Chapter 32: Creation
It was almost odd to be back in Atlas Academy. It felt like it had been years since they had been there, despite it only being a few days. Seeing the Academy again made the group feel odd like they didn't belong there. General Ironwood waited for them at the front entrance, hands behind his back, a serious look on his face. Standing by his side was his ever-faithful right-hand woman, Winter. She was accompanied by the Ace-Operatives. They didn't have the warmest looks on their faces as their ship approached, landing down in the courtyard. The moment the ship opened, Ruby and Yang sprang out, racing toward their Uncle Qrow, who hugged them tightly, the man crying tears of joy.
The neutral look on Ironwood's face changed, a small smile flashing on his face as he watched their interaction. He quickly changed it when he caught Robyn looking at him, coughing into his fist. The rest of the group joined them, with Emerald hiding behind Alto and Ren, a look of genuine fear on her face.
"Welcome back, everyone. First and foremost, allow me to apologize for what I've put you through. I reacted rashly and acted on my own fears. I should have listened to all of you, but I didn't. That is among my many regrets. I labeled you as criminals when you were all close friends. I berated you and blamed you when all you wished to do was help. I am a terrible person for treating you the way that I did.
I obligated Stella to work at gunpoint to create a bug to control Penny, I betrayed your trust in me. I abandoned Mantle after squeezing and choking it for almost a year and a half, but most of all, I abused Penny, treated her as nothing more than a machine, and went as far as working with Watts to get her under my control. I understand if you never trust me again, but the fact still stands. We must all join forces if we wish to save Atlas, that hasn't changed."
"General, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that all of us made mistakes. We let our emotions do the talking for us. We made grievous errors in judgment, and committed mistakes that led to the deaths of countless people." Levi began, glancing away for a second. "But you also believed in us when it counted the most. You allowed us to help even after you didn't trust us. I've learned a lot over these last couple of days, and must say, trust is a two-way street, it's not easy to give and it's hard to earn once it's broken. All of us talked on the way here and agreed to one thing, to let go of the past, and move forward with Atlas's best interests."
"I… Thank you, for saying that, Levi. And thank you, all of you, for placing your trust in me, when you really shouldn't."
"I believe we both stand on the same stage, James," Oscar said, as he approached the man, holding his can tightly. Ironwood looked at him, eyes narrowed for a moment as he was struck with realization.
"Ozpin."
"That's right. It has been a long time since we have spoken, hasn't it, friend? We've both made mistakes. The two of us have failed these children, which we were meant to nurture and train, to prepare them against the cruelty of Salem. The days where we could plan have passed, for now, we must do whatever it takes to slow her down."
"I understand, I just…" he sighed, pinching his eyes tightly. "After what happened to Lionheart, how he turned against us… I became so paranoid. I didn't want that to happen to me, I didn't want to let my fears overwhelm me. But seeing her get so close, worm her way in, destroy the foundations that we set up, I-"
Ozpin grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly as he looked into the man's eyes. "I do not blame you for how you reacted, James. It's human to give in to our fears, they are what shape us. Fear itself isn't worthy of concern, it's who we become while in its clutches."
"Aahhh… It's happening again!" Penny cried, clutching her head tightly. Jaune was quickly at her side, channeling his semblance through her. Stella strode forward, looking the General in the eye.
"Let's put away all this cockamamie bullshit and get to the root of the problem. The bug that I created with Watts was hijacked, he implanted a virus in her. Those two lines of code I deleted were put back in, she's going to die if we don't do something."
"There's only one thing that can save her now, we have to use the Staff," Ruby said, a firm look on her face. "Stella already tried everything, and the virus is so deeply rooted that it can't be purged. The Staff is the only way to save her life."
"I see." the General said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you have her design plans? The spirit of the Staff tends to be very precise when creating things."
"We already devised a plan on what to do. Oz told us how the Staff works. The only problem is what happens after. Atlas will fall, that is not up for debate. The second something new is created, all of this will-" Weiss cut herself off, sighing. "I trust you have a plan for that eventuality, General?"
"I do if you'd follow me to my office."
Everyone followed along, still wary of the man. Levi looked around the academy, memories of his first time stepping inside it filling his mind. Had it been that long already? Since he and his group were caught and arrested in Mantle? The days all blended together, he didn't even know how much time had passed now. He felt Weiss slip her hand into his, causing him to look down at her. She gave him a smile, one that he returned.
Back in Ironwood's office, they noticed several screens were active. Each of them had various plans, blueprints, and other things shown on them. Hundreds of files and documents had been neatly placed in the center of the table, alongside the most important papers, all kept neatly next to each other.
"You must be curious as to what all of this is, well… let's just say, Qrow has given me a fantastic idea. Salem wants the Staff, that we already know, but we cannot let her attack the people. Your message was sent out across the globe, everyone who saw it must no doubt be preparing for what is to come. Salem once had strength and numbers, but now that Ozpin has dealt with her creature and made a severe dent in her forces, we have the chance to act. This is my plan…"
The holographic screens changed, showing a model of the Kingdom of Atlas, only it was completely different. The outer edges of it had been streamlined, with thick outer walls protecting the edges of the city. Brand new Hard-Light Generators could be seen, mounted to this outer wall. An inner wall of Hard-Light shields could also be seen, beginning at the center of the agricultural district, ending at the top of the mountains. The final thing they noticed was a large Pylon, built at the top of Atlas Academy, with a large sphere resting at the top.
"Atlas was created to give the people of Solitas a chance to live. It was meant to be a Kingdom of Prosperity, of Hope for Humanity and Hope for the Future. Our technology has shaped Remnant as well as this Kingdom and continues to inspire hope in Humanity. Using the Staff to Raise Atlas to the high atmosphere was the original plan, and we shall do that, but not in the way originally planned…" the man began, showing another design.
The very bottom of the landmass looked to be equipped with large thrusters, airships could be seen hovering above the landmass, with long chains being attached to them. "Qrow's offhand statement was what inspired this. Vacuo is our most staunch ally, and it is the place that holds the most powerful Relic, the Sword of Destruction. It's clear that after Salem is through with us, she'll head there, we cannot let that happen. Ruby has rallied Remnant, every Huntsman and Huntress worth their salt will go to Vacuo, as it is the only other Kingdom whose Academy is still standing. And that is where the entirety of Atlas shall be heading as well."
The silence was thick, thick enough that it left everyone speechless. They all processed what he was saying, staring at the plans ahead of them. Ozpin was the only one to speak. "You… want to use the Staff to move Atlas?"
"Indeed, not up into the atmosphere, but across the ocean, to Vacuo. Our Kingdom proved that we can coexist with a lower world. Though Mantle has many resources, thanks to Watts, it has become uninhabitable, at least, for the time being. Once evacuations are complete, we can begin this ambitious plan. These hard-light shields will serve as a dome to encase us, to protect us from the Grimm that will undoubtedly attack us. It will be a long, grueling and slow journey, but once we make it to Vacuo, meet with our allies, we will be one United Front, Humanity, against Salem."
"This plan has bigger balls than Amity Arena, that's for sure," Qrow said, crossing his arms.
"How do you know this will even be possible?" Yang asked.
"Because we've been planning this out to be as meticulous as we possibly can. The spirit of the Staff gives you exactly what you want. It is a limitless energy source. Modifying Atlas and adding a propulsion system isn't out of the realm of possibility. All of the Dust we have managed to stockpile for our war against Salem is still available to use. Our calculated trajectory will bring us to the Kingdom of Vacuo within 7 months. 7 months where anything can happen." General Ironwood said.
