Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...
"The abandoned Merlot Industries tower, back in Glenn. He was working in secret right under our noses, and we gave him the perfect cover by moving the operation there!"
"Well, if you're so sure, then we know where he is," Cinder said. "We can make a move on the intended meeting date tomorrow."
"Taskmaster," Matt said simply.
"Daredevil," Taskmaster replied just as simply.
"You're here to kill Fisk, aren't you?" Matt questioned.
"Perceptive.
"And the collider?" Matt questioned.
"It'll share his fate," Taskmaster answered.
"You'd strand yourself on this world forever?"
"I'm not stranded, Daredevil; I'm home."
"I am a threat to even Avengers like Captain America. I make professional killers like Black Widow look like children with toys. I've made organizations disappear overnight. You never stood a chance. Marc Spector found that out the hard way." Taskmaster drew his sword and raised it high, aiming to decapitate Matt in one downward swing, but Matt focused enough to throw his remaining club to the side. It ricocheted off the wall and connected right with Taskmaster's visor, cracking it and stunning the killer.
"What did you mean about Spector?" Matt asked through gritted teeth
"What do you think?" Taskmaster answered through strained breaths. "I killed him! I guess Raven Branwen hasn't been in contact to give that bit of info, has she?"
"What?" Matt questioned in confusion.
"Willy, what's up with you? This is… kinda creeping me out."
"My reality has been checked, Mister Parker. And now I question the point of it all," Fisk said.
"What's going on, Kingpin?" Peter asked.
"Those were merely our biggest tests, where we pushed the limits of the machine. In just the past few months, we've done over a hundred. All yielded failure to bring even a variant of Vanessa to me."
I could do this for the rest of my natural life and never find success. And the fact I have done all this and only found worlds where she remains dead tells me that I would not be a savior if I did find her. More often than not, I am the cause for my beloved's death. And so I began to wonder if the existence I live is truly worth it all. After all, what is a King without his Queen?"
Taskmaster said. "I'm going to kill all of you and destroy the collider myself."
"I don't think so, Mister Masters," Fisk said with a scowl.
"You consider yourself a master of prediction, but are so painfully predictable yourself. It's embarrassing to watch."
"P-Predictable…?" Taskmaster repeated, trying to push himself back up.
"Yes," Fisk said, approaching the floored Taskmaster and raising both fists above his head, "Predictable." Both fists came down with the power of cannons.
Fisk snarled before gripping Taskmaster's body with both hands, then in an instant bringing his back smashing against his knee.
"I… I can't move…"
"And don't think you ever will again. Your days as an assassin are over. Give Miss Fall my regards."
"No! No!" Electro cried out. He couldn't contain his energy with the damage to his suit. Blast after blast of electricity shot from the openings in his suit. "I-I can't hold it!"
"Max, no!" Peter called out.
"Aaaaaagh!" Electro screamed before he burst into a massive electrical blast, hitting everyone at once and tearing right through the collider. The machine itself then exploded, creating a chain reaction that began to tear not just the room, but the building around them apart.
"No witnesses," Cinder smirked before a bow formed in her hands with an arrow of flame sparked into life already primed on the drawstring.
Cinder let the arrow fire, and it found its home directly in Fisk's heart.
Fisk's body then started to pull apart, turning to hot ash.
"And Fisk?"
"Dead," Blake simply answered. "Electro too."
"Yeah… I couldn't save him again. He was different, Danny, I could've saved him!" Peter exclaimed.
"For now, at least we thwarted Taskmaster."
"Did we?" Luke questioned. "They wanted Fisk dead and the collider destroyed. Both happened. So did we really stop them?"
Weiss spoke up. "Yes, their objectives were complete, but they lost a powerful ally, and it seemed like Taskmaster was incapacitated. If anything, this is more of a draw than an absolute failure."
"So," Yang said, "What are you doing in Vale?"
"I'm here to fight in the tournament," Penny answered.
"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.
"I'm combat ready!" Penny saluted.
The Defenders of Remnant
Chapter 36: Shaken Up
The sun rose slowly over the island of Patch. It was still early in the morning, not even seven o'clock. The birds chirped in the trees and the crickets still cricked in the golden blades of grass as a cool breeze flew through, making Ruby's cloak flow behind her. Rose petals flowed off of her and into the current of the breeze like someone blowing the reeds off a dandelion. She stood with her hands holding each other tightly against her abdomen, looking down at Summer Rose's secluded tombstone.
