Here we are at Chapter 51, and the beginning of Volume 7. First off, I ask that you guys check out the story "Transformers RWBY: The Flames that could have been" by ZeroTheOne. It's a reaction story to mine. It's pretty good. Anyway, now that Megatron and his allies are now in Atlas, let's see how things begin for them in the northern kingdom. I do not own RWBY or Transformers. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 51. Enjoy.
Chapter 51: A Cold Welcome
The gang's airship flies in the direction of the Kingdom do Atlas. However, while they were originally happy to have finally made it to their destination, that relief has been replaced by a new sense of worry as they see the whole Atlas air fleet set up around Atlas like a blockade. Scores of smaller vessels fly around the main ships, showing the size of the Atlas military.
"Manta 5-1 Welcome home. Please maintain your current course and prepare for landing at Atlas docking bay Omega 12. A security team will meet you there for inspection. Over," a female voice calls out over the comms.
"Dreadwing, was this what you were expecting when we spoke about coming here?" Megatron looks back at the seeker.
Dreadwing shakes his head, "No... This is far worse,"
"I don't understand. What is going on here? I know Weiss said that they closed their borders but..." Ruby trails off.
"I don't know kiddo, but something isn't right. About any of this," Qrow replies.
"Dreadwing said this General Ironwood was prone to overreacting, but this is taking that to the extreme," Predaking notes.
"But, wait, I don't get it. I mean, we're hear now, right. We got the lamp to Atlas. So, shouldn't we just land, ask to see the General, and then get some answers?" Jaune asks.
"Are you cross-wired? We are in a stolen military airship, and none of us are Atlas military. What's more, when Dreadwing escaped with Weiss Schnee, he became a fugitive on the run. If we show up like this, the only way we may be able to speak with General Ironwood is behind the bars of a jail cell. And I refuse to be caged like some slave... No offense," Megatron looks at Dreadwing in regards to his wanted status.
"None taken," Dreadwing waves it off.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree with Megatron. It's not as simple as that. Our military forces have never been deployed in such a manner. It's almost like they're preparing for a war. The security team will never let us anywhere near Ironwood... They may even try to take me back to my father," Weiss laments.
Dreadwing holds her hand in his, "That will never happen. Not while I'm by your side, Milady," his words make her blush before she glances away with a nod.
"...Turn the tide... in our favor... The mission..." Soundwave's visor goes off.
"Indeed. We can't simply turn back, and we can't simply go right into military hands. We've only just arrived after all. We need to come up with a new plan. Even if that means we can't go directly to Ironwood just yet. We need to gather more information," Laserbeak says.
"The bird brain's right-," Qrow notes, earning an angry squawk from Laserbeak. "We need to play things smart for now. None of us have been here in a long while, some of us never at all. We need to know exactly what's going on here,"
Just then, Weiss, gets an idea, "Oh, I might know someone who can help. My sister, Winter. Maria, try and put some distance between us and the fleet," Weiss pulls out her scroll and tries to get a signal.
"You got it," Maria nods and pilots the airship down away from Atlas, and towards the former kingdom of Mantle.
They fly low over the buildings, thus granting them a closer look at the former kingdom. However, the situation doesn't appear to be any better here than in Atlas. In fact, with the poverty-stricken streets, the drones flying around, and the people looking depressed out in the cold, it seems far worse. They can practically feel the dread coming in through the airship.
"So, this is Mantle," Megatron mutters as he looks around. "This... almost reminds me of Cybertron, before the rebirth. Of course, at least the buildings are still in intact, and the citizens alive, but still..."
"I've never actually seen Mantle up close like this before while I was in Atlas. Must be easy for those living up top. They never have to look down and see the reality that lays beneath them. The idea... sickens me to no end," Dreadwing clenches his fists. Weiss looks away in shame, which he notices. "No, no, I don't mean you, Lady Weiss. You've strayed from the path of those economic elitists, thank Primus for that,"
"I know what you meant, Dreadwing. But still, my father, my family, is partially responsible for this. We could've used our wealth to help these people, but instead we only used it for ourselves. That is why I left. Because I refuse to let my father control me, or my family's legacy anymore," Weiss says.
