I do not own RWBY or any of the characters.
Arrival
Fox watched the city as it grew closer. Atlas was absolutely amazing, a floating utopia in the sky. However, directly below Atlas was the city of Mantle, the former capital before Atlas City was created, and the name of the kingdom changed to match the city, formerly having been named Mantle as well. Mantle was anything but beautiful. It was a slum. Entirely. The city was dark and out-dated, and everyone wallked around as though their spirits were broken. Drugs, crime, rape, murder. Everything was rampant in Mantle, even with Ironwood in charge. It was not a safe place to live by any means. Go down the wrong alleyway and you would be lucky to make it home. But that's just how it was. Fox had spent a full cycle, really about twenty years, operating a crime syndicate out of Mantle once, though before he died he had learned about his cycles and completely wiped out his organization.
"This is awful," Ruby said, staring at the city and the troops patrolling through it.
Fox looked off to the side at a massive screen on the side of a building where Ironwood was talking about the struggle and about the people needing to stay strong. Fox snorted. Easy for him to say. He wasn't living under the thumb of his martial law. In truth, everyone did look a lot more rundown and broken than usual.
"General Ironwood..." Yang said. "He looks..."
"Tired," Ruby finished.
"James, what have you been doing?" Qrow asked quietly.
"Controlling Martial Law," Fox said. "It's not easy to keep your troops from abusing their power when they're given a near-infinite amount of it."
Fox looked out a window just as a pair of children hurled a rock at a floating camera drone, then hid behind a corner when it turned to see who did it.
"This isn't right," Weiss said. "None of this is right."
"Manta Five One, we've noticed a detour in your route," the female flight controller said from the radio irritably. "You are to make your way to docking bay Omega Twelve immediately. Do you copy?"
"We're kind of running out of time here kids," Maria said.
"We need to ditch the ship," Yang said.
"Agreed," Qrow nodded. "Let's get lost in mantle and buy ourselves some time."
"I know a place we can lay low," Fox said. "One of my incarnations lived her."
"How long ago?" Jaune asked.
"I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood," Weiss said.
"Uh...Weiss?" Blake spoke up from the window, Weiss walking over to look out of it, Fox looking as well, seeing a screen with a very no-business-looking Winter Schnee on it.
"A reminder, failure to comply with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense," Winter said.
"Winter?" Weiss breathed.
"No offense, but I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore," Qrow said.
"There's obviously something very wrong," Weiss said. "If we could just talk to her-"
"Enough," Fox said. "Maria, find a place to set us down. We're not calling Winter until we know we can trust her. And we're not going to talk to Ironwood until after we have a solid plan to do so."
"Right," Qrow nodded.
Maria nodded as well just as the flight controller began to snap at them again, only for Maria to shut the radio off. A few moments later, they landed in a clear area out of sight of the public and all of Ironwood's robots and camera drones. They all grabbed their stuff and left the ship, heading into the city and away from it.
"So, where are we hiding?" Blake asked.
"When I lived here before, I ran a crime organization," Fox said.
"You were a mob boss?" Ren asked.
"That's so cool!" Nora said excitedly. "Did you have a bunch of thugs to do your dirty work for you? Did you wear a pinstripe suit? Did you have a smooth accent?"
"Actually, I did most of the dirty work in person," Fox said. "In that life, I...wasn't a very good person. I enjoyed the dirty work. I used to tell the workers of my organization that I was a people person, and that I liked to make house calls to check on the families of my workers, especially if that worker was having performance issues. They...generally never had issues."
"That's terrible!" Nora said. "Did you torture them?"
"Some," Fox said, face quickly sinking into a more and more unhappy thousand-yard stare. "Some I forced to feed me dinner, since me being there would be enough of a message to the person in the family that worked for me. Anyway, my organization dabbled in pretty much everything, and to keep from being caught, I had it fragmented into splinter cells who each believed they were the sum total of the organization. Only I knew any different. And each cell had their own safe room. A bunker here, a hidden back room there, a group of homeless men that no one spared even a single glance toward. I had people everywhere. At least, until Ozpin found me and told me who I was. Then I went around...cleaning house. I dismantled my entire organization in a few days and then went on an assignment from Ozpin. Then, I died on that assignment and Ozpin came back for my sword after."
"That's...quite a story," Oscar said. "What haven't you done in one of your lives?"
"Killed Salem," Fox said, then stopped, staring at a small camera drone off to his right, which was staring at him. "We'll probably have company soon."
"Can we break it?" Yang asked.
"No," Fox said. "It'll cause trouble later."
Just then a light on the front flashed as it took a picture of Fox's face.
"On the other hand," Fox said, reaching for his sword, only for Blake to catch his hand. "But it's annoying."
Just then, a truck drove by, hitting the camera and breaking it, taking the remains away.
"That works," Fox shrugged.
"Is this many troops and cameras normal for Atlas?" Pyrrha asked.
"No," Weiss said.
