Walking out of the medical building, I finally understood how people felt when they left the hospital after an injury. I had been trapped in there for nearly a week before Ozpin gave me clearance to leave, and by then I was going straight stir crazy. There was only so much I could do with the view out the window, anxious thoughts, and low-quality food. With no television, no conversation, and no answers I had nothing to do but stew in everything I felt and stuff my face with whatever I was brought. Needless to say, I was ready to be free from it. Stepping out of the vestibule and into the courtyard, I braced against the cold wind and felt my first bit of Remnant fresh air enter my lungs, while I shielded my eyes from the suddenly bright light outside. With a heavy stretch and a deep breath, I walked into the wind and began to look for Ozpin.
I didn't make it far before a chill set into my bones, and while it was better than nothing the light jacket from the gift shop that one of the nurses had bought me was barely keeping me warm in the winter climate, especially since the now oversized sweatpants that I had arrived in had been torn into shorts by the Grimm that nearly killed me. Luckily, I didn't have to walk far before I found Ozpin waiting for me on the corner of the path ahead.
"Ah, there you are. I trust the discharge was relatively painless?" he said as he greeted me.
"Hardly, I had more paperwork than I knew what to do with at the front desk. Also, can we get out of the cold? I'm fucking freezing out here."
"Yes, my apologies, I neglected to send proper clothing. We'll go to my office; we have some business to conduct before we do anything else."
He set off in the direction of the main tower, with myself trailing as close to him as I could while using him as a windshield. It had never occurred to me that being at the plateau of a cliff would bring such rough weather, but then again there was much about Beacon that did not occur to me. One of those things, I thought as I walked, was how sparsely packed the campus seemed to be. Walking around I could count the number of people on one hand that I saw and thought it rather unusual.
"Ozpin, what gives? Where is everyone?" I asked, before being slapped with another gust of wind.
"If I had to guess, not here. I decided to give the student body time off before the Vytal festival began in earnest. Many are likely at home with their families, or down in the city. Rest assured, the staff is still present on campus, in case of any urgent needs."
Like a sudden invasion from Salem while everyone was away? Seemed like a poor choice to me, but then again Ozpin knew more of his old enemy than I did, so if he was comfortable with it then I guess he had good reason to be.
"I can feel your questioning gaze without even needing to see it, Miss Cortes. Trust me, she will not be so predictable. Our foe is a meticulous planner and she is not one to throw them away for a chance opportunity. Besides, just because we have an ulterior motive does not mean that people must be aware of it. We are teachers, and they are students. For us to forget that would defeat the whole purpose of educating them. They deserve to rest from time to time."
"That's… valid, actually. Sorry, I'm just a bit paranoid, don't worry about me" I answered, feeling my ears lower in embarrassment. It was funny how they reflected my emotions, but to be honest it felt natural like I had never been without the reflex. Just another oddity of being Faunus, it seemed.
I kept quiet the rest of the walk and took in the sights as we approached the tower, following Ozpin closely as he entered and proceeded to the main elevator. When the door finally closed, I felt the heat of the inside kick in, sighing in relief as the warmth washed over me. I didn't mind being cold, but that short walk had felt like torture, compared to the hospital. The elevator gave my skin time to warm up, feeling myself shiver as it crept up my back. Looking down at my poor excuse for an outfit, I wondered how I'd get something to replace it, or at the very least make my next walk outside less painful.
"Don't worry, we can get you some new clothing later. For now, I wanted to discuss your future here in Remnant and, by extension, here at Beacon" Ozpin offered, noticing my distress over having to go back outside in the cold like that. On the top floor, we stepped out into his office. While he walked towards his desk, I could not help but look up at the winding gears of the clock and the die beneath us. It was an engineering marvel, to say the least, and an aesthete's dream for a workspace. Between the clock and the view out of the tower, I envied him greatly. Ozpin just giggled as he watched me gawk at the machinery and the view out the window, typing away on his glass desk on what appeared to be a keyboard.
"This office was built ages ago, but I too feel like that every now and again and get caught in its wonder."
"No kidding, I know a few people who would kill for an office like this. Care to share your contractor?" I asked, giggling back at him in the process.
"Sorry to say, but he is unavailable, and likely will be for some time. Now, if you would be so kind as to look at the monitor, I have something to show you."
Moving over to him, I saw that he had pulled up something akin to a passport. On it was my name and a blank space where a picture would sit. Details like birthday and ID numbers were yet blank, my name being the only thing on the form.
"What is this? An ID card of some kind?"
"Precisely. In Remnant your identity is managed digitally, and at any time your scroll can be used to access it. A global copy is housed in the CCT towers that dot the world, but a local copy will reside with you. In addition to basic information, your weapon license will be housed on this form, as will your training registration. Much of this is a formality, but local law enforcement is particular about such things, I'm sure you understand" he explained, still typing away as the form hovered in front of me.