"Is that him?" Megatron nods ahead and they look to see a large monitor, showing General Ironwood in a new uniform and sporting a black beard, looking exhausted.
"Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise to you," the recording of Ironwood goes off.
Qrow sighs, "Yeah, that's Ironwood,"
"He looks so... tired," Yang notes.
"James, what has happened to you?" Qrow wonders.
"I take it from your tone that going to see the General may not be the wisest move at the moment," Predaking notes.
"What has been going on here, lately?" Blake wonders.
They look back down at the city streets, seeing Atlas robot soldiers patrolling the streets, and all of the civilians either running from them, or throwing whatever they can get their hands on at them.
"What are those?" Megatron asks.
"Atlesian knights. Robot soldiers built to follow orders and a strict programming," Dreadwing explains.
"Are they sentient, like us, back in our original forms?" Predaking asks.
Dreadwing shakes his head, "No, they have no soul, no free will. Only built to do as they are told," he notes bitterly.
Megatron looks back at the robots, "Just like the Terrorcons that I once tried to control," he remembers another poor chapter of his past with a sorrowful expression.
Weiss stares intently at the scene, "None of this is right. This isn't how things should be here,"
"Weiss, I'm pretty sure things have been like this for a long time now," Yang notes.
Just then, the comms come on, "...Manta 5-1, we noticed a detour in your course. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately for inspection. Do you copy? Over,"
"I believe it would be prudent of us to vacate this airship soon before they decide to send out the welcoming commity to seize this ship by force. We need to get moving, and swiftly," Megatron says.
Weiss shakes her head, "No, I'm sure that my sister can help us. If we can just talk to Winter, I know she'll understand and can get us to see General Ironwood,"
Dreadwing looks out the window, "Milady, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I am not inclined to agree with you,"
"Huh?" Weiss looks at him, but he points out the window, and she sees another screen, only this time, it shows her sister. "Winter?"
"A reminder: failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. Therefore, it is in everyone's best interest to cooperate and obey the laws mandated by the Atlas military at this time," the recording of Winter speaks.
"Winter... No," Weiss mutters sadly.
"Weiss, I'm sorry, but right now, I don't think talking to your sister may be a good idea," Blake says, holding a hand on her teammate's shoulder.
"She's right. We need to be careful about who we see right now," Qrow says.
Weiss clenches her fists, "Obviously, something is very wrong here. If we can just talk to Winter, then we-,"
"Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood right now. Before we make any rash decisions, we need to learn more about what's going on here. Only after that, will we decide what to do next," Qrow says.
Megatron steps up, "I am inclined to agree. Right now, they have the city on lockdown, and everyone under their thumb. We can't just jump in without a proper plan. Let's not forget, we have an Atlesian fugitive with us. They recognize Dreadwing, and they'll be even less inclined to have a conversation with us that doesn't involve bullets,"
Weiss sighs, but Maria rolls her eyes, "Alright, if we're all done brooding, I actually have a good idea. I know someone that can help with all of our problems. And they happen to live right down here in Mantle,"
The comms come back again, "Manta 5-1, you are to-," but then Maria shuts it off.
"Geez lady, take a hint and shut up, will you," Maria pilots the ship down deeper into the city.
They eventually find a place to land and hide the airship out of view before getting some distance with it. With Maria leading the party, they look around at the city around them. They can see people in ripped up or dirty clothes, some people drinking, and others coming in from the mines, covered in dirt and grime. One thing they all have in common is that their full of negativity. The group can almost feel it all over their skin. Soundwave holds his arm out, and Laserbeak flies into the air to do some scouting from the air.
"Keep moving. It's not that far ahead," Maria says.
"The sooner we get out of the open, the better," Predaking notes.
Just then, they notice a small Atlas drone flying over the street before turning to them. It takes a picture of Predaking, making him growl. He's about to attack it, only for Laserbeak to swoop in and take out the drone with a quick strike of its claws, sending the drone crashing to the ground. They look up as Laserbeak flies over them, intent on taking out any more drones that show up in his skies.
