"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby spoke up, breaking the silence as the group sat glumly in the back of the airship transporting them to Atlas.
Qrow: "I'm gonna go with jail"
Kai: "Still think we can see the General?" Qrow sighed, "We'll figure it out kid"
Jaune: "I still can't believe that 'fishing-pole' guy took most of us out like it was nothing"
Weiss: "Welcome to Atlas. Those, were Ironwood's Ace Operatives"
???: "Hm? You guys had a run in with the Ace Ops?" Everyone turned to the far corner of the vehicle, where a man was seated, going completely unnoticed till now, "Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you"
Kai rolled his eyes, "They're not that big of a deal"
Forest: "Not that big of a deal?! The Ace Ops are the elite of elite military huntsmen..." he added with spite, "...and Ironwood's personal attack dogs"
Nora: "So they got you too huh" Forest scoffed loudly, "I wouldn't let myself get caught by them. I'm here because I've been speaking out against Atlas' exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me!" At that, one of the pilots turned around, "You threw a brick at our ship"
Forest: "It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!"
Blake: "Our cause?"
Kai: "What cause exactly?"
Forest: "The fight for better conditions in Mantle, led by the charismatic, talented, lovely, Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses!" At this point the pilots had had enough of Forest's ranting, so they pressed a button and the partition between the front and the back began to raise. But he wasn't going down that easily, as he continued to yell at them while the partition raised slowly, "They were all top Atlas Academy graduates who could have signed up for the military, but Robyn and the huntresses chose to stay in Mantle. She's gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's council! And when she gets it she's gonna put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!" Forest let out a sigh as the partition finally closed.
Oscar: "Happy...Huntresses?" Yang rolled her eyes, "Is that their real name?"
Weiss: "Don't you think tyranny is a little dramatic?" Forest turned around to face Weiss, and recognition dawned on his face, "Easy to say for a Schnee heiress, living comfortably up in Atlas" At that Weiss' face fell, and she let out a sad sigh, "Not anymore"
Meanwhile, the transport airship rose up into the majestic landscape of Atlas, and the group stared out of the windows in awe, letting out soft gasps.
Ruby: "It's gorgeous up here" Forest joined the kids in looking out the window, and a look of mild panic crossed his face, "This isn't the police station..."
"...It's...Atlas Academy"
The ship lowered gently onto the Atlas Academy landing pad, where some more of Atlas' military guards were waiting. The doors were opened, and the group stepped out slowly. One by one, they stared up at the towering and imposing form of the Atlas Academy building.
Ruby: "I guess we will be seeing the General. For better or worse"
.
.
.
The elevator ride to the top of the tower was an uneasy one. Whether it was because of the two guards that flanked them, the eerie silence, or the uncertainty of their fate, it was unsure. Ren spoke in a low tone, "So, what do we do?"
Ruby: "I don't know yet, but we should be careful with what we say"
Blake: "We'll follow your lead Ruby" Ruby gave her teammate an appreciative smile as the elevator doors opened up again. Qrow and Kai trailed along at the back of the group.
Kai: "Why do you think we were taken here and not to the station?"
Qrow: "Probably because Ironwood wants to deal with the 'intruders' himself"
Kai: "Should we consider that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Qrow: "I guess we'll find out kid"
Just then, the group entered into a hallway, and by some coincidence, or twist of fate, three individuals walked right past. General Ironwood himself, Winter Schnee, and...
Penny: "Yay! You're here!" At the sound of her voice, the General and Winter stopped in their tracks and turned around to face the group, their eyes going wide.
Weiss: "Winter..." Winter let out a soft gasp, as she gazed upon her younger sister, a mix of expressions covering her face. Relief, joy, sadness, regret. Nora interrupted, raising her restrained hands, "Anyone wanna give us a hand with these?" Winter turned to face the two guards sternly, "You have 10 seconds to take those off before I start hurting you"
Guards: "Huh?" They looked at each other in confusion before looking back at Winter's unwavering glare. Then, quick as a flash, they both got to work undoing the restraints on all the members of the group, mumbling apologies all the way.
"So, General..." Kai spoke up, rubbing his wrists, "...where can we talk?"
.
.
.
~Ironwood's Office~
Ironwood: "Please, come in" The general ushered everyone into his massive and spacious office, "It is so good to see all of you"
Yang: "Our reception didn't really convey that" Ironwood sighed heavily, and began to walk to his desk, "I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team. When a rogue airship entered our airspace, it raised some...red flags" He moved beind the desk and sat on his chair, with Penny and Winter flanking him on both sides, "We assumed the ship was stolen" Kai smirked, "You know, now that you mention it, there might have been a bit of hijacking in Argus". The General raised a brow, then an impressed smile crossed his lips. Meanwhile, Winter wasn't so amused.
Winter: "You stole an Atlas airship?" She left her position at Ironwood's side and began to walk towards Weiss in particular, scolding her all the way, "What were you thinking? You might have been shot down! How unbeleivably irresponsible of..." Her ranting was cut short by Weiss, who pulled her sister into a hug.
Weiss: "I'm sorry I worried you. But we did what we had to do"
Winter: "I..." she sighed and put her arms around Weiss as well, "...I suppose I understand" Her attention then went to Qrow, as she scowled at him, "But I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow" Qrow simply laughed, "You try stopping these kids when they have their minds set on something. Speaking of which..." his expression became serious and he turned to face the General, "...We have some important information for you that's...confidential" He gave a meaningful glance at Penny and Winter.
