Original concept by Korra
Written by MechaG11
Part Two: Remnant Divided Arc
-Chapter 19: Beginning of the Fall
Atlas Headquarters
A mechanical door slides open automatically as General Ironwood steps into the room. "I'm glad you made it here safely." he says as he approaches Batman and Pietro Polendina. "Apologies for putting you through all the trouble and deception to get you here. Things are bit...dire, to say the least."
"Enough to call upon your greatest enemy." Batman says.
Ironwood chuckles briefly. "As things stand, my greatest enemies are both far away, and disturbingly near." He bears a more serious expression.
"What aroused your suspicion?" Batman questions. If Ironwood needed his help, he could only surmise that he discovered something about Superman.
Ironwood walks over to the desk near Pietro and takes one of the Red Solar Grenades in hand. "The same thing that lead me to this." he says while gesturing with the weapon in his hand.
"The Raid on Beacon." Batman correctly assumes.
Ironwood places the grenade back into its holding case, and walks towards Batman. "Could you produce that throwing weapon of yours? The bat-shaped blade." he requests. Batman simply stares back at him, not moving an inch. "Humor me, please." Ironwood insists. Batman silently produces one of his Batarangs, equipping the bladed weapon in its deployed state, and holds it up for the other two to see. Ironwood nods his head in acknowledgment. "Superman suffered damage across his suit and body when we retrieved him from the battle. Curiously, none of the carves and gashes we observed matched your weaponry. Another weapon at the scene, however, did."
"The same weapon would have a curious set of fingerprints present on it." Batman once again guesses correctly, recalling how Superman took Qrow's sword in hand before impaling its owner with a single throw. While Superman never submitted his prints to the Government database, it wouldn't have been hard to acquire them with anything he's touched around the Regime base.
Ironwood nods in acknowledgment. "The same weapon used to kill my friend. What I don't know is why. In fact, there's still a lot we don't know about any of you."
Batman looks downward, contemplating something, before glancing back up to Ironwood as if concluded. He approaches the General and extends his arm with an object in hand. "Take this."
Ironwood looks down at Batman's hand, and grasps a small data drive of some sort. He holds it up and studies it. "Its contents?" he asks.
"Cyborg's memory data." Batman answers. "Our history, our world, Superman's crimes, the truth...everything."
Ironwood eyes the drive. "So that was your play." he remarks, recalling Batman's covert attack on Cyborg. He nods and smiles as he closes his eyes. "Thank you. I imagine this was a huge gamble to entrust this to me." He looks over at Batman with a smirk. "Though I hope you wont mind if I scan it for viruses first." the General jokes.
"If there's any one thing I know, it's how to air on the side of caution." Batman replies.
Suddenly, a series of thundering steps trample the nearby hallway before four specially armored Regime soldiers burst through the door. Their black and red armor bear S-brands similar to Superman's symbol. Ironwood recognized them easily enough: The experimental first line of the Regime's 5-U-93-R pill enhanced super soldiers.
"General Ironwood," shouts one of the soldiers. "You're under arrest for treason, and corruption!"
Ironwood tilts his head towards Batman. "What were you just saying about caution?" he asks. Batman scowls, and then assumes his combat stance alongside General Ironwood.
Tyrian waits alone in an Atlas prison cell, his body secured by a specially designed straight-jacket for Huntsman or any other individuals with Aura abilities. He groans audibly, the aching pain of his missing tail still haunting him after all the thawing and restraining he had to endure. Raven Branwen, meanwhile, was likely being treated in a cushy medical facility after her fight with him. "Nghhhhh! I hope my venom kills her! Slowly! Painfully!" he rants while writhing in his restrained state. He stubbornly does his best to thrash around within the restraints until head thuds back against the platform he's secured to. He goes seemingly limp, having tuckered himself out from all the wasted energy. Then, after moment of silence...a sound.
Tyrian looks up, his eyes scanning his surroundings. Before his cell he sees that the hard-light walls ensuring his stay here were no longer present in the room. He looks back and forth, almost as if in disbelief as he tries to confirm what he's seeing is real. Shortly afterwards, more of the same sound begins to echo throughout the hallway beyond him. Looking around with wide eyes, a devilish grin stretches across his face as the realization hits him. He begins to cackle as fellow prisoners from all throughout the prison begin exiting their cells.
