Chapter Fifty-One: Mining
Phoenix and the rest of the group had just finished being briefed on their first mission in Atlas. They would be working with the Ace-Ops to secure the launch site for the Amity Communication Tower, an abandoned Dust mine, and eliminate a Giste. Phoenix, RWBY, and JN_R were now following Pietro into his lab to pick up their gear
"Apologies for the mess and for holding on to your weapons for so long," Pietro said as they entered. "Though I must say I'm surprised that you," he turned to Phoenix, "didn't want any of your weapons upgraded."
"I prefer to do my own work," Phoenix justified.
"So do I, Phoenix, but this is top of the line Atlas tech we're talking about here," Ruby responded. "Don't you want to try it out for yourself?"
"I think I'll stay old fashioned for now and appreciate what it is you can do now." He didn't mention the true reason he didn't want any upgrades to his weapons. He still didn't trust Ironwood, and he suspected that it went both ways. "My 'family history' and disregard for the rules haven't exactly endeared me to him," he thought. "Taking a lot of my gear apart to check it for bugs and trackers from him is going to be enough of a bloody pain, and I need to check the new coat I got for the cold too. The new scroll is also an issue. The last thing I need to worry about is him putting kill switches in the fancy new tech he gives me too."
Phoenix groaned, clinging to the seat of the Manta as his group approached the drop site. He was working with Team JN_R and the Ace-Ops Elm and Vine while Team RWBY would be working with Marrow and Harriet.
The second his group was alerted that they had reached their destination, Phoenix leapt off of the ship, putting his mask on as he fell and using his grapnel gun to pull himself towards the cave entrance. "Maybe you kids won't get yourselves killed after all," Elm said after she and the others landed. Phoenix rolled his eyes as Vine reassured them that she meant it as a compliment.
Phoenix and his group reached the heart of the mine, having been alerted by Clover that the target was heading there. Team RWBY's group followed shortly after. "Everyone, use caution," Elm told them. "This room is highly active with Dust energy. Triggering it could ruin the launch site."
"And vaporize us," Marrow pointed out. "How is that always second with you?"
Despite what Clover had told them, the Giste was nowhere to be seen. Nora asked where it was, and a noise came from the roof of the cave to answer her Giest dropped down from the roof, parts of its now massive body made infused with Dust. Phoenix's mind was racing as he tried to come up with a way for him, RWBY, and JN_R to defeat it, but the Ace-Ops leapt into action before he could think of anything.
RWBY and JN_R watched in awe as the Ace-Ops handled the Giste with ease. Phoenix, however, was thinking something else as he analyzed the fighting styles of the members and recorded the fight with his mask. "Never know when I may have to face them," he thought. "It's best if I have strategies for dealing with them ready."
As Giste was defeated and its body fell apart, chunks of Dust flew from its body. The Ace-Ops moved quickly in order to catch them before they could trigger a chain reaction that would kill everyone there. Ruby managed to catch the final chunk before Harriet could, sliding into the wall.
"Atlas control, this is Clover," he said into his comm. "Mission accomplished."
As everyone exited the mine, they saw that Amity had been moved and four APCs had arrived with Ironwood. Ruby and Jaune were fawning over the Ace-Ops teamwork. When Ruby commented on wanting to have her friends' backs like they did, Harriet and Elm seemed amused by the idea. "We get along well enough, sure," Harriet said. "I count on them to keep me alive; they do the same. But that's the job. We don't confuse the two."
"Speaking of the job," Clover said, looking at Ironwood. "You all hang back a second."
"What do you guys wanna do when we get back to Atlas?" Ruby asked Phoenix and her team, changing the subject. However, the rest of team RWBY didn't seem interested. "What about you, Phoenix?" Before Phoenix could respond, Ironwood called him, the team leaders, and Qrow over.
"I need you on the ground," they heard him telling Clover as they approached, "but be subtle. The people see too many huntsmen milling around, they'll get nervous." He added that Clover shouldn't bring Marrow along as he walked away. The Ace-Op in question was making a fool of himself by a Manta."
"New problems in Mantle?" Qrow asked.
"More of the same, unfortunately," Ironwood replied. He explained that someone was killing public leaders in Mantle that spoke out against him, projecting an image of the latest victim from his scroll. Jaune recognized him as the person who was in the transport with them when they were arrested.
"Sounds like someone may be trying to frame you for the murders," Phoenix suggested.
"Agreed. Their plan may be to make Atlas and myself look bad, and it's working."
"Well, if it wasn't for the embargo making everybody so mad, people probably wouldn't be so quick to blame you for everything," Jaune pointed out. "Sir," he added on nervously when he saw Ironwood look at him.
"No, no, you're right," Ironwood admitted. "Things in Mantle have been… hard to manage lately. I'm not blind to its issues. In fact, that's what I want to talk to you about. With the launch of this mobile communications tower and tensions down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good your teams can do here." Before he could elaborate, he got an alert from his communicator. "What? Already? Here? No, it's fine. Let him land. I'll deal with him myself."
"More Mantle problems?" Qrow asked.
