Chapter 26
Take Me Home
XXXXX
Qrow didn't surprise easily. Between growing up outside the kingdoms and spending most of his adult life fighting Salem, he had felt certain he had seen it all. "ONE FUCKING COFFEE MUG! I don't think I'm asking for very much, do you? I'm not picky, you can just spit in it, that'll do. Come man, do me a solid here! I'd get on my knees and beg! IF I FUCKING HAD ANY!" A tiny, Zwei sized robot was wrapped firmly around Qrow's leg, leaving the seasoned Huntsmen slack jawed. It had one wheel instead of legs, a bulky body, and a screen with a smiling coffee cup on it. And it was acting like an addict looking for a fix.
"Fuck's sake. Muggy? Over there!" James was right behind him, looking down at the robot with exasperation. Reaching into his rucksack, he produced a dusty mug and laid it gently on the ground. Letting out a screech, "Muggy" grabbed it and rolled away, squealing in delight.
"What is wrong with this place?" Qrow said, staring in disbelief.
"Everything," James said. "Literally goddamn everything." When the three of them, plus one, had stepped out of that portal, James had led them to some complex in the middle of a giant crater. According to him, this was where he was before he had ended up in Remnant. He had been expecting some kind of morbid, government owned black ops site, judging by the way the place looked. Instead he has gotten a flirty light switch, a horny cloning machine, and an evil toaster. These were the side projects of people who had cracked inter-dimensional travel?
"Don't take this the wrong way, but after the Legion and you, I was expecting this Earth to be less…stupid," Qrow said.
"You're not saying anything I haven't thought a hundred thousand times," James said, his voice sour. "I don't know what was wrong with the Pre-War world, but half the sites from that era either give you headaches, nightmares, or both. This is both. The other half, thankfully, are just sometimes somber and overall good scavenging sites."
"Nice place you've got," Qrow said, idly undoing his hip flask and taking a swig.
"Mind if I get some of that?" Qrow paused for a second before shrugging and handing it to James. The older man took a rather deep gulp, much deeper than Qrow's. Sighing, he lowered the flask.
The two of them were sitting inside a building James called "The Sink." He wasn't sure why the sink got singled out when all it had going for it was germaphobia, but whatever, he didn't name the place. They were standing in the middle of the main room, Winter off to the distance inspecting an "auto-doc." James had shoved the tattooed rageaholic into it, with it saying that it would be able to fix her up. Oh, the automated surgical machine talked too, like everything else in here. Why not?
"How the hell did you find a place like this?" Qrow asked.
"Against my will," James said, handing the flask back. "Got teleported here when I checked out a pre-war satellite. Assholes here thought it'd be funny to operate on me while I was under. All the metal bits I got? Courtesy of the quacks who call this place home."
"People live here?" Winter had crossed the room and had sat down with the two of them.
James waved his hand in a "so-so" manner. "Kinda. Pre-War scientists had their brains put in jars. The preservation process was imperfect, so a lot of their tissue degraded over the years. They aren't quite right in the head. Best if we just avoid them."
Winter looked at James in disbelief, though not to the degree that Qrow had expected. "Is there anything else we should be worried about?"
"Well, the lobotomized kidnap victims and the robot scorpions should be dealt with. So honestly our top concern is Legion agents on this end investigating their away team going missing." James looked as if every word was causing him great pain. "I hate this place." That was certainly understandable, Qrow had been here for ten minutes and already be didn't like it that much. And it was getting more irritable by the minute. He had half a mind to ask for more details, but he couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't like what he heard.
"So what's the plan?" Winter asked, sounding as if she was trying to get his mind off of Big Mountain.
"Well, head back to where I found the original portal, and pray we can get it working so that you two aren't stranded in a radioactive wasteland." Unless Qrow was mistaken, there was a bit of guilt in the man's voice.
"Qrow? Who's Salem? What are Maidens and Relics?" Qrow's blood went cold. Oh right. His sister's loose lips back at the Scattered base. Well crap.
"Why do you ask?" This was a naked delaying tactic, and he had no doubt they knew it.
"Han talked about it. He told us quite a bit about her. And you and your sister seemed to know who she was," Winter said. She was now eyeing him with suspicion. "James, I just remembered something. Do you recall when Qrow first came to Beacon and there was a private matter that he was present for? One that required us to leave?" Qrow knew that, with the limited information Walker and the Ice Queen had, this was circumstantial evidence at best. But they were starting to get the feeling that something was wrong, that there was more going on that they realized. And if they went around blabbing about everything, trying to piece it together on their own, they would have a massive intelligence leak. Besides, they had fought a Maiden. The cat was already out of the bag, they just had a name for it now.
