A/N: Aaand we are back. I've managed to write not one but two chapters. Why? Because I'd feel bad if I stopped at a chapter where not a lot really happens.



Cross Continental Transmit Tower

Beacon Academy Campus

1630 hours

Ruby, Private, Weiss and Neptune walked in the shadow of Beacon's CCT. While the latter two were getting to know one another in a conversation weaved with flirting, Ruby and Private stayed approximately five feet behind just so they can't hear the two.

As they approached, the red-hooded girl marvelled at the sight of the structure. "Wow! It's so tall!"

"This is probably the closest I've been to a Transmit Tower," Private began. "I could always see the one in Atlas' skyline, but we never really went to it."

"Let's take a photo," said Ruby, pulling out her scroll.

However, she was so excited that she dropped it and it bounced across the stone floor for several feet, landing in front of someone's shoes. Ruby and Private chased after it, only for the person pick it up.

"Oh. You dropped this," said the stranger, who held the scroll out to her.

Ruby was shocked to see the familiar face. "Penny?"

Penny wasn't even able to utter an answer before the girl in red started to unravel with questions. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks!"

"Sorry," the ginger girl stuttered. "I think you are confused." Then she let out a hiccup, causing Ruby's scroll to leap off her hands and back to its owner. Growing agitated, she turned around and walked away fast.

Private, still out of the loop, asked his companion for an explanation. "She's a friend of yours?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's go after her!", Ruby beckoned.

"But what about Weiss and Neptune?", Private asked.

"We'll meet up with them later. They've got it covered," Ruby said. "Now come on!"

The two jogged after Penny, who was walking hurriedly down the steps.

"Wait!" Ruby urged. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you for weeks!"

The redhead picked up her pace in an attempt to escape the conversation. "There must be a misunderstanding."

But Ruby would have none of it. Sliding down the rails ahead of Private, she stopped in front of Penny and grabbed her arm. She now had the latter's attention.

"Penny, you have to listen to me. I don't know what's wrong with you but those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something big and bad! I'm asking you as a friend, please tell me what happened that night?"

The girl was at an impasse. It was clear that Ruby wouldn't leave without answers.

Penny sighed and whispered into Ruby's ear. "It isn't safe to talk out here."

"What do you mean?", Ruby asked.

Penny eyed her surroundings with suspicion. "I need to go now. Come find me at Joey's Cafe in Vale at 5:00. I'll be there and we can talk." After that she ran off.

Private walked up to Ruby's side. "Don't worry Ruby, I'm sure she'll be there," he commented.

"I hope she does," The red-hooded girl sighed. "We should get going. I know this nice store that sells these sweet peanut butter-flavored candy bars that you can't get anywhere else in Vale."

The young private gasped in excitement as he followed her to the helipad. "Peanut butter winkies? Those are my absolute favorite! Do they sell those sugar-coated marshmallow kitties too? Rico likes those."

Joey's Cafe

City of Vale

1700 Hours

Penny stood outside of the cafe, nervous and watchful. After several minutes the dread in her had built up to the point that when Ruby tapped her on the shoulder from out of nowhere she flinched back in shock.

"Penny this is Private," said Ruby, pointing to the boy behind her with the hefty bag of candies. "He's with me."

"Hello Penny", the boy greeted.

"It's always nice to meet a friend of Ruby's," she replied.

Private fished out a chocolate bar from his bag and offered it to her, to which she kindly refused. The three then walked down the sidewalk as the ginger girl attended to her friend's concerns.

"I wish I could help you, Ruby, but I don't know anything about those men," Penny asserted.

Ruby simply lobbed her more questions. "Well, where did you go that night? You were with us and then you disappeared. Did they kidnap you?"

"Oh, no! Nothing like that!", Penny said, waving her hands in a sign of reassurance. "It's just that I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but… You have to understand, my father loves me very much; he just worries a lot."

Ruby smiled at her. "Believe me, I know the feeling." Penny smiled in the comfort of her friend's empathy. "But why not let us know you were okay?"

