Please, Winter give me strength. Tell me it is not true.
These thoughts echoed inside Weiss' mind as she flew across the sky easily surpassing light speed to zip across these continents to a small island off the northern coast of Vale. An unnamed place that Weiss deduced to have housed a secret facility of some kind after briefly scanning it in the air with her super vision.
What she was looking for, however, was not the facility built into the ground by the side of the small mountain. Instead, all she could think about was the grassy plain bloodied with three bodies she refused to believe were even lying on the ground.
There in the distance, she could spot waves of soldiers and medics being deployed to help contain the situation and patch up these terrible wounds. What they could not stop was much more frightening, as the news broadcast had arrived on the scene on their helicopters. Descending to this plain with their cameras to announce the terrible news for the entire world to hear:
GENERAL JAMES S. IRONWOOD, GENERAL SAMANTHA VULF, FLEET ADMIRAL MARU – FOUND DEAD, KILLED IN ACTION.
These terrifying words echoed on the news reporter's mic for Weiss to hear as she descended from the sky onto the scene. Her eyes grimaced into a mixture of rage and confusion, thinking what she must have heard was a mistake. Surely they must have made a rash premature decision to announce that impossible news. These were the Northern Giants we were talking about. Three of the most powerful people on the entire planet.
But alas, the scene she was beholding upon was not a lie. Three bodies lying in three separate craters near the size of this whole island, all bloodied from head to toe with scraps of dirt all over their torn uniforms. But perhaps what the news had reported was not the whole truth, for it was Weiss' enhanced vision that had begun picking up microscopic trails of Aura still lingering on the mangled bodies of these three generals. Zooming in even further into their cells and beyond into their organs – there she would learn the truth.
These three were still alive. With their hearts barely beating, but there was no mistake about it. The coats of Aura that once permanently covered their entire bodies now were barely able to flicker bright enough for an ordinary pair of eyes to pick up.
Weiss would zip around back and forth between the three bodies all in these craters dozens of feet apart to examine their wounds. There on Maru's body, she could spot many fractured bones still being barely held together by the force of his subconscious Aura.
What was more notable, however, were the deep cuts he received all over his body. One notable stab wound on the left side of his shoulder, and most importantly was his right hand – that looked almost like they were dipped in lava. Almost burned to a crisp, his fingers would twitch as the medics helped him up onto a stretcher and began bandaging that charred forearm. His black glove had been completely vaporized into the air from the sheer force of the damage alone, almost leaving no trace behind except minor subatomic particles of the black leather Weiss could barely pick up within the atmosphere.
Glancing over to where General Vulf was lying, Weiss would find a completely different story compared to Maru's injuries. As the woman had received no cuts or slashes on her body, instead there were only burn marks and an insane amount of broken bones all across her skeleton. It was essentially harder to find spots that were not broken compared to spots that were crushed to almost smithereens. All things considered, it was a miracle how her body still managed to hold itself together. With her muscles still pumping ever so slightly and enlarging in a manner that was dissimilar to ordinary muscle fibers. Weiss could only conclude this irregular swelling and deflating was the work of her Semblance.
All of this in the end proved to be insignificant compared to the sight Weiss had to witness when she approached Ironwood's body being hauled away by the doctors. He did not suffer any wound that was much more severe compared to the other two, but just the sight of the damage being inflicted on his body both internally and externally simply tore Weiss' heart apart. To see this man who had watched over his own soldiers like they were his own was something Weiss was simply not ready to confront. Strong cuts and slashes all over his limps, his torso, bloody bruises on his cheeks, and most importantly were the fractures on his bones within. Tiny cracks made all over the place, much more concentrated and precise compared to General Vulf's more destructive injuries. It was as if these tiny cracks were caused by miniscule projectiles the size of pellets being hurled at his body over and over again.
Weiss' fists clenched as her eyes fired up with cold unrelenting fury. More determined than ever before to get to the bottom of what had happened here this day and right this injustice caused upon Atlesian soil.
