Chapter 50
"I can't believe Loki's alive." Yang couldn't help but call out, having been informed of what happened.
"I'm not sure that he is just yet, but whoever did this clearly knew how he operated." Svetlana declared with a deep frown. The Rushland native put on the helmet Oobleck had designed for her. "Now might be a good time to test out the detective capabilities…"
"Oh, c'mon! Are you kidding?" Yang motioned to the blood writing on the wall. "'See you soon, Svetsy?' All the senseless violence? It's totally his m.o.!"
"That may be. But it never hurts to check." With her Huntress Eyes enhanced by the helmet's lenses, Svetlana spotted her first clue in the form of one of the mutilated guards. "For instance, the blood under this one's fingernails is a match for her own. She was clawing at herself, as if she was trying to get at something…" She tapped on the communicator in her ear as she read the guard's dogtag. "Mikhail, I've identified one of the victims as Amber Silica. Pull up anything in her psychiatric file regarding fears."
"Just a moment, love." Mikhail replied. "Ah, here we are; Ms. Silica had an acute case of arachnophobia."
"She was afraid of spiders." Svetlana surmised. "But aside from Faunus, there aren't any kinds of spiders on Menagerie. So either Loki is alive and he's carrying a box of spiders, or our friend Emerald is running around."
"Whoa… okay that's pretty cool." Yang admitted before pointing at another victim. "What about him? Looks like he was just shot."
Svetlana scanned the blood-stained wall and the floor. "Hmm… the trajectory of the bullet indicates that the shooter could be a person of Loki's height, but these scratches on the floor suggest that the shooter was standing on one leg when he fired." Svetlana turned to face Yang. "Sound familiar?"
"Mercury." Yang growled, bitterly. "I knew that it was a bad idea to let him keep his prosthetics."
"You couldn't have known that this would happen." The Crimson Crusader reassured the Blonde Brawler. "And even if you did, we owed him the courtesy of letting him walk around his cell. Still, we'll have to remember to arrange some regular prosthetics so that he won't be able to use his guns like he did here."
The duo proceeded to the last five guards - all of whom were torn apart - and a large hole in the wall, surrounded by knuckle-shaped indents.
"I don't need to be a detective to know that this was done by hand." Yang called out as they looked at the busted up wall. "And there's only one person I know of who's big and strong enough to do something like this."
"Hazel." Svetlana said with a nod. Curious, she went back to the cell and gave it a thorough scan. As she'd hoped, she found one last clue sitting in the corner of the cell. It was a small metal box with a burnt out strobe light. "Loki, that tricky devil." She sneered. "He had some sort of contingency plan in place in case I had killed him. He created some sort of device that had the same madness-inducing capabilities as his semblance. He must have instructed his men to have it sent to Emerald and the others in the event of his death."
"So does that mean you'll have three Loki's gunning for you, now?" Yang gulped.
"Maybe not." Svetlana replied. "Looks like Loki wasn't too careful with his methods. This type of hypnotic technology affects the brain's memory center; causing severe damage to the victim's long-term memory over a period of time. I have no doubt I'll be seeing them again, but they won't be bothering Svetlana Kashtonovvy anytime soon."
"We'll still need to find them at some point." Yang couldn't help but point out. "Those three were dangerous before Loki pulled off his last trick, and something tells me that they'll be even more dangerous now that they've got Loki's madness running around their brains."
"Agreed," Svetlana said with a nod. "But first, there's something I need to do."
"Where are you going?" Yang couldn't help but ask as her friend began to walk off.
"I"m going to go have a talk with my mother...and before you say that I don't know where she is, I think I know how to draw her attention." the Crimson Crusader declared.
Meanwhile, Winter was up in a closed off portion of the Capital recovering from her earlier battle.
"Everything okay?" Penelope felt the need to ask as she walked up to her long time partner, the Federation having managed to get their hands on a duplicate of the original Penny's body for her to use.
"I'm doing fine, I suppose," Winter called back. "I just needed some time to think after everything that's happened. What about you?"
"Velvet gave me a...let's call it a clean bill of health." Penelope said with a shrug. "I'll need to take it easy for a bit so as to not damage myself further, but I should be good for duty in about a day or so."
"That's good to hear, though that actually reminds me: what happened back there?" Winter couldn't help but ask. "One minute you're with me, and the next you're gone."
Penelope could only sigh in response. "If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, I'm not failing if that's what you're worried about...but I have my limits."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you can't expect me to run all of your armor equipment at the drop of a hat!" Penelope declared with glare. "Don't let my appearance and temperament fool you: I'm not a young, brand new A.I.! I'm not a full Maiden: I'm just one of the fragments!"
Winter could wince at the anger in Penelope's voice. "Look, I'm sorry if I pushed you too far, but we can't use that as an excuse. We're going to need every advantage we can get!"
"Ohh, you're right!" Penelope sarcastically replied. "Would you like some holographic projections too? How about a time distortion while you fight? Or, ooh, we could get you a seat warmer! How about that?"
Winter simply shook her head in frustration. "You know what we're up against!"
"And you know what happened to the Meta!"
Needless to say, Winter had not been expecting that remark. "What did you just say?"
"She kept fighting for more and more power too, and in the end it got her killed," Penelope declared in a no-nonsense voice.
