Before anything else, I own nothing but the original characters, and content therein related to them. RWBY is owned by RT, and any mentioned creator's work belongs to them, and them alone.
Author's note: Bad news...
This chapter is the last I'll be posting of the story in its current form... And it hurts, because of just how much time I've spent, and how many ideas I've put into it... But
I cannot pull from RWBY's current cannon to continue this fanfic anymore, as the original RWBY story itself is so... Frustrating to keep track of... And I've been a fan since the start. I was there 10 years ago, no more than a teenager, watching an unnamed girl my age slaying demons with a barrett 50 cal and it's impossible to be scythe bayonet with grace.
But that time has passed... Monty's vision's been dead since the end of volume three... I feel stupid seeing it this late... And we killed it too... I mean us, the fans... We might not have nuked the series ourselves, but we ate it alive like a pack of hyenas would a starving baby gazel.
We didn't do our due diligence to "fight" RT whenever they fucked up.
It's been a downward spiral ever since V4 began, and now the end of V9's "it was all a dream" type bullshit was just... I just want to wash it all away...
Monty's legacy deserves better.
The story of RWBY itself, deserves better.
So I'm gonna' do my damndest to write something that does the show justice... Maybe even does Monty's vision justice.
Though this story might go unfinished, I'm starting the outline of a RWBY rewrite. Which I intend to post a pilot for by the end of next week. As to whether or not team SPGL stays around... I honestly haven't decided...
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(Edit) I posted the new story's first chapter today. See if you can spot the current lore changes.
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Enjoy this chapter for what it's worth... And I've left another note at the bottom for those that care.
CHAPTER 4
Once outside, the mish-mash of teams found Siniy sitting atop one of the dust crates, as Amity Arena floated towards the mine. "You have fun?" Clayton asked his teammate, the gravity dust now out of his system, as his friends passed him the dust crystals they had taken off of the grimm.
Siniy shrugged, but nodded his head up towards the rocks to the south, as he lifted up his now nearly empty gun. "Lot's of sabyrs."
Clayton nodded. That little head nod Siniy gave them meant it was something that they couldn't talk about out loud… especially not with the general getting off of an airship right next to them.
The Ace Ops gathered around the three teams. "You kids did pretty good in there." Elm said.
Jaune shrugged. "That wasn't our first fight with a geist."
"You worked really well together though. Did your teams form on the basis of strategic placement of members, or did you learn that coordination?" Vine asked.
"Did you not have to learn team coordination?" Pale asked the bald man.
"The Ace Ops are hand picked specialists of the Atlas Military. We're chosen based on whose skill set works the best within the team." Harriet said.
Yang looked at Harriet and frowned. "So are you guys not friends?" She asked.
Marrow scoffed. "We work together, we're not paid to be friends. We've got each other's backs, but at the end of the day, it's just a job." He said, before walking off.
Siniy grunted at that. "There is brotherhood to be found in battle, a deeper family than can be found even through bloodlines. A shame you could not find it." He said in Cyrillic, Weiss being the only one to understand him.
"Can I get the team leaders over here? You too Qrow." Ironwood requested. Ruby, Jaune, Clayton, and Qrow walked over as requested. They caught the end of the conversation that he was having with Clover, something about not taking Marrow with them on some sort of recon mission.
"New problem in Mantle?" Qrow asked.
Ironwood huffed. "Unfortunately. Someone is taking out public leaders that have spoken out against me." Ironwood said, pulling up a newsreel on a body found in Mantle. "At first we thought it was a coincidence, but this is the third time this has happened, and that makes it a pattern." Ironwood said, stowing his scroll.
"Your opposition dropping dead isn't a good look for you James." Qrow said.
"I'm not worried about how I look. But, it is causing unrest, and I think someone is trying to frame me." Ironwood continued. Jaune had something to say about that, but held his tongue, knowing full well that letting slip the fact Ironwood being seen as a dictator stemmed from his embargo would be saying the quiet part out loud, about how they weren't entirely on his side in all of this. Moreover there was one other thing that prevented him from saying his piece. "It's entirely possible that the White Fang had a hand in it."
