James stood by on his computer watching the news of a group who had made a constant video stream via the Atlas LAN. It was a group of people standing in front of a camera shouting out one phrase that he knew was directed to him.
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"
This was made a day or so after he enacted his lockdown. He just wanted to keep people safe from an impending war, but seeing these people rioting, he feared he'd only accelerate it.
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"
He knows there was a bigger threat out there. One that manipulated the events that caused the fall of Beacon and put these kingdoms at risk for war. And yet...
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"
They blame him. James Ironwood, the headmaster of Atlas Academy. Not Adam Taurus, the leader of the White Fang, not the woman who telegraphed the invasion, not even Jacques Schnee, who he felt deserved the hate.
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"
Just him. Just Ironwood. He sighed. He failed them. He failed Oz. He failed Qrow. He even failed Glynda. Everyone hates him now. Gepetto refused to talk to him after his daughter was torn apart by Pyrrha. Jacques threatened to sue him because he let Weiss slip away just before the lock down. Even some of the Beacon staff hated him because of his robots' role in the attack. Maybe...
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"
He was the villain. He had to stop himself. He pulled out his gun and pointed it to his head. With one moment, he pulled the trigger...
BLAM!
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"
The bullet stopped and flattened the instant it met his aura. If it had bypassed it, then it would have to go through his titanium plated skull. What a stupid plan he made... Everything he did... Stupid! Just stupid! Ironwood broke down into tears as the chants grew louder, humans and even Faunus uniting as the cry grew:
"HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US!"