"Don't you ever talk about Cinder like you knew her!"
Upon remembering that Winter had known the late Fall Maiden prior to when Priscilla had corrupted her, Penelope merely shook her head in understanding. "I'm just trying to show you how close you're getting to crossing a very dangerous line: you're Winter Schnee, Agent White! You don't need all this fancy stuff to win! You're already the best!"
Winter merely gave a sad smirk in reply. "I appreciate the thought, Penny, I really do, but the only reason we survived the radio jammer is because Roman and Neo are insane! They could've killed Qrow, and they all could've done a lot more!"
Penelope, knowing that her friend/sister was referring to Adam and Hazel alongside Roman and Neo, gave a frustrated nod. "...but they didn't, so what does it have to do with anything anyway!?"
Winter sighs. "I told you when I went through the gateway that I saw the members of Project Guardsman... I had to watch them die." Hearing the gasp Penelope gave off, Winter simply nodded. "And after they were gone, I saw all of you. ...Qrow, Yang, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Team CFVY, and... Penny, for all the flaws that Project Guardsman had, I can't deny that whether Jacques intended to or not, it became like a family to me...I can't lose another one."
"You're scared." Winter and Penelope quickly turned to see General Lionheart approaching them, who flinched upon noticing their sudden movement, giving a nervous chuckle soon afterwards. "Er, forgive me, but I'm all too familiar with the feeling."
Winter merely gave a frustrated sigh in reply. "What are you doing here?"
"It's my favorite part of the Capital: just far enough away from everything," Leo said with a shrug. "I come here whenever I need a moment: it looks as though you had a similar idea?"
Penelope meanwhile quirked an eyebrow at Haven's headmaster. "Shouldn't you be in the center of town, behind seventy-eight inches of bulletproof everything!?"
"Oh, there's all sorts of things we should be doing," Leonardo said with a sigh. "We should be prepping our next move against the enemy, but instead we're here, standing around, talking."
"Yeah, you get used to it," Penelope declared with a snort.
Lionheart meanwhile chose to ignore that comment, instead giving Winter a comforting look. "You know, I believe it was the great Mark Twain who said: 'Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.' I don't believe those words have ever been more relevant."
"That's a good quote." Winter admitted with a light smile.
"Thank you." Lionheart nodded before his scroll rang. "Hello?"
"General Lionheart! Salem's forces have breached our defenses!" Dr. Ember shouted. "They'll be at the capitol any minute now! What are we going to do?!"
Leonardo looked out over the city he had been elected to protect, his home, before giving a resolute nod. "There's only one thing we can do at this point," he declared. "Evacuate the area: the capital itself can be rebuilt, but the people living in the capital aren't so easily replaced."
"Understood."
"And one more thing," General Lionheart called out. "Tell Melenie and Militia to come to my office: I wish to speak with them before the enemy forces arrive."
A few minutes later, Ghira and Kali led the rebels and federation troops out of the capitol through the sewer system while Winter and Qrow kept the invaders interested in staying inside the city. At last, the only ones left in need of evacuation were the Malachite twins.
"Are you sure about this?" Melenie couldn't help but ask.
"More certain than I have been of anything in a long time." Lionheart replied.
Militia simply nodded in return. "Alright, but for what it's worth, thank you for giving us a chance."
The Haven Headmaster turned General nodded in reply. "You're welcome. I'm just sorry that it took me so long to do so."
Back on Barmak's flagship, the trio of villains surveyed the assault on the capitol. Torchwick felt someone tap his shoulder, but when he turned to look, there was no one there. It wasn't until he felt someone sit in his lap that he understood what was going on. "There you are, you little minx." He smirked as he appeared to grab nothing in between his hands and roughly kiss the air. It was then that Neo dropped her semblance as she returned the kiss, holding up Menagerie's gauntlet towards Adam as she did.
"I believe this is what you were looking for?" Roman said after breaking the kiss.
"Indeed it is." Adam declared with a chuckle as he grabbed a hold of the gauntlet in question, a blade popping out as he did. "With this, the battle is all but over now."
Meanwhile, General Lionheart entered his office for what he knew would be the last time, taking a long look around as he did. Despite knowing what was going to happen, he couldn't help but feel scared, as there was no going back once he did this. As he looked towards where a tea set that he had brought along with him from Haven Academy used to be set up, Leonardo couldn't help but give a dry chuckle. "I hope those kids from Beacon take good care of your gift for me, Ozpin." With that he reached for his radio and made one last command to those under his command.
"This is General Leonardo Lionheart to all Federal troops." The lion Faunus gave a tired sigh as he spoke into the radio. "Salem's forces are swarming the capitol as I speak. In order for this plan to work, I have volunteered to stay behind. I… I know I haven't been much of a leader. But I like to think there were some who believed that I truly wanted what was best for those I was elected to protect. And so, as my last command as general of the Menagerie Federation, I hereby pass full leadership to Generals Ghira and Kali Belladonna. My other message is to the aforementioned generals whom I've come to see as wonderful companions; I know we didn't always see eye-to-eye, but you inspired me to be a better leader. And so, all I have left to say is this; if you two should fall in battle, you'd better be damn sure those you leave behind will be able to carry on without you… I know I am. General Lionheart signing off."
