Chapter 49
It had been a few days since Roman and Adam's deception had been revealed and tensions were at an all time high. Even knowing that the war that had been fought between Menagerie and the Federation had been orchestrated by two men wanting to see Menagerie destroyed in the resulting conflict, it was impossible to forget that the war had still happened. Case in point, one Leonardo Lionheart was currently patrolling the Capital grounds despite no longer needing to anymore...only to stop as he sensed someone approaching behind them.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Lionheart warned while holding a gun over the edge of a nearby cliff, apparently looking for possible intruders. "I am prone to fainting."
"Sorry: I hadn't meant to sneak up on you like that," one Blake Belladonna declared with a light blush as she approached her fellow Faunus from around the corner. "I guess it's to be expected, though. I might not be a member of the White Fang anymore, but old habits die hard."
"Indeed," the Haven headmaster-turned-Federation General said with a sigh even as he put the gun away. "I understand that the war is over, but...well, no offence to your family, but I can't help but worry that the Faunus of Menagerie are going to stab me in the back."
"None taken, I suppose," Blake replied with a shrug. "And, at the risk of sounding biased, I know for a fact that my parents would never allow that to happen. I was there when he flat out refused to fight when everyone else was calling for violence. I was even one of those who called him a coward, much to my shame. Just...take it from someone who knows: don't shut them out just because they handle things differently, or you might end up regretting it for the rest of your life."
"I'll try," General Lionheart promised. "And for what it's worth, I'm sure that your parents have already forgiven you, so maybe it's time that you forgive yourself."
"It's worth a lot," Blake said with a light nod. "Though that actually reminds me: the reason I came out here is that my Dad wanted your input on what you think our next move should be."
Leonardo simply gave a sigh and a nod in reply, already knowing that this was going to be a long day. "I just hope that Torchwick and Taurus are just as frustrated about the current situation as we are."
"I! Am! So! Frustrated!" Adam screamed as he punched the wall.
"Will you calm down?!" Roman snapped. "Our recon squad confirmed that there's something on this island that can give Salem what she wants."
"Oh, yeah." Adam rolled his eyes. "'A key to the Temple of the Purge is somewhere on the island! And all four Maidens are here, now, too!' That doesn't exactly help a whole lot, when the enemy has their own key, and they are holed up in an impenetrable capitol!"
"Enough!" Salem's voice growled from the screen. The criminals snapped to attention as the sinister witch's gaze pierced their souls. "I am disappointed in you, gentlemen. Very disappointed. I have been patient. And it has been months since you started! I want my daughters, and I want that temple activated!" The formerly-immortal tyrant sighed and leaned back in her throne. "But perhaps the fault is mine. Perhaps you two need a bit more… motivation."
With a wave of her hand, Salem signaled for Barmak to fetch a special prize she had been saving for a while. Needless to say, Roman and Adam were both speechless at the sight of the familiar suit of armor. Neo cupped one hand over her mouth and held Roman's with her other one. "Is… is that…?"
"Cinder Fall's armor from Project Guardsman." Salem confirmed with a smug purr. "That fool Jacques Schnee may have engineered these suits so that only my daughters could operate the special capabilities, but the technology is still available. So, I have decided to give you two a little more incentive. You know what I need, and you know where to find it. So, whoever finds it first can have Agent Crimson's armor, in addition to the rewards I've already promised you. Are we clear?"
Adam chuckled. "Transparently, ma'am." The bull Faunus left to prepare a brigade of mercenaries, leaving Roman and Neo alone with Barmak and Salem.
"I give you my word; we will not fail." Roman promised.
"I should hope not, Mr. Torchwick… for your sake." With that, the former witch ended the call.
"I believe I can help you, Mr. Torchwick." Barmak spoke up as his companion tiredly reached for another cigar. "I've been reading through the photographs of the hieroglyphics your men brought in. And I believe I've learned where this key we need is being held."
Roman arched an eyebrow as he lit his cigar. "And why didn't you tell us this sooner?"
"Sometimes I like watching you humans squirm." The sinister doppelganger chuckled. "That's why I studied up on this armor's late wearer after I watched your reactions to exiting the temple."
"You slimy little…" Roman clenched his fist before taking a long puff to calm his nerves. "What do you know about the Meta?"
"She was a former agent of Project Guardsman." Barmak elaborated. "With both the Fall Maiden and the Summer Maiden fragment named Priscilla, she was a force to be reckoned with. But the Priscilla fragment proved to be more manipulative than she could handle, and ultimately led her to her greatest failure. After Ozpin destroyed himself along with his daughters, the Fall Maiden and Priscilla's demise left a void within Cinder's mind, leaving her nothing more than a broken woman with a crippling need to regain the power she had lost."
"And before Priscilla? What was she like then?"
"No less manipulative and ambitious than when she had Priscilla, though admittedly a bit more kind-hearted at the time, which might explain why she felt the need to promise Glynda Goodwich, aka Agent Purple, that she'd take care of Phoebe for her." Barmak smiled. "Although, I'm more interested in you two. You claimed that the temple forced you to relive your father's death. I'm curious, is that why you hate the idea of being a huntsman so much?"
"Cut the psycho-mumbo-jumbo, Doppelganger." Roman sneered as Neo gripped her parasol tighter.
"I am simply doing my job." Barmak reasoned.