Floating in the middle of this carnage, her fighting Aura began to rage. Emanating an intense gravitational wave of energy to catch all the soldiers' and medics' attention just as she cleared her throat to echo a booming voice:
"Who – did – this?" Weiss pointed her finger at a nearby soldier. "You, report!"
The man approached, saluting her then said:
"General Ironwood, Fleet Admiral Maru, and General Vulf were escorting the pirate prisoner Raven Branwen to a secret facility five hours ago before they were ambushed by an unseen force, freeing the pirate in the process."
"What? That's impossible. My eyes and ears would've picked up something of this magnitude. Who is the assailant?"
"This is Ozymandias' doing, no doubt about it."
Weiss turned her head around to meet a familiar face – Qrow Branwen. Who had arrived on the scene having brought along his weapon he hung from his back compacted under his cape.
"Sir Branwen," Weiss floated over.
"You don't need to call me Sir," he said. "I no longer carry that title."
"You recognize this as Oz's work? How?"
"Many of Oz's top lieutenants are proficient in illusionary magick," Qrow explained. "He taught them himself. I was never privy to those lessons. Partially because I never paid any attention. But also because I could never wrap my head around those kinds of… esoteric ideas."
"You're saying Oz and his forces used illusions to conceal this battle from my eyes?"
"Yes. They covered this whole island in a kind of illusionary fabric. There are still traces of them all over the place. Difficult to see from afar," Qrow imbued his fingers with his own Aura before grabbing a thin almost invisible piece of parchment out of the air. It glowed brilliantly of a bright white light between Qrow's fingers, sparkling with a strange energy still.
"What is that?"
"Pure energy, sourced from Oz's own Aura if I have to guess," Qrow scanned the piece of fabric, flipping it over. "I can't say for sure how it works exactly. I'm not a scientist myself. And of course, nobody really knows how Oz's powers work."
"You there, take these samples to the labs for analysis," Weiss waved over some nearby soldiers, before continuing to scan the environment around. "I still do not understand how they managed to defeat the Giants."
"They didn't," Qrow responded, before pointing his finger forward. "There are footprints, tracks leading into the trees."
"They were retreating."
"Exactly. I know James. I know it is not possible for him to go down without a fight. It's clear the assailants also suffered heavy damage as well," Qrow pointed to the bloody trails following those footprints. "What a monster. James and I used to be close, you know. Close enough to even be in Oz's circle. Now that club has gotten a lot more exclusive over the years."
"What did you just say?" Weiss glared down to Qrow. "General Ironwood said he's never met Ozymandias."
"That's not true," Qrow spun his head around. "He and I go way back."
Things just got more and more confusing as the seconds went on. Why on earth would Ironwood lie to Weiss about this?
Qrow continued:
"Regardless, the most important thing now is that I know who attacked James. Those wounds on his body. The very specific way his bones were shattered. That is the signature mark of General Glynda Goodwitch. She is Oz's right-hand woman. These were no doubt caused by her Telekinesis. She usually likes to toss around sniper rounds."
"She must've had help. Damaging the Northern Giants to this extent is no simple feat. It is impossible for her to accomplish this alone."
"Someone else was definitely with her," Qrow tapped his chin. "Most likely candidate is Peter Port. But he was never a fighter. If he was here, how was he able to get so strong?"
"Port is an alchemist, is he not? Perhaps he's developed some kind of concoction to enhance his physical abilities."
"Maybe."
"We have a working theory then," Weiss took more samples for the soldiers before dismissing them with a salute. "Raven Branwen being freed leads me to believe she may have teamed up with Glynda to even the playing field. That is how they were able to stalemate the Giants. But then there's just the matter of the news report. Why on earth…"
"… Would they report that the Northern Giants are dead?" A new voice emerged from behind, "Is probably what you're wondering."
Weiss turned around to meet the gaze of Councilman Sleet, a high-profile member, well-known across all of Vale and Atlas. This slender old gentleman with graying hair would extend his hand for Weiss to shake just as he had finished readjusting his blue tie over his suit.
