Chapter 69
"We can rest here while we fix the bike." Jaune pushed open the door to the small cabin-like outpost. It was freezing cold inside, but there was a heater with dry wood and a bit of Burn Dust ready for them. A quick splash of his Aura set the Dust off. "We'll take turns resting and leave in a couple hours."
"I'll take first watch." Ren mumbled before he left. Jaune held back a sigh.
"Jaune, you should rest. I'll fix the bike." Pyrrha smiled as she touched his shoulder. The warmth he could feel even through their armour was more comforting than the heater he was stood in front of.
"Hey… Pyrrha did I make a mistake? Not siding with Ruby I mean. Or… heck was it a mistake to come to Atlas? I… I just don't know anymore."
"Jaune… no I don't think it was. Either of those." She bit her lower lip for a moment. "It was a choice. It has consequences. But… if we didn't try to save lives how many would have died? If we never came to Atlas, how many would be dead? We've saved lives. We've done so much…"
"I just… I wonder if we should have trusted Ironwood. Given him the staff and stayed behind or… or gone with him or something. If we told him earlier… but then I think about how many he hurt by ignoring what his actions were doing. The pain Mantle felt. I think of that and wonder how we could trust him to make the right choice. I just don't know which is the right way…"
He fell silent and for some time Pyrrha had no answer. But then…
"Right or wrong… it's subjective, isn't it? What's right for Mantle is wrong for Ironwood. We chose to follow Ruby and her ideal. Saving as many as possible. Maybe we'll fail. Maybe we won't. But either way… isn't it worth it?" Her voice was soft but she sounded distracted like she wasn't just talking to him or about this moment.
"Is it worth it? If our choice leads to more deaths?"
"I think it is. I… I made the choice at Beacon. I'll put my all into this. I was willing to sacrifice who I am, my very soul perhaps. Compared to that, sacrificing my life seems… small."
Jaune swallowed hard. "It's worth anything to save a life then?"
"I like to think so." At that moment her smile looked radiant.
"... Thank you…"
"Get some rest Jaune. I'll wake you soon."
"Okay."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A loud sigh could be heard even through the thick door. "Yes? What do you want?" The voice asked as the doors were pulled open.
"A room." Ruby replied, pushing against the door to keep it from closing.
"Ah! Hey!" Whitley Schnee stumbled back in surprise, tripped over his feet, and fell to the floor.
"My friend is hurt and we need a room. You can tell your mother I'm also here to fulfil my promise." Ruby opened the door fully, allowing May and Ilia to enter carrying a still unconscious Nora.
"Where to?" May asked.
"W-w-weiss's room…" Whitley stammered as he stood. "It's this way…" He surprisingly hurried ahead and showed them the way. The cold white halls felt sterile, even as they entered the room of a teenage girl.
It was just as cold as the rest of the manor.
No wonder Weiss was so cold and snappy at the start. Ruby mournfully thought. It was strange to see the room of one of her closest friends and think that it didn't really suit them. It's so… empty. So depressing. As Ruby's mind wandered around the room, Nora was placed beneath the covers and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll get Klein. He can help." Whitley left the room as quickly as he could, but Ruby felt that he simply didn't want to stick around.
"What's the plan now?" May asked, folding her arms.
"... We get Nora what help we can."
"And then?"
"We try to get into contact with the others I suppose. Coordinate as a team." Ruby clenched her fists.
"Fine. I'll go hide the ship." May didn't seem too enthused as she left. The room felt even emptier now, with only an unconscious girl, a quiet Ilia and Ruby, who was still gathering herself after her outburst at Penny. Ruby bit her lower lip and moved to the windows, pulling the curtains aside. The view was quite spectacular, even with the black-purple clouds hovering in the distance.
This whole place feels so…isolated. Like the world, Ironwood and Salem are miles away. Ruby couldn't help but feel uneasy. Worried. She pulled out her scroll and tried to call Jaune, but it didn't connect. What are we supposed to do? Go looking for them? Wait with Nora? We can't leave her alone…
"Ruby…" Ilia came to stand beside her, hands fiddling. "I… you… no. Nevermind. This isn't the right time." She sighed and turned to leave, but Ruby stopped her.
"Now is as good as ever, Ilia. Better to get it off your chest…" I can think of plenty I wish I'd told Yang and the others. Ilia stood still for a moment, considering.
"Alright. I… I wanted to ask you… well… are you aware of your own feelings?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" It came so far out of left field Ruby's mind was launched away from her previous thoughts.
"Before we arrived you told Penny she would be a target, right? So she should go stay with Pietro?"
"Yes?" Ruby blinked, confused.
