Chapter 45
Then
Qrow Branwen was never a strong believer in the idea of karma, but after spending the last few days locked up with his nieces' friends without a single drop of alcohol to cope, he was beginning to think this was his punishment for trying to kill them.
"Bastards! All of them! Bastards!" Raven ranted as she struggled to break the bars of her cell. "The Faunus who knocked us out?! Bastards! The Faunus who locked us in here?! Bastards! The Faunus who took our weapons?! Bastards! And the Faunus who put us in these ridiculous chains even though we're in a cell?! You better believe that they are world-class, all-around bastards!" She glared at their guard. "And you? You know what you are?"
"Oh, oh, oh! Pick me! I know!" Yatsuhashi waved from the cell across from the chieftess.
Raven rolled her eyes. "It was a rhetorical question, Yats."
"But I was gonna say 'bastard!'"
"Relax, Yats!" Velvet replied. "We'll get out of here. And when we do, we'll get even with those guys!"
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Velvet. My leg is still a bit hurt from when they captured us."
"Not to worry, Yats!" Coco declared, reassuringly. "I'll just carry you on my back while we're beating them off!"
Yatsuhashi sighed. "Don't be foolish, Coco. I love you, but you're not strong enough to carry me while fighting."
The fashionista huffed and rested her hands on her hips. "Well, if I can't tear through some Faunus ass while carrying your load, then what the hell have I been training for my whole life?!"
"I have an idea…" Qrow groaned, tiredly. "Why don't we all play... the quiet game?"
Fox gasped, excitedly. "Oh! It! Is! On!"
"Qrow, this is not the time for games!" Nora shouted as she strained against her own chains, only to gain a playful smile. "Hey, Ren? When we get out of this, you wanna try this in bed?"
"Nora, I love you, but please don't go all 'Team CFVY' on me, right now." Ren facepalmed.
"Will you all please shut up?! I'm trying to focus!" Blake snapped as she tried picking the locks to her shackles.
"I didn't know you carry hairpins." Weiss remarked. "As far as I know, you never do anything with your hair."
"Well, sometimes Yang loses the key to our handcuffs." Blake explained.
"And I now regret ever asking anything."
Qrow was on the verge of killing them all. "I would like very much to play the quiet game."
Suddenly, the cell bars retracted into the ceiling as a lion Faunus and two guards entered the room. "Well, well, well." He declared. "Qrow Branwen; Agent Gray of Project Guardsman. Raven Branwen; chieftess of the Branwen Tribe. Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna of Team RWBY. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie of Team JNPR. And the entire Team CFVY. My name is General Leonardo Lionheart of the Federal Army of Menagerie. And now that we've been introduced,all I can say is… I am so sorry!"
"Uh, what?" Weiss blinked in surprise.
"Guards! Remove these shackles, at once!" Lionheart ordered, sternly.
"Uh, yes sir!" A goat Faunus bleated, nervously, as he removed their shackles.
"Now, friends." Lionheart smiled. "Let us start over, shall we?"
"Start over?!" Weiss spluttered, raising a fist. "If you think we're not-!"
"O-oh, dear…" Lionheart weakly muttered as he collapsed, backwards. The general had fainted, much to the confusion of his captors.
"... what a weeny." Yatsuhashi remarked.
"Oh, no! He fainted again!" A bubbly, feminine voice called from down the hall. A young woman with dark red hair and olive eyes rushed into the detention center with a medical kit. She opened the kit up and waved a smelling salt under her general's nose. At last, the general regained consciousness.
The doctor cheerfully finished tending to her general. "Okay, take it easy now. You're no use to me if you're dead! But I guess I could be the one to perform the autopsy! AH HA HA HA HA!"
Lionheart tugged at his shirt collar, nervously. "Aheh, thank you, Octavia." Once the good doctor left, the general turned back to Qrow. "Gentlemen, ladies, I'm afraid I have nothing but apologies for you. It must be all the thin air up here, and I have been working tirelessly..."
"Lionheart, right?" Qrow interrupted.
The lion Faunus could only blink. "Oh... um, yes. General Leonardo Lionheart of the Federal Army of Menagerie, at your service."
"Our service?" Raven asked, confused.
Coco smiled. "Full service?"
