Bad Luck Charm
Perhaps it was a little early to have a celebratory meal. However, there was a good chance none of the restaurants would be standing afterwards, and as for the food at Salem's castle... well, perhaps one could say it was to die for, but that was only because Tyrian was often the cook.
And so Cinder had allowed herself and her peons this one meal, enjoying some Mistrali cuisine. She'd never enjoyed the better sort in her childhood of course, and if she could bring herself to care she'd acknowledge that neither Emerald nor Mercury had either. Perhaps, having left nothing more to chance, it was right to indulge in the finer things, while they were still available. No need to starve herself now.
As she took one last bite of the succulent dish in front of her, she mulled over the day's plans in her mind. Everything was set up for the fight later today, and then they'd hijack the signal. The panic would bring the Grimm, Adam would begin his attack, and Torchwick's little murder-gremlin would release him and fulfil their part of the plan. Was there anything she'd overlooked...?
"Ooh, fortune cookies!" Mercury exclaimed.
Cinder rolled her eyes. "Really?" she asked. "Are we going to indulge such foolishness?"
Mercury was already crunching several cookies in his mouth. At her glare he averted his sight.
"Dad never let me have sweets," he muttered.
"How awful for you," Cinder said blasély, before turning towards Emerald to see she'd broken open her own cookie. The thief was smiling broadly at the bit of paper in front of her. "Really?!" Cinder exclaimed.
"Come on, Cinder, it's just a bit of fun." Emerald said with a smile playing around her lips. "What does your cookie say?"
With a sigh, but deciding once to indulge her lackey, Cinder unwrapped the cookie before her and broke it open. Unrolling the little slip of paper, she read aloud. "Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong."
"Uh oh," said Mercury.
Cinder scoffed. "If there's any truth to those words, I'm sure it's talking about the day our enemies are about to have. It's simple superstition to believe otherwise."
"I'm sure you're right, Cinder," Emerald added, a mixed expression of her face.
"Of course I am," Cinder smirked. Was not destiny on her side? Had not every decision Ozpin's circle made played completely into her hands. Any fortune today would surely be good. "Now it's time to get going. We need to get into position."
She stood and walked out, Mercury following on her heels. Emerald looked for a moment at the slip of paper in her hands, before sighing sorrowfully and dropping it as she followed. She hurried as she saw Cinder brush past some drunk.
"Today you will hear the words you have longed for," it said.
-000-
The contestants were entering the arena below them. Cinder observed, after making sure both Emerald and Mercury were in position. She'd have enough time to reach her own post.
Strange... Pyrrha Nikos seemed in a particularly buoyant mood. She seemed in poor spirits the last Cinder had seen her, Cinder hoping that Ozpin's circle had made their move and inadvertently left the so-called invincible girl in an emotionally fragile state. What could have changed?
-000-
Earlier that day
"I'm... I'm sorry!" Pyrrha cried as Jaune dropped to the floor. Tears in her eyes, she turned to run, but tripped as one of her heels broke. She fell to the ground, weeping for the anguish she felt inside.
Jaune was on her in a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he said. What was he saying sorry for? Yet he didn't berate her for throwing him against the wall, instead he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "Whatever I said, I'm sorry! Pyrrha, I would never want to upset you!"
Her heart ached... she longed to tell him of what she faced, but it was a secret. And hadn't he just said she shouldn't let anything get in the way? Because he doesn't know what you're talking about! an inner voice whispered in her mind.
"Pyrrha," Jaune continued, "if you can't tell me what's bothering you, that's okay, but please let me help you! I can't stand to see you hurting like this." He paused, swallowing nervously. "Perhaps this isn't the time to say this, and I was going to wait till the tourney was over... but I love you."
Wait, what!? Pyrrha thought as her breath hitched in her throat.
-000-
Cinder dismissed the thought... hopefully Emerald's powers would be enough. She turned to walk to her own position.
The fight began on schedule, the invincible girl versus the product of Atlesian engineering. Cinder had never witnessed a fight where she'd so longed for both sides to lose. And fortunately, today they can! From her observation post she could see Emerald in position, ready to do her work. Pyrrha suddenly hesitated, frozen, by something that Cinder knew only Pyrrha could see.
"Pyrrha! Wait!" a voice suddenly cried out, as a small red figure darted out into the arena. Cinder turned her binoculars to observe Ruby Rose charging forward. Wait, where's Mercury?!
-000-
Moments earlier...
"Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad," Mercury smirked as he looked at the little girl in front of him. She thought she had it so good in life, and now her little friends were all going to die. Ruby glared back at him, reaching behind her back, hand freezing as she realised she was unarmed.
"Mercury, what are you doing?" she demanded. "You were hurt! Why... what's going on?" Visibly frustrated as he refused to answer, she pressed on. "Fine, if you're not going to tell me..."
Ruby sped forwards, but Mercury moved to block her path. And then fell over, as the sockets keeping his mechanical legs attached to his body suddenly gave way. He dropped heavily onto the floor with a thump and a groan, as Ruby sped past him...
-000-
"Penny's metal!" Ruby cried, still speeding forwards. At Ruby's words Pyrrha appeared to hesitate. She flinched from something only she could see but refused to respond. Penny too ceased her movements, looking towards both Pyrrha and Ruby.
Cinder cursed. Well, perhaps revealing Penny's mechanical nature would do the trick. She activated the program on her scroll, hijacking the signal.
"This is not a..."
-000-
Across Vale and worldwide, multitudes watched the Vytal festival, watching as one of these final fights was weirdly disrupted by someone running into the Arena. Hordes complained in online chat at the disruption of another sporting event; surely something could be done against pitch invaders. Before the trespasser could be escorted off, however, and the fight resume, the heavy traffic caused several bugs lurking within the CCT system to suddenly play up. Viewers across the kingdom and beyond were immensely disappointed as suddenly the signal cut out, the whole network crashing as all signals from the Vytal festival ceased immediately. Disappointed, most viewers sighed as they turned to other pursuits, hoping it wouldn't take too long before the network was rebooted.
-000-
Cinder was furious. Something had gone wrong. Perhaps the spark hadn't been enough, but with a whole kingdom's worth of bad feelings, a swarm of Grimm should still have been summoned. Instead, only a small flock appeared. As the huntsmen present made to defend the civilians and keep the calm, Cinder tried to contact Adam, only to find to her horror that the CCT had locked up.
Had her broadcast got any further than the stadium itself? Just the arena's feelings wouldn't attract nearly enough Grimm, let alone wake the Wyvern lurking in beneath the mountains.
She pushed such feelings aside. Never mind. Paltry Grimm attack aside, panic would still flare as Adam launched his attack on Beacon. The principal target - the only target that mattered - still remained in play. All she needed was for Adam to distract the defenders. She hurried towards Emerald, ready to make their own descent upon Beacon. As she did so, she eyed the Atlesian warships visible from the Arena. Their ace in the hole...
-000-
Roman Torchwick looked around the wrecked bridge. Consoles sparked as bodies lay slumped over the stations.
"Well, Neo, I can't say I'm not glad to be out, but any idea how we're going to control this thing?"
Neopolitan passed him a scroll, displaying the insignia of a black chess queen.
"Oh ho ho! This should liven things up!" Roman chuckled, inserting the scroll into a console. Only to be greeted by a jarring beep.
"That's supposed to work..." he said.
-000-
Six Months Earlier
To: Steve ( . .Net)
From: Frank ( . .Net)
Subject: Urgent patch for command networks!
Hey Steve, Bill was anxious to make up for that whole coffee incident and ended up perusing the code we have for the knight and Paladin command networks. We're lucky he did, because he came across some major backdoors in their security. Big oops, potentially career ending, but we put together a patch that should fix the problem fleetwide once we distribute it to all the ships. So expediate that, will you? Get HQ to authorise it pronto before we lose our jobs. It's likely the same holes exist in other networks too; Bill reckons it's a flaw of all our networks and is letting the civilian network admins know. Thankfully we're not the ones who have to deal with that. I'd hate to be the one to go through the tangled mess that runs the Mantle network. But now we know what we're looking for, some other poor sod can find it.
You still okay for the game on Friday?
Frank
-000-
The console beeped again. Neopolitan shrugged as Torchwick shot her an enquiring look.
"Yeah, I don't know why this isn't working either," he admitted. Not that Cinder would likely accept that excuse, and he doubted she responded to failure all that well. Looking around the ruined bridge, he sighed. Perhaps it was best to fake their own deaths?
-000-
Cinder fumed as she made her way into the Beacon tower. Torchwick was supposed to have ensured the Atlesian drones had turned on their masters by this point, but to her fury they'd continued to fight. The White Fang had made their attack as planned, ferrying Grimm into Beacon itself, but with Atlesian forces holding the line and now bolstered by the students, she didn't have long.
