Chapter 2: Welcome to Atlas


Levi was getting tired of flying. It hadn't been that long since they had landed in Mantle, he had wanted to stretch his leg for a bit only to get captured and arrested. Despite all that, all he could think about was that faunus woman that had squished his face. What was an Erune? He had never even heard of a faunus like that. He had heard of various animal faunus, deer, panthers, cats, wolves, and things of that nature. But rare races like the Miqo'te were hardly ever spoken about in history. So when this woman, with odd-looking ears and a rather sexy appearance, strode up to him and grabbed his face, she left quite the impression on him.

Could it be that there were other races out there he wasn't aware of? His mother never mentioned any other race except his own. Miqo'te Faunus were feline-line creatures in nature and oftentimes didn't really qualify as faunus, despite their feline traits. The revelation of this woman opened a brand new can of worms that he just didn't want to think about at the moment. It just made his already swirling head hurt twice as much as before. He clenched his eyes tightly, trying to focus on anything except the movement of the airship, as it chugged along, heading toward the floating city of Atlas.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby asked softly, glancing up from her joined hands. She was fiddling a bit with the Gravity Bolas that kept them bound, trying to figure out how they worked.

"I'm gonna go with jail," Qrow mused, leaning forward in his seat. "Those operatives didn't say anything but the way things are, using weapons without the right authority could land us in some serious trouble."

"I still can't believe that fishing pole guy took us out like it was nothing!" Jaune said, still impressed at what happened.

"We were sort of distracted by those bickering journalists," Alto said, ears flicking around as she wiggled her fingers. "That black-dressed guy really seemed to hate Sora for some reason, and that woman… she was so hot."

The group looked at Alto, whose cheeks flushed crimson. "What? It's true!"

"Be that as it may, that group was quite swift in how they caught us. They must have trained extensively to reach that level of expertise." Oscar said, his tone one of admiration.

"Welcome to Atlas. Those were General Ironwood's Ace Operatives. A Group of 5 Atlas Academy Graduates who are the cream of the crop. My sister ranks one level above them, as a Special Operative herself,"

"Eh? You had a run-in with the Ace-Ops?" the man beside them asked, looking a bit worn as he sat up in his seat. "Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."

Weiss rolled her eyes, settling into her seat. "They're not that big of a deal,"

The man let out a laugh. "Not that big a deal? The Ace-Ops are the elite-of-elite military huntsmen and Ironwood's personal attack dogs."

"I've fought girls who are tougher than them," Levi mused, giving Neo a wink. She smiled, a proud look on her tired face. Nora couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the speckled man.

"So, they got you too huh?"

"Pfft, of course not! I wouldn't let myself get captured by them!" the man boated, a grin on his face as he struggled to undo the bolas around his wrists. "I'm here because I've been speaking out against Atlas' exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me!"

"You threw a brick at one of our ships!" One of the pilots said, making the man glare at them.

"It was worth it! If it gets the people talking about our cause!" he shouted, making the pilot sigh in annoyance. Ren cleared his throat, making the man look at him.

"Your cause?"

"Yes! The fight for better conditions in Mantle! Lead by the charismatic, talented, lovely, beautiful, gorgeous Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses!" the man said gleefully, stars in his eyes as he spoke. The pilot pressed a button, the glass window slowly rising up, making the man huff. "See? See? They're closing the window because they don't want to hear the truth! Robyn is better than Jacques Schnee you fucks!"

"We… weren't aware Jacques Schnee was running for the council seat," Yang said firmly.

"Yes, he is. And he's making false promises too, all about treating us better and giving us proper wages, all while people get sacked on mining duty. It's no wonder the faunus protest so often. They've been treated like animals their whole lives and now we humans have to face the same scrutiny."

"Mr. Pot, Mr. Kettle called and he said you're black!" Levi spat, a grin on his face. "About time you humans felt the same shit our people have been feeling for the past 200 years."

"Tch… whatever. All you have to know is that Robyn is a better candidate than that dusty old snowman. She and the Happy Huntresses were all top Atlas Academy graduates, who could've signed up for the military, but Robyn and the huntresses chose to stay in Mantle. She's gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's Council, and when she gets it, she's going to put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"

"Happy Huntresses?" Ruby asked brows furrowed a bit.

"Sounds like the name of a stripper group at the local Go-Go Bar," Levi said, earning a glare from Weiss, making him chuckle dryly. "Not that I would know what a Go-Go Bar is, since I am a very polite and not perverted boy."

"Disrespectful little-" the man was cut off by Blake, whose ears were flat against her head, possibly to hide them slightly from view.

"Do you really think they have what it takes to be on the council? I mean, look at Mistral and how they're doing. I certainly doubt one person can change things, especially when most of the Council will out-vote her."

"You have no faith! Besides, who cares about the opinions of dumb faunuses anyway? Just keep your nose out of human affairs, would you?" he spat, making Blake sigh. Alto glared at the man, if her hands were free she likely would have punched him. Weiss dug her heel into his foot, grinding it hard as she made him yelp in pain.

