Re: Megaman Z(x) RWBY

Fri Jan 24, 2020 2:43 am

"Oh, right, you've never used one before!" She replied. "I bet people from your home can just talk to each other with your mind or something!"

Ruby picked up one of the receivers - styled like an old rotary telephone - and almost launched into an excited explanation of how to call people before she remembered the mission. "...Ah, right, Professor Ozpin. Let's talk phones later!"

Leading her to the elevators, she hit the call button. It wasn't long before the doors slid open, and a man in a white suit, with a red tie and hardened face stepped out. He didn't give off an evil vibe, but he didn't seem friendly. His eyes met Ruby's, and they seemed to recognize each other.

"...Aren't you that student from the night of the dance?"

He sounded a little familiar. Freezing up for a second, Ruby shoved Ashe into the elevator and hammered the 'close door' button. "Sorry-I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about-I'm-just-here-to-see-Professor-Ozpin!"

Tue Jan 28, 2020 5:09 pm

Ashe was a tad disappointed that they wouldn't utilize the antique looking communications device to contact Ozpin, but nevertheless followed after Ruby as she led her to the elevator. I think I'm gonna hide out here, Model A said as they walked. Grey's gonna need my help with his plan, I think it called for a bit of Hedgeshock action.

"Alrighty, just stay outta sight, 'kay?" Ashe said in reply, before Model A zipped off to hide behind a pillar, keeping an eye out for his other Mega Man companion's arrival. You can count on that, Ashe. I don't feel like getting turned into some wacko scientist's little research project!

The Biometal hid himself just in the nick of time, too. Ashe only got a quick glance at the new face before her companion all but knocked her over into the elevator's cab, stumbling a bit and catching a hand on the railing to avoid falling over. She blinked in mild confusion as the doors slid shut, her eyes briefly meeting the much taller man's own for a split second. "...uh... somethin' go down between you and Mr. Silver Fox out there, Rubes?"

Thu Jan 30, 2020 12:00 am

Taking a deep breath as they ascended, Ruby explained herself. "That was General Ironwood. The guy who would probably lock you guys up for study? I think he remembers me from when I totally stopped that intruder and she definitely didn't escape the second I looked away."

She looked outside, not as peppy as usual. "I dunno why, but he doesn't get along with Mr. Ozpin. They were arguing the whole time after I told them what I saw."

Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:00 am

Ashe's expression went from a touch confused to a lighter shade of white than normal. "Oh. Well, uh... good on you for getting us on the move, huh?" Looking out the window from behind Ruby, her lips twisted into a tight frown. Tapping her comms device on the side of her head, she spoke aloud. "Grey, this is Ashe. Heads up, you'll be having a one General Ironwood heading out from the tower in a bit. ...yeah, Rubes says to avoid him. Apparently he's the guy we need to avoid. ...yeah, we're on the elevator right now, head for the CCTS when he's gotten lost. Ozpin'll know all about it by the time you're there."

Crossing her arms as she leaned against the cab wall, the bounty hunter thought about the implications here. She had been warned by Oobleck that others would want to all but dissect herself, Grey and Model A if they learned of them, but how real that statement was hadn't really sunken in until now. A few questions about the guy popped into mind - where he was from, when was he going to leave, if ever - but before they could be voiced, the elevator chimed and the doors slid open.

The duo made their way into Ozpin's office, its interior as eerily silent as it was before, beyond the perpetual sound of clockwork in the walls. Sitting behind his desk with his fingers laced together, the Headmaster seemed to be lost in thought, and his rather stern expression betrayed the gravity of whatever conversation between himself and Ironwood had occurred. Clearing her throat, Ashe drew his attention, and the man looked up without so much as a start. "Ah, Ashe and Ruby." He sat up straighter in his chair, folding his hands together on top of his desk. "I was not expecting you back so soon. What brings you here? Anything I can render assistance with?"

"Yeah, actually," Ashe said. "Grey thinks he has an idea on how to try and reach someone back on our homeworld. He and Weiss came up with a plan to use that big ol' tower and try to signal 'em. Problem is, we dunno exactly where in space we are, so we kinda gotta send the signal... everywhere, really," she finished, waving a hand around in a vague gesture to accompany the statement.

Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:13 am

"We came up with the idea of using this tower to send the signal, but we figured we should get your permission first, since it's kind of your office..." Ruby said, scratching the back of her head. This was the kind of thing she'd normally leave up to Weiss, so she didn't have a ton to add.

Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:54 am

"...I see." Ozpin stood from his chair, walking towards the window behind said chair while pondering the plan. Ashe made a face at this, turning to look at Ruby and whispering. "Is he always this dramatic when it comes to... anything?"

Either oblivious to or ignoring Ashe's question, Ozpin held his chin. "Yes, this plan does make sense. A broad frequency transmission may be the only way to contact your homeworld. Of course, from what limited knowledge we have of space beyond our sun's system, that could be untold amounts of distance from here. Therefore, a signal of such intent would require quite the substantial amount of power to achieve the speeds needed to reach its target..." He closed his eyes, thinking for a moment or two, speaking in a slightly hushed tone. "...Ironwood's fleet certainly would detect this signal, of course. And there is always the danger of others discovering it, as well..."

Turning back around, the Headmaster return to his desk, placing his fingers upon its surface. His other hand pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose a tad, before he spoke. "While I do agree that your friend's plan is the most sensible solution, I would ask that you three act with haste. As I am sure you have seen, military forces from Atlas are stationed here in Vale. Their fleet would easily intercept any signal sent out from the tower, especially one on this vast of a scale." Ashe's face twinged at the revelation, herself none too happy at the news. "I would advise that Grey utilizes a cypher to encrypt the message and, upon the transmission's completion, that yourself and your friends vacate the tower as soon as possible. I will inform General Ironwood that the tower was merely performing a range check, following the... incident that occurred here several nights past. However, I cannot guarantee that he will not demand an investigation, and I would not wish for your group to be suspect."

Ashe nodded lightly. "I'd rather avoid that too, yeah. We'd better get a move on then, eh Rubes?"

Fri Jan 31, 2020 12:09 am

"Uh, yeah!" She said, snapping to attention. "If we mix in with the people downstairs, we can slip out during the evacuation. We can split up and regroup in the dorms."

Fri Jan 31, 2020 12:44 am

"Good thinking!" Ashe said as the two made their way to the elevators. "Time to head on upstairs!"

Back outside, the quartet section of the group was just now arriving at the base of the tower. As classes were out for the day, they alone walked inside its halls towards the elevator shaft, Weiss still describing the history of the tower - and Vale in general - with excruciating detail. Grey didn't seem to mind the lecture. If anything, it made for good knowledge gain while they walked. Yang however, seemed bored out of her mind, walking behind Weiss with a look of annoyance on her face at her prattling. "This is all very interesting, Weiss!" Penny said, clearly the one in the group most enthusiastic with this history lesson. "Do you happen to know as much about Atlas? I would not mind seeing how my knowledge compares to yours!"

As the group passed by a pillar, Model A whizzed out from behind it, coming to a halt not far from Grey. There you are! So, we ready to get this done and over with, or what? "Yeah, I've got a message set and ready. But we gotta make sure we get this done right the first time. I'm gonna guess we won't get a second shot at this," Grey replied, signalling the group to head for the elevators proper.

Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:46 am

Nodding in unison, everyone boarded the elevator.

Just as the doors were about to slide shut, a young man with close-cropped brown hair wearing full plate armor dashed inside. "Hah, just made it." He looked away from the others in the elevator, which proved difficult when there wasn't that much room. He wasn't exactly a small guy, either, and the Huntresses didn't seem to be in any hurry to get closer.

Just as Yang considered knocking him out, the lift stopped and he got out, muttering something under his breath. As the doors slid shut, Weiss rolled her eyes. "Cardin Winchester. It pains me to say it, but he's a fellow student."

Ruby shrugged. "He's not exactly a good guy, but he's pretty harmless..."

Weiss tutted. "Except for every time he goes after Pyrrha. He's an idiot, but he's a vengeful idiot."

"Let's forget about him." Yang groaned. "We have a mission!"

