The cold cavern air chilled her sweat. As she stood where multiple tunnels met, she listened carefully. the sound of distant gunfire echoed down one passage, then faded into silence.
Weiss waited, gripping her Myrtenaster with one hand. She held her other hand behind her back. The wait reminded her of when she'd have to perform at her father's banquets when she was a child. More gunshots, louder than last time, and more prolonged, but again silence came. Her newly formed muscles tensed, readying for action. While Weiss had gained some bulk with her intensive training she still had her light, dancer frame. She still looked every inch the young heiress she'd always been. But now power thrummed within her body.
Radio chatter was a buzz in her ear. As Cortana's voice rang clear in her ear "A group of Centinels have broken away and are now headed towards your position ETA one minute."
"Good" was her only reply. Weiss waited, muscles tight. Then, in the distance, she could hear them before she could see them. The sound of scuttling claws on ice echoed through the tunnel. Forming a glyph under her, Weiss waited, letting them get closer, waiting to get a good look at them.
In the darkness of the cave, she could see their marks glow a threatening red. She could make out the clicking of their many legs, as they grew closer. As they appeared at the tunnel intersection she could make out the distinctive outline of Centinels.Six of them, she noted. One would meet its end instantly. The others... they would be a problem.
Weiss stood her ground as they advanced towards her, mandibles clicking and chittering as they scurried through the tunnel, each step making an awful click on the icy stone ground. As they entered the intersection Weiss let her glyph loose and propelled herself at them.
Skewering one of the Centinel's heads on her blade. With the same thrust, she hurled a small spike of ice through the second Centinel's head killing it. Surrounding her the remaining Centinels made a series of awful clicking screeches. One tried to leap at her from behind, but with a thought, Weiss formed another glyph, and let the creature smash itself into it, before reversing its gravity and having the Centinel smashing itself against the roof of the cavern.
Dodging a barrage of claws, Weiss danced through the creatures, spinning with grace, cutting with deadly intent, Myrtenaster's chamber cycled through a fire Dust crystal. Igniting her blade she cleaved the creatures apart. The one who had been forced to the roof smashed itself against the floor as gravity righted itself. The Centinel scuttled towards her and with a twirl and a flick she stabbed the creature through its face.
Kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily, she stood up as the creatures dissolved into ashes around her. She stood there for a few seconds, the cold air flowing through her lungs.
"Good work."
Snapping around, her blade ready, Weiss' eyes were met by the looming sight of a Mjolnir armored Spartan, as the Chief stepped closer to her. Assault rifle held close to his chest plate, ready for combat at a second's notice.
"Don't do that!" Weiss cried, placing a hand on her chest in an effort to slow her rapidly beating heart. The Spartan shrugged.
"Your enemy won't warn you of their approach," he said bluntly, before gesturing to the ice and ash. "Good job dealing with the Grimm though, how are you holding up?"
Weiss paused for a moment. She took in a deep breath, calming the adrenaline in her system. "I'm good," she said finally.
The Spartan nodded stretching out his palm as the digital visage of Cortana appeared."Those Centinels were the last of this nest. And our Manta is already en route to extract us. I'd call this training session a success. How does it feel?"
"Tiring. I feel tired" Weiss admitted, trying to hold herself upright and not slouch over with fatigue. Her body felt drained of energy and she could already feel a dull ache throughout her limbs.
Cortana seemed to understand as she gave the young woman an apologetic smile. "Well, you're getting stronger at least, that much is clear. But I agree with Weiss. Perhaps we could stand to take things easier. There's no point pushing yourself if you're just going to hurt yourself."
"No! I'm fine, this schedule may be demanding but I can keep up," she argued back. Cortana narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, looking as though she was about to scold Weiss like a child, but Chief's voice interrupted.
"If she says she's fine, I believe her." Cortana glanced at him. Her mouth still opened as she seemed to have the words to protest at the ready but ultimately said nothing. Her expression shifted as she folded her arms over her chest and let out an audible "Hmph"
Walking out the caves Weiss could make out a shadow against the falling snow. The Manta's thrusters roared into life and it slowly descended to pick them up. Side door opening Clover waved them in with a friendly grin on his face.