"Hey Mom," She spoke to the tombstone, shifting her hands behind her back now. "Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been… well, things have been pretty busy. Oh, Dad's here too! He's, y'know, Dad. He's still teaching at Signal, but he told me he's gonna be going out on some missions soon! I think he misses adventuring with you." Ruby pauses and sadly smiles at her mother's grave. "I miss you too." She paused, trying to put together what else she would say to her mother. "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet. So that's cool.I think being on a team with Yang helps. I keep her in line. That was a joke…" She trailed off again, her thoughts a mess she was trying to still string together. "She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad. Well, so are Weiss and Blake… Oh! They're my teammates! Together we form Team RWBY. And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion.
"Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and met some… let's just say odd teachers. Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys too! We stopped criminals, evil faunus, even some supervillains. Oh, we have superheroes and supervillains now, just like those comic book stories! We've actually made friends with some too, especially this cool guy named Peter! He is the Spectacular Spider-Man! Oh, but you can't tell anybody that, it's a secret!" Ruby chuckled before sighing. "He's really kind, and selfless. I guess he's the kind of person I wanna be, just like you! I guess it's like they say, 'like mother like daughter'." Ruby stood silently for a few more moments before more thoughts came to mind. "I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, y'know, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he starts sounding like Uncle Qrow…"
Ruby was startled by the sound of a bark, and looked behind her to see her father with Zwei at his heel waiting at the edge of the treeline for her. "Oh, looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission! Wish me luck!" Ruby threw her hood over her head and started for her father when she stopped and looked back at the grave. "It was good to talk…" She then rejoined her father and headed back for their homestead with him.
Raven, in her bird form, watched the whole scene from a tree branch, and felt her heart sink a little. Tai was going on a mission, meaning she would have to wait longer to talk to him, which ate at her already damaged patience.
The lab was a mix of emotions. The group was mainly waiting for Ruby and Yang to return to campus and give them a warm greeting, but the wait was different for everyone. Penny and BT were in a very positive mood on their own, talking and laughing together. Blake and Weiss were watching over them as well as reading up on the tournament.
"They sure seem to be getting along," Weiss remarked. "Weirdly so…"
"It's like they say, like minded souls…" Blake said, not paying particular attention, although taking note of how close Penny and BT seemed to had gotten, both figuratively and literally. They seemed to almost always have less than two feet of distance apart between them.
"I thought it was the opposite?" Weiss asked.
"Does it really matter?" Blake questioned. "This is the happiest I've seen BT. Penny's always overly cheery. We should just let them be happy."
"Fair point," Weiss said.
"Speaking of which…" Blake looked at the lab's window, where Peter sat on the windowsill, his legs dangling over the edge outside. "He's barely said a word since we got back last night. I don't even know if he slept…"
"Not this again…" Weiss shook her head. "Should we talk to him?"
"Well, he has to be in a good mood when Ruby and Yang get here. I'll talk to him, if you'll keep those two occupied," Blake said, standing up.
"I think they're entertaining each other just fine. Still weird…" Weiss shuddered.
Peter was so spaced out, he didn't even notice Blake take a seat in the windowsill next to him. "Hey," She greeted.
"Hm? O-Oh, hey Blake…" Peter quietly greeted back.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Peter didn't answer right away, and she lowered her voice into an even gentler tone. "Pete, you can tell me. Friends, remember?"
"Y-Yeah, I know, just… I'm starting to feel like I can't save anybody… I-I mean… I couldn't stop BT from killing Prowler. I wasn't able to save Kingpin after it seemed like he spent so much time bettering himself. The red woman killed him for good last night. And if what Taskmaster said last night is true, then Marc died too, and we didn't even know about it. It feels like people are dying all around me again, and just like last time, I can't do anything about it…"
Blake gently gripped Peter's shoulder to anchor him. "You're a good man, Peter, better than any human I've ever known. But you are still just one man, you can't save everybody, even if you want to."
"But I can still save as many as possible! And I could've saved them Blake, if I was just faster…"
"Don't put the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. It'll just crush you. That's why you have friends, why you have us. Even when this is all over, you won't be the only defender of Remnant. It's not all on you."
"What good is a defender who can't save anyone?" Peter questioned, furrowing his brow.
"You have saved people, put yourself on the line for people that ended up sparing their lives, and also changed lives for the better. You and Weiss saved Ruby from the Nevermore during initiation. You saved the team from breaking apart because of tension between Ruby and Weiss. You fought Roman Torchwick with us. You helped turn BT from an engineered killer to almost a normal curious child, priming him to live a normal life. I mean, just look at him," Blake said. She gestured behind them, and Peter turned around to see BT talking with both Penny and Weiss now, a full smile on his face and joy in his eyes as he talked with normal, real friends. It made Peter smile a bit himself. "And you changed my life too…"
"W-What?" Peter asked, turning back to his faunus friend. She wasn't looking at him now, and was instead looking down to the far ground below.
