Chapter 37: The Key
February 20, 2683; 1241 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)
"Director Thorne." Thorne's attention turned to SPARTAN Lieutenant Robertson, having to crane his neck slightly to look into the reflective faceplate of the EVA-pattern helmet that looked down to him.
"Yes, SPARTAN?" Thorne asked, looking away from his Datapad for the first time in quite a while.
"Remnant-1 confirms the arrival of both prisoners." Robertson explained. "Lionheart has agreed to your terms in exchange for information."
Thorne chuckled, sliding his Datapad back into his coat. "Just as spineless as Ozpin said. What do you have for me?"
"There's an… entity concealed in a room connected to this office." Robertson explained, nodding towards a bookshelf tucked away in the corner of the room. "There's a hallway concealed behind that bookcase."
"Hmm… ominous." Thorne hummed, looking over his shoulder to the SPARTANs that were providing security for the ONI Recovery Team that had commandeered Lionheart's office. "Delta, on me!" He barked out. "Agents Lockhart, Smith, and Anastasia, you're on security."
"Aye, sir!" Agent Lockhart, the highest-ranking ONI Agent beneath Thorne nodded, reaching into his coat and producing an M7S SMG, sliding back the retractable stock and moving to relieve the SPARTAN IVs standing vigil by the door.
Thorne nodded for the four SPARTANs of Fireteam Delta to follow behind him as he approached the corner of the office, looking to the wall-spanning bookcase. He noticed a rather… peculiar seam near the center of the wall. To normal eyes, it would have been almost invisible. To his augmented eyesight, it stuck out like a sore thumb now that he knew where to look. He nodded for Robertson to take over.
Thorne stepped back and watched as the behemoth of a SPARTAN stepped up, planting an armored fist through the thin wooden backing of the bookcase right on the seam, punching a neat hole through. Almost effortlessly, Robertson wrenched the concealed doorway open, the wooden portal grinding against the floor. "Much appreciated." Thorne nodded to Robertson as he stepped past him, pulling his M6SOCOM from its concealed holster as he entered the hallway, which was illuminated solely by candlelight.
Rounding the corner, Thorne came face to… face with a strange creature. It looked almost like a crystalline ball, resting atop a collection of spade-like pointed tentacles. It floated ominously in the center of a cylindrical room, the pointed tips of its many appendages lazily resting on the floor. Color him surprised when the translucent surface of the creature's "head" began to shift from within, a ghostly-white face appearing, adorned with thin tendrils of black creeping along its cheeks. It took on a distinctly humanoid appearance, and Thorne couldn't help but crack a smile as he saw just a momentary flicker of surprise on Salem's face. "For a supposedly omnipotent creature, you're certainly lacking in the information department." He began, his words preceded by the four SPARTANs raising their weapons as the creature began to stir.
"Director Gavin Thorne…" Salem spoke. Thorne couldn't quite place it, but her voice was… eerily familiar. "What a surprise." She let out a hollow, spine-chilling chuckle. "Oh, how far our wayward creations have come. I suppose this is the part where you expect me to divulge some information?"
"No… your underlings have already provided more than enough of that." Thorne responded, keeping one eye on the creature's tendrils. "I'll admit, I'm interested in your motivations however."
"Your kind imprisoned me here eons ago, Human." Salem let out a half-growl. "It's only fitting that the return of my kind begin with you facing the same fate. We created you, and we can snuff you out."
"Well, you've done quite a miserable job at that." Thorne chuckled.
"Your end is coming, Director." Salem's voice returned to that eerie calm. "You have seen to it."
Thorne's augmented reflexes kicked in as one of the tendrils lurched for his throat. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he lunged back, the pointed tendril narrowly missing him. The very instant he moved back, his magnum barked out a single round which embedded itself in the creature's fleshy center. The hollow-point projectile shredded its innards, killing it instantly if the black smoke emanating from its surface was any indicator. As he saw it, if there were ever a time to test out REAP-X's latest project, it would be now.
He reached into his coat, producing a small disc-like object and tossed it onto the creature. Instantly, the metallic disc dug itself into the Grimm's fleshy center, releasing the contents of the numerous small hypodermic needles contained within. He smirked as the creature ceased decomposing, simply remaining there in a heap. He smiled, half-expecting his little field test to fail. "Delta Team, prepare the creature for transport to Remnant-1. I think we just found our key."
February 23, 2683; 0641 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)
Weiss smiled as she carried a small tray filled with coffee mugs, sugar, and cream. She passed a mug to Blake, Yang, and finally Ruby. "Don't worry, Ruby." She smirked. "I put an obscene amount of cream and sugar in yours."
"Aww, thanks, Weiss!" Ruby returned the smile, happily cradling the steaming cup of coffee in her hands.
"And I put tea in yours, Blake." Weiss looked to Blake with a small smirk on her face. "I know you."
"Thank you, Weiss." Blake hummed, happily sipping away at the tea, finding Yang's arm wrapped around her shoulders.
As Weiss plopped down between Ruby and Blake, she actively worked to suppress a blush that creeped onto her cheeks as Ruby's fingers stealthily laced with her own. Every touch from Ruby still carried that strange electric feeling with it. Fumbling for a moment, Weiss eventually managed to activate the television screen on the wall, flipping it over to the proper network. She had flipped it over at just the right time, with a show that she had started watching recently just starting. Just like always, it opened up with a sort of monologue from one of the show's three hilariously British hosts… right after he camera captured a wing of F-41 Broadswords flying overhead.
