AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth
Taiyang wasn't sure which of them had the more dangerous job today.
Qrow would be definitely be fighting known sadistic killers and possibly Semblance-stealing nutjobs and maybe even a Maiden if he was really unlucky. With him being very high on Salem's hit list, most people would gun for him.
Tai had to try to keep Ruby and Yang at home when they knew the only reason Qrow himself was going with the strike force was to rescue Mercury and, naturally, they wanted to tag along. Emerald was an argument all in itself that they hadn't decided the outcome of.
That said, the two knew they couldn't swap.
After a little discussion, the pair had agreed to tell the kids exactly what was going to happen. It would stop them somehow finding out another way and trying to sneak along. As much as Tai wanted to believe in Ruby's promise, he honestly couldn't be sure.
Tai had lost Raven.
He had lost Summer.
Mercury was currently gone.
Qrow had a very good chance of dying.
Where had everything gone so wrong?
Tai shook himself and started a trek around the house. Ruby and Yang were in the shared bedroom, not acknowledging Tai when he walked past. They may understand that they would only be in the way and had a greater chance of getting their uncle and friend killed, but that didn't mean they were happy about being left behind. Emerald, Tai was sure, had smuggled away one of the silver Dust daggers. She was determined to come along.
The sticking point was that she had the most reason to go; not because of her shared history with Mercury, but because he might (probably) need her Spring Maiden healing power. It was why she was studying so hard and spending so much time in the infirmary.
It was also the reason she had to be protected the most.
Other than Ruby's silver eyes and Tai hoped they would not kick in. Ever.
Tai was sure the only reason Emerald hadn't already left to sneak onto the airship or aura animal was the emotional blackmail from Qrow. In a way, Tai wished he had been there when that argument happened; it couldn't be easy on either of them to admit Mercury was almost choosing to go through hell to protect them.
Especially when Zephyr told them Mercury did have a second 'out' and had ever since he was taken.
Almost.
But today.
In the full day it had been there, no one had stumbled across the Grimm aura animal. A relief.
This was the first time it had been left alone since it had been brought back to Patch. The next time Tai wanted to see a Grimm aura dragon, he wanted it to be the correct one.
But it wouldn't be alone for long.
They were just waiting for a call from Ironwood.
Qrow was in the kitchen. "So far, so good?"
"Yep. Need to make a decision about Emerald though."
Qrow swallowed a mouthful from his flask. He offered it to Tai, but he shook his head. If his girls decided to leave, he needed a clear head to stop them. He didn't have Qrow's ability to function so well while drunk. It had been quite a while since he was envious of that. If he didn't, Tai wouldn't be letting him go.
Mercury's scroll rang.
Only one person called that.
Tai and Qrow looked at each other. Qrow leaned forward and answered. "Zephyr." There was a brief silence. Whatever it was, it wasn't good news. "…Got it. What about Cinder?" Another pause. Tai heard Zephyr stop talking, but it was a good few seconds before Qrow responded. "I'll keep that in mind. See if you can find an instruction manual." There was a response.
Qrow hung up and dropped the scroll on the table before putting his head in his hands.
Tai was terrified to ask. But… "What is it?"
Qrow leaned back and took another swig. "…Ginger came back early. She's in the simulator with him."
…
Tai took a deep breath.
Then another.
"So…Seven days."
Another week before he would be safe.
For them.
"There have been people that have gone in after it's been activated. Will still be seven days for you, but I might make it shorter for him. Just need to figure out how." Qrow didn't look convinced.
Flimsy.
Probably wouldn't work.
But Mercury now has an undetermined amount of time with Ginger. Dammit.
Ginger was kept in line by 'behave or I'll take your toy away'. Tai was worried that would become 'if I can't have him, no one can'.
"Cinder?"
"Not there."
They could rule out the Maiden then.
That gave them a better chance.
"W-Well, if he's in the simulator, it stops someone going down and killing him when you're on higher floors."
Qrow gave him a look that echoed Tai's feelings perfectly.
That wasn't much comfort.
It wasn't any comfort.
"It solves our problem with Emerald."
That was a comfort.
Qrow's scroll rang.
They didn't need to look at it to know who was on the other end.
"I'll bring him home. I promise."
A promise they had been making for 19 weeks.
A promise that would finally be fulfilled.
The fleet was ready to launch. The brief had been done an hour ago.
General James Ironwood ran over the strategies once more, searching for weaknesses. This had been the cause for the day delay when Qrow had found a suitable method of breaching the force-field around the prison. While he was satisfied, James knew a plan was only good until one engaged the enemy.
The doors to the bridge opened.
James turned to see the men he called for. "Petil, Grayham. Your brief has changed slightly." They stood to attention. "Qrow's son is now in the time simulator. Your mission remains the same, protecting Qrow Branwen, but he will be aiding in the entire assault, not a recon mission. You will have more backup, but remember: he put at least fifty of these people in this prison. Understood?"
""Yes sir.""
These two were his best men. He had worked with them for over twenty years and he entrusted the most important missions to them.
They saluted.
"Permission to speak sir?" Petil asked.
"At ease, both of you."
They relaxed into a less formal stance.
"What are the current targets? Are there records of the greatest threats?"
