Nora massaged her temples as the truck slowly rolled into a gentle turn, and then a stop. It could only mean one thing- they had arrived back at Beacon Academy. That, too, could only mean one thing- it was time to face the reality of the situation, and step up into a role that Nora knew she had to occupy. While Roman Torchwick had been a surprisingly reliable ally and a decent leader to them thus far, Nora still didn't completely trust him when it came to some things. His priorities were skewed, his motives were questionable, and his attitude was hardly one that inspired people.
The ragtag team made up of a jumble of others and two villains needed a leader, and with Ruby Rose's demise, Nora intended to take up the mantle. It was the least she could do for her friend's memory… and might hopefully help her to focus on something other than just getting revenge.
"Looks like we're home," Roman said as he watched Nora turn over the warped, charred blade of Crescent Rose in her hands. "You gonna be alright, kid?"
"I'm not a kid," Nora said, sounding hollow. "And yeah. I just… need some time. Time we don't have."
"I can buy you a little," Roman offered. "I'll fill in Glynda about everything we've learned and have her deal with Mercury. You go and do what you need to do. Rest up, gather supplies, whatever. We'll plan our next move tonight."
"Thank you very much," Ren replied with a small bow. "We do appreciate all you've done thus far."
"Yeah, yeah," Roman said dismissively as he threw open the back hatch of the trailer. "Mercury. With me."
"Whatever you say, Boss," the former mercenary answered as he got up and began to follow along. He still had his scroll in hand, and was still trying to get in touch with Emerald. "Not like I've got anything better to do…"
Sage was next to rise from the steel floor, and he offered a nod to Nora and Ren before cracking his neck to one side.
"…do the two of you need some time alone? I don't really have anywhere to be, but I can make myself scarce if it would help."
"You really don't need t-" Ren began, only for Nora to cut him off.
"Please," the girl said. "It's nothing personal, but I really don't feel like being around people right now."
"Nora…" Ren said softly, looking almost hurt.
"It's alright," Sage insisted. "I understand. Perhaps I'll go and see about procuring us a less cumbersome vehicle. Once you're ready… I think the three of us should stick together, especially out in the field. Things are getting more dangerous by the day, and Sun insisted that I watch over both of you."
"I would like that," Nora said, forcing a smile. It was the truth… but she couldn't find it in herself to be enthusiastic again just yet. "See you around, Sage."
With a quick salute, the burly hunter hopped out of the trailer and down to the paved ground somewhere outside of Beacon Academy. Nora watched him go, purposefully ignoring Ren's gaze. She could feel him watching her.
"…I didn't mean I want you to leave, too," Nora clarified as she watched Yatsuhashi and Velvet come around past the back of the truck from the cab. "I don't want to be that alone right now."
"That's what I worried about," Ren admitted before placing a gentle hand upon Nora's shoulder. "I am here to support you, Nora, in any way that I can. Please never forget that."
"How could I?" Nora asked as she turned to give him a weak smile. "You've done a great job of it since we met."
"And you have done the same for me," Ren reminded as he pulled her into a gentle hug. "Are we staying here, or perhaps we should visit the old dorm again…?"
"No," Nora said, her voice somewhat muffled by Ren's chest. "There's something I have to do."
"Right," Ren resolved, assuming that whatever the girl had it mind, it was something to do with Ruby. "Lead on."
Nora broke from the hug almost immediately and walked to the edge of the trailer before making the short leap to the ground. From there, she began a deliberate march toward her destination. Their vehicle had stopped in a lot on the side of the main academy hall, quite close to where she wanted to be. For once, Nora couldn't help but feel that something had gone right since leaving Mistral.
"Ren… what do you think we should do next?" Nora asked, walking rather quickly in an effort to avoid being stopped by anyone.
"Honestly, I… don't know," the boy admitted, keeping pace. "I've always been comfortable in my support role, but perhaps leaning on comforts is no longer an option. I'll think on it, and try to come up with something…"
"I was just asking out of interest," Nora clarified as she spared him a quick glance. "I plan on taking the lead as much as I can, from here. I want you to keep me in check. Make sure my head's on straight, and all that."
"Of course," Ren agreed. He considered bringing up her suggestion of torturing Tyrian, but decided that was a discussion for another time. "You… feel you owe it to Ruby, don't you?"
"I couldn't help her," Nora muttered as she walked up to a side door on one of the academic buildings. She took out her scroll and held it up to a scanner, only for the device to beep softly and unlock. "I couldn't convince her to let me help her. I'm not letting something like that happen again with anyone else. I plan on pushing in more. Being more insistent."
"Just… don't lose yourself," Ren reminded as he followed Nora into the building. The lights were off, and the place seemed largely abandoned. It was nothing like the Beacon Academy experience he remembered from their first year. "I know that there has been little opportunity for levity lately, but… I miss who you were, before all this."
"Yeah. I miss her, too," Nora admitted as she hurried along down the hallway. "I promise I'll start making jokes and smiling again soon. There just hasn't been a lot to laugh about lately."
"True… but we're going to need your sense of humor to stay sane," Ren tried. "Especially if we're forming a team with Sage… and potentially Mercury…"
"I don't see Mercury sticking around," Nora let on as she stopped outside of a classroom door. "He's a coward. So long as he isn't helping Salem, I don't really care what he does. If he wants to back us up, then… fine, I guess. Whatever happens, happens, and at least he's good in a fight."
