Chapter 23: Divide and Conquer


The bloodied pin shown brightly in the lighting of the room. It was small, with bright green accents, the bottom was shaped like a four-leaf clover. It was the symbol of good luck, and yet, it hadn't saved him at all. His Misfortune had overtaken Clover's Good Fortune, and that had led to his demise. Qrow squeezed it tightly in his hand, the sharpened end stabbing into the soft flesh of his hand. He closed his eyes, thoughts drifting back to what had happened hours ago. How did it all go wrong?

"This is all your fault!"

He shifted his head, saddened eyes looking at the cell beside him. Robyn had been pacing back and forth ever since they had been placed there. She was absolutely furious, he didn't know a woman could be that angry. Her ponytail shook from side to side with every footstep. She clenched her fist, glaring at the man just across from her.

"You do realize the gravity of what you've caused, right? All I wanted to do was bring people together, to give them a better chance at life, but you…"

"Me?" Jacques snapped, a shell-shocked look on his face. "I'm a victim! I'll admit I was duped. Used! And although my hands may not be clean, at least I am not a murderer."

Qrow looked away from him, clenching his hand tightly. Robyn was quick to speak up. "He didn't kill anybody, he's not the one to blame. It was my fault that the ship crashed, it was because of me that Tyrian managed to get loose. I'll own up to that. But I won't stand here and be lectured by a snake with a mustache who helped that man tear us all apart!"

Arthur Watts let out a chuckle, glancing up at the ceiling. "Yes, well… I suppose we're all stuck here together now. May as well get comfortable, I can't exactly trust we'll make it to tomorrow. Given how unhinged Ironwood has become."

"Hah… speak for yourself. I know the right people, why, I'm sure Whitley has already contacted my legal team. I will be out of here before you can say-"

"SHUT UP!" Robyn shouted, causing the man to yelp in fear.

The doors suddenly opened, a pair of soldiers stepped inside. They walked toward Arthur's cell, typing in a code, bringing down the Hard-Light walls. He quirked a brow, not bothering to sit up. "You guys do realize you've already caught me, right?"

He was knocked unconscious, Robyn cringed at the strike he had been given, while Jacques blanched fearfully. Qrow hardly had a reaction, his focus being on the floor. Arthur was dragged away, his hands being bound behind his back.

"I hate not being able to do anything," the blonde woman said, sitting at her bench. Qrow squeezed Clover's pin tightly, looking up at the woman.

"We can do something. We can kill the man who put us here…"

"You… can't be serious, can you? That man has become completely unlike himself. I tried warning all of Atlas but no one paid attention to me. I had seen firsthand what he was capable of, and you trusted him wholeheartedly." Jacques said, scoffing. "You know… perhaps that will be what Atlas needs to survive, getting rid of the linchpin that put us in this position in the first place."

"We wouldn't be in this mess if not for you, asshole. You have no right to say anything!"

"Miss Hill, comport yourself. That is not the behavior of someone who sits on Atlas's Council." the man said, making Robyn narrow her eyes. "At the end, that's what you want, right? I may have caused Atlas to become vulnerable, but my name still holds weight in Atlas. Much more than Camilla and Sleet's names. They allowed Ironwood's tyranny, and now it is far too late for it to be stopped. Help Branwen take down Ironwood, and the Council will be outnumbered. Ours for the taking, we can steer Atlas back on course."

"Or you can cause it to fall back down to Remnant." the gray-haired Huntsman said, holding back the urge to chuckle. "You are so unbearable, no wonder the Ice Queen and the Snowflake ran away from home. I feel bad for your son."

"That is uncalled for. You need what I have to offer, or how exactly do you plan to not only break out of Atlas Academy but fight against Ironwood's men?" he said smugly. "I have total access to the Schnee Dust Company's subsidiaries, all throughout Mantle and Atlas. Snowshoe Shipping, Radical Organizers LLC, Mantle Dust Miners, and Associates, all of them having their own regiment of Atlas Knight 200 drones which do not report to Atlas Academy. They can be your own private military, should you get out of here, of course."

"How generous of you, sharing all of this information. What do you want for it?" Robyn asked, causing the man to frown.

"I… want to make sure my wife and son are safe."

"Bullshit, Weiss told me how you treat your wife, you don't give a shit about her. All you care about is her company. The woman is drinking herself to death because of you." Qrow snapped angrily.

"I know that I may have mistreated her in the past, but I do care about her. She was the one who refused help! Klein, my most trusted butler, took her to rehab hundreds of times, she didn't quit. She paid the staff to sneak her alcohol. What else could I have done?"

"Been a better husband, for one. Give your daughters the respect they deserve, treat your son with dignity and not as a miniature version of you. Oh… and quit being a racist bigot toward the faunus. You piggybacked off of their hard work, for decades. It's no wonder all of Mantle hates the Schnee Family."

"Whatever, do we have an accord? Access to the S.D.C. in exchange for my freedom, and if not, the safety of my wife and son?" Jacques asked. Robyn and Qrow shared a look, with the blonde woman shrugging. Qrow rose to his feet, staring daggers at the man.

"We'll agree to your terms, but you'll be coming with us to make sure those codes are valid. The second we find out you are trying to pull a fast one, or those codes don't work, I'll beat you within an inch of your life. Are we clear?"

"C-Crystal!" the man squeaked fearfully.

"Alright then, let's get to planning. We may be stuck behind Hard-Light barriers but that doesn't mean we can't get out of here. There has to be a weak point. Search your cells, we might find something. Even without our weapons, our aura will be useful."

"I do not have an aura."

"Everyone has an aura, doofus," Robyn said, glaring at Jacques. "But let me guess, you never unlocked yours because you didn't want to fight? Why bother learning that when you can hire bodyguards?"

"You treat me like a worm. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty."

"But you are afraid to fight against the Grimm, judging by how fearful you were when your daughter summoned that boarbatusk at your party."

Qrow sighed, trying to ignore their bickering. He doubted he'd get any sleep for the time being.

xxx

"I'm sorry, what would you like me to do?" Stella asked, earning a firm look from the General.

"I want you to assist a very skilled individual. We need to bring Penny back to Atlas Academy, she left us with no choice. So, we must hack into her systems and force her to return to the Academy." he explained, making the silver-haired woman frown.

It hadn't been that long since she had been roused from her sleep. Apparently, all of Atlas Academy had been locked down while she slept. She had missed all the fighting and action and it hadn't been until she logged into her social media accounts that she noticed the shitstorm just outside. By the time she was dressed and ready for the day, two soldiers had knocked on her door and had brought her to a lab.

