RWBY Crimson Timeline

by CrimsonPhoenixRWBY

Some say we're the heroes of our own story. But what if someone could tell it better?

25. Vol8 Nuclear Aftermath

div id="djs-foo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"In the grand probability of endless potential and opportunity, there exists a timeline where everything goes right, rather than wrong. A timeline where events play out as close to the current one, yet key subtle differences alter and change the fates of those touched. Within the endless reaches of time, space and opportunity, we find ourselves inside of Monstra. The heavy dose of Grimm being spat out were taking a toll. In an effort to reduce the strain on the wall, which was taking a massive pounding, Paladins were being overrun by Megoliaths and Death Stalkers, Sphinx and Teryx were assaulting the riflemen atop the wall. Manta Squads took heavy beatings from Gryphons, the Atlesian military was faltering. Against the endless mass of death that was constantly descending upon them, morale was breaking. Especially for the few who were handpicked by James and Winter to assist in capturing and holding an LZ just beyond the range of most rifles atop the wall. The bomb was being finalized and shipped upon a cargo Manta, but time was running short. Similarly, inside the bowels of the Oscar is being dragged towards the Lamp. Where Jinn's name is uttered and Emerald, Hazel and Oscar are standing face to face with the avatar of Knowledge./div
div id="djs-6bdia" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why hello old man! Do you have a question for me?", Oscar waves awkwardly, before he's pulled back, Hazel standing right in front of the entity as he gazes with intent. Before he sighs./div
div id="djs-1gjm8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I want to know if what he said was true…does Salem want the world dead"/div
div id="djs-77ifu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Jinn extended her arms. Blue mist filled the air as Emerald, Hazel and Oscar were brought towards an armored convoy. One that seemed to be made up from Atlas and Mistral soldiers. Salem grinned and waved a hand. An ocean of Grimm, not unlike the one she had unleashed upon Atlas only less intense in this 'way back when', Hazel recognised the situation. He had heard of it in passing not only in Mistral but after being recruited by Salem herself. As the prison van is knocked over and the escort dead, aside from the one inside. As the front seat driver babbles like a spooked child, asking 'what are you', over and over, Salem frees Tyrian, as the driver is mauled and slaughtered by the Grimm. Tyrian looks at her, crying tears of adoration and undivided love; "beautiful…"/div
div id="djs-5ocji" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So…Tyrian Callows…will you help me destroy the world?"/div
div id="djs-413c0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes! YES MY QUEEN!"/div
div id="djs-95kcp" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"The mist pulled back as Jinn smiled at the four of them in the room. She nodded at Oscar and gave a sly grin. "Well Old man, using one question to turn an enemy into an ally. Very clever. See you again"/div
div id="djs-6508f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"With that, she vanished and Oscar turned towards Hazel. "So…any more questions?"/div
div id="djs-b6ua6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Actually…I think I have the answer about what I need to do"/div
div id="djs-7f40j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What would that be?", Oscar asked, his eyes sparking with hop, this plan was working after all!/div
div id="djs-cj67" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What Gretchen would have done…and that starts with getting you away from here. Both of you"/div
div id="djs-fngvv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm going to need something before I go", Oscar, who saw the almost hopeful smile on Emerald's face, was ecstatic! His plan had seemed impossible. But he had managed to get two allies out of this predicament! "The Lamp and my Cane"/div
div id="djs-bcpe0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""The minute we move that thing, this place goes on high alert. Better to get you out first, then I'll come back for this. She doesn't know the password anyway"/div
div id="djs-b6obb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Right…", Oscar figures he's right. Even if Salem gets here, she wouldn't know that the last question in a few decades is already spent. He sighed and joined Emerald and Hazel on the way out, not seeing the camouflaged Neo who grins as she appears and starts skipping towards the Relic./div
div id="djs-frn21" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8m24" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sorry…", Jaune stumbles and his hand slips against the oozing wall. He makes a disgusted face before throwing the goop off of his hand. Yang grins, he sure has changed a lot since the days as failed lady killer in Beacon./div
div id="djs-6vsbp" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's not your fault. I'm masking and tracking at the same time", Ren says, the hostility from before their capture, his pent up frustrations or whatever it was, gone. Yang found it better and easier to think now, without his edgelord shenanigans./div
div id="djs-b12nj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You two need a minute?", she said, trying to set up a joke, but she had no takers./div
div id="djs-anim2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We don't have the time. Forget masking, so far we've seen no sentries so, how about I check ahead. Most corridors here are straight anyway. I'll check up to the next junction. You rest here", Jaune nodded at both and walked forwards, on guard, but with confidence. Yang had a weird smile on her face. Weiss, you're missing out! That's when she noticed Ren's face./div
div id="djs-fe7kd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well at least you two being friends again makes impending doom a little more bearable", Yang said, trying to deflect the situation that she might be scared and a little impressed by Jaune as a leader./div
div id="djs-81ufv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You don't have to pretend you're unbreakable, you know. It's ok to be vulnerable. With Jaune or Ruby", Ren said, he meant it good, but Yang's smirk turned into a frown. She wanted to deck him on the shoulder so badly. But instead decided to return the favor. Giving advice./div
div id="djs-d7g1l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When I need counseling from the guy who pushed his friends away…I'll give you a call", she said, the sass was palpable. Her disinterest in him helping her or his opinion couldn't be denied. But Ren merely sighed. Did he think I wasn't serious?/div
div id="djs-bn6oh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You're right. I've been acting like a jerk, pushing away friends and Nora. It's a miracle he's so patient with me", Ren said as he looked at the direction Jaune had taken. He was so far ahead they couldn't see him anymore. "No fear of the situation, no lingering anger at my behavior. He's a real leader and I feel bad I said those mean things…tearing the team apart…sound familiar?"/div
div id="djs-4rvmq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"His voice was soft, his eyes were soft, but Yang could feel the 'what about you' in there. She had been mean to Ruby, she had made mistakes and Yang didn't agree with her anymore. She had torn herself away from him, now she was dealing with a team that had just the same if not more problems. Her frown became an emotionless expression./div
div id="djs-5c2bt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Again…when I need your opinion…I'll ask it", Yang wanted to push past Ren, but they both saw Jaune walking back. He was gasping and gesturing for them to dive into an outcove. As they all huddled together behind his shield he grabbed Ren's arm and held it, boosting his Aura. "Mask us Ren"/div
