Chapter 18
"And you're certain the CCT will be hacked during the dance?" Ozpin said as he clasped his fingers together.
General James Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin stood as I explained the breach. They were alright with me withholding names from them as well, since I pointed out that any risk of being made would only alert Cinder to the possibility of ruining her plans, and make things worse. Though Ironwood needed a little bit more convincing, which Ozpin had delivered on.
"Yes," I said confidently. "The attacker blows past the guards - not killing them, might I add - and manages to infect the virus before you or anyone can stop them."
"My guards?" General Ironwood said, a bit concerned. At my nod, he sighed. "I'll have to try something else. Perhaps add a specialist or two."
"May I suggest your Ace-Ops?" I said. General Ironwood turned to me. "The five of them are veterans and one of the best Atlas has to offer, right? Trust me, the attacker isn't skilled enough to take on a full experienced team."
"And you want me to send some of my best against an enemy we already know helped destroy Beacon and win the last time around?" General Ironwood said.
"Anything less will only cause more death," I said. "The attacker is also counting on discretion. She didn't kill any guards, she only incapacitated them. Any and all attention will be on the dance, so you have the element of surprise."
"And why shouldn't Ozpin or I be at the CCT to apprehend the target?" General Ironwood asked, crossing his arms sternly.
"Because she has people at the dance too. If you aren't there, they'll let her know and she won't risk being out there. If you wanna capture her, she needs to attempt the attack. What about any and all forms of electronic warfare. Can that be employed on the CCT?" I asked.
"The CCT is all public radio traffic. It is not something like Atlas's advanced military communications arrays. You can't encrypt something this big and open," Ozpin explained.
"Damn," I mumbled. "So the CCT is unprotected. Kinda stuck here."
"Risk letting the CCT get attacked for the chance to capture this infiltrator," General Ironwood said. "Or keep it safe and risk an unpredictable change in plans."
"Quite the predicament," Ozpin said, nodding.
"Do you know anything about this virus that gets placed in the CCT," General Ironwood asked me.
"Yeah," I said. "It infects any device that comes into contact with the CCT. Including yours. It's how he hacks your knights the last time this happened," I said.
"And who's he?" General Ironwood asked, eyes narrowed.
"Arthur Watts. He faked his death with something called the Paladin Incident, I think you know about that," I said, and I quickly spoke up when the general almost instantly tensed up. "And don't think about finding him, he's nowhere near Atlas or Vale. And sending a manhunt out for a dead man will blow up everything we have planned."
General Ironwood clenched his fist before sighing. "Alright. Then what do we do?" he said.
"Have the Ace Ops transferred here in secret," I said. "And place more than a few guards at the tower. There's only one entrance up to the top."
"Very well," General Ironwood said in exasperation as he opened his scroll. "Anything else?"
"What about your numbers?" I asked.
"Two thousand of the Atlesian Army and one hundred Atlesian knights," Ironwood said. "I'm not a fan of risking this many of my men, especially since we know an attack is iminent."
"It's the safest option. Even if we can cut down the risk of a CCT hack, it's a risk nonetheless," I explained.
"That's true," Ozpin said. "And what can I do?"
"Call back Qrow," I said to Ozpin before turning to Ironwood. "And bring Winter with the Ace Ops. She doesn't need to be kept secret, the enemy won't think twice about her."
"How do you...right, never mind. Alright then," Ironwood said. "What about that other project you had?"
I pulled out my own scroll and forwarded plans for more railguns. Specifically the VX-12 Foehammer Heavy Railgun of the Expanse's Donnager-class Battleship. "Something that'll work as a good defensive platform in Atlas and Mantle."
"Hmmm," Ironwood pondered as he looked over what I brought up. "We're still testing the light railgun you showed us, but all current test results show that it'll be working well. We plan on adapting this to our airships."
"Good idea. Just...not any ships already here," I said. "In case any hacking attempts here work, having railguns used on the city will suck very bad."
Ironwood sighed. "Very well," he said. "Is that all?"
"Almost," I said. "Mantle gets those guns first."
"Is there a reason why?" Ironwood asked. "Power requirements for the light railgun you submitted is already a lot. Putting heavy emplacements down on Mantle could drain their power supply even more."
"Not their power. Set up generators that focus on renewable energy. Uhh, you have that, right?" I asked. Ironwood nodded to my relief, and I continued. And you could implement Dust into the design, cut down on raw power requirements while using what you already have."
Ironwood thought about it. It was a half-assed concept, but a concept with merit. "I'll think about it - it could definitely be refined," he said. "Anything else?"
"No...yeah, no that's about it. Can I go?" I asked awkwardly. I'd indeed run out of stuff to tell them for the close future.
"Of course," Ozpin said. "Remember to take it easy, especially with the dance coming up soon."
