Author's Note:

As always, I am happy to bring you what the voices in my head tell me to write. So tell them what you thought, and I'll relay the message. That means leave a review. So follow if you like this, and I think it should be fairly clear that a climax of some sort is drawing near. This are going to escalate, and I can barely contain my joy. Thanks for reading!

Ironwood put his fingers to his temples, massaging the headache that was starting to brew behind his eyes. When he saw on his schedule that he had an appointment with "Naze the Eternal" he was sure that there had been some manipulating of his personal documents. Nevertheless, it did mean that a particularly powerful someone was seeking an audience with him, and was not simply showing up at his door. It was a small thing, but he felt some significance from it. It meant that he was not forcing his company on him, but requesting it in a strange, roundabout way. He could simply not keep his appointment, but he somehow felt that wouldn't be a good idea.

He hoisted himself from his desk and walked out of his office, intending to keep the appointment that was mysteriously made. There was no subject written down, so what he was walking into he didn't know. He opened the door and stepped out into the lobby, in which he found the young looking boy whom had come to represent the undead in his mind even more than Yang. He was peering down at the floor with a blank look, as if its eyes had glassed over. Ironwood pulled his watch up to his face, comparing the current time to the time the schedule had said. There was a small, one minute difference between the two. He wondered if the dead man was simply going to wait.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence. The secretary who oversaw the waiting room looked over at him, a questioning look on their face, but he ignored them. His eyes were fixed on Naze already, and he didn't want them to slip.

The clock on the wall ticked its minute hand over one space, and as soon as it did, Naze looked up, body sparked back into action. He looked towards Ironwood with an expressionless face before standing and giving a small bow, saying "I'm glad that you decided to hear me out." In a voice that was disconcertingly deadpan. He nodded and motioned towards his office, saying awkwardly "Come in, and we'll see what you have to say."

Naze walked in, and Ironwood took note of the large sword on his back. He didn't like those who came to see him bearing weapons, but he suspected that to threaten was not his intent. Naze walked in past him, and Ironwood shut the door behind him, strolling in as leisurely a fashion as he could back towards his desk and taking a seat behind it before indicating a chair on the opposite side, saying "Please, take a seat."

Naze did so, and Ironwood sat forward, bringing his hands together on top of his desk and saying "Now, to what do I owe this…" the words eluded him for a brief moment "…unexpected pleasure?" A small smile curled the corners of the boy's mouth, and he said in a tone matching Ironwood's "You've no need to lie, Sir. I am aware that I've somewhat trodden on my welcome within these halls, if there ever was one. You don't trust me, but that is something that I might hope to rectify." Ironwood raised an eyebrow at this, but found himself irresistibly interested. "Oh? I'm listening."

Without hesitation, Naze started to explain. "The extractor that you so recently visited has revealed some rather interesting information. The artifact to be retrieved is demonic in nature, and potential damage wrought by any party coming into possession of this artifact without sufficient knowledge of how to contain its destructive potential." He sat back, as if it was a simple thing to talk about. "Now, what I propose is not that you take the artifact into your own custody, as I'm sure that would result in disaster. What I propose is a joint effort in the defense of the artifact as it is extracted. White Fang forces have been amassing in the forest around the site, and I'm sure that you would like to have a firsthand element of denying them such a dangerous object instead of entrusting this entirely to me."

This caught Ironwood somewhat off-guard, and he raised an eyebrow again. "You want my help? So you aren't powerful enough to repel their forces on your own?" There was a heavy moment of silence during which Ironwood waited for an answer eagerly. After what seemed like minutes, but in reality was barely more than a second, Naze spoke again, sounding almost amused now. "Do not misunderstand me. I have sufficient forces not only to repel the White Fang in any assault they might mount, but to erase them from the face of the planet. My request is little more than an invitation, an event by which I hope to inspire more trust between us. If you wish to remain in the fearful distrust that you currently hold, than you are welcome to decline."

Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "What role would we be fulfilling, if you already possess such magnificent power?" Naze considered the question again briefly before saying "Ranged support. If you are able to fulfil this role, I can guarantee you insignificant losses. It would surprise me greatly if even one of your people were to sustain an injury of any kind." Ironwood's fingers knit together again, and he thought deeply. "No risk, you say?"

Naze nodded. "Dust rounds can be deflected by shields and wards, and my knights can guarantee that none will get close enough to strike physically." That was good. If there was any risk of loss of life, he wouldn't be nearly as likely to do it. Though, it was clear from the way that Naze spoke that it would be a very bad thing if the White Fang did get their hands on it. "When would this take place?" He asked the question cautiously. He didn't know what sort of timescale the dead operated on. It was conceivable that they would not be needed for years.

