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ARC V: ON MANTLE AS IN ATLAS
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Chapter 104: The fortress in the sky
-o-
When it came to going back to Atlas, I couldn't help but feel excited about going back to my father. But, after knowing the dirty laundry that Ozpin had kept close to him, I felt worried about what I was going to say to him and about his reaction; a concern I had to put aside as we planned how to steal a ship from the base on Argus. Now, seeing all the activity of the air fleet unfolding in front of us while in a stolen ship, made that worry rise with the big battlecruisers standing still in the air with little ships flying around like metal bees ready to pounce on anything they might consider a threat to the kingdom. However, it was too late to turn around and go back to Anima.
"Please continue your approach to the Atlas Omega-12 docking bay," the voice on the radio instructed us as we approached the city. "A security team will meet you there. Over."
That was another problem. What was the worst that could happen when a security team from Remnant's largest military power realized that the occupants of a ship were not authorized?
"I don't get it," Ruby mused as she watched the large ships above us. "What's going on here? Kaiden, Weiss, was Atlas like that when you guys left?"
"Not when I left," I remembered my departure months ago. "I boarded a ship to a base west of Anima, but there wasn't as much movement as now."
"Even when I boarded the ship that sneakily took me out of the kingdom there was nothing like this," Weiss agreed. "Could it be something recent?"
"But we are here," Jaune exclaimed. "We brought the lamp to Atlas. So I guess we will land and look for answers."
"I'm not sure," Weiss objected. "I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land with a stolen ship, there's no way a security team will let us near Ironwood, even if his own son was ringing the bell. They might even take me back to my father."
We looked at each other and agreed with that. I've even had to deal with Jacques Schnee and his stupid albino Lorax mustache in person, and I could tell he's not someone you wouldn't trust even a paper napkin. His cretin level was something that even caused her own daughter to leave her house and venture to Anima on her own.
"Then what do we do?" Blake asked.
"Winter!" Weiss's face lit up with a hopeful smile as she pulled out the scroll. "Maria, put some distance between us and the fleet."
"You don't have to tell me twice, girl."
With a flick of the lever, the old woman steered the ship toward Mantle, the city that lay in the shadow of Atlas. It was the first time that I was in that area, since I had only been in the city that floated above us. This place seemed more gloomy and less advanced than above. It was like Vale but with an atmosphere that did not seem to reflect life, but rather a gray cloak that made it feel like discontent at the fact that it was simply the industrial sector of the kingdom. The streets seemed empty with few transports running through them and few people walking their sidewalks. Everything seemed too quiet.
Then I listened to my father. I quickly turned to see him on a screen projected in a building, talking about living in uncertain times and ensuring that Atlas was always strong and safe despite everything. His appearance was more unkempt than the last time I saw him, now with his beard even more grown and a look that seemed tired, as if he was barely sleeping.
"General Ironwood," Yang said his name sadly. "He looks tired."
"James, what have you been doing?" Qrow whispered without looking away from my father's exhausted face.
The view of the city didn't improve as we flew over more crowded areas, exposing platoons of robot guards marching the streets and camera drones hovering over the sidewalk, scanning every person who passed by.
"This is not right," Weiss exclaimed, her scroll in her hand ceasing her attempt to contact her sister. "None of this is okay."
"Manta 5-1, we've noticed the detour on your route," the voice from the radio came back. "Head to Omaga-12 docking bay immediately. Copy? Over."
"We're running out of time, kids," Maria warned us.
"We have to abandon the ship," Yang proposed.
"Wait," I chimed in, pulling out my scroll. "I will call my father and let him know that we are here. He'll fix this."
"It's true," Weiss said. "If I can contact my sister, she can help us too."
"Uh, Weiss?" Blake called out to the girl, in a tone of voice that anticipated overthrowing such a suggestion.
In another building and on another screen was Winter Schnee, wearing her Atlas high command uniform that matched her white hair and ice blue eyes, "Any failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. sector is under lockdown, follow the directions given by authorized personnel. "
"Winter?" Weiss was dumbfounded to see her sister like that in a long time, now giving a warning about possible punishment if something illegal was done, perhaps like being on a stolen ship like us.
"Guys, it's not to offend but making contact is not a good idea anymore."
"Something has to be happening!" I confronted him. "My father wouldn't do something like this without good reason. If I could only talk to him, I'm sure he will help us."
"Look, even I'm not sure it's good to speak to the General until we know what's going on here. We don't even know if something serious will have happened to deploy such a military movement on such a scale."
"But-" I tried to reply, but I didn't know what to say anymore. My hand was shaking with the scroll displayed and with the option to call my father showing on the screen. One flick of the finger and I could talk to him, but there was also what Qrow was saying. What could have happened between the time I left and that moment so that everything was turned upside down?
"Kai," Ruby took my hand, closing my device, "just wait a bit longer."
