Hey guys! This took me longer than I would've liked, I ended up spending a lot of April in the hospital with my sister (She didn't have Covid) and several power outages this week stopped me from uploading this yesterday. Hope you guys like it, I wont be able to update as often as I would like as I just started a new job this week, but hopefully it won't be too long! Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
"Speech"
Thoughts
Chapter Twenty-Six: Breach
"Do we have positive ID on the men who attacked us yesterday?" Ironwood asked looking to Winter.
"No, Sir" she answered "It's like their records have been completely erased"
"I thought you said they were known criminals" Slade pointed out.
"I told the detectives that so they would stop harassing you over something you obviously shouldn't be detained over" Ironwood sighed "Their fingerprints don't match anything in our systems and we cannot ID them from their faces either. It's like someone deleted them from our database, without access to the other kingdoms databases I can't do anything to confirm their identities" he smashed his fist into the desk angrily "She's making us look like fools!" he stood from his place and started pacing back and forth.
Ruby and her friends looked concerned, between each other. Qrow looked to Slade, shaking his head he mouthed "Not now"
"Perhaps we could do something to help lure out our hacker" Penny suggested "I've been monitoring all access to our system ever since the quarantine order was discovered" she explained.
"Was there any type of data purge?" Winter asked hopeful.
"There was!" she answered cheerfully.
"And?" Ironwood raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"I cannot access the information!" she answered never dropping her cheerful tone.
"Wonderful" Qrow groaned.
"Can you see who accessed the database prior to the data purge? Anyone with the clearance to do it?" Oscar asked.
"Unfortunately that data has been deleted" Penny said disappointed "But if we could give the hacker something he wants to find as bait, then we might be able to lure him out long enough to catch him in the act" she suggested.
"What about telling people the truth about what's going on in Mantle? About the hacker and what he's done to-" Blake suggested.
"Telling people someone behind the destruction of Beacon is here in Atlas is going to cause a panic" Winter replied.
"People are already panicking" Weiss pointed out.
"I understand people are scared right now because of everything that is going on, but we simply cannot put all of our cards on the table right now" Ironwood explained sitting back into his chair.
"That's easy for you to say!" Nora shouted angrily "You're not the one starving down there or being shot at to cause a panic! People aren't just scared, they're suffering done there!"
"I know" Ironwood sighed.
"If we could just-" Jaune started to agree.
"That's enough" Winter cut him off "We're doing the best that we can right now"
"It's not enough! If we just told people what was going on-" Yang yelled.
"WE CANT!" Ironwood slammed his hands down onto the desk and abruptly stood, leaving a hand print on the desk from his metal hand "If we tell everyone we know about the hacking then we'll have tipped our hand and Salem will know we're onto her! Right now she only thinks we know about Tyrian and Neo if she even works for her! We can't leave ourselves exposed now of all times! There's too much at stake!"
"Ozpin has always been the one to keep secrets General Ironwood" Ruby stepped ahead of the group "We shouldn't make his mistake" she implored.
Ironwood sighed "You have all been open with me and I have in turn done the same for you. I know you didn't have to tell me about what Jinn told you or even that there's still one question left... but you did. I appreciate the trust you have shown me" he looked up at Penny "What do you think?"
"I follow your orders, General" she answered.
"I meant personally, unofficially"
Penny took a moment before answering "Sir, I think that if someone is hacking our system so easily that it is someone we already know" she looked toward Ruby "I agree with them, we should tell people what's going on. The hacker is already going to know about us being onto him because we discovered the hack to begin with"
"What makes you say that?"
"Father is part of your inner circle, he knows about the Relics, Salem, the Maidens... I think the person responsible is someone who knows but we didn't tell, likely someone very good at lying"
Ironwood looked to the group in front of him and smiled lightly "It's a good thing I have you all here" he stood from his desk "I will call for a meeting with the Council and inform them of what's going on. If it is one of them, they might slip up and give me something to work with. I won't tell them everything, Salem is still a secret we shouldn't spread around just yet, but the hacking must be brought to light. They'll make an announcement about it so people know I am not abandoning them" a knock at the door surprised the group "Oscar" Oscar nodded and hid the relic behind his coat "Come in"
Dr. Watts entered "General" he nodded to the others "I have found something"
"Truly" Ironwood walked around to the front of his desk.
"Yes, General" he handed him a stack of files "It took me longer than I would've liked but with all the digital files having been deleted, I found paper copies of the men posing as our soldiers down in Mantle. I believe I know where they're hiding out in the city"
"Excellent work, Arthur" he smiled "I know just who to send" he smiled to the group. Slade began to look worried, looking over to Qrow he received a stern look.
"Something wrong?" Yang asked.
"It's nothing" Qrow answered quickly.
"Good" Ironwood smiled "I want one of you to go to this possible hideout and see what you can find, don't kill anyone if you can-"
"General" Slade stepped forward.
"Slade!" Qrow tried to stop him.
"I'm sorry, Qrow. I can't keep this secret, it's going to put everyone else in danger if I go along with them" he stepped up next to Ruby.
"What secret?" Ironwood asked surprised. Watts looked intrigued as well.
"General, about what happened yesterday... when the soldiers attacked Yang and I" he looked like he was struggling with his words "I..." he looked back to Qrow, who looked genuinely scared but hid it well enough for the others not to notice.
"Yes, Slade?"
Slade sighed "Since the Fall of Beacon I have had severe pain in my abdomen every time I use my Semblance. I have been hiding it, but after my fight with Cordovin and Adam Taurus... it's only gotten worse"
"You're injured then?" he asked, Qrow let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Yes, General. I went to Dr. Polendina last night before going into town and had him take a look at me. Apparently the two stab wounds Adam gave me at Beacon have been affecting me pretty badly, it's been making combat difficult as I have had to favor my left side more than I am used to"
"What did Pietro say?" he looked concerned.
"He said he didn't know if he could do anything about it, my Semblance... the part where I pass through things. Has been making the wounds stop from healing, but I don't know much about it otherwise" he held up a pill bottle "He gave me these for the pain, but it's actually only gotten worse" he explained.
"Your wounds haven't fully healed then" Ironwood rubbed his hand through his beard "I don't know if I can do anything for it myself, but Jaune's Semblance is healing is it not?"
"It is, General" Jaune answered.
"Perhaps Pietro can do something for you after all" Winter nodded to Penny.
"I will inform him you're coming then!" she quickly rushed out of the room.
"What else can you tell me?"
"Salem... when I suffered the wounds, she told me something that might help"
"Like what?" Qrow asked approaching.
"Ruby's eyes petrified the Wyvern atop Beacon that night, I was close enough to be in the blast radius of her eyes" he looked to Ruby "Somehow her eyes healed my wounds, but not fully it would seem"
"I healed you?" Ruby asked surprised.
"How is that possible?" Ren asked.
"I thought Silver Eyes only affected the Grimm" Yang added.
