Chapter 11: Descent
U.S.S Constantine, Skies over Kronos
12:00 pm
While Donnic and his group were waging war against the ruthless Inquisition, Ironwood was carrying out an investigation into the Aletian forces to look for the traitor that has been selling out secrets to Inquisitor over the course of the attacks. He was working with several different leaders in the different branches of the military, searching through each communication network to see if the traitor had been using Aletian channels to speak with Inquisitor. During his investigation, he stumbled across a heavily encrypted communications channel that had been used a lot, but the identity of the user had surprised him...
" James, what is the meaning of this meeting?" Bennett asked his associate.
It had belonged to his former mentor, Brigadier General Christopher Bennett.
" You are aware that I had been carrying out the investigation into a possible info leak in our military, correct?" Ironwood said.
" Yes, I hope you found something." Bennett said in a supportive tone.
" I did, arrest him." Ironwood said to the two soldiers who emerged from the shadows.
" What the hell?" Bennett said.
" Brigadier General, You are hereby under arrest for treason against the Aletian people." Ironwood said.
Bennett immediately knew he had been compromised, but he knew more than what he had taught General Ironwood back in their younger years. He immediately started to chuckle...
" What's so funny?" Ironwood asked.
" Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. When will you remember my teachings?" Bennett said.
" Of course I remembered what you taught me, how do you think I caught you?" Ironwood said.
" Well, I didn't teach you everything I know." Bennett said, activating one of his cufflinks, which was actually a sonic emitter.
The soldiers screamed out in pain as Bennett escaped from his handcuffs, and attacked Ironwood when he reached for a pistol, drawing a knife. The General combated his former mentor, thinking he had the upper hand, only for Bennett to overpower him and drive the knife into his side. Crimson was just starting to soak into Ironwood's uniform, and Bennett tossed his former student into his desk...
" Inquisitor is not a terrorist, just the leader of Remnant's second largest military superpower that rivals that of Atlas." Bennett said with a chuckle.
Ironwood wanted to find the words to say to his treasonous mentor, but the pain from being stabbed was too much for him. Bennett turned around and executed the two soldiers with a sidearm he had hidden in his sleeve, then walked out of his office. Nyssa, Ironwood's secretary, came rushing in and called for medics, then called Winter to warn her. Meanwhile, Bennett was extracted and brought to a carrier off the coast, which transported him to a series of towers out on the sea, where he contacted Inquisitor...
" I'm deeply sorry sir, My assignment has been compromised." Bennett said.
" You should not blame yourself Bennett, no one could have anticipated Ironwood would be relentless in his search." Inquisitor said.
" Well, I did leaving him bleeding in his office on his personal flagship." Bennett said.
" Yes, you did." Inquisitor said in an impressed tone.
" What will I do now?" Bennett asked.
" You will take up your position as Sanctuary's Head Administrator." Inquisitor said.
"Sir?" Bennett asked.
" Yes Christopher, you are going to the Nation. " Inquisitor said.
Beacon Academy Library, Vale
12:16 pm
The group had just activated Wallace, the former robotic assistant to Private Investigator Thomas King. Wallace revealed that Inquisitor is actually William Jacob Darnell, the son of the deceased Aletian mad scientist Robert Darnell. They had also learned that his power armor is preventing him from choking to death due to a mutation in his lungs that are causing them to seal up, and they are now visibly shaken by the discovery of the attack on General Ironwood...
" Is he alright?" Andrea asked.
" He's going to have to be hospitalized for a severe stab wound to his upper torso." Winter said.
" Bennett must have been Inquisitor's spy in the Atlas Military." Desmond figured.
" Could be, who else could be the info leak?" Donnic said.
" What was Bennett's position in the military?" Alexis F. asked Winter.
" He was... the Head of Military Intelligence." Winter said in a tone of realization.
" Exactly, that's the perfect place for a spy to hide." Alexis F. said.
" Who else in the military is involved in the hunt for Inquisitor?" Evan asked.
" There was obviously General Ironwood, Naval Administrator Cole, and... Brigadier General Thomas Marrow." Winter said.
