A few days had passed since the dance, and Team CSRD laid in their room after the daily classes had ended.
"Been pretty peaceful these past couple of days hasn't it guys?" Axel boredly mentioned while tossing his rubber ball in the air while he laid on the floor.
"I like this change of pace for sure," Sebastian agreed. "Wish it would last a bit longer really."
"No complaints from me, but the sign of the break-in was alarming." Damien flicked over a few channels, bypassing one featuring a man in a business outfit, selling his work with information cards.
Cyrus was too busy intensely staring at his scroll to contribute to the conversation.
"Hey, you good over there?" Axel turned over to the team leader to see how he was.
Cyrus flinched out of his concentration. "What?" He regained his composure so his team wouldn't worry. "I'm good. Just saw something on my scroll is all."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, seriously doubting Cyrus's explanation.
"Whenever any one of us says that, it usually means that something is going on, Cyrus." "Things will go better if you tell us now. We don't need another 'me' incident."
"I suppose you're right. Besides, if you can't trust your team leader, then what good are they at being a team leader?" Cyrus took a moment to reread what was on his scroll. "I received a message from an unknown contact. Told me to go to the docks tomorrow afternoon. Somebody I know is going to show up and they expect me to come meet them. They said if I didn't, they'd force me to see them."
Damien sat up straight on his bed and folded his hands.
"Sounds serious."
Sebastian chuckled from across the room.
"Coming from the guy who hasn't had a… oh I don't know… public bounty on him before?"
"Yeah, also coming from you who-," he stopped himself before he said anything bad. "Nevermind. I shouldn't say that."
"It's alright," Sebastian replied.
"Getting back on track here, people," Axel interrupted. "What are you going to do, Cyrus? We'll follow you, whatever you decide."
"Do you think you might need some backup?" Damien asked, reaching for his sword that lay next to his bed.
Cyrus gave a small concerned laugh.
"Yeah, that would be nice. Can't be too careful now can we?"
Day turned to night, and Cyrus lay in his bed trying to deduce who it could be that would want to see him in such a convoluted manner. It was someone he knew, but that list was far too spread out. He knew a lot of people, even if he wasn't close with all of them. Still, a dreadful thought lingered in the back of his mind. It seeped there, slowly stewing in his head. Deep down, Cyrus knew what it was, he just didn't want to believe it. It would undermine everything he had worked so hard for over the past year. Throughout the next day, Cyrus stayed mainly quiet, seemingly deep in thought. In class, he stared off into the distance, hardly taking the time to even blink. Between classes, he would tap away at his scroll mindlessly, acting busy the way people did when they distinctly don't want to talk to people. This did not go unnoticed.
"Hey. You good, Cyrus?" Sebastian asked when they got out of their final class that afternoon, waving his hand in Cyrus's face to try and get him to snap out of his daze. "You kinda seem to be pulling a 'me' here and I don't like that. Especially considering what usually follows those situations."
"It's just that I have a bad feeling about all of this."
"Don't worry too much Cyrus," he tried to reassure him. "You have us at your side."
"Sebastian has a point, Cyrus," Damien agreed. "Whatever lies in wait, we can deal with it. We're tough, remember?"
"No, I definitely agree with you guys. It's just that… if the person I'm going to meet is who I think it is, then it's someone I can't fight."
"Then we hope it isn't that someone." Axel placed his hand on Cyrus's shoulder to comfort him.
"Not to burst the happy vibes going on, but we should get going," Damien said seriously. "It's a bit into the afternoon, and I suspect that this mystery person is already waiting."
"Damien's right," Sebastian said, nodding his head in agreement. "We best head out now and get this done. Although, I have to agree with you, Cyrus. I feel we've had a stroke of good luck for too long now."
"Now now, mister sour puss," Axel chimed in with a smirk. "Don't go using your black cat voodoo magic to make things worse!"
"Hey! It isn't voodoo magic! I'm not even all black cat either! I have white fur here and there and around the ears, you hear me! White!"
The others just laughed for a bit before the tone of the group changed, as they focused on the task at hand. One thing was for certain. Their luck was about to change.
As they got to the docks, nobody else was around. Not one person. It was a strange silence that filled the docks. Not even a ship was moored nearby.
