Sun had no illusions that the night would pass easily, but he had at the very least expected to feel some joy in seeing Ruby and Oscar once again. The pair was waiting outside of Dr. Polendina's lab and hugs were indeed exchanged between the young hunters and many members of the group, but that was where the positivity ended. The only way that Sun could describe Ruby was that she seemed broken. Her eyes were red, her ever-present curiosity and air of enthusiasm were entirely gone, and Crescent Rose was nowhere to be seen. Oscar looked incredibly tense and said little, to the point that Sun couldn't tell if he was Oscar or not. The obvious black cloud over the group only grew more intense as Yang began to speak, informing the party of what Raven had told her about Salem's activities in Sanus while looking to her for confirmation on the major points. By the time the brief explanation was finished and she reached the detail that the witch was immortal, the hallway had fallen entirely silent. Sun could barely bring himself to breathe.
No one said anything for several minutes, and for that, Sun was grateful- in his mind, there was nothing to be said. He knew that the revelation would have to be shared again with General Ironwood and the Ace Ops within mere minutes. What he didn't know was how such knowledge would impact whatever the plan for Atlas and Mantle was, and whether or not General Ironwood would be able to maintain his composure upon learning that they were already deep into the literal worst-case scenario. It was no secret that the man was already on edge, and Sun couldn't help but think back to how he himself acted upon receiving bad news while already under stress. He was scared, injured, uncertain, and feeling hopeless. He was also keenly aware that as the seconds passed, more and more eyes turned to him for some sort of insight or reassurance. The first thing that came to his mind was the instinct to simply run and take all of his friends with him, but that presented an entirely new problem- where was there left to run to?
"W-we… have to get to the office," Sun said in a soft voice, startled by his own unplanned stutter. It was only then that he realized he was slightly trembling. In truth, he felt exactly like Ruby looked. "Just… I think it would be best to just go, and figure this out as best we can, moment by moment. We can't just stand here doing nothing when… this situation… I don't know what else to say."
"…I don't think anyone does," Weiss offered as she, too, experienced a full-body chill and folded her arms across her chest. She slowly trained her gaze upon Oscar, who refused to look at anyone around him. "We don't have time to discuss this amongst ourselves. We don't even have time to process that… this is an unwinnable war. All this time, we didn't know. All this time, that information was withheld from us…"
"Because Ozpin lied," Ruby seethed, sounding nothing like herself. "I hope I'm not the only one with a lot to say about that fact."
"You're not," Jaune replied tersely as he clenched his fist at his side, his eyes on Oscar as well. "But Sun's right- we can't do this right now. We have to go."
"…being a hunter means setting your wants and needs aside in a crisis," Sun said with a nod as he turned around. "Just… put it out of your mind, for right now. We'll think of something. We always think of something. C'mon. It's this way."
Once again, the group fell silent. Once again, Sun had that looming notion that he was leading them all to the edge of a cliff, and the feeling in his chest was that of guilt and resignation that his only suggestion would be to jump. The echo of every footfall in the cold, sterile hallways of Atlas Academy shredded his nerves, and upon hearing another set coming down a perpendicular tunnel, he felt the ridiculous urge to draw his weaponry. It wasn't until he saw just who was coming his way that he felt somewhat safe, and even then, the reassurance was slight and fleeting.
"Weiss!" Marrow called out as he joined the group in the hallway with Harriet and Winter in tow. "Thank the gods you made it out…"
Ruby's eyes widened as she watched the faunus scoop her friend into a passionate kiss in the middle of the hallway. She looked to Sun for confirmation, and despite the gloomy atmosphere, he couldn't help but give her a smile and nod.
"….long, long story."
"Very," Weiss agreed after breaking the kiss and leaning into Marrow's side. "We have a lot to catch up on once we're back on stable ground. Is your family here?"
"They're on their way," Marrow explained. "I told them to get topside immediately, and they're… packing. They'll get a hotel, and then look into making a permanent move. I was going to stay and help, but the message from General Ironwood sounded serious," the faunus finished before looking out over the group and giving the newcomers a wave, his tail wagging all the while. "…hi there! Marrow Amin, Ace Ops."
"Hey," Ruby replied, her exhaustion clear in her voice as she ran a hand through her tangled, matted hair. "Ruby Rose, one of Weiss' teammates and her close friend. I'm going to have to put you through a pretty thorough vetting process when we have a moment…"
"Ruby…" Weiss warned, giving her friend an annoyed look.
"No, no," Marrow said with a wave of his hand. "I'm looking forward to it. You seem like a good friend already."