"It's an ambitious plan, one that is far out of reach of our original one, but we believe this is the best course. Vacuo has always been Atlas's greatest ally. Our armies will be more than enough to repel any attack that Salem wishes to throw at Vacuo. We also have two relics in our possession, and with Summer being missing, the Sword of Destruction will be safe." Winter said firmly.
"That's all well and good but there's one thing you didn't account for," Levi said, looking away from the hologram. "Cinder Fall, Arthur Watts, and Cadenza DiCappriccio are all still in Atlas. For this to work, all three of them have to be dealt with."
"We've thought about that as well," Vine said, approaching the group. "Cinder Fall wants the Winter Maiden's power, that has always been her plan. The only one who can deal with her is the Winter Maiden herself. The virus within Penny is a ticking time bomb, if we announce to all of Atlas that the Winter Maiden will open the vault, and give them a layout of our plan, to 'prepare them' as it were, it'll draw her out."
"That's when we take over, we fight her until she can't fight anymore, and when she's dealt with, we take her aura from her," Harriet said, tapping a button on the table, showing off the design plans of the aura transfer machine. "This machine was designed to transfer Fria's aura to Winter when the time came. It can be used to do the same with a volunteer."
"It isn't going to be that easy," Weiss said, clutching her mechanical arm. "Cinder fights like a rabid animal, she isn't going to fall so easily. Dealing with her is going to be the hardest part of this problem of ours."
"And there's still the virus plaguing Penny," Jaune said, gritting his teeth. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up."
"Boosting her aura is how we keep it at bay, but it won't be long until Jaune runs out, and when he does, she'll fight us," Ruby said, taking Penny's hand.
"We'll need to put this thing in motion as fast as we can if we want to save her life," Blake said, kneeling next to Penny, who was breathing hard trying to contain herself.
"Let's not jump the gun, this whole plan needs a lot of thought to work. If we want to move Atlas, then we'll have to handle the obvious," Levi said, showing the selfie that Yang had sent him earlier, of her, Ren, Jaune, Alto and Oscar near Monstra's corpse. "We're gonna have to push that bastard's fat ass off of Atlas."
"And how the hell do you propose we do that, Kitty?" Robyn questioned, crossing her arms across her chest. "I don't know if you noticed, but that thing is massive."
"Clearly, we're gonna have to take drastic measures, it just so happens that we have a missile in our back pocket." the miqo'te said, turning to Stella. "Do you think you can reprogram Fat Man and use it to blow up what's left of Monstra?"
"Probably, it's sort of hovering in the atmosphere at the moment, it should start drifting down soon. While the main rocket booster is high enough that it won't work… I think the payload itself can be launched."
"Okay, so we have a plan to deal with the ass end of that whale, what about Penny?" Alto asked, eyes falling on the cybernetic girl. "If she opens that Vault, she'll die."
"There's also Cinder and Cadence to worry about, they're out there and we don't know what their plans are."
Silence once again hung in the room. There were so many moving parts that tracking them all just took it out of them. Ruby lowered her head, clenching her fist tightly. "We're just out of our element. There are so many things against us."
Qrow forced a smile on his face, ruffling her hair. "Don't give in yet, Ruby. We're not out of options yet."
"I have an idea,"
All eyes fell on Trivia, who rapidly typed into her scroll, holding the device out. "Cinder still believes I'm on her side. If anyone can get close to her, it's me. I can lure her out, but I'd need the lamp."
"No, it's too risky, we went through hell just to get that thing back," Levi said firmly.
"I'm… gonna need an explanation on why Miss Brunswick knows Cinder personally." General Ironwood said, causing them to cringe.
"Of course. Miss Brunswick is someone we have pardoned, I'm certain they never told you, but her past is murky. To put it bluntly, she was friends with Roman Torchwick. The man was also a victim of Salem, working blindly for her without ever meeting her. Miss Brunswick never met Salem, not until she and Cinder went into that Monster. She's earned our trust and saved our lives from the Apathy. It is because of her that we confirmed Lionheart had turned on us." Ozpin replied. Ironwood nodded, briefly narrowing her eyes.
"Ah, of course… I suspected it was something like that. I never once believed Ozpin had an elite team of spies in his network. Even if he wanted to keep them secret, it would be too ostentatious for him to do. I never questioned it, since she clearly had earned your trust." Ironwood said, giving the woman a nod. "Do not fear, so long as you have left that life behind you, no ill-will shall befall you."
"I have… I was a broken woman after losing my friend, the man who raised me since I was a kid. But Levi and Weiss taught me that revenge wasn't a good thing. I wanted to kill Ruby for what she did, but I knew she was innocent. Cinder is not. She has no qualms about killing or using anyone to get what she wants, and what she wants is the Winter Maiden's magic and the Staff. We cannot let her have them."
"She's right, it's too risky for her to seek Cinder, even now, she was questioning whether she could trust her or not. But there's one person she still trusts, me." Emerald said, standing away from the group. "I can lure her out, she probably suspects everyone in Monstra is dead. If I contact her under the guise of wanting to meet up with her, she'll come out."
"I don't know that we're ready for that level of trust yet, Emerald."
"Then how else am I going to earn my keep? I got nowhere to go, and Weiss convinced you all to give me a chance. We don't like each other, but we have no other options. It's either I take that risk, lure her out and kill her, or Penny dies."
"You were involved with Cinder as well, weren't you?" Winter questioned, looking her over for a moment. "Yes, I recall who you are. Emerald Sustrai, wanted in Mistral for the attack on Haven Academy. Bold of you to come here to Atlas Academy of all places."
"She defected from Salem's side, it's thanks to her and Hazel that we're here, all of us," Ozpin said, stepping toward Ironwood. "Without her guidance, Salem would have captured us, and your bomb would have vaporized us. She was forced to work for Salem after Cinder recruited her. She has no ties with them, and like us, is scared for her life."
"You know I don't know that I can trust all of you knowing how easily you collude with criminals." Harriet snapped, having watched the group for a while. "Those two are wanted for murder, among other things, and yet you are willing to cover for them."
"Up until a few hours ago, all of us were criminals, or have you forgotten about that?" Robyn said, earning a glare from the Ace-Op. "You want us all to be united, well, it's time to start forgiving people for their crimes. None of it matters anymore."
"Guys, we're running out of time, I'm nearly out of aura. I won't be able to keep Penny stable for much longer," Jaune said, sweat dripping from the side of his head. Looks of worry washed over the group.
"What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?" Alto cried, nails digging into her scalp. "We're nowhere near a perfect plan. We can't do things haphazardly because that could lead to more people dying!"
The sudden ringing of a scroll caused them all to jump. Ruby smiled sheepishly as she dug her hand in her pocket. She opened the screen, seeing the familiar face of May. She had a look of worry, her eyes falling onto the screen. "Kid, we got a situation! All of the Schnee Dust Company Freighters arrived and started rescuing people. The Atlas Military escorted us to Nicholas Schnee Arena, but the second the second to last ship arrived, the entire arena was attacked."
"What? What do you mean the arena got attacked?"
"I dunno. It happened so fast! There's a whole flock of Nevermores just perched on the edges of the stadium. All of the exits are being watched by thousands of Sabyrs, and the Military Droids and S.D.C. Droids were hacked and turned against us. We're being held hostage here!"
