Chapter 16 – Homecoming

Adam

He stumbled through the snow, alone, looking around as he held his side. He still hurt from that blow that Yang threw into him. He coughed from the pain as he limped. "Damn it…" He growled with anger. "I was so close…"

The wind howled through the tall trees as they swayed back and forth from the wind which was crashing into their hulking forms. But as he struggled to walk through the thick snow of Anima, he stopped when he heard something. Like something cutting through the wind above him. He reached down to his sword and looked around as he stayed sharp on his hooves.

Suddenly the branches shattered as Icarus blasted towards him, and he threw multiple grenades towards him. Adam gasped and they exploded, throwing him backwards. Icarus slammed both boots into Adam's chest, pinning him to the ground. His huge mechanical wings arched backwards, and he pointed his Khopesh directly at his face, his eyes scowled down at him, breathing through his robotic jaw.

Adam growled as he stared right back at him. "Have you learned nothing?" Icarus snarled. "Salem gave you another chance, and yet you still chose your petty excuse for revenge over what the real objective was."

"I tried to get to the Relic, but Xiao Long was –"

"I saw the whole exchange, Taurus. You stared at the Relic for a long time, had more than enough time to pick it up and run. But instead you went after Belladonna, like always… just a mad dog chasing after his own tail." Icarus laughed sinisterly as he pushed his boot down against his face, forcing his face into the snow. "I should kill you right now, I imagine Salem would not even blame me if I did."

"You talk about focusing on the objective, but I saw you up there! You lost it, constantly going after that old man like a rabid animal. How many times did you have a chance to grab it, huh?" Adam questioned, that one made Icarus fall silent. But his red eyes narrowed coldly as he stared down at him. "Yeah… that's what I expected." He scoffed, only for Icarus to shove him into the snow, walking away.

But as they stood there… they both felt an unnaturally cold chill run down their spines. They turned and saw the air turn red, and a portal opened up before them. They both stared at it, as they saw the Salem Knight emerge from it first. Jaune pointed the Relic of Destruction at the two of them, but then moved it down towards Adam who was still on the ground. That was when they heard her terrifyingly calm laugh.

"Oh Adam… your predictability never ceases to amaze me." Salem spoke, emerging from the portal.

She was wearing new clothes, very different to what they were used to. She wore a long sleeved, black partially exposed cold shoulder robe, ending in middle finger loops, with red trim flowing from her raised collar, bordering through the vertical window exposing her bust, to the sides of her hips and three crimson stripes flowing all the way down to the bottom hem of her robe. Additionally, she had ornate, gunmetal-coloured bone-like arm cuffs on her upper arms, and an elaborate, cross-shaped brooch with a rhombus-shaped ruby gemstone atop her clavicle, closing her outfit and forming the aforementioned slightly wider, diamond-shaped window. Completing her ensemble was a similar black cape with matching red trim, with a couple additional red gemstones hanging from her bun.

"Y-You're grace! I… I…" Adam whimpered as he tried to crawl away, but then he felt his muscles freeze in his body, he gasped as he could not move. Salem smiled kindly as she walked through the snow with ease towards him.

The Praetorian Knight… she was watching our every move…

"I had hoped you learned from your previous error. But it seems I was not clear enough to you last time." She softly spoke as she approached. "Time and again you continue to disobey my instructions, and time and time again you fail. Remember, Adam Taurus, our relationship is a contract. And contracts, like all living things, expire." She warned as she caressed his cheek.

"You said it yourself when we first met… the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Adam replied.

"Indeed, however with every counting failure, I am beginning to see you as just another enemy. You are costing me dearly." Salem stated.

"Me? What about him? He could have gotten the Relic just as easily but instead went after the old man! But here you are, wagging your finger in my face!" Adam yelled, Jaune suddenly stomped down onto his chest, forcing him back down against the ground, pointing the Relic of Destruction's burning blade directly at his face.

"Indeed… Icarus did fail me; the Summit's Claim still stands despite my very specific command… but this is the first time he has done so." She said, giving him a cold glare. It intimidated Icarus, making him shrink into his shoulders fearfully. "When you came to me, you promised me Faunus Superiority. Or is there such a thing?" Salem asked him as she stood over him.

Adam coughed, before looking back up at her. "Y'know... you haven't ever told me. You always go on about how you will give us what we desire… so long as we don't place ours above yours. So tell me… what is it you want? What do you get out of all of this?" Adam bravely asked her, Salem stared down at him and she just rolled her red eyes.

