Chapter 5: A Cold Day In Hell
Prologue:
In a secret laboratory just outside of New Rushland, a woman with pale blue skin sits in a cryogenic freezing chamber, tinkering with a tin soldier. She places the toy on a shelf before standing up to finally dress herself to leave the chamber. Her attire consists of a blue latex suit which acts only to cover her body. Next, she begins to slip into a pressurized containment suit designed to keep her body's core temperature at sub-zero. Finally, she places a pair of red goggles over her eyes before sealing the suit with a plexiglass helmet. She returns to the tin soldier, lovingly caressing it in her hand.
["This is how I shall always remember you…"] She declares. ["Forever young. Forever brave. Forever handsome. Though you were taken from me far too soon, you may rest easy knowing that the one responsible for your demise will soon learn that revenge is a dish… best served cold."]
The Crimsonoff-Kashtonovvy Farm
Svetlana Crimsonoff and her family were currently hosting a party in honor of Rush Corp's CEO, Sasha Boil, for her work in philanthropy and medicine. The day after the party, Crimson Enterprises would add Rush Corp to it's board of directors to continue spreading help throughout Remnant.
"Quite the turnout tonight," Svetlana commented as she looked at all the people who had gathered for the party whilst standing with her husband and foster daughter.
"Not too much of a surprise: not too many people will say no to free food and/or a party that you were hosting," Mikhail chuckled. "Still, you'd better watch out, love. Sasha Boil seems to be after your title of New Rushland's most eligible philanthropist."
Svetlana just smiled. "I'm not jealous, if that's what you're implying. I'm thrilled. New Rushland needs more people like Sasha." Her attention quickly shifted over to her young ward. "Cyan, stop messing with your dress."
"I hate this stupid thing!" The robin Faunus muttered with a shiver. "It's freezing in here!"
Svetlana merely chuckled in response. "If you think this is cold, you wouldn't last an hour in Atlas."
"Svetlana!" Sasha suddenly called out as she approached the trio, chuckling as Cyan's guardian greeted the humanitarian with a handshake. "I am blown away by your support."
"Well, I'm always happy to support a kindred spirit," Svetlana declared. "You're going to change the world."
"Hey, we'll change it together, right?" Sasha said with a smile before looking towards Cyan. "And you must be her new ward that I've been hearing so much about. I'd love to get your opinion on a few projects I'm working on."
Cyan just shrugged. "I'm still kind of new to this sort of thing, but I suppose it couldn't hurt to at least take a look at whatever you have in mind."
"That's all I ask," Sasha replied with a nod of understanding. "Just be sure to let me know when you feel ready."
"Speaking of ready, I believe that you'll be needing to be on stage in just a little while," Mikhail remarked.
"Right, we'll have to pick up on this conversation later," Sasha said with a light smile and made her way towards the stage.
Just then, Svetlana heard a sharp whistle coming from behind. The family turned around as a police detective walked up to them with a glass of champagne. "You clean up good, Svets."
Svetlana smiled as she shook hands with the detective. "I don't believe it! Charr Coal?"
"The one and only." He nodded, happily.
Svetlana turned back to Mikhail and Cyan to introduce them. "Mikhail, Cyan, this is Charr Coal. He and I went to the same school in Atlas before I was selected for General Ironwood's project. Charr, this is my husband and foster daughter."
"Oooh, so you're the famous Mikhail that Svetlana used to tell me about." Charr remarked as he shook Mikhail's hand. "You're a lucky guy, man. Svets is a great gal."
"What are you doing here?" Svetlana asked, pleasantly surprised to see an old friend.
"Well, I got my detective's license after you left, and I've been looking for a fresh start for me and Jack to set up." Charr explained. "Of course, you could've already known that if you'd stayed in touch."
"... maybe I will." Svetlana replied, prompting Charr to chuckle, doubtfully. "I mean it. I missed you, Charr."
The detective finished his glass of champagne and smiled back at his friend. "Well… how about we meet up at the new gym on Lavender Avenue sometime, then? Shoot some hoops like we used to?"
"It's a deal." Svetlana promised.
"Hey, quiet: I'm trying to listen to Miss Boil's acceptance speech," Cyan called out.
