Chapter 27: Launch
Location: Atlas Military Compound: Lab
"It's done," Stella said, swiveling on her chair. The Ace-Ops and General Ironwood stood behind her, having watched her every movement. "I've gone ahead and checked everything."
"What exactly will this do to her?" Elm asked, causing Watts to smirk.
"It's quite simple, really. The moment she interfaces with Amity, this bug will automatically attach itself to the cloned key. It'll rapidly spread throughout her system, with an activation window of 10 minutes. Once it activates, you'll have full control of her systems."
"How can we trust you are telling the truth?" Harriet asked, glaring at the man. "For all we know, you could be planning something behind our backs."
"What reason do I have to betray you? You've already caught me, and you already plan to throw me back in jail. I have nothing to gain from betraying you,"
"And they have everything to lose if something happens to Penny." the silver-eyed woman said, crossing her arms as she glanced at the doctor. "Which is why I made sure to scrub every single malignant code you inserted into that bug."
If he was stunned, he didn't show it. Ironwood stood over the man, a firm look on his face. "I know exactly what you were planning, Arthur. Ordering Penny to open the vault, giving her the order to self-destruct, very ingenious, I must say. You even hid it quite well in the code, but thankfully, Miss Silverstein was here to look it over for us."
"Heh… It seems like I underestimated you," he said, glancing at Stella. She merely popped her gum, rising to her feet.
"You were the one who taught me everything I know about coding, Doctor. If anyone knows how to hide a virus inside a bug like this, it's you. Shame, really. I'm sure those lines of code would have been extremely beneficial for you, but they've all been purged." she said, shifting her eyes toward Ironwood. "Deactivate your missile, I've done as you've asked."
"Oh, we aren't done yet. Until we see the fruits of your labor in action, we won't be able to let you go. After all, you could have hidden something in the code." the General said, making Stella frown.
"If you try to fuck me, James, I-"
"Will do what?"
She glanced at Harriet, who shortened the distance between them. She looked directly into her eyes, looking down slightly due to Stella's height. The silver-eyed woman held her glare, not backing down from the woman. "You will do as you are told, and you will not complain. We trust that this bug will bring Penny back to us, and if it doesn't, I'll press that launch button myself."
Stella leaned in, staring deeply into Harriet's eyes. "Then I hope your conscience is clear."
"Harriet, stand down. We don't need to cause trouble here," Ironwood said, earning a nod from the woman. Stella merely looked away, leaning back against the wall, closing her eyes.
It was quiet for only a second, the familiar beep of a scroll filling the room. She cracked an eye open, glancing at the General who had his finger on his communicator. "What? What do you mean she's in the Hangar? For the love of… stay there, I'm sending backup."
"Let me guess, Sonata was trying to steal a ship?" Harriet said, smirking to herself. "I'll get a headstart, don't be late."
She zoomed out of the lab, followed by the others, Ironwood didn't even need to issue the order. The man merely looked away, his focus on the back of the room. "Make sure she doesn't escape. We can't have her going back to her friends."
Arthur looked at Stella for a moment, noticing her eyes being closed. His gaze fell on Ironwood's back, the man was completely distracted. He made his move, quietly swiping his finger on the panel in front of him. He looked at Stella's finished bug, smirking as he pasted his own modifications into it. He rapidly looked it over, replacing the finished one with his modified one. He leaned back in his chair, a look of boredom flashing onto his face as The General turned back to the pair.
"Seems like Miss Piccolo was hiding in a locker in Hangar 3. A cunning one, that girl."
"She's smart, no doubt all of the training she got while becoming a Special Operative. I'm sure those skills would have been better suited on your side. Shame you decided to place her under arrest," Stella taunted, snapping her gum.
He opened his mouth to speak, only for an alarm to go off. He turned back around, noticing another message on the display. "What's going on?"
"Seems like Pietro is finally preparing the final sequence. Time to get to work." Arthur said, pushing himself toward the main module. He started typing into it, opening several windows, all surveillance cameras mounted within Amity Tower. He could see Pietro typing away at the main module, each cable having been plugged into place.
A brief flash of anger coursed through Arthur as he looked at the man who stole everything from him. But he calmed himself down, imputing a final command. A loading bar appeared on the screen, he spun, brushing his hands free of invisible dust. "Our work here is done."
"Once that loading bar hits 100%, the bug will be loaded into Amity. When Penny connects to it, it'll pass on to her as a legitimate processing key. She'll be none the wiser," Stella said, sighing audibly. "Poor Girl… she doesn't even know she's being hacked."
"Just to make sure, what exactly is this?"
"You remember that story from the Great War? How the Faunus managed to sneak into a Human camp using a large statue? They handed them a peace gift and watched as it was brought into their city. In the dead of the night, the soldiers hiding inside came out and slit their throats in their sleep. This is essentially something like that. A control program disguised as a regular old key."
The man nodded, looking at Stella. "And we'll have control of her?"
"You won't have full control, since there's no remote for you to direct her. The bug will give her a forced insatiable urge to open the vault. It'll be completely involuntary, once she returns here and opens it, the bug will erase itself. She'll be left unharmed and you'll have your Staff," she replied.
"Alright then, I suppose your work here is done." The General said, moving toward the table behind him. He picked up a small silver-colored cube, throwing it at the woman, who caught it with ease. "There's your weapon, you are free to leave Atlas Academy, though I recommend you remain in the city, if you want to survive, that is."
"I'm not gonna stick around to see this Kingdom fall to the ground. I would say it was a pleasure, but I could care less what happens. Just as long as you don't fire that missile at my home," she said, walking toward the door. "Good luck, James. For your sake and the sake of this Kingdom, I do hope this plan works."
She took her leave, stuffing the silver cube in her pocket as she left. Arthur watched her go, placing his hands behind his head. "You're letting her leave, just like that?"
"I have an insurance policy, if Penny fails to get here, then Eden City is gone," he said with a shrug, causing Arthur to sit up.
"You aren't serious are you?"
"I am."
He was stunned, smirking. "I see… you heeded my advice after all, didn't you?"
"Shut up."
Location: Amity Colosseum
Pietro stared at the screen before him, running the final checks on the Amity System. He and Maria had been looking things over for the last few hours. The tower still needed a few odds and ends, but it would suffice for the purpose they needed it. Once it was online, they could continue improving it until it could keep Worldwide communication operating on its own. The Arena could still be used for its original purpose, but it also serving as a communication tower was wonderful. It was a symbol of the Vytal Tournament, and its purpose to unite the kingdoms once more would be put to the test.
He had his reservations. With General Ironwood being against them and with Salem on their doorstep, he didn't know if the tower would even survive. It was entirely possible that Salem could send people to the tower. To knock it down. There was a possibility that Ironwood would fire on them as well. His mind was racing with possibilities, worrying about his well-being, the wellbeing of his friend, Maria, and of course, his daughter.
She had grown up so fast. It had been years since the Penny project had ended. He never envisioned falling in love with his creation, accepting her into his family as his own daughter. Seeing her being destroyed… she meant so much to him, and seeing her get hurt broke his heart. He wanted to nurture her, to make sure she grew up safe and sound. He just wanted her to be happy, but now, he didn't know what the future held for them.
"Dad?"
