The walk down to the cell block was a quiet one for Emerald and Marrow. Not a soul was in sight within the halls of the Academy given the late hour, and neither of the pair really felt like talking. Marrow kept a firm grip around his prisoner's cuffs as he marched her along, his other hand ever ready to draw his weapon if needed. Despite all of his training, though, he had a feeling he would have to rely on his Semblance if Emerald tried anything. His mind was otherwise occupied with endless scenarios of what could be happening up in his superior's office while he was away, and it was just enough distraction ot throw him off his game.
"So, when Ironwood said he'd deal with me personally," Emerald said out of nowhere as the pair rounded a corner in one of the sublevels, "what do you think the odds are that it'll just be an execution?"
Marrow took a moment to compose himself and try to steady his racing heart as he considered the question. He had never been one to gamble on anything, let alone try to predict the odds. The simple philosophy of "do what feels right" had guided him as far back as he could remember. Unfortunately, nothing about the situation or any of the multiple paths forward felt right to him at all.
"…I don't know," Marrow admitted. "I really don't… but I do know that I'll do whatever I can to prevent that from happening. I'm headed right back upstairs after this, and if he comes to see you, I'll make sure I tag along. I can stop him if I have to."
"Maybe that's why you're down here with me in the first place," Emerald mused. "Whatever they're discussing, he didn't want me hearing it. Maybe he doesn't want you hearing it, either."
A nervous chill trickled its way down Marrow's spine, and he tightened his grip upon the device linking Emerald's hands together.
"…you're not going to make this situation even worse by turning me on the others," Marrow warned. "I don't agree with everything that's being said or happening, but I'm going to try to save as many lives as I can throughout the process. That includes yours, no matter what you think of me."
"Don't read too much into what I'm saying," Emerald advised as the pair finally entered a dark room. The lights went up, revealing a series of cubical arrangements of force fields with a bed and toilet inside of each of them. "I'm just thinking out loud and pointing out things you might not have considered. Not trying to be malicious."
"I'd like to believe that, but I don't know if I do," Marrow confessed as he escorted Emerald to the front panel of the first empty cell, where a keypad waited. He began punching in a code as he let out a sigh, earning Emerald's full attention. "For what it's worth… I don't think you're irredeemable. Some of the others would agree. We'll figure out what to do with you as soon as things are stable, or… close to it. I promise."
"For what it's worth," Emerald repeated as she was released into her cell. She moved to sit down upon the bed, planting her hands down on either side of herself atop the mattress. "I'm not sure what it's worth, really. Heard a lot of promises over the years, and not many have been kept. You weren't there when the other Aces wanted to take me on their plane back up to Atlas, were you? So you probably have no idea why Sun's crew insisted they take me instead…"
"What are you talking about?" Marrow asked, the chill intensifying as he re-entered the code to lock the cell.
"My Semblance lets me mess with peoples' minds," Emerald said with a smirk. "I can trick one, maybe two people at a time… but I could be standing right next to you right now, and you'd never know it. I could just wait by the door until you leave and then stroll on out of here while you think I'm securely in this cell. Reality is what I want it to be."
"Wish I had that power," Marrow muttered as he stepped back from the keypad and locked eyes with Emerald through the light blue field of energy. "Are you sitting that cell, or not?"
"It's safer in here than out there," Emerald pointed out with a shrug. "I'm exactly where you think I am."
"I hate the fact that you might be right," Marrow replied as his scroll began to buzz. He reached down and grabbed the device while rubbing his forehead with the other hand. "Still, I don't know if I should leave you alone. Hello?"
"Marrow… we need to talk," came Weiss' voice through the line. "There's… there's so much going on that I need to tell you, and I also just… I need you."
"Slow down," Marrow said in the most reassuring tone he could muster. "Head for my room, and I'll come to you."
"Right. Just… do not go to Ironwood. It isn't safe."
"It's not safe?" Marrow asked as he turned his attention back to Emerald once again. "In that case… can you meet me down here?"
"Down where?" Weiss asked.
"Cell block 4-C, max security. Head to the elevator and swipe your scroll over the I.D. panel. You have access with the license from General Ironwood. It's just me and Emerald down here."
"Emerald… we might need her, too. On my way," Weiss replied. "See you soon."
"…seriously?" Emerald asked as Marrow hung up his scroll.
"Seriously," Marrow replied. "I'm not about to leave you alone if Weiss is telling me not to head upstairs."
"You're putting yourself in the firing line," Emerald pointed out. "Would be a lot easier to just leave and take care of yourself."
"Yeah, it would be," Marrow agreed. "But I'm not one to take the easy path…"
Sun walked down the hall toward the infirmary with Ilia close at his side. With the Relic of Knowledge in one hand and a limp in his step, the faunus clenched his teeth and forced himself to keep moving. His jaw was throbbing in pain, and he wouldn't have been at all surprised to learn that it had been temporarily dislocated by General Ironwood's pistol.
"Just a little farther," Ilia reassured. "Then… hopefully Marrow will be back to check you out, and we can fill him in on what's going on. If he isn't, I've got basic first-aid knowledge… or there should be other staff here, right?"
"Who knows?" Sun asked bitterly before heaving a sigh. "I never wanted this…"
"I know, but you're great at leading us," Ilia replied as she latched on to Sun's arm. "None of us blame you for wh-"
"Ilia," Sun interrupted as he held up the Relic. "I meant the lamp. I never wanted to be responsible for this stupid thing, and I hate that we're supposed to be the ones looking after it now."
"…oh," was all that Ilia could say as she released her grip upon her friend's arm. "At least we know for sure that no one's using it irresponsibly?"
