Hey, so next week we're gonna take a small week break to develop a chapter that needs it. Carry On will still post a chapter.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
"SAY SOMETHING!" Kevin yelled at Amarillo. She and Azul had been dead silent for the past two hours in the Atlesian interrogation rooms they were held in.
Vine sighed. "Clearly, you have never done interrogations before..."
"I've done plenty." Kevin huffed.
"And how do they usually go?" the Ace-Op raised a brow. He was partly questioning Kevin's questioning methods and...partly genuinely curious. In his hands was a folder that he'd been looking through every so often.
"Usually we'd just go for a more...direct route." Kevin said. "A lot more...aggressive and such."
"...you threaten them?"
"I mean...it works. One time, there was this alien elephant guy-"
"I'm...going to ask you to hold off on the story for a moment," Vine opened up the folder.
"Now then...Miss Delia Flavus," Vine began. That did get Amarillo's attention, they knew her real name after all, "Originally from the Huntsmen community of Windpath, moved here a few years ago...and now a terrorist responsible for two, seemingly, politically motivated bombings. We'll worry about your leader later...I'm more curious about what you get out of this."
"We get to help our friend. That's all we need." Delia said, looking away from the Ace Op. "That's a good reason, right?"
"No. Helping your friend would be stopping her from going through with all of this, not enabling her."
"Enabling?! Buddy, we weren't the enablers here. It was whoever decided to give us the armor. " Azul countered.
"But you could've talked her out of it. But you didn't. As I understand it...this is personal for Joey," Vine started, "but it doesn't seem to be for you. And don't say you're just 'helping a friend.' You're facing serious jail time for 'helping a friend.' You agree with...whatever endgame she has planned."
"And we're not the only ones," Amarillo sneered, "We'd be fuckin' heroes if we pulled this off..."
"Heroes don't bomb buildings and wound innocents."
"And heroes don't sit around while the rich actively try to erase their past and the shady lives of other rich assholes." Azul countered.
"You mean the lab..." Vine guessed.
"No, we mean how the general's sleeping with his accountant," Amarillo said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Course we mean the lab!"
"And what went on there," Azul added, "The fact that the asshole's not on deathrow for this shit is telling..."
"Yeah. We figured it out. Jacques was responsible for the death of Rojo's mom. We get the revenge idea. Hell, I webbed up my mom's abuser when I was younger. He deserved it." Kevin said. "But she is at the risk of harming innocent civilians."
"Up in Atlas? No such thing. Every rich asshole up there has some secret to keep. Besides you saying Jacques' responsible...you have no IDEA how much of an understatement that is," Amarillo said.
"We're talking more about the place you once swore to protect." Vine said. "The explosion you caused has shattered a majority of the windows in that area- now some people are being treated for wounds from the shards and have to account for the fact that they have nearly NOTHING to protect them from the cold. That was no act from Atlas. It was from you."
"Listen, I'm sorry that they got caught, ok? But since no one has the balls to toss that walking rights violation behind bars, someone's gotta take a more permanent approach to things," Azul added, "If you people had just...done something other than give him a slap on the wrist we wouldn't be here having this little talk."
"The project was shut down years ago. I understand your frustration, but opening up an old wound won't help." Vine clarified.
"Try telling that to Rojo...that wound never healed. She learned what really happened..."
"If you're gonna keep on looping back and avoiding the real problem, what happened with Rojo's mom? We have the idea...not the picture." Kevin explained.
"...Fine. You wanna know? Alright. For most of her life, Rojo thought her mom committed suicide. Work stress. Rojo never fully accepted it. Skip ahead a few years, she joins up with Robyn and they raid an old SDC place out in the tundra and she finds her mom's employment record," Amarillo explained.
"Heard that before," Kevin sighed.
"What you didn't hear was her mom's real occupation. She was brought on as a Dust appraiser. Make sure the cut was good...but she was part of Jacques' little 'attack dog' project."
"Even lab rats need care," Azul said.
"...okay, that part I didn't know about." Kevin said.
"Continue on, if you would..." Vine grimaced- this tale did not sound good.
"We don't...know everything, she didn't wanna share those details but...her mom had been forced into that position for...years, I think. Then one day, security failed. The Grimm she was 'caring' for got out. All hell broke loose," Amarillo sighed. The somber tone her voice had now taken as she recounted the story was genuine.
"And Jacques covered it up as best he could, and fabricated the suicide story..." Vine closed his eyes. "Despicable."
"Rojo hated the idea that she could've been a reason for that death. And finding out that Jacques was REALLY the one to blame...that kinda set something off." Azul said.
"So, she ditched the Happy Huntresses, built your armor, and planned for her revenge." Kevin finished.
"And the square fits the hole. But..." Amarillo continued. "...you're off on the armor. Rojo said some mysterious benefactor provided it to her."
"Mysterious benefactor?" Vine said.
"We don't know much about them. Rojo said they appeared, gave them the armor, and slipped into the night." Azul said.
"All she did was spray paint it," Amarillo smirked.
"And...the guns? She get that from her benefactor too?" Kevin asked.
"Sort of. She gave us the parts, I built 'em," Azul boasted.
"Alright, well, we can charge her for admitting that." Vine said, preparing to cuff her.
"Like the terrorism charge wasn't enough," Azul rolled her eyes.
Kevin sighed. "Ruby go off to visit Ben in the hospital?"
"Of course." Vine said, attaching the cuffs to her wrists. "Ben's condition is still stable. The wounds are healing up a bit faster than usual."
"Probably his semblance or something..." Kevin shrugged.
Ruby had finished talking with one of the nurses at the Atlesian hospital. She was relieved to hear that Ben should be waking up soon. If the first thing he saw was her, then even better. She pressed the button to open the door to Ben's room, letting it slide over with a hydraulic hiss. She stepped inside and saw him in the hospital bed, peacefully sleeping. She grabbed one of the chairs in the room and silently moved it to where she was seated right next to him.
"Hey, Ben. You look relaxed..." Ruby smiled. Ben would've chuckled at that. He always laughed at her jokes, no matter how corny or bad they were. Ruby put her hand on top of his, and looked down at the Omnitrix.