"Winter, get me a live feed from Nicholas Schnee Arena!" Ironwood ordered, causing her to move toward the nearby console. She started typing into it, opening several camera feeds. One by one, each screen started up, showing different angles from the arena.
"May, have you seen anyone suspicious? Anyone with black hair, wearing a cloak? Maybe they were using fire attacks?"
"I didn't see anyone like that, but there was this girl, about a year older than your teammates. She had long pink hair, and… you aren't gonna believe me, but half her face was Grimm. Her eye was red just like the Grimm. She was holding some glowing Orb too!"
Levi's eyes widened at her words, ears flattening on his head. "Cadence."
"If Cadence is holding those people hostage, it's safe to assume she's trying to get our attention," Weiss said, causing Emerald to laugh.
"That's an understatement. Cadence was brought on as Cinder's replacement, Salem wasn't too happy after her failure at Beacon. She was operated on by Watts and put into this healing pod for a while. Once she was ready, she had her scarred face and destroyed body parts replaced with Grimm. She might've actually dove into the pool too." she replied, crossing her arms. "I never told Cinder that she existed, but I know one thing, she's after the Fall Maiden's powers and the Relics."
"Why does everyone want those powers?" Elm snapped, growling in anger.
"Those who seek power will never be sated. Having the ability to do actual acts of magic is beyond what any one person can currently do." Vine added, sounding almost like a sage as he spoke.
"Cadence can't get those powers, if she does then she'll be able to go after the Relic of Choice. Even though I never revealed where I had hidden it, I'm certain Salem will find it eventually." Ozpin said, squeezing his cane tightly. "She must be dealt with."
"Okay then… we have to rescue the refugees from the Arena, deal with Cadence, defeat Cinder and bring her back to Atlas Academy to take the Fall Maiden Powers. We also need to use the Staff not only to prepare Atlas for travel but also to save Penny's life all before Salem stitches herself together, no big deal." Ruby said, a nervous look on her face.
"We're gonna have to split up, half of us have to deal with Cinder, the other with Cadence and finally, the last saves Penny. Let's move, time is of the essence." Ren said, earning cries of agreement from everyone.
Location: Atlas Tribune Building
"Is that thing on yet?" Cadence asked, sitting back in her seat. She rested her legs on the glass table in front of her.
The studio was devoid of life, all of the News Anchors were dead, killed by her hand. She had pulled off an audacious plan in order to get what she wanted. But in order to do that, she needed leverage, hence, taking hostages. The people inside the Atlas Tribune had been caught off guard. She relished in their screams, laughing at their pleas for mercy. One woman pleaded for her life, saying she had children, she was one of the first to die. Her children were most likely killed by her Grimm attack earlier that day. Who was she to deny them a meeting?
"Almost, getting these cameras to work is a bit harder than expected. Thankfully, this area of Atlas didn't suffer from the power outage. We should be broadcasting live in a few minutes." Octavia said, making Cadence sigh, spinning in her chair.
"This is going to be grand. Nothing says "Fuck You" like challenging the man! For too long, General Ironwood has imposed his ideals on Mantle. And now, it's come full circle to bite him in the ass. No amount of paranoia was ever going to save him, hehehehe~"
Octavia frowned as she adjusted the cameras, staring at the screen for a moment. "You know, sis… it isn't too late. Whatever it is you are doing, you could, you know… go back."
"Eh?"
"You know… this whole rebel phase you've got going on. You wanted to prove to Atlas that you weren't weak and pathetic. I get it… I've been there too. I know those hurtful words from the Atlas Elites always got to you. But you shouldn't concern yourself with that. At the end of the day, it's just words and-"
"Stop. Talking."
The pink-haired woman stopped, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You know, if there's something I hate, it's when people start saying stupid shit. You can turn back, it isn't too late. Bitch, look at me, do you think I can go back? There is no saving me, I gave up who I was the moment I was dragged away by that Nevermore."
"I get that, I do but… Cadence, why are you siding with Salem? You heard what those kids said, the things she has done. She's going to destroy the world."
"No, she's not, why would she do that?" her sister said, rolling her eyes. "Clearly, she wants to create a brand new order, where she's at the top. Why else would she want to gather these Relics up?"
"You don't… honestly believe that, do you?" she asked, fully facing her sister. "I mean, look at what she did here, she used a giant Whale to attack Atlas. All because she wants a Staff. If they are brought together and the Gods get recalled to Remnant and notice we're not united, we're all going to die."
"Tch… you got a lot of chutzpah to say that. I thought you didn't give a rat's ass about your own life. I mean look at you, you've killed people, you've aided and abetted a criminal. Do you actually think you'll be free if you get caught?"
"That isn't the point."
"Then what is the point? What is the point of this, this conversation you and I are having right now? I told you back on that rooftop what my intentions were. I intend to rip Cinder's powers out of her soul, and I intend to return to Mother with those Relics. It's all a matter of perspective."
"Mother?"
Cadence growled, slamming her fist on the desk. "Will you stop asking dumb questions? Honestly, that is the one thing that I hate about you. Why can't you just shut up and do as you are told?"
"Forgive me for wanting to know something! Just tell me why you even want revenge. You said you wanted to get back at Levi, but for what purpose? Because he yelled at you in Amity Arena?" Octavia questioned.
"Of course not! It is much more than that! The entire time we were teammates, all he ever did was fight against us. I tried to be his friend, I tried to get him to fit in and he didn't. No matter what I tried, he wouldn't give Aria a chance. To the point where it actively hurt all of us!" she said, looking away. "Aria isn't blameless either, she's the reason everything happened. She's dead because of her own problems, and we were left to pick up the pieces."
She clenched her eyes tightly, squeezing the table in front of her. "She sowed so much discord in our team that it led to fracturing. Right when we needed to be together the most. Levi ran off, and Sonata was just catatonic, just standing there like a fucking doll. I had to be the one to talk some sense into her and by then it was too late."
"So all of that led you to choose Salem's side? She's the reason Beacon fell in the first place. The reason your teammate was killed, the reason you are the way that you are!"
"I chose her side because she gave a damn about me. That Nevermore carried me off and I somehow managed to survive. When they found me, I was terrified, but she told me everything, she enlightened me. She told me the truth about what Headmaster Ozpin was doing. He was training me to die!" she snapped, laughing as she spun in her chair. "Can you believe that? Every Huntsman and Huntress out there trained to die. His was the biggest betrayal of all. The fact I gave two years of my life to Beacon when I could have been here making a name for myself… ha, what a joke."
Cadence stood up from her seat, walking around the desk, standing in front of it. "Society is screwed, all of us, from the moment we are born to the second that we die. That's the truth about Remnant. We were abandoned by the Gods. Salem told me that herself, she was cursed to suffer for all eternity, but it's humanity that is suffering. Suffering a fate worse than death. They are born just to die, and I… Well, I think it's time we break that cycle."
"Well, I think you're wrong. People aren't just born to die. Humanity has everything it needs to make life a beautiful adventure. Our time is finite which is why we have to make the most of it. Salem is just a bitter, immortal woman who was never able to achieve what she wanted in life. So now she subjects everyone to suffer just because something bad happened to her. That is wrong, we shouldn't-"
"Fuck off. Don't try to give me some moral spiel about good and evil. If you hadn't noticed honey, you fucking murdered people! For money! That's like, a capital sin right there. Don't stand there and tell me you've become some virtuous virgin because you saw the light. There is no hope, and the faster you make peace with that, the easier you'll live your life."