"Alright General, let me give it to you straight." Qrow continued, sternly. "My nieces, their friends and I were trapped in a canyon after being shipwrecked for months, when a squad of soldiers wearing your armor comes in and attacks us with two of your guys - a son of a bitch named Torchwick and that creepy chick working with him - issuing them commands. Then another guy named Toro tells us that your people have been terrorizing the people of this island, and that we are wanted for crashing on this island in the first place! So now, I have two nieces who are missing with no idea if they're safe or not, my sister constantly blaming me for putting us all in danger, their friends who share the same sentiment, and to top it all off, I haven't had a goddamn drink in months! So if you could please tell me something that could keep me from wanting to kill you, I'd greatly appreciate it!"
The room radiated with a deafening silence. Even Raven was put off by her twin's outburst. "Um... yeah! Start talking!"
Lionheart let out a long, tired sigh. "Yes, I see. None of this happened the way that it should have. Tell me, how much do you know about the 'New Republic?'"
"They don't try to kill us for one thing!" Raven remarked.
Lionheart nodded. "A noteworthy quality, yes. What else?"
"They're rebels, trying to overthrow a corrupt government." Qrow added.
"My parents are leading them." Blake continued. "They heard our distress signal and sent Toro to rescue us!"
"Uh-huh... and to be clear, you heard all of this from a mercenary?" Lionheart asked, stroking his chin in thought. "Hired to assist them at all costs?" The general paused as everyone shared an unsure glance with each other, none of them able to come up with an argument. "A bit of a biased source, don't you think?"
Ren clenched his fists at the thought of his friends being in danger because of the bull Faunus. "I knew there was something about Toro I didn't like."
"Then your intuition is praiseworthy, my good boy." Lionheart continued. "I'm afraid you've all been fed lies. These rebels aren't looking to free the island, their goal is to dominate it! If they were so dissatisfied with the way our established government handled everything, they were given ample opportunities to simply move to form their own society somewhere else on Menagerie. It is a large island, I can assure you. But no. They are determined to 'take back what is theirs.' I will admit, our government has never been perfect. Times were hard, mistakes were made, but as an island that is virtually cut off from the rest of the world, we did our best to govern the people! But it wasn't good enough for them. Suddenly, farms were being burned to the ground! There were riots in the streets! Complete and utter panic everywhere! These were not acts of freedom, these were acts of terrorism! And we simply could not risk huntsmen and huntresses of your caliber allying with them."
"So you sent your men to kill us?" Qrow asked.
Lionheart seemed offended. "Absolutely not!"
"I've got a few cracked ribs that beg to differ!" Raven growled.
"And a torn turtleneck that strongly disagrees!" Coco added; angrily waving around her tattered clothing.
"And again, I must apologize. The method in which this was handled was not at all what I wanted. Upon hearing rumors of your arrival at Menagerie I ordered Torchwick and his assistant to confirm these rumors, and bring you to us as soon as possible…" Lionheart bit his lip out of embarrassment as his eyes wandered. "Unfortunately, it appears I should have been a bit more specific in the method of your acquisition."
Qrow let out an indignant scoff. "So what? This was all your mercenary's fault? You expect us to believe that the general of an army can't control his own men?"
Lionheart held up his hands, defensively. "You're mistaken in assuming I have any control over Torchwick whatsoever. Or his assistant for that matter. They are a pair of mad dogs who have long since broken from their leashes. But we do need them. As I'm sure you've all observed, I'm no battle-worn soldier or even a huntsman ripe with military expertise. On the contrary, I was simply next in line to run the military should anything happen to its leader."
Qrow cocked a curious eyebrow. "What do you mean? Lieutenant General?"
"Major General?" Raven guessed.
"Second-in-command General?" Nora suggested.
Ren leaned over to her ear. "That's not a real thing."
"Actually, I was headmaster of Haven Academy." Lionheart admitted.
"WHAT?!"
"Where'd all the other guys go?!" Raven spluttered.
"Well, some left before the situation got any worse, but um, most of them were definitely killed. Not many of us left these days, I'm afraid."
"But you're supposed to be some oppressive dictator!" Blake stammered. "My parents are the good guys who are trying to take down your evil regime! You're not supposed to be some bumbling coward who can barely manage things!"
