A lot shorter than normal, but this is where the story breaks away from being a regular story where an OC just joins RWBY and the gang during the cannon.
I own nothing except OC's
Chapter 17: Cinder's bane
Beacon Dance
As tradition, the academy of the kingdom hosting the Vytal Festival holds an evening ball to build camaraderie with the other kingdoms' students, and to unwind and relax from all the hard work they've done so far. Students and teachers alike were dressed in formal attire, dancing and mingling amongst each other while Atlesian soldiers stood off to the sides, keeping watch should shit hit the fan…not that it would. They weren't alone in providing security, as Alex and the guys were also part of the security detail. Unlike the soldiers, they were suited up and mingling with the crowd like they were normal guests. Of course, they had radios to communicate with each other and kept their pistols concealed and ready for use, loaded with what Peach and Ironwood refer to as "Aura Piercers". Hopefully it won't come to them using their only advantage over Remnant natives.
Alex made his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary while ignoring the "looks" he was receiving from a number of female students and even a couple of faculty members. Wearing a nice suit just seemed to make him stand out more in the crowd rather than blend in…apparently. Sure, Alex is aware that he's a decent looking guy, but the majority of these girls are looking at him like they've never seen a member of the opposite sex before. He compared it to those Japanese cartoons where all the women seem to fall in love with the male protagonist: Completely unrealistic, unlikely, and simply used for entertainment purposes. And yet somehow, he feels like one of those characters. An odd sensation, yet easily ignored once you remember that you're not an anime character.
As he approached the refreshment table, he noticed Greg and Professor Peach conversing with each other. If he had to guess, they were having deep, intellectual conversations about stuff he has no clue about. Out of the four, Greg is the only one who has a solid grasp on any scientific subject, so it makes sense that he and Peach can discuss theories and concepts freely.
"So the atoms in Dust can become ions and isotopes as well?" He asked, taking a sip of punch.
"Yes. It's how we can combine different Dust types and use them for different applications." She happily replied while adjusting her glasses. For her, it's nice having another person to talk to that's interested in science and can understand what she's talking about. Sure, Dr. Oobleck can be talked to, but he's more of a historian, and Greg certainly has an analytical and inquisitive mind for science, much to her enjoyment.
Alex then saw Nick surrounded by Port, Oobleck and a couple of other staff members. It looked like he was telling a story or joke while everyone listened intently.
"…P.S. your vagina's in the sink!" Nick exclaimed, causing everyone around him to roar out with laughter. Alex chuckled at Port doing a spit take with his punch before bellowing out that jolly laugh of his.
And then there was Ivan over at the refreshment table looking over some of the desserts he helped make which consisted of various pastries and cakes that everyone seemed to enjoy, particularly one Glynda Goodwitch.
"Mmm, this cake is delicious! And you said you made it from scratch?" Glynda asked Ivan, stuffing more of the chocolate cake into her mouth.
"That's how mother taught me to make it." Ivan replied with a satisfied grin. He takes pride in his work, so it was nice knowing that people enjoyed his cooking.
"Well then, you must share the recipe for this, oh what did you call it?" Glynda asked, grabbing another slice.
"Prague cake. And sure, I can share the recipe with you." Ivan said.
"Glynda, that's your fourth slice of cake." Ironwood innocently commented.
"Are you trying to say something James?" She asked in a very unsettling tone while narrowing her eyes at the implication that he's calling her fat. Ozpin, standing close by, chuckled to himself.
"Nope." Ironwood replied with a straight face. As a general, he knows there's a time to go on the offensive, and a time to pull out of an unwinnable situation. This was one of those times. Lucky for him, Alex walked up and gave him the perfect excuse to change the subject.
"Headmaster, General." Alex greeted the two before grabbing a glass of punch to quench his thirst.
"Ah, Alex. Enjoying yourself?" Ozpin asked, sipping coffee from his mug.
"For the most part." He replied.
"You know, my men could've handled the security detail for tonight." Ironwood commented. Alex merely shrugged.