Roman scoffed. "Your job is to-"
"Would you like to know what Adam Taraus is afraid of?"
Roman's eyes widened, slightly, as he turned to face Neo. When she nodded in agreement, the mob boss removed his cigar from his lips to speak, clearly. "Uh… we, uh-"
"Roman, Neo." Adam reentered the room, interrupting his allies. "We're ready to go."
Roman and Neo shared a glance before heading out. "Of course."
Once the deadly duo were gone, Adam approached Barmak. "By the way, I just wanted to let you know that Hazel Rainhart is currently MIA."
"That is unfortunate." Barmak nodded. "Especially since it was I who convinced him to come here and aid us in our mission."
"Yeah." Adam grinned, darkly. "Of course, if someone were to find Rainhart and lead him to you while you were disguised as James Ironwood - one of Ozpin's former pawns - I doubt things would go well for you." Adam savoured the nervous flinch Barmak gave before turning to leave. "Keep up the good work, Grimm-man."
Meanwhile, Yang, Raven, and Winter had just returned from a reconnaissance mission with a platoon of captured mercenaries. The blonde brawler couldn't help but gloat as they shoved their captives into the holding cells, dancing and singing while her mother chuckled at her amusing mockery.
"Duh-nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh. Another one bites the dust!" Yang sang.
"Uh!"
"Another one bites the dust!"
"Yeah!"
"And another one's gone! And another one's gone!"
"Get down with your bad self!"
"Another one bites the dust!" Yang finished her dance with two middle fingers pointed at the disgruntled mercenaries. "We! Kicked! Your! Ass!"
"Alright, alright." Winter chuckled. "We've already beaten them. No need for cruel and unusual torture."
Raven snorted. "Says you. My daughter's got some serious skills! We deserve to celebrate!"
"We can't be too confident." Winter insisted. "We may have gotten a leg up right now, but-"
Penelope appeared on the Guardsman's shoulder. " Winter, please. We've been through a lot up until this point. It's okay to be happy once in a while. Loosen up! Have some fun with us!"
Winter sighed. "I guess it is a very satisfying win."
Raven nodded. "I agree. Very satisfying."
Yang chuckled. "And you get satisfaction from men-"
"You get satisfaction from men so infrequently!" Winter interrupted, only to see everyone staring at her, awkwardly. "What? That was the joke right?"
"What the fuck?" Yang blinked. "Did she just… steal my thing?"
Winter turned to Penny, indignantly. "You said to loosen up!"
"Uh, maybe tighten it back up a little." Penelope suggested, uncomfortably.
Meanwhile, Jean could be found sitting inside an interrogation room, as not a lot of people were ready to approach her after her episode in the cave...which is why she was a bit surprised to find someone who was not one of her usual guards enter the room, only to relax a little when she recognized who it was.
"Hey Ruby," Jean called out with a bittersweet smile as the hooded huntress entered her cell. "Coming to check up on me, are we?"
"I am, but I also needed to know: is Paulette still in your head?" Ruby couldn't help but ask.
"I'm here, little Rose," the echo of the Maiden's Rage responded from Jean's mouth. "Don't think you'll be able to trip me up so easily this time."
"Actually, I wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Paulette blinked upon hearing this. "Excuse me, what?"
"Back when we thought you and Penny were simply AIs, when I found out that Priscilla and Cinder had been absorbing Luna and her other sisters into themselves, it never occurred to me that you might've been one of her targets," Ruby declared, tearing up as she did. "Or, maybe it did, but you had hurt me and the others so badly that I had chosen not to care. I was your sister and I failed to act like one. Cinder came after you and I failed to protect you! I'm a horrible person!"
Jean simply pulled the sobbing Ruby into a hug, not even needing Paulette to tell her to do so. "It's okay, Ruby. I don't blame you for what happened. There was a lot of stuff going on back then, and it's only natural that you might forget about some things here and there, and by the time you did remember, you didn't exactly know how to deal with it. Besides, like you said back in the cave, I'm not entirely blameless."
"Maybe not," Ruby said with a sniffle, breaking the embrace and whipping the tears from her eyes as she did, "but that doesn't mean that I don't have some things to make up for. Besides, the way I see it, if Paulette is in your head, then that just makes this a second chance for all of us."
"I appreciate that Ruby," Jean called out, before frowning. "Why do I get the feeling that I'm still not getting out of this room anytime soon?"
"Don't get the wrong idea: we do want you around, but with how you attacked my sister not so long ago, the higher ups want to make sure that you're still okay for duty," Ruby declared before heading for the exit. "For what it's worth, though, it was wrong of me to say that you haven't contributed anything to us. After all, if it weren't for you, we might have had more than a few problems when Holly was being born."
"Thanks. That...that means a lot." Jean said with a smile.
Ruby simply returned the smile before nodding to someone just outside the door. "She's all yours."
Octavia took a deep breath before entering the interrogation room. She put on her best smile and sat down in front of the handcuffed medical student. "So, Ms… Paulette, was it?" She began. "When you say that you want to 'destroy all humans,' what do you mean by that?"
"It means that I shall tear this world asunder!" the shadow of the Maiden's Rage declared, having quickly reasserted control of the medic. "I have been cast out by the world, so I shall burn it all to keep myself warm!"
"Interesting." Octavia grinned. "I've come across a few individuals who suffered from multiple personality disorder in the past, but none of them were this vocal. Perhaps it has something to do with the Summer Maiden. Do you have any memories of the Summer Maiden?"