Lionheart smiled, trying not to sound like he was boasting. "Well, admittedly, we are doing a bit better than before. We have acquired top notch military equipment thanks to Torchwick, and he even helped us strategize some of our more recent victories. Mmm, though I would not consider your rescue one of them."
"I also wouldn't consider it a rescue." Qrow spat.
"Well, I can assure you that he was severely punished for his drastic measures against you." Lionheart promised. "I made sure he wasn't paid a single lien for the job!"
"How comforting." Raven rolled her eyes.
Lionheart sighed. "My friends, I am aware that I may never gain your trust, but I promise we are not your enemy. The New Republic has captured your friends and are most likely recruiting them into their rebellion as we speak. Now, I can inform my troops not to attack them, but I cannot prevent them from defending themselves. I also cannot promise a safe escape from Menagerie in the middle of this conflict. Most of our ships and boats are shot down before they can reach one hundred meters from the island."
"So what can you promise us?" Qrow demanded.
"If you can help us defeat these terrorists, it would not only save our island, it would save your comrades. Then, when the skies are clear, you can leave this forsaken island once and for all!" Lionheart offered. "So, what do you say?"
Qrow grabbed his sister and took her to the side to discuss their options. "What do you think?"
"Hmm, I don't like it." Raven admitted with a frown. "Something about this whole situation feels wrong. But I'm not really seeing another way out. Ruby and Yang are still out there somewhere, and I don't want to fuck up my progress with Yang by leaving them to die. So I guess I'd say we should go for it."
"Hmm…" At last, Qrow approached their host once again. "I still have one question for you, general."
"Which is?"
"Where is our French girl and robot?"
Thirty minutes later, the group found Ciel tinkering with her weapon in the Federation's workshop. Ciel couldn't help the groan that escaped her lips. "Oh mon Dieu. Encore pas idiots. (Oh, god. Not you idiots, again.)"
Nora smiled. "Good to see you, too!"
"Welp, that's all your weapons. You're good to go." one of the Federation soldiers happily declared.
"Not so fast. What about Freckles?" Qrow declared with a frown.
The soldier couldn't help but blink. "Freckles?"
Torchwick merely chuckled in response as he approached the group. "Ah, don't sweat it, kid. Agent Gray is referring to the Paladin-290 combat robot."
"You." And that was all the warning "Agent Gray" gave the "Gentleman Thief" before he and all of his companions pointed their weapons in Torchwick's direction.
"Oh-ho ho ho, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Roman smugly declared, wagging his finger as Neo dropped her Semblance, revealing that she had a sword under Qrow's chin.
Qrow could only sigh at this new development. "Stand down, everyone: I don't like it any more then you do, but Leo was right about one thing: if Torchwick wanted us dead, he'd have done it by now."
Torchwick couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow in response even as everyone reluctantly lowered their weapons. "Must you be so harsh about it? I thought General Lionheart explained everything to you? We're on your side."
"I doubt that." Qrow bluntly declared. "And I still haven't gotten an answer to my question."
"Alright, alright. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid you won't find your shiny little toy among this wreckage. The Paladin malfunctioned after you were knocked out. It refused to surrender, so me and my boys put it down." Roman declared, adding in a mock sigh for good measure.
"He's dead?!" A distraught Yatsuhasi called out.
"Oh, grow up." Torchwick declared. "It was a machine. It was never alive to begin with."
"Douche."
Torchwick rolled his eyes at Ciel's remark. "Honestly, you should all be grateful. My partner and I managed to get you all here in one piece. Sure, that little Red and three others are still stuck with the Rebellion, but I'd say it's a pretty good deal."
"We don't owe you anything." Qrow growled out. "Just stay away from my friends."
"You still don't understand…" Roman called out, before gaining a grin. "...or maybe you do."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the former Guardsman couldn't help but ask.
"It means that I know all about your past, 'Agent Gray.'" Roman bluntly declared. "You've screwed over your 'friends' how many times now?"
Despite their rocky history, Raven couldn't help but let out a growl upon seeing her brother look down in shame. "Shut up, you bastard."
"Aw, what's the matter?" Roman teased back. "Touched a raw nerve?"
"Excuse me?" Both Torchwick and Neo turned to see the doctor from earlier giving the two of them a menacing glare. "If someone tells you to leave them alone... you leave them alone."
