RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)
I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.
I am making no money from this.
Chapter 144: Team MARSZ
Within the deepest bowels of the Megalodon, at the end of a narrow, flesh-walled and metal-floored corridor was hanging, fluid-filled sac which pulsated and squirmed almost rhythmically whilst various machines and sensors piercing its' bloated and sickening exterior kept track of developments within.
It had been two weeks since the battle in the tundra and Pantheon's subsequent return to the surface of Remnant and Gestalt-Prime was yet to emerge from the restorative cocoon that the Alpha Cyber-Grimm had thrust themselves into immediately upon their return to the Megalodon.
It had begun as a state of blissful unawareness, Gestalt-Prime allowing their consciousness to be detached from their ravaged physical form and linger in a silent and ephemeral void between reality and the connections they shared with larger networks beyond themselves as they used the time to process the events that had transpired; particularly that Pantheon, their great enemy within the larger Hive-Mind was now openly challenging them. Gestalt-Prime had realised swiftly enough that answering such a challenge would be seen as a necessary step towards the completion of Nero's plans and the Alpha Cyber-Grimm could not deny that if they were somehow able to best Pantheon they would be victorious in their own endeavours to bring about an elevation and evolution of the Grimm species; these realisations had seen Gestalt-Prime reach out through the connections they shared with the Megalodon and it's Cyber-Grimm production facilities and begin enhancing the process, refining it making it more efficient in what little, limited ways they could before the limitations imposed by Damascus Nero began to take effect. The end result of Gestalt-Prime's work being that at that present moment, in the physical realm beyond their reach the Megalodon had been fully repaired and that hundreds of Cyber-Grimm and various variants had spawned; the airship-Grimm heavy with their presence as they skulked and lumbered through corridors, huddled and chittered in loose packs within each of the launch bays and alternated between hanging in the air around the Megalodon in a cloud of darkness and scuttling along its' outer hull.
More immediately important o Gestalt-Prime however was their own recovery, a process as close to leisure as a being such as themselves could be said to experience as the Alpha Cyber-Grimm underwent a process of not only healing but also optimisation, with the damage that had been done to them in the tundra and leftover damage from the violence at Jidhir Town was melted away and bone, armour and muscle was made anew with the promise of greater strength and endurance and every ounce of unnecessary material trimmed away to be repurposed into something better.
The process was at the cusp of completion when an electric current passed through the fluids filling the vile embryonic sac and halted the process mere minutes before it would have concluded naturally.
Viscous filth spewed out onto the ground and was quickly sucked through the metallic grate of a floor to be absorbed into unmentionable, writhing and biological matter below as Gestalt-Prime tore their way free of the sack with their axe-bladed wings rearing up to their full height with a wordless scream of annoyance before allowing the bladed limbs to retract back into their resting place within their back as they reared up to their full height and let their tail lash out behind them. As they surveyed themselves internally and externally Gestalt-Prime noticed that their body, currently dripping fluids and shiny, its' metallic components appearing freshly polished appeared almost entirely as it had been before albeit perhaps a little taller, a little leaner and with more muscle around which their armour was weaved.
The same could not be same of the man who had interrupted their restoration.
Carmesi Hueso had, unbeknownst to Gestalt-Prime ventured through the tundra and into one of Atlas's Hive-Cities in recent days as a way to gather information and perhaps test the loyalty and intent of Nero's new allies of convenience and also a simple challenge to amuse himself. In doing so the Komodo Dragon Faunus had acquired new clothing in the form of high, spike-toed boots in black with gunmetal armour plating which he wore with a pair of tan cargo pants adorned with more armour and more storage in the form of black pouches affixed by belts to bolster and already impressive amount of pockets. Carmesi had made a small concession to hateful cold of Atlas and rather than walk around shirtless as he had on Menagerie was now wearing a black, sleeveless jacket with a high collar and yet more armour adorning it albeit this time in a mixture of gunmetal grey and gold which had been arranged in a way not too dissimilar to his own craggy scales which were visible as the jacket left his arms bare save for scarlet bands adorned with stylised fangs and claws adorning his forearms and was worn open to reveal his scarred chest. The rogue Hunter still wore his weapons crossed at his back and his dark beard full and well sculpted whilst his hair was pulled back into a ponytail which reached to his shoulders; the most notable difference however was that Carmesi's right eye, or the space where it should have been was covered by a black eyepatch.
Though the Komodo Dragon Faunus's glare was no less fierce for the limitation.
"You were mauled" Gestalt-Prime sneered, making no effort to mask their glee "You lost an eye-"
"We have the same number of eyes"
"And perhaps that's why you awakened me, you wish to see if you can restore yourself….To see if Nero is finally ready to apply what was learned in Jidhir Town and make you of the Grimm" Gestalt-Prime drew closer, looming over the burly Faunus and enjoying the rage that wafted from him in silent waves "Or perhaps you simply want an ending….A Creature of Grimm in your condition would be eaten by their pack so that their being could be remade into something more-"
"Pantheon, the Grimm you want to go to war against has raised a fortress at sea" Carmesi rumbled out, the words ripping away Gestalt-Prime's momentum in an instant "Hunters from across Remnant have naturally gathered to face the threat and naturally Nero's foes, those who hold the Kingdoms hostage with their power and influence and corruption are the ones to lead the charge"
"And now the time has come to deliver a killing blow against one of our foes whilst they are distracted with one another" Gestalt-Prime snarled, almost willing to set aside the loathing of Nero himself and particularly his loyal ally Carmesi for a moment to enjoy the possibilities such an idea presented.
"Not quite….Though I'm certain that something like that will come later" Carmesi snarled, reaching up to scratch at his beard before continuing "At the moment we have a peace pact and potentially an alliance whilst we tackle Pantheon….Which means you don't get to spend another week hiding and licking your wounds"
Gestalt-Prime bristled at the insult, their tail twitching in a way which saw Carmesi's hands twitch subtly towards his weapons though the Alpha Cyber-Grimm paid the Faunus little mind and instead tried to process such a fundamental paradigm shift and calculate how it might affect the various layers of planning they and Nero were embroiled in and their respective end goals, with Gestalt-Prime's conclusion being that the chances of double-crossing and complications had risen exponentially.
Rather than pursue that line of thought further they bared their fangs at Carmesi and needled him further.
"Then Nero has a supply of Hunters….What further use does he have for a half-blind failure? Perhaps he does mean to be rid of you?" Carmesi did respond to that, striding close to Gestalt-Prime and visibly fighting the urge to strike the monster before him; bracing himself before finally letting out a low rumbling laugh.
"If the plan doesn't need me then I will have done everything in my power to make a better Remnant. I look forward to that kind of peace" Gestalt-Prime regarded the Komodo Dragon Faunus for a moment longer before pressing passed him and stalking away with a final barb.
"Perhaps you might have made a passable Grimm after all" a wave of fury emanating of Carmesi informed the Alpha Cyber-Grimm that this had been the most offensive insult they had offered so far.
