We returned to Pietro's workshop, and by then Pietro had arrived. He was happy to see us, and happier still to see Penny, even if she was just stopping in to check on Violet. She seemed to be close to Sarcelle, but I supposed it was expected, I could tell they enjoyed each other's company.

Violet, meanwhile, was slated to get a pair of eyes not dissimilar to Maria's, from what I remembered about them. However, they were more advanced than the ones I saw in the show, being less unwieldy and actually having a full array of color. More, even, more than the average eye could see.

That, at least, was a comfort. Although I knew Violet would have much rather had her actual eyes back. Not that there was anything that could be done about that.

While Violet was working out the details with Pietro, we told Penny about what had happened so far. It took some time to get her up to speed on the events that led to us being here in the first place, the trek to Mistral, then to Vacuo, and finally Atlas. We skimmed over a lot of details, of course, but we told her enough that she was able to get an idea of what brought us there in the first place.

Of course, I didn't mention the Relic of Destruction. That was something I was going to be leaving in the vault located within Atlas. It had slipped my mind the day prior, what with Weiss being 'arrested' and all, but it was at the forefront now, because I knew that keeping the sword out of a vault was inviting nothing but trouble.

By the time we finished telling Penny everything, Pietro had finalized the design for Violet's eyes. It was going to take a few weeks to get developed, but we could take solace in the fact that it would only take that long. James was more than willing to offer Atlas' full support. After all, we were the ones who saved Vacuo, and I was someone he looked to for guidance, as strange as that felt, even with all of Oz's memories.

With all of that, at least, we'd be able to focus on the investigation while also, hopefully, getting some time to ourselves. I felt we were going to need it.

As soon as Pietro was finished, we left and headed back up to Atlas. While there was much to do, we still wanted to make sure Violet got home safe, and I still had to lock away the Relic of Destruction.

After that, the real work could begin.

Time, as it had an annoying habit of doing, began to flow.

We were lucky to be able to busy ourselves with the investigation, or else we might have suffered from a lack of things to do. Other than waiting for Violet's eyes, of course. We made sure that she wasn't alone when we were investigating, and thus we took turns staying with her. Not just Team CALM, but also Team RWBY and JNPR, plus the rest.

After close to a week and a half or so of investigation, however, there was a day where everyone decided to take a break. Of course, it was because of my birthday, and of course, it was against my own wishes. Yet, it seemed they were intent on making sure I didn't lose myself in my work to the extent that I didn't take the time to celebrate the things that mattered.

I appreciated them for that, even if I didn't always express it.

I was, at least, able to get them to withhold from giving me any gifts. If I was going to celebrate my birthday, I at least didn't want to burden our finances with worries about gifts. Especially when more than a few of us were talking about getting new outfits. I wasn't, of course, although Cinder mentioned she wanted to work on something for me.

…Although, nobody told Ironwood about the 'no gifts' policy.

I remember we were sitting in the living room of the Grove house, and at the time, the others decided that the best thing to do to celebrate was go through some of their favorite memories that involved me.

Of course, that mostly involved memories I never recorded in this book. I can't write everything that happened in my life down, can I?

Lunus was sitting on the couch as he recounted, "I remember this one time he managed to convince an owner of a restaurant in Mistral that we had a reservation already." He looked at Jeanne, "You remember that?"

Jeanne, who was sitting next to him, gasped, "Oh, yeah! He just looked at the list of names on the reservation and said we were one of them! I don't know how he managed to convince the waitress, but it worked." She licked her lips, "Man… I still remember that meal. That was delicious."

Shi was standing next to the armchair I was sitting in, and she had her arms crossed. She frowned, "Dad… Lying is bad. You know you shouldn't be doing that! You don't still lie like that, do you?"

Cinder, who was standing on the opposite side of the chair, placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it while smirking, "Now, Shi. Your dad tells white lies sometimes, there's nothing wrong with that."

I sighed and hung my head, rubbing my forehead as I did so, "That was… A special occasion. I don't lie that much these days. I'm better with it."

Violet, who was sitting on the same couch as Lunus and Jeanne, threw out unhelpfully, "Unless you're lying about that too."

That drew a laugh from the others at my expense, and I could only groan. Luckily for me, that was when a knock emanated from the front door.

I stood up, happy to take the out. I muttered, "Wonder who that could be…" while heading to the door, although once I opened it, I saw fairly clearly who it was.

James stood there with a smile on his face. I saw Winter standing a bit further back, holding a long, thin box. I gave them both a look of curiosity and James explained, "Ruby mentioned that today is your birthday. I was going to wait to give this to you, but now seemed the best time. Cinder gave me information on how you used to fight, and with that I managed to develop a weapon for you."

I was surprised Ruby thought to tell James about my birthday, but I got over it and smiled, "Well, thank you." I took hold of the box, "Why don't you two come in?"

James shook his head, "If I could, I would. However, there's a lot of things left on my agenda today." He nodded, "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday in person."

They left after that, and I thanked them for the gift. Once they were gone, I headed inside and showed the box to the others. That led to them gathering around while I opened it to see what it contained.

It turned out it contained a weapon not unlike Dawn, except it was slightly longer and heftier. The reason for that became clear once I drew the weapon and pressed a button on the side which turned the weapon into a bow, much to my pleasant surprise. I hadn't been using a bow in recent times, relying more on magic, but I felt I could change that. Magic arrows were much more useful than regular ones, after all.

It even had a similar design to the old Dawn, with the blade having a gradient of midnight blue fading into burnt orange. I folded the blade and smiled, "Cinder, did you plan this?"

Cinder kissed my cheek, "Maybe. It wouldn't do for you to not have Dawn, now would it? Perhaps your new fighting style isn't as conducive to two blade fighting, but now that's no longer an issue."

I could only smile wider and said, "I suppose it isn't."

