"I'm not entirely sure myself," Asher responded when Penny asked why he was there.
"Could you explain, General?" Asher asked, turning his attention to Ironwood.
"Of course. Allow me to introduce her properly. This is Penny Polendina, the result of the P.E.N.N.Y. Project, led by Pietro Polendina, one of the top scientists in my Engineering Team," Ironwood explained.
"He's also my father," Penny added excitedly, raising her hand without missing a beat.
"Indeed," Ironwood nodded.
"Pietro..." Asher muttered to himself, his expression shifting as recognition dawned on him.
"The same Pietro who won the Prometheus Prize for AI Advancement? His work on replicating how Aura triggers the use of dust—it's the reason AI can use dust-based tech without needing overly complex combustion systems. He's a genius."
"Exactly," Ironwood agreed.
"Although I have to admit, I'm surprised you know about him. He's won plenty of awards, but he's not exactly social or very interested in fame."
"I keep track of Atlas's tech developments and the minds behind them. Still, I'm a bit more confused now. What exactly is the P.E.N.N.Y. Project? You mentioned she was a result of it." Asher's gaze shifted back to Penny, who was still smiling at him.
"Is it some kind of bio-engineering project? Has she been augmented?" Asher mused, mentally running through possibilities.
"Hmm, you're on the right track," Ironwood began.
"But rather than Penny being the subject of bio-engineering, it's more accurate to say that she herself is the engineering project." He looked at Asher, noting the continued confusion on his face.
Turning to Penny, he gently prompted her, "Penny, why don't you introduce yourself fully?"
"Okay!" Penny responded eagerly, standing up from her chair and walking over to Asher.
"Hello, my name is Penny. I was created by my father during the P.E.N.N.Y. Project, and I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura. In other words, I'm an android with an artificial soul," she explained, her tone upbeat. As Asher listened, his face gradually shifted into a deeper expression of surprise.
"An artificial soul..." He murmured, his hand coming up to his mouth as his gaze studied Penny from head to toe.
That explains a lot about her behavior and the odd tone I've noticed in her voice every time she speaks. But this...
"This... This goes beyond anything I imagined," Asher continued, his voice trailing off.
"Research into the soul has been done before, but no one's ever been able to break it down scientifically. No technology has interacted with the soul or even been able to observe it properly, not enough for something like this. But I guess that's because most research has targeted the soul itself, rather than Aura..."
Aura was often described as the manifestation of one's soul. It was the reason souls could be confirmed to exist in the first place. Some even considered Aura to be one's life force. When a soul became strong enough, nurtured past a certain threshold, it could take form as Aura in the physical world.
Meanwhile, a Semblance was considered a step beyond that. It wasn't just the manifestation of Aura—it was when Aura became potent enough to shape an ability, one that went beyond the standard offensive or defensive uses.
"In the end, they're all connected," Asher muttered to himself.
"So, either Pietro figured out how to create an artificial Aura, which somehow led to the creation of a soul, or... he developed a way to transfer Aura into a non-living object—not just transferring it, but stabilizing it long enough for it not to fade... and creating a soul in the process."
Asher spoke quickly, the words tumbling out as his mind processed everything at an incredible speed.
Ironwood looked down at him in shock.
"You- You figured it out that fast?"
Asher snapped out of his thoughts at that, his gaze shifting to Ironwood with a thoughtful expression before replying, "Well, it was either that, or the Atlas Military has somehow learned how to interact with the soul through technology. I can't even begin to imagine how that would be possible... but Aura, I can theorize about."
"So, you're saying you could figure out how to replicate it?" Ironwood asked, his tone making it clear he was leading the conversation. Asher didn't answer immediately, taking a moment to think it through.
The transference of Aura... Given its nature, being a manifestation of something intangible, Aura is likely a form of energy with metaphysical qualities. There are methods for detecting Aura, but actually interacting with it? That would require studying how it interacts with Dust and reverse-engineering the process.
Asher processed it all in less than a second before shaking his head.
"I doubt it," he said.
"It would take a ton of research and knowledge I haven't even thought about compiling. If you hadn't told me about this, I probably wouldn't have even considered it on my own." It was the same for most inventions. Everything had to be invented by someone, but that didn't mean that person was the first one to think of it.
But ultimately, thinking about something didn't matter much.
Only when those ideas became something real—something tangible that could be shared with others—did they actually become 'inventions.' Anything less than that might as well not exist. Asher might be able to replicate the technology now, with enough time, but he never would've even considered trying if it hadn't already been created.