James sighed. "Unfortunately not. We lost those records when the virus struck. Qrow is likely to know and will tell you if you ask. However, how he brought some of them in could result in him not knowing if they have aura or Semblances. All hostiles are to be treated as fatal threats."
Grayham spoke then. "If the information was wrong and the son is not in the time simulator, do we follow Huntsman Branwen or stay with the group?"
That was a valid concern given that it was Zephyr Solgale that provided the information. "In that situation, nothing is going to stop him from finding him. You are to remain with him and call for backup if the situation requires."
Grayham had a son the same age as Mercury Black, so he understood that parental instinct. Petil had no current family, but originally joined the army for 'failing to save his daughter', despite others disagreeing.
"General," Petil started slowly. "I understand there were medics on standby?"
James nodded. "There were originally four ships, fully staffed. This has been reduced to three." The fourth had been for Black exclusively, so would be sent later in the week. If they were wrong, then there were enough medical supplies on the three to ensure he would live long enough for the fourth to arrive. "They will remain on the air strip, but won't come into range until the control room is secured. Standard procedure for those that have been injured in battle."
Securing the control room was their first objective.
"What about their prisoners?"
James took a deep breath. "It is highly unlikely that there will be any other prisoners other than Qrow's son. However, if you do find anyone, call it in. I trust your judgement in that scenario, including whether to continue with Qrow or stay with the individual."
The sea was unpredictable and James was sure there were more bodies buried there than those that washed up on shores. But he would never know.
They responded with a solemn nod.
"If there is nothing else, go prepare. We leave in an hour."
They saluted once more and left the bridge.
James' attention returned to the holograph blueprints.
There would be no Atlesian Knights on this mission; there was no guarantee the prison didn't have access to the same virus that infected them. While the virus in the CCT had been dealt with and the machines altered accordingly, it was very simple to alter it in order to achieve the same result.
Their current information stated that there was little security past the force-fields and most of that was done by the Atlesian Knights that were originally guards within the prison. The original criminals within though were mostly unknowns now, both in number and ability.
That was one reason why James was relieved Qrow was accompanying them despite his main reason not being available until seven days' time.
He was also relieved his fleet would not be engaging the force-field itself, but he was a little uneasy at using an unpredictable Grimm aura animal to do the job, especially as its predecessor had destroyed nearly half said fleet. The only reason he agreed was that he didn't want to lose any men. It was inevitable in battle, but that particular battle was very one-sided in the enemy's favour.
Once LiaGuard was under control, then there would be a discussion of what to do with it.
In this case, James would relent to Qrow's original suggestion of destroying the time simulator. It was far too easy to abuse and, even if it was used for training, it would be very difficult to objectively oversee that training.
It would be best to go check on the fleet.
Qrow ran his hand across the jaw of the Grimm aura animal.
He stepped back.
The creature began to grow. Larger and larger. When it was in the air, it would grow further.
If this doesn't work-
It would work.
His family saw him off. Hugs from the kids. Tai didn't; didn't want to give them the idea Qrow wasn't coming back. A pat on the back and a mock threat to sell his stuff.
Qrow's transport wasn't an airship, but the Grimm aura dragon. That had been his choice and the General hadn't argued with it. In return, Qrow wasn't going to argue too much about an escort, provided they understood how to stay out of his way.
It didn't grow too large. There was no need to smash your own fleet due to your size.
Ironwood parked his fleet just outside the force-field and made no attempt to approach. With so many small spaces and cells, the plan was to try and draw as many people as possible out of those nooks and crannies. The Atlesian Knights were also a problem due to their equipment.
A problem that Qrow did not need help with, but Ironwood was on the first ship to approach and would be taking the lead.
There would be no wall of expendable robots out front this time.
The fleet were positioned at the same level around the prison.
Qrow started higher, directly above the prison.
Then the Grimm aura dragon screeched and shot down.
There was a swift yellow then blue glass shatter appearance in the air, but for less than a second. The wings crashed into the two turrets on either side of the platform.
But that took every bit of aura the creature had.
Qrow was ready.
He jumped off, rolled to soften his landing on the platform and quickly set to work. There were three Knights on the platform and using the ships' guns could destroy the only landing pad they had.
Three Knights down in two seconds.
Nothing.
I'm sorry.
It had been a long shot, but the sacrifice of the Grimm aura dragon hadn't gone to waste. It might be what saved its creator.
The scrapheaps were flicked into the sea.
Ironwood landed on the platform, gun out and ready for battle.
Still, the heavy plated steel doors remained closed.
Qrow headed closer to the entrance, giving the ships more room. He kept his sword up, muscles tense and ready for action. This was where they were most vulnerable, but with the heavy cannons gone, there shouldn't be anything that could take out airships.
Key word there being 'shouldn't'.
Expected numbers of the prison were around 300, Knights included.
There were 800 Atlas military.
Qrow couldn't really call it overkill as he had no idea what a lot of people here could do. Most Atlas personnel had their aura unlocked, but that was all. With an army here, many of the Huntsmen in the military were still in Atlas; scattered around the continent.
There had been one attack on the Dust mines by human Grimm. That was somewhere they could not afford to lose. Five silver Dust weapons from Marcus Black's stash had been gifted to their defenders.
Qrow had an idea what he wanted to do with two weapons in particular.