"I won't have you disrespecting my friends, and don't you think 'tyranny' is a bit too dramatic?"

The man glared at her, realizing at that moment who had stomped on his foot. He gave her a smug look, fixing his glasses with his joined hands. "Easy for a Schnee heiress, living comfortably up in Atlas."

She sighed, bowing her head a bit. "Didn't you hear the news? I'm no longer an heiress. I'm just an average citizen just like you."

The airship jerked up a bit, finally allowing the group to see the mighty kingdom of Atlas. It was absolutely beautiful. With large mountainous cliffs at the east and west. The city itself was grand, with tall buildings as far as the eye could see, the front part of the floating kingdom was nothing but farmland, filled with orchards, plantations, and many other agricultural marvels. The city looked so much brighter than Mantle down below, with most of the buildings being different shades of white, blue, and dark aquamarine. Hovercars could be seen floating above the city streets, Atlas Mantas were flying over the skies, but what stole the show was the giant building in the very center of the city, towering far higher than all the others.

"Wow! It's so gorgeous up here!" Ruby said cheerfully, earning a frown from Weiss who sighed and settled into her seat next to Levi.

"It may look pretty, but Atlas is far from it. It's a cutthroat city of progress, military might, and commerce. We were once hailed as the commerce capital of the world. Now, Atlas is just the kingdom that abandoned the world,"

"Weiss don't say stuff like that," Levi said. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He didn't know when it was she had started getting so close to him but he didn't necessarily mind. He looked around for a few moments, catching the look Neo was giving him. She wiggled her brows, her lips curved into a smile.

The other prisoner looked around for a moment, noticing the ship was heading in another direction. His brows furrowed, seeing the municipal buildings pass by their ship. He pressed his face against the glass, looking rather worried. "This isn't the police station."

"No… this is… Atlas Academy," Qrow muttered, making the others share a look. Ruby let out a quiet laugh.

"I guess we will be seeing the General after all, for better or worse,"

It didn't take long for the ship to land in one of the empty ports. The doors flew open and one by one, the former Beacon students were brought out of the transport ship. Levi looked up at the marvel that was Atlas Academy. It had been built on top of a mountain, with four large towers towering high above them, connected by what seemed like glass tunnels connecting them. The central tower towered high above the others, being the tallest structure in all of Atlas. Levi could see the giant antenna and satellite dishes that likely housed Atlas's CCT.

All around them, hard light structures could be seen, acting as a sort of forcefield that kept civilian ships away from Atlas Academy. He could see similar structures around the entire landmass, likely to protect the citizens from avian and flying Grimm. Levi swallowed the lump in his throat as he continued looking up, taking long deep breaths of the cold air.

"I can't believe we finally made it here. I know I decided to come here to finish my training, and even after everything went down I had my doubts but…" he paused, glancing down at his feet. "Somehow, I don't feel like I belong here,"

"Don't ever say something like that, Levi. It doesn't matter where it is, you belong in Remnant. More importantly, you belong with us, your friends. If they don't accept you, they don't accept any of us," Ruby said cheerfully.

"Thanks, Ruby. I would give you a hug but I don't have a left arm… and I'm tied up," he said, making her giggle.

"I'm sure Yang will let you borrow her arm for a minute or two."

"Start walking, we can't keep the General waiting." two soldiers said, forcing the group to walk forward. And so they did, moving toward the Grand Atrium. The doors slowly slid open, allowing the group to enter the building.

They slowly stepped up the stairs, with Levi struggling to properly walk up. He looked around, seeing how vastly different the entrance hall of this academy was to that of Haven. While Haven was much more open, and traditional, and inviting, Atlas Academy looked cold, dead. It reminded him a lot of a military barracks, and for all intents and purposes, it was. It just didn't look as appealing to him as Beacon or Haven had. But at least it was better than Shade.

"Ruby, what's the plan?" he heard Ren say, making him look up from his surroundings, his silver-eyed gaze falling on the younger girl.

"I don't know yet, but we should be careful with what we say,"

"We'll follow your lead, Ruby," Blake said softly.

"Yeah, me and Neo joined your team so we're at your disposal. We won't speak unless spoken to," Levi said, only for Neo to bump him, a look of annoyance on her face. He chuckled, grinning. "I'll do the talking, Neo will do the silencing,"

"She's going to kick your teeth in one day, Levi."

"Yeah I know, Yang. I just hope I have both arms so I can put up a fight," he said with a wink.

The group grew silent again, being urged to be quiet by soldiers guiding them along. They were all guided into an elevator, one of the men hitting the top floor button. The small shaft moved upward at almost a snail's pace, making the group more nervous than before. The doors slid open, and they walked forward. Another set of stairs later and they were brought deeper into the academy, to a large landing that split off into two other hallways, along with another stairway that led up. The holographic sign above read "Headmaster's Office" with an arrow pointing forward.

Footsteps filled their ears, making them jump a bit in surprise. The tired-sounding voice of General Ironwood filled their ears, as the man pinched his eyes. "I swear if I have to sit through another council meeting like that…"

Winter Schnee stood by him, a similar look on her face. She absolutely loathed council meetings, but being the General's right-hand woman meant she had to sit through them whenever he asked that of her.

