Beacon Academy at night is a rather spectacular sight. The lights shining in the windows seem to twinkle on through the night, while the green light in the tallest tower seemed to shine forth.
As dusk fell across the school, Team RWBY were out nearby their RWBY Jet, all of them relaxing and taking a breather from their schoolwork and combat classes. All the while, they were still coming to grips with their new jet aircraft to get to anywhere they wish to go.
"So, what do you girls want to do later on?" Ruby asked, who was sitting up on one of the folded wings of the jet.
"I was hoping to get some more of my work done." Weiss replied to her.
"Boring!" Ruby moaned. "I mean, something fun and exciting. You know what I mean, Yang?" She asked.
"I'm with you, Rubes." Yang agreed with her half-sister. "I mean, we've all had nothing but work for the past couple of days, and we are in real need of a break."
"I guess I'm with them." Blake added in, who was sitting in the front cockpit, reading her novel. "I mean, why don't we do something more exciting?"
"Why not go to a concert?" Team RWBY look over to see Team JNPR walking up to them. Nora has what looked to be holding a poster of sorts in her hand. "There's something pretty cool happening not far from here." She added, and she showed the poster.
The poster was in black with red writing on it. The main logo of the poster was the word 'Hex' inside of a red circle, written in a rather evil-looking style. Down below it, it reads this:
"'The Hex Girls'?" Ruby wondered with confusion laced in her voice. She hadn't heard of a band by that name at all.
"I've heard of them. They're a new goth rock band of girls, and they are pretty good." Yang spoke up, smiling. "They're close to making their first CD. There's also a few other bands that are gonna perform with them."
"We managed to get some tickets." Jaune then brought up about eight tickets from his pocket, which were black with red writing on them. "Wanna go see them?" He offered.
"Guess our night has been sorted for us." Yang announced to the girls. "I'm in." She replied to Jaune.
"So am I." Ruby added.
"I guess I'll go." Blake implied. She hoped down from the cockpit, and walked up.
"Weiss?" Ruby turned to the heiress.
Weiss stayed quiet for a moment, then breathed a exasperated sigh. "Okay. Fine. I'll come along." She replied to Ruby.
"YAY!" Ruby cheered out.
~*~*~
At the same time on Martin Island, Braedey, Owen, Rin, Jen, and Blaze were finishing up with their dinner, and were all relaxing in the main lounge of the house. Braedey was currently looking through some files, checking over some issues with Thunderbird Two, regarding one of the VTOL engines giving low thrust. Blaze and Owen were playing some video games on a brand new 130" flat-screen HDTV, Owen having a bit of a losing streak. Jen, meanwhile, she's reading some magazines, with Rin checking over some blueprints and schematics for a new armour and Pod Vehicle.
"Well, tonight's gonna be rather quiet." Blaze commented, just as he beats Owen again. "But, I think we should do something interesting."
"Like what?" Jen looked up from her magazine.
Rin then had a thought, and looked up from the blueprints. "Hang on, guys. There's a concert down in the Emerald Forest tonight. A band named 'The Hex Girls' are performing there for their first gig."
"I guess that's settled." Braedey announced. "We should go to this concert, and see how this band performs. We should also keep an eye out for anything that might be dangerous."
"I think we should go in our armours. Better adaptation in any environment." Owen advised. "Also, we shouldn't draw attention with any of the Thunderbirds."
"A good idea." Braedey acknowledged.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rin announced, then heads off down to the hangar bay.
"She seems pretty excited." Jen commented.
"Would you?" Braedey asked back.
Two minutes later, the teens are down in the hangar bay, all of them preparing for the off. They all get their armours on, the HUDs up and running, along with the cores all fired up. Braedey has his Firestorm Armour, with Blaze utilising the Nighthawk Armour, while Jen has the Golden Child Armour, as Owen has his Mecha-Hulk Armour, and finally, Rin is using what is a silver prototype armour that seems to be the spawn of all the other armours.
Rin checks over the HUD systems, but she feels a little bit concerned about this. "Guys, are you sure I should use this old model to fly there?" She asked. "I mean, why couldn't I use the Hammerhead Armour or even the Landmine Armour?" She added.
"Well, if that were to happen, I think you might flip a switch by accident." Jen stated to her. "So, we have you this prototype armour, which was designed with only flight in mind."
"And that's it?" Rin asked. She then gave a small shrug. "Well, as long as it gets me flying."
"Light them rockets." Braedey announced.
With that, the armoured teens take to the air, small white contrails in their wake, as they leave the island, and head off to the Emerald Forest in Vale.
~*~*~
Nightfall has soon fallen across the Emerald Forest. The stars twinkled above, with the shattered moon shining down as well. It seems like a calm evening for the Forest, known for its infestation of Grimm. Fortunately, the area where the concert is happening has been cleared of the monsters.
There looked to be a large stage set up in a clearing, with large speakers on both sides of the stage, with many lights and smoke machines around the stage. Down on the stage, there is a guitar in the shape of a bat in black with blood red highlights, the drum-kit also in black with metal cobwebs connecting the drums to the cymbals. In addition, there is a keyboard in a deep blue nearby. Up above the stage is a banner that has the symbol of the Hex Girls.
Team RWBY and JNPR were up in backstage, since their tickets were also backstage passes. They were pretty lucky, and they were waiting for the big show. At the same time, Team RWBY can't help but notice some familiar faces in the crowd, but didn't raise any alarms. For now, they and their friends were here to see the concert of the Hex Girls.
At this moment, the lights on the stage go out, much to everyone's attention. Then, the lights come back on, as an eerie mist starts to form around the stage. As this happened, three girls appear on the stage, one picking up the guitar, another getting behind the keyboard, and one more getting on the drum-kit. The first girl stands in front of the microphone, then turns around, looking at the other two girls.
