Good news everyone! I've gotten in touch with an artist. Nothing's finalized yet, but it looks like I'm getting some cover art. I also got my next two works commissioned ahead of time, from a different artist. I'm excited to see how they turn out.

To CaptainDrake123, it's awesome to hear the perspective of someone who has binged the story up to this point. It's good knowing that the story holds up when read continuously, as one worry I have with a story that's gone on as long as this is it can lose coherence if you're not careful. From what you say, it sounds as though I characterized Cardin exactly the way I wanted to, and if you think I don't give enough introspection on his character, I can live with that. Nothing irritates me more out of fanfics when they work too hard to say what's going through a character's head. As far as that goes, let's just say I have something planned within a few chapters.

To HeartMachine782, character work's always been a bit tough for me, so I'm glad to hear it's working for you. As far as Yang's reaction goes, my intent was for her to consciously hold back on the hostility, knowing where it got her.

To AxDevilman, yeah, Blake did drop out of the story, didn't she? I had plans for her, but they wouldn't organically fit into the story, so after a while, I started writing around her. Yes, I plan on bringing her back into the fold, though my original outline hasn't exactly aged well, so who knows?

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Don't mind me, I'll just be sitting in the corner, chuckling maniacally to myself.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Check by Check-Up

After Ironwood revealed Penny's secret on the evening news, Cardin found another advantage to having the android escorting him. Every student they came across had a torrent of questions, and the robot's lack of people-skills meant her responses sometimes caused unintended panic or affront. All night and through the next morning, Cardin found himself doing damage control and deflecting crowds of curious people. Without a chance to duck into the dining hall and grab breakfast, he shut himself and Penny in his room with Sky, reviewing what he had put together and avoiding more incidents.

"I'm not sure it's much, but there is a pattern," Sky said as he played the first video side by side. Moments before the Atlesian musician fired off-mark, Emerald squinted at him. That same expression was on her face when Cardin and Yang had experienced hallucinations.

"There have to be limitations," Cardin said. "I'm betting she needs direct eye contact."

"That, and there's the headaches," Sky added. "Two might be her limit, but without more examples, it's only guesswork."

Together, they watched Emerald's matches. Without hearing from the team Cinder had beaten in the first round, they had no way of knowing for sure if any illusions were used, but Cardin doubted that. Emerald and Mercury had practically beaten the four of them by themselves, with Cinder lazily firing arrows from a distance and Nelly pouncing on anyone that had fallen, dispatching them with a foot to the face.

Cardin wasn't sure he'd find anything in his match against her, but close to the end, when he had grappled and headbutted her. He distinctly remembered flames leaping up at him, but the nearest craters had all been silent.

"There," Cardin said, pointing at Emerald's squinting face. "I saw fire rising up a moment later."

"And she's got a headache," Sky noted as the video continued, "But that could be from the headbutts."

"Seems like two's her limit," Cardin said. "But we should stay in larger groups until we know for sure."

With nothing else to do, Cardin spent the rest of the afternoon with Ruby. Blake had tagged along, insisting that he needed to be watched, and Russell claimed that he couldn't hog both Penny and Ruby for himself. They had just finished lunch, Cardin having eaten enough to make up for the last nine missed meals, when he got a call from Vale Central, insisting that he come in for a check-up. Cardin told him in the politest voice he could muster that he was done with hospitals for the moment, and if they were that concerned, the doctors aboard the Defender would be happy to share their records.

He knew it wouldn't be enough to deter Cinder's allies. An hour later, an email came directly from the Committee of Commerce that he would be required to get approval from Vale General before he could participate in the Vytal Festival. If he failed to comply within twenty-four hours, he would be required to forfeit. He replied to the notice by asking if he could take the checkup at Beacon's health office, and he got an immediate negative answer.

"You said they would've let you die before, right?" Ruby asked when he shared the news.

"He is not dying now," Penny observed.

"No, but they'll probably make up something wrong with me that the Atlas doctors missed. They'll start surgery, and an hour later, I'll die due to complications or something."

