Adam's reflexes were fast as lightning, stepping between Weiss and the barrage of bullets as soon as the robots started firing. Metal shrieked as bullets ricocheted from his sword. Jaune charged in from the sidelines to take out the robot targeting them. Yang and Ruby made quick work of the second robot.

Weiss doubted they needed to convince Ironwood about Watt's true alliance now. Watts was gone.

Gunfire roared from somewhere down the hall. The surprised cries of students and staff were all too familiar to her now. Ironwood, however, didn't seem to notice distress. He continued to stare blankly at the spot where Watts was once standing.

They all jumped when an alarm blared in the Academy. Winter and Ironwood's Scrolls lit up with notifications at the same time. Ironwood remained as still as a rock while Winter fumbled to get her Scroll out.

"The heating system and shields have been completely shut down," Winter gasped.

"The shields are down?!" Robyn snapped.

Weiss heard the students and staff fighting back against the robots. From the sounds of it, it didn't seem like they were having any trouble, but the same couldn't be said for the citizens in Mantle.

"There's a backup shield, right?" Robyn pressed on.

"They're trying to get them online again."

"That's not my question! I'm asking if there's a backup!"

When Winter didn't respond, Robyn immediately barked orders into her earpiece. Joanna answered her call, having already sent out their strongest fighters to help deal with the crisis and escort civilians to their base. Winter narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Robyn.

"W-wait a minute," Ruby's meek voice was scarcely audible under Robyn's frantic orders. "I-if Watts has been messing with us this entire time…then how many people do we actually have to defend the Kingdom?"

Ironwood collided his fist into the nearest surface, knuckle busting straight through the wall. He kept his back turned to them all. Qrow marched right over to him, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around to face him.

"James, we need to act," Qrow ordered. "People are dying out there."

"It's a losing battle. Most of our forces are gone," Ironwood said quietly. "We're completely outnumbered–"

"It's only going to get worse if we don't do anything!"

"I can ask my people to help your Huntsmen fight," Robyn proposed. "We aren't as big as the Military, but we should be enough to help drive the Grimm out."

"And who exactly are you supposed to be, Robyn?" Ironwood questioned. "You talk like you have an army under your command, yet you claim to be an ordinary citizen in your campaigns. How do I know you're on our side?"

"I saved your Huntsmen's lives. Without my help, your rookies wouldn't be here right now!"

Ironwood glared at Robyn and turned his back on her, running his hands through his hair.

"Come on, James!" Qrow snapped. "We can worry about who Robyn is later! Those monsters aren't going to wait around for us all day!"

Weiss wasn't sure if Ironwood was going to cooperate. He still had a dazed look in his eyes, and his expression blank. It was only until Qrow compared their current situation to the fall of Beacon that he snapped out of his stupor.

"We can prevent it from happening again if those shields get back up," Qrow pressed on desperately. "Snap out of it already and do something!"

Winter pulled out her Scroll, demanding whoever was on the other side to get airships ready for Mantle refugees.

"We'll try to get the shields up from our end here." Ironwood finally answered, turning to face Robyn. "I'll send my best Huntsmen to help push the Grimm out of Mantle."

The plan was deceptively simple.

Atlas' strongest Huntsmen will go to Mantle alongside a fleet of airships to deliver vulnerable populations to the heart of Mantle. It was impossible to stuff the entirety of Mantle's population into Atlas, but at least they could take advantage of the city's large build.

Additional Huntsmen and soldiers will be stationed around the core of Mantle, where it was safe from the initial Grimm hoards. Those with serious medical conditions and injuries will be flown straight to Atlas for treatment and refuge.

Huntsmen sent out to the frontlines had two main objectives. The first was to rescue as many Mantle citizens as possible. The second was to take out as many Grimm as they could along the way.

Ironwood stayed behind to ensure no one could sabotage his engineers while they worked to fix the shields and heating systems. Oscar, being the one with the least fighting experience, also stayed with the Lantern in his possession.

Weiss and her friends went with Robyn to help with evacuation efforts. Qrow and Winter tagged along for extra backup.