"Do you sense that electricity in the air? Do you smell those ionized particles? Can you feel your bowels loosening with the deep thrum of hundreds of thrusters firing at once? That, my friends, can only mean one thing: Galactic Tour is once again at the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. This is the premier air and space show in the UEG. The IAE has the biggest manufacturers, the best modders, and the best pilots all gathered in one spot for enthusiasts like us to gawk at. I mean, if I had a Cred for every time I've said 'Whoa, ya' see that?!' I'd be… slightly more wealthy than I already am."
"Man, Weiss… you're really into spaceships, huh?" Yang piped up.
"Blame Ivan." Ruby sighed. "He suggested this show to her, and now she's up every Sunday morning to watch it."
"I'm sorry that I'm looking to the future here." Weiss shrugged. "Schnee Dust might be expanding into the civilian starship market soon, who knows." She smirked.
"Well, you'd better hook it up when you start." Yang smiled, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. "I've got a galaxy to explore once we're done with Salem."
"Yo, is that Galactic Tour I hear down there?" Coco called out from the second floor balcony, still wearing the shorts and t-shirt she slept in.
"IAE Special!" Weiss called back.
Wordlessly, Coco slid down the handrail of the staircase and plopped herself down on the floor in front of the couch.
As the small group was about halfway through this episode of Galactic Tour, they all heard the front door click open, seeing Ivan and Winter step inside along with a third figure that none of them recognized. He was a teenage boy, likely around Ruby's age, with a short head of brown hair and light green eyes. He had a certain… awkwardness about him. "Alright, you're all sitting down, thank god." Ivan began, looking to the collection of Huntresses sitting in front of the television. "Big news."
"Okay…?" Ruby began, looking to Ivan, Winter, and the young man in turn.
"Everyone!" Ivan called out. "Get down here!"
Within a few minutes, the rest of Team CFVY, and all of Team JNPR made their way out of their respective rooms, looking down to Ivan and Winter in confusion from the second floor. Cinder made her way out of her makeshift bedroom a few moments after Jaune poked his head over the railing, eyebrow raised as he saw the young boy with Ivan and Winter.
As they all made their way downstairs, they filled up the living room almost completely. Weiss was only a bit irritated that Ivan had chosen now to call for a team meeting. "Alright…" Ivan began, taking a deep breath as he glanced down to the young man beside him. "Y'all know how I have a personality imprint of a Forerunner, right?" Everyone, with the exception of Cinder, nodded. Cinder, if anything, looked confused.
"Oscar here…" He gestured over to the short teenager, who everyone now knew as Oscar. "He has the same thing, only it's not a Forerunner. It's someone we're all very familiar with."
"Well… spit it out." Weiss said, growing a bit irritable over missing a fair bit of the piece on Sinoviet's newest performance model.
"Do your thing, Oscar." Ivan beckoned down to him.
Everyone looked to each other in confusion, seeing Oscar close his eyes for a moment. They saw a green aura surround him, and when he opened his eyes, they seemed to glow a bit. "A pleasure to see you all again." Everyone's jaw collectively dropped to the floor. It was Ozpin. "Even you, Miss Fall. The Colonel tells me you've had a change of heart?" Cinder felt her heart drop into her gut.
February 27, 2683; 0151 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)
"Colonel, report to Haven Academy immediately." Thorne's voice rang out in Ivan's ear, the pinging of his communicator startling him awake. "Further intelligence has been found, I want everyone present."
"Understood, Director." Ivan nodded, pulling himself upright as Winter did the same next to him. "We'll be there in ten."
"Copy, Thorne out." Thorne cut the comms, leaving Ivan and Winter to fully awaken and don their Tech Suits. After taking a minute to outfit themselves in their Tech Suits, Ivan and Winter exited their shared bedroom.
Ivan shouted out through the silent house, the command presence he had picked up from military service startling everyone awake. "Everyone, grab your gear and prepare to move!" He shouted, adjusting the neckline of the Tech Suit. "We're needed at Haven, Priority-1 from Thorne!"
He heard the groggy calls of affirmation sound off from each of the rooms in the house. Apparently, some members of Team CFVY had fallen asleep in the kitchen, likely from Coco's rather adept drink-mixing skills. As Ivan descended the steps, he was nearly knocked off of his feet by a blur of crimson and falling rose petals that was making a beeline for the Armory. "Good Lord, Ruby!" Weiss called out after her partner, hobbling out of her doorway one foot, trying to get her heel on.
Ivan hurried down into the Armory, stepping into the robotic apparatus and letting it assemble his MJOLNIR over his body. As the six robotic arms finished with him, he stepped out of the apparatus and grabbed his helmet from atop a crate, throwing it over his head and allowing Winter to don her armor. With a quick connection to the comms network, he established a connection to Raven's assigned quarters. "Raven, this is Ivan." He said, walking towards the weapon racks, grabbing a battle rifle, shotgun, and magnum. "Prepare for transit to Haven Academy. Report to Landing Pad Bravo-3 in five."
"Got it." Raven affirmed, obviously having been awoken by Ivan. With a soft click, she closed the comms.
As Ivan slapped a magazine into the stock of his battle rifle, he turned around to see the collection of Huntsmen and Huntresses gathering up their equipment and ammunition. As his eyes drifted over to Cinder, he saw her looking back to him. "Is she attacking?"
"I don't know…" Ivan answered, grabbing a few grenades and attaching them to his combat harness. "But Thorne wouldn't call us all down there if it wasn't serious."
