Chapter 24: Before It Falls.
"I just don't get it…" Erick mumbled, as he and the rest of his team reviewed the footage of Yang vs. Mercury. "I can see it here, her lilalic eyes, they're unfocused, she has no idea that what she's seeing isn't real. But…assuming it was rigged, there has to have been a motive."
"But there is no motive…" Sapphire replied. "We've looked into everything we possibly can. The only motive you could pin is an insane leap of logic that would get us under investigation because we don't know if they know anything about Salem."
Moon still sat in his own meditated stance as Sarah rubbed Astro's head. "Maybe we really are overthinking it…I know her eyes were unfocused. But maybe Ironwood is right and she was just under a lot of stress." She asked.
"What is there to be stressed by? I guess maybe the closeness of their fight." Sapphire questioned. "Though she seemed perfectly in control…the only thing that would be stressful would be if Mercury actually did it."
"Pokey and Rhea don't have mind controlling powers, and we weren't in the tournament to take advantage of any of our corruption that might have accidentally gone onto her…even then. I think their natural aura cleanses them of it. Dark Erick said traces of him can't seem to get to Weiss unless we're touching each other."
"Well…you said you believe that Yang was rigged to specifically go up against Mercury and Pyrrha was made to go up against Penny. Maybe we could try and figure out why they'd want Pyrrha to fight Penny."
Moon stood up and walked over to Erick. "That doesn't necessarily bode well. Pyrrha is a top prodigy from that colony Atlas has in Argus. Maybe Ironwood just wanted to test and see what his academy missed out on. I doubt that he didn't learn about Pyrrha's choice and record, I mean, Weiss' father knew about it, that's the only reason she's here and not in Atlas."
"Yeah…you're probably right." Erick twirled his chair to face his leader.
"What can you tell us about Penny?" Sapphire asked. "You've spent the most time with her? Maybe if we pool the thoughts she's sent to you, we can work it out…other than Ironwood is testing one of his students with who should be Beacon's best."
"Well her weapon is splittable and seemingly controlled by her with wires of some sorts. Though…that does explain how she gets them out of that weird backpack. Her dad is a man named Pietro, he's a scientist for Ironwood. She hasn't done much as a person…matter of fact, she kept diverting the conversations we had back about us."
"That's odd…but sounds to be in nature for Penny." Sarah replied as she stood up with Astro. "She feels very robotic…did you ever notice how her eyes are like the Photo Man's camera-" she paused as her leader's eye's narrowed.
"Erick…look up Penny's dad Pietro." Moon asked.
"Was already doing that…" Erick replied. "Here we go, Pietro Polendina…wow he does not look anything like Penny."
"He could always be an uncle or something that just never told Penny what happened to her parents…" Sapphire replied.
"Says he was part of a group of scientists accepted into the Atlas Elite, a group of five people consisting of General Ironwood, Arthur Watts, Pietro Polendina, Jacques Schnee, and…a multiversal version of my father…the Atlas Elite got into a bit of trouble with a project simply called: Paladin, during which Arthur Watts was killed. Jacques Schnee went private and pulled the funding. While Ironwood went on to become the General, Pietro and Dr. Andonuts are still working under him."
"Is there any information on Project Paladin?" Sapphire asked as Moon continued to look suspiciously over the genius' shoulder.
"Not much…apparently it was some sort of mecha suit project that was intended to better the lives of the Faunus who worked in the Schnee Mines, the project was started when Adam Taurus kept rallying the Atlas Government to actually do something about the SDC. Though, as you can guess, the mecha suit went nowhere and Jacques decided to just lobby for legislation as Weiss told me."
"Wait…right there…what does that say?" Moon asked.
"Pietro is probably most famous for his theory of Artificial Aura. His theory is inspired by a story of a puppet who came to life. Believing that perhaps the soul of a person could be split and potentially develop a mind of its own if given a proper body…"
The four teammates all felt their eyes widened in horrific realization.
"Oh fuck…Penny's a robot!" Erick sounded almost doubtful of his own words.
"And if Pyrrha's semblance allows her to control polarity, which someone knows…and has the ability to make someone hallucinate…this is bad. Moon, we need to get Ironwood and stop this." Sarah nervously shuddered.
"We can't…he's at the stadium. Which we are banned from. We won't be allowed in. We have to go to Ozpin…"
Pyrrha rolled out of the way of Penny's blades in the loud cheers from the stadium. Her match with Penny had been going on for a little, and quite frankly, she was concerned afterwards.
"Maybe you should throw the match to Penny." Ren's words echoed in her mind. "I don't think we're ready to face Team MESS. Maybe if you throw in a way to look worse, maybe they'll give you time to recover."