"Well, this is adorable," Harriet said with a roll of her eyes as she leaned into Winter's side with an arm around her waist, "but we need to get a move on. Every second we spend catching up in the hallway is one that could be spent figuring out this mess of shit. Harriet Bree. Aces. Pleasure. Let's get going."
"I like her already," Raven muttered as she stepped ahead of Sun and began to lead the way. "Direct me."
"Dead ahead, left halfway at the intersection and into the elevator," Sun explained as he moved to follow. "After that, it's just… a short walk through the lobby, and into his office…"
"…haven't been here in ages," Oscar finally said. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."
"These circumstances are a direct result of your actions," Yang said, "and y-"
"Do not lose yourself to anger," Corsac advised as he fell into step at her side, opposite of Jaune. "We need to keep cool heads."
"…explain," Harriet said flatly. "How is this the kid's fault?"
"We'll get there," Sun answered, refusing to look at her as the group began to squeeze into the oversized elevator. "Soon. Very soon, once I figure out what to even say..."
"Breathe," Ilia advised as she nudged Sun with her shoulder. "You're doing good, and we all trust you. You're a great leader, Sun… and I'm not the only one who thinks so."
Sun shuddered as Ilia knocked upon Ghira's charred pauldron. Somehow, the gesture made him feel just a little bit better, though he was still on edge all the same.
"…thanks," Sun offered before ruffling Ilia's hair as the elevator ascended. "Hair's gettin' kinda shaggy, little sis."
"Bite me, big bro," the chameleon snapped as she batted his hand away.
"…why am I being brought to this meeting?" Emerald suddenly asked as she stared at her distorted reflection in the metallic doors. "Can't you just throw me in a cell?"
"You have information about Salem," Marrow answered plainly. "More than we do."
"At this point, I don't know about that…" Emerald began.
"Don't," Cinnamon advised with a cold look intense enough for Emerald to get the effect through the woman's reflection alone. "Time and a place."
Oscar suddenly cleared his throat, causing several of the people around him to jump in surprise.
"I will do the majority of the talking," the young boy asserted. "This is my war, in truth…"
"…no, you won't," Sun protested. "You can explain to Ironwood what you need to, but… it's our lives, and we only get one. We're all done having ours dictated by you, or Salem, or anyone else. It might be your war, but it's our battle."
Sun wasn't sure what he had expected in response, but the myriad of expressions he received from various members of the group gave him pause. Ilia's confident smirk stuck out amongst the group, and it was just enough to help him feel more confident in the proclamation.
"Very well," Oscar said simply as the elevator came to a stop. "On your head be it."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Yang asked as Oscar stepped out of the elevator and began to head for the lobby. "Hey!"
"He's all talk," Ruby spat as she and the others moved to follow Oscar into the lobby. "And he doesn't like his authority being challenged. I trust in Sun- if he hadn't come up with this plan to begin with, we would still be in the dark."
"In the dark about what?" Winter asked as she helped Harriet out of the elevator. "What do you all keep alluding to that you know and we don't?"
"I need you to trust us," Weiss replied as she gave Marrow's hand a squeeze and looked over at her sister. "We need to do this carefully…"
"I do," Marrow reassured. "With my life."
Winter let out a sigh, bringing her free hand to her forehead.
"As do I… despite how uncomfortable all of this making me."
"Tch," Harriet clucked. "At this point? I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is that everything's fucked, and all of you have this fun little habit of not following orders. Now you're keeping secrets, too?"
"Like Cinnamon said- time and a place," Sun answered. "And the time is in a few minutes. We don't need to start something here and now before even reaching Ironwood."
"So now you're taking advice from and allying with criminals?" Harriet asked. "Or should I say, more criminals?"
"The hell's your problem, all of a sudden?" Ilia asked with a scowl.
"I don't know, maybe my whole fucking life just got turned upside-down?" Harriet asked sarcastically as she broke from Winter's supportive grip and turned to face the faunus. "Maybe I'm starting to question if any of this was ever a good idea? Maybe, just maybe, putting so much faith in all of you is where things started t-"
"Harriet!" Marrow yelled, catching the woman off guard as he stepped forward and pointed a finger toward her. "Don't you dare pin this on them. Every single one of them had reservations about Snowfall, and they have given everything they had to try to help us. If anyone needs to be questioned right now, it's the man waiting behind that door at the end of the hall, and you know I'm right. You've always felt that way, and your current situation is no excuse to start taking out your anger on them! And before you even say it, this has nothing to do with Weiss and I- I'm just speaking the truth and standing up for them because they're not in a position to fight back against you without making things worse. I am, as your colleague and friend."
Harriet sucked in a breath as the rest of the party came to a halt, waiting to see what she would do. The woman clenched her teeth, eyeing both Ilia and Sun as she made several facial expressions of frustration and discomfort.
