RWBY Through Worlds

36: Try to Shake Me

[Sister said this song fit Ironwood.... Have to agree. Privately owned Spiral Galaxy]

If Ironwood suspected that this was a little too easy, he didn't act on it.

They all arrived on time, just barely.

"Are you nervous?" Pyrrha asked her team.

"Nah," Nora said.

"Trying to focus on the situation," Ren said.

"Uh...yeah," Jaune said.

"Are you kidding?" Emerald looked stressed. "This guy killed his own people, from what that woman was saying. He's a nut case."

"And that bothers you?..." Oscar said, unintentionally savage.

"Well, normally they're on my side," Emerald said.

"Huh...that's actually a legitimate reason," Oscar admitted. "But this should work... I mean, there's a lot of us."

"Looks like he left himself wide open," Jaune said, peering out the window. "I don't see the Ace Ops anymore, just Winter... Or does he have them on standby in case he needs to reverse his order to call off the bomb?"

"Either that or perhaps Winter got them to leave," Pyrrha mused. "If anyone else prays, start doing it. Even with just the General there, I don't feel great about doing this in front of the school."

"Well, the guards should be taken out if Qrow and Robyn and Marrow did what Winter said," Jaune said. "But I guess we have no way of knowing that till later."

With that vote of conference, they landed.

Winter was standing next to Ironwood.

Qrow's poorly timed outburst was still ringing in her ears. She hated that she couldn't argue.

But maybe...was there anything left in the General that might be having second thoughts? Would he consider calling this off?

Perhaps against her better judgment, she spoke. "Sir, this course of action--"

"I hope you're not going to try to talk me out of it," General Ironwood said, looking at her.

Winter glanced up and didn't read a shred of doubt in his expression.

"No, sir," she said, sadly. "I don't think that's possible."

The worst thing? She believed that.

Was he always this cold?

He was starting to remind her of her father...

But her biggest fear, under the anxiety of the situation itself, was that instead of this being something new, it was something that had always been there, and up till now...she'd just not seen it.

No...she'd chosen not to see it.

Hadn't everyone tried to warn her? Weiss...Pyrrha...Shine, Wally. Even Qrow...in his most annoying fashion, had been saying this for years...

And she had always thought they just misunderstood.

Stupid, she told herself grimly. If everyone around you is saying the same message, who is it who's really not getting it?

But it was no time for self pity or regrets. She had to act her part.

The kids came up, Emerald walking with them.