"It's no trouble. In fact, it's better to have a few guys hidden in the crowd. Besides, I want to make sure we have multiple eyes on our 'guests of honor'". Alex said in regard to Cinder and her cronies. So far, the trio were hanging out at a table, talking to each other and eating the different desserts Ivan cooked up. Alex brought it up to the other's on whether Cinder might make a move tonight. Greg suggested that it's probable, given that everyone is here at the dance where all the attention will be focused on for the night.
"Still, you four work very hard with your teaching duties and the extra help you do around the academy. It's only fair that you should take time to relax." Ozpin commented. Now that Alex thought about it, they have been doing a number of odd jobs around the school. Greg occasionally helps out in the tutoring center, helping students with their studies. Ivan's been working down in the kitchens with the other cooks while Nick found himself doing maintenance work around the school. And Alex somehow became the liaison between Beacon and the Atlesian garrison stationed there. It's not a hard job, he just didn't plan on it. He thought for a moment that they should renegotiate their pay but remembered that their ace in the hole against Aura users is expensive and difficult to manufacture. So, they'll live with it.
"Trust me, we find plenty of time to relax." Alex replied.
"Glad to hear. Huntsmen and soldiers tend to overlook the importance of rest and relaxation." Ozpin commented.
"Speaking of which, will Specialist Schnee be joining us this evening?" Alex asked Ironwood.
"I'm afraid not. She's out on patrol tonight." He answered.
"That's a shame." Alex replied with a very mild hint of disappointment.
"By the way, did you say something to her the other day after out meeting? Because prior to and during, she was very upset. But then afterwards she appeared a lot calmer." Ironwood asked.
"I gave her back the knife that almost killed me and we agreed that there's no hard feelings between us…for the most part." Alex replied.
"That's good to hear. I think Ozpin and I can agree that it's better if we all get along." Ironwood said.
"Plus with her sitting in on our lessons, it's for the best." Alex commented.
"Yes, I've been reviewing her notes and I must say that the information you're providing is very helpful and relevant to current threats." The general stated.
"You're welcome. I'm also glad that Schnee and her entourage have held up their end of the bargain and are simply observing." Alex pointed out.
"Well if anything, you certainly have her attention." Ironwood commented.
"Is that good or bad?" Alex asked.
"A little of both. Good as in she has a certain level of respect for you, and bad as in she's not going to forget her recent defeat." Ironwood answered.
"Wonderful." Alex replied sarcastically. After a few more minutes of chatting, both parties went off to do their own thing, with Ironwood asking Glynda for a dance, and Alex casually strolling through the ballroom. He passed by several familiar faces including RWBY, JNPR, Sun, Neptune and of course Cinder's crew who were still idly chatting away at their table. It normally wouldn't mean anything, but the fact that they haven't moved from their table and seem to be constantly watching their surroundings, gives more reason for Alex to assume that their going to try something.
But it seems that as long as Alex is around, their going to stay quiet. Hoping that maybe they can finally get rid of Cinder, Alex decided to step out and have a smoke with the intention that Cinder will make her move. Luckily, the music switched to something faster and more upbeat, giving him a perfect cover to slip out.
As Alex made his way down the hallway, he noticed another girl walking towards him. At least he thought it was a girl. He could tell she was in a dress but her overall build seemed a little too masculine. It wasn't until the "girl" stepped into the light, that she was revealed as non other than Jaune Arc…in a dress. Both stopped in front of each other with the young "man" looking nervous and Alex raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I can explain." Jaune said with a straight face but Alex just held his hand up.
"I'm not surprised that you're in a dress, as much as I'm more surprised that you have a dress that fits you properly on hand." Alex said in a neutral tone. He was about to continue on and leave Jaune to… whatever it was he was planning, but the knight needed to ask something.
"Hey Alex before you run off, what exactly happened the other night?"
"You don't remember?"
"I remember everything up until about midnight. After that it's kind of a blur." Jaune admitted.
