Author's Notes: Lords, ladies and beggerfolk! Ser Vex hath returned with another volume of Pyrrha And The Idiot!
Alright, enough of that.
So yeah, things got real last chapter and are only going to get more so this time I hope. This is the first chapter since maybe chapter four or so that I've edited it myself and not relied on a beta reader. It was interesting, I think I got rid of most issues but I'm sure one or two may have slipped by me, so be on the look out. Cookies for anyone who spots an issue!
Now, continuing on the point of last chapter: Flay. He is one of the first of a number of OCs that I'm intending to add in and I think you're gonna enjoy the things I have in mind. I hope you'll all come to like these new additions that I have in mind as they pop up.
Anyway, I'd like to hear more specific feedback on the characters and events of the story, but I love everyone who gives a review - good or bad. Everything you say can only help to make my writing better and more entertaining for you to read. Also, on an admin point, I think I'm going to be moving this story up into the T rating given the nature of the violence that has been cropping up more and more lately... maybe. I'm definitely putting the genre as Adventure/Drama though after over six months of agonizing on how to define it.
Leading on from that, this story has recently passed 12,000 views... wait... what? Seriously? You guys are awesome! Honestly, thank you, knowing that so many people read and apparently do not hate the story is really gratifying for me. With only a few more chapters to go, we're on the precipice of greatness people, so don't go anywhere!
Finally, I hope you enjoy this new chapter and I'll see you on the other side!
- Vex
Pyrrha And The Idiot - Mission 12: How We Learn
The wound in Pyrrha's upper arm healed quickly, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. After years of fighting she had been shot more than once, but the pain was something she never got used to. That sudden impact where the bullet penetrates your skin and tears its way through as much of you as it can before stopping.
Still, at least she was better off than the ones firing the guns.
The once-agent fell back against the cold metallic wall behind her, panting to catch her breath. There was no place to hide in this unforgiving pit where everyone was out to get her; the whole base had turned on her with a single click of Flay's fingers. Now every gloomy hallway glowed a vengeful red, the alarms wailed as though they were under attack from a small army.
A compliment in its own way.
''Come on now, no time for resting! You've got a very important date, Pyrrha, and I don't like being kept waiting!'' The man's goading was relentless as his voice followed her every step of the way – the most insane of gods and she had just wandered into his domain.
'Listen, it's not too late. Get out now and we might be able to escape.''
'I'm not leaving! I know they're here somewhere. There has to be a way for me to help them.'
'And what if there isn't?! What if you go through all this and you find that you can't do anything, that they're too far gone. What happens then, Pyrrha?!'
With a muted grunt she pushed herself off the wall and swung, rifle in hand. Three clicks of the trigger and the newcomer fell to the floor like the rest. If he hadn't been so loud then she might not have heard him coming, and she would be the one on the floor bleeding right now. 'Then that's my bad luck.'
Flicking open Milo's dust chamber, Pyrrha noticed that she was beginning to run dangerously low, and with no more left to resupply she estimated no more than a dozen shots were left before she was out. Transforming back into a blade, Milo was returned to its place at her side and she reached down, picking up one of the guns from her fallen foes before running off once more.
Time was of the essence here so every firefight was kept to a brief routine: eliminating as many targets as possible while moving forward and then taking out the rest in close range combat. Lather, rinse, repeat. Every step deeper into the Agency's base meant that she was one step closer to her goal.
''Come on! Come on! Don't keep me waiting!''
The bullets flew and obstacles fell.
''You're getting warmer, keep it up!''
Ragged breath and pounding footsteps.
''You're so close I can almost taste it!''
Stop and brief silence.
''Ladies and gentlemen, the woman of the hour: Pyrrha Nikos!''
He stood, hands in his pockets, across a long metal walkway traversing a huge, empty hall. Flay threw his head back yet again and belted out more of his loud, obnoxious laughs. That sadistic grin never left his face for an instant as he addressed her over the distance between them, even as Pyrrha pointed the nuzzle of her gun at him. ''Oh, come on now, that's not how you win the game. It's blade in my heart, remember?''
''You say that as if I actually care. I win if you die, that's all I care about now.'' With that she unleashed a hail of bullets at him, each one whizzing through the air at the man. He didn't make a move to avoid the attack, simply raised his hand and one by one the shots were deflected with a pinging sound.