"General Ironwood, sir. We brought the captives that were apprehended by the Ace Operatives." one of the soldiers said, causing the man to stop. He looked at the group, eyes widening in surprise. Weiss pushed her way forward, locking eyes with her sister.

"Winter."

She looked ready to say something, but Nora held her hands up, her bolas having been covered in teeth marks from her trying to free herself. "Mind helping us with these? I'm losing circulation to my fingers."

Winter looked around for a moment, giving the two soldiers a death glare. "You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you."

The two soldiers looked at each other, looking focused for a moment before professing their apologies. They hastily moved about the group, untwisting the bolas, throwing them all on the ground. The General remained silent for a moment, his face softening as he gestured for them to follow.

"Please, come in. We have much to discuss," he said simply. The group all shared looks among themselves, deciding to follow after the man. Weiss kept stealing glances at her sister, but the woman kept her face forward, hands folded behind her back. She had a stoic look on her face, but she could see her eyes flicking to her every so often.

It didn't take them long to reach Ironwood's office, likely the highest point in all of Atlas. His office was large and open, wide panoramic windows showed the city of Atlas down below. Large arches spanned around the office, glowing with bright hard light lamps. There was a star-shaped emblem on the ground, along with various other stars and markings. Levi could see various other things spread out throughout the office. Pictures of various students, awards, medals as well as the photographs of previous headmasters. The General paused for a moment, frowning as the group rubbed their wrists.

"It's good to see all of you,"

"Our reception didn't exactly convey that," Yang replied a hint of sarcasm in her voice. The man turned to fully face them, a look of sincere regret on his face.

"I am sincerely sorry for how you were treated by my team," he said, ignoring Qrow's huff as he went to sit behind his desk, placing his hands atop it. "But you must understand, when a rogue airship entered our airspace it raised some… red flags. We assumed the ship was stolen."

"S-stolen?" Ruby said, sheepishly rubbing her neck. The man quirked a brow, making her cave under pressure. "Alright yeah… it was stolen,"

At this admission, the general smiled, silently chuckling while Winter stepped forward, an angry look on her face. "You stole an Atlas airship? What were you thinking? You might have been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsible-"

Weiss silenced her sister with a hug, who stood still as her sister hung onto her, standing on her tip-toes. Winter sighed, hugging her sister back. "I'm sorry I worried you. But we did what we had to do."

"I.." the older woman sighed, shaking her head. "What… happened to you? To your clothes I mean? All of you look like you've been through hell."

"That's because we were," Levi said, groaning a bit in pain as he clutched his head. He could feel his forehead had gotten a lot warmer than it had been. "Miss Schnee, do you remember me, by any chance?"

"Yes, you are Terra Athan's son, Levi," she said, giving him a once-over. "You've changed a lot… what happened to your arm?"

"It was uh… sliced off," he admitted, rubbing his neck. "You see, in order to get here from Argus, we had to appropriate an Atlas Manta. To do that we had to disable Argus's radar, but Blake and Weiss were being targeted by Adam Taurus. He had plans to kill Blake and bring Weiss here by force. Then he had plans to, and I quote, "Castrate the Young Schnee heir, rip the ovaries from Winter and her mother and finally put Jacques Schnee's head on a pike outside Schnee Dust Company World HQ,"

A look of abject horror appeared on Winter's face. "Don't worry, the bastard is dead. Took all of us to bring him down, but he ended up doing quite a bit of damage to all of us. He ended up doing a lot of physical harm to me and Weiss, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"I… I see." the older woman said, glancing down at her sister. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that,"

"It's fine, it's par for the course when you wish to become a huntress,"

"You shouldn't have to do any of that. You have no idea how distraught I've been since you went missing. The Atlas Military was recalled, and Father has been so helpful in your search. Mother has been beside herself and Whitley… he's become our father's spitting image."

Weiss looked away, rubbing her arm, a look of shame on her face. The silence was tense, Winter's gaze falling on Qrow, her anger briefly returning. "We can discuss things later, Weiss. But you… how could you allow them to do any of this?"

"Tch… you try to stop these kids when they have their mind set on something. Speaking of which…" The man looked around for a moment, making sure they were truly alone. "We have some important information to discuss, and it's rather confidential,"

Winter stepped away from the group, taking her spot to Ironwood's right. He pressed a button on his desk, closing the windows behind him. "If you wish to discuss the relics, then feel free to do so. Or are you perhaps here to share with us the location of the Spring and Summer Maidens?"

Qrow blinked for a few moments, his gaze shifting toward Ironwood. "You told her?"

"Indeed. I didn't just tell her, I told the Ace-Ops as well, along with Special Operative Sonata Piccolo and the Protector of Mantle, who is still out on a mission," the man said as he rose from his seat. Levi's ears flicked around a bit, his lips curving into a deep frown when he heard his former teammate's name. He reached inside his desk, pulling out the Relic of Knowledge, letting it float above his desk.