"Every era I have lived through, all you revolutionaries are the same. You all think you're the centre of the universe…" Salem said, looking up at the sky. "You have no idea…"

She then looked back down at him and grabbed onto one of his horns, and she proceeded to drag him towards the Portal. "Argh! No, please! I beg of you!" He cried out.

"It seems this child is in need of one last lesson." She growled, eyes flaring red. He screamed in terror as she dragged him through the cold snow. But before she walked through the portal she opened, Salem stopped and looked over her shoulder at Icarus.

"Do not fail me again." She warned, her words made him sweat with fear. Adam continued to wail with terror as Salem easily dragged him through the portal. The moment he and Jaune walked through it with Salem, it shut, and his screams disappeared.

Icarus stood there… alone… and his heart was hammering. He then felt his Scroll begin vibrating. He pulled it out and saw Watts' name on it.

Watts was now in command of the mission to retrieve the Relics.

Robyn

A few days later…

The trip from the Summit's Claim all the way to the small remote town of Higanbana was hardly an easy one. Dodging Black Gallows patrols and Airships constantly coming the area for any signs of Ruby Rose – and most importantly – the Relic of Knowledge. But keeping out of sight from the Black Gallows had become second nature to the Happy Huntresses. If anything it was easier than standing out in public these days.

Robyn was leant up against the wall of one of the buildings, the rest of her team behind her in the alleyway. She peered round the side of the wall with her hood pulled up, watching the Raven talons stood right next to them. As always, they could never identify their voices thanks to the Distorters they always had built into their helmets. The voices all Stockholm Troopers had were extremely disturbing, a dark and crackly one instead of anything that sounded human. Sometimes Robyn couldn't blame the conspiracy theorists for believing that the soldiers weren't even Humans or Faunus and were legitimately just machines.

And yest despite how scary they looked, and sounded? She still felt sorry for them all because none of them asked to become them. It's in the name, they were tortured both mentally and physically until they believed the Black Gallows were their salvation. They were victims just as much as the people they were killing.

"Any word on Ruby Rose?" The Raven Talon asked.

"Negative, last she was spotted was in a small, abandoned town in the mountains. But she's disappeared again." The Shadow Dagger answered.

"Getting tired of his cat and mouse bullshit." The Raven Talon sighed.

"Tell me about it. Hopefully, the boss can give us something good soon. Hate feeling like we're just chasing shadows in the dark." The Shadow Dagger huffed. Robyn looked at the holographic Bounty Posters that were being projected on all the Lampposts. They were everywhere these days.

Still the same names as always, Ruby Rose was always right at the top. But luckily her name and the Happy Huntresses were nowhere to be seen. Seems they were still completely unknown to them.

"C'mon you two… move it…" Robyn whispered to herself.

"Hey! We got a new assignment, c'mon." She heard the Onyx Consul call out from across the street.

"Finally. Hopefully this one can actually go well." The Raven Talon chuckled, and the two of them walked away.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Robyn chuckled, she then gestured to her team and they followed her lead. They walked casually but kept their heads held low so nobody could see their faces. With so many Black Gallows soldiers here? It was best to keep their heads down.

"I don't like this… why are there so many Black Gallows here? This is a small town; it doesn't need this much security." May whispered.

"I know what you mean, just keep your heads down. Dutch said we should meet with him here." Robyn explained, and May sighed. "What?"

"Are you sure we can trust him?" She asked Robyn.

"He kept us safe for six years, why would he rat us out now we left?" Robyn asked her.

"Look I just wanna be aware of all the possibilities. The dude is Killian's right-hand man and believe me I remember what he told us. And I get it, he has a lot of history with the guy, a lot of it good. But… how do we know he won't choose to support Killian over us? What if this is some sort of trap?" May asked with concern in her voice.

"I've gotta admit… I'm starting to wonder that as well." Joanna agreed.

"He wouldn't betray us. He would have had an easier job when we were all living in his house. He could have just called it in, and we would have been thrown into Black Cells six years ago." Fiona explained.

"End of the day, Ruby was spotted in Anima. And the Black Gallows have grown in size since before the Inhumane Necessity, and they were massive back then anyway. Killian isn't stupid, he would have Black Gallows in smaller towns than bigger ones because Ruby would be more likely to go to places like this." Robyn explained. "Of course… he miscalculated. I doubt he ever expected her to just wreak havoc in Argus of all places."

Robyn couldn't help but laugh at that fact. I would have paid good money to see the look on that asshole's face when he saw her in Argus.