The first of the three girls is a 19 year old. She has short spiky jet black hair, red eyes, and pale skin. She stands 5ft 9" tall, while weighing only 199 pounds (90kgs). She has a feminine lean muscles across her form, but they aren't noticeable, and she is a bit taller than most girls, but still shorter than most men. She is dressed in a black and red dress with red sleeves draping down her shoulders, the dress has both legs showing, and has a red sash around her waist. She has black ankle strapped high heels with red tints, red and black fingerless gloves that end at the elbow, and a red bat necklace. Her makeup consists of no eyeshadow with red and black lipstick. She also has red nails and she also has fake pointy fang teeth like a vampire.
The second girl is a 20 year old beautiful female, with long black hair with red highlights at the roots and ends, pale skin with green eyes, and pale skin. She has a slender body and form, her muscles being smooth and shaped. She is wearing a black miniskirt and corset, revealing her slim midriff, black shoulder-length gloves, and a pair of thigh high platform boots.
The third member of the girls is a 19 year old Caucasian female with a pale complexion, who has blue eyes, and blonde hair styled in pigtails, tied with green bauble like hair ties. She has a beauty mark on her right cheek. She is wearing a long-sleeve dark green top with a matching green skirt, that has a slit in it, and has on a pair of dark purple ankle boots. Her accessories are a black choker, with an "X" shaped necklace and green triangle earrings. Her makeup is black eyeshadow with green and black lipstick.
"Hit it, sisters." The first girl announced, then turned to the crowd, showing her fangs with a smile.
"Whoa. Is she a vampire? Or a witch?" Owen whispered to Braedey.
"Nah. It's obviously just a stage play." Braedey reassured him, just as the girls start to play the guitar, drum-kit, and keyboard, the tune sounding pretty cool and wickedly spooky.
(A/N: the music up at the top of this chapter is for this song. Listen and enjoy.)
I'm gonna cast a spell on you
You're gonna do what I want you to do
Mix it up here in my little bowl
Say a few words and you'll lose control
I'm a Hex Girl
And I'm gonna put a spell on you
(I'm gonna put a spell on you)
I'm a Hex Girl
And I'm gonna put a spell on you
(Put a spell on you)
You'll feel the fog as I cloud your mind
You'll get dizzy when I make a sign
You'll wake up in the dead of night
Missing me when I'm out of sight
I'm a Hex Girl
And I'm gonna put a spell on you
(I'm gonna put a spell on you)
I'm a Hex Girl
And I'm gonna put a spell on you
(Oh yeah)
With this little cobweb potion
You'll fall into dark devotion
If you ever lose affection
I can change your whole direction
I'm a Hex Girl
And I'm gonna put a spell on you
(I'm gonna put a spell on you)
I'm a Hex Girl
And I'm gonna put a spell on you
We're gonna put a spell all around you!!!
There was then a rather loud explosion on the stage as the Hex Girls finished their song, sending up a wall of smoke and flashing lights. The crowds cheered out and clapped for the girl band, just as a new band walked in to play for the next part.
The Hex Girls walk off the stage, after waving to the crowds, and head out backstage to get ready for their next part much later on in the show. As the lead singer heads to her section, she takes off her dress and switches into something a bit more relaxing.
She is now dressed in dark clothes like red and black. Even her fingernails are in red. Her attire consists of a black sleeveless tank top with red lines going horizontal along it, with a pair of black knee-length shorts, and black leather boots. She also has on a pair of black fingerless gloves with red spiked studs above the knuckles, and a pair of red headphones around her neck. Her symbol is Fire Gear (a red flame with a red gear surrounding it), which is presented on her shorts on her right side.
"Phew. First one, and I already feel exhausted." The singer sighed, then turned to see both Teams RWBY and JNPR standing nearby. "Oh. Hello there. Sorry about that. Just had to get into something more comfortable."
"That's understandable." Yang agreed with her.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss..." Ruby trailed off, unsure of who this girl's name is.
"It's Spade. Kaia Spade." The girl introduced herself, just as the other two girls walk into the room. "My band partners are Luna and Thorn." She gestures a hand first to the raven-hair, then to the blonde. "We met up just a few months ago, and we're like sisters now."
"You're right about that." Thorn agreed, smiling gently.
At that moment, Yang's scroll started beeping, getting her attention. She pulled it out, and saw there was a message on it. She sighed. "Looks like Professor Goodwitch wants us back at Beacon for something really important." She reported to her team, much to their annoyance. "Sorry we can't stay to watch the rest of the show." She apologised to the Hex Girls.
"It's okay." Kaia then pulled out one of their new CDs. "Here. You can take one to listen to." She offered.
"Really? You'll give us one of your CDs, just like that?" Ruby asked with some surprise.
"You're all good friends. You deserve it." Luna replied back to her.
"Thank you so much." Weiss smiled, as she picks up the CD, and popped it into her bag. "Okay. Let's go." She told the girls.
And with that, Team RWBY left the Emerald Forest, and headed off for Beacon Academy, leaving Team JNPR with the Hex Girls. But, not for long. About two minutes later, Braedey, Owen, Rin, Jen, and Blaze walk up, much to JNPR's surprise, but not to the Hex Girls.
"Nice to meet you all." Braedey greeted with a small nod of his head. "So, you three are the Hex Girls." He said to the three musical girls.
"That's right." Kaia smiled back. "My band-mates are Thorn and Luna. I'm Kaia. Kaia Spade, or I go by my stage-name of Bellatrix." She smirked, showing her fake vampire teeth.
"Kaia..." Rin's eyes widen in shock and surprise, as she takes a step forward, looking at her. At that moment, she then remembered a bit of something that Kieron mentioned when he told her and her team about their history and pasts...