After that, there wasn't much else of note for some time. The rest of December went by, and Violet got her eyes just in time for Christmas (don't ask me why Christmas exists in Remnant, they don't refer to it as that, but as far as I'm concerned, it's Christmas). Her new eyes looked like regular eyes, compared to Maria's clunky goggles. The main difference was her ability to change her eye color, and her drastically increased vision. She apparently had a few more tricks she could do with them, thanks to Pietro's assistant, but she said she wanted to keep them secret.

January, frustratingly, wasn't much better in terms of progress. Trying to dig up information on who murdered Jacques Schnee was difficult when all most people had to say on the subject was 'good riddance' and 'If I ever find who did it, I'll buy them a drink!'.

The only major thing that happened is arguably not very major at all. Almost everyone decided that they needed new outfits due to the weather in Atlas, even Team RWBY, with Weiss getting hers specifically delivered to Atlas Academy. Team RWBY got their looks I recognized as being from V7.

Meanwhile, Team CALM plus Cinder and Emerald decided to go shopping. I was dragged along, even though I insisted I didn't need anything.

Jeanne's outfit upgrade really only consisted of an added parka and thicker pants for the weather. Lunus, similarly, didn't need much in terms of upgrades, so he mostly just watched on the sidelines with me.

Violet saw the most outfit changes, in that she shed her old tunic and shorts outfit for a black sweater with red accents, a pair of dark gray trousers, black combat boots, and finally a beanie that was colored dark red.

Cinder and Emerald both got their upgraded outfits that I recognized, although Cinder insisted on making them herself, and unlike what I remembered, she didn't wear something to cover an eye, understandably so. Then, she used that excuse to give me an outfit, in spite of me not asking for one. However, I wasn't going to complain, because what I got was almost nostalgic at this point.

It was the same design as my original outfit, coat, turtleneck, jeans, and all. I even got a new scarf, much the same as the old, and just like that I was back to my old outfit. However, I alternated between it and my newer one, just to keep things fresh.

Finally, Shi got a new outfit. A burnt orange T-shirt went on under a bolero that started dull red at the top before fading into an icy blue at the sleeves, then on went a pair of black baggy travel pants, and a utility belt. She said she wanted something like it to be her Huntress outfit once she was old enough to actually have one of those, and I didn't see why not. It certainly looked the part.

The other major event was my decision to divide our forces somewhat. We were simply too clustered together to be of any use if something were to go wrong in another city, and we had no way of knowing if Salem planned to attack Vale, nor did we all feel the best leaving Vacuo unattended.

Nora and Ren were sent to Vale to work with Glynda in keeping watch over the city, and to protect the Relic of Choice, not that we anticipated there to be any attack on it. The assistance was welcomed, apparently they had a need for more teachers, and now I could look forward to seeing 'Professor Valkyrie' teaching combat class one day. I had intended on sending Jaune and Pyrrha as well, but Jaune wanted to stay, saying he wanted to be with his sisters. Pyrrha wasn't going to leave him alone, and so I relented, they stuck around.

I sent Ozza and Caine to Vacuo, as even months later they were still rebuilding. No doubt they were suffering Grimm attacks as well, and they would need the help of skilled fighters and healers to protect them. Qrow was still there, as well, although he sent a message saying he'd be coming by in a couple months.

It might seem somewhat foolish to divide our group like that, when we anticipated that Atlas would be the next target, but truthfully, there were too many unknown variables to account for. Besides, between Team CALM, Team RWBY, Cinder's crew, Shi, Qrow, and all of Atlas, I felt that we had no shortage of manpower for any possible attacks.

After all of that, it was back to normal, looking for clues where we could find none.

It was in February when we got our first real lead.

Cinder, Shi, and I were walking together in Mantle. Due to our poor luck, I had suggested the three of us go out together as a family, to enjoy some relaxation while we had the chance. We had finished eating dinner and watching a movie. It was nighttime and we were heading back to the Manta Port that would take us back to Atlas when we heard a voice that I was surprised I hadn't heard up to that point. A woman with a somewhat braggadocious tone greeted us from behind, "Hey, Iceman, Firebird, Icy Hot! I've been looking for you."

We turned and, sure enough, I saw Robyn Hill. She was dressed in much the same outfit as she was in the show, it seemed even after landing a seat on the council she didn't see fit to change her apparel. Cinder and Shi looked at me, and so I nodded, "Robyn Hill, Mantle's representative on the council, and former leader of the Happy Huntresses. What do we owe the pleasure?"

Robyn chuckled as she stuck her hands in her pockets while walking a bit closer, "No need to be so formal, Iceman. I read all about what you and your crew did in Vacuo, even saw some footage. Impressive stuff. It got a lot of people's attention, and now there's that… other shit." For a moment, her face fell, but I knew it wasn't out of mourning. More like, the SDC probably at least partially suspected Robyn to be a murderer, "I offered to use my semblance to prove Weiss' innocence, but the suits don't trust it. Even my council seat doesn't afford me their trust, they believe what they want to believe."

She shifted in place, "That being said… I was informed by a trusted friend that someone has been asking around. They're looking for the 'Saviors of Remnant', and they claim to have information on the murder of Jacques Schnee." She smirked, "Sounds like they're talking about you. If you want, I can take you to my friend, then they can show you to their informant. Apparently, whoever they are, they're incredibly secretive about their identity."

Cinder stepped forward, a look of suspicion upon her face, "Well, councilwoman, Whoever this is has to have some ulterior motive for seeking us out. Are they going to try to harm us? That'd be very ill advised."

Robyn shrugged, "I don't know anything about them. Bring your weapons, you've already got them on you." She nodded to the cane I was leaning on, "I trust May with my life, I think she would know if this person meant to do anyone harm."

I understood Cinder's skepticism, I also felt there was more to this than what met our eyes, but we were also desperate for leads, and had already spent months trying to find something. I nodded to Robyn, "Lead the way, Councilwoman. It wouldn't do to keep our new friend waiting, would it?"

