Sentinels: A RWBY AU

CHAPTER ONE: Recognition

4 months since the invasion...

Joanna walks through the wartorn wasteland that was once her home, buildings in rubble around her, smoke still billowing over the skyline, turning the sky a deep orange...she clutches her weapon hard, her legs starting to fail from under her...

She could hear the footsteps of the approaching Sentinels, their metal boots crashing into the ground, loud against the backdrop of dust and decay, the loud clanking filling the air around her. She knew it was over, she knew she had no shot against those things... Those abominations... her legs finally gave out, as she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in her hands.

The sound of the approaching Sentinel's footsteps became louder... each step the army took felt like an eternity as the ground shook beneath her...each step closer to her own perceived demise...

Joanna had fought bravely... She had held the line as all the civilians evacuated... and now... It was over... she would be at the mercy of the Sentinal army that now approached...

She gazed upwards... The sentinels finally reached where she now lay... this was surely it... this was surely the end of her...

She stared into the triangular visor of the large Sentinel now looming over her... Its metal body was completely devoid of any emotion... Its armour was dark.. sleek... a large robe draped over its left arm portraying a sense of authority, its visor glowing a bright blue colour.. for what stood before her.. Devoid of any empathy... was a Sentinal commander...

She continued to lay there... waiting anxiously for the Sentinel to make its next move, however, she felt something unexpected... Something familiar in its gaze, something about how the machine looked at her, how it analysed her...

despite this, she couldn't quite tell what about it was familiar, it was like a heavy sense of Deja Vu had washed over her... and she couldn't quite explain why...

"Joanna."

The silence was now broken by the Sentinel Commander's metallic, monotone, voice, it cut threw the air like a Knife... as Joanna's eyes widened in disbelief...

It knew her name... this machine knew her name...

Joanna tried to stand, but her legs continued to fail beneath her... her failing legs kicking up dust....

"How... how do you know my name..?!" Joanna said, straining her voice through uneven pants... Her voice had become horse and stressed...

The Sentinel commander was silent at Joanna's question... and Unexpectedly... It raised an arm forward, almost as if .. it was offering a helping hand to her...

"Get up... Jo..."

Joanna couldn't believe what she was hearing... it took her mind a second to process before finally attempting to stand properly, refusing the metallic hand of the commander who now stood before her...

She finally made it to her feet, leaning on the staff for leverage, staring into the visor of the Sentinel...

"Who are you?" Joanna muttered, "You called me Jo... nobody has ever called me that but... "

"them.."

her voice trailed off.. she leaned against her staff like it was the only thing keeping her upright and balanced, like a lifeline... her anchor....

The Sentinel commander remained silent, as it stood amid an entourage of fellow Sentinels, their visors all emitting a blue glow from beneath their dark grey armour...

Slowly... It raised a hand to its face, a sound of rushing air as the faceplate was removed... finally... as the faceplate fell to the ground... she revealed herself...

Joanna's eyes now widened in pure shock and disbelief... her heart, now threatening to beat out of her chest... She stared... still coming to terms with... who... was now standing before her.... Staring at her... her cold gaze void of what she remembered it to be...

For she had seen those eyes before... the eyes which now stared at her with a now cold... uncaring... gaze...

As Joanna continued to stare into Her eyes... she felt faint... her body threatening to plummet to the ground at any second... for she did not want to acknowledge it... she did not want to acknowledge who the person standing before her had become...

Finally, Joanna spoke, a tear rolling down her cheek, as they fell to the ground below her...

"What have they done to you?!"