That was for later.
One of the codebreakers started on the door. Qrow didn't know his name. A medic ship had landed and would be staying here to treat the injured. The medics themselves wouldn't leave the ship until the prison was secured.
Despite what he had been told, the room with the time simulator was still Qrow's personal target.
The codebreaker nodded and backed away, reaching for his weapon.
Qrow's two guards were at his side now. 'Petil' and 'Grayham' he was sure were their names. They and Ironwood exchanged some army salute. He was fond of them, Qrow noted. That they were assigned to guard him was quite a compliment.
Qrow's eyes met Ironwood's. They nodded to each other.
The doors slid open.
Laser fire shot past before the doors had even clicked. Recognising the lasers to be Atlesian Knights, no one immediately headed forward. Their weapons weren't enough to take out the empty airship as they had been designed to combat the small fry Grimm. The armour was too much.
Ironwood was listening to an earpiece. Then he shook his head.
Qrow ducked and spun, firing on the Knights before moving in. The entire hallway contained Knights, but there were no people. This made it much easier.
"I counted 21," Qrow stated as he and Ironwood stopped at the end of the corridor, in front of a lift.
"As did I. At maximum, we can expect 139 more." He glanced around at his men that had joined them. They hadn't lost anyone yet. "You know your targets. Squad 3 and 9, with us. Squad 10; backup."
Qrow was willing to bet both squads wouldn't fit in the lift. It was larger than most he had seen, but 30 people was its limit. This though was different than what had been in the blueprints. The original had only transported five at best. There was certainly space for it, but it made Qrow wonder what else was different.
Let's think…It's too cramped around the cells for big changes around there, but the control room is a very large space.
The control room was their first target.
The first lift down only contained Qrow, Ironwood, Petil and Grayham. More people and they lost the ability to manoeuvre. Then they were just cannon fodder for whatever or whoever was waiting for them.
Still, at least Qrow had seen enough that he was satisfied he wasn't babysitting the two men Ironwood had selected. There was a reason he preferred to work alone and, while his Semblance now had an off switch, Ironwood didn't know that. He must have faith in these men and that wasn't Qrow's problem.
As expected, they were attacked as soon as the door opened.
However, by staying low, the first volley went straight over their heads.
This time though, there weren't just Knights. There were people too, none that Qrow recognised. He counted fourteen people, of mixed genders and ages but no one under late twenty. No one here was small time, they wouldn't be here if they were small time, but they might not have their aura unlocked.
Either way, Qrow didn't care. He understood why they were trying to kill him, but he didn't care. He didn't necessarily want them dead; he just wanted them out of the way. He just didn't care if they were dead or unconscious.
Petil hit the up button on the lift before rolling out and staying behind a filing cabinet they were using for cover. That would call their reinforcements.
One of them had a grenade. Qrow saw them pull out the pin.
Ironwood aimed and threw something at that hand. The grenade was knocked out of the hand.
Qrow moved, twisting under the blasts. One man had a knife of some kind, but Qrow skidded under it. A snatch and a fling and the grenade was out the window.
None of the people here seemed bothered by the fact that grenade could have killed all of them.
They were willing to fight to the death.
Then Qrow realised he did recognise one of them. Halo Keen. He had aura and his Semblance was a little tricky. He could temporarily manipulate the air, being able to remove oxygen or create gusts of wind indoors.
Keen recognised him. Qrow was the one who put him in here, yet he didn't seem to care. He was more focused on Ironwood and mostly ignored Qrow.
Making a quick decision, Qrow aimed for the Knights. They could operate without oxygen. Humans could not. Keen most likely didn't care about friendly fire (he was in here for massacring his family and friends with a weapon he shouldn't have had), but it would help Qrow a lot if he took out his allies for him.
Interestingly, a pair of humans went down as soon as a shot hit them. They didn't have aura at all.
The first squad of reinforcements arrived.
That's the last of the Knights. Now for the people.
Another grenade landed on the floor.
Then it began to roll along the floor very unnaturally and changed direction every time someone tried to pick it up.
Qrow knew his target was Keen. Ironwood didn't and had dismissed him as a threat to focus on someone who was manipulating vines across the floor. Qrow hadn't even realised he had been instinctively avoiding them.
That is a very worrying oversight.
So was the fact he had also been avoiding ice on the floor. Who was responsible for that?
A quick glance around showed no females (an odd fact but not important right now), so it wasn't Maiden. Keen, he knew. The owl Faunus that Qrow would remember the name of as he was responsible for him too was the one controlling the vines (that hadn't been a fun job). Two others were bleeding, so they were most likely out.
That left the one in the far corner, who Qrow had initially thought had no aura at all.
He was also rather far from Keen and that grenade was going to go off any moment.
Ironwood had better pick up the pace, so Qrow should probably help by taking out the main one protecting him. Unlike these guys, Qrow did have a huge problem with getting blown to bits.
Luckily, the one controlling the vines also seemed to be ignoring him. Something was very off here, but Qrow would think on it later. It did make reaching Ice Man a lot easier.
Who then turned into a literal Ice Man when Qrow went to stab him.
Well, that is a very bizarre Semblance.
