Few things of note today:
To the guy who tried to imply that 10 year old Ben would not be scared shitless of a Grimm and called him "an OC pretending to be Ben"- go fuck yourself? That's so mean. And also another slight fuck you to someone who said "Carry On has 'Velma-esqe' writing"...whatever that means
It's my 23rd birthday today! Yayyyy
Goobins is real
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Raddock flipped a few switches as he checked the status of the Manta that he and Floyd had managed to "appropriate" from the Atlas hangar during their getaway. Everything was in the green. The rest of the flight should be smooth sailing, but any outsider who saw his destination would consider him a madman. The Manta was heading towards perhaps the most nightmarish environment anyone in the Hunter community could ever dream up.
He was flying right towards the whale.
Surrounded by a thick storm, the clouds themselves seemingly with a purple and red tint to them, was Monstra. The gargantuan whale Grimm hovered ominously above Atlas, out of range of the city's surface-to-air defenses, but just close enough to instill pure fear into the population. Grimm of all kinds circled the titan, as if they were fighter jets protecting an airship.
Raddock couldn't help but draw the mental comparison to Atlas' own fleets, wondering if Salem organized the beasts like this on purpose. Floyd, though, was all too happy to see a collection of Grimm this size. Well if Grimm could feel emotions like happiness anyway. Even though he was more expressive than most Grimm, which may be because of the amulet, it was hard to read any emotions he had.
That train of thought was interrupted by the disruptive sound of scratches reaching the mob boss' ear. Raddock looked beside him to see Cinder, still sporting the battle damage from her fight with Winter and Penny, right behind him with her hand on the chair's headrest. The claws of her Shadow Hand prosthetic were digging into it, scratching it, as if Cinder was suffering from a nervous tick. Her sole good eye was focused on the whale, while her human arm gripped the lamp tightly. Raddock's mask actually came in handy here, letting him look at Cinder without her really catching on.
Was she…nervous?
Deciding to break the tension, Raddock cleared his throat, seeing Cinder snap out of her seeming trance.
"What?" Cinder snapped.
"Oh, nothing. Just need some directions on where to land…on the giant whale," Raddock answered, putting obvious emphasis on his last word since, well, normal whales weren't exactly known for having landing pads.
"Check the sides," Cinder sighed.
Raddock took a look when he got closer and, indeed, there were a series of organic landing pads that jutted out from an exposed part of the whale's body, like a massive cut that never healed. The leader of the Hana Guild maneuvered the ship towards one, narrowly avoiding a flying Griffon that was patrolling around the aerial leviathan, before setting down.
Cinder tried to compose herself as the ship rocked from landing on the bone. This was it. This was the moment she'd fought and schemed to reach. This was the moment she returned to Salem and she could be praised for getting the lamp. Now, she could move on with her actual life and forget about-
No. Don't think of them. Focus on how you're going to present the lamp.
"You, uh," Raddock began, "you good?"
Cinder took a deep breath and exhaled.
"I'm good," Cinder confirmed, "Let's go."
Monstra was, by definition, impressive. Cinder tried not to be taken aback by the sheer scope of this biological battleship. The floor was really nothing more than exposed flesh with small plates of bone dotting it like broken tiles, so it was a mix of whether or not her steps echoed as she walked to the door.
Small, teeth-like protrusions jutted down from the upper rim of the doorway, giving off the visual of Cinder, Raddock, and Floyd walking willingly into a gaping maw. The door was yet another construct of flesh that stretched and tore open with sick squelching sounds. When the sounds stopped, Cinder took a step forward without thinking, wanting to get to Salem as soon as possible. The corridor was so dark that she didn't see a figure before she bumped into them.
"Hazel, what are…you…" Cinder began, before she realized that this wasn't Hazel. The figure was only illuminated from behind by the occasional red glow of Monstra's veins pumping energy through its body, showing its figure was lean but densely packed with muscle.
They stepped forward and lowered their head to be at eye-level with Cinder and growled at her, showing a wolf-like visage with a pair of glowing purple eyes and a faint "seam" down the middle of its snout. Raddock slowly moved his hand to the flail at his belt, but a quick snap from his boss stopped him.
"You may not recognize me, creature," Cinder scoffed at the last word, "But I can assure...I do belong here," she held up her Shadow Hand and, upon seeing it, the Loboan stopped and stepped aside.
"Thank you..." Cinder hissed before she continued on deeper into the belly of the beast. Floyd floated after her with Raddock bringing up the rear, stopping to look over the werewolf with a raised brow. A curt growl from the canine alien told him it wasn't a fan of being gawked at, so he took the hint and caught up with his boss.
"The fuck was that?" Raddock asked, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the werewolf.
"A guard dog," Cinder said with an eye-roll.
"Who the hell has a dog like that?"
"A ghost."
Cinder was right- there were dozens and dozens of Anur aliens walking Monstra's fleshy hallways. Thep Khufans, Transylians, Ectonurites, Loboans, all crawling all over the beast for...support? Clean up? Intimidation?
Whatever they were here for, their intimidation factor was enough to minorly unsettle Cinder.
