After Watts had finished his account, Shine called a brief "recess".
"This is a lot to process," she said.
Despite that, she and Wally were far calmer than anyone else was after hearing that.
Robyn was just disconcerted by the whole thing, but her reaction was mild compared to Winter's.
"To think all that happened under our nose," she was in a fury. "And you," she glared at Ironwood. "How much of this did you know?"
Really, it was such a transformation from how she used to speak to him that Ironwood was still a little surprised by it.
"Very little of most of it," he said uncomfortably. This couldn't be doing his paranoia any good.
"That sick..." Qrow called Watts some choice words. "But this is...I mean human test subjects, aura enhancement...just how deep did this project go?"
"I've never heard of any of this," Tai agreed.
"Well, you all knew about the Penny project," Robyn reminded them.
Jaune was boosting her aura after how long that had taken, and she was a little pale too.
"How could I not know about this?" Winter said.
"There's a lot of things that are on a need to know basis," Ironwood said. "It had nothing to do with your job."
Winter shook her head.
"Welcome to the military, Winter," Wally said cheerfully. "This kind of thing happens all the time at home. I mean, try finding out your pals in the government cloned you to make an arch nemesis that was on their side."
"And then it didn't even work," Shine added. "Your world is messed up, hon."
"Is yours any better?" Wally asked.
"No," Shine said. "But I felt like someone had to say it."
"That is not comforting," Winter said. "How prevalent is this?"
"People trying to play God? About as old as Adam," Shine said. "I suppose that expression means little here, it means since time began. Please, isn't that what got this whole mess here started anyway? Even Ozpin has done it. Don't you all come down on James here...sure he's to blame for plenty of things, but did any of you ask? Come, you all knew about those machines, we pointed out how evil they were from the get go, you all didn't take issue with human experimentation and aura transfer then. What's so different about Kanap? At least she wanted to do this to save people--at first. Whatever has happened to her since, isn't it just proof that this is a slippery slope? Do you really all not see yourselves in that story?
Someone wanted to win the fight against grimm, to make humans better than they are, to save their family, and so they break the laws of nature, and in doing so they go just a little...how do I put this?"
"Cuckoo for Cocoa puffs," Wally said.
"That," Shine said.
They all looked at her, then they looked down.
"Can I just say I never supported any of this?" Robyn said.
"Good for you," Shine said.
Well, that didn't make Robyn feel that much better.
"It can't really be the same," Winter said.
"We always tell ourselves it's not," Shine said. "It's never as bad when it's us, because we fully understand our own reasons, or we think we do...and that makes it okay. But let's be honest, if we can. Is there really a huge difference?"
"I didn't know this was going on," Qrow said.
"Did you know about the device with Amber?" Shine asked.
Qrow went silent again.
"I ought to ask Ozpin when he gets back," Shine muttered. "Hey, shouldn't they be back by now, how long does it take to inspect a vault? I'm going to go check on that room. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone. Wally you're in charge."
"Okay," Wally saluted.
Shine left the room.
* * *
Team Oscar-Emerald-Mercury-Neo= or OMEN, Oscar thought, reached the top of the stairs after a grueling climb that even Neo didn't like.
They were nervous about running into Theo, but he seemed to be long gone.
"And why didn't we ask the weird girl how to get out? Mercury asked.
"There has to be some way," Oscar said.
At least the lights were here.
Neo ran her hand along the wall, they began looking around the steps, finally Emerald found some kind of lever hidden under one of the top steps itself.
The door overhead swung open.
Neo assumed Theo's appearance and cautiously snuck out first then motioned at them to come out.
They all scurried out and the door shut.
"Ew," Emerald said, looking at herself. "I'm disgusting, there's dirt caked all over my clothes."
"That's nothing, you should see the rest of you," Mercury said.
Emerald swung at him.
"Who cares anyway? We were crawling through a tunnel, of course we're gritty," Mercury said.
"I do feel like I need a bath," Oscar felt like he had dirt everywhere.
Neo brushed off her coat with some dismay.
"Is that dry clean?" Oscar asked.
She nodded.
Oscar wasn't even sure what that was, but he knew it was expensive.
The door opened then and Shine looked in.
