Chapter 29: Choice

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryugii. This has been pulled from his Spacebattle publishment. Anyway on with the show...errr read.

Choice

Whelp.

I was fucked. I was pretty sure of that when I saw her sign and just about certain of it when I Observed her. The difference between us was tremendous, whether based on levels, stats, or whatever else. In fact, going by pure physical abilities, she was by far the strongest person I'd ever been capable of Observing. This wasn't like fight Grimm or even like fighting the Nevermore; this was an intelligent, presumably trained individual with skill and versatility to back up her tremendous power.

Even so, I stayed calm. I'm not gonna lie—I owed that fact entirely to the Gamer's Mind—but I did stay calm, analyzing the situation as I searched for a way out, a way through this. I recalled what I already knew and reminded myself that I didn't need to win this battle, I just needed to buy a little time.

Even if standing in front of a level fifty-nine opponent made it suddenly seemed like a lot of time.

I considered my options quickly but before I even knew what I was doing, I'd stood up and walked fully into sight, standing before the young-looking girl beneath the moon and stars. A moment later, my brain caught up with my body and I almost nodded to myself—my cover had obviously been ineffective anyway and if the point was to buy time, this was probably my best bet. I'd have preferred to run, but even beyond the issue of defending the White Whale and the people being loaded into it, when it came to people significantly more powerful than me, my prospects for escape tended to be uncertain at the best of times. No, this was smarter; I was…well, doubtful I'd be lucky enough to make it through on this alone, but it could do nothing but help.

"Penny Polendina," I said clearly, thankful as always for how broken Observe was while I scanned her profile. "The first synthetic person capable generating of Aura; Dr. Polendina's daughter and masterpiece. I didn't expect to meet you so soon—but nonetheless, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Most people would have probably been off put by someone reciting hidden or private details of their life, but Penny just waved.

"That's me!" She said brightly. "I'm afraid I don't know your name though."

"I tend to avoid introductions, I'm afraid," I replied demurely. "You see, surrounded as I am by so many amazing individuals, I feel rather embarrassed doing so—who could possibly recognize my humble self?"

"I'm sure that's not true," Penny said kindly. "I've heard a great deal about you! You must be a very skilled criminal to have taken the AS-WW. People all over Remnant know about you!"

"It's kind of you to say so," I thanked her in the same tone. "Nonetheless, this is a good opportunity. Before the situation degenerates needlessly, may I speak with you, Penny?"

Penny tilted her head to the side and blinked at me with bright green eyes.

"You seem very polite, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," She said, shaking her head. "And also, it's very important that I apprehend you and return what you've stolen."

"Strangers?" I asked. "But didn't you just say you knew a lot about me?"

She blinked and nodded.

"So I did," She agreed. "But I don't even know your name. And part of what I do know about you is that you are a criminal. Which, considering it, I believe even trumps being strangers—though I am uncertain."

"That seems a fair assumption, Penny," I conceded politely, eyes narrowed considering as I began to find my stride. "Yet I would argue that circumstance forced my hand. In return for a moment of your time, I would explain. As for my name, however, I'm afraid that may still be an issue—for you see, I am wearing a mask, an item meant to conceal one's identity; a task I would be subverting if I then simply revealed it to you. I could remove the mask, but you see, it is much akin to military uniform and it would be tasteless—perhaps even insulting—to remove it in the line of duty. I can assure you that despite my fame, you would not recognize the face beneath, nor even my name, so I'd ask that you allow it to remain in my possession."

"Okay," Penny nodded, watching me. "You wish to confess then? I believe that's allowed, though I will still have to take you into custody afterwards."

I gestured at her noncommittally before continuing.

"Are you aware of where we are?"

"Becheur, a mining facility owned by the Schnee Dust Company in Southern Atlas, Seventh Ring," She answered promptly. "Or do you mean in terms latitude and longitude?"

"That won't be necessary. However, perhaps I should rephrase my question. Do you know what this town's purpose is?"

"It's a mining facility owned by the Schnee Dust Company," Penny answered, blinking owlishly at me. "Presumably, it is a facility meant to mine Dust for the Schnee Dust Company."

Couldn't argue with that.

"But are you aware of the process through which this occurs?" I asked.

"I assume it is mined by miners, hence the name. Perhaps with the aid of mining equipment, also hence the name," She said and if she was being sarcastic, she hid it tremendously well.

