Volume 3, Chapter 25:

If there was one thing the Doctor dreaded and hoped that would never come to life, it would be having tense arguments with Weiss Schnee. Yet, here they were, alone in the TARDIS with Weiss having a concerned and pissed off look which made the Doctor wonder exactly what caused her to act like this after the outburst he had.

Weiss: Tell me what you know. Everything!

The Doctor: *sighs* I pretty much did. My outburst made me reveal everything you should know about the laws of time and its consequences.

Weiss: Yeah, I know. Pre-established events and fixed time points, right? Tell me what you knew, Doctor, or else I'll smack you so hard you'll forget your memories again! Did you already know about all of this?

The Doctor: The only times the laws of time have been broken are when you absorbed the time vortex to destroy the Weeping Angels and when we contained the Void with the help of a few Doctors. They're very risky and needed to be done properly to avoid total collapse.

Weiss: Still doesn't answer my question! Did you know?

The Doctor: We're in a difficult situation right now Weiss...we are having to make the hardest choices even if we didn't want to. That's why we need to get everyone together and-

Weiss: Atlas! Mantle! Did you know? DID YOU KNOW THEY WERE GOING TO FALL? ARE THEY FIXED POINTS THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN?

The Doctor: I... I don't know...

Weiss: Yes, you do. That's why you are so eager to get everyone evacuated. Why you're not doing anything else besides confronting Salem, Ironwood, and evacuating the civilians! You know damn well that Atlas and Mantle are going to fall and you won't do anything about it! I thought it was simply of taking the relic of creation but here you are! Keeping a devastating secret from all of us, from me!

The Doctor: No, Weiss! It's not that I won't, it's that I can't! You heard me when I explained the consequences. If we do anything to change the outcome leading to Salem's defeat, it could be catastrophic! This is our only chance to do what is necessary and get the people rescued while spreading the word across the Remnant so when the times comes that we all need to face Salem and her army, we'll be ready!

Weiss: There it is...there's what I wanted to hear...you just admitted that Atlas and Mantle need to fall just so the timeline can continue to defeat Salem...

The Doctor: Believe me, I'm not happy about it either. Do you remember...what I mentioned in the aftermath after the whole Angels situation few days back? Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones. But you still have to choose. This...this is one of those moments...

Weiss: *sniffs and wipes my tears* It's one thing to just find out that Atlas will fall when we retrieve the Staff but to know about it for such a long time...

The Doctor: Cities, landmarks, they can be repaired eventually but lives can't Weiss. Imagine if you were in my position and had to have all these thoughts in my mind!

Weiss: *breathes and looks at him* You go your way. Okay? You go your way away and we'll go ours. This is just...too much for me...

The Doctor could have reached out to her or tried to continue talking to her but instead, he let her go. He knows this is her home and this is too emotionally distraught for her. He knew she needed a breather and eventually, that difficult choice of Atlas falling will come in her hands as well. As Weiss exited out of the TARDIS, she wiped her tears and fixed herself so no one would notice as the police box behind her disappeared. As she made it back to the dining room, she was meet with looks from everyone, awaiting her response.

Weiss: *sighs* I tried talking him out of it and to change his mind. He wouldn't.

Nora: *crosses arms* Well, if it hadn't been for SOMEONE *glares at Ren* Who decided to cross the personal line with the Doctor, we wouldn't be in this mess!

Yang: We're wasting more time by chatting. Look, we'll do what we need to do...but we'll keep in touch. Doc made sure our scrolls are still useful even if Ironwood cut the communications.

Ruby: I guess this is where we part then. Yang, be careful...

Yang: *Nods* Thanks. You too.

Nora: I'm going with Ruby.

Ren: Nora? But what about Mantle?

Nora: Oh, I'm saving Mantle! Because I actually believe we can do this!

Ren could only feel more emotional pain and regret by the way he has acted but he still decides to join Yang as Jaune, Oscar, and Dalek Khan follow as well while Ruby got Weiss, Blake, Nora, and Penny by her side.