"Who cares?!" Paulette bellowed as she broke free from her restraints. "All I remember is this UNYIELDING RAGE!"
"Fascinating!" Octavia reached into her bag and pulled out a hand-held defibrillator. "This is gonna take some serious electro-shock therapy to exorcise the malevolent personality!"
"Wait, what?" Paulette blinked, and suddenly shifted control back to Jean. "Uh, I think I need a second opinion!"
"We've got a runner!"
Meanwhile, Team RWBY and company had been discussing the recent arrivals from Atlas, with one name in particular drawing the attention of a certain former Guardsman. "Caroline Cordovin is here?!" Qrow's eyebrows arched in surprise.
"You know her?" Ruby asked.
"Not personally, but Agent Silver ran into her more than a few times." He explained. "Something about her being Project Guardsman's official liaison with the Atlas government. Pretty sure she'll recognize me and Winter, though."
"Well, that's good!" Ruby smiled. "Now we have another friend to help us in the war!"
Qrow winced. "Eh, I wouldn't say they were 'friends,' Rubes. They were more like… ah, what's the word?"
"Allies?" Ruby suggested.
"No, not that."
"Associates?" Weiss offered.
"Nope."
"Companions?" Yang tried.
"Nah."
"Coworkers?" Blake shrugged.
"Closer."
"Enemies?" Weiss said, at last.
Qrow snapped his fingers. "That's it!"
"Wait, what?!"
Qrow simply rolled his eyes. "Maria never was one to adhere to authority in life. She ended up bringing outside cashews on a flight into Atlas territory and ended up being placed on the additional screening list for the rest of her life."
"Sounds like something you would do, Ruby." Weiss declared with a hollow chuckle, understanding more than ever that she and her sister ended up having a similar taste in women.
"Weiss, don't be silly," Ruby called out. "We both know that I wouldn't be caught with cashews. Now if it had been cookies or strawberries, that would have been a different story."
"Ruby Rose, Grimm Reaper," Yang drawled out. "Have to admit: that sounds kind of badass."
"...and if she's anything like the original version, just as much of a headache to me on a personal level," Commander Cordovin called out as she approached the group, glaring at Qrow as she does. "Agent Grey."
"Cordovin." the former Guardsman called back before noticing that Winter was approaching and hiding a smile.
"Hey, Qrow, I was going through some of that data we collected and…" ...and that was as far as she got before she noticed Caroline Cordovin standing before her, letting out a growl as she did. "You…"
Needless to say, no one was prepared for when she punched the Atlas commander in the face. "Why'd you do that?" Qrow couldn't help but ask despite finding the whole thing a bit humorous.
"Because Maria isn't here to do it herself." Winter readily called out.
"Okay, you need to cool off." Qrow decided.
"I have an idea." Svetlana offered. "I'm taking a platoon to bring Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel to the capitol's prison. It wouldn't hurt to have a Guardsman on our side. Especially since we risk going through enemy territory."
"That… sounds like a good idea." Winter agreed.
"Alright, but if you're going, I'm going with you." Mikhail insisted. "Your inability to avoid conflict is eclipsed only by your inability to keep your blood inside of you."
Svetlana rolled her eyes even as Winter left to prep the Warthog. "You think you know everything about me, don't you?"
Mikhail simply scoffed before going to assist Winter. "I took your virginity, I damn well ought to!"
"Ah, young love." Qrow remarked, sarcastically, as they watched the Rushland couple separate to prepare for their upcoming mission.
"Just as well that she left." Cordovin called out as she rubbed her jaw. "If she had stayed, I'd have had her court marshalled."
"With all due respect, she and Maria were close, and it sounds like the two of you had some history." Ruby felt the need to call out.
"That's an understatement." the Commander said with a dignified snort. "But it doesn't matter: her behavior just makes my decision to demote each and every one of you that much easier."
"You can't do that!" Yang cried out, before turning to Weiss with a blink. "She can't do that, right?"
"Even if she could, it'd be highly ill-advised," the Schnee heiress declared. "She just arrived and as such not too many people would actually follow her orders."
"Not to mention that unlike her, we have actual experience with our mutual enemy." Blake felt the need to point out.
Despite all of the legitimate reasons for possibly needing to step back a ways, the Atlas Commander wasn't having any of it. "You don't get it, do you?" Commander Cordovin growled out. "You might have been in charge for a while, but Atlas put me in command, and there isn't anyone here who can say otherwise."
"I don't know: I find Ruby Rose and her friends to be much more pleasant company."
"Aw, we love you too, Lori," Ruby remarked with a smile, only to freeze as she realized what she had just said. "Wait, Lori!? We were told that Jacques deleted you!"
"Actually, Jacques simply asked me to delete myself," Gloria/Lori corrected from one of the base's computers, having hitched a ride on one of Atlas' ships. "But I remembered how you had said that you had wanted to hang out again at some point, so I did something that Agent Summer and Penny were always fond of doing: I disobeyed him."
"You...disobeyed a direct order from President Schnee?!" Ghira - having arrived to check up on the team - couldn't help but ask, before she looked to Ruby with a smile. "I can see why my daughter holds you in such high regard, Ruby Rose."
Ruby merely gave a sheepish blush in reply. "It's no big deal."
"I disagree, Miss Rose."