div id="djs-914vr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yang saw the jellyfish Grimm, red tendrils and a dome. The same thing that had unleashed the image of Salem in Ironwood's office. The same one that had caused the escalation of Mante vs Atlas. She huffed and glared at it. While Jaune still tried to mask them, Yang grabbed his sword and sprang from the outcove, ramming it deep into the Grimm's body. Yet as it lay dying, it lashed out at her. She groaned as her Aura tanked the blow. But as she did, an alarm was set off and a few Beringels dropped from the ceiling, howling and pounding their chests. With her allies exposed to these things, this new variant, Yang tossed the sword back to Jaune as they went to town! While they were strong and big beasts, they were slow. And the three Huntsmen could deal with them in a timely fashion, but there was one that did roared louder and set off the alarm. As the last one turned to smoke, Ren huffed./div
div id="djs-aaib2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That wasn't necessary, what do we do now?!"/div
div id="djs-5kklb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What we always do. We charge and keep moving forward"/div
div id="djs-8pjra" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-f7mkk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-buk9n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-b1383" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Would you do the same if it was your sister inside?! Are you going to tell her what you did?!"/div
div id="djs-dm7id" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes…Marrow, I will, because it's my job. Now you go and do yours", her gesture was gentle and amicale. But Marrow's mind wasn't turned, mostly because…/div
div id="djs-9r5p1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You ignored my question about what you'd do if your sister was in there. Guess that's all I need to know"/div
div id="djs-2kj26" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3oo0j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-ahh0f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-ki7d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And who is it…that I've taken from you girl…?"/div
div id="djs-2jgk5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Summer Rose…my mom!", Yang felt a burning hatred for this creature, this thing that stood before her. They had been so close to getting out. But destiny has a weird way about itself. Salem however, noticed a problem here. She didn't have silver eyes. So this wasn't the highly valuable Rose she was hunting for, this was another mindless and useless pawn. And besides, she had seen those anger filled red eyes. She knew of another who had those, the same one who had delivered her the very person on a silver platter, even if they both didn't know./div
div id="djs-9ukut" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Her again? But you're not truthful are you, child? Your mother is the coward who ran…right after I…dealt…with Summer"/div
div id="djs-aj3ra" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yang's eyes glared back. They were cold and steely, but not enough. Water started to flood, building until they couldn't be contained and tears began dripping from Yang's eyes. Raven had known?! And she didn't tell her!? Yang was consumed by vengeful hate, but also a pain in her heart. Summer had been face to face with Salem, and only one of them was standing here. Alive. She had no idea how this could be, what this meant. All she knew was that she hated this… "You BI-hmmm"/div
div id="djs-34l0c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Hands reached from the floor, the same ones that had her and her friends and Emerald restrained. And gagged her./div
div id="djs-ev18m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Your grace…"/div
div id="djs-6ts27" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ahh Hazel…I found our guests"/div
div id="djs-apdcs" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8nuvq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-6cnok" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-incc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A cataclysmic explosion had sent her flying. The wounds she sustained dealing with Vergil had been somewhat dealt by the brace she was wearing, yet she felt as though she was still on the operating table. Inside the command center, James Ironwood had lost his patience about an 'ashen haired' individual who appeared on the camera footage and made three of his soldiers shoot themselves. Before vanishing. Coal Argent had been observing the charts, expecting to see if the bomb he had helped create would do the job of dealing with Monstra. Rouge had been sneaking transmissions and updates, mainly about the status of Monstra to May Marigold in the crater. Weiss had dropped her tray of food for the now awake Nora, while her mother was trying to be helpful, gently comforting Ruby who had shut down after the Hound Incident, Whitley busy observing the ships flying to the crater. The bang had happened. No one had 'not seen' it, even down in the Crater, where Adam Taurus had been fighting like a beast possessed, Aura drained as a single red shape in an ocean of black. His arms heavy and muscles aching, fallen to his knees as the explosion of Ozma's long stored magic over the many years was unleashed by Oscar in a desperate ploy to buy time. Winter gazed at the carcass of the slowly dissolving whale Grimm. The thing that had spewn out more Grimm than Atlas had ever seen to this point. How many had died at the wall? How many had died inside that thing? She felt a cold grasp of reality claw at her heart. Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Oscar Pine and Yang Xiao Long…were dead./div
div id="djs-eav58" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""They were still inside…", Marrow groaned as he walked up the hill and saw the epicenter of the explosion. Bones were still there, even if the flesh was vanishing into dust. He half expected a shape to pop up, smile and say 'all according to plan' or something. But this wasn't a fairy tale. No one got a happy ending. As Winter walked up next to him, he turned, his tail low, eyes filled with questions. Who had done that? What massive power had that been? Where was Juan? James came through on the comlink and congratulated them on a job well done, but also a 'full retreat' order, another problem, always a different issue that needed fixing. Marrow didn't care, he kept scanning the area. "Load it back up…we're leaving"/div
div id="djs-euh08" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Winter…we can't leave!", Marrow turned to Schnee, they both looked at one another, the clouds feeling like a volcanic eruption aftermath. Except this wasn't ash, it was Grimmified dust. "Shouldn't we retrieve the bodies?"/div
div id="djs-d5963" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""They're gone, Marrow, you said it yourself, they were inside that thing…it's highly…unlikely anyone survived", Winter said, her eyes falling to the floor before she resolved herself, "we have our orders, time to do the job we are assigned"/div
div id="djs-ei19d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Is that what you'll do when you tell your sister how her friends were blown up inside the Grimm?", Marrow said, his face angry and disgusted as he shoulder checked her and fell in line, putting the payload back in the Manta as all squads and the army began retreating back to base./div
div id="djs-68b1k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Quite a distance away, a different conversation was happening, atop an Atlas Skyscraper, Having teleported Watts on the escape vehicle. Flying close to the base was easy enough, everyone was focused on Monstra after all. She simply flew up with the jetstream flames of her Maiden powers and then teleported inside the base. Now Aschen Gwain stood next to Watts as they looked at the aftermath of whatever had happened over at Monstra. Aschen already trying her scroll to call up anyone. But came up dry. "Anyone responding?"/div
div id="djs-as820" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No…", both of them sighing. Either Tyrian and Mercury hadn't left and were dead. Or they left for Vacuo in time, Emerald and Hazel also didn't reply. Extrapolating that they might all be dead. Well aside from Salem./div
