Tfw your teacher gives you a 350 point essay for no real reason, so you have to speed run writing six papers at once
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Several hours ago, right when Penny had fallen from the sky, Harriet was monitoring the status of the CCT network. The other Ace-Ops stood at attention, waiting for orders, save for Cammie and Dr. Weller. The two of them were just as concerned as anyone else who saw the message. They shared a look between them, silently confirming to each other that everything was beyond their control and that they needed to get out *now.* Not a word was spoken, but the two of them recognized that same look of fear and uncertainty in the other's eyes. As for Harriet, the most mission-driven of the team nodded once she saw the bars for global connection drop back down into the red before disappearing entirely.
"And just like that, global comms are down again," the speedster said.
Ironwood pulled out his Scroll and dialed up Penny's number, letting it ring for a few moments. Watts, satisfied with his work, leaned back in his office chair with a smug look on his face. He knew the real main purpose of his little program. Fooling this pompous tinman right under his nose was priceless.
The general's expression fell slightly after letting the Scroll ring, only to receive nothing. A direct answer or even an outright hang-up was expected, but going straight to voicemail? For some reason, that seemed wrong to him.
"No response. What. Did you. Do?" Ironwood asked, putting away his Scroll and turning towards the good doctor.
"Only what you asked me to," Watts answered coyly, spinning around to face his desk and picking up Penny's sword, "It's possible Penny's systems are merely rebooting. It makes sense if you think about it. A powerful and invasive program like that? She'd need time to cope, get adjusted to her new directive. As for the tower, well, I guess Pietro wasn't quite as brilliant as you-"
Ironwood snapped and threw his Scroll at the captive scientist. Watts swatted the Scroll away and it broke when it landed on the desk, the projection disappearing upon impact.
"We do not have the time to wait," the general said as the doors to the lab opened and Winter walked in.
"Sir?" Winter asked, looking down at Watts as he stroked Penny's stolen blade.
"Winter. Good. No time to waste. Until Penny either respondes or is standing in front of me, ready to cooperate, we can assume nothing about her status. Take the Ace-Ops. Scour the tundra for any sign of her. I want constant updates."
"...Sir," Winter saluted, playing the part of the dutiful soldier even if she didn't mean it. The other Ace-Ops present saluted as well before they marched out of the office. As they did, Watts quickly secreted away his electronic toolkit and the broken Scroll before Ironwood turned to face him and Harriet, the speedster hanging back for a moment.
"Harriet," Ironwood began.
"Take the 'good doctor' back to his cell? Gladly," Harriet nodded.
Watts merely made it look like he was turning off the various computer screens before standing, the broken Scroll hidden behind his back.
Oh James. Just as blind as I had hoped, Watts smirked.
Back aboard Monstra an hour later, the Fall Maiden was stewing in anger. SHe had been disgraced again and she knew it. There was no way she could explain away any of this. Floyd's presence on the beast while she sported a collection of fresh battle scars would be so contradictory that even someone with tunnel vision as severe as Ironwood's could see it. The Fall Maiden took a deep breath and closed her good eye, knowing Salem would levy a heavy punishment on her for this. But she needed to do something, say anything that would perhaps spare her from even the tiniest modicum of Salem's wrath.
Maybe she could get Vilgax to vouch for her.
Before she could even move to the door to try and find him, something else floated into her room, a Seer. It clicked a few times before the misty golden orb that was its head echoed with a familiar voice.
"Cinder," Salem's voice spoke from the living communicator, "You're needed in the throne room. We need to talk."
Cinder stood up, tucking a glass karambit into her belt. "Understood. I'll be there soon."
The Seer clicked once and floated out of the room with Cinder following, steeling herself for whatever Salem had in store for her.
Salem was sitting on her throne when her disobedient Maiden entered the room. Lined up and kneeling in front of her were Hazel, Raddock, Vilgax, Emerald and someone Cinder didn't recognize. They seemed to be of the same species as Rook Blonko, but they had suffered severe burns to so much of their body, they must be in constant pain. Salem stood up and walked over in front of Cinder, before moving to stand in front of Tyrian. Cinder could feel the tension in the air, and knew that something big was about to happen.
"We have good news," Salem announced. "Kundo, here, has heard from our dear colleague Watts. Although he remains in captivity, it seems that he has worked with Ironwood to gain some control over the puppet masquerading as the Winter Maiden. I suppose he remains useful after all..."
Cinder sighed for a moment, maybe this was just a general update on all the plans.
