Chapter 21: Just Like Beacon

By the time the riots were finally over, a good majority of Mantle's population had been arrested. The entire thing was a disaster and Dbroha was only half conscious by the time the dust settled. The military had to work through the night to get all the prisoners transported, but luckily, that didn't include the teams or Qrow. Currently, the boy was supposed to be training with Elm today, but she had been called away to help, so he was on his own in the training room. Honestly, it didn't make much sense for him to train without a partner at this point, so he instead was watching an interview with Robyn on his Scroll about the riots since today was the day of the election.

"Although rioting in Mantle is finally under control, how does it feel to know the majority of those involved were your supporters?" The newscaster asked.

"I don't condone rioting." Robyn answered. "Especially when our city is being denied aid for the hardships we've already had to go through, but Jacques Schnee's latest stunt is holding the city hostage for his own political gain. So I understand their anger, but ask that they show it not in the streets, but at the polls today."

"Dbroha."

The boy looked up to see Ironwood, Clover, and Ciel approaching him. He scrambled to hide his Scroll.

"Uh General! I was..."

Clover chuckled. "It's all right, Dbroha. Elm only just decided to tell me she left you without a training partner."

Ciel stood straight. "I take responsibility. I should have assumed control over his training for the day when more aid was requested."

"No! I should've kept training or gone with others!" Dbroha tried to defend Ciel.

Ironwood waved it off. "It's fine. Considering the circumstances, we've decided to give you and your friends the night off."

"Oh...thank you, General."

Ironwood motioned for the boy to follow as the other two began to go over reports about the riots in Mantle and the overall unrest.

"Considering everything that's happened, we should be grateful the riots weren't worse." Clover noted.

Ciel nodded. "Indeed. Though with the recent reports, the possibility of more riots is high. I would suggest increasing security."

"Won't that make everyone more nervous though?" Dbroha asked. The adults looked at him and he felt a bit nervous, but kept speaking. "I mean, the reason why the riots started was because Jacques is holding Mantle hostage. General, wouldn't providing aid to Mantle not only reduce stress, but also remove Jacques blackmail?"

"While that is true, Dbroha, Atlas cannot afford to divert resources from the Amity project. Construction of the tower is top priority."

"General, I think you're overestimating how much Mantle can carry on its own. People can bend, but they're bound to break eventually."

"Dbroha." Ciel scolded.

"Let him speak." Ironwood insisted.

"No offense General, but people don't just fall in line, especially when they don't know what's going on. If you keep tightening your grip on Mantle, it's going to slip."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said.

Dbroha knew it was a lie, he was barely listening and he couldn't exactly blame the General. Ironwood was asking for complete control, something that just wasn't an option given the circumstances. Maybe it was the amount of power Ironwood was used to having, but he seemed to think that simply puppeteering Mantle would only end well, when in reality, it was only becoming a bigger target for Grimm. Honestly, Dbroha was grateful for the election today. Considering what he saw, there was no way Robyn would lose and maybe her being on the Council would at least take the edge off the citizens of Mantle. Eventually, the group came to the training room where the older kids were. It was impressive how strong everyone was getting.

"Clover wasn't kidding." The General greeted. "You're really giving this your all."

"Well, we have to deal with the way things are going." Ruby pointed out.

The General nodded as Ciel pulled out a hologram of the current polls. Robyn had a substantial lead.

Ironwood frowned. "They're not going well, are they?"

Yang leaned against Oscar with a smile. "Better Robyn than Jacques Schnee."

"Oh, I suppose so. Either way, this election doesn't bode well for our stability."

"It should at least calm down Mantle a bit." Dbroha brought up.

Ruby nodded. "And it could be a chance to work with Robyn and get Mantle on your side."

"The likelihood of that working-," Ciel tried to calculate before Nora cut her off.

"They're right. You have to do something about Mantle. If you could get Robyn to trust you."

"I bet if you opened up to her, she'd understand you're being framed." Jaune suggested.

"You wouldn't be the first to mention it." The General looked to Dbroha, who bashfully whistled and walked over to stand with his sisters. "Perhaps, but it will only work if she's open too."

Nora wanted to argue more, but Ren stepped forward. "I take it you're here for new mission assignments?"

The dragon looked at the older boy. He had noted some coldness in him recently. Ren had always been reserved, but this was different, more forceful. Dbroha even started suspecting he was trying to hide his emotions from even him (if that were possible). What was wrong?

Clover, noting Ironwood frustration, stepped forward to deliver the good news.

"You could say that. The General and I want you to take the rest of the day to recuperate."

"You're giving us the night off?" Blake asked.

Ironwood recomposed himself and smiled. "Ordering it. After tonight's election, we'll be waking up to a very different Atlas tomorrow. I need you rested and ready for whatever that may bring."

Dbroha saw Ruby look down, telling she was thinking about the secrets they had hidden. He leaned against her, offering support, and she relaxed. He only hoped they were doing the right thing.

(Timeskip)

Given their new free time, everyone was ready to go out tonight and enjoy the little peace they'd likely have for a while.

"We still have hours ahead of us, but as votes come in, it looks more and more certain that Robyn Hill will fill the open Council seat." Weiss's Scroll blared.

Ruby and Dbroha watched it with her from the top bunk as Yang laid in her bunk below and Blake was putting on makeup at the vanity. Weiss walked away, slightly confused.

"There's no way my father could've thought layoffs would do anything but hurt him. So why announce this the day before the election?"

Yang got up. "Just seems like a power play that backfired to me. Won't matter in a few hours though."

"Where are you guys going?" Ruby asked as Yang walked over to Blake.