"…just… fuck."
"I know," Sun said as he moved to pass the woman and tapped a hand on her shoulder. "That sounds about right. Don't worry about it. We're all about to snap at this point. No harm done."
"Yes, we are," Jaune agreed as everyone began to move once again. "Here goes everything…"
Raven was the one to step into the office first. The woman moved without hesitation to stand off to the side, near to where the curved steel of the wall met the window glass looking out over the metropolis far below. Though he had seen the cavernous circular room many times before, Sun found the space in the low natural light of the broken moon to look more like an arena than an office.
The remainder of the group entered the chamber in silence, and when all was once again settled, Sun Wukong, Weiss Schnee, Ilia Amitola, Jaune Arc, Corsac Albain, Ruby Rose, Cinnamon Shoal, Emerald Sustrai, and Raven Branwen all stood off to the left side of the door along the wall. Marrow Amin, Harriet Bree, and Winter Schnee broke off to stand with Clover Ebi and Elm Ederne, both of whom were waiting along the opposite wall. Oscar Pine moved alone to the center of the room to face General James Ironwood, who stood in front of his desk with his hands clasped behind his back. Everyone save Ruby and Oscar was armed, and everyone including the two youngest in the room held their breath as they waited for the first word to be spoken.
"James," Oscar began in a warm tone. "It's good to see you st-"
"Do not call me James," the man interrupted, his voice cold and full of warning. "You may address me as General while you're here. It is through your lack of action and negligence that a group of teenagers and their White Fang allies have been burdened with assisting me in defending Atlas and Mantle, and while their tendencies to deviate from orders leave much to be desired, I count them to be closer friends than you, at this point. They've given up everything to aid in the defense of Remnant. Can you say the same?"
"…you have no idea what you're asking me," Oscar warned, his tone shifting to match General Ironwood's icy words. "I elected to trust Sun and his plan because nothing I have done has ever made a lasting difference against Salem, and I saw fit to try a new approach that I cannot expect any of you to understand."
"No, that isn't why you let me take over," Sun replied with a cynical laugh as he took a step forward to stand closer to the center of the room. "Knowing what I know now? It had nothing to do with me, other than the fact that I would be a convenient scapegoat if this all went wrong. You let me take the reins because you're scared."
General Ironwood watched Oscar's expression darken as he looked at Sun. The massive man took a deep breath and shook his head as Oscar opened his mouth to speak.
"…no, this isn't how this is going to go. We are going to have a calm, rational discussion about what happens next, and whatever details you're both alluding to will come out after I hear what I want to hear. This is my Academy- my city- my home, and I have been left to defend it and delegate its protectors alone until this moment. I've done what I had to do all this time, however painful it may have been, and I'm going to continue down that road. No one else but me will determine how we proceed from here, in both conversation and subsequent action."
"What did you do in the vault?" Oscar asked before General Ironwood could continue. "Was the Maiden with you?"
General Ironwood gave Oscar a hard stare, seemingly feeling out the man's intentions.
"I wasn't," Harriet answered. "I was busy in…"
Harriet trailed off as General Ironwood raised the back of his hand in her direction to call for silence.
"I will explain my actions when I am ready to do so, and not a moment before. First… it's good to see that you all made it to Atlas, Miss Branwen. Miss Rose. I assume you used your Semblance to teleport from Sanus?"
"Under less than ideal circumstances," Raven said warily as she kept her distance from the man. "But yes, we're here. We brought two injured along with us, and several others are waiting elsewhere."
"A matter that we will have to table, for now," General Ironwood cautioned. "Miss Amitola."
Ilia stiffened, her discomfort at being singled out immediate and obvious. The faunus raised her shoulders as she took in a deep, sobering breath, doing her best not to blink under General Ironwood's demanding gaze.
"Sir…?"
"Report on your findings within Robyn Hill's headquarters," the man ordered. "I need details on everything of importance that you saw."
"Emerald and I… we managed to break in, undetected," Ilia said slowly in an attempt to steady her nerves. "Upon reaching the basement, we found a group of people rifling through crates, some of which had blue flowers resting atop them. I've never seen anyone that was down there before in my life… but we managed to get a few photos. I have them on my scroll."
Ilia approached General Ironwood, who held out his hand expectantly. The faunus placed the device into his palm before rifling through her pockets to take out a dust crystal, which she offered as well.
"We also found mounds of these, down a tunnel beyond the sealed door that Sun discovered earlier today," Ilia continued. "The Schnee emblem is clearly scratched out- it's the dust stolen from the downed transport. Or, at the very least, dust stolen from the company before that. Either way, she's got shady connections involved in smuggling illegal dust below the city."
