32

Chapter 32: Bot Fight! - Part 2

Elevated Freeway, Moments Ago

Blake's mouth fell open as she watched Yang slam into the side of the Paladin, her glowing hair trailing behind her like a comet's tail. The moment her fist touched the side of the mech, the entire thing tilted, its left legs being forced into the air. The Paladin wobbled, veering across the road and into the guardrail. Its right legs tore through the concrete, destroying thirty feet of guardrail, before slipping off the edge of the freeway. The mech's weight shifted instantly, forty tons of metal tumbling off the road. A colossal impact sounded from the ground below.

A green flash drew Blake's attention from the falling Paladin. Neptune, who had leapt off the mech's back a mere second before Yang's impact, was snatched out of the air by, if she wasn't mistaken, their missing friend Penny, who was flying with the aid of what appeared to be metal wings. Blake only focused on this for a second, before she caught sight of a flash of yellow below them.

Her heart stopped.

Yang, her hair no longer glowing, was lying face down on the ground, unmoving.

"Yang!" Blake yelled, leaping off the speeding car she'd been standing on. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sun do the same, the two rolling as they landed. Blake sprang to her feet, running down the empty road to Yang's side, Sun hanging back when she came to a stop. She fell to her knees, placing her hand on Yang's shoulder. "Yang?"

To her relief, Yang groaned. The blonde pushed off the ground with her left arm, rolling over onto her back. "Ow…" she droned. Her eyes blinked open, blearily focusing on Blake's amber gaze. "Did I get him?"

Blake let out a breathless laugh, a disbelieving smile on her lips. "Yeah. Yeah, you got him."

Yang gave a tired smile. She gave her arm a weak pump. "Whoo. Go me." She grunted as she pulled herself up to sit, rubbing the back of her head. "Geez, that thing was harder than I thought."

"Yang!" They both looked over, seeing a red blur racing towards them. It came to a sudden stop before them, kicking up a blast of air that made their hair flutter. The blur dissolved into a shower of rose petals, revealing Ruby, holding Weiss carefully in her arms as the heiress clung to her neck.

As the rose petals fell around them, Ruby sat Weiss down, the two rushing to Yang's side.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, worry plain in her voice as she knelt beside the blonde.

Yang just shot her a cocky grin. "What, you worried about me?"

Weiss wasn't amused, giving Yang a hard smack on the arm as she frowned. "Yes! Yang, that mech knocked you clear off the highway. I don't even know how you're still in one piece."

Yang flinched a little, feeling a sudden burst of anger from Weiss, buried under fear and worry. "Hey, relax Snowflake," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "You know me. It'll take more than a little smack to take me down."

"That 'little smack' totaled about a dozen cars before it hit you," Blake said with a frown. "You really scared us, Yang."

Yang wilted under the double glare. She looked over at Ruby, who met her gaze with a small frown and a nod. Yang let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I worried you. But, y'know, there wasn't much I could do about it. I was kinda between a rock and a hard place." She smiled slightly when she saw Weiss roll her eyes, the corner of Blake's lips twitching. A high-pitch whine sounded above them, making her look up as her smile grew. "Besides, apparently I have a pretty kickass guardian angel."

The others followed her gaze, watching as Penny descended next to their group. She hovered for a moment, letting a slightly freaked-out Neptune touch the ground first before landing herself, her swords floating around her. The jets of green fire spouting from her wingtips cut off abruptly. She eyed the group nervously, her hands folded in front of her.

"Salutations, everyone," she greeted, a hesitant smile on her lips as she gave a quick wave to the group.

Blake smiled at her. She had more than a few questions as to how Penny had come to be here, and how she'd gained mechanical wings, but she pushed them aside. Penny had saved her Mate from, at the very least, an extremely painful fall. Questions could wait for later.

"Hello, Penny," she said calmly. "Didn't expect to see you here, not that I'm complaining."

Penny's grin widened slightly as Ruby explained. "We bumped into her at the CCT. Long story short, we told her about the plan and she wanted to help."

Yang chuckled as she rose to her feet, Blake and Weiss rising with her. "Well, I'm not complaining. Thanks for the save." She hit Penny with one of her usual shoulder punches… and pulled her arm back quickly when she felt a stinging pain in her knuckles. "Youch! Geez, Pen, that hurt! What, are you made of pure metal?"

Penny ducked her head down a bit, looking abashed. "Mostly," she admitted quietly.

Yang blinked, her head tilting slightly. "Wait, what?"

Before Penny could answer, Weiss held up a hand, looking exasperated. "Very long story. We'll explain later. First," she pushed a finger against Yang's chest, a disapproving look on her face, despite the surprise and awe that her Mate's felt from her. "How did you do that? You knocked aside a multi-ton mech with one punch. I know you're strong, Yang, but I've never seen you use that much strength."

Yang frowned at her, before her eyes lit up in realization. "Right, I never really told you guys about my Semblance, did I?" That startled Weiss a bit, her head jerking back a bit. Blake looked to Yang expectantly, curious.

Yang rubbed the back of her head, feeling a little sheepish. "Sorry. I haven't had to use it in a while, and it hasn't come up in class yet. Short version is, anytime I take a physical blow, I can take the force of that hit and use it myself."

Weiss' brow furrowed thoughtfully. "So, when the mech hit you…"

Yang smiled, some pride trickling into her words. "Yep. Hit it with its own power. That's how my Semblance works. The harder I get hit, the harder I can hit back."

Weiss nodded slowly. She shot Blake a quick look, which the Faunus returned. We'll have to ask more later. Weiss thought to herself. First though…

Sun physically flinched when Weiss gave him a piercing look, nearly bumping into Neptune. Weiss then turned to Blake, her gaze softening in concern. "How did your night end with you two being chased by a giant robot?"

Blake went to answer, but Sun abruptly cut in, putting himself between Blake and Weiss. "Funny story, but first…" he turned to Penny, flashing a friendly smile as he stuck out his hand. "I don't think we've formally met. Sun Wukong, at your service. The lost-looking blue-haired guy is my partner Neptune."

"Hey!"

Penny blinked at the surprise introduction, before smiling widely. She grabbed his hand in her own, shaking it firmly. "Greetings! I'm Penny Polendina, a friend of Team RWBY's. Nice to meet you."

Sun winced a bit at the shockingly tight grip, but nodded all the same. "Likewise." He let go of Penny's hand, turning back to Weiss, who looked slightly miffed. "To answer your question, Torchwick was at the rally."

Everyone other than Blake jolted in surprise. "What?!" Ruby shouted, echoed by Yang and Weiss.

Blake nodded, looking disturbed. "He was the one running the rally. He gave this big speech, got everyone on his side, and then showed off that mech."

"Turns out," Sun chimed in, "he stole a whole bunch of mechs just like that one from the Atlassian military."

Penny's eyes widened in shock, and Weiss looked up at the sky in disbelief. "Dear Dust," she muttered, not even wanting to think of the implications of the White Fang having more of those monstrosities. She looked back to Blake, shaking her head in disbelief. "How did you end up getting chased by it?"

Sun answered. "Torchwick recognized us in the crowd. Blake killed the lights in the place and we booked. Next thing we know, that thing's busting down a wall to chase after us. Guess Torchwick wanted to catch us himself."

"Whoa, wait a sec," Yang jumped in, shooting a look at the wrecked guardrail before turning back to Sun. "Himself? Is… are you saying Torchwick is inside that thing?"

Sun nodded. "He said it was his personal mech. And I'm pretty sure that was his voice that spoke when you got hit."

Yang's brow raised in surprise. Then she smiled widely. "That's perfect!"

Everyone looked at her with varying degrees of confusion. "What is?" Ruby asked.

Yang turned to her, an excited gleam in her eyes. "The whole point of this was to find out what Torchwick had to do with the White Fang. Well, let's go down there, pull him out of that thing, and find out what's what right from the source!"

Ruby's eyes widened, as did Blake's. "Do you think he'd even tell us anything?"

Yang's smile shifted to a smirk. "I don't really plan on giving him a choice." She punched a fist into her palm for emphasis. Ember Celica clicked as a round entered its chamber.

