Strings.
Sounds of things going up pneumatic tubes are heard clanging, until it stops. Ruby is heard breathing heavily, before gasping for breath. She is helped out of the tube by May and Penny. Weiss is angrily pulling Nora by her ear, clearly angered by Nora's stunt earlier.
"Ow, ow, ow! C'mon that was a once in a lifetime experience!" Nora said. Weiss lets her go and Nora's right ear turned red "Ow".
Blake steps out of another tube, her hair messy from the unorthadox method of travel "Good. Because I never wanna do that again".
"Wow, what a ride!" Severa said as she steps out of her own tube "Better than most carousels I've been on".
Bernadetta steps out of her tube, her legs shaking "I feel sick...".
Blake fixes her unkempt hair. The group proceeds forward.
"Alright robo-girl, you're up. Which way?" May asked.
Penny uses her eyes to view the area ahead in a wire frame view and points in various directions as she speaks "We'll cross the bridge, then go left, straight, right, straight, left, up, up, right, straight, right, right, straight, left, left".
Everyone, except Ruby, who looks smug, stares at her, dumbfounded.
"And my name... is Penny" Penny said.
Ruby crossing her arms and smiling slyly at May who lets out a Tsk. May activates her Semblance, hiding everyone from view. They are later seen in an elevator. They hear the elevator door open, and back away cautiously when they see a pair of Atlas Soldiers enter. The soldiers are oblivious to the group's presence due to May's Semblance.
Soldier 1 "I don't think even the squad captain knows what's going on up there. They can't get close to that storm without getting shocked right out of the air".
Soldier 2 "It's creepy, all those Grimm just… waiting. Worse than if they'd attacked-".
Soldier 1 "Hey, don't say that! You'll jinx us".
Penny motions for the group to follow her, and they discreetly squeeze past the soldiers, headed for the elevator door.
Soldier 2 "I just hope the C.O. can get us some answers soon, or-".
On the way out, Nora flashes a mischievous grin and swipes her hand over the elevator controls, tapping the button for every floor. The pair of soldiers are now alone in the elevator.
Soldier 1 glances at the elevator controls, then does a double take "Huh?".
The doors to the elevator close again. The group makes its way down a wide corridor to a large locked door with "03" in large print on it. Penny stops by a nearby control panel and extends her index finger.
The tip swivels out to reveal a connector plug, and Ruby's eyes grow wide "Cool".
"Is there anything you don't think is cool, Ruby?" Severa asked, earning a cheeky smile from her cousin.
Penny interfaces with the control panel, and the attached handprint scanner flashes green. A hologram display pops up, showing Pietro's credentials.
Computer "Welcome back, Doctor Polendina".
The door slides open with a whoosh, and the group steps through.
"Alright, where to next, Penny?" May asked.
"Right through central command!" Penny answered.
A door to the right opens to reveal a bustling workplace filled with digital workstations, holographic maps, and Atlesian officials and clerks.
"Of course" Weiss said annoyed.
"I can't maneuver us through all that" May said.
"Do not worry, Ruby is capable of traveling at an extreme velocity from one point to another by breaking herself down to her molecular components, thus negating her mass and then reassembling them at the destination, theoretically making it possible for her to transport all of us in the same way, as mass no longer matters" Penny explained
However, Ruby looks dumbfounded "I, uh, what?".
"Anyone got a pill? My brain hurts..." Severa said while rubbing her head.
"You can use your Semblance on all of us" Penny simplified.
Ruby still looks stunned as Blake gestures at her, amused "Did... Penny just figure that out before you did?".
Ruby frowns "Blake, she knew you were a Faunus before I did!".
Ironwood broadcasts an announcement throughout the complex "A security threat has been detected in the compound, status alert level 3: red. Lockdown initiated. Authorization granted to handle ANY threats with lethal force".
Red emergency lighting activates and sirens start to blare as the infiltrating group listens in dismay.
"You've got to be joking!" Weiss said
Penny's eyes glow as she inspects the system "The pneumatic tubes have all been closed off".
"We're trapped" Blake said.
"We passed a hangar, I can hijack an airship and get us off this floating rock" May said.
"Wait, we can still succeed. We are so close" Penny said.