General Ironwood didn't bother to look up from the scroll as he flicked through the pictures. After several seconds, he passed the device over the Clover, who brought it into view of the other Ace Ops.
"No one I recognize, either. Emerald Sustrai," General Ironwood called. "Do you have any idea who these people are?"
"No, I don't," Emerald admitted with a shake of her head. She flexed her bound hands behind herself in a fit of nervous energy. "Nothing in Robyn's HQ looked familiar to me at all. The only other thing we found of note was a tunnel filled with water and a boat tied to the shore, as well as another tunnel that leads off into the sewers of Mantle."
"…Robyn has a direct line to the sewers?" Clover questioned. "That would explain the sudden disappearance of questionable goods that we've seen in her tavern before…"
"She's hiding things," Emerald agreed. "And we have hard evidence of it."
"Indeed we do," General Ironwood agreed as he plucked the dust crystal from Ilia's fingers and turned it over to inspect the scratched-out emblem. "Then that part of the path forward is settled. Well done, Miss Amitola. Your role in all of this is over."
"It is?" Ilia asked as she took an uncertain step back. "What exactly does that mean…?"
"You've done all that you can… for the moment," General Ironwood clarified. "And Sun- given that he isn't here, I'm going to assume that you and Miss Shoal failed to find Arthur Watts?"
"Yeah…" Sun answered in a sullen tone. "He was long gone by the time we reached the apartments, but we ran into Scarlet David and some sort of super grimm that he was able to command. It was unlike anything I've ever seen, and they both managed to escape."
"I see…" General Ironwood considered, still turning the crystal over in his grasp. "But that much is irrelevant. Given the fact that we were unable to survey the towers around Mantle and determine which ones are compromised tonight… then the path forward is clear. Thank you all for your efforts… however partially successful they may have been. Now, is there anything else that needs to be said before I lay out the plan?"
Sun and Ruby exchanged a nervous look with each other, before both of them eyed Oscar suspiciously. The young boy was ever calm and made no effort to volunteer information.
"You're seriously not going to say anything?" Sun asked Oscar. "This is all on me?"
"He seems to have a plan," Oscar answered, never once moving his eyes from General Ironwood. "I'd be interested to hear it first, before anything else is said. I believe I made it clear what's going to happen if you choose to step forward."
"And what good is holding back going to do?" Sun said incredulously. "You haven't seen what we've seen these past months. You don't know the kind of stress he's under, and now you're planning on just jerking him around until you see an opening?"
"Sun…" Jaune warned, looking back and forth between the two men. "Maybe… let this play out?"
"No, we're done playing games," Sun said as he shook his head emphatically. "This has gone on long enough. General… Ruby's team obtained some information out in Sanus that you need to hear now."
"…I'm listening," General Ironwood said as he dropped his hands to his sides and gave the faunus his full attention.
"…let me handle this," Raven said as she took a step forward. "He may be an absolute bastard, but Ozpin is right about one thing- this isn't going to go well for you if you step up."
"No, I have to do this, now," Sun warned as he put a hand out in the woman's direction. With a hard swallow, he looked away from her and turned to stare down General Ironwood once again. "If he wants to put me in the firing line, then so be it. I'm not about to back down and shuffle responsibility around because it's easy. Salem is immortal. She can't be killed, and Ozpin has known the entire time. We can't engage her directly, or it's just going to end up getting us all killed for nothing. We're fighting an unwinnable war, and his plan was to let you keep going without that knowledge."
The dust crystal in General Ironwood's hand stopped rotating abruptly, and he moved his gaze down to Oscar. Despite the clear difference in height and the larger man's burgeoning fury, the younger of the two didn't move or say a word despite the accusation.
"…it's true," Ruby insisted from her place on the wall. "I saw it with my own eyes. We encountered Salem at a key location outside of Beacon, killed her, and within minutes, she was back up, re-forming herself from grimm material. My eyes couldn't even slow her down, and she nearly killed two members of our team. That's why we're here- we aren't reinforcements. We're here because we ran."
"We tried to bring her down with an entire crew, including Taiyang and myself," Raven added. "We barely managed to escape to Argus… and the city is burning. It's under active siege and may have already fallen. All communications are being jammed, likely by the same tech that Yang told us this Arthur Watts is using down in Mantle. We're cut off entirely, and Qrow has a few reinforcements waiting for more of our former party to join up with them."
General Ironwood turned away from the group and slowly lowered the dust crystal down to the surface of his desk. He deposited the item with a heavy press of his palm and took a long, audible breath that caused his shoulders to rise and fall dramatically.
