Chapter 8- A New Era
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[RE-ALLOCATING RESOURCES]
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[ACCESSING FEED ARCHIVES]
[ACCESSING SCROLL ARCHIVES]
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[INITIATING PLAYBACK]
[TIME: 24 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO]
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"Welcome everyone, to the championship match of the 28th Biennial Vytal Festival Tournament!" Arthur's voice rang out across the newly constructed flying Amity Colosseum.
"My name is Professor Arthur Polendina!" he shouted. He was wearing a gray jacket and a yellow scarf.
"And I'm Doctor Indy Flynn, and we are your announcers!" a tall man in a very nice blue fedora and rimmed glasses sat next to Arthur.
"We have a very exciting final match for you folks, and we are finally ready!" Arthur spoke apologetically.
"In this corner, we have from Atlas Academy, honor student, and soon-to-be valedictorian, and all-around superstar: Jaaames Ironwood!" Indy hollered. At the name, a large crowd began wildly cheering. Fans squealed as they saw his handsome face with his square jaw and sharp cheekbones. Large signs and posters filled the seats, and the raucous crowds drowned out the Atlas anthem being played.
James Ironwood casually walked up onto the stage, taking a neutral position vaguely in the direction of his competitor. He wore a white dress shirt that matched his white pants, with steel buttons peppered across his clothing. He had holsters for his two revolvers, and had a large axe strapped to his back.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in the other corner from Beacon Academy in Vale, Glynda Goodwitch!" Arthur bellowed. Cheering could also be heard, but not nearly as loud as James'. As Arthur said the name, a tall blonde woman stepped out onto the stage.
She was also dressed in white, which was contrasted with the black and purple cape she wore. This compounded with her nonchalant facial expression made the two finalists seem very at ease for an epic finale to the most breathtaking tournament in years. Like that one doubles match that lasted three hours because both duos' strategies invoked ridiculous amounts of stealth.
Or that semi final match where James punched a huntress whose semblance was invisibility in the face, revealing to the audience that he honed his hearing specifically for that match. Or when Glynda threw a tanker truck during the early rounds, resulting in the fastest quadruple knockout in the tournament's history. Then when she did it again during her doubles match, her opponents dodged multiple boulders eight times in a row. And then Glynda drop kicked them while her partner just sighed.
And now the best that Vale and Atlas had to offer were now competing, in what was definitely going to be a spectacular fight. The two opponents looked each other in the eye. James looked seriously at Glynda, only to be met by a stern expression, one that looked somewhat... exasperated.
James frowned. Why was she feeling like that? This was a pretty big deal! The final match in the Vytal Tournament, and yet the blonde just looked irritated, maybe even bored. He shook his head and took a fighting stance, his fingers close to his holsters. Glynda just stood straight, eyeing him.
Doctor Flynn waited a few minutes for the applause to die out before speaking, "Competitors, on your marks! Three, two, one! Fight!"
"It's all over! In the most upsetting match in Vytal history, Glynda Goodwitch wins by knockout!" Indy Flynn announced.
After he finished, the crowd was silent. James Ironwood put up a good fight, but it was clear that he was outmatched in every single way. He was good, excellent even. But she was out of his league. Her semblance augmented her speed, strength, defense, and attacks, leaving him in the dust.
That was the day James met the one person that could beat him at everything, the day he learned that he was second best. Runner-up at the 28th Vytal Tournament and in life. And he was okay with that.
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[TERMINATING PLAYBACK]
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Day 55
"So I know you four were planning on getting housing at Haven, but right now going through the orientation process will sap too much of our much needed time," Penny explained as Team RRNJ walked through the multiple city gates. The Atlesian Knight and holographic projector ring were brought back onto the Bullhead, so Penny had elected to speak to them via earpieces that she gave to each of them.
"Time for a quick tour! Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Mistral, the second best city and kingdom on Remnant," she began, "It boasts many achievements, such as being the origin of the first scroll, as well as aura detection devices. It is home to the best brewery in the East, and the largest ball of gold twine."
"Ooh, really!?" Nora jumped in the air as they passed the second gate into the city proper.
"It's smaller than it used to be, the White Fang had stolen bits and pieces of it to fuel certain operations about ten years ago," Penny continued, "Fun fact, Mistral was also the founding city of the White Fang, about a year after the Revolution ended. Historically it made sense, Mistral was known to be the most discriminatory kingdom against faunus, and it was also a Mistrali to propose the Menagerie Act.
The four humans just kept walking silently, passing the third gate.
"On a lighter note, Blake is from here! She spent a lot of time outside the kingdoms, but it was here where she, um, okay let's try that again! How about the Mistral Regional Tournam—no, wait. Don't worry, I have the entire CCT with me. There has to be something fun and not racist. No, that's a joke about poor people, how about, um, okay, how about some history?"
Team RRNJ mumbled out agreements.
"After the Great War, Mistral and Atlas were in a technological cold war with each other. Both kingdoms boasted great inventions and advancements in the fields of engineering and sciences. Vale and Vacuo could not compare. Mistral created the Happiness Index and scrolls, while Atlas had holograms and Bullheads. Of course, each kingdom sold their technology to others, but the pride of being the best drove them forward. This continued for forty years, both kingdoms neck and neck, until one day, Atlas pulled ahead, creating twice as many techs and inventions than Mistral could. And do you know how?"
The four humans shook their heads. Penny answered, "My father came in and changed everything. Some call him the greatest mind on Remnant. He built me by himself, with some assistance from General Ironwood."
"He sounds great," Jaune replied.
"I've heard of him, vaguely," Ruby added, "The smartest man in Atlas, creator of the Atlesian Knights. The best engineer around, with fourteen patented weapon designs! I didn't know he was your father."
"In Atlas, people tend to make the connection quickly, so I tend to leave out my last name when introducing myself," Penny said.
"Makes sense," Jaune said.
"I would say more, but I think it's best I stay quiet for this next part," Penny stated.
"I guess so?" Ruby wondered.
Team RRNJ soon passed the fourth and final gate, entering the city of Mistral.
As the tall doors opened to reveal the skyscrapers of the Eastern city, Ruby and Nora squeed while Ren and Jaune looked in awe. It was much larger than Vale, having twice as many high-rise buildings.
From the Western entrance, they could see part of the city's vast skyline, colored a dark gray and lit up with a plethora of differently colored lights. As they walked down the main street, they saw holographic billboards advertising exotic foodstuffs one rarely found in Vale. People roamed the streets in odd fashion, either alone or in large groups of ten or more. They wore clothing that showed off quite a bit of skin, men with unbuttoned shirts, women baring their midriffs. All in colors across the spectrum. They laughed merrily, but tended to avoid going near Team RRNJ.
"To be honest, Mistral makes Vale look like a backwater town. I've always found this city to be a wonderfully strange mix of contradictions. Sixty years ago, it was extremely frowned on to show more skin than absolutely necessary. That was due to the large mosquito population living in the nearby swamps, and the people who tended to get sick were those that wore less.
"This led to outbreaks of disease, and blame was often put on the initial victims. But the invention of mosquito repellant, as well as the eradication of 60% of mosquitos in the surrounding area via genetic engineering, led to a complete turnaround in cultural acceptance.
"Now, the upper classes tend to wear revealing clothes, as those who cannot afford repellant had to wear more to protect themselves. The class divide in this kingdom is much more noticeable and apparent when compared to other places, and the old stigma of faunus plague bearers hasn't gone away. After all, the vast majority of those who couldn't afford mosquito repellant or good clothing were faunus."
They kept walking, as Ruby slowly put her hood up to defend against mosquitos. Eventually, Jaune snapped his fingers in epiphany, "Oh! So that's why everyone we know from Mistral wears so little clothing! That finally explains why Sun never wore a shirt."