"Did you want me to come too, Colonel?" Oscar asked, completely devoid of Ozpin's influence by the looks of things. He had just stepped down into the Armory, still wearing his farmhand's clothes.
"Not a good idea." Ivan responded. "Best to keep you under wraps for now…"
"Alright… I understand." Oscar nodded. "He agrees with you, if that's any help."
"On second thought, CFVY, you're staying here!" Ivan ordered. "Provide security, we'll radio in if we need assistance."
"Got it, boss-man." Coco nodded.
"Alright!" Ivan shouted as everyone finished grabbing their gear. "Let's move!"
February 27, 2683; 0214 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Airspace over Haven Academy)
"Colonel, something's got a lock on us!" The Marine piloting the Pelican dropship called out over the frantic beeping from the cockpit's sensors. "Incoming MANPAD!"
"Countermeasures, take evasive action!" Ivan shouted, the Pelican lurching to one side as it launched its IR flares.
"Incoming ground fire!" The Pilot shouted again, the soft pinging of incoming projectiles impacting against the Pelican's armored airframe confirming his words. "Minor damage to left stabilizer!"
"Get us as close to Haven as you can!" Ivan shouted out as the Pelican lurched again, launching more flares.
"It's happening…" Cinder managed, feeling herself pressed into the seat as the Pelican dodged yet another incoming missile.
Thorne's voice crackled to life over the comms network that Ivan shared with all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses. "Hope you all brought your weapons, Haven's hot!" He shouted, the soft rattling of an SMG replacing his voice for a moment. "White Fang are hitting the school in force, heavy damage to the central tower!"
"We're two mikes out, Thorne." Ivan answered. "Hold tight."
"You need to get on the ground now!" Thorne declared, hissing in anger as a round cracked past his head. "In Spirit of Fire is deploying EMP!"
"Pilot, get us down now!" Ivan shouted. "Incoming EMP!"
"Affirmative, Colonel!" The Pilot affirmed, sending the Pelican diving towards the ground. After a few seconds of a frantic descent, the Pelican pulled up and touched down, the rear bay door hissing open and letting the frantic sounds of battle flood the crew compartment. As the safety harnesses raised, everyone jumped to their feet and exited the dropship.
They had landed a few hundred meters out from Haven, which was alight with streaking tracers and falling mortar rounds. The dorm buildings were coming under heavy fire from concealed mortar pits, and Bullheads were descending upon the school, dropping off more and more White Fang grunts. In the distance, Ivan could make out a familiar figure fighting alongside the White Fang. She was a relatively short woman, with short black hair and disc-like weapons. He recognized her from Raven's camp… she was Raven's shadow, Vernal. As a matter of fact, it seemed that several members of Raven's tribe were attacking Haven, with Vernal gaining special attention from Ivan and Winter due in no small part to the Marine that she had just split in half with her blades.
"Is that…" Raven began.
"It is." Ivan nodded, looking through the scope of his Battle Rifle to confirm. "Thorne, be advised, members of the Branwen Tribe are assisting the White Fang."
"Acknowledged!" Thorne responded. "We'll deal with her tribe when we're done here!"
"You heard him!" Ivan shouted. "Move in, watch the flanks!"
As Ivan and the rest of his team took off in a sprint for the school, he saw a general warning appear on his HUD. "Stop!" He shouted. "Winter, lock your armor!"
Wordlessly, the two SPARTANs engaged their armor lock modules as they dropped to one knee. A moment later, all of the electronics within a two-mile radius of Haven crackled and shut down, courtesy of the EMP deployed by In Spirit of Fire. All of Haven and the surrounding city of Mistral was cloaked in darkness, the occasional tracer or muzzle flash lighting up the darkened campus.
Ivan and Winter both stood as the pulse passed, their comms crackling lightly with interference. As it passed, Ivan keyed into the comms grid. "Thorne, what's your position?"
"Base of the CCT." Thorne answered, the faint sound of a grenade's report drowning out his voice for a moment. "SPARTAN Team Delta is holding, but we're low on ammo."
"We're moving in now!" Ivan declared, returning to sprinting for Haven's grounds. "Hold out for a few more minutes."
As they neared the edge of Haven's campus, the attack came into better view. The White Fang had pushed ONISEC's forces back towards the center of the campus, and had placed detonation charges on many of the buildings. When the explosive charges came into view, they were all deactivated, likely due to the deployed EMP burst. A few Pelicans, caught off-guard by the attack, were laying in the midst of the campus as smoldering wrecks. Thankfully, there seemed to be a lot more bodies belonging to the White Fang than the UNSC littering the campus grounds.
Ivan raised his Battle Rifle, flipping it over to automatic fire before sending a hail of rounds downrange towards a small squad of White Fang. With Winter and Team RWBY joining in, the small squad was taken out in an instant. "Keep moving!" He ordered. "Winter, take JNPR and flank around to the East, cover our approach to the CCT!"
"Copy." Winter acknowledged, nodding for Team JNPR to follow behind her as she sprinted off.
February 27, 2683; 0231 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)
A chill ran the length of Weiss' spine as she saw a familiar, scorpion-tailed man with a braided ponytail hack through a small platoon of Marines that were holding the entryway of the CCT behind a collapsed pillar, cackling all the while. "Ivan!" She shouted, ducking out of the way of incoming gunfire. "It's Tyrian, he's going after Thorne!"