Jaune: Yang is the only person whose scroll will still work so if anything goes down or changes, we'll have her alert you guys.

Dalek Khan: I will alert you as well!

Weiss: *nods* Got it. See you guys soon!

And with that, both teams went their separate ways but still filled with doubt, sadness, and conflict. On the rooftop from the restaurant, Ruby's team hide behind the air conditioners and observe on how to get up to Atlas again. Weiss's had an idea to life them up with her powers but there's too many of them which could be a bit complicated. Fortunately, she was quick enough to think of a new plan.

Maria: I can get Pietro out to Amity to prepare, but that doesn't answer how we're getting all of you up to Atlas.

Weiss: I might actually have an new idea f-

Her idea was halted when a loud beeping noise came from one of their scrolls as they all looked at them but none were getting a call except for one person, Penny. She looked at her scroll with a very concerned expression to see General Ironwood calling to her. She took a deep breath before accepting the call and putting it on speaker.

Ironwood: Hello, Penny. I'm worried for your safety. Tell me where you are and I'll have you picked up right away. Atlas needs you, Penny. Salem is here.

Ruby: *grabs Penny's scroll* She's not going anywhere until you change your mind about Mantle. There's still a chance for Remnant to be-

Ironwood: Mantle...You're still worried about Mantle?! Remnant is doomed, Ruby. Unless we leave, Salem will destroy Atlas and with it, any hope Humanity has left. We need to think about the future. If she makes it through our defenses, everything that follows will be on your hands.

The Doctor: Personally, I like our chances better if everything is on our hands than yours, James. I'm already running rapid fire in getting these civilians to safety.

The girls were caught off guard hearing The Doctor's voice including Ironwood as the Doctor hacked into the communications system. Despite their argument not that long ago, Weiss couldn't help but show a small smile at the Doctor up to his usual shenanigans and it was hard to stay angry at him when she knew at this very critical moment, difficult choices are to be made.

The Doctor: Right now, what matters most is getting the people of Mantle off AND spreading the message across Remnant, whether you like it or not!

Ironwood: You are truly an idiot if you think you're gonna be able to save those people down there without our help!

The Doctor: Personally, I like to see myself more as a madman and who said anything about your help? That's why we're here. You see James, there might be soldiers on your side that follow orders but we aren't soldiers, we're much more than that. Sometimes, the smaller but mightiest group can outgain the bigger army. Best part is we're split up but United! Whatever happens here and now, to Atlas and Mantle, there's one thing you like everyone else should know.

Ironwood: And what would that be exactly? That people will struggle to survive and Salem wins?

The Doctor: Nope. No matter what happens here and now, one thing is certain and Salem knows it very well. Remnant Stands!

The communication was cut which ended the conversation as the girls looked at each other with a now more hopeful and motivated attitude to get this done. Weiss, was slowly beginning to understand the Doctor's reasoning and in that moment, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake's scrolls rang with a message from him as well.

The Doctor: Transporting evacuees to different parts of Remnant and spreading the message. It's your turn now.

Ruby: He's...already evacuating people beneath the crater!

Nora: He's confident and he's not stopping. We just heard him release his emotions of not being able to save his home world. Now he's doing everything to make sure ours doesn't either.

Blake: This is his home as well. Let's get going!

After the abrupt conversation with the Doctor, Ironwood turned off his scroll in frustration while Winter was in a medical bed, recovering from the fight she went through against Cinder but she heard the Doctor's words. She acted like she was only resting and not caring about the call but inside, that determination grew in her of needing to do what was right. She thought that it was perhaps time to stand with the Doctor. Her thoughts were interrupted when two soldiers came in and spoke with the General.

Crewmate: Sir, the prisoners have arrived. They're being processed in Stockade B.

Winter: Qrow and Robyn?

Ironwood: *sighs and looks at her* Thank you, Winter. I don't know what I would do without you. *Looks away* I've never- no one has seen a Grimm force nor attack force this large before. The city's Hard-Light shields will hold, but not forever.

Winter: What will you do...sir?

Shouting was heard from outside the room as some of the Atlas guards were trying to hold back the council members trying to enter and wanting answers from Ironwood as he looked on with a very cold glare.