"I'll have the Ace-Ops sent right away," Ironwood said. As he got on his scroll, I got in the elevator and left the top floor, descending to ground level. The school was pretty busy, with the transfer students working between classes to assist in the dance as well as anything else related to the Vytal Festival.
As I passed several crates, workers, and airships near the courtyard, I spotted a few foreign student teams loitering around the area, all talking with each other or Beacon students. Others were working alongside the hired hands. I eventually made my way to the dorms, specifically my dorm room to take a nap.
"Hey Markus, whatcha-" Liya said at her desk before she was cut off the thump of me jumping and flopping hard on my bed. "-doing..."
"Trying to sleep..." I mumbled.
"Uh huh...so, I was wondering. Just curious. Is there a reason why Ozpin has been calling you up so often?" Liya asked.
"He's just checking up on me, since I didn't come here with any training or aura or whatnot, remember?" I asked.
"So did Jaune," Liya said.
"He at least had some training and his transcripts fooled everyone until way later. Well, almost everyone. I had no transcripts or training whatsoever at the time," I pointed out.
"True. Still freaks me out, not gonna lie," Liya said as she leaned back in her seat. "So what, now he's a parent making sure you're doing all your homework or something?"
I just snorted. I'd noticed Liya being more laid back nowadays, and I could see why. She and Pyrrha were very close in terms of combat skill, and she was one of the smarter students at Beacon, even smarter than Weiss when she felt like pushing her grades a bit. Thankfully, she was offsetting this by knowing when to take it easy, unlike me.
I sighed as I recalled all the stress for the past few weeks, night after night of planning, the words of the gods plaguing my thoughts, and many more issues bothering me. Luckily, schoolwork and sparring was more or less a good distraction, so my grades weren't falling and I wasn't being stuck on the issue 24/7.
"Guess you could say that. As long as I ain't falling behind," I said as I rolled over in bed. "Plus I'm kinda scared."
"Why?" Liya asked. "Don't tell me you can't slow dance."
"No. It's just that...I maybe sorta owe Yang something embarrassing?" I said awkwardly.
"Oh no, what did she demand now?" Liya asked.
I told her about how I promised Yang a day dressed up as a catboy maid and let her be my master for a day in the foreseeable future, and Liya was simultaneously fighting off a blush while trying not to piss herself laughing. "W-well...g-g-good luck," she said, stifling and wheezing as I buried myself in blankets and pillows. However, I could still hear her through the insulation with my cat ears. Damn Faunus traits!
"Yeah, yeah," I said. "Keep laughing and there won't be any pictures." I was surprised at how quickly Liya shut up.
- the day of the dance -
I loved my suit. It was basically black jeans, black shoes, a white shirt, and a blazer. I've always had an eye for the simpler things in life, and at the end of the day: a classic suit was just a classic suit. Plus too much stuff to attach was a hassle and all the more stress to suffer from for a formal event.
And I preferred the jeans considering that jeans were that much easier to dance in instead of dress pants. Just a personal preference. I stepped out of my room to see Liya waiting outside. "How's this?" I said.
Liya wore a smooth black knee high strapless dress with a small bright purple flower pinned to the left breast. She still wore her face mask, and that was fine, she looked absolutely stunning with it. She said something about how the guys would find it mysterios and alluring, even if the scar on her face wasn't exactly a secret.
"You look nice," she said.
"So do you," I said as I cracked my knuckles. "Bet you're tripping over guys and girls left and right. So, who are you dancing with?"
"Oh. No one, actually...I decided to go alone," Liya said, effectively stunning me into silence. And my shock must've shown on my face because Liya rolled her eyes. "I haven't exactly been hanging out with people outside RWBY and JNPR. Or you."
"I...yeah," I said, conceding her point as the two of us began to walk down the hallway to head to the dance..
"Nora would murder me if I went anywhere near Ren. and Jaune and Pyrrha are already a thing. And you and Yang are Beacon's hottest couple right now," Liya said.
"Cus of Yang," I said casually. "She's the hottest girl ever...well, not that you aren't attractive-"
"Attractive? Not hot?" Liya said, and I instinctively shut my mouth for reasons pertaining to self preservation. No hell hath fury like a woman scorned, after all. Or specifically, a ninja woman who owns a giant buster sword slash high caliber handheld cannon rifle. "Ha, Yang's only half the reason. You should hear what the girls in the locker room say."
Uh oh. "Do I wanna know?" I said.
"No. But you're going to," Liya said as she leaned her arms back to stretch them. "Some of the girls have seen you shirtless when sparring with Yang. Or Jaune. Or me. And they have pictures too. Have you seen your body? A lotta people love the guy with the feminine body."
I winced as Liya playfully smacked my gut. My...feminine toned gut... Oh gods... "Is it too late to start getting ultra jacked?" I asked awkwardly, my face flooding with embarrassment.