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, when they all heard a metallic groan from under the freeway. The group jumped at the sudden sound, Weiss and Blake gripping the hilts of their blades, Neptune reaching behind him for his trident. The seven Hunters-in-training rushed to the road's edge, staring down at the construction yard below.

"Oh, come on!" Yang groaned, looking equal parts annoyed and baffled. "What does it take to keep that thing down?"

Far beneath them, the Paladin was slowly pushing itself to its feet, leaning hard on its arms. Some of the added armor plating was scratched and dented, but still intact. The only real damage done to the mech was a fist-sized dent just behind the cockpit, just before the shoulder.

Penny frowned as she looked over the mech, her green eyes glowing a little as she analyzed it. "This Paladin has been heavily modified," she said simply. All eyes turned to her, but she didn't notice, all her attention on the mech. "Increased armor and speed, enhanced servo control, and multiple added firearms." She turned towards the group, focusing on Blake. "If the rest of the White Fang's Paladins have had similar alterations…"

She didn't have to finish. Each of them could picture what damage the White Fang could do with a fighting force like that, some more vividly than others. Blake swallowed down her nerves, trying to force away the image of dozens of Paladins, all sporting the symbol of the White Fang.

Ruby sent Blake a worried look, feeling her fear. Then she looked down at the mech, eyes narrowing. "Let's go ask him." She glanced at Weiss. "Think you can make us some platforms?"

Weiss nodded back to her, waving her arm as her fingers twitched. A pair of large glyphs appeared a few yards below them, spinning side by side. Another twitch of her fingers, and two more formed below the originals.

Yang smirked, her eyes locked on the raising Paladin. "Let's do this!" The next moment, she jumped off the freeway ledge, landing on the glyph below. Blake let out an exasperated breath at her partner's excitement, following the blonde as the corner of her lip twitched upwards.

Sun blinked as he watched them land, then leap to the next glyph. "Okay. Jumping onto giant, spinning snowflakes. I'll admit, I did not see that coming." He shot his partner a look. Neptune could only shrug his shoulders, apparently in agreement. The two boys leapt after Yang and Blake, who were looking up at them expectantly.

With a burst of green flame, Penny lifted off the road, opting to descend to the ground by her own means. Ruby and Weiss were the last to go, Weiss' fingers twitching to make more glyphs as they landed and leapt from the first ones. The group quickly descended, jumping from glyph to glyph as the Paladin rose to its full height.

They each took their spots in an impromptu battle line when they reached the ground. Neptune and Sun stood on the far right, while Yang and Blake took their spot on the left. Ruby and Weiss were between the four of them, while Penny hovered above and behind them.

Once Ruby and Weiss touched down, everyone dropped into their battle stances. Weiss and Blake drew their blades, Ruby unfolding Crescent Rose into her sniper rifle form. Sun and Neptune pulled out their weapons, Sun bouncing from foot to foot as he twirled Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in their staff mode. Neptune opted to keep his weapon in gun mode, staring down its sights at the mech. Yang pumped her left arm, ensuring both gauntlets were ready to fire. Penny hovered at the back of the group, her many swords circling gracefully around her.

As the Paladin slowly spun to face them, Neptune gulped. "So, uh, it's still moving. Anyone have a plan?"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, before a thought hit her. Her mouth snapped shut, and she glanced over at Sun. They were both team leaders, so she wasn't quite sure which of them was supposed to take charge.

Sun noticed her nervous look, an eyebrow-raising in confusion. Then his eyes widened in realization. To Ruby's surprise, he gave her a lopsided smile. "I appreciate the consideration, Ruby, but this is your party. Nep and I are just tagalongs. You say it, we'll do it." Beside him, Neptune nodded, his eyes never leaving the spinning mech.

Penny nodded as well, seemingly having a similar thought. "The same for me. Awaiting your orders, Ruby."

Ruby looked between them, stunned by their immediate acceptance of her as leader. A sudden burst of confidence and reassurance tickled at the back of her mind. She turned to her team, meeting Blake and Weiss' confident smiles, Yang backing hers up with a thumbs-up.

A warm feeling rose in Ruby's chest, her lips forming a thankful grin. Her smile was wiped away when the groan of protesting metal sounded from the Paladin, the large mech having faced them fully. Pushing down her worries, Ruby called out, eyes trained on the mech. "Neptune, quick. What's your skill set and weapon type?"

"Mid-range marksman, close range martial artist," he rattled off, sparing Ruby a glance. "Pulse rifle and bladed staff."

Ruby hummed briefly. "Okay, uh… Penny. Me and you will run interference, draw his attention away from the others. I'll hit him with sniper fire, you use your lasers."

The android nodded in acceptance. "Affirmative."

"Yang, Neptune. Circle around it and hammer its legs with weapons fire. When you see an opening, get up close and keep attacking. Go for its joints."

"Got it, Sis." "Yes, ma'am."

"Blake, Sun. When he's distracted, go high and try to get that cockpit open. Weiss, see if your glyphs can slow it down. If that doesn't work, join Blake and Sun. See if Myrtenaster can slip between its armor."

"Okay." "Sounds good." "I'll hold it as best I can."

Ruby felt her chest tremble, her heart hammering painfully against her ribs. She hoped her ideas were right, and she hadn't just gambled her friends, Mates, and sister's lives away by making a bad call. She tried to ignore it, taking comfort in the familiar weight of Crescent Rose in her arms.

"Okay, everyone," she said as she stared up at the mech, a hard glint in her eyes. "Follow the plan, but be ready to improvise. Watch each other's backs, give support to whoever needs it."

Weiss smirked slightly, looking at Ruby out of the corner of her eye. "I told you that studying would pay off."

Ruby just flashed her an appreciative grin. "Okay, on my mark, everyone-"

There was a sudden, sickening clang of metal striking metal, drawing everyone's attention. Just below the Paladin's cockpit, its 'chest' had split down the middle, the two halves slamming open against its sides. From within the dark confines of the mech's chest, they could all see the eight sharp points slowly slide out of the opening in two rows of four.

"What the hell…?" Sun muttered, squinting at the Paladin.

Then, with a thunderous roar, flames lit up the inside of the mech, showing a brief, clear image of what they were looking at: missiles. Lots and lots of missiles.

Ruby's eyes widened in fear and disbelief.

"Scatter!"

The moment the words left her mouth, the first two missiles went flying. Before they got very far, a large white glyph appeared before them. The missiles exploded against the glyph, which shattered against the force, Weiss letting out a grunt of pain as it did. Already, more missiles lit up, ready to fire.

The group did as Ruby said, while at the same time following her plan. Yang and Neptune broke from the line, flanking from their respective sides as they started firing, shotgun fire and electric pulses detonating against the Paladin's legs. Blake and Sun rushed forward, Sun even making a show of leaping over the new missile that launched from the mech. The two jumped in sync onto the mech's 'knees', and then to its 'shoulders', Blake slashing at its joints while Sun rammed his staff into the side of the cockpit.

As more missiles screamed towards them, Ruby lifted Weiss like she had before, blasting out of the way in a cloud of Semblance. Penny rocketed upwards, the missiles sailing harmlessly below her.

Ruby came to a sudden stop just to the left of the mech, setting Weiss down. The heiress wasted no time, throwing up her hands to form glyphs around the Paladin's wrists. Before she could, her eyes were drawn back to where they'd just run from. A yell tore from her throat.

"Penny, move!"

The android instantly spun in the air, her green eyes widening as she watched the two missiles that she'd avoided shoot straight up in the air, arching back towards the fight. One of them went low, aiming for Yang as she fired at the mech's back legs, while the other turned and headed right towards Penny. The android leaned hard, her jets firing as she shot upwards, the missile screaming after her.

Yang pulled her left arm back, ready to send another shotgun blast into the Paladin's leg. She was about to throw her arm forward to fire off the shot-

A flash of red.

Turn right. Shoot up.

-Yang spun on her heel, punching upwards without even aiming. She caught just the briefest glimpse of a missile headed towards her, before Ember Celica fired and it exploded harmlessly above her.