Robyn nodded, "C'mon then, I've got a busy schedule." She turned around and began to lead us. Cinder cast me a skeptical glance, but I just smiled at her. Shi as well looked a bit wary, and her hand kept going to the small of her back, where Theta rested, but a simple pat on her shoulder was enough to get her to relax as she smiled at me and I smiled back.

We walked through the streets together, towards what was eventually revealed to be a building. I recognized it as the Happy Huntresses' new base of operations, now that they were somewhat official, they were able to afford a proper space. No more abandoned warehouses for them, it seemed.

The inside looked well put together, with pictures on the walls of each of their members, carpeted floors, and a general feeling of comfort to the building. Perhaps a bit odd for an organization that used to actively sabotage authority, but now that they had authority, things were a bit different.

There was an office located inside, complete with a desk, a computer, bookshelves filled with books that likely hadn't been touched in years, the works. Sitting at the desk in a rather cozy looking office chair was none other than May Marigold, the blue haired once second-in-command of the Happy Huntresses seemed to have moved up in the world. She smiled as she saw Robyn, though it faded slightly as she saw us, "Brought them, did you? Thanks, Robyn."

Robyn shrugged and waved it off dismissively before turning to leave, "Yeah yeah, don't say I never did anything for you."

May stood up, "Come with me, this guy's been waiting for a while." She walked past us and we followed, deeper into the building. We weren't sure exactly where we were headed, but it seemed that, whoever our contact was, he wanted to keep himself hidden.

We reached the door to a room located towards the back of the complex. May gestured to it, "This is one of our meeting rooms, stay as long as you need, just don't start living there." Without another word, she walked away, back towards her office. The three of us shared skeptical glances before I reached out and pushed open the door.

Within the room was a large table that dominated the center of it, several black office chairs circled it, and only one was turned away from the table, turned away from us. He spoke in a voice haggard by age and experience, "So, you've finally arrived…"

Cinder turned white as a ghost as she gasped and stepped backward several paces. Her eyes were wide and nearly brimming with tears as she whispered, "I know that voice, b-but… It can't be…"

The chair turned, and revealed the last man I expected to see.

Rhodes' looked about the same as he did towards the end of his life in the show, albeit with a few more scars, and his breathing seemed to be uneven. He placed a hand on the table and stood up, lowering his head, "It's me, Ella. It's been too long."

Cinder stepped forward again, her voice betrayed how shaken she was, "You were supposed to be dead! For years, I thought- I saw you die! Wh- I- Th-This doesn't-" I had to agree with her, this didn't make any sense, but I had a feeling we were about to get an explanation.

Indeed, Rhodes smiled softly and explained, "You thought you saw me die. You pierced a lung, but the other blade missed any vital organs. After you left, I was found by some patrons who heard all the ruckus. They rescued me, and I was nursed back to health." He looked away, "I went underground, too many people wanted to blame me for what happened that night. Some still do. I dropped my name and lived on the streets." He chuckled and gestured to his outfit, "Even got the same clothes."

Any amusement left his voice as he stepped around the same, and in spite of her shock, Cinder still walked forward. Shi looked incredibly confused, but she followed me inside once I stepped forward all the same. I shut the door behind us, and Rhodes continued to explain as he stopped in front of us, "I heard once, years ago, there was a girl with ash black hair that wandered Remnant. Then, years later, I heard about that same girl fighting at the Battle for Beacon, to help save people. I saw you on some footage of the Battle for Vacuo, and that's when I knew it was you." Rhodes cast his gaze down, "I'm proud of you, Cinder."

Cinder choked back tears as she took hold of my hand and squeezed it. I squeezed back, and she finally managed to say, "I-I don't think I'd have done any of that stuff if it wasn't for Neve. He saw the good in me when no one else would. I was… with a bad crowd before that."

Shi smiled and crossed her arms, "Now she's the best mom I could ever ask for." Her smile grew, "And she's super cool!"

Rhodes looked in confusion at Shi then between Cinder and I. I mouthed the word 'adopted' and he nodded in understanding before returning his attention to Cinder, "And, Cinder…" He took a deep breath, "I-I need to apologize. I had no idea how bad it really was, I should have taken you out of there, I should have-"

Cinder cut him off by stepping forward and pulling him into a hug. After a moment of shock, Rhodes returned it, and I could tell Cinder was fighting back tears. She muttered, "I'm the one who almost killed you. Don't blame yourself, not for anything. I won't let you."

They remained that way for a few moments, before eventually they separated and Rhodes looked at me, "I guess I have you to thank for making sure my mistakes didn't ruin Ella's life. Thank you."

I chuckled and shook my head, "It was her who decided to change her ways. I merely… offered her an open hand and a gentle hug." Naturally, I was leaving out the complicated bits. The burning tower at Beacon remained still etched into my mind, and I doubted I would ever forget it. I decided to not dwell on it and instead nodded to him, "I believe you have some information for us?"

Rhodes nodded back and then walked back to the chair he was sitting at, "I do." He sat down and sighed, "You might want to take a seat, it's a bit of a long story."

After we all took a seat, he explained that he had been out for a walk one night on a rare trip to Atlas. He wandered not far from the Schnee manor, and that was when he heard the distant sound of a struggle. The source was, of course, the Schnee manor. He hurried over to see what was happening, and that was when he saw the gruesome scene. Jacques Schnee lay dead, while Whitley and Willow Schnee were both lying on the ground, unconscious and exhausted from a long fight.

That was when he saw him, the man with the metal scorpion tail. Tyrian Callows. Rhodes was unarmed, and so he fled. Tyrian either didn't see him, or didn't think it was worth chasing him. I assumed the former, because Tyrian rarely ever missed a chance to kill. Rhodes said that he would have told people, but who would have believed him? He was supposed to be dead, and dead men rarely show up at a police station to report a murder.