At last, the mercenaries barged into the room, circling the Faunus with their weapons aimed directly at him. The lead mercenary removed his mask to reveal a sinister grin. "It's over, old man." He sneered. "You should be flattered. My men have surrounded this entire city just to get to one man."
"I think your eyes need work, my boy." Leonardo glared. "Because where you see one man… I see four!"
"Four?" The mercenary leader scanned the room, looking for anyone trying to save their target. It wasn't until he spotted the C-4 explosives lining the building that he looked back in horror. "Torchwick!" He cried out over the radio. "It's a trap. This entire capitol is rigged to explode!"
"What?!" Adam and the others paled in fear back on the ship.
"Get us out of here!" Torchwick ordered the pilots, who hastily turned the flagship away from the capitol.
Back in the war room, Lionheart smiled - feeling very brave for the first time in so long - as he lifted the detonator. "When you get to hell, tell them Leonardo sent you! And then apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience!"
Neo hugged Roman, tightly, as the flagship was knocked through the sky from the explosion. Barmak and Adam just barely managed to get it under control to survive the ordeal. Once the danger had passed and the initial shock had worn off, Adam chortled to himself. "Well… that was a close one." He remarked, taking out the key to the Temple of the Purge. "Now, all that's left to do is head over to the Temple and-"
"Could you for once show some tact?" Roman sneered. "We just lost most of our men."
"Okay, less checks to write out. They knew what they were getting into when they signed up." Suddenly, a familiar blue specter appeared before the villains. Adam smiled. "Ah, just the person I was looking for."
Elsa sighed. "If you now possess the Key of Menagerie, it means that you are worthy. The Temples of this island will be unlocked if you desire."
"That's good to hear." Adam secured the gauntlet to his left wrist. "So, when we enter the Temple of the Purge-"
"The Purge should only be activated by the true wielder of my key, and only if the beings who inhabit Menagerie are unworthy of my gifts!" Elsa stressed.
"Trust me, they are." Adam promised. "I just want to make sure we won't be killed when we activate it."
Elsa sighed. "All those inside the Temple will be spared from its effects."
"Great. Then let's get a move on. Barmak, you get back to the command deck and monitor our progress." Adam ordered. "I've got a Temple to unlock."
As the cruel Bull Faunus marched away towards the Manta, and Barmak left towards the command deck, Roman and Neo remained behind with the malcontent Winter Maiden. "When your kind first approached my Temple of Isolation, I was skeptical of you… but… is it true that you work for my mother?"
"Uh… yes, but… she's not here right now." Roman replied.
"I see…" Elsa sighed, sadly. "Well, when you see her again, tell her that… that I wish she could have still loved me and my sisters… as I still love her."
"I… sure, I'll tell her." Roman nodded. "But, before you go, I have to ask; it was you who put on that show at your temple, right? You saw what we saw?"
"I did, indeed."
"Then… what did Adam Taurus see? What is he afraid of?"
Elsa's eyebrow arched as she began to vanish. "Isn't it obvious?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Roman couldn't help but ask even as Neo gave a shrug in reply.
Meanwhile, the surviving rebels and federation troops had rallied back at the rebels' former stronghold. Ghira couldn't help but look back at the rising pillar of smoke that signaled the aftermath of the capitol's explosion. "Kali…?" He sighed, remorsefully.
Kali gently rested a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Yes, Ghira?"
"... Leonardo was a-" He was cut off by someone crashing a warthog into their house. "SON OF A BITCH!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Ilia shouted from the driver's seat. "Ugh! Why are there so many pedals on this thing?!"
With no more time to waste, everyone was getting ready for battle. "So we all understand the plan, right?" Raven asked while cleaning her repaired katana.
"Yeah, we go in, we deal with Adam Taurus and Roman Torchwick, we get out." Sun said with a shrug.
"That's...a bit more simplified than what we're intending here, but not inaccurate." Raven could help but say with a shocked blink.
The monkey faunus could only give a dry chuckle in response. "Well, I grew up in Vacuo, so I know how this sort of thing usually works: make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan."
"Again, he's not entirely wrong." Jaune said with a shrug. "In the meantime, though, we still have Barmak to worry about: so long as he's still disguised as the late General Ironwood, he can pull some pretty nasty strings if we're not careful."
"Which is why we'll be sending a team after him to make sure that he won't be able to pull those strings in the first place." Winter felt the need to call out. "We need to split up. One team will go and attack Barmak's ship while the others join Qrow and I on taking down the Temple of the Purge."
"I'll handle Barmak." Yang volunteered.
"Not without me you won't." Blake added.
"Or me." Raven smirked.
A few minutes later, the teams had finished dividing up when Qrow got back from reconnaissance. "What's going on?"
"We're about to leave for our attack on Barmak's ship." Raven explained. "Yang and Blake are leading the raid, and Team CFVY volunteered to join us, while Team JNPR will be aiding Weiss, Winter, and the lieutenants in the assault on Roman and Adam."
Qrow smiled. "Well, good luck to you all. Not that you'll need any considering how well you've handled yourselves in the past."
"Wait… what's going on with you?" Raven crossed her arms as her gaze hardened on her twin.
"Me? Nothing." Qrow denied.
"No, no, Raven's right. You're being awfully nice." Pyrrha added.
"I just want you all to know how proud you've all made me." Qrow smiled, awkwardly.