"So… are we able to just 'make' one for me? Just like that? No questions from any government agencies or inquiries into IDs that simply 'appear' without any reason?"
"Oh no, certainly not. However, while we may not be able to, I know of someone who may be able to help with such things" he suggested before the elevator opened behind us.
"That's where I come in, I imagine" I heard a voice say. Behind me stood the tallest man I'd seen besides Ozpin, wearing a military uniform and rocking a solid salt and pepper haircut, walking in a way only a General could, with sleek precision, uptight uniformity, and the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
"Ironwood…" I said, before wondering if maybe I should have been just a tad more formal.
"General Ironwood will do, thank you" he asserted as he approached me and looked down, the difference in height very noticeable even though I was 6' myself.
"So, you're the reason I nearly ran my kingdom dry? When he told me that he had returned, I was relieved. You had better be worth the money I could have invested elsewhere" He said, looking down at me with a hint of disdain.
"Hey, I'm not some kind of research project, okay, and while I'm sorry I was so costly for you it wasn't exactly my plan. None of this was, actually. I wasn't premeditating hopping into a portal and having my retinas scorched with cosmic radiation before Ozpin showed up."
"Don't be so hard on the girl, James" Ozpin interjected, "It wasn't her fault that the technology took that much dust. Besides, she was willing to come this far for us, I think it is only right that we at least provide her with a proper place in the world she is trying to protect." Ozpin interjected, looking up at Ironwood and trying to sway him.
"…*sigh*, you're right, I apologize. It wasn't your fault that I had to wrestle half of Atlas' dust barons to the ground in order to make it work, nor is it your fault that I willingly went along with this plan. Please excuse me, I am on edge with the Vytal festival so near" He offered, holding his brow in his hands. "Let's try that again. I'm General James Ironwood of Atlas, as you seem to already know. As for why I'm here, I regularly provide new identification records for conscripts and immigrants alike, so creating one for you shouldn't present an issue. If what Ozpin has told me about you is true, then you've sacrificed much in order to be here on our behalf, and I want to offer you a place in my Kingdom as thanks, Miss…"
"O-oh! Cortes, Rika Cortes, sir. I, uh… thank you." I weakly offered, feeling small underneath his formality and stature.
"Miss Cortes, then. Odd, I don't recall Lawrence being a Faunus, nor him saying anything about his daughters, only his son."
"Well, you're looking at him, er, her. Eheheheheh… Surprise?"
Ironwood looked unfazed save for a small frown, turning to Ozpin for a better explanation.
"You were the one who said that the rift would have consequences, James. Well, I dare to say that neither of us predicted anything quite like this. I left that realm with Lawrence's only son and came back with a daughter. It is still him, and so far the mutations have been harmless, even beneficial in some respects. Well, all except for one in particular."
Ironwood turned away from me and proceeded towards Ozpin, talking with his back to me the whole way.
"That was the other reason I came. When you told me of how Lawrence managed to nearly maim two fully able hunters without even having limbs to do so, I was intrigued, and when I heard of the report from the forest, I was more than intrigued. If we can harness that energy and use it at will-"
Ozpin stood from his seat, looking over at Ironwood with a disapproving air and a stern voice.
"Now, now, we must not be so hasty. While we can appreciate that Miss Cortes does in fact possess some as of yet unidentified strengths, there is no reason to not treat her as a person sitting in this room, nor is it right to put that kind of pressure on her. For all we know, there could be much more to this than meets the eye, and I think it best to allow it to come to the fold naturally."
"Oz, you and I both know the festival will be a prime target, and we'll need every asset to ensure its safety. If there is a plan to sow chaos, that will be the place to do it. It's the reason why I brought my army here to Vale, with a force like this present she wouldn't be able to steal a pastry from the cafeteria, but that won't stop her from trying."
"She expects this. She has time on her side, and she will not think to use the festival without having planned extensively to put its presence to good effect. As such, we must remain vigilant for any discrepancies, and be reactive with our force, not preemptive. A fleet she can see from miles away, but the eyes of a huntsman? That is much harder to predict… but we have had this discussion before and may do so again at another time. We should turn our attention to more pressing matters" he concluded, looking back to me as I listened to the argument, watching as old complaints easily overtook any mention of whatever aide I could offer to this situation.
"Hold on. You're both approaching this all wrong" I offered.
"Excuse me?"
"General, Ozpin is right on one thing; Salem expects you to expect her. She knows that we're sitting here and planning how to stop her, and she is sure to consider that an advantage. She can walk right between your defenses because she can see them right outside the window. We have no secrets to keep against her, so she already knows our hand. However,…" I paused, turning to Ozpin, and resting my hands on my hips. "… I cannot say that I approve of the purely reactionary response, either. It is too easy to fall into inaction, and too easy to lose the initiative. Not to mention the logistical challenge in organizing a defense if no one was standing at the ready. On their own, neither reaction is going to do anything but play right into her hands."