"I take it you got questions," Qrow said. Both of them locked eyes with them. He sighed. "Well, I'll give it to you straight. You know what unknown enemy we were worried about? Well, it was more the specific agents that we didn't know, Cinder and her lapdogs. We've been dealing with the one pulling her strings for a long time. Salem." He shifted where he sat, idly taking his flask out of James's hand. The older man was so slack as he stared in shock that it would've been harder to take it from a baby. Taking a swig, he continued.
"Ozpin's been leading the secret fight against her for a long time. He's been gathering allies that he can trust, making sure as few people know as possible. At the moment that's me, Glynda, and the headmasters of the other academies."
"So General Ironwood knows?" Winter asked, sounding surprised.
"He was only brought in recently, but yes," Qrow said. That seemed to partially mollify Winter, but she was still scowling at Qrow. "Ozpin says Grimm were around before she was, but when she wants to, she can get them to obey her. You can almost call them allies of circumstance."
"And I've gone and pissed her off," James said, his face gaunt.
"You've got a talent for it," Qrow said. "As for what the Maidens and Relics are? They both predate recorded history. There's no way to get around it, they're magic." Winter, despite everything, narrowed her eyes in skepticism. Qrow grinned. "Don't believe in magic?"
"You're asking me to believe an awful lot," she said cooly. "Semblances and Aura are a science, observable and studied. They're mystical in nature, but they have hard limits and rules. Magic is the realm of the superstitious, of phony psychics that exploit desperate families and fools who think they can live off of sunlight." She faltered for a minute. "But. I do have to admit, I've never seen anything like what Cinder did. It just…felt different. More raw and powerful than Aura. And your sister. That portal that she used to get to us was her Semblance, wasn't it?" Qrow nodded. "So. Semblances can't give two different abilities that are so different. Your ability can have a wide variance, just look at James's, but turning into a bird?"
Ah, so she was already doubting her own skepticism. Well, perhaps it was time for the band aid to come off. "Yup. Kind of like how this isn't my Semblance." On that note, he transformed into a crow. Winter sprang to her feet in shock, while James's eyes went wide. After a caw, he turned back. "There's not a lot of magic in the world. Ozpin has some, he gave a bit of it to me and my sister."
So, let me get this straight, the difference is that Semblance and Aura specialize while magic can do whatever the fuck it wants?" James asked. "Because they both feel like magic to me, just different types."
"That and Aura comes from the soul. Magic is its own thing, you could call it self powered. Ozpin can mold magic when he gives it. But once it's set, it's set. But the Maidens are more than a transformation. You've seen one. Cinder. Maiden powers jump from woman to woman, usually when the last one dies. Cinder though? She managed to steal half of the Fall Maiden's power. I don't know how."
"She asked me where the Fall Maiden is," James muttered, more to himself than Qrow.
Qrow's thoughts turned back to Amber. He felt so tired. "She and two of her lackeys jumped the Fall Maiden. She was inexperienced. Even with the Maiden power, it wasn't enough. I was only able to get Amber away with half the power and the Fall Maiden comatose. So that's the situation we're stuck with. Caesar on one end, and Salem on the other. And that Marie F. woman? Ozpin is pretty sure he knows what she's for."
"You mean she'll be just like Cinder?" James said, his face going white. Winter shared his horror.
"Looks like it. Though the good news is that the Winter Maiden and what's left of the Fall Maiden are safe." He took a swig. "We divided everything up. One academy, one Maiden, and one Relic in a vault only its respective Maiden can open. The Winter Maiden is here in Atlas, and we brought the Fall Maiden over with us." He sighed. "Or I should say the new Fall Maiden. The old one was on life support and there was nothing we could do. Whatever Cinder did damaged her very soul. We had to transfer it to…well. Maybe it's for the best that you don't know who-," but he was interrupted.
"Pyrrha. It's Pyrrha, isn't it?" Qrow starred in surprise. James wasn't looking directly at him, but was looking off into space. "She told me that she had to make a choice but she wasn't sure which was the right one. It was to become this Maiden thing, wasn't it?"
