a/n: Sorry for the delay. I had some real trouble with the middle portion of this chapter thanks to the political climate making it hard for me to focus. Fortunately, I was able to get this to a satisfactory ending point. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Chapter 9: The Best Laid Plans: Part 2: All Fall Down
Shatter and Dropkick flew over the Forever Fall Forest, Winter seated in Shatter's co-pilot seat, the sun nearing the horizon.
"So, how exactly did Cybertron's government work?" Winter asked.
"Prior to Megatron declaring Martial Law in light of the Civil War, the planet was divided into thirteen sectors. Twelve of those sectors were under the jurisdiction of an elected councilor, and the High Council shared jurisdiction of the thirteenth sector, the Capitol. The High Council decided who held the Matrix, but the Council was dissolved upon the Autobot's theft of the Matrix.", one for Mantle, and one for Atlas Academy
"So… Kinda like how the Kingdom Councils work then," Winter remarked, "One elected official for every city in the Kingdom's borders, plus the Headmaster running the Huntsman Academy."
"Yeah, except whoever wielded the Matrix reigned supreme," Dropkick added over Shatter's radio, "The council mostly just did whatever he wanted."
"So an improved version of Atlas' government, then…" Winter remarked.
"Oh?" Shatter remarked.
"When the council system was first established, my Kingdom only had one city, Mantle, which meant that the Council only had two Councilors, one for the city and the other for the Kingdom, who were constantly at each other's throats," Winter explained, "Eventually, the two realized that they needed at least one more seat on the Council to keep the Kingdom from falling apart. While they at first planned to divide Mantle into two cities, General Lagune of the Mantlite Military convinced them to give the Military a permanent seat on the Council instead. Ever since then, the General has had a vote in all Council Decisions."
"Lagune sounds like a very wise man…" Shatter remarked as she checked the historical records Starscream had uploaded into Trypticon's computers, noticing that Lagune was a self-serving gloryhound who got himself killed trying to fist-fight a Beowolf after single-handedly losing the Faunus war.
"... He was a good politician," Winter replied with a tone that told Shatter that even the professional pede-polisher's blind nationalism had limits, "Regardless, he did set the stage for far better men to improve our Kingdom's standing after he stepped down. Especially when a seat on the Council was pre-emptively set aside for the Headmaster to prevent further gridlock upon the founding of the city of Atlas."
"We're nearing the landing site!" Dropkick announced.
"And is there any particular reason why we can't just go after the White Fang and kill two birds with one stone?" Winter asked.
"Because if B-127 teams up with the White Fang, their numbers might be enough to overwhelm our firepower advantage," Shatter replied, "And if he doesn't, he could use the White Fang as a distraction and slip away with his homing beacon. We must be careful not to lose sight of what's truly important." The fact that their allies were using the White Fang as pawns was filed under "things Atlas must never learn" as she lowered herself into the clearing to drop off Winter. Soon, frosty Nevermore facsimiles patrolled the woods.
"Are you sure that will suffice?" Shatter asked through Winter's Scroll.
"My Summons are linked to and controlled by my Aura," the Special Operative replied, "If I focus, I can see through their eyes and channel my Semblance through them if any of them see B-127 or Miss Xiao Long. So, I'll need you to watch my back while they're searching!"
"Sure, sure…" Dropkick replied as Winter closed her eyes and sat down.
Your days are numbered, B-127, she thought.
Blake Belladonna was not having a good day. Between the reminder of what she had given up to rejoin the White Fang, the paranoia resulting from the robots in disguise she had encountered a couple of nights prior, the fact that the High Leader still hadn't gotten back to them about Razorclaw, and that one green Creep that had blown itself up when she stabbed it, there weren't many ways the day could possibly get worse.
So naturally, a Beowolf Alpha, a couple of Ursai, and way more Beowolves than she could count showed up dangerously close to the camp right when Adam left to deal with an Ursa Major and the Grimm it had rallied on the other side of camp, leaving her and the Lieutenant to rally the troops and deal with the Grimm.
So naturally, Blake found it very cathartic to use her Semblance to bait a Grimm into running face-first into the Lieutenant's chainsaw. The Beowolf had just enough time to let out a startled whimper before it was sawed in two.
"Making me do your dirty work, Belladonna?" the Lieutenant spat as the Beowolf's body dissolved around him.
"You're a bit sturdier than I am!" Blake replied as she ducked under a Beowolf's swinging paw to shoot it in the chin with Gambol Shroud.
The Lieutenant didn't reply as he swung his saw at another Beowolf, slowly cutting through its body. Other Grimm were gunned down by the rest of the present White Fang members, but with an Alpha calling the shots, it didn't take long for the Grimm to start circling around to attack from behind. Blake heard one of her brothers in arms cry out and charged towards the scream as a Beowolf held one of the recruits in place. Blake swung Gambol Shroud through the monster's neck as its jaws closed on the recruit's head. The recruit's unconscious body dropped to the ground as the Beowolf disintegrated.
