectators, properly arming them for the current disaster. "Subtle." I said dryly, looking at who I quickly deemed to be the author of this unorthodox assault.

Sun was grinning widely as he hopped off the robot's shoulder where his own locker has landed. "I just thought to myself, what would you have done?" He asked rhetorically shrugging his shoulders. "Then I promptly ignored that and did this instead." He continued with a slightly mocking smirk.

I rolled my eyes.

Ass.

Let's see who we have here.

Looks like we got SSSN, CFVY, ABRN, Neon Katt, Flynt Coal and Ruby.

Oh and the rest of team JNPR of course

A low groan reached my ears and I turned to see the P-01s pick itself back up from off the ground, shaking itself like a wet dog to dislodge the lockers that had forcefully adhered to it, the various students quickly making their hasty escape.

Okay, looks like our opponent just shook off the equivalent of an artillery strike without so much as a dent.

That's not a good sign.

The massive knight made to step forward before a sound like crashing thunder roared out and it was blasted off its feet, something slamming into its chest with tremendous force.

The familiar sound of spinning wheels met my ears and I caught sight of Tob coming to a stop by my side, his eyes firmly locked on the enemy he'd just blasted off its feet with the force of his attack.

But that wasn't what caught my attention.

There, held in the Old Bastard's left hand was the hunting rifle that I had seen serve as his primary weapon ever since I'd known him, Matilda. But there, held steady next to it was another hunting rifle, identical to Matilda in every way, even the smoke trailing from its barrel, save for the fact it was held in Tob's right hand.

He had two rifles?

Since when did he have two rifles?

"Game faces on brats, it ain't over yet." He said loudly, spinning the rifles in both hands and somehow managing to reload them without releasing them from his grasp in complete contradiction to what little weapons knowledge Nora had passed on to me had told me.

Speaking of whom…

I reached into my vial pouch, pulling three shock tonics from within and lightly tossing them to my approaching teammates.

Ren and Pyrrha nodded thankfully as they quickly gulped down the concoction, having to act as an impromptu shield wall being more than a little tiring, so the tonics were a welcome little boost to get back into the fight.

For Nora however?

Nora swallowed the tonic in a single gulp before flexing, her eyes snapping open to reveal pink electricity dancing across her eyes.

Well let's just say that Nora's semblance and shock tonics work really well together.

Static filled the air, the loud crackling leaving me wincing for a moment before I heard Geppeto's voice sounding out of the loudspeakers, the inventor apparently having tapped into the arena's speaker system. "Alright everyone listen up. The P-01s can effectively make itself damn near indestructible but it can only do so to one of its vital points at a time. You either need to take out the power source in its chest, or its head."

Okay then, that gives us something of a plan here.

"Also, you're going to need to take this thing out fast. The AI is one made specifically for combat, and the longer it fights, the smarter it's going to get. I cannot stress enough how badly things will turn if we take too long." Geppeto concluded, his tone grave.

Oh so not only is it the that we're dealing with a nigh indestructible robot from my past in the middle of a goddam Grimm invasion, we're also on a timer to defeat the blasted thing, less it become unstoppable and likely to murder us all.

"Oh this had turned out to be an utterly wonderful day hasn't it?" I said sarcastically, brow furrowing as I did so.

Tob let out a bark of laughter at that. "I've had worse." He said cheerfully in spite of the situation, cracking his neck as he did so before a serious look appeared on his face as he turned to address the newly armed students. "The sooner this thing is destroyed, the sooner we can focus on the Grimm. Let's get to it!"

With a roar the others charged forward and I moved with them, closing the gap between the Prometheus Unit and myself before it managed to get to its feet once more.

The P-01s which had been trying and failing to get to its feet suddenly contorted its palms placed solidly on the ground before it was forced into the air with a plume of fire, landing easily on its feet once more.

I cursed.

There goes that possible weakness.

Should have figured that would be too easy.