"Team FNKI invited us out dancing." Blake answered, sounding very relaxed. "Yang and I thought it would be good to get our minds off the election."

"I thought you said Team FNKI was annoying?" Ruby pointed out to her sister.

Yang smirked. "That's the best part about dance clubs." She then whispered. "I can't hear you."

Blake laughed as Dbroha rolled his eyes.

"They're not that bad."

Nora and Ren then walked in, looking for the Rose sister and brother.

"Ruby, Dbroha, come on!" Nora insisted.

Weiss shot them a look. "I still can't believe you're going to that thing."

"Just because Ironwood dislikes Robyn, doesn't mean we all have to." Nora shot back.

Dbroha nodded. "She seemed okay when I did the soul check."

"See? From where I'm standing, both of them seem to be trying their best to help Atlas. As to who's doing a better job..."

Weiss sighed at the red head's comment. "But a victory party?"

Ruby shrugged as she and her brother walked over to the other two. "Invite's still open if you want in. Penny and Ciel are gonna be working security."

Weiss looked at them, then back at Yang who was laughing and failing to teach Blake to dance. Neither seemed very enticing. Then Jaune and Oscar appeared.

"Hey, Oscar and I are hitting the movies if anyone wants-."

"Yup!" Weiss quickly answered.

"Oh. Okay."

Dbroha snorted, but didn't exactly blame Weiss. The only reason he was going with Ruby and the others was because he wanted out of the Academy and he needed to talk to Ciel. Down in Mantle, loading trucks filled with Hill supporters drove through the streets cheering. Ren looked at it suspiciously.

"I understand Weiss' point though. A victory party does seem a bit premature."

Nora rolled her eyes while smiling. "Aw, let them have one sure thing."

"Probably the last sure thing before Amity Tower goes up and everyone learns about...what we're fighting." Ruby added.

"We spent so much time worrying about how Ironwood will react to the truth about her." Ren noted. "But have any of us considered how we're even going to beat her if we manage to work past that?"

Nora shrugged. "Jinn said she can't be beaten."

"Jinn said she can't be destroyed." Dbroha corrected. "And she told Oz that."

"So...maybe someone else could?" She looked over at Ruby, who shook her head.

"I don't know."

Ren looked down. "We should be training right now."

"We've trained enough!" Nora shot back. "Take some time to-,"

"We don't have time!"

Ruby and Dbroha pulled back as the two began arguing, feeling uncomfortable and wondering if this was a good idea.

"We should've gone to the movies..." Dbroha sighed.

They all walked into the warehouse being used for the party. Music was blaring and people were dancing and throwing rocks and kicking the drones from the streets. Up on stage was a screen showing the progress of the election. Robyn was still in the lead, but it was getting smaller. Penny then peeked her head out from the crowd.

"Ruby, Dbroha, Nora, Ren!"

"Hey, Penny." Ruby waved, Ren and Nora still refusing to look at each other.

"I am so glad you made it. It's just Marrow, Ciel, and I tonight, so more friends means more fun." She then glanced around. "Where are the others?"

"Weiss is out with the boys." Nora answered. "And Blake and Yang are off doing their own thing. Again."

Ren shrugged. "At least they're back to being friends."

Despite his age and complete ignorance of romance, Dbroha facepalmed, knowing Ren had said something stupid.

"Friends, huh?" Nora challenged. "Just friends?"

"What else would they be?"

"Oh, look I see Ciel! Better go talk to her! Bye!"

Dbroha bolted towards the crowd, not sticking around for that awkward conversation. He sighed in relief as he vanished into the crowd and decided to actually find the older girl. She was standing near the front, away from the crowd and sticking out due to her military posture. Dbroha approached.

"Hi, Ciel!"

She nodded. "Good evening, Dbroha. I assume you accompanied your sisters tonight?"

"Just Ruby, Nora, and Ren. Weiss went to the movies and Blake and Yang are at a dance club."

"I see. We aren't you with them, I assumed you wanted to give Penny some company."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

She perked curiously. "Training?"

"No." The boy rubbed his arm. "I wanted to apologize...for what I said in Pietro's office. I wouldn't have said anything if I'd known."

Ciel flinched slightly, barely noticeable. "Again, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn't know."

"I just wanted to say, I get it. It's...not easy to talk about. But, it isn't bad to miss her, or to talk about her."

Ciel looked down, her shoulders slacking. It was the most unguarded Dbroha had ever seen her.

"I...suppose that you are correct. It's just...difficult not to be overwhelmed by it. The emptiness, the anger at losing her to someone else's error, I just find it easier and more professional to keep it in."

"That's totally normal, but I find feelings have a way of coming out. It's better to talk them out then explode on someone, but that's just me. And if you need an ear, I'm always open for it."

She sighed then smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. Go enjoy the night."

The two said their goodbyes and Dbroha went back to wandering. He eventually found Penny and Ruby walking towards backstage and joined them. There, they found Marrow standing guard.

He looked at the two newcomers, a bit shocked and putting his hands on his hips in annoyance. "Oh hey, what...what're you two doing here?"

"Just hanging out with a friend while she's on the job." Ruby explained as she offered a fist bump to Penny.

Penny lit up in delight and accepted, possibly breaking Ruby's knuckles.

"Yeah, real cute." Marrow huffed. "Look, try not to be too much of a distraction. We need to be vigilant in case-,"

"In case someone sneaks up on you?" Dbroha finished as one of the Happy Huntresses (May as he had been informed by Clover earlier) approached.

Marrow flinched as she gave him a stern look.

"In case what?"

The Faunus met her gaze. "In case someone tries to start trouble."

"Oh funny, that's why we're here. So feel free to take a hike."