"Then you'll have to drop out of the Festival," Ruby said hesitantly. "It's not like you can stop them from doing something to you, right?"

Cardin shook his head. "That's what they want me to do, I expect. It's not impossible for them to kill me, but there's a far greater risk that the truth will get out to the public. More likely, it's a ploy to scare me into dropping out."

"But if you do go, they'll try something, won't they?" Russell asked.

"Which is why I've got some calls to make."

He started with his father. Glancing at Blake, he indicated that he was with others that might not be trustworthy. His father returned the greeting without any of the standard codewords.

"I have to get a checkup at Vale General before I can compete. I was hoping that Gideon would be available to escort me there."

"Gideon is running other errands," his father replied. "A checkup sounds like a good idea. From what I understand, the doctors aboard the Defender are more accustomed to dealing with sprained ankles than life-threatening injuries."

"It just seems like a waste of time."

"You can never be too careful when it comes to your health, son." There was a short pause at the other end. Cardin pressed his ear close to the speaker, but he couldn't hear any background noise. "I'm afraid I have to go. If you want someone to go with you, I'm sure your teammates, along with any friends you might have made at Beacon, would be happy to."

Cardin stared at his Scroll, wondering who else to try. Ironwood might be willing to lend a few soldiers or even Winter, and Junior had plenty of thugs lounging around his club, but using either might tip his hand. With no other options, he rounded up his teammates, Ruby, and Penny in his room. Blake, still tagging along, lingered at the door.

"I don't think they'll try anything, but if they do, I'll need your help getting out of there. I think they plan to have Emerald trick you into thinking I'm leaving. From what we've seen, Emerald can't trick all of you. We'll have our Scrolls recording everything, and if something happens, give what you have to Ironwood."

Russell's mouth curled. "They have to be expecting that."

"I doubt they know I've figured out Emerald's Semblance. Bringing numbers might force them to call off any plans they have."

"You're throwing around a lot of 'might' and 'I think," Dove said.

"If any of you have a better plan, I'm all ears."

Sky looked thoughtful, but he shook his head. "There's too much we don't know here."

After scheduling an appointment, Cardin and his escort of five took the Bullhead straight to the airdocks at Vale General. The doctor that had led the surgery on his nose greeted Cardin the moment he stepped off the Bullhead.

"I would say it is a pleasure to see you again," the doctor said, "But that would imply I take pleasure in seeing you in need of medical treatment. Instead, allow me to say I am glad to see you looking well."

"If I am looking well," Cardin said, "Then there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

The doctor smiled, flashing a perfect set of teeth at him. "Of course! I don't expect to find anything at all, but when it comes to one's health, we can't be too careful, can we?" He looked past Cardin at the other students coming off the Bullhead. "Will your friends be joining us?"

"They will be," Cardin said firmly. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Not at all, not at all. Right this way, if you would."

Cardin felt uneasy at the doctor's confidence, but he waved his companions onward. The doctor led them through the lobby, down a series of wide hallways, and into a well-furnished waiting area.

"If you don't mind waiting here," he told Russell and the others, "I'll take Cardin into the examination room right over there." He pointed to a closed door within sight of the tables and chairs. "Help yourself to some refreshments while you wait. The examination may take a while, we need to take some x-rays."

"Can't we stay with Cardin?" Russell asked. "I'd rather not leave my teammate alone."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. It's against the hospital's rules for any guests to remain in the room while a doctor is working, both for the sake of the patient's privacy and the doctor's concentration. Not to mention, I can't keep an eye on you, and we can't risk having someone tampering with our equipment."

Russell started another protest, but Cardin cut him off. "It'll be fine. If I need anything, I'll shout."

Penny looked at the door. "I will be listening closely, and I shall remain right here until you come out." Putting truth to her words, Penny turned towards the examination room and planted her feet on the floor.

Dove stretched his arms. "Well, if that's the plan, might as well see what they got." He went over to the kitchenette and dug through the fridge. Blake and Ruby were right behind him.

"Ready to go?" The doctor asked Cardin.

