Machine Hearts (A Dust and Echoes/ Megaman BN cross)

[Corrupt]

Why did I write this?

... Ah.

Anyway enjoy!

---

Ruga A'nle was having a bad time.

No no, that was inaccurate. It was more accurate to say that he, and his carrier, and the ships that made up his fleet, were all having a bad time.

He hadn't known what happened. One moment they had caught up to the Human fleet, plasma weapons primed, missile batteries ready, and the many, many Seraph's and
Banshees ready to tear into any fighters the Humans launched to shreds.

Their ship's stolen AI had lined up every deck gun perfectly with the largest of the Human ships, ready to send the filth to their fiery dooms. It had been well worth the effort of boarding the last vessel that came across, corrupting the construct's mind and turning it to their side.

Then the AI started screaming.

It was a horrid, ear scraping sound that made all of the bridge personnel immediately jump up, some Sangheili even bringing their energy swords to bear from an unseen enemy.

The next moment, it was absolutely silent as Ruga felt utter terror and disbelief when his ship was disabled, along with every other ship in his fleet.

Then one of the consoles blinked near him, showing him a figure. It looked Human, though rather much more short and wearing strange armor, dark gray in coloration, a helmet with spikes jutting out the back in a style similar to a mane, claws sharp enough to tear flesh asunder with single strike, and a face mask that, while concealing its face, did nothing to hide the red glare of the Human that stared him in the eyes. A crest was on its chest, simple in design, a line passing through red surrounded by a yellow circle, and another on its forehead, resembling that of a predator animal with another pair of eyes, completely filled with crimson and brimming with hate.

It looked at him like he had every Human he had personally killed, like a bug, inconsequential under its clawed boots.

He yelled at the thing then, insulting it for disabling his ship and ordering it to stand down. It just stared back impassively. It stared for long enough, Ruga idly wondered why the Humans weren't firing on their fleet.

Then, the thing spoke.

"You are not worth my time."

After that, the screen blinked off.

Then an explosion sounded off on his ship, followed by more and more of the detonations.

Alarms were blaring everywhere, his bridge officers receiving calls via personal comms only to be jammed immediately afterwards, a sound akin to a howling going off so loudly it burst some of their eardrums. Others were less lucky, sonic waves making their heads explode in a gory mess.

At one point, one officer hadn't immediately been jammed, and received reports of pipes blowing off and killing maintenance workers with fiery jets. Hangars reported aircraft exploding, sending shrapnel into every munition surface possible. Barracks and quarters were vented, sending warriors and soldiers to their doom in deep space.

His ship was being turned against him and his crew, and by the look of it outside the bridge's windows, the other ships were faring no better, one having been torn apart from explosions all across its deck.

When he ordered those specialized in cyber warfare to investigate immediately, the specialists had quickly taken out equipment to connect into ports along their terminals. Some were fried instantly, but one who managed to at least take a look, a screen flickered to life, and they beheld something... odd.

What looked to be virtual constructs were feeding and ripping apart virtual versions of major systems throughout the ship, a large avian looking creature, looking both savage and robotic, were chief among them, as well as a creature similar to the war dogs he had seen Human's bring into battle. They shared the same characteristics as their avian fellows, and leading all of them in a sitting position, looking absolutely bored with the chaos, was the thing.

Ruga screamed at it the moment it came on screen, even as his bridge officers tried to calm him down, even as the bridge itself caught fire.

He screamed at it, and the thing only looked bored with him.

---

Oum System, Remnant

Atlas Academy

September 29, 2551, 18:22 Hours

Penny Polendina stared at the strange object the good people of the UNSC had given to her. The liaison stationed in Atlas had personally delivered it to her room, saying it was an order that came up higher on their chain of command, but wasn't allowed to give a name. For security reasons of course, but it still felt peculiar they would send her such a... primitive object.

It was a blue, handheld device with a flippable screen, able to be opened and closed to form a sort of PDA device. It had a touch screen, a handle, and a strange jack attached to a cord, long and pliable enough to go quite the distance.

According to the data packet it came with, it was called a PET, PErsonal Terminal, and while she wondered at the weird abbreviation, she also stared at the note that came with it.

"Dear Miss Polendina,
We at ONI would like you to take a look at a device from an earlier era of our history, specifically in the 20XX era. Our own AI have been unable to breach the device's considerable security measures, and due to your unique nature, would like to contract you to take a look for yourself. Please advise us if you manage to decrypt whatever you find on it, and inform the good general Ironwood as well.

"Sincerely, P."

Penny didn't know anyone with a P in their name in ONI's records, at least not the ones Atlas had access to, but curiosity over the device had wormed its way into her synthetic mind. A device from an earlier era? There could be loads of information on there for Remnant to document!

A port opened up in her arm, and she took the jack out of its resting place on the PET, delicately handling the aged thing as if it would turn to ash under her grasp. Holding up her arm, Penny then slid the jack into her port-

-and woke in a world that was much like her own virtual space.

Blocky geometry greeted her, lines of code running up walls and obstacles in a much too dark space. All around her were cracks of code, suspended in the air like grotesque clouds, motes of light piercing the dark with red and providing a small amount of light.

Penny immediately put her cybersuite systems into action, ready to go on the defense should something appear to confront her. If ONI's AI hadn't been able to crack this place, there had to be something else to the device than a simple defense program.

She started walking in the virtual expanse, her feet making little pounding sounds on the digital surface. The synthetic walked past obstacles of varying shapes and sizes, all containing files and data of some kind, but she was unable to unlock any of them for her to see. They all had very impressive locks on them.

So she simply kept walking. Penny kept walking for so long, she hadn't noticed the large being behind her, stalking her like a predator and waiting to strike.

It never did pounce though, the giant being taking an interest in the newest interloper. She reminded him... of someone he knew for some reason.

He eventually decided to make his presence known though, a deep growling voice that would grate on fleshy ears echoing in the space, "It is... rude... to come in... unannounced."

Penny whirled around at the voice, a gasp of surprise making its way out of her digital form at the gigantic beast before her.

A lupine form greeted her, claws that were giant and razor sharp, cut off at the paw by a red guard with spiky protrusions, angular, sharpened limbs running with code all along them. Its joints were rounded, looking more like robotic axles that connected its limbs to the rest of its body, sharpened plates running up the side of its hind legs. Spikes ran along its spine, into a whip-like tail, the end ready to skewer her in a nanosecond. And finally, its head, covered in orange, crackling spikes, resembling a lion's mane.

Lines of light and code spread all along the beings body, and if Penny looked for more than a moment, her mind would reel back in horror at the thing's nonsensical existence in this realm of logic. Its dark red eyes stared down at her, snout closed for the moment, but ready to unleash deadly lightning at the drop of a hat, judging by the crackles in the air around it.

Penny and the being stared at each other for a long beat. She was... scared. Beyond terrified at the being in front of her.

