Heart's Embers

by SugarLoaf12

It's been fifteen months hasn't it? Living from day to day, moving from place to place. Looking for the next payday, the next target... the next fight. I thought living outside their war would be easier. But sometimes knowing... is all it takes to leave you wondering "What if" I think back to why I left and I know I made the right choice... Ozpin be damned.

36. Tipping Point

Hey guys, finally got another chapter out for you! I'm grateful for all the kind messages I've been getting, even during my absences. I'm glad you guys are liking this story so far!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"Speech"

Thoughts

---

Chapter Thirty-Six: Tipping Point

High above the snowy skies of Atlas, one of their airships broke through the clouds, descending toward the southern border of the kingdom. Aboard the bridge, Ironwood paced back and forth impatiently as Arthur stood to the side, leaning against the console displaying information at blinding speed.

"Anything?" the General asked.

"Nothing, just like the last three times you asked" Ironwood fixed him with a glare "Ahem, Sir" he amended.

Ironwood sighed in frustration "Qrow couldn't have just vanished into thin air, he's out there somewhere"

"That's assuming he's still in the kingdom, General. For all we know he wasn't kept local"

"No. Qrow is in Atlas, we just have to find him"

"How do you know?" Arthur asked.

Ironwood frowned "Keep looking, I want the first sign of a signal forwarded to Penny the second we have something-"

The door to the bridge opened suddenly "General, we've got an incoming signal" Winter called as she strode in, Penny following dutifully behind her.

"From Qrow?" Ironwood asked.

"Not... exactly" she motioned to the girl behind her "Penny"

Penny connected herself to one of the nearby consoles "I was making no progress searching for a signal from Qrow's Scroll or on any other Huntsmen communication channels. However, I started looking through abnormalities on public channels, and I found something you'll be very interested in hearing"

The screen shifted to an audio recording "-ern approach, exterior defenses are unknown. Confirmed prisoner within premises, will attempt exfiltration upon arrival of support team. 23.4 meters above sea level, 24.3 north, 2.26 west. Advise southern approach, exterior defenses are unknown. Confirmed-" the message suddenly cut off with a line of static.

"The message repeated for 73.2 seconds before the signal was overridden. It was broadcast on technical channels, the same frequency that sends orders to our Knights. No one would've been able to pick it up... not unless they had access to the signal itself" Penny explained.

"Like you" Ironwood nodded.

"What exactly was that? Who was that?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

"Voice recognition confirmed it, Sir. It's Stroud" Winter replied.

Ironwood immediately shifted toward the others on the bridge, operating the consoles around them "Come about eighty-six degrees north!" he ordered "Set shields to double forward! Divert weapon power to the engines until arrival! I want us at those coordinates within the hour!"

"Yes, General!" they all replied dutifully.

"Sir, this could be a trap" Winter hesitantly pointed out.

"It isn't" he pointed to Penny "Get the team leaders up here, ASAP"

"Yes, General Ironwood!" Penny saluted and quickly exited.

"Does someone want to fill me in here? I thought Slade betrayed us, or at the very least ran to Salem when he was convicted of treachery?" Watts asked.

"As did I" Winter folded her hands behind her.

"Not now" Ironwood replied pointedly "I want the others here, we don't have a lot of time. Salem isn't likely to leave Qrow unharmed for long if she thinks she can get information from him... or leverage him against us"

"Leverage?" Winter asked.

"Qrow knows how to use the Relic, he's a hostage that could be traded for Ruby, who we know she wants"

"We would never make that trade"

"No, we wouldn't... but that doesn't leave Qrow in a position of security... and that's assuming she doesn't demand we hand over Oscar"

"Ozpin..." Arthur frowned "Do we have a plan of attack? We don't exactly know what we're walking into here"

"I have a strategy... more or less"

"Wonderful" he drawled.

The bridge doors opened once more, Jaune and Ruby entered quickly with Penny leading them "Sir" she saluted.

"Thank you, Penny" he straightened "Ms. Rose, Mr. Arc" he brought up a holographic display of the kingdom of Atlas, it zoomed into a region of mountains toward the western coast "We have a possible location"

"Possible?" Jaune asked.

"We were unable to locate Qrow's Scroll, something must be blocking it's signal. But we recieved secondary intel from... a trusted source"

Arthur quirked an eyebrow but remained silent as Ironwood continued "The coordinates given point to this region of the kingdom. Based on the given coordinates, intel suggests their base to be inside the mountain itself"

"Do we have a way inside?" Ruby asked.

"Not yet" Ironwood sighed "We don't really know what we're walking into here. But we know Qrow is inside, and it's the base we've been looking for"

"Then..." Ruby smiled "Your trusted source?"

Ironwood smiled back with a nod "That's right. it's him"

Winter looked to her in surprise "Wait... You knew?"

"Knew what?" Jaune asked confused.

Ironwood folded his hands behind his back "Slade sent the coordinates, however he was unable to confirm exterior defenses. We have to assume they'll be prepared for an attack, but I have a strategy prepared"

Jaune was surprised but shook it quickly "Where do you need us, General?"

Ironwood pointed to the holographic display "Based on the coordinates Slade gave us, the base itself is roughly twenty-three and a half meters above sea level. That puts it inside the mountain, with that in mind, we'll need perimeter scans to locate the best routes inside the base, we don't want to put everyone at risk with one entrance"

"We'll need to split the teams" Jaune concluded.

"Agreed. We're going to split you into three teams" he held up three fingers "I'll direct the assault on the base from here"

"How do you wish to split the teams, General?" Winter asked.

"Ruby will lead the first team to infiltrate the base and locate their security headquarters, use that to locate Slade and Qrow, then exfiltrate them both and the intel Slade was after. Jaune will lead the second team to distract the bulk of their forces to keep the pressure of your teams. Winter will lead the third team to sabotage their outer defences while I keep them distracted. Once you've all regrouped and made your exit, we'll level the place with anyone still inside"

"You're going to be attacking the base while we're inside it?" Ruby asked concerned.

"Not to worry, the bombardment will be just enough to convince them the assault is genuine. Not enough to destabilize the base"

"I can open secured doors and access blueprints for the base once we're inside, I just need a connection. I should join Ruby's team to locate the holding cells so we can extract Qrow and Slade" Penny suggested.

Ironwood nodded "Agreed"

"Nora and Yang are our hardest hitters, they should stick with Jaune" Ruby suggested.

"They'll make a big enough distraction on their own" Jaune agreed "Ren can use his Semblance to keep your team hidden from the rest of their forces, assuming there are any Grimm inside the base"

"Considering what we've seen already, there could be modified Grimm patrolling" Winter noted "Weiss and Blake will come along for demolitions. A sound plan"

"What about Salem's goons? If we split the teams too much, we'll be at a disadvantage if we run into more than one of them" Ruby pointed out.

"That's why the distraction team will be doing their job. Anyone inside the base should be too focused on them to come after your teams if you keep a low profile. Whichever team finishes their objective first will link up with Jaune's team and assist them however possible until you're ready to extract" Ironwood explained.

"Alright, then. Follow up question...! How do we get to the base unnoticed? We're kind of in a..." she gestured around her.

"It's true, we aren't exactly subtle" Winter agreed.

Ironwood smiled "Freefall"

---

Salem knelt before the edge, the abomination before her writhed deep within the chasm, she panted lightly, regaining her breath, only a few beads of sweat dripped from her face. She smiled wickedly, finally, she had finished. The creature before her was finally ready, it roared with ferocity. She slowly got to her feet, wiping the sweat from her face.

"It's beautiful" Tyrian's voice whispered with awe as he approached.

Salem snorted "It's an abomination, capable of atrocities... that's it's purpose. Nothing more"

"Even still, you've created something unique, something never seen before, Your Grace"

She rolled her eyes at his subservience, while useful, at times it was... too much "Has Emerald settled in?"

"She's resting, seems she's been kept busy watching Cinder" he laughed "Or working for her"

Salem smiled "She's played her part well, even if she doesn't know it. Did she resist?"

"No, Your Grace. She was certainly hesitant, but I believe she is just concerned you know she disobeyed your orders"

She nodded "It doesn't matter" her smile widened "The time is coming"

"When do we strike?" Tyrian asked gleefully.

"Soon" she answered "The Grimm have retaken most of the kingdom, with Chimera on our side, we'll be prepared for the assault before the month's end. The time has come for our next target, we have a deal to uphold"

"Deal? What-" a corridor opened behind them, Sable stepping out quickly, interrupting him.

"Ma'am, we have a problem"

"What kind of problem?" Salem asked shifting to face him.

"There was a signal that was sent out directly from our signal jammer. It seems the signal was temporarily used to allow a single broadcast to get out. I managed to shut it down quickly, but our base's location may be compromised"

"And Slade?" she quirked her eyebrow.

"Unknown. I have our men on alert, searching for him as we speak"

Salem nodded slightly, her hand reaching up to her chin "Interesting, he resisted the Apathy and yet still never revealed his plan... that shouldn't be possible" she whispered to herself.

"I thought you suspected him of lying to us..." Sable wondered.

"It doesn't make his ability to resist the Apathy any less miraculous... no one has ever done that before, not without..." her eyebrows knit together.