Naze answered quickly again, in a very matter-of-fact manner. "Estimates are indicating within one to two days, with strong inclinations towards two. I'm afraid that I am to blame for the short notice, but you were not considered until fairly late in the planning process. My apologies on that."

Ironwood wasn't quite sure how to respond. He hadn't anticipated being apologized to. During his hesitation, Naze continued. "I hope that this does not deter you, however, and that you may still choose to join us. I'll assume you can take care of your own transportation, of course, and will send you bi-hourly reports on the extraction, as well as the White Fang in the area." He stood from his chair, indicating that he had addressed everything he had come to. "That's everything I had, if you-"

Ironwood cut him off, the headache of dealing with certain recent events still pounding persistently behind his eyes. "Torchwick." The single word left a bitter taste in his mouth, be he spoke it with a zeal that his recent anger had given him. "You are aware that Torchwick escaped, aren't you?" Naze gave a single solitary nod. Ironwood felt his fists close tightly and his lips lift just a little. "Why didn't you do anything to stop this?"

Naze returned Ironwood's increasingly agitated gaze with a dull, unchanging one of his own. "It was not my responsibility. I assume that you don't want to shoulder the burden of security to your own prisoners off to me. It would, perhaps, be a good idea to not simply expect the intervention of a Good Samaritan in all matters. I cannot and will not resolve issues of such a small matter without significant reason."

His comments made Ironwood's blood start to boil, but he tried to quell the storm. How could he regard Roman Torchwick as a minor issue? He took a deep breath, pushing the feeling back down. Anger would solve nothing, at least with the undead. "I will speak to my subordinates about the matter. I'll push for us to assist in the defense, but the decision will not be mine alone."

Naze nodded and said "Good, I expect that all might desire being on more even ground." Naze glanced back towards the door and said "I believe that concludes our business here. I bid you a good day, and-" Ironwood cut him off again, this time a more concerned look on his face, almost jumping out of his seat. "Have you spoken about this to Penny?"

Naze raised an eyebrow, and shook his head. "No, I've not contacted her since the night Taurus was captured. Do you desire me to?" Ironwood shook his head quickly, saying "No, no, I'll do it myself." Naze nodded again, saying "A good day to you, then."

Without another word, Naze walked from the office.

When Penny was disconnected from the machine after what seemed like a very long time, she let out a satisfied sigh. She had never liked uploading her memories to the system, but it was a necessary process. If she was damaged somehow and her data was lost, she would have a backup. Essentially, the way it had been explained to her, she wouldn't die. Thinking of it brought her thoughts back around to death, and what it was. Apparently she wouldn't experience it, because of her backups. But what if those were destroyed as well? It made her head sting, but she wanted to focus on it more.

The focus of the men and women who would look through her memory record would be on her dreams, to asses if the program was doing a good job performing its function, and to make sure that it wasn't going to harm her. She understood the need, but it was a slightly irritating process to go through every morning. She would have much preferred to simply get out and move along with her day.

The man in charge of the multitude of wires and devices that were interfacing with the back of her head leaned over her shoulder and said "Get ready for a small pinch." In a gentle voice. Penny nodded softly, and flinched as the connections with the mainframe were severed. It was a feeling that she never seemed to get used to. Some of the researchers had asked her what it felt like, but she had no way to describe it. Humans had no comparable function, and there was no way to convey the sensation that they would understand.

The man behind her made a small grunting noise before saying "Alright, you're good to go." This prompted her to jump from her seat and stand, taking a brief glance up and back at the massive computer that housed her backups. It was easily as large as a truck, and gave off a constant thrum as hundreds of cooling systems worked at once to keep the huge device functioning. Penny had been told once that her brain was like that, only much smaller, and much more advanced. At first she hadn't believed it, but she had since looked at her own diagrams and schematics, learning things about herself that she hadn't even known.

Her fingers went up to the back of her head, gently pushing the access panel shut, her hair seamlessly covering the disturbance and hiding the abnormality from the world. As she walked towards the exit to the lab, her reflection in a large pane of glass caught her eye, and she stopped to look at it.

She looked exactly like a person. It was remarkable, really, that such a feat had been accomplished. To any sensor system, no matter how advanced, she would appear as if a normal girl. But she wasn't. That was one thing that she had been told she shouldn't tell anyone, except those she trusted most. People could be afraid of her, or could want to take her. She was aware of the danger, but she didn't want to think about it. She wasn't really any different from anyone else. At least, not really. The words of Ruby echoed through her head again, as they often did. "You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"

She closed her eyes and whispered to herself "You've got a heart, and a soul. I can feel it." Ruby had had a huge impact on her life. She had given her a kind of social confidence that she had never really known before, and for that alone she was forever grateful. She hated to ask anything else of her best friend, but there was one question that she felt had started to burn with frightening intensity that she simply needed the answer to. She opened her eyes again, and started to walk towards the elevator. She hoped that her friend wouldn't be too disturbed by the question.