"Well, you drank a bunch of shots, punched some guy in the face, and had us help you get back to your room." Alex answered.
"Okay but that doesn't answer why Pyrrha's been acting so weird around me." Jaune replied.
"Weird how?" He already knew why, but he wants to see if Jaune can piece it together.
"She's been so sheepish and nervous around me while giving me these looks. I hope I didn't say or do anything stupid to her." Jaune said, much to Alex's amusement.
"I can't help you there." He answered, admiring his clever wordplay. Alex didn't lie by saying he didn't know, he just said he couldn't help him.
"Ah. Well thanks anyway." As Jaune made his way back to the dance, Alex lightly shook his head.
"Jaune, we can help you with most things, but you're on your own with this Pyrrha thing." He thought. Like hell he's going to get involved in other people's love lives.
Eventually he did make it outside and propped himself up against a wall before lighting up. He was halfway through his cigarette before Greg radioed him.
"One of our 'guests of honor' isn't present at the dance." He said. Just then, Alex noticed a flash of movement from the corner of his eye. He looked up towards the rooftops and saw a feminine silhouette in the moonlight making her way towards the CCTV tower. He had a pretty good idea who it was.
"Better let Ironwood know we have a turd in the punchbowl." Alex replied with their code phrase. He threw his cigarette to the ground before readying his pistol to pursue the woman he's pretty sure is Cinder.
"Do you know what kind of punch it is?" Greg asked, keeping up with the code talking.
"Tower brand." Alex answered, knowing Greg will understand what he means.
"I'll tell Ironwood and we'll give you a hand."
"Make sure Nick and Ivan keep watch over our other 'guests of honor'." Alex stressed to him.
"Copy. It might take us a few minutes to leave the dance. We don't want to be 'rude to our guests'." Greg was referring to that if he, Ironwood and the Atlesians go storming out of the dance, then no doubt Emerald and Mercury will alert Cinder. They're going to have to play it cool in order to catch her in the act.
Right as Alex was about to take off after Cinder, a rocket locker landed near him. He looked over and saw Ruby Rose draw Crescent Rose from it before awkwardly waving at him.
"Oh, uh Alex. I was just…" He stopped her before she could finish.
"I saw her too." Alex said to her, while wondering why he didn't keep his rifle in a rocket locker.
"So, are we going after her?" Ruby asked.
"Come on Rose, you already know the answer." Alex lightly teased. And with that, the two went on to hopefully stop Cinder from whatever she was planning.
Greg
"General Ironwood." The Atlesian turned to Greg and noticed the serious look on his face. "We have a turd in the punchbowl." Despite the ridiculous code phrase, Ironwood narrowed his eyes as he knew that it meant their enemies were on the move.
"Alex said it looks like she's heading towards the tower and he's pursuing on foot. I've tried alerting the troops at the tower, but my calls aren't getting through." Greg commented with a hint of annoyance. Ironwood then pulled out his scroll to try and contact the rest of the garrison to reinforce the tower but found that he also had no signal.
"Glynda, do you have any signal?" Ironwood asked. She pulled out her scroll only to find that she also had no signal.
"This isn't a coincidence; our scrolls are being jammed somehow." Greg concluded.
"Then we need to get to the tower right now!" Ironwood almost shouted but Greg calmly waved him down.
"Hold on General. Take a look over at that balcony." Greg subtly motioned with his head to where Emerald and Mercury were hanging out. "No doubt they're up there to keep an eye on everyone. If you, I or anyone rush out of here, they're going to alert Cinder. She'll escape, and then we'll have no leads on where to proceed." Greg said matter of factly.
"He's right James. All of us agreed that this Cinder women is certainly not working alone. Somebody else is pulling the strings." Glynda added. Ironwood took a deep breath, realizing that Greg was right.
"We'll need to space out our departures and time them just right to not raise suspicion. Nick and Ivan can stay back and keep an eye on those two." Greg explained while Ironwood seemed to approve his plan.