"No…the longer Team MESS stays here, the more danger we potentially put Remnant in." Jaune replied. "Pyrrha has half of the Autumn Maidens' powers, if we just follow Ironwood's advice and knock Sarah down first by surprise. The rest of them will go down easily. And remember, we've been trained by robots who simulate their fighting style."
Pyrrha turned her sword into a Javelin and threw it at Penny, who quickly maneuvered her weapons around to knock the Javelin far across the stadium. She held up her shield as Penny retaliated with a barrage of strikes.
"It is a hunter's duty to protect Remnant, and the maiden's responsibility to uphold their destiny. Though Moon and Sarah may be the last of their alien's kind, we cannot guarantee it. There is more we have yet to explain, but for now, we need you to fulfill the destiny and destroy them."
Was it ethical? Team MESS had done nothing wrong as far as she knew. Moon and Sapphire had even trained Jaune. Sure, the powers lined up, but to think Moon and Sarah had ulterior motives that even Erick and Sapphire were unaware of. It was psychopathic.
Her head began to spin as she tumbled into a darkphase. She was met with ghastly red faces that swarmed around her.
P̵̦͖̩̱̐y̵̧̟̰͖͕̠̻̙͌͌r̴͍͖̦̩̘̤̻̾̅̿̏̆̅͗̅r̵̨͍̮̥̮͓͈̾̽̕h̸̡̋̃ǎ̸̩̃̈̇̈́͝…̴̦̫̗̗̬́̏̃̅͠ͅP̶̛̞̠̘̖̮͙̥̾y̵̫͔͉͎̪̬͒̒̌r̴̡͔̥̭͉͍̃r̵̳̪̲̰̟̝͍̾̅̀̋̍̈́͝h̸̛̟͎̐͂͝a̸̛̳͔̪̭̼̘͊̅̌͂̾̚͝…̴̢̠̼̺̰͕̏P̵͇̪̰̀̎͛̄́͒̋͊y̷̨̠͝ř̷̫̱̻͚͆̓́͑̓͘r̵͔̘͊̑͑͛̌͒͂ẖ̷̡̛̖͕̞̦͂͐̉̄͌̈́͜ͅa̸̧̼̹͕̮̿̃̑̿̀̽͆̕…̷͖̳̽̔̃̎̏͂͑͝P̸̺̞̰̣̆̐̋̎͆̈́y̴̥̖͌̂̋̉̚͠r̵̡̫̞͉͝͝r̵̞̟̆͗ĥ̶̺̫̰̥͖̙̳́ä̴̖̠́́̚̚͠…̵̦̠̮͍̇̅͠P̴͖̔̑̕y̶̰̳̽̌̈r̶̢̻̟̈́̄̒͗̀̌͘ͅř̴̡̞͉̬̖̟̔̄̏̈́͠h̷̪̠̻͔͚̯̔̈́͠à̸̹̺͂͝…̷̞̹̻͍͙͍̬͋ The voice sounded scratchy. It sounded like the voice was in pain. As the red swirls developed into Moon, except…he was shadow black. His hair was shadowy black and was propped with a silver crown. He had two giant wings and his hands looked more like claws. His eyes were also a despicable shade of bloody red with a glare that pierced her soul. He pointed his blade at her with a taunting smirk.
"̴͔̣̘̗̎͐̄̚Í̵̫̩̄̔̕̚͝ͅ'̸͈͓̑̈̏̌m̴̹̗̯̙͎̀̓̌ ̴̹̯͍̝̠̍͛͌͝ͅs̸̨̝̣͇̜̉͐̀͛̆̀ǒ̷̢̠̟̰̉̌̒̎͘ ̸͕̠̐͗̎̒h̷̟͔̥̝̼̟̭̏̈́̅ą̵̰͚̠̞̻̜̦̓̿́̈̌͘͝p̶̥͇͈̺̌̈́̄̇̿͜͜p̷̨̬̯͎̖̗͖̈́͐͑͌̂̒̓y̵̰̜̲̳̾̇̓̈́͗̿̈͜…̵͓͍̰͎̺͖̮̒͑̊̚͝P̵̛̛̮̘̄͑̈́̅̾͛y̸̡̨̥̗̖̿͌͑͑͛̈͝͝r̷͍͙͙̦͗͊̓́̐͘r̸͙̪̲͈̪̭̫͛͒h̶̤̗͍̺̤̅̀̒͐͊a̸̗͍̍̈͠.̶͉̠̤̳̲̟͓̑͌́̊̀̈"̵̞̭̉̓̈ ̸̠̥̗͉͊̄̈́
No…no…what she was seeing wasn't real…but…she shouldn't be seeing this at all! She was trained for this.