The garage of Schnee Manor was a place any enthusiast in cars, particularly those of the luxury variety, vintage, exceptionally limited in number or otherwise ludicrously expensive could spend a great deal of time given that it was where a collection vehicles begun by the late and scarcely missed Jacques Schnee before being taken over and added to by Whitley. Amongst the collection were many prototypes and show-pieces that were never driven and were instead only removed from their raised pedestals within the garage in order to be loaned out to museums or similarly displays along with Whitley's own jaw-dropping collection of sports cars, more practical and less conspicuous vehicles used by the family at large and a handful of more esoteric machines such as 'Stardust', a Dust powered and one of a kind all terrain vehicle which had originally belonged to the renowned Nana Schnee before Weiss had put it to good use in the fight against Salem.
It had been enough to leave both Astra and Regalia stunned and awestruck upon their arrival, breathlessly and excitedly studying the contents of the garage before attending to the matter at hand.
To Regalia it had almost been worth everything she and her friends had endured in the process of coming to Atlas to have her picture taken with the original convertible Bat-Station Wagon.
Eventually however the two of them had managed to contain themselves and focus, finding the far corner of the garage which also doubled as a separate workshop where both Astra's battle-damaged pickup truck and Regalia's beloved, custom-built jetbike Clunker had been deposited and, after some deliberation and no small amount of playfulness and flirting between the couple setting about the job of repairing their vehicles.
"Hey can you pass me the acetone?" Regalia asked, voice strained slightly by her position beneath her raised jetbike where she was lifting away a damaged panel "I think something got bent and it was left out in the open for long enough for sand a grit to get mixed in with stuff….I wanna clear it all out and make sure there's no debris in the workings before we start it up"
"Sure no problem" Astra assured her, turning their attention from where they had been ensuring the precise alignment of extended and chopper-like front forks which supported the jetbikes' directional controls so that they could find what Regalia needed.
"Here" they said simply, pausing as they reached down to pass it over as they found themselves distracted by the sight of their partner and girlfriend so entirely in her element with her jacket discarded, a screwdriver between her teeth and oil smearing her cheek and hands "You look good like that"
"Heh, don't get distracted" Regalia answered, tail shifting beneath her in the closest approximation of a contented swish she could manage in her current position whilst at the same time reaching passed Astra's outstretched hand and proffered bottle of industrial strength cleaning alcohol to instead gently waggle the Deer Faunus's antler; only for the moment to be ruined by a familiar voice announcing that Felix had managed to sneak up on them.
"Yeah stop looking down her top you little perv" the realisation that such a feat would be entirely too easy from such an angle left Regalia sputtering and almost colliding with the underside of her jetbike as she adjusted herself whilst Astra whipped around with a half-formed insult on the tip of their tongue to find their older brother in hysterics at the display whilst at the same time trying to avoid being swatted by his own partner.
"I am so sorry about him" Eagle gasped, her cheeks flushing pink in a way which highlighted the older Hunter's freckles "I didn't realise that he hit his head so many times on the flight here"
"Come on I don't see the kid often enough, I've gotta get all of my older sibling teasing in on time; there's regulations about it….Honest" the Lion Faunus grinned, bearing sharp teeth as he weaved around his partners' assault and drew closer to Astra and Regalia whilst nodding at Clunker "That a two person job? I thought you would have been itching to get started on your truck?"
"Apparently, despite all the Hunters in the family AJ's folks don't just keep reinforced armour plating around for me to replace the busted panels with; it's gonna be a little while before I can get hold of any with what's happening…." Astra trailed of, each of the four Hunters present sharing a look which conveyed enough was understood that nothing more needed to be explained and so the Deer Faunus instead nodded towards Clunker "But if me and Regalia work on Clunker we can probably have it patched up by the end of the day….Better to have at least one of our rides ready for whatever mission comes next right-"
"Kid" Felix sighed, cutting through Astra's building momentum with a tone which immediately made the younger sibling bristle.
"Don't call me kid….Not when we're talking about this" Astra answered, their sharpness catching Felix off-guard in a way which the Lion Faunus was clearly not impressed by which in turn led to Eagle stepping between them.
"Astra, what we're trying to say here is that your team should be prepared to take a backseat on this one. General Schnee has plenty of people she can call on rather than….And I'm saying this politely, a team of third year students that went AWOL and probably messed up their chances of graduating"
"And I'm saying this politely" Astra countered, voice strained as they kept their emotions in check "My team are ready. You know it, General Schnee knows, everybody knows but most importantly we know it. If we weren't wanted here then we would have been sent somewhere, if the General wants us to be in the same place as Zirconia, who is giving information then it's for a reason!"
"Felix has your team fought Gestalt-Prime before?" Regalia asked, taking a position beside Astra after slipping out from beneath her jetbike "You've done a lot, some really cool and really scary stuff but at this point we've probably fought Gestalt-Prime more than anybody else-"
"And nearly died just as many times!" Felix shot back, concern outweighing his anger at the younger Hunters' hard-headedness "You've got skill and you've got potential but most importantly you kids have gotten lucky! Lucky that Aunt Weiss and Uncle Gang could get to you in time, lucky Corey was willing to put her job on the line over you; she lost it by the way-"
"I'm sorry-"
"You're not sorry you did it, you're sorry there were consequences" Felix bit out, silencing Astra and leaving them with a shocked expression "And speaking of Corey, you might have had a few fights with Gestalt-Prime but that thing that's out at sea in that fortress right now? That's Pantheon, the thing that took Corey's eye, the Grimm that killed one of her team….That thing was Salem's right hand Grimm and it has fought its' way out of Atlas airships and out of Halo Academy before. It will kill you"
"You done?" Astra breathed out after a moment of tense, heavy silence "I get it….This is scary for all of us, you think I'm not scared? When Salem attacked Neo Vale at least you could fight back, I was a kid; I had to sit through it and hide in shelters hoping for the best"
"We want to help, that's all we want" Regalia added "It doesn't matter if it's against Pantheon, against Nero or Gestalt-Prime or if we're keeping Grimm out of Atlas's cities or anywhere else; we just need to do something useful"
"We understand that" Eagle reached out, gently placing a hand on each of the younger Hunters' shoulders "But please, promise us that you're not gonna take off and do something reckless the moment you have a working vehicle"
"It won't do you any good" Felix intoned glumly "There isn't a plan yet….Eagle and I came here so that Team FADE are all in one place if we're needed but right now we know probably as much as you"
"We're not gonna do anything stupid….Trust me, I get how important it is and I get that we'll probably only get one chance, if any to do the things we need to do so we've gotta make it count" Astra sighed "And I am sorry about Corvid….Maybe I can talk to General Schnee-"
Felix couldn't help but erupt into laughter at that.
"Sure kid, yeah; 'cos you have that much authority and a great working relationship with the scariest Hunter in Atlas" the Lion Faunus cackled, the laugher infectious enough that even Regalia let out a soft giggle as she gave Astra a well meaning pat on the back.
