Heart to Heart

Chapter 27: To Atlas

Jaune wasn't sure, where he was at the moment. He felt like he might be on his back and his body ached, he heard a slight ringing in his ears too.

"Jaune!"

Was that Nora? Why was she yelling at him?

"Jaune get up! Are you okay?"

Up? Oh, wait he was on his back wasn't he, as his vision focused he saw the sky. As the ringing went away he heard other sounds, there was a fight going on. When were they in a fight? Wait it was coming back to him. The plan, it was today wasn't it?

As he started to push himself up his mind caught up to him as he started to remember the day. Everything seemed to have started well enough. Weiss had gotten into the base with Maria hidden in a suitcase. The aircraft had been taken and they had brought it back but something went wrong. Blake hadn't taken the tower down it just got worst from there. Cordovin had showed up, in a giant mech of all things. He remembered Ruby trying to reason with the woman but she wasn't listening.

They started to fight it but Jaune couldn't do anything, he was a short-range fighter. He had no ranged weapons and he felt useless. Then the robot had turned to Nora, she had been alone and he did the only thing he could think of he ran towards her and took the blow. He had used his aura to help shield her but he felt giant fist slam into him. Then he felt himself slam into something.

"Jaune are you okay?" Nora asked again helping him up.

"Aura took most of it but that hurt," Jaune said trying to walk only to stumble. Nora caught him as she helped him to get to the others.

"Things aren't going so good are they?" Nora asked.

"No but we've been in bad spots before," Jaune told her seeing the others gathered up. He was glad to see them all unhurt. He took a moment to look at what he hit and was surprised to see a giant rock. Well that explained why his back hurt so much. Good thing for both aura and the new armor he was wearing or that would have been much worse.

He could hear the others talking.

"I think I found a weakness." He could hear Oscar saying in his ear.

"Well we're all ears." Nora said as Jaune limped back with Nora's help.

"Guys!" Ren happily said running towards them to give a helping hand.

"The giant cylinder on the mech rotates and changes with every attack style."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "We've noticed."

"Right but her missile launcher doesn't pops out. Without the shields one good shot and it will explode."

Jaune thought about it for a second and he was right. They had taken out the shield device on the back earlier in the fight so one good attack was all they might need. "One well placed shot and that whole canon should go right up, Oscar that's brilliant."

"Well that's nice and all," Nora looked to Ruby slightly concerned. "Can you make that shot? I mean I know you're a sniper and all but that's still going to be a tough shot."

Ruby thought about for only a second. "Yeah but in order to make it I've had to be staring right down the barrel."

"So she would have to be aiming right at you, with that huge canon," Weiss didn't like the sound of that but they were kind of short on plans at the moment.

"Well I think I can do that," Maria's voice came over the line next as she flew down next to them. Ruby jumped on as they watched them fly off.

"She knows what she's doing right?" Ren asked them, no one really gave an answer.

"Hey Cordi, I got one missile left and I just know where to stick it."

"I think so?" Weiss said hearing Maria taunt Cordova.

"Only one? Well I got plenty!"

They saw the mech line up the canon as it rotated again, now the missile box came out of the top.

"I think she's doing it," Jaune smiled seeing it happen. He could make out something red on the side of the airship and he knew that was Ruby taking a shot.

"Come on, come on," Nora whispered out.

There was a shot from Ruby but suddenly the missiles dropped as Ruby's bullet hit the armored section and bounced off. Everyone watching it suddenly felt their stomachs drop. That had been their one shot and Ruby missed.

"Did you really think I would fall for that!" Cordova's angry voice was heard as she changed weapons to attack them again.

"Pull up!" Oscar cried out as the ship lifted but not in time. The beam weapon from the cannon just grazed the craft. The electrical dust from the attack started to wreak havoc with the systems. Unfortunately, since Maria was holding onto the stick the electrical discharge hit her too. She felt electric shock but it was her eyes that took the worst of it as the mechanical systems were going crazy, her vision was all over the place now.

"Damn it I can't see now," Maria knew her eyes could be reset but it would take time and they didn't have any. "Kid you got to take control."

"What!?" Oscar took the stick in the co-pilot seat as he pulled up. 'Oh god, oh god, oh god! This is crazy I don't know how to fly this! I'm going to get us all killed!'

"Damn it we're going to crash!" He had no idea what he was doing and it was going to be all his fault that they died.

'You won't die if you let me help,' a voice in his head said.

'Ozpin!?' Oscar wasn't sure he was so glad to hear that voice in his head again.