Torchwick merely sighed as Neo put her sword away. "Of course, doctor. Here."
Qrow blinked at the item Roman had given him "What's this?"
Torchwick shrugged in response. "Before the robot was scrapped, I had the tech boys remove the main memory circuit. Its heart and mind so to speak."
Qrow frowned even as he pocketed the circuit board. "Is this supposed to be an apology?"
Torchwick couldn't help but give a mocking smirk. "I don't know: is it?"
"These guys aren't making any sense." Yatsuhashi quietly directed at Ciel.
Ciel merely scoffed. "C'est parce qu'ils sont tous les deux fous. (That's because they're both insane.)"
"No, we are not!"
Ciel jumped into Yatsuhashi's arms in response to Roman's outburst "MERDE! Il est bilingue! S'il vous plaît, ne me tuez pas! (HOLY SHIT! He's bilingual! Please, don't kill me!)"
Torchwick merely sighed before walking away. "You people give meaning to meaningless objects, and meaningless people. Then, risk your lives to protect them. Where's the sense in that?"
Once the mercenaries were gone, the doctor gleefully skipped towards the group. "Sorry, about that! Tensions are pretty high around here. My name is Dr. Octavia Ember!"
"Your voice sounds… familiar." Weiss commented. "You took care of us when we were brought here, right?"
"Oh, yeah!" Octavia beamed. "Let me tell you, that was a breath of fresh air! Unconscious patients tend to be less whiny than my usual kind. 'My leg hurts! I need blood! But I don't want a robot arm!' Hee-hee!"
"Are… are you a civilian, young lady?" Raven asked. "Why are you working for the Federation?"
"'Civilian?' Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, you're so silly!" Octavia laughed in an unsettling manner. "This war affects everyone on Menagerie! The only people on this island who aren't wearing armor are dead! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Before the uncomfortable huntsmen and huntresses could respond, a snake Faunus approached the group. "Um, sir? General Lionheart wanted me to tell you that we've tracked your friends to Outpost 419. And it looks like they're in trouble."
Now
"...and that's pretty much it." Raven declared as she wrapped up the explanation of what had been happening on their end of things.
"So wait: the Federation are the good guys!?" Jaune gasped. "And the people of Menagerie have been attacking them without provocation?!"
"That's impossible!" Ilia growled out. "Ghira Belladonna would never have approved of such a dishonorable tactic! It's the very reason he stepped down as leader of the White Fang in the first place: he got tired of leading a group where the majority of its members were calling out for violence, saying that such a tactic would've made us the very monsters humans saw us as. It was that sense of honor that convinced me to fight alongside him for the sake of Menagerie even if I disagreed with his belief that we could solve our problems without violence."
"My fellow Faunus is right," Velvet said with a nod. "What Professor Lionheart was suggesting Ghira has been up to seems completely out of character from what I've read about the White Fang's original leader."
"Well according to our intel, Barmak is on the island with us, and Jasmine did say that Doppelgangers have limited shapeshifting abilities," Weiss called out. "Perhaps Ghira was just defending himself against some rogue sentient Grimm who looked like Federation forces and things just escalated from there."
"And we did just finish dealing with someone who seems to love causing chaos for everyone he comes across." Pyrrha remarked, nodding to an unconscious Loki who had been chained up in a corner. "Maybe that could explain why some of Ghira's men have been targeting the Federation without provocation."
"I'm not so sure it's that simple," Mikhail declared as he and his wife looked over the knocked out Melenie. "From what I've gathered, Loki and his allies, willing or otherwise, have been on the island for less than a week, whereas Ghira and Leonardo both claim to have been dealing with this crisis for a few months now."
"He's right," Ruby said with a nod. "I could maybe buy Roman helping Professor Lionheart and the Federation - he'd do just about anything for a quick lien - but even then, we know from our experiences with Barmak that the Dopplegangers can't keep their disguises up indefinitely, and with Loki only being a recent addition in this little war, there would need to have been someone else feeding Ghira and his forces false information in order to keep the attacks going."
Mata just groaned in response. "None of this is making any sense."
"Yeah, I hear you." Coco admitted. "All I know for certain is that everything went to hell just before that red bull arrived to 'save' us."