" What's his position?" Desmond asked.
" I can answer that, he's the head of the Power Trooper division of the army." Dante said.
" Wait, what's a power trooper?" Donnic asked.
" Basically the heavy hitters of the army due to their use of power armor." Dante explained.
" We should get this Intel to him, then." Andrea said.
" Wait sis, can this Marrow guy be trusted?" Evan asked.
" He can, he hates Inquisitor with a passion and will do anything." Winter explained.
" So it's settled then, we're going back to Atlas." Donnic said.
" Right, let's go knock the living daylights out of a terrorist." Wallace said in his accent.
" Hell yeah!" Blaze said, smacking the robot's back.
They concluded their discussion, with Winter adding the fact that Marrow was actually the youngest Brigadier General in the Aletian Military at only the age of 18. They loaded up in Winter's airship and flew to Atlas's central military installation which was codenamed with a name no one had anticipated:FORT VAHALLA. The structure was enormous, housing the central leadership of each branch of the military, allowing for proper coordination of special operations. They made their way to Marrow's office, and found him concluding a discussion with the Atlas Council...
" Um, Hello?" Dante said.
" Ah, Commander Perez, can you give me a reason not to press this button and have you arrested for going AWOL?" Marrow said.
" Even better, we'll let you talk to Wallace." Dante said.
" Who?" Marrow asked.
" Me, you tosser!" Wallace said.
After 13 minutes of explaining the entirety of Wallace's data on Inquisitor, Marrow seemed to have actually been convinced by what has been told to him...
" Now you know everything we know." Winter said.
" Knowing is only half the battle." Donnic said.
" You got that from that promo we saw a while back." Desmond said to Donnic.
" So that explains everything, then?" Marrow asked.
" Yes, that is all the information Wallace and his former master were able to gather." Winter responded.
" I see, do you understand the situation currently present is in fact very delicate?" Marrow said to Winter.
" Wait, what?" Winter said.
" The reputation of our nation's military has been damaged greatly because of our failed attempts at stopping the attacks. People have lost faith in the military, even our leadership, as we have failed to stop only one terrorist and his private army, who have in fact, brought us, Remnant's largest military superpower, to it's knees in fear." Marrow said.
" I hadn't expected it to have gotten this bad, sir." Winter said.
" Well it has, we don't even know where Inquisitor is hiding." Marrow said in annoyance as his intercom kicked on. "What?" He said into it.
" General Marrow, sir, there's a young girl named Lucy here to see you." The person on the other end said.
" I don't know any Lucy." Marrow said.
" She's says she from someplace called Sanctuary." The other person said.
Everyone's eyebrows were raised at the mentioning of Sanctuary, the hideout of the very enemy everyone sought after, so he allowed her to enter his office. Lucy was a skinny girl, wearing a grey hoodie, black pants, red sneakers, and sunglasses over her eyes. Streaks of purple stuck out of her hood, and when she pulled her hood down, streaks of purple had lined her jet black hair, also revealing her pale white skin. She took off the sunglasses, folding them up and putting them in her pocket, revealing a set of blue eyes that proved false as a thin line of red appeared around the blue irises.
" Are you Lucy?" Marrow said.
" Yes, I am." Lucy said.
" What's with the colored lenses?" Donnic asked.
" Oh, you noticed huh?" Lucy said, pulling out a small box.
" Are you seriously wearing colored lenses?" Marrow asked as she pulled the lenses out of her eyes.
" Well if I walked in with my normal eye color, your soldiers would have pissed themselves." Lucy said, revealing her blood red irises.
" Holy shit!" Donnic said.
" SHE'S A HYBRID!" Desmond exclaimed, reaching for his greatsword.
" Stand down big guy, let her speak her piece." Evan said.
" Thank you, man." Lucy said.
" Why did you come here?" Marrow said.
" I came try and preserve Sanctuary's peace." Lucy said.
" Sanctuary's peace?" Marrow asked.