'Just pull back on the stick and lower the power,' Ozpin explained. 'This is going to be a bit rough landing but we will land.'

'Okay, I'm trusting you.'

Jaune and the others watched as the ship crashed into the forests. He held his breath waiting to see if there would be an explosion or something like in the films. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Ruby walked out as Jaune felt like he could breathe again. Then he saw Ruby walking to the edge of the cliff they had been fighting as she stared down the giant robot across from her in the sea.

"Now you see the power of Atlas, stand down." Cordova continued.

"No!" Ruby told her defiantly as the others were too stunned to do anything but watch. "We are going to Atlas, we've come too far and have gone through too much to stop here. We've all had to deal with so many burdens and have had every obstacle thrown at us but we're not giving up and we're not going to let you stop us."

"I just don't understand why you're stopping us anyway. We should be all on the same side to use our powers to help people but you don't. You just use it to look down on others, we're sorry we stole but it wasn't like you gave us any choice. You refused to help us and lives are on the line. I'd do it all again if it meant we could help people."

"Now I'm giving you one last chance to stand down and just hear us out."

There was a pause from Cordova, as it seemed like she might actually be thinking of something but then the mech started to raise its canon at her.

"Have it your way," Cordova said coldly as the canon was just past the cliff face and only at best fifteen feet away from her.

"Ruby no!" Jaune shouted as everyone ran. Everyone was horrified at what was going to happen, even with full aura a person wouldn't be able to withstand that kind of attack. He quickly thought of what they could do but they were all too far away. The only person that could have covered that distance was Ruby herself. They tried though, they had to try and save her they wouldn't let another friend die.

Then Ruby jumped and using her semblance, she turned into a crimson missile flying through the air right into the canon.

"Is she nuts!?" Nora cried out.

"She's got a plan," Jaune told them at least he hoped she had a plan. He tried to think what she could be doing, he thought back to the fight as his mind quickly went over everything. Then he suddenly thought he had an idea.

"I think I get it," Jaune stated as realization hit him.

"Well don't keep us in suspense!" Nora told him.

"It's the canon, it springs out so if the raw dust just gets jammed in there." He stated.

Weiss' eyes widened as she caught up as she knew all about dust. "It will backfire!"

Just like they said as Ruby flew out of the canon, they saw the large canon explode on the inside, the structure didn't break apart but all the dust inside of it activated from the internal explosion. Electricity, ice and rock started to form around the arm as Cordova cried out in frustration. The arm with all that extra weight was now too heavy for the machine to lift as servos ground and gave out from the strain as the whole machine limped to the side as the canon buried itself into the water below.

"Weiss!" Jaune cried out.

"On it," She used her glyphs to slow down Ruby as they could see her aura flicker and fade out. The black symbols started to slow her decent as Qrow quickly got under her. He caught his niece who was limp in his arms. Looking her over she just looked to have exerted too much aura.

"Damn it kid, you're going to age me ten years older keep doing crazy stunts like this." He said.

"Did it work?" Ruby asked weakly.

"Looks like it kid," He smiled down at her.

Everyone gathered up as Cordova cried out in frustration as she kept attempting to pull the arm free.

"Guys!" Yang's voice was called as both of them ran up to everyone and they all noticed now the two of them were.

"Are you two okay?" Jaune asked as Yang ran into his arms. He quickly hugged her tightly as she seemed to be holding him tightly.

"Guys what happened?" Ren asked seeing how they were.

"We ran into Adam." Blake told them.

"Wait Adam, as in that Adam!?" Nora cried out.

Yang nodded her head, "We…took care of it."

Jaune gently ran his hand over her back, he couldn't even guess at how something like this could have affected them both. He was about to say something when a terrible roar was heard.

"What was that?" Blake's ears perked up at that.

"Guys, look!" Ruby pointed out to the sea. There was a huge black grim the size of a building walking towards the city and it wasn't alone. It had a horde of Grimm behind it, it was like Beacon all over again with the Dragon and the Grimm with it.

"Look at what you've done!" Cordova chided them. "This was the only thing that can take on a Leviathan, the city's defenses can't stand against it."

"Oh no," Ruby whispered seeing it.

"And I thought we were having it bad," Yang said in horror at the sight in front of them.

-Earlier-

Yang for her part was waiting by the trees wondering what was going on. She figured Blake would have been done by now at least she should have been. She was starting to worry something might have happened. Pulling out her scroll, she saw she was within communications range with Blake. She wasn't sure if calling her would be a smart move or not as Blake might be taking longer to be extra stealthy.

