--No POV--
Qrow looks at the bloodied medallion of his now deceased friend. Guilt and regret circled his mind as Robyn was talking to Jacques.
Robyn: This is your fault. You've realized that, don't you? All I wanted was to bring people together. To give them a chance at a better life...but you... | Jacques: Me? I am a victim. (Robyn scoffs) I'll admit I was duped. Used! And although my hands may not be clean, at least I am not a murderer.
Robyn was pacing as she spoke with the bastard, but when conversation changed to Qrow, she stopped and gave him a sympathetic look.
Robyn: He didn't kill anybody. And I am not gonna stand here and be lectured by some snake with a mustache who helped that man tear us all apart! | Watts: *waves his hand nonchalantly* Yes, well...I suppose we're all stuck in it together now. | Jacques: Speak for yourself. I know the right people. I'm sure Whitley has reached out to my legal team and will have me out of here before you can say-- | Robyn: SHUT UP!
She punches the hard-light dust wall caging them and shocked Jacques. Following after is a horn, then guards coming in as Qrow quickly pockets the medallion. They turn off the wall separating them and Watts and retrieved him, albeit quite violently.
Robyn: ...(sighs) I hate not being able to do anything. | Qrow: We can do something. We can kill the man who put us here...
--Meanwhile, Jack's POV--
As Joanne took over the news channel for a bit, me, Yang, and the others were searching the pharmacy to see what Pietro has for us. After taking out some Atlas robots along the way, we found the room storing them and Yang gasped.
Jack: Alright, the others are definitely missing out.
So, the others jumped on the gravity motorcycles and started it up, while I stuck to simply running with my Semblance boosting my speed. Yang was very happy to ride a motorcycle again, as she was doing intricate jumps and flips much to Oscar's dismay.
Once we reached our location, we start extracting the civilians out of their homes and lead them through the streets.
Civvy: The crater? Are you sure its safe out there? | Yang: Absolutely, ma'am!
The crowd screamed as a pack of Grimm revealed themselves.
Jack: I got it! | Niko: Be careful!
As I was running, I discovered that my Semblance evolved. I can store electricity in my body for a long period of time, meaning I can change or use it with a lot more variety. So, I used the stored up electricity and discharged it in a wave in front of me, frying the Grimm to nothing.
Oscar: Have the Grimm already pushed this far in? | Niko: No, they should be stragglers from last night. | Yang: Still. Ren! If Jaune hits you with his Aura Amp, think you can mask everyone? | Ren: We can give it a shot, but it is a lengthy trip to Mantle.
When Ren finished, one of the children within the crowd started crying...
Jaune: No no, that's a great idea! We'll have a Grimm free journey all the way to the crater! | Niko: Yeah! ^^
Middle-aged woman: Do we really got to shack up with those animals down at the slums? I'd feel a lot safer being up in Atlas. | Yang: *ticked off* Yeah, I'm sure you would, but the people up top have decided you're not worth the trouble. | Jack: The Faunus, on the other hand, have been willing to lend all the help they can, regardless whether or not you deserve it. | Same Civvy: *the woman looks down and stayed quiet* So, uh, let's just get our things then? (embarrassed smile)
So, we head out as Ren masked the civilians, leaving us open for the sake of saving more aura for them. Meanwhile, the same woman kept complaining, making the atmosphere around us more gloomy.
Oscar: *talking to himself...?* It should not be this hard getting people to just cooperate...you know, I really don't need your additional commentary right now...I'm not upset that you left, I'm upset that you came back. I started to feel like me, not the same me I was before all of this, but, the me I always wanted to be. I felt...like I was actually part of the team.....but...I don't want that...
Niko looked at me with a raised brow, while I responded with a shrug. I think a little bit before...
Ozpin...?
Suddenly, the civilians flashed pink, indicating that Ren is starting to get low on aura reserves.
Jaune: Hey, you good? | Ren: *stern* It's just a lot to focus on. | Jaune: You can do it, Ren. We're almost to the cra-- | Ren: I don't need a pep talk. I need to focus. | Jaune: *widened his eyes in shock, before looking down with furrowed brows* Right...
--Meanwhile, on the other side of Mantle, Y/n's POV--
May: Alright, come on. | Nora: Thanks again for coming. | May: Don't mention it. Once Robyn learned about Amity Tower, she wouldn't shut up about it. (playfully rolls her eyes.) Wherever she is, I'm sure she would want us dong what we can and get it up in the air and get the world talking again. Besides, Fiona got your friends helping out in my stead. | Nora: ...yeah...
Entering one of the factories owned by the Schnee family, we head inside and see robots walking around, seemingly continuing their jobs in vain.
Ruby: Are you sure this is safe? | Weiss: Snow Shoe Shipping is a SDC subsidiary, meaning that all the drones here report to the company, not the General. The pneumatic tubes allow for dust refined in the crater to be sent straight up to Atlas. | William: We just have to find one to the military base. | Blake: *tease* Are there any buildings in Atlas your family doesn't own? (Nora giggles) | Weiss: That...isn't at the moment! (Blake giggles)
So, we spread out and looked at the terminals, looking for clues pointing toward said military base. Penny was looking down, so Ruby approached her while I kept looking.