"The White Fang's in Atlas?" Jaune asked.
Ironwood nodded. "Always have been. It's been rather quiet lately, but they blamed Atlas for the fall of Beacon, then there were a few dedicated robberies back about a year ago. The CCT tower going down had just as much an impact on their ability to function as it did the rest of the kingdoms. Without communication to their base of operations in Anima, I can only suspect that the Atlas cell's been in disarray. They're either reorganizing by now, or decaying without orders and direction." Ironwood said.
"Well good thing that the White Fang outside of Atlas is being demobilized." Ruby commented.
Ironwood sighed, for once in relief, that the larger threat of the Fang abroad was being dealt with by someone else. Not a second later, his attention was taken by his earpiece. "What?!… Already… Damn it. Let him land."
Ironwood began walking over to the landing platforms near the edge of the mine's land, and Clayton gave an exaggerated arm signal for his team to spool up and follow him, Team RWBY and JNPR tagging along. "Oh no." Weiss said, recognizing her father's airship. Siniy grunted, and slung Two Theaters over his shoulder. The ship landed, and the ramp descended once the door opened, and a furious Jacques Schnee stepped out of the airship.
"So let me get this straight James. In addition to this nonsensical embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property?!" The Schnee CEO (Schnee EO for short) asked as he marched right up to Ironwood and pointed at his chin. "When the counsel hears about this-" Before Jacques could finish his threat, Ironwood cut him off.
"I've already informed them. As the sight is now part of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote." Ironwood said. Clayton sneered at Ironwood behind his back. He might have hated the man, but Jacques was making a few good points about property rights. Before he could continue on his tirade, Jacques finally noticed the 10 foot tall giant, and by extension the 12 person team with him, which included Weiss. At first his eyes went wide with a twinge of fear, not knowing how the faunus had come to be working under Ironwood when there was an active investigation on him for Weiss's kidnapping, and likely his status as a former political prisoner.
"You roped My missing daughter into this? How long has she been back in Atlas? Did Winter know?!" Jacques asked, growing more angry by the second, before Weiss spoke up.
"It was my decision to come here. Just like it was my decision to leave. Or have you forgotten that already?" Weiss asked.
"If you think I've forgotten that the brute stole you away from Atlas while you were ill, then you've misjudged the man your father really is." Jacques said, straightening his tie.
Weiss narrowed her eyes at her dad. "It's like I never even met him." She said with venom.
"How dare you speak to me that way!? I have half a mind to-!" As Jacques raised his hand in anger, prepared to strike Weiss if she spoke out of turn, he felt his entire forearm encased by the thick fingers of the giant beside him. "OW OW OWW!" Jacques said, as Siniy lifted him off the ground by his arm, squeezing it tightly, until the billionaire's hand turned purple. "He's cruising my arm! AHHH! Somebody stop him!" Jacques pleaded. Clayton waited a whole three seconds, before reigning in his teammate.
"Ok big guy, you made your point." Clayton said. Siniy just dropped the Schnee with a grunt, letting the man fall to his feet and nurse his wrist.
Deciding that subtlety was the better option, Jacques straightened out his back, and addressed Weiss. "You know, your mother was devastated when you left… She didn't leave her room for days, you know how she gets when she's upset." He said before turning back to Ironwood.
"I didn't come here to beg for an abandoned mine. I came here to thank you, for handing me the noose that I'll be using to hang you with. You'll regret this." Jacques said, before turning back to Weiss. "And these are the friends you threw everything away for?" He asked.
Weiss reached up and took Siniy's hand. "Not friends… We are a family." She said in Cyrillic. Jacques shot her and then the giant, a look of disgust, then turned and walked back to his airship. Not a second after the airship took off did Winter roll up in one of the cargo trucks moving supplies out to the mine. "Oh now you show up. You just missed daddy dearest." Weiss said sarcastically.