Ironwood: I'm going to do everything I can to defend this kingdom. *pulls out my gun* No matter the cost.

Sleet: This is absurd! Let us through!

Camilla: What in God's name do you think you're doing, James?!

Sleet: And what's this about martial law? Have you lost your damn mind?! Are you that scared of what-

BANG!

The loud gunshot from Ironwood silenced the room as the people there witnessed Ironwood kill Councilman Sleet on sight as Camila only watched and trembled. Ironwood turned around and walked the other way, making his leave while Winter watched on with a heavy concerned expression. She could recall back to the Doctor's comparison of Ironwood to his Rassilon and she was beginning to see it.

She was not the only one who felt that way as across the other medical room, Marrow and the rest of the Ace-Ops watched what just happened. No one said a word nor looked at each other while Marrow looked over the bed where the body of Clover laid on then looked over at the body of Councilman Sleet on the ground in the hallway. Marrow knew very well this was beginning to get out of hands. On the other side of the Academy where the prison cells are located were both Qrow and Robyn alongside two unexpected encounters that are also inside their own cells: Jacques Schnee and Arthur Watts.

Robyn: *sighs* This is your fault. You realize that, don't you? All I wanted was to bring people together, to give them a chance at a better life. But you...*glares at Jacques*

Jacques: Me? I am a victim! I'll admit I was duped. Used! And although my hands may not be clean, at least I am not *looks at Qrow* a murderer!

Robyn: He didn't kill anybody! And I'm not gonna stand here and be lectured by some snake with a mustache who helped that man tear us all apart!

Arthur Watts: Yes, well... I suppose we're all stuck in it together now. After all, little chaos is a wonderful thing.

Jacques: Speak for yourself, I know the right people. I'm sure Whitley has reached out to my legal team and will have me out of here before you can say-

Robyn: SHUT UP!

It all went silent as no one spoke until a buzzer was heard and doors opened with two guards coming in and pulling Arthur Watts out from his cell, confusing everyone including himself.

Arthur Watts: You do realize you already caught me?

One of the guards slammed his gun on Watt's neck from behind, knocking him out cold and being dragged away while the others watched.

Robyn: *sighs* I hate not being able to do anything...*sits down*

Qrow: We can do something...*looks up holding Clover's pin* We can kill the man who put us here...

Back down in Mantle, Yang and her team of Jaune, Ren, Oscar, and Dalek Khan were gathering the civilians and helping them evacuate towards the crater where they could stay warm and wait for full evacuation soon. Unbeknownst to them, the Doctor has already evacuated a good portion of the people of Mantle. The plan for evacuation was still easier said than done.

Jaune: Only take what you need.

Disgruntled Grandmother: Do we really gotta shack up with those animals down in the slums? I'd feel a lot safer being up in Atlas.

Yang: Yeah, I'm sure you would. But the people up top have decided you're not worth the trouble. The Faunus, on the other hand, have been willing to lend all the help they can. Regardless of whether or not you deserve it.

Disgruntled Grandmother: I don't want to go to the slums.

Mother: Mother!

Disgruntled Grandmother: General Ironwood said we were going to Atlas.

Mother: You're setting a bad example!

Disgruntled Grandmother: Those kids should...

Neighbor: To hell with Ironwood! The only person we should only be listening to is the Doctor! He's the only one actually moving his ass around all of Remnant, helping us get to safety and temporary home while all of this happens. Ironwood has stopped all evacuations to Atlas. The Doctor hasn't, so suck it up and move along lady!

Oscar: It should not be this hard getting people to just cooperate. (Ozpin: And yet, it's something I'm becoming increasingly concerned about.)

Yang, Ren, and Jaune all noticed their attempts struggling at moving people around but they have been listening to Dalek Khan and following the evacuation procedures. They couldn't tell whether because he's a Dalek or because they know he's the Doctor's friend. Either way, the haunting words of the Doctor continue to grow on them as Yang looked up at Atlas, hoping Ruby and company have made it. From the shadows however, a dark, large creature preyed on the group with its eyes set on Oscar.