Her older sister remained silent, fiddling with the camera again. She had finally managed to connect to the broadcasting server, preparing it for the live broadcast. She typed a few more things into the console, glancing back at Cadence. "Were you always like this? This apathetic and vengeful toward society?"
"I wasn't always the way that I am now. But after I learned the truth, the fact that all of us were cannon fodder in a hopeless world. Well, that puts things into perspective, and like I said before, it's all a matter of perspective. Why fight so hard if you are just gonna lose? Ozpin has spent how many lives doing that and failing?" she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "What's the point? I would rather join the winning side and live to see another day than to die like a dog. Because you know what that is, Octavia? That is being turned into a Huntress and getting dragged away by a Nevermore."
"What… What did she promise you? Aside from Magic?"
"Now that isn't something I am willing to discuss. Atlas always treated people from Mantle like we were swine, useless. She said I could destroy the Kingdom and knock it out of the sky. I think I'm doing just fine. Is that thing ready? I'm getting tired of waiting." she replied, taking a gulp from a water bottle.
Her sister checked things over before giving her a nod. "We're live in 5…4…3…2-"
"Ah, Citizens of Atlas, it is so good to finally see you~"
xxx
"You don't know me, and I don't know you… no wait, yes I do. You see, I am a Citizen from the lower world, Mantle. You might recognize me as the daughter of Antonio DiCappriccio… oh wait, no you won't, since my face is so horribly disfigured, hehehe…
Now, I'm going to get straight to the point. Salem isn't here at the moment because someone went and decided to blow her up. Now that isn't very nice, is it? This message is for the person that did that to her. James Ironwood…
For a long time now, you have been a thorn in our side. We thought your Kingdom would be the hardest to infiltrate but it turns out it was the easiest. Pay a couple of goons to do some heavy lifting, have some people getting brutally murdered, and blame you, and you have a whole nation clamoring for your head. It was so easy to fool you idiots into following our plot. I've got to thank Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows, they did the heavy lifting, all while I was in the shadows.
My father was involved in some shady business while I was here, and I happily took over for him. If you want to blame anyone for what happened, blame him and Ivy Brown, that bitch was killing journalists left and right. Why? Ah, to put herself on the council and line her pockets with cash. How embarrassing… being a Steel Tycoon and only caring about the money… It's all about the money, isn't it?
Regardless of what fate befell Atlas, one thing is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will fall, if not by my hand then by the hand of my Mistress, Salem. So, here's my proposition to you. The 10,000 people you evacuated from Mantle are currently being held in Nicholas Schnee Arena. All the exits are blocked and monitored by my army of Grimm. The airspace above the stadium is being watched by Nevermores and Beringels, ready to tear apart those people like they tore me apart.
Their lives will be spared if you give me two things. Just two tiny little things, and I'll be out of your hair permanently. I want the Relic of Creation and the Relic of Knowledge. I'm not an idiot, I know you recovered that Lamp. Salem has oh… about 5 hours before she stitches herself fully back together, give or take. You hand over both of those Relics, and I'll be out of your hair, the second she comes back, we'll leave. And I can watch this pathetic piece of land destroy my former home with a smile on my face.
Or… you can take option 2… Not the wisest one but here it is. You keep the Relics and I kill everyone at the Arena. More blood will be spilled on Atlas Soil and I'll still get the satisfaction of seeing Atlas fall at the hands of my mistress.
So what'll it be, James? You've already spilled blood in Mantle, letting Tyrian Callows kill so many people and blame you for it. So many people have already died to Grimm attacks and froze to death because the Heating Grid was shut down. So many lives were put in danger because of Amity Arena, and finally, thousands of men and women traded their lives for a chance to defeat Monstra. And they were all vaporized by that explosion, an explosion you no doubt had a part in.
You have to decide the fate of these people. The Staff of Creation, the Lamp of Knowledge for those 10,000 lives. Alternatively, you can go with the coward's way out, let them all die, and keep your Relics. But by the end of the day, Atlas will still fall.
You have One Hour to respond. Ta-tah~"
xxx
"Who the fuck was that?" Cinder hissed, turning to face Arthur, who was digging parts out of a destroyed android. "Arthur?!"
His shoulders slumped as he faced her. "Contrary to popular belief, Miss Fall, we aren't told everything that Salem is planning. I have never met that young lady in my life."
"Bullshit! Her face and arm are half Grimm! There is no possible way you couldn't have met her!"
"Believe me if you want, but that is the truth. It's entirely possible that Salem grew tired of your continuous failures. Not only did you fail to destroy Haven, you lost the Spring Maiden's power and lost the Relic of Knowledge… twice. Do you actually think she'd be pleased with you?" the man said, making her narrow her eyes.
"So… that girl is my replacement. Why does she look so familiar? I feel like I've seen her before."
Arthur shrugged, joining two wires together, attaching them to his broken scroll. "She did say she was from Mantle. It's possible you have met her before. Whatever the case may be, she doesn't seem too enthusiastic at the moment."
Cinder giggled, shaking her head. "Are you afraid of that girl? You shouldn't be, She isn't going to get what she wants, because those Relics belong to me."
"So you say, but how exactly are we going to retrieve them, hm? If you haven't noticed, we are completely on our own. Tyrian and Mercury have left for Vacuo, Salem is gone and Emerald is, more than likely, a pile of ash within Monstra's corpse." he said, tearing apart the droid with a grunt, tossing pieces of metal aside. "Face it, sweetheart, the two of us are screwed."
The Fall Maiden narrowed her eyes in thought, glancing up. Atlas Academy loomed over them, ever the paragon of hope and light. She let out a laugh, smirking. "I just got an idea."
"Oh? Well, do share with me, because it's certainly better than anything I've got."
"It's simple really, Arthur, I'm about to give you everything you've ever desired."
He rose to his feet, staring at her in confusion. He followed her gaze, his eyes falling on Atlas Academy. He smirked, a bright toothy grin appearing on his face.
xxx
"You don't actually think she'd do it, right?" Marrow asked, glancing around the room.
"She can and she will, I know her. Cadence may have switched sides but I know her, she's always serious about what she says. Never once did she bow out of doing what she said she'd do. Those people from Mantle are in danger." Levi said, clutching his mechanical arm tightly. "I should have killed her that night. But I let my feelings get in the way."
"Don't say that, Levi. We went through a lot that night, defending the General, meeting up again, saving the people of Mantle. This is all after you and your friend fought off a serial killer, the last few days have been hectic for all of us." Sonata added, holding his hand tightly.
"Dammit… just when we finally had a solid idea to save everyone, this curveball gets thrown at us. It's as if the world is actively against us." Ironwood said, bowing his head. "I… don't know what to do anymore."
"Come on, James. Don't tell me you are giving up now, after everything that's happened?" Robyn questioned, crossing her arms. "Okay, so that Cadence girl wants the Relics, We have to deal with Cinder as well as taking care of Monstra so that Salem's Grimm don't attack people. Our goal hasn't changed, we still need to get the Kingdom to Vacuo."
"And save Penny's life." Jaune said, panting a bit. "Starting to run low here."
"Let's use the Staff!" Ruby announced, grabbing their attention. "Robyn is right, we still need to get the people out of here. But in order to do that, we need to let go of Atlas."
"You wanna abandon the Kingdom? Are you insane?" Harriet shouted, her eyes sparkling. "I don't know about you, kid, but we sort of can't do that."