"̵̨̧̖̜̩̖̰̀̊̄̓̒͝T̴̢̛̤̬͖̲̟̀̀̂̅h̷̢̢̘̥̘͈̖̍͑̅̉̐̆e̷̜̟̓̒̃̕ ̸̨̹̯͎̻̑͌͑ͅw̸̫̯̿̿̓͛o̶̧͍̟̟͐͊r̷̨͍̻͕̺͇̓͊̽l̵̳̓̒d̶̛̮̱̈́͒̓̋͝ ̸͍̠̥̟̲͚̄̇̃̽̑̚͝ḯ̸̛̥̣̤͋́̓́͘s̸͍̰͎̤͚̼͊͋͋͋̈́̚̚͝ ̸͎͒̾̆̓͝c̶̠̣̫̮͇̬̮̾͂̂́̀̎̈́̀ͅo̴͖̰͕̹͖͎͜͠u̵̦͛͆̂n̴̮̠̾͐̍̒̇ṱ̴̘̬͕͓͉́̀͊ͅị̴͓͓̍̐̋̓̈́̂n̵̝̼̪͈̾͒̑̋͋̚g̶̳̰͍̞̱̓̅̍̕͜ ̸̨̫̜͉̪̯̹͓̾ô̸̡̻͊̓̚n̶̛͍̺̙̗̻̮͓̣͐̌̈́ ̸̛̯͛́̌̋̿̄͝y̸͖͈͓̹͍͑o̶̢̢͓̘͖̓ú̶͍̲̋̍̇̓͊?̴͕̣̝͊̄͌̌͘͠ ̶̡̯̝̬̠̬͗̔̈́Y̴̧͎̞̞̩̼̾o̸̬̘͗̀̊u̴̡̦̘̼͈̝̫͆̀͝ ̸̱̞̮̱̙͛̈̓͂̑a̶̧̰̱͉̍͛̿͌̅̈́r̶̛͈̐́͛̀̿̈e̷̜͇͕̻̭̭̠̔̄̎̀̈͝ ̸͉̮̫̟͐͊̿͊y̵̠̓ͅo̵̞͇̰̊̾̓͜ŭ̶̲̇r̷̨͈̫̭̯̻̼̤̀̃̓̊͂͛́ ̸̫̯̲͇̎̄̔̋̕t̵͚͓̥͉͖̿̃ȩ̸͉̳̂͋͆̂a̴̘̮̰̹͙͗͑̀̒̂́m̸̡̩̝͚̞̲̖͊̆̂̍̈́͝?̶̛͚̞̭͖̓̂͛͜͝ ̸̘͕͌̄D̴̬̥̟̣̭̱͓̞͗̎͑͒͝ö̷̧̢̼̥̳͉͚́̌̂̎͘n̸̯͖̦̲̲̩͓̔'̷̢̗͓͓̹͉͍̘̎̇͝ţ̸͎̤͕̪̈́̋̍͝ ̵̹̰̥̮̝̓m̴̬̻̈̆̽͗̏a̵̫͐̍̽k̴̜̅è̴͉̟̅̈́̏̓͒̕ ̷̧͉̘̯̩̺͛͂͝͝m̷̢̩̥̮̗̮̻̎ͅe̶̡͎̍͂̄̀̂́͝ ̶̡̼̙̝̿̅l̴̨̡̲̮͙͕̪͑̀̅͆͂̌͘͜͝ą̸̛̮̼͗̉̐͘̕̕ǘ̸̬̲͛̀̒͊͠g̸͇͙̓̅̀̾͛h̶͖̉͐̀̂͌.̷̭͕͓́͊̇͝ͅ ̸̲̥̳̖͒̄̿̔̄̕̚Y̴̬̱̪̳̝̤̥̺͐̊͒̎̔̅̆o̶͔̖̎͝ű̴̻͎͔̫̖͓̣̪̽͛̈́̔͝'̷̳̖̍ȓ̶̙̙̥̟͙̬̠̪͆̆̔̇̂̃͘e̷͎͚͒̏̄̿͂̅͠ ̶̝̙̘̭́̓͘n̷͙̦̳̤̓o̶͔͌̎͋͐̃̕͝ ̴̟̪̥̼͋͜p̶̢̹̦̰̘̟̘̠̈̑͋͂͠r̸̭͈͓̼̠̬̍̄̃͂̆̂̓͜͝o̶̧̧̰͕̼̗͆̚͜d̶͚͖̖̄͑̒̔̍͆͝ỉ̸͈͕͈͉̀͛̎g̸͔̣̭̮̖̩͌̉͂̈́̌̔̅͝y̶̨͎͖̜̾̈́͛̀̿̄̋͘.̴̧̲̟̗̄̌͋͒͆̐͗̎"̸̛͗̎̐̈́͌͐̕͜ ̵̧̨͎̤͙̰̓̉̾̔̾̕
"You're evil! You're heartless! How can you live with yourself?" She groaned.