"Listen, the General's trying to help, all right? Just cause you can't understand-,"

Dbroha wanted to stop Marrow from antagonizing May who was prepping to kick his but, but Robyn appear, beating him to the punch.

"What's going on here, Wags?" She then looked at the younger ones. "Oh, and the pipsqueak and Wings are back."

Ruby growled at the nickname while Dbroha thought his was not very creative.

Marrow scoffed, composing himself. "We're concerned about security risks, ma'am. The General doesn't want any surprises tonight."

Johanna then appeared, looking suspiciously at Dbroha.

"And you'd have a kid protect us?"

"He's still training, but he can hold his own." Marrow insisted.

May rolled her eyes. "Isn't he a little young to be in military training? Do we need a repeat of the last time Atlas began to consider younger recruits?"

"Last time?" Dbroha repeated.

Marrow shut it down. "This is completely different. He's just a unique case, nothing more."

Robyn looked at them again before waving them off and marching towards the stage. "Just stay out of the way." She then looked back, less hostile. "If I get elected tonight, we'll all have to learn how to get along."

May and Johanna did not like that idea, but Marrow nodded.

"Sure, we won't have any problems, as long as you stay within the law."

"The law isn't perfect, you know." Robyn argued. "It's certainly not equal."

"Trust me, I'm well aware."

"My only goal is that all citizens of Mantle and Atlas, and Faunus, have an equal shot at a good life."

"That sounds great, and you're planning to do all that equalizing legally, right?"

Johana and Robyn smirked at each other.

"Everything I've done is legal."

"Of course. 100%."

Deciding that Marrow was being unreasonably aggressive, Dbroha chose to crack a joke shamelessly to break the tension.

"Well I'd definitely prefer learning to get along with you, Miss Hills, than a certain white rat I'd probably set on fire at the first opportunity."

Ruby snorted, Marrow held it in but his tail gave him away, and Robyn chuckled.

"Okay, this one's definitely my favorite of your newbies."

A microphone screeched caught their attention (and nearly made the boy's ears bleed) and made them turn to the stage. Fiona was up there with the mic, also in pain, but laughed it off.

"Ha Ha, well, that worked."

There was another standoff with the grownups, but eventually Marrow walked off, snapping at the siblings.

"Scram kids, we've got a job to do."

"No need to bark." Dbroha huffed under his breath as the crowd began to chant Robyn's name.

Ruby blew a raspberry as Marrow vanished, making Penny laugh.

The two bid farewell to the robot girl and headed back to where Nora and Ren were. They were still arguing.

"Can we please just not do this right now?" Ren asked.

"We should've just gone to the movies." Ruby sighed.

Dbroha nodded. "You can bail if you want, I'll watch them."

Ruby took the opportunity without hesitation and Dbroha watched the back and forth between Ren and Nora as Fiona began to speak.

"I want to thank everyone for going to the polls today. This is Mantle's moment." The crowd cheered. "I know that, like me, you're all thrilled that we chose Robyn as our voice in Atlas. No one has fought harder for Mantle than she has. And I know Robyn will continue that fight on the Council. Will you share a few words?"

Robyn stepped up, taking the mic, causing the trio to look towards the stage.

"I've never been much for public speaking, probably wasn't my best idea going into politics. Thank you so much, everyone, for choosing me. You said you believe in me, but I'm the one who believes in all of you. You've proven to me that as individuals, we are strong, but together, we are unstoppable."

The crowd cheered, and Dbroha smiled. She'd make a good Councilwoman.

"So no matter what happens tonight, win or lose, we will continue to fight for our city, because it is this city that brings us together."

Everyone cheered loudly as the announcer blared.

"We're in the final minutes now, and it's looking to be a closer race than anticipated."

Dbroha noticed the screen and race inching closer. Something creeped into him, a bad feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. He turned to alert Nora and Ren, only to see them kissing. His face went red and he nervously whistled before heading into the crowd to look for Ruby. He had too much of preservation instinct to interrupt that. He managed to slip to the front of the crowd and saw his sister.

"Ruby!" He called.

She turned, but something caught both of their eyes as the countdown began. Dbroha made out something thin and shiny. A snake? No, too metallic and it was way too cold for them. He saw a hood figure turn and felt dread crash onto him as Ruby's expression became horrified.

"Watch out!" Ruby yelled.

The warehouse became pitch black, but Dbroha's eyes still pierced the darkness. He wished they could though as screams rose from the crowd with the sounds of flesh being sliced. Dbroha saw the hooded man tearing into the crowd and saw his face. Though they had never met, Ruby, Nora, Ren, Jaune, and Qrow had described him enough times for the boy to know: Tyrian, the scorpion Faunus sent by Salem to hunt Ruby and him. Dbroha acted without thinking, crashing into maniac, cursing not having his weapons. Tyrian staggered, caught slightly off guard by the boy's lightning reaction, but easily tossed him aside and continued to rampage. Dbroha skidded on all fours, getting right back up as Tyrian tore up the crowd. He charged back in, his scales now on his arms to guard against Tyrian's crescent blades, but male was ready for him this time. Tyrian easily caught Dbroha, grinning madly, but the boy did not falter, breathing fire and lighting the room for a second before being punched in the throat. Dbroha gasped, staggering back as he kicked hard enough to be knocked into the stage. Dbroha struggled to speak as he called out to Penny, who he knew could also see in the dark.

"Penny! The center of the crowd!"

Above the screams, he heard Penny's swords activate.

"Put down your weapon and surrender!" She ordered.

Thinking that Penny could hold him off, Dbroha forced himself up as the Huntresses were called together by Robyn. Fiona turned to Robyn.