Penny: "Oh, is it about the relics?"
Winter: "Or perhaps the Winter maiden?" Qrow stared at Ironwood in shock, "You told them?" The General simply smiled, then reached beneath his desk and brought out an object, placing it on the table.
The Relic of Knowledge.
Ironwood: "Did you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace Ops too. Which is why I'm so glad you're here, with this" he gestured to the lamp, "Until now, I beleived it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning, stronger and stronger. Unless we destroy her" At that, the group shared uneasy glances.
Ruby: "What about the Atlas relic?"
Ironwood: "You mean the Staff of Creation"
Penny: "It's safe inside the vault"
Kai: "And the Winter Maiden? Do you know where she is?"
Winter: "She is secure, and in stable condition" Kai raised a brow, "Stable condition? What's wrong with her?"
Qrow: "She's uh, not exactly a spring chicken" Ironwood sighed again, "I know how this all looks. Recalling my military, the embargo...I probably don't seem the most trustworthy right now."
Blake: "Then why continue it?"
Nora: "The people of Mantle are hurting"
Ironwood: "I needed to ensure that Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas, and I wanted my military HERE, protecting my people"
Yang: "But it's not protecting them, it's making everyone hate you" The general let out yet another sigh, "It's a price I'm willing to pay" He pressed a button on his desk, and the room went dark, as shutters came down to block out the massive windows and skylight. Ironwood walked to the centre of the room where a platform rose from the floor, "Just as you all have been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me. I have a plan. Ozpin believed that the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not, isn't for me to say, but we find ourselves in the position of needing, well, a new approach"
Kai: "Okay, and this plan of yours is?" The general simply produced a small device and pressed a button. A familiar looking hologram appeared above the raised platform, it's soft blue light illuminating the entire room.
Jaune: "That's...Amity Colosseum"
Oscar: "Where the Vytal Festival is held?"
Ironwood: "Indeed. When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together. And it will serve that purpose once again" Ironwood pressed another button, and a new structure appeared on top of Amity Colosseum. A communications tower.
Penny: "Isn't it great? We're not going to just replace Beacon Tower, building a new tower on top of Amity Colosseum will re-establish global communications!"
Winter: "By launching the tower high into the atmosphere, our scientists believe we can create a sort of satellite, out of reach of the Grimm and capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower"
Ruby: "That...is great"
Qrow: "James...you don't need the entire military for this"
Ironwood: "I will for the next part...where I finally tell the people about Salem"
Kai: "I'm sorry, what?"
Qrow: "So that's why you withdrew your troops...to handle the panic that would break out in Atlas"
Ironwood: "Yes, panic is inevitable. And panic brings grimm. But I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity tower to spread the message to all of Remnant"
Kai: "You can't be serious. You're talking about inciting world wide panic."
Weiss: "Everything will fall apart, the grimm will be everywhere"
Winter: "You're right. But Atlas is willing and prepared to assist"
Ironwood: "Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all" With the press of another button, the hologram disappeared and the platform returned into the floor, while the shutters re-opened.
Qrow: "Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret"
Ironwood: "I know. But since Beacon, things have changed. Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgement" The unnatural silence that followed after his statement prompted the general to raise a brow, "What is it?"
Kai: "Well the thing is..."
Oscar shifted on his feet, "Oz isn't completely gone..."
Qrow: "Oscar here is...the next Ozpin" Ironwood's face lit up with an expression they had never seen before, "Oz?" He walked over quickly to the farm boy, "I'm so glad you're here I didn't think you..."
Oscar: "Not quite...he's kind of, um, gone...at the moment" Ironwood frowned slightly, "That's not normal. How did he..."
Ruby: "We don't know" At that, all eyes fell onto Ruby as she continued, "We were in a train crash, and then suddenly Oz wasn't there anymore" The rest of the group exchanged subtle glances at Ruby's false information, but kept silent. Ironwood let out a disappointed sigh, "That's the worst news yet." He turned to face Ruby fully, "Did you learn anything from him about the relics before..."
Ruby: "He told us the lamp can answer three questions...but, all the questions were used up already"
Ironwood: "Right, right" He turned around and walked over to his desk, "Ozpin told us that too, once upon a time. At least we have you Oscar. You're safe here in Atlas. Maybe together we can figure out a way to bring Ozpin back"
Oscar: "Thank you, sir. I mean uh, General. Ironwood?" Ironwood simply smiled, and then picked up the lamp from the table, before walking over to Ruby, holding it out to her.
Ruby: "You're giving it back to me?"
Ironwood: "After what happened with the Ace Ops, I don't want you to think I'm keeping anything from you. Especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here"
Ruby: "Um, thank you" she took the relic from the General, and attached it to her hip once more.
Ironwood: "We must work together if we're to fight Salem and win. Now, if you're all on board..." Everyone looked at each other, slowly coming to an agreement.
Kai: "Awaiting orders, General"
Ruby: "Tell us how we can help" Ironwood smiled, "Good. Because getting the Amity tower ready to launch won't be easy. But first, I think we need to get those weapons of yours, up to our standards" As if to make his point, a screen appeared, showing Blake weilding the lower half of her broken blade.
Kai: "Ouch". Blake looked away, embarrassed.
Winter: "Remember, this is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipments our scientists can devise" Small whoops and cheers erupted from the students at the statement.
Kai: "Well, this should be interesting"