"Yeah, maybe we should pick up the pace before we get more company," Yang says, and the group nod in agreement.
"You have to remember; the kingdom of Mantle lost the great war. The people needed a sign of a new, brighter future for them. That sign became the kingdom of Atlas. After all, a kingdom floating amongst the clouds above everything else is about as bright as it gets," Maria explains.
The group look up at Atlas, but then look back down at the streets of Mantle, seeing the vast difference between the two cities.
"More like a bright future only for a select few, not for everyone," Dreadwing narrows his eyes back at Atlas.
"Yeah?" they hear and look back as a drunk man approaches them, flask still in his hand. "You don't like it here? Well, you could always move out into the tundra. You wouldn't have to worry about any of this out there," the drunk berates them.
"If it sounds like such a splendid idea, then why don't you go there first?" Predaking threatens him.
"Atlas is the greatest kingdom that's ever lived!" the drunk goes on.
Predaking takes a step forward before Ruby steps in front of him, "Predaking, no, we can't cause a scene here,"
A man sitting on the steps joins in, "The Dust embargo and the closing of borders has everyone on edge lately, but it'll all blow over eventually," he says, sounding drunk as well.
"We try and help the other kingdoms and what do they do? They blame everything on us! I say let them rot and they get what they deserve!" the drunk goes on.
Blake tries to play peacemaker, "Please, we're not here to fight you guys,"
The man just stares at her and her ears, "Stupid Faunus like you would never understa-," he says before one of Soundwave's tentacles grabs him from behind and tosses him right into a nearby dumpster.
His buddy looks on in shock before the same tentacle grabs him and throws him into the same dumpster, and then the lid closes on them. The group all look at Soundwave as he retracts the tentacle.
"...Annoying..." Soundwave's visor goes off.
However, they don't have time to discuss the matter further when they notice Atlas robot soldiers approaching the area and take notice of the men in the dumpster. They quickly take their leave and follow Maria to wherever she's leading them before they are spotted by the military.
"That went well," Megatron jokes.
As the group follow Maria, Megatron notices several posters on the sides of the buildings they pass, each one showing a blonde-haired human in what looks like some electoral campaign of sorts. Megatron puts it in the back of his mind for a later time. As they come around one corner, a door opens up ahead of them and out walks a Faunus girl with a prosthetic arm. She waves to someone inside before walking away.
"Come on, this is the place. We should be okay here for a while," Maria walks on and is the first one to step inside. "Ah, it's so good to see you again, old friend. It feels like it's been ages," she says as the rest follow her inside. Maria walks up to a desk with loads of papers on it. "Ahem," she finally gets the person's attention.
That person being an elderly man with glasses, a bow tie, and a hat, "Ah, yes, yes... have we met?" he asks, smiling.
"Oh, by the Pit," Megatron rolls his eyes.
"Cybernetic optical implants. You adjust them, every ten years or so. You made them yourself, remember?" Maria points at her eyes.
The man stares at her for a few moments before it finally clicks for him, "Ah, yes, Maria! Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants!" he walks around the desk, revealing a quad-legged wheelchair to help him walk around. "Wow, I must really be getting up there in my old age. I'm sorry for not remembering right away. Has it really been that long already? My, where does the time go," he offers her a hand and guides her to a seat for her to hop up and sit on.
"Hah, yes, I'm well aware that I age like a fine wine, though I'd like to think I have better taste than any old wine. I was already on my way to see you when I ran into these kids and they needed a little help with a Sphinx Grimm problem," Maria jokes as she sits down.
The old man glances at them for a moment, "Oh, did they now? I'm sure you were able to help them out quite a bit,"
"Oh no, they had much more complicated problems to deal with. But, we got through all that and managed to make our way here. It was an exciting ride, let me tell you," Maria replies.