"Believe me, I didn't miss anything but an aneurysm." Winter said, as she got out of the truck.
Above them the sound of dust rockets started growing louder, and from the clouds, Penny dropped down to the ground between them. "SURPRISE!" She shouted, spooking everyone with her sudden appearance. "Have we not started yet?" Penny asked, when she noticed nobody was celebrating anything.
Once the gang was taken up to Amity Colosseum to get out of the cold, the three teams stood in a line facing Ironwood, Winter, and Penny. "This arena holds significance for all of us." He began.
"Some, more than others." Pyrrha thought sarcastically, thinking of both Penny and Pale, a relationship she was the death of.
"So I find it fitting that we should all reconvene here. Now, when the world needs to be united more than ever." At this point Penny was slightly bouncing in place in her excitement. "The road you travelled from our first meeting wasn't easy..." Clayton was reminded of his poisoning. "You fought for your school and your friends at Beacon..." Yang clenched her fists. "You fought for the world, and the innocent at Haven Academy, and beyond..." Pale flexed his new fingers, before relaxing his artificial hand. "You faced down terrors people can't even fathom…" Siniy had to refrain from chuckling at that. Being eaten by the leviathan want's pleasant. "That's not the behavior of students, that's the behavior of huntsmen and huntresses." Ironwood said, as Penny began to press buttons on her scroll pad, each of the 12 team members' new scrolls buzzed as they received a gift.
"Our licenses?" Jaune asked.
"Yes. I know it's a bit ahead of schedule, but gods know you deserve it. I only regret that I could not do a more formal ceremony for the occasion." Ironwood said.
"I'm honored…" Ruby said, leaving it at that. The license didn't feel right.
"Please. With Salem still looming out there and tensions rising in our kingdom, I could use more trustworthy fighters by my side." Ironwood said, as everyone checked their document. "Now… If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to running this operation… Enjoy the cake." The General said as he turned to leave with Winter.
"Your speech outros are improving sir." Penny said, as she stayed back with the teams. The members of the Rainbow 12 looked between each other, and Halcyone held out her hands.
There was a bright flash in everyone's vision once their hands were joined, and the hyena faunus jumped right to the chase not even bothering to show the gang any more than a white unfurnished room. "Alright, this is bullshit and we all know it right?" She asked.
"Giving us our licenses early? What, he thinks some data on a scroll is gonna sway us?" Pale joked.
"I don't trust that, not one bit. We do one mission for him and he's giving out permits like candy, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is." Clayton said.
"But what does General Ironwood have to gain out of this?" Ren asked skeptically.
Weiss cleared her throat. "Aside from our theoretical trust, it makes us effectively answer to him. Atlas Academy graduates are technically considered employees of the Kingdom of Atlas while within its borders, so if he orders us to do something, in a court it would hold water because of his counsel seats." Weiss said.
"This is true." Clayton seconded.
"So if'in he catches us, we'll hang for treason?" Pale asked.
"So what are we doing with this?" Yang asked.
Ruby sighed. "Nothing for now... Again. We don't have any sort of ability to do anything at the moment… So… I guess we just enjoy the cake while we're here." She said. There were a few head nods, before Siniy spoke up.
"Another thing. I think we were being watched by a third party. On the ridge to the south there were two people, I could smell them. One male, one female, a sheep faunus at that." Siniy said.
Pale nodded at his friend. "I thought I spotted something off in the snow from the air." He said.
"Could it be Salem's people?" Weiss asked.
"I don't think so, Salem's people are infiltrators, not observers. If Salem was here she'd already have somebody on the inside." Ruby said, reasoning that thus far every one of the people that Salem had recruited were people masquerading as friends and allies to one faction or another.