"No. This one's an Atlas problem," Ironwood answered as he looked at a ship that was preparing to land. Phoenix groaned, recognizing the model and suspecting just what this particular problem was.
Phoenix let out another, louder, groan when his suspicions were confirmed by the SDC logo on the doors of the ship. The second they opened, Jacques Schnee stormed out of the ship, ranting about the injustice of Ironwood's actions and that the council would hear about this. "Actually, I've already informed them," Ironwood cut him off. "As this is the site of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote.
"Didn't require a vote?!" Jacques yelled.
"You might want to brush up on council law before you lose this upcoming election, Jacques," Ironwood suggested. "Now, I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time it won't be a friendly reception."
"Lately you seem to forget who your friends really are. I'm going to get that council seat James, and maybe then you'll-" Jacques froze when he saw Weiss. "You… you roped my missing daughter into these schemes of yours too? How long has she been back in Atlas? Did Winter know about thi-?"
"It was my decision to come here," Weiss said, walking up to her father. "Just like it was my decision to leave. Or have you forgotten all about that?"
"If you think I'm one to forget anything, girl, then you've misjudged the man your father is."
"Believe me, I know exactly the kind of man you are."
"How dare you speak to me that way! I have half a mind to-!"
"Half a mind to what, Jacques?" Ironwood cut off Jacques' threat to Weiss.
Jacques took a moment to regain his composure before changing his tactics. "You know, your mother was devastated when you left. Didn't leave her room for days. You know how she gets when she's upset." This was much more effective at getting to Weiss. Jacques turned his attention back to Ironwood. "I knew one day you would overextend your reach. I didn't come here to beg for an abandoned mine. I came here to thank you for personally handing me the noose to hang you. You'll regret this."
Phoenix's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out exactly what Jacques was talking about. "He can't be talking about using the current distrust of Atlas and Ironwood to win over Mantle. They see him as part of the problem and are probably going to be voting for Hill. He may be able to win over some of Atlas by bringing up things like this and the embargo, but it wouldn't be enough to win him the election. What's his game?"
Jaque turned to glare at Team RWBY. "So, these are the little friends you threw everything away for."
"Not friends," Weiss corrected as her team gave her encouraging looks, "family." As soon as Jacques returned to his ship and flew away, Winter arrived in another APC. "Oh, now you show up, Winter. You just missed father."
"I wouldn't say I missed hi-" Winter's response was cut off by Penny landing between her and Team Rwby, the force of her landing sending Team RWBY back while Phoenix and Winter were barely able to stabilize themselves.
"SURPRISE!" she yelled. "Did we not start yet?" she asked when she didn't get a response.
"Start what?" Ruby asked as Phoenix helped her up.
"It goes without saying that this arena holds a significance to all of us," Ironwood said to Phoenix, RWBY, and JN_R, the group having been flown up to Amity. "It's only fitting that we should reconvene here, now, when the world needs to be brought together more than ever." He went on to list the accomplishments of the group since he met them. "That's not the behavior of students. It's the behavior… of huntsmen and huntresses." Penny stepped forward, stopping in front of each of them and pushing something on a tablet. Whoever she stopped in front of got an alert after she had done so.
"Wait, what is this?" Ren asked unsurely when he pulled out his scroll.
"You are being granted your huntsmen licenses, today," Winter answered.
"I know this is coming a little ahead of schedule, but Brothers know you deserve it," Ironwood elaborated. "I only regret that I couldn't do something a little more ceremonious for the occasion."
"I- we… we're honored General Ironwood, but you really don't have to do thi-" Ruby started.
"Please. With the threat of Salem still out there and tensions rising in our kingdom, I could certainly use more trustworthy fighters by my side. I should be so lucky as to have all of you." Seeing that the group was still unsure, Ironwood gave them a small smile. "It's okay. It's a big moment, and what better way than to celebrate here. When this tower is ready and communications are back up and running, we'll tell the world about Salem, and face down whatever comes at us after that… together." After finishing his speech, Ironwood took a deep breath. "That's just about all the pomp I have in me. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to running this operation. Enjoy the cake." He turned around to walk away, but he turned back to face them after taking a few steps, remembering something. "Oh, and Phoenix, come and see me when you're done here. There's a mission I have for you that we need to talk about."
Despite being curious about what Ironwood had planned for him, Phoenix was more focused on his new license. As the others talked about their thoughts on getting their licenses, he stared at his, lost in his own thoughts. "To be honest, part of me never thought that I would ever actually get this. That I'd be arrested or killed long before this ever happened. But here I am, with a license I never thought I'd get, friends I never thought I'd have, and I even have someone like Ruby. Sometimes I still wonder how someone like her could fall in love with someone like me, but here we are." Another thought crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle at it. "I can't wait to rub it in Grant's face that a criminal like me got a huntsman license. The fact that I got it from someone like Ironwood is the cherry on top."
As everyone else enjoyed their cake, Phoenix sat with Ruby in the bleachers of the arena, leaning against each other. "So, what's up?" Phoenix asked her, seeing that she wasn't nearly as excited as he was expecting.