"Wait, 'red bull'?" Blake asked before suddenly paling. "Oh no: why didn't I see it sooner?"
Yang blinked in response. "Blake?"
Her wife ignored her as she pulled out a scroll and dialed a number. "Dad, you and Mom need to get out of there, NOW!"
"I'm sorry, Ghira Belladonna can't come to the scroll right now." Toro Rojo's voice called out from the other end of the scroll. "But if you leave your name and number, I'll be sure to let him know that you called."
"You..." Blake growled out.
"Took you long enough to figure it out." the bull Faunus declared with a chuckle, "And your father wasn't much better...though I suppose it saved me the trouble: I've been wanting to do this since I got to this island."
"You'll never get away with this."
"Wrong." The traitorous mercenary smugly declared. "You'll never get away with this. As far as the men who served under Ghira are concerned, you and your little friends have just turned traitor and captured eight of their best men after trying to dispose of your own family."
Blake blinked in response. "'Trying to?' You mean he's not...they're not…?
"Not yet," Toro admitted. "Can't very well get rid of my bargaining chip in case this all goes south, now can I? Don't worry: I'll take better care of them then you ever did your fellow Faunus. In the meantime, just sit back, relax, and enjoy your stay in the new Menagerie, Miss Belladonna, where every Faunus is prepared to bear their fangs!"
Despite having long since realized that something wasn't right with their so-called savior, Ren couldn't help but frown as Blake angry hung up her scroll. "...what just happened?"
"What happened is that we got played." Blake growled out. "Everything about Toro Rojo was a lie...including his name."
Ilia gasped, having figured it out herself. "You don't mean…?"
"I'm afraid I do, old friend." the cat Faunus reluctantly admitted. "This - all of this - has just been a part of his plan."
"Whose plan?" Fox couldn't help but ask.
Blake just sighed in response. "...within the White Fang, no one was allowed to refer to each other by their own names while out on missions. Instead, we were all given aliases so that, if we were to be captured by those who would see us destroyed, our enemies would be unable to track down our families without a lot of effort on their part. I personally was called 'Nightshade' prior to defecting."
"That's nice and all but what does that have to do with…?" Yang gasped as she too realized what had happened. "Oh, no: not him."
Blake merely gave a nod. "I'm actually embarrassed that it took me this long to realize it: 'Toro Rojo' is just the Spanish translation of 'Red Bull', aka Adam Taurus of the White Fang."
"The same Adam Taurus that aided Cinder in the Battle of Beacon?!" Jaune called out in shock and horror. "That's who we've been dealing with!?"
Raven shook her head in frustration. "Yang was wrong before: Barmak wasn't the only loose end that we've yet to deal with. There was another...and he's just taken my daughter-in-law's parents hostage."
Qrow gave a grim nod. "Okay, here's the plan: let's get all of the wounded back to base for medical treatment and get Loki and his little cohorts in a holding cell for the time being. We can always try questioning them later, but right now, the Federation needs to know what's happened."
Ruby sighed. "I wonder how Professor Lionheart will react to this new development."
Later
"He fainted?!" the hooded huntress called out.
"Yeah, he does that." Weiss said with a sigh.
"Well, well, well." Torchwick grinned, smugly. "If it isn't Little Red and her friends. I heard all about your bad case of the giggles-" The mercenary was cut off by a strong right hook from Yang, making him fall flat on his ass. Despite this, he merely chuckled and rubbed the tender flesh. "Heh, never could take a joke."
"But I can deliver a punchline!" Yang sneered as she went in for another blow.
"Hold it, Goldilocks!" Roman held up his hands, defensively, prompting Yang to halt her attack. "I've got my own guardian angel looking over me."
Again, Neo Politan dropped her semblance, revealing her sword aimed just a few inches from Yang's face. Much to her surprise, however, Yang barely even flinched and in fact held Dragon Fang to the mute girl's own throat. "Two can play at that game," the blonde brawler growled out.
"Stand down, both of you." Svetlana declared. "This isn't the time for that."
Roman nodded as both women reluctantly put away their weapons. "Nice to know one of you is capable of being civil."
"Can't say the same for you." Svetlana growled out, her hand reaching for her gun. "Care to explain how Loki got his hands on one of your Paladin suits?!"
