This is my last week of college classes, hopefully. I am…weird it rn, ngl. Feels alien to be here.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Back in his holding cell, Oscar had been released from his restraints, a small blessing but one he most certainly appreciated. The farmboy, bruised and bloodied, laid on his side and sighed, just staring at the boney ground of his torture chamber.
"'She brushed off her bumps and bruises, for nothing hurt worse than the loneliness in her chest,'" Oscar quoted.
I recognize that, Ozpin noted, The Girl Who Fell Through the World.
"Shouldn't be surprised you know it. How many of those stories have you just...memorized?"
Do remember, I've lived through my fair share of them. How are you holding up?
"Y'know...I thought the idea of falling through to another world was...exciting. Even Alice in Wonderland sounded fun, well the Disney version anyway. I never understood why Alyx was so sad when she finally made it back home. But now?"
Now it...makes more sense?, Ozpin guessed.
"Yeah. She wasn't the same girl anymore," Oscar sighed, rolling onto his back and staring up at what little light was seeping through the membrane ceiling of his cell.
I...think we need to start coming up with a plan. Your idea to divide and conquer was good, but it seems to have run its course. Not having our cane certainly limits our options, so we may need to resort to-
"N-no," Oscar softly protested, "I don't...I don't like what happens when we use it. Every time we tap into the magic, I can feel us merging faster and I'm not ready for that."
I don't blame you. Truth be told, you've done quite well for yourself thus far. No magic, no...sagely advice from a foolish old man. Maybe we don't-
It was then that the membrane door to Oscar's cell tore itself open. The farm boy was half-expecting to see Hazel walk through those doors, ready to either drag him out or hoist him up again to continue the beating, but when he looked up, he couldn't help but think he was hallucinating.
"Y-you?" Oscar asked, seeing Emerald step into the cell.
"I saw the truth." Emerald frowned. "I saw...everything." Her voice was shaking and Oscar couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her.
"I'm...sorry you had to go through that," the farm boy said softly. "But what are you doing here?"
"Hazel wants me to bust you out."
"He what?" Oscar bolted up in total shock.
...it worked, Ozpin said, genuinely surprised.
"I know. I'm just as shocked as you are," Emerald admitted, "Can you walk?"
"Uh, y-yeah. He never broke my leg or anything so safe there. But how are you gonna get us past the patrols?"
"Well...thought about it on the way over. I could just make us both invisible, or..." the thief trailed off.
"Or?" the newest incarnation of Ozpin asked.
"Or nobody sees Oscar Pine walking with me. Instead, they just think I'm talking with one of my 'commanding officers.'"
"That can work. Well, assuming we don't run into my friends." Oscar agreed.
"What makes you think they'd be here?" the thief tilted her head in curiosity.
"Going into the belly of the beast, literally, to save me seems like one of the first things they'd try." Oscar shrugged.
"After everything I've seen you guys try," Emerald sighed, "that tracks. Alright. Come on. And try to stay composed. We get scared or anxious enough, the Grimm'lll notice. And when they notice-'
"Anyone else around will too, got it," Oscar said, struggling to get up for a moment before getting to his feet, "Alright. Do it."
"You're...better at this than I am, aren't you?" Emerald asked.
"I've got all his secrets in my head," Oscar frowned. "I've had to act fine about it."
"Got me there I guess," Emerald sighed and focused on Oscar. The farmboy's visage began to blur and flicker like a mirage before a illusionary mask was placed over the boy. To anyone else observing him, he'd appear as Salem's formerly loyal berserker, Hazel.
"Did it work?" Oscar asked, not seeing any change himself.
"It worked. Just...don't talk. Hard enough focusing on the disguise for you with...everything else."
Besides, I don't think anyone wants to hear a small, petite boy's voice coming out of a very large man. Ozpin muttered. That's just bizarre.
...really? Oscar mentally deadpanned.
You just sound a little wiser when I speak through you.
Sure I do… Oscar rolled his eyes.
"Ok...let's go," Emerald sighed, taking off down one of the corridors with "Hazel" in tow.