"... you think were gonna fucking die!" Ren gasped in horror.
"No, I don't!" Qrow rapidly shook his head.
"Yes, you do! Ren's right!" Nora agreed. "You're getting all sentimental and shit!"
"Guys, relax! You'll be fine." Qrow promised. "You're some of the best fighters I ever knew."
"What the hell is with that past tense bullshit?!" Jaune shouted.
"Guys, as long as you stick together, you'll be fine. What unit are you in?"
"Ha! Volunteered for the front lines!" Raven replied, proudly.
"YOU WHAT?!" Yang shouted. "MOM!"
"Okay! Uh, look on the bright side…" Qrow clenched his fist with an awkward smile.
"When you say that, you're supposed to follow up with the brightside!" Blake screamed, angrily.
"I know!" Qrow sighed, exasperated.
"I've got one," Penelope declared with a smile. "We've already beaten Bamak once, and we've got a lot more people this time around, so maybe this will be easy."
"Better not let Ruby hear you say that," Yang said with a teasing grin, before frowning as she realized something. "Speaking of which, where is Ruby, anyways?"
"I'm pretty sure she's currently running some maintenance on Freckles before the final battle." Qrow said with a shrug.
Weiss nodded. "I'll go ahead and get her then: we'll need all the help we can get on this one."
"I'm coming with you then," Yang declared. "With the Capital a smoldering pile of rubble and our enemies still running free, it's not safe to go anywhere alone...and besides, you aren't the only one to care about my sister."
"Fair enough," Weiss said with a nod. "I wasn't going to argue anyways, but thanks for giving me even more of a reason not to."
"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Yang couldn't help but ask after the two of them had gotten some distance from the others.
"I'd be surprised if it was." Weiss declared. "Still, with Jasmine, Alex, and the other benevolent Doppelgangers a whole content away and us wanting to keep Holly hidden unless absolutely necessary, we don't have a choice but to do this way, easy or not."
"Yeah, that's fair," Yang said with a shrug. "But at least I can count on Ruby and her pet robot to help out in our mission."
"Yeah, I...hey, wait a minute: what makes you so sure that Ruby and Freckles will be helping you and not me?!" Weiss couldn't help but growl out.
"Don't get me wrong: you two are getting along quite well," Yang declared with a calming gesture, "but let's face it: Ruby and Freckles will only help out on one of our missions, and I know for a fact that she'll want to take part in the battle against Barmak."
"She's already taken down his alternate future self, though," Weiss argued. "She's only going to get the chance to take down Adam the one time." She couldn't help the coy smirk that spread over her lips. "Plus, who do you think she'll want to help more? Her sister? Or the woman who took her virginity?"
"Uh, technically, we took her virginity together." Penelope appeared with her arms crossed, looking a bit irritated as she did. "I'm an immortal elemental being and you don't see me taking unnecessary credit in regards to my love life."
Weiss shot a sheepish grin towards the fragmented Summer Maiden. "Hehe: sorry Penny."
Penelope just shrugged. "It's fine: I'm still a ghost, so it's not like I can get hurt."
Weiss shook her head as Penelope disappeared again. "Okay, mental note: find some time to make things up to Penny later, but for now, we're getting off topic, here."
Realizing that her teammate had a point, Yang simply gave the Schnee heiress a grin. "Well then, I suppose there's only one way to settle this."
"Indeed." Weiss said with a nod, getting into a fighting stance. "Ready when you are."
"What?! No, we need to save our strength for the bad guys," Yang remarked with a shocked expression. "I was just going to butter Ruby up so that she'd want to come with me more."
Weiss could only give a laugh that was equal parts embarrassment and amusement as she dropped her fighting stance. "So you're going to bribe her? Please: us Schnees are experts at that sort of thing. ...wait, that didn't come out right."
"Well then, we'll just have to wait and see, Miss Expert." Yang called out with a grin, before quickly gaining a frown. "Would you have actually fought me if that was what it would take to be with my sister?"
"Yeah, why?"
Yang simply simply. "Nothing: I guess I'm just glad to learn my future sister-in-law isn't all talk."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Weiss said with a blush.
Meanwhile, Svetlana, having traveled to an old decommissioned military base just outside the capital, got off the Mongoose she had borrowed and walked up to the door, glaring as she did. "I know you're in there, and you've got a lot of explaining to do!"
Despite a camera zooming in on her - showcasing that someone was indeed there - there was no sign that anyone was coming out, which caused her glare to harden. "I know you killed Loki! No one else would have as much reason and skill as I do to sneak into the base and kill that bastard, denying him a trial in the process. How could you?! I know he was a bastard, but this isn't the justice you were always trying to teach me to uphold as a child, and you know it!"
Svetlana scoffed as the camera turned away from her. "Yeah, that's what I thought: you didn't care about that. If you did, you'd be out looking for his three replacements."
"Wait, what?!" Natalia's voice called out over an old intercom. "What do you mean 'replacements'!?"
"So you are here." Svetlana sarcastically remarked. "Figured as much: this is the only abandoned base on the island that would have the equipment you needed. Anyways, to answer your question, Loki had a failsafe in place in case someone ended up killing him: now three of the deadliest assassins in the world are even deadlier because you couldn't let go of a grudge."
"That's not...you don't know what you're talking about!" Natalia called out.
