Daytime in Argus. At the Atlesian Military Base, various soldiers and guards work on their jobs. Weiss and Arion are walking with Cordovin and Saphron, who is holding her son Adrian in her arm. They are also escorted by the two Nubuck Guards. Weiss drags a large luggage case behind her.
Cordovin: Ah, I was relieved to hear that you came to your senses, Miss Schnee. Many of us were devastated when we heard you would be attending... (with disdain) Beacon Academy. Knowing that you'll be returning to Atlas just warms my old heart. And for your friend, he will be in the best hands of safety.
Arion: (pretending) Yeah, and I'm excited to see how great Atlas is when you so highly talk about your systems. Bluagh. Safety? More prison.
Weiss: (pretending) It was... time to get my act together and go back to my roots.
Cordovin: Oh, I can't wait to see you follow in your sister's footsteps. And for you I'm very pleased that you can't wait about Atlas' glory.
Weiss: (with an unenthusiastic smile) Absolutely...
Arion: Yeah. The most of Atlas' people are for sure as arrogant as Orlaisians.
Cordovin: I'm sending two of my best guards to personally escort you. Make sure General Ironwood hears that part. (winks and walks away)
Guard 1: Allow me to assist you with your bag. (hups over to pick up Weiss' luggage) My, what a heavy bag!
Weiss: (keeping her grip on her luggage) That's alright!
Guard 1: Nonsense!
Guard 2: Allow me to assist as well!
Arion: I can help her. (helps Weiss)
Weiss: I can take care of it by myself!
As Cordovin walks away, she overhears Weiss, Arion and the Guards conversation. She stops in her tracks and gains a suspicious look on her face. Saphron notices this.
Saphron: (whispering to Adrian) Just like we practiced.
Adrian nods at his mother. The baby then lets out a loud wail that can be heard throughout the base. Adrian "cries" as he fusses in his mother's arms. Arion who has sensitive ears must hold them closed with his hands.
Saphron: (pretending) Oh no! Look at that, he's just going to miss you so much! You should hurry on out of here!
Guard 1: A crying child?
Guard 2: We must console it!
The two guards hup over to Adrian as they perform weird poses to amuse him. Cordovin continues walking with an unamused look on her face. While they are distracted, Arion and Weiss quickly gets onto the airship with the luggage behind her.
Weiss: That was close.
Arion: They are really super wierd. And stubborn.
Ruby: (over earpiece) Is everything okay?
Maria: (from inside Weiss' luggage) Call me heavy... It's all muscle! I'll show them a thing or two about heavy!
Weiss: We're on board.
Elsewhere, Ruby, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Qrow wait along the cliffside between the forest and the ocean.
Ruby: Alright, we'll all watch our scrolls. The second Weiss is out of range of the comm tower, that'll mean she's out of range of the radar too.
Yang: (over radio) And that's when Blake steps in. We're almost at the drop off.
In another area, Yang is driving Bumblebee with Blake sitting behind her. Blake has her Scroll out receiving instructions from Terra.
Terra: Okay, remember: one, the radar box is seperate from the rest of the communications equipment. So if you disconnect it properly, it won't take out comms for the rest of the city. Two, this conversation never happened.
Blake: Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've disabled Atlas security.
Terra stares back with an unamused look.
Terra: Never. Happened.
Yang arrives at the drop off point. Blake steps off the bike and proceeds forward.
Yang: You sure I shouldn't come with?
Blake: More intruders means we're more likely to be seen. Besides, stealth isn't exactly your, um...
Yang stares back at Blake with her arms crossed.
Blake: I mean, you're great! And I'll hurry back.
Yang: (softening her expression) Go.
Blake smiles back at her before heading off.
Blake: (over comms) Heading in on foot. Won't be long.
Jaune: Yes! It's all going to plan!
Jaune then looks to Ren and Nora, who just stare at him with neutral looks.
Jaune: (clears throat) I mean, uh... roger.
Ren and Nora exchange a brief glance while rolling their eyes at their leader. Oscar notices Ruby looking over with concern to Qrow, who is leaning against a tree with an uneasy look on his face.
Oscar: (to Ruby) Hey, this is gonna work.
Ruby: Yeah.
On the airship, Weiss and Arion are sitting in a passenger seat. Weiss looks down at her scroll and notices her friends' signals slowly going out of range. Upon seeing this, Weiss and Arion nodding each other and Weiss makes her move. She gets up and heads toward the cockpit.
Guard 1: Miss Schnee! For your own safety, we must request--
Guard 2: What?!
Weiss activates a black glyph and throws the Guards tied together out with an open parachute. Weiss walks over to the controls with Maria taking the pilot's seat. Arion stands between them and holds the seats tight to not lose balance.
Arion: Finally, I was about to make ice sculputres with them frozen in ice and then throw from the airship.
Maria: (laughs) I like our magical friend.
Weiss: And you're sure you can fly this?
Maria: Missy, I was the Grimm Reaper! What part of "best Huntress of her generation" don't you understand?
Weiss: Right, but your eyes.