Then she heard it.

Yang wasn't sure at first but she thought she heard something, and then it happened again. Gunfire the echoing crack of the weapon was feint but she was able to catch it. Something was wrong, she just knew it now. Getting on her bike she made for the tower quickly, it didn't take her long to get there but something was wrong. There were Atlas people all about but no Blake. She heard the gunfire again and speed off in the direction.

Why had Blake moved off? Someone had to be here maybe Atlas had a guard that was tougher than they thought? She made her way in the direction hoping to find some trace. She caught footprints in the snow but they had huge gaps between the groupings. Mostly Blake using the tress but whoever was fighting her was using them too.

Then she saw it, Blake's white coat was there stuck to a tree. It had blown against it and now Yang gunned the engine trying to find her partner. She went in the general direction but soon lost track of any signs. She stopped her bike by a river and turned off the engine. She needed to hear for any sounds that might lead her in a direction.

"Come on Blake do something to get my attention." Yang whispered her heart hammering in her chest with worry.

A clanging sound she could just barely hear just above the sound of the water.

"Yes!" She turned on the engine and went to where the water ended. It was down there that was for sure. She didn't have time to find a safe way down, she would have to do something stupid and reckless she knew. She gunned her bike over the edge, she was able to see land below her some kind of natural bridge made of rock or something. She saw Blake and a dark figure near her she also saw that whoever it was they were perfectly lined up for her.

In the years to come, Yang would always insist she knew exactly what she was doing in this moment. That she timed things perfectly. Actually, it had all just been blind luck that she landed her bike on the attacker as she jumped off. She saw it hit him, and it was a guy, now she could see that much. Although her heart broke as she saw her bike's momentum keep going over the ledge and down into the water below.

That bike meant a lot to her, it had been a sweat sixteen present from her dad, he taught her how to ride it, how to fix and maintain it. She had a lot of good memories wrapped up in that bike, but Blake was more important now. She would morn her bike later but at least it did one last service for her.

Then she finally saw who it was, Adam. Only now, without the mask on his face. The burn scars of SDC literally branded onto his face over his left eye. Later when Yang thought back on this moment she started to understand a bit of what could drive a person to hate so much in life. Not that it excused any of his actions.

Her eyes widened seeing the literal bane of her nightmares in front of her. Her arm started to shake as the phantom pain from her other arm kicked in. She could feel the blade cutting off her arm in her mind. She almost could feel her nonexistent arm again just like the first few weeks after she woke up. She pushed it aside her arm was gone and now was not the time to have some kind of episode.

She felt the fear gripping her heart and pushed past it. Blake needed her now and there was no way in hell he was letting this psycho do anything more to her partner and friend. There was something else now too, she wasn't going to make the same mistakes as last time. She had people waiting for her to get back to them she had Jaune to get back too as well.

She thought of her 'talk' with Pyrrha's statue and she wouldn't let Jaune go through the pain of losing someone else again, at least not her, not here and certainly not now.

"You." Adam said with some venom in his voice.

Yang decided to reply with a shot from her gauntlet. He easily blocked it with his sword but it wasn't really the point with her. This was just the opening 'handshake' to him.

"Yeah, me." She told him flatly she was about to say something else until Blake fell her knees grunting. Looking over at her, she didn't look to be wounded thankfully but Blake most likely had taken a beating until she got here. Yang was just glad she got here in time, any longer and she would have lost her partner again this time for good.

"Take it easy, I got this."

"Yes Blake," Adam said getting up as his hair flashed a bit as his semblance took in that last blast. "I believe we have some unfinished business."

Yang waited for him, she wouldn't just jump into the fight like last time. She knew a bit more about that killer move of his now. She saw him making the first move as she got her guard up. He was fast, very fast in fact. Even after that hit with her bike, he had seemed to recover faster than she thought. He came at her swinging with his red bladed sword as she took the blows with her gauntlet and arm.

The blows were harder than she thought, he had power behind those attacks as she was forced back a step from them. He jumped up and did a small flip as he struck out with his sword and threw it. She saw it spin like a disk as she deflected it but as soon as she did, he was on her attacking with his sheath.

Before she knew it, he had picked up his sword, which had impaled itself into the ground and was attacking with it again. She had to get some distance as she flipped back, the fight hadn't been long but he had been pushing her for the entire fight so far. Well it was time to push back as she used the momentum of her gauntlet to launch herself forward. She got into her guard pose and dodged and counter attacked with boxing skills.