"That said," he added, shifting gears, "I've gotta admit, I'm impressed by the robotic work, too. When I first saw you, I wouldn't have guessed you were an android. You look just like a real girl."
His words, though they could have come off as an insult, were full of genuine praise, a clear sense of admiration in his voice.
Penny noticed this right away, especially after hearing his tone when he spoke about her father.
She smiled even wider, beaming at him and said, "Why, thank you."
Just then, a chime sounded from the door of the lab, catching the attention of all three.
"Penny, would you be a dear and-" The elderly voice, a man's, trailed off when he looked up and saw the two new figures standing in the lab.
"Ah, James, I- I wasn't expecting you. To what do I, uh, owe the pleasure?"
Asher immediately recognized the man, Pietro Polendina. The elderly scientist had dark skin, his hair completely gray and thinning, a stark contrast to the vibrancy of his daughter, Penny.
He wore a white lab coat, unbuttoned, over a red sweater and gray pants, the classic attire of a scientist.
But what caught the eye first wasn't his clothes. It was the chair he sat in—at first glance, it looked like a typical office chair with four wheels. However, the armrests had small screens on them, allowing the chair to move around without anyone needing to push it.
Asher knew from his knowledge that Pietro had been disabled for much of his life, and more recently, his health had taken a turn for the worse.
"Pietro, just the man I was looking for," Ironwood said with a firm hand on Asher's shoulder.
"I was just introducing Penny to my friend here. This is Asher Frostvale." Asher noticed the touch, though he ignored it. It was clear the General wanted to make sure they were on good terms, and honestly, that worked out just fine for him.
Stepping forward, Asher extended his hand with respect. Pietro, still processing the sudden meeting, hesitated for a moment but then took his hand.
The two exchanged a handshake.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Asher said.
"I've followed your work. In fact, I use a modified version of your Dust Resonance Conduits, which allow for micro-circuitry to replicate aura-triggering patterns in my own creations."
Pietro blinked, caught off guard by the sudden praise from someone so young, not to mention the fact that Asher knew about his work.
"Ah, thank you," Pietro replied with a modest smile.
"It's always nice to know I've inspired young minds. Though I must admit, I'm a bit confused myself right now," he added, glancing over at Ironwood.
"Of course, I'll explain everything," Ironwood said, gesturing for Pietro to come further into the lab.
Pietro's lab wasn't very large, and could be divided into three main areas. The first was a long, angled workstation equipped with several holographic terminals and a screen attached to it. Storage units were tucked behind the desk, locked and requiring special authorization to open.
The desk itself was cluttered with papers, documents, and partially opened books—an organized mess, if you will. On the wall to the right of the workstation, there was a wall-mounted holographic display, split into three sections.
Behind a set of glass panels, separated from the rest of the room, was a mechanical workstation that looked like it could double as a medical bay. A single bed with black sheets lay against the wall inside, surrounded by equipment that clearly seemed to be used for Penny's maintenance.
Speaking of which, Asher noticed a docking station placed near the entrance of the lab. He couldn't quite tell if it was just a charging base or something more, but it had a cradle-like design, similar to a wireless phone mount, only much larger.
The only other notable feature in the room was a set of dark gray lockers in the corner. They were all closed, so who knew what was inside.
Soon enough, Penny had moved back to her spot in front of Pietro's desk, where she had been sketching on a piece of paper with a pencil. It was surprising, given she was an android, but her drawings looked more like those of a child.
Pietro took a seat behind his desk, watching Ironwood, who stood in the center of the room with Asher standing nearby.
"The reason I'm here is actually because of Asher," Ironwood started, gesturing to Asher beside him.
"You see, he's part of the Atlas Military—or more specifically, a private division that I'm backing. I can't give you any more details due to confidentiality, but I assure you, he's trustworthy," Ironwood explained.
"Huh?" Penny tilted her head in confusion, and it was clear she wasn't the only one.
"He's part of the Atlas Military? But… James, he's so young," Pietro said, clearly unsure how to feel about the idea.
"I understand your concerns, but I can assure you, I joined the Atlas Military willingly—and to my own benefit," Asher interjected.
Ironwood nodded in agreement and continued, "In any case, Asher here is a genius in his own right. We scouted him because of his creations—drones that use a compact version of a Graviton Field Harmonizer, along with an advanced AI capable of full comprehension and executing commands without a script or reference."