"What do you think a Kingdom is? The people or the chunk of earth they live on?" the leader of the Happy Huntresses barked. "Salem can have the Kingdom, the people are more important!"
"Can't we just teleport everyone out of here?" Jaune asked, causing Oscar to shake his head. He had taken over after a while as Ozpin wanted to rest.
"We can't just wave it around and solve all of our problems, and we must remember. Once we create something else, Atlas will fall. Its natural gravity dust will prevent it from outright plummeting but… no one's gonna want to be around when it does." he replied.
"Your idea was great, James. Transporting the entire Kingdom would have been ideal, but there are just too many risks." Qrow said, making the man look up.
"Thanks for reassuring me, Qrow. I genuinely thought you hated me after… everything."
"The two of us still gotta square a lot of things out, but we can't let our feelings get in the way of what's important."
The others continued talking, spitballing ideas on what to do. Levi, meanwhile, stared at the plans in front of him. He stared at all of the zoning plans, the roads and streets, the subway tunnels, narrowing his eyes in thought. He let out gasp, holding his hand out. "I need a pen, quick!"
Everyone looked at him oddly. Ironwood reached for the pen in his pocket, handing it to the young man. He spun it around his fingers, clicking it before putting it to paper. He started writing out a formula, his focus completely on what he was doing. Everyone watched him muttering to himself, briefly glancing at the plans in front of him as he wrote. When he ran out of space on the sheet of paper, he grabbed another one, continuing his writing as if nothing had happened. He emptied out a manila folder, opening it, drawing what looked like a doorway, pausing to look at Oscar.
"Ozma, when the vaults were created, were they a part of Remnant or some Space completely separated from our world?"
"He said the vaults were created out of the bounds of Remnant, within their own space. Why do you ask?"
"No reason just wanted to know if it was possible to manipulate space," he replied, returning to his calculations. After another few minutes, he finally finished, setting his pen down. "Behold, our gateway to Vacuo!"
The General looked the calculations over, briefly staring at all of the zoning plans. Stella did the same, finding herself smiling a bit. "A most ambitious plan, but one that will work. Quickly, get Penny to the Vault. Use the Staff to save her life and then put this plan in action."
He turned to the Ace-Operatives, who stood at attention. "Vine, Harriet, Elm, Marrow, the four of you are going to manage our Air Force. We might not be able to save the Kingdom of Atlas, but we can save its technology. We have an hour and a lot of things to start shipping out. I want all hands on deck, fill every ship we can with as many weapons, dust, and provisions as possible."
"Yes sir!"
"Jaune, I want you and your team to head to the CCT, I'll send you my credentials," he said, pausing briefly as he typed in his scroll. Jaune looked at the files he had been sent for a moment, glancing back at the General. "Once you have access to the main system, I'd like for you to send out a message, warn the people of Atlas about what will come next."
"Right, of course!"
"Stella, you have full access to the entirety of our network. You are the only one who'll be able to bring that thanatonium missile back down. We need all the time we can, and if Salem is putting herself together, we may as well extend that time."
"Hey, alright, I've always wondered what it would be like to be in full control. Atlas Central Command, here I come!" she cheerfully said, darting out of the office. As the teams all left the office, Qrow and Robyn turned to Ironwood, giving him a firm look.
"And what will you be doing?"
"I shall remain here, coordinating the flow of people and ensuring everyone within Atlas Academy leaves. Qrow, Robyn, I know a lot of things have happened between us, but there isn't anyone I trust more than you two and Winter. You guys go with the Ace-Ops and assist them in preparing everything."
Qrow gave him a nod, gesturing to Robyn to follow. General Ironwood turned around, heading back toward the windows, somberly staring out into the city. He looked over his shoulder, meeting the saddened gaze on Winter's face. "I'm sorry, Winter. I failed you."
"No, you, you didn't. You tried to do what was best for this Kingdom, and while there are things I disagree with, I agree with one thing. Prioritizing the people. Atlas will return one day, so long as we have the Staff of Creation. Right now, getting away from Salem is top priority."
He nodded, turning back to the city below him. "When we reach Vacuo, things are going to be different. We'll be dumping an entire Kingdom's worth of negativity on their doorstep. We'll need to be ready. And for that, Winter Schnee, I name you General of the Atlas Army, may you lead us into a bright new future."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Sir?"
"I'm not leaving Atlas until I am sure that every man, woman, and child has been evacuated. If anything happens to me, I trust that you'll lead everyone as best as you can. As both General of the Army and Headmistress of Atlas Academy. You've earned it. Now go, your father and Ivy Brown have been placed in secure confinement, someone is going to have to get them out."
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind letting them rot here, but something tells me my sister wouldn't like that. She might hate our Father, but she doesn't wish ill-will on him," she said, turning away. She stopped in the middle of the room, glancing over her shoulder. "General Ironwood… no, James, thank you. For everything you've done, for me and my family. When I joined the army, I was scared I was making the wrong choice. I thought I was selfish. You nurtured me and turned me into the woman that I am today. I have never once wavered in my resolve to defend this nation with every ounce of power that I have. I will not fail you, you… have been more of a Father to me than Jacques Schnee ever was."
James found himself smiling as he stared his reflection. "I'm glad to hear that, Winter. Now go, we all have our roles to play."
She nodded, taking a deep breath as she looked around the General's office, perhaps for the last time.
xxx
The Descent into Atlas Academy's vault was long and quiet. Team RWBY had gone down quite a long way, the path being lit up by bright blue Hard-Light fixtures. The Vault had been built deep within Atlas, so far below street level no one would have expected something so massive would have been located there. It didn't take long for them to make it to the very bottom, staring at the glowing blue flames lighting up the path. Levi craned his neck, staring up at the Vault entrance, shuddering a bit.
"This is giving me flashbacks to Haven Academy," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"At least the one in Haven was warm, this place is cold as hell, probably since we're so deep within Atlas," Yang said, glancing at Penny, who was squeezing Ruby and Weiss's hands tightly. "Come on, we don't have long."
Without wasting a moment, they quickly moved forward. As if by magic, the steps leading to the Vault quite literally appeared from thin air, glowing brightly as they formed the stairwell. They made it up toward the massive doors, staring up at it, taking in all of the magical markings etched into it.
"Guys, I'm scared," Penny said, looking at her friends. She was breathing raggedly, every single one of her systems focused on keeping the Virus at bay.
"You'll be okay, Penny. We're here for you, the second you open this door, we'll grab the Staff and stop your termination. Time will stop so long as we're in possession of the Relic." Ruby said, earning a nod from the cybernetic girl.
"I know, I trust you all with my life," she said, her eye twitching a bit. She took a deep breath, placing her gloved hand on the door. They all watched as it started glowing, each thick etching reacting to her magic. Every piece of the door slowly opened, revealing what was beyond the entrance.
At the center was a pedestal, holding a beautiful Staff. Made mostly of gold, it had a pair of crystals at the top and bottom, the top one glowing a brilliant blue. Thin golden decorations surrounded the crystal, etched with many small markings. It had similar features to the Relic of Knowledge, down to the similar glow.
Ruby wasted no time, grabbing her teammates and dashing forward. She lunged for the Staff, pulling it from the Pedestal with all her strength. "Ambrosius!"
All around them, time seemed to stop. Levi glanced over his shoulder, watching Penny become still, eyes glowing red as she clutched her head tightly. A deep blue mist swirled around the tip of the swirled, the mist flew upward, taking the shape of a large, muscular figure, golden chains wrapping around its body. The spirit let out a yawn, stretching its body like a cat.
