New Divide
General James Ironwood sat in the chair with his head resting on clasped hands eyeing his subordinate closely. He had just gotten back to the office from speaking (more like arguing) with Jacques Schnee. An embargo on Dust was placed until he can be certain that the Kingdoms are not about to go to war; which at this point was really hard to tell. Jacques, sort of understandably, was enraged at this. Each day that had passed since this embargo cost him a lot of money.
However in James's mind, it was necessary for the good of Remnant. Now though, he was just debriefed about this incident at the prison and research facility which involved four suspected White Fang terrorists and a 'Shadow Demon' from Winter. The first words out of his mouth when Winter was finished with the first part of the debriefing was, "I should have destroyed that facility when I had the chance."
"Sir?" She had asked as he looked up from her report on this. Ironwood sighed and had gotten up from his desk and went over to a map of Remnant that hung on his wall. Moving it to the side he revealed a multi-locking safe. Opening it, he pulled out a handwritten file, then motioned her to follow him.
They had not spoken as they walked the halls towards the private briefing room that Winter had held her meeting with Colonel Rothborne. He opened the door and motioned her in first, then he entered; locking the door behind him and placing a coded safeguard that would prevent anyone else from unlocking the door and listening in on their conversation. He then motioned for her to sit and pushed the handwritten file towards her, "What I am about to show you is not in this official record." He pointed to the file that Winter had handed him, "The information in this file that I am giving you will not leave this room. The information in this file will destroy a lot of families, including your own." Winter looked at him now, and if she was intimated by his declaration, she didn't show it. Once more he emphasized this last point, "Once we leave this room, this conversation will not have happened. In fact I didn't even know about this until I became General of the Atlas Military. Do we have an understanding?"
Winter looked at the file and then at him. She nodded, "Yes sir."
"Read first, then ask me the questions you need to ask." He let go of the file and she slid it slowly towards her, opening it and began to read.
This is how he came to watch her closely, trying to decipher the document that was stricken from the official record and forgotten about. True to her character, Winter Schnee's expression was blank. The only true sign that she was reading was the way her eyes were flying across the page and the turning of the pages. This went on for another ten minutes, before she finished reading and closed the file, pushing it away from her to look at him. When her light blue eyes met his own blue eyes, his blood briefly ran cold, "What the hell was that?" She pointed to the documents, tone now one of disgust.
"The original true purpose of the prison in Vale." He said grimly.
Winter shook her head, to her credit she kept her back straight and said in a more controlled tone, "I don't believe it. Did horrible things happen to the faunus during that war? Yes; however I refuse to believe-"
James had stood up and turned his back on her to look out the window of the room. It was an extremely tinted window- inside the room you can see out, but onlookers (even though they were on the highest floor) couldn't see in, "Unfortunately that did happen." He said cutting her off as while turning to look at her, hands behind his back. He inclined his head towards the file, "That prison that we sent the faunus to was a war prison; make no mistake in that. However it was also used as a research facility, whose sole purpose was to rid the faunus of their…undesirable traits." He relaxed his posture and retook his seat, "To make them more conformed to 'human' standards."
Winter once more gave him a disgusted look, "So I read. However I refuse to believe a relative of my Grandfather was involved in that…moral atrocity." She motioned to the file, "Those accusations, if they are true, are consider war crimes. As such the people involved in these crimes should have been brought to trial, found guilty, and promptly executed."
"Believe what you will, however a lot of prominent families, including your own, were involved. Why do you think Nicholas worked so hard on those long expeditions to find those Dust veins in the aftermaths of the faunus wars? Or why he tried to treat the faunus on those particular expeditions with above average respect when everyone else was just 'tolerating' them?" He could see that Winter didn't like the implications of her grandfather's integrity, and yet he could see her resolve failing. She was slowly starting to believe that this was no work of fiction, so he continued forward, "In any case as you said, those people directly involved in those crimes were brought to trial after the war."
"So why has this never been recorded? Better yet why is all this stricken from the historical record?"
"It was at one point." Ironwood stated slowly, "However as time went on and the people involved started to die off, the council decided to hide it away. In truth they were ashamed of the past and tried to hide it."
Winter shook her head and now stood up away from the table, "But that is illogical. We cannot hide from the past. Yes this is…disgusting and horrific. Those pictures…this should be shared so that this never happens again." Her voice trailed off and then she regained her composure, "Why are you showing me this now?"