''Come on now, pansy-assed crap like that isn't gonna work on me. If you really want to win this game then you're gonna have to come over here and dance like a good little girl. Or maybe you've changed your mind and don't care about all the others who didn't make the cut.''
Pyrrha felt her hand ball up into a fist, clenched with barely-contained rage.
'Don't let him get under your skin. That's exactly what he wants.'
'I know that,' she thought bach, gritting her teeth. She had met many detestable people over the years but this man... his very face made her blood boil more than any other – more than the most foul racist or despicable criminals. And it was all because of that smile. Sharp and slender, it said that Flay was someone who knew exactly what he was doing and loved every second of it.
He shrugged. ''Fine then, leave them with us, not like it's any skin off our backs. How about I use a few of them as combat dummies? I mean, I've been looking for some more realistic ones for a while now. You go and scurry off back to Vale or wherever else you want with your new freedom and I'll send you pictures of them through the mail. Hell, I might even send bits of them too if you ask nicely.''
''ENOUGH!'' Pyrrha cried and broke into a run. The metal beneath her feet clanged with every raging step, and Flay's face sank into a vile glower.
''How disappointing.'' He clicked his fingers and the walkway made a sickening lurch. The supports snapped and the metal cracked across the entire structure beneath her feet as Pyrrha stopped. The walkway groaned as gravity did its work on it. In a flash of hurried inspiration, Pyrrha threw out her hands and a dark aura appeared, spreading to the collapsing bridge.
Though creaking and still shaky, the fall was stopped by Pyrrha's Semblance. The strain on her body was immense as she fought to hold up who knows how much weight. She had to get back before her body was ripped apart by the pressure. Looking back, she saw the open doorway she had just barreled through, and she saw it slide shut with a resounding slam.
With that escape gone, she threw her attention back to what was in front of her. The only escape now lay through Flay. As she thought this, Pyrrha felt something pierce through her thigh and jut out the other side like a needle through cloth.
''And down falls Pyrrha, cradle and all.''
A hallowed silence hung around the table as thick as the impenetrable fog outside.
The usual sounds of lunch were present in the dining hall as for most students it was just any other day. However, the same could not be said for team JNPR - or what was present of them. Jaune barely said a word to anyone all day, giving one word responses and avoiding the worried looks he received from Team RWBY who were instantly aware that something was amiss. Still, the all-girl team did their best to act as though nothing was wrong, Yang whining about not being able to scratch her right arm through the cast it had been trapped in since the tournament and Weiss growing increasingly frustrated at her for it.
After twenty minutes of sitting and staring at his food, giving it an occasional prod with his fork, Jaune excused himself from the group without saying a word, removing himself with sluggish shuffling steps. Nora looked to Ren with those large, sad eyes that he hated so much. He silently nodded to the door and Nora followed after their leader.
Ren rubbed his temple, feeling the lack of sleep taking its toll on him.
''What's going on, Ren?''
''Yeah, you guys have never been like this before.''
''And where is Pyrrha? She hasn't been seen all day.''
''It is most unusual.''
He would have sighed had it not been more effort than he could deal with right now. All four girls were locked on him and had no intention of being left in the dark. ''I won't talk about it here,'' he said. ''If you want to know then come to our room later, I'll explain there.'' With that, Ren too got up and left the table.
It was going to be a long day.
With the sudden stab, her concentration broke and Pyrrha felt the floor disappear from underfoot, then suddenly rushing towards her again at a breakneck pace. She slammed to the ground, yelping in pain as she was sure more than a few ribs just broke. All around her fell great chunks of metal, landing with a deafening crash, none on her fortunately.
'Are you okay?!'
'I'll live...' With pained movements, Pyrrha dragged herself from the wreckage in torturous inches.
''Oh wow, guess they're not lying about you being the Invincible Woman. Nothing keeps you down, does it?'' The laughter rang out as Pyrrha crawled onto one knee, panting from the strain she had just endured. What just happened? The walkway had been fine just a moment ago.
