Chapter Text
Ruby hadn’t really understood why her dad had been so nervous about this big trip to Atlas. A whole week in the most technologically advanced place in Remnant? How could this not be the coolest thing ever? Almost all of her Signal classmates were going on the week-long trip, too. Despite her dad’s “I don’t knows” and “maybes,” Ruby had managed to get him to sign the permission slip and pay the dues for her to go. Of course, his condition that he chaperone was annoying, but at least it was happening! Ruby couldn’t wait to see the cool tech and weapons at Atlas Academy.
Much to her dismay, however, Ruby realized this school trip was ending up being way more boring than she expected. As her dad had put it, this really was shaping up to be “an elaborate recruitment event dressed up like an educational trip.” High-ranking military types and grizzled old academy professors gave tour after lecture after presentation, but to Ruby, it all blurred together. Who cared about graduation rates, or quality of education? Ruby wanted to see the cool stuff!
Which is why, despite knowing it would probably get her in trouble, she sneaked away during a lecture on the history of the kingdom to try to look around for something more interesting. Her class had spent the whole day at this academy, so Ruby knew well enough that this place was huge. But she hoped what little she’d manage to see would feature something cool. Maybe a weapons workshop, or a tech lab of some sort. There had to be something around in these huge echo-y halls.
Just when she was about to give up her search and sneak back into the lecture hall, she heard something from a nearby room. She shuffled closer and listened, noticing the placard by the door, Project Workshop #307.
“Her software is coming along even better than planned,” a man’s voice from within spoke. “The specifics of her hardware is the more troublesome aspect. But as an individual, she is displaying a tremendous level of self-awareness and agency. Not to mention she is quite personable and friendly, if not a tad bit literal. I’m still working on her ability to detect hyperbole.”
“It’s very impressive,” another man spoke. He sounded familiar. “But I am certain you know that the hardware is the top priority at this time. I find you focus too much on this project’s more…sentimental aspects.”
“Yes, well, you did ask for her to be as believable as possible. And I feel she is well on the way to achieving that goal!”
“Indeed. But you do understand what I am telling you, correct?”
“Yes, general. Understood.”
General? General Ironwood, that guy who gave the big welcome speech that morning?
“Good. I am very satisfied with the progress you’ve made on this project. Keep up the good work.”
“Thank you, sir. Good day!”
Ruby heard the sturdy thumping of boots on the floor, and she panicked and petal burst away to hide under a nearby bench. She held her breath and watched as who must have been the general walk past, none the wiser. She sighed in relief, then began to crawl out from under the bench only to see someone else leaving the same room, and she yelped and hid once more.
The person walked by her hiding spot, or…a robot? Four robotic legs ambled down the hall, and Ruby thought for a second that a big mech had been released inside the school. She poked her head out to look, but instead saw a man in a chair. It was like a wheelchair, but…with legs. Still cool, but not a mech.
Once the man and his robo-chair had disappeared around a corner, Ruby turned her attention to the room he’d left. He’d shut the door and she feared it was locked, but was relieved when it opened when she tried the knob. She grinned and looked both ways down the hall one more time, then entered. Time to see what this project was.
The men had talked about software, and how realistic she was becoming. Was this an AI of some sorts? A completely artificial person, even? The concept blew Ruby’s mind, and she hoped that was the case. She entered the room and gently shut the door behind herself, then turned to see…a laptop. A laptop sitting on a table, surrounded by notebooks and papers. Ruby had been expecting something cooler to look at. Maybe an android, like the hardware the men had talked about. She gave the notebooks a closer look, and was at least intrigued by their content.
The P.E.N.N.Y. Project.
“Penny…” Ruby muttered in curiosity as she looked at the header of one of the notebooks.
The laptop screen turned on, a bright lime green. “Salutations!”
“Wah-!” Ruby yelped and almost fell over, instead managing to land her butt in a nearby desk chair. She looked at the laptop with wide eyes. The screen was completely lime green, save for a small power on/power off icon in the bottom right.