"He's from Vacuo," Penny responded, "He just likes the look."
"Does he spend a lot of money on mosquito repellant?" Nora asked. She was gleefully bouncing around.
"Yes he does, although he does buy in bulk," Penny answered.
Jaune mused, "Where do you buy bulk amounts of repellant? Is it like fertilizer?"
"One of those bulk stores I think," Ruby said, "There was one about ten blocks from Beacon."
"I remember that place; it's where I bought pancake mix for Nora," Ren said. Everyone immediately understood.
"I haven't had a good pancake in weeks! Is there a place to eat around here?" Nora bounced over to Ren.
"Actually, the four of you are going to stay at an apartment building I bought a week ago," Penny said.
"You have an apartment?" Ruby asked incredulously.
"Yep, the whole building," the AI replied. Everyone had a look of incredulity on them.
"What? I'm named after a monetary unit, of course I'm going to be rich," Penny answered, "I'm an entrepreneur now, making business deals with the likes of Weiss' father!"
Team RRNJ kept up their looks.
"Hmph, I have a robot army at my disposable, stopped a White Fang bombing, am a top secret military project, and you all think me running a business is crazy? You humans have got to get your priorities straightened or I'll never be done saving you guys."
"Wow. That's a big apartment," Jaune spoke as Team RRNJ arrived at the location. It was a tall, twelve story complex made out of white stone. Despite that, the building looked somewhat shabby, with minimal decoration and one statue of a horse. It wasn't the worst, but it definitely wasn't the best place to live. It was just so large compared to the ones in Vale.
"Alright, just go up to the front desk, and ask for rooms 810 and 811. They're listed under the name 'Forrest Melone'. If anyone asks, Jaune's a lawyer, Ruby's a technician, Nora's a pharmacist, and Ren's a virologist. You're all part of a professional group of hospital remodelers."
They all looked at each other, "We don't look like that at all," Ruby said.
"Yeah, you guys need disguises. Luckily, I stocked up on emergency outfits just in case! They're in room 722, go there after you check in."
"Why would you have a room full of disguises?" Ren asked.
"Just in case! I originally planned for this building to be like a safehouse for the Northern Lights group, in case things go awry. I stocked it up full of everything even remotely useful in here. There's even a basement full of musical instruments, on the off chance only rock and roll can save the day."
No one replied to that. They just went inside to sign in.
Gathering their allotted disguises, the four humans changed into the uniforms of their respective fake occupations. Jaune wore a clean-cut dark blue business suit and a green tie. Ruby wore a slightly gray technician uniform, complete with a zipper. Ren and Nora wore lab coats and a pair of rimmed glasses each.
"This actually fits pretty well," Jaune commented, looking at his shoulders and hip.
"You're lucky," Ruby pouted, "All the uniforms for me are a size too big."
"Hey everybody! We're science twins!" Nora shouted, pointing towards herself and Ren, who just nodded. He was told to bring a certain bag with him.
"Why can't I be a scientist?" Ruby asked, almost whining.
Penny quickly responded, "Right now I need Ren and Nora specifically to go to this medical center in South Mistral together. Having more than two people enter might tip off the White Fang."
Sighing, Ruby nodded, "Okay."
"Don't worry, what you're doing is going to be fun. Want to see some Mistrali weapons?"
Ruby perked up at that, "Do I?"
"Yep, you're going undercover at a weapons shop!" Penny outlined.
Jaune discreetly mouthed the word 'Favoritism' to Ren and Nora.
"As for you, Jaune," Penny said abruptly.
"Eep!" Jaune squeaked.
"You're going clubbing!"
"What."
"I cannot believe I'm doing this. Why me?" Jaune complained.
"Come on, it'll be fun! You don't have to do anything crazy, just a couple of drinks here and there."
"Sure, why not?" he grumbled.
He approached the club that Penny wanted him to oh-so-desperately patron. It was flamboyant enough, with faint blood pumping music audible from a hundred feet away. As he got closer, Penny sent a message to his scroll.
We won't be able to talk much in there, too much noise.
You should be able to get in right away.
Your target is this man:
What followed was a picture of a tall man his forties, wearing a dark suit with a yellow handkerchief. He had a serious look on his face, yet projected an air of serenity, even from the picture.
He is a Councilman from Atlas, go and talk to him!
It's just a precautionary measure.
Please don't mention me, he has hang ups.
But he is a nice guy.
Jaune sighed before putting his scroll away, "Fine. But don't expect anything to come out of it," he straightened his tie and approached the bouncer next to the front door, avoiding the line in the first place.
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
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Ruby squealed as she passed by two high end gun stores, catering to shotguns and hunting rifles respectively. But they were not her target. Instead, she ran quickly across the city, passing by late night partiers and night shift workers, the latter her uniform and toolbox suggested.
After passing by the fifth person with little clothes on, he decided to ask, "So you said the whole trend about not wearing a lot of clothes was a thing, but Jaune's supposed to be a lawyer. Why is he wearing a full suit?"
She dashed passed cars as the traffic lights turned green.
Penny's voice came from Ruby's earpiece, "He'll be pretending to be a lawyer from Patch, working for the Vale Council-in-exile. Also, I know what you're thinking, and yes, Neptune attends Haven with financial aid. No, when you see him, don't mention it."
"I know that!" Ruby passed by another green light, "I was just wondering, that's all!"
"It's kind of funny actually, repellent used to be super expensive, where only the top 10% or so could afford it," another green light was passed, "But after the Revolution, Atlas began manufacturing their own, and the price dropped dramatically, so nowadays the entire upper half can buy it regularly. Take a left at the next street."
Ruby sprinted to the crosswalk and turned, speaking softly, "You really like Atlas don't you?"
After a minute of continuous running, Penny responded, "Yes. It's a great kingdom. People are always talking about how bad the military is, and how their technological superiority has made them arrogant and all that. Sure they've done some sketchy things over the years, but on the whole it's a good place."
Ruby nodded, "My dad told me that the difference between Atlas and Vale was that Atlas was more honest about their goals."
"That sounds about right," the AI agreed.
"But dad always said it was a double-edged sword. It just meant that Atlas is willing to do more questionable things, even if it could hurt their reputation," Ruby added.
"Making risky choices is a valid strategy," Penny replied, "In fact, I recall your several run-ins with the White Fang, taking big risks to do the right thing."
"I could've taken them," Ruby remarked.
"I recall shooting down several Bullheads aiming at us. You definitely had it handled."
"Hmph, I think I liked you better when you supported me," Ruby pouted.
"Come on, don't be like that! Also take a left here and it's the second building on your right."
The young huntress skidded before turning, stopping right before the store. Being late at night, the relatively small shop was closed, having only one floor. It was spartan in decoration, being essentially a concrete block with a front door, windows, and a sign reading "Guns Galore".
"Alright, open the door and talk to the man inside. Remember your training."
"That was half an hour ago!" Ruby hissed. Despite that, she pulled on the door. Inside was exactly what was on the sign: guns mounted on racks, guns mounted on the wall, of all sizes, type, caliber, and manufacturer.
Doubt melted away as Ruby stared at the weapons surrounding her as she stepped in, there were even models designed in Vacuo! And was that a Tanner Model 24? They haven't been made in almost twenty years! She tried very hard not to squeal in delight as she passed the displays.
"Take a deep breath, Ruby. We can visit here again later, after we prevent the end of humanity."
Ruby subtly nodded. She kept walking towards the counter, tightly gripping the black toolbox in her left hand. With no weapon on her, Ruby felt exposed. She took a deep breath just like Penny said.
As she did so, the man behind the counter looked at her. He was a deer faunus with antlers sticking out of his head. He was also large, with rippling muscles and hairy arms covered by a tight black shirt that matched his black hair. His facial expression remained neutral, only raising an eyebrow when he saw Ruby.