"They do" Ironwood looked intrigued "It's rare but I have heard rumors about them having other powers"
"It makes sense" Qrow rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Silver Eyes are using pure light energy. It's not entirely impossible for it to heal people"
"Then why did it affect Cinder the way that it did?" Ruby asked.
"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked surprised.
"When I used my eyes in Haven, Cinder looked like she was in pain from them. I asked Maria about it and she said there must've been something we didn't see"
"Hmm... well, whatever it was can wait for another day. Slade's condition should be our primary concern right now" he turned to Jaune "Take him to Pietro and see what can be done to help him. The rest of you need to keep an eye on the polls as we discussed before. I don't want Salem pulling something under our noses right now"
"What about the hideout?" Nora asked.
"Yeah, we shouldn't let that go unaddressed" Blake agreed.
"It could be the key to stopping Salem's activities here in the city. At the very least it could help us figure out who exactly she has working for her" Weiss added.
"I will be sending men that I trust to clear it out and take down anyone there. I want them alive so I have people to interrogate" he answered "Even so I would still like a Huntsman to be there"
"How about Ms. Rose?" Watts offered "She's used to leading a team"
"I can do it" Qrow offered.
"No, Qrow. I want you in charge of the polls, you're the only person who can quickly move from Atlas to Mantle if something happens. With Slade and Jaune indisposed Ruby is the only one here who has lead a team on mission before"
"I can do it, General" Ruby assured him confidently.
"Good, I will tell my team you're coming. Meet them at the academy landing pad in three hours" he turned to Slade "Get going to Pietro, if you're done fast enough you may be able to join her"
"Yes, General" Slade and Jaune left quickly.
"As for the rest of you, I want you keeping your eyes on the polls. Get going"
"We won't let you done!" Yang assured him.
"Be careful, all of you"
The teams left and started heading where they needed to go "Slade!" Yang called stopping him and Jaune in their tracks, Ruby and Qrow following after her.
"Thank you for telling us about what's going on with you" she smiled.
"Oh..." Slade felt a pang of regret for not telling them all the truth about Salem "Well, I figured it was better to address this than not. Wouldn't want to put any of you in further danger right?"
"Well, we appreciate it" Ruby smiled warmly at him.
"I only wish you told us sooner" Ren pointed out "We could've helped you know"
"Yeah, we wouldn't have let you strain yourself so much back in Argus" Nora agreed.
"That's exactly why I didn't mention it" Slade smirked "You all had enough to worry about without fawning over me the whole time. If you were all worrying about me back in Argus, we may not have all made it out alive"
"We would've been fine" Weiss stepped forward "Don't ever feel like you need to hide things from us just because your worried about us. We can take it, it can't be worse than Salem not being able to be killed right?"
"It makes sense now why you've been so weak lately" Blake pointed out "Back in Mantle you looked like you were going to pass out for a second"
"Thankfully my Semblance stopped me from looking too bad" he chuckled.
"You could've really hurt yourself when you started training us though" Nora glared "You should've told us sooner"
"I would've at least tried to heal it" Jaune agreed.
"I probably didn't help when I hit you with my Semblance" Yang's eyes were downcast.
"Don't worry yourself, Yang" Slade smiled warmly "You didn't have enough energy stored for your Semblance for it to do much, besides... you hit the wrong side anyway so nothing to worry about"
"Maybe, but that doesn't change I could've really hurt you"
"I know, I know" Slade waved dismissively "But it's done now and we're going to get it taken care of"
"Why did you not want Slade to mention it to Ironwood?" Ruby asked suspiciously to Qrow.
"Oh... uh... because of how he was reacting" he answered quickly "I figured it would just be more stress than he needed at the moment"
"He did seem to be taking things pretty hard" Weiss agreed.
"Doesn't matter now" Qrow turned toward the group "We all have our own missions to do, so let's get to it"
"Right, I gotta go get ready!" Ruby shouted excitedly "My first real mission as a Huntress"
"Be careful, Ruby. You're going to be alone" Yang turned to her sister.
"Psh! You worry too much! I'll be fine" she used her Semblance to rush away from the group.
"Ruby!" Weiss called exasperated "She's such a child"
Ren smiled lightly "She's right though, we should all get ready for our own mission. Get yourself healed up and ready. We're going to need you soon enough Slade"
"You bet"
"Ya! Smashing bad guys isn't nearly as fun when you're not doing it with your friends" Nora grinned.
"it's too bad I am going to be stuck back here instead of out there with you all" Oscar smirked "I'll be just as good as the rest of you, just you wait"
"Looking forward to it" Blake nodded.
"You can come with us, Oscar. You might be able to help" Jaune offered.
"Sure, why not" he shrugged.
"You two go on ahead, I need to talk to Qrow.
"Sure, race you" Oscar bolted off ahead of Jaune.
"Hey no fair!" he shouted following after him. Jaune and Oscar went the opposite way from the rest of RWBY and JNPR leaving Qrow and Slade alone in the hallway.
Qrow sighed "I am not even going to mention how annoyed I am by you hiding that injury right now, because you and I both know that wasn't what you were going to tell Ironwood" he started walking toward Polendina's office with Slade right beside him.
"Yeah well, I had to tell him something after I got started" Slade shrugged "It wasn't like I wasn't going to tell you guys about it, I just wanted it to be from me and not the Dr." he explained.
"I get it kid, but you can't tell Ironwood about Salem right now. He'll take you off the team and probably lock you up so you can't do anything with how he's been acting right now"
"He should know, Qrow. Everyone should, I have been keeping secrets from the people I care about long enough"
"That's a bad idea, Slade. I understand wanting to tell them, really I do. But there's no telling one of them won't let it slip to Ironwood. You saw how he reacted just by being told he should tell people the truth"
"Yeah, and I also saw him give in when provided a proper argument from Penny. He's paranoid, sure, we can all see that. But he's not unreasonable"
"I am telling you, Slade. You're going to want to keep this to yourself" he placed his hand onto his shoulder.
"Fine, fine" Slade shrugged him off "I'll keep this to myself for now, but they deserve to know eventually" Qrow stopped in the hallway and watched as Slade walked off, he sighed with a shake of his head.
"He's just as stubborn as I am" he groaned turning the opposite direction of him and walking off.
Salem hovered high in the sky, focusing on something below her. Energy passed from her hands down into a dark pit below, she grinned wickedly returning to the cliff nearby she found a Seer waiting for her "Arthur" she greeted.
"Master, I apologize for the disturbance but I have a report"
"What is it?"
"I have done as you've asked and given Ironwood the hideout location. What is it you plan to do exactly?"
"You saw what I plan already" she answered stepping closer to the Grimm "Ruby is going to be there correct?"
"Yes, and it would seem Mr. Stroud has suffered some kind of injury. He's not being allowed out of the academy until he's fully healed"
"Good, then he won't be interfering tonight" she nodded "Was there anything else?"