"Oh, good, I was just about to try to go down there after you," she said. "Wow...look at you all... What did you find, a sandbox?... But come on, you're not going to believe what we learned."
They came out of the room.
"Actually you're not going to believe what we learned," Oscar said in a low voice. "We found the Maiden."
Shine stopped and stared.
"I guess she doesn't know everything after all," Mercury muttered to Emerald.
"Just like that?" Shine said.
"Yeah," Oscar said. "Kind of by accident. And the whole underground of the school? It's not just a Vault--it's like some maze hideout, where she's been hiding. Apparently, the inventor lady, her husband helped make it."
"The Labyrinth," Shine said oddly. "Daedalus."
"Derek, actually," Mercury said. "And what are you talking about?"
"Before we go back down there, you had better tell me exactly what she told you."
Shine quickly yanked them into a room that was a large storage closet big enough to fit several people in.
She then kicked out two students who were making out in the back of it without so much as an explanation.
They just ran for it in embarrassment, so it was doubtful they'd tell anybody.
"Really, it's like 12 am, and this is what goes on?" Shine muttered. "Now tell me what happened."
That took a very long time, because they all interrupted each other, even Neo, though she only used gestures.
Shine had a hard time following all of it, but finally she got the picture.
"Well..." She didn't look too happy, Oscar thought. "This is interesting... Watts told us some of the same thing, but in more detail in certain areas. Victoria was part of the reason he ended up working for Salem. They go way back even more than Vara told you. I have an idea now, but I'm not sure about it. I need to pray and think. And you all need to wash off. Go do that before you join us. It would never do to have Theo know you were down there, and right now you look it--I'll send you to your rooms right now just to avoid running into anyone." She made a portal.
They hurried through it.
Oscar felt a bit sick on the other side and put a hand to his chest.
"I don't like those doors," Ozpin murmured. "Even when Alicia..."
"Not the time, Oz," Oscar said. "We have to hurry."
"Not the time for what?--" Ozpin began, but it was too late.
* * *
"We have to hurry!" Ozma yelled at Alicia, who was just sitting reading a book and sipping tea in the front room of an inn. "There's a skirmish down town--Grimm! These people aren't ready for it."
"Let's go." Alicia was serious when it came to the Grimm.
She took them part of the way to the site, but stopped short of the Grimm themselves.
It was a disaster, all right. The Grimm were everywhere.
Ozma got to work dealing with them, and finally some better-abled warriors also joined in to help--one of them would later become one of his trusted friends, someone who Qrow reminded him a bit of, in fact.
Alicia didn't slay the Grimm directly. She would hold out her staff, and they would run from her, to his great surprise.
"How are you doing that?" he asked. "I've never seen Grimm run from anyone."
"They fear what's foreign to them, same as any other creature," Alicia replied, without her usual cheerful tone.
Her eyes gleamed a little at one, and it ran off also.
She swung her staff out in a wide line, and the Grimm seemed unable to come any closer. Finally the last of them was either slain or had fled back where it came from.
But the damage was done: A few houses were destroyed, and some people were gravely wounded.
"Nice moves," the one warrior who'd done pretty well said to Ozma.
"Well, not so bad yourself," Ozma said, but he felt he'd been too late anyway.
People were lying around wounded and dying with great distress.
"No matter how fast I try to get here, it's always too late," Ozma said to Alicia. "This is why we need official training for people."
"Not a bad idea," Alicia said. "But chin up, there's always hope."
"Hope?" Ozma said.
"Just have a little faith." Alicia walked up to one of the people.
"He started this whole thing!" some citizens started saying angrily. "You fool! You should know better than to cheat all these people on the same day!"
"Yes, the Grimm attacked because of you!" others were saying.
"Serves you right, really," one said venomously.
Some kids started crying anyway.
The woman who must have been the man in question's wife, looked miserable.
"Please, leave us alone," she said. "He's mortally wounded."
"And who's going to settle this?" the men and women went on. "He owes us our pay, and he was just going to stiff us on it. That's why everyone got angry and brought those monsters, so now he owes us for damage too."
"But we can't afford to cover that..." the wife said.
"Look at all the people who got hurt!" another woman said angrily.