Cardin looked back at his group one last time before nodding and entering the room.

"You know, you can sit down," Ruby said as she walked around Penny with an armload of cookie packs.

"Nope. I said I would stay right here, so right here I will stay."

"Well, then I'll stay right next to you." Ruby stamped her feet and stood at Penny's side, cracking open a pack of cookies with her teeth. "Nobody's getting past us!"

"Seriously?" Dove asked as he passed them with a bag of chips and a can of cola. "You're just going to stand there for a few hours?"

"Affirmative," Penny said.

"Affirmative for me too!"

Dove rolled his eyes. "The robot I can understand, but there's chairs right over there Ruby. Might as well relax while we wait."

"Nope."

Dove shrugged and sat at one of the tables. Sky and Russell joined him, each bringing their own snacks. Blake watched them from a corner, and after a moment, she pulled up a chair at the other table.

"Why do you listen to him?" Blake asked Cardin's teammates. "He lies, cheats, and uses people to get what he wants. Don't you hate him?"

Dove and Russell ignored her, but Sky said, "He's our leader."

"So? I had a leader once, someone who I thought was kind and caring, who only did bad things because it was necessary." Blake's ears drooped, and a bitter tone crept into her voice. "I learned too late that he was nothing more than a tyrant. So, I left. Ever since that day, I've felt so much better about myself. You could do the same, if you wanted to."

Russell snorted. "You're gonna have to do better than that, kitty-cat. Throw some lien on the table, or maybe tell us we might not live to regret staying with Cardin."

"Wait, what?"

With a roll of his eyes, Russell asked, "Come on, you think this is our first time? I've had bags of lien cards waved in front of my face before, and it hasn't worked yet."

"Yeah, it's been a while, but people tried to bribe us," Sky said. "Cardin's father had the last couple people that tried it fired or thrown in prison."

Blake stood, staring down at the three of them, and slapped her hands on the table. "I'm not trying to bribe you, I'm trying to help you make your own decisions. If he's anything like Adam was, you'll be better off leaving him."

She gave a start at the slip-up and looked away.

"I'm fine right where I am, thank you very much," Russell said. "You can tell whoever you work for it's not gonna happen."

"What? But I don't work for anyone!"

"Maybe you really mean it," Sky said. "If that's true, you better drop it before Cardin hears. It wouldn't end well for you."

"You won't be able to do anything if you keep thinking like that," Blake snapped. "He's got you on a leash, don't you see? All you have to do is get away from him, and you'll be free."

"You don't get it, do you?" Dove asked. "Yeah, we're on a leash. Cardin's dad makes sure we have good reason not to bail." Russell and Sky sent him sharp looks, but he retorted, "What? It's not like he doesn't know. You've all seen how he looks at us."

"He's threatening you, isn't he?"

"Yep." Dove shoved another mouthful of chips in his mouth. "A week after I started hanging around Cardin back in school, my dad got a big promotion, became manager of some government office or something. He thought he had finally gotten noticed, but I had a letter slipped in my backpack. Never saw who did it, might've been Cardin for all I know. It told me exactly what his father had done, what he wanted me to do for him, and what he would do to my dad if I ever put a toe out of line."

Blake crossed her arms and glared at him. "What, he wanted you to do whatever Cardin asked?"

"He wanted me to spy on Cardin and tell him everything Cardin did."

"Same," Russell chimed in. "Not much point in me denying it, since Cardin caught me texting his dad and told him. Now I'm more a mouthpiece of his old man than anything else."

"But why would he spy on his own son?"

"To make sure he doesn't try to assassinate him or do anything stupid." Dove crumpled the empty bag of chips and tossed it at a garbage can. It flew open and fluttered to a stop well short of the target. "And also to watch over him, like this, make sure no one else tries something."

"Are you sure we should be saying all this?" Sky asked.

