Here we go.


Cover Art: GWBrex

Chapter 49


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Borders to close. Only WE can protect ourselves.

Atlas Times

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Tearful goodbyes as Vale bids farewell to old ally, Atlas.

Vale Daily Tribune

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Team born and trained in Mistral chosen by Jaune Arc to take over security, as Atlas runs for the hills.

The Mistral Review

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Atlas border cuts threaten international trade, but Vacuo may be posed to reap benefits.

Vacuo Today

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Adam Taurus hails Sienna Khan's new aggressive streak as Atlas sent SCRAMBLING in fear.

Kuo Kuana Express

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The news was in and Jaune felt empty.

Atlas was closing itself off, isolating the entire cities of both Mantle and Atlas, and subjecting anyone coming in or out to stringent identity testing and control. It was so bad that soldiers from Atlas were being told to leave other bases across the world, and even abandon joint-training programs in Vacuo and Mistral. The town of Argus was going to lose all its security, forcing Mistral to step in and try to protect it, and any complaint or protest levelled at Atlas was met with a resounding "they're our soldiers."

It must have sounded patriotic to them, but to everyone else it was like a child picking up their ball and going home once they didn't get their way. Atlas founded Argus, and had a responsibility to care for it, and yet they didn't care. According to rumours, some confirmed by Elm, they were even abandoning some towns and villages in Atlas itself and telling those in them to either accept that or move to the city.

Things weren't going to end well. He knew that, General Ironwood knew that, Elm knew that, and he imagined a lot of people in Atlas knew it as well. But at a time when fear and anger were running rampant, they just wanted to fortify the borders and protect themselves, never once realising that all they were doing was putting themselves more at risk by cutting off trade and support. General Ironwood had told him, in confidence, that Atlas would come out of this once they hit a recession and an economic downturn, that people were afraid now of duplicitous allies, dangerous terrorists, and whatever other crazy theories they had, but they'd soon learn to be afraid of rocketing inflation and a scarcity of everyday goods, and then things would change. That might take a tear or two, though.

And Atlas was demanding he return as well.

Specifically, General Ironwood had orders to return with him, where he would be made to assist with city defence and medical efforts with regards to the defenders especially. A glorified slave for his Semblance. The usual. General Ironwood made no attempt to convince him to come, and acted for all intents and purposes like the decision to stay was obvious. It was, but Jaune still appreciated that he didn't waste what little time he had left with Elm.

Losing Elm hurt. It hurt, and it hadn't even happened yet. They could have spent their last days out in the city together or reminiscing, but instead Elm spent them drilling security into his head, and also into the heads of Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. Elm was like a woman possessed, forcing everyone around her to stop and listen, and running him through scenarios and situations and asking how he'd respond, then critiquing and forcing him to learn the proper ways.

He would have preferred making memories with her, but he understood that she was worried about him; he understood that this was her way of leaving him with more than just happy memories – and that this was the best way she could show how much she cared. When the day came, she wrapped him up in her arms and cried. He did, too. It was ridiculous, but he couldn't help it. The Arc-Ops had been there from the start, and Elm more than anyone. She'd been his constant shadow and he'd never realised how much he'd miss that.

"My official contacts will be monitored but I've left you my personal message service," she said. "Please keep me updated. Look after yourself, eat well, and don't worry about your family. I'll personally look after them. I swear nothing will harm them."

"I'll miss you," said Jaune. Her arms tightened around him, almost crushing him.

"I'll miss you too. You're like the little brother I never knew I wanted."

None of the soldiers questioned General Ironwood on not forcing Jaune on board the aircraft that would take them back to their flagship. They all had to know the orders from up top were to bring him back as well, but Ironwood refused to, and everyone there trusted him more than they did distant commanders. It was a measure of the respect he held. Ozpin was there to see them off, along with Weiss and a whole lot of other important people. Some members of the Vale Council as well, who expressed their displeasure with the decision from Atlas, but again seemed to be on fairly decent terms with Ironwood himself.

"This isolation will not last forever," said General Ironwood, talking to everyone – cameras included. The media were invited by necessity but were for once not solely focused on Jaune. One or two were, to get his reaction, but most had their cameras focused on the Atlas military. "My kingdom is currently overcome with fear. That same fear, pushed by irrational people, has forced others to question themselves. In time, those people will realise how irrational their decision was this day, and they will realise that they allowed themselves to be influenced by cowards and charlatans. No good can come from locking yourself away, and I encourage every other Kingdom, here and now, not to make the same mistakes that we are making right now. Stay together, support one another, and the kingdoms will thrive as they have for the last hundred years."