"Mantle is compromised," General Ironwood said quietly as he clenched his hand into a fist atop the table. "Hope has been reverted to Penny, and Pax, I would assume, is undergoing the same procedure against my direct orders. Arthur Watts, Scarlet David, and a new strain of grimm are loose somewhere within the city. Argus is under siege, our communications are cut off, Robyn Hill is working with another unknown party, and now, you tell me that Salem is unkillable. That everything we've done while working behind the scenes for years has been nothing more than theater meant to give us all the illusion of safety. All we can really do is wait for Salem to amass her forces and make her move, and the only way we could even slow her down is by keeping the Maidens and Relics out of her grasp."
"Yeah," Sun agreed, his voice just as small and defeated. "Yeah, that's… about it."
General Ironwood slowly shook his head, his fist pressing down into the desk with enough force to make his entire arm tremble noticeably.
"I knew something was off from the moment you sent these hunters-in-training to me without bothering to come and offer support yourself, Ozpin. I've been mentally preparing myself for the worst since they arrived… and now, here it is," General Ironwood said before lifting his limb from the desk. Slowly and calmly, he turned around, at first appearing strangely unaffected by the news. As he crossed his arms behind his back once again, though, Sun felt an immediate and dangerous shift in his tone of voice. "This changes nothing except the timeline of my plan, and the way that we're going to get Amity into the sky."
"…what…?" Sun asked, his entire body hit by a sudden wave of fear as he looked up into the other man's calm, calculating gaze.
"…Amin."
"Sir…?" Marrow asked, looking just as unsettled as Sun by his superior's sudden shift into a cold, emotionless serenity.
"Escort Emerald Sustrai to a holding cell. I'll deal with her personally once the rest of you are set in motion."
"But…" Marrow began.
"You are the lowest-ranked among the Ace Ops, and I gave you an order," General Ironwood asserted, his calm momentarily giving way to a harsher, more commanding tone. "Get moving. Now."
Emerald made no move to resist as Marrow strode across the room, mouthing a quick apology to Weiss as he went. The faunus placed a hand upon the woman's cuffs and escorted her from the office with great haste, almost as though he was fleeing the scene. Sun couldn't help but wonder if the man giving orders had tactically removed the one Semblance that could stop things if they escalated beyond the point of reason from the room.
"Schnee," General Ironwood said as he turned his head toward Winter. "Retrieve the lamp from your office. I need to consult Jinn before we make our move."
"You cannot use the lamp," Oscar said, his voice panicked as Winter left the room. "It is as they said, she can't be ki-"
"I have another question in mind," General Ironwood interrupted. "And I am not asking for your permission. This is my operation, now. You have failed to lead it and lost the privilege to do so."
"My mother's alive," Ruby announced. "Summer Rose… she may be the Summer Maiden. We need to use the lamp to figure out where she is, so we c-"
"Irrelevant," General Ironwood said to cut the young woman off. "Even if such a thing is true, the Vault that corresponds to her is in Vacuo, which is the last thing on my mind at the moment."
"Is this really the right way to go about things?" Sun asked. "It's not like you to just completely take over and refuse to let anyone question anything."
"It is now," General Ironwood retorted. "I think all of you, and particularly you have committed enough insubordination for the moment. Now, all of you, listen carefully- the evacuation of Mantle begins tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning?" Weiss asked, blinking in surprise. "But the election…"
"There will not be an election," the man said sharply.
"…what?" Ilia asked. "You can't just take away the voice of the people because there's a crisis. They'll never trust you again if you pull the rug out from under them at the last second!"
"I can, and I will," General Ironwood corrected. "Whether or not they trust me after this is of no concern, at this point. We have more than enough evidence to bury Hill before she gets off the ground, and I plan to institute martial law effective at 8 AM. Jacques will be instated by default, and all media networks will be commandeered to broadcast evacuation information."
"What about the council?" Clover asked. "Even if Jacques agrees to step up, the other two will never stand for such a sudden momentous decision without their input…"
"And I will not stand for their, or your interference," General Ironwood snapped. "I am the only council member with actual knowledge of Salem… and knowing what I know now, we have no time to waste. The only reason the evacuation will not begin immediately is so that we can get our forces on the ground ahead of time to handle both the panic and Salem's reaction. There will be a twelve hour window to get as many people from Mantle up to Atlas as we can, before we move to phase two."
"Twelve hours?" Jaune asked, beginning to go pale. "That's… that's nowhere near enough time to get everyone out of the city…"
"But it is the sort of timeframe that Mantle might remain defendable if Salem attacks upon seeing our efforts," Corsac considered. "I am going to go ahead and guess that twelve hours is an upper limit, assuming we are attacked while evacuating?"
