The flight to Atlas was depressing. Everyone was gazing either out the window or at their boots. Sera and Yang couldn't grab each other's hands with handcuffs on, so they had to settle for touching knees. Except for Nora. She was chewing on her restraints.
It was just them and some other guy in the back of the transport airship. The other guy wore black clothes and had a scruffy black beard and tied back hair.
"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby broke the silence.
"My guess is gonna be jail," Qrow deadpanned.
"I still can't believe that 'fishing pole' guy took us out like it was nothing," Jaune said.
"Welcome to Atlas," Weiss said again. "Those were Ironwood's Ace Operatives."
"You guys had a run in with the Ace Ops?" the stranger asked.
"Apparently," Sera said.
"Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you," he said.
"They're not that big of a deal," Weiss rolled her eyes.
The man looked at her incredulously. "Not that big of a deal? They're Atlas's top elite military huntsmen." He eyed them individually. "Ironwood's personal attack dogs."
"So, they got you too, huh?" Nora asked.
"Pfft," he said, his face suddenly nervous. "I wouldn't let myself get caught by them. I'm here because I'm speaking out against Atlas's cruelty—"
"You threw a brick at a ship!" the Atlesian pilot said.
"It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!" he straightened his back, miffed.
"'Our cause?'" Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Yes! The fight for better conditions in Mantle! Led by the charismatic, talented, lovely, Robin Hill and her Happy Huntresses!"
The pilot closed the window dividing them from Sera and the others.
The man stood, trying to say as much as he could before the window closed. "They were all top Atlas Academy graduates that could've signed up for the military, but Robin and her huntresses chose to stay in Mantle. She's gunning for a seat on the kingdom's council, and when she gets it she's going to put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"
"Sure, pal," Sera snorted as the window closed.
"Happy huntresses?" Oscar asked.
"Is that their real name?" Yang asked.
"Don't you think 'tyranny' is a little dramatic?" Weiss asked.
"Easy to say for a Schnee heiress living comfortably in Atlas castles," he spat.
"Hey pal," Sera said. When he looked at her, the amnesiac willed her eyes to turn glowing red with black sclera. "Shut up."
The man's eyes widened, but he clamped his mouth shut.
"I'm not an heiress anymore," Weiss sighed.
The airship rose over the skyline of Atlas and veered towards a tall tower that lit up the night sky. Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha stood to look out the window.
"It's beautiful," Ruby said.
"Don't let that fool you," Weiss murmured.
"I guess we're not going to jail," Sera noted.
"Atlas Academy," Jaune marveled.
The airship landed in a courtyard, and the back doors opened for its passengers to exit. They all stepped out, save for the guy preaching about that "Robin Hill" girl.
The eleven of them gasped up at the tower that dominated the sky.
"Keep it moving," a guard nudged Ren forward.
"I guess we will be talking to Ironwood," Ruby said. "For better or worse."
"I'm gonna go with 'worse,'" Sera commented as they trudged towards the tower.
It took several minutes, but they finally made it to the tower. After entering, they loaded onto a fancy elevator and rode upwards.
"What do we do?" Ren asked in a hushed voice.
"I don't know yet," Ruby admitted. "But we should be careful with what we say."
Sera brushed shoulders with the scythe wielder and gave a smile that was meant to be reassuring. Ruby returned it, then set her head straight with a tightened jaw.
The elevator door slid open with a ding, and the people they saw caught them by surprise. General Ironwood, Winter Schnee, and Penny turned a corner and started walking away from them. At the last second, Penny turned and saw them.
"Yay! You're here!" she greeted. Weiss stepped out from behind Ruby and faced her sister.
"Winter," she awed. Surprise spread across Winter's face.
"Oh, great," Sera shoulders slumped.
Winter straightened. "You have ten seconds to remove those cuffs before I hurt both of you," she told the guards. They glanced at each other questioningly, then immediately rushed to uncuff Ruby and the others. "Not her," Winter said once one of the guards lifted Sera's wrists.
"What?" Sera demanded.
"I like this one just as she is," Winter smirked.
"You must be joking," Qrow said.
"Not at all," Winter said before turning and walking away from them. Ironwood looked across them with indifference before following the Schnee.
"Great," Sera glanced down at her still cuffed hands.
"Don't worry," Nora told her. "We'll spring you once we get the 'deets' from Ironwood."
"Nora, I'm going with you," Sera raised an eyebrow.