He was pulled out of his musings, frowning as he glanced over his shoulder. "Penny?"
She remained silent, narrowing her eyes a bit as she stared at the bomb in front of her. She was deep within the main chamber of the old Dust mine. All around her, hundreds of thousands of Dust crystals were growing. All in a myriad of colors. It was alluring to see, but it also made her worry.
"This does not seem like a very good idea," she stated, glancing over her shoulder. She heard a strong breeze flowing through one of the shafts, making her frown.
"There is a difference between a good idea and our best idea. Sadly, we don't have time for much else." Pietro replied.
She looked back at the bomb in front of her, pressing her finger against the interface. It glowed red for a moment, the word "Armed" flashing on the screen.
"We have enough systems up and running to broadcast our message," the man said, his chair slowly moving across the elevated panel. It was slowly descending, settling into the base as Maria climbed aboard, carrying the last few things they needed. "We'll be able to keep Amity in atmospheric orbit, but our thrusters aren't capable of reaching our target altitude on their own."
"Ha! Fortunately, we're sitting on a couple hundred tons of thrust!" she said, a crazed expression on her face. Pietro rolled his eyes, stepping back toward the control panel, doing the final checks on the system.
"Once we've passed into broadcast range, we'll activate the stabilizers, re-establish global communications and boost the message we've recorded onto the rest of the world! After that, all we need to do is pilot Amity away from all this mess," he said, glancing at the map on screen, all of Amity's systems were online, every one of them connected to the main terminal before him.
"I know but… what if no one is able to come and help Atlas? If I stay behind, maybe I could-"
"Penny, we are not having this conversation again. I am your father, and I am telling you that you belong in Amity!" he exclaimed, making her sigh.
"Yes sir." she replied, ending the call.
Maria frowned, sitting back in her mech as she looked at her friend. "You know, don't you think Penny has had enough people telling her what to do?"
He glared at her, silently looking away. "Prepare for launch, please. I'm moving us into position."
The woman nodded, returning to what she was doing. Amity Colosseum began drifting, floating over the old Schnee Dust Mine. He kept an eye on all of the sensors, taking in each and every reading they gave him. He typed in a few more commands, glancing over his shoulder as he heard Penny touch down behind him.
"Alright then, final check sequence. Main connection to the terminal, online. Broadcast range amplifiers, online, Gravity Stabilizers are at 100% capacity, booster rockets are at 100% capacity, connection to Atlas Academy's Cross-Continental Transmitter confirmed. All systems check out and are at the ready. Penny?"
He partially turned to face his daughter. She looked away for a moment stepping toward the main terminal. "Amity is requesting launch access… now."
She stared at the screen for a moment, which was displaying "Connecting…" on it. She bowed her head for a moment as she activated the cloned key she had received in Atlas. It wasn't long before the connection was established, several codes passing through her from Amity Colosseum's terminal. She shuddered a bit, giving her father a smile. Within moments, the Tower's Gravity Stabilizers activated, each one slowly climbing until they were at 100% operational capacity.
"Haha! Yes, it worked!" Pietro cheered. Penny was genuinely happy, but that happiness was changed with disappointment as she remembered his words. She wouldn't be able to say goodbye to her friends, she'd have to leave them behind. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
He cleared his throat, beginning to type on the panel once more. "I uh… didn't have time to install seat belts so uh… you better hang on."
The legs of his chair began glowing purple. Maria merely rolled her eyes, climbing back into the mech, anchoring herself down. Penny knelt down, hanging onto the side of her father's chair, glancing up at the machinery above her. She closed her eyes for a moment, only for a crackle to fill her ear.
"..nny! Ca.. ou… ea… me?"
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, babygirl?"
She narrowed her eyes, holding the side of her head. "It was a radio call, but I wasn't able to hear the full message."
"We're too far from Atlas's CCT, out here, we won't be able to speak with anyone that isn't within range of our Scrolls," Pietro said, rubbing his chin. "Although, given our current height and us being closer to Atlas due to hovering over the mine, we might be close enough to get something."
The voice crackled again, causing her to stand up. "Huh… Ruby?"
"Penny! I… ou ca… ea… me? Ru… Cinder is…"
Amity jolted a bit, a loud thud filling their ears. A massive fireball whizzed past them, narrowly missing the top of the broadcasting antenna. She moved toward the edge of the elevator, staring down at the massive hole that had been burned through the arena. An Atlas airship made its way through it, swirling with smoke, a familiar woman standing on top of it.
"And where do you think you're going?"
She glanced back at her Father, lips pressed into a thin-line. She activated her thrusters, flying off the platform. "Penny no!"
The cybernetic girl descended toward the arena, holding her hands out as she summoned Floating Array. She looked past her at the airship, seeing someone who looked familiar in the pilot's seat, but from where was, she couldn't see them. Cinder hopped down from the ship, which floated in the other direction. Cinder looked up at Penny, a smirk on her face.
Before either of them could attack, the ground beneath them started rumbling, a tremendous explosion rattling the arena. Penny squealed in surprise as Gravity pulled her down hard, causing her and her Array to fall to the ground. She looked up, seeing the thrusters sparking to life, aiding with the launch of Amity Tower. Her eyes moved back toward Cinder, who only smirked at her, kneeling down across from her.
"It was right over there, wasn't it? Right over Shade Academy's emblem, where Pyrrha Nikos used her semblance, and sliced you apart with your own weapons." she taunted, the area around her glowing as she formed several glass blades. "I was hoping your friends would be here. But it looks like they left you to do all of the work. You're just a tool to be used!"
Penny growled, genuine anger filling her, a feeling she had never felt before. It was burning hot and intense, something that wanted to explode out of her. She dug her fingers into the ground, her eyes flashing brightly as she glared daggers at Cinder. "You do not know what you are talking about."
The tower reached the zenith of its ascent, slowing down to a stop as the jets turned off. Cinder grinned, flinging her blades toward Penny. She leaped up, jetting back toward the edge of the arena, all of the blades shooting past her. She swept Floating Array around her, destroying them as best she could, only for one of them to get past her, the blade cutting into her cheek. A thin dribble of green flowed down, making her angrier.
A large mech crashed down in front of her, its arms blocking all of Cinder's knives. Maria roared loudly, her voice echoing through the arena. "Get away from her you bi-"
The Atlas Manta slammed into her, sending her and the mech careening in the opposite direction. Penny shook her head, shooting herself into the air. She joined her Array, sending off a brilliant green blast at Cinder, who avoided the attack with ease. She flew forward, flinging fireballs at the Winter Maiden, who avoided the attack with ease, flicking her swords forward. Cinder formed a pair in her grasp, deflecting her array, shooting herself toward her.
Penny took his chance to dash away, heading through the empty corridors. Cinder shot herself after her, leaving a trail of flames in her wake. She threw more fireballs at Penny, who dodged them all with ease. They made it outside, floating up to the air, waiting for her shot. The second Cinder emerged she activated her rocket booster, throwing a powerful kick at the woman, sending her flying into the side of the arena, pieces of the building falling from the strike.
Meanwhile, Pietro's hands were racing over the keyboard, typing various commands into the panel. He glanced up at the screen, seeing the arena slowly descending. "Come on, come on, we're so close!"
"Broadcast Signal Range has been achieved!"