Flay released a melodramatic sigh, looking down on the redhead in the hall below. ''You had such entertainment potential. How disappointing. Why would you get so worked up over a bunch of no-names? Such pointless emotion will just end up getting you killed.''
She gasped at a sudden stabbing pain in her chest when she took a deep breath, then lurched forward in a sudden coughing fit. Specks of crimson coated her hand. 'Not good. Your Aura's running low.'
'I have to keep going,' she thought, grinding her teeth together as she tried to push down the pain.
'No, you don't! Stop trying to be the tragic heroine and think about yourself for a minute!'
''I mean really, you were supposed to be our bright rising stars. Hah, what a joke!''
''You can't help anyone the way you are now.''
''Why would you waste yourself on the little peons?''
''Leave now and you might get away.'
''It's not like they're worth anything.''
''You're throwing your life away for nothing!''
''You're throwing everything away for nothing!''
Both the hall and Pyrrha's mind went silent.
''Nothing... huh? Is that what you think?'' Pyrrha was a statue on her knees, beaten and broken with arms hanging limp at her side and eyes shut. Only her mouth moved, releasing utterances - little more than whispers on a still wind. ''The two of you... don't understand. Nobody understands. There's not one single person in the entire world who has experienced the life I have: an insignificant orphan, a terrified cadet, a skilled warrior and beloved icon. There's not a single soul in the world who has lived a life like mine. Of course nobody would understand...''
''Oh boohoo, go cry me a-''
''QUIET!'' Pyrrha yelled, immediately coughing, retching as her body rejected the action. ''You don't get it! Everything I am, everything I have: it's all an illusion. Lies and fallacies. Not a single thing was decided by me; I'm just putty that other people have molded into what I am now, just like every other person I trained alongside back then. I'm only here because I climbed over them, crushed them underfoot thinking only of myself, to make it through to see tomorrow... they deserved better.''
Pyrrha stopped to take shallow breaths and began to rise, shaking as she did so. For once Flay remained silent, looking down at her with a twinkle of interest in his eyes.
''There's only one thing that is truly mine in this world - just one.'' She reached down and grasped the hilt of the long dagger still in her leg and pulled. ''Pyrrha!'' The steel slid out of her thigh and grasped it in her left hand, then taking Milo in her right. ''So, on the name that my mother gave me, I swear I will not stop until I save everyone who lost themselves because of me!''
'Pyrrha...'
'And that includes you too.'
She could almost see that young face, drenched with rain and visible only in sudden flashes of lightning. A wide grin showed a gap from a missing tooth and radiated an infectious hope for the future. The face suddenly matured, and the smile became much more subtle, but all the more meaningful.
'Thank you.'
The sound of slow capping reached her ears. ''Bravo.'' His voice was soft and gentle, unlike ever she had heard him speak before. ''A rousing speech. As inspirational a woman there has never been before now. I have the strangest sense of... euphoria. Your words have struck me deeply, Pyrrha, I feel inclined to give you some kind of reward,'' he finished, clapping his hands for a final time.
The faint sound of footsteps could be heard, getting louder by the second. Flay stepped to the side and let the newcomer take his place.
''Allow me to introduce to you the Captain,'' Flay said, when the person was revealed.
'Oh shit.'
The heart that had been burning with noble determination ran cold.
''You know, there's not a single moment that we don't watch you brats as you go through training. We know everything that goes on be it on campus, during training, whatever. Every second of the day we know exactly where you are and what you're doing.''
'Pyrrha, run. Turn and run, he's got you.'
''Little girl, lost in the night. Little boy, who went looking for her, disobeying orders in doing so. Well, we can't be having that now, can we?''
'RUN DAMNIT!'
''You should be proud: you're the reason he's the man he is today.''
And like that, Pyrrha lost herself. A harpy's scream blasted from her mouth as she drew her arm back and tossed her javelin at Flay with all the rage, guilt and frustration built over the past ten years. It flew straight and true, faster than any bullet, right at his chest. No time to block. No time to dodge. The spear would bury itself in his chest. It would pierce his heart and remove his vile stain from the world.
Then it swerved and impaled itself harmlessly in the ceiling, right in front of him.