Ren watched as Nora tried the door handle, only for the room to refuse her entry.
"The… weapons lab? Nora, what are w-"
Before Ren could even put up a hand to stop her, Nora had drawn Magnhild and extended the weapon into its hammer form. She bashed the door down in a single swing, resulting in a loud, echoing crash that carried down the hall and surely alerted anyone in the area.
"Nora!"
"It'll be fine. Not like a flimsy door would keep any undesirables out, anyway," the girl said with a shrug as she strode into the long classroom filled with workbenches. "Hopefully they still keep some supplies down here. Glynda might've raided the place for any weapons she could get her hands on, by now…"
"I'd imagine that she would have, yes," Ren said nervously as he checked both sides of the hall. Seeing no one in the area, he followed Nora inside. "Why are we here? Is your hammer not functioning properly after our recent battles?"
"Magnhild's functioning just fine," Nora said as she placed the hammer down on a nearby workbench and flicked on the lights. "But I think it's time the old girl got an upgrade."
Realization suddenly hit Ren like a brick as he watched Nora set the blade of Crescent Rose down on the bench next to the hammer.
"She could," Ren agreed with a nod. "Let's make it happen."
Pietro Polendina looked up from the tablet in his hands, dreading the source of the knocking sound in the doorway to his lab. He knew who it would be… and he had a pretty educated guess as to how the conversation would go. The thought of how it might end was enough to chill him to the bone, especially given the heightened tension surrounding recent events. Pietro had half a mind to arm himself before turning around, but he didn't want to be seen as a threat. Perhaps an escalation could be avoided, somehow…
"James," Pietro said, keeping his tone as neutral as he could while his spider-legged chair began its slow pivot.
"Pietro," the other man replied, his hands clasped behind his back. Whether or not they were holding a weapon, Pietro couldn't tell. "I need a favor."
"A… favor?" Pietro repeated, looking confused. "Well… yes, of course. You know I'm always happy to help. I just thought that you m-"
"I don't care about your actions surrounding Penny," General Ironwood said coldly. "What's past is past, and it hardly matters now. Disagreement over non-essential things is a waste of time if it leads to arguments, and I don't know how much time we have before Salem finds a way to us. I have no illusions that we're completely safe up here above the clouds, and I don't intend to rest on my laurels while the rest of Remnant burns. You disobeyed my orders, yes, but you are still useful to me, and Atlas at large. That's all that matters right now, and we'd still be in this situation even without Penny's restoration."
Another chill ran down Pietro's spine. He couldn't help but wonder what might happen if he stopped being useful to the man before him.
"Well… of course, I'm always ready to do what I can for the cause," Pietro said warily as he adjusted his glasses. "What do you need?"
"The arm that you designed for Yang Xiao Long earlier this year," General Ironwood began as he approached. He brought his own arms down to his sides as he walked, revealing that he was indeed unarmed. "I assume- and hope- that you still have the schematics?"
"Of course," Pietro said proudly. "A fine piece of technology, that was. I still think I could improve on it more, but…"
"There's no time for that," the General warned, stopping just before Pietro's chair. "Miss Xiao Long engaged Salem directly and lost the device in the process. How quickly would you be able to make a replacement, given unlimited resources?"
"I… if I started right now, by tomorrow evening or the morning after," Pietro said, his brows furrowed. "Of course, that would require halting the project I'm currently working on…"
The two men glanced to the side where a tall tube filled with bubbling blue liquid stood, surrounded by a small cage lined with electrical dust. Within the fluid was a suspended structure of black, ever-writhing ooze wrapped tightly around jagged bone and sinew. Hardened droplets of blood still clung to the biological blade from when it had been excised from Ilia's thigh, and oddly enough, they seemed to be fusing with the grimm material and becoming a part of the structure. It was almost as though the blade was hungry.
"Do it," General Ironwood ordered without hesitation as he turned his attention back to Pietro. "No upgrades, no alterations, get it done as quickly as you can. We need her in fighting shape, and I need to make a call to keep Yang in Mistral until it's ready. It'll be easier to ship it out there than all the way to Vacuo."
"But…" Pietro began, his unease intensifying as General Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "Even if she remains in Mistral, how are we going to get it down to her? Salem will surely be watching every inch of the sky around our current location, and we don't have aircraft that can remain at these altitudes for that distance. Whoever flies it out there will be in significant danger…"
"I have something of a plan coming together," General Ironwood let on. "I received a call from a new ally, just outside of Argus. Kali Belladonna and her Black Claw are about to take the Draglines with them and try to liberate the city. I'll contact her and tell her to wait for my signal to time it with our package leaving Atlas. That distraction should give us a window in which we can get a plane down there and to Mistral… I hope. It's our best shot."
"That it is," Pietro agreed. "But… that woman may be drawing all of Salem's attention to herself, given how furious the queen of grimm must be about her defeat in Mantle. Provoking her in Argus is suicide, unless Salem has already moved on… and we have no way of knowing her location. Even if Salem is already headed for Vacuo, our scanners show so many grimm on the ground that pulling their attention is just…"
"I know," General Ironwood said coldly. "Kali is hell-bent on trying to liberate the city and come to the aid of Solitas in order to break out onto the world stage and redeem the name of the White Fang in the rest of Remnant's eyes. We won't let her sacrifice be in vain."
Author's Note:
At least Sun's crew gets to rest another two days? Hooray!
-RD