Sun let out a series of raspy coughs as he snapped back to consciousness, though he couldn't hear any of them. Instead, a piercing whine and distorted crackling filled his ears, spurring on the pounding feeling in his head. The taste of ash entered his mouth as he continued to cough, and so, he brought up his right arm to cover his mouth. As he did so, he noticed within his doubled vision that some of his flesh was badly burned, and the limb was shaking. Tiny flecks of orange embers floated up from beneath him, and his entire body felt incredibly hot. Slowly, Sun's hearing partially returned, giving him a muffled awareness of crackling fire all around him and the sharp sounds of his coughs. He could taste blood with each one.

"-ound him!" Sun heard a voice call, though he couldn't quite make out who it was. "Over here!"

Sun let out a groan as he lowered his arm and tried to push himself up into a sitting position. His entire body was sore, and he wasn't entirely sure where he was. The swimming vision and soreness around his eyes didn't help him figure to it out at all, though he could tell that he had fallen into a pile of rubble. Up above him was a series of holes through upper floors, with bits of plaster and wood slowly falling from the ceiling as flames licked at the edges of openings. He remembered the explosion of the giant grimm, and something striking the back of his head as he flew through the air. After that, it was all blank.

"Hold on!" a commanding female voice ordered as Sun continued to struggle to sit up. "You're going to make it worse without help!"

"Blake…?" Sun asked in a wheezing rasp.

"You're lucky, but not that lucky," Cinnamon replied with a scowl as Sun's swirling vision came into partial focus and gave him a fuzzy view of the woman standing over him. He winced as she extended a hand outward, the limb going completely out of focus the closer it got to him. "Can you stand, or do I have to carry you?"

"I'll try…" Sun replied as he grasped Cinnamon's hand in a weak grip. With a grunt of effort and several more coughs, he managed to pull himself to his feet only to nearly tumble down the pile of rubble before him. A dark hand against his chest stopped Sun from toppling over, and he gave the older woman a questioning look. "You could have just run…"

"I could have," Cinnamon agreed as she removed her hand from Sun's torn shirt. "But things are different, now. The building's on fire, faunus live here, and they're watching. If I'm going to side with you, I suppose I might as well go all-in. Best chance of saving my own ass when we get to Ironwood."

"'They'…?" Sun questioned, only for another figure to poke their head around one of the crumbling walls.

"Sun!" Marrow cried as he emerged into the room proper and jogged through the smoke and ash. "Thank the gods, we thought you might have been… Weiss and I got here too late to stop Scarlet from escaping, but I'm here to help you now."

"I'll be fine," Sun said with another cough as he fought to stay standing. "Just… give me a minute, and I'll h-"

"You're the medic for the Aces, right?" Cinnamon interrupted before turning her back on the young faunus and facing Marrow.

"Yeah," Marrow confirmed as he hopped up the rubble pile to stand before Sun.

"Handle him," Cinnamon ordered as she jerked her head back in Sun's direction. "I'll go and help Schnee with the evacuation. We'll meet you at your transport."

"Wh-…" Sun began, only for Marrow to grip his shoulder.

"Go," Marrow said with a nod toward the woman. As Cinnamon ran out of the room, Marrow turned his head back to lock eyes with Sun. "She's right. I need to check you out, and those two can handle things here. Don't fight me on this one. You're in enough hot water with the General already."

Sun said nothing as Marrow moved to stand beside him. The medic took one of Sun's arms and slung it around his shoulders before reaching around the younger boy's waist with his own arm for support. Slowly and carefully, the pair navigated the piles of debris and headed for the lobby, where several walls had collapsed and smoke billowed from behind the reception desk.

"…we did the right thing," Sun said quietly. "She and Emerald… I can't trust them completely, but I think they do want to help. They know how serious this is getting. Those two are misguided, but they aren't stupid…"

"I know you did the right thing," Marrow agreed as he helped the other faunus out onto the street. A transport ship was waiting a good distance from the apartment complex, and the two set off to move toward the vehicle. "Some of the other Aces might not agree, but I'm with you, Sun. I… can't just leave someone high and dry when there's a chance they could be saved. I'll stand with you once we get back to HQ, no matter what General Ironwood says. I don't know how this is all going to end, but… I believe that whatever happens, we'll make the right call so long as we all stick together and speak from the heart."

"I hope you're right," Sun offered as the pair reached the transport and Marrow lowered him to sit on the floor of the vehicle inside the open door. "But… I'm not so sure, anymore. Some people just won't listen to reason…"

"General Ironwood isn't one of them," Marrow said quickly as he knelt down and began to check Sun's legs. "I know it's cold, but shirt off. If you have any serious puncture wounds, I need to know now."

Sun did as he was asked, unstrapping Ghira's charred pauldron and letting it fall to the floor before rolling off his ruined shirt. He was covered in cuts and small burns, and the very act of removing the fabric from his body caused him to hiss in pain as the clothing brushed against his wounds.

"I guess we'll find out soon," Sun considered as Marrow pressed a warm hand into the center of his chest and began to prod various places around his pecs and ribcage. "There are still people in there…"

"I know," Marrow said as he drew a small device from his coat pocket and ran it over swathes of Sun's exposed flesh. "Deep breaths. I'm just making sure you're not literally dying right now before I head back and help those two. I'll… also be totally honest with you- I don't like the idea of Cinnamon being alone with Weiss. No matter what she's said to you tonight, there's a grudge there that can't heal easily."