"It's just… It's all a lot to take in," she answered with a sigh.
"What part?" Qrow asked as he approached them. "The finally getting to Atlas part, getting your license part, or the not quite disclosing everything to Ironwood part? Or is it all of the above?"
"All of the above," she replied with a halfhearted chuckle. "I'm trying to do what I think is best, but… I really can't tell if what's best is what's right or if I'm no different than Oz."
"Ruby, Oz only trusted himself with the whole truth. You're trusting others, but you're makin' sure they prove themselves first," Qrow reassured her. "I think that's a pretty big difference."
"I hope so," she said, taking her scroll and looking at her new license. "This says I'm a huntress now, but I don't feel like I know much more than I did at Beacon."
"That feeling never goes away," he told her. "Your mom, Summer, would be proud of you."
"Her last mission… was that another Oz secret?" Ruby asked her uncle. Qrow explained that Ozpin seemed just as surprised as everyone else when she disappeared, but he could have been hiding something else. As he told her what he knew, Ruby leaned more into Phoenix, and he took off one of his gauntlets to hold her hand."What do you think she would have done, if she learned the truth about Salem?" she asked when he was done. "That she can't be destroyed."
"Pressed on, I think. Like you. She was always the best of us. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. Phoenix gave Qrow a somewhat joking glare for pulling his girlfriend away from him. "A bit of a brat though, but hey, I like brats."
"Me too," Phoenix added. Ruby elbowed both of them, laughing.
"Ruby, Phoenix! Come check this out!" Yang called them over.
Ruby dashed over to her sister and Qrow started to leave, but Phoenix hung back. The talk about Ruby's mother had brought one of his many worries to the front of his mind. "Hey, Qrow," he said, causing Qrow to turn to face him. "What do you think Sumer would think about… about me?" he asked hesitantly.
Qrow took a moment to ponder his answer. "I think she'd say you're a good kid. A bit rough around the edges but still good. It's obvious how much the two of you love each other. If you hurt her though…"
"If I hurt Ruby, then I deserve what I get."
"Harbinger and I'll hold you too" Qrow said, smiling at Phoenix's response and ruffling his hair and causing Phoenix to glare at him again.
When Phoenix went over to see what Yang had called him and Ruby over for, he saw that they were looking at the mission board, and Marrow, Elm, and Vine had arrived. Jaune had unwittingly volunteered to escort preschoolers to school. As the others volunteered for different, more exciting, missions, Ruby noticed that Phoenix wasn't volunteering for anything. When she asked, he replied, "Ironwood said he had something for me, remember? Don't want to take a mission that conflicts with whatever it is that he wants. In fact, I better head out now. Don't want to keep him waiting."
I LIVE, BITCHES! I honestly wanted to get this out on September 19th, Phoenix's birthday, but I had to deal with school and some family issues came up. One of said family issues is my parents' relationships. They have been in the process of getting divorced for the past couple of years, and both of them have new relationships. However, they wanted to keep the relationships secret from each other, and I was caught in the middle. This was made worse when my dad decided to make me the best man at his wedding. The marriage isn't legally binding since he and mom haven't finished the divorce paperwork yet, but they decided to have it anyway. I had to come up with some bullshit excuse for why Dad decided to take me to get a suit. I was taken to stay at his house the night before the wedding and wasn't able to sleep because I forgot my sleeping meds in my dorm. The fact that I had to sleep on the couch despite being promised the guest room didn't help either. The morning of the wedding when I was in the middle of the wedding I got a call from Mom. Apparently he had just told her that he had a girlfriend, and she had called to interrogate me. He hadn't mentioned the wedding though. Here I am, the best man, saying I suspected he may be with someone but wasn't sure. My dad was on the stairs listening to the conversation, and I was hoping that there wouldn't be any sounds like dogs barking that would give away that I wasn't at the dorm. I was asked questions about the woman all winter break. Most of them were things I had no Idea the answer to. How am I supposed to remember what someone who I've only seen a few times wears when I can't remember what I wore last week, and how am I meant to tell if she has a "kind smile" or not? I also had to spend Christmas Eve with her new boyfriend and his family. Mom guilt tripping me into continuing to live with her instead of moving in with dad, talking about how much she loves me, relies on me, and misses me so much when I'm at school, and hopes I won't leave her whenever I'm home isn't pleasant either. Asking to stay with dad for even a weekend would probably cause her to freak out. That kind of nonsense didn't really leave me in a writing mood. Sorry for going completely off topic and venting about this.
Regarding Phoenix's thoughts on taking on the Ace-Ops, he isn't arrogant enough to think that he can solo them. He can probably take on any group of two of them at once at his current skill level. The only exception is if he's facing Clover; he doesn't have any counter for good luck. He would have to deal with things like his weapons jamming and his lighter not working combined with clover getting lucky shots in.
Ironwood's mission for Phoenix is something that I've been planning for a while. I've got the general plot planned out, but writing the whole thing may take some time. It'll probably be multiple chapters.
Sorry again about the extra-long wait, and thanks for reading!