"What is it?"

"Have you finished preparations?" she questioned urgently, ignoring his question.

Sable nodded "Only a third of our forces remain within the base. The rest were moved to Iapetus, as you ordered"

"Good. Prepare the bases defenses, and find Slade. Whatever attack force comes for the base needs to meet enough opposition to believe the defense legitimate. Don't leave anything to chance... and bring Slade to me, alive"

"Yes, Ma'am" Sable turned back and made his way back through the corridor, reemerging within the base as it closed behind him.

"Commander?" one of the men asked expectantly.

"Cut off all communication with Iapetus, erase all records from security systems. Ready the men for an attack, we're about to have some company. I want Slade Stroud brought to me alive, spread the word, I want any eyes on him reported to me immediately... and transfer base control to me. I want doors, lights, generators, everything"

"Yes, Sir"

Sable turned back to the door "Defend this base at all costs" suddenly a second corridor opened with Tyrian passing through seconds later "You?"

"Her Grace wished for me to accompany you, she believes I can assist in our mission to capture Slade, or perhaps the girl" he grinned.

Sable scoffed "Lovely, she sends the lunatic"

Tyrian laughed "Is it lunacy to worship a living god?"

He shook his head in annoyance "Get out of my face and start searching, we likely don't have much time before we have company"

---

The sun had finally reached it's peak, shining down on the mountain beneath it, the sheets of snow reflecting it brightly. Below the mountain sat a forest framed neatly around the mountain ranges miles away from the coast. The faint silhouette of an Atlas airship could be seen through the clouds overhead, using them as cover for the moment. The mountain itself upon closer inspection had a cavern in the side of it, just big enough for a single ship to pass through, once inside, it opened up to a much larger hangar with space for many ships, several spots taken by appropriated Manta and Bullhead aircraft. Just above the entrance sat a set of catwalks on each side and a small outcrop with enough room for a group to occupy. Standing atop the exterior of the airship, stood Ruby, Blake, Ren, Penny, Winter, and Weiss with two squads of Atlas soldiers with them.

"So let me get this straight, we're just all cool with the idea that Ironwood kept Slade's mission a secret?" Blake asked.

"It wasn't Ironwood's idea in the first place, and for the record... we are not" Yang replied over her earpiece.

"Oh... good"

"Alright, that's enough" Winter cut in "Preliminary scans show there are several exhaust vents over the exterior of the base, those are our best shots at getting inside the base unseen. There is likely security all over the base, so we'll need to shut them down quickly" Winter explained.

"We'll focus on getting to the security room while you take care of their defenses. Hopefully we can use their security blueprints to find Slade and Qrow" Ruby explained.

"Works for us" Winter nodded to her teams "We drop in ten. Jaune, is your team ready?" she asked pressing two fingers to her earpiece.

"More or less, though I'm not sure how I feel about this idea anymore"

"It was your idea, Jaune" Yang chastised.

"And I liked it better when I wasn't the one about to do it!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Nora encouraged.

"We need to drop now" Winter nodded to the others "Wait exactly nine minutes before your drop, Jaune. Make it loud"

"We'll do our best. Be careful"

"Always" she lowered her hand "Now, we-"

"Follow me!" Penny called excitedly as she leapt off the edge of the airship.

Winter sighed, rubbing her forehead with her thumb and index finger "You heard the lady, let's move"

Both teams followed Penny down, freefalling for several minutes before they reached the proper altitude to start slowing down. Winter and Weiss used their Glyphs to slow everyone down as they approached, each of them landing safely, with the exception of Penny, who used the thrusters in her legs to slow herself into a smooth landing.

"Here" Ren pointed to the vent closest to them.

"We'll check if it's clear" Winter stabbed her blade into the edge of the vent, prying it open. She leapt down the vent, followed by Weiss and Blake.

Once the three of them landed on the catwalks inside the reactor room, the soldiers followed quickly behind them. The sound of the reactor drowned out the sound of their footsteps on the catwalk above. There was a single guard standing by the entrance, just beneath the catwalk. Blake swung down below the catwalk and made her way to the guard and looped her legs around his neck. He struggled but soon was left unconscious, slumping to the ground as she released her hold on him, dropping from the catwalk. She nodded back to Winter with a two-fingered salute.

"We're clear" Weiss assured.

"On our way" Ruby called, her team followed shortly afterward.

Penny dropped onto the walkway beside Blake and found a console by the door. She connected herself to it as the others followed behind her "Exterior defenses are online, but they're on a separate connection from the reactor and security circuits. Even if we destroyed them both, General Ironwood's ship will still be under attack. We'd never make it back to the ship"

"How do we disable them?" Blake asked.

"They're pretty old cannons, never been upgraded, it doesn't seem like they were expecting anyone to ever find this base. They're automated, powered by independent generators on the west side of the base, sublevel six. You'd need to destroy those to deactivate them permanently"

"Where are we now?" Ren inquired.

"Sublevel three, east side. Security is on five, center of the base. Holding cells are on seven, six, and five. But they don't have a list of prisoners on the system that I can find, it'd be impossible to locate Slade and Qrow without access to their surveillance equipment in the security station"

"Send the data to Ironwood, he's gonna need positions to defend against" Ruby suggested.

"Good idea" she paused "Done"

"Anything you can do about the cameras?" Weiss asked.

"Not from here. I'd need direct access to their security station. We'll just have to hope they're not watching too carefully"

"Yeah, cause we've always had such good luck before" Blake deadpanned.

"You should head to security and get cell numbers for Slade and Qrow, Jaune's team will be dropping any second now" Winter suggested.

"Right, stay in touch" Ruby replied.

Winter nodded "Don't split up, we don't have time for a wild goose chase"

"Right"

Three Atlesian Paladins dropped from the airship down toward the entryway to the hangar, Jaune, Yang, and Nora each stood atop one of the Paladins as they descended. Defensive turrets emerged but were unable to fire upon such small targets accurately as they landed, their attention shifted skyward to the airship as it repositioned. Sable stood in the security room with his arms crossed over his chest, he watched as the Huntsmen led the charge into the hangar, the Paladins keeping them covered as his soldiers scrambled to meet them at the cave entrance.

"They're making a good show of it" he mused "But where are your friends?" he wondered.

"They've breached our lines, the airship is preparing to attack us. Should we reinforce the hangar?" one of his men asked.

Sable looked to the cameras watching the other halls, finding Ruby's team and Winter's team making their way to their objectives "No"

"No? Sir, I don't understand-"

"You don't need to understand, just follow orders"

"But-" the man twitched painfully, his hand gripping his helmet "Y-yes, Sir"

"Initiate the self destruct countdown and set the time for thirty minutes. Ursa Squad, patrol the eastern hall, Teryx Squad, the western. The rest of you, defend this room, don't let anyone past you. Lockdown this room behind me" Sable turned to leave, a Hard Light Dust shield appearing on the door frame as he left. He made his way down the hall.

Meanwhile, the attacking force in the hangar pressed onward as Chimera attempted to stall them. One of the Atlas soldiers slid behind a crate for cover and fired into the chest of one of Chimera's soldiers, dropping him onto his back. Suddenly, another soldier aimed straight for him, having hidden himself on the opposite side of the crate. However, the Chimeran soldier was thrown by a powerful blast to his face.

Looking back, the Atlesian soldier saw his savior, Yang, rushing their lines "Watch the right!"

Yang fired her right weapon under her left arm and her left over her right, dropping two more soldiers. Sliding on her knees, firing as she did, she took down three more. Rising to her feet, she fired once over her shoulder into another, then twisted around, her metal elbow slamming into the chest of the soldier behind her, using her momentum to increase the force of her strike. She launched him away from herself with a powerful uppercut, propelled by Ember Celica firing as she swung.

Yang dropped onto her knees and fired twice, then pulled her arms behind her, firing once in each direction. Four more Chimeran soldiers were downed by her strikes, she advanced to a nearby pillar, sliding down into cover behind it as the Paladins made their way to catch up to her position. Jaune and Nora barreled through the remaining forces behind her, using their weapons to smash through their defenses or cut through them, each of them sliding to a stop behind Yang.

"I see you've met my new friends" Yang smirked.

The ground shook violently, knocking them down from the force. They scrambled back up quickly "Sounds like Ironwood's started his assault" Nora noted.

"Then we'd better get this position secured fast" Jaune suggested.

"This is General Ironwood to all teams. Whatever was causing that jamming signal has been disabled. I'm beginning my assault now, report positions"

"This is Team Two, we're in the hangar. Working on securing the area" Jaune answered.

"This is Team One, not far from their security room. Sublevel... uh, five! Yes, five. Same as the hangar" Ruby reported.

"This is Team Three, Sublevel six, western side of the base. Check your fire. ETA two minutes to objective" Winter finished.

"Understood. Good luck ground teams, keep me posted"

"General, was that explosion not from you?" Jaune asked.

"Negative, Arc. That explosion came from inside. Keep an eye out, Penny. Stroud could've sabotaged the base" he instructed.

"Acknowledged"

Ruby's team arrived outside the security room to find the shield keeping them out. Ruby placed her fingers to her ear "Winter, we've reached the security room, but there's a barrier blocking our way inside"

"It's gonna take some time for us to get through this" Ren added.