"Back at the collider, you were wondering what Fisk meant about me not being free from the prison of love thing… right?" Blake uncomfortably asked, nervously adjusting how she was sitting while speaking.
"Uh… y-yeah, but I figured you'd tell me when you were ready," Peter answered.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Blake sighed. "His name was Adam. He was my partner when I was in the White Fang. When I first joined, he was my mentor. He showed me the ropes, made me feel welcome as a member of the White Fang. Over time, we became… close. First we were good friends, and then there was something more. I was so blinded by my belief in him and the cause, I let him in. At first, he truly was trying to do right by our people, and I was more than willing to follow him anywhere because of that. But over time, he became twisted and cruel, taking the violent tactics enforced by the new leader, Sienna Khan, to heart. But he somehow became even worse than her. He turned from the idealistic man I cared about into an unrecognizable monster. He was one of the first to change from freedom fighter to the kind of terrorist the rest of Remnant sees the White Fang as. He became so heartless, I couldn't take it anymore. Not him, not the White Fang. I gave him one last chance to change, on a Dust heist on an SDC train. But I don't know what else I expected. I saved the crew from him and abandoned him, running away. I could no longer be a part of his crusade…"
Blake's eyes hid no pain from Peter. It seemed like even recalling the memory brought a great deal of suffering onto her. She might've even been on the verge of tears, barely holding them back from welling up. "So he's the reason you left the White Fang?"
"I would've left eventually, given what they are now, but he definitely expedited the process. It made me feel sick…" Peter saw now she was slightly quivering, a mixture of anger, sadness and even fear storming inside. She let out this kind of emotional beast to get to a point she hasn't been able to reach yet.
"Blake…" Peter muttered. Blake shook her head and composed herself.
"Then you dropped into Remnant. I was fresh off abandoning Adam, trying to find a place in the world by becoming a Huntress, and then you come along and break the world for the better."
"I remember. I got shot at a lot that night."
"I didn't trust you. I didn't trust anyone at first, even my own team. But then they changed me, and you changed me. I could've ended up a loner, an outcast. I could've gotten myself killed so many times. But you and the team had my back."
"Well, yeah, Blake, that's what friends are for," Peter replied.
"Well… I always felt like you had the most impact than anyone else on me. You were the first to take my side when everyone found out I was White Fang. You let yourself get beaten to a pulp by Kingpin just to try and keep me alive at the docks. You talked me out of my obsession with stopping the White Fang and got me to go to the dance. And when you were taken by Taskmaster, I was so… so terrified at the thought that when I tried to steer you right by going and helping people in need, it got you hurt and captured. I know you said you don't blame me, but I blame me. I was so relieved when you were alive. Because, Peter, you're the first person I opened up to since Adam. And… you're the opposite of him in almost every way."
"H-How so…?" Peter asked.
"Adam let the trauma of his past consume him and turn him into a cruel monster. But you wouldn't let that happen to you. You'd rather give up your mission than let your anger drive you. Adam never realized his mistakes, but you sit here now regretting you couldn't save the very people who only wanted to hurt you. Adam wanted to put humanity and any of his enemies beneath his heel, but you raise everyone, even those you don't know, higher than they could ever reach on their own. That includes me," Blake said, looking up and meeting his gaze now, an almost envious, but also caring, look on her face.
A nervous blush came across Peter's face. "W-Well, that's what heroes do after all. Though I don't know how I could really still consider myself one. I haven't done much good recently. And I dropped this life before for a reason. I messed up big time. And it'll never go away."
"No, maybe not," Blake agreed, "But the same could be said for me. I did so many horrible things in the name of the White Fang, and I can never undo those things. All that I-... that we can do is work to make the world a better place with what's left of our souls. Nobody's perfect, Pete, but you're still one of the best, purest people I've ever met, next to Ruby at least. But if you really think you lost so long ago, then why are you here now? You beat it, Peter. You beat him. And I'm grateful that we got to meet and become friends. You're a hero to all of us. You're an important part of our lives, and I don't think I'd have it any other way." Peter's blush worsened, and Blake's own cheeks tinted red and she looked away. "S-Sorry, I just started rambling, and-"
"It's fine, Blake," Peter laughed. "I'm glad we met too. And as much as you can talk about me being a hero, it was you guys who saved me. I still don't know why I put on the costume again that night, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been transported here to meet any of you, and now I feel like I have a family again. For that, I'm grateful. And now you can forever say that you saved Spider-Man."