"Councilman," Weiss shook his hand. "I never expected to see you here."
"It's a national crisis, General. I know the decision to report the Giants as dead may seem confusing, but believe me when I say this is actually part of General Ironwood's directive. He carried with him a button he installed on the cuffs of his uniform that is capable of sending a signal back to our military headquarters, signaling us to commence these backup plans. The purpose is twofold – one, if he were to really meet his demise, which thankfully that did not happen, the Atlas Empire must be quickly alerted to find a suitable replacement to take his place."
"We'll still have to do that now that he is out of commission," Weiss commented.
"Yes, that is correct," Sleet agreed before continuing his explanation: "but the second purpose for these directives is more a matter of… shall we say, in the interest of the Empire's public image. It is of utmost importance, according to a lot of the Councilmen's opinion, including my own as well, that the Empire must give off an image of superior strength and safety. One that cannot fall so easily even in the event that our chain of command is to be disrupted. It is crucial that the people understand the fact that the future of the Atlesian military is stable and can be replaced with little trouble and utmost efficiency. And more importantly, it would be beneficial if our foreign enemies know that as well. War is all about deception, as you know. If the Giants are to survive this skirmish with our enemies thinking they were dead, that is a massive tactical advantage. But still, we don't want to give off the feeling that the entire nation's military power is entirely dependent on a handful of individuals, no matter how powerful they may be."
"And you are referring to me as well, I'm assuming."
"Correct, General Schnee. I know you want to help, and I'm sure you are perfectly capable. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to scale back your involvement this time around. Just to have the focus solely on the Council's chamber."
"You want me to sit back and do nothing."
"No, of course not," Sleet cleared his throat. "You can help out in the background with the troops. Just don't make yourself known, is all I'm asking. We're going to hold a press conference this afternoon to address the current crisis. There's going to be a lot of cameras, the whole world will be watching. So it is absolutely vital that we let the world know that the government and its systems have got this under control. I myself would prefer if this war stays cold. An official declaration against the kingdom of Vacuo would be… troubling to say the least."
Weiss fell silent, dozens of thoughts going through her mind. None of which she got to process fully before Sleet stepped forth and put his hand on her shoulder, smiling:
"I know you understand, General Schnee. It is for the greater good of this country. So thank you for your service, but you are dismissed for the day – soldier."
The councilman saluted Weiss, nodding his head as he disappeared into the crowd of soldiers, detectives, and medics. It was difficult to fathom how someone could be so invisible, to wield such a position of authority to only then disappear back into the world as if they were never there to begin with. Such terrifying power acting behind the scene.
"You okay, little lady?" Qrow asked.
"Ozymandias must be held accountable. He cannot be allowed to continue on."
"I'm assuming you want to declare war."
"With Vacuo, maybe not. But with Ozymandias? Absolutely," Weiss clenched her fists. "I don't necessarily disagree with Sleet and his views. But this uniform I wear means something. The flag I fly high in the sky means something. I am the Atlesian Envoy. If I back down, what would that look like?"
"You do what you think is best. It's all anyone can do."
"May I ask you something, Qrow?"
"Shoot."
"If you were Raven, where would you go?"
To which Qrow only shook his head.
"My sister's actions never made sense to anybody but herself. I do often wish that isn't the case. If only I could wind the clock back to those old days when we were young. I got a second chance with my nephew, and I'm thankful. I just… I just wish I could get one with my sister, too."
Jaune would sit back on the red grassy bed that the Forever Fall was able to provide. Glancing in the sky, he would feel a certain anxiety kicking in his gut when he thought back to about thirty minutes ago when Weiss flew off in a hurry. She had this focused expression on her face, all blended together with components of confusion, anger, and sadness to make such urgency surface to the top.
And it was only when Jaune checked the news broadcast on his scroll did he finally understand what Weiss was going through. This wasn't merely a reaction to something that happened to a military superior. Jaune himself understood this emotion very well, because it was one he felt toward his sisters, his mother, his father. And that look on her face when she flew off at that insane speed was unmistakable.