"Come on, we've gotta get you outta here!"

Dbroha saw Tyrian suddenly appear from the wing of the stage, charging straight for the sheep Faunus.

"Look out!" He jumped up and flew out Fiona, pushing the both from the psycho.

"GAH!" The boy yelped as he felt something graze his arm and side.

What the-? His Aura should've protected him. He didn't let it deter him though. The second he and Fiona hit the ground, he swirled back to the crowd.

"PENNY! ON STAGE! HE'S GOING AFTER ROBYN!!"

He shot a blast at Tyrian, his throat still aching from the earlier hit. Tyrian easily side stepped, grinning evilly, but his face was lit up for a second. There was a loud crash as Penny's jet boots flashed. Tyrian vanished from Dbroha's sights as Penny got back up, swords drawn. Finally, the lights came back on. People were obviously still panicking as Dbroha sat up, looking at Fiona.

"You okay?" She nodded and he turned back to his friend. "Penny, where'd he go? I can catch up to him!"

Fiona suddenly grabbed his shoulders. "Hey kid! Hold still! You're hurt!"

"What?" Dbroha winced as he felt his side burn.

He lifted up his arms, seeing his scales cracked from where the blade hit them. That was new. He was more concerned about the blood on his fingers and looked down to see a gouge in his side. Fiona tried to get him to lie down, but Dbroha forced himself to his feet.

"I'm fine! Penny, which way?!"

"Dbroha, don't move!" Ruby yelled.

Penny and Dbroha turned to see the crowd and realized that everyone was looking at the robot girl fearfully. Robyn also had her weapon trained on her. It then struck them how this looked, that Penny had been the attacker. She put her swords away.

"I-I didn't!" She tried to explain.

"She didn't do any-GAH!" Dbroha stumbled to his knees, gripping his wound.

"Dbroha!" Ruby yelled as she raced up on stage to help her brother.

Ciel was also quick to act, jumping on stage to push a towel into his side and apply pressure.

"It's not deep enough to kill him, but he needs medical attention."

"Poison, he could've been poisoned!" Ruby tried to explain as Ren and Nora also ran up to the stage.

"What happened?!" Nora asked.

"Tyrian's here!" Dbroha blurted out, flinching again.

"Don't move." Ciel scolded.

They and Marrow climbed onto the stage as the crowd charged angrily.

"Stay!" Marrow ordered, freezing them in their tracks. "Get Penny and Dbroha out back now!"

Ciel quickly dragged Dbroha to his feet as Nora led Penny out. Ren kept his weapon on Robyn who turned to her fallen teammate. Fiona pushed her back.

"I'm fine! He's the one that's hurt!"

Ruby got up and nearly vomited at the blood trail her brother was leaving. Marrow snapped her out of it.

"He'll be fine." He reached out to Robyn. "Are you-," An arrow whizzed past him, shot by Johana, and Ruby began to pull him away. "This wasn't us, I swear."

They all regrouped in the alleyway, shaken heavily. Ciel was able to make a makeshift bandage for Dbroha with her sweater.

"He needs medical attention." She said firmly to Marrow.

He nodded. "Penny, you and Dbroha get back to Atlas. Backup's on the way. Penny?"

She nodded shakily and took Dbroha from Ciel, taking off. As the sirens blared and Grimm so much blood getting to her. Dbroha could hear Jacque speaking and it was only then, with horror, that he realized the rat had won.

Perfect.

Chapter 22: Cracks in the Pillars

Dbroha woke up to the sound of beeping and something dripping. He opened his eyes to see he was not in his room, but the infirmary, an IV attached to his arm and his side unpleasantly burning. He let out a deep breath and threw his head back. So it hadn't been a dream after all. Tyrian had shown up at the rally and Jacque had won the election. Everything was going to hell.

"You're up."

He turned his head to see Ciel. She had a neutral face, but was gripping her arms uncomfortably, as if holding something back.

"Hey, Ciel." He greeted, weakly. "What happened?"

"You were badly injured by a terrorist at the rally. You suffered a laceration to your side and lost a lot of blood."

"Oh, right."

He attempted to sit up, but flinched as his side burned. The older girl immediately pushed him back down, forcefully but with a gentle touch.

"Don't. You're still not fully healed. I can say you were fortunate. Ruby informed me the assailant had venom and we found none in your system."

"He didn't sting me?"

That was odd to the boy. Thinking back, he hadn't seen Tyrian sting anyone, just slashed them. Why hadn't he used his tail? Still, he had a more important question.

"How many people did he hurt?"

Ciel looked down, somberly. "2 people were killed, and many more were injured."

He growled and slammed his fist to the bed. He should've been faster than that!

"However, I would personally say your actions saved many more lives."

"What about Penny? Is she okay?"

"The Protector...Penny, has unfortunately been blamed for the attack."

"What!? But Penny was trying to protect them from Tyrian! She saved Robyn's life, I saw it!"

"While that is true, not everyone has night vision like you. And right after the attack, video taken from the surveillance systems was altered to look as if Penny were the culprit. The people are calling for her deactivation."

Ciel brought up a recording that showed Penny at the rally, attacking civilians.

"That's a lie!" Dbroha growled. "Penny didn't hurt anyone!"

She nodded. "Yes, but fortunately, it seems that conflicting reports have kept Penny safe for now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well-,"

The door opened, revealing Ironwood and Clover.

"I see he's awake."

Ciel saluted and stepped aside. Clover smiled.

"How are you feeling, kid?"

The boy shrugged. "As good as anyone who got stabbed could be, I guess."

"Good to know you're on the mend. Your sisters were so worried, we had to send them to their rooms to rest."

"Can I see them?"