"Ah! It seems someone has come to engage my creative wiles! All I'll say it's about time, and it had better be worth it after my last project." he said, rolling his eyes as the five Huntsmen watched him. "I mean really, a floating city? How pedestrian."
"Hi, um… Mr. Ambrosius sir? Sir, listen, it's about our friend, she's dying," Ruby said, gesturing to the girl behind them. Ambrosius crossed his arms, floating upside down before them.
"I'm going to go ahead and assume that you know it's against the rules for me to bring people back from the dead so…"
"That's not what we want. She's… not your typical girl."
The spirit narrowed his eyes, finally taking interest in Penny. He floated over to her, summoning a loupe into his grasp, looking through it. "Oh… so she isn't. I'd love to meet the person that made this."
He paused after a moment, frowning. "Ah, I see. There's something eating away at her. I'm guessing you think you have some clever plan to save her. Just know that I will give you exactly what you ask for and I don't want any complaining when it's not what you wanted."
"Don't worry sir, we know. A very old wizard told us all about you and the incredible power that you boast. We plan to make sure everything is as precise and concise as possible." Levi said, causing the spirit to laugh.
"Ah! Acquainted with the old man, I see. Shame he isn't among you, I would have loved to see him again." he replied. Ruby reached into her pocket, projecting Penny's schematics out to the spirit.
"We brought her schematics. We want you to make a new version using her exact same robot parts."
The man narrowed his eyes, staring at the plans in front of him, rubbing his chin. "That was… very curiously worded, girl."
"An exact copy of her would include the virus. An exact copy of her without the virus would cease to exist the second you make something new, and we kinda want to keep her around longer than that," the girl mused, smiling.
Ambrosius let out a laugh. "You've done your homework!"
"We want you to create a new version of her, using her existing robotic parts, taking the virus with them."
The spirit nodded, making various shapes in the air. He muttered to himself as he did various calculations. "Okay, but if I take the robot parts out of her, that would leave…"
"Penny, the girl who's always been there underneath it," Blake replied.
"Hmm…"
"You can't destroy, it's against the rules. But you wouldn't be destroying her, her soul is who she is."
Yang raised her mechanical arm, the spirit taking interest in it. "The mechanical parts are just… extra."
"But a soul without a complete body, what would be left?" he asked, staring up at the skies above.
"I dunno," Ruby said with a shrug, grinning at the spirit. "I guess you'll just have to… get creative."
Hearing this, the spirit became excited, almost like a child being told they could buy whatever they wanted. He let out a joyous laugh. "I suppose I could do a little… oh, add a touch of… but if I do that, how much of the old Penny would be my work, and how much would be her? Just coming up to the surface…"
He turned back to them, his smile only growing. "Oh, this is all very exciting, and very dangerous. I don't know what the results are going to be."
"We know, we don't have any other options, but we believe in her," Weiss said. The spirit nodded, stretching his arms above his head.
"Then prepare yourselves to witness… MY ARTISTRY!"
With a snap of his fingers, a burst of energy shot out, pulling Penny toward them. He lifted her up into the air, the golden magic swirling around her, pulling against her extremities. The crimson glow of her eyes disappeared as the glow encompassed her entire being. The 5 Huntsmen were forced to cover their eyes from the intense light, which almost blinded them. When it died down, there were two identical copies of Penny standing beyond the threshold of the vault's entrance.
"It is done!" Ambrosius announced, snapping his fingers. With a cheeky wink, he disappeared, returning to the Staff. As he did so, time returned to normal, an audible groan filling their ears as they felt themselves move.
xxx
The audible groan and sudden movement made Jaune jump in surprise. They had made it to the CCT without too many issues. Standing in front of the main console, he had been about to enter the General's credentials when the movement made him stop. He blinked a few times, glancing at his teammates.
"I guess that's the signal then. Seems like things are moving forward in the Vault," he said, returning to the console. He typed the credentials in, seeing the phrase "Welcome Back" flashing on the screen.
"Hopefully Penny is going to be okay,"
"Don't worry, Nora. The plan that Ruby came up with is as precise as possible, I'm sure Penny is fine and dandy. She's gonna be excited to finally be free of that horrible virus!" Alto said, her eyes sparkling a bit.
"If Atlas is moving, we need to get the word out before people panic."
"Meaning hurry," Emerald said, urging Jaune on.
"I know, I know!" he snapped, continuing to type. A screen opened up, causing him to look at it oddly. "Uh… okay, I think this thing did something. Um… what's happening?"
"You're live." Ren deadpanned, causing Jaune to look back at the screen.
"Oh! Um."
"Jaune, everyone can see you, make it snappy," the green-haired girl said. Jaune nodded, clearing his throat.
"Alright, Citizens of Atlas, anyone who might still be left in Mantle, what we have to say is very important. Atlas, is falling. But please, try not to panic. Salem's forces have been contained for as long as possible. We had a plan to move the entire Kingdom to Vacuo, but that is no longer in the cards. The Atlas Military has made the hard decision to abandon Solitas altogether.
Within the next few minutes, you will see bright shimmering lights all throughout the Kingdom. Do not be afraid, the flashing lights are doorways. You will step through them, and be led to a road in between realms. This road will lead to the outskirts of Vacuo's Kingdom Capital. I know it sounds crazy, but this is the only thing we can do to save all of you. Please, don't push, don't panic, and put your faith in the Military, we will not abandon you. I repeat, we will not abandon you. Thank you for being patient, the last few days have been hard on all of us, but I promise, it's almost over. Just know, the Kingdom of Atlas will prevail, and one day, it'll float once more. Thank you for your time."
The broadcast ended, the blond knight turning around. "Let's move, a portal should appear in the Entrance Hall of Atlas Academy. We need to make sure all of the Students and Personnel get out of here. Em, Oscar, Alto, Ren, you head to Vacuo, Me and Nora will handle things here."
"Are you sure?" Oscar asked curiously. Alto placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a firm look.
"At any moment, Salem can return and she's going to come after you. Remember, we need to get you away from here," she said, glancing back at Jaune. She held her hand out, clasping his tightly. "We'll see you on the other side, okay?"
"Yeah, you will. Now let's go, we can't waste any time," he said, once again taking the lead.
Meanwhile, in the containment unit, Winter was staring at her scroll, having listened to Jaune's message. She felt her legs shaking a bit as Atlas continued its free fall. She looked up for a moment, seeing the shocked expression on her Father's face.
"That boy said Atlas is falling. Is that true?"
"Yes. We're using the Staff to get everyone to safety. Salem can have the rubble, we'll all be long gone." she said, pocketing her scroll.
"Are you insane? After everything we have done, everything we have worked for, you are just throwing it all away!" Jacques shouted, slamming his fists against the hard-light door. "Winter, you can't let that happen, the Company-"
"Will continue beyond Atlas. The S.D.C. has subsidiaries in Mistral and Vale, the loss of the HQ will not affect anything. Though if you'd rather stay here and salvage what is left, you are free to do that." she said with a shrug. Ivy let out a chuckle, twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip.
"Oh, how the mighty fall."
"Shut up, witch. You'll be losing your Steel Mill too!"
"Jacques, just give it a rest. The two of us are criminals, we were going to lose everything regardless. I've had time to reflect on my actions while in here and I realized I was way in over my head. If anything, this is karma."