"Correct," General Ironwood acknowledged. "If we somehow manage this unnoticed, we can extend the timeframe, but… in all likelihood, it will be less."
"…and then what?" Sun dared to ask. "You're going to just… stop all transport up to Atlas?"
"No," Oscar answered immediately. "No, that isn't his plan. This is why you were in the Vault. You're going to hit the panic button- The Sunrise Protocol."
"You have got to be kidding me with this shit," Yang griped. "First Operation Snowfall, now The Sunrise Protocol? What new shitty scheme is this?"
Raven couldn't help but chuckle as she shook her head, looking to Oscar with a judgmental glare.
"So, it's all true."
"It is," Oscar confirmed. "And if we're waiting until morning, then they deserve to know the details."
"As I deserved to know the reason for the Protocol existing in the first place," General Ironwood asserted. "Which, knowing what I know now… things have become clear. The Staff of Creation resides within the Vault beneath the Academy- an ancient relic housing a spirit not unlike Jinn, but with an entirely different set of fantastical powers. Ambrosius, the Spirit of Creation, is capable of producing anything the wielder of the staff requests… but only one item at a time. Ordering him to create another will cause the previous one to break."
"What item currently exists?" Weiss asked. "It must be something at the heart of Atlas, correct?"
"A battery," Oscar answered. "A single, simple battery capable of producing limitless energy. Energy enough to keep the city itself afloat after all these centuries, and to power its production of food, clean water, electricity, and other amenities."
"But I thought Atlas floated because of the gravity dust deposits beneath the island?" Ruby asked. "Is that a lie, too?"
Elm nodded, her expression unreadable.
"A necessary one- the public cannot know about the Relic, so the gravity dust has been the outward-facing story since Atlas' inception. The Aces have been privy to that much… but I have never heard of this Sunrise Protocol, or what it entails…"
"Because much like the public being unable to handle knowledge of the Relic responsibly, I couldn't trust any of you to know of it, especially after the general rection to Snowfall," General Ironwood replied while keeping the Ace Ops out of his line of sight. "The premise is simple- limiters were placed down in the Vault to prevent an accidental overcharge in any parts of the city. Something like that could cause unpredictable effects unless carefully monitored. Tonight, I released those limiters."
Sun's eyes widened, his tail twitching nervously behind him.
"To intentionally destabilize Atlas?" the faunus asked. "What, as a distraction away from the fact that citizens of Mantle are coming up here? That's insane!"
"No, nothing so frivolous as that," General Ironwood chided. "The limiters were released such that we can put Atlas high up enough in the atmosphere that Salem and her grimm cannot reach it. After that, we can engage impenetrable hard light shields powered by the battery. We're taking ourselves out of the equation semi-permanently… and whatever portion of Mantle isn't capable of being evacuated will be left to fend for itself."
The silence that followed wasn't merely uncomfortable, but a stunned one. Looks of horror were exchanged among the assembled teens and Harriet, while Raven, Clover, Oscar, and Elm remained stone-faced.
"No…" Yang said softly. "No, you… you can't do that!"
"Is there really any other choice?" Elm asked, keeping her eyes on the ground. "Atlas cannot even take in the entire population of Mantle outside of a crisis, let alone support them in any long-term capacity. Food only grows so fast, regardless of the battery…"
"…Mantle is around four million people," Cinnamon said, looking uncharacteristically shaken as she finally spoke up. "Assuming we have that full 12 hours to evacuate as many people as we can… how many of them could even reasonably make it up here?"
"I've run the numbers across multiple models with Pax's help," General Ironwood answered. "The high estimate sits at just under 25%."
"…you want to throw three million people to Salem," Sun said, all color draining from his face. "Maybe more. Probably more. Three million of a population consisting of a high percentage of faunus, so you can save everyone else…"
"Don't make this about the faunus," General Ironwood warned. "You know that isn't w-"
"It never is," Ilia snapped. "And he's right. So, the lives of everyone up here are suddenly more important? Or are we at the point of just saying out loud what's been implied for ages?"
"This is our best option moving forward," Clover tried, looking suddenly panicked. "If we could move Mantle into the sky, we would, b-"
"How convenient," Cinnamon added. "It may not be about us directly, but again, our people suffer for the benefit of Atlas. Again, we're thrown under the bus and ground into fuel for the Atlesian war machine. You must understand how this looks… and how the people will respond."
"…and yet to forgo this option leaves all of Mantle at Salem's mercy," Corsac considered. "The General is not being malicious so much as practical, however ruthless it may seem…"
"We're fucking hunters!" Yang shouted, her voice echoing in the office. "We don't just… we're not leaving three quarters of one of the biggest cities on Remnant to die!"