"...since we fought that Alien X guy, I've been kinda wondering if there's a world where I got the Omnitrix, and...some poor Ben is living out this exact same scenario." Ruby said. "Kind of a weird thought to have at a moment like this, but...it's keeping me from falling into a rabbit hole where I have some stupid intrusive thought about you..."
Ruby shook her head. "Let's not get into that, Ruby..." She scolded herself.
"We're...we're getting closer to catching Rojo though," she said, quickly changing topics, "We've got her friends locked up, so it's just her now! Just...her."
She sighed a little, looking away from Ben after she said the words.
"She's...like me. She thought she knew everything about a loss and then she found out the truth. If...I'd met her sooner...hell, maybe none of this would've happened. Could've helped her cope. We...went through something similar, after all."
"It's...weird, you not being here. I know it's just a day, but...I'm not saying I need to be by your side 24/7, dear lord, that's just asking for something unhealthy to happen, but..." Ruby felt all flustered. A one sided conversation with Ben, and yet she still managed to feel all embarrassed.
Ruby took one last deep breath. "I'm not scared because you're not around- I know you'll get back up on your feet again, like I always do. I'm just scared because...if Rojo could do this to you, she could do worse to normal people. The people we're supposed to protect. I get it- a massive truth was hidden from her. She didn't take it the right way. She did something stupid. And..."
Ruby shook her head.
She didn't say the words, but they were there, bouncing around in the back of her mind.
"And I almost did too. Only, she had an intervention from a time traveling doctor to help. Rojo? Who did Rojo have? She cut herself from the Huntresses and someone who she could turn to, Fiona, and instead surrounded herself with people that just...let her do this."
"This is a whole, big complex situation. And, while I'd love to have Brainstorm or Grey Matter solve it..." Ruby said. "...I gotta do this personally."
Ruby's Scroll then buzzed, getting her attention. She quickly got it out and read the text from Kevin.
"Sorry to cut the visit short," Ruby said, standing up and putting her Scroll away, "But...it looks we got something. And...don't worry. When you wake up, I'll smuggle in something better than the usual hospital food." She smirked at that and leaned over, kissing her boyfriend gently on the cheek.
Ruby walked out, full of vigor to end Rojo's operation right now. She needed all hands on deck for this next plan...
Rojo stormed back into her safehouse and sighed.
"God...damn it...god...DAMN IT!" she cursed, throwing a punch into the nearest wall and leaving behind a crater in the stone. Azul and Amarillo were both behind bars and she was alone.
Again.
But...then she remembered something. There was more given to her than just sets of armor. She raced over to the safe-house's closet, (really it was just an abandoned apartment she'd been using as a base. It even had the conspiracy theory corkboard and everything, only with target photos instead) and started searching around for the case the armors came in.
Rojo took a deep breath. "Okay, okay...Joey, just calm down. You left it in here somewhere. Just count to 5, turn around, and try and just...look." She told herself.
With her head clear, she shoved aside some old boxes full of spare parts and found it. The case was no bigger than a common briefcase, the armors themselves were compacted to the point where...really they could compressed into bracelets. It's how she managed to keep them hidden for so long. She found a little note in the case as well with a number she could call. She quickly brought out her scroll and dialed it in, letting the phone ring.
"...I take it things aren't going okay." The voice on the other end said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be calling this number."
Rojo took a deep breath. "Yeah. They really, really aren't...I thought taking out the alien kid would give me a good advantage, but there's TWO, apparently...and this brat's saying we're one in the same."
"Let me guess. Red cape and silver eyes?"
"How'd you-"
"Some friends of mine aren't too fond of her either. One's obsessed with killing her."
"Look...I...I need your help...now. Bombings...bombings aren't gonna do it anymore. I want...I want him," Rojo sighed.
"High profile target, public humiliation...it'll be tricky but not impossible," the voice over the line explained.
"...are you saying I should..."
"Yeah. Hit up his little rally in Atlas. He doesn't give a shit Mantle is having problems. He only cares about his campaign- it did take a massive hit after Nesmith, you know..." The voice teased. "I'll be the one laughing in the end, honestly...less power for Ironwood, the better..."
"Ok...but...how?"
"You do you. All the other work? I have...resources. Hell, I can even get you into the crowd and not a single one of the tin men'll recognize you. From there, you just gotta make sure he doesn't get away."
"Like I'd let him," Rojo scoffed at the idea.
"But...I do need to ask. Once you get him talking...what then?"
"...depends on how I feel when I see him." Rojo said. "How are you gonna get me in the crowd, though?"
"Like I said, the biggest problem are the tin men. Despite his...differences with the big brass, Jacques still managed to retain a few AKs for private security. I'll...make a few calls, get it to where you're not on their radar."
"...how can you manage to do that, exactly?"
"I know the codes like the back of my hand, kid." The woman on the other end laughed.
"But...that's something-" Rojo started before she was cut off.
"Look, the less you know about me, the better. Only thing that should matter is that we both have an axe to grind with that fucking city. So...you in?"
Rojo actually thought about it for a minute. If this woman knew the codes, then that meant one of two possibilities and she didn't like either of them. But...this was it, wasn't it? Her one shot to tear this bastard down.
"...I'm in," Rojo finally said.
"Good, good." The voice smiled. "Now, I want you to carefully follow my instructions..."
The next day rolled around, leaving the rest of that night in relative peace. But that peace put Ruby on edge a little bit. Rojo was bold. She wouldn't just wait, not after bombing two factories back to back. Maybe it was the loss of her crew that made her slow down? Whatever the reason, if she did decide to strike again, Ruby was ready.
Since it was Jacques that Rojo wanted, Ruby knew exactly where she was headed. The former Schnee had a political rally scheduled today to garner support and speak out to those who either hadn't decided or where staunch followers of his campaign.
What better place for a revenge plot?
"Are you sure about this?" Yang asked. "I know it's a pretty big chance she's gonna strike here, but...I know a few people wouldn't wanna be caught dead here."
Ruby snickered. "Yeah. I know, but..we just need to make the gambit. We can easily disguise ourselves if need be."