When they boarded the airship, their group divided into what Weiss internally dubbed the Mantle Group and Atlas Group, sitting across each other when their ride took to the skies. Robyn and Fiona lingered at the front of the ship, talking quietly amongst themselves.

At the beginning of the flight, Ruby explained what went down the night they lost contact with them. Watts had called an emergency meeting when he lost contact with their Scrolls, claiming their last known location was somewhere on the outskirts of the Kingdom. Search parties were sent out to look for them, but there were never any new leads.

"We never gave up looking," Ruby insisted. "After everyone finished working, we'd go out and search for you guys. We never missed a day no matter how tired we were."

"I think James pitied us because he never discouraged us from going," Qrow added. "Can't say the same thing for Watts, but that's to be expected."

Whatever lingering animosity Weiss felt towards Winter about their last conversation faded. Winter may be wrong about many things, but she was still her loving older sister.

"It's my fault for not checking if my message went through to you." Yang went over to Ruby and hugged her. "We should've included everyone in the mission, but we didn't want to ruin anyone's day off."

"At least you're safe and sound now, firecracker." Qrow tousled Yang's hair. "Don't disappear like that again. You might not get so lucky next time."

"So how did you guys end up breaking into the Schnee Manor?" Nora asked. "Also, that entrance you guys made was epic! Next time, we totally need to rush into battle on a giant Grimm!"

"That was all Weiss' idea," Blake laughed.

Winter looked over at her with a frown.

Yang and Blake caught the others up on everything they experienced in Mantle, occasionally Jaune would jump in to add extra detail. Weiss only spoke when they reached the part involving the Mantle Estate and their successful infiltration of the Schnee Manor. She kept to herself while Jaune filled the others in on the video footage they uncovered.

"How are you holding up?" Adam whispered to her while Jaune kept the others busy.

Weiss shrugged. So much happened in such a small frame of time it was difficult to digest everything. Now that Mantle was falling apart, there wasn't time to dwell on personal matters.

"I thought you were going to skewer Jacques back there," he said.

"I'm surprised you held back."

"I almost didn't."

"What stopped you?"

Adam sighed, leaning over till their shoulders pressed together. "Rescuing the victims is more important than punishing Jacques. That can wait."

She understood his reasoning, but there was still a part of her that wished he went through with it anyway. They were both so close to ridding themselves of him.

"Is it selfish of me to wish he was dead?" Weiss breathed.

He kissed the top of her head. "I regret sparing him as well."

"But you have a good reason to want him dead. He's still my father–"

"Fathers don't cut their daughter's faces, Weiss. There's nothing wrong with wanting revenge for what he did to you."

Weiss could only manage a small nod. She wiped her eyes dry on the back of her sleeves before resting her head on his shoulder. Winter stared at her and Adam. When their eyes met, Winter looked away.

"We're almost there," their pilot interjected.

A hush washed over the group. Weiss knew nothing good could come from seeing how badly the city was coping, but she was still curious to see what the damage was. The others had the same idea. They all squished together by the front of the ship to look out the window.

The scene unfolding beneath them left the air heavy. Weiss reached for Adam's hand. There were so many Grimm gathered in one place it was like the city was flooded with black water. They'd occasionally spot clumps of white spots in the sea of black. It was difficult to see if the robots were trying to fight the Grimm or letting them run wild. They saw no civilians in the chaos. Weiss wasn't sure if they were too high in the air or if the Grimm and robots had completely wiped the neighbourhood out.

Someone cleared their voice behind her. Despite her dishevelled appearance, Winter held herself up as if nothing was wrong. She studied Weiss and Adam's joined hands for a moment before speaking.

"May I speak with you in private?" Winter asked her politely.

The most privacy they got was at the back of the ship where it was the dimmest. Weiss couldn't stop fidgeting with her fingers when she found herself alone with Winter for the first time that night. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. All the things she wanted to say since leaving Atlas were suddenly forgotten.

"I want to apologise," Winter began. "I should've put more effort into finding you. I'm sorry I let you endure so much alone."

