Strings

Tube room...

Jared Shay is looking straight ahead to hear the sounds of things going up pneumatic tubes are heard clanging, until it stops. Ruby Rose is breathing heavily, before gasping for breath. She is helped out of the tube by May Marigold and Penny Polendina. Weiss Schnee is angrily pulling Nora Valkyrie by her ear.

"Ow, ow, ow! C'mon that was a once in a lifetime experience!" Nora said, angrily.

Weiss lets Nora go. Nora's right ear turned red.

"Ow." Nora said.

Blake Belladonna is stepping out of another tube, her hair messy from the unorthadox method of travel.

"Good. Because I never wanna do that again." Blake said.

"After the Dalek Asylum, I'm like, nope. I don't want to do it again. That or doing what the main characters of Futurama do." Jared said, crossing his arms. "Which is going from place to place by tube. Like, seriously? Why?"

"Alright robo-girl, you're up. Which way?" May asked.

"We'll cross the bridge, then go left, straight, right, straight, left, up, up, right, straight, right, right, straight, left, left." Penny said, closing her eyes to check before moving her hands in different directions. "And my name, is Penny."

Elevator...

"I don't think even the squad captain knows what's going on up there. They can't get close to that storm without getting shocked right out of the air." Soldier 1 said.

"It's creepy, all those Grimm just…waiting. Worse than if they'd attacked." Soldier 2 said.

"Hey, don't say that! You'll jinx us."

"I just hope the C.O. can get us some answers soon, or…"

Nora pushes ALL the elevator buttons.

"Cool." Ruby said.

Military base…

Penny scans herself into the room as her dad.

"Welcome back, Doctor Polendina." The computer said.

"Alright, where to next, Penny?" May asked.

"Right through central command!" Penny said, happily.

"Of course." Weiss said, rolling her eyes.

"I can't maneuver us through all that." May said.

"Do not worry, Ruby is capable of traveling at an extreme velocity from one point to another by breaking herself down to her molecular components, thus negating her mass and then reassembling them at the destination, theoretically making it possible for her to transport all of us in the same way, as mass no longer matters." Penny said, explaining Ruby's Semblance.

"I, uh, what?" Ruby asked.

"You can use your Semblance on all of us."

"Did Penny just figure that out before you did?" Blake asked.

"Blake, she knew you were a Faunus before I did." Ruby said, angrily.

"I figured it out during the Dalek Asylum." Jared said, laughing a lot. "Yes, it took me that long too, Ruby."

"So, Penny figured it out before you, Jared. And you figured it out without her being there, Jared."

"Basically."

Atlesian Academy...

"Apologies for the delay, today has been…busy. Have you made any progress?" Ironwood asked. "I'd hate for us to have to try motivating you…again."

"Given what we're after, I've got all the motivation I need. Sadly it doesn't make taking down Pietro's magical science project any less cumbersome." Watts said, typing away on the computer.

"Oh, I trust you can come up with something."

"Oh, the trust is palpable." Watts said. "Speaking of the man, are you aware that dear Dr. Polendina is galavanting around your military compound? Unless, of course, someone else is using his credentials."

"A security threat has been detected in the compound, status alert level 3: red. Lockdown initiated. Authorization granted to handle ANY threats with lethal force."

Military base…

"Son of a bitch." Jared said, looking at Ruby. "Great."

"He's got to be joking!" Weiss said, annoyed.

"The pneumatic tubes have all been closed off." Penny said.

"We're trapped." Blake said.

"We passed a hangar, I can hijack an airship and get us off this floating rock." May said.

"Wait, we can still succeed. We are so close." Penny said.

"Hrm…" Nora said, snapping her fingers as if she has an idea. "Untitled Goose Game?"

"Okay, now that's a classic." Jared said, laughing a little. "Love that indie game."

"Read the sign, Bill! Read the sign! Why don't you ever just pay attention?! You're in here late all the time, your coworkers…" Operator said.

"WHY?!" Operator 2 exclaimed.

As the workers continue to complain to Bill, Ruby uses her Semblance, taking Weiss, Blake, Nora, Penny, and Jared with her. They managed to sneak by them all undetected.

"You put salmon in the microwave!" Office guy said, still complaining to Bill.

As his complaints are drowned out in the noise, Ruby releases her Semblance, striking a pose. Nora and Penny look at her in awe, Weiss and Jared smile, while Blake holds onto the wall with a terrified look on her face.

"Another thing I don't wanna do ever again." Blake said, sadly.

"When we're running away from a Dalek or a Cyberman, do you really want to run?" Jared asked.

"Only if we're running for our lives. Not for stealth. I'm fine with using my shadows for that."

Central command...

"Stand back, please." Penny said.

"Uh, where is everyone?" Ruby asked.

"This is a highly classified area." Penny said.

"Okay." Jared said, walking away from Penny towards Weiss, Blake, and Nora.

"Hey dad? I'm ready." Penny said, letting out deep sighs.

"Ahem. This process is a…little complicated. So I'm remoting into Penny from Amity Colosseum…" Pietro said, through Penny.

"I….see." Ruby said.

"I hope the others are okay. I've never seen Yang and Ruby fight like this." Blake said.

"Don't worry, they're sisters. Sometimes sisters just have very different ideas about what's right." Weiss said.

"Yeah, they'll be fine. Jaune's a great leader, Oscar's grown a ton, and Yang is more than capable of protecting them all in a fight." Nora said.

"Hm." Blake, Weiss, and Jared said, at the same time.

"Amy and Rory had a huge fight. And they managed to make up as a married couple." Jared said, smirking. "But Ruby and Yang, I've known them way longer. As I spend time with you guys."