"Your full name is Rin Satomaru Spade. Your sister is named Kaia Spade. You both come from Vacuo. You both were left at the doorstep of the 'Ace of Hearts Orphanage'. Your names were given to you by the old lady who worked at the orphanage. Kaia's name has many means, but to the lady, it means 'Dancing Fire'. With no last name, Kaia decided to go with a card for the last name, which is Spade. By the age of 8, still not adopted, Kaia learnt the lady was a former Huntress. She even learnt how to read music scores thanks to the former Huntress. With you, Rin, when you soon became 5 years old, Glynda adopted you in to take care of you until you were of age like you were her own daughter."
"What happened to my sister?"
"Nobody actually knows. I've tried to keep an eye on her, but after a few years, she seemingly vanished into thin air. She might've ended up somewhere we can't find her."
Kaia looked at Rin, taking note of the colour of her eyes and her hair. They seem almost similar to something. "Is there something wrong?" She asked her.
"Well... to tell you simply..." Rin looked at her hands for a moment, unsure of how she'll react to this. "I'm your little sister, Rin. Rin Satomaru Spade." She gave out her full name.
Kaia's eyes go wide like dinner plates. The girl that is standing right in front of her is her little sister? The same one who was with her when they were at the doorstep of the 'Ace of Hearts Orphanage'? The same Rin who was adopted when she was only five years old by a blonde woman in glasses? Kaia stood up, walking over to Rin, looking at her with curious eyes. She looked into her eyes, and she could see they were genuine, and they matched her sister's, exactly.
With that, Kaia wrapped her arms around Rin, much to her shock, and she hugged her back, the two sisters finally reunited after their long separation.
"I thought you were gone for good." Rin muttered quietly to Kaia. "What happened to you?" She asked through tears.
"After you were adopted, I stayed at the orphanage, and took care of some of the new children that arrived, whether they were human or Faunus." Kaia explained to her. "Eventually, Thorn and Luna found me and adopted me into their group, welcoming me into their world of music and songs. This spin got me inspired to be a singer, and we formed the Hex Girls."
"That's some history." Blaze commented in.
Kaia then took note of the other teens. "So, are you friends with them, or are they your family?" She asked.
"They're all my friends, but we live under the same roof. So, yes. We are a family." Rin replied. "This is Braedey Martin, Owen, Jen, and Blaze Steelwolf."
"Our other member, Andrea Garcia, is preoccupied with work, and couldn't come to see the show." Braedey clarified for the girls.
"Anyway, you girls really rock!" Nora spoke out, much to everyone laughing to this.
Braedey then checked his watch, and saw it was getting late. "I'm afraid we can't stay to see the rest of the performance." He apologised to Kaia, Thorn, and Luna. "We have to get back home."
"It's okay." Kaia then remembered something. "Wait. Before you go..." She goes over to a small cupboard, opening it, and she pulled out a small doll from there. She handed it to Rin, placing it into her hands. "It was your favourite toy while you were at the orphanage. I kept it, until I found you and I could give it back." She told her.
"Thanks, big sis." Rin thanked, hugging her. She then gave her scroll number to her. "And if you want to just have a chat."
"Thanks, and it's great to see you again." Kaia thanked.
"You too, girl." Rin smiled, albeit through tears.
"Bad dreams, sister Rin." Kaia smirked, showing her vampire teeth.
"Bad dreams, sister Kaia." Rin smirked back, then followed Braedey and the others out of the backstage.
As the teens head off to collect their armours to fly back to the island, Rin took a look at the doll Kaia gave to her. The doll looks to be a little girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, rosy cheeks, small pink lips, and blue eyes. She is in a blue short puffy-sleeved knee-length dress with a white pinafore apron, a corset around its waist, frilly white knee-length pantalettes, a matching petticoat, plus white lace thigh-high stockings, a black hair bow on top of its head, and black strapped Mary Jane shoes.
'I used to have this when I was little?' Rin thought to herself with surprise. She can't help but feel some memories from her past come back to her the more she looked at the doll. She smiled gently, hugging it close to her. 'Well, no matter what, I'm not leaving you ever again.' She stated firmly.
Finally, the teens arrive back at their armours, and prepare to head out. Rin tucked her doll toy into her pocket, and climbed into the silver armour, it locking around her, and fortunately not damaging the doll. Owen gets into the Mecha-Hulk, with Blaze donning the Nighthawk, Braedey in the Firestorm, with Jen in the Golden Child. Once donning their armours, the teens take to the skies, and they head off back to the island.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, in Atlas, Team RWBY are up in the city, along with Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin, who are seeing the brand-new superstructure called the Crystal Spire Tower, constructed out a new metal and carbon material, and it was the grand opening and reveal of the brand new tower.
The tower stands over 1,275m tall, becoming the tallest in all of Remnant. It has a silver-white colour scheme, with bright lights all across it, while also having the external structure being that of a spiral design. All in all, it's an architectural masterpiece.
For the grand opening of the new building, not only Team RWBY, Ozpin, Kieron, his sister Sarah, and Professor Goodwitch were invited to the party up on the penthouse level, up on the 100th floor, but also with 100 other people, most of them being headmasters of the other academies around Remnant, the council members of Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral. In addition, there were some reporters there as well, along with General Ironwood, and Winter.
Kieron's sister, Sarah, is the former astronaut of the old Thunderbird Three, and she would switch places with Lily onboard the original Thunderbird Five. She is somewhat in her 20's, with fair skin, bright green hair reaching down to her hips, and yellow-orange eyes. She has a slender body shape with ample breasts and slim hips. She is wearing a white button-up shirt with long sleeves, with a dark blue skirt reaching down to the middle of her thighs, brown stockings, and black low-heel shoes.
