Chapter 51: Tower IV
The Tower Hangar was relatively quiet as Stormborn glided through the massive entry bay, its engines powering down to a gentle hum. The night shift workers moved with practiced efficiency as the ship settled into its designated berth, maintenance frames already approaching to begin standard post-flight procedures.
Amanda Holliday looked up from her workstation, wiping grease-stained hands on an equally stained rag. "Well, look what the Fallen dragged in," she called out with a grin as Team RWBY descended Stormborn's ramp. "Heard you folks had quite the adventure on Mars."
"That's putting it mildly," Ruby replied, fatigue evident in her voice despite her attempt at a smile. The events of the past few days—the confrontation with Nokris, the battle against Xol, and the deeply personal conversations that followed—had clearly taken their toll.
Amanda whistled low. "The comms have been buzzing. Something about a Worm God and Rasputin going full-arsenal?" She glanced over the team's battle-worn armor and weapons. "Looks like those reports weren't exaggerated for once."
"Rasputin was... surprisingly helpful," Weiss offered, checking that her Queenbreaker was properly secured in its harness. "Though some of us had reservations about trusting him."
"Smart," Amanda replied with a knowing nod. "That old Warmind's got more layers than an Eliksni smuggler's coat." She gestured toward the hangar exit. "Tower's pretty quiet tonight. Most of the action's down in the City celebrating some Dawning after-festival thing."
Ruby glanced at the time display on a nearby terminal—21:17. "Any word from Adam's team? They were heading to Io to pick up some new Guardians."
"Nothing yet," Amanda replied, turning her attention back to Stormborn's diagnostics. "But comm traffic from Jupiter's on a delay right now. Solar flare activity's causing interference."
Ruby nodded, then turned to her team. Her silver eyes, usually sharp and focused, now betrayed her exhaustion. "I think I'm going to turn in. It's been..." she hesitated, searching for an adequate description of the past day, "...a lot."
"We understand," Blake said softly, her perceptive gaze taking in Ruby's drained expression. "You should rest."
"Besides," Yang added with a gentle smile that contrasted with her usual exuberance, "we've got plenty to process ourselves. No rush—we have time now."
An unspoken acknowledgment passed between them—a new understanding that hadn't existed before their conversations on Mars. Ruby's shoulders relaxed slightly, free from a tension she had carried for centuries.
"Thank you," she said simply, the words carrying layers of gratitude beyond mere courtesy. "Oscar and the others should be back sometime tomorrow morning. We can all talk more then." She adjusted the pendant at her throat—Oscar's pendant, Yang now understood. "My quarters are in the east wing if you need anything. Just ask your Ghosts to guide you."
With a final nod of farewell, Ruby turned and headed toward the Tower interior, her cape billowing gently behind her as she disappeared from view.
For a moment, the remaining three members of Team RWBY stood in silence, each lost in her own thoughts.
"She called them 'my quarters,' not 'my room,'" Blake observed quietly.
"Centuries of living leaves its mark on how you think about things, I guess," Yang replied, still watching the doorway where her sister had vanished. "It's strange to think about—Ruby living all those years while we were just... gone."
Weiss adjusted her robes with a practiced gesture. "I'm still trying to process everything she told us on the flight back. The Dark Age, Moroznyy Kray, the Iron Lords, the Great Disaster..." She shook her head slightly. "It's like hearing legends about someone you thought you knew perfectly."
"My stomach is reminding me that nutrient bars don't count as actual food," Yang said, changing the subject with deliberate lightness. "Anyone else hungry?"
"Starving," Blake admitted. "Those rations on Stormborn were barely edible."
"I could eat," Weiss agreed. "Where do you suggest?"
Yang grinned, some of her familiar energy returning. "I know just the place. There's a kabob shop in the Mid-City that's open late. Serves these amazing spiced lamb skewers with some kind of Golden Age recipe."
"How do you already know the local food scene?" Weiss asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I make it my business to know where the good food is," Yang replied with a wink. "Essential survival skill."
"Lead the way," Blake said, a small smile playing at her lips. "I think we all could use some real food and... time to talk."
The three made their way through the Tower's less-traveled corridors, guided by their Ghosts through the labyrinthine structure. The night air was cool and clear as they emerged onto a transit platform where small passenger ships ferried Guardians and civilians between the Tower and the City below.
The shuttle deposited them at a bustling district that seemed to never sleep despite the late hour. The streets were narrower here, lined with shops and eateries that catered to both Guardians and civilians. Lanterns strung between buildings cast warm light over the cobblestone pathways, while the scent of spices and cooking meat perfumed the air.