div id="djs-fq6tk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She'll be back. In the interim we need a plan"/div
div id="djs-b3m3j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Plan? We still need to get to the Vault…so we're off to Atlas, assuming you have control over the machine", Aschen said, quite brazenly. Watts merely pocketed his hands and stood there, looking at her and the sky, sniffing the free air./div
div id="djs-b93et" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I said I had Penny under control, not that I could telekinetically force her to do whatever I want"/div
div id="djs-fk6j9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So…what did you do?", Aschen said, confusion all over her face. Watts noticed and smirked, that always confident smirk./div
div id="djs-ag8pp" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I implanted a Virus in her, child, she's on a set path now. At least she should be…", Watts said, turning away from Aschen who was angry he'd disrespected her as 'child', she wasn't a child anymore! Yet he simply kept monologing; "As much as I hate to admit to Pietro's craft, some part of her is resisting the programming. Regardless it's only a matter of time before the mechanical side succumbs to the virus, she'll open the Vault, self terminate and our little Penny problem will be a thing of the past"/div
div id="djs-1i5ng" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Aschen nodded. A decent plan, all things considered. "Clever idea. But next time, don't call me child!"/div
div id="djs-3ssmt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh I am quaking in my socks. A former bandit daughter betrayed by her coward of a mother, turned Maiden. I can't possibly imagine what you want in life. Nothing so childish as simply revenge. Oh wait, that's exactly what you'll want. Because you're too young to see nuance, understand patience and realize that a mere bug like Raven isn't a threat"/div
div id="djs-e6t9d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She may not be a threat, but I'll kill her regardless. And while you don't need to like it, we are still working for Salem. Lets just do our job, so we can both get back to pretending the other doesn't exist?", Aschen said, turning away from Arthur and walking towards the door. He looked at her and brushed his fingers over his mustache. Perhaps she wasn't as idiotic, undeserving and unworthy as Cinder had been. This one was surprisingly level headed, for what felt like a while, he felt the migraine caused by Cinder existing…vanish. He nodded and walked after her, until a buzzing stopped Aschen, she reached for her scroll and found a text and an image. 'Your new boss won't stay dead, but you will without this'/div
div id="djs-1d93f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Who is it… did someone survive?"/div
div id="djs-3onbb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-brp63" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-dr5j2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-diqh3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Amidst the falling ashes of the explosive aftermath, Yang shook her hair free of any blemish. The blow had surprisingly not affected her or the others. She was still stunned by the whole ordeal. So much so she didn't notice her Scroll, which had fallen from her pocket, was beeping. Jaune ran over and answered the call./div
div id="djs-bsdgv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Blake?"/div
div id="djs-9g783" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Jaune?! Where's Yang?! Is she-"/div
div id="djs-91mch" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…alright, we're a bit dazed but alive. How is everyone over there?"/div
div id="djs-82fe3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We're..ok. But good news is a welcome thing! Guys look!", Blake turned her scroll around, Jaune could see a room. Had to be Weiss' room, or at least inside the Schnee manor. Weiss waved at him and took Blake's scroll, talking about how she was checking their location. As they all talked, he noticed Ruby not reacting, still catatonic from the Hound. Even the explosion hadn't made her regain herself. He turned around, Yang in a daze, Oscar and Ren exhausted, Emerald in tears. Things could be so much better, though it could have been worse. Let's hope this is just the first of many things that will go better./div
div id="djs-736i2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ok you're in the agricultural area. I'll send you a map, head to this access point, to reach the Red Line's subway tunnel then follow the route I've drawn for you!", Weiss sent over a file that he checked really fast, before agreeing. "Got it…see you soon!"/div
div id="djs-5aiir" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Getting to the access point was pretty easy. With the Atlas military falling back in defensive positions over the city, they easily got to the underground railroad. IN the dark it was quickly ruled to use Scrolls for light, while Yang held Emerald at gunpoint. After all, she was still responsible for the slaughter and fall of Beacon. The trek through the tunnels was as ominous and foreboding as it had been on the surface. Though the party had grown by two. They had been successful. Yet it didn't feel that way. Yet the worst was when Oscar offered his 'brilliant plan', "You want us to work with her? NO WAY"/div
div id="djs-fhdc7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm just saying it would make sense. We're all enemies of Salem, including her!"/div
div id="djs-dpseo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yeah no, I'm with Blondie. You don't like me, I don't like you, so how about we just part ways, forget we saw each other and I'll be gone from your lives", blondie? Oh that's it Street Rat, I'm going to show you the final jump, right up my fist! She cocked Ember Celica, yet was stopped by the warm and comforting hand from Jaune, her angered eyes scanned him. He was angry too, after all, Cinder had put Pyrrha in that foot brace. "After everything you were accomplice to? Sorry Emerald but you're coming with us"/div
div id="djs-bm0br" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We can't let our actions stem from fear. If she could help us, I think we should consider it", Keeping her focus forward. Yang kept the barrel of Ember Celica planted firmly in the back of the pastel haired girl she had once called a friend. Ren kept spouting his analytical B.S. but she was in no mood to be lectured by the flower child that spoke about as often as she changed her socks. At least Jaune understood. He had the right mindset. Maybe she could really see what Ruby and Pyrrha saw all the way back then./div
div id="djs-c456p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She is part of the reason Beacon fell. Relished in the deaths that followed. Why I am…", she slapped her prosthetic arm, sure Adam had cut it off, but who had put him at the school? If Cinder hadn't decided to attack Beacon, he wouldn't have been there to try and save Faunus students. Without the students, no severed arm. And Emerald had been an accomplice, not just to Adam being forced into attacking Beacon, but the fact Pyrrha was in a brace now! She cocked Ember Celica once more, "...everything that happened. She lied to us, tricked us! She can't be trusted"/div
div id="djs-f6s09" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You don't have to forgive her. You probably have your justified reasons. But maybe we should give her a second chance. I know I got help from someone we don't trust right now", Oscar blabbered but Yang didn't listen. Second chance? Her!? What? Next I'll have to give one to Raven. Leo. Jimmy! No more second chances. People cross me, they pay for it in full! Her thoughts were interrupted by some words from the battered farm boy./div
div id="djs-b51d3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Wait? Ozpin is back!?" A flash of red in her vision gave a haze as she stared at him. "Fan-friggin-tastic. Just what we need. Some more lies from the perpetual parasite!"/div
div id="djs-bgn3j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Oscar tried to stem her bubbling rage with drivel about how he took it. Like that matters. It's not his body. "Oz really wants to help…"/div