"So let me get this straight, you thought it was a wise idea to put the school under lockdown. You ended up making my superior and his teammates fugitives, and in that time, Penny took the powers of the Winter Maiden and escaped. You also decided it would be a great idea to cease operations in Mantle, abandon the people, and lockdown the Kingdom so that this Salem bitch doesn't park her whale on the outskirts of the city, and now you want me to hack into Penny and force her to come back against her will, did I miss anything?"

"No, you did not."

"Oh good, because I'm not going to be doing that. Penny is a living breathing human being. She has her own mind, her own heart, and her own soul. I am not going to be tampering with any of that just so you can grab your silly little Staff and shoot us up to the Stratosphere." Stella said, standing firm before the man. "That is not what I agreed to do when I signed up for the Army."

"I see… that is unfortunate." the man said, brushing past her. He swiped his finger across the desk, activating the holo screens. He typed something up on it, bringing up a map, along with a picture of a city. "This, as you know, is Eden City."

"Yeah, I think I know what my hometown looks like," she said, focusing on the map. It wasn't as technologically advanced as Atlas, but a lot of the same tech had been used. The city had its own Hard-Light Shield generators and a stable atmosphere. Eden Academy served not just as a place to train Huntsman but as a CCT Relay tower. It was how the villages of the far north were able to even contact Atlas.

He clicked another key, showing a massive rocket, emblazoned with the Crest of Atlas. It was the largest rocket she had ever seen. She looked away from the screen, meeting the man's cold blue eyes. "This is a thanatonium missile. It is a compound we created using Hard-Light Dust, Gravity Dust, Combustion Dust, and Rock Dust. It has a payload of 21 kilotons of energy. The science department tested a bit of this new material and discovered that thanatonium has the ability to decompose into gravitons, creating a spatial field that will destroy anything in touches. We have yet to test its full capabilities in the field… just so you know, we lovingly call this rocket in our possession "The Fat Man"."

He pressed another key, the map changing, showing an arc. Atlas Academy was floating above the ground, with a dotted line arching into the air, becoming straight as it reached Eden City. It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand what the man was showing her. "Eden City has a population of 1 million 6 hundred thousand people. Its Hard-Light Shields will hold, but not against this warhead. So, here's what I want from you. You will assist our contact with hacking into Penny Polendina's systems. You will bring her here, and you will force her to open the vault. Or… you can watch as your city gets destroyed, and once it is, you will be put under arrest and tried for treason. After all, the people wouldn't side with a madwoman who pressed a big red button she shouldn't have."

"You son of a bitch." Stella hissed, hand shaking in anger.

"I will do whatever I have to in order to ensure the survival of Atlas. What will it be, Miss Silverstein? Will you help Atlas? Or will you watch Eden City get destroyed."

"Fine," she growled, malice drenching her tone. Ironwood smirked, snapping his fingers. A soldier stepped forward with a briefcase, filled to the brim with Lien.

"You'll be paid handsomely for your work, don't think you won't," he said. Stella slapped the briefcase away, its contents spilling all across the ground.

"I don't want your money, all I want is to get the fuck out of here. Just know that if you do end up firing that missile, and Eden City gets destroyed… I will kill you myself, James. Don't tempt me."

The man scoffed, glancing over his shoulder as the door opened. Arthur Watts was pushed into the door, his hands still bound. Ironwood gave the two soldiers a nod.

"Excellent, he's here."

"Well… isn't this a surprise, I wasn't expected to be brought here." the man smugly said, shifting his gaze toward Stella. "Ah… if it isn't Eden Academy's most prized student. I had almost forgotten what your face looked like."

"And I had thought you were dead, Watts. I guess we both are in for a surprise, huh?" she said, earning a chuckle from the man.

"So it would seem… my but isn't this interesting, your eyes are silver, darling. And what a lovely shade of silver."

Stella popped her gum, swiveling on her foot. "Let's just get this over with. James, give me Polendina's Blueprints as well as the information from her last scan."

"Of course, I'll procure that as swiftly as I can," he said, bowing his head a bit, turning to the soldiers in the room. "Keep your eyes on them, do not lower your rifles for anything, especially for Watts. He makes a move, you shoot to kill."

"Yes sir," they said with a salute. The man left the room for a moment, only for Arthur to chuckle.

"My, distrusting, aren't we?"

"Just shut up and work. The faster we get through this, the faster I can get the fuck out of here." she snapped, rapidly typing on her computer. "Damn it, of course, I had to be a heavy sleeper… I should have stayed up, I could have left with Levi and his friends. I hope he's okay, wherever he is."

Her silver eyes flashed for a moment, a twinge of pain cutting across her mind. She shook her head, her eyes moving back to the holoscreen in front of her. She had her work cut out for her, and if she wasn't careful, over a million lives would be on her hands.

xxx

Alto let out the breath she had been holding, darting out from her hiding spot. She spun Milo in her grasp, kicking off a fire hydrant. She threw her spear downward, the aided gunshot causing it to fly cleanly through the Sabyr's head, ending it in a single hit. She landed in a roll, grabbing her spear, swiping it with all her strength, sending a wave of aura at another Sabyr, who took the hit and continued racing forward. She deployed her shield, blocking the claw aimed at her face, pushing it back with ease.

A blur of yellow shot past her, accompanied by swift shotgun blasts. With an uppercut, Yang ended the Sabyr's life, leaving the road around them clear for the time being. She turned to Alto, giving her a nod. "You've gotten a lot better."

"Thanks, I've been training hard since I came to Atlas. Most of it was muscle memory, but I realized, if I was going to use Pyrrha's old weapons, I needed to make the most of them. I requested to see her old combat data from the Vytal Tournament. Not only that but-" she paused, reaching for her scroll, showing a video to the blonde. "Jaune sent me a copy of this video she left for him. It was deeply personal, but he thought I could make use of it too."

"And it has," the blond boy said, giving Alto a pat on the head. "You've come a long way since we met back in Mistral. You hardly look like the Ramen Shop girl we met. We're glad to have you, aren't we, Ren?"

The black-haired young man remained silent, grasping StormFlower tightly. Oscar brushed past them, looking around for a moment. "How much longer to the Pharmacy?"

"Not long, around the corner actually," Yang replied, gesturing behind them. They started moving, trying to ignore all of the abandoned suitcases and personal effects on the road. Yang slid to a stop, holding her arm out to stop the others. She moved toward the wall, kneeling down beside it.

"What is it?" Jaune muttered.

"Atlesian Knights, they look like the 160 series. I don't know how many of them there are but we should be careful," she said, cocking her weapons. Alto knelt down, shifting Milo into its rifle form, resting the stock against her shoulder.

