Deus Ex: Bloody Evolution
Chapter 2: Calamity
Pyrrha woke with the sounds of drums still pulsing in her ears.
At first her breathing was rapid, though as she realized where she was and that the strange and twisted nightmare was all but gone, she calmed herself. She sat up in her bed, feeling her long crimson hair fall over her face. She took deep breathes- first through her nose, then holding for a moment, and then exhaling through her mouth. She did this several times, becoming more and more calm with every cycle as her muscles relaxed, her gooseflesh vanishing, and the nightmare slowly erased itself from her memory.
When she felt safe again, Pyrrha ran both of her hands through her free and messy hair; trying in vain to pull it all back behind her ears. It felt clammy with sweat. And as she finished clearing her face, Pyrrha felt a powerful urge to take a shower- Not helped by the fact her light T-shirt and shorts she slept in were sticking to her as well.
Though she'd happily take that over her dream of being completely soaked from blood...
"No. I couldn't possibly have another…" A slurred voice whispered into the dark.
Pyrrha looked over to her right and squinted to see more clearly. After a moment of adjustment, she saw that it was Nora talking in her sleep again. She had her legs against the headboard of the bed and was lying on her back. Her covers were twisted and tossed all over her space; with one pillow thrown to the other side of the room, while the other was being cuddled tightly.
"Well, if you insist Mr. Peach. I'd be happy to eat my other science project…" She said, starting to drool heavily and chew on her pillow.
The sight made a smile grow across Pyrrha's face, and she had to stifle a laugh. Nora always could make her smile- anyone smile, really.
Pyrrha then quickly glanced over at Ren; across from Nora's bed; noting that he was lying flat on his back, facing the ceiling, with all of his bed seemingly neater and more in place then before he got into it. He really was Nora's opposite in every way.
Her gaze then went across from her, to find the bed by Ren's empty.
The red haired gladiator looked towards the bathrooms, finding the door wide open and the lights off. She then looked at the clock near her bedside. It was three in the morning. A bit early to be up on a Saturday, and definitely too early for Jaune.
Pyrrha threw off her covers and walked (quietly) into the commons room. It was dark, and a bit messy, but Jaune wasn't there either. In fact, as Pyrrha began to wander through the commons room, she noticed that his personal locker wasn't closed all the way. Normally it's not in her nature to go snooping, but she just want to confirm her suspicions where he could be.
She opened his locker wider, finding it empty.
"HAH! HE-YAH! HO-HA! HA!"
Jaune swung his family blade with all his power, cutting through the air as he imagined himself slashing through Beowolves like they were made of tissue paper. He did this practicing all the right manoeuvres and techniques that Pyrrha had taught him and found that he'd been practicing them so much that he's gotten to the point they felt very natural. He felt a sense of pride underneath his anger with how far he's come since initiation.
Suddenly all the momentum in his swing was interrupted by a familiar red and golden-yellow blade. Jaune looked behind him and he was faced with his smiling partner. He'd been so into his practicing he hadn't even noticed her walk onto the roof. She had only Miló with her, her belt with the bronze plate and Miló's sheathe, and she was wearing a grey Beacon academy shirt with black shorts and some school jogging shoes. Her hair was tied back in her usual long ponytail, along with her headdress, and she had apparently decided to put on her earrings (Though forwent her usual light eye shadow). Oddly, Jaune thought it was the nice look for her. Almost like she was no different from him.
"You're getting better." She started. "Your technique is good. But if you fight with that much anger, you'll tire yourself out long before you've defeated the enemy."
Suddenly her bright green eyes became soft as she and Jaune lowered their weapons, and her expression turned into one of concern.
"Is something wrong Jaune?"
Jaune didn't answer her. His expression had only been an initial surprise when Pyrrha stopped him, but now it was nothing but indifference.
His eyes shifted for a moment to the ground, and then he turned his back to his partner and continued some blocking practicing.
"How did you know I was up here?" He said, sounding as though he didn't care whether she answered him or not.
Pyrrha could feel something inside of her recoil as if struck. Though she didn't give in; instead putting on a smile and trying to sound upbeat as she slowly approached closer to her friend.
"I decided to get up early. I noticed you weren't in bed, and that you'd changed into your gear. I thought you'd be down in the locker room, so I went to see if you'd gone down there. Your sword and shield were gone, so I figured you must be up here practicing."
Jaune just grunted in acknowledgement, not even bothering to turn around. Again, inside Pyrrha felt like her feelings had been struck again.
"Jaune..." Pyrrha nearly whispered. This was starting to feel like the first part of her nightmare; Maybe before long Atlas will declare war on Vale after all? "Please talk to me. I feel like I'm losing my best friend in all of Remnant..."
Jaune stopped his practicing. Both the knight's head and blade slumped downwards; the tip of the blade making a soft plunk sound as it hit the ground.
"I'm... your best friend?" He mumbled. His tone still sounded uninterested, though there was a hint of some other emotion. Frustration? Sadness?
"Of course! Jaune, remember at the dance? I told you, you saw me for who I was and helped me make so many friends. I meant all of what I said. And then when you came out in that dress and we danced... And on top of all that, we're partners."
Pyrrha felt strange. It all just came flowing out like a river. She could feel her eyes watering some, and strangely a smile was trying to form on her face- probably from recent memories. That night was more special to her then probably most of the students that had attended.
"I thought it was obvious that... I care about you. You've helped me so much. That's why I've been so eager to help you grow as a warrior. I see your skills, just as you saw me beyond my image."
Jaune remained still, not answering or even breathing for a moment that felt like a century to the gladiator. Perhaps it was too much. She'd been caught up in such a moment of concern, she'd obtained the courage to let some of her feelings out. Though despite this dreadful encounter, Pyrrha had to admit it was much easier to say then she had ever expected it to be. Perhaps if she knew what was bothering him, she could finally tell him that-
"If that's true, why didn't you tell me you were a cyborg?"
"Oh…" Was all Pyrrha's mind could grasp. It was insufferably obvious now. The other big secret. How could she be so naive!
"Jaune... Just because I'm part machine doesn't mean-"
The young knight threw his family heirloom to the ground and pivoted in the gladiator's direction. His face was turning slightly red from anger.
"That's not the point!"
His voice starting to speed up and tie up words as he got himself worked up.
"I don't care that you have a fake heart or eyes! That matters to me as much as the fact you're from Mistral! I just can't believe that you all lied to me!"
Pyrrha took a step backwards from Jaune, sheathing her weapon and giving him his moment to breathe and vent.