''Hey! Don't you know you could hurt someone like that? Geez, kids today, I swear.'' Shaking his head Flay reached out and gave the weapon a tug, then grabbing with a second hand and pulling hard which finally dislodged it. ''Seriously, do you know what that would have done to me? Be more careful next time!'' He examined the red spear in his hands with interest. ''Hmm, a good weapon this. Not too light, not too heavy. Easy to use and versatile too. I'm sure you would like it back.'' In one quick motion he snapped Milo in two over his knee. ''Here you go,'' he grinned as he tossed the two halves down.
And like that she was broken, slipping to her knees like a puppet with its strings cut. All she could do was look up at the stoic face of the Captain in despair. His spiked raven hair was longer, and sharp as daggers. The pristine Sanctum uniform and black neck choker. Eyes of yellow that held no warmth and a thin mouth that held no smile. Not even the voice in her head could reach her now.
''Come on now Pyrrha, no giving up yet! You've only had half of your reward so far... or perhaps I should say consolation prize. Whaddya say Captain, shall we show her what she's won?''
The younger man stepped forward. ''Legion, assemble!''
The was suddenly filled with noise. Not of the two long walls to either side of her rising; this was the sound of marching. The dark grey walls glowing red rose, and the trap was revealed. There were hundreds of them - all uniform clad and grasping a shield bearing the Sanctum coat of arms in one hand and a blade in the other, all marching in perfect timing, all with the same, vacant face, as though their very souls had been ripped from their bodies. They surrounded her, trapping her in a box of perfect ranks.
''What's wrong, Pyrrha? I thought you would be so happy to see them again.'' Pyrrha wouldn't move, not even registering Flay's taunts anymore. ''Oh dear, it looks like I've broken another toy.'' He cocked his head to the side. ''O Captain, My Captain. Would you like to give the order?''
He gave no sign of recognition, only looked down at the girl whose will had been shattered.
''Legion, capture her!''
With his command the ranks convened on Pyrrha, who was lost in a sea of bodies.
Through it all, Flay couldn't help but smile.
''Better luck next time, Pyrrha.''
As soon as afternoon lessons came to an end, Jaune was the first to leave, retreating to their room. As much as he wished he could give his leader some peace, Ren knew that the room would give Jaune no sanctuary today. At the fastest pace that his near-zombie state would allow, Ren reached the dormitories to find Team RWBY waiting the hallway, which was surprising as he had expected them to barge in and start questioning anyone they found right away. Perhaps they had more patience than he gave them credit for.
''Come on,'' he instructed, letting them in.
The curtains were drawn and a form lay curled up under the sheets of Jaune's bed. Nora was sat at the end, staying with him as Ren had told her to in the morning. Ren dare not let Jaune be alone, but he knew that he was in no state to keep an eye on the blonde, and was forced to rely on Nora who was suffering just as much as their leader was.
Ren opened the curtains and opened the window, letting a fresh breeze in while RWBY sat on the empty beds. He collapsed into the chair positioned at one the room's desks.
''So what's going on?'' Blake asked.
Ren scratched his head, trying to think of how best to start which was difficult when your mind is split between that and how comfortable the floor was looking as a sleeping spot at that moment in time, how he could easily rest his head on the desktop and doze off, how - he shook his head, coming to the conclusion that there was no better way to explain than to say it how it was.
''Pyrrha's returned to Mistral,'' he said simply, shocking the four girls.
''Wait, what-'' Ruby started before being cut out by Weiss.
''What do you mean she's returned to Mistral?''
''Exactly what I said, she's returned to Mistral. She left in the early hours of this morning on a boat from the docks.''
''Why would she do that?'' Yang asked. ''Like, that came out of nowhere.''
Ren slid open a drawer and extracted the letter that had blown it all into the open. Such a stupid and insensitive way of doing it. There were splotches where tears had fallen on the paper. Unfolding it, his eyes glided to the top and he began to read out loud the words that Pyrrha had written. She explained who and what she was and the mission that she had been given before the school year had begun. It had just been identifying the validity of information and continued observation at first but a week ago she had received the order to bring Jaune to Mistral. It was then that she decided that she would no longer obey the Agency any longer - and that she was returning to Mistral to set right her wrongs.
He omitted the more personal sections aimed directly at her team mates.
''And there you have it,'' he finished.