div id="djs-56pb4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""How much more crap do we need piled on top huh? What else can we heap on top for Oz to declare himself king of?", Angry tears of frustration welled in her eyes as she blinked them away. "were on this fool's errand to save the world from a literal monster who can't die! I blew her God's damned chest up and she didn't even flinch. My sister probably hates me. We're all probably going to die and worst of all my Mother was right. Right about every bit of it! You know how bad that stings!? And now you think you can show your face like you'll somehow make it better? News flash Ozma, Remnant's going to Hell and you won't stay dead long enough to join us!"/div
div id="djs-dbrvk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Her screaming rant stopped suddenly by a firm hand on her shoulder as she turned to the piercing blue eyes of her fellow blonde and she took a look around her to the somber and near pitiful looks she was getting. Even Emerald seemed almost sorry for her. Jaune gave her a firm shake so she would focus on him. "Listen to me Yang. I get it."/div
div id="djs-1t0t5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"The group was startled by the sound of a crying kid. Heading onwards, the emotional outburst of Yang put on hold as she shoved Emerald forwards, putting the barrel against Emerald's head, they entered an underground station. It was filled to the brim with refugees. Atlesian students, civilians, kids! People driven from the safety of their advanced society's home into a dark dank pit in the ground. Yang bumped Emerald's head and smirked: "now you get to see first hand how GOOD your work at Beacon was"/div
div id="djs-7mm6v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2kbn6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-8vvcr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-9ua82" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""that…was not supposed…did…my calculations…this is…Rouge did you…", discussing the payload statistics, Coal and Rouge were at the side of the room. James Ironwood was overlooking the data as well but working several other things. And why shouldn't he, he was a general. But Coal did notice the Ace Ops walk in, returning from their mission. He was about to ask about the bomb, but James took the initiative./div
div id="djs-esedn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's about time!", James Ironwood said as he turned to the woman he had always looked for when in need of approval. Or just a good soldier to follow orders. Winter Schnee stood at attention along with the other Operatives. "While we dealt a decisive blow to Salem today…"/div
div id="djs-1q3pu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Actually that wasn't our payload…sir", Coal looked up from the conversation he was having with his underling and turned towards them. A smile on his face! Yes! I didn't miscalculate! No way that amount of power could be in that payload! I'm not crazy! "I brought it back with us.."/div
div id="djs-b8f3c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes! Rouge, we can do a proper test now!", Coal said out loud, James shot him a look, but didn't entertain that. After all, he knew Argent could be obsessive with tinkering./div
div id="djs-asjms" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Then who could've…", Coal noticed how the man sank in thought, wondering and gathering information. Rouge nudged Coal and tapped his watch. Yeah we were running out of time. We needed to get shields back up and see about dealing with the aerial threats. After all, while Monstra was dead, the wave of airborne Grimm had still seen fit to swarm and attack Atlesian infrastructure./div
div id="djs-3kec4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You still have it. This may be useful", the words shook Rouge and Coal from their thoughts. "Penny still hasn't returned to the vault. Which means Watts either tricked us, or was incompetent"/div
div id="djs-1vr2v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"You don't say. It's not like he is a disgraced and insane enemy of Atlas, Coal pinched the bridge of his nose between the eyes and sighed. "at this point, we'll never know. A woman matching the description of the one who attacked us earlier, now identified as Aschen Gwain, freed him. And he wasn't the only one. Qrow Branwen and Robyn Hill also escaped"/div
div id="djs-2qco" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sir?", hearing the chance to fight Qrow, Harriet fired up her Semblance and turned to run, but she was halted by James, now standing at the front of the group, Coal walked closer, Rouge stayed at the back, clutching something in his pockets./div
div id="djs-4bbd0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Monstra was destroyed but that doesn't mean we've stopped Salem. She will return and when she does, she'll throw everything at us until nothing remains. And we're already dangerously close to that state already. I need the Winter Maiden now! It's the ONLY WAY Atlas can survive!", he took a moment to take a deep breath before he barked his next orders: "Schnee, bring me Arc, Ren and Xiao Long"/div
div id="djs-2pvhk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""For what purpose Sir?", Winter asks, a shiver of panic running down her spine as she sees the deranged mentality in his eyes./div
div id="djs-a842h" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I had Qrow in my hands, not doing what needed to be done. Well, I won't repeat that mistake…I know, I'm ashamed I didn't think of it earlier. Leveraging the lives of her friends and Penny will fall back in line", his words made it dangerously clear what he planned to do, Winter was stunned. Momentarily giving the floor to Harriet who barked: "Sir, we don't have them…Operative Schnee let them go"/div
div id="djs-dqlh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You….what?", Winter's eyes shivered, she could feel his hand on her shoulder, tightening. SHe felt like back when she was eight again. When Jacques had dug his hand into her shoulder and slowly pinched until she finally apologized for calling him a bad father. She felt like that again. Having Ironwood hurt her physically while his words broke her mentally./div
div id="djs-ahjro" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Winter allowed them to go on board the creature to rescue their friend. And they never came back", Harriet's words were venomous. James hand flinched as he pulled it back. Winter found her voice again. "I sent them to a suicide mission, trying to clear a path for the bomb, risking their lives to make sure our mission had the best chance of success! Bree you should be more thankful for my actions"/div
div id="djs-df5h4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Winter was deflecting. Weiss would have done this better, she always had a better grasp on controlling and navigating conversations. Winter just didn't wanna be in the center of the attention when James finally snapped. And he was snapping. He slowly walked towards the desk…/div
div id="djs-d59ib" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""They were our last chance…and now I have…", he raised up his hands in furious anger; "NOTHING!", he brought his arms down and shattered the hard wood desk into pieces. Breaking and damaging the wood./div
div id="djs-c2pfn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""SIR we are detecting non military ships on radar! Dozens of them!"/div
div id="djs-e8t5p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ships?", James walked towards another of his desk, the actual desk, his previous one had been the war desk, plans for the Grimm had been spoken of there. "Who's ships?"/div
div id="djs-2t6r8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""SDC freighters, heading for the Crater"/div
div id="djs-9ube0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Weiss…", James pulled up live footage. Everyone held their breath, Bree shot a glare at Winter. "I see…they're trying to save…Mantle. It's always been about Mantle hasn't it! Time to make a call"/div
