"Jacques, it is time." Arthur says as he steps into Jacques's study, Jacques grinning slyly before granting him a nod in response.
"Splendid, I cannot wait to see what you've come up with this time." Replying rather joyously, Jacques taps away at his computer and brings up the news, ready and waiting to see what his partner in crime has in store.
"I will return once I've finished, until then, sit back and enjoy the show." Arthur steps out of the study and departs the manor, making his way to his base of operations up in Atlas. Once inside he settles at his desk and begins to tap away at the myriad of scrolls in front of him, readying the footage to be uploaded to the DustNet as he had done weeks prior.
"Alright Ironwood, let's see how you deal with this."
Thump thump thump thump.
"Nnh… Who is it?" Weiss tiredly asks with a groan before rubbing at her eyes, gaze slowly drifting towards the door after the knocking ceases.
"Weiss, it's Winter, you need to come immediately." Winter's voice calls out from the other side of the door, Weiss groaning before pushing herself up into a seated position.
"Can I… Mmh… Get dressed first?" Swinging her legs off the bed, Weiss pushes herself up onto her feet, then stretches her arms out to either side while awaiting Winter's response, the words that come proving to be to her detriment.
"I'm afraid not, it's urgent." With a sigh ringing out, Weiss begrudgingly opens the door to the dorm and steps out, dressed in just her nightgown, slippers, and headgear, looking rightfully as if she had just crawled out of bed.
"What's going on Winter?" Winter looks around after Weiss speaks, then motions for her to follow before turning and marching off, a frown resting on her face. Weiss trails along close behind her as they traverse the halls of the academy, eventually stepping into Ironwood's office where James, Penny, and oddly enough Pietro are waiting.
"Weiss, good morning." James calmly greets the underdressed teen, a slight nod being given in response before he continues to speak. "I'm afraid I've called you here with bad news to report. Another video has appeared on the DustNet and the news has latched onto it, it's… Not good, I'm sorry to say." Falling silent, he brings up the recently broadcast news report, Weiss's gaze falling onto it as it starts playing.
"Good morning Atlas and Mantle. This is Lisa Lavender, bringing you a breaking news bulletin. A new video has surfaced online of the young Weiss Schnee and Penny Polendina, Mantle's so called 'protectors', and the implications, well, they're quite shocking. The following footage contains graphic scenes, so please, do not watch if you cannot handle it."
As Lisa trails off footage begins to play of Weiss and Penny on their last mission to Mantle when the first video appeared online. However, being doctored like the first, the footage depicts the two girls fleeing onto a Manta, bleeding bodies left behind as they leave. To an untrained eye, the expertly edited footage looks to be authentic, but to someone who knows what they're looking at, it can be seen that two different videos were combined.
"Can you vouch for the safety of Mantle when it's protectors are two violent killers? As it stands, both Schnee and Polendina haven't been seen for sometime now, we at the Atlas Broadcast Network hope that the authorities will swiftly capture them and bring them in for justice. Thank you, and good day."
"I… That…" Rendered speechless by what she's seeing, Weiss just stares forward in shock, mouth slightly agape. Penny walks over to her and gently grasps her hand, Weiss's gaze slowly sinking towards the floor before she grabs it in return.
"Pietro was able to determine that the footage was doctored just like the first video, but it was expertly done, the DustNet is in uproar unfortunately. Those who had been supporting you prior are being swayed against you by the video, and- What?" James turns his attention towards the screen as the news begins to play anew, interrupting him, this time showing a live report from the Schnee Manor.
"Good morning again Atlas and Mantle, this is Lisa Lavender coming to you live outside the Schnee Manor, where Jacques Schnee, esteemed CEO, has called an urgent press conference to discuss the video and what it may mean." Lisa says before the camera pans over to Jacques standing behind a podium, the figure of Arthur Watts stood in the background not far away.
"Greetings, citizens of Atlas and Mantle, I am Jacques Schnee. In light of recent revelations that have come forth, I feel it is pertinent to distance myself and the Schnee Dust Company from my estranged daughter. At first I thought her to be no more than a confused child, but it seems she's fallen further from grace than I had imagined and has resorted to senseless threats and violence to get her way. I feel I speak for everyone when I say that she must be brought to justice, and she must stand trial for these transgressions against the people of these fine cities, lest she bring more harm to the innocent who are undeserving of such treatment. Thank you, and have a glorious day." As Jacques walks off, Arthur looks into the camera for a few moments, then turns and follows close behind.