The mechanical knight strode forward, one of its fists drawn back for a mighty blow aiming to crush some of its attackers beneath it. I went to move forward when I found someone beating me to the punch Yatsuhashi and Sage forming the vanguard of our attack as they slammed their weapons into the oncoming attack, sending it soaring over our heads as the P-01s looked to be off balance.

But instead of trying to overcorrect the robot worked with the momentum landing on its hands before lashing out with a brutal scything kick that sent Arslan flying backwards only for Reese to snatch her out of the air after Sun gave her a helping leg up.

Wait a second.

I knew that kick.

That was the same kind of kick that Mercury used in his fight against Yang.

It could copy our moves as well?

Well, only the techniques that didn't require a weapon to use.

But Mercury wasn't even here so how that possible?

"It must have been watching the broadcast." Geppeto's voice spoke up in my ear, making me realise that I must have asked that question aloud. "Which makes this a whole lot more difficult because that means its probably mapped out most of your fighting styles."

As if in response to the inventor's observation the P-01s spun on its heels, once again displaying the kind of agility that all sense demanded should have been utterly impossible in something of that size before moving its leg just enough that Neon Katt's attempt to strike it with slush dust failed before viciously capitalising on Neon's off balance form, lifting one of its massive legs to crush it beneath its heels.

But as it was beginning to bring its armoured foot down it froze in place bizarrely, seeming more like a statue than the unstoppable killing machine that it was. I was puzzled for a moment before I caught sight of a familiar black outline surrounding the Prometheus Unit and a grin made its way to my face.

Nicely done Pyrrha.

The Prometheus unit was assaulted with a barrage of projectiles, bullets, blasts and the distinctive pink tinged explosions that were a clear sign of Nora's involvement in the assault of the immobile mech.

The P-01s' visor flashed.

ALERT, ELECTROMAGNETIC ATTACK DETECTED

COMPENSATING

The Prometheus Unit's armour glimmered for a moment before it began to glow cherry red, like a hot iron over a fire. I heard Pyrrha give out a pained cry and then the black outline vanished, leaving the P-01s free to move once more.

Just in time for it to weave its body out of the way of a leaping Peter, his Blunderaxe slamming into the P-01s shoulder ineffectually, it's free arm raised to defend its head.

The power unit must be invulnerable then.

Time to take this thing out.

"Neptune, aim for Nora!" I roared out, trusting my friend to understand what I was asking to do.

Neptune didn't hesitate, turning on a dime to blast Nora with bolt of dust fuelled electricity, adding even more power for Nora's semblance to feed on, electricity now visible cackling around her body.

The thundering booms of Tob's rifles firing filled the air and the P-01s arms blurred, deflecting the rounds with a clinical perfection that only a machine could have achieved, not ceasing in its movements it raised its arms once more, palms outstretched to deliver a payload of searing fire.

Flynt Coal slid to a stop before the gargantuan knight, raised his trumpet and blew, a wall of sound blasting out, just barely fending the onslaught off. But then he centred himself, slamming a foot into the ground in a familiar fashion.

Then suddenly there wasn't just one Flynt but four, the combined strength of their soundwave assault pushing the flames back, the two attacks trapped in a deadlock, neither overpowering the other.

Then Peter appeared out of nowhere behind it, Blunderaxe firing a mighty shot from point blank range knocking the right arm of the mighty goliath down.

The Prometheus Unit staggered as the ground gave way beneath one of its feet, through a particularly subtle action that I hadn't caught sight of before Neon leapt into her partner's attack, using it to accelerate to her top speed and slam an attack into the downed leg, freezing it into place.

Without so much as uttering a word I felt Pyrrha take her place beside me as we both locked our shields together even as I felt the touch of Ren's palm on my back as he played the role of our anchor once more.

"Aim for the head!" I cried out as Nora leapt into position her grenade launcher shifting in mid-air to take the form of the two headed war hammer, the head of the hammer resting against our braced shields as Nora landed atop it.

There was a loud click, one that seemed to ring across the battlefield despite the cacophony of noise that was taking place across it.

