69 Chapter 62: Atlas at last
The group look out as the skies is full of Manta airships
Atlas Air Traffic Female: Manta 5-1. Welcome home. Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security team will meet you there. Over.
Ruby: I don't understand. What's happening here?
Qrow: I don't know.
Jaune: But we are here. We got the lamp to Atlas, so I guess we land and get some answers.
Weiss: I'm not so sure. I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood. They might even take me back to my father.
Blake: So…
Weiss: Wait, Winter!
Weiss looks at Maria
Weiss: Put some distance between us and the fleet.
Maria: You don't have to tell me twice.
Maria steers the ship toward Mantle. As people wander the streets of Mantle, the group looks over the city through the Manta's windows. They fly past a giant screen on the side of a skyscraper. Ironwood's voice comes from the screen.
Ironwood: ...cannot express our appreciation enough. Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise.
Yang: General Ironwood. He looks…
Ruby: Tired.
Qrow: James, what have you been doing?
Weiss sadly stares out of Manta 5-1's window with her Scroll in her palm. She tries to call Winter, but she doesn't answer.
Weiss: This isn't right. None of this is right.
Atlas Air Traffic Female: Manta 5-1, we've noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately. Do you copy? Over.
Maria: We're kind of running out of time here, kids.
Yang: We need to ditch the ship.
Qrow: Agreed. Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time.
Weiss: I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood.
Blake: Uh, Weiss?
Weiss looks out the window with as she see familiar voice plays from a giant screen.
Winter: A reminder.
Weiss: Huh?
Winter: Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. If your sector is under lockdown…
Weiss: Winter?
Qrow: No offense, Weiss. I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore.
Weiss: There's obviously something very wrong. If we can just talk to her, then we--
Qrow: Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle.
Weiss: But--
Maria: Everyone, calm down. (sighs) I know someone who can help with both.
Atlas Air Traffic Female: Manta 5-1, you are to make your--
Maria shuts the radio
Maria: Geez, lady, take a hint!
After landing the stolen Manta in Mantle, everyone exits the alley. In the distance, a small group of Atlas soldiers run down a street in the direction that Maria and the others came from.
Soldier: It landed over there, let's go!
The group begins walking through Mantle together. Trucks drive past, and Atlesian Knight-200s stand on various sidewalks. Yang kicks a drone away, and they see a trunk taking a group of people that are covered in oil.
Blake: This whole city, it just seems awful.
A drunken voice calls out from nearby.
Drunk Mann: Yeah? You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra.
Blake: Sorry, I didn't mean to--
Drunk Mann: Atlas is the greatest Kingdom in the world, alright?!
Ruby: Hey!
Blake steps forward ahead of Ruby.
Blake: We can't cause a scene.
Drinking Buddy: The embargo... The embargo's got us in a rough patch. But it'll blow over, you'll see.
Drunk Mann: We try and help the other Kingdoms, and this is what happens? I say let 'em rot!
Blake: I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you.
The drunk man spits on the ground, glaring at Blake.
Drunk Mann: Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't unders--
Grievous walks up to the drunk man and he picks him up and throws the man at a dumpster. They flees while a pair of Atlesian Knight-200s investigate.
Soon the group approaches a building with a glowing green plus symbol above its front door.
Pietro: And no more heavy-lifting, yah hear?
Maria: Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend.
Pietro: Ah, yes, yes. Have we met?
Ren: Well, this is off to a fantastic start.
Maria: Cybernetic optical implants. You adjust them. Every ten years or so?
He stares at her for a few moments before throwing his hands cheerfully into the air.
Pietro: Maria!
The robotic chair he is sitting in begins walking out from behind the desk.
Pietro: Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so. Oh wow, has it been that long already?
Maria: Ah, I know. I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx.
Pietro: Oh, did they?
Maria: No, no. They had much more complicated issues.
Qrow: And this is?
Maria: So impatient. I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds.