Yang blinked, staring down at her closed fist in confusion. How did I… why did I see…? Her eyes widened in realization, head snapping towards the edge of the battlefield just in time to see Ruby shift Crescent Rose into scythe mode and take a running leap at the mech's middle.

Roman frantically worked the Paladin's controls, flailing its arms in an attempt to throw off/squish Kitty Cat and Monkey Boy as they kept trying to pry open the cockpit door. He'd just started fighting seriously, he wasn't about to let those brats end his fun before it began. He swiped the mech's arm against the front of the mech, forcing the monkey Faunus to leap away before he could get his staff under the cockpit door.

The Paladin shuddered as two more missiles launched, and Roman grit his teeth. They were supposed to fire off all at once, not this two at a time crap! If this fight ends before I get my proof, Taurus' little 'robotics experts' are going to get an earful.

As the missiles flew away to find their targets, yet another proximity sensor went off, this time from the left. Roman didn't even look, he just yanked on the controls to have the Paladin smack aside whoever was rushing him.

However, before the mech's arm could swing all the way around, the controls locked up. Roman growled as he pulled uselessly on the controls. On the screen, he could see the problem: a giant spinning snowflake had materialized around the Paladin's forearm, holding it in place. The mech struggled against the hovering glyph, but it wouldn't budge.

There was an ungodly screeching sound, and the mech shuddered slightly. The display screen helpfully informed him of a shallow slash that had appeared across the Paladin's back. Roman focused on a small window at the bottom of the screen, showing Little Red gearing up for another run. In the window next to it, the Schnee girl had both arms extended, her fingers crossing each other in odd formations.

Roman clicked his tongue in annoyance. Okay, Ice Queen. Let's see if those fancy flakes have a strength limit. Without a second thought, he slammed his hand down on a large green button near the middle of the left side console. The button turned red, and the whole mech trembled. A new warning popped up on screen

Servo Safety Limiters Disabled.

Weiss clenched her jaw as she tried to control a single glyph with both hands. Usually, she could create and control a single glyph of this size with just a twitch of her fingers. But with the sheer strength of the mech, it took all she had to hold it in place.

The others tried to take advantage of the mech's sudden stop, Blake and Sun leaping onto the cockpit itself to try and break it open. Blake slammed the tip of Gambol Shroud's blade into the cockpit glass, but the sword just bounced off, not even scratching the thick windows. Sun broke his staff apart, standing right above where he figured Torchwick was sitting inside the mech. With his weapon in nunchuck/gun mode, Sun started firing downwards, unloading his weapons into the top of the cockpit, to no avail.

The two most-recent missiles sailed away from the fight, only to circle back in tandem, this time focused on Blake and Sun. At the last moment, Sun pressed himself flat against the mech as Blake leapt into a backflip, each missile missing its target by mere inches. Before they could circle back again, an electric pulse and a shotgun blast turned each missile into scrap metal.

Suddenly, a high-pitched hiss came from the Paladin. Steam started drifting from the openings in its armor, mostly around its joints. The mech pulled once again on the glyph, but this time Weiss couldn't hold the glyph. With a hard yank, the Paladin broke free from the glyph, the giant snowflake shattering like a pane of glass. The sudden movement forced Sun and Blake to leap off the mech, lest they get smashed between its flailing limbs.

Weiss flinched in pain as she felt her glyph break. She shrugged it off, drawing Myrtenaster and clicking its chamber over to Fire Dust. Since her glyphs had failed to stop the mech like she'd hoped, Weiss readied herself to join Blake and Sun in their frontal assault.

She bent her knees, ready to take a running start at the massive machine, when she saw its arm start to glow. Attached to the mech's left arm was what looked to be a large cannon, but from within the gun's barrel came a deep red glow, building in intensity. Then, with speed a machine that size shouldn't have been capable of, the mech whirled around and pointed the glowing cannon right at Weiss.

"Block this, kid!"

Weiss was just barely aware that Torchwick had spoken from within the Paladin, her eyes frozen to the red energy filling the gun barrel. Fear overtook her, her mind going blank. The cannon gave a deep hum, and the red glow peaked.

A green blur suddenly shot passed the Paladin's arm. Torchwick let out a confused sound, before something exploded against the mech's arm. The force of the blast shifted the mech's arm, and a red beam of energy lanced just over Weiss' head, slicing through a support pillar behind her.

Weiss watched the green blur as it slowed to a stop, proving it to be Penny. With the missile no longer chasing her, the android spun in midair, facing the mech. Below her, Ruby came to a stop, Crescent Rose switching back to sniper mode.

Flash of red.

Move forward. Glyph.

At the same moment a brief flash of red tinted her vision, Weiss heard Ruby call to her. "Weiss! Combo move!"

"Right!" Weiss rushed to Ruby's side, her hand up to form her glyphs.

"Now, Penny!" Ruby yelled as she fell to one knee.

Penny nodded sharply, a hard look in her eye as her swords started spinning faster and faster around her. She brought her hands together, and her eyes blazed green as the tip of each blade glowed with energy.

"Ice Flower!"

With a twitch of her fingers, Weiss formed three glyphs in front of Crescent Rose's barrel, two for velocity and one for ice. At the same moment Ruby pulled the trigger, beams of green energy fired from each of Penny's swords, converging to form a single massive laser beam.

Torchwick saw the attacks coming, throwing the Paladin's arms up to block the incoming fire. Bullets and lasers battered against the mech's surface, ice forming all over its front legs, while its arms were being chipped away by laser fire.

Seeing their opening, Yang yelled to Neptune, "Here's our chance!" Yang broke into a run, her eyes glued to the shallow cut Ruby had left on the small of its back, Neptune right behind her, his weapon shifting to staff mode. Yang smirked, pulling her arm back to unleash an epic final punch.

Roman growled in frustration as warning after warning began peppering the screen, each one giving the same message:

Outer Hull Temperature Exceeding Max Tolerance

Yes, I get it! He thought to himself, struggling to keep the mech's arms up, pulling up the controls so hard his knuckles were turning white. They're melting the Dust-damned mech! I'm working on it!

He had to think of something fast, or all the extra armor he'd welded on would become a steaming puddle on the asphalt. Worse, now more warnings were showing up, saying that the Paladin's legs were freezing over.

Another proximity warning popped up, again from the rear of the Paladin. Sunshine was rushing up, along with the blue-haired brat (he'd think up a nickname for the kid later, when he wasn't trying to fight seven people at once).

Well, Roman thought, smirking slightly. At least I know how to handle that one.

His hand leaving the control stick for only a moment, Roman jabbed another button on the custom console.

Yang was only ten feet away from the mech, so close she could feel the heat from Penny's lasers, when two circular panels shuttered open on the mech's back, near its shoulders. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, only to widen when a pair of domed turrets popped out of the mech's back. Yang skidded to a stop, Neptune slamming into her back mid-step. Once he got his bearings, Neptune looked up at the mech, and they both felt a sickening chill when two thin, red laser sights trained on them.

"Nope!" Yang shouted, grabbing Neptune by the arm and yanking him away as the turrets fired, sending up puffs of dust and dirt as bullets hit the ground behind the running pair.

Yang and Neptune fell back, the two now trying to shoot the tiny turrets as they dodged bullets. Blake and Sun joined them, Blake shifting Gambol Shroud into pistol mode as she and Sun added their firepower to the mix. The two Faunus jumped and leapt as they fired, confusing the two turrets as they tried to aim at four targets at once.

As Crescent Rose fired shot after shot, Ruby felt a large grin form on her lips. With the Paladin taking fire from all sides, along with its legs being slowly encased in ice, it wouldn't be too long before Torchwick would be completely vulnerable. They were going to do it. They were going to win!

"What's with these kids?!"

He knew it. He freaking knew it. He knew they should have put more auto-turrets on the Paladin, but no, he had to listen to the 'experts'. 'Too much power draw, too much processing power'. If he lost this fight because Taurus' so-called experts convinced him that two rear turrets were enough, heads would roll.