" When Inquisitor established Sanctuary after finishing what his father made, only improving it's design, he released those whose immune systems had recovered into the city. He constructed the place to make us feel like a peaceful nation by making the inside a paradise for us. Sanctuary has schools that teach us the history of the surface and the language of it's different nations, Hospitals, stores, places of entertainment, libraries with surface-known texts, and arcades. He even has machines that print currency for the city that has the same equivalent value to that of the lien that the people use on the surface." Lucy explained.
" Great, he wants the hybrids to be peaceful towards us." Donnic said.
" So you hoped that coming here that you could try and preserve the peace that Sanctuary has." Marrow figured.
" Please stop saying that dude, it feels rather offensive to constantly remind me what I am, and yes to your statement, General." Lucy said.
" Sorry." Donnic said.
" Why would you take that risk? Don't you fear what would happen if Inquisitor found out you're here?" Marrow asked.
" Because I love my home city, and I do not wish to see it thrown to the dogs of war." Lucy said.
" That's deep." Dante said.
" None of Sanctuary's civilian inhabitants have any clue about the conflicts happening up here, so if you invade the city, you'll appear as the monsters of a bad story to them." Lucy explained.
" They're completely oblivious?" Xavier asked.
" Yes, Inquisitor has been very well at keeping this conflict he is raging on the surface a secret, and forbids any of the city's people from joining the military." Lucy said.
" So what are you suggesting?" Marrow asked.
" If I help you remove Inquisitor, will you be willing to negotiate a peace between our peoples?" Lucy asked.
Marrow was at a difficult choice, should he wage war with a race that is completely oblivious to the conflict that is raging on the surface? Or should he make peace with them? He decided to confer with the group on the matter to receive an outside opinion on this matter...
" What do you think you should be done about this matter?" Marrow asked.
" They must be wiped out, they're unpredictable being part Grimm, and I feel that they are abominations!" Desmond said.
" What if Inquisitor doesn't want them to be like the Grimm, that's why he's kept them in the dark about this conflict, didn't think about that Desmond?" Andrea said.
" So..." Marrow said.
" I say you should take the peace offer." Andrea said.
" I'm with my sister on this one, if they are truly completely oblivious to the conflict waging up here, they won't be hostile towards us." Evan said.
" I vote for the peace offer, Atlas doesn't need to look like bullies all the time, so making peace with shows that your kingdom can be reasonable when it comes to certain matters." Xavier said.
" I'm with the big guy, I don't want my homeland to be seen as bullies or genocidal murderers." Dante said, siding with Xavier.
" Atlas has enough blood on it's hands from the wars it's been apart of, go for the peace option." Alexis F. said.
" I usually don't say this, but go for the peace offer." Blaze said.
" There's an old saying my dad taught me, " Don't go fighting for war with someone kept in the dark." In English, take the freaking peace offering." Donnic said.
" What say you, Operative Schnee?" Marrow asked.
" The way she told us that story, there was no possible way for that fabricated, so I say, take the peace offer." Winter said.
" Have you all taken leave of your senses?!" Desmond exclaimed.
" Desmond, as your team captain, I strongly advise you to shut the hell up." Donnic said as the door behind them exploded.
At that moment, a group of soldiers wearing jet black combat uniforms barged into the room, pointing their firearms at the group...
" Stay the hell where you are!" The Commander said.
" What the hell?" Marrow said.
" Crap, I thought I lost them." Lucy muttered.
" They all know too much, and you were to stay put in Sanctuary." The Commander said to Lucy.
" I wasn't going to believe that the surface was evil like he says it is when he is causing misery on it." Lucy said, referencing Inquisitor.
" He was trying to preserve your innocence, that's why he doesn't want you fighting, girl." The Commander said angrily.
" My name is Lucy!" Lucy exclaimed angrily.
Desmond looked to see Lucy's irises starting to get a little brighter, and a strange mark on her hand began to glow...
" Soldiers, kill the others, and then we're dragging this little brat home." The Commander said.
" NO, YOU'RE NOT." Lucy said, summoning a hand-held hammer made completely of bone.