"Jaune Arc." Ironwood spoke his name suddenly, and Jaune stiffened. More cameras turned to him. "You have done more for Atlas than any single person this lifetime. You have saved thousands, sacrificing your own free time and your personal health in the act. My home may not be prepared to recognise that, but if I had my way you would be honoured with the greatest medal we could possibly give. As I cannot give that, I instead offer my thanks and my respect. I salute you."

General Ironwood snapped to attention, and all the soldiers arrayed behind him did the same, saluting him – one boy – as the cameras watched. It was too much. Jaune's return salute was clumsy, and stupid, fat tears ran down his cheeks as he performed it. He just knew those would be all over the newspapers later, but he didn't care. General Ironwood had not always succeeded, and he hadn't necessarily made things better, but he had always tried. He had always been there, standing alongside him, taking his corner in every fight, and doing his best not for Atlas, but for the ward under his care. Jaune held the salute as the army walked up the ramp, and as Elm turned at the last, waving her hand helplessly.

Then, the doors closed, and Weiss came up to hold him as the engines ignited. The aircraft took off to the flash of cameras, and Jaune watched one of the things he'd taken for granted leave him behind.

/-/

"We'll have to hold back on our dates for a bit."

"Yes, I… I think that's a given." Weiss smiled awkwardly at him. "Leaving Atlas aside, Blake is still in no shape to look after herself, and I don't think her hearing about you – even only in terms of the two of us going on a date – will help her any."

"Does she blame me?" asked Jaune. "It's partly my fault they riled up Sienna."

Weiss shook her head. "Blake hasn't mentioned you at all, and I think she'd hold herself accountable, since the deal was made to spare her prison time. I'm only worried seeing you will cause her to realise that and do something foolish. We're already keeping sharp objects away from her, though she hasn't shown that kind of intent." A heavy sigh escaped her. "Mostly, she's alternating between crying, angrily promising to kill the White Fang, and telling herself that this can't be true and it can't be happening."

"If I had their bodies then I could have brought them back…"

Cinder cleared her throat and said, "Given that the White Fang definitely assassinated them, and that they know of your Semblance, there's no way they would have let the bodies reach you."

Weiss didn't seem to know how to act around the team shadowing him, though he'd told her of their arrangement. It was a case of her not having met them, so not knowing if she should be formal or casual. Either way, she appeared relieved with Cinder's words, nodding and saying, "She's right. This was a political assassination and if their bodies weren't destroyed, then they were certainly hidden away so you couldn't reach them. If they came back and implicated the White Fang then it would cause a civil war over there. Sienna Khan can't allow that."

They were right, of course, but it still stung. He didn't really blame himself for their deaths because the plan had been Ironwood's, and they'd only agreed because of Blake. His only involvement was as the subject of the media push they'd asked of the couple, and this was really more of the White Fang vs Atlas than it was the White Fang vs him. Ever since his self-imposed banishment, the White Fang propaganda machine had been trying to portray him as a slave or victim of Atlas, rather than the wild racist he'd "apparently" been before. Funny how that worked.

"This is your security team, then?" Weiss looked them up and down. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I don't mean any offence-"

"I know. But I trust them and Elm has been helping them out for the last few days to prepare them for this. I'll be safe in Beacon anyway, and when we go out into Vale it'll be in disguise."

"Except for the hospital visits."

Except those. Trust Weiss to fixate on that. "I'll be surrounded by important people with their own bodyguards, then. Besides, a teacher from Beacon is usually sent along, and they're some of the best in the city."

"I suppose. I'm sorry about the dates, Jaune. Maybe we can do something when the festival begins."

"Maybe." He doubted it. Weiss was a competitor, and he was a VIP, so they'd be busy in vastly different ways. It was unlikely they'd get any time alone. "Look, I need to go have a meeting with the headmaster to discuss what happens now. Is it okay if I leave you?"

"Of course." Weiss smiled. "I have to look after Blake anyway. I'll see you later."

"Yeah. See you later."

/-/

"You want to leave your security to a team here for the festival?" Ozpin didn't sound angry, more… surprised. Or disbelieving. He sat behind his desk as Jaune, along with Cinder's team, stood before it. Glynda stood in the corner, but she was distracted with her own work and didn't seem to be paying much attention. "Do you believe that is wise, Mr Arc?"