"Hey kid, you new?" he asked.
"Umm, yes. I am new. At this job. This technician job," Ruby awkwardly lied.
"Don't be so nervous kid. If you couldn't do the job, you wouldn't have gotten it in the first place. No go on back and fix the power right away," he pointed to a door at the back of the store.
"Heh heh, yeah. Yes sir," Ruby immediately replied, briskly walking to it. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door to get inside the backroom.
It was dark inside, as the man had called because of a power outage inside the back storage room that strangely didn't affect anywhere else. As Ruby entered, lights slowly flickered on.
"Controlling the power grid in this city is hard, you know. A lot of its infrastructure dates back to before the Rights Revolution."
"You did a good job, Penny. Now which guns do I have to change?"
"There should be eight of them in a bin marked '674', near the left side."
"I found it. Now, let's see here…"
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
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Jaune sat down at the bar, trying to ignore the loud music coming from the main room. Despite Penny's declaration, he didn't actually have to do any clubbing. Right after he entered the club, he made a beeline for a room off to the side, a quiet place with a bar. It was probably designed for people who just wanted a drink and didn't bother with dancing.
He looked around the area and found Councilman Garrison sitting on a barstool, nursing a glass of red wine. Jaune came up to the bar and asked for a beer, sitting next to the Councilman. After receiving his drink, Jaune took a sip and looked at Garrison, who looked back.
"What in the world is a kid like you doing here?" Garrison asked.
"Getting a drink. I'm tired after a long journey here," Jaune replied, taking another sip.
"You're not from Mistral?"
"Nope, Patch."
Garrison nodded, "Ah, you must be with the Vale Council then," he gestured at the bartender for another drink, "I'm from Atlas, Councilman Jaune Garrison."
Jaune smiled, "Small world. Jaune Arc, attorney at law. I'm working for Councilwoman Aegis."
"Pretty young for an attorney," Garrison noted.
"More like attorney in training, but it doesn't look good on a business card," Jaune remarked. So apparently Penny is a lawyer, and I'm being taught by her, so it's not a lie. I've just been in training for about thirty minutes.
"The training days for any profession is always the worst part. When you get to the real world, it's much harder, but by then you're better prepared," Garrison smiled, sipping his drink.
Jaune smiled back, taking a sip as well.
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
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Ren and Nora made it to their location last, a pharmacy in the southern part of Mistral. Located next door to ten practitioners, two research labs, and a clinic, the place was busy throughout most of the day. This specific pharmacy was open twenty-four hours a day, and will continue to do so for weeks on end. It was a simple place and procedure: go in, see the counter, give a prescription, wait.
So that was what Ren did, give a prescription for a few compounds while Nora entered from the back, using her clearance as a "real, not fake pharmaceutical expert". While she was doing that, Ren pulled out his bag containing a single box.
Nora crept quietly for a short distance before reaching a nearby circuit breaker. When she got to it, she pulled out a small dust crystal and broke it, absorbing electricity into her body. She then directed that electricity into the circuits, shorting out the lights in the whole building.
As the lights went out, Ren snuck into the back, led by Nora and Penny through the darkness until they reached a certain location, where Penny told them to switch a box of needles with the box Ren was carrying. When the lights came back on, Nora was gone, and Ren was listening to music on his scroll, still waiting for his prescription.
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
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"... And that's why you should never date colleagues," Garrison slammed his drink down after finishing it.
"Yeah," Jaune gulped down the remainder of his drink and slammed it down as well, "You know, I could have dated a friend of mine, but we never got together," he said quietly.
"Why didn't you?"
"I never noticed! I didn't know she liked me! I mean look at me, I'm so average, my name is Jaune! Jaune, the most common name on Remnant! I was the worst in my class, while she was a hotshot with a legion of suitors, she was way out of my league! I mean, sure I had a crush on this other girl who was also out of my league, but still!"
"That's the irony of it all, Jaune. We'll never understand women. Just nod and hope for the best," the bartender had refilled his glass, and Garrison took another drink, "You gotta ask her out."
"I can't. She died when Vale fell," Jaune replied. He placed his head on the bar and sniffled.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Garrison said, "I can tell by the look in your eye. The girl who liked you, she saved you, didn't she?
"Yeah, she did. But she's gone now. I'll never be able to, to, I don't even know."
"It hurts doesn't it?"
Jaune nodded slowly, his head never leaving the bar.
"It's like that at first. Jaune, do you want to hear a story?"
The huntsman nodded.
Garrison downed his entire glass, "You ever hear of the Attack on Atlas Academy?"
Jaune shook his head.
"Understandable. It was before your time, nineteen years ago. It was… It was bad. I don't like talking about the details, but it was like the Breach in Vale, remember that?"
Jaune nodded.
"It was like that, only so much worse. The Atlesian Knights were in their infancy. No armada to stop it, and the school was overrun from the inside out. No one knew what happened, there was just fire everywhere, cracks in the ground wide enough to swallow a Bullhead," Garrison shivered.
"A lot of people died that day, but if it wasn't for General Ironwood, a lot more would have. He and his team sacrificed themselves to stop the Grimm and save the city. And of his whole team, he was the only survivor," Garrison winced, "My, um, my friends attended the Academy. I was a civilian, wounded in the very beginning and evacuated early on."
They were both nursing their drinks before Garrison finished, "My point is, stuff like Vale happens all the time. Mountain Glenn, Arcadia, just the tip of the iceberg. But we can't just roll over and give up, spend our lives wallowing in despair. We have to prepare, and prevent it from happening again. Vale happened, and Vacuo happened too. But the next time, we'll be better. We will learn from our mistakes. Each time, less lives will lost, until one day, there won't be any casualties. That's why we have councils, to pass down knowledge and wisdom from each group of leaders to the next.
"It is our job, our duty, as the survivors, to make sure it doesn't happen again. To honor their lives is to make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain. They gave their lives to save us, and we must be ready to do same for others. That's how it gets easier."
The two of them stayed silent, slowly drinking the night away.
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
/
Nora had a mission, and it was to tail a certain researcher after said researcher left a nearby research lab. He was of average height, with blond hair and a tail sticking out. A faunus. He wore a lab coat and a blue shirt underneath.
[TARGET IDENTIFIED: SHI, QING
DESIGNATION: THREAT
COURSE OF ACTION: SUBVERT]
As the researcher walked, Nora followed him from the rooftops. As he turned a corner, Penny spoke up, "He's going through an area with no cameras. I know where he's headed, but I can't trace his route. Please don't lose him."
"Yes sir ma'am!" Nora replied, jumping to the next rooftop. In Mistral, some streets were actually narrow enough to leap across. Nora pulled her scroll out pointing it in front of her so Penny could look.
Following a half block behind, the researcher took many twists and turns, doubling back every few blocks, looking over his shoulder. Luckily for Nora, he rarely looked up. Eventually, after almost half an hour of walking around, Ren caught up to them, holding the bag in one hand. The two friends nodded at each other and continued tailing the researcher.
Eventually, the researcher reached his destination, a place to the southeast of Mistral, at the outskirts of the city. The perpetrator reached for what appeared to be a cellar door behind a warehouse, and entered into the "cellar". There were no buildings near the warehouse, which stood out against the city walls, only a thousand feet from them.
The rest of the area was arid, dirt and dead trees everywhere, and no one around. It was a quiet place that once held some prototype hydroponic farms, which later failed, leaving several warehouses for sale. Of them, one was purchased by the White Fang.
Penny told Ren and Nora to wait and stay quiet, which they did for almost five minutes until Ruby arrived, tailing a woman carrying a bin marked "674". She entered the cellar as well.