At least he had his attention. Due to the fact his first strikes did nothing and they had a few seconds to spar, Qrow thought he was safe in thinking that Keen had been dealt with or had at least been distracted enough to get rid of the grenade.
They have someone who can manipulate air, manipulate ice and manipulate vines. Why exactly are they not working together at all? This should be far more of a fight. This is challenging, but not as much as it should be.
Ice Man literally shattered when Qrow got an, admittedly lucky, stab straight into the heart. Ice scattered across the room; nothing human remaining. It was far from the first person Qrow had killed, but this one was going to stick with him for some time to come.
Keen was on the floor missing an arm. A second glance found he was bleeding from the stomach. He had a little while, but he would die without help.
The owl Faunus was unconscious with Ironwood putting handcuffs on him. There were no obvious injuries on him.
"Check them both with a scanner," Ironwood ordered as he straightened once more. "Then take them to the hallway upstairs and keep them there. Then send the computer experts down."
The air strip was empty. There wasn't much worry of them doing anything dangerous for now.
Qrow had headed straight for the closest console. He noted a group of six men leaving in the lift. With the two now gone and the other hostiles dead, he had other worries.
"Too easy. That was too easy."
"Agreed." Ironwood joined him. The screen was password locked. "The question is 'why'? Are there few people here or is there something else going on?"
"No need to move the Knights." Qrow counted the ones on the floor. 36. Qrow hadn't realised the room was genuinely that big. Looking at blueprints didn't do it justice. "There's this hallway here." The only thing that connected the control room to anything other than the lift and it led to an important office with a ladder for a fire escape. "There might be more there, but not many."
"Possibly."
The lift returned then. Four armed with guns came off first and stood ready to fire. Eight others appeared from the hidden spot next to the doors. Rather than guns, they carried some very expensive looking equipment.
Qrow stepped back and worked of his agitation by pacing.
"Something's off here General. I put Owl Guy and Air Nuisance in here. They weren't fighting properly."
"We have superior numbers and tactics."
Qrow wanted to punch Ironwood. "I get that. But with them having a load of Knights to hide behind and Semblances like that, along with aura shields, how did we only lose…" Qrow glanced over to check as they were tended to, "three people and six injured? There should have been far more. Especially as they didn't care about friendly fire."
A glance at his scroll showed his own aura at 63. So far so good if this was all they were dealing with.
But it couldn't be.
A techie looked up. "We're in to the basics."
Both Ironwood and Qrow came over. This screen was showing the blueprints they had studied, with the difference that it showed what was online and what wasn't.
Let's see…All doors unlocked, so we don't need to blast them open. Cells are open, so likely no other captives. Ah, that's what that button does. Heat signatures…show there are fourteen people that are inside this building, not including us. Nice for one thing. Not nice as it means most of them are wandering around civilisation.
"It's not well staffed," Petil noted. "The numbers are far lower than expected."
"They weren't expecting us," Ironwood mused. "Our jamming signal would have scrambled any message this prison tried to get out." Only now Qrow remembered that. "But that doesn't explain why there are so few here in the first place."
Qrow's hand went into his pocket and pulled the scroll out. He inputted the code, found the contact and called. He waited. For the final ring.
"Not a great time Qrow."
Qrow could guess that. He could hear yelling in the background, but couldn't make out the words. "Where are you Zephyr?"
"Outside the time cell. A few of the scientists are trying to finish a few of their projects. You've got an hour until they come out and I'm not sure where they'll be aiming. Got into the system yet?"
Most of the screens still showed random numbers and letters. "Getting there. Got the basic system running."
"Okay, when you get in, look for programme 'Pandora'. The access code is 93762 and the last digit is either 5 or 6. This guy had atrocious handwriting. That gets you into known information on the time simulator."
That was exactly what Qrow wanted to hear. "Thanks. But I've got a different problem. Three guys up here went down way too easily and I put two of them in here."
There was a brief pause. "They probably took it out on Mercury. They were expecting, in their words, 'cannon fodder wearing armour'. They weren't expecting you or Ironwood." There was another brief pause. "Hate to say it Qrow, but they've just killed the last of the kidnapped victims that were here."
That was a punch in the gut.
Qrow glanced at Ironwood. He shook his head slowly. His eyes closed for a moment.
"So all that's left are hostiles."
"Yeah. If it's any comfort, for some of them, death was a mercy."
"I bet it was." Right. They were short on time. "Are you safe right now Zephyr?"
Another pause. "Sure." Qrow didn't like the sound of that. Something was off. "I need to meet you Qrow. I can't make it to the simulator room, but there's a few things you need to know before you try to get in there early."
It could be a trap.
Qrow found he didn't care.
"Where can you get to?"
"I can't move, so you're going to have to come to me." That bad feeling got worse. "There's five people outside the lift waiting for you." Now he looked, Qrow could see them on the screen. "One has aura, the one with red hair. I don't know about the others."
"Any reason why it's understaffed?"
"A few are at some sort of event in Mistral." Not one Qrow had heard of but then it probably wasn't a kind of event Qrow would attend. Zephyr seemed to read his mind. "They don't plan on attracting attention. There weren't many victims here before they were killed compared to most of the time, so many are out looking for more." Fucking dammit. "…And Cinder's orders were that, for a normal week after his aura was ripped out, Mercury was to be left alone. Ginger was the first to break it today. Take a guess."
