The camera opens up to a plane flying to Atlas Academy. Inside is everyone. Then to moves to the entrance of the Academy were Ironwood and the Ace-Ops, minus Marrow, are waiting.
Ironwood:"Be ready for anything. We don't know what state Penny is in. Asher is more than likely still unconscious so Penny will be carrying him."
Harriet:"If any of those brats have the nerve to come with the two, we put them down immediately. The General gave his terms. No more games." *Vine sighs.* "Is there a problem?"
Vine:"Just, retracing the steps that led us here."
Then Ironwood's scroll goes off and he checks it.
Harriet:"What is is, Sir?"
Ironwood turns to look at the three.
Ironwood:"Qrow and Robyn, they're in the academy hanger."
Vine:"Trying to stop the payload?"
Ironwood:"Or just looking for a way out."
Harriet:"Not going to happen. I've been waiting to take my shot at those two." *She activate her exoskeleton.* "Let's go, Ace Ops."
Elm:"But someone needs to stay here with the General."
Then Winter walks over and stands next to Ironwood.
Winter:"I'll stay. We lose the payload, we lose our leverage."
Ironwood:"She's right. Contain it. Now."
The Ace Ops leave and head to the hangar.
Winter:"Sir, this course of action--"
Ironwood:"I hope you're not going to try to talk me out of it."
Winter looks to Ironwood.
Winter:"No, Sir. I don't think that's possible."
Then Penny, carrying an unconscious Asher, flies over to them. Ironwood aims his big gun at them.
Ironwood:"I didn't think you two would actually come alone." *He hands Winter some cuffs.* "I expected at least some resistance from your friends."
Penny:"I don't want anyone else to die. And I think Asher would agree with me." *She sets Asher down as Winter comes up and handcuffs her.* "I must open the Vault."
Then Winter handcuffs Asher and she walks back to Ironwood and aim her sword at them. Then Ironwood puts his weapon down and walks up to Penny.
Ironwood:"You've done the right thing." *He puts a hand on her shoulder.*
Penny:*With Emeralds voice.* "I have."
The Illusion falls showing Penny was actually emerald and Asher was Asher. Jaune. Nora, Oscar and Ren are behind them with their weapons out and a plane is also behind them
Emerald:"Feels weird."
Emerald backflips kicking Ironwood in the chin. Asher rolls himself over and stand up. Ironwood's big gun lands in Emerald's arms and she turns invisible.
Asher:"Let's get this party started."
Jaune charges at Ironwood and they enter a fight. Red team runs up to their leader and Grif cuts the cuffs off then Hands him his weapons. Asher turns Redemption into sword from and turns around ready to fight only to see Ironwood fall on the ground unconscious.
Asher:"Aw man. I missed the fight." *He kicks the ground.*
Emerald reappears and winter walks up and takes the cuffs off of her and takes the big weapon.
Winter:"Go! Move to Phase 2."
Everyone runs inside.
Flashback
Everyone is in the Schnee Dining room. Asher is Sitting next to Jaune and he's boosting Asher and Penny's Auras.
Weiss:"So, we've got people trapped in Atlas and Mantle that we can't evacuate unless we use the Staff, which is located inside the Vault. If we open the Vault, Penny terminates."
Asher:"And Ironwood will probably kill me."
Weiss:"And if Ironwood gets wind of any of this, he blows up Mantle."
Oscar:"There's something else to consider. Once the Staff creates anything else, the city drops. Atlas has enough natural Gravity Dust to keep it from plummeting immediately, but, well, nobody's going to want to be around when it touches down."
Jaune:"Okay, then let's use the Staff.." *He stops boosting both Penny's and Asher's aura.* "..to teleport everyone to safety. Maybe even to another kingdom."
Oscar:"We can't just wave it like a magic wand and make our problems go away. And we haven't even told you about him."
Yang looks over to Oscar.
Yang:"Who?"
Ozpin takes control of Oscar.