The AI signaled for the three hunters to return to their base of operations at the apartment, and started detailing the plan, "So we have two routes plotted, with which I'll be generating the other probable routes. There are eight White Fang members involved in this: three researchers and five former military. Of them, four have unlocked aura. They plan to release a powerful genetically engineered virus to kill millions of humans."
"Why here in Mistral? There are many places they could release it," Ren pointed out.
"There is the summit taking place in the city, with several members from each kingdom's council attending. I know that they plan to release it there after accessing their scroll logs. The White Fang members were screaming expletives into their scrolls, especially when councilmember names came up," Penny explained, "Terrorists are an angry bunch."
No one else said anything.
After reaching the apartment, they split up, with Nora and Ruby in room 810, and Ren in room 811. Jaune wouldn't be back for a few more hours, drinking the night away with one of Remnant's most influential people.
After changing into pajamas, Nora and Ruby challenged each other to a video game contest, tempted by the very large television screen in front of them.
"Alright one game. We have a full day tomorrow, so you guys need rest," Penny tried being the voice of reason.
"Come on Penny, Jaune's still out clubbing! I bet he'll be up all night while we just lie in bed. I don't wanna do that," Nora responded.
"Fine, but when Jaune gets back, you're both going to sleep, okay?"
"Okay," Ruby answered, pulling out her scroll to use as a controller.
"I challenge you to a duel! And I will win, for glory!" Nora pointed a finger at Ruby as the game started up.
"Hey Penny, can you control the game from wherever you are right now?" Ruby asked.
"Yes. And you could say that I'm everywhere," Penny said.
"That's not how code works," Ruby replied.
"That's how my code works," Penny countered.
"You've gotta be like, terabytes of data. There's no way you could work inside my scroll for example, you'd be too compressed to do anything. You're obviously located in some server room somewhere, connected to the CCT feeds," Ruby explained.
"My code is able to completely fit within an android body. You are merely estimating the actual size of my inner workings, but I'll have you know my code is lean, very well optimized, and can run even while compressed," Penny boasted.
"But not at full blast. Not only that, but hardware limitations dictate that you must be using state-of-art equipment, and a lot of it to monitor the entirety of Remnant," Ruby argued.
"What is happening?! Why do you two sound so smart? Ruby, are secretly a genius!?" Nora asked, violently shaking Ruby by her shoulders.
"Nora stop it!" Ruby yelled, hoping for the redhead to stop shaking her, "I'm smart enough to skip two whole years! I'm at least a prodigy!"
"I thought that was only in cutting things!" Nora stopped rattling Ruby before holding her arms to her head.
"Cutting and building things. I haven't actually done much computer stuff in years," Ruby said, "Weapons are cooler than code, you know. No offense Penny."
"None taken. Weapons are cool. My father is trying to mount lasers onto Bullheads right now."
"That sounds awesome!" Ruby gushed, "What kind of power supply are you using? What kind of laser is it? Is it as amazing as your old swords?"
"He's using a larger, more powerful variant of my swords, and my aura is going to be used as the power supply. The laser type, on the other hand, is classified. Like super classified, General Ironwood wants it kept secret for now, at least until the manufacturing process can be optimized."
"Oh," Ruby said.
"But, when it's done we can totally go for a ride!" Penny said, trying to be optimistic.
"Okay!" Ruby giggled
"Ooh can go too?" Nora butted in, "Can I also…"
"Nope. No shooting lasers, Nora."
"Aww," Nora pouted, "Can we play a game for it?"
Penny spent a millisecond pondering the proposal, then responding with, "Eh, why not?"
"Let's start! I challenge you to Epic Starship Battle Frontier IV: Black Ops Division! The fifth arena, no extra lives," Nora challenged.
Penny won every round, causing Nora to declare her her eternal redheaded rival. Ren slept like a log, free from Nora's grasp for one night. Ruby joined the game at the end, beating Nora as well, causing her to just go to sleep instead.
Jaune didn't make it back until two in the morning.
Day 56
The next day, the members of Team RRNJ woke up late. A long eastern journey, followed by a dead friend coming back, a complicated mission to save the world, and a video game tournament against a true artificial intelligence led to a tired and spent group of humans.
Luckily, Penny accounted for that. Most of the preparation was done, with the remaining bits coming along on a Bullhead heading their way at maximum speed. All she needed to do was keep an eye on each perpetrator. With the help of Team RRNJ, she would be able to index any hidden caches.
So after a nice brunch courtesy of a pancake house located to the west, Team RRNJ was on the case!
"Well that was boring," Jaune remarked, "We just spent the whole day looking around dark alleyways and dumpsters. And all we found was, let's see, about two tons of garbage, a dozen disposed scrolls, a broken television, moldy fruit, a bag of spent bullets, a destroyed laptop, and a pile of newspapers from five years ago."
Nora was reading said news, "Shh, I want to find out what happens next!"
The four of them walked back to the apartment. Along the way, Penny chimed in, "It did make things a lot simpler. I was worried that they were smart enough to hide important stuff in a dead zone, but apparently the complete destruction of the White Fang didn't change any of their habits."
"It could be because their hideout was not raided by the military, so they have no reason to believe they have been found out," Ren supplied.
"But what about the higher-ups? Wouldn't they be threatened by White Fang leaders revealing their location?" Ruby asked.
"The White Fang have been disbanded for a week, and yet there is no evidence of Atlesian military operations in the area after the fact. It is reasonable for them to assume they have not been found," Ren argued.
"It's not reasonable at all! Why haven't they thought that their intel was being leaked?"
Penny answered that, "I may have been purposefully spreading false rumors among the White Fang prior to their destruction. Information like the Brotherhood having spies in their ranks and such."
"Oh. Well then. Penny, why haven't you, you know, captured the base beforehand?" Ruby asked.
"Well, I assumed that no one would be crazy enough to do this. I intended to have this base along with a few others cleared up in a week from now, after all the commotion died down. At the time, I believed that raiding that base in the middle of the White Fang attack would have led to a chaotic release of the virus, so taking control of it would need more resources and planning."
"Which we don't have," Ruby quipped.
"I'm good at making plans on the fly. A second to you is almost an eternity for me. I have the time to consider everything," Penny said, "Even when housed inside a single android, I could see many possible choices, predict future actions of those I fight. The problem is working with little or false information."
"My last fight in the Vytal Tournament," Penny started, pausing as Team RRNJ reflexively winced, "Was filled with mistakes. I never realized Pyrrha's semblance because I preferred figuring it out as the battle goes, not doing research beforehand. Early on, I noticed how her weapons moved in ways that defied projectile motion, and how after contact with her, each sword moved slightly differently than what was to be expected.
"I also didn't expect Pyrrha to use lethal force on me. At the time, my aura was predominantly used to power my swords and body, not protect myself. I didn't expect Pyrrha to have her mind affected by Emerald, nor did I expect my death to be used as the catalyst for Vale's fall. Had I known, had I determined it to be an option, taking the possibility into account, and calculated a viable solution, then maybe things would be different. Maybe those lives lost could have been saved."
Ruby frowned, "Penny… You're asking for the impossible. There was no way any of us could have known."
"'Nothing is impossible, just so incredibly improbable that you'd be crazy to consider it,' is something my father sometimes said," Penny replied.
"Well I think he's a very optimistic person, and for anything else, I'd agree with him. But right now is the present, and we don't know what the future holds. A computer like you could try to calculate it, but there will always be a level of uncertainty. You can never know everything, and for something as crazy as the collapse of Vale from an invasion by the White Fang, hacked Atlesian Knights, and an army of Grimm, the fact that you were caught off guard just showed everyone that you aren't crazy or paranoid. Which is pretty good in my book."
Team RRNJ approached the apartment complex, at which point Penny responded, "I was built to save the world."
As they entered the front door, Jaune, Ren, and Nora quietly made it back to their rooms, leaving Ruby in the lobby alone with Penny.
