"That's the plan in a nutshell," Marrow finished. "There's a quadrant of the city open for you and a partner to work on taking back as leads, we could use some help locking down the park if you've got anyone else good with tech hanging around, and anyone extra could head toward the docks and scope it out for us. Does that work for you?"

Ilia rubbed at her forehead, most of her food untouched as she took notes about the situation on a legal pad. The faunus had slept in and awoken to find more or less everyone else ready to go or doing equipment checks as they waited for her to get word from up in Atlas. Surprisingly, Ilia hadn't felt guilty about the situation at all… because she knew that if she hadn't gotten enough sleep, she was likely going to snap. Instead, she had simply accepted the circumstances and called Neon to come and eat with her and Emerald as they went over the master plan. Alice had eventually caught up midway through Marrow's briefing and loomed in the corner of the room, listening silently. Things were coming together… or so it seemed.

"That works for us, yeah," Ilia confirmed as she made a final little note. "I've got two gearheads to send you for the turrets and perimeter defenses, and I can handle running the show in the quadrant near Robyn's bar with Em. We're both familiar with the area at this point, so that should be no problem. I'll send Winter and a squad toward the docks, and provided we don't run into any surprises… that should make things go smoothly."

"Should," Marrow emphasized. "Let's not get cocky just because we have a plan. We had a plan to evacuate, too."

"And by all means, it seems to have worked," Alice chimed in. "Credit where it's due, kid. You saved a lot of lives."

"…kid?" Marrow asked, looking confused on the other end of the call. "How old… you know what? It doesn't matter. Are you guys coming in over the ice, or through the tavern basement? I don't know how secure that building is at this point."

"Probably not very," Ilia guessed. "We've been debating the best approach, and… well. Doesn't really matter if the Cradle stays hidden after all this. We'll come in over the ice on snowmobiles and with a caravan. Maybe a mech or two."

"A mech?" Marrow echoed. "But…"

"Don't worry about it," Alice replied with a smirk. "My boys have been putting all that stolen Schnee dust to good use. Not that it was actually stolen, considering both Jacques and Robyn have been in on it all along. We'll be there with heavy weaponry and ready to rumble. Get your people on the ground, and we'll provide backup. All-in… with terms we'll discuss later."

"…sure. Not like I have the authority to accept or reject them anyway," Marrow considered. "I don't really care what you end up demanding, so long as we save as many people as we can. What matters most is doing what's right for the people of Remnant."

"All of that can wait," Ilia jumped in. "Are you all ready to move?"

"Just about. Raven just returned, so we're doing final prep and getting everyone organized. I've got… probably a few minutes. Anything else pressing to discuss?"

Ilia smirked, the first thing coming to mind entertaining her more than she anticipated.

"How's Weiss? I hear you two pulled a fun little stunt on Jacques last night."

Marrow quickly stole a glance over his shoulder as though he was checking for anyone who might be listening in behind him.

"…she's great. We're… yeah. Things are moving faster than I anticipated, but I'm not about to complain. I think taking over the dust company really helped her come out of her shell, she's working on stuff with her mom, and hopefully soon, she'll have her family back. How are you and Emerald?"

"About the same," Emerald replied, leaning into frame for Marrow to see. "Moving fast, but in squiggles. No surprise there. Gonna share any details?"

"Absolutely not, and especially not on an open call where I can't see who's listening," Marrow said defensively. "I could talk about Weiss all day, but… anyway, we should probably all get going. We'll have time to catch up later. At least…I hope so."

"We will," Ilia reassured. "Maybe once we all meet up to make a push for the docks, or shortly thereafter. See you guys on the ground."

"See you."

The call disconnected as Marrow offered a small wave, leaving Ilia, Emerald, Alice, and Neon gathered around a table in the cafeteria.

"…Weiss? Seriously?" Neon asked. "Shame a guy like that went for her."

"…a 'guy like that'?" Ilia asked. "A faunus?"

"Well yeah, I guess," Neon relented. "But I meant someone that hot. Marrow's a stud, and she's…"

"One of my best friends," Ilia finished as she stood up and stretched. "Watch yourself. Don't judge until you know her. Hopefully you'll get a chance to. Let's collect the others and get moving, like Marrow said. No more distractions. No more delaying. Get your heads in the game, and let's fight to take back Mantle."

"You're the boss," Alice agreed as she cracked her knuckles.

Ilia stared, raising a brow.

"…I am?"

"As soon as we leave the Cradle, I'm not taking charge," Alice replied. "The second we leave the bubble, it's all you."

"…I don't get you at all," the faunus said with a sigh.

Alice merely smirked.

"Yeah? Good."

Nora hadn't been sure what to expect from Mercury, but no reaction at all certainly wasn't it. The huntress stood in the morgue alongside Ren, just watching their former rival circle the table and look over the corpse. Without context, it almost looked like he was examining Hazel's desecrated body, his face cold and clinical as he inspected the wounds from a distance. Mercury eventually came to a stop and looked up at Nora, his expression and eyes both seemingly blank.