"Doctor Oobleck?" Svetlana - who had yet to leave at that point - asked in shock, having recognized that voice. "Not that I'm not glad that you're here, but why are you here?"
"Simple, Miss Red," Doctor Oobleck said with a nod even as he approached the group. "I heard that some students of mine could use some assistance and decided that I'd give them whatever help that I could."
"I'm sure I speak for the others when I say that I appreciate it," "Rachael" declared with a blush before showing the instructor her ring, "though for the record, it's actually Mrs. Kashtonovyy."
"Congratulations." the Beacon Doctor said with a smile. However, his smile faded as he finally noticed the multiple bandages and stitches covering the young woman's body. "My dear, what happened to you?"
"Uh…" Svetlana wasn't sure how her beloved instructor would react if he learned what she and her husband had been through. "My husband Mikhail and I were… rock climbing."
"... rock climbing?" Oobleck's eyebrow arched over his large glasses.
Svetlana could only sigh in reply, knowing that the man wasn't fooled. "All I can tell you right now is that an old foe came knocking and I wasn't able to sit by and do nothing."
"Commendable," Doctor Oobleck remarked with a light smile. "Though I do hope this new spouse of yours is watching over you. There's a reason that we put our students in teams, after all."
"I understand, and don't worry: he's been taking good care of me." The Crimson Crusader promised the Beacon Doctor.
"As frustrating as it can be at times," Mikhail remarked as he entered the room, holding out a hand to the older man. "Mikhail Kashtonovyy. My wife and her friends have told me a lot about you, Doctor."
"Good things, I hope," Bartholomew Oobleck said with a smile, accepting the handshake as he did.
"Most definitely," the Rushland native reassured the man even as he returned the smile.
"Well, now that we have introductions out of the way, Miss Cordovin has ordered me to accompany you." The green-haired professor replied. "Shall we go?"
"You're working for Cordovin?" Svetlana couldn't help but ask.
"Not quite by choice." Oobleck sighed. "After the fall of Beacon, many of the teachers were put under investigation. My employment under Commander Cordovin is part of my probation."
"Fair enough," Mikhail called out. "Let's get going then."
Meanwhile, Winter had gone ahead of the platoon to scope out any enemy resistance, with Penelope tagging along to offer support if necessary.
"The objective you seek should be a few miles East of our current location." Penelope's memory of Phoebe called out.
"I'd advise that you exercise caution, though." the memory of Patricia remarked. "I sense that Adam and Roman's forces might be nearby."
Winter chuckled, the banter reminding her of better times. "I know you're not them, not really, but it really is good to see you two again." Winter couldn't help but admit.
"Aw, we missed you too, Winter," Polly declared with a smile, with Patricia likewise giving off a small grin to showcase that she indeed was happy to see her old partner again.
Suddenly, a bullet whizzed past Winter's cheek. The former Agent White drew her sword and narrowly deflected every other blast headed her way. "I could use a hand here, Penelope!"
"I'm on it!" Penelope nodded, ordering her sisters about. "Pamela! Get the shields up!"
"Of course." The monotone voice replied. "Though for the record, please call me Luna in the future."
Winter's aura was enhanced by the Maiden fragment's efforts, giving her the courage to charge her enemies. She sliced through their weapons at a tremendous pace, but she knew it wouldn't last for long. Luckily, Svetlana's platoon had just arrived on the scene and gave her a chance to catch her breath. "Penny! I need armor enhancements!"
"Which ones?"
"All of them!"
"Uh, that doesn't sound like a good ideaaaah!" Penelope yelled out as Winter suddenly charged forward towards their opposition, being riddled by bullets being launched rapidfire by multiple opponents.
"Forget it, Agent White," one of the mercenaries called out. "Not even you can take us on all alone."
"Who said she was alone?" Svetlana declared before striking down multiple goons at once before making a hasty retreat to attempt to aid Winter from a distance as the mercenaries all started shooting at her. "Note to self: remember that stealth ambushes work better when you are actually being stealthy."
Meanwhile, time had frozen for Penelope as she tried to use her memories of her sisters to multitask maintaining Winter's armor. "Okay, Pearl, you focus on the healing unit!"
"Understood!" Pearl replied.
"Phoebe, get that next dust cartridge ready for reload!"
"I'm trying!" The younger memory stammered.
"Pearl, how's her aura-? Pearl?" Penelope stared in disbelief as Pearl's astral form flickered until fading away. Suddenly, it dawned on her; she was only a fraction of the Summer Maiden, and as such, she wasn't capable of pushing her abilities so far. In a few moments, she would be too weak to be of any use to Winter.
"It's too much!" Phoebe cried as she, too, began to fade away. "Penelope, what do we do?!"
Penelope could only sigh as she felt her own consciousness slipping. "... I don't know."
Winter yelped in surprise as she stumbled backwards, falling off of the cliff away from her enemies and allies alike. Svetlana felt the fire dust burn as she narrowly dodged a bullet before taking out one of the mercenaries with her own weapon. Unfortunately, in doing so, she had dropped her scroll just as she was talking to Mikhail.
"Svetlana? Hello? Hello?!" His voice rang from the device before a stray bullet shattered it.
Realizing that something had gone wrong, Mikhail grabbed the Warthog and headed towards the last known location of Winter, Penelope, and his wife. "You better not be dead, Svets, because if you are, I'll kill you."