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you cheated us!" said another.
"Enough," Alicia said loudly.
They all looked at her.
The snake-headed staff and odd attire certainly made an impression. They backed up a little.
Alicia walked up to the wounded man. It was pretty bloody.
Ozma sighed. Why did people always do these things? [Yeah, dishonesty really bites, doesn't it, Oz?]
"Poor fellow," Alicia said, in a subdued voice. "Do you want me to help you?"
"Who are you?" the cheat said in a strained voice.
"No one of consequence," Alicia said. "But I'm not bad at healing."
"Anything to stop this pain," the cheat said.
"Hey, lady, there's other people who need healing more than he does," said someone else.
"You, shove it," Alicia ordered. "Let a girl concentrate."
She closed her eyes. "Let the man's sins not be held against him, Father..."
She held up her staff. "Look here at this, old fellow."
The man didn't have much of a choice anyway.
Without any sort of sign of it happening, his injuries were gone and he seemed normal.
He stood up, stunned.
His wife ran up to him in astonishment.
Alicia stepped back.
"Anyone else who needs it, take a gander at this." She put her staff into the ground.
The people turned and looked at it, and all of them were healed accordingly.
Ozma was gaping at her the whole time.
"What in the blue blazes?" the warrior said.
Alicia then turned to the cheat, and, in quite a different voice she said sternly, "They aren't wrong. You were the cause of this. Be thankful you had your mercy this time, but in the future, don't try to cheat people out of their hard earned pay. Better to go poor and be honest, than to be rich and a Grimm's feast. Take care or this will happen worse in the future, and there will be no rescuer that time."
The man swallowed nervously.
"None of you had better make any more fuss over this," Alicia added. "You'll draw those creatures back here for sure. Let it go, and give this fellow a chance to make his ammends... Can't do anything about those houses, I'm afraid, but no house is worth killing a man or your own family over by inviting all this strife. For your own sakes, learn to forgive. None of you is innocent of causing this, so all of you should mend it together. Get going. I think the Grimm will leave you alone for a while after that beat down. You'll find some supplies in yonder forest. Best hurry while you still have an advantage."
They glanced at each other, then at her, then they ran to do just that.
Alicia put her staff away and wiped her brow.
"This sort of thing does take it out of me," she said to Ozma cheerfully. "I'd love to go finish that spot of tea now. What's the matter with you, Oz? You look like a codfish."
Ozma closed his mouth. "How did you do that?"
"I didn't do a thing," Alicia said. "Gifts as God gives, you know. What, your powers are from your god, aren't they? Why's it so hard to believe?"
"I never knew anyone who could manage that," Ozma said.
"Well, mine is better than yours," Alicia said primly. "But that's not your fault. No need to knot your knickers over it. Come, you could use a rest yourself after all that fighting. Not too shabby though. Must have been quite something in your hay day."
"Oh, well...yes..." Ozma said. "Once...but that was a long time ago."
"Something to be said for experience," Alicia said. "You ought to start training other people."
"Perhaps..." Ozma said. "But why did you scold the man like that? Hadn't he been through enough already? I think you frightened them all more... In the long run that won't help them. More fear--"
"Oz, there are good and bad kinds of fear, just like anything else," Alicia said firmly. "And good and bad kinds of hatred. Your idea of negative emotion is all wrong. Not all negative emotions are evil. Each are in their proper place. 'Do I not hate those who hate you? I hate them with perfect hatred.' 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.' 'Our god is a jealous God.' There is a time and place to feel fear, hate, and righteous anger. And in that place, they will not attract any monsters, they will repel them. Have you noticed the Grimm are not drawn to the warriors who are angry at them on behalf of their brethren? They attack the weak, those who feel angry for selfish reasons or are afraid out of cowardice, not respect. My words, if those people are wise enough to listen, will encourage them to fear doing the wrong thing and to hate dishonesty. I can't be sure they will listen, but if they do not, it is their own folly, and not my rebuke, that is the cause of the problem. I will not be taking responsibility for someone else's sins--I have enough of my own--and I advise you not to try either. You have your own troubles, don't you?"
"I...don't know if I can quite agree with that... I always try to reassure people," Ozma said.