"Yes!" he exclaimed, activating the stabilizers. Several windows opened up, showing each one activating. A loud alarm rang through the arena, which jerked hard to the right as if something had slammed into it. He looked back at the panel, his eyes widening. "What the..?
"Broadcast Signal Lost in Two Minutes and Fifty Seconds, Forty-Nine Seconds, Forty-Eight Seconds…."
He hastily typed a command into the terminal, trying to see what the problem was, only for the arena to jerk again. The timer went down to one minute and thirty seconds. He pulled up the surveillance feed, running a diagnostics check on all the feeds, only to see one of the stabilizers had been damaged.
"Oh no… no no no!" he cried, his hands freezing over the keyboard.
Back outside, Penny dodged another stream of fire, pushing herself forward as fast as she could. Cinder continued flinging fireballs and knives at her, hoping to strike her. She changed directions, blasting herself upward, only for a fireball to slam into her shoulder, causing her to scream as she slammed into Amity's roof. She quickly got up, summoning her Array, slashing through the hundreds of knives flying toward her.
"You won't stand a chance against me, Polendina. You've been gallivanting all over the place with powers that don't belong to you. My powers. Hand them over and I'll leave you alone."
"I do not believe you. You are just going to use them to get the Staff for that vile, evil woman! I will never give you my powers. I will protect Atlas and Mantle with my life!" she announced, eyes flashing with green aura. Cinder growled, slamming her swords together.
She formed a bow in her joined hands, firing three flaming blades at the arena, each of them exploding. A hole blasted out where they had landed, a look of worry flashing across Penny's face. She started flying downward, away from Amity. Cinder started following, roaring angrily as she flung more fireballs at the cyborg. She stopped following her after a second, realizing what she was doing.
She gave Penny a grin, shooting herself back toward Amity.
"No!" she screamed, following after her.
Pietro continued typing away at the panel, hoping to engage the thrusters. They still had fuel in them, but none of them were responding. A window flashed in front of him, telling him two of the four thrusters were damaged. He looked up, noticing one of them was smoking while the other was completely unresponsive.
"Broadcast Signal Range has been lost."
"Dammit."
A whoosh filled his ears, causing him to turn around. Cinder had reappeared, firing a stream of flames at the support columns. His eyes widened as they began glowing red hot. She moved onto a second and then a third, the whole platform started moving, the melting metal beginning to fail.
"STOP!"
Cinder smirked, turning to face Penny. She landed on the platform, glaring up at the woman. "Why are you doing this? Why serve someone like Salem?"
"Tch… I don't serve anyone. And you wouldn't either, if you weren't built that way." the woman taunted. The tower groaned again, causing Penny to gasp. She flung her Array downward, stabbing her blades into it. She floated up, tugging on them, keeping the platform in place.
The melted beams started groaning from the strain, her eyes focusing on them. She held her hands out, a swirl of ice magic forming around them, freezing them in place. Cinder grinned, her teeth glistening as she flew forward, slamming into Penny, wrapping her legs around her, clawed hand outstretched. Penny grabbed a hold of it, keeping it far from her face.
She pulled her fist back, throwing a strong punch at Cinder's face, her head snapping back. She punched her a second and then a third time, but she didn't relent. The beams groaned again, causing Penny to shoot them with another blast of ice. Nose bloodied, Cinder growled, burning Penny's hand, making her let go.
"Finally!" she screamed, grasping the cybernetic girl's face. Penny screamed as she felt her aura being sucked out of her, flowing into Cinder's body. She tried to pull herself free, her eyes burst into flames as she activated her powers.
She formed several ice blades around them, firing them at Cinder, who had no choice but to let go. Penny floated around her, slamming her leg into her back, sending her tumbling down to the arena. She spun around, directing Floating Array at Cinder, firing a green energy blast at Cinder, who dodged it at the last second. Cinder answered in kind, firing another stream of fire at the Winter Maiden, who blocked it with a chunk of ice.
"Get out of here!" she commanded, flying toward the Fall Maiden. She grabbed her by the neck, slamming her into the ground with all of her strength. She threw Cinder into the air, sweeping Floating Array around, slamming all twelve blades into her body. The Fall Maiden howled in pain as she was sent flying back, striking the wall below the Commentators Booth.
"Cinder!" Emerald shouted, causing Penny to turn around. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, remembering who she was. She adopted a look of seriousness as she redirected her Array, aiming at her.
She howled in pain, feeling several receptors on her back failing. She turned around, seeing Cinder floating behind her, smirking. She joined her hands together, forming a spear of glass in her grasp. As she was about to attack, she noticed several copies of Cinder begin floating around her. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.
The moment she opened them, she activated her heat-seeking vision, quickly scanning each copy until she found the real one. She swept her Array around, blocking her attack, throwing a kick to her chin. She struck her with all her strength, moving her array into position. She unleashed a Magic boosted blast at the woman.
"Gaaaaaah!" she howled, pain exploding across her body as she was blasted back. She slammed into the wall, her aura shattering within seconds. She fell unconscious, staying completely still.
"Cinder!" Emerald shouted, running down the stairs toward the arena.
Penny flew down, anger still flowing through her body as she grabbed Cinder by the throat, lifting her up with ease. She redirected her Array, a single sword gleaming for a moment as she took aim at her face.
A single gunshot tore through the arena, grazing Penny's forehead, striking the antenna behind her. She shifted her gaze toward Emerald, who had one of her guns trained on her, tears running down her cheeks. "I swear, if you kill her, I will fill that antenna full of holes. I might not be able to beat you, but I can guarantee this tower falls."
"Why? Why do you do the things you do? This woman is a bad person, look at all the harm she's done, and will continue to do. Why continue supporting her?" Penny asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Because Cinder gave me everything I have. I may not agree with everything she does, but she's my friend."
Penny's eyes widened when she heard that. Her Floating Array folded in half, flying back into her storage compartment. She flew down toward Emerald, placing Cinder in her arms. She floated back, giving her a firm look. "Leave. And do not return. I will not show you this kindness again, understand?"
Emerald said nothing, breaking into a sprint toward the Atlas Manta still parked in the center of the Arena. She found Neo inside, the woman quickly pocketing her scroll as she entered the vehicle. She placed Cinder in the back seat, glaring at her. "Go, Get us out of here!"
She rolled her eyes, but activated the ship, swiftly flying away from the arena. Penny watched them go for a moment before looking around, spotting Maria still in her mech, unconscious. She pulled out of the seat, the woman regaining consciousness as she was carried out.
"Huh… what happened?"
"You were knocked out by Cinder's ship, Maria. Don't worry, I've run a diagnostics scan and you are completely fine." she said, smiling at the woman. She set her down next to Pietro's chair, the man drying his tears. "Dad, are you-"
"I'm fine, darling. But what about you? Seeing that vile girl coming back here, hurting you like that I…" he looked away from her. "I remembered the tournament, seeing what happened to you down there, I… maybe we shouldn't be here. It was too risky."
"No, it was not. We launched Amity, the message was sent out, right?" she asked, a look of hope on her face. He looked over his shoulder at the terminal, seeing Amity had fallen below the range.
"We missed our window. I don't know what happened, but one of our stabilizers failed, and the rocket boosters aren't working," he said sadly.
"Did you try rebooting the system?"