"We need a medic here!" Blake called, only to notice another recruit, a couple of years younger than her, firing desperately at an Ursa that was bearing down on him with no sign of slowing down. Without a word, Blake dashed past the recruit and slashed Gambol Shroud across the Ursa's flank. The Grimm roared, either in pain or annoyance, and its swiping paw passed right through the decoy Blake's Semblance left behind, allowing for the real Blake to lunge forward and stab Gambol Shroud into its throat. She heard something charging from behind her, and whirled around the dying Grimm's body, tugging on Gambol Shroud's ribbon to switch it into chain-scythe mode.
BANG!
Gambol Shroud shot a Beowolf in the face, and the recoil decapitated the Ursa.
"Th-thanks," the recruit stated before raising his gun, "Duck!" Blake hit the dirt as the recruit opened fire on the Alpha, who pulled Blake off the ground and held her in front of itself like a shield. Blake cried out as the bullets struck her Aura.
"Stop it! Stop it!" she shouted as the recruit lowered his gun.
"Lieutenant, what do we do?" he shouted.
"... If Blake disengages her Aura, you should be able to shoot the Alpha through her," the Lieutenant answered as he shoved his chainsaw through a Grimm.
"But that would hurt her!" the recruit shouted.
"Just don't hit anything vital, and the healing properties of her Aura will keep her alive!" the Lieutenant shouted, "Better hurry, before the Alpha kills her..."
"I…" the recruit looked at Blake, who was still struggling against the Alpha's grip, before giving up and nodding at him. The recruit sighed, raised his gun, and everyone, Faunus and Grimm alike, paused at the sound of a roaring engine. A yellow motorcycle slammed into the Alpha Beowolf, releasing Blake as yellow and red blurs leapt off the bike. "Oh thank the Brothers," the recruit sighed as he lowered his gun.
.
"Bumblebee! Don't let the Alpha get away!" Ruby shouted as she shifted Crescent Rose into scythe mode and charged for the nearest group of Grimm.
"Got it!" Bumblebee shouted as he shifted into robot mode (earning several baffled glances) and threw himself at the Grimm he had just bowled over. Yang turned to face the girl that the Beowolf had thrown.
"You okay?" she asked as she held out her hand. Blake scowled.
"Don't touch me!" she snapped as she swatted Yang's hand away and pushed herself to her feet, "What the Hell are you even doing here?"
"At the moment, saving you from the Grimm," Yang deadpanned.
"We had this completely under control!" Blake insisted as she pointed her blade at Yang, "So you can pack up your robotic attack dog, go settle your score with the Atlesians, and leave us alo-"
"Get down!" Yang interrupted as she shoved Blake out of the way and threw herself at an Ursa that was barreling towards them. Yang met it halfway, and delivered a flurry of punches to its chest.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each punch propelled an explosive round into the Ursa's body until its shredded remains dissolved, prompting Yang to shoot a smug smirk over her shoulder at Blake.
"Okay, we could use a little help!" Blake conceded, before turning to the red-caped girl who was hacking apart Beowolves with her scythe. "Who's she?"
"A brat and a stowaway," Yang answered as she walked up to Blake, "Just try not to get too close to her while she's swinging her scythe around. She's good with it, but skill can only get so far when someone jumps in the path of your deadly scythe."
"Noted…" Blake replied as she turned to face the rest of the Grimm, switching Gambol Shroud to pistol mode, "I still want answers."
Ca-click!
"After the Grimm have been taken care of," Yang promised.
BOOM!
The two girls threw themselves at the Grimm.
"And I think that's the last of them," Bumblebee said as crushed a Beowolf's head underfoot, "Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen that many Grimm in one place before…"
"The hit to morale must have attracted their attention," Blake remarked, "Losing twelve people in one mission will do that."
"Wait, does this have anything to do with those Decepticons you're so worried about?" Ruby asked as she walked away from her rapidly disintegrating pile of Grimm pieces.
"I still have no idea who you are," Blake replied as the Lieutenant approached them.
"And what brings you two humans here?" he asked as he brandished his chainsaw, "If you value your lives, I suggest you answer carefully."
"... I don't think they're the ones you need to worry about," Bumblebee deadpanned as he stepped between the White Fang and his two companions, "But if you must know, they're with me." The Lieutenant's mask made reading his facial expression impossible.
"He's a living robot, has an Aura and everything," Blake explained.
"... What?"
"I'm also from another planet," Bumblebee added, "Name's Bumblebee, and I was hoping to have a friendly chat with your boss."
"... He means that literally, by the way," Yang added, "We're not looking for trouble!"
"So you decided to seek out the group dedicated to punishing your species for their crimes against Faunus everywhere?" the Lieutenant asked, "You're either very brave, or very stupid."
"We did bring a robot warrior from another world with us," Ruby pointed out.
"She has a point sir," the recruit Blake had saved from the Ursa remarked.
"Shut up River," the Lieutenant growled.
"Yessir!" River squeaked.
"As for you three," the Lieutenant said as he turned his attention to Bumblebee, Yang, and Ruby, "Let it never be said that I'm an ingrate, if you promise to leave so I can let Adam know we need to relocate camps, I'll spare your lives. This time."
"Oh, so Adam is here?" Bumblebee remarked.
The Lieutenant brandished his chainsaw.
