Original concept by Korra
Written by MechaG11
Part Two: Remnant Divided Arc
-Chapter 14: The Truth of the Matter
One week after Cyborg's arrival...
Yang gazes at the stars, sitting alone atop a rooftop at the Regime HQ. The night is quiet enough. The sounds of the city are no more than white noise from here, and even some stars are visible despite the light pollution. Yang wasn't sure if securing so much time for herself was a good thing. Spending this much time alone left her with her thoughts, but she often mulled over what could even be done at a time like this. She wasn't sure what was worse: Lacking any sensible direction with her ample time to spare, or how much the pit in her stomach sank deeper whenever she used that time to process her mistakes.
Nearby footsteps bring her thoughts to a pause, and Yang turns to see her sister walking towards her. Ruby stops near where Yang is sitting and tucks her arms behind her back. "I, um…know you've been going through a lot." she says meekly. "I figured-"
"Ruby," Yang softly interrupts. "I appreciate that you're here." she clarifies, before lifting her robotic arm slightly. She clasps her prosthetic fingers closed. "But what I'm going through…it's not just something I can just easily fix."
"I know." Ruby replies, to Yang's surprise. "I just thought maybe you didn't want to be alone."
Yang turns her head to face Ruby, taken aback by her sister's words. Ruby was younger, and in some ways more naïve, but maybe Yang had been underestimating Ruby's maturity of late. She stands up and steps towards Ruby. The two of them both lost Qrow, Ruby's inspiration, the man who anchored her sense of adventure and wonder in her life. Ruby should be taking it hardest of either of them. Yang looks into Ruby's eyes for but a moment. Her sister's expression held fast, but behind this young girl's eyes she could see the underlying, quiet pain. Ruby, somehow, could still brave through it all. This young girl had taken the position of leader of Team RWBY, sure, but Yang couldn't help but feel as if she neglected her responsibility as her sister. Here she was, sulking, in a time where her sister probably needed her more than ever.
Yang embraces Ruby, holding her tight."I suck as an older sister, don't I?" Yang utters. "I should be the one taking care of you, you know?"
"Everyone needs help sometimes. Especially when it's hard for all of us right now." Ruby replies. "Even Weiss came by to check on me." she explains.
"Okay, see?" Yang replies, releasing Ruby. "I can't let Weiss have me beat in the supportive sister role!"
"It's not a contest, Yang." Ruby says with a smile. The two just look at each other before chuckling together.
Yang gives Ruby a soft punch to the arm. "Thanks, Ruby." she says. "I really needed this. Your big sister's been sitting around on her butt too much thinking about what to do."
"Truth is, I don't know what to do either." Ruby admits. "But maybe that's the point. Maybe we have to do what feels right when the moment comes." she proposes. "Why don't we worry about things later?"
Yang raises an eyebrow at her. "Sounds like the risky way to go."
Ruby shrugs. "I learned from the best." she quips, gesturing at Yang.
The moment is interrupted by commotion with the soldiers below and an alarm sounding. The two exchange glances, before Ruby spots something in the sky. "Look!" she exclaims while pointing. Yang turns, and the two girls catch sight of what looks to be a burning object careening through the sky.
"A missile…or a meteor maybe?" Yang speculates, squinting.
The brightness of the object flickers in the reflection of Ruby's eyes. What appeared to be a bright orange flame swiftly shifted to a piercing red. Ruby felt a disquieting feeling loom over her. It was a subtle, almost subdued feeling, yet buried underneath it all was a deep intensity. The feeling grew stronger, brighter, instilling a sense of vulnerability in her. Like paper to a nearing flame, and she felt she could be razed any moment.
"Ruby, look out!" Yang shouts, shoving the dazed girl as the object banks sharply towards them. The resulting impact causes part of the building to collapse beneath the two, sending them both down amidst the falling rubble.
Ruby is on her back, her head in a brief daze as the dust and debris remain unsettled. The fog-like dust begins to glow red, and as all the obscuration clears away, Ruby lays eyes on her assailant. She hears the slow, uneasy, panting first. Neopolitan, clad in a red and black body suit, stands apart from Ruby and holds her own head as if in pain. The short woman comes to her senses somewhat, partially uncovering her face after managing to regain some inkling of focus. Her glowing red eyes frantically dart around before they finally fixate on Ruby, the piercing gaze enough to compel Ruby to scoot herself away. Neo aligns herself to face Ruby's direction, and then deeply inhales. Ruby braces, before a roar of fiery red liquid explodes from out of Neo's mouth. The dense matter blasts out almost like a stream of lava, prompting Ruby to burst into petals and speed away to narrowly escape the attack. Ruby materializes somewhere above, her escape causing Neo to growl in frustration. Neo extends her arm with her fist outward, a crimson ring around her finger suddenly projecting a giant arm made of red light. The over-sized hand closes around Ruby, trapping her within its grip. Neo spins around, swinging the massive arm and slamming Ruby directly into the ground. The impact damages Ruby's aura harshly, the cracks in her aura clearly visible around her. Ruby lay in a small impression in the ground, grunting in pain as the giant red arm attacking her dissipates.
Neo reaches her hand out, struggling and impatiently trying to form another arm construct from her ring. The red light finally manifests, creating another hand that scoops Ruby up from off the ground. Ruby struggles to break free, but fails. She curses herself for not having her weapon on her at this time, for what little help it may be in this situation.