So these guys-
Qrow shook his head. "And they're not bothered by you having a chat with me?"
"Luckily, you called after they were out of hearing range. These guys are here for free boarding. They never expected having to defend it."
They couldn't have predicted that the Grimm aura dragon would smash the otherwise impenetrable defences.
"Weapons?"
"Honestly? God only knows. A lot of this place was experimentation as well as playground."
Hence all the kidnap victims. Qrow was very doubtful the test subjects' fates were any kinder than the sadists' victims' fates.
"I found out where my loving mother went. She's taken an airship with two other ships and heading to Atlas. She's going for the Dust mines. This was yesterday. Her Semblance is that she can see through walls. One of the people with her can impersonate people if he drinks their blood."
Well, if that wasn't a creepy Semblance, Qrow didn't want to know what was.
He pulled the scroll away. Ironwood, who had been listening in to Qrow's half of the conversation, waved over two men.
"There are more kidnap victims expected, so warn all authorities. The Dust mines. One can impersonate people he drinks the blood from, so run checks against missing persons or people that were missing even for an hour or two. They left yesterday."
Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "Also, put everyone on high alert and make sure they have at least four people as an alibi at all times." Clever. It might not stop an assault, but four people stood a better chance at reporting it or seeing something amiss. "We have around five hours from here to the mines. Go!"
They went in a hurry.
Qrow returned to the call. "Anything else?"
"Watts hasn't been here for at least a week and he had a project going, but I've no idea what. Cinder is expected next Sunday. I don't have long, so you need to hurry up."
"Are you injured?" He should have thought of that before.
Zephyr laughed. A bittersweet one. "There's nothing anyone can do for me, but yeah. I'll be dead soon."
That…was a shame.
Qrow hadn't liked Zephyr and was sure he was responsible for some quite terrible things when he worked for Salem along with putting Mercury in that Tri-Nut Tournament, but…Well, Qrow knew far worse people. It wasn't much but, even after living with the guy for a while and knowing his history, Qrow didn't really know him.
Now, he wished he had paid him more attention.
"Right. The time cell is on the lowest floor."
"Careful Qrow. These guys are going to try to kill you. I don't know what was up with the others, but these people will certainly put more effort in."
"On a scale of one to ten, using everyone that likes to come to this prison for fun, how bad are these guys?"
Zephyr took a moment to consider. "Sadism wise, around 4. Competence wise…probably around 4 as well."
Even the most weak of animals was dangerous when cornered or angered and they would be both.
"Got it."
"I've got to go." The line went dead.
Ironwood gave him a moment. "Anything I need to know?"
"Save for the fact the welcoming committee down there is going to be far more welcoming to me than the ones up here, not really. I need to get down there."
"A possible trap. But he has been reliable and accurate so far, if not vague. But I don't think you going down in the first wave is a good idea."
"The term 'cannon fodder' came up," Qrow stated bluntly. Ironwood bristled, but Qrow continued before he could respond to the insult. "Your men are trained against Grimm and know the weak point on a Knight. There are probably quite a few there, but these are insane killers. At the kindest. There are also experimental weapons there in an hour."
That made him consider. He looked at the nearest codebreaker, the same one that opened the first door. "How long until we can see the cameras?"
"Not long, sir. Five minutes at most. This isn't the biggest security this prison has and is the equivalent of logging off rather than implementing the security protocols. A few more minutes and we'll have everything."
"Don't suppose they have guns in the hallways?" Qrow asked. He hadn't seen anything on the blueprints that suggested it, but he would take it.
"No."
"But there could be," Ironwood murmured. He cleared his throat. "As I recall, this level is the only level that is completely isolated save for the lift. There are stairs connecting the other floors, correct?"
That…might help.
"Yes sir, but there are only two stairways to that level while there are at least five for the others." Who designed this place? "These are the stairs," he pointed, "and this is the lift." Again, he pointed. "This is the cell itself." It was slap bang in the middle.
There was a brief silence.
Qrow didn't have a military mind, but as he scanned the floor, a potential problem was obvious. "You could almost certainly fit all the remaining Knights on that floor." They were only a nuisance, but there were a lot of them and they were very good as a wall.
"They're responsive to electrical pulses," Grayham offered. "Is there a way to use that?"
The numbers on the screen vanished. Qrow couldn't make sense of the images that took their place. "There is a scan to detect that at the main entrance, but that can be extended to a specific level in the case of a breach."
"Can you amplify it?" Ironwood asked.
The man hit the keys. "Err…One floor only using the backup generator. This main power supply is routed to the shields and is pre-set to fix them as soon as they went down. In around three hours, they'll be operational again."
That would make it much more difficult to lose, but Qrow wasn't sure it would stand up to Maiden power as it hadn't been designed with that in mind.
But Cinder wasn't the big problem at the moment.
"What happens to someone who gets hit by this pulse?"
The man didn't answer immediately. "I'm not sure. I don't have any experience in medicine. However, EMP bombs are not designed for use against humans or Faunus, so my thought would be they don't work well."
There were life signs scattered all over the prison.
Qrow wasn't interested in them.
Zephyr was his first target. Then he would go to the time simulator and see if he could enter it while it was in use.