"Don't I?" Svetlana asked. "You could have come home at any time, but no: you were so focused on killing Loki that you didn't even acknowledge that he'd purposely left me alive in the fire he started. That he was hoping I'd turn out like him when I got older. That I'd turn out like you."
"That's...I didn't…"
"Ironically enough, I have a friend back at base who went through something similar." the Crimson Crusader remarked, her mind turning to Yang and Raven as she did. "And yet despite everything, her mother actually turned out to be a decent person and had an actual reason for disappearing. I can't help but envy her because of that, seeing how my mother never came home even after she reappeared in my life."
"Hey, Svets, you there?" Mikhail's voice suddenly called out over her com-systems. "We need you back at base: we're getting ready for the final battle."
"I"ll be right there," Svetlana declared before taking out her scroll and typing in a couple messages before glaring back at the door. "I'm sending you two sets of coordinates, Natalia: the first is where I've determined is the most likely location that Mercury, Emerald, and Hazel are right now. If you hurry, you might be able to stop Loki's legacy for good. The second is where I'll be heading, as we've got more immediate concerns right now."
Svetlana then sighed as she reflected on her earlier conversation with Ciel. "A friend once told me that our choices are what define us in life, and now you have one: you'll only have enough time to reach one of those coordinates before things get too heated, and odds are that the people you'd be looking for will be long gone the next day if you end up choosing one over the other. I won't try and force you to come back, though. I could, mind you - I've already identified five different ways that I could enter that base right now and fight you directly - but I won't." With that, she sent her mother the coordinates before she turned and left, leaving Natalia to think on the two sets of coordinates she'd been given.
Back at the base, Yang and Weiss were getting ready for what would likely be their greatest challenge to date.
"You ready?" Weiss asked as she stretched.
"Hell yeah, I'm ready." Yang smirked, pushing against her back. "Ready to have the killer robot laser on my team!"
"We'll see about that…" Weiss smirked. "Ready? One… two… three!"
"RUBY!" They both shouted.
"Hello?" Ruby popped out from around the corner, confused as to why her sister and girlfriend had called her at the same time.
"Ruby! C'mere, Ruby!" Yang patted on her thighs in a beckoning manner. "Come say 'hi' to your darling sister!"
"No, no! Ruby! Over here!" Weiss blew kisses at the hooded huntress. "Come to me! Ruby! Ruby!"
Ruby tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy. "Yes. I am Ruby. Why are you saying my name?"
"Ruby! You wanna go take on Barmak with my team?!" Yang asked, enthusiastically. "I'll let you be the first one to stab him for raping me!"
"Oh, well, he has had that coming for a long time!" Ruby started walking towards her sister.
"No, Ruby, come with my team!" Weiss insisted. "Then you'll get to beat up Adam!"
"Oh, well, he deserves a good pounding, too!" Ruby changed direction, headed for her girlfriend.
"No! Ruby, if you come with me, I'll help you organize your puppy calendars!" Yang promised.
"Oh! Well, maybe we can scrapbook!" Ruby smiled as she moved closer to Yang.
"Wait! Ruby! I'll teach you how to read a calendar!" Weiss countered.
"Oh, well, I never thought of that." Ruby nodded, moving back towards Weiss.
"Hang on!" Yang smiled, mischievously. "Ruby, if you come with my team I'll let you drive the tank whenever you want!"
"Oh! That sounds fun!" Ruby practically skipped back towards Yang.
"Wha-?! Yang! You can't do that!" Weiss spluttered.
"Why not?" Yang shrugged as her sister got closer. "You never ruled out lying."
"Wait! Hang on! Ruby! Wouldn't you rather come fight with me?! Your waifuuuuuhh…" Weiss felt as if she was about to throw up. Ruby gasped in shock, wondering if her girlfriend was finally going to admit that she was her waifu. "Y-your wai… your waif… I can't. I just can't do it. Forget it. She's all yours, Yang."
"YES!" Yang pumped her fists.
Weiss just groaned in response as she began to walk off. "Oh, Weiss, you utter dolt: sure it's silly, but why can't you just admit that Ruby's your waifu!?"
"Sold!" Ruby yelled out.
"Wait, what?"
Ruby smirked as she pulled Weiss into a hug. "I know how hard it would be to say that to my face, so I waited to see if you might say it to yourself, given that I have a feeling that it's easier to admit these things to yourself than to me directly."
Weiss, knowing that Mental-Weiss was winking at her from within Ruby's head, simply smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you."
"But...the tank…" Yang couldn't help but call out.
"Yeah, sorry, sis," Ruby said with a glare, "I'd rather be with my honest girlfriend than my lying sister."
Yang just groaned in reply. "You win this round, Ice Queen."
"I don't think it counts," Weiss called out. "I just got lucky, and besides, I know just how important a sibling bond is, and as such, I'm fairly certain that Ruby will forgive you if you give her some time to cool down."
Yang blinked upon hearing this, before chuckling. "Showing humility in the face of victory: you really aren't like Jacques Schnee."
"Only thanks to you and the others," Weiss declared with a light smile, "but thanks."
