Man, I feel tired today. Physically drained, despite a full night's sleep. I really wish these medical results would hurry up, but I also know our NHS is stretched thin at the moment thanks to the government cutting back over the years. It's not fun reading news stories about how it's the "worst care for serious illnesses in fifty years" right when you're coming down with something.


Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 34


Zwei picked his way through the train with unerring precision, and Jaune could only hope it was toward the last member of Team RWBY. It was harder for him to make his way through the wreckage than it was for the corgi, and he had to duck and squeeze between fallen rock, twisted metal and other obstacles. The dog seemed to know to wait for him or not run too far ahead and get lost. It was well trained.

He still didn't understand why it was here on a mission to Mountain Glenn, though.

None of Team RWBY are registered as fighting with trained animals, and you wouldn't bring a pet to a wasteland like that and risk its life. It obviously belonged to Yang and Ruby given what Oobleck said, but maybe it was a trained huntsman hound from their father. It would have died in the crash if Oobleck hadn't shielded it. I hope we don't get in trouble for all that.

Up ahead, Zwei had taken to scratching on a closed door. Jaune tried to activate it but the power was by now long gone, so he had to wedge his fingers in the crack and drag it open. It stuck halfway, but that was all Zwei needed to get through, and Jaune was able to squeeze through sideways. It looked like they'd entered a set of cargo trains rather than passenger ones. The first was the right way up but the second had fallen on its side, making it so the vertical doorway overlapped with a horizontal one, giving him but a small hole to crawl through into the next car. Inside, Zwei began barking agitatedly.

He found Zwei by a figure slumped over on her front. Blonde hair was matted with a little blood, and he could tell she'd cut her head open. Jaune activated his comms. "I've found Xiao-Long. Unconscious but alive." His fingers on her pulse confirmed it. "I'm not going to be able to get her out this car, though. It's twisted and on its side. We'll need assistance."

"Flynt here. The cavalry has already arrived up top and are setting charges to blow their way down. Hold tight."

Atlas was already here? He supposed it had been a few minutes, though keeping track of time wasn't easy. He tilted Yang's head to the side and rolled her into the recovery position, hoping none of her bones were broken. A quick wave of his scroll over her connected to her aura and showed it at a staggeringly low 2%. It was a misconception that a person could only be knocked out at 0% aura. Its protection began to falter before that, and control as well as pain and fatigue set in. He'd heard the best huntsmen could hold out to the end, but most people began to lose control of their aura much sooner. It was common for a knock-out to occur around 10%, sometimes more if it was a really powerful blow.

He was sure Yang was good, but she wasn't that good. Some of the damage had obviously come from her being thrown around when the train crashed, but Blake had managed to stay conscious through that. It looked like Yang had her aura reduced before that, and the crash only made things worse. Blake did mention she was holding someone back. If she was beaten first, then the train crashed when she already had low aura, then there's no telling how bad the damage is.

It wasn't fatal, though. Not yet anyway.

The tunnel rumbled and the train cars vibrated. There were loud bangs above them as more rock fell down and dented the ceiling – which was in fact one of the sides of the train carriage. They were fortunately made of rugged and industrial metal, so the doors didn't break under the falling rock. Several more blasts came as Atlas opened up the ground above them. They wouldn't come for him first. Weiss and Ruby were still fighting, or had been last he checked, and active combat would have to be dealt with before the medics would be sent in.

It took another few minutes – maybe ten – for that to happen. Gunshots sounded out further down the train, along with the fwoosh of flamethrowers. Soon after, more explosions. They must have been sealing the tunnel as they culled the Grimm. Eventually, he heard footsteps crunching outside the carriage.

"Medical teams!" shouted a voice. "Sound out!"

"Here!" Jaune shouted back. He banged his fist on the side until the soldier found him and banged their first back.

"Cutting through now. Shield your eyes, sir."

Jaune doubted he could count as a higher rank to anyone on the other side, but it was just the typical caution. You always called someone "sir" if in doubt, since it was better to be embarrassed than to disrespect an officer. Jaune turned his head away as he heard the hiss of the plasma cutter, and held a hand over Yang's face to shield her just in case she opened her eyes. It was a slow process as the man cut a large hole into the wall, but soon the metal clanged inward and the device switched off. There were two soldiers on the other side, and one was laying some fabric over the jagged hole both to blunt the sharp edges and cool it.

"Condition?" asked the soldier.

"Unknown," replied Jaune. "Unconscious, bloody, low aura. No visible wounds. Steady pulse and breathing. Possible head injury."