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and put the scroll in my pocket, "Well, what do we do now?"
"First, calm down," Maria ordered us. "I know someone who could help us."
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The first thing was to abandon the ship, for which Maria landed in a vacant lot before grabbing our things and leaving quickly before Atlas tracked down the location of the fugitive ship and sent forces to inspect it. Trying to maintain our composure, we joined the people walking on the sidewalk in small groups so as not to attract attention.
It really did have a resemblance to the streets of Vale, but it looked gloomy and darker, as if they were the streets of Gotham. The people passing near us looked tired and crestfallen, glaring angrily at the giant rock floating above Mantle.
"Hurry! Over here!" Maria led us. "It won't take long to walk."
"So many soldiers is normal?" Jaune asked the million dollar question.
"No," Weiss replied. "At least I think so."
"Kaiden?" He turned to me for my opinion.
"It's the first time I've been down here so I don't know for sure."
There was a shutter sound and a flash behind us. A drone guy had apparently just taken a photo of Yang, who suddenly kicked him and sent him into the street to be shot off by a passing truck. Hopefully that device was going to be the protagonist of an isekai novel.
"You have to remember that the kingdom had just lost the Great War, so the people of Mantle needed a sign of a bright future and that sign was Atlas," Maria repeated the same explanation that I had heard in class and in documentaries. "After all, a home in the clouds is as bright as it gets."
As if to reinforce that point, a truck passed in front of us on a corner, carrying behind several workers from a mine, covered with dirt and tired after who knows how many hours of work for a salary that I guessed would barely allow one to live.
"Unless you're the one to look up," Nora commented bitterly.
"The whole city... everything looks terrible," Blake said sadly.
"Yes? You don't like it here?" A man came out to meet us and, from the way he moved, it was no secret that he had been drinking the same happy water as Qrow. "There is enough room out on the tundra."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Blake tried to apologize but the man hadn't finished babbling.
"Atlas is the largest kingdom in the world, okay?
"Hey dude, we don't want any trouble, but if you don't go away-" I was about to sit the guy in a trashcan when Blake puts a hand on my shoulder, telling me to stop.
"We can't make a scene."
"The embargo... the embargo screwed us up," another guy spoke, sitting on some stairs and being in the same state as his friend. "But everything will be fine. You will see."
"We tried and helped other kingdoms," the aggressive drunk spoke again, "and this happens? I say fuck them!"
"I apologize. I didn't want to insult you," Blake continued to remain calm.
The man just spat aside, "Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't understand-"
As soon as he contemptuously referred to my friend's heritage, I was about to jump on the guy to shut up, but instead a gravity glyph appeared under his feet that sent him flying into a garbage dump in an alley. Behind us was Weiss, drawn sword pointed at the man and smirking.
"It was worth it."
The satisfaction did not last as long as some Atlesian Knights approached in our direction, so we took it as our signal to leave and regroup with the rest.
"Everything's fine?" Yang asked Blake, having already gotten far enough away to keep walking.
"Nothing I haven't heard before. I also know that it won't be the last time people like this find me here."
"If someone dares to make you feel bad, we take care of that," Ruby proposed.
"Weiss takes care of putting them in their place ... in the nearest trash can," Yang joked looking at the Schnee. "How did it feel to do it, girl?"
"If I could put it in one word: catharsis."
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At the end of the journey, Maria led us to a somewhat decrepit building. There was no advertisement or poster that significantly differentiated it from the others, except for a poster with the face of a blonde woman with slightly brown skin that was stuck to one side of the only door we could see, which was suddenly opened. A faunus girl, with cute little bear ears, came out smiling as she said goodbye to someone inside the place while she moved her metal arm.
Maria made us enter before greeting in a misty way to whoever she was inside of her, "Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend."
Inside the place it was warm, which made more than one breathe in relief at the slight but welcome rise in temperature; there was no problem with me wearing my jacket, but it must be good for Blake, since she had lost her coat during her fight with Adam and I had loaned her my cape and thermal sweater to keep her warm. The establishment was like a kind of clinic, with a recliner seat, instruments of which I did not know any, and several screens. On one side of the door was a reception table, behind which stood a plump older man with brown skin and gray hair, wearing a yellow shirt with a pink bow tie, a red vest, and glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
"Ah, hello, hello," the man greeted her amiably, before staring at the old woman. "Have we met?"
"Cybernetic optical implants. Do you adjust them? Every 10 years or so?"
The man stared at her for a few more seconds before something inside his mind lit up, "Ah, Maria! Yes, I remember." He began to walk around the table, exposing a movable chair that, Instead of having wheels like the ones I'm used to seeing, had a mechanical leg that moved like an insect. "How time flies by."
"I know. I grow old like fine wine. I would have gotten there earlier but I ran into these troublesome kids, who needed my experienced guide while fighting some sphinx," Maria counted as if we weren't in the room as they led her to the recliner chair. .