It took him about an hour to explain all of the details, and when he was done, Cinder grimaced and looked down, "Tyrian. That damn pest, of course it's him…" I knew that Cinder had a… let's say unfavorable relationship with Tyrian when they were coworkers. Now, I didn't doubt that it was amplified on both sides.

"So, we have our killer," I started, "Tyrian Callows murdered Jacques Schnee and gravely wounded Whitley and Willow Schnee."

Rhodes nodded, "It doesn't explain why he left those two alive. I only know of the man through stories of what he's done, he doesn't strike me as the type to leave survivors."

I already had an idea as to why, "He knew that if he killed all three of them then what case there was for accusing Weiss would evaporate. As weak a case as it is, it still sows discontent within people. Our only advantage over him there is that James is keeping the SDC from making public accusations."

Cinder leaned back in her chair, "It fits his MO. The bastard might be a lunatic, but he's a smart lunatic, smart and obedient. Either he came up with the idea himself, or his boss did."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Do you have any idea who his boss is?"

Before his question could be deflected, my Scroll rang. I fished it out and answered, Penny's face greeted me, and she looked worried, "Neve! There is a dire situation in Mantle! Someone is attempting to breach Mantle and Atlas' security! It's a two-pronged attack, the cyber security division is at its limits, and Sarcelle is working very hard to help them! We're afraid that there might be more to this attack, and I would greatly appreciate your assistance."

Her tone remained even during all of this, and of course Penny would be the one to deliver news like this without really losing her optimistic demeanor. I looked at Cinder, then Shi, and finally Rhodes, "We're going," I stood up and looked back at Cinder, "we're the three closest to Pietro's workshop right now. If someone really wanted to breach Atlas' infrastructure, they'd have to take all variables into account."

And there was no greater variable than Pietro, Sarcelle, and Penny. Penny could defend herself, but even she wasn't immune to being overwhelmed.

Cinder looked conflicted as she glanced at Rhodes, then glanced at me. Yet, ultimately, she stood, "Alright," she looked at Rhodes, "we'll talk more later." I could tell there was a lot of emotion that Cinder was holding back, but there wasn't much to be done about it at that point, we could resolve several year old trauma later, first came the more immediate danger.

Rhodes just nodded and said, "I'll be staying here for a while. You can come back and find me later."

That was all we needed to hear, the three of us started out and hurried from the building.

(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

Elsewhere in Mantle…

Things had been going normally so far for the rest of Team CALM. Lunus had suggested the three of them go do something together, and so they found themselves down in Mantle as well, dressed in their usual outfits.

As they walked the streets, Jeanne sighed as she looked at the sky, "Don't you want to see Ruby, Lunus? You two haven't gotten to do much together these past months. What with Weiss being… Well, you know."

Lunus smiled as he grasped the necklace he wore, "I let her know where we were, so if she wants to come down here and spend some time with us, that's her choice. I won't ask her to leave her friend when she's basically under house arrest, though."

"That's not really what I was asking-"

Violet sighed loudly and put both her hands behind her neck in a relaxed pose, "Jeanne, just because you want to spend every waking moment with Peregrine doesn't mean other couples don't enjoy their time apart." She had been a bit snippier since Vacuo, but also a bit more restrained in general, "I'm sure Lunus is happy to spend time with us, right? Besides, Neve's out having fun, why shouldn't we?"

Lunus was about to say something in response, but then stopped and slowed down as he looked around, "Guys… Something's not right here."

The other two looked around, and Jeanne muttered, "Yeah… Where'd everyone go?"

Indeed, the streets were deserted. Not a soul in sight. Violet looked around, her eyes shifting colors from silver to green as she did so. Her gaze rested on an alleyway "I see something… no, someone! Thermal readings."

The sound of clapping came from the alleyway, followed by a deranged chuckle. Out from the shadows stepped Tyrian Callows, who grinned sinisterly at them, "Good eye! Very good eye."

The three Huntsmen drew their weapons, Violet breaking the hilt of her Suncutter off and turning it into her rifle while the sword itself emerged and turned into a chakram, Jeanne drawing Alba Mors, and Lunus wielding Selene.

Tyrian placed a hand over his head and gasped in mock shock, "Now now, kids! I'm not here to pick a fight with you…" He grinned, "I'm simply here to ask a question. Where is Cinder? If you tell me, I'll let all three of you run along, no harm done. But if you don't, well…" His grin widened and he cackled, "We can have some fun instead."

Lunus revved Selene, "Sorry, pal, but…"

Jeanne entered her battle stance, "If you think we're going to sell out our friends…"

Aura appeared in front of Violet, raising her fists while Violet herself raised her gun, "Then you've got another thing coming! We're the Saviors of Remnant!"

Again, Tyrian laughed, "Oh, good! That's what I was hoping you'd say!" He shot forward with blinding speed, laughing all the while. Dust kicked up around them as Tyrian dropped low, using his tail to hold him up as he kicked Violet and Lunus simultaneously, sending them stagger in opposite directions. Then he launched off the ground using his tail as a springboard before somersaulting and bringing his blades down to try and strike Jeanne.

However, she managed to block with her sword, gritting her teeth as she tried to push back. Tyrian laughed and kicked out with his booted foot, causing Jeanne to stagger backward, just in time for Lunus to recover and shift Selene into its pole-saw form before bringing his weapon down towards his enemy.

Tyrian blocked it with his metal tail and grinned at Lunus before several rounds of Fire Dust bullets slammed into his side. He staggered before Aura appeared next to him and delivered a punch to his gut with enough force to send him flying backward. He collided with a brick wall and groaned before using his tail to push him forward again, however, he wasn't aiming for Aura or Lunus.

Instead he shot through the air towards Violet, whose eyes widened. She had no time to react, but Aura was faster. She appeared in front of Violet and turned into a wall, blocking Tyrian as he attempted to dropkick Violet. His grin never faded even as his eyes widened, then his eyes flashed purple and he chuckled maniacally. Aura began to flicker before Tyrian pushed off and flipped through the air before landing on his feet.

