Hey, everybody.
Before we begin, I just wanted to apologize for the lack of development on my stories this past year. A multitude of things ranging from college, work, a broken elbow, and panic attacks I didn't even realize I was having have been kicking my ass left and right since last March. There is a silver lining to this though. This semester at college for me is a bit lax compared to the past. This is mainly thanks to a late-start course I'm taking that won't be starting until almost April, meaning my workload for classes is much less than I expected for the time being. With more free time than I expected, this is giving me much more time to blow the dust off my draft of this chapter that's been sitting on Google Drive for the better part of half a year and finally finish the damn thing (and hopefully the rest of this fic too considering 3 volumes have gone by since it started). I'd say, all in all, there's 5 or 6 chapters left here, then I can start on the end of the trilogy that I've been looking forward to starting on for a long while now. That's all I got for now. Keep on liking, commenting and following for more, and I'll see you lads and lasses next time; hopefully in less than a year.
"While I admire your concern for your fellow classmates and friends, Mister Arc, you shouldn't be worried." Ozpin explained to the young man and his team standing in front of him. Of the past ten or so years he had been the headmaster of Beacon Academy, he's had meetings just as he started his workday at the crack of dawn, but this was the first time a full student team fearing for the well being of friends was the subject.
"I know, sir, but... I just got a bad feeling is all, you know?" Jaune apologized.
"Especially after their call last night. It didn't sound like they were doing so good." Nora added.
"Well, even though we do live in a world where bad luck befalls many everyday, not everything should be considered a bad omen." Ozpin replied, trying to set the boy's mind at ease.
"I know you can't tell us about their mission, but have they at least kept in contact from wherever they've been sent?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, however, there last one came before nightfall and all were safe and sound." the headmaster vaguely responded. He had to keep the nature of the mission a secret, at least until he could declassify the Chess Initiative to Team JNPR. Now, however, was not the time. "We expect a report back from them before noon."
"Okay then." Jaune said after a long sigh. "Sorry to bother you so early, Professor." he finished as the team got up to leave. Before Ren could even stretch out his arm to call the elevator, the sliding doors opened with an uncharacteristically frantic Professor Goodwitch rushing into the room from the elevator, almost running down the students in front of her.
"Professor Ozpin!" she almost shouted urgently, slightly out of breath.
"Glynda." her superior and colleague nodded. "What's got you in such a rush this morning?" he asked.
Without skipping a beat, the platinum blonde used her scroll to turn on the holoscreen atop Ozpin's desk. Upon seeing the footage, Ozpin's brow furrowed and JNPR each looked at the news report in shock. Footage showed a massive black cloud of smoke rising from the remains of a building in Atlas' frozen tundra. Around it, Grimm of all kinds flocked away from it, presumably towards the main city. "We have a problem."
A high-pitched ringing had overtaken Weiss' hearing as her vision went from a blur to returning to normal. As she looked to the sky from her position, lying face up under a light pile of debris, she watched as Nevermore soared overhead through the early morning sky marred by the smoke billowing from behind the direction they came from. Weiss looked back to the prison in horror as she sat up. The entire cliffside it had been built into was collapsed, debris from the structure strung out all around and bodies of guards, prisoners, and White Fang members occasionally sticking out along the backdrop. "The others..." she thought as she looked over the nightmarish amount of bodies around her. She crawled to her feet, the pain from everything prior to this moment hitting her all at once. Her aura was straining to keep up with her recovery from the constant barrage of injuries she was receiving from the avalanche to her fight with Violet, to the prison's collapse. Her attire was torn in multiple spots across her combat skirt, from the slashes across her back from near misses to the rips in her combat skirt and further on to the runs in her leggings she was using to protect them from the biting cold of the tundra.
Finally to her feet, Weiss immediately drew Myrtenaster as she heard a set of footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she immediately lowered her weapon at the sight of who was behind her. "Penny?" she called out.
The android turned to see who was to her left, and smiled at the familiar face. "Oh, salutations, friend Weiss!" Penny said in an overly cheerful manner for the disaster zone they stood in. "Are you in need of assistance? You seem distressed."
"Penny, my friends, family...have you seen any of them?" she asked in between bouts of her hyperventilation, only for that to cease with a sigh of relief when Penny gave a knowing smile.
"You have no need to worry, Weiss. Our friends are all with General Ironwood." Penny explained, putting the duelist's worst fears to rest.
"Ironwood? What're you and he doing here? Not that I don't appreciate your company..." Weiss asked again as they walked through the debris, led by the android girl.
"None at all!" Penny responded. "We were en route because of an apparent riot at this prison. Although, this..." she said, gesturing to the mountain of rubble and snow. "...wasn't what I was expecting to find.
"And the Grimm?" Weiss asked again, this time looking for information on what Penny knew.
A nervous look crossed the cybernetic girl's face for a moment before she answered. "It's...better if the generals explained the situation. Come on."