"And, of course, I'd like to thank Svetlana Crimsonoff for… h-hosting this…" Sasha shivered and tried to warm her arms. A soft chuckle slipped through her lips. "Heh. Forget to pay your heating bill, Svets?"
Suddenly, the wall behind her became completely frozen in ice before exploding. Twelve armed men in parkas rushed into the room firing their guns into the ceiling. The crowd screamed in terror and got down on the floor.
"What's going on?" Cyan couldn't help but ask. "I thought you updated your security to prevent stuff like this from happening."
"Looks like I'll be needing to do so again," Svetlana begrudgingly declared even as a mysterious icy substance started to land on their clothes.
"What the…?" Mikhail rubbed his fingers together, examining the frosty substance on his coat. "Dust?"
["That's Dr. Dust to you."] A menacing, mechanized voice proclaimed.
Upon hearing this proclamation, everyone in the room turned to view the source of the voice, which turned out to be a blue-skinned woman in a mechanical suit who froze a few folks who looked like they were about to try something in place with what seemed to be a freeze ray. Dr. Dust simply looked around the room before making a simple demand: ["Where is Sasha Boil?"]
Mikhail lowered her voice as he looked towards the other two members of her family. "Now might be a good time for you two to go change outfits."
"Good: I never was a big fan of this dress anyways," Cyan teasingly declared before she and Svetlana slipped away in the chaos.
On their way down the hall, they encountered an armed woman in a parka who angrily ordered them to stop. In response, Svetlana snatched the firearm away from her and smacked her square in the face with it. While the henchwoman slumped to the floor, the dynamic duo continued on, disassembling the weapon on their way. They arrived in the master bedroom where they found a startled couple who had snuck away from the crowd.
"What the hell is going on out there, Crimsonoff?!" The man asked.
Ignoring the couple, Svetlana led her ward over to the wall and lifted up a picture frame to reveal a keypad. After entering a code, a secret door opened up and she ushered Cyan inside.
"Oh, thank gods! You have a panic room!" The woman remarked, only to see Svetlana closing the door behind her. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"Don't mind her," Mikhail declared as he approached the couple. "My wife just wants to prioritize her ward's safety, but rest assured, we have somewhere else where you can hide out if you feel like it."
"Yes, I believe we do," the man said with a nod before he and his wife ended up following Mikhail away from the secret door in question, just like Mikhail had planned.
Meanwhile, back in the ballroom, Detective Coal had tried to draw his gun, but Dr, Dust froze his hand to the wall. As for Sasha Boil, she had been taken captive by Dust's henchmen while the mechanized villain handled the crowd. ["Now then… I apologize to the rest of you all for ruining your evening, but if you will just remain calm, none of you will get hurt."]
One of the solicitors tried to run for the door, but another blast of ice dust encased his legs in ice. Dr. Dust slowly stomped towards him and aimed her weapon at his face. ["My exact words were to remain calm. I detest violence."]
"Then you're gonna hate me." Krasnaya remarked as she dropped from the rafters and kicked the intruder away. She then drew her hammer and struck Dr. Dust's glass helmet, creating a hairline fracture that almost startled the mad doctor. Azure flipped down from the rafters and punched the fracture, causing it to spread. Angered, Dr. Dust fired her weapon at the Dynamic Duo, encasing them in ice.
["I have no quarrel with you,"] Dr. Dust directed at the Crimson Crusader.
"You should have considered that before you endangered so many innocent people," Krasnaya growled out.
["They'll be fine, Krasnaya,"] Dr. Dust declared. ["The icy spray I used was specially treated to melt away within an hour or so without any ill effects. After all, I too wish to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."]
"Be that as it may, you can forgive me if I doubt that the men you brought with you feel the same way," Krasnaya said with a snarl.
["Perhaps not,"] Dr. Dust acknowledged before turning towards one of the people who had been frozen and approaching her with a snarl, ["But they serve their purpose, and besides, there admittedly is one person here who I'd gladly see dead."]
"Wha...Glacier?!" Sasha Boil gasped out as Dr. Dust suddenly pulled her out of her icy prison. "What do you want with me?!"
["I merely wish to have a moment of your time."] Dr. Dust said with a growl.