"No. We saved Peter Parker," Blake replied with a smile. Peter smiled back, his mood fully changing to a more positive one. They met eyes, and a familiar sensation flowed through the both of them: a calming wave of serenity accented by a spark of confusing motion. It was the same feeling they both had when they met eyes like this back at the dance weeks ago. Neither knew what the feeling was, but that didn't make them tear the gazes away from each other either. They started to move closer to one another when a familiar voice below them got their attention.
"Hey guys!" Yang called. The two looked down to see the two sisters at the ground with their bags in hand. "How's it Yanging?"
The Defenders, including the recently discharged Jessica Jones, were yet again gathered in the headmaster's office to discuss their previous mission. On Ozpin's side of the room were Goodwitch, Ironwood, and further off to the side was Castle in his bright Atlesian Specialist uniform.
"So would you consider this a victory, Mister Murdock?" Ozpin questioned.
"That's… up in the air. We prevented the collider from losing any control during activation, and even prevented it from further activation, but our goal was to gain control of it, so we could have a way home when this is all solved. So on that, we're back to square one," Matt answered.
"I see. My condolences," Ozpin said.
"What about Taskmaster?" Ironwood asked.
"He was there, as was Torchwick's henchwoman, Electro, and by Peter's account, the red woman. However, I would also deem certain aspects of that a failure as well. Electro died in the conflict and the red woman killed Fisk to prevent any information from getting out. They also regained possession of the Tinkerer during their escape."
"I do hope there is a bright side to this," Goodwitch commented.
"Somewhat," Matt said. "Again, by Peter's account, Fisk battled Taskmaster and seemingly crippled him, meaning that besides Tinkerer, all of our world's enemies have been taken care of. That just leaves one adversary for us."
"The red woman," Ozpin said. "The mystery that just gets more mysterious. You've thinned her ranks with no lives lost on your own team, I would consider that much a victory. And I can't thank you all enough for risking your lives so often for problems not entirely your own. I understand you consider this your jobs, but my gratitude is still extended."
"I thought we established we didn't need your gratitude," Luke replied.
"Even so, know I am still grateful. That being said, I would ask that until the tournament is fully underway you not drop any more buildings. Bad for real estate, as I hear," Ozpin joked. "To be frank, though, you all have done well. For now, rest. The red woman will play her hand soon enough."
"There's one more thing we need to discuss before we go, Professor," Matt said.
"That being?" Ozpin asked.
"When I fought Taskmaster, he revealed information that… disturbed me."
"What is this information?" Ironwood questioned.
"That Marc Spector is dead," Matt said, clearly surprising Ozpin and Goodwitch in particular.
"Wait, what?!" Jessica exclaimed.
"Taskmaster claimed that Marc and Raven Branwen were on his tail, so he killed Marc himself."
"Raven? Are you sure?" Glynda asked.
"I'm not surprised they were cooperating. It was Raven you all learned my secret from in the first place," Ozpin said.
"This 'Raven', should we look for her?" Castle asked.
"I can have my forces search the countryside en masse to find Raven and get to the bottom of this."
"Seriously James," Goodwitch groaned, "You can't solve everything with military force. You treat every problem like it's a contest of measuring di-"
"Glynda," Ozpin cut her off.
"Well he does…"
"As grim as news of Mister Spector's death is, his killer has been crippled, and when this is all over, will be put behind bars for the rest of his life. While I give my condolences, I think we can all agree Raven is not on our priority list."
"Actually, I disagree," Luke said. "If you want us to wait on the red woman's next move, then we should use this free time of ours to find Raven."
"Yeah, Raven is involved in all this somehow, or she wouldn't have been with Spector," Jessica agreed. "We should find her before the red woman decides to off her too."
"That is not our priority-" Goodwitch started to say.
"It isn't your priority," Jessica said. "As I see it, we can do whatever we want with our free time."
"Do what you wish, so long as you are back on the grounds for the tournament matches tomorrow. I do hope wherever you end up, you get to see the launching of Amity Arena tonight. It is quite a sight," Ozpin smiled. "I know there have been grave tidings as of late, and I promise I will still help you all any way I can. But even for you two, Luke and Jessica, perhaps a night to yourselves would be pleasant, given Miss Jones was just discharged from Medical. After your search, watching the launch together could prove to be a nice distraction."
"Thanks but no thanks," Jessica declined. "A 'nice' distraction is still a distraction."
"I see. Well, still, I wouldn't consider it a terrible idea. For now, I believe that is all we have to discuss. Perhaps after the matches tomorrow, we can reconvene. Now enjoy yourselves as best you can. Extend my gratitude to Mister Parker. Good day."