Ozpin:"The spirit in the Staff. Like Jinn but, well, he's a character. He can build you anything, but only if you can explain to him how. Like any craftsman, he'll need blueprints. Some sort of reference. It'll help if we have real world examples to show him."
Whitley:"I've already gone through the city layouts for the SDC evacuation. Maybe I can help?"
Weiss Smiles at him.
Asher:'When did Whitely get so nice?'
Oscar:"There's still James and his bomb to consider."
Weiss:"Oh, I've got a plan for that." *She looks to Emerald.*
Present Time.
Then the camera shows another plane flying at the bottom of Atlas.
Weiss:*Voice over.*"So, that takes care of phase one."
Ruby:*Voice over.* "Meanwhile, the real Penny goes to the Vault with help."
The plane doors opens up to show Team RWBY with Penny, Klein is flying the ship and Whitley and Willow are standing behind the pilot seat.
Oscar:*Voice over.* "I blasted a hole through the bottom of Atlas and I highly doubt they've had time for repairs." *Ruby uses her semblance to get everyone inside.* "That should take you straight to it." *The group starts to walk to the vault.* "All of that, is the easy part."
Ruby:*Voice over.*"As soon as Penny opens the door, we go through, grab the Staff, and stop her termination."
The group is now at the Vault door and Penny's holding her head.
Yang:"Just hang in there, Penny. Okay?"
Penny nods and she puts her hand on the Vault and the door opens. Ruby uses her semblance to bring her team inside and she runs over and grabs the Staff. Time stops for everyone outside the vault.
The spirit comes out of the Staff.
Ambrosius:"It seems someone has come to engage my creative wiles! All I'll say is, it had better be worth it after my last project. A floating city?" *He scoffs.* "How pedestrian."
Ruby:"Hi, um, Mr. Ambrosius? Sir, listen, it's our friend." *They look to Penny, who is outside the vault, frozen. She's on her knees holding her head.* "She's- she's dying."
Ambrosius:"I'm going to go ahead and assume that you know it's against the rules for me to bring people back from the dead so-"
Ruby:"That's not what we want. She's not your typical girl."
Ambrosius's eyes widen and he flies over to Penny. He snaps his fingers and a magnifying glass appears and he observes Penny.
Ambrosius:"So, she isn't! I'd love to meet whoever did this. Ah, I see." *He flies back to the group.* "There's something eating away at her. I'm guessing you think you have some clever plan to save her. Just know, I will give you exactly what you ask for and I don't want any complaining.." *Ruby nods to Weiss and Weiss pulls her scroll out.* "...When it's not what you wanted."
Weiss projects a hologram of Penny's schematics.
Ruby:"We brought her schematics. We want you to make a new version of her using her exact same robot parts."
Ambrosius:"That was curiously worded, girl."
Ruby:"An exact copy of her would include the virus. An exact copy of her without the virus would cease to exist the second you make something else, and we kinda wanna keep her around longer than that."
Ambrosius gets excited.
Ambrosius:*Chuckles.* "You've done your homework."
Ruby:"We want you to create a new version of her, using her existing robotic parts taking the virus with them."
Ambrosius:"Hmm. Okay, but if I take the robot parts out of her, that would leave."
Blake:"Penny. The girl who's always been there underneath it."
Ambrosius:"Hmm."
Ruby:"You can't destroy, it's against the rules. But you wouldn't be destroying her. Her soul is who she is."
Yang:*Flexes with her robot arm.* "The mechanical part are just extra."
Ambrosius:"But a soul without a complete body, what would be left?"
Ruby:"I don't know. I guess you just have to get creative."
Ambrosius thinks a little.
Ambrosius:*Laughs.* "I suppose I could do a little, oh, add a touch of, but if I do that, how much of the Old Penny would be my work and how much would be her? Just coming up to the surface. This is all very exciting, and very dangerous. I don't know what the results are going to be."
Weiss:"We don't have any other options. We believe in her."
Ambrosius:"The, ready yourselves to witness my artistry!"