General James Ironwood has black hair, with some silver and grey areas, has blue eyes, while his eyebrows are solid black. He has a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow, a neurotransmitter that helps him operate the robotic parts of his body. He wears a white, double-breasted tailcoat with dark blue and black accents, most notable at the cuffs and shoulder pieces. The coat is belted at the waist. Underneath, Ironwood has a black collared shirt and a red tie. Ironwood also has on two white gloves. His formal pants are not tucked inside his military boots but instead hang over his black boots.
"This is some super-building." Yang commented to the others, looking out to the city beyond. "A big pool in the middle, along with many arcades and restaurants, and who knows what else? This is definitely something else."
"They say it'll be the newest hotel and business building in all of Atlas." Weiss added in. "In addition, there will be more to this whole place." She then scowled a little at her father, Jacques, who was down at the bar. "To be honest with you girls, I'd rather be back in Beacon than be with my father." She commented quietly to the others.
"It's nice to see you once again, brother Kieron." Sarah said in relief to the former pilot of Thunderbird One, the two of them sharing a hug, the latter smiling to her. "So, tell me. How are things for you back home?" She asked.
"Well, things have been rather quiet back on the island." Kieron replied with a small shrug to her. "But, there's always the opportunity for something to go out with a bang."
One reporter walked over to Ironwood. "General Ironwood. I wish to ask you a question; it's regarding about the secret organisation International Rescue." The reporter asked. "Is there any connection between the Atlas military and this unknown rescue operation?"
"No, Sir." General Ironwood replied back to the reporter. "There has been no connection between the Atlas military and International Rescue. As far as I know, it seems like they run under a different code of operations."
Unbeknown to anyone throughout the whole building, there seemed to be sparking coming from one of the electrical switchboards inside of the building. Inside of the building, up in the penthouse, the lights seem to flicker and arc, much to some's concern and shock. Then, at the switchboard, sparks fly out at a shocking rate, the sparks landing onto some uncovered foam, and starting up a fire. The fire seems to travel along, accelerating along through some of the floors, and starting to climb up the building, almost like following a trail upwards.
Blake's nose twitches a little, as she smells something wrong. This gets Ruby's attention, and she looked to her. "Blake, is something wrong?" She asked.
"I smell smoke." Was all Blake replied to her.
Ruby and Yang, along with Weiss, look between one another, and they know fire inside of a building is one of the most dangerous things to happen. The four teammates split up to try and locate the fire, all the while being discreet. With Ruby, she starts to head down to one of the lower levels 3 floors below the penthouse, she noticed what looked to be black smoke rising up towards the upper levels. Her eyes widen in shock and worry, and she sprints away back to the penthouse.
"Ruby, what did you find?" Weiss asked, as Yang and Blake run up to them.
"I saw smoke. Black smoke. It's not good." Ruby replied back to her. "And it's rising up to the top of the building."
"Fire!" A woman's voice screamed out loudly, getting everyone's immediate attention.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, then they look out the windows on each side of the penthouse, and they could see the thick smoke starting to rise from the sides of the lower sections of the building. They can tell this is all but bad news.
Jacques runs over to the elevators, only to see a yellow warning sign above the elevator doors, and it was flashing red. "The elevators are locked!" He called out.
"And we can't use the stairs. They're all chocked up with thick smoke. It's too risky." Ironwood added in.
"We need to call the fire and rescue teams right now." Another woman called, pulling out her scroll to call the fire and police.
"They won't even make it in time, or even get up to us and take care of the fire." Sarah stated back to the woman, much to her frustration.
"There's nobody that can get to us now." One man spoke out.
"Nobody, except for one organisation." Kieron pulled out a small radio, and pushes a red button to send the emergency beacon. "Calling International Rescue. We have an emergency." He called.
~*~*~
Back on Martin Island, Rin was in her bedroom, putting the little doll on her bed. She smiled, and heads off to the lounge room. As she arrives, she saw Braedey checking through some files for some modifications to some of the armours and Thunderbird Two's pods. With Jen, she's preparing to head off to sleep, only her hair is in twin-tails. Owen, meanwhile, was down in the kitchen, prepping something to eat. Blaze, on the other hand, was taking a small nap.
"Red Alert!" At that moment, the alarm begins to sound out in the whole of the house and the rest of the island. "Red Alert!" A female voice spoke out accompanied with the alarm, getting everyone's attention, as they sprint over to the lounge room. "Red Alert!"
Braedey flipped some switches on his desk, and he activated Comms with Thunderbird 5. "Linking Comms with Thunderbird 5 now. Go ahead, Andrea." He called, as Owen and Rin run up to the main room, with Blaze sitting up from his nap.
"We've got a situation in Atlas." Andrea reported in, as a projection of the tower appears in the middle of the room. "The Crystal Spire Tower. Standing up over 1,000m, it's the tallest building in Atlas." The projection then showed a number of fire symbols on it. "And there's a report of fire around the central section of the building." She added. "Team RWBY, Kieron, Sarah, Ozpin, Goodwitch, Ironwood, and Jacques, along with another 100 people are up in the penthouse, and they don't have a way down."
"Right. This will be an all-hands-on-deck situation." Braedey announced to everyone. He turns to Blaze first. "Blaze, you take off in Thunderbird Shadow, and form a perimeter around the building. Make sure nobody else gets within a mile of that structure."
"Yes, Sir." Blaze saluted.
"Owen, get Thunderbird Two ready for takeoff." Braedey looked to Owen. "Load up Pod One. Rin, you go with Owen as well. Jen, you go with them." He told them. "We'll need all the help we can get for this."
"Right away." Owen nodded.
"I'm with you." Rin agreed.
"I'm on my way." Jen nodded.