Some time later, Ruby and the others had gathered around the Temple of the Purge...unaware that Adam was already prepared to activate said Temple. "At long last," the sword wielding bull faunus declared as he approached the Temple's console. "The war for Menagerie. Ends. NOW!" With that he slammed the fist containing the gauntlet Neo had brought him down upon the console...only to discover that the Temple had remained inactive.
"...why isn't it doing anything?!" Adam growled out in frustration.
"I told you: only the true wielder may use my key to activate the Temple, and you are not the true wielder." Elsa declared with a dry look.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure he is," Roman declared. "After all, Neo delivered the gauntlet to him personally."
"Exactly."
Adam froze as the pieces fell in place before him. "I...I'm not the one you were calling 'worthy' earlier."
"My key binds itself to the aura of the first worthy person who touches it." Elsa said with a nod. "And even if I disagree with some of the methods of her boss and herself, I must admit that her sense of integrity and loyalty remind me quite a bit of those I've served before. Even if she failed my test at the Temple of Isolation, Miss Neo Politan has proven to be far more pure and noble than most of your men, Adam Taurus."
Needless to say, Adam was not happy to hear this. "Say one more word, and I swear I'll…"
"Oh, relax," Elsa declared with a roll of her eyes. "I'll still let you activate my Temple if you bring her before me, but I believe a word of warning is in order: even with Miss Politan present, it'll take a couple of hours or so for the Purge to be ready to activate: even for a Maiden like myself, generating enough energy to wipe out an entire island's population isn't something that just happens, and should the process of generating that energy be interrupted, the Temple may not survive the feedback loop."
Adam just gave a frustrated sigh in reply. "Well, at least it's something...and don't worry: the process won't be interrupted."
"Wanna bet?!" A voice called out. The trio of mercenaries looked across the bridge to see two former Guardsmen and a handful of rebels. Weiss drew Myrtenaster and aimed it directly at her opponents. "This is as far as you get!"
"Oh, this ought to be fun." Adam sneered as he handed the gauntlet back to Neo and drew his own sword.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Qrow grumbled.
"Oh, please," Winter said with a roll of her eyes. "You wouldn't have it any other way."
Qrow merely gave a bitter chuckle in reply. "Touche."
With that, the Guardsmen took the lead, rushing towards Roman with their weapons draw. On instinct, Neo leapt over her long-time companion to confront them. Adam attacked Ruby and Weiss. That left Roman to face the lieutenants.
"Let's see how well you do without your girlfriend!" Sun laughed as he and the other lieutenants rushed the mob boss.
Roman smirked as he effortlessly dodged Sun and Saber's weapons. Using his cane to hook Sun's wrist and pull it towards Saber's face, knocking the gerbil faunus aside. Ilia cracked her Lightning Lash at Roman's feet, but he managed to jump up at just the right time, causing the whip to smack a pile of dirt into Mata's eyes. Aiming blind, Mata accidentally shot Ilia with his weapon, incapacitating her. Roman swung his cane around just as Sun got back up to charge at him and stepped on his chest.
"You honestly thought I made Neo do all the dirty work?" Roman chuckled as he aimed the barrel of his cane at Sun's face. "Nuh-uh. There's a reason I'm called a gentleman thief."
Sun merely smirked. "Oh, I know: just a shame that I don't share your manners." And that was all the warning Roman got before Sun slammed his foot upwards, attempting to kick Torchwick in the one spot where, Aura or not, it was bound to hurt. Needless to say, various other men on both sides of the fight all winced in sympathy. However, the monkey Faunus' eyes widened in horror as he saw that his foot had not connected with the targeted area. Torchwick had once again used his cane to block Sun's foot, trapping him by the ankle as he glared at him.
"Now that… was uncalled for." Roman remarked before using his free hand to deliver a bone-crushing punch to Sun's groin. He then proceeded to step over the recovering Faunus and aim his weapon at Mata and Saber. "Okay… who's next?"
As if to answer his question, he found himself knocked off his feet by a mysterious assailant, giving the two lieutenants the chance to check on their companions. Once Roman got back to his feet, however, he found that said assailant was nowhere to be seen. "Spread out! Search the Temple! We're not alone..." he called out to his men.
A squad of mercenaries activated the floodlights on their weapons and spread out through the temple. Suddenly, a sickle flew through the air, slicing one of the guns in half before a hammer knocked the disarmed mercenary unconscious. Another mercenary felt something pierce his back as it fired a grappling hook at a wooden crate and pulled it towards him. A third mercenary was now very much afraid of whatever was hunting them. He decided to pair up with another companion, but just as he reached out, the hammer incapacitated his intended partner.
"WHERE ARE YOU!?" the lone mercenary still standing couldn't help but yell out in frustration.
"Here." The mercenary barely even had enough time to scream in terror before he was knocked out by a mysterious stranger.
There was only one mercenary left, now. "Who are you?!" He cried out, fearfully. Suddenly, something wrapped around his ankle and hoisted him up into the Temple's rafters. Much to his horror, he found himself face-to-face with a mysterious stranger garbed in red and black.
The woman used her free hand to grab the scruff of the mercenary's shirt and pull him close. "I am justice." She growled. "I am the darkness! I am Krasnaya!" With a quick right hook, she knocked the mercenary out and used her sickle to grapel down to the ground.
"Nice timing, Svetlana!" Weiss called out, happily.
Svetlana couldn't help the agitated sigh that escaped her lips. "Thank you, Weiss. You just revealed my secret identity to the bad guys."