Back outside Monstra, the war wasn't going in Atlas' favor. A Transylian fired off a lightning storm from its tesla coils and fried a handful of soldiers and androids, leaving behind nothing but charred wrecks and bodies. The Frankenstein's monster-like alien was quickly met by a barrage of rockets launched from the pods on a Paladin's shoulders. The alien from Anur and several surrounding Grimm were blasted apart by the assault, but the victory was short lived. A Megoliath Alpha charged in and impaled the mech on its tusks, stabbing through the pilot and off-lining one of the army's heavy artillery pieces. A few Lancers flew over the Atlesian lines and fired off their harpoon stingers. Some of the Grimm wasps were sniped off by well placed shots while others managed to impale their target, before they were hoisted into the air, as if by a terrifying fishing rod. Soldiers, androids, and Specialists alike were hard-pressed to hold their ground against the seemingly endless tide.
In one of the trenches, a hand-picked group of soldiers stood at attention, ready for their orders from Winter. The elder Schnee sister had pulled these specific soldiers from their respective sectors and assignments as a means to reinforce the landing zone. Ironwood had called ahead a few minutes ago to inform her that the bomb was nearly ready. Among the forces she had selected were Team FNKI.
Neither the outliers of Atlas Academy nor Winter knew just how much the other hated what was going on with the general, but saying something now was too risky.
"Alright, listen up, everyone. As it stands, we only have a single weapon that's capable of harming that leviathan. Unfortunately, it's still not ready, but command's putting the finishing touches on it as we speak. This LZ must stay clear until it arrives. If we fail here, that beast will just keep spawning Grimm and we will lose the city. Understood?" Winter briefed her new reinforcements.
"Yes ma'am!" the assembled forces said in unison.
Neo looked over to Flynt, almost unrecognizable without his hat and sunglasses, wearing only the armor of Atlesian soldiers.
"Wouldn't...wouldn't happen to know a tune for this one, would you?" Neon asked.
"I don't think anyone does," Flynt admitted.
Flynt looked at Neon, a mix of determination and concern in his eyes. He understood the gravity of the situation they were facing, but he also knew that a spark of hope could make all the difference in the midst of chaos. He was the leader of FNKI for a good reason...
"So...in this case, we have to create our own rhythm," Flynt said, his voice firm yet reassuring. "This battle may not have a known tune, but we can make one. Sound good?"
"...yeah." Neon sighed, feeling slightly better.
The two's moment was interrupted when Vine zipped over their heads with his Aura limbs, landing on the other side of the trench.
"Another wave incoming!" the monk yelled over the chaos of battle, "Keep them back!"
The two musically inclined Hunters shared one last look and determined nod before they moved out. Neon skated ahead, her nunchucks out and already glowing a bright red color. Other soldiers, standard infantry, elites, and other Hunters rushed out to join Vine on the front. Winter even went over the top to join the battle, but Cammie lagged behind for a moment.
"Lot of us are just...kids," Cammie muttered.
"Yes, we are," Chiffon agreed, "but we swore an oath as both citizens and Hunters to defend this Kingdom. The Grimm don't care, neither does Salem or whoever else is with her. So, whatever moral issues you have, save them for after the war's won. Right now, we just need to kill as many Grimm as we can."
As much as it pained her, the new extremist on the Ace-Ops was right. The Grim were the bigger threat right now. Chiffon's wings unfurled from his back and he and Nesmith took to the air, while Cammie and Harriet climbed up and over the trenches.
Normal soldiers had set up firing lines, gunning down more Beowolves and Sabyrs by the second. Vine crushed a number of oncoming Grimm with his Aura limbs, enlarging them to massive sizes and just flattening the beasts beneath them. Nesmith and Chiffon rained hell down on the horde with a myriad of Dust attacks. Harriet ran circles around a Transylian, landing punch after punch on the patchwork creature while it just flailed about trying to hit her. Winter was dueling a Thep-Khufan, the mummy alien having summoned a pair of dual khopeshes created from powdered Corrodium.
The mummy-like alien moved with unnatural speed and agility, its khopeshes cutting through the air with deadly precision. Winter matched their movements, her silver rapier dancing in her skilled hands.
The Thep-Khufan unleashed a flurry of attacks, aiming to overwhelm Winter with sheer speed, but she deftly parried each strike, her Semblance-enhanced reflexes allowing her to keep up with the relentless assault. With a well-timed sidestep, Winter managed to evade a slashing strike that would have cut deep into her side.
These aren't just cultists like Beacon. These are a proper alien military, Winter thought, blocking more of her opponent's parries. Adjusting her tactics, Winter focused on finding openings in the mummy's defenses. She parried, blocked, and dodged the incoming strikes, looking for any momentary lapse in the Thep-Khufan's concentration. With a swift feint, Winter created an opening and lunged forward, aiming to land a decisive blow.