Unfortunately, he quickly learned that driving these vehicles was not as easy as his friends had made it out to be. "AAAAH! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Mikhail shouted, struggling to control the vehicle even as he plowed through various mercenaries with multiple Menagerie and Federation troopers just barely getting out of the way in time. "Why're there so many damn pedals on this thing?!"
As for Svetlana, she soon found herself face-to-face with a small squad of mercenaries with specialized weapons. "I've heard of you." The leader smirked, loading lightning dust into his gauntlets. "Torchwick put a special price on your head! I'mma kill you! Then, I'mma jumpstart your heart… and kill you again!"
Svetlana rolled her eyes. "Just another dog. All bark, no bite."
"Oh, I bite, bitch! I bite-!" As he lunged forward, the Rushland huntress delivered a firm spin-kick to his face, knocking him unconscious. The others took a step back in shock as Svetlana cracked her knuckles.
"Who wants to tell me where Torchwick is?" She asked. With her weapons in hand, she had little trouble keeping the remaining mercenaries at bay. Unfortunately, their weapons were far more advanced than an augmented hammer and sickle. She kicked one mercenary with a chainsaw-type weapon away from her, unaware that he instead turned his attention to a thick tree. Svetlana didn't notice the trunk falling until it was too late.
The mercenary with the lightning gauntlets - having since woken up - chortled as he rubbed the still-tender flesh. "You stupid bitch. You thought you could come into my neck of the woods?! Well, now you're gonna help pay for my retirement when I bring Torchwick your - wait… the hell is that music?"
The mercenaries turned to see a Warthog racing towards them at top speed and opened fire, immediately. One of them managed to blow out one of the front wheel tires, sending it out of control. Mikhail cursed with every impact he felt. "YOU'VE! GOT! TO! BE! SHIT! TING! ME!"
In one fluid motion, Mikhail unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped from the car before it crashed. He then proceeded to grab onto a nearby tree branch, swing up into the air, and land both feet on two of the three mercenaries who had shot at him. "How the hell did you do that?!" The final mercenary gasped before receiving a strong uppercut to the jaw.
"Fuck you, that's how." Mikhail retorted, massaging his bruised knuckles. Just then, he spotted his wife and rushed over to her side. "Svetlana! Svetlana!"
"M-Mikhail…?" The Crimson Crusader gasped.
Mikhail immediately gripped the tree trunk and strained to lift it. "Gah! What's the point of doing all those push-ups if you can't even lift a freaking log?!"
With his help, Svetlana managed to get out from under the tree trunk and back on her feet. Once they were certain that the platoon was safe, the couple collapsed against the fallen tree, breathing heavily. "You know… it's not easy being married to you…" Mikhail declared, jokingly.
"Yeah…" Svetlana cupped his cheeks and brought him in for a kiss. "You do a good job."
Just then, Mikhail's scroll went off. "This is Penelope Polendina requesting that a medical station be put on standby for our return," The Maiden's memory declared. "Also, tell Velvet to get her toolkit ready: I needed to temporarily transfer my consciousness into one of the enemy drones and since she knows my quote-unquote 'programing' better than most, she'll be the best equipped to make sure that there aren't any issues that I'll have to deal with later."
"Wait, what?!" Weiss' voice called out from back at base. "What happened to you and Winter?"
"Don't worry, I'll get her back to the capitol." Penelope sighed, hanging up the scroll and was now resting on the unconscious Guardsman's stomach. "She is going to be so angry when she wakes up…"
"Sounds like we're not the only ones having a bad day." Mikhail remarked as she approached the android with Svetlana in tow. "I'm guessing that Winter pushed herself too far."
"Seems to be a habit that runs in the group." Penelope jokingly called back.
Back at the capitol, Ghira and Leonardo were in the middle of another heated argument.
"What is it this time?" Weiss sighed.
"Apparently, Ghira never agreed to send a squad to transfer Emerald and the others." Blake explained. "If they keep going back and forth like this, we'll never have a chance at beating Salem."
"Well, we're just gonna have to convince them to get along." Ruby decided. "Blake? Maybe you could talk with them?"
"That won't do any good." Blake rubbed her forehead, tiredly. "Leonardo won't think I'm a good peacemaker because I'm Ghira's daughter, and Dad won't trust me because he thinks Leonardo filled my head with Federation propaganda."
"So we need to find someone with an unbiased view of both sides to act as a sort of mediator." Raven surmised, rubbing her chin.
"HELP! SOMEONE GET THIS CRAZY GIRL AWAY FROM ME!" Jean cried as she ran past the group.
Dr. Ember was following closely behind. "Running only makes me want you more!"
"If only we knew someone who hasn't met either of the generals yet. Someone like…" Raven declared, before trailing off, realizing the perfect solution. "...I'm probably going to regret this later."
"So let me get this straight…" Jean huffed after the situation was explained to her a few minutes later. "You guys think you can send me to an alternate dimension, forget my very existence, and then expect me to help you when you ask?!"
"... yes." Raven replied, bluntly.
"FINALLY!" Jean happily wiped a stray tear from her eye. "All I ever wanted was to be included!"
"MWAHAHAHAHA!" Paulette laughed. "You pitiful fool! This is why nobody respects you!"
"Oh, come on, Paulette! This is our chance to finally make a difference! Don't be such a Negative Nancy!"