"There it is," Yang said, pointing to a small but crowded establishment with an open-air grill. "Shahin's. Trust me, you won't be disappointed."
Despite the crowd, they managed to secure a small table on the outdoor patio. The restaurant's owner, recognizing them as Guardians, greeted them with particular warmth, explaining that his grandfather had been saved by a Guardian during the Battle of Six Fronts.
"Six Fronts," Weiss murmured after their orders had been placed. "Where Ruby and Jaune fought to defend the early City."
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Ruby, Oscar, and Jaune are older than this entire city," Yang said, absently tracing patterns in the condensation on her glass. "That they helped build it."
Their conversation paused as heaping plates of fragrant kabobs arrived, accompanied by flatbread, roasted vegetables, and small bowls of various sauces. For several minutes, they ate in appreciative silence, the simple pleasure of good food after battle temporarily overriding deeper concerns.
"So," Blake said finally, setting down her empty skewer, "what do we think about everything Ruby told us?"
Yang took a sip of her drink before responding. "I think... I needed to hear it. All of it. Even the parts that hurt."
"The way she described the Great Disaster," Weiss said softly. "The guilt she still carries for designing the operation that led to so many Guardians dying their final deaths on the Moon. That explains so much about how she's been with us."
"She was afraid of leading us into something similar," Blake observed. "Of failing us like she feels she failed them."
Yang nodded slowly. "All this time, I thought she was avoiding us because she didn't care anymore. Because we weren't important to her after all those centuries." She stared into her glass, her reflection fragmented in the ice. "But it was the opposite. She cared too much to risk losing us again."
"And then there's Oscar," Weiss added. "The way she talked about him... centuries of partnership, looking for each other across impossible odds. It's..." she searched for the right word.
"Beautiful," Blake supplied. "And heartbreaking."
"I never imagined Ruby as a Warlord," Yang mused, shifting the conversation slightly. "Controlling territory, using her power to protect people during the Dark Age. And Adam as her enforcer, of all people."
"People change," Blake said quietly. "Especially over centuries."
"That's the thing, isn't it?" Weiss leaned forward, her voice thoughtful. "We keep thinking of Ruby as the person we knew on Remnant—our team leader, Yang's little sister. But she's had lifetimes of experiences we weren't part of."
"She's both," Yang insisted. "The Ruby we knew is still in there. I saw glimpses of her during the fight on Mars. The way she moved, certain expressions..." She sighed, running a hand through her golden hair. "But you're right. She's also someone else now. Someone shaped by centuries of war and loss and survival."
"So where do we go from here?" Blake asked, the question hanging in the air between them.
"Forward," Weiss replied with quiet certainty. "We meet her where she is now, not where she was on Remnant. We learn who she's become, while showing her who we are now."
"And we give her time," Yang added. "Space to figure out how we fit into her life after all these years."
"While we figure out how we fit into this whole new world," Blake agreed, gesturing to the City around them.
They fell into companionable silence, the weight of the day's events and revelations settling around them. The City continued its night life below the Traveler's watchful presence, citizens and Guardians alike moving through streets that had been built and defended by legends—legends who had once been their friends.
"You know what's strange?" Yang said suddenly. "After everything Ruby told us, all the centuries and battles and changes... what hit me hardest was seeing her touch that pendant. The one Oscar gave her."
Weiss and Blake looked at her questioningly.
"Back on Remnant, Ruby wasn't..." Yang struggled to articulate her thought. "Romance wasn't really on her radar, you know? She was all about being a Huntress, fighting Grimm, weapons. But now..." She shook her head slightly. "It's just strange to think of her being in love with someone for longer than most civilizations exist."
"Time changes everyone," Blake said softly. "Even immortals."
"Especially immortals," Weiss corrected, echoing what Ruby had told them.
Yang raised her glass, a determined light entering her lilac eyes. "To Team RWBY version 2.0."
"With a few centuries of upgrades," Blake added with a small smile, raising her own glass.
"And still figuring it out one day at a time," Weiss finished, completing the toast.
As they clinked glasses together, the night sky above was illuminated briefly by the engines of another Guardian ship making its approach to the Tower—not Wilt returning with Team JNPR, but a reminder of the constant cycle of departure and return that defined life in this new world.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges and reunions. But for tonight, there was food, friendship, and the comfort of shared understanding—a foundation for whatever awaited them in this strange new existence.
The first light of dawn was just beginning to illuminate the Last City when Adam established a comm link from Wilt's cockpit. The ship was approaching Earth's atmosphere, the blue curve of the planet filling most of the viewport as he guided the vessel on its final trajectory toward the Tower.