"Come on, we're heading into the city" Felix sighed as his laughter subsided, producing his car keys and giving Astra an unspoken peace offering with his follow up "I'll see if I can tap any of Team FADE's contacts and find you some of the materials for your truck"
Zirconia Shadowmoon had finally been given a measure of freedom and release from the confines and monotony of Schnee Manor, though her time in her former partners' family home had become more pleasant in the wake of Zirconia's most recent conversation with Weiss which had seen the Grasshopper Faunus allowed to explore and make full use of everything the building, which could only fairly be described as a mansion had to offer. Freedom however might have been too generous or optimistic a word for the opportunity to leave Schnee Manor that had been thrust upon Zirconia without her approval or input in the form of a military transport landing on the properties' sizeable grounds with instructions to bring the rogue Huntress to meet with General Winter Schnee.
Which left Zirconia feeling more like a captive than she had under Weiss's most restrictive rules.
Naturally the Grasshopper Faunus tried to project a sense of calm and control as she moved through the corridors of the massive Atlesian warship she had been brought aboard, her mismatched gaze fixed dead ahead and her posture composed whilst her capes and long, flowing coat and her scarf trailed behind her as she moved at a pace that was brisk without allowing itself to become a run; almost allowing Zirconia to believe that she quartet of of armed Atlesian Knight model robots which surrounded her were simply flanking and providing an escort for her own protection rather than being ready to execute her at a moments' notice if she gave any indication of treachery.
Eventually however Zirconia was brought to what she quickly realised was Winter Schnee's personal office, a far more intimate and personal location than the room that she had been interrogated in during what had been almost euphemistically described as a debriefing handled by the General herself. Without a word the Atlas Knights broke form their previous formation, two of them taking positions to either side of the door and the remaining pair pressing their weapons to Zirconia's back in order to direct her towards a door which had begun to slide open.
"Enter" the unmistakable voice of Winter Schnee demanded, tight and terse and leaving Zirconia with no choice to obey.
Stepping into the office she realised that it was deliberately dark, the door sealing shut behind Zirconia robbing her of the last available source of light before even her keen Faunus eyesight could adjust and whilst it removed the threat of the armed robots at her back it also left her stranded and trapped; memories of Winter Schnee using every tool at her disposal short of direct physical violence in order to get the answers she wanted from the younger woman flooding Zirconia's mind and reducing her breathing to a fearful, ragged pant interspersed with faint whimpers until finally, after screwing her eyes shut for a moment and mastering herself Zirconia took a single step forwards.
"You wanted to see me General?"
"I did" at Winter's words, with a deliberate timing which could only have been caused by the General herself the lights flickered on, albeit dimly to reveal Winter sat at a desk a short distance away; though before Zirconia could begin studying the office and its' limited décor Winter had gestured to a chair that the Grasshopper Faunus should sit in before continuing "My apologies for the darkness….The lights, combined with a lack of sleep were giving me a headache"
Zirconia almost considered the wisdom of suggesting that Winter Schnee should rest or take a nap before deciding that it would be a dangerously ill-advised idea even if Remnant were not being actively threatened at that moment.
"I will be brief. This is a conversation that could have been handled with a scroll call or by passing on a message but I felt that a face to face conversation would be better suited, not least of all because I can better ensure that information is not reaching outside ears this way"
"General I wouldn't-I haven't-" Zirconia's stammered assurances were silenced by a single wave from Winter.
"Allow me to clarify" she interrupted "Damascus Nero has agreed to a temporary ceasefire and negotiations and logistics are being considered for an alliance against Pantheon given that they have proven themselves to be a common enemy. That being said I would not put it passed Nero try something brazen or dangerous if he knew your precise location"
"I-" Zirconia paused for a moment to consider her father figures' actions, long term plans and everything she knew and suspected of his current mental state before finally, with her eyes downcast simply nodding "I see"
"Good. I'm glad you understand the scope and severity of your situation" Winter's expression seemed to remain neutral only through a supreme amount of effort as she added "Because whilst the exact terms of our current arrangement are yet to be decided I don't doubt that Nero will argue for your return and may be willing to make it a condition of his cooperation; however I will not hand someone over, no matter their own crimes into a situation where they will be harmed….I won't be an accessory to the things that Nero has had inflicted upon his prisoners"
Zirconia swallowed thickly, the knowledge that Winter knew and understood everything that Nero had ordered or tacitly allowed, including the experiments conducted by the late Aefen Cruor making her gaze almost impossible for the younger woman to bear until finally she quietly, but with certainty rasped out her answer.
"Don't send me back to Damascus. I can't go back"
"You believe you would be harmed?"
"I don't think he'd ever order it….He's my Dad" Zirconia choked out, believing that the implication there, no matter what else Nero had done were slanderous "But Gestalt-Prime and Carmesi….After everything I've done, blowing both of them up to get away, betraying the mission….I think they'd kill me and even if they didn't I'd be locked away"
"I see" Winter nodded curtly, right eye twitching faintly with a suppressed anger at something Zirconia had said until she took a deep, slow breath and forced herself to press on "Then I will negotiate under the understanding that you are to remain in protective custody and that this is not debatable. Not unless Nero wishes to trade you for both Carmesi and Gestalt-Prime"
"He won't-"
"Precisely" Winter managed a faint smirk at that before her expression darkened "You said that you would be locked away?"
"Damascus had me confined to quarters aboard the Megalodon ever since Jidhir Town, he already told me that once we landed he would find a secure location to deposit me for the duration of his campaign so that I couldn't interfere further after I attempted to destroy Gestalt-Prime"
"I see" Winter repeated, her eye twitching again "Then perhaps the manor is the safest place for you….Given the way my father confined Weiss after the fall of Beacon you're in good company"
Zirconia had no answer to that, each new revelation she learned about Athena-Jade's extended family leaving her wondering just how her former partner had turned out as well adjusted as she had.
"Unless you would prefer to be moved elsewhere?" Winter asked, a seemingly genuine offer "Despite my demeanour I am not an unfeeling monster Shadowmoon and you have cooperated fully; I understand that being around your former team-mates and my family might be uncomfortable"
"I'd like to stay at Schnee Manor" Zirconia answered almost reflexively, pausing with a moment of uncertainty before adding "But I would also like to be useful….In any way I can, I believe that my….That Team MARS feel the same"
"Noted" Winter murmured, with the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips "Dismissed"
Training sessions and sparring matches between members of the Slate and Schnee family or their more distant and removed relatives were always lively affairs, those between two individuals capable of wielding the hereditary Schnee Semblance to its' full, versatile potential being by far the most fast-paced and spectacular to behold; invariably reaching a point where they resembled some fantastical duel between sorcerers plucked from a children's story as combat between Hunters.
With one such sparring match currently being underway out in an open, snow-covered courtyard of Schnee Manor between Athena-Jade and Arctus.
"I think you're getting ready to throw the towel in and have a dad bod!" Athena laughed as she flipped and cartwheeled over a horizontal swing of her brothers' sword and landed on a glyph in mid-air "I had my ribs shattered a couple of weeks ago, I shouldn't be running rings around you like this!"
Athena punctuated her point by leaping from her glyph to deliver an acrobatic spinning back kick which forced Arctus back and was delivered at an angle which allowed her follow up swing of Heartbreaker in its' hammer form to come surging downwards diagonally on a collision course for her brothers' sword arm and shoulder.