"Do you know what it's like for me to just suddenly find out that all my teammates, my friends, have been keeping this big collective secret from me? I told you my biggest secret! Do you know how hard that was for me? I still worry sometimes that one day, there'll be a point we're not friends or you're just mad at me, and I've got myself a one-way ticket back to Vale! I have horrible nightmares about that kind of thing! But you know what, sure, keep the fact you're all part robot! That's cool! Why should we tell Jaune that? Jaune wouldn't care! Jaune probably couldn't handle it, or would see it differently!"
Pyrrha just folded her arms and looked on at Jaune with soft eyes, letting him burn himself out before proceeding. When he stopped to take in some gulps of air, she made her first move.
"Ren doesn't have any augments. He's pure."
Jaune threw his arms up into the air, half turning away from Pyrrha as he growled, "Oh, well, excuse me. I'm guessing that's just being politically correct where you're from."
"Nora and I have augments that saved our lives."
"So what? What's your point?"
Pyrrha stepped up to Jaune, taking him by the shoulders and forcing him to turn fully again and look her in the eye.
"We couldn't tell you because of years of strife between the Old and New worlds! We couldn't tell you because now that you know, you are considered a criminal and traitor to Vale! Do you know how hypocritical it sounds that you have nightmares about being sent home when others are dreaming about being the cause for all your friends' deaths and being forced to fight your own comrades just because you're different! Just because you were a pathetic child who should've died instead of killing off the people she cares about!"
Pyrrha's voice trembled and cracked as her rant went on. Tears were beginning to stream down her face, and her lip was trembling. Jaune's eyes had widened; shocked to see the invincible Pyrrha like this.
His partner then went close, hugging Jaune tightly and burying her face into his shoulder. Sobs became her, and her voice came out muffled through his jacket.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was the one who insisted on telling the secret! I thought you all should know! Something happened to Weiss, and we all agreed the best thing we could do was tell you all the truth! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! If anyone finds out… then… then…"
Her speech just degenerated into soft sobs and slight hiccups.
Jaune for a moment stood still and wondered if this had all been a dream. Though he did catch up to reality and closed his arms around Pyrrha, hugging her tightly.
He would've never thought he'd be hugging his partner of all girls, but that fact didn't matter at all in his mind. The anger had long since left and was being replaced with guilt. Pyrrha at that moment wasn't some girl to woo, not the best fighter he'd ever known, not some devious cyborg, and certainly not his partner right then. Pyrrha was his best friend in all of Remnant, that he had hurt badly, and never even considered what she was thinking.
After some time of the two's embrace, Pyrrha had calmed down with only the occasional hiccup or sniffle. Yet she didn't break off. The two just stood there, enjoying the early morning breeze.
"Hey," Jaune whispered. "Why don't we go take a walk for a bit?"
WWWWWWWW
"The charges are set, and everyone is in position. Ready on your orders."
"Do it."
WWWWWWWW
The four teens awoke to violent shaking, a bright flash, and the horrific sounds of sirens in the distance. The shaking was so bad, Yang and Blake's book towers nearly toppled; While Ruby's hanging bed had one of its ropes undone, causing her to fall to the floor with a loud thump and an ow!
"Would someone turn off the alarm?" Yang said in a post-sleep haze.
"That's not the alarm!" Blake said, having jumped to her feet and now kneeling to help their leader- who was rubbing a visible bump on her head.
"What was that? An earthquake?" Weiss said, also now on her feet and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She kept rubbing at them, thinking something was in them, only to remember she could see in the dark again.
Using her augments, Weiss analysed Ruby to see her bump was nothing serious. However, she had also included Blake in her scan by accident and found her heart racing and slight haemorrhaging in her Faunus ears.
"Blake, your ears… Are they-" She started, coming closer.
Blake stood up with Ruby, and they were all joined by a nearly asleep again Yang.
"They're fine. They do that sometimes with loud noises. That's why I usually wear those special earplugs."
Blake rushed over to the window, followed by everyone else. As the sirens blared out, an orange glow could be seen invading the sky. Now everyone was now fully awake. And terrified.
"Is that a fire!?" Yang exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"I, I can't see! What happened?" Ruby said.
"No...No, no, no no!" Blake half whispered. Her mind instantly jumped to a suspect; no matter how unlikely and impractical it really is.
Weiss meanwhile backed away from the window. Yesterday's events were coming back in force. Was that all real? Her father had said…
No! She denied in her head. I… I didn't… I couldn't have just… He's lying!
Weiss sprinted over to her bed and found her scroll. She then ran over to their room's work desk and pulled out the emergency pocket knife that came with the room. From there she went back to her bed and sat on the edge with both scroll and knife in hand. All the while her teammates were staring in confusion.
"Weiss, what are you doing?" Ruby's voiced trembled. She didn't understand anything anymore.
"I'm finding out what happened. You, however, might want to look away for this." She turned her now bright blue and golden yellow eyes to both Blake and Yang as she said, "I need one of you to grab my hand mirror and help me."
Both girls exchanged a worried glance, though Weiss didn't have time for psychic debates.
"We need to hurry! Do it now or I'm doing it myself!"
Blake volunteered. Yang stood back and held her sister's hand for both her comfort, and her own.
Weiss opened up the pocket knife and powered up her scroll. She logged into the student access for Beacon, then sat the personal device on her lap. When Blake returned with a mirror, the heiress turned her back to the left to let Blake sit down next to her.
"What are you going to do?" Blake asked while Weiss started feeling around her head and through her long, down hair.
"When they were processing me for Vale, they covered the external part of my Neural Hub so I couldn't jack-in to anything. And I need it."
The heiress felt around her head until she found a place by her right ear, up and back some, and under her hair that felt unnaturally tough. She then picked up the knife and raised it around the area, trying to use her augments and the mirror Blake was holding up to make this a quick and accurate as possible. This was going to hurt, but it could easily go south if her hand wasn't steady.
"Weiss, don't!" Ruby pleaded.
"Be quiet!" She hissed harshly at her partner.
Weiss took in two sharp breaths, then in one quick motion, plunged the small blade into the edge of the rough synthetic skin. It made a gross wet sound, and had spurted a bit of blood onto the bed- though it didn't bleed much more than that, and what little remained was in spots in her white hair and some drips down the side of her face. The pain at first was sharp, and made Weiss release a small yelp. Though she couldn't afford to stop. The sirens were getting more numerous, and there were more sounds of some explosions going off.
