Hey everyone! you need a little time to adjust after last time? Well CHAPTER BEGINS NOW!
The acrid smell of smoke was the first thing that Pyrrha became aware of when fist she regained consciousness. The second was the sheer amount of pain spread across her body. Her whole body ached, lances of pain shooting through her chest with every breath she took. Thinking back she tried to piece together what had happened but everything was so fuzzy. She vaguely remembered the match with Penny and something going wrong. Her arm seemed to throb angrily as a sadistic reminder of just how quickly the fight had gone so terribly wrong. Beyond that, the champion remembered with increasing horror the look on Penny's face as she vaporised the innocent spectators as well as the huge explosion shortly after. Even now, she could still hear what seemed to be faint explosions coming from outside the stadium.
Yet before she could open her eyes to find out whether it was all simply a dream or no, she heard footsteps, and felt arms wrap around her. They were firm and gentle in a way that she knew all too well. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself looking her partner right in the eyes. His deep blue eyes and strong arms felt to her so familiar and safe, as though all was right with the world. He looked at her with an expression of deep concern and underlying affection which was further still reflected in his actions as he swept her hair out of her face. She smiled weakly, seeing that he had recovered her weapons and that they were slung over his back. Grudgingly, she tore her eyes away from his and looked at the world around them. It all seemed to have gone to hell. She saw the desolation that the two of them were in the very middle of.
The stands; once filled with innocents whom were out for little more than the enjoyment of a tournament marking the end of the greatest conflict in the annals of human history on Remnant. A huge chunk seemed to have been blasted clean out, melting the stone and steel around it, the harrowing scars left by Penny's crazed onslaught. Beyond, visible through the gap, Vale was burning. Vast swathes of the city seemed to have been blown apart. All around, the place seemed devoid of life besides the wounded champion and the blonde. The once bustling and vibrant stadium had become an abandoned shell. The arena itself was blackened and filled with broken masonry, presumably damaged by Penny in her rampage.
Pyrrha looked over the ruins around them, remembering just how quickly the fight had turned, and how powerless she had been. Penny possessed strength far beyond anything that the champion had ever seen. Yet something had caused a shift in the girl, a catastrophic one which left her in a murderous state. What was it? Was it some kind of advanced state semblance? Pyrrha had been but a leaf before a hurricane, more helpless than she had been in over ten years, ever since her father had taken her under his wing to train and teach her how to fight.
"Pyrrha, Are you alright?" Jaune's voice came, pulling her out of her thoughts and back into the here and now. The blonde seemed a lot antsier than he had before. His eyes kept darting up and away from her as though he believed that they were being watched by someone or something.
"I-I think so… I don't think I can walk though. Where's Weiss? A-and Ruby?" She replied, her voice sounding a little hoarser and raspier that might have been expected, due to the smoke most likely.
"They are both just fine. Don't worry. Weiss went to go and get Ruby when everything went south with Penny. You and I are going to meet up with them and get out of here." He said brusquely and lifted his partner into a cradle carry. He dashed out of the open and into one of the tunnels. As he ran, still carrying the champion, she watched his face for any explanation as to what was going on. She got the feeling that something had gone wrong beyond what Penny had done. It was all so confusing, what could have happened to make Jaune seem so scared?
"Im sorry Pyrrha, I can't explain it all now but I promise I'll tell you once we're safe. Something's gone wrong all over Vale. W-we don't know what yet."
Pyrrha went silent once again as she retreated deep within herself, excluding all else so that she was left only with her thoughts. Taking pause, she began to organise what information that she had to try and piece together all that had happened since her fight with Penny. For the most part, her thoughts and deductions remained inconclusive and would only be truly straightened out with the inclusion of additional information once both she and her team were 'safe', whatever Jaune meant by that. Surely the security at the festival would have been able to subdue Penny, or failing that, the hunters in Vale. It was bizarre to think that Vale itself was no longer safe.
As the two of them emerged into the foyer of the stadium Jaune finally came to a halt, panting softly from the exertion. Looking around Pyrrha saw the sorry state that the foyer had been left in, presumably as the crowd ran for their lives. The ticket office's shutters had been jammed in a hasty attempt to pull them down, leaving them at an angle, uselessly locked in place. Leaflets, tickets, lost clothes and various other items lay strewn across the foyer floor, dropped and discarded by the fleeing civilians. The champion couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have been caught in the crush to escape, not the harm which may have come to those same people.