"Are we early?" Axel asked, squinting into the distance.
"No, I don't think so," Sebastian responded. "I hear something, but it is faint." his eyes opened wide. "It's getting louder, though. And it sounds like—"
Just then, a loud buzzing came from the sky above them, and the team looked up to see a large airship coming down from the clouds above. As it lowered, the wind surrounding the team picked up, blowing their hair and clothes around. The ship landed, a large cloud of dust bellowing out from below it. The engines stopped and the rear door opened, and a man appeared from the inside. He wore a shining white suit, complete with a tie, shining watch and matching shoes. Against the darkening sky, he looked like an ominous foreshadowing of the moon, its grip on the tides unwavering and irresistible. He was joined by other Atlesian troops on the ship as well. He waved a hand, signaling the others to stay where they were, then he walked down the ramp, approaching the kids with a somewhat devious smile. Cyrus knew the man instantly.
"It's been quite some time since I've seen you last, Cyrus." The man spoke with a certain level of familiarity towards Cyrus, his demeanor posh and arrogant. "You seem to be doing quite well. You even have your own team. How… touching."
Sebastian stepped forward.
"Just who are you to Cyrus, old man?"
The man gave him a dirty look.
"Me? A silly question really. I take it that he's never mentioned me before? I am his father, Almus Platin."
"His father?!" Sebastian took a step back in surprise.
Axel held a hand up and stepped in front of Cyrus.
"Wait just a second here, Mr. Platin. What exactly are you doing here?"
"Ah, you must be Axel Royal. I heard you and your father run a shop here in Vale."
Axel's demeanor changed a little. His cocky smile wavered for a moment, then faded.
"How did you know that?"
"That doesn't matter, Mr. Royal. But, to answer your previous question, I'm here to take my son back with me to Atlas."
"That makes no sense," Damien asserted. "Shouldn't you want your kid to be here?"
"Not when the circumstances of their enrollment here were shrouded in secrecy," he seethed, each word dripping with a disdain and contempt. "Not when they abandoned their position in the Atlas military, and fled cowardly with help from a friend. It was only a matter of time before I was able to find those who knew your whereabouts, Cyrus." he smiled, feigning concern for his son. "You've made your father worry endlessly." His tone was both malevolent and sincere at the same time.
"Cyrus? What is he talking about? Don't tell me you lied to us about not going into the military. That you ran from there to come to Beacon." Sebastian wanted an answer, but Cyrus's eyes were unblinking, unwavering. They were glued to his father, a mixture of fear and rage emanating from them.
"I was admitted fairly, father," Cyrus growled, "You can't just pull me out of school."
Almus gave an arrogant chuckle.
"Of course I can. I am your father, and as such I can choose what you do until you are old enough to make the choices yourself.
"That doesn't sound fair to me, old man," Sebastian hissed. "Cyrus is more than capable of making his own decisions. He is our team leader. So I suggest you back off."
"Such a bite coming from the filthy faunus." Almus glared at Sebastian with resentful hate. "You creatures should really watch what you say, before something… unfortunate… happens to you." He relaxed his tense posture. "However, to counter your statement, you mangy cat, I'll say this: his actions are nothing more than the rash impulses of a teenager. He may seem like a leader to you, but he cracks quite easily. Even if he does not show it."
Sebastian could only quietly fume at the rather distasteful comments his father made.
"If you truly believe that," Cyrus responded through gritted teeth, "You don't know me like you think you do."
"Oh?" Almus said with a chuckle. "You know, my son, you can act like a big, tough leader all you want," He walked over to Axel and placed his hand on his shoulder. Axel tried to shrug his hand off, but Almus tightened his grip. "But you forget. I know exactly what buttons to press to break you. For example-" Suddenly, Almus pulled Axel over and put him in a choke hold. The rest of the team flinched and reached for their weapons, but froze when Almus put a gun to Axel's head. "See? You just need to know where to apply pressure," he snarled, tightening his grip around Axel's neck, "And he falls apart." Axel struggled against his grip, to no avail. Cyrus took a step forward, but Almus pressed the gun to Axel's temple. "So," Almus gnarled, grinning sadistically, "I give you a choice, dear son of mine. You can come with me, or you can explain to his father how you couldn't save him from an old man with a gun." Cyrus froze and began to hyperventilate, the weight of the situation becoming too much for him to handle. He lowered his hands to his sides, slumped forward in defeat and began to open his mouth to surrender when he heard something that perked his head up.