"Establishing Tower connection," Adam announced to the passengers in the main hold. The newly-awakened Ren and Nora were experiencing their first glimpse of Earth from orbit, while Team JNPR was catching up on centuries of shared history.
Adam input Ruby's personal frequency first—a secure channel they had used for centuries during operations. The comm system hummed softly as it attempted to connect, but after several seconds of silence, it returned only the automated response message: "Guardian unavailable. Please try again later or leave a message with your Ghost."
Adam frowned slightly. Ruby was typically alert at all hours, a habit formed through centuries of vigilance. Even when resting, she usually responded to direct communications.
"No answer from Ruby," he reported to the others, his voice betraying no concern despite his slight unease. "She must be indisposed."
"She and her team were through quite a lot on Mars," Oscar observed from the secondary navigation station. "Perhaps she's still resting."
Adam nodded once, then entered another frequency into the comm system. After a brief delay, Blake's voice came through the speakers.
"Hello?" She sounded alert but relaxed, with faint background noises suggesting she was somewhere in the Tower's common areas.
"Blake, it's Adam. We're on final approach to the Tower, ETA twenty minutes." His tone remained professional, decades of partnership with Ruby having honed his ability to deliver information efficiently. "Ruby isn't answering her comm. Is everything alright?"
There was a brief pause before Blake responded. "She's probably still asleep. She was really exhausted when we got back last night—emotionally more than physically, I think." Another pause. "It was... an intense journey back from Mars. She shared a lot with us."
Adam processed this information silently. If Ruby had finally opened up to her team about her centuries of history, it explained her current unavailability. Such conversations were rare for her, and always draining.
"I see," he replied simply. "We have the new Guardians with us from Io. You may want to head to the hangar with the others. There might be some... surprising reunions waiting."
"Surprising reunions?" Blake's voice carried sudden curiosity. "What do you mean? Who did you find?"
Adam's lips curved in what might almost have been a smile. "I think it's better if you see for yourself. Some things should be experienced firsthand."
"Always cryptic," Blake muttered, though without real annoyance. "Alright, I'll round up Yang and Weiss and meet you at the hangar. Should we try to wake Ruby?"
"Let her rest," Adam decided after a moment's consideration. "If she's shared what I think she has, she deserves some peace. The new arrivals will still be here when she wakes."
"Understood. See you soon."
The comm channel closed with a soft click. Adam returned his attention to piloting, his hands moving with practiced precision over Wilt's controls as the ship began its descent toward the Tower.
Behind him, he could hear Nora's excited voice rising over the others as she peppered Oscar with questions about the Last City and the Tower. Despite himself, Adam felt a faint stirring of something almost like anticipation. The reunion about to unfold in the Tower hangar would be... interesting, to say the least.
"Tower Control to Wilt, you are cleared for approach to Hangar Bay 3," came Amanda Holliday's voice over the comm. "Welcome back, Guardians."
"Acknowledged, Tower Control. Beginning final approach," Adam replied, guiding the ship into its designated landing vector.
As Wilt descended toward the Tower, the first full rays of morning sunlight crested the distant mountains, bathing the Last City in golden light. Another day was beginning—but for some, it would be the first day of an entirely new existence.
The morning light streamed through the massive windows of the Tower Hangar, casting long shadows across the polished floor as maintenance crews and frames went about their routines. Weiss, Blake, and Yang positioned themselves near Bay 3, where Amanda Holliday had directed them after receiving their inquiry about Wilt's arrival.
"Any idea what Adam meant by 'surprising reunions'?" Yang asked, leaning against a support pillar with practiced casualness. She had changed from her battle-worn armor into more comfortable civilian attire—a golden tank top under a brown leather jacket emblazoned with her Guardian symbol, paired with fitted cargo pants and boots.
Blake shook her head, her amber eyes fixed on the hangar entrance where ships arrived. "He was deliberately vague. Just said it would be better to see for ourselves."
"Classic Adam," Weiss remarked dryly. She stood with perfect posture, her Warlock's robes freshly pressed despite the early hour. "Always cryptic when a simple explanation would suffice."
The hangar alert system chimed softly, followed by Amanda's voice over the announcement system: "Incoming vessel to Bay 3. All personnel clear the approach zone."
The massive hangar doors slid open, revealing the early morning sky beyond. Wilt appeared, its sleek form gliding through the opening with practiced precision. The ship's engines hummed as it maneuvered into position, landing struts extending smoothly before making contact with the hangar floor.
"Something feels different," Blake murmured, her innate perceptiveness picking up on a subtle change in the atmosphere. "There's an energy I can't quite place."