The girls were speechless. Yang sat with her mouth open and Blake held a muted concern betrayed only by her eyes. Ruby and Weiss wore mirrored expressions of shock, looked at each other before looking over their shoulders at Jaune who still lay hidden beneath his blanket. Their expressions morphed to something harder and they stood as one, and walked to either side of his bed. Together they threw open the blanket, exposing Jaune to the light. Weiss reached down and grabbed the front of his shirt, then, with surprising strength, she pulled him out and slammed him against the wall.
''What do you think you're doing?'' she barked at the shocked Jaune.
In an instant everyone was on their feet. ''I might ask you the same question,'' Blake growled, reaching for Gambol Shroud.
''Let him go.'' Nora took a step forward to free her friend when Ruby leapt forward, planting herself firmly between her and Weiss. ''Move. Now,'' Nora ordered.
''Make me,'' the hooded girl challenged.
''Ruby, Weiss, enough!'' Yang yelled.
In a tone of absolute authority, Ruby yelled back, ''No, Yang, he needs to hear this!''
Ignoring the yells around her, Weiss dedicated her concentration to Jaune ''I'll ask you again: what do you think you're doing?''
''What do you mean?'' Jaune replied, struggling to get free of Weiss' iron grip, but to no avail.
''You know what I mean,,'' she said forcefully, pushing him against the wall with all her strength. ''What, Pyrrha leaves and you lose the will to live, is that it? Pathetic!''
''Shut up, you don't know any -''
''I don't know what?'' she asked, glaring at him with cold fury. ''Go on, I'm dying to hear.'' She waited for nothing as all Jaune did was cower before her.
''Jaune, do you remember what you told me after that field trip to Forever Fall?'' Ruby asked without the harshness that Weiss had, then continuing without waiting for a response. ''You thanked me for talking to you the night before. You then said that you were going to become the very best leader you could, that being better than me was your goal. Were you making that up?''
''No, I -''
''Then why are you behaving like this? Why aren't you doing anything?''
''Well, what do you want me to do?''
''I don't know, what can you do, you coward?'' Weiss sneered.
''I don't know! What, do you want me to just go to Mistral and bring her back? Is that what you want me to do?!'' When he said that, Weiss released her grip and gave him a look similar to the grin that Ruby was now giving him over his shoulder. ''You... you can't be serious.''
''Why wouldn't we?'' Ruby's Cheshire Cat grin didn't instil the most confidence.
''Well... because... how would we even get there?''
Weiss stuck her chest out, owning a haughty smirk. ''Oh, leave that to me, I could have us there tonight.''
''You two are crazy...''
Ruby rounded on Jaune, losing her mischievous expression. ''Jaune, when you lose someone important to you, you want to do everything possible to get them back. Don't let your fear stop you. Just do it.'' She turned to Yang whose face twisted in discomfort, the words having some unknown grip over the elder sibling.
''Alright fine,'' she groaned moments later, then turning to Blake. ''You in?''
Blake answered the question with her own. ''You have to ask?''
''If you guys are going then I am too!'' Nora's fists clenched to emphasise her proclamation. The only ones to still give their decisions were the males in the room: Jaune who stood against the wall with his head bowed and Ren who had found himself awake for the first time all day. It was an utterly absurd plan for a bunch of students to think they could just waltz into a foreign country and save their friend. But still...
Ren's train of thoughts were broken with the beep of his scroll that sounded with a new message.
Ozpin
Team: QROS
MSG: Bring them to my office.
Of course that man would have been keeping tabs on them.
Minutes later, the group found themselves lined up before the professor, who sat with his elbows resting on his desk and fingers laced together, wordlessly studying those gathered before him with a bored look that masqueraded the meticulous machinations within his mind. ''So, you intend to go to Mistral?'' he asked finally.
''Yes, Professor Ozpin, we are,'' replied Weiss, who was acting as their self-selected speaker. Her confident approach to others born from being heiress to the Schnee company might work against some people, but not Ozpin.
''Why?''
''Why?'' Weiss repeated, taken aback by the blunt question.
''Yes, why? What are your reasons?''
''Because Pyrrha is our friend and we must help her, obviously.''