With the blade under the manmade scab, Weiss used the blade to tear around the outline. Once she had done the best she could through her hair, she used the blade to start prying it off. Some more, smaller spurts of blood came out and dripped and dotted down into her hair and even her face, but she proceeded. The pain was dull, like ribbing off a real scab or a bandage. Once it was starting to crumble and come off, Weiss removed the blade and threw it to the ground. She started using her hands to pick off the crumbling pieces of the cover, revealing a slightly bloody metal device.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Yang said. She was starting to turn a shade of green, and Ruby was buried into her sister via hug; not wanting to see any of it.
"There," Weiss announced. Most of the scab bits were on her bed and the floor, but cleanliness wasn't one of the teen's priorities at that moment. Blake put down the mirror and stood up to look down at the scroll, and Yang joined them. Ruby didn't want to turn in their direction. She instead fast walked to the drawers for clothes.
Weiss reached up to the odd device on her head, extracting an extending cord and plugging it into what was normally the charging jack on the scroll. The screen went black, then changed into a golden-orange background with code streaming upward. A second later, the code disappeared and the Schnee family emblem appeared.
Weiss's eyes stared deep, near trance-like, into the scroll. Her eyes were now fully golden and glowed brightly. Her irises were spinning, and her pupils grew and shrank periodically. Something was happening in the scroll, something the others couldn't make heads or tails of. Data was flying, and swimming around in it was Weiss's emblem.
"Got it!" Weiss exclaimed excitedly, nearly forgetting about the circumstances. It felt so good to hack again. "Beacon security is child's play."
The screen changed into several hundred different emergency camera feeds. Weiss enlarged and rapidly looked through them all until she found what she was looking for. It was at a fair distance, but it was clear what the image presented.
"Oh my god."
"That… That can't be White Fang."
Father wasn't lying… Weiss lamented silently. What have I done?
Where airships usually land, and in the courtyard, there was fire and pieces of ship thrown everywhere. Something destroyed all of the parked transport ships. Something had attacked Beacon.
"Guys!"
The others looked to a now fully dressed Ruby- Weiss unplugging herself from her personal device.
The young teen held up her scroll and pressed play on the message she had gotten from none other than Goodwitch herself.
"All students and visitors, this is a code red emergency! You are to follow your instructions and proceed to the specified safe locations. This is not a drill! I repeat, not a drill! Proceed as quickly as you are able."
"What!? They're sending us to hide? No way! We need to do something!" Yang said.
"We don't know what's going on out there, it could be war for all we know!" Blake countered.
Weiss didn't add to the conversation. Her head lowered back to her scroll. Guilt was starting to drown her.
"Hey, enough!" Ruby ordered.
Everyone again looked back to Ruby, surprised how assertive their leader sounded.
"We need to do what we're told. Blake's right, it could be anything. We'll do what we can later. For now, we need to go. Get dressed!"
Silence fell between the group before the three older girls followed their leader's lead. Everyone staying silent as they dressed speedily. When they went from the commons into the hall, several students were funnelling down; surprisingly quiet. Some were dressed in normal attire, some in school uniform, and some still in sleep wear. Everyone looked confused, scared, or both.
Team RWBY filed in, staying close together as they became part of the student river.
Weiss had to turn off all the data analysing she was getting all around her. She had forgotten to turn that off, and was tired of analysing heart rates and personality types and such. She felt horrible. This was like some kind of nightmare, right after yesterday's nightmare turned dream. What had happened to their normal school life of stopping criminals and food fights?
"Hey," Ruby whispered, coming up to Weiss. "Are you okay?"
Something about that moment broke Weiss from her stupor. She had heard all kinds of silly or caring statements from Ruby in the past. But something was different about now. This time, it didn't want to make Weiss roll her eyes or feel indifferent; she felt joy and relief.
"Oh! Here. You might need these." Ruby passed some wet wipes and some hair elastics.
"Huh?"
"Wipe the blood off, and cover that thing. I don't want you to get in trouble."
"Oh." Weiss did just that. Thankfully no one was paying attention. Or if they were, no one said anything. She wiped away the external part of her Neural Hub, then set up her characteristic off centred ponytail on top of the device, covering it.
"So that's why you have it like that," Ruby smiled.
Weiss couldn't help but smile too.
"Until I came to Vale, I always decorated my hair on the other side. But I've come to grow accustomed to it now."
Both paused as they followed behind Blake and Yang through the twists and turns and stairs of the dorms in this river. But Weiss needed to know something.
"Still think I'm still me?"
"...Of course, Weiss. I mean, that was scary and gross, but nothing's still changed."
That feeling of acceptance and happiness returned partially to Weiss, though she still felt overwhelmed by guilt. She had to tell them. She's the reason for this.
"Ruby-" She started.
"It's okay. Really. Though if all your upgrades are like that… maybe just tell instead of show."
"But-" Weiss tried again.
"Hey, look! Nora and Ren! Come on, let's catch up with them."
Ruby moved up, motioning Yang and Blake to come too. Weiss hanged back for a moment, before joining her friends for the moment.
They were going to hate her for this.
"Hey, Ren?"
"Yes, Nora?"
"Are we under attack?"
"I don't know Nora."
"...Who's attacking?"
"I don't know Nora."
"...Should I have changed outta my PJs?"
"Probably Nora."
"...Where's Jaune and Pyrrha?"
"I don't know Nora."
"..."
"..."
"Are you scared Ren?"
"...I don't know Nora."
"Nora! Ren!"
The two teens turned around to see Ruby forcing her way through the crowd, the rest of her team close behind.
"I'm so glad you two are alright. But, where's Jaune and Pyrrha?" The caped girl asked.
"We don't know!" Nora spoke a little too loudly, gaining brief attention from others in the student body. "They were there when we went to sleep, and when we woke up they were gone… like ghosts… or ninjas… oh! Or ghost ninjas!"
A concerned frown crossed Ruby's face. "I hope they didn't get caught out there."
"Speaking of which, what is going on out there?" Ren asked.
"Not a clue, but it might be White Fang," Yang answered.
"The White Fang?" Ren said in disbelief.
"No, it isn't," Blake said, drawing all eyes to her. "Even they wouldn't do anything like this."
"Uh, they already have. They were there at the breach, remember?" Yang reminded.
"It's not White Fang." This time, it was Weiss who spoke, keeping her head down.
"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked; everyone's eyes on Weiss.
Weiss sighed, it was time to own up.
"When I left the library yesterday, it was to talk to my father. He had told me to lay low. That forces of some kind will tear our school apart. I came back to warn you but… with everything else I… forgot.
"You... You forgot?!" Blake exclaimed. "Weiss, Beacon is under attack. Jaune and Pyrrha are missing and people could be dying out there, and you just forgot?!"