Penny lead Weiss through the debris field away from the cliffside, seeing more and more first responders made up out of the strike force Ironwood brought along with him to quell the reported riot at the former prison. Some were trying to clear through the rubble while others were giving medical attention to any of the surviving guards, prisoners, or even White Fang members, the latter two cuffed even as medics treated their injuries. They finally made it to the forefront, where two troop transports were being used as makeshift command centers, and a good portion of their friends stood around one with Noel and General Ironwood. The rest of Team RWBY, Marron, Qrow, and Team STRM all stood among them. "Weiss, you're okay!" Ruby smiled sheepishly as everyone turned to see the two girls returning.
"I'm glad you're all okay too." Weiss returned the sentiment. "Where's the rest of us?"
"Sun and his team are still looking for survivors. Winter went with them hoping to find you." Penny explained, returning back to the side of her general.
"Your mother and team have been briefing me on what's happened." Ironwood spoke up.
"Then what are we waiting on?" Weiss asked. "Call them back so we can stop that monstrosity!" She looks off towards the way out of the mountains. Even through the snowy gusts of wind, they could make out the lumbering behemoth of an Ursai towering above the smaller Grimm in its following. "We need to stop them before they reach Atlas City!"
"She's right. The gates might have been able to hold during the Goliath Stampede two years ago, but they won't last seconds against that thing, plus all the lesser Grimm ." Marron nodded.
"Penny, call all non-essential rescue teams back to the city. We're going after those Grimm." Ironwood ordered.
"The ones charging the city, or the ones surrounding us as we speak?" Penny asked rather calmly as she looked over radar scans on her Scroll.
"Say what now?" Yang spoke up, doing a double take at the android girl. Already, the rest of them had turned to see a large gathering of Grimm being held at bay of the rescue base camp's perimeter by gunfire from theAtlesian soldiers, yet some were still barreling through human and robotic soldiers alike, only for the Huntsmen and Huntresses among them to fill the gaps and stop the monsters from getting in any further. Ruby and Weiss joined Qrow as they took positions on the left flank, which was being ravaged by a pack of Beowolves. Marron led Yang, Blake and STRM as they reinforced the right flank which was being hit even harder by Ursai and a few Griffons mixed in with the Beowulf pack.
Just as the horde descended upon them, the sounds of gunshots, metal slicing against fur and flesh, and the death rolls of Grimm as Winter and Team SSSN lept from the sea of writhing and howling black, a "YAHOO!" coming from the Vacuo native as Sun flipped mid-air over a Beowolf, landing square in front of it, and firing off Jingu Bang point blank into his jaw. After its headless husk fell to the ground, he fell back to join the rest of his team, Winter, Penny and the two generals in the center, capping the hole between the two flanks.
On the left, Qrow couldn't help but feel some pride as he watched Ruby, his niece and prized student from his teaching days at Signal, cut effortlessly through the seemingly endless crowd of monsters surrounding them. If he himself wasn't also knee-deep in the corpses of Beowolves piling at his feet as quickly as their bodies were deteriorating, he'd enjoy the moment more. On the other end of the spectrum, Weiss was more focused on her survival than the same sense of pride in her leader as Qrow felt. Each stab of Myrtenaster, each glyph she conjured, each Grimm dead by her hand was all she could focus on.
A bark from Yang caught her attention for a split half second, the blonde brawler delivering a devastating haymaker into an Ursa's chin that sent the beast's head flying back into the waves of Grimm crashing into the frey, followed up by another thunderous punch that sent the rest of its body back through the crowd a dozen feet deep. The canyon it carved grew wider as Blake and Mei dashed through, the two cat Faunus slashing and slicing through dozens of Grimm with swords and claws and giving their side some much needed breathing room. The ranged explosive blasts from Marron's guillotine gun and Rocco's mortar cannon detered anymore of the beasts from coming near, opting to follow the larger crowd towards the city.
"They're pulling back! Keep the pressure on!" General Ironwood announced as he fired into the crowd with his hand cannon, the deafening sound of gunshots and hundreds of roaring Grimm keeping him oblivious to the Griffin swooping down towards him from behind. Neptune turned to reload just in time to catch what the general had missed.
"Sir, behind you!" Neptune called out, turning to fire his energy rifle, only for the beam to miss by a mile as Neptune was tackled to the ground. While Sage saved his teammate, Ironwood turned to fire at the Griffin. Even as he lined up the shot, he cursed as his pistol jammed from a spent shell caught in the chamber, and with the others, even Penny, otherwise preoccupied, he was a proverbial sitting duck as the Griffin opened its beak to swallow him whole. It would've gotten what it was aiming for were it not for the intervention of a set of metallic legs being thrust into its cheek, sending it spiraling into a pile of rubble from the prison behind the right flank.