"And to you, Professor," Matt replied before he and his teammates turned around and entered the elevator.
"So, when were you guys gonna tell me about Spector?" Jessica questioned.
"We haven't exactly had a good chance to rest, Jess," Danny said. "And right now, a nap sounds really great."
"So a man died and we're just gonna sit around?" Jessica asked.
"We know Taskmaster killed him. We also know he probably has a shattered spine. We can afford to take one night off. Besides, since when do you care about Marc Spector?"
Jessica just sighed. "Whatever."
"Raven can be our concern later. We know she didn't do it, and that she was actually helping Marc," Matt said. "As far as I'm concerned, that just means she's an untapped ally that now has a reason to hunt Taskmaster and the red woman, which we can worry about tomorrow. For now, I think we should take today to relax a bit. We did have some victories, so let's celebrate for it. I know you like drinking."
"Very funny," Jessica rolled her eyes
"Wanna go see if Peter will join us tonight?" Danny asked their leader.
"Yang and Ruby are returning today," Matt answered. "We should let him spend tonight with them. I'm sure they missed each other."
"Yang, you're squeezing me too tightly…" Peter groaned. Yang was hugging him in a vice grip and lifting him off the ground.
"Nuh-uh, Spider-Boy! It's been days, I'm getting the Xiao Long love in now!" Yang replied with a joyful smile.
"I'll be sure to share that sentiment with my spine…" Yang and Blake laughed at Peter's response.
Ruby, Penny and Weiss meanwhile were with BT. "So… we haven't gotten a chance to talk yet," Ruby said to BT.
"Uh… y-yeah. When you left, you would've only known what I'd done…" BT said, looking away nervously.
"Weiss told me you didn't have a choice, and that you're trying to do better. That's what matters," Ruby assured him with a smile, bringing a smile to BT's face as well.
"Everyone's been a big help, and I am so grateful. None of you had to take me in, especially after what I did."
"Heroes don't work like that," Ruby said. "Besides, you're our friend now. Friends have each other's backs."
"Ditto," Weiss nodded.
"Friends? But… but we just met," BT replied to Ruby.
"If Weiss trusts you, that's the highest stamp of approval in my book."
"You're too kind," BT nervously chuckled.
"I've done everything I could to make BT feel safe and comfortable," Penny declared with a smile.
"Clearly, you've done good, Penny," Ruby said, making Penny's own smile grow even wider.
Weiss leaned in close and muttered to her team leader. "Maybe too good. I swear, they're weirdly chummy, and I don't like it."
"Pfft, nothing to worry about. They're just nice," Ruby waved her off. "It is weird though, seeing Peter's face at my age."
"What's that supposed to mean?" BT asked.
"He's just so… tired, I guess? That's not the right word for it. I mean yeah, he's almost five years older than you biologically, but… I dunno. Guess it's just weird having a younger Peter."
"You calling me old?" Peter asked as the others joined them. "I feel offended."
"You are the oldest here, Pete," Yang said.
"Yeah yeah, no need to point it out…"
"Well, anyways, it's nice to finally meet you, BT!" Ruby said with a cheerful smile while putting a hand out towards him.
"Y-You as well, Ruby…" BT anxiously replied before shaking her hand.
"And I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister," Yang said before extending her own hand to the clone.
"I-I know…" BT stuttered, nervously shaking Yang's hand as well. "As much as I don't like remembering it, Taskmaster had me commit your team's name's to memory, maybe as some part of his plans, not that I remember those anymore…"
"Hey, you're here to help now, and that's what matters. Don't think too hard about before," Yang told him.
"Right…"
"So," Weiss said, "Amity Arena is launching tonight so it can be fully operational before the matches tomorrow. Perhaps we could all go see it together?"
"Unfortunately, I will have to decline," Penny replied. "General Ironwood wants me back aboard the flagship before midnight so I can train and then rest before the big day. That being said, I must be off."
"Well, it was nice seeing you, Penny. We'll be sure to catch your match too," Peter said.
"I appreciate the support," Penny smiled before giving Ruby and BT brief embraces. "Good night!" Penny then quickly exited the lab.
"So, everyone else?" Weiss asked.
"I'm down. When does it launch?" Yang asked.
"In a little over an hour," Blake answered.
"Sounds great! We can get some dinner beforehand! Ugh, I'm so hungry!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Yeah, I need to stretch my legs more. Dad took us in the truck this time, and the drive from Patch to Vale is looooonnnggg," Yang groaned as she stretched out her body, bones popping as she did. "Momma is stiff… I should've taken Bumblebee..."