"It's not like I'm talking about walking out in front of terrorists with them, sir. In real terms, my protection is handled more by Beacon than their team."

"This is true. Go on."

"What they provide is a last line of defence, and people to keep an eye on me when I go out in public. I'm well aware they won't be as good as professional huntsmen, but I also think it's a waste to give me professionals when I'm spending most of my days in Beacon. And when the Vytal Festival comes, I'll be in the VIP boxes with you, won't I? I assume those will be protected anyway."

"They will be, yes, though we'll have to find new teams for it with Atlas pulling out." He sighed. "And their teams will be leaving us as well. This Vytal Festival will be the poorest in recorded history at this rate."

"We will need more entertainment," said Glynda, distractedly. "Better fights, more drama." The teacher sounded annoyed about it all, as if it were a waste of time. Maybe it was to a proper huntress. "We'll be expected to go above and beyond to distract people from the problems in Atlas."

"Should we be hearing this?" asked Mercury, one hand raised. "No offence."

"You'll likely be hearing it anyway," said Ozpin. "We'll have to make an address. We've lost almost a quarter of all the teams entering. We can fill those slots with more from Beacon, but that will no doubt drive accusations of favouritism."

"When you literally have no other choice? Sounds dumb."

Ozpin chuckled. "You'll find no disagreement here, Mr Black. The point is, we may have to ask all the teams involved to… be as creative as possible in their bouts."

"You mean put on a show," said Cinder.

"Yes. We all realistically know that a good fight is one concluded quickly and efficiently, but the spectators and the media don't want quick fights. They want a spectacle." Ozpin sighed. It must have been hard for a teacher to be put into a position where he had to encourage his students to ignore good combat training and show off. "We'll have to make it an address to the school at large. We don't want any teams taking unnecessary risks, but we may need to spice things up a little to keep the crowds distracted."

"Are you thinking of changing the formats?" asked Cinder.

"If I am, then every team will be made aware as soon as such a decision is made," promised Ozpin. "I can't comment as of yet because no such decision has been made, but we may look at doing away with the one-on-one rounds. Traditionally, they've been around forever, but they're not always the most exciting of fights."

"I mean, you could throw Grimm in the ring," offered Mercury.

Ozpin chuckled.

Glynda scoffed. "While that might make for exciting fights and while the Grimm would likely be of no threat to teams here," she said, "The average person on the street won't recognise that, and we'll almost certainly be accused of risking your lives. No. The event is about cooperation between kingdoms, and it must continue on that vein."

"Wouldn't cooperative fights against Grimm prove that?" asked Jaune. It sounded like a good idea to him. Huntsmen fought Grimm, so let them fight Grimm. And cooperation between kingdoms would fit the theme of the festival.

"Again, the Grimm issue causes problems, but the cooperative angle isn't a bad one." Ozpin stroked his chin and turned to Glynda. "What do you think? Could we run two teams against two? Randomly selected to highlight cooperation?"

"Random selection might still put two teams from Beacon together. It would be better to draw lots by Kingdom and ensure fairness as much as possible." Glynda inclined her head toward Jaune. "It's not a bad idea, though. We should discuss it more later. For now, I do believe we were discussing Mr Arc's security detail."

Ozpin leaned back, smiling apologetically. "Ah, yes. Forgive me. My workload has grown substantially thanks to Atlas and I let myself get distracted. I won't say this decision of yours is the best that could ever be made, but it should be functional. White Fang activity in Vale has evaporated, no doubt as they've been drawn out to target Atlas, and we will have security in place by the time the event happens, so it shouldn't be a problem when they have to compete."

"We will have a new room be made available for them beside your own-" Mercury fist-pumped. "-and we will have their old one unassigned. They will still be expected to attend lessons and any responsibilities they have as students, unless they wish to end their education, so it will be your responsibility to keep that in mind, Mr Arc."

"I won't be asking them to do any work on weekdays during lesson times, sir. I've already agreed on that. And if there is some threat then I can either attend lessons with them or go to any safe zone you tell me to. Here, maybe."

"Very good. It'll take the night to get your new room set up so please stay in your dorm tonight. You may want to pack anything that is being moved over. The Council have asked if you will continue your weekends at the hospital?"

"Yes." It was best not to alienate them after losing his support from Atlas. "I'll still be doing that."

"That's everything, then? Good luck to you all – and keep a close eye on him," he said to Cinder's team. "Do not take anything for granted, as defending someone from harm is much more difficult than dealing with suicidal Grimm."

"We won't let out guards down," said Cinder. "Jaune will be safe with us."