"This place is a dump," Yang said.
"This place is a slum," Fox corrected. "The people of Atlas wanted a brighter future after the last war, and created the city of Atlas as that future. Nothing brighter than a city in the clouds. Except, only the rich and politically powerful get to live there. In other words..."
"It's not bright if you're the one having to look up at it," Nora said, crossing her arms.
"Exactly," Fox nodded.
"This whole city, it just seems awful," Blake said.
"Oh yeah?" a drunken man in a grey shirt, green pants, and glasses said, staggering off of a building's stoop behind them, a flask in his hand. "You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra!"
"Sorry," Blake said. "I didn't mean to-"
"Atlas is the greatest kingdom in the world!" the man shouted, swaying.
"Hey!" Ruby shouted, but Blake caught her shoulder.
"We can't cause a scene," Blake said.
"The Embargo..." the drunk's slightly more sober friend said from the stoop, wearing a blue stocking cap, a grey sweatshirt, and blue pants. "The Embargo's got us in a rough patch, but it'll blow over, you'll see."
"We try and help the other kingdoms and this is what happens?" the drunk asked. "I say let 'em rot!"
"I apologize," Blake said. "I didn't mean to insult you."
The man glared at her, then spat off to the side. "Stupid Faunus like you-"
Fox's fist crashed into his gut, lifting him into the air before allowing him to fall to his hands and knees before lifting him by his hear, Fox's ears angling forward. "Apologize!" he snarled through gritted teeth. "Now!"
"Alright!" the drunk said. "I'm sorry!"
Fox growled, then let him go, turning to walk away.
"Sorry you and your pussy girlfriend are both staining this kingdom," the drunk muttered.
Fox snarled angrily, turning to beat the man to within an inch of his life, only for a black sigil to appear beneath each of them, Fox flying backward to Black and Yang, both of whom grabbed him and began to drag him away while the drunk sailed into the air and flipped backward, crashing down in a dumpster.
"It was worth it," Weiss said as they all hurried away from the area, Fox turning and beginning to run on his own.
"Thank you for stopping me," Fox said.
"Don't mention it," Weiss said. "Anyway, which way to the safe house?"
"Just up ahead," Fox said, leading them around three corners before stopping in front of a pharmacy building. "We're here."
"Oh, I never expected this to be where we'd end up," Maria said.
"You know this place?" Fox asked.
"Yes," Maria nodded. "This is where the person I was hoping to visit lives. He's the one who fixes my eyes."
"That's a pretty convenient coincidence," Pyrrha said.
"I'll accept whatever luck we can get," Fox said.
Just then, the door opened and a brunette mouse-type Faunus walked out with a prosthetic arm.
"Now no more heavy lifting for a while, you hear?" a male voice called after her as she was admiring her arm.
"Well, I think I know who made that arm for you, Yang," Fox said as they all walked in, Maria in the lead.
"Ah, it's good to see you again old friend," Maria smiled, however, when he didn't immediately sit up from where he was rummaging behind his desk, she cleared her throat.
"Oh!" he said, sitting up and staring at her. "Ah yes. Do I know you from somewhere?"
"This is off to a fantastic start," Ren said sarcastically.
"Cybernetic optical implants?" Maria prompted. "You adjust them. Every ten years or so?"
The man stared at her for several long seconds. "Maria!" He turned, making his way around the desk on a four-legged chair that walked for him. "Yes! For the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so." He laughed as Fox sighed into his hand. "Has it really been that long already?"
"Oh I know," Maria smiled. "I age like a fine wine. I would have been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old sphinx."
"Oh?" the man asked. "And did they?"
"No, no," Maria said, hopping up onto a medical table the man had guided her to. "They had much more complicated issues. Especially the fox Faunus. He's probably the one in the worst situation."
Fox stared at the ground in silence as the man looked over at him and stopped.
"You," the man said. "I know you. You're...Fox Winters."
"How do you know me?" Fox asked, tensing slightly.
"You saved my daughter's life," the man said. "You can call me Pietro."
"He builds the future of Atlas right next to Ironwood," Maria said. "He's one of the finest minds in all of Remnant. Finest hearts too."
"So I was right," Fox said. "You're Ironwood's right hand."
"Well, more like the top inventor of Atlas," the man smiled, looking around the rest of the group, stopping on Yang. "You...painted it."
"What?" Yang asked, staring at her arm.
"Told you," Fox said. "Sir, Pietro, who is your daughter?"
Just then, a siren outside began to wail and people began to scream.
"Trouble!" Jaune said as the others all ran out of the building, leaving Fox behind, still deep in thought.
"Wait!" Pietro shouted, then sighed. "Aren't you going to help them?"
"What?" Fox asked, looking around and noticing the siren for the first time, going pale. "Oh. That's not good."
"It's fine," Pietro said. "My daughter defends Mantle from the Grimm."
"What?" Fox asked. "No, not that. The others can handle that. I meant...never mind. I should go help."
