66

Chapter 66 – Specific him

The sounds of battle were everywhere. Bullets and dust rounds whizzed through the air while explosions rocked the ground, destroying Beacon just a little bit more each time. Overhead the huge battleship sailed lazily through the sky, a great plume of fiery smoke reaching high above it.

Frustrated tears stung behind Blake's eyes. It just didn't seem possible that the life she'd come to have, the new life which she had come to love, was now being torn away – and yet again by Adam and the White Fang. Would she never be free of them… was this to be her destiny forevermore?

Behind her she knew the others still fought, Weiss and Yang against the Paladins that had been hijacked. Huge monsters, each of them stronger than the ones they had faced before, the Atlas soldiers who remained on their side had little recourse against their wayward machines. She would have liked nothing more than to fight alongside them.

But she had heard two soldiers mention a White Fang leader, with hair the colour blood, cutting his way through the cafeteria.

Panic lanced through her like a bolt of lightning, turning her stomach to ice. Her legs continued to take her towards him, however. Adam was her responsibility… she had brought him here. There was no doubt in her mind that part of his reason for working with these people, part of the reason he was here, was to punish her.

Her fingers tightened around her scroll, eyes glancing down as she once more dialled the number for Doctor Polendina, praying that he would answer. He did not. She could understand why, what with the ship above them clearly being under enemy control. She didn't know if the Doctor was okay… and perhaps it was cruel and selfish of her, but she couldn't bring herself to be concerned for him either. Jaune was up there… he was up there alone and defenceless.

It was enough to make her sick to her stomach. Please be okay, she begged. Please let him be okay.

But would she be okay either? He was trapped somewhere up on that airship, which was even now showing signs of damage from all the Grimm flying about. She, on the other hand, was stuck down on Beacon, where she was running to fight one of the most dangerous men alive.

How had it ever come to this? Was it her fault for not pushing hard enough to convince her team about Cinder, Mercury and Emerald? Was it her fault because she'd left the White Fang in the first place? Maybe if she had stayed there, if she had swallowed her horror and remained with Adam, she could have convinced him not to do this. Maybe she could have saved all these lives.

A growl escaped her lips, head shaking from side to side as she dismissed such thoughts. Adam had made his choice, as she has made her own. If it weren't for Beacon then she would not have met her team, she would not have met Jaune. In fact, he likely would have died alone in initiation, forgotten by all. Now wasn't the time to question that.

The cafeteria loomed before her, the tall arched windows shattered, the lights within flickering dimly. As she made to approach a body was flung through one, a soldier in Atlas uniform smashing into the ground, bouncing three times until coming to a stop.

Blake swallowed as she approached the man's form, kneeling to turn him over. A curse escaped her when she saw the blood about his lips, the way his chest failed to rise and fall. The sentiment was echoed when she noticed the long gash across his chest, distinctive… at least for her. He was here then… it was as she'd feared.

"Forgive me Jaune," she whispered, "I have to try and stop him." If she died it might mean the death of her friend too, and yet despite that she was sure he would have agreed. He was selfless like that. Clinging to shadows she moved in and towards the building, peeking through a broken window.

The man within had his back to her, but that didn't stop her from recognising him. The familiar red hair, that long coat with an emblem not unlike her leader's, except that it was wilted and covered in blood.

Fear lanced through her, hands shaking slightly as she dipped back to remain hidden. Faced with the reality of his presence she felt paralyzed, like she couldn't move a muscle. Gone was the bravery, the need to rush forward and challenge him. Adam had always been a foe far beyond her. What could she do?

"You have come." His voice echoed through the building, bouncing off walls and archways to make him sound at least ten feet taller than he actually was.

Blake flinched and ducked back a little further, agilely moving to a different window.

"Are you going to keep hiding, my love?" Adam laughed, and those words tore away any thoughts that he might not have noticed her. "Or are you going to keep running away?"

Ignore him, she thought, biting down on her frustration. If he knew her exact location, then he would have attacked already. He was trying to bait her out. She just had to remain hidden until help arrived.

"Hmph," Adam snorted, "I see you've become more of a coward here." He walked away from her location, eyes skimming the hall before his head perked up and he moved towards something. "If you will not come out," he said, raising his sword above a prone body, "Then perhaps I will offer some motivation!" The red blade flashed downwards.

Hers met it halfway, legs propelling herself forward as she drove him back with every bit of power she had. "Stop this!" she hissed, still in mid-air from how she'd leapt across the room.

Adam's smile widened, his masked visage past his sword taking on a dangerous quality. "You've decided to show yourself? Are you sure you wouldn't rather run away again?"

Blake's eyes twisted in anger. "I'm not running away anymore."

"Oh…? You will."

Adam broke her guard in an instant, pushing her back and slamming up with his blade, which smashed into hers with a ringing of steel. The blow pushed her back, up and through the air as she came to land on two feet, only to see him dashing in once more.

Golden eyes widened as his blade cut her in twain, but the clone she had left behind died in her place, giving her a chance to dash for cover. Even as she did he cut her off, smiling as he cut a horizontal slash across her body. Aura flared, a brief scream escaping her before her semblance kicked in and prevented any more. Despite that, she still fell back clutching her stomach, dashing behind a ruined pillar.