"That's entirely accurate," I allowed. "But paints a false image. For you see, this is a company town, if you are familiar with the term. Everything in it is owned by the Schnee Dust Company, including, for all intents and purposes, the people. You may not be aware of it, but this mine is run almost entirely on Faunus labor and they are paid solely in company scrip—a form of currency that only holds value to the company that possesses it. They spend this scrip to buy their essentials from the Schnee Dust Company, but its value is entirely controlled by their employers for it has value nowhere else. They determine what can be purchased, when it's available, and how much it cost, determining not only how much their employees are paid but the worth of what they receive. Due to the state of Faunus on Mantle, they can get away with a great deal in this regard and it is effectively a legalized form of slavery."

"What?" Penny asked quietly. "But that's…"

"Horrible," I finished for her. "And the reason why I am here. The situation, you see, forced this result. I'm sure you would agree that I had to act, but my options were limited. I needed to transport a large number of people a vast distance, you see, and I had no means of acquiring an appropriate vessel except through the ignoble means of theft. Nonetheless, I had no choice but to act; you, if anyone, must understand why."

I was getting wordy, I realized, and it strangely brought back memories of school; trying desperately to hit the word limit on an assignment at the last minute by bloating things, meandering on the topic. Sadly, it also brought back another memory—of presentation day, when I'd found myself nearing the end of my speech with way too much time left. I could feel Levant working in the back of my mind, raising figures into the White Whale one by one—but God it seemed to be taking forever. We'd practiced this and I knew she was keeping an amazing pace given her task, but…

"What?" Penny asked, looking surprised. "What do you mean?"

"At the risk of sounding cliché, I think you and I are rather similar," I said, refocusing in an instant. I honestly wasn't sure where I was going with any of this, yet; I was just doing my best to make the leap from thought to thought, to keep talking without sounding foolish or mad. As I came to an idea I thought had potential, I seized it and pressed onwards. "In the eyes of others, we are naught but an animal and a machine. Not people, just tools to be used. Look around us."

I gestured encompassing—at the town, at the machine's broken on the field, at the world.

"Could there be a more fitting place for us to meet? A town where Faunus are enslaved and forced to work for human masters. A field of broken machines, sent to be destroyed by those same masters. It was my hand which ended them and I did so thoughtlessly, for which I must apologize, but it was they who sent them against me. And what does that mean for you, Penny? They don't even deserve to be compared to something as amazing as you, of course, please don't take the comparison as an insult—you are so much more than a machine, while these are simply programed to act in defined ways. They aren't alive and I felt no guilt in destroying them thusly, but…Faunus are alive and yet still used. Perhaps even treated worse than simple machines. What can we expect, then, of those who might follow you, Penny? Of your brothers and sisters, of your children and kin? Will they be treated like us? Will they be forced to act as their master's desire, programmed to do so instead of being given life, choice? Will they ever get a chance to live like you, Penny, or will you be left alone?"

Penny seemed to shrink into herself at my words, a figure of tremendous, unbelievable power looking abruptly frightened, hesitant, confused—and I tried not to let that bother me, but I failed.

And yet, as with Weiss, I stood firm.

"You…you're wrong," She said. "I'm…I'm not a real girl. I'm not alive."

"If that's what you believe, then you are wrong or else you've been lied to," I answered after a moment, looking her over. "I can see it so clearly. Emotions on your face, in your eyes. Innocence and uncertainty in every line of your body. I can see the light of Aura burning within you, Penny—the light of your soul. Only living things have an Aura, Penny, and that means you're alive. It's plain to see that you are a real girl and anyone who disagrees is blind."

"I…" She tried, taking a step back, a step forward.

"We aren't enemies, Penny," I said soothingly. "Or we don't have to be. Let's not fight. I haven't killed anyone; the humans are still huddled quietly in their houses, waiting for this to be over. Just let me take the Faunus from this place and I'll leave, just like that. There's no need for senseless violence."

"…I can't," She said after a moment. "I…I'm…"

"Would they punish you, Penny?" I asked. "If you let slaves go free? What does that imply, then? For us…and you. For whom living and letting live is a crime. If that's how things truly are, perhaps you should question the world you know…and the people you think you do. Penny, you aren't anyone's property. You aren't owned or owed to anyone. You are a living, thinking being—a miracle of life and innovation both. And if they would punish you for that, try to control you, and then they are wrong."

She was silent for a moment, blinking at me rapidly, lips forming silent words, but I kept going after only a moment's pause. I wondered a bit about my words, at how swiftly they could turn from a lie to buy time to something else, something I could put passion into—or was that part of the lie? Either way, I continued.

