(Oscar Pine and Faunus are gathered in the slums in the crater beneath Atlas, using blankets and Schnee Dust Company crates as seats. An older man with furry clawed hands steps out of a small home made from corrugated metal and thrusts a bowl of something at Oscar, who looks confused. The man gives an encouraging nod, and Oscar takes a sip from the bowl)
Oscar: Thank you.
(Oscar hands the bowl back, and the man gives a nod and a grunt in response before walking away)
Ozpin: (in Oscar's mind) Heads up.
(A small Atlas airship flies overhead, and the Faunus flee the area. Oscar picks up The Long Memory and stands up, watching the ship with suspicion. The side door slides open to reveal Ruby and vortex, who waves)
Ruby: Need a lift?
Vortex: Come farm hand.
(Oscar relaxes, and is soon after inside the ship with Ruby, Vortex, Weiss and Maria as it flies over Mantle)
Oscar: I was stupid to think the general would listen. Every choice I've made was the wrong one, and now.
Blastoff: The people out in trouble.
(The ship flies over a street where people are using fires to keep warm while a Grimm siren blares)
Ruby: We all did what we thought was best. I'm just glad you're alright.
(Ruby places her hand on his shoulder and offers a comforting smile. Below, Joanna peeks out at the ship from around a corner, and then steps out into the open and waves her arms at it. Maria who is piloting the ship, looks down at her)
Maria: Yeah, yeah, I see you.
(Maria lowers the ship to land, and she, Ruby, Weiss and Oscar soon hurry down a sidewalk to Joanna, who ushers them into an alleyway)
Joanna: Inside! Hurry!
(A camera drone comes hovering along, and just as it turns to look at Joanna, she shoots it down and then runs into the alley. Inside a restaurant kitchen, May leaned over a map on the counter, speaking over a communication device. While she talks, Ruby, Vortex, Weiss, Oscar, Maria and Joanna walk inside and head across the kitchen)
May: I know, Sector 3 is going to need the most help. I'm sending backup your way right now. Fiona, do you copy? We need transport from Sector 3 to the crater.
Fiona: (comms) Copy!
(In the dining area, Brawl, Blastoff, Swindle, Jaune, Yang, Blake, Ren and Nora are sitting at tables while Penny and Pietro watch the news. The news network is displaying a "Fugitives" notice for Team COMBAT, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Oscar, Maria, Penny and Pietro)
News: --once heroes, are now fugitives on the run. Many in Mantle are left to wonder what the future will--
(As Ruby's group enters the room, Nora turns and stands from her chair, smiling. She approaches Oscar, who recoils in fear, turning his head to the side, closing his eyes and putting his hands up to stop the tackle that he assumes is coming. Instead, Nora calmly walks over and hugs him, much to his surprise. He relaxes and hugs back, and Weiss and Ruby smile at the scene)
Blake: (voice shaking) When we heard you went off after Ironwood on your own, we...
Blastoff: We didn't thick were see you again.
(Nora lets go and walks away)
Weiss: How did you end up down in the slums?
Oscar: It's a... (sighs) long story. I get the feeling there's been a few of those tonight.
Swindle: Yeah no kidding.
(Everyone looks at Penny, who looks down at her hands)
Ozpin: (in Oscar's mind) You're not going to tell them?
Oscar: (in his mind) You and I aren't done talking yet.
(Oscar's eyes widen slightly as he realizes someone is missing from the group)
Oscar: Where's Onslaught and Qrow?
(They all lower their gazes, but at their brawl just get up move about)
Ruby: We don't know. The last we heard they wore with Robyn, but.
Blastoff: We know what happened to them.
(Blastoff plays a video)
Onslaught: Team if you can hear me well clover is dead the leader of the ace ops is dead he was killed by tyrian with qrow weapons. (An air ship flys over) look I don't have much time and I don't think I can get away in time but don't worry about I'll find a way out I'll find you just remember to—
Jaune: so they got him.
Yang: He probably lock up.
(Joanna then enters from the kitchen)
Joanna: Alright, your friend is back now.
(She walks further into the room to stand in front of them)
Joanna: You ready to work?
Brawl: Work?
(She is met with silence. Joanna turns to look through a box of supplies and continues talking)
Joanna: (sighs) The largest Grimm horde ever seen is hovering over the tundra, and out there is a city full of people with no heat and, from what you told us, no more military protection. And while we're happy to give you guys a place to lie low for a while... It's time to get those people some help.
Ren: How? Ironwood is stopping all evacuations to Atlas. And we can't get them out of the city with Salem's forces surrounding us.
Blastoff: And we couldn't grab our ship when we were leaving atlas.
Swindle: We have engines all around us and no ship where can the civilian even go?
Joanna: The crater. Beneath Atlas. It's not safe, but it's warm, and with everyone in one place, we can do a better job protecting them. May can send you where you're needed most. We've got to get everyone down into that crater before nightfall. In the slums, we might have a chance.
(She turns and heads back toward the kitchen)
Weiss: We're never going to sleep again, I just know it.
(Joanna stops with her hand on the door and turns to look at Weiss)
Joanna: Either you're helping... or you're baggage.
(She then exits into the kitchen. Yang gets up and moves to stand in front of everyone)
Yang: We need to get out there and do what we can for Mantle.
(While Yang speaks, a view of the near future shows Yang running through an alley in Mantle. As present day Ruby begins speaking, future Yang spots a pair of Sabyrs around the corner and hides against the wall)
Ruby: We need to do what we can for everyone. What about Amity? And telling the world about Salem? We can't do this alone. We need help.
Blake: Ruby's right. The Happy Huntresses are handling the evacuation better than we could. And there's a bigger picture.
Yang: But Amity isn't even finished. It was still under construction.