Yang: Working in a place like this?
The building creaks, and a ceiling tile falls to the floor.
Maria: He likes to keep a low profile. Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about.
Pietro: You can call me Pietro.
Maria: Finest heart, too. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood, up in the clouds.
Pietro: Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here, I get to help the locals and have a little fun. I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try 'em on?
Nora: YES!
Yang: Before we get to that, we were wondering if you could help us. We came to Atlas hoping to talk to General Ironwood, but um…
Blake: What exactly has been happening here?
Pietro: Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him. He's…
Qrow: He's scared.
Pietro: Paranoid would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their play-thing, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the general.
Ren: Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought.
Oscar: After we came all this way, we can't just leave, can we?
Weiss: How does the council feel about all of this? Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?
Pietro: Well, the council's so scared, they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle… Wait, you're… You're Weiss Schnee!
Weiss steps back, as Grievous gets infront of her.
Yang: Wait, what was it that you were trying to say about Mantle?
Pietro gets a good look at Grievous face.
Pietro: You're a cyborg
Yang: What?
General Grievous: ....
Ruby: Is everything okay?
Pietro: You're Team RWBY!
Ruby: You know us?!
Pietro: Oh, my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about you.
Ruby: Your… daughter?
Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of an alarm and people screaming. Outside, civilians are running, and the lights from the street lamps have turned red.
Jaune: Ah, trouble.
The group runs outside.
Pietro: Wait!
Everyone in the group draws their weapons and get ready to fight.
Oscar: I guess the city defenses aren't doing much.
Nora: Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.
Down the road from them, growling is heard, and an Atlesian Knight-200 is thrown against a lamp post.
Jaune: Hm?
Another robot is thrown, and three more back up into view, shooting at a Grimm, which tackle and destroy them one by one.
Ruby: Well, we didn't come this far to fail now!
Ruby changes her weapon into scythe form and aims the sniper barrel toward the Grimm. The beast roar and charge toward her and her friends. Everyone readies their weapons. Yang charges forth using recoil from her gauntlet, followed by Ren launching himself forward.
Nora: Hey!
Nora looks at Jaune, who looks startled and puts up his shield in response, allowing her to land on it. She then kicks off from his shield, launching herself. After Yang uppercuts a Grimm, Ren lands on another one's back, stabbing his guns' blades into it, and it leaps into the air to knock him off, only for Nora to slam it to the ground with her hammer. Jaune beheads one, and when a second one leaps at him, he blocks with his shield and stabs it just above its collarbone.
Qrow slices two Grimm in half, leans back to dodge a third as it attempts to tackle him. He transforms his weapon into scythe mode and uses it to hook the Grimm as it makes another attempt to tackle him. As he finishes spinning his scythe, he plants its blade into the ground and punches another one in the head, then uppercuts it into the air. He then kicks his scythe upward, catches it, straightens the blade, impales the Grimm, and slices another one that leaps at him from behind the deceased Grimm smoke.
While Qrow shoots at more, another one turns its attention to Grievous, who stands still. The Grimm charges at Grievous, but he pulls out his two swords and impale the Grimm's skull.
After Weiss slices through a Sabyr, four more come running toward her from another street. She casts four black glyphs, using them to levitate the Grimm. As they flail helplessly in the air, Ren leaps from Sabyr to Sabyr, cutting each of them in half. Meanwhile, another Sabyr attempts to run up behind Yang while she finishes one off, only to be shot by Blake, who smiles and nods to Yang.
Suddenly, another Sabyr leaps into the air behind Blake, who gasps and turns to face it. Before she can fight back, a green laser fires from the sky, cutting the Grimm in half. More lasers shoot from above, striking down the remaining Grimm. The alarms throughout the city stop, and the street lamps change back to their normal color. Everyone watches as a figure with long hair flies into view, with green jets coming from her feet. She twirls in the air and slowly descends. Pietro and Maria walk outside to join the group, while Ruby stares at the girl before gasping and gaining a look of recognition.