"It would overload the Knights," Ironwood dipped his head. "And they would need to be restarted manually. It is rather unlikely any of them would have the knowledge or equipment to do so and we won't give them the time."
Ironwood moved away to talk to his men, no doubt organising a strike. Qrow left him to it; he accepted this wasn't his element and he would go along with whatever Ironwood decided, within reason.
Instead, he stayed near the console.
After a few minutes of discussion within the Atlas personnel, Qrow heard the news he had been waiting for.
"We're in. Give the order and I can emit the pulse."
Qrow leaned over. "Take a look at programme 'Pandora'. The access code is 93762. Last digit is a 5 or a 6."
He obeyed. It was a 5.
Pictures appeared first. The machine was oblong in shape, with an indent in the middle and a tiny cylinder which was almost certainly the entry point. There was an odd envelope like slot farther along. Half of the oblong 'sides' were fused into the wall and the machine completely covered the back wall, which was at least 10 feet tall. There was a console along the entire side wall.
"That room's got to be as big as this one," Qrow muttered.
"It is." The techie began to shift through the data. "What exactly are you looking for? That runs on its own system."
"Looking for a way to get in early. Someone is quite sure it has happened before."
He frowned. "Such as go in when there are already people in it and the scenario has started?" Qrow nodded. "I'll look, but I'm not optimistic. This is far more complicated than I have ever seen."
"Just let me know."
Ironwood approached again. His gaze went to the data on the screen, then to Qrow. It then went to one of the men on the far end. He approached him quickly. "Brady. Can you operate the EMP from this terminal?" A few clicks later, the man nodded. "Then that is your responsibility."
The man next to Qrow spoke up. "Should I stay on this?"
"Yes. Let me know if you have results or need anything." Ironwood beckoned Qrow to follow him. Reluctantly, Qrow followed. But the sooner they controlled the entire prison, the safer it would be. "The plan is simple and adaptable. The squads will remain on the level above, as will you and I. The pulse will be emitted, then we move in. Three squads will be with you and two with me. If they target you, you will have backup." Not a bad plan, even if working with others was a habit Qrow really wasn't used to, but no obvious faults so far. "We should have control over that level before the hour is up."
"And then? Who knows what they'll come out with." They could come out with nothing, but Qrow didn't think that likely.
"There are store rooms scattered along that floor. Those can be used as an ambush."
Qrow gave him a blunt stare. "How strong are your men's stomachs? What is stored in there is going to give them nightmares."
No less than fifteen men stepped forward.
"We know the risks." Ironwood's voice was harder. He had seen the state of the few bodies that had washed up. "We are willing to do so."
So…Ironwood himself huh?
"However, there was a strong belief that you should not."
A lot of his people nodded at that.
Ironwood had briefed the men here that Qrow's stake was his son. They had also been briefed about the type of people they were dealing with. It wasn't difficult to put two and two together.
Honestly, Qrow appreciated it. Even if he was annoyed at the fact they knew. He didn't even want to try to argue.
"Thanks."
Ironwood nodded once. "Then let's move."
The control room was as good as it said: it had complete control over the lift. While there were levels that had heat signatures, the lift ignored them completely. The trip down was smooth and uneventful.
Before they separated, Qrow was given an earpiece that was connected to someone watching the cameras above. Wanting to take as little damage as possible, Qrow put it in place and responded when the voice asked him to raise a fist. It was working.
The separation occurred as soon as they stepped out of the lift.
No one was on this floor according to the heat signatures. They didn't meet anyone.
Qrow knelt at the top of the stairs. He could just make out the outline of a Knight on the lower floor. Petil and Grayham were at his side. Petil signed to go down first, but Qrow shook his head.
He was the bait after all. If they were focused on him, they should be easier targets for the soldiers.
So far, they had managed to avoid shooting Qrow, so most of them were fantastic shots. Qrow might not like the Atlas military, but when they were genuinely needed, they were very competent.
"Stand by," the voice in his ear said. "EMP in five. Four. Three. Two. One."
Qrow didn't hear anything at first.
The Knight he could see jolted in place as if electrocuted. After four seconds of this, it fell forwards completely. One more spasm and it stayed still.
Well. That worked remarkably well.
"Done."
Qrow leapt over the banister and rolled when he hit the floor. His first slash took out someone who had been standing almost in a daze.
He certainly got their attention.
Five I can see.
Qrow didn't immediately recognise them, but the red head made him think of ropes and wires. It would be wise to keep her away from the Knights.
Which, looking around, was going to be nigh on impossible.
The one Qrow had tripped must have some kind of training. He got up almost immediately.
This is going to be very difficult.
Within seconds, Qrow came to a decision.
All of them were gunning for him. While he could dodge (not very easily but he could manage), he never got the chance to exploit any openings. He didn't have time and it would drain his energy far too quickly. It also increased the chance of him getting shot.
It was tempting to shift to bird, but Qrow urged that away. Not only did he need to keep that secret, morphing a bird was going to attract Atlas' attention and he needed them to blast the people trying to kill him.
Qrow did switch off his Ring. The closer he was to someone and the longer he was close to them, the quicker and more dangerous his Semblance became.