"You take left, I take right, Oscar, Ren, Jaune, you deal with the ones inside the pharmacy."

"Got it." Jaune said, drawing Crocea Mors from his shield.

Alto took a deep breath as she lined her shot, her ears twitching slightly as the wind picked up. She wrapped her finger around the trigger, slowly squeezing it. The bullet sailed through the Atlesiean Knight, its body crumpling to the ground, sparking. Yang darted forward as the other drone turned, only to have its head blasted clean off its body, sailing over the top of the building. At the same time, Jaune took the lead, darting into the pharmacy. He let out a shout as he brought Crocea Mors down on a drones head, kicking its motionless body to the ground. Ren easily took down the one near the door, while Oscar swung his cane at the remaining one, rapidly thrusting it into its chest before swinging it at his head, cracking the glass faceplate.

"Alright, that should be all of them," Oscar said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "You two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, nothing we couldn't handle," Jaune said, a cheerful look on his face. His smile dropped when he looked at the desk, the holoscreen being on.

"As the Happy Huntresses continued evacuating people to the Mantle Crater, we have yet to receive any word from General Ironwood. All transport back to Atlas has been grounded, even our colleagues are unable to leave to pick us up. But no matter, it is my duty to bring you the news as they happen!

There have been scattered reports of the General's wanted Huntsmen and Huntresses assisting with the evacuation. Earlier, we caught sight of who we assume to be Yang Xiao-Long, taking down three Teryx's all by herself. It begs the question, what exactly did she do to land herself on that list? Especially if she's risking her life to protect the citizens of Mantle?"

The Pharmacy door flew open, Yang and Alto stepping inside, the wolf faunus held her rifle tightly in her grasp, shifting her muzzle around for a moment before closing the door. "Whoo… that was rough. We had to hide from a platoon of police officers."

"I don't think MPD is actively after us, Yang. Levi told us the Chief had helped him." Ren said, earning a shrug from the woman.

"Can't be too careful. Now, let's see what Pietro left for us," she said, moving toward the back of the shop. She slipped the key into the door, flicking the lights on in the garage. Her eyes widened, a gasp leaving her lips. She grinned, placing a hand on her hip. "Oh yeah, the others are definitely missing out."

It wasn't long after that the five of them had left the pharmacy, riding on hoverbikes. There were only four of them, so Alto had been forced to share with Oscar, or rather, she had chosen to share with him. She kept an arm wrapped around him, Milo tightly in her grasp, just in case. Yang seemed to be the most excited of them, as she was already putting the hoverbike to the test.

"This is so cool!" she cried, spotting an overturned car. She sped off toward it, a grin on her face.

"Yang, don't! Are you insane?" Oscar cried, watching in fear as she used the car as a ramp. She blasted Ember Celica downward, throwing herself in a flip, whooping cheerfully as the bike landed on the road with no problems.

"Here I thought she was the sanest one among us, I think that title has to go to Jaune, now," Alto muttered, ears folded against her head. She sat up a bit, glancing over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, looking at the rooftops for a moment. "Did you… feel that?"

"Feel what?" Oscar asked, glancing over his shoulder at her. She looked back at him, a firm look on her face. "Alto?"

"It was probably nothing. It felt like… we were being followed."

Oscar looked around, spotting nothing out on the streets. He forced a smile onto his face, patting her thigh. "It was just your imagination. We're a little lacking in sleep, don't let it affect you."

"Right, sure," she said, looking back for a moment. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, she just hoped it didn't prove her worries right.

xxx

Ren lowered his gun, the Atlas Security camera sparking as it fell uselessly to the ground. He briefly checked his weapon over, making sure he still had enough ammo to continue on. A large group of people had gathered outside on an open road. All of them were dressed in thick winter gear, holding shovels, makeshift spears and other weapons salvaged from fallen drones. There were crying children among them, being consoled by their parents. Alto stood at a nearby street corner, rifle in hand, using her heightened sense of hearing to track any Grimm, which thankfully, weren't anywhere near them.

"Remember, take what you need. If it's too heavy or useless, you should probably leave it behind," Jaune said, trying to encourage everyone to hurry.

"Are you seriously guiding us to the Crater? Is it even safe there?" an older woman asked, earning a nod from Yang.

"Yes ma'am. It's safe, warm, and there are other Huntsman and Huntresses ready and willing to fight."

A scream tore through the air, causing her to turn around. Three Sabyrs were running toward them, causing Jaune to spring forward, reaching behind his pocket. He pulled out a white object, pressing the center button. "Heads up!"

It rolled across the ground, a hard-light shield erupting from it, causing the Sabyrs to slam into them. Ren darted forward, quickly dispatching one, while Oscar and Alto dealt with the other two. They relaxed a bit as the shield retreated. Ren kicked it up with his foot before giving it a harder kick. Jaune caught the device with his shield, looking over with a smile on his face.

"Totally better than hoverbikes," he said to himself.

"Have the Grimm already pushed this far in?" Oscar queried, holding his cane tightly in his grasp. Yang shook her head, still standing at the ready.

"Nah… I think these were from last night. Still…" she paused, glancing at Ren. "Ren, if Jaune hits you with his Aura Amp, do you think you can mask everyone?"

He narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, glancing at the group behind him. "We can give it a shot, but it's a lengthy trip through Mantle."

Jaune glanced over his shoulder for a moment, spotting a few crying children in the group. They were held tightly by their parents, who did their best to quiet them down. He looked back at Ren, a hopeful look on his face. "No no, it's a good idea. We'll have a Grimm-free journey all the way to the Crater."

"Ugh… do we really gotta shack up with those animals down in the slums? I'd feel a lot safer up in Atlas." a disgruntled woman said, causing Alto to growl.

"You know, I'm getting really fucking tired of assholes like you calling my brethren animals. Guess what? Ironwood doesn't give a rat's ass about any of you, but the Faunus at the Crater do. They've opened up their homes and gathered what little they have so you ungrateful bastards can get out of the cold. If you would rather stay here and freeze to death, then by all means…" she said, waving at the empty homes around them. "If you want to live, then shut the fuck up and grab your shit."

It was quiet for a moment as Alto continued shooting daggers at the woman. She looked away fearfully, a look of embarrassment on her face. Her daughter cut in, an apologetic look on her face.

"Erm… I'll just grab our things," the blonde young woman said, gesturing to their suitcases. It wasn't long before they were moving through the streets of Mantle, the group being masked by Ren's aura. Alto's angry expression remained as she drove forward. With Ren needing a boost, Jaune decided to ride with him.

"It's so unfair. The General said we would be taken to Atlas."

"Mother, stop being so ungrateful."

"She didn't have to yell at me."