"We'll keep an eye on them still, for now, stay the course." Jaune said, as Halcyone ended the brain melt.
With the three teams back in reality, they all went up to the first row seating to eat the cake that had been left for them. Ruby rather than eat cake, sat with her uncle, and just talked about everything that was happening with the group… Until Yang called her down to check out the new mission board app. "Oh, finally, it's been too long since we actually got paid to do work." Ruby said, as Elm, Vine, and Marrow came in from the airship docks.
"Smell that?" Marrow said. "Smells like fresh meat."
Siniy chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Can the tough guy act, you are not impressing anyone." He said with a small smile. Marrow cleared his throat.
"You've been huntsmen for less than an hour and you're already looking for more work?" Elm asked.
"What can we say, it pays to play." Pale said.
"In any case, you should remember that our mission is the launch of the new CCT tower." Vine said.
"That doesn't mean we can't pick up jobs in the meantime." Pyrrha noted with a raised eyebrow, as Ruby started going through the roster of missions.
"Sabyrs lose in the Mantle sewer. I call dibs!" The Red Reaper said.
"Not without me!" Yang shouted as the sisters signed up for a search and destroy job.
Within Mantle's underground, a man hidden by the shadows sat on his knees beneath an alter, his weapon and a mask by his side, hands held together in prayer. He remained silent, transfixed on the figure of Menagerie's animal god, before he felt a shiver up his spine. "Does my mind's eye deceive me?" Before he could answer his own question, the curtain to the private room was swept aside allowing light to enter.
"Sir... One of the scouts has returned... Belladonna and her friends have arrived in Mantle." The much smaller messenger stood in the doorway, prepared to receive instruction.
The kneeling man turned his head slightly. "Then it is true... What I have felt... Brother Adam is dead... If it is so, then the coup has failed. We have lost our high leader, and the former if she two has been slain."
"Asterios..." The messenger said, speaking his superiors name.
"The Atlas chapter is all that remains of the high order... Is it ready?" The now named Asterios asked.
"... Everything by your design, Sir." The messenger said.
"Then go... We've God's work to do." Asterios said, picking up his mask... His mask made of a human skull.
Within the Schnee manor, Jacques was drinking an iced brandy, and contemplating what he was going to do about the situation in which he found himself. His son Whitley opened the door. "I thought I told you I didn't want to be disturbed." Jacques said with a little bite behind his words.
"Um… Father, two men are here to see you. Ones in an SDC security uniform." That caught Jacques attention. Whitley opened the door for the two men. He recognized both of them, though one should have been dead, and the other should have called him the minute he'd gotten back to Atlas.
"Brennen…" Jacques said, narrowing his eyes.
"Jacqu." The uniformed man said with a fake smile. "I believe you also know Dr. Watts?" Brennen asked.
"I believed he was dead." Jacques said.
"Yes, well, the story of my death was greatly exaggerated." Arthur said.
"We met outside, call it convenient timing." Brennen said.
"Convenient timing is you showing up here without that mangy giant bear man's hide fashioned into a rug. I hired you to kill him and bring my daughter home, but here you are both hands empty." Jacques said.
"Oh, and you will in time have your bearskin rug, but currently I have other partners in play that would like to make a deal." Brennen said.
Jacques remained silent for a second. "Whitley… Leave us, and shut the door." Once his son had closed the study, Jacques turned to look at the two as they sat down across from him.
Brennen crossed one leg over the other, and clasped his hands with a smile.
Watts hummed. "I take it the election isn't going as planned?"
"Cut the shit Arthur, what is it you want?" Jacques said, gripping his glass of liquor slightly harder.
"It's not what I want, it's what you want. I suspect with Ironwood's embargo and border closure things have been rather hard for the SDC?" Watts asked.
"The rhetorical question doesn't much tell me what exactly it is you're trying to get from me, however I will concede that yes the company has been tanking profits for several quarters. The only thing keeping us in the black has been the government contracts." Jacques said, before sipping on his brandy. "If I wasn't trying to get on the council and unfuck this mess Ironwood's gotten us into, I'd fire the entire Mantle branch."