He then uses some magic and it flies at Penny and makes her float as it surrounds her and a bright light shines the light dies down and now there are two Pennys. Ambrosius snaps his fingers.
Ambrosius:"It's done." *He disappears and time resumes.*
The camera moves back to the other group as Atlas shakes. Their at a computer.
Jaune:"I guess that's the signal then." *He starts to tap some keys on the computer.* "Seems like things are moving forward in the Vault."
Nora:"Hopefully Penny is going to be okay."
Asher:"With a plan that is foolproof. She'll be okay."
Oscar:"If Atlas is moving, we need to get word out before people panic."
Emerald:"Meaning Hurry."
Jaune:"I know! I know!" *He taps a key and it starts a live broadcast.* "Okay, this should be, um, that did, uh, something?"
Ren:"You're live."
Emerald:"Everyone can see you."
Jaune:"Oh!" *He clears his throat.* "Citizens of Atlas, Mantle, what we have to tell you is very important. Atlas is falling but--"
The Broadcast suddenly stops.
Asher:"What the?"
Jaune:"Wait, what happened?"
Ren:"It's dead. The entire CCT, it just went down."
Simmons:"That's not good."
Grif:"People are going to start to panic."
Nora:"And so did kingdom wide communications. How?"
Asher:"That's even worse."
Oscar:"The bigger question is, what do we do now?"
The camera moves back over to the Vault and it shows Two Penny's one human looking and the other robot. The group walks over to them.
Ruby:"Penny?"
The human one open her eyes then she looks at her hands. The robot one short-circuits and dies. Ruby walks over to Penny and puts a hand on her shoulder.
Ruby:"Are you okay?"
Penny hugs Ruby.
Penny:"Do hugs always make you feel this warm inside?"
Ruby hugs Penny back.
Ruby:"Yes."
Penny:"Wow!"
Penny then hugs Weiss.
Penny:"More!"
Weiss:"We should probably make sure our theory works."
Yang and Blake walks over and Penny hugs them.
Weiss:"And start the evacuation." *Weiss summons Ambrosius again.*
Ambrosius:"Ah! Free to create and," *He looks down and sees them.* "Oh, it's you guys again."
Weiss:"We're not done with you yet."
Ambrosius:*Crosses his arms.* "Ugh. fine!"
Yang:"Let's try the quick version. Can you make a bunch of doorways in Atlas that open at a single stop in Vacuo?"
Ambrosius:"Sure! I'll just need coordinates and specs for each door, an explanation for bending space and time to account for the much greater traffic on one side, and the single point of exit on the other."
Weiss:*Puts a hand on her head.* "Okay, that's about what we expected. So, we need to funnel everybody through a central location first."
Ambrosius:"You're going to have to tell me more about this central location. For starters, uh, where is it?"
Yang:"Here. A place like these Vaults. Wherever they are, they're not part of Remnant. Only accessible if you know the right way in. Seems like a safe enough place for thousands of refugees."
Ambrosius:"You kids are either smart or much more foolish than you realize." *He sighs.* "I'm going to need a reference?"
Weiss:*Pulls out her scroll and projects the screen.* "Oh, we've got one. Thanks to my lovely boyfriend."
Ambrosius looks at the screen. He then smiles and claps his hands and starts to do some hand signals and a portal door opens behind the group.
Weiss:"People enter from Atlas and Mantle on one side, and leave on the other side, with a one-way ticket to Vacuo."
Ambrosius:"Well, everything appears to be in order. You were quite thorough, disappointingly so."
Weiss:"So, it's done?"
Ambrosius:*Waves her off.* "Yeah?"
The group turns around and walks to the portal.
Ambrosius:"Oh, and one last point of clarification about this central location of yours, do not fall. Okay, and with that dire warning." *He disappears.*
The group walks to the front of the portal and Weiss hands Penny the Staff.
Weiss:"We did it."
Penny:"What now?"
Ruby:"We go to Vacuo. All of us and hope that we've thought of everything."
The camera fades to black.
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11-16-2021
2040 words.
