Tundra Grimm

The Grimm once could not enter the ice cold environment of Solitas. The frigid weather and climate made it impossible for the Grimm to survive and adapt properly. Because of this, the first city that would later be predicated by Atlas would be born. So for a great time, the new Kingdom would have no fear of the Grimm, and this even led to a technology boon for Remnant as Mantle slowly built itself up.

However, over time the Grimm adapted, evolved, changed. Soon, the Grimm once more returned, and the peace Mantle had would be over. The Grimm of Solitas themselves taking some forms of the classic 'Ice Age' animals and would be a sign that no place on Remnant is out of reach for the Grimm.

And yet scientists are baffled, as these Grimm...adjust a little too quickly?

It was dark, and cold. The movement of shaking could be heard now and then, along with some voices. Clicking sound is heard, along with concern and the constant flash now and then. It took time, quite a bit of time, and the pain soon started to go away.

Then, after a bit, eyes began opening up.

"Well then," Clover says as he overlooks the new 'guest' they had. "I see sleeping beauty is finally up. Marrow, send the general a message."

"Got it." Marrow, who's sitting down near a bench, paused his game and sent a message that their new guest is up.

"What...huh…Where am I?" Not to mention upset, as muscular arms attempted to break free from cuffs medled to the wall, only to not even bend. Mermaid Man, finally awake fully, felt himself restrained. Restricted. Unmoving! "What have you done!"

Mermaid began struggling with all his might. But being restrained in a wall with a fortified cell didn't help him.

ZZZAP!

"Gyaaa!" Not to mention safer features like the built-in electric zapper to stop rowdy prisoners.

"He's certainly an active one." Clover chuckles. "Yeah, uh, you might not want to struggle to much. It'll only-"

"No pathetic treacherous human will restrain Mermaid Man!" The hero then once more tried to move himself.

ZZZAP!

Only to scream as he was electrified once more.

"-hurt more." Clover shrugged. "Well, I told him."

"What's up with him calling you a treacherous human?" Marrow then asked. "I mean, he does realize he's a human too."

"Not just any human!" Mermaid Man, having overheard Marrow's remark, butted in the conversation. "I'm Mermaid Man. Defender of Rock Bottom. And nothing like regular humans or pathetic pets who obey human masters like you!"

Marrow blinked. "He's got a big head, doesn't he?"

"Don't they all." Clover wasn't to taken aback by the statement Mermaid Man shouted. "All loons like him are like that. Like that dude we caught two months ago."

"Oh yeah, that wacko." Marrow laughed. "Saying how Atlas pressured Mantle always, yet he himself pressured the folks there to do crime and let them take the fall for his actions."

"Exactly." Clover nodded, recalling that loser they arrested with the people of Mantle more than pleased. Then nudging his head towards Mermaid Man's direction. "This dude is the same. Probably thinking every human but him is a jerk. That kind of thing."

"Because it's true!" Except for Barnacle Boy. He was okay.

"Well, regardless Mr. Mermaid Man." Clover then spoke to their held prisoner. "We're taking you to Atlas for a briefing."

"For what? To torture me. Humiliate me. Thinking that with me gone, you can steal the resources of my home!?" Clover and Marrow both blinked, looked at each other, then simultaneously sighed. Realizing the dude they held is a wacko. This was going to be annoying.

"So he's mentally insane?" Ironwood asked Clover of the news of their prisoner. Already a day and a half has passed, meaning they were still a bit under a week from reaching the portal. With this Mermaid Man now up and shocking himself over and over to escape when he couldn't. There's determination, then there's stupidity.

"I wouldn't say insane." Clover reports. "However, he seems to have preconceptions that every human aside from him and this Barnacle Boy are jerks and nothing but cruel and demanding of faunus and...mobians."

Ironwood has seen this before. A bit rare, but he's seen it.