The trip to Beacon didn't take long at all, and she reached the campus in about half an hour. When she did get there, she wasn't entirely sure what to do. Classes had not let out for the day, and she was left on the nearly barren grounds to simply wander. She did just that for a while, walking aimlessly around the paved ground, taking in the sights of the school. Large buildings and many windows made it easy to spend time examining. She peered in through a few windows, observing various classes in progress. She was careful to keep from disrupting them, though, and ducked out of sight before anyone could see.

It was a while before the bell did ring to dismiss the students, and when it did, Penny found herself with a new problem. She didn't know what class Ruby was in, or where her dorm was. She gave a few worried looks around at the forming crowds of students, then resolved to herself that she could find her friend. She started to walk among the crowds, eyes darting from one figure to the next, only taking enough time to confirm that none were her friend before moving to the next one. She continued this for roughly five minutes before spying her walking with her other friends.

Immediately Penny started making her way towards them, not wanting to call out for fear of someone else thinking that she was talking to them. When she did reach her friend, she tapped her on the shoulder and said "Excuse me, Ruby?"

When her finger landed on Ruby's shoulder, the girl jumped, giving off a small yelp. However, when she turned to face the source of this scare, her face lit up and a smile came across her face as she put her arms out and cried "Penny!" Penny felt Ruby's arms around her, and returned the gesture. A muffled choking sound alerted her to the fact that she was squeezing just a little too hard, and she let her friend go. Ruby fell back to the ground, panting as if grateful for every particle of oxygen, and her other friends turned to look at the scene.

All of them smiled as well, and Yang asked "Hey Penny! What are you doing here?" Penny looked back at Yang, saying "I wanted to ask Ruby a question. It's kind of a big one, so I don't know if she can really answer it for me." Yang waved a hand dismissively, saying "A question my sister can't answer? Ha! I don't think such a thing exists."

Penny smiled at Yang again, then turned her attention back to Ruby, who appeared to have caught her breath. "Ruby, are you ready?" The girl in the cape held a finger up, took a few more deep breaths, and then looked back up, nodding. "Yes Penny, what is it?"

"Ruby, what is death?" For a few seconds, there was no reaction, like the question had simply gone unspoken. As time dragged on past that small point, Ruby's smile slowly faded, mirroring the other expressions around the group of friends. She began to feel like she had done something wrong, like bringing up some kind of taboo. It was several more seconds before anyone spoke again, and when they did, it was Ruby, saying "Maybe you should come inside with us."

She nodded, and was led inside of the large building promptly, soon finding herself inside a small, cozy room with two bunk beds, which were actually two sets of two beds haphazardly and dangerously stack on top of one another. She was ushered towards one of the beds, and took a seat. Ruby sat next to her, and looked into her eyes deeper than she usually did, as if looking for something hidden beneath them.

Ruby said, in a very worried voice "Penny, why are you asking this? Did someone…" she hesitated for a moment "Did someone die?" Penny gave her a confused look, than glanced over at Yang, who was leaning against the bed above Penny, then looked back at Ruby. "Well, yes, but not someone I knew very well."

Yang looked from Penny to Ruby, then nudged Ruby's shoulder. "She's talking about me." Ruby looked over to Yang, peering at her for a moment before saying "Oh." in a very hard to place voice. Then she looked to Penny, saying in a more forced voice "Oh! Yeah, well, Yang isn't really dead. She's-" Yang put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, speaking to Penny directly. "Actually, I am dead. It's just that I got brought back, and kind of powered up so that I could keep going."

Penny shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I want to know what death is. I understand that it is the end of life, but I can't understand what that means. What happens to your aura? Do you just stop existing? What is it like? Is…" she stopped talking when she saw the looks that Yang and Ruby were giving each other. They looked overwhelmed.

Blake didn't normally speak to people she wasn't very familiar with, but now from the bunk above them, it seemed that her normal reservation were gone. "Penny, what's making you so curious?" her head poked down from the bed above, hovering there. Penny looked up at her and said "Well, I had a dream where Ruby was crying over a grave, and it got me interested in the subject. I started to think about if I would die, and what that would be like. I couldn't come up with an answer, but I was hoping that someone else could help me. Mr. Ironwood didn't want me to think about all this, but I want to think about it. If I'm going to die, I want to know. I mean, you…" She seemed to stop herself, as if she didn't want to offend anyone.