Only for the mummy alien's strange physiology to provide it an advantage. Its body unfurled at the point where Winter would have landed a hit, letting the blade just pass through harmlessly. Ironwood's second in command turned on her heel and pressed the trigger on her saber's hilt. The second blade dropped into her free hand and, with it, she landed a three hit combo on the back of the alien. The mummy groaned in pain before the bandages began to weave themselves back together. A glyph quickly appeared under the still regenerating mummy, just as Winter planned. The Thep-Khufan looked down before it was engulfed in a pillar of fire, leaving nothing behind but a collection of burning bandages and a smoldering headdress.
As for Cammie, she was about to intervene, help with one of the on-going fights in any way she could, but then she felt something land behind her. She spun around and saw the looming wolf-like form of a loyalist Loboan stare down at her, fangs bared.
"...oh," Cammie blinked, "Alright...I can take you. Probably."
Cammie's Rabbit's Feet activated, allowing her to grow a full head taller over the Loboan. Cammie began her attack by quickly moving around the Loboan, using her increased speed and agility to keep the bigger creature off-guard. She moved fluidly, hitting her target with precision and unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, but the Loboan didn't give up easily. The wolf-like alien fought back fiercely, using its sharp claws to slash at what it saw as an annoyance, modeled after something it saw as prey really. Some form of lagomorph existed on Luna Loba.
Thankfully for her though, Cammie was able to avoid most of the attacks thanks to her quick and agile movements. A few slashes managed to land and breach her armor, leaving shallow cuts on her arms and legs.
Undeterred, Cammie adapted her strategy. She utilized her technological prowess, activating her wrist-mounted gadgets (they came with her outfit, courtesy of Dr. Weller). With a swift motion, she deployed a series of miniature drones that buzzed around the Loboan, emitting electrical pulses that disrupted the Loboan's movements, temporarily stunning it and giving Cammie the advantage.
Whenever one of the pulses hit, the alien werewolf turned its attention to the offending drone and tried to swat it out of the air, leaving itself open to another attack from Cammie.
"Yeah...yeah, ok! I got this!" the hacker turned Ace-Op said to herself, getting more confident in her chances here.
With each successful strike and evasive maneuver, Cammie's confidence grew. She analyzed the Loboan's movements, identifying patterns and weaknesses in the werewolf. She kinda wished there was a silver bullet for one of these things. Either way, she capitalized on every opening she could, using her speed and agility to outmaneuver the Zs'skayr loyalist.
I wouldn't have gotten this far without the help of Ruby, Ben, and everyone else...and here I am, now ordered to arrest them. Cammie thought as she landed another series of blows on her opponent, I did swear an oath, an oath to protect the people of this Kingdom. And I know that if I be a 'good little soldier'...I'm breaking that oath. Because unlike the general of Chiffon, I care about both cities.
The Loboan roared and its snout split open, releasing a sonic howl at Cammie, knocking her back. She was able to land on her feet though, but in the process of recovering, she bumped into the giant Transylian Harriet was fighting.
The last thing Harriet needed in this fight was another distraction. Grimm were easy enough to beat, but Transylians were walking tanks, thanks in no small part to its patchwork yet durable body and impressive electrokinetic abilities. The extraterrestrial Frankenstein fired off a series of lightning bolts from its tesla coils, causing Harriet to swiftly dodge and weave with her impressive speed.
The Ace-Op's Fast Knuckles charged with power as she fought back, throwing quick and accurate punches. She targeted the weak points of the Transylian, the coils themselves, and hit them with precise jabs. Despite Harriet's relentless attacks, the alien creature was able to recover faster than she'd anticipated, even from impacts on the coils. After all, the coils themselves were connected to its spine, so when they shook or took damage, the pain was immense.
The Transylian spun around as it tried to swat away Harriet with a backhand strike, but the fastest member of the Ace Ops leapt over the attack and landed a kick to the monstrous alien's face. However, Cammie wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the Frankenstein monster's strike. The backhand slammed into her and knocked her off her feet. With that, the Loboan rushed in and pounced on top of the newly recruited Ace-Op. Its claws pinned her to the ground by her wrists and, as she struggled to free herself, she watched, horrified, as the alien werewolf opened its maw again.