"You're a bit soft," Alicia said. "It's all right to reassure them, but sometimes they need to be reassured by your strength of character and conviction, not just your compassion. But mostly, you're right. 'A gentle word can break a bone', as the Good Book says. But there is a time to love rebuke and thank people for it."
Ozma still wasn't sure about it. When had it ever led to anything good to make people more angry and afraid? Certainly not what happened with Salem and the gods...nor with anything he'd ever tried either. Fear was not a good thing.
Still, it was impressive what happened.
* * *
"Oscar!" Emerald tugged at him. "Stop doing that! We need to get down there."
"Oh--" Oscar blinked. "How long was I out?"
"Just a few minutes, but I think we're already pretty much done." Emerald had already changed clothes--she'd purchased a few spares, luckily-- and washed all the dirt off herself that she could find.
Mercury had gone to his room of course, and Oscar had to go to his.
He thought about the memory, but he wasn't sure why he'd seen it right then.
What an idea, though, that negative emotions were a good thing... That went against everything they thought in Remnant.
Still, at the same time...why did they even have bad feelings if there wasn't a purpose for them? Anger didn't always feel wrong, did it? Sometimes it feels like it'd be more wrong not to be angry.
Was there something in it?
"Over time I did come to think that there was something in what she said," Ozpin commented. "I've never embraced fear tactics with the...freedom that Miss Likstar seems to, or James...but I did start to see that fear is not always the biggest enemy, but what we do with it. Still, if we didn't feel it at all, we'd not make nearly as many mistakes."
Maybe we can't help it though, Oscar mused. Why am I seeing all these visions? If it's not you...is it like they said? Is there something I'm supposed to understand?
"I can't answer that, Oscar. Seeing them again is not making it clear to me," Ozpin said. "I feel only more confused, but then, if I had understood it the first time, we wouldn't be here. Perhaps it would be better to ask yourself than me."
But you were the one who was there, Oscar said.
"Not the same me," Ozpin said. "Surely you have noticed that there is a difference."
Yeah, but...you're still in there, Oscar said. Somehow. Do you think Alicia could see the old Ozma from the new versions?
"I wondered about that," Ozpin said. "I think in a way she could see both, just as your mentors can see both you and myself and distinguish between us. But on a different note, I'm not sure Mr. Black should have heard all we heard today. Or Neapolitan. I didn't think Miss Likstar quite liked it either."
It's not like we could help it, Oscar said.
"No...and perhaps it's just as well Miss Sol held back on some information, but what she said was enough to deeply concern me. I had no idea how deep this all went. Theo's proved to be not much better than anyone else at staying on track."
At least I kind of get his reasons, Oscar said. I mean, Vara seems...cool...and she seemed genuinely sorry that she couldn't help us more. Maybe he's got a reason to be worried about her.
"That cannot possibly excuse his actions," Ozpin said. "All of us could die for them."
But at least we know he didn't plan on it, Oscar said. He just wanted to stall a little, find another solution.
"And he couldn't have shared that with us? Like we couldn't have understood?" Ozpin said.
I don't know. I guess we'll see how the others take finding this out, Oscar said.
* * *
The answer was not well.
By the time team OMEN got down to join them all, they'd moved from disgust over the whole situation with Victoria to disgust with Theo for thinking this was all okay to hide from them.
"To think Henry was in on it too," Qrow said. "No one around here is ever what they seem."
Shine was rolling her eyes and drinking coffee, while Wally was paging through a comic book in a bored way.
"Think they're about done whining yet?" he asked Shine.
"I haven't much hope of it," she replied.
"But don't you have anything to say?" Winter asked them. "You usually have such strong words. But none for this?"
"You're doing fine," Shine said, sipping her coffee. "Let's see, where were you?...Theo is not how you expected. What a shock. Oh, who could have seen that coming?" She said this in a false dramatic tone.
"I'm glad you think this is so funny," Qrow said tersely. "It's not your allies."
"No, my allies have been busy griping about this for the last hour," Shine said. "Before that, they disappeared on me, disobeyed my direct instructions, and got mad at me for not caring about their friends more."
She frowned.
Qrow went quiet again.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Ironwood said, "but if you care what I think, I think that this Kanap woman should be taken care of now, before it's too late."