"There is a decision I am going to make and I want to explain the history before I tell you it." Ironwood responded. He motioned for her to sit back down and hear him out. Winter nods and takes her seat as he starts explaining once more, "After your Grandfather created your family's empire, he was asked to back a research project through a scientist named Arthur Watts, who at the time was once employed by the Atlas military. He tried to follow in the footsteps of one Doctor Merlot. He wanted to try to control the Creatures of Grimm."
"Control the Grimm? That's…not possible."
Ironwood smirked, "He thought it was. Your Grandfather agreed; however the project started moving towards more questionable practices." At this Ironwood frowned deeply.
Winter raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"
"Horrible things. He tried to capture the Grimm and using the same principles from the war, tried to eradicate the darker animalistic tendencies…that meant trying to find something similar."
"No…" Winter breathed out, implication firmly clear as to what Ironwood was implying.
Ironwood nodded, "Needless to say there was a major internal investigation and the project was swiftly shutdown with the promise that this information never saw the light of day."
Winter took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Reopening them, she regained her composure and asked, "So what does this have to do with this breakout of suspected terrorists and this demon?"
"I am ordering the facility to be vacated and destroyed." Ironwood responded, "It's something I've been meaning to do for a long while, but with the council voting against me, I never got the permission I needed. Now," he sighed and leaned back, "with the million lien damage done, that is lien that could be filtered in the military especially the circumstances we are in now."
Winter nodded along, "Especially since the borders have been closed and Vale has limited resources."
"Exactly." James says, "So that is what is happening. I didn't want to just dismiss you about your concern for Colonel Rothborne's mistake."
"While I appreciate your candor about this; I wouldn't have questioned your decision about the matter if you hadn't told me." Winter said, her tone crisp.
James gave her a smile. No she wouldn't have, he thought as he took the file from the table and went over to the fireplace. Lighting it, he waited until flames were going and tossed it in. They watched it for a moment as it was swallowed up by the flames, "Is there anything else that has happened?" He asks watching the reds, oranges, and yellows.
Winter nods, the history lesson now over and never actually happened, "Qrow is in Atlas."
This made him pause in his musings, "Really?" He asks, "How do you know this?"
"He came to talk to me." She started explaining their conversation and was watching the general closely. Once she was done, he had sat back down and she handed him the letter Qrow had given her.
Ironwood took it and read through it. It was his turn to raise an eyebrow, "Ruby Rose wrote this?"
"That was my reaction." Winter stated leaning forward. She then produced more documents. Ironwood took them and saw that it was an entire dossier on the red reaper, "After he left, I went back and researched what I could on her."
Ironwood nodded as he glanced through the papers, "Ozpin declared her an enemy on Beacon."
"Yet she came back and was the one who petrified that Wyvern." Winter said recalling the uncharacteristic harshness tone Qrow had used when she mentioned that same thing.
Placing the papers aside he re-reads the letter, "This is not the language I would expect of a fifteen year old."
"Sixteen now." Winter corrected, "But yes, I agree."
"What did Qrow say about this?"
"Not much, just that he request I give this to you and I would contact him with an answer." Not knowing why, but she left out the part that he requested that they meet.
"What else are you not telling me?"
Winter didn't know exactly how to respond, after all she didn't even get a straight forward answer from Qrow before he left. She just knew there was something that he was hiding, something that he was afraid and battling himself in how to respond to her own questions. So she simply answered, "I don't know what you mean."
Ironwood gave her a look and placed the papers on the table. Folding his hands, he rested them on the papers and looked at her, "You've been my second for some time now, and my student before that. I like to think I know your traits fairly well by now." Winter opened her mouth, but he waved her off, "Never mind. Just answer me this. Do you trust him?"
"Qrow?" Winter asked not able to hide her surprise at his blunt question.
Ironwood nodded, "Yes. Do you trust Qrow?" He motioned to the letter that was written by Ruby Rose, "Clearly he has put a lot of faith in his niece if he has come to you asking for a favor from me; and if memory serves correctly your own sister went off after her leader which happens to be Ruby Rose herself. So I guess it is safe to assume that there is more than just two people having a lot of faith in this one teenager." Now he looks critically at her, "So I repeat, even though based on your expression, he clearly hadn't told you anything other than this letter to you;" she meets his gaze dead on as he repeats his question a third time, "do you trust him?"