"Understood. We're close to our objective. Keep us posted"

"Penny, get us in"

"Right!" she grinned eagerly and connected herself to the panel next to the door, working her magic.

"Those footsteps are getting close, Sir" one of the soldiers noted.

"Can you have that door open before they get here?" Ren asked.

"Not possible. This security is almost as advanced as the academy's"

"Then we're out of time. Take defensive positions" Ruby called pointing to each side of the wall.

She removed Crescent Rose and got ready as Ren and the others took positions around Penny in the hall, just in time for the squad of soldiers to arrive. Ruby deflected several shots from them as they attacked, Ren took down two before the barrier was lowered by Penny, just as a second squad arrived from the opposite direction of the hall "Got it!" the door opened to reveal several more soldiers inside, waiting for the door to open, her blades emerged quickly and spun before her, blocking the rounds fired her way.

"Ruby, behind us!" Ren fired into another soldier before twisting around and firing down the hall at the opposite squad.

"I'm on it"

Ruby used her Semblance to appear behind the first squad, slicing through them with ease, then swirled back to the center of the hall, she spun forward and flipped Crescent Rose over, spinning on her heels, she cut through them, defeating the ambushing teams. Penny, for her part, launched her blades into the soldiers inside, clearing the room quickly.

"There we go" Ren said relieved "Nice work, Ruby"

She grinned "Thanks!"

"Penny?" Ren inquired as she connected herself to the terminal inside, sifting through and downloading the information on it quickly.

"One moment, searching cell records"

"Keep on it. We're in, General. Penny is connecting to their system now" Ruby reported.

"Good work. Get locations for Qrow and Slade"

"Working on it, Sir" Penny replied "This is unexpected... the entire base seems to be remotely controlled from a mobile device..."

"Can you block access?" Ironwood asked.

"No, and there are dozens of files that've been recently deleted. I'm downloading all I can, but some of this may not be salvageable intel"

"Do what you can, Penny. Any intel is better than none"

"Yes, General. Found him! Qrow is in cellblock B, cell B22... but it's empty..."

"What?" Ruby asked shocked.

"I don't see him on the camera's, hold on" Penny started reversing the camera footage at the cell "Give me a minute to find out what happened"

Ruby nodded "We'll keep watch outside"

"Right" Ren stepped aside as Ruby passed.

"This shouldn't take long" Penny assured.

Ruby and Ren rejoined the soldiers outside, the door closing behind them, leaving Penny to her work "This has been going pretty well, almost too well, don't you think?" he asked.

"A bit, yeah... I'm surprised none of us have run into any of Salem's goons. A base like this should-"

A familiar laugh caught them off-guard, Tyrian stood opposite them, the bodies of the Chimeran squad in his path "How nice of the General to bring you right to us" his tail emerged from his jacket "He must be getting pretty desperate to send you"

"Tyrian" she growled.

"Surprise" he grinned with an overly dramatic wave of his hands.

Tyrian charged forward, forcing Ruby to block his wrist blades with her own weapon, he easily slid around her downward strike and used his tail to throw her back into the wall beside her team.

"Take him down!" Ren shouted as he fired his weapons at Tyrian, the soldiers following suit.

Tyrian leapt into the ground, impaling two of the soldiers on his wrist blades. His tail impaled a third through the chest, then was thrown into two of the remaining soldiers as he spun. He rushed toward Ren, thrusting both wrist blades toward him only to have each of them blocked by the blades on StormFlower. His tail raised to strike only to find Ren sliding around behind him as Ruby got to her feet. He twisted around, kicking Tyrian in his hip, sliding him a short distance away. Ren quickly fired his weapon at him once more as Ruby leapt toward him.

Tyrian blocked each round with his tail and caught Crescent Rose between the wrist blades on his left arm, pulling back his right to strike. The two soldiers from the ground stood and fired at Tyrian once more, forcing him to block them with his intended weapon. Ruby twisted her scythe, flipping one leg at a time over the handle, forcing his arm down to the ground painfully. He fired his weapon at Ren, forcing him to dodge as his tail wrapped around Ruby's neck. He twisted violently, slamming her into the ceiling, followed by the floor. Ruby slid away as he tossed her aside, landing on her back.

Tyrian leapt to the soldiers, spinning with his blades, slicing their throats with a cruel laugh. Ren fired toward his back, forcing him to block with his tail once again. He quickly advanced on Ren's position as he did, forcing Ren to deflect or dodge each strike from his wrist blades. Ren dropped his weapon in his left hand, catching Tyrian's by his right and slamming his heel into the back of his knee. He rolled over Tyrian's back and placed both hands onto his chest, launching him with a blast of energy from his Aura. Tyrian caught himself on an archway with his tail, swinging back into a strike for Ren, tossing him into the wall head first. Ren attempted to get to his feet, dazed by the attack, he fell onto his side. Ren spun with a kick to his legs as Tyrian approached, forcing him to drop back onto his hands as he fell. Tyrian slammed his heel into Ren's face, throwing him further down the hall, sliding to a stop. With a wide grin on his face, he prepared to impale him onto the end of his tail.

"You're stronger than when we met in Anima, impressively so..." he laughed "I'll just be removing you from the equation, wouldn't want you getting in the way again, now would we?"

With a wicked grin on his face, he laughed as his tail thrust forward, only to find Ruby's scythe blocking it mere inches from him "Leave him alone, you want me, right? I'm right here"

Tyrian laughed "Still playing the hero? Such a fool!" he forced her back and continued his assault.

Ruby was forced to fight defensively, using Crescent Rose to keep his attacks from landing, only barely able to keep up with his assault. He thrust his tail toward her face, forcing her to use the handle of her scythe to block it, directing it away from herself. Spinning her weapon, she swung for his legs, Tyrian slid his legs back, but kept his upper body still a looked of feigned shock on his face. He grinned then leapt over her, slicing his wrist blades toward her back, Ruby arched her back, sliding her weapon over her shoulder to deflect the strike, she recieved a kick to her hip, stumbling her a few steps forward.

Tyrian laughed as he thrust his tail right toward her face, Ruby turned just in time to lift her weapon to deflect it. She swung the blade of her scythe toward his chest as he sank back onto his tail, crossing his legs. He kicked his leg out, knocking Crescent Rose upward, putting Ruby off balance. The blade on her weapon suddenly straightened as she quickly regained her footing, thrusting it toward Tyrian as he sidestepped the strike. Swinging it toward his chest, he rolled forward, catching himself on his tail, he pushed himself back halfway through the roll, dodging the return swing as the blade returned to it's usual arced shape. Tyrian's tail thrust forward as she leaned back away from it, spinning Crescent Rose on her shoulders as she tipped her head forward, he slid back to avoid her strike then sliced his wrist blades for her chest. Ruby rolled beneath the strike, then used her Semblance to rush away from him, forcing him to give chase.

Penny reversed the footage until she caught sight of Qrow inside, freezing it and playing once more. Qrow was inspecting different angles of the cell, looking for a way out. Moments later, the sound of metal clanging and gunshots rang out, before suddenly silencing. Qrow shifted into Corvid form and positioned himself above the door. The cell opened moments later, a single person entered in Chimeran armor. Qrow leapt down onto his back, but he managed to roll out of the way just before he struck. Without wasting time, Qrow rushed him, the man in question raising his hands in surrender as he leapt back away from him.

"Easy, Qrow! Easy!"

"Slade?" he asked surprised.

He removed his helmet "Yeah, I was coming to get you out"

Qrow relaxed "Sorry, I thought you were one of them"

"That's the point of the uniform" Slade smirked, gesturing to himself "Still, it's a hell of a way to thank someone for a rescue. Jumping on me like that"

"Well, I didn't exactly have a lot of defensive options without a weapon"

Slade removed Defiance and flipped it over in his hand, extending the handle to him "Use this for now. Our friends will be here soon, if they're not here already"

"Sable said my Scroll's signal was being blocked, how would they know where we are?"

Slade smirked "I improvised"

Qrow rolled his eyes "Everything is going to plan then? Or have things gone south?"

He shook his head "As they do. Is there ever a difference?" Slade quickly shed the armor "We need to move, I have one more stop to make before we leave"

"Where?" he asked.

"Not you, Qrow. You're going toward the hangar. That vent on the right should lead that way" he pointed as he led him out of his cell.

"What about you?"

Slade kicked out the vent on his left "I need to get the intel I was sent here for, or all of this will have been for nothing"

"Sent? You were sent?" Qrow asked annoyed.

"Later, Qrow. We don't have the time to discuss this now" he removed a denotator from his pocket, opening it up "This'll make things easier on our friends though" he pressed the button and a loud echo flushed down the hall, stumbling them both.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"The jammer was complicating things, problem solved" Slade leapt down into the vent without another word.

Qrow frowned "Alright, time to get out of here then" he did the same as Slade down the next vent, leaving the hall empty, save for the bodies of the two men guarding the cell.

Penny disconnected and quickly exited the room "Ren!" she rushed to his side "What happened?" she asked kneeling down to help him up.

"Tyrian is here, went after Ruby. She lured him away, to save me"

"We need to go after her. Ruby, where are you?"