"Tyrian is in position, if I give the order-"
"Don't. Keep Tyrian on standby for now, but focus on the girl"
"Of course. May I ask something?"
"You may"
"You've given Tyrian and Emerald the ability to teleport, which I am sure they're grateful for... but it seems quite taxing on Tyrian"
"That ability is a power that feeds on Aura when used. That is why I told them both to use it sparingly, if they use it too much during a fight, they'll die" she explained.
"I suppose that makes sense, but why the airship schematics? What do you plan to do with them?"
"It's not what I plan for them, Arthur. It's what I have already done" she grinned, guiding the Seer to the edge and allowing him to see below her.
"Oh my..." he looked genuinely frightened "I am glad that thing is on our side" a roar tore through the air.
Slade entered Pietro's office and found Oscar and Jaune panting lightly, he chuckled at the sight "Who won?"
"Considering they both just bashed down my door together, I would say it was more of a tie" Dr. Polendina laughed "So. May I ask exactly what you're here for? Penny mentioned you would be coming but not what it was about"
"They haven't told you?" Slade asked.
"They've been too busy wheezing" Maria answered.
"Ironwood knows" Slade turned toward Pietro.
"Ah, so you've told him" he smiled "Considering how adamant you were about keeping it to yourself, I must say I am surprised"
"Yeah, well... something came up and I didn't want to do anything that might put my friends in danger"
"That's quite noble of you" Maria smiled "What exactly is the problem anyway?"
"Mr. Stroud here has two very deep stab wounds that've been festering since the Fall of Beacon. We believe his Semblance has been the root cause of it not healing"
"That's why I brought Jaune along" Slade gestured toward him "His Semblance amplifies Aura, making it easier to heal wounds that would otherwise be fatal or more devastating"
"That is impressive"
"Do you think with his help we can do something about it?"
"Perhaps" he stood from his desk "What did Mr. Pine come for?"
"Figured he could help hold him down if need be, I doubt Maria is going to do very much in that regard" Jaune answered.
"Well, you're not wrong" she laughed.
"Then let's get to work" Slade propped himself up on the exam table.
"Now, Mr. Stroud. I cannot guarantee you're going to enjoy the experience but I can put you to sleep so you don't feel anything"
"Jaune's Semblance should stop it from being too painful, besides... I don't like being unconscious. Gives Salem too much free time in my head" he laid on his stomach, his head hanging over the end of the table.
"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you" he turned to Oscar "Mr. Pine, stay close. I need you to keep his shoulders down if he starts flailing"
"I understand" he stood in place for the best leverage over him.
"Now, Mr. Arc. Do you have any medical training?"
"No, Sir. I only recently discovered my Semblance"
"Alright then, I will direct you. Just do what I tell you and everything should be fine"
"Alright" Jaune nodded.
Jaune started using his Semblance on Slade while Pietro used his scanner to oversee the process. Oscar rested his hands on Slade's shoulders and Maria watched, confident in Dr. Polendina's ability. After some time, Jaune looked to be getting tired.
"Let's take a break, Mr. Arc appears to be using up all of his Aura"
"That's fine" Slade groaned lightly "How's it going?"
"Very well, the deepest wound seems to be almost fully healed. Should probably be another two sessions like that and you'll be all healed up"
"I thought those wounds were just from Cordovin" Jaune panted out "Never would've figured that was how you ended up getting all your other injuries to begin with"
"My Semblance didn't work when I tried to use it then, the pain shooting through me was what made me crash through the trees. I managed to use my Aura to protect myself somewhat, but Adam's Semblance didn't help the situation"
"Neither did using yours on the Leviathan" Oscar pointed out.
Slade chuckled "No, probably not"
"Alright, well... let's give Mr. Arc a couple of more minutes to recover before trying again. Hopefully we can have this all resolved today so you can assist Ironwood more easily"
"That's the hope, especially if the election ends with someone who's going to be giving him a hard time getting the seat"
"I'm surprised it's still an issue for you, I could've sworn I healed these for you" Jaune panted.
"You did, Jaune" Slade turned his head toward him "It seems using my Semblance too much lately caused them to get worse, likely reopened the wounds in a fight or something"
"That would be the most likely" Polendina agreed "I'll be keeping an eye on it myself, to make sure nothing comes back. Jaune, you should probably check him over every now and again to make sure he's not got any underlying injuries to deal with for at least the next few weeks"
"Gotcha"
Ruby sat in the airship across from the captain of the Atlas squad "Gentlemen!" the captain called addressing the group "We're touching down in five. Lightning rounds only, we're shooting to stun, not kill. General Ironwood wants them alive for questioning, we hit them hard and fast and we're done before they even know what's going on" he gestured to Ruby "Ms. Rose here is a Huntress, General wants her along. She may look young but don't underestimate her! If she gives you an order, I expect you to obey her as if it were me" he opened the door on the airship "Let's make it happen people"
They all leapt out of the airship just as it hovered over the street. The soldiers all stacked up against the wall "We're going through the front. Ruby, you take the back"
"Got it" she used her Semblance to reach the back door quickly.
"Breaching in 3...2..." they smashed through the door and quickly dropped the two men there, knocking them unconscious "Bag em" he lead the soldiers inside as Ruby made her way through the back "Ruby, what's your status?"
"Three men down at the rear entrance, I am in the atrium. White truck" she answered "There's a couple dozen guys in here, you see any more?"
"We're directly across from you, blue van" he answered "On my signal"
"Ready"
"Concussion grenade out" he tossed the grenade on the ground between two men, they shouted after it detonated, blinding them.
"Atlas military, get on the ground!" they yelled firing into the men who drew their weapons on them. Ruby fired Crescent Rose in it's gun form with lightning rounds, dropping two men as they aimed at her. Ruby placed Crescent Rose on her back and leapt over a crate, using her hands to push her forward and kicked both her heels into the chest of a thug turning to attack her. Another grabbed her as she planted her feet down, she wrapped her arms around his neck and flipped sideways onto his back, punching him in the face. The Atlas Captain fired into both the men on the ground stunning them.
Ruby and the squad quickly used the bolases given to them to round up the unconscious criminals easily "That went better than I thought"
"Indeed it did" the Captain smiled "It helps to work with a Huntress of course"
"Just doing my job, Captain!" she saluted with a bright smile.
"I can see why Ironwood likes you" he laughed "C'mon, we should get these guys out of here. We'll handle clean-up. You should report back to him personally"
"Really? Thanks!" she lifted an unconscious man onto her shoulder and managing to get him outside without too much difficulty, she tossed him into the prisoner transport ship with the others and closed the door "Is that all of them?"
"That's it, job is done for you. Ma'am" he smiled "Do me a favor and put in a good word for us in with General Ironwood, huh? I will be sure to do the same for you when I write up my report" the airship took off toward Atlas.