Dove snapped open his can of soda. Foam gushed out the top, and Dove rushed to sip it all before it spilled over his hand. "Not like it's any secret," he said once the can stopped foaming. "Cardin doesn't trust us. The only reason he pretends we aren't spying on him is that we'd just get replaced if he exposed us, and I'd rather not have my dad charged with treason because Cardin caught wind of Blake trying to get us to stab him in the back."

"I wasn't–"

"My mom has cancer," Russell said quietly. "The treatment's way too expensive for us, and the insurance company bailed. She'd be dead by now if it wasn't for Cardin's dad."

Sky glanced at the treatment room door. "My sister got into Vale University because of his dad's connections. She's hoping to be a physicist some day."

Blake sat down and drummed her fingers on the table. "You're just going to turn a blind eye to all the horrible things he does?"

"Don't get me wrong," Dove said. "I don't like Cardin. You can never tell if he's telling the truth, he's paranoid and manipulative, and he makes me feel like a tool, something useful for his plans. I don't ignore his problems. I live with them."

Sky shrugged. "I don't mind all that. It's not like he's bad to us, and it can even be fun sometimes to help him out. He quailed under Blake's glare. "Not like that. I mean, there's so much depth to his plans that it's interesting to watch them unfold."

"Eh, guess I'm the only asshole here then." Russell grinned. "It's fun helping him screw over other people."

"You're just going to let him rule your lives like this?" Blake asked, hesitation creeping into her voice. "You know he's just using you, so why do you stay with him?"

"Because that's the choice we made." Dove crushed the can and tossed it. This time, it landed in the garbage can. "Can you just let it go now? You're getting on my nerves."

"But–"

"They asked you to stop, Blake," Ruby said. She hadn't moved from next to Penny, but she had twisted around to face her teammate. A pile of empty cookie wrappers lay around her feet in a neat pile. "Maybe Cardin's done some bad things in the past." At Blake's scowl, she amended, "Okay, maybe a lot of bad things." She looked at Cardin's teammates, but none of them offered any objections. "But he asked us for help. He trusted us enough to have us watch his back when there could be anything waiting for him on the other side of that door. And if it helps Yang, if it proves she was tricked into hurting him, then I'll do what he asks." She drew her cloak up to her chest and took a deep breath. "I won't ask you to do this for Cardin or for me, but could you do it for Yang?"

Blake grumbled under her breath. "I was just trying to help."

"And we don't want it," Russell said, "So lay off."

Blake turned her chair away. Ruby looked back at all of them, searching for a way to fill the awkward silence. "So, Russell, your mom has cancer?"

"Yeah, breast cancer. It got into her lymph nodes, and the doctors think it'll turn up in other places. Once that happens, she's pretty much done."

"Oh. Well, I hope she gets better for you. I know how much it sucks losing your mom."

The waiting room fell silent at that. Fidgeting under the awkward silence, Sky asked, "What happened?"

"My mom was a Huntress. She went out on a mission, and she didn't come back." Ruby looked down at the cloak around her neck. "No one would tell me what happened, just that she was gone. I don't know what would've happened if it wasn't for Yang."

Ruby looked at them as if waiting for them to ask about Yang. No one seated stirred, but Penny tapped her on the shoulder, and while still looking at the door, asked, "What did Yang do?"

That started a torrent of information on Ruby's life. Dove and Russell tuned her out, taking another trip to the kitchen area. Sky listened politely for a few minutes, but as time wore on, his eyes glazed over and his head drooped. He eventually admitted defeat and pulled out his Scroll. Blake, having heard all this before, tightened her bow around her ears and watched Cardin's teammates like a prowling panther. Penny kept watching the door, but her nodding and enthusiastic reactions to everything remotely interesting Ruby said kept the family history coming, Yang cooking dinner, Yang doing laundry, tucking her in bed and reading the story their mother used to read, Yang sending Ruby off to school, Yang kicking their dad off the couch and tossing the packs of beer out a window, Yang bringing home armloads of groceries and cutting Ruby's hair. Tears rolled down Ruby's cheeks as she went on.

After half an hour, the door crept open. Cardin slunk out of the room with a pile of papers in one hand. He looked around the waiting room and motioned for everyone to follow him.