"We're going to need to airlift her out, then."

He turned to his friend and mumbled something, and the other soldier rushed off. Soon, he and two other soldiers came back with a stretcher between them, and they slid it through the hole. By that point it had cooled enough for one of them to crawl in after it, and Jaune and the soldier worked together to push the stretcher under Yang's back, and then gently roll her onto it. The two of them then pushed on the top of it to slide it feet-first back to the hole, at which point the two outside were able to take the bottom end.

It was fiddly getting it out, and it would have been easier with a longer cut they could have pushed Yang sideways through. Zwei didn't make things easier, yipping and dancing around their feet trying to get to Yang, but they were eventually able to work her out. He didn't think Yang would remember being jostled about, and it was better than being left inside.

The tunnel had its own sunlight now thanks to the stretch of ground opened up above them. They'd pretty much traced the entire length of the train and blown everything above it up, and several Bullheads were hovering in the air keeping an eye out for Grimm. The soldier spoke to one through comms and soon it was hovering over the hole, and four ropes were cast down.

"Leave her to us, sir," said the soldier, when Jaune moved to help. "You're to report to Captain Schnee top-side. Your team needs to be debriefed."

"All right. Make sure you take the dog with you. It's hers."

A soldier stooped to pick Zwei up, though she had to hold onto him so he didn't jump on Yang's stretcher and accidentally hurt her. Jaune moved around the train until he found the ropes they'd used to enter, and was able to shimmy up one using his hands and knees; it was not unlike the training back in Atlas. Up top, hands grappled his shoulders and hauled him out the hole, at which point he spotted his teammates in the grass, along with three members of Team RWBY. Blake was on her back being fussed over by several medics while another stretcher was brought out for her. Ruby and Weiss looked exhausted but unharmed. It turned out the safest place to be in a train crash was off the train. The Grimm hadn't managed to press them, either.

"Jaune!" called Ruby, rushing over. "Yang! Where is-"

"Being brought up on a stretcher," he interrupted. "She's alive but unconscious. Low aura, too. We have Zwei as well. Have they found Oobleck yet? He was alive when I saw him."

"He lives." It was Winter who answered, walking up with a sharp look to her sister. "As he is mostly unharmed, he will be one of the last to evacuate. The injured White Fang come first in this regard. Arc, with me. Sister, stay and look after your teammates. I will talk to you later."

"But-" said Weiss.

"I said I shall talk to you later." Winter rounded and walked away, and all he could do was follow. He was brought to his team, who made to get up and salute but for Winter waving them down. "At ease – and sit down, Arc. You're likely as tired as your team." He did so, because he was. "I'll keep the debrief short because of our current circumstances. The mission is being hailed as a success. We understand the loss of life on the side of the White Fang, and we also recognise the injuries to Team RWBY. However, the impact of that train – filled with military equipment – hitting Vale would have been much worse."

No one disagreed. He felt… Honestly, he wasn't sure what he felt. Rough. On edge. Tired. They hadn't really pushed themselves that hard, yet he felt so tired he might as well have run a marathon. It was ridiculous. Ruby and Weiss looked better off, and they'd come from one active combat zone to another and then had to hold the line after a train crash.

"I want you all to know that support will be made available should you need it. Some of you may feel like you have taken lives today, and while I would argue the White Fang took their own lives with this course of action – as none of you, or us, knew an active train would be down here – I won't argue the point. Guilt doesn't always subscribe to logic. If you need to talk to anyone, you may talk to myself, General Ironwood, or Warden. We also have mental health specialises on retainer in Atlas for all students, so do not feel that seeking help would make you a burden. Their wages are paid whether or not you go to them."

Killed? Oh right, Torchwick. Jaune felt a little less bothered about that than he thought he should, but maybe that was adrenaline and shock. A lack of any feeling at all was a little more suspicious than one or the other.

"What happens with our cover, ma'am?" asked Flynt. He sounded drained. "Kinda hard to play stupid when Team RWBY saw us do this – and I don't think we can hide all these injuries among their team."

"We won't try to, Cadet. We will be open with Beacon and Vale as to what we did. After all, this is outside the city, and we only promised we wouldn't act within it. The four of you should simply direct all enquiries to myself or General Ironwood. Do not let anyone pressure you into apologising or admitting guilt." Winter eyed her sister and her partner. "As for Team RWBY, they will almost certainly have to be given something. I'll tell them an abridged version of our actions; that you and your team discovered the White Fang entering these tunnels, and we asked you to seal them as they should have been years ago. Make it seem an isolated action of a team reporting wrongdoing and being involved in fixing it. Do not mention Warden, your mission, or any other actions the four of you have taken."