Qrow was already regretting having this conversation, but he couldn't stop now. "Yup. It was kind of an obvious pick. The Maiden powers are selective, according to Ozpin they've only gone with someone over 30 once or twice. It had to be a Beacon student or graduate, part of the agreement is every academy gets a Maiden loyal to them. Of all the students, she's already on a level that some career Huntsmen never reach. Ozpin made her the offer. She said yes."
James massaged his temples as he leaned back. "So, Cinder's gonna be targeting her next if she figures out?" Qrow nodded. "God fucking damn it."
"Yeah, which is why you both need to keep this to yourself," Qrow said. "With all the intelligence leaks Atlas has been having over the last few weeks, we don't know who's listening and how. Anyway, that's the general gist of it. There are a couple of other factors, but they're personal secrets of Ozpin." Ozpin's reincarnation was his business, it wasn't Qrow's place to give it away.
"Jesus Christ," James said. He sounded overwhelmed.
"So, these Relics, what do they do? And Salem, what does she want? And why?" Winter asked. She was trying to keep her tone analytical, but Qrow could feel a tinge of tension.
"What she wants is simple. Us divided and, eventually, dead," he said bluntly. "That's probably why she had Cinder try to hack Atlas's war machines. Our best bet at beating her is united, and Atlas military forces shooting up Vale would just about destroy international relations, but don't pat yourself on the back too soon about solving that. Salem always has a backup plan. As for why, I couldn't tell you. Salem isn't the type to talk about her feelings. The Relics? Ozpin never told me the specifics on what they do, only that they're powerful and Salem could do a lot of damage with them."
A painful silence fell over the room. Shock coated James's face. The same was happening with Winter, even if she was trying to hide it. "If it's worth anything, Ozpin was keeping an eye on you to see if you could he brought into the inner circle, Walker. And Ironwood was probably doing the same with you, Winter." They barely reacted. But then, James blinked, as if he had just realized something.
"…Wait a minute. Ozpin gave people called Qrow and Raven the ability to turn into birds? Was he doing a fucking bit?"
The tension broke. Qrow cracked a smile, Winter's eyes widened before she let out a loud groan, and James was waiting for an answer. "Raven and I were young and dumb when we got the offer. We thought we were clever." They hadn't asked about his sister. He appreciated that. Though then again it might've been because the argument back at the Scattered base had filled in all the blanks. He didn't want to ask.
The tension wasn't gone, Salem was far too morbid of a topic for that. But at least there had been a small release. "So. Walker, you're home. This isn't how I imagined it happening, but hey, there you go. But the Ice Queen and I are in your old shoes now. How do we get back to Remnant? You said the portal on this end was trashed."
At that moment, the slightest look of mischief flitted across James's good eye. "Well, funny thing. I know it got hit by a blast, but I didn't see what happened after that. Han wanted to investigate it to make sure it didn't work, so maybe it was durable enough to be salvageable. If it's broken but repairable, there's some favors I can call in. Worst case scenario, I can get the Brotherhood of Steel in here to see if they can repair it." Qrow made a mental note to ask who these Brotherhood people were later.
"So when my sister called you a liar, she was right," Qrow said, feeling amused. So he could keep a secret, even if his life had to literally depend on it. "Well, let's take stock. Where is this portal?"
"Building right in front of this one," James said, getting to his feet. As he did though, the "auto-doc" spoke up.
"Hold your horses son, I'm almost done with the lady here, but I found some damage I need to talk to you about. It's a bit more experimental, so I wanna get your go ahead before I get fixed to stitch her back up."
"Ah shit. Hold on a second, I gotta take care of this." James spun and approached the auto-doc, Winter right behind him.
"We should be careful," the Schnee woman said. "She might not appreciate being separated from her allies. We can scout out the portal area later."
"Nah," Qrow said. "You both take care of Ms. perpetually pissy, I'll go take a peak."
"Qrow!" Winter shouted, but he had already turned back into his bird form, flapping towards the exit. Getting under her skin never stopped being fun.
Following Walker's directions, Qrow exited The Sink and spotted the structure he had described. Heading inside, he began to look around. Before he could get his bearings, however, he heard voices. At once, he tucked himself into the corner, listening hard. "There wasn't anything on Jacques's personal computer. However he learned about James going missing, he didn't digitize it," a soft, feminine voice said.