"In a moment. For now, we should discuss your actions. On the one hand, you should be proud. Marrow said you acted bravely last night."

"Recklessly is what I would say." The General corrected. "Dbroha, while your intentions were admirable, you foolishly threw yourself at a crazed lunatic completely outside of your level of skill. You were lucky you didn't get yourself or anyone else killed."

"I saw attacking innocent people!" The boy argued back. "What was I supposed to do? Stand aside and let him kill them?"

"It was a dangerous gambit. You should have alerted Marrow and followed his lead."

"Marrow can't see as well in the dark as I can, and there was no time to find him. Besides, I didn't go in alone, I called Penny as soon as I could."

"Which has led Penny to be in a precarious situation where her presence is further causing a divide in Mantle. The fact of the matter remains, you should have waited for your superior officer."

"Huntsmen protect people, and that's what I was doing." The boy huffed.

Ironwood gave him a cold look. "And you're not a Huntsman yet, young man."

Dbroha felt angry. Why was he getting a lecture for doing what was right? If he hadn't acted, who knows what else Tyrian might have done.

"General?" Ciel suddenly interrupted. "If I may, I don't believe Dbroha's actions were illogical nor miscalculated."

The males all blinked at her in surprise, Dbroha especially. Ironwood nodded to her hesitantly.

"Go on."

Ciel pulled up several files and news articles, one with the headline "Testimony from Rally Survivors Contradicts Surveillance Footage".

"Regardless of Dbroha's rashness, the fact remains his quick action saved many lives last night. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the casualties may have been much higher had he not attacked Tyrian Callows. In addition, witnesses also managed to see briefly thanks to his fire breathing that he was not attacking Penny, as well as hearing him call her for help. We have him to thank for minimizing outcry for Penny's deactivation."

Ironwood was silent for a moment, contemplating. "I...suppose that is correct."

Ciel went on. "In addition, I believe we have overestimated the danger he was in to begin with. Isn't that correct, Dbroha? I believe Miss Rose mentioned it briefly."

Clover crossed his arms. "What is she talking about?"

"Oh right." Dbroha remembered. "That guy, Tyrian, we've run into him before. I mean, Ruby, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Qrow have run into him before. Ruby said that he was under orders to capture us."

"Capture?" The Ace Op repeated.

"Yeah. I...knew he couldn't kill me because his orders were to take me alive."

It was a lie. Dbroha had mostly forgotten about Tyrian's intentions when he stepped up to fight him, but he didn't want to argue anymore with Ironwood and Ciel had given him an opportunity to get out of it.

"I suppose under those circumstances, your actions weren't as reckless as they initially appeared." The General admitted. "However, I don't want this repeating, Dbroha. Regardless of your skill, you're still a child, you should leave this kind of combat to the professional."

"Yes sir." He forced out, looking down at the bed.

"Your sisters will be here shortly, so we'll leave you to rest."

Ironwood and Clover turned to leave, but stopped at the door as Dbroha called out again.

"General? If...if the witness testimony didn't stop public outcry, you wouldn't...you wouldn't have shut down Penny, right?"

Both Clover and Ciel looked uncomfortable with the question. Ironwood still had his back to the boy and was silent for an unsettling moment of time.

"We should be glad it didn't come to that, Dbroha. I will tell you that sometimes, the right decision is the hardest, and regardless of how people may feel or how horrible it seems, it must be done."

Dbroha swallowed the bile in his throat as the males left. Despite trying to dodge the question, Ironwood had given him a straight answer, and had only reinforced Dbroha's opinion that he had made the right call to step in against Tyrian. Despite being unsettled by Ironwood's dismissal of Penny's wellbeing, he was comforted that at least one person was in his corner.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, Ciel."

She looked down. "While I agree somewhat that you acted a bit more instinctively, I don't believe you should be punished for protecting the innocent. Your actions...were the actions of a Huntsman."

He smiled. "Thanks. By the way, are you okay? You look kinda...tense. Did you get hurt?"

She griped her arm again. "I am uninjured. I was more put off by your condition."

"Don't worry, I'm fine now."

"It wasn't you're wounds, it was...the scars."

His ears went red, slightly embarrassed. "Oh, I guess you haven't seen me without long sleeves before. I've had them for a while now, so I'm used to it."

"I couldn't help but notice most of them were surgical in nature."

He bit his cheek. "Yeah, I don't really like to talk about it, but before Beacon, these wh-...scientists did experiments on me and a bunch of other kids. I don't know why though."

"I...see."

"Hey, Ciel? May said something last night, about Atlas recruiting child for the military. What was she talking about?"

"That's-,"

"Dbroha!"

His sisters all came barreling and as they swarmed the bed, Ciel slipped away.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, inspecting his wrapped side as Yang gripped his cheeks.

"We were so scared! Ruby called us last night when word got out about the attack and said you got hurt pretty bad!"

"Don't ever try something like that again!" Blake said, tearing up. "If anything worse had happen-,"

"It didn't." He interrupted. "I'm fine."

"You could have bled out!" Weiss scolded. "You were lucky Penny got you back to the academy so quickly!"

"Penny. How is she?"

"She's fine." Yang assured him. "Shaken up by the whole mess, but she'll pull through. She's hanging out in her room for now, until we can prove she's innocent."

He sighed in relief as Blake hugged him. "We're just so grateful you're safe. Don't you ever scare us like that again."

"I'm okay. I promise." He then looked at Ruby, who had stayed silent this whole time. "Ruby?"

His silver eyed sister began to tear up and began sobbing as she threw her arms around him.