Yang's battle cry rips through the air as she descends upon Neo, her fist slamming directly into the small woman's head like a missile and knocking her straight into the ground. Neo's arm construct disappears, freeing Ruby before she falls to the ground.
"NO. ONE. HURTS. MY. SISTER!" Yang exclaims, delivering blow after blow to Neo's head with each word. Each punch send Neo's skull into the ground, but a dense red aura around her body holds strongly enough to prevent injury. Yang notices her inability to breach this red energy around Neo, but she didn't have time to let up and ask questions. At this rate, she just needed to keep Neo down and out. Yang's punches evolve into a flurry, dishing out as many attacks as she can in hopes that one of them will breach Neo's defenses.
The assault is halted by the appearance of another red arm of light. Neo's large hand constructs envelop her own limbs, giving herself greater physical strength to stop Yang's flurry of blows. Neo smirks through her teeth, forcing the blonde off of her and into the air. A burst of rose petals appears around Yang before the arms of her younger sister embrace and carry her to safety. "Yang!" Ruby says, looking over her sister for injuries. Yang eyes Ruby, noticing that her sister's red aura is flickering slightly.
"Go! Get somewhere safe!" Yang barks her. The two girls are distracted by motion around them as Regime soldiers form a perimeter.
The soldiers train their weapons on Neo. "Provide cover fire!" the commander shouts to his troops before the area is polluted by the noise of numerous rifles erupting at once. Neo is pushed back by several impacts, the shots finding their mark but not yet penetrating the red force field hugging her body. The small girl snaps her head back towards her enemies, eyes glowing, before a much larger bubble of red energy emerges from her being. The force field expands, deflecting each and every shot fixed on her position. The soldiers are caught off guard by this, but don't relent as they continue to litter the area with gunfire. Neo quickly drops the shield and bursts towards one of the infantry formations, flying through the air like a bullet and barreling through the soldiers. She knocks the line of them down, unable to stop her momentum and unintentionally crashing through a fence and large crate.
Yang gets to her feet and gives Ruby a slight shove. "She's after you. You need to get out of here!"
"That was Neopolitan!" Ruby exclaims.
Yang ignores her, already fully aware. "Get Weiss, Superman...anyone!" she demands. Yang cocks her gauntlets, and begins running towards Neo's position.
Ruby watches her older sister leave, visibly concerned, but chooses to obey Yang's request. She needs to find someone to back them up, and fast. Ruby starts, frantically looking around while moving past Regime soldiers rushing to the site of the battle. Between the commotion, Ruby manages to spot Weiss. Their glances meet, and the two head towards each other.
"Ruby?" Weiss says. "What's going on over there?!"
A loud boom is heard, causing the two girls to turn and face the source. Yang is seen flying through the air and crashing into one of the buildings, followed shortly by Neo and her red glow. "That!" Ruby exclaims as she points towards the fight. She then runs past Weiss, explaining "Yang needs help! I'm going to find General Ironwood!" It's a lot to process for Weiss, but there was no time to ponder. Weiss turns back toward the action, drawing her sword and speeding towards it.
Meanwhile, Yang grumbles as she brushes off rubble from the building she was forced into. She makes herself stand, rising to see Neo levitating in the air outside. Yang grits her teeth, her eye color shifting to a burning red. She pulls her arms back violently, her blazing aura blasting outward and creating a small shock wave that shakes the area around her. Neo accelerates towards Yang through the air, and Yang propels herself forward with her gauntlets to meet Neo's charge. Neo tries to manifest another red light construct, but it's ability to take form seems delayed to Neo's annoyance. Yang sees her opportunity, and reels back to deliver a flaming right hook that explodes upon Neo's face.
Neo is sent flipping backwards, spinning repeatedly in the air as Yang descends and tumbles onto the ground roughly. Yang pants, sitting up and turning to see Neo crash into the ground far away. She uses this moment to catch her breath, but hears a cracking sound from afar. Neo stands right back up, to Yang's dismay. "You've gotta be kidding me." Yang complains through her tired breaths. Neo leaps towards her, and Yang sluggishly comes to a stand and raises her fists. Neo misses Yang by a mark, but then twists around in an attempt to catch Yang with a large swing of a red fist construct. Yang manages to weave under and around it, following up with a well-timed kidney-punch. Neo seems unfazed despite taking the hit, and tries to back-hand Yang with another red fist construct. Yang barely dodges the wild swing, and fires a point-blank blast in front of Neo's face. The impact doesn't harm her, but the sudden flash is enough to temporarily blind her and make her stumble backwards. Neo swings a hand construct wildly in retaliation, catching Yang with the swing. Yang is sent through the air and into the ground again.
Yang grunts, trying to get herself up and off of the ground. She could tell something was off about Neo. This girl fought nothing like the Neo she fought on the train. No decisive dodges and counter plays, no acrobatics or visual illusions… No, Neo was fighting sluggishly, with fury and reckless abandon. She was more akin to an Ursa or Beowolf than she was a fighter with any ounce of finesse. It made her attacks somewhat easier to predict, but not any less dangerous when they hit. It was like the small girl traded her skill for raw power.
Neo is able to regain her sight somewhat, turning to Yang and leaping towards her. Yang strains to get up, not quite able to brace herself in time. The small girl descends towards Yang with an outstretched arm, crashing downward as a giant red fist manifests to crush her flat. The boom is almost deafening, but Yang opens her eyes to see a black disc with a familiar symbol between her and the fist. White glyphs materialize in front of Neo, violently forcing her away. Yang turns to see Weiss rushing over to her and extending an arm to help.