"... Look, we have a common enemy!" Ruby cut in, "The Decepticons won't rest until-"
"What the Hell is going on here?" Adam shouted as he walked out of the camp to the small gathering right outside, "I'd just taken care of that damned Ursa only to find…" His voice trailed off as he noticed Bumblebee. "You…"
"Oh Adam! Nice to see you again!" Bumblebee greeted.
"How the Hell did you find this place?" Adam growled.
"A family friend mentioned that the White Fang had been doing raids in this neck of the woods," Ruby answered.
"I told you we should've just gone to the black market," Blake hissed.
"Now's not the time," Adam replied, before putting a hand on Wilt's hilt and turning to face Bumblebee, "So, have you come to kill the rest of us?"
"If I had, I would've just let the Grimm handle it," Bumblebee answered, "No, I'm here to discuss our common enemy."
"The Atlesians?" Adam guessed, "Sorry, but I'm already more than prepared to deal with them."
"Actually, I was talking about the Decepticons who slaughtered your followers," Bumblebee answered, "But before I continue, should we all be gathered out here like this?"
"I'll be honest," Yang remarked, "I never thought I'd be welcomed into a White Fang camp for a friendly chat."
"Don't get too comfortable," Blake warned, "We're not exactly fond of your kind."
"So… Uh… Should I boil some water or something?" River asked, "I've… Never had to accommodate a giant robot as a guest before."
"We don't owe these humans anything," Adam snarled.
"We did save your girlfriend's life," Yang pointed out. Adam looked like he very much wanted to stab her.
"So uh… What should I do Mr. Taurus, sir?" River asked.
"Go on lookout," Adam ordered, "Make sure they didn't bring any other uninvited guests."
"Yessir!" the Faunus squeaked before running to the edge of camp. Ruby watched him run off and noticed just how many White Fang members they were, and resisted the urge to reach for Crescent Rose when she noticed how many of them were very clearly keeping their fingers on the triggers of their guns.
"You have taught your followers basic firearm safety, right?" Ruby asked as she turned to face Adam.
"Trust me, if you get shot, it won't be an accident," Adam answered, "Now, what do you want?"
"Well, I was hoping you'd give me my homing beacon before the Decepticons realize you have it and decide to take it by force," Bumblebee replied, "I kind of need that to find my way back to the Ark and wake up Optimus Prime."
"Who?" Adam asked
"My leader, and your only hope for stopping the Decepticons," Bumblebee answered, "My people, the Autobots, have been at war with the Decepticons for over two million years. Possibly even longer, depending on how long I was in stasis. The Decepticons despise organic life, and will stop at nothing to destroy this world and drive your species to extinction."
"The humans you've been cozying up with have tried to wipe us out for as long as history can remember," Adam replied, "So that's nothing new."
"The Decepticons might actually succeed though," Bumblebee retorted, "I've seen them do it time and again in the worlds they've successfully conquered. They always start by turning the factions of those worlds against each other, then by the time anyone realizes what's going on, it's too late. The few survivors are lobotomized and kept as pets, while the flora and fauna of the world are replaced with metal and circuits."
"So, basically what humans already do?" Adam asked.
"... Erm… Which part of that were you replying to?" Bumblebee asked.
"Pulling strings from behind the scenes, keeping a handful as pets, the lobotomies," Adam's replied, "Sure, nobody's legally been lobotomized since the Faunus Rights Revolution, but as I learned the hard way, anti-discrimination laws only work when the humans feel like enforcing them. And trust me, they usually don't."
"Then let us help you fix that," Bumblebee replied, "I've seen Optimus work miracles. Every time we've defeated the Decepticons, it's been by uniting former enemies against them for the good of all. If we're going to survive, we need to work together!
"So please, I need my homing beacon back! It's no use to you! But the Autobots will have no quarrel with you! We believe that freedom is the right of all sentient beings!"
"Touching, but there's one flaw in your argument," Adam remarked.
"And that is?" Yang asked.
"There is no us," Adam replied, "Humanity has made that clear time and again that they're not interested in coexistence."
"Yang and I are," Ruby said as she stepped forward, "We wouldn't be here if we weren't. Plus, we can coexist just fine with a giant alien robot who pretended to be a haunted demon bike for two weeks."
"I was trying to keep a low profile," Bumblebee remarked.
"You weren't doing that good a job," Ruby replied, "But that's besides the point. I'm not going to pretend that there aren't horrible people out there who'll do whatever it takes to alienate and put down anyone they perceive as 'different' because they think they can get away with it. Honestly, even if it doesn't compare to how the Faunus are treated, we humans can be pretty awful to each other when we're feeling particularly mean. But I also know that there are plenty of people who want to do good.
"I've grown up hearing stories of people, humans, Faunus, men, women, and everything in between who fought and died in the face of evil just because it was the right thing to do. Bumblebee blew his cover, risking the wrath of the Atlesian Military, just to protect me and Yang from an Ursa Major that got the jump on us. And then he warned us about the Decepticons. I know that you saw what they're capable of, and Yang experienced first hand just how cruel they can be.