The shadow Moon she saw tilted his head as blood started to leak out of his mouth. "̷̧̦̞̈́̈́͌͛͝Ḣ̴̫̥̚͜e̶͉͋̈́̓̽͘ä̷͎̫̼̜̖̱̭̼́̐r̵̡͂͘t̸̲͉̬͙͛̅͌̈́͝͠ļ̶̣̮̦͍̣̰̃͘̚̕̚͘͝ͅë̴̜̜̪͚̘̪̝́̀̿͂́̍s̷̩̫͛͂́́͑́̂̔s̷̢̙͗̏́͛͋̕͝͝?̵̧̪͐ ̵̩̈́͆́̂M̸͔̰̦̦̞͙̝̀͛͛̿͑̍̎́ȇ̶̢̨̲̘͓͙?̶̺͊̀͆̚͝ ̶̹̱̣͔̳͈̝́͂͜Y̴̱̼͎̠̞̔͆̌͘ȏ̵̧͓̭̤̣̝ǔ̶̱͙̺̿̉͘'̶̡̟̑͜ŕ̴̠͔̙̘̥̥̍͆̋͗͌̈̅ę̴̧̘͓̖̗͓̪̑̾̊ ̴̡̟̜̾͒͌͘t̷̛̪̰̯̺͔̗h̷̭͖̰͈̋̇̈́e̵̠̬̟̗̼͍̩̐ͅ ̷̡̗̪̺̮͇̼̀̂o̷̻̓̔͆͑̀̇̚͘n̵̛̘̗̱̬̝̓̐̈́̿̅̃͒͜ͅe̵͈̪̤͎̫̬̺̒̀̊̇͌͠ͅs̶̢͇̻͆͑͜͝ ̷̥̲̊̈́̐͒ǡ̷͍͍͈̒͛͜͝͝s̵͔̾s̸̛̛͌͜a̵̢̘͕̩̟̯͈̰̓͠s̶̩͍̤̣̪͎͚̔͆͑̾̀̍̕s̵̡̭͚͖̎͐̍̍͐į̴̲͖̥̓̈̍ͅn̴̨̧̳͇͓͈̍́͆̿́͆à̷̺͍̮̤̼̗̥̈̑͊ẗ̵̝̗́͜i̶̟̽͜n̴̡͚̩̣̪̞̩̩͌̇̀̎͗g̷͕̈̅ ̵̲̙̼̼͕̙̃̾͗̚̚͠a̴̢͖̪̓n̸̨̥̣̤̟͕̟̻̈́̓̇͊d̸̦͈̩̘̜͉͑̇̀̎ ̴̛̻̞̈́͜ḩ̵̨̠̜̜͈̎͐͆̈́͗͘ȧ̶̧͍̯̥̲̺̘̂̐́̈̄͝l̷̤̠̼̞̎̉̍͝͝͝ͅl̵̤͈̲͈̪͓̓̀̈́̇̾̊͜͠ȗ̸̼̜͋̾̇͠c̴̭̤̰͓̪̦̖̣̊͛͛͂́͊i̷̧̫̩͑͒͐n̶̛̗̼̟̯̝͌̏͋̎ă̸͖͚̥̘̞͔̋̊t̴̨̼͍͋̑̏̍͘͘i̷͓̠͓̘̪̲̙̓͆͂͐͝n̷͎̘̬̼͑̿͊͆̆̇̂̓g̴̨̺̤͔̜͉̊͊̉̓̐̀̔͜͝ ̵̭̭̀̚ͅȧ̴͆͜͠ḃ̸̝̬͖̖̝̤̿̆̕o̷̠̽̊́̈̕ṻ̵͇̖͚̬̩́̄̈́̅̃̕͝t̶̝̺̦̼͗̉̕͠ ̴̟̘͉̪̙̝͚͕̉͑̈́̃͌a̷̱̗̱̮̥͍̣̅̒̚ ̴̗͎͇̥͇̺̇̅̌̄̅s̵̛̗̻͙̫̬̈̌ͅt̶̨̲̪̫͋̂r̶̗̩̹̣̖͌̈́̓̍͝a̸͈̟̖͕̗͎̔̅n̵̹̺̯̫͑͒̏̀g̴̪͊̽͋͗e̸̪͉̍͜ͅͅr̷͖̱̣̘͆̎̀͗̈́͛̍͘ ̶͓̩͗̀̃͒͗̆y̵̗̹͚̻͔̓͑͊̒̉ớ̷̰̪̜̫̣̤̳̫̐̑́û̶̢̬̺̜̄͐͊ͅ ̸͉̿̎͒̐͂͆͝k̵̗̗̓͂̓̔̚ǹ̷̥̚ò̶̹̜͉̼̎̌̄̿̒w̵͓̩̗̩̣̻͍̐̅͝͝ ̴̢̬̲̫͍͗̈̋̌̆̈́̽͝n̶̩͒́̋̄̓͛̆̐ő̷̪͗t̸͎͙̟͕͈̠͛͒͋͗͜h̶̦͍̺̩̽͆̀ī̷̟͓̭̬̣̭̜̥͊̎̌̑͗̀͘n̷̹̰̥̠̠͎͇̯̈̀̑̎̒g̸͖̟͂ ̷̮̆̔͒͒̕á̴̰̫͓͚̞̻̖͛̎̿͝b̶͕̭̤̮̀̊̓̽͌̈́͜ŏ̵̰̺̲̺̑͐̽̅̄̂u̴̢̢̡̯̪͍͂̿̓̍̒̍͝t̴͖̫̞̰͊̓͒.̷͇̞͎͛̎͒̓͑̎͝ͅ"̷̨̋
"I…I need to do it! It's my duty!"