Ruby nodded towards her encouragingly, saying "Come on, you can say it!" Penny shook her head, saying "I don't know, Ruby, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Yang rolled her eyes and said "You aren't going to make us uncomfortable, Penny. Just come out and say it!"

Penny closed her eyes and brought her hands close to her chest, saying as she did so "You guys know that you will die! Humans can't live forever, but I potentially could! And humans have real souls that occur on their own. I don't. I don't know what would happen to me if I died."

There was a somewhat stunned silence in the room after she finished saying this. Her eyes cracked open to see the faces around her looking at one another with surprised expressions. She knew that asking would be a bad idea. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" her voice trailed off as Yang started to laugh, making the others look at her, startled. In-between laughs, Yang managed to say "Oh Penny, you really shouldn't worry about that."

Penny tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner and asked "Why not? And what's so funny?" Yang put a hand to her face, gradually getting her laughter under control, than saying "Look, I'll tell you what it was like for me to die if it'll make you feel better, and if you're really worried about this then you could always ask Naze. He knows a lot about dying, so he's probably the best one you could talk to about it." She looked at Penny with a knowing smile. Penny nodded, then said "What was it like?" in a voice that was about half wonder and half fear.

Yang gestured for Ruby to get up off of the bed, sitting in her place next to Penny, even scooting a little closer in an attempt to make her more comfortable. "It was…" she stopped for a moment, and thought before continuing "It was nice, I think. I didn't really know what was going on, so when it happened I was more surprised than anything. And of course, I had my friends all around, so it would've been tough to be scared. Naze made the offer for me to work for him pretty much right after that, so yeah. I'd say it's nothing to worry about. But hey, I'm not the necromancer who's been doing nothing but learning for millions of years. If you want some real advice, or the truth, go to Naze."

Weiss and Blake seemed to look at Yang with surprise, but Ruby just nodded. Penny took a moment to internalize what they had said. "Talk to Naze about what will happen?" Yang nodded, and Penny stood up. "Alright, I'll go do that. Thank you for your advice, friends."

Penny hugged Ruby, shook Yang's hand, then said "Where can I find Naze?" Ruby accompanied her out into the hall, pointing out Naze's room. Penny thanked her again, and gave her another nearly bone-crushing hug before promising that she would be back soon, and closing the door. Now alone in the hall, Penny walked to Naze's door, thinking about what Yang had said. "Nice" and "surprise" echoed though her head, and she hoped that she was right.

Her knuckles only ended up hitting the door one before it swung open, and Naze stepped out, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Can I help you?" he asked, monotone as ever. Penny didn't feel taken aback by this, instead having come to expect it from him. "Yes, you can, if it isn't too much trouble." Naze gestured for her to present her issue, and she said "Could you explain death to me?"

There was a brief moment of silence during which Naze pondered the question. Eventually, he came up with the counter question "Do you mean in general, or how it relates to you specifically?" This gave Penny some pause, and after another shot pause, she said "Myself. I don't want to appear selfish, but that's what's troubling me."

Naze nodded, showing that he didn't perceive it as conceitedness. "Of course. You have every right to be troubled. Death is a very difficult thing to understand. Your curiosity is to be expected, warranted really." A hopeful smile came across Penny's face, and she said "So you'll tell me?"

Naze gave a solitary nod, and said "As best I can, yes. Perhaps you should come inside." He stepped back into his room and indicated the door. Penny stepped inside without hesitation, and instantly found herself assailed by smells that she had never encountered before. Pungent rot combined with sweet sugary odors to create an aroma that Penny didn't know whether to feel enticed or repulsed at. Once the door closed behind her, Naze started to speak again.

"Now then, you are a golem, android, whatever term you prefer, you have a soul. Most creations of your type either are sustained on the energy of who created them, or given the soul of another creature. You are unique in that you have your own self-sustained soul. That presents a rather odd question; will that soul continue to exist after whatever powers it fades? The simple, logical answer would be no. I will spare you the necromancer's answer that would take hours to explain, and give you a human's. You might not like it, but your time is finite. When you die, you will cease to exist in a way that no human could comprehend." Penny's eyes widened in horror as one of her worst fears were confirmed. "Yes, your fate is rather sealed in that regard, but you also have an advantage that humans do not. A human's soul will degrade with time, eventually weathering down until their personality and mind are lost, leaving only minute traces of what they once were. You can back yours up, preserving it in a more reliable way than any magic could do to a human soul. So, in a less winded explanation, you could blink out of existence, or you could never truly cease to be. It's dependent on how well you back secure your soul. You could even have a self-contained device for such a purpose, if you don't already."