"One problem with that, sir," Axel's voice rasped in the midst of the choke hold. "You obviously didn't do… your research." Axel said with a cough. "Or maybe you would've chosen a better hostage." Axel closed his eyes, and his hands began to crackle with electricity. He grabbed Almus's arm and sent the current straight through his body. Almus screamed in pain, his muscles spasming uncontrollably and painfully as the energy surged through him. When the surge had passed, his muscles relaxed, loosening his grip enough for Axel to break free. He rolled away to his team and caught his breath.
"Tch! Impudent boy!" Almus cursed, enraged from Axel's escape. "If that's what you want, then I'll show you something far greater than any of your semblances put together!" He tapped a button on the watch around his wrist, and mechanical noises whirred from it. Suddenly metal protruded from the wrist device, spreading and covering Almus's whole body, starting from the arm to the rest of his body and legs. It finished by covering his face, a darkened visor sliding over his eyes. He now stood before the group of boys, armored head-to-toe in blue steel.
"You kids have no idea what it is you wrought upon yourselves. So allow me to inform you!" Almus prepared himself, throwing his hands down, the armor emitting jets of air from the back.
"I think we have some kind of idea, buddy." Damien thought before turning his attention to his teammates. "Isn't that the-"
"Yep!" Axel replied before Damien could finish his question.
"Wait, hold on. What am I missing here?" Sebastian asked.
"Night at the construction site. Faced Noir. Had an exosuit. Very tough. Semblances useless." Damien quickly shot back to his friend, focusing back on Almus.
"It doesn't matter that you know what this is." Almus maintained his cocky attitude. "For this is a whole different story." His stance became more focused, something you'd find out of a trained officer of the law. "Now let me show you what power really is." The jets on the back of the armor streamed out light, propelling Almus forward towards the boys at an alarming rate. He charged forward, hovering across the ground and struck Axel right in the gut with his fist, sending him rolling backward.
"What the hell?" Sebastian shrieked, surprised by the sheer force of the strike he witnessed.
Almus centered back straight up, his feet touching the ground. Sebastian could feel an icy stare from the cold visor of the armor.
"You're next, rodent." Almus flew right at Sebastian, giving him little time to prepare a defensive guard. Almus crashed right into Sebastian, shoulder bashing straight through his poor attempt at blocking the attack. Sebastian's feet skidded across the ground. He stumbled, trying not to lose balance.
Damien tried to take an initiative on Almus by shooting at him with his dual pistols, but the bullets merely ricocheted off the armor. Almus rotated his head towards Damien, the visor blankly staring back at him, but Damien knew full well he'd messed up. Sebastian took the chance to throw a punch aimed directly at the helmet. Almus caught the blow with little effort.
"You need to try harder than that if you want to best me, boys." The comment was thrown at both Sebastian and Damien. Almus pulled Sebastian's hand down, leaving him open. "Otherwise you'll be met with this!" He grabbed Sebastian by the neck and lifted him up. Sebastian couldn't break free of the hold before Almus slammed him into the ground. His sights turned Damien as he was bent over and the roaring of the jets returned. Damien got himself ready, changing the pistols to dual swords. Almus had a punch ready for him, which Damien tried to intercept by swinging his swords together, but by the time Damien had swung, Almus was already switching himself to counter the move. He simply grabbed both swords with his armored hands and yanked the swords from Damien's hands, then pulled him in by his shirt, striking him with his knee. Damien collapsed to the ground, holding his stomach and grunting in pain.
"Still so green, the lot of you." His attention returned to Cyrus, who could only stand by and watch thus far. "Now, what about you, Cyrus? Will you relinquish yourself and come back with me or will you stand and fight for these people?"
Cyrus hesitated for a moment, but blinked the fear away and stood his ground.