He was getting hammered. Laser Lass was ten seconds away from burning through his armor, the four brats behind him would eventually get a lucky shot and take out those turrets, and to top it all off, he couldn't even try to move anymore, because Little Red and the Schnee brat had frozen the Paladin to the ground. If something didn't change soon, he was going to lose.

I can't, he thought, gritting his teeth in denial. I have to know if Little Red is who I think she is… I have to know!

He glanced towards the left console, wracking his brain for which one of his addons could get him out of this mess. His eyes fell on a large yellow button, the word 'NO!' drawn over it in pink marker.

Neo… Roman thought to himself. If he wasn't so panicky, he'd roll his eyes. His favorite little klepto had brought back all kinds of tech from her little trip to the Atlassian warehouse he'd sent her to, but a few of them she'd warned him not to install inside the Paladin. Too dangerous, she'd said (well, typed), even for him. He'd ignored her, of course. He'd paid her good money to steal all kinds of fancy weapons, and he was damn well going to use them.

Though, it would be nice if he could remember exactly what this particular button did.

...eh, I'm losing anyways, he thought to himself as he felt the mech shudder around him. Might as well find out.

Throwing what little caution he had left to the wind, Roman pushed the yellow button. Instantly, he heard a loud humming coming from all around him. He looked around the cockpit in confusion, watching as the lights dimmed and the display flickered, all while the humming grew in intensity.

Crap, he thought to himself, a bead of sweat running down his brow. That was the self-destruct, wasn't it?

Just when he was convinced that he had finally made one blunder too many, a new message popped up on the display screen. He watched as deep blue letters filled the screen.

EMP Primed.

Roman blinked.

Then he smirked.

"Just a little more!" Ruby yelled out over the gunfire as she unloaded Crescent Rose into the Paladin, Weiss constantly reforming her glyphs as the old ones exhausted themselves. She'd already gone through one clip, and was quickly burning through her second. Above them, Penny relentlessly fired her lasers at the Paladin, the arms of the massive machine turning a bright cherry red under the barrage of green energy.

"I got one!" Sun shouted from behind the mech, barely audible over the mass of gun and laser fire. Ruby wasn't sure what exactly it was he 'got', but from the loud 'Whoop!' Yang let out, it must have been a good thing.

Come on, she thought as the ice crept up the Paladin's torso. Penny's almost through its armor, it can't go anywhere; we've won!

"Ruby! Emergency!"

Ruby felt a chill as she glanced up at Penny. "What?! What's wrong?!"

"There is a large amount of electromagnetic energy building up within the Paladin!" There was a hint of fear in the android's voice as she hovered back a few feet, her fire slowing minutely. "I think it's about to-"

BWUAAAAAMM!

With a deep, resonating sound, a wave of blue electricity erupted from the Paladin, blasting outwards in a sphere of energy. The electricity flew past them, followed by a shockwave that sent every teen careening backward. Ruby struggled to keep Crescent Rose from flying out of her arms as she was blown upwards, only to land on her back seconds later. She heard Weiss land right beside her, groaning in pain.

"Weiss!" Ruby grunted as she pushed herself up, blinking away the stars in her eyes. "Are you-"

"Aah!"

Ruby's eyes shot open, her head snapping upwards towards the pain-filled gasp above her. She sucked in a horrified gasp.

"Penny!"

Electricity danced all over Penny's body as she tried to stay in the air, flailing as her jets flickered and died. Her swords hung limply below her, suspended by razor-thin wires, clacking against each other like wind chimes. With one last puff of smoke, the last bit of green fire died from Penny's jetpack. She let out a gasp of shock, before crashing to the ground, just a few feet from Ruby.

Ruby stared at her fallen friend, unblinking. "No," she breathed, her head shaking slightly. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling in the gravel as she fell to her knees. "Penny?"

The android looked up at her friend, her green eyes flickering between extremely bright and unsettlingly dark. Sparks flew from tiny rips in her skin, showing the grey metal beneath the surface.

"Penny?" Ruby repeated softly, tears building in the corners of her wide eyes. She could hear footsteps behind her, likely Weiss making her way over. "Are… are you okay?"

Penny blinked at her, uncertainty plain on her face. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. "My internal shielding protected my primary systems, and they have sustained minimal damage." There was a slight echo in her voice, as if her words were coming from a speaker rather than her lips, but Ruby didn't care. Appearances aside, her friend was okay. Weiss echoed her feelings with a relieved sigh.

That relief died quickly when Penny's smile changed to a sad frown. "Unfortunately, reinforcing my internal shielding has drained my energy. Backup power is unavailable." Her tone turned remorseful. "I'm sorry, friend Ruby. I must power down to conserve enerrrrrggyyyy…" Without warning, Penny's voice droned out into silence, her green eyes fading to a dull grey.

Ruby's heart stopped dead. "Penny?" She reached out, shaking Penny by the shoulder. The synthetic girl didn't react, just staring blankly ahead, her eyes dark, cold…

Lifeless.

"No," Ruby breathed, her heart reduced to a lump of ice, filling her veins with a sickening cold. "No." Her breath quickly grew choppy, a tear slipping from her wide eyes.

She's gone. I… she followed my orders, and she's gone… Penny… Penny is-

"Ruby. Ruby!"

Cool hands curled around Ruby's chin, turning her gaze away from her fallen friend. Blue eyes filled her vision.

"Ruby, listen to me." Weiss' voice was strained, but she managed to keep a calm tone as she knelt beside Ruby, holding her head firmly in place. "The fight's not over yet. I need you to calm down, alright?"

Ruby just stared into her eyes, air escaping her in sharp, ragged breaths. She could feel it, Weiss' emotions wrapping around her like a blanket. Calm, Worry, Protectiveness, Determination. They entered her and filled her with warmth, her heartbeat slowing.

"B-but…" Ruby stammered, tear-filled eyes flitting towards the unmoving android. "P-Penny…"

"Will be okay," Weiss stated firmly, her tone leaving no room for debate. When Ruby just blinked at her, Weiss explained, speaking calmly. "You heard her: she shut herself down. Once she has enough power, she'll wake up." At least, that's what she hoped. Truth be told, watching the literal light fade from Penny's eyes unsettled her, but Weiss ignored it, pressing on. "She didn't seem worried about powering down, so we shouldn't either. But if we don't end this fight soon, she might get hurt while she's… unconscious."

Ruby sucked in deep breaths, staring into Weiss' calming blue eyes. She looked over at Penny's body. She swallowed, giving Weiss the tiniest nod as she pulled the heiress' hands away from her face, moving to stand up. Weiss helped her to her feet, feeling fragile determination slowly overpowering Ruby's fear and uncertainty.

"Ruby! Weiss!"

The two were startled by the call of their names, looking towards the voice. Yang and Blake were running towards them from the opposite side of the construction yard, worry plain on their faces. Sun and Neptune trailed behind them, looking equally concerned.

The group came to a stop right in front of them, Yang looking between her girlfriend and her sister. "Are you two alri-" Her voice caught in her throat when she looked down, seeing Penny limp on the ground. "Oh… crap…" she breathed, shock in her voice.

"Oh, no," Blake gasped, her feline ears folding back as she took in the unmoving girl. "Is… is she…?"

"No," Ruby said, her voice hard. Noticing Blake and Yang's brows raise at her tone, Ruby tried to sound more confident than she felt. "She's not… not gone. Just… knocked out."

Sun eyed Penny in apprehension, glancing between her limp form and Ruby. "Uh… with her eyes open?"

"Uh…" Ruby stared back at him, floundering for an answer.

"It's Penny's secret to tell," Weiss said, drawing everyone's attention. "What's important is that she's alright… probably."

"Probably?" Blake asked, eyebrow raised.

Weiss bit back a groan. "Very, very long story, which I will be happy to tell as soon as we don't have a stolen Atlassian warmachine trying to kill us!"

Everyone flinched back as Weiss' voice rose in volume and pitch. Then, realizing something, Ruby furrowed her brow. "Wait… where is the mech?"