Receiving a message, Winter stared at her scroll, nodding to herself before moving toward the door. Jacques pounded against the hard light barrier again, a look of desperation on his face. "Wait… you aren't seriously planning on leaving me here, are you? I'm your father!"
"No, you aren't. You are just my family's sperm donor, you were never our father. But don't worry, I'm not as cruel as you think I am. Once we're all finished, we'll move the both of you to safety."
He sighed with relief. "Oh, Winter, thank you, I-"
"Don't thank me, thank Weiss. It was her decision, we're it up to me, I'd leave you here to suffer. I have work to do." she said, hastily leaving. Jacques sat down, grasping his head tightly.
"Atlas… falling, after everything I've worked for… it'll all cease to exist. My company, my house…"
"Consider your debt squared, Jacques. If you hadn't given Arthur Watts those codes, none of this would have happened. The death of Atlas falls squarely on your shoulders. Congratulations, you successfully destroyed this Kingdom, far worse than what Ironwood was doing. How does it feel knowing you'll be remembered for that instead of your contributions to society?"
"Shut the hell up, Witch!"
Down in Central Command, Stella was sitting at the main console, alarms blaring around her as the Staff started to evacuate. She watched them with vague interest, her eyes flitting about every single screen available to her. Sylvie had been plugged into the mainframe, and she has easily accessed her programs through it. With every bit of processing power from Atlas's massive Supercomputers, she was able to tap into every bit of Atlas's Network. The compound shook a bit, partially tilting, sending cups, pens, plates, and other loose items tumbling to the floor. She grabbed the underneath of a desk, pulling her chair back, anchoring in place with some hard-light hooks.
"Probably should have planned this one out thoroughly," she mumbled to herself, opening a direct feed to Nicholas Schnee Arena. She smirked, typing a command into the console, hitting Enter with a smile. She watched as the hard-light shields over the stadium kicked on, sending the Nevermores perched on it flying. "And the people of Mantle are safe and ready to evacuate, all doors have been locked and shuttered shut, Cadence and eat a bag of baby dicks."
"Stella, how are we doing on that missile?"
"Still running some code for it, James. I've been shoring up our security and ensuring Cadence doesn't pull a fast one on us. I also pinpointed the vehicle she'd been using to get around and locked it on her. She's been kicking it for the last ten minutes and it's hilarious."
"Good, keep an eye on her. Have you spotted Cinder Fall or Arthur Watts anywhere?"
"I haven't, I've been using the Surveillance system along with their pictures but they haven't brought back any hits. At this point, we can't really worry about them. We have much bigger things to worry about," she said, her eyes falling on Monstra's corpse, still fading away into ash.
"Beep beep beep! Fat Man source code has been acquired, initializing trajectory changing sequence." Sylvie announced, making Stella grin.
"Gotta go, General, keep your eyes out on the edge of Atlas, you'll see the results of your science team's hard work soon," she said, ending the call. She cracked her fingers, rapidly typing on the console, opening several windows. Several prompts opened up, each one receiving their input.
"Fat-Man's trajectory has successfully been changed. Estimated time for strike, 2 minutes." Sylvie announced, making her sigh. She leaned back, resting her feet on the console in front of her, grabbing an abandoned apple. She wiped it against her shirt, biting into it.
"Real shame Atlas is falling, I would have loved to have access to this place for a little while longer," she said, swallowing the fruit in her mouth. She narrowed her eyes for a moment as she focused on a surveillance camera feed. She bit into her apple as the doors slid open, and with a snap of her fingers, she sent a blast of hard-light energy flying back. A swirl of flames filled the room, destroying the cannon blast completely.
She rose to her feet, stretching her arms above her head as she whirled around, turning to face the Fall Maiden. Arthur Watts stood beside her, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. "Here I was hoping this place would be filled with people, now I have no one to take my aggression out on."
"Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but people aren't just things for you to kill when your life turns to shit. But why would I waste my breath on a genocidal maniac like you?" she asked, flexing her fingers a bit.
"We're going to have to agree to disagree…" Cinder said, chuckling. She paused, her eye widening a bit. "Ah… look at you, what a beautiful set of silver eyes you have."
"You should be wary, Cinder. This young lady destroyed several Grimm as a child when she tapped into those powers. We don't know what kind of training she's had, she could be stronger than Ruby Rose."
"Looks like I'll have to tear them out of her skull then," she said, shooting forward. Stella grabbed a hold of Sylvie, who morphed into her signature weapon. She swung her chainsaw at Cinder, taking her by surprise.
She flew back, using the back wall as a springboard, flying forward with the aid of her powers. She threw a flaming punch at Stella, who angled her chainsaw to block it, pushing her back, spinning around, throwing a heavy strike at her. Stella swung her weapon hard, making Cinder duck left and right to avoid each strike. She leaped over a console, which Stella sliced clean in half.
Cinder growled, floating in the air. She held her arm out, several flaming knives appearing around her. She flicked them forward, forcing Stella to dodge them, each knife stabbing into the ground. She detonated each one, causing the room to shake.
"Cinder, would you watch what you are doing? We can't afford to damage the equipment here." Arthur berated, making her frown. She ignored him, shooting herself forward, bringing her leg down on Stella. She swung her chainsaw, parrying her kick, causing her to gasp. Stella let out a shout as she followed up her attack, the powerful strike sending Cinder flying to the back wall. She cried in pain, her aura flashing briefly.
"Well, I was expecting you to be a threat, yet here you are getting your ass kicked by me." the silver-eyed woman said, snapping her fingers. She fired hundreds of hard-light blades at Cinder, who met her in kind, destroying each one with a glass sword of her own.
"Silence, wretch." Cinder howled, her eye flashing brightly as she prepared her next attack, only to stop when a flashing light pulsed through the room. An air-raid siren shot out of the speakers, causing them all to look at the screen.
"Warning, Hypersonic Missile inbound. Waring, Hypersonic Missile inbound. Strike location: Atlas Agricultural District." the computer replied, a screen automatically opening. It showed a life feed of a flaming warhead soaring over Atlas.
Stella merely smirked, taking her chance to attack Cinder, throwing her back against the wall, making her scream in pain and surprise. She darted toward the door, pausing only to flip off Arthur Watts, smirking. "Au Revoir, dickwad. I hope you enjoy hitting the ground at terminal velocity!"
The woman darted away, the doors closing behind them. Cinder rapidly stood up, about to follow when her attention fell on the screen. She could only watch as the warhead struck the edge of Atlas. It detonated the second it made contact with Monstra's remains, a swirl of light-blue light and violet swirling around it before exploding in a massive fireball. The entire kingdom seemed to rock, almost knocking them off their feet as it settled, the smoke cloud towering high above. The entire piece of land Monstra's corpse had been on broke apart, what was left of its corpse falling off onto the abyss below.
"Well… if Salem was almost done repairing herself, this certainly set her back a few hours."
"That doesn't matter right now, you said you could slow down the evacuation, right? That's what I need you to do. I have other plans. I need to find a portal and get into those lanes, if we want to retrieve those Relics, then we're going to have to fight for them." she said, glancing over her shoulder at Arthur. "Do enjoy yourself… I've got things to do."
Arthur rolled his eyes, waving her off as he sat down at the console. He slid his finger across the panel, dimming the lights a bit. His eyes scanned all of the screens in front of him, smiling. He rolled his shoulders, beginning to type.
xxx
Team RWBY raced forward the moment Ambrosius disappeared, moving straight toward their friend. Penny slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she looked at her hands, opening and closing them for a few seconds. She gasped a bit when she saw an identical copy of herself standing beside her. Her body blinked and twitched, arms moving in odd directions before falling to the ground, jostling for a moment before falling still. She shifted her gaze, focusing on Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Levi, who were giving her looks of concern.