''And you think that's an adequate reason?'' Weiss had nothing to say. ''It is my duty to ensure the safety of my students. It would be the height of lunacy to allow a group of first years to go racing off against forces of which they have no understanding, regardless of the reason. You are asking me to approve this, even despite the obvious fact that some of your party are still incapacitated.'' He nodded to Yang's still-injured arm.
Not missing a beat, Yang removed the sling holding her arm in place and with a flash of her left hand, tore away the cast, tossing it to the floor like trash. Slamming her fists together, she gave Ozpin a look as though to say ''Are you sure about that?''
''And how long has it been healed exactly?'' Blake asked in a monotone voice, with trace elements of warning mixed in.
Yang shrugged. ''About a week. It was great: most teachers let me off homework because they thought I was still recovering!''
Blake just face palmed in exasperation of her partner.
It appeared that Ozpin was about to roll his eyes, then stopped and refocused. ''Regardless, I'm sure you understand my position here,'' Ozpin continued. ''Tell me, what do you make of this situation, Lie Ren?''
All eyes turned to Ren in anticipation. ''I think it's stupid, but this wouldn't be the first time that Beacon students have accomplished difficult feats in Mistral, would it, Sir?'' The question's meaning was lost on all except the two of them, as well as the accusing subtext there. ''But it doesn't matter what I think. I made a promise that I intend to keep,'' his gaze sliding to Jaune's downcast face. ''It's your call.''
Jaune's brow furrowed deeper into his frown. After all the time he had spent at Beacon so far, he had still not grown entirely comfortable with the thought of leadership. Every time before when a decision had to be made it was always in the spur of the moment, never having to consider the consequences. Now here he was, put on the spot to decide not only why he was going to do, but also his friends - and the fate of Pyrrha. The mere thought of her name brought up the image of her strong yet gentle smile, her indomitable will and kind heart. It also reminded him that the only reason she had been there in the first place was to spy on him… and the image of a lone girl, curled up alone on a rooftop, weeping bitter tears that cursed herself and the world in which she was trapped. It was at that moment that he knew his answer.
''All this time Pyrrha's been lying to us - to me. I thought I understood her, but really I didn't know anything at all. Still, I want... I want to help her. Pyrrha... she's done so much for me. I can't just leave her now. So I'm going. I'm going to go there and I'm going to bring her back. I don't care about her past, or why she came here in the first place: she belongs here - with us.'' It was just for a moment, but as he spoke Jaune almost looked to be glowing an ethereal gold.
''You know I could just forbid you from going?'' Ozpin asked.
''I'll go anyway.''
''And if I expel you for it?
''I don't care.''
Finally, Jaune was beginning to sound like someone in charge, no longer timid and unsure of himself. Ozpin looked over the seven lined up before him once more. ''Very well. Send them in,'' he called out to nobody in particular.
Everyone turned to the sound of the door opening and two people walked in, the smaller of which pacing straight to Ruby and pressing their lips together, shocking all present.
''Good afternoon, Ruby-my-friend! How are you doing today?''
Ruby just stared bug-eyed.
''Uh, Pen? I told you not to do that anymore.''
''But why not?'' Penny asked Sun, tilting her head to the side in bemusement. ''I was just greeting my good friend.''
''Yeah, I could see that... Sorry, I've been trying to get her to stop but it's harder than you'd think,'' he apologized to Ruby, who was still petrified.
''But I don't understand, that was how my rival greeted me when we met in the park before!'' Penny chirped, to which Sun just shook his head.
''Anyway,'' Ozpin's loud voice drew a close to the chatter. ''These two will be joining you. I would send others to accompany you in this, however the situation is larger that you know and we are spread too thin and have too little time as it is.'' Ren couldn't help but smirk at Ozpin's deviousness - it was evident that he had no intention of stopping them from the moment they entered. If anything, it just served to motivate Jaune into action. ''All across Mistral, facilities related to the Sanctum Special Forces - more commonly referred to as the Agency - are going to be subjugated in a joint effort by Vale and Mistral.''
''Wait, why are they trying to take down their own guys?'' Nora asked.
''At one time the Agency worked for the betterment of Mistral as a nation, however they went rogue almost a decade ago,'' Penny explained.