"Running already?" he laughed. "There's nowhere left for you to run, my love. Not even Beacon could keep me from you."

Damn him, damn him! With a scowl, she flung her arm to the side and squeezed off three shots, each of which he blocked with a casual flick of his blade. Had he gotten faster in their time apart – or had this always been the difference between them? If this kept up… then she couldn't keep up.

"You've become slow," he taunted, circling the pillar slowly.

She instinctively kept it between them, circling as he did. To her frustration, he smirked, as though amused by her efforts to keep him at bay. I don't have to beat him… I just need to keep him busy long enough for the others to beat the White Fang.

High up above them, the battleship rocked, a series of explosions seeming to echo her thoughts. Adam looked up for a moment, peering out of a window as he tutted loudly. "It looks like the time for games is over," he said, sheathing his blade.

Horror flashed through her, a scream torn from her lips as she flung herself back just in time to feel the explosion that rocked the masonry she'd been hidden behind. Red flashed above her like lightning, severing the pillar in two. She hit the ground hard, tossed aside by the force of the blast as Gambol Shroud skittered across the floor. "Damn it," she hissed, crawling after it.

"Not quite."

Pain, searing pain, as something paradoxically cold and hot at the same time pierced her shoulder and pinned her to the ground. Her aura did nothing, giving way beneath his strength as he leaned down onto his blade. It was all she could do to glare back. I failed… I'm sorry guys… I'm sorry Jaune.

"Why do you continue to hurt me so, Blake?" he asked, "Could you imagine the pain I felt, coming back from that mission alone? Not a word… not a concern expressed before you tossed aside everything we ever had." The blade twisted, drawing a scream from her. "Tossed aside everything we ever worked for. Tossed aside me. And for what? Some group of teenage brats and a school?"

It hurt… oh gods how it hurt. She bit down on her lip, determined not to let another scream out. He could kill her but he wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing her beg for mercy.

"Blake!" a feminine voice screamed.

"Hm?" Adam turned to the side, Blake's eyes following as she saw her partner dash into the cafeteria, saw her see them. Saw her eyes turned red, hair glowing as she lost all control.

As she saw Adam smile and sheathe his blade once more, turning to face the blonde.

"Yang!" Blake tried to shout a warning but her partner was too far gone, covering the distance between her and Adam in a flash of golden fire. Blake's hand reached out as she fell onto her front, bleeding onto the tiles but still trying to reach out to her friend. "Yang, stop!"

Red light flashed as Adam drew his blade.

Golden fire raged as Yang roared in fury.

And the roof exploded as something crashed into it.

"Tch," Adam gritted his teeth as he glanced up and stopped his attack. The blade was sheathed once more, the faunus dodging back as the projectile slammed into the ground he'd once occupied.

Yang too was pulled to a stop, losing sight of her foe in the cloud of dust that came from the wreckage. "Blake?" she called out between fits of coughing. "Are you okay?"

She would have liked to respond, but for the sight before her. As the smoke cleared and the dust began to settle, his figure was slowly revealed. A sight she hadn't seen for months and yet somehow instinctively recognised, followed by a rush of emotions and bitter stinging behind her eyes. "Jaune," she whispered.

He slashed his right hand to the side, clearing the smoke in an instant and somehow catching a sword that shot from the palm of his hand. She recognised it as the same one she had given Doctor Polendina. The Arc family blade, Crocea Mors.

"Is that…" Yang staggered up to her and reached down, dragging Blake up. "I'm not sure what I'm seeing… is this real?"

"It's Jaune," Blake gasped, too relieved to care for secrets.

"But he died… I'm…" Yang shook her head, "This day is going from crap to confusing." The blonde shook her head and shouted out to Jaune, "Eh, zombie-boy. Can we trust you're on our side against the creep?"

"I am," Jaune whispered, and it was his voice… one so familiar, finally given words. She pushed away from Yang, stumbling once before reaching out to touch his arm. It was hard and unyielding, the metal beneath it apparent, but he was there.

It… it didn't feel right. He felt so far away… was this what it was like to be separated?

No, that didn't matter. She would get used to it in time. It was all she could do now to press her forehead against his back and take some comfort in his presence. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispered, "You've finally gotten your body."

"This is not my body," he whispered as he kept his eyes on Adam. "But it will suffice for now."

Blake's eyes widened, "What do you mean," she asked, "It's built based on yours, isn't it?"

"It is built based on Jaune's body, yes," he replied. There was something wrong with the way he said that, with the way he looked down on her. Blonde hair parted, but the eyes that looked out on her were wrong.

They were green.

"Salutations friend-Blake," he whispered – in his voice, but not his words. "The situation has become… complicated."

"Penny!?"

"Father made a backup of my memory prior to the tournament," she, he… they said. "I have, as they say, come back from the dead."

"But if you're in there then… where's Jaune?"

/-/

On the other side of Beacon a meteor struck the ground, smashing into hard rock but failing to make a dent. Instead, the object bounced loudly, flopping through the air and over several Grimm, hitting a half-destroyed piece of wall and crashing into a bush by the main entrance to Beacon Academy.

"Ugh…" the bush groaned. "Nailed it…"