"You're doing a lot of running, a lot of jumping around as well" Arctus countered as he slipped his free hand beneath his sword and conjured a glyph of his own with an open palm, more glyphs appearing overtop it and forming a layered barrier against which Athena-Jade's momentum was broken and spent.
"Not much to show for it though" the older Bear Faunus added conversationally before dropping his glyph to send Athena staggering and in the same motion delivering a backhanded swing of Grimmiger-Henker at face height only for the smaller but no less powerfully built of the siblings to lean back and use the motion to throw herself into a backflip, snapping off a kick to keep Arctus at bay as she created some distance and shifted Heartbreaker into its' sword form; the moment allowing Arctus to see just how much influence his sister had taken from his own weapon in its' design.
"Well look at that, maybe there is something left for you to teach me after all" Athena teased, sticking her tongue out at Arctus from a safe distance before giving a wide and toothy smile as she flourished over-dramatically with her sword in order to distract from the shifting of her weight in preparation for assault.
"Of course there is pest, like how to sneak through the city without drawing media attention….I hear you and your partner had a date?" Arctus answered, is own teasing tone faltering as he saw Athena-Jade's expression rapidly shift between surprise, a momentary flicker of guilt and sadness and then anger.
"You suck!" Athena's yell was punctuated by a flash of brilliant white as she charged forwards at a full sprint and at the same time hurled a trio of small glyphs at her brother, Arctus realising that it was a variation of the saw-blade glyph technique which their mother had first invented wherein the projectiles had been miniaturised into something closer to a throwing star; the entire affair a distraction as Athena leapt into the air to deliver an overhead slash. Arctus's answer was his own variation of the saw-blade glyph, a larger shield-like conjuring without the faintly glowing, razor-edged rim which the older Bear Faunus had perfected the art of bouncing and ricocheting after watching countless hours of footage of the late great Pyrrha Nikos; as the glyph formed on the back of his left arm Arctus spun and launched it at a downward angle which saw the shield glyph knock Athena-Jade's projectiles away before hitting the ground and bouncing upwards at just the right angle to catch her leading leg as she reached the apex of her leap.
"Suck so bad!" Athena yelled, somewhat petulantly as her momentum was arrested and she found herself compacted into an uncomfortable crouch on the edge of the still moving glyph before throwing herself backwards off of it; unleashing the partial summoning technique she had developed to unfurl a pair of vast and ephemeral Nevermore wings upon which she soared away and prepared herself for another attack.
"Okay that's cool, I'll give you that" Arctus admitted quietly before retaliating with fully formed summoned Grimm in the form of a small pack of Beowolves whose incandescent forms shifted to a fiery red as the older Faunus imbued them with Dust and sent them rushing forth. Athena's glowing wings disappeared were replaced by four spindly and sharp clawed, lupine limbs sprouting from the small of her back which each conjured up a glyph.
It was utter devastation.
Arctus watched, stunned to see first-hand just how truly impressive and formidable his sister had become as Athena not only used her Semblance-made limbs to block and disable the summoned Grimm but also to seize them and hurl them aside before they could detonate when the Fire Dust within them ignited as planned
And then planting those same limbs into the snow-covered ground and using them to launch herself forwards with her sword at the ready.
"Hey seriously, if you and Stygian are a thing then cool; he seems nice!" Arctus chuckled weakly, words barely audible over the reverberating clang of Atlesian steel against Atlesian steel though as he and his sister fought for position and Arctus felt himself begin to slide backwards and be forced off-balance he caught sight of the look in his sisters' eyes and acted swiftly; throwing up a glyph into the small space between their bodies and under the shafts of their weapons with the effect of flinging them away from each other and breaking their locked weapons apart.
"Okay seriously, what's wrong?" Arctus demanded, holding a hand up to make it clear that his sister should not attack "Because something's upset you….If your partner did something I'll-"
"Don't be dumb Arctus, he wouldn't and if he ever did I'd handle it myself" Athena grumbled, clearly more annoyed by the insinuation and attack against her partners' character than the brotherly concern.
"Then what is it?"
"Okay….So the fact you don't already know means Coral didn't go and tell everyone, so that's something" Athena huffed, twirling her weapon in her hand and considering it for a moment before collapsing it down to a dormant form and letting out a long breath, eyes looking anywhere but at her brother as she spoke "I think I love Stitch, like really love him. He was there through the worst of things even when I pushed him away"
"That's…." Arctus trailed off for a moment "I'm gonna be honest here AJ I'm not seeing the complications"
"The complication is that I still love Hops as well" Athena let out a weak, vaguely watery chuckle "Complicated enough?"
"Yeah that'll do it" Arctus nodded "Have you spoken to either of 'em?"
"You're not gonna tell me I'm being an idiot, or that I'm crazy for still having feelings for Hops?"
Arctus could only snort and laugh at that.
"Hell no, you've met Dee's folks right?" the older Faunus sheathed his sword and stretched as he considered "Hell one of the first big threats Team FADE had to deal with was Team GORE before they were Team GORE and now Eagle and Hellion are married; I mean then there's our parents….I mean they've told you how they first met right?"
"Yeah, yeah they have" Athena chuckled again before sinking down into sitting position on the floor, heedless of the cold and damp, folding in on herself and burying her head in her hands "But I still feel like I'm being an idiot and I should know better-"
"Love makes you act like an idiot, trust me-"
"You were always an idiot" Athena stuck her tongue out at her brother as she retorted, only for Arctus to loom over her and ruffle her hair before shifting his weight so that he was leaning on her skull with his entire weight.
"First of all, rude. Pest" he noted casually, stepping away as Athena's flailing grew perilously close actually striking him "Second of all, it might be a little dumb to someone on the outside looking in and I can promise you that it's gonna be hard, it's gonna be complicated and there is a very, very real chance that this is gonna wrong….Especially where Zirconia is concerned"
"I know all of that-"
"But if it's what you want then I'm always gonna support you kid" Arctus pulled Athena up and into a brief, giving her a gentle punch on the shoulder as he added "But you're gonna have to talk to your two partners about it, they need to know how you feel and where everyone stands with each other"
"I just….Things are always so damn hard and I wish they weren't" Athena pouted "And I know how that sounds, some people don't have anyone to love and then here I am complaining about this but….Damn it it's almost funny that the best people to talk to about this would probably be Professor Scarlatina, or Professor Altan-"
"Yeah that's not gonna happen" Arctus shook his head, unable to hide his amusement at that particular notion.
"I don't suppose you've got any advice you can give me?" Athena asked, though her voice was filled with a matching amusement rather than any real hope as she knew her brothers' entirely limited relationship history well enough to understand what the answer would be.
"Nope" he shook his head, popping the P and allowing a wistful and faintly dreamy expression to cross his features "Honestly AJ, it's only ever been Diamond. It's been me and Dee since the first time I met her….We did kinda consider the idea of a threesome once but neither of us-"
"OKAY!" Athena exclaimed clamping her hands over her ears "I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW ALL OF THAT, IT'S DEFINITELY NOT WHAT I ASKED!"