"That would shut down everything, we would drop like a stone if I did that. At this rate, we'll keep drifting until we land just north of-" he was cut off by the arena rumbling, several shockwaves flowing through it.
Penny looked away, staring at her burned hands. At one point, her skin had been painted completely on. Now, it was real, her synthetic skin had been highly advanced, to the point where the army was using it with burn victims. Even then, she could see small holes between her fingers, the metal of her endoskeleton being visible.
"I can fix this."
"What?" the man exclaimed, watching his daughter stand up before him.
"Our message isn't that long. I can push Amity in place, and hold it until it's done. I-"
"Absolutely not!" Pietro said, glaring at her. "You're in no condition to do something like this. Even just the temperature out there could-"
"It is our only option," she interjected, giving him a pleading look. "I'm the only one who can do this."
"She's right, Pietro. We have to remember the big picture-"
"I don't give a damn about the big picture." he shouted, slamming his fist against his arm rest, anguish on his face. "I care about my little girl!"
His shoulders shook, looking away from her. "You fighting Cinder just now dredged up those old memories. Of when you were… I lost you before, do you think I want to go through that again? No. No! I want the chance to watch you live your life. I want to see you grow and be happy, and enjoy the gift of life."
Penny felt something she had never felt before. She knew inside her was nothing more than gears and machinery, but for the first time in her life, she felt something beat inside her. She knew she didn't have a heart, a real human heart, but she felt it beating inside her. She looked at her hands for a moment before closing the distance, taking a hold of her father's hands. She looked into his eyes, giving him the biggest smile she could.
"Dad, I'm trying to. I want to live a happy life with my friends. I know I don't understand a lot of things. I know that I probably won't have a normal life. But having a normal life will be impossible if Salem destroys the world. I… I have to do this, I'm the only one who can do this. Sometimes, I don't want to be a protector, but I am. Sometimes, I hate that I took the Winter Maiden's powers, but I did, and most of all… I hate that people are getting hurt and dying, but they are. I don't want my friends to get hurt by this darkness."
He sighed, nodding his head. "I know."
She slowly stood up, giving the man a kiss on the cheek. She stepped away for a moment, giving him a smile. She activated her boosters, flying out of Amity Arena. She floated down toward the bottom of the colosseum, looking around for a moment, spotting the damaged stabilizer. It was struggling to remain on, flashing every so often, remaining solid only for it to stop and restart. She looked at her hands for a moment before flying toward the stabilizer, pushing against it with all of her strength.
"You almost got it Penny, just one more big push." her father said through the comm, causing her to smile. She let out a grunt as she tapped into her maiden powers, funneling them through her thrusters. Amity started moving up, the stabilizer momentarily regaining its glow.
"Yes, Atta Girl, Penny!" Maria cheered, jumping around as Amity finally rose to the Broadcast Range. The window changed, asking a single question.
"Engage Broadcast Operational Sequence?"
Pietro pounded his fist on it, the entire system going down as the CCT rebooted.
All across Remnant, every scroll, holoscreen, display panel, billboard, and device connected to the Cross Continental Transmit System reactivated, displaying multicolored bars.
"Alright, go ahead."
Ruby chuckled, rubbing her head as she looked at the camera.
"Uh hi…" she paused, taking a deep breath. "My name is Ruby Rose, and if we've done this correctly, I am speaking to all of Remnant, right now. Doctor Polendina can explain later, but right now, everyone needs to know that the Kingdom of Atlas is under attack…"
Terra hugged her baby tightly as she held her scroll out, a look of fear on Saphron's face. She gave her wife a firm look, the woman hugging her tightly, all while their baby tried reaching for the scroll in her hand.
"Things are dire, and we need help. But please, try not to Panic. This isn't some new enemy or invading kingdom. This is a force we've faced before, for centuries. Salem."
Whitley frowned, looking away for a moment. His eyes drifted back to the screen, thinking about his sisters and their friends. His mother and father. He closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands. In the outskirts of Feldsparr, Sienna stood by a large rock formation, her whip wrapped around her hand as she stared at the screen, her hair blowing in the wind. Her hand shook a bit as she continued watching, the look of seriousness on Ruby's face filling her with worry.
"This threat sounds like a fairytale, but it isn't. Salem is a dark and fearsome woman. She has complete control of the Creatures of Grimm. She controls real magic. Long ago, there was a man who saved a woman from a tower, a woman he fell in love with. But he died from sickness. The love of his life pursued the favor of the God of Light, but he did not heed her wish. She went to the God of Darkness, who did as she asked. This caused the God of Light to fix things, and only once things were explained, did the God of Darkness understand.
But this woman didn't give in. She rallied humanity and attacked the Gods, who destroyed humanity, leaving only her behind. "So long as this world turns, you shall walk its face." that is what the Brother Gods told her. She cannot die, not until she learns the importance of Life and Death, and atones for her mistakes."
Down in the Crater, the people had stopped what they were doing to watch the message. Humans and Faunus all crowded around the few that had scrolls. At that single moment, there was no hostility between them, only understanding. Chief Roth stopped in front of a holoscreen, beside the Police Station, a roaring fire having been started by some of the homeless refugees, lit up the partially darkened streets. He glanced back at his officers, who all had similar looks on their faces, firm and serious, and ready to fight.
"Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy was the man who saved Salem in the distant past. His true name was Ozma. He has been reborn countless times, serving the Brother Gods on a single Mission. Unite Humanity. To achieve this task, he was given four Relics. The Relic of Knowledge, once kept in Haven Academy, the Relic of Destruction, currently in Shade Academy, The Relic of Creation, housed here in Atlas, keeping the city afloat, and finally, the Relic of Choice, kept beneath Beacon Academy.
He was told, when he achieved his task, to unite all four Relics and summon the Gods back. If they deem we have been redeemed, then we shall be saved and given back the rest of our gifts. But on the off chance that we are still at war with each other, All of Remnant will be destroyed. That is Salem's main goal. These vaults are kept closed and hidden, and only Four women can open them. Maidens bearing the Magic of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, gifts given to them by an old Wizard, gifts given to them by Ozma. Gifts that have fallen into the wrong Hands. Cinder Fall, the current Fall Maiden, is the one who killed Ozpin and led the attack on Beacon Academy. Salem was behind it."
Junior frowned as he glanced over his shoulder, seeing his men passing out coats and mugs filled with tea and coffee. The Twins had been cooking large pots of food for the people he let in his bar. The doors opened again, a cold wind coming in as Valentine and Metera stepped in, rubbing their hands together. He held his scroll out to them, the pair stopping to see the broadcast.
"The White Fang, the Atlesian Drones, even the Grimm themselves have all been controlled by her, manipulated by her. In order to tear down the Huntsmen Academies. I know that the idea of the Maidens and Relics seems well… crazy, but I promise, Professor Goodwich of Beacon and Headmaster Theodore of Shade Academy can verify all of this."
The shopkeeper looked away from his monitor, toward the woman in question, she had a stunned look on her face. In Shade Academy, Headmaster Theodore sat back in his chair, pouring himself a glass of whiskey as he watched the broadcast. He held the glass to his lips, glancing across the room. A portrait of himself, along with Ozpin, Ironwood, and Lionheart sat on a shelf, all of them standing shoulder to shoulder, the title Headmasters of Remnant etched into the plaque beneath it. He frowned, looking away from it.