Ignoring the retreating crowd as they looked to who had just saved the grizzled general, many looked in surprise and shock as he rose back to an exhausted stance, hair drooping down, skin marred with cuts and torn clothing, and a pair of prison garb pants torn at the knees revealing two metallic prosthetic legs. "That better get considered as 'good behavior'." Mercury quipped, seemingly unfazed as Yang started to stomp towards him, her eyes turning orange as she reloaded her gauntlets with a fresh round of shells.
Qrow and Ruby turned to block some advancing Beowolves, unable to hold Yang back as she left her post. "Yang, don't do anything drastic!" her sister called as she beheaded another beast of Grimm. Yang ignored her as her eyes darkened into red once again, her march towards Mercury picking up to double time.
"That's the thanks I get?" Mercury yelled as he faced the charging brawler head on. "I save this general's ass, and you're ready to-"
"Get out of my way!" Yang shouted as she shoved Mercury aside, surprising the convict more than her friends observing her charge, only noticing the actual intended target: another Griffin swooping down behind them. After the haymaker caused the monster's head to implode from the strength of her punch, she rose and turned back to the others. The Grimm that had been ready to overrun them were beginning to make a withdrawal until the stragglers were out of even Ruby's range.
Ironwood was offered a hand up by Noel, which he gladly accepted before rising to watch the others lick their minor wounds suffered in the siege, catch their breath, or a mix of the two. "Well done, everyone." he nodded before looking to Mercury, who was still staring at the blonde whose eyes still hadn't reverted to their normal lilac hue.
"Now, as for you..." Yang growled, grabbing Mercury by the collar of a torn tank top. "...what are you doing here?"
It was barely past the crack of dawn as a white, vintage limousine pulled up to the roundabout at the entrance to the Schnee Dust Company's world headquarters. Once it came to an easygoing stop, Morrison lumbered out with an already present Commissioner Slate from the main entrance, positioning themselves in front of the back door the chauffeur was opening for the limo's lone passenger.
"Good morning, Morrisson. Commissioner." Silbern nodded as he stepped out from the vehicle to his security chief and the police force's commanding officer. "To what do I owe this unannounced meeting?"
"Sorry, Mister Schnee, sir." Morrison apologized. "He insisted on speaking with you as soon as you arrived."
"Silbern, I was wondering if you could enlighten me on the events regarding the incident yesterday involving your daughters." Slate said with a casual amount of demand in his voice.
"What of it?" the executive scoffed. "I had your men handle it, and carted off a stray that should've been in Little Menagerie the second she arrived."
"That's exactly the issue, Silbern." Slate snapped. "Your past donations to the city may give you some false sense of influence in the police department, but my officers report to me; not a civilian, no matter who they are." he finished with a glare.
Silbern narrowed his eyes at the police commissioner. "To protect and serve is the usual officer's creed, right? Your officers served me by arresting that girl who never should have set foot in my residence in the first place." he sneered.
"A girl that saved our fellow kingdom from a terrorist who kept it under siege for half a year! And one on your own daughter's team no less!" Slate retorted, raising his voice.
"Weiss is not-!" Silbern started to shout before catching himself as he noticed an awkward set of stares from passing employees and businessmen as they reported for work. Clearing his throat, Silbern quieted down, leaning into the personal space of the commissioner. "We will continue this discussion inside. And wrap it up quick. I have a meeting with that blowhard, Zales about our contract with his trading company later in the hour." he finished in a hushed tone.
"I think I'll stay as long as I need to considering a proper investigation was never opened." Slate responded in a huff as the two started towards the doors to the headquarters' main lobby.
"And I think I'll need to speak with the mayor about your position next time I see him." Silbern muttered under his breath as they stepped inside, where one of Slate's officers was already hurriedly walking up to them.
"Sir, we have a situation." the blue-haired policeman spoke up to his superior.
"Explain, Marigold." Slate gestured to his officer to continue.
"General Ironwood called. There's Grimm headed towards the city from the prison." Marigold explained, causing Silbern and Slate both to forget their argument and look at each other in surprise. "He's asking you and General Schnee to prepare for their arrival."
"What's the recommended threat level?" Slate asked before a tap on his shoulder from security chief Morrisson, the man's eyes wide and cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Y-You might wanna give it the highest number you got, sir." Morrisson suggested, his other hand pointing out the clear glass doors of the lobby. Across from the roundabout at the front entrance, the wall built to keep the Grimm out was rather low thanks to the plateau the headquarters complex was built on, but it was a perfect yet horrific view of the cloud of Nevermore and Griffons flying overhead a fifty story tall Ursa, not to mention the thousands of lesser Grimm running across the frozen ground towards the city.
"May Monty help us..." Slate gasped while Silbern just stood his ground with a thousand yard stare of pure shock. Quickly, he snapped out of his terrorized stupor and grabbed Marigold's communicator. "This is Commissioner Roark Slate! All officers and military police sound off a Grimm Threat Alert, and get to defensive positions immediately! Level 11, I repeat, Level 11!"