"If anyone can use it," Sun spat as he tucked the lamp under his arm and entered the infirmary. "I wouldn't be shocked to learn that it's totally inert and that Ozpin's been lying about that, too."
"Yeah, maybe…" Ilia considered as she peered over the vacant reception desk. "Seriously? I kinda figured Marrow wouldn't be back by now, but no one? Come on, let's just grab a room and I'll check you over."
"Fine by me," Sun agreed as Ilia grabbed his wrist and tugged him along. "I'm too tired to put thought into anything… and none of us are going to be getting much, or any sleep anytime soon. As soon as the sun comes up, we're in for a massive shitshow."
"You're probably right," Ilia replied as she guided Sun into the nearest available room. "You should at least try to get a nap in, though. You're beat up, exhausted, and honestly look like shit. I'll guard the door and keep the lights out after we get you cleaned up."
"Honestly? That sounds incredible right about now…" Sun considered as he set the lamp down on the bedside table and hopped up onto the cot. "I might just go for it."
"What's stopping you?" Ilia asked as she closed the door and pulled down on the light switch to dim the overhead bulbs. "Well… other than the obvious pain and panic."
"That's like asking why you're hungry other than the wanting food part," Sun said as he leaned back into the pillow and put a hand up to his forehead. "Everything sucks right now. And… I can't believe you were about to go one-on-one with Ironwood for me…"
"Really?" Ilia asked with a confident smirk as she folded her arms across her chest. "Can you really not believe that?"
"…alright, I totally believe it," Sun reconsidered, "but what the hell? He would've wrecked you."
"Maybe, but I'm not the type to sit idly by while people I care about are getting hurt," Ilia explained. "I learned that from some stupid jerk with a monkey tail."
"Sounds like a cool guy," Sun replied with a smirk. He jerked upward with a start as his scroll buzzed in his pocket. Without hesitation, he drew the device and opened his eyes to read the screen. "Oh, for the love of… Ruby might be on her way here. She wants the lamp."
"Then Ruby's might be an idiot and is about to be very disappointed," Ilia said with a sneer as she approached the beside. "I might not be able to take Ironwood, but I could wreck her ass if she tries to use the Relic."
"…you have no idea how Ruby fights," Sun deadpanned as he let his scroll drop onto the mattress beside himself.
"And I don't care, either. She's thin and squeaky. I'll snap her like a twig if she gets out of line. Take off your shirt," Ilia commanded as she moved the scroll onto the table near the lamp.
Sun did as he was told, shuffling off Ghira's pauldron and the torn remnants of fabric barley clinging to him beneath it. A sizeable portion of his torso had been burned, and small cuts and bruises dotted his flesh. The sum of his wounds gave him the look of someone who had been thrown through glass and into a fire, which wasn't far removed from the truth.
"…shit, you need like… an actual professional," Ilia swore as she looked over Sun's body. "Where the hell is everyone?"
"Night shift," Sun answered as he closed his eyes once again. "This isn't the general infirmary, and Fox and Cardin are somewhere here, too. I'll be fine for a while."
"Still doesn't mean I like seeing you like this," Ilia muttered as she began to rifle through the nearby cabinets. "I can at least do a little something while we wait. Maybe call Marrow?"
"He's escorting Emerald," Sun reminded. "And he'll want to see Weiss. I don't blame him at all."
Ilia stood on her tiptoes to pull down a bottle of rubbing alcohol and bag of cotton balls.
"Yeah, but sometimes you've gotta b-"
"Be a little selfish, I know," Sun finished for her as he picked up his scroll. "I've got a better idea."
"Yeah?" Ilia asked as she pulled up a stool to the side of the bed.
"I'm texting Jaune," Sun explained. "Yang was just with Ruby, so he should be available if I catch him now…"
"Not a bad plan," Ilia offered as she held a cotton ball over the bottle and inverted it. "Drop your aura, this is gonna sting like a bitch."
"Yeah, I know," Sun grumbled as he put his scroll back down. "Thanks for taking care of me."
"Just returning the favor, bro," Ilia replied as she began to dab at Sun's wounds. The boy gave her a hiss in response, and Ilia simply rolled her eyes. "This is gonna take a while, so you're gonna need a distraction…"
"Don't ask for that," Sun warned. "Anything eventful never ends well in Atlas, it seems…"
"I've got one," Ilia proposed as she eyed the Relic on the table. "If- and I know neither of us will- but if you could ask that thing one question… what would it be?"
"Easy," Sun said immediately. "How do we get through all this with as few lives lost as possible? If the Relic can answer literally anything, it should be able to give us an exact roadmap."
"Boring," Ilia accused as she continued to dab at a cut on Sun's side. "Totally correct and also what I would do, but… boring. What if it had to be something else?"
Sun furrowed his brows, wracking his brain for a second question. Suddenly, he was struck by an idea and sat up slightly in bed.
"Hey!" Ilia cautioned. "Don't st-"
"What if we ask her why Salem can't be killed?" Sun asked. "Like… the exact mechanism? If we knew exactly how her immortality worked… then we might be able to think up a way to undo it."
Ilia pulled back the cotton ball for a moment, locking eyes with Sun.
"…that's not the worst idea I've ever heard…"
A sudden knock at the door caused both of the faunus to jump slightly. Ilia was quick to put a hand on Sun's arm as she narrowed her eyes.
"...I'll get it. If it's Jaune, he can help out. If it's Ruby… we can't let her get at the lamp."
"Yeah," Sun agreed as he watched Ilia walk toward the door. "That was way too quick to be Jaune, though…"
Author's Note:
Next week, Qrow shakes his ass and pretends to be a grimm. What could go wrong?
-RD