As Weiss was helped aboard by the Captain, she found a seat, slouching back against the wall and taking the opportunity to let her muscles relax. Her whole body felt like lead. But it was a good feeling. The kind that told her she was getting stronger and stronger, one Grimm at a time.
"Man, what's this make the fifth cave system cleared out this week?" Clover asked from his seat, the Manta taking to the sky as he did so.
Eyes closed Weiss smiled as she said, "Sixth actually. But yes, all clear now. Those Centinels should stop trying to set up shop around this sector at least."
"You two are doing amazing work," the man replied, giving them a thumbs up.
"Excuse me," Cortana piped in.
"Oh, yes you too Cortana," Clover laughed as he looked at the holo-figure projected from Chief's armor. "But we both know that you're not doing all that much," he joked with a grin on his face.
"You'd be surprised," the Ai sassed back at the Captain. "I do a lot more work than you know," snapping her fingers and making a map of the areas they had cleared of Grimm, highlighting the various cavern systems that the Spartan-Weiss duo had been through over the past few days.
"What's this?" Weiss asked as she sat forward. Her body aching all the while, she was almost afraid to even move, but this caught her attention.
"I've been scanning the local caves with Chief's armor, trying to get a feel for the geography around here," Cortana replied as the Manta continued on its way, the shadow of Atlas appearing in view. "We've been getting some pretty unusual seismic readings. Nothing threatening of course, but certainly unusual."
The map shifted into an outline of an underground cavern network.
Clover leaned in "Interesting," he mused, his expression thoughtful." They are moving within the subterranean tunnels. That would explain how they're avoiding detection," he looked over at Chief. "I'll inform Ironwood, and get the Ace Ops on board."
"Wait a minute," Weiss interrupted. "Sir, Chief and I have been the ones doing these patrols, why should we not be included?"
Clover laughed "I love the enthusiasm, but the Ace Ops are more than capable of handling whatever may be down there." Seeing an unsatisfied expression on Weiss' face, the man continued. "Look I understand wanting to prove yourself, but let the pros handle it. Besides, the General has a mission for you two. You'll like it, trust me.
"A mission?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah, Ironwood is sending the two of you out of the kingdom," Clover said, leaning back in his seat.
Weiss perked up at this "Actually out of Atlas? Not just Mantle?"
"Correct," Clover said with a nod of his head.
"What's the mission?" The Spartan asked.
Clover grinned as the Manta continued towards the floating fortress "I'll let the general explain."
"Well then I think I'm going to make myself scarce for now," Cortana said with a wink before she disappeared back into Chief's armor. The man himself was sitting still. The Spartan and former heiress remained silent on the journey back. The exhaustion had set into her muscles, leaving them like dead weight as they flew into the docking bay.
Weiss looked out the window, the sun beginning to set. As they disembarked the Manta the pair followed Clover through the corridors. Her body felt stiff but she couldn't stop smiling. 'A real mission, outside Atlas for the first time. Maybe I can finally track down my friends,' she thought, her expression brightening with each passing minute.
"Alright, I'll see you both later, good work out there, both of you," Clover said, before turning and leaving them at a crossroad, one corridor leading to the officer's barracks, another to the hangar, and the third to Ironwood's office.
Stepping through the door, Ironwood looked up at them with a warm smile as they entered. "Ah, if it isn't our residential extermination specialists," he laughed. "Take a seat, I have some things I wanted to talk about. I hear you two are getting on well."
The pair sat in their chairs, Chief as stoic as ever leaving Weiss to answer "I think we complement each other very well," she said as she glanced over at the Spartan who was still as a statue, while she felt the aching of her limbs as she shifted in the chair.
Ironwood's gaze lingered on them before he spoke up once more. "So I imagine you're wondering what this is all about?" The pair remained silent. Weiss nodded. "Well, after Beacon's fall and the destruction of Vale's CTT tower, communication with the other kingdoms have been spotty at best. We've had to resort to older methods to relay information. With all our assets spread across Remnant and Atlas' proximity to the Kingdoms we can still send and receive important messages."
"That sounds reasonable," Weiss replied. "So what do you want us to do?"
Ironwood smiled. "Whatever's left of Vale's government hasn't been responded back as of late and the other two kingdoms haven't heard from them either." The general gestured at the Spartan, "With all that's been going on, I need eyes on the ground, so you two are going to Vale."