Before long, there came the sound of feet tapping against the flooring from down one of the corridors, there was a slight metallic clang to them. Without wasting a moment, Jaune set his partner down gently and drew his blade, unfolding the shield moments after. Slight fear welled up within Pyrrha as the footsteps approached. With her shield arm damaged as it was and her aura yet to make full repairs, she was fairly helpless. She couldn't even stand. Yet as she waited to find out who it was that was approaching, her eyes remained fixed on her partner, watching him for any signs which may have given it away. At last, she saw him sigh with relief. Tension dropped from him as both Weiss and Ruby entered the reception room. The petite heiress was half carrying the wounded rose who was using her mighty scythe as a walking aid, the spike at the foot of its haft clanging and scraping against the hard floors.
"Pyrrha! You're okay!" Ruby chirped happily at the sight of the heiress. The little reaper was looking a long way from her best. White bandages wound around her head and leg, contrasting against the black and red of her outfit. Her cloak was ragged and torn, presumably from her rough landing during the fight with Nora. Yet despite what looked to be somewhat painful injuries, she still had her same old sweet smile on her face.
"Yes, I'm alright. I'm just a little bruised and battered." Pyrrha replied, trying to keep a level voice and avoid giving away the depth of the pain that she was in. Weiss shot the champion a cynical look, seemingly seeing straight through the ploy. Yet thankfully, the heiress chose not to say anything.
"Jaune, is it clear out there?" Weiss asked, turning to look at Jaune.
"I think so. No sign of Penny out there, though there were a load of explosions going on outside the stadium. But for now I think the coast is clear. We need to get back to Beacon. Ozpin will know what to do." Jaune answered, a tone of confidence creeping into his voice. Hearing him speak in such a manner always managed to stir Pyrrha's blood, though she had no idea why.
All three of the blonde's teammates nodded in agreement, a factor which he was eternally grateful for. Inside, he sincerely hoped that they wouldn't run into Penny on their way through the city. He had seen enough of what Penny was capable of during the match. He had only been able to watch as Pyrrha was outclassed and the Atlesian stranger blasted away a whole chunk from the stadium wall. The blast alone had shaken the stadium to its very foundation. He had been caught in the crowds after that, both he and Weiss had been carried off amidst a tide of people. One he had reached the foyer he had managed to wrestle both the heiress and himself out of the crowd and arranged to split up to retrieve their partners.
Over ten minutes of terrified running, unsure either of what was going on or even if Pyrrha was still in one piece. Pushing those thoughts from his mind as he tore through the locker rooms, his legs burning with the exertion, he ran in the direction of the central arena, hoping and praying that penny wouldn't be there. Luckily for the hapless blonde she was gone, only burning detritus and scorched earth remained.
It hadn't taken him long to spot Pyrrha and he had been at her side in a matter of seconds. Relief had washed over him upon finding that she was still very much alive. Content that she wasn't about to slip away and had no serious injuries that he could see, he gathered her weaponry and returned to her, wrapping her in his arms and checked around for any signs that Penny might have been returning to finish the job. Seeing that she wasn't he had carried her off and to where they now stood.
Once again Jaune made to carry his partner but the champion waved him off. She took Miló from him and switched it through into his spear form, the mechanical clicks and whirs echoing ominously around the empty foyer. It was enough to send shivers down all of their spines, unnerving them somewhat. Using her spear as her crutch, Pyrrha put her weight on the weapon and slowly climbed to her feet. Every inch of her legs cried out in agony with the exertion and for a few moments the idea entered her head to concede defeat and simply allow Jaune to carry her, yet a part of her wasn't willing to leave herself to being carried along by others. She had always been independent and strong, she wasn't about to let that change now because of a little discomfort.
Jaune wasn't convinced however. His deep cerulean eyes stayed on her as he watched like a hawk, ready to step in at a moment's notice if he saw that she was about to fall. He knew all too well just how stubborn his redheaded partner could be, their training sessions had taught him that much if nothing else. Both Ruby and Weiss seemed to be having similar thoughts as both of them watched her too. Pyrrha frowned slightly, yes she had been through the mill a little and her arm was broken but she was in no way as fragile as they seemed to think. Sighing a little, she looked at the three of them expectantly, waiting for them to kick into action.
It was a few seconds before Jaune realised what she was waiting for but when the moment of realisation hit him he blushed bright red and shuffled over towards the doors. Slowly, his team followed, weapons either in hand or within quick drawing distance. With her free hand, Weiss rolled the revolving chambers on Myrtenaster idly with her thumb. It was one of a few habits that the Heiress had when she was nervous or anxious about something. Although in truth none of the other three could have blamed her. With the exception of Ruby, they had all seen just what Penny was capable of and in their current state; an encounter with her would not have been good for any involved.