Pietro nodded and Fox walked outside to find the others fighting a pack of sabyr, four-legged Grimm with a pair of teeth a foot long. Three of them leapt at him from the side as he stepped outside, but he drew his sword and slashed them with it, then turned to Blake, just as she shot one leaping at Yang, killing it. She was using her sword exclusively as a pistol, wielding its sheath in the other hand. Suddenly one leapt at her, only for Fox's arrow to punch through it, destroying it instantly. He walked over to her, slashing several more as they leapt at him before stopping beside her just as a green laser blasted the last one, killing it.
"Thanks," Blake smiled.
"Of course," Fox smiled, kissing her for a moment before turning just as the new arrival landed behind them.
They all turned, staring at the newcomer. She had black thigh-high boots with green lines down the outsides of them, a green skirt with black on her midriff, green straps over her shoulders like suspenders, a white blouse that was tucked under the black section, and her orange hair now hung down her back, but she was undeniably Penny.
"Oh, so that's his daughter," Fox nodded. "Okay. Makes sense."
"Salutations!" Penny smiled, grabbing Ruby in a hug and spinning. "It is so good to see you all again!"
"It's so nice to see you too Penny!" Ruby smiled. "We tried to call earlier but you didn't answer."
"I'm sorry," Penny said. "I was meeting with General Ironwood. I am the official protector of the city."
"That's good," Fox smiled. "We need to speak with General Ironwood."
"Of course!" Penny smiled, then grabbed Ruby by the shoulders. "We have so much to catch up about. I can not wait!"
A siren began to blare in the distance.
"It seems we will have to wait," penny said, still smiling widely. "Let'stalkmorelaterIcan'twaittohearaboutallyouradventuresI'mveryexcited-"
The rest of her million-mile-an-hour speaking was drowned out by her feet's thrusters. Fox chuckled, shaking his head. "Same old Penny."
"I can't tell if I really know what's going on, or have like, a milling questions," Nora said.
"And thankfully, I have about a thousand answers," Pietro said., starting back toward his pharmacy. "But let's get out of this weather first."
"I have absolutely no idea who that child was," Maria said, following him. "Was she important somehow?"
"That was unexpected," Jaune said.
"It's good to see she's doing well, though," Pyrrha said. "And it looked like she got a few upgrades."
"Probably," Fox said.
"I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher," Qrow said.
"Please, Qrow," Fox sighed. "No red flags."
Just then Fox's ears tilted as a whistling reached his ears and a green barrier appeared around himself and Blake just before ropes with powerful magnets on the ends spun down at them, tying up everyone else, even Qrow. Jinn's lamp bounced away from Ruby, only for Fox to pick it up as several people in fancy white Atlas Military uniforms landed in front of them, weapons drawn. There were five in total. One with brown hair and a fishing rod for a weapon, one with several tattoos on his forehead and his hair shaved off entirely, a dog Faunus with a huge boomerang with a blade around the outside, a girl with brown hair except for a few locks in the front that were spiked upward messily who had a mechanical pack that had exoskeleton frames for her arms, likely enhancing her strength, and a bulky girl with long messy brown hair, tanned skin, and a large hammer.
"This one's got some skill," the Faunus smirked.
"Down boy," Fox said. "We're not enemies. We need to speak with General Ironwood. My name is Fox Winters. This is Qrow Branwen, and Ruby Rose."
"We're the Ace Ops," the one with the fishing pole smirked. "We're here to arrest you."
"As I said, we're not enemies," Fox said, raising his sword. "But if you make the mistake of making me your enemy, I'll simply bring your bodies back to Ironwood when we go and see him."
"What is going on out here?" Pietro demanded. "What are the Ace Ops even doing in Mantle?"
"Doctor, good to see you," the one with the fishing rod said. "Well, we got a report of an unauthorized ship, making an unauthorized landing, followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by non-licensed huntsmen."
"I-If we could just talk this out," Pietro stammered.
"They'll be able to talk this out once they get to Atlas," the leader said. "As for you. If you make a scene, or you resist, we'll have no choice but to take you down. You and your pretty friend."
"Lay one hand on her and I will rip you to shreds," Fox snarled.
"Ooo, feisty," the girl with the white in her hair smirked. "I like this one. Listen kid, it's not worth the trouble for you to fight this one out. Just come with us without a fight and we won't bind the two of you. Though, we will have to confiscate your weapons for the time being."
"I'm keeping my sword," Fox said.
"Fox," Blake said. "We can always get it back later. Let's just do what they say for now. It's our best chance."
Fox remained silent for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. But if it's so much as smudged when I get it back, you're a dead man. Got it?"
"Don't worry," the guy said. "I'll take good care of it."
He took it, passing it off to the robot holding the others weapons before the Ace Ops left as a transport ship arrived. Fox sighed and a few minutes later, they were all loaded onto it, Fox clutching Jinn's lamp tightly in his hand.
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