Jaune had never experienced this with any of his fellow classmates, who were all soon-to-be soldiers. But family was something universal and most importantly – primal. They simply could not be ignored on a fundamental instinctual level.
"I don't know if you can hear me… I think you can," Jaune muttered to himself. "But if you need someone to talk to. I'm here for you. I know we haven't really known each other for long but… I don't know. I just want to help, is all."
"I can indeed hear you, Jaune," Weiss appeared behind, descending from above.
"Oh crap!" He leaped from where he sat, spinning his head. "I can never get used to that."
"I'll… try to slow down next time," Weiss extended her hand.
"I heard what happened on the news," Jaune said, taking that hand as Weiss pulled him on his feet. "I can't believe the Giants are gone, just like that. How could this have happened?"
"You already have a pretty good guess. You've been at the receiving end of his power once before."
"Oh," Jaune stood there, now realizing the implication.
"You already have lots of things to focus on," she said. "I'll be fine. Just need some time to take my mind off things, before the press conference this afternoon. Lots of paperwork to be done, I'll also need to have a talk with some of the councilmen. But I haven't forgotten what I promised you. I will teach you the ways. The real question is are you ready to learn?"
"Sure, I guess. I don't know how much work I'll be able to do with my arm like this, though."
"Not to worry. We'll take it easy for the first lesson today. Aura mastery is a lot more spiritually and mentally taxing than most people realize. So come on, take a seat. Right on the grass here."
Jaune complied as Weiss sat down with him, beginning her explanation:
"I'll let you in on a little secret, something most scientists are actually still debating to this very day. Mostly because nobody on this planet has eyes as perceptive as mine, eyes that can see down to the very atoms and beyond. But the truth of the matter is – Aura is actually all around us."
"What?"
"Or at the very least a form of energy extremely similar to Aura flows through the fabric of the universe. They are all interconnected. It's a little abstract to understand, but… how well do you understand the concept of gravity?"
"Physics has never really been my strong suit, I suppose."
"To make an extremely long story short – gravity is a fundamental force of the universe. The glue that holds all of reality together. If you think about the way science has claimed about how the universe came into being, surely you must have wondered how something was born out of nothing."
"Huh… now that you mention it…"
"Spiritually speaking you may look to religion to find the answer about what happened and why things came into being – the Blessings of the Seasons, as you know. But the how of it is much better explained by the phenomenon we have come to know as gravity. It is a theory proposed by hundreds of scientists that the universe came into being after being influenced by the forces that made subatomic particles ram into each other from nothing. Keeping in mind the laws of thermodynamics where energy can neither be created nor destroyed, the only remaining explanation that makes sense is by usage of an invisible gravitational force innate within everything in the universe. There are some people skeptical of these claims, but if they can see what I can see – there would be no doubt left about it."
Jaune nodded, listening attentively. Weiss continued:
"These gravitational fields manifest in all sorts of different ways. When manifesting within inanimate crystals in nature, the gravity when placed in a specific but ideal situation through complicated chemical reactions would be able to draw out the inner potential of certain objects, minerals, soil we can find out there in the environment. When a certain object gets empowered enough to be noticed – humans would then label them Dust."
"Whoa."
"I am massively oversimplifying the science here. But for the purposes of our training, the most important thing you need to understand is that gravity can also similarly draw out the innate potential within the human soul. And for the purposes of classification, this phenomenon of the empowered spirit from within is called Aura. And to strengthen your Aura, training it to make it stronger, you will also need to reach deep within and draw it out even further. Further than what natural gravity will be capable of doing."
"We do that mentally, and spiritually?"
"Yes."
"So, like… we just sit here and meditate?"
"You need to clear your mind," she tapped on his forehead. "Which is easier said than done. But once you are able to do this, you will start to see your mind much more like a vast ocean, or even a universe from within. One where you can draw energy from…"
And just like that, Weiss was cut off by the loud sound of Jaune's stomach rumbling.