"You okay?" Weiss asks.
"Ngh...Yeah." Yang says, toughing out the strain.
Weiss turns to face their opponent, readying her sword before realizing that Neo was standing before them. "You? Again?" Weiss complains, breaking form somewhat.
"Careful," Yang warns. "She's not like before. She fights like a Grimm."
"Humph, fighting Grimm is our specialty." Weiss notes, raising her rapier into her combat stance. "We just have to do what we do best." she declares. Weiss yelps as a sudden red beam blasts her and sends her into a nearby wall. She shakes off the small debris on her head. "Ngh...lasers. Yeah, very Grimm-like, Yang."
Neo's ring steams like smoke on the edge of a gun barrel, Neo herself appearing puzzled at her ring for but a moment. Neo then clenches her fist and focuses, wanting to try again and charging up another beam to strike Yang. Seeing this, Yang preemptively fires her own weapon at Neo. The dust bullet collides with the oncoming beam, causing a large explosion to blast outwards and send the two women away from each other.
Ruby spots a high window above her with a large hole broken through it. She looks back and forth, pondering her options before deciding to use her dwindling aura to activate her semblance. She bursts into petals, soaring up the air and through the window into the building's interior. She lands with a minor crash to her side, grunting as she compels herself to stand. Looking through a series of halls and doors, Ruby eventually recognizes a familiar path and takes it.
"G-General Ironwood!" Ruby shouts as she slides into the doorway.
General Ironwood and a Regime soldier turn their attention to her. "Ruby Rose?"
Ruby catches her breath, leaning one arm against the wall. "N-Neopolitan. She's the one attacking. She has some kind of new glowing red power!"
"Neopolitan...Roman Torchwick's old accomplice?" he asks.
"Same one." Ruby confirms.
Ironwood turns to the Regime soldier. "Send the word out to have any available squads form a perimeter around the battle. I don't want the enemy escaping." The Regime soldier nods and rushes out of the room.
"What about Superman, or Yellow Lantern?" Ruby asks.
Ironwood turns back to Ruby. "They're still in Remnant's orbit studying the rift. Our communications relay must have been hit during the attack." Ironwood draws his pistol and loads it. "We've lost contact with all outside forces until we can get it back online. For now, we're on our own."
"If I can find my weapon, I can help-!" Ruby asserts.
Ironwood shakes his head, denying her notion while making his way out of the room. "You're in no condition to fight. There's enough of us here to handle this."
Ruby protests: "But sir, you don't understand-"
"Stay put. That's an order, Ruby." Ironwood bluntly states, before leaving.
Ruby stands there, dejected. Ironwood's command didn't sit right with her. She couldn't just do nothing while her friends were out there fighting for their lives. Cautiously, she checks to make sure he's gone, and then makes for the area with her storage locker.
Ironwood rushes his way through the Regime HQ, urgently trying to join in the battle outside. The General passes a group of soldiers, forcing himself to stop and step back to them. He eyes the equipment a soldier is holding, sporting extra ammunition. "Solider," he says. "I'm going to need that bandoleer."
The soldier is caught off guard by the request, but shapes up and quickly removes the belt from himself. He tosses it to the General, whom catches it and wraps it around his torso. "Much appreciated." Ironwood says. "I want you all to ready-up and get someone who can fix the communications relay, ASAP." he orders. The soldiers all salute Ironwood before fully equipping themselves and rushing out of the room to carry out their orders.
Once outside, General Ironwood heads towards the source of the action. The cracks of explosions, gunfire, and structures crumbling ring through the air. One girl was causing all of this? From what he was briefed on, Ironwood at least knew Neopolitan was a skilled fighter in close combat. Ruby's comment on Neo having a new "red power" might be worth some concern, but he had to be sure for himself. The General finally comes within view of the battle, and witnesses Yang being pushed back. She pants while kneeling, looking scratched up and withered.
"Take it easy, soldier." Ironwood says. "I can take it from here."
Yang clenches her fist, her hair igniting with shimmering flames. "I've still got a bit of fight left in me, General." she insists. "Lemme just get one last hit on her." she says with a smile, her eyes red with fire.
Ironwood frowns. He had just dismissed Ruby, but given Yang's unique skill set, her Semblance could turn the tide in their favor if used correctly. "Fine, but we fight tactically." he states. "Let's take up the offense. When I tell you to strike, you strike."
"Even then," Weiss says as she leaps down to join them "I'm not so sure the three of us can bring her down."
"Will four even the odds?" a semi-robotic voice says. The three of them turn to see Cyborg approaching to join their ranks. "I'm no Superman, but he's not the only hero around."
"I'd certainly feel better about our chances." Ironwood says, turning to face Neo's direction.
Neo clears a heavy piece of wall away, uncovering herself and facing the four of them. Cyborg turns his attention to her, scanning her for a brief analysis with his internal supercomputer. His systems detail the energy surrounding her, and lock onto the ring on her hand. "Lantern tech." Cyborg identifies aloud.
"Lantern tech?" Ironwood repeats.
"Think Yellow Lantern, but red, vengeful, and a whole lot more angry." Cyborg informs them.
Yang exchanges glances with Weiss. "Is that why she was after Ruby?" Yang wonders.
"Where would she even get that kind of tech from?" Weiss questions.
"We can find out once we capture her." Ironwood says, training his weapon on Neo. "Ready up. If she's as angry as you say, we can use that to our advantage. Four of us can flank her easy enough. If you have her attention, distract her so the rest can attack." he commands briefly, but succinctly.
