Conflicting Approaches
Hello everyone, hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day or at least the weekend. Also, a slight apology for getting this out later than I meant, this week's had me running back and forth. But onto something more entertaining like answering guest reviews: DCDGojira: Salem shall indeed be very insulted.
Atlas Academy
Wayne had seen a number of movies and read several books which detailed what a military police state might look like. But he never imagined he'd actually see one in real life. After Tyrian and Exo's attack on Robyn Hill's victory party, a large number of Grimm had attacked the city of Mantle. It had taken a good few hours to beat them all back and once they did, a ban on assembly was issued by General Ironwood. A curfew had also been declared and was being enforced by the soldiers and robots from Atlas who even now were patrolling the streets and arresting anyone out past that time.
Even if these measures hadn't been taken, though, the people of Mantle would still be angry as some supposed footage from the political rally had surfaced. It showed what appeared to be Penny attacking the citizens there and despite Ironwood's statement that the video was indeed doctored footage, many citizens were still calling for the deactivation of the 'Protector of Mantle.' All of this wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that Robyn Hill had also decided to take matters into her own hands and was currently having her Happy Huntresses stealing shipments of materials that were headed to Amity Tower. A number of issues which the General himself would sum up in just a few simple words.
"This is one of the worst case scenarios!" Raged Ironwood as he slammed his fist on top of his desk after reviewing one of the recordings from last night. "More people have been killed, Penny's been framed for murder, and Jacques Schnee through some strange convoluted twist of fate is sitting on the council!"
"Robyn Hill isn't making things any easier for us either," said Clover as he stepped forward, "that was the second shipment for Amity that's been hit today. I guess after what happened at election night Robyn's finally gone from hometown hero to a full-on vigilante."
"I wish it was as simple as that," said Winter with a bit of a sigh.
"Robyn's escapades seem to have emboldened our suppliers in Mantle," said Ironwood as he walked out from behind his desk, "they're actually refusing to sell us provisions until adequate repairs to the city have been completed. Robyn is currently redistributing the goods she's stolen and it has brought the Amity Project to an almost complete halt."
"But the tower's nearly finished," said Ruby as she stepped forward. She was present along with the rest of her, Jaune and Wayne's team. "Isn't there some way we can finish it with what we have?"
"I'm afraid not," answered Winter, "but there is a way we could finish the tower now: declare martial law."
"You can't seriously be considering that right now," asked Nora with more than a hint of worry in her voice.
"Ask yourself what's more important," replied Ironwood, "reestablishing communication to unite the world or rebuilding a few city blocks."
"You make it sound almost trivial," Nora said, "but you know it's not that simple. We may just need a little more time but what about the people who are having to struggle through all of this because they're waiting on you?"
"We've all been forced to make sacrifices for the greater good," said Ironwood, "and Mantle has, admittedly, had to bear much of the burden-."
"They're bearing the entire burden!" exclaimed Nora, "Everyday down there gets harder for the people while this project goes on and if you send in more soldiers now you'll only be trading all of your problems for the Gri-!" She was halted in her speech by Wayne placing a hand on her shoulder.
"With respect General," said the Ursario huntsman as he stepped forward a bit, "our entire goal here is to reestablish communication. But if we can't even communicate with a city almost literally right beneath us to solve a few issues then what good will global communication do?"
"And what exactly do you suggest Mr. Ursario?" Questioned the General.
"Negotiation," replied Wayne, "you need the supplies from Mantle but they won't give them up until something is done. It might slow things down a bit for the Amity Project but if we reach a middle ground then at least it can start progressing again and maybe the people will feel a bit safer which will mean fewer Grimm."
"We can't slow down the project, not at this stage, not when Salem could strike any day," said Ironwood.
"You said it yourself," Wayne pointed out, "the project is already stalled." The General let out a heavy sigh as he took his seat at his desk again and rubbed his forehead with his hands.
"Please General Ironwood," said Ruby as she stepped up beside Wayne, "if you keep squeezing Mantle this way, it'll create the kind of division that plays right into Salem's hands. Tyrian and Exo framing you proves it."
"Ah yes," said Clover as he moved to the center of the room, "the reason we called you here to begin with. Are you absolutely sure these are the individuals you saw?" He pulled up a hologram with pictures of the madman and the mercenary.
"Oh yeah, that's him alright," said Jaune and Aegis at the same time.
"Tyrian Callows," said Winter, "he was accused of a multitude of murders all across Anima. He's a homicidal maniac who managed to escape imprisonment and justice when his transport was attacked by Grimm. No one has seen him until now, at least, no one alive."
"Well he works for Salem now and he's here," said Ruby.