"But Dutch wouldn't betray us. I know people and I know how their minds work… and I can tell when someone is on your side and when they aren't. It's why I knew Killian was the enemy, even when I was acting as Veronica Chamberlain. I could tell he was hiding something… I just didn't expect it to be Salem… and the Inhumane Necessity." Robyn explained.

They approached the Inn, the very place that Dutch said that they should meet. "Hiding in plain sight. Always was his style." Fiona laughed as they approached the doors. Robyn opened them and she saw him sat at a table upstairs. He subtly waved to them and they walked up the stairs to where he was sitting.

"Glad you could make it." Dutch greeted.

"You could have warned us about the Black Gallows." Joanna huffed.

"Well… they're actually recent. I have no idea why they're here." Dutch revealed, after all that debating that shocked the team than anything else, they imagined.

"Wait… what? You have no idea whatsoever?" Robyn asked with wide eyes.

"None. And I check every single assignment that comes my way, especially ones that have this many soldiers on a single location." Dutch explained.

"Crap… that's worse than we could have possibly imagined." May sighed. "Do you think he knows? That we're alive? Or that you're helping us?"

"I'm not sure. Killian's getting harder and harder to read these days, and after his Foster Mother died it only made things worse. The guy is losing his mind." He said with certainty in his voice. "Which is also why… she is here." Dutch said as he turned, and they saw her walk in the room from the bathroom.

"Terra? What the hell are you doing here?" Robyn questioned with a hushed voice.

"I can't keep sitting around and letting my brother keep doing these things." Terra explained. "Dutch located me and filled me in on what you found at that Lab. Some… freaky shit. But I managed to find us a new lead."

"Wait, you're the one who found this lead?" Joanna asked.

"Surprised?"

"Well… Dutch did say that he found it." Robyn said, planting her hand on her hip.

"I wanted to surprise you." He shrugged with a nervous smile.

"Consider me surprised then."

"Yeah, he showed up to our house to let me know where you all were at. But I found something else." Terra stated.

"Look I wanted you to keep a low profile, not getting in the mix like this. If Killian or… Salem… learns that you're involved then they will kill you, Saphron and Adrien." Robyn explained.

"My connection to Killian has meant my family has had a target on our backs for years. Salem is ruthless, and if he ever failed do you really think she would kill him? No, because as the Commander of the Black Gallows and viewed as a fucking War Hero, it would cost her more. But threaten to kill the only family he has left to punish him? That is not something I want my family to suffer with. Ever since I learned of her existence and figured out that he was in league with her, I realised my family would never be safe. I will not stand by and watch my wife and son die because of my brother's lust for control." Terra explained as she looked at Robyn.

She closed her eyes and sighed with frustration. "Fine… fine… I guess there's no stopping you, is there?" Robyn resigned.

"Not at all."

"Does Saphron know?" Fiona inquired.

"She knows… hell… she was the one who pushed me to come here when Dutch showed up." Terra explained. They all sat down and looked at the two informants now on their side.

"Okay then… what do you have?" Robyn asked curiously.

Dutch reached down into his bag and he set it down onto his table, a file. He slid it towards her, and she picked it up, opening it to see all the documents secured inside. "What's this?" She asked.

"An old case of mine. An Ex-Stockholm Trooper." Terra revealed.

That got their attention.

"I didn't think there were any Ex-Stockholm Troopers. I thought they were all either loyal or K.I.A." Joanna said.

"Usually there aren't, like you said – most of them are killed in battles. But she survived her injuries and was left behind. She managed to nurse herself back to health, but she was already confirmed dead by her superiors. So she went into hiding, since the Black Gallows don't like to own up to screw ups. They'd rather one of their own to just be dead when they are already stated to be so." Terra explained, they all looked at Dutch and he nodded his head with regret ever present in his eyes.

"Okay… what does she have that can help us?" Robyn asked.

"Well, the important reason I am here is because she is more likely to respond to me than any of you. I helped her in the past, I was the one who helped her secure a new identity and a home. But when I was helping her out, she mentioned she had seen some really screwed up shit out there. And now that she knew that her superiors didn't care a wit about her, she was more than willing to spill. But I told her not to, so then she would be safe. But… now… we may need to know whatever it is she knows." Terra explained.

"Well we know the Black Gallows are a bunch of assholes – no offense, Dutch – what could she possibly have that is so important?" May asked.