"I've got Tyrian on me, I'll keep him distracted. I'll catch up, I promise"

"But, Ruby, that's-"

"I know what I'm doing. Trust me, I'll be right behind you, meet you at the hangar. Just get Qrow and Slade out of here!"

Ren frowned "She'll keep him busy, we'll just have to trust she'll be alright. Come on, we've still got a job to do"

"All teams, we've finished our job, sending data to you now, General. We're headed to the hangar now" Penny reported.

"Outstanding. Directing weapons to your suggested targets now" Ironwood replied.

"There's more, General. It seems they started a countdown, the base is going to self destruct in less than fifteen minutes. I couldn't disable it"

"Understood. Don't waste time in there. Arc, we need that hangar secured without delay"

"Working on it!" Yang shouted.

"These guys really like their stuff!" Nora added.

Winter's team arrived in the generator room, the room was pitch black, save for the lights from the generators. Between each generator was a large open space, railings lining the edges of the room. Suddenly, the lights flicked on, revealing dozens of Chimeran soldiers, along with Sable standing in the center of them, his weapons in each hand.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome" he called, stepping forward "We've been expecting you, Huntresses"

"You" Weiss glared.

He looked between his men "What are you idiots waiting for? Get them! I want them alive!"

Both sides started firing at each other, Winter and Weiss using their blades to defend themselves as they charged forward using their Glyphs. Blake took cover behind a low wall and started firing at them. Sable holstered one of his weapons as he fired the other at Winter, removing his Scroll from his pocket.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" he pressed a button, and suddenly their half of the room shifted gravity to the ceiling, using Gravity Dust, meanwhile, the Chimeran side was still firmly planted on the ground.

The soldiers scrambled for cover, unable to find anything on the roof to keep them protected, until Weiss formed a wall of Ice Dust up to their chest's giving them proper cover. Using her Glyphs, Winter forced herself to remain grounded, slicing through the Chimera soldiers in her path. Sable leapt over her head as she struck for him, flipping toward the ceiling. Blake leapt to meet him, ready to strike with her blade. Sable twisted around and slammed the back of his fist into her face, throwing her into the wall, shifting into regular gravity, she slid down the wall and landed on one of the generators. Gambol Shroud clattered to the ground, leaving her unarmed as Sable slammed his heel down onto her. Her Semblance allowed her to dodge the strike, getting to a standing position.

Blake blocked his first strike with her forearms, then spun around him on her heels. He twisted opposite her, ready to fire his weapon, only to have it kicked from his grasp. The follow up kick from Blake was caught beneath his arm, slamming his opposite elbow into her thigh, she cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Sable removed his pistol from his secondary holster, only to be forced to flip backward to avoid a fireball sent toward him by Weiss, releasing his hold on Blake. Winter slammed her heel into Sable's helm midair, throwing him backward as the gravity shifted, throwing him upward. Using her Glyphs, she kept herself level. Sable caught himself on his open hand and kicked her weapon from her hands. Winter caught his hand by the wrist and elbow as he tried to fire into her chest, flipping him over her shoulder. Sable soared through the shift in gravity, landing on the ground, catching his second weapon in his hand as he slid to a stop. He fired into two of the soldiers and turned back just in time to catch Blake's blade between his hand arms.

Holstering one weapon on his shoulder, Sable delivered a punch to Blake's chest, only to find she'd replaced herself using her Semblance. Wasting nothing in his movements, he slammed his fist into the oncoming Weiss' face as she attempted to impale him on the end of her blade, throwing her onto her back. He twisted around and slammed his fist into Blake as she attempted to strike him from behind, she rolled to a stop against the wall. Sable raised his arms as dozens of miniature white Nevermores screamed around him.

Seconds later, his hand caught Winter's blade as it swung toward his throat "I thought you were supposed to be quick" he pressed his palm into her shoulder, pushing her backward as he released his grip.

Weiss spun around on his right, delivering a powerful kick to his chest, throwing him over the opening by the generators. He caught himself on the rail, flipping himself back upward, both heels slammed into Weiss, throwing her onto her back. Blake rushed him from behind, attempting to impale him onto her blade. Sable sidestepped the strike, dropping onto his back, he spun, kicking her legs out from under her and then knocked her skyward with a strike to her back. He approached as she collided with the floor, a swift kick to her abdomen throwing her into the railing, breaking it from the force. Blake caught herself by stabbing her blade into the wall, Sable aimed to fire into her back. Winter sliced through his arm, dismembering it, his gun clattering to the ground.

Sparks surged from his dismembered arm, scattering to the ground. Winter kicked him in the chest, his heel knocking her blade from her hand as he caught himself on his remaining hand. Flipping to a standing position, he caught her blade in his hand. Winter removed Harbinger from her back as he struck her with his own blade, blocking three strikes. Harbinger's blade segmented and curved as she blocked the next strike, twisting her arm, she wrenched her weapon back from him. He caught her right arm by the elbow as he got behind her, kicking the back of her knee, then a second kick to her face sent her onto her back. Sable leapt back as Blake flipped toward him, slamming her fist into his helm. Sable landed on his head, rolling to a stop painfully. Before anyone could make a move, they were all knocked to the ground by a rumbling explosion through the base.

"What was that?" Weiss asked.

"This is Ironwood, there was an explosion from the eastern side of the base. I advise avoiding that section, the source of the explosion is unknown"

"How much damage?" Winter asked, still keeping to the fight with the remaining Chimera soldiers.

"Destroy those generators and get to the hangar ASAP, I suggest immediate evacuation. That base could go up any minute now"

"Understood, Sir. We'll double-time it"

Sable got back to his feet, flipping off his hand "Well, ladies, that would be my clue to leave" he gave a two-fingered salute "until next time. Try not to die" he dropped backward over the rail, a corridor opening below him as he flipped back into it.

Blake cut through the last of the soldiers "We need to get out of here quick"

Winter nodded "Weiss, get Dust in those generators. Work fast"

Elsewhere in the base, Ruby snuck through a dark room, Tyrian's footsteps following behind her. She poked her head around a corner to find a door to escape through, as she stepped around it, she was suddenly caught in the grasp of Tyrian's tail, slithering around her neck and hoisting her into the air "Found you" he sang with a demented laugh "Thought you could get away so easy?"

"Well, you're not exactly hard to fool"

He glared "Fool? You think you fooled me into following you? Saved your friends? No, no, no!" he laughed, removing her earpiece and smashing it in his hand "Your friends aren't leaving this place alive, only you... and you'll wish you hadn't after she's done with you"

"Nope" she smiled as she popped the p.

He grinned "You don't get to-" he stumbled when another explosion tore through the base. Ruby planted her hands firmly on his tail and used her Aura to blast him away, using her Semblance to escape when his tail gave way to her strike. She rushed out the door with her Semblance, bolting through the halls toward the hangar.

Winter's team rushed into the hangar, and found the room had yet to be cleared, more and more Chimera soldiers seemed to be coming in, all of the Paladins were destroyed, yet Yang, Jaune, and Nora continued to push through them. Winter's team sprung into action, assisting them in driving back the remaining forces. Winter landed beside Jaune "Generators are set to blow in thirty seconds, but the base is rigged to blow. We can't stay here for long"

"Yeah, we know. But there's no way we're gonna clear this room before then! We need to take one of those ships and get out of here"

"Do you even know how to fly one of those?" Nora asked over the gunfire.

"I do" Winter supplied "We just need Ruby's team to get here"

"Speak of the devil!" Yang called as she saw Penny and Ren enter.

They all stacked up beside them, Penny taking to the front and clearing as many soldiers as she could "Where is Ruby?" Blake asked.

"She engaged Tyrian Callows" Ren answered.

"Alone!?" Yang shouted.

"She ordered us to retreat, she distracted him so we could finish our objective" Penny added.

"We've been trying to reach her, but she's not responding" Ren added.

"We've gotta find her!" Weiss insisted.

"I can take you to her" Ren suggested.

"No, we can't split up now-" Winter was interrupted when each of them were stumbled by an explosion.

"Ground teams, there's a chain reaction tearing through the base, get out immediately. You cannot remain any longer" Ironwood advised.

"We seem to have misplaced Ruby... and we still don't have a location on Slade or Qrow" Winter reluctantly reported.

"That base is falling apart!"

"Move off to a safe distance, General. We'll commandeer one of their ships to evacuate, but we're not leaving them behind"

"We don't have time to waste. That base is-"

"I know, Sir. But we're not leaving anyone behind today"

Ironwood sighed "Just be quick"

"Understood, Sir"

The vent leading to the hangar shot out, clattering to the ground as Qrow leapt out into the room. He rolled into cover and fired several shots, taking down four Chimeran soldiers "Qrow!" Weiss smiled.

He ducked behind the crates beside them "Hey, kiddos! What's the situation?" Winter slid to cover beside him, handing him Harbinger from her back "Thank you" he grinned.

"The base is tearing itself apart, we need to get clear immediately. But Ruby isn't here, and we haven't seen heads or tails of Slade"

Qrow shook Defiance in his hand "He'll be here, but what about Ruby? What happened?"

"Tyrian happened" Penny answered.