"You have some ner-"
Ironwood began to object, but Ozpin put a hand on his shoulder and held him back, both men then looking at me with very different expressions.
"So, if we were to consider your criticism, then what exactly would you have us do, Miss Cortes?" Ozpin asked.
"Easy, we do both. We maintain an active defense while ensuring that we keep our ears to the wall for anything even remotely out of line. It's in the little details that she operates, and so must we. Not to mention… I know exactly who works for her. In fact, they're on this campus right now. If we shut them down, we throw a jam into whatever it is that she's planning for the festival. She won't have the time to react with her main players in chains and the festival will be kept safe by resident Huntsman and the Atlas military. Also, just out of curiosity… General, have you linked to Ozpin's terminal anytime recently with your scroll?"
"I… have, why?"
"It's bugged, everything on this campus is now. The breach at the CCT was Cinder planting a virus to control and monitor Beacon's systems. Linking in gave her a new access point from your Scroll… and I can only assume that she's seen the ID card sitting on that monitor as well."
"Cinder? Who is she, one of the agents?"
"Yep. You're looking for Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai. They're here under the guise of Haven students, but don't be fooled; they have plans, and they already were in league with Torchwick during that breach in Vale. I can't be sure of the connection between Salem and Cinder, but if I had to guess I would say that the undetermined desire to tear down Ozpin and Beacon is a good starting point. If you plan to arrest her, send the best, even Glynda wasn't enough to fight Cinder on her own."
Eyes narrowing, Ironwood begrudgingly dropped his scroll and stomped on it, but not before I noticed Cinder's telltale chess piece on his screen. Wiping the glass off of his boot, he closed the distance to me and got in my face.
"Just who the hell are you? How do you know all of this? Are you some kind of spy, trying to throw us off the trail of them? Talk!" he screamed, pulling me up by the collar and sneering at me.
I struggled in the air for a moment, hand, trying my best to shake his grip or kick him loose, but to no avail against his hardened body.
"James! Put her down!" I heard Ozpin demand, before he released me unwillingly, dusting off his coat and backing away from me. I fell to the ground, losing my footing and ending up on my ass. I felt a grimace grow on my face, my ears tilting slightly forward and something akin to a growl rumbling in my chest. Least of all, the dark tendrils were forming on my skin again, slowly covering my body just as they had before. I stood up as I saw them, looking them over and looking back to Ironwood.
"I just so happen to know all of this, Jimmy, because I came from the world where you and your army are part of a fun little fantasy, and even if I had all the time in the world I couldn't explain it to you what that meant. Maybe if people here had a fucking sense of intuition then they'd realize that these fuckers were right under their- "
"ENOUGH"
Ozpin's voice snapped me back to reality, making me realize how easily I had slipped back into my darker senses. I backed away from Ironwood and looked at Ozpin, who was standing behind his desk as if he had sprung up from the seat, eyeing me with an almost kind of anger. Within moments the tendrils had dissipated, but my annoyance remained. Ironwood, meanwhile, simply stared at me as it happened, seeming to forget that he was angry at me.
"James, in the future please refrain from manhandling my students, if you would be so kind. We can discuss this more later, but for now, I think it best to perform that which we were called here for and then be on with our day.
"W-wait…Student?" I questioned, mildly confused.
"Of course. You are standing at one of the finest battle academies in the world, and you think I am going to have you rush headlong into danger without proper training you? I think not. However, that cannot happen until you are properly documented. General, if you would be so kind?"
"Hmph. Yes, we will discuss this more later. Fill in any information that you see fit on the form, I will take care of the rest, once I get a new scroll and a systems update… I hope you know what you're doing."
With that, he turned and walked out, about facing in the elevator and leaving Ozpin and me alone without further pomp or circumstance. I shot him a look as he finally left, and he simply smiled at me in solemn agreement.
"Professor… what the fuck was all that?"
"Don't take it personally. James Ironwood is a complex man, and he has long been prone to overreaction. He will take time to come to trust you, but even then you will find that trust does not come easily to him. Either way, he was kind enough to offer you a seat in Atlas, and so we shall not squander it. Come, we have information to compile."
I shook my head in annoyance, letting out a sigh and dragging myself over to the screen so I could get this over with. If it was anything like getting a passport back home, I expected it would take a while. Luckily, to my surprise, the form had relatively little to fill out. Birthday, Race, Nationality, and personal appearance details were the most mundane, and battle training records were among the most peculiar. Ozpin assured me that no one would question anything with Ironwood's seal on it, but I had my doubts. People tended to be quite the curious cat when it was least convenient if I knew my TV well enough.
