General James Ironwood didn't know what or whom to expect upon touching down in Atlas once again and beginning to make his way down the ramp extending from Amity Coliseum. Sun would have made sense. Perhaps even Oscar. Two stoic and solemn faunus he barely knew and didn't entirely trust, however, wasn't even a possibility he had considered. All the same, he had no intention of slowing down as he approached the pair, arms folded behind himself as he walked.
"…I hope you're not here to try to stop me," the man said as he moved within earshot of the two. "There's work to be done, and we have a short window in which to accomplish it."
"We're not," Cinnamon said as General Ironwood changed his path ever so slightly to walk around her. "But we have news. News you need to hear, on behalf of those that can't deliver it."
"Walk with me," General Ironwood commanded, not slowing as Cinnamon and Daisuke turned and began to move alongside him. "What's going on?"
"…where do we begin?" Cinnamon asked as she looked at Daisuke.
"…with what personally affects him," Daisuke replied. "General… I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Ruby, Oscar, and Pax, I believe their names were… all three are gone."
General Ironwood came to a sudden halt mid-step, his boot pushing up a small mound of snow and dirt as he stiffened. Ever so slowly, he turned to look at the pair, already knowing the answer to his question but holding out hope that it wasn't true.
"Gone? What do you mean, gone? They left Atlas…?"
"Killed in action," Cinnamon clarified with a shake of her head. "Salem downed their transport when they tried to leave with several others. Hope saw it happen through Pax."
General Ironwood clenched his natural fist, his leather glove creaking under the pressure.
"Why would they… in mere minutes, we'll be safe here, and… Oscar. Ozpin… and that poor girl…" the man said, his tone full of disbelief.
"…if you need a minute, just tell us what to do," Daisuke offered. "I can run a message to the Academy faster than you can get there using my Semblance."
"No, no, that… won't be necessary," General Ironwood said as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. His entire body felt cold, and the skin around his metallic prosthetics ached. "So it all falls to me… as it always has..."
"Regardless of what you may think of us, we're here to support you," Cinnamon said, keeping her distance from the man. "We're in this together, and… they weren't the only casualties."
"Who else?" General Ironwood demanded. "The others that tried to leave? Who decided to abandon Atlas?"
"No, the others are alive… so far as we know," Daisuke answered. "Sun… uh… Yang…"
"…Ilia, Jaune, Corsac, and Weiss," General Ironwood finished as he took a sharp inhale through his nose. "Gods damn it…"
"Not quite," Cinnamon interjected. "Weiss remained behind, and Ilia went elsewhere. The others, yes… along with Blake, Neopolitan, and Harriet."
"Harriet?" General Ironwood seethed. "Of all the…"
"She wanted to separate herself from the vault," Daisuke explained. "I still don't fully understand what that's all about, but she thought it would be safer to go to Vacuo with the others. They didn't abandon us- they're trying to head off Salem at the next Relic."
"Without consulting me," General Ironwood said, his voice rising in volume as he turned and began to walk once again, his pace increasing. "Who else have we lost in battle?"
It was Cinnamon's turn to pause and take a breath as she jogged alongside General Ironwood. With a small push of effort, she made her way past the man and turned to look him in the eye as she continued to keep pace.
"General… stop and listen to me for a moment."
Though it wasn't immediate, General Ironwood did stop and give the woman his full attention. There was a silent nod, but Cinnamon knew exactly what it meant… and it wasn't friendly.
This had better be worth my time.
"…not half an hour ago, down in Mantle… there was a chain of explosions. The collars that the members of the White Fang were wearing just… burst. I watched one of my comrades- a good man forced into a bad situation- die right in front of me. Going through the streets, I saw corpse after corpse of my people with collapsed and charred throats. So far as I can tell, they're all gone. Something happened that tore through the White Fang, and if it's true… we're looking at well over a hundred dead…"
General Ironwood could feel Daisuke's eyes upon his back, and the weight of the other man's gaze did nothing to help his conscience as a slow realization washed over him. Silently, he raised his hand up to his chin and slowly rubbed at his beard. Though he lacked enough evidence for certainty, he knew what it all meant. He knew what he had done… and what he had to do next.
"…I… killed Arthur Watts," General Ironwood said softly. "The White Fang, they… were working for him, were they not? Just before I shot him, he tried to say something about 'every single member.' This must be what he meant…"
There was a weighty, uncomfortable silence as the three stood in a triangular formation simply staring at each other. All of them were ready to draw their weapons, though for wildly different reasons.
"…did you know?" Cinnamon asked coldly. "Did you have any idea that killing him might trigger something like this?"
"…I didn't even know about the collars to begin with," General Ironwood said, keeping his voice even. "I swear to you, if I had known, he would be in shackles rather than deceased. I was trying to work with Sun to improve the faunus' situation in Mantle before all of this…"
"Cin…" Daisuke said, catching her attention.
Cinnamon closed her eyes, listening to the frantic footfalls crunching through the snow behind her. With clenched teeth, she opened her eyes once again and gave the man a look of seething hatred.