The military personnel were keeping their distance from the fight. Even Ironwood, though he was slightly closer than most of the others. However, Qrow kept dodging and manipulating his position that friendly fire for his enemies was a problem. The corridor was also narrow, only allowing three people side by side, so there was a significant proximity difference between friend and foe.
It started small. An occasional foot where they would trip on a Knight.
Then it got worse for them. Stepping into a spot where a bullet would land. Taking their eyes away from an ally just in time to miss them attacking and getting caught in the crossfire. Someone forgetting to look back and hitting an ally by accident.
Qrow's luck on the other hand was holding. He had yet to be hit.
Okay, I was asking for that smack.
At least there wasn't much room to swing when he did as he would have hit the wall. As it was, it only knocked off 20 of his aura. Qrow would take that over his head coming off.
That man was taken down fast.
Ironwood broke ranks and charged at the red head. Not expecting that, she miscalculated dodging Qrow's strike and was struck right in the chest with a point blank shot from Ironwood's heavy gun. She went flying back. Qrow moved fast, crashing the blunt side of his sword against her head. Her aura shattered and she was knocked out.
Three down. Qrow didn't know what took the third down, but he found he didn't care.
There went the fourth.
This final woman wasn't attacking at all, but her dodges were almost inhuman and Qrow was quite sure physically impossible. However, when the fourth ally had gone down, she had skidded onto her knees and had her hands up in surrender.
Qrow backed off a little while Ironwood and two of his men approached.
But she didn't cause any trouble. She allowed herself to be cuffed, registered no aura and went upstairs without problems.
Huh. Wasn't expecting that.
"There's another heat signature on the stairs," Qrow had nearly forgotten about the earpiece, "but it's weaker than the rest. It's not on the cameras."
"That's fine." Qrow had noticed there was no sign of Zephyr, but he had also forgotten his body wasn't natural. Had the EMP affected him? He made sure the Ring was active again. If the signature was on the stairs, Zephyr must be under them.
But the first body he saw wasn't Zephyr. "Basil?" He had seen the photos and had seen him fight in the Vytal Festival. He was now dead, a gunshot wound in his head.
Zephyr wasn't looking better. There was a good size hole in his chest that his hand couldn't completely cover. "We got into an argument."
Qrow knelt down and tried to get a better look. There was blood, but given as this should be over his heart, there wasn't enough. He caught a flicker of colour as Zephyr pressed down harder, but it was covered quickly.
"Don't bother," Zephyr sighed. "My time should have been up years ago. I'm fine with this."
Ironwood's scroll rang. He moved away to answer it. At least Qrow didn't have to ask for space. His gaze went back to Zephyr.
"Anything I can do?"
"…Don't let Ironwood take me. I want to be buried next to my siblings. I showed Mercury once, in the simulator. He knows where it is. He promised."
Death was something Qrow didn't think should really be messed with and he certainly didn't like the idea of transferring souls into different bodies. "You have my word."
Zephyr nodded, then winced. "Bad idea." He took a deep breath. "Qrow, about Mercury…You must have seen them. How powerful they were. Cinder knows he's too dangerous. I'm sure there's a kill switch in him."
Kill.
Switch.
"Do you know what?" If that triggered…
"No. Sorry. But I'm sure it's there. And if his immune system's that good, he might be able to tell you himself. That needs to be removed as soon as possible. But they don't want to get it wrong, so probably not a bomb."
Small comfort.
Zephyr's hand started to slip.
Qrow lifted it and pushed it against his chest again. He felt something there, but it seemed…smooth. He didn't dwell on it. "Ironwood might be able to save you."
"Don't want it."
Qrow suspected that, but he had needed to ask. "I'm sorry."
Zephyr chocked out a laugh. "Doubt it. But thanks anyway. Just…remember Qrow. Remember what Ginger did to Emerald?" Scarred her. Branded her. "You'll see…something on him too. Just don't lose focus. Ginger's dangerous when her opponent's at full strength. You're not."
Very blunt. Very true.
"I'm still going after him."
"…Thought so. I don't know what or who you'll find, so be careful. Just don't hesitate if you see someone you know. It's not them."
"That's not ominous at all."
…
"Good luck Qrow."
"Feel like I'm going to need all of it." And then some.
"You know…I asked around…And I know why you wanted him to learn sword fighting." Someone here probably had an ancestor that was an Aura Wielder then. "Here. This should suit him." Zephyr's eyes closed.
The fist clenched and pulled back.
Qrow jolted and let go.
Zephyr didn't move. At all.
He's…dead. I'm sorry.
Qrow swallowed. His eyes instinctively went to Zephyr's hand.
Sitting there was a Dust crystal. It was untouched by tools, a very natural shape. It hadn't been processed. Half of it was black. Half of it was multiple colours, every colour Dust Qrow had ever seen except for black.
Not a drop of blood on it.
Tentatively, Qrow took it.
Rest in peace Zephyr. Take care of Lake and Dakota.
Qrow stood up and headed over to Petil. "His name's Zephyr. I'll take care of his burial. Can you take him somewhere until I can?"
Petil frowned. His eyes went from Qrow to Zephyr and back to Qrow again. "I'll see what I can do."
"Either way, he's not to be used in experiments."
"Of course not!" He was insulted by that.
"Know his history?"
"No."
"Then don't be insulted by that. He's right to expect it." The consideration was back. "Thanks for this."