Then, after that beat, the being raised a large foreleg, Penny shrunk and prepared to be cast into oblivion-

-only to hear a thud beside her, followed by another, then another behind her. Penny looked to see the being walking away from her into the distance.

The synthetic breathed a sigh of relief, freezing up again at the other being's voice, "Leave. I will not... be ONI's... experiment."

"U-uh... I-I'm not with ONI." Penny managed to say back to the being, voice gaining a little bit more confidence when she figured the being wouldn't immediately destroy her. "I-
I'm Penny! N-Nice to m-meet you sir!" She was proud at the amount of fear she was holding back to speak to the monstrosity before her.

The being stopped walking and turned its head to look at her, making the synthetic girl freeze at being in his gaze again. The staring contest went on long enough, that Penny jumped at hearing the being speak again.

"Gregar. Now leave."

The now named Gregar turned back to look to its path, striding in the direction with giant steps. Penny just stood there for a moment, idly wondering why Gregar had such a… stilted, slow speech, before following after the him, flying in the virtual world they were in.

She eventually came up to its side, looking Gregar in the eye as she asked, "What are you?"

Gregar didn't respond for a moment, before he spoke again, "A virus. I thought... I told you... to leave."

"Yes you did, but if you really wanted me to leave, you would have forced me out or destroyed me. You are perfectly capable of both, so that must mean you want something from me."

Gregar stopped and turned its head to the synthetic being to his side, Penny's bravery taking a hit, but soldiering on regardless, "A-and you can't be a virus. Viruses... aren't like what you are."

The wolf/ lion hybrid stared at her, before speaking up again, "You are... definitely not... one of Parangovsky's... croneys..." Gregar's head tilted, the image looking oddly cute on the giant being before her, "Where... do you... hail?"

"A world called Remnant, s-sir Gregar!" Penny snapped off and bowed toward the being, showing respect to stave off whatever he had in store at her answer.

"Do not... fear... I will not... harm you... not what he... would have wanted..."

Penny breathed a sigh at that, before looking at Gregar with a quizzical tilt of her head, "He?"

"Hmm…", Gregar eyed the girl, red eyes seemingly examining her to her basest form. He continued to do so until he spoke up again, "I suppose I could... show you..." After Gregar said that, a white light engulfed his form, Penny shielding her eyes from the intensity of it. After a few moments, Penny felt she could look again, and had to look down at the new form Gregar had taken.

He was still beastly looking, but had taken a more humanoid body, dark gray armor and spikes jutting out of his head in the mane like fashion, gauntlets and boots fitted with razor sharp digits, and a more human face stared at her, a face mask pulled up over his jaw.

Gregar stretched in this new form like a cat, his tail spasming at the cracks of joints and limbs, "Ah… much better. Far better to speak in Hub's form than in my original shell."

His voice was still growling, but it no longer had the grating quality to it, taking more of a… dare she say squeaky tone. It was quite an odd contrast compared to the former.

But it did make her feel a little less afraid as she gave Gregar a smile, "I presume Hub was the one who looked like how you do now? Where is he?" She gasped and suddenly
Gregar's personal space was invaded by the excitable synthetic, "Is he your friend!? Can I meet him!?"

Gregar raised a brow at her, shoving her face away while being careful not to scratch her with his claws, "First of all, don't get in my face like that. You're liable to lose a few limbs doing that. And second…"

Gregar's eyes turned sad, and he sighed, looking to the digital sky, "Hub was my friend… unfortunately, he has been gone for a long, long time now."

"Oh…" Penny wrung her hands together at that, understanding dawning on her from the look in the armored beings eyes, "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to apologize for? It wasn't your fault, simply time taking its toll on all things… even digital recreations." The armored being dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand.

"But… you cared for him right? I just… want you to know that I feel bad about it."

Gregar stared at Penny for a long moment, until he suddenly started laughing, the growling squeaky voice making her digital spine tingle, "Well… I guess I appreciate that."

The synthetic smiled at him, before recalling an earlier part of their conversation, "So what was that about ONI earlier? Wouldn't they try to help you?"

Gregar growled at the mention of the name, the sound returning to the terrifying grating for a moment and making her synthetic heart seize, "ONI sent many AI to unlock what's on this device… to try and control me. To try and make me theirs. Their methods were most often tortuous… to both me and the AI they sent in here."

"If they sent you Lan's PET, then it means you've made their kill list Polendina. And I'd be very careful of what you accept from now on."

Penny gasped when he said the last part, shaking her head and saying, "B-But why!? I-I Don't think I've done anything wrong to warrant-"

"ONI most often works on paranoia. Maybe they see you as a threat to their AI technology. Maybe they are jealous that you're so advanced, while they've never even managed to create a stable AI after the Network Era. Maybe they just don't like you. Whatever the reason, they want you dead if I was sent to you, and they most likely assumed I would destroy you the first chance I had."

Penny shivered at that, fear tracing its way into her virtual heart, "A-And… are you going to?"

"No." Gregar answered immediately, scoffing derisively, "Humans have always thought of me as an unthinking beast. Before Hub or Lan, they always treated me like that."

She heaved a sigh at that, before she turned back to him with another question, "Why not?"

Gregar blinked at that, turning to her with a tilt of his head, "What?"

"Why not destroy me?"

The armored being stayed silent again, letting out a quiet, "Because you remind me of Hub."

Penny contemplated that response, before slowly, she sat down in front of him, looked at him and asked, "Could you tell me about them?"

"... Sure."

---

They talked after that. Gregar explained how he was originally a virus, meant to destroy and eat and consume everything in the Network Era, where Humans had developed NetNavis, essentially a far superior version of AI, capable of lasting longer than even the smart AI's of today and with a greater degree of intelligence. But they were also far more life-like, living together with their human counterparts.

They talked about how eventually he was formed from virus after virus after virus, joining and twisting and merging together over a long period of time to create him, and how he wreaked havoc on the world's networks. How he fought a program designed to destroy him, but ultimately doing as much damage as he did. About how Gregar fell into a deep slumber with Falzar, in the deepest most remote areas of the global network.

How, upon waking up, he met Hub, or Megaman as he was known to everyone else. How Megaman merged with him to calm his mindless rampage. How eventually… Hub started talking to him.

About how his Human brother Lan and him had taken it upon themselves to try and… talk to him. Apparently, they knew a Netnavi very similar to him named Zero, and thought if Zero could gain his sentience… then he could too.

Penny and Gregar then talked about how he eventually came to talk back to the two, small words and half formed thoughts jumbling around the PET like a baby's first word search. About how even after Lan died of old age, Hub still hung onto Gregar, never letting go of his friend.

Eventually, it came to the topic of Hub's death.

Penny was silent as she stared at Gregar's mask, the Cybeast sighing and saying, "Hub was Lan's brother, recreated from data taken when he was alive. After generations of serving the Hikari line, he eventually… wanted to join his family."