"Then we stop playing nice, we've all been around the manor long enough to know what a prick he is," another, much gruffer female voice said. "I'm about ready to grab him by the balls and twist until he stops fucking around. Literally if I have to."
"Let's not be stupid, we only have one shot at this," the first voice said. "I'm getting close to his wife, I think she trusts me. She doesn't know what happened, but maybe she can get him to spill the beans."
This was bad, this was very bad. These people had to be Legion; Walker had warned them how good their spy network could be. And they had managed to infiltrate Schnee manor looking for Walker. He had seen enough, it was time to get out of here. Slowly, he began to hop towards the door.
"You know what kind of wreck she is, we can't trust someone like her to…what is it?"
"I heard something." A third voice was speaking now. It was gruff, barely audible. Footsteps began to echo and, within seconds, a man was in the same room as Qrow. He was of average build, clad in sandy colored combat fatigues, his head topped with sunglasses and a read beret. Qrow couldn't see much of his face, only a grim expression that he doubted ever left the man's lips. The newcomer firmly clutched a scoped, bolt-action rifle with the grace and familiarity of an expert, one which he used to scan the room.
Hastily, Qrow weighed his options. Most times startled guards were content to shoo stray birds, but if they were jumpy enough, they wouldn't hesitate to shoot. Sometimes they did it just because they were bored. So, what did he do? Play dumb like a confused bird, or make a run for it.
"Qrow? Qrow!" He internally seethed. Winter had followed him. With a snap, the man trained his rifle on the entrance. The Ice Queen herself was in the entrance, annoyance plastered all over her face. It didn't last long, quickly replaced with hostility as she realized she had a weapon pointing at her. With a flash, her sword was in her hand. Qrow braced himself, ready to transform back and tackle the sniper. But then something happened that threw him off. The man lowered his rifle.
"You're Winter Schnee," he said in disbelief. What was going on here? How could someone on Earth know about Remnant if they weren't Legion? And this man didn't look like he was Legion.
"And you are?" Winter asked, her eyes drawn to the man's beret. As this happened, Qrow noticed an odd badge pinned to the top, one of a two-headed bear.
"Craig Boone," the man said. "Is James Walker with you?" Qrow couldn't read the man's tone at all.
"Why do you ask?" Winter replied coldly.
There was rustling in the room behind them as more people flooded out. A woman in a wide brimmed hat with a shotgun, another one of those people with no skin holding a pair of six shooters, and two figures in the same kind of massive armor James had stolen from the Scattered, each with a strange looking rifle. "Hold it, hold it," Boone said, gesturing for everyone to lower their weapons.
"Mind telling us how the fuck got here?" the woman with the shotgun asked, only half listening to Boone and remaining at the ready. Winter's eyes narrowed in contempt at the gesture. Ok, that did it, talking wasn't an option with hostility and numbers like this.
"Winter? Did you find him?" Qrow wished he could drink as a bird. Walker could be so goddamn dense.
"James! Stay back!" Winter shouted. "This place is crawling with Legion! They're here for-," but one of the people in full body armor cut her off.
"James? James, it's us!"
"Veronica?" Wait. What? Winter looked as confused as Qrow felt. James burst into the room, nearly smashing into the Schnee woman. He stared at the hastily assembled mob in front of him, with enough firepower to shred his Aura if they focused their fire. And a massive grin split his face. "Guys! You're ok!"
The woman who had called out, Veronica, charged forward, wrapping her arms around him in a firm but tender hug. Laughing, James returned the hug. "We went looking for you, we searched all over once we got the portal working! We heard you went missing and we were digging around for intel. We were starting to get worried we wouldn't ever see you again."
Laughing James broke away. "Everyone, this is Winter Schnee, she's been keeping my ass out of the fire," he said, pointing to the white haired woman. Somewhat slack, Winter sheathed her sword.
"You go missing in another world, and in a few weeks you partner up with a daughter of one of the richest families around," the skinless gunslinger said. "Getting slow in your old age, boss? Couldn't do it on day one?"
James responded by raising one of his fingers. "Oh, and that's Qrow Branwen over there." Qrow internally groaned as James pointed at him. All eyes were on him now.
"Uh, James? Not that I want a Cassandra situation, but that's a bird," the other figure in power armor said. "Are you ok? Do you feel dizzy? In fact, what happened to your face? I-good god, did you lose your eye!?"
"It's a long story," James said, still smiling. He rubbed at his good eye. There was a sparkle as he did. Was he crying? "Qrow, get your ass back to normal."