Jaune peered out of the foyer doors, his eyes narrow as they scanned the street beyond. He remained there for a long while, poised, with Crocea Mors in hand. After a few long and painful minutes, he turned to his teammates and gave them a slow nod signalling the 'all clear'. He led the way, pushing the door open he slowly edged his way out. For the first time since she had met him, Weiss was truly astounded by the blonde's actions. He moved near enough silently, every step seemed sure and confident as he made his way further and further into the open. This was a Jaune that was for the first time, entirely serious. Something had changed within him, and Weiss knew that it had most likely stemmed from the events within the stadium. He hadn't run nor panicked like the other spectators. He had simply stood and stared as unknown numbers of innocent lives had been snuffed out like they were nothing. Indeed, he had clenched his fists in a blind rage, his anger almost boiling over before the crowds had swept them both away.
Step by agonisingly slow step, Jaune moved onwards, his head on a swivel as he looked for any sign of the murderous redhead whom, to the best of his knowledge, was still on the loose. After a few moments when she still hadn't appeared, he seemed to relax a little and signalled for the others to follow him. One by one they came out into the street to join him, the hafts of both Miló and Crescent Rose scraping against the floor as Ruby and Pyrrha moved. From across the city they heard muffled explosions rising above the wind, the four of their heads snapped over to stare in the rough direction that they were coming from, every one of them tightening their grip on their weapons despite the explosions being some way off.
"We need to get moving." Jaune said, his voice rising just loud enough to be heard over the wind as it howled past them, whipping up dust devils as it went. The blonde didn't wait for any acknowledgement from his team. Instead, he began walking again, crossing the street and heading down an alley. The alley itself was just as deserted and devoid of life, just right for them trying to slip off back to Beacon undetected. Jaune and his team walked for some time, relaxing a little more, the further through Vale they got. Yet the further that they moved, a small seed of doubt began to sprout in Weiss' mind as they walked. Instead of feeling any safer, she had the unshakable feeling that they were walking blindly into danger. Finally, as they were beginning to near the airport and had taken to the main roads again she stopped.
"Stop." She commanded "This isn't right. Something doesn't add up here." Her team continued on for a couple more paces before coming to a stop and turning to face her, confused looks on their faces.
"We have been walking through the city for a long while now and the place is completely deserted. Surely we would have seen someone out in the streets by now, even if they're homeless. Where is everyone?" the heiress continued, expressing her doubts.
"Maybe everyone is just indoors; I mean it has to be safer than out here. They're probably just hiding until the military tells them it's safe again." Ruby suggested.
"No, I don't believe that. If that's the case then where are the military? Those robot soldiers should be out here scouring the city for any signs of Penny and we haven't seen a single one yet. We just crossed nearly half of Vale and we didn't see a single one."
"That's not true, there's one right there! We can ask it what's going on." The little rose replied, pointing down the street with a grin. Sure enough, there in front of them was one of the new robotic soldiers marching towards them. Not just the one either, as it approached it was joined by three others from neighbouring side alleys. Perhaps they were sweeping the city after all. The four teenagers began to move towards the soldier, finally hoping to get some long awaited answers as to just what was going on. Weiss trailed behind, not entirely trusting of these technological war-fighters. The gap between the two groups was soon closed and the four robots formed a square around the teenagers. A few awkward moments passed before one of them spoke.
"Civilians, you are hereby ordered to hand over your weaponry and submit to questioning." One of them said, its voice was cold and artificial, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. A pit formed in each of the teenager's stomachs.
"Why are we being detained and under who's authority?" Weiss asked, following the procedure her father had taught her in the highly unlikely eventuality that she might be questioned by authorities.
"You are being detained under martial law. You will comply or face the use of deadly force." The machine replied. Jaune looked around at his team and nodded slightly to Weiss, the heiress reciprocated and together the two of them placed their weapons on the ground.
"Our two companions are injured, they can't stand without the use of their weapons, we were in the stadium when everythi-"
"All civilians present are subject to Silencing order 66, by emergency law you are hereby sentenced to death for the betterment of Vale." It replied, cutting Weiss short. All four of the robots raised their weapons and levelled them towards the four of them. Jaune backed away as a rifle barrel hovered only centimetres from his face, yet the moment he moved, he felt another being thrust into his back. As his eyes flicked down to his weapon he realised that he would never get to it in time. Ordinarily Ruby would be able to whizz around and save them using her semblance yet, she could barely stand. No, there was no way out that the blonde could see.