A metallic groan answered her before anyone else could. Everyone snapped back to their battle stances, Weiss and Ruby crouching protectively over Penny's still form, as they took in the sight before them.

The Paladin was a wreck, slumped to one side as its weight shifted. It's black and red paint job had been stripped off by gunfire, just patches of color left on the dented, scratched metal. Its forearms were bare of armor, the molten steel of what was once steel plates dripping off the metal frame of its fingers. The massive energy cannon that had been pointed at Weiss earlier was ruined, its barrel having melted and bent under its own weight. From the waist down, the mech was encased in ice, steam billowing from the mech's feet as molten slag pooled around the ice. The cockpit was dark, no sign of movement, no sound to be heard.

"Is… is it dead?" Yang asked, her fist already pulled back to fire if the Paladin so much as twitched.

Weiss eyed the mech warily. "Possibly… if Torchwick failed to properly shield the Paladin from EMP detonation." At the sense of confusion coming from Yang and Ruby, she explained, "I sincerely doubt an EMP generator is a standard feature of this mech. It's likely one of the 'modifications' Penny mentions earlier."

Accepting her reasoning, the group stood there, waiting for the Paladin to make a move.

"Should we try to pull Torchwick out of there?" Sun asked after a minute.

"Hehehe…"

Everyone jumped as a light, short chuckle came from the Paladin's external speakers. Ruby narrowed her eyes as she gripped Crescent Rose, unconsciously loading a fresh clip.

"Well, kiddos, I must say, that was fun."

The Paladin shuddered, the lights of the cockpit flickering back on. As the mech straightened up, it rammed both of its heated, cherry red hands against its icy prison, sending up clouds of hissing steam.

"But I think it's time we speed things along, huh?"

Ruby's mind went into overdrive, thinking over every option she could come up with. The fight wasn't done yet.

Without taking her eyes off the mech, she asked, "Did that EMP mess with anyone's weapons?"

"My gun mode is shot," Neptune whispered, his voice strained as he forcibly changed the weapon into its melee form.

"Mine are stuck in nunchuk mode. Transformation switch got fried," Sun grumbled as he uselessly jabbed a button on each nunchuck.

Blake's only answer was to change Gambol Shroud's clip, then shift it to sword mode. Ruby didn't even have to ask Weiss and Yang, knowing neither of their weapons contained anything electronic.

Ruby opened her mouth to give orders, when a shattering sound broke the silence. One of the mech's legs had broken free, causing spiderweb cracks to form throughout the remaining ice.

Ruby gulped. She shook her head hard, ridding herself of her worry. "Sun, Neptune. Grab Penny and take her back to Beacon. Keep her safe, and we'll catch up when we can."

Sun shot her a surprised look. When he met her silver gaze, his lips tightened to a grim line. "Protection duty. Got it. C'mon, Nep." Sun bent over to pick Penny up by her waist, only to struggle when he tried to lift her. "Geez, how is someone so small so heavy?" Neptune then grabbed her by the legs, and the two managed to half-carry, half-drag the deactivated android out of sight behind a freeway pillar, her swords dragging along the ground behind them.

"What about us, Ruby?" Weiss asked, Yang and Blake listening as they all eyed the escaping mech.

Ruby's eyes shot all around the construction yard, focusing on the mech's quickly melting ice. They had seconds before it was loose.

"Yang," Ruby started. "Circle behind it and get ready. Blake, Weiss, go Checkmate. Blake, when you get to the other side of it, you and Yang-"

"Sorry, Little Red…"

Torchwick's voice brought Ruby's orders to a dead stop. With a final massive shake, the Paladin broke free of its frozen bonds, sending chunks of ice flying. There were multiple sounds of scraping metal, and holes appeared all over the mech's surface, from the cockpit, to its shoulders, to its legs.

"But this party is over."

More scraping metal, and turreted domes popped out of each hole. Red laser sights focused on the four girls. Ruby felt her stomach drop.

"Bye, bye, brats!"

Bullets everywhere. Ruby didn't even get the chance to tell her team to scatter, they were already moving. It didn't matter. Even as they all split up, at least two turrets had each girl in their sights at all times. Bullets peppered the ground behind Ruby as she Semblanced out of the way, diving behind a concrete pillar. Each of the others did the same, pressing up against the stone columns as bullets ripped into the concrete.

"Aww. Hiding, are we?" Torchwick shouted in a patronizing tone as the turrets slowly ceased firing. The mech wheeled forward, spinning in a lazy circle. "Hate to break it to you kids, but it's pretty obvious where you are. Like you… Kitty Cat!" The mech lunged, backhanding the pillar closest to it. A black blur shot out seconds before the pillar was pulverized, Blake running hard as every turret focused on her.

Before they could fire, a burst of fire and shrapnel erupted against the mech's cockpit. The Paladin shuddered, twisting its waist towards the gunfire.

"Hey!" Yang shouted from beside a concrete pillar, fist extended as smoke drifted from Ember Celica's barrels. "Only I can call her that!"

In response, a dozen laser sights trained on her.

Yang flinched at the sudden attention. "Uh oh," she yelped, diving back behind the pillar as a hail of bullets tore into the concrete, chipping it away little by little.

Ruby watched in growing panic as Yang's barrier was being slowly obliterated. C'mon… she thought to herself, looking over the mech. There's got to be a weakness. Those turrets will rip apart anyone in their sights. We have to take them out. Maybe…

The Paladin spun towards Yang's pillar, giving Ruby her first good view of the mech's back. To her surprise, unlike the front of the mech, which was completely loaded with turrets, there were only two on its back, one of which was smoking with a massive hole through its middle. As the mech continued its barrage form the front, Ruby could see only a single red laser sight searching for targets from the back.

That's it! Ruby thought excitedly. If I take out that turret… if Yang keeps it distracted, then Blake and Weiss can…

Ruby nodded to herself, readying herself to jump and shoot.

I'll have to move fast. I hope Blake and Weiss will be able to hear me over the gunfire.

Blake gasped as she hid against the back of a pillar, nearly bowling an already hiding Weiss in the process. Weiss made no comment, merely looking Blake over for any injuries, then peeking back around the edge of the pillar at the hail of bullets raining down on Yang's position. From where they were, she couldn't see even a glimpse of the blonde, only the cloud of dust and concrete flying up from the deteriorating pillar.

She won't last much longer. Weiss could barely hold back her panic. We need to do something, before-

Red.

Wait. Run, crisscross. Jump, slash, run.

-Weiss sucked in a surprised breath. It was like that moment before, only… more complex. Dozens of small movements, packed into just a few seconds. Put all together, Weiss could sum up all those familiar actions with a single word.

Checkmate.

Beside her, Blake let out a similar surprised sound. Their gazes locked, amber and crystal blue each asking the other the same question. Weiss couldn't help but vocalize it.

"Was that…?"

Blake gave a tiny nod. "I think so."

Weiss swallowed. An oddly exasperated part of herself put her new questions aside, adding it to the growing list of things she was going to ask about when they weren't in a fight for their lives. Instead, she gripped Myrtenaster tightly, pressing herself against the pillar as she waited for Ruby's signal, Blake mirroring her.

Ruby counted in her head.

One… two… now!

In a blur of red, she zipped out from behind the pillar, stopping in a kneel, staring down Crescent Rose's sights. The turret locked onto her in an instant, only to explode into shrapnel as Crescent's shot echoed throughout the area. The Paladin's gunfire stopped abruptly, servos screeching as it started to turn.

Ruby took a deep breath, ready to yell. "Bla-"

Ruby blinked, her voice catching in her throat. Blake and Weiss were already moving. In fact, they were already halfway to the mech the second the bullet left Crescent Rose's barrel.

But… how did they… her thoughts were cut off when both girls leapt a the mech, their blades gleaming in the moonlight as they sliced through the turrets on the Paladin's left arm. Torchwick let out a frustrated growl, slamming the mech's right arm over its left in an attempt to crush Blake, only for the cat Faunus to leap over it effortlessly, slicing through the next turret. Weiss leapt after her, throwing up a glyph as the remaining turrets locked onto the two of them. Bullets hammered against the snowflake, forcing the monochrome pair to leap away from the mech before it shattered. Already, red beams of light were training on the pair.