"One round-robin of kick-ass comin' up." Cyborg says, assuming his fighting stance. The four fighters ready themselves, prepared to stand against Neo. The short-statured girl inhales, reeling back, before her head snaps forward and unleashes the lava-like spray of Red Lantern Rage from her mouth. Ironwood, Yang, and Weiss clear away, but Cyborg stands his ground. His mechanical arms slam together to quickly configure into a cannon, unleashing a large sonic energy blast to meet Neo's Rage with equal force. The girl tries to overpower the beam by pouring more into her scorching breath, but is suddenly staggered by shots cast at her by the other three fighters. She reflexively concentrates on manifesting a shield from her ring, successfully creating a red bubble around herself.
Yang and Ironwood withhold, unsure of how to approach the shield, but Weiss steps forward and raises her sword. A white glyph appears below Neo within her red bubble, forcing the girl to propel upwards and slam into the ceiling of her own shield with great force. "Well played, Miss Schnee!" Ironwood commends. Neo falls to the ground, unable to maintain her force field after Weiss' attack. "Quickly, keep her pinned!" the general commands. Weiss arms her sword with ice dust, swiftly casting it before Neo can recover from her fall. The small girl's arms become encased in solid ice, locking her in place. Her eyes glow red in her frustration, her urge to break free growing violent. "Yang, now!" Ironwood commands urgently.
Yang hears him and nods, her crimson eyes blaring up and her hair igniting greater than before. She leaps into the air, reeling back her fist and unleashing a blood-curdling battle cry. The explosive boom of shattering earth echoes all throughout the city. Weiss, Ironwood, and Cyborg could only see a smoking crater where the two once stood, the air black and shrouded. Yang pants as she looks down at Neo below her. A star-like scorch mark is afflicted upon Neo's torso, and Yang sighs in relief. One of her attacks finally breached Neo's defense, landing a direct hit after all of this time. She collapses backwards, allowing exhaustion from the battle to finally take her.
The smoke clears, allowing the others to approach. Ironwood cautiously trains his weapon on Neo, all while Weiss hastily comes to Yang's side and helps her up. Regime reinforcements rush to the scene, forming a perimeter while medics tend to the wounded. Cyborg steps closer. "That blow probably did it," Cyborg comments. "Only one way to know for sure…" he says, beginning to scan Neo's body.
"Yang!" Ruby shouts as she rushes over.
"Miss Rose!" Ironwood abruptly says while turning to her. "I gave you orders to stay put!"
Cyborgs analytics begin to dance on his internal display. "We've got an energy spike!" He turns to the others, trying to get between them and Neo. "Get bac-!"
A massive red arm construct surges forward, barreling through everyone and grasping Ruby in its encompassing grip. Ruby, unable to struggle free, is squeezed in a suffocating hold. Ironwood groans as he recovers from being knocked down, fixing his pistol on Neo and firing several direct shots at her head. Neo's red lantern aura burns brightly, deflecting each futile shot without issue.
"Ngh!" Ruby groans as her body is within seconds of being crushed by Neo's burning hand. Suddenly, she feels something cold grasp her arm and shoulder.
"I gotcha kid!" Cyborg exclaims, maintaining a strong grip on her.
Ruby's attention turns to the sudden white light that appears behind Neo, a loud booming sound signaling its arrival. Neo may have proved impervious to Ironwood's gunshots, but the vacuum-like pull of the portal behind her drew in her legs. Neo tries to rake at the ground with her other arm, producing a clawed red hand construct around her physical hand. The glowing red nails drag through the ground, scraping the concrete and soil it digs into. She tries with all of her effort to maintain her hold, but the pull of the portal proves too great. Eventually, she releases Ruby and grabs the floor with both hands beneath the portal to save herself. Ironwood quickly aims at Neo's construct fingers and fires. A few of Neo's fingers are knocked loose from the ground as she holds onto the floor. Weiss produces yet another white glyph, launching a nearby slab of concrete at Neo. The large object collides with Neo, sending the girl through the bright maw of the portal and to the other side. The portal closes, its light disappearing with it.
Cyborg and Ruby fall to the ground, no longer under the influence of the portal's pull. Ruby recovers and catches her breath, thanking Cyborg for the save. He nods at her, before coming to a stand to face Ironwood. "Sorry for not capturing her." he apologizes.
"What exactly did you do?" Ironwood asks.
"Boom Tube," Cyborg explains. "Portals I can summon at will. Sorry, picking a random location was the fastest option available to me."
"You saved us. No need for apologies." Ironwood assures. "Do you at least have Neo's coordinates?"
Cyborg nods. "Can't guarantee she'll be there when you come lookin'." he says with a little shake of his head.
"I'll need a team to investigate, regardless." Ironwood says. "I'd appreciate anything you can give us."
"Your comms tech is gonna need repairs first." Cyborg replies. "I'll give you what I can after the fix."
Ironwood nods at Cyborg, before turning to his troops. "Get these three to the medical center." he commands, gesturing his men towards Team RWBY. Yang and Ruby are laid unto some stretchers while Weiss is escorted away.
Ruby looks to Ironwood before they leave. "General, I'm-"
"You're lucky I don't reprimand you. Your presence here could have cost lives." Ironwood coldly tells her, before walking away.
Ruby looks down sadly, having no response.