"Ahem," Megatron coughs to get their attention, "I don't mean to be rude... mostly... but would you care to introduce us to your friend here. We didn't exactly come all this way on some vacation,"
Maria waves him off, "Oh, so impatient kids are these days. I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' most intelligence scientists in history,"
"Scientist?" Predaking raises an eyebrow before looking around the place, just as one ceiling tile piece falls next to him. "Forgive me, but the building and the décor here don't seem to match up with that title," he says, earning an elbow to the stomach from Blake, though it hardly affects him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. You may call me Pietro," Pietro tips his hat to everyone.
"Ah, finest heart too. And the place is like this so he can keep a low profile. Somethime I've come to realize that none of you know ANYTHING about. Besides, the pharmacy here is where he likes to work when he's not up top working in Atlas with General Ironwood and the other Atlas big wigs," Maria says.
"Yeah, it gets really stuffy up there. Not easy for someone like me. Besides, I like it down here. I get to help out the locals and have a little fun at the same time. I'm actually working on a pair of special shoes that can make you dance. You care to try them on?" Pietro offers.
Yang glances at Megatron with a knowing smirk, which he picks up on, "Don't. Even. Think about it," Megatron growls, knowing what she's thinking.
"While that sounds well enough, I'm afraid we may have to wait for that at a later date. We came here because Maria said you could help us talk to General Ironwood," Blake says.
"When we came here and looked around, we could see that things were... well, they could be a lot better. What's been happening here?" Ren asks.
Pietro sighs and cleans his glasses, "The Fall of Beacon... Took a toll on all of us. However, it effected the General the most of all. I don't know what he saw while in Vale, but whatever it was, it seemed to bring out his more... extreme tendencies. He's become... well, he's-,"
"He's scared," Qrow finishes.
"Paranoid might be the most correct term. However, the thing is it wasn't just the Grimm. Grimm are one thing, but what really hurt were our drones. Someone completely dismantled our Atlas security code, took control of our machines, and made them into their puppets of chaos. They completely pulled the rug out from under us. This made Atlas look like traitors to one half of the world, and fools to the other. The only explanations for that would be that it was either the work of a genius... or one of our own. And that really made Ironwood paranoid," Pietro explains.
"Well, the world already had a low opinion of Atlas. I'd say they may not really care about the matter. I know I wouldn't, given my prior history here," Dreadwing notes, thinking about how Ironwood tried to use him in the past.
"You may be right. It could very well be both options. And that scares the General most of all," Pietro replies.
"Okay, so what do we do now?" Oscar asks.
"Yeah, what about the council? Haven't they said anything about this?" Ruby asks.
"Or Winter Schnee? Have you heard anything about here?" Weiss asks.
Pietro sighs again, "Well, the council is so scared right now that they're pretty much letting Ironwood do whatever he wants. However, there have been some representatives from Mantle that have been showing strong opposition to him lately..." he stares at Weiss, and then it dons on him. "Wait, you're Weiss Schnee!"
Yang steps in to distract him, "Wait, what was that about Mantle?"
Pietro then notices her right arm, "You... You painted it," he mutters, and then looks at all four girls. "You girls... You girls are Team RWBY!"
"Wait, you know about us?!" Ruby almost freaks out.
Pietro laughs, "Hahaha, yes, I do. I'm only sorry that I was such a fool for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter has told me so much about you,"
This confuses them, "You're... daughter?"
However, their conversation ends when they hear sirens suddenly go off outside. They go outside, seeing citizens running in a panic as red lights cascade around the city streets. Sensing danger is coming, the group take out their weapons and prepare to throw down.
"The city defenses must be in a sorry state," Dreadwing inquires.
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Nora notes.
Up ahead, they spot a few Atlas robot soldiers firing off their weapons, only to get taken out one by one by a pack of Sabres. The Sabres turn their attention onto the group and charge right at them.
"Alright, let's finish these pests and move on from here," Megatron says and fires off his arm cannon at one Sabre, getting a head-shot on it.