"I didn't want to be there in the first place. If you honestly believe I'll go back willingly, you've got another thing coming." He yelled, charging his father, his ball and chain in hand. He jumped and swung at Almus's head. Almus just ducked the blow and drove his foot into Cyrus's midsection. Cyrus was knocked back, the wind knocked out of him briefly. Cyrus rose to his feet and came again, this time firing shotgun blasts. Almus simply raised his arm and deflected the shots. Cyrus lept at him once more, this time swinging the flail down over his head with all his might. The ball and chain came down hard, but was stopped with a loud clang by Almus, who caught it with one hand. He grabbed the chain and pulled hard, bringing Cyrus with it, then held out his forearm and shoved it into Cyrus's chin as he flew in, clotheslining him and sending him flipping down to the ground where he landed flat on his back. He rolled over and groaned in pain. He attempted to get up, but could not find the strength to do so.
"I'd stay down if you knew what was good for you, Cyrus." As soon as he finished his sentence, a loud clang was heard from the back of his armor. He turned around to see that Axel had bashed it with his staff. "Now what do you have here? Looking for more, are we?"
Axel didn't hesitate in getting some ground between the two of them, transforming the staff into its sniper form. He took some shots, trying to get as much damage as he could. Unfortunately, protective plates extended from Almus's suit arm, stopping the bullets cold. He charged toward Axel, who tried to revert his rifle back into its staff form to defend himself, but had no time as Almus was quickly on top of him.
"Welp. Shit," Axel squeaked before he was promptly backhanded. He spun in the air and crashed headfirst into the ground, clearly not ready to get up anytime soon.
"Take this, you pompous ass!" Damien flew down from mid-air, slashing at Almus, who stepped to the side to evade the strike. Damien followed up with several other swings, but each were met from the armor blocking them. Damien went for one more heavy downward slash, which Almus simply blocked with one hand. Damien was unable to put in enough force to break the block. Almus reached out with the palm of his other hand, a small hole circling open in the armor. It blasted out a strong concentrated blast of air, Damien being shot back, crashing and rolling all over the ground.
Sebastian was back up again, seeing his friends all down for the count. Still he wasn't about to give up, for the sake of Cyrus. He rushed at Almus full force, throwing out strong consecutive punches that were equally matched by Almus's counters. Sebastian swung his leg upward, going straight for the head. Almus again blocked the strike, but it seemed his blocking worsened. Sebastian had to make an all or nothing gamble. He went in with a palm strike but got locked into a struggle instead, as if Almus had known Sebastian was going for the desperate move. Sebastian was slowly being pushed back, but tried his hardest to fight back. He used all the might he had in him and miraculously began to push Almus back slightly. To his dismay, it wasn't enough of an edge as Almus had the power of the armor to back him up and Sebastian was unable to use his semblance. Eventually Sebastian was pushed to the ground, and before he could even get up, Almus had planted his foot right on his face.
"To think dirt like you could make me struggle for even a moment is unbearable. How about you have a taste of what your kind deserves?" He stomped Sebastian in the chest multiple times, Sebastian yelling out in pain with each blow.
"I think that's enough to get a creature like you to stop fighting back." He relented from Sebastian and called to the men inside the ship he had walked out from. "Men! I need you to arrest these three nuisances for assault of a military officer. Make sure they're cuffed tightly, especially the faunus. You can all leave Cyrus to me."
As Cyrus stood there, he looked around at his teammates being handcuffed and shoved into the ship. He closed his eyes and slumped his head over, defeated. He'd let his team down. He'd let the school down. He'd let himself down. He threw away his only chance at a life he could choose for himself. He had no other choice then but to resign himself to the fate that stood before him: his father. He was dragged away into the ship by his father alongside his friends as they were thrown into seats. Almus pressed a button on his wrist, and the suit collapsed back into the watch from whence it came as he took his seat.
The ride was long and silent. Team CSRD looked at one another from time to time, but never spoke. They were battered, broken, and most of all confused. Cyrus hadn't talked much about his past in Atlas, but one thing was certain. He hadn't been honest about most of it. They would have to find the truth eventually, and they would have plenty of time where they were going: the most brutal containment facility in all of Atlas, Frostfall Prison.