The nurse was making her rounds, stopping in front of Blake's door, noting the room had two additional occupants besides the actual patient.
"They're still here?" the head nurse asked, passing by.
"They're her team mates from the huntsman academy," the nurse explained. Those two are sisters, the patient is their teammate, but here's the kicker, their fourth teammate is Weiss Schnee."
The head nurse furrowed her brow. "Huntress teams are usually pretty close knit. I wonder why she hasn't come to visit them."
"Maybe her dad won't let her," the other nurse shrugged. "You know how he is."
"I also know what he is," the head nurse chided, "The biggest donor to our hospital, so if you're going to say something ugly, make sure the board of directors and trustees don't hear you."
"I'm just saying, it might be good for her to visit with her friends a type of therapy. She's been convalescing for almost a year now."
The PA interrupted their conversation, calling the head nurse to another patient's issue. They split up to go about their separate jobs.
The next week in Argus consisted of Weiss using her influence and last name, to get more perks. The corporate SDC account landed them a room in a 5-star resort, family credit cards got her more clothes delivered to her room, and her name alone got her an appointment in the impossibly booked Papillion Noir. With every shop, she indulged the rumor that she'd been convalescing away from the public eye but that she was feeling much better. Adam leaned into the persona of Weiss' trusted bodyguard, concealing his scar with a pair of mirrored sunglasses and an earpiece. After a "cancellation" at the Papillion Noir, she was able to get him the dye job, completing his transformation from White Fang High Leader to Nondescript Faunus Bodyguard for the Schnee family.
Everyone seemed genuinely delighted to see her "doing so well" and "finally getting out again". If only they knew.
"Are you going to be in town for the gala?" Odette asked when she dropped off Adam's tailored clothes. Weiss was one of those customers that you came in person to deliver special orders to ensure everything was just so.
"I hadn't planned on it," she replied non-chalantly, her mind desperately racing to think of what gala would have been hosted in Argus before it finally hit her what time of year it was: toward the end of every fiscal year, her father hosted a gala, inviting all of the SDC's distributors and investors on Anima for an evening of lavish entertainment and food in the hopes they'd make promises for the upcoming year. She even performed for them once the summer before she came to Beacon.
"We were all a bit miffed he decided to cancel last year, but this year, he promises to throw a party twice as elegant to make up for it. He's even trying to get permission to come himself."
That caught Weiss off guard. "He'll be coming here?"
"If he can get clearance from the current council to attend. That idiot who runs the military thinks he'll conduct illegal business practices and is trying to get Mr. Schnee's travel passport revoked. It's all very silly."
"Well, if my father isn't able to get the clearance, I'll certainly have to represent, won't I?" She smiled her satisfied smirk she got when she had a good idea and knew it. "What do you have in the way of formalwear?"
Ironwood gave the crew from Argus an entire week to rest, decompress and debrief.
Maria used the time to get her goggles adjusted.
Qrow spent his days resting but conveniently disappeared every night, but was at breakfast each day sober, so the kids weren't inclined to ask any questions.
Oscar took the time to familiarize himself with Atlas. He'd heard of the floating city before but, living in the backwoods of Mistral, had never even seen footage of the city before: only some still photographs. It was an enlightening experience for him, and while he enjoyed the time to himself, the absence of the voice in his head was starting to worry him more than its initial presence.
Ruby divided her time between visiting Blake and spending time with Penny. She helped her mechanical friend defend Mantle during a grimm attack and learned all about how she was reconstructed for her salvaged motherboard. She even came with some fancy new updates that she was eager to show off.
Oddly, Nora had gotten invested in the political campaign going on down in Mantle and was reading up on it, going so far as to attend some rallies held by Robyn Hill. While not agreeing with her methods, she definitely agreed with her reasonings.
Ren elected not to go with her. He couldn't properly explain what was happening to him, but something was wrong. It felt like a barely perceptible nausea or the sensation when one is on the cusp of getting a headache: uneasiness but not even at the level of discomfort. It was something he could sense but couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was and decided to isolate so as to not worry the others, especially Jaune and Nora.
The only thing Jaune did of note was getting a haircut that no one liked. He was able to contact his sister to discover neither of them were being charged with a crime and that Cordovin had been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Yang rarely left Blake's side, spending her days keeping her friend company, ensuring that she was eating properly and encouraging her through her recovery.