"Your duty is to kill people you're told too?" Shadow Moon's voice hissed. "
No…this was a trap. She was told she couldn't use her maiden powers. She…she had no way to defend herself…
Shadow Moon's claw hands tilted the sword. Which she immediately pointed her hand at as the sword began to quiver in his hands.
"I am a hero! We'll never be freaks like you!"
(...)
Penny tilted her head to the side as she waited for Pyrrha to make a move. Her weapons fidgeted a little…not really sure what was going on.
"I am a hero. We'll never be freaks like you!"
From across the continent, Salem chuckled as she watched Penny's blades turn and slice the robot to pieces. In a terribly vicious manner unlike anything the world would have ever seen. She knew exactly what the entire world was thinking, and there was small satisfaction as she heard the uproar from the stadium.
"What's going on?! What happened?"
"We don't know Professor…we can't get our systems under control."
"I honestly thought you had it figured out when you said you knew Yang was hallucinating Ozpin." she chuckled. "My little angels showed up at just the right time to throw you off your game. And now…you'll pay the price dearly."
Team MESS each skidded to a halt at the top of Beacon Academy in Ozpin's office, and it didn't take them long to realize they were already too late. As both he and Team RWBY were already in his office watching the screen themselves.
Both were looking at a holographic screen showing the tournament stadium, where Penny's body lay in several pieces, with wires and sparks fidgeting. Pyrrha, meanwhile, had fallen to her knees in shock. Out of everyone, Ruby looked the most mortified of the situation.
Ozpin quickly phones over. "Oobleck, Port, Get this off the air, now!"
Professor Oobleck's voice chimed back. "Um…we have no control over the broadcasting."
There was a bit of static as the view of the tournament was replaced by a red screen background with a black queen piece from chess, front and center for everyone to see. A brief moment of silence, before a voice started to speak, one that the two teams of four all recognized.
"CINDER!"
"This…was no tragedy." Cinder spoke. "This was no accident…This is what happens…when you hand over your trust, your safety, your own children…to a bunch of incompetent fools who claim to be training them to become our guardians. But…in reality…they are just corrupt, ordinary humans. Corrupting your kids and lying every step of the way."
"I mean…she isn't necessarily wrong…is she?"
"This is not the fucking time." Moon hissed back at his darkside.
"The headmaster's of these academies wield more power than an army. And one was audacious enough to control BOTH. They cling to this power in the name of peace… and yet…what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army…mercilessly torn apart by the famous 'star prodigy' you see before you."
"Pyrrha…" Weiss whispered.
"What need would Atlas have for a soldier, disguised as nothing more than an innocent little girl. Perfectly indistinguishable from any human…I don't think even the Grimm would be able to tell the difference if we couldn't."
"Did you know about this?" Erick questioned Ozpin, he was shushed by everyone except his own team as Cinder kept monologuing.
"And what about Ozpin, eh? What is he teaching those students? I mean…first a dismemberment of their own kind. Now the equivalent of attempted murder of their own kind? Huntsmen and Huntresses are supposed to carry themselves with honor, and mercy. Yet, I have seen neither."
For the first time, as Moon chanced a glance at the headmaster, the man's completely neutral facial expression, the same one he swore could show no emotion, finally looked enraged.
"Perhaps Ozpin thought that defeating Atlas in the tournament would make people forget about his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded, sure, the hunters came in and saved the day, but you never got a full answer about those events that lead to that gaping hole, and why first year students were the ones responsible for it."
"She's pinning it on us?!"