"Shh," the hammer wielder pressed a finger to her lips, leaving the amnesiac speechless.
Within a minute, they were all standing in General Ironwood's office.
"It is so good to see you all again," Ironwood told them, his eyes lingering on Sera for a moment. When she caught his eyes, he quickly averted his gaze and headed to his desk.
"Our reception didn't really convey that," Yang rubbed her wrist with her prosthetic hand.
Ironwood sighed. "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team. When we saw an unauthorized ship enter our airspace, it raised some red flags. We assumed the airship was stolen." He sat in his desk.
"What? Stolen? Pssh, nah… It wasn't… Yeah, maybe it was stolen…" Ruby said shyly. Ironwood looked surprised, but he chuckled lightly. However, Winter did not find it as amusing.
"You stole an Atlas airship?" she stepped forward. "What were you thinking? You could've been shot down, or—"
Weiss suddenly rushed forward and hugged her sister. "Yes, we stole it," she said. "We did what we had to do. I'm sorry for making you worry." Winter sighed and hugged her back, genuine relief on her face.
"I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow," Winter glared at the huntsman once she and Weiss separated.
"Hey, you try dissuading these kids when they put their minds to something," Qrow told her. "Speaking of which," Qrow looked at the general. "We have some important information for you that's confidential."
"Like the Relic?" Winter asked as she rejoined Ironwood at his side.
"Or the Winter Maiden?" Penny asked.
"Or the fact that she is the progeny of Salem?" Winter pointed a crooked finger at Sera. The amnesiac blinked, then glared at the Schnee once she recovered from being outed. She felt someone put a hand on each of her shoulders, and she turned around to see that it was Yang and Blake. Sera relaxed at their touch, but maintained her death glare at Winter.
Qrow's face soured. "You told them?"
Ironwood reached into his desk and pulled the Relic from Haven's vault and allowed it to float on his desk. "Did you really think you were the only one to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. Even about Sera. The Ace Ops, too. Which is why I'm so glad that you're here with the Relic. Until now, I thought it was impossible to have a chance against Salem. Ozpin has pushed her back; has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning. Stronger and stronger every time."
"Not if I have anything to do with it," Sera stepped forward, her handcuffs still binding her wrists. "I don't care who she is to me, that woman is not going to win. And I don't want any of you to treat me like I'm some sort of disease," Sera said pointedly at Winter. "I've fought against her in her own throne room after escaping the hellish cell she put me in, so don't you think that I have any sort of allegiance to that woman," she told them sternly.
Ironwood and Winter both looked taken aback by her words, especially at the part about being in her throne room.
"And I'll gladly kick the ass of anyone who has a goddamn thing to say about it," she stared Ironwood in the eyes. The stare down lasted several heartbeats before Ironwood sighed, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You didn't need to convince me of anything," he said. "I knew you were on our side after seeing you in the Fall of Beacon, Sera. And I apologize for my subordinate's behavior," he glanced at Winter. The Schnee's face soured as she averted her eyes.
"Good," Sera nodded. "Because I am tired of people looking at me like a freak."
"There'll be no judgement from me," Ironwood assured. "And—you have my permission to defend your dignity and pride if any of my Ace Ops have a problem with you, or any of your friends."
Sera nodded, relieved by the General's words. "Now," she raised her bound wrists. "Can someone get me out of these?"
After a quick order, Penny came forward and ripped the handcuffs off with ease. I could've done that, Sera rubbed her sore wrists as Penny returned to Ironwood's side.
"What about the Relic here in Atlas?" Ruby asked.
"You mean the Staff of Creation?" Ironwood asked.
"It's safe inside the Vault," Penny proclaimed.
"The Winter Maiden?" Qrow asked.
"She's secure, and in stable condition," Winter replied.
"Stable condition?" Yang asked.
"Let's just say she isn't exactly up and at 'em," Qrow said.
Ironwood sighed. "I know we don't look the most trustworthy right now. Recalling my military, the embargo."
"Then why continue it?" Pyrrha asked.
"The people of Mantle are hurting," Nora said.
"I needed to ensure that Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. I needed my military here, protecting everyone," Ironwood said.
"But it's not working, it's making everyone hate you," Yang said. Sera nodded in agreement. The status of the people of Mantle was depressing. They might as well have been in famine.