Venturing further into the fleshy and almost cathedral-like interior of the leviathan, Cinder and Raddock eventually came upon and ascended a flight of bone steps that led to a vast cavern. The atmosphere was heavy, and the silence was only broken by the sound of their footsteps. In the center of the chamber sat Salem, perched upon a grand throne crafted entirely from bone. Her eyes were closed and she seemed deep in thought.
As the trio approached, Salem's piercing gaze surveyed them all, her expression unreadable. Cinder felt a shiver run down her spine at the intense scrutiny, as though the woman seated before her could see straight through her.
"...so, you return." She said, as Cinder and Raddock bowed. Floyd, for obvious reasons, was the only one to remain at his full height.
"Yes, my queen," Cinder said.
Salem frowned. "I knew you would return to me," the dark queen turned her gaze to the newcomer, "But…this is quite a shock."
"Hello, my queen." Raddock spoke.
Salem stood up and walked over to the mobster, leaving Cinder to still process the familiarity the two shared. Raddock took off his boar mask and looked up at his queen. It had been years since the two of them had spoken. The Queen of Grimm cupped his chin in her hand and smiled.
"It seems time has treated you well," Salem bemused, letting go of the man, "I can't say I'm shocked to see you alive…you don't seem like the type to go down easily."
"It takes more than some lucky punk to take me down, my queen," the gangster chuckled.
"You...know each other?" Cinder asked, perhaps speaking out of turn.
"I owe all my current successes to her," Raddock explained, "She helped me take my rightful place as head of the Guild. But you know her, she never does anything for free. So, in exchange for a little...untraceable poison, she hired me for a little fox hunt," the mobster's gaze turned up to Salem, "Whatever happened to that bastard, anyway? You seemed awfully happy when I tossed his sorry ass at your feet."
"Let's just say he helped me perfect something...unorthodox," Salem said with a sly grin, but just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished when her dark red eyes turned to look at her disgraced Maiden.
"I put my confidence in you when I picked you as my vessel for the Maidens. And I see you haven't come back empty handed, a former ally brought back into the fray...and an old trinket around your neck."
"Along with the allegiance of the major crime families of Mistral, " Cinder boasted.
"And yet..."
"Not enough to make up for my failure at Haven. I know, my Queen. Which is why...I also bring you this," the Fall Maiden pulled the Relic of Knowledge out from under her cloak, "I snatched it right out from under their noses."
"Outsmarting the general speaks less to your efficiency...and more to his," a voice spoke, apparently referring to Raddock. While Salem took the Lamp, Tyrian slipped out from the shadows behind Cinder, making his way across the room to stand side by side with his goddess.
"Callows...no wonder my bounty on your crazy ass went unclaimed. But it looks like someone fucked you up for me, anyway," Raddock verbally jabbed as he rose back to his full height.
Tyrian's face contorted as he saw that ugly boar mask, "And I wish the same humiliation upon you, Vermillion, but greatly...increased."
"Oh...so you hate him too," Cinder narrowed her eye at the scorpion Faunus, "Good to know."
The squelching noise of the nearby membrane door caught Cinder's attention. She turned to see Cass, Emerald, Mercury and Hazel entering the room. Upon laying eyes on Cinder, Cass smiled.
"Nice suit," Mercury said. Emerald jabbed him in the ribs.
"Nice of you to join us again," Hazel said.
Cinder rolled her eyes, before she looked at Cass. She didn't want to show joy because this was a serious situation, but inwardly she was practically ready to burst out into happy tears. Shockingly, Cinder was the one to initiate the affection.
Cinder hugged her adopted sister and held her tight. "I hope you've been well." She said.
"...Yes." Cass said, slightly smiling. "I have."
The others soon walked in. Cinder noticed some faces were missing. Zs'skayr rose up from the ground and gave an exasperated sigh.
"Oh, good. YOU'RE alive," the specter hissed.
"Yes. Have you been cowering and hiding in the shade this entire time?" Cinder bemused.
"Oh...so she wasn't kidding when she said a ghost," Raddock muttered.
"Pain in the ass is what he is. Always with the theatrics," Mercury said.
"Oh he's just a pain in the ass? Cause the dude looks fuckin' bizarre," Raddock frowned, eliciting a raspy hiss of rage from the High Ectolord and a look of disgust from his accompanying High Priestess.
"Huh...words can get under the non-existent skin of a space ghost. Fun," the mobster chuckled.
"The Knight and Charmcaster. Where are they?" Cinder asked.
"Charmcaster's in Vacuo, getting something set up for the king of jumpscares over there. And the Knight? Don't even know if he's alive ever since we lost him in Ledgerdomain," Mercury said, "But whatever, we got a new tech guy to deal with the Plumbers. Now, who's the boar guy?"
"Raddock. My new right hand man," Cinder said, "I trust him with my life."
"She's crazy and I'm for it. Floyd's proof of that," Raddock said, bumping Cinder's shoulder.
Floyd floated around its twin masters before positioning itself behind the two, almost as if it didn't like to have so many eyes on it.
"Incredible. It's...under your sway?" Imhonet asked.
"An Alpha Geist. Only ever heard rumors..." Hazel hummed.
"It obeys my every whim like a loyal hound," Cinder said.
"And you named him...Floyd?" Emerald asked, "What, did you hear one of their songs recently?"