"And there you have it folks, a stark condemnation of the ruthless Schnee child and her actions against the people of Mantle. We will keep you updated with new info as it comes, thank you."
"That bastard…" Winter spits out with noticeable anger, her gaze quickly falling on Weiss who looks broken by what she heard, expression forlorn and body shaking slightly. "Weiss?" She calls out her sister's name hesitantly before taking a step towards her, Weiss stepping back and shaking her head.
"N… No, please… Don't…" She stammers out before looking around anxiously, breathing growing faster as she finds herself starting to panic.
"Weiss, you don't look so good- WEISS!" Winter cries out Weiss's name as she collapses, the specialist quickly kneeling beside her sister before pressing a hand against her neck to check her pulse. "She's… Still here… Penny, we need to get her to the medical ward immediately." Penny nods and gently picks up Weiss, cradling her against her chest before looking to James and Pietro who simply nod before looking towards each other. Winter and Penny quickly depart the office and weave their way through the academy to the medical ward, where they are promptly lead to an unoccupied room and Weiss is laid out on the bed.
"What happened?" The nurse asks as she looks over the unconscious teen, Winter clenching her fists tightly at her side before glaring down at the ground.
"I… I don't know… Something came up, something horrible, and… I suppose she couldn't handle it, I believe she just fainted…" Winter replies, her normal level of composure non-existent as she frets over her sister. The nurse nods, then immediately begins to get Weiss situated, hooking her up to a heart rate monitor before checking her other vitals.
"You may stay if you'd like, Ms. Schnee, I don't know when she'll come to, it could be in a few minutes, a few hours, maybe even days or longer, there's no way to be sure." Winter nods in response to the nurse's explanation, then slumps down onto the nearest chair, Penny settling at her side with a worried expression on her face.
"Ms. Winter, it'll be okay." Penny softly says after a few minutes of silence, a hand settling against Winter's shoulder comfortingly. "Weiss is strong, she'll be okay, I know it."
"I… I know she is, Penny, but… All of this that is happening, she doesn't deserve any of it, you don't either… I swear, whoever is at fault…" Before she can say much more, Winter finds herself interrupted by her scroll and promptly answers it, expression steeling as she reads the message. "General Ironwood wishes to see me, it seems he knows the identity of the mysterious man that has been accompanying father."
"How did he find out?" Penny asks curiously, Winter looking up at her with a slight smirk after a few moments.
"Your father."
"I can't believe how ridiculous you look." Jacques says to Weiss with a sneer, Willow frowning before pulling Weiss against her side.
"Jacques, that is no way to talk to your daughter. She needs braces, and I think they look lovely on her." Willow retorts while Weiss hides herself behind her mother fearfully. Jacques scowls slightly before stepping towards Willow and Weiss, the two tensing up noticeably while Weiss can't hold back a fearful whimper.
"Weiss will become a proper heiress, I swear on that, and I will not let you make her out to be anything different." Crouching down, he looks Weiss in the eyes, then gently cups her chin and squeezes her cheeks to force her mouth to part open. "Tch… You look like a child."
"Jacques, she IS a child, lest you forget." Roughly releasing Weiss, Jacques stands up and glares at Willow, scowl softening into a coy smile.
"Yes, of course. She may be a child now… But she'll be much more when I'm done with her."
"Nnh… No… Father…" Weiss whines out before suddenly waking up, eyes drifting open to witness not her room, or even General Ironwood's office, but a clean, drab hospital room. "W… What… Where am I…?" She nervously murmurs as her heart rate begins to soar, body going rigid as she's suddenly embraced before slowly relaxing, if only slightly, when she realizes who it is. "P… Penny…"
"Girlfriend Weiss! I'm sooooo glad you're okay!" Penny cries out before pressing a soft kiss to Weiss's lips, the frazzled teen embracing her back before leaning into the kiss, at least until their interrupted by the entrance of the nurse from before.
"You're awake at last, excellent! How are you feeling Weiss?" Weiss regards the nurse's question with a slight frown and a downward glance, a shake of her head being given before she speaks.
"I… I don't know… Where am I? W… What happened?" She asks in a quiet tone, Penny speaking before the nurse can.