"… Which is very obviously hard to do on an empty stomach," she said plainly, as Jaune began to laugh nervously.
"A guy's gotta eat, I suppose. Here, my sister packed lunch. She actually gave me an extra box, told me to give it to you," Jaune's face began to redden. "Saphron is always like this, you know how she is. Go ahead, eat up. Otherwise, she's going to scold me again."
"I… do not eat."
"Pardon?"
"I'm not hungry. Or rather, I'm never hungry."
"Really?" Jaune's eyes widened. "You've never eaten anything in your life?"
"I've never had to. My body never tires, it never goes hungry. I don't think I've ever even sweat."
"Wow… so – you've never even tasted a piece of food before? Not even out of curiosity?"
To which she simply shook her head.
"Then you have got to try out some of these then," Jaune peeled off the lid excitedly, to reveal a simple rice dish with beautifully caramelized beef cubes. "It's not much, Saphron's always busy these days. But since I figured you've never eaten before it'll still be a new experience. Here, I brought an extra fork."
Practically shoving the box and the utensil onto Weiss, she could clearly see how giddy he really was despite trying his best to hide it. Her face remained cold and unchanging, staring down the box of steaming food on her lap as she picked up the silver fork, toying with it in her fingers to get a good feel.
Such an ordinary meal, even when flying far above in the skies she could often spot far in the distance the sight of people going into restaurants to eat food much fancier than this prepared by the best chefs in the world. But seeing the food up close and personal somehow felt completely different from the experience she felt looking at it through walls. Many tiny nuances and details she would often ignore, now were in full view of focus.
The thought had never even crossed her mind before this moment, but she wondered right there and then, 'what even was the appeal of eating food that had the entirety of humanity so enamored, so enthralled? It was such a human concept,' she thought to herself. Realistically speaking, there was nothing extraordinary about simple cooking like this. Weiss could zoom down to their very atomic structure to deduce exactly what they were made out of, and what kind of nutritional benefits they could provide. Certainly, nothing that could even allow a human to gain enough strength to punch through walls.
And yet…
Even after going through all of her internal rationales, she still could not help herself but be drawn into this entirely new concept sitting in front of her, making her think back to the theory of gravity they were just discussing mere moments ago. Such a human element, there was no denying that. But one she had yet to experience.
The young woman was cautious, perhaps a little to the extreme, even as she brought the chunk of meat closer and closer. Sniffing the strong scent and the subtle colors of the sauce, she would slowly chew the soft chunk of this beef, absorbing every small bit of flavor she could take.
"So?" Jaune sat there eagerly waiting. "What do you think?"
Weiss would gently put down her fork, before opening her eyes to look Jaune straight on.
"I do not think I have ever experienced something like this in my entire life," she said plainly.
"Wow, you're serious?"
"Well, truth be told, I actually flew across town to a nearby restaurant one second ago to pay for a similar beef dish just so I could have something to compare to. Yours is relatively mediocre in comparison if I'm frank."
"Oh… I see…"
"But nobody has ever offered me lunch before in my life," she continued. "Besides my Pa, I suppose, but I've never really eaten his food. Always been too busy… but I do know this – I will never forget my first. This here – it is simple, ordinary, and… I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart."
And there on her face was a cold yet somehow warming smile shining brighter than a shooting star. One that made Jaune's heart skip a beat as his face began to grow red once more. It was no secret the young man thought Weiss was beautiful. But to see the ice melt on her expression was as if he was witnessing a once in a lifetime comet, brilliantly crossing the vast unending sky far above where he stood on this mortal ground.
"Ah, well, you know it wasn't that big a deal, to be honest," he nervously scratched his head. "I'm still not all the way there yet. Still got a lot to learn, my techniques are still all sorts of sloppy, and…"
"I thought you said Saphron was the one who made this."