"They might even be able to help organize a way to fight back. But… Sadly, things in Atlas haven't been easy. Though we worked hard with General Ironwood, toward completing this tower, Salem's minions managed to worm their way in. They caused a civil war, put the people against the General and drove him too far. Even we, the Huntsmen and Huntresses who he trusted, broke his trust. By hiding this information from him, he found it too much to bear. By telling Robyn Hill the truth about Amity so she'd stop stealing construction materials, he labeled us as fugitives. I don't blame him. None of us do. We all made a mistake but…"
She stopped speaking for a moment, nodding to someone off-screen. Walking into frame, Levi gave the camera a grin and wave. "Hello everyone, my name is Levi Athan, like Ruby, I am a Huntsman and a former student of Beacon Academy. Some of you might remember me from Team ACPL, my teammates and I used to sing at Beacon. Because of Salem, a dear friend of mine, Aria Blaze, lost her life, and my partner, Cadenza DiCappriccio, was taken by a Nevermore. She was found broken and bruised by her agents and turned against us.
Salem has been the cause of so many deaths over the last one thousand years. Even my people, the miqo'tes, weren't spared. But I'm not here to bore you with all of that…"
Down in Vale, Clarice and her children crowded around her scroll, watching intently. The nearby homeless people were doing the same, as her scroll was the only outlet for them to watch. In the deserts of Vacuo, Sun, and Neptune stood, shell-shocked by what they were hearing. They weren't the only ones, Team CFVY was there, staring in disbelief at their tiny screens. Velvet looked at Coco, a concerned look on her face. She merely smiled, ruffling her hair.
At the same time, Stella was making her way toward one of the empty hangars, staring at her scroll. She looked around for a moment, racing toward one of the empty ships. She climbed inside, activating the panel, only to feel the barrel of a gun on the back of her neck. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Sonata's angry face. She rolled her eyes, gesturing for her to take the Co-Pilot's seat.
"This message is for General James Ironwood. I don't have much to say to you, except that we understand. You gave us one task, to be truthful to you, and we failed. We broke your trust in us, and we understand your rage toward us. But please, it isn't too late.
I know you are frightened by Salem, I know you worry about the people of Atlas and Mantle. I know all of the things that are at stake. But we can still work together. We have a plan to evacuate the remaining members out of Mantle's Crater, using the fleet of grounded Schnee Dust Company Freighters kept at Schnee Dust Company World HQ. All I ask is that you give us that chance. Once we save the people, we will return to Atlas Academy and fight alongside you.
You once said Atlas was the strongest kingdom in the world. That you held the Embargo and Closed the Borders because you wanted the soldiers here because you needed the Dust here. Well, we're here. We haven't backed down from this fight, and we will not back down from what is coming. We managed to launch this tower after all. It was your plan, your dream, and we made it a reality.
I haven't lost faith in you, James. I really hope you haven't lost faith in us. Because after all, you gave us our licenses, we swore an oath to the people of Remnant, with you as our witness. Give us the chance to prove to you that we can unite the world.
It's okay to be scared, our misery is but the passing of greed and the bitterness of a woman who fears our progress. And in case you don't listen to us then my next message is for the Atlas Army themselves."
He paused for a moment as he mentally prepared himself, staring straight at the camera in front of him. "Soldiers, don't give yourselves to brutes, to men who despise you, enslave you, who regiment your lives. Who tell you what to do, what to think, or what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate! Only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural, like Salem and her forces!
Soldiers, don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty! I remember reading in an old book, that the Kingdom of the Gods is within man, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men, in you! You the people have the power. The power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure!"
Raven looked away from her scroll, glancing over her shoulder for a brief moment. She locked eyes with her dear friend, who had been holding her scroll tightly in her grasp, tears running down her face. She sniffled, drying them with her sleeve, but failing to contain the deluge pouring from within her soul. All around Atlas, soldiers tuned in, staring at the screen in awe, some smiling while others looked down almost in shame.
"So in the name of Hope, let us use that power! Let us all unite! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world. That will give man a chance to work, that will give youths a future, and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people! Now let us fight, to fulfill that promise, let us fight to free the world, from the darkness and chaos that Salem has lorded over us for over a millennia! Let us fight for a brand new world, one where we rid ourselves of national barriers, of hate, and intolerance, let us fight for a world of reason. Where science and progress can lead to the happiness of everyone! Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, Atlas! Let us all unite!"
General Ironwood watched the message, looking at the floor, hands behind his back. The Ace-Operatives were all around him, staring at the screen. Marrow turned to the General, a hopeful look on his face, but the man hardly reacted as he glanced at Arthur, who had been watching the message with a smirk on his face.
"The bug, is it in her system?"
"Yes, it passed into her the second Amity was launched. It should activate momentarily, and then, you'll have everything you asked for," he said, chuckling as he looked back to the screen, seeing Ruby had returned.
"We didn't have time to prepare for Salem. But now you do! Just because she can't be destroyed doesn't mean she can't be beaten! If she really was unstoppable, she wouldn't have acted with such caution until now."
Tyrian sat beside his queen, watching the broadcast eagerly. Salem merely patted his head as if he were a dog, the smile on her face growing. Cadence stared at the device without a word since her former partner had come on. She turned back to Salem, who just nodded. She swiveled on her foot, closing her scroll as she left the throne room. She had plans to make.
"She can't hide anymore. She knows that we're a threat! Even if-" she paused, glancing back at the screen. "Even if Atlas falls, all of us will be fine. You cannot give up!"
Levi looked away from his scroll, glancing at Ruby, who was holding her scroll in her hand. Blake and Weiss were leaned up against her, smiling at her childish wonder, despite her being the face of the video. She glanced at May, who found herself staring at her scroll, in between sending messages to Johanna and Fiona. Back on Monstra, Trivia had brought Emerald and Cinder back, the green-haired woman carrying her out of the ship, and back into the giant whale. She stared at the device in her hand, finally letting her worry appear on her face now that she was alone.
Arthur let out a small smile as he turned back to the PC, swiping his finger across his keyboard. The download bar had finally flashed, the bug had finally been installed within Penny. He gave Ironwood a nod before pressing a key on the keyboard, activating the bug.
Back on Amity, Penny let out a gasp, her eyes flashing red for a moment. Her hands slipped, causing her to take a tumble. She shook her head, blasting herself back, pushing against the arena. "Aaah… no, what's happening to me…?"
"Penny, what's going on out there?"
"I.." she grunted as she pushed the arena upward. "I do not know!"
"I hope Amity Tower will help bring us all together," Ruby said, an endearing look on her face as she addressed the world. "Because in the end, that's how we'll win against-"
"No!" Taiyang cried as the broadcast went down. His hand fell to the side, tears brimming his eyes. "Come back."
Zwei moaned softly, pressing himself against the man. Taiyang hugged the dog tightly, holding back the urge to sob.
Penny shook her head, all of her sensors were screaming at her, causing her to shake uncontrollably. She smacked her head with her fist, her eyes flashing between red and green.
"Penny, you've done enough, sweetheart! Get back inside, we can ride out on Amity together!"