On the other side of town, Penny watched from a rooftop as more people were being evacuated while Ruby and the others waited for the entry towards one of the private properties. It wouldn't take long till one of the Happy Huntresses, May Marigold, came in and opened the gate for all of them to enter and make their way in.

Nora: Thanks again for coming.

May: Don't mention it. Once Robyn learned about Amity Tower, she wouldn't shut up about it. Wherever she is, I'm sure she would want us doing what we can to get it up in the air and get the world talking again. Besides, Fiona's got your friends helping out in my stead and from what I've heard, there's been major movement with about 25% of the people in the crater already evacuated.

Blake: He's already moving ahead of any of us. He was really serious.

May: Must be scary to see him angry.

Ruby: You have no idea. It's rare too to see him angry. *Looks around* Are you sure this is safe?

Inside, they were in a shipping factory with Atlas Robo Knights doing their usual works and ignoring the presence of the girls. They noticed the tubes which go up as they see packages going through.

Weiss: Snow Shoe Shipping is an SDC subsidiary, meaning all the drones here report to the company, not the general. The pneumatic tubes allow for Dust refined in the crater to be sent straight up to Atlas. We just need to find the one for the military base.

Blake: Are there any buildings in Atlas that your family doesn't own?

Weiss: *blinks* That, isn't relevant at the moment.

Ruby: *giggles then looks over at Penny* Hey.

Penny: *looks at Ruby then looks down* I do not like it when friends fight.

Ruby: I know. Yang and I may not agree on how best to save Mantle but-

Penny: No. I mean Winter. The general. They were our friends. But then the Ace Ops attacked you. And the general, he said people were going to die, because of me.

Ruby: *grabs Penny's hands and holds them tight* That was a lie. And he was only saying it to hurt you.

Penny: I was the protector of Mantle, but now, I am much more than that, and I wish I was not.

Ruby: But, you're still you, Penny. By becoming the Winter Maiden, you did protect Mantle. You are doing the most incredible thing right now and that's giving people a glimpse of good and hope.

Penny: *smiles softly* Thank you, Ruby.

Ruby lunged herself for a comforting hug to Penny to which the android returns it gently. The two continue to share a hug while Ruby hid her blushing face on Penny's shoulder until they heard Nora calling everyone over.

Nora: I found it!

Blake: I suppose there's no turning back now.

May: *Points at Penny* Between our secret weapon, and my Semblance *Turns invisible for a second*, you all couldn't be in better hands.

Nora: So how do we use this thing?

Weiss: *approaches it and looks up* It should be simple. If you lie back in the tube and press launch, it'll send us up immediately. *Salutes the girls* See you girls on the other side.

Using her Sonic Myrtenaster, she activates the launch button as Weiss goes up flying with a scream of surprise and adventurous, leaving the rest of the girls completely shocked by this sudden change of the Ice Queen.

Blake: Did she just...

Ruby: That's what happens when you have the Doctor as your boyfriend.

Back at the crater, as people continued to warm themselves up with the heat pillar left by the Doctor, more civilians have arrived but it does not seem as packed as earlier after The Doctor came to take groups of civilians and transport them to different places around the world. Leading the whole plan at the moment were the two Happy Huntresses, Fiona and Joanna.

Fiona: No, Crimson, I need you and your team over in Sector 11. Mantle police are helping us clear the hospital, but they're going to need backup.

Joanna: You're doing great, Fi. Robyn would be proud.

Fiona: I feel like you should be doing this after flexing on the news like that.

Joanna: *chuckles* How else was I supposed to get the word out? Besides, it seems to be working.

Fiona: The message is being sent and heard, loud and clear. You flexing on the news then the Doctor having people spread the message as well. If anything, we're advancing than expected. *Sees more civilians arriving* Oh! Where are you guys coming from?

Yang: That would be Sector 7.

Fiona: You cleared 7 already? That's great! To be honest, I wasn't sure how you'd be doing without all of your teammates.

Yang: Well, as you can see we're doing just fine.