"Andrea, keep us updated about the fire, and tell us if there's anything else we need to know." Braedey said to Andrea. "I'll take off in Thunderbird One, and arrive at the site to see for myself."
"Okay. I'll keep you posted." Andrea acknowledged.
"Right. We have our positions and orders. Let's go forth, and get this done. Thunderbirds Are Go!" Braedey announced.
Braedey walks over to the Beacon Tower picture. A second later, the picture and wall spin around 180°, Braedey now facing to see his uniform. He steps closer to them, just as the section of floor rises up to the aircraft bay, as he changes into his uniform. Once done that, he looked over to see Thunderbird One. At the launch bay, the doors open, and Braedey steps onto a moving platform which takes him to TB1. As soon as the platform reaches the pilot's chair, it stops, prompting Braedey to get into it and strap himself in. The chair is next hydraulically lifted into TB1's cockpit via the robotic arm, whilst the platform retracts and the cockpit windows close up. Next, the platform began to carry TB1 off to the launch bay. As it does so, the lights inside the bay flash on, as the platform locks into place, and prepares for the craft to launch. At the moment, the engines on TB1 rumbled and roar to life, as Braedey prepares for takeoff. Up above, the pool outside and above begins to retract and pull away, revealing the sunlight down into the launch bay.
At the same time, Owen runs over to the portrait picture of the rocket. Suddenly, the entire picture lifts and rotates around, then Owen slides down the other side into the red leather box, and starts to travel down the tube, while he gets changed into his uniform. Once he changes into it, he grabs onto the flying fox-like piece, as the box stops, and he travels down a tunnel towards Thunderbird Two parked down below. Owen reaches the end of the little 'flying-fox' ride, him letting go of the handles, and landing inside of the cockpit. He closes up the roof section, as the cockpit lights up to life, and the instruments fire up as well. At the same time, the pods begin to slide and roll under the huge green leviathan. Then, Pod One stops underneath TB2, and it lowers itself down on its telescopic legs, linking and locking the pod to the ship. Inside the cockpit, Jen and Rin, the two of them now sporting their uniforms, enter the cockpit, and they prepare for the off. Once done that, the large rock cover that hides the entrance to the hangar lowers itself down like a drawbridge. Thunderbird 2 now begins to taxi out into the runway created for it. The palm trees lining the runway lift out of the way, widening the runway allowing the huge ship to advance to its launch point at the end of the runway. Suddenly, the launching ramp lifts Thunderbird Two up to the correct launch angle of 35°, just as its wings fold down and lock into the flight setting. A section of the runway behind the ramp opens up, ready for the launch.
Blaze runs to an open hatch behind a bookcase, which closed up behind him. Blaze now notices his black uniform. He steps closer to it, changing into the outfit. Once done that, he looked over to see the bike cockpit of Thunderbird Shadow. He climbed onto the bike, and gets ready for the takeoff, as the platform starts to rise up to the jet body. The platform the bike was on lifts it up to the jet, the bike linking up with the jet body, and locking the cockpit in the protective dome, as the ramp lowered down. Once done, the turntable Thunderbird Shadow sits on turns around 180°, now facing a long tunnel, as runway lights shine bright and light up the tunnel, revealing the exit before the pilot.
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
The clamps on the ship detach, and Thunderbird One rockets up and out of the launch bay, a tower of smoke in its wake, as the silver High-Speed Reconnaissance Craft flies away from the island, heading off to Atlas at 15,000mph. At the same time, Thunderbird Two's main engines fire at once, jets of flame shooting from the exhaust ports, and the huge craft begins to ride off the ramp, taking to the skies, a trail of smoke from its engines left in its wake, as Thunderbird Two flies away to Atlas, chasing after Thunderbird One. With Thunderbird Shadow, the two engines fire, as the turntable carrying the craft launches forward on its own tracks, the stealth jet gaining speed to takeoff, as it rockets down the tunnel. Once it reaches the exit, the turntable stops instantly, the clamps separating at the same time, as Thunderbird Shadow rockets away, heading off to Atlas.
~*~*~
On the Crystal Spire Tower, the fire seemed to have accelerated, and has blocked off most of the floors between the 37th and the 79th floors. The main electrics were still working, somehow, for the rest of the building. The fire suppression system inside of the building had been damaged, along with the alarms.
"How long do you think this building will last with all this fire?" Ruby asked with concern in her voice.
"My best guess, this structure will fail in possibly another 16 hours." Kieron replied to her, then looked over to the elevators and the stairs, as smoke seemed to start rising from those positions. "But, the longer that we stay up here in the penthouse, the less of a chance we will have of getting out of this building alive."
"I just hope International Rescue gets here in time." Yang muttered to herself in worry, looking out to the window to try and see where they might be. 'Please get here soon, Braedey. Please.'
About six minutes later, the sound of a rocket's engine can be heard from outside, getting Team RWBY's attention. They run over to the windows, and they see both Thunderbird One and Thunderbird Shadow fly up to the building, and enter in hover, the former of the two aircraft having the landing legs and wings out.
"There's International Rescue! And right on time." Sarah announced with relief in her voice. She looked at the two craft curiously. Ever since she and the others have left the island, Kieron and Ozpin mentioned the new team to take over, but she never really saw them in action.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Shadow." Braedey called in, as he hovers nearby the penthouse. "I have visual of the occupants inside the tower. They're all in the penthouse level up on top."
"F.A.B, Thunderbird One." Blaze acknowledged, then starts to fly towards ground level. "I'm gonna work with the law enforcement, and get them to form a 1 mile radius around the building's perimeter."
"Understood, Thunderbird Shadow." Braedey replied back. He then contacts Owen and the girls. "Thunderbird Two, this is Thunderbird One. What is your ETA to the tower?" He asks.