"That was my idea!" Raddock declared.
"...I still don't know who the fuck you are?"
"My control over Floyd is all thanks to this," Cinder said, showing off her necklace, "I retrieved it from a crime boss who had no idea what she really owned."
"Ah, yes. That old thing," Salem smiled a bit, "I thought it was lost long ago, but you can keep it. I have no use for it."
"I see. While the good doctor and I were advancing the will of our goddess, dismembering the very body of this kingdom," Tyrian chuckled, "you were merely atoning for past failures. Pathetic."
Cinder glared at him, tempted to just scorch him here and now.
"Polendina's creation interfered with the transfer of the Winter Maiden power," Cinder explained, "but now I know she has it. And once I return to Atlas, it won't take long to finish what I started."
"I've given no such command," Salem pointed out, approaching her throne, "This game is not yours to win, Cinder, it's mine. Just because you're more valuable to me than a pawn, does not make you a player. Everything is already in motion. All you need to concern yourself with is your ability to act when I tell you to."
Cinder huffed, but relented.
"Of course," the Maiden bowed, "Without you, I am nothing."
Salem smirked. Suddenly, Cinder heard the footsteps of another person, heavy and carrying a metallic clang with them. Strange, outside of the named absences, everyone was present. Who else could they have possibly-?
"Ah, so you've finally shown up. I was worried you wouldn't come." Salem said.
"My...apologies," The newcomer spoke, a hiss of steam breaking his sentence, "Your messenger arrived at an...inopportune time."
Cinder turned around, to face the new face. It was unexpected, to say the least. A towering figure clad in crimson armor with a multitude of bio-technological enhancements and a massive sword on his back, of which the blade especially seemed somewhat familiar.
"No need to apologize for your customs," Salem handwaved the issue.
"My lady, who is-?" Cinder asked.
"An old adversary of Tennyson's," Salem smiled, "He's agreed to help us."
"That...tracks with the kind of rogue Tennyson deals with," Cinder said, looking over the warrior.
"You should've seen their fight," Tyrian grinned. "It took the spotlight away from the good doctor's plan, but~! It was beautifully brutal and chaotic! I should've recorded it! The look on Benjamin's face when he realized it!"
"Interesting..."
Vilgax calmly marched up to Cinder, towering over the Fall Maiden, his crimson eyes seemingly burrowing a hole right through her skull.
And then he saluted her, placing an armored fist over his chest, where a human's heart would be.
"Your associates mentioned you came close to killing the boy," the last of the Murrians explained, "You have my respect for that."
"And if you can instill that kind of fear in him," Cinder smiled before returning the salute, "then you have mine, as well. "
"Tennyson is still immature, despite his growth. He has no control over his temper, no matter how often he denies such a fact," Vilgax frowned.
"And his heart is on the 'outside', not the inside," Cinder smiled. "The girl is his weak point."
"Indeed. So to break one-" Vilgax began.
"Is to break the other. Oh, this is the start of something beautiful," Cinder extended a hand that was quickly wrapped up by Vilgax's claws in a handshake, "I just know it."
The Manta was abandoned far to the west of where the Outcasts needed to go. If any of the camera drones or Knights that still patrolled the Mantle streets found it, they'd fine no trace of the Outcasts.
Stumbling into the workshop, everyone quickly did their best to ensure that the door was barricaded and that no one would be able to follow them there. The entirety of Atlas' personal military was going to be on the hunt for all of them, especially the likes of Penny who was just as confused and afraid as the rest of them.
The moment they were all sure that they were safe, Pietro was quick to take a moment to comfort his daughters, hugging Penny and Eunice as tight as he could, tears even beginning to form in his eyes as he tried to keep the emotions from flooding but he couldn't stop himself. Nothing could change Ironwood's mind now. The man always had his issues, there was no denying that, but the good doctor had always considered him a friend. And now, here he was, turning into the worst version of himself that one could possibly imagine.
"That…was probably the worst escape we've had yet." Kevin admitted as even he had taken a moment of somberness as the group was slowly realizing the gravity of their situation.
"How's Ben?" Ruby asked as Min and Ceres had been carrying him, he was passed out but it seemed that the Omnitrix had protected him from any further harm that had been sustained in the fight. Ceres only glanced at Ruby and gave a slight nod, only really trying to keep her own emotions in check as the world seemed to be on fire around all of them.
"You kids…you kids need to think of something. We can't just have you sitting in my workshop forever, especially when Ironwood's army is practically on our doorstep." Pietro proclaimed, eyes still somewhat wet with fresh tears as Penny slowly caressed a hand through her fathers remaining hair.
"Please…you need to do something."
"There's not really much we can do without the Colosseum being airborne and Mantle now on lockdown." Albedo chimed in as the group seemed to look to him, Neo giving a slight nod of assurance as he stepped forward, planting himself firmly on a chair close by.
"Well we can't just do nothing!" Yang finally spoke up as she started to look toward Ruby before closing her eyes. She didn't want to say anything but she knew that now of all times she had to bring up the elephant in the room.
"Ruby, what we just did, as a team, the plan that you had…it didn't work." the blonde brawler began, her sister already feeling her heart skip a beat out of worry as she seemingly knew this tone.