Ruby fired off a few more rounds, managing to blast one of the turrets targeting them, before bullets started flying her way once more. Dang it! We can't do anything with those auto turrets firing at us. Maybe with Yang free, she and Weiss can-

Schrrrring!

Ruby glanced towards the ethereal sound echoing across the yard. Her eyes widened as she watched Weiss stab Myrtenaster into the ground, releasing half her Ice Dust into the area around her.

But… why-?

"Heeya!"

Ruby's head shot up at Yang's battle cry, watching as her sister ran out from behind her wrecked pillar, leapt high into the air, and slammed her inflamed wrist into the frozen ground. The ice vaporized instantly, sending up a cloud of fog that encompassed the entire area. The Paladin's turrets spun about, their lasers unable to find a target through the thick fog.

Ruby slowed to a stop, staring at her team in shock. That… that was Freezerburn. How did they know I wanted them to do that?

Violet.

Dash, slash, jump, slash.

Ruby flinched, her body tensing at the need to move as violet tinted her vision for a moment. Her brow furrowed in confusion at the unfamiliar feeling.

Dash, slash… Ladybug?

Silver eyes widened as Ruby saw Blake's amber gaze focus on her through the fog. Across the Link, she felt Curiosity, Urgency, Expectancy. Suddenly, it clicked.

That… that's what happened in Goodwitch's class a few days ago! A wide grin spread across Ruby's lips, her veins filling with new-found energy. Instinct sharing! Yes! Yes, Ladybug, let's go!

She saw Blake nod in her direction, and suddenly the Faunus rushed at the Paladin. Ruby was hot on her heels, blasting forward in a cloud of red as Crescent Rose changed form.

"Okay, now this is just annoying."

Roman scowled as he stared at the viewscreen, seeing nothing but a mass of grey. Error and warning messages continuously popped up on screen stating everything from damaged armor to malfunctioning weapons. Roman could not bring himself to care, too focused on the fact that he was running out of ideas. His extra armor had melted away, his big guns were warped, the overclocked servos were draining power fast, and now, almost all of the auto turrets were scrap metal, and the few that weren't were just as blind as he was at the moment.

And to top it off, he was almost certain that the EMP he'd set off did more damage to himself than to the brats. Sure, he'd taken out Laser Lass with it… somehow… and sent Monkey Boy and his sidekick scurrying away. But now, nothing wanted to work right. He jabbed buttons on both consoles, but either nothing would happen, or they'd just add another error message to the dozens already cluttering up the viewscreen. About the only thing that was still working were the arm and leg controls, but even they took a bit of extra effort to move that hadn't been there before.

Maybe I'll get lucky and one of them will just run into my fist. Roman huffed to himself. He slammed the Paladin's controls forward. If I can get out of this fog…

Another box appeared on screen, bigger than the others, and he rolled his eyes at the message. Great, another proximity sensor… from the front?

He had all of a second to question this, when a black and red blur shot out of the fog. There was a dull scraping sound from outside the mech, followed by more error messages as, one by one, the remaining auto turrets went dark. Roman caught the briefest glimpse of that infuriating red hood, before Little Red leapt off the mech's right arm, jumping high into the air with that big ass scythe pulled back over her head, Kitty Cat mirroring her as she jumped from the left.

Roman growled. He'd set out to find one thing, just one little thing, but the Beacon brats were about to mess it all up, again.

No.

In pure desperation, Roman pulled as hard as he could on the Paladin's controls.

Ruby was ecstatic, her heart hammering away thanks to the pure adrenaline pumping through her. She reared Crescent Rose back, ready to slice right through the top of the Paladin's cockpit. Blake was right beside her, her lips quirked upwards thanks to her own satisfaction and Ruby's excitement bleeding through the Link. The Faunus readied Gambol Shroud, happy to end this fight and finally get some answers.

Then, the Paladin moved.

How the massive mech could move so fast so suddenly, they could not fathom. One moment, the Paladin was stationary, pouring smoke from the demolished turrets dotting its surface. Then, seemingly in the next second, its giant open left hand was meeting them in midair.

The attack was so sudden, neither girl got the chance to even try to block. The Paladin's palm hit Blake hard, making her scream in pain as she collided with Ruby. They were both swatted aside like flies.

Ruby gasped as Blake crashed into her. She forced her eyes open, looking behind them. Her stomach dropped as she saw another stone pillar in their flight path.

Ruby moved without thinking. She wrapped her arms around Blake's waist, straightening herself out as she activated her Semblance. She bent her knees…

One second too late.

With her legs still partially extended, Ruby slammed feet-first into the pillar.

SNAP!

Time seemed to slow as the entire area became deathly silent. Yang and Weiss stopped cold in their rush to get to their girlfriends, their eyes round as saucers as a sickening snap echoed around them. Blake's irises shrank at the sound, feeling Ruby's grip on her disappear instantly.

Ruby's whole body went numb, her mind going blank as gravity took its hold. Her Semblance disintegrated around her, half-formed rose petals trailing behind her as she and Blake slid down the concrete pillar, crashing to the gravel in a heap. Crescent Rose slammed into the ground beside her, her blade impaled into the dirt.

Blake scrambled to her knees, turning to find Ruby staring up at the sky, her eyes glazed. Blake's eyes trailed down Ruby's body. Her ears slammed back against her skull, amber irises shrinking in panic at the sight of Ruby's lower leg bent at a horrifying angle.

"Ruby…" she breathed, her words coming out as a panicked hiss.

Then Ruby screamed.

"Augh!"

Pure agony. I was like her leg had been set on fire, burning from the inside out. After her first scream, Ruby clenched her teeth hard, curling in on herself as she tried to clutch at her broken leg. This was a mistake, as a sharp pain shot through her leg, like she was being stabbed from the inside. Her eyes teared up, ragged sobs slipping through her clenched teeth.

Blake watched helplessly, afraid to touch her Mate, for fear of causing her more pain.

"Incoming, kiddies!"

Blake turned around quickly at the yell, Ruby managing to force her eyes open a fraction.

There was a terrifying, familiar hiss of rockets firing, and the Paladin's last two missiles streaked out of its chest, straight at the fallen girls mere meters from it.

"No!" Yang screamed in horror. Weiss threw her hands up in a panic, hoping to form a glyph before the missiles hit.

Blake watched wide-eyed as the missiles sped towards her and Ruby. A yellow flash went through her mind, her instincts screaming at her to get the hell out of there, but she couldn't, not with Ruby immobilized by pain.

In desperation, Blake threw her arms over her head, her only thought hoping that she could somehow block the missiles from hitting Ruby.

Then… something strange happened. A small spot of cold formed on her neck, quickly spreading out, filling her veins with frost. She felt a vibration in her hands, and her heart gave a surprisingly hard, slow beat.

A flash of white.

Block.

Blake grit her teeth, shutting her eyes as she waited for impact.

Yang and Weiss could only stare helplessly as the missiles exploded against where Ruby and Blake lay. Fire and smoke rose up from the spot, obscuring the area. Weiss froze in place, her fingers only halfway through forming a glyph. She'd been too slow.

Yang stared at the explosion, shaking her head in denial. T-that's not… Ruby and Blake, they… t-they can't be…

From within the Paladin, Torchwick let out a disappointed huff. "Damn. I really thought… wait…" The mech remained stationary as the smoke started to blow away in the wind. The mech suddenly flinched back as if Torchwick had yanked back on the controls in surprise. "What the hell?!"

As the fire died and the smoke faded, Yang and Weiss showed identical looks of shock.

"Wha… How is that…?" Yang asked in stunned confusion.

"That's impossible," Weiss breathed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Ruby stared up at the thinning smoke with wide, wet eyes, her pain shoved away by pure awe. "Blake…" she breathed shakily.

Hearing Ruby's soft call, Blake realized that, somehow, they weren't dead. She'd heard the explosion, she'd felt the heat of the blast, but there was strangely no pain. Her arms felt oddly sore, though.