"Seriously?"
Nerd. They had more complicated problems. "
"Uh, yeah. They're wondering what's wrong too," Qrow chimed in on the conversation.
"So impatient too," Maria added in exasperation. "I thought I didn't have to introduce one of the best minds in Atlas."
"Working here?" Yang inquired, before a piece of roof fell into a corner, as if refuting her point.
"He likes to keep a low profile," Maria defends him. "Something that I've come to realize that none of you know how to do."
"Hey, I can be discreet," I objected.
"What? You wore that black Legend of Zelda gold logo t-shirt for a whole week after you bought it," Jaune said, remembering good morning at Beacon.
"You're just upset that they weren't your size."
"Well, you can call me Pietro," the man introduced himself, ignoring our discussion.
"This pharmacy is just a place where he offers his services when he doesn't build the future in Atlas with Ironwood," Maria said the last thing she saw of me, which made me wonder who exactly that man was. If he worked with my father, then why hadn't I seen him in my time before I went to Anima? If what Maria said was true and Pietro was a genius, he must have been with Professor Turing in the research and development department, but I didn't remember seeing him there.
I was momentarily lost in my thoughts, vaguely listening to shoes dancing alone, when a strong cough made me turn back.
"Sorry," Pietro apologized, catching his breath. "As I was going to say, the fall of Beacon took its toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't say exactly what he saw there, but that changed him. He-"
"He's scared," Qrow finished the sentence.
"Paranoid would be a more appropriate term," Pietro corrected him, which hurt to hear. I was starting to feel bad about leaving my father, but I was confident that he could handle everything. He had done it before me and he would do it after he was gone. Or so I thought...
"You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimms. Someone completely dismantled the Atlas security system source code and used it against us. It made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to others. Whoever did it, or is it a genius or someone of us; and I'm afraid the answer is 'both'. Just like the General. "
That was a good question that I too had been pondering over those months of travel. Even if Cinder was able to get into the Atlas system when she infiltrated Beacon's CCT tower, someone had to have tampered with the same code to make the robots become Terminators that night and I doubted the bitch would even know how to do a simple Hello World.
"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought," Ren commented.
"No place is these days," I replied. "Atlas was the best we could think of."
"How does the council feel about all this?" Weiss exclaimed, alarmed by the new information. "Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"
"Well the council is so scared they'll agree to whatever it is. However, some representatives from Mantle..." It was then that Pietro stared at the white-haired girl, "Wait, you're Weiss Schnee."
"What were you trying to say about Mantle?" Yang broke into the conversation, but the man also stared at him, just as surprised, though his gaze was fixed on the girl's metal arm.
"Did you paint it?!" Pietro said it, somewhat shocked. He seemed to recognize Xiao Long's arm, which also left me curious, as I didn't remember that he had been involved in the design and development of it. Who exactly was that guy?
Pietro adjusted his glasses well and looked at us carefully, his eyes widening.
"You are team RWBY!" he said looking at the girls in said group. After he came back to me, "And you are Kaiden Noir!"
"Do you know us ?!" Ruby asked in surprise.
"Oh my girl, of course I do and I feel silly for not recognizing you guys earlier. My daughter told me so many stories about you."
"Your daughter hers?"
"Excuse me, Pietro… sir... what was your last name?" I asked, but was suddenly interrupted by the sound of sirens outside, with the familiar sound of people screaming in terror as they ran for their lives.
Almost as if it were a reflection every time we hear that unfortunate combination of sounds, we all run out into the street in search of the origin of such an alarm. Everyone was running to the nearest shelter, several entering buildings whose doors closed behind until there was no one left outside except us. A roar was heard a few blocks away, so we all prepared our weapons.
'About time I had some action,' Requiem complained, having been left idle during our fight against Cordovin and his giant robot.
The roars grew closer until an Atlas security robot smashed into a wall followed by another that fell onto the street with a loud metallic crash. Several more robots appeared around the corner, shooting at a threat out of sight until a figure tackled one of the automata before dispatching the others. It was then that I recognized the saber-toothed tiger-shaped figure of the Sabyr, which turned toward us with a menacing gaze as others arrived.
"Get ready," I warned them. "They are coming."
The sabyr lunged at us, which we did too. Yang was the first to go against the beasts, then Ren, Nora, and me. The first Sabyr I faced jumped on me, trying to hit me with a paw that I evaded and stabbed him in the side with Requiem. As it was fading, another ran towards me, to which I drew Samaritan and shot it in the legs, tripping and getting shot by Ruby; who smiled and winked at me when I saw her. Atta girl.