"Fine, just let everyone know, not like it's a secret," Qrow said, shifting back into human form. That got a good jump out of James's friends, with the sole exception of Boone. "Hey, name's Qrow, been watching your idiot friend."
"James?" the woman with a hat said. "Explain. Now."
"It's a long one, I'm warning you." James paused. "Wait. Where's Lily?"
"RIGHT HERE DEARY!" With a shimmer, a massive, muscular, twelve foot tall creature appeared right behind Winter, wearing a straw hat, goggles, and bizarrely enough, a gardening outfit. Winter eyed her wearily, no doubt realizing she had been in a pincer waiting to spring.
"I think explanations all around are warranted," Winter said.
Despite everything, James still had a massive smile on his face as he started from the beginning.
XXXXX
Servius panted as he rounded the corner, chasing after the Legate. She was here, the war chief of that accursed tribe, the one who had caused him so much pain and suffering. And she was allied with Barca. Of course she was, those two monsters would naturally find common cause.
He had just cleared the turn when the shockwave of deafening explosion hit him. Blown back a few feet, eyes watering, he squinted furiously. Was this another cowardly profligate ambush? As his vision cleared, he realized Barca was nowhere to be seen. All that there was at the end of the passage was the Legate, gingerly pulling himself to his feet, and a silver arc with a milky white disc floating in the middle. The portal they had been sent to retrieve.
The conclusion was obvious. Barca had fled. "COWARD!" he roared, charging forward, heading straight for the portal. Wherever they went, he would follow. No more running. However, just before he could reach the opening, he ran headlong into a metal clad arm, one that did not yield an inch to him.
"No," the Legate said, now firmly on his feet. "We are not here to kill the man of the bear. Though our fated conflict will happen, Caesar has other plans."
"But-," no sooner had he spoken than the Legate had rounded on him. Servius felt as if he had been struck dumb. The Legate towered over him, at least a full foot, but that paled in comparison to the way he stared down at Servius. Even through the full helmet, Servius could feel the glare that gave very simple instructions. Obey me or die.
"Caesar's conquest of the city of Atlas requires this device," Lanius said. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. "It does not require your petty vengeance." And with that, the conversation was over. Moving towards the portal, the Legate pressed a single button, deactivating the machine. "According to Caesar, this one can be disassembled and moved." There was a hint of distaste in the Legate's voice, but Servius had lost the nerve to question why. He merely watched as the giant man's hands ran over the silver arch, opening compartments and pulling switches. The tops of the arches began to retract, folding into themselves, and then separated at the middle with a soft click. Before long, the Legate held four silver pieces of the arch in his hands. Gruffly, he shoved them into Servius's arms. Servius was so caught off guard that he barely registered how light they were.
As he stared, footsteps echoed behind him. Turning, he saw Tullus, Ancus, and Ilia closing the distance at a sprint. He also saw a figure in T-45d power armor. It bore the sword and cogs of the Brotherhood of Steel. At once, he went for his revolver. "Easy dicks for brains, it's me." Servius's grip slackened as Marie F. laughed. "These jackoffs have a pretty good stash of gear, and since Walker went and helped himself to some power armor, I thought I'd help myself." She looked around. Then groaned. "Where the fuck did everyone go? Where's the douchebag with the pretentious haircut and the compensating sword? I've got a score to settle with him."
"You should be asking about the man of the bear," the Legate said. "His companions are not sworn enemies of the Legion."
"Eh, fuck him. I've got new and better things to do now." Every time Servius thought he was getting close to understanding this woman, she did something that baffled him. Her fixation on Barca was just gone now?
"They will both have to wait for another day," the Legate said. As he spoke, he reached up and touched the ceiling. Instantly, it buckled from the far side, indenting inwards. For a second, there was a horrible groaning of metal bending before a snap filled the room. A series of deformed metal plates clattered onto the ground and sunlight shined through the newly made opening. "We will go now."
More footsteps echoed from the hallway behind them, along with the sounds of gunfire. "Legate!" A legionary burst from around the corner. "Our forces are dwindling and the enemy is regrouping on us! What do we-," but his question died with him as a barrage of lasers struck him in the back. He slumped into the ground, a sickly sweet burning smell drifting off of him.