"Did you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon?" He continued, directing his question at Qrow. "With Ozpin gone, I needed to build a team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them and had them swear an oath of absolute secrecy. Which is also why I am glad you are here, with this."

He gestured to the lamp, looking at it briefly, before resuming his speech. "Up until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tides against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, kept victory from her claws, but she will keep returning, stronger and stronger until we destroy her,"

"Salem can't be killed."

Jinn's words flowed through all of them, reminding them of the bitter truth they learned after the Argus Limited had crashed. It was something they had been carrying for a while, and they weren't exactly sure how they were going to tell the man. The miqo'te faunus gave Ruby a look, earning one in return. She shifted her gaze back at the relic, before meeting eyes with the General.

"What about the Atlas Relic?"

"You mean the Staff of Creation?" he reiterated, earning a nod from the girl.

"It's safe within the Vault."

"Alright, and the Winter Maiden?" Qrow asked next, with Winter beating the General to the Punch.

"She is secure and in stable condition."

"Stable condition? What does that mean?" Alto asked, looking around nervously for a few moments. The General gave her a once over, making her shy back for a moment. He didn't necessarily recognize her, but she looked rather familiar to him. She looked at the floor, her ears drooping. "Is the Winter Maiden injured or…"

"No, she isn't exactly a Spring Chicken, if you catch my drift," Qrow replied. The General sighed, licking his lips as he searched his mind for words, something to inspire them and keep them calm. But after everything they had gone through, he doubted he could really say anything that would cheer them up. He had to earn their trust, especially if Qrow had decided to trust them with everything.

"Look, I know how this all looks. Recalling the military? The Embargo? I probably don't seem the most trustworthy right now."

"Then why continue it?" Blake asked firmly. "The people of Mantle are hurting, all of the news reports say so many bad things. There are Grimm in the streets and no one seems to trust the military."

"Yes, I understand. But I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military here, protecting my people." the man firmly returned.

"But it's not protecting them, it's making everyone hate you!" Yang added.

"It's a price I'm willing to pay,"

"I know it isn't my place to say but perhaps you should try showing a bit of compassion for the people. Maybe try not to choke them?" Neo's scroll said, making both the General and Winter look at her. He quirked a brow, his forehead creasing a bit as he adopted a look of confusion.

"I don't believe we've met before,"

"Oh… this is Trivia Vanille Brunswick." Weiss began, gesturing to Neo, who tipped her hat back, giving the General a bow. "She was a fourth-year student in Beacon Academy and one of Professor Ozpin's most trusted spies. She and her team were on a very secret mission during the Vytal Festival. They weren't able to make it to the Academy before it fell. Tragically, her teammates lost their lives fighting waves of Grimm that attacked Vale after the Fall. She ended up losing her voice from a Grimm attack, so now she speaks with her scroll."

Levi was honestly impressed with Weiss's improvisation skills. Neo was quite the actress, her facial features contorted into varying expressions, a deep longing and disappointed look on her face as she looked down. She even had a few tears in her eyes, causing Ruby to place a hand on her shoulder, likely to help her sell the lie. The General was none the wiser, giving the young woman a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Brunswick. I had heard about Ozpin and Glynda forming a team of elite spies, a hidden network that worked behind the shadows to gain information on Salem. I am saddened to hear your teammates didn't make it. Never you fret, you are safe here in Atlas." he said.

He swiveled on his heel, as he headed back to his desk, pressing a button. The center of the room jerked a bit, causing Oscar, Yang, and Levi to step away, as a large table rose from the ground. The General reached into his pocket for a small remote, holding it tightly in his grasp. "Now then, just as you have all been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me."

He cleared his throat as he continued speaking, pressing the button on the remote. A hologram flashed to life above the table, showing what looked like a familiar-looking building floating in the air, surrounded by ships belonging to the Atlas Airfleet.

"Ozpin believed the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not isn't for me to say, but we find ourselves in need of a… well… a New approach. If you direct your attention here,"

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Qrow asked, struggling to make sense of the hologram. Jaune stepped forward, placing his hand on the table as he looked everything over.

"That's… Amity Colosseum."

"Where the Vytal Festival is held?" Oscar questioned. Alto frowned a bit, a tear pricking her eye as she remembered what had happened there.

"That's where big sis and Levi…"

"Let's not remember that now, Alto. We've buried that in the past, we don't need to remember it now of all times." Levi said, directing his eyes at the General. "I take it you wish to use the Colosseum for something interesting?"

"Indeed. When Beacon Fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it will serve that purpose once again."

He pressed a button, causing the Arena to warp and change. This one had what looked like a giant antenna at the top, with large satellite dishes strapped to the outer edges of it. The Kingdom of Atlas was directly below it, along with a map of Remnant, highlighting Haven Tower, Shade Tower, and the destroyed Beacon Tower.

"The purpose of this project is to build a tower capable of establishing global communications. Our scientists believe that launching the tower high in the atmosphere, away from Grimm, will allow us to create a sort of satellite. It will be capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower."

"Wow… Ruby was right on the money with that plan of hers. Of course, Atlas would be cooking something like this. She couldn't have been the only one with an idea this crazy," Levi thought, as he spared a glance at Ruby, who seemed mesmerized by the holographic images in front of her.