We were slowly tipping the balance of the fight in our favor as Sabyr's numbers dwindled, but there was still more to be eliminated. As if it were some kind of miracle, a sabyr who was about to pounce on Blake was intercepted by a green beam that came from the sky, causing the Grimm to be downed. More lightning was falling around us and on the beasts, but none that endangered us in any way until the number of enemies became zero. With no more threats in the vicinity, the emergency sirens ceased their howl.
I looked around where such help had come from, mostly believing it to be something divine until a figure landed in front of us, turning off some Ironman-like thrusters. My mind took a long time to finally process what I was seeing, but even so, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The last time I had seen that face, her body lay motionless and torn to pieces on the floor of the Amity Arena after Pyrrha had been manipulated to push her magnetism to the limit. However, Penny Polendina was there in front of me, although she seemed to have had some kind of improvement, since her hair was longer, now she had jet legs and her figure… wow.
"Darling," Pietro said behind us leaving his establishment, "why don't you say hello to your friends?"
The robot girl stared at us, causing a big smile to grow on her face and then... did she crouch down?
"Sa-lu-ta-TIONS!" Penny yelled the same salute I remembered from her, sprinting at Ruby and tackling her with hers metal body, which must have hurt badly so my girlfriend groaned in pain.
I still didn't owe what I was seeing. How was it possible that she was there and at that very moment acting like when we met her at Vale? She remembered those moments when I had finally realized Emerald's involvement in Cinder's plan and trying to stop everything before Penny and Pyrrha clashed, only to be too late to avoid disaster.
"Penny, is it really you?" I called out to her, leaning to see her up close and making sure my eyes didn't failing like Maria's.
"Of course it's me, friend Kaiden," the girl replied, helping Ruby to her feet before hugging me tightly as she lifted me off the ground, almost to the point of suffocating me. "It's a pleasure to see you all again!"
"Penny," Ruby still looked puzzled, like me. "I thought you-"
"She died?" Pietro finished the sentence. "I think you could say that. But we were able to retrieve her core from the Amity Arena once she returned to Atlas. She took me a while, but-"
"I'm as good as new!" Penny exclaimed cheerfully. "Even better! And now I'm the city's official protector."
"That is my girl!" Pietro said proudly for his... daughter?
"We have so many things to catch up on! I can't wait!" Penny said excitedly, grabbing Ruby and me by the neck with a strong grip, until the sound of sirens was heard in the distance, so she released us and we both gasped for air. "Apparently it will have to wait."
"Need help?" I suggested.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. In the meantime, you can wait for me with my father," she replied, taking flight again, saying many words quickly that I couldn't quite understand, but I supposed she was excited to see us. Yes, that was our Penny.I don't know why, but seeing the girl again and in good shape made me feel a great relief. Perhaps it was the regret I still had of seeing my friend die and failing to avoid it. Even I missed the strong displays of affection she gave, as painful as they were. If only it was the same with Pyrrha, but that was a thought that I no longer wanted to have, so I shook my head and followed the others, who were heading to Pietro's clinic to hang out as Penny returned.
"Heh, I already expected things to get more complicated, but everything is fine," Qrow said, which I took as alarm since that was like challenging the universe, which happened within seconds.
Without any warning, we all went around on ropes that immobilized us and we fell to the ground. I tried to use my semblance to turn into smoke and free myself, but suddenly I felt an electric shock the moment my aura began to channel.
'Hands off, bitch!' I heard Requiem's voice before a scream of pain and the sound of something falling to the ground.
I must have lost consciousness or was stunned for a few seconds, but when I opened my eyes, someone was standing next to Ruby and holding the Relic of Knowledge. It took a little longer for the hamster in my head to run on its wheel again so that I finally knew who that person was: Clover Ebi.
"Clover, is it you?"
"Who spoke?" The man turned around, his perfect Ken doll face until he found me. "Wait... Kaiden? Kaiden Noir? What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story, but first: a little help with these ties?"
"We are following protocol. We were informed of a rogue ship landing in this area. Until we are sure there is no threat, you are in custody."
"And we need to see the General. It's a matter of life and death."
"What the hell is going on?!" I heard Pietro's voice approaching. "What are the Ace-Ops doing here in Mantle?"
"Doctor, good to see you. As I was telling the boy, there was a report of an unauthorized craft making an unauthorized landing followed by unauthorized use of weapons by unlicensed huntsmen. But since we're talking about a provisional member of the department of research and development, I can give them a more merciful treatment, although they still must be escorted to Atlas to account for what happened here. "
"And the ties?" I asked, trying to move my arms without success.
"Okay," Clover pressed the scroll of him and the cables that had us pinned down.
"Thank you," I breathed in relief at my regained freedom. "And the weapons?"
"They will be confiscated until further notice," he said, still holding the relic in his hand, "along with this."
"Hey, give us that back!" Yang exclaimed angrily, but I stepped between her and Clover as the robot guards pointed their weapons at us.