"Whatever it is you have planned, we can't just let you walk away from this," Azure declared as she and her guardian broke free of the ice and got ready to fight.
["Then it is a good thing that, as the Crimson Crusader said earlier, my men do not share the same peaceful mindset as myself,"] Dr. Dust called out with what resembled a teasing grin forming on her face as her henchmen surrounded Krasnaya and Azure before making his way outside with Sasha in tow.
"Let's see," Azure called out as she counted out the men who had surrounded them. "I'd say that's about twenty or so goons against the two of us. Seems a little unfair."
"You're right," Krasnaya said with a smile. "They should have brought more men with them."
While the vigilantes were distracted with her subordinates, Dr. Dust gagged Sasha Boil, tied her wrists and ankles together, and carried her out of the building. Krasnaya and Azure finally finished defeating the henchmen and chased after the villain. They arrived just in time to see two ice trucks drive off, with Dr. Dust slamming the back door shut on hers.
Krasnaya converted her hammer into a control pad, tapped a few buttons, and within seconds the warthog sped out of the underground cave. The dynamic duo jumped into the seats and sped after the two ice trucks. Luckily, with the help of Krasnaya's "Huntress Eyes," she was able to detect which van had Dr. Dust. Stomping on the gas pedal, Krasnaya rammed her warthog into the van, forcing it to crash into a meat-storing warehouse.
The ice truck crashed into the warehouse, leaving the driver unconscious. Dr. Dust kicked the door open and pulled her hostage into the building with her just as the Warthog pulled up. The Dynamic Duo leapt out of their seats and ran after the icy villainess. With her weapon empty and unable to reload while running and carrying Boil, Dr. Dust resorted to kicking every door closed on her way through the building. But the crimefighters chasing her did not give up so easily, as she soon found out when she reached the last door and had to physically push it closed as they tried to force it open. Dr. Dust pushed Boil aside to reload her weapon and allowed the door to open just enough.
"I've got her!" The robin Faunus leapt through the door.
"Azure, no!" Krasnaya called out.
But it was too late. Dr. Dust's weapon trapped the brave young fool in a block of ice dust. The blue-skinned woman huffed as she caught her breath. ["Stay cool, bird-girl."] She chortled as her gang's second van pulled up.
Krasnaya finally made her way into the room and drew her sickle.
["Stop!"] Dr. Dust warned. ["Your foolish companion forced me to use my lethal ice dust I had saved for Boil. You have less than eleven minutes to save the girl before she suffocates! What will it be, Krasnaya? Chase the villain, or save your child?"]
Despite Sasha's muffled cries for help, the Crimson Crusader was forced to let the villain go so that she could save Azure. Luckily, she knew just what to do. After carefully chipping the ice between Azure's feet and the ground, she carried her frozen body towards a small pond and let her sink into the water. She then uncapped a vial of fire dust and poured it into the water, causing steam to instantly rise from the surface.
At last, Azure swam up to the surface, gasping and shivering with her fists in the air as if ready to continue the fight. Once she calmed down, she looked up at her mentor, still breathing heavily. "Did we get her?"
Krasnaya just shook her head; disappointed at her ward's recklessness, but relieved that she was still alive.
A few hours later, Azure had been escorted back to the cave to recover. Mikhail relieved the girl of her wet clothes and wrapped her in several blankets while her feet rested in a bucket of hot water. Her foster father had just returned with two cups of hot cocoa while Krasnaya reviewed security footage.
"Any luck, dear?" Mikhail asked.
"Hmm." Krasnaya rubbed her chin at the paused video of Dr. Dust attacking Sasha. "Sasha seemed to recognize her kidnapper. She called her 'Glacier.' That could be a clue."
"Maybe she's a former business rival?" Her husband suggested. "Or an ex-employee of Rush Corp."
"Perhaps." Krasnaya nodded.
"So what's our next move?" Cyan called out.
"I'm going to try and track down this 'Dr. Dust', but you're staying here," Svetlana declared in a voice that allowed for no arguments. "You're still recovering from the good doctor's freeze ray, after all."
Cyan could only sneeze in response before giving a reluctant nod. "Okay then."
Krasnaya placed a hand on Cyan's shoulder with a light smile. "Hey, mistakes happen, and don't worry: I'm sure you'll get another chance to prove yourself."