She pauses for a few moments and recalls the tone he used when he defended his niece to her, and the deep expression in his eyes, his body language, and the genuine concern he shown her after the day she had, she answers, "Yes." She takes a deep breath and starts with, "He-"
"Say no more. Clearly whatever else is happening is too much to even be said in this room if he hadn't outright told you." Standing up now and going over to the fireplace with the stack of papers (including Ruby's letter), he tosses them in, watching them burn and turn to ash, "Follow me to my office and I will get Qrow what he desires and you can deliver it to him yourself later."
"Understood." She answers and Ironwood walks over to the door to override the code that kept them secured. Once they were out, she follows Ironwood back to his office thinking just how much harder things were going to be from now on.
-SNOOPYKID-
"Ok just who the hell are you?!" Neptune yelled thoroughly stressed now. The small bit of snacks that were supplied to them once they…stole…the small aircraft was a nice touch of a peace offering, but he had enough. It was bad enough that they were wrongfully imprisoned, but now they were fugitives on the run…hell they may as well had hijackers to their wrap-sheet. Plus the biggest problem they had was the fact that this unknown savior is flying a stolen aircraft over the middle of the ocean…THE OCEAN!
Sun placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and gently pulled him away from their 'savior'/'pilot'. He gave his team a look that said 'I'll handle this'. Whoever had saved them from the confines of the prison had yet to remove their mask, but the team knew better than to try. Once they had fought the spider robot monstrosities, the person had led them into the woods were there was a real small clearing. She had stunned the original pilot and forced them into the plane, and did an emergency take off; all the while disabling anything that can be traced; which pretty much left her with relying on minimal technology to guide them. It was only that they were on open water that she allowed them free movement and told them about the snacks, "What my friend means to say-" Sun started out.
"I know what he means." Placing the controls on autopilot, the girl removes the mask and she says, "Ruby Rose. We met at-"
"The dock…" Sun says slowly, "Wait you're Blake's team leader."
"Hold up." Scarlet said slowly, "You are the enemy of Beacon."
"Former." Ruby corrected, "And I did save you so I would appreciate it if we never mentioned that title again."
"Why didn't you just tell us when we were in the cell? Why the secrecy?" Sage asked. Sun and Neptune had told them of their brief meeting of Team RWBY after Sun's adventure in Vale. They had all came together just before the tournament, yet after RWBY's team leader had gone AWOL with no explanation. All they remembered upon their arrival was that Beacon had been in lockdown and yet both teams RWBY and JNPR had suddenly turned up missing when Beacon had called all the teams into roll call early the next morning.
Ruby snorted, "I thought that had been obvious." She had gotten up, taking off the black cloak and putting it in her bag with her mask, just to take out her red cloak, "I didn't want to be recognized. However enough about me. Let's talk about you guys."
"Like what exactly? We were wrongfully imprisoned, I don't know what else there is to discuss. Clearly you knew that otherwise you wouldn't have gotten us out." Scarlet said as Sun kept quiet watching the red reaper closely.
"What was the price of this favor?" Sun eventually asked as Ruby returned to flying the plane manually, "You didn't just free us for the good of your heart. Not entirely at least."
His team looked at him as he sat in the co-pilot seat. They kept quiet and just listened, now relieved at getting answers, despite the situation not being entirely ideal. After all it seemed to them they went from one problem situation into another, "You are right. I freed you, but I need payment in return." Ruby said keeping her eyes on the horizon and watching her gages closely.
"We don't have money." Sage commented, "And anyway even if we did; how could a…fifteen year old do all of this?"
"Not that kind of payment; and I resent that comment." Ruby stated glaring at him, "I've done more for Remnant than you can possibly imagine." This silenced them, although none of them missed the haunted look in her eyes as she turned back to the gauges. Sighing she swallowed and began again, "However I do not plan on giving you back to Atlas either if you should refuse. I do want you to hear me out."
They looked at each other and the three of them nodded to Sun, "Alright. Freedom I guess isn't free. This must be big though. You guys seemed to be heavily involved with the White Fang before you ran off."
Ruby hesitated, "It's definitely a major piece, not the whole piece. See the thing is, if you should agree to my deal, you can either help save Haven Academy or-" She looked at them this time, making eye contact that made their blood freeze, "allow it to fall to the same curse Beacon had. Will you hear me out?"