Then she was gone, the bubbly berserker vanishing in an explosion of crackling pink electricity.

Nora blurred across the field, the ground shattering as she made full use of her semblance enhanced power, Magnhild drawn back for a blow that no doubt could have turned a Deathstalker into paste.

We'd done it!

We'd won!

But then, just as Nora was about to connect her blow I saw Knight's helmet gleam strangely.

Realisation struck.

My heart fell.

It had been bluffing.

It wasn't the chest that was armoured.

It was the head.

And we'd fallen right for it.

Before I could so much as make a syllable, Magnhild crashed into the P-01s head with the force of a bomb, the strongest blow I'd ever seen Nora pull off.

And then Nora's weapon shattered, all but disintegrating as it broke against the unyielding defence of the Prometheus Unit's reinforced armour.

I stood there in shock speechless as the grenades within the destroyed head of the hammer detonated harmlessly against the P-01s, the blast lifting Nora into the air

The mech's fist shifted going to smash my teammate from out of the air before something red blurred across the field, the punishing blow striking nothing but air.

Ruby skidded to a stop in front of me, panting as she dropped Nora from where she'd been hefted over the scythe wielder's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the mangled hilt all that remained of Nora's once mighty Warhammer clutched tightly in my teammate's fists.

"Geppeto! This thing's tearing us to shreds out here!" Tob roared, a well-timed shot diverting the P-01s arm enough that the stream of fire that would have engulfed half a dozen combatants into the empty space beside them.

I heard Geppeto swear loudly as the sound of his tapping increased. "It is a freaking combat AI made from Lost Tech, it is actively fighting against me as I try to hack into it." He explained sounding more than a little frustrated. "It's not as if I can make it stop trying to kill you."

Looks there's no help coming from that front.

If we had some cover than this wouldn't be nearly as difficult as it was righ…

"Geppeto I need you to hack something." I said causing Pyrrha to look at me oddly as I asked.

"What do you bloody think I'm doing Jaune?" He said rhetorically, the sound of the scroll being tapped on still filling my ears.

I shook my head. "Not the A.I, hack the stage." I replied, the

"Give us something to work with here Geppeto!" Tob roared, wheelchair skidding out of the way as a plume of flame sought to engulf him.

There was silence from the communicator, the sound of rapid typing filling my ears once more before the stage began to shift the floor beneath our feet shifting even as new environs rose up to meet us.

I ignored them for now as I dashed forward to engage the Prometheus Unit, Ren and Pyrrha by my side. An armoured boot stomped down towards us but I spun out of the way, Ren making identical movements in the opposite direction as we both charged forward.

I heard Pyrrha give a shout in exertion and caught sight of Akoúo zooming ahead of us, the shield threading the needle that was the P-01s visor and slamming into it, blocking us from view.

We both leapt forward, Ren aiming for the right knee, both fists pulled back for a mighty blow while I aimed at the left knee, channelling my aura as I did so, the script written across the blade lighting up as it did so.

Candidus Mors smashed into the P-01s' knee but instead of bouncing off as the other attacks did it continued on, carving through the supposedly unstoppable metal to leave a new valley in its lifeless flesh.

I turned just in time to see the explosion of pink energy erupt from the knee Ren had struck, the attack somehow bypassing the armour to strike directly at the inner workings of the machine, causing it to drop to one knee.

The Prometheus Unit staggered before it halted turning to face where I was standing, Akoúo being forced out of its visor as Arslan slammed her fist into the back of its head, the P-01s all but ignoring the new attack to continue to stare at me.

The knee that Ren had all but annihilated internally bulged before vibrating, looking more like frothing water than the impenetrable alloy that it was. As the knee ceased to writhe what was left was not a good sign, the knee was in pristine condition once more, all the damage my teammate had slammed into it reversed in an instant.

Oh get stuffed you great mechanical bastard.

UNKNOWN ENERGY DETECTED

Hold on a minute.

