"Mantle Five-One. Welcome home. Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security team will meet you there. Over"
Kai Blaze frowned at the voice coming from the radio, "I don't like this". Next to him, Ruby Rose looked around at the surrounding Atlas fleet with a tense expression on her face, "I don't understand. What's happening here?" Qrow Branwen shifted in his seat, with a frown of his own, "I don't know"
"But we are here," Jaune Arc steppped forward from the sides of Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren and Oscar Pine, "We got the lamp to Atlas so, I guess we land and get some answers"
Kai: "Assuming we don't get arrested first" Weiss Schnee nodded, her eyebrows tensing slightly, "Kai's right. I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship there's no way the security team will let us get anywhere near Ironwood" her eyes shifted down to the floor, "They might even take me back to my father" Yang Xiao Long exchanged worried glances with Ruby, and beside Weiss, their faunus teammate Blake Belladonna shifted uncomfortably, "So...now what?"
Weiss: "Winter..." Her eyes lit up as she brought out her scroll to contact her sister, "She might be able to help" Kai noddded and turned to Maria Calavera, "Okay in the meantime, put some distance between us and the fleet"
Maria: "You don't have to tell me twice" Taking hold of the controls, Maria spurred the ship forward once more, but not towards the floating city. Instead they headed down below Atlas, to the city that lay in its shadow.
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~The city of Mantle~
"...we understand that these are uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is different..."
The group looked out the window of the air ship as they sailed through the streets of Mantle, at the giant screen which currently displayed a public broadcast from the general.
Ironwood: "...The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That, is my promise..."
Kai: "General Ironwood..."
Yang: "He looks..."
Ruby: "...Tired" Qrow's shoulders sagged as he heaved out a sigh, "James...what have you been doing...?" The group watched the situation of the city below them. Atlas soldiers and drones paraded the streets, while the civillians moved around them with wary steps.
Weiss: "This isn't right. None of this is right" Just then the radio came live again, "Mantle Five-One, we have noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega-12 immediately, do you copy, over"
Kai: "Jeez give it a rest will you?"
Maria: "We're kind of running out of time here kids"
Yang: "We need to ditch this ship" Qrow nodded, "Agreed. Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time."
Weiss: "I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood" Blake looked out the window, "Uh...Weiss?" Weiss raised a brow came to stand by Blake, looking out the window as well. Her eyes widened as her sister's face filled the broadcast screen.
Winter: "Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personel is a punishable offence. If your sector is under lock down, please act in accordance to the instructions assigned"
Weiss: "Winter...?"
Qrow: "No offence Weiss, but I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore"
Kai: "You haven't reached her yet have you? Seems we'll have to keep it that way" Weiss turned to face them with a scowl, "There's obviously something very wrong here, if we can just talk to her then we..."
Qrow: "Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle" Weiss began to protest, "But..."
Maria: "Everyone calm down." She sighed before going on, "I know someone who can help with both"
Radio: "Mantle Five-One! You are to make your..." Maria frowned and switched off the radio with a grunt, "Take a hint lady"
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Maria looked left, and then right. With a nod, she stepped out of the alleyway and began to walk down the glum looking streets of Mantle, followed closely by Qrow, and then the rest of the kids. It was hard not to take in the state of affairs as they passed by run down buildings, bad roads, dark alleyways, news screeens talking about an upcoming election, and most importantly, the barrage of soldiers posted on every corner.
Maria: "Come now, hurry. It shouldn't be much of a walk"
Jaune: "Is this many soldiers...normal?"
Weiss: "No..." she narrowed her eyes sadly, "...at least, I didn't think so". Yang and Kai walked on silently, trailing behind the group. The blonde suddenly stopped, and turned as she noticed a drone on the street, which had its camera pointed straight at her and Kai.
Kai: "Just ignore it" Yang nodded and walked ahead with Kai, but then the drone followed them, coming in close. This time, Kai turned towards it, looking into the camera with a raised brow, "Maybe it wants something?" Just then, a sudden flash of white light filled his vision, as the drone apparently snapped a photo of him.
Kai: "What the...?"
Yang: "That's it" She stepped forward and, with a swift kick, launched the drone out into the middle of the road, where it got run over by an incoming car.
Yang: "Maybe we should pick up the pace" Kai nodded, "Agreed" and the two of them hurried up to rejoin the rest of the group.
Maria: "You have to remember, the Kingdom had just lost the Great War. The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future. And that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is about as bright as it gets" The group watched as a truck passed by, full of dirty, dejected workers. Nora folded her arms, "Unless you're the one having to look up at it"
Blake: "This whole city, it just seems awful"
Kai: "Tell me about it" Just then, a man stumbled out in the street from the front of a nearby building. He swayed heavily on his feet, and he gripped a flask tightly in his right hand. He looked at the group and spoke loudly, "Yeah? You don't like it here? There'sss plenty of ssspace out in the tundra" Blake sighed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Drunk: "Atlas is the greatest Kingdom in the world, alright?!" Kai took a step forward, but Blake immediately pulled him back, accompanied with a shake of her head, "Don't Kai, we can't cause a scene" Kai let out a sigh of his own, before stepping backwards again, just as another drunken man spoke up from the steps in front of the same building.