"We were in General Ironwood's office, and he showed us a news report with fake footage, and then there was a news report with your father calling you a criminal. You collapsed, and me and Ms. Winter brought you here to the medical ward." Penny explains, Weiss going pale before a slow nod is given, heartrate again rising.
"R… Right… I remember…" Deciding to leave the two for the time being, the nurse departs the room and instead alerts both General Ironwood and Winter that Weiss is awake, Penny and Weiss sitting together in silence. Eventually, Winter, James, and Pietro enter the room alongside the nurse, Penny and Weiss looking to them before Penny climbs down off the bed and settles back onto her prior seat.
"How are you feeling, Weiss?" James asks calmly, Weiss shaking her head before she musters up the nerves to speak.
"Awful… I hate panic attacks…" Weiss quietly says, the nurse moving over to her to monitor her closely.
"Panic attacks? How long?" Winter asks with surprise to her tone, having not expected Weiss to be someone who suffers from panic attacks.
"Years… After you left, with mom still closed off and drinking, and Whitley following father closely, there was… Nothing to protect me from his abuse… They always occurred when he was there, or if something brought up bad memories, but it was… Just him, he's why…" Weiss's explanation makes Winter scowl heavily, a slight nod being followed by angry muttering.
"At any rate, it's good to see that you're awake, Weiss. We've discovered the identity of the man that was with your father at the press conference. His name is Arthur Watts, a former colleague of Pietro's, but he had died many years ago. Apparently not, though, as he looks to be alive and well." James says with a slight frown, Weiss looking between him and Pietro as the Polendina matriarch begins to speak.
"Arthur was a brilliant man, excellent with technology of all sorts, he even helped design Atlas and Mantle's security, but… After my darling Penny was chosen over his idea for the major project the military was to focus on, he changed, I…" Pietro pauses to cough roughly a few times, a weary smile resting on his face after he stops. "I suspect he might have been jealous that Penny was selected, but he never let on if he was or not, he just continued with his work until the day he disappeared."
"He… Disappeared?" Weiss questions hesitantly, Pietro nodding before looking to James.
"It was years ago, he didn't show up for work one day, and no one was able to locate him, we all thought he had died and mourned his loss, but it seems he's been hiding doing who knows what. All that is certain is he is working with your father, and perhaps he may be behind the footage that was leaked to the DustNet." Weiss sighs before glancing downwards and pulling her knees up to her chest, blanket being dragged along with her.
"At least we know who he is and where he's likely to be…" She mutters, looking up at the three adults after a few moments. "What are we going to do?"
"You are going to stay here and recover, Weiss. We don't want another incident like today to happen, so we're going to limit your contact with the news." Winter begins to say, Weiss unable to hold back a heavy frown before groaning and burying her face into her knees. "I know it's not ideal Weiss, but it's for your safety. We don't need it getting out that you're here, that would only serve as fuel for father's malevolent fire, but rest assured, we are hard at work on a plan to stop him."
"Right, right… For my own good… Not like I haven't heard that before…" Weiss sighs deeply before looking up at Winter, a nod being given before she speaks further. "… Can I at least have Muffin and Nickel?" Winter chuckles softly before nodding, then steps over to Weiss and gives her a hug, the gesture reciprocated carefully.
"Of course, Weiss, I'll have them both brought down shortly." Weiss looks to Penny after Winter speaks, a questions nagging on her mind.
"… What is going to happen to Penny? It's not safe for her to be seen either, after… What was released…" Pietro speaks in place of Winter or James, a pat being given to Penny's shoulder as he does.
"My darling Penny is going to remain here on the grounds of the Academy, she won't be far away, and she'll be allowed to visit you, but it's for the best that she remain out of sight of those who might wish to hurt her. We're going to inspect the footage in her memory banks, it'll prove that both videos were doctored, and it'll help clear you both of any guilt." Unable to resist sighing in relief, Weiss nods, then slowly shifts her legs back down over the bed.
"I'm glad to hear that… After… All that work making a difference in Mantle… I'm sure everyone hates us now…" Penny slowly moves over to Weiss before pulling her into a hug, the two sharing one final kiss before she steps back over to her father.
"Get some rest now deary, if you need anything you may ask your nurse." Weiss nods slowly, then waves to the group as they depart, attention falling onto her nurse afterwards before she speaks the next question beginning to burn through her.
"Can I… Get something to eat, please? I missed breakfast…"