RWBY Through Worlds

162: First to Fall

Kip was waiting outside, and Penny had just come back out and found him.

"I killed them all," she said. Then she landed. "I don't really get tired, but I seem to be having some trouble regenerating Aura as quickly."

"My mother enhanced my Aura regeneration," Kip said.

"Ah," Penny said. "Well, because I have less than a human, my father made sure most of me runs on other things, but you know, you can't run forever on anything but Aura. Until you die..."

Kip sighed. "Sometimes Aura isn't enough either. My mother always admired the Penny Project because she said that a mechanical body with a human soul would be the perfect way to make sure no one ever got sick or old. But the only problem was you couldn't make more people...easily."

"She said that to you?" Penny was well aware of how biology worked, but her father had told her not to talk about it in polite company.

"Why not?" Kip said.

"Oh...nevermind." Penny didn't care to explain. "I don't hear any yelling... Are they all right?"

"I think so," Kip said.

Penny was on the point of going in after them anyway, but then Hamish and Libby scrambled out of the grate, and then pulled the others out.

One could only imagine what Kip thought when his mother followed them all out.

In the open sun, Victoria was covered in dirt and what might have been oil and looked like she hadn't slept in 4 days, but she was still hopped up on dust, and you'd never have known she was tired by looking at her.

Kip froze.

Penny, perceptive enough to know this was not good, stepped in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha mouthed at them behind Hamish.

"Look who we found," Meridian said, cheerfully.

"Kip!" Victoria locked on him.

Kip backed up.

"What's the matter?" Victoria said.

"He's afraid of you." Penny frowned at her. "Because you're mean!"

"I don't need a robot to tell me I'm mean," Victoria said.

"Yes," Pyrrha said. "You should be able to tell yourself that."

Hamish and Meridian choked on a laugh.

"Pyrrha," Jaune hissed.

Victoria turned to give Pyrrha a deadly look. "What did you just say to me?"

Pyrrha didn't flinch.

"I don't mean to tell you how to be a parent," she said, "but the first thing you should be telling your son is 'I'm sorry' after all the terrible things you made him be a part of. You wanted to see him, but that doesn't mean we're going to just let you take him. He's terrified of you."

"He never was till you people messed with his head!" Victoria said.

"Oh, come on," Weiss said. "Take it from someone who's left both their parents. If you were a good mother, no one could have convinced him to leave you that easily."

"Oooh..." Meridian winced. "Is that what I sound like?" he asked Hamish.

"Nay, she's way more well spoken," Hamish repiled.

"Guys," Jaune said, "I know Meridian's kinda affecting us, but can we not try to make her kill us all?"

"I think Kip can speak for himself anyway," Penny said. "Right, Kip?"