"Penny…you don't need to be afraid of anything. You're strong…and if you wished, I could take you away from this place. I could take you wherever you wanted to go—anywhere. If you wanted to escape and be free, I would do everything in my power to make it possible and protect you. You can come with me, if you want. Or you can stay and go home. Whatever you want, it's your choice. But let's not fight for them. I don't want to be your enemy. I'd rather be your friend."

I saw emotions on her face and more in her status screen—uncertainty, wonder, hesitation, fear, curiosity, worry, sadness—and realized how innocent this enormously powerful girl must have been. About life, about the world, about everything. Really, she was very much a child, hypocritical of me as it might have been to call her such.

And maybe that was where I'd made my mistake. Or perhaps, it had simply been inevitable. She was a child—uncertain and innocent and curious and afraid and everything else that could mean—and faced with all of that, she did what any child would do.

"No, this is…I can't. This is wrong," She shook her head. "Something's wrong. There must be a mistake. You shouldn't have to…they shouldn't need to…something must be at work here. My father, he would know what to do…"

She turned to her parents.

I saw my only real hope dwindle before my eyes.

"You love him," I said, abruptly tired.

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"He's my father," She said simply, extending a hand. "He and General Ironwood built me and…he's my father."

I nodded, understanding what she struggled to put into words. It didn't make this any easier.

"He told me to bring you in. There's an emergency—the White Whale, Ziz, it's…it's important," She said. "But we still don't have to fight. I can take you to him, let you explain. I'll vouch for you. I still want to be your friend. But I have to…"

"You have your duty," I finished for her. "I understand. And I still want to be your friend, too. But I can't go with you. I have my duty, as well. There are people relying on me, counting on me, and I won't let them down; I'm sure you get that. Are you sure you can't let me go? If it's about Ziz, I can tell you where it is."

"I…" She looked down. "Don't understand what's happening. I know I don't understand what's happening. But I trust my father. He's not a bad person. Whatever's happening…I trust him and I know he'll understand. So…I have my duty to the people of Atlas and of Remnant. Even if I want to be your friend, to believe you, I can't make any mistakes. I have to protect everyone. Please, come speak to my father, tell him what you told me and…"

I was silent for a long moment, more in an attempt to delay the inevitable than anything else. I couldn't go with her. Even if I had some way of know that her father could do what she wanted to believe, even if I knew he had that much power and was a good person and would listen to me, I had too many lies that could be uncovered. And too many enemies. The Schnee, at the very least, would…

"I can't," I said at last. "I'll miss my flight. We have to do this, then?"

Penny looked down at the ground and nodded shallowly, looking miserable. I inhaled deeply.

"A pity," I said and meant it. "Such a pity."

For me, I couldn't help but think.

"I'll make this quick," She said and I barely saw the first attack before it hit me. I heard metal scraping and saw starlight gleam of a razor edge as a sword unfolded behind her, held by nothing and multiplying abruptly with a sharp sound—and then I was sent flying back. The White Tiger's Hide held under the impact for a moment before shattering, tearing apart with a rush of sensation that I felt against my very being as the blades bit further inwards. I felt my MP drain as my Aura took the hit, soaking it in place of my body, but didn't have time to check on any precise numbers as I was hurled back into a wall.

Or, more accurately, through a wall.

And the one behind it and the one behind that. I felt cheap wood breaking under my body and I was flung into what seemed like a small work room, over several small desks or tables that I only noticed peripherally, out the other side into the street where I was sent for a rough tumble into the dirt, hit something like a curb, and was sent flying into a thin metal shutter of some kind. The door crumbled beneath me and I went rolling across a warehouse floor.

It hurt. A lot.

But only for a second before the pain faded, swept away by the Gamer's Body. Still, for a moment all I could do was lay there, stunned by the pain and the confirmation it had carried with it. I was strong and I had trained hard and I'd layers my defenses. Between me and any attack was the White Tiger's Hide which soaked a large amount of damage before failing, my Metal Aura which reduced any damage by a large fraction, and my Aura which made damage roll over to my MP before touching my HP, to say nothing of my Physical Endurance, which also reduced any source of damage by a large fraction. It was a powerful effect, taken altogether, especially with how highly I'd leveled all my skills; for someone my age, for someone who'd only trained for a month, it was an amazing defense.