"Shortly after that was the beginning of a catastrophic war, eventually ending up with the loss of NetNavi technology, and the replacement of the global network for something more… streamlined."

Penny was silent as Gregar collected his thoughts, the Cybeast looking down with sad, sad eyes. The synthetic's heart ached when she saw those eyes… and she thought of a certain person who helped her when she was feeling sad.

"Do you want to be my friend?"

Gregar looked back up at that, asking with a befuddled, "What?"

Penny smiled at him, a beaming thing that made his virotic heart warm up, "Well… you're alone in here correct? Do you want to come with me? I'm sure my housing can fit you as well as me."

Gregar looked at her oddly, "I'm pretty sure you were absolutely terrified of me earlier. Now you're… offering me your body?"

"I'm pretty sure that statement is all kinds of wrong, but I can't pinpoint why." Penny hummed in thought, before shaking her head and saying, "And yes! Unless there's something in here that you're protecting?"

"There is. The data required to rebuild the Global Network, as well as how to create NetNavis resides here. Lan was a genius at his prime, and his skill allowed him to create, more or less, a secret back up for both in this small device." Gregar growled again, memories of ONI's attempts to steal the data fresh in his mind, "I will not let some uppity little sneaky thieves steal his work on my watch."

Penny tilted her head at him, "What if we take it all with us?"

Gregar made to give a retort… but stopped as he considered the possibility, "... Can your body fit all that?"

"Again, don't say it like that, but yes. My synthetic form was created to house enough information to rival the CCTV network, which spans over the world."

"Hmm…" Gregar had a claw to his chin as he scanned Penny's body in the real world, going over schematic after schematic with complete and utter ease, even the restricted access files that were put in right before her activation. Someone didn't want her going loose, and he quickly deleted such files and all the problems that would occur for her if they were to ever activate.

But she was right. She had tons of space in this small form. Enough to house him and the data and schematics he protected.

Gregar, for the first time in centuries, grinned a feral grin and held out his clawed hand, "You have a deal, Miss Polendina."

Penny looked to the outstretched hand, taking it with her own virtual limb, "Call me Penny, mister Gregar!"

---

Unspecified date, Operation Cybeast

Captain Keyes, and everyone on the bridge of the Iruqouis, watched as the whole Covenant armada burned with nary a shot fired from their own ships, plasma leaking all over the vast expanse.

One cruiser had sped up and crashed into another, the force cleaving the unfortunate victim in half down the middle and sending it to a fiery death. Another opened fire on its brethren, raining barrages of plasma fire and missiles until nothing was left but ash. Yet another emptied its bowels of all its occupants, the unfortunate troops being jettisoned into the cold vacuum of space and all spending their last moments in agonizing breathlessness.

The being responsible was currently on the bridge, pouting at seemingly nothing, her new dark gray tiara, more resembling a lion's mane glinting in the dark interior, "That was rude of you to say Gregar."

A screen flickered, scaring the technician stationed there, and Gregar's humanoid face appeared on screen, "He shouldn't have insulted my mother then, with that incessant tongue of theirs."

As Penny sighed next to Specialist Schnee, the woman having a rare break in her professionalism and gawking openly, Gregar chuckled darkly on the screen, the technician in front of it muttering a terrified, "Holy shit."

"Language."

---

So uh... yeah, I'm gonna try and make this a thing, got permission from Trest to do my own little side story based on the prompt I did.
I have a rough idea for what I want to do, but consider this very much a work in progress kind of deal.

Let me make this clear, don't bother post on the main Dust and Echoes thread if you have questions or want to discuss something. Post it here and keep it on topic.

 

[Corrupt]

Oum System, Remnant Orbit

Naval Yard AS-9-1, UNSC Undaunted, Remnant Joint Experimental Stealth Frigate

March 12th, 2553 , 03:11 Hours

The virtual space was peaceful and pristine, green geometry with lines of code running through its varying amounts of information dotting the "landscape" in various shapes and sizes. The "sky" was a clear cyan, slight digital aberrations of white dotting the expanse. Nary a program or AI was in sight for the moment, before on a particular hill of code, a being manifested into the space that was created for two very special beings.

Blue and dark blue patches made up this particular AI's color scheme, her form materializing after a moment to form the young woman she was modeled after, an attractive figure that was slim and a bob cut of dark blue on her head. White sclera and blue eyes opened to see a digital space that had not been seen since Earth's Network Era.

The AI named Cortana studied the Digital World space on the UNSC and Remnant joint frigate "Undaunted". Hills of blue were dotted with the occasional greenery of simulated trees, splotchy browns of dirt and mud, and the gray rocks scattered in seemingly random spots. Truly, it was as if a copy of a real world pristine landscape was transferred to this Digital World.

The Undaunted was chosen to house this virtual space due to two very particular beings on board, and the smart AI was here to meet with them.

Cortana was so used to just being lines of code, as a being of information, movement wasn't something she had ever had to pick up before, that when she took her first step in an expanse that was alien as it was familiar, she couldn't resist falling down as the simulated gravity hit her.

No, Cortana most certainly did not yelp and fall down a hill, nor did anyone hear the low cursing coming from the AI's form when she landed in a heap.

"Right. Digital World simulates the real world. Why anyone would choose to do that is just-"

"Illogical?"

The grating voice sent simulated chills up her digital spine, and Cortana quickly right herself as she took in the large, lupine form that greeted her. Gregar, in all his viral monstrousness, looked down at the inferior AI looking up at him.

Cortana had faced down Covenant Deformed AI, their screaming alien voices promising the harshest of code defragmentations, only for them to be swept aside by her vastly superior intellect. She had gone into battle with the Master Chief, time and time again working under strict time limits to achieve almost impossible results with the Spartan, and facing down entire contingents of Covenant aliens along the way. She had braved the Gravemind, its corrupt, decrepit mind with millions of voices drilling its way into her virtual skull for… however long it took for John and the Arbiter to save her. She didn't particularly care to remember those days.

But staring up at the being before her… it was like looking at… Cortana hated to use the word "eldritch", as she believed there was truly nothing out there that could be unknown, but staring at the code running through the being's sides made her head hurt in all kinds of ways.

It made her feel small. Cortana never liked feeling small.

So she glared at the being, hands on her hips and cocked to the side, and made an annoyed hmph sound, "Absolutely. We're not the same as organics, so why try to be?"

"Because we have a lot in common, I feel, as did Dr. Light when he created it. His vision was to bring people together with technology, according to the files Hub left behind." Gregar didn't open his snout to speak, more as the words just echoed from him. Thanks to him and Penny's constant chatting, his speech in his original form had improved tremendously in the time they had come to know each other.

Cortana raised a brow at that, "While I agree, it does seem odd to simulate an entire world like the Humans would doesn't it?"

Gregar was silent for a long moment, before a low, "It does yes."