It'd have to be long enough. She could feel it now: the power close at hand, the object of desire that she hungered for. She'd seen Ozpin summon Pyrrha Nikos away, doubtless to do the only thing that crossed his mind and transfer Amber's remaining power. Little knowing that in his arrogance and single-mindedness, he was leading Cinder right to what she wanted. The lights flared, and then flashed off across the entire building. She growled at one more complication, but the lights came back on. Hoping for the best, pressed the button on the lift. To her relief, she could hear it operating, and after a few moments, it opened. She entered, exposing the hidden panel, and pressed the button. She braced herself as the doors closed and the lift began to descend.
When the doors eventually opened, she had a bow in hand, arrow nocked. She drew, then hesitated. Ozpin stood vigil, staring at the doors. Behind him lay some machinery, but neither Nikos nor Amber were visible.
"What?!" she exclaimed.
-000-
A few minutes earlier
As the attacks begun, Ozpin prepared to implement the only plan he could think off. Intercepting Miss Nikos, he'd ushered her inside. She'd followed, although Mister Arc had so too. He hurried them to the vault, before urging Miss Nikos to take her place inside one of the pods. He began setting up the transfer mechanisms, bringing it up to full power.
She'd turned to Mister Arc.
"Jaune..." she began.
"This... this is what was upsetting you, wasn't it?" the boy said.
"Miss Nikos, please hurry!" Ozpin urged.
The girl ignored him. "Yes, it is. If I go into that pod, I may be given a power that will allow me to protect people, to protect you. But it's risky, so I want you to know that I love you too, whatever happens."
Young love, Ozpin sighed. "Miss Nikos!"
"Because if I step into that thing... I might cease to exist," she said.
"Wait, what!?" Jaune exclaimed in panic.
Wait, what?! Ozpin thought in horror. He looked at the girl, saw her expression, and then he thought over what they'd told her. Huh, perhaps they should have been more careful about what they told an emotional teenager while keeping her in a combat tournament. That could have really backfired.
"It's not like that, Miss Nikos!" he interjected. "It is serious, and we don't know all that this will do, but it won't cause you to cease to exist, and I'm sorry if we caused you think that way. But you must hurry!"
The girl finally responded, looking at him in some shock. He nodded towards the machine again.
The lights suddenly brightened and then went out, plunging the vault into darkness. The machine sparked as it shorted. Ozpin looked on aghast as his one and only plan fell apart.
The lights flickered back on, but the aura transfer machine refused to respond. He glanced at Amber, sighing in relief to see that her pod was still softly illuminated, the fuses keeping the life support mechanism safe. But what could they do now?
He heard a distinctive ring tone coming from his scroll.
"I am no one's blessing..."
Glaring at the love-struck (and apparently dumb-struck) teenagers who'd delayed him this far, he answered.
"Yes Qrow, what is it?"
"Sorry, that was me," came the gruff response. "I went past some junction box and all the lights went screwy."
"I see," Ozpin answered, restraining himself. "Any reason this news couldn't have waited till later?"
"Oh yeah, well I also just saw one of the transfer students make her way into the tower. She looked pretty sus if you know what I mean. If you're where I think you are, you might have company soon."
Ozpin froze. In the silence, he could suddenly hear the lift rising. He looked around, before realising what he had to do.
"Miss Nikos, Mister Arc, we're about to have an unpleasant visitor. So, if you could wheel Miss Amber's pod behind the machinery so she's out of sight, it'd be greatly appreciated..."
-000-
Cinder practically snarled as the elevator climbed once more. With Ozpin prepared, and with only half the maiden powers in her grasp, she'd been unable to prevail, and eventually had to withdraw as her aura wore thin. She could taste blood in her mouth and was aware of other cuts and wounds littering her body. If only she'd been able to get a clear shot at Amber, she'd have enough power to crush Ozpin or anyone else who crossed her path! She'd been unable to get past Ozpin, however, and so was unable to find out if Amber simply lay there, just out of reach.
She flexed her hands in rage. Part of her worried for how Salem would take this failure, but it was nothing compared to the fury in her heart and how she'd come so close, and yet been denied. But survival was the thing. So long as she survived, she still had part of the power of the Fall Maiden. Amber could not recover with what had been taken from her... it was only a matter of time. She signalled Emerald to prepare to evacuate. A brief message back indicated she'd found Mercury. Cinder was glad... she'd need scapegoats.
The elevator doors opened, and she stormed out, running immediately into Team RWBY.