"That goes for Exo as well," said Aegis, "short for Executioner, this guy got his start in Vacuo when he fled Shade Academy after decapitating a student. Worked his way up to being a mercenary whose calling card was decapitation by sword. He joined up with the White Fang at some point where he met Cinder and has as much confirmed himself that he also works for Salem."
"You seem to know quite a bit about this one," noted Winter.
"He's tried to kill us more than a couple of times," said Wayne.
"It also confirms that Atlas is Salem's next target," said Qrow.
"And since we have suspects now, we can tell the people," suggested Ruby.
"That a long lost serial killer and a dangerous mercenary are loose in Mantle and the military has no idea where they are," said Clover, "news like that might make things worse before they get better."
"Oh I am so sick of secrets!" Seethed Nora, "If we just went ahead and told everyone about Amity and Salem-."
"You know we can't!" Exclaimed Ironwood from his desk before adopting a more authoritative tone. "If we reveal the existence of Amity now, we risk alerting Salem's forces who we know will want to sabotage it. If we reveal the existence of Salem now, we risk losing the city to Grimm before we're able to reunite Remnant. Our only option is to finish the tower and to do that I believe I will take your suggestion Ursario and offer Robyn Hill a deal if she gets Mantle to cooperate. After we take her into custody."
"That's not quite what I meant when I suggested negotiation," said Wayne as he crossed his arms with a frown.
"Then anyone not assisting with Robyn will work on finding Tyrian and Exo," stated Ironwood, "we need to know who they're working with, where they're hiding, what they're planning and how they managed to get that video of Penny all over my kingdom! Are we all clear on this?"
"Yes sir!" replied the Ace Ops and for some reason Ren. That was apparently enough for the General as he made his way through the door and out of his office.
On the Streets of Mantle
"Have you two got any solid leads down there?" Asked Marrow over the earpieces of Wayne and Aegis.
"We've managed to pick up Tyrian's trail a couple times thanks to the blood he got on his weapons," replied Wayne, "but Exo's scent is only popping up here and there. Not so surprising given that he's a teleporter."
"I managed to find one of their hideaways," said Jen from her own location in the city, "this was probably the spot where our hacker sent the video. All three of them were here at one point but they appear to have packed up and left already, probably as soon as the video was sent out."
"Did you find any clues as to where they might've headed next?" Asked Marrow.
"Nothing," replied Jen, "no change of clothes, no left over food crumbs and no depressions to indicate they spent a large amount of time sitting around here. It's very possible they're keeping mobile to stay ahead of Atlas patrols down here."
"That explains the barely lived in state of the last place we found," commented Aegis, "hey if this hacker was able to circulate a video all over the kingdom, doesn't that mean he might have some sort of control over the surveillance system?"
"Clover did think that might be the case," replied Marrow, "he said the tech boys are looking into it right now. No word on how much progress they've made."
"Speaking of progress on that video," said Wayne as he noticed he was getting a call on his scroll from Weiss. "Hey Weiss, is everything alright on your end back in Atlas?"
"The professor is working on retrieving Penny's visual data now," replied Weiss, "it should prove that she had nothing to do with what happened."
"And what about Penny?" Questioned the huntsman, "Machine or not she clearly has feelings. Being accused of something like this, it'd take a toll on anyone."
"She's confused and little scared," answered Weiss, "I can't say I blame her. What about you guys, any luck?"
"We know that we're looking for about three people now," said Wayne, "and we've determined that they've been running all over the city to avoid detection. Unfortunately, it's working."
"Well be careful if you do find them," said Weiss, "Ruby and Jaune sounded a little worried when they first told me about Tyrian and I know Exo's got it out for the two of you."
"We've got a few contingency plans set up for that," replied Wayne, "we'll radio for reinforcements if we find them and even if they jam our scrolls we've made sure our search areas are close together. For now you just worry about helping the professor with Penny."
Pietro's Lab: At the Same Time
"We'll do what we can," said Weiss, "take care Wayne and tell Aegis Yang wishes he was there right now."
"Can do," said Wayne, "and let's talk dinner when I get back."
"I'd like that," said Weiss with a small smile as the line hung up. The ex-heiress let out a contented sigh despite the situation.
"So no progress I take it?" Weiss almost jumped at the seemingly sudden appearance of Wayne's father Tobias.
"Oh, uh, nothing promising," said Weiss, "by the way, do you have to sneak up on people?"
"It's a habit I developed," replied the veteran huntsman, "between hunting Grimm, the occasional animal and a wife with enhanced hearing I just kinda learned to move quietly."
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised your son has a similar habit," remarked Weiss as they made their way over to where Ruby, Pietro and Maria were.
"I have noticed you've taken quite a shine to my boy," observed Tobias with a smirk.
"Oh, well he's just, you know he's actually very sweet and a good friend so naturally I'm a little affectionate towards him," defended Weiss as her face turned very red.