"About 20 minutes from now, Braedey." Owen replied on Comms. "There's a bit of an electrical storm that is heading towards Atlas. You'd better be careful." He advised.
"Understood." Braedey acknowledged. He then turns the silver rocket to look over at the penthouse. He decides to contact someone inside of the building. "Kieron. This is Thunderbird One. What's the current situation inside of the building?" He asked on the Comms.
"Nice to hear from you, Braedey." Kieron replied back on the Comms. "Everyone is stuck up here in the penthouse of the building. The fire has cut off access to the elevators and the stairs, and the smoke is getting more and more toxic. In addition, we've taken some scans of the building thanks to some blueprints we have obtained from the architect, and it looks like the fire has affected the steel, concrete, carbon fibre and aluminium construction of the structure."
Braedey takes a quick scan of the building, and he could see the main source of the fire is reaching up to 1,200°. Now, for steel to melt, the heat has to be around 1,510°, in order for the metal to become weak and start to melt. "Kieron, I've taken notice of the building's internal structure, and it looks like the tower is taking a hit from the fire." He reported. "My best guess, we've got maybe two or so hours. Did you get that, Thunderbird Two?" He called.
"F.A.B, Thunderbird One." Owen replied in. "We're arriving now, and ready to go to work."
At that moment, Thunderbird Two arrived on the scene, flying up to the building itself. The VTOL thrusters fire up, as the green transporter craft hovers nearby. Onboard, Owen is at the controls, with Rin and Jen alongside him in the cockpit.
"Okay. We have visual. We're around the 75th floor." Owen informed to Braedey.
"Owen, I need you to go inside the building with Mecha-Hulk, and see if there's a way to try and slow down the blaze." Braedey said on the Comms. "If you can, try and get to the top floor, and see if anyone needs any assistance."
"Right. I'm on my way." Owen gets out of the pilot's seat, setting the craft to Autopilot. "Rin, Jen. You've got the bridge. I'll head off into the building." He informed them.
Owen enters the Pod, just as it starts to lower down a little, allowing the door to be opened. He looked over to see the Mecha-Hulk standing nearby. He climbed into the red/gold armour, the chest section open. Once done so, the armour closed up and folded up around him, sealing him up into the armour, as the HUD fires up.
"Mecha-Hulk is go." Owen called out.
The door to the Pod opens up, revealing the burning building before it. Owen walked over to the ledge of the building, observing the scene. He takes a few steps back, then sprints forward, the boosters in the back firing to provide extra speed, and leaps into the air from Thunderbird Two, smashing his way through some glass, and landing on the 75th floor.
"I'm in." Owen called in, looking around at the burning floor he's on. The HUD started to do scanning of the burning area, and he gives a nod at the sight before him. "Seems like the place." He commented.
"I read you on radar, Owen." Rin called up on Comms. "I've got you in my sights." Owen smirked a little, as he continues to observe what's going on.
"Owen, its Kieron." Kieron's voice speaks up next on the Comms, Owen looking over towards the burning staircase. "You need to go up 25 more stories to reach the penthouse floor where we are."
"No time to take the stairs." Owen starts to walk over to the elevator doors, and forces them open with a grunt. "I'll take the lifts." He smirked.
The Mecha-Hulk jumps into the empty elevator shaft, but fires up its rocket boosters, the armoured suit shooting upwards through the shaft. Owen smirked to himself, as he rockets upwards towards the penthouse.
With Jen and Rin, the two girls are currently keeping Thunderbird Two level nearby the building, while Thunderbird One continues to circle its way around. But, as this happens, the clouds seem to roll in, causing lightning to strike in the skies above, getting Braedey's attention. But, as he looks to the darkening skies above, a lightning bolt strikes at part of the tall structure in front of him, forcing him to pull back quickly and before he can be hit.
"Whoa! That was close." Braedey sighed, lowering himself in altitude. "Thunderbird Two and Thunderbird Shadow, things are pretty dangerous up here." He called in. "Don't go any higher than the 90th floor. It's too risky to even try and get to the penthouse."
"But, how are we gonna get to the people in the penthouse if there's lightning above us?" Rin asked.
"We've got more things to worry about right now, such as the fire that's burning up the building." Owen reminded to the others. "At this rate, this building might not last much longer with all this heat."
"Especially with the gas mains." Blaze called in next, getting everyone's attention.
"Thunderbird Shadow, what do you mean?" Jen asked in.
"I've just talked with the city's police and fire chiefs." Blaze informed to them. "They've just told me the electrical grid has been damaged because of the fire, and in addition, the gas mains haven't been shut off at all. If the fire reaches those gas mains, it'll cause a really big bang -"
Right as he says that, a loud explosion can be heard from the middle of the building, flames shooting out from part of the building, shaking it, and breaking some glass at some of the floors, sending it falling to ground level.
"We need to think of something to try and slow down the fire." Rin called in immediately.
"How?" Jen asked next. "I mean, the Firestorm Armour that Braedey has doesn't carry enough of that Dicetylene to take care of that much fire in one go. Plus, the Firefly's own extinguisher cannon can't reach up this high, and that's the best firefighter we have." She breathed a sigh.
"It's not like we can yell at the fire to put it out." Owen spoke up.
Rin's eyes widen in surprise, as an idea comes to her. "Yell... yell... why not sing?" She whispered, then smiles to herself. "I've got it!" She jumped into the copilot seat. "Jen, take us to the Emerald Forest at once." She asked.
"What for?" Jen asked in confusion.
"I'll explain on the way. Let's go!" Rin told her. "Thunderbird Two to Thunderbird One. We're gonna be back in a few moments. Just have to pick something up."
With that, the VTOL engines get stowed away, as the main engines fire, and Thunderbird Two heads off away from Atlas, leaving the city behind.