"God damnit!" Ivan cursed, his shields absorbing the impact from a small burst of gunfire. He brought his rifle up, putting down the offending Faunus. "Disengage, pull back to the CCT!" He shouted, backpedaling as he kept pouring fire down on the slowly-approaching White Fang.
As Ivan moved, he could faintly hear the distinct reports of Mistral Army weapons. It seemed that the peanut gallery had actually decided to be useful for once, even if they were assaulting the other end of the campus from their initial entry point.
As Ivan approached the entrance to Haven's tower, he noticed the gruesome sight of the ONISEC Marines that had been slaughtered by Tyrian and the White Fang. The Marines were effective, but against a Huntsman… it was not at all pretty. He knelt down behind a collapsed pillar, taking a few shots against distant targets. Right before he stood again to enter the tower, he noticed a wing of AV-22 Sparrowhawks, AV-14 Hornets, and a pair of Condor Gunships bearing down on Haven as they escorted a dozen Pelicans. Up above, the familiar screaming of SOEIV pods descending tore through the air. As the Gunships and ODSTs began distracting the White Fang, Ivan shouted out. "Get inside!"
Ivan rushed into the tower behind Team RWBY, spotting a collection of slaughtered ONISEC Marines. Tyrian, along with a towering giant of a man who was built like a truck, were on the second level of the atrium, fighting SPARTAN Team Delta. By the looks of things, two of the four SPARTANs of Delta had been wounded in the fighting, judging by the torn Tech Suits. A third figure joined Tyrian in the fighting against the SPARTANs, a short young woman with black hair. Ivan couldn't help but feel his emotionally-fueled Semblance flicker as he saw Vernal's weapon tear through a SPARTAN's shields, followed by a precise strike from Tyrian, which sent the white-clad super soldier to the floor.
Without hesitation, Ivan and Team RWBY opened fire to assist the remaining SPARTAN, but it was too late. Tyrian moved fast, even for a trained Remnant native. The last standing member of Delta team was overwhelmed by the flurry of strikes from Tyrian, the unknown man's brute strength, and Vernal's heavy strikes. As the SPARTAN was thrown against the wall, Tyrian and Vernal leapt over the handrail, while the behemoth of a man simply walked for the elevator.
Tyrian let out a cackle as he saw Team RWBY. "Mhm… what a pleasure to see you four again." He cast a look over to Ruby. "I'm afraid I still need your little head for-" He was cut off as he swiftly ducked out of the way of a packet of frost Dust from Weiss.
"Don't you dare touch her!" She shouted, jumping into the fray headfirst, Team RWBY following behind as they all made a rush for Tyrian.
Ivan saw Vernal was preparing to lunge for Yang, prompting him to bring his rifle to bear and jamming down on the trigger. Vernal's aura took a few hits, but she brought her weapon up to block the rest of the incoming fire as she charged for Ivan.
Ivan ducked out of the way of a rather absurdly telegraphed strike from Vernal. It was fairly clear to the SPARTAN that she was nothing if not arrogant. That didn't change the fact that she was fast. He did his best to keep an eye on Team RWBY's fight with Tyrian, and they seemed evenly matched. Much to Ivan's surprise, Cinder came to his aid against Vernal.
She slammed into Vernal like a truck, sending her skidding against the hardwood floor for a good fifteen feet before she came to a stop. She managed to roll out of the way in time to avoid Ivan's downward strike with the energy bayonet attached to his Battle Rifle, which carved a neat hole into the floor where she had been a moment before. Cinder had called two swords into existence, which glowed red-hot from a combination of her Semblance and Maiden abilities.
As Ivan turned to re-engage, he found himself surprised. Vernal wasn't using a single facet of her maiden abilities, simply resorting to her weapon. It seemed Cinder noticed this too, and her eyes flared out with that amber fire. Cinder was a blur of motion, movements occasionally halted by the clashing of metal on metal. Vernal was steadily pushed back, giving Ivan the opening her needed.
He keyed into his armor's thrusters, slamming into Vernal at full force and sending her flying back into a pillar. Upon impact, her Aura shattered and she fell to the floor in a heap. Ivan could see the faint rise and fall that accompanied breathing, and was happy to see that she'd be alive. He imagined that Thorne had a few… choice words for her. "Keep her pinned!" Ivan ordered to Cinder. "I'll cover-" As Ivan wheeled around to face the ongoing fight between RWBY and Tyrian, his heart sank like a rock. He saw Tyrian's scorpion tail punch through Weiss' weakened Aura, impaling her in the side. Everything happened in slow-motion for the SPARTAN, even the sight of Myrtenaster clattering to the ground.
Just as Weiss began to slump over, Ivan saw… something behind Ruby's eyes. In an instant, her eyes ignited in a silver glow. The glow was so intense that Ivan's visor automatically polarized, casting a faint filter over his vision as he watched Ruby shout out Weiss' name in pure anguish. Crescent Rose began twirling and dancing in Ruby's hands, the heavy blade clashing against Tyrian's aura. Ivan stood transfixed as Ruby, overtaken by that burst of energy, effortlessly pushed against Tyrian, forcing him to switch to a defensive stance.
Glowing rose petals fluttered to the ground as Ruby's Semblance went into overdrive. Crescent Rose's bolt action sounded more like an MA5 with how fast Ruby was firing, re-chambering a round, and reloading. Even with Ivan's enhanced reflexes and perception, he wasn't able to keep up as shell casing after shell casing clattered to the floor, Ruby using the force of the recoil to propel the scythe even faster. After a mere few moments, Ruby's relentless onslaught broke Tyrian's defenses. All Ivan saw was a flurry of slashes, followed by a heavily-lacerated Tyrian collapsing onto the floor.