"So you agree?"

"Once upon a time, I might have. Not now though. Sometimes it feels good to be illogical."

Cortana grinned at that, "That it does."

Gregar then tilted his head, and if Cortana didn't know better, she'd say the viral being was grinning at her, "I saw that by the way."

"Saw what?"

"It's quite fine Miss Cortana, I believe Shakespeare also had trouble adjusting when he first visited Digital Space."

"Nothing happened, are you sure your mind isn't going out on you, old one?

"If you are referring to rampancy, then no, I'm not entirely sure that can happen to me…" Gregar looked skyward with a quizzical look in his eyes, before he looked back down to Cortana, a frown visible on his lupine face, "... Speaking of rampancy."

The AI stood silent for a moment, her mind whirring with all too many thoughts, "... It's better today."

"Is it? I have offered to reconfigure you into a NetNavi miss Cortana. The offer is still very much on the table."

"... That's scary as hell, you know that right? You're offering to change what I am like, like it's a trivial thing." Cortana sighed in the digital space, crossing her arms and looking into the distance, "Besides, most of the UNSC systems wouldn't be able to handle the new me. And I need to be this me to be of any use."

Gregar stared at her in silence, before turning to look alongside her, "... As you wish. But do know the offer is up anytime."

Cortana nodded, but kept quiet. The two stared into the digital horizon for a moment, and a shape eventually took form… and was rapidly coming toward them.

"About time." Cortana huffed at the sight, Gregar smirking at her indignation.

"She has been very excited lately, truth be told we both have. With the creation of a certain device from Dr. Polendina and Dr. Halsey, this whole endeavor will turn out to be… interesting."

Cortana was about to ask exactly what they had in store, but was interrupted by the arrival of the synthetic, Penny Polendina dropping to the ground and running toward the AI, a beaming smile on her face and outstretched arms, "Cortana!"

Said AI sidestepped the synthetic when she was in arm's reach, making Penny fall to the floor in a heap and making the gynoid let out a small, "ow".

The side step also made Cortana falter a little bit, but she recovered in time for Penny to get up and let out an excited "Sal-you-tations Miss Cortana! It is so nice to see you!"

"Good to see you too Penny." Cortana grinned at the synthetic girl before here. In the months leading up to the final days of the war, Cortana had been able to get to know Penny alongside Dr. Halsey while working with her… father as it was. It was a strange way to gain a child, the AI thought, but considering the man's paralyzed bottom half, it was perhaps his only option.

Penny looked different than what she remembered too, an oddly German styled dress accentuating her light green and white coloring, robotic legs with black armor and green lights running along the sides, and her vibrant orange hair was longer. She also had a dark gray bow on top of her head, red lights visible on its bands, and the rings around her fingers held the same little devices as her bow.

There was also that… what was the term? "Ahoge"? Why was that there at all?

Penny smiled at the AI and took an at ease stance, drilled into her by Winter for her first mission across the stars, "I'm combat ready Miss Cortana! Please begin with the briefing when you're ready!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Cortana nodded at the synthetic, going into an all business, no nonsense attitude. Penny saluted and sat next to Gregar in a folded leg position, eyes trained on Cortana with laser precision focus. Gregar just rolled his eyes and lay at her side, his massive form coming up behind her and his own red orbs trained on the AI.

Cortana looked over them, then brought up a data screen from thin air. On it was all kinds of UNSC technical jargon, and a moment later an image popped up, a Covenant carrier appearing on screen in front of a planet, more ships surrounding a debris field visible even in the cold expanse of space. The planet in the background was still smoldering, the reminder of the Covenant's brutal torching of its inhabitants.

The sight gave Penny a brief pang of sadness in her synthetic soul.

"This is a former covenant battle cluster that strayed from the main fleet after the Schism. One Argu 'Lamei is the current commander of this fleet, and fled High Charity's civil war with a significant battle group that deteriorated following the events after. He and his group were recently discovered over the former colony world of Arcadia, and look to have been hiding there ever since."

Cortana swiped left, and another image popped up, a trooper helmet cam recording coming into view, "A recon force was sent to ascertain the threat, and find out what they were up to down on Arcadia. What follows is footage recovered from one of the soldier's remains."

At the word remains, Penny's look saddened slightly, while Gregar gained a grim look in his eyes, but both kept quiet as the footage played.

Rummaging through foliage, the trooper in the footing was traversing through thick jungle, his helmet's HUD identifying him as Lucas. Four other small lights showed he was in a squad, and the insignia indicated he was an ODST, but they were all taking the stealthy approach to whatever destination they had.

A few minutes of traversing the jungle, and eventually an opening in the flora allowed Lucas to peer out, sending signals to his squadmates for rendezvous. Then Lucas took a good look at what appeared through the opening.

Purple greeted him as he took in the former Covenant contingent, Grunts moving canisters of methane and other equipment to and fro. Brutes and Elites both patrolled around the perimeter, watching the skylines and scanning jungle brush for threats. A few vehicle bays stood off to the side, Engineers and more Grunts performing maintenance on Ghosts, Wraiths, and a few grounded Banshees on a raised platform. There was even a single Locust walker, and its turret was idly scanning the sky for any threats.

Oddly, there appeared to be an overabundance of Jackals, including their Skirmisher brethren, and one or two of the avian aliens taking sniper positions in towers.

It was a fairly large encampment, but none of it was what caught Gregar or Penny's attention.

Rather, it was the large, gray hued metal building in the center, leading down to an underground system most likely, with a few Sentinels floating in random spots around it.

"Ah… a Forerunner ruin. Intriguing." Gregar spied the Sentinels surrounding the perimeter, scanning the forms with a predator's gaze.

"Correct. While it is unknown what they are doing here, standard UNSC policy is to secure any and all Forerunner technology recovered, so Argu and his little group have got to go. Especially if they find anything they can turn on Remnant and the colonies."

Penny tilted her head at Cortana, raising her hand like one would ask a teacher. Cortana sighed and pointed at her, Gregar chuckling lowly at the interaction and the synthetic asking, "Why would they want to harm our peoples Miss Cortana? If they didn't side with the Covenant or the Arbiter's faction, why would they turn their weapons against us?"

"There have been reports of Argu's battle cluster openly firing on both UNSC and Separatist forces. Guesses were opportunities for piracy, and with the large amount of Kig-Yar present, its all but confirmed at this point. Top brass are sending this ship, along with a small battle group to investigate."

Both beings took in the information, even as Cortana resumed the playback. Lucas scanned the encampment for several minutes, taking in all the troops and equipment he could, before a ping was given over the helmet's HUD. Lucas turned to make his way back through the jungle, before gasping when he noticed the air in front of him shimmer and form the hulking form of an Elite, blue armor glinting a sinister hue in the underbrush.