Lucy swung the hammer with great speed, knocking the commander over towards General Marrow, and the group attacked the soldiers in full force. Desmond was fighting off soldiers when he was attacked by a soldier who was skilled in the use of stun batons. He was getting overpowered because his fighting style required a great deal of strength, while his opponent's required only a great deal of speed, and was nearly about to be beaten when Lucy's hammer impacted into the dude's neck, shattering it and she offered Desmond an outstretched hand to him...
" No, we're supposed to be the best trained!" The commander exclaimed as the group surrounded him.
" You are clearly wrong." Marrow said, snapping his neck with a robotic arm.
The group was surprised that the General that they had come to meet had a chrome-steel robotic arm. A group of guardsmen arrived and cleaned up the bodies, and Desmond and Marrow walked over to talk to Lucy who was standing by the window.
" You saved my life, even after all the hurtful things I had said." Desmond said.
" We are not monsters like you believe, we will never be like those demons." Lucy said, referring to the Grimm.
" What I was trying to say earlier, is that I'll talk about the peaceful option with the Council, but they'll expect some contribution out of it even if they accept." Marrow said.
" We have access to rare oceanic flora that can be used to advance medical studies and a lot of us are pretty smart." Lucy said.
" Ok, so we have got to talk with the council." Donnic said.
" I'll make the arrangements." Marrow said.
The Aletian Council consisted of four people, two men and two women, and each were hardened veterans of the Atlas military. They were gathered in the central meeting hall with Marrow and the group to discuss the matter pertaining to Sanctuary...
" General Marrow, is there a reason you have called for this meeting?" The First councilor said.
" You should be taking the fight to Inquisitor right now." The Second Councilor said.
" There has been a complication, pertaining to the hybrids he has created." Marrow said.
" Hybrids?" The Third councilor said.
" What are you going on about, General?" The First Councilor asked.
" Inquisitor has continued Robert Darnell's research, and has succeeded where he failed." Marrow said.
" No! That can't be possible! Darnell's research has been destroyed." The Second councilor said in a disbelieving tone.
Marrow signaled Lucy to step out from the shadows, just as she was taking her colored lenses out and putting them back in the box, revealing her true eye color...
" Maker's breath!" The First Councilor said in a shocked tone.
" Oh my god." The Second Councilor said.
" How is it possible?" The Third Councilor said.
" What is that girl?" The Fourth Councilor said.
" This is Lucy, she came from Sanctuary, so yes, she is a human-Grimm hybrid." Marrow said.
" She's a monstrosity!" The First Councilor exclaimed.
" If I was a monster, I would have killed General Marrow and the others in his office and then came for each of you." Lucy said.
" Lucy has informed us that the hybrids are actually oblivious to their creator's activities, as his entire private army consists of humans and Faunus that are loyal to him." Marrow explained.
" He doesn't want the hybrids involved in the fighting as he believes that they'll become just like the Grimm." Lucy said.
" Is there any proof of this claim?" The Third Councilor asked.
" Yes, I have it right here." Lucy said, pulling back her sleeve to reveal a high-tech wrist bracer.
She uploaded a series of recordings into the councilors' terminals, recordings of citizens and soldiers talking with Inquisitor...
" The recordings you had just received are recorded discussions between Inquisitor's soldiers, Sanctuary residents, and Inquisitor himself. All are pertaining to the Hybrids joining the army that protects Sanctuary." Lucy said.
They played the first one, which was a discussion between Inquisitor and a lieutenant from his private army...
Lieutenant: Sir, the hybrids are constantly asking me if we have been attacking the surface.
Inquisitor: I constantly quell these rumors because I do not wish for them to be a part of our war with Atlas.
Lieutenant: Sir, I don't understand why they are kept in the dark about this?
Inquisitor: What do you fear, Lieutenant?
Lieutenant: Sir?
Inquisitor: What do you fear?
Lieutenant: Well, I fear losing my family to the Grimm, much like the most of the soldiers in the army.
Inquisitor: That is understandable trooper, My greatest fear is that the hybrids will lose themselves to their own nature should they ever take a life.
Lieutenant: That's what you're afraid of, sir?