"Hopefully Alex and the men stationed at the tower can hold out." Ironwood commented.
Alex and Ruby
The first thing they saw upon entering the tower was all the downed guards. Closer inspection reveals the soldiers have sadly, stood their last post. A bunch of clean and precise stab and slash wounds covered their bodies in the more vulnerable parts of their armor. A grisly sight, but Alex could easily push on. Ruby however…
"You good Ruby?" He asked in a concerned, yet firm tone.
"…Yeah." She responded with slight hesitation. Alex figured this was probably the first time she's seen a bunch of dead bodies, so he can understand it being a shock for someone so young. They quickly stepped into the elevator, ignoring the two soldiers with their throats slashed, and prepared themselves for whoever it was that did this. While they ascended, Alex needed to give a quick pep talk to Ruby.
"Listen, I know that wasn't easy to see, but we have to stay focused in order to confront whoever did this." She slightly turned towards him, still looking a little uneasy. "I won't lie, there's a chance we could end up like them, but we can't stand by and do nothing."
"But you don't have an Aura!" She blurted out and quickly covered her mouth, knowing she wasn't supposed to say anything. He just raised an eyebrow at her.
"Who told you that?" He asked.
"…Blake." She reluctantly replied.
"Ah Blake, you suck. Oh well." Alex thought. "I'm still alive right?" Ruby nodded. "Then I'm obviously doing something right." He said with a light grin. "Look, if something happens to me, just get out of here and find help."
"Are you sure?"
"You're still young and have your whole life ahead of you." He simply said.
"Well, let me go in first. I know what you said, but I'm more protected than you are and can take more hits." She said in a more confident tone. Alex would normally disagree, but he doesn't have a protective Aura, so it's probably a good idea to send Ruby in first.
"Spoken like a true team leader. Alright. Don't do anything stupid. I'll be right behind you, plus Greg and General Ironwood should be making their way over here." The elevator finally reached the top and Alex hid to the side before the doors could open. Ruby then stepped out, Crescent Rose in hand, ready to confront their enemy.
"Hello?" She called out.
Cinder
Hacking into the Atlesian battle network was a cake walk and she was about to upload the virus into the system…until the elevator doors opened. She quickly ducked down behind the consoles, unsure of who it was, although if she had to guess…
"Hello?" Ruby called out.
…It certainly wouldn't be the child with silver eyes. She was almost certain that it would've been Alex who would follow her. Cinder was well aware that Alex was keeping an eye on her tonight, so she planned on him following her to the tower where hopefully, she could get rid of him. In her head, if Alex were disposed of, then his friends would surely be demoralized and ineffective without their leader. Uploading the virus and getting rid of a major thorn in her side should've been killing two birds with one stone…but then Ruby had to show up.
"Hmm, guess I have to take care of her." Cinder stepped out into the open, ignoring Ruby's babbling about masquerade parties or whatever, and sent a barrage of explosive glass shards towards her. Ruby was surprised, but easily dodged and deflected the shards coming towards her. The one's that missed her managed to hit the elevators control panel, causing it to spark with electricity, rendering the elevator useless. Ruby quickly recovered and fired Crescent Rose towards Cinder, but she easily deflected the shots with her hand. "Hmph. Pathetic." She smugly thought.
However, Cinder failed to notice Alex take cover behind another console out of sight. She backflipped into the air while conjuring a glass bow and fired three explosive tipped arrows towards Ruby, who got out of the way just in time and fired more shots back at her. It was then that Cinder saw Alex popped out from cover and aiming his pistol at her. She once again blocked Ruby's shot with her right hand and held up her left in anticipation for the shot fired by Alex.
But instead of blocking it, she was suddenly jerked back followed by her Aura flashing and a terrible pain in her hand. Surprise doesn't adequately describe what Cinder is feeling. She stood there, wide eyed with shock, looking over towards Alex who was still aiming towards her. The sheer power and force of whatever he shot her with left her stunned. And then she looked down at her left hand…and saw the hole in her palm. Bits of flesh, bone and lots of blood oozed out of her new wound and onto the floor.