I turned my attention towards the attack I had landed, nowhere near as decisive a blow as Ren's had been.

But it was still there.

The armour hadn't regenerated.

SCANNING…ERROR, RESULTS INCONCLUSIVE

C'mon Jaune think.

Why do my attacks work when no one else's do?

Well it was already damaged when it got here and it still hasn't heal so that clearly means someone else has done it before.

My mother?

JAUNE ARC NOW DESIGNATED PRIORITY TARGET

Oh that is not a good sign.

I spun and bolted putting all the speed I could muster to use as I closed the distance between myself and the environs, hoping to break line of sight with the unflinching juggernaut behind me.

Okay, two closest near me, what do I have?

Savannah or Ruins.

Gee let me think here.

Destroyed city with plenty of hiding spaces or tall, highly flammable grass?

Going to have to think real hard about this one.

I crashed through a glass window, using my shield to protect my eyes, not hesitating a beat as my titanic pursuer charged right through the wall as if it wasn't even there.

"Geppeto I sure hope you've come up with a plan here!" I called out as I shoulder charged my way through a dilapidated door, fighting not to trip and stumble as I led the Prometheus unit further and further into the destroyed city.

I rounded a corner just as the machine was about to catch me, putting a bit of space between it and me as I spotted someone attacking it with a blast of fire, the sound of gunfire bouncing off it a clear sign that the others were still fighting with me.

The gargantuan knight swatted the attacker from the air, knocking them through what sounded like a building or two if the crash was any indication.

"Okay, New Plan!" Geppeto's voice came through the earpiece even as I hurdled another busted car chassis before the P-01s slammed through it like an Ursa in a china shop. "Jaune, if what Tob's been telling me is true, you can use Lilith's technique correct?"

"Yeah, so what?" I replied catching sight of Sage smashing through one of the glass windows of the faux buildings as the Prometheus Unit passed it slamming it out of the way before being collected by Scarlet as he swung from a higher awning, drawing the robot's ire towards the two of them.

"Well, your aura has proven to be capable of damaging the P-01s. All you need to do is make it a much more concentrated attack." Geppeto's reasoned as I heard the sound of Coco's chaingun blasting away further in the city, no doubt firing at the Prometheus Unit or one of the hacked Atlesian Knights that were still wandering about the arena.

Speaking of which.

"My track record isn't exactly stellar with this technique Geppeto." I cautioned as I rolled past a line of gunfire, cleaving an Atlesian Knight diagonally through the chest leaving it to crumple on the ground behind me.

"Now's a good time to improve it laddie." The Old Bastard called out from somewhere unseen, the sound of his rifles firing echoing throughout the faux city.

"Also you're only going to get one shot at this. The instant it detects the technique, it'll prioritize it as a threat." Geppeto warned me, the sound of his attempts at hacking the ruthless A.I still audible through the connection.

The Prometheus Unit slammed through a building in front of me and I swore, readying myself to try and evade the attack from the android only to watch something slam into its face, sending it staggering to the side from the unforeseen attack.

Peter ran past me, one arm hanging limp by his side, his Blunderaxe nowhere in sight. "Basically don't miss Jaune, my boy." He called out to me before throwing himself at his foe with a roar, blocking its punch with one of his own as he got into an all in slugfest against the Prometheus unit.

Right then.

I collapsed my shield into its sheath form holding it by my side as I slid my sword within it. "I can't exactly attack or defend while I'm charging this thing up." I said finally, agreeing with Geppeto's plan but fully aware of just how useless I'd be while charging the attack.

Two of Sun's aura clones body slammed the P-01s just in time for Bolin to smack something into the androids face, using his bo staff like a bat with remarkable aim.

There was an explosion and suddenly the Prometheus units head was bright pink, the familiar sight of one of Nora's P3 grenades hard at work.

Doctor Oobleck blurred to a stop in front of me, glassed cracked and blood streaming down one side of his face but still somehow seeming as if this was just another day at the office for the eccentric huntsman. "Leave that to the rest of us." He said, a quick grin appearing on his face before he blurred off again, re-joining the conflict.