Jaune instantly scrambled for a good answer the moment he realized the slip up:
"Oh, you know, who knows what people even said, am I right? Words are just… made-up words, and I totally did say that, didn't I? Well, maybe I just got it mixed up with the other day is all, you know how it is. Oh god, you're reading my heartbeat right now, aren't you? I swear I'm telling the truth this time, I… why are you smiling? Come on, cut it out."
But she refused. Continuing to beam her bright expression as Jaune got redder and redder by the second. There was a sense of tranquility in watching this simple young man, a simple sense of peace she was happy to experience. And it was at that point where Jaune simply decided to give up and just laugh along with the flow, letting whatever this was between them last for as long as possible. For Jaune did not want this moment to end.
"I meant what I said earlier, you know," said Jaune. "I'm here for you, to help you get through what happened earlier today. I know how terrible it is to lose someone close to you. Or rather, I can at least imagine it. Because I don't think I can handle it if the same happened to anyone in my family."
"What would you do?"
"I'm sorry?"
"What would you do if someone tried to hurt the people you care for?" She repeated. "Would you go out for revenge? Or would you stay behind to protect what's left, doing what's right?"
"Wow… that's a difficult question. But I don't think the real world is so simple. Things aren't usually so binary. Sometimes they are, but sometimes certain things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Maybe sometimes going on a more proactive approach is also the same as doing what's right, know what I mean? I just think about what would happen if my family got attacked. I'm not strong enough to keep them safe every single time. So maybe it's better to nip it in the bud. Or… I don't know."
"Jaune…" Weiss pointed down at Jaune's bandaged arm.
And to his complete shock – it was completely healed. Glowing with a steady stream of inner Aura so warm that Jaune was surprised it was even there to begin with. He wiggled his fingers freely as he tore apart the cast, swinging his arm around – he was completely flabbergasted at how light it all felt. It was as if he was never even injured to begin with.
"I told you," she said. "There is something there. You just don't know it. So don't be quick to judge yourself so harshly."
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Council, please welcome – King Theodore of Vacuo."
There on the holographic screen in front of the Atlesian Councilmen round table appeared the face of the one prestigious King of the West. A man with a dark complexion adorned by his clean close cut hair and a glorious mighty beard. Sitting on his throne the man wore a beautiful sky blue vest underneath a brilliant sapphire silk royal robe made from the finest fur a hunter could possibly obtain.
The man glared down at the Atlas Council from where he sat, grimacing. Letting it become increasingly clear he was struggling to not get too irate – or perhaps even excited.
"Gentlemen, ladies," the king winked, "a question that is often on everybody's mind every day of the week is thus – who is the Superman?"
"King Theodore, that's…" Sleet raised his voice, trying to interrupt only to get overpowered by Theodore's booming shout.
"SHE'S A GODDAMN CRIMINAL IS WHAT SHE IS. An illegal who's probably not even human or Faunus frolicking around like she owns the damn place. What the hell is she doing on my planet? One moment I look and I see my father making deals and concessions with some low-life punk who calls himself the God King, the next I see you Northerners marching down south to take the Valley for yourself! Who authorized these stupid ass decisions?"
A servant of the king quickly whispered in his ear.
"What do you mean nobody authorized it?" Theodore snapped, "An invasion? The hell it is! You speak like that in front of me again and I'll show you what an invasion looks like. Get the fuck out of my room! Now – where was I? Oh, right. Now you baboons better listen here, listen close and listen well."
"We're… listening," Sleet sighed, humoring him.
"It's no secret how I feel about that goddamn God King or Cod King or whatever the hell he calls himself marching his army west into MY fucking desert and persuading my father to essentially hand over the kingdom to this foreigner. But it needs to be said that I respected my father, may Summer bless that beautiful bastard in the afterlife, amen. ASHER! Get your ass over here, I'm shedding a goddamn tear."
"I thought you told me to leave, sir."
"That I did, and I'm gonna tell you to double leave and launch you into space if you don't do what I say, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"
"Oh, your wife said she fell down the stairs, by the way," said Asher. "She's in the hospital, should something be done about it?"