"Speaking of which..." Salem's eyes glowed subtly and immediately, Cinder's Shadow hand began to burn. Black smoke rose up from the limb as the Grimm replacement squealed in pain. That pain was shared with its host, who grabbed the prosthetic with her normal hand and cried out in pain. Raddock, Emerald, and even Hazel winced as they heard Cinder just suffer. Kundo's face remained passive, he'd only ever seen this girl once or twice by now. She was supposedly important, but he didn't see it. As for Vilgax, he looked over his shoulder to watch. He had wondered about that prosthetic and how it worked. This basically answered all of his questions.
"Oh Cinder..." Salem got up and walked up to her suffering subordinate, "You disobeyed my direct orders, only to fail. Again."
The pain shooting up Cinder's arm had her flashback to her abuse at the hands of the Madam of the Glass Unicorn. The shock collar was going off, sending a small but painful current through her body.
"But I've realized," Salem began, and the pain suddenly stopped, "that I'm to blame."
"What?" Cinder gasped.
"You've fought your whole life unwaveringly for what you want and here I am," the Grimm queen put a hand to her chest, almost in a gesture of compassion, "holding you back instead of lifting you up."
The dark lady held out her hand to her Fall Maiden gently. Hesitantly, Cinder raised and placed her Shadow Hand in the palm of her mistress.
"Y-your Grace-" Cinder began, only to be hushed by Salem.
"You deserve so much more than I've given you," the immortal evil sighed, "And so, I will strive to correct that. First, go to Atlas. Recover Watts. Consider it a headstart."
"A headstart? As if...I'm in a race? Against who?"
As if to answer, one of the larger membrane doors opened and the Hound lumbered in. The witch's bloodhound went up and sniffed the assembled cabal members, just to familiarize itself with their scents, save Raddock. It already got his scent from their last encounter.
"It matters not who brings me the girl, you or my Hound," Salem explained, "but should it be you, you will be rewarded. Tell me...which one do you hate more. Tennyson...or Rose?"
"...the girl," Cinder answered without hesitation, "Her blind optimism...hurts others more than it does good. And yet, she always manages to come out on top."
Salem nodded in understanding. "Noted. Then, once the race is over…I shall give you the chance. Now go."
Cinder bowed her head in acceptance. "Yes, my grace."
Salem turned to her Hound, her eyes flashing a deep red again. As if it had received a telepathic command, the lumbering abomination huffed in acceptance before it turned around and bounded off, beginning its hunt.
"I pray it's hunt will be a success..." Salem sighed. "I spent a small fortune on that Grimm."
And now, we're back to the present.
An airship flew through the air above the tundra, blasting some song by Heart, Nesmith's choice, an acoustic guitar ballad that switched over to an electric guitar. Winter hated the song but was too in pain to change it. The other Ace Ops were discussing whether or not Watts was successful with his hack.
"Listen, call me crazy, but maybe we shouldn't let a terrorist do our coding." Cammie frowned.
"While I have my reservations, he has, at least somewhat, delivered. We have confirmed visuals of her leaving Amity and she appeared to be malfunctioning." Vine said.
"She's a person. How many times do I need to tell you that?"
"You wanna know what she is? I'll tell ya. She's junk Technology can be such a fickle bastard sometimes," Nesmith frowned.
Winter wished she could find some relief from the pain in her head and the incessant music, but for now, she would have to endure both. Ironwood practically forced her out of bed and this medical tech holding her together was a unique form of prison. It felt like pins had been inserted into every single one of her broken bones, trying to force triage constantly. Aura could recover some of the damage over time, but to quote Ironwood, "there was no time waste."
Despite the pain and the uncertainties surrounding their current situation, Winter resolved to endure.
For the sake of her country.
But what if the country was against her sister?
Harriet, who was piloting the ship, stared dead ahead. She didn't register anything going on around her. She was in this angry trance, her grip tight on the ship's controls. The song by Heart (Crazy on You) continued to blare through the airship's speakers, providing a soundtrack to the tense atmosphere on board. Harriet's mental state was consumed by a mixture of anger, frustration, and confusion, a potent powder keg ready to explode.
And that's when the match appeared. A button on the dash started to beep, signifying a broadcast across all channels. Winter pressed it, letting the static play for a second.
"-Headed straight for Mantle! I repeat, a large black mass of Grimm is headed straight to Mantle!" Albedo said over the intercoms. "Please, anyone, respond!"
"It's them," Chiffon frowned. "Where did they get their hands on a communication link?"
Harriet didn't say a word but she gunned it towards the Outcasts' location. Thanks to it being on all channels, she knew exactly where those bastards were. A mix of determination and concern fueled Winter's next actions. Ignoring the pain coursing through her body, she reached for the communication link and responded, her voice firm and resolute.
"This is Winter Schnee. We're on our way to assist-" the eldest Schnee sister began.