"Hmm…" Nora looks thoughtful, then snaps her fingers as if she has an idea.
An office worker carrying a cup of coffee walks by. May sticks out her foot and trips him. He loses his grip on his mug, and the coffee spills all over a workstation, causing it to spit sparks of electricity. Its operator's lap is also drenched, and he cries out in pain.
"Read the sign, Bill! Read the sign!" Another Opperator said as the majority of the room's occupants turn to stare and shake their heads at Bil "Why don't you ever just pay attention?! You're in here late all the time, your coworkers-".
The scalded operator bursts out of the room, bellowing in pain, and leaves the door open behind him. As the workers continue to complain to Bill, Ruby uses her Semblance, taking Weiss, Blake, Nora, and Penny with her. They manage to sneak past undetected. As his complaints are drowned out in the noise, Ruby releases her Semblance, striking a pose. Nora and Penny look at her in awe, Weiss smiles, Severa looks ready to puke while Blake and Bernadetta holds onto the wall with a terrified look on her face.
"Another thing I don't wanna do ever again" Blake said.
"That... we can agree on..." Severa said.
The girls make their way along a raised walkway in a cavernous and deserted chamber. At the end of the walkway is a heavily electrified door.
"Stand back, please" Penny interfaces with a control panel, deactivating the electricity and opening the door. As the overhead lights come on, a secluded room filled with terminals is revealed. Ironwood's terminal sits at the back wall.
"Uh, where is everyone?" Ruby asked.
"This is a highly classified area" Penny answered as The girls make their way inside, and the door closes and electrifies itself again. Nora briefly stops to regard it before moving on. Penny sits in the office chair by Ironwood's terminal and braces herself, taking a deep breath before contacting her father "Hey dad? I'm ready".
Penny's eyes turn yellow. She starts speaking in Pietro's voice, and her movements are considerably more stiff and jerky "Ahem. This process is a… little complicated. So I'm remoting into Penny from Amity Colosseum".
"I…. see" Ruby said, feeling creeped out.
Penny begins her work on the terminal as Ruby watches on. The other three idle by. Blake swivels around a few times in an office chair.
"I hope the others are okay" She said before looking at Severa "I've never seen you, Yang and Ruby fight like this".
"Don't worry about us Blake. I admit, I said more than I meant to... But we are family, and sometimes family fights. But hey if I can have a pretty solid bond with my father even though he was absent from most of my life, then a short argument between me and Yang wont make us hate each other... Or at least I hope not... Yes I was upset, but the things I said was to harsh" Severa said.
"I hope Yang doesn't think less of us for not helping with the evacuation" Bernadetta said while looking down.
"Don't worry Bernie. If there is one thing that's perfectly clear it's Yang's love for you" Weiss assured before looking at Severa "And as for you, I'm sure Yang understand you spoke out of anger, and like you said, you're family, and sometimes family has different ideas of what's right. I don't think for a second that Yang could ever hate you".
Severa smiled at her "Thank you Weiss... I needed that".
Weiss smiled back. Hard to believe they used to dislike each other back during their early days at Beacon. But both had grown up and are now good friends.
"Yeah, they'll be fine. Jaune's a great leader, Oscar's grown a ton, Lucina is crazy skilled and Yang is more than capable of protecting them all in a fight" Nora said.
The others wait for her to continue. When she doesn't, they both tilt their heads in puzzlement.
"Oh, and of course Ren is- um..." Nora's usual happy-go-lucky composure breaks, and she averts her eyes "I don't know what he is. Every time I think the two of us are making progress, he… We've been together our whole lives but I feel like I understand him less now than ever. And I don't know if that's his fault or mine".
"When you've been at someone's side for so long, after a while they become a part of you. But that's just it, they're only a part of you. Don't forget about the rest" Blake said.
Nora lets out a mirthless chuckle "I don't actually know who I am… without Ren. Pretty sad, huh?".
"Well, maybe take this opportunity to find out? Do something only Nora can do" Weiss suggested.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're good at a lot of stuff" Bernadetta added.
"Like what? Be strong and hit stuff?" Nora asked.