"And what is your alternative?" General Ironwood asked, his voice rising in volume along with Yang's.
"Let me contact my father!" Weiss pleaded as she placed a hand upon her chest. "If he knew, he… if he wants to hold public office, he would never stand idly by. It would be political suicide, regardless of his personal feelings!"
"He cannot know!" General Ironwood rebuked immediately. "Do you really expect that he wouldn't try to leverage this against us to fuel his own greed in some shortsighted fashion?"
"Use the staff!" Sun yelled. "Make… create something that can house everyone! Make an impenetrable dome, I don't know!"
"You don't know," General Ironwood accused as he took a step forward from the desk, bearing down on the faunus. "And you don't realize all of the problems that would come with that. Surround both cities in a dome, only for Atlas to fall out of the sky onto Mantle and crush the city before exploding? Did you forget that the staff can sustain one object at a time, and making another destroys the battery keeping us alive? Your answer is make something, without any specifics?"
"My answer isn't to leave three million people to die!" Sun countered, his face reddening in anger. "And you're just… telling us how it's going to be!?"
"That's my job as the leader of Atlas!" General Ironwood reminded, taking another step closer. "And your job is to follow orders, which you seem to have quite a bit of trouble doing!"
"James…" Oscar began, only to receive a furious glare.
"I warned you…" General Ironwood threatened.
"And are you going to warn the people of Mantle?" Sun continued. "Are you going to tell them that they're going to die as a necessary sacrifice?"
"I'm going to tell them that we'll try everything in our power to save as many of them as we can!" General Ironwood replied as he turned his attention back to the faunus.
"So you're going to lie to them," Sun asserted. "You're going to give them false hope, like Ozpin gave all of us. You're just keeping the cycle going!"
"And what other option is there!?" General Ironwood asked, his voice growing ever louder. "You want me to incite panic? To end up with more people killed as they trample each other to reach the transports!?"
"I want you to commit to doing what's right instead of what's easy!" Sun roared.
"None of this is easy, and you have no other answer!"
"My answer is to do the best we can, and actually save as many as we can!" Sun insisted, sounding desperate. "Your approach makes you just another monster we're going to have to deal with!"
The sound of a metal button unclasping and the soft scrape of steel on leather wasn't nearly enough of a warning for anyone to react in time to what was occurring. Faster than any of the gathered heroes could process, General Ironwood drew one of his oversized pistols and pointed it directly at Sun's forehead. The weapon lingered mere inches from the faunus' face, wavering ever so slightly as General Ironwood clenched his teeth. No one dared to move for fear of causing the man to fire on instinct.
No one but Sun himself.
After several seconds of staring past the firearm into General Ironwood's eyes, the young man took a slow step as he raised his hands up to his chest level, palms open. Unblinking, he pressed his forehead forward into the barrel. The cool ring of steel pressed hard into his skin, and Sun could feel himself starting to sweat from within his hairline as he maintained eye contact.
"…do it," Sun challenged. "Do it, if you think you can. If everything you told us about your job as a leader and your feelings for Mantle and Atlas has been a lie. If I'm just another faceless faunus to be thrown to Salem to you. What's one more life on top of three m-"
General Ironwood pulled the gun back ever so slightly before whipping it across Sun's face hard enough to send him to the floor in a heap. Ilia was the first to move, putting herself between her fallen friend and the General, who still had his gun trained upon the pair.
"Fuck you!" Ilia screamed as a flash of multicolored light engulfed the room.
"Ilia, don't…!" Corsac warned as the girl reached to her side for her weapon.
Quite suddenly, several very different things occurred all at once. Everyone drew their weapons and a gunshot rang out, the bullet careening into the whip in Ilia's hand and flinging it off to the side. While General Ironwood was distracted, a red whirl of fabric and petals dashed directly past him, stealing the other gun on the man's waist from its holster as Ruby Rose reformed on the other side of the room in a crouched stance. The young girl was dropped to one knee as she aimed the massive pistol at General Ironwood's back, only to find the barrel immediately coated in a thick layer of ice.
Harriet's eyes blazed with violet flames as a chilling wind circled around her. General Ironwood quickly realized that his weapon had been frosted over as well, and he turned to look over his shoulder at the Maiden. Just as he did, all of the auras of each individual in the room were sapped from their bodies and redirected upon Sun as Clover threw out a hand, engaging his semblance.
"This isn't the way," Clover warned. "This isn't how things are supposed to go, General!"
"You wanted to talk reasonably!" Harriet reminded as she levitated a few inches off the ground. "You call this reasonable!?"