"Oh, and of course Ren is- um- I don't know what he is. Every time I think the two of us are making progress, he…" Nora said, letting out a sigh. "...we've been together our whole lives but I feel like I understand him less now than ever. And I don't know if that's his fault or mine."

"When you've been at someone's side for so long, after a while they become a part of you. But that's just it, they're only a part of you. Don't forget about the rest." Blake said.

"Yeah, you're right, Blake. I spent so much time with Team RWBY." Jared said, smiling. "That you guys changed the way I see the world. And how I act around others too. You four are my family, after all."

"I don't actually know who I am…without Ren. Pretty sad, huh?" Nora asked.

"Well, maybe take this opportunity to find out? Do something only Nora can do." Weiss said.

"Like what? Be strong and hit stuff?"

"Team RWBY being there for me. You girls are my down to earth anchor. Without you four, I would do super reckless things and feel lost. Such as killing a child or losing one of my best friends." Jared said, letting out a sigh.

"I just haffta…there. Downloading the cloned imprint now. When Penny gets to Amity, we'll run the launch sequence. Amity's computer will try to connect to the general's terminal but get Penny instead." Pietro said, through Penny.

"And after the launch, I'll return to help you all with the evacuation." Penny said.

"About that, Penny. When Amity goes up, I think you should be on it with Maria and I." Pietro said, coughing through Penny.

"But they need me here. Right?"

"Well. if you stay far out of Salem's reach, then she can't open the vault. She can't get to the relic. So…" Ruby said.

"Maybe it is for the best?" Weiss asked.

"I didn't want to lose you in the Dalek Asylum, Penny. Glad that the Daleks didn't scoop you up." Jared said, looking at Penny. "You're one of my best friends. And you're the Winter Maiden. It would be bad enough if Salem gets you. But if the Daleks do, then I don't know…"

"Um, we should probably head to the hangar." Blake said.

"I guess we all have to do some things we would rather not." Penny said, sadly.

"Hello, kids. Time to come home now, Penny." Harriet said.

"So your first time losing to us wasn't enough?" Weiss asked.

"We were holding back!" Marrow said, angrily.

"We have all said some things we regret, but please, hear me out. I know you thought you were doing the right thing when you left with the Maiden power, but Salem is here now. Things have changed." Vine said.

"If General Ironwood plans to leave Mantle behind nothing has changed." Penny said.

"I thought you were supposed to protect the people, not hurt them." Vine said, letting out a sigh.

"I would never hurt anyone."

"Well Winter's in critical condition, because of you." Elm said.

"And you repaid her by stealing the power that should have been hers." Harriet said.

"But taking the Maiden power was the only way to stop…" Penny said, frowning.

"If you keep refusing to do the right thing, people in Atlas AND Mantle are going to die."

"You could stop all of this, Penny. Just open the vault, hand over the relic, and you'll save Atlas." Marrow said.

"But it won't save Atlas. Salem will find her way to the relic no matter where you go. Once Ironwood opens the vault, the relic is…" Ruby said.

"One more word, and I'm throwing you in jail right next to your uncle, runt." Harriet said.

"Don't you dare talk to my Little Red like that!" Jared said, angrily.

"Why not join her in jail then?"

"Leave. Them. Alone." Penny said.

"And what are you gonna do about it, tin can?" Harriet asked.

"Penny, no!" Ruby said, worried.

Military base...

"You will NOT hurt my friends!" Penny yelled.

"Harriet! Elm!" Vine said.

Central command...

"Four versus one?" Ruby asked.

"Cowards." Weiss said.

"Penny's the Winter Maiden, I'm sure she can hold her own for a little bit." Ruby said.

"Yeah." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "She is amazing after all."

Military base...

"Marrow!" Harriet said.

"Stay!" Marrow said, pointing his finger at Penny for her to stop.

Central command...

"We have to get out there...be strong…" Nora said, taking out her hammer. "And hit stuff."

"Nora, wait!" Weiss said.

Nora aimed her hammer at the locked electrified door to be overloaded with electricity, before passing out, "That was pretty awesome."

Atlas Academy...

"Damnit, that was our chance! I need all available squads to converge on…" Ironwood said.

"Wait. I have a message for your operatives." Watts said.

"But general, we…" Harriet said.

"We understand, sir." Marrow said.

Vine knocked over Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jared, and Nora over the edge with the silver eyed girl holding everyone on the edge with her Crescent Rose. He then pulled a string from Penny's back.

"Let's go." Elm said.

Ruby then used her Semblance to carry everyone back onto the platform.

"Uh, that was…" Weiss said.

"Very suspicious?" Blake asked.

"Yeah." Jared said, frowning.

Ruby and the others enter the hangar with Penny carrying Nora in her arms. They look around until they hear a whistle.

Atlesian Airship…

"You coming or what?" May asked.

Ruby and the others enter inside May's invisibility field.

"All ready to…" May said, gasping in shock when she sees Nora severely wounded.

"She's in bad shape. We need to get her somewhere safe." Blake said.

"The only close place I can think of is the Schnee Mansion." Jared said, looking at Blake.

"I'm so, so sorry." Penny said, looking between Ruby and Jared. "It is time for me to go. Isn't it?"

"We'll see each other again really soon, I promise." Ruby said, hugging Penny with Jared joining the hug to make it a group hug.

"After all this, let's go on more adventures together, okay?" Jared asked. "No, go on and help us save the world."

Penny gave a salute before jumping out of the airship.

Atlesian Academy…

"Good work." Ironwood said, looking down at the sword and the string.

"Tch, good work would have been capturing Penny." Harriet said.

"Well, you know what they say. If you can't beat them, then make them join you." Watts said.