"Thunderbird Two, what the heck are you doing?" Braedey asked in confusion.
~*~*~
Inside the penthouse, Team RWBY were huddling one another for some comfort, while others were trying their best to try and keep the fire at bay. Jacques, meanwhile, suggested that some of the Faunus should go and deal with the fire themselves, only to get a backlash from that. Ironwood had tried to get some Atlas aircraft to try and come up to get them off this burning building, but he can't seem to reach them at all, despite having excellent reception. Ozpin and Kieron have been trying to keep the general public and the reporters calm during this whole incident.
"If something goes wrong, I'm happy you girls are here with me." Blake said to her teammates.
Yang gently patted her shoulder. "Blake, we'll get out of here, and back on the ground in no time. I promise you." She stated firmly to the Cat Faunus.
At that moment, the sound of rockets firing gets their attention, along with others, as they look to the elevator doors. Suddenly, two red/gold metal hands push their way through the elevator doors, forcing them open, and the Mecha-Hulk enters the penthouse floor, closing the doors behind it.
Owen turned to look at the crowd of people, and shows a small gesture of a wave to them. "Ladies and gentlemen, International Rescue is here to help you all." He announced to them.
"How are you going to get us all out of here?" Sarah asked him. "All the stairs and elevators are blocked or damaged, and there's too much smoke to even try and breathe. There's no way for us to even get down."
"Rest assured, Madame." Owen replied back to her. "Everything is under control. You're all gonna be just fine."
"Oh, everything would be just fine..." Jacques walked up to the red/gold suit of armour, then forcefully poked at the chestplate. "...if you and your group of cowboys didn't come here in the first place!" He snapped.
"Listen. We didn't cause the fire." Owen interjected.
"Like I'd believe that!" Jacques snapped back. "You might as well caused that fire, so you could come to the rescue and be these so-called heroes." He argued with anger in his eyes. "You'll just cause this place to fall apart like you did with my brand new Atlas space station."
"Enough, both of you!" Ironwood walked in-between the two, and pushed Jacques back. He turned to look at the Mecha-Hulk. "So, tell me. What do you and your crew intend to do about the fire and evacuating everyone from this building?" He asked.
"We can answer that question." A female voice spoke out on Owen's Comms, getting Ironwood's attention. "This is Thunderbird Two calling in, General Ironwood. If you can look outside, you'll get your answer."
At that moment, Thunderbird Two flies into view, the VTOL engines fired up and online, as the craft hovers around the 80th floor. Then, a section of the Pod lifts up, revealing an assortment of large subwoofers, all of them ready.
"Thunderbird One, this is Thunderbird Two." Jen called in on Comms, as Braedey moves the silver rocket up to nearby the penthouse, despite the lightning storm in the air. "Sorry about leaving you for a few moments. Just had to pick up some musical talent." She called.
Braedey's eyes widen in shock and realisation of what Jen and Rin have in mind. "Of course! You're going to use sound waves to try and extinguish the fire while myself and Owen try and get the people out of the building." He said to them.
Braedey learnt about this from Owen and Rin, when they were planning some designs for a sonic wave fire extinguisher to be put into the Firestorm Armour. By using the bass frequencies between 30 and 60 Hz, and since sound waves can move oxygen and fire through pressure from their vibrations, this specific frequency of sound wave works to separate the flame molecules from the surrounding oxygen, effectively starving the fire and snuffing out the flame.
"And we've got the girls to help us out." Rin added in, who's in the Pod, while the Hex Girls were onboard, all of them hooked into harnesses attached to the ground to keep them stable, with their instruments ready to go, and hooked up to the subwoofers. "Okay, girls. Go and play as good as you can." She told them.
"Let's rock it, sisters." Kaia announced, while Rin starts to work on the volume and bass controls, and gives the Hex Girls a thumbs-up.
Earth, wind, fire, and air
We may look bad
but we don't care
We ride the wind
We feel the fire,
To love the earth is our one desire
(to love the earth is our one desire)
As the Hex Girls play their song, the music was being amplified by the humongous subwoofers outside, and were shooting the sound waves forward at the fire, the sonic pulses actually starting to extinguish the fires from one point to another. At the same time, Rin was working away with the sonic controls, working them like there was no tomorrow.
Love the earth
It's only fair
It's one big earth
That we must share
We love the earth
With all our fire
It's in our souls
Our one desire
With Braedey, he jumped out of Thunderbird One, donning the Firestorm Armour, and flew his way up to the penthouse. As he does so, he arrived at the near balcony, opening the door, and everyone notices him.
"Everyone. Listen up carefully." Braedey called to them. "We're going to lift up the whole of the penthouse off the top of the building, and carry you all down to ground floor." He informed them.
"Is that safe?" Sarah asked him.
"It's better than being inside of a burning building." Yang interjected.
"No! No." Jacques snapped out, storming up to the man in red/gold armour. "You are not taking apart this building. I payed a large amount for the construction of this tower. I'm not having you break this down this place."
Braedey groaned in frustration, then landed on the floor, and forcefully grabbed the front of Jacques' shirt. "Either you stay here and be burnt alive or perish when this building collapses, or you get rescued, and survive to see another day." He stated firmly, then dropped the C.E.O of the Schnee Dust Company, and looked to the Mecha-Hulk. "I'm gonna load up some marking points for us to take off the whole penthouse." He reported to him.
"Understood. Let's get to work." Owen nodded, then followed the Firestorm outside, and took to the skies.
Earth, wind, fire, and air
We may look bad
But we don't care
We ride the wind
We feel the fire
To love the earth is our one desire
(to love the earth is our one desire)
As this happens, Thunderbird Two continues to fire sonic waves at the fire, extinguishing the flames, as the green transporter starts to hover slowly downwards to try and take care of the centre of the fire. But, as this happens, the flames seek to get even worse, forcing Jen to try and keep the fire at bay below the top 20 floors below the penthouse.