"It wasn't like you could've known what was happening," Weiss said. "There's no hard feelings."

"I still can't believe Whitley survived that night. When I heard about the Mantle Estate I…" Winter blinked back the wetness in her eyes and cleared her throat. "In any case, it's assuring to know you two are both alive and well. I hope Whitley hasn't been difficult with you."

"No. He hasn't caused us any trouble at all." Weiss crossed her arms.

"We'll need to keep him separated from Father until the investigation finishes. He may not take too kindly at seeing him arrested but–"

"Winter, we were wrong," Weiss cut her off, fingers curling deep into the fabric of her sleeves. "Father hurt him too, Winter. We both abandoned him when he needed us."

"Weiss…what are you talking about?"

"The bruises I saw on his arms? They were from Father. I didn't want to believe it until–"

"We'll be there in a few minutes, folks," their pilot interjected once more. Weiss cursed under her breath. "Get ready. It looks ugly down there."

Weiss caught Adam's eye as he and the others began drawing their weapons. She smiled at him before turning her attention back to Winter. Her sister's tight expression made it clear she'd seen their small exchange.

"We can talk about this later," Weiss said with a frustrated sigh. "I know you don't have bad intentions, and I understand that you're looking out for me, but you're not always right. You don't know people as well as you think you do. The same goes for me. There's a lot we still need to learn…"

Weiss wasn't sure if she'd gone too far with her comment. The blank look on Winter's face didn't help her feel at ease with her decision.

"When did you grow up so fast?" Winter smiled, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I had some good friends to help me along the way." She looked over at the others. Adam was talking with Jaune. She assumed it had something to do with possible strategies they could implement once they landed.

"And does he make you happy?" Winter asked.

"Yeah. I feel safe when I'm with him." A hot flush burned on her cheeks. "Umm…he's actually my partner now."

"I know, Weiss. I'm not blind." Winter chuckled, pulling her into a hug.

"You're not…upset about it?"

"We'll talk later. Right now, I'm just relieved to see you're alive and well."

The scene they arrived at was brewing with chaos. Robyn's fighters formed a protective wall around their base, acting as the only line of defence between the Grimm hoard and the civilians. Two of the neighbouring stores were also guarded and jam-packed with civilians.

Some of the Grimm detached from the pack and converged around their airship the closer they got to the ground. Those with guns fired into the hoard to ensure they had enough room to leap down. Once their airship was no longer surrounded, they jumped out.

The cold sank through Weiss' jacket and into her bones the moment she stepped out to the battlefield. Within seconds her face and hands burned from the polar air. The frigid temperature slowed her movements more than she would've liked. Even her friends' movements appeared slower than usual. Though they managed to clear the Grimm pack, the cold left her limbs heavy and slow. How much longer will they be able to fight tonight?

"Hurry and start boarding the civilians!" Qrow commanded once the airships safely landed. "The Grimm will continue gathering as long as we have scared refugees!"

Robyn repeated his orders into the earpiece. Robyn's team herded the civilians from the buildings, with the sick and wounded boarding the airship bound for Atlas. Their team split to help direct and watch over the crowd. Weiss purposefully stationed herself at Robyn's base with Adam, searching the crowd for Whitley. She found him as soon as he stepped out of the doorway. He stood out from the crowd like a sore thumb with his designer clothes.

"Weiss!" he called out to her once their eyes met.

He pushed through the crowd and latched onto her as soon as she was within reach. Whitley trembled as badly as the night their Estate was attacked. He still carried the old, rusted sword on his back.

"You've been really brave tonight," she assured him quietly. "It's almost over. We're going to get you somewhere safe."

"Are you coming with us?"

"I need to stay behind."

He broke the hug, grimacing at his feet.

"I'll be back as soon as the shields are up."

"W-what if those things get me before you come back? I can't fight like you."

"We have people working hard to fight them. You're going to be fine," she said, despite her doubts.

The truth was, there was no guarantee he would be completely safe. They were still limited in numbers, and there was no telling if the engineers could even undo the damage Watts left behind. She wasn't sure what it meant if the shields remained permanently down.

