Chapter 62
The cold grey halls felt almost suffocating. They seemed to perpetuate a feeling of dread within Ruby. A feeling that did not abate as they entered Ironwood's office.
If anything it grew stronger.
James Ironwood sat behind his desk, one arm bandaged and in a sling, while the other massaged his temple. His eyes looked up at them as the door closed. He sighed.
"We have made a grave mistake." It came out almost as a whisper, his eyes falling back down onto his table. Near the edge of one side was a bag, but in the middle was an obsidian-like glass chess piece. A queen. The same queen that the Beacon virus had displayed…
"Cinder… How'd she get into Atlas?" Ruby wondered aloud.
"I already have teams looking into it. But how she got here is the least of our worries." Ironwood scowled. "What if this was all their plan? To have us running through Mantle? To distract us?"
"Cinder doesn't really think things through too much. Not since Beacon. She's too angry to strategize." Ruby countered.
Ironwood shook his head. "But it's not just her. Watts… he manipulated Jacques… he faked his death and I believed it… he could be manipulating us right now… maybe… maybe we should pull the fleet back?"
"No!" Ilia cried out. "If you do that Mantle will fall! The people need Atlas to protect them!"
"If the enemy planned this," Harriet spoke up, "then we can't protect Mantle. We were run ragged down there. If it wasn't for your friend being a Maiden the hole would have been so flooded we might not have been able to retake it. How long can she keep that up?"
"So what?" Ruby asked. "That's our job. To protect people."
"We are only human. There is only so much we can do." Vine replied with a shake of his head. "It is far more logical to reduce the amount we have to protect than it is to recklessly try to protect everyone."
"That's part of the job too, kid." Harriet frowned at her. "We have to defend what we can."
Ruby scowled back. "So you'll abandon the evacuation just because it's easier? Is it not more logical to bring everyone into one spot that's easier to defend? If we keep evacuating then whatever Watts planned will go to waste! With all of us, the military and the Happy Huntresses working the defence nothing could get through!"
"We don't have time!" Ironwood roared. "Watts and Tyrian are in our custody but Cinder is here! We've lost any chance of cutting this off before it gets worse! Our only choice is to pull our forces back!" He slammed his metal fist into his desk, causing it to shake. The thick bag placed near the edge tilted, threatening to fall off.
"That's-!" Ruby was cut off by the soft beep of Ironwood's scroll. With a shaking arm, he pulled it out and pressed down onto the screen, accepting the incoming call.
"Sir! We've discovered several missing soldiers! They're… well they were incinerated, sir! CCTV shows a woman slaughtering them on her way to your office! We are currently searching for her sir!"
"Understood." Ironwood scowled and ended the call. "She's already killed good men!" He slammed his fist down again, sending a spider web of cracks across the surface. With a crash the chess piece fell to the floor, shattering into thousands of tiny shards. It was followed by the bag, which opened as it bounced off the ground.
From within came a creeping sense of dread that caught all of their hearts. A thin black tendril reached out from the opening, followed by another and another. They wrapped around the table and pulled its body out. A large, bulb-like head filled with black gas or mist.
Ruby had seen such a monster once before, in Haven.
The Grimm floated up into the centre of the room, tendrils flailing for a moment before it stopped. Its limbs began to curl up beneath it, like a spider when it died. And then the glass shell of a head cracked and shattered, spreading its thick mist out into the room. The shadowy fog engulfed the corpse of the Grimm and began to take shape, its colours shifting to form a figure only she had seen before.
The others had taken steps back to avoid this sudden appearance, but Ruby stood firmly in place. Even as the mist took the form of Salem herself, crimson eyes glaring condescendingly and all.
"So then. Watts has failed." She spoke with some measure of disappointment. "And he was so confident of his victory."
"Y-you! You're her!" Ironwood managed to get out, his body shaking with fear. Salem lazily turned to face the almost cowering general, a smile on her face.
"Ah. You must be General Ironwood. It is a pleasure to finally meet the man who believes he can win." Salem, nothing more than a mass of shadow, began to move. She floated across the cold floor to hover above Ironwood. As a being of mist at this point, her size could seemingly change at will, for she grew larger and larger to look down upon them all. "It's admirable that you think you have a chance, but I love to inform you that you don't. You can't win now, and you can't win ever. Time is not on your side. It is on mine, as it always has and always will be."
Ironwood closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened they were resolute. His posture returned to one of confidence. "So what? Time may be on your side but I will stop you. I stopped Watts and Tyrion. Cinder will be no different."
Salem smirked. "Oh, you dear child. Watts and Tyrion were not the main force. They were not what you should be so proud of winning against. They were simply setting the stage for me. Whether they won or lost means little, for their mission was simply to weaken you. I believe they did their job quite well. You are weak, James Ironwood, and you will fall."
"We'll stop you." Ruby stated, interrupting Salem in the midst of her monologue.
"Ahhhh, the Little Rose." She laughed as she turned to face Ruby. "You look far better than you did the last time we spoke. Have you considered my offer?"
"Do you seriously believe I would ever join you? You must have gone mad if you truly believed that."