They saluted from their positions on the ground. "Ma'am."

/-/

The teams from Atlas stayed for hours to pick out the dead and injured, but their team were shuttled back early for rest, along with Team RWBY for treatment. Blake and Yang were quickly taken away once they landed in Beacon, leaving Ruby and Weiss a little lost. Jaune expected them to follow after their teammates, but they instead approached the four of them.

"My sister told us about what you were doing," said Weiss.

"Ah." Jaune winced, and wondered whether they blamed Team JCKP for what happened. "Yeah, we're sorry about that but we had no way of knowing a train would be down there. Those tunnels were meant to be sealed off years ago."

"The White Fang had opened them in preparation for… whatever it was they planned." Weiss took a deep breath, nostrils flaring. "It hardly matters now. With Torchwick… gone… there isn't anyone to lead them anymore. It's a shame he couldn't be interrogated to find out why he was doing all this."

"Again, we couldn't have known."

"We're not blaming you," said Weiss.

"Hmhm," agreed Ruby. "Yang and Blake will pull through, and Winter told us how the train would have hit Vale otherwise. If the Grimm followed us all the way and there was a big hole blown in the middle of the city then it would have gotten really, really bad." Ruby had Zwei in her arms, and one hand was stroking the corgi's head. He really was just a pet they'd decided to bring to a warzone. He didn't know if he should report them to animal services. "So it's better it happen this way. We sent Blake ahead to bring the train to a stop anyway, so the only difference is that it stopped a lot more suddenly than we expected."

It was a relief to know their team didn't hate them. Blake and Yang might, but even that was doubtful. Yang was unconscious, and probably wouldn't even remember any of this. If Blake hated the White Fang as much as she put on, she'd probably just be happy it was over with.

"We are relieved we could be there to help you, friend Ruby," said Penny. "When I heard your calls, I was very worried."

"About that," said Weiss, arms crossed. "How did you intercept Ruby's call at all?"

"Semblance," said Jaune, before Penny could dig herself a hole. "Penny's Semblance works around radio waves and electronics. It's really useful for fieldwork but not so great in the tournament unless anyone is dumb enough to bring a computer-based weapon against us."

"We were going to check the train anyway," added Neon, helping draw attention away from Penny. "We figured we'd be sealing a tunnel and that the White Fang would have to spend weeks digging back through. We didn't expect a flipping train to have somehow been smuggled to Mountain Glenn. How the hell did they even manage that?"

"It's a question we faced as well," said Weiss, sighing. "They must have brought it in pieces and built it, though even that's impressive. Maybe some of their members were engineers from the railway. I guess we'll never know."

"Or maybe there were some trains left there from when the city fell," said Ruby.

"Maybe. It's as good a guess as any. You'd really think Vale would have kept an eye on those tunnels given the known threat of Mountain Glenn, but I suppose they wanted to forget about the tragedy." Weiss shrugged her shoulders. "It's not worth mulling over now. The issue is dealt with, the White Fang are done, and everything is as it should be. About time, too. I was worried they might cancel the tournament."

Jaune laughed. He wasn't so sure they were dealt with, the huntress that helped before being absent, but it was perhaps for the best Team RWBY think it was all under control. It was, anyway, with General Ironwood and Captain Schnee on the case.

"Let us know how your teammates are doing when you find out," said Flynt. The girls looked surprised but nodded. "I dunno about the rest but I can't help but feel a little responsible for what happened to them."

Jaune's eyes snapped to Flynt's as he said it. The other man shrugged, as if to say he knew he shouldn't but couldn't help it. He wasn't sure if he should tell Flynt he was being silly or not. As Winter herself said, a guilty conscience didn't always make sense.

"We'll let you know," promised Ruby. "But we'd better go see them now. Thanks for the help."

They weren't accosted by Ozpin or Glynda on the way in, but then neither were they by General Ironwood, so those three were probably in a meeting. He wondered if it was an argument but ultimately decided it was none of his business. The team retired to their dorm instead, upon which they all collapsed onto the beds and wished it was their pods back home.

"Did you mean what you said?" Neon asked Flynt.

"You mean about feeling bad? Yeah, a little. I'm not wracked with guilt or anything but I still feel shitty. Did you see the state of them?"

"We couldn't have known that would happen."

"I know. I know. I didn't say it made sense." He sighed heavily, face up to the ceiling. "And what do we all think about Torchwick and the other faunus? They're dead because of us."