"This is great! We'd finally be able to communicate with the whole world again!"

"James…" Qrow piped up, looking at the General. "You don't need the entire military for this."

"I will for the next phase, where I finally tell the people about Salem," he said, taking the group by surprise.

"It… all makes sense now. The Embargo was placed to amass ammunition and SDC freighters of dust, so there would be plenty of ammunition in stock. The closure of borders was to prevent people from entering and leaving at will. You withdrew your troops from all of Remnant so they would be ready for the panic that would break out in Atlas," Levi said, a look of realization on his face. "But that… there would be panic everywhere! Not just in Atlas. Vale is still dealing with the Fall, and Mistral is still recovering from the defeat of the White Fang. That would just make things worse."

"Yes, you are right, Levi. But I'm afraid panic is inescapable, and as you know, panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready," Ironwood said, a firm look on his face as he stuffed the remote in his pocket. "Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to all of Remnant."

"Everything will fall apart! Grimm will be everywhere!"

"You're right, Weiss, but Atlas is willing and prepared to assist." her sister replied.

They remained silent for a moment, as Ironwood returned to his desk, recalling the table and opening the shutters, sitting down at his seat. "Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all,"

"Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this a secret."

"I know, Qrow. But since the Fall of Beacon… things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all we can do is use my best judgment."

"Erm… well," Oscar piped up, causing the man to look at him.

"What is it? Is something the matter?"

"Well actually, Oz isn't completely gone," he said softly. Qrow stood behind him, a hand on his shoulder as he looked at the general.

"Uh, Oscar here is… he's the next Ozpin."

"Oz?" the man asked, looking almost relieved. He practically leaped from his desk, bounding for the young man. "I'm so glad you're here, I didn't think you-"

"He's uh… not exactly here at the moment. He's kind of… gone?" Oscar said, feeling rather sad as the man's joyful look regressed into one of disappointment. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"That's not normal. How did he-"

"We don't know," Ruby suddenly said, the General's head snapping in her direction. "We were in a train crash, and ever since well… suddenly, Oz wasn't there anymore."

"That's… the worst news yet," he said, slowly rising to his feet. "Did you learn anything from him about the Relics? Before he…?"

"Just the usual, the Relic of Knowledge can answer three questions, but all three of them have been asked. He said the Relic of Creation can create anything you want, but it can't destroy anything, he didn't say anything about the Relic of Destruction, and he never told us where the Relic of Choice was either," Levi said, licking his lips. His throat felt abnormally dry, and he was starting to grow a bit dizzy. The General nodded at the information. Blake and Yang shared a look with Levi, who merely shrugged at them.

"Right, right. He told us that too, once upon a time," he said softly, turning back to Oscar. "At least we have you, Oscar. You are safe here in Atlas. Maybe together we can bring Ozpin back."

"T-thank you, sir," he said, standing at attention. "Uh, I mean General… Ironwood?"

The man in question let out a soft laugh, as he reached for the Relic of Knowledge, holding it out to Ruby. "You're giving it back to us?"

"After what happened with the Ace-Ops, I don't want you to think I am keeping anything from you, especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here," he said. She gingerly took it, placing it on her belt.

"T-thank you."

"Good. We must work together if we're to fight Salem and win. Now, if you're all on board…"

"Um excuse me," Levi said, holding his hand up. The General looked at him, giving him a nod. "I just wanted to say, I am 100% on board with whatever plans you have. In fact, I came here with Alto, my former teammate Aria's little sister, just to join the academy and finish our training. However, before we begin, would you be so kind as to point me toward your nearest hospital?"

"The hospital?" Winter asked, giving him a once over. Her eyes widened a bit when she noticed the small drops of blood coming from his severed arm. She was by his side in an instant, looking at his wound, seeing the gauze had already soaked through. "Dear Gods, how are you still standing here?"

"I do recall someone saying my mother was too stubborn to die. I believe I inherited that. Now then, I'm starting to see dots in my vision and I taste iron." he said, as he started feeling faint. "Don't let me die, and if I do, Weiss, delete my browser history."

The woman stumbled a bit as the man passed out, causing the others to call his name. Thankfully, Winter was able to catch him. Her hand was at her earpiece in a fraction of a second. "This is Special Operative Winter Schnee, I need immediate medical transport to General Ironwood's office."

"Is he going to be okay?" Weiss asked, as her sister slowly lay him down on the ground. She continued looking him over, unbuttoning his shredded shirt, her eyes widening when she saw the large gash across his chest. "Oh no."

"How this boy is alive is a miracle. Were you aware of this?"

"We only knew about his arm, his leg, and his tail. We didn't know Adam had… done that," Blake said, tears swimming in her vision as she knelt before the young man. "This is all my fault. That bastard was after me, he was the one who suggested we even fight him."

"He's like this because of me. Adam was beating me to a pulp and he used his semblance to teleport to me." Weiss added, wiping away her tears. "He lost his tail and his leg because Adam got angry that he stopped what he was doing. If I had been stronger, I could have defended myself and he wouldn't be like this."