Aura turned back into her humanoid form even as she flickered, and Violet shot a volley of dust rounds at Tyrian again. He blocked them as they came with his tail, but he wasn't accounting for the chakram flying towards him, which connected with his arm and pushed against it before he kicked up and knocked it away.

Jeanne charged him with a battle cry and brought up her sword before swinging horizontally towards him. He raised an arm and blocked it with one of his blades before his tail shot forward. It stabbed her in the chest, causing the group's of their eyes to widen in shock. Aura moved and pulled Jeanne away, tossing her back and swinging at Tyrian again with a right hook.

Tyrian blocked it with his tail, but wasn't expecting Aura to grab ahold of it and pull him up. Aura grew a few feet taller and extended her arms out before slamming Tyrian down onto the ground, creating cracks in the pavement and sending dust and gravel into the air.

For a moment, Lunus allowed himself to believe that they'd beaten the madman, but then Violet said, "He's getting back up!" resulting in him scowling before running forward, shifting Selene back into her buzzsaw form before he threw it to the ground and jumped on it. He surfed up to the cloud of dust and then grabbed the handle of his weapon before hopping into the air with it, directing the spinning blade in the direction of where he thought Tyrian would be.

The sound of metal meeting metal resounded with a CLANG, and as the dust cleared, Lunus saw he had connected with Tyrian's tail. Tyrian was grinning like the madman he was while Lunus looked surprised for a moment. Then, the look of surprise died, and he smirked.

Tyrian barely had time to gain a questioning look on his face before Lunus activated his semblance and increased Selene's weight. The suddenly much heavier weapon tore into Tyrian's tail, causing him to gain a brief look of surprise before he grinned again and aimed his weapons at Lunus. He shot several rounds at the Huntsman, causing him to need to make his weapon light so he could jump off.

Tyrian blocked several shots from Violet with his blades before jumping after Lunus. In a blink, he was upon him, and Tyrian slashed out at his chest, activating his semblance before following through with another slash, sending Lunus to the ground as he grunted in pain.

There was little time for the assassin to celebrate his small victory, however, as he immediately felt his legs being grasped before being yanked back to the ground by Aura. He crashed into the ground again before staggering to his feet and spotted Violet, now wielding Suncutter in its full Great Scimitar form. She wasted no time in racing towards him, while Aura charged from another direction.

Tyrian laughed as he used his blades to block Violet's scimitar while he struck out with his tail at Aura while he activated his semblance. The tail pierced through Aura and caused her to flicker out of view. Violet gasped and growled before leaping back just as Tyrian tried to kick her.

"My my! Isn't this an unfortunate turn of events!" Tyrian grinned, "I guess you kids should have just given me the info I wanted! I'll tell you what, I'll give you one more chance." He laughed, "Tell me where Cinder is, and I'll let you gather up your little friends and go!"

Violet immediately rejected the offer, "No way, creep! Violet Merino doesn't back down!"

"Suit yourself!"

Tyrian began to run towards her, and Violet braced herself to fight on…

Then, suddenly, in a blur, Tyrian's attempt to strike at her with his stinger was blocked by a newcomer.

A giant sword carried by an equally imposing woman blocked the stinger, planted in the ground.

Peregrine smirked, "Surprise."

Tyrian's eyes widened before he squinted and growled, "You."

However, he didn't have much time to say anything else before being kicked in the side by a metal boot that ejected several dust rounds into him and sent him flying. Mercury stood in his combat stance, "Me too."

Tyrian struggled to get up but immediately had to roll away as several bullets smashed into the ground. Emerald stepped up, standing next to Violet as she smirked, "Me three."

The assassin looked around, and saw Lunus starting to stand, while Jeanne remained laying on the ground. He growled, "Clearly we're going to have to reschedule." He wasted no time in bolting into the nearest alleyway, dodging several rounds shot in his direction.

Peregrine moved to follow him, but stopped as she felt a hand on her arm. Emerald shook her head, "I think we have other problems to worry about right now."

That was when Peregrine noticed Jeanne laying on the ground. She hefted up her sword and put it on her back before hurrying over, kneeling down and looking her over, "Damn it! She's been poisoned…" She wasted no time in picking her up, "Come on, we need to get her to a hospital."

Lunus stowed Selene and looked at his chest, his shirt torn and stained with blood and said tiredly, "I… think I'll need that trip, too."

He started to fall forward, but Mercury caught him and swore, "Damn it. Let's get going!"

The group hurried to find the nearest hospital, worried for their friends' lives.

(The following is part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

Pietro's Workshop, Neve POV

When we arrived, we found Penny, Jaune and Pyrrha worriedly standing guard. We joined them, and it was clear to see Sarcelle was working hard to try and keep the security system up. She swore under her breath several times, and eventually she muttered, "Damn it! If only Ring Zero could go a bit further…"

Jaune perked up, "What's wrong?"

Sarcelle explained, "I'm holding them off, but if I could go a bit further with my semblance, I might be able to completely stop this."

He walked over to her, "I can help. Remember my semblance? I told you about it over the phone."

Sarcelle cursed herself, "Damn it! How could I forget?" Then she nodded, "Do it."

Jaune placed his hand on Sarcelle's shoulder, his white gold aura resonated out as he closed his eyes and focused.

We couldn't see it, but she would later on describe what happened as being like she was everywhere at once. The whole of her soul, of her semblance, reached out and shielded Atlas and Mantle's security grids, Into the CCT, into the Atlesian CCT tower itself, and as she closed her eyes, I could hear her mutter, "So much…"

When she opened her eyes again, she wilted from exhaustion, "I did it. I did it… And… I got something else. I figured out where the attacks were coming from. Two locations… Both in Mantle. I already sent the info to Atlas. They won't get away with this."

Jaune smiled, "You did great, Sarcy. Take it easy, though, we don't want your aura dropping too low."