"I…I thought that we could trust Ironwood, that maybe we'd be able to work together and try to get communication going but-" Ruby tried to counter.
"No buts. We messed up. All of Mantle's now facing the freezing cold because of all that's happened and we need to find some way to fix this and help them." Yang knew what she wanted to do because the people she had seen suffering down there in the Crater were the same people that she saw Robyn and the others trying to save. They'd die without their intervention.
"But with the general up there, we need to find some way to at least talk him out of what's happening, maybe he'll give us a chance if we-" Weiss started before suddenly feeling a hand on hers, Kylie's. The look on her face seemed to speak a thousand words, she too felt the same way Yang did. They needed to find some way to help the people down below before they even thought of going up top and fixing things up there.
But would they even have the time? They still had to worry about Salem and her imminent arrival.
"We can still make this work! Our plan can work! Albedo pointed out the main issue! We just need to get Amity up into the air and then the world will know about Salem, they'll know about everything!" Ruby exclaimed before Yang just turned back to her with a sigh.
"Do you honestly think that will work? Look me in the eyes and tell me that it'll work considering the only way we could access the stadium or the launch codes was through Atlas itself. Somewhere we can't be."
There was a definite split among the members of the room as it seemed that they were only getting more tense by the second as Ruby and Yang stepped closer to one another.
"Maybe we can still find a way to get Amity into the air. We only need a launch code, right?" Rex asked, his composure as regained as it could be, as he glanced over to Pietro, who only sighed as the answer wouldn't be the one that the group wanted, or even needed to hear. But sometimes, bad news was better than no news.
"Unfortunately not. Ironwood needs to give permission to launch the colosseum from one of his terminals. To get one is already a gamble. To try and get both terminals working when he's on high alert like this would be next to impossible," Pietro explained.
"See? It's an impossible plan. Right now we need to focus on getting the people of Mantle down to the Crater so that they don't end up freezing!" Yang explained as Ruby only shook her head and started to point at her sister; almost losing her cool.
"And what if your plan fails too?! We'll end up being stuck down in the Crater with no way to help anyone, and you just expect us to throw ourselves into battle at a time like this?!"
"No! I expect you to make the right decision here, sis. Because right now, you've been making an awful lot of decisions and a whole lot of them have led to us either being arrested, nearly killed, or have just not worked." Yang clenched a fist as the two girls seemed to get more and more angered with the stubbornness of the other.
"Ruby, we can work this out, we don't need to fight-" Blake started to speak up, only to be cut off by Ruby herself seemingly losing her cool yet again.
"No! Why is it only now that you're trying to question what I've done! I'm trying to help everyone and you're just…just trying to make me feel worse about all that's happened! I didn't want things to go the way they did, do you think you'd have been in a better position Yang?! No! Because I know my limits on who I can and can't save!" Yang snapped back as a sudden arm between the pair caused them both to stand back from one another. It was Oscar, who in placing his cane between the two knew that he had to speak up now more than ever.
"Let me talk to them. I can at least try and find a solution to this…I know they both have good intentions but this is what she wants." Ozpin spoke inside Oscar's mind as the young farmhand closed his eyes and let the headmaster take over.
"Fighting like this is not going to get us anywhere. The power of division is exactly what Salem has used in the past to drive a wedge in humanity."
"Oh hey, look who finally decided to speak up again. But as much as it pains me to admit it, professors' right." Min added, "Ya kinda see a lot of that when trying to weave tapestries of timelines and seeing just how many of them end in arguments. You two don't need to blow up now…"
Yang just took a moment, her metallic hand clenching as she felt the steam leave her. "Ruby, I KNOW you're capable. I'm not distrusting you or even questioning you, I just know that throughout all of this your mind has been elsewhere…at least, that's what I think anyway."
"I…" Ruby couldn't respond. She knew her mind had been wandering, Ben's injuries that made her flashback to that awful night when she first unleashed the power of her Silver Eyes, the sudden betrayal at the hands of Ironwood. Despite all of this Salem was only getting closer and now it seemed that her own sister didn't trust her…And Penny, and Eunice, and all the people that were in Mantle that she needed to help.
It was clear that she had been spreading her thoughts too thin because she wanted to save everyone. But maybe there was some truth to the matter. She had to focus on one thing at a time, maybe she would be able to save as many as she could…at least that was what she wanted.
"I'm sorry. I just…I want to be able to help everyone, there's so much happening and it's all so overwhelming but I want to make sure that people get out of this OK."
"Then perhaps I may offer a suggestion for all those involved. A way that we could…metaphorically kill two birds with one stone." Ozpin stated whilst putting his hands back onto his cane.
"Ohhh boy, another brilliant plan by Ozpin." Kevin rolled his eyes before Min jabbed him lightly in the gut.
"To get Amity Colosseum up and running and into the lower atmosphere might have been easy had Ben not gotten injured, but there is still a way that we might be able to pull through. Miss Rose, you may need to find out more about where the colosseum is situated and try to find a method to launch it without Ben's help." Ozcar stated.
"Well, we know what mine Amity's situated at," Ruby admitted.
"Send the location to the good doctor here," Ozpin nodded before glancing at Yang, who knew that she had a plan of her own in mind.