"Sounds fun to me," Blake answered.
"I have a few quick things to wrap up here, but I can meet you guys at the diner," Peter said.
"We can do that," Ruby said. BT was quiet, though, staying off to the side out of the conversation.
"What about you, BT?" Ruby asked.
"H-Huh? M-Me?" He questioned.
"Uh, yeah? Do you want to have dinner and watch the launch with us?" Ruby asked again.
"I-I thought I shouldn't be out in public?"
"The bad guys just took a serious hit. I think it'll take longer than a day for them to gather themselves," Peter said. "We can afford a night out. You can't be in the dorms and the lab forever. This can be your first taste of normal."
"Y-You're serious…?" BT questioned.
"Yeah. You go on ahead with the team, I'll catch up," Peter smiled.
"Yeah!" Yang smiled. "C'mon, new guy!" She slapped a Beacon Academy cap atop his head before pulling him alongside her and the rest of the team. While the other three helped BT rush out the door, Blake stopped and turned back to Peter. Peter didn't notice at first, but when he saw her looking, he waved her off.
"I'm fine, Blake, go," He chuckled.
"The cliffs where we had our initiation will have a great view of the launch. I'll try and get the others there while we wait for you."
"Sounds nice, actually. Let me wrap things up and I'll swing my way over."
Blake smiled and slightly blushed before saying, "I'll be sure to save you a spot." Blake then left, closing the lab door behind her. Only then did Blake's words catch up with him.
"Wait, what?" He called after her. "What did that mean? I need explanation!" Peter sighed and his blush faded away as he focused on trying to wrap things up. For a few moments, he worked in peace, until a surge of burning pain flared up in his right forearm. He gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow. He was glad it flared now and not when anyone else was around. He pulled his sleeve up to see a dark black burned cut in his arm. It was an injury he'd taken when the collider exploded, a piece of debris cutting just into his arm, not dangerous. Or so he thought. The blackened skin was unexplainable. And he'd felt off ever since it happened.
The injury had sealed, but the pitch blackness contrasted with his skin starkly, and it felt like it was on fire. He quickly reached over and opened a drawer of vials he knew to be painkillers, and quickly injected himself with the contents of the vial, taking a few breaths as the pain faded away.
"That looked like a nasty cut," A voice said behind him. He instantly turned on his heel to face behind him, but no one was there. So where did the voice come from? He wiped beads of sweat off his forehead, thinking it must've just been his imagination. "Oh, I'm real. Just, not in the same sense as you are."
"Wh-Who's there?" Peter asked.
"Strange. People of this universe shouldn't hear or see me. But you aren't of Remnant either, are you?" The voice said. It was female, with an almost motherly tone. But whatever it actually was, Peter didn't trust it.
"You didn't answer my question."
"I am not a 'who'. I am something larger, something that usually has no ties to Remnant. My realm is far from this one. And, I would guess, so is yours," She deduced.
"I'm going crazy…" Peter spoke to himself, feeling unnerved.
"I assure you, you aren't crazy, though how we're connected, I'm not sure. Normally only those in my realm needing a new purpose can hear my words. Are you seeking purpose?" The voice asked.
"I…I…" Peter stammered, his thoughts a mess now, still caught off guard. "I don't… who are you?" Peter asked again, but the presence of the voice was just as suddenly gone as it had appeared. "Hello?" His calls were in vain. The woman's presence was gone. He looked at the wound again in confused curiosity. Had the collider's tests affected the very material of the device? He didn't have time to think it over. The pain had subsided and his friends were waiting on him. He would have to investigate it further when he returned after the launch.
Anthony awoke with a start, and his entire body felt like it was aflame. He let out painful yells from his lungs as he tried to squirm, every working muscle flailing to all its ability. Adrenaline spiked his system. He was hyperventilating to get air into his lungs.
"Anthony!" A voice called to him. Soon the world came to him, and Cinder's voice fell on his ears. "Anthony! Calm down! You're alive, but you need to stay still!" He gradually was able to calm himself down, despite the unbearable pain he was in.
"C-….C-Cinder…?" He rasped.
"Good. For a few moments there, you had me doubtful," Cinder sighed, in what could've only been relief.
"D-Don't… get soft on me now…" Anthony groaned through gritted teeth, attempting even the slightest humor. "That ch-chronic apathy of yours didn't get hit in the e-explosion, right…?"
"I have yet to see that chronic anger of yours. Maybe you got hit in the head with hat spine of yours," Cinder deadpanned.
"H-How bad is it…?" Anthony asked.