"Or perhaps this is his message to the tyrannical dictator who has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces? Honestly, I can't tell who's right or wrong. But I do know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders run it with iron gloves. Covering up anything to protect themselves."
Moon watched as Ozpin's eyes fluttered towards his team, something that made him unreasonably anxious.
"Trust me, as someone from Mistral. The situation there is…equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war. Yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So…I leave you all with this…when the first shots are fired at each other…who do you think you can trust?"
The feed was then cut off in silence, before the loud blaring sound of a horn could be heard from miles away.
"Attention, Grimm Threat Detected: Level threat: 9. Please seek shelter immediately, but in an orderly fashion."
"That…doesn't sound very good…" Sapphire whispered. No less than a second after he finished, that mass uproar and screams of terror could be heard from Ozpin's transmission towards the stadium.
"Oz…about the girl…I can explain-"
Ozpin interrupted Ironwood's transmission. "You brought your army to my kingdom, James, use them. Qrow, Glynda, get as many of our students from the stadium to the city and school."
"Oz…what about the…"
"We will deal with that later. I want every hand on deck and I want them on deck now!" The headmaster closed the screen and turned his attention to the eight kids standing before him. Moon looked over, and, unsurprisingly, all of Team RWBY were still struggling to process everything that had happened.
Moon went to open his mouth before a large rumble, followed by an explosion had all of them turn their attention to see one of the Atlas warships open fire on the surrounding fleet. Followed by a transmission that had all of them glance down.
"I'm FREE! AND I'm coming for ya!"
-Torchwick
"Team RWBY," Ozpin said, looking at the four girls. "I need you four to cover as much of the school grounds as you can until reinforcements arrive."
"And what about us?!" Moon asked, giving Ozpin a suspicious glare. "We're here too, why not let us help them? Don't give me any bullshit, everyone here knows damn well Pokey and Seiros could be lurking about. And I guarantee you they will not hesitate to slaughter everyone if they don't see us."
The headmaster and him locked eyes, and Ozpin's anger seemingly returned to his normal neutral expression, though, even with that neutrality, Moon could sense his hesitation to say what he really wanted.
"Fine, but I'm splitting you four up in pairs with Team RWBY…is that acceptable?"
Moon felt the nervous eyes of his teammates on him. "Can't do that…Sarah and I need to stick together."
Ozpin's anger felt a brief return but seemingly mellowed instantly. "Fine. Sapphire, you and Ruby will go to the northern part and take the rocket lockers to the ship being controlled by Torchwick, we need that out of the skies to ensure reinforcements arrive."
Moon's blue haired friend nodded his head as he stepped over towards Ruby, who gave him a half-hearted smile.
"Weiss, Erick. You go to the eastern division. Yang and Blake, you go to the west."
"And us?" Sarah asked.
"You two will stay here and guard my tower. I suspect that if your little diabolical psychopathic enemies will want to come anywhere, they'll be here. My tower is the corporate antenna for the connection throughout the four kingdoms. If it goes down, so does Remnants connection.
"Zoom, that sounds stupid! Boing." Sarah went red as Astro's head popped out of her backpack.
"Right…well…we can't send Astro to the council on such short notice, they'll probably have a panic attack. Sapphire, you take Astro." Sarah handed the Mr. Saturn to the blue-haired boy.
"Alright, now that we've settled it." Ozpin said, sternly giving the eight teenagers a frown. "You go defend Beacon with everything you have." The eight kids each gave him a salute as they rushed to the elevator. Upon their descent, Ozpin turned his communicator back to Ironwood.
"James, get Team JNPR to Beacon as soon as possible. The two have been separated from Erick and Sapphire, and this may be our only chance to get rid of them silently in all the chaos."
A bit of static. "Are you sure…Oz? If…she's…behind this attack. We should probably keep Pyrrha hidden."
Ozpin grunted. "This is not the time for that James. We both know who she would want more."
"Understood…I'll make sure they get there."
"Do…do you think everyone is going to be okay?" Blake asked, and she and Yang had arrived in their respective guard spot. The two girls looked out into the kingdom, which had become a dark shade of terror as Nevermore and Beowolfs crowded the streets with growls and snarls.
"Hopefully…" Yang replied glumly. "I…I wish we'd be down there…doing something." Both girls flinched as screams of terror followed by gunfire immediately reached their ears.
"Ozpin did give us a job to guard the vicinity, so he's clearly nervous that someone else is working with Cinder to take down Beacon and the transmission tower." Blake watched as Ruby's sister stomped her foot in frustration.
"Why? Why would Cinder do this?!" She grunted. "What does she possibly have to gain from turning everyone against one another? She used us! USED ME! For what? Who could possibly benefit from Beacon's destruction?" Yang felt herself get off as her Faunus teammates' cat ears perked up and her yellow eyes widened in horror.