Ozpin nodded, ''It is just as she says. It has taken almost ten years for this operation to come to fruition, but even now this is unlikely to end them. Their organization is far-reaching, and we estimate there are still twenty percent of their facilities still unknown to us. Still, this is likely to cripple them for some time, over which we hope to finish them off completely.''
''Okay, that's cool and all, but where do we fit into all of this?'' Yang asked, flicking her sister's ear which snapped her out of her daze.
''Let me guess, Pyrrha's at one of the twenty percent.'' Blake's guess proved to be correct as Ozpin nodded again. ''So how are we supposed to find her?''
''You won't have to. Would you like to explain?'' he directed to Penny.
The odd girl turned to the group. ''My whole reason for being in the Vytal Tournament would be to implant a tracking chip in Pyrrha so we could hopefully use her to find more of these unknown locations. That was my mission.''
''Hang on, when did you do that?''
''At the end of our fight.'' The memory of how that match ended came back, watching Penny grab on to Pyrrha and fire that final blast. ''I had to be close enough to put it in, but couldn't let her know it was there. Thus, the distraction. I stuck it in her right here,'' she said, pointing to the small of her back.
''We've tracked Miss Nikos to a facility located deep within a mountain range in central Mistral. If you truly intend to go through with this, then you must act fast, but before you leave, allow me to explain one last thing. Contrary to why you might think, Sanctum is more than just an individual academy like Beacon is. The name Sanctum applies for three areas: preparatory schools similar to Signal Academy, advanced training establishments like Beacon, and then a final third sector. It is within here that the Agency operates, working outside of conventional training methods and means of recruitment. These people are brutal creatures. They condition young people like yourselves to devote everything to their country - even give their lives if that's what it takes. Freedom is an illusion.''
The heavy, ominous message implied in his words was not lost on the group.
''Then... what happens if someone wants to drop out?''
She awoke in darkness.
Her wrists and ankles were clamped by metal, binding her to a large chair. No amount of struggling would make them budge. Then she remembered all that happened and sting of tears welling in her eyes struck her. She tried to reach out in her mind. 'Are you there? Say something.' There was no response.
''Please answer me,'' she murmured. As she said this, a dim light came on above her, letting her see her body and the chair that she was bound to but no further, an endless abyss of darkness encircling her on all sides.
''Ahhh! Look, Doctor, she's awake!'' a disembodied voice exclaimed.
''So it appears,'' observed a second voice in a thick accent.
''Hello down there! Wakey wakey! How are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?'' The first voice was so familiar, and so grating.
''Flay!'' she yelled. ''Flay, where are you? Come out!'' The girl jerked in her seat, wrestling to break free.
''Hmmm, nah, I think I'm good here thanks,'' Flay replied. ''So how was it, your little prize?''
''Screw you!'' The tears were blocked by the rage she felt, hatred that she thought she was never capable of. She thought against the metal bindings so fiercely that she felt the metal dig into her skin, the blood weeping from her flesh.
''That's the spirit!'' Flay laughed, then stopping and turning serious. ''That's a good look you have there. I like it. The anger, the hatred. You'd kill me with your bare hands if you could right now. I'd tell you to remember that look, but in a while that won't matter.''
''Where am I?''
''Hmhmhm, wouldn't you like to know,'' he chuckled as he taunted her. ''You're in the punishment room, you naughty girl. It's not exactly regulation facilities for this kind of thing but it'll do for what we have to do. You see, as much as I'd like to put you out of your misery, you're too valuable for us to just kill. We can't replace an icon.'' There was silence and then she heard a dull buzzing sound, followed by a small shock that went through her body. It was now that she realized she had wires stuck all over her body. Her pulse quickened with the unpleasant tingle, realizing just what was going to happen. ''How did that feel? Good for a warm up? Alright, Doc, fire when ready. Be careful, we don't want her too messed up.''
''I understand, Sir. Don't worry, I have more than enough experience in this procedure.'' Another small shock passed through every fibre of her being. Not enough to hurt but more than enough to fertilize the seeds of fear in her heart. ''She'll be fit for duty once more when I'm done with her.''
''Good man! Well then, let's begin the Re-education of Pyrrha Nikos.''
Next time, Mission Thirteen: Memories