"Nora said Jaune and Pyrrha went this way..." Ruby Rose trailed off as she saw Cinder in front of them. "Cinder... you're the one behind this!"
"So what if I am?" Cinder sneered. She leapt to attack, knocking Ruby aside with one slash of her sword, before pirouetting to attack her teammates, the blonde bimbo and Adam's catgirl. The two stumbled back, their auras clearly drained themselves (having only escaped Adam by virtue of a metaphorical tidal wave of Paladins), before Cinder turned on the one remaining obstacle in her way.
"A Schnee," she gibed, "letting all your friends fight first? How typical!"
"You won't get away with this!" the little heiress shot back. Cinder practically cackled. At least she'd have the pleasure of pruning this little part of Atlesian high society before she left.
Before Cinder could attack, however, the Schnee girl kneeled, sword point down. A glyph whirled, as a spectral image appeared. Cinder had learned of this, of the ability of the Schnee semblance to summon an image of a fallen foe, though she hadn't known this particular specimen had learned that trick. Little matter, she could still crush this bug before her teammates got back up.
She was taken aback, however, by the phantasm that appeared. A ghost white... cat faunus? On roller skates?
"What stupidity is this!" she screamed.
"What stupidity is this!" the image replied in a mocking tone. "That's what you sound like!"
"Is that Neon Katt?" asked the blonde from the floor.
"I... guess?" replied the Schnee. "I was aiming for something a little bigger."
"But you didn't even fight her!"
"Hey! It was a team match!"
Cinder, meanwhile, was subjected to a barrage by the phantasmal feline, who span around her on her roller skates.
"I'm not saying you should go on a diet," the summon said, prodding Cinder's behind as she passed. "I'm saying you need to go on a diet!"
"WHAT?!" Cinder screamed, anger making her hoarse.
"You're fat," the image clarified.
"I'll kill you!" Cinder cried.
"Hmmm... I'm sensing daddy issues!"
Cinder felt her heart practically explode in fury and an array of suppressed emotions, before pain exploded across her skull. As she fell, she saw Ruby Rose standing once more, the monstrosity she called a weapon having just clubbed Cinder's head. Struck by a combination of concussion and emotional apoplexy, Cinder hovered on the brink of unconsciousness, the babble of the spectral Neon thankfully falling to an undecipherable noise to her diminishing senses. Another commotion, and she became aware of others nearby too: Ozpin's drunken huntsman, glaring down at her. And then Emerald, loyal Emerald, kneeling beside her with tears in her eyes.
"Emerald," she said, trying to hold onto sense. "I..." need you to get us out of here "like..." now "you..." understand?
Emerald sobbed harder. "Both our fortunes came true!" she lamented.
Cinder didn't hear her. All she could wonder, before she succumbed to the void, was what on Remnant had gone wrong.
-000-
Earlier that day
"And this is Jaune, my first friend at Beacon!" Ruby proudly announced. Qrow glared at the blond boy she was introducing him to, who rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Qrow wasn't fooled; he knew how these blond boys at Beacon operated. If this Jaune thought he'd pull a Tai around his nieces, he had another thing coming. Heh, Tai would be on his side for this one.
He held out his hand and the boy took it. Perfect. With the strength of a huntsman, Qrow aimed to crush the lad's hand.
The boy winced at first, but then remarkably held his own. "Man, you've got quite a grip there," he chuckled.
"You're holding out well yourself," Qrow reluctantly admitted, glancing down to see the boy's hand seemingly shining with white light. Huh, maybe it was a semblance thing? Oh well, the boy had survived this round, perhaps Qrow would let him have this one. He let go. "So, are you hanging around here?"
"Nah, I've got to get going, make sure Pyrrha's alright before the matches," the boy said. "But it was nice to meet you. See you, Ruby."
"Sure thing, Jaune," Ruby said happily, turning to her uncle as the blond left. "I'd better get going too," she told him.
"Sure thing, Pipsqueak," Qrow replied. "I need to get a bite to eat, but I'll see you after the matches."
After fondly watching his niece walk away, Qrow made his way through the stalls and shops, looking for something to eat. He'd have another chance to put any frighteners on any boys in her orbit. He hummed as he went, realising he felt good. He couldn't fathom why, but it was almost as if his very soul had been lifted… or amplified.
He paused at one restaurant entrance, the smell within being particularly inviting. Mistrali cuisine if he had his guess. As he made his way through the doorway, a brunette almost barged into him, a set look on her face. He turned as she brushed past him but decided to let it go. With any luck, they wouldn't see each other again.