Hey guys. This is my first attempt at a fanfiction, hopefully it doesn't suck too much.

It started as a one-shot Nuts and Dolts fic (RubyxPenny), but I may have gone a little overboard, and eventually decided to chop it in smaller chapters. Right now it's mostly just angsty-Ruby, but that should change in the near future.

By the way, in case it wasn't obvious, I do not own RWBY or it's characters.

1. Lightning Struck

Rain was falling heavily outside, much to Blake's pleasure, who sat leaning against the wall, completely engrossed in her book. The weather was soothing, and even the roar of a distant thunder was not enough to disturb the mood. She was, after all, used to ignoring the noise, just as she was tuning out the intense commotion inside the gymnasium.

BUZZ BUZZ

The sudden movement on the scroll besides her caused her to jump slightly in surprise. She reached out to grab it, as she glanced upwards at her partner.

"Ya- FOR OUM'S SAKE YANG, THE PUNCHING BAG IS ON FIRE AGAIN!" She yelled at the blonde girl, who quickly snapped out of the exercise-induced trance and realized what she'd just done. Blake chuckled lightly at the brawler desperately trying to find a fire extinguisher, and answered the call.

"Ruby? Is everything okay?" The black-haired huntress sprung to her feet as soon as she heard the younger teammate's voice, a high pitched sound punctuated by evident sobbing. Something had clearly happened, but her friend was in no state to explain it, hardly able to speak coherently. "We're coming to get you, where are you?" She asked, hoping to get at least partially clear directions, and luckily that's exactly what came from the other side.

"We're on our way." She put her partner's scroll away, and promptly grabbed the girl's arm, catching her attention. Yang saw worry in the Faunus' eyes, and looked back inquisitively.

"It's Ruby…" That's all she needed to hear.

Yang drove as fast as she could to her sister's location. The rain made the road slippery, but her bike wasn't exactly standard issue, tweaked to maintain stability even in the harshest environment.

When they reached the meeting place, she practically leaped off the motorcycle, making her way towards the silhouette of the red-hood. What she saw made her shiver in shock.

Ruby was sitting on the floor, her cape slightly shredded, and her face angled downwards, shrouded in darkness. Resting on her arms was Penny, her robotic friend. Or, at least, what was left of her.

Penny's clothing had mostly burned off, and the metal underneath was showing. Her right arm was torn apart from her body, hanging by a few loose wires, sparks flying out menacingly. Other parts of her anatomy looked just as damaged, but the most distressing detail was definitely her lifeless face. Her eyes were still open, but frozen in place. In fact, she wasn't moving at all. It gave her the distinct look of a corpse.

A slight touch from Blake brought the older sister back to life, and they hurried to help the team leader to her feet. The black-haired girl carried Ruby towards Bumblebee, while Yang flipped the switch to extend the side car, which unfolded from inside the vehicle. Perks of having a gun-nut for a sister. Ruby was still clinging to Penny, as they sat her down, and, for the first time, they noticed the tears rolling down her face. It seemed the girl still hadn't stopped crying since the call.

Weiss was alone in the dorm, going over her notes from class. She wondered where her other teammates where at this late hour, but she was sure they had a good reason. They might not be as invested into the lectures as she was, but they certainly didn't slack. As her thoughts drifted away from her studies, the door slammed open, and Blake came inside, drenched to the bone. The heiress had a question on her lips, but the gaze returned to her by the dark-haired girl begged her not to voice it, and she soon found out why. Behind her came the two sisters, equally soaked, and carrying Penny's motionless body.

Ruby gently lowered the robotic girl onto the bed, and took a step back, with a sullen expression in her face. Her eyes looked red and wet, but whether from tears or simply the rain, it was impossible to tell.

"What happened?" Weiss asked, as she grabbed the speedster's shoulder, trying to offer sympathy. Ruby did not answer, but turned to face her partner and hugged her. Her clothes were still dripping, which was extremely uncomfortable, but the Ice Queen did nothing to push her away. When the embrace broke apart, Ruby sat down and explained, with a frail voice, fighting back the sorrow of recollecting the evening's events.