"Penny? Are you okay?" Ruby asked. She didn't move for a moment, jumping forward, wrapping Ruby into a tight hug, making her groan a bit.
"Do hugs always make you feel this warm inside?" she curiously asked.
"Yes." the girl said, hugging her back.
"Wow! More!" she cried, hugging Yang, almost knocking her off her feet. She did the same with the rest of her friends, a bright smile on her face.
"Before anything else, we got to celebrate," Levi said, reaching for the small pouch behind his back. "I stopped by a vending machine on our way here, used a bit of ice and gravity dust to make sure it didn't get shaken or warm. Here you go."
Penny took the can of Dr. Piper into her hands, shuddering a bit from how cold it felt. She looked it over for a moment before popping the tab, remembering how to do it from the many times she had seen her friends. She held the can to her lips, taking a soft tentative sip. Her eyes widened a bit as she tasted it, holding the can tightly in both hands as she drank the rest.
"It's so sweet and good, oh, I love it!"
"Well, we should probably get to work, we still have an evacuation to plan," Blake said, glancing at Weiss. She twirled the staff around expertly, waiving it in front of them.
"Ambrosius!" she called out. Within seconds, the spirit within returned, a grin on his face.
"Ah! Free to create and it's you guys again," he said, deflating as he crossed his arms.
"We're not done with you yet." the former heiress said, making him pout.
"Fiiine, what else shall I do for you?"
"Okay, we'll give you the quick version. Can you make a bunch of doorways in Atlas that open up in a single point in Vacuo?" Yang asked, making him quirk a brow.
"Sure! I'll just need coordinates and specks for each door, an explanation for bending time and space to account for the much greater traffic on one side and single point of exit on the other," he announced. Penny and Ruby shared a look while Weiss sighed audibly.
"Okay, that's about what we expected. So, we need to funnel everyone through a central location first."
"You're gonna have to tell me more about this central location first. For starters, uh… where is it?"
Yang gestured around them. "Here. A place like these vaults, wherever they are, they aren't a part of Remnant. Only accessible if you know the right way in. Seems like a safe enough place for thousands of refugees."
The spirit chuckled in amusement. "You kids are either smart or much more foolish than you realize. I'm gonna need a reference?"
Levi reached into his pocket, opening his scroll, projecting his calculation as well as his plans for the exit portal. "I created this schematic calculating the approximate size of each door as well as the foot traffic going through it. As for our coordinates, we need this portal to appear just outside of the Kingdom Capital in the nation of Vacuo."
"And here's my reference, the design plans for the pneumatic tubes at Snow Shoe Shipping as well as their final destination within Atlas Academy," Weiss added. Ambrosius stared at both scrolls for a moment, smiling.
With a snap of his fingers, he shot out a swirl of golden energy, which took the shape of a glittering doorway. On the inside, straight and narrow paths each connected to each other, as hundreds of other portals appeared across Atlas and Mantle. They all met in a large central location before extending to the largest portal in the end, leading to Vacuo.
"Perfect, people will enter from Atlas and Mantle on one side… and leave on the other side. With a one-way ticket to Vacuo." Weiss stated, glancing back at the spirit.
"Alright, seems like everything appears to be in order. You were quite thorough, disappointingly so." Ambrosius said, crossing his arms in sorrow.
"Sorry, we just wanted to keep it short and sweet. Believe me, General Ironwood had a much better idea. Turning Atlas into a moving landmass propelled by huge rockets and everything, but those plans fell to the wayside." Levi said, pocketing his scroll.
"Oh, what? That sounds so much more interesting than this! Just thinking about the propulsion system gets me going. Ah well, a project for another time."
"Ahem, is the portal system done?" Weiss asked, getting his attention.
"Yes," he replied, brushing them away. Just before they passed through the portal, he called out to them, causing them to stop. "Oh, and one last point of clarification about this central location…"
He became completely still, his jovial appearance morphing into one of seriousness. "Do not fall."
His ominous message sent shivers down their spines. What could that have meant? None of them knew. He shrugged, picking at his nails. "Well, with that ominous warning out of the way, I bid you, adieu. If you need anything else after this, do give me a wave, I get so lonely in there, you know?"
Finally fading away, Weiss turned to Penny, handing her the Staff of Creation, which shrunk down to a more compact travel size. "What now?"
"We all go to Vacuo and hope everyone else has stuck to the plan. We're gonna have to be careful, Cinder and Cadence are still out there." Ruby said, giving Penny a firm look. "No matter what happens, you go to Vacuo, Do not risk yourself or the Staff, we can't let them win."
"I understand, Ruby. I won't let you down."
The six turned to the portal, staring at it wistfully for a few moments. Levi took a hold of Weiss's hand, giving it a squeeze. She returned it with one of her own, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"We'll be fine."
"I know, but I can't help but worry," he replied, watching as Blake, Yang, Ruby, and Penny stepped into the portal. He reached into his pocket for an old-school radio, the kind that were used years before scrolls were invented. "I picked a pair of these up in Mantle a while back. If anything happens, use it to contact me. I'll turn mine on every day at dawn, alright?"
"Nothing is going to happen, we're going to walk through that portal together. Understood?" she said. He nodded, sharing a kiss with her. She leaned into it, kissing him back with every ounce of love she had in her system. "I love you, Levi."
"I love you too, Weiss. Now come on, we can't waste time."
Without a moment to lose, the pair walked into the portal, and into their destiny.
A/N: Here it is, the penultimate chapter of this arc, and one of the fun ones to write. Changing the ending of this arc was something I had planned for a while, but certain things still needed to happen. So, I decided to mold it into something that could be used for this story. There are a lot of changes in the next chapter as well, that will certainly deviate from the canon. One character I've had fun working on has been Cadence. Showing her before and after meeting Salem has been fun. I don't usually write insane characters because they can be a bit touch and go. They can be hard to keep balanced, but Cadence has been fun. She balances the craziness with surprisingly insightful conversation. Her chats with her sister have been the best to write. I drew a bit of inspiration from Hedger's Joker with her. Crazy, but not stupid.
I set up Penny drinking soda way back, a long time ago lol. I always wanted her to at least try something when she got her human body. I think it was nice that Levi kept his word and gave her a soda. Penny finally being human was what all of us wanted, and then CRWBY fucked us over. We should be used to that by now lol. That's all I have for story announcements. The next chapter will be the final update of this story. After nearly two years and all this time, it will end once more, until the next arc that is. I noticed that I tend to write story arcs in chunks of 33. So the next 33 Chapters will likely involve events based on Volume 9. That one has been hard to work into something usable, given that Neo is no longer an enemy, a lot of things have to be discarded, but I like Ruby's journey through it, minus the scene where she drinks the tea, and literally no one reacts to that. Sometimes, episodes can be well written, other times, they can be emotionally stunted, there is no in-between it seems. And I guess by the time I return to this story and write another 33-chunk arc, we'll be over 1 million words. Fancy that... another story hitting a million. Never thought I'd hit that milestone again, especially after the depression writing that was Ever After High.
Well, anyway, that's about it. To the salty reviewer in my comment section. Keep it up, your angry rants fuel me. Me and my close friends have been having fun clowning on you. I await your salt, winter is coming and I'll need it to salt my balcony. See you later~