Penny had never quite considered how hyperventilating felt, but if ever she could feel an equivalent, she was sure that this was it. Her mind reeled in an attempt to come to grips with this news. What would being nothing feel like? Had she already been nothing, and simply not been able to remember? Certainly she did not exist forever, so she must not have existed at some point. Why couldn't she remember it? Her brain desperately clawed for data that didn't exist, memories that did not or could not have possibly formed. Her body started to react to these impossible demands, her hands clasping tightly to her opposite arms, her back hunching, and her eyes starting to dart around the room erratically, as if in her search for memories she was tearing herself apart.

Naze raised an eyebrow and took a step towards her, reaching out a hand slowly to test how she would react. As he did this, Penny put her hands on her head, tilting it slightly to look at him. Her eyes only lingered on him for half a second before she put her shaking fingers over them, holding them shut. Her entire body was twitching, and Naze didn't know enough about her construction or design to offer any assistance. Instead, he simply put a hand on her shoulder, measuring her reaction. She shrugged the shoulder in a weak attempt to remove the hand, but failed. Her mouth, twitching just as violently as the rest of her body, managed to force out the words "P-p-p-please h-help m-me."

Again Naze raised an eyebrow, unclear as to how he could accomplish such a thing. He voiced this, and Penny's response was "T-t-take me t-to Mr. I-I-I-Ironw-wood." Naze nodded, than considered the fastest way to reach the man. He could translocate her through the ziggurat, but letting outsiders into his den was something that he was very sensitive about. The obvious solution was to take her himself, but there was no guarantee that she would remain docile the whole time. He decided that he would contact Ironwood himself, and allow him to handle the situation as he saw fit. It was a swift message through poltergeist that spurred the man at the fastest speeds possible to beacon.

He wasn't sure what to feel first, worry, anger, or confusion. James Ironwood tightly gripped the sides of his seat at the Bullhead flew through the air towards the school. Penny was injured somehow, or malfunctioning, and Naze had something to do with it. There was a part of his brain that questioned if the undead leader really meant anything that he had said before about building trust. If the current was anything to go by, it seemed more likely that it was a trap.

But there was also a part of him that had faith in the girl. She wouldn't have gotten herself into a situation where she was injured, she was far too smart for that. No, it had to have been an accident. Naze's involvement was simply a coincidence. Maybe it was really blessing. After all, the ghostly form that had delivered the message to him had reached its destination faster than any other method would have.

But both these parts faded in comparison to the worry. The overwhelming, creeping fear that was starting to push down on every corner of his mind. He was a hardened man, but if there was ever something that might crack him, this was it. He used all his years of Huntsman and military experience to keep himself under control. If she were to be damaged irreparably, he would never forgive himself, he was sure. There was no way that he could. She was his responsibility, his and his alone. He was like a father. And he had failed. Somehow, some way, he had failed. He should've been stricter, limited her contact with Naze, something! Anything! But he had not, and now she was in danger.

He felt the familiar sensation of landing gear hitting solid ground, and threw the doors open without a second thought. The exhaust from the engines created a burning sensation on his shoulder as he passed them, but he paid the feeling no mind. It didn't matter. When he came to the door of the dormitory building that he had been told, he found Naze, the one who might've been responsible for it all, simply standing there, arms folded and a bored look on his face. It took significant willpower to keep from lashing out at him immediately, but he was able to hold the wave of rage back.

As he approached the door, Naze opened it before starting to walk, talking over his shoulder as he did so. "It appeared at first to be some kind of mental breakdown, but soon after that symptoms began to resemble that of a seizure. It all happened when we were talking. I said something, and she didn't appear to be able to comprehend it." The pieces all clicked together in Ironwood's mind, and he almost stopped ascending the stairs for a moment. "She asked you about dying, didn't she?"

Naze nodded over his shoulder and said "Funny, how you living can simply push the fact that you will die out of your mind the way you do. I would assume that she is unable to do so, given her reaction. I would imagine that you will have to wipe her memory, or something to that effect." Ironwood was about to question how he knew that that could be done before he reminded himself that Naze probably had ways of knowing everything. His thoughts were distracted anyways when they turned off of the stairs and started to walk towards a door. He felt his anticipation grow exponentially, and before he knew it, he was practically running towards it. Shouldering his way through, he found it dark, and he was barely able to see. He saw all he needed to though, the slightly luminescent lines of Penny's clothing, as well as her eyes.

He moved so fast that he himself barely had time to register his new position, but even in the dark, he knew Penny's dimensions well enough to put a hand under her head and try to say a few words. If a tide of pent up emotions was released, it took him completely by surprise. Tears started to roll down his face, and he hesitated a moment before picking her up, feeling her body give a few weak spasms as he turned to leave. Naze was standing by the door, giving Ironwood an expectant look, as if waiting for him to say something. Ironwood ignored this, and dashed quickly out of the building.

