Author's Note: I don't own Infinite Stratos nor do I own RWBY. They are owned by their respective owners and this is a work for entertainment value, not for profit.

Chapter 1:

"Ugh, my head," moaned a blonde hair, blue eyed, young man that while not impressively well built was on his way to becoming well-toned. He gazed around, realizing quickly that something was wrong; not like a little wrong, but very seriously wrong. The kind of wrong that makes you extremely paranoid and suspicious and makes you wonder what the hell is going on.

The first sign was that instead of flying through the air and ending up in a forest due to his rather stubborn idea of becoming a huntsman by going to Beacon Academy, he was somehow inside a room with white walls, tiles, and ceiling panels. The lights were also rather bright, which gave made the room he was in something he imagined to be a laboratory of some sort. The young man saw a door at the other end of the hall.

"Well Jaune, you really are a fuck up," the young man cursed at himself. "Might as well see if I can find out where the hell I am." Getting off the floor, Jaune walked towards the door, patting his side from his shield and his…wait, where was his sword? Jaune glanced down to his sheath (which was also his shield, simply folded up. Not seeing his sword not in the sheath, Jaune glanced back, seeing his sword…next to a big ass robot of some kind.

The robot was roughly twice as tall as him, and seemed to roughly be in proportion to a human, with clearly definable legs and arm, but Jaune could tell that the thick armor plating wasn't there for show. It was painted in silver and red, with yellow-maybe gold was a better term- highlights. It reminded Jaune of the massive robotic knights that one of his comics had.

"Ookay, seriously, where am I now?" Jaune asked himself. "Last thing that happened was I was being told by Ozpin that I had to come up with my own landing strategy, flying through the air, and then…then what?"

Jaune knelt down to pick his sword up, only to see a bit of blood on the floor. Hazarding a guess at how that got there, Jaune touched the back of his head, feeling his hair wet with what seemed to be his blood. It did seem to him that he had hit his head on the floor, his sword falling out of its sheath, and that explained his lack of answers, the blood, and his sword, but it didn't explain why he was in the room, nor why he couldn't feel any blood coming out. In fact, he could feel the blood on his hair had begun to harden, not coming out fresh.

"Alright, why aren't I still bleeding, head wounds don't stop bleeding on their own, at least that's what I know from TV and comics," Jaune said to himself, before face palming. "Really, now I feel stupid; TV and comics aren't the real world, why did I seriously think I could become a huntsman?"

What Jaune didn't know, because his family was staunchly against him becoming a huntsman due to his father's death when Jaune was fourteen, was that when he had hit his head onto the floor and was knocked out, his aura activated in a time of great need, allowing him to heal from his injury before he awoke. If it wasn't for his aura awakening, he wouldn't be alive at this very moment.

Shaking himself of his monologue, Jaune put his father's sword, Crocea Mors, into its sheath and began to walk to the door, only to stop upon hearing footsteps and voices coming from the other side.

"Damn security systems, why did they suddenly malfunctioned?" cursed a man. Jaune could hear another snort.

"No shit, and it was during the ball game, I have a bit of cash riding on Brazil beating Chile in the semi-finals."

"Huh, go figure, I'm betting Chile to win, they crushed France last week," the first man said. "anyway, let's finish our route and get back to the game, I don't get paid enough to tolerate any horseshit tonight."

"Amen to that," the second man agreed. Jaune began to panic.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Jaune hissed to himself. "The fuck am I going to do?" Turning around, Jaune looked at the robot, thinking for a moment before nodding. "Better idea than any other!"

Jaune, as silently as he could, turned the lights off and darted to behind the robot, climbing up to where he was fully hidden from anyone looking down the room. As he climbed, Jaune failed to notice that several of the yellow highlights were actually lights, and that they had turned on. Jaune took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerve, but when the door open, he genuinely believed that his heartbeats would give him away. He prayed for a miracle.

"Alright, let's see if anything appears out of the ordinary." Jaune could hear the voice of the first man quite clearly with the door open, and for the life of him Jaune couldn't place the accent.

"Well, nothing seems…wait a moment, is the project's lights on?" Jaune felt his stomach plummet. He glanced down and saw that some of the gold highlights were glowing brightly. To make matters worse, the light was turned on, and he heard the guards' next words.

"The hell, where did that blood come from?!" the first guard yelled out. "Michael, get the others to start searching the facility, we might have an intruder!"

"How the hell did someone get pasted us, this facility is built into a mountain and the only entrance is through us!" the second guard, Michael asked.

"Fuck if I know, maybe there's a back entrance that no one deemed important enough to inform us lousy guards about," the first guard stated. "Just get the others down here and begin a sweep of the facility; last thing we need is for the bitch to judge us 'lowly men' again!"