Weiss steps forward to comfort Nora, but some loud keystrokes distract them, and the girls join Ruby and Penny at Ironwood's terminal. As Pietro speaks through Penny, Weiss turns to Ruby for an explanation, but she can only shrug in response "I just have to… There. Downloading the cloned imprint now. When Penny gets to Amity, we'll run the launch sequence. Amity's computer will try to connect to the general's terminal but get Penny instead".
Penny's eyes go back to green "And after the launch, I'll return to help you all with the evacuation".
Pietro coughs "About that, Penny. When Amity goes up, I think you should be on it with Maria and I".
Penny's cheerful expression is replaced by an anxious one. The rest of the girls trade conflicted looks "But they need me here. Right?".
"Well, if you stay far out of Salem's reach, then she can't open the Vault. She can't get to the Relic. So..." Ruby trailed off.
"Maybe it is for the best?" Weiss finished for her.
"Um, we should probably head to the hangar" Blake said.
Back at the room's entrance, Penny glumly deactivates the electrified door again "I guess we all have to do some things we would rather not".
To the girls' surprise, the doors open to reveal Ingrid, Harriet, Elm, Vinei, and Marrow.
"Hello, kids. Time to come home now, Penny" Harriet said.
The infiltration team draws their weapons.
"So your first time losing to us wasn't enough?" Weiss asked.
"We were holding back!" Marrow said, trying to protect his injured pride.
"We underestimated you last time, I'll admit that much. But we've learned from our mistakes. Have you?" Ingrid asked.
"We have all said some things we regret, but please, hear me out. I know you thought you were doing the right thing when you left with the Maiden power, but Salem is here now. Things have changed" Vine slowly steps forward to reason with them. With the exception of Penny, all the girls stare him down resolutely.
"If General Ironwood plans to leave Mantle behind nothing has changed" Penny said.
Vine sighs "I thought you were supposed to protect the people, not hurt them".
"I would never hurt anyone" Penny argued.
"Well Winter's in critical condition, because of you" Elm said.
"And you repaid her by stealing the power that should have been hers" Harriet said.
Penny looked unsure "But taking the Maiden power was the only way to stop-".
Harriet cut her off "If you keep refusing to do the right thing, people in Atlas AND Mantle are going to die".
"And who's fault is that?" Severa asked with a scoff "We made mistakes, sure. But you are the ones allowing people to die".
"We will not be lectured about treason by back stabbers like you. We are trying to save as many people as we can, you are only protecting your own fragile morals" Ingrid said coldly, her hatred for them was clear as day.
"You could stop all of this, Penny. Just open the Vault, hand over the Relic, and you'll save Atlas" Marrow said.
"But it won't save Atlas. Salem will find her way to the Relic no matter where you go. Once Ironwood opens the Vault, the Relic is-" Ruby began but was interrupted.
"One more word, and I'm throwing you in jail right next to your uncle, runt" Harriet warned, her words made Severa's anger hit a new boiling point.
"What... did... you... say?" She asked in a dangerous tone as she stepped forward "Where is he...? Where is my father!?".
"Severa wa-" Bernadetta tried to stop her partner who angrily pushed her away.
"Where is he!? TELL ME NOW OR I WILL KILL YOU!" Severa screamed in rage.
Harriet looked ready to face her, but Ingrid put a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her she'll handle this. Harriet backs down as Ingrid walked forward with her lance ready. Severa screams in rage again and charged Ingrid like an enraged bull. Ingrid blocked her strike and pushed her back. Ingrid began glowing, and Severa knew she was about to use her blinding semblance and quickly shielded her eyes... only, Ingrid wasn't using her semblance.
The sound of a weapon going through flesh was heard... everyone, including the Ace Ops looked on in shock. Severa slowly looked down and saw Ingrid had stabbed through right below her chest, barely missing her heart, blood dripping from the tip of her lance.
"Like I said, I've learned from my mistake and gave my weapon a upgrade. Seems like you didn't learn from you mistake. This is the fate of traitors" Ingrid said coldly as she pulled her lance free.
Severa backed away, holding her wound... before dropping her weapon and collapsed on the floor.
"Severa!" Blake shouts in horror.
"No!" Bernadetta shouts.
Snapping out of her shock, Ruby used her semblance to bring Severa and her weapon back to them.