Sun slips into the hideout, casually strolling past former White Fang and towards a corner littered with various scraps and machine parts. "Got that machine thingy you wanted." he says to the back of Batman. Sun reaches into his jacket and produces a machine part, which he seamlessly places into the grip of his tail and flings it towards Batman with a toss.
The Caped Crusader reflexively catches the machine component, briefly studying its make to confirm. "Good work, Sun." he says, before turning back to resume his work.
"So why do you got us running around stealing all this junk for you anyways?" Sun asks, eyeing the various parts in the room. Much of it was stolen Atlas tech, while others were mere parts extracted from common machinery.
Nora passes by with a heap of metallic parts in the bulk of her arms. "Were you not paying attention to the plan?"
"Plan?" Sun questions. "Yeah, I know the plan. Totally." he lies.
Ilia sits atop a higher part of the room, lounging with her weapon. "If we're gonna beat the Regime, we need evidence that they can't be trusted." she explains. "That is, assuming Batman here is telling the truth about this whole 'from another universe' thing."
"Have you seen Superman?" Nora chimes in. "Super strength, flying, super speed, invincibility, laser eyes! He has be an alien from another dimension!"
"He could be an alien from our universe for all we know." Ilia counters. "Besides, some of those powers are things huntsmen and huntresses can do. Just not...all at once in a single person."
"Yeah, some of them are strong and fast," Sun adds. "But Superman is like…really strong and fast."
"Ugh…" Ilia groans. "The point is, a lot is hinging on Batman's plan to work."
Sun turns and looks up at Ilia. "He seems trustworthy to me, mostly. You're telling me you can't put any faith in him?"
"Yeah," Ilia says honestly. "I am."
"Well, what else can we do?" Nora asks with a slight shrug.
"Sometimes we just gotta be hopeful." Sun preaches. "Beats being sad about everything all the time."
Batman subtly looks over his shoulder, his interest seemingly piqued, before turning back to his work without anyone noticing his shift in attention.
Ilia sighs, and then lays back on the wall. "Do you even know what the plan is?"
Sun shrugs with a nervous grin and chuckle.
"Ooh, I'll tell him!" Nora volunteers excitedly. "So Ironwood has this hero from Batman's world who's a cyborg but actually a robot, and he's got memories from Batman's world that proves Superman is bad like taking over the world and killing a child!"
"Nora-" Ren's voice says, creeping in but unnoticed.
Nora continues: "So Batman wants us to kidnap the robot and show the memories in his data and stuff to the world so that way everyone will know how bad Superman is and hopefully team up with the everyone to stop him!"
"Nora-" Ren's voice creeps in once more, this time slightly more stern.
Nora continues on: "We'll wack him and smash him with the power of teamwork, we'll make up with our friends, be back together again, and save the whole world!"
"Nora!" shouts Ren and Ilia simultaneously.
"Oh, sorry." Nora meekly replies to Ren. She turns slightly towards Ilia with her eyes briefly squinting at the faunus girl. "Hey, you said my name."
For a moment, Ilia looks like a deer in headlights before shaking her head. "What? It's just hard to hear myself think when you're around." she says before looking back at the ceiling dismissively.
Sun approaches Nora and softly nudges her arm with his elbow. "Looks like you're finally rubbing off on her." he says.
"I heard that." Ilia notes.
Ren approaches and joins the group, allowing Nora to give him a short hug that makes him smirk while rolling his eyes. "The plan still makes me uneasy." he says, appearing stoic again.
"I don't see why." Sun comments. "Pulling it off sounds simple enough to me."
"It's not difficulty that worries me. It's what comes after." Ren says. "Professor Ozpin raised a point about Batman's plan. If we expose the truth to the people, there might be a massive panic. Hysteria, unease, doubt...it'll be the Grimm attack on Beacon all over again."
Nora contemplates that scenario. "Everyone would need protection more than ever...and no one would know who to trust."
Batman puts some final touches on the tech he is working on, inspecting It before tucking it away. He turns to the group, joining the conversation. "General Ironwood's forces have the numbers and firepower to mount a successful defense. We've had our reasons to fight one another, but my hope is that he'll see to reason when the people need our help most."
"And if he doesn't?" Ilia asks.
"Then we gather as many allies as we can." Batman replies. "If we can't persuade him, perhaps we can persuade those under his command." He turns his head suddenly, holding his earpiece and listening intently.
"Is something wrong?" Ren asks.
"Commotion at the Regime HQ." Batman replies. "It sounds like they're under a-" Batman goes silent, taking a moment to listen once more. "I've lost the signal." he says. "Something must have knocked out their communications."
"What should we do?" Nora asks.
"You stay here." Batman says. "I'll find Blake and investigate the situation outside." Batman looks to Ilia. "Ozpin and Glynda are rounding up allies as we speak. I have faith that we won't be alone in this."
"We'll see what good that will do..." Ilia utters.
"Scouting the HQ shouldn't take me more than two hours. Until then-" Batman stops, looking around the walls of the hideout. Ilia perks up, standing up and drawing her weapon. She looks attentively at the blocked out windows, obscured by makeshift curtains to defend from prying eyes.
Ilia squints. "Something's-!"
Glass shatters all around the hideout as various attackers in white burst into the room, none other than Atlas' esteemed Ace Operative team on the assault. Elm crashes into the ground with her mighty weight, the impact practically demanding the attention of all in the room. She provides the perfect distraction for Vine to close in on the group of former White Fang, calling forth his large Aura Vine arms to restrain the bundle of warriors against a wall. Knocking out stragglers was Harriet, zipping past too quickly for them to react before they're knocked clean on their rears. Clover leaps overhead the trio of Hunters-in-training and releases three purple bolas to ensnare each of them, the devices nullifying their aura in its hold. Batman tries to act, but is met by Marrow who points his finger towards the Bat. "Stay!" he commands.