"Alright, alright I'm getting them now," Michael replied. "Guard Post Central, this is Officer Michael Lupin, we found blood in the IS holding bay, and it seemed to have been activated. Requesting back up to find the intruder." Jaune felt any hopes of not being found disappear as he heard the radio squawk back.

"Roger Officer Lupin, sending units 2 through 4 to your position. Units 5 and 6 will lock down the facility, while unit 7 informs Dr. Adessi and her team of the intrusion." Jaune wondered just how many men were going to be scouring the facility, looking for him. And what the hell is an IS, was it this robot he was clinging onto for dear life? He listened as the guards began talking amongst themselves again.

"Alright Herschel, sounds like Ross's, Sean's, and Luc's units are on their way, might be a few minute before they get geared up, any ideas on where the intruder could be?" Michael asked.

"Not a clue, let's think about this rationally," Herschel said. "The intruder, somehow, bypasses us and gets into the IS bay. Somehow, they activate the IS, so why haven't they blitz through our defenses and made a break for it? Better yet, why is there blood on the floor?"

"Perhaps the intruder realized that the IS hasn't been retrofitted with the offensive and defensive systems yet?" Michael suggested. "Those are kept in the fabrication lab in Bay B1, whereas we are in A2. They would have to hope they could get a floor down and a lab over before being detected, and with the safety protocols in place, it wouldn't be possible."

"Okay, fair point, but what about the blood, we haven't explained that yet," Herschel stated. Jaune could practically hear Michael shrug.

"Who knows, perhaps the intruder is a fucking clutz and slipped on the floor. You know how slippery these floors are, remember when Luigi slipped down the stairs and knocked over Dr. Adessi?"

"Yeah, poor bastard got canned because the bitch was too uptight, she seriously needs to get laid."

"Don't we all know that," Michael agreed. "Alright, so if the intruder couldn't get the IS out of the bay for reasons, where the hell would be the most logical place they would go?"

Jaune prayed, hoping the men would overlook the obvious, because it would be too obvious and he really, really didn't want to be caught in what he supposed was a military facility. However, he seemed to be fate's little bitch, because Herschel came up with the suggestion.

"What about behind the IS?" Jaune was screaming in his head, pleading for a miracle of some kind. And for the first time, it seemed the powers above decided to listen to Jaune.

"Don't be ridiculous," Michael scoffed at the idea. "That would mean the intruder was listening to our entire conversation without making a noise. Plus, wouldn't the first thing you would do if you couldn't achieve your objective to be to get the hell out of the facility?"

Thank you all mighty Oum for saving me, Jaune rejoiced in his head. However, he had to tempt fate, and one thing no one ever did was give fate a reason to smite your ass. For Jaune, his smiting came in the form of his sweaty fingers, due to having no training in maintain his grip upon anything, begin to give way. Jaune had just a moment to realize what was going to happen.

Aw hell no! Jaune's grip suddenly vanished as his fingers slipped from their holdings. Unable to get a word out, Jaune could see the two men turning to see him as he fell, only to become reacquainted with the floor.

"Fuck me," Jaune uttered before he lost consciousness, his last sight being the two guards rushing towards him.

"Aw, he's coming to," Jaune heard an unfamiliar feminine sounding voice speaking. "I doubt he will be much of an issue for you Doctor, seeing as he is restrained." Jaune tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't get them to open; they felt very heavy.

"Thank you Vera, you may take you leave if you wish," another woman said. Jaune suddenly felt very trapped, as he could only assume the woman who had just spoken turned her gazed to him, and from the first woman's statement, he was restrained. He wondered what almighty power he has pissed off enough to warrant such retribution. Jaune could hear a person walk out and a door click shut, leaving him alone, restrained, with some woman watching him.

He struggled to get his eyes open, managing just barely as he saw the woman open up a file. She appeared slightly younger than his mother, with auburn colored hair, slightly tanned skin, and wearing a pair of thin framed glasses that allowed her azure colored eyes to be seen through. He felt and knew he should be very afraid, as the woman, despite being quite young, seemed to scream control.

"So I see you're awake now," the woman stated with indifference, not bothering to lift her eyes to gaze at him, instead focusing on the file. "Do you have anything to say for yourself before I begin the interrogation?"

Jaune felt a lump in his throat, not knowing if he should speak or not. He hadn't meant to end up in the facility, wherever it was, but he seriously doubted she would buy whatever reasons he could come up with, not that he could. He didn't even know how he got here or where he was.

"I see, choosing not to speak," the woman clicked her tongue. "Very well, I guess we shall begin. What's your name?"