With the Mecha-Hulk and Firestorm, both Braedey and Owen start to cut through the metal and concrete of the building, being careful not to damage or break apart the penthouse. After a few moments, they manage to break off the penthouse section, while also removing the exterior of the building, sending it falling to the ground.
"Oops." Owen muttered.
"Forget about it. We need to get these people down safely." Braedey interjected to him, as Thunderbird One started to hover above their heads. "Let's hook up the magnetic grapples, and get these folks down."
"Hang on, everyone." Kieron called to the public, as they next hold onto something solid. "Things are gonna be a bit rough."
Nature is a precious gift
It will make your spirits lift
Love the earth with your fire
It's in your sould
Your one desire
With Thunderbird Two, the flames continue to accelerate through the building, forcing Jen and Rin to try and get as close as they can to the building, only to force the green transporter to get back from the backlash of fire. At the same time, with Thunderbird One and the two armours, Braedey and Owen hook up the metal grapples and cables around the penthouse, making sure all the connections were right and secure.
Earth, wind, fire, and air
We may look bad
but we don't care
We ride the wind
We feel the fire
To love the earth is our one desire
To love the earth is our one desire
Once done with that, Thunderbird One lifts up the penthouse off the top of the building, and with both Braedey and Owen carefully making sure the whole penthouse is level, as the silver rocket begins to slowly lower the penthouse down to the ground. With Thunderbird Two, after the Hex Girls finish up with their music, Jen and Rin force the green transporter away from the fire, and follow after the descending Thunderbird One, Thunderbird Two having some burn marks across the right side of the craft.
Meanwhile, the fire continues to engulf the rest of the building, being fuelled by that of the damaged gas lines, the flames damaging its internal structure and columns, damaging it to the point it'll break. Finally, the Crystal Spire Tower snaps in the middle of the building, making the rest of the tower collapse towards the ground into a pile of metal, glass, pipework, and furniture, burning on through the night.
Soon, Thunderbird One gently puts the penthouse down on the ground, detaching the cables and grapples from it, and the craft deploys its landing legs, landing nearby. With Thunderbird Two, the huge transport lowers itself down to the ground, and comes to a gentle landing on the earth, while lowering the subwoofers back into the Pod.
Kieron, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Sarah exit the penthouse finally, along with Team RWBY, and they look over to see the Hex Girls disembark Thunderbird Two, waving goodbye to the craft, as it and Thunderbird One take to the skies, Thunderbird Shadow flying up next to them quickly, with Mecha-Hulk and the Firestorm Armours taking to the air alongside them, leaving the city of Atlas behind.
"Looks like they did it again." Kieron commented quietly to his family members.
"I can agree with that." Sarah agreed, watching the two craft go. "They've really outdone themselves."
Ruby pouted in sadness. "We didn't even get to say 'thank you' to them." She sighed sadly.
"Don't worry, Miss Rose. I'll inform them whenever I can." Ozpin reassured her.
Ironwood watched the two craft vanish from view, and he gives a simple nod. "Those Pilots are definitely the best of their own kind. I'm proud of them." He said.
Jacques, however, didn't see everything like that. He looked to the remains of the burning tower, and he knew he won't be getting back any of the money he's provided to the construction. "This is a disaster! The whole building is ruined!" He yelled out. "Those rude and pathetic cowboy rescuers have done nothing but destroy things!" He turned to try and see where the two Thunderbirds have gone off to, but couldn't see them. "I am going to order a bounty on those so-called heroes." He growled.
"You will do no such thing, Jacques Schnee." Kieron stated firmly, walking up to him, and glaring at him viciously. "You do anything against International Rescue, I will have every dirty little secret you have regarding your mining company revealed to the whole council, and you will be removed from your position." He threatened.
Jacques stayed respectively silent. He didn't want anything like this to jeopardise his position as C.E.O of the Schnee Dust Company, especially with the council members of all of Remnant nearby. They can definitely cause some trouble for him.
With that, he turned away to head back to his home, while others head off to their respected hotels, with Team RWBY, Ozpin, and Goodwitch heading off back to Beacon Academy.
~*~*~
Back on Martin Island, down in the hangar bay for Thunderbird Two, Owen looks over to his green transporter craft, eyeing the scorch marks, and breathes a sigh. That fire really did a number, and it'll be a while to get the mess cleaned up.
"You doing okay, Owen?" The blonde turned to see Braedey walk over to him.
"I'm fine. I'm good." Owen nodded his head. "Talk about one heck of a rescue we've done."
"Especially saving 100 people from a burning building." Jen agreed, walking out from behind Thunderbird Two's left side. "Nice trick of lifting the whole penthouse in one go." She commented.
"Yeah. That was something else." Rin nodded her head, as the small hatch under Thunderbird Two's cockpit lowers down, and Rin stepped out from the green craft. "We've all done pretty well, haven't we?" She asked.
"We've all done very well." Blaze walked up to them, and gently patted their backs. "But, it was just another day in the rescue business. We can't slack off."
"I agree. We'd better get ready for anything else to happen in the world." Braedey declared to the others. "Come on now. Let's get some sleep." He yawned to them.
With that, the teens head off to the house upstairs, and they go off to bed, feeling exhausted from their long adventure and rescue. It'll be definitely something to remember.
~*~*~
A/N: Kaia Spade rightfully belongs to Pikachu904726
Sarah Ozpin and Kieron Ozpin belong to kieron0103
The music belongs to Hanna-Barbera, the creators of Scooby-Doo, and many others under the company name
(The song during the Rescue is down below. Please enjoy.)