I do not own RWBY or any of the characters.
Break-In
"Hey," Blake said, walking over to stand beside Fox, who was watching Salem's Grimm horde in silence. "We found Oscar."
"Good," Fox said. "We'll need all the help we can get soon."
"Are you okay?" Blake asked. "You've been really distant since you woke up."
Fox sighed. "I wasn't ready to know everything. There's..."
"You still haven't told me whatever it was you wanted to talk about," Blake said.
"Not want," Fox said. "Need." He sighed heavily. "Alright. Do you want to hear it now? It's...a lot to swallow."
Blake nodded. "I want to know."
Fox sighed and turned, walking over to a rock and sitting down. "The first thing you need to know is that this is your second lifetime. After you died last time, the two gods who made me gave you a second lifetime as a sort of apology for the pain they'd caused me, but as a price, the next lifetime I'd know you in is my last lifetime. My cycle's over, now. Ava ended it."
Blake nodded. "She said that already. About your cycle, I mean."
Fox nodded. "Part of what's troubling me is what I've done in the past. In one of my lives, I was a faithful follower of Salem. I was a psychopath who actually worshiped death and who more or less considered the act of killing to be equivalent to prayer. And the one thing I wanted more than anything was to be allowed to kill Salem, who was immortal. Every time she dies, she immediately regenerates fully, so when she recruited me, she promised that if I did well enough, she'd let me kill her, so every job she sent me on, I did everything in my power to impress her. Ozpin found me that time during a war, and had my white sword with him. He fought me to the death and won."
Blake nodded silently, knowing that wasn't the worst memory troubling him.
"The life I knew you in before, I was a mercenary," Fox said, swallowing hard. "I had...very few morals. If I wanted to sleep with someone, I'd do it, no matter what they said. And...that was where I met you."
Blake's eyes widened slightly.
"I saw you at a bar and followed you home, then broke in and..." Fox swallowed hard, tears welling up in his eyes. "I raped you. Later on, during a job, I met you, working for my target. We fought and you pushed me harder than anyone ever had, hard enough that I actually thought I might lose for a moment. However, after a bit, your employer, my target, tried to kill me by blowing us both up. I saved your life and treated your wounds, and...somehow, you fell in love with me. You even forgave me for what I did to you. We worked together to finish the job, then began to see each other when we could after. We were careful not to meet when I was on a job for a long time, and though you disliked my line of work, you allowed it. And for the first time in my life, I found something I genuinely cared about. Enough that I even stopped looking for women to sleep with, because you were the only person I cared about. But then, one day, Salem captured me and ordered me to kill a boy king. He was only eight, but because it was Salem, I agreed. I went to kill him during a war, except...you were defending him. You refused to let me complete the job, but if I hadn't, Salem swore she'd capture you next. So...I fought you to try and complete the job. And..." He swallowed hard, tears rolling thickly down his face, and Blake wrapped her arms around him.
"It doesn't matter," Blake said.
"How does it not matter?" Fox asked. "I raped and murdered you!"
"I don't care," Blake said. "You're not that person anymore. You're Fox Winters now. You're the man I love, and the best man I know. I don't care what happened in our past lives. I only care about this life."
Fox held her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder as he cried. She held him silently, gently stroking her hand up and down his back calmingly. Finally, he managed to calm himself and pushed himself up, still holding her.
"I love you, Blake," he said once he'd finally calmed himself.
"I love you, too," Blake said. "Come on. We need to get back so that we can plan out our next move."
Fox nodded and they headed inside, finding the others had all gathered and Ava was now wearing a silver circlet across her forehead with three round emeralds set into the front of it.
"Where'd you find that?" Fox asked.
"I've been working on it since you left the rest of that giant emerald behind," Ava said. "I finally managed to finish it."
Fox nodded, wishing he had the rest of that emerald now. He'd been an idiot to leave so much behind. He glanced at Oscar, instantly sensing Ozpin. Oscar grimaced but nodded, then glanced at the others. Fox nodded. He hadn't told them yet.
"Alright, now that the person everyone claims is the most powerful has returned," one of the remaining Happy Huntresses, Joanna, said, we can discuss our next move. "We're going to move everyone to the crater beneath Atlas. It's not safe, but it's warm, and with everyone in one place, we can do a better job protecting them."
"Don't be so sure," Fox said. "You don't know Salem."
"And you do?" Joanna asked.
"Intimately," Fox growled. "I've lived several lifetimes as separate incarnations. One of them was hired by her, one of them worshiped her, and one of them was tortured by her for twenty years. All three have fought against her. Believe me when I tell you that you can't win this fight. But there's a way we can buy enough time to escape."