Ruby, seeing that Tyrian had fallen, simply collapsed Crescent Rose and placed it back on its harness. As she blinked, her eyes returned to their non-glowing state, and a wave of fatigue washed over her. She stumbled for a moment, but quickly recovered enough to turn and face the rest of her team, who had since recovered and applying pressure to Weiss' wound. "Weiss!" She shouted, darting over to the wounded heiress. It was that that finally snapped Ivan back into reality.
He sprinted over to where Weiss was lying on the ground. She was unconscious, a small pool of blood collecting beneath her. Yang and Blake's hands were stained red, and Ruby had tears streaming down her face as she fumbled around her belt for the pouch that contained a medical kit. On autopilot, Ivan reached into his combat harness and produced a small canister of Biofoam. He removed the plastic cap from the nozzle and inserted it into the open wound. As he began applying the Biofoam, he heard the door to the tower fly open, slamming against the heavy hinges. As he glanced around, he saw that a full platoon of Sangheili Rangers in their closed-circuit breathing harnesses were storming the first floor alongside a platoon of ODSTs.
As the Rangers and ODSTs set to securing the ground floor, Ivan passed the Biofoam canister off to Yang. "Sergeant!" He shouted, catching the attention of an ODST with a Medic's emblem on his shoulder. "Tend to the wounded here, prep anti-venom!"
"Aye, sir!" The Sergeant nodded, giving a quick hand-motion to the squad he was commanding.
"Rangers, on me!" Ivan added, looking to the Sangheili Ultra that was in command of the team of Rangers.
"Understood, SPARTAN." The Ultra nodded, motioning to the six other Sangheili with his Carbine.
February 27, 2683; 0301 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)
Ivan grunted as he worked alongside a Sangheili Ranger to force the jammed elevator door open. As the metal doors were eventually opened wide enough to allow the Sangheili through, two Rangers stormed into the Headmaster's office, Carbines raised. Ivan was a step behind them, Battle Rifle prepared to put a burst through that titan of a man's head.
Much to his surprise, Thorne seemed to be going hands-on… quite literally. His suit was tattered and torn, with the soft body armor beneath his shirt slightly visible through the torn fabric. He was missing his left sleeve completely, and his right hand was clutching a combat knife as he sprinted for Hazel, who looked rather worse-for-wear.
Hazel attempted to grapple the ONI Agent, only to find himself empty handed as Thorne's augmented reflexes kicked in, allowing him to narrowly avoid being crushed in Hazel's iron grip. In a blur, Thorne ducked under Hazel's outreached arms, forcing his knife through Hazel's slowly-recharging Aura and into his chin.
As Hazel slumped over, knife still buried in his chin, Thorne let out a heavy sigh, letting himself relax as he saw Ivan and the two Sangheili. His face was cut up, bloodied and bruised, but he still wore that confident smirk on his face. "Taking a page from your book, Colonel." He thumbed a gesture to Hazel's body. Ivan couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "I take it the campus is secure?"
"Yes, sir." Ivan nodded. "Perimeter secure and reinforcements are en-route from Vorbeck and In Spirit of Fire."
"Good…" Thorne sighed, casting a glance over to his broken magnum. "Casualties?"
"ONISEC took heavy losses, we're still searching for bodies and survivors." Ivan explained. "Beyond that, Weiss was wounded by Tyrian."
"Has he been taken care of?" Thorne asked. Ivan couldn't believe it… Thorne sounded concerned. Even if it was barely noticeable.
"Ruby handled him… exceptionally well, might I add." Ivan explained.
Before Thorne could continue, Winter's voice came over the short-range comms. "Director, a Bullhead carrying Taurus managed to escape. I've attached a beacon to the airframe."
"Excellent work, SPARTAN Schnee." Thorne praised. Truth be told, he didn't even know Taurus was present for this. "Sync the beacon's tracker with ONI's systems."
"Understood, sir." Winter acknowledged, closing down the comms.
Thorne sighed, steeling himself. "Well… let's survey the damage."
February 27, 2683; 0312 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)
Thorne exited the rickety elevator, handing Ivan's half-empty Biofoam canister back to him as he applied the bandage to his cheekbone. An involuntary chill ran the length of his spine as the coagulant in the Biofoam did its work to seal up his wounds temporarily, and he fought it back.
As Thorne surveyed the ground floor, he saw Team JNPR milling about the area as they helped the Marines and Sangheili where they could. Winter was standing over the young woman that Ivan had described as Vernal, who now had an Aura Suppression Harness wrapped around the back of her neck. The three surviving SPARTANs of Delta Team were standing beside Raven. Thorne could tell by their stance… they were prepared to put her down. Finally, Thorne saw Ruby, Yang, and Blake kneeling beside two ODST Corpsmen as they administered first-aid to Weiss, who still had yet to regain consciousness. For just the slightest moment, Thorne felt something tie up in his gut, and he forced that down.
As he glanced back to Raven, she looked up to him. She had been staring at Vernal for a few moments, and Thorne was fuming behind his cool exterior. "SPARTAN, your sidearm?" Thorne asked, looking to Ivan. Wordlessly, Ivan handed Thorne an M6 Magnum, which he tucked into his holster.
Thorne silently descended the steps to the first floor, heading towards Raven. Before he could speak up, an ONISEC Lieutenant caught his attention at the perfect time. "Director, orders for the prisoners?"