Sat Feb 01, 2020 11:47 pm

While Grey certainly felt a bit uneasy in the presence of that Cardin fellow, Ashe generally seemed unimpressed. "Seems like the kinda guy who'd think he was hot stuff until he got into an actual fight," she said, almost completely oblivious to the truth to her own observation.

As the cab resumed its upward movement, Grey outlined his plan. "Alright guys, I've got a message planned out to send, but I'm gonna need access to one of the terminals around here. Ashe? I'll need you to find the power plant to this place, so you and Model A can overclock its capacitors with the Hedgeshock morph." The silver haired girl gave a knowing grin and smile, already liking where this was going. "Got it Grey, we'll keep in touch over the comms, so let us know when you need us. Weiss, you know this place, right? Might need ya to show me how to get where things need doing, sister."

But how are you gonna access a terminal, Grey? Model A inquired, a tinge of skepticism in his voice. I doubt anyone here's just gonna LET you.

"Well, I've been thinking... we're newcomers here, right? You, Ashe and I?" His attention turned to Ruby, a slight grin on his face. "Maybe the leader of RWBY, and her team members, would be willing to give us new hunters from Atlas a tour of how things work here in Vale?" It had been clear Grey had been learning quite a bit about the nations of Remnant.

"So this is the hub for all of Remnant's global communication?" Penny said aloud as the group disembarked from the elevator, a finger going to her chin in curiosity as she looked around. "It is not as big as I had imagined it would be, at least not inside. I am impressed by the efficiency!"

Grey nodded in agreement, genuinely impressed by the setup the tower's interior control room sported. Meanwhile, Ashe made a show of looking rather uncomfortable in the comparatively cramped space, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "I 'unno man, it's kinda stuffy in here... hey miss Schnee, could we tour somewhere else first? I'm feeling kinda... smushed in this room."

Tue Feb 04, 2020 1:04 am

The control room was a wide area with a massive set of monitors taking up the far wall, and a number of smaller workstations dotting the area. A worker glanced at the gaggle of student stepping out of the elevator, shrugging. She leaned over to a nearby coworker.

"Should they be here?"

"They couldn't get onto this floor without permission. It's probably for some weird school project the Headmaster is making them do."

"That makes sense."

And so, the people working there gave them strange looks, but didn't ask questions or interfere with them. Weiss, meanwhile, gave an unbearably hammy performance as she... basically just explained the function of the tower and its historical significance again, but louder and more dramatically. At least she seemed to be having fun.

"...But yes, let's move into that room over there." She gestured at a nearby door.

Wed Feb 05, 2020 1:20 am

"If it's all the same to miss Schnee," Grey said aloud, "Penny and I were gonna have miss Rose show us around up here."

"Yes, that is right!" Penny exclaimed, quick to render assistance. "Mr Ozpin wanted us to write a report on the differences between Vale and Atlas technology, so we will be in here!"

Ashe waved as Weiss led her and Yang through a doorway, before said door closed behind them. "Right then. Let's get goin' to that generator room! No sense in wasting time, after all."

I doubt we'll be tolerated up here for long, though, Model A observed. Permission or not, they're bound to get suspicious about students just wandering around up here. We should make like Ugoyle and Argoyle, and be quick about this.

Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:05 pm

"We're just preparing the equipment there, right? If we try to light this place up with electricity, there's no way we can get out without being noticed. Especially after the attention Princess got." Yang rolled her eyes.

"Hey! I thought I was convincing..."

"Look, when Penny is more convincing than you, you need to up your acting game."

Pouting, Weiss stepped through the slightly-dingy hall to lead the party. "Ugh. There's a set of capacitors underground that are connected to the tower. Once we've made sure the cells on this level aren't going to malfunction, we'll head down to supply the energy to send out our signal. We don't want to burn anything out, since this tower is crucial for communication throughout Vale, and connecting it to the other Kingdoms. A problem like this occurring just before the Vytal Festival would be a complete disast-"

"We get it, let's just go."