Jaune, deciding that lying like he had to get into Beacon would get him something far worse than expulsion from an academy, decided to simply answer the questions as best he could; perhaps they would find him not guilty of anything except being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Yeah right, he thought.

"Jaune Arc," Jaune answered. The woman gazed toward something, but Jaune had hard enough time opening his eyes, let along tilt his head to see what she was gazing at, so he hoped to hell it was something that would make him out to be some innocent guy instead of some spy or something.

"How old are you Mr. Arc?"

"Seventeen years old."

"I see, so tell me Mr. Arc, how does a 17-year-old boy such as yourself infiltrate past a full security team, several cameras, get passed at least six ID-locked doors, and manage to get to the IS prototype?" the woman demanded. Jaune began sweating.

"I don't know, seriously, I don't know!" Jaune cried out. "I woke up in that room after what I think hitting my head on something! I don't know how I got there, and I don't know where I am!"

Jaune knew he was panicking, but seriously, who wouldn't be? He was being questioned about infiltration, something he knew from his talks with his grandfather meant death for spies. He didn't want to die, especially not for something he didn't intentionally do!

"So you're claiming amnesia?" the woman asked coldly. Jaune wobbled his head side to side in denial.

"No, I just don't know how I got here; last I know I was supposed to be going through initiation for the academy!" Jaune said, before wondering if the woman knew about Beacon. If she didn't, then he was in a world of trouble.

The woman seemingly paused, her gaze fixed on something beyond Jaune's line of sight.

"So you mean to tell me it was a school prank of some sort that landed you here?" Jaune shook his head again.

"No, I seriously doubt that, but I don't know how I got into, wherever here is!" Jaune exclaimed once more. "I would tell you, I swear, but I don't know!" The woman gazed down at Jaune in a way several teachers in his past had, scrutinizing him like he was under a microscope.

"Tell me Mr. Arc, does the term IS mean anything to you?" the woman asked, folding her left leg over her right. Jaune shook his head.

"No," Jaune answered. The woman frowned for a moment, something that worried Jaune greatly.

"Mr. Arc, please tell me, if you had no idea where you were, then why did you hide from the guards?"

"I didn't know where I was, but since I heard the guards, I hid because I doubt they believe anything I would say," Jaune admitted honestly.

"I see," the woman said. "Pray tell, why did you have a sword and shield?" Jaune tried to think for a rational explanation; technically only huntsman, police officer, military personal, or those registered in combat school and huntsman academies were allowed to carry weapons. Thankfully the woman provided a convenient out for him.

"Was it for a club's initiation? The one you were perhaps partaking in before you ended up in this facility?"

"Yes," Jaune said, not knowing that the woman had been gauging his response to a heart monitor. So far, he had been telling the truth, but the woman caught him in a lie. However, the woman knew despite it being a lie, it wasn't a complete lie, more like a twisted truth.

"Alright then Mr. Arc, I suppose I should report my findings to my superiors," the woman said. "Whether you are released or not it dependent on if they think you are telling the truth. I wouldn't hold out on a release if I were you."

The woman got up, walking to the door, leaving Jaune to wallow in despair. He was certain he was doomed.

Exiting the room, Dr. Adessi smirked as she closed the door. She loved manipulating people; perhaps it made her a sadist, but still, leaving a person with the impression they were doomed made it all easier for her to manipulate them later. After all, if you were actually the one with the power, you could guarantee them freedom, but why grant them it so easily. Why not make them think they have to earn it?

"Are you sure this is a wise idea?" came the voice of head lab technician Alexander. "He could be a criminal."

"I highly doubt that," Adessi stated confidently. "Mr. Arc is a terrible liar, yet he maintained his story till the end when I gave him his out. Besides, it's not like we have a choice. The Praetorian's IS core bonded to him, somehow."

The problem was that the Praetorian was to be Italy's first generation 3.5 or 4th IS platform, and as such came with a personal IS core, which only bonds to one person at a time. This came with the advantage of evolving to the operator's skills, which allows for a self-improving system. However, it meant that with Arc's bond to the core, the Praetorian couldn't be used for a time by anyone other than Arc. And no one knew how long the bond would take to be complete; IS technology was in its infancy, and as such there wasn't a lot of hard data on bonds.

The reason Mr. Arc's case was unique was that, until last week and last night, no IS has ever bonded with a male operator. This with the IS's impressive military capacity turned the male-dominated society on its head, with female taking the reins. While some Japanese boy had bonded with an IS first last week, Mr. Arc was still the second male to ever bond with an IS.

To many, it would be something to wonder over; how did two males bond to two different IS cores? But for Adessi, it was something to study. If she could determine what made the IS cores female-preferring, and make a modified core that wasn't gender specific, she could easily give Italy a powerful advantage, as well as take her place amongst the scientific legends, perhaps surpassing that illusive Tabane.