The girl answered slowly, trying to word her answer properly. "I... was asked not to talk to you. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Anybody, really,"

"Was your dad that upset?", the caped girl asked.

"No, it wasn't my father," Penny began. However Private beckoned their attention.

"What's going on here", he asked.

The three had arrived at a plaza where a crowd had gathered around a stage, listening to a holographic projection of General Ironwood. Behind the man were six androids split into a pair of threes, standing in front of two large metal storage cases.

"The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant for several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't you agree?", the General began. The androids behind him took a bow as the audience began clapping.

"But... the kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and 'fine'... Well, that's just not good enough, is it?" The two storage cases opened up as Ironwood made his announcement. "Presenting the Atlesian Knight-200!"

Six bulkier androids stepped out of the cases and knocked over their predecessors. The audience applauded once more.

Ironwood continued his speech. "Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly, a little less scary." The Knights began flexing and posing.

"Well they look like a right bunch of aces," Private remarked. Ruby nodded as her eyes remained fixated at the presentation.

"These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone," said Ironwood. "Now, the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that will undoubtedly require... a human touch."

Ruby and Private looked on with curiosity.

"Ruby?", Penny began, her voice laden with nervousness. Before she could grab the captivated duo's attention, the general spoke again.

"So, our kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce... the Atlesian Paladin!"

Ironwood's hologram was replaced by that of a huge bipedal mech, easily twice the height of the Knights. It was heavily armed with twin guns and was covered in thick armor. The audience clapped once again as Ironwood wrapped up his speech.

"Now, we couldn't have him here for you today, but these mechanized battle suits will be seen defending the borders of our kingdom within the year!"

Ruby and Private were still awestruck at the sight of the Paladin as Penny called them again. She started to step back into the sidewalk as she spoke. "Ruby? Private? Maybe we should go somewhere else. "

Back at the stage, two Atlesian guards looked at the trio and noticed Penny. One pointed a finger at her while the other pressed into his helmet's earpiece for backup.

Penny made a break for it, running across the street into an alleyway. Private shook Ruby out of her stupor as he hollered out to their companion. "Penny wait! Come back!"

The two looked back from their fleeing friend and saw the two guards giving chase. Immediately they followed Penny's trail into the alley, staying just ahead of the guards.

Ruby and Private turned right in pursuit of their friend, who had just crossed another street into another alley. Behind them they overheard the guard calling out to his partner. They crossed the second street, watching as Penny turned left past a wooden scaffolding that held up dozens of boxes. Private sprinted forward and leaped, kicking one of the support beams into splinters and causing the crates to fall and block the path behind them just as they turned to the left.

"I've got an idea," said Ruby to Private. She grabbed his hand and the two jumped forward, propelled by the girl's speed semblance. They managed to catch up Penny, holding on to her as Ruby propelled them down another side alley, leaving a mess in their wake. However, the weight of her two passengers meant that she couldn't stay airborne for long.

Quickly they dropped, letting go of Penny as the forward momentum sent them tumbling. Private was thrown across the street, but Ruby fell into the middle of the asphalt, right in front of a honking truck!

Ruby turned to face the incoming vehicle, but before she was ran over, Penny pushed her into the sidewalk and into Private's arms. The two could only stand and watch with shocked faces as their friend managed to stop the truck, lifting it into the air and causing the road beneath her feet to crack and shatter.

Dropping the heavy vehicle, Penny asked if the driver was okay. The old man nodded with fear. Backing away slowly, she looked to her friends, whose faces were still stricken fright as she heard bystanders murmuring about the whole moment. Penny looked at her hands and clenched her fists. Seeing that the Atlesian guards were catching up, she ran again, right past her companions. Ruby and Private sped after her once more as the guards lost the trail.

Penny ran down the alley, stopping near a dumpster to pick her route. However, her friends had caught up to her once again.

"Blimey Penny, what was all that about?" Private asked.

Ruby was still confounded. "How did you do that?"