"You betcha!" Ruby smiled proudly "Well, I guess that means the job is done!" she repeated, placing her hands on her hips "It's been a pleasure working with you, Captain-"
"Ruby! Rose!" a metallic voice called from behind her, she and the soldiers turned and aimed their weapons toward the man clapping as he approached. The man wore a full black skintight jacket with matching pants along with black combat boots, gloves and a black helmet covering his entire face with a bright red, glowing visor. He had two holster's, one on each side of his waist, a combat knife strapped to the right side of his hip and a holster on his left shoulder.
"Hands up!" the Captain yelled.
"Woah, woah I am a fan. Truly" he laughed "The way her eyes glow and Grimm vanish, the cool scythe, the combat skirt. All of it" he smirked beneath his helmet "You guys too, you're very cute with your matching outfits"
Ruby tilted her head in confusion "Who're you? How do you know my name?"
"I am what you would call... a bad guy"
"Get on your knees!" the Captain yelled emphasizing each word.
"Oh what? You want to see my hands? Place them on my head right?" he asked with a laugh "I think I am gonna go with, no" he grabbed his pistol from his left holster and fired into the Captain's head, killing him instantly before anyone could react. Twisting with blinding speed, he elbowed the soldier to his right in the throat and grabbed him by his left shoulder throwing him to the ground with tremendous strength. The soldier to his left fired his weapon just as the man grabbed the end of the barrel with his hand and directed it away from him, then elbowed the other end away from him before slamming his fist into his chest, launching the soldier into the wall several feet behind him.
The man holstered his gun and grabbed a soldier's hand as he reached for his own sidearm. Grabbing it himself with his free hand, he outstretched the soldier's arm painfully and fired into another's face. Spinning his arm behind his back, he slammed his knee into the soldier's face, shattering his helmet and throwing him up into the air onto the hood of the nearby car, he kicked the last soldier in the chest, launching him a large distance away and fired into his head as he flew killing him and then the other soldier on the car with a bullet to the head all in a manner of seconds.
Turning toward Ruby she fired regular bullets at him, he placed his palm out in front of him and blocked the bullets easily "Oh, poor Ruby" he lowered his hand and dropped the gun to the ground "You're all alone now" he outstretched his arms "What're you gonna do? Run away? Or fight?" Ruby transformed Crescent Rose into it's scythe form and launched herself at him.
The man crossed his arms over his chest and flipped over Crescent Rose, she swung again and he ducked back beneath the strike without moving his arms. Catching her next strike in his hand he slammed his fist into her chest, throwing her backward across the street "Good, Ruby. I enjoy a fight" he laughed slamming his fist into his open palm "Gives me something fun for a change. I so rarely get to fight Huntsmen"
Ruby stood up "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"Who I am is not important my dear girl" he answered "As to what I want with you? Nothing personally" he shrugged "But when I get paid to do a job, I put my all into doing it"
"Who's paying you?" she asked.
"No, no, no. We're done with the questions now, Ruby. Now... you're going to be coming with me-" the man was interrupted when a powerful kick to his back threw him through the air, he rolled to a stop and turned around to find his attacker "Slade Stroud!" he laughed "My but I wasn't expecting to see you here"
"Do I know you?" Slade asked aiming Defiance at his chest.
"No, but I know you. Big fan of your work, wish I could stay and chat but I have something important to do and you happen to be in my way" he gestured toward Ruby.
"If you think I am going to let you get anywhere near her-"
"It's not really about what you're going to let me do it's more like... you don't have a choice, here friend" he leapt backward just as Nora slammed Magnhild down where he stood, landing on the sidewalk he blocked the bullets fired at him by Ren with his hands and then twisted around kicking Yang in the face as she swung for him, knocking her to the ground "I see you have friends, well then..." he looked toward Ruby "Looks like I am going to have to get some friends of my own before I can take you" he shrugged "Oh well, ta!" he waved and turned on his heel, racing away from them.
"Stop!" Slade gave chase, passing up Yang as she did the same.
"Nora, Ren! Stay with Ruby!" Yang called following after Slade. The man raced through the streets and ducked into an alleyway as several security cars blocked him off. Following close behind him, Slade found the man leaping over a fence and sliding down the small hill to a highway with cars racing by at deadly speeds. Slade aimed Defiance at him through the fence and fired into his back, the man shrugged off the bullets like they were nothing, they didn't even penetrate his jacket.
Yang caught up and noticed the shield surrounding the road, the man placed his hands through the shield and forced it open, dropping the shield for that portion of the road by shorting it out "That's insane, he's gonna cross it? Those people wouldn't even be able to see him until they're about to hit him!"
"He's getting away!" Slade started to climb.
"Hey! What're you doing!?" she asked incredulously grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back down.
"I can't let him get away, he's our only lead right now. We may never find him again until he comes back for Ruby"
"He won't get away, he's never going to make it to the other side"
The man rushed across the lane, managing to stay ahead of the first care, he flipped forward over the second and jumped forward between the third and the car behind it making it to the median in the center of the road.
"I can't take that chance, Yang!" he began climbing again.
"No! You will get yourself killed-" Slade brushed her off and vaulted the fence, sliding down toward the road.
"Slade! Dammit!"
"What's going on!?" Nora yelled as she, Ren and Ruby showed up behind her.
"What is he doing!?" Ren shouted in shock.
"Being an idiot!" Yang shouted following after him.
Slade ran through the first lane, timing his run with the car, then he leapt up over the second barely managing to stay above it and slid beneath the third car sideways as it drove over him. Slade was right behind the man now as he passed through the fourth lane, he wrapped his arm around the man's neck stopping him in his tracks.
"You're persistent boy!" he flipped Slade over him. Slade planted his feet down and twisted around just in time to see the car coming at him. Slade forced himself forward and kicked for the man's head. Catching the kick in his palm he threw Slade backward. Yang reached them both and slammed her fist toward his chest, he caught her fist in his other hand while catching another kick from Slade. The man kicked his right heel into the back of Slade's knee, dropping him onto his back then kicked Yang back with incredible strength, she stumbled as a truck was making it's way to her, she was unable to get out of the way.
"Yang!" Slade wrenched himself free of the man's grip and tackled Yang out of the way of the truck to the safety of the median. Yang and Slade's eyes met, they both blushed lightly from their proximity. Slade composed himself quickly, getting off of her and searching for his target "Damn" he sighed running a hand through his hair. No matter where he looked he couldn't find any sign of the man.
Ruby landed next to them having used Crescent Rose to launch herself over the cars "Where'd he go?" she asked as Nora and Ren arrived right behind them.
"He got away" Slade answered turning back toward them, Yang had just gotten to her feet.
"Sorry" Yang looked down disappointed.
"What're you sorry for?" Nora asked confused "Slade saved your life!"
"I shouldn't have been so foolish" Yang answered "If I had been paying more attention I wouldn't have needed to be saved"
"Yang-" Ruby started.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Yang. This guy was good and he was fast" he assured her "It's more likely if you hadn't been the one who needed saving it just would've been me not long afterward. That guy was trying to escape not fight"
Yang smiled gratefully "Well you were the one who was stupid enough to follow him, first" Yang laughed punching him in the shoulder.