"No! I… I have to go!" she exclaimed, pushing herself away from the tower. She shook her head, her rocket boosters thrusting her back forward. "The vault, I must open the Vault. No… Dad! I don't know what's happening to me."
She felt her body going limp, her eyes slowly fading as she fell back. As she started falling back down, her body became enveloped in flames. Her hands were out stretched, weakly reaching toward Amity Arena.
"Penny, speak to me, darling, what's wrong?" Pietro cried, his voice filled with worry. Her eyes refocused, blinking as she looked up at the tower. Her vision clouded for a moment, a few drops floating out of her eyes, tears, she realized. "Please, baby girl, say something!"
The man stared at the monitor in front of him, holding his scroll tightly in his grasp. His communicator beeped, a single phrase filling his ear. "I love you."
"PENNY!" he screamed, coughs racking across his body. Maria took a hold of his hand, hugging him tightly.
Location: Atlas Military Compound
"Global Comms just went back down," Harriet said, shutting off the holoscreen. She glanced at the General, who had his scroll in his hand.
"And Penny isn't responding," he muttered, glancing at Arthur. "What did you do?"
"Exactly what you asked for. Silverstein and I created a special bug that would overtake her system, giving her an insatiable urge to return to Atlas Academy and open the vault. It's possible Penny's systems are merely rebooting." he said with a shrug, swiveling in his chair. "As for the tower, well perhaps Pietro isn't the genius you thought-'
Ironwood threw his scroll at the man, who easily deflected it. The device smashed against the table, breaking nearly in half. He sighed, glancing back at the Ace-Ops. "We're not waiting. You're going to find her."
Winter stepped forward, dressed in her combat uniform and power armor. She looked up at the General, a look of disappointment on her face. "Winter,"
"Sir?"
"Until Penny either responds or is standing in front of that vault, we cannot assume her status. Take the Ace Ops, I want constant updates," he said. She nodded, glancing at Elm, Vine, Marrow, and Harriet, giving them a nod. Three stayed behind, while Harriet stood back, watching Arthur Watts as he turned the computers off.
"Get him back to his cell."
"With pleasure," she said, gesturing for the Doctor to stand up. He kept his hands behind his back, the broken scroll clutched in his grasp.
xxx
"That was the broadcast, why did we lose signal?" Yang asked, glancing at her friends. Before anyone could give an answer, the ground rumbled. There was a loud crack in the distance, causing them all to share a loot.
"Did you guys hear that?" Jaune asked, causing Alto to place a hand on her hip, wiggling her ears.
"Oh I heard it," she replied, becoming serious. "It was nearby, come on."
She took the lead as they left the outpost. The blizzard had stopped, the ground being covered in a thick layer of snow, causing them to trudge through it. The ground shook again, causing them to stop in their tracks.
"There it is again!" Ren said, glancing at Alto. "Do you know what it is?"
"It sounds like ice breaking, like… Do you remember in Titanic when the ship hit the berg? It sounds like that. Like breaking ice. That's the best thing I can describe it as." she said, earning a nod from the black-haired man, who continued walking forward.
"I think it's up ahead, I see something," Jaune said, pointing forward. They made it to the edge of a fissure, the foursome stopping in their tracks. Yang stepped back, a small tree falling into the hole, disappearing into ash.
"What… is this?"
Alto looked closely, eyes narrowed for a moment. She let out a scream as a crimson eye looked back, causing her to stumble and land on the snow. She shook both from the cold and from the surprise shock. Yang peered into the crack as well, her face going pale when she realized what it was.
"It's… Grimm. A river of Grimm…" she muttered, following the crack, noticing where it was headed. Now that the blizzard had cleared, she could see the Kingdom in the distance. "And it's heading straight toward the Kingdom."
Location: Schnee Manor
"What happened? Why'd it go down?" Weiss asked, causing Ruby and Blake to shrug.
"I'm not sure, there were still a couple more minutes left," Blake replied. Levi tapped the home menu button, opening his comm, dialing Penny's number. It started to ring, but it didn't go through. He did the same for Pietro and Maria, but neither went through.
"Something's wrong. Global Comms should have been established but-" he searched through his contacts, finding Velvet's. He dialed it, only for it to fail.
"The Owner of this Scroll isn't within CCT range. Please try again later."
He looked back at the girls, his face going pale. "I wasn't able to send the message in time. The Atlas Emergency Broadcast System disables texts and calls. Cinder must have… she must have-"
"Hey, don't you dare think like that, Levi Athan. Penny is strong, there's no way Cinder could have done anything to her. She's fine." Weiss snapped, looking away from him. "It's Amity Tower I'm worried about. That goddamned bitch might have done something to the tower, that would explain why Global Comms went back down."
"Pietro and Maria aren't responding. It's entirely possible Amity was damaged, or that the systems we thought were functional failed. We can't worry about them at the moment, as much as it hurts. We got the message out, we need to get ready for what comes next." Ruby said, rising to her feet.
"What does come next, kid?" May said, resting her weight against her leg. "Levi mentioned this audacious plan with the SDC, but is that even possible?"
"It is but… the one with the proper certification is Whitley, I'm not sure how willing he is to help." the white-haired woman said, rubbing her arm.
"Well then, let's go talk to him, maybe we can-" Blake paused, hearing a loud dull knock in the distance. She turned to Levi, who gave her a nod.
"There's someone at the door."
Without hesitation, they all moved toward their weapons, hastily heading toward the front door. They almost bumped into Willow, who tried to speak but wasn't able to get a message out. May remained behind, confused as to why they had rushed off. They headed toward the front, slowly moving to the door. Weiss held her hand up, Myrtenaster tightly in her grasp as she twisted the knob, almost expecting a regimen of Atlas Soldiers to be at the door. To her surprise, she was greeted by a rather unusual pair.
"Are you gonna let us in or what?"
She glanced over her shoulder at the others, earning shrugs from them. She opened the door, allowing Stella and Sonata to enter the manor. The gray-haired woman sighed with relief as she entered the house, finally feeling relaxed. She had a large bag around her shoulder, filled with some things she had managed to take from the Academy before she left.
"What are you doing here?" Levi asked, causing the silver-eyed woman to pop her gum.
"Is that seriously how you greet your subordinate? And here I thought you and I were friends. For shame, Levi, for shame."
"I wasn't talking to you, Stella," he replied, his gaze falling on Sonata. She looked away from him for a moment, opening her mouth to speak, but closing it right after. "Well?"
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry?" he exclaimed, walking past his friends. "You turned against us, fought against us, actively attacked our friend while we were trying to do the right thing, and the only thing you can say is sorry?"
"I get it! I betrayed you okay? But what could I have done? Turned against him? He did so much for me. I believed what I was doing was right, and I still do! I tried talking to him, getting through to him but he wasn't acting like the James Ironwood I knew!" she screamed back, shaking a bit as she looked away. "He was like an uncle to me. He put me back together again, provided for me while I recovered, trained me, and did so much more. I didn't have a choice. My little sister joined Atlas Academy as a cadet, my mother checked out mentally after my father was arrested, and my father… well you know about him. I had nothing left."
"Get the fuck out of here with that shit, Sona." he spat, holstering his weapon. "I have nothing left, what a load of garbage. You aren't alone, you have friends."