"Hahahahaha! Good. Now you sound like your mother."
"Going to tell me what you did to her, or will I have to guess?"
"I think guessing is part of the fun, yes? A mystery is only interesting when you don't know the answer after all."
"I see. So that's what the world was to you, wasn't it? When Ozma brought you out of that tower. The world must have been one big mystery. Too bad you had to go and ruin it. Getting the world destroyed because the Gods wouldn't bring back your dead boyfriend. What a petulant child you were. But hey, if that fairy tale about the girl in the tower was about you, then I guess it runs in the family huh?" Ruby smirked as Salem's smile faded.
"I was wrong. You aren't like your mother. You are far more insufferable." Salem glared down at her, hatred and spite filling her crimson eyes. And then, as quickly as she came, she vanished. The most faded and the corpse that had formed the centre of the shade gave way to nothingness.
Dread drained from the room, but although the tension dropped it did not disappear.
"She's coming…" Ironwood whispered.
"That was Salem!? How can we beat that!?" Marrow cried.
"She does appear to be more… intense than I expected." Vine chimed in.
"Damn it!" Harriet cursed. "The long-range sensors aren't working. It could have been Watts, or Salem's already destroyed them!"
"I feel like I'm in way over my head…" Ilia gulped.
"So that's what she's like…" Taiyang scowled.
"They were just the vanguard? If we had this much trouble with them…" Elm wondered.
"Enough!" Ruby declared. "Salem is trying to divide us! We have to work together here!"
"I couldn't say it better myself, Ruby." Ironwood nodded in agreement, but something about his tone was cold. When she looked at him she didn't see that familiar tired face, she saw instead a fake smile. A fake veneer of calm. Or… no it's not fake it's… it's like he's just separated something from himself. She wasn't sure why she thought that, but it became clear as he continued.
"We have to be united. So obviously you understand that, even if you disagree, you have to support me."
"What?" Ruby narrowed her eyes.
"With Salem on her way, Mantle is done for. We have to unlock the Vault and use the Relic of Creation. Ozpin brought Atlas into the sky but he didn't go far enough. We'll take our plan for Amity and apply it to Atlas. Fly higher than any Grimm could reach."
"That's…" Ruby almost stumbled in shock. "That's more than just abandoning Mantle! That's abandoning everyone! You'll leave the whole world to fend for itself for what!? A chance at surviving a bit longer!? Do you actually think it will be safe up there? She just told you time is on her side!"
"The Relics will be safe. We'll manage. Salem has no Grimm that can reach that high." Ironwood replied.
"For now! Grimm can change and evolve, you know that! How long before a Grimm that can fly that high appears? This is idiotic! We need to prepare battle lines and evacuate Mantle!"
"She's right." Her father came to her aid quickly. "We have no idea what Salem can do, so there is no guarantee that she couldn't take Atlas down even if you go that high."
"Besides," Ilia jumped in, "your job is to protect the people of the kingdom! Not just one city!"
"Woof!" Zwei added at the end.
"We can't protect both cities long enough for that." Harriet tried to counter. Ruby turned on her with a glare.
"I wonder why that is! Maybe it's because you all decided to take resources away from Mantle!? Maybe if they had enough resources to rebuild their walls we wouldn't be in this mess!"
"We needed those for Amity." Ironwood cooly replied.
Ruby snarled as she glared at him. "For a tower that isn't even finished. You have allowed people to die for a project that you aren't even going to complete. We could finish it and call for allies!"
"And who would come?" Vine asked. "By your own reports, Mistral has lost most of its Huntsmen population. Vale is busy and needs its people for Beacon. Vacuo… Well, Vacuo doesn't care about anyone else."
"Ruby." Ironwood's voice caused them all to go silent. "We are raising Atlas. Winter has already gone to retrieve the Maiden. We'll raise our city, kill Cinder and remain safe. You have a choice. Support unity and help us, or aid Salem and cause division."
Ruby sighed. "I'm not the one planning to abandon people." The moment the words left her mouth she vanished. She became a storm of petals that flashed past Ironwood and behind the broken desk. As she reformed she drew out her scroll and speed dialled her friends. "Ironwood is going to abandon Mantle by raising Atlas with the Staff! Salem is on her way here and-" She stopped and clicked her tongue as her scrolls connection was severed.
"So you have chosen division. I'm disappointed. Ace-Ops. Arrest them and then move to hunt down Cinder Fall." Ironwood let out a sigh and marched out of the room. "I really am disappointed."
The heavy metal door closed behind him.
Ruby stepped out from behind the desk, Crescent Rose deploying in her hands. Ilia, Tai and Zwei gathered at her sides, weapons at the ready.
"We don't have to fight. If you just surrender…" Marrow tried to parley, but his team didn't care. Weapons were drawn.
"Marrow, don't even try. They're too stubborn to realise what's right in this situation." Harriet scoffed.
"Marrow. If you don't want to fight, don't." Ruby looked at the wolf Faunus.
"I'm sorry…" He did look apologetic as he drew his rifle.
"Ruby…" Her father whispered. "When you get a chance, take Ilia and run."
"!?" Ruby let out a wordless sound of surprise.