"She has a point, humans have been treating her kind like garbage for years."

"It doesn't matter! I just don't want to go to the slums!"

Oscar let out a sigh, looking away from the group. "It shouldn't have to be this hard to get people to cooperate."

"And yet, it's something I'm becoming increasingly concerned about," Ozpin replied, making the olive-haired boy frown.

"You know, I don't really need your additional commentary right now,"

"You have every right to be upset, especially you, Oscar. I'm sorry I left you."

"It's not… I'm not-" he sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not upset you came back. I started to feel like myself. Not the same me I was before all this but, the me I always wanted to be. I felt like I was actually a part of the team."

He heard Ozpin sigh in his mind. "I understand. But even though it may not have felt like I was with you, I was never truly gone. You are gaining more control over my remaining magic, recollecting my longest-held memories. Which means our two souls are still on the inevitable path of becoming one."

"But I don't want that," he muttered.

"Neither do I."

The boy held The Long Memory tightly in his grasp, shuddering a bit. Alto looked at him for a moment, sitting up on her bike. "Ozzy, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah… I'm just… tired."

"You can talk to me, you know? I'm here for you," she said, giving him a bright smile. He nodded, looking away from her. Her smile dropped as she looked ahead once more, only for her ears to catch something. She looked over her shoulder again, scanning the nearby rooftops. She saw nothing, but that feeling in her gut was getting stronger. "What the hell is it? I can hear it, I can feel it. Why can't the others sense it?"

Ren let out a hiss, semblance cutting out for a few seconds before returning. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes again. Jaune squeezed his shoulder, his aura still pouring into him. "Hey, are you okay?

"Yeah, it's just a lot to focus on."

"You can do it, Ren. We're almost to the Crater-"

"I don't need a pep talk, I need to focus." he snapped, causing Jaune to look away.

"Right."

Oscar closed his eyes for a moment, looking away from the two. "We need to figure out a way to work together. All of us."

Even he knew that would be a challenge, but it was a challenge they needed to face if they wanted to stop Salem. He just hoped he could convince his friends and teammates before it was too late.

xxx

Penny frowned as she looked at the crowd of people slowly making their way up the street. They were all shivering, staying close together in order to conserve heat. The wind had picked up significantly, her sensors beeping in her head. She had gotten reports of scattered snow showers as well as blizzard conditions. All she could think about was General Ironwood and how he could possibly justify what he was doing.

She remembered the day she had awakened when Amity had been recovered. Her memories leading up to her death had been purged, and only the first two days of the tournament were kept. She remembered the heartwarming smile on his face as he held his hand out, and welcomed her back. How he told her the truth about Salem, and how Mantle would need a protector. How could a man she respected fall so low? How was it that someone that she admired and cared for, almost as much as she cared about her father, would be so cruel?

She had a hard time understanding it. No matter how many calculations she ran in her mind, how many processes she thought of, it just didn't make sense. She wondered if it had to do with being human, or if she was just too naive to understand. She was just an artificial intelligence inside the body of a robotic girl, after all. She could emulate emotions but she couldn't understand them. She thought back to her conversation with Winter, about her personal feelings on the matter. That had been the first time she felt something other than what she had been programmed to feel. It felt so foreign, so unreal. Yet despite that, things changed, or rather, she had returned to her previous thought process, wondering why people did the things they did.

"Penny, you've been alone with your thoughts for a while. It isn't healthy, you know," Levi said, causing the orange-haired girl to look at him.

"I do not get sick."

"No…" he sighed, giving her a smile. "What I mean is, just thinking to yourself isn't a good idea. You'll keep thinking dark thoughts and well, that'll make you sick."

"Ah… I think I understand," she mumbled, rubbing her arm. "Levi… Why do you think the General is doing this?"

"You want my opinion?" he asked, ears folding back a bit. She gave him a slight nod, causing him to look away. "I'm not sure. In his tired mind, I think he believes what he is doing is right. He doesn't want to do it but he doesn't have a choice. He believes Atlas will fare better than all of Mantle. But that isn't an ideal situation."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the Brother Gods gave Ozma a task. If the world is united, then humanity gets a second chance. If it's divided, and they haven't learned anything since they last left… then Remnant will be destroyed. That is what Salem wants… but we can't let her do that. Ironwood knows that as well. You can't summon the Brothers if the Relics aren't gathered." he explained, earning a nod from Penny.

"I understand that… I just want to know why he would do that, knowing that joining Remnant is the right choice?"

Levi let out a dry laugh, placing a hand on Penny's face, forcing a smile on his face. "Because humans do unthinkable things when they are scared. Fear is a great motivator, Penny. But you mustn't let it control you. It is the defining factor of whether you become a hero, or you become a coward. Sadly, General Ironwood is losing sight of that and giving into his fears."

"I see… perhaps that's why he isn't himself anymore," she said, looking away from the young man. "Levi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for speaking to me. You are a wonderful friend, I can tell why Weiss loves you so much," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. His ears perked up a bit, cheeks flushing.

"Oh um… y-you're welcome, Penny."

"Ahem, you better not be skirt-chasing, you mangy alley cat." Weiss snapped, causing him to jump a bit.

"I would never do that to you, Snowflake," he said, causing her to laugh.

"It's so sweet seeing that annoyed expression. It doesn't look right without your tribal markings, though," she said, causing him to walk past her.

"Didn't exactly have the time to stop by my dorm, babe. I promise I'll draw them on when I get the chance," he said, hands on his hip. "So, May, did you manage to get that gate unlocked?"

"I did, but there's an Atlas Security key that needs to be input in order to unlock the inner gate," she said, looking up from the security panel. "If we had an SDC security code, we could probably get in."

"Yeah, but Weiss isn't the SDC heiress anymore, and I bet those codes changed the second she was booted out," Blake said, earning a nod from Weiss.

"That is a certainty, but I think-"

"Outta the way, I got this!" Nora shouted, unfurling Magnhild. May darted back, watching as she brought the electrified hammer down on the panel. It fizzled out, the iron gates slowly opening. "Ha! Take that, technology!"

"That's… one way to do it," May muttered, rubbing her neck. She took the lead, moving forward toward the inner gate. She reached into her bag for a pair of bolt cutters, breaking the lock with ease. "Alright, get in."

Levi gestured for the women to step in first, holding his rifle out, scanning his surroundings. Once he was sure they were alone, he stepped through, May closing the gate behind them. He fell into pace with her, giving her a nod. "Thanks for coming with us, May. I know we don't see eye to eye but-"

"It's no problem, kid. I don't really have an issue with you, not like Johanna does. I'll admit, I wasn't pleased when you and the Snow Angel came snooping around our HQ. But you were right, what we were doing was a crime, and we inadvertently caused Amity to be stalled." she said, chuckling. "You should have seen Robyn when she learned about its true purpose. If she were here, I'm sure she'd want us doing what we could in order to launch it, get the world talking again."