Ironwood's voice called over their earpieces "I'm ordering you to evacuate now. That base is barely holding together"

"Yes, Sir. We're working our way to the ship" Winter reported.

"Get out of there, now!" Ironwood ordered.

"Sir! Yes, Sir!" she pointed to Ren and Weiss "You two, find Ruby and help her. This place isn't going to last long. We have to get out of here, all-" her eyes glanced over those remaining in the room "Where the hell is Yang?"

Ironwood stood on the bridge, looking out at the base, explosion after explosion ripping through it "General, we can't wait any longer. The resulting explosion will damage the ship if we remain"

"I'm not abandoning them, Arthur"

"If that base goes up and we get caught in it, then we're all gonna end up dead. We can't help anyone then, General"

Ironwood turned on him, his face mere inches away "I said no, we're not moving until they're aboard. Period" he backed off, returning his attention to the base below.

Yang rushed through the halls of the base, back in the direction Ren and Penny had come from "Ruby! Ruby! Where are you! Ruby!" she shouted as she ran. Sliding around a corner, she found Ruby engaged with several Chimeran soldiers.

Without hesitating, she sprung into action, dropping two of them with blasts from Ember Celica, and a third when she slammed her fist into his back, throwing him into the wall "Yang!" Ruby smiled as she cut through the last "What are you-"

Yang grabbed her into a hug "Don't every do anything that stupid again! You had me so worried!"

Ruby returned the hug "I'm sorry, I just wanted to keep Ren safe. Tyrian was going to kill him"

"I-" The solider behind her lifted his weapon, aiming right for Ruby. He struggled to keep it level from his place on the floor "Ruby, look out!" she turned her around, placing herself in it's path.

The round fired but never struck Yang, looking over her shoulder, she saw it hanging in the air, twist around and then fly right into the soldier, through his visor "How do either of you manage to survive without me?"

Yang's eyes widened "Slade!" she smiled brightly.

"Hey, ladies. What-oof!" Yang collided into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I'm so glad you're alright"

Slade smiled warmly, giving her a light pat on her back "It's good to see you too, Yang" he looked to Ruby "Much as I'd like to stay and chat, we need to leave. This place isn't holding together well from your visit"

"It's not us, they set a self destruct"

"Ah" Slade frowned "Then we shouldn't waste any time"

"This way" Yang motioned and led them back toward the hangar.

"Yang, where the hell are you!?" Winter asked through her earpiece.

"On my way back, Ruby and Slade are with me"

"Slade? You found him? Both of them?"

"We're headed back as fast as we can. We're not far"

"Get over here, now"

Yang and the others entered and rushed toward the group, Qrow, Penny and Winter were the only ones remaining outside the ship, defending from their attackers "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called as she rushed over.

"We don't have time to waste, we need to get out of here. Now" Qrow called back as she arrived with Yang and Slade "Did you get it?"

Slade held up a Scroll "Right here"

Winter accepted it "Then we can leave" her fingers pressed to her ear "General, we're on our way out now"

Qrow tossed Defiance back to Slade "Thanks, glad to see you didn't lose it"

Qrow scoffed "I would never-" he suddenly stopped, noticing the lack of gunfire to defend against "Why're they all just standing there?" he asked confused.

"We don't have time to care. It's time to leave" Winter shot back.

"We can't! They're closing the hangar doors!" Penny alerted them as the massive metal door slowly closed.

"Not if I can help it" Slade reached into his jacket and removed a detonator.

"Another one?" Qrow asked.

"What? Never hurts to be prepared" he pressed the button, the resulting explosion rocking the base.

The door stuttered to a halt, sputtering as it did "That's not enough for us to get through" Ren pointed out.

"One thing at a time" Slade reached out with his Semblance, moving the door away from their exit "Everybody get aboard"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Qrow led them inside the Manta.

Suddenly each of them froze in place, bombarded with a sensation none of them could explain, dread didn't even begin to cover it. The cold of the snow outside didn't hold a candle to the sensation seeping into their very beings. Slade and Winter managed to resist while the others dropped to their knees, tears welling in their eyes from fear as they shook uncontrollably. Winter strapped into the pilot seat quickly, recognizing the feeling all too well.

"We're getting the hell out of here"

"W-what is this..." Jaune stuttered out.

"I f-feel like I'm... dying..." Blake added.

"It feels like I'm being torn apart" Nora latched onto Ren for comfort.

"I feel it too..." he assured her.

"What the hell is this... this cold? No... it's more than that" Qrow asked, his body shivering.

"We need to leave, NOW!" Slade called.

"W-what is it?" Yang forced out through chattering teeth.

"I'm trying!" Winter called back, getting the ship in the air.

The ship suddenly lurched, freezing in place as the engine strained against it, the sound of metal groaning loudly filled their ears "We're stuck!" Weiss called.

Ruby's eyes widened when she looked out the glass window "No... no, no, no"

Slade already knew what she saw, and turned back from them, glaring at the figure slowly making her way toward them "Salem..." she had her arm outstretched, trapping them in place.

"It's her..." Qrow's eyes widened with fear.

"What do we do?" Ruby asked.

"Run" Qrow opened the door and leapt out "Get out of here, now!"

Qrow rushed forward, hoping to distract her, swinging Harbinger toward her right side. Salem lifted her hand, the blade stopped inches from her hand. With her other hand, she grabbed him by the wrist and lifted him with surprising strength "You're in my way"

She tossed Qrow aside with ease, causing him to roll to a stop against a pillar on the left side of the hangar. The ship was released momentarily, but Salem quickly caught it once again with Qrow out of the way. Slade removed Defiance from it's holster and aimed for Salem, firing several rounds at her. She flinched slightly as they struck her, lifting her opposite hand, Slade was lifted into the air then slammed into the ground out of the ship, dragging him across the floor toward her.

"Slade!" Yang leapt from the ship, trying to get to him, only to be blocked by Tyrian landing between them.

"You will not interfere! She has no time for you, girl!" Tyrian's tail arced to strike her.

Yang dropped back into a handspring away from his tail as it stabbed into the ground. She swung her fists for his chest, clashing with his wrist blades as he primed his tail to strike once more. Yang fired both weapons into his chest, throwing him back several feet, sliding to a stop with his blades scraping against the ground. Tyrian leapt forward, forcing Yang to hop back then flip sideways over his tail striking for her hip. Yang landed and struck upward, her metal hand caught between his wrist blades as he blocked. His tail wrapped around her neck, then slammed her over his shoulder.

"Yang!" Ruby called as she tried to help.

"Ruby, don't!" Weiss grabbed her by the shoulder, surprising her "They're after you, we need to leave. Right now"

"But we can't leave them!"

"We won't, but we need to work together"

Slade attempted to use his wrist blades to stop himself, but only succeeded in slowing himself down. He continued firing Defiance as he slid, but Salem seemed completely unaffected by his attacks. She suddenly screamed in agony as her shoulder tore open from a high caliber round piercing through her from Crescent Rose. She looked up at Ruby with a growl, her shoulder healing mere moments later. Slade rolled back into a standing position, but before he could move, Salem had caught him once more, lifting him into the air and pulling him toward her.

Slade fired his grappling hook from his gauntlet, wrapping around a nearby pillar, stopping a few feet away from her. Slade struggled to keep himself away from her as she approached. She increased how much force she was using to pull him, snapping it in two from the strain. Slade attempted to use his Semblance to pass right through her, but once he came in contact with the Grimm substance within her, he was propelled backward onto the floor. She grinned, lifting him effortlessly by the throat with one hand.

"That's not going to work on me, Slade"

"Couldn't... hurt... to try..."

"Interesting... I suspected duplicity... but to so easily resist the Apathy, to keep your mind so well guarded from my influence... you surprise me" she mused.

"What... can I... say?" he smirked, struggling to get the words out "I... love... disappointing... you..." his wrist blade pierced her chest.

Her lips upturned, quirking an eyebrow at him "Now what was the point of that?"

"Can't blame... a guy... for trying..."

She snorted "If I didn't know any better, I would think someone had been helping you... Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. You've become a rather persistent thorn in my side, boy"

"I see... what... you did there..." he smirked.

She narrowed her eyes at him "Let's see if you find this so amusing"

Salem coalesced fumes of Darkness around her open hand, she held it up slowly pressing it toward Slade's forehead. The haze of Darkness seeped into his skin, the wicked smile on her face spreading into a grin. He screamed in anguish, struggling to get away from her, but she wouldn't relinquish her hold on him. Qrow leapt at her from behind, ready to strike through her midsection. She twisted around and blocked the strike with ease, dropping Slade to the ground, he fell into unconsciousness.

"Slade!"

"I'd worry more about yourself, little bird" Salem smiled.

Yang rolled sideways as Tyrian scraped his blades against the ground, rushing toward her. She rolled onto her back into a flip onto her feet from her hands, using Ember Celica to block his blades. His tail thrust toward her chest, only to get caught in her metal hand. Yang flipped forward, planting her feet onto his back and then launching herself off, toward the Manta as it lifted off the ground. She coiled his tail around her arm, Yang pulled him toward her violently, slamming Ember Celica into his chest as it fired.

"We need to get them out of here!" Blake called.

"Anybody got a plan?" Ren asked.