"I guess I deserve that"
"You're all healed up then?" she asked hopefully.
Slade grinned "Oh yes! I am back to 100%. Didn't even have to use my Semblance to-" he groaned lightly as his hand shot down to his abdomen "Okay, correction, 95%. I am still a bit sore" they all laughed.
"Well I for one am very glad you showed when you did, all of you" Ruby turned serious "Whoever that guy was, he was really strong"
"We could see that much! He floored a whole team of Atlas soldiers like it was nothing" Nora pointed out.
"Any Huntsman could do that with ease" Ren crossed his arms "Do you think he might've been-"
"No" Slade answered before the question was voiced "I think someone sent Ruby into a trap. And I know just the person to talk to" Slade growled.
Ironwood smashed his hands down onto his desk in anger "Another team, people I could trust! Dead!" he looked at the group in front of him "What happened!?"
Ruby timidly approached "Captain Bates and I entered the hideout with his team and easily took down the men inside. Once we had them in our bolases we got them into the prison transport and sent them up to Atlas. That's when some guy I had never seen before showed up and just killed the team like it was nothing, couldn't have been any more than five or six seconds and they were all dead" she explained.
"This man" Penny pulled up an image from the security camera's in the area.
"Does he look familiar to you?" Slade asked hopeful.
"Unfortunately not" Ironwood sighed "Under that helmet he could be anyone. Did he say anything? Anything that could've given away who he was?"
"No, Sir" Ruby looked down disappointed.
"He knew who Ruby and Slade were though" Nora pointed out.
"That's not all that surprising in Slade's case, giving him a reputation was the whole point of all the work I did. I may have returned it to normal, but he had already made a name for himself before I exaggerated some things"
"Were it only Slade he knew, it wouldn't have been worth noting" Ren replied.
"If he knew who she was and wanted to capture her, does that mean he works for Salem?" Jaune asked.
Weiss crossed her arms "As if we don't have enough problems"
Blake's ears drooped "Maybe he's connected to the men who've been impersonating your soldiers"
"I suspect that is the case, on both counts" Ironwood sighed "Unfortunately, we don't have anyway of proving it yet. We're still having the men you captured interrogated as we speak"
"Ruby walked right into a trap, a trap that was set specifically for her, General" Oscar pointed out.
"I know what you're thinking" Ironwood stood from his desk "Unfortunately, even if it is Arthur we don't have any proof-"
"Screw proof! He tried to kidnap Ruby and almost killed Yang!" Qrow shouted in anger.
"I understand you're upset, Qrow. But I have no way of proving Watts guilt, if I were to arrest him now the council would hang me for abuse of power"
Oscar looked to Ironwood "The council didn't take very well to what you told them I take it"
"They took it fine" he stepped around his desk "Unfortunately, Jacques is now a member of the council and he has quite a way with words. He'd be able to sway the others against me at even the slightest hint-"
"How do you know my father won? They haven't even announced the winner yet" Weiss asked.
"We have the results, Weiss" Winter sighed "The announcement will be made before the end of the day once he has been given proper security access"
"With that in mind, I do have multiple forms of surveillance in Arthur's office and have had Penny watching everything he does on his scroll since Pietro informed us of the possibility of him being the hacker"
"If he does anything, we're going to know about it" Winter assured.
"Unfortunately he hasn't done anything suspicious since we started surveilling him" Penny's adeed disappointed.
"Has Dr. Polendina finished reconstructing the data on who accessed the drones yet?" Blake asked hopeful.
"Yes" Ironwood nodded, placing his hands behind his back "Pietro has informed me that the access codes were McLaren's old code. It was since deactivated"
"You still had her access codes the same as before?" Jaune asked surprised.
"No, the drones were hacked before I returned from Vale, meaning the access codes wouldn't have been changed until then. In my haste to increase security I neglected to deactivate her access. Unfortunately, because of my misstep, we're going to have to wait for Salem's next move before we can track anything once more. The deleted personnel files, looping data feed, falsified orders, even the blocked security reports were all done from McLaren's codes at a public terminal out in the city outside of any camera's view" Ironwood explained.
"What about the data drive Slade found?" Yang asked.
"Just some viruses. Penny told us they were used to revoke or prematurely expire any and all forms of identification for the Faunus population of Atlas. Thankfully she managed to fix that before the day was done. Unfortunately, nothing else was on the drive. We did confirm that terminal was the one used to delete the digital files we had on the criminals you fought in Mantle, Slade"
Penny stepped in front of the group, her back to Ironwood "I detected the intrusion the moment it occurred, but I wasn't able to fight it off due to the direct access of the viruses without compromising myself. Thankfully we had Blake around to inform you all of the situation before it got out of hand"
"I'd still like to know how they got into the school without us noticing" Winter crossed her arms.
"Given what we know, anything is possible at this point. Tyrian could've teleported them inside, they could've been let in by the infiltrator or it could be neither of those options. Find out" Ironwood ordered looking to Penny.
"Yes, Sir"
"What should we do in the meantime then? With the election done with, I doubt Salem is going to wait around" Oscar asked.
"Keep training, enjoy what free time you have now, and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Especially concerning Arthur, I want to know if he's being played to look like the culprit or if he's been hiding his connection to Salem from me all this time"
"I'll get them into fighting shape, Sir" Slade smirked.
"Speaking of" Ironwood smiled "You seem to be back to your old self again"
"Just about" Slade chuckled "Still a bit sore, but the meds Pietro gave me should help with that. Jaune did one hell of a job"
"Thanks" Jaune rubbed the back of his head with a small smile.
"Now if we can just figure out Oscar's situation with Ozpin, we might be able to learn something useful about Salem. Now that we know the truth about her and all" Nora pointed out.
"Ozpin would be helpful for planning our next move. He always seemed to know the right thing to do, even when no one else did. Though, we should manage it ourselves for now. We don't want to put all our cards on Ozpin saving the day" Qrow explained.
"Yeah, Beacon fell even with his help" Ruby nodded.
"Well come on then!" Slade shouted "Back to the training room!" they all jumped at his commanding tone and immediately rushed toward the direction of it as he followed close behind.
Ironwood and Winter remained after they all left "General" she called as he returned to his seat.
"Something you need, Winter?" he asked leaning back into his chair.
"Did Slade seem like he was hiding something? When he told you about his injury, it seemed like Qrow was worried about something more"
"You think Qrow knows something about Slade we don't" he sighed "I noticed his unease, yes. I am hoping it has more to do with how I have been acting recently, but I can't know for sure"
"How you've been acting, Sir?" she asked surprised.
He chuckled "You don't need to do that, Winter. I know you've noticed it too. I'm paranoid, erratic even... it's what happened at Beacon. It's caused no small amount of nightmares and unwelcome thoughts. Learning the truth about Salem, that she cannot be killed... it's made me start to reevaluate my priorities"
"How so, Sir?" Winter asked concerned.