Weiss sighed, looking out at the crowd. The more she was here, the more she wanted to burn that stage to the ground herself.
"I know we're doing this for a good reason...but you couldn't have called me in until after we found her?" the heiress sighed.
"Sorry, sorry." Ruby said.
"Same here...I don't really like the idea of mingling amongst a bunch of people who see me as less than..." Blake added.
"I promise I'll figure out a way to make it up to you two. But...I know she's gonna show. After all..." Ruby trailed off. She shook her head, stopping herself from going on.
"Let's just focus on finding her," Ruby said, raising her hood over her head.
Yang took a deep breath. "She's the boss. Besides...we could cause a little trouble to throw off your dad, right?"
"...I'll take that silver lining," Weiss admitted.
Of course, none of them realized that, with some help from her friend, Rojo was already in the crowd. Her disguise...maybe wasn't the best, kind of cliche honestly. The typical heavy trenchcoat topped with a large concealing hat and sunglasses. Her face had almost registered with the white and light-blue AKs that served as security, but when their visors flashed bright purple, she knew she was in the clear.
"Hm. They should really improve security here." Rojo bemused, as she walked inside.
Once she got past the drones, her eyes immediately locked onto the stage, even as she made her way through the crowd. Jacques wasn't there yet, probably behind or off to the side somewhere memorizing a speech someone else wrote for him.
"Well, time to do some snooping myself..." Rojo said, as she walked through the crowds- they were disgusting, all of them. 100x times the money of the people below them, and not one thought to spend some of their useless cash to help. Pathetic.
She couldn't do anything to them, well, not now anyway. She needed a captive audience for this. And if those purple screens were any indication, she'd have it. She looked around, trying to find a good place to blend in, stay inconspicuous. Her eyes subtly darted around the crowd as she searched for three specific people: the second alien kid, that...weird gas girl, and the girl in red.
"I know. I'm in a similar boat with you, with my own mom..." those words suddenly found themselves echoing in her mind. Why the hell... No. Shove the doubts out. If she didn't do this, then her mom wouldn't get the justice she deserved.
Ruby walked through the crowds, her red hood over her head. Ruby looked around for any hint of Rojo, any other suspicious individuals that could cause trouble...just anything that would look out of place here.
Besides her own self.
The others were walking through the crowd as well, keeping a close eye on all of them. Rojo subtly turned away and lowered her hat when Yang got too close. When the blonde brawler moved on, the criminal silently sighed in relief, confirming she was still in the clear. With that, Rojo moved through the crowd as inconspicuously as possible towards the stage. Her eyes darted to the left of the stage and the anger started to build. She clenched her fist as she got closer because, there, walking up onto the stage from the left, was the object of her rage.
Jacques calmly walked up the steps and positioned himself behind a podium. He tapped the microphone just to test it, letting it ring out.
"Ah, perfect," Jacques said before adjusting his tie one last time.
Rojo's eyes burned holes through this man's chest and face- she wanted to see him either confessing his crimes, or even better, dead and riddled with dust bullet holes. An ironic but fitting death, seeing as he did control dust conglomerates.
She made her move, taking off to the left of the stage as Jacques began his speech. She brought out her Scroll and typed in the signal to her benefactor.
Checkmate.
No one seemed to notice the shift in the robots as Jacques began his speech. The crowd clapped as Jacques waved at them- well, the crowd minus 5 people.
"Are you ready for some propaganda and fear mongering?" Weiss huffed.
"I'm zoning out everything he's saying and just focusing on looking for Rojo," Blake said.
"Ten bucks he's opening with a sap story for Nesmith," Yang said.
"Thank you, thank you all for coming out here today, on this beautiful sunny Sunday!" Jacques began. "Now, I know that, ever since the incident with Nesmith-"
"Knew it."
"With Nesmith trying to use my power so he could create a massive invasive array of robots built to protect our city...some job that did...I heard he got the idea from one Ironwood..."
The crowd booed.
"I know that all of you feel as betrayed as I do at Nesmith's unfortunate spiral. Sometimes, those with the most pride are the most vulnerable, have that pride turned against them by rivals."
He didn't outright say it, but he didn't need to. Everyone knew exactly who he meant when he said "rivals."
"Ironwood's power knows no bounds- why, the man could try and conquer all of space next! With some insane space force, led by that alien shapeshifting menace...uh, Jim something." Jacques waved his hand around. "It's pathetic..."
"Someone needs to be there to keep him in check. Someone who has Atlas' and Mantle's best interests at heart. After all, that force would need incredible resources AND funding. It would drain both cities dry, force us all into an economic crash! But that's why I am here," Jacques boasted, "I am here to be that bulwark against unchecked military power."
"Bullshit." Ruby muttered under her breath.
"If my father ever got elected, Atlas would be in shambles within the year." Weiss huffed. "Just because he's tricked people into thinking he has charisma doesn't mean he'll be a good fit...
"You know you described a good chunk of politicians right?" Yang joked, scanning the area. Her eyes then settled on a trenchcoat clad individual making their way to the left of the stage.
"Guys, front row, moving to the stairs on the left," the blonde said as she started to move in.
Ruby's silver eagle eyes locked onto the target. "There she is..." Ruby said.
"Should we get her now?"
"...I wanna see what she does first." Ruby instructed. "She goes for a weapon? We jump in. If not..."
Rojo reached the stairs and tossed aside her hat, and started to unbutton her coat. Two human guards from a security firm were guarding the stairs up to the stage. They shared a look as Rojo slipped out of her coat, showing her still active armor. The helmet was retracted, but it soon came up from her neck, the metal forming up into a proper helmet.
"Sorry, boys. I got a VIP stage pass to see Mister Gelé up there," Rojo smirked, reaching back for her weapon's compact form.
Yang wanted to jump into action now, but Ruby held her back- Rojo didn't even want to waste bullets on them. She whacked the two guards with her weapon at full force, and walked on over to Jacques...