"Just the one. Nora!" Jaune shouted turning toward her.

"Way ahead of you!" she grinned, dropping out of the Manta.

Nora fired several grenades into the roof over Qrow and Salem "Now, Ruby!" Weiss called.

Tyrian was trapped in one of Weiss' Glyphs, rooting him in place as he slid to a stop from Yang's attack. Meanwhile, Ruby used her Semblance to reach the unconscious Slade and lift him onto her shoulders with some effort. Salem frowned, her hand extending toward the roof, but she lost her footing when Qrow swept her legs out from under her, dropping her onto her back. He transformed into Corvid form to reach the Manta as the others did the same, leaving only Tyrian and Salem behind.

Penny assisted Ruby with Slade as she came aboard "Thanks"

"What happened?" she asked not understanding what Salem did.

"I don't know" she groaned out "Buy whatever she did, it's not good" Salem was crushed by the rubble from the ceiling, trapping her from following them.

Tyrian growled in anger, shouting after them as the ship lifted off, turning back toward him "This changes nothing! You cannot defeat a living god! No one can!" he cried, breaking free from the Glyph holding him.

"Stuff it, lunatic" Winter smirked as she fired the Manta's guns at Tyrian. Tyrian leapt back, rolling onto his back, curling up as his tail wrapped around himself defensively.

Behind him, the rubble shifted, lifting into the air slowly, floating over Salem as she stood to her feet. She had several wounds on her face and body, but they healed over with Grimm liquid, her scowl evident to Winter from the pilot seat "Guess we know for sure now" Weiss grimaced.

"Doesn't make our job any easier" Winter turned the ship around and soared out of the hangar.

Tyrian stood and looked to Salem "I'm sorry, Your Grace. I tried to stop them... I failed you"

Salem hummed with amusement "No, Tyrian. This was all part of the plan..." she grinned "Assuming my plan works"

"You are uncertain?" he asked surprised.

"Branwen interrupted me, I wasn't able to finish... what I used should suffice. But he's surprised me before... come, we must take our leave before the base explodes. I need a quiet place, to focus all my attention on the task at hand"

Tyrian grinned as a corridor opened before them "Yes, Your Grace"

Winter soared up toward Ironwood's airship as quickly as she could "Something is wrong with Slade! She did something to him!" Yang called, holding his head in her lap.

Penny opened his eyelid and scanned it over, flashing a light from her eyes "He's unresponsive to outside stimuli"

"We need to do something to help him!" Qrow placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We'll help him, Yang. We need to get him back to Atlas. If anyone could help him, it'd be Pietro" he assured her.

"Hang on back there!" Winter called as she accelerated, they reached the hangar moments later and slid into the landing, stopping only when the nose of the ship pressed into the wall.

"We're aboard, General!" Penny called.

Ironwood stood on the bridge beside Arthur when they entered "Come about! We need to put some distance between us and the base. All weapon power to the engines!"

The airship soared away, turning away from the mountain as it did, the base exploding only moments later. The airship managed to get out of range, with only some minor debris damage to the back of it. Ironwood slumped against the console before him, sighing in relief.

"I wasn't aware you were a fan of cutting things that close, General" Arthur mused.

"I'm not. I'm merely aware of their habit of last minute escapes" he replied "At least that's one less thing for us to worry about"

"For now"

"Yes... for now"

"What do we do now?" he asked.

Ironwood sighed "We're going to get some crews out here to excavate what remains of the base, see if there's anything worth recovering. Refocus our efforts on our defense plans for Salem... hopefully the intel Slade found was worth the effort"

"I'll get to work on it immediately, General"

He shook his head "No, I want Penny on this. You have enough to occupy your time as it is. I don't want to overburden you... but I will have her forward anything of use to you"

Arthur barely concealed his contempt "Of course, Sir" he replied with a forced smiled

Ironwood allowed himself a small smile "Schnee, status report?"

"All teams aboard and accounted for, General. Qrow and Slade included, minimal casualties to support teams. But Slade will require additional medical attention, Sir. Jaune can't seem to find anything wrong with him"

Ironwood frowned deeply "We'll take him back to Atlas, have Pietro take a look at him"

"Yes, Sir... but that's not all..."

"What's wrong, Winter?"

"Salem... she was there... whatever happened to Slade. She was the one who did it. He's unresponsive"

"She was here? Again?" he sighed, rubbing his eyelids "Tell me he's still breathing..."

"Life signs are nominal, General. He's just unconscious, but I don't know why" Penny explained "Father needs to have a look at him as soon as possible"

"I understand" Ironwood turned back to the rest of the bridge crew "Divert all nonessential power to the engines. I want to be back in Atlas within the hour"

---

Taiyang sat at the empty table in his kitchen, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. He stared down into it, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the mug. Zwei rubbed against his leg, panting happily as he looked up at the blonde man. Tai reached down, petting him gently. The firm knock at his front door drew his attention. He quickly stood and made his way to the door, opening it with a forced smile.

"Glynda! It's good to see you"

Her lips upturned into an amused smile "Tai" she greeted.

He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head "So, uh..."

"May I?" she gestured inside.

"Oh, yes! Of course!" he stepped aside, allowing her entry.

"Is something the matter? You seem nervous" she pointed out.

"Sorry. Just feel a bit weird calling you all the way out here"

She nodded in understanding "I take it this isn't a social call, you've certainly never invited me over before... not since Summer passed anyway"

He frowned deeply "Yeah... sorry..."

He led her into the kitchen, Zwei excitedly greeting the woman "Why hello" she greeted gently, kneeling down to his level.

"Coffee?"

"Please. Two sugars if you would" she answered, petting Zwei before straightening.

A moment later Tai set the mug down across from his seat, then took his place across from her as she sat down. She took a sip from the mug, letting out a content sigh "Good?"

"Perfect" she answered.

"How's things?" he asked.

"Slow. Keeping the Grimm from Vale is a difficult task, we unfortunately don't have the manpower to drive them out completely. Not without destroying that petrified Wyvern occupying the ruins of Beacon"

"Right..."

"But we both know you didn't ask me here to talk about what you already know. Tell me, have you heard from your girls? Qrow?" she inquired.

"Yeah... they're in Atlas now..."

"Atlas?" she asked surprised "I had thought Ruby was going to Mistral"

"She was, but... guess Oz had different ideas"

Her eyes widened "Professor Ozpin is back?"

He nodded "He found Qrow in Mistral and they've been working together ever since"

"How much do they know?" Glynda asked.

"More than we do it seems" he sighed "Ruby told me she used the Relic of Knowledge to learn everything Ozpin was keeping from them... but she wouldn't tell me everything"

"What did she tell you?"

"Not much, just that they learned the full story behind Salem's origins, the Maidens, Ozpin's past and his plan to stop her. It was enough to convince Ironwood"

"James knows too?"

"As far as they've said, yes. He's onboard with Ozpin's plan and is actively working to stop Salem from turning Atlas into the next Beacon"

"Then the White Fang attack on Haven was her doing as well, right?"

He sighed "Yeah, Ruby said they were lucky to stop her forces from getting the Relic but were unable to keep it secured in the Vault. Apparently Raven is the Spring Maiden now..."

Glynda frowned "Ah, I see why that would make things difficult" she placed a comforting hand onto his "But that wasn't why you called me here, was it?"

He looked down at his mug, now cold in his hands "No... it wasn't"

Her hand tightened slightly on his "Tell me, what did you wish of me?"

He took a deep breath before answering "What do you know about Slade Stroud?"

Her hand retracted in surprise at the mention of his name "Stroud? You're asking me about him?"

"I wasn't sure who else to ask..." he admitted "You were one of his professors at Beacon... I was hoping you could tell me more about him. What kind of person he is, if he can be trusted, that type of thing"

She cross her arms "Why the sudden interest? Last I heard he was killed in an explosion in Atlas. Odd you waited this long to inquire about a dead man"

Tai took a sip from his mug, grimacing at the now cold beverage in his mouth. He moved the mug away with a frown "Turns out, he isn't... Slade's working with them"

She stiffened "Them? Salem?" she asked her eyes wide.

"No... Ruby and Yang"

Her shoulders relaxed slightly "Well... that is a surprise"

"Now you understand why I want to know more about him"

She nodded "Well, I'd known Slade for a short time... but he's grown to be quite different than when I met him"

"How?" Tai inclined his head.

"He was cheerful, energetic, often spoke without thinking despite being quite bright" she smiled fondly at the memory "Now he's rude, cynical, and terribly vulgar"

Tai snorted "Sounds like Qrow"

She laughed softly "I am sure he picked some of it up from his mentor"

"Mentor?"

"Qrow didn't tell you? He helped teach him personally, even as he gave Ruby lessons of her own. Professor Ozpin taught him many things as well"

Tai shook his head "Qrow didn't really talk about his time with Ozpin, always keeping things to himself. I always assumed it was more for the girls benefit than mine"

She shook her head "No, he blamed himself for what happened to the Strouds"

"I remember hearing about his parents on the news, but don't really remember much. Didn't a Stroud win a Vytal Festival once?"