They stopped in front of the front entrance, Blake stepped forward, jabbing Gambol Shroud's blade between the locked doors, giving it a twist. May looked back at Levi, a firm look on her face. "Besides, Fiona's got your friends helping out in my stead."

"Yeah," he said, bowing his head slightly. It didn't take long for Blake to open the doors, allowing them all to step inside before closing the doors themselves.

Weiss took the lead, looking around the partially darkened corridors. They arrived at a set of doors, which she threw open, the light bothering them slightly. All around, they could see large modules, each glowing brightly. Large tubes coming from outside the building passed through the center of the room, heading in different directions. 8 of them headed straight toward the ceiling, each one containing several boxes all shooting upward.

"Weiss, are you sure this is safe?" Ruby asked, earning a nod from the white-haired woman.

"Of course it is," she said, glancing at the various drones moving about. Each one was placing an SDC box into a tube and sending it on its way. "Snow Shoe Shipping is a subsidiary of the Schnee Dust Company. All the drones here report to the company, not the General. These pneumatic tubes allow for Dust refined in the Crater to be sent straight up to Atlas. All we need to do is find the one for the military base."

"Are there any buildings in Atlas your family doesn't own?" Blake asked, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. Nora giggled into her hand, ignoring the glare Weiss was giving them.

"That isn't relevant at the moment."

"Well ladies, let's get searchin'," Levi said, moving toward a nearby module. He noticed the name written on it was "Pickens Station, Atlas", likely being a place where the subways refueled.

Penny looked around for a moment, spotting a terminal nearby. She looked at the screen, seeing "Atlas Academy" written on it. She sighed, looking away from it for a moment. "Hey."

She turned her head, meeting Ruby's concerned look. She looked away for a moment, squeezing her arm. "I do not like it when friends fight."

"I know. Yang and I may not agree on how to save Mantle, but-"

"No. I mean Winter. The General. They were our friends, but then the Ace-Ops attacked you. And the General, he said people would die because of me."

Ruby took a hold of her hands, squeezing them tightly. "He's lying. He was only saying that to try and hurt you."

She closed her eyes, turning away from her friend. "I was the protector of Mantle. Now I am much more than that, and I wish I was not."

"But you're still you, Penny. By becoming the Winter Maiden you did protect Mantle." Ruby cheerfully replied, causing her to smile.

"Thank you, Ruby, for being a good friend," she replied, hugging her tightly.

"Aha! I found it!" Nora announced, causing them to look across the compound. They all gathered around the module, which had "Atlas Military Compound" written on it.

"Well, I suppose there's no turning back now," Blake said firmly.

"Hah, don't worry, between our secret weapon-" May began, gesturing to Penny, before giving them a grin, briefly disappearing "-And my Semblance, you couldn't be in better hands!"

"So, how do we use this thing?" Nora asked, looking at all of the buttons. Weiss opened one of the tubes, pulling the crate of refined Dust from it. Levi took the chance to open it, filling his pockets with as many Dust Vials as he could pocket.

"It's simple," she said, sitting down in the tube. "If you lie back and press the launch-"

Weiss's screams filled the room, causing Levi to drop a vial of fire dust on the floor. He looked at the tube before looking at Nora, who had a devious look on her face. "Oh please tell me you didn't?"

"My finger slipped."

"She's gonna be fucking pissed!"

"Then you can soften her up for us," Blake said, pushing the miqo'te back into the tube. Before he could say anything, Nora pressed the button, shooting him up into Atlas. The feline faunus looked over her shoulder, catching the looks on Ruby and Penny's faces. She shrugged, holding her hands out. "What? Those two needed some alone time."

"You're going next, Cat," May said, shaking her head in disdain. Blake frowned, feigning a disappointed look, only to giggle when she caught the grin Nora was giving her.

xxx

Johanna sighed with relief as she stepped away from the gathering crowd. The tent flapped closed, allowing her to relax a bit. She moved toward the back of the tent, her eyes falling on Fiona, who had her finger on her communicator, a large map before her.

"No, Crimson, I need your team over in Sector 11, Mantle Police Department is helping us clear the way, but the Chief needs backup. We've got 350 souls inside the Department HQ." she said, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Great! That works just fine, thanks, looking forward to seeing you back here!"

She sighed with relief as the communication ended, her ear twitching a bit as she looked at her friend. "You're doing great, Fi. Robyn would be proud,"

"I feel like you should be doing this, after flexing on the news like that," she said, swiping her hand over the map, storing it into her dimensional pocket. Johanna chuckled, dropping some fire Dust crystals into the furnace.

"How else was I going to get the news out? Besides, it seems to be working," she said, gesturing for Fiona to follow. They stepped back outside, staring up at Atlas for a moment. The familiar sound of the lift brought their attention back to the top of the Crater, where a massive group was just arriving.

"Whoa, where are all these people coming from?" Fiona asked, earning a grin from Yang.

"That would be Sector 7."

"You cleared 7 already? That's great! To be honest, I wasn't sure how you'd be doing without all of your teammates." she said, causing Yang to look away, arms crossed.

"Well, as you can see, we're all doing fine."

"Where are you putting everyone?" Oscar asked, stepping in before any arguments could start. Alto stood by him, a worried look on her face. She was looking around every so often, focusing on several places for a couple of seconds each, as if she was looking for something. Fiona decided to ignore her, pointing to a spot behind them.

"There's an empty mine shaft that way, we're preparing it as best as we can. We managed to gather some steel sheets and are putting together some makeshift shacks. They won't last forever, but it'll be fine for now."

The crowd that had arrived were all looking around, looks of disappointment on their faces. The gray-haired grandmother from before looked disgruntled but kept her mouth shut. Johanna watched them go, shaking her head.

"We've got a lot of people to keep warm. Looting the SDC refineries is our best source of Dust. Fortunately, no one's getting arrested during the apocalypse." the green-haired woman quipped, looking up at Atlas. "Just knowing those Grimm are circling out there doesn't feel great… what are they waiting for?"

"Fi!"

Fiona turned around, kneeling down a bit to look her uncle in the eye. "What's up, Uncle?"

"We got another fight breaking out."

"Shit, thanks Uncle, we'll handle it…" she said, about to take off only for Johanna to grab her arm.

"I'll handle it, you have enough to worry about," she said, cracking her knuckles. Fiona watched her go, a frown on her face.