"Why didn't you say the same to Pyrrha?" Ilia stared into Ruby's soul. For some reason, Ruby felt like she was burning up under the weight of the question.
"I… Penny is the current target… for the Staff…"
"Sure, but Pyrrha is needed for Beacon's Relic. If Salem could get her, she would go for it. Especially because it could power her or another of her allies up with Cinder gone."
"I… uh…" Ruby's mind had ground to a halt, trying to come up with some answer. But why can't I?! What… what is going on with me?
"I'm not accusing you of anything. Just… making you aware, I guess." Ilia smiled sadly. "I… I just feel like you're… like me…" Ruby tilted her head in confusion, causing Ilia to sigh in defeat. "Look I just think you might be focused on Penny's safety because you… well… you know… have… feelings! For her." Ilia groaned and held her face in her hands.
"Feelings… for Penny?.." Ruby blinked as she considered. Was I so forceful about her safety because I'm… falling for her? Is that it? I do want her to be safe. I do feel like I need her in my life… is that… love? Ruby fell into thought, barely registering Klein entering the room to help Nora.
Her mind ran a mile a minute, trying to understand what her heart told her. Could I really be… in love? With all this chaos going on? She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when a scroll let out a loud beep Ruby jumped. She looked around and found the sound had come from Ilia, now sat on a nearby couch.
"What is it?" Ruby asked, turning from the window.
"It's… Amity." Ilia replied.
"Watts has made contact." Salem announced. "It appears he was captured, but General Ironwood has decided to trust him in… reacquiring the machine masquerading as the Winter Maiden."
Emerald swallowed. So… what next?
"He has, apparently, made the machine weaker. I shall send my Hound to retrieve it. Emerald, you need only wait for the power to come to you."
"Y-yes, my Queen." Emerald stammered.
"No!" The boy Oscar yelled. "Don't help her! She wants to destroy the world- gah!" He cried out as Hazel slammed him into the ground. What did he say she wanted!? Destroying the world!?
"Hmm. Hazel. Continue your work on the boy."
"Of course." Hazel bowed his head.
"Mercury, you desire to truly join my inner circle, yes? To no longer be but a pawn?"
"Yes, my Queen." He calmly intoned. He didn't stutter or hesitate…
"Then you shall prove it. Rescue Watts and join my Hound in searching for the machine. If it cannot be acquired then draw it out. Watts can guide you."
"Understood."
"Tyrian. Remain on standby."
"Yeeees, Goddess!" Tyrian drew out the word in an almost perverse way. It sent shivers up Emerald's spine.
I… can I survive this?
A thundering boom echoed as a kaleidoscope of colours lit up the wastes near Atlas. The sheer force of so much Dust sent what was once a floating marvel of a colosseum high into the sky. Boosters of gravity and combustion adjusted its position into a stable orbit.
With but a bomb and a mine full of Dust, as well as the ecological devastation the pair together caused, the Amity Communications Tower was now ready. With a bit of trepidation, but also excitement, Pietro Polindena pressed a button and launched the first worldwide broadcast in almost two years.
"Hello. My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a Huntress from Patch. There's a lot to talk about, but the shortest version I can give you is that Amity was converted into a new communications tower to replace what was lost in Vale and Mistral."
Ruby leaned over the couch's back to watch Ilia's scroll and frowned at the recording. I never can get used to seeing myself so… scarred. She thought, staring at the cuts that marred her face.
"But there are far more important things to discuss. Ever since Beacon fell my friends and I have searched for the cause. For the reason why. We found it. Out there is a being, a monster. Her name is Salem, and she commands the Grimm. She uses Human and Faunus pawns to destabilise us. Cinder Fall was one of her agents, and she destroyed Beacon."
Within a dimly lit warehouse, Roman Torchwick chuckled. "Well, I'll be. Little Red has been busy. Neo, get ready. I'm sure we can earn some brownie points by helping out Goodwitch with all this." He said with a grin. Neo smirked and left.
"But she didn't stop there. Cinder used the White Fang to attack and destroy Haven too. But they aren't after our academies themselves. They're after something within them. Items called Relics. They are powerful tools. We kept Haven's from them, and they haven't found the one in Beacon. But now they're after Atlas. The Relics are sealed behind doors that can only be unlocked by young women with magical power, called Maidens. We have Atlas's safe, for now. Professor Goodwitch in Vale and Headmaster Theodore in Vacuo can help Pietro Polindena explain the specifics later."
"Dude… she's telling everyone…" Sun Wukong smiled as he glanced down at his scroll. The hot sands of Vacuo and the mission they were on were sent to the back of his mind now.
"Guess we'll need to help Theodore explain stuff huh?" Neptune said with a grin.