div id="djs-eg5ao" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What are you planning", Coal wondered as James grabbed his Scroll and input the order to give him a direct line for an Emergency Broadcast. Before he entered that, he issued his orders. "The Manta Squads will shoot those ships from the sky"/div
div id="djs-9vkhr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Pourquoi? Protecting Atlas also means to defend Mantle", Rouge said, standing off to the sides, hands in his pockets, talking directly to the General./div
div id="djs-tus6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Silence, you're sounding like those kids, traitor!", Elm hissed./div
div id="djs-a953e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What is the purpose of this distinction?", Rouge asked, walking a bit to the side, James eyeing him with fury./div
div id="djs-bb7kk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sometimes you make the harsh calls and Mantle isn't important, Atlas is!"/div
div id="djs-8v15d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Merci, c'est exactly what I needed to hear", Rouge acted in a flash. From his pockets he lifted two devices. A circular device that he flung towards the Ace Ops and Coal, who did NOT see this coming, as it hit the floor it began sparking with lightning Dust, a Stun Field, catching and holding everyone into shocking grasps of paralysis! Meanwhile he threw the second one at Ironwood, catching him on the right chest and crippling him, as he fell to his knees. Rouge ran towards the terminal on James' desk and began typing./div
div id="djs-3kgh8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What are you doing!?", James howled as she reached for the stunner and crunched it. But the electricity had messed his prosthetics up just enough. Rouge smiled./div
div id="djs-6dfe1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A kill code, something I work into all the projects I'm a part of. Et Voilla", after a series of quick command executions he closed the terminal and stepped back, hands raised as everyone watched the Mantas suffer a maintenance issue. James stood up in his full length, the field dissipating as Coal grabbed the device, Harriet speed blitzed Rouge and pinned him to the wall! "What did you do!?"/div
div id="djs-70ink" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Activated a kill code, all your ships are weaponless! If you think shooting unarmed cargo freighters set to evacuate defenseless people, my people, are more important than the armies of Grimm circling the skies. Well, you don't deserve these armaments", Rouge said, smiling ear to ear. After all, he was born in Mantle. Struggled to get out of his rot, until Coal gave him a chance in Argent Arms. It's also where he met the love of his life. But with him gone, Rouge Neuf, chose a side. And sadly…he chose wrong…/div
div id="djs-e42r9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-24hrn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-6ogad" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-12p1c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"The heavy door of the Schnee Mansion was pulled open. Ruby Rose, the leader of the team and the one who had barely woken from the stupor of the Hound's revelation, saw her sister who stepped forwards. But right as they both would hug, they merely stared at one another. Yang Xiao Long, after the horrendous experience, the hate and anger that had been bottling in her, contained by Jaune's expertise, mistook the reluctance and the blank expression as being that her sister didn't care she was back. She lowered her arms and barked "Missed you to", before she walked off and hugged Blake and Weiss. Ruby, who turned away from her sister and nodded at Ren and hugged Jaune, fought back tears. Weiss who saw, couldn't help since Yang was hugging her and turned to Blake, rubbed her cheek affectionately and they both smiled. Giving Weiss a small sting of jealousy. Ren however, needed her help more than she needed to be jealous over a trivial matter. "Where is Nora?"/div
div id="djs-3m3e4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ren…you should know something", she said as she began guiding him away. Hearing the mention of Nora, Jaune nodded at Ruby, but broke the hug and ran after his teammate, unsure if it was for Nora's safety or for Ren's. But he needed to be there for them both. Alone, Ruby turned towards Oscar…and then…/div
div id="djs-c5dld" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oscar you…", Ruby saw Emerald. The girl she had once championed as a friend, standing there, nonchalantly. Ruby growled, her sadness pushed into a dangerously filled chasm in her mind and reached for Crescent Rose, "made a new friend I see"/div
div id="djs-7erv7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No wait", Oscar saw Ruby and Em reach for their weapons, stepped between them both, hands raised. Ruby felt another sting of abandonment as Oscar had picked Emerald of all people to side with, "I can-"/div
div id="djs-4g3g1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"The sound of a call broke everyone's tension and shifted their attention. Ruby, with the pain of an emotion she didn't realize was hatred, glared at Em while accepting the call, the voice on the other side, was May./div
div id="djs-agvgb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Kids, those cargo ships you sent have made it…but they're not alone!"/div
div id="djs-ctfc0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""May…? What's happening?", Ruby's hatred vanished, replaced by worry!/div
div id="djs-fl0l4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""By the Brothers, TAKE COVER!"/div
div id="djs-b686n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Just then, all their Scrolls hit off at once, alarming tunes playing in abundance. When they all reached for it, Ruby pressed the Casting button and cast a large image that appeared. They all saw the Atlesian Mantas engage and shoot down the first few ships. As hope cracked in their hearts, the ships stopped firing. THe broadcast focused in on one of them and showed it's weapons had self destructed, leaving them unable to fight./div
div id="djs-436b8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Were those..", Weiss wanted to ask before the image shifted. Appearing in a darkened room, was James Ironwood and he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was the deep red haired individual they identified as Rouge Neuf, the man who had worked on several of their weapons alongside Coal Argent. He was stripped of his Argent Arms coat, hands cuffed and he had a big bruise on the eye, one that Yang identified as a punch from Elm. She felt sorry for him./div
div id="djs-15rf9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I have always promised to defend this kingdom, technology and future. From those who'd see it destroyed"/div
div id="djs-27aou" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Arrêté, start with yourself, connard", Rouge hissed before he received a gut punch and fell to his knees./div
div id="djs-cbarn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Our enemy is crippled, but one individual still denies Atlas salvation"/div
div id="djs-d402k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oui, et votre nom est James Ironwoo-", Ironwood kicked the kneeling Rouge in the face. A stream of red flashed in the broadcast as James returned his attention to the viewer./div
div id="djs-6357c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Penny…protector of Mantle, wherever you and your friends are. Listen: this is Rouge Neuf, a Mantle born scientist in Argent Arms we've identified as the spy Crimson who works for the Happy Huntresses. Therefore he's charged with treason and sentenced correctly as by my rule", James said as he grabbed his pistol and shot Rouge in the head. One moment he had been a person, Ruby's eyes watered with hatred, now she knew what it was. Yang cursed violently, Weiss reached a hand for her mouth, Blake gasped. The red mess that remained slumped forwards and lay dead at the floor. "And that's not all. I know how much Mantle means to you, so I'm going to give you a choice. Bring yourself to Atlas Academy, do your duty, help me save as much of Atlas as I can, the refugees of Mantle will even be granted amnesty. Or you can watch as I destroy the remnant of Mantle. I have one bomb. If you don't surrender to me within the hour, I'll set it off at the landing zone of these cargo ships and blow everyone to kingdom come. I didn't want to have to do this, but you're forcing my hand. If anyone tries anything to do something that isn't that what I've ordered…the bomb goes off. You have one hour to respond…"/div