Jacques was in the middle of his speech when he saw the shocked faces of the crowd, heard their concerned murmurs. He turned and suddenly saw Rojo fast approaching. Before he could make a break for it, Rojo suddenly grabbed Jacques by the collar. She shoved Jacques into the podium and before he could even start struggling, he felt an axe-blade at his neck.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Atlas! Please, stay where you are, you're gonna wanna hear this," Rojo yelled, "And even if you don't...well, you'll take notice of my new friends surrounding you."
Weiss slowly turned around- aimed at them were the guns of the Atlesian Knights. "Just like at Beacon..." She mumbled.
"So!" Rojo smirked, "Mister Gelé, I'm gonna ask you to go off script for a moment. And no, you don't have a say in the matter, because the other option is me pressing this axe into your NECK."
Beads of sweat started to form at Jacques' forehead. He nervously reached for the script Rojo was offering, and cleared his throat. He looked back at Rojo, and back at the crowd.
"...I am not the paragon of perfection you so want me to be. I do not have a plan or idea of how to truly win this election. And I have more skeletons buried in my closet than most."
Rojo smirked as she heard the words. Her eyes looked out into the crowd before they locked onto a familiar speck of red in the sea of people.
"One...one of those skeletons...what...what the hell is this?!" Jacques yelled, "You don't even have any proof of this. You're just some...tinfoil hat-wearing terrorist!"
"Did you forget the AXE TO YOUR NECK?! Keep. Reading."
"...One of those skeletons is the project the world has been spared from knowing, by my own volition. I sought to carefully hide any proof of it, and thought I succeeded in it..." Jacques gulped. "I did not try hard enough, it seems. The name of the project was the Midnight Revamp..."
That got the crowd murmuring. Even if fear was the dominant feeling, they had to wonder.
"The...The Midnight Revamp would...would've been my greatest achievement, a legacy that would stay with the name of my...you have to make me say this?" the politician asked.
"Yes. You tore apart more than one family with that project. Only seems fair," Rojo said, tightening her grip.
"...a legacy that would stay with the name of my former family for years to come. I...I would have turned our greatest...enemies...into our most stalwart defenders. I...I would have tamed the Grimm."
The crowd's murmurs became more and more notable.
"In an attempt to show our strength as the strongest kingdom, I tried to tame and lobotomize any Grimm we could find- disposable soldiers for our country. Better than robotics."
Even Weiss found herself in shock. She was never really told all of the details, by her mother or the general. All they told her was that he'd made a horrible decision that would affect so much.
And they were right.
"But...as with all test animals...caretakers..." Jacques gulped nervously, "caretakers were needed. One such caretaker...was Jasmine Jett, mother...mother of Joey Jett. Jasmine was, officially speaking, an appraiser for refined and processed Dust crystals. Unofficially...she was...s-she...was..."
"Don't have all day, Jacques," Rojo growled.
"She was...a caretaker...for the Midnight Revamp's Creep division. She fed them...s-she kept their cages in good condition and...ensured that they would...survive to the testing phase. It was...not an easy process. Keeping Grimm in captivity has always been a challenge...as you all know..."
"And...and..." Jacques was shaking like an earthquake now. Weiss wanted to say this was a good sight for her, but...it felt wrong.
"And...I am responsible...for her death." Jacques said. "I knew damn...well the cage wasn't going to hold..."
"And when...when that monster broke free...freed the rest of it's kin...I gave the order to...to seal that entire wing of the lab off. I condemned Jasmine Jett...and at least twenty other researchers to death. Not...not to mention the security personnel that fell trying to contain the threat. When...when the researchers...and the security...were dead...I called in...a clean-up crew. I...I couldn't keep this off the radar...no matter how much money...o-or influence...I had. S-so...I swept it...u-under...under the rug."
"And for half of her childhood, Jasmine's daughter, Joey, was told that her mother committed suicide. She believed it, too. But you didn't clean up well enough, Jacques..." Rojo sneered.
Jacques looked down at his podium, ashamed and humiliated. He began to breathe heavily, as Rojo slowly moved her weapon closer to his skull.
"...do you know what survivor's guilt is, Jacques?" Rojo said coldly. "It occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumatic or tragic event when others did not, often feeling self-guilt. I blamed myself for years and years and years- I thought my mother's smile was a lie. That she wanted nothing to do with me, that I was a burden. For years, I hated her! I said I didn't miss her, and it HURTS to know I can't take that all back!"
Jacques didn't say anything, too afraid to speak. He felt that blade move up his neck, nicking his skin. He could feel a small trickle of blood start to drip down his neck.
"But...you know what I CAN do?" Rojo asked, "I can at least make it up to her!" She raised her axe, winding up for a clean decapitation. Jacques closed his eyes in fear, accepting that he wasn't going to get out of this alive.
Rojo brought down the axe, and cleaved right through the podium. She expected to hear the screams of the people, but instead...
She smelt the scent of roses.
Ruby Rose had stepped in, and saved Jacques. She didn't exactly bring him into her arms, but more...shoved him out of the way.
"Even after alllll that," Rojo sneered, "you just have to be a hero. Save everyone. Even though his ass should be BURNING in hell for what he pulled! I'm not the only one you know! I'm just the only one brave enough to do something about it!"
"I know." Ruby said, standing back up. "I hate that I have to save him. And I hate that...unlike you, you can absolutely kill the root of your problems once. Never again. He'll be gone for good..."
"What? By tossing him in jail? You...you think..." Rojo started laughing, "You think he's gonna STAY there?! Hello! He's Jacques FUCKING Gelé! He's got lawyers that'll find some FUCKING legal loophole to let him free! That's how this god damn CITY works! You can get away with murder if you know the right people or have the right amount of money! There's only one way to deal with someone like HIM in this city. So either you get the fuck out of my way..."
Rojo was shaking in rage now, gripping the shaft of her axe tighter. She closed her eyes and she could even feel a single tear roll her cheek. She opened them again and looked Ruby dead on.
"...or I cut you down with him," Rojo threatened.
"The people know the truth. He confessed it himself. He's as good as over now." Ruby said, turning around. "I know I seem like an asshole right now- God knows I feel like one, but...I get what you're going through. Really. I went through something similar-"
"Bullshit! You have ANY idea how many times I've heard that?! 'I know what you're going through. I can't imagine what that's like.' You're like a fucking broken record!" Rojo yelled, swapping her weapon into its rifle mode and opening fire.