"Look I'm… I'm sorry." Weiss said before pushing out and hurrying away from the group.
"Wait, where are you going!" Ruby called after her.
"I'm going to put this right," Weiss shouted back, not turning back as she forced her way through the crowd.
"Come on, we need to go after her," Ruby said to Blake and Yang as she began to force her way after Weiss.
The others shared a look before Yang and Blake rushed after her, leaving Nora and Ren behind as the crowd flowed around them.
"…"
"…"
"Nora?"
"Yes, Ren?"
"Change out your PJs. We're going to find Jaune and Pyrrha."
"Alrighty!"
The two then faded out the crowd back to their room.
WWWWWWWW
Ozpin sat alone in his office at the top of Beacon tower. He had just finished organizing a response to this unexpected attack. At the moment, he stood looking out the window. He saw the flames perfectly from where he was. It wasn't a coincidence. It was a message.
You're not safe in your tower. That's what the message said. We can get you.
Ozpin heard the message loud and clear. But the threat didn't bother him at all. He had received many during his time.
No. What bothered him was how he was threatened. This was his school. His people were in the firing line. This was his realm and it was burning before him. This was personal to the core.
The screen of his computer suddenly came alive by its own will through a secure link independent of the CCT. On it was the silhouette of a man he spoke to a mere two weeks earlier. His voice had that usual distortion to it, making his voice sound slightly higher pitch.
"You better have a good reason for calling me at this hour." The man spoke harshly, yet with authority.
"Of course," Ozpin said turning his chair to the monitor, his voice calm and respectful. "I'd just thought I'd inform you that we are under attack. Or can you already see the smoke from Vale?"
The man let out a long drawn sigh. "This is just another recent example of how you aren't suited for your current task. Your predecessor liked you. They said you knew how to keep control of any situation. However, I personally find your abilities… underwhelming."
"I assure you that the matter will be dealt with given time. But there will be immediate consequences for what happens here tonight. While not long term, they-"
"They are something that I will have to deal with due to your lack of willingness to strike at the root of the problem." The man finished, redirecting the blame.
"If we rush in head first, we risk losing our hold." Ozpin tried to reason with his boss.
"And if we follow your plan we lose our very lives!" The man snapped back. "You are aware that one of your colleagues has asked for your resignation?"
Ozpin let slip a small grunt of annoyance, but quickly regained composure. "That same colleague wants to enforce martial law wherever he goes. I wouldn't put much faith in his judgement. Really you'd think he's out to take the world by storm- same Mantle, different name."
"And yet, you are the one making the mistakes. Not him."
"I suppose that can only be true, in a sense. You can't blame James for anything, so you blame me. He's as much in the dark, if not more, than any normal person. So it's hard to blame a man that acts not even on no information, but lies. Is that not true?"
Another figure appeared on the screen, this one much more feminine.
"What seems to be the problem?" She spoke in a voice that was easily recognized, but hard to place- like it was heard every day but no one paid attention to who was speaking.
"The problem is that you're interrupting a private conversation." The man instantly turned on her.
"She's here at my request," Ozpin jumped to the woman's aid. "At the end of the day, she is the one who has to keep the public calm after this is finished. Sad we only get to talk under these circumstances."
The woman ignored the exchange. "I'll ask again. What is the problem?"
"We are under attack," Ozpin said.
"Do you know who by?" She asked.
"New World. No room for doubt."
That last comment gave the others pause.
"Damn it!" The man suddenly snapped. "This just proves that you have no control! How much longer must this go on? How many more people must die because of your incompetence? How…" The man suddenly burst into a coughing fit.
"You should go and get some rest. It's too early for you. And I can handle it fine." Ozpin calmly said.
The coughing died down and the man took a few deep breaths before responding. His tone now tired. "And let you run us all into the ground?"
"We can handle the situation from here. I simply wished to inform you so you were prepared should the need arise. It's what one does when you're part of a team, after all."
The man hesitated before muttering something under his breath. He then addressed Ozpin. "You better handle it. Or I will replace you with someone who will."
The man then cut the connection. With their leader gone, Ozpin and the woman were free to talk about… unsettling matters.
"He's beginning to wither." The woman stated bluntly.
"Time does that to you. He knows what's coming, and it frightens him. It's understandable." Ozpin felt this was expected, both from their leader and the woman he was now speaking to.
"So he decides to push away those closest to him?" The woman snapped.
"Can you blame him? The others are becoming vultures looking to pick at his corpse before he's even dead." Ozpin knew that he would be doing the same in his boss' shoes. Therefore, he saw no reason to be angry. Often he was glad to have different friends and allies that weren't just Them.
"And some of those very same vultures are the ones he trusts," The woman countered. "We have to do something."
"There's nothing we can do. Not without alerting them. All we can do is serve him and hope we stay close enough to keep him shielded. One false move, and this old brotherhood will tear itself apart." Ozpin was always going to be cautious here. Not because he was afraid, but because it was a high stake game they were playing.
"That's already happening! They're whispering in his ears! The longer we wait, the more he'll suspect us of being the traitors! Don't you know there's a rumor going around of a possible coup? A lot of names are being thrown around, and one them is yours! And the recent events on your doorstep haven't helped either!" The woman was quickly beginning to sound angry.
"All very convenient, don't you think?" Ozpin was quite the opposite, still keeping his calm demeanor.
"Wait, are you saying that they are involved too?" The woman was surprised, but it was hard to tell past the urgency in her voice.
"Not for certain," Ozpin admitted. "But I wouldn't be surprised."
"You said it is… the new competition?" The woman didn't exactly know what to call them. Upstarts? Rebels? It didn't matter. They simply… were. They were alike in that respect.
"No, I said they were New World. That toy maker doesn't have the resources for this. And even if he is involved, someone else is pulling the strings." Ozpin felt that all external threats paled compared to the internal one. He just needed to convince her of the same.
"He didn't have the resources ten years ago either. He had one man." The woman stated factually.
"That was simply the right place at the right time. X and the toy maker were neither the first or last to have fortune smile on them as such." Ozpin dismissed. He had seen such fortune countless times in the past. It happened more than his people cared to admit.
The woman sighed. "If someone else is involved, it might be another external threat we can't see."
"Like who?" Ozpin questioned, leaning back in his chair.
"Like the Atlas forces outside your window every day. In a few short weeks, they have gained security for the Vytal festival. It is, as you say, all very convenient." The woman's voice held faint traces of doubt, almost like she was trying to convince herself that their supposed allies wouldn't go that far.