/-/

It would have been easy to neglect their duty on the excuse of being new to it, but Cinder ordered both Mercury and Emerald to stay in Jaune's room for the night – or, more specifically, for one to be in and one outside, and to rotate shifts. While she fully intended to get Jaune out and deliver him to Salem, that didn't mean it was her intent to do a bad job protecting him. If he died under her watch then Salem would be furious, and so would she.

And the night that Atlas leaves? It would be a tempting time to target him as far as any moronic terrorists or criminal factions counted. Mercury and Emerald would be more than enough to keep him safe, and Neo was showing a rare amount of cooperation in being willing to scout the Emerald Forest for any people. It seemed that having a peaceful (and attainable) way out for her and Roman had turned the girl into a loyal servant once more. That was good. What was less good was her current conversation partner, speaking to her over an encrypted call that could not be traced by the CCT.

"I have told you before that this cannot be rushed. We are in an excellent position – far better than I imagine Salem ever expected of us. We do not have to rush and kidnap him when he trusts us to be around him. Given time, I expect he will ask us to get him out of Vale. There's no need to take unnecessary risks."

"But you could abduct him right now," said Arthur Watts. Cinder hated the man, and she knew the feeling was mutual. He must have been even angrier now that she had excelled so spectacularly in getting close to him. There had been no messages from Salem, and no news was good news there. It meant that Salem was pleased with how things were going, and trusted Cinder to continue.

"It would be an unnecessary risk. As I said."

"Ah, but all Salem sees is unnecessary time wasting. You do realise that his Semblance is gated by time, no? A few weeks or months could be the difference between his Semblance working and it not – and who do you think she will hold responsible if it doesn't?"

Her. Cinder's teeth ground together, but she held the scroll away so that he couldn't hear how much his words had gotten to her. The bastard would be smiling, no doubt, and toying with his moustache as he went. She could picture him easily. Hazel never engaged in games like this, and while Tyrian was a psychopath, he would not dare interfere in something he felt Salem had any faith in. To do so would be sacrilege.

No, it was always her and Watts. Cinder was self-aware enough to realise she was part of the problem, but knowing was only half the battle. The other half was being able to do something about it, and she considered it one of her greatest flaws that she could not let an insult go unanswered. It wouldn't be so difficult if he wasn't right.

Salem was… not always reasonable.

Less so after learning of this Semblance.

Cinder knew it was the blindness of a woman who had lost everything, and she also knew that it would never work. Jaune's Semblance had been well-documented before their team arrived on the scene, and Salem's insistence that it might be a lie was… desperation at best. Perhaps he would find a way to expand the time limit, but it wouldn't be to however many thousands of years ago her children died. A better person might have told her that and consoled her, but all Cinder had seen at the time was a chance to impress her and earn more power.

Now, she might well have done that, but her head was clear enough to realise that "disappointment" lay at the end of this from Salem's point of view. Not necessarily disappointment at her, but certainly at Jaune, and quite possibly at anyone in the immediate vicinity of him. Her included. Salem might go one of two ways – grief, which would be safe but problematic, and rage, which would be very, very unsafe. And still problematic.

"Shall I take your silence as acknowledgement of the fact?" Smugness dripped from every word. "It's such a shame, really. You were so desperate to earn the credit for capturing him that you failed to see the consequences. I really do advise you hasten your plans, Cinder. At least then our mistress might understand you did your best. However lacking that might be."

"Is your pride still wounded after you claimed you could reach him in Atlas?" snapped Cinder. "You failed, Watts. There's no shame in admitting it."

"Atlas surprised me with how much they were willing to spend on his security, but I did not fail."

"No. You hacked his and his girlfriend's scrolls and leaked their conversations to the media like a child tattling on the popular kids at school." Cinder let her scorn pass through the device. "How very impressive of you. Salem must be absolutely thrilled with the text-logs of two hormonal teenagers. How can I ever compete?"

"Tch. Laugh it up if you wish but my actions have thrown Atlas into disarray." He was claiming credit for other people's stupidity there, and he knew it. Watts might have sparked something, but he hadn't had any idea what that was and things had just worked out this way. "And the point remains that while Salem might be giving you a lot of leeway now, she's soon going to start asking why you're taking your time and where this miracle healer of yours is."

"He isn't ready. Not to align with us or to see Salem – and not to make an attempt to bring her long-dead children back, either."

"That's something you'll need to tell her, then." He chuckled. "If you dare."