"I get that, but how will you get him to cooperate willingly, and how will you get the government to sign off on him going to the IS Academy?" Alexander asked. Adessi chuckled darkly.

"I already have a plan to give Jaune a seemingly one way offer; either he agrees to 'volunteer' to work on the program on our behalf, or he risks imprisonment if 'my higher ups' decide he is too much a security risk. As for the government, they want a IS representative badly; with many IS Reps from other nations heading to the Academy for training their personal ISs, Italy is currently looking weak. However, with Mr. Arc, we give the government there IS rep, and we get an operator for the Praetorian."

Alexander nodded, his mind quickly compiling a list of pros and cons to her plan. However, Adessi had been a master of human manipulation for decades, using her knowledge to sway her university professors into giving her bigger grants and projects, and it only grew from there. She knew that Alexander would be easy to control, and she knew she could trust him not to go behind her back and sabotage her manipulation of Jaune.

"Leave him to stew in fear for a few hours, I will return to give my offer. When all goes to plan, we can begin testing out the Praetorian's basic functions to ensure it will work. We can always send the upgrade packages to the IS Academy for a retrofit once we have built and tested them," Adessi informed Alexander, who merely nodded, before he turned around and left. Adessi smirked again as she left; soon, her ambitions and dream would come into fruition, and the suffering of her past will be smothered by the gilded future she would have.

Author's Notes: So yeah, a new story. And it's an Infinite Stratos/RWBY crossover. And its Jaune-centric. I know I have other stories I need to work on, but sometimes, I can't work on them stories, and other times I want to work on something new. So here this is. A few things first.

First, where the hell did this story come from? Well, I've actually been sitting on this idea for about…nearly a year now, and it came from a plot bunny of a Jaune Arc/Laura Bodewig story. So I began outlining the story, coming up with various ideas, but until about three months ago it never really got enough momentum for me to get it out of my proto-type story into my active story folder. Then I got a spur of writing momentum after updating almost all of my active stories, with only two minor stories which I need to update, but I'm stumped on at the moment.

Where did this second wind come from? Well, it began when I thought more closely to what Jaune is in RWBY. He is the loveable idiot that in battle takes the role of tank.

Seriously, name one character in RWBY that actually focuses on defense? Pyhrra sure, but her semblance means that she doesn't really need to defend in the traditional manner that Jaune does. She can simply force any weapon off target and move in the kill. Jaune meanwhile has to focus on his defense and attack when an opportunity shows itself.

Thus it led to me designing Jaune's IS suit to reflect this. The Praetorian is essentially its namesake; designed like the Roman Praetorians of old, marching in formation, their shield raised with either pilums or gladius at the ready, taking the fight to the enemy.

Next, I thought about who Jaune should be within the story. Originally, I was going to pair him with Laura, but Jaune wasn't interested in anyone with a Yandere personality like Laura. No, he focused on Weiss for seasons 1-2 of RWBY, who was entitled, had high class mannerism, and knew what they wanted. The best person in Infinite Stratos that fit this personality would Cecila Alcott, who is a snobbish, self-entitled British girl that does develop into an actually character and not remain stactic.

Thus I had Jaune's IS and his future love interest figured out, but then I had to figure out when would I dump him out of RWBY-verse and into Infinite Stratos-verse. The solution that made the most sense (and provide a gold mine of future material due to how I plan the story) would be at the start of his initiation at Beacon. This would cause a literal butterfly effect in the RWBY-verse, which I won't explain now because a bit of it would be spoiling my plans for future content. The how Jaune ends up there will remain largely unexplained whereas the why will be explained, just in the future, but suffice it to say, blame the rabbit (no not Velvet, Tabane!).

Well, this Author's Note is getting quite long, so I want to wrap it up by explaining what will appear from each verse and what wont. From Rwby-verse, the only changes will be the lack of the maidens and the 'silver eye warriors (I hate Deus Ex Machina when it's done so cliché), but Salem will be appearing, and Cinder's plans are less 'I want the maidens' power' and more 'I want to rule the world, regardless if it is in ashes'.

From IS, well, mostly it will follow Season 1 of the anime, with the cringe-worthy Russian IS rep not making an appearance, or as she appeared in Season 2. The whole conspiracy will be there, but it will be larger and more of a threat, thus making a shift from the high-school life with mechs of season one to a more serious 'time is running out and lives are on the line' tone.

Well, that's it for now, until next time, please follow, favorite, and review the story, and I'll see you guys next time.

P.S: Anyone got a shipping name for Jaune/Cecila?