"I have known James for many years. And as I discussed before you arrived, he's far too rash and impulsive to see what's really going on, never mind knowing how to handle it. But, people like that have their uses. If he is anything, he is a puppet to something. For now, he will protect us during the festival; even if he- and we- don't really understand how or why that came to be. He is also a personal friend that I trust greatly, no matter what." Ozpin reassured the woman. Despite James' recent… actions; Ozpin knew he had a good heart, and simply sought to follow his own beliefs.
The silence that followed was unbearable. Not because of the quiet center in the chaos of battle and panic around, but because of what it meant. Ozpin could feel himself being analysed by the invisible gaze of the silhouette on the screen in front of him. All he could do was gaze back, holding his own until it was over.
"So be it then," The woman eventually said. "We will watch and prepare. Speaking of which, I'll need to get ready to calm the public in the morning. Get yourself ready. The Grimm won't be far behind. Farewell."
With that, the connection ended and Ozpin swung his chair back to the window, once again focusing on the flames raging below. This was his realm and it was burning before him. But he and his people would rise from the ashes even stronger, like they had done so many times before.
WWWWWWWW
Moments before the explosion, Pyrrha and Jaune were walking side by side in the breezy morning. They had walked for several minutes before stopping at one of Beacon's mini gardens to rest for a moment. Both of them sat awkwardly in silence, watching the nearby pond and tiny waterfall. Something in the in the air had changed, and now there was no going back. And neither one of them could tell if the arguing or whatever this was was worse.
"So uh…" Jaune started; leaning forward and unable to make up his mind whether he wanted to fold his hands or move one through his hair. "What kind of upgrades do you have?"
Pyrrha shrugged, remaining stiff and continuing to sit straight. As she spoke, she went back and forth between looking at the scenery and the pathway; never at Jaune.
"Nothing of significance. Certainly nothing as complex as what Weiss has in her possession. She probably has similar model eyes and a Neural Hub, though it may be an executive model. They both probably have much more functionality too, and less delay. Oh, and I didn't mention it earlier, but I'm certain she doesn't have a small prosthetic heel like I have. It doesn't do anything special, and it's a long story as to how I got that, but essentially-"
"Pyrrha," Jaune stopped the girl's rambling. "I asked about you, not Weiss."
"Oh. Right. Sorry." The gladiator could feel her cheeks burning, and worried that they could be as red as her hair. She took a deep breath, and tried again with a clearer, slower, pace.
"Well, my heart keeps oxygen flowing at a decent pace. And it can create bursts of adrenaline if I needed it; though that function was disabled and just set to normal settings. Nothing more complex than that. My original augment was more of simple attachment and just helped my heart function normally. When being upgraded, I had the choice whether to dispose of it and replace the whole thing with a synthetic one or to simply stick with the enhancement. I declined, as it would be a lengthy recovery time and more medicine to take, and it would be a hefty toll on my aura. And… I don't know how to describe it. Even if it's weak, my heart is still a part of me. And I couldn't just give that up."
"You need to take medicine?"
"Not anymore. It's better now than it used to be some years ago. I didn't have to take medicine after a new formula came out. After a few weeks of medication, my augments would never be rejected by my body."
Jaune finally looked over, and the two finally made eye contact. This time, it didn't seem embarrassing. It was starting to feel like normal again. Following this, the boy pressed onward with conversation.
"...So, augments need aura?"
Pyrrha nodded.
"Augments run on the body's own energy. That, in turn, manifests in aura. The more augments you have, and the more frequently they need energy, the more aura they need. This can have a nasty effect on the protectiveness and the semblance of one's aura. If you were like Weiss and I, it would be a handicap to overcome, but not impossible to have a balance. But if someone augments themselves to a heavy degree, their aura can fade away. The energy is still there, but more or less it's just gone and can never return. Many purists believe that when one reaches that point, they've sold their soul to become living weapons. And in some cases, I find that's completely true."
A moment of that silence returned with that somber thought, and both teens looked away to the garden again. It didn't last however as Pyrrha looked back at Jaune and smiled,
"No more force field."
Jaune's brows bunched together in confusion, then quickly his eyes widen in recognition. And both the teens began laughing at the memories.
"I forgot about that," Jaune said, wiping away a tiny tear that had formed in the chuckle.
His eyes then widen again as a thought popped into his head. Jaune got to his feet, and offered a hand to Pyrrha as he asked,
"So does that mean, if you didn't need or have any of those robot parts, you'd have an even stronger semblance?"
Pyrrha's eyes went upward in a brief thought before she grabbed Jaune's hand.
"I'd never thought about it that way before. Perhaps. Though if I wanted to test that, I'd have to go blind and essentially go into cardiac arrest. Not ideal circumstances."
Both of them went on walking again, following the path that would eventually lead to the main courtyard of Beacon. Neither had realized they were still holding hands for some minutes; Though when they did, they just went on with it. It didn't feel awkward. Frankly, it was nice for both teens to feel like best friends again.
As they entered the courtyard, the two could see Beacon's iconic statue coming into view. Two hunters, side by side, standing victorious over the Grimm. Unknown to Jaune however, Pyrrha had seen plenty of variations of this statue. When she had more free access to the online network, she had seen this statue modified in both Mistral and Atlas. Some variations had one or both of the hunters augmented. And some had even been replaced with statues of a famous New World hero that had stopped some corporation from killing thousands of augmented. Pyrrha couldn't quite remember how it went, however- she had only been seven at the time, and she's been away from home too long to remember those same anniversary specials on TV.
"So, Jaune? Are we… good?" Pyrrha asked nervously.
"Heh. Yeah. Of course we are." Jaune smiled.
Both of them stopped at the statue, finally freeing hands. Jaune took on a more serious tone and look as well, making his partner nervous again before she heard what he had to say.
"The thing is, this keeping things from each other… that's gotta stop. Both on our team and on Ruby's. We've seen again and again, it tears us all apart. And… I'm worried that one day, if we all keep it up, we're not all gonna be able to just fix it again. I want us all to be friends for a long time. Maybe forever, who knows. But one of these days, if we don't all try to be straightforward about things, we're gonna tear ourselves apart for good."
Pyrrha nodded. Then she just continued to stare at Jaune, with a small smile slowly evolving into a toothy grin from ear to ear. It made Jaune VERY uncomfortable to say the least.
"Uh, do I have something on my face?" He asked.
"No. But right now is one of those times that, I really do understand what Ozpin sees in you as a leader."
"You do? Wish I saw it."
Pyrrha playfully punched at her leader's shoulder as she rolled her eyes.