"A few wanna make out with you, others want you to strip and make you dance for them. Others involve lots and lots of leather...and begging on your end," Liya said, not even bothering to answer my question.
I had buried my hands in my pockets, my face a bright red as Liya continued to list off all the lewd things some of the girls at Beacon wanted with me. And this happened the entire trip to the dance itself, where Liya fell silent as Yang came to greet us.
The Beacon dance was everything I ever imagined when it comes from anime to live adaptation moments. It was lavish, decorated very well, soft music evenly distributed throughout the room, plenty of tables with refreshments and such everywhere around the dance floor, smoke machines, and so much more.
There were even things that weren't at the dance in the episode. I saw photo booths, an actual makeshift bar with a suited man working the drinks (it wasn't one of Junior's men), and round tables for couples to sit together and chat. I could immediately imagine me and Yang at one of the tables, sharing a romantic moment as the dance continued around us.
"Heya!" Yang said as she winked at me. I blushed even brighter upon seeing her dance dress. I was expecting it to be the same one that she wore in the dance in Volume 2. But when I was actually seeing her in real life for myself...
Yang Xiao Long was absolutely breathtaking. She wasn't even wearing that white dress, she was wearing the sleeveless wrap dress she'd bought on our first date. Many guys behind her were staring, before scowling as she came up to me. "H-hi!" I managed to squeak nervously.
"Speechless, huh?" she said, giggling as another girl came and took over Yang's spot so she could have some fun. "So, what's the plan?"
"I could use a drink," I said after calming myself down enough to not explode in a blush whenever I looked at Yang, which was extremely annoying, by the way. "How's the punch?"
Liya went to talk with Jaune and Pyrrha, who were just leaving the dance floor after slow dancing for a while. Yang and I made our way to the punch table where Weiss Schnee and Neptune Vasilas were chatting comfortably with cups in hand.
"So you and Neptune, huh?" Yang said as we joined the two, me grabbing two cups of punch. "A dance date or a date date?"
"Well, we decided to give actual dating a try," Weiss said with a grin, Neptune smiling as well when the white haired heiress reached over and held the blue haired intellectual's hand. "After all, I've changed from the immature girl I was before."
"You mean the one who insulted me and your team leader?" I said, enjoying Neptune's amused look and Weiss's mortified expression. Sipping my punch, I realized it was strawberry and kiwi, one of the better fruit punch flavors out there.
"H-hey! Like I said, I changed, that was a long time ago!" she said as Yang stifled a giggle, letting out a snort instead.
"I know, I know. Just sayin'. Don't gloss over the good parts," I said, and the four of us shared some light laughter. Weiss really was a nice person to talk with when she loosened up. Or melted, according to Yang.
"Well, to dating," I said awkwardly as I held up my punch. Yang did so too, and so did Weiss and Neptune. After a nice toast with plastic cups filled with sugary fruit juice, we drank heartily and continued to talk.
When the time came to slow dance, Yang and I were near the edge of the dance floor while Weiss and Neptune were near the middle. When Neptune told Jaune that he couldn't dance, I thought he meant that he couldn't do any fancy or fast dance moves. But now I can see Neptune really couldn't dance.
The poor blue haired Mistral student was stumbling left and right as Weiss attempted to tutor him on how to step, how far he swung, where his hands were supposed to be, how to sync their movements, and much more. Luckily, Weiss was very patient and she did seem to find his clumsiness...endearing.
Yang was snapping pics of the little mishaps the two had. As this happened, I saw Pyrrha, Jaune, and Ruby chatting happily, Ruby seemingly no longer bothered by lady stilts. At least until I looked down and saw she was wearing flats.
"I really thought you'd force Ruby in heels or something," I said in a passing remark.
"I did. Though I guess she managed to sneak those by and change. I won't force it, she's still loosening up, after all," Yang said as she looked around and about the area. "Oh look, skater girl."
I turned and saw Blake and Sun dancing and laughing, smiling as I watched their little interactions. Then I saw her. Reese Chloris was chilling by a taco table, her lips smeared with sauce and hair smoothed down in a neat ponytail. She wore a pretty flash neon purple party dress with thigh high stockings. She also kept the black markings under her eyes, not that it didn't suit her. "She looks lonely."
"She didn't get a dance partner, I hear. Wanna talk to her?" Yang asked. I looked at her in surprise, and Yang grinned. "Don't worry about it: I could have some words with my sister anyway, just checking up on her. Also the big dance moment you asked for is in a half hour."
"OK," I said, and we split. As I crossed the dance floor, I saw Mercury and Emerald entering. No doubt that Cinder was already en route to the CCT tower. I wonder if the Ace Ops were here. I also saw Flynt Coal and Neon Katt dancing together. Penny and a few guards had also arrived.