"And like you said, you have much to learn," Ruby rebutted.
"Have I learned enough yet?" Penny asked.
"My dad always said we never stop learning, that every day is full of new opportunities to learn," Ruby said, "But that's probably because he teaches at Signal. Teachers are like that."
"My father used to teach at Atlas Academy," Penny added.
"Why did he stop?" Ruby asked.
"The council wanted him to work full time after the successes of the Atlesian Knights and cybernetic limb technology."
"Oh," Ruby said, "Cool."
"You know Yang's getting one soon, a cybernetic arm that is," Penny said.
"Really? That's great!" Ruby clasped her hands together.
"She's still a bit worried about it. Nothing her little sister being there won't fix," the voice that said that wasn't Penny. Instead of cheerfulness mixed with constant exposition, Ruby heard a serious yet caring tone.
Ruby turned her head to see a black haired woman with a bow on her head.
"Blake?" she said.
"Hey," her former teammate replied.
The sun had already set, and the four humans and one faunus sat together in room 810. Awkward reunions and hugs came and went, with Nora being pried off of Blake by Ruby before unconsciousness occurred.
Before long however, Blake stopped everything by explaining her current position, "Penny and General Ironwood have offered me a position to work as a specialist, while still receiving hunter training in a special program."
"The one for child soldiers!" Penny added in a cheerful tone, "I'll be your only upperclassman!"
"Yes, that one. I'm here because I am the only person that was vetted by General Ironwood that's also resistant to the virus," Blake explained.
"Due to the way the virus was designed, faunus are much less likely to contract the disease. But, on the off chance a vial breaks, I did get these," Penny virtually gestured to Blake, who pulled out some apparel from a large bag.
"Behold, Thornhill Industries brand hazmat suits! Complete with a detachable gas mask that covers your entire head. It even comes with a radio transceiver, biofluorescent headlights, and options for music stations," Penny said enthusiastically.
"Tomorrow's a busy day, guys. I don't want to be Weiss, but we all have to get some rest," Blake said.
"Aww," Ruby and Nora pouted.
Day 57
"So here's the deal," Penny started, "This base of theirs? I have only limited access to its systems. Electrical, plumbing, ventilation, all of it is analog or not connected to the CCT in any way. The only thing I have access to are the security cameras right behind the cellar door and the ones positioned inside the laboratory. Everywhere else, you guys are going in blind.
"I do have the plans for the facility, taken from White Fang archives belonging to their leaders. To throw off suspicion, the layout is identical to several other bases, leading to many members not knowing of this base's existence.
"As such, they will be on guard, but they don't actually believe someone will raid their base before they plan to release the virus. They plan to release the virus two days from now, in the middle of the summit. Specifically, a press conference where every council member will appear before newsgroups and the public.
"Ruby, Nora, Ren, and Blake will infiltrate the facility. Jaune, you will be attending the summit, just in case things go bad," Penny allocated their roles.
"Wait, why am I not going?" Jaune asked.
"First, we need someone who Councilman Garrison trusts. Second, your averageness makes you blend well into crowds. Third, you only have a sword, which is actually pretty terrible inside narrow corridors. Fourth, you will probably—"
"Yeah yeah, I understand," Jaune interrupted.
"Good. Jaune, get your suit on, as well as the business cards I printed out for you. The rest of you, Team Rubine, or RRBN, you guys are breaking into a secret White Fang base to eliminate a weapon of mass destruction."
"I never get to do anything fun," Jaune complained.
Penny's plan, like many of them, was complex and accounted for as many variables as possible. The four of them were to enter at a time when all three researchers were inside, and at least one former military member was outside of the facility. Penny would then put the camera feeds on a loop and prevent outgoing calls from scrolls in the facility.
And then the raid can begin.
"So you've skimmed the info I sent, right?" Penny asked, just to be sure.
"Yes we did," Blake said.
"Nora and I did so," Ren answered.
"Yep," Ruby replied.
"Good, let's get started," Penny exclaimed. The four soon-to-be infiltrators wore the gas masks and was communicating via radio. They each held their respective weapons, as well as backpacks full of important supplies. And just to be sure, they all wore riot gear in case their auras ran out.
"First things first, we need to get inside the building. The cellar doors are unlocked, but they're just a decoy. Beyond them is a large iron door, hermetically sealed and electronically locked. It is not connected to the CCT, but can be accessed manually," Penny said.
"Ruby, we need you to hack it."
"What? Me?"
Penny explained, "I can't do it from here, and bringing in an Atlesian Knight might tip someone off. You're the only other person with coding skills."
"Yeah, but that was six years ago!" Ruby whined.
"And the security system here is outdated, and you have, like, three hours to do it. You can do it. I believe in you," Penny said.
"... Fine. Let's do it."
"Don't worry, I'll be there to guide you in case you need help."
The four agents of Penny grabbed their supplies and exited the disguised Bullhead Blake came to Mistral in. It would be a short walk to the facility where they would soon prevent the end of civilization.
/
[INITIATING PLAYBACK]
/
Day 4444, Session 3
Ten-year-old Ruby Rose rubbed her eyes and yawned (in an adorable way). It was just before midnight, after she had spent the last few days getting to know One and the team of hackers involved in some complicated contest.
From what she had learned, a shadowy group has been asking around for talented programmers and cyber-infiltrators to perform a penetration test on code they provided. Whichever team breaks in first gets a prize: two million Lien. Which was a lot of money, but Ruby didn't really know what to do with that. Maybe buy Yang something cool?
Either way, Ruby had to crack the code first. And so, with the help of One, she got to work.
Day 4458
Two weeks later, she'd done it. She cracked the code. Of course, she had a lot of help with One, who seemed genuinely impressed by her skill, after filtering out the veiled insults and jokes about her age. The enigmatic hacker thanked her even more when Ruby gave One all of her winnings. She didn't know who One was, other than the fact that she was female, and that she was probably in her teens. Although that might have also been a lie; Yang pointed out that there were a lot of scumbags who faked their identities online.
But Ruby didn't think One was a scumbag, and she thought that One was telling the truth. Either way, when Ruby wrote to her about wanting to become a huntress, One responded by asking for a fight one day. The littlest computer programmer squealed, wondering about who One was like in real life. Considering her age, she must have been in an Academy somewhere, right? In only a few years, Ruby could one day catch up to her, and then finally have that match.
She hoped to remain friends, but a power outage occurred shortly afterwards, and when everything started working again, the websites were gone. Every single conversation they had online was wiped clean. Ruby never thought to save any information, and in doing so lost contact with a new friend.
Day 4459
"James," Arthur called his friend on his scroll, "Someone hacked my firewall."
"What? How?! You said it was impenetrable!"
"Not the one in Penny, the one for the Atlesian Knights," Arthur explained.
"I don't know if that's better or worse. Someone hacked our army, Arthur. This is, look, can you trace it?"
"Already did. There were fifteen IP addresses involved, meaning fifteen different hackers. But that's not the worst part," the scientist said.
"What? What could possibly be worse?" Ironwood's tone sounded exasperated.
"Eight of them were from inside the Atlas Council building. James, the Council just broke into the Knights."
"Garrison," Ironwood said, "The new one. He was asking about the Knights' capabilities. He wanted to know if they could kill."
"And?"
"I told him that to protect people, the Knights had to be incapable of harming them. Garrison thought differently."
"Well he got what he wanted. When he gets a good enough programmer, he'll be able to change the Knights' code however he wants. He better hope nothing goes wrong."
"I'll relay the message."
/
[TERMINATING PLAYBACK]
/
Day 57, Session 4
"Done," Ruby said as the tumblers inside moved.
"There will probably be perpetrators behind the door, so be ready," Penny said.
Everyone nodded in understanding. Nora pulled the door open, while Blake, Ren, and Ruby readied their guns.