"You're also not completely helpless, kid," Adam piped in. "You protected yourself and your mom in the estate, and now you even know how to handle a sword."

"But I'm just a beginner."

"It's better than nothing. You're stronger than you think, kid." He clapped Whitley firmly on the back. "Hold out for a bit longer and be brave. We'll get through this."

Whitely touched the strap of his sword's sheath and nodded. "I'll be waiting for everyone to come back."

With one last hug, he rejoined the crowd. It was only once he safely boarded the ship that Weiss let out a relieved breath.

"Robyn," May's voice sounded breathlessly from the earpiece. "I'm coming back with more civilians from the East. We have Grimm following us."

Weiss' heart dropped at the news. The airships were almost full, and they still had so many people who needed to board. Robyn was quick to relay this information to the rest of the team.

The crowd cried out in protest when they were stopped from getting on board. Weiss and Adam joined the others at the front to keep anyone from rushing toward the airships. Robyn tried to assure them more airships would be coming, but it did little to quell the crowd's agitation.

"I see May's team coming on our right!" Joanna exclaimed.

As May had warned them, a large group of civilians were being herded by armed fighters. A cluster of Grimm followed them like a pack of hunting wolves. The remaining civilians noticed this as well. Angry protests from the crowd morphed into cries of terror. People pushed and shoved each other in a poor attempt to try and flee from the incoming monsters.

"Robyn, more are coming from our left!" Fiona warned next.

"Ren's Semblance can help calm the crowd!" Jaune cried into the earpiece. "You guys should focus on taking out the Grimm! We'll deal with the civilians!"

No one questioned what that meant exactly. All that mattered was that the crowd went from being hysterical to eerily calm within a matter of seconds.

They fell into a quick routine after that point. Airships bound for the inner core of Mantle came by every ten minutes, while airships heading for Atlas came every fifteen minutes. Ren and Jaune combined their Semblances to ensure the crowd remained calm at all times.

They alternated between fending off incoming enemies and watching over the crowd. The latter was more of a break given how calm the civilians were. Weiss stayed with her team while Adam fought alongside Nora, Qrow, and Winter. He always found his way back to her during their breaks.

Their seemingly endless routine ended at their fifth rotation. Weiss and her team were just heading back for their next break when they saw the others had already returned, huddled around an individual on the ground. Robyn was with the group looking particularly tense. As they drew closer, Weiss felt her blood grow cold.

It was a White Fang agent.

She didn't wear the signature uniform associated with the group, but the red bandana tied around her upper arm displayed the group's logo. A slender cut ran from her upper thigh to her knee, oozing a familiar purple substance. Fiona propped her up while one of Robyn's doctors cleaned the wound.

"We need to get her to Atlas right away," Fiona said as Weiss' team joined the rest of the group.

"Do you think it'll be safe to keep her with the other civilians?" Winter asked.

"She's not going to be able to hurt anyone in this state," the doctor answered without taking his eyes off his patient. "Robyn, I'm going with her to Atlas. I want to monitor her condition myself."

"We'll get you two on board as soon as the ship arrives," Robyn said. "In the meantime, we need to get the other patients back here in one piece."

"Other patients?" Ruby furrowed her brows.

"It seems Tyrian betrayed the White Fang when the Grimm started breaking in," Qrow elaborated. "Our friend here managed to get away when the fighting started getting messy. We found her stumbling over during our last rotation."

The photos of Sienna's past weighed heavily in her pocket. Weiss didn't know how much trust Sienna placed in Tyrian, but it couldn't have been easy to be betrayed like this.

The thought of Watts and Tyrian watching the complete breakdown of Atlas and Mantle from a safe distance made her blood boil.

"Do you know what she meant by the West End Base?" Robyn turned to ask Adam and Blake.

"Yeah. It's an old rendezvous point we used for missions," Adam replied. "It's close to the walls, so it could be sketchy to get in there."

"We could use one of the airships to get there," Blake suggested. "It'd also make it faster for them to get medical help."