Penny and her had met up to spend some time together, and just as the sun set, the rain had begun to fall. The android was covered in fake skin, water was as little damaging to her as it would be to any human, so the girls decided to not let that stand between their plans. They were walking through the street, both covered beneath the red cloak, when lightning struck.

Atlas was a cold land, but dry, and snow was the only form of precipitation they had. The fake skin was not enough to protect Penny's metal core, and her inner machinery became a makeshift lightning rod, calling upon her the might of the storm. She would've normally been able to handle some electricity, but nature's wrath was too strong, as if to punish her for being synthetic.

The team looked shaken by the tale, and silence took over them. Inevitably, Blake was the one to break it.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked, glancing at the pieces of their common acquaintance.

The leader's silver eyes immediately discarded the tired and pained look, and determination made its way onto her face.

"I'm going to rebuild her."

Sleep did not come easily that night, as the unease still lingered, due to both the fate of the Atlesian Droid, and the emotional trainwreck that was their team leader. She appeared to have slightly recovered from the shock, but her resolve was steeped in denial, burying the pain deep within her from fear of collapsing.

The morning came, and the air was still tense within the dorm, as none of the students felt rested. After a short breakfast, where team JNPR had fruitlessly tried making awkward small talk, the girls managed to convince Doctor Oobleck to allow them access into a storage space, so they could turn It into a temporary workshop for Ruby. He did not make any questions, seemingly satisfied with the excuse of a project for Glynda's class. If he caught their lie, he did not bother to complain.

They carefully transported Penny to the work station, and the red-hooded huntress dove right in, shutting off any external contact. Her concentration was cold and, at best, a little distressing. Even when working on her scythe, Ruby never got so quiet, the excitement bursting out as she tweaked her beloved weapon. Now, there was only a ruthless drive, and absolute silence.

Despite trading a few concerned looks, her teammates left her to it, hoping this exercise would at the very least help the leader vent her grief. Sadly, they did not understand just how deep that very same grief ran.

The speedster did not show up in any of the classes that day. No one saw her at lunch either, and by the time the sun started to set, her absence went from motive of concern to downright panic.

The team visited her refuge, and found her, still standing by the robot's corpse, a mess of tools and parts all around them. She didn't even notice them entering, pacing around the room and occasionally mumbling to herself.

"Ruby?" The heiress was the one who reached out, her blue eyes seeking the silver gaze she was accustomed to. Her partner did not look up.

"Oh Weiss, you're here. I didn't see you get in." The white-haired girl flinched clearly at the lack of emotion in her friend. It sounded… icy, almost like talking to a mirror of herself.

"Any progress?" Blake took the reins, seeing how shaken it had left Weiss.

"Oh, yeah. I made some major repairs to her arm, it only needs some welding on the joints and it'll be ready to use again." A little light creeped back into her expression, as she reviewed her day's work.

"You didn't show up at class today…" for the first time, Ruby looked up at her roommates, directing a confused glance at the faunus girl.

"Did I miss Port's lecture? Sorry, I must've lost track of time."

"Screw Port, you missed lunch and dinner, Ruby!" Yang burst out, incapable of continuing with this charade "Have you eaten anything at all today? You look pale as hell, sis!"

"I'm sorry Yang, I just…" she looked back at the repair table, donning a dark expression once again, "…wasn't very hungry today."

"Damnit Rubes, you can't simply shut yourself here all day! You are going to eat and sleep now, even if I need to drag you out of this room myself" She screamed, a flash of red in her eyes.

Ruby knew better than to argue when her sister was like this, so she complied. After faintly pecking at a meal, that took all of the brawler's self-control not to shove down her sister's mouth, they brought her to the dorm, and she collapsed instantly, drained from how far she was pushing herself.

But when dawn came, they found her bed empty.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are welcome, considering I'm new here and would very much like to know if this was half-decent or not.