"…he was… a decent guy," Mercury said slowly. "I don't know if either of you will believe that, given where we were, but… he was the only one who ever asked questions. Real questions, I mean, about whether what we were doing was justified. Got him in trouble more than once, and now, he's… I always wondered if it would end up like this. Tried not to think about it."

"It looks like you're still trying not to think about it," Nora pointed out as she looked toward what remained of Hazel's face. It greatly unsettled her how quickly she had gotten almost used to being around the body. The sight still made her feel sick… but she no longer felt like she might need to leave. It likely wouldn't be long before she felt exactly how Mercury looked. "That, or like you don't really care."

Mercury's attention returned to the body once again, where he let his gaze linger.

"…it's not that I don't care. It's… a few things. I've seen a lot. Been through a lot. My own damned father cut off my legs at the knees. Seeing something like this isn't totally foreign, no matter who it was. I guess I'm just desensitized to it."

It was Ren's turn to talk as he moved a little closer to the table.

"You didn't establish any sort of bond with Hazel during your time working under Salem?"

"Don't try to psychoanalyze me," Mercury scoffed as he returned Ren's glare. "Yeah, we talked a bit. Hung out some. Sometimes, we even talked about the future and our pasts. None of it matters, now. He's dead, and this is probably the outcome you wanted. Doubly so because you're using it to try to scare me."

"What?" Nora asked, genuinely taken aback as she let her arms fall to her sides. "We don't… you think we wanted this?"

"Hazel was the enemy," Mercury explained. "So am I. So is Emerald, and who knows how many other supposed converts you people are currently employing. Neo. Roman. How long before one of us realizes this team is losing, and whatever moral high ground you guys have isn't enough anymore? There's a high likelihood one of us turns, or most of us die. Astrid killing Hazel just saved you time."

Nora took a moment to try to sort out her thoughts on the meandering statement, feeling angrier by the second. Just as she opened her mouth, Ren beat her to the punch.

"What is wrong with you?"

"A lot," Mercury answered without missing a beat.

"We would never want this," Ren asserted, moving around the table to stand before Mercury. "Not for Hazel, not for anyone. The 'moral high ground' you speak of is exactly that- this man was tortured. He died in agony. Neither of us, hopefully none of us would wish this on anyone! Not even Salem herself!"

In the silence that followed, Nora looked away. A moment passed before Ren continued as he kept staring Mercury down, his tone softening slightly.

"How could you yourself go through literal torture and then wish this on another? Yes, perhaps… some people must be killed in order to save countless others, but not like this. Never like this."

Mercury took a steadying breath, refusing to move or flinch despite Ren standing close than arm's length.

"How could you assume that everyone on your side agrees with that notion just because you think it's right? You think Roman Torchwick gives a fuck about what happened here?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Ren replied, his firm tone with a hint of anger coming back. "I've been watching him. He cares. I believe that you do, too."

"You want to believe I do," Mercury corrected. "Maybe you need to in order to be okay with working alongside me."

"This isn't about what I want, or whether I'm 'okay' fighting alongside you," Ren replied. "I'm not… this is about helping you."

"…helping me?" Mercury asked. "How is any of this helping me? I didn't need to see this. I didn't need a lecture on morals. What's the point of any of this? What are you hoping to g-"

"Ren," Nora chimed in, shaking her head. "Stop. Just… please, stop. Mercury- will you fight against Salem with us, even if it gets to the point where it looks like the fight is hopeless?"

Mercury touched a hand to his forehead and let out a weary sigh. He squinted hard and shook his head, feeling defeated.

"…I'm not going back, whether you believe that or not. Doesn't matter what I deserve in your eyes or mine, I personally don't want to end up like Hazel. I've always done what I've done to fight for my own survival. This is no different. I'll do what needs doing, just don't expect me to attend the sing-a-longs or share your views. Salem's not gonna adhere to morals, rules, or anything else. So long as you all don't hold back when it comes time to fight for your lives, I will, too."

"Good enough for me," Nora said quickly. "Can we leave and start sorting out who's going where to check for grimm? I think… I think being in this room is starting to get to me."

"…if you're sure," Ren agreed as he walked back over to Nora. "Mercury… I would like to talk again later, when I'm not so… heated. Apologies."

"Sure," Mercury replied. "Whatever. Probably won't go any differently, but sure. Just tell me where to go when, and I'll make it happen. I'm gonna stay here a bit longer."

"Fine by me," Nora said with a small wave as she led the way out of the room. "See you soon."

Mercury didn't bother to acknowledge the others as they left. Instead, he gave Hazel one last look and took out his scroll, initiating a call and listening to the other side ring continuously. Upon reaching voicemail, Mercury hesitated before finally starting to speak.

"…Em… I fucked up."

Author's Note:

Next week- the counter-invasion of Mantle kicks off.

-RD