Ruby frowned. "Because, dipshit-!"
Ruby rushed in, avoiding the laser fire. "My own mom is locked away in a tower and has been TORTURED for years so me and my sister can walk freely-!"
Ruby evaded a direct hit to the chest. "My mom survived for YEARS within a pocket dimension made to kill her!"
Ruby was suddenly right in front of Rojo. She grabbed her weapon, and smashed her head into her face. Rojo stumbled back, taken by surprise.
"SO YEAH! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH IN THE MOM DEPARTMENT!"
Rojo didn't answer. Ruby didn't even know if she believed her. With a quick shift, Rojo brought the axe back out and took a few swings at Ruby, the red-hooded Huntress bringing out Crescent Rose to parry them. Metal clanged against metal as Jacques made a break for it. One of the AKs took aim at the politician with a rifle before the blade of Myrtenaster suddenly pierced its chest, sending sparks flying.
Blake's blade cut through multiple knights- she felt dirty for saving Jacques. The man was a monster. No one should've mourned his death, especially after such a heinous act was revealed. But, yet...she had to be unbiased. No choosing who's life you'd save...
Yang punched her way through the robots, knocking their heads off with ease- hearing what Jacques had done to twenty people really angered her. 20 lives, taken on purpose, because of a stupid pipe dream...
Rojo looked out at the knights being decimated, before she focused back on Ruby. She brought her axe down, cleaving into the stage. Ruby had raced behind her in a flurry of rose petals, firing off a shot and propelling a double-kick to Rojo's back, bouncing off of her. The criminal staggered forward, but she kept her grip on her axe. She pulled the blade free and loaded up a new clip of ammo. She turned on her heel, pulling the trigger and swinging out. The new Dust clip infused the swing with fire, launching a crescent blade of flame at Ruby.
Ruby quickly activated the dust blade on her own weapon, and sliced through it with a dark blue blade- smoke suddenly covered the area, obscuring the other person's view.
Rojo's eyes darted around the stage, trying to find Ruby through the smoke.
"C'mon...where'd you go..." she muttered, turning in place to try and find the Huntress. She could hear the sounds of rifle shots and blades clashing echo out from the crowd of the rally...before they died down.
And that meant she was outnumbered now.
Blake was the first to strike- she jumped forward, spinning like a wheel, as her blade clashed with Rojo's own. She quickly made a duplicate, and jumped behind Rojo. Rojo turned to strike her down- but she instead hit a giant stone statue of Blake.
The axe blade was stuck inside the duplicate's chest; if this was a person, they'd almost be cleaved in half. Rojo tried to free it, planting her foot on the stone copy and pulling.
Bad idea.
She suddenly felt herself being launched upward by a pulse from underneath her, the strength of the pule wrenching her hands away from the axe's shaft. Looking down, she saw a black glyph where she had once stood.
"Schnee..." Rojo said, looking around. "I would've thought you'd celebrate the idea of offing your bastard of a dad! Don't tell me that scar was from falling down the stairs..."
"It wasn't...it was from him," Weiss said, still hidden by the mist. Rojo froze as she suddenly felt something looking at her from behind. She quickly turned to see the towering, glowing form of Weiss' Knight, sword jabbed into the floor of the stage.
"Oh...shit..."
Of course, it was just a distraction. Rojo suddenly felt two shotgun-boosted fists slam into her back, courtesy of Yang, sending her forward. It looked like Rojo was about to hit the knight before it suddenly vanished. And instead, Rojo found herself flying at Ruby.
Ruby's blade quickly turned dark red- she'd fused earth and fire dust. Ruby's eyes were bright and angry, the silver eye power ready to straight up explode...
And that's when Rojo recalled a strange tidbit from her advisor.
"Go for the eyes."
Seeing her circumstances, she didn't have much of a choice. Unknown to any of them, Rojo had decided to take that advice to heart. A panel on her wrist lifted up, revealing a hidden blade. She took aim at Ruby's eyes, the light reflecting off the silver blade.
"RUBY!" Yang yelled, seeing the hidden weapon appear.
Ruby gasped, as she narrowly dodged under the attack- the blade was inches away from her eye when she evaded said attack.
Ruby jumped back, a bit winded. "Woah."
Rojo thudded to the ground and almost rolled off the stage, jabbing her arm blade into the stage to stop herself. She staggered to her feet and huffed, ready for round two.
"Almost got ya..." Rojo chuckled.
"...you're with her..." Ruby said, breathlessly.
"With who?"
"You're with...the person who captured my mom..."
"W-what...n-...no, I ju-...s-someone told me that! T-the person who gave me THIS," Rojo gestured to her armor, "told me that!"
"And only someone with her would say that."
"...you're with Salem." Ruby said. "She set you up! I've seen how she works! We all have!"
"You're not gonna come out of this the same way, Rojo!" Yang yelled. "If you turn yourself in, we can-"
Rojo wasn't even listening to them. She was processing this. After all this time, fighting to get justice for her own mother, she'd...basically been helping the Jacques of someone else's story.
A voice then came over the comms, snapping her back to the present.
"Don't listen to them," the benefactor said over the line.
"Wait...have you been..." Rojo started to say.
"Through the drones, yes. Signal's not the best but it's serviceable."
"...did...did you know?"
"Know what? Know that Ruby Rose is an agent of Ironwood, trying to throw you off your rhythm? Her mother's still alive and kicking. She's MANIPULATING you. The second you lower your weapon, she's gonna strike." The voice said.
"...then why did you tell me to go for the eyes?"
"Because. Those innocent eyes are being used against you. They're the same eyes that managed to injure a terrorist- she's trained." The voice warned.
"...so why don't I believe you?" Rojo asked.
"Are...are you doubting me? Here? Now? When you're THIS close to murdering that rich asshole?!"
"Because. I don't know! Maybe I should just tell BOTH of you to shut the fuck up..." Rojo grinned. "And just go after the bastard myself?"
"...I think you're forgetting something...Joey," the voice sneered on the other side of the comm, "You didn't build that armor. It was a gift."
"And what of it?"
The benefactor didn't answer. Rojo, and everyone else, suddenly heard the metal of Rojo's armor starting to move, shifting aside to reveal a massive Fire Dust core.
"Then I think it's time we cut ties," the voice over the comms said.
Rojo gasped. "You...you son of a bitch!" Rojo yelled, before the comm link cut off. "Fine! If I'm going out...I'm taking that son of a bitch with me!"
If Rojo even made the slightest move, Team RWBY was ready to stop her. Ruby couldn't really make out the details of the core, or if there was even a timer on there. If they could just incapacitate her, then maybe they could disarm it? Well, with some help from Ceres or Weller over a vid-call.
But...they didn't have to. Rojo was about to charge at them, blow past them to get at Jacques before a sound suddenly caught their attention. It...sounded like a jet?
Green lasers suddenly pierced through the ceiling, striking the areas where Rojo was close to.
Yang grinned. "Ben's back in business already? Great timing!"
Rojo jumped back, trying to avoid the lasers. If a laser hit the core, she'd go up in smoke. She tried to race around them, but the blasts kept cutting her off. And as she kept trying, Ruby couldn't help but watch the lasers. Ben was a good shot, but these shots were going through the ceiling and missing on purpose. Ruby couldn't really think of an alien that had that kind of powerset. On its own, the lasers could be from any number of aliens, really.
But these ones...they were more concentrated. Too big to be from Astrodactyl. Green, so they couldn't be from Gax...nor the jet noises. And not powerful enough to be from Atomix.
"...who the hell is he?" Ruby asked, a bit confused.
Rojo, getting really annoyed now, shifted her axe back into its assault rifle form and just started firing upwards wildly. She was desperate, she'd been betrayed...she was alone. The fire rounds tore through the ceiling before two glimmering objects appeared from above. As if they were being controlled, the objects went from being straight to curved, clicking into place and hooking around Rojo's rifle. With a quick flick of motion, Rojo lost her grip on her weapon.
"...I don't think it's Ben, guys..." Blake said, looking up at the ceiling.
And she was right.
Through one of the holes the lasers had blasted, a figure started to descend. It was a woman, clad in an olive green German styled dress with a black hem that was striped with emerald green. The dress' middle was black with four golden buttons with matching buckles on the shoulder straps, along with an off white blouse with puffy shoulders, frilled flared cuffs and vertical black lining down the front center. The dress' collar piece did away with the green accents and was instead finished with a black ribbon that had a familiar symbol emblazoned on it. Instead of normal boots or shoes, the woman had black metal leg pieces that ran up to her thighs, both having a green stripe that ran down the sides, with a large green circle at the top and a small one at the bottom, both outlined with gold and slightly glowing.
Green fire blasted off from the backs of her legs, two clusters of three small boosters allowing her to fly. When she landed, the four girls noticed the girl's hair. It was long and curled inwards at the tips, but it was that familiar bright orange hue.
Circling the girl from behind was a series of silver blades, each emblazoned with a power symbol on the hilt.
"Is...is that..." Weiss asked in total shock.
"...Penny." Ruby said, her tone softening.
Penny Polendina had been finished a while ago, but...today seemed like a good day to bring her back.
"Surrender, criminal!" The orange haired girl declared.
"What the hell..." Rojo huffed, "You...you're that girl from the festival...the...the robot."
"My name is Penny!" the android proudly declared. Her eyes wandered down to the core of Rojo's armor. She blinked, letting her see the components used and began to examine it.
"An active Dust core, remotely controlled. Both powers the suit and can detonate if the client doesn't like what they see..." Penny hummed. "Disturbing."
"Yeah, I figured. The 'client' already armed the damn thing. I'm pretty much dead already..." Rojo sighed, "But I'm not gonna let-"
"I can disarm it," Penny said.
"...w-what?"
"If you drop your weapon and let me close, I can disarm it before it detonates."
"W-why should I?"
"Because, Miss Joey. While you are indeed a criminal, you are still alive. Your life can still have meaning in the future." Penny said.
"...am I really about to take life advice from a robot?" Rojo scoffed.
"No. A good friend once told me that I am no less of a real person just because I have nuts and bolts instead of 'squishy guts'. So...you're not taking advice from a robot. You're taking advice from...well, me."
Ruby smiled at that. She didn't have to worry about Penny forgetting her.
Rojo thought for a second. "...it's her, isn't it?" Rojo asked, looking over at Ruby.
"It is," Penny beamed.
Rojo looked down at the core, seeing the Dust's energy ready to explode at a moment's notice.
"...fine."
Penny beamed. "Okay! This shouldn't take too long, now..." Penny zoomed over, and began to work her magic.
Rojo flinched a little at how quickly Penny moved. She could feel the android working around with wires and metal, small sparks and clangs echoed out. She closed her eyes at that point, watching was too anxiety-inducing.
"Aaaaand done!" Penny announced stepping back.
"...wait, what?" Blake asked.
"That was over...way too fast." Yang said. The armor that powered Rojo slowly powered off, as Rojo suddenly fell to the ground.
"G-gah! Why's my armor suddenly so damn heavy!?"
"Oh...I should've mentioned that. The core diverted power to certain systems that actually made it more maneuverable. Turning it off makes it weigh...about as much as you'd think," Penny rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"G-great..." Rojo groaned. Well, at least she was alive. Penny cleared her throat.
"Now then..." Penny eagerly spun around to see Ruby. Her eyes were wide and bright, and she had the most eager of smiles on her face.
"Sal..."
Yang, Blake, and Weiss stepped off to the side, singling out Ruby. The silver-eyed girl turned to look at each of her teammates before looking back at the newly returned android, confused.
"U..."
Ruby's eyes then widened. Oh, my god. She knew what was gonna happen!
"-TATIONS~!" Penny's rocket boots propelled her through the air, and suddenly, Ruby was being tackled by Penny into next episode.
"Oh it is such a pleasure to see you again!" Penny beamed, squeezing Ruby tightly.
Ruby struggled to break free from Penny's iron grip- holy shit, she was stronger than before! Who the hell designed her like that!?
The android smirked as she brought herself and Ruby back to their feet. She quickly dusted off Ruby's shoulders before smiling.
"Penny...I thought..." Ruby started to say, before she just smiled, "It's good to see you again too."
Yang was letting the two have their moment and she walked over to Rojo.
"I'd say we should cuff you...but you probably can't even get up right now, huh?" the blonde said, looking down at the criminal.
"...shut up," Rojo huffed.
"I'll get a cart or something." Blake said, walking off.
"YOU!"
The girls all froze- from down the way, Jacques Schnee was storming towards the girls. "You! You're...you're all with Ironwood, aren't you!? He's so insecure about his seat that he wanted to ruin my rally, right!?"
"...someone knock me out now, I'm not in the mood to hear this," Rojo begged.
"You...do know we have more important shit to do than deal with politics right?" Yang countered.
"Oh so I'm just supposed to believe that an axe-wielding MANIAC just happened to appear and four of Ironwood's rising stars show up to save the day? Coincidences like that don't EXIST in politics," Jacques snapped, "I knew he hated me but to stoop THIS low?!"
"...dad, shut the fuck up." Weiss huffed.
"Excuse me?!" Jacques said, angry. "I am your-"
"Reason for having this stupid scar." Weiss pointed at her eye. "I know the experiments are real because I fought one of them."
"That...the knight was-"
"Don't try and say it was 'different'. It was still a Grimm shoved into a suit of armor made to obey you."
"I nearly went blind, dad. If that blade had been just a bit closer..." Weiss snapped her fingers. "I would absolutely not be here to save your ass."
"But it didn't. I..." Jacques looked around to make sure no one else would hear this before lowering his voice, "I gave it strict orders not to kill you. But the fight had to be believable..."
The way he said believable made Weiss shiver...because she just realized what he really wanted out of that fight.
"...what the hell are you talking about?" Weiss asked.
"I...Weiss, you have to understand..."
"...I understand exactly what it was," Blake interjected, glaring daggers at the politician, "It was a test. Weiss was just another test subject for the Revamp, wasn't she?"
"...is that true?" Weiss asked, looking quite offended.
...Jacques turned and walked out the door.
"That...bastard..." Yang growled, her eyes turning red as she watched Weiss' biological father walk out.
"...if there's any justice in this world, that'll be the last time Jacques walks out a door as a free man," Blake seethed, "All those people heard the confession..."
"Good." Ruby said, walking over to Rojo. "…I'm sorry about your mom, Joey. Really, I am…"
"Guess everything you said was true...huh? You actually do know..." Rojo chuckled a little, "I was helping someone else's Jacques...didn't even know."
"In a way...yeah." Ruby sighed. "I know how vulnerable a person can be after a death, honestly. And whoever was giving you those commands took full advantage of it."
"I was just a...pawn for them. Actually kinda fitting...given what they called themselves."
"...who are they?" Ruby asked. She never actually knew if it was Cinder or Emerald or Cass behind the helmet.
"They called themselves a 'knight'. Suit fit the name too."
"A kni-...you're kidding me. He gave you all this?"
"'He'? The...one who gave me all of this was a woman..."
"...a woman?" Ruby repeated. Oh, this didn't bode well- one Forever Knight was bad, but two?
"Yeah. She...she said she understood about wanting to fuck over Atlas. She said she could help me screw Jacques over so...I didn't ask too many questions. I mean, why would I? She was giving me exactly what I asked for. But of course it wasn't for my benefit...it was for her's..."
"...are you fine with what happens next, Rojo?" Ruby asked, as Blake wheeled out a cart to put Rojo in.
"Not like you'd let me go if I said no, right?" Rojo chuckled, "Oh wouldn't that be something. Me, wanted terrorist, being captured and then released by the same Huntresses."
"Yeah, sorry. You're not that lucky..." Ruby said, as Penny lifted her up. "...wow, you're strong."
"Ceres made the best upgrades~!" Penny smiled. Ruby's eyebrows went up.
"Ceres upgraded you?"
"Indeed! She and my father worked tirelessly to make them! Thanks to her I have an extreme boosted temperature tolerance!"
"No wonder she wasn't around much in the last few weeks." Yang hummed. "She was busy putting the finishing touches on you!"
"And according to my father, she pulled several all-nighters to do so. Which...I must admit does not sound good for her health..." Penny said.
"Oh, absolutely not...but, it's in Ceres' ballpark to not get much sleep." Weiss sighed.
"I...see. Hm. On a lighter note," Penny turned and grabbed Ruby by the shoulders in her usual excited manor, "We have so much to catch up on! I cannot wait to hear about everything that's happened since I've been gone!"
Penny's eyes suddenly lightly flashed green.
"It seems we will have to wait!"
Penny's boots began to light up, as she flew off. "SAY HI TO BEN FOR MEEEEEEE!" Penny yelled, as she soared off.
"Nice to know some things don't change huh?" Yang smirked as she and the others watch Penny fly off.
"Yeah..." Ruby smiled, as she and the others wheeled Rojo off. Ruby turned to Weiss. "Hey...you okay?"
"...as ok as I can be," Weiss muttered, "I always thought it was just a test...just a way to have his daughter prove herself to him one more time. And instead..."
Ruby held Weiss' hand. "Hey. Don't worry about it anymore. He sure as hell ain't your dad anymore. Dad's...just don't do that to their kids."
"...do you think he ever saw me as a daughter? Not just a...a trophy he could show off?"
"...if he loved you, he'd never do that." Yang said.
Weiss sighed, "Kylie was free the last time you saw her...right?"
"Yeah. No missions came up considering everything," Ruby added.
"Good..."
"Yeah, after what happened? We understand if you need a few days off." Blake comforted her.
"Definitely..." Weiss said.
Rojo couldn't help but overhear and even she wanted to say something. She just...didn't know what, really.
The past few weeks of her life had been a blur. Getting the suit, arranging the team, planning meticulously...everything.
At no point did Rojo have a real conversation with them.
As they all walked off, ready to hand Rojo over to the authorities, Ruby's Scroll suddenly went off. It was a text from Ari.
"...I have to go." Ruby said, running off.
"Is it...?" Blake asked.
"Yep! You guys can handle this right?"
"Of course," the Faunus smiled.
"Great! Thanks guys!"
Ruby rushed off, as Rojo chuckled a bit. "...there's a girl I wish I met earlier." Rojo sighed, as she closed her eyes.
Ruby was running down the halls of the hospital, or rather run-walking, towards that familiar room. She saw Ari right outside the door, waiting for the silver-eyed girl.
Ari walked towards the girl, as Ruby's run came to a halt. "So, no concussion, no bruises, no other signs of trauma- you're clear to give him a very tight hug."
"Thanks," Ruby beamed, eagerly going over and opening the door to the room. She was greeted by Ben, sitting up in the hospital bed. He'd turned to look at the door when he heard it slide aside. Ruby smiled and walked over before just pulling Ben into the tightest hug she could manage.
Ben smiled, as he hugged back. "Hey, you..." Ben said, kissing Ruby on the forehead.
"Hey," Ruby beamed, "how're you feeling?"
"A bit tired, honestly...what about you? You seem like you're in a good mood right now..." Ben said. "You catch your criminal?"
"She...actually wasn't that bad. Yeah we fought but..."
"...lemme guess. Complicated situation?" Ben asked.
"Ohhhh, boy." Ruby sighed. "Where do I start?"
"Alright...let's do this. Was this just a normal criminal or did this tie into Salem?"
"...a little of both?"
"I should get comfy..." Ben said, as he settled in...and looked towards the window.
"...hey Ruby?"
"Yeah?"
"How long was I out?"
"About a day or so. Why?"
"...did I miss something big?"
"...kin-"
"Why is Penny Polendina standing by the window?" Ben asked.
"Salutations Ben!" Penny waved, muffled somewhat behind the window.
"...yeah, I'll get to that." Ruby blushed.
"O...kay. So, uh, you were saying?" Ben asked.
"So...turns out Jacques' an even worse person than we first thought."
"...kay..." Ben looked to the window, and saw Penny still standing there. "...you can come in and hug me, you know!"
"Oh! Are you sure?" Penny asked.
"Yeah!"
Penny gently opened the window and flew in, landing in the room. She raced over and tried her best to gently hug Ben. Of course, given her upgrades, even a gentle hug was a bear hug.
Ben was beaming as he hugged Penny again. He never thought he'd get the chance to, given...well, just about everything that happened.
"Apologies for interrupting," Penny said, letting Ben go, "I just wanted to check up on you."
"Actually? It's perfect timing. I was about to catch Ben up on what he missed, including your heroic return," Ruby grinned.
"Ooh! Please tell him!" Penny gasped.
"So...we found out why Jacques got kicked out of the Schnee family..."
A few days later, Joey was sitting in her cell in an Atlas prison. As far as prisons went, it wasn't terrible. Clean cells, good view of the outside. Most days were just a cycle of the same few things over and over, but that monotony was broken up today. One of the Atlesian prison guards, the ones with the dress uniforms and not the armored combat suits, walked up and tapped on the hard-light barrier blocking the door.
"Joey Jett? You have a visitor," the guard said.
"Huh?" Joey said, a bit confused. "Who the hell would wanna visit me in here?"
"I dunno...some weirdo from Mantle." The guard huffed.
"I...guess...send her over?" Joey said, still a little hesitant. Someone from Mantle wanted to visit her? After all she did?
And in she came.
Joey's eyes softened as she saw her. "...you seriously came to this dump?"
"Heard things get boring in here," Fiona said, smiling a bit, "Now you can talk to me like old times."
Rojo raised a brow at that before gesturing to the cell.
"...ok well...maybe not...exactly like old times, but you get the point," the sheep faunus added.
"I...didn't really think anybody cared about me after I did all that." Joey said. "Especially not you...I kinda...ditched."
"Joey...we were all worried about you. We tried to find you after you stormed off, but..."
"But I didn't wanna be found then..."
"...I wish you told us earlier, honestly. We failed you- we didn't chase after you hard enough, and...God, I never wanted to see you like this..." Fiona murmured.
"I...kinda have myself to blame here, too. I'm the one who ended up getting help from...well..." Joey trailed off.
"Yeah..." Fiona sighed, as she closed her eyes. "...surprisingly, Jacques hasn't dropped out of the race. I thought you'd honestly scared him the hell away, but yet...he remains."
"Guy's more stubborn than a Megoliath. If he didn't drop out, he's sure as hell not winning after the Midnight Revamp got leaked to everyone."
"Yeah...can't help but wonder what's going through that guy's mind now..." Fiona huffed.
Jacques sat alone in his dimly lit office, drinking from a glass with a spherical ice cube in it. The last few days had been torture from the media. Most of his team had just shut down operations- they knew he was gonna tank in votership.
The door opened partway- Jacques scowled as Whitley poked his head inside.
"I told you. I don't wish to be disturbed."
"Father, you, um… have a visitor." Whitley mumbled.
"And? Why did you let him in?!" Jacques yelled.
"...he let himself in..."
The door suddenly opened the rest of the way as someone walked in. Whitley stepped aside to let the man through.
"A spitting image of you, this lad, Jacques," Watts said as he entered, "Creepily so, I might add. Certainly inherited your...affect."
"...Arthur?" Jacques looked as if he had seen a ghost. Watts coolly ignored this, as he sat down in the chair beside Jacques.
"Whitley. Leave us...at once." Jacques commanded. Whitley hesitated- this made Jacques angry. "I said LEAVE!" He slammed his glass down, and that made Whitley scamper out of the room.
"...You're supposed to be dead."
"That is what I wanted people to think," Watts smirked, "You're right on that, but I'm not here to talk about me. I've heard quite the number of rumors about you. The Midnight Revamp, Nesmith...you have a problem. An Ironwood and Tennyson problem."
"...so?" Jacques huffed. "Come back from the dead to mock me?"
"Mock? Oh Jacques, do I seem that petty to you?"
"Well-"
"Don't answer that. You see...you have a problem and I can offer a solution."
"...what's that?"
"What if you can have your cake...and eat it too?"
