Chapter Nine: Out on the Ice

"I don't think that's a glitch."

Marrow rolled his eyes at Jaune's words, before looking back down at the scattered debris that covered the surrounding ice. "No kidding," he huffed, before turning on his earpiece. "Winter, I'm looking at what's left of the motion sensor. Looks like it's been smashed to pieces, like a bulldozer came through here."

"Did it?"

Marrow looked around them, at the ice and gusts of swirling snow. The snowfall was thick here, the air clouded with flakes. One could barely make out the Armoured Personnel Carrier just a little distance from them, while some of the fragments were already buried under a thick blanket.

"I don't think so, but it'd be hard to tell if it did. Something did this, though."

"Understood. Set up a new unit."

"Affirmative." Marrow looked at Jaune and nodded towards the APC. "Come on, let's get this thing."

They slowly trudged their way back to the vehicle, ground crunching beneath their feet. Jaune shivered as he saw the vapor of his breath. While aura and additional clothing protected them from the chilling temperatures around them, he still fancied he felt it, reaching into his very bones.

"Is it always this cold?" he complained.

Marrow laughed. "This? This is bracing. I've seen it far colder than this. Don't you like our fresh air and brisk weather?"

"I'm a Valean boy."

"So, what, you're used to some rustic, bucolic paradise filled with farm animals and vineyards?"

"Well, yeah!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Hah!"

They reached the APC, Marrow hitting the switch for the rear ramp. It lowered, revealing the interior in which Pyrrha stood waiting for them, clad with a woolly overcoat on top of her combat gear. She nodded as the pair made their way up the ramp to one of the sensor units in the back of the APC. Standing either side of it, they took hold of the unit.

"Three… two… one…" Marrow counted, "lift!"

Carrying the unit between them, they carefully made their way down the ramp back into the snow, Pyrrha hit the switch to close it once they'd reached the ground.

"So, why'd you leave?" asked Marrow, as they plodded their way back to the original sensor's location, speaking loudly so as to be heard over the wind.

"Huh?" Jaune answered, a little confused. "Well, you know, Beacon was attacked."

"Before that, I mean," Marrow said. "Sure, you trained in Vale, but being a huntsman might have taken you somewhere else eventually. Why'd you choose to become a huntsman?"

Jaune breathed out heavily, sending what seemed a gust of steam into the air. "I wanted to do something more," he said after a second. "Be something more. I had this family legacy, this line of heroes I wanted to live up to. And I didn't want to be the idiot leaving my friends to fight for their lives."

"Wanted?"

"I've learned things aren't quite that simple," Jaune said. "That it's not all about being a big hero. That sometimes it's about the small things, the little acts that help. But I still want to do more. I still want to protect my friends."

"So why'd you fake your papers? Why not get in the normal way?"

"I couldn't," Jaune confessed. "My family had always dissuaded me from training, kept me from it. I didn't even know…" he paused for a second, before shaking his head, "…basic stuff. They were trying to protect me, I guess. Because they never believed I could do it."

"Huh," Marrow said, before stopping their progress. "We'll lower it right here." On another count, the pair lowered the unit to the ground, with Marrow flicking a couple of switches once it'd settled on the snow. A few seconds later, and more steam emerged from around the rim of the unit.

"The bottom of the unit is powered by a small amount of fire dust," Marrow explained. "It'll heat its way through the top layers of snow and ice, allowing the sensors to be grounded more securely. Then I can calibrate it."

"Fancy," Jaune replied, gazing at the device. "Won't water cause any issues?"

"It's water-tight," Marrow said, tapping the unit, before gesturing at the snow around them. "Has to be in this environment."

"I see," Jaune said, in an uncertain tone, before looking back at Marrow. "So, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, o stoic resident of the icy wastes, why did you become a specialist?"

Marrow gave a wry smile. "Because they told me I couldn't, either."

"Who's they?"

"People I grew up with," Marrow shrugged. "People at combat school. Even at the Academy. Oh, there they thought I'd make it as a huntsman, but not even my team thought I could make it as a specialist. Some thought I wouldn't fit in with the military, others that a faunus couldn't make it that far, things like that. All sorts of reasons, but none thought I could. So, I thought I'd show them."

Jaune nodded. "I get that, I guess. So, now what?"

"Now I've showed them?"

"Yeah."