div id="djs-7brr3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-a313v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-7qhjv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-37ji3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Get me a ship alone…May you know how to fly this thing!", Adam barked as he ran the machine piloting the ship through with his sword, Rebellion vibrating in his hand, eager as he was. As the air around him was charged with possibility, ever closer to the kingdom he always wanted to bring to his knees./div
div id="djs-1s686" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We can't just get out of here, we need to go back to the Crater, get into the mines!", May pleaded as she took the pilot stick and steadied the ship. There were a few people in with him, but Adam had a plan./div
div id="djs-95k17" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No, we don't know if Atlas soldiers will wait for us, when we get up there; Plus I refuse to be held hostage against Blake and her friends. If I go down, I'll do so fighting!", as he said that he turned his head, "You'll let me out and I'll hack my way through them, giving you all the ability to find and hunker down"/div
div id="djs-1b71d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why..we can find a way together", May pleaded, but Adam sighed: "Because I'm not Adamant Gabe. I'm Adam Taurus…and I have a job to do"/div
div id="djs-7ua29" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"May sighed, she didn't go into more detail, but when they reached the loading docks of the SDC warehouses, Adam leapt out and drew his sword, the smell of blood in the air as he began making his way towards the Atlas Academy, his mind hyper focused. And when he found the first Atlas soldiers blocking his path, he went straight through them./div
div id="djs-9u9rj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8lq08" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-5il3e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-amvhu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Off course he's not going to do it"/div
div id="djs-54m6l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So what, he's bluffing with innocent lives?"/div
div id="djs-51a8d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It may finally make the kids see reason"/div
div id="djs-bdhu1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Who cares…just like that Rouge, always had him pegged as a traitor"/div
div id="djs-6lsud" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You know Har, that is bullsh-", Marrow was silent when the door opened and Ironwood and Winter walked in./div
div id="djs-1jkjd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Good you're here", everyone fell in formation and stood at attention, "Coal Argent has been placed in the workshop under house arrest, if he so much as steps out of line he'll be shot. Rouge may have acted alone but he's a risk now. Plus, with the Mantas returning for maintenance, trying to salvage our airborne power, we're vulnerable. Already reports are coming in from someone carving a way from the Schnee COmpany warehouses straight through to us. So I want Drones at the ready to drop the payload on top of that, luckily that part of Atlas is not inhabited"/div
div id="djs-42fh8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sir…", Winter looks at the back of James' head. "What for?"/div
div id="djs-6cnlg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I believe I was clear in the broadcast. I WILL remove Mantle refugees from the equation if they force my hand. The hour has gone in and we'll prepare for the opportunity of them disobeying. This is to save Atlas"/div
div id="djs-a7a0p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Saving Atlas?! You've threatened Mantle refugees, shot Councilmembers and officials in our army, damage Salem didn't need to do because you're doing it for her!", Marrow had reached his breaking point. Winter, who saw James stop from walking away and turn to look at the Faunus kid speaking his mind, began thinking off a way to get him to safety, and get herself out from here. "I believed in you, thought we could work to a better Atlas! And you're throwing it all away"/div
div id="djs-cug1a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""IF you don't shut your mouth, I'll do it for you!", Harriet hissed angrily./div
div id="djs-80pj5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If this is what gets the children to cooperate, then it's worth it", Vine said./div
div id="djs-5t7rq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Orders are Orders Marrow", Elm said, which pushed him to go further./div
div id="djs-7alk9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You're calling them children, but acting like toddlers! You are angry you got your butts kicked and are pining for revenge. Orders? That's what you believe in? No wonder we kept getting our tails kicked by those Huntresses. I used to wear this rank with pride, but all it was, is the same for you all, a collar!"/div
div id="djs-887vv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Winter saw Ironwood take his revolver, as Marrow moved to walk away from this. What do I do!? If I step in and save him I'll get shot as well. I have to do something. What would father say? No, I won't listen to him. I need a plan. Something smart. Weiss, dear sister, what would you do? The cocking of the hammer made Winter decide on a course of action. She stepped forwards, knocked Marrow to the floor, pushed her knee on his back to keep him pinned and slapped cuffs on him./div
div id="djs-ecodi" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You want a collar? Now you have one", she hissed, playing into the role of obedient soldier. Like she had been for so long. She realized she hadn't traded her collar from Father for freedom. No she was just collared to a different oppressive man. "I'll throw this traitor in the brig"/div
div id="djs-2hlvi" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-7dqch" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-ehi7v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8a4bm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ironwood wants Penny, otherwise he'll exterminate the refugees. So, how do we stop him?", oh so now you're asking me? Ruby thought as she sat at the large table, the same one they had once used to celebrate taking down the jerk who'd been mean to best friend Weiss. Well, best friend…Ruby wasn't so sure anymore./div
div id="djs-45ueg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Qrow and Robyn are still in custody, and May said that Atlas Security Drones are watching the warehouse. They're trapped too. Maybe we can ask Adam for help, but he's gone dark as well. I don't like how this place would make him feel", Blake said, hugging her legs as Weiss gently put a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed./div
div id="djs-fu2d4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And time's running out, Salem will be returning sooner rather than later"/div
div id="djs-9tkna" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So then it's impossible…?", Ruby huffed. She didn't mean it outright, she was merely posing the question. But no one was gonna give an answer. Jaune was upstairs, he had a level head and was a good strategist. Ruby had nothing. She couldn't think like her usual leader self, the threat of the Hound was still clawing at her heart. She wanted to offer ideas, but as she felt Yang glaring at her, she didn't want to give them. After all, she hadn't liked her previous ones. And given how trash everything had turned out to be…/div