The interior of the Bullhead offered a promise of safety and wellbeing that the dorm building did not, and he was quick to shout at the pilot to "Get this thing into the air, now!"

The engines wined, put under greater stress than they usually were, and the Bullhead was lifted back up into the sky, its engines turned towards home. On the prickling of the back of his head, he took a glance back at the building that was now fading into the distance. A girl, one he recognized, having seen her before in his dealings with Ozpin, was looking out the window towards him, a mortified look on her face, one hand on the window. That was just before the doors automatically slid shut, leaving him alone, trapped with his worst nightmare. Penny wasn't breathing, and her body was barely twitching now. Only small bursts of movement in the tips of her fingers and the fluttering of her eyelids betrayed the fact that she was still functioning.

He whispered to her, stroking her hair and resting her head on his lap, about how everything was going to be alright, and how he knew that she could be fixed. None of it was true, though. He didn't know, not for sure. It was all he could do to keep himself from breaking down.

When the hull door opened again, he was snapped back into his usual, commanding manner, and a medical team was already standing by. He handed Penny over to them, and she was placed on a stretcher, then rushed inside the facility. It wasn't even a full minute before Penny was back in the chair that she had been seated in earlier that day, and several of the lab technicians were staring at the screen's readout intently, searching for whatever the error was.

One of them spoke sideways to Ironwood, explaining the situation to him. Apparently, some kind of data loop had formed, gradually overloading and incapacitating all of Penny's regular thought patterns. It wasn't dissimilar to a seizure, as Naze had said before. Ironwood wondered if he had known that what he said was so close to the truth or not. Probably so.

When he asked what it was she was thinking about, the man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, it could be anything. Her thoughts are too corrupted to tell now, anyways. Did she talk to you about anything recently, or seem to be acting strange?" Ironwood responded, feeling his heart weigh down as he lied. "No."

The man shook his head. "I don't know then. Well, the good news is that we can fix it, the bad news is that we're going to have to give her a reset. She won't remember the last few hours, but she'll be conscious again. It'd help if you were around for that. You know, calm her down and whatnot." Ironwood nodded mutely, and the man continued to talk. "Good. After that we can start sifting through this-" he motioned to the jumbled code that flashed past the screen as it downloaded "-and see what's the matter."

Ironwood nodded again. "Good, When do you think you'll… you'll do the…" He was unable to finish the sentence, but the man replied, tactfully avoiding the subject. "We'll get that done in a few minutes, after this crap finishes downloading. After that we'll do a complete system wipe, and give her back the files we got this morning." He patted Ironwood on the back. "Relax, Sir. We got this handled. It's a good thing you found out when you did, though, because a few of her physical systems were on the verge of a meltdown. That'd be a lot harder to fix."

A few minutes later, at his request, he was brought a mug of coffee. He found that his hand was still shaking enough to make drinking it difficult, and knew that the caffeine would probably not do him any favors in that regard. It was a few minutes after that that he was told Penny would be revived soon. He had tried to avoid looking at her for as long as he could, but finally his eyes slipped, and he caught a glimpse of her. She sat in the chair, limp. One eye seemed to have drifted lazily up towards the ceiling, the other remained closed. A few of the frenzied lab workers called out to each other from across the room, giving various signals, and the man who had spoken to Ironwood before looked to him again, saying "Ready Sir?"

He wanted to shake his head, but before he could do so, the word "Yes." escaped his lips, and the man turned back to his console, giving a hand signal before setting his fingers rapidly dancing across the keyboard. Without so much as a beep or buzz of fanfare, Penny's eyes realigned and opened slowly.

"What…" She seemed to realize where she was, and her eyes widened. Immediately she attempted to get out of the chair. Ironwood quickly stepped over to her, kneeling down next to her and putting one hand on hers, using the other to gently push her back down into the seat. "Penny, please, try and calm down. There was an accident. You malfunctioned, but you're better now."

She gave him a confused look, than tried to get up again, saying "No, I'm fine!" Again Ironwood kept her in the chair, saying "Please Penny, just sit. They still need to run a few tests to make sure that you're alright." Penny relaxed back seeming to accept that she needed to sit, but still voiced more objections and concerns. "I'm fine, really! You don't need to do any tests! Please, just let me go!"

Ironwood bowed his head, clutching Penny's hand tightly, saying "Please, just… just tolerate this. I know it's frightening, but I'm here, and I won't leave you! I'm here for you."