"Don't tell them we're on our way!" Harriet snarled, snatching the radio away and pressed the off button, "They'll make a break for it!"
"They just informed us of a much bigger issue we need to be concerned about."
"If it weren't for those damn kids, we wouldn't even be in this mess." Chiffon countered. "Besides...Ironwood wants them rotting in a cell as soon as possible."
Winter grit her teeth as the airship suddenly started to descend. The Ace-Ops found the supposed fugitives outside an outpost in the middle of icy nowhere.
"Great." Rex frowned. "And now we're gonna get arrested."
"We had to warn them." Albedo said. "It was not an easy choice, but...we can't sit idly by now, can we?" Albedo looked down at the flowing tenebrous river, now more like tar but it was still flowing. The black ooze was almost alive, flowing like blood from a terrible gash in the tundra itself.
The ship landed and immediately, Harriet stormed off and towards them. The anger she felt seeing them and the anger Rex had seeing her again was palpable.
"Ace Operative Bree." Albedo frowned. "I know our relations aren't positive right now, but we need to hurry-"
"Where the HELL is Penny?" Harriet demanded, looking ready to punch someone out.
"Are you serious right now!?" Yang yelled. "There's people in danger!"
"Oh, don't you START. There are people in danger because of your selfishness!" Harriet's voice cut through the tension, each word laced with bitterness, "You think you're heroes, don't you? But all you've brought is chaos and destruction. Look around you! Atlas is falling apart because of your reckless actions!"
"Atlesians aren't even struggling right now!" Rex countered. "They're oblivious to the sacrifices you're making!
Harriet's eyes narrowed, her anger intensifying. "You think this is about recognition? It's about responsibility! We're the protectors of Atlas, but you, you've thrown everything into disarray."
"Oh! I'm sorry! Did you just want me to never QUESTION authority?" Rex yelled.
Harriet's anger flared, her frustration reaching its peak. "Questioning authority is one thing, but undermining it in the midst of a crisis is another-!"
"Oh SHUT UP!" Rex yelled. "You don't get it, do you!? I was used! I just found out the truth and you expect me to follow someone who helped cover it up? I believed in Ironwood, I trusted him! But he betrayed us all! He let this stupid instilled fear and paranoia consume him, and HE'S the one who made decisions that cost innocent lives. I'm sorry I can't be a dutiful soldier like you! I'm sorry I can't be someone you can just boss around! I'm SORRY that I'm so properly fucked up by this news!"
Harriet's anger didn't waver, her eyes burning with intensity. "Your personal grievances don't excuse your reckless actions! We're facing an imminent threat and all you can think about is your own betrayal!?"
"YEAH! AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS CLOVER-!" Rex yelled, before he caught himself.
Everyone dead silent at the mention of the former team leader. Rex wasn't entirely sure of the details but he knew he just made a terrible mistake by mentioning him. But that silence didn't last very long. The ground started abruptly shaking, causing a series of earthquakes that scared the people in Mantle and the Crater. The Grimm that still roamed the streets reacted as well, looking up with what could only be described as anticipation. All the Hunters out in the tundra suddenly turned towards Atlas and could watch in horror as Salem's plan unfolded.
The Grimm river that the Outcasts had discovered formed into a massive geyser that shot up high enough to hit the very city of Atlas. The geyser slammed into the Hard Light shield surrounding the city, but it quickly broke through the barrier, like acid eating through common iron. The group watched the eruption with abject horror but the situation somehow managed to get even worse. Puddles of ooze were left on the rocky underside of the floating island and from them spawned Centinel. They began to scuttle their way towards the pylons that generated the protective dome. An Atlesian airship adjusted position and locked onto the Centinels with some of the lightest artillery it could without causing damage to the pylons and blasted away one of the multi-legged beasts, but that wasn't enough. The creatures moved right under two of the pylons and shoved their mandibles into the stone. With their combined strength, they dislodged their targets from the floating landmass, causing them to fall to the ground beneath Atlas with thunderous crashes. After the first pylon fell, the shield flickered but was still stable. The loss of the second completely destroyed it, the entire thing disappearing and opening up Atlas' airspace.
"Oh, Christ..." Harriet muttered.
Aboard the beast, Salem smirked upon her throne as she looked out onto the now exposed kingdom and uttered two simple, yet terrifying, words.
"It's time."