All things considered, Cinder, Shi, and I didn't really need to be there, but it was better safe than sorry. Now that Atlas had the locations of the culprits, the response would likely be swift and merciless.

However, we couldn't relax. I got a phone call from Mercury, telling me that Jeanne and Lunus had been injured by Tyrian and were being treated in a Mantelian hospital. Thus, we left Penny, Jaune, and Pyrrha with Sarcelle before hurrying to the hospital.

Mantle General Hospital was the best one in the city, likely aided by the fact that Mantle had been getting proper funding and attention now that Robyn was on the council.

The doctors were working to flush the poison from Jeanne's system, Lunus had apparently also been poisoned through the cut he received, yet it was a lot lighter than what Jeanne had received. Ruby arrived not long after us, clear worry on her face.

Everyone gathered in Lunus' hospital room, awaiting news about Jeanne. However, I felt it was a bit crowded there, so I left and went for a walk to clear my head.

As I left the building, I started walking on the sidewalk. I wasn't surprised at all when suddenly Alex was walking right next to me. I sighed, "Seems like there's always something going on. At least we've had a few months to breathe, murder investigation notwithstanding."

Alex smiled and patted my shoulder, "Don't worry about it too much, big guy. I'm sure everything'll work out in the end. I figured I'd drop by just to see how you're doing, it's been a hot minute, hasn't it?"

"A few months, at least," I responded casually with a small smile, "How're things going for you? Been busy?"

Alex sighed, "Somewhat. The God of Light keeps talking about bringing in another 'heroic soul' from one of the Earths. Not for this world, for the next one over, the Second. Though that one's still a few years prior to the… well, the start of Beacon for Ruby and the rest, so it might not be for awhile."

I frowned, "What, one wasn't enough for him?" I sighed and looked forward again, "Well. I suppose if they accept the offer, it's on them. If I could, I'd offer them some advice."

They smiled, "I might hit you up about that at some point. If they look like they need it. Although…" Her smile disappeared and she sighed, looking ahead, "I'm hoping for something that I'm not sure I'll ever get. Every time the God of Light talks about bringing someone over, I get my hopes up. It hasn't happened yet."

I raised an eyebrow, "And what're you hoping for?"

They thought for a moment before shrugging, "I guess I'm just hoping that one of these days he'll bring over someone I can hang out with for more than a few minutes. Or maybe…" She seemed to consider saying something, but then shook his head, "No, that's wishful thinking. Did I tell you that Sebastian and I didn't end up working out?"

"Really? Why?"

Alex shrugged, "Just…" They looked up at the sky, "I keep thinking about… him. Ozy." They stopped walking and closed their eyes. I stopped and turned to look at them while they said, "I dream about him, did you know that? Sometimes it feels so real that I can trick myself that it's real, that I can reach out and take his hand, and cuddle up to his chest like I used to…"

They laughed mirthlessly and looked down, "I keep waking up to an empty bed, and I'm not in our home anymore. Not any of them. Not Vale Castle, not the cabin we bought, and not the third floor of Beacon tower. It's always the In-Between."

They sniffled and wiped their eyes with their sleeve, "Sorry, you've got two friends in the hospital and I'm just… dumping all this on you. I just… I hope one day Ozy, any version of him, will not be chosen to be the next Oz. Then, maybe he'd end up here, and I could see him again. Even if it's not the exact same Ozy… I'd still love him. I still do."

I shook my head. As if Alex could ever burden me, especially because I remembered all those places, all that time, "No, I understand." I pulled them into a hug, which they returned, "I don't know if that will ever happen, but… For your sake, I hope it does. Or if there's some other version of him somewhere, you'll get to see him. You deserve happiness, Alex."

Alex smiled, "Thank you." They seemed to recover from their sadness quickly as they let go and stepped back, "If I don't see you again for a while, then good luck. I'd love to stay longer, but… You know how it is." They shrugged.

I hummed, "Maybe I could pay a visit to the In-Between once or twice. That might be fun for a change."

Their smile brightened, "I look forward to it, then, just call on me whenever you want to go and I'll cast the spell." They saluted before poofing away in blue smoke. I was left alone again, and so I continued my walk in peace.

We counted our blessings that Jeanne and Lunus ended up being okay. They still weren't going to be fighting for a little while, but they didn't need to.

I went to General Ironwood and told him what had happened, he was already aware of the cyber attack, but not of Tyrian's attack on my friends. It was easy enough to pin the blame for Jacques' murder on him, with the testimony of one who wished to keep his identity protected.

Cinder and Rhodes had a talk, one I wasn't there for. I'm not sure what was said, but I assume that the bridge was rebuilt between them. I just hoped that Cinder would be able to forgive herself for what she did to him. It still hung over her head, I knew it did.

However, with the investigation cleared up, Weiss free, and the immediate danger to Atlas contained, we were free to relax, truly relax, for a time.

Of course, that meant there was planning to be done. However, not for future battles, I already had plans for those, but for something that they had been meaning to do for almost a year by then.

It was early August when it happened, the wedding we had been planning.

The venue was nothing special, with Weiss free, we were able to use the Schnee manor as our place of ceremony.

I remember well the suit I was wearing that day, it was nothing special, just a regular black tuxedo. I was fidgeting with the tie in the bathroom, trying to get it just right, when Lunus knocked on the door and asked, "Hey, are you decent?"

"I hope so."

Lunus opened the door and chuckled, "Man, are you getting cold feet or something?" He walked over and looked at our reflections in the mirror. He was wearing a tuxedo too. He patted my shoulder and smiled while saying jokingly, "You've killed hordes of Grimm, slain two dragons, have magical powers and thousands of years of experience, and this is getting your nerves frayed?"

I smirked, "Okay, first of all, Shi killed the second dragon, second of all, thousands of years of experience fighting a secret war doesn't equate to tons of experience with not getting wedding anxiety. I'm fairly certain most of my past lives never got married in the first place."