Guns blazing, firing bullets quickly while using their auras to protect themselves, they took down two guards immediately, both of whom had auras. Their guns didn't work, as Ruby had sabotaged them earlier. Ren snuck up close to their supine bodies, taking their weapons while Nora wrapped them in duct tape.
Penny began speaking again, "There are two guards left, one with aura. The three scientists have barricaded themselves inside the lab when they heard the gunshots. You guys will win, don't worry."
And they did. Within thirty minutes, they had secured the entire facility, checking every door for the perpetrators. The guards may have been former military, but there was no way they could have stood up to hunters-in-training with no working weapons. Their auras only slowed their inevitable defeat. The two remaining guards were quickly knocked out and tied up.
All they had to do was convince the three researchers to not release the virus inside the lab. Of course, being researchers crazy enough to intend to release it in the first place, they instead barricaded themselves inside the storage room, taking care to grab the vials containing the virus.
Now at a standstill, Ruby called her team together to formulate a plan. They wouldn't need Penny for this. Less than a minute later, they were ready to take the laboratory. The scientists looked in worry as Team RRBN prepared to break into the room.
Nora pulled her hammer out, getting ready to smash the door down.
"On three," Ruby commanded, "One. Two. Three!"
Nora's hammer came down, crumpling the steel door just enough for Blake and Ren to slash the hinges off and push the door to the ground. Entering the room, Team RRBN were greeted by three researchers surrendering.
They tied up the researchers, grabbing the vials of pathogen and placed them inside a biohazard container they brought. The researchers were moved to another room with the other captives. After a short time was spent destroying the research and removing anything that could help make another superbug, Ruby, Penny, and Blake took a walk through the facility.
"The layout for this place is exactly the same as the base I used to live in," Blake said, "If it weren't empty, I might not be able to tell the difference."
"That's crazy," Ruby said, "You growing up in a place like this."
Blake continued, "They weren't built with strategic fortification in mind. All of them were built years ago, before the White Fang became violent. It was like any other building, with sleeping quarters, food courts, rooms for training, and even a lecture hall for teaching. I think it has more in common with Beacon than it does with a fort."
"So White Fang bases were built like schools. Huh."
The two of them kept walking, exploring the rest of the facility for Ruby, while Blake reminisced.
"What's this?" Ruby pointed at a nearby door, where a note was taped to it. She reached over and grabbed it before reading it.
"To the WF members in charge of this facility, please dispose of the vials marked 'HK-045'. This is beyond our mission statement. We do not kill people to make our point, we do it through reason and civil, peaceful protest. Even keeping one of these vials as a contingency is going too far. We are not murderers, we are activists. Signed, Mr. Egret."
She looked in confusion before Blake explained, "That was written by the Mr. Egret. He wrote this," Blake took the paper out of Ruby's hands.
"Who is he?" Ruby asked.
"He was one of the founding members of the White Fang," Penny answered.
"The only human out of the original eight," Blake continued, "He supplied the White Fang with their initial funding. He was a generous and compassionate man."
"Um, White Fang?" Ruby added in.
"He was a pacifist, the one who tried to keep it peaceful, before he was killed about eleven years ago," Blake explained.
"Not only that, but there are no pictures or recordings of him anywhere. I only have a name, a few shell corporations, and his ties to the other seven. I suspect the records used to exist, but have since vanished. Somebody wanted him gone," Penny spoke.
Blake took a deep breath, "When the White Fang became anti-human, they had every reason to purge him from their records. A human as one of their founders? No one would ever admit that these days. The three other pacifist founders were killed when they changed seven years ago."
"Wait a minute," Ruby interrupted, "If he died eleven years ago, and the White Fang became violent, why hasn't anyone tried to release the virus until now? Why not earlier?"
"HK-045 was the original strain, but it was not very infectious. The White Fang had spent years creating a version that was both deadly and virulent. Even when they were done, the leadership were hesitant about using it; there is a chance of the virus mutating and infecting faunus.
"They never intended to use it, and decided to keep here just in case. Originally, I planned to take this compound around a week from now, when the appropriate resources were gathered. Suffice to say, five trainees with no biohazardous waste disposal experience was not ideal. I also intended for a computer expert with recent experience to dispose of the research."
"About that, I've gone through their files, and something bugs me," Ruby and Blake moved to a nearby computer terminal.
"You're going to have to plug your scroll into the wall," Penny said.
"I can't. The adaptor is some weird triangle shape. I think it's custom," Ruby replied, "Here, I'll just show you."
Ruby pointed the scroll's camera at the computer screen with the file she was looking at. Immediately, Penny responded, "This is not good."
"What?" Blake asked.
"It says here that there was another vial, one taken out of this facility two days ago as a backup," Penny explained, "And the one perpetrator outside the facility has it, and is willing to spread it at the summit right away."
"But they don't know their facility has been compromised," Blake said.
"Things just got worse. Blake, right as you said that, the perpetrator just entered camera view, and is en route to the summit location. With the vial she retrieved from a package in a dead zone," Penny said.
The two huntresses looked at each other than at the scroll, "Why is the perpetrator moving now?"
"Darnit. She has a tendency to be impatient. I should have remembered that. I'm going to have to signal Jaune while going to plan A-10."
"A-10?" Ruby asked.
"Guys, get to the Bullhead, we've got a plague to stop."
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
/
Jaune was inside a vast auditorium located at the Mistral city hall. Of all the things he thought a summit would be like, he didn't expect this. Eight council members from across Remnant, as well as a dozen staff members and a few reporters were there. It was somewhat of an unofficial conference, designed to give the councils an air of normalcy to the public before the real conference in two days. Of course, since Jaune and the other staff were with them, the conference hadn't actually begun yet. Everyone was just getting ready.
They were just talking. That was it. Jaune didn't even have to put up any effort into his disguise, wearing the same suit but with a different shirt. He didn't even have to say anything to Councilwoman Aegis, she just accepted the fact that her apprentice lawyer/intern was sick and that he was the replacement!
Either Penny was that good at making aliases, or he was just that good at blending into the background. He really hoped it was the former. Before he could ponder any further, Penny spoke to him.
"Jaune, I need you to give Councilman Garrison your scroll, now," Penny said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll. Jaune walked up to the Councilman, who was currently engaged in a debate over the price of electronic goods, and feebly said, "Councilman Garrison, sir, someone wants to speak to you, um, sir."
Councilman Garrison stopped his conversation, turned around and smiled, "Jaune my boy, you don't need to be so formal with me. What is it you need?"
"Someone wants to speak with you," Jaune held his scroll towards Garrison.
Garrison took the scroll, motioning the other council members to continue their conversation without him, "Councilman Garrison speaking."
"Sorry to bother you, sir. It's Penny, and we have a situation."
Blake and Ruby quickly entered the hidden Bullhead, while Ren and Nora stayed at the facility to guard the prisoners.
With the Bullhead at full speed, Penny piloted it directly for the city hall. Before any air traffic controllers could ask, Penny sent them passcodes stating that the ship was an emergency vehicle with a very high level of security clearance.
With that out of the way, the Bullhead was able to take a straight path to the city hall. The Bullhead was noticed by pedestrians on the streets, but Penny had already begun quelling rumors on the CCT, citing obscure laws and ordinances that would explain the Bullhead's flight.
To prevent any panic, Penny flew past the city hall, quietly dropping Ruby and Blake on a nearby rooftop while maneuvering the Bullhead to another location.
"Ruby, Blake, the perpetrator is a woman, five foot ten, black hair, black tail. She is wearing a gray technician's uniform. She must have entered a car inside a dead zone, probably a maintenance vehicle that entered the garage of the city hall," Penny said.