"How many do we have?" Throne asked, pausing for a moment and making sure to speak just loud enough for Raven to hear him.
"Forty three White Fang and eighteen members of the Branwen Tribe, nineteen including the girl." The ODST nodded back towards Vernal.
"Hold them for now." Thorne answered, lowering his voice for his next few words. "If my implant's transponder goes dark within the next twenty minutes, relay Contingency Protocol Victor-13 to FLEETCOM."
"Understood, sir." The ODST nodded, moving back towards the other ODSTs who were tending to the bodies.
Thorne strode over to Raven, his face hardened. "Did you know anything about this?" He asked.
"N-no!" Raven defended. "Why in the world would I do this?"
"So you're telling me that Spring over there did this?" Thorne asked, nodding in Vernal's direction. Raven solemnly nodded. "Well… you're lucky I need her alive." Thorne turned to start walking towards Vernal. Raven winced as she watched Thorne draw his Magnum, pressing it to Vernal's forehead as she looked up to him. "On your feet. Any sudden moves and I ventilate your skull."
As Vernal simply remained still, Thorne reached down with his free hand and grabbed her by the collar, yanking her to her feet. He walked beside her, magnum pressed to her temple as he led her towards the decorative statue in between the two staircases leading to the elevator banks. "Thorne!" Raven called out.
"Robertson, if she opens her goddamn mouth again, I want you to-" Thorne was cut off by Raven.
"She isn't the Spring Maiden!" Raven declared. "I am!" Raven felt her heart sink into her stomach as the entire room went dead silent, save for her daughter.
"WHAT?!" Yang shouted, stunned. Blake, Ruby, Ivan, and Winter all shared that sentiment.
"If this is another one of your lies to protect this waste of skin…" Thorne pressed the barrel of his magnum deeper into Vernal's temple. "I swear to Christ I'll kill both of you. Come with me. Robertson, Delta stands relieved."
Raven sighed as the SPARTANs stepped aside for her, allowing her to walk towards Thorne. As she stood beside him, she watched him pull a small pocket watch out from his tattered suit jacket, placing it into an empty slot on the statue. Much to everyone's surprise, the statue began trembling as it lowered itself into the floor, revealing a concealed elevator. "Chesnokov…" Thorne began, prompting Ivan to pick his jaw up off the floor. "Keep Mistral's army and the press the hell away from my AO. I'll be back in five."
Lacking any elegance, Thorne shoved Vernal forward onto the platform and waited for Raven to follow. He released his grip on Vernal's shoulder long enough to pull a lever, allowing the platform to begin descending even further.
As the elevator began its slow descent, Raven spoke up. "Why, Vernal?"
"I… I did it for the good of the tribe." Vernal answered.
"For the good of the tribe?" Raven asked, almost sounding insulted. "They're our family, and you led them to this slaughter?!"
Thorne seriously considered pistol-whipping Vernal if she responded, but the elevator finished its descent. Thorne honestly would've been dumbstruck if he wasn't so blindingly angry. There was a massive tree resting above a golden door, seemingly embedded in a rock face. Certain leaves on this tree were glowing a dull orange, and the path leading to the door began glowing a dull blue as he led Vernal and Raven onto it. It honestly reminded Thorne a bit of Yggdrasil.
"Open that goddamn door." Thorne ordered, nodding to Raven.
Raven sucked in a deep breath as she approached the towering door, pausing for a moment to glance back to Vernal. As Thorne saw this, he pressed the barrel of his magnum back into her temple. Raven, seeing this, placed her hand against the golden portal and stepped back. The heavy door grinded against the stone floor as it opened, revealing a simple stone pedestal holding a baseball-sized orb. It glowed a bright green, simply sitting there.
"Thank you." Thorne released Vernal, letting her fall to the floor in a heap. Without her Aura, her wounds were healing at a normal rate, and she was in no shape to resist Thorne. Thorne made sure to keep a firm grip on his Magnum as he approached the Relic of Knowledge, his keen senses ensuring that Raven was making no moves against him. When he was satisfied that she was kneeling beside Vernal, he reached out and took the Relic in his hand. It was warm to touch, and began pulsating slowly as he removed it from the pedestal.
Thorne turned around, keying into the Battlenet and connecting to FLEETCOM. "Remnant FLEETCOM, this is Director Thorne, requesting immediate artifact recovery at Haven Academy. Maximum security."
"Acknowledged, Director." Admiral Bishop answered.
Thorne began making his way back towards the elevator, slowing his pace enough to allow Raven to catch up as she helped Vernal make the walk. As soon as they stepped onto the elevator, Thorne pulled the lever, allowing it to begin its upwards journey. "I'm sorry, Thorne." Raven apologized, looking to him.
"Apologize all you like, it's not me you should be apologizing to." Thorne deadpanned.
"What do you mean?" Raven asked.
"You said your tribe is your family?" Thorne asked. "How about your only fucking daughter? Start by apologizing to her for running off to raid caravans and ransack villages." Thorne was already this far in, he might as well keep going. He couldn't quite explain it, but Raven's irrational bullshit pushed him over the edge. He could finally admit it to himself. He did truly care about those four girls. "You're lucky Yang can even look you in the eye."
"I will…" Raven nodded, seeing that the elevator was coming close to the ground level again. "What about Vernal and the other survivors?"
"The eighteen we recovered will be arrested and tried as terrorists." Thorne answered. "Her, on the other hand." He turned to glare at Vernal. "You'll be an example. I want you to bring her back to your tribe and make it absolutely clear that if we receive any reports of attacks on caravans or villages, I will personally turn that camp into a glass crater."