The doctors in Atlas told Blake due to her having a compound fracture that was not properly treated right away, she'd have to be in traction for the rest of the week. There were doctors on hand however, with experience in using aura enhancing technology to expedite the healing process. If everything went according to plan, she could be walking again in another week and back to training with her team in six, provided she did the physical therapy and didn't overdo it. It was a good prognosis, and even though it was a short amount of time, six weeks seemed an eternity away for the faunus who just wanted to get out of bed and stretch her legs. Still, Yang and Ruby's visits made the days tolerable and go by. Her only other visitor was a single time Winter came to speak with her, politely asking if the sisters would mind giving them a moment alone.
"I hope you're recovering well," Winter said by way of introduction. "I've told the staff here to spare no expense to your treatment and therapy."
"I have been treated well. My only complaint is the menu is a little lacking…"
"In quality?"
"In selection. I don't see any fish options."
Winter couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but decided to match her tone by replying. "I'll see if we can get tuna sandwiches on the rotation. No promises."
Blake let out a long exhale, "I take it you're here to ask me about the comm tower?...are you going to sit down?"
Winter folded her hands behind her back. "No, thank you, I'd like to stand. Ironwood actually sent me to debrief you on what you know about Arthur Watts."
"I don't know anything about Watts except that Weiss told Sun that he was still alive. But she said we absolutely had to tell you."
"Is he working with the White Fang, then? Or with Salem?"
"I don't know. I just know that Weiss found out somehow from her time in the White Fang. It's obvious the attack on Haven was coordinated with Cinder's friends and the White Fang. He could be working with either or he could be doing freelance work for either."
"Can you think of anything the White Fang would need or want him to do?"
Blake shrugged. "I don't know what he's capable of, just that he was a computer scientist and that Weiss though that information was vital to you. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, but she only had a split second to pass the information along. She also wanted us to tell you that she's ok."
Winter remained still for a moment, doing everything to keep it together. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything else she said or did?"
"No, I wish." Blake's ears flattened back against her head. "It was dark, and from what I could see she wasn't injured, but she looked…I don't know, dirty. Her hair was messy, but he listened to her. She…she saved our lives." She took the pen and pad next to her bed and began doodling. Slowly, as the story came to her, Blake explained the events of what happened at Haven, trying to be as detailed as possible as Winter absorbed the entire story, knowing it was the most recent thing and most optimistic thing she'd heard ever since she'd gone missing over a year ago.
"At least he isn't harming her," Winter breathed a sigh of relief, unsure of what to do with this information. "We were both trained how to navigate a hostage situation in the even we were ever the victims of corporate espionage. Perhaps prolonged periods of time have allowed them to bond. If he's no longer willing to attack his own people, perhaps he's changed…"
"You don't understand." the huntress cut her off with a sudden intensity in her voice. "Adam doesn't change and Adam doesn't soften. He finds the weaknesses in the people around him and manipulates them. He manipulated my mom into letting him get away with lying and stealing food. He manipulated me into staying with him instead of leaving the White Fang with my parents. He manipulated Sienna into putting him in charge of the Vale chapter and he manipulated Ilia into turning against me. It's what he does. Weiss may not be in danger from the White Fang, but she is still in danger if she's around Adam Taurus. We have to get her out."
"For the time being, Miss Belladonna, there isn't much we can do." Winter replied, clearly picking up on the level of distress her teammate was expressing.
"I don't know what you can or can't do, but I can tell you this: the longer she's with him, the slimmer the chances of you ever getting your sister back will become. He was able to convince me to turn on my own family. Nothing would make him more gratified than if he were able to do the same thing to the daughter of Jacques Schnee."
Winter said nothing, simply allowing her mouth to hang open as her thin veneer of optimism shattered. Blake immediately tried to backpedal.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh."
"You were honest, and I have all the information I need. It wasn't my intention to get you worked up." She straightened her posture and held her head erect. "I should probably let you get back to resting. I'll see what I can do to accommodate you on the meals." She dismissed herself quickly.
Arriving back in her apartment, it took all of her composure to not melt into a puddle as soon as the door was closed behind her.
"You were out late," a husky voice startled her from the kitchen.