Another span of time passed during which it was very difficult for Ironwood to keep in control of himself. He had to try very hard to keep face, but he had to do it in front of his people. If they started to think down on him, he wouldn't be able to tolerate the loss of respect. But he also wanted to maintain his sympathetic relationship with Penny. It was a difficult balance to maintain, and the entire time that he was doing this, he was also thinking about Naze's invitation to go to the unveiling of the artifact. If it was as dangerous as he said, it was his duty to help defend it. Not only for his sake, but for all of Remnant's. If the White Fang were to get their hands on such a dangerous item, they would become a far greater threat than they were before. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Roman Torchwick swatted at one of the insects that had been circling his head for some time now, and smiled when he looked down at its smeared remains on his glove. "Finally! Maybe you should've picked one of the actual animals around here rather than me." His triumphant speech to the dead insect was cut short when another source of buzzed started to circle his head again, and he let out a defeated sigh. "What does Cinder want us here for, anyways? If I wanted fleas, I could've just stayed at Vale. Plenty of people there with them." His voice trailed off as his eyes started to track the small insect.

Almost as fast as a bolt of lightning, Neo's small hand shot out and grabbed the thing just before it landed on his nose, crushing it completely. He quickly drew his head back, acting purely on reaction, an indignant cry coming from his mouth and echoing out among the trees, sending a small flock of birds panicking away. Neo tilted her head, giving him a smile and taking a step back.

"Damn Neo, give me a heart attack why don't you?" His voice was saturated completely in sarcasm, but he knew that he wouldn't offend Neo. As far as he could tell, nothing could really offend Neo. She simply shrugged it off, smiling. He shook his head. "You're one weird little girl, you know that?"

She gave a small curtsy, never taking her eyes off of him. When she straightened back up, he put a hand on her head, rubbing it affectionately. "But that's why I like you. And besides, you like me too, right?" Neo gave a nod while simultaneously leaning into his hand like a cat, encouraging him to pet her more. "Good, because you've got smashed up bug in your hair now, and that's a little nasty."

As he drew his hand back, Neo looked at his glove. Indeed, it appeared that the crushed insect matter had been smeared across something. She didn't mind too much. She actually found it rather amusing. Whether Roman had done that on purpose or not, she couldn't tell, but that was one of the things she liked about him. She was never too sure of what he would do, or why. His hand reached into his coat pocket, drawing out a thick cigar and an ornate lighter. With a single deft movement, he placed the cigar in his mouth, flicked the lid of the lighter back, lit the lighter, and held it up to the end of the cigar. Neo got the distinct impression he had used a significant portion of his time in the cell devising that move.

The dust inside the lighter started to trickle out and burn, lighting the cigar and sending a small stream of smoke into the leaves above. He puffed on the cigar for a few seconds before replacing the lighter in his pocket and saying "When are we going to move in on this place, anyways? We've been here for days now. About time we got to stealing, isn't it?"

Neo couldn't help but agree. Initially she had thought that the "excavation site" would be easy prey, with only ten or so guards stationed to keep it safe. After reminding herself that those guards were the same kind as she had fought on her initial attempt to free Roman, however, she realized that those ten guards would probably rip through the White Fang like tissue paper, even with the hundreds that had already been assembled. They were starting to get access to much more powerful equipment, though, Atlesian Paladins and military grade arms and armament. They would help, certainly, but she didn't know it they would be enough to give any real advantage over those guards. Even if they did, and all ten were totally destroyed, there was still the possibility that there were more. Occasionally, they walked over to a rune inscribed on a sheet of metal that had been inlaid in the ground and disappeared in a flash or light, either returning moments later or being replaced. There had been word that Ironwood's men would be coming soon, as well. She didn't know how the dead had gotten him to trust them, or what their presence would accomplish, but it would be an inconvenience.

She also wondered if Cinder was planning on being present for the battle. There was so much riding on it that she couldn't simple leave it for those distant from her, right? She had too much at stake in this battle to simply not attend.

Jaune's eyes widened in horror as Nora lunged towards him. The look on her face was one of near absolute rage, and he froze like an animal in the headlights of a truck. Pyrrha was moving to stop Nora, but there was no way she could reach the two before Nora made contact. Jaune cursed himself for letting slip that he knew where Ren was. If he hadn't, Nora wouldn't have flown into a rage.

In a shrill, almost earsplitting voice, Nora shouted "Where is he? Tell me where Ren is!" Her fingers closed on his shirt, and he felt himself yanked violently towards her. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but take a glance down at her figure. He put his hands up, trying to pry her fingers off. Muscle denser than what it should have been held her fingers in place, and she obviously didn't take kindly to his attempt to escape. His eyes flicked back up to Nora's face, and he saw the rage boiling behind them.