Maybe… Maybe now is the time. It's been such a nice night, er, morning. It's been so easy to talk. But, a lot has been dropped on him. Maybe now's not the best time. I could tell him another time. Maybe in a few weeks, when everything is sorted out, I'll tell him after practice. Just him, me, and the tower's light in the night sky. It'll be perfect!
Yes… Pyrrha thought. Everything's going to be just fine.
That's when the carriers exploded. Sending both Jaune and Pyrrha to the ground.
The explosion left both teen's ears ringing. Not helped was after they were beginning to get their bearings again, sirens blared out through Beacon. It also took some adjusting for the two's eyes as orange light came flushing in from the nearby air-docks.
"What…" Jaune wheezed, having been thrown against the statue. "Was that?"
Pyrrha looked on and saw, at least, three different transport cruisers blown to pieces. Parts big and small were raining down from the docks to even near the courtyard. One ship- slightly more intact- was sliding down the cliff, falling down into the edge of the emerald forest. While the others were now nothing but shrapnel.
The gladiator looked up, eyes widen, before bolting to her feet. She grabbed Jaune and forced him to move also.
"Move now!"
Both teens barely made it out in time as a large fireball exploded where they had been standing. The explosion still sent Jaune and Pyrrha spinning about into grass, though they were walking away with nothing more than more ringing ears.
Jaune was the first to his feet this time. He helped Pyrrha up, asking a few times between coughs through the smoke he kept shouting (either because he was having a hard time breathing, or he just couldn't hear himself),
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Can you walk?"
"I'm fine!" Pyrrha shouted, hoping he'd hear her and seeing if she could hear herself.
Jaune nodded, then started a motion to run back to Beacon. But Pyrrha stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"What if there were people there!? We have to help them!"
"Are you nuts! We need to go!"
Pyrrha's face scrunched and she let go of Jaune. She fumbled into her pocket for her scroll, and began typing in coordinates for her rocket-locker.
"Then go! But I'm helping whoever is in there!"
When her rocket-locker landed and opened, Pyrrha sprinted to it. She snatched Akoúo̱ out and set the shield aside for a moment. She also pulled out her spare top, greaves, cuisses, and bracer from the locker and set them out. With precision and speed only obtained by practice, she began strapping on her armour in their appropriate spots. And by the time Jaune had approached, Pyrrha had already drawn Miló, attached Akoúo̱ by the brace, and had shed the Beacon shirt to tie on her dual layered top. Jaune couldn't believe how fast she was at preparing, or how odd the hybrid between the "invincible" and the "normal" Pyrrha looked.
"Hey!" Jaune yelled, grabbing her attention before she could run off. The knight drew both his own sword and shield, and banged the two together for emphasis.
"Partners stick together. Even if one is nuts and the other a coward."
Pyrrha didn't smile. Though she nodded as she quickly said,
"You're not a coward. Now come on!"
Both teens then ran into the fiery chaos. Not knowing that they were being watched through a scope in the far off trees.
WWWWWWWW
An explosion in the distance and a brief shaking in the ground told them the mission had begun.
"Let's move."
"Right behind you, boss."
Cronus and Atlas moved from their cover towards the outer walls of Beacon, fast and quiet. They then moved along, sticking to the shadows until they got to the base of Ozpin's tower. The sirens were just beginning to sound as they reached their objective, now forcing internal comms only.
Cronus had to give Ironwood credit. If he hadn't wormed his way to head of security, then getting to the tower would have been a lot tougher through dozens of soldiers.
"Mnemosyne, report," Cronus ordered in thought.
"Prometheus' distraction is working. Zeus is in his office and you're clear for entry." Mnemosyne said.
The two Titans stood in front of the main door. A quick attempt at the console told them it was code locked during the nights.
"So how're we doing this?" Atlas asked.
"Hmm. Well, Prometheus would have me act professional and hack the console…" Cronus said pondering.
"Yeah, he's boring like that." Atlas pointed out. Cronus ignored him.
"…But I don't think we have time for professional, and it'll be more fun for you this way."
"Boss, I don't care what the higher ups say about you, you know how to keep your team happy," Atlas said with a smile.
"Mnemosyne, can you hack the tower door alarms?" Cronus said.
"Already done." Was the instant response.
"Really?" Cronus said, surprised. "It's like you knew what I was planning."
"I did know," Mnemosyne exclaimed. "I've been reading your internal chatter. And when was the last time you did a job properly anyway?"
"It was…" Cronus began.
"Without Prometheus looking over your shoulder." Mnemosyne quickly added.
"…Long before I got my own team."
Cronus offered a quick nod to Atlas to give him the all clear. The giant placed his flamethrower in the hold on his belt before moving towards the door.
"Besides," The Titan continued on while keeping a lookout for evacuating students. "As long as the mission is completed with minimal casualties, it's done 'properly'. Everything else just details."
The lack of sparks and the sound of a door being ripped off its hinges and hitting the floor told him Atlas was through.
"Got to go. Zeus is waiting. Keep me informed." Cronus finished, then muted himself and Atlas to Mnemosyne on that comm line so as not to be so easily eavesdropped.
The assassins proceeded into the building, making their way through a short maze of corridors towards a secondary emergency elevator. The main elevator should be shut off to prevent their target from a possible escape, and to make sure no one could easily intervene. The whole goal was to avoid any possible contact other than planned.
"Heads up, three life signs in the hallway ahead." Mnemosyne's voiced warned.
So much for that...
Atlas and Cronus ducked into the side doorways of the hallway to get out of sight. True to Mnemosyne's word, three students passed by soon after. Two of them, a boy with grey hair and a girl with green hair, were quick to be on their way.
"But if it's not us, then what's going on?" The boy asked.
"Is any of this part of the plan?" The girl asked.
But the third one, a girl with black hair and fiery amber eyes, stopped and looked in the Titans' direction. She narrowed her eyes slightly before a small smirk came to her lips.
"All you two need to know is that this is a part of something greater. So don't worry, and just enjoy the panic for now." She said down the hall; clearing addressing the other two, but still giving the two men goosebumps. She then went after the others at a slower more relaxed pace.
The two soldiers moved from cover after their local radars gave the all clear. Both of them just stared off for several moments where the woman had just stood without speaking. Something was off about that one. Both of them could feel it. They also couldn't shake off her words.
"Okay, that was weird," Cronus said, finally coming back into reality and breaking the silence.
"No kidding," Atlas said. "What were they even doing here?"
"The training area's nearby. They were probably there when the attack hit." Cronus said.
"This early in the morning?" Atlas questioned.
"My best guess." Cronus just shrugged. Another brief silence followed.