"Yang, calm down." I turned to the man, "Okay. Just take care of that very carefully. It is really important for us."
"We'll have it in mind. By the way, can you do something with your sword? Harriet wanted to pick it up but it wouldn't let it."
I looked over at the girl with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides, who was still rubbing her hand that she must have used to try to pick up Requiem. I picked up my sword in her sheath and offered it to her for her to take. She hesitated, but took it quickly and waited a few seconds as if she were going to attack her again. Seeing that this didn't happen, she handed my weapon to the nearest Atlesian Knight, who was already carrying several weapons.
"For now, wait for the transport that will take you to Atlas. Until then, behave." Clover then turned to his team, made up of the aforementioned Harriet (who was still glaring at me), stocky Elm, impassive Vine, and Marrow with his dog tail, "Let's move out!"
With quick and agile movements, all the members of Atlas's Ace Operatives left the scene, leaving us with the robots still guarding us.
"Uh, what just happened?" Nora asked, confused with what happened.
"Who were those?" Jaune continued with the questionnaire.
"Those were the Ironwood Ace Operatives," Weiss explained. "It can be said that it is the General's elite team. Good that you knew them, Kaiden."
"I don't know them that well, but I ran into them about 3 times during my time in Atlas. They mostly were on missions."
"They know that you and the General-"
"No, they only know that the General has me in his esteem," I interrupted Jaune, before telling everyone of my kinship with the leader of the Atlas army.
"What do we do now?" Ruby asked next to me.
"For now, we will do as they tell us. Clover must already be informing the General of our arrival, so we won't be long in meeting him," I declared, looking at the robots that were staring at us with their weapons at the ready in case we came up with something.
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The ride on the transport to Atlas was relatively uneventful, save for a guy who had been arrested for throwing a brick at a military ship who kept chattering about the alleged tyranny of my dad and a certain Robyn Hill and her group called 'Hunters Happy ', who was apparently a candidate for a seat on the Atlas council. That aside, it was amazing to see the view of the floating city from above, so futuristic and clean that it overshadowed the city below.
When I thought they would take us to the police station to be tried for the ship we had not stolen, we were surprised to land at the Atlas academy. The guards who were in the landing zone told us to get off the ship, except for the guy who had accompanied us; that one was going to the police station. We were escorted down some familiar corridors from my stay there several months ago, not having changed anything and maintaining the impeccable shine of its floors. We stopped in front of an elevator, which we all boarded to go up to our destination.
"Then what do we do?" Ren whispered.
"I don't know exactly," I replied, "but we have to be careful what we say. We don't know what the situation is in the kingdom, so we'll have to be careful."
"We follow your lead, Kaiden," Blake whispered to me.
It was the first time that I had actually directed anything, if we don't count the disaster that was the night Beacon fell. I was already used to moving around on my own, even before I met everyone. Mostly I worked together with Ruby and Jaune and everything had gone well... more or less. However, now I had to take the reins of the situation, since who we had to convince to help us was the General of Atlas and my father. I still didn't know how he would react to Ozpin's secret, so each word would have to be said with great care to prevent him from entering into despair like we did in our time. Sure, no pressure.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened, and I, taking a deep breath, took the first step down the long corridor until I reached a spacious room with the emblem of the Atlas Academy on the floor, a place that I recognized instantly: it was the hall for the General's office. However, the table where the receptionist was standing was empty, perhaps because it was no longer working hours and she had left.
"I swear, if I have to sit in a council meeting like that..." I heard a voice speak, which I knew instantly and which made my heart pound with anxiety.
Right in front of us my dad walked by, with Winter at her side and Penny following, engrossed in a conversation that didn't notice our presence until the red-haired girl turned to us and greeted us with her usual upbeat attitude.
"Yay, you guys are here!"
My dad turned around, staring at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression. I was very happy to see him again, but it also hurt to see his tired look, his messy hair and his beard that was longer and more tangled than the last time we met.
"Da-" I was about to call him when Weiss interrupted me.
"Winter..."
The older Schnee was incredulous to see her younger sister returned to her kingdom, opening her sky blue eyes that were identical in both girls.
"Kaiden, you're seriously here," Dad exclaimed in shock, still not believing that I was the one in front of him. Then he composed his stoic demeanor and addressed the guards, "I'll take care of it from now on. You can return to your posts."
Giving a firm salute to the General and Specialist, our escort turned and left, leaving us alone.
"Please, let's go into my office," Dad instructed us, opening the huge drapes for us. "We have a lot to talk about."
The place was almost as I remembered it, except that some furniture had either been removed or moved to the wall, leaving a large space in the center of the room, with Dad's wooden desk facing a huge window that gave a spectacular view to Atlas.
"It's so good to see all of you," Dad told us with a relieved face, something he wouldn't have been feeling lately. When I passed him, he put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently, "Especially you."