She nodded "Twice actually. Elise, his older sister, and he himself only a few years later"

He snapped his fingers in recognition "Right, Elise Stroud! I remember Qrow mentioning her once before. So what exactly happened to him?"

"After the deaths of his parents and siblings, Slade sunk into a reclusive depression. He started to come out of it once he started attending Beacon, making friends quickly with his team. Qrow's teachings turned him into one of the most talented students of his year... but then his team was killed by two of Salem's operatives who infiltrated the academy"

"Just like they did during the Vytal Festival"

She nodded solemnly "Slade was enraged at Ozpin, he left Beacon and gave up his goal of becoming a Huntsman. He decided to become freelance... despite everything that happened to him, he had always retained a sense of moral justice. Until he became a criminal that is, working with the likes of Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan"

"But they worked for Salem, didn't they?"

She sighed "Yes, which is why we concluded he must've also joined forces with her"

"But that can't be right, could it? Why would he work with Ozpin now, when he wouldn't before?"

"I couldn't say for certain. Did your daughters say nothing?"

"Only that they trust him... and I'm beginning to think they're right"

"Why's that?" Glynda questioned.

"Well, other than the constant praise they seem to throw on him whenever he comes up... he called me asking for help rebuilding Yang's bike for her birthday" he smiled "I was shocked to get a call from him... but considering his reasons, I was happy to help. Especially after seeing the look on Yang's face when she told me all about it" he laughed "It was good to see her smiling like that again"

Glynda smiled "Ah, I see why you wished to learn more about him now" she chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, overprotective father" he waved off "I just don't want to see Yang hurt again... not after Beacon"

"I understand"

He sighed "So I guess what I'm really asking is... do you think he could be lying to them?"

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully "I've never known him to be a liar, but he could've changed greatly since last we met. But if he's even half the man I used to know, he'll make sure your daughters are safe"

"How do you know?" Tai wondered.

"Slade's always held a selfless mentality, he often deals with others issues over his own. He's compartmentalized and internalized his grief over his family and his team for years, blaming himself for what happened to them. I'm certain he would gladly place himself between them and Salem herself if it meant keeping them from harm"

Tai let out a sigh of relief "Well... that'll have to do... for now"

She nodded in agreement "So, Atlas is her next target?"

"Considering there's two Relics there now, yeah"

Glynda shook her head "If we could only dislodge these Grimm from Beacon... we might be able to send help"

"Salem chose her moment carefully. Vale and Mistral are in shambles, and Vacuo's animosity for Atlas is old news to everyone. Even if Theodore could spare the manpower, who knows if he'd actually send anyone"

"Vacuo has enough problems of it's own as it is... we'll just have to trust James to handle the situation in Atlas"

"Do we have a choice?"

"Do we ever?"

Tai chuckled "No, guess not..."

She tilted her head at him as he looked away "Qrow and Professor Ozpin will keep them safe, Tai... I know they'd both happily give their lives if it means they stay safe"

"Yeah, I know" he shook his head "I trust Qrow to keep them safe, but James... last time I saw him, he was pretty torn up over Beacon"

"We all were, Tai. We lost too many that night, Vale and Atlas both"

He sighed "Yeah, that's what worries me"

She frowned thinking back to his handling of the situation in Vale "I understand..."

---

"He's what?!" Jacques bellowed.

"Please, Councilor Schnee. Calm yourself" Pietro tried.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down when Atlas is undefended?!"

"The General knows what he's doing, Councilor. I assure you, if he believed he needed to take one of our airships, he must've been prepared to meet a confirmed threat"

"Sure, that's obvious. But he took Winter and Weiss with him too! He left no one in charge of our forces and is potentially placing both my daughters in danger!"

"They're both Huntresses, Councilor. While I understand your concerns, they know what they're getting into-"

The door to his office slammed open as Penny entered, carrying the unconscious Slade inside with help from Yang, followed quickly by the others "Father, we need your help!"

Pietro sprung into action "Lay him down here" he gestured to the table as he got his equipment ready.

"What is going on here?!" Jacques asked in disbelief.

"I'll explain everything in my report to the Council, leave us" Ironwood replied sternly.

"You bring him here, a convicted traitor mind you, and expect me to-"

"Father, please" Winter spoke softly.

Jacques eyed her, looking her over for any injuries before sighing "Very well" he turned to leave, stopping by the door "I'm relieved to see you both returned safely"

Weiss smiled "Thanks, Dad"

He smiled back with a nod, then left without another word. Pietro opened one of Slade's eyes, shining a light into it. A moment later he moved to check his pulse, checking the watch on his wrist carefully. Without a word, he removed a stethoscope from his jacket and listened to his breathing. The group watched him work silently, mixed expressions of worry on their faces. Yang remained at his side as he worked, he removed the stethoscope from his ears with a deep sigh.

"His pulse is almost undetectable, his breathing is irregular, and he's not reacting to any outside stimuli. He's completely comatose" he frowned "Tell me-"

Oscar smacked into the doorframe as he slid to a stop "You're back! Did you find-" his attention drew to Slade's unconscious form "Slade... what happened?"

"We don't really know" Ren answered.

Pietro leaned against his desk, hands pocketed "Explain what you do know"

"Salem happened" Qrow answered.

"Salem? She was there?" he breathed in shock.

"She got ahold of him and did... something to him, I don't really know what. There was black mist coming out of her hand into his head, like she was forcing him to breath it"

"He screamed from the pain" Weiss grimaced at the memory.

"I scanned for any anomalous readings, I couldn't find anything significant. Though his brain activity doesn't seem to be consistent with that of other comatose patients in our medical records" Penny explained.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Most comatose patients display minimal brain activity and appear unresponsive to the outside world, however some patients still react to familiar sensations which result in a spike in activity. This usually is a sign of them beginning to come out of their coma... but Slade is different"

"How?" Ironwood inquired.

"His brain shows clear signs of consciousness, his mind reacts to the stimulus of light and sound. In fact it would appear he's not comatose at all, if it weren't so clear otherwise. Normally I would expect him to be experiencing REM sleep but he displays no rapid eye movement as well as his breathing and heart rate decreasing instead of increasing"

"Which means he's not dreaming... but is he aware of his surroundings?" Blake asked.

"If there's nothing wrong with him then why is he unconscious?!" Yang cried.

"Ms. Xiao Long, please. Calm yourself" Pietro tried.

"Calm?!" her eyes flashed red, turning to the doctor "How can I be calm when-?!" she started but stopped as she attempted to step away, her hand being pulled back.

Yang's eyes shifted back to their natural lilac, her hand firmly grasped by Slade's. She gasped, eyes welling up with tears "Is he... aware?" Weiss asked.

"He's still in there!" Oscar smiled "That means we can help him, right?"

"How? If he's trapped in his own mind, we can't just yank him out" Penny pointed out.

"There's gotta be something!" Nora argued.

Use the machine. He can still be saved Ozpin's voice echoed.

"What?" Oscar asked aloud.

"Oscar? What is it?" Ruby asked concerned.

"It's... Oz... he said we can use the machine"

"The machine?" Blake asked "What does he mean?"

Yang's eyes widened in realization "Doctor, hook me in"

"Pardon?"

"The machine you used on Oscar, if Penny could wake him up, I can wake Slade up"

"You want to- no, no... no! That's too dangerous!" Qrow argued.

"Dangerous or not, it'll work, right?"

"We don't even know what Salem did to Slade, not to mention with her kicking around in his head we don't even know what'll happen!"

"Qrow's right. Pietro reported that Ozpin was brought forth during the initial test on Oscar, if the same were to happen with Salem-" Ironwood started.

"It won't" Yang assured.

"It's out of the question!" Pietro shouted.

"I don't see anyone else coming up with a solutions! If Ozpin said it'll work, then it's gotta do something! Right?!"

"Yang..." Ruby called staring past her.

"You too?! C'mon, Ruby. Back me up on this-"

"Yang!" Ruby pointed "Look"

Yang turned to see Slade's opposite hand raised as if holding something to write with. Winter stepped around him to the desk, picking up a pen and paper, then placing the pen into his open hand, guiding it down to the paper. Slade made slow deliberate strokes, the pen dropping down to the ground once he was finished. Winter looked over the paper before turning it toward them.

"Help him" she read aloud.

"Him...? Did he... not...?" Nora left her question unfinished.

"He did say he was hearing his sister's voice, maybe there's more to it than that?" Ren offered.

"Or Salem is trying to trick us" Qrow argued.

Yang turned to Pietro "Doctor, please..."

His gaze rested on Slade's unconscious form, after a moment of silence, he sighed deeply "Fine, but I'm going to connect Penny to both of you. She'll filter through both of your thoughts and possibly direct you. If nothing else, it'll allay my concerns"

"As long as we wake him up, I don't care how" Yang replied.

Qrow sighed "I still don't like this idea"

"Yang knows what she's doing. I believe in her" Ruby assured.

"Yeah... I hope so"

Pietro motioned to his desk chair "Have a seat, Ms. Xiao Long. Then we'll get started"

Ironwood crossed his arms over his chest "You know doing this could just kill you both rather than wake him, don't you?"

"Are you going to try and talk me out of this too?" Yang asked with a pointed look.