She always was better with punching than kicking, her father taught her everything she knew about fighting growing up and the Roll was one of the first things he did. She remembered how he had trained her to twist with the dodge to get more speed, to move her head with the weave in a figure eight, how to come out of it with a punch to try and blindside her opponent.

She got in a few hits and she kept on going, a straight jab, followed by a backhand, with an uppercut, which she then followed with a kick. Nothing that seemed to break his aura but he had to have felt that at least. He didn't stay down though as he came back just a ferocious as before.

Blake could only watch on, she had never seen anyone actually able to take Adam on one on one before she was still worried for Yang. Yang wasn't the only person to have nightmares about that night. Blake had them too she had them about Yang dying in her arms from not being able to save her. She could still remember the fear of that night as she had dragged her unconscious body through the battlefield trying to ignore the pain of her own wound in her stomach, hoping that Yang's aura held out long enough so she wouldn't bleed out from the wound.

Now though Yang was holding her own against Adam. The tide of the battle was turning in Yang's favor as she scored more and more hits on him. She had just finished firing several attacks at Adam who blocked them with his sword. She knew what he was planning on doing, he was gathering up the attack power to launch right back at Yang.

"His semblance is like yours," She warned her. "He absorbs damage with his sword and then launches it back when he's ready."

Yang paused as she actually took her eyes off Adam to look at Blake. "He gets to deal out damage without feeling it? That's the cheapest thing I ever heard of."

She had to alter her plan now, she launched herself back at him but this time she would try and avoid his sword. She had to keep moving, keep coming at him from angles that he wouldn't expect. She would use her weapon to change her direction in mid air and attack from a different side, she would get around him but in the end, her final attack he blocked with his blade as she saw it glow red from the impact. He forced her away as she landed close to Blake breathing a bit heavily as they shared a look.

Adam seemed to have had enough of this he charged up his sword in its sheath as with a war cry and unleashed its power.

Blake could only watch on in horror crying out to Yang as flashbacks to that awful night came back. There was a red aura of energy as it engulfed Yang. When the dust cleared, she was still standing, she had used her mechanical arm to block the blow but even the Atlas tech arm took damage. The front of the forearm slashed open in a few areas.

Yang felt her back foot by the cliff behind her from the waterfall. Any more force and she knew she would have fallen down there.

"Leave us alone," Yang told him as Blake got up looking like she was ready. "This is your last chance."

She wasn't sure why she was giving him an out, maybe because she just wanted him out of their lives, maybe she was just tired of him and the shadow of what he had done to them haunting their lives. Maybe Jaune was rubbing off on her or maybe her sister's compassion. She wasn't sure but she was giving him just this one chance and if he didn't take it that was it.

Adam could see her hand shaking and smirked at the sight. "That's a lot of bluster right there too bad you seem to be all talk. Look at you, I bet there's nothing you'd like more than to just run away. Afraid I'll make the right arm and left arm match?"

Yang's eyes widened a bit as she would be lying if a part of her was scared he would do something like that. Not that he would, because she was certain he would do something like that to her. Suddenly she felt the warmth of Blake's hand holding her own as her shaking stopped.

"We're not going to let you haunt us forever Adam." She told him.

"Oh so you're going to protect her from me now?" Adam asked.

"No," Blake said remembering what Yang had told her. "I'm going to stand with her together we're going to stop you because she's my partner. We're going to stand with each other, protect each other, and fight together."

Adam narrowed his eyes at them, "I remember you saying how you'd always be my side as well one day. We all know how that turned out, when things get touch Blake you run."

"Not anymore," Yang told him. "She's got friends now that have her back."

"And what I never did?" Adam asked them. "All those missions we were on, all the fighting we did together Blake did it mean anything to you?"

"What we did was wrong Adam," Blake told him. "We wanted to make the world a better place but filling it with violence isn't the way to do it."

Adam was silent a moment as he got ready. "Well looks like you've made your choice in all of this and I've made mine."

Yang and Blake got ready as the three of them launched at each other for the last time. One on one Adam would be a tough fight, but with them working together he now had to work extra hard. He attacked with his sword only for Blake to use her clones to get away and counter attack, and then Yang was on him. He tried to fight her off and when he did, Blake took up the gap in the fighting.

The two of them worked together to hit and fade, for the other to jump in as soon as the other wasn't attacking. They were keeping Adam unfocused and on the defensive as he searched for a way to either isolate one or wound one of them to take them out of the fight long enough for him to finish the other.