"Well, we kidnapped Mason again and forced him to give a diagnosis, as slow as that came. His guess was the damage was beyond repair, at least by your world's standards," Cinder answered.
"So I'll never walk again…"
"Unacceptable. I ordered Tinkerer to devise some kind of device to help, some kind of spinal implant or something that can pull your bones back together. Remnant isn't Earth. We can find a way."
"Again, noticing the lack of chronic apathy…" Anthony painfully smirked.
"How many painkillers does he have pumping through your veins?" Cinder raised an eyebrow.
"Clearly not enough. Feels like someone is vice gripping all my nerves…" Anthony groaned.
"You survived. And you will be on your feet again before the Fall," Cinder assured him.
"How long has it been? Since the collider?" Anthony asked.
"About a day. You've been in and out. It's a… relief to see you conscious."
"S-So you were worried about me…"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Anthony. You picked a fight and lost. That doesn't make me very happy."
"N-No, that doesn't make S-Salem very happy. You're just g-glad I'm alive…" Anthony corrected.
"This positivity doesn't suit you. Maybe when you're walking again, you'll be back to your rageful self," Cinder said.
"Oh, I'm pissed. Now I really want nothing more than to gouge Parker's eyes out with my bare hands! Make no mistake, Cinder, they will all die slowly and painfully, in every way that they fear. But first we will show them a world aflame and full of corpses. Starting with our last loose end…"
"Black Tarantula," Cinder guessed. "He will be dealt with, and made an example of. For now, even being conscious hinders your recovery. Sleep. I will check up on you again soon."
"I'll be fine," Taskmaster groaned. Cinder placed her open palm on Anthony's exposed torso, and his chest started to feel heavy, and warm. It made it slightly difficult to breathe, especially in his state.
"Let me remind you I can burn you from the inside out, just as simple as this. You will stay here, and you will rest. If you truly wish to be by my side as Vale falls, you will do as I say. You don't obey, and you will share Fisk's fate," Cinder threatened.
"Th-There's that cold apathy I remember…"
Cinder smirked and slowly ran her hand up his torso and onto his cheek. "Rest well. For it won't be long now." She then pulled her hand away and walked out of Anthony's limited view. He let out a painful chuckle before closing his eyes, letting the darkness take him again.
Frank finished another drink before slamming the glass down onto the countertop. "Hit me again," he growled at the bartender, who reluctantly did so. Frank watched as the barkeep filled the glass up and left him to tend to his other customers. Frank just sighed and gripped the glass again.
What were you doing, Spector? Even I know better than to fight Taskmaster alone… and I'm insane. He started to bring the glass to his lips when a familiar voice rang behind him.
"That's quite a lot of drinks for a Specialist to have before one of the most important days of the festival," Ironwood said before taking a seat next to him. "Wouldn't want you hungover all day, now would we?"
"General," Frank just said before he continued drinking.
"What are you doing, Frank?" Ironwood asked.
"Drinking, what does it look like?" Frank replied.
"If I had to guess, I would say this is to honor your fallen friend?"
"Honor's bullshit, General. I'm drinking to drink, and if I get fucked up doin' it, then I get fucked up doin' it,' Frank said before slamming his drink. "Hit me again."
The bartender refilled his glass and Ironwood got his attention as well. "I'd like a glass of Vytalian Ale."
"Comin' right up," The bartender grunted before bringing a glass up from under the bar and filling it with the General's requested drink.
"What about you, General? What brings you down from your castle in the sky?" Frank questioned.
"I couldn't help but notice my trusted left hand put some distance between himself and the school on my way out."
"So?"
"You may have had a stone-cold face, but I could feel your anger from across the room. I'm surprised Oz didn't pick up on it," Ironwood explained. "He was a friend?"
"I don't do friends. He was a soldier. A damn good one. He didn't deserve to die to that scumbag," Frank snarled.
"If he was anything like you, I agree."
"There ain't nobody like me." Frank started drinking his newly refilled glass, and Ironwood followed suit by sipping from his.
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you care?" Ironwood questioned. "You've always seemed so cut off, alone. Why does his death matter to you if he wasn't a friend?"
"I'm not here to talk, I'm here to drink," Frank cut him off.
"Who says you can't do both?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow as he sipped his own drink again.
"I say. I also say I don't wanna keep talking about Spector."
"You knew him personally, didn't you? You must've served together on tour," The general deduced.
Frank sighed. "Fine… yeah. Yeah, we toured together once. When we were out of the circuit, I went home to my family, but Marc wanted more action. He signed up with a group of mercs, the wrong crowd. Next I see him, he's dressed up for the fuckin' circus, beatin' on street crooks. Not that I was doing anything different. Hit me again."