"Miss Xiao Long, you wish to help the people of Mantle be evacuated toward the crater? You will need strong defenders to ensure that the Grimm are pushed back should they surprise attack you all," the headmaster suggested.
"Already on it." Yang glanced toward Ceres, Kylie, Rook, Oscar, Albedo and Rex respectively as each of them seemed to internally realize what was going on.
"I can't say that this is the best plan, but we need to make sure the people are safe. I think we only have until nightfall before the cold hits them and they all freeze." Rook proclaimed as Kylie started to blow a bit on her hands.
"So we only got one shot at this? Great, that…really amps up the pressure!" Kylie did get a reassuring look from Weiss, she knew that things had been dire before but perhaps this would be different!
Ruby meanwhile looked to the remaining members of the room, and then even looked to Penny; "Penny, do you think that you can assist us in getting the colosseum up into the air?"
"We can do our best! Amity Colosseum is something that we might be able to get more access to should we find a way to access Ironwood's terminal." The ginger android seemed just as excited as ever, only for Pietro to walk past her on his chair and speak out.
"You said we only need one of the terminals, right?" Ruby asked, "Where are they?"
"One is in his office and the other is in the main military complex, at the base of the city," Pietro answered.
"And it is highly unlikely we can get into his office. But the second terminal," Penny suggested.
"If you're able to get up there, through Atlas Academy, you should be able to download the schematics of the colosseum as well as a projected flight path and other important data." Pietro admitted internally that such a move was risky and it had a component he rather disliked doing, but if it was for the sake of the people he knew what needed to be done.
"Thank you, Pietro. Thank you for trusting us one more time…" Ruby smiled as Penny slowly took her hand, the two sharing a small glance as they both had that same spark of determination to ensure that this plan was seen through to the fullest.
"You're gonna need some help there too. Ben may be out cold but you still got at least two Omni wielders here." Kevin stated as he pushed off from the wall and gave a motion to his Antitrix. "I'll help you guys get into Atlas Academy. I'm guessing the smart boy over here is gonna tag along with Yang?"
"If the Grimm they send are anything like I've seen? They'll need my help." Albedo had a bit of a smirk on his face as Yang seemed to crack a small smile of her own.
"Then I believe it is settled. We have two teams, and we will work in tandem with one another to ensure that Salem does not get what she wants. We are still united together in this." Oscar stated before Ozpin seemed to dive back into his subconscious, letting the lad take over once again.
"And great…it feels weird again when he hands back the wheel," Oscar grumbled.
"Once it gets permission, it'll be best if we don't tarry. Once it's sent, I'm going to need an escort out there. Penny, if you'd be so kind?" Pietro asked.
Understood Father , Eunice said, accompanied by a salute if she could do so mentally, Penny? I know how strong you can be strong and I know we'll be watching out for each other but…please. Be careful. For both our sakes.
"I promise," Penny said, "Besides, we won't be alone! Ruby and the others will make sure we're A-OK!" Penny gave that soft smile that she always did, the two sharing a mutual, mental hug.
It was weird, saying goodbye. Especially in uncertain times. With everyone knowing what they needed to do, the next few hours would be full of uncertainty and chaos.
Here's the teams: On Ruby's side, we have the hooded huntress herself, Weiss, Blake, Kevin, Neo and Penny, and on the other side we have Yang, Ceres, Kylie, Rook, Oscar, Min, Albedo and Rex.
While Ben got a raw deal of having to stress for all of them. He might have been concussed, but he still had empathy.
...Albedo? Neo asked, surprisingly a little nervous for some odd reason.
"Ye-Neo...what's wrong?" Albedo asked, picking up on the unseen issue immediately.
I...I haven't- Neo signed, stopping herself and taking a deep, silent breath, When we're back together...after all of this. We need to talk.
"Hm?" Albedo said. "Oh, um. Okay."
They paused.
"...can we talk about it now?" Albedo asked, surprisingly impatient. Neo chuckled at that.
You're acting like a dummy. Wonder why? Neo hummed.
"Yeah...wonder why," Albedo chuckled back, "But...seriously..."
I don't think we have enough time to get into all of it, but, Neo took off Roman's hat and placed it atop Hush's handle. What Raddock said, what he did, it's still...sticking with me. I never found out how Roman died, just that he did.
"And you think that..."
Maybe he was telling the truth? Maybe not. I dunno.
"What about that girl?" Albedo asked, "The one he turned into?"
That's...that's a much, much longer story that's gonna need some prep time, let's say, Neo signed, her expression becoming much more solemn than Albedo had ever seen.
"I sincerely doubt Ruby had anything to do with his death. Otherwise, she'd be much more uncomfortable around you." Albedo frowned. "Salem does have a tendency to get rid of loose ends once she has no use for them, but..."
Conjecture. Neo said.
"No evidence for it, but none against it," Albedo sighed, "Either way..."
It would be easier to ask when we don't have to worry about a dictator hunting for us. And, Neo started.
"And?"
No. Not yet. That's...for the longer story.
Albedo put a hand on Neo's shoulder. "I want you to stay safe, okay? You're one of the swiftest things on the battlefield, you know how to avoid physical damage, but mental damage is..." Albedo closed his eyes. "I don't think any of our allies are equipped to help you if you break down again."