Inquisitor: Yes. (Heavy footsteps) When I look at them, I see a race that has known both the light and the dark but has not known the horrors of war. My father had originally intended them to be weapons of war because of their connection to the Grimm. When I first set my eyes upon the hybrid that was going to be my daughter, I saw a potential for them to be something much more than mindless slaves to the drums of war. A potential to be a great change that will strengthen the world from the coming darkness.
Lieutenant: You have a hybrid daughter, sir?
Inquisitor: My own DNA was mixed in with hers so she could survive delivery, so she is basically my daughter.
Lieutenant: So what do you suggest I do, sir?
Inquisitor: Tell the person who has been inciting these rumors, the truth.
Lieutenant: Yes sir.
The Councilors were rendered speechless by Inquisitor's words; the most feared terrorist in all of Atlas was morally conflicted when it came to the race he had created. Team D.E.A.D was at a loss for words, they had just learned Inquisitor was a terrorist with corrupted morals that he had been conflicted with for a while. The Councilors instructed Team D.E.A.D and Dante's group to wait out in the hall with Lucy, leaving them all alone to discuss the matter with General Marrow...
" This recording...has left us at a loss for words." The Second Councilor said.
" I'm surprised just as well as you Councilor." Marrow said.
" Is there anything else we should know regarding Inquisitor?" The Third Councilor said.
" Inquisitor has been confirmed to be Robert Darnell's son and the one who lead us to his lab operation years ago." Marrow said.
" William?" The Fourth Councilor said in a shocked tone.
" Yes, ma'am." Marrow said.
" My god." The Second Councilor said.
" Pfff, are you all seriously believing this bullshit?" The First Councilor said.
" Sir?" Marrow said.
" You are all willing to take the word of some abomination created by a terrorist?" The First Councilor said.
The other Councilors started to murmur and signaled two guards to escort the First Councilor out of the room...
" What is the meaning of this?" The First Councilor said as the guards grabbed him by his shoulders.
" First Councilor, you are hereby removed from your position as councilor, and blacklisted from any political gatherings." The Second Councilor said.
" You can't do this to me!" The First Councilor said, struggling to get free of the guards' grip.
" No, we can." The Second Councilor said as the First Councilor was escorted from the room.
" Is there a reason you did that?" Marrow asked.
" He was discovered selling Paladin Mech Prototypes to black market dealers, and we all just got rid of one major headache." The Third Councilor said.
They let the two groups back into the room, and Lucy stepped up to the platform beside Marrow while everyone else sat in the rows behind them...
" Lucy of Sanctuary." The Second Councilor started.
" Yes?" Lucy said.
" Aside from the First Councilor's removal, we three have come to an agreement." The Second Councilor said.
" Upon Inquisitor's removal, a peace agreement shall be negotiated with envoys from the independent city of Sanctuary." The Third Councilor's explained.
" Really?" Lucy said with excitement.
" Yes, if Inquisitor wanted the innocence of your people preserved, it will only be proper for us to ensure it is continued." The Fourth Councilor said.
" Thank you all so much." Lucy said.
" Now, shall we prepare a team for the descent to Sanctuary?" The Second Councilor asked the others.
" There's an alternative to using Aletian soldiers, you know?" Andrea said.
" Excuse me?" The Second Councilor said.
" We'll go so you don't accidentally incite an open war with Sanctuary." Donnic said.
" Are you sure?" The Second Councilor asked.
" Yeah, we were kind of the first ones to know about the hybrids." Evan said.
" Well then, you kids have quite a Descent ahead of you." Lucy said.
It had been decided: Team D.E.A.D was going to be breaking into Sanctuary and will face down with the most dangerous individual in Remnant...
This concludes Chapter 11, with The Atlas Council deciding to forge a peace agreement with the people of Sanctuary, declaring them an Independent City-Nation. Lucy is set to have a major role later on in the next chapter as a secret is revealed about her when they enter Sanctuary. We are nearing the end of this fantastic story people, so strap yourself in for one wild ride that will make you want to read this story over and over again...
WAIT AND SEE.