"I'm sorry! I should've kept you safe! You got hurt because I couldn't protect you! I'm supposed to be your big sister, I should have protected you. When I saw collapse on the stage, I was so scared I was going to lose you too!"

Dbroha hugged her back firmly, wrapping his wings around her. "It wasn't your fault, Ruby. It's mine. I got hurt because I decided to fight Tyrian. You don't have anything to say sorry for. I'm sorry for worrying you guys so much."

They all hugged and Dbroha began to feel guilty. He didn't want them to worry about him when they had bigger issues to deal with.

(Timeskip)

"Despite the contradictions between witness statements and the footage, there are still those who insist that the Protector of Mantle be deactivated." The newscaster announced as the group went over the reports in the General's office.

High amounts of rioting, a larger military presence, and Robyn Hill and the Happy Huntresses now stealing supply cars. It was a mess.

Ironwood slammed his fist against the desk. "This is the worst case scenario. More people are dead, Penny's been framed, Dbroha was nearly killed, and somehow, Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council."

Clover sighed. "That's the second shipment for Amity that was hit today. It seems election night was the last push Robyn needed to go from hometown hero to full-on vigilante."

"I'm afraid the problem is more complicated than that." Winter admitted as Ironwood sighed and began pacing.

"It seems Robyn has emboldened our suppliers in Mantle. They're refusing to sell us provisions until the city is adequately repaired. With Robyn redistributing the goods her team has stolen, the Amity Project us completely stalled."

"But we're so close!" Ruby said, standing beside her brother and Nora. "There has to be some way we can finish the tower."

"There is." The elder Schnee said. "Declaring martial law."

Everyone froze. That was the single dumbest idea anyone had presented in a while, one that would no doubt compound the problems and make it child's play for Salem's forces to destroy them. More worrying was that Ironwood seemed to be buying into it.

"You're not actually considering that, are you?" Nora pleaded.

The General stared out the window. "What's more important: establishing communications, unite the world, or appease a few city blocks."

"Last I check, General, the world includes those 'few city blocks'." Dbroha hissed. "Tightening your grip on Mantle isn't going to make them cooperate!"

"He's right!" Nora agreed. "You keep talking about how we just need a little more time, but you're not the one having to struggle."

"We have all had to make sacrifices for the greater good. Mantle has had to bear a lot of the burden, yes, but-,"

"They're bearing all of it!" The boy corrected. "And if I may, General, you have as much a responsibility to Mantle as you do to Atlas. We've run out of time."

Nora marched to the front of the group. "The longer this waiting game goes on, the harder each day gets for people down there and now you want to send in more soldiers? You can't force people to fall in line! If you do that, you'll just be trading all these problems for the Grimm!"

Ironwood locked eyes with the two who looked back fiercely. Behind them, were gazes that held agreement, uncertainty, and disapproval. He sunk into his chair, rubbed his forehead.

Ruby then approached. "Please, General Ironwood, squeezing Mantle this way...that kind of division plays right into Salem's hands. That's why Tyrian is here framing you."

"Right." Clover agreed. "The reason we called you here in the first place. You're sure this was the man you saw?"

He pulled up a wanted poster as Dbroha scoffed.

"Pretty sure I'd recognize the guy who put a hole in my side."

"Tyrian Callows was accused of murders all across Anima." Winter explained. "A homicidal maniac who escaped justice when his prison transport was attacked by the Grimm. After that, he was never seen again."

"Well, he works for Salem and he's here." Ruby confirmed.

Dbroha felt an unpleasant shiver run down his spine as he read the report about Tyrian's crimes, especially so when he read the transcripts of the prison transport. Qrow then stepped up.

"If we ever had any doubts Atlas was Salem's next target, I think those are officially out the window."

"But now we have a suspect." His niece pointed out. "We can tell the people."

"That a long-lost serial killer is loose in Mantle and the military has no idea where he is?" Clover shot back. "Might make things worse before they get better."

"Right, let's not tell the public to be on high alert for the homicidal scorpion who'd gladly kill all of us." The dragon Faunus snarked. "And while we're at it, why don't we just hang a 'Please Kill Us' sign over Mantle?"

"I am so sick of secrets!" Nora finally broke. "If we just told everyone about Amity, about Salem-,"

"We can't!" Ironwood said firmly. "If we talk about Amity now, we risk Salem's forces, who we know are here, working to sabotage it. If we tell them about Salem now, we risk failing." He stood up. "We have to finish the tower. I want Robyn Hill in custody. We can offer her a deal if she gets Mantle to cooperate."

"We'll figure it out." Clover answered as the others looked on in horror.

This was wrong. This would only make things far worse. Their only chance at stopping Salem was working together, but arresting Robyn would almost assure that Mantle and Atlas would be permanently divided.

Ironwood stood up and marched between the group. "Anyone not assisting with Robyn needs to focus on Tyrian. I want to know who he's working with, where he's hiding, what he's planning, and how exactly that video of Penny got all over my kingdom. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." The Ace Ops responded robotically.

The younger group looked uncertain and Dbroha looked defiant.

"Yes sir."

His Red eyes blinked in shock as he looked over at Ren, who stood tall. Once again, the older boy's soul was forcibly dimmed. Still, with little choice, everyone began to split up for assignments. Yang and Blake were heading out to assist Clover in a trap for Robyn; Ren, Nora, Qrow, and Jaune would be assisting the other Ace Ops in tracking down Tyrian; and Weiss, Ruby and Dbroha would stay behind to assist Pietro and Ciel in clearing Penny's name. Really they were there for emotional support for all three, but it was better than going after Robyn and none of the girls were about to let Dbroha go another round with Tyrian.