Thu Feb 06, 2020 2:36 am

Ashe snorted just a tad as she held back a laugh. Granted, she lacked the full context for just why it was such an excellent rebuttal, but it was amusing nonetheless. "C'mon Yang, don't roast her too hard," she said, a look of mischief on her face. "Last thing we need is for Weiss to go full Slush Queen from too many burns. 'sides, we ain't being followed, right? I'd say that's good enough acting to pass audition!"

The group continued down the hall for a short ways, before coming across a rather grimy looking service elevator. Huh, this thing doesn't seem to have any kind of security, Model A said, now free floating by Ashe's side. I don't even see a padlock and chain combo here. Do these Vale weirdos even care about security?

Ashe merely gave her Biometal a shrug with a grin. "Hey, so long as it makes our job easier, I'm not gonna complain! C'mon girlfriends, lets supercharge ourselves a comms tower!" Pulling the rickety service elevator's metal door open, she stepped inside and gave the grated floor a few hefty stomps. The entire metal cage of an elevator rattled and shook, but showed no signs of structural failure or weakness. You really gotta be that girl, don't you? her Biometal said, decidedly none too happy with her rather unorthodox testing methods. "Can't blame a girl for being safe!"

Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:32 pm

"H-hey! Excuse you, Atlas built this tower, and their security is top-notch!" Weiss exclaimed indignantly. She was bright red at this point.

Yang snorted. "Funny how they built it with an old-style lift, then."

"...It's probably just because of budget cuts." She stammered. She seemed a little incredulous at it herself. The idea that a high-profile contractor from Atlas would cut corners like this must've been pretty foreign. "And it's non-essential, since it only goes between these two levels, as far as we know."

Noticing Ashe's caution, Yang laughed. "Even if the cable snapped, we could probably get to the bottom safely. It's not like we haven't fallen long distances before. Did we tell you about how we had our teams assigned?"

Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:11 pm

Top notch, huh? Model A scoffed, clearly unimpressed. Pretty impressive that three kids and a talking rock managed to just waltz on back here through all that security.

Lounging nonchalantly against the metal framework of the elevator, Ashe gave Yang a lazy shrug and smile. At the mentioning of their team assignments however, she did raise an eyebrow. "What, did the teachers fire you guys out of cannons, or dump you out an airlock without parachutes?" Now that sounded exciting, even if the idea of putting kids through that was a bit much for even her to consider.

Fri Mar 13, 2020 1:25 am

The grating slid shut behind them as the lift began to descend. The mechanical humming was louder than in the neat, polished elevator in the main part of the building, but it seemed reliable enough.

"Cannons?" Yang snorted, mirroring Ashe's gestures. "Nah, we got spring-loaded platforms launching us off a cliff in sequence. We were just kinda expected to figure out how to survive that. Beacon is pretty strict about who they let in, so I guess they feel like they can get away with throwing kids to the wolves."

"It was a grueling exam, but we came together in the end." Weiss added, still grumpy.

"But yeah, we've fallen further and lived."

"Except that we had horizontal momentum, as well, and room to maneuver, as well as trees and canopies to work with, in broad, clear daylight. We're in a metal cage going straight down a barely-lit shaft with no space to work with. It's a little different than the initiation test."

Mon Jul 06, 2020 1:15 am

Ashe's face bore a wry expression. Sure, her own baptism by fire as a bounty hunter hadn't been a cakewalk, but an official organization simply flinging its prospective students into the wild? Sheesh, the amount of waivers you'd have to sign for that back home... It seemed that Remnant's inhabitants sure held a different overall view on how to handle student safety. "I mean, if I managed a fall from twenty-thousand feet in the air with just my augmentations, I think you girls with your fancy auras oughta be fine if this thing kicks the bucket on us." She gave the elevator cage a sideways punch, causing it to clatter loudly, but otherwise it held solid. "Besides, it's solid enough. ...I just wish this shaft was a bit better lit."

Peering down through the mesh grating floor of the cage, one could only see blackness and the occasional flickering light. It was pretty clear that this access wasn't meant to be used all that often. Soon enough, the metal car came to a halt, the sound of steam hissing from far above sounding the end of their descent. Popping a small capsule off of her belt, Ashe twirled it in the air before it expanded, landing back in her hand as a slim, bright flashlight. It easily illuminated the industrial looking hallway ahead of them, revealing several branching pathways. "Alright, lets get to lookin' for the main power cells. Hopefully Model A and I can interface with 'em."

Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:50 pm

"If it's up to code - and it will be, obviously - then it'll use Dust, and have all the protection it can get against surges. We'd sooner blow up the whole building than blow a circuit." Weiss declared, sounding confident despite her backpedaling.

With a sly grin, Yang stepped closer. "Oh yeah? You do all the math on that just now?"

"Yes, why?"

"NERRRRRD."

"Don't be a pest." She rolled her eyes at her friend's jab. "It's just an estimate based on the standards we uphold, and how much power we'll need. Atlas doesn't settle for second-rate work. ...But maybe I'll put down a few glyphs to keep things stable. N-not that I think it'll be necessary! I have the utmost faith in-"

She jumped at a loud creaking noise behind them; the elevator cables, most likely. Her brash companion patted her on the shoulder. "You were sayin'?"

Tue Jul 28, 2020 1:04 am

Y'know, the more I watch Yang, the more she reminds me of Vent, Model A observed. Just... a whole lot cockier. And she's a natural blonde, too.

Whistling a short tune, Ashe led the way down the first hall to the right, flashlight shining on this this and that. The halls were eerily quiet, with only the ambient thrum of machinery around the group to accompany the sound of their footsteps on metal grate flooring.

It didn't take long for them to locate a door marked Main Capacitor Bank, as well as numerous danger and warning signs along its heavy metal surface. "Bingo," Ashe said with a grin. Grabbing a hold of the handle, she tugged in an attempt to yank it open, which only resulted in the door letting out an awful screech. Evidently, it hadn't been used in quite some time. Frowning, the bounty hunter grasped with both hands and braced one foot on the side of the doorway, before heaving with all her might. The door shuddered, groaned and shook, but it still refused to budge. "Dammit... neither of you girls have a can of oil, do ya?"

Tue Aug 11, 2020 3:07 am

Weiss tapped her foot, gesturing at her whole self. "Do I look like I carry oil anywhere?"

"Yeah, if you caught me working on the bike, I could help you, but I didn't think we'd need any. Sorry." Yang shrugged, stepping up to the door and rolling her shoulders before putting one foot back and arming one of her gauntlets. "But I've got a better idea: lemme just send it flying off its hinges."

The girl in white shot forward, grabbing her comrade's raised arm. "What are you doing!? They'll definitely hear it if you do that! And someone's bound to notice the damage when they come down for maintenance..."

Yang snorted. "If they come down here, ever. Clearly this gate isn't exactly a priority for them."

"Just give me a second to loosen it up. You're wearing gloves, right? So this should be safe enough."

Stepping up to the metal bars as Yang backed away, Weiss took a deep breath, focused very carefully on the object before her, and lightly tapped the door, a runic pattern appearing from the point of contact. The temperature in the hallway dropped several degrees as her Semblance cooled the metal as quickly as could safely be done, hopefully causing the parts to contract enough to make the gate open more readily. On the downside, gripping it with bare hands would be ill-advised. Stepping away, Weiss simply gestured for someone else to take the door. She waited for someone to pass her, covertly checking her supply of Dust in her sword's barrels. Seemed she'd exhausted some of it; her power couldn't perform feats like that unaided.

Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:15 pm

Ashe let out a low whistle at Weiss' frosty handiwork. "Talk about fancy. Here's hoping it did the job." Sizing up the now hopefully loosened sliding door, she gestured for Model A to float on over. "A bit more oomph might be needed, though. Plus, I don't fancy on losing my digits to frostbite. C'mon, Model A, lets give the Atlas morph a go." A brief flash of light enveloped the Mega Man as she merged with her Biometal, before she stood in gleaming red and orange armor. In contrast to the bitter chill that had pervaded the room moments before, there was a subtle rise in temperature at the merging. Ashe, smiling to herself, cracked her fingers and rolled her neck, walking back over to the entryway.

"Right, round two!"