"Yeah well, we were sharing" Arctus shrugged, openly laughing at his sisters' behaviour "But if you need to cleanse your soul….You wanna go hang out with Diamond and Selenite? Coral's probably there if she isn't at the SDC with Uncle Whit"
"Absolutely" Athena beamed, eager to spend time with her niece "And if the baby doesn't throw up on you then I just might after that"
With that the two of them departed towards the doors of the manor, teasing and gently shoving each other as they went; with Athena-Jade feeling marginally better about her predicament and allowing herself to believe that somehow, in spite of everything her hearts' desires might not end in disaster this time.
To say that Winter Schnee was a busy woman was an understatement of colossal proportions.
The General had scarcely slept in weeks and what little sleep she had managed to obtain could hardly be called restful and yet she still powered through her own limitations with a fervour and dedication that, were it not for her families' well-known and well-documented inherited Semblance might lead some to believe that Winter's superhuman ability was in fact to function without rest and at her full capacity regardless of circumstances; such was the image and mystique she had cultivated for herself. Her previous, brief conversation with Zirconia Shadowmoon and the preceding moments of silence in a darkened room to mitigate her growing migraine had in fact been her only respite between extended periods of handling threats both to her own Kingdom, in the form of the Creatures of Grimm and any other organised threat which might require the attention of her Hunters and Specialists at any given time and also the massive existential crisis demanding a combined effort from all of Remnants' defenders to keep at bay which Winter had found herself coordinating.
With the latter being the reason for her current departure from her flagship
Her footsteps clanged, particularly the metal of her cybernetic leg against the metal floor as she made her way through the depths of an Atlesian vessel whose relatively unremarkable size and classification as a haulage vessel, unsuited for combat making its' presence in the dull and iron-grey sky above the frozen Kingdom a simple fact which would largely escape the attention and suspicions of all but the most astute and paranoid of observers.
Though the fact that Damascus Nero could be counted amongst that number was a concern Winter would continue to seek out a solution to.
Eventually her determined march through the bowels of the vessels' expanded cargo hold brought her to an area which had been partitioned off and sealed behind several levels of security to ensure that only the few individuals cleared to enter the area, a secondary storage for classified and experimental equipment did so. Stepping inside Winter took in the sight that greeted her and realised that the majority of the secure and classified cargo area had been hastily transformed into a workshop of sorts which had seemingly been built around the single and immediately recognisable item within, one which the General had never personally seen used but understood had been proven to be effective during the opening stages of the first war against Salem even if Cinder Fall's actions had ultimately made it futile.
The Aura Transfer Machine and working on it was perhaps the only person who could ever reach such a secure location without being either a Hunter or a member of the Atlesian military.
"I would much rather have kept this close at hand….Professor Polendina did the vast majority of the original design work on this, I only really implemented the power source. Modifying it in the back of a tour bus is going to be difficult" Antonia Arc's grumbling had a clarity which ensured that her voice carried to Winter, the oldest of Jaune Arc's siblings then extricated herself out of machinery which she had been shoulder-deep in to reveal that her lab-coat, hands, face and hair were streaked with oil and muck as she offered a mocking salute and sardonic smile "But then we wouldn't actually get to meet in person would we?"
Winter was on the verge of delivering a sharp and clipped reminder of the chain of command and that whilst she allowed certain formalities to be overlooked she would not tolerate direct mockery or insubordination, only to choke on unspoken words as she remembered that Antonia Arc was not and had never been under her direct authority and that any attempt to act as though she were would lead to an argument, or at the very least Antonia becoming difficult to work with for the remainder of the day. Another small pang caught the General off-guard as she realised the truth in Antonia's words, that it had been years since she had seen not only the scientist who had inherited the late Professor Polendina's work but any of her fellow members of the cabal of Remnants' protectors in person or in fact how long it had been since she had allowed herself to devote herself to anything other than her ongoing mission. It was enough to convince Winter that if they should be successful against both Pantheon and Damascus Nero and his ilk that she would finally have earned a short break, the idea of venturing to the next Vytal Tournament alongside her students and reconnecting with old friends from outside of Atlas occurring to her until a voice in the back of her mind compared the idea to General Ironwood's ill-fated venture to Vale.
Realising that she was yet to actually answer the General cleared her throat and strode closer.
"I apologise for the inconvenience Antonia but I want the Aura Transfer machine on the move and hidden….It might be a matter of necessity for now but that doesn't mean that I'm comfortable with the idea of working alongside Damascus Nero-"
"Evidently not, given that you've asked me to help you double cross him" Antonia noted, taking a moment to attend to strands of greying-blonde hair that had fallen away from the ponytail her hair had been pulled into.
"Did you really expect otherwise?" Winter arched an eyebrow "Given that defeating Pantheon is both necessary and also an act which plays directly into Nero's hands only a fool would fail to take steps to counteract him….Unless you think taking all of Pantheon's power and resources and handing them neatly to Nero, so that he can wage a campaign of extermination against Hunters is an acceptable price to pay?"
"Of course not" Antonia scoffed "But, whilst I don't often deal in this side of things, the cloak and dagger and skulduggery I feel like I should point out that Nero will be trying to outplay you as well"
"I'd expect nothing less" Winter gave an almost feral grin "But until now he's had the advantage solely due to having been able to hide key pieces of information, including his goals. Now that we have the information we have the advantage….So long as you can provide?"
"Working with the Cyber-Grimm samples we've managed to recover has given me a basis to work from, but this is still uncharted territory Winter" Antonia answered, stepping back from her ongoing work and pausing for a moment as a deeply thoughtful look formed on her features "Primarily Aura transfer is something of a misnomer in this instance, what we'd be doing is actually Aura insertion-"
"Is that possible, or more difficult?" Winter enquired, bracing herself for the worst possible news.
"I've done it once before. You're aware of the case of my daughter in law yes?"
"Semblance allows her to project her consciousness into nearby animals-"
"With her Aura being the mechanism" Antonia nodded "In the second war against Salem Hellion's body was destroyed however her mind and thus enough of her Aura to work with were actually trapped within a pet bird….It took a year of research and testing but we transferred Hellion's consciousness and Aura into an android shell not unlike Penny….And Nickel Polendina. It's possible to insert a person's Aura into non-living material, but we've never tried with something actively hostile to life on the most fundamental levels like Grimm tissue"
"I understand" Winter wore a matching look of focus, taking in and processing the words of undisputed genius and trying to fathom a predicament "So it would, at least theoretically be possible for Nero to transfer his Aura and thus his consciousness into a Cyber-Grimm or more specifically Gestalt-Prime and thereby control Grimm en-masse"
"Potentially" Antonia admitted "Although I understand that he has never unlocked his Aura or been trained to wield it? Perhaps he doesn't plan to use himself as the donor?"
Winter's eyes narrowed and a cold, furious loathing seeped into her as she realised that there might be a very specific reason that Nero would want to keep Zirconia under lock and key; the anger however allowed her to simply refine and hone her thought process until something useful occurred to her.
"You mentioned the Polendina sisters, would it be possible to trick Nero into believing that the Aura transfer, or insertion machine as the case may be is working as intended whilst actually installing an artificial Aura, similar to what Penny and Nickel have into the Grimm subject?"