Maria chuckles as she notices a small device plugged in the controls. She takes out the device and plugs it into her goggles. Text on one of the screens read "TRANSMITTING SENSOR ARRAY DATA" as Maria's prosthetic eyes grow more wide.
Maria: You were saying?
Weiss: That you said your eyes were in desperate need of repair!
Maria: (holding a finger out at Weiss) Bup bup bup.
Weiss: But--
Maria: Bup!
Arion: Give it up, Weiss.
Maria: Clever boy! Hey, Arion, hold tight!
Weiss ultimately relents. She puts on her seatbelt and Arion graps the seat tighter as Maria starts to fly around.
Back on the ground
Ruby watches her scroll as Weiss' signal disappears.
Ruby: Alright guys, this is it. (placing her fingers on her ear) Blake, you're up.
No response.
Ruby: Blake?
Ruby looks back to her friends in worry. Meanwhile Yang sits on the ground next to Bumblebee.
Ruby: (over comms) Yang, what's going on?
Yang gets up and looks over to the relay tower.
Yang: I don't know...
Yang looks to her scroll and sees Weiss' signal coming back on.
Back on the airship
Terminal Soldier: Manta 5-1, this is Argus Base. We see you circled back. What's your status, over.
Arion: Oh crap.
Weiss: Why can they see us?
Maria: Somebody dropped the ball. Don't worry, I've worked with Atlas forces before. I know their jargon.
Arion: Somehow, I don't believe you about that.
Maria picks up the radio.
Maria: (clears throat) Argus Base, this is Manta 5-1. Feel free to gaff off. Thought we were going to scrub due to FOD, but we're back up and green across the board, over.
Static.
Terminal Soldier: Manta 5-1, return to base immediately, or you will be treated as hostile, over.
Weiss: I thought you said you knew their jargon!
Terminal Soldier: Jargon was fine, but our pilots aren't elderly women.
Maria: Huh, well they got me there! Ooh, my mind really is going! Why would you kids let me fly this thing?
Arion: Can you even explain me why I had to buy that yesterday? (holds a bag filled with cashews. Maria grins seeing them)
Maria: Give it to me. (grabs the bag)
Cordovin: (over radio) Calavera! You and those insolent children are up to something, aren't you?! You thought you could undermine my authority? If you don't return my ship this INSTANT, I will make an example out of you. I will show you the true might of Atlas!
Maria just starts to munch cashew over the radio.
Maria: You hear that, Cordo?
Maria munches on cashews with her mouth open. Gross.
Maria: That's the sound of me not caring! (manic laughter)
Arion: (holds more on Weiss' side tight) You're a really scary old woman!
Weiss: (putting her fingers to her ear) Ruby, we're in trouble. Cordo's onto us, and Maria isn't helping!
Back on the ground
Weiss: (radio) Why is the radar still up?!
Ruby: We don't know, Blake isn't responding.
Oscar: What do we do?!
Yang: (over comms) Keep the ship in one piece.
Nora: Maybe we should fly over to help Yang and Blake first?
Qrow: Damn it! Cordo's gonna scramble her fighters. We've got maybe ninety seconds before they're in the air, and all over Weiss, Arion and Maria. This is all my fault...
Jaune: What are you talking about? Your Semblance?
Qrow: Every choice I've ever made has led me here, and I've dragged you along with me. Oz, myself, the others... We're responsible for the mess the world's in now. I shouldn't have come, shouldn't have let any of you come... What was I thinking?!
Silence.
Ruby: We're all in this together, and we're all going to do the best we can. That's all anyone can do. And I know it's what you've always aimed for. We would've come whether or not you'd let us, so stop talking like we're your responsibility! We're not! But we could still use Qrow Branwen on our side.
Qrow ponders his niece's words.
Qrow: Hm... How did you grow up so fast?
Ruby: I had good role models.
The two share a smile.
Weiss: (over comms) Guys? She's not sending fighters...
The group looks over to the Argus base. Suddenly, the mountain at the base retracts, revealing a colossal mech that overlooks the city of Argus.
Cordovin: Clearly the people have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas!
Weiss: Is Cordovin... piloting that?
Cordovin: Consider this a reminder!
Cordovin charges up the mech's arm cannon, which lets out an electric burst that fires at the ship Weiss, Arion and Maria are piloting. The controls go critical as Maria's eyes spin.
Weiss: Are you okay?
Maria: I am, but she's clearly lost her mind!
Cordovin: And that was merely a warning shot! All Atlas personnel standby, and watch how your leader maintains order!
Ruby and her group look over to see Weiss, Arion and Maria fly in, with Cordovin in her mech following close behind.
Cordovin: It's time you asked yourselves, children... Do you truly wish to defy me?
Ruby: Hurry back, Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're gonna take this thing down. Arion, you turn into your bird form and look after Yang and Blake.
Arion: Got it. (turns into the eagle and flies to the tower)
Some time later when Arion still in bird form reaches the tower, Blake wasn't there anymore. Only a dead Atlas soldier and Blake's damaged Scroll. He then hears the sound of a motorcycle and sees from down Yang riding on Bumblebee and decides to follow her.
TBC