"How?" Ruby asked.
"First, Ava and I kill that wale," Fox said. "Then we lure as many of the Grimm into the crater as we can. Then we drop Atlas."
"Salem wouldn't be under it, the Generals wouldn't be under it, and Cinder and Salem's other larger pieces wouldn't be under it."
"I know," Fox said. "But with the majority of her Grimm army wiped out, Salem wouldn't be quite as eager to send everything in."
"Dropping Atlas is a last resort," Joanna said. "For now, let's return to the immediate problem. We still need to get everyone to the crater. May can send you where you're needed most. We need to get everyone down into that crater before nightfall. In the slums, we might have a chance."
"We're never going to sleep again," Weiss said as Joanna turned to walk away. "I just know it."
"You'll get over it," Fox said.
"Either you're helping, or you're baggage," Joanna said, pausing at the door.
"We need to get out there and do what we can for Mantle," Yang said.
"We need to do what we can for everyone," Ruby said. "What about Amity, and telling the world about Salem? We can't do this alone. We need help."
"We need an army," Fox said.
"Ruby's right," Blake said. "The Happy Huntresses are handling the evacuation better than we could. And there's a bigger picture."
"But Amity isn't even finished," Yang said. "It was still under construction."
"Doctor?" Ruby asked, turning to Pietro. "What would you need to launch Amity now?"
"Uh..." Pietro said, thinking. "We made decent progress on its construction and fuel connection. All potentially manageable, but uh...I would say that it was designed so that it couldn't launch itself without first being granted clearance from General Ironwood's terminal."
"Ruby, there is no way Ironwood will cooperate with us," Yang said.
"No, there is isn't," Fox agreed. "We'll have to break in and give the clearance ourselves."
"Really?" Yang asked. "You want to go back to the academy?"
"Uh, actually, there is more than one terminal," Pietro said. "The one in his office, and...the one in the main Atlesian military compound at the base of the city. You'd have to get into the compound somehow, then get into the operations room, and then...hoo, boy. I might need to think about this some more."
"Just to clarify, this is the easy option?" Oscar asked.
"What you're saying is it can't be done," Yang said.
"I'll go there," Fox said.
"You mean Team FAWL will go," Wulfe corrected. "Now that you're not dying, we're a team again."
"I'll go, too," Blake said. "You need a fourth person."
"No," Fox said. "You go with Yang to help evacuate. If you have to fight Grimm, you're better together."
"The last time you went somewhere without me, you died," Blake said.
"I have no intention of fighting the Generals while doing this," Fox said.
"This is pointless," Yang said. "And even if you got the message out, there's no guarantee that help would come."
"It's not pointless!" Ruby snapped. "Atlas is only Salem's current target! She's not hiding anymore, and once she's done here, she'll move on to the rest of Remnant! We have to warn them!"
"Ruby, when we came here, we said we'd follow your lead, but...things haven't exactly worked out," Yang said.
"That's not her fault," Ava said. "Ironwood snapped. Ruby was right, but Salem manipulated Ironwood through his fear."
"I just-" Yang began.
"There are people here who need us right now," Ren said. "That's something we can actually do."
"But this isn't about just Atlas!" Nora said. "Ruby's right! This is about all of Remnant. They need to know in Vacuo, in Mistral, in Vale, what's coming, so they can prepare!"
"Which is why we're splitting up," Fox said. "Team FAWL will go to the military compound with Ruby, Weiss, and Penny, if you're willing to go, Penny."
"But, Salem only got this far by separating us," Ruby said.
"Not separating," Wulfe said. "Dividing. Turning against each other."
"He's right," Oscar said. "We can work separately and still be united."
"Or...let me take the relic to Salem," Penny said. "Maybe she would call off her attack on the kingdom."
"No, she wouldn't," Fox said. "And then she'd kill you and be one step closer to her ultimate goal of destroying the world. She cannot be allowed to get her hands on another Relic. Or another Maiden."
"Agreed," Oscar nodded.
"I think that's the one thing we can all agree on whole-heartedly," Yang said.
"Doctor, can you help us reach the console?" Ruby asked.
"I...suppose someone has to help you get past security," Pietro said.
"I'll go," Penny said, turning as green flames flicked from her eyes. "We'll go with Fox's plan."
"Do what you've gotta do," Yang said. "I'm going to go out there to see what I can do."
"Yang," Pietro said, tossing her a set of keys. "Go by the pharmacy. I was developing some new tools for you before...all of this happened. You're gonna need 'em."