"Yes, go get a tiny violin and toss it at the foot of her bed, she'll know what it means. Go on, what are you waiting for, a raise? Go, go, go, go! Now where was I? Oh, yes. Ozymandias is a punk and a fool, but at least he and his posse gave us enough firepower to the point we don't even need to bust out our nuclear bombs anymore whenever some kid got my coffee order wrong. Especially when we got that goddamn illegal ALIEN flying above the sky to compete against. Now if you Atlesians are just gonna come in here in MY house and start crying about how your three main generals were too much of a bunch of pussies to even get out of their beds and off their lazy bums then boy, do I have to say, you better start posting new job applications for those positions. Because if you think you're going to declare war on Vacuo over THAT, then you people have another thing coming. I am going to…"
"King Theodore!" Sleet's voice exploded from a megaphone, finally catching the king's attention.
"I have got to get myself one of those," Theodore whispered to another servant.
"Thank you," Sleet handed the megaphone back to an officer. "King Theodore, I feel it is appropriate to say there has been a misunderstanding. The Atlas Empire is not going to declare war on the kingdom of Vacuo. I repeat, we have NO intention of declaring war, despite the circumstance."
"You… you don't?"
"Yes, sir. We do not. It is unprecedented, indeed. Never in the history of this entire nation have we experienced three empty seats on this Council. That's not even mentioning their positions in the military. But rest assured, you have nothing to fear, for we take these diplomatic matters extremely seriously."
"Clearly not seriously enough."
A booming voice echoed behind the round table of the Council, followed shortly after the sound of a storm exploding from the shattering of the sound barrier. Turning his chair around, Sleet began wondering if he was actually in one of his nightmares. Pinching himself under his coat, he came to the horrifying realization that the Superman was hovering above everybody in this room, slowly inching inside to face the king of Vacuo.
"General Schnee – what is the meaning of this?" Sleet demanded.
Weiss did not even turn around to answer, instead only titled her head just enough for him to see.
"I'm sorry, Councilman Sleet," she said, very clearly talking to all the cameras and photographers all around. "But I find your lack of faith in the power of the Empire and its people incredibly disturbing. To think a leader of this country would resort to underhanded tactics and deception to fight its wars. What is even more disturbing is your willingness to completely ignore the atrocities that have been occurring on the Empire's soil. That is the reason why I am here, to set the record straight, because I will not lie. If the person with the most powerful pair of eyes on the planet is a liar, then true tyranny is among us. Listen close – THE NORTHERN GIANTS ARE NOT DEAD!"
"General Schnee!" Sleet stood up, pointing his finger in the middle of everyone gasping. "You have crossed the line. Who do you think you are? Do you have any idea what you have done? How dare you?"
"No, Councilman," Weiss shot him a glare with such gravitational force it made him fall back to his seat, "how dare you? I am the Atlesian Envoy, the symbol of Atlas' power and glory. And you dare to even think of telling me to back down while you lie to the people and the rest of the world?"
"What the hell are you babbling on about here?" King Theodore asked, to which Weiss turned back to the big screen.
"I'm afraid you have been deceived, King Theodore," said Weiss. "And to that, I must apologize. But there is one thing that came out of Sleet's mouth this afternoon that was not a lie. And that is the fact that we here of the Atlas Empire do not wish to declare on the good nation of Vacuo."
"And I got worked up over nothing," the king crossed his arms. "ASHER! Never wake me from my nap ever again, you hear?"
"I'm afraid I am not quite finished," Weiss pulled Theodore back in, annoyed at his antics. "Just because we do not wish to declare war on Vacuo, does not mean we do not wish to declare war at all."
"What?"
Weiss floated up high, affirming her position above the round table below.
"Our nation is in crisis!" She announced, "The General of the Army, the General of the Air Force, and the Fleet Admiral may not be dead, but it is still unprecedented to have all three of the most powerful men and women on the planet be damaged and injured to such a catastrophic degree. And as the Atlesian Envoy – I hereby proclaim myself to be the acting Chancellor of this entire nation in their absence, effective immediately."