Blake jumped back finding her gun that she had dropped earlier and threw it at Adam holding the ribbon connecting it. Adam knew how Blake fought and easily saw it coming he had seen this move too many times to know how it worked. With a backhanded swing he sent it right back at her. Yang saw it and launched herself to catch it.

She then pulled Blake in a reverse of their normal move together as Blake swung in a large arc. Releasing herself she flew at Adam using the blade part of her sheath but again, he knew her style of fighting and blocked it. They locked there for a moment before he kicked her, hard.

Blake sailed back hitting the rock and nearly falling down the waterfall. She felt her aura break as she struggled to get back up. She knew that without her aura the next time Adam hit her it would stick, she had no safety net in this fight from now on.

"Blake!" Yang saw her friend nearly fall and how her aura had shattered if she had fallen she most likely wouldn't have survived it.

"You should be more worried about yourself," Adam told her. "Let's see if you're faster than what you were at Beacon shall we?"

For a moment Yang had a flashback to that night as now her whole body shook, she felt the blade cutting into her all over again as the fear gripped her heart.

Adam saw her shaking and smirked. "Yeah looks like you might not be but still, let's see."

He rushed forward knowing that her aura had to be on the low side as well, he could feel his own aura was low too so it was only a matter of who got in the first hit. He was determined to be the winner in this match. He sliced at her but she kept on dodging it, but he was learning. He was seeing how well she dodged and he just needed to get used to her speed and he would have her.

He managed to get in a few hit but nothing that broke it just yet.

Yang was sent to her knees a few feet away gasping for breath, her lungs were on fire from exertion but she wasn't done yet. Behind Adam, she saw Blake climbing up the rock face. She wasn't sure what Blake had planned but Yang was going to be ready for whatever it was. However, a plan was forming in her mind, she had taken many hits in this fight but she had actively been holding back her semblance.

She remembered what her dad said to her as she was in recovery in their training about how she relied on it too much. Well she would be putting it to practice right now, as Adam went on the offensive again, she blocked his sword strikes with her arm a few times as she got a few kicks to her body. Again, she was thrown away from the blow but her aura still stood.

"I don't know what she sees in you, you're just a cowardly human!" Adam roared as he used his semblance to send an attack wave at her. She blocked it again as the dust flew up around her. In frustration he jumped at her with an overhead strike aiming for her body, he planned to cut her in two with this attack but he felt his blade suddenly stop.

As the dust cleared, he saw in surprise that her metal hand was holding onto the blade as her eyes took on a blood red color and her hair seemed to glow as it on fire.

"Got you," Yang smirked at finally having an opening. During the fight she had found that he was too fast to use her semblance effectively, he would just avoid her attacks until her semblance ran out. But now he was totally open and couldn't move. With her other hand she gave him a huge punch to his chest as he flew back to hard his body dug a small trench into the rock and dirt ground.

Adam felt his aura fall at that point as he managed to push himself up. He saw that the other girl's aura flicker and fade apparently that attack had used up the last of it. So they were all on equal footing but he still had his sword, at least he thought he did. When he went to reach for it and found it gone he saw it in Yang's hand.

"I may not by faster but someone told me I needed to use my head more," Yang told him as she threw his sword away. He cried out as he made a move for it but that was when Blake jumped up over the edge of the cliff slamming a fist into his chin staggering him back. He felt himself nearly trip over something as both of them looked down to see Blake's broken gun. The blade had been broken in their fight before Yang showed up but without a weapon both of them needed it.

Both made a run for it as Yang saw the other end of Blake's blade behind Adam. She rushed for that as now it was a race to see who would get what. In the end, Adam wasn't as fast that day as Blake picked up her weapon and Yang picked up the blade as both of them impaled Adam from the front and near.

Adam felt them pierce his flesh, as he couldn't believe that this was how it all ended. He felt Blake pull out of his chest but the other blade still in his body. He felt odd as if he was watching this all happen to someone else. He could see himself moving forward, not sure, why he was or what he was doing. The next thing he knew he was falling, he saw the water and rock below him as he fell down.

Blake and Yang just collapsed into each other, holding the other and crying. It was the first time either of them took a life and it was also the fact that it was over. Adam would never haunt them again, it was a rush of emotions for the two of them as they just sat there holding each other as the emotions flooded out of them.