"What if I told you, that you could have your cake, and eat it too?" Watts asked with a grin.
Jacques narrowed his eyes. "Go on."
"In exchange for your login credentials to the Atlas heating grid, I'll not only give Ironwood the mother of all headaches for you, but I'll also be able to ensure that in the upcoming election, the voters will be given a digital push." Watts said.
Jacques chuckled at that notion for a second, and Watts's grin faded under his moustache. "You're asking me..." He tried to stifle his laughter. "To just hand you my personal passwords for the Atlas central heating system?" Jacques coughed a little into his fist. "And in return you're going to commit voter fraud, on my behalf? Do I look stupid? Whatever damage you could cause to Ironwood with the heating grid, and any amount of "pushing" with the new electronic voting machines would instantly leave a papertrail back to me. I'm not trying to incriminate myself, and more to the point, I might be willing to defraud an insurance company once and awhile, but I'd rather my company go into the red for the first time since I took over, than stoop so low as to admit I can't sway a crowd of angry Atlesians into voting for me." Jacques paused for a moment, to take another sip of his drink.
"I mean, have you taken a look at the economy? At the end of the day, the majority of voters care only about their own well being. Working types can say what they will about classism, or unfair treatment of faunus, but wave the opportunity for them to break their backs of their own accord, and any fringe political stance about national security, or representation goes out the window. If I can offer them the world Ironwood's denied them, then they will vote for me. I mean, who's the alternative? Robyn Hill?"
Watts stood out of his chair, clenching his fists, stepping towards Jacques, before he stopped himself, having heard the clack of Brennen racking his pistol. Watts turned, and saw Brennen waving at him, the hand gun lazelly pointed in his direction, the man's legs still crossed. "That is one of my employers you're standing threateningly over." Brennen added.
"You're a fool... You have no clue what's coming." Watts said, before he left the office, and Brennen put his pistol away. As Watts had left the door open, Brennen stood up to close it, saying his goodbye to Watts.
"He's upset. Currently I'm under duel employment via one of his partners in crime. They've requested my help in hunting a group who's slighted her, and well, I'm not going to argue against a second paycheck." Brennen said, before sitting back down.
"So you're playing both sides?" Jacques asked his employee.
"What sides would those be, Sir? I've no dog in anyone's race, whoever offers me the most promising deal is who I work for, and currently there are two deals I've been presented with, of which I can take mutually. The later being my loyalty to a lovely little monster who wants to kill a few of her enemies, and the former, being yours, hunting the man who stole your daughter." Brennen said with a pleasant smile.
"A task that you've failed to complete." Jacques noted.
"Not for lack of trying." Brennen said dangerously. "This beast you want dead has remained mobile from day one, and mind you, I had to start my search in Vale. Now he's so close, yet so far away, working under Ironwood. Mayhaps you'll get lucky and the general will execute him once whatever role he fulfils is no longer required?" Brennen pondered. "He is an escaped enemy of the state."
Jacques seethed in anger. "That flea ridden oaf's role to Ironwood, is keeping my daughter on his side. For reasons I fail to understand Weiss is infatuated with the animal and entirely devoted to the rest of her little group." Jacques sighed. "I swear, you try raise your kids right, but they all go through their rebel phase eventually."
"I believe the reason may sit at about head level for her." Brennen said, as Jacques took another sip of his drink. "And waist level for him." Jacques nearly choked on his drink. Brennen snickered to himself.
"That's disgusting..." Jacques said shortly.
Brennen shrugged. "I call it as I see it. Your daughter is a young woman who left home, and grew curious about the world around her. Faunus, moral philosophy... Boys... Now then... Let's talk about how we can kill the bear man." Brennen said, his smile deepening.
AN:
I love you all...