General Ironwood responded by turning and spinning his firearm forward, catching the frozen barrel in his palm. Without a word, he offered the implement to Corsac, who hesitantly took it from the man's hand. Ruby slowly lowered her aim as General Ironwood walked back to his desk, his eyes shut and shoulders slumped. Upon watching the man lean forward and place his hands upon the surface of the furniture, Sun looked to Harriet as he massaged his reddened jaw and the split skin along it.
"…it's… okay. Stand down. Everyone just stand down…"
Yang was the last to lower her fists, her eyes blazing as she watched General Ironwood raise a hand to his forehead and begin to rub at the skin.
"…I crossed a line," the man said simply, his voice full of regret. "You're not an enemy, Sun, nor are you another face in the crowd. I am trying to do what's best for all of us, and… I see no other path forward."
Sun took several deep breaths, closing his eyes as he felt Ilia gently run a hand along his jawline to assess the damage. After biting his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, Sun shook his head and asked the question he had been afraid of since the encounter had begun.
"Does… anyone?" the faunus said, the defeat in his tone louder than his voice itself. "Does anyone have any better ideas that would save more lives in total?"
The silence that Sun received as a response was louder still.
"If… if we agree to help you with this," Ruby began in a small voice, "will you agree to… to try to come up with a better solution with us, based on the evolving situation? If something presents itself, will you be flexible?"
General Ironwood took a deep inhale through his nose before turning to face those around him, his expression stoic.
"…I want nothing more, Miss Rose. I believe we should… table this discussion, for now. Try to get at least a few hours of sleep and reconvene an hour before the operation, once tempers have died down in order to finalize something… better."
The sound of the steel doors sliding open once again caused nearly everyone in the room to jump. Winter entered the room once again, the lamp cradled carefully in both hands.
"…what happened?" the woman asked as she eyed Sun on the floor, still being held by Ilia.
"…don't go there," Sun muttered, his eyes on the Relic. "I agree that we need to just… we all need to cool off and try to get some rest. That being said… how are any of us supposed to trust you with the lamp?"
"That final question is… momentous in its importance," Oscar agreed. "Give it to me. I will be a neutral p-"
"No," Sun and General Ironwood both said at the same time. The pair looked at each other for a moment before the General spoke alone. "Schnee… give it to Sun."
"What?" Sun asked before he could stop himself.
"You want to know that my heart is in the right place," General Ironwood explained as Winter walked the lamp toward the faunus, retrieving Ilia's weapon along the way. "Given what I've proposed and my actions against you… that is entirely reasonable. This is my show of trust toward you… and my apology. Do not use that last question before we meet again in the morning. Is that clear?"
"…crystal," Sun said as he accepted the lamp and finally got to his feet alongside Ilia. "I'll keep it safe, and unused."
The faunus was keenly aware that Ruby was staring directly at him, but he chose to ignore her as best he could.
"See that you do," General Ironwood said coldly. "I want to work with you. All of you… but I cannot handle more stress and insubordination moving forward. If you openly go against my orders again…"
"Then next time, you will pull the trigger," Sun finished for the man.
General Ironwood said nothing in response as Ilia collected her weapon from Winter and Corsac handed him back his pistol.
"…let's go. Med bay," Ilia said sharply without looking back. "Now."
Sun nodded, sparing one last look at the Ace Ops, Raven, Cinnamon, and Oscar before hurrying through the door to the office, his grip on the lamp tight and his friends in tow.
"Sun, I th-" Weiss started to say.
"Stop," Sun said, his voice devoid of any malice as he came to a halt in the lobby and turned to face Ilia, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Corsac, and Ruby. "Everyone, just… please. I need time to think, and so do all of you. Sleep, if you can. Spend time with those you care about, if you can't. This… this could be the leadup to the end of everything, right now. Don't waste these moments worrying about me. I'll be fine."
"I'm coming with you," Ilia replied.
"Yeah," Sun agreed. "But that's it. Weiss, find Marrow and fill him in. The rest of you, do what you've gotta do."
Sun turned and headed for the elevator without another word, vaguely aware of the light footsteps hurrying along behind him. His head seemed to throb in time with their rhythm, and he closed his eyes upon reaching the transport and jabbing the button beside it.
"…we'll figure this out, just like you said earlier," Ilia reassured. "You always pull through, Sun. Everyone here believes in you, even Ironwood. Otherwise… he wouldn't give you this chance and that Relic."
"I know," Sun replied as the elevator door slid open and he stepped inside. "And that's what scares the shit out of me…"
Author's Note:
It's finally here. The cooldown from this event will take several chapters, but once they reconvene? It's all-out war.
-RD