"Severa! Severa are you ok?!" Ruby asked in fear, but Severa was in to much pain to answer.
Penny balls up her fists "You will pay for that".
"And what are you gonna do about it, tin can?" Harriet asked.
Penny steps forward beyond the room's threshold, and Harriet remotely activates the electrified door. Penny only has time to turn around before she is separated from her friends.
"Penny, no!" Ruby said.
Now alone, Penny turns back to face the Ace Ops, green Maiden-flames rising by her eyes.
A small breeze picks up, blowing in the Ace Ops' direction. It grows to the point of Penny's enemies needing to brace themselves. Finally, Penny sends an air current barreling forward, knocking the Ace Ops off their feet. Vine grabs a nearby railing with his Semblance and Ingrid, Harriet and Elm land on their feet, but Marrow has to grab Elm's hammer Timber to regain his footing.
Harriet uses her Semblance to move against Penny's wind while Vine uses his to boost himself up out of the airflow, landing behind Penny. The Winter Maiden turns around to face him.
"You will NOT hurt my friends!" Penny declared.
The wind lightens up somewhat. Penny releases her Floating Array swords, using them to defend against Vine's Semblance. Behind her, Harriet zooms into her blind spot, hammering her with a barrage of high-speed blows. Penny finally catches Harriet in the chest with her swords, causing the Ace Operative to take a spill.
Before Penny can strike again, one of Elm's rockets hits her in the back, sending her flying. Ingrid, Marrow and Harriet keep the pressure on her, but she's able to counter Harriet's attack. Penny uses her Maiden powers again, a dark cloud materializing overhead. Chunks of hail begin to fall, distracting Ingrid and Marrow long enough for Penny to kick them off the walkway.
Vine uses his Semblance to pull his teammates back to safety "Harriet! Elm!".
Elm moves forward, planting herself in place using her Semblance. Harriet leaps onto her hammer, using her own Semblance to launch off as Elm swings. She catches Penny unaware, landing multiple hits. The Winter Maiden sends her swords forward, but Harriet blocks them. Behind her, Elm swings her weapon in a circular fashion as in a hammer throw, and Harriet backflips out of the way just in time to avoid the hammer as her teammate hurls it.
On the other side of the door, Weiss attempts to use her Arma Gigas to break it, but the electricity running through it proves fatal for the summon.
"Five versus one? Cowards" Weiss said.
"Penny's the Winter Maiden, I'm sure she can hold her own for a little bit" Ruby said while trying to maintain preassure on Severa's wound.
Elm's hammer catches Penny in the chest, sending her flying back. Vine attacks with his Thorn blades but Penny holds him and Harriet back. Elm is able to catch her in a bear hug from behind and stop her from using her Maiden powers. The wind dies down completely as Elm tightens her grip. The Ace Ops are given a moment's reprieve before Penny's Maiden-flames start up again. She knocks her enemies back in a brilliant flash of blue light.
"Marrow!" Harriet calls out.
Marrow throws his boomerang Fetch at Penny, knocking her off the walkway. She soon flies back up, readying her swords to use her laser attack, but marrow snaps his fingers, pointing at her "Stay!".
Penny gasps as she's forced to freeze. Vine drags her back onto the walkway where she collapses in a heap.
On the other side of the door, everyone were still scrambling over what to do.
Blake looked very scared for Severa "She's loosing to much blood... We need to hurry or she wont make it".
Nora grows frustrated with her situation, moving closer to the electrified door "We have to get out there… Be strong. And hit stuff."
"Nora, wait!" Weiss called out.
Nora jams her hammer into the door's power supply, siphoning off the electricity. She begins to scream from the strain of channeling so much power. Pink streaks appear on her arm, chest, and neck, and her hair starts to stand on end. Still bellowing, she lets loose on the door with her hammer, disappearing in the ensuing explosion of black smoke.
Meanwhile, Marrow is still paralyzing Penny with his Semblance. Elm has her lying prone, and is about to clamp a pair of Gravity Bolas around her wrists "Hurry up, Elm! I can't-".
The door explodes outwards from Nora's attack, sending everyone off their feet in a blast of black smoke. As the Ace Ops recover, Nora is seen in the doorway, clutching her hammer and breathing heavily, still crackling with pink electricity.