"Well the reception didn't show that," Yang remarked sarcastically.
Dad closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh, ending the calm he felt for a few seconds before heading to his desk with Penny and Winter at his side, "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team. When a rogue ship entered our airspace, raised some red flags. We assume the ship was stolen. "
"Stolen?!" Ruby exclaimed, giggling nervously. "Well yeah. We stole it."
I looked fearfully at Daddy's reaction to the criminal act we had committed, waiting for him to apply martial law to me and send me to my room to be grounded until I had the same beard as him, but instead an amused smile appeared on his face and he laughed quietly. I wish that had been Winter's reaction.
"You stole an Atlas ship? What were you thinking? You could have been shot down! How incredibly irresponsible-"
As if knowing how to quell her sister's anger, Weiss lunged towards her enveloping her in a touching hug, "I'm sorry I made you worry, but we did what we had to do."
The movement was effective on the Specialist, making her lose the desire to continue scolding and she returned the gesture from her.
"I think I get it." Then her blue eyes glared at our chaperone with renewed fury, "But I can't believe you let all of this happen, Qrow!"
"Try to stop these guys when they get into their heads to do something," he defended himself, ruffling Ruby's hair, to which she slapped his hands.
"Actually, sir," Jaune raised his hand shyly, "the idea was mine. It occurred to me to steal the ship."
"And we all agreed," I chimed in, not accepting that my friend took all the blame. "We all approved and planned it. Besides, we shouldn't have done it if Cordovin hadn't been so stubborn about letting us take a ship-"
"Wait," Dad interrupted me. He raised a hand and raised it a meter off the ground, "Cordovin?"
We all did the same, keeping our hands at the same height, "Cordovin."
I think it was the first time I had ever seen Penny show a scared expression at the mention of a name, while Winter stroked her temple as if that name gave her a sudden migraine.
"Winter, could you...?"
"Scheduling Caroline Cordovin's next psychological evaluation," the woman replied before he could finish the request. "Not even Sigmund Freud would know what's wrong with that woman and her extreme nationalism."
"Well, with that matter settled, we have something important to talk about. Something... confidential," Qrow commented, glancing at Penny and Winter and I already knew what he meant: the relic of knowledge. That information was delicate and it could not be known to those who were not of the secret circle that watched over the safety of the maidens and the relics of creation. Which the two girls did not know.
"Oh, you mean the relics?" Penny asked.
"Or maybe the winter maiden?" Winter followed.
Obviously I was dumbfounded. As far as I knew, no one else knew about it except us. Apparently I was wrong.
"Did you tell them?!" Qrow asked in alarm.
Dad apparently enjoyed seeing the expression on Qrow's face, giggling, and he reached inside his desk to pull out an object I'd seen too many times in my life. The Relic of Knowledge grew to its original size as he held it from its golden ring.
"Did you really think you were the only thing that started working on a new plan since Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my team of people that I could trust, so yes, I told them. Kaiden, I'm sorry I couldn't have included you before you left, but you had your hands full with your trip to Mistral that I didn't want to overwhelm you with that. The Ace-Ops are also informed, so they informed me as soon as they saw you and the relic to be brought here asap. That is why I am glad that you are here with this. Until now I believed it was impossible to turn the tide of the battle against Salem. Ozpin kept her at bay, but she always attacked in a different way. Stronger and stronger... unless we destroy her."
That last thing made me shudder, remembering the images that Djinn had shown us about Ozpin's past and the fact that Salem was immortal, having been walking in the world even since humanity first became extinct and somehow returned. The doubt returned: was it cautious to explain that destroying that thing was impossible?
"What about the relic of Atlas?" Ruby asked.
"The Staff of Creation?"
"She is safe inside the Vault!" Penny responded optimistically; a feeling I was hoping to share despite what happened in Haven.
"And the winter maiden?" Qrow inquired.
"She's safe and in stable condition," Winter stated, though it filled me with a bit of concern about being in stable condition. Had something happened to the maiden?
I looked at everyone and could see hesitation on their faces. Yes, we had come to Atlas along with the Relic, but we were also aware of the nature of the being that commanded the Grimm's creatures and his relationship with Ozpin. Even if there was a way to keep her locked up, the threat would still be latent.
"I know what it all looks like. Calling the troops back? The embargo? Maybe I don't seem like the one you should trust any more right now. But I do everything for a reason."
"But the Mantle people are getting hurt!" Nora objected.
"I need to make sure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas," Dad explained, "and I need my army here: protecting my people."
"But you're not protecting them!" Yang interceded. "You're making everyone hate you."
I wanted to discuss that, but I had seen myself the uproar that the embargo had caused on Anima. Dust prices rose, causing it to be necessary to resort to a lower quality product that could cause an accident in order not to spend as much. There was also the atmosphere of uncertainty in Mantle, with people feeling oppressed by the military deployment in their streets with the image still alive of those same robots attacking civilians in Beacon. I wanted to defend my dad, but I lacked the arguments in favor while those against were piled up in a menacing tower about to fall on us.