"I did… and now I don't," she said, looking away from the man. "I'll stay out of your hair, I won't bother you, I just need a place to hide while I plan my return to Atlas Academy. Someone needs to put a stop to James Ironwood."
"Yeah… no, that's not gonna happen." the miqo'te said.
"Levi will you stop being a massive d-" he held his hand out, cutting his girlfriend off.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by my very gorgeous, very nice, and very beautiful girlfriend. That's not gonna happen, because if you wanna save Atlas, you'll have to do it with us," he said, holding his hand out. "As our friend."
Sonata gasped in surprise, breaking into sobs. She launched herself at the man, hugging him tightly. "Oh Levi, I'm so sorry. For everything, for going against you, fighting you, I knew it was all wrong. It's been so long, I thought I had lost you forever."
"I made you a promise back at Beacon, didn't I?" he asked, ruffling her hair. "Though I gotta say, I might not be able to fully keep it. We agreed if anything happened, we'd stick together as a duo but… I'm kinda part of Team RWBY now. These girls, these women, are my family, I wouldn't be here without them."
"I guess I'll just have to join your team then," she said, sniffling. She pulled away from Levi's hug, standing before Ruby, Weiss, and Blake. "If you guys will have me."
"Of course, you are our upperclassmen, it would be a disservice if we didn't accept you. You and Levi have been through a lot. If you are willing to help us, then we don't mind letting you join us." Ruby said, holding her hand out. Sonata did the same, giving it a shake. "But I must give you a warning."
"Oh um… okay?"
"Once you join the RWBY side, there is no turning back. You must accept whatever the world throws at us, and you must give me all your chocolate chip cookies."
"Ruby!"
"It was a joke!" she said, brushing Weiss's glare off. Sonata couldn't help but giggle, brushing away her stray tears.
"I don't mind, if I ever get any chocolate chip cookies, they're all yours. I prefer oatmeal cookies anyway."
Ruby gasped loudly. "Heathen! She's a heathen, take her out back and bury her, because she doesn't belong here!"
"Everyone knows Peanut butter cookies are the best kind of cookies," Blake said, crossing her arms. Levi jabbed her side, ears wiggling a bit.
"I thought you liked animal crackers?"
"Oh, so because I'm a faunus you think I like animal crackers? How dare you assume that?"
"I'm a faunus, dingus, so I don't know why you're offended."
"Not that this conversation isn't enthralling but, we need to get serious for a moment," Stella said, reaching for her scroll. She flicked it open, showing some files on it. "Ironwood asked me to work with Arthur Watts on a little project. He wanted me to hack into Penny."
The group became silent at this, Ruby becoming pale-faced at this revelation. "You didn't… please tell me you didn't?"
"I had to, the bastard has a missile aimed at Eden City, thanatonium, a brand new kind of charge made with Gravity Dust. They tested the material on a small scale and found that it generates a spatial field that breaks down anything in it. A small kiloton charge is enough to wipe out half a city."
She typed away at her scroll, showing several lines of code. "Thankfully, I was able to make a bug that gave Ironwood the illusion that he had control. But I added an extra line of code that made my scroll a remote control. With a single press of a button, I can direct Penny straight toward us. As long as I can connect my laptop to her and interface with her systems, I should be able to delete the bug entirely."
"She's telling the truth, I was present in the beginning. It's because I strongly opposed what he was doing with Mantle that he made me a fugitive. I told him that if we begin what comes after Salem's defeat with an act of cruelty, the people that died before would have died in vain. The sparkle in his eye briefly returned, but it was gone after a second," Sonata said, sighing audibly, shaking her head. "I just hope there's a little bit of him left in there."
"Whatever the case, we need to make sure Penny is safe. Amity Tower just went down and we're unsure of what happened there. If you can control her, will you tell her to come here?" Ruby asked, earning a nod from Stella, who smirked.
"I can do that with ease, kiddo," she said, swiping her hand in front of herself. A hard-light terminal appeared before her. She plugged her scroll into it, interfacing with the device. She hummed to herself as she started typing away. "Okay, I'm at the prompt window and… execute launch!"
She tapped on the other screen, opening a camera view from the top of Atlas Academy, which spanned the entirety of the city. She kept her gaze on it, expecting to see a bright green light streaking toward them, instead, she saw something entirely different. She pinched the screen, zooming in several times, only for her heart to sink.
"Is… that a rocket?" Blake asked curiously.
"It is, and it's fizzing on the bottom. Is General Ironwood launching an attack on Salem?" Ruby asked. The rocket started moving, shooting up into the air. Stella started typing on the keyboard, shaking her head.
"No no no… that bastard didn't, please tell me he didn't!" she cried, tapping on the trajectory of the missile.
"Time before Impact with Target Location: Ten Minutes." the computerized voice of her scroll said. Stella dropped to her knees, looking at her hands.
"He… couldn't have, but when!" she said, freezing in place. She remembered the argument Ironwood was having with his soldiers after she had finished the bug. She hadn't been paying attention to Arthur at all. She let out a growl, slamming her fist on the floor. "Watts! That bastard messed with the code."
"What do you mean he messed with the code?"
"Penny and Amity Arena became linked the moment she used Ironwood's cloned key for the launch. They created a proxy server where everything connected. The bug we made was injected into Amity Arena's system, so the second she interacted with it, that bug would pass through her and slowly install over time. It would automatically activate and the remote would be the scroll of the one who programmed the bug. Ironwood would think he had control, but it would be me, by then I would be miles away from Atlas Academy."
She sat down and looked at the floor, tears streaking down her face. "I didn't do a final check of the code before it was sent to Amity. I wasn't paying attention, during that time, Arthur must have modified it and injected something new to it. The remote feature I programmed wasn't connected to Penny, it was connected to the missile that Ironwood had aimed at Eden City, and when I launched that remote feature… I-"
"You launched the thanatonium missile," Ruby whispered, a look of disbelief on her face.
"We have to do something!" Levi said, glancing at his friends, who had pained looks on their faces. "Guys?"
"What can we do? That missile will strike in 9 minutes, we wouldn't make it even at full speed, and we don't have Global Comms to warn them." Weiss said, bowing her head. "We… can't save them."
"Isn't there something you can do? Stella, you're like… the best hacker in Atlas, right? Can't you just… disable the missile?" Ruby asked, causing the woman to shake her head.
"Disabling a missile isn't as easy as you think it is, kid. At most, all I can do is try to change its trajectory, but that window already passed. It's too far to reprogram it." she said.
"But you can try, right?" Sonata asked, giving her a firm look. Stella nodded, brushing away her tears.
"I can, I can try. I'm gonna need all your scrolls, it'll take a lot of processing power and I don't have enough to handle it. Don't worry, what I'll be using them for won't affect them. I just need them to handle the load." she said, enlarging her terminal. The Huntsmen handed over their scrolls, the woman plugging them into every port she could.
"What are you going to do with it?" Levi asked. She didn't respond, reaching behind her back for Sylvie.
"I don't know, deactivating it and having it fall in the tundra is dangerous. I'll probably have to detonate it out in the Arctic Ocean," she said, forming a platform for Sylvie to sit on. The silver-colored fox plugged its tail into the last available port, adding to her processing power.
"Just… relax and hone your success. You're a brilliant programmer, I trust you." Levi said, earning a smile from the woman.