"That was pretty awesome" Nora's aura shimmers and breaks. She faints, her upper body covered with electrical scars.
"Nora!" Penny runs forward to check on her fallen ally as Ruby, Weiss, and Blake step forward to face the Ace Ops, their weapons at the ready.
Bernadetta stayed by Severa, but had her bow ready.
Penny hovers above her allies, green thunder crackling in a large thundercloud overhead. An inaudible order comes through from Ironwood to the Ace Ops' private comms.
Harriet was confused "But general, we-"
"We understand, sir" Harriet turns to look at Marrow.
The girls press forward, Penny sending her swords at the Ace Ops. Vine and Marrow dodge them, and the former uses his Semblance to send Ruby, Weiss, and Blake tumbling off the walkway. Marrow narrowly dodges being swept off as well. Ruby manages to catch the edge of the walkway with Crescent Rose, but Blake and Weiss lose their grip on her hand and drop down. Ruby uses her Semblance to carry them to safety.
Ingrid looked ready to intercept them, but is struck in the shoulder by an ice arrow. Bernadetta angrily fires arrows at her, refusing to let her harm any more of her friends.
The Winter Maiden is left to fight Harriet alone again. The Ace Op grabs one of Penny's swords and pulls hard, snapping the wire that connects it to her. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake land back on the walkway as Elm takes stock of the situation.
"Tch. Let's go" She said.
The Ace Ops take their leave, jumping off the walkway on their own terms one by one. Marrow pauses to look back at the girls before vaulting over the railing himself.
"Uh, that was-" Weiss began.
"Very suspicious?" Blake finished.
Penny stows her weapons and hurries over to Nora, hauling her upper body into her lap. Nora briefly opens her eyes and groans before falling unconscious again. Penny reaches for Nora's hammer, but a spark of pink electricity arcs off it, preventing her from touching it.
"Hey..." Everyone looked at Bernadetta who looked extremely worried "Severa isn't responding anymore".
Ruby and the others enter the hangar with Penny carrying Nora in her arms and Magnhild strapped to her back and Blake carried Severa on her back. Even while unconscious, Nora's brow is furrowed. They look around the empty chamber until they hear a whistle.
"You coming or what?" Ruby and the others move forward, entering May's invisibility field "All ready to-".
May gasps when she sees Severa and Nora's condition.
"They're in bad shape. We need to get them somewhere safe" Blake said.
Penny looks at Nora and Severa with a worried expression, but it soon turns resolute. Her Maiden's eye-flames light up. A minor explosion blasts a hole in the wall of the military compound, and May's Manta soon comes flying through it into the open sky. Inside, Penny gently lays Nora down on the ground face-up
"I'm so, so sorry" She said, Ruby tries to comfort Penny with a smile, but the Winter Maiden is inconsolable "It is time for me to go, isn't it?".
Ruby pulls Penny into a hug "We'll see each other again really soon, I promise".
Behind Ruby's back, Penny catches Bernadetta, Weiss and Blake's gazes, and they look at her reassuringly. May presses a button on the console, retracting the windshield. Penny climbs onto her seat, and with one last salute, flies off, headed for Amity Colosseum.
"Ru...by... Bla...ke..." Severa whispered.
Ruby took her hand "It's ok Severa. We're going to get you a doctor and-".
Before Ruby could finish, Severa placed her and behind Ruby's head and weakly pulled her face to her chest.
"Severa...?" Ruby asked in concern.
Severa reaches out her other bloodied hand towards Blake who quickly takes it.
"I'm... sorry... I... screwed... up..." Severa said weakly.
"Don't say that, it's going to be ok Severa. Just hang on a little longer" Blake said, doing her best not to panic.
"I... I... I love... love...love..." Severa's voiced faded as her hand slipped of Ruby's head and her other hand out of Blake's grip.
"Severa? Severa!? SEVERA!" Ruby shouts as tears began streaming down her face "Wake up, please! Wake up! WAKE UP!".
Blake covered her mouth as tears ran down her face as well while the rest looked on in shock... Severa stopped breathing...
.
Tell me what you think.