Roman scoffed. "You can't prove that…"
"You left your receipt in the cockpit," the Rushland native interrupted the "Gentleman Thief" with a glare even as she held up a charred piece of paper - one that Roman Torchwick's name on it - that she had procured after saving Ruby and company from Loki earlier on before undoing the safety on her gun. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you in a cell right next to the bastard that nearly killed us."
"Because I happen to know a way to rescue the Menagerie Chief and Chieftess." Roman declared with a glare. "Besides, Emerald and Mercury were side by side with Cinder and Adam in the attack on Beacon while I was off doing my own thing, so if Loki did manage to steal from me, then we both have a reason to hate him."
"Rachael" just growled as she reapplied the safety on her weapon. "If I find out you're lying, you'll learn the hard way why I'm one of the only people that madman fears, get it?"
"Got it."
"Good."
Meanwhile Melanie, having been vouched for by Mikhail and Svetlana, was being treated for the injuries Loki had inflicted upon her, only to frown when someone entered her cell, much to her displeasure when she saw who it was. "Oh, great: it's you."
Leonardo Lionheart, having since woken from his fainting spell, couldn't help the wince that escaped him. "I know I'm not your favorite person right now…"
"That's an understatement." Melanie interrupted with a glare. "Of all the people who discussed the possibility of my sister and I trying to become huntresses - make an identity for ourselves outside of being the daughters of a crime boss - you are by far my least favorite. I can't hate Ozpin and the few others who tried to vouch for me, and I understand why everyone else didn't think we were sincere in our declared desire to help people, but you? What you did was even worse. Do you remember how the voting was cast?"
Leo nodded. "I do, actually. All it would've taken was one vote - my vote - and we could've potentially discussed the matter further at a later date if I had decided to give you a chance. Not that it matters: if you recall, I abstained in the vote because while I agreed with some of Ozpin's arguments, I didn't want to deal with the fallout on the off-chance that he might've been wrong."
"And that's why I hate you so much." Melenie growled out. "I knew that your fear and distrust of me outweighed your loyalty to Ozpin, but you were too much of a coward to just come out and say that you didn't want to give me or my sister a chance!"
"I know," the lion Faunus said with a sigh. "Which is why I'm here."
Melenie blinked as Professor Lionheart handed her a document. "What's this?"
"Something I should've given to you and your sister five years ago: a chance." Leo said with a grin which only grew at Melenie's shocked expression. "I've already talked with the committee and they have agreed to send someone to bring Miltia over to the island once she's recovered from her ordeal with Loki."
"What are you saying?" Melenie couldn't help but ask.
"I'm saying that, if you and your sister still wish to become huntresses, we can start your training immediately, with a full pardon for your past crimes thrown in for good measure." Professor Lionheart declared. "All I ask in return is that you help us take down Adam Taurus."
Melenie nodded in in reply. "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not doing this for you: I just happen to owe a debt to a certain Rushland couple."
Elsewhere in the base, Svetlana and Mikhail sneezed.
One hour later, the groups had been given permission from Lionheart to deliver Torchwick to the Rebellion for questioning. Ruby, unfortunately, had drawn the short straw and was assigned the task of driving with Torchwick and Neo all the way to the Rebellion's stronghold.
"This is gonna be fun, don't you think, Little Red?" Roman teased as Ruby drove the Warthog. "Sure, we got off on the wrong foot, but I can tell we're going to be the best team ever! Roman and Ruby!" The hooded huntress glared at the criminal. "Oh, fine; Ruby and Roman. But you really need to learn it's not all about you."
"Torchwick." Ruby said, sternly. "Let's get one thing straight; we're going to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna to find out what started this war. So if we're going to work together, I need your word that you won't hurt anyone."
"Hmm, not really my style… but what the heck? I'll give it a shot." He grinned, crossing two fingers over his heart and lifting them up. "Scout's honor."
Suddenly, an explosion caused a rockslide to block their path. Ruby stomped on the brakes just in time, as did the others following her. Roman held up both hands. "Okay, that was not me. But this is."
Ruby grunted as she was roughly shoved out of the vehicle. The hooded huntress looked up to see twenty more mercenaries standing above the cliffs surrounding the group, all with their weapons aimed at them. Roman lit another cigar as he and Neo exitted the warthog. "Sorry, Little Red. But we've worked too hard to get where we are now."