Chaos. A myriad of riot and escape attempts initiate at once, security systems all throughout the prison seemingly deactivated. Atlesian personnel do their best to suppress the escapees, using any and all equipment they're permitted to deploy. All the while, prisoners with Aura abilities begin to work with others to undo their inhibitor binds. There were only a few Huntsmen on station here, but their attention was certainly divided with the break-out being so wide-spread. The guards would have to hold out until someone could unlock and distribute their riot suppression equipment.
Taiyang looks around the prison curiously. Ren, Nora, and Jaune walk out together with their inhibitor cuffs bound to their wrists. It's then that one of the Aura using prisoners comes by and notices their restraints. He uses his enhanced strength to destroy Taiyang's first. "Let's make this a party!" the prisoner says with a twisted glee, ready to exact his ire upon the prison staff with their help.
Taiyang simply smirks at him. "Yeah, let's." he quips before tripping the man with a leg sweep. As soon as he hits the ground, three more strikes of the hand pummel him into unconsciousness. Taiyang rubs his aching wrists, and then turns to Team JNPR. "Let's get out of here, kids." he says, striking at the inhibitors. The metallic remains clink along the ground, the noise barely able to breach the uproar of the nearby prisoners.
As the group is about to run off together, Jaune stops and reaches down to grab his broken inhibitor. They stop to look at him, noticing his turn back. "Jaune, what are you doing?" Ren asks.
Jaune looks up at them. "The super pill removed my aura," he says before holding up the inhibitor. "Which means this thing is different than the others. Maybe this will come in handy later." he says.
Ren smiles. "Good thinking!"
Nora gestures towards the path ahead with a wave of her arm. "Let's get our butts out of here!"
The four blaze a trail ahead, swiftly barreling through and knocking out the hoards of prisoners in the way. Each strike is measured but powerful, Ren and Taiyang being the most elegant with their hand-to-hand prowess against the prisoners. Nora simply charges through like a bull, sending prisoners flying in all directions. As they progress forward, Jaune notices security approaching. "Guys!" he says, directing his groups attention to the reinforcements. A security guard with a gas mask steps ahead of his allies and readies his tear gas grenade. He lobs the grenade towards them to suppress the outbreak.
Taiyang sweeps his leg across the air, deflecting the tear gas into a group of prisoners further behind his group. "Thanks!" he says with a cheeky smile.
"Aura suppression weapons!" two of the guards say as others within their number begin producing other equipment. The first to do so pulls out a stun grenade utilizing lightning Dust, ready to immobilize the group so the others can arm and use their aura-suppressing bolas.
The stun grenade flies through the air towards the group, only for the excited, starry-eyed, open mouthed smiling Nora leaps towards it with her arms splayed. "Mine!" she shouts excitedly, grasping the grenade with her hands. She cages the grenade with her hands, the lightning bursting outwards and exclusively striking at her body. Surging electricity illuminates Nora, who cheers "Woo-hoo!" as she bends over with her arms flexed. Her semblance maximizes her strength levels, making her muscles tense up. "Up we go!" she shouts. Nora leaps directly upwards at break-neck speed, crashing a hole through the ceiling of the prison. Ren and Jaune take their leave, using their superior strength to jump through their new improvised exit. Taiyang simply salutes the guards with two fingers before leaping away.
Atlesian guards rush towards the hole, aiming upwards with their weapons before realizing it was already too late. "Prioritize the other prisoners! We have to lock this place down!" a commanding officer shouts. The guards gain their second wind as they properly re-organize and better arm themselves for the counterattack. They coordinate with Huntsmen and containment weapons as they box-in the rioting prisoners and storm each section. A squad of guards come through the corridor that holds Tyrian, only to see a squad of Atlesian Knight androids escorting Tyrian away on a hovering platform.
"Hold it!" the captain of the squad commands. "Where are you taking him?"
One of the Knights turns to him. "This prisoner is of critical importance to General Ironwood. The General and Superman have requested he be taken to them directly to avoid risking his escape in the break out."