Russell stood up and looked at Dove and Sky. Both of them nodded up at him. "Hey, what's–"

Cardin held up a finger in front of his lips and went towards the hall. Everyone exchanged glances and followed him. They crept up to each corner, looked down the hallways, and continued when the halls were clear. After a few minutes of silent escape, Cardin brought them to the lobby door. He opened it a crack and waited, eye pressed to the open crack. Ruby opened her mouth, and Russell hushed her with a look.

Cardin sprang up, eased the door, open, and slipped into the lobby, pressing himself against the wall. The others quickly followed behind him, holding in their breaths as they slipped past the averted eyes of the two attendants in the lobby.

Once they were a measurable distance from the door, Cardin casually walked towards the vending machines in the corner. The others went up to him as he pretended to examine the candy bars and potato chips stacked in the machines.

Sky made to tap him on the shoulder, but Cardin sidestepped the touch, suddenly making for the door. Without a word, the others followed as he went up to one of the bullheads. With a nod from Cardin, a pilot guided them onto a Bulhead. The engines roared, and the Bullhead flew off towards Beacon.

"Hey, what was all that about?" Russell asked. He pointed at the papers still clutched in Cardin's hand. "Is that what we came for?"

Cardin didn't answer. He didn't move, and he didn't even blink. Russell reached for his knee, and the moment he touched him, the air fell apart into a shower of sparkling shards that dissipated the moment they hit the Bullhead's floor.

Russell swore and tried to undo his belt. It wouldn't come off, so he drew a dagger and cut it. He raced towards the Bullhead's pilot cabin and knocked on the fiberglass door. "Hey! We have to turn around!"

The pilot ignored him. Russell pounded on the fiberglass separating the pilot and passenger compartments, to no avail.

Russell went to the emergency exit hatches, but no matter how hard he turned, the handle wouldn't budge. Penny offered to help, yanking the seatbelt until it broke, and she snapped the handle clean off the door.

"Should I make a hole for us to jump out of?" Penny asked.

"We better not. The Bullhead would crash." Sky took out his Scroll and called Cardin's father, only to be met with the same response as earlier. Gideon is too busy. While Sky argued with the Duke of Winchester, Ruby and Penny brought out their own Scrolls. Ruby frantically explained the situation to her uncle while Penny gave a detailed series of events leading up to Cardin's capture."

"Okay, my Uncle said he'd be there in a minute," Ruby said. "He can take care of it."

"General Ironwood sent Winter and a squad of Specialists," Penny added. "They will be on the scene within twenty minutes."

"I don't think he has that long." Russell studied the controls on the other side of the glass. "Better hang on, I've never flown one of these before."

Russell's shadow broke away from his feet and slipped through a crack in the fiberglass barrier. It engulfed the control stick and pulled it hard to the left. The pilot jerked to attention and grabbed for the controls, but his hand went through Russell's shadow.

The pilot's image shattered as they flung open the fiberglass partition. In the pilot's place stood Neo, wearing a white coat and bowler cap, twirling a parasol fashioned from Roman's cane. She smiled as she sprang at them. She kicked Russell in the jaw, knocking him against the side of the Bullhead and breaking his concentration. The Bullhead spun wildly, teetering in the air as it slowly descended towards the city streets, lessening the sensation of weight in the cabin.

Sky wrenched at his seat belt, but it refused to come undone. A few well-placed swipes from Neo's umbrella shattered his Aura and knocked him out cold. Dove grabbed Russell's knife and slashed through his belt, but Neo swept the crook of her umbrella around the blade, twisting it out of his hands, before slamming the umbrella into his gut. He fell to the floor, gasping for air, and Neo crushed his throat underfoot.

Ruby danced around the Bullhead, leaving a shower of rose petals as she struck at Neo, but in the cramped confines of the Bullhead, she couldn't dodge when Neo opened the umbrella. She bounced off the touch, springy material and crashed against the far wall. The umbrella tip opened, and a large Dust slug shot out of it and into Ruby's chest. She fell to the floor, a smoking hole exposing scorched skin just below her throat.