"James, don't mistake me allowing you a brief respite for making you a part of this team," Shine said firmly. "None of us trust you. And if you're going to start ordering us around, you can go back to your cell."
James frowned at her. "Don't you think there is a reason to be concerned?"
"As much as I was about you." Shine was as savage as usual.
"Dang," Wally said, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Get your own!" Shine pulled it away.
"But that's, like, all the way in the kitchen," Wally complained.
"What did we miss?" Oscar came in.
"Betrayal," Robyn said.
"Oh, so something new then," Emerald said.
"This is getting old," Mercury said. "Can't we just go kill these people or something?"
"Now we're talking," Qrow said. "What's to stop us? You just told us that the Maiden is somewhere we can easily find her. Why don't we just end this now? There is no reason not to."
"No?" Shine said quizzically.
"Not one that I can think of," Qrow said. "It's one woman."
"One woman who Raven has not managed to escape in all this time " Shine said. "Does it not strike you as odd that Raven has not portalled here to you? Or Tai? That can only mean she's been subdued. That is not so easy to do to your sister. Victoria is clearly prepared to take on a Maiden. I have an idea--let's throw another Maiden at her just for fun. Let's blow all our cover and push her into a corner. I mean, she could easily escape into this labyrinth we now know is under the school and go where we'd not find her for ages. The fact that I can't see into the maze means it has magic in it, in some ways. Or it's too close to the Vault. The rest of you aren't going to have an easy time navigating around it. We can take our chances on the surface, but it probably won't work. Suppose you charge in there and she wins? We have less people to bail you out, and it probably won't work anyway."
"We can't just leave Yang and Raven there," Qrow argued. "You heard Watts... What is she going to do to them?"
"Vara warned us too," Oscar said grimly. "She thought that Victoria might get a little...too eager to have a test subject, with Yang around. Yang's pretty powerful, and I guess Victoria likes powerful people."
"I've been giving all this some thought and prayer, while you've all been welching about it," Shine said. "And I think I have the solution. God has suggested it to me. If you'd agree to hear it."
They all looked at her.
"Well, go ahead," Tai said. Though he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Quite simply, we should just send Watts himself to retrieve our friends," Shine said.
Blank stares.
"That's the worst idea I've ever heard," Ironwood said.
"You do not get to vote," Winter reminded him. Then, "But that is a terrible idea. He's clearly fascinated by this woman...in some way I can't fathom, but do you really think he would work against her?"
"Who said anything about that?" Shine said. "Watts can handle himself. He got this far, didn't he? And we have all kinds of information that I'm sure Victoria would love to hear about."
"Even if you could depend on Watts, which you can't," Ironwood said, "he can't overpower someone who could take on a Maiden--also how long has Raven Branwen been the Maiden?"
"Shut up already," Qrow said to him. "The point is this plan is crazy."
"You've said that about every plan." Wally had a snack that he'd gotten sometime in the last few seconds. And his own coffee.
"But this one really is. We already know Watts isn't loyal to us," Qrow said.
"So what?" Shine said. "Only an amateur needs loyalty to make people do what they want."
"That also sounds like a super villain," Tai said.
"Oh, it's just a fact of life," Shine said. "Just because all of you believe being a good person means not using your brain to understand people, doesn't mean I have to agree. Wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove--that's my motto. But I suppose you have a better plan?"
"You can't keep using that," Qrow said. "Don't you care what we think?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Shine frowned at him.
"Well, there is it." Qrow threw his hands up. "Are we just pawns to you then? Maybe when you've actually had to go through it yourself, you won't be so quick to risk other people's lives, Likstar. Some of us have had people die before."
Shine stared at him.
Then she got up and left the room.
"And she was just cheering up, too." Wally was mad at Qrow. "Have some respect, dude!"
"I'm just tired of you two acting like none of this really matters to you," Qrow said.