"To me. Now!" Servius didn't think, he obeyed. The Legate's arm was outstretched, his hand open. He scrambled forward, holding onto the portal parts as if they were his first born. The Legate's ironclad hand closes around his arm. At that moment, Servius felt odd. It was as if all of his mass had slid away. But before he could properly contemplate it, he felt a jerk. The Legate had thrown him.
Servius felt a blast of wind on his face as he cleared the hole before handing firmly on his feet in an ankle deep drift of snow. One by one, the others were thrown out of the hole, Tullus windmilling as he landed, barely staying on his feet. His arm was still a barren stump, clutching his blade in his good hand. Eventually, the Legate himself leapt out, his landing surprisingly soft.
"Stand back," he said. Kneeling down, he pressed one hand flat onto the ground. The ground beneath them began to shake. Staggering back, Servius watched in disbelief as the snow rippled around the Legate. A deafening cacophony pressed in on him from all angles: shattering rock, twisting steel, and a groan of something about to break. And then, a cascade began.
Sharp snaps and heavy clangs came from all around them. Massive indents sprang to life in the ground, some of them breaking apart at the bottom and forming sinkholes. These scattered openings revealed shredded scrap metal and sparking, exposed wires. The shallowest dimple was ten feet, while some were as deep as thirty. Everywhere Servius looked, it was the same. Much of the area had simply caved in.
No words came to his mouth, no matter how hard he tried. "We have succeeded," the Legate said, rising to his feet. "You have all been…satisfactory." As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Marie F. and Ilia. "We are to regroup with Caesar. Come, we have little time." He strode off without another word.
Ilia looked at the ruins with horror that was slowly turning to anger, her body slowly turning a bright crimson. She opened her mouth, shooting a glare at the Legate's back as she did. However, a stern shake of the head from Tullus silenced her.
Tullus's face, on the other hand, was an ironclad grimace. He was already marching after the Legate, as if nothing had happened. His hand was already, clumsily, attempting to tie his blade back to his stump of an arm. Marie F., without a care in the world, was already strolling away. She whistled as she went, showing more interest in her new armor than anything else, examining her arm guards.
Without realizing he had done it, Servius found that his gaze met with Ilia. The red was fading from her, and a dark, deep shade of blue was creeping in. An uncomfortable truth ate at him from the inside, and he knew she was thinking the same. There had been Legion and White Fang in that base still. Silently, Ilia was asking him for questions. He found his voice.
"Sacrifices," he said. He had always known that a legionary should be expected to sacrifice himself for the greater goal of the Legion. Hundreds, if not thousands, had died in the conquest of the 86 tribes, and thousands more had died battling the NCR. Already, dozens had died on this expedition to Remnant. It was to be expected. It was necessary. It was hard, and someone who didn't have the hard stomach of a legionary wouldn't understand. She would one day though. She had to. Anything less and the savages of the world would have free reign, maiming women and children, much like that accursed demon that Barca had allied with. She would understand. This wasn't all for nothing.
It couldn't be.
Shaken, Servius stumbled after the Legate, barely noticing the reddish glow of the slowly setting sun or the distant cawing of a bird. A hand rested on his shoulder. Ancus was at his side. "Stay loyal Servius. Stay valuable. Lest the cruelty fall onto you." Servius wanted to be sick. But he forced himself forward, following the Legate.
What else could he do?
XXXXX
Han clamped his hands over his mouth as he coughed. Scrapping the dirt out of his bionic eyes, he took stock. He, Anna, Jane, and Wiglaf were in a tiny metal sphere, one with just barely enough room for the four of them. Wiglaf had been quick when the base had begun to collapse, forming it out of the floor. He was the only reason they hadn't all been crushed.
"Sign off," he said between coughs. There wasn't much of his original body left, but he still had lungs that were reacting very badly to the dust that had been kicked up.
"Undamaged, but my power cells are nearly dry," Jane said. Han would have to fix that when he got a moment.
"Fine, but my Aura's nearly tapped," Wiglaf said, rubbing the sweat from his forehead. "I had to make this thing thick to keep it from caving in. I feel like most of the upper level and topsoil is pressing down on us right now."
"Who cares about me, they have Ròta!" Anna snapped. Her face was burning with anger, muscles tensed and teeth bared. "If they hurt one hair on her head, I'll cook them with enough radiation to turn them feral!"
"Be reasonable," Jane said, her voice low. "Ròta stood up for them. They would not abuse her while she is in their custody. It isn't in their character. They stand to gain nothing from it and she's made too much of a good impression on them."