"Blake?" As Yang finished, she noticed her teammate's face getting paler, almost to the point of being ready to collapse. The faunus girl turned her back to Yang and began looking frantically around. Now Yang heard Blake whisper quietly in a voice she probably didn't intend for her to hear.
"No no no! I heard him…this can't be happening. He wouldn't dare…" Without warning, her teammate took off.
"BLAKE WAIT! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO STICK TOGETHER!" Yang shouted as she ran after her teammate. Thankfully for her, Blake didn't make it very far…though, her reasoning was pretty straightforward as she bumped into Blake standing in front of three White Fang members.
Two looked like average grunts. But the other one, the one Blake's yellow eyes stared directly at, wore a black blazer and pants with a red sash that held a sheathed sword. He had bloody red hair with accents of black, horns resembling a bull (though, in Yang's mind, they looked more like Devil horns from a video game portrayal of Satan). Like all other white fang members, he too wore the mask resembling a Grimm.
"ADAM!" Blake shouted, Yang could instantly sense the terror in her voice. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
So…that was Adam…the old friend Blake had told her about.
"Hello…Blake…" Adam said, after a brief moment of silence. The voice reminded her a bit like Moon…almost.
"WHY?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Blake shouted. "Have you seen what's been going on?!"
"Yes…" Adam replied, giving her a smirk that made Yang uncomfortable. "And if you and your little sidepiece want to walk away while you can and help people. You can…don't make this more difficult than it already is…we wouldn't want any…unnecessary casualties like…the last time."
Yang felt her lilac eyes twitch. "What is THAT supposed to mean?" Her tone was sharp enough that the two white fang grunts next to Adam actually took their own guns and pointed them at her. Adam simply waved his hand aside and she watched the two lower their guns.
"Yang…really…don't." Blake said meekly.
"Oh sweet innocent little girls." Adam replied. "I'm sure Blake has told you ALL about me, hasn't she? Really Blake, you're too sweet. Pretty soon there won't be a soul on Remnant who knows at this point." Adam's head twitched. "But did you tell your little teammate…Everything?"
"She's told me enough that I get the point." Yang replied.
"Perfect." Adam replied, in a tone that screamed sarcasm like no tomorrow. His head snapped towards Blake with an eerily creepy smile. "That'll just make it easier…So…what's it going to be Blake? Are you going to come back to your faunus brethren? Or run away again. The world grows more intolerant of our kind everyday."
"She's not going back to you! Whatever romantic fantasy's you've creepily had about her? Kiss them goodbye. She doesn't care about you. You're just a creepy incel stalker who can't handle rejection…aren't you?!"
Dead silence swept over the area as the two white fang grunts turned to look at their leader in what Yang could only assume was confusion.
Adam meanwhile, just stared at her. Then, he quite literally started howling in laughter. Not like in a creepy, evil way, just pure genuine hilarity.
"I'm…I'm sorry…" Adam said, through chuckles that started to anger Yang even more. "But you genuinely believe I actually give two shits about the girl you stand next to? You honestly think I did all this elaborate nonsense, JUST to finally kidnap ONE faunus girl who I was somewhat friends with and force her back into the White Fang?!"
Yang looked over at Blake, who was trying (and failing) to hide an embarrassed blush as her ears folded down.
"Listen here, goldilocks." Adam snarled, "The White Fang doesn't destroy its own kind. If a Faunus gets cold feet and leaves, that's on them, they're still one of us. I'm not some heartless psychopathic cult-leader. God knows Remnants got enough of those already if you're jumping to conclusions on conspiracies like that. What I, and the rest of the White Fang want, is equality."
"This isn't going to make you look any better!" Yang snapped. "You're coming here to destroy Beacon!"
"Adam, she's right…" Blake replied. "If you want the White Fang to look good, send them to Vale, fight against the Grimm."
Adam snorted… "Please…why should I do that? You know that Faunus have been the frontline soldiers to die during massive grimm invasions and military coups in the past?! They're the death fodder to those generals. Man, if only I had just thought the same way you girls do and actually diverted all the rest of the men in this attack." He pointed a finger, and the two girls turned to see a White Fang flag being raised up in the middle of Vale.
"Oh wait…I DID!" Adam smacked his mask. "As we speak, the White Fang are now entering Vale to aid your silly little human hunter schoolmates, diverting as much attention from Beacon academy as they possibly can. While I…take care of some unfinished business."
Yang scowled as Blake still looked terrified. Adam, meanwhile, simply had a mouth expression that indicated he was getting bored.
"Now…last chance…are you going to let me take care of my business and also be the hero of this story?" Adam asked the two girls. "Or…are you going to be pests in the Faunus' revolution plans to get back at those who have wronged us?!"