Ruby: Hey... | Penny: I do not like it when friends fight... | Ruby: I know, I...Yang and I might not agree on how best to save Mantle, but-- | Penny: No, I mean Winter, the General. (William's ear perked up) They were our friends, but then the Ace-Ops attacked you, and the General...he said people were going to die because of me and William...
William: *walks toward them* That was a lie, Penny. I know the General for too long to know his tactics. He was saying it to hurt you and guilt trip me. | Penny: But, what about you? You're a Draconazha, but now you're so much more than that. | William: *smiles* I'm still me, Penny. You helped me by distracting Cinder long enough for me to become the Winter Maiden, and by that, you and I protected Mantle. | Penny: ...thank you, William, Ruby...!
Ruby went ahead and hugged Penny while William awkwardly stood there before getting grabbed by Ruby and joining the group hug.
Weiss: I found it! | Blake: I suppose there's no turning back now. (we walk toward the terminal where Weiss and Nora are waiting) | May: Between our secret weapons and my semblance, you all couldn't be in better hands. | Y/n: So how do we use this thing? | Weiss: It should be simple. (sits down at the opening of the tube) If you sit down and press launch--WAAAA (Nora smashed the launched button and Weiss got sucked into the tube, heading up to the military base)
Nora: *GASP!* ME NEXT!
--Jack's POV--
After a good while, we eventually reached the safe zone and dropped the civilians off to do their thing.
Joanna: *her and Fiona exits their tent* Where's this group coming in from? | Niko: That would be Sector 7! | Fiona: You cleared 7 already? That's great! To be honest, I wasn't sure how you'd be doing without all of your teammates. | Yang: Well as you can see, we're doing just fine. | Jack: Where you putting everyone?
Fiona: We're working to get most of them settled in houses or other shelters. A large portion of the community is also trying to get old mine shafts into a livable condition. | Joanna: We've got a lot of people to keep warm. Looting the SDC refineries is our best source of dust. Fortunately, no one's getting arrested during the apocalypse. Just knowing those Grimm are circling out there doesn't feel great. What are they waiting for?
Fi's Uncle: Fi! We got another fight breaking out. | Fiona: Crap. Thanks uncle! We'll handle it... | Joanna: I'll handle it. You've got enough to worry about. (she heads off after cracking her knuckles) | Crimson: Fiona? Crimson again. We spotted a decent sized group of Grimm moving in from the east. Can't take them with all these civies. | Fiona: *uses her semblance and pulls a map out* Oh for crying out loud...
Yang looked at me with a smirk, itching for a good fight.
Yang: Did he say east?
After that, we head out with our motorcycles and found the group of Grimm. We get into action and took 'em out, using new tools and made our own traps with it.
Jack: Alright Fiona. That's one more problem taken care of. | Fiona: Good, 'cause we're getting reports of Grimm coming in from the West. The Huntsmen there could really use some backup. | Yang: *sighs* Okay, we're on our way.
Oscar: It's all the negativity. Salem's forces aren't moving in, but its enough to start attracting the stragglers. | Ren: Guys, we're not finished. (more Grimm came from the corners and ran toward us) | Niko: Alright, let's hurry this up and take--
A distant growl echoed from the distance and the Grimm heading toward us stopped in their tracks. They immediately turn tail and ran the opposite direction.
Ren: What just happened...? | Jack: They ran...I've never seen Grimm act that way before. | Oscar: But what were they-- | Niko: Oscar!
A wind arrow flew above him and knocked a Grimm against the wall, but it somehow got Oscar's collar locked in its jaws and threw him around as it recovers.
Jack: Oscar!
I ran toward it, ready to slice it apart with, however, it bounced on Oscar before holding him up as a meat shield, forcing me to interrupt my attack.
Yang: What the hell?!
The Grimm then smacked me away with Oscar's own body, breaking the kid's aura while I skid back to the others.
Jack: This one's smarter than the others! | Jaune: Grimm aren--
Bones breaking and cracking stole our attention as it came from the new Grimm, its figure changing as it now stands on its hind legs. Niko jumped and nocked an arrow while Yang charges in with her motorcycle. The bipedal wolf-like Grimm raised Oscar up toward Niko's direction, making her delay her shot before it turn and yanked Yang out of her vehicle and then throwing her against the wall. Me and Ren began shooting at it before he launched his gun blades at the Grimm. He jumps and reels himself toward it, only to be knocked against the wall as well.
I followed Ren and swung my hammer down as hung in mid-air, once again stopping myself so I wouldn't hurt Oscar. Making myself open, the wolf Grimm grabbed my leg and smacked me against the ground several times before getting tossed, heavily damaging my aura shield.
Jaune: Grimm aren't this smart! | Jack: *groan* Must be from Salem then! | Ren: *to the Grimm* Give him back! | Grimm: *another bone cracks before revealing a groggy, sinister voice* No... (It turns and began walking off) | Niko: Did it just...?
The wolf Grimm crouches down and its body began changing again, this time growing viscous, tissue-like wings as it screamed in pain...? It quickly picks up Oscar to its mouth and flew off, leaving us shocked.
Fiona: *radio* Kids, what's your status? West side's taking damage! | Ren: What do we do? | Jack: Chase it! We can't let that thing take Oscar to Salem! | Fiona: Kids, what's your status? | Niko: *we quickly get on our bikes and went after the...what do we even call that thing...?* We've got an emergency, we're not going to make it. | Fiona: What? What kind of emergency? | Niko: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.