Batman's limbs slow to a freeze, completely losing his ability to move. Clover stands, his gaze scanning around the room. "All targets secured." he shouts to his team.
"Let's hope everything went as smoothly for HQ." Elm says. "Whatever they might be dealing with."
"We'll lend them an assist when we come back." Clover assures her. "For now, let's get some restraints on our would-be insurgents here."
The Ace Ops secure the room, preparing several restraints and aura-nullifying bolas for their captives. A pair of eyes waits in the dark, Ilia taking refuge in the shadows above while cloaked in black. Her movements are subtle, creeping towards the space above her target. She arms herself, ready to strike at Marrow below in an all-or-nothing gamble. She silently falls towards him, slashing at him with her electric blade-whip. Marrow shrieks as the electricity stings all over and locks his limbs in place for but a moment. In a single moment Marrow's brief lapse in concentration frees Batman, gifting him the precious seconds he needs to speed into action. The Ace Ops turn their attention to Marrow and his silhouetted assailant, all but Clover who worriedly spins around to meet on the now liberated Batman.
Batman draws out a trio of specialized Batarangs, swiftly casting them towards Clover. The Ace Ops leader dodges the projectiles, merely stepping to the side. "You're gonna need luck like mine if you wanna tag me with toys like that." he comments.
"Looks to me like there's plenty of luck to go around." Batman quips.
Clover, confused by Batman's words, looks behind him towards the three hunters-in-training. The Batarangs are lodged in their bolas' main mechanisms, and an electrical surge is triggered that disables their aura-nullification tech. Nora, Ren, and Sun begin to wriggle free, undoing the chord's restriction on their arms. Clover nearly moves to stop them, but is halted by Batman assaulting him with a leaping double-kick. Batman firmly presses his kick against Clover, nearly standing on him for a moment, before launching himself backwards. Clover is puzzled by the aim of the attack, expecting more of an impact from the strike. Batman holds up a purple bola, prompting Clover to look down at his own belt and discover the vacancy where it once was. He grits his teeth at Batman, having been deceived twice by the Caped Crusader in quick succession.
Batman casts the bola at Vine, ensnaring the pale huntsman in its hold and freeing the former White Fang fighters that we was busy holding in the grip of his semblance. Harriet pursues Ilia across the room as Elm moves to quell the chaos unfolding around her team. Marrow aches as he slowly tries to get up, trying to recover from the previous shock he endured. "Oh no you don't!" Nora shouts, before Marrow is then flattened by Nora leaping up into the air and sitting on his spine with a strong impact. "I think it's your turn to stay!" Nora quips. Marrow struggles to get up, nearly pushing himself up an inch off the ground with his arms. A sudden swing of a red staff descends upon him, knocking Marrow out with a swift bonk. Sun smiles and gives Nora a thumbs up.
Ren takes a second to scan the room. Batman was trading blows with Clover, Ilia is on the run from Harriet, Elm sweeps former White Fang with the swing of her hammer...Ren quickly thinks over his options. "Nora, I need to help Ilia. Can you and Sun take her?" he asks, pointing towards Elm.
Nora smirks at Ren. "With pleasure." she grins, bashing her fists together with enthusiasm. They disperse, Nora and Sun heading towards their daunting opponent. Ren redirects his attention to Ilia, who struggles to escape Harriet's aggressive pursuit. Ilia whips her sword around, attempting to strike Harriet with its whip form. The speeding huntress ducks under the swing, sending herself onto a wall to leap off of it and strike Ilia across the face. Ilia recoils, gritting her teeth and holding the now reddened space on her cheek. Ren flips into the scene, landing in the wide space between Ilia and Harriet.
"Ilia, help the others!" Ren commands.
Ilia grunts. "Don't tell me what to do!" she complains, before leaping away to do what he asked of her.
Ren strikes his fighting stance, daring to take on Harriet alone. The Huntress smirks at him. "You got guts, kid." she says. She takes on a 3-point stance as a track runner would, lightning sparking around her eye. "But you're gonna need a lot more than that." Harriet zips towards Ren, the young fighter attempting to counter with a swing of his weapon. He's unable to make contact as he is punched in the torso by Harriet. Ren spins around, readying himself for the next attack. He tries to swing at her just a bit earlier in a vain attempt to beat her superior speed. Harriet simply evades it, leaping and sweeping her leg across his abdomen. Ren is forced back, colliding with a nearby wall. Harriet stops a distance from him. "Give it up, kid."
Ren pants from the pain, then closes his eyes to steady himself. He rises, eyes on his opponent, tucking his weapons away and widening his stance. With his arms outstretched, he narrows his focus to Harriet alone. Harriet shrugs, seeing Ren's persistence as pointless. She dashes towards him again, but Ren simply waits. He'll need a split second to react, but if he can time it just right…
The smallest shift in Harriet's movement occurs, barely noticeable by Ren, but enough for him to predict where her swing might land. He weaves ever so slightly, his arm brushing Harriet's fist out of the way before using his other arm to extend his palm into her. Like Ren before her, Harriet finds herself pushed into a wall by the attack. Ren closes the distance, aiming to reduce the amount of room she could maneuver in. He'll have to face her in extreme close quarters, but Batman's combat training has prepared him for just this occasion. Harriet grunts through her teeth and tries to swing at Ren again, but he is ready. Ren unleashes the tightest series of movements he has ever performed, using every second he has to bat away Harriet's strikes. Each parry creates brief openings that allow him to strike at her head and torso, trapping Harriet between Ren and the wall. It was efficiency of movement in action, always using one hand to block a strike while simultaneously attacking her with the other hand. He could afford his stronger opponent no freedom to act.