"Ozpin was right to keep her secret from the world. Too many people would flock to her side if they knew the truth, but I believe that people as a whole would fight against her if they knew of her, not about her immortality... but once they learn of her existence, it is only a matter of time before they learn of the inevitability of our defeat. We're fighting a lost cause, Winter. One that I will die for if need be" he stood from his desk and turned to look out the window, his hands behind his back.
"You don't believe we can win, Sir?"
"I don't believe there is much we can do to stop Salem. I believe that the deck is stacked against us at every turn" he turned back to her with a comforting smile "But I whole heartedly believe that we're the only ones who can stop her. Killing her may be impossible, but death is not the only solution"
"Do you have an idea for how to stop her?"
"Not yet" he answered honestly "But I believe I am starting to form one, I just need some time, and more intel" he stepped closer to her "Right now we need to focus on repelling whatever attack she sends our way, keeping Ruby safe and the relics secure. Once that is done, we can then turn our attention to the Maidens. If we're going to have any shot at stopping Salem, we're going to need all four of them. With or without Ozpin, we're going to stop Salem or die trying"
"Do you know who all the Maidens are, General?"
"Cinder Fall is the Fall Maiden, Raven Branwen is the Spring Maiden, and the Winter Maiden's identity is known only to me and Ozpin. We did it that way for a reason, wanted to make sure if I was killed, that someone knew who she was. I guess that didn't exactly go to plan" he chuckled ruefully.
"What about the Summer Maiden?" Winter asked curiously.
Ironwood closed his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest "Elise Stroud was the last known Summer Maiden to me. Whoever the current one is remains a mystery for now, I am sure Ozpin knows. If we can get him back, then we might have a shot at finding her. If not, we'll make do"
"Understood, Sir. Do you have any orders for me?"
"Just one" he opened his eyes "Do whatever you can to help Ruby Rose stop this attack"
Winter looked shocked "Ruby? You think she is the key to stopping Salem's plans here in Atlas?"
"Ruby Rose and her team are the only reason Haven didn't fall to Salem and the only reason the kingdom of Vale is still standing"
"I don't understand"
"Ruby used the power of her eyes for the first time during the Fall of Beacon due to witnessing the death of Pyrrha Nikos. Cinder Fall apparently sustained some serious injuries from her because of it and was forced to retreat with her coconspirators, the Wyvern was encased in stone, while still alive it cannot move itself from it's spot atop the tower. If that hadn't happened, the Grimm would've overrun the entire kingdom instead of just the city and the school" he sat back into his chair.
"The Wyvern would've led the rest of the Grimm against the kingdom"
"Cinder Fall might even have obtained the relic from Beacon as well. Yang Xiao Long, she is the only reason Raven didn't take the Relic of Knowledge from Haven and Blake Belladonna is the one responsible for stopping Adam Taurus and the White Fang from destroying the school" she smiled "Weiss Schnee's injury was the only reason Jaune Arc unlocked his Semblance. Ruby is the reason they're the first to learn the full truth about Salem and Ozpin, giving us a real fighting chance"
"That's not even mentioning the fact of Slade Stroud having been convinced to assist them and start fighting Salem openly once again, none of us thought that was ever going to happen"
"Indeed, and if you remember, Qrow is the only one to know anything about Slade before everything going on in Haven. Slade never would've traveled with Yang to the city of Mistral to begin with if it hadn't been for his connection to Qrow"
"It's all seeming a bit convenient. Like someone planned it even" Winter pondered aloud.
"I'm not saying it's fate, Winter. But impossible things are accomplished by those kids everyday... I think you might want to stick around and see just what they're really capable of"
Winter remained silent, mulling it over in her head "Alright, but if Qrow starts another fight with me again, I'll kill him"
Ironwood chuckled "Your assignment is to assist them not like them, Winter. Just do what you do best"
"Yes, Sir" she saluted.
"What do you think, Father?" Penny asked as she walked through the halls of the academy beside him and Maria.
"I think you did a fantastic job! You really scared those miscreants" he chuckled "Ironwood didn't believe me when I told him you'd be a good interrogator"
"She can smell lies" Maria added with a playful smirk.
"Lies cannot be smelt" Penny tilted her head in confusion.
"It's a figure of speech, Kiddo"
Penny's eyes widened in surprise "Oh..." she giggled nervously.
"She's still not great with those, takes things a bit too literally sometimes" Pietro laughed.
"Well I can't blame her. She doesn't exactly get a whole lot of social interaction outside of Winter and General Ironwood. They're not exactly examples of social-"
"Ooooooo" Penny zipped past them excitedly before zipping back in front of them "Ruby and her team must be training! Can we go watch? Please?" she asked like in a childish tone.
Pietro bellowed with laughter "I need to speak with Ironwood, but you go on ahead"
"Please, Father? You're always working" she frowned, he sighed with a small smile.
"Alright, alright, we'll go together. I am sure the General won't mind me checking in on Slade's condition before meeting with him"
"Thank you!" she rushed them both to the training room.
"Slow down, Penny. They're not going anywhere" he laughed. Once they arrived they found RWBY and JNPR sitting on the sidelines watching the match between Oscar, Qrow and Slade.
"Hey, Penny!" Ruby waved excitedly "Hi Dr. Polendina and Maria"
"Salutations!" Penny shouted grabbing her into a bone-crushing hug.
"Careful, Penny" Pietro warned as he sat down beside the group "It's nice to see you again too, Ruby. How're you all doing?"
"Good!"
"Just swell"
"I am doing fine" they all answered over each other.
"What're you doing here, Doctor?" Blake asked curiously.
"Yeah, you don't usually watch our training matches" Weiss added.
"Penny dragged me along, actually. Said I have been working too much"
"If anyone has-" Ren started.
"Damn right you are!" Nora shouted.
"What's going on in the ring?" Penny asked "What kind of training are they doing?"
"They're trying to teach us how to fight against multiple experienced opponents on our own. Oscar seems to be keeping up with them pretty well" Jaune answered.
"He has been improving much faster than the rest of us" Ruby admitted.
"He's a natural then" Maria concluded.
"More likely he's picked some things up from Ozpin subconsciously. Two souls merged into one is bound to have some side effects" Pietro corrected.
Qrow spun Harbinger in his hand to block Oscar's strike then, changing it into scythe form spun it on his right shoulder as he turned, blocking a second strike from the cane and slashed for his head. Oscar ducked as he turned around the scythe strike for him and thrust his cane back beneath his right arm for Qrow's head. Qrow lifted his scythe over his head and struck for Oscar's but was stopped as he spun his cane over his head.