"Well this is where it gets interesting. When I showed Dutch her file, he was shocked. Obviously because he assumed, she was dead, but then I found out why she was so important." Terra then gestured to Dutch.

"She was part of an Elite Squad named Eclipse's Shadow. They were some of Killian's best, like what the Ace Ops are now. The Ace Ops are essentially the replacements for the old Shadow."

"Okay… so what kind of info would she know about?" Robyn asked.

"That's what we're gonna find out. But whatever it is, it could prove to be even bigger than what we already know." Dutch explained. "And luckily, we won't have to look far. Because she is here, in Higanbana."

"She is?" Fiona gasped.

"Yep, this was the town I set her up in. Out in the wilds, safe from the familiar faces and cameras. She's been happy here… but she has been waiting a long time to finally tell us what she knows. I think we owe her this chance." Terra explained.

"Okay… take us to her."

Half an Hour later…

They followed Terra to the house in question, it was on the outskirts of the town, but it was quite the beautiful place. Surrounded by a white picket fence and gorgeous flowers planted along the stone path towards the front door. Terra stepped onto the doormat and she knocked on it, but her eyes widened when she saw the security camera staring at her. "That's new."

The door suddenly burst open, and she was stood there, aiming her Double-Barrelled Shotgun directly at Terra's face. "Whoa! Tortuga, it's me!"

"Why have you brought him here?" She snarled as she kept her gun trained on Dutch, who was directly behind Terra.

"He's on our side." Terra assured.

"He's Black Gallows, Killian's Right-Hand Man!" She barked, and Robyn turned to Dutch.

"Maybe… it's best that you hang back?" Robyn asked him.

"That may be best… looks like the past six years of Black Gallows being everywhere has made her a little rattled." Dutch agreed.

"If he leaves… will you let us speak to you?" Robyn inquired as she stepped forward. The lady was middle aged with greying hair, dark brown skin, and small brown eyes.

"He could inform Killian." She stammered.

"You have my word that I won't. At the end of the day these four are wanted fugitives. If I were on the enemy's side, I wouldn't be here right now. But I can stay back while you speak with my friends." Dutch explained, Tortuga was shaking fearfully as she kept her gun on his head. But she looked at Terra again.

"Do you trust me?" Terra asked her.

"Y-You helped me… you risked your life to help me… yes… I trust you." Tortuga nervously answered.

"Then trust me when I say he will not rat you out. I promise." Terra assured, and Tortuga sighed. She lowered her shotgun and Dutch stepped back.

"I'll keep an eye on the Black Gallows forces around the area." He assured as he put on his uniquely designed helmet – the X-Shaped Red Visor shone bright red as it connected to his neckpiece. They all walked into her house and she closed the door behind them, locking it again.

Robyn looked around with wide eyes at all the beautiful paintings and photographs. "You've been around, huh?"

"Huh? Oh… y-yeah… I try to keep moving around, seeing all the sights. Going to lots of places was the only thing about being a Stockholm Trooper I fondly remember." She explained as she leant her shotgun against the wall. She had a bad limp, looked like her leg did not heal correctly. She limped over the living room where Terra followed her. "It's been eight years since I saw you. Terra… why are you here now? You finally wanna hear what I have to say?"

"I nearly refused the possibility, I didn't wanna risk you getting hurt if you told me what you wanted to say all those years ago." Terra explained, which made Tortuga chuckle.

"How's Saphron?" She asked her.

"She's good… we're married now, have a little boy." Terra proudly answered as she sat down.

"R-Really? That's g-good, I'm happy for you both. From how you talked about her, she seemed to be a really l-lovely person." Terra softly said. "Come… if Terra trusts you then I guess I can trust you all too."

"It looked like you have a history with Dutch. You don't like him?" Joanna asked.

"I actually do, back when I was one of them, he was the nicest one out of all of them. He always made sure we were okay, unlike Killian. Once we became loyal… well… that was all he needed." She explained. "But he was Killian's right-hand man then, and I bet he still is, right?"

"He is… but things have changed. Killian is falling apart, he's nearly over the edge, if not already falling." Terra explained.

Robyn couldn't help but wonder if Tortuga knew about Killian being adopted by Terra's mother and father. Perhaps not, since Tortuga seemed so welcoming to Terra, unlike Dutch. "How long did you serve him? Killian, I mean?" Fiona asked.

"Seventeen years…"

"Seventeen years? How old were you when they took you?" Fiona asked curiously.

"Thirty Years Old… after I murdered my husband." She revealed, their eyes widened at that.