Soundwave charges ahead along with Yang, Ren, and Nora. Dreadwing fires off his cannon at the Sabres, taking out a few of them. One gets close and jumps up at him, but Predaking intervenes, grabbing the Sabre and slamming it on the ground before smashing his foot down on its skull. Meanwhile, Weiss uses her semblance to ensnare some Sabres in her glyphs, followed by Ren bouncing between each one as he kills them with his pistol blades. Yang comes in and punches one Sabre back and then punches another one high into the air. Megatron comes in and slashes through the Grimm with his arm blade. He lands and creates a hammer with his semblance, swinging it around to smash another Sabre into an abandoned car. Three Sabres charge at Qrow, who slices through the first one with his blade before changing his weapon into its scythe form, twirling it around as he cuts through a second, and then the third. Ruby stays in the rear, firing off her sniper-scythe as she kills a couple more. One comes in from her left flank, but before it can sink its teeth into her, Soundwave's tentacles grab its hind legs and pull the Grimm in towards him, allowing him to slice the Grimm in half with his blades.
Predaking rips one Sabre into pieces with his claws, followed by reducing a second to ashes with a breath attach. A third jumps in from his rear, only to get shot in the head by Blake. Oscar is in the back when he notices one Sabre turning around and running towards him. Oscar meets the charge and jumps over the Grimm while nailing it in the head with his cane, killing it. Dreadwing fires his cannon, taking out another Sabre as a second charges at him. Dreadwing holsters his cannon and waits for the beats to get close. It jumps at him, but he quickly readies his sword and makes one downward slash to cut it in half. Dreadwing looks as a few more charge at him. He gets ready to fight, only for a sudden green beam of energy to shoot down and kill the Grimm as they get close. He looks around, as do the others, when they see the remaining Grimm get taken out by that same beam of energy. The sirens stop, and they find themselves looking up, seeing the silhouette of a girl before the moon.
"Is that..." Ruby mutters. The girl lands in front of the group, and while her appearance may have changed, Ruby can recognize her a mile away. "...P-Penny..." she mutters in shock.
"Daughter, why don't you say hello to your old friends," Pietro says as he walks up behind them.
"Daughter?" Yang asks.
Penny looks back at them, "Sal-," she takes her position. "-U-," she gets ready, making Ruby worry. "TATIONS!" she charges full-speed at Ruby, making her scream before she gets tackled to the ground. Penny is the first to get up of course. "It is so good to see you all again," Penny happily greets them.
Ruby gets up, "Penny... You're... I-I thought you-,"
"Died? Well, I guess in a way she did. But, we were able to retrieve her power core from Amity arena once it returned to Atlas. After that, I was able to put her back together," Pietro explained.
"He did more than that. He upgraded me too. And now, I'm the official protector of Mantle," Penny adds.
"Who would've thought we'd see something like this. Though, after everything we've seen and learned so far, this is definitely up there as one of the best surprises in a while," Yang notes, while the others smile.
Penny then looks at the ones she doesn't know, "So, Ruby, are these guys new friends of yours?"
Ruby smiles, "Oh, yeah, these guys are our friends. We all met while on our way to Mistral, or in other ways. These guys are Megatron, Dreadwing, Preaking, and Soundwave. There's also a fifth member of the group, but I'm sure he's flying around somewhere right now," Ruby introduces the former decepticons.
Megatron nods to her before turning to Yang, "Yang, this is an old friend of yours?"
"Yeah, this is Penny. She... Well, died at the Fall of Beacon, but she was actually an android. Though, this is all new to me. But, I am happy to see that she's okay," Yang explains.
Penny shakes Ruby's shoulders, "We have so much catching up to do. I cannot wait!" Penny shows a big smile, but then more sirens go off. "It seems we will have to wait. Let's talk more again soon I can't-," Penny says as she steps back and takes off into the skies to help with protecting more of the city.
"So many surprises today, it would seem," Megatron notes.
Pietro chuckles, "Yes, well, I'm sure you've all had enough of surprises for a little while, and more questions. Come with me, and I'll be sure to answer them all to the best of my ability," Pietro says and begins walking back to the pharmacy with the others in tow.
"You know, I was expecting things to go a lot worse than this," Qrow jokes.