"Okay, but do me a favor and get in a few hits for me while you're out there," Cyan declared with a slight smile of her own.
Krasnaya simply nodded before jumping into the Warthog, contacting Dr. Oobleck as she drove into the night. "Dr. Oobleck, I need you to do a background search on all individuals associated with Rush Corp. Keyword: Glacier."
"Of course, Mrs. Crimsonoff." Oobleck called back. "Just give me a minute to access Rush Corp's data net and… well, that's odd."
"What is?"
"It appears there's only one individual named Glacier who holds any ties to Rush Corp… but according to their files, she's been deceased for over two years."
"What was her name?"
"Dr. Victoria Glacier, PhD and MD." Oobleck elaborated. "Hm. A woman after my own heart. Ahem, according to this, Dr. Glacier was working on some experimental equipment for Rush Corp's medical field before her untimely demise. But her work was never disclosed."
"Hmmm…" Kranaya stroked her chin in thought. "Did Dr. Glacier have any labs outside of Rush Corp?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Oobleck replied. "She converted the basement of her home in Bluharbor. Forwarding you the address now."
"Thanks, Doc: I'll be sure to check it out." Krasnaya declared before hanging up and heading to the location in question. Bluharbor was notorious for high unemployment, petty crime, and a dwindling police force. It was far worse off than New Rushland, and yet no one had ever risen up to become a masked protector. As Krasnaya jumped out of the warthog and activated the security protocols, she noticed a little boy shivering on the street corner while his father slept next to him. A cardboard sign read, "Lost job. Anything helps. Gods bless." With a heavy heart, she took off her cape, wrapped it around the boy's shoulders, and gave him a roll of lien that would buy him and his father enough food to last for half a year. The boy stared in awe at the Crimson Crusader, who simply held a finger up to her lips as she smiled back at him.
Sometime later, Krasnaya had entered the apartment complex and made her way down to the basement. "Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here." She remarked to herself. Aside from a few beds and some lab equipment, just about everything in the house had been covered in a thick layer of ice dust.
In fact, as Krasnaya entered the central lab, she found that the only book in the room not covered in a thick layer of dust was a photo album placed on the table. Curiously, the vigilante inspected the book. The inscription read "Forever, My Love." She opened to the first page, revealing an invitation to the wedding of Norman Glacier and Dr. Victoria Tundra. The next page showed a wedding photo with a man Krasnaya assumed was Norman and his blushing bride, but the bride's face had been torn from the photo. Things took a dark turn, however, when the next photo revealed Norman in a hospital bed with his head shaved and an I.V. drip injected into his arm. Taped next to the photo was a hospital's notice, detailing that Norman had fallen ill to a rare and incurable blood disease. The next page was a poem; "To my dear Victoria, dark storm clouds are circling, soon the rain will fall, though my life is fleeting, I hope you heed this call, that always will I love you, my love, my one, my all."
Krasnaya couldn't help but feel a bit of pity as she looked through some of the files that she found inside the abandoned laboratory. After all, she could only imagine what she might do if she found out that her husband had contracted the disease that these medical reports had indicated. While she was pondering this, however, she stumbled upon an old data file which seemed to contain a video journal, which Krasnaya quickly set to play back.
As Krasnaya started up the video journal, she was vaguely surprised to see who she assumed to be Dr. Dust appeared on the screen, though she just barely resembled the mechanical menace that she had met earlier tonight. Her skin was a healthy creamy-tone, her black hair was tied up in a bun, and a pair of reading glasses rested on her button nose. Despite the dark rings around her eyes, a tired smile was plastered over her lips as she spoke.
"Hello. My name is Dr. Victoria Glacier, and I'm recording this for future generations to showcase what I pray may be yet another step in mankind's path to peace," the woman in the video declared. "My Aura Augmentation Device is meant to use careful application of subzero temperatures to stimulate a steady yet safe healing process to troubled patients - patients like my beloved husband, Norman - so as to buy time until proper treatments are available. While the research is still in the development stage, I hope that…"
Whatever she was able to say next, however, was cut short by a harsh pounding on the door to the room. "Open this door!"