Firmly gripping the handle with both hands, Ashe braced and dug in her heels as best she could. Then, she heaved backward, causing the door to give a mighty groan. It shuddered, struggled and fought back, but eventually the rust and wear gave way. With a clang, it snapped back into the wall behind Ashe, who dusted off her hands with a grin. "Nothin' like a bit of teamwork, eh? C'mon girls, lets take a look at these capacitors, see if they'll be up to snuff."

Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:26 am

Yang just kind of awkwardly chuckled at the display of power. "Alright, you got power." She had her own physical strength and aura to boost it, but Ember Celica was kind of an all-or-nothing deal; she could either blast the door off its hinges, or struggle with it all day.

"Let's see if we can't get some to Grey, then." Weiss added as she passed the frozen gate.

The group sped down gray halls, lined with black and yellow warning lines and marks. A low sound echoed through the walls, growing louder as they drew close to their goal.

They emerged into a huge chamber, designed only to accommodate the massive, rumbling generator in the center. Various glass-like tubes protruded from it, all filled with different-colored mineral dusts. Seemed like it ran by using different combinations to release energy that it could harness and convert to electricity.

A narrow catwalk connected their hallway to the noisy device, extended over an ominous - but relatively short - drop. It led to an open pit, which was full of a bright blue fluid. It cast pale, rippling light over every surface. Metal rods ran under the surface, connecting the pool to the generator. It didn't look electrified, but it probably wasn't safe to touch it.

Further ahead, near the machine itself, was a ladder leading to a maintenance hatch, with half a dozen more warning signs. Bingo.

Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:42 am

Looking about the room they arrived in, Ashe's eyes eventually landed on the maintenance hatch. She grinned, before clambering up the rickety metal ladder, the clanging drowned out by the omnipresent dull thrum of the power generator. As she reached the top, she turned back around and called out. "Alright, I'm gonna supercharge the capacitors!" Thankfully, the door to the maintenance tunnel was far more cooperative, for some reason. Perhaps the electrified air prevented rust from forming as quickly?

I'm really hoping this thing can take Hedgeshock's charge, Model A said, as he morphed the merged duo into the tiny, hedgehog like form. If it overloads, who knows how this dust tech will react!

"Probably by exploding," Ashe said, before rolling inside of the tight fitting corridor. "Nothing we haven't handled before, though! Remember Ouroboros?"

While he lacked a physical form when merged, one could almost hear the Biometal wince. I've been trying not to, thank you very much! Besides, Vent and Aile were there to pull our butts out of the fire! No offense to Miss Fists and Slush Queen, but I doubt they'd be as good at saving us.

"Would you relax already? Sheesh, Model A, you're almost as whiny as Red at times." Locating an interface port to the capacitors wasn't hard in the slightest - in fact, it was clearly marked in numerous different locations. Looking between several, Ashe shrugged as best she could, before shoving one of her plug-like hands into one of them. "Alright, time to put everything we've got into it!"

There was a spark, a moment of blacking out, and when Ashe's vision returned, every single capacitor bulb in the corridor was glowing nearly ten times as brightly. "Yeah ha ha! It worked!" Excitedly rolling out, she launched herself off the catwalk and towards the ground, de-merging mid fall with a flourish. "Success, gang! Now all we need to do is get out, and if Grey found a way to get a signal out, we're golden!"

Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:05 pm

The rumbling could be heard well outside the tower building; people walking up the steps stumbled at the sudden unsteadiness underfoot, every lamppost buzzing wildly at the influx of power. The glass in the windows trembled, but it held. In the Headmaster's office, Ozpin sighed and shook his head, looking out the window. "...This is as far as one can get from being discreet. Oh, well. It can't be helped." He sat back down at his desk and began working out how he would spin this to the media. It'd be difficult, coming off the heels of a major incident.

Workers were too busy trying to keep things under control and figure out where this power surge had come from to pay any attention to Grey, Penny, or Ruby. Thankfully. But it would only take so much time for things to settle down, and for them to think about how this happened not long after a student tour had suddenly and ungracefully burst in. It wouldn't take a genius to connect the two, and they would probably be taken for questioning. And there was no guarantee it'd be their benefactor who would be doing the asking.