"Just a good friend," interrogated Tobias with a mild smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"I mean he's, well-Professor, have we figured out where the doctored footage came from?" Stuttered Weiss, trying desperately to change the subject.
"The feed was pulled from Penny's fights all over the kingdom," explained Pietro as he turned around in his mechanical chair, "using our very own surveillance network."
"Ugh, all of this hacking and technology these days," complained Calavera, "Why can't we do what we did in my day and just fight to the death?"
"It's no wonder my wife is so fond of you," quipped Tobias, "but since we're talking about technology, what's keeping this hacker from getting into Atlas's systems. It's pretty obvious they can break into Mantle's."
"Atlas is fortunately running on a new, upgraded network," replied Pietro, "if this is the same person from Beacon, they won't get in with the tricks they used before."
"How would someone gain access to Atlas's most secure systems anyway?" Questioned Weiss.
"Only a few high ranking members have clearance," explained Pietro as he cleaned his glasses, "Ironwood, obviously, the council members, our cybersecurity and surveillance leads, and a select few who oversee the more critical systems like heating or sewage treatment."
"That sounds like a few more holes than one might think," Said Weiss with her hand to her chin, "the heating grid runs in partnership with the Schnee Dust Company."
"Is there some sort of issue with that?" Questioned Ruby.
"I'm not sure," said Weiss, "but with everything that's happened recently, like my father somehow getting elected to the council, something definitely isn't right."
"It's not the greatest secret in the world that Jacques Schnee's dealt with some less than reputable people," said Tobias, "if your gut is telling you he's up to something, it's worth checking out."
"Speaking of checking, how are you doing Professor?" Asked Ruby, "All of this can't be easy to deal with."
"I will admit," said Pietro as he maneuvered his chair around to stop in front of where Penny was currently docked, "without Maria's help I'd probably have collapsed already. The task of getting a communications tower into the atmosphere is already a monumental undertaking. Now, hearing what people want to do to my girl-." His sentence was cut short as another fit of coughing seized him.
"Well you've brought her back before," said Ruby, "so reactivating her again shouldn't be a huge issue, right? At least not something to worry so much over."
"Why don't you tell them the whole story Professor," said Tobias, "Penny is obviously a success and yet she's still the only one of her kind."
"Yes, when Ironwood asked us to look into new breakthroughs in defense technology, I was one of only a few who decided to look, inward, for inspiration," explained Pietro as he moved over and picked up an old picture with him and his apparent colleagues all gathered around for a group photo.
"A protector with a soul, right?" Said Ruby, "I think that's something we'd all want."
"Yes, including the General," affirmed Pietro, "the Penny Project was chosen over all the others, even to my surprise."
"It couldn't have been that big of a surprise," said Weiss, "creating an artificial aura is a feat beyond extraordinary."
"Except that there's no such thing as an artificial soul, at least not completely artificial," said Tobias, "care to show them Professor." Pietro sighed as he made his green aura visible. But something was very off about it. His aura had at least four large holes in it around his legs and arms.
"You, gave her a part of your aura," said a stunned Ruby.
"And each time I put her back together," said Pietro, "it takes a little more. If she's destroyed again I might not be able too-." The old man couldn't hardly finish his sentence as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"We'll find whoever's responsible," said Ruby, "I promise."
Hideout of Robyn Hill's Happy Huntresses
Tonight had gone pretty much every other way except as planned. The convoy they'd hoped to ambush and take the materials from turned out to be a trap with a Faunus girl and an explosive blond huntress waiting for them. Strangely, though, they'd not only let her go but revealed the nature of the Amity Project to her and she'd even confirmed the two weren't lying with her semblance. But the reason they were keeping it all a secret wasn't a satisfying one.
"I thought all the people who'd been responsible for Beacon had been caught or forced into hiding," Robyn thought aloud as she approached the entrance to the old sewage facility they used as a base. It was in a section of the city which had fallen into disrepair, including the surveillance system. Even better, it allowed them quick access in and out of the sewers if they ever needed to escape or, in this case, regroup. Her other two compatriots, Joanna and May were already waiting at the entrance.
"Robyn," said Joanna, "good to see you made it. We were starting to worry."
"Have you been waiting long?" Questioned Robyn, having lost track of time due to her currently jumbled thoughts.
"Only for a couple of minutes," replied May, "Fiona's already gone in, but we were staying on standby just in case we needed to head back out."
"Well it looks like we were one step ahead of them again tonight," said Robyn as she opened the doors and went in, followed by her companions, "but we'll need to come up with a new plan now."
"We still need those materials though," said May, "the wall isn't fully repaired and that's not even mentioning the other districts."
"I know," said Robyn, "but I just acquired some new information that-Fiona what are you doing?" For whatever reason, the sheep Faunus was sitting at a table obscured in the dark drinking, a soda?