"Humans, Faunus, it doesn't matter to them, all they see us as is target practice. They'll stop at nothing to take away everything we've ever fought for! Once they figure out how the Grimm work, they'll drum up all the fear and terror they can and then sit back and watch as our defenses are overrun. And the worst part is that the Grimm won't care about them until we're all dead. We can either stand together or die fighting each other while the Decepticons destroy everything we care about!
"So please! If you really do care about the future of Faunuskind, just give us the homing beacon, so both our races can have a future," Ruby finished.
Adam didn't show any emotion, even as Blake looked contemplative.
"Regardless of what your intentions were when you took my homing beacon, you did technically keep it out of Decepticons' hands," Bumblebee pointed out, "Think about it, you could go down in history as the man who saved Remnant!"
That got Adam's interest.
I'm already the hero of the White Fang, he thought to himself, But that would put me in the spotlight, and if that happens too early… He glanced over his shoulder at Blake. I could be denied what I've rightly earned. And those humans! The Leader of Vale's White Fang clenched his fist. I can kiss my war with humanity goodbye if I do this! But if I deny this alliance outright, the Fang will turn on me just as quickly as they turned on that old fool Ghira…
Unless…
"I need to know if Razorclaw lied to me."
"Tell me, Autobot," Adam opened, "Does the name 'Razorclaw' mean anything to you?"
Bumblebee tensed as Yang and Ruby looked confused.
"Oh scrap…"
"Adam, what the Hell are you doing?" Blake whispered.
"You'll see…" Adam replied with a smirk.
"Uh… Bee, why're you lookin' so scared?" Yang asked.
"Razorclaw is the Supreme Commander of the Predacon Imperium," Bumblebee explained, "They're Eukarian Beastformers, technorganic Transformers who's beast modes are indistinguishable from organic wildlife."
"What?!" Yang and Ruby shouted.
"Any particular reason you didn't mention them before now?" Yang asked.
"They don't typically invade the same planets as the Decepticons unless one faction asks for the other's help!" Bumblebee answered, "Given that I didn't see any signs of open warfare when I got here, I figured the Decepticons thought they could handle it!"
"Well, would you look at that," Adam remarked, "So sorry to disappoint you, Autobot, but I'm afraid that I can't accept your alliance without going against the High Leader's wishes. In fact, I'm not even sure I can let the enemy of her friend walk out of here alive!"
"Adam, listen to me!" Bumblebee insisted, "As long as the Decepticons are here, your world is in dan-"
"OPEN FIRE!" Adam shouted, and all Hell broke loose.
.
Bumblebee's mask closed over his face as his body was buffeted with bullets.
"So much for diplomacy," he growled as the Lieutenant revved up his chainsaw, Adam drew Wilt, and Blake stood dumbfounded as her companions charged Bumblebee. Stingers appeared in both of Bumblebee's hands, and he jabbed Adam with his right Stinger and the Lieutenant with his left, solidifying their Auras. He lifted both Faunus off the ground and tossed first Adam and then the Lieutenant into two different tents. That drew the gunfire away from Ruby and Yang as well as snapped Blake out of her stupor as all fire was focused on Bumblebee.
"I got it!" Ruby shouted, before dissolving into a whirlwind of petals and flying towards a trio of gunners. By the time any of them had time to react, the red blur had knocked down the center gunner as it reformed into Ruby, who knocked down the other two gunners as she spun the unfolding Crescent Rose as it switched into Scythe mode. That was the point when the White Fang remembered that the two girls accompanying the giant robot were also armed.
Ca-click!
BOOM!
Just in time for Yang to launch herself towards another group of gunners. She braved the hail of bullets, and rolled back her fist to deliver a punch…
"Oh no you don't!" Blake shouted as she switched Gambol Shroud to chain-scythe mode and threw the blade at Yang, hooking her right arm.
"Ah grapes…"
BANG!
.
Yang's Aura kept the recoil from ripping off her arm, but she was still pulled off course as the chain scythe flew right back into Blake's hands, where its wielder switched it back into katana mode. Yang threw her arms out behind her.
BOOM!
The blond rocketed towards her opponent, threw a punch, and Blake vanished.
"Wha-"
Click!
Yang glanced to her right, just in time to see that Gambol Shroud was now in pistol mode, and Blake had her finger on the trigger.
BANG!
Yang stumbled across the ground as Blake switched her weapon back to katana mode.
"Not so tough when your enemy actually fights back, are you?" Blake taunted as she pointed her katana at Yang.
"Actually," Yang jumped to her feet and raised her fists, "You'll find that's when I'm at my best."
"Is this a game to you?" Blake asked as she swung her katana at Yang, forcing her to jump, "So many of my brothers and sisters have died fighting the tyranny of your race!" She leaned to the right to dodge a punch and jabbed at Yang's midsection.
"Oh really?" Yang asked as she threw a right hook at Blake, who vanished on impact, "Then why are you siding with the monsters who butchered your friends the other night?"
"I…" Blake paused in her assault, lowering her weapon, "SHUT UP! The only evidence we have of the Predacons working with the Decepticons is your motorcycle saying so!"
"And yet you're going off of his word that they're the enemy," Yang replied, "Honestly, I used to think you guys were just a bunch of misguided yet justifiably angry people. But now…"
Ca-click!