The keep topped off Frank's drink while the conversation continued. "You were already the Punisher. What separated you two?"
"He still had a family. I didn't," Frank simply said before finishing his drink in one go.
"So his family is left behind… I understand."
"No, you don't," Frank frowned. "You don't have kids, a wife."
"You're right, I don't. I will never understand what you lost, Frank. I may never feel what you feel, just like I'll never feel what Marc's wife will feel when she learns of his fate. But even looking at these kinds of things from an outside view… I don't wish that upon anyone. And I'm sorry that it happened to you at all, Frank."
"What do you want from me, Ironwood, tears?"
"No. Just a drink between two tired old soldiers," Ironwood answered before raising his glass towards Frank. "To Marc Spector."
Frank was indecisive at first. Does he tell the Atlesian general to buzz off? Or does he humor him? In the end, he chose to just do what felt right. Frank raised his glass and clinked it against Ironwood's. "To Marc Spector." The two men chugged their drinks and slammed their glasses down.
"Next round is on me," Ironwood smiled.
"Woah, you can see the entire kingdom from up here…" BT marveled. The group were now atop the very cliff where they had begun their initiation, where the headmaster had launched them out into the Emerald Forest, which itself spread across the visible land.
"Yeah, it's a nice view when you aren't sent flying through the sky," Yang remarked.
"Did we have to come here before dinner?" Ruby asked.
"We'll get food after the launch, calm down," Weiss assured her leader.
"I hope Peter gets here soon," Blake said. "Amity launches in just a few minutes."
"Then it seems like I'm just in time," Peter said as he swung down from the treetops and landed next to BT.
"About time," Yang smiled. "What took you so long?"
"Tidying up," Peter answered. "Glad I got here just in time. I also brought a few things." Peter slipped a backpack down his arm and opened it to reveal bags of smaller snacks for all of them. "Weiss texted me saying you guys didn't stop for food, so I got some stuff for us to snack on while we watched the launch. And if everyone's still hungry, we can have a real dinner after."
"Yes! You're awesome, Peter!" Ruby squealed with starry eyes as she snatched a bag of chips from the backpack.
"Help yourselves," Peter chuckled before walking past them all and sitting on the edge of the cliff, legs dangling over.
"I-I'm good," BT said before doing the same. The sisters each grabbed a bag or two, as did Weiss. Blake passed it up and took a seat next to Peter, giving him a warm smile. Peter returned it. The other's all found seats on the edge as they anticipated the launch. Down the line ran Blake, Peter, Weiss, Ruby, BT, then Yang on the other end.
Peter smiled while looking at all of his friends, before he started to feel his gash flare up again. He hid his pain well, but Blake must've heard his sharp intake of breath. She looked at him in a concerned way. He quietly waved her off, trying to get across that he was fine. Over time, he and Blake had somewhat developed a way to get across simple things without speaking, something useful for the two most anti-social of the group.
Blake took one glance at the others. The other three members of her team were talking to BT, seemingly trying to acquaint him more with Ruby and Yang, and it seemed to be going swimmingly. With them distracted, Blake gently gripped Peter's wrist. "Peter…" She whispered.
"I promise, I'm okay," Peter whispered back. "Just… maybe after this I need to head straight to my dorm. Get some rest. That way I can be ready to see your match tomorrow." Blake gave a look as if she knew there was more to it, which unnerved Peter a bit. "Blake… I promise."
"Okay," Blake relented, clearly not all the way convinced. He felt guilty for lying, and immediately wanted to tell her the truth, but given that even he didn't understand what had happened earlier, he thought it better to wait until he thought he understood better. He could chalk it up to just being exhausted and sleepy. He hadn't slept in at least a day now. He just needed a bit of time.
"It's launching!" Ruby exclaimed. Peter looked up and, sure enough, now rising above the treeline back closer to the city, was the silhouette of the specialized coliseum for the Vytal Festival, its airborne ability powered by massive amounts of gravity dust: Amity Arena. The silhouette rose higher and higher above the city lights of Vale, before its own lights came on, illuminating the masterful creation by Remnant's inhabitants, a symbol of unison for the entire world. A beacon of hope.
"It's amazing…!" Ruby said in awe.
"Incredible…" BT muttered.
"It's true. It's one of Remnant's greatest creations, a symbol for the people," Weiss smiled.
"And a light for the future," Yang added. They were all left in pure starstruck enjoyment even as Amity continued to rise far above the city and soon stop in its predetermined location. The launch was over, and they could've left, but the group decided to happily enjoy the night under the starry sky even after the floating coliseum hung still among the stars.