"If only we had more trained fighters, more guns, more everything… maybe we wouldn't be so-" she was cut off by her communicator, causing her to sigh. "Fiona here, what's up?"

"Fi, we spotted a decent-sized group of Grimm moving in from the east. We can't take them all with all of these civvies!"

"Oh for the love of-" she waved her hand, pulling her map back out. She looked at her, scanning all of the marked sectors. Yang and Jaune shared a look, with the blonde brawler speaking up.

"Did he say, east?"

Fiona looked at her, giving her a nod. "Will you back them up?"

"We'll try to. Let's move out guys, time to clear out another sector," she said. Oscar and Jaune bumped fists, heading back toward the lift. Alto looked around for a moment, her mouth feeling dry.

"Why can't I shake this feeling?" she thought to herself. She shook her head, darting after her friends, no use in thinking about it now.

Once they had gotten on their bikes, they zoomed off, heading back into the thick of things. Alto hung onto Oscar's waist, scroll in hand as she looked at the updated map of Mantle, showing off all of the Grimm hordes.

"Take a left at the next light, there's a herd of Megoliaths running through Old Town Road that we really can't fight," she said, earning a nod from Yang. They turned at the corner, zooming up ahead.

"We got company!" Jaune cried, pointing at the Teryx above them. Oscar reached for the bag Johanna had given him, pulling out the stick grenade from within. He looked at Yang and Ren, giving them a nod.

"Ready?"

Yang sped ahead, using a fallen wall as a ramp, the Teryx's attention fully on her. She smirked as the Grimm was forced to duck under the bridge. At the same time, Oscar threw his grenade, the wind dust activated, creating a swirling gale that shot the Teryx up into the bridge, causing it to crumble on top of it. Oscar slid to a stop, allowing Alto to take aim. She fired a single bullet, piercing the creature's eye socket, ending its life.

"Okay, Fiona, that's one more problem taken care of."

"Good! Cause we're getting some reports of more Grimm coming from the West. The Huntsmen there could really use some backup." the sheep faunus said, making her sigh. She slumped in her seat for a moment before replying.

"We're on our way, send Alto the route," she said, ending the call. Alto's scroll beeped, the map updating with the new coordinates.

"It's all the negativity. Salem's forces aren't moving in, but it's enough to start attracting the stragglers." Oscar said.

"Guys, we're not finished," Ren spoke, grabbing their attention. As if on cue, several Sabyrs started running toward them, a darkened mist swirling around their fangs. Alto straightened up, taking aim at them. The Sabrys suddenly stopped in their tracks, looking around for a moment before darting in the other direction.

"Did they just… run?" Yang asked, causing Jaune to stand up in his seat.

"I've never seen them run before."

Alto felt a shiver go down her spine, her ears twisting around as she listened in. She finally heard it, a subtle roar, the movements of a massive creature. She turned in time, pushing Oscar away as she deployed her shield, just in time to block the attack from the giant Grimm that had leaped at them. She cried in pain, rolling across the pavement.

"Alto!"

Oscar drew his cane, only for the beast to leap at him, grabbing onto his arm. He let out a cry, trying to hit the creature, only for it to throw him against the nearby wall, his aura flashing a bit. Alto forced herself to stand up, slamming her shield into the Grimm's face.

"Leave him alone you fucker!"

The Grimm let out a roar, clamping down on her shield, ripping it off her arm. It let out a hiss as it grabbed her by the neck, slamming her hard into the ground before throwing her back through a window. Ren and Jaune moved in, but the creature was faster, and with a sweep of its arm, sent the pair flying back. Oscar shakily stood up, holding his cane tightly in his grasp.

"Oscar don't!" Yang shouted, blasting herself forward. The massive beast pushed her back, pouncing on the boy, who screamed in fear as it grabbed his face, slamming him repeatedly into the ground, beating him like a rag doll until his aura shattered. The Grimm picked him up in his jaws, turning to the Huntsmen, growling loudly. "Put him down!"

As she ran forward, the beast stood up on its hind legs, spitting Oscar into his hand, holding him out as a shield, causing Yang to stop. The sound of glass shattering filled the air as Alto dashed forward, brow bleeding as she pulled Milo back. The beast moved Oscar, causing her to gasp, digging her heels in the ground, slipping a bit only for the beast to throw a punch at her. She cried in pain, slamming into one of the hoverbikes, her aura breaking.

"What the hell is it doing?" Jaune cried.

"It's using Oscar as a shield, we can't get close to it!" Yang said, causing the young man to look away.

"But… Grimm aren't that smart."

Ren reached for his guns, taking aim, only for the beast to turn around, holding Oscar out as a shield. The man growled angrily, fingers on the triggers of his weapons. "Give him back!"

The Creature's eyes flashed for a moment, maws dripping with shadowy slobber. "No."

"W-what the fuck?" Alto squeaked, her eyes growing wide in surprise.

"Did it just…?"

The creature let out a roar, causing them to block their ears. Its back began bubbling as if it was going to erupt. A pair of red, leathery wings shout out of its back. It let out another roar, and with a single flap, it took off into the air.

"Kids, what's your status? The West side's taking damage." Fiona called, her message being ignored. Ren turned to Yang, his face having gone pale.

"What do we do?"

Alto forced herself to stand, grabbing her discarded shield from the ground, attaching it to her arm brace. She ran toward Jaune's abandoned bike, turning it on. She slammed her foot onto the ground, pushing the throttle, throwing it into a spin before dashing up the road. Yang, Ren and Jaune shared a look, following her lead.

"Guys? What's your status?"

"It's not good, something's come up, we won't be able to provide you with backup," Yang said.

"What? What happened?"

The blonde brawler paused, looking up at the sky, at the still retreating beast. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."


Location: Atlas Military Compound

"You know Nora, as much as I love my face slamming into my girlfriend's ass, you could have waited until we were ready or got a message from her." Levi said, leaning against the pneumatic tube as he refilled Myrtenaster's dust cylinder. The girl in question was hissing in pain, the angry look on Weiss's face growing with every tug of her ear.

"Ow, ow, ow! I already said I was sorry," she groaned in pain. Weiss gave her another hard tug before finally releasing her. The pneumatic tube opened up again, with Blake stepping out, a look of fear on her face. Her face had gone pale and her pupils were nothing more than thin slits.

"I never wanna do that again," she said, holding back the urge to puke. When it was settled, she brushed her lengthy raven locks down, smoothening them as best as she could.

"You gotta admit," Nora began, rubbing her ear, a smirk on her face. "That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!"

"Oh totally, nothing's more fun than being sucked into a giant tube," May said, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms. Ruby was the last one to arrive, having to use her Semblance to both push the button and dash into the tube before it closed. She brushed her hair down, shaking the last of the rose petals off of herself.