"Other White Fang," said Neon, harshly. "Not other faunus. Don't paint us all with their brush."

"Sorry."

"Ugh. I feel…" Neon huffed. "I feel annoyed, I guess. I don't feel guilty. Is that bad?"

"I don't think so," said Jaune. "Different reactions for different people."

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Tired. A little empty. Not wracked by guilt either, though. Penny?"

"I feel sorry for them…"

Jaune wasn't sure if he should be surprised by that or not. Penny was an artificial intelligence, so on the one hand it was impressive she could feel that degree of sympathy. On the other, she was capable of rational thought and calm even at a time like this, so maybe it was easier for her to see the White Fang as people who had just made a bad choice.

His own thoughts were less certain. Did they deserve to die? No. Did he feel bad they had? No. Was he sure those were his real feelings? No. Jaune had a feeling those might change after a night's sleep. Torchwick had been a criminal who tried to kill them, so he didn't feel much sympathy for the man, but the faunus who joined the White Fang? Well, they were just idiots. He wondered If Perry had been involved, or the deer faunus he'd asked them to go easy on. He hoped she hadn't been on the train because they certainly hadn't held up that side of the bargain.

"We did the right thing," said Neon. "Maybe the world won't know it but we stopped a train filled with bombs hitting Vale, and the Grimm from having a direct path into the city. It's the Vytal Festival; the streets are packed; if that train had hit then hundreds might have died."

"I know that," said Flynt. "And I know we did good. I just wonder if we could have done better."

"With better information, maybe, but it's obvious Vale is keeping their own shit secret. Or Beacon is. We should have been in the know on what exactly Team RWBY were being sent for, and how they were doing. It's not our fault all that was kept from us."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts!" snapped Neon. "We did the best with what we had. We stopped a terrorist plot. No one on the good side even died, so give it a break."

Flynt, thankfully, did. Jaune felt bad for him getting snapped at when he was just expressing himself, but he had a feeling Neon wasn't as relaxed about it all as she was letting on – not if she was losing her temper like that. Everyone dealt in different ways. Jaune sighed and closed his own eyes, wondering if he was dealing with it or just yet to feel it. The news hadn't even picked up on this yet, and no one in Vale aside from Team RWBY knew what had happened.

Well, them and the other traitors working with Torchwick."

/-/

"Torchwick is dead."

Cinder let the words hang in the air in their dorm, quiet and menacing. Neo was nowhere to be seen, and she wasn't sure if she would return at all. Losing a member of their team would make them stand out. She could only hope the girl returned, maybe out of a desire for revenge. Cinder could work with that.

She'd have to.

Adapting was not easy, nor something she wanted to do, but their plans had been blown wide open thanks to Atlas' constant meddling. It was also due to the White Fang's incompetence of course, but she couldn't expect anything else from them. Torchwick was meant to be captured and taken to the flagship alive for the next part of her plan. Fat lot of use he was now. A corpse couldn't fulfil the role she had in mind for him.

"What do we do?" asked Emerald.

"We adapt. We stay flexible." Cinder hated it even as she said it. The truth was she was out in the water right now, and it would take time to find a way back to land. She would, in time, but she couldn't afford to look bothered in front of Emerald and Mercury. "This is but a minor setback. We always knew the authorities might impede us at some stages. Roman proved especially useless, but it is what it is."

"What about the team behind it?" asked Mercury. "I told you we should kill them."

"Better the spies you know than those you don't." That had been her argument before as well. Atlas would simply replace them if they died, and become even more vigilant as a result, so Cinder had simply placed them under watch and warned Roman whenever they were active. She would have here, if not for the fact Roman was supposed to be safe out the way in Mountain Glenn for several more days yet. "He must have been spooked by Team RWBY and Oobleck; Ozpin set a fire under Roman's backside, and he ran straight into the brick wall that was Atlas' team. I doubt they even expected to run into him."

"They're still a problem," said Mercury. "And they'll keep being problems unless they're dealt with."

"I know that!" she snapped, allowing a little of her anger to bleed through. Mercury wisely stopped talking and busied himself in his scroll. "They will be dealt with in time, and perhaps that time has come sooner. Leave me. Both of you. I need to amend our plans and speak with Adam; Beacon will fall. We'll simply have to go about it a different way."

At the very least it shouldn't be hard to convince Adam that Atlas was responsible for the deaths of so many "innocent" faunus.


Going to go lay down for a bit as still feel tired. Whoo. This is fun…


Next Chapter: 17th June

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