Blastoff: Yeah but I got to be somewhat functional?
(Ruby turns to Pietro)
Ruby: Doctor? What would you need to launch Amity now?
Pietro: Uh... We've made decent progress on construction and fuel collection, all potentially manageable, but uh... hm... Amity was designed so it couldn't launch itself without first being granted clearance from General Ironwood's terminal.
Blastoff: Great dad thanks for making things compacted.
(Yang turns to Ruby with her arms crossed and lowers her arms as she speaks. Ruby, meanwhile, is thinking)
Yang: Ruby, there is no way Ironwood will cooperate with us.
Swindle: He doesn't need to all we need it the green light for the terminal.
Ruby: Right.
Yang: You want to go back to the academy?
(The view changes to Ruby on a Mantle rooftop in the near future, as she hurries with her hood on her head and hides from a drone camera behind an air conditioning unit)
Pietro: Actually. there is more than one terminal. The one in his office and uh... one in the main Atlesian Military Compound. at the base of the city. You'd have to get into the compound somehow, then, uh, get inside the operations room, and then... hoo boy... I might need to think about this some more.
Blastoff: Well I've bin their more times then I can count so I bet I can find a way inside. And then help us find our way.
(Oscar looks at Ruby)
Oscar: And just to clarify, this is the easy option?
Yang: What i think doc here is trying to say is that it can't be done. It's pointless. And even if you got the message out, there's no guarantee help would come.
(Ruby becomes annoyed while Yang speaks)
Ruby: It's not pointless! Atlas is only Salem's current target. She's not hiding anymore and once she's done here she'll move on to the rest of Remnant. We need to warn them!
Vortex: Yang. Ruby has a point.
(Yang stands in silence for a moment)
Yang: Ruby. when we came here, we said we'd follow your lead. but. things haven't exactly worked out.
(Ruby recoils somewhat with a mix of emotions on her face. Yang's statement elicits various reactions from Weiss, Nora, Oscar and Penny, as well)
Yang: I just--
(Ren steps forward, interrupting Yang)
Ren: There are people here who need us right now.
Ren: That's something we can actually do.
Nora: But this isn't about just Atlas. Ruby's right. It's about all of Remnant. They need to know in Vacuo, in Mistral, in Vale, what's coming. So they can prepare.
Swindle: I I seen what Nora means if we can get a broadcast out and tell everyone maybe we can stop more people for dyeing.
(Jaune steps between Ren and Nora, putting his hands up to each of them)
Jaune: Okay. Okay... Then let's go for both. (gesturing to Nora and then Ren) Get Amity up and running and evacuate Mantle.
Ruby: But that's how Salem got this far - by dividing us. We have to stick together.
Oscar: No. What Salem wants is to turn us against each other. Just like this. Jaune has a point. We can work separately and still be united.
Penny: Or... let me take the Relic to Salem. and maybe she will call off her attack on the Kingdom.
Oscar: I don't think we can trust Salem to actually do that. And the moment she uses the Staff to create anything else, Atlas falls onto Mantle.
Blastoff: Well that something I can say dad didn't tell me about.
Yang: Nobody's turning you over to anybody. (giving a stern look toward Ruby and Nora) I think that's the one thing we could all agree on.
Ruby: (sighs) Okay. Then I guess we're going to Atlas. (to Pietro) Can you help us get to that terminal?
Pietro: I... suppose someone needs to help you bypass security.
Penny: (softly but firmly) I'll go.
(Pietro looks at Penny, who has her back turned)
Pietro: Penny, we can't risk—
(Penny turns to look at him, activating the Maiden flares in her eyes with a determined expression)
Penny: I'll go.
(But just everyone has a plan brawl takes both his fist and slams them onto the table breaking it it as her yells)
Brawl: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! ALL THIS TALKING IS GETTING US NO WHERE!!!
Yang: Brawl!
Brawl: WHAT DID YOU NEED A PLAN?! THE ONLY THING I NEED RIGHT NOW IS OUR HEAD HONCHO BACK!!!!
(He says as he slammed his first together)
Swindle: You think you're the only one who misses the boss.
Blastoff: We all need onslaught back but we can't we don't even know where he is or if he's even—
Brawl: DON'T YOU SAY IT! HE IS ALIVE I CAN FEEL AND HERE WE ARE TALK WHEN WE SHOULD JUST GO STRAIGHT UP TO IRONWOOD BREAK HIM AND A FEW SKULL AND GET THE BOSS BACK!!!
Vortex: Guys. guys. come where all the love?
Blastoff: Ah what our we suppose to do.
Swindle: Without someone to lead us.
Vortex: Ok we split up.
Three: What?!
Vortex: We split up blastoff you know atlas better than anyone. swindle theirs nothing you can't hack or unlock. So the two of you go with ruby. While Brawl and I help the citizens.
Brawl: What why.
Vortex: Because right now the people and getting the word out is important. We do all this then we go and get qrow and the boss back.
Brawl: Fine! But I can't promise I'm not going to punch each and everyone of you when this is over.
Swindle: Works for me.
Blastoff: I guess.
Vortex: Good now let's move.
(Yang, vortex, brawl, Ren, jaune and Oscar begin walking toward the kitchen, and Blake watches her with a sad expression)
Pietro: Yang.
(Yang stops and looks at Pietro, who tosses her a key. As she looks at the key, the view changes again to future Yang, who looks at Pietro's pharmacy)
Pietro: Go by the pharmacy. I was developing some new tools for you all before... this happened. You're going to need them.
Vortex: Thanks doc.
Ren: Nora?
Nora: I'm going with Ruby.
Ren: But what about Mantle?
Nora: Oh, I'm saving Mantle! Because I actually believe we can do this.
Vortex: Ok everyone let's move.
(We all then split up as we go our own ways)