Before Zs'skayr's cultist could unleash its sonic howl, Neon took notice and let out a war cry. She smacked the werewolf in the face with a few good hits from her nunchucks, singing its fur, before she snapped her weapons and swapped the color of their glow. Fiery red turned to icy cyan as she landed a hit on the monster's face, freezing the beast's mouth open. With the distraction, Cammie pulled her legs up to her chest and kicked out, knocking the werewolf off of her.
"You good?" Neon raced over, offering a hand.
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the save," Cammie said, taking the feline Faunus's hand and getting back on her feet. The Loboan growled as it scratched away at the ice keeping its mouth split apart, trying to break it apart.
"Well that just looks uncomfortable."
"Wanna help him out?" Cammie quipped.
Neon smirked and cracked her glow stick nunchucks again, changing them from cyan to dark orange. Stone enveloped one of the glowsticks, boosting its size and striking power, turning it into a heavy mace.
"Let's," Neon said, as she and Cammie rushed to finish off the alien werewolf.
Another patrol of Anur aliens walked down the fleshy halls of Monstra, armed with their technological torches. Two Thep-Khufans and two Loboans marched down the corridor, flanking a Seer that lazily floated in the middle of them all. The jellyfish-like Grimm let out a few clicks, the sounds echoing down the hall unsettlingly. Yang's Outcasts were, thankfully, still under cloak so they just let the group move past them. Once they were gone, they continued on silently, following Blonko's Plumber badge.
Although, unknown to them, one of the Loboans, a more lithe example of the species, picked up a scent it didn't recognize and sniffed the air.
"How much longer do you think we have?" Rex asked.
"I think it best not to dwell on that," Albedo answered, "May force us to act a bit reckless."
"When don't we act recklessly?" Yang smirked.
"I mean fair," Kylie admitted, " but Yang, we're all scared. Don't need to cover it up every time. Trust me, I'm terrified."
Yang let her brave mask slip for a moment, her expression falling for a moment.
"Glad I'm not the only one," the blonde brawler sighed.
"Of course not. Look where we are. If someone didn't feel a tinge of fear, I'd have to question their sanity."
"But we're gonna find him. Not gonna let either of these assholes kill him," Yang resolved.
"Damn right."
With that, the group rounded a corner and continued further in, with the Loboan silently stalking them.
Emerald and "Hazel" continued down through the halls themselves, also passing by a few patrols of Seers and Anur aliens. The disguised Oscar did take a few passing glances at the aliens, only ever having seen Viktor and Imhonet before. The literal werewolves were new to him.
"Don't worry about them," Emerald whispered, "They're not as bad as the mummies or Viktor's people. Loboans are still hard to kill but..."
Oscar cleared his throat and actually tried to do his best Hazel impression, lowering his voice and making it sound as stoic as possible.
"As long as we don't make one angry, we'll be fine," "Hazel" said.
"...thaaaat sucks," Emerald deadpanned.
"I'm trying here, ok?!"
...I hate to be 'that guy-' Ozpin mentally interjected.
"Oh don't you start critiquing me here!" Oscar fired back.
Emerald sighed at the one-sided banter and kept walking, before she heard a membrane door tear open. At first, she thought it was just another patrol but then the mage-thief's eyes went wide when she saw Salem round the corner. "Hazel" saw his "master" approach as well and the duo stood off to the side, bowing their heads in reverence.
"Ah, Hazel," Salem said, turning her attention to him, "I'm in need of some good news. My Hound has failed to return, so I can only assume it has met its end. Now tell me, does the boy still resist or has given in?"
To Oscar's credit, he was trying his best to mimic Hazel's voice, but he knew there wasn't even the slightest chance he'd be able to fool the Grimm's queen to her face.
"...well?" Salem asked, becoming less amused at her servant's silence.
"U-uh, apologies, Your Grace. He's feeling ashamed. The boy's will is...stronger than we first thought," Emerald answered, blurting out an explanation before thinking. The dark queen turned her attention to the green haired girl and looked her over with a discerning eye.
"Hmmm, you seem...different," Salem wondered, "Much braver than usual. Good. But, if the boy's will is too strong...then maybe we need to change tactics."
"M-ma'am?"
"Let's just say, just like Ozpin, I've had an ace up my sleeve that will change the game. It will infuriate him and it will surely break the boy. His fear will compel him to-"
Before Salem could elaborate further, her eyes shined, their glow swapping from her dark red to a bright purple. The dark queen heard a howl in her mind as she turned away from Emerald and looked down the hallway.