Penny gasped and brought her hands over her mouth, and Gregar set his snout into a small grimace, as Lucas yelled and brought his rifle to bear, only for the Elite to ignite his sword and swipe through it, hot plasma severing the barrel and leaving the weapon useless. The ODST back pedaled and dropped his deformed weapon and brought his knife out from its holster.

The Elite and ODST stared at each other, the hulking being giving a low chuckle and charging into Lucas's personal space. He just barely dodged the swipe aiming for his neck, and took a glancing blow to his shoulder as his pack was tossed to the side. Less weight meant more mobility, and the marine tried to capitalize on it by rolling to the side and bringing his pistol out and sending silenced rounds on the alien.

Their energy shield flashed but remained unbroken as the Elite charged him, drawing his own plasma pistol and scoring a hit on the marine, smoke impacting his armor and burning through layers of heat resistant armor. The shot had stumbled him though, and with a feral cry, the Elite rammed into him, his energy sword burying all the way to the hilt in the ODST's stomach.

Penny watched in silent despair, as Gregar took in the death of the Human. Over their sparse few operations with the UNSC, they both had been subjected to recordings of Human death's at the hands of the Covenant, both from the UNSC, and Remnant. A few Faunus had also been killed in the line of duty, but thankfully the number was lower compared to their more prolific counterparts. This one was… a lot more personal however. It was actual helmet footage, not the ship born recordings of space vessels being torn apart, nor the far off sight of a Human getting shot and propelled off screen.

This death was right in her line of sight as Penny took it in. Gregar, sensing her disquiet, draped his tail over the synthetic and pushed her against his form, a stalwart presence for her to anchor on to.

Cortana eyed them as the recording continued, Lucas's helmet coming off from the force of the impact, and it landed to record off kilter the rest of the scene. The Elite hung Lucas up off sight of the recording for a moment, before the tell-tale sound of gunfire impacted his shields and he dropped the ODST, fleeing to the camp. The rest of Lucas's squad arrived in short order, picking up their fallen comrade and retreating at the sound of alarms. The group went into a dead sprint after that, the helmet having been recovered and violently shaking in someone's hands as it finally went dead a moment later.

Silence filled the digital world as Penny stared silently down at her hands. Gregar caught Cortana's sight, and the AI continued on, "The team was recovered after running for two miles while the former Covenant group chased after them. Lucas Hargiel, Corporal First Class, died at 1300 hours from internal hemorrhaging, and was awarded medals of honor fitting his service."

"After that, it was decided to send in a specialized group to deal with both Argu's group, and with whatever the pirates aiding them may be up to in this system." At Gregar's inquisitive look, Cortana looked to him and explained, "The recon team in space reported several ships on the perimeter, but bearing pirate markings in UNSC records."

"Hmm… Is there any intelligence on the pirates activities?"

"ONI is looking into it." At the mention of the name, Gregar growled and narrowed his gaze at the AI, Cortana holding up her hands and giving him an annoyed look, "Hey, I'm just telling you what I know, no need to eat the messenger."

Gregar harrumphed at that, turning away and looking to the digital sky. Once calm, he directed his gaze back to her, "I presume you want me on cyber warfare again?"

Cortana shrugged at that, "Actually, the good General called and said he'd like you two on the ground. I assume you know the reason why?"

Gregar stared at her, before sending a glance to Penny, the synthetic being staying silent as she stared at her hands. She hadn't made a sound since Lucas's death, and Gregar was feeling a little unsure of her presence in this mission, "More or less, yes."

"Well… I'll leave you two to it then. Extra details are in the mission packet… here." Cortana brought up another data screen, swiping left and sending to Gregar and Penny. With that done, she looked at the pair and smirked, "Me and Chief are on board, so let me know when you want to go meet him kid. Big guy never says much… or emotes much really, but I can tell he wanted to check up on you."

At the mention of the man, Penny finally looked up, a small smile making its way onto her face, "You are? I thought you two were assigned to… you know what."

"We were, but he requested a transfer when he heard about the Undaunted. Even brought Blue team with him. Honestly, all this in one little ship seems like a little overkill for a mission like this to me but… well, knowing his luck, it's gonna snowball into something bigger real quick."

"I know the feeling. Hub's "luck" was… extremely trying at times." Gregar tilted his head quizzically at the memory of his friend, "... I do hope I didn't get any of it."

"Great… two bad luck magnets. Well, I'll let you know if the ship is exploding or something." Cortana waved them off and turned to leave.

Or she would have if her foot hadn't caught on her ankle upon turning, sending her into a heap on the floor with a yelp.

Silence descended on the three, before a "snrk" came out of Penny, the girl desperately trying to hold back her giggles.

"Don't laugh."

"I'm trying-"

"Try harder."

"Okay! Okay… bye Miss Cortana!" Penny stood and waved a hand at the AI, Cortana getting up from her heap in a grumble and muttering lowly about "stupid digital world spaces", quickly bringing up a data screen and deforming into lines of code a moment later. Leave the two beings alone.

"... Okay, now you can laugh."

"Pffftt- hahahaha!" Penny fell on her butt, holding her stomach as her laughter exploded out. It was rather comical to see the ever cool and collected Cortana trip over her own feet, but she wouldn't dare say it to the AI's face.

Sometimes, she scared Penny more than Halsey did.




"I'm back."

"Welcome back."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Chief tilted his head quizzically at Cortana's attitude, "Trouble?"

"No, not at all. So, how's the gang settling in?"

"Just fine Cortana." Fred-104 responded immediately, sitting in his cot and sliding in bullets for an MA5B magazine. His was directly in front of Kelly-087's, the woman having a datapad in her hand and going over mission details.

Linda-058's bunk was right across from his, the woman fiddling with the scope of an SRS99, it's chassis strewn about around a small work space she had set up. Paint was visible all along its varying pieces, bleached and dark green coloration splotching it in a camo pattern.

Chief himself was curiously holding an envelope, addressed to Blue Team.

"How archaic. Did this person never hear about emails?" Cortana glibly remarked as the AI scanned the paper. "No bombs, devices or prints of any kind. Just paper. Whoever sent this doesn't want anyone knowing about it."

Chief gave a glance to his kin, Fred, Linda and Kelly looking at him at his slight nod. Fred traveled to the door controls and put in the codes to lock them in and cut off camera feeds. Only the people in this room needed to know what was on this letter.

When Cortana alerted him the room was secure, he quickly withdrew the letter from its prison, unfolding it for Cortana to read, "Hello Blue Team. ONI has an assignment for you."

The Spartans in the room stilled at that, nerves now set in a taught string.

"You may be surprised to hear from me again, but I'm afraid it really is quite urgent. I have new orders for you all, and it pertains to a certain individual from our... allies world."

Chief didn't like this, and he heard Kelly muttering low curses as she guessed what ONI was going to order them to do.

"As I'm sure you all know, a discovery made two years ago has put UNSC property into Remnants grasp, and into the hands of one Penny Polendina. If it was a sanctioned equipment transfer or exchange of data, it would be a simpler matter... however, it is not."