"No!" Dr. Glacier called out as her boss and several armed men burst into the room.
"Get him out of there." Sasha Boil ordered.
"No, stop! My husband's in there!" Victoria begged.
"So let him out." Sasha said with a fake sympathetic voice.
"It's his only chance," Dr. Glacier cried out. "Please, this is my experiment. We can-"
"Your unauthorized experiment," her boss interrupted. "I never approved of you using my equipment like this, so I say that this equipment is getting shut down."
In a fit of panic, Victoria grabbed a gun away from one of the guards and pointed it at Sasha Boil. "NO! Stay back, you murderer!"
While initially shocked by such an act, Sasha put on a gentle smile as she held up her hands in a calming manner. "Vicky, I'm sorry. I lost my temper. It doesn't have to come to this: we can talk."
Dr. Glacier reluctantly lowered the weapon...only for her boss to kick her into some of her equipment, causing a malfunction that spread a strange gas through the room. Victoria screamed in agony as the experimental ice dust poured into a cut on her neck.
"Get out! Get out now!" Sasha and her armed men fled the room, leaving the scientist to her fate.
With the last of her strength, Victoria crawled over to the containment pod as the life support systems entered the red zone. Her hands desperately clawed at the glass as she succumbed to the cold. "Norman! Norman!"
"By the gods…" Krasnaya breathed out in shock as the footage came to an end.
["Yes, it would drive me to tears, if I was still capable of doing so,"] a newly arrived Dr. Dust remarked.
"I didn't come here to fight: I came to see what motivated your attack on Crismonoff manor," Krasnaya declared, hoping to keep her opponent calm.
["And you found your answer, but sad to say I can't let you leave,"] Dr. Dust said with an expression that was equal parts anger and remorse. ["After all, you might try and stop me from giving Sasha Boil what she deserves."]
"Don't say that I didn't try and end this peacefully," Krasnaya growled out before beginning her assault...only to discover that Dr. Dust was holding her off with relative ease. A single kick from the mechanized doctor sent Krasnaya crashing into the table.
["This suit does more than just keep me alive, Krasnaya."] Dr. Dust bragged. ["It also triples my strength!"] To demonstrate, the maniacal doctor punched a concrete pillar, shattering it to pieces, before picking up and tossing one of said pieces at the Crimson Crusader, who was barely able to dodge in time.
"For someone who isn't a fan of violence, you actually aren't too bad in a fight," Krasnaya allowed herself to admit even as she attempted to slip into the shadows.
["One doesn't last long in this world without learning how to adapt,"] Dr. Dust said with a shrug before blasting Krasnaya as she attempted to get the drop on her, freezing the Crimson Crusader in place as a result. ["And for the record, stealth tactics don't work too well when your opponent can track your body heat."]
"It doesn't have to be this way, you know? I know what Boil did to you was wrong, but Norman wouldn't have wanted this!" Krasnaya pleaded, helplessly hanging from the icy ceiling. "Are you really willing to kill countless innocents for something as pointless as revenge?"
Dr. Dust turned back towards the Crimson Crusader with an icy glare. ["Can you even fathom what I have lost, Krasnaya?"] She asked. ["To be trapped in a world that you can see but never touch? To never feel the warmth of the sun upon your skin? To never taste a hot meal? To never smell the fragrance of a freshly bloomed flower? To never… to never even be able to carry the child of your one true love?"] Dr. Dust placed a hand over her stomach, her eyes shut tight as if she desperately wanted to cry before turning back to her captive. ["Yes, Krasnaya. I would kill for that."]
"And what then?" Krasnaya asked with a look full of pity. "Trust me when I say that even if you do succeed in getting your revenge, it won't bring you peace...nor will it bring your husband back."
["Perhaps not,"] Dr. Dust admitted before turning to leave, ["but it's not like I have much else to live for right now."]
Krasnaya could only sigh to herself even as she attempted to break free of her impromptu prison. Dr. Dust opened the back of the ice van and glared at her former employer. The frosty villain slammed the door shut and made her way to the passenger seat. ["Take us to Rush Corp."] She ordered, and her henchman readily obeyed.
Meanwhile, Rushland's police department had staked out Rush Corp to protect the other board members. Detective Coal had recovered from his previous encounter with Dr. Dust and explained what had happened.