Ruby: Penny!
Pietro: Darling, why don't you say hello to your friends?
Penny turns to look in the direction her father's voice came from. Upon seeing Ruby, she gasps and her eyes shine with joy. Ruby smiles and puts her weapon away. Penny leans forward a little.
Penny: Sal…
Ruby: Huh?
Penny lowers to one knee as a high-pitched charging noise is heard.
Penny: U...
Ruby: Uh…?
Penny begins gleefully sprinting toward Ruby at high speed.
Penny: Tations!!!
Penny leaps and activates her jets, rocketing forward and tackling Ruby, screams, eyes wide. Upon crashing to the ground, Ruby groans in pain. Everyone else puts their weapons away and approaches the pair. Penny pops back up onto her feet, while Ruby slowly rises with her hand on her head.
Penny: It is such a pleasure to see you all again!
Ruby: Penny, I… I-I thought you…
Pietro: Died? I guess, in a manner of speaking, she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas. It took me some time, but…
Penny: I'm as good as new! Better, even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!
Pietro: That's my girl. We're not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?
Penny: No sir!
Weiss: This is…
Blake: Strangely wholesome.
Yang: Sounds like Penny to me.
Penny: We have so many things to catch up about. I cannot wait!
Just as Penny finishes her sentence with a grin, the city's alarms begin blaring again.
Penny: It seems we will have to wait!
Penny bounces backward and salutes. As she charges her jets and then rockets off into the sky, she continues speaking quickly to Ruby even as she takes off.
Penny: Let's talk more later! I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures and tell you how I have been and I am just very excited about the whole experience!!
Nora: I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on or have, like, a million questions.
Pietro: And thankfully, I have about a thousand answers. But let's get out of this weather first.
Maria: I have absolutely no idea who that child was. Is she important somehow?
Jaune: That was unexpected.
Ren: Never a dull moment.
Qrow: But I wouldn't say unwelcome. I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher.
The group begins following Maria and Pietro. However, as they walk, Ren senses something behind them. Before anyone can react, several bolases wrap around Nora, Oscar, Jaune and Ren, the spheres at the ends of the ropes locking into place with Gravity Dust. Blake turns to look back at the commotion, just in time for all of Team RWBY to be caught. As Ruby lands, the Relic of Knowledge comes unhooked from her belt and clatters to the ground. Qrow draws his sword and looks for their unseen enemy, before being captured himself. Grievous looks around to find the enemy, but he too gets caught, Grievous struggles to break loose. Five uniform-clad people come out of hiding and surround the group.
Clover: Good work, team.
Oscar: Hey! What's going on?!
Qrow: Hey, pal! I'm a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?
Clover looks down at Qrow, twirling a horseshoe on his finger. He puts the horseshoe away and picks up Qrow's weapon. The other uniformed operatives begin gathering everyone else's weapons, while Atlesian Knight-200s approach, and the operatives hand the confiscated weapons to the robots. Clover then approaches Ruby, picks up the Relic, and looks at it.
Clover: Hm. Let's get them loaded into the next transport.
Ruby: Please! We were just trying to help!
Pietro: What is the meaning of this? What are the Ace-Ops even doing down here in Mantle?
Ruby: Ace-Ops?
Clover: Doctor, good to see you. Well, we heard a report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing, followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by unlicensed Huntsmen.
Maria turns and walks away.
Pietro: If we could just talk this out--
Clover: They'll be able to talk this out once they get to Atlas. Let's move out!
The Ace-Ops split up and leave the area. Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Oscar, Qrow, and Grievous are forced into the back of a secure van with their wrists bound.
Qrow: Now, this… This is much closer to what I was expecting.
The back doors of the van are slammed shut.
I hope you enjoy reading so far be sure to share this story and I hope you all have a great day and may the force be with you!