She sank into the loveseat to peel off her gloves and boots. "I'm sorry, I was supposed to debrief the Belladonna girl tonight. I forgot to tell you. Just give me a minute to get my boots and gloves off and I'll start dinner."
"No need," Qrow stepped out of the kitchen with two takeout boxes. "I found a nice little Mistralian cuisine takeout place in Mantle and I thought I'd bring some home for you…what's wrong?"
"My sister," Winter replied, her shoulder slumping in despair. "She didn't say it outright, but she thinks basically that she's been brainwashed by the White Fang's leader. She wasn't trying to be mean…but I just wanted some little piece of hope."
Qrow set the boxes down and sat down beside her. She leaned against his shoulder. She never broke down and had a proper cry, but a few tears left her eyes as she sat against him with her eyes closed. For a few moments, they said nothing. Qrow put an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead.
"But you know she's still with the White Fang?"
"Yes."
"And you know she's not in any immediate danger?"
"Yes."
"And you know she's somewhere in Mistral?"
"Somewhere on Anima at least," Winter shrugged.
"Well, that's more information than you had just a few weeks ago. You know she's not harmed and that she's still got enough presence of mind to pass along information when she can. I'd say if anyone has a good prognosis, it's her."
"Maybe…but…what if Blake is right? What if Adam has somehow guilted her into believing in the White Fang's cause because she has to make reparations for being a Schnee? What if she's doing all this under duress?" Winter sighed again, unsure of how to feel.
"I know it's not much, but I met your sister once. At Beacon. I don't know much about her, but I can say if anyone would be able to make it through an ordeal like that without being indoctrinated or brainwashed it'd be her. She's a Schnee, and the Schnee women have a habit of knowing their own minds." He half laughed. "And speaking their own minds for that matter." He rubbed his hand up and down her waist as if he were trying to put energy back into her before standing up and offering his hands to pull her to her feet. "Take a minute, eat, and relax, you'll feel better."
"I'm going to be honest," she said as she used his hands to pull herself up, "I can't remember the last time I actually fully relaxed. I think I was somewhere around eight."
He kissed her hand, "I have a few ideas that could help you unwind." He laced his fingers into her hair, deftly pulling out the hair tie keeping her silver locks back in a pony tail. With her hair up, she looked regal and even intimidating, but with it down, it gave her a feminine quality and softened the harshness of her piercing eyes and angular features.
Winter knew what he was suggesting. She stroked his stubble with her bare hand as she smiled tiredly. "Unwind, maybe, but I have a feeling they're not very…restful."
He leaned down and growled into her ear, "Oh, I can promise you, ice queen, you'll sleep very well once I get done with you."
She saw her opportunity and took it. "You plan on boring me to sleep?"
He smirked. He loved her banter and loved that she wasn't afraid to tease him. "Talk big all you want now, because after dinner, I doubt you'll be able to make very many coherent sentences."
"Now, now, old man. Don't make promises you can't keep. Isn't your bedtime in like, an hour?"
"Weren't you out past curfew?" Qrow shot back. "Ironwood is going to scold you if he finds out."
She pushed him off lightly. "What are you going to do? Tattle on me? You'd be ratting yourself out."
He leaned his weight against her, pinning her to the wall of her narrow hallway. "Tattle, no. Punish? Maybe." He kissed her until she ran out of breath, but even as he pulled away, he heard the discontented sigh he knew all too well indicating she hadn't wanted him to stop.
He could control so little in his life. From his very birth, his own semblance was working against him, the invisible war he fought and was constantly losing weighed on him day in and day out as he always questioned if he was ever making an impact. He couldn't prevent what happened to his mother, or to Summer, or to Amber, or even to Ozpin. He couldn't keep his sister from going back to the tribe; he couldn't keep his nieces safe from attack, and he now knew that everything he worked for to stop Salem had been for naught as she couldn't be killed. Despite being one of the most experienced huntsmen in all of remnant, he felt like every aspect of his life was out of his control.
But this he could control. He could make her happy; he could make her feel safe. He could satisfy her, and he knew full well he was the only one that could. Qrow could never dream of using the term love when speaking about his sexual partners, but with Winter, the word was coming dangerously close to being accurate. He felt more than just attraction and affection for her.