The captain looks to one of his men, who shrugs at him. It was unusual, but they didn't see a reason to distrust the android. While they knew of the hacked automatons in Vale, they were assured their current set of Knights were given improved security software since then. To their knowledge, the CCT hadn't been compromised either. "Very well. We'll cover your exit." the captain tells them.
Batman and Ironwood stand above the unconscious bodies of the enhanced super soldiers, Batman loosening up his arm with a circular motion after the brawl. The general flexes his metallic fingers, making sure his prosthetic is still functional after the battle. He then checks his coat, ensuring the drive is still intact.
Pietro approaches the General. "I enjoy a front row seat as much as anybody, but that might've been a little too close for comfort for my tastes."
"Sorry for the inconvenience, Doctor." Ironwood says. He takes out the drive and hands it to Pietro. "Find someplace safe. They're looking for Batman and I, so we'll provide a distraction while you get away."
Pietro takes the drive, a look of unease on his face. "I'll do what I can, General. Don't get caught, and stay safe out there." Ironwood simply nods in response, and then turns to Batman before the two hastily make their way out of the room. Pietro turns to see the Red Solar Grenade case and shouts "Wait, you forgot about-" He looks inside the case, the foam molds that held the grenades now completely empty. "When did they...?"
The grenades remains safely in Batman's utility belt as he and the General navigate their way through the Headquarters. Ironwood's knowledge of the layout proves tremendously useful, as are Batman's natural instincts during stealthy escapes. Ironwood was impressed with Batman's balance of haste and patience, understanding more and more why he was such an evasive opponent during the Regime's search for him. It made all the more sense why the Ace Ops needed to trail one of the other Insurgents for a slip-up to find that first hideout. The two finally make it outside, somewhere along the border where the drop-off on Atlas' floating land mass was visible.
"Where to the nearest airbase?" Batman asks Ironwood.
"A few paces that way." a voice says from behind them. As Ironwood and Batman turn around, they watch as Superman softly floats down to a spot just above ground. "Got somewhere to be?" he asks. Ironwood draws his gun, while Batman reaches behind himself with his cape to obscure his arm. "I'm disappointed, General," Superman says. "I was hoping we could've stayed friends."
Ironwood draws his second pistol. "You dashed those hopes when you killed one of mine."
"He was a traitor, General." Superman replies. "Just like him." he says with a gesture of his head towards Batman. "What are you doing here, Bruce?'
"Bruce?" Ironwood says, hearing Batman's other name for the first time.
"You already know the answer to that." Batman responds.
"A shame. I was really hoping for fresh start here without you." Superman says. "Then again, with one of Salem's men here, perhaps that start may come still."
"So that's why you came here." Ironwood says. "You need to know where she is."
"I'll find out where soon enough," Superman says. "and the best part? I don't need either of you to do it."
Before Batman can draw out a Red Solar Grenade, Superman plunges his whole body straight into the earth below. Ironwood and Batman gaze at the hole, and then feel tremors beneath their feet. The General worriedly asks: "What's he doing?!"
"We need to run, now!" Batman shouts as an entire chunk of earth collapses beneath them. The two begin to fall alongside huge chunks of soil and rock, even concrete pieces of the nearby building ripping away with the earth it rested upon. Thinking quickly, Batman draws his grapple gun and aims at the land-mass that still remains attached to Atlas. With a steady arm, he pulls the trigger and fires the grappling hook.
A piece of earth crumbles away from the main land-mass, falling away to reveal Superman's cold stare as he gazes down at Batman and Ironwood. With an inhale through the nose and a purse of his lips, Superman casts a chilled breath towards the grappling hook. The entire line freezes all the way down, quickly encapsulating Batman in the process. Ironwood looks on in fear as he stares back up at Superman, the sight of him and Atlas shrinking as the two plummet towards Mantle below. Superman dismisses them, leaving the two to their doom before flying up and away from the clearing dust cloud.