Weiss' eyes lit up, she stood up. "You're sending us to Vale?!"
Ironwood nodded. "Indeed, you'll be reestablishing communication and making sure that everything is alright with the local authorities.
Weiss could hardly contain herself, as the excitement grew within her chest. 'This is my chance! This could be what I need to find Ruby. This will give me a chance to see what I can do about reuniting the team.'
Ironwood continued "It won't just be you two though, a pair of Atlesian Specialists will be coming along to ensure everything goes smoothly, and to give you some assistance if necessary. We're having a Manta prepared and ready to leave first thing in the morning. That is unless there are any objections."
The Spartan and former heiress said nothing.
The general's smile widened. "Excellent, I'll let the specialists know the mission is a go. Whatever's left of Beacon should be your first point of contact. Your former teacher, Gylnda Goodwitch, was appointed headmistress after Beacon's fall." Ironwood looked at the pair, a glint of sadness in his eye, "I'm sure she will be happy to see you in one piece, and no doubt she'll know what's been going on with the kingdom."
Dismissed, the pair rose from their seats. Weiss couldn't wait for tomorrow. It was her chance to leave, it was her chance to reunite with her friends, and she was determined to do all she could. She just had to wait, just a little while longer.
The morning air was crisp and cold, a light mist settled over the tarmac. Weiss with a bag slung over her shoulder stepped into the hangar, her breath visible in front of her. The air felt still. The engines of the Manta hummed to life, as she approached the vessel, Spartan at her side.
Clover was already there along with Marrow Amin, as the young Faunus walked back and forth, visibly nervous. Putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder, Clover stopped his pacing.
"Calm down Marrow, you've done this a dozen times by now. Besides they're not going to eat you up on this trip, these two are the friendliest people I know." The Captain looked over to them. "Hey there you two."
Weiss nodded and the Spartan simply glanced at the captain, as they approached. Marrow however seemed to shrink as the Spartan looked over to him.
"Marrow here will be one of the two specialists that you'll be working with on this mission," Clover explained. "Don't worry about him, he just tends to get nervous when meeting new people, even if those people have been helping Atlas out for weeks," he joked, ruffling the younger man's hair.
While the pair had seen Marrow in passing on their various patrols and missions, the pair had never really talked to the young specialist, aside from the odd nod and hello. Weiss knew little about the man but she hoped he could do the job right."I hope we get along," Marrow said in a small voice.
Weiss gave him a warm smile in reply, "I hope so too. It'll be a pleasure working with you."
The young faunus' tail wagged, his ears perking up."Me being a Faunus won't be a problem right?" he asked nervously.
"Of course not, I couldn't care less if you have ears and a tail. As long as you can do your job well, we're on the same team," Weiss said kindly, still smiling. She saw Clover pat Marrow on the back with a proud smile.
"Normally any Ace-op joining another team would me they'd be in charge. But with Marrow still being a bit green, Chief here's got the overall authority of the mission." The Spartan nodded and Clover smiled, "Glad you understand."
Weiss nodded as well. While she had gotten much better, the young heiress was still not quite used to the more... intense combat situations. The Spartan could take charge in this situation. Weiss just needed to make sure she did everything right.
"So does that mean our fourth isn't another Ace-op?" Weiss asked looking up at Clover, the Captain gave a short laugh.
"Not exactly," Clover replied with a knowing smile. "But I think you two are gonna like your partner."
"Oh, well, where is he? Or she?" Weiss asked, looking around as she did so. The hangar was mostly empty, with a few other pilots and mechanics doing the morning routine of checking up on the various airships and equipment. But aside from Clover and the pair, there was no one else there.
The Captain smiled. "Here she comes," Clover said, gesturing with one hand towards the sky above. Looking up, Weiss felt her breath leave her, a green light descending through the mist as it came closer to them.
"Is that who I think it is?!" Marrow exclaimed with wide eyes and a tail wagging furiously, his nerves having left him almost immediately.
"Yeah, Pietro finished her repairs just yesterday," the captain replied, putting his hands on his hips. "The general wants to test out some new upgrades on her anyway. And what better way to do that than to have her help with an important mission?"
The Spartan's and former heiress' eyes remained fixed on the green light as it took on a humanoid form as the light faded away to reveal Penny Polendina, the same cheerful girl from the festival. "Hi there, friends!" the robot said with a wave of her hand.