Upon its queen's command, Monstra flew to the city, leaving behind its protective storm. The leviathan aimed for the farmlands outside and, with a crash that shook the entire floating island, beached itself upon some of the only fertile soil the floating kingdom had. The whale opened its mouth to release an eerie whalesong that heralded pure and unfiltered destruction. From the fanged maw of the flying whale, a deluge of Grimm liquid poured out and covered the farmland, burning away its greenery. From the floodwaters rose all manner of Grimm, from Beowolves and Ursai to Megoliaths, Sabyrs, and even Winged Beringels. After the first wave of Grimm had been released, a second army poured from Monstra's jaws, the followers of the Ecto-Lord. Transylians, Loboans, and Thep-Khufans all marched out into the fields, some wielding the equivalent of an alien torch as if it was a battle standard.
The beginning of the end had finally come for the shining beacon of Atlas.
Ironwood could only watch from the central command in horror as Monstra made landfall. The deluge of Grimm sludge, spawning monsters of all kinds, accompanied by the presence of Zs'skayrs followers was a situation not even he had anticipated. Alarms were ringing all around him and various analysts and tactical coordinators scrambled to deal with the oncoming assault. Atlas' automated perimeter defenses could keep the attack at bay but not forever.
The steeled general balled his hand into a fist, the servos in his mechanical hand whirring and straining. The fear and shock quickly turned back to an emotionless and pragmatic military mindset. The light in his eyes faded, as Mettle exerted its influence over the man once again.
"Activate the arachna-mines and have them prioritize the Grimm," Ironwood ordered, "Burrow guns and beam turrets have permission to fire at will. Do not let a single one of those creatures reach the walls. I want everything we have scrambled. Mantas are to make bombing runs against the horde and the whale. Clear out the first wave and make room for a proper defense. Infantry, androids, Paladins, Specialists, I want all of them out there, beyond the walls NOW."
The analysts and comm-experts began relaying the orders, filling the control room with a buzz of voices sending out the command to whoever could hear them. All along the perimeter wall, various defense turrets emerged and fired down high-powered energy shots into the encroaching horde of aliens and monsters. Hangar doors opened in the fields closest to the capital's walls, either allowing high powered burrow guns to emerge and rain down hell on the horde or releasing skittering metallic mines that flung themselves into the army before detonating, taking quite a few of Salem's soldiers with them.
"Sir," one of the communication officers began, "what about the civilians? Even with our anti-air, Grimm will get into the city. There's too many flyers to shoot them all down."
"Too little room in conventional shelters for the entire population," Ironwood thought aloud, before he got an idea, "The subways. Open a city wide broadcast."
"But...sir, the subways-"
"NOW!" Ironwood slammed his fist into the nearest desk, denting it thanks to his prosthetic's enhanced strength. That got the poor officer to comply, setting up an emergency broadcast.
Elsewhere in the city, citizens were going about their daily lives. Because none of Ironwood's more controversial decisions had been made public, nor the reasons behind them, the people of Atlas believed they had no cause for concern. Some people were shopping, enjoying a few rounds of poker or roulette at popular casinos in the city like Grimmdark, or just relaxing in Elysium Park. Ironically, the park had actually gotten a bit of a popularity boost after the Techadon Elm incident. Their serenity was interrupted by the screeching of high-pitched feedback from every speaker across the city.
"Citizens of Atlas," Ironwood's voice boomed across the city, even reaching some of the Atlesian students that had taken breaks from their Academy duties for a time, "I am declaring a state of emergency. Please, in a calm and orderly fashion, make your way to the nearest subway station and remain there for shelter."
A few people began muttering in confusion, wondering what was going on. One man at the park even got up and began looking around for whatever threat Ironwood was warning the people about, concerned about what this meant for his daughter. Air raid sirens began sounding off in the city and that was the first thing to set off panic. The second came from the man's daughter herself. She got up and pointed behind her father.
"Dad? What's that?" the little girl asked. Her father turned around and saw a swarm of various flying Grimm weave through the skyscrapers of the city, heading right to the park.
"We...we need to go…now!" the man panicked before scooping up his daughter in his arms. The Grimm, be they Lancers, Manticores, or Nevermores, either wove through the various buildings of the Atlesian urban skyline or broke away from the flock and attacked the buildings themselves. A Manticore dove through the windows of one office building and began mauling its way through the panicked and fleeing workforce. A Nevermore turned towards one building and, with an echoing screech, unleashed a barrage of arrow-like feathers into the building and impaling anyone unlucky enough to be in the way.
A squad of Mantas raced towards the swarm, flanking a sleek and arrow-shaped Atlesian jet fighter. The Shark was a proper Atlesian interceptor, meant to deal with faster Grimm like Teryxes or Nevermores. Think of it as Atlas' own F-15. The wings of the jet, usually folded in a delta configuration, opened up into a more traditional configuration of wing-design. The encroaching squadron locked onto the swarm.
"Alright boys, as much of a nightmare as this is, we trained for this. Focus on the Grimm and give the civvies time to get underground," the Shark pilot said, "Now, give 'em hell!"