Okay Jaune, focus.

Step one complete.

Now I've just got to get the aura inside it.

The image of the shattering moon struck me once more and my aura all but leapt to my request, moving with an intensity that I'd have thought impossible not long ago.

In fact it was being far more cooperative than it had ever been before.

What am I missing here?

No, not the time.

I focused again, my grip around my sword and sheath white knuckled as I looked out at the fight still occurring, the P-01s taking on everyone as it attempted to get closer towards me, any injury that was landed shifting and closing an instant later if it didn't just bounce off the android's unyielding armour.

The Prometheus unit's flesh rippled and suddenly its visor was visible once more, the fluoro pink paint having been removed by the android's alterations.

The visor flashed once before the mechanical knight moved, exceeding its previous top speed by a great amount as spun like a tornado, knocking those closest to it backwards before there was the familiar sound of the flamethrowers being used once more.

You know the only thing worse than a giant murderous android spinning in a tornado of destruction?

A giant murderous android spinning in a tornado of destruction that's on fire.

The others scattered, trying to get away from the suddenly unassailable opponent even as I fought to force more of my aura into the sheath.

There wasn't enough yet.

It was taking too long.

There was a cry as one of the buildings crumpled in front of me and I swore as saw none other than Ruby, trapped as one of the faux walls gave way on top of her.

She's still clearly alive, from the way she's trying to get free but she can't lift the masonry pinning her in place.

The P-01s, having finally stopped spinning immediately made its way towards Ruby, all but ignoring the attacks the others tried to land on it. The android lazily waved an arm behind it, a gargantuan wall of flames forming with the movement, separating Ruby and I on one side with the P-01s, while the others were stopped by the fire.

Ruby's dead to rights here.

But the attack isn't ready yet, and if I waste it now then it's just going to murder us all anyway.

God damn it, why did it have to trap anyone that could have helped Ruby out right now!

Who I really needed here was…

An idea struck me.

A single, utterly insane idea.

It was crazy.

But right now, I'd take crazy.

I blurred forward, pumping all the speed I possibly could into my legs, sliding to a stop before the trapped form of Ruby, my hands still holding on tightly to Candidus Mors at my side, the weapon still unready.

The gargantuan fist descended like a falling meteor, the sheer weight behind the blow something that should have been utterly terrifying to behold.

But I wasn't scared.

It was like an incredible calm had consumed me, to such an extent that this situation caused me to feel nothing at all.

I had only felt like this once before to my memory.

In Forever Fall when the Ursa Major was charging down at me.

But I had no shield to block this blow.

I closed my eyes, concentrating.

Jaune Arc could not survive this blow.

The image of a shattered moon filled my vision once more as I pulled on every scrap of aura that I could, moving it all in even as I felt something shift inside me, one cog slipping into place.

So Jaune Arc wouldn't.

The blow slammed into my head with unbelievable force, more pain than I thought possible tearing into me, a ragged cry forced out of my lungs as the ground beneath me shattered into dust and fragments.

But despite it all, as the dust settled I was still on my feet.

I hadn't even shifted my stance, the P-01s fist still resting on my head.

My eyes snapped open and an explosion of white flames erupted around me, blasting the Prometheus Unit's fist away with the sheer force of the fire's eruption.

I burned not only externally but internally, more power than I had ever felt before coursing through my veins, feeling as if there was molten lava being pumped throughout my body with every new beat of my heart.

It was intoxicating, exhilarating.

And agonizing.

It was if I was constantly being torn apart only for my aura to heal the damage just in time for it to be torn apart once more, over and over again in an endless series of pain.

Was this what Yang felt every time she activated her semblance?

But there was no time for that.

My gaze centred on the P-01s, the mech's red visor glimmering as it scanned me.

UNKNOWN ENERGY SOURCE DETECTED

THREAT LEVEL ELEVATED

COMPENSATING

Compensate this.