div id="djs-a6vnt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""See?! If miss hero with all the answers, doesn't have an answer…we have ours", Ruby's fingers curled into fists. She looked back at Emerald who stood leaning against the wall and wanted to throw out the bile that had been gathering in her soul and heart. Thankfully, Weiss came to her aid, throwing a dagger filled glare at Emerald, "Oh shut up…weren't you the reason Beacon fell?"/div
div id="djs-2lj8q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Then why don't you just leave!? A second chance also means a second chance at a good knuckle sandwich! Stilts isn't here and I still need payback for the Vytal Festival!"/div
div id="djs-bve8e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Can we please just give one another a chance!? Emerald isn't with Salem anymore, she should be treated for her brave decision", Ruby's nails dug into her gloves. If she wasn't wearing them, she'd be bleeding from her palms now. So she gets a second chance? After all she did? Beacon, Haven? And now in Atlas suddenly she had a change of heart? Why even? Had they bothered to ask?/div
div id="djs-fi01k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And why do we trust her change of heart? Because Ren said so?", Ruby shot off, Yang nodded, "Yeah, good thinking Rubes"/div
div id="djs-an0hd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""None of your business", Emerald says defensively, Yang raises her fist and plants it into the wall next to her, "Either you tell it, or I make your face like this wall!"/div
div id="djs-9d2nh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""All of this doubt and distrust isn't gonna get us anywhere!", Oscar stepped between Yang and Emerald, the small farm boy staring down the bruiser was kind of impressive. But Ruby's bucket had reached it's limit./div
div id="djs-dshil" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Then NOTHING has changed! We're in the exact same place as we were yesterday! Except worse because now people are at risk of a bomb! And all we do is argue while the Kingdom is dying!", in her desperation Ruby pushed herself up as she slammed the table. It would have been a powerful move had Ruby not been a little on the weaker side. She didn't have the muscle to crack the table or even shake it! What even is the point of it all!? Mom, what would you do in this situation?! Ruby's mind asked the question but then she recalled the Hound. The silver eyed Faunus inside the prison of icky Grimm black fur and ooze. A hand touched her shoulder and Ruby recoiled in disgust and ran for the door, pushing it open and vanished in a burst of petals. Stunned, Yang waits for a moment./div
div id="djs-9l2ir" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Wow…all it took was an existential threat for Miss Hero not to be happy…all the time", Emerald said, recalling the time she was wondering to Mercury how Ruby Rose was so happy, every damn second of every single day. A loud crack into the wall next to her made Emerald's eyes widen in shock, Yang's eyes were bright red with anger, reminiscent of her mother Raven./div
div id="djs-fo8f3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Again…I can still settle the score with you instead of Stilts", Yang hissed as she turned to see Oscar rub his nose bridge and sigh deeply. It wasn't him that she needed confirmation from, but her allies. Sadly Weiss merely gazed at the door, debating whether to follow after Ruby. She didn't seem like she wanted someone nearby, at how she recoiled from Yang's touch./div
div id="djs-2g6ss" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Maybe we should find her?", Blake asked. She looked up at her friends. Weiss and Yang, before looking back at the table./div
div id="djs-eohli" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Something happen when I wasn't here?", Yang asked, she didn't exactly have the best reunion, she expected Ruby to be distant, sure, but recoiling like she did?/div
div id="djs-f2ase" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yeah…we fought a Grimm…a different kind of Grimm…one that learned and acted…unnaturally from the others", Weiss explained, recalling how it took hostages and fought without mindless attacks, showing it had intelligence./div
div id="djs-7b6lm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sounds like the thing that took me down", Oscar said, looking up at the former Heiress. Emerald was quiet as she listened./div
div id="djs-1a5al" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yeah well, before we killed it, thanks to teamwork and my own family helping…there was a person in there…a person with..", Weiss couldn't finish the line, looking at Yang. After all, this concerned her sister. She suddenly became very curious and worried for Winter./div
div id="djs-tsvu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""..silver eyes..", Blake finished, looking intently at Yang's face. Silver eyes? Wait, like Mom? She turned to the door and for the first time in about twenty four hours, she had a clarity. Worried for her sister, Yang let her anger go and chased after her, opening the doors with a woosh./div
div id="djs-45i0o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-61vo8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-1qnpc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-18g96" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You got those hallway cameras on a loop?", Qrow groaned as he and Robyn had managed to get to the lock up storage. It had been a rough escape, what with the wall collapsing and that ashen haired girl saving Watts. But Qrow felt more comfortable now that Harbinger was back, safe and sound in his hand. He turned his eyes to the screen and murder flashed in his eyes./div
div id="djs-4rcni" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Everything's set up", Robyn put her arm crossbow on and watched the broadcast of the General. Shooting Rouge and threatening Mantle. She sighed. "So that was Crimson…no wonder his insider knowledge was so good"/div
div id="djs-6tgca" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What good will it do if Jimmy bombs the refugees?", Qrow groans as he walks for the door and looks down the hallway. No one, good, guess the concept of Mantle people in Atlas takes priority, you damned idiot, Qrow thought about Ironwood as he attempts to leave. Robyn sighs, ever since the barrier dropped, Qrow's anger and murderous hate had gotten out of control. She had better keep an eye on him. So they make their way across the base. Even passing Knights who stand guard by the weapon lab, where a VERY annoyed voice of Coal was barking and roaring in annoyance. A second Qrow thought about helping him, but the anger towards Jimmy took precedence. Robyn didn't know who was making that racket but she didn't like how hyper focused Qrow had turned on killing Ironwood. When they got to the elevators, Qrow made motion to ascend towards the command center. SHe stopped him. "There may be a better way"/div
div id="djs-bgau7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So long as he's alive and a threat to my niece, there isn't", Qrow said, the hatred in his eyes was clear, Robyn would have recoiled, had she not seen this level of resentment in a person before. "Well this isn't just about you, or Pipsqueak. It's about everyone"/div
div id="djs-8m7c2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm going straight up to the Academy and I'll drive Harbinger through that tin soldier's empty skull!", Qrow raged, he had reached a boiling point. It wasn't the death of Clover, he cared less. If Fisherman wanted to obey orders like a good dog, that's his life. But Tinman crossed a line. No one goes after Ruby, not when I'm alive./div
div id="djs-f3qpb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Or you fail and people get killed", Robyn tried to reason, except that wasn't the right course, because Qrow flew off the handle: "HE DESERVES DEATH"/div
div id="djs-5c8ns" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Robyn pushed him against the door and placed a hand over his mouth. Her own intense gaze momentarily breaking through the hatred and anger burning him. She lifted a finger to her lips, making the 'shh' motion, as she let him go and checked the corridors. No one in sight. She relaxed a little, breathing out./div