Oscar turned and grabbed his scythe handle with one hand, pulling Qrow toward him and stepped backward just in time to avoid Slade's punch colliding with Qrow's face, throwing him back. Slade caught Harbinger in his hand as Qrow lost his grip and spun the scythe up, forcing Oscar to hop back away from it, then block four consecutive strikes as he spun it around his head. Slade thrust the scythe blade around his legs and pulled back just as Oscar leapt up over the blade only to receive a powerful kick to his abdomen, throwing him backward, he slid to a stop.
"Very good, you managed to use my partner's attack against me and have been keeping yourself ahead of most of our attacks. You've been improving quite a lot" Qrow said as he made his way back over to Slade, holding his hand out for his weapon. Slade returned it and smirked at him.
"Wanna step it up a notch?" Oscar asked confidently.
"You think you're up for it?" Qrow asked curiously.
"I think I can manage, I would like to see how I fair against the two of you being serious"
"Serious huh?" Qrow asked surprised.
"I won't use my Semblance, you're not that good yet" Slade chuckled.
"Aw, c'mon-"
"No amount of whining is going to change my mind, Oscar" Slade replied "If I were to use my Semblance on you, this wouldn't even be a challenge. Not unless all of you were fighting me at once"
"Fine" Oscar got back into a combat stance.
"Let's do it then" Qrow smirked changing Harbinger back into it's blade form.
Slade charged with Qrow not far behind. Stopping right in front of Oscar, Slade ducked beneath a strike for his head. Qrow stepped onto his shoulder and leapt up launching Harbinger into the ground in front of him. Oscar leapt back away from it, barely managing to dodge the strike. Slade rolled over Qrow's back and kicked for Oscar's chest as Qrow slid back away from him.
Oscar blocked the strike with his arm and thrust his cane for his face. Slade ducked as Qrow fired Harbinger into Oscar's shoulder, stumbling him backward. Slade leapt over Oscar kicking as he spun to the ground, he blocked with his cane. Gaining his footing, Slade fired Defiance under his arm, forcing Oscar to sidestep the bullet before ducking beneath Qrow's blade.
Slade launched himself off the floor with his hands, and slammed both of his heels into Oscar's back, throwing him into Qrow's punch to his abdomen. Twisting back toward Slade, he swung his cane for his head, only to miss as Qrow slashed his back with Harbinger. Slade slammed his heel into Oscar's chest, throwing him onto his back as his Aura sparked around him.
"That's enough" Qrow called, resting Harbinger on his shoulder.
Slade holstered Defiance "Told you" he approached Oscar as he was struggling to his feet.
"Well, it looks like Mr. Stroud has greatly improved since Mr. Arc operated on him" Pietro smiled.
"I didn't detect a single usage of his Semblance" Penny grinned "You must be a terrific healer, Jaune"
"Thanks, Dr. Polendina helped me a lot, though. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him" he blushed lightly from embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
"Always so modest" Weiss elbowed him playfully.
"You alright, Oscar?" Slade asked extending his hand out to him.
"Yeah, just overdid it" he coughed as he accepted the hand, pulling himself to his feet "Should've told you my Aura was low"
"Yes, you should've" Slade said sternly, Oscar's eyes were downcast. Slade smiled "But, you don't need me telling you that. You've already figured that much out for yourself. You've really been improving quickly these past few days"
"Really?" Oscar asked surprised.
"Yeah, you've improved more than anyone else here so far. Partially because of your connection to Ozpin, but I think you might just be a natural born Huntsman"
"He's right, being able to keep up with the both of us so easily isn't something most students can do. Those kids over there are all skilled and more experienced than most, but even they have difficulty facing multiple opponents at once" Qrow agreed.
Oscar smiled proudly "Thank you-" Oscar! his eyes suddenly flashed indicating Ozpin had taken over, shocking the two of them.
"Oz?" Qrow asked.
"AURGH!" Oscar shouted.
"Oscar!" Slade grabbed his shoulder, suddenly Slade's eyes flashed red and his Aura flared.
"What's going on!?" Pietro asked concerned at the shouting.
Slade's eyes returned to their natural green and his Aura flashed between red and blue for a few seconds before Oscar and Slade were thrown to opposite ends of the arena, both of them smashing into the walls, a powerful burst of energy sent Qrow sliding back several feet, he shielded his face with his arm as he slid.
"Oscar!" Ruby shouted using her Semblance to rush to his side.
"Slade!" Yang shouted in unison.
Pietro rushed over to Oscar with Nora, Ren and Maria while Yang did the same for Slade with Blake, Jaune and Weiss. Penny stood in shock looking between Oscar and Slade before shaking her head clear and rushing to the boy.
"Slade? Slade!" Yang shook him as Qrow rushed to her side.
"I'm okay" he grunted picking himself up "Where's Oscar? What happened?"
"He's over there, but I don't know what-" Qrow was interrupted as Slade rushed past the group over to Oscar.
"Slade!" Blake and Yang called following behind him.
"I guess he can't be hurt that bad" Weiss shrugged.
"C'mon" Jaune followed with Weiss and Qrow behind.
"How is he?" Slade asked concerned.
"I don't know, he doesn't seem to be injured too severely. Some minor bruising, perhaps some internally" Pietro turned "Jaune, I need you for a moment"
"Anything" he knelt down beside him.
"Check for injuries" he ordered.
"Yes, Sir" he began using his Semblance.
"What happened?" Ruby asked looking at Slade.
"I don't know, one minute Oscar is fine, the next he is screaming" Slade answered.
"What was that blast?" Ren looked at the marks on the floor where they stood previously.
"What blast?" Slade asked.
"The one that launched you both across the rooms!" Nora shouted "It felt like a powerful gust of wind tore through the air"
"I don't know" Slade wracked his brain "It happened so fast... I-I-I"
"It's alright, Slade. It's not your fault" Pietro assured him "How is he?"
"He doesn't appear to have any wounds" Jaune answered deactivating his Semblance "There's nothing I can do for him, he's just unconscious"
"Quickly then, bring him to my office" Jaune and Ren lifted him up and carried him out of the room "Penny, find Ironwood and tell him what happened. Bring him to my office immediately.
"Yes, Father" she zoomed out of the room at incredible speed.
"This... this is all my fault" Slade clenched his fists in anger.
"We don't know that yet, kid" Qrow placed his hand onto his shoulder.
"Mr. Branwen is right. Until we hear Mr. Pine's side of the story we may not know exactly what happened. No sense beating yourself up over something that could've been completely unrelated to you. We still don't understand everything about Ozpin and his connection to his hosts, especially because he's never locked himself away in their subconscious before"
"I-" Slade started.