The boys looked at one another, unsure of where this was headed. However they nodded to Ruby's request. Turning off the autopilot, Ruby resumed flying as she told them what she was able to about everything that had happened when she left and what she had been up to. This led to the many answers that had been on everyone's minds when the two teams had turned up missing.
Then came the part of how Beacon had fallen and the events that led up to those moments. Ruby had been monitoring the gauges and estimated how much time she had left before she reached the destination. It didn't seem long, but they had been in flight for nearly a few hours. Thankfully they had asked minimal questions and she had been able to answer them as honestly as she could. Stealing glances at Sun here and there through the explanations, it was easy to see the 'why' and the 'how' Blake had been able to get the faunus of Menagerie to rise up. However it was Sun's faith and inner wisdom that managed to help her gather those that were (and are, she added) to do what is right.
"I know this is a lot of heavy stuff." Ruby said as she finished what their mission would be. She switched back to autopilot to give them her full attention, "But I really need you to do this."
"Why you though?" Neptune asked, "I am not saying we won't but isn't this a lot for you…us?"
"My team is in the wilds of Mistral now. They are heading to Haven Academy as we speak and I am supposed to meet them." Ruby stated as she leaned forward hands clasped and head resting on them, "Would I rather have done all this on my own? Hell yes. As it is, admittedly I cannot. There is way more too, but I cannot get into that until I tell my team first. I know this is asking a lot but I need you to trust me when I say if there was another option, I wouldn't be doing this underhanded thing to you."
There was silence once more and the boys looked at one another in silent conversation. It was Sun that spoke up, "We'll do it. After all that is why we became hunters in the first place right? Protect the innocent. Beside what better way than stick it to those ass-hats in Atlas right?"
"Right." They agreed and high-fived.
"Glad to hear it, because here is your drop zone." Ruby stated quickly. She then pulled out an envelope and gave it to Sun, who wore a look of shock, "Give this to Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Make sure to emphasize that it is imperative they follow this letter. Tell them it involves Blake's well-being and safety."
"Wait, we are landing now? Over water?" Neptune asked panicking.
"He cannot swim." Sage said.
"There is an inflatable life raft near the parachutes. I need to keep flying, I cannot land or I risk getting caught. Besides I need to be with my team too." Ruby said, "Now go! You know your mission. Get the current White Fang leader out of power. Get Ghira to take it back and get the army to Haven. Good luck!"
Sun and the others grabbed their stuff and he got the side door open, looking down he saw the vast amounts of water and a tiny thing of land, "You cannot get us closer?" He called out over the roar of the wind.
"Just get ready to jump!" Ruby called back maneuvering the aircraft, "Ready? Three."
"No. No. NO." Neptune chanted as he started to back away. Sage, Scarlet, and Sun gave him looks of pity. It was clear he would have to jump first and they follow.
"Two."
"Damn it. Nope not doing this. Save Remnant without me."
"One." Ruby called out.
"JUMP!" Sun yelled and he pushed his friend.
"SUN!" Neptune yelled out and he jumped out of the plane followed by Sage and Scarlet.
They deployed their chutes and once they were close enough to the water, Sun pulled the string on the raft and allowed it to fall into the water. He immediately found a struggling Neptune and grabbed him, swimming the both of them towards the raft, "I am going to kill you." Neptune threatened as their team regrouped on the raft.
"Yea save it for after our mission though." Sun said, "We have to get towards Menagerie. That way." He pointed to the land mass.
"Yea there are no ores for this." Scarlet said slowly looking about.
They sat there for five minutes, contemplating the predicament, "Does anyone else feel like we should have asked more questions?" Sage asked.
"Eh I like to go with the flow." Sun responded, "We got this."
"So how do you suggest we get to shore?" Neptune asked bitterly staring at his 'friend'. Sage and Scarlet repressed the instinct to shiver at the glare, the words 'if looks could kill' crossed their minds.
The monkey faunus didn't seem to notice this glare or if he did, then he didn't seem to care as he sat in thought for a moment, "We use our hands. It can't be that hard can it?" His teammates sighed in exasperation but none the less followed his lead and began to each paddle straight to shore, all the while thinking of a number of different ways to kill their leader in their minds.