"I can see how little you value the Faunus you allegedly protect."
BOOM!
Yang propelled herself towards Blake, who slashed at her rather than dodge, knocking Yang into the ground.
"How dare you?" she growled as she switched Gambol Shroud to pistol mode and aimed it at Yang, "Someone like you could never understand what we've been through!"
BANG!
Yang winced from the impact of the bullet.
"I was assaulted by an Atlesian Huntsman when I was five for being near a nonviolent protest and would have died if the news cameras hadn't been pointed in my direction at the time!" Blake shouted as Yang jumped to her feet and pushed Gambol Shroud so it was no longer pointed at her.
BANG!
"When I was ten, a bunch of Animan humans tried to murder my unarmed father just because our caravan passed within shouting distance of their village!" Blake continued as she pistol-whipped Yang, "The ingrate would've died if Adam hadn't killed the bastard who was charging him!" Yang threw a punch at Blake-
BOOM!
-who dodged effortlessly.
"I have struggled my entire life against monsters like you!" Blake continued as Yang whirled around to face her, "Why should I work with you now?"
"What did I ever do to you?" Yang asked.
"You tried to kill me over an ACCIDENTAL HAIRCUT!" Blake shouted as she swung Gambol Shroud at Yang, who blocked with her gauntlets.
"... I wouldn't have actually killed you," Yang deflected, "Severely bruised, probably…"
"YOU PUNCHED ME THROUGH A TREE!" Blake snapped as she jabbed her katana at Yang.
"Your boyfriend tried to decapitate me!" Yang shot back as she dodged the katana and threw a punch at Blake's face. Said face dissolved into thin air, and Yang received a roundhouse kick to the back for her troubles.
Bumblebee sped through the camp in motorcycle mode dodging and weaving between the White Fang gunners.
"Hey Ruby! Where'd you disappear to?" the motorcycle shouted.
CRACK!
"Over here!" Ruby called from behind a tent, followed by several more gunshots and the sound of Crescent Rose slicing through air, "Could use a little help!"
.
"Erm… Maybe we should fall back," one of the seven White Fang grunts facing down Ruby remarked as she lowered her gun, "I… Don't want to fight that robot."
"This is our camp and we need to protect it!" another shouted as he fired a couple more shots at Ruby, who continued to zig-zag out of the way of the bullets.
"I know but… My little brother was one of the Faunus we lost that night," the first replied, "I… Really don't like the idea of working with the monsters that murdered him."
"Get over yourself!" the second one snapped, "Adam knows what he's doing."
"Guys, the robot's here!" River pointed out as Bumblebee rounded the corner and unfolded back into robot mode.
"Yeah… I can see the problem," Bumblebee remarked, "Wait, is anyone keeping an eye out for the Grimm?" River paled.
"Shoot that's my job!" he shouted as he fled the fight.
"Anyone else got any important jobs?" Ruby asked, "I don't want to beat up a chef or a medic!" Five guns clicked as the most reluctant of the Faunus lowered her gun.
"I'll… Go check up on the lieutenant," she said as she dashed away from the group.
"Is that everyone?" Bumblebee asked. Three of the Faunus pointed their guns at Bumblebee while two of them pointed their weapons at Ruby. "Figures." He deployed his Energon Shotguns.
BANG!
BANG!
All five of them were sent flying by the two blasts as Ruby loaded a Gravity round and pointed Crescent Rose at the ground behind her.
CRACK!
Ruby flew towards the White Fang goons, using her Semblance to course-correct to the closest one, bouncing off his chest so she could swat the next one down with the blunt side of Crescent Rose, propelling herself towards the third so she could kick off his head, swatted the fourth out of the way, and then just shot the fifth before landing on her feet, the unconscious fighters hitting the ground with five resounding THUDS as their Auras flickered out.
"Okay, now let's split up and-"
"Actually," Bumblebee interrupted, "I was hoping you could use your Distinction to look for my homing beacon."
"Oh sure!" Ruby replied, "What does it look like?"
"It's a sorta silver disc, but with a screen on one side," Bumblebee replied, "The Autobot insignia should be engraved in the back."
"Got it!" Ruby said as the sound of a chainsaw revving pierced the silence. Ruby glanced over her shoulder at the Lieutenant charging her. "Hold on a moment!"
CRACK!
The Gravity Round knocked him off his feet and propelled Ruby into the woods, where she dispelled into a cloud of petals and flew right back into the camp, dashing from tent to tent as Bumblebee took potshots at the White Fang, Adam emerging from the woodwork to chase him down.
Ruby entered a tent filled with bags, and found nothing but potatoes.
"Not here!'
"Nope!" Ruby remarked as soon as she was done emptying a chest.
"Adam why are you calling at this- Wait a second, who the Hell are you?"
"WRONG NUMBER!" Ruby shouted as she shut off the transmitter, causing Sienna Khan's holographic image to flicker out, "Okay, so this definitely isn't the homing beacon."
"... So… I hear that the sap from the trees outside can make delicious syrup," Ruby remarked with a nervous chuckle as the White Fang's chef stared her down with a butcher's knife, "Also, would any of your lids happen to have a screen on them?" The chef took a swing at Ruby, who dispersed into petals and flew out the tent's entrance.