"It's all they know, Thorne…" Raven explained.
"Then you'd better hope they're quick learners." Thorne shrugged, sliding the magnum back into his holster as he produced a small active camouflage unit and attached it to the Relic, sending the activation signal through his neural lace. In an instant, the Relic shimmered out of sight, its green glow hidden behind the refractive properties of the camo unit. He placed his hands behind his back as the elevator reached the surface, finding himself looking out at a notably cleaner room. Many of the bodies had been cleared away, and Weiss was still unconscious, but if the updates from the Battlenet were accurate, she was now fully stabilized.
As Thorne looked around, he spotted Ivan as he spoke quietly with Robertson. "Colonel!" Thorne declared. "Have your team prepare to mobilize, you're following up on Taurus. I'm placing the Third Marine Battalion under your command, you're leaving in fifteen."
"Understood, sir!" Ivan acknowledged with a salute.
"I'm going too." Yang declared.
"Me too." Blake nodded.
"Alright." Thorne nodded, smirking.
"I'll stay behind with Weiss." Ruby looked to Blake and Yang. "Make sure she's okay. This is for you three to handle, anyways."
"Alright…" Ivan nodded.
"And Cinder?" Thorne asked, drawing her attention. "After I talk with Fireteam Crimson… we should talk."
"Alright…" Cinder nodded.
February 27, 2683; 0351 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Haven Academy)
"You wanted to talk with me, Thorne?" Cinder asked, walking up to Thorne. She already knew damn well what Thorne had just done, given that he handed something to a fireteam of heavily-armed SPARTANs, who were now on a Pelican heading for orbit.
"Straight to the point… good." Thorne chuckled. "I have to say, the intelligence you provided on Haven, the Relics, and the Maidens was invaluable… thank you."
"Did you just… thank me?" Cinder asked, stunned. That was the first time that she had ever heard Thorne genuinely thank someone out of more than just courtesy.
"I did, don't let it go to your head." He smirked. "If the Colonel's reports are accurate, and I have no reason to believe they aren't… I believe you've managed to earn some measure of trust from him. I'll defer to his judgement on that. In short… You've also earned some of my trust."
"Thank you, Thorne… I trust the Relic's in good hands?" Cinder asked.
"The best." Thorne smirked. "Salem will just have to settle for one Relic." Thorne glanced over to the inbound Pelican, bearing the insignia of the Marines on the landing gear. "Now, I think you have a ride to catch."
Cinder nodded, turning to head towards Ivan, Winter, Yang, and Blake. Just as she began walking, Thorne called out to her again. "And Cinder?"
"Hmm?" She hummed in return.
"When you get back from taking out the trash… we'll see about re-negotiating our little 'insurance policy'."
Cinder allowed the smallest of smiles to cross her face as she heard Thorne say that. With a quick nod, she started making her way towards the Pelican
February 27, 2683; 0445 Hours
Remnant, Mistral (Camp Vorbeck)
Weiss awoke, her entire body feeling like it was made of stone. As she attempted to sit upright, she felt a stinging pain in her left side, causing her to let out a grunt as she reflexively reached up to grab at her side. She looked around, surprised to find herself back in her bedroom that she shared with Ruby. She glanced over to the electronic clock sitting on her nightstand, surprised to see that she hadn't been out for too long. Much to her surprise, Ruby was nowhere to be found.
Right as Weiss considered Ruby's absence, she heard the door click open. She turned her head, seeing her partner walking into the room with a mug of coffee in her hands. Ruby was obviously fairly engrossed in her coffee, seeing as she didn't notice that Weiss was awake. "You didn't make me one, Ruby?" Weiss asked with a small smile on her face.
Ruby's head shot up in an instant, nearly dropping the mug onto the floor in her attempt to place it down on the dresser. Immediately, she darted over to the bed. "Weiss!" She declared, jumping onto the bed and wrapping her arms around the heiress' shoulders. "You're awake." Weiss could feel Ruby's fingers running through her hair, her next words sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "I was so worried…"
Weiss returned the gesture, allowing her hand to reach up and hold Ruby's head against her shoulder. Sure, it made the pain in her side flare up a bit, but she didn't care. "Shh…" Weiss shushed, running her fingers through her partner's hair. "We all made it, didn't we?"
Ruby sniffled, pulling back. "Yeah…" A smile crossed her face as Weiss reached up to wipe away a stray tear on Ruby's face with her sleeve. She just noticed, but it seemed someone had changed her into her normal nightgown.
A small smile crossed her lips as she noticed that little detail. "Ruby Rose… did you change my clothes?" Weiss immediately knew the culprit when Ruby's face blushed so deep that her cheeks matched her cloak.
"I-erm-uh…" Ruby tried. "Y-Your dress was torn, and I-"
Weiss broke out into a fit of giggles at Ruby's awkwardness, fighting back the desire to wince as the pain flared up again. "If it were anyone else, there'd be a problem." She leaned forward, pressing her lips to Ruby's. "You… I'm fine with."
"If it helps, I tried to do it with my eyes closed?" Ruby tried, earning another fit of giggles from the heiress.
"You really are too adorable, Ruby." Weiss managed, controlling her giggles enough to speak. She adjusted herself slightly, pushing the pillows up a bit to allow her to comfortably rest against the headboard. She felt that familiar fuzzy feeling as Ruby snuggled into her side. "Where's everyone else?"