And if not for all of that, this fight would have ended in that one blow. Penny had hit me with enough force that even with all of that, she'd still stripped away nearly half my MP—and I was pretty sure she was holding back, especially since I'd felt the blade draw away from me a second after impact. I wasn't surprising, really; I'd always known about the difference between me and some of the ridiculous opponents I fought. Hell, just earlier, I'd killed a bunch of robots a little less than half my level effortlessly and the difference between Penny and I was a fair bit larger. Even if I hadn't gotten to experience it first hand, 'a hit from an opponent nearly forty levels above you would hurt like a bitch' went without saying.

So I wasn't surprised, really. I wasn't even scared, really, even ignoring the effect of the Gamer's Mind. As I lay on the warehouse floor for a second and just stared at the ceiling, I just…accepted it. She was vastly stronger than me and she had the speed and versatility to back it up. She was, in every sense of the word, above my level.

But I got up because that didn't change anything. I still had a job to do, I still had things to fight for, and I was still going home, somehow.

I tried to think of a plan. I considered trying to fly away or at least out of range but there were more than a few problems with the idea. Levant could lift and hold a single person fairly easily now, allowing me to walk on air or even carry me around. But…that wasn't quite the same as being able to fly myself. Ideally, Levant would be materialized and holding onto my back as she had during our practices, at which point I would either relay instructions to her or let her do what she thought best—and either way, the result was amazing but not ideal for a fight. In the former, there was a delay between thought and action, like telling someone how to drive in your place. It was a short delay since I could rely on Levant for most things, but if there was something precise or if I needed to dodge something fast, the fact remained that I wasn't doing it the moment I thought about it, I was thinking of it, telling someone else to do it, and waiting for them to.

Levant was amazing, but adding steps to a process like that was going to cause delays no matter how good you were. Leaving things to her was better—a lot smoother, certainly—but it had the problem of someone else being in control of my movements. Even if Levant didn't need to focus on evacuating the Faunus and could manifest and guide my flight, having another person effectively controlling my legs while I fought was not going to make this any easier. And if that first hit was any indication, if I made a mistake once, there were decent odds I wasn't going to get a chance to make another.

All of which was a moot point, I supposed, because of the situation. I couldn't be certain of the range on those blades of hers, but they hit fast and from what I'd seen, could be used without her touching them. Given that, I pondered what I would do if I were designing such a thing and figured they probably had a pretty huge reach. Being able to hit at a distance was rather the point of a ranged weapon, after all. Even if I could afford to draw Levant's attention away from evacuation—dealing with the effect splitting her power would have on both my mobility and the time it meant I'd have to buy—whether it'd be enough to save me was, ironically, up in the air.

If I was just trying to run away…maybe, but for this? No.

Stealth, perhaps? I'd leveled it up some, though it had never been a focus given the plan. Still, I might be able to lead her on a chase for a bit while remaining unseen—assuming that no one involved with the construction of a super robot had considered the numerous advantages of sensors and enhanced vision, which seemed rather unlikely. If you were creating a combat robot for…whatever reason, why would you stop at normal human capability for such a major thing? I wouldn't have. Hell, if it was me, Penny would have been able to see Ultraviolet light bare minimum, and as much of the rest of the Electromagnetic Spectrum as I could manage. I didn't know the limits the top scientists in Atlas might have in that regard, but hell—they'd created life. Assuming they'd had fun thinking of ways to ruin things they sent their robot at seemed reasonable.

Can't talk, can't fight, can't run, can't hide, which kind of left me out to dry. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't think of anything that had a real chance of stopping Penny. Or slowing her down. Or doing more than momentarily inconveniencing her.

Which was worrisome, since I could feel her approaching.

I looked around, prioritizing quickly. Right now, I needed to survive long enough to figure out how to keep surviving. I scanned the warehouse for a way out or anything useful—

I paused, suddenly realizing where I was. All around me were neatly arranged crates, boxes, and various other storage containers, all looking read for shipping. Given this town's purpose, it wasn't hard to guess what was inside them and a quick check with Observe confirming it regardless.

I was in a storage warehouse surrounded by tons and tons of Dust—all of it carefully stored and prepared but no less potentially explosive for that fact. If something happened to a warehouse like this…Well, assuming whoever was responsible for looking over my remains gave me a funeral, they'd be able to bury me in a petri dish. There was enough Dust in here to wipe away this whole town easily.

Maybe even enough to take down an unbelievably strong android, a cold—or maybe just frightened—part of me whispered before I hushed it. That was a horrible strategy no matter how I looked at it for many, many reasons. From a practical standpoint, while it may well have been enough to defeat even someone as powerful as Penny, uncontrolled close-proximity explosives did not lend themselves well to survivable strategies and there were a lot of people who could be caught up in one as big as this. I would be endangering the very reason I came here on such a desperate strategy and I'd probably die pulling it off besides.