Oscar: But where are you putting everyone?

Dalek Khan: The TARDIS can carry a maximum of 150 people inside and the Doctor has already taken 4 turns which sums the total to 600 people now evacuated.

Joanna: As Fiona was telling me, because of him we're advancing. He's just coming in, gathering enough people, and leaving.

Fiona: And as for those still here or just arriving, we're working to get most of them settled in houses or other shelters. A large portion of the community is also trying to get old mine shafts into a livable condition.

Yang: *sighs softly and looks at my team* He's doing both at once and we can't even do it right with the girls.

Jaune: No one is to blame, Yang. It's just more challenging for us than him.

Yang: But he was right...in moments of desperation, we become careless of how we feel towards each other and just lose it...

Ren: There's no time to think about our thoughts and feelings! We need-

Fiona: STAY OUT OF THERE!

This startled the crew as Fiona projected out a map to mark down the situation and find alternative routes for the ship coded "Morbius". The others approached while Dalek Khan detected threats in the north of Mantle.

Yang: What's happening?

Fiona: It's a Cybermen attack! They're preventing Morbius from passing through and there's lots of civilians with them. We also have Crimson having Grimm trouble in the east.

Yang: No problem then, we'll go to the east and handle the Grimm for Crimson to pass through.

Dalek Khan: I will head north to deal with the Cybermen.

Yang: W-What, Khan-

Dalek Khan: I will be fine. Focus on the objective!

Moving outside the tent, Dalek Khan begins to levitate and head North to deal with the Cybermen and possibly find Ashad where he plans to exterminate the Lone Cyberman for good. After disappearing from sight, it was now just Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Oscar as they knew duty called and needed to help on the east. Hopping onto their hover bikes given by Pietro, they fly off to the other side and deal with the Grimm infestation...

Yet they did not know what was to come face them...

As Fiona and Joanna continued to route around for more civilians to arrive, they received an unknown transmission calling them. They were unsure at first about it, believing it could be James Ironwood but Fiona took a deep breath and took the risk, answering the transmission.

Fiona: Hello! This is Fiona Thyme, to who am I speaking to?

Theodore: This is Professor Theodore of Shade Academy in Vacuo. We've gotten the message from oncoming people arriving from Atlas. We are working on getting evacuation help to your side as soon as possible!

Inside the headmaster office was the professor and headmaster of Shade Academy, located in the hottest section of Remnant, Vacuo. Theodore was a dark-skinned, muscular huntsman who was the one reaching out to Fiona with some staff members and students helping out the new arrivals. He wasn't alone in the room however, as a young woman, cloaking herself in a dark robe continued to listen to Theodore's conversation. She held something close to her hand and took a deep breath as negotiations for outside help continues. In her hand, she carried a black device with gold outlines around it and a purple crystal at the top of it for it was her own Sonic Screwdriver...

And she also happens to be the current Summer Maiden as well. The only question that remained was...

Who is she?

More people have been dropped off to different parts of Remnant as citizens of those kingdoms welcome them while the TARDIS disappears once again. The Doctor had to sit down for a moment and take a deep breather, this was beginning to become what he didn't want it to be: War. It was also beginning to take a toll on him as he decided to close his eyes for a moment and reflect on everything that was happening now including the hard choices that were being made along the way. Only one person came to mind when he was struggling mentally on what to do.

The Doctor: What would you do, Doctor?... If you were where I am, what would you do? Is... Was this what you went through in the final days of the Time War?

He opened his eyes again, only to see that he's not in the TARDIS anymore which startled him. Getting up fast and looking around, he was in a grey like space with a fog surrounding it as well.

The Doctor: Where in Remnant am I?

12th Doctor: Psychic Connection. Pretty interesting way of communicating with Time Lords instead of the usual phones and all that stuff.

He never thought he would hear that voice again as the Doctor slowly turned around to see the Original Doctor, his Doctor. He wasn't here physically but through psychic connection.

The Doctor: Doctor...

12th Doctor: A surprise but a welcoming one. *smiles* How nice to see you again, Doctor.