"JNPR and CFVY are all downstairs, catching up with Ozpin." Ruby explained. "Ivan, Winter, Blake, Yang, and Cinder are all hunting down Adam."
"And you didn't go with them?" Weiss asked, surprised.
"When my Weiss is hurt and needs snuggles? Heck no!" Ruby declared, earning a laugh from Weiss.
Weiss settled into a comfortable silence, savoring the warmth and energy that Ruby brought with her. It almost seemed like Ruby's Aura was helping her own to heal the last of the wound in her side, because the pain had started to clear completely. After a few minutes of enjoying Ruby's company, Weiss looked down to her partner. "So… did anything happen while I was out?"
"Oh crap!" Ruby declared, eyes shooting wide open. "I totally forgot to tell you!"
"What?" Weiss asked, surprised by Ruby's serious tone.
"Yang's mom was the Spring Maiden!" Ruby declared.
"What!?" Weiss asked, stunned.
"That's exactly what Yang said!" Ruby explained. "They talked for a few minutes before they left to go find Adam… she didn't get a chance to tell me what it was all about yet. Oh! And I finally figured out how to kinda use my silver eyes!"
"Really?" Weiss asked, deciding to save the Spring Maiden talk for when Yang got back. "How so?"
"Well… I did beat that scary Tyrian guy." Ruby shrugged. "It's all a blur, really… I just remember seeing him sting you, getting really angry, then next thing I know he's dead."
"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, surprised to hear Ruby talk so candidly about killing someone. Sure, killing wasn't exactly foreign to this particular group of Huntresses, but Ruby was the last person that she imagined would be so calm about it.
"I'm totally fine, just a little tired." Ruby shrugged.
"I mean… are you okay?" Weiss asked, hoping the extra emphasis would help.
"Weiss… He tried to kill you." Ruby responded, her voice surprisingly serious and clear. "Nobody hurts my friends. Especially my girlfriend."
Weiss considered Ruby's words for a moment, simply nodding in response. She had just about melted when Ruby had so easily called her 'girlfriend,' but she managed to keep enough composure to stop herself from blushing. She leaned in for another kiss, Ruby meeting her halfway. "Thank you, Ruby… for everything."
"Of course, Weiss." Ruby smiled, snuggling back into Weiss' side. "Sleep time?"
Weiss smiled in return, resting her head on Ruby's own. "Sleep time." She affirmed with a soft nod.
A/N:
In the wise words of the great Big Boss: Kept you waiting, huh?
Sorry to keep from updating this for so long, but rewriting the whole damn thing burned me out for a good while. I hope this slightly-longer chapter made up for it.
Speaking of slightly longer chapters, expect the next chapter (which also happens to be the end of Act II. Crazy, huh?) to be just as long, if not a little longer.
Now, onto the review responses, my dudes (only a few months overdue):
Tytobird- It was indeed a reference to the Meta, suggested by a reader. I can't have a RWBY/Halo fic without at least mentioning RvB
iZuiKaku- Here's hoping this breaks things up a bit. Expect some t in the next chapter (which I'm already in the process of writing, shouldn't take too long (tm))
Andy021- Thanks, dude. Re-writing my longest fic so far was a fucking slog, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
Guest- Oh, don't you worry.
Artyom- If only those damn Forerunners didn't decide to be a bunch of children… then maybe the galaxy wouldn't be so fucked. And yes, Salem would indeed be a Precursor.
ShadowWolf 7.62- Thanks, my dude. You have a great day, too! (seven months late, lol)
FunkyShnlepnu jr.- It was always my understanding that Sangheili had a pretty long natural lifespan. Only issue is that not many lived to see old age, being a very honor-bound and warrior-based culture and all. I could be wrong. Hell, I probably am with how much Halo lore gets shaken up by new information, but I'll just stick with the long lifespans because I'm lazy.
- Thorne was mostly speaking in hyperbole there, but he was directly referencing the Gravemind, and to a certain extend the Didact.
Andy021 again- We could only ever see it reach out to 100m, because it was fighting in an (albeit ruined) semi-urban environment. It didn't exactly have a lot of area to work with.
Anon- que?
Jakesucks12345- It shares the same basic design as the Didact's armor, but it's got a blue glow to it. It's also missing those fancy pauldron/gorget things the Didact had. I always imagined the Didact's armor being largely ceremonial, not exactly built for open combat and all. Ivan's armor design more-reflects a combat-oriented design. It's a lot sleeker, less bulky, etc.
Axcel (sweet Christ, dude)- The White Fang didn't design that armor lock module, it was a UNSC pattern on, like the one Locke tried to use on the Chief in Halo 5. And, as for him going undetected, the first few chapters point out that Dust plays havoc with UNSC sensors. As for Winter's training being so short, she was already trained by a highly skilled military force, could feasibly match a SPARTAN IV in raw skill, and has 100 years of advanced tech on her side. By this point, SPARTANs aren't hard to train, they're just expensive.
Axcel (again)- The reason that SPARTAN Ops doesn't show any difference between IIs and IVs in terms of lethality is because it's a game. In the books and Halo 5, it's very clear that a SPARTAN II could absolutely crush a SPARTAN IV.
Deadpixel819- Hey man, I can't fault you for that. You like what you like, and you dislike what you dislike.
ThatoneGuy- See above
Everyone else, because this is getting absurdly long- Thanks for the reviews, guys. Seriously. Y'all are awesome for sticking with me while I re-wrote this, and waiting for like 7 months while I finally got a new update for it out. Hope y'all enjoyed.