(Timeskip)

Dbroha tail slumped sadly as Pietro scanned Penny, the false footage playing in the background. Maria was there giving her old friend support as well. The robot girl was in sleep mode, yet Dbroha could see the turbulence in her soul.

"How is she doing?" Ruby asked.

"She's confused." The scientist answered. "Scared. We'll have her recorded visual data shortly."

"Cross-referencing that with the witness testimonies will prove her innocence." Ciel assured both of them as she would on a different computer, but it did little to calm the girl's father.

"The damage has already been done though. The things people are saying about her..." Pietro growled in frustration, banging one of the armrests of his chair. "If Penny hadn't been there, Robyn would be-,"

He broke out into a fit of coughing as Dbroha slumped his shoulders. He was the one who had called into the fray, causing all this.

"I don't think Robyn was their target." Ruby stated. "Salem's goal has always been to divide us. I think Penny was exactly where they wanted her."

Dbroha growled. "That's why Tyrian didn't use his tail! I can't believe I fell for it!"

"Dbroha, you couldn't have known." Weiss tried to assure him.

Maria nodded. "You were outmatched and had seconds to make a choice with lives at stake. All things considered, there were worse decisions you could have made."

"Still doesn't change the fact I fell for the same trick they pulled at the Vytal Festival."

Pietro spun around. "And just like back then, someone is using our own technology against us."

Ciel nodded, going through the footage again. "The doctored footage was undoubtedly pulled from the surveillance network down in Mantle."

Maria groaned. "Ugh, hacking, technology...why can't people just do what they used to and fight to the death? A lot simpler, if you ask me."

"Well, if we're dealing with the same enemy from Beacon, hacking into Mantle's system would be simple." The older gentleman admitted. "Fortunately, the rest of Atlas is running on an upgraded network."

"Big shocker." Dbroha mumbled before Weiss elbowed him. "I'm not wrong."

She ignored him. "How would someone get access to that network?"

"Well, only a few people have clearance: Ironwood, the council, our cyber security and surveillance leads, and maybe a select few who oversee critical systems like sewage or the heating grid."

The Schnee pondered for a moment. "The heating grid runs in partnership with the Schnee Dust Company."

"What are you thinking?" Her Leader asked.

"I don't know yet, but something isn't right."

"Understatement of the century." Maria jabbed.

Ruby sighed, looking back at the adults. "And how are you doing?"

Pietro slouched. "If Maria and Ciel hadn't offered to help me these past few weeks, I'd have likely collapsed by now. Getting a communication tower into the sky seems impossible on its own, but now, to think of what people wanna do to my girl..." He moved in front of Penny, before coughing again.

"It won't come to that." Dbroha promised. "But...even if it did, which it won't, couldn't you just reactivate her?"

Ciel paused, her face uncomfortable, as Pietro looked at him. "There's a reason why Penny is the only one of her kind." He walked over to his desk, picking up the photo Dbroha had knocked over. "When the General first challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues pursued more obvious choices. I was one of the few who believed in looking inward for inspiration."

"You wanted a Protector with a soul." Ruby responded as they approached him.

"I did. And when General Ironwood saw her, he did too. Much to my surprise, the Penny Project was chosen over all the other proposals."

"Why would you be surprised?" Weiss asked. "You created an artificial Aura."

"Well, not quite." Pietro's Aura flickered weekly, and too his bewilderment, Dbroha saw unnatural patches within it, like fabric pieces cut out of a sheet.

"You gave her part of yours?" He realized.

"Yes, and each time I rebuild Penny, it takes a little more. If the people get their wish and she's destroyed, I won't be able to..." Pietro began to cry at the thought, Maria placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's just as Dbroha said." Ciel said. "It won't come to that."

Ruby nodded as he put the photo down. "They're right. We'll find whoever's responsible. I promise."

Weiss began to go over the evidence. "The culprit has to have current or at least prior relations with Atlas, yet still be under the radar enough that they haven't raised alarms. I don't there's very many people like that."

From the corner of his eye, Dbroha saw Ciel stiffen. "Ciel?"

"I...um... Dbroha, come with me."

Confused, he looked to his older sisters. They were also confused, but nodded, giving him the go ahead to follow Ciel out the lab and into what looked like an archive room. Ciel immediately began going through the computer files, searching for something.

"Um, Ciel, what are you looking for?"

"It just crossed my mind, a list of possible suspects. Individuals who had complete access to Mantle's network."

"Who?"

She pulled up a group photo of several scientists. Dbroha winced at the sight of so many lab coats, but he swallowed back the bile. He also recognized the group in the center as those in the photo in Pietro's office.

"This was the group of scientists tasked by General Ironwood to make a scientific breakthrough."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"In order to suit the defensive needs of Mantle, the scientists were given complete access to Mantle security to help their research."

His eyes widened. "And since Mantle's network hasn't been updated..."

"Exactly. All of these scientists would still have access to the network even after all these years later." She began typing away as a few faces in the crowd were singled out. "These are the individuals that could match the profile we set. But if we filter into account skill level, public exposure, and current projects..." She began typing away again. The profiles began disappearing before one remained, the ugly mustache guy from Pietro's picture.

"You got someone!" Dbroha said excitedly.

Ciel sighed, not looking so enthused. "No, it's a dead end."

"What do you mean?"

"Arthur Watts was an Atlesean scientist who worked closely with my mother and Pietro. He was considered one of the best until he was disgraced due to his proposal and unauthorized testing of it, along with refusal to cooperate with the Penny Project."

"Sounds like a pretty good suspect to me."

"Except he's the other scientist that died in the explosion that killed my mother. The bastard likely started it to spite Pietro and my mother tried to stop him."