Ironwood exhaled. "It's a price I'm willing to pay." He pressed a button at his desk, and a circular impression in the floor rose and split into separate pieces, creating a wide tabletop-like structure. Covers slid over the windows and filled the room with darkness. "Just as you all have been entrusted with the info on Salem, I need you all to trust me; I have a plan." Then Ironwood walked up to the table with his hands clasped behind his back. "Ozpin believed the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not isn't for me to say. We find ourselves in the position of needing—well, a new approach."
"What do you suggest?" Qrow asked.
Ironwood clicked a button on a small remote in his hand, and a hologram of Amity Arena flickered into existence.
"The Amity Colosseum Ruby asked.
"Correct. When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it will soon do so again." Ironwood clicked the remote, and the hologram was altered until a large antenna was on top of Amity Colosseum. "Rather than replace Beacon Tower, we will build a new tower on top of Amity."
"And restore global communications," Penny finished. "Isn't it grand?"
"Our scientists believe we can launch the new tower into the atmosphere and create a sort of 'satellite' in the sky. With the tower out of reach of the Grimm and Salem, communications will be permanent," Winter added.
"James, you don't need the entire military for this," Qrow said.
"No, but I will need them for the next step," Ironwood gazed down. "For when I finally tell the people about Salem."
Dreadful silence hung in the air.
"So that's why you withdrew your troops," Qrow guessed. "To handle the panic that would break out back in Atlas."
"There will surely be panic, and panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready for it. Once the Atlas military has come to terms with the fight to come, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to the whole world." Ironwood explained.
"But Grimm will spread everywhere with the distress that'll cause!" Weiss said.
"You're right," Winter said. "But Atlas is willing and prepared to help."
"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all," Ironwood clicked his remote. The hologram faded and the table began to deconstruct and return to the floor as the shutters raised and sunlight poured into the office.
"Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret," Qrow said.
"I know. But since Beacon, things have changed." Ironwood walked to his desk. "But without his guidance, all I can use is my best judgement." Then he turned to an uncomfortable-looking Oscar. "What is it?"
"Uh, well—Ozpin isn't actually completely gone," Oscar said.
Qrow let out a sigh. "You see, Oscar here is the next Ozpin."
Ironwood's face brightened as he approached Oscar. "Oz?" He kneeled down to Oscar's level. "I'm so glad you're here—"
"Eh, not quite," Oscar interrupted. "He's kind of…gone?"
"That's not normal," James shook his head. "How did he—"
"We don't know," Ruby said, gaining a questioning glance from everyone present. "We were in a train crash, and suddenly Ozpin wasn't there anymore," Ruby said with a hint of uncertainty.
Yang nudged Sera, confirming the amnesiac's suspicions: Ruby was lying to the General. Sera hadn't been present when they'd gotten into a train crash; she didn't know anything that happened with them after they were all separated.
"That's the worst news yet," Ironwood sighed as he stood. "Did you learn anything about the Relics beforehand?"
"He told us the Lantern could answer three questions, but they were all already answered," Ruby replied.
Sure, Rubes, Sera thought. But what did you ask that genie that would make Ozpin lock himself within Oscar?
"Right, right…" James turned and meandered to his desk. "Ozpin told us that too, once upon a time. At least we have you, Oscar. You're safe in Atlas. Maybe together we can figure out how to bring Ozpin back."
"Thank you, sir," Oscar said gratefully. Ironwood nodded and picked up the Lantern, then approached Ruby and held it out for her.
"You're giving it back to me?" she asked.
"After what happened with the Ace Ops, I don't want you to think that we're hiding anything from you. Especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here."
"Thank you," Ruby accepted the Relic and clipped it to her belt.
"We must work together if we are to fight Salem and win," Ironwood said to everyone. "Now, if you're all on board…"
"Tell us how we can help," Ruby said.
"Good," Ironwood smiled lightly. "Because getting the Amity Tower ready to launch won't be easy. But first," James turned as a hologram appeared. It was a clip from their fight earlier of Blake pulling out Gambol Shroud, half of its blade missing. "I think we better get your weapons up to our standards."
Sera's eyes filled with wonder at that. Those words implied many things, all of them promising.
"Remember, this is Atlas," Winter said. "While working for our personnel, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise."
"Oh, boy," Sera said. "This should be interesting."
. . .