"Dang it, man, if that was true we wouldn't be here still," Wally said. "I mean, screw all of you if we were doing this for thanks. I say we do what Shine thinks we should do because she's smart, and, more importantly, she's also trying to listen to something higher than herself and not just what she's worried about. If that makes us callous, I think I prefer that to being this freaked out about stuff. And guess what, I have gotten to where I've lost people--or almost have many times. It's not all fun and games in the superhero business either. I'm getting really sick of all of you acting like your problems are so much worse than ours just because you've never been to our world to see it. You're not better than us just because you have all this crap to deal with. We're literally taking time off from our own lives to help with yours because we were asked to--we're not getting paid for it. Or getting famous for it. But you see someone needs help, and you help them--that's always been my motto, even if my friends thought it was a bad idea to get involved. So don't you come at me with 'you don't care.' I've got news for you, man, all of you, you risk your lives for your friends, and that is really great--I'm all for that. But I've risked my life to save people who were trying to kill me seconds ago, because that's just what we do. We aren't out to get revenge. When we want that, we're not better than our enemies. So maybe you should just try to understand that we don't jump to the 'go in and kill everyone' approach for a good reason. Qrow, you've been really a pill to us all evening, while we've been trying to sort this out, and I'm real sorry that you're going through it, man, but you're not the only one. And all of you aren't the only ones who are worried. Did you forget that Shine is the one who went after Raven to that camp because she had a bad feeling about it?"
Winter pursed her lips.
"So no one is more worried than Shine is, and I don't carry how much of a brat Yang has been--we would never want a kid to suffer," Wally said. "I'm sure it's tearing up both of us just as much as you. But we don't want all of you to go down with them. So just...lay off, all right? I think this idea could work."
"I agree," Pyrrha said quickly. "And I'm sure you two are worried. I've never doubted that."
"I don't even think Qrow is right," Jaune spoke up. "Shine told me the very first day I met her that she'd experienced a loss like how we lost Pyrrha."
"Oh right, I remember that," Wally said. "We talked about that later... That feels like a long time ago, now."
"Yeah, and I remember that I asked later if Shine got her friend back too," Jaune said. "And she told me she didn't."
"She didn't?" Pyrrha had not heard this.
"Wow, really?" Emerald said. "But why not? If she can..."
"She said she didn't know," Jaune said. "Just that sometimes it's meant to happen, I guess...and it's not up to her to decide. I thought it was so strange that she wasn't angry about it. She seemed upset about losing her friend."
"It was her student," Wally said. "And Shine treats all her students like their her kids. It's really sweet."
"Yeah, she does," Emerald admitted.
"That girl was someone no one thought was ever going to change," Wally recalled. "Even said it was impossible. Shine went in and just talked to her, and she left with us... She was really scared, and Shine was really patient with her. None of us got it... I tried to, and I think I kind of understood later...but she died. Right in front of both of us.... That's kind of how we got close...but it was also hard--for me too, but for her more because it was more personal. She was right there, but she couldn't do a thing."
Winter made a sort of gasping sound of comprehension.
Qrow glanced at Wally strangely.
"Ouch..." Tai said. "I've...never had that happen to me."
"You wouldn't know that to talk to her," Pyrrha said.
"She's not the only one," Wally said. "I've been too late before. All of you have, right? Look, it's not something we need to dwell on, I think. Life is life, but it hurts too. And you shouldn't think that we don't get it. Sometimes it's just someone's time, though...and that's okay. But it takes...a long time to accept that when you have powers like this. I'm still working on it." He smiled sheepishly. "I'm going to check on her now... If she's ready, can we go back to the plan?"
"The second time she's walked out since we started this thing," Robyn said. "All of you should really ease up on your teammates. They're not your punching bags."
"Thanks, Robyn," Wally said. "You're really pretty cool."
"Yay, I moved up from a lousy politician to pretty cool." Robyn made a championship fist motion.
Wally sped out of the room.
"I suppose you feel pretty stupid now," Jaune said to Qrow.
"I didn't know..." Qrow did sound ashamed of himself.
"You didn't ask!" Pyrrha said warmly, but then she stopped. "Still, neither did I..."
"I don't think they bring it up too much," Jaune said. "I feel like Shine only told me to help me, not to make me feel sorry for her. And you know, I'm not sure I feel sorry for her exactly. I guess it's real life. I just think they're handling it better than us, and I want to know why. But it doesn't make me mad at them."
His point was pretty clear.