Ironwood manages to turn over in the air, the shifting of his weight and the splaying of his arms stabilizing himself mid-air. He guides himself towards Batman, stowing away one of his pistols before wrapping on arm around Batman's frozen form. He pants as he scans the approaching ground before them, keeping a tight grip on his remaining pistol as he tries to mentally map out a landing strategy on the fly. Normally this would be easy, but with Batman's safety in the balance, he needed to find a way to land without risking injury to his frozen ally.
At this distance, it was hard to judge a proper path he could take. Mantle was full of tall buildings, so hopefully he could propel himself with shots of his weapon until he could possibly catch one of the roofs with just the right angle. It would have to be perfect, but at this point he had no choice with what little options he had left. He aims his pistol towards the ground, waiting out the right time to fire and begin a series of propulsive shots. He steadies his breathing, focusing on the nearing surface of Mantle. Suddenly, he hears a strange zooming noise. Shaken out of his concentration, his gaze now frantically searches the sky around him to locate the source of the sound. In mere moments, a flash of green speeds by as it sweeps up the two.
The squad of Atlesian Knights continue to escort Tyrian as they walk outside of the prison together with the hover platform in between them. Tyrian cackles to himself, relishing in the chaos that he knows is unfolding back in the prison. "Would you pipe down, you imbecile?" the electronic sound of Watts' voice demands through one of the androids. "It's bad enough I have to take time out of my day to cover for your incompetence. If you had just seized the Spring Maiden, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Ohohoho! She'll get hers!" Tyrian growls. "I'll make sure of it!"
"Tch! This is what happens when we expect a lunatic to get the job done." Watts complains. His attention is then drawn to a figure approaching them: Wonder Woman, who was staring them dead-on. Trying to maintain his cover, Watts makes the androids stop and stand at attention.
Wonder Woman stops before them and looks at Tyrian. She points and asks "Who is this?"
Watts switches over to the Atlesian Knights' built-in speaking voice to avoid suspicion. "A high priority prisoner. General Ironwood and Superman requested he be taken to them for security and interrogation, in light of the prison break."
Wonder Woman looks to the speaking android. "The General and Superman requested this?"
"Yes, Ma'am." the android responds.
"Hmm." Wonder Woman sounds with a hint of amusement. She suddenly draws her sword and carves up the Atlesian Knights present, disarming and dismembering the androids mercilessly. She sheaths her sword as all of the androids fall to the ground uselessly.
"Ooo!" Tyrian utters, impressed by her violent display.
Reaching down to grab at one of the android's head, she holds it up and looks into its face-plate with a fiery gaze. "Thank whichever god you worship that you were not here. 'Else I would have seen to it that you share the same fate as these machines." she says threateningly.
On Watts' end, he sees Wonder Woman's face through a holographic screen. The feed suddenly cuts out, causing him to grunt with a "Tch!" Wonder Woman had somehow found him out. He thinks for a moment, presuming it was something he said, or perhaps the sheer suspicion of where she found them. In any case, the mission was a failure. Watts' hand reaches up to his neck, pondering it and his fate. He would have to answer to Salem for this.
The Atlesian Knight's head falls to the floor as Tyrian watches Wonder Woman approach him. He laughs to himself, amused that Wonder Woman was able to foil one of Watts' ploys. While this made the situation worse for himself on the practical end, he still found a sick enjoyment out of someone outsmarting the proud hacker. Wonder Woman scowls at Tyrian as she stares down the madman. "Oh, interrogation! My favorite part!" Tyrian laughs. "So, what are you going to do?"
"It's not about what I will do," Wonder Woman utters before drawing her Lasso of Truth. "It's about what you're going to do." She whips the lasso around Tyrian, the loop of it tightly binding itself around him. The lasso glows a bright yellow as Wonder Woman tugs to ensure its hold on him. "Tell me, servant of Salem, where is your master?"
The strange warmth of the lasso loops around Tyrian, its divine power compelling him to answer truthfully. "In the Land of Darkness, within the Evernight Castle." Tyrian is surprised with himself, but then looks back up at Wonder Woman. "Well that's no fun." he utters, unimpressed by the lack of brutality in her method.
"We will find this castle, and slay your queen." Wonder Woman proclaims.