How long they'd have together before Qrow would have to leave on another mission or Winter would be called in on some military operation, they weren't sure and had determined to make the most of it, spending as much time as they dared without raising suspicion together in Winter's private quarters. He usually spent the night and left for home via the balcony or window in the morning, arriving late afternoon usually around the time she was relieved of duty. It was precious time and they planned on enjoying it to the fullest.
They just had to make sure Ironwood never found out.
"If I asked you to do me a favor, would you be able to do it?" Adam asked as he fitted the customer made eyepatch over his eye.
"Probably, what is it?"
"Would you be able to get a comprehensive list of all of the employees at a given SDC location: a mine, or office, or whatever?"
Weiss nodded. "I know most of the secretaries and executives by name. I'm sure if I acted like I was doing something for my father, they wouldn't even ask questions. What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a specific contact I used to know. She worked in HR, and I'm sure she'd be a great source of information of the abuses currently going on withing the company. The last I heard: she was stationed here in Argus but that was before I was even the head of the Vale chapter." He turned around: the patch conveniently covering the entirety of his scar.
No one would look and say that Adam looked 'completely different' but the black dye in his hair blended his horns to become less pronounced and his opting to wear the patch instead the mask showed much more of his face than even his own men were used to seeing. It wouldn't fool anyone under close scrutiny, but hopefully, by the time news of her return to the public eye filtered through Solitas and Anima, they'd already be in Atlas and out of harm's way. The one benefit was that with the black hair and the black patch, the focal point of his face was now no longer his horns, but the color of his good eye.
She loved his eye color.
In that moment, Weiss Schnee's brain went to a strange place: secretly hoping their children had his vibrant, piercing blue eyes rather than her steely, icy shade. As quickly as it came, the thought moved on to other things, but for that tiny moment, Weiss envisioned herself not only having children, but imagining what they would look like were Adam the father.
"I think Nessa is a miracle worker," she said, standing and running fingers through his hair.
"And you don't think she'll tell?"
"No," Weiss said firmly. "She seems very attached and supportive of her mother, and her mother seems to hold you in high regard."
The answer satisfied Adam. Satisfied with the look of the eyepatch, he removed it to expose his full face again. "And this gala of yours, will I be expected to attend?"
"I wouldn't like to attend alone, especially if my father is present. Knowing him, he'd cause a scene. However, if there was a time to meet with your contact, that would be the ideal time: most of the executives from the branch of the SDC here are invited to the event so the office closes down early. She might even be able to get you into places as an employee that I couldn't without raising suspicion."
"I don't understand. Do you want me to come with you, or not?"
Weiss shrugged. "It's an all-evening affair. You could escort me in, spend half an hour being introduced to all the kinds of people you hate, slip out, meet your friend, slip back in to walk me back out to the car and no one would really notice. I'll just need to rent you a suit with a dinner jacket and a bowtie."
Adam scowled. "I don't particularly like being dressed up and paraded around like a new toy for people to gawk at."
Weiss cocked her head sideways at him. "You don't say."
By the end of the week, Blake had been released with the use of a wheelchair, making her slightly dependent on others but doing her best to move on her own, but it was comforting to know she'd be out of the wheelchair by next week and in a walking cast. Yang wheeled her into the conference room adjacent to Ironwood's office for a meeting he'd called. They were the last to arrive.
"I've reviewed all the information, from both what you have said and from the accounts I received from Qrow and Special Agent Schnee," he began, "And after consideration, I believe it is in our best interest should maintain the course we initially set out when we were under the assumption Ozpin was dead." He pushed a button on the console in front of him, dropping two projectors from the ceiling.
Using the hologram in the middle of the conference table, he laid out his plan. Using the Amity Arena, they'd restore the CCT towers, even if it was just long enough to get out a message about Salem, about the relics, the maidens and about how everyone needs to band together, after which, Atlas and Mantle would be secured for the rush of grimm that would undoubtedly be drawn to the fear and uncertainty of the citizens. Once secure, the Atlas Military would then be in a position to offer aid to Mistral and Vacuo.
"You will assist the ACEOps and help in securing the site and the transportation of the necessary dust and equipment to the arena to prepare it for launch," Ironwood said to the students. "Due to the current embargos and rationings, we're seeing increased attacks on military vehicles, particularly from Robyn Hill and the citizens of Mantle. Her 'merry huntresses' are nothing more than bandits sympathetic to the cause."