-Present-

Everyone was aboard the airship now. They had stopped only long enough to pick everyone up and all their gear that they had stashed in the woods. They all looked on with dread at the leviathan Grimm coming with its army. The barriers that helped to protect the city from the sea were long pillars that made an energy barrier but they couldn't hold out against a Grimm of that size. It was like the fall of Beacon all over again with a huge monstrous Grimm leading a charge.

"Saph," Jaune said softly thinking of his sister and her family.

Yang's horrified eyes looked to the city suddenly. They did this they brought this about and now Saphron and her family, the family that took them in, helped them, would most likely die now. Yang felt sick to her stomach at the thought as she took Jaune's hand in her own not only for his need but her own as well.

After what she and Blake had just been through she wasn't sure she could handle the fact that Jaune's family might die because of them.

"I don't believe this," Ruby shouted as she threw down the small device used to communicate with the Atlas forces. "They won't even let us help!"

"Well what are we going to do then?" Jaune asked nearly pleaded. "We can't let them get into the city."

The beast had already taken down one of the barriers and was currently taking down the second one.

"What do we have to work with?" Ren asked. "I'm at half ammo."

"I'm at less than that for my grenades," Nora checked.

Weiss checked her weapon. "I still have dust in my luggage but my aura is running low."

"We all are on that," Jaune bitterly bit out.

Yang looked at her weapon her ammo wasn't doing much better but then when she tried to use the weapon in her damaged arm it wouldn't come out.

"Damn it, I think Adam damaged something inside my arm," Yang took a closer look. "I can't get the weapon out."

"There has to be something we can do right?" Oscar asked looking around. There was a grave silence in the craft. No one had a plan on how to save the day and they didn't know what they could do now. This whole thing kept reminding those that were there of the Fall of Beacon all over again.

Ruby however wasn't going to let this happen as she looked to her partner.

"Weiss do you have enough strength to get me over there?"

Weiss blinked as she realized Ruby wanted her to summon her Queen Lancer to fly her over to the Grimm. "I think so but what are you going to do?"

Ruby looked over to Maria. "Training under fire right?"

Maria nodded her head. "Well I was thinking of working up to it, just finding a simple Grimm to test it on but no time like the present."

With that, they watched as Ruby jumped onto the large white creature that Weiss summoned and mentally commanded it to fly Ruby to the Leviathan. They all watched out the front of the craft as she stood in front of the large monster.

"Come on kid you can do it, just feel," Maria told herself watching the young girl. This was a tall order but apparently, the girl had done this to a Grimm like this before from the stories she heard. Even in her prime that was a tall order to do but there was something special about this girl. There seemed to be a small shine of light but it faded out quickly.

"Come on you can do this Ruby," Maria watched, as suddenly there was a huge bright light. Everyone was blinded by it but while everyone was shocked, Maria was smiling and laughing. "That's the way Ruby!"

When the light faded, the entire creature was stone.

"Alright!" Yang cried out jumping and hugging Jaune.

"Way to go Ruby," Jaune sighed holding her close.

The mood quickly changed when the top of the stone shattered as the creature was still alive, it roared out as it tried to break free of the stone.

"Oh no," Blake whispered out.

"Can she do it again?" Nora asked.

Maria was about to answer when a familiar voice over a loudspeaker was heard.

"Then maybe I should take it from here," The voice of Cordova made everyone look to the side. From around the bend came her mech minus one arm.

"Kid you maybe have given me no end of trouble today," Cordova said as she charged her mech forward. "But you were right about one thing, I did join Atlas to protect people."

Cordova hated to admit it but seeing the young girl go out and stand up to an army or Grimm alone was something to see. She had no idea what that light was or what it did to that Grimm but with it stuck it left it wide open for her to attack. She might have lost her canon but the drill in the other arm was still here. She transformed the remaining hand into a huge drill as it powered up along the way.

She jumped her mech and buried it into the neck of the beast as it roared in pain. She buried it deep inside as the Leviathan died from the damage. The light also seemed to have taken out a good number of the Grimm, enough for her forces to deal with at least. She could have still gone after them but this was her primary concern.

"We can take it from here girl," Cordova told her as she moved her machine into the hoard as her aircraft came to be regrouped around them. "Come let's show the world the power of Atlas!"

Her men cheered as they started their counter attack.

By this point Weiss had called back her summons to get Ruby back into the aircraft. She stepped into it as the side door was closed.

Yang pulled her little sister into a big hug. "Ruby I swear if you scare me like that again…"

"Sorry but it was only something I could do." She smiled feeling her sister's warm embrace.