"It's a price I'm willing to take," Dad sighed regretfully. Then he touched something on his desk and blinds began to fall over the windows, covering them and plunging the room into darkness. For a moment I thought he was catching me again and putting on another cute tracker.
"Just as you were entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I ask that you all trust me," Dad asked us. "I have a plan."
In the center of the room a type of flat platform began to emerge and began to expand into a type of round table.
"Ozpin thought the best way to fight Salem was in secret," Dad started to say, leaving his desk and walking towards us. "Whether that was the best choice or not is not up to me to say, but we are in a position to need a new approach."
"What do you have in mind?" I asked.
"I'm glad you asked," he grinned at me before pressing a button on the controller in his hand and the table lit up. In front of us the hologram of a structure I recognized was displayed.
"The Amity Coliseum?" I asked, confused as to what floating battle arena had to do with fighting Salem.
"When Beacon went down and everyone in Remnant lost contact with the rest of the world, I understood that our system was out of date. Amity was built to unite nations and it will do it again," the General stated before pressing the button again, now deploying. an antenna above the holographic coliseum.
"Isn't it great ?!" Penny exclaimed. "We will not only replace the Beacon tower, but we will build a new one in the Amity Coliseum that will reestablish communication anywhere!"
"By launching the tower high in the atmosphere, our scientists believe they can create a type of satellite out of Grimm's reach and capable of maintaining global communications even if we lose another tower," Winter explained.
The proposal was incredible. Returning communications throughout Remnant would improve the situation that prevailed those days. There could be more coordination between the kingdoms for the protection of the people. It might even have a chance to win back Beacon from the perpetual siege of the beasts that haunted the fields. Also I could call and hear the voice of my mother Mary at any time.
"James, you don't need the entire army for this," Qrow told him.
"I'll need it for what's next," he said, "which will be telling people about Salem."
"Wait, are you serious?" I asked, surprised by the statement. "People will be scandalized. There will be riots. They might even join Salem out of fear."
"And that is why he called in the troops," Qrow mused. "To handle the chaos that will ensue in Atlas."
"Yes, panic is inevitable. And panic attracts the Grimm. But I think we are ready. Once Atlas is ready to fight, I will use the Amity Tower to send the message to all of Remnant."
"But everything will fall apart!" Weiss protested. "There will be Grimm everywhere!"
"True," Winter agreed with his sister, "but Atlas will be ready and ready to help."
"But many lives will be lost as such help arrives," I objected.
"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all," Dad declared ruefully, pressing the recount button to remove the blinds and light up the room.
"Ozpin spent his entire life, so many lives, keeping this secret," Qrow said and I bet he was also remembering the secrets that he had kept to himself about his true relationship with Salem.
"I know," Dad agreed, ignorant of that, "but, since Beacon, things have changed. Without him to guide us, the best I can do is use my best judgment."
I looked at Oscar, who looked somewhat uneasy since the soul that lives within him was mentioned. He was still in discussion about the brief intervention of the former Beacon headmaster during the Cordovin fight, so we still didn't know if Ozpin was fully witnessing our actions or it was just a matter of a moment.
"What's the matter?" Dad asked me, to which I went back to see him as quickly as I could, but it was too late; he had already noticed Oscar's presence.
"Ozpin isn't really gone completely," I said, preparing to drop the bomb on him. I stand next to Oscar and introduce him, "This is Oscar Pines ... the new Ozpin."
My father's eyes widen in disbelief and he begins to smile hopefully as he hurries towards the boy, "Oz? I'm so glad you're here!"
"Not exactly," Osca cut him off. "He's kind of... gone for the moment."
Dad looked closely at Oscar and shook his head, "That's not normal. What happened?"
I could have started to tell him everything that had happened since we left Mistral. The Djinn reveal. Ozpin and Salem's relationship. The extinction of humanity. Everything. I could have told him all that, but I stopped myself as I saw his tired and unkempt face. He had to lead an entire army and at the same time manage the construction in a more efficient way to communicate with the rest of the kingdoms to give an announcement that could plunge the world into chaos. Such information would cause him to go into despair. I couldn't do that to him. At least not at the moment.
"During the battle at Haven, Oscar and Ozpin got together and fought but that took a lot of energy as their union hadn't been around for long and wasn't stable at all," I said the first thing that came to mind, drawing the look of my father and that of others. "Then we had a problem with some Sphinxes on a train while we were going to Argus and they had to do it again, but that must have drained Ozpin's energy and he hasn't been contacted since."
Dad walked up to me and stared at me with his blue eyes, "Did that happen?"