Yang nodded and Blake, Oscar, Ren, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora all headed out after her, Blake hesitating, but relenting. Fox looked around before nodding, he, Ava, Wulfe, Ruby, Weiss, and Penny all leaving to head for the military compound with May, the Happy Huntress with an invisibility Semblance. The all gathered on a rooftop where they could see around them just in time for Ironwood to call Penny. After a moment of hesitation, she answered.
"Hello Penny," Ironwood said. "I'm worried for your safety. Tell me where you are, and I'll have you picked up right away. Atlas needs you, Penny. Salem is here."
Fox took her scroll. "Hello Ironwood."
"Fox?" Ironwood asked. "You're alive."
"I know, I'm about as surprised as I imagine you are," Fox said. "Anyway, I have something to say to you."
"And that is?" Ironwood asked.
"Firstly, Penny's not coming back to you until you change your mind and decide to help us," Fox said. "Secondly, you need to understand what you're doing. You're trying to resist her, but in your fear of her, you're doing exactly what she wants you to. You're dividing everyone, you're causing fear and suffering, and you're making her job easier. Now, until you decide to help us, we're done talking." He crushed the scroll so that Ironwood couldn't track it, then glanced at Penny, who Ruby was hugging. "It's going to be okay. Once we launch Amity, he'll realize we have a chance. And if not, we'll do whatever we have to to win without him."
Penny nodded and took a deep breath. A few minutes later, they were in a warehouse where S.D.C. robots were sending packages to various buildings across Atlas.
"So, let me get this straight," Fox said. "We're riding a high-speed mail tube to the military compound?"
"Exactly," Weiss said.
"I found it," Ava said.
"So, how's it work?" Wulfe asked.
"It should be simple," Weiss said, walking over to the tube Ava had indicated as Fox raised his phone and began to record. "If you lie back in the tube and push launch-" She screamed as Fox pressed the launch button, Weiss being sucked into the tube and launched up toward Atlas.
"Fox!" Ruby scolded.
"Nora's going to be so jealous," Fox grinned.
"If she's hurt-" Ruby began.
"Then I'll heal her when we get up there," Fox shrugged. "Come on. I'm next."
He climbed in, laying down quickly and gave Wulfe a thumbs up. Wulfe smirked and hit the button, sending Fox rocketing up the tube after Weiss. After a few minutes, the pipe opened and Fox stepped out, blinking twice before shaking his head to stop it spinning.
"Just wait until I tell Blake," Weiss said.
Fox shrugged, just as the others arrived. Once they'd all gathered, Penny used the sensors inside her body to plot the safest route, and they quickly followed it. The only people they met on the way was a pair of guards in an elevator, but they managed to avoid them. Then, they stopped as they reached the main control room. May warned she couldn't sneak them all through it, only for Penny to explain that Ruby could get everyone through with her Semblance, which she explained was her breaking down to a molecular level, thereby negating mass to move at incredible speeds or split into several pieces. Penny explained that Ruby could also do that to the rest of them, allowing her to take them all. Ruby stared her in a surprised confusion.
"Did she just figure that out before you did?" Fox grinned.
"Fox, she knew Blake was in love with you before you did," Ruby said.
"Everyone knew that before I did," Fox snorted.
Ruby rolled her eyes just before Ironwood announced that there was a security breach in the building. Penny reported the tubes had been shut down, and May suggested a hangar they'd passed, only for Ruby to say they still had to complete their mission first. May decided to get a ship ready while they did their job before waiting in the hangar for them. May turned them invisible long enough to trip someone with a cup of coffee, spilling it all over one of the other Atlas soldiers and a computer, which began to spark and smoke instantly. The soldier with coffee on his clothes took off running as the rest began to yell at the one May had tripped, and Ruby used the distraction to carry them all through the room to the next door in the blink of an eye before depositing them on their feet, Wulfe staggering to the side and turning a sickly green.
"Never again," Wulfe growled, Ava giggling.
They quickly headed to the door they needed to go through, Penny hacking their way in again, then running over to the terminal, where Pietro took direct control and began to work the terminal. As he did, Fox and Ava both sat in lotus position in front of the door, which was covered by an electrical barrier, and extended fields of circulating energy, which passed through the door, allowing them to sense for anyone coming to trap them. Finally, just as Penny finished her work, four people arrived. Fox and Ava stood as Pietro suggested Penny remain on Amity once it was launched.