"Possibly, but I already dismissed that idea" Antonia admitted, seeing Winter's flabbergasted look and pressing on "You're thinking, hoping that we'd get a result like Penny….But you remember what Nickel was like when she first activated, our first combat model-"
"I remember the body count" Winter admitted with a shudder, realising Antonia's point "You think that would be the case?"
"I think that the way the Aura and, getting into metaphysics, the soul develops is beyond our ability to control and predict and that giving something that might turn out to be as violent and unpredictable as Nickel Polendina used to be access to that kind of power would be worse than everything we're currently facing….I think that giving a Grimm an Aura in general is a potential catastrophe"
"Do you have an alternative?"
"I'm working on something" Antonia assured the General with a sigh "I'm tentatively calling it 'Project Inertia', the basic principle as that we insert just enough Aura, detached from any semblance of consciousness into Gestalt-Prime or Pantheon to override their own intelligence and then simply deactivate it.
"Meaning what?"
"That we would have effectively lobotomised the Hive-Mind of the Grimm" Antonia answered "That whilst intelligent specimens might occur naturally elsewhere they would be far easier to manage….We could also potentially use this as a new way of disabling Spawning Pits"
"Excellent" Winter nodded, finding herself smiling from ear to ear as the first flicker of real hope ignited within her "Project Inertia will have my full backing….Just be sure to keep this classified, above top secret"
Nero could not be allowed to know that his own plans were being reworked and turned against him.
To a lesser man, one uninvolved in the scheming, machinations and outright strangeness of absurd proportions which had for Damascus Nero become a matter of fact and an accepted part of daily affairs the sight of Gestalt-Prime looming menacingly, their towering and monstrous form seeming even larger within a room too small to properly accommodate it would likely have been terrifying. Nero himself however simply regarded the cyclopean, yet distinctly lupine and metallic skull before him with a faint contempt and regarded Gestalt-Prime overall in much the same way that he would any particularly troublesome but skilled employee or unpleasant but unfortunately valuable customer or supplier during his time as a business owner steadily amassing wealth and influence through his conglomerate in Neo Vale.
It was an assurance which came with knowing that they had the better of this particular problem and had out-thought and an out-manoeuvred their foe; though Nero's confidence was certainly bolstered by the knowledge that Carmesi Hueso was stood behind Gestalt-Prime, any air of relaxed calm he might be affecting a ruse to hide just how ready he was to introduce his shotgun to the back of the Alpha Cyber-Grimm's neck at the slightest provocation.
"So you would have us ally with one enemy to face another?" Gestalt-Prime demanded, tail swishing and clawed digits drumming against the surface of a table with a metallic clatter as they prowled through the meeting room that the trio had gathered in; with Nero once again being unwilling to have Gestalt-Prime as a guest in his personal office so close to where he slept.
"Is that not the very foundation that our alliance has been built on this whole time?" Nero asked, quartz-coloured eyes gleaming with something close to mischief as he steepled his fingers, resting on the table and making a show of appearing thoughtful "Our entire arrangement was predicated, was it not on the idea of me granting you the means by which to take control of the Grimm as a species and the means by which you could evolve and advance the Grimm to the point of no longer needing to prey on humanity, to be a truly independent species. In return humanity has freedom from the attentions of your kind and therefore the freedom from the corruption of the Hunters"
"I know you plan to betray me"
"Of course" Nero smiled pleasantly "That is a reality that you ensured by making yourself impossible to trust. I know that you have your own plans and I know that the Hunters, despite this temporary alliance have their own plans too….I'm simply taking precautions"
"You plan to have your enemies kill one another because you cannot do it yourself" Gestalt-Prime sneered, looming over Nero and drawing so close that it caused Carmesi to bristle and draw closer yet the monster remained unperturbed "Weakness….Just know that you will fail; my reign over the Grimm will be absolute, the Grimm will ascend and humanity will have no part to play in the future. Nothing you or these Hunters can do will change that"
"Weakness….Yet here you stand on my ship, in a body made at my behest and waiting to go to war against Pantheon with my Cyber-Grimm at your back" Nero held the Alpha Cyber-Grimm's gaze for a moment before adding "You're dismissed"
Gestalt-Prime let out a low, metallic shrieking sound before turning and stalking out of the room, presumably to join the Cyber-Grimm currently in the air around the Megalodon or stalking along its' living hull in the frigid air above Atlas; leaving Nero and Carmesi alone though the Komodo Dragon Faunus waited a while to be certain that the monster was out of earshot before speaking, his remaining eye narrowing as he did so.
"For all of her flaws Zirconia was right about one thing….We will need to be rid of that Grimm soon enough"
"Soon enough" Nero agreed "That is the plan, but the plan cannot progress without them"
"You think that the plan will work?" Carmesi asked, a question Nero knew to be rhetorical given that Carmesi's commitment to the cause was absolute and unquestioned and rather a prelude to the more genuine question which followed "You think that Branwen's former followers will see the wisdom of the plan and provide the Aura Transfer Machine?"
"Oh I don't suppose it will be that straightforward at all" Nero shook his head with a grin that was rendered lopsided by the tight scar tissue along the right side of his jawline "But let us consider the realities of the situation. Pantheon is a threat to Remnant which cannot be allowed to go unchecked and one which conventional methods of combating the Grimm have proven ineffective against, which means that other methods will have to be considered sooner or later"
"The anti-Grimm weapons that broke the siege of New Vale?" Carmesi asked, hurrying through the words as he knew just how sore of a subject that particular battle was to Damascus; Salem's efforts to sink the city having cost Nero his arm, so many of his friends and been the reason he had raised Zirconia "Or Ruby Rose-"
"They haven't tried to use either in two weeks" Nero answered "Which is informative. It suggests to me that General Schnee knows that neither option will not work and cannot risk that fact becoming common knowledge….At present our plan seems to be the only viable solution that anyone has presented, which is likely the only reason that General Schnee is willing to entertain the idea of an alliance at all. They'll work with us Carmesi, it's a matter of time, however it will also require caution"
"They're going to betray us" Carmesi nodded, the words leaving him in a snarl.
"Of course" Nero murmured "These Hunters, they haven no problem with the degree of control that our plan could allow us to wield, they just can't abide not being the ones to have that control….They'll agree to my plans and then they will stab us in the back, either through sabotage or direct violence at the last moment"
"Then how do we ensure that they don't?" Carmesi demanded "We're so close….Despite everything we're so close to everything we've done being worth it, to having the new Remnant"
"I know" Nero breathed out, a hint of sympathy for the younger man's frustrations mingling with his own tiredness "Our answers will depend on the form their treachery takes, meaning that for now at least we simply wait and prepare ourselves as much as we can….We wait for Schnee, Gestalt-Prime, Pantheon-all of them to start making mistakes and we use our enemies distractions with each other to our advantage and then we remove them once they've outlived their usefulness. What's left will be beautiful, it will be the bright new tomorrow"
Carmesi could only let out a rumbling chuckle at that.