"Alright, we made it. Is the area clear?" she asked, earning a nod from Penny.

"No personnel are in this area, only those with authorization or agents with SDC clearance are allowed in here," she said, holding her finger up as she spoke. Levi flicked Myrtenaster closed, handing it back to Weiss.

"Well, that's good to know."

"Alright, Robo-Girl, where do we go now?" May asked. Penny let out a sigh, her eyes glowing bright yellow as she scanned her surroundings. Every single hallway, corridor, room, and hanger became visible to her. After a moment, she turned around, a small smile on her face.

"We'll cross the bridge, then go left, straight, right, straight, left, up, up, straight, right, right, straight, left, left," she said, leaving her friends stunned. She shifted her gaze toward May, narrowing her eyes. "And my name is Penny."

Ruby gave the woman a sly look. She clicked her tongue, activating her semblance. Within seconds, all of them were invisible, at least to everyone around them. They moved forward in relative silence, keeping their eyes peeled for any movement. It was oddly calming seeing the corridors being empty, but it also didn't make them move any easier.

They turned the corner, finding another empty corridor. That of course, changed the second they saw three soldiers walking toward them. May looked around for a moment, gesturing to a nearby door. They all swiftly moved into it, closing it silently before the three passed. She looked over her shoulder at Levi, gesturing to his ears.

He pressed his head against the door, closing his eyes to focus. He reached into his pocket for his scroll, typing a brief message to her. "They're still there, they're chatting with each other but they haven't moved."

"Fuck." she hissed, pressing herself against the wall.

"Great, just what we needed," Blake muttered, ears flattening on her head.

"It could be worse, right?" Ruby said, trying to remain cheerful. Weiss remained silent, looking around for a moment, spotting something of interest near the back of the room.

"What is all of this?"

"That would be Atlesian Power Armor. My father designed it for the Atlas Military, it is meant to heighten a wearer's strength and offer extra protection. It can generate a thin veil of Hard-Light over the wearer's body, allowing them to deflect attacks for a short period of time," Penny replied, earning a nod from the woman.

Levi narrowed his eyes for a moment, before moving toward the back of the room. He grabbed one of the boxes, flicking it open, searching inside. He dug around for a moment, finding several interesting pieces of armor. He pulled one of them out, looking them over for a moment before pulling on the straps, loosening them a bit. He placed the black and blue armor on his arm, strapping it on with ease. He continued putting the rest of the arm guard on, struggling with the pauldron for a moment before securing it in place. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting the curious gazes of all the girls.

"What?"

"You don't really need that, you have an aura," May said, earning a shrug from the boy.

"Yeah so? Take what you can and give nothing back, if you can make use of the resources available to us, then do it," he replied. He continued donning the armor, attacking the hip guards on his legs, ensuring the straps were tightly in place and not interfering with his holsters.

"Those soldiers left, we can move on," Blake said, turning to the others. "Let's go."

"Levi?" Ruby called, causing the young man to look at her.

"Oh uh… you go ahead, I'll catch up."

"Are you insane? What if you get caught?"

"I'm a faunus, I can hear them coming before they see me. Not only that but I have Sonata's scroll, I have access to everything in this facility," he said, looking through another box, he didn't find anything of interest, moving onto the next. "Besides, I know the way. Left, straight, right, straight, left, up, up, right, straight, right, right, straight, left, left."

"We are not leaving without you, so move!" Weiss hissed, causing him to sigh.

"Fine, spoilsport," he muttered, brushing past his girlfriend. She held her nose high, hand on her sword as May once again turned them invisible. They continued down the corridor, thankfully, unimpeded.

xxx

Levi and the girls had finally made it to the final stretch. There had been a lot of tense moments on their travels, with many soldiers coming close to spotting them. He was honestly impressed with May's ability to maintain her semblance and watch her aura consumption. They traveled visibly when possible, but the security cameras had made that nearly impossible. They arrived at the end of a corridor, the only way forward being an elevator. Ruby reached for the button, pressing it, keeping her eyes peeled. The doors slowly opened, and they stepped inside, sighing with relief.

"You know, if I was a writer, I'd have one hell of a spy story to pen down," Levi said, resting his weight on his mechanical leg. "The only thing that's keeping me going is my adrenaline, I was close to passing out from sheer exhaustion before."

"We'll be alright, once we get that terminal access approved, we can head out and get some rest. Surely, Yang and the others are done evacuating the people. All that would be left is to launch Amity and call for help." Ruby said, earning a nod from the boy.

"I know. I think we-" he felt Blake slap her hand over his mouth, silencing him instantly. His eyes widened, wondering what had overcome her, only for the elevator doors to slide open. The group all moved back at the same time, pressing themselves against the wall as a pair of soldiers stepped into the room.

"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 out of the air."

"It's creepy… they're just floating there, waiting. It's worse than being attacked-"

"Don't say that, you'll jinx us!" the first soldier shouted. The doors slid open while the two continued bickering. Penny gestured for them to start moving, and they did, silently shimming toward the door. As they did so, Nora pressed her hand on the button panel, giggling as she activated every single one.

"I just hope our C.O. knows more than we do." the soldier said, his eyes shifting toward the panel, noticing all of the buttons had been pressed. "What the-"

The doors shut moments later, trapping the men inside. The group continued forward through the empty corridors, their senses on high alert just in case someone came around a corner. They stopped in front of a large door, which had a panel right next to it. Penny held her hand out, the tip of her finger flipping up, a small drive extending outward.

"Whoa, that's so cool~" Ruby whispered, earning a smile from Penny. The scanner activated, beeping three times as it turned green.

"Welcome back, Doctor Polendina."

The doors whooshed open, allowing them entry into the next area. They spotted another set of doors right ahead, along with two others at either side of the corridor. May pressed herself against the wall, eyes narrowed. "Alright, where to next, Penny?"

"Right through Central Command!" she cheerfully said, pointing at the doors. They slid open, showing over 50 workers, all walking around, sitting at terminals, monitoring everything around them on large holographic screens.

"Of course." Weiss sighed, shaking her head.

"I can't maneuver us through all of that! We'd get caught in an instant!"

"Do not worry. Ruby is capable of traveling at an extreme velocity from one point to another. She has the ability to break herself down to her molecular components, thus negating her mass and 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."

They all blinked in disbelief, shifting their gaze toward Ruby who just tilted her head. "What?"

"You can use your Semblance on all of us."

Blake giggled, partially covering her mouth with her hand. "Did… Penny just figure that out before you did?"

"Blake, she knew you were a faunus before I did."

