RWBY: Meta-Static

Chapter 7 Authority

Ruby's POV:

After the struggle with the mutant, we all walked through the halls of the military compound. We all had mixed emotions that this mutant had been afflicting onto us. The mutant didn't want to fight us or hurt Penny but did anyway. He stole from the military, but only because he claimed they took something of his. He wrecked all the robots and defenses but saved us from a Grimm invasion. What's his deal?

We followed Penny through the halls and to a room where Winter was talking on the phone, and Pietro was working from his leg chairs.

"Yes, yes," said Winter, "don't worry, its all taken care of... I promise... I'll make sure of it...ok gotta go...you too...but you know that I do... that's because I-" then she saw us, "that's because people are listening to me talk and I don't want them to hear me say that...ugh it's not like that," her expression turned sad, "look I...I know... I know you do...ok I'm glad you understand...ok...you too.'' Then she hung up and sighed.

Ironwood put a hand on her shoulder.

"Is everything alright, Schnee?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sir," Winter said, looking sad.

"Winter!" said Weiss; she ran to her sister and hugged her.

"Hello, Weiss," Winter said, smiling, "how've you been?"

"I'm fine. Who were you talking to just now?"

"My boyfriend," Winter said calmly.

We all gasped.

"Y-your boyfriend?" I asked, "Are you making a joke right now?"

"No."

Weiss almost passed out as Harriet burst out laughing.

"You have a man, Winter?" Harriet guffawed, "Oh god, please tell me it isn't Marrow!"

"I'm right here," whined Marrow.

"It isn't Marrow," Winter said coldly.

"How can you, of all people, have a man?" Harriet laughed, holding her sides, "You're the coldest person we know!"

"I may not be the most likely to get a man, but it's better than being someone who can't get one in the first place, Harriet."

That shut her up.

"Enough with the bickering," groaned Ironwood, "Pietro, we need your help with a technical problem."

"Sure thing, sir," Pietro said, moving away from the computer screen, "now tell me what you need."

"I need you to run a diagnostic on Penny and search the robot databases. I think our systems were hacked by an unknown assailant."

"Well, if that happened, our security systems would have gone off, but let me check just in case."

"What's this all about, sir?" asked Winter.

"Penny was taken over by an adversary and commanded with ease. The command protocol was nothing we've ever heard before."

"Well, general," said Pietro, "looks like there's no problem. Penny working just fine, and everything seems to be in order."

"What!? Pietro, an unknown individual, issued Penny commands! He told her to use weapons and abilities we had no idea she could use! How could things be in order?"

"Our records show that there was no hack, virus, trace, spike, or any other technological abnormality in our systems and Penny's."

"Pietro, that can't be true," I remarked, "Penny was under the influence of an enemy! She used giant energy swords and made a cage with weird ball things that trapped us in lightning walls!"