"Yeah. Let's hurry back!"
"Despite Salem working in the shadows for so long, she's here. In person. Leading an army of Grimm the likes of which have never been seen. We're holding out but… General Ironwood has betrayed the people he was supposed to protect. He has abandoned Mantle and made Salem's goal easier. But it's not over yet! As long as we are alive we can fight!"
"So… Ironwood did lose it…" Leonardo Lionheart sighed. "But to think he'd go that far…" The tavern around him was full of people crying out in worry as the message went on.
"Salem's goal is to gather these Relics and use them to wipe us all out! She's powerful and can't be beaten just with strength or armies. But we can win. All we need is to resist her! She can't win as long as we are united as one! The Relics will backfire and defeat her so long as we aren't Human or Faunus, but one people. That's why she uses pawns to destabilise us, because it's the only way she can win!"
Ghira Belladonna felt a chill run down his back as the teenager on his screen called out. In some ways, she reminded him of himself, many years before. If a child has so much hope, how can I just sit here? "Kali! Call a town meeting!" He shouted, jumping to his feet and rushing to do what he should have done years ago.
"Maybe we can't win. Salem is a monster stronger than anything we've faced before. But I believe we can do this! This is our world! These are our nations! Our lives! Screw some ancient Grimm woman! This isn't her world! If she wants to take it from us, she will have to work harder than this! Whether or not we survive her in Atlas, I call out to all of you!"
A raven-haired woman hiding in her tribe. A raging General in his command centre. A small family in a city by the ocean. Professors of a fallen academy. Students standing in the sands. A city where it all began. A city on a mountain. A city in the desert. A mining town recovering from a mayor's betrayal. A flying city, and the city in its shadow. All of them and far, far more heard the plea of the girl in the red hood:
"Remnant! Stand tall! Never give in! Tell the Grimm and their idiotic Queen that we! Will! Not! Break!"
Across the world, people's cheers filled the air.
But on Amity, the air was filled with screams instead as Penny collapsed to the ground.
"Aaaah!" Penny clutched her head in pain as her green eyes flashed red.
"Penny!" Pietro cried out, rushing over on his chair. "Oh no! This… Maria! I need your help!"
"What do you need me to do!?" Maria cried, hobbling over as fast as she could.
"My chair has a cable, take it and connect it to her hand!" He instructed, pulling up a hard light interface as he did. Maria hurried along as Penny battled herself. Penny thrust her hand to the side, opening a panel on her wrist. Maria pushed the cable in, connecting Penny to Pietro's chair.
"Come on!" He cried out to the world as he tapped away, bringing up an analysis of Penny's internals. "She's been hacked. It looks like… Arthur's work?"
"But what can you do about it?"
"AAAAGH!" Penny screamed in pain and tried to push away, but Pietro tapped a command into the holographic keyboard. Penny's limbs fell limp, disabled.
"I'm sorry Penny!" Tears were running down his cheeks. "I'll need to isolate the virus, but I never could surpass Arthur's code. For now, the best I can do is keep it from taking over…"
"But what is it taking her over for?" Maria asked.
"..."
"Pietro!?"
"The virus has a command." He spoke with a trembling voice as he looked over the screen before him. "She'll open the Vault… and then… 'self terminate'."
Maria's robotic eyes widened in horror. "Can you beat it?" Maria asked.
"If I could reboot Penny, it'd be easy. But I can't. I'd need to be in my lab in Atlas. I don't have the tools here to bring her back online. And even if I did… I likely wouldn't survive." He shook his head sadly. "Of course, I wouldn't let that stop me. But… it's not an option."
"So no easy way out?"
"No. I can work against it, however. Arthur's viruses were always good at evading deletion but I won't let that stop me." Pietro broke out into a coughing fit, but his eyes held a fire that couldn't be quenched by his ill health. "It'll take time and there's no guarantee I can delete it. It's a good thing she was here when it happened. I dread to think what would have happened had she been elsewhere…"
"Alright. I'll take over for you and talk with the other Kingdoms then. You should tell Ruby and the others when you get a chance." Maria hobbled back towards the main console.
"Penny…" Pietro whispered, "please don't go again…"
A/N: I return after a long, unintentional hiatus. Not sure if I'm back fully. We'll see how things go. Uhh... let's see... oh yeah, so with Cindy dead, Penny doesn't need to hold Amity up. So full broadcast, plus her being near Pietro when the virus hits. I don't really think Pietro is someone who could create a program on the fly to get rid of a Watts-level virus. Pietro is more engineer type I feel. So he'd need his lab, which is in Atlas itself. But hey, at least he can help Penny a bit, right?
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time.