"Believe me, that asshole deserved it." Terra assured.

"B-But how did that lead to the Black Gallows grabbing you? I thought that the Police would handle something like that?" May inquired.

"Well it turned out my Husband was an informant for the Black Gallows, and they were afraid that I knew his secrets and was gonna leak them. So they made sure I didn't and turned me into one of their soldiers." She explained to them all. "The Black Cells…"

"Are you okay?" Fiona asked softly.

"Y-Yes… just… I've been holding all this in me for so long, I've wanted to tell someone my story for so many years, but I knew Terra was right. It's just… scary… I know that's why you're here. Isn't it? You want me to tell you what I was gonna tell you when we first met?" Tortuga asked Terra, she nodded her head.

"I'm sorry, I really wished there were another way… but we need to take Killian down. We need to bring Salem down." Terra explained, and Tortuga nodded her head as she clasped her hands together.

"Well… then you're gonna have your work cut out for you. Because Killian is the most ruthless man I have ever seen."

"Oh believe me, we know." Robyn assured.

"No… you don't. Not really." Tortuga assured. "I have seen him do things and make decisions that I couldn't possibly imagine someone doing. I don't know how he does it, but he just seems to shut off a part of himself. The part that feels, that worries all about morality. The man is a monster." Tortuga stated.

"We saw what he did to the U.G.R six years ago. We've seen what he is capable of, it's why we're here. To know what it is you wanted to tell Terra." Robyn could tell she was stalling, and she really couldn't blame Tortuga. Nobody would know how the Black Gallows operated better than someone who used to be one, especially someone who used to be that high up in the hierarchy.

"Okay… did Dutch tell you what I was?" Tortuga inquired.

"Yes. You were an Eclipse's Shadow." May answered.

"Correct, and as an Eclipse's Shadow, I had to do some very terrible things. Assassinations, help take down settlements that were dangerous to the future of Kingdoms. Places like Kuroyuri and Oniyuri. Any extremely off-the-books dirty work that the U.G.R wanted done, was carried out by our team. Personally lead by Killian." Tortuga explained.

"Oniyuri and Kuroyuri?" Fiona asked.

"Well not them specifically, they were just unlucky and hit by Grimm. But there were other settlements similar. Settlements that wanted to create their own laws, to live outside of the U.G.R's influence. That was never something the Councillors wanted to let slide, so they made sure that they were erased. I know those two were on their list, but Grimm took care of that problem before we were even needed to be sent in." Tortuga explained.

"Gods… I didn't know the U.G.R was that corrupt." Fiona sighed, but that just made Tortuga laugh. They all looked at her with confusion as she laughed.

"What?" Terra asked her.

"Oh sweetheart… I can promise you, the U.G.R were worse than Salem in more ways than one. Don't get me wrong, the Dark Queen is a monster, but she is beyond human. These people? They were human… ever single one… and the things they were ready to do to hold onto their power? Their wealth? Their control over people? It would give you nightmares, especially what I am going to tell you." Tortuga was clearly building up towards something.

"Gods… can you skip the theatrical shit and get to the important part?" May asked with frustration.

"As you wish." Tortuga said as she leant back into her chair. "Remember the Inhumane Necessity? The Order carried out to eliminate the Huntsmen and Huntresses across Remnant?" She began.

"Yeah, who could forget?" Joanna stated, Robyn turned and looked at Terra, and she gently caressed her shoulder. Seeing the pain in her eyes whenever those two words were mentioned.

"Well – that was relatively tame compared to what the Full Order would do." Tortuga stated.

"Killian told Jaune Arc about this, about the three levels of the Necessity. The highest was a complete Societal Reset, right?" Robyn asked.

"Correct. But what I doubt he told your friend; is how they would carry that out. And that is what I had a personal hand in preparing." She revealed.

"Guys…" Robyn heard Dutch's voice coming through her comm link in her ear.

"Not now." She softly replied.

Tortuga leant forward.

"Buried underneath the Four Kingdoms on Remnant, are Four Cataclysm-Class Bombs. Filled with Gravity Dust, which will create an implosion so powerful that they will completely destroy all four kingdoms if activated. Which Killian has remote access to and could detonate them at will."

That revelation sent chills down their spines.

"What?" Fiona gasped.

"You're lying… surely…" Joanna stammered.

"I'm afraid not. My team was with Killian when we planted them beneath the Kingdoms and primed them. They are designed so then they cannot be disarmed, if someone tried, they would detonate immediately and kill everyone."