Yang straightened, her lilac eyes narrowing as she studied the ship. "Maybe it's these new Guardians Adam mentioned. Think they're why he was being all mysterious?"
"We're about to find out," Weiss replied as Wilt's boarding ramp extended with a soft hydraulic hiss.
Jaune emerged first, his armored form instantly recognizable despite the centuries that had passed since they'd last seen him on Remnant. He paused at the top of the ramp, turning to speak to someone still inside the ship before continuing down to the hangar floor.
Pyrrha followed, her red hair unmistakable even at a distance. Team WBY had already met her since their resurrection, but her presence still carried a certain weight—the living embodiment of a second chance after her tragic death on Remnant.
Oscar descended next, his ancient eyes scanning the hangar until they found the waiting trio. He offered a small nod of acknowledgment, his expression carrying a hint of anticipation that piqued their curiosity further.
"Okay, so far it's just the usual suspects," Yang whispered. "Unless Adam's 'surprise' is a crate of those space crabs he's always hunting on Io."
As if on cue, Adam appeared at the top of the ramp, his tall figure backlit by Wilt's interior lights. But it was the two figures behind him that caused all three women to freeze in place, their expressions shifting from curiosity to shock in an instant.
"Is that...?" Weiss began, her voice trailing off in disbelief.
"No way," Yang breathed, pushing off from the pillar to stand straight, her eyes widening.
Blake said nothing, but her ears would have been flat against her head had she still possessed them, a phantom response to overwhelming emotion that her body remembered even if her form had changed.
A young man with long dark hair tied back neatly, his slender form moving with fluid grace as he descended the ramp. Behind him, practically bouncing with barely contained energy, a shorter woman with vibrant orange hair, her turquoise eyes scanning the hangar with unbridled enthusiasm.
"REN? NORA?" Yang's voice finally broke through her shock, loud enough to echo across the hangar.
The orange-haired woman's head snapped in their direction, her eyes widening comically as she spotted them. For a heartbeat, time seemed to pause—a moment of mutual recognition and impossible reality.
Then, with a squeal of delight that caused several nearby technicians to wince, Nora Valkyrie launched herself down the ramp at breakneck speed.
"YANG! WEISS! BLAKE!" she shouted, her voice carrying the same boundless energy it had on Remnant. "YOU'RE HERE! YOU'RE REALLY HERE! REN, LOOK! IT'S THEM!"
Before any of them could properly react, Nora crashed into Yang with the force of a small missile, wrapping her in a hug that would have crushed a non-Guardian. Yang staggered backward, laughing despite her shock as she returned the embrace.
"Nora! How—when—?" Yang struggled to form coherent questions through her amazement.
"COUPLE DAYS AGO!" Nora exclaimed, releasing Yang only to immediately capture Weiss in a similar embrace, ignoring the Warlock's startled yelp. "I woke up on Io with a little floaty robot friend named Spark and then BAM! I'm a Guardian with super lightning powers and then Ren showed up because OF COURSE he did because we're Ren and Nora and then we fought these weird shadow monsters and—"
"Nora," Ren's calm voice interrupted as he approached at a more measured pace. "Perhaps give them a moment to process."
Nora released Weiss (who looked simultaneously relieved and disappointed) and immediately turned her enthusiasm toward Blake. "But Ren! It's THEM! Our friends from Beacon! They're alive and we're alive and it's like a big cosmic reunion party!"
Blake found herself enveloped in Nora's enthusiastic embrace, a small smile breaking through her usually composed features. "It's good to see you too, Nora," she managed, patting the energetic Guardian's back somewhat awkwardly.
Ren stopped before them, offering a polite bow that somehow conveyed more genuine emotion than most people's effusive greetings. "Yang. Weiss. Blake. It is... unexpectedly wonderful to see you all again."
"This is unbelievable," Weiss said, still trying to process the reality before her. "You were resurrected a couple days ago? On Io?"
"Indeed," Ren confirmed with a nod. "I was found by my Ghost, Echo, and shortly thereafter encountered Nora during a conflict with entities called the Taken."
"And we were AWESOME!" Nora interjected, finally releasing Blake to spin around with her arms wide. "I punched a giant Taken monster thing right in its face! With LIGHTNING! And Ren had these cool purple energy blades and was all swoosh-swoosh!" She mimicked slashing motions with sound effects that drew amused glances from passing hangar workers.
Yang looked past them to Adam, who stood observing the reunion with his characteristic impassivity. "You could have mentioned it was Ren and Nora," she called to him, unable to keep a grin from spreading across her face.