When Neo struck at Blake, her umbrella swung through empty air. Blake leapt up, crouching against the ceiling before leaping at Neo. The blades of Gambol Shroud slid off the parasol's fabric with a high-pitched hiss.

Penny punched at Neo from behind, but the young girl flipped over the attack, landed on the ceiling, and kicked Penny in the side of the head. Her foot connected with a solid clang and a flash of damaged Aura. Penny's hand reached up with inhuman speed to grab Neo by the ankle, but it shattered like glass in her hand.

Neo reappeared low to the ground, lashing out at Penny's ankle with the crook of the umbrella. She swept Penny's ankle out from under her, but the robot remained upright on one leg while Neo tugged in vain on the other.

Blake slashed at Neo's back. Dropping her umbrella, Neo sidestepped the blow and shoved Blake's back. She tumbled forward, and her blades slashed Penny's chest, sending golden sparks flying as the last of Penny's Aura drained away. Two long, thin scratches ran across her chest.

Neo leapt on Blake's back, grabbed the ceiling, and swung forward, slamming both heels into Penny's head. Her head snapped back, and she collapsed against a seat.

As Blake scrambled to her feet, Neo kicked up her umbrella and twirled it, snapping the pointed tip back into place. Her umbrella was a black and pink blur, whistling through the air as she batted Blake's swords aside and whittled away her Aura. Blake leapt around in the Bullhead, leaving behind afterimages in her wake, but Neo's umbrella hounded her every move.

Blake grabbed for a handle on the ceiling, but it broke apart in her hands, disappearing as the shards drifted away from her fingers. As Blake flew helpless in the air, Neo drew up the tip of the umbrella. With a silent yell, Neo jabbed at Blake's exposed throat.

The sharpened tip passed through the palm of Penny's hand. Metal gave way with an earsplitting snap. Neo jerked the umbrella out, dragging with it some red wires.

"I will not allow you to hurt my friends," Penny said, clenching her punctured hand.

Neo looked out the window. The buildings below them were a short distance below them and gradually growing closer. Neo darted forward, striking again at Blake. Penny punched right through her, scattering shards of glittering glass across the Bullhead. The real Neo sprinted into the pilot's compartment, locked the fiberglass partition, and pulled the pilot's emergency escape. Standing on the roof of the Bullhead as it drifted down, she fired a round into one of the engines. Her parasol snapped open, sweeping Neo away on a gust of wind, as the Bullhead lurched and spun out of control.

Penny pounded on the fiberglass, but it wouldn't give. She turned back to the others and shouted, "We have to stop this Bullhead!"

Russell raised his head. His shadow grabbed the controls, holding the stick steady, but he could only slow the Bullhead's wild rotation.

"I can't land this thing!" Russell shouted. "We're going to crash!"

Penny looked out the window. "Do any of you have a Semblance that could get me outside?"

Dove, still wheezing and massaging his throat, shook his head. Sky and Ruby were still unconscious, and Blake was slumped against a seat, too tired to move. Russell looked into the pilot's compartment, at the open escape hatch.

"I have an idea," he said, "But I haven't tried this on a person."

Penny held up her punctured hand. Twisted metal and tangled wires dangled from the opening. "I'm not a real person. Do it."

"Okay, here goes." Russell's shadow flitted under Penny's feet. The darkness ran up her legs, swallowing her up. Through the crack at the fiberglass' edge and up the emergency exit, Russell's shadow slid on the walls and emerged on the Bullhead's outer shell. Penny fell out, twisting to get her legs up against the Bullhead before leaping off. She shattered the pavement when she hit the street.

From her backpack, eight blades floated out. The flat of each blade slammed against the underside of the Bullhead, pushing against it. Using the last Bullhead engine, Penny brought the Bullhead to a stable hover over the heads of gawking, terrified civilians.

"Excuse me, but is there a parking spot nearby" Penny asked the crowd, gesturing up at the smoking Bullhead. "I do not know how long I can hold this."