Just as importantly, if it could take down Penny, it may very well kill her in the process. Desperate attempt to buy time or not, I'd meant the things I said and I couldn't do that. It seemed kind of unfair that I had to worry about the safety of my opponent as well as myself, but I couldn't endanger her like that. If I had a lot of time, full knowledge of Penny's abilities and limits, and had a lot of experience with using Dust in such a way, maybe, but setting of a bunch of explosives and crossing my fingers? No.

Although…

It gave me an idea. Not a very good idea, unfortunately—it would have been more honest to call it a fool's hope, but that seemed self-defeating. But as the Gamer's Mind kept me calm and all my other options had run dry…

Vulturnus, I reached out to my Lightning Elemental and he was by my side in an instant. Though he was immaterial, I couldn't keep a shiver from going down my spine as I saw him standing in a room full of Dust, imagining it exploding. Vulturnus didn't even look at me at first, gaze focused towards where Penny must have been.

When I told him what I wanted, however, he shifted to look at me. The uniform color of his entire body made it hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure he was staring at me in disbelief.

You're my only hope, I told him seriously. Go.

He remained as he was for an instant—and however long that must have been to a Lightning Elemental—and then was gone. I felt him in my mind, crossing my senses like the element he represents as he flashed towards Penny.

And as he moved right passed her, leaving he untouched and unaware of his presence.

I will return. He whispered back as he stopped near the edge of my range. Don't fade away.

Then, with a sound almost like static, he fell silent and my awareness of him slide to the back of my mind to join Levant.

I tried not to feel any less confident then I did already, but with Vulturnus gone I had one less Elemental by my side and I'd gotten used to their constant presence and support. Still, he'd be more useful where I'd put him then by my side, even if he was one of the best choices for facing this situation—which had probably been the reason for his unusual focus until now. He and Crocea Mors had the best chances of hurting Penny, after all.

But they wouldn't let me win this. If Penny was something else—if she was a Spider Droid or even a super Spider Droid—I would have any reason to fear her. If she was just as strong and a normal robot, I'd tear her apart regardless of our level difference. It might be difficult in a few ways and a tad dangerous in others, but I was almost certain I'd win such a fight. Crocea Mors could let me tear strips of metal from the White Whale's hull with about as much effort as lifting a bed sheet. Vulturnus could reach into and cause havoc on any electrical system, tearing up the power and letting it run loose. Between the two of them, I was certain that if I had to face a Spider Droid or two or even three, I would win. Not so much because I was powerful, but because I could literally just reach inside them and turn them off.

But Penny wasn't just a super advanced robot. She had an Aura, a soul—she was a real girl.

And that changed things. I couldn't reach into her and mess with things, even if I wanted to. I could sense her, the metal and electricity that made her run, but I couldn't control it—or at least, not like I did with everything else. It was a matter of my Aura and hers and it would mean a clash that she'd almost certainly win. If I could touch her, fight it directly, and hold on for a while, maybe I could do something, but I was pretty sure what would actually happen was that my body would be introduced to realms of physical discomfort previously unheard of.

There was a serious risk of me dying in fact, now that I thought about it. Though I had no desire—and limited ability—to hurt Penny and doubted she really wished to injure me, as far as she'd be able to see, her attacks would seem ineffective because of the Gamer's Body. It was possibly that in her attempts to take me down, she might instead drive me to the grave because nothing would happen until I lost my last HP point.

I briefly entertained the idea of explaining that to her. My power was strange enough that I was sure I could buy a fair amount of time with that explanation—but no. There was a better then good chance that anything I told Penny would find its way to the people above her, one way or another. It might save me from dying here, but if I was captured and they knew about my power…

I'd take my chances risking my life. Besides, seeming invulnerable gave me a psychological advantage, if one probably lost on Penny.

Instead, I tore open one of the boxes and palmed one of the Dust crystals. A yellow one, reminding me of Vulturnus.

"I'll buy you some time," I murmured to myself even as I opened my Status Screen in preparation. "Soulforge Restoration."

I felt power and vitality flow into me on the wings of strange sensations—a crispness to the air, a scent of the wind, hair standing up along my arms, water on my face, and the distant rumbling of thunder. I felt my HP and MP return to me and exhaled slowly, looking at the window that appeared before me.

The Status Effect, "Haste", has been created. Duration: 20 seconds.

God, I hoped this worked.

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