Drunk(#2 I guess?): "The embargo...the embargo's got us in a rough patch, but it'll blow over. You'll see"
Drunk #1: "We try and help the other kingdoms and this is what happens? I say let 'em rot!"
Blake: "I apologise. I didn't mean to insult you" The man spat onto the street, "Stupid faunus like you wouldn't understan... woah!" His sentence was cut off, as he mysteriously rose into the air and fell right into a nearby dumpster. Kai and the girls turned around to see a slightly ticked off Weiss. As their gazes fell on her, she shrugged, "It was worth it"
Kai: "We better get moving, now" He ushered the girls away quickly to join the rest of the group, just as a pair of Atlas soldiers began to come over to see what the commotion was about.
Maria stopped in front of the side door of a building, which opened up to let a faunus girl walk out. A voice from inside called out to her, "And no more heavy lifting, you hear?" to which the girl smiled and waved a mechanical arm before walking off down the street. Maria nodded to the group before stepping inside with a smile, "Ah it's good to see you, old friend" The group stepped inside to see a kind faced bespectacled old man seated behind a desk, who returned Maria's smile with one of his own, though it seemed like the smile had a certain awkwardness to it, "Ah, yes yes..." he then leaned on his table and peered at her more closely, "...have we met?"
Ren: "Well this is off to a fantastic start" Maria pointed to her googles, "Cybernetic optical implants? You adjust them? Every ten years or so?" The old man peered at her again through his spectacles for what felt like a minute, before exclaiming, "Maria, yes, with the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so" his chair moved from behind the desk to come around into the open, which was when everyone noticed that he was confined to the chair, which had mechanical limbs attached at the bottom to enable his movement. He held out his hand and Maria took it gladly as he spoke, "Has it been that long already?"
Maria: "I know, I age like a fine wine. Would have been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time I thought they might need my guidance" The old man helped Maria climb onto a bed which sat in a corner of the room, giving an amused laugh, "Oh, did they?" Maria shook her head with equal amusement, "No no, they had much more complicated issues"
Qrow: "Ahem..." He walked to the front of the group, followed closely by Kai, "...and this is?"
Maria: "So impatient. I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds" Yang raised a brow, "Working in a place like this?" As if on cue, a loose wooden board fell off from the ceiling with a creak.
Kai: "No offence but, you'd think the 'finest mind in Atlas' would be, well, in Atlas"
Maria: "He likes to keep a low profile, something I realise none of you know anything about" The spectacled man smiled, "You can call me Pietro"
Maria: "Finest heart too. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas, alondside Ironwood up in the clouds" Pietro laughed, "Oh it's stuffy up there. Down here I get to help the locals, and have a little fun." He leaned in conspiratorially, "I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try em on?"
Nora: "YES!"
Yang: "You should order a pair Kai. You definitely need it" Kai rolled his eyes with a small smile, before speaking to Pietro, "Well if that's your idea of fun, mind taking a look at this for me?" He pulled out Raze from his back and held it out towards Pietro who was peering at the blade closely, "...that crack on the side just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Maybe replace the parts or something?"
Pietro: "This metal..." He held Raze in his hands, examining it carefully, "...how did this happen? It would have taken an impossible amount of pressure to make an indentation of this size" Kai chuckled lightly, "You have no idea" Just then Pietro frowned, then looked up at Kai, "Where did you get this weapon?" Kai raised a brow warily, and behind him the whole group tensed, "What do you mean...? It's mine"
Pietro: "No..." He looked down at Raze again, "...it might have been ages ago, but I knew this blade looked familiar. I made this weapon. It should belong to..." His eyes widened as he looked at Kai again, "Black hair, bright blue eyes, dressed like a shadow...you're...you're the Blazing Huntsman!" Kai blinked, "Uh..." Yang stepped forward, holding out her right arm in front of Kai, "Okay, no need to fret, we just wanted some information." Pietro's spectacled eyes fell on Yang's outstretched arm, as he exclaimed, "You...painted it!"
Yang: "What?"
Weiss: "Hold on, what's going on?" Pietro's eyes fell on her next, "You're...Weiss Schnee!" He then looked around at all of them, and a smile grew on his face, "You're Kai and Team RWBY!" The group looked at each other in shock.
Kai: "Okay this is weird"
Ruby: "You know us?" The old man laughed, "Oh my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about all of you" Ruby raised a brow, "Your daughter?"