"…Wh-wh-what?" Her breathing and heart beat began to quicken. Sweat started to form. Cinder was so overwhelmed with what happened, she didn't hear Alex shouting at her to get on the ground. She snapped her head back up to face Alex and saw the look of a focused killer staring at her.
"I said get on the fucking ground!" He shouted, ready to shoot her again if necessary. Cinder ignored him and tried to conjure another weapon, only to find that her Aura was completely drained. The bow she was wielding moments ago disappeared without her Aura to maintain its shape. There were no additional flashes of Aura or anything at all. For the first time in her life, Cinder was completely vulnerable. Alex however, saw her quick movement as a threat, and fired again, hitting her left shoulder and causing her to fall to the ground.
Cinder laid there on her back, clutching her bleeding left shoulder, while Alex stepped out with his pistol still pointed at her. Ruby was just as shocked as Cinder was with how Alex was easily able to break her Aura with only a couple of shots.
"What did you do to her?" Ruby asked, not taking her eyes off the bleeding Cinder.
"I'll explain later." Alex simply said. He stepped in a little closer to Cinder, but it was just close enough for her to knock him down with a leg sweep and spring to her feet despite her wounds. She shoved the surprised Ruby to the side and quickly tried to make for the staircase knowing the elevator is out of commission, in a desperate, last ditch effort to escape. Though the adrenaline kept her moving, she had absolutely no plan on what to do next. Her mission was failed, and even if by some miracle she got away, there'd be a worldwide manhunt for her. Right as she neared the door, another shot rang out, and Cinder felt it hit her right leg and fell to the ground once again. This time, she cried out in pain.
"Nice try bitch." Alex mocked the severely wounded Cinder, who gritted her teeth and tried to hold back tears. He walked up to her with the intention of pistol whipping her to knock her out, but the door leading to the staircase suddenly swung open and decked her in the face, effectively knocking her unconscious. Greg came in, followed by Ironwood and six Atlesian soldiers, all brandishing weapons and scanning the tower control room. "About time you got here." Alex joked to Greg, who looked slightly winded.
"The elevator wasn't working, and we had to run up like 50 flights of stairs. Sue me." Greg retorted back. He then noticed the bleeding, unconscious form of Cinder on the ground. "Did I do that?" He asked.
"You knocked her out with the door, but I'm the one who shot her three times." Alex then turned to Ironwood. "We'll need a medic up here ASAP before she goes into shock." Luckily, the soldiers carry an emergency first aid kit with them and they quickly used tourniquets and gauze to stop the bleeding.
"Good job at taking her down." Ironwood congratulated Alex.
"You might want to have Ozpin and your men do a thorough scan of these computers just in case. Also, Ruby here helped out as well." He said pointing to her, who shuffled awkwardly.
"And a good job to you as well Miss Rose." Ironwood said in a friendly tone. However, Ruby was still in shock at how Alex was able to break Cinder's Aura and the bloody aftermath that followed. She then felt Alex place his hand on her shoulder and give her a warm smile before turning towards Greg.
"Greg, help Ironwoods men secure this tower. I'm going to contact Nick and Ivan to grab Cinder's minions." He said.
"I have more men standing by should they need assistance." Ironwood said.
"Thanks General. Come on Ruby, let's get out of here." Alex said, guiding Ruby towards the stairs. As they made their descent, he wanted to make sure that she was okay and not overwhelmed with what she saw. "Are you okay Ruby?" He asked in a more caring tone. She paused for a moment before answering.
"I'll be fine. It's just…you see people dying and bleeding out in movies, but you tell yourself it's just a movie." She started.
"But seeing it in real life is a whole different thing." Alex finished for her to which she nodded. "I'll tell you this, you never really get use to the sight of stuff like that. You just tend to ignore it and move on. I know that's not really great advice, but what else can you do?" Alex explained to her.