"But… why?" Fiona asked with horror.

"The Inhumane Necessity. If the Kingdoms were out of control beyond repair, like how they were at the beginning of the Great War, the U.G.R would be prepared to decimate them all so then they could start again. A Societal Reset Button."

"But what about the other Non-Kingdom Cities and Settlements? Like Argus and Menagerie?" Fiona nervously asked.

"No bombs under those cities, but there would be no need. The people remaining in those locations would not dare challenge the U.G.R after they wiped out millions to maintain control. And therefore there would still be a world to rebuild off." Tortuga explained.

"By the gods… this… this is so much worse than the slaughter of the Councillors. This could change everything. Combine this with the footage of the U.G.R Councillors being slaughtered by Killian and the Children of Salem; the whole world will know the truth. That the Black Gallows and Salem are the enemy." Robyn explained.

"Or trigger a civil war after the fact. People will know about the bombs and be terrified. Grimm attacks would increase… even in death Salem would still be winning." May stated. "Do you have any pictures of it? The Bomb you helped them set up?"

"None. Black Gallows confiscated all evidence. If you're gonna find anything on that your best bet is either their Headquarters or on the Shadow of Broken Promises." She answered.

"If we are gonna get that evidence… we need to be very careful with how we release it. And we have to do it after Killian and Salem are gone. Otherwise they could just hit the switch and kill everyone." May stated.

"This has just made everything a hell of a lot more complicated…"

Pyrrha

It had been a few days since they left the Summit's Claim, the same amount of time since Robyn and the Happy Huntresses left.

And for Team C.P.P.R the journey was actually a lot easier, walking through long abandoned roads towards the old home of the Nikos Family. Stowing away on the Argus Limited's track across Anima made the trip to this region a lot faster, since the Nikos Estate was South of Mistral. "Ugh… how much further is it?" Cinder coughed, spitting into the grass.

"Not much further, should just be up this path." Pyrrha assured as they kept moving closer and closer to where her home once was.

"The home of the Nikos Family… must be something to see." Ruby said with curiosity on her face.

"Yeah, great idea bringing me there, isn't it?" Cinder scoffed.

"Hey, you can wait back if you want." Ruby shrugged.

"Just standing out here in the hot all day? No thanks." Cinder shrugged.

"Look I'm no help to you guys in the shape I'm in. I have no armour, and all I have is… this." Pyrrha said as she held the Snapped Crocea Mors up in her hand. "If we're seriously going to get Penny to Vale to help her and then go to Arcadia, then I need to be at my best. And besides, maybe we could all use some time to get ready too." Pyrrha explained.

"You said we may have to be here for a few months?" Penny asked nervously.

"I need to get stronger again. I was brought back from death, but when I came back, I was not as strong as I was six years ago. I need to retrain my body again, get stronger. And I can't do that at the Summit's Claim. And… I need to see my parents. I need them to know that I'm… back…" Pyrrha explained, then Cinder slowed down.

"Yeah… that's why I kinda mentioned it. Are you sure it's a good idea for me to go in there? Not joking around anymore… I mean… they know I nearly killed you, right?" Cinder asked.

"And… wouldn't they be uncomfortable about… well… me?" Penny nervously asked, but Ruby gently held her hand.

Pyrrha thought on it some more. "We discussed this. I'll handle it." Pyrrha assured.

They continued to follow the old paths, and as they walked over the hill… Pyrrha froze. Ruby was expecting the worst, since that was just how things went. But awe struck them as they saw the Nikos Estate… pristine. Ruby genuinely expected to just see ruins left behind, but it looked like the Spartan Family was left alone after all these years. Pyrrha swallowed thickly and she walked forward, towards the door, and she raised her hand to the door.

She grasped the metal handle and softly knocked it against it. "Go away." She heard the voice of her father – Anaximander Nikos – call out.

"Well that's charming." Cinder scoffed, getting a slight elbow from Ruby.

So Pyrrha did it again. "I said leave us! We do not wish to be bothered!" Anaximander yelled, Pyrrha sighed and closed her eyes. She knew what was beyond this door, it was the beautiful courtyard, where the fountain and garden was. And she remembered the bell that hung from the trees, made of metal.

She focused, and her polarity reached out and shook it back and forth. Inside of the Estate, Anaximander was sat there with his blade, and his solemn look changed when he saw the familiar black energy that surrounded the metal. His eyes widened, and he looked at the door. The huge doors opened, and he saw her before him.