The squadron of ships opened up on the Grimm swarm with missile fire and minigun barrages. One of the Manticores was ripped apart by the high caliber rounds from the miniguns while two of the Lancers were absolutely obliterated by missile fire, leaving only their smoking severed wings to fly through the air. One of the Grimm actually managed to avoid being gunned down by the ships and flew right at the nearest Manta with a roar. It was one of the flying Beringels. The winged ape slammed into the cockpit of the gunship and broke through the glass, grabbing hold of the pilot and pulling him out. His co-pilot tried to save him, pulling out a pistol and blasting away at the beast. The move didn't work though and the Atlesian soldier was just horrifically pulled out by the Beringel and dropped.
"Damn it!" the Shark pilot cursed, hearing the free-falling pilot's screams, followed by the crunch of impact that destroyed the radio. A duo of Lancers locked onto the Shark and tried to take it down, but whoever was behind the controls was a master at it. They folded up their wings and pulled back, racing past the wasp Grimm to get behind them. The wing unfolded and the interceptor began firing on the beasts again, tearing them to shreds.
Below in the streets, it was a chaotic stampede. Students and civilians alike made a break for the subways, but even they weren't safe from the encroaching Grimm. Flyers from the larger swarm swooped down and carried off some citizens to a horrifying end. One man was about to be grabbed by one of the flying Berringels, until the beast was gunned down by a quick barrage of shots from one of the few Atlesian operatives not going to the front lines.
"Go, go!" Yaz yelled, ushering the man forward. She kept firing off rounds with a shotgun, gunning down any Grimm that got even close to the fleeing civilians. One particularly large Manticore tried to swoop down and kill her, but its skull exploded from a face full of buckshot.
Yaz could only hope she had enough ammo to spare.
Soldiers began pouring out of the perimeter wall once the first wave had been wiped out, the smell of burnt ozone from the beam turrets and explosions from arachna-mines filled the air. Blue-tinted soldiers rushed out with rifles, pistols, collapsible swords, and even heavy machine guns at the ready. Even the elite infantry of Atlas, wearing their full armor that made them seem more robotic than human, and numerous Specialists rushed out with their upgraded weapons. Paladins thundered out behind them, lining up as both the first defenses and heavy artillery in the back. The buzzing motors of the Arbalest-110s echoed down to the soldiers above. Even the lumbering Praetor-220s moved onto the field, slamming their shields down and forming a shield wall for the gunners to fire out from. It was honestly a miracle that the perimeter defenses had pushed back the initial assault, but maybe they pulled back on purpose. Given the presence of Anur aliens, the tactics would at least be somewhat more understandable.
And that made this entire war more dangerous.
Soldiers leveled their rifles through gaps in the shields of the Praetor defense wall as Paladins readied their massive plasma cannons. One soldier actually began to shake as he readied his rifle, but a comrade next to him patted him on the shoulder to reassure him.
And then the ground started to shake.
Inside the Grimm whale, Salem was standing at the very edge of the long and narrow piece of Monstra's skull in her throne room. She could see the armies arrayed before her, using the massive glowing portion of Monstra's head as a view screen, and smirked. She held her hands out in front of her and began moving her arms, almost like she was using a conductor's baton. Instead of musical instruments following her commands, the Grimm ooze and Monstra itself heeded her commands. The Grimm Queen could practically hear a symphony in her mind as she controlled Atlas' destruction. Another wave of tar-like sludge was vomited out of the massive Grimm whale, signaling the next wave of beasts. Sabyrs rose up from the puddle and shook off the excess sludge as they raced towards the front lines. Ursai, Beowolves, Manticores also emerged from the puddle, roaring and howling as they were effectively born. But the terror didn't end there. Long, spindly skeletal hands pulled out uncannily human forms from the sludge, as Apathy rose up in the ranks of the Grimm horde. Another wave of Anur aliens charged out after them, ready to bash through the human lines.
Salem's smile widened as she watched the chaos unfold. She could see the fear and panic in the eyes of the Atlas soldiers and it was such a sweet sensation. She had waited so long for this moment, and now she was finally able to watch her grand plan come to fruition. As the combined armies moved forward, the Atlesian soldiers tried to fight back, hold their own, but no matter how long it took, they would be overwhelmed. The Grimm were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless, and their allies even more driven to conquest.
The one thing she regretted was being unable to see Ironwood's face contorted in fear when Monstra made landfall.
This was the end of Atlas' vaunted peace.
Emerald watched the Grimm Queen from a short distance away and she seemed admittedly conflicted about all of this. A part of her wanted to enjoy the chaos, just like Salem was, but another part was hesitant about what was to come next. She had always known that Salem's plan involved destruction and toppling these highly paused institutions, but seeing it in person was something different.