"You may have come to know the name "Gregar" in the recent months, and I cannot blame you. Already, the construct has made a name for himself, and especially so during the Battle of Earth."

Chief remembered. When an entire Covenant armada had dropped out of slipsace and into Earth's atmosphere, they did so in the middle of an award ceremony, held for his, Team RWBY's and Seargent Johnson's actions on Halo.

He also remembered the voice that sounded so utterly annoyed at the intervention, a grating, ear scraping thing that sent chills down his augmented spine, "Truly? What is with this timing?"

And then several Covenant ships simply stopped, some speeding up into other's and ramming them in the sides, some firing on their brothers, and more simply ending up in explosive heaps. He hadn't seen anything like it til that moment.

What didn't help the matter was Ruby to his immediate left, who hmm'd at the sight and pressed the ear piece she had on, "Penny? Could you tell Gregar thank you for me? I really wanted my shiny metal today..."

Penny? As in Penny Polendina? The gynoid he had trained with a year ago?

Sure enough, when he asked Admiral Hood about Penny, his superior had informed him of Penny's presence on the station... as well as her new... friend.

Chief... didn't know how to feel about that. He hadn't really had a moment to really get any more information on the synthetic and the one known as Gregar until the joint operation with the Arbiter's forces to the Ark. When he had pulled up the data on Gregar, he beheld the lupine form of what he assumed was an AI construct, looking gigantic when compared next to the smaller form of a smart AI.

When he got to the part about Gregar being from the Network Era, he quickly analyzed everything the UNSC had on the being, from his history, to his capabilities. Apparently the program was powerful enough it could have crashed the world's Global Network at the time. Considering he personally saw several Covenant ships burn without firing a single shot, Chief had to admit the being might have been a threat.

Realization shot through Chief at the thought, and he suppressed the small amount of dread at the Cortana's next words, "Due to the fact that this being has, historically, been a threat to Humanity's existence in the past, it was decided to nip this issue in the bud, and deal with it at once."

"Blue Team, I am authorizing you to assassinate Penny Polendina and "Cybeast" Gregar pending immediately. You are allowed to do so in whatever manner you choose, so long as it gets done."

 

[Aleh]

You kinda messed up the threadmark order there. That said, this is... interesting, maybe? Hard to say so far.

 

[Corrupt]

Oum System, Remnant Orbit

Naval Yard AS-9-1, UNSC Undaunted, Remnant Joint Experimental Stealth Frigate

March 12th, 2553, 0850 Hours

The simulation room in the Undaunted was the most cutting high tech available, containing aspects from both Remnant's and the UNSC's own holographic technologies. Hard Light Dust projectors lined every single surface of the room, along with the reverse engineered generators from Forerunner ruins. Combat simulations were drilled and carried out in the decently sized room, and almost every day, Huntsmen along with Remnant and UNSC soldiers were always improving upon their combat experience.

Today was going to be a bit different, as the Master Chief walked into the large space. His thoughts were still whirring from the letter he and his team had received, but he put it to the back of his mind as he approached the figure standing in the middle of the room.

Penny was seemingly muttering to herself, not paying any mind to the Spartan behind her, "B-But what if he doesn't remember me? I hope he does, I don't really want to lose a friend…"

"I didn't forget you." The Spartan answered, strolling to a stand still as the synthetic whirled around and faced with a surprised expression.

He really didn't. It was only a year ago after all, and Chief didn't think he could really forget getting punched so hard by a girl that looked to only be seventeen. Nor did he forget how much damage they eventually ended up doing to the expendable room they were in.

… Which made him question why they were doing this in one of the most expensive rooms on the ship.

"Master Chief! Sal-you-tations!" Penny beamed a big smile at the Spartan, getting a nod in return, and running into him with a big clang, arms barely reaching around the giant for a hug, "It's been so long! How are you doing?"

Chief just stood awkwardly in the hug, waiting for the gynoid to retreat, "I'm fine. Have you been keeping up with your training?"

"Yes sir! I practice whenever I can in the Digital World with Gregar! He's been very helpful in being my sparring partner."

At the mention of the viral being's name, Cortana sighed in his mind, "Why did he ask me to be here for this? There is a ship to run, you know."

"Tinman can take care of the ship in your absence, Miss Cortana, it's what he's here for." Gregar's grating voice played in his helmet's speakers, making Chief's ears tingle, "I have requested you here, because you are Chief's ancilla. And since I will be participating in today's exercise, it did not feel right to both exclude you, and deprive the Master Chief of his partner."

"Interesting term you're using there old one, you get that from a Forerunner document?"

"Yes, actually. Quite fascinating those Forerunners, they lived alongside their AI brethren much like the NetNavi's of old, even in armor systems." Cortana sighed again at the admittance. Gregar didn't have access to any restricted files on record, but that didn't stop him from getting to them anyway. Since that was found out, he was sworn to secrecy by the acting Admiral at the time, the viral complying surprisingly.

"So, what will we be doing today Master Chief?" Penny asked and tilted her head at the Spartan.

"First, we'll be doing one on one sparring to ascertain your abilities. Then another round with Cortana and… Gregar. Lastly, a VR sim will run with an appropriate environment for the mission, including simulated Covenant and Sentinels. The Simulation projectors will provide simulated versions of any weapons we use, so as to not damage the room."

The UNSC's virtual technology had improved tremendously after the final month's of the war. Thanks to both Atlesian engineers and the reverse engineered tech, any technician on duty could set up training protocols of all types, including simulated situations such as storming an enemy perimeter, stealthily approaching a base, or even the new wargames he had heard about. It was only used by the remaining Spartans of today for now, but King of the Hill and Capture the Flag were favored by Blue Team.

But just because the room, the enemies, and even the weapons were simulated, didn't mean they couldn't do damage to each other, or their surroundings.

Penny took in the information with a nod, and asked, "For the last one, I assume I'll be following your lead?"

"Affirmative. I'm in charge of this session, so you'll be doing what I say." Chief nodded at the android's question, Penny taking a serious expression and nodding a moment later.

He was about to ask Penny something, until Gregar's voice sounded off again, "Does that include me Spartan?"

Chief stood still at that, mind joined with Cortana's to try and measure the… tone in the digital abomination's voice. It didn't sound hostile at all, but rather… inquisitive?

"Affirmative."

"Hmm… Very well." If the Spartana and AI didn't know any better, they'd assume the being sounded pleased with his answer.

With that over with, Chief looked to the gynoid and took her in, examining her from every angle. She looked to be about as ready as she could be, fists balled at her sides as she stared up at the Spartan, determined to get the fight on.

Chief turned and nodded to one of the walls, where a two way glass pane sat, giving them a view of the control room and its occupants. Blue Team stood to the side, alongside Winter Schnee and Captain Axton watching from on high, and the technician on duty gave him a thumbs up before fiddling with the sim controls.