"Hmmm...one of Zs'skayr's dogs says we have guests," the witch muttered, thinking that impossible. But then that calm demeanor of her's started to drop and her eyes widened.
"The Lamp," Salem realized, spinning around to her two servants, "FIND THEM." Without another word, Salem rushed forward, seemingly gliding across the floor, her speed boosted by magically summoned dark winds.
Emerald and Oscar both let out a breath they didn't know they were holding once the witch was gone.
"Ohhh my fucking heart's ready to jump out my chest," Emerald sighed, putting a hand to her chest, "That was terrifying."
"What did she mean by 'ace up her sleeve'?" Oscar asked.
"I think she means that new squid guy but..part of me wants to say it's more than that," Emerald shuddered.
"S-squid guy- you mean Vilgax!? Vilgax is with you guys?" Oscar gasped.
"Haven't seen him since we got back from...trying to sabotage your message, but yeah," Emerald admitted, "Don't really know his deal, just that he and Cinder found common ground by wanting to murder Ben and Ruby."
"Oh...that's just great," Oscar sighed, "But on the plus side, if Salem has guests then that means-"
"Your friends crossed a literal war zone to save you..." Emerald finished, "Let's follow Salem's orders then."
"Don't say it like that," Oscar said, before taking off with his new ally not far behind.
The Outcasts ran down a corridor, trying to be quiet and discrete. Albedo's invisibility trick was probably the only thing keeping them from getting swarmed, but trying to run and keep quiet was a bit of a daunting task, especially in a place like this.
They rounded another corner and found themselves coming face-to-face with Emerald and her companion.
"Oh shi-" Yang began after bumping into the illusion of Hazel. Oscar stumbled from the hit and blinked a few times, looking to Emerald as if to silently ask "You saw that, right?"
"Yeah, I did," Emerald said, drawing Thief's Respite and taking aim.
"Oh. Lovely," Albedo deadpanned, dropping the field to reveal all of Yang's Outcasts with weapons at the ready.
"Wait, no!" "Hazel" raced between them with his hands outstretched to stop a fight from breaking out.
"What...happened to your voice?" Kylie asked, before the brute's image shimmered then fading away entirely to reveal Oscar.
"Not my best impression," Oscar shrugged.
"OSCAR!" Yang gasped, suddenly embracing the boy. Oscar winced; his bruises still hurt, but he wouldn't ruin the sense of relief the group clearly shared.
"Thought I sensed some weak minds nearby." Emerald frowned, grabbing the others' attention.
"Why's she with you?" Kylie asked.
"It's…kind of a long story," the thief answered, her eyes weren't unable to meet those of Oscar's friends.
"I can assume you are scared..." Rook frowned.
"Or you just found out something brutal." Rex guessed.
Min's eyes narrowed. "Or both. Both are a real possibility."
"...both," Emerald confirmed, barely above a whisper as her gaze fell and she lowered her weapons.
"You want to leave, don't you?" Kylie guessed.
"I never should've come here to begin with. Me and Hope, we never should have come here," Emerald sighed, "Now...are we gonna keep asking me about why I'm doing this or do you want me to tell you how to get out?"
The magical thief walked down the corridor, passing them with just a quick glance.
"Anyone coming?" she asked.
Min turned to Oscar, who had been freed from Yang's grasp. "Yeesh. You look terrible. Here..." Min put her hand on Oscar's shoulder, and in a near instant, most of his wounds were healed. Oscar could now walk without feeling every single bruise on his body.
"Thanks," the farm boy huffed.
"Did you...tell Emerald the truth?" Yang asked.
"Somewhat. I sort of led her to the person who could tell it better than I,," Oscar sheepishly explained.
"...who?" Albedo asked.
"Oh. You know...the genie," Oscar said before following after Emerald.
"You told them the password to the Lamp!?" Yang gasped. "That's giving Salem what she wants-"
"I only told her and Hazel. They chose not to share it with Salem." Oscar explained.
"Wait...you got Hazel to disobey Salem?" Albedo asked in disbelief.
"Not just disobey. I think he's turned away from her.'
"You turned her modus operandi against her," Rook realized, "She aims to divide and now her forces have, themselves, been divided. Clever."
"Heh, thanks," Oscar smirked.