As the clock continued counting down, Stella kept typing into her keyboard. She swiped the useless windows, opening new ones while expanding others. She created another keyboard, continuing to type into it as she scanned everything. "I can't… at this pace, I won't be able to do anything, I'm too slow."
Ruby shared a look with Blake, who gave her a nod. "Levi, Weiss?"
The pair looked at them in confusion. "Hyperspeed."
Looks of realization flashed across their faces, both stepping back from Stella, who briefly looked away from her screens to look at them. They held hands, aiming their fingers forward, twin golden glyphs appearing beneath Stella's feed. It flashed brightly, loud ticking echoing through the empty mansion as the hands of the clock beneath her feet moved at blinding speeds. The energy sank into her body, causing her aura to take a slightly yellowed look.
Understanding what the pair had done, Stella cracked her hands, her fingers flying across the keyboard faster than lightning. She opened and closed screens at blinding speeds, the woman laughing as she poured through every line of code she could. The counter continued ticking down, but to her, it was moving so slow the numbers hardly even moved down. After what felt like an eternity, the effects of Weiss and Levi's Time Dilation glyphs wore off, slowing her down significantly. She input three more strokes, finally pressing the button that flashed on screen.
"Beep beep beep! The Trajectory of "Fat Man" has been changed, activating side rocket boosters. New Target Location has been set to the old abandoned village of Crossed. Time to impact, 3 days, 4 hours, and 39 seconds." Sylvie announced, causing Stella to sigh, her legs falling out from under her.
"Holy shit."
"Wait… why is it falling in 3 days?" Ruby asked. Sylvie turned to face her, projecting a screen in front of itself.
"Master couldn't change the trajectory of The Fat Man because of its hard coding. She did, however, manage to hack into it with 30 seconds to spare. By changing its direction into the high atmosphere, the Dust powering the booster rockets will stop working. Adjusting for the drifting rocket during that time, and the positioning of the planet, we have calculated its eventual descent over the destroyed village of Crossed 134 kilometers from the Northern City of Eden." the mechanical fox said.
"So it's still going to explode?" Blake questioned, earning a nod from Stella.
"There was no other choice, if I changed the trajectory to the Arctic Ocean, it would detonate in the water, and that would extend toward the city. Eden City is a northern port, which uses those routes to avoid Monster Grimm swimming in the water. I couldn't risk damaging the area around the bay."
"At the very least, that missile is no longer a problem," Ruby said, bowing her head. "Arthur Watts is more cunning than I thought. Connecting your scroll to that missile through Penny, and now she isn't responding… I don't know what to do anymore."
"We have to remain calm. It's entirely possible Penny was unaffected by the bug." Sonata said, making Stella frown.
"No, she's certainly being affected by it. I made sure to scrub everything from the one that he made. But he added things to the one I finished. Without looking at the code, I won't know what he added into it." she said, looking back at the Huntsmen. "I do know his intentions, he added two specific lines of code. An order to open the Vault, and an order to Self Terminate. If he put those lines back into the finished bug then…"
"There's a chance that she went back to Atlas Academy," Levi muttered, sighing. "Dammit, General, why?"
"We need to get back to Nora. She's our main priority right now, we just have to trust that Penny is doing alright. She isn't just a cyborg anymore, she's a real girl! She'll be able to fight back, I just know it." Ruby said, smiling at the others.
"I can take a look at Nora. Special Operatives receive a lot of Medical Training, I might be able to figure out what's wrong with her. Though, without the proper medical equipment, well…"
"It's better than nothing, we trust you, Sona," Blake said, earning a smile from the sky-blue-haired girl. Stella passed their scrolls back to them, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss leading Sonata back toward Weiss's bedroom. Levi turned back to the Silver-Eyed woman, a firm look on his face.
"I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. Salem is going to try to kill you. Arthur Watts knows you have Silver Eyes, if he manages to get back to her, you'll have a target painted on your back. Just like me and just like Ruby. Do you know how to use them?"
"Yeah, James told me everything he knew about them. You need to be in the presence of Grimm, and their use is tied to emotions. The strongest emotions produce the deadliest results. He told me to focus on the people that I love if I ever needed them. Being in Atlas, I never needed to use them but… guess I'll have to let go of my unwillingness to fight."
"You're a Huntress. The moment you got that license, you received a mission to defend the people. That's what we're going to do." he said, glancing over his shoulder toward the upper part of the manor. "I just hope we can get through to Whitley, have him send those ships to the Crater."
"Even if he doesn't, I can probably hack into the system, but I don't want to step on any toes," she said, holding her arm out, allowing Sylvie to climb onto her shoulder. She rubbed her metallic cheek against her own, the woman cradling her head with her hand. "Honestly, I just want to take a nap, if that's alright with you? I've been working non-stop since yesterday afternoon. I haven't eaten, showered, or done much of anything."
"That's fine, Weiss has a lot of spare clothes you can use if you wanna wash your stuff," he said, grabbing her bag, groaning a bit as he rested it on his shoulder. "The hell is in here?"
"Oh you know, just some toys I took from the Atlas R&D department. A lot of cooler stuff, far cooler than that Jetpack and Grav-Con unit you took," she said with a grin.
"You do know stealing from the Atlas Military is a crime punishable by law, right?"
"Sure, but we're under Martial Law, remember?"
"Looting is a war crime though,"
She rolled her eyes, sighing as she headed toward the stairs. Levi merely stuffed his hands in his pockets. He briefly glanced toward the closed doors, wondering how his friends were. They hadn't heard from Yang for a while, Oscar was inside the Whale and Penny was MIA. His worries were becoming worse. He just hoped their message served to motivate the world, and if it didn't, he needed to mentally prepare for the horrors of War.
A/N: This chapter was an important one for me, it was one of the ones that led me to actually start writing all this. This chapter is the one where Ruby rallies the world. It was, I think, the mid-season finale for it when it was airing, so it was the last episode that aired before a break. She had no reason to believe her message would do much of anything, but it did. We see that at the end of Volume 9, but I also felt like it left a lot of things out, so of course, I made it a true actual speech. Levi's part, however, was something I included to allude to one of the great speeches ever written, the speech spoken by Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator. It was such a moving and passionate speech that it ended up banning him from the United States for fears that it could cause issues, it wasn't until the 70s that he was allowed to return and was given his much-deserved Oscar, about 30 years too late, I might add.
This speech was one that resonated with me, and in a trying time of war, words that people needed to hear, so I had to include an excerpt of it from it. I think it fits well too. Inspiring the soldiers not to follow orders like robots, telling the people not to give up, and highlighting people like Jacques, who made false promises to the people and betrayed them in the end. It's just way too fitting, and it inspired the right people as well. As I said, this Volume isn't going as it did in canon. I hated that they turned Ironwood into a villain, so while the first parts did put him in that light, in the end, he will do what it takes to save the people. He became a villain to be a hero, and the anime did him dirty with his ending.
We also see the return of someone who has been watching Levi from afar for a while. It's been interesting working with that little plot point, hehe. I look forward to developing it in the future. Whelp, I've dabbled on enough, I hope you've liked both of these chapters, and it's not that's okay too. I suppose I'll see you when I see you. Also can't believe this story is past 60 chapters long, I wasn't planning on it being this lengthy lol. Oh well...