"Well we've certainly got enough enemies for it"
The sun had set over the icy Kingdom of Atlas, bathing Schnee Manor and the colossal mountain whose snow-capped peak the manor was built upon in light from the broken moon. Within the large and extravagant mansion however the cold was of little concern and in fact seemed somehow to make the warmth and cosiness within more noticeable and comfortable as Zirconia, having returned to the manor several hours ago joined Team MARS in Astra's room; where it was an open secret that Regalia was also sleeping.
As the five of them huddled together, far closer than they strictly needed to given the size of the room Zirconia realised that it was in fact the first time since the five of them had arrived at Schnee Manor that they had all been in the same place for more than a passing moment; a fact which both saddened the Grasshopper Faunus but also set her on edge as instincts screamed at her to insist that this was not simply a matter of being sociable and that Astra had gathered them together for a reason. Such thoughts were derailed slightly by sensation of Athena-Jade's hand and upper arm brushing against her own with no more force or effect than a gentle breeze, yet still enough to demand Zirconia's attention and leave her casting furtive glances at the Bear Faunus. Athena herself had sequestered herself between Zirconia and Stygian, the three of them sharing Astra's bed whilst Athena looked nervously between her two partners with a vague sense of distraction, as though there were other matters troubling her that it was neither the time nor the place to tackle and was instead distracting herself.
The sight of her fingers brushing gently against the back of Stygian's cybernetic hand was enough for Zirconia to look elsewhere and avoid the twisting, sinking feeling in her stomach.
Astra had taken a seat opposite the bed and was currently gathering their thoughts whilst Regalia was close by, sitting on a windowsill and contentedly eating a comically large sandwich which, by Zirconia's estimation included a dozen or more ingredients that she could readily identify and others she couldn't in layers which formed precisely the sort of odd combinations the Racoon Faunus enjoyed experimenting with; Zirconia was part way through examining her friends' work when Astra finally found their voice and spoke up.
"I know we haven't really all had a chance to figure out where we stand….We've all had stuff going on and things have been chaotic, for everyone not just us" the Deer Faunus paused, studying their teams' expressions and having no need to specify what was meant "I just wanna make sure that we're all on the same page about what happens next?"
"What does happen next?" Stygian asked, Zirconia glancing in his direction and catching a distinctly wary look in the Mouse Faunus's electric blue eyes; though she found that she could not fault him for that given the extent of the injuries he had suffered in the tundra.
"Heh, nobody knows….That's kinda the problem" Regalia chimed in, to which Astra nodded in agreement and followed on.
"Regalia and I spoke with my brother earlier" Astra noted "According to Felix there's no real plan yet….There's a giant Grimm castle coming out of the sea that Hunters from everywhere are trying to contain, Nero's here in Atlas somewhere and then there's the usual Grimm and stuff and there's less people to hold the line and nobody has a plan….Guys I don't want us to run off and do something reckless again unless we have to, but I'm not crazy for thinking that there needs to be more happening right?"
"Maybe we're just not being told….I mean, we're not qualified Hunters and we're not part of the actual chain of command?" Athena mused, expression uncertain as she tried to decide whether that would be better or worse "I was training early with Arctus and he didn't mention anything….It wasn't really that kind of conversation though, so I don't know"
Athena trailed off, uncommonly uncertain in the face of the eyes now on her whilst Astra quietly processed the information; with Zirconia watching them and realising that if they did not intervene the Deer Faunus's thought process would be based on incomplete information and lead them, all of them towards dangerous and wrong-headed ideas.
With that in mind she cleared her throat and spoke quietly.
"There is….If not a plan, something of a general idea forming. When I spoke with General Schnee early today I was told some thing and believe I can deduce others, I trust we all understand that whatever I say next is not to be repeated?" the Grasshopper Faunus had to wait only a moment to receive the answer she needed in the form of eager nods "I gave General Schnee all of the information that I have in relation to Damascus-to Nero's ultimate goal, how everything he's done so far fits together and what his goal is….He wants to use a mixture of Cyber-Grimm technology, the Human and Grimm hybridisation that we saw at Pikesreach and an experimental Aura Transfer Machine that Atlas has to effectively make the Grimm, all of them a tool"
"Holy shit" Astra breathed out, the scope and sheer audacity of the former chairman's plan striking them like a solid thing.
"He really thinks he can take what happened at Pikesreach at make it worth it? Make it anything other than murder?" Stygian demanded in a low, hateful whisper "That bastard!"
"But what about my Aunt?" Athena asked in hushed tones "What's happening?"
"The General spoke to me today and asked if I would be willing to consider being returned to Nero and the Megalodon as part of a deal between the two of them. I told her that I wouldn't" Zirconia added quickly, seeing the alarm flaring across Athena's face and allowing herself to feel grateful for it before pushing onwards "But I think that's the plan….Or at least part of it. An alliance of convenience; take out the new Grimm problem first and then deal with Nero afterwards"
"It might be too late afterwards" Regalia observed pointedly.
"Maybe" Astra agreed "But I doubt General Schnee is just gonna hand everything that Nero needs over to him on a plate right?"
"I don't know" Zirconia admitted "But I did tell General Schnee that I wanted to be useful in any way possible and that you all felt the same….So whatever you decide Astra and whatever happens next I'm with you….If you'll all have me?"
There was a moment of tense, heavy silence wherein Zirconia glanced between each of her former friends and then to Stygian Blue; with the Mouse Faunus being the first to speak.
"I wanted to kill you at Pikesreach and I wanted to kill you at Jidhir Town" he admitted openly "I don't want to kill you now. Don't get me wrong, we're a long way from being friends but you helped get us off of the Megalodon and honestly….The only people I've really got outside of this room are my Mum and maybe Tiger, I think at least one of them would give me a speech about giving you a chance to be more than your mistakes and they've both lost as many people as I have"
"Thank you" Zirconia breathed out, that Stygian was so willing to at least try to forgive was frankly surprising and yet she still worried that it might not be enough; that the fact the Mouse Faunus had not been a part of the original Team MARZ would mean her betrayal had stung less.
Then Athena-Jade spoke.
"You already know where I stand, I don't have to say it" the Bear Faunus swallowed thickly before reaching out and giving Zirconia's hand a gentle squeeze and shooting Astra and Regalia questioning glances whilst Zirconia privately tried to steady herself and maintain a level of composure instead of simply pulling Athena into a crushing hug there and then.
"You were one of my first friends" the Racoon Faunus answered, a rare hint of real sadness and pain in her words "My first real friends, people outside of Clan Aiktishaf….You took something special from me, from all of us when you left and damn it I want it back, even if things can never be the same"
"I think I wanted to kill you as much Stitch did, I really fucking hated you over the summer" Astra admitted, that particular truth being unexpected and painful for it yet Zirconia could only nod solemnly "Because you were the one person on this team I could always rely on….AJ didn't like me, didn't want me as a leader at first, I wasn't the partner Regalia or the leader and friend that any of you needed and deserved at first. You though, you were a constant Zirconia, you got the job done and no matter what else was happening with the team or the shit we got ourselves involved in I knew I could count on you and that you had all of our backs….Can I still count on you?"
Zirconia saw that Astra's eyes were faintly watery and a fresh wave of shame and revulsion at her own actions washed over her, seeping into every fibre of her being before being fought back by bright and defiant hope.