Jaune looked into the face of the robot holding the rifle in his face as his gut twisted and knotted inside him. He was about to be executed without a trial in broad daylight. What would his mother and father think? Would they even be told? Even as he watched, the mechanical monstrosities cocked their weapons and made ready to fire. Even aura wouldn't protect them for long. He watched as the technological terror began to squeeze the trigger and… exploded.
Metal flew all around in shredded sheets as the four robotic soldiers exploded simultaneously with a purple aura. The pieces scattered all over the street, burning, with thick black smoke rising from the smouldering circuitry. Jaune immediately reached down and grabbed Crocea Mors, readying himself to battle whatever new foe had blown apart the robots. Yet surprise shot through him as out from a nearby alley stepped Glynda Goodwitch. She seemed a lot more disgruntled and angry than usual. Her ordinarily neat and tidy appearance had grown somewhat more dishevelled. Her blouse had a hole torn in the sleeve the edges of which were stained with blood from a now visible gash. Her hair had escaped its tight bun and had gone a little wild, presumably from brief skirmishes with some unknown enemy.
"Children, are you alright? It isn't safe here. You need to get yourselves off the streets. Come with me." She spoke quickly and efficiently, the tone of her voice left no room for questions of arguments. They simply followed as she led them off of the streets and into the same alleyway that she had emerged from. The walked along for a short way before she stopped and flicked her riding crop. A manhole cover rose up from the ground and moved out of the way, hovering a few feet in the air. With a single look, Jaune understood. He stepped forwards and climbed down through the manhole and into the sewers below.
The smell was, of course the first thing that caught Jaune's attention. In short, it was one of the foulest things that the blonde had ever encountered in his life. The first couple of breaths nearly stole his lunch from him as it threatened to come back up, after that he resigned himself to breathing only through his mouth. Looking about, he got his first look at his new surroundings. He was stood on a paved walk way in a circular tunnel which ran along the tunnel wall for as far as he could see into the gloom. Beside the walkway was a channel through which a steady flow of human filth passed. From up above him he heard the sounds from a slight argument between what sounded like Weiss and the professor. For a moment, Jaune chuckled to himself. Of course the 'primp and proper' heiress wouldn't be too happy about coming down into the sewers, especially with her bright white combat skirt on. Yet the professor sounded unrelenting and, with a great deal of grumbling and more than a few harsh words she made her way down the ladder to join her smirking leader. She too took a few moments to adapt to the ungodly smell rising from the literal river of filth flowing past them
After them came both Pyrrha and Ruby, as they were unable to climb, Goodwitch lowered them down with a flick of her wrist, setting them down gently below before climbing down herself. To Jaune's surprise she seemed completely unaffected by the harsh odours assaulting them. The only reaction that Jaune saw was the tightening of her frown and a slight increase to the furrowing of her brow. The manhole cover was dropped back into place and the five of them were plunged into darkness. It took a few seconds but once more Goodwitch drew on her power and summoned an orb of light which hovered just a short way above her head.
Giving them all a few moments for their eyes to adjust, the Professor set of walking down the sewer tunnel; Jaune and his team followed after as fast as they were able given the nature of both Pyrrha and Ruby's injuries. The only sounds within that dark place were the scrape of both Miló and Crescent Rose against the floor and the rhythmic and harsh clacking of Goodwitch's heels. They walked for what seemed like hours yet may have only been minutes, until a soft glow appeared ahead of them from a side door leading off of the tunnel. As they moved towards it Jaune began to hear soft voices, muffled at first but steadily more and more clear.
Ahead of their group, Goodwitch extinguished the orb of light, allowing it to dissipate once more and leaving them with only the soft glow from up ahead. It grew brighter and brighter as they approached until before long it was illuminating them as well. Goodwitch walked on and stepped through the doorway into a wide chamber, seemingly used by the maintenance crews that worked on the sewer line. In the centre was a single large table across which a map of Vale had been pinned out. Gathered around the table were several figures that the group knew well; the teachers from Beacon academy with Ozpin explaining something that Jaune couldn't make out.
For a few long moments Jaune was confused, it made no sense to him as he looked around. Ozpin was the headmaster at Beacon, what was he doing hiding out in the sewers underneath Vale? Just what had happened, first Penny and then the robotic soldiers attempting to execute them.