"Please," he grinned, "You're overthinking this, like you do everything else. It's gonna be great, and after the wedding we'll all stuff our faces with the banquet Weiss had the chefs make."

My smirk turned into a smile as I felt my nerves subside somewhat, "I knew there was a reason I made you best man."

"And here I thought it was because of my dashing good looks!"

"Don't flatter yourself too much now. Let's get going, time waits for no one."

"Oh good, the poetics are back, now I know you're feeling better."

"Quiet you."

We left and headed into the garden where the wedding was to take place. Everyone was already seated, and the one who would officiate the wedding, James Ironwood himself, was standing with his hands behind his back at the altar.

I made my way there and stood, smiling at the assembled, which was just our friends, those who were still here at least. My team, Cinder's group, Team RWBY, Peregrine, Jaune and Pyrrha… Cinder had told me that she didn't feel right asking Rhodes to come, and Rhodes apparently felt he didn't deserve it, both were still blaming themselves for their pasts, even if they'd patched things up enough for it to not be awkward.

And as for Shi, well…

Shi entered the room and started walking down the aisle slowly. She was wearing a white tuxedo top with a matching white skirt that stopped just above her knees and a pair of dress shoes (she was very insistent on not wearing heels). She had in one hand a basket that contained the petals of marigolds, magnolias, roses, and other assorted colorful selections.

She scattered the petals from the start to the end of the aisle, looking somewhat uneasy as people watched her, but she smiled through it all the same. When she was done, she stood odd to the side, and then it was time.

The music kicked on, and it was the song that Cinder chose, 'Bulletproof Heart'. It may not have been exactly traditional wedding music, but she had never cared much about tradition.

Cinder began walking down the aisle, a small smile on her face. She walked alone, nobody was giving her away, something she herself suggested. She wanted to demonstrate how things were prior, a reminder of how alone she used to be. She wore a tiara on her head, and glass slippers on her feet. Her dress was a slim white wedding dress, however, as she began to walk down the aisle, something began to change.

It smoldered, catching fire in a fairly showy way, but this was planned. As everyone gasped, they saw it burn away into an elegant black slim wedding dress with white accents, and once she was standing across from me, it had completed its change. Even Ironwood seemed surprised by this move, but he soon smiled.

Ironwood began to speak, "We're gathered here today to celebrate the relationship of Cinder Fall and Neve Cadere, and to be witnesses and supporters of their commitment to one another. You are all here to witness this as the most important people in their lives, and they've brought us here today to publicly recognize their love for each other, and for all of you.

"In the world we live in, and with the professions we partake in, it's a blessing to find someone you can share everything with. Not just the triumphs, but the tears, the highs and the lows. We recognize that the bride and groom have done just that, in their love for one another they will never truly be alone. Now, I believe the betrothed would like to say a few words…"

I was first. I smiled and jokingly said, "For the sake of our colleagues, I'll keep this brief," before beginning in a soft tone, "We've been through a lot together already, nobody knows this more than us, but, every moment we've spent together has been worth every trial. From our first conversation in the Changing Seasons, to the training we did together, to our clandestine visits at Beacon, and beyond, I've held you in my heart. These moments… I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love you, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for us. Together, I believe we can do anything, Ella."

Cinder's eyes widened briefly before she smiled warmly, "You were the first person to show me true kindness in years, you were the first person who looked past the darkness I carried to see who I really am. You gave me everything, even when I tried my damndest to push it away, but you were always stubborn, always so stubborn…" She chuckled lightly before continuing, "You're the exception to every rule, and I promise to always love you, with all of my everything. I don't just think we can do anything together, I know. We are unstoppable, and nothing will ever get between our love, no distance, no matter how great, will stop us from loving each other, not now, and nevermore, my dear Osiris."

Ironwood picked up from there, "Do you, Neve Cadere, take Cinder Fall to be your lawfully wedded bride, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, in strife and prosperity, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you, Cinder Fall, take Neve Cadere to be your lawfully wedded groom, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, in strife and prosperity, till death do you part?"

"I do."

Ironwood smiled brightly, "You may now-" Yet, he was cut off when Cinder stepped forward and planted a kiss on my lips, which I returned immediately. He chuckled, "Kiss the groom, I suppose."

The assembled crowd clapped and cheered, and once we parted, Shi approached, holding a bouquet of flowers. She offered it to Cinder with a smile, who took it and returned the smile. Then, she promptly tossed it into the crowd as they stood. Ruby jumped into the air and caught it, shooting a grin in Lunus' direction.

I smirked, and then it was time for the festivities.

The catering was wondrous, thanks to the Schnee family chefs. Cinder and I sat together with the rest of my team, Cinder's team, and Shi. Violet smiled at Cinder before asking, "So, a burnaway dress? That's pretty damn extra, Cindy."

If anyone else called Cinder 'Cindy' they'd have probably suffered a few burns, but since it was Violet, she just smirked, "Do you expect anything else, Vi? I know how to make an impression, and I'm not about to become some subdued housewife."

I didn't miss the opportunity to quip back after sipping some red wine (which Klein insisted was a very good vintage), "As if I'd ever expect that. You may know how to decorate a home, but cleaning it? Cooking?" I grinned a lopsided grin, "Princess, you've got the homemaking skills of, well, a princess."

That got Cinder to huff and everyone at the table to laugh at her expense. She blushed red and I smooched her cheek as an apology. After a moment, she quipped back, "Well, it's nice to know that I'll have such a skilled househusband, I expect a home cooked meal every night!"

I chuckled, "No promises! Maybe some nights I'll be lazy!"

Conversation moved on as we talked about what everyone was planning on doing over the next few days. Eventually, Shi glanced at my glass and asked, "Hey, Dad, can I-"

I responded easily with a "Nope," with a poppin' P.

"Why not?"

"Because you're eleven, your body's too underdeveloped to handle alcohol."

"But I'm almost twelve! And I'm mature enough to handle it!"