"You can count on me. More than ever"
"Then yeah Zirconia, we'll have you on the team" Astra grinned, wiping their eyes and smearing their dark makeup in the process before allowing themselves a weak chuckle "So that's at least something settled, we know that there's a plan in the works and we know we want in on it….What next?"
"Heh, I guess we should figure out what the team is called now?" Regalia noted before returning her focus to her oversized sandwich whilst Astra silently puzzled over the possible acronyms, visibly working things out on their fingers and gesturing vaguely to individual members of the team before shrugging.
"Team MARSZ….or Team MARZS, one of the two….First one sounds better" they shrugged again, almost deliberately oblivious to the baffled looks that their friends were giving them as they each tried to process that the two variations of the team name had somehow sounded like distinctly different words; something which Athena was the first to voice her confusion at.
"How the hell did you just make those sounds?" she demanded "How are you doing that with your mouth?"
"That's what she said" Stygian quipped almost reflexively, only to find himself booed and attacked with a pillow for his poor humour.
Author's Notes:
Well, we now have a scene with all five of them together again and the new team name which I'd been deliberately avoiding using is official; it's Team MARSZ….Which is pronounced exactly the same way as Team MARZ and Team MARS. Yes I'm taking the piss just a little bit.
And since this is the last chapter 0f 2023, happy new year.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Everything about Gestalt-Prime's recovery sac thing is supposed to be disgusting.
So they've been healing and giving themselves a tune up for the last two weeks and at the same time they've been speeding up Cyber-Grimm production and planning.
So yeah Carmesi's got a new look as well, no cybernetic eye for him though; just an eyepatch.
"We have the same number of eyes" I snorted as I typed it.
Gestalt-Prime isn't dumb, they knew that everyone was gonna try and backstab everyone the second they heard the word alliance.
It's a little nuts to see Carmesi this calm, he is refusing to be bothered by anything at this point.
Stardust was initially a nod to Weiss's trike from that one skit in Chibi that I made a thing in Downward Spiral and Whitley's car collection was something I started in FADE.
….And then there's the Bat-Station Wagon.
What are big brothers for if not to be a bit of a dick at every opportunity.
"If we weren't wanted here then we would have been sent somewhere" is a very good point.
But Felix also makes several good points from a place of experience.
Yeah it's not really 'Freedom' if you're leaving the manor to go and have a chat with someone who interrogated you the last time you saw them.
Yeah telling Winter to go lie down is probably never a good idea.
So yeah Winter isn't gonna trade Zirconia for cooperation, because Zirconia would absolutely get killed off if she was on the Megalodon.
Oh yeah, Winter comparing Nero to Jacques is a definite sign of how little she thinks of him.
Seriously though, Schnee on Schnee violence at a high level is a wizards' duel as much as it is a fight.
Of course AJ and Arctus tease each other while sparring.
And it sounds like AJ taking Stygian out for dinner after he got his new arm was noticed by people….It might have been newsworthy if there wasn't a Grimm fortress in the middle of the sea.
Okay the throwing star glyph and the counter by using a glyph like Pyrrha/Captain America's shield was just fun in my head.
The time-delayed exploding constructs is one of Arctus's special moves, one that worked really well as a team effort with Felix.
See this is why Arctus is good for AJ to talk to here, as nuts as things are he can put some things in perspective "Oh you still love the criminal….The one who was on the wrong side of things for a while, like my in-laws were, like my team-mates' wife was, like our Dad and Aunt Blake were for a while"
Arctus is out here telling people to break the first rule of fan-fiction and actually communicate.
Can you imagine how that conversation between AJ and one of the Professors at Breaktide who was in a poly relationship would actually go?
Nobody want to know about their siblings having threesomes lol.
So the Aura Transfer Machine has been removed from storage and is being prepared/modified.
Yeah Antonia Arc does not take kindly to being ordered by Winter.
Also; the cabal really don't meet with each other face to face any more unless it's people who work/live in the same building….Winter should definitely go and take a holiday at some point.
Of course Winter is planning to stab Nero in the back.
This scene was honestly a good chance to better solidify exactly what Nero wants to do and how certain seemingly obvious plans to counter it wouldn't work.
It's less of a transfer and more of a forceful insertion of a soul/Aura into something never intended to sustain one….With the fact that Nero doesn't actually have an unlocked aura naturally raising some questions.
You could potentially try and create and Aura/soul from scratch and place it into Pantheon/Gestalt-Prime but the risk would be way too high because there's no telling how it would develop; you could literally just have Pantheon or Gestalt-Prime with am Aura and the potential to develop a Semblance.
So instead the plan is to give the Hive-Mind of the Grimm a lobotomy and neutralise Spawning Pits
Nero is very confident….Easy to when the thing staring you down as a shotgun pointed at it.
He does make a good point when arguing with Gestalt-Prime though "Allying with one problem to fix another problem has been the essence of the plan all along".
Because Gestalt-Prime doesn't know the full extent of the plan and the end goal they're making their own assumptions, although the idea of having Hunters and Gestalt-Prime kill each other is probably one Nero wouldn't mind.
"Weakness….Yet here you stand on my ship, in a body made at my behest and waiting to go to war against Pantheon with my Cyber-Grimm at your back" that was a cold line.
I've enjoyed writing Nero because once again he's proving himself to be a smart villain; realising that a) He's going to get backstabbed and that he has to work around that again and b) That the reason that they haven't sent Ruby to fix the problem is because she can't.
"Well we've certainly got enough enemies for it" and whose fault is that?
Yay for a full team scene, finally.
AJ, you need to talk to your partners you can't just be giving both of them mixed signals.
Yeah Stygian is allowed to be a bit nervous about getting back into it considering that he got his arm cut off two weeks ago.
"Guys I don't want us to run off and do something reckless again unless we have to"….But they're already thinking about it.
AJ does make a solid point, they might not be told about a plan but it could still be happening; as Zirconia proved.
Trust Astra to be the one to be impressed by the audacity of a plan; they are the 'Bat-shit crazy plans' specialist.
It felt right for Zirconia to be the one to have some impetus here, to be the one sort of leading things but still needing to know that she had the team with her.
Stygian's Mum lost everyone she cared about at Pikesreach, however few it was and his old partner Tiger and her twin brother, if you remember are orphans; so yeah they'd probably have a speech for him.
Letting Regalia and Astra say their peace felt needed as well….Especially Astra coming out and saying the Zirconia was always the most reliable and consistent part of the team; because think back to Vol.01-03 first year, she really was.
And then naturally a bit of light banter and jokes to end the chapter as well as make the name official.
Thank you to for their MajorBrony95 review on the last chapter.
Oh you think this is the boogeyman...It's funny because I'm writing Vol.10 and I know what's coming.
It's not so much how much stronger Pantheon is, it's just how far down they are. Ruby would have to get her Silver Eye to reach from mid-air down to the seafloor.
As an Uncle...You cover the kids' ears or you learn to substitute swear words.
Yeah there's an attack coming next Chapter and without spoilers I think it might just be my favorite and certainly weirdest Creature of Grimm yet.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.