"Not at all, but I would be remiss not to advise caution. Brute force isn't going to help you in there. You'll need to think outside the box"

Penny smiled widely with her index finger pointed upward "General Ironwood is correct, traversing a subject's consciousness is extremely difficult. It is far more likely you'll fry your synapses during this endeavor than accomplish anything helpful" she explained entirely too cheerfully.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Penny" Yang groused.

"Yeah, Penny. Real encouraging" Nora deadpanned.

Blake chuckled nervously "But you're helping Yang so it'll be much safer, right?" she tried.

"Hm?" she nodded "Oh, yes. It'll increase her chances by at least 5%-ow!" she rubbed her elbow "Ruby, what was that for?!"

"Maybe try being a bit more encouraging" she whispered.

"You want me to... lie?"

"Oh, Penny" Winter shook her head.

"Can we just get this over with?" Yang asked impatiently.

"Alright, alright" Pietro plugged Penny into his computer and placed the required electrodes onto Slade and Yang "Now, I've never connected two individual consciousnesses like this before. It won't be like Oscar and Penny did before... this may not even work, and with Salem added to the mix, well... it'll be dangerous no matter how we look at this"

"I have to try, don't I?"

"Slade could come out of this on his own, we don't know-"

"I know, just... turn it on"

He exhaled "Okay. Yang, close your eyes, relax your mind, focus on my voice and my voice alone"

Yang took a deep breath "Alright... your voice..." she repeated, shutting her eyes.

"Now... I want you to focus on Slade, direct your mind to Slade, memories, feelings, anything"

"Right..." she exhaled.

"Now, Yang... I need you to explain to me what you see in front of you"

"Nothing, my eyes are closed" she deadpanned.

"Nothing... that can't be right... the connections are all set. Penny, are you seeing anything?"

"Nothing, Father. Just the back of her eyelids" she answered politely.

"Hmm... perhaps I did something wrong..."

Yang's eyes snapped open "Are you kidding me?!" she practically leapt from the table "How am I supposed to-"

"Nope, doesn't seem to be anything on my end. Yang, are you still seeing nothing?"

Yang stopped when she noticed Pietro didn't flinch at her outrage. She waved her hand in front of his face, he didn't seem to notice. She looked back to the table to the chair and pushed it, though it moved, no one seemed to react to it at all. She turned to Slade still atop the table and rushed to his side, taking his head in her arms, cradling it.

"Come on, Slade... I need you to let me in... please..."

"Yang? Can you hear me?" Pietro asked.

"Yeah, I can hear you" she called back.

"She can hear you" Penny replied.

Yang turned to see her eyes had rolled back like last time "Penny, can you see what I'm seeing?"

"No, Yang. I can't, but I can hear what you're thinking"

Pietro sighed "Yang, you seem to have fallen asleep. Right now, you're dreaming... but you're also connected to Slade's consciousness. There's no telling what you'll be seeing... I don't know what to do now... it's hard enough to get one person awake, let alone two!"

"We'll figure something out, Father. I'm still with her. Slade's neocortex and thalamus are registering an increase in brain activity. He could be dreaming too"

"I thought you said he wasn't dreaming" Ruby pointed out.

"His brain activity indicates otherwise, but he shows no other natural signs of dreaming"

Pietro sighed "Yang, you're going to have to find him"

Yang looked back to him "I... I don't know how..."

"Try. Look around, tell me what you're seeing and we'll try again, together" Penny encouraged.

"Okay... okay..." she let Slade's head down carefully and moved to the doorway, she opened the door and found herself standing in her own room "Oh..." turning around she found Atlas had vanished completely.

"What do you see, Yang?" she asked.

"I'm at home... I can smell..." she started tearing up "I can smell Mom's cooking!" she rushed into the hall and made her way toward the stairs, only to find she didn't seem to be making any progress, the stairs getting further away with every step "How the heck?"

"Yang?"

"I'm trying to head downstairs, but I can't reach the stairs. It's like they're running away from me"

"Hmmm... if you're connected to Slade's consciousness and he's dreaming... Then maybe you have more control over what you're seeing than you think. After all, Slade doesn't know where you live, does he?"

"I don't think so..."

"Then he might be seeing what you're seeing! Try calling out to him"

"Okay" she took a deep breath "Slade? Slade, can you hear me? It's Yang!" she called.

"Yang, Ruby, breakfast!" Summer's voice called.

She wiped a tear from her eye "Nothing, Penny. Still just Mom"

"Okay, but you can't reach the stairs down to her... maybe... try something else?" she suggested.

Yang turned back to her room but then found the closer she got to it, the smaller her door became. She groaned in exasperation, looking around, she tried for the stairs again. This time, she seemed to be walking backwards away from it, the floorboards cycling beneath her with every step. She looked to her left and found she was unable to pass Ruby's room. Opening it, she found a much younger Ruby sleeping soundly in her bed. She couldn't help but watch her for a moment, a soft smile on her face. She reached down, pushing a lock of hair out of her face. Ruby smiled to herself at the contact. Yang's smile widened, gently, she shook her awake.

"Ah!" Penny called painfully.

"Penny?" she asked, voice filled with concern.

"I'm still here... whatever you just did, I wouldn't advise doing it again"

"Okay, okay... I'll-" she stopped when she noticed Ruby had vanished from the bed "Penny... something's changed"

"Are you still in your home?"

"Yeah, but Ruby was in her bed... now she's gone"

"Try getting downstairs again" Penny suggested.

"On it" Yang raced back out into the hall, only to find herself in the kitchen. Ruby chowed down on the chocolate chip pancakes in front of her, swaying left and right happily, her cheeks stuffed to the brim. Yang could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks. Summer Rose stood beside her father, smiling at one of his lame jokes as she continued setting the table "Mom..." she stepped toward her.

"Raven?" Penny asked.

"No... Summer" she reached her arms out, embracing her mother.

"Summer Rose? Yang, she's not real. Don't-!" Penny's head suddenly snapped back with a painful cry, the port in her neck sparking "Ow" she rubbed the back of her neck where the cord ripped out.

"Penny? What happened?" Ironwood asked.

"I... I was forced out. Their minds are too interconnected, there's no telling what'll happen when we try to disconnect her" she explained "I tried to warn her"

"Warn her about what?" Winter inquired.

"She was seeing... Summer Rose"

"Summer?" Qrow's eyes widened.

"Mom...?" Ruby felt tears welling up before she could stop them.

"How're we going to get her out?" Blake asked.

"I don't know... I don't know if we can anymore. It's up to her now" Pietro frowned.

Yang opened her eyes to find her arms wrapped around Summer's gravestone, she noticed atop it sat a chess piece, the black Queen. She wiped her eyes of tears, memories flashing through her mind of the Fall of Beacon, of losing her arm, Blake's injury from Hunter, Slade arguing with her in front of Ironwood's office, Raven and Qrow fighting. She grabbed the piece and threw it as far away from her as she could in a fit of rage, her eyes flashing red. Moments later she watched as the same chess piece descended in the opposite direction, back toward her, twice the size of her!

"Crap!" Yang tried to leap out of the way, but was knocked over the cliff by her legs, freefalling into the forest below. Rather than trees, she crashed into water, the air in her lungs forcefully expelled from the impact.

She quickly swam back up and exited the pool, she was shocked to find herself standing in a pool of Grimm-like ooze. Salem stood before her with her back turned. She stood towering over a younger Slade, Yang could barely recognize him herself. She held him by the sides of his head, a wicked grin on her face "Penny... Penny!" she called desperately.

Stepping out of the pool, Salem released her grip on the boy and turned her attention to Yang. She moved faster than she could see, Salem's claw-like nails digging into the skin around her eyes as she held her in a similar manner to Slade, her expression one of pure animalistic rage. Seconds later, she found herself flipped onto her chest, staring straight into the Grimm pool as Salem dunked her head in, a massive faceless version of Salem rising to greet her. Before Yang could even think to move, she felt a hand firmly around her wrist wrench her out of the pool, Salem's grip vanishing. Yang coughed and sputtered with great difficulty, struggling to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

Yang looked up to see a woman with short brown hair a bright emerald eyes staring back at her "Y-yeah, thanks"

The woman extended her hand to Yang, who gratefully accepted it "Good, for a moment there I thought I might've been too late"

"Too late? For what?" she asked, looking around, she noticed she was no longer anywhere discernable, the area around them pitch black.

"You were delving too deep" she answered "Any further and you never would've woken up again, that thing would've gotten you"

"Thing? What thing? Salem?"

"No, not Salem" she shook her head "You're not here physically, but you're connected to Slade. That connection brought you here, because of me. You only saw that thing as Salem because that's who you're most afraid of. Otherwise it'd take the form of a Grimm, or spider, or whatever else you're terrified of"

"So... it's some kind of fear creature?"

"Not... precisely, no. It feeds off your fear, that much is true. But only when you're dreaming, and this is no dream"

"How do you know that? Who are you anyway?" she demanded.

"Me? Isn't it obvious?" she chuckled "I'm Elise. Elise Stroud"

---

That's all for now! Hope you guys liked it, I'll be sure to get the next chapter out soon! I've already got it a quarter of the way finished, so hopefully I'll have it done before the end of March at the latest. Thanks for sticking with me this long!