Cinder stayed back and Pyrrha smiled sweetly. "H-Hey… dad." She lightly said, and she saw her mother – Juno – turn the corner and stare at her. Tears welled in her parents eyes and her father dropped the sword he held and pulled her forward into a loving hug.

"Pyrrha… my baby girl…" He cried into her shoulder, and Pyrrha smiled, and she began to sob as well as she held him. Juno approached and hugged her daughter tight as well.

Ruby smiled as she saw them reunited at long last. To actually see Pyrrha smiling and actually crying from joy was something Ruby never thought she would ever see again.

"How… How? I… I…" Juno sniffled tearfully.

"It's… a long story, I'll explain it all. These are my friends… Ruby Rose – I'm pretty certain you remember her – this is… Penny Polendina…" The Parents looked at the android who still looked very uncomfortable around Pyrrha, keeping her distance. "And… try to stay calm… this is…"

"CINDER FALL!" Anaximander bellowed, suddenly grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the wall.

"Dad!" Pyrrha begged, then he pressed the blade of the sword he dropped to her throat, glaring right at her.

"Yep… this is about as well as I was expecting." Cinder sighed, rolling her amber eye.

"She's on our side now… she's still an asshole… but she's on our side." Pyrrha assured, Anaximander stared at her, and Cinder just raised her brow, looking unimpressed. He grunted and let her land on her feet.

"I… I don't know what to…"

"C'mon… I can explain." She assured her father.

"I don't want her anywhere near you." Anaximander stated.

"I second that." Juno agreed.

"What do you wanna do? Tie me up?" Cinder asked.

A few moments later…

Cinder was tied up to a chair, sighing as Ruby sat in front of her with an empty can of an energy drink, and she threw it into Cinder's head. It bounced off and she grunted. "Why?"

"Heh, it's funny. Fall Maiden, tied to a chair." Ruby giggled childishly, still having that silly side to her despite everything.

"You're so annoying." Cinder groaned.

"Aaaand, round two incoming. Bonk!" Ruby laughed as she threw the can back at her. "I'm a pro!"

In the other room, whilst Ruby tortured Cinder by being a nuisance, Pyrrha was sat with her parents, after she had just filled them in on how she came back from the dead. Both of them looked completely baffled by the revelation that the Brothers Grimm existed in the first place. But… they were just so happy to know that their little girl was alive once more. But as she sat there, she began to tell them about what was still eating away at her.

"… He was my diamond in the rough. He was my knight in shining armour. Not because he fought my battles, but because he was there for me once the blade had sung… and I couldn't help him. I tried to help him but… he set off the bombs to stop Salem from getting to him. I was too late… just some… fool who thought she could save everyone." Pyrrha explained as a tear streamed down from her eye.

Juno was stood by the window, looking out at the landscape of Anima. "No, you're no fool, sweetheart. I mean… you came here, didn't you? Came home to the very place that made you strong in the first place." Juno explained as she walked over to her, knowing exactly how to talk to her daughter, just as Jaune did.

"Y-Yeah… but… I don't know what… what to do. We have a plan; we want to take down Salem but I… I am not who I once was. I mean… look at me." She said as she gestured to her far less athletic, just thin, body.

"That can be fixed, with time, and determination." Juno assured as she sat down beside her, gently caressing her hair. "I understand your pain, honey, I really do. But you cannot just give up, not because you failed. Want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because everyone fails, it doesn't make you any less than everyone else." Juno assured.

"Yeah well, I'm not supposed to be like everyone else, am I? I'm supposed to be Pyrrha Nikos – The Invincible Girl…"

"Everyone fails at who they're supposed to be, sweetheart. The only way you can truly succeed is to look in a mirror and see yourself for who you really are. Only then can you heal." Juno stated, and Pyrrha closed her teary eyes.

"Don't give up, darling." Anaximander softly assured.

Pyrrha sat there, closing her eyes. "I lied…" She revealed, that got their attention.

"Huh?"

"To Ruby… to myself… I told them I wanted to come here to… get stronger… to get equipped but… now that I'm here? I don't wanna fight anymore. I don't want to do anything." She buried her head in her knees. "I'm home now… after everything… I just wanna go to my room."

She got up and Juno reached out for her. "Pyrrha!"

The door swung open as her polarity gripped the metal handle. Ruby stopped throwing the can at Cinder, and the Fall Maiden's amber eye widened. The rope they used to tie her up burned, and she stood up. Juno and Anaximander noticed that since that meant Cinder could have escaped at any moment but didn't. Instead stayed bound to make them feel better. But as Pyrrha stormed down the hallway, Cinder, Ruby and Penny watched her go.