"Hey" Yang pulled him into a one arm hug "It's not your fault, Slade. You would never do something to hurt Oscar, we all know that. We'll figure out what happened so we can make sure it never happens again"
Slade relaxed in her embrace, returning the hug "Thank you"
"General Ironwood, so good of you to finally join us" Jacques sneered from his seat as Ironwood and Winter entered the room "I was beginning to think we would have to send someone to collect you ourselves, considering how close this chamber is to your personal quarters, you'd think you would actually take the effort to be on time"
"My apologies, Councilman Rawlings, Schnee and Councilwoman Harris for keeping you all waiting" he nodded to them and took his seat at the head of the table, Winter standing firmly beside him with her arms behind her back. Jacques sat directly across from Ironwood, sitting to either side of them are Rawlings and Harris. Harris was a tall brown haired woman with matching brown eyes and a pale complexion, her hair was tied back into a single bun. Rawlings was a portly man with gray hair and a large beard covering his face, with a pair of blue eyes. They both wore fancy clothes similar to that of Jacques.
"There's no need to apologize, General" Rawlings deep voice replied with a small smile "You're a busy man, even more so nowadays"
"That doesn't excuse him from being tardy to a meeting, especially after we all made the long trip up here for his convenience" Harris narrowed her eyes at Rawlings.
"Calling a meeting without consulting me on the subject is highly irregular, Councilwoman. I believe it is only natural for me to take precautions that I am prepared for all possible subjects we might speak of-"
"Come now, James. We all know why we're here" Jacques chuckled "Addressing the concerns of our kingdom, which means we have a lot to discuss. I suspect we may be here for awhile"
"I'm surprised you're not starting us off talking about your recent inauguration"
"We're in a time of crisis, James. We don't have time for such petty nonsense" he replied honestly, surprising Ironwood.
"Alright. Then with that in mind I was hoping we could start by addressing-"
"What exactly is she doing here?" Jacques asked referring to his daughter "She's not a member of the council, we really shouldn't-"
"Specialist Schnee is my second in command, she as every right to be here" Ironwood answered defensively.
"Jacques, do we really need to waste our time with such trivialities?" Rawlings asked cocking his eyebrow "Surely we can move onto more important matters"
"You're right. I apologize. We have many more important things to talk about"
"I agree" Ironwood narrowed his eyes.
"General, you have operated with a fair amount of autonomy over the past few months, more so than anyone that has ever held your position before. We need you to work with us instead of on your own" Harris explained.
Winter forced down her scowl, her grip tightening around her other hand.
"Councilwoman, I have only every done what is best for Atlas-"
"What's best?" Harris asked "It's best for Atlas to close off our borders to the rest of the world, damaging our relations?"
"Councilwoman if you would allow me to explain"
"General" Rawlings sighed "I have the upmost of faith in your capabilities, but it's obvious the other kingdoms aren't preparing to invade us. We have proof our mechanical soldiers were hacked and weren't acting on our orders at Beacon. The embargo is only harming the kingdom instead of helping. I want to believe you're doing the right thing here, General. But you have to give us something"
"Please-"
"I must say I agree. I am afraid there's more than just your choices that have brought harm to our people lately. Have your forces found any evidence as to who is responsible for hacking our security drones? Relaying false orders to our soldiers? Quarantining or slaughtering Faunus?" Jacques cocked his eyebrow.
"The investigation is ongoing, I wish I could say more but the details are classified for good reason. I'm afraid there's nothing-"
"I'm afraid of the ever-growing list of "Classified" information you seem to be keeping from us, General" Harris growled.
"If you would all give me a chance to explain-" he tried once more.
"Tell us then, James. Tell us just how exactly we know this is an infiltrator? You haven't presented us with any evidence to prove the statement, and you're the only person in this room who knew about it. Realistically, it's beginning to look like you're the one responsible for all of these tragedy's going on here"
"I have proof, Councilors. What I am doing will help the people of Atlas, but you have to understand that discretion is our highest priority right now"
"Are you saying you don't trust us, James?" Jacques narrowed his eyes.
"Trust is earned not bought... Sir" Winter answered.
"Being a member of the council doesn't make us incorruptible, Schnee" Rawlings turned toward him "You know as well as I do the one who previously held your seat only ever made decisions to benefit her"
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Councilman"
"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked narrowing his eyes.
"To put it bluntly, General. The council's trust in you lessens with each passing day. The hacker who turned our mechanical soldiers against us was never apprehended, we still don't know anything about the identity of the one responsible for the recent attack down in Mantle. How can you expect us to give you our trust when you haven't given us anything in return?"
"I believe the one responsible for the hack at Beacon is the same one responsible for the Faunus quarantine and the attack in the city. We have already verified that they were not our men who opened fire into a group of civilians. If my Huntsmen hadn't been there, things could've gone a lot worse" Ironwood explained.
"General, as you know already. The council has always been skeptical about you holding two council seats" Harris informed them.
"That is why we have safeguards in place. Checks and balances-"
"We're supposed to, but lately you've been trampling all over them! Making important decisions without us because the council was one member short!" Jacques shouted.
"I never intended-"
"Your intentions have sure done us a lot of good now haven't they?" Harris growled.
"General... do you have anything you could give us to ease our minds? Anything at all?" Rawlings asked hopeful.
"Anything I have would only make your minds more uneasy, but not about me" he narrowed his eyes.
"You're afraid, General. Paranoid" Jacques sneered.
"I think that's pretty obvious by now, Jacques. I'm trying to prevent Atlas from becoming another Beacon!" he slammed his hands down on the table.
"Yet, you don't trust your own council to help you? Operating in secret? You're hiding something from us, General"
"Who do you think is responsible for what happened at Beacon? At Haven?" Ironwood's hands rolled into fists "The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?" he pushed himself up from the table "No, I'll tell you who's responsible" Winter looked to him in shock "Inaction!" he shouted "There were so many clues, so many hints right in front of our faces. Yet we still never saw it coming, not the way it happened anyway. I don't intend to allow that to happen again-"
"General Ironwood!" Penny shouted slamming the door open.
"Penny, now isn't a good time-"
"Oscar is hurt!"
"What!?" Ironwood spun around to face her "What happened?"
"Slade and Oscar were thrown across the training room, some kind of energy burst. We don't know. Father took him to his office"
"What about, Slade. Is he alright?"
"He's fine, seems to have only received minor injuries. Jaune healed him up, but Oscar won't wake up"
Ironwood turned back to the council "We're going to have to continue this at a later date"
"You cannot just-" Jacques started, but Ironwood ignored him, rushing out of the room with Penny following quickly behind.
Winter smirked at her father's expression "I believe this meeting is adjourned then" she turned to leave, following behind Ironwood.
"Who does he think he is-" Jacques was stopped as Rawlings stood.
"Someone is hurt and you're still thinking about yourself?" he asked appalled "How dare you. I can't believe anyone actually voted for such a selfish man. You may dress up your words all you like, Sir. But don't think for one second that you fool me" he stormed out of the room.
"The gall" Jacques feigned offense.
"Just ignore it" Harris sighed "He and Ironwood are always going on about the greater good and some such nonsense. As long as Atlas is doing well, I don't really care about anything else" she exited as well, leaving Jacques sitting quietly on his own.
That's all for now guys! Hope you guys liked it, I will be sure to have the next chapter out as soon as possible!