I stepped forward lightly, the tiles beneath my feet being pulverized into nothing with the force of my step before I leaped and the world blurred becoming a realm of incredible speed, my surroundings almost incomprehensible due to the velocity.

One moment I was before my enemy, Candidus Mors all but shaking itself out of my hands, white flames trailing behind me.

The next I was behind it, my blade unsheathed, the flames gone and I crashed into the ground with all the grace of a flying brick, Candidus Mors clattering free from the impact, both sword and sheath alike.

A heavy boom met my ears even as I felt the vibration travel up my body and I swore internally.

Had I missed?

I rolled over from where I lay gasping on the ground to see the Prometheus Unit turn around slowly, the indomitable juggernaut standing proud after having taken my best shot head on and not even flinching.

INITATING REPRISAL

The massive machine took one more step forward.

And then the helmet of the destroyer began to tilt forward before finally tumbling free off the mech's shoulders, bouncing off the arena's floor and rolling forward once before it came to a stop before my shocked face.

The P-01s visor glowed red as it scanned frantically, trying to make sense of the situation.

CRITICAL DAMAGE

POWER SUPPLY NOT DETE-TECTED

FATAL ER-ERR-ERROR

TH-THIS U-UNI-IT IS I-IN JEAP-

The Prometheus Unit's words suddenly cut off, the light behind its visor fading as the head finally died, the last of its power running out.

I did it?

I sat up slowly, staring at the face of my nightmares, the one that had ripped me from my home, that had killed my mother trying to kill me.

I let out a breath in relief.

Rest easy mother.

It'll never hurt anyone else again.

"Jaune!" I heard Pyrrha cry out and suddenly she was beside me, pulling me to my feet. "Are you okay?"

I bit back a groan as I felt my muscles shout out in protest at the stress I'd put them under cutting the P-01s head off. "Feel like I've pulled just about everything but I'll live." I said finally fighting the urge to wince as yet another new pain made itself known to me.

I'd never gone that fast in my life and my muscles were making that point readily apparent.

Something slapped against my cheek and Pyrrha was holding her hand in the air, clearly having been the one to hit me. "Never do that again" Pyrrha commanded me, looking quite shaken up as she still checked me for any other injuries.

I chuckled dryly before wincing still not feeling a hundred percent, "I'll do my best." I promised lightly, watching Sage and Nora heft the rubble that had been pinning Ruby to the ground up, the young huntress looking no worse for wear.

Ruby took a look at the giant head of the P-01s and giggled, a funny thought clearly coming to mind. "Looks like you came out 'a head' this time Jaune!" She said with another giggle.

I snorted despite myself even as I cringed at the Yang worthy pun. "Glad to see you're still doing okay." I said shaking my head, even as the rest of my teammates hid smiles of their own.

I saw Nora was no longer holding the remains of her weapon in her hands but rather Stormflower, Ren having given her his weapons, having been a far more deadly combatant without them.

Okay Jaune, one problem solved.

What next?

"X-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY AND VVVVVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVV!" My pocket suddenly sung at me and I cursed as I pulled my scroll out of my pocket.

"Wait, your scroll's still working?" Geppeto asked incredulously, staring at my scroll in shock. "I've been trying to get through but I can't contact anyone."

I looked down at my scroll, noting the 'no caller id' requesting a video call before I pressed the answer button, extending the device into its full form.

"Jaune!" A voice called out, hard to recognise through the static and distortion the screen displaying a heavily distorted picture. "Jaune do you read me?"

"I can hear you." I answered, eyes narrowing as I tried to make out who it was on the other end of this call. "Who is this?"

The picture in front of me shifted for a moment, before clearing revealing someone I was not expecting to see at this point. "Cardin?" I let out, bewildered.

Cardin Winchester stared back at me, one eye bruised shut even as his hands tapped away at the keyboard in front of him. "Jaune listen to me. I only managed to make this call because I accessed a backdoor in the code my sister showed me but I don't know how long I can keep this up. Things are much worse than you think."