Basically put, imagine if a faunus, who's never met a human before, met many faunus who've seen the worst side of humanity, then instilled it in the boy's head. Naturally, because of the biased information given, the boy would come to believe humans are cruel as they were told, and become discriminate against humans because of that knowledge. Same can be said for human children, who are told by their racist parents or friends the same as faunus. Creating a cycle that benefitted nobody. Though it was odd to see it was a human doing this against other humans. Likely that he was raised by faunus who told him these exaggerations of how humans were.

Pushing that matter aside though, what Ironwood was really interested in was these mobians.

"I assume these mobians are the humanoid animals we faced?" Clover nodded. Taking out his tablet which had pictures of the creatures they took and their shape, size, and what species they represented.

"It's like those stupid rumors you here now and then. A faunus and actual animal did it and had...this." Clover never believed such rumors and thought them false and just nonsense racist folks came up with. Now, he was having second thoughts as he's never seen this type of faunus before. Or should he say, mobians.

"Hm. Some kind of...subspecies perhaps." Ironwood looked at the pictures of these mobians. How they were basically animals that got taller and grew a human-like form. Now, he's not being racist mind you. The general was just trying to figure out what these mobians were, and why nobody has ever seen them aside from those silly sci-fi junk films on the theatre screen.

"Maybe. But we can't really be sure." Clover gives his opinion to the general. "I mean, quite frankly, I expect this kind of thing in fairy tales or television.l Because I'm pretty sure nobody on Remnant has seen this type of species."

No. Nobody has. While Ironwood liked to think Ozpin knew, he didn't think the leader of the group against Salem knew either. I mean, surely he would tell them. Otherwise, where else did these mobians come from. Perhaps there's a chance they are a recent species and are limited to the sea for now.

'If so, maybe that's why they don't trust humans.' Ironwood thinks as he makes a theory. That perhaps, as this new species of mobians were forming, they met humans who left a very bad impression. Causing discord and for the mobians to believe humans were the enemies, similar to how the humans and faunus first met. With this Mermaid Man being an exception. 'Not that it excuses them for attacking us.'

While he could understand a bit of the plight of those discriminate, they themselves were no better if they bluntly discriminated the other race for no reason. Ironically, making them just as bad as the ones who were racist to them. Though in the faunus and these mobians case, they acted so violently. Just what had they been through?

'I suppose those will be my first questions when I question Mermaid Man…' Is that even the man's real name? Heck, and why Mermaid Man. Mermaid referred to a beautiful woman, not a...muscular dude with a starfish bikini.

"Best not to think that deeply." Ironwood says to himself quietly as he then passes the tablet back to Clover. "Uhum, just ensure his restraints are held nice and tight. Also, tell Pietro to keep an eye out for any of this man's allies."

"Got it. But for the second part, why?" Clover then asks as he puts the tablet away. "I mean, we're high in the air. And the faunus and mobians from what we saw are sea-based."

"And who knows what tricks they have up their sleeve." ironwood then points out. "While I don't expect them to suddenly jump out of the sea and reach us at our position of a hundred meters in the air, they may still try something. Not to mention we lack knowledge on just what they can do."

"I suppose that is true." Clover can see the logic in this, rubbing his chin. "I mean, if I were in their shoes, I'd be upset that a bunch of my people were beaten up with one of their own stolen." Clover then looked deep in thought. "Mermaid Man...is considered one of them , right?"

"I assume so." Ironwood believes anyway. "I mean, why else is he the only human in their rank?"

"Fair point." Clover answers back. "On the bright side, it seems Mermaid Man won't be causing any trouble up here for the time being."

"Cell nice and secure." It was no question.

"Oh yeah." Clover nodded. "The restraints are limiting any form of movement, with electric shocks if he tries any big lunges, and cameras are all on him. Not to mention we'll have the tranquilizer darts in case he does anything funny or risks his health by those shocks."

"How often are the shocks he's getting?"

"Er, a lot." Clover admits. "He doesn't seem to know the word give-up. Though he is resilient, I'll give him that."