Asher couldn't help but notice how well Ironwood recited that information—clearly memorized—but it got the point across, and Pietro seemed surprised.
"I see… But Graviton Field Harmonizers can't be miniaturized to the point of fitting into a drone," Pietro said.
"The amount of hardware required to constantly monitor the dust's internal frequency to maintain even energy distribution is huge." Asher nodded, ready with his own explanation. It wasn't often he got to talk to anyone who knew about engineering aside from the Schnees, and even then, it was limited to dust.
"That's true, but if you use an algorithm that can predict disturbances by comparing live data of current and planned movements, fed from the AI to the Graviton Field Harmonizer, it removes the need for extra hardware. That's how I was able to reduce it to something around the size of a fist."
Pietro raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, but for that, you'd need the AI itself to not only run those calculations but translate them into movement data with practically no delays. Otherwise, the whole system would just stall."
"Exactly," Asher agreed.
"It was a challenge, but I call it the S.I.R.E.N. System." While Asher and Pietro continued their back-and-forth, Ironwood and Penny remained silent. The exchange between the two of them felt more like a technical discussion than a debate.
Eventually, Pietro said, while stroking his chin, "I see. I've never heard of such a system before, but if James is vouching for you, I have no reason to doubt you. Though I must say, I'd be curious to take a look at this system myself, if possible."
"Of course, it would be an honor. But first," Asher turned to Ironwood, "we have something else to discuss, right, General?"
Ironwood, realizing he'd been given the stage back, cleared his throat and nodded.
"Right. The Atlas Military is currently organizing operations to raid the White Fang's headquarters in Mantle," Ironwood began. "
They've been behind several terrorist acts over the years, with the most recent one involving Asher. He'll be part of this raid, and I came here hoping that Penny would accompany him." At that, Penny sat up straighter in her chair, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Oh, does that mean I get to go outside?" She asked, spinning around to look at her father.
But Pietro didn't meet her gaze.
"Now, hold on a minute," Pietro said, his voice laced with concern.
"You want to send Penny out now? Down to Mantle? She hasn't had any real combat training outside of the simulations. And you'd be sending her up against the White Fang—those are dangerous people." Asher could tell that Pietro's concern was deeply personal.
Hmm, looks like Pietro sees Penny as his daughter just as much as she sees him as her father. I suppose that makes sense, she's not just a creation, the moment she gained a soul, she became a life.
"That's exactly why the White Fang needs to be dealt with," Ironwood countered.
"I agree that Penny needs real-world experience, and this is the perfect opportunity. She won't be alone, my men will be there as well, and her main focus will be protecting Asher, not fighting the White Fang." Ironwood's reasoning seemed to settle in the air, but Pietro's expression was still tight with worry.
He didn't speak for a moment, clearly conflicted. Then, Penny herself spoke up.
"Father, I want to go. I can help people, right?"
Pietro stared at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. He let out a heavy sigh.
"Penny, it's not that simple... it's dangerous."
Penny's expression dimmed slightly, her usual excitement replaced by a more serious tone as she said, "I know... but if it's dangerous for me, doesn't that mean it's even more dangerous for people who aren't like me? In that case, don't I have an obligation to go and help them? Isn't that... why I was created?"
Neither Ironwood nor Asher interrupted.
It wasn't their place, but Asher, in particular, was a bit taken aback by Penny's words. She had seemed so carefree just moments ago, but now there was a clear sense of purpose in her voice—a real purpose, one not born of programming, but of her own will.
The result of her soul.
Pietro rubbed his bald head and sighed deeply. He clearly found it difficult to argue with Penny when she looked at him like that.
Seeing a break in the tension, Ironwood stepped in.
"Pietro, I care about Penny, too. If at any point she's in serious danger, she'll be allowed to pull out of the mission, no questions asked. And, of course, if that happens, I expect you to withdraw with her, Asher."
Asher nodded in agreement when the focus shifted to him.
"Alright."
The decision was now in Pietro's hands.
After another long moment of hesitation, Pietro let out a low sigh and said, "Fine then. You can go, but I'll be monitoring you the whole time. And I want to know exactly what she will be walking into."
"Of course," Ironwood agreed easily.
As Ironwood and Pietro continued discussing the details, Asher and Penny exchanged a glance.
"It looks like we're going to be partners!" Penny said with a bright grin. "I hope we can get along."
Asher smirked and replied, "Likewise."