"Alright, just keep your guards up." Captain Maroon ordered. "If Dr. Dust is going to strike anywhere else, it'll most likely be here."
"Yes, captain." Lieutenant Rojos nodded. "And I have a hunch if the Red Woman follows Dust, we'll be able to catch both of those freaks."
"What? No!" Coal shook his head. "Captain, didn't you hear what I said? Krasnaya saved my life! Saved all those other people, too."
"You shut your damn mouth!" Rojos scolded. "The last thing we need is people hero-worshipping a convicted criminal!"
"Uh, you do know that a criminal can only be classified as convicted after they've been caught, which has never happened with Krasnaya, right?" Captain Maroon couldn't help but call out.
"Yet, Maroon. Yet." Lieutenant Rojos growled out.
"Stand down, Rojos: I learned my lesson from Ivy Greene about making hasty decisions," Jane declared. "For now, Detective Coal is correct in that Dr. Dust should be our priority right now."
"Understood, Captain," Rojos replied, "though for the record, if I get the chance to take down the Crimson Crusader, I'm taking it."
Maroon was about to retort when a pair of headlights blinded the trio. They all ducked out of the way just in time as an ice truck barged through their blockade and crashed through the chain link fence. "Is everyone okay?" she couldn't help but call out as she surveyed the damage.
"I'll live, but I don't think I'll be looking at ice cream trucks the same way after tonight." Charr joked.
"Can the funny business, Coal." Rojos retorted as she helped the detective to his feet. "We've got a criminal to catch."
Inside Rush Corp, Dr. Dust scowled at the remaining board members she had taken hostage. The spiteful scientist threw Sasha at the gathered business men and women as she read a copy of the company's brochure; "Rush Corp: The People's Company! Striving for peace, compassion, and the betterment of mankind!"
["'Peace… compassion.'"] Dr. Dust scoffed, bitterly. ["Where were those words when my Norman needed them?"]
"P-please, Victoria…" One of the board members shivered in fear. "We can compensate for your affliction-"
["SILENCE!"] Dr. Dust angrily punched a hole through a nearby wall. ["There is nothing you have to offer me… except your lives!"]
Sasha pushed two of her fellow board members in front of the oncoming ice dust, saving her life and giving her an opportunity to run away. Dr. Dust followed her former employer with fervor; she would not rest until the CEO was dead. Meanwhile, the police force had entered the building to search for Dr. Dust. Captain Maroon drew her pistol as she entered one of the laboratories.
"What the…?" Jane couldn't help but gap in horror as she took note of all the cryo-weapons that were being manufactured on the assembly line, as not only was this sort of blatant weapons development in stark contrast to Sasha Boil's humanitarian image, it was also clear evidence that the woman was involved in some black market dealings, with "Dr. Dust" no doubt tied down to it all in some way, shape, or form. Before she could ponder how to deal with this, though, she spotted part of a burnt letter in a nearby trash can, which she picked up and proceeded to read. "'Dear Victoria Glacier, once again, we'd like to thank you for your contributions to our research into cryo-technology. However, it has come to our attention that you have been following behind on some of said contributions. As such, we have no choice but to forgo the development on that project that you had requested…'"
"'...until further notice. If you have any issues with this decision, please take it up with the head of resource management,'" a newly arrived Sasha quoted with a flat expression. "Never thought I'd be re-reviewing that bit of correspondence now of all times…though I'm guessing this changes things, Captain."
"Whatever is going on between you and your former employer will be reviewed later: right now, we need to get out of here," Jane declared.
"I agree that escape should be a priority, but I believe I should correct you on something you said there," Sasha growled out before taking out a weapon and aiming it at the police captain. "Only one of us is getting out of here alive."
"This doesn't have to get any messier," Jane called out.
"Of course it does," Sasha said with a snarl as she leveled her gun at the police captain. "I can't have anyone leaking out what happened to the public."
"You won't get away with this," Jane defiantly remarked.
["Indeed she won't."] ...and that was all the warning anyone got before Dr. Dust froze both Jane and Sasha Boil in place. ["I'm truly sorry for the discomfort, Captain,] she declared as she walked past the woman in question, [but I cannot let you interfere. Ms. Boil has escaped my vengeance for far too long."]