Sera and the others descended a flight of stairs into a round room. Before they made it down, they heard voices echoing from the bottom of the stairwell. Sera glanced at her teammates just as they reached the bottom. She had a feeling who was waiting for them, and her suspicions were shortly confirmed.
The Ace Ops were at the opposite side of the room but walked to intercept the huntsmen and huntresses. The lead guy, the one with short brown hair and the fishing pole weapon, stepped forward and spoke to them, "I'd like to formally apologize for the miscommunication down in Mantle. We didn't—"
"I feel so bad!" a tall woman with prominent muscles grabbed Sera's hand and shook it hard. "If we had known who you were, we would be laughing over a hot meal right now!" The amnesiac was nearly lifted off her feet from the strength of the woman, but she held fast and stopped her from shaking so hard. "Wow," she said. "You're a strong one."
Sera smirked as she straightened her jacket. Stronger than you, likely.
"Ahem," a darker-skinned guy with long brown hair and a wolf tail said to the buff woman. "That's, you know."
"And? She's one of us!" the woman said.
Sera quirked an eyebrow. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were talking about.
"Problem?" Sera asked, remembering what Ironwood said about defending her pride. She was tired, weaponless, and not in the mood to fight, but she would if someone was going to make a scene.
"Not at all," the tan girl with pink eyes said smoothly, saving her teammate. "We're just not used to the idea of fighting alongside the very woman we're trying to destroy."
"We understand," Ruby said, trying not to smirk at her teammate. "You were just following orders in Mantle." She changed the subject.
"I mean, you could've asked us some questions first," Weiss said.
"We just wanted to say that we're sorry, and that we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission," the leader said.
"Especially with the champion of Mistral!" the buff woman said, gesturing to Pyrrha. The Invincible Girl blushed with embarrassment but nodded in response.
"You're only students, but you've been fighting just as hard as we have. Some of you even harder," he cast his eyes to Ruby, JNPR, and Sera.
"Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do," the tan girl with pink eyes said, her eyes on Sera. Yang's fists clenched as she stood at the amnesiac's side.
"Not everything's a competition, Har," a bald pale guy said.
Before Yang could assault the girl, Penny jumped to the front of Sera's group and spread her arms. "Come on, I'll show you around campus!" Then the robotic girl marched enthusiastically towards a hallway. The others, except for the Ace Ops, followed Penny further into Atlas Academy.
Penny tried to explain which room was which in the large campus, but the truth was that Ruby and the others were exhausted. The last sleep they'd gotten was short naps on the stolen airship to Mantle, and they'd all been through a lot.
"This all looks great, Penny," Ruby yawned. "But where are we staying?" her shoulders slouched.
"Remember, you're in Atlas now. As the most highly funded academy on Remnant, every team gets their own room—"
"So, we'll be staying in the dorms?" Ren asked tiredly.
"It'll be just like Beacon again!" Penny cheered.
"Penny, please just show us to our rooms," Yang groaned.
"Very well, friend Yang! This way!" Penny turned a corner. Within minutes, they were all in a room for each team. Oscar bunked with JNPR since RWBYS was an all-girl team.
Sera didn't hesitate to fall onto a bed and curl up. She didn't even bother to change her clothes.
"I'm so tired," she groaned into a pillow.
"Rest up, then," Blake chuckled. "Because apparently we have a mission tomorrow."
"With the Ace Ops," Yang rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I wonder how that's gonna go," Weiss commented.
"But we get upgrades!" Ruby said excitedly.
"That should be interesting," Sera said, her voice still muffled.
"We'll find out more about it tomorrow," Blake said as she sat on a bed.
"And on that note," Sera pulled a blanket over herself. Someone sat on the bed she was on and lifted the blanket.
"Scooch over, Snowball. You're hogging the bed," Yang said as she laid herself down. Sera smirked into the pillow and made room for the blonde.
"Thought you were gonna bunk with Ruby," Sera said.
"You kidding? She snores."
"Hey!" Ruby said indignantly.
"Whatever, just go to bed," Weiss said as she flipped the lights off.
"Yeah, yeah, Ice Queen," Sera chuckled as she entangled herself with Yang and closed her eyes. When a pair of lips pressed against her own, she opened her eyes to see Yang grinning at her.
"What?" Sera smirked.
"We made it to Atlas," she said quietly.
"So, what, you're celebrating?" Sera asked.
She smiled. "You tell me." Then she kissed her again, more passionately this time, and it made Sera the happiest she'd been in weeks.