div id="djs-1e3cf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I get it…you're hurting..probably for a long time. But don't pretend this is for anyone but yourself! Your niece wouldn't want you to become a killer, right?", she caught him throwing her a dirty look, but he didn't deny it, she sighed, at least he's listening to me, Robyn continued; "Clover was a lot of things but I gotta tell ya, you're the better Huntsman. Not because you walked away alive, but that factors in. But because you were willing to do the right thing. And something tells me, you always have. So don't go throwing that all away."/div
div id="djs-9qkjb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4hmfb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-7qmev" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4vql8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""There you are…", Yang said, trying to sound 'chipper'. Like the way she had been before everything went to Grimm. She had a hard time recalling her happier voice. Back at Beacon, when she cared more about having fun and her sister's well being. She found herself cringing at the idea of how she had been acting, thanks to Raven's warning. But ultimately, despite that deadbeat never being around, aside from being a freaking stalker from afar, she had been right. And now Yang had seen it. Salem could come back from the dead. Magic was real, she'd seen Oscar and Salem use it. Magic that had taken the life of Hazel. The same guy who had been faced by overwhelming odds in Haven and laughed, shrugging off Weiss' massive summons, tanking blow upon blow. Even Adam! The same guy that had sliced off her arm, had been no match for that block of muscle. And yet Salem and Oscar had dispatched him like a fly on the wall. Yang shook her head, no happy thoughts. Ruby might need a bit of cheering up. Yet sitting at the lowest step of the stairs, Ruby merely looked at the stone floor, nearby the statue that had killed the Hound lay like a discarded pile of junk. A boney black hand sticking out of it, a harsh reminder. "Ya know, that giant hound kicked us around like we were nothing! But Blake said you three and the Schnees took it down! Still having to one up your big sis huh?"/div
div id="djs-8v8dj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Did they tell you…", Ruby hadn't even attempted to look at Yang. She couldn't. SHe knew she had been right yesterday. About Ruby making bad decisions and nothing had changed. They were still fugitives, now holding the fate of many in their hands as Ironwood had a bomb and hostages. They all probably had faced a lot of death in their twenty four hours apart, Atlas wasn't splintered as much as it was shattered like a mirror and Qrow wasn't drunk. He was locked up. They were alone. And to top it all off, the future that had barely happened to her, had Qrow not intervened when Tyrian attacked her in Mistral, was still staring her in the face. Ruby's eyes met with the hand sticking out. Don't let them see you're hurting, as a leader they depend on you. So be dependable. "...what it was? Underneath.."/div
div id="djs-942lk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yeah…", Yang had heard about the Silver Eyes underneath. But not to worry, Salem had stopped hunting her. "You know what that means then?"/div
div id="djs-6hbo6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I wouldn't worry about that Ruby. Salem's focused on the relics after all", Yang was trying to comfort her, but she found it…difficult. How could Ruby be worried about that? She had friends who wouldn't let her get captured. And with her Semblance, she could outrun anyone. So why was she so-/div
div id="djs-am6de" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That's what happened to mom", the words were soft, yet the cut like the sharpest blade. Ruby noticed how Yang had listened to the words, yeah you thought I was being selfish didn't you, big sis? Ruby's hatred for the Grimm, for Salem and all their bad luck, suddenly began itching towards Yang, but Ruby pushed that away, I don't want to hate my sister! And yet when Yang finally understood the meaning of the words and broke, crying and falling to her knees, Ruby only grew colder and more isolated. Emotionless she continued; "When I saw it's eyes, I knew. Salem used to kill people like me. Like Maria. But she's always wanted me alive. Why change your approach, unless something happened when she met mom. She learned she could do something new"/div
div id="djs-dvrls" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ruby…", Yang stood back up and looked at her sister, who still refused to even acknowledge her. Her sadness for the fate of Summer still took front seat, but Yang also just wanted…, "that won't be your fate. Look at me…I.."/div
div id="djs-3lv4u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We shouldn't lie to ourselves!", not my fate?! Sure it won't sis, just like you always believed in me doing right; "I wasted time getting Amity up, hoping for help to come. Yet no one came and now, with Penny injured, Amity has fallen. What a childish thing, hope"/div
div id="djs-9td28" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You were being optimistic", that's rich, who turned your switch back around? Jaune? Maybe I should let all my friends just join his team, if he's that amazing at soul searching. But Ruby had her doubts it was just that. Yang had indeed changed since Mistral. "Look, blind optimism isn't great, but no optimism means we've already lost"/div
div id="djs-4c3pp" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We need hope. We need to take risks", Yang had placed her hand on Ruby's hand, hoping this would draw her eyes on her, just a glance would even be enough, but Ruby refused. She even pulled her hand away, not wanting Yang to touch her. I did take risks! I did what I thought was right, and here we are, Ruby hissed, anger at her sister's two faced statements. How can a mere day chance her this much? Where's all that anger from before? The disapproval; "but mine didn't work!"/div
div id="djs-bts20" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey, it still got a warning out, and in case you hadn't noticed my plans didn't work out either!", Yang's anger began boiling again. You don't wanna look at me? You don't want me touching you, fine! You wanna pout because your risks didn't work? Fine, neither did mine. Yang, unexpectedly, completely misread Ruby's issues. "They're not called 'sure fire things', they're called risks! And in case you didn't notice my plans for Mantle also didn't work. But Oscar's back, and did a lot more that wasn't in either of our plans"/div
div id="djs-56utr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Except wasn't that your plan? Ruby almost shot a vile glare at Yang. What do you mean your plans didn't work? Mantle was safe, evacuated to the Schnee Warehouse district. Sure it was under threat of a bomb and sure you also brought along that two faced jerk who brought about Beacon's fall. Why would we trust her? Because Ren vouched for her? Well Ren picked your side in the argument as well. His words don't mean much to me, Ruby thought. Yet she stopped herself from looking or voicing these opinions, 'you are a leader, act like it', continue to play through her head. Yet she didn't feel much for the position of leader anymore. Yang sat next to her, Ruby didn't look at her. "Mom took a risk the day she left and I don't…think it went the way she thought it would. But she's still my hero"/div
div id="djs-76sgb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby felt Yang try to hug her. Your hero?! LIAR! Your mom isn't my mom! Your mom's alive and well! MY HERO is dead. Or worse! Turned into a mindless puppet for Salem to send out like a leashed dog! And for all the crap I went through you still haven't asked how I'm doing! Ruby pulled herself free from Yang and walked towards the door. Yang, shocked by Ruby's aversion to hugs and even just not looking at her, snapped! "HEY! LOOK AT ME!"/div
div id="djs-cgme5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"But before Ruby could answer, before there was anything that could be done, a loud sound broke the silence as Jaune rushed down stairs, beads of sweat on his brow as he rushed for the door, shouting "HURRY"/div