I smiled as a joyous Ruby ran for an ecstatic Penny, and the two began to chat while I reached the taco table. "Got room for one more?" I asked. Reese looked up before blinking in surprise at my arrival before nodding.
Shrugging, I helped myself to a few tacos and began to snack. "Not bad," I said before swallowing. "So, why are you here by your lonesome?"
"Eh, nobody wanted to go with me. Arslan and Bolin are going as friends, Nadir's got a date already, and I said I'd be fine," Reese said, smiling up at me before sighing and looking down.
"Yeah..." I said, feeling pretty bad for her. This girl could pull off miserable pretty well if she ever wanted to go into acting. "Wanna dance?"
"Huh? Me?" Reese said, jolting in surpise at my rather sudden request. "But-"
"Yang's over there with the others, just talking. She's the one who saw you looking pretty alone," I said. "Honestly, kinda hurts to see you all mopey. So...wanna dance?"
Reese looked down before stuffing the last of her taco down her mouth in a messy manner. One or two students did recoil from her, but I just laughed. After a small belch, she smiled. "After you, kind sir," she said in a mock posh accent while wiping her hands and mouth.
We made our way to the dance floor, moving in sync with the countless dance couples slow dancing together. Reese seemed to be cheering up now, and she did laugh as her and I passed Blake and Sun. Specifically, she was laughing at Sun's misshapen tie.
We danced for about ten minutes, chatting about our teams and classes, as well as plans for our own plans for more fun later on when Reese tapped my shoulder. "Thanks for the dance," she said. "Really helped. But I gotta use the bathroom."
"No problem," I said, and we bumped elbows before she pranced off, a spring in her step. Sighing, I turned to make my way back to Yang when something slowly dragged across my arm.
Specifically, black silk. Turning, I saw Cinder Fall herself in her black evening gown, with elegantly details black arm gloves. Her dress and gloves had the markings you'd find on extremely expensive pottery and silverware, which went down the left side of her dress. Her bare thigh was visible, as well as...side...
I wasn't going to go there, but she was absolutely stunning. Yet, her seductive expression and the fact she was clearly here brought up plenty of heart racing concerns. Did she attack the CCT? Did she come across the Ace Ops and escape? Or did she not attack at all? Maybe she had a different plan? No, impossible. Too unlikely, how could she have known-
"Markus," Cinder's sultry voice said, and the first thing that came to my mind was blurted out a tad bit louder than I would've liked.
"I have a Yang!" I said, before blushing brightly. A few students snickered at my uncontrolled burst, and Cinder gave me a knowing smile. "I-I mean a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend. Who is Yang," I said, struggling to recover.
"I'll take your flustered lack of self control as a compliment to my looks," Cinder said, giggling softly before she came in front of me, putting her arm around my waist and clasping her fingers around my hand. "I just came to call you up on the dance I asked about."
Gulping, I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," I said nervously as we began to move to the music, my focus on Cinder keeping me from accidentally doing something stupid in my near blunderous behavior, if that was even a word. "Still on edge...this is my first dance."
Cinder smiled, and once again, I was reminded of the inferno that likely raged underneath the mask of deception she wore. "I see," she said. "I must say you are quite adorable when nervous. But you seem to be doing quite fine on your own."
I just laughed, an easygoing laugh now that I think about it. It surprised me how casual Cinder could be, and I was appreciative that I wasn't thinking of her sadistic and power hungry tendencies on a constant basis.
After all, this was a school dance, not a bloody warzone.
"Thanks. But I could always use a few tips. How do you do those spins and stuff with your dance partner? I'm more of a hip hop fast paced music dance person," I said, looking aside awkwardly. "So I don't really do all these...ballroom dancing things."
"I see. I suppose you could use a few pointers here and there," Cinder said with a grin. "Well, it's all about pivoting. When your partner relies on you to steady her in a moment of...vulnerability, you must be sure your foundation can uphold her trust in her safety, which she has placed in your hands. Follow my lead-"
Cinder Fall. Cinder Freaking Fall taught me how to slow dance like a professional in that moment. As the dance floor cleared for the big moment of competition many minutes later, she winked and strutted out of the way. It was all clearly an act for her, but then I remembered her backstory, why she wanted all that power so much. And so I wondered to myself.
Could Cinder Fall be saved?
...
It was a toxic notion, one that seemed absolutely impossible. I threw away the thought as fast as it came up, but the concept still lingered in the back of my mind.
"So, you danced with the hottie, huh?" Yang said when she found me again. Apparently she saw me dancing with Cinder, and I was a bit surprised to hear a bit of bite behind her voice. Jealousy maybe? "How was she?"
"Well...she taught me how to slow dance more properly," I said before leaning into Yang affectionately. "But if there's any dancing I really prefer, it's with you."
Yang rolled her eyes as she leaned back into me, though she did sprout a little smile at my words. "Sap," she giggled. "Now get in there and dance, tiger."