"Yeah that was amazing!" Jaune stated.

"No kidding, you nearly turned that entire thing to stone, that was awesome," Nora grinned.

Ruby blushed she still wasn't used to people praising her like this. She didn't like being in the spotlight and tried to think of something, anything to take it off of her. "Well…Oscar landed a plane! I mean he's never flown before."

"Actually I wasn't alone when it happened," Oscar explained. "Ozpin helped me out."

"Oz, he's back?" Qrow asked first.

Oscar sighed. "I've been trying but he's still locking himself away for now."

"Well at least he's still around I guess," Nora sighed as she just dropped into a seat. "I'm so tired."

"We all are," Weiss said dropping into her own spot.

"Tell me about it," Yang sat next to Jaune resting her head on his shoulder without the armor on it. He wrapped his arm around her as his hand gently rubbed her arm.

"You and Blake doing okay?" He asked.

"Better now," Yang sighed closing her eyes.

"I think we'll be okay," Blake sat on the ground resting her head against the hull of the ship. "At least in a bit, it's been a hell of a day."

"Putting it mildly," Ren nodded as she sat next to Nora who mirrored Yang to rest against her boyfriend.

"Things never seem to go easy for us do they?" Ruby sat down next to Weiss as the adrenaline was starting to wear off. She felt her limbs starting to get heavy as the entire day was like a huge weight had been lifted off of her.

"You kids get some rest," Qrow said as he sat in the front with Maria. He sat down as he pulled out his flask feeling the need for a drink but stopped himself. He remembered how Ruby had looked at him the last time he got drunk. That look of disappointment in her eyes came back to him as he paused.

Maybe he had been drinking too much lately, he was supposed to be the adult in the group but he had just fallen into drinking when Ruby and the others needed him most. He put the cap back on and placed it back in his vest. Sure he felt like he wanted a drink but he didn't need it, besides Ruby and the kids needed him more than he needed a drink.

"How long is the flight to Atlas?" Oscar sat down across the Ruby.

"Should be a couple of hours," Maria stated looking at the fuel to make sure they had enough given what they had already burned. By her estimates they should have just enough to get there with some to spare, as long as they didn't push the engines too much.

"Great, time for a nap." Nora sighed closing her eyes as she rested against Ren.

There was a bump, as Jaune started to look a little green from it.

"Sorry, turbulence there," Maria said back.

Jaune groaned wishing there wasn't more of that he hadn't had a chance to take any of his motion sickness medication.

Yang looked over and saw how he was doing. "Jaune I swear if you throw up on me again…"

"I'm trying not to," He got up and went to the bags. "I left something in here for motion sickness."

He looked through the bags as he tried to remember where he put it. Finally he found it as he opened it up and pulled out a water bottle and downed the pill. He sat back down next to his girlfriend as he really did hope he didn't throw up for all their sakes.

"You feeling better?" Yang asked, as there was another bump.

"Nope." Jaune groaned out.

Yang stretched out her legs as he patted her thighs, "Come on I know of a way to make you feel better."

"You sure?" He hesitated as she nodded. Jaune started to lie down on the ground with his head now resting on her thighs. They did feel really nice as he looked up and felt himself heating up at the sight of her chest right above him. Then she felt her hand running through his hair, he closed his eyes and signed just enjoying the moment.

"Does that feel better?"

"Yeah it does, thanks." He replied.

Yang smiled at she played with his hair as he rested. After everything, this moment right here was theirs and she wanted to enjoy it.

Blake looked over at them and had to smile, she had to admit that both of them were good for the other. It made her think of Sun and she wished he was here now, after everything she could really use him here. He didn't need to say anything she just wanted to sit next to him like how Nora and Ren were at the moment.

She wondered what he was doing at this moment, was he thinking about her like she was thinking about him? She hoped so, she wished he had come with them now. She knew the reasons why he hadn't made sense but she really could use him at this moment.

At least Adam was no longer something any of them had to worry about.

-Not Far Away-

Cinder tried to make herself comfortable in the seat of the airship that Neo had. She wasn't sure if the mute had stolen it or what, most likely, it was stolen but that didn't matter. Cinder adjusted the large patch on her face. Her new clothing felt better than those rags she had been forced to wear ever since she crawled out of that cave. It had taken time to heal, get her strength back to the point she could hunt down little Ruby and her group. That girl had maimed her, stopped her plans more than once and now Cinder was going to take a lot of pleasure in killing that little red cape wearing annoyance.