"Pretty map," Ruby commented as she stepped into a tent. This one was pretty minimalist. Aside from the map, there was a table with a bunch of documents on it, a few candles, an object that matched the description of Bumblebee's homing beacon in the back corner, a chair, and- Ruby blinked.
"Oh there it is!" she ran over to the metal disk and picked it up, "Kinda strange that he left it unguarded."
"He didn't," a gruff voice remarked. Ruby whirled around, and found herself face to face with Adam Taurus. "I rushed over here as soon as I noticed the rose petals tearing apart my camp," he continued as he stepped into the tent, "Now, let's get down to business."
"Let me guess, put it down gently and you'll let me live?" Ruby remarked.
"Hmmph, you're smarter than you look, human," Adam replied.
"Hey, I'm pretty sure everyone heard Bumblebee shout my name earlier!" Ruby snapped.
"Maybe I don't care," Adam pointed out, "You know, these last couple of days have been a real headache for me!" he put his hand on Wilt's hilt. "First, the Mantlite bomb heist goes downhill when a freaking motorcycle stops me from beheading that stupid blonde!" He took a step towards Ruby as he started to draw Wilt. "Then, that stupid robot survives a hit from Moonslice!" he detached Blush from his hip, putting his finger on the trigger as he walked closer to Ruby. "And the cherry on the top of the disappointment cake is getting knocked out RIGHT when my prize is in my grasp and having to be dragged to safety by my cowardly bitch of a girlfriend!"
"You shouldn't talk about her like that!" Ruby snapped.
"She belongs to me! I'll call her whatever the Hell I want!" Adam shouted before swinging his katana at Ruby, forcing the human to jump back. "What's wrong? Too scared to fight back!"
"No, I just don't wanna drop the homing beacon," Ruby replied, "If you'd been a little faster, I'd be wiping the floor with you." Adam scoffed.
"Such arrogance," he remarked as he pointed Blush at Ruby, "How about this? If you're really such hot shit, then why don't you put that beacon down so we can duel like real warriors? To the victor goes the spoils!"
"Hmm… Nope!" Ruby exclaimed, popping the "p" as she dispersed into petals and dashed out of the tent with the homing beacon, leaving Adam in the dust.
"... Get back here!" Adam shouted as he sheathed Wilt and dashed after the cloud of petals.
Ruby came to a stop in the center of the camp.
"Okay, so if I follow the gunshots, I should find-"
BOOM!
Ruby's thought was interrupted as she noticed her sister, trying, and failing, to land a hit on Blake.
.
"Sit still!" Yang shouted as she fired another shot at Blake.
"I'd rather not," Blake said as the bullet dissolved her decoy.
"Rrrgh…" Yang threw a punch at Blake, who ducked under her fist, and sliced her blade behind Yang's back. "Did you really think that would-" Blake held up the clump of hair she had sliced off. "You…" Blake smirked as Yang's eyes turned red. "RrrrrrrrRAUGH!" Yang's hair burst into flames as her growl devolved into a roar.
So predictable.
"STOP MESSING WITH MY HAIR!" Yang threw her arms back-
BOOM!
-and propelled herself towards Blake, winding her fist up for a punch, only for her fist to pass through a decoy.
"Wha-"
BANG!
The real Blake used the recoil from Gambol Shroud's pistol to propel herself into Yang's back, causing the blond brawler to hit the ground with a THUD as her Aura flashed from the hit.
"Not so scary now, are you?" Blake asked as sheathed Gambol Shroud. Yang tried to push herself up, but a quickly delivered kick to the back of her head from Blake dazed her even through her helmet and Aura. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. We're going to go through your contacts and see if we can't find someone who'll be willing to pay the ransom. If not, we'll take all your valuables and drop you off outside the nearest village. Rest assured that it's all going to a good-" a blob of rose petals slammed into Blake at terminal velocity, interrupting whatever that thought was going to be. As Blake had used up most of her Aura to dodge Yang's flurry of punches while fighting in close quarters, it flickered out as she stumbled across the ground. The Faunus attempted to push herself to her feet as the rose petals reformed into a girl in a ladybug helmet, but passed out and hit the dirt instead.
.
"Need a hand, sis?" Ruby asked as she offered Yang her hand.
"I totally had her on the ropes," Yang insisted as she took Ruby's hand, and let her sister pull her up. "Where the heck is everyone? I know she wasn't the only Faunus here…"
"I… Actually haven't run into that much trouble since Bumblebee sent me to find this!" Ruby remarked as she held up Bumblebee's homing beacon, "Well, except I did run into-"
"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Adam shouted as he charged the two sisters. Ruby switched Crescent Rose to rifle mode as Yang reloaded her shot gauntlets. A yellow G1 Dustfire chose that exact moment to bowl over Adam and transform into robot mode.
"... I uh… Didn't want to draw out the battle any longer than it needed to be," Bumblebee explained as Adam groaned in pain. Yang and Ruby both let out sighs of relief, Ruby switching Crescent Rose back into storage mode so she could attach it to the back of her belt as Ember Celica folded back into bracelet mode on Yang's wrists.