Tyrian simply laughs in her face. "Oh, you may try, but our queen cannot be slain! She is unkillable! Unstoppable! A true Goddess!" he brags with the greatest of joyful reverence in his voice.
Wonder Woman's brow furls at him. "I have slain gods. Your queen will be no exception." She grasps him by the straight-jacket and rips Tyrian from the hover platform. "I bear only pity for a woman who derives her worship from depraved men such as yourself." She then raises him into the air with one arm, preparing to throw him. Tyrian realizes her intention, and begins to chuckle to himself. When Wonder Woman finally casts him through the air with tremendous force, Tyrian begins to laugh maniacally as he soars through the sky in his restraints.
The sheer distance was impressive, fully clearing the borders of Atlas and even Mantle's land mass as Tyrian careens towards open blue ocean. He maintains his deranged laughter, impressed with Wonder Woman's violent disposal of him after that disappointment of his interrogation. At this speed and distance, he will likely be knocked unconscious and drown in the blue depths waiting below. As far as he was concerned, his ultimate fate did not matter. The so-called "Heroes" of the Regime will meet their end at his mistress' wicked hands. The madman laughs all the way until he collides with the ocean, the force of the impact knocking him unconscious. His form slowly descends, his body gone limp as the dark blue of the ocean depths surrounds him. That is, until a massive maw encloses itself around his dwarfed form.
The city of Mantle lay quiet, with only the wind blowing a loose piece of paper into a secluded alleyway. It lands softly on the concrete floor. A gust begins to shoot down from above, the hot air blowing the paper and other small debris away. The form of a young girl holding both Ironwood and the frozen Batman descends, green flames burning from the thrusters of her shoes. She lands with a soft thud, letting down Ironwood and carefully placing Batman down on the ground.
"Thanks for the save, Penny." Ironwood says. "Seems your new upgrades came in handy."
"Thank my father!" Penny says with a delighted smile, now brandishing much longer hair than her previous body. "He's the one who told me to come find you two." Ironwood turns his attention to Batman, who was still frozen from head to toe. The General searches his own person for a moment, and manages to produce a vial of fire Dust. Penny reaches her hand down to him. "Allow me." she requests. He looks to her, nodding, before handing the vial to her. She takes it in hand, opening up a compartment in one of her floating swords and loading it into the weapon. The normally green sword now glows red-orange, and she lowers it towards Batman's body. "If I set this to the right output level, I should be able to thaw him out in no time." Heat emanates from the sword, the ice around Batman starting to melt into water. As it gradually liquefies, so does the ice around his face. He suddenly gasps with a choke of air.
"Keep still." Ironwood warns. "The ice hasn't fully melted away yet."
Batman coughs still, taking in their words as he tries to steady his breath. The ice eventually melts away, and he is free to move again. He catches his breath, stretching and gripping with his fingers after being immobilized for so long. He looks up at Penny curiously. "Penny Polendina?"
"Oh?!" Penny says, feeling surprised. "I'm sorry, have we met before, Batman?" Penny questions. "I died some time ago, so some of my memories might not be all there."
Batman shakes his head. "Recognized you from recordings I've skimmed over. I can only assume your father rebuilt you."
"A close-guarded secret when I was investigating Superman." Ironwood mentions. "You're not the only one with elaborate plans."
Batman comes to a stand, turning towards Penny with his arm outstretched. "Thanks for the save. It's good to have another friend in the fight."
Penny takes his hand with wide-eyes, then suddenly grins at Ironwood as she excitedly shakes Batman's hand. "Oh! I made a friend!" she exclaims. As heir handshake comes to an end, a strange sound rings throughout Mantle. "Whoa, what is that?" Penny questions.
"People of Remnant," Superman's voice states through the city's intercoms.
"Trouble." Batman answers Penny. The three peek towards the street, listening in on the audio broadcast. Elsewhere, various screens showcase a live recording of Superman standing front and center.