"And what do you want us to do?" Blake asked. Both girls had taken off their gas masks, and Ruby was in her technician disguise again.
"Blake, you go enter through the roof. Ruby will go in through the staff entrance," Penny ordered, "Ruby, put on the black headband."
"You mean the one with bunny ears on it?" Ruby looked unsure.
Blake added, "Don't worry, I don't find it offensive, so long as there is a good reason for it, right?"
"Yes. It's just a precaution. Now hop to it," Penny replied.
"Do not turn into Yang," Blake narrowed her eyes.
"Sorry."
Both huntresses nodded before jumping to their destinations.
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
/
Jaune was busy moving civilians to a safer location, on the pretense of a safety drill. Garrison knew what he was doing, and with the assistance of Penny (who somehow had the foresight to ship a box full of gas masks for every person in the room), things seemed to be under control.
"So the virus is in a glass vial and lasts several days outside of a body. Hopefully, the worst case scenario is the city hall becoming quarantined until a biohazard team can come to decontaminate any spills," Penny said to Garrison.
"Hopefully?" Garrison raised an eyebrow.
"Best case scenario if the vial breaks. The equipment the perpetrator has has been sabotaged, and won't fire. I hope that she doesn't release the virus before she's stopped."
"Right, and you think Jaune can protect everyone in that one room?" Garrison held the scroll to his ear.
"Yes. He attended Beacon prior to the fall, before becoming an apprentice lawyer," she replied.
"Interesting," Garrison noted. He glanced around the room before looking back at the doors, "What exactly is your plan if the virus is released?"
"Quarantine, lots of it for any patients, if we're to prevent an outbreak."
[OBSERVING CONCURRENT ACTIVITY]
/
Olivia Henbane was not having a good day. Her chances to eradicate humankind was dwindling, she could feel it. When her comrades went dark, despite not sending the appropriate text beforehand, she knew they were compromised. So it was her mission to spread it as quickly as possible.
But she couldn't just release it in the streets. No, to damage the humans, one had to destroy their leadership. Wiping out the masses would only bolster the current regime. Many humans would die, but their civilization might survive. To rattle humanity, destroying the old order would need to occur.
Olivia was not impatient. She had planned for this upheaval for weeks, stashing the extra vial in a dead zone, free from surveillance of any kind. Waiting for the right time. The old White Fang leadership were fools, aging former revolutionaries and revenge-driven psychopaths too fearful to take drastic measures.
They wanted to found a faunus kingdom in Vale? How were they planning to survive the onslaught of three kingdoms at war with them? Because that worked out so well during the Great War.
Her plan rectified that. Unleash the virus, kill off the majority of humans and their leadership, and in the confusion and chaos, a new White Fang would emerge. Olivia would have been guaranteed a role in the leadership, of course.
Originally, she planned for her secret vial to remain hidden, using the remaining vials in the facility to start the outbreak. The vial would have stayed hidden, just in case. If it was found early, than the outbreak would have started early, and nothing of importance was lost. But the fact that the facility was taken changed that.
Her backup was needed, and she took it from her secret location to usher in a new era. And that was where she was now. The beginning of it all.
She smirked as she pulled out her rifle, preparing for her first strike. She knew about the quiet evacuation. After all, if you take down a bioweapons facility, you would evacuate your leaders as a precaution. She was feeling giddy, as a slight giggle erupted from her lips. Everything was falling into place.
She gently placed her rifle into position, looking through the scope for a target. She was able to separate the contents of the vial into several doses, giving her up to three shots. To make sure her weapon was not sabotaged, she had fired it twice yesterday. Her eye caught an employee with rabbit ears, walking down the hallway. The employee was so young, couldn't be older than sixteen, and yet she already had to work?
She huffed softly before turning to see Councilwoman Aegis from Vale. There was no point in shooting her, for her kingdom was not an issue. Turning again, she saw Councilman Garrison of Atlas. He was involved in many aspects of his kingdom, working with research, military, and public relations. He would make a fine target.
The man was talking on his scroll, looking more annoyed than anything. She would wipe that expression from his face, with one simple shot. If she was especially lucky, the contagion would spread into Atlas, decimating a major problem. All she had to do was was hit him.
Her index finger moved slowly moved to the trigger. Garrison didn't move from his spot, still talking. Olivia pulled the trigger.
Tck!
Nothing. The gun didn't fire. That was impossible, she had it cleaned just two days ago, and checked to see if still fired yesterday. It couldn't have been sabotaged, could it? Olivia fired again.
Tck!
Nothing. She fumbled around with gun, pulling out the needles from the barrel. She would have to use her blow dart, which was a terrible option because placing a live virus near your own mouth was a stupid idea no matter how immune you were.
She pulled out her blow dart and began to load it.
"There she is," Blake said, still wearing her gas mask. She jumped over the railing to find the perpetrator. She laid unconscious, with a large stab wound across her right side.
Next to her lay her rifle and blow dart. Next to those was an open small box with needles labelled: Please disinfect.
"Penny, what happened?" Blake carefully reached for the box before putting it into a biohazard bag.
"I'm not sure. One second, I could see her, the next, nothing. Someone stopped her."
"Who would even be able to do that?" Blake asked.
"I don't know," Penny stated.
"I never thought I'd hear you say that," Blake joked.
"There is a lot I don't know, Blake. But from what I do know, I extrapolate. Don't worry, I'll figure it out eventually. Hold your scroll up to the bag," Penny said.
Blake did that, placing the scroll's camera in front of the box, slowly turning.
"None of the virus seems to be missing. I'm still sending a decontamination crew up just in case. For now, let's just get everything settled."
As the terrorist was hauled away, and the worried civilians tended to, Team RRNJ finally had time to relax. Before the Mistral military could question them, Councilman Garrison intervened. The city hall would be on lockdown for a few more hours as the military and hazmat units secured and cleaned everything in sight.
Amidst the chaos, Garrison and Blake looked out at the auditorium. It would have been Jaune, but he put Blake with Garrison while he tried to console Councilwoman Aegis.
After a moment of silence, Councilman Garrison looked at Blake, "I know you're working for her."
She didn't speak, but nodded courteously.
"Whatever she did, know that we're grateful. Not just me and the Atlesian council, but also the others too, especially the Mistral Council. They've been prying me for our secret source for weeks now."
"I'm sure she knows that," Blake said.
"Yes, I think her creator would be proud."
The two of them looked on at the crowds, the news reporters' cameras constantly be swatted by the military. Jaune was trying to get his fake boss to stop fuming, while Ruby was trying desperately to not take off her gas mask to scratch an itch.
"I know you're listening right now," Garrison suddenly said.
"I'm sorry?" Blake questioned.
"My bad, I wasn't asking you. Penny Polendina, I know you're listening. You're always listening, and Jaune over there was your agent, wasn't he?"
Garrison shook his head, "This was all so convenient. Everything wrapped up nicely. It couldn't have been chance. You planned it out didn't you? That woman, the terrorist, you knew what she would do."
"I won't lie. You frighten me. Every time I think about what you're capable of, and yet you help us out, I can't help but ask 'why?' Why are you doing this, despite the whole of Remnant at your fingertips, why you've dedicated yourself to helping us puny sacs of water."
"Then I remembered. General Ironwood, your creator, and the other people in your life. They're why, aren't they? They've grounded you, kept you on the right path. That if something happened to them, you would lose your way.
"I guess what I'm asking is if I've influenced you. No, I have. I definitely have, over these past years. I guess I want to know if I've kept you on the right path, and didn't push you towards the wrong one. That my bad choices didn't turn you against us. That you still believe in me and the councils.
"So what did you think about what I said earlier, a few nights ago? At the bar, with Jaune?" Garrison asked, "I'd like to know, do you agree?"
Penny's voice could be heard from Garrison's scroll, "I think I do."