"You think she saw us?"
"What do you mean us?" Cronus asked with a smile in his voice. "If she saw anything, it was probably your fat ass sticking out of cover."
"I'll remember that the next time you need this fat ass to save yours… sir." Atlas said, pulling a cigar out from a case on his belt and placing it through the mouth of his helmet he opened.
"Good point," Cronus said, enjoying the banter that was easing the tense atmosphere. "I might need something to absorb the bullets."
Atlas rolled his eyes under his helmet.
"I've changed my mind. Command was right. It is a miracle you've lasted this long." Atlas then raised his finger to light the cigar
"Woah!" Cronus reached out and stopped Atlas. "Don't do that. You might trip the smoke alarms. They're not connected to the tower's network."
"I'm carrying a flamethrower." Atlas deadpanned, rolling his eyes again behind the mask.
"And by the time you use it, it will be aimed at Zeus. I don't want to give him more warning then we have to." Cronus said.
"You're the boss." Atlas put his cigar away, sighing and sounding pathetically sad.
The two continued their way to the elevator. When they arrived, Cronus immediately set to work hacking the console by jacking into it. Tearing down a door was one thing, but Atlas would probably rip out the entire elevator given the chance.
Suddenly he got a notice for a private comm line from Mnemosyne. Knowing that it must be serious, he accepted without another thought.
"Sir, we might have a problem," Mnemosyne said urgently; surreally sounding flustered.
"Obviously," Cronus rolled his eyes as he continued to work. "What's wrong?"
"I think Coeus is a traitor," Mnemosyne stated bluntly.
That caused Cronus to stumble and trigger the tracking system on the security. The system was now aware of him, and trying to stop him.
"Son of a Creep loving..." Cronus almost started chaining swears aloud; Though instead focused energy into now involving his hands to help his Neural. "What makes you say that?"
"He's gone dark," Mnemosyne said flatly.
"That's not unusual for him. He's always had his reasons and they've always been good ones." Cronus reasoned.
"Well, I thought of that too. But I activated his emergency tracker just in case. He's heading to the CCT, which just so happens to be the next nearest communication line to the Atlas fleet we sent away. He could boost the CCT signal to send a distress call." Mnemosyne countered.
Cronus breathed a sigh of relief as he finished hacking the console and the elevator opened. Not an alarm to be heard.
"None of that means Coeus is a traitor. He may be taking initiative and eliminating that rogue element." Cronus said aloud by accident.
"Coeus is a what now?" Atlas' head spun round fast from the surprise of traitor talk.
Cronus paused for a moment, weighing the positives and negatives of letting this traitor nonsense stir in any more of his team.
"Hold on. I'm patching Atlas in." He said.
After another brief pause, the conversation continued.
"I'm in. What's all this about Coeus being a traitor?" Atlas demanded.
"Nothing." Cronus dismissed. "Mnemosyne's just paranoid."
"You remember how we've had a lot of security breaches recently?" Mnemosyne said, ignoring her boss.
"What of it?" Atlas asked.
"The first one started around the same time Coeus joined the team." Mnemosyne stated.
"Coincidence." Cronus dismissed.
"So I reasoned too. But I had to be sure, just in case someone else noticed who's a lot more jumpy with conclusions. And after tracking him using the tracer in his Neural, I've found that he was in the vicinity of every. Single. Breach. Honestly, I didn't want to believe it. But especially with this most recent action, how many coincidences does it take to be something more?"
Mnemosyne let the words hang for a while.
"That backstabbing son of a bitch!" Atlas shouted aloud.
"Keep your voice down!" Cronus ordered in a hushed whisper, then went back to comms. "We don't know that for sure."
"I know you don't want to admit it, sir. And even with as cynical as I know I can get, I truly don't want to think he'd do this. But it needs checking out." Mnemosyne nearly... Pleaded? That was a first.
Cronus put a first to his helmeted forehead to think. And after some moments with that, he gave up and sighed.
"Fine. I'll send Atlas. And afterwords, we need to talk about this other 'tracer' you've got on all of us. Over and out." He then closed the channel.
"Boss, you can't beat Zeus alone," Atlas said.
"We can't send anyone from Prometheus' team unless we draw attention, and Mnemosyne is busy monitoring the window. If this is going to be investigated, it has to be you." Cronus asserted. "Besides, I don't want the others to know unless we're certain."
"But boss…" Atlas began.
"No buts. I am your leader and I'm ordering you to go to the CCT." Cronus' said even more firmly.
"I… Understood boss." Atlas reluctantly obeyed.
"Zeus isn't the first Huntsman I've faced and I have no intention for him to be the last," Cronus said placing a hand on Atlas' shoulder.
"Officio et honore"
"Officio et honore." Atlas echoed, grabbing Cronus' own shoulder.
"Don't sound so uneasy. Besides…" Cronus said as he unclasped his comrade and friend and entered the elevator. "…What can one old man do?"
"You're way older than he is!" Atlas shouted after him.
Cronus recoiled, placing a hand over his heart in mock pain.
"Don't insult me." He said dramatically as the doors closed.
As the elevator rose, the old soldier sighed. He really wasn't sure he could take Zeus alone, but he had no choice.
A traitor was a far bigger threat.
WWWWWWWW
Blake rushed down the halls after Yang and Ruby in search of Weiss. Had she been too harsh? She didn't want Weiss to do anything stupid. What's done is done. Rushing off now wouldn't change anything. She just didn't want Weiss to make the same mistake again.
She needed to talk to Weiss. She didn't regret what she said, but she was having second thoughts about how she said it. All the stories she heard… had they clouded her judgement? Had she begun to see Weiss as a machine and not a person? Even if mad, she never would have reacted so strongly towards her. If so, it would have to be something she worked on. She promised to give Weiss a chance, and she refused to let her get herself killed because she felt she had something to prove.
Blake mentally scoffed. Not long ago it was her team trying to hold her back for her wellbeing. Not long ago it was her who was afraid when her secret was revealed. Now she was the one chasing a teammate whose secret had been revealed, who was running off into the first enemy they saw because they didn't know what to do. Oh, how things had changed in one short day.
The three approached the locker room just as Weiss came out in full battle gear. The trio stopped in front of her.
"Weiss, what are you doing?" Ruby asked when she was close enough.
"What does it look like?" Weiss sounded impatient. "I'm going to put this right."
"There's nothing we can do. We need to take shelter and let the professionals deal with this." Blake tried to reason.
"That's hypocritical coming from you." Weiss' response was harsh and blunt.