"Good thinking." Robyn nodded in approval. "Next airships should be coming in a few–"

"I disagree," Winter cut her off shortly. "We cannot risk the health of our injured by borrowing their only ride to Atlas."

"Then we'll borrow one of the airships bound for Central Mantle," Robyn said curtly. "I know the Military likes coming up with convenient excuses to avoid work, but that's not how I like to operate."

"Listen here, Hill, just because we've made a few mistakes doesn't mean–!"

"Who's going on the rescue mission?" Weiss interjected before the conversation could spiral any further. It did little to discourage Robyn and Winter from glaring daggers at each other.

"I want people who are familiar with White Fang operations to go. I'm thinking of sending Adam and Blake. They're one of our best." Robyn jutted her chin out, challenging Winter to question the integrity of her team.

"I don't see why we must send them. Once we have an address, anyone can go complete the rescue." Winter retorted.

"They'll know the area better than anyone else. It'll be faster for them to investigate the building as opposed to Huntsmen going in blind."

"...That's fair." Winter frowned, crossing her arms. "Although I suggest we keep the rescue team small. We still need people to protect the civilians here."

Robyn didn't voice any more opposing opinions, but the deep scowl on her face made it clear she wasn't thrilled to be on the same page as her.

"If Blake's going, then so am I," Yang volunteered.

"I want to help too," Weiss said.

If she couldn't punish Watts and Tyrian, she could at least try to reduce the number of lives claimed tonight.

"I'm going with them as well," Ruby added. "A full team should be enough for this mission."

"We should send professional–"

"That sounds good to me, Little Red," Robyn promptly cut Winter off.

"Don't you think we should at least send more experienced fighters into a terrorist base?"

"They aren't helpless children."

"I never said they were helpless! I just think…" Winter looked at Weiss for a second. "It's risky to send rookies on this mission. They aren't ready-"

"They have to fly the nest at some point, Winter," Qrow cut in. He was completely unmoved by the icy glare Winter shot him. "We can't protect them forever."

They didn't get any more time to debate when the mechanical hum of new airships approached. Fiona and the doctor helped the injured woman walk to the boarding zone. Robyn promptly ordered them to check their Dust supplies and ammo. Their ride arrived faster than Weiss had anticipated. By the time she looked over her Dust containers, the airships had landed.

Robyn hurried to one of the two airships bound for Central Mantle, beckoning her staff to stop the civilians from boarding. The others followed her to their ride.

Winter latched onto Weiss' wrist before she could get too far. The slight tremble on Winter's lips caught her off guard. For the second time that night, she hadn't the slightest clue how to address her sister.

"When we lost contact with you, I-I didn't think we would find you alive again." Winter squeezed her wrist. "I still wonder if it was a mistake to let you follow in my footsteps."

"We both know I would've been miserable at home."

"But you wouldn't have to risk your life like this."

"I'd rather be facing this than be stuck with Father. At least now I can make a real difference in the world." Weiss smiled. "I'm not a kid anymore, Winter. I can fight my own battles now, and I'm grateful you gave me this opportunity."

"I wish you didn't have to fight at all."

Robyn's impatient beckoning interrupted them. Winter gave her one last tight squeeze before reluctantly letting her go. She looked at something over Weiss' shoulder and straightened her back.

"I apologise for keeping your…partner waiting," Winter said, clearing her throat.

Weiss wasn't surprised at all to see it was Adam who had stayed behind to wait for her.

"I'll do my best to look out for her," Adam promised Winter. "She's going to come back. I'll make sure of it."

Winter quietly regarded him. Weiss wasn't sure what to make of the tension on her sister's shoulders. Did Winter ever speak to a Faunus outside the context of work?

"Then I'll be waiting for you all to return," Winter said. Her voice was stiff with politeness.

Weiss pecked her sister on the cheek before catching up to Adam. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to their awaiting airship, fully aware Winter watched their every interaction.

Big thanks to Rookie80, Gleaming Onyx, BrazeRancor, Iwr1918, and a Guest reader for the reviews!

I have vacation after next week so it's gonna be an interesting upload schedule… More info to come next Sunday!