Her mouth opened, and Jaune got a good look at the two rows of teeth that looked sharper than razors. His skin paled, and if it wasn't already, his mind went numb. He recognized the feeling as how he had reacted to Grimm at first, nothing but fear. He tried to pull himself out of it, but nothing happened. "Where is he?" Her mouth was barely an inch from his face, and he felt flecks of spit spatter across his skin. Where the saliva fell, his flesh tingled briefly before becoming totally numb. Even with Nora threatening to literally bite his face off, his thoughts wandered. How had Ren even been able to stand up with stuff like this being shoved down his throat? He was sure that nothing good would happen if he swallowed it, and snapped his mouth shut quickly.

Nora prepared to shout again, but Pyrrha had finally reached the two. She put her hands on Jaune and Nora's shoulder, starting to push them apart. "Nora stop! He doesn't know where he is! We already told you, Ren is sick!"

Nora's head snapped to the side as she looked at Pyrrha. There was a dangerous, animalistic spark in her eyes. Pyrrha was startled by this, but she didn't let that dull her efforts. Putting more weight in her efforts, she peeled them apart, a large length of fabric remaining between her fingers. Jaune looked down at his ripped shirt with a shocked expression.

Pyrrha then put her full effort to containing Nora, placing herself between the two and placing both hands on her shoulders, holding her back. "Nora, calm down!" The usually calm girl let out a sound that resembled the cry of a Grimm, and tried to leap through Pyrrha, throwing her whole weight against the girl with a shoulder, eyes going to Jaune again. "He knows! He knows!"

Pyrrha was thrown off of her feet, and Jaune let out a panicked shout. If Pyrrha had been knocked down, he was likely to be crushed. Nora took a few stumbling steps towards him, still at a very fast pace, and Jaune flattened himself against the wall, trying to give himself as much room as possible away from Nora. Her strides lengthened, and her charge seemed to increase in speed. As she sped towards him, the door to the room was suddenly blown off its hinges, slamming against the floor loudly. Jaune looked over at it, and found team RWBY funneling through the new hole in the wall. An immense relief flooded his system. He had asked them to be ready for anything tonight, it was the last before Solace would "exercise" the demon out of Nora. He had had a very distinct feeling that things would go badly as the deadline drew closer.

He just saw Ruby take stock of the room, the situation, and say something to her friends as Nora closed the distance and collided with him. His head involuntarily turned to face the impact, and he found it not at all what he had been expecting. Her mouth impacted with his hard enough that he thought he felt a few of his teeth loosen, and her tongue slipped into his mouth sneakily. In the next iota of time, the rest of her charge carried through, and she embraced him in a rib-cracking hug, binding his arms at his side. Immediately, he worked to free himself, but it was soon clear that his struggles were totally in vain. Nora's tongue, long and double-headed, slithered further inside his mouth, finding their way down his throat. He found himself totally unable to even attempt to move the muscles that would normally stop such an intrusion.

He heard the footsteps of team RWBY as they drew closer, but even with a shorter space between them, they seemed more distant now. An overpowering calm settled over his body as he felt some degree of fluid trickling down his esophagus and into his stomach. His eyes, which had been riveted wide open, started to flutter and droop. Why had he been fighting against this? It felt good.

He let himself go limp, ceasing all attempts to escape. Both he and Nora fell to the floor, and Nora was quick to place herself on top of him as she withdrew her tongue from his throat. "Jaune, you need to tell me where Ren is! Please, I can't help him if I don't know where he is!" The words seemed echo-y and distant, but he was able to divine their meaning well enough. "Ren? Oh, Ren is…" his brow furrowed, and he thought as hard as he could. "Ren is… uh…" Other figures entered his field of view, but Nora's face was as far as he could focus his eyes. Everything beyond her was blurred beyond belief. Then, the answer occurred to him, and a dull smile came across his face. "Oh! He's just over by-"

Jaune's voice was cut off as a metal hand wrapped around the back of Nora's neck, pulling her away, and a foot came solidly down on his trachea. He didn't feel it too much, but it certainly did stop him from talking. He had to try harder to draw in breaths now, but the sound of a scuffle somewhere nearby attracted his attention. The foot lifted off of him now, and he leaned up slightly to see Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss all engaging Nora at once, trying to get her under control. He didn't want his effort of thinking about where Ren was, so he started to speak. "Ren is at the lower-"

This time, the strike that silenced him was not as merciful as before. Ruby's boot contacted him in the temple, and he slumped to the floor again, unconscious. His last thought before letting himself fade into sleep was about Ren, and how he was doing. He hoped that his friend recovered from whatever it had been that got him into trouble.