"Ozpin… are you sure about this? I know that I need training, but… a Huntress license? Do you think I'm ready for that?"
"Huntress in training, actually. You will find that the skill level that the title entails is a broad spectrum, and as long as your weapon does not discharge in public without reason there is little reason for you to be questioned. With time, I'm sure that you will make something of it."
"I don't know, it's just… do you think I'll really be able to do anything? People like Ruby and Pyrrha have been training their whole lives, I doubt I'll be able to just waltz in and keep up with them."
"Don't lose your spine now, Miss Cortes, there will be plenty of time for that later on. Besides, while I am certain that your skill in combat will be more than sufficient by the time you leave my tutelage, it is not the reason I sought you out. You do have a power inside you, waiting to be released. It is my hope that, when it does, it will be able to raise you to a level even I could not imagine contending with. In the meantime, while we work on isolating that power, I mean to train you up in traditional combat arts and knowledge. Naturally, there will be much to cover, but luckily, I have enlisted some eager students who would be overjoyed to take you under their wing."
"Really? Who the hell has that kind of time? Especially with the festival on its way?"
"Oh, you'd be surprised what people make time for. I'll have you meet them once we are finished here, all you need to do is complete a signature on the form and take a picture."
"So, on that note… Cinder knows I'm here now, doesn't she?"
Ozpin stopped typing behind the desk and looked up at me, letting out a deep sigh as he did.
"If what you said is true, she knows much more than that by now. Whatever her goals may be, I am sure that she will take an interest in you. With any luck, your tutors will be able to keep you under the radar and protected for a time until we have rooted her out and eliminated the threat. However, I do not think you should worry, she is not the type to openly attempt murder, at the very least. All we can do now is plot our next move with the knowledge that she is watching us, whether it be from afar or up close. If subterfuge is her game, she will not risk it by interacting with you."
As if I didn't already have enough to worry about. While I penned my signature on the form, I idly wondered what it was that she was even doing here, and how Ruby or Glynda hadn't recognized her already since they had already met. Sure, her face was masked by the light, but even still she had a very distinct form. Things were just different, it seemed. I doubt that I would've been concerned about that in the moment, either. I stepped back from the panel, watching my signature be accepted, until a flash appeared before my eyes, nearly blinding me.
"Oi! What the hell, I could've used a warning here! That's going on my record, after all!"
"Oh, don't fret, you get a new one every year. It's best to be done with it. I think it came out quite nice, actually. Here, have a look."
My face appeared, cropped perfectly to the background, and showing a relatively normal neutral expression. He was right, it wasn't too bad at all.
"Okay, fine, have it your way. It wasn't that bad" I chided, leaning on my hips, and smiling at the professor. After some more typing, he stood up, closing out the form and the screen alike, before handing me a small rounded rectangle that he held in his pocket.
"Here, I believe you will need one of these."
I clicked on the small recess at the top, only to have it expand in my hand into a full tablet. On the screen was my completed ID, picture and all, and a bright red "Huntress in Training" emblazoned along the top of it. It was odd seeing it like this, but also surreal. I was really here, and I was really a part of Remnant now. I belonged here, officially.
"With that, allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to Beacon, and to Remnant, Miss Rika Cortes," Ozpin said, sipping on his mug and looking on with a proud smile. He moved closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder as I stared at him, realizing the enormity of the occasion.
"There is much that lies ahead of you, but if your grit up to now has proven anything, it is that you will be just fine. Take pride in the small steps along the journey, for they will only come once. You're here now, and you're welcome. Enjoy that."
As he spoke, a small ping on his scroll interrupted him. He opened it, reading a message log and nodding, then putting it away.
"I think you've had enough of me for one day. Your tutors will take you the rest of the way, for now, they are waiting downstairs to show you your quarters. Take some time to settle in, and I will contact you again when I have more that requires your attention."
With a shoo and a warm smile he sent me away from the office, myself still swimming under all that had happened during the relatively short time I was there but still grateful that I could at least show my ID to someone and not have them question who I was. The elevator ride down was somehow sadder than the one up, maybe because I was without Ozpin, and afraid of being alone, or maybe because I had to wonder who my elusive 'tutors' were, dreading the whole meet and greet dance. Before the door opened on the bottom floor, I steeled myself for my first real conversation in Remnant, with people who didn't know that I was some kind of world-traveling, body-shifting, rage-prone freak.
Stepping out into the lobby, I looked around for a moment before I spotted exactly who I thought it was that I saw. Sure enough, she spotted me too, and began to walk towards me, trailed by three others.
"Oh… fuck me," I whispered to myself as they approached.
Standing before me, arranged so I could see each of them in turn, was team RWBY, all looking just as anxious as I felt (no matter how much Ruby tried), and all staring at me. When they were before me, Weiss stepped forward, looking me up and down, then locking her gaze straight into mine.
"We need to talk"