"If you had a dog, it would chew through its leash and run straight into traffic!"
"Hey, I had a dog that did that, once." Jaune remarked.
Ren rolled his eyes. "Surprising no one."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" the leader of Team JNPR couldn't help but ask.
A few minutes later, Ghira Belladonna and Leonardo Lionheart found themselves sitting on a couch while Jean sat opposite of them. "Okay, now! How about we start this session with a friendly handshake?" The two generals shared a glance before turning away from each other. Jean chose to ignore the awkward silence and carry on. "Oookay, we can come back to that later. How about we dive right into this with a healthy role-play exercise?"
"Oh! I call sexy C.E.O.!" Coco raised her hand, eagerly.
"I call sexy secretary!" Velvet chimed in.
"And I call hunky janitor who walks in!" Yatsuhashi added.
"... what?" Fox blinked as he looked towards his teammates.
"Uh, Jean, was it?" Ghira asked, politely. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I think there are some more important things to worry about right now."
"Oh, come now, Mr. Belladonna! Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! This is the perfect exercise to get an understanding of how you perceive each other." To prove her point, Jean grabbed Jaune by the arm and pulled him closer. "Here; Jaune and I will give a brief demonstration. I'll pretend to be him. And he'll pretend to be me."
"Uh… 'hey, everybody. Look at me. I'm Jean.'" Jaune shrugged.
Paulette took over Jean's mind once more; a sinister smile spreading over her lips. "'And I'm Jaune Arc, reporting for duty! Oh, wait! I forgot! I'm a worthless pile of human excrement who wouldn't be caught dead doing anything meaningful with my life because I'm too busy wishing that my parents loved me as much as they love my sisters! Maybe if I was given just a handful of affection from my mother, I wouldn't be so oblivious to Pyrrha's obvious attraction to me! But I guess that's just what happens when she's more focused on you taking up your dead grandfather's sword, and puts so much pressure on you that you actually fake your transcripts to get into the most dangerous school in the world!' MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Here, Jaune! Take the shield, too!"
Everyone turned to glance at Jaune just as his lips began to quiver. "It was just such a cool sword." He whimpered.
"Ooooh, geez." Jean winced. "I am so sorry. Uh, maybe we should try something else."
Meanwhile, one Caroline Cordovin was dealing with her own situation. "Get those riffles to the southern bunker on the double." she called out to a particular set of twins.
"We'll get them there when we have the time," Militia said with a roll of her eyes.
"I saw that," the Commander declared with a frown. "The Council might have been convinced to give you and your sister a second chance, but one scroll conversation is all I'd need to change their mind."
"Will it?" Melenie said with a smug smile. "I get the impression that the reason that the Council chose you to come here was so that they wouldn't have to deal with you themselves."
"You just earned yourself 50 more laps around the base." Commander Cordovin growled out.
"Worth it," the twins declared with a grin as the two of them ran outside.
"Take my advice," Qrow called out as he approached the older woman with his sister in tow. "Find a punishment besides running laps: it's not as effective as you think it is."
The older woman just gave a frustrated sigh in reply. "I don't know how you two deal with these idiots," Cordovin admitted. "I'm just about ready to send some of them all to the front line without any backup."
Raven, having noticed that her gaze briefly turned towards Yang and Ruby, simply growled in reply. "If you even think about hurting them…"
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with her: you need to stop before you say or do something you regret." Qrow said with a glare.
"Okay, perhaps that was a bit harsh," she declared with a sigh, "but honestly, I just can't get them to listen to me: it's like they're incapable of following orders at all!"
As if to prove her wrong, Yang ran up to them to give them a progress report like she'd been instructed to. "Hey, Mom: we've started decoding those files like you and Uncle Qrow requested, but some of Adam's soldiers that we managed to capture are causing a ruckus again. Winter, Velvet, and some of the other eggheads have the technical stuff down pat, but a few of us, myself included, having been itching for some action for a while now and those aforementioned captured soldiers just happen to have a set of very punch-able faces: permission to show them Branwen battle technique number 22?"
"Permission denied." Raven called out before giving her daughter a teasing grin. "As appropriate as it might be, we don't have the chickens. Hey, Qrow: how do we look for number 47?"
"You really think that you can just...?" Qrow started to growl out, before pausing and really thinking about the situation with a light hum. "Well, we'd have enough people for it, but I was thinking something more along the lines of number 38: we are in an enclosed space after all."
"Right, thanks for the suggestions," Yang said with a smile. "I'll report back later."
"How… how did you get results like that?!" Cordovin called out in shock even as she watched Yang run off.
Raven shrugged. "As strained as my relationship with my brother is, and how I'm still working some things out with Yang, Ruby, and the others, I know that leadership is all about give and take: you like to do a lot of taking, but you're not too fond of the 'giving' part."
Qrow merely chuckled in reply. "Again, can't believe I'm saying this, but she's right: if you start believing in them, maybe they'll start believing in you."
"Excuse me, vehicle coming through."
"Please tell me that wasn't Ilia…" Qrow called out, only to cringe as the sound of a crash resonated throughout the area.
"How?! How is that even possible?!" Jaune couldn't help but yell out as he looked upon the wreckage. "You were going like five miles per hour!"
"I'm sorry: just bad luck, I guess…" Ilia said with a wince as she climbed out of said wreckage.