"If he keeps this up, you have permission to tranq him." Not the most kind thing to do, but better than letting Mermaid Man keep shocking himself until he went brain-dead or damaged his nerves. "In the meantime, you may return to duty. Though I want you and the rest to write a report of your perspectives the the battle, thoughts, and I'll be doing the same. Our information is incomplete, but information is information."

"Understood sir." Clover saluted. "Good luck." Clover winked before leaving to tell the others what they had to do. Ironwood chuckled as he then grabbed his laptop and turned it on. Where after a bit he got ready to write his report of what had happened and the concerning events around them.

Well, he supposed this small vacation was enough. And as much as another part of him wished to extend it, Ironwood had work to do. Vacationing isn't going to help Atlas or Remnant, and someone needed to fill out the paperwork as annoying as that got. Life was just like that. So with that, Ironwood then began to type down what he saw and knew, along with his concerns of their discovery. Best to not return to that island all things considered, though they may have to if only because it can be used as a way to find more land out there and use it as a pinpoint to see where on Remnant they were at.

THUD!

Or he would have, had it not been for a shaking that made his laptop fall on the ground.

"What the-!" Ironwood then heard the alarm. No way. Those faunus and mobians couldn't have reached all the way up here. So that leaves one thing. "Grimm!" Ironwood grabbed his scroll and made a call. "Harriet! Are you there?"

"I am." Another vibration across the ship is then felt. "But I'm going to have to call you back. Looks like we got bird trouble."

As if to validate her point, a screech can be heard soon after. One that Ironwood recognized as a Nevermore. "Crap!"

It's a small fact that normally only sea Grimm prowls the oceans. However, it wasn't a hard rule or anything. It was bad luck, but sometimes other Grimm can be seen over the sea. In this case, the Nevermore.

"Damn." Ironwood then ran while quickly dialing Penny's number. Once she answered, Ironwood told her, "Penny, I need you to deal with the Nevermore." The sound of metal being penetrated by the Nevermore's own feathers could be heard. "Now!"

"On it general!"

"I'm combat ready." Penny then flew out from the ship, as she had already ran toward the roof the second the ship had been attacked. Using her boots to fly high as she narrowed her eyes at the Grimm that was attacking them. It must have spotted them and realized they were prey. Not on her watch.

"Time to fry the bird!" Penny then says, thinking that was what friend Ruby would say in this situation. From her back, numerous swords then came out held by an ultra-thin yet lightweight wire that she used to control her weapons. All fully loaded and ready.

Eyes then lit up as Penny scanned the Alpha Nevermore, sensors telling her it was by itself. Then warned her of danger as the Nevermore soon noticed her. With a screech, it raised its wing and shot forth countless feathers at her. One alone could slice a man in half if aimed properly.

"Not on me!" Penny yells as she avoids each feather before aiming her blades at the Nevermore where the tips then glew green and began firing energy beams at the Nevermore. Each one hitting the massive body.

"SCRAAA!: Unfortunately, due to Penny being unable to penetrate through it, no lethal damage is done.

"Oh dear." That didn't mean it didn't hurt the Nevermore though, as it swooped down toward Penny. Intending to kill her. Still, this gave the girl an advantage. Now that it was focusing on her, Penny raised each and every one of her blades and positioned them in front of her and had them form a circle. Where she poured her energy into them and within the center of the blades an energy beam was forming.

With a smile, Penny then shot a wide range and massive energy beam at the Nevermore. The Grimm realizing it's mistake as it's head and a good chunk of its body was hit by it and soon vaporized away. "Yes!"

However, it's remaining left and right side still existed. While fading away fast, not fast enough as the two pieces fell past Penny and hit the ship.

Boom!

The engines of the ship to be precise.

"Oh no."

Oh no indeed, as the ship to the horror of everybody on board could do nothing as the vessel then hit the sea water with a big splash. It seems the trip to home was going to be longer than anybody would have liked.

Where also, a small drone that wasn't from Atlas saw this, and transmitted it to it's headquarters.

Stuck at sea and while not sinking, our Atlas force are trapped with nowhere to go, with risk of being attacked. But, it seems help will come by a certain organization that has seen them.