"Hey! Where the hell're you going? We've got a job to do!" Cinder called but Pyrrha just ignored them as tears streamed down her eyes. She looked down one of the rooms and saw the Brother of Darkness watching her as she abandoned her duties.

There was no face… but she could tell he would have been smirking there.

But she just ignored him and went straight for the stairs, and she closed the door behind her. Her team stood at the stairs and Cinder clenched her hand into a fist with anger as she stormed off. Ruby sighed, pushing her hands through her hair, whilst Penny looked at Juno.

"I baked cookies?" The huge teddy bear of a man that was Anaximander awkwardly said to the rest of Team C.P.P.R.

Pyrrha needed to get her head in the game and keep it there.

There had to be a way to help her.

They needed her.

Now more than ever before.

Robyn

Meanwhile, back in Higanbana…

Robyn couldn't stop thinking about the Cataclysm-Class Bombs buried underneath the Four Kingdoms. Bombs that could not be disarmed or even moved without them detonating, and Killian had the authority to detonate them whenever he wanted to. It was a lot to take in. "Robyn? What are you thinking?" Terra asked with concern in her voice.

"Well I'm thinking this whole situation is fucked… but… outside of that? We need to get backup; we need some kind of counterforce against Killian if we are gonna even try and get that information out. He and Salem need to be taken down before we even risk going public with this information… even if we get what we need from that Black Queen Virus. This changes everything."

"I'm sorry… I hope I was of some hel-"

"GUYS GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!" Dutch roared through Robyn's comm link.

As Tortuga sat up, she could not even finish her sentence when the window shattered with a deafening bang and the side of her head exploded. Blood and brain matter splattered across the wall. Terra screamed from the shock as Tortuga's lifeless corpse slumped to the floor, and they all took cover. Bullets flew through the walls, and they heard massive trucks and airships roaring overhead.

"EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE!" Robyn yelled as she rolled towards the doors and she kicked it open. A Black Gallows soldier was waiting on the other side, but she proceeded to kick him in the chest, knocking him backwards.

As they fled, she saw where the shot came from.

Harriet Bree.

She had a Sniper Rifle trained on them and fired, narrowly missing Robyn as she vaulted over the short concrete wall behind her. Robyn turned to Terra who was beside her. "Run! Get back to Argus and get Saphron and Adrien out of there. They shot her through the window, they couldn't have identified you. But that sniper definitely saw me."

"I'll never make it." Terra stammered.

"You'll have a better chance than us, we're gonna be priority one. We can handle them, just go. Get to the nearest Argus Limited Station and get to Saphron. I'm not sure how long it will take for them to identify you, but you need to be fast." Robyn explained, shoving her back. "NOW GO!"

Terra took Robyn's advice, and she ran as fast as she could.

Harriet growled with frustration, watching as Robyn started to run, turning to Clover Ebi. "Got the traitor. And confirmed visual on Robyn Hill. She's alive, alongside the other Happy Huntresses. There was someone else, but their head was down, and they were covered in blood, couldn't identify them." Harriet explained.

"We'll figure it out. All forces, pursue the Happy Huntresses. Killian has given us confirmation to use lethal force. Kill them all." Clover coldly commanded.

The Bounty Boards flashed, and suddenly the names of Robyn Hill, Joanna Greenleaf, May Marigold and Fiona Thyme.

Wanted Dead or Alive: 5 Million Lien Per Head.

Cover was finally blown.

Author Note - The Happy Huntresses are now hunted once more...

The revelation of the Cataclysm-Class Bombs is such a shocker, totally changed the entire plan. Now they cannot risk revealing any information like this with Salem and Killian still alive, otherwise those bombs could just be detonated to stop any sort of retaliation from the people. Poor Tortuga, she finally got to tell someone about what was haunting her and she was killed for it.

Ace Ops incoming, not gonna lie been quite excited to write them fighting. Never done it before :D

Adam's in a world of hurt right now, what did he think was gonna happen? Also... Salem is on the move now. She's not just sitting around anymore, as we saw, she is doing shit and that is terrifying.

And of course... Pyrrha. She really needs to get her head in the game, because now it isn't just her life on the line. She can't just throw it all away, and she needs help to find the drive to take Salem down. Let's hope Team C.P.P.R, Juno and Anaximander have a plan.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt