Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 76 – A Grim Aftermath
Woz was currently in a warehouse that seemed to have only been used recently, various decorations still hanging. Of course the smell of blood hung in the air as various splotches of blood lined the floors. Woz opened up his book as the warehouse shimmered before fading away, now finding himself in the narrative void he shared with Jinn.
"We have fallen into a trap while our guard was down," Woz said as he paced towards his clock, "Our Team alongside the other teams were given a night off as the election to decide the Atlas Council's free seat was held. Unfortunately Jacques Schnee has won that position."
"And that isn't good news for Ironwood, but what's worse is that he seemed to have been set up," Jinn added as she floated beside him.
"Yes, by utilizing clever strategy it was made to look like Miss Polendina had killed innocent bystanders and injured an ally at Robyn Hill's Victory Party," Woz explained, "And now not only is Mantle more agitated, but Atlas' grip on it grows further as it tries to contain the situation… things are not looking good at the moment…"
"And it'll likely only get worse from here," Jinn said.
"Unfortunately," Woz said before shutting his book with a slam.
Remnant – Mantle
"Citizens of Mantle – Following the most recent Grimm attack, a temporary prohibition of assembly is in place. There are to be no public gatherings of any kind. Please conduct your business and return to your homes before curfew. This is for your own safety."
Ironwood's voice rang out throughout the various monitors in Mantle, though his booming voice only adding more anxiety and fear at the current state of it all. While protection was needed against Grimm, this felt like overkill. Multiple groupings of Mantas were flying overhead every couple of minutes, while soldiers were stationed on rooftops with heavier patrols as well. That also wasn't even considering the curfew which also meant Soldiers were hounding people who were even a minute late to go inside. Not to mention there were still various news sites showcasing the viral video of Penny cutting through innocent civilians.
"Though military officials have gone on record to say the footage was doctored, many citizens are still insisting that the Protector of Mantle be deactivated," A Newscaster reported on one of the screens.
Of course the entire city wasn't willing to be silent and subservient under Ironwoods watch as an armored truck was about to find out. It was currently being piloted by a pair of Atlesian Knight's, the machines unaware that they were being stalked across the rooftops. They were however aware of someone standing in the middle of the road, the vehicle screeching to a halt as standing in its path was May Marigold.
"Civilian, you are obstructing an Atlas military operation. Please, step aside," The Atlesian Knight that was driving spoke up.
"Hey, is everything alright over here?" A couple of nearby Soldiers were heading to investigate the sudden screeching only to find that both May and the truck had vanished. After staring for a bit the two Soldiers looked at each other before shrugging and walking off.
Of course they weren't aware that May had used her Semblance, forming a large enough dome to cover herself and the truck as Joanna worked on disabling and removing the Atlesian Knights. Robyn was off to the side while Fiona was sitting on the truck's hood.
"You know the kid's going to hate you for this, right?" May asked.
"You got any better ideas?" Robyn asked, "He's not going to approve but we've been dealt the losing hand. So I'm going to do whatever it takes. You're up Fi."
Fiona gave a nod as she dropped down before holding her hand against the front of the truck while activating her Semblance, which she dubbed as 'Pocket Dimensions'. It was very self explanatory as the truck began to vanish from the back until it was fully absorbed within the palm of the Faunus' hand.
"Told you I'd be good for today," Fiona gave a bit of a smirk.
"Don't get too cocky just cause you made a quick recovery," Joanna chided.
"If we're done we should get out of here," Robyn suggested.
Remnant – Atlas Academy
A tense meeting was currently taking place in Ironwood's office as Winter, Clover, Qrow, Ruby, Sougo, Geiz, Nora and Ren were all watching the General nearly have a meltdown.
"This is the worst case scenario," Ironwood slammed his fist against his desk in frustration as it took most of his restraint not to scream in front of the others, "More people are dead. Penny's been framed, and somehow Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council."
"That's the second shipment for Amity that was hit today," Clover addressed the main reason the meeting was being held, "It seems election night was the last push Robyn needed to go from hometown hero to full-on vigilante."
"Can you blame her though?" Geiz asked, "We know everything was a setup but she doesn't. Not to mention Mantle's relationship with Atlas, electing Jacques Schnee and people getting murdered alongside an attempt on her life? She's right to be pissed."
Clover narrowed his eyes, "Even so…"
"Regardless, she has ended up delivering a heavy blow as a result of this," Winter interrupted.
"It seems Robyn has emboldened our suppliers in Mantle," Ironwood said as he began to pace behind his desk, "They're refusing to sell us provisions until the city is adequately repaired. With Robyn redistributing the goods her team has stolen, the Amity Project is completely stalled."
"But we're so close," Ruby said, "There has to be some way we can finish the tower."
"How long would it take to fix Mantle, or at least patch up the main damaged wall?" Sougo asked, "Can't we focus just a bit of time and effort on that so she eases up?"
"We'd be wasting time and resources that we need in order to get Amity up and running," Ironwood answered as he went to stare out his office's window, "It's simply not an option."
"There is one more measure the General has considered," Winter admitted, "It's a bit drastic but if things don't get better there is the idea of declaring martial law."
"You can't be serious…" Geiz remarked.
"You're not actually considering that, are you?" Nora asked the General.
"What's more important?" Ironwood asked, "Establishing communications to unite the world? Or appeasing a few city blocks?"
"But sir," Sougo spoke up as he kept as straight a face as he could, "Isn't the most important part of the Kingdom the people? Isn't a leader supposed to protect them?"
"They are being protected adequately enough right now with my forces down there," Ironwood said as he kept staring out the window, unaware of Sougo narrowing his eyes at him, "But my duty is not only to my Kingdom, but to the bigger picture, all of Remnant. And the only way to protect all of Remnant is to re-establish global communications."
"Then why do you make it sound so trivial when you know it isn't," Nora finally spoke up, frustrated that nothing anyone was saying was getting through to the General, "You keep talking about how we just need a little more time, but you're not the one having to struggle."
Ironwood turned, realizing he needed to appease Nora, "We have all had to make sacrifices for the greater good. Mantle has had to bear a lot of the burden yes, but-"
"They're bearing all of it!" Nora called out as she stepped forward to approach the General's desk, "The longer this waiting game goes on, the harder each day gets for people down there and now you wanna send in more soldiers? You can't just force people to fall in line. If you do that, you'll just be trading all of these problems for the Grimm!"
"She's right," Geiz said, "No matter how many soldiers you put there it's not going to make the relationship Atlas and Mantle currently have better."
"Please, General Ironwood. Squeezing Mantle this way… that kind of division plays right into Salem's hands," Ruby said as she went over to comfort Nora by putting a hand on her friends shoulder, "That's why Tyrian is here framing you."
"Right, the reason we called you here in the first place," Clover said as he held up his scroll, projecting a screen displaying a file about Tyrian, "You're sure this was the man you saw?"
"Tyrian Callows was accused of murders all across Anime," Winter spoke up, "A homicidal maniac who escaped justice when his prison transport was attacked by Grimm. After that, he was never seen again."
"Well, he works for Salem and he's here," Ruby said.
"Woz and I ran into him briefly while we were in Mantle before the Grimm attack," Geiz informed, "We tried to give chase but Grimm got in the way."
"If we ever had any doubts Atlas was Salem's next target," Qrow spoke up, "I think those are officially out the window."
"But now we have a suspect," Ruby said, "There has to be a way to tell the people."
"That a long-lost serial killer is loose in Mantle and the military has no idea where he is?" Clover asked, "That might make things worse before they get better."
"Yeah, it's definitely something we can't immediately call out either unless we have proof," Geiz admitted, even with him as an eyewitness there wasn't any hard evidence, "But even if we weren't aware of a location, it would still place the blame off Penny and us."
"I am so sick of secrets!" Nora called out in frustration, "If we just told everyone about Amity, about Salem-"
"We can't!" Ironwood interrupted with a raised voice, slamming his hands on the desk, "If we talk about Amity now, we risk Salem's forces, who we know are here, working to sabotage it. If we tell them about Salem now, we risk falling to the Grimm before we can reunite Remnant. We have to finish the tower. I want Robyn Hill in custody. We can offer her a deal if she gets Mantle to cooperate."
"We'll figure it out," Clover said.
"Sougo, I also need you and your team to try and work harder with Pietro," Ironwood added. "We've barely been making progress and we need results soon no matter how small they are."
"We'll try our hardest sir," Sougo answered, deciding to comply since he knew Ironwood was in a dangerous mood at the moment. He looked over at Geiz, the two of them exchanging a glance as they knew this situation was getting worse.
"Anyone not assisting with Robyn or the Riders needs to focus on Tyrian," Ironwood said as he went to walk towards the door, hands behind his back, "I want to know who he's working with, where he's hiding, what he's planning, and how exactly that video of Penny got all over my Kingdom," he stopped at his door and looked back, "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," Clover and Winter spoke up.
While Qrow, Ruby and Nora were hesitant to really answer given the sudden drastic measures, Ren was one who immediately spoke up.
"Yes, sir," Ren stood at attention, earning a surprised look from most of his allies.
With the meeting over, Sougo had met with Woz to catch his retainer up on the current situation. They were heading through the halls of Atlas Academy, planning on heading back to their dorm to sneak out via Woz's scarf. Sougo was a bit relieved when Geiz took the offer to check in with Pietro, Ruby tagging along with Tsukuyomi and Weiss accompanying them.
"So we can easily get to her, right?" Sougo asked.
"Of course my Overlord," Woz said, "Our room should be secluded enough to do so."
"Hey Sougo, Woz," Yang spoke up as she began walking over with Blake before giving a frown, "Heard some secondhand stuff from that meeting. Things are getting worse aren't they?"
"Yeah they are," Sougo sighed.
"Do you think you could come to our dorm for a few minutes?" Blake asked, "We're going on a mission soon but we were hoping to get a second opinion on some gear options."
"Uh… sure," Sougo said as he and Woz looked at each other before following Blake and Yang to Team RWBY's dorm in the barracks.
"Alright," Yang said as she leaned against the wall near the window while Blake went to sit in one of the chairs.
"What kind of opinions am I giving again?" Sougo asked.
"You aren't my Overlord," Woz said as he sat down on one of the bottom bunks, catching the gist of the situation, "I take it you wanted to talk in private."
"We did," Yang said.
"Our current mission is with some of the other Ace-Ops alongside Ren and Jaune," Blake said, "We've got orders to sit in one of the various trucks being sent out tonight."
"Because Ironwood wants to catch Robyn…" Sougo trailed as he looked down, he looked up at his friends in concern, "Are you really going to go through with it?"
"Ambushing a Huntress who's just trying to help isn't exactly something I'm comfortable with doing," Blake admitted.
"Ruby told us how you've been working with her," Yang said, "Is there any way to get her to stop, at least for tonight to try and throw her off Ironwood's radar?"
"Given she started this to begin with I don't know if I could do much," Sougo admitted, "But if she knew it was a trap… she might either give it a rest or try and take Ironwood head on."
"She is rather impulsive," Woz admitted, "However… what if you all simply failed to catch her?"
"How would we do that?" Yang asked, "There's no way she'd end up perfectly picking the truck we have."
"You tell us your truck, route, everything," Sougo said, "I'll let Robyn know and then you guys can make it believable enough to where she managed to escape, how about that?"
"We wouldn't really be disobeying orders…" Blake realized.
"At most we'd get berated for letting her escape but it's better than the alternative," Yang thought on it before giving a nod, "Alright then, think you can convince her though?"
"An easy feat for my Overlord," Woz scoffed.
"Let's have some extra insurance in you knowing me," Sougo said as he held out the Faiz and Cross-Z Ridewatches.
"Sounds good to me," Yang said as she took the Cross-Z Ridewatch while Blake took the Faiz Ridewatch.
"Now then," Sougo pulled out the Faizphone X before calling Robyn's. There was silence for a bit until she finally answered, "Robyn, before you do anything we need to talk," he stayed silent for a while as he heard her answer, "Thank you. I'll meet with you there soon."
"So you managed to get a meeting with her?" Yang asked.
"Yep," Sougo said as he folded up his Faizphone X and pocketed it, "Thanks for letting me know."
"Hey, we're friends right?" Yang asked, "Figured we'd try and give you any kind of help you could use."
Remnant – Atlas, Pietro's Lab
Penny was currently standing unconscious in a machine that held her in place, a cable hooked up to the black bow on the back of her head. Watching with concern were Ruby, Weiss and Tsukuyomi while Geiz was closer to the desk, watching the news reports with Pietro and Maria.
"How is she doing?" Ruby asked.
"She's confused, scared," Pietro admitted.
"I can only imagine given what happened…" Tsukuyomi trailed, recalling how silent Penny had been when she was escorted to the lab.
"We'll have her recorded visual data shortly. That should prove her innocence but the damage has already been done," Pietro admitted as he gave a pained groan, "The things people are saying about her… if Penny hadn't been there, Robyn would be-"
Geiz watched in concern as Pietro had a coughing fit, "Hey there, easy now."
"I don't think Robyn was their target," Ruby said, shaking her head before giving a concerned look towards her unconscious friend, "Salem's goal has always been to divide us. I think Penny was exactly where they wanted her, just like the Vytal Festival."
"It's so cruel," Tsukuyomi sighed, "Using her again to instill fear on people… whoever works for Salem, they're sick…"
"And just like back then, someone is using our own technology against us," Pietro had chosen to turn the screen in his room off before turning towards the others, "This doctored footage of Penny came from her work all around Mantle, stolen straight from our surveillance network."
"Ugh, hacking, technology…" Maria groaned out, "Why can't people just do what they used to and fight to the death? A lot simpler if you ask me."
"A lot more straightforward too," Geiz agreed as he punched the palm of his hand.
"Glad we agree on that!" Maria gave a laugh.
"Geiz please…" Tsukuyomi sighed.
"Well, if we're dealing with the same enemy from Beacon, hacking into Mantle's system would be easy," Pietro admitted, "Fortunately, the rest of Atlas is running on an upgraded network."
"And how would someone get access to that network?" Weiss asked, having had time to think it over, her father winning the election felt very suspicious given what happened in the aftermath.
"Well, only a few people have clearance," Pietro said, "Ironwood, the Council, our cyber security and surveillance leads, and maybe a select few who oversee critical systems like sewage or the heating grid."
"The heating grid runs in partnership with the Schnee Dust Company," Weiss put a hand to her chin as she thought this over.
"What are you thinking?" Ruby asked.
"Got a lead?" Geiz asked.
"Nothing concrete," Weiss admitted, "But something isn't right."
"Understatement of the century," Maria pointed out.
"And how are you doing?" Ruby turned towards Pietro.
"If Maria hadn't offered to help me these past weeks, alongside the help I get from Team Zi-O, I'd likely collapsed by now," Pietro admitted as he had his chair walk over to where Ruby, Weiss and Tsukuyomi were, "Trying to figure out the Rider Technology is a slow process that hasn't been going forward much. And getting a communications tower into the sky seems impossible on its own, but now, to think of what people wanna do to my girl…"
Everyone could only watch in concern as Pietro had another coughing fit.
"Even if the worst does happen, you can always reactivate her again," Ruby tried to reassure the scientist, "So maybe try not to worry so much."
"There's a reason why Penny is the only one of her kind," Pietro admitted as he had his chair walk him to his desk again, picking up a framed photograph of himself and other scientists though his thumb was accidentally covering up ones face, "When the General first challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues pursued more obvious choices. I was one of the few who believed in looking inward for inspiration."
"You wanted a protector with a soul," Ruby realized as she walked over with Weiss and Tsukuyomi.
"I did. And when General Ironwood saw her, he did too," Pietro gave a smile, "Much to my surprise, the Penny Project was chosen over all the other proposals."
"Why would you be surprised?" Weiss asked, "You created an artificial Aura."
"That's honestly pretty impressive," Tsukuyomi added.
"Well, not quite," Pietro said as he made his Aura visible, and much to everyone's horror his Aura could only flicker, showing several holes in it with blackened edges.
"You're kidding…" Geiz muttered in shock.
"You gave her part of yours?" Ruby's eyes widened.
"Yes, and each time I rebuild Penny, it takes a little more," Pietro admitted, "If people get their wish and she's destroyed, I won't be able to…" He couldn't bottle his emotions anymore and began to cry as he covered his face.
Maria quickly hurried over, going to place a hand on her friends arm. It helped calm Pietro down a bit as he looked around, relief filling him as he saw their looks of concern for not only him but Penny as well. He went to set the photo back on the counter, the covered up scientist looking like a young Watts.
"We'll find whoever's responsible," Ruby reassured, "I promise."
"Thank you," Pietro smiled before looking over at Geiz and Tsukuyomi, "I know it's a bit much, but given the General wants more results…"
"No we understand," Tsukuyomi said, "We'll try and work with you as best we can."
"I've also been wondering if we could harness the power in other ways, possibly mold the correct shapes in weapons and see if the power flows through by just slotting in the Watch," Pietro admitted, "Though so far I've yet to test the theory."
"That could be an interesting way to harness the power," Geiz admitted, figuring that the scientist had gotten the idea from the Ridewatch slots on their weapons. He cleared his throat however, "Though I think we should be taking our leave, give you a bit of space given… everything."
Pietro gave a nod, excusing the four as they all headed out but spared one last glance at Penny on their way out.
"So how's your team been taking this?" Ruby asked as she walked through the halls with the others.
"I'm annoyed at Ironwood," Geiz crossed his arms.
"I mean aside from the obvious," Ruby pinched her nose but still chuckled at Geiz's answer.
"I'm worried about Sougo," Tsukuyomi admitted suddenly.
"Huh?" Ruby looked over in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked with a bit of concern.
"Ever since that day… Sougo's been looking into the reports of who was killed during the rally as well as before then," Tsukuyomi explained, "He never says anything, he just… stares at them. I'm not sure if he's trying to find a clue, but it's worrying…"
"Knowing him he's probably trying to figure out something we missed," Geiz reassured.
"Yeah," Ruby nodded, not exactly liking that specific detail and going along with Geiz's guess, "I bet he's got some kind of plan cooking."
"Right… hopefully…" Weiss muttered as she was very concerned by the description Tsukuyomi gave.
Remnant – Mantle, Happy Huntresses Hideout
Robyn alongside the rest of her crew was currently in one of the warehouses they'd normally hide out in. They couldn't go back to their official office due to guards patrolling the area heavily now. She was currently sitting on some crates minding her own business while the others were looking through the news on their scrolls.
It wouldn't be long before a tornado of grey appeared in the center of the room, Woz and Sougo appearing as the grey retracted to reveal that it was Woz's scarf.
"Fancy as always," May remarked.
"Cool…" Fiona trailed with sparkles in her eyes.
"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me," Sougo said as he took a few steps forward he looked over at Fiona, "How are you doing?"
"Better than before," Fiona admitted before smiling, "Thankfully my recovery was pretty quick."
"That's a relief," Sougo replied.
"Indeed," Woz agreed.
"Honestly I was wondering how you'd get down here with ease," Robyn spoke up, "But I can see that you've still got plenty of tricks up your sleeve."
"Oh you have no idea," Sougo smiled innocently.
"That's concerning…" Joanna admitted as she was a bit unnerved by Sougo's smile.
"You have no need to worry about my Overlord turning against you all," Woz looked around, "His current concern is General Ironwood."
"That being said, I want you to reconsider your plans for tonight," Sougo said, "You've pushed Ironwood too far and now he's basically put a bounty on your head. He wants you taken in with no fanfare and will only cooperate if you make Mantle cooperate with him."
"So basically a hostage situation…" May gritted her teeth.
"The Ace-Ops will be onboard several trucks tonight," Woz added, "I can only imagine once they stall you enough the others who are helping will come."
"Lovely…" Robyn said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she crossed her arms before narrowing her eyes, "Too bad I don't plan on getting caught."
"I'm going to ask you again, reconsider this," Sougo said as he kept a firm stare, "You and Ironwood being at each other's throats is probably not only playing into the Time Jackers hands, but the villainous group that exists on Remnant and wants every Kingdom taken down."
"And you think I should stand here like a good little girl after what happened at my rally?" Robyn asked as with a light glare.
"If we suddenly stop now he's also going to get suspicious," Joanna added.
"Penny was framed," Sougo said as he kept his stance, "And even then, you getting agitated like this and taking it out on the Military isn't going to help things. I won't ask you to be good but I am asking you to be smart. If you're going to do this, then at least go with the information I have."
"Information…?" Robyn asked.
"Two of our allies don't wish to capture you, we have their truck, route and every piece of information available for you," Woz said as he held up a piece of paper, "They'll even have Ridewatches to show that they belong with our group."
Robyn quickly grabbed the piece of paper before reading the information, "Seriously?"
"The most they'll do is pretend to pursue you before you escape, if you want to talk to them it's up to you," Sougo replied, "But you'll be on a time limit."
"Right, right," Robyn muttered as she put the paper away before holding out her hand to Sougo, "That being said, I'll only agree on using your information if you answer one question."
"What would that be?" Sougo asked.
"What is General Ironwood building out in the tundra?" Robyn asked.
"I…" Sougo wasn't sure if he should tell Robyn or not and shook his head, "Isn't there anything else you want to know?"
"There isn't," Robyn said before lowering her hand when she saw Sougo continue to hesitate, "Is it really that important of a secret?"
"It is," Sougo gave a nod, hoping Robyn would back off and use the information but if she got too reckless then…
"Then how about I work for it," Robyn said as she readied her weapon, and held her arm up, "Fight me, weapon to weapon, no armor. If you win then you don't have to tell me anything. If you lose, I want to know what Amity is being used for."
"You…" Woz narrowed his eyes when he realized Robyn's tactic, "My Overlord…"
"Its fine," Sougo said, smirking lightly as he realized what Robyn's tactic was here as brought out his Zikan Girade in its sword mode, "I accept."
"You heard him," Robyn soon readied her weapon and held her arm mounted crossbow forward, "Move."
Woz reluctantly began to move back as the other Happy Huntresses made sure they were out of the way.
Robyn kept her aim before firing once she saw Sougo moving towards her. She had shot out three bolts that forced Sougo to roll towards the side. Kicking off the ground she ran and shifted her weapon into its bladed fan mode.
Sougo quickly got up but gave a yelp as his weapon was batted away by Robyn's first slash. He winced as he was punched in the face but quickly raised his blade to block the second slash from Robyn. He kicked out only for Robyn to leap backwards.
Robyn quickly took aim, noticing Sougo switching to his weapons gun mode. Once she saw him finish it she unleashed several bolts from her weapon, striking Sougo's hand and knocking the gun away from him.
"Ouch!" Sougo yelped as he held his hand before giving a grunt. Robyn had leapt forward and kneed his gut, forcing him to the ground. Before he could even think to recover and force her off he soon found Robyn's crossbow at his face as he was pinned.
"Sorry but that's checkmate," Robyn said before getting up.
"Jeez," Sougo winced as he held his stomach, "Maybe if I had a Semblance…"
"To be honest even if you did it'd probably be a support one," Robyn admitted as she helped Sougo stand, "You're not much of a fighter without your armor, at least compared to a Huntress. But you are pretty tactical."
"Fair," Sougo said before holding his hand out, "A deals a deal."
"That's my line," Robyn chuckled before grasping Sougo's hand, "What is Ironwood building out in the Tundra?"
"He's trying to convert Amity into a communications tower that'll reestablish global communications," Sougo said, "It's like I said, despite his flaws he's trying to help."
Robyn quickly pulled away once she saw the aura's flash green, the other Happy Huntresses eyes widening as they saw it read Sougo's words as true.
"That… that's what he's using all the supplies for?" Robyn asked, "But that doesn't make any sense, why keep something like that a secret?"
"Because he's not sure who he can trust," Sougo explained, "Ever since the Fall of Beacon he's been growing more paranoid. He thinks that if it ends up leaking even slightly, that there's a risk it'll fail."
"You're really risking a lot telling me this, huh?" Robyn asked.
"I am, but I agreed to our bet," Sougo said, "It would be rude if I went back on it and I need you to use that information I gave you."
"Okay but who is he afraid of it leaking out to?" Robyn asked, "Is it that big threat you mentioned when we first met?"
"Yeah, but it isn't my place to say who that is, that's Ruby's side of all this," Sougo said as he held out his hand, Robyn grasping it again, "But what I can say, there are people who want to destroy Remnant. They rigged the Vytal Festival and compromised Atlas' technology which caused the Fall of Beacon, targeted Haven Academy, and now they're after Atlas next."
Robyn stared intently at the green aura that covered their hands and arms as she saw it was true before withdrawing her hand, "I see…"
"Atlas isn't out to get anybody," Sougo added, "I mean they're being very restrictive and terrible at times yeah, but they aren't going for full murder. That evil group against the world is trying to make it look that way."
"Their purpose is to sabotage," Woz replied, "If they were to catch wind of this project, then we would potentially lose our one shot at re-establishing global communications."
"Huh… big old bombshell…" May said.
"I'm surprised he kept his word," Joanna admitted.
"So then… that Penny girl was set up?" Fiona asked as she gently held her side that had recently healed, "I knew there was someone else there, and I doubt she had something that could tear through my Aura so easily so it couldn't be her but…"
"I could answer that," Sougo held out his hand.
"No, I'd rather hear it from her," Robyn shook her head, "But given how much faith you put in your friend. You fully believe that footage is doctored like they said it was?"
"Of course I do," Sougo said as he locked eyes with Robyn, "Penny just wants to help people and show she's capable. And this is the second time someone's taken advantage of that."
"Right…" Robyn looked down, recalling the Vytal Festival incident.
"So what are you going to do now?" Sougo asked.
"I'm going to go by your plan for now," Robyn said, "I can trust the two you set me up with, right?"
"You can," Sougo nodded.
"Then I should make sure I'm ready," Robyn said before turning to walk away, "I shouldn't hold you two up, with how strict things are I wouldn't want you to be gone too long."
"Sounds good to me," Sougo said before going over and picking up his weapon.
"Oh and uh… could you send your Red Hood friend an apology from me?" Robyn asked, "She was trying to help Fiona and in my panic I kind of shoved her away."
"Will do," Sougo gave a thumbs-up before walking over and patting Woz in the shoulder, "How about we get going Woz."
"If you say so," Woz said as he unfurled his scarf, it enlarging itself and wrapping around the two before warping both away.
Remnant – Mantle Streets
Later on in the day, the plan to catch Robyn was on. All parties involved in the capture operation but Blake and Yang unaware of the ruse that would be taking place.
Blake and Yang were both in position, the two riding inside the cargo area of the truck as they waited for their plan to go down. They had just gotten a debriefing from Clover, on how once Robyn took the bait, everyone else would move in. With their Scrolls put away, all the two could do is just wait for Robyn to take the bait, then they could spring their part of the plan.
"This is… nerve-racking," Yang admitted, "Sougo's really been pulling his weight compared to the rest of us."
"I wouldn't say that," Blake said, "We're doing the best we can with what we're given. Sougo just managed to make his group more flexible in order to cover up our blind spots."
"I suppose so," Yang said, "Still… it's a big risk he's taking, and given what I heard my sis mention… it sounds like Ironwood's running out of patience."
"Right, the fact that he's wanting some kind of progress on the Rider Gear even though we know that's impossible," Blake gave a nod, "I think we were right to…"
"To keep the whole Salem thing from Ironwood," Yang finished, "Yeah… while I do have some doubts given he should know what he's getting into. Seeing him up close some more… I'm not sure how he'll take it."
"The embargo, the military presence, the restrictions on assembly," Blake listed, "He's a bit prone to overreacting. Plus imagine how crushing that meeting would have been if we told him the truth about Salem. And if Sougo didn't lie and we did tell him about Earth… could you imagine how restricted Sougo and the others might've been? They would have been Atlas' hope to him and he would have done whatever it took to try and create more Riders."
"Yeah, personally I'd rather stick to the five we already have," Yang admitted.
"As we've seen, that power isn't a joke," Blake said, recalling the peak of the Zi-O Riders' power through Oma Zi-O and their fight with him to get Tsukuyomi's Ridewatch working. She couldn't help but shudder slightly, recalling the raw power that Oma had released before quickly calming herself, "Regardless, we need to try and get Robyn to stop, at least for a short while."
"Think we should… tell her?" Yang asked.
"If Sougo trusts her, we should too," Blake said, "If we tell her what Amity is being used for then it'll hopefully slow her attempts down."
"Then let's risk it," Yang said, "Sougo's already doing so much for us."
"Sounds good," Blake said before her ears twitched, the vehicle coming to a slow stop, "It's time."
"Right," Yang said as she held up her arms and kept the Cross-Z Ridewatch in view.
"Yeah," Blake said as she held up her arms and kept the Faiz Ridewatch in view.
It wasn't long before Robyn opened the door, giving a smirk when she saw Yang and Blake with the Ridewatches. She gestured with her head to follow her before turning and yelling out, "Scramble!" and with that she took off, "Split up, and regroup at the hideout!"
Blake and Yang both gave nods before quickly pursuing after Robyn. The three had to avoid oncoming traffic as they all made their way down an alleyway. That's when they began to make it look like a fight had occurred as Robyn began shooting wildly all over and made sure to leave a few of her bolts around. Yang meanwhile fired at the sides of the alleyway while Blake went for a few slashes against the walls and ground.
After that was settled, the three slowly but surely managed to make their way into a circular center spot between the alleyways.
"How much time do we have?" Robyn asked.
"Not much, stopping the trucks alerted the Ace-Ops," Yang said, "We don't have long before they arrive."
"We really shouldn't be doing this…" Blake admitted, "But you need to know about Amity Colosseum, all the supplies being led to it… they're for… a new communications tower."
"Wow," Robyn said in near shock at this, "I didn't think you'd also take the risk like TickTock did."
"Wait, did he tell you?" Yang asked in surprise.
"You believed him?" Blake asked.
"He did, and yes," Robyn said as she held her hand forward as she moved closer, "One of you take my hand. I'll show you."
Blake and Yang both looked at each other before Blake stepped up and held out her hand to grasp Robyn's. To both young Huntresses surprise, they watched as the neutral Aura appeared.
"Now tell me that again," Robyn said.
"Ironwood is trying to build a new communications tower," Blake said as she locked eyes with Robyn, "He's trying to help everyone."
"Look down," Robyn said as she watched Blake and Yang look down in surprise, the Aura turning from neutral to green, the leader of the Happy Huntresses gave a smile, "Lie detection."
"Handy Semblance," Yang admitted with a smirk.
"You're not going to ask why he's keeping it a secret," Blake asked before realizing something, "Or did Sougo already tell you?"
"He didn't tell me the full scoop but he did tell me about a dangerous group going around wrecking the Kingdom's," Robyn said, "I'll admit you girls have a good friend, even if he is a bit weird."
"That's Sougo for you," Blake chuckled.
"Is there any way you'd be able to tell me?" Robyn asked, "He said it wasn't his place to say, probably because he's from Earth."
"Huh, that's kind of him," Blake admitted, figuring Sougo would give Robyn the full picture though she figured he didn't want to overstep boundaries too much, "Well… I don't think you'd believe it."
"I managed to get through his whole Earth spiel," Robyn said, "I think I can handle a big shocker about our world."
"Well…" Yang started before her communications line began to act up.
"Yang, Blake, where are you?"
"Crap," Yang said as she heard Harriet's voice on communications, "Listen this meeting was great and I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger, but you need to get going now."
"Sounds fine by me, I'm not getting caught today of all days after learning those nuggets," Robyn said as she backed away into the shadows, "Just know that I'm still not going to bow down to Ironwood. I want his trust if we're going to make any real progress."
"We can only hope that he'll give it to you," Blake admitted before turning in the opposite direction, "Either way we'll make sure no one follows your trail."
"Keep safe," Yang said as she rushed in the opposite direction to Blake to cause some misdirection.
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Vault Room
The Atlas Vault was a dark room that sat at the bottom of the floating city of Atlas in a hollowed out area. There was a main platform that was thin at the start but widened towards the end, surrounded by crystalline structures attached to floating metal blocks. There were four marble columns that held a bowl lit with blue fire. Across from the main platform was a blue crystalline structure with a small white platform that held a golden door that led to the innermost chamber of the vault.
Of course there was a considerable gap of open-air between the platform and the door, but that was until one would see white planks that levitated around the chamber in circles. These were likely meant to move into place to form a staircase between the platform and the door.
The two inside the chamber were Ironwood and Oscar, both staring up at the closed vault door.
"Its right behind that door," Ironwood said.
"The Staff of Creation," Oscar guessed.
"I hoped bringing you down here might jog some memories. After all it was your idea to use the Staff to lift Atlas off the ground," Ironwood mentioned.
"I thought Gravity Dust kept Atlas afloat?" Oscar asked.
"Eh, that's the public story," Ironwood said as he walked forward, "But with the Staff, we have a constant, seemingly limitless energy source. Oz once speculated it could take us as high as we wanted. To tell you the truth, that served as the inspiration for the Amity Project. Get a communication tower up in the sky, higher than the Grimm can survive so we never lose contact with each other again."
"But you're not using the Staff to raise Amity," Oscar said, wanting clarification.
"The Staff can only be used for one purpose at a time. We're going to have to do Amity the old fashioned way, Dust and all," Ironwood turned back to face Oscar.
"It feels strange," Oscar admitted, "Knowing a part of me helped come up with all this."
"You'll get used to it, I'm sure," Ironwood reassured, "Eventually you won't even know who is who anymore."
"Right…" Oscar whispered as he didn't exactly feel comfortable from Ironwood's 'reassurance'.
"We… didn't always see eye to eye, but… I wish I could ask Ozpin what he thought of all this," Ironwood admitted.
Oscar heard this and tried to reach inwards to maybe try and drag Ozpin forward.
'It would be nice if he said something…'
…
…
'Nothing still, huh… you've got to come out eventually before it's too late…'
"Well, I can tell you what I think," Oscar said as he walked forward to stand next to the General, "The path you're heading down where you're the only one with the answers, where you do the thing you think is right no matter the cost, it's not going to take you anywhere good."
Ironwood turned and walked back towards the elevator that led down, "We have to stop Salem. Nothing matters more."
"Some things matter more, I think," Oscar said before he noticed Ironwood stop, "Keeping our humanity. It's what makes us different from her."
"Sometimes I worry that's her greatest advantage," Ironwood went over to the main panel and went to call down the elevator, staring at the screen intently he recalled the night Beacon fell with the Black Queen chess piece all over Atlas equipment monitors, "Without humanity, does she still feel fear? Does she ever hesitate? When Salem hit Beacon, even with all my ships, all of my soldiers... I was no match for her. I've never felt so helpless. The way she told me she was there."
"It's okay to be afraid," Oscar spoke up, "You just can't let that fear control you."
"I am not going to end up with Lionheart," Ironwood said before looking at Oscar, "Do you believe in me?"
Oscar thought for a second before walking towards the elevator platform that was lowered, "I do believe in you, but not only you. I think the best thing you could do is sit down and talk with the people you're most afraid to."
"Now you are starting to sound like him," Ironwood gave a chuckle before going to join Oscar on the platform.
The two took the platform upwards before heading to another elevator that would take them back to Atlas Academy. Of course waiting for them was Winter with Penny who had just come from her father's lab. Penny was fidgeting and Winter was pacing around with an envelope.
"Winter, what is it?" Ironwood asked before he was handed a letter, it bearing a wax seal that held the Schnee family emblem. Ironwood went to open the letter before read the contents, his eyes widening a bit after he finished taking it in.
"What's going on?" Oscar asked.
"It looks like you're getting your wish," Ironwood said but his tone was filled with dread.
"My father's first act," Winter explained further in a tense manner, "We've all been invited to dinner where the General will be defending his seat on the Council."
"Winter, start getting the others debriefed and ready for this," Ironwood said, "Catching Robyn will have to wait given the urgency of this."
"Understood," Winter nodded.
The Next Day
Remnant – Atlas Academy, Barracks
It was easy making sure that word of Jacques invitation immediately reached all of Ironwood's most trusted allies. Not to mention not long after the letters had been delivered, Jacques had gone on live television to announce the banquet as well. So it was decided what the next course of actionwould be. The Ace-Op's, Team RWBY, JNR, Qrow, Oscar, Winter, Penny, and Ironwood would attend the event, most of them acting as extra security and eyewitnesses. Team Zi-O meanwhile would accompany Pietro to Mantle in order to keep working hard on getting some kind of revere engineered success out of the Zi-O Rider technology. Despite this, it was still early enough in the day before the dinner banquet so Team Zi-O was currently hanging around Team RWBY and Oscar in Team RWBY's dorm.
Weiss was currently staring at an invitation that had ended up being sent out regarding the banquet.
"Only my father would turn a hostile takeover into a fluffy PR move," Weiss sighed.
"On the news, he said he just wanted to break bread and hash things out," Ruby said trying to be a bit optimistic about the situation, "Maybe it won't be so bad? We do want the General to start opening up to these people, right?"
"As much as I'd love seeing Ironwood on the hot seat, this is the wrong one," Geiz shook his head.
"Yeah, it'll be on Jacques terms," Oscar reminded, "Ironwood's going to be locked in a room at his rival's own dinner party. I know Jacques says he's happy to moderate, but all that really means is he'll be the one controlling the conversation."
"Not hard to imagine how that's gonna play out," Blake said dryly.
"So what exactly happens if Jacques succeeds?" Tsukuyomi asked, "What is his goal anyway?"
"If Jacques succeeds then we can kiss the Amity Project goodbye," Yang said.
"Jacques would likely continue the Amity Project," Sougo admitted as he thought on it a bit, "But he wouldn't keep it a secret, he'd make it a big publicity stunt. And then it would completely sink now that we know Salem's forces are here."
"That's not getting to the worst case scenario," Woz replied, "Which would be that Ironwood is removed from both of his positions, meaning replacements for both."
"And that's not counting the Time Jackers," Oscar said.
"Speaking of, they've been quiet haven't they?" Ruby asked.
"They have," Tsukuyomi gave a nod, "I'm completely unsure of their motives given each of the incidents have all been minor and unrelated to each other."
"I believe they're trying to find new Another Rider candidates," Woz guessed, "But so far their choices have been lacking."
Geiz meanwhile was deep in thought, trying to figure out who a good candidate for an Another Rider could be. His mind slowly started drifting towards Ironwood, and he soon realized they'd need to try and keep the General stable.
"I still can't believe he won. Robyn was supposed to be the people's champion, wasn't she?" Weiss spoke up finally, still trying to wrap her head around her father's victory before giving a sigh, "There are just too many coincidences."
"You really think your dad might have something to do with Salem?" Yang asked.
Weiss shook her head, "I think my father would do whatever it takes to win."
"And we should do the same," Ruby suggested as she had been thinking on the situation as well.
"Meaning…?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Well, no one knows your dad better than you," Ruby reminded, "And out of everyone going tonight, I'd say you're the only one who could snoop around the house and not be questioned. If Jacques Schnee is up to something, I think we should know what it is."
Weiss thought about it for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
"I'll do it," She said.
"Sorry if we won't be going," Sougo apologized with a bow, "I know that manor probably isn't the nicest place to go back to."
"Thanks, I appreciate the sentiment," Weiss gave a smile before she grew more serious, "But this is something I need to do."
"Ironwood's really strangling you guys in terms of movement isn't he?" Yang asked.
"Unfortunately," Tsukuyomi sighed, "We'll just have to deal with it, especially since Pietro has a new idea he wants to test out."
"Pietro thinks he might be able to draw the power of the Ridewatches into other objects if they have a correctly molded slot," Geiz mentioned, "It's pretty clever admittedly."
"Should we be worried?" Blake asked.
"There's no guarantee it'll work," Sougo spoke up to ease any concerns, "And he hasn't started yet right? I think we still have some time."
"But it still means where we can be is going to be restricted," Geiz pointed out, "So we can't help you all with this infiltration mission."
"Actually…" Ruby spoke up when she heard the words infiltration, she then looked over to Woz, "I think I have a way to help Weiss."
"Is there something I can help with Miss Rose?" Woz asked as he noticed the stare.
"Woz you can be anywhere you want," Ruby pointed out, "Go with Team Zi-O and accompany Pietro but excuse yourself and then use your abilities to make it to the banquet without issue."
"Oh that's right!" Sougo called out in realization, "Woz is pretty good at those things, so of course he can go!"
"You really think he's going to willingly help out?" Geiz scoffed, "You know he only takes orders from-"
"If it is for Miss Schnee, then I shall do it," Woz stated with confidence, much to everyone's shock.
"Wait, really?" Weiss asked in surprise, "That's all it takes?"
"Indeed," Woz smiled.
"Then we have our plans," Ruby said as she looked around the room, "Now let's just hope we can get to the bottom of this."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Will you be alright?"
"So… time for Plan Woz?"
"…I don't think that's legal."
"You're alright in my book."
"It looks like the Heating Grid's offline."
Chapter 77: The Fast Approaching Storm
Author's Note: I don't have much to say on the chapter itself, as it's mostly setting up some "fun" scenarios for later. Though I am going to be doing some odd pacing in what episodes end up in what chapters, like how I have a scene from the episode after the episode this chapter is based on at the end.
I will say, I appreciate the warm welcome backs, it's good to be back and I cannot wait to continue this journey with you all. That being said I was asked about the length and well… I don't have a concrete answer other than I think we're reaching the halfway point of the story? I've yet to completely finish as of the publishing of this chapter, so I can only give a guesstimate based on how much I think I have left.