"There's still time to stop, you know," Jane declared, hoping to reason with Dr. Dust. "Believe me when I say that any action made out of anger can come back to bite you when you least expect it."
["I appreciate your concern, Captain but unfortunately, I have long since lost my capacity to care about such things."] Dr. Dust sincerely replied before she began to encase her former employer in ice.
"S-s-stop…" Sasha shivered, helplessly, as the ice dust reached her waist. "V-Victoria… please…"
["'Please…?' You are begging me?"] Dr. Dust removed her finger from the trigger on her weapon as she mused. ["In my dreams, I can see my beloved Norman lying in that damaged stasis chamber… he trusted me to freeze him until a cure could have been found… but because of your interference, Boil, his chamber was damaged beyond repair… transforming his salvation into a tomb. Do you think he would have said that if he were able to speak? 'Please, don't kill me?'"]
Suddenly, the skylight window shattered, and the Crimson Crusader dropped to the floor, having broken out of her icy prison just before Dr. Dust had made her departure and made her way to this location. "You need to stop this now, before you take things too far," Krasnaya called out as she got back to her feet after landing.
["I'm avenging my husband: you can't stop me!"] Dr. Dust growled out even as she leveled her weapon on the vigilante.
"I know the truth, and so will the police: Sasha Boil will see judgement for her crimes," Krasnaya declared, with Jane nodding in agreement, knowing that tonight's actions alone would be enough to put the woman in custody.
"It...it was an accident," Sasha tried to declare in a poor attempt to defend herself, much to Dr. Dust's anger. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
Dr. Dust simply applied more ice to her former employer before turning back with a snarl. ["Don't you get it, Krasnaya?! None of that matters: nothing but my Norman!"]
"You've endangered lives all over the city tonight," Krasnaya called out. "Norman would have never wanted this."
["No. What he'd want would be to live a long life in the warmth of the sun, his hand in mine,"] Dr. Dust said in agreement before turning back to Sasha with a snarl, ["but because of her, he'd only feel the icy touch of a woman whose emotions are as cold as the blood in her veins."]
While the villain was distracted, Krasnaya managed to throw both of her weapons at her. Her sickle cut the tube feeding ice dust into her weapon and the hammer smashed the vile of ice dust powering her suit. Dr. Dust dropped to her knees as pain shot through her body. Without the ice dust, she would perish in just a few minutes. Krasnaya removed a capsule of ice dust from her belt and walked over to Dr. Dust.
"I'm sorry… I can't give you peace, Victoria…" Krasnaya sighed as she replaced the capsule of ice dust in the villain's suit. "But I can give you justice."
Once Victoria's condition was stabilized, Krasnaya went over to help Captain Maroon back up to her feet and place a disc in her hand. "What's this?" Jane asked.
"Two years ago, Sasha Boil interrupted a delicate experiment that resulted in the destruction of two lives." Krasnaya informed the police captain. "All the evidence is on this disc."
With that, the Crimson Crusader made her way past the half-frozen Sasha Boil. "I hope you had a pleasant evening... humanitarian." She said with a snarl.
Later that night, Krasnaya returned to her lab beneath the farm. After changing out of her uniform and into her sleepwear, she made her way upstairs in search of her family. She found Mikhail exiting Cyan's room.
"Well, her fever's gone down and the medicine should kick in soon. I'd say she'll be fully recovered by next week - oh!" He was cut off by a swift kiss and hug from his wife. "What's that for?"
"I just love you." Svetlana remarked. "So much."
Mikhail smiled and hugged her back. "I love you too, dear."
After her husband went off to bed, Svetlana entered Cyan's room and sat down on her bed to personally check on her ward. "How're you holding up?"
"Eh, I've felt worse." Cyan shrugged before blowing her nose. The robin Faunus leaned back against her pillow with a smile. "So, I heard you caught our frosty friend."
Svetlana crossed her arms and frowned. "Yes, let's talk about that." Cyan's smile disappeared at the sound of her foster mother's disappointment. "That little stunt you pulled tonight could have cost you your life. It was foolish, unprofessional, and reckless. If you ever jeopardize yourself or anyone else by running in half-cocked without a strategy again, I will forbid you from ever putting on that costume again… good night."