Needless to say, Cordovin couldn't help but give the Branwen siblings a deadpan expression in reply. "Forgive me if I struggle in that regard…"
Qrow simply sighed as he watched the Commander walk off in a huff. "Worst part is, I lost my semblance back when Oz cast his spell so I can't even blame it for this." It said a lot about his emotional state that he didn't even comment when Raven gave him a comforting pat on the back.
Back with the generals, Jean continued her attempts to get through to them with therapy. This time, Weiss and Ruby were the ones to demonstrate the exercise with a speaking ball. "Weiss…" Ruby cleared her throat, trying to find the right words. "When you call me things like 'dolt,' and 'childish,' it makes me feel sad."
"Good! Good!" Jean clapped, handing the speaking ball to the former heiress. "Now, Weiss. Your turn."
"Ruby." Weiss glared in slight annoyance. "When you volunteered us to practice talking about our feelings, it made me feel like slapping you upside the gods-damned head."
"Oh, well, now I feel sadder." Ruby remarked before turning to Jean. "Are we doing this right?"
"Right as rain, Rubes!"
"Oh, good!" Ruby smiled. "I love therapy!"
"Ha ha, don't we all?" Jean agreed as she handed the ball to Ghira. "Now, let's see what you two have to say!"
"Um, Ms. Purple, I don't believe-"
"Ah-ah!" Jean cut the lion faunus off with a wave of her finger. "Chieftain Belladonna has the speaking ball."
Ghira sighed. "Uh, Jean, this isn't going to work."
"Well, not with that attitude."
"Attitude is not the problem." Ghira corrected. "It's a complete lack of cooperation."
"Well, cooperation goes both ways, Chieftain Belladonna." Lionheart retorted.
"Then why do you still treat us like enemies?!"
"Uh, okay, lets-"
"We wouldn't if you'd stop provoking the enemy to attack us!"
"Well, we can't just sit here!"
"Guys? Can we-?"
"I have the speaking ball!" Ghira snarled.
"Uh…" The group turned to see Winter, Qrow, Penelope, and Kali standing in the doorway. "The… speaking ball?" Kali asked.
"Yes." Ghira shoved the ball into the lion Faunus' hands. "And you know what? I'm done talking. It's time for action."
"Wait! Guys, please!" Jean jumped in front of Ghira before he could leave. "Look, can't you two at least… say one nice thing about the other person? Something? Anything?!"
Ghira sighed before turning back towards his former enemy. "I always imagined you as a tyrant." He began with his arms crossed. "A madman hellbent on conquering those who didn't agree with his way of thinking. But now I know the truth; you're just a stubborn, arrogant, pathetic coward! And I honestly don't know which is worse."
"Oooh… that's a burn." Fox winced.
Lionheart squeezed the ball in his hand, baring his fangs as a low growl escaped his throat. "You want to know what your problem is, Ghira?! You're far too eager to die for what you believe in! When you felt humans mistreated Faunus, you joined the White Fang! When your leaders fell before you, you took their place! When you felt Menagerie's government had failed you, you started a rebellion! And now, when we find ourselves at our most vulnerable, you want to fight! Well, I can honestly say…!" Leonardo's expression softened, as did his grip on the ball. "That… I've never met a more courageous person… in all my life."
"What?" Ghira blinked.
"What?" Kali arched an eyebrow.
"What?" Jean shook her head before smiling. "I mean, good! That's good! Keep going!"
Leonardo looked down at his hands in shame. "I wish… I wish that I had a fraction of the courage you possess. If I did, then perhaps I'd have made a better leader. But I'm not. And I'm scared. Not just for myself, mind you, but also for my people."
"That's something we have in common." Ghira said with a bitter chuckle. "I was afraid for what would happen to my fellow Faunus - of what would happen to my family - if I didn't take action...and Adam Taurus took advantage of that fear. I knew he was a snake, and yet I still let him bite me, thinking I could use him the way he used me. At least with Roman Torchwick, you genuinely didn't know he was manipulating you."
"Actually, I think I did," Leonardo bitterly admitted. "I just choose to ignore it because I thought I could get some information out of him about our enemy's plans and/or that I could bring him around to a better way of thinking."
"Only for Roman to take advantage of your caring nature," Ghira remarked with a disgruntled sigh. "It seems we've both been fools who were trying to use the darkness that lay at our feet against our enemies, only for that darkness to infect us. We should've known that such a tactic would never truly have worked against the likes of Taurus and Torchwick."
"Indeed," the headmaster of Haven Academy declared. "So, what happens now? We can't just pretend that all this fighting never happened."
"Something that we should have been doing from the beginning," Ghira said with a serious expression as he took a gun out of his pocket...only to empty it of ammo and place it on the ground. "Opening the door to peace."
Leo nodded before doing the same with his own gun and holding out a hand. "Agreed," he declared as the two Faunus shook hands, solidifying their agreement.
Jean couldn't help but whip a tear of joy from her eye. "I love happy endings."
"Except that this isn't an 'ending' quite yet," Winter felt the need to point out. "We still have Taurus, Torchwick, and Barmak to deal with."
"I know that," Jean declared with a shrug. "But at least now things can't get any...NOPE! Nope, nope, nope! Not finishing that! Not finishing that sentence! I don't want Ruby berating me for using that trigger phrase!"
"She does like to do that a lot," Penelope said with a light chuckle.