Ciel slammed her fist against the console in frustration. Dbroha came up to her, placing his hand on her forearm.

"It was a really good idea, Ciel. And I'm sure our guy is on this list somehow."

She stopped a moment before composing herself. "I...suppose there is no harm going over a few other possibilities in this list. Regardless of Mantle's upkeep, their shouldn't be too many individuals who'd have access."

"Then let's try to see if we can narrow it down."

It was a bit awkward as Dbroha could do absolutely nothing as Ciel scanned through file after file. Barring whistling to pass the time, the boy instead decided to make some small talk.

"So, exactly what did this Watts guy do to get disgraced?"

Ciel froze as her whole body language changed. Dbroha switched to soul vision instinctively and saw hesitation claw at Ciel's soul, as well as fear. He didn't exactly like how a simple question had completely changed her demeanor.

"Ciel?"

She took a deep breath. "I was hoping to discuss this with the General and then brief you when the issues in Mantle had been resolved. It may be better to have your sisters' here for this."

"Why? What does it have to do with me?"

"...you asked me earlier about what Ms Marigold had said, about Atlas recruiting children into the military. Well, what she said wasn't exactly what happened."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Ciel began typing away again as a new file took over the screen. At the top in big red letters was the word confidential.

"All the scientists from the previous picture had their own projects to submit for General Ironwood's assessment. This was Dr. Watts': Project Achilles. While the doe for was strictly a technological and mechanics centered scientist, he was also assisting in the research of Aura and Aura manipulation. His research led to the development of many of our Aura based technologies."

Dbroha frowned. "Like the machine Ironwood tried to use on Pyrrha and the Fall Maiden?"

"Yes, as well as what Pietro used to graft his own Aura on to Penny. However, Dr Watts didn't stop there. He believed that Aura could not only be induced at an early age, but stimulation and certain procedures performed at certain ages could permanently enhance Aura and theoretically unlock one's Semblance early."

The dragon froze as a feeling of dread sank into his belly like a stone. In the back of his mind he became painfully aware of where this conversation was going, and wasn't exactly keen on following it, and yet, he was obligated too.

"Exactly what stimulation and procedures were these?"

Ciel's expression dropped. "Induced stress...and surgical procedures. Trial runs were conducted on young teenage volunteers who came from poor backgrounds in Mantle. They weren't authorized and by the time the General found out, most of the volunteers..." Her voice trailed off for a moment, gutted by the horrible acts conducted in the name of science, but still she pressed forward. "The General was furious when he found out, yet the scientists had enough data to prove the process could work, just that the test group weren't viable candidates."

"And who was?" Dbroha asked, dreading the answer.

"...they hypothesized that children before the age of 10 would be better suited for the project. Induced stress would artificially strengthen their Aura and better suit them for combat...if they survive. Some...some had the nerve to agree with them, but Pietro and my mother would hear none of it. They implored the General to shut down the project. When protest was raised, my mother...well." She smiled softly. "She took matters into her own hands. She informed the media anonymously that the military and specifically Project Achilles was involved in the disappearances. Pietro and the General knew she had done it, but neither said anything. Most of the scientists were tried for the deaths of the volunteers, and some managed to escape, but due to his research and reputation, Dr Watts was spared, but his reputation was forever tarnished. I think Pietro's project being selected was the final straw and he chose to destroy everything he was supposed to stand for. My mother tried to stop him...but..."

Tears began to run down Ciel's face at the memory. She gripped the console desperately, trying to not break down in front of Dbroha. The boy said nothing as he approached her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. She looked at him in surprise as he hugged her. Slowly, she calmed down and began to realize how stiff his posture was, and she could almost guess the question that was about to come out of his mouth.

"Ciel, what does this have to do with me?"

She sighed, breaking the hung as she clicked a button. Photos appeared above the report, a menagerie of scars, surgical cuts, and bruises.

"These were documented from the cadavers of the volunteers. As you can see..."

Dbroha looked down at his arm before pulling down his sleeve, revealing the scarred tissue. He held it up, comparing it to the photos.

"They're just like mine."

"The first time I saw your scars, I immediately drew the connection between them, your early onset of Aura and Semblance, and the project. I wanted to tell you sooner, but circumstances prevented me. With all this talk of secrets, I thought you would want to know."

Dbroha just stared at the screen, trying to process everything. After all this time, he finally had the answers. He thought he had put the nightmare of that he'll behind him, that all that remained would be him carrying the living testimony to the nightmare on his body for the rest of his life, but the question had burned somewhere in the repressed memories. Some part of him had always wondered why, why had he and the others been subjected to that torture? Well now he knew, arrogant scientists deciding to play god after being driven underground for their crimes. Emotions whirled inside him: confusion, anger, sadness, pain, and even fear. The knowledge dug up old memories that he had been trying for years to bury, and yet some part of him was satisfied.

"Dbroha?"

"...thanks for telling me, Ciel. I'm...glad. At least I finally know why what happened to me happened."

She gritted her teeth. "It shouldn't have. The men responsible for what happened to you should have been rotting in jail, not continuing their demented work."

The boy let out a deep breath. "It doesn't matter anymore. The men who did this are dead, they got what they deserve, all that matters now is to find whoever did this to Penny and take them down."

He began to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"My room. I...I need some time to think. Alone."

She nodded. "I'll keep the others away. As far as they're concerned, you're assisting me here."

"Thanks Ciel."

He walked out, the revelations weighing down on him as he dragged his feet to his room. The truth hadn't exactly brought him complete peace. If anything, it only put him into a spiral of emotion. Another question also arose from the conversation:

If Ciel had drawn the conclusion between his ordeal and Project Achilles, had Ironwood as well?"