Weiss let out a laugh of surprise "Penny!? You're...You're alive! How? How is this even possible?" Weiss said as she approached her. She'd been there at the fall. She saw it, saw her destroyed, ripped to pieces. She was gone! How? How could she be standing right in front of her now?
"My father Pietro," the robot answered with a smile, her emerald eyes fixed on Weiss and the Spartan. "He saved me. It took a long time but he's rebuilt me."
The former heiress smiled brightly "That's... That's wonderful," she replied as the two embraced, and the Spartan remained silent, observing."Oh penny, this is Chie-"
"Spartan 117, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the United Nations Space Command," Penny finished, her gaze focused on him. The Spartan looked at her and said nothing, merely tilting his helmeted head slightly in a sign of greeting. Penny responded with a wave and a "Hello, Spartan."
"Ironwood felt it best if Penny knew about our multiversal guest here." Clover said "Considering what she is," the Ace-op continued. "It only makes sense to let her in on it. Just don't mention it to anyone else."
Penny smiled as she said, "Yes sir, I will not speak of the Spartan's origins outside the group!"
Weiss felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her. To not have to hide things, not from those that she would be working with on the mission, but also from someone she had considered a friend. Penny was safe and well, and they were all going to be working together, helping people. The heiress could not wait to leave the kingdom of Atlas, to find the others. She would be with them soon enough.
"Before we depart," Penny began, clasping her hands together and gazing up at the orange visor of the Spartan. "May I see the construct known as Cortana, please?"
The Spartan paused, remaining motionless. "Chief don't be rude, Cortana's probably dying to meet a girl of her own kind." Clover laughed and Weiss had to agree with the sentiment. Opening his palm Chief summoned the AI's hologram, she looked to Penny and smiled "You'll have to excuse the Spartan, he tends to get a bit protective."
Penny returned the smile "Wow you're beautiful." she said looking at Cortana. "It's so nice to finally meet another synthetic person. My name's Penny Polendina."
The blue Ai laughed "Aren't you just the cutest! My name is Cortana, the Chief's personal AI, it's good to meet you, Penny," she said waving her holographic hand, while Penny returned the gesture.
Weiss smiled. Penny and Cortana, she could only imagine how it must have been, for Penny, being the only one of her kind in Remnant. Even with all her quirks and mannerisms, it must have felt strange and lonely for her. And Weiss was sure Cortana was enjoying the chance to have another artificial mind to converse with as well.
"Ahem." Clover cleared his throat, catching all their attention as he stood there, a clipboard in his hand, smiling. "As touching as this is, you four better get on your way. There's a lot of work to be done."
Weiss gave him a smile in response as they boarded the Manta. "Come on, I have people to see."
Clover's grin only widened as he laughed "That you do, and the rest of us have a kingdom to keep safe. Be seeing you." boarding the vessel Weiss, gave one last wave goodbye, as they closed the ramp. The Captain's face vanished as the door shut behind them. The hum of the engines and whine of the thrusters filled the cabin as the ship took to the air, taking them away from Atlas, and into the world.
Looking out the window at the receding shape of the fortress Weiss couldn't help but let the excitement run through her, and as the Manta took them away from the floating kingdom of Atlas. It took them away from the safety, security, and military discipline of the kingdom. They were heading back into the unknown, heading back to the ruins of Beacon. But there was an excitement, an excitement of being able to find her friends and being able to return to her true home, Vale.
Chief gazed out at the white and blue of Atlas' kingdom below them. The sensors in his armor told him Cortana wanted to see the outside world for herself in a more personal approach, so he allowed it, letting her holographic image take a peek at the kingdom below as well. "Guess we're gonna get to see what this world has to offer us," she said in a whisper to her Spartan. "Nothing in comparison to a Halo but, it'll do," she joked, smirking at the Chief who simply gazed at her with that unreadable visage.
"This isn't sightseeing, remember that."
"Don't you go playing the party pooper on me chief," Cortana replied back "You're getting to see this new world just as I am,"
"It's a brand new world. We need to be cautious," Cortana couldn't help but chuckle, of course, he'd think of something like that, he's a Spartan after all.
"Just try and enjoy yourself, alright?"