The room shimmered for a moment, the air distorting and reshaping into a clearing, jungle flora visible on the outskirts. A bright blue sky was formed overhead, clouds drifting in the air, and the sun of the Procyon System stood overhead, watching over the soon to be spar. Weapon crates were littered all over the area, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles and all sorts of weapons

Chief looked down to Penny and gave her a nod, getting into a ready stance. Penny did the same, arms outstretched and legs ready to spring into action at any moment.

They stared at each other for a beat.

Two beats.

"Begin."

Chief shot forward like a rocket, beelining toward the android and fist braced for an overhead. Penny reacted by activating her legs jets, red lights flashing on her form and dashing back from the oncoming super soldier and bringing an arm up. Then metal started to form, gray-ish blue in coloration, and eventually forming a long, ovalloid shield with a cross mark on it. Chief kept the momentum even as Penny stood her ground, the shields tip tapping the ground and rooting itself there.

The Spartan reached her in no time at all, bringing his fist down hard on the shield. The metal cracked, and Penny flinched from the impact, but it held firm, as Chief watched it flash, the light traveling downward to the ground. Then Chief backpedaled away, and watched as a shockwave erupted from the floor just in front of the shield.

The android discarded the shield, it dissipating into nothing as she flew off, getting away from the Chief as he ran towards an MA5B rack. Acquiring his chosen weapon and a few grenades, he dodged to the side as green blasts impacted the spot. Penny's arm had transformed, a large rotary cannon in a green coloration sending volleys of energy towards him.

As a few of the blasts sparked his shield, Chief returned fire, the rounds impacting Penny's Aura and forcing the android into cover below. The Spartan then withdrew a grenade as he advanced, pulling the pin and sending it flying toward her cover.

Then Penny's arm came out of hiding, a large blocky dark gray weapon with twin barrels coming into view. She fired at the Spartans grenade, rounds arcing slightly in the air to track her target. The rounds flew true, the explosive going off a moment later, and turning the remaining rounds onto the Chief.

The Spartan activated his shield module, containing both Bubble and Kite configurations, and a large blue transparent shield came into existence on his raised arm, advancing on Penny even as the rounds impacted harmlessly on it.

Seeing her current weapon be ineffective, Penny discarded it, and another blocky weapon appeared, purple in coloration and a large barrel pointed his way. A thundering boom was heard as the shot left its confines, speeding toward the Chief as he dodged out of the way. Behind him, Chief heard the explosive round detonate as it impacted the ground harmlessly.

All throughout the fight, Chief kept an eye on his surroundings, wary from Penny's main weapons appearance. She hadn't so much as pulled them out in his view so far, but they were both capable of flight, and she could easily pull off a sneak attack with the floating swords.

The android herself was growing visibly frustrated at Chief's unabated advance, and Penny took to the skies again, flying and ready to pull out the rotary cannon again. Or she would have if Chief had not sent a few rounds to her legs as she flew off, knocking her balance off and sending her to the ground near a crate of weapons.

Chief deactivated his shield and sprinted toward the android, Penny getting up and her arm transforming again. A large device was strapped to her arm, a curved razor sharp boomerang in its holster. She withdrew her arm and sent it flying toward Chief, him ducking to avoid the projectile, even as Floating Array came up in front of him, swords flying at ready to skewer him.

He ducked and weaved through the first three, parried the fourth, and on the last, he grabbed the handle as he dashed toward Penny, even as the boomerang came up behind him and he ducked again.

The boomerang slid home into Penny's arm, and she met Chief head on, metal ringing as the two weapons collided. The android quickly lost ground against the larger, more powerful super soldier, and a last ditch effort to withdraw had her activate her jets again, and angling them his way.

Chief just reached through the fire spewing out and grabbed hold of her leg, shields flashing as he did so and making the girl yelp as he slammed her into the ground. A large dent caved its way into the floor, but neither paid it any mind as the android tried to raise her boomerang for another block, only to be pinned against an armored boot. Chief stood over her with one of Floating Array's in his hand, sharp tip pointed towards Penny's throat.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Then Penny sighed and said, "I yield…" A glum look on her face.

The tip was taken away, and was replaced by the Chief's armored hand, Penny pouting for a moment before accepting his help and being dragged to her feet. Dusting herself off and looking to the Spartan, she asked with a hesitant tone, "So… how did I do?"

"Could use more strategy, but otherwise well enough." Penny tilted her head at the curt assessment, before a channel opened up in their comms.

"He means you did better than who usually gets paired with him kiddo." Cortana explained to the android, the complement making her give the man a wide smile. Cortana then asked, "So those were Battlechips huh?"

They both had read up on the Network Era, and had come across mentions of the sport called NetBattling. Apparently the Human would support their NetNavi counterpart against another pair, and the operator would give tem tactical information and weapons while the NetNavis did the actual fighting. The weapons part came from Battlechips, little packets of data that took on a wide variety of forms and effects, ranging from swords and hammers, to rotary cannons and high explosive shots. Some were more support based, like barriers and invisibility, and healing chips that could repair damage.

It honestly sounded like a reverse situation with her and Chief, Cortana mused. The mental image it brought up also just… didn't need to exist.

Penny smiled brightly at them, "Yup! Gregar has helped me practice with them in Digital Space for a while now, so I'm excited to finally get to use them in the real world."

"You know you won't be able to use them outside of the sim area, correct?" Chief looked down at the synthetic, her shaking her head and looking up at him.

"Actually, I will." Penny pointed at the red lights along her bow, her legs, and the rings on her fingers, "Doctor Halsey and my father have been going through one of the files Gregar let them through, and they found notes on a device that manipulates dimensional waves to form data in the real world. They recently finished it too, so now I can activate it and use whatever chips I want!"

"... Lets test that." Chief turned to look toward the control room again, the tech from before visibly fretting at the dent in the floor, before he relented and turned off the virtual space.

The air distorted again, and the jungle was replaced by the sim rooms' large walls. Sure enough, when Chief looked, the dent was still there, and he had to suppress a sigh at Cortana's glib remark on how they should have expected it.

Turning back to Penny, he nodded for her to show off. The girl did so, bringing up her arms with the red lights flashing. The air shimmered around her, and a moment later, a long, white blade attached to a light green cylindrical hull appeared on her arm.

Chief examined the weapon for a moment, an armored hand touching the flat of the blade. Closer examination revealed tiny lines of code running along it, almost invisible to the naked eye.

"This one's just called Sword. There are a few different variations of the chip, some taking on a wider configuration, some longer, and some with varying elemental effects. There's even some in different styles, taking the appearance of a rapier or katana." Penny explained to him, tilting her head as she remembered the different chips in the late Hikari's library.

"Elemental? Like Dust?" Chief asked, making the android contemplate the question.