I looked closer at the screen, the clearing picture allowing me to make out more of the background around him. "Are you in the CCT tower?"

"Yes I am, now shut up and listen to me." Cardin growled at me, clearly not happy with my constant interruptions. "Someone's hijacked the CCT Tower. They're using it to broadcast something to all the other kingdoms. They're making it look like Atlas is attacking Vale."

I heard gasps and swears break out around me even as I grappled with that thought.

To have the CCT tower go down the moment a Grimm invasion strikes Vale? That's more than just good timing. That speaks or planning and a whole lot of preparation.

But how the heck does one orchestrate a level nine Grimm invasion?

"What about the other technicians, have they made any headway in breaking through the virus?" Geppeto called out making his way over to me, drawing me back to the problem at hand, the inventor clearly concerned about what was happening with his technology.

Cardin grimaced. "Thus leading us to problem number two. When we got here everyone was dead." He said bluntly, gesturing broadly at the ill lit room around him. "And I don't mean from the Grimm, whatever did this...it wasn't a Grimm." He said finally, a dark look on his face.

"So basically," Tob interrupted cutting off anyone else before they could start talking. "Communications our down and as far as the rest of the world is concerned we're doing our very best trying to kill each other." He summed up, his eyes moving from me to Geppeto as he waited for input.

"I don't think I need to stress how imperative it is that we stop that from happening do I?" Geppeto asked rhetorically, sticking his hands into his lab coat and pulling out handful of tools, grasped between his fingers. "I'll repair Penny as we go, then make my way to the CCT tower, tell them to hold the line till I get there."

"Cardin, bunker down in the tower and don't let the Grimm in." I said, relaying the order. "Someone's coming to try and fix the situation."

Cardin raised a brow at that. "It wouldn't happen to be my sister would it?" He asked half-jokingly.

I snorted at that. "Would Geppeto Polendina do?"

Cardin's eyes widened in surprise before a grin spread across his face. "I wouldn't say no." He agreed nodding before he seemed to remember something and a serious look came over his face. "But I need to tell you about the other reason I had to call you man."

I frowned slightly at that. "I thought you were just trying to find some help?" I asked, puzzled by what the huntsman in training was saying.

"Partly." Cardin agreed before shaking his head. "But that's not all." He stood up bringing the camera with him as he moved.

He moved past destroyed terminals and bloody trails, limbs torn and shredded as he kept moving.

But no bodies.

Where were the bodies?

"Whoever it is that killed these people," Cardin began before he flipped his scroll around to face the other way. "Something tells me that they know you." He said finally, leaving the image to do the rest of the talking.

The screen stopped and displayed a scene from a nightmare.

It was a window, displaying the anarchy taking place on the streets below, burning buildings and attacking Grimm visible through the glass but it wasn't what was beyond the window that held my attention.

It was what was on it.

It was a picture of me, impossibly detailed, from the strands of my hair, the length of my gloves and the stitching of my laces, it was all perfectly recreated upon the window. The picture was enframed with a large heart, like one of those silly cards that you'd get for girlfriends or boyfriends.

Except for the color. The color was wrong.

I don't think I'd ever worn so much red.

And after seeing this scene I don't think I ever would again.

Piled high against the window, ending just below the picture of me were the missing workers, every single one of them dead, seemingly torn to shreds by the artist in their search for more 'ink' to create their bloody artwork.

I swallowed involuntarily, my mouth suddenly bone dry after taking in the horrific scene even as it turned back towards Cardin's concerned face. "Duly noted. Stay safe buddy."

Cardin nodded before the connection cut off, a 'signal lost' notification informing me of the reason for the sudden end to the call.

"Not my best work, but it'll hold together till we can get you to my lab." Geppeto spoke up shifting from where he'd been preforming some field repairs on his daughters arm. "Tob, Jaune. You stay safe out there."

"Take care old man." I said with a smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "And you take care as well Penny, of you and your father."