Cyan was left to process her mentor's criticism for the rest of the night.
Epilogue:
Ironwood Asylum
Dr. Victoria Glacier sat in her frozen cell, gazing at the tin soldier she coveted so dearly. As she lovingly brushed her finger against its painted face, icy steam took the place of tears. "I have failed you, my love…" She whispered, sadly. "The one who took you away has once again escaped punishment… all I can do is hope that you might forgive me for my failure… and pray that you may experience nothing but peace… and that I may join you again…"
"I wouldn't lose hope just yet," Captain Maroon declared as she approached her cell and having heard everything. "I just got confirmation that Sasha Boil will be facing charges for her crimes after tonight, so I doubt she'll be escaping punishment for long."
"...well, there's that, I suppose," Dr. Glacier replied, "But it doesn't change the fact that my husband…"
"...may still be alive at this moment in time."
Victoria blinked in response. "What?"
"My men got a warrant to search your old lab at Rush Corp," Jane went on to explain. "You should be proud: from what we found, even with limited power and despite all the damage, your husband was still safely frozen within his containment unit. Unfortunately, someone got there before us, so we don't know where he is at the moment, but you can be sure that you'll be the first to know if and when we find anything."
"...thank you," Victoria said with a nod. Once Captain Maroon was gone, however, Dr. Glacier snarled at an unseen enemy. "So once again someone intends to use my husband as a bargaining chip, eh? Well, whoever you are, you'd better pray that the police or Krasnaya find you first, for hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
Meanwhile, one floor below, Detective Coal escorted a hooded figure with an eyepatch towards the maximum security center.
"You sure you're okay facing him by yourself, doc?" Coal asked, his hand still on his holster. "I mean, sure, he's been passive since we caught him, but-"
"I appreciate your concern, Detective Coal." Octavia remarked as she confidently made her way down the hall. "But I hypothesize that it is imperative he doesn't see anyone else while I talk to him. If he thinks I don't trust him, he may never recover. I'll be fine."
Coal had no choice but to comply with the doctor's request. Octavia ignored the jeers and catcalls from the other inmates until she reached the maximum containment facility. Inside, she found an eight foot tall shark Faunus with his ankles and wrists chained together as he sat behind reinforced steel bars with a leather muzzle covering his mouth to prevent him from biting.
Octavia reached into her back pocket for the key she had stolen from Coal and unlocked the cell to step inside. The prisoner looked up in disbelief; shame filling his heart as he spotted her eyepatch. "Hello, Polu." She smiled.
"Octavia…" He whispered, shakily. "I… when they told me you were coming, I didn't think it was true… I, uh… I had a speech prepared. In my head. I came up with a speech of what I'd say if I ever saw you again."
"Oh, yeah?" She sat down next to him.
"Yeah. And it was… it was pretty good, too." Polu allowed himself a small smile before turning away from his former friend. "But, uh, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was more for my benefit than for yours. So, all I can say is… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I did to you and all those people… and I hope you can forgive me."
Octavia smiled, gently, and scooted closer to her former patient. Taking one of his hands into hers, she spoke. "Polu… you remember when I told you about my parents' murder at the hands of Salem's mercenaries. And how I lied to General Belladonna to have them captured and handed over to me for 'interrogation' as a revenge plot." Polu nodded while she went on. "But after their screaming stopped, it still hadn't brought my parents back. That experience taught me two things. One; hate never changes the past. And two; with a little time, and a little hard work… I can forgive anything."
Polu began to cry as he and Octavia shared a hug.
"Comme c'est touchant. (How touching.") A voice echoed around the cell, startling the duo. It was General Ciel Seoli. "Nice to see you again, Monsieur Shark. And Médecin Ember, glad to see you've recovered."
Octavia frowned. "I explicitly told them to leave me alone with him!"
"Yes, yes, well, when you're the highest ranking officer of Remnant's strongest military, they tend to listen to you." Ciel remarked. She handed the couple a file filled with pictures of numerous other criminals too dangerous to be kept in any conventional prisons. "Times are changing, my friends. How would you both like to do some good for Remnant?"