Blake slowly opened her eyes, peering up at the Paladin through crossed arms. She inhaled sharply, her arms lowering as her ears shot up in shock.

Hovering above her, smoke still drifting off its surface, was the familiar shape of a large snowflake, spinning rapidly as its form shimmered in the moonlight. Just like all of Weiss' glyphs, it was completely identical to the Schnee logo in every way.

Save one.

"Blake…" Ruby murmured again, unable to look away from the sight above her. "Are you doing this?"

Blake didn't answer, just staring up at the impossibility before her.

Spinning above her and Ruby was a glyph.

A purple glyph.

Bright, shining violet, from the flake itself to the two rings surrounding it, the whole thing was wreathed in a dark shadow that made the light of the snowflake pop.

Blake's eyes slowly trailed away from the strange glyph, down towards her still-crossed arms. To her complete bafflement, her right hand was shrouded in that same purple light, her fingers curled and folded into a familiar gesture, one that she'd seen Weiss make countless times.

On her neck, the blue snowflake on her Mark glowed.

Did… did I…? She looked back up at the purple snowflake, her ears folding back as the realization sank in. ...is this glyph… mine?

"Well… that's new."

Blake snapped back to focus, looking through the glyph - her glyph - at the Paladin just a few meters away from them.

"Neat trick, kid." Torchwick's voice sounded strained, like he was both shaken and impressed. "But let's see just how strong it is!"

With a squeal and a groan, the Paladin rolled forward, its wheels spinning in the gravel. It reared back its fist, fully intending to shatter the off-color glyph.

Weiss, shaken out of her stunned stupor by Torchwick's voice, yelled out in a panic, "Blake, hold it!"

"How?!" the Faunus screamed back, holding her arms over her head. To Weiss' dismay, the violet glyph wavered in the air, it's light flickering.

Don't lose focus! She wanted to scream. Before she could, Yang let out a yell of her own.

"Get away from them!"

Yang leapt forward, running towards the rushing Paladin, her eyes blazing red and her hair glowing in anger. When she saw the mech close the short distance between it and her partner faster than she was, her heart hammered painfully in desperation.

"I won't let you hurt them!"

A tingling sensation shot from her neck down to her legs. The rose on her neck glowed.

Weiss stared after her, ready to follow, when the impossible happened again. One moment, Yang was running towards the Paladin. The next, she vanished, and a yellow blur streaked across the construction yard.

Blake's eyes were wide with fear, watching as the Paladin closed the distance between them in seconds, praying that, wherever and however this glyph had appeared, it would hold against the blow of this giant war machine. Behind her, Ruby did the same, overwhelmed by fear and pain.

The Paladin slowed just slightly, throwing its fist out…

A yellow comet struck it from the side mid-punch. Blake could actually see a shockwave emanate from the impact, pieces of steel either folding in under the blow or just flying off entirely. In a split second, the cockpit sheared off from the Paladin's main body, the metal breaking and buckling. She heard a scream of shock and panic come from inside the cockpit as it went sailing away from the rest of the mech, crashing and breaking through a concrete pillar before skidding across the ground, leaving a trail in the gravel.

Blake turned away from the broken cockpit, just in time to see the rest of the Paladin collapse, falling forward as electricity arced and sparked from the gaping hole in its center. The mech crashed to the ground, smoke billowing from every crevice in its armor

Blake barely noticed this, though. Her eyes were trained on the mass of yellow standing in front of her glyph, slowly dissolving to show a snarling Yang, her fist still outstretched from giving the Paladin a massive punch.

Yang's rage disappeared with a blink, red eyes fading back to lavender. She stood up straight, looking from the broken cockpit to the decapitated Paladin, when she noticed what was floating in the air around her. Her mouth fell open as she looked around wildly. Lifting her arm, she grabbed at the mass of yellow. Turning her hand over, she opened her fist and stared at her palm in disbelief. "What…?" she murmured.

As the cloud of yellow drifted to the ground, Ruby reached out and plucked a few spots of yellow from the gravel. She ran her thumb along one of them, recognizing the texture instantly. She couldn't believe it. "Rose petals?" She looked back up at her big sister, still staring down at her palm.

Weiss watched the petals drift in the air in wonder as she came closer to her team. "Yang," she murmured, drawing the blonde's attention. "How did you do that?"

Yang stared back at her, eyeing the yellow rose petals she had apparently created. "I… I have no idea," she admitted with a lost shrug. She then bobbed her head to the side. "How is Blake doing that?"

Weiss followed her gaze, towards the violet snowflake now spinning lazily a few feet above them. Tentatively, Weiss reached to touch it. She hesitated for a moment, then pressed her palm against its smooth surface. It was cool to the touch, but not ice cold like her own. More like pressing her hand against a pane of glass on a cool day than a sheet of ice. "Incredible…"

Blake let out a startled gasp when Weiss touched the glyph. She could feel it, like Weiss had laid her hand against her arm. Weiss looked towards her at the sound. Swallowing, the heiress asked, "Blake? Do you think you can cancel the glyph?"

Blake blinked at her, confusion mixing with shock. "How?"

Weiss' eyes trailed to Blake's hand. "Just… uncross your fingers."

Blake looked at her hand, still covered in purple light. Glancing at Weiss, she relaxed her hand, her fingers coming apart. The glow around her hand faded instantly, and seconds later, the glyph phased out of existence.

All four girls stared at the empty space above their head, utterly confused. The silence was only broken when Ruby let out a yelp, clenching her eyes shut as pain shot up her leg as she shifted her weight.

"Oh! Ruby!" Weiss rushed to her partner's side, trying to assess just how bad Ruby's leg was without moving it.

Yang was right behind her, hovering over them all. "Sis, are you okay?" When Ruby cracked open an eye, giving her a flat-if-pained look, Yang let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, stupid question. Sorry."

Blake looked between them, feeling lost. "What do we-"

CLANG!

The girls stiffened as a deep clang of metal echoed around the area. Yang whirled around towards the sound, arms dropping to a boxing stance. Blake shot into a kneeling position, holding Gambol Shroud in a reverse grip.

Across the yard, the battered Paladin cockpit wobbled where it lay. Another loud bang sounded as the cockpit cracked open, protesting against its bent frame. One last hit made it fly open, and a form tumbled out of the wreckage.

Torchwick gasped for air, coughing and hacking as he pushed himself to his knees. Catching his breath, he forced himself to his feet. His formerly pristine suit was ripped and charred, his coat falling open due to its missing buttons. His bowler hat was gone, showing off his messy orange hair. A trail of blood ran down his face from his hairline, dripping over his right eye. In one hand, he held his cane in a death grip, while in the other, a black metal box, wires dangling across its surface.

Yang and Blake tensed, waiting for Torchwick to make a move. Weiss leaned protectively over Ruby, pointing Myrtenaster at the con man as she spun the cylinder over to Lightning Dust.

Torchwick's green eyes took in the field around him, lingering on the destroyed mech, before focusing on the teenagers. He met Yang's red gaze evenly, then turned his attention to Ruby, who glared back at him through her pain.

Torchwick blinked. Then, to their surprise, he dipped his head and placed a hand over his face. He let out a soft chuckle that sounded of disbelief. Confusing them further, when he put his hand down and looked at them, he was smiling.

"Well, I must say, that was fun." Torchwick then gave an exaggerated shrug, shaking his head. "But, unfortunately, it seems you broke my new toy, so we'll have to reschedule playtime."

Yang was about to rush him, when a person just seemed to… appear beside Torchwick: a girl around their age, wielding a parasol, her hair and outfit a mismatch of white, brown, and pink.

Torchwick gave the newcomer a smirk. "Neo! Just in time! Let's jet."

The girl eyed him with her mismatched brown and pink eyes, her lips set in a small frown. She gave him a hard look that almost bordered on concern. She nodded all the same, taking his arm.

"Wait!" Blake shouted, getting to her feet and taking a step forward. The odd pair turned towards her, Neo glaring in irritation, while Torchwick eyed the Faunus with amusement.