"It's no use blaming yourself, Weiss. Even if he hadn't stopped that man from doing what he did to you. He likely would have still hurt you. After all, he wanted revenge on Blake for leaving the White Fang, he likely would have hurt all of you just to make her suffer." Qrow said, squeezing his flask tightly in his grasp.

"Gods, I just want to break his legs!"

"Nora, he's already dead!" Ren said, earning a glare from her.

"Bring him back to life so I can shatter them again!"

The emergency team Winter called finally arrived at the office, quickly laying their gurney down on the ground, placing the young man onto it. They immediately attached a pressure cuff on him and started running vitals, jotting various things on a clipboard. It was almost a flurry of action, as they got all of his details from his friends before finally taking him away. General Ironwood stood before them, giving them a hopeful look.

"Do not fret. He will be taken to the finest hospital in Atlas. Not only that but he will be given state-of-the-art prosthetics to replace his missing limbs. Not only that, but all of you will also receive new equipment. If you are going to work for the Atlas Military, then we need to make sure your weapons, armor, skills and your very being is… up to our standards."

Neo stepped up, holding her scroll up to the General, a message written on the screen. "Levi asked for a specific tail prosthetic. He said he wanted one that was capable of playing music and had a USB port. I'd like to make an addition if possible. If you can, could you maybe add hologram technology to it?"

"That is an interesting request, but sure, we can do that. Why, may I ask, do you need it to have hologram technology?"

She reached inside her shirt for Levi's scroll, searching for a moment. She finally found what she was looking for, holding it out to the General. It was a picture of Team ACPL, the same picture he had left back in Mistral. There was another picture as well, one of Levi and his mother, which had been taken shortly before the Fall of Beacon. He looked up from the device, seeing the saddened look on Neo's face.

"He's a good person, but he doesn't talk much about the things that affect him. I want him to have these two pictures close to him whenever possible. These people mean the world to him. He deserves to have them close, after all, you're never ready to lose loved ones. He's still grieving, so I figured it would be easier for him to flick his tail than it would be to search through his gallery."

The man nodded, deactivating the scroll, placing it in his pocket. "Rest assured, Miss Brunswick, I'll make sure my top scientists get to work on it. For now, it's time to accommodate you. But first, there's someone I'd like for you to meet. I'm sure she'll be very surprised when she sees you all."

He pressed a button on his desk, letting it go after a second. It only took a few moments, but the doors flew open, the sound of rocket boosters filling the office along with the sound of something heavy landing.

"Salutations, General Ironwood. Special Operative Penny Polendina reporting for duty!"

Ruby's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes wide as she slowly turned around. She locked eyes with the young woman who had entered the room, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She took a step forward, her lip quivering.

"P-Penny?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, gasping a bit in surprise. "Ruby! And Yang, and Blake and Weiss! All of you are here!"

The red-clad girl stepped back as the orange-haired girl stepped forward. "No, no! You're dead, you can't be here."

"Hm?" Penny asked, tilting her head. "Oh… you must think, no no no. You all witnessed my body being destroyed, but my memory banks were still fully functional. All I needed was a brand new body."

"A brand new body… is that what this is?" Yang asked, gesturing to her.

Penny looked a lot different than she had at one point in time. Her orange-colored hair was far longer, down to the middle of her back, the tips curving inward. She wore a large pink bow atop her head with a bright green on symbol in the center. She had bright green eyes and soft brown dots on her face. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, with a bright green dress over it, the skirt reaching down past her hips. She had long mechanical-looking boots, her feet glowing a bright green.

"Penny was created by our top scientist, Pietro Polendina, you've already met him," the General said, standing next to the cybernetic woman. "Thankfully, her memories were recovered alongside Amity Arena. We funded the restoration of her previous functions, but it was thought, by some, that bringing Penny back in her previous incarnation would only cause strife to those who witnessed her destruction. Thus, Penny 2.0 was created. She is still the same Penny you remember, but she's a lot more… mature… in a sense."

"That is correct. While I still have my childish demeanor, I have received all new programming, to make me act and behave like a proper lady," she said cheerfully, her hands on her hips. "I… understand that this may be a bit hard to understand. You all saw something so horrible, and I wasn't there to do anything. I'd like to apologize, to everyone, and to Pyrrha, who was the one who destroyed my previous incarnation."

"Penny… Pyrrha is… she's gone." Jaune said, making the orange-haired girl look at him. She blinked a few times.

"Gone? Where has she gone?"

"She's passed away," Ruby replied. Penny's eyes widened, her face dropping.

"Oh… my sincere apologies, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I wasn't aware she had…"

"It's okay," Nora said softly. "You didn't know, how could you? The last thing you probably remember of that night is being wrapped around in your own weapons. It was the Fall Maiden who killed her, Cinder Fall. But don't worry, she'll get hers."