Penny was too nervous answer. "I can't! Everything's fine."

She hiccuped.

"I don't want to talk about it," She asserted.

Another hiccup.

Ruby persisted as Penny backed herself against the wall. "Penny if you could just tell us what's wrong, we can help you!"

"No," the latter stammered. "I can't. You wouldn't understand."

Then it was Private's turn to step into the conversation. "Penny, I may have known Ruby for only a few days, but I've spent my whole life learning to trust in my brothers. I know a trustworthy face when I see one, and I can assure you she's one of them."

Penny sighed and walked up to the two. "You're my friends right? You promise you're my friends?"

The duo nodded. "Yeah, we promise," said Ruby.

Penny couldn't look at them in the eye and showed them her hands. The skin had been tore away to reveal shiny metal underneath.

"I'm not a real girl," she muttered.

"You're a robot?", Private asked.

Penny clarified further with a sad tone in her voice. "I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. I'm not real."

Ruby grabbed her friend's hands and spoke words of comfort. "Of course you are," She began. "You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than us?"

The robotic girl leaned closer. "You two are taking this extremely well."

"Skipper may have taught me not to trust robots, but I'm willing to give you a chance," said Private. "You're a good person."

"And you're not like those things we saw back there," Ruby added. "You've got a heart and soul. I can feel it."

Bursting with joy, Penny wrapped the two in her arms and shook them. "You two are the best friends anyone can have!" As she held them tight, her mechanical strength was starting to bear down on them.

"Sorry, but you're crushing my windpipe!", cried Private.

Ruby groaned. "I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower!"

Penny let them go, giving them some breathing space as she spoke with liveliness in her voice. "My father's the one who built me! I'm sure you would love him!"

"Your father built you all by himself?" Ruby asked.

"Well almost. He had some help from Mr. Ironwood," she replied.

"That's why those soldiers were after you," Private remarked.

Penny nodded. "They like to protect me too."

"They don't think you can take care of yourself?", the red girl asked.

Penny elaborated. "They're not sure if I'm ready yet... One day, it will be my job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn. That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival. I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world, and test myself in the Tournament."

"Save the world? From what?", Private asked.

"Yeah, we're in a time of peace!", Ruby added.

"That's not what Mr. Ironwood said," the robotic girl retorted.

Before Penny could explain further, they heard someone shout "Check down here!"

Suddenly Penny grabbed the two of them by their collars. "You have to hide!", she beckoned.

"Penny wait," Ruby pleaded. "We can help you! You don't have to go with them!"

With a single hand, Penny tossed both Ruby and Private into the dumpster and shut the lid above their heads, opening it slightly to bid them goodbye.

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "They're not bad people. Just promise me that you two will keep my secret."

Private saluted at her. "You can count on us, Penny."

Penny smiled and merrily saluted back before dropping the lid on them again. Hiding in the dumpster, the two listened to the conversation as the guards caught up to Penny.

"There she is!", one of them called.

"Salutations, officers!", said Penny.

Ruby slightly lifted the lid to peek.

"Why were you running? And what happened to the boy and girl you were with?", the guard asked.

"I was by myself all day," Penny replied. She hiccuped for a second, but hid it behind a big smile on her face.

The other guard scolded her. "You shouldn't cause a scene."

"Are you okay?", his partner asked.

The robot girl showed them her hands, insisting them that it was only a scratch.

The first guard spoke again. "Penny, your father isn't going to be happy about this."

"Please, just come with us," said the second one.

"Yes sir," said Penny, who followed the guards out of the alley.

Just as they left, Private squealed. "Crikey! There's a rat in here!"

Ruby yelled and they both leaped out of the dumpster.

I'll be honest, this chapter was just a slog to write through, not because I don't like it but because plot-wise it doesn't deviate too far from canon. Given that Private just met Penny, he doesn't get a lot to do other than follow Ruby. But that's how it would've happened. I've tried my best to give Private some level of agency in the events, but really I just wanted to get through this part. The next part, however...