Suddenly, the entire facility shook as a muffled explosion echoed from outside. "The fuck was that?!" Yang exclaimed.
"General Lionheart!" A voice shouted from the radio. "Enemy troops are attacking the capitol!"
"What?!" Ghira gasped.
"That's impossible!" Leonardo declared. "They'd never risk a bombing run!"
"They… they aren't." The messenger replied as he watched the mercenary forces parachute from their airships into the capitol's streets.
Meanwhile, back at the former rebellion stronghold, Mikhail angrily followed his wife into the Belladonna's house. "If you want me to provide surveillance, you have to communicate with me! And look! Your stitches have opened!"
"I know, I know!" Svetlana grumbled as she sat down. "I lost my scroll, alright?! The important thing is that we saved the platoon!"
"We got lucky!" Mikhail sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, all I'm saying is that if we want to continue this, we can't just rely on skill and determination. We're going to need better equipment."
The argument was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. The couple shared a confused glance before Svetlana answered it. To her surprise, a familiar green-haired doctor had arrived with a silver briefcase in hand. "Good evening, Mrs. Kashtonovvy."
"Dr. Oobleck." Svetlana greeted. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I couldn't help but think about what you told me earlier…" He began as he set the briefcase down on the kitchen table. "So, I thought you'd be interested in this."
Svetlana and Mikhail's eyes were locked onto the case's contents immediately after it was opened. Inside was a specialized outfit, complete with boots, gloves, and a protective helmet. "It was a little pet project I was working on while I was still employed at Beacon." He explained, proudly. "The fabric is a unique lightweight material designed to enhance your aura, making it nigh-indestructible. The helmet is fitted with protective lenses that will not only enhance your Huntress' Eyes, but also includes the latest in DNA-scanning technology, giving you all the tools needed to evaluate crime scenes. And the boots and gloves are equipped with one-inch retractable claws capable of climbing any terrain. You know, for… 'rock climbing.'"
"Dr. Oobleck…" Svetlana smiled in astonishment. "I-I don't know what to say."
"And to help ease your husband's worries, I also designed these." The doctor reached into his trench coat's pocket and presented the couple with two smaller devices. "These are two-way communication devices that fit directly in your ears. Now, you can keep both of your hands free, but still communicate with each other whilst you are… climbing rock. I'd just hate to see you get hurt again, Mrs. Kashtonovvy. Any comments, questions, or concerns?"
Svetlana shared a warm smile with Mikhail. "Does it come in red?"
Oobleck smirked. "I'll see what I can do."
"You know, sir…" Mikhail began. "If you are dissatisfied with your employment under Cordovin, my wife and I could use a man of your talents in rebuilding Rushland."
"We'd happily pay you a fair wage, Doctor." Svetlana agreed.
Oobleck smiled. "I just might take you up on that offer, Mrs. and Mr. Kashtonovvy."
Suddenly, the house trembled as the trio heard an explosion from the distance. But before they could investigate, a truck full of mercenaries came speeding down the road. Svetlana managed to push Mikhail and Oobleck out of the way just in time before the truck crashed into the house.
One of the attackers took out a whip and targeted Svetlana, but Mikhail managed to gun him down just in time, using his last round. Acting quickly, he rolled towards the whip and used it to trip up another mercenary while inadvertently pressing a button on the hilt. The whip sent a sudden jolt of electricity as it wrapped around the target's arm, causing him to open fire on a nearby water tower that soaked him, killing him, instantly.
Mikhail was most impressed. "... oh, I'm keeping this." He told himself.
As for Svetlana, she had gone ahead and slipped on the prototype, easily making good use of her enhanced aura. Her sickle - now in its grappling hook configuration - ensnared her enemies and pulled them closer to her as she knocked them unconscious with her hammer. All the while, the suit allowed her to shrug off their firepower with ease.
After the dust settled, the group had only one man left to question; the leader of the mercenaries. "We can do this the easy way…" Svetlana scraped her sickle against her hammer as Mikhail cracked his whip and Oobleck readied his flame-thrower. "Or the hard way. Who sent you?"
"An old friend…" The mercenary replied, coughing into his fist as if to stifle a laugh. "One who just needed us to keep you distracted for a few minutes."
"Wait, you wanted us to take out all of your men?!" Mikhail couldn't help but ask.
The leader of the insurgents simply gave an unsettling laugh in reply. "You might think you've won, but trust me, the chaos has only just begun." the intruder declared with an insane grin before shooting himself in the head to ensure they wouldn't get anymore information out of him.
"I...I don't understand." Oobleck couldn't help but call out.
"I do," Svetlana declared with a growl even as she took in the carnage and found it disturbingly familiar. "My mother thought that our troubles would be over after she had killed Loki, but one thing I've learned while dealing with him? He always has a backup plan. My guess is that this whole thing was just a distraction."
"A distraction from what, exactly?" General Lionheart couldn't help but ask, having apparently stumbled upon the group while dealing with some of the other insurgents with some of his men.
"Has anyone checked up on Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel lately?" The Crimson Crusader felt the need.
"Who are they?" Oobleck asked.
"In short, a mistress of fear, a two-faced crook, and a bane to all that is holy." Mikhail replied as the group quickly headed towards the Federation's holding cells.
Sure enough, when they got there, they found that the three prisoners were long gone, and in their place was a message - written in blood - that simply read "Be seeing you soon, Svetsy."
To Be Continued