"Deep down, I was aware that Huntsmen did eventually see unsettling sights during their lives, I just didn't expect it to happen to me so soon." She deadpanned.
"It sucks that you had to see stuff like that at a young age because you're not going to forget your first run in with death. All I can really say is that you keep moving forward in life and don't be afraid to talk to your friends or anyone if it's bugging you." Alex knew guys who couldn't cope well with stuff like this. He doesn't want someone like Ruby going through that.
"I can talk to you too, right?" She asked, and he grinned.
"Of course. You can talk to me or Greg, Nick, Ivan, Ozpin, Goodwitch, Port, Oobleck or whoever. We're here to help. One team, one fight."
"Thank you, Alex." She said with the warmest regards. "By the way, what did you use on her to break her Aura?" Alex paused for a moment thinking of an answer. He could tell her to keep her mouth shut, but then again, he understands that something like that was not something that could be subdued.
"Let's just say it's me and the guy's way to compensate for not having Aura." He answered.
"I supposed you want this to be kept a secret?" She asked.
"As long as you're better at keeping secrets than Blake." He lightly joked to her.
Nick and Ivan
"Copy that, we'll get them." Nick radioed back to Alex. He and Ivan were over by the punchbowl where they saw Emerald and Mercury in center of the dance floor, slow dancing with each other.
"How are we going to get to them?" Ivan asked.
"Way ahead of you." Nick replied. He signaled to the DJ, who gave him a thumbs up and suddenly the music switched over to a loud and obnoxious fast song. The students excitedly cheered once the beat started and began to dance along with it. Emerald and Mercury, caught in the middle of the floor, could only go along with it. "Follow my lead." Nick said.
He and Ivan blended in by dancing their way across the floor, doing the jumps and fist pumps to the beat, much to the amusement of the students they passed. Finally they reached the couple, with Nick putting an arm around Emerald and Ivan doing the same with Mercury.
"What's up guys? Having fun?" Nick casually asked.
"Uh, yeah." Emerald answered. She was really uncomfortable with Nicks' arm around her and tried to smoothly break free, but he tightened the grip around her.
"Man this dance is getting lame. Why don't you two come with us? We have alcohol." Nick said in a deceptively friendly tone.
"No thanks, we're good." Mercury answered, getting agitated by the close contact.
"Don't you want to join your friend Cinder?" Nick asked in a more serious tone, to which Emerald and Mercury expressed surprised at hearing her name.
"What do mean?" Emerald asked with a hint of anger.
"Let's just say she's down for the count and could use her two best friends for comfort." Nick said in a sarcastically ominous tone. It was then that Emerald and Mercury noticed the extra Atlesian soldiers entering the area and blocking off the exits.
"What did you do to her?!" Emerald asked, trying to break free but was held back because of Nick's firm hold on her.
"I didn't do anything, but unless you want to bleed out like she is, you'd better come quietly." Nick said, causing the two to gasp in shock. Suddenly they felt Nick and Ivan's pistols pressed up against their lower backs. Mercury tired to make an effort to break Ivan's grip, but the large Russian saw it coming and tightened his grip around Mercury's neck, practically choking him.
"Unless you want your arms to match your legs, I would suggest you don't try anything." Ivan said while pressing his pistol harder into his spine.
"Same thing to you, little Miss illusions." Nick commented to Emerald. Knowing that Cinder's been compromised, and they're surrounded, they reluctantly agreed to go with the two Russians. The group quickly made their way off the dance floor and out of the ballroom, where more Atlesian soldiers were waiting outside to help escort them to a holding cell.
Meanwhile, everyone else was enjoying the dance, unaware of what just transpired this evening.
A/N:
Okay, total plot deviation I know, but this is an AU story after all. If you wanted everything to the stay the same, you might as well just watch the show. Just saying.
Cinder and her crew may be down, but that doesn't mean Remnant is safe.
Thanks again and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Hawk out.
P.S. You don't have to watch Volume 6 through RT. Just some food for thought.