"Penny, Ruby, and her friends are going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future. I am tasking you with showing them around Atlas Academy and accommodating each and every one of them. I also require their Scroll ID numbers and Licenses, as we will be upgrading them and updating their information to match our files. Take this time to unwind, and catch up with friends. You all will be working together from this day forward,"

"Yes sir, General Ironwood. I shall give them the grand tour! I already have some places in mind to bring each of them, beginning with the Grand Library. Blake, I'm quite certain you'll love our selection of books, especially the smutty ones!" Penny said cheerfully, making Blake groan in embarrassment.

As the group was guided out of the office, Winter couldn't help but watch them go. She waited for them to be out of earshot to finally speak to the General. "What do you make of all this, sir?"

"I believe the tides are changing. I wasn't expecting Qrow to deliver them here with a relic, but I believe they will be wonderful assets. They are all excellent fighters, but they need a bit of a push in order to succeed. With the proper training, armor, and equipment, they will get far in our ranks." he said.

"I see… are you sure about trusting them? They seemed rather… closed up."

"Yes, I noticed that too. I'm sure they were lying about the lamp, but they have their reasons. We must earn their trust in order for them to tell us the full story. For now, let's let them relax. The Journey to Atlas must have been a difficult one for them." he said, reaching inside his pocket for Levi's scroll, looking at the picture of Terra still on screen. "He took his contacts off… perhaps he knows the truth about his mother?"

"That's something we'll have to figure out. I'll be taking my leave, sir, I have some things I must look into. Perhaps you should catch up with Qrow? He might still have some information he's not parting with," the woman said, finally taking her leave. The General nodded, his gaze still locked on that picture.


Location: Mantle

It was raining in Mantle, as it always did whenever a storm was predicted. Thanks to the large heating grates, the snow always turned into rain. That didn't bother Dr. Watts as he made his way up the street, holding his umbrella tightly in his hand. It had been quite a long time since he had walked the streets of his former home. His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking note of every single detail. The streets were grungy and dirty, the people looked tired and annoyed and the walls were tagged with graffiti, just like most slums around Remnant.

"For the last time, Tyrian, a singular hideout makes us susceptible to discovery," the doctor said, tired of reiterating this fact to his partner. He was beginning to wonder why Salem had sent Tyrian with him, especially when he worked better alone. He wiggled his fingers as he walked, changing the crosswalk signal allowing him to keep his momentum without stopping. "I know you find it difficult, but being mobile makes things easier for us."

"But what if we're seen? What if we're recognized?" the voice of Tyrian said, as Arthur adjusted his communicator.

"We stay mobile, end of discussion." he snapped angrily. He cringed a bit when he heard screams on the other line, followed by the sound of a knife leaving flesh.

"We're walking around a city with a thousand eyes. Someone is bound to recognize us, Arthur. And that would prove dangerous,"

Arthur let out a sigh as he continued walking. As he crossed the street, he activated a mechanical set of pylons, causing one of the trucks to slam into, the driver being flung from the vehicle. Several people screamed in horror, while one woman raced to the driver's side, asking him if he was okay.

"While cybersecurity has been stepped up in Atlas, as usual, none of the code was updated in Mantle. Shame really. Ironwood is sitting high and dry while he has a giant back door right under his ass," the man said, holding back the urge to laugh. "Rather Ironic that the city that watched Atlas rise to the heavens will also see it fall to the ground,"

"That sounds useful for us, and a lot more fun~"

"As well it should be," Arthur replied, looking around for a moment. He looked up, seeing a series of security cameras scanning around. He twisted one of his rings, causing the cameras to glow cyan before ceasing all functions. He walked forward, his lips curved into a smile. "I helped write that code, after all."

Another muffled scream came through his earpiece, but Arthur decided to ignore it. The sound of a door closing along with Tyrian's laugh confirmed he was done with his own little task. "Well, I suppose we all have our talents, wouldn't you say?"

Arthur paused in front of a glowing billboard, seeing the image of Jacques Schnee on the front, facing off against Robyn Hill, the hometown hero. The words "Register to Vote Now!" were written in bold white letters beneath it. The former doctor felt himself smiling.

"I think I just found our ticket into Atlas. It might take us a while and a bit of finessing, but I believe I can handle it. After all, I need to get revenge on the ones who betrayed me."

"Try not to get too carried away, remember the last person who wanted revenge and how they ended up," Tyrian said, holding back a laugh. Arthur rolled his eyes, slipping into the dark alleyways, sparing up a look at Atlas, the city he helped protect, and the city he would bring down to the ground.

xxx

Valentine sighed as he watched the ambulance from afar. The lights were visible a quarter mile from the city center. The entire area had been closed off by the military police, and no one was being let pass. Another person had been murdered, and worse yet, it was a person that had openly spoken out against General Ironwood. He looked down to his scroll, seeing the picture of the man that had been murdered.

"This guy got arrested earlier today for throwing a rock at a passing military ship. He was seen in a lot of protests against Atlas. Not to mention he was seen in some of Ivy Brown's rallies too."

"Do you think this is all connected, darling?"

The man glanced back at his girlfriend, who had a worried look on her face. She stood back from the edge as the body was lifted from the ground and placed on a gurney, the white sheets already stained crimson with blood. Valentine shook his head, closing his scroll as he stepped back.