"And miss this reaction?" Adam replied with the barest hint of amusement in his voice. "Some experiences should remain unspoiled."
From the bottom of the ramp, Jaune watched the reunion with a warm smile. "They've been excited to see you all since we told them you were here," he explained, walking over to join the group. "Especially after they found out Ruby was leading you again."
At the mention of Ruby, Nora's eyes lit up even more, if that were possible. "Where IS Ruby? I can't wait to see her! Does she still have her super cool scythe? Is she still obsessed with weapons? Does she—"
"Ruby's resting," Blake cut in gently. "Yesterday was... intense. For all of us, but especially for her."
"Oh." Nora's enthusiasm dimmed slightly before immediately rebounding. "Well, that's okay! We have FOREVER to catch up now, right? Because we're all immortal Guardian people!"
"That is the general idea," Weiss confirmed with a small smile. "Though I'd appreciate it if you could lower your volume just a bit. Not all of us have had our coffee yet."
Rather than being offended, Nora beamed at her. "Coffee! Do they have coffee here? And pancakes? Please tell me there are pancakes in the future. I don't think I could handle being immortal without pancakes."
Ren's expression softened into that small, fond smile he seemed to reserve exclusively for Nora. "I'm sure there are pancakes, Nora."
"There definitely are," Yang confirmed. "And we know just the place to get them. The best breakfast spot in the Tower is just opening about now."
"PERFECT!" Nora exclaimed, linking her arm through Ren's. "Lead the way to the pancakes of the future!"
As the group began moving toward the hangar exit, Pyrrha and Oscar fell into step beside them, completing the impromptu reunion procession. Adam remained behind, ostensibly to oversee Wilt's post-flight maintenance, though his eyes lingered on the departing group with an unreadable expression.
"So," Yang said as they walked, still struggling to fully process the surreal reality of seeing Ren and Nora again after everything that had happened, "how much do you guys remember? About Remnant, I mean."
"Quite a bit," Ren replied thoughtfully. "Not everything, but the important parts. People. Places. Connections."
"Especially each other," Nora added, her usual exuberance tempered by a moment of genuine emotion. "That's the weird part. I couldn't remember my favorite color or where I grew up, but I knew Ren the second I saw him." She squeezed his arm affectionately. "Some things just stick, I guess."
"That matches our experience too," Blake observed. "The personal connections remained clearer than many of the details."
"It's like that for most of us from Remnant," Jaune explained as they entered one of the Tower's main corridors. "Though the extent varies. Ruby, Oscar, and I have had the longest to process our memories, for better or worse."
Nora's attention was momentarily diverted by the sight of Guardians trading with a vendor, their armor and weapons unlike anything from Remnant. "Ooh, what's that? And that? And THAT?" She pointed excitedly at various exotic items on display.
Weiss exchanged an amused glance with Blake. "I suspect we're in for quite a day of explanations."
"It took us weeks to get acclimated," Yang reminded her. "And we didn't have Nora's energy level."
As they continued toward the Tower's dining district, Ren fell into step beside Blake, his perceptive eyes studying her with quiet curiosity. "You seem different," he observed softly. "Beyond the physical changes of resurrection."
Blake glanced at him, surprised by the insight. "Different how?"
"More at peace," he said simply. "As if you've set down a burden you carried for a long time."
Blake considered this, realizing the truth in his observation. "Maybe I have," she acknowledged. "Death and resurrection... they change perspective."
Ahead of them, Nora was enthusiastically recounting her first experience of channeling Arc Light to an increasingly amused Yang, while Weiss engaged Jaune and Pyrrha in what appeared to be a more measured discussion of Guardian training protocols.
"It's strange," Blake continued, her voice pitched for Ren's ears alone. "Back on Remnant, all of us were carrying so much baggage. So many fears and regrets. Being reborn... it doesn't erase the past, but it does offer a new vantage point to view it from."
Ren nodded, understanding in his calm expression. "A second chance, not just at life, but at how we choose to live it."
"Exactly."
As they emerged onto a sunlit terrace where the smell of breakfast foods wafted temptingly from several establishments, Nora's excited voice rose above the morning bustle of the Tower.
"Pancakes! I can SMELL them! This way, Ren! Toward the pancakes!"
And just like that, they were pulled along in Nora's enthusiastic wake—newly reborn Guardians and centuries-old veterans alike, united by connections that had somehow survived death itself.
In the midst of an unfamiliar world filled with Light and Darkness, immortality and impossible odds, there was something profoundly comforting about the sight of Nora dragging Ren toward the promise of pancakes—some things, it seemed, truly never changed.