If anything, I'll be going up against Ironwood and his 'bots. They couldn't land a hit like that no matter how well programmed they are, Neo smiled, kissing Albedo on the cheek reassuringly, Trust me. I'll be fine.
Albedo turned red. "...r-right."
What, your first kiss? Neo giggled.
And then it slowly dawned on her what she did. Then she turned red as well. Neo and Albedo walked away from each other, their faces still both bright red.
While Albedo and Neo's farewell had ended on a somewhat sweet note, not all of them were that lucky. Weiss had only really said one thing during the entire planning session, but after that, she'd gone quiet. Yes, Kylie had definitely been a good anchor during this turmoil, but now the storm of emotions was starting to pick up again in the heiress' head.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Kylie asked. "It'd be nice to maybe not go back to the place that just tried to arrest us."
"My mother's still up there, Kylie. I don't even know how she's doing," Weiss sighed.
"You don't think-?"
"I'm being optimistic. I'm hoping Fa- the general has enough humanity left to avoid using his own wife as a bargaining chip," Weiss said, her voice small. "Why? Why did he...why did he need to..."
Kylie couldn't rationalize the general's methods, no matter how hard she tried. The girl took a deep breath, and grabbed Weiss' hand.
"Please. Please don't let that horrible thought cloud your mind for the rest of the mission. As hard as it is, you're gonna need to plush that awful feeling into the deepest corner of your mind." Kylie siad.
"I've been trying to," Weiss said, a fresh tear rolling down her cheek, "I've tried so hard to keep this...this feeling contained, but it always just comes back."
Kylie squeezed Weiss' hand, "I know. But you're not alone. We're all here for you, and we're gonna get through this together. Okay?"
Weiss nodded. "Okay."
"I wish I could come with, but every time I think about...him, I just think about the people he's screwing over." Kylie said, as May walked towards them, "Hey. Please keep an eye on Weiss, okay? Trans girl code of honor."
"That's not a thing." May said.
"Y-yeah it is!" Kylie huffed. "You know! Be warm and opening, help others in need, jump a transphobe-"
"That's just common sense." May pointed out.
The exchange managed to bring a small smile to Weiss' face, because it was just so Kylie. But, it was fleeting. Like she said, no matter how hard she tried to push that feeling of betrayal to the back of her mind, as far as she could, it always crept back up.
Of course, May wasn't blind and she took notice of it.
"But, alright," May agreed, "I'll watch out for her. Promise."
Kylie smiled. "Thank you. And please be nice to her. She's...been through a-"
"Yeah, I've been there before." May nodded. "No need to worry.
Except Kylie was gonna absolutely worry.
And she wasn't the only one. Ruby and Yang looked at eachother, both uneasy about this split. Ruby had always looked up to Yang, ever since they were kids and now, some part, no matter how small in Yang's brain, was doubting Ruby. And that idea hurt. The blonde may have said she wasn't doubting her younger sister, but even Ruby was guilty of having some small doubts creep at the edges of her thoughts.
"I know this is gonna be rough, Ruby." Yang began, "but we're...kinda both right here. There is no wrong decision. We just need to focus on what comes next."
"I know," Ruby said as one of her hand's unconsciously reached for the silver rose emblem on her belt, clutching it protectively, "It's just...one choice already has us against Ironwood. Yeah, it was his, but I don't want something like that tearing us apart, not after everything that's happened."
"We're not gonna be torn apart over this. He had files on us! Contingency plan my ass, turning on him was justified! Having shit like that's just-!" the blonde brawler's eyes briefly flashed red, before she took a deep breath and calmed down, "Sorry, just...God."
"No, not the files. No question there. I mean this," the young Huntresses gestured to the Outcasts breaking up, "This argument. It all...it all just reminds me of what happened right after Beacon."
"When...when we found out about Salem," Yang said, her anger quickly vanishing. Now that she said it aloud, the brawler couldn't help but agree. Half wanted to leave the fight, half wanted to stay. Now, half wanted to leave Mantle and get the word out and half wanted to stay and protect the people still endangered by the Grimm swarming the streets.
"We stayed together though, didn't we? Yeah we needed time, but we're still together. Hell, Salem would probably thrive off a rift in our group and the last thing we want is to give her another opening," Ruby's sister tried to comfort.
"I know, but..." Ruby's hand hadn't left that silver emblem the entire time, something that her older sister could easily see.
"Oh." Yang's eyes focused on that silver emblem.
That was the last thing Summer ever left her.
"Huh?" Ruby blinked and looked down at her hand. This whole time, she hadn't even realized she'd been touching it. She unclipped the emblem from her belt for a moment and held it in both of her hands.
"It's...weird," Ruby admitted, looking at the metal rose ornament, "Before Albedo told us...told us she was alive, I thought this was all I had left her. A little metal rose and some childhood memories."
"When Dad shut down right after Mom..." Yang wanted to say disappeared, but now the more accurate term would be captured, "left...you never let go of that."
"I know. It was all I had to remember her...it gave me hope," Ruby wiped away some tears that were starting to well up as she reminisced, "Hope that she'd come back. I guess I never really grew out of that, huh? Now that hope's just aimed at something different."