Back outside the whale, the war waged ever onwards. The Loboan that had accosted Cammie fell to the ground after the hacker and Neon landed a double strike against it, knocking it out entirely. Vine whipped his Aura limbs into the air, pulling flyers out of the sky as they dove towards the other forces. A duo of Lancers tried to impale him with their harpoon-stingers while his focus was on an adolescent Nevermore, only for Nesmith to grab their extended stingers in his hands. The wasp Grimm buzzed in alarm as the Conduit armor the Iron Man knockoff wore whirred and he quickly slammed the two insects into each other, breaking their necks with the force of the impact alone.
Flynt used his Killer Quartet and fired off a barrage of multi-colored soundwaves to bring down a Manticore, the sonic barrage concentrating on its face. The beast scratched at the air as its senses were overwhelmed, giving Kobalt the perfect opportunity to ambush it. He rushed in once the sonic barrage stopped, grabbed the hybrid Grimm by the horns and twisted, snapping its neck.
"Nice one," Flynt congratulated.
Harriet, meanwhile, had worn down the Transylian she was fighting. The speedster raced around another downward smash from the Frankenstein monster and grabbed it by the coils. With a yell, she tossed the lumbering brute into an oncoming plasma mortar shot from a Paladin. She huffed as she watched the alien get blasted apart, wiping some sweat off her brow.
"How much," Harriet pressed two fingers to her ear comm before she was rudely interrupted by two quickly dispatched Beowolves, each felled with a single powerful punch, "How much longer for the payload?"
"It's approaching the LZ now," Winter answered over the comms.
Those defending the landing zone saw a squad of Mantas and Shark jets, flanking a military cargo ship, make their way towards them. The cargo ship was a bulky vessel with a very boxlike hull configuration. It sported two large main wings with two intakes each, while three smaller winglets were placed over the top of the vessel. The Mantas all landed, unloading a fresh contingent of troops to reinforce the ever depleting forces Winter was leading.
"McCloud, with me! Ace Ops, wait for my order!" Winter called out, cutting down an Alpha Beowolf with two swift saber strikes to its neck, decapitating it. The Schnee sibling and the hacker raced back to the landing cargo vessel as its loading ramp opened up. In the cargo bay was the Hail Mary that Atlas needed to turn the tide.
It was a large gray cylinder with larger, more flat cylinders on the sides and thinner cylinders extended further from those. Glowing red lines snaked across its surface, showing the Dust incorporated into the weapon. Cammie was stunned to see that this was the solution. If she had the guess, if the Dust mixture was right, the detonation could clock in at about one hundred megatons.
"They made this...in such a short time?" Cammie asked as she moved up to check its interface. A hard-light Dust screen appeared on it and she ran a diagnostic, checking all the systems and components for any issues caused by the rush job.
"Not from scratch. Apparently, it's one of the few programs taken from Arrowfell that actually saw wide-spread production. The casing was originally used for the Colossus project, a security system made specifically to combat Leviathan incursions. With the outer armored set, they simply amplified the payload of Dust and the explosive charges inside. With any luck, it's strong enough to send that thing straight to hell," Winter explained.
The elder Schnee sibling turned to the dozens of soldiers that lined up outside the cargo ship, standing at attention and ready for orders.
"This is it everyone. We're gonna clear a path to that monster, feed it the payload, set the timer, and then we're out. Get moving!" Winter ordered. The soldiers saluted and dispersed, moving to clear a path.
"But...they still might be alive in there," Cammie argued, "They still have time, right?!"
"I..." Winter looked around, just to make sure the pilot of the cargo ship wasn't listening, "I gave them their window. We can't wait any longer."
Cammie didn't miss that little check and the revelation hit her. So she needed to keep up hers for now. Cammie silently nodded to her commander, getting the message across that she understood.
"Would you say the same thing if your sister was aboard?" Cammie acted.
"Yes, Cammie. Because it's my duty," Winter placed a sympathetic and thankful hand on the hacker's shoulder, "Now you need to do yours…"
The Outcasts and Emerald swiftly made their way towards one of Monstra's open-air landing bays, having somehow avoided any of the patrols during their escape. Soon, they were able to see the smoke and gunfire-filled sky of the warzone in front of Atlas.
"We're almost out," Oscar grinned, not realizing that he may have jinxed it.
As they ran, Yang's Outcasts were suddenly forced to stop as a tremor shook the entirety of the whale. Several red pulses flowed through the veins of the beast in sequence, like Dust being rerouted through cables.
"What was that?" Min asked.
Emerald stared ahead, her eyes wide in horrific realization. She knew exactly what those pulses, that tremor, warned of.
"...it's her," Emerald muttered, her voice almost failing her.