"…you didn't shackle my people… but one of the men who did now lies dead. We'll continue fight for a better future, together, for all of us."
"For all of us," General Ironwood echoed as he pulled a small thumb drive from his pocket. "Daisuke… I'll take you up on that offer. Get this to Clover."
"He's injured," Daisuke warned as he took the device. "Bad enough that he may not be conscious."
"Then Winter."
"…stranded in Mantle…" Cinnamon said with unease.
"You've got to be kidding me…" General Ironwood said under his breath as he finally wiped his hand down his face. "Then find Elm and get it to her. She'll know what to do. I have to deal with this."
Daisuke nodded and leapt up before rocketing off on a sudden jet stream as Weiss and Marrow came to a stop just beside Cinnamon.
"General… I… Ruby…" Weiss began, doubling over and bracing one hand on her knee while wiping at her frozen tears with the other.
"I know," General Ironwood replied. "These two already informed me of the situation. Weiss… I am so sorry…"
"Please, don't," Weiss cautioned. "I appreciate it, but… I need to deal with it in my own way. I need… I-I need to be involved in making a gameplan and working through all of this with you. I'm trying to take more of a leadership position…"
"Now that Sun is gone," General Ironwood finished as he looked toward Cinnamon. "And he said he was leaving to guard the Vacuan Relic?"
"And because he and his group no longer feel safe here."
No one had expected Marrow to jump in, nor for his tone to be so venomous. General Ironwood in particular was taken aback by the sudden turn, enough so that he didn't manage to get a word in as the faunus continued.
"You threatened him at gunpoint after getting me out of your office? You rigged his scroll- all of our scrolls- to explode at your command, and didn't think we needed to know? Sun and Harriet both left partially to get away from you. I'm only still here because I might be the one person who can literally stop you if something like that happens again… and because Weiss wanted to stay for the sake of her family. If not for those things, I would've had mine pack and we all would have left with Sun."
"…I sent Daisuke ahead to get Atlas to unreachable heights in my stead so that I could try to make things right with the three of you," General Ironwood explained. "Or at least…begin making things right, and to try to understand what Sun is doing and why he left without warning me first. I'll admit that I haven't… handled things perfectly. Maybe I haven't even handled them well… but I also won't make excuses for my actions. That isn't what any of you need."
"What we need is solidarity," Cinnamon chimed in. "I know how it feels to make calls as a leader that end up costing lives. I also know how it feels to completely fuck up under pressure or take actions I end up regretting later just to get a situation under control. I… also know that forgiveness is a slow, complicated process, and the feeling of humility that comes with it…"
Weiss accepted the eye contact and gave the other woman a slow nod.
"I'm not innocent, either. While… certainly on a lesser scale, I'm embarrassed by who I was in the past. Looking at what I have now, though, I want nothing more than to fight for everyone's future, and I'd like to do it beside all of you."
"I have no desire at all to lead," Marrow clarified. "But I will keep all of you in check, and I'm not afraid to be vocal about it. Too much has been lost today, and too much was almost broken when tensions got high. I'm willing to forgive, but I think we all need time. We need to get Atlas higher into the air, sort out the housing situation for the refugees, and then just… debrief. Destress. Get our heads on straight again, because none of us can keep up this level of tension for much longer without snapping. Not even me."
"…that means abandoning Winter," General Ironwood warned. "Which… I hate to make that call, but she knew the risks, Weiss…"
"Ilia went after Winter, Whitley, and my father," Weiss let on. "She's also looking for Emerald and Robyn Hill. We have to trust that she'll find an alternative escape… and I do. Ilia can take care of herself."
General Ironwood simply stared for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
"…this next generation of hunters… you're all headstrong and committed to a fault. I wish I had attended the Academy with a group like all of you."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Weiss offered. "And that's how you should look at Sun's actions. What good would the rest of my party be doing stuck up here? They're moving ahead, and really, trusting you to keep things running smoothly in Atlas while finding new purpose in our newfound safety after getting skyward. No, we didn't tell you what we were doing or wait for permission… but don't think of it as a betrayal. Think of it as an act of trust between two parties taking equal responsibility. You can't be here and in Vacuo at the same time. If current events and the reports of Salem being in Sanus hours ago show anything… it's that she can be."
"…what's done is done," General Ironwood said with a sense of finality. "And here, now, we're agreeing to stand together. I don't have all, or even most of the answers on how to proceed beyond lifting Atlas. We all agree that doing so should be our next move, and then we branch out and contact the others?"
A series of nods gave the man his answer, and he returned one of his own.
"Then let's get back to the Academy and help Daisuke get the systems up and running. Maria and Pietro are monitoring things in Amity and making sure the transition to global communications is smooth."
"Sounds good," Marrow acknowledged as the group began to run. "I just have one question- where's the Relic of Knowledge right now, and does it still have a question left?"
"In Amity, and it remains unused," General Ironwood answered. "Though I think I know what to ask, now…"
Author's Note:
Progress.
-RD