Penny nodded. "I will." She said simply, her tone far more serious than I had ever heard it before.

Then she leaned forward and I felt her lips press up against my own, kissing me soundly as I stood there gobsmacked, Sun letting out a wolf whistle in the background.

Penny grinned. "Now we're even." She chirped happily before she sprinted off, hefting her father over her shoulder with her one good arm like a sack of potatoes even as he worked away at her injuries.

I stood there, blinking for a moment before coming back into the moment as I felt the Old Bastard's wheelchair run over my foot. "Now's not the time to be daydreaming laddie." He said quietly, even as I saw him smirk lightly at my expense.

"The kids?" I asked, wanting to know that they were safe.

"Are fine. I left them with Qrow so they're in good hands." Tob said reassuring me.

Pyrrha stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. "What do we do now?" she asked, turning to the Old Bastard for guidance.

"Well I am going to get to work." Tob said frankly, spinning one of his rifles as he did so. "But you lassie? You're going to get going."

"Students," Peter called out authoritatively, drawing everyone's attention towards him. "I think it would be best for you to leave." He said calmly, his tone making it very clear that this was not a suggestion.

"But we coul…" Ruby started before she was cut off.

"Miss Rose." Doctor Oobleck interrupted shaking his head. "This day will surely go down in Remnant's history. I'd prefer it if my students could live to tell about it."

Ruby hesitated for a moment before nodding, the others already making their way towards the airships that would take us off this godforsaken arena.

But I couldn't leave just yet.

"Alan." I called out, using the Old Bastard's name for what felt like the first time. "You better not die on me you old bastard."

Tob snorted at that. "You're a thousand years too early to be worrying about me laddie." He said dryly, before turning around, no longer facing me as he started rolling towards the centre of the arena. "Now get going."

I nodded before I turned and sped off after my teammates, using my aura to augment my speed. I know I should be out for the count after using my aura like I had.

Last time I used it like this I nearly killed myself by accident.

But now, it came smoothly, naturally as if it had been finally decided to work with me instead of against me for once.

My thoughts drifted back to Tob, Peter and Doctor Oobleck for a second before I shook my head, forcing myself not to think about it.

Remember what the Old Bastard says Jaune.

One problem at a time.

Current problem?

I'm stuck on a floating coliseum while the city below me is being assaulted by the Grimm, and a murderer is running around with my image on their mind.

Step one?

I've got a plane to catch.

Alan Quatermain watched Jaune run off, eyes narrowed as he disappeared around the first corner.

No denying it now.

At the rate he was going he was definitely going to get them before the week was out, if not the day.

Couldn't delay it any longer.

He'd have to tell him the truth.

All of it.

And the role he had to play in it.

But now was not the time to be thinking about that.

"Picked quite a time to come out of retirement." An energetic voice noted, Doctor Oobleck pushing his cracked glasses up the bridge of his nose with one hand even as he rested his weapon over his shoulder.

The bombastic laughter of Peter Port cut short any reply he could have made, the moustached brawler having recovered his Blunderaxe from where it had been lost in the fight, one arm still hanging loose. "Oh that's just 'cause he's feeling a little rusty after all this time." He ribbed, grinning as he gestured with his dislocated arm.

Tob's eyebrow twitched at that even as a small smile made its way onto his face.

Just like old times.

"I'd bet I can still whip you're pasty arse any day of the week Port." Tob stated dryly, idly elbowing his old friend in the gut as he did so. "What do you say Peter? Last one to two hundred buys the first round?" Tob asked idly, chambering new rounds into both of his rifles.

Peter Port chortled heartily even as he snapped his dislocated arm back into place with a loud crack. "Please. Make it three hundred."

Oobleck tossed his weapon into the air lightly, the flame on the end flaring up into a far stronger flame as he grabbed it. "May the best man win." He said simply, bending his knees slightly as he watched the circling Gryphons begin to swoop down towards the three of them.

Peter let out a bark of laughter at that. "I intend to!"