The Atlesian huntress decides she's had enough, growling at Ren and thrashing her head at him unexpectedly. Ren recoils after Harriet's skull strikes his face, unable to keep up his attacks. Harriet grabs his arm before he can do much else, swinging him into the very wall he pinned her to seconds ago. She holds him in place with one arm, wailing on his head with the other. One...two...three...Ren's aura now in fragmented shambles before he falls to the ground. He groans faintly as he falls unconscious.
"Ren!" Nora shouts. The momentary distraction allows Elm to bash Nora away with her weapon. Nora crashes into the wall, breaking through it somewhat. Nora shakes off the powdery dust, rubbing her nose with a glare. "Okay…you wanna fight rough then?" she questions with a subdued anger. She takes her hammer in hand and sprints towards Elm with a battle cry. Elm braces, her semblance rooting her in the floor, and answers Nora with a battle cry of her own. Nora leaps towards Elm, the two warriors reeling back their hammers. The resulting boom of their clashing weapons creates a shock wave that sends everyone in the room flying away.
Ilia forces herself up, one of many getting to their feet after that collision. She spots Clover and Harriet closing in on Batman, who tries to hold his own against the two. Ilia turns to see Sun and Elm getting up as well, and Nora unconscious on the other side of the room. Ilia grunts, drawing her weapon and unloading something from it. "Hey, help Batman." she says to Sun. The battle was turning south fast, and if there was any chance of them getting out of this, that chance had to be with Batman.
"What're you gonna do?" Sun asks.
Ilia holds a yellow vial in her hands, looking at it before clenching tight. "What I can." she answers. Sun nods and runs to aid Batman. Ilia gets up, holding her side. "Hey, human!" she shouts at Elm. "Think you're so tough with that semblance?" she taunts.
"You could say that." Elm replies, drawing her hammer. "Your White Fang friends couldn't knock me down, kid. Neither can you."
Ilia scoffs. "You know what's funny about a big target that can't get knocked down?" She dashes towards Elm, who responds by swinging her hammer. Ilia is quick to flip over Elm and the hammer's sweep. She mounts Elm's back, holding the yellow vial in hand. "I can't miss." she says.
Ilia thrusts her hand with the lightning dust, which was previously loaded in the chamber of her weapon, forcing the vial to smash against Elm's back. The tremendous release of electricity illuminates them both, the two yelling in pain as the overwhelming discharge rattles their bodies. The bolts fade in an instant, and the two fighters emit smoke before falling unconscious on the floor.
Batman clashes with Clover, holding his own to the surprise of the elite huntsman. His moves push Clover back before the streak of Harriet's lightning forces her in between them and into Batman. She pins him to the wall, Batman's arms braced against hers.
"Harriet, I had this. You should've freed Vine!" he commands.
"You were in a pinch, Captain. Besides, he's the primary target." she says, gesturing her head at Batman. "If we bag him, that's all that matters."
"For an elite, you should be more disciplined." Batman scolds.
"What?" Harriet replies, offended.
Batman frees himself from Harriet's pin, flipping into the air and throwing something at her.
Harriet feels a sharp impact against her face, the object snapping against her. A puff of gas poofs in front of her face, Harriet unintentionally inhaling as she recoils and tries to move away. Her eyelids grow heavy, her nerves going numb and her consciousness fading thanks to the sleep-inducing gas. Harriet lands on the ground with a thud.
Clover is left alone, facing off against Batman and Sun. His eyes dart between Batman, Sun, and then Vine who is still restricted on the other side of the room. He needed to even the odds, but Batman wouldn't let this come to pass. The Caped Crusader reaches down to his wrist gauntlet, pressing a button of some sort. The entire room goes black, all of the internal power shutting off in an instant. Clover looks around, confused, unable to see both the room and his opponents.
"Sun, now!" Batman shouts.
Clover braces for an attack, trying to stay alerted to his opponents, but he is left blind in the darkness against the oncoming strikes. Batman was adept at fighting in the dark, and Sun's natural faunus night-vision made for a brutal combination in this environment. A number of strong blows follow, Clover unable to predict where each will land, the final hit knocking out the Atlesian Captain. The room falls silent before Batman reactivates the hideout's power.
Vine lays on the ground still, spotting Clover's unconscious body. "Captain!" he shouts in futility.
Batman skims the room, assessing the damage and their numbers.
Sun skims the room as well. "Man, we could really use Professor Goodwitch about now."
Batman gathers some important components from his work area, tucking them away and turning towards Sun. "Gather whoever you can. We need to relocate." He goes to an unconscious Nora and throws her over his shoulder.
Sun skims the room again, taking count of their allies. He turns to Batman with a look of concern. "I can only make so many clones. We can't carry everyone out."
Batman recovers Ilia, slinging her over his other shoulder without answering Sun.
"Wait, we're not just going to leave some of them behind, are we?!" Sun questions.
Batman turns to Sun. "We'll come back for them. For now, we salvage all that we can."
He walks past Sun, who still seems unsure. "Some of them will be sentenced to die, how can we just-?" Sun utters.