"It seems far too convenient, don't you think? There have been murders of this degree since before the elections. All of them are always people who speak out against Ironwood, but the last three have all been people who also openly oppose Brown." he mumbled, pinching his eyes. "There's something here that I'm missing. It seems almost too perfect that this man openly opposed both of them."

"That's what I was thinking myself. This man, Forest Gideon, was taken up to the Police Station in Atlas, in the same transport as those kids. They were, presumably, the last person to have contact with him before he was murdered, not counting the police. I believe heading up to Atlas might prove useful to us."

"Why?"

"To see if he said anything to them. Maybe it might lead to a clue for finding out who might have done him in," she said. Valentine crossed his arms, quirking a brow as he gave the woman a firm look. She sighed, rubbing her arm. "Alright, I wanted to see the miqo'te boy again, sue me."

"Taking an interest in another man, a younger man too. Metera, you are a terrible, horrible woman. An evil seductress trying to make me look bad." he said firmly. "You better not be planning to leave me for him."

"Jeez, you make it seem like I want to cuck you with any guy that I happen to find interesting. Sweetie, I love you. And only you. That miqo'te boy interests me only because he's like me." she said softly, her ears flicking around. "Erunes are rare just like the miqo'te, we all hail from Eorzea after all,"

Valentine nodded, his gaze shifting back toward the scene, watching as the soldiers were beginning to wash away the blood. "Well, it would give us a reason to check in with some other contacts. Ivy Brown is going to be hosting another rally party within the week and I want to be there, just in case she tries something."

"Hm," Metera muttered eyes narrowed a bit as she glanced up at Atlas. "This all seems so convenient, don't you think? Crime rates go up, and it makes Ironwood look bad because he's going all totalitarian. Robyn wants to bring attention to the suffering in Mantle, while Ivy Brown just wants to line her pockets. Not only that, none of them seem to care about the rise in gang activity and the murders going on. At the end of the day, the one that seems the most likely to win is Jacques Schnee. I mean think about it, he has made promises, and he has kept saying the same thing all throughout. If he can sway the faunus, he might just pull through."

"I wouldn't vote for him, especially because he would mistreat my beautiful girl," Valentine said, giving the woman a kiss on the cheek. "How about we get some dinner? My treat."

"Of course, darling. That would be wonderful!" she said cheerfully, pausing for a moment as she dug her hand into her leg pouch. "Ah, before I forget, I got something for you. Hobbs' sister told me to give these to you. He left a note saying he wanted you to have them because you thought they were really cool."

She handed her boyfriend a pair of gloves, which were bright red and blue in color, with a spider-web-like design on it. He gingerly accepted them, slipping them onto his hands, giving them a tug. As he did, they shrunk down to fit his hands, the wrists started glowing, a thin white bracelet locking around him. He opened and closed his hands for a moment, before holding his right hand out, his middle and ring fingers folded down. With a flick of his wrist, a white thread shot out, forming a thin but durable spiderweb that stuck to the side of the wall. He gave his girlfriend a smile.

"These are… his web shooters."

"Yep, there was only one Spider Faunus in all of Atlas that used something like this. He had been born with the reflexes but couldn't make webbing like the other faunuses of his kind. And as you know, Atlas Academy helped him out with that. As long as you can get Hard-Light Dust, you'll be able to swing around just like he did." Metera said, giving him a smile. "He was a good man, Val. We should keep doing what we're doing in his honor."

He nodded, sharing a kiss with the woman, hugging her tightly. "Of course, we will, Teri. We'll get to the bottom of all this, of whatever Ivy Brown is doing and his death. I am 100% certain that bitch is behind it."

"I know, darling, I know. Do you want to float to the diner or do you wanna take those shooters out for a spin?" she asked. The man flicked his wrist outward, racing off the edge of the building, flinging himself higher as he shot his web toward the following building. She rolled her eyes at his answer. "Silly boy and I wanted to hold his hand while we flew, his loss."

She kicked off the side of the building, following after her boyfriend. Had she been paying more attention, she would have noticed the trail of blood that was flowing out of a nearby alley, where another body lay. It would be the first of many in Mantle. The tides were beginning to change, and to some, they didn't look favorable.


A/N: You know, it has been very fun to get back into working on this story. Rewatching Volume 7 while also watching Volume 9 has been fun. I wasn't expecting Volume 9 to be filled with so much fuckery. I thought everything was going to be fun and interesting since it took place in Ever After, which is basically Wonderland. But nope, I was punched in the face by reality and got a dark story instead. It has kept me on the edge of my seat though, glad that I waited for a while to watch it because I was able to binge all the available episodes, something I hadn't done since my last rewatch of the series. The writing has certainly improved, at least to a better degree than in the last volume.

I have gotten a lot of inspiration, and despite that, I think I want to try something original for my interpretation of Volume 9. I had a lot of ideas jotted down that I want to make use of, but I think I'll be able to compromise and meld both ideas together. I look forward to that moment when it arrives. Being able to write much of anything since my long break has been really fun. So there's that too. Ah well, I suppose I've rambled on enough. See you all soon~