"It was you!" Blake accused as she leaped out of her own vehicle to face off against her ex-boyfriend. "You started this war!"
"Wrong, Blake." Adam shook his head in denial. "The people of Menagerie have been divided long before we got here."
"Not as divided as you think." Blake declared, her face softening if just a little bit. "We all came together because we wanted better lives for the Faunus, for the people of Menagerie, the people of Remnant ...but this? This senseless killing? This isn't the way."
"You don't get to lecture me." Adam growled, his hand reaching for his left eye, before reaching for his sword. "Not after you abandoned me for a human. Not after you aided a Schnee!"
"Hey!" Yang yelled out as she and Ilia blindsided the goat Faunus.
"Get away from the woman I love!" the two of them yelled out at the same time.
"Wait what?!" Blake yelled out.
Ilia had the decency to blush. "Now isn't the best time, Blake, but I promise to sit down with you and your wife discuss this after we make it out of here alive."
"Too bad that you won't make it out alive." Adam growled out.
"I beg to differ." One mercenary retorted before gunning down five others in front of her. She then took out a sword, beheaded another mercenary with a belt of grenades strapped to him, pulled a few pins, and kicked him towards Adam. The traitorous Faunus was blown back by the explosion, prompting the surviving mercenaries to retreat. One mercenary in particular wore a crest that caught the eye of Svetlana. Without a second thought, the crimson crusader chased after her, much to the confusion of her teammates.
"Svetlana! Where are you going?!" Yang shouted.
"I'll be in touch! Don't wait up for me!"
Meanwhile, Roman and Neo managed to slip away and head back to the Federation's military base. "Alright, 'Mr. Rojo.'" The crime lord muttered to himself. "You know what to do, now."
Weiss, on the other hand, recognized their mysterious savior and quickly ran to her for a hug. "Thank you, Winter."
"You just can't stop running into trouble, can you?" one Winter Schnee teasingly asked the group. "I've been silently observing both sides of this conflict for months. It wasn't until a few weeks ago I picked up your signal and realized you'd need my help."
Qrow sighed. "So does that mean you came without backup?"
"Not exactly." Winter smirked as a miniature spirit appeared on her shoulder.
"Salutations, friends!" Penelope saluted. "Did you miss me?"
Ruby squeaked, happily, upon sight of her best friend. Unfortunately, none of her friends felt the same.
"You fuck!" Yang shouted as she attempted to tackle Penelope, only to phase right through her and smack her head on a nearby rock.
"Oh, dear…" Penelope sighed.
Meanwhile, Svetlana had finally caught up to the mercenary bearing Rushland's crest. The assailant had taken refuge in an abandoned apartment complex, as evident by the brand-new warthog parked just outside. "Are you sure you don't want my help, beloved?" Mikhail asked from her scroll.
"No, stay with the others and explain the situation until I get back. I'm getting close." Svetlana replied. "One last thing before I hang up, Mikhail; are you certain your mother died in Rushland?"
"My mother?" Her husband echoed, confused. "Uh… I mean, she was working in the fields when the fires started, so I always assumed that she had. Why?"
"If I'm not back in two hours, come and get me." With that, the crimson crusader hung up and stealthily made her way into the dilapidated building. Using her semblance, she traced her prey's footsteps up to a room on the second floor. Keeping a firm hand on her weapons clipped to her belt, Svetlana kicked down the door, startling the mercenary. "Sasha Kashtonovvy."
The woman kept herself shrouded in the darkness, but Svetlana saw her reaching for a gun and rushed towards her. Unfortunately, her assailant was much stronger than she appeared to be and easily gripped both of her pursuer's wrists. "How do you know that name?!" She demanded, shoving her attacker half-way out the window. "Talk! Or I'll-!"
"No…" Svetlana gasped in shock and disbelief. The lamppost from outside provided just enough light to reveal the angered face staring her down as her vision began to slip into darkness. "It can't be… I watched you die… I saw you… Mom?"
Natalia Crimsonoff blinked at the sound of that word. "Svetlana?" She whispered as her daughter fell unconscious. "SVETLANA!"
To Be Continued
