Cards of Remnant

Chapter 13: The Docks - Snowflake Sees the Blizzard

Penny cheerfully hummed to herself as she typed keys on her cutting-edge Atlas duel runner, A.I. Go Forward (her father had suggested the pun and she'd found it quite amusing! Even though the vehicle could obviously go in more directions than just forward). After that close call in Team RWBY's dorm room, she'd thought it best to back up the stated alibi for her quick exit with action and come down to Beacon's garage to perform the maintenance she'd excused herself with. She'd have to claim she'd already eaten the food she'd said she'd eat before she saw anyone else if she was challenged on it.

Ms. Schnee was quite insightful to suspect that Penny was a machine (though saying that she was 'just' a machine was a gross oversimplification) from just her notes, but the Atlas Obelisk Blue thought she'd covered for herself quite well. After all, both her father and General Ironwood had been adamant that the world wasn't quite ready to learn what she truly was and react with anything but fear. They needed to see the good that the monsters she'd created could do for humanity before they'd be able to realize she was only there to help.

It was… necessary. Though, more lonely than Penny would have liked. When she'd learned that she'd be sent to Vale as the Cultural Exchange Representative from Atlas's first years, she'd been so excited! Surely between watching the Beacon student body for infiltrators from this Queen the general was so worried about and being ready to support Headmaster Ozpin if an attack was made on this 'vault', plus her normal duties as Dr. Oobleck's student teacher, she'd have time to make real friends! But, that hadn't happened yet.

Yet!

"Start the runner, Wukong! We need to get to the docks before Blake gets herself killed!"

"I'm working on it, Ice Queen–and, yes! We are in business!"

"Great! Ruby, text Yang! Have her meet us there."

"What? I'm riding with you!"

"Absolutely not! This is a one-seat vehicle! Even having both of us on it is outrageously dangerous!"

"Aw."

Penny peeked out from A.I. Go Forward and watched as Sun Wukong gunned his Golden Nimbus out of the garage, his tail wrapped around Weiss Schnee's petite waist as an impromptu seatbelt.

Huh. She wondered if that had something to do with Blake Belladonna having hotwired a school duel runner and driven out a bit ago?

Oh! There was Ruby Rose, grumbling as she texted on her scroll. Perhaps she could explain.

"Salutations, Ruby!" the orange-haired girl brightly greeted. "What is going on–"

"Penny! You're here!" Ruby said, blurring over to the Atlas Obelisk Blue in a flurry of rose petals. She pointed to A.I. Go Forward. "I need a duel runner. It's really, super important. Is that one on?"

"Yes, it is," Penny replied. "That is mine, the A.I. Go Forward. I was performing maintenance on it like a normal meat person just like I said while eating food which I ate before you arrived–"

"Great! Can I borrow it? Kay, thanks, bye!"

Penny blinked (she questioned the inclusion of that function since her eyes did not require the constant refreshing, but her father assured her it was crucial to blending in with humans) and Ruby had used her semblance to get into the A.I. Go Forward's seat and gunned the hi-tech duel runner out of the garage.