Yang pulled Ruby close, and wrapped her in a hug. "It's okay, Rubes," Yang said soothingly, "We'll get through this. We'll stick together, and we'll find a way to make everything work out. Just like always."
Ruby nodded, feeling comforted by her sister's words. She clutched the emblem close to her chest as Yang continued to hold her, both of them taking a moment of solace in each other's presence.
After a few moments, they pulled away from each other. Ruby looked back, to see Ben, resting on a hospital bed.
She looked down at the silver emblem in her hands and walked over to her still unconscious boyfriend. For the briefest of moments, her mind flashed back to the vicious beating Ironwood dealt him, how the mad general almost killed Ben, then and there. If it weren't for Marrow's sacrifice, this moment wouldn't even be happening. Unseen by most others in the room, Ruby's eyes flickered with silver light before she composed herself.
"I don't know if you can hear me," Ruby started, "I can only hope you can. You remember that silver rose I always carry with me? The gift from my mom before she...left? I'm leaving it with you for now. Ari and Lev are gonna stay with you and Doctor Polendina, but me and half of the others are gonna try to get Amity back up and running. Yang's gonna take the other half to help protect the civilians."
Ruby carefully laid the metal emblem on the table next to Ben's hospital bed, the metal ever so gently clanging as she set it down.
"When you wake up...I want you to bring it back, ok?" Ruby asked, taking hold of Ben's hand, before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.
For a moment, she swore Ben squeezed back, as if to silently say "okay."
Ruby smiled at that. She took a deep breath and turned back to Yang.
"Is your crew almost ready to go?" the hooded huntress asked.
"We're just waiting on Rex but, sis. Can I ask a favor?" Yang asked.
"Huh? What's up?" Ruby said.
"Make sure you have Blake's back, okay?"
"I promise," Ruby said. She didn't need an explanation, especially after what she had just done for Ben.
Yang smirked. "That's good enough for me. Time to get the gang together, then."
Rex, meanwhile, was getting things ready for the trip out into Mantle. He already had a good idea of where the Happy Huntresses had set up a refuge. Mantle's stance on the Faunus had never been the most progressive, unfortunately, so the most desperate or the most disenfranchised took to building new homes for themselves. But in a city like this, there wasn't any real room for shanty towns or slums...except for one spot. The Crater. Right where Atlas had been ripped from the earth and sent into the sky, plenty of Faunus had moved and constructed a shanty town to live in when no one in Mantle proper would give them a roof to sleep under.
Just another example of the double standards of the "Greatest Kingdom" in Rex's mind. Serve and protect the people, but only those in Atlas, be welcoming and provide opportunities, but only when it benefits you, oh and let's not even begin with the secrets that were kept up there!
But there was one person he could at least ask about one secret. Every since they escaped, one thing that Ironwood said had been stuck in his head. And, honestly, it'd been stuck in Ruby's too. Part of him wanted to bring her over for this, but she had enough on her plate with saying goodbye to Yang. So, he'd handle this himself. He walked right up to Pietro and took a deep breath.
"Doctor," Rex started, "before I go...I need to ask you a question."
"Anything, my boy," Pietro answered earnestly.
"How did you give Penny her Aura?"
Pietro's expression went dark. "...I worried a conversation like this would one day come up."
"Dad. I...I think I know how you did it, as well," Penny spoke up, "We saw something in Fria's hospital room."
"The more reinforced model, I take it," Pietro sighed.
"What...was that thing?" Rex asked. "This Aura transfer device."
"It was built as a conduit, purely for me." Pietro said.
"So my Aura," Penny began.
It's made from a part of his, Eunice finished.
"Yes. A portion of my own Aura grew entirely into your own. Whatever experiments were done with the ATD before, I had no idea about them. I only had the data," Pietro explained.
"Were you the only person to step into it when it came to testing that?" Rex asked.
"Of course! We're talking about splintering the very energy of the soul. How could I, in good conscience, ask anyone else to walk into that? I only ever used the machine twice, constructing Penny the first time and rebuilding her after the Vytal Incident. Never beyond that."
"Then...why was Atlas using it for Fria?" Penny asked. "If it was purely just for me?"
Pietro sighed, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes.
"In truth, it actually wasn't purely James' idea," Pietro admitted.
"It wasn't?"
"I don't know who he worked with and I don't know why, but I can think up theories."
"Name them." Rex frowned.
"I only meant for my own, selfish use- to keep my greatest passion project alive." Pietro explained, looking wistfully at Penny. "Maidens are a fickle thing. And just in case...Ozpin wanted a backup."
"Ozpin?" Rex asked.
"The only thing I was told by the general was that it needed to be on standby. If I had to guess, with the knowledge I have now, then Ironwood wished to control the flow of the Maiden powers. If Aura can be transferred, then it may be possible to transfer the Maiden powers that way, deny them to the 'last person thought of.'"
"In other words...deny them to Salem," Penny added.
"I always assumed it'd be Plan C, never Plan A." Pietro frowned.
"And you only ever intended to use it for Penny?" Rex stressed.
"Never anything else."
"This is just...crazy. And my parents had a hand in this..." Rex frowned.