“‘Wah’?” The feminine voice asked. “What does that mean?”
Ruby held her breath as she slowly adjusted herself in her seat, then used her legs to roll her way closer to the monitor. “Hello?”
“Hello!” The voice answered with delight.
“Who are you?” Ruby asked.
“I am Project P.E.N.N.Y., but you may just call me Penny.”
Ruby’s jaw fell open, and she glanced at the notebook again. “You…you’re an artificial intelligence.”
The voice seemed to giggle. “In a way, I am. My intelligence is man-made, but my more proper categorization is ‘Synthetic Person.’”
“Woah…” Ruby murmured, staring at the screen.
“‘Woah?’“ Penny asked. “What does that mean?”
“It…” Ruby wasn’t sure how to answer. “It’s just a thing you say when, like, you see something really cool.”
“‘Woah’ is an exclamation of wonder?”
“Yeah!” Ruby said with a laugh. “That makes more sense than what I said.”
“Thank you for teaching me!”
“Uh, sure.” Ruby was talking to a computer. Or, well, a synthetic person. This was so flipping awesome! This was exactly the kind of thing she had been hoping to find.
“Who are you?” Penny asked.
“I-I’m Ruby.”
“It is wonderful to meet you, Ruby!”
Her enthusiasm was infectious. “And it’s awesome meeting you too!”
“You are the first person besides my fathers that I have gotten to talk to so freely.”
Her fathers? “You mean the general, and that man in the…spider chair?”
“Precisely!” Penny confirmed. “Pietro Polendina is the one who is designing me, and General Ironwood is overseeing my progress.”
“That’s really cool,” Ruby said with a laugh. “When do you think you’ll be finished?”
“That is uncertain at this time. My father is currently designing a physical body for me! But the problem with that is without an Aura of my own—”
The door suddenly opened, and Ruby spun around in her chair to face whoever it was. Except she spun herself a little too hard and continued rotating, having to turn her head to face the man in the robo-chair while scrambling to stop her spinning.
“P-pardon me,” the man said, eyes wide and glasses crooked on his face as he stared at Ruby.
“Sorry!” Ruby yelped, hopping to her feet and standing upright, rubbing the back of her head. “I, uh…” She then quickly fell to the floor and mimed searching around for something. “I dropped my…lucky bottle cap.” My what…?
The man adjusted his glasses and chuckled. “Child, shouldn’t you be with your classmates?”
Ruby’s cheeks warmed. “Yeah, uhm…I got lost?”
The man Ruby deduced to be the Pietro Polendina whom Penny had mentioned shook his head fondly. “I do not blame your curiosity, young one.” He glanced at the desk. “I see you have made an acquaintance, Penny.”
“Ruby and I are acquainted?” Penny asked, sounding excited. “I have never been acquainted to someone before!”
Pietro chuckled fondly, like Ruby’s dad would anytime she’d go on a ramble about weapons or types of Grimm. “And while I am all in favor of you meeting new people in time, I’m afraid all information to do with you is proprietary at the moment. You and Ruby will have to catch up some other time.”
“I understand,” Penny said. “My conversational software is very impressionable.”
Ruby stood back to her feet as straight as she could, feeling hot under her Signal uniform. “So, uhh, I should go, huh?”
“Do not forget about your lucky bottle cap!” Penny reminded her earnestly.
“Oh, uhh…” Ruby’s face burned.
Pietro let out a hearty laugh and shuffled his robo-chair to the side. “Run along, Ruby. You are certainly missing a riveting retelling of Atlas’ military history.” Humorous sarcasm tinged his words.
Ruby nodded and awkwardly marched to the door. “Y-yes, sir,” she said, then struggled with whether she should salute or not, then compromised with a wave. “Uhm…bye, Penny.”
“Farewell! I hope to talk to you again soon, acquaintance!“