"We're outnumbered and outgunned. You need to stop Ironwood. I'll hold them down here."
Ruby looked up at her father. His eyes were filled with conviction. A glance at their new foes showed her that he was right. They were strong, no doubt about it, but the Ace-Ops? They were a team. Ruby had been fighting at Ilia's side for a couple months at most. Zwei was just a dog. Her father had been retired for years and they'd really only trained together, not gone on missions or worked as a team.
The Ace-Ops may rely on Clover and his good luck, but they still had more experience. Damn it! I…
She didn't respond. Ruby simply rushed forward and started the battle. Her scythe cut down towards Marrow, trying to hook in between him and his rifle to separate them. However, he managed to duck back and avoid her blade.
"Haaaa!" Harriet roared as she raced in from the side. She was faster than Ruby, her Semblance a true speed Semblance. But all that speed was worthless when she hit nothing but petals. Gunfire echoed through the space as Taiyang opened fire on Elm, while Ilia lashed out towards Vine.
"Woof!" Zwei barked a moment before launching himself forward to chomp onto Marrow's leg.
"Aaah! What the hell!?" He cried out, stumbling around.
Ruby ignored him and turned to Harriet. As a cloud of petals, she enveloped the speedster and began slashing into her, shifting in and out of her Semblance. Even with her speed, Harriet couldn't predict where she would appear. But while she was doing alright, it wasn't going well elsewhere.
Elm was like a train as she slammed into Tai, throwing him back into the desk which shattered under the impact. Meanwhile, Vine was currently launching Ilia into the roof before grabbing her and throwing her into the floor. Marrow had kicked off Zwei and was looking for a chance to help Harriet.
We don't have the ability to beat them… It was a harsh realisation. After so long training she couldn't make up for the lack of teamwork. Dad is right. Damn it! She held back tears as she began working on a plan.
Spinning herself around Harriet, she threw Dust into the air and pulled it into her petals. Ice blue petals mixed with bright reddish-orange. Once it was ready she flew back up into the air, high above them all.
"Freezerburn." Ruby whispered to herself.
Icicles launched from her cloud, slamming into the ground and spreading a sheet of ice. They were followed by a volley of flaming petals. The moment they connected with the ice an explosion of steam filled the room. Sight was lost in an instant, but Ruby had memorised the locations of everyone. Several bolts of fire struck the door with a loud bang, causing it to cave in enough for a person to squeeze through.
In a fluid motion, Ruby fell from the ceiling, grabbed Ilia and turned them both fully into a cloud of red and brown petals. They were out the door a moment later. Before any of the Ace-Ops could think to follow them Ruby reverted them and deployed Ember Emortus.
I'm sorry, dad.
Ice sprayed from her Dust throwers, sealing the hole and trapping the door so that it couldn't be opened any time soon. Tears fell from her eyes as she turned, grabbed Ilia and used her Semblance. They didn't have time to run. They had to stop Winter from using the Maiden powers to open the Vault.
She had a feeling Cinder would be there too.
"Stay safe, Ruby." Taiyang whispered to himself with a sad smile. The steam had cleared and the Ace-Ops were turning to face him. Gotta buy her time.
He ran forward from the rubble of the desk and kicked Zwei up into the air. The dog happily curled up into a ball in midair. Tai twisted and kicked his dog towards Marrow, sending a ball of fur and flame bouncing between the Ace-Ops. Ember Celica barked as he laid into them.
He dealt some good damage, but it wasn't meant to last.
"Stay!" Marrow called, pointing at Tai. Immediately he lost the ability to move. Elm grabbed Zwei mid-spin and, with a roar of effort and pain, held on despite the spinning ball of flame tearing into her hands. The moment Zwei's momentum faded, it was over.
Gravity bola's were tied around Tai's wrists and Zwei's body. They hadn't lasted very long at all, but at least with the door sealed it would take them just a bit longer to escape.
Ruby. I hope that was enough but…
Tai couldn't win, but he could be the most annoying and difficult prisoner possible.
Just a few more minutes! I'll give her every possible second!
A/N: So the finale of V7 is here and of course Ironwood goes off the deep end. I know some people don't accept that at all but to me he's always been on that edge. Heck in V2 I thought he was a villain in disguise! I actually thought that V3 was going to end up a Heroes Vs Cinder Vs Ironwood type situation. Guess I was off by several years, huh? Oh well, hopefully, some of the points I've raised here can ease those people into it a bit better. But here is also the biggest change for this part: the Ace-Ops aren't beaten. Thanks to Ruby and Ilia and Tai not being a team and having so short a time to try and become one they can't keep up. Even the Ace-Ops terrible teamwork is still better. They at least have years of experience with each other. Sadly this means Tai and Zwei are arrested. A sacrifice so Ruby can stop the plan from being able to succeed. The Maiden side of things is up next time.
In other news, I've finished the plan for another fic. One that may replace this once we hit the end of V8. Whether it's that fic or another one I'm planning out now is up in the air. Both are good options. Comes down to either another RWBY or doing a Mass Effect fic. Maybe I'll put it to a vote with a poll? Idk. Got plenty of time to think.
I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!