"Yes," I replied, doing my best not to do something that would give away that he was giving a half-truth. I just thought that every word I said was the plain truth, hoping that by lying to myself it would be easier to lie to someone else.
He looked at me for a few long seconds, before letting out a weary sigh, "This is the worst news. Did you learn anything about the Relics from him?"
"The lamp can answer 3 questions, according to him," Ruby replied.
"However, all the questions were used," once again I felt the pang of guilt for lying. "We tried to make one, but it was useless."
My father's gaze began to dull the optimism he had been feeling earlier, which made me feel worse, "Right, right."
Worst of all, he didn't question the answer I gave him; not even an attempt to check it out for himself. He took every word I said as the truth and I hated myself for it.
"At least we have you, Oscar," Dad turned to Oscar. "You're safe in Atlas. All of you. Maybe together we can figure out how to get Ozpin back."
"Thank you sir..." the boy said shyly. "I mean, uh... General ... Ironwood."
Then Dad took the lamp and walked over to me, holding out the relic for me to take, "After what happened with the Ace Ops, I don't want to think that I'm taking anything from you, especially something as important as this. I learned from the first time you came. For the time being, I think it's safer with the people who brought it here. "
I felt the weight of the artifact and, with the thought, it gradually reduced its size to enough to carry it on my belt next to my mask. Having it hanging from my side was like the weight of the burden that I now carried from what I was hiding from my father.
"We have to work together if we're going to fight Salem and win," Dad entered General Mode, standing firm and authoritative. "That is if you are on board."
I looked at my father, who was also watching me expectantly of my answer. I already knew what to say, since the stakes were high and Amity was our best option to hope to unite everyone in case the Brothers were summoned and the trial of all Remnant began. We had to get the communication system up and running and so, once we had settled that matter, I would tell everything to my father, who might be disheartened once he knew everything that his deceased colleague had hidden from him.
Until that happened, there was a lot of work to be done.
"Tell us what to do to help."
Dad put a hand on my shoulder and smiled briefly at me, as if thanking us for joining the task, "Good, because getting Amity Tower ready to launch won't be easy. But first, I think we have to have their weapons at hand. our standards. "
As if to reinforce his words, a holographic screen appeared, showing Blake with his broken sword, making the girl blush with embarrassment and covering her face with my hood.
"Remember, this is Atlas," Winter announced. "As long as you assist the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can make. If you don't believe me, Kaiden can testify to that."
"Speaking of which," Dad chimed in. "Kaiden, I'll inform Professor Turing that you guys will be stopping by the lab tomorrow. I'll leave it up to you to bring everyone around to see what comes up."
"Yes, sir!"
"For now, I have already sent you directions of where you will be staying during your stay in Atlas. The journey must have been long and tiring, so you can go to the cafeteria and then rest."
"Thank you, General!" Nora exclaimed excitedly, and everyone started to leave the room with Penny and Winter.
"Kaiden, can I have a minute?" Dad asked me before I left. Ruby looked at me a little concerned, perhaps assuming that he had detected some of my lies, to which I calmed her with a smile and whispered that in a moment I would catch up with them outside. Still hesitant, she followed the others out of the room, leaving me alone with the General, who stood firm in front of me before wrapping me in a tight hug.
"I'm glad you're okay," he said in my ear. "When I received your letter and you still had not arrived, I started to worry. But here you are and you have brought hands to help us."
"Yes, sorry, Dad," I whispered, smelling the usual scent of his cologne. "I've been moving a lot throughout Anima that I didn't have time to write, even getting to Mistral."
"Oh yeah," he sighed. "How unfortunate what happened to Leonardo, but he fell fighting while defending Haven Academy."
Another secret he would have to save for later: Leonardo's betrayal. Another load to carry, "Yes, but the important thing is that the kingdom is still standing and the academy as well, so we are doing well for that part."
"Yes, it is what matters. I already want you to tell me all your adventures, but it will be after you have rested. Sleep well and see you tomorrow."
"You too, dad," I said, seeing the weariness on his face. "Rest, even if it's for tonight."
"I will," he rubbed his eyes. "Once I finish some paperwork."
"But do it," I told him before heading off to join the others.
As I descended the stairs to meet the others, I began to think about what I had just done: I had lied to my father, who in turn had shared all his plans with us to start standing up to Salem. He had put all his trust in me, and I was keeping secrets of great importance from him. I felt that I did not deserve all the attention that he had given us since he arrived, but the time would come when I would have to open up with him, once the Amity Tower is online and all Remnant is linked again. Until then, I would carry that weight until the right time.
Hello, everyone!
I hope you all are doing ok and healthy.
I'm sorry for taking so long to update but these months have been a nightmare. Lives I've had to say goobye to. I lost a good job due political bullshit. But hopefully I'll be better next year once I mive to another city and apply for a new work. For now, I'll try to update ofetn as I take some only classes to improve my programming skills.
Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time!