"What secret identity? We're hunters and huntresses, not superheroes." Mata couldn't help but call out.
"Not with that attitude." Jaune and Pyrraha declared simultaneously.
"Well, personally, I don't care what you're called," one Adam Taurus called out as he readied his sword. "I won't let you get in the way of my destiny."
"The only destiny that exists is the one we make for ourselves." Krasnaya declared, getting into a fighting position. "And I'll see to it that you burn for all the innocent lives you've threatened."
"You just don't get it, do you?" Adam growled out as he removed his mask, revealing the SCC brand over his right eye. "There are no innocent lives: there are only those with power and those who grovel in the dirt, and I refuse to grovel."
"I beg to differ." Krasnaya growled as she threw her hammer at the Bull Faunus' sword.
"Meow," Mikhail couldn't help but declare as he observed his wife going to town on the mercenaries before using his new whip to subdue some of the enemy forces. Eventually, Adam tried to take on the Rushland native, himself. But Mikhail proved to be much more agile than he appeared to be, and easily dodged his opponent's sword. At last, he kicked the evil faunus to the ground and wrapped the end of his whip around his ankle. But just before he tried to pull his captive over the side of the bridge, Adam grabbed the still-recovering Sun by the tail. Mikhail managed to plant his feet firmly on the bridge, saving the both of them.
"You drop me, you drop him!" Adam sneered.
"DO NOT DROP HIM!" Sun shouted, desperately.
With all of his strength, Mikhail managed to throw the two faunus back onto the bridge, separating them as they landed.
"That's it! I'm going to…" ...and that's as far as Adam got before he found himself blown back by an RPG.
"Get away from my daughter!" Natalia yelled out, her weapon still smoking from use as she did.
"You...you came." Svetlana couldn't help but declare, joyful tears streaming from her eyes as she did.
Natalia nodded. "Years ago, I made the mistake of walking out on you to chase a vendetta: I wasn't about to make that same mistake twice."
"Who are you supposed to be?" one of the mercenaries couldn't help but ask.
"Your worst nightmare." Natalia remarked as she got into a fighting stance.
Mikhail smiled as he saw his wife fighting alongside her mother. He was just about to charge at another mercenary when the four lieutenants tackled him instead. But that didn't stop the Rushland man from offering helpful advice. "Punch him in the jugular!" He suggested, wincing as Ilia punched the merc in the stomach. "The jugular!" He repeated, growing slightly annoyed as Saber and Mata punched their opponent in both shoulder blades. At last, he stamped his foot, furiously. "Punch him in the gods-damned throat!"
At last, the mercenary gagged and passed out after Sun punched him in the correct area. "Why didn't you just say so?!"
In no time at all, Adam, Roman, and Neo saw that their forces had been defeated.
"Getting tired, Adam?" Sun quipped. "Makes sense that Blake would break up with you if you don't have any stamina. Bow chicka bow wow!"
"I'm not tired!" Adam angrily scoffed in reply. "You're tired! I could do this all day!"
"Yeah…" Qrow smirked as he crossed his arms. "We were counting on that."
"... the fuck does that mean?!" Adam groaned in frustration. "What is it with you people and the cryptic one-liners?!"
"What he means is; we don't have to beat you…" Winter replied, smugly. "We just have to waste your time."
Roman and Neo shared a concerned glance. "What're you saying?"
"She's saying…" Penelope finally revealed herself, mimicking her friends' smug expressions. "You've already lost."
Adam snorted. "Oh, really? And when exactly did that happen?"
"The moment General Leonardo Lionheart blew your entire army to hell."
"Wait, what?!"
"You see, we may have lost our base, but you guys left yours wide open!"
At that very moment, Yang's team had infiltrated Barmak's ship. The sinister Doppelganger fearfully scrambled to the command deck as his ship detonated in multiple areas. Unfortunately, his attackers caught on to what he was doing and cut him off.
"You won't beat me!" the disguised Barmak growled out. "I will be the one to harness the power of the Savior! I will be the one to harness power that will make humans and Doppelgangers alike quake in fear. I will be the one…"
"Ah, shut up!" Raven called out as she suddenly sent a stream of flames towards the rogue Doppelganger...only to freeze in place as she realized that she hadn't used her sword or dust to do so. "Wha...what?!"
"Looks like you still have access to some of the Maiden's magic after all." Yang declared with a grin.
Raven could only give a faint smile as she remembered how she could still turn into a bird despite being hit with Ozpin's spell. "Yeah: I guess I just needed a good reason to use it… like putting a traitorous Doppelganger in his place."
"You are the traitors!" Barmak called out in a fit of rage even as he struggled to get back up. "You preach about wanting peace, and then you go to war with the first enemy you see! You talk about unity, and yet I see a woman who's proof that you humans will abandon one another at the first opportunity! You talk about wanting to protect people, and yet here we stand over a temple dedicated to destruction that is being fought over even as we speak. Humans don't deserve the power of the Maidens! Humans don't deserve to live!"
"You're right about one thing, Barmak," Blake declared as she readied her sword. "Whether it's humans or Faunus you're speaking of, we are all very flawed individuals, but at least we're able to admit those flaws. Meanwhile, you betrayed Jasmine when it was convenient for you and wrote it off as being for the sake of your own ambition. You openly despise humans, and yet you aren't afraid to work with them to achieve your goals. Maybe we don't deserve the power of the Maidens, but we certainly have more right to it than a shisno like you."