The call ended with a click, and Watts got the last word as was so important to him. Cinder snarled and pocketed her scroll, then ran a hand through her hair. Nothing he'd said was necessarily wrong, which was the problem here. Salem was desperate, high on hope, and that hope was bound to be destroyed when she realised Jaune's limit was not some "ploy" by Ozpin, nor a lie made so they could keep his Semblance for the "elite" of society. It was ridiculous to see Salem subscribing to some of the same conspiracy theories as were running around Atlas, but she supposed desperation was the same now as it was several thousand years ago.

He really isn't ready, thought Cinder. If we took him to her now then not only will he be unwilling to cooperate with us, but Salem will likely try and torture him into compliance. That might work, and it might not, but it wasn't something Cinder felt was necessary. He's on the edge of agreeing with us. The worst thing we can do is push it. She bit her lip. I may need to speak with Salem directly and make sure she understands that.

That was ultimately what Watts had been pushing her towards. He wanted her to get in trouble, and he wanted it to happen sooner rather than later, so that her "reward" for securing Jaune would not eclipse any he might receive. Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. If Salem was going to be angry either way, then it might be better if she were angry while Cinder was far, far away from her. Let her burn off a little of the disappointment while she focused on turning Jaune against the people of Vale.

Or, as was more likely the case, as she stood by and let the people of Vale turn him against them.

They were doing a great job of that already.

A sudden knock came at her door, which opened a moment later. If it had been Mercury or Emerald than she'd have been furious that they left their ward, but thankfully it was not. Neo popped her head in and waved her hand urgently. Cinder stood. "You've found something?"

Two fingers held up, a nod outside, then her hands coming together and spreading apart, fingers splayed out and mouth forming an "o" to simulate an explosion.

"Explosives? Two people? In the forest?"

Neo nodded.

"Well done, Neo. Show me to them. I think it's time we proved to Beacon how prepared we are to take Jaune's safety seriously." Her eyes glinted. "And I have a little frustration to work off as well. Give me just a moment." Cinder brought her scroll out and dialled a number she never had before. "Hello? Professor Goodwitch. It's Cinder Fall – I'm just reporting that there are two suspected terrorists in the Emerald Forest that we've located while looking after Jaune's security. Yes, yes, we're sure they are – but I was going to approach to take care of them. We just thought we ought to warn you and see if that is acceptable."

"I will announce a training accident if the explosives go off," said the woman, sounding tired. All that extra work from Atlas leaving must have been getting to her, especially if she was willing to sign off on a team dealing with terrorists instead of doing so herself. "Try and take them alive for the authorities, Miss Fall. And obviously do protect yourselves."

"We'll keep that in mind. Have a good night, professor." Cinder hung up. "Take me to them."

Neo raised an eyebrow and ran a hand over her throat.

Cinder nodded. "No survivors."

/-/

Jaune flinched at the distant-sounding explosion, and then again at the almost-immediate sound of Beacon's speaker systems activating. Glynda Goodwitch was quick to assure the students that there was no emergency situation, and that the blast in the forest was a know training exercise that had gotten out of hand. It was all over so quickly that he wasn't sure anyone would have had time to panic.

Mercury didn't even look up from the cards in his hand.

Emerald poked her head in the door. "Cinder just messaged me – apparently, that was a pair of terrorists looking for Jaune now that Atlas have gone. They cornered them, but the idiots blew themselves up rather than be captured."

Jaune swore. "Are Cinder and Mint okay!?"

"They're fine. Cinder wants us to stay the night here while she and Mint look over the rest of the forest. It's not likely they'd be more, but you never know." Emerald smirked. "And if there are, they'll be in for a nasty surprise if they think our team will do a worse job than Elm did."

Two dead, and they hadn't even suggested he go and bring them back to life – as if the idea alone was nonsense. Jaune wondered if he should, then decided it would send the wrong message. They'd come to kill him. Let them experience the consequences of their own actions.

"Straight."

"Mercury, that's a queen, king, ace, two, three…"

"It's a wrap-around straight. That's a thing in Mistral."

"It isn't."

"Shut up, Emerald!"

Jaune laughed happily. It felt good to be able to.


Man, I love calling my doctor to ask why I haven't had any results and having the person working there not be able to find any mention of my tests on the system, or any suggestion they'd been sent off at all. I really love that.

I remember over ten years ago when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and they were the most efficient, quickest, caring service you could have ever seen. It's amazing how much something like that can be run down in that time.


Next Chapter: 22nd June

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