"She's not staying there," Fox said, everyone looking over at them as Fox drew the handle Pietro had given him, extending a shining white energy blade as Ava formed her weapon into a long, thin sword about twice as thick as Wiess's sword's blade, but thin, able to slice through enemies easily, Aura and all. "And we've got company."
"Who is it?" Ruby asked as the others readied their weapons.
"The remaining Ace Ops," Fox said as Penny opened the door, Fox and Ava stepping through instantly.
The Ace Ops all took an involuntary step backward as Wulfe joined them. The four of them shared an uncertain look with each other before Harriet raised a hand to her ear.
"Sir, Fox Winters is here," Harriet said. "And so are Ava and Wulfe."
"We'll give you one chance to escape," Fox said calmly. "I strongly suggest you take it."
After a moment, Harriet lowered her hand, extending the arms of her exoskeleton. Fox sighed, nodding.
"Where's your sword?" Marrow asked as he drew his boomerang and Elm drew her hammer.
"It broke fighting the Grimm Generals," Fox said. "But that's fine. This is all I need to kill all four of you. And if you attack us, that's what's going to happen to you."
The four of them glanced at each other for a moment before Harriet shot forward, lightning arcing over her body. Then, as she reach them, Fox and Ava threw a snap kick between themselves, their legs slamming into Harriet hard, launching her backward. Vine sent his arms forward, but both grabbed one and yanked, sending him hurling forward, only for Wolfe to fire his claws' laser into his face, blasting him backward into the wall, leaving him unconscious. Marrow hurled his boomerang at Fox and Ava as the two of them charged, but Ava slashed it out of the air, sending it spinning back to him, before extending her wings from her back, the dress Fox had formed along with her body being backless, and flapped them streaking across the room to him and slashing the boomerang aside. Then, she slashed back the other way, only for the blade to suddenly expand into a massive, square, metal beam, crashing into his face and knocking him out. At the same time, Fox blocked the shaft of Elm's hammer with his energy blade and drilled a fist into her gut, an explosion of force rattling the metal panels of the walls as Elm exploded backward through the door behind her. Harriet stared at the pair before spinning and beginning to flee, only for Wulfe's lase to slam into the wall at the end of the hallway just as she began to turn, the explosion bouncing her off the corner and leaving her sprawled in the middle of the hallway, broken.
"You three are scary," Ruby said.
"Comparatively," Fox said. "Let's go. Quickly."
They all nodded and began to run, only for Elm to flip to her feet suddenly, swinging her hammer around at Wulfe's back. Ava spun, stepping into the way and expanding her weapon into a shield, blocking the hammer but being hurled backward by the impact. Elm's swing continued toward Ruby, but Penny blocked it with her blades. However, just as she did, one of Vine's Semblance arms grabbed a blade and ripped it free of her back before he, Marrow, and Elm all leapt off the bridge. Fox narrowed his eyes before turning and walking over to Harriet, who stared up at him in fear, her neck already bruising from the break in it.
"That looks painful," Fox said, kneeling and resting his hand on her neck, supercharging her Aura.
Her neck popped and grinded loudly before the bruising faded in seconds, leaving her fully healed.
"Why...why would you...heal me?" Harrier asked, flexing her hand before feeling her neck.
"Because we're not your enemies," Fox said. "Ironwood is. he's lost his mind to his fear, and if he's not stopped, he's going to doom us all."
A shadow flashed across Harriet's face.
"You know that," Fox said. "What did he do?"
"He shot Councilman Sleet for questioning his Martial Law," Harriet said.
"Then he's already too far gone to be worth the time it would take to save him," Fox said. "You're going to take a nap, now. When you wake up, hopefully you'll agree with us."
He drilled a fist into her face, flipping her backward and leaving her sprawled on the floor once again before continuing past her with the others. They fought their way through several groups of guards before reaching the Hangar, May deactivating the invisibility field she'd formed around the ship. They all got on and it took off, Fox staring out at the storm around the Grimm horde.
"It's time for me to go, isn't it?" Penny asked.
"We'll see each other again really soon," Ruby said.
"No," Fox said. "Not yet."
"What?" Ruby asked. "Why not?"
"They took your sword," Fox said. "Why?"
"I...I don't know," Penny frowned.
"I think Ironwood might be planning to hack your programming to control you," Fox said. "He may be using Arthur Watts to do it."
"He wouldn't," Ruby said.
"He killed a Councilman for questioning him," Fox said. "Ironwood's gone. There's nothing he wouldn't do anymore."
"What do we do?" Ruby asked.
"We need to take her back to Pietro," Fox said. "While we're there, we can check on the others."
They all nodded and May piloted toward the Happy Huntresses' current headquarters.
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