Hey guys, here's a slightly shorter chapter than the previous two. I wanted to focus on Pyrrha, mainly because she's going to have a big impact on the riot arc. Don't worry, the next chapter will be back with the Huntresses.
As Officers Nikos, Ren and Valkyrie remained locked in the control room with Warden Goodwitch, the warden pulled out her phone. She held it in her hand for a moment, before looking at the officers and saying "We've completely lost control at this point, and we can't risk any escapes. So I'm calling for help and I'm ordering a purge of all inmates."
A purge meant that every inmate would be killed, and Pyrrha could not allow that to happen. If Goodwitch gave the order, then Yang and the Huntresses would be killed. She was fine with the other inmates dying, but not them. "You don't need to go that far, we just need to suppress the rioters," she said, hoping it would be enough to change the warden's mind.
The warden shook her head "This isn't a riot anymore Nikos, this is complete anarchy. You've seen what those monsters are doing out there, killing them off is all we can do. I know it's extreme and it's not a decision I take lightly, but I have to order the purge." she explained. Though she said it was a decision she didn't take lightly, her face showed no sign of that. She seemed happy to be killing the inmates like that's what she had wanted all along.
"How can you be so brutal? some of those inmates just saved your life. If Branwen and Altan hadn't attacked them, the inmates in the canteen would have killed both of us." Pyrrha snapped at the warden, growing angry at the woman. She couldn't just sit back and let the massacre happen, she had to at least save Yang and the Huntresses.
"They didn't do that to help us, they did that because the wanted to kill. Those two are violent thugs just like all the other scum occupying this prison, they are as much as part of this as everyone else. So I will be ordering the purge and they will be killed along with the rest of those animals out there, do you have a problem with that?" Goodwitch snapped back. She was clearly angered by what she saw as Pyrrha's insubordination, and she stopped trying to hide her true opinion of the inmates.
"Yes, that's a big problem. I agree that a lot of the inmates do deserve to die, but not all of them. Some of those inmates were put in here for crimes they didn't commit, like Rose. Inmates like her don't deserve to be killed, and I would never forgive you for ordering their deaths." Pyrrha responded. She really needed her words to get through to the woman, before she had to get physical.
Goodwitch completely ignored Pyrrha. She proceeded to lift her phone to her ear, ready to make the call that would seal the fates of Yang and everyone else. To make things even worse, she had a grin on her face the whole time. There were many sadistic and evil people in the prison, and now the warden had joined their ranks.
Unfortunately for Pyrrha, the time for talking was over. There was no only one way she could stop Goodwitch, an action that would forever alter the course of her career and her life. Without giving any warning, she charged straight at the woman. She tackled her to the ground and sent her phone flying across the room. The warden hit the ground hard and the phone shattered against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing?!" the other guards asked in unison. They didn't agree with the purge either, but they knew not to question their superior. So they were completely caught off guard by Pyrrha's actions. She had always been an exemplary officer, and now she had argued with and assaulted the warden.
Pyrrha who was now seething with rage and pinning the warden to the ground, turned and looked at her friends. "Nora, Ren. You know we can't let this bitch order the purge, it would be evil to kill them all for this. So you can try to help her and follow her orders, but I will do everything in my power to stop you." she told them. Normally she would never be so angry or threatening, but she cared too much about Yang to stay calm and let things happen.
Nora and Ren just stood there in shock, this was nothing like the Pyrrha they had come to know. This Pyrrha terrified them almost as much, as the killers who were running wild outside. "We don't want the purge either, but we can't just assault the warden. What's going on with you Pyrrha?" Ren asked. He was trying to stay on her good side, while also trying to find out what was up with his friend.
Pyrrha sighed "Well I'm already in a lot of trouble, so I may as well tell you the truth. I've been using Branwen and other inmates, to avenge Jaune. I've been getting them to hit back at the people responsible for his coma. Working with them has led to me forming a close connection with them and starting a relationship with Yang, so I can't let them die. I will do anything I can to keep them safe and get them out of here, so I cannot allow the purge to happen." she explained to them. It felt good to come clean, though she was worried about how they would react.
Ren and Nora both gasped at the revelations. Not only had they not had the slightest inkling that something like that was going on, but they also couldn't believe what they were hearing. This was Pyrrha Nikos, a decorated cop turned exemplary prison officer. Why would she seek revenge? Why would she work with inmates? Why would she start a relationship with the deadliest woman in the world? "That's insane." was all Nora could manage to say.
"Think whatever you want. All I need to know is, are you going to help me or are you going to hinder me?" Pyrrha asked. She wanted to keep them as friends and she thought they would be useful allies. So she was giving them a chance to aid her and the Huntresses, they would need all the help they could get if they were going to escape and continue their revenge plot.
It only took a few moments before Nora and Ren gave their responses, but it was worth the wait. "I'm in," they said simultaneously. It wasn't an easy decision for them to make, but there were many things that made it easier. Though the main deciding factors were their friendship with Pyrrha, their understanding of what happened to Jaune, and their experiences with the inmates. In the end, the right choice was very clear.
Pyrrha was extremely glad that they had sided with her, it made things so much simpler. "Thank you, thank you so much. This means a lot to me, and I would do whatever I can to repay you for this. Now I don't mean to alarm you, but I think I killed the warden." she said. During the course of their discussion, she had realized that Goodwitch had stopped breathing and didn't have a pulse.
If everything goes according to plan, I will have another chapter out tomorrow.
While I'm here I want to give a shout out to another fanfic writer. Centurion Maximo has recently started a new story inspired by one of mine and has been kind enough to acknowledge me, so I'd be grateful if you checked his stuff out even if it's not your cup of tea. (Before anyone complains, this isn't a demand and he didn't ask me to do this.)