"WHAT?"
"On whose authority?" Sleet cried. "This Council will never approve such a thing. If you go through with this, I swear I will have you court-martialed right here, right now!"
"Under normal circumstances, I would not resist the Empire's wishes. But in this state of emergency, I have no choice but to invoke the right by strength. In that, if you – or any of the Councilmen here have the power required to restrain me – then I will happily comply with any punishment deemed necessary."
The room fell silent, for they all knew the truth in the matter of strength concerning the Superman. She continued:
"This is war, dear Councilmen and Councilwomen. It is imperative that we are not to be bogged down by red tape."
"War?" Sleet glanced about, confused, "What war?"
To which, Weiss cleared her throat, and announced as loud as she could:
"My first act as the acting Chancellor of Atlas – I declare war on the God King Ozymandias!"
The room fell silent, only to be filled with the anxious sound of the cameras flashing and the reporters whispering amongst themselves, as the Councilmen alongside the king leaned forward out of their seats – with their eyeballs practically popping out of their heads and rolling on the floor.
Still not yet done.
"I hope you understand the implication of this – Theodore," she said firmly. "You will be a bystander in this war. But if you were to ever aid the God King in any way, know that we will have no choice but to consider you an enemy of the Empire. Good day to you."
"Now listen here, punk! I have some very strongly worded thoughts that need to be made known," Theodore pointed his finger furiously. "If you think you can just tell me what to do you goddamn self-righteous alien, you have another thing…"
"This conversation is over," Weiss cut him off, swiping the holographic screen to the side to turn off the big screen. Even from here, Weiss could still hear the king's screaming from across the continents.
"You have a lot of nerve," said Sleet, "to do what you just did."
"We're not done here."
"Excuse me?"
"Just because you are willing to ignore the destruction the God King and his forces have committed on our streets and on our people, doesn't mean that I am. There is a standard of truth and justice that we Atlesians must uphold for the good name of the Empire. I am of course talking about the matter concerning the young man Adam Belladonna, who was involved in the God King's attack down the streets not too long ago."
"I don't understand," said Sleet.
"Then I'll make it brief and simple for everybody here," she explained. "During the incident, an unidentified woman has been left on the scene lying next to Adam's body, seemingly conjured out of thin air. The test results for this woman's DNA and identity have come back, verified by my own examinations as well. The fact of the matter is simply this – that woman IS Adam Belladonna."
"Impossible."
"How…"
"What?"
"As hard to believe as it is," Weiss continued. "It is the truth. This unidentified woman shares the exact same DNA chains as Adam Belladonna. It's not that they share some of their DNA, it is that they share ALL of them. It seems scientifically impossible, but Ozymandias' magick has never been straightforward. Since they are the exact same person, the Atlesian Court cannot, and will not – by the authority of the acting Chancellor – execute an innocent woman who has done nothing wrong. It is therefore within my rights that I hereby declare this woman and Adam Belladonna to be pardoned of their crimes in the name of Atlesian justice."
"ARE YOU INSANE?"
"This decision is final, and will not be undone. Adam Belladonna and the unidentified woman will be moved to a facility within Beacon Academy to be supervised by me, your Envoy and acting Chancellor, alongside the entirety of the Academy's faculty members. This meeting is adjourned."
Weiss would proceed to float out of the door in the midst of the chaotic roaring Council chamber flooded with flashing lights, cameras, and reporters pouring in from every direction. Ignoring this chaos, Weiss was able to peculiarly pick up a familiar voice at the end of the hallway, which she found odd because she recognized that voice as belonging to Maru's protégé, Ghost Vester.
"Things are getting interesting," Ghost whispered to the rest of his team.
Weiss didn't even have time to wonder what he meant by that when shortly after, she was confronted by the undeniable vision of Rubio's image projection – standing there at the end of the hallway behind the sea of people, tapping his foot as he crossed his arms, glaring straight at Weiss.