"You dare...you dare talk to me that way?!" Barmak all but snarled out. "I'll deliver your corpses to Jasmine for that!"
Despite the obvious treat, Blake merely sidestepped the malicious Doppelganger as he lunged at her. "I fail to see how you were once Jasmine's advisor: you're far too easily distracted."
"And you are too quick to assume that you've already achieved victory!" Barmak declared as he charged the former White Fang member.
As it turned out, such a move had been exactly what Blake had been hoping for, as she sidestepped the Doppelganger once again before she, Yang, and Raven all opened fire on him, taking out the controls as they did, causing the place to lurch towards the Temple below.
Needless to say, Bamak had not been expecting this. "What?!" That was literally all he could say before Raven had frozen him to a nearby wall.
"Like my daughter-in-law said, you're far too easily distracted," Raven called out, her daughter nodding in agreement.
"You wanted the power to make humans and Grimm alike quake in fear, Barmak?" Yang growled out even as Raven got ready to portal them away. "It's all yours!"
As the airship approached the Temple of the Purge, Barmak - having been momentarily stunned by this tactic - could only let out a tired sigh as he dropped his disguise as the group portaled away at the last moment. "Oh, son of a bitch…" He muttered.
Meanwhile, Adam could only watch in horror as the airship Barmak had been controlling came crashing down upon the Temple of the Purge. "Get behind me!" the bull faunus shouted to his partners in crime as he threw up his shield.
"Penny!" Winter yelled, keeping her team behind her.
"On it!" The fragmented Summer Maiden put all her strength into shielding her friends with a wall of thick ice.
Unfortunately, despite their combined efforts, they weren't able to keep everyone safe. Case in point, several of Adam and Roman's men found themselves crushed by falling debris, and a certain Rushland native found herself nearly being taken out by a giant block of ice that fell off the wall that Penelope had created...only to be saved her mother, who pulled her out of the way at the last moment. Unfortunately, and to the Crimson Crusader's horror, Natalia wasn't as lucky.
"No…" Svetlana wept, silently. "Mom… I'm so sorry."
"Don't blame yourself… it's not your fault." Natalia replied, weakly. In spite of her breaths growing weaker, the Rushand native managed to smile. "I see him… I can see your father…"
Svetlana sniffled before giving a bittersweet smile. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again. Just be sure to let him know that I'll be sure to make you both proud."
Natalia merely gave a light chuckle even as she shook her head in response. "You already have, my daughter. ...you already have." With that, she breathed her last.
"Touching, but it hardly matters." Roman declared as he and his remaining colleges got back to their feet, all of them taking note of how, despite all the damage, the Temple was still standing.
"Did you really think that would destroy the Temple of the Purge?!" Adam couldn't help but call out with an arrogant laugh.
Weiss simply shrugged. "I'll admit that we hoped that might happen, but here's the thing: we didn't need that crash to destroy the temple: you already provided the means to do it for us."
"What are you…?" Adam froze as the answer came to him. "Winter Maiden, please tell me that the process hasn't been interrupted."
"First off, my name is Elsa," the spirit declared, "and I'd love to tell you that, but I'm not a fan of lying. Oh, and the temple will self-destruct in less than five minutes."
"Right, not much time then." Winter declared, activating her com-system as she did. "Raven, we need a portal out of here asap."
"Let's get going, people." Raven called out as she acknowledged Agent White's request.
Blake nodded. "Alright, but first…" With that she whipped out a gun and shot Adam in the chest. "That was for Polu Shark, you bastard."
"...and this is for leaving me on that train." Adam called as he moved to return the favor...only to find himself frozen in shock as he found his gun cut in half by Ruby's scythe. "Wha...WHAT!? How...what are you?!"
"Haven't you heard?" Winter said with a smile, briefly seeing someone else in place of where the red cloaked huntress was currently standing. "She's the Grimm Reaper."
"What?!" Ruby called out. "But I'm not…"
"Trust me." Weiss' sister declared. "If Maria were here, she'd say that you've more than earned the right to that title."
"As heartwarming as this is, we should really get going." Raven declared, having opened a portal to the Belladonnas' house.
Meanwhile, Adam could only groan as the Temple of the Purge began to glow, his allies having all made the smart move of evacuating while he was busy dealing with the Schnees and company, having realized too late what had happened. "Oh, son of a…" ...and that was as far as he got before the Temple exploded.
"I'm really sorry about your Mom," Yang said sometime later, currently doing her best to comfort Svetlana in the aftermath of the battle, "but for what it's worth, you'll always have a home with my Mom and the rest of us. We outsiders have to stick together, after all."
Svetlana wiped her eyes and stood up to join her friends.
"Do you think Adam's gone now?" Yang couldn't help but ask her wife.
"Somehow, I doubt it," Blake called out.
As if to prove her point, back at the remains of the Temple of the Purge, a certain bull Faunus had finally managed to crawl out of the rubble that he'd been buried in. Adam Taurus, bruised and battered but alive, could only growl as he took in the sight of the destroyed Temple, letting out an anguished yell of rage as he did.
To Be Continued