"Then why not tell her?" Yang asked sincerely.
"Because we can't trust her," Ironwood replied with a sudden severity. "I am going to be frank with you, Miss Xiao Long, I don't even fully trust anyone in this room outside of Specialist Schnee and Penny."
"Thanks," Qrow said, his tone void of sincerity.
Ironwood was entirely unphased by the comment. "We trusted Ozpin, believing he knew the solution to stopping Salem. We ran his missions, we secured his maidens, and followed his instructions to the detail and where did it get us? A burned academy, an enemy with the power of the fall Maiden, and our fearless leader is now trapped in the body of an untrained fieldhand."
"That's not Oscar's fault," Nora protested.
Oscar quietly shrank back and being called out so negatively.
"No, it's ours for trusting him. And with this new information of Arthur Watt's death being a farce, we are going to have to overhaul every last line of code to ensure our network isn't compromised any further with no guarantee he won't be able to break in with ease."
Ren had the same sensation that had been overcoming him ever since they'd arrived in Atlas. It was almost as if the general's paranoia had become…tangible and Ren could sense it if he focused, almost like a secondary aura, or a subtle flavor of his aura. His attention was broken when he began to speak.
"Ozpin may have wanted to keep the world of magic a secret but if we don't tell the people of Remnant first, then we don't have any control over how and in what way they find out. At least now, we'll all be on a level playing field once the information goes public. Salem wants to use the fear and mistrust to divide us, but if we can do this right, we'll be able to bring the people of Remnant together."
"As much as I don't need your validation, Mr. Arc, I'm glad you're in agreement," Ironwood replied. "We have our work cut out for us. I suggest we start tomorrow with cleaning out the remaining grimm still in the Schnee Mine #2, which will be converted to the ground zero for the project. If things go well, we'll have the arena up by the end of the month."
He dismissed the teams, asking Winter to stay behind as the group filed out: some confused, some pensive, but Oscar in particular looking uncomfortable and out of his depth. A part of Ironwood wanted Ozpin to hear the plan out of spite while another hoped he stayed out of it for as long as possible. He'd been doing a bang-up job of protecting Remnant for hundreds of years, perhaps it was time for someone else to start offering solutions.
"Is there something you wished to discuss with me general?" Winter asked.
"Not discuss, but at least express some…concern," Ironwood replied, pulling his attention off Ozpin's new vessel and focusing on the remaining occupant in the room.
"What do you mean?" She had a confused look on her face.
"I've had a cyber security team update every line of code. Pietro has found countless backdoors Watts left for himself and is trying to get them closed. This has caused every keystroke to come under close scrutiny and some things have come to my attention."
"Sir?" Winter asked, her nerves immediately causing her stomach to feel uneasy.
"It looks like some two months ago you accessed satellite footage of the White Fang's current HQ."
"Yes, sir,"
"And you also received illegal communication from an unknown source on your scroll."
"That was Qrow and Jaune and all of their teams."
"But you didn't know that at the time. You just answered a call from an unknown number with no way to prove they were who they said they were on a private military line."
"I'm sorry, sir." Winter apologized out of reflex, wondering how something that brought a relic to Atlas was getting her in trouble, "And I'm sorry that I was so forceful in taking a transport to get them, but there was a relic at stake. Qrow and my sister…"
"I'm not angry at you, Winter," Ironwood said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He rarely used her first name, and Winter didn't particularly like when he did it. It made him sound fatherly, and she did not ever wish to see him as a father figure. "I'm just concerned. I don't want you bogged down with distractions. We have an important mission and you and I both know that the time is drawing very close for you to assume your role as maiden. When that happens, you won't be able to continue your military career, or your search for your sister, and I know that's hard to hear, but you need to make sure you're in the right frame of mind to do what's best for everyone."
Plastering on her best and most sincere face, she stood at attention. "I understand my duty, sir, and my only desire is for the ultimate safety of Atlas. You should know I'm willing to make whatever necessary sacrifices to accomplish that."
"That's good to hear. Just make sure you remain focused. This next month is going to be critical for us. With the elections, the Amity Arena and a possible attack from Salem, we all have to be sure where our priorities lie."
"Of course, sir." Her face was resolute and unreadable.
He dismissed her.
She cried herself to sleep in Qrow's arms that night, overwhelmed and angry.