"THAT'S IT!" Yang shouted, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" Punching her fists together with Ember cecilia she charged towards Adam, readying to unleash the biggest punch she had ever thrown.
"YANG NO!" She heard Blake shout. But she didn't care, this little creep was trying to play some sort of edgy anti-hero? She didn't buy it for a second.
Adam simply unsheathed his sword, pointed it up at Remnant's shattered moon, and darted forward at speed that rivaled Ruby's. Before Yang knew it, she felt excruciating pain as his bloody red blade slashed at her.
Her head became dizzy, she felt lighter all of a sudden, like the weight of one of her gauntlets had been cleanly sliced off, as she fell to the ground, she spotted her right arm, completely severed, blood began to pour as she felt sick to her stomach. Spots began to form in her eyes as she heard Blake scream her name, before passing out in the cold of the night.
Adam looked down at the damage he had caused, Yang's right arm sliced off her body and, on the ground, leaking blood.
Blake quickly ran in between him and Yang, putting her arms out in a spread manner. Tears started to flow from her face.
"Please…don't kill her…I…I promise…let us go…and we won't bother you again. You…you have my word."
Adam seemed dead as he looked into her eyes, she was shaking just as much as she was fighting back the tears, the thought of the same thing happening all over again.
"You and I both know that can't be allowed to happen, Blake." He replied coolly. "If we're attacked first, we need to make sure the human instigator is left dead. So they can't spin the story and make us the ones responsible. Your friend went in with the intent to harm me, when I had no intention of doing so. I was willing to let you both go. But now If I let her walk…I risk her provoking more racial hatred for a problem SHE started. That's how the stereotype system here in Remnant works. And it won't change unless we do something about it, and you KNOW it's working. The justice system won't do it, so we will. Our code is public knowledge at this point. If the White Fang is blamed, the human likely started it."
Blake looked between her teammates unconscious body, her arm still leaking blood.
"She…she has a baby sister!" Blake stammered out a lie. "Her dad is a deadbeat selfish loner. She's only here to become a Huntress to take care and provide for her baby sister when her dad refuses too. Please…she's all the little girl has left."
Adam's blank face was hidden behind the mask. After a moment of silence, he simply sheathed his sword again, and turned his back to Blake.
"Fine…I'll let her live…but if this information gets out. I will not rest until your little side piece here is taken care of. Is that clear?"
Blake nodded her head nervously. Her knees were still shaking as she clutched her own weapon. "I promise. She'll keep her mouth shut from the press."
"Very well then…" Adam turned to his two grunts. "Get her friend some medical attention, then leave. Do not let her see you guys there…understood." The two White Fang members saluted to Adam.
Blake watched the leader of the White Fang turned and begin to walk away.
"Now then, back to the real reason I came here. Can't believe Blake didn't put together who I really need to take care of." His head flashed back to a painful beating he took.
"Alright then…where is that fucking Schnee heiress."
Phew, that was quite a long chapter now...wasn't it? Ended up being much longer than I expected. There is just so much to cover during this part of Volume 3 that I genuinely bit off more than I could chew for a Fall of Beacon Chapter. I initially had this as one gigantic chapter that would be the entire fall of Beacon, but, upon further investigation, there's still a few things I want to juggle with and having this chapter nearing 8K words would probably be a massive turn off for some people. So, its been split in two.
I know a lot of people were excited to see JNPR vs Moon and Sarah, and don't worry, it will come next chapter, I promise. It would've been this chapter if I hadn't doubled back on Adam and what I want him to be. Let's just say...the man's been through a bit of a rough patch with me and how I want to handle him this story.
I'm well aware that there are many people unsatisfied with how Adam was handled. And he's probably the most controversial character in the entire show. I've seen the arguments, I've seen the discussions, I've seen the absolute drag rings of fire that this poor fictional character has been put through. I have not seen a single character cause so much toxicity and divide in a fandom ever...
At the end of the day, I'm sticking with my guns on how Adam is going to play a role in my story. As his joke implies, he doesn't give two flying fucks about Blake. Never has, and never will. I myself have seen takes on how Adam should've been written, some that I do agree with, and others...not so much. I have my own gripes with his character as much as anyone else has. But in a topic, that's been beaten to death so many times, I'm electing to just toss out everything his character had to do with Blake. Because I know how people get over this.
With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope my take on Adam and the cause for the death of Penny was cool, I worked really hard on those two scenes the most to cause as much horror and terror as I was willing to go. So, if you enjoyed that, feel free to let me know. This is my first time experimenting with the M rating, and I'm still hesitant to push my boundaries.
I'll see you all, next time ;)