Superman begins his speech. "General Ironwood...has betrayed us all. For years, he has kept a truth hidden way from the public: A way to stop the Grimm once and for all. The General guarded this secret closely, ensuring the peoples' dependence on him so he could continue to gather power for himself." Ironwood balls up his fists, causing them to shake slightly. The irony was not lost on him that he was being framed for the very thing Superman was about to do. The speech continues. "We discovered Ironwood's treachery. He colluded with Batman and other criminals, trying to destabilize the world for their own gain. Only with the help of my allies within the Regime were we able to stop them once and for all."
Batman hangs on one detail, noting that he and Ironwood are presumed dead. A factor he could likely turn to his advantage. Still, this situation was less than ideal. He knew now he could trust Ironwood, but he could only hope the whole of Remnant would do the same once the truth about Superman came out. All he needed to do was trust that his teams, as well as Dr. Polendina, could spread the information out there before the Regime could stop its spread.
Superman's speech continues. "We've learned the Grimm aren't just naturally occurring beasts, but that they have a leader. A queen that controls them from a land beyond." Superman looks into the camera with a look of determination. "But now we know where she is. We will need the help of the Regime, all of Remnant. I will lead our band of soldiers, warriors, and huntsmen to blaze a path to her fortress. So I ask you, the people of the world: Join me in this fight! Free your people from the confines of walls! From fear of the Grimm! To live safe! To live free!" he exclaims.
Elsewhere in an Atlesian airship, Coco Adel sits in the cockpit. Next to her was their pilot: A short elderly woman with an ocular prosthesis attached where her eyes would be. "Thanks again for the lift." Coco says.
Maria Calavera smiles. "You kids bumped into us at the right time. My old friend here was already looking for a sneaky way out before he recognized some of you. Any friends of his are friends of mine."
"Appreciate it." Coco says. "And might I say you're looking amazing today, by the way." Coco compliments, humoring the old lady.
"You know it!" Maria replies, grinning as she steers the ship.
Coco turns and walks towards the rear of the ship. There rests: Weiss, Yang, Team JNPR, Taiyang, Pietro Polendina, and the rest of Team CVFY. The group stares at a holo-screen, the atmosphere heavy. "Why's everyone looking so glum?" Coco questions. She looks at the screen, watching with the others as Supermans' broadcast unfolds.
"Just like with his own world…" Ren utters. "He's taking full control."
"So Batman was right." Weiss concludes. Yang watches nearby with difficulty, but she can't deny the truth of what was unfolding before her. Taiyang rests his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. He nods, trying to show his support.
"But what's this about a...queen of the Grimm?" Velvet questions.
Taiyang steps forward. "She's a long kept secret by Ozpin, to keep the world from going into a panic if they knew the truth. Qrow, Ironwood, the other headmasters...even my late wife and I fought in secret to stop her plans."
"Hold on, what?" Coco questions.
"You knew all along and never told us?" Yang asks.
"I didn't have reason to, yet." Taiyang defends. "It was too early."
"That's not important right now," Weiss interjects. "We need a plan. If he's got the entire Regime at his disposal, just how are we going to stop him?"
Pietro Polendina reaches into his pocket and produces the data drive Batman gave him. "We use this. Expose the truth about Superman."
Ren squints at it, realizing what it is. On the day Team JNPR was apprehended, he knew Batman's team targeted Cyborg in the same night to create data drives. This must've been the finished product. "Batman managed to complete the data drive? How did you get it?"
"He gave it to me just before he and Ironwood ran off." Pietro explains. "Now we just gotta get it somewhere where we can spread it around."
Taiyang thinks on it. "I'm still not thrilled about this. This plan is still dangerous." He looks to the screen as Superman rallies Remnant to join him. "Worst case scenario, we'll have work together to fight Superman. If we're lucky though, maybe he and Salem will take each other out and save us the trouble."
"We've got a lot of powerful enemies to worry about…" Pietro says.
Coco stands with her arms crossed, seemingly annoyed. She steps forward, her brow furled in determination. "Yeah? Well we've got more friends. If they wanna threaten our home, their butts are gonna get what's coming so long as we've got boots to shove!"
Nora pumps her fist and cheers: "Yeah, shove their butts!" Others in the group cheer alongside her, motivated by her and Coco's words.
Maria overhears their enthusiasm, shaking her head with a smile. "Crazy kids." she utters cheerfully.
End of Chapter 19