"I found your homing beacon!" Ruby announced, unprompted, as she held up the device in question.
"Excellent!" Bumblebee exclaimed, just in time for another hailstorm of bullets to buffet him, "We should probably leave now!" The hailstorm stopped as Adam struggled to his feet, giving Yang and Ruby the perfect chance to dash over to Bumblebee as he folded back into motorcycle mode. First Yang, then Ruby mounted the motorcycle, the homing beacon pinned between Yang's body and the seat as Ruby held onto her sister for dear life!
"Thanks for your help!" Ruby called out over her shoulder as the three of them sped off into the woods, leaving Adam to simmer in his hate and rage. Not a single one of them noticed the red-eyed raven flying after them.
"Man, that was way more chaotic than it had any right to be," Yang remarked as the sun began to sink under the horizon. The three of them had come to a stop in a small clearing as soon as they were sure they had shaken their pursuers, Bumblebee had plugged his right index finger into the homing beacon and sat down to download the coordinates and lock onto the Ark's location.
"I wonder why more of them didn't go after us," Ruby questioned, "While we were in the camp, I mean."
"I think we have you to thank for that Ruby," Yang remarked.
"Huh?"
"Think about it, you did give a big speech about uniting against a common enemy, right before Adam ordered them to open fire on a giant robot who wasn't make any moves to antagonize them, and to risk their lives to protect something that's completely useless to them," Yang explained, "Even if they don't like us humans, that doesn't mean that they're just gonna lay down and bow to the biggest bad guys on the block."
"I… Guess that makes sense," Ruby replied.
"And… Done!" Bumblebee announced as he disconnected his homing beacon, "Only one thing left to do now!" He deployed his left Energon blade, impaled the homing beacon, and smashed it against the ground, stomped it into the dirt, and blasted it three times. Soon, nothing was left of the device but a smoldering mess. After stomping the smoldering mess a few times to be sure, Bumblebee shifted back into motorcycle mode. "Now, let's head off to the rendezvous point and take our well-deserved night of rest!"
"Sounds good to me!" Ruby announced.
"You are still gonna be in huge trouble when Dad hears what you did," Yang reminded her as she hopped onto Bumblebee's alt mode.
"... On second thought, why don't we go storm a Mistrali Cartel hideout?" Ruby suggested, "OH! Or maybe we could hunt down an Ursa Major! It could be really educational! Or maybe-"
"Ruby!" Yang interrupted.
"Hmm?"
"Get on the living alien motorcycle."
"Yes sis!" Ruby conceded as she jumped on, wrapping her arms around Yang's waist. The trio sped off, right past a white bird that seemed to leave behind a trail of frost in the air.
There you are!
A Glyph formed in midair in front of Bumblebee.
"What the-"
A frosty Beowolf tackled Yang off of Bumblebee, interrupting that train of thought, and taking Ruby with her.
"Yang! Ruby!" Bumblebee shouted, only for more Beowolf facsimiles to emerge from the woodwork.
.
Ruby groaned, noticed that a living ice sculpture was pinning her sister to the ground, and leapt to her feet. Crescent Rose sliced through the frosty Beowolf facsimile, which swiftly faded.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"These are Winter's!" Yang explained as she pushed herself to her feet, unfolding Ember Celica into weapon mode to stare down the summoned beasts, "I saw her use them on the thugs who harassed me the other day!"
"Then why are they attacking us?" Ruby asked as she slashed through two who lunged at them, "We've done nothing wrong, unless she… Found out about Bumblebee..."
BOOM! An exploding fireball destroyed one of the Beowolves.
"Well if she thinks Beowolves will be enough to take us down, then she has another thing coming!" Yang shouted as she punched through a Beowolf's chest.
"It doesn't matter! She'll be here with her soldiers soon!" Ruby cut in as she sliced through another Beowolf, "We need to shake her, figure out how she found us, and get to the Ark before it's too late! Bumblebee!"
"I heard ya!" Bumblebee bowled over a few Beowolves and skidded to a halt next to the sisters, "Hop on!"
.
Bumblebee weaved between the trees, Yang and Ruby clinging on for dear life as Winter's Beowolves lunged from the shadows. Bumblebee swerved to the left, and then the right, trying to shake off Winter's constructs. Eventually, a glyph materialized right in front of Bumblebee, forcing him to make a hard swerve to the right, right onto another Glyph. A barrage of tiny Nevermores burst from the Glyph the second Bumblebee passed over it, sending him and his passengers flying. The Autobot scout quickly shifted into robot mode, catching Yang in his left arm and Ruby in his right, before landing on the ground and skidding to a halt on the edge of a large clearing, the sky now as red as the trees and grass.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Yang remarked.
"I don't think anything was broken," Ruby added. Bumblebee let both girls down, and glanced towards the center of the clearing, where a familiar woman in white sat in a meditative stance.
"You've really made a mess of things, B-127," Winter started as she opened her eyes, "I was sent to this kingdom to maintain order and peace, but not only have you brought chaos and destruction, you've dragged two civilians into your anarchist crimes."
"In what world does letting a bunch of holier-than-thou bullies do whatever the Hell they want count as order?!" Yang shouted.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand," Winter remarked as she rose to her feet and began to walk towards the trio, "Everything my Kingdom has done has been for the betterment of Remnant as a whole. But with the exception of Mistral, nobody ever thanks us for the sacrifices we make for the betterment of all!"
"Oh, like when you guys tried to take over the world seventy-nine years ago?" Ruby asked.
"It wasn't about CONQUEST!" Winter shouted, "It was about protecting all the world from the Grimm! So what if the King was going about it the wrong way? His heart was in the right place!"
"And the slave labor?" Yang asked. Winter scoffed.
"We gave the Faunus Menagerie, but those ingrates just kept asking for more!" she shouted.
"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Bumblebee shouted, "What are you even doing here? I thought Ozpin cleared things up with your boss!"
"I think you'll find that we Atlesians are a bit harder to trick than that," Winter replied, "Our ancestors were forced to adapt to the unforgiving cold of Solitas, and made massive technological breakthroughs to survive! We are the best and brightest Remnant has to offer!"
"Can't be that bright if you think you can take Bumblebee on your own," Ruby deadpanned.
"Shouldn't you be at Beacon, Miss Rose?" Winter asked as she came to a stop, "I see that fool Ozpin can't even keep track of a few children." Yang and Ruby unfolded their weapons as Winter grasped the hilt of her saber. "But if you must know-" Two airships, a Dropship and a Bullhead, dropped out of the sky. "-I didn't come alone." The two airships unfolded into titanic robots who used their thrusters to slow their fall before gently landing behind Winter.
"Well B-127, fancy running into you here!" Dropkick opened as Yang's breath hitched and her blood ran cold, "Did you miss me?" Ruby glanced between her sister and the Decepticon, and felt her blood boil as she connected the dots.
"So it was you," she growled as she walked over to stand in front of Yang, pointing Crescent Rose at Dropkick, "I'll have your head for what you did to her!"
"Oh I'm so scared," Dropkick mocked.
"That's enough Dropkick," Shatter interrupted, "We're not here for the humans." Dropkick crossed his arms and grumbled as Bumblebee deployed his weapons.
"Yang, Ruby," he opened, "You need to get out of here, now!"
"But…"
"I'll catch up to you later!" Bumblebee promised, before turning to face the Decepticons and lowering his battle mask, "Just GO!" Ruby lowered Crescent Rose as Yang lowered her fists, the two of them reluctantly turning to flee back into the woods, only for Winter's false Beowolves to block the way.
"Nobody's going anywhere!" Winter declared as she pulled out her Scroll to display her Huntress License, "Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, you are under arrest for conspiring with an enemy of the Kingdoms! Come quietly or I will use force to bring you in!"
"You're not taking them anywhere!" Bumblebee shouted as he threw his body at Winter. Before the Specialist had time to react, he shifted into motorcycle mode, his back wheel bouncing off of her head before touching the ground and driving between the two Decepticons. Shatter deployed her Energon pistols and opened fire on the motorcycle as Dropkick deployed his buzzsaw.
"You'll regret that," Winter growled as she rose to her feet, rubbed her head, and pocketed her Scroll, all attention focused on the motorcycle weaving left and right to avoid Shatter's Energon barrage. Her rage sent a silent command through her Aura, and her Summoned Beowolves charged right past Ruby and Yang to chase after the Autobot Scout, allowing the girls to disappear past the treeline.
a/n: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I noticed the sudden shift in the chapter's plot and figured that would be a good place to wrap things up, via pushing the climax back into it's own chapter.
Ruby and Adam were originally going to have a short battle until Ruby could escape, but then I realized that Ruby could very easily evade him and had no reason to risk her life fighting him. The stuff with Lagune was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and a personal headcanon.
Now to respond to reviews:
Mobian: I got the idea from Tumblr user Luimnigh.
Z-King: Papa Wolf Taiyang is one of my favorite characters to write.
TheReckless1One: My decision to focus on the pre-war election in "Like Judas Thereupon Kissed" was inspired by Volume 7's election plot, while my decision to start writing it when I did was born from frustration of seeing how many people intended not to vote in the 2020 elections. And remember, Ozpin shutting down Beacon would do more harm than good do to the important role it plays in both training Huntsman AND protecting the Relic.
merendinoemiliano: Remember, the only reason Cinder was able to get into the vault is because the people guarding it were fighting off waves of Grimm, and even then she had to follow Ozpin right to her.
Lex: I'm only including elements from the comics that aren't explicitly contradicted by the show, and there's nothing in the show that would contradict Ironwood providing Jacques with prison labor. Plus, even in the show, Ironwood boasts of his partnership with the SDC, is good friends with Jacques prior to Volume 4 (and admits as much without much prompting), and brought his army to Vale uninvited. That is the basis I'm using for Ironwood's characterization here.
Next time, I'll be wrapping up this mini-arc that was only ever supposed to be one chapter in... Whatever I decide to title "Part 3".
Update 12/1/2021: Changed some of the exposition at the start to account for the fact that only Atlas' Headmaster has a Council Seat.