"Sorry, Kitty Cat, but the fun's over. Places to be, things to steal. You know how it is."

Yang growled when Torchwick used her nickname again, but Blake pressed on. "Why are you working for the White Fang?"

Torchwick blinked at her, then barked a laugh. "Why? Easy. They pay cash."

Blake's ears perked up, her eyes widening. "W-what?"

Torchwick snickered at her bafflement. "Lien, kitten. Makes the world go round." He turned his focus towards the others, his eyes locking with Yang's, then Ruby's. He smiled again, putting two fingers to his forehead in mock salute. "See ya later, Rosebuds!"

Ruby's eyes widened, her brow furrowing at the con man. Confusion flashed across Yang's face, before she noticed Torchwick take a step backward. "You're not going anywhere!" she snarled. She jabbed her arm forward, Ember Celica roaring.

Torchwick just smirked, finishing his salute as she shotgun burst him and Neo. To the shock of Team RWBY, the instant the blast hit, Roman and Neo shattered, their bodies breaking apart like they were made of glass. A split-second later, the shards of ex-person faded away, dissolving into nothingness.

"What?" Yang sprinted to where the criminals had been, looking for any sign of them. Blake was right behind her, amber eyes scanning every surface of the construction yard. Her ears folded back when she found nothing, just smashed concrete and a destroyed mech.

"He got away…" Blake's whole body slumped, all her energy drained. All that, for nothing.

Yang had similar sentiments, growling as she kicked a piece of scrap metal in frustration. It flew off into the distance, clanging against the concrete.

Ruby felt her heart drop as she felt Blake's hopelessness. "I'm sorry, Blake." She hissed as she felt her leg burn, her eyes watering up again.

Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder in sympathy. Then she remembered. "I managed to get some info from the SDC," she said, drawing startled looks from her team. "I'm sure we'll find something in them."

A spark of hope came from Blake, which quickly spread over the rest of the team. "That's great, Weiss!" Ruby beamed up at the heiress. "Now we can- Augh!"

Everyone flinched when Ruby let out a yelp, biting her lip to keep from screaming. "Ruby, what is it?" Weiss asked, Blake and Yang sprinting back to their side.

Ruby gasped through her teeth, looking down at her crooked leg. "I think my aura's trying to heal my leg."

"Uh, not at that angle, it's not!" Yang surged forward, kneeling next to Ruby. "Okay, we freak out about everything later. First, we need to get you taken care of, Rubes."

Blake nodded in agreement, scanning over the area again. She squinted a the city skyline. "I don't think the airfield is too far from here. We could try to get back to Beacon."

"Wouldn't it be better to take her to a hospital?" Weiss asked, uncertainty plain on her face.

Blake's ears suddenly shot up. She turned towards the south, her body tensing. Yang and Weiss noticed this. They followed her gaze, confused, until they heard it.

Sirens.

Yang gave Weiss a sidelong look. "Depends. You rather risk explaining all this to the school faculty, or the local PD?"

Weiss met her gaze, then glanced in the direction of the sirens. "Let's go," she said, climbing to her feet and sheathing Myrtenaster.

Yang nodded to her, then turned her attention to Ruby. Her sister looked up at her nervously.

Yang could only give her a helpless half-smile. "Sorry, Ruby," she muttered, trying to keep her voice soft. "This is gonna hurt a bit."

Yang slipped her arms under Ruby's shoulder blades and the back of her knees. The sniper gasped as her leg was jostled. Yang could only give her a sympathetic look, tensing her legs to stand. "Okay, sis. On three. One… two…"

"Wait!"

Yang nearly fell over as Weiss yelled out. She fixed the heiress with a small glare, making Weiss duck her head sheepishly. "Sorry. I just… had an idea." She lifted both her hands, her fingers twitching. "Ruby, lie very still." She crossed her fingers, and a white glow enveloped her hands.

Ruby sucked in a sharp breath when her leg suddenly became very cold. Two glyphs formed around her broken leg, one on her ankle, the other just below her knee. A shiver went up Ruby's spine at the feeling, like the inside of her leg had frozen, but she'd take the numbness over burning pain.

Weiss looked over her handiwork, nodding at Ruby's leg being held straight by her glyphs. "That should help, but I can't hold it long."

Yang nodded back, impressed by Weiss' quick thinking. "Okay, here we go, Rubes." She lifted Ruby off the ground effortlessly. The younger girl let out a small hiss when her leg jostled, but the pain quickly faded against the cold of Weiss' glyphs.

Ruby stiffened suddenly. "Wait! Where's Crescent Rose?"

"I've got it, Ruby," Blake assured her, slinging the compacted scythe over her shoulder. She stumbled a little under the weapon's weight, but adjusted quickly.

Ruby relaxed instantly, leaning into Yang's shoulder. "Okay. Let's go home."

The three uninjured Huntresses took off in a run, Yang cradling Ruby against her chest. As they started moving, Blake let out a groan.

Weiss looked over at her, keeping her fingers crossed as she ran. "What is it?"

Blake held up her scroll. "I was going to find out if Sun and Neptune are okay, but my scroll's fried. Must have been the EMP."

Weiss hummed in acknowledgment, making a note that she'd have to get replacement scrolls for them all.

From her place in Yang's arms, Ruby sent Blake a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they're fine. They're probably back at Beacon already."

Beacon Academy

In one of Beacon's highest towers, Professor Ozpin sat at his desk, scanning through his various computer screens as information flooded across them. He'd spent most of the day juggling normal Headmaster duties, the headache of the Atlassian military being in his city, and the reports coming in from his various 'side projects'. All in all, it had been a long, tedious day, and he was looking forward to ending it.

He took a long sip from his coffee as he read over the latest report, something about multiple car wrecks and rogue Atlassian equipment. He had just started reading when an incoming audio call popped up on one of the screens.

"Yes?"

"Sir," a female voice spoke, her tone respectful. "Two boys from Haven Academy just burst into the infirmary carrying an unconscious girl."

Ozpin gave his full attention to the call, his brow furrowing. Given Beacon Academy's nature as a Hunter's school, injuries among the student body were rather common. Unless an injury was life-threatening, there was little reason for the Headmaster to be informed every time a student was injured. "Is her situation critical?"

"Well… that's just the thing, sir." The woman (one of the faculty's on-duty nurses, if he was remembering correctly) sounded a bit put-off now. "I examined her, and… the girl… sir, the only way for me to put this is… she's a robot."

Ozpin stared at the screen for a moment, blinking slowly. His lips straightened into a thin line. "The two boys who brought her in. Did they happen to give the girl's name?"

"Yes, sir. They said her name was Penny."

A sigh escaped Ozpin's lips as he put a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples. "I'll be down shortly. Please inform both young gentlemen to stay where they are until I arrive."

"Yes, sir." The connection cut off.

Ozpin shook his head slightly, already feeling a new headache forming. Whatever the situation was in the infirmary, another talk with his old friend Ironwood would be unavoidable. He made to get out of his chair, when another message appeared on screen, a video call this time. He felt a small bit of exasperation at the interruption, but it died upon seeing the call's place of origin.

Ozpin slowly sat back down in his chair, looking at the call icon as a ringing sound came from his computer terminal. He double-checked the caller ID, making sure he hadn't misread it. His curiosity piqued, he accepted the call.

Before he could say anything, the image of a dark-haired woman appeared on screen. "Hello?" she asked, disbelief and desperation in her voice. "Please tell me this is Beacon Academy. I've been trying to get a call through all week!"

Ozpin's eyes widened slightly. His lips then curved up into a small smile. "I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

"How may I help you, Mrs. Belladonna?"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: I'd say I'm sorry for another cliffhanger… but I'm too exhausted to care.

Honestly, when I said I'd finish this chapter even if I had to make a 10k long chapter, I was joking. Last time I tempt fate like that. '^_^ Hopefully you all enjoyed this extra long chapter of LiLaL, and I didn't bore anyone to tears with my attempt at a big battle scene.

I'll see you all … after I get a good night's sleep. :p