Petil just nodded. "The General wanted to talk to you. He headed to the time simulator."
Qrow hoped that meant there was good news, but he carefully kept control of it. "I'll head up then."
The lift was empty when he reached it. He rode it up alone.
Come on Silvertongue. Hold on a little longer.
The lift opened up into a small square. On the right was a very well stocked bathroom, but it wasn't too large or too small. But compared to the simulator room, it was tiny.
Now he saw it, Qrow thought this room might be bigger than the control room. He didn't think on why.
Ironwood was by the control panels and was speaking with someone that wasn't dressed as a soldier. He looked vaguely familiar. Ignoring manners, Qrow headed straight for them.
Neither man were bothered by his interruption. Ironwood was very troubled and didn't look happy to see him.
"Qrow, this is Dr Murphy. He studied under Dr Waterbrook."
Now Qrow remembered. Murphy had been at Beacon infirmary a few times when Qrow was a student there. Dr Waterbrook had been on the fourth medic airship, which was supposed to leave from Vale. When Mercury was confirmed in the time simulator, it never left Vale.
"I thought the medic ships hadn't landed yet."
"I risked coming on one of the others, but I wasn't needed." So the ones in the control room either didn't make it or had been evacuated already. "This space is large enough for some life support equipment, so it saves time for Mr Black."
They could turn this room into a hospital.
"Can you get the equipment here?"
"With a fixed date of a week, yes."
Ironwood spoke then. "So far, we've learned that this slot in the machine will generate a medical report for live people that return from the simulator scenarios and maps. By the filing in the control room, the medical report they had on Mr Black would be placed there and it would be updated automatically when he returned. Until then, the doctors cannot view it." So any internal problems had to be countered with no way to foresee them. "Dr Waterbrook is still arriving soon and has said he will bring the one he has."
The last check-up Mercury had had was immediately after they 'returned' from the magical world. That was very out of date in comparison to his condition now.
"Zephyr said there's a good chance of there being a…kill switch in him."
"The medical scanner will pick up anything manmade," Dr Murphy assured. Remembering when he was loaned one, Qrow could (reluctantly) trust that. "We were able to get a tox report on a few victims during autopsy, so we can check for some of those. He's in very good hands."
Qrow swallowed.
Ironwood put a hand on his shoulder for a moment before stepping back to the console. "So far, we have found a way to enter the simulator now. However, there is no guarantee of when you will arrive by their point of view. You could arrive an hour after he went in. You could arrive years after he went in."
Qrow knew that. He was going in and making sure that Mercury's time spent within was minimal.
"There should be a blue portal that will bring you back as there isn't a set time for the inside. As for the scenario, it is only titled 'Home'."
So I need to find a portal to get out. Might be smart to look for that as I search for him and not after.
Qrow blinked. "'Home'?" He stalked forward and stared over Ironwood's shoulder.
There was a list on this small screen. Five options from above to below. 'Haunted'; which could be anything. 'High School'; which Qrow had very bad worries about. 'Home'; which was highlighted in green. 'Hospital' was rather self-explanatory and Qrow made a promise not to leave Mercury alone when he was with the doctors. 'Hostel' was another that left plenty to the imagination.
No doubt there were far, far more scenarios and maps on this list. Did Qrow really want to know how many Mercury had been forced through?
"Any ideas?"
Qrow shook his head. "Whatever it is, I bet it's not going to be his home." Ginger had no way of knowing what Patch looked like. Those memories were blocked. So she couldn't recreate that.
"It could be hers, wherever that is." Ironwood gently guided him over to a different screen. There were two green dots and one orange one. "As we understand this, the green dots are two real people inside the simulator and the orange one is a character programmed by the user."
One green dot was Mercury. He was still alive. The other was Ginger. She had to die; she couldn't come after the kids again. The orange one could be anyone, based on a real person or not. No doubt they were as sadistic as the one who programmed the scenario.
"Get me in." It was an order.
Ironwood hesitated. "We can, but I would advise you to wait for your aura to recharge-" Qrow glared and opened his mouth to argue, but Ironwood continued before he could. "Qrow, you have been fighting on the front lines since you arrived. Much time might not have passed, but you did take damage. From all the information we have on Ginger, she is not going to go down quickly and this second one will help her. You need every advantage you can get. Only one person can go in after the map starts."
Qrow was still going to argue.
But Mercury needed his aura just as much as Qrow did.
Qrow swallowed his tongue. He checked his scroll to be sure. 43. 43 aura. That wasn't much and he couldn't rely on his Semblance because Mercury might be far too close and would feel the effects. The fight with Ginger was going to be tough enough as she could trap him in his memories if she touched him, so he couldn't allow that. Qrow couldn't afford to lose.
43 aura…If I rest, even take a nap, I should be back to full in…2 hours.
Could Qrow wait two hours?
Could Mercury wait for however long?
Could Silvertongue manage without an aura boost from Felix? With an almost certain kill switch in him?
Dammit.
Damn it.
Damn it!
"Get it ready. The minute I'm back to full, I'm going in."
The other two men seemed to relax. The techie at the controls started pressing buttons.
Qrow let out a long breath. It felt like a mistake. He was sure this was a mistake.
Please don't let this be a mistake.