"That was different and you know it," Blake retorted. "Whoever is attacking did so knowing professional Hunters would be here. We might just get in the way and make things worse."
"I've already made things worse by forgetting to tell them," Weiss sighed. "You run if you want. I can't turn my back on this."
She then pushed past the three and began to walk away. A suicide march.
"Weiss, wait!" Ruby shouted after her.
"I'm not coming back Ruby."
"No, I know… but we can at least go with you."
Weiss turned and looked into Ruby's pleading eyes.
"Please." The young teen begged.
After a long silence, Weiss spoke, "You have five minutes."
Without wasting time, Ruby grabbed both Blake and Yang and dragged them inside the locker room. Once inside, Ruby rushed straight for her locker to get her battle gear. But Blake and Yang stayed by the door.
"Why are we doing this?" Blake asked.
"We're doing this for Weiss." Was Ruby's simple answer.
"But I'm telling you, we can't handle this. I mean… they're attacking Beacon, one of the finest academies in the world. They wouldn't do that if they weren't prepared." Blake was beginning to get desperate. Why couldn't her team see just how far out of their depth they were?
"So we're supposed to just hide? If we did that with all problems like that, we wouldn't have been at Mt. Glenn. We all agreed to fight together. We weren't going to just stand by and wait, remember?" Ruby began to place ammo clips all over herself so she had plenty of bullets to spare.
"That's exactly my point! I've been thinking a lot after the breach. And even if we threw a wrench into Torchwick and the White Fang's plans, we didn't really change anything…"
"NO!" Ruby spun around to face Blake. "We did more than throw a wrench. We got there before they were ready, and they had to attack early. Who knows how many more people would have died if we didn't stop them!"
Blake narrowed her eyes at Ruby, she was beginning to see something in the young girl. Something was changing. "Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night? That you saved lives and didn't cost them? Do you even think about those White Fang we knocked around in the tunnels, or the first people that were around when the Grimm crawled out?"
Ruby recoiled like she had been struck, a look of shock on her face. She then let out a frustrated growl before turning back to her locker.
"Watch yourself, Blake," Yang warned, her eyes briefly flashing red.
"I'm… sorry," She wasn't really (and was beginning to wonder if something was changing inside herself too), but they had too big of a problem to start a squabble among themselves. "But it doesn't change the fact that this time we're the ones taken by surprise."
"Then we better hurry up and get un-surprised." Ruby snapped, closed her locker, and began to leave.
Yang blocked the door with her arm to stop her sister. Ruby didn't even flinch or stop looking ahead.
"You're really going to do this, aren't you?" Yang said firmly with a hint of worry.
"Yup." She said without hesitating or even looking at her sister.
"With or without us?"
"Yup."
Silence endured for a heartbeat.
"...Alright then." Yang coincided, lowering her arm and walked to her own locker.
"You're going too?" Blake asked mildly surprised.
"Of course. I have to protect my sister." Was her only reply.
This was bad. Now the entire team was going to rush of, possibly to their deaths (Another factor she constantly thought about after having brought them into her war against Torchwick). She still thought this was stupid, but… could she abandon her team… again? Images of a train were in her mind. On one cart she stood, severing the others. Across from her was her partner, pain and surprise visible even through his mask.
No. She couldn't live that again. With a sigh, she headed to her own locker.
"I knew you'd come around little kitty," Yang said with a soft smile.
The two prepared in silence and met the others outside waiting.
"Finally. Come on we need to go." Weiss said as she started to head off.
The four teens sprinted their way out of the student housing and off deeper into campus. Weiss was leading them forward, yet to everyone's surprise she wasn't heading towards the bright fire lights and the sounds of fighting, she was leading them towards the main buildings of Beacon.
"Uh, where are we going? The fighting is that way." Yang asked huffing.
"If this is an attack on Beacon, then they're probably aiming for the headmaster. We need to go to his-" Weiss braked, catching everyone off guard as she readied her weapon.
Blake was the first to follow suit because she also heard the loud footsteps heading their way. A moment later, a giant of a man in jet black armor rounded the nearby building's corner. His helmet had the image of a face on it, and the round fuel tank for the flamethrower in his hand looked like the world of Remnant on his back. But what terrified the others the most was the sight of the abnormally large cybernetic arms the man had, with hands large enough to hold a person's head in and crush it like a grape.
Seeing the girls, the man stopped before them.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" His voice was deep, and muffled by his helmet and some sort of light distortion. "Four little girlies separated from the main group? Deliberately no less. Ya'll wanting to play the big heroines, eh? Hoping to drive back the bad invaders?"
He threw his head back as much as he could and faked a good laugh before addressing the teens again.
"Oh that's just precious. Well fortunately for you, my orders say I'm on the way out anyway. Go ahead and make a big story about how you drove me off. I'm sure you'll get some extra credit or something and get a nice little pat on the back… or head in your case shorty." He pointed to Ruby with the last words.
"Now if you'll excuse, the grown up has something to- WHOA!."
The soldier was interrupted by Weiss dashing forward trying to stab at his throat. He managed to deflect the blow and tried swinging back wildly. Weiss easily dodged and re-joined the team. Nerves were fading and focus was taking hold between them.
"That wasn't very nice snowflake. Look, I don't have the time or, to be honest, the will to hurt you right now. So move and I'll pretend that didn't happen."
Team RWBY stood on guard. This was just another foe like the hundreds they've beaten together by now. It was go time.
"So be it then."
The soldier sent a jet of flame hurling towards the group.
WWWWWWWW
A/N: Hello everyone who is reading this (because let's be honest, no one cares about the A/N). It's been a while.
Firstly this story is not dead. But things have changed. FirestarLeon has announced that he is retiring from FanFiction. This chapter was the last work between the two of us. Now, I intend to continue the story if even one person says that they would like to see it continue. Also, as far as I'm concerned it is still a collaboration so if FirestarLeon just wanted to barge back in then they could because this is still their story too. Sadly though, I feel it fair to warn you that the writing quality might (will) go down since FirestarLeon was by far the better writer. But I will do my best to serve. I'll also still be sending chapters to FirestarLeon to post on their copy of the story if anyone is just watching their one. You hear that FirestarLeon? I'm not doing this to cram it down your throat, but if you are reading it then go for it.
Secondly, not much action this chapter but it has set up for a lot in the next. "Cronus" vs. "Zeus". RWBY vs. "Atlas". Jaune and Pyrrah caught in the crosshairs.
Thirdly, the next chapter was basically planned by me and FirestarLeon so I will do that at least, let you decide if it's worth continuing or if I should just hang it up.
Ok, that's the lot. See you next time!