Sun followed Marrow's directions, taking deep breaths as the other man poked and pressed him with fingers and cold metal. He made the occasional noise of discomfort as Marrow's fingers jabbed into him, but was otherwise silent for a long while as he tried to figure out how he felt about the situation.

"…Weiss can handle herself," Sun finally replied. "I hate it, but… I kinda agree with you. Is it bad that I feel like I can't just let it all go, despite the fact that she's on our side, now? Supposedly, anyway…"

"There's a difference between being open to second chances and being a doormat," Marrow advised. "Don't become a doormat. Keep your heart open, but your guard up."

"You too," Sun said as Marrow leaned back from his cursory exam and met Sun's eyes. "Has anything important happened since Ilia and I left?"

Marrow took a sharp inhale through his nose and steeled himself, doing his best to keep his expression neutral.

"…Snowfall was carried out. It… didn't go as planned. The Maiden powers went to Harriet."

"What…?" Sun asked, eyes wide. "But…"

"General Ironwood's furious," Marrow let on. "I barely managed to stop Harriet from… making a huge mistake. Things aren't good, Sun, and they're about to get worse. I trust General Ironwood, but I really don't know what he's about to do. If I'm being honest with you… I'm scared."

Sun wasn't as good at keeping a poker face as he listened. It was his turn to put a hand on the other man's shoulder and give him a serious look.

"…no matter how much you trust him… you've got family down here, right? Once the apartment is evacuated, go get them and bring them topside. We can wait for you."

Marrow looked away for a moment, seeming conflicted as he shook his head.

"…how is that fair t-"

"Something I learned from Blake is that sometimes… you've gotta be a little selfish," Sun insisted. "We're on the brink of war, and this might be your only chance to get them out of harm's way. I'm not dying right now, am I?"

"You've got a good five minutes in you," Marrow joked with a grim smirk. "You really think I should…?"

"I really do," Sun said with a nod. "Because if you don't, and you end up regretting this opportunity…"

Marrow stood back up and placed his examination tool back into his jacket before pulling it tighter around himself.

"…I'll go. Stay here, and just… try to relax as best you can. We'll be quick."

"Be safe," Sun insisted. "Get everyone back alive… and that includes your family."

Marrow offered a small smile and nodded before giving Sun a formal salute.

"I will. See you soon… and thank you. You're one of the good ones."

Sun returned the smile as he watched Marrow turn around and run back toward the apartment complex. Moments later, he let out a painful exhale and began to rub at his side, the muscles aching and his head pounding. Sun knew that it was going to be a long night.

"We did it!" Jaune's voice said triumphantly as it echoed around the lab from the monitor's speakers. "It looks like it worked!"

"Penny?" Dr. Polendina asked, leaning forward to the point that he nearly fell out of his seat. "Penny, are you there?"

"I am here," the girl answered. "I do not understand what's happening, or why my memories are so fractured, but I'm here."

"I'll explain everything once you get back," Dr. Polendina said as he removed his glasses and took a small cloth out of his vest with which to wipe his eyes. "I promise. Just listen to Jaune, and come home to me, alright? We'll get you all sorted out and fix anything from Watts that may still be lingering in your system."

"…Penny?" Yang asked as she stepped closer to the monitor showing a view through Hope's eyes. "Can you hear me? Do you know who this is?"

There was a pause in which no one said anything until Hope's uncertain voice echoed around the room.

"Yang?"

"Yeah," Yang said with a sigh of relief and grateful smile as she wiped an eye. "Yeah, it's me. It's good to hear you again…"

"It is good to hear you, too," Hope replied. "I hope we see each other soon!"

"You will, Penny," Dr. Polendina reassured. "Very soon."

"Well, isn't this heartwarming?" Maria quipped as she hopped up to sit on the edge of one of the lab tables. "Given how things have been going lately, I'd say we're due for another crisis in 5… 4…"

"Maria," Dr. Polendina scolded.

"3… 2… 1."

No one dared to move as they waited for some sort of catastrophe to occur. After nearly 30 seconds had passed, Yang shook her head, feeling very stupid.

"I can't believe I actually thought something was going to h-"

"There!" Maria said as she pointed at the corner of the lab. "My timing was off by just a bit!"

It took only seconds for the majority of the lab to be bathed in bright red light as a portal opened near the main door. Raven was the first to emerge from the gate, her mask on and Omen held before her in a stance that suggested she was ready to leap into battle. Ruby and Oscar were next, each simply holding up their fists and facing opposite directions as they visually swept the area. Finally, Cardin stepped through, supporting Fox and helping the other injured huntsman along as they brought up the rear. As the portal closed, Raven reached up to take off her mask and give Yang a cold stare. She was more than a little annoyed when her daughter didn't even look at her, instead rushing forward toward someone else entirely.

"Ruby!"

Author's Note:

Hey, after 193 chapters, Sun finally learned that thing Blake spent so long trying to teach him!

How the fuck are we actually nearing Chapter 200.

What am I even doing.

-RD