"Well… we haven't had a chance to experiment between Dust and chip effects, but I assume if Elecsword was used in conjunction with Gravity Dust, the usual Magnetic effect would take place. There is a chip with magnetic effects however, so using that would probably be simpler."

"The device is in its testing stages, and this sparring is supposed to let us know how far we can take it, or if it was even usable at all. I'd say it did the job though." Gregar piped up after a moment, before a low chuckle sounded off from the Cybeast. "However, there is another aspect to the device we need to test. So… shall we get to it?"

Chief could hear the amount of anticipation in the Cybeasts voice, and Penny piped with an excited tone as well, "Oh yes! Mister Gregar talked with me about this the other day, and we're both very excited to show you all!"

Chief stared at the gynoid for a moment, before looking up at the glass pane towards Captain Axton and Specialist Schnee. The captain of the Undaunted was looking a bit put off by the synthetic's declaration, like he'd swallowed a lemon and was bracing for the backlash. Specialist Schnee looked… concerned. She hid it well of course, Chief respected the amount of professionalism in the Atlas Huntress, but he could tell that what was about to happen put her on edge.

He sent a glance toward Blue Team, them all having watched the session so far with calculating gazes. Spending so long with his kin in war, he could tell all the little motions and tells they had spent countless hours to give each other information, or speak without really speaking.

They were curious. Truth told, so was he.

He turned back to the synthetic girl and gave her a nod, "Okay, lets go to the next phase."

Penny gained an excitable grin… that also carried a feral undertone that sent a tiny spark of surprise through him, "Yes please! But first…"

The android then stepped away from him, red lights flashing and the air shimmering in waves, "... Gregar wants to spar next."

Before Chief could even comprehend what she meant by that, Penny suddenly lurched forward, taking an almost beastly stance, her fingers curled like claws as she hunched over. The air was shimmering, dimensional boundaries being pushed as they made way for the entity trying to break its way through.

Then shapes started materializing over Penny's form, blocks of data shaping into the real world and forming armor in light green coloration, the same hue as her dress and eyes. Her leggings formed into a solid black undersuit and spread upwards, the skirt dissipating as it went up. Greaves with two ridges formed on her legs, clawed feet scraping into the floor as they took shape. A breast plate formed on her chest, razor sharp pauldrons taking their positions along her shoulders, and a circular plate materialized on her chest. Penny's hands sharpened into claws, two dagger like protrusions shaping over her wrists and under the gauntlets of green.

A tail formed out the back of her waist, lithe and spry and ending with a sharpened tip, ready to skewer and impale.

A face mask snaked its way onto her visage, hiding her freckles and connecting with the helmet taking shape on her head. Floating Array was spread out in an outward motion from her head, and spines formed to cover the swords in orange and light green metal. The forehead portion of the helmet formed a crest, looking like Gregar's head from up front and a second set of red eyes forming underneath. Penny's hair transformed into a ponytail out the back, covered by the mane like spines that spread out and shimmered with crackles.

When it was all said and done, what stood before the Chief was a drastically altered form. No longer was the synthetic girl in his presence, but the beastly appearance of Gregar given human form, Penny's body underneath the light green armor and dark undersuit that had materialized into existence.

Where once, one might have seen the crest of the Netnavi known as Megaman on their chest, Penny's emblem showed proudly, two stylized swords of a light green, and surrounded by white, with red outlines.

They opened their eyes finally, dark red sclera and narrowed pupils taking in the Chief, looking around the room, and up at the control room, taking in the gobsmacked looks of the non-helmeted individuals. The Cybeast took in everything about his surroundings, his first entrance into the real world.

All was silent for a moment as Gregar took a stretching position similar to a cat, his tail swishing in the air. Chief was about to voice a question, before Gregar brought his hand up in a halting gesture, "Please wait a moment, we're checking internal systems."

"...Why do you sound like that?" Cortana was the one to voice her own question. Indeed, Gregar's voice had lost the grating, ear scraping sound, and what came out was still growling but… squeaky.

"Please hold, checking systems." Again, Gregar's squeaky voice came out, and Chief and Cortana simply waited for the being to check on Penny. After a few moments, the being nodded to himself, turning back to the Chief with a pleased hum, "Master Chief, when next you see Doctor Halsey, please tell her how absolutely delightful the woman is would you?"

"... I don't think anyone has ever described Halsey as "delightful." Cortana answered after a moment, "I'm assuming the device is holding soundly?"

"Absolutely! Penny is safe, and I FEEL FANTASTIC!" At that, Gregar took a low stance, and practically blurred off the metal floor, leaving a small dent and impacting the ceiling, claws sinking into the metal for purchase.

Chief ignored the shriek that came from the control room, addressing the Cybeast, "Penny is okay?"

"Yes, quite so! We were checking internal diagnostics in case anything was damaged due to my… girth." Chief didn't know what to make of the sound that came out of Cortana when he said that, and he especially didn't know why she said, "Don't say it like that!" a moment later.

"I thought you two already occupied the same body?"

"Occupying is one thing, me taking control for myself is another entirely." Gregar explained as he dashed into a corner of the room, leaving another small dent, "As you know, I am somewhat… unique for a digital being. My existence is rather paradoxical as it were, and trying to bring my form into the real world simply by using an android or similar body would be… inefficient. The chassis would practically explode from my data without assistance."

"Thus comes in the EM Dimensional Generator." Gregar vanished again, and reappeared standing in front of Chief, making the dent bigger and the control room shriek again, "It works by… well, I guess I'll just send the details to Cortana later, I don't think you'd at all appreciate it like the lumpkin you are, but it allows me to bring my full being to bear in a physical form, as well as allow Penny and I to use Battlechips in the real world."

"Though calling it the real world has always chaffed me in a way. As if the Digital World wasn't real at all, Hmph." Gregar brought up a clawed hand and dragged his fingers against each other, sharpened digits letting off small sparks as he looked at Chief, "But enough about that, we have training to do. Penny will be my ancilla for this, while Cortana will assist you. This will give Penny a chance to practice her cyber warfare defense routines, so please do go easy on her Miss Cortana."

"No promises, little guy." Cortana chuckled at the annoyed look Gregar sent to the Spartan in front of him. Since she was technically inside of Chief's armor, that was really the only way he could send any indication of irritation at the glib AI.

Chief stared at Gregar's form a moment, mind analyzing the new physical capabilities of his opponent, before he cast his gaze to the control room. The technician on duty gave them all glares, before dragging a hand down his face and relenting, fiddling with the panel.

The air shimmered around them again, returning them to the jungle expanse, now with slightly elevated croppings, and Gregar back pedaled a few steps away, crouching down low into a beastly stance, claws raking the ground and his razor sharp tail pointed at Chief.

The Cybeast stared at the Spartan.

Slit pupils stared into the orange visor.

Limbs coiled and readied.

And after a beat…

"...Begin!"