Other than them there were a fair few others milling around the room, individuals that Jaune had seen before around campus, students ranging in age from first to fourth years. Before he had the opportunity to take in much more of their surroundings, a yellow blur shot past him and tackled Ruby, sweeping her up into a tight hug. The blur was of course the reaper's older and incredibly defensive sister, yang.
"Y-Yang! Let me go I-I can't breathe!" She gasped, struggling to draw breath due to the brawler's tight hug. Thankfully Yang set her sister down fairly quickly before seeing the petite girl's bandages and blushing for the first time that Jaune had ever seen, with tears in her eyes.
"Sorry Rubes, I just…. I kinda worried about you. You were gone for ages up there and well I didn't know if I'd be seeing you again y'know?" She explained, drying her eyes quickly with her neckerchief. Behind the brawler stood an impatient looking Goodwitch, an irritated look in her eyes, yet she waited for the two teams' reunion to finish before clearing her throat and catching their attention once more.
"I'm sorry to break up this reunion however Professor Ozpin wishes to speak with you all." She explained quickly, ushering them over towards the map table. Ozpin looked up from the table with tired eyes, sighing softly to himself.
"I am glad to see you all safe and I know you must have many questions, but all will become apparent in time. Firstly, I am sure that you have noticed that the city above is no longer the safe haven it once was. The robotic defence forces which once kept the citizens safe are now operating as judge, jury and executioner. Even Beacon, the primary training centre for young hunters and huntresses, isn't safe. That is why we are here." The headmaster finished, gesturing to the room around him. It had a fair few of the students from Beacon within, though nowhere near the entirety of the school's student population.
"But Professor, what happened?" Blake asked with a confused expression on her face.
"An unknown virus was activated all across the Vale network." He explained. "It was fast evolving and unlike anything that we have seen before. It struck at the soldiers first, altering their programming and instilling new directives within them. They ceased to be protectors and instead became ruthless oppressors controlled by a kingpin. Not only that, the virus travelled through the CTT systems, broadcasting all over the world. From what we understand similar situations have occurred in all of the kingdoms as well as a complete communications blackout."
"So it was a kind of invasion from the inside?" Yang asked after a brief pause, seemingly having pieced it all together.
"More or less. The one who ordered it now has complete and total control over the entirety of Remnant. The same individual is responsible for the mass arrests made of both hunters and those training to become hunters. They stormed Beacon and rounded up all that they could. The ones you see here are those who managed to escape. We are consolidating down here while we finalise our plans to fight back." Ozpin concluded with a sense of finality in his voice. The students all thought on what he had said, a single question slowly forming in each of their minds. The professor was right, he had explained away most of their questions, but as is the way with such things for every question he answered a further two sprang up to take its place.
"But sir, that doesn't explain what happened to Penny. She went totally crazy too, it couldn't have been the virus either." Jaune said, voicing the question that many of them had.
"A very good question and it is one with a somewhat sensitive answer. As I'm sure many of you are aware, Atlas is the foremost nation when it comes to technological advancement and military development. Well, as it happens, Penny is a direct result of those two worlds colliding. She is the very first artificial human capable of generating and sustaining an aura."
"You mean she's a robot?" Ruby interjected.
"No you dolt! She's an android!" Weiss corrected.
"Well… more like a cyborg really as she is constructed out of both organic material and mechanical parts. She was initially designated as 16. Given that she was the sixteenth experiment." Ozpin explained. "And since she is a part machine, primarily the part which acts as her 'brain', this virus altered her just as it altered the rest of the machinated soldiers."
"You referred to 'the one who ordered it'; do you know who it is? We have to stop this now before it goes too far and international relations are permanently damaged beyond repair."
"Quite right, in fact I suspect that what you just described is the overall objective to this whole scheme. After all, we do know the perpetrator and they would certainly benefit from such events. Although it pains me to think that they would stoop so low. The one responsible for all of this is General James Ironwood."
Shock horror! Who would have thought that Ironwood was a total bastard?! Oh yeah... everyone. Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, if you did please favourite and follow this tale. Leave me a review and tell me what you think, I read them all. Thats all for this week's installment. Please bear in mind that there may not actually be a chapter next week as it is freshers week at university and I will be either; very drunk, very hungover or trying to connect with the wifi. it will be around two weeks and then should be a case of business as usual once again.
Many thanks and as always, Ill see you all in the next chapter.