Batman simply carries on. "There's no time, Sun. Save who you can."
Sun grits his teeth at the decision set before him. The lives of everyone there were in his hands, so how can he just choose who goes and who stays? He grunts in frustration before sending out his clones, moving with them to gather Ren and a handful of former White Fang. He rushes them out, feeling solemn inside, stirring over the idea that some of them might hate him for saving one over the other. For now, he needed to trust Batman's promise to save the rest, regardless of any uneasy feelings.
A boom echoes through the air as Neo is cast through a blinding light. She lands upon the coastal sands below her, tumbling roughly before coming to a stop. She snaps upwards with a growl, red eyes searching for her quarries, only to find nothing along the dark coastline. Her frustration builds, balling up her hands into fists before punching down on the sand with a yell. Ruby was in her clutches mere minutes ago. Her vengeance was in her grasp. It was so damn close!
Neo rises, determined to take to the sky once more in pursuit of Ruby despite the fatigue from the last fight. If she could track Red down once, she could do it again. Something however, had other plans...something deep in her blood. Neo could feel the conflicting surges within herself, the boiling Rage and the Grimm fluids at odds with one another. She hears the flap of wings in the nearby air, turning sharply to see Nevermores descending to the ground nearby her, flanking her. Neo growls, ready to attack, but only sees the creatures make their calls at her. They're not attacking. They're merely standing where they are, watching her.
The sound of rushing water startles her as an enormous monolithic object rises from the ocean. The blaring red eyes of a Leviathan peer at her as its head breaches the water. Its maw begins to open, water falling from the top of its snout. Neo backs away slightly, squinting as she spots a strange-looking Grimm emerge from the Leviathan's mouth. It was like a Beowolf, only with more dog-like features rather than a wolf. The four-legged creature approaches her, before convulsing. She watches as the sounds, similar to bones crunching, snap violently as it rises off of its front legs and into a bipedal stand. Neo bears her teeth at it, her instincts expecting an attack. The Hound releases a subtle sound, what could only be the blend of both a hiss and growl. A low guttural noise echoes from its mouth, before it utters: "Come."
Neo is taken aback after hearing a single word come from a Grimm. "Just what was it?" she wondered. The Hound simply stands there, waiting for her. Neo was uneasy about this, but something peculiar happened in that moment. For the first time, the Rage and the Grimm influence within her were in harmony. The two powers together urging her to follow this monster into the maw. The Grimm fluids wanted to cooperate, the Rage felt the burning urge to pursue something other. She couldn't quite piece together what made these forces within her body unite over this notion. Neo decides not to fight the dual urges within, curious as to what could have compelled them to unanimously seek out this course of action. She lets her guard down, stepping into the maw and following the Hound. The Leviathan closes its mouth, transporting the two away from the continent of Sanus and into the seas beyond.
General Ironwood, busy with overseeing reparations to the Regime headquarters, receives an indicator for an airship touching down soon. With the comms tech re-established, thanks to the efforts of Cyborg and the other Atlesian engineers, the Regime's operations could resume somewhat. He's been informed that Wonder Woman was returning from Haven, with no other reason than to relay an update on the situation there. Why Diana alone was sent to Vale puzzled him. Her presence in Haven meant it would be better defended, and the task of relaying a message alone was better fit for one of the many officers readily available to them. Could it be something related to the delicate nature of the heroes being on Remnant? Something that couldn't be spoken of publicly? He wasn't sure, but he would get the answers to these questions soon enough.
The General waits in his office for Wonder Woman's arrival after her ship had touched down. Minutes pass before the door to his office opens up. To his surprise, Wonder Woman is joined by Superman, Yellow Lantern, and Cyborg. "Clark, Hal. I wasn't aware you two had returned as well." he comments.
"Diana had something important to share with us." Superman explains.
"We should probably keep these doors locked up tight," suggests a voice, the figure stepping out from behind the group. "Can't spoil the big secret, after all." Raven Branwen explains with a hint of mockery.
"Raven?" Ironwood questions. "What did you tell them?" he presses.
"Only about this worlds' greatest threat." Superman answers.
"Something you deemed you could not trust us with." Wonder Woman adds.
"I was going to tell you when the time was right." Ironwood explains. "The world isn't ready to know about Salem. We're not ready to face her yet."
"Speak for yourself, General." Hal retorts.
"The League's faced our fair share of world-ending threats." Cyborg explains. "Hell, I even have the data to prove it."
"General, there was a time where I'd agree that we weren't ready, as much as I hate to admit it..." Raven mentions.
"Then what changed your mind?" Ironwood asks her.
Raven gestures her head towards the heroes. "Well, they did." she explains. "I used to think facing her was impossible, but if everything I've heard about these four are true, we might have a fighting chance for once." She glances over at Wonder Woman. "After some firsthand experience, even I'm starting to believe."
"And what is it you gain out of all of this?" Ironwood questions. "You're a wanted leader of a bandit tribe, last I checked."
"Well," Raven says. "'Miss Wonder' here didn't give me much of a choice. Besides, this might be the only time when choosing to ally with you is the smart choice." she explains, layering a partial insult in.
Ironwood looks to the four heroes. "No one in our thousands of years of history has managed to stop Salem. We'll be in for the fight of our lives." he explains. "She is an evil that's outlasted time, global unity, and the advancement of technology. Heroes might not be enough. Have not been enough."
"That's just the thing, General." Superman says before crossing his arms. "Salem's never fought heroes like us."
End of Chapter 14