-SNOOPYKID-
The nice and peaceful flight she had experienced after dropping team SSSN at their drop zone was ruined as two Atlas military aircrafts came along-side her aircraft once she got closer to the continent, "This is central control of the kingdom of Mistral. This airspace is closed. Turn your aircraft around now." There came a transmission through her radio-communication system. The one thing she did not disable as she entered Anima airspace.
So close, she thinks as she gets on the communication with the ground control, "I am a huntress on a mission, I cannot turn my aircraft around."
"You do not seem to understand. You are being ordered to turn your aircraft around. This is not up for negotiation."
Ruby pauses for a moment as she continues on her path, fully aware of the two Atlas military fighter plans closing in on her flanks in a challenging way, "Control you do not seem to understand me." Ruby stated her tone even and just as controlled as the man on the radio, "I am on a classified mission that super secedes this directive. I cannot and will not turn around."
Come on do not make this- Ruby's thought is cut off as the response came through just as the two aircrafts diverge away from her, "I am giving you sixty seconds to divert your aircraft. If you do not do so, then the decision will be made for you." There is a pause and Ruby hears engines that do not sound like the one she is currently flying.
Ruby looks at her gauges and she sees that the two aircrafts are flying behind her now. She stares straight ahead and in those moments makes her decision. She pulls back and makes her craft fly higher and now speaks into the radio, "Control I've made my decision. Come and get me." She pushes the yoke forward and makes her plane do a nose dive before pulling out and going into a barrel roll trying to shake the other pilots off her tail.
There were no weapons on her aircraft as she uses sharp turns and dives to avoid being shot at from the military planes. She tries to keep track of her location the best she could as she entered the continent. However she knows that this carrier cannot keep up the pace much longer. While it wasn't quite a commercial flight plane, it did last longer than a small passenger one. After all it did well over the long trek from Vale to parts of Menagerie.
Just then there was a small explosion and alarms started to sound, "Shit!" Ruby exclaimed as she saw smoke from the side window. She started watching as the fuel gauge started to decrease. Turning on the autopilot, she grabs her bag and Crescent Rose knowing it was time for emergency evacuation.
"Delta Forty-Nine here, I've got a lock on the target."
"Delta Four-Nine, understood. Fire on command." The pilot nods hearing the response. He had to admit, the small aircraft really did some impressive maneuvers. His partner started flying next to his right wing and he nodded.
"Delta Twenty here. I too have locked on to target. Also ready to fire." His partner's voice came on.
"Delta Two-Zero, understood. Stand by."
They kept pace with their target, both following procedure. Central command will try to give the small aircraft one more chance to surrender, "This is Mistral ATC, we have two fighters locked on to you ready to fire on command. This is your last chance, leave this airspace or we will give the order."
There was no response. Delta Forty-Nine swallowed hard. They waited and then, "Delta Four-Nine and Two-Zero. You have permission to fire." There was no hesitation as they hit the button.
Two missiles were released. They both pulled back just as the missiles hit there mark, the enemy plane exploding out of the sky and raining down on the forested landscape below, "Delta Forty-Nine here, the threat has been neutralized." He said as he did a one eighty to do a quick sweep. There was no sign of a parachute being released, however with an explosion like that he doubted anyone could have survived much less have time to escape without their notice.
"Delta Twenty here. I concur. Enemy aircraft has been destroyed. No signs of a survivor."
"Copy that Four-Nine and Two-Zero. Return home." Delta Forty-Nine sighed as he and his partner headed back to base. He looked out his window and blinked. Shaking his head, he looked outside once more towards the forest below, but the falling rose petals he had seen a mere second ago were gone. Gods when he got back he needed a drink, this job was way too stressful.
AUTHOR NOTE:
I haven't forgotten or abandoned this story! I also apologize if this chapter wasn't the best.
Real-life got busy, I had a bit of a writer's block, and I really just wanted it to start moving along and get Ruby back with her team followed by setting up the events of Menagerie to start happening and this is what my mind went with.
So just to give a bit of a layout with the next events I plan on introducing Tyrion to the mix again, the reuniting of Ruby and her team, to Ruby having a bit of a timeline identity crisis, Qrow's talk with Winter (I really do love the chemistry with those two), having Oscar's time to play along as well, to finally teams RWBY and JNPR getting to Haven. I have a plan see! I just need to follow it…so there you have it. And to also ward off some questions: I do also plan on Maria being involved, and the trip to Argus as well.
So again thank you for your patience and support. I'll be sure to update soon!