"Still trying to work that out," Marrow admitted. "Be a great specialist, and do my job, for one thing. Do I want anything more? I don't know. But now I know what's at stake, it's not like I can sit back. I believe in what we're doing, what the General's doing. And I want to be part of it."

"Saving the world, huh?"

"You've got it," Marrow said with a smile.

-000-

"Team Spectral, this is K.A.S. Valiant. Be informed visibility has dropped further, and we cannot observe your location. We can provide fire support but will need the ground team to supply coordinates."

"Understood, Valiant," Winter replied as she sat at the APC's controls, using the on-board radio. The K.A.S. Valiant was on patrol a short distance to the south, but she'd obtained access to the Air Cruiser's firepower, should they need it. Of course, now the cruiser would be firing blind, presenting quite the risk.

She heard a thud as the rear hatch resealed, and the sound of the wind outside faded somewhat. She turned to see Pyrrha Nikos walking towards the front part of the vehicle.

"They've got the sensor unit outside," Pyrrha said. "Now what?"

Winter gestured to the seat beside her. "Now, Miss Nikos, we wait."

Pyrrha seated herself and both sat there quietly, but not uncomfortably.

After several minutes, Winter glanced aside at Pyrrha. The General had suggested she consult her, but this was neither the time nor the place to discuss matters of maidens. And Winter wanted a better handle on the girl herself before she trusted her with such sensitive matters.

What to speak about, then?

"It's rare," she ventured, "for someone of your age to have unlocked someone's aura."

Pyrrha coughed for a moment. "You know?" she said finally.

"It didn't take a genius to work it out, Arc basically admitted it," Winter replied.

"I suppose he did."

"What was it like?"

"It was…" Pyrrha began, before the words fell from her lips. "Have you ever unlocked someone's aura?" she asked.

"No," Winter said. "That's why I'm asking you."

A brief smile crossed Pyrrha's lips. "I see your point." The smile fell from her face as her eyes looked ahead in thought. "It was… different. It was like I could see past his exterior, and peer at his very soul. I could see… it was like I could see the potential of his aura, and the warmth and power of the soul that lay within. And it was great…"

"And so that's why you like him?" Winter prodded.

Pyrrha flushed, before shaking her head. "No, not like that. Not there and then. It's just… for much of my life, I've been blessed with opportunities that few others have. But with fame… one can feel surrounded by masks, by people unwilling to show their real selves, or look to see the same in you. But that day… the soul doesn't lie, not like people do."

Winter found herself nodding. "I'm not… unacquainted with the pretences that surround those with wealth and station." At Pyrrha's stare, she went on. "I was heiress, until I chose a different path."

"Is that why you joined the military?"

"In part. It has its constraints, but it does provide a more honest life. But it wasn't just an escape, it was a chance to do something more. My father wanted to mould us according to his design, to serve his needs and those of the SDC. But I had talents he'd have wither on the vine, talents I wanted to use, and I wanted some greater purpose."

"A destiny?" Pyrrha blurted out.

Winter raised her eyebrow.

"I don't mean a fixed fate, more a final goal. Something you devote yourself to."

"Of a sort," Winter allowed. "But one I ultimately chose, not foisted upon me. And I've found it in defending this kingdom." And more.

"Is that how you met the General?"

"Well, he wasn't the General when we first me. But he did help offer a path." Winter felt a slight smile tug at her own mouth as she thought back, before choosing to steer the conversation once more. "And what of yourself? Why be a huntress? Were you hoping to see more real selves?"

"That's why I went to Beacon," Pyrrha replied. "I feared if I trained at Haven, I'd still be surrounded by shallow admiration. But I trained to become a huntress because, well, because I did believe in destiny."

Winter took another look at the girl beside her. This mysticism is not what she expected. "Explain, please," she urged.

"Well, like I said, I don't mean fate, or in the sense of some predestined end. I mean destiny as something you work towards, a purpose, a reason to be. And I felt… called to try and protect the world. For a long time, I felt being a huntress was the way to do that."

"Do you still feel that way now?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful, almost torn, as she mulled over the question. "I don't know," she admitted. "At Beacon… at Beacon, something came up that appeared to offer a shortcut to my destiny, but at a potentially terrible price." She looked back at Winter and gave her a searching gaze. "I suspect you know something of my circumstances there."

And so we dance around the subject. Winter found herself a little unsure of what Pyrrha was asking. Was she questioning if Winter knew of what Pyrrha had been asked to take on in Beacon? Or did she suspect Winter's own role?

Winter chose to answer the first, to continue the dance a little longer. "I've been briefed."

Pyrrha nodded, apparently satisfied. "For a while, after Beacon, I'd felt I'd failed destiny's call, that I hadn't stepped up when I should. That thought drove me, and then Haven happened."

"When you fought Cinder Fall."

"Precisely." Pyrrha's eyes became distant. "I never thought I needed much humbling, but perhaps I did. Or perhaps I needed a lesson not to assume too much of destiny. Or maybe I simply needed to learn that my pursuit of it could cost me everything." A melancholy look entered her eye. "Or cost others too, more than I realised."

"So you've changed your mind?"

"I… I don't know. I'm not sure. I wrestle over it in my mind," Pyrrha said, with some evident exasperation, before pausing. "I am faced with the knowledge that, had I acted in line with what I thought destiny was, I might still have failed to achieve anything, and hurt others thereby. Does that mean my feeling was illusionary, or is there still something to it? And I wonder about what I was asked to take on. It… parts of it were deeply wrong. I was troubled by it at the time, and at the price I might have to pay. Yet I felt destiny was calling. Now I wonder about that too."

"You felt too much was being asked of you?" Winter enquired.

"Don't get me wrong," Pyrrha insisted. "I take the obligations of a huntress seriously, including the need to lay down my life should it be necessary to save others. But I… I was being asked to sacrifice more, possibly much more, and participate in an act that was wrong. And I find myself now wondering if the reasons I was persuaded it was necessary at the time were entirely sound."

Winter wondered precisely what Pyrrha was referring to. Was it something to do with the unique procedure asked of her? An aura transfer was an unsettling concept, especially one done in full. Perhaps something to discuss at a later date. As for her latter point…

"I suspect only you can settle that last matter," Winter said.

"True," Pyrrha acknowledged. "But what of sacrifice? Are there things we shouldn't sacrifice? Is it possible to sacrifice too much? Until all this, I never thought it possible."

Is it? Winter wasn't sure what might be more than life itself. Agreeing to my father's demands, perhaps, she thought in jest, then realised some truth lay behind it. And sacrifice for what? He'd demanded sacrifices too, for "the family". Yet all that meant was his mere aggrandizement.

"I suppose like many in the service, I've had to face the fact that duty might require me to sacrifice my own life, or the lives of others," she began. "It's easy to ignore as a cadet, but active service teaches otherwise.

"But I don't believe it's a virtue to sacrifice too easily. If one is going to sell oneself, let alone others, one shouldn't do so too cheaply. Sacrifice may be necessary, but it should be for something that's worth it."

"That… makes sense," Pyrrha nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"It's perhaps the only decent lesson my father taught me," Winter couldn't help but say.

"Does he sacrifice only for what is worth it?"

"No," Winter scoffed. "He knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing. He'd sacrifice others but never himself. And giving up something that's not valued is no sacrifice at all." She paused, calming herself. "But I do think it possible to be too self-sacrificing."

Pyrrha hummed in thought, looking away as she considered the matter. She then glanced back at Winter. "If you don't mind me asking…?"

"Go ahead."

"You're not close to your family, are you?"

Winter felt her throat constrict.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha must have seen the look on her face. "If that's too personal–"

Winter cut her off. "No, it's okay, I did say go ahead." She looked back towards Pyrrha, but saw nothing but concern laced with curiosity. Winter was never one to bare her soul. Yet wasn't she planning on discussing something even more important with this woman? Hadn't they just been talking about being surrounded by those who put on appearances?

"Has Weiss told you much of her upbringing?" she asked in turn.

"Not much," Pyrrha replied. "I believe she's shared more with her team. She was… a hard person to know at first," she said carefully.

"Part of my father's influence, I'm sure," Winter nodded. "Though I'm not sure socialisation comes easily to any of my family."

"From what she has shared, however, I can tell there were difficulties."

"Quite." Winter paused, collecting herself. "My father… my father has always seen us as assets, not people. It was on my sister's birthday that he told my mother that he only married her to gain control of the company. And he's sought to control us likewise."

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha whispered.

"It's hardly your fault," Winter smiled, before the lips turned downward once more. "He disinherited me when I joined the military against his will. I was glad to be out, but then I realised my escape had placed Weiss in the same position I'd been in. So, I've tried to support her, care for her, offer her the opportunities our father would have denied her. I was glad she found friends at Beacon, and even more so friends that have stayed beside her as she's carved out her own path."

"What of the rest of your family?"

"I barely know Whitley, my brother. He's heir now. That's my father's way: when one heir fails to measure up to his criteria, he moves onto the next. As for my mother… I think she is beyond help."

She lapsed into silence then, unwilling and unable to go any further, and Pyrrha too seemed wary of pressing the point. They sat there, as silent as the grave, until the console in front of them began trilling.

Winter sprang into action, checking the display. "It's the next sensor to the north," she announced. "It's picking up some activity."

Clover's voice came over the radio. "Spectral, this is the Ace Ops. Can you see the readings from sensor 27?"

Winter toggled the button to reply. "Confirmed, Ace Ops. Sensor 27 is showing some movement around its periphery. Would you like us to investigate?"

"If you could," Clover replied. "The Ace Ops are indisposed, and this is the same pattern 28 displayed before it went offline."

Meaning they could catch the culprit in the act. "We'll investigate ASAP," she said, before touching her earpiece. "Marrow? How much longer to set up the sensor?"

"Another 20 minutes, minimum."

"Understood." Winter checked the map on the display. "Sensor 27 to the north is showing similar issues and we're going to inspect it. Keep checking in, we'll be approximately 5 minutes away."

"Copy that."

Taking hold of the control sticks, Winter pushed the APC into motion. As the tracks turned through the ice, she focused on what was ahead.

Time to get to the bottom of that 'glitch'.

-000-

Marrow tapped out the next stage of the calibration procedure into the inset keypad on the sensor unit, occasionally glancing at his scroll to check the output there. So far, so good, time for step 15… he mentally sighed.

"How did you learn all this, anyway?" asked Jaune.

Marrow's eyes remained focused on his work as he replied. "Some of it during early training, but I got the basics in my last few years in the Academy. Didn't Beacon offer anything similar?"

"I'm not sure," Jaune said. "We never got to the upper years."

Oh, right. "Sorry," he offered.

"It's no sweat, don't worry about it," Jaune replied easily. "For what it's worth, I didn't hear of any courses on anything like this. Most technology huntsmen use seems a lot easier to operate. Were the courses just for those headed into the military?"

Step 16, Marrow thought as he completed another line. "It was mostly those on the Specialist track, but there were a few would-be huntsmen and huntresses in the class." He glanced up at Jaune, to see him keeping a watchful eye on the terrain around them. Not that one could see much through the snow. "Why, thinking of picking it up?"

"Might be a useful skill to have," Jaune mused, "though right now I have enough to catch up on. And it doesn't seem like it's used everywhere."

"We do have the best toys," Marrow grinned. "Guess it depends on whether you're planning on sticking around Atlas?"

Jaune went quiet. "I don't know," he said after a spell. "Since Beacon, well there was always just the next thing to focus on. Get to Haven, stop Cinder, get the relic to Atlas, raise Amity. There's hardly been time to catch a breath, let alone think of things like settling down. My sister tried to persuade us to stay in Argus, but something like that seems to pale in importance compared to, well…"

"Saving the world?"

"Yeah." Jaune said faintly.

They both fell silent. Marrow busied himself with the set-up procedure, while Jaune continued to stand guard, doubtless also chewing over the thought.

After a few minutes, Marrow piped up again. "Well, assuming we get through all this, you'll have plenty of time of time to consider the next step. You're still young."

"You're not that much older than me," Jaune pointed out.

"Those few years make all the difference," Marrow teased. "And if you stay here, there's worse places to settle than Atlas."

"Assuming I ever get used to the climate," Jaune grumbled, to Marrow's amusement.

Step 24. He began to tap out the next line, when he noticed an error on his Scroll. "Jaune," he said, not taking his eyes away from the display, "I'm going to need you to be stationary for this bit."

"Uh… I'm not moving?"

Marrow looked up to see Jaune was indeed standing still.

Another error appeared on the Scroll.

"That's not right," Marrow muttered. "It shouldn't be registering anything else…"

Another error, this time accompanied by a faint tremor.

"…Unless it's picking up something real!" he realised.

"What's causing that?!" Jaune said, looking around. Marrow joined him, scanning the white void around them as the little tremors continued, picking up in pace. Then he saw it, as five dark shapes began to resolve through the squall, growing larger and larger. Large elephantine shapes charging towards their location.

"Brothers! Over there, Jaune!" He pointed. Near slapping his ear, he activated his earpiece. "Winter!"

-000-

Winter and Pyrrha had driven to Sensor 27, but it had stopped showing any suspicious movement before they were halfway there. Nothing had changed as they reached the site, and Winter fought back frustration as she looked at the billowing snow through the APC's viewports. If something was prowling around the sensor's periphery, the likelihood is they'd never see it. Not in these conditions.

Winter activated the radio. "Clover, we're at Sensor 27, and we're seeing nothing. Visibility is poor, and the motion sensor is clear."

"Copy, Spectral. Thanks for checking it out. Feel free to remain on station, but otherwise I'll let you get back to your mission. Ace Ops out."

Pyrrha turned towards her. "Are we staying here?" she asked.

Winter considered their options. Unless they blundered blindly into something, it wasn't likely they could solve this issue and, in any case, Marrow should be finishing soon. On the other hand, she never liked to leave a task unfinished. Perhaps they could….

"Winter!" Marrow's voice screamed in their ears. "We have five, repeat five, Megoliaths at site 28! We need immediate help!"

The APC jolted as it practically spun on the spot, its tracks turning opposite directions before it sprang forward. Winter was almost surprised, until the rest of her mind caught up the acts of her own hands. Driving both sticks forward, she made the APC accelerate as fast as possible.

"Keep talking to them!" she told Pyrrha.

"Can they see you? Do they know you're there?" Pyrrha asked through the communicator.

"They're headed right for us! We're–"

"Marrow! Jaune!"

There was an uncomfortable pause, before Jaune's voice came through. "We're still here!" he answered between hurried breaths. They could hear Marrow shout stay in the background. "Marrow's semblance can't stop them all. We – get down!"

The signal broke off again. It came back a moment later. "We stop one, the others come from other directions," Jaune panted. "And there's a big one, spikier than the others. Marrow! Behind us!"

"An Alpha," Winter realised. Older, tougher than the average Grimm of its type, and Megoliaths were hard to kill as it was. But more importantly, smarter and cleverer than the rest of its brood. "It lured us away," she growled.

"Keep moving, Jaune!" Pyrrha cried.

"Don't need to tell us!" Jaune called back, as Marrow could again be heard invoking his semblance.

Winter's thoughts raced as they sped their way back. "We'll need a way to get them aboard quickly," she told Pyrrha. "We won't be able to stop for more than a few seconds."

Pyrrha bit her lip for a moment, before speaking back into the communicator. "Jaune, when we get there, I'm going to need you to grab hold of Marrow and not let go! Got that?"

"Wait, what?! Watch out, Marrow! Why… oh, right, I got it, Pyrrha. Copy, whatever."

"We'll get them aboard," Pyrrha told Winter. A single glance aside revealed a tight, but controlled, expression. Despite her pale worry, however, Pyrrha was clearly still functioning. "I'll lower the rear ramp when we get there."

"Good," Winter confirmed, realising Pyrrha's plan. Her eyes ran across the map on the display, saw the gap close between them and the remainder of their team. Saw it close, but not fast enough.

-000-

"Stay!" Marrow cried, stretching out his hand at the black, mammoth-like, beast in front of him. It stopped moving, but its legs buckled as the heavy creature continued to plough forward, driven by its momentum. Shards of ice were thrown up as the monster skidded along the ground towards them.

He was shoved aside by Jaune, both rolling out of the way as the Megoliath carved a furrow in the snow. A looming shadow appeared above them, and Marrow snapped up to see another Megoliath prepared to crush them with its heavy foot. Jaune's hand closed on his shoulder once more, and empowered by his semblance, Marrow again halted the attack in its tracks. "Stay!"

Seeing two more close on either side and hearing the one behind them begin to move, Marrow pulled Jaune with him as they ducked between the legs of the frozen Grimm. They weaved their way underneath, dashing out just as the beast came back to seeming life, roaring in anger. Marrow risked a look behind him, to see the Grimm getting in each other's way, but a yell from Jaune called his attention forward. The fifth Megoliath – the Alpha – stood ahead of them, waiting. Marrow reached out with his arm just as Jaune amped his aura, and with a flick of his fingers managed to freeze it in place.

If only they didn't have the other four to worry about.

They stumbled past the Alpha, snow crunching beneath their feet, as they tried to use their enemy's body to block the others. Without his attention on it, the Alpha too was released from his semblance. This was all they had been able to do for the last few minutes: duck and dive between the gargantuan monsters, freezing one and then another as they manoeuvred between them. But they couldn't keep this up. Without Jaune, Marrow would have exhausted his aura many times over, and as for the Valean… Marrow could recognise an aura on the verge of breaking.

The Alpha turned towards them, bellowing its rage as it sought them out. Its position blocked two of its fellows, but the remaining two Grimm swung wide of their leader as they charged round, picking up speed. Seeing the two of them stampeding close together, Marrow called for Jaune again. As he felt the magnifying effects of Jaune's semblance, he again reached out. "Stay!" The two Grimm froze, but their previous motion caused them to collide into one another, dragging both down together. "Yeah!" Marrow hollered in triumph.

Then a spark of glowing particles in the corner of his eye told him Jaune's aura had finally shattered, strained by bearing the burden for both. As Jaune dropped to his knee, what sounded like an angry trumpet pulled Marrow's eyes forward, to where the Alpha glared at them with four malevolent red eyes behind its white skull mask. The Grimm began stomping towards them, as its other two herd mates came round from behind it, flanking it. And without Jaune's aura amp, Marrow knew he had no chance of stopping them. "Come on, Jaune!" he said, pulling the boy to his feet, hoping they could at least try to dodge the onrushing beast.

He heard another noise from behind him, but this was different: the mechanical growl of a dust engine. The APC swung into sight on their left and turned, skidding as both tracks stopped dead. As the rear ramp dropped, he heard Pyrrha yell "Now, Jaune!" Summoning some new strength, Jaune grabbed Marrow with both arms and held tight, before both were yanked off the ground. They flew through the air, pulled by an unseen force, before they passed through the rear hatch and landed heavily on the floor of the APC.

Jaune grunted, having taken most of the impact. "That… hurt," he groaned.

Marrow gave him a sympathetic slap on the shoulder as he pushed himself up. Pyrrha had hit the switch to close the doors, a hand to her earpiece.

"They're inside, Winter!" she yelled.

The engine revved, but any forward motion was stopped dead as a heavy, bone-plated, leg came crashing down upon the ramp, pinning it – and the APC – in place. Marrow cursed the Alpha and reached for his weapon, but Pyrrha was quicker. Flicking out with Miló, she stabbed the javelin into the Megoliath's leg.

"Hold on!" she cried.

With a burst of red flame, the fire dust in Miló exploded into the creature. The beast reared back in pain as it bellowed in wrath, lifting its foot from the hatch. With a sudden jolt, the APC shot into motion, pulling away from the Megoliath behind it. Marrow grabbed hold of the side to avoid falling out of the vehicle as it accelerated away.

The Grimm had not given up, however. The Alpha began striding forward, blowing its malice with its trunk. To each side they could see the other Grimm, the rest of the herd, answering with their own angry tones, kept pace. They began to pick up speed, running faster and faster, until their stampede began gaining on the APC.

"Can you stop them?" Pyrrha asked Marrow. He shook his head as Jaune answered from the floor.

"We're out," he grunted, as he slowly pulled himself up. Pyrrha went to his side, but he waved her off. "It hurts, but nothing permanent, I hope." His eyes grew wide as he saw the approaching herd of Grimm. "Are we going to do anything about that?!"

"Winter! The Grimm are still with us!" Marrow called out, using his communicator to be heard over the roar of the open cabin.

"Good," she replied curtly. "Keep them on us!"

Marrow glanced at Pyrrha, but then shrugged before pulling out Fetch in its rifle mode. He took aim, firing off pot-shots at the approaching Grimm. It wouldn't stop them, but it'd annoy them, if that's what Winter wanted. Pyrrha joined him, switching Miló into its own rifle mode, adding her fire to the fray. Jaune glanced at his own sheathed weapon – a sword and shield – then at the Grimm, before breathing out a brief curse.

"Ruby's never going to let me live this down," he muttered.

"Can you do something about the ramp?!" Pyrrha gestured at where the buckled ramp was gouging a trail in the ice beneath them, slowing them. Jaune dashed to the switch, but nothing happened in response to his presses.

He looked again at where the ramp had been twisted against its hinges. "Uh, maybe it'll buff out?" He ducked back as one of the Megoliath's got close enough to chance a swing with its tusks. It missed the APC but came closer than any would like.

Marrow stopped firing and ran over to the switch. "This, newbies, is why we read operating manuals." He flicked open a flap above the switch, exposing a flat red button, and slammed it with his fist. The APC shook as the hinge exploded away with a series of small bangs. The ramp tumbled away, before being trampled underfoot by one of the charging Grimm.

"Explosive bolts," Marrow explained as the APC began picking up speed, pulling away. "For emergencies. I guess this counts."

"Marrow, Pyrrha, Arc? What's going on back there?" Winter demanded.

"We just jettisoned the door," Marrow reported.

"Understood. Let me know if they get too close," she replied, then to their confusion the APC began slowing again, just a little.

Marrow gestured towards the front as he aimed again with Fetch. "Jaune, get up there and find out what Winter's planning."

Jaune clambered away as Marrow opened fire once more and moved to the front of the vehicle. Neither the sound of rushing wind, nor gunshots nor bellowing Grimm faded much as he neared the controls, but he could hear Winter on the radio.

"Valiant, we are requesting urgent fire-support with full effect on grid coordinates," Winter's eyes flickered over the displayed map, "six six zero four nine two by one zero five seven eight four, at… thirty seconds after my mark." She tapped another control, and the number thirty appeared on a smaller display.

"Confirmed Spectral. Fire support at your designated coordinates, thirty seconds from your mark."

Winter looked at the map again as the APC juddered, visibly counting under her breath. "Mark!" She barked, hitting a button. The displayed number began counting down. Jaune looked at the map, inhaling sharply as he realised the coordinates.

"We're driving right towards it?!"

"Indeed, we are, Mister Arc." Winter said, not taking her eyes from the ground ahead.

"Pyrrha! Marrow!" Jaune tapped his earpiece. "Brace yourselves! We're going to have fireworks in about twenty seconds." He climbed into the second chair and clipped himself in. Winter glanced aside, giving him a brief nod.

"Time for a bit more space," she said, pushing the control sticks forward. The APC audibly grew louder as it accelerated. "Marrow, are the Grimm still with us?"

"Yeah, they're following."

Jaune kept his eyes on the little display, saw the number pass below ten seconds. Then five. Then three.

Winter suddenly pulled one stick back, swinging the APC aside. It span on the ice, twisting sideways as it skidded forwards so that the open hatch was facing away from the Grimm. Jaune caught a brief image of five black shapes advancing towards them in the front viewport.

The view was obliterated in a red flash and a wave of heat.

The world outside seemed to crackle with noise, and steam washed over them as the APC was buffeted by the shock. The red glare seemed to pulse, each bringing a new wave of heat. Eventually – after what might have just been a handful of seconds, but what Jaune swore felt like much longer – the flashes ebbed.

They sat in silence, Jaune choosing to take the opportunity to catch his breath. Outside the warm fog surrounding them began to clear, and no dark shadows revealed themselves.

Pyrrha stumbled forwards, Marrow just behind her. "Is that it? Did that get them?" she asked.

"I think so," Jaune said, peering forwards. Perhaps he imagined it, but he fancied the dissipating steam was laced with black vapor here and there. Besides, he figured if any Megoliaths were left, they'd know by now. But all they could see through the clearing fog was empty view, with patches of water condensing on the ground.

"My compliments, Valiant," Winter spoke into the radio. "Thank you for the fire support."

"Anytime, Spectral."

Marrow let out a relieved huff, giving a brief laugh before he eyed Winter, shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, that was something."

"What now?" Jaune asked. "Mission accomplished, right?"

Winter turned towards him, with what appeared to be the ghost of a smile tugging on the corner of her lip. "Not quite, Mister Arc, we still have a job to do. We do have a sensor to set up."

Author's Note: It's back!

Atlesian air cruisers seem to have had a bit of a poor showing in show, but Clover's comment in V7E9 that the air fleet "can't easily target Grimm in the city without risking casualties" suggests they are capable of greater destructive force than they had the opportunity to display. They couldn't be too involved in V7 because of the risk of collateral damage, and perhaps the poor display of that one cruiser when Atlas itself got attacked by the Grimm river in V8 is because it didn't want to risk knocking out the shield generators itself, although in retrospect maybe it should have risked it (or maybe it was taken by surprise). In any case, for this story it can be assumed their laser batteries provide enough of an impact to make them worth building. And a frozen wilderness doesn't exactly have any collateral to damage.