/
[INITIATING PLAYBACK]
/
[LOCATION: CLASSIFIED]
[SUBJECTS IDENTIFIED: SOLEIL, ARIANNE. ADMIN.]
[TIME: 36 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO]
/
A woman with a dark expression on her face sat in front of Arthur. He was around thirty, with dark brown stubble and unkempt hair. He wore a brown jacket with a gray shirt underneath, as well as worn out brown pants. Handcuffed to his left wrist was a large briefcase. He hadn't bathed in almost a week, and hadn't slept more than four hours before appearing before the woman opposite to him.
After voluntarily giving himself up to the border patrol, he was put into an Atlesian holding cell for almost two days before someone finally decided to interrogate him. Said interrogator was Arianne Soleil, a specialist who dealt primarily with refugees.
That is exactly what she was seeing in front of her, a man with no home. He either lost his home during the Revolution or was discarded by his kingdom for some act or protest, whatever it is that Mistral doesn't like. How antiquated. It doesn't matter to Arianne, nor to Atlas. So long as you do your job, don't get into trouble, and follow the rules, you stay in Atlas.
This man was different, she could tell. Looking him over, she immediately noticed the sharp look in his eyes. He was attentive, cunning perhaps, despite only having a half night's sleep, one plagued by nightmares. That was her semblance, after all. The ability to manipulate the dreams of those asleep was a boon to interrogation, breaking people down in half the time.
But this man, Arthur Polendina his passport read, he didn't seem to have been affected that adversely.
Sure, he was tired and groggy, but the nightmares he shrugged off like it was nothing. Only someone with a recent trauma would act that way, Arianne knew. Remembering the security footage of his sleep, how he avoided sleeping on one side, cradling it like it hurt. Was it connected to that?
This man was an enigma, not just a normal war refugee, and that made everything all the more interesting. This interrogation might even be fun! Arianne smiled mischievously at that thought. Arthur saw smile and frowned before pulling his briefcase onto the table between them.
"Are you going to start, or should I?" his hands were on the briefcase in front of him.
"Obviously I will," Arianne replied, "You are not Arthur Polendina. There is no one by that name, despite the digital records saying so. Impressive work, but incomplete. If it wasn't for the level of detail put into some areas, I'd say it was a rush job, done at the last minute. But whoever did this had weeks, and was somehow cut off, originally believing they had months. So it's clear that your ID is fake, and so are you. The question is, why?
"Why would a man with a fake passport cross an ocean while handcuffed to a briefcase? Normally I wouldn't have been brought in so quickly, but things are tense. After all, the Mistral Council just finished negotiations with the insurgents.
"With everything going on, I'm sure there is a connection between you and them. After all," she crossed her arms, "You are definitely Mistrali. Now why don't you tell me who you really are."
For a moment, Arthur didn't say anything. Eventually he pointed at the door, "The papers you confiscated from me, the ones in the folder, do you have them in this building?" his voice was coarse, dry from lack of water.
Arianne closed her eyes and smirked, "I actually have them. Of course, we've already figured out what it is," she looked at Arthur, "A formula for something very secret, Mistral made for sure. Care to explain?"
The man raised an eyebrow, "Your researchers haven't told you? Or do you know, and are waiting for me to say it? Either way, I will. I want you to hear me out, Ms. Soleil, and tell your superiors about my proposal."
He tapped his briefcase lightly, drawing her eyes to it, "Inside this briefcase is every top secret research project performed and recorded by Mistral in the last forty years. I am willing to give this information to Atlas in exchange for political asylum."
Her eyes lit up immediately, and a devious look took over her face, "So that's who you are, Arthur," the man flinched at his name.
"You're that traitor Mistral wants to capture, one of the scientists at the bombing," Arianne started laughing, "And you want us to give you asylum?"
He nodded timidly.
Arianne just laughed harder, "Ha! I can tell you're not used to speaking to a full blown huntress, arentcha?"
The woman got out of her seat and leaned forward directly into his face, a menacing smile covered Arthur's vision, "And what's stopping me from just cutting off your arm and taking your case full of goodies? I can do it right now if you want to give up."
He took a deep ragged breath, "If, if I'm not the one to open it, the papers inside will be burned," he said with growing confidence. The specialist just leaned back slightly, giving him more room. He took that room by rising out of his chair.
"Mini-miniature fire dust trigger, special procedure to-to open, only a surgeon like me could do it," he took another breath, "And I won't tell you the code no matter what."
Her smile widened more, but became warmer, "I like you. You have stones. I'll tell my bosses about your deal, see what they think. For now, sit tight," she tapped his head with an index finger, strongly sending him back into his chair.
"We'll be in touch," she smirked before exiting the room.
Arthur exhaled in relief. He looked at the briefcase in front of him, eyeing the handcuff specifically. He wondered how long it was before they called his bluff. His briefcase was only protected by a fifteen Lien lock.
[LOCATION: CLASSIFIED]
[SUBJECTS IDENTIFIED: CLASSIFIED]
[AUDIO ONLY]
/
"Well what do you think?" it was a woman speaking.
"This is insane, do you hear me? He cannot be trusted!" a gruff male voice replied.
"All that information, right there, sitting inside a briefcase only ten miles from here!" a third voice could be heard.
"Yeah, and how much of it is real? For Dust's sake, he betrayed his own kingdom!" the gruff voice reacted.
A fourth voice spoke up, this time a quiet woman, "Well, if he stays, can't we just keep an eye on him? Assign a hunter to him while we check the research?"
"Right, and waste resources like that? We'll be wasting the time of a hunter for some traitor," gruff voice rebutted.
"What about putting him in research? He's at least a decent scientist," the third voice said.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Even if he is trustworthy, it's still probably not a good idea to put a Mistrali refugee in any research facility, not until we're absolutely sure we can trust him," the fourth voice argued.
"How about… teaching? A temporary professorship at an academy?" the third voice proposed.
"So we've gone from giving him asylum to allowing him to corrupt our youth? His way of life is not something we want to foster," the gruff voice pointed out.
"If we put him in a hunter academy, that would kill two birds with one stone. Not only that, but we can make sure he doesn't poison our kids' minds by having him regularly checked by the other professors. That sound reasonable?"
"I guess it does!" the fourth voice agreed.
"It is still a huge gamble, especially from someone we know so little about," the gruff voice said.
"We should put it to a vote. Might as well, right? Both sides made their cases already," the third voice spoke.
"I second that," the fourth voice spoke.
"Very well, let's have a vote. All in favor for granting Mr. Polendina asylum?" the sound of bodies shifting was heard.
"Now, those against?" more shifting was heard.
"That's twenty-five votes to eighteen. Motion carried," the first woman's voice continued, "Welcome to Atlas, Arthur Polendina."
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[TERMINATING PLAYBACK]
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Author's note: This chapter is like human hair: it never stops growing. It clocks in at 13,000 words. I want to stop, but chapters 9 and 10 are calling to me. So much to reveal, so much I want to write. Next chapter: The actual plot returns!
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I love how in RWBY, a person's name has to allude to as many references as possible, while also resembling at least one color. And then theme naming too, it's hard yet fun to do so.
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Btw, the Mistral stuff I wrote isn't my headcanon, just some fun worldbuilding that fit neatly into the this fic. Also, mosquito repellant is expensive in this story.
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I have no idea what Remnant's legal drinking age is, so I'm going to go with the world average (61% of countries) and say 18 years old.
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Guns Galore is the only store in the east side of Mistral that caters to Faunus, explaining why it deals in everything and doesn't specialize, as other Mistral gun stores do.
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I think that a pharmacy in a world where dying by horrifying monsters was a fact of life would have redundant electrical systems, which is why Nora had to electrocute it manually. Penny shut down the main generator while Nora broke the backup. It gets fixed by a real technician later.