"Besides, she'd break them both in half before they could," Wiglaf said, grinning. Han had no idea what it took to get the mutant to stop smiling.
"I don't care!" Anna snapped. "We're getting her back! Now!"
"We have to recover the portal first," Han said. A cold fear was slowly creeping into his heart. Much of his original body was gone, worn away by time, injury, and eventually voluntary upgrading, but he still had everything needed to keep a living brain functioning. Right now, he resented that. His worst nightmare was on the brink of becoming reality. A militaristic, expansionist warlord had secure passageway between Remnant and Earth. Not only was it likely that he would weaponize Aura, it was downright guaranteed unless he was stopped. "Recovering one of our own is an objective, but a secondary one during a crisis like this."
"Think about it, we saw those two use the portal! They must've been lying to us, they probably went back to Big MT and they'll be leap frogging back to Atlas! If don't get there as soon as possible, Ròta will-," Anna began. Han cut her off
"I'm putting it to a vote," he said. He didn't like doing this, but this wasn't a time where they could afford to dawdle. After all, they had created the voting system for moments where action was needed and not everyone could be satisfied. "All those in favor of recuperating and pursuing the Legion?" He put his hand up. Jane and Wiglaf did the same. Anna glared daggers at them both. "3-1 Anna. I'm sorry." It was the truth, but he doubted that meant much to Anna. There was possibly some truth to her words, but it didn't matter. They had more pressing matters.
"Fine," she said, her voice overflowing with venom. Han forced himself to ignore it.
"Wiglaf, we need to get down to the lower levels," he said. "With any luck they'll be intact still."
"You got it boss," he said. At once, he knelt down, running his palm over the floor. The gray metal floor liquidized around his hand, thick and shimmering, swirling in a ball as he began to carve a circle.
"I never wanted it to come to this, but we have to head out. In force," Han said. As Wiglaf finished sculpting a way down to the lower levels, he dropped down, landing with a thump. Taking stock, he let out a sigh of relief. He had landed in a room with fully functional lights, a lack of cracks in the wall, and overall no signs of structural instability. The sub levels were indeed undamaged, but most importantly, nothing had happened to the cold storage room.
Dozens upon dozens of cryo-tubes lined the walls, all of them of Earth make. Once upon a time, they had been put there to help any American survivors who took shelter on Remnant ride out the devastation of a nuclear war. But now, they served a different purpose. Each one, minus a handful at the far end, contained an occupant, eyes closed for their icy slumber. Some were men, some were women, some had been there for decades, and at least one had only been added last year. Not a single one of them was there of their own free will.
It was an ugly thing they did. Anna's Semblance was one of a kind, her ability to copy another Semblance. But she could only hold one at a time, any previously held ability would vanish as soon as she copied another one. So, in order to fully maximize her potential, in order to do the reconstruction they regularly carried out on Earth, they needed "reserves." In a move that eased their consciousness and helped them stay under the radar, they did their best to stick to those who wouldn't be missed. Murders, human traffickers, terrorists, and other ilk of their kind. Still. It still brought back bad memories for Han, memories from before the bombs. But he was still doing it, despite those bad memories. There was no point in feeling sorry for himself.
"Take a pick Anna. And make it a strong one.
XXXXX
Author's Note: I never had too much of a problem with the whole Aura vs Magic thing (I play DnD, I'm used to eight different schools of magic) but I can appreciate people wanting a clearer explanation, so I did my best to provide.
The Scattered holding people prisoner indefinitely is really something that pushes them over into "probably not good guys" territory for me, even if they do it to people we wouldn't hesitate to kill in a Fallout game. I've had this planned for awhile, to the point where I had Anna and Wiglaf stopping by the Hunter's hideout all the way back in chapter 11, with the intention of capturing the Blue Bull. It was originally planned to be revealed much earlier, but I couldn't find a way to organically get it in. After all, when James was already being very icy to the idea of the Scattered, him being shown something that would set him off wouldn't work out very well.
Oh, and like I said all the way back in chapter one, I don't think anyone who went to Big MT in person would have anything nice to say about it.
I would like to thank my legacy Patrons, SuperFeatherYoshi, xXNanamiXx, RaptorusMaximus, Davis Swinney, Mackenzie Buckle, Ryan Van Schaack, ChaosSpartan575, and LordofNaught for their amazing support.