As Emerald made her way down the hall, her footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The weight of her decisions provided quite the heavy burden for her to shoulder. She had aligned herself with Salem and her grand plan, believing that it would lead to a world without divisions, where no one would have to go hungry or without a home, but witnessing the chaos and destruction first hand made her question if the ends truly justified the means.
Behind a closed door, she overheard Oscar's screams at his torture.
...he's a stupid kid. Emerald thought. Don't feel bad for him.
But then she heard Hazel start talking and her curiosity got the better of her. She looked around to see if any Seers were floating by or if any Anur aliens were patrolling the nearby halls. When she saw that none of them were, she leaned up close to the door and eavesdropped.
Inside the prison cell, Oscar's blood dripped onto the floor, courtesy of the beating Hazel had been giving him. Two tendon-like chains were wrapped around Oscar's wrists, keeping him suspended in the air. At this point, the poor farm boy's clothes were peppered with dirt, blood, and even scorch marks and one of Hazel's punches had given him a black eye. The other strikes had led to bruises forming all over his body. Though, in an act of mercy, Ozpin had taken control, unknown to Hazel, to spare Oscar the pain.
"That stunt you pulled," Hazel growled, "She'd have killed you if you didn't just pop up somewhere else. Still, you can make things easier on yourself if you start telling the truth."
"Have you...have you ever wondered...why she recruited you?" Ozpin asked, "You...specifically, to help her find the Relics?"
"Once or twice at first," Hazel admitted, "but then I came to realize that she and I share a vision. She's gonna create a new order from the ashes of your failed little system. No more Kingdoms. And no more Huntsmen Academies."
"New order? She used...that old line?" Ozpin chuckled, " No...that's just what she wants you to believe. Easier to keep you in line. When she gets all four Relics...there won't be any world left. Do you understand me? She's been alive longer than you can comprehend and she's tired! All she craves at this point is release. We...we both do."
"Stop. LYING!" Hazel roared, throwing another gut punch to Oscar's midsection, making him swing on the chains like a punching bag, "She can't die...I've seen it first hand. When she first came for me, I killed her over and over again. Longest she stayed dead was at least a few hours before she pulled herself back together. When I couldn't lift my arms anymore, I thought she'd kill me, but instead she showed me. She showed me that through her, I could get what I really wanted. Justice. Vengeance for my sister. Vengeance on you."
"And that...is why she came for you," Ozpin said defiantly, "Because she knew, she knew you could be made to believe that this is what you needed."
"THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE YOU MENTAL PARASITE!" Hazel roared, punching Ozpin in the face again.
"YES! Yes, I do! I will never deny that I have escaped consequences like this for CENTURIES! But does Oscar? Do the people of Atlas? Do the people of Remnant?! You haven't done this for justice! You've done this for yourself, because she pushed you to think it would help. Well...has it?"
Hazel paused, letting Ozpin hang there for a few seconds.
"So long as this world turns, you shall walk its face." Ozpin muttered. "That was the curse cast upon her. But if Salem can divide Humanity beyond repair and bring all four Relics together, she believes that maybe her curse will be broken. The Gods will rule against us and destroy Earth, once and for all..."
Hazel's brow furrowed. "Nice story. But if Gretchen's death taught me one thing, it was never to trust you."
Hazel moved forward, sick of Ozpin's condescending tone, so he was ready to knock him around some more.
Let me take over, Oscar demanded.
What? No-
You want him to trust us? Oscar countered. Then trust me.
Ozpin sighed, and closed his eyes. He surrendered control back to Oscar, just in time too. Hazel was reeling back a punch.
"Her name is Jinn."
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"The Lamp. It's like a genie from an old fairy tale," Oscar sputtered. "You want her to come out? Just say her name. She can answer two questions. Usually, it's three…but she already answered one."
Hazel's eyes widened in anger and he grabbed and lifted Oscar by the collar.
"After all that, you're just going to give Salem the password?" Hazel hissed.
"No." Oscar winced. "I'm giving you the password, and hoping you'll find the truth for yourself."
Hazel slowly released Oscar's collar, his scowl turning to an expression of surprise. Emerald pulled away from the door, trying to process what she had heard.
A little bit later, Cass was packing up a travel bag as per her new orders from Salem. She, Tyrian, and Zs'skayr were heading off to sunny Vacuo to prepare Shade for its own downfall.
"Gonna be real quiet without you here," Mercury half-heartedly lamented.
"Oh, ouch, don't bear your heart to me, asshat," Cass rolled her eyes, but allowed herself a smirk.