"That doesn't solve all of our problems, we still need to figure out a way to distract all of those people. If someone notices a crimson blur darting through Central Command, they'll throw the switch and we'll be stuck here." Weiss pointed out.

"You got a point there. We can't take too many risks." May added, earning an annoyed groan from Nora.

"We can't stand out here with our asses hanging out, I say we go for it!"

The girls started bickering, listing all the potential ways things could go wrong. Levi shared a look with Penny and Ruby, both of whom had remained silent. He reached for his pocket, drawing Sonata's scroll from within. With her Huntress License, there was nothing he had no access to, especially since she was a Special Operative. He popped the communicator from the back of her scroll, popping it into his right ear.

"Ruby, get ready to take them through there."

"What? What are you doing?"

"Giving you an opening, duh," he said, winking at the girl. He moved toward the center of the room, drawing Shiva from his holster. He aimed it up, pulling the trigger, the gunshot echoing through the corridor. Within seconds, the door opened, two armed men appearing before him.

"It's the fugitive!"

"Get him!"

He let out a laugh as he activated his semblance, blasting himself toward the other corridor. He broke into a sprint, giggling like a child in a candy store. "I wanna be an airborne ranger! I wanna live a life of danger! Come on boys, if you can't catch little old me then how can you last against the Grimm?"

"He's a fucking idiot!" Weiss snapped, only for Ruby to grab her hand. May had kept them invisible while they moved, finally making it into Central Command. "Gods, when I get my hands on him, I'm going to-"

"Give him a big ol' kiss~," Blake said, in a deep Mistralian accent, further angering the white-haired woman. She seethed in silence, far too focused on not being caught to actually say anything.


Location: Atlas Military Compound, Laboratory

Stella popped her gum as she continued typing away at her console. The armed men behind her were certainly not doing anything to help her. She had hardly looked away from what she was doing as she poured through every code within Penny's system. Everything was airtight, there was no way to insert anything into her system, nothing short of opening her up. She paused for a moment, staring at the design plans again, searching through everything that was before her.

"This girl is impressive, from her synthetic skin that behaves like real human skin to her 2.5-petabyte storage banks. I didn't even know drives like that existed. Guess the Atlas Military spared no expense when they created this weapon." she thought to herself.

"You know, keeping your thoughts to yourself makes this process a lot slower for us," Arthur said, earning a glare from Stella.

"And why the hell would I share my thoughts with you? You were the one who hacked into Atlas's Network, the reason why I slept through the shitstorm that happened. You've made my last 48 hours pure hell, so forgive me for wanting to keep my thoughts to myself."

"Miss Silverstein, I would heed his words if I were you, remember what's at stake here," Ironwood said.

"Fuck you, asshole." she thought, anger flashing across her face.

"Have either of you made any progress?" he asked, continuing on as if the last conversation hadn't happened. "I'd hate for us to have to try motivating you, again."

Stella said nothing, but Arthur decided to speak, his fingers rapidly moving across his keyboard. "Given what we are after, I've got all the motivation I need. Sadly, it doesn't make taking down Pietro's magical science project any less cumbersome."

"Her whole system is airtight, from her self updating security system to the quadcore processor unit. She is capable of reacting within a microsecond and all of her sensors read every bit of information in real time. On top of that, her aura is off the charts, and that was before she attained the Winter Maiden's power. Pietro really made a human here…" Stella said, shaking her head shortly after. "No… not a human, she's more than just that."

"Of course, she is, which is why I trust you two will come up with something to take her down."

"Oh, the trust is palpable." Arthur scoffed, not bothering to look away from his PC. "Speaking of the man, are you aware that dear Dr. Polendina is gallivanting around your military compound?"

Ironwood leaned forward to inspect the screen, the message "Dr. Polendina's Credentials In Use" was flashing repeatedly. Arthur smirked, glancing at the man.

"Unless, of course, someone else is using his credentials?"

The General let out a growl, activating his communicator, just as a message came in. "Sir, this is urgent! We've caught sight of one of the fugitives. He has been identified as Levi Athan. He is currently running through our compound."

Stella's eyes widened in surprise. She found herself smirking. "Heh… I wasn't expecting that idiot to come back here. He's got some balls, that's for sure."

"Seize him, do not let him get out of this compound, do you hear me?" he snapped, ending the call. He drew his scroll from his pocket, holding it up to his lips. "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. And if anyone spots Athan, shoot his leg off."

"What the fuck is wrong with you? He's barely a-"

"Need I remind you what is important here, Miss Silverstein? It is a shame that the man I chose to be your superior turned against us. I will not have him threatening our operations here. Now continue assisting Doctor Watts unless you want to see the effects of That Fat Man in your hometown."

Stella balled her fist but did nothing to combat against the man. She swiveled in her seat, focusing on what was in front of her. Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do to fight back. Sylvie had been taken from her the second she had been called, she was just as trapped as Arthur Watts. The irony of the situation made her feel absolutely worse.

"Levi, whatever it is you are here for, I implore you to hurry and find it. Ironwood isn't messing around anymore, I would hate to see a dear friend of mine being killed." she thought, a frown on her face.

"The faster you make peace with your situation, the faster you can leave."

"Shut up, Watts. I don't need your advice." she barked, hands shaking in anger. She took a deep breath, focusing on the screen before her. It was the only thing she could do at the moment.


A/N: One of the things I found annoying was the lack of use of Jacques Schnee in the series. He's always talked about and shown to be one of the worst people in the series. He's an abusive man, a disgusting bastard, and a racist bigot who went as far as working with Watts to get on the Council. But after he was placed in jail, he was just left there to rot. His being killed by Ironwood was the dumbest decision ever made. He was essentially absolved of everything he did, and that is something that I don't agree with. He needed to pay for what he did, but he also needed to be humanized as well, having time to reflect on his actions, especially his treatment of his family.

I threw in a reference to one of my favorite movies in this one. Maybe some will get it, maybe you won't. It's kind of an obvious one haha. We still have quite a ways to go with the story. Funnily enough, I wrote the same amount of chapters for the Atlas Arc that I did for the Mistral Arc, 33 in total, so with the prologue, that'll put us at exactly 67 chapters. Never thought this story would be this long. It's why I wanted to split it in half, but people likely wouldn't read the first part. It is what it is. Still trying to figure out the next arc, I'll likely be taking a break to think things over because it's giving me more trouble than I thought. Who knows, maybe by the time I work out the kinks, Volume 10 will be greenlit, or it won't and we won't know what happens next. At this point, this series is so low that it might just get abandoned, which is a shame. I want to see it through to the end, but if no one wants to greenlight it, there's nothing we can do.

Well, that's all I gotta say for now. See you when I see you.