Qrow: "Okay, as fantastic as this all may be, we came here for a reason"
Yang: "Right, we came to Atlas hoping to talk with General Ironwood, but..."
Kai: "Things aren't really what we expected"
Blake: "What exactly has been happening here?"
After a brief coughing fit, Pietro responded sadly, "The Fall of Beacon, took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you what exactly it was he saw there, but I suppose you lot would know that better than me. Whatever it was, it changed him. He's..."
Qrow: "He's scared..."
Pietro: "Paranoid would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, it wasn't just the grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their plaything. Made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that, is either a genius, or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both. And so does the general" The group went silent, as they all processed this new bit of information.
Ren: "Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought."
Oscar: "After we came all this way? We can't just leave, can we?"
Kai: "We're not going anywhere kid, not until we speak to Ironwood"
Weiss: "How does the council feel about all of this? Or my sister, Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"
Pietro: "Well the council's so scared they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though some representatives of Mantle are..." Suddenly, an alarm blared through the city, and people's terrified screams could be heard from the streets.
Jaune: "Trouble" Jaune dashed out, followed by Team RWBY and the rest of the group. Kai walked over to pick up Raze from Pietro's hands, "Maybe repairs can wait". The old man shook his head, tightening his grip on the weapon, "I wouldn't advise taking this blade into battle anymore"
Kai: "Huh?"
Pietro: "The damage on the side is more dangerous than you think. The weapon is practically unstable. Pouring your semblance into it might cause a reaction that can no longer be contained within the blade. Honestly it's a miracle that it hasn't exploded already"
Kai: "I don't exactly have a choice, I'll take the risk" He reached out to take the blade again, but Pietro remained adamant, "It's not safe! You kids shouldn't even be fighting out there, you're just putting yourselves in danger!" Kai could hear growls and grunts, along with the sounds of gunfire and the swings of blades, coming from the streets outside. The battle had already begun.
Maria: "Ah don't waste your breath old friend," She shook her head with a smile, "Once these kids set their minds to something, it's almost scary how determined they can be. It's how they've managed to make it this far" Kai reached out his arm again with determined eyes, "I'm not just gonna sit back while my friends fight" Pietro hesitated, then sighed, "Fine..." He handed over the blade to Kai, who accepted it gladly, "...but it would be advisable for you not to use your semblance on it for the time being"
Kai: "Well that's no problem..." he smirked, "...I am still a huntsman afterall" and with that, he dashed outside.
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The battle against invading grimm was well underway. It was uncertain as to how the grimm got past city defences in the first place, but the guess was that the defences weren't doing so good, like the rest of the city. Oscar found himself isolated at the back of the battle, where a single Sabyr grimm had broken off from the rest and found it's way to him. As it let out a loud growl and dashed towards him, the farm boy steeled himself, and gripping his(Ozpin's) cane tightly, he dashed forward as well. With a yell, he flipped over the grimm at the last second, striking the cane into the exposed spot on its back, before landing heavily on his feet. The sabyr growled weeakly, before collapsing on the ground, disintegrating into black smoke and ash. Oscar looked on, pleased with himself, when another growl came at him from behind. But before he could turn around, the sabyr pounced.
Kai moved quickly, occupying the space inbetween the boy and the monster, then slashed his blade in a flash across the exposed underside of the sabyr. As the grimm disintegrated, he looked over his shoulder back at Oscar, who gave him a nod of gratitude. Nodding back with a smile, he moved forward to join the battle.
Kai: "Hey! You guys leave any for me?"
Weiss: "Where have you been?" She barely glanced over as she asked, using her glyphs to raise a grouop of 5 sabyrs in the air. Without missing a beat, Kai dashed into the air ahead, then launched into a spin. In a clean move, he had cleaved through all 5 grimm, and landed on his feet neatly while they all turned to ash. He turned to Weiss with a smirk.
Kai: "Thought I'd let you guys have some fun first" Weiss rolled her eyes, but she returned his smile. Kai dashed forward again, light and agile on his feet, his blade moving in a silver flash as he flipped, dodged, sliced and tore through grimm after grimm with ease.
Just then, as he was about to cut through another sabyr that was about to pounce on him, a green beam of light came from the sky, tearing right through the grimm, cutting it in half. Everyone stopped, their attention now fully on the object in the sky. More and more green lasers dropped down onto the streets of Mantle as they watched, accurately targeting the grimm, eliminating the attacking sabyrs in an instant. The source of the lasers hovered high up in the air before them, before gently coming down for a landing, the robotic thrusters on their legs kicking up a small cloud of dust as they did so. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise as the dust cleared and the newcomer stood up straight. Ruby let out a soft gasp, as she quickly recognized the girl that stood before them.
Kai: "No way..."
Ruby: "Penny...!"