Meeting Neo had been a bonus, once she was able to convince the little silent psychopath that her anger should be directed at Ruby. It was so simple to turn Neo's grief and anger to her advantage. So far, her plans were forming in her mind. With Neo, she had a way into Atlas as well as someone to help even the odds. She was originally thinking of hiring some cannon fodder but this proved more useful.

Still the other girl had no idea of Cinder's full plan. Sure, the plan was to kill Ruby but Cinder knew her mistress wanted the girl. If Salem found out that she had Ruby killed, well it wouldn't be good for her. That's where Neo came in, she could let the mute kill little red and just when her guard was gown that's when Cinder planned to strike. She would take out Neo and give her head (maybe literally) to Salem.

'Oh I'm sorry Mistress I was trying to capture Ruby for you but Neo you see. She blamed the girl for her partner's death. I arrived too late but I took her out in revenge.' Cinder thought out what she would say. After all, there could be no witnesses and even though getting information out of Neo was problematic, it wasn't impossible though. Cinder would have to make sure there were no witnesses and her account was the only one that there was. It was a gamble, she knew that but it was one she was willing to take. She didn't have much else to bargain her way back into Salem's good graces at the moment.

Maybe she could take the relic they had? Or did Raven take it? Cinder had no idea what happened exactly after she fell into that pit. The only thing she knew was that one of them had to have it if Ruby and her team didn't then she would just hunt down Raven. Hell, she was going to do that anyway, Cinder now had a score to settle with that woman too. Maybe she would burn down her little tribe as well just to add salt to the wound.

Her musings were cut short when Neo seemed to see something and pointed at the ground.

"What is it?" She leaned over with her now only eye looking out. She thought she saw something black and yellow near a river. Neo suddenly took the ship down, as Cinder was about to angrily ask what she was doing but stopped herself, she wouldn't get an answer anyway.

When they landed Cinder followed the two toned haired girl as she lead the way to what looked like a wrecked bike.

"What? You want to keep it?" Cinder said sarcastically.

Neo rolled her eyes as she pulled out her scroll and pulled up a picture of Yang. She pointed to the picture and then to the bike.

"This is hers?" Cinder asked as she put it together.

Neo nodded she knew that bike as she since she had been shadowing Roman when he took that Paladin out on the streets and she had seen the blonde with the bike. She had seen it again when she had been disguised as a student at Beacon when Yang took it out for a ride a couple of times.

"If this is here then she might be close and where one of them is, the others are close by." Cinder's eye narrowed.

Neo nodded as they followed the river it wasn't long until they noticed blood in the river. It wasn't long until they came across a figure in black bleeding on the edge of the river. Cinder knew this person as she looked down at the form of Adam. He was bleeding from his back and front he also looked to have some other injuries like a wound on the head and his arm was bent in a very unnatural way.

"Adam Taurus, well this is a day for reunions," Cinder had a guess who did this to him.

Neo poked him with her umbrella to see if he was still alive. He groaned but didn't do much else.

"Think he'll live?" Cinder asked her.

Neo thought about it and did not have a confident look on her face as she brought up and hand and wangled it in an unsure manner.

"Yes he is in bad shape," Cinder thought about it, she could just leave him here to die. She wouldn't really care and there was no guarantee he would survive until Atlas. If he did, however, there was one man she could use to get him help and he would be a useful tool to deal with Ruby and her friends. Thinking about it she figured they really didn't have much to lose, if he lived he lived if he died then they would just toss the body somewhere to rot.

"Well let's see if we can improve his chances," She knelt down and grabbed the piece of the blade that was sticking into his body. She used her semblance to heat it up as he groaned in pain even if he wasn't conscious. She pulled it out cauterizing the wound as she did. She turned him over and used the same heated blade to the wound on the other side as he groaned again.

She was glad he didn't wake up hearing him most likely screaming out from the pain would just be annoying to her. Standing up she looked over her work. Some of his body was still bent in odd ways but he was still breathing and the worst of the open wounds at least wouldn't cause him to bleed out.

"That should help let's hope he at least survives long enough to be useful." Cinder said.

TBC…

New Cover Art done by Perfilles Studio found at Twitter and Tumblr, see there for commissions for any artwork.

Also this was a bit of a chore to do as I really don't like redoing canon stuff at times thankfully this should be the last of it. From now on I'm making my own Atlas arc, I may take in anything from the new season I like into it but mostly it will be my own stuff. So anyone reading this in the future, this was written before season 7 came out.