"Well," said Fiona with a nervous laugh, "we have some visitors it seems." The lights to the facility cut on then to reveal an adult female bear Faunus with some mean looking gauntlets sitting across from Fiona. Another, much younger bear Faunus with a glass ax stepped into view from the shadows behind them while what appeared to be a human wearing a wolf helmet aimed a pair of SMGs at them from one of the walkways above. Robyn and her other two huntresses had their own weapons up in an instant, all pointed at their own targets.
"Robyn Hill," said the Bear Faunus, seeming surprisingly relaxed despite the fact that a standoff was happening, "pleased to finally make your acquaintance. My name is Jen Ursario and these boys are my sons Aegis and I believe you're already familiar with Wayne up there."
"Sorry about the rough treatment Fiona," commented Wayne from his spot on the walkway.
"How did you find us?" Questioned Robyn as she continued to keep her arm crossbow trained on the now named Jen.
"It was unintentional actually," replied Jen, "Wayne picked up some of your scents while we were out looking for our actual targets and I managed to find the trail back here. Pretty clever using the sewers to travel and it was only once I realized that you'd need an area with reduced surveillance that we were able to locate this section. After that it was a matter of sniffing around the buildings."
"Actual targets?" Questioned Robyn with a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"Tyrian Callows and Exo," explained Aegis, "the real killers responsible for the attack at your rally, and the murders of your supporters. They're working with a hacker who's been manipulating the surveillance system and sent out that fake video of Penny."
"That still doesn't explain why the three of you are here?" Robyn pointed out.
"We hoped to talk for a minute, maybe negotiate," explained Jen as she gave a signal for Wayne and Aegis to put their weapons up. The two huntsman complied as Wayne leapt down from the walkway and landed next to the table with his mother. Aegis moved to do the same.
"You want to talk, let Fiona move first," said Robyn. Jen nodded as Fiona got up and moved away from the table. She then proceeded to pull out a twelve pack of sodas before taking one herself while indicating for Robyn to take a seat. The huntress leader did so, retracting her own weapon while her two accomplices kept theirs trained on the uninvited guests.
"So first thing's first I guess," said Jen as she took a swig of her own drink, "how much material do you need to repair the wall to the city?"
"Why don't we start with, what guarantee do I have that you'll hold up your end of the bargain?" Questioned Robyn with a serious tone.
"I can't make any to be honest," said Jen, "Ironwood means well but lately he's been making increasingly rash decisions. But even he has to realize that he needs Mantle's cooperation if he intends to move forward."
"With the Amity communications tower you mean?" Robyn asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So you do know," said Jen, containing her surprise at this revelation, "all the better then. Long story short, we're trying to get it ready as soon as possible. Once it's complete, material shipments to Mantle can resume like normal."
"Except we need places like the wall repaired as soon as possible," said Robyn, "I don't know why this tower is so dangerous to whoever these enemies of yours are, but the one squeezing Mantle right now is Ironwood."
"That's why we're proposing a compromise," Said Jen, "splitting up the materials so that everyone gets what they want. You'll get some materials to help rebuild the wall while we can get the Amity project moving again."
"You realize that'll only make your project take longer," Robyn pointed out.
"But you and the people of Mantle will be receiving some actual aid," countered Jen, "it's not a perfect solution but once again the entire situation is temporary. Plus, we can also help each other out in finding the real culprits behind all the chaos that's been happening lately."
"And I'm supposed to just take your word that this all isn't some kind of ruse," said Robyn.
"Your semblance allows you to detect lies," said Jen as she held her hand out, "Not that you actually need to check. If we wanted to capture you we would've already called in reinforcements and had them waiting at all the exits." The huntress leader seemed to consider this for a moment before grabbing Jen's hand. Currently, there was one question she needed answered for sure.
"Do you promise to do everything you can to convince Ironwood if I agree to cooperate with you?" Asked Robyn.
"I give you my word," said Jen. Immediately, the aura around Robyn's hand flared to a green color which apparently indicated the truth.
"Tonight has just been full of surprises," commented Robyn with a sigh.
"Hope you don't mind one more," Wayne said suddenly as he was checking a message on his scroll.
"What is-oh you have got to be kidding me," groaned Aegis as he read the invitation on his scroll. Apparently, Robyn, Ironwood, and the rest of his allies had been invited to a party at none other than the Schnee manor. The General was going to have to defend his seat on the council while there.
"Well this is fortunate in its own way I suppose," commented Robyn as she read the invitation on her own scroll, "so, are you and your friends up for a party?"
Pieces continue to move across the board as trust becomes a harder and harder commodity to find. What awaits them next at the Schnee mansion? But in the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter, tardy as it was, and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as our heroes put their detective skills to work in Atlas. 'Til then.