"You're still my sweet innocent daughter who could do no wrong, that includes not drinking before you get your Huntress-in-Training license."

Shi huffed and crossed her arms, "And what's going to happen if I ever wanna date? Are you going to be one of those parents like they have on TV?"

I grinned, "You know it. You're not going to date anyone while I'm around."

"But Dad-"

"Nope! I'll break their legs."

"Daad-"

"And then I'll find their Dad and hold him hostage."

"Daaaadd-"

"You're getting married to Jesus, Shi, you'll become a nun."

"Who? What?"

"Don't worry about it, old joke."

After that, Shi just huffed while she ate her food. Cinder thought about something for a moment before asking, "When do you think she will come and cause trouble again? It's been nearly a year. Frankly, even with that small dust up earlier in the year, we're lucky she hasn't shown up yet."

I shook my head, "Who knows. We can worry about that tomorrow, for today, let's keep our minds off that. She will come, and when she does…"

"We'll be ready."

(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

An Unknown Warehouse in Mantle…

"There, it's finally finished."

Watts stepped back from the chair, a self-satisfied smile on his face, "It took a lot longer due to me losing the assistance of my daughter, but I think we can say that your cybernetics are satisfactory."

Orchid looked at her left arm, now entirely robotic and painted honey-gold and black, alternating like her hair, and clenched her fist. She smirked, "Finally. An arm and a leg later…"

Watts chuckled, "I believe Salem would have had something more biological lined up for you, why did you come to me, instead of Evernight?"

"Because," she stood up, "then she would have control. I may be gathering the maiden powers for her, but what deference I give is lip service alone." Her outfit had changed, now she was wearing a black miniskirt with a pair of shorts underneath, along with a red halter top and gold jacket, "Surely, you know a thing or two about not wanting to be under another's control?"

In response, Watts scoffed, "That's why I abandoned Atlas. They refused to recognize my genius, and put all of these regulations on me. Nonsense, I say. Regulations only stifle great minds." He cleared his throat as he began to walk with Orchid as she started to leave the room they were in, "Now, as per our deal, you are going to help me break my daughter out of-"

He was cut off as Orchid reached out towards him with her organic hand and, with a single touch, the unsuspecting Watts flashed red before disintegrating and falling into a pile of ash. Orchid scoffed, "Don't tell me what to do, and keep your aura up, fool." She smirked, "Not that you can do anything about it now."

She laughed as she grabbed her cloak, which was hanging on a hook on the wall before throwing it on and pulling the hood up to cover her head. She left the warehouse and began to walk, passing unsuspecting civilians along the way. They didn't know who she was, how could they? How could they know that a monster walked among them, stalking forward towards her destination, her goal stuck in her mind.

Eventually, she reached a small building, on the outside it looked abandoned. The windows were boarded up, the brick walls looked old and weathered, and the front door appeared completely blocked off. However, she walked past it, to the alleyway, and there she moved a piece of wood off the ground, finding a hidden entrance.

She stepped down into the cellar and opened it, pulling the wood over the entrance before she closed the door. As she stepped inside the once-wine-cellar, she spotted Tyrian and Hazel waiting around. Hazel was checking his dust crystals, while Tyrian was grumbling about his tail, which had just been repaired.

Tyrian looked at her and grinned, "Orchid. Where is Watts?" He knew where he was, he knew what happened to him, but did he care? No. Watts had overplayed his hand with his cyber attack on Atlas, and because of him their job had gotten harder, taken a lot longer. He had outlived his usefulness.

Orchid smirked, "He's… on vacation. He's earned it, I think, he's worked oh so hard these past few months, giving me my new arm and leg after that bitch burned the old ones off." She was lucky she hadn't lost her eye, Watts had said, "Now that I'm prepared, we can begin the next phase of our plan. Hazel," she looked at him with her usual seductive smile, "did you get what I asked you to, sweetie?"

Hazel grunted, unmoved by her words, "Yes, I got the IDs. We should be able to sneak into Atlas with them. Took some effort to get my hands on them, but Watts' help proved useful enough. While I had it." He didn't like what she had done to him, it was wasteful, but what could he do about it? He was in too deep now.

Orchid grinned, "Wonderful work, sweetie. Now then, are we all clear on what's to be done?"

Tyrian cackled, "After what happened before, I'm looking forward to this!"

"Good," she looked at the ceiling, her grin not fading, "I made a miscalculation last time. I was foolish to think I could move on with my objective with those so called 'Saviors of Remnant' around. No, it's clear that my everything must be brought to bear against them."

She turned on her heels, "Now, let's get going. Gather your things, and your disguises, we need to move quickly and quietly if we're going to do this right."

Getting into Atlas, all things considered, was laughably easy. Their fake IDs worked like a charm, and nobody asked them any questions. As far as Atlas was concerned, they were just Mantellian citizens coming up to visit some relatives.

Of course, the only relative Orchid was visiting was a 'grandma.'

While Ironwood kept her under lock and key, Watts had found where she was a long time ago. Though the security was now too tight to breach through sneakier means, that didn't mean Orchid couldn't find a way to break in without causing that much of a fuss.

It started with a simple distraction. Tyrian killed a few civilians near the facility and then got into a fight with Atlas' security. That sent the military who usually stayed in the facility away, giving Orchid the opportunity she needed to blow a hole in the wall.

The Winter Maiden, Fria, had all but lost herself to dementia by this point. Yet she was still hanging on, like a stubborn old dog. However, she had no way of knowing that the woman who blew open the wall was an enemy, as she came up to Fria, opened the capsule, and announced, "This facility is under attack! I'm supposed to take you to safety, ma'am. Please, come with me."

Fria smiled, "Oh, thank you sweetie. You're so sweet." She reached her hand out for Orchid to take.

She did so, and Orchid cooed, "Don't worry~" As she lifted Fria out of the capsule, she gently said…

"I promise this will all be over soon."