"Yeah, I probably shouldn't. Technically, I think I outrank you now."
"Pfft, ha!" Cass couldn't help but scoff, "Yeah, no. Just because you got promoted, doesn't mean you can start bossing me around. If anything, we share the same rank."
Their little back and forth was interrupted when the membrane door tore itself open and Emerald walked in.
"And there's the third of our little original squad," Cass announced, "Enjoyed the show upstairs?"
"Did...you guys know about the thing inside the lamp?" Emerald asked the two. Cass and Mercury shared a look.
"What?" Mercury asked.
"Listen, I was eavesdropping on Oz and Hazel and he mentioned something about a genie in the lamp. Is that real?" Emerald asked.
"He's a prisoner, Em. He'll say what he thinks will get him out." Cass scoffed. "Ignore it."
"So, you've never once wondered what something called 'The Relic of Knowledge' does? Or how it works?" Emerald crossed her arms at that.
"I mean, I'd be lying if I said no," Mercury admitted, "But look who we work for. She'd give us some cryptic riddle shit and not elaborate."
"Not even our place to question it," Cass added.
"So you're still going to Vacuo then?" Emerald asked.
"Yeah. Because those are orders." Cass said. "Look, even if what he said was true, what difference is that gonna make? I heard that Hazel tried a long time ago. He failed and he got in line."
"Big guy's not going to pick fights he can't win and neither should we." Mercury added. "And all of this is pointless. Life, I mean. I dunno why anyone would create this dump."
"Besides, this whole bit about 'ending the world?' That's the pointless part. With her power, she wants to rule it, obviously," Cass corrected.
"Rule?" Tyrian peeked in from outside, scaring Emerald enough to where she almost threw a punch at the mad Faunus. The scorpion murderer grinned and wagged his finger at Cinder's adopted sister, as if he was scolding a child.
"My dear Cassidy, that's such a paltry goal. I'm almost insulted on behalf of Her Grace! Imagine if she heard you!" Tyrian said, stepping into view, "Rule the world. How utterly banal. Mercury's...apathetic attitude blinds him to the truth of it, but he's right. Salem will end it all once she has the Relics. There's no ideal more beautiful! If you didn't realize that when you signed up, well, you must be...out of your mind."
Tyrian couldn't help but chuckle at his own sick, little joke.
Emerald took a few steps back; she hated that crazy Tyrian was back in full force. Maybe he was acting up because Cinder was back. Tyrian leered at Emerald and Mercury, his tail curling and uncurling sinisterly, then used it to hurry Cass down the hallway.
Cass grabbed the tail. "Don't even fucking try."
"Feisty..." Tyrian smirked.
Cass threw the tail away from her, getting just another chuckle from the scorpion Faunus.
"Well, no more use delaying. Come along, Cassidy! We have a date with the desert! And I have to play 'coat' for the ghost again," Tyrian's enthusiasm actually dulled when he said for just a moment.
"What's wrong? Not a fan of ghosts?" Mercury quipped.
"Oh, no, I'm very used to ghosts. Just not Zs'skayr. Last time he possessed me...I...I failed Her. And I will ensure that history does not repeat itself here."
"Of course, you won't. I'll be directing you, after all, won't I?"
Tyrian didn't flinch as Zs'skayr made himself visible, having his claws drape around Tyrian's neck, "Failure isn't an option at this point. This city will fall soon; it's why we're departing."
"Then we better get going, huh?" Cass asked.
"Indeed. Ahhh, if only I could stay and see Tennyson's face as he watches the city he's called home for the past few years crumble around him," Zs'skayr lamented.
"Hey, if I can, I'll take a picture of him for ya," Mercury quipped. The High Ecto-Lord just rolled his eye before phasing into Tyrian and taking control of his body.
"Now then...shall we, Cassidy?"
Cassidy paused. "I need to make a quick visit to someone. Is that allowed?"
Zs'skayr hummed. "You have five minutes. Go."
With that, Cass nodded and quickly threw the travel bag over her shoulder. She made her way further down the hall and sighed upon reaching another one of the membrane doors. She reached forward and knocked on it, making the fleshy door vibrate and "twang" like strings on an instrument.
"...what?" Cinder's muffled, but still clearly angry voice hissed.
"It's...it's me," Cass said.
"It's already time, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I have to go." Cass sighed, "I know you just got here, but..."
Cinder's voice softened slightly as she replied. "Do what you have to." There was a hint of disappointment in her tone, but she tried to mask it with understanding.
Cass nodded, even though Cinder couldn't see her through the door.
"...can you please just step out for a second?" the Fall Maiden's sister asked.