Just then, several grappling cables fall from the sky and wrap around each member of the group except for Maria and Pietro. When they fall onto the ground, they see five people appear, each wearing different versions of an Atlas military uniform. One member, a man, walks up in front of Ruby and picks up the relic.
"Good job, team," the man says.
"Hey, pal, I'm a licensed huntsman! Just saved everyone with my friends here!" Qrow yells.
"What is the meaning of this?! Pietro walks up. "What are the Ace Ops even doing down here in Mantle?" he demands.
"Doctor, good to see you too. Well, we came to investigate when we got a report about an unauthorized airship making an unauthorized landing, followed by an authorized use of weapons by non-licensed huntsmen. Not to mention, collaborating with a man wanted for questioning by General Ironwood," the man says, aiming the last part at Dreadwing.
"Can't we talk this out?" Pietro asks.
"They'll get their chance to talk back in Atlas," the man replies.
"One problem with that," Megatron gains their attention. "Megatron is enslaved by no one. Soundwave!"
Soundwave uses his semblance, sending out soundwaves that effect everyone in the area. This confuses the Ace Ops just enough for Laserbeak to swoop in and, using his bladed feathers, slices off the restraints on Dreadwing. Predaking burns his restraints off and stands back up, while Soundwave uses his tentacles to shock his off, and Megatron uses his semblance arm (which was off before) to rip his off. The decepticons take up their weapons, as does the Ace Ops. Laserbeak manages to free the others, and they take up their stances to fight.
"Okay, I guess we'll be doing this the hard way," the man notes, as he and his allies ready their weapons.
Megatron aims his arm cannon at them, "I'm only going to say this once. We are here to speak with General Ironwood. We've got business to attend to, and we'll do it THROUGH you if we've got to,"
The battle is about to begin when the man gets a call on his communicator, "Yes Sir. Don't worry, we'll... Wait, what?... I understand, sir. Roger that. We'll escort them there. Over," the man replies and then surprisingly holsters his weapon, confusing the group. "Stand down, guys. General's orders," he says, and his allies holster their weapons. A few moments later, an airship flies in and lands behind them. "It seems the General wishes to speak with you guys, and he is allowing you to go while not in handcuffs. Please, this way," the man gestures to the airship.
Megatron doesn't budge, "You expect us to believe that load of scrap?"
"Please. The General really does want to speak with you. And as for your wanted friend here, General Ironwood doesn't want him arrested. He only wants to talk to him as well. Please. We won't fight you," the man then walks up and stands right in front of Megatron's cannon. "But, if you still don't believe me, then take your shot," he doesn't resist and holds his arms out wide to show his sincerity.
Everyone remains still and tense, wondering how this is gonna go. For a moment, Yang thinks Megatron is actually going to shoot him. But she is surprised by him once again when he lowers his cannon.
"Very well. But, if you so much as think about putting those cuffs on me or my comrades again, and I'll stick that pole of yours up your tail pipe," Megatron warns him as he stares him in the eye.
"I'll keep that in mind," the man smirks and steps aside. Megatron walks ahead followed by the others, while the Ace Ops stand back. The man then looks confused, "Tail pipe?" he wonders.
The group enter the airship while the Ace Ops leave, "Well, this definitely was not what I was expecting," Qrow notes.
"Wait, what about the Relic?" Ruby remembers.
"You heard him. He works for Ironwood. He'll most likely take it to him. That was our mission for coming here after all," Qrow calms her worries.
"So, what now?" Ruby asks.
"We go see the General, and hope that he doesn't do anything to piss Megatron off," Qrow says, and then the airship doors close on them.
And that's the chapter. Megatron and his allies reach Atlas, and he finally gets to meet Yang's old friend, Penny, who was once thought lost. However, he has also come into a confrontation with the Ace Ops. Now they go to see Ironwood. Will things really work out? Or will Ironwood incur Megatron's wrath? Also, please keep those new outfit ideas coming. Until then, please Read and Review.
P.S. Check out ZeroTheOne's story Transformers RWBY: The Flames that could have Been. It's pretty good.