"Your parents made it for you. Ironwood's ambition twisted a genuinely heartfelt creation and turned it into...into what it is now," Pietro tried to comfort.
"Why, though!? Why make it for me!?" Rex demanded.
"I...don't know."
"Because they were your parents," Penny and Eunice said simultaneously, "We've come to learn that, when it comes to saving their children, parents will do anything for them."
"I hate that I can't know for sure...I don't know what's the truth and lie anymore." Rex frowned. "I want to know- why!?"
"And the only ones who can answer-" Pietro began.
"Are gone, I already know that!" Rex yelled, storming off to finish getting ready.
Rex was shaking when Noah entered the room. "...hey. Got a minute to talk?"
Rex slowly turned around. "Y-yeah. What's up?"
"You're shaking," Noah pointed out.
"Am I? Sorry, I just..." Rex trailed off.
"You're thinking about everything from Ironwood again..."
"You'd think divvying up the supplies we salvaged from the Manta would take my mind off it, but nope!" the words were laced with sarcasm, of course. There wasn't too much to distribute, two crash survival kits with medical supplies and flares, a spare pistol with three clips of ammo that no one really needed, and a cache of three silver hammer-like devices with a single white crystal located in the shell at the top. Tornado grenades, an Atlesian Dust creation.
Noah nodded sympathetically. "I get it. It's hard not to think about everything that's happened. Just gotta…focus on what's in front of you right now."
"How the hell can I?" Rex frowned. "I just can't pretend like it's all fine anymore! Now Ironwood, a man I actually respected, turns out to be sitting on all the secrets I've been searching for ever since I got my amnesia! I can't stay chill about this, Noah!"
"I'm not saying to ignore it." Noah said.
"I know! I know...but...I just..." Rex couldn't even find the right words to say here; he was just so angry, angry at Ironwood, at Clover, at the entire fucking city he called home not a few hours ago!
Noah stepped closer and rested a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Hey. I may not have all the answers, but I do know one thing. You're not alone in this. No way is your new family about to just...watch you destroy yourself over this. You were manipulated, cheated, lied to- and that's the worst thing. Ironwood had the audacity to continue this facade...but you don't have to let him win. You can take everything you've learned from this and use it to make things better. Maybe not for Atlas or Mantle, but for the people we meet along the way, the people who need us now."
Rex stood there for a moment in total silence, still shaking in anger from all his thoughts focused on Ironwood. But deep down, he knew Noah was right.
Taking a deep breath, Rex nodded. "I can't let Ironwood win...that's all I can say with certainty right now. And Clover...the next time I see him, I swear I'll..."
"You'll what?" Noah asked.
"I'll...hell, I don't know, ok? Part of me wants to say kill him, part of me wants to ask him if he even knew, and part of me wants to talk him away from Ironwood, which I know won't fucking happen!"
"You can deal with that later; focus on the REAL issue. That...bastard." Noah frowned.
"Right..." Rex sighed, looking down at his hands. He composed himself a bit, calming his anger ever so slightly so that he wasn't just shaking in pure rage.
"Stick it to him however we can, right?" Rex asked.
"Exactly," Noah said, looking back to where the others had gathered, "Think they're ready for ya."
"I'll make sure to dedicate some punches to you...aside from the Outcasts, you're like...the only other person I can trust right now." Rex confessed.
"I know you will. And I promise, at least we," Noah said with a smile, no doubt meaning himself and the other Outcasts, "deserve that trust."
"Yeah...you do," Rex pulled Noah into a tight hug, knowing he probably wouldn't see him again for God knows how long. They'd both be busy with their own rescue work. With that, Rex grabbed up the supplies he needed, handing over the medic packs to Noah and grabbing the tornado grenades for the Outcasts.
"Ready?" Yang asked, standing in the front of her group while Ruby stood with hers.
"You know it." Ruby grinned. "Good luck, sis."
Blake looked back at Yang, and nodded. "Yang, stay safe, okay?"
"Good luck, Rue," Yang said, "And Blake? Promise I will."
Blake nodded and, just like that, Ruby's team made their way to the door, their goodbyes said, no matter how sweet or how stinging they were. This was their plan and they needed to see it through. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo...they needed to know what was coming and they needed to unite now.
As for Yang's team, they were about to head out as well, giving Ruby's group a good head-start, before they were stopped.
"Yang, wait," Pietro said.
"Hm?" the blonde turned to the older doctor, just in time for her to clumsily catch a bronze key.
"You're going to need speed out there, especially now. I was fixing up some older models before all of...this happened. Think you'll appreciate the paint job."
"Paint Job?" Yang asked. Pietro motioned over to a door that none of the Outcasts had ever opened before. The blonde looked down at the key again and shrugged, moving over to the door and unlocked it with the key. When she pushed it open, her and her team were greeted with a completely darkened room. Kylie peeked in through the doorway and searched for the light switch, thinking it was right near the open doorway. Sure enough, she found it and flipped the lights on. Yang's eyes practically sparkled when she saw the surprise.
"...oh my god," Yang smirked.
"Only three?" Rex asked, looking back to Penny's father.
"Well, considering you can turn into one whenever you want," Pietro started.
"Okay, fair point."
"Welp, you know which one I'm taking," Yang said, walking into the garage.