Instead, Cinder sighed and waved her hand. The door ripped open revealing a similar room to the one Cass and Mercury were in, much smaller than the torture room that Oscar was held in. The walls and floor were nothing special, made of muscle and cartilage respectively. On the wall opposite the door, there was an improvised bed made of Monstra's very bones. Cinder was sitting on the edge of that bed, staring at her hands and the dagger she'd formed. She kept shifting the dagger between different designs. A more hook-like blade turned into one that resembled more of a throwing knife, for instance.
"Fine...come in," Cinder spun the dagger in her hand, morphing the weapon into a karambit and just stared at it, and her reflection in its glassy surface.
Cass entered the room, and it was then that she saw the full extent of Cinder's injuries. "...Jesus."
"Yeah. Damn...tin brat," Cinder cursed.
"She's gotten used to the powers faster than I did."
"You're giving her too much credit. She had another...gimmick up her sleeve," Cinder growled, grabbing her glass karambit tightly, threatening to cut her palm.
"Hey, careful," Cass warned, "Know it wouldn't be much but I'd prefer it if you didn't give yourself another cut when none of these have healed yet."
"A nick to the hand'll be nothing. I thought she'd…I thought she'd erase me when I got back. Instead she put me in a weird contest with her pet."
"Exactly! It means she understood! I mean you were right! She saw the broadcast, we all did! You were justified!" Cass argued.
"Oh, you think this is 'mercy?'" Zs'skayr hissed.
"I thought you said I had five minutes..."
"I did. But I couldn't help but overhear...not exactly subtle. One success...against now three high-value failures. Salem may have backed the wrong girl here," the High Ector-Lord grinned.
"I don't care who you're wearing," Cinder growled, "I will vaporize you. What was the last big thing you even contributed around here?! The corrodium? The Halloween rejects?!"
"You seem to have forgotten, I helped kill Ozpin when you couldn't even kill a single one of his pawns. Not the blonde, not Tennyson, and certainly not Rose!"
Cinder gritted her teeth, knowing Zs'skayr was right. She had failed to take out any of Ozpin's followers, leaving it up to the others to clean up her mess. It was a harsh truth to swallow, but she couldn't deny it.
"That was different. I was...preoccupied," the Fall Maiden argued.
Zs'skayr simply shrugged. "Excuses, excuses. At least I know my worth to Salem, unlike some people here."
"Then why did she torture you when you stepped out of line?" Cass countered.
"Once. It happened once, and I haven't overstepped my bounds since, have I?"
"You're scared of her and now you're just locked in inaction," Cinder accused. The High Ecto-Lord narrowed his eyes at the Fall Maiden, curling Tyrian's "borrowed" scorpion tail over his shoulder as if he was getting to ready to strike.
"Go on. Do it. See how well it goes," Cass challenged.
"...we're leaving. Now." Zs'skayr hissed, sulking out of the room.
Cass took a deep breath. "Well, I have that to look forward to. If it makes you feel better, Viktor's kinda disappointed with his attitude too."
"Viktor? The unshakably loyal Frankenstein's monster is showing some doubt? Oh no, however will he deal with this crisis of faith?" Cinder actually quipped, her tone taking on a much more playful tone than her usual veiled threat or outright heavy sarcasm.
"Where did that come from?" Cass blinked.
"What...what do you mean?"
"Your response. That was pure snark. You never do that. I'm the one who usually does it!"
"I met...some people." Cinder admitted sheepishly.
"Uh huh?" Cass asked, eye brow raised and hoping to hear more about them.
"And...yeah. They helped me. That's all." Cinder explained. "Got me back on my feet. And I used them to kill Lemon. That's all."
"Who were they?" Cass asked.
That question actually made Cinder freeze up. She was about to answer, but then she stopped herself. She was trying so hard to forget that trio, how she almost thought of them as more than assets.
"No one...no one important," the Fall Maiden finally replied.
"Seems like the people we could have run away with back then." Cass hummed. "Please, find a way to burn this fucking Kingdom to the ground. I'm leaving because..."
Cass turned away and sighed.
"I just can't bring myself to step on Atlas concrete again," the Maiden finished.
"Before you go," Cinder said, "Did you know that fucking hotel is still there? Despite all the bad publicity we gave it?"
"You're kidding..." Cass groaned.
"I'm not. But I still remember where it is. So...the next time I see you, I'll show you some 'souvenirs,' pictures of that horror house burning to the ground."
"I'd like that." Cass smiled a bit, before walking off.
With that, the group of Zs'skayr, his major followers Viktor and Imhonet, Tyrian and Cass all piled into a stolen smaller Manta. The engines roared to life and, in the middle of the raging war outside, no one noticed their craft slip away, heading to warmer environs.