Chapter 2: Unworthy

by UnknownkingfromAO3

To say Ironwood's office was intimidating would be like saying Ozpin was old, it was a massive understatement. The looming shadows under the door as people walked by and the militaristic design making everything feel strict and oppressive, like boot camp. Everything about it seemed to be designed to intimidate anyone who dared to step inside.

Summer shifted uncomfortably as she waited for the general to return from some big responsibility that she wasn't allowed to know. She understood he had a big job, but she never liked waiting.

And she wasn't the only one.

"Cinder, please don't." Summer said for what must be the umpteenth time as the young girl reached for one of the papers on the general's desk. She had already set fire to the curtains, melted a hole into the window, and tried to set off the sprinklers in the office. Multiple times.

"Maybe he shouldn't be late if he didn't want people to entertain themselves." Cinder said as she settled on kicking the desk causing a stack of papers to fall.

"This was an unannounced visit, actually." Summer responded tiredly. "And if you're going to ask someone a favor, you shouldn't make them mad. Now pick up those papers and put them back where they were."

Cinder grumbled something that Summer thought sounded like a curse word no fourteen year old should know, but didn't comment as the girl had begun picking up the papers.

After another half an hour (and several more arson attempts by Cinder.) Summer heard voices approaching the office. She didn't recognize the first one, who was yelling angrily.

The second however, she recognized as General Ironwood. While she hadn't met him face to face, she had spoken over Scrolls more than once. He seemed to be arguing with the angry man who was with him, but Summer couldn't make out any of the words.

Finally, the voice stopped outside the office and Summer stood and brushed herself off to appear presentable. Being around one of Ozpin's lieutenants made her nervous.

The door to the office opened, and Summer was able to catch the last of the conversation. "Then tell me why the murderer is still at large! I'm hosting a large celebration in a few weeks and how am I supposed to without Accommodations!?" The angry man yelled. He seemed furious about something, but Summer had no idea what.

"I've told you, Jacques." Ironwood growled. "It's an ongoing investigation. Even if I knew anything, I wouldn't be able to talk about it until the case is closed." The general said as he stepped inside his office. Cinder immediately moved to stand next to Summer. She must have been intimidated by the massive man who had appeared. Or just didn't want to get in trouble for heating his leather chair to a boiling point.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have another matter to attend to. If you want more information, then feel free to check in with the police. They'll be more than happy to answer any and all your questions, as long as it's not classified, of course." Before Jacques could say anything else, Ironwood shut the door in his face, locking it as well.

With a heavy sigh, the general made his way over to Summer and offered his hand. "Sorry about the delay. You would not believe what happened a few days ago. Miss Rose, correct?" Summer nodded stiffly.

"A pleasure, sir! I mean, err, yes general sir! I mean! Yes sir!" Summer gave him an awkward salute.

"You don't need to do that." Ironwood said quickly, raising his hand slightly. "No need to stand on ceremony when it's important business for Oz. Now this is about Salem, correct?" Summer shuffled nervously. She had hoped he wouldn't jump straight into business, but he had and now she had to stop him before he accidentally dragged Cinder into it.

"Actually, before that." Summer stammered. "Could we talk about something a little more…open first?"

"Oh." The general replied. "And what is troubling you, Miss Rose?" In response, Summer guided Cinder forward and in front of the general.

"And who do we have here?" Ironwood asked, examining the girl. "I don't recognize her. Is she your student? She's awfully young."

"No. Not quite." Summer said. "I found her in the tundra. She's an orphan. I want to get her some adoption papers, so I can find her a home somewhere outside of the kingdom. She's not the biggest fan of Atlas."

Ironwood looked back down at Cinder, who held his stern gaze. They locked eyes for a second, then Ironwood broke contact to turn his attention back to Summer.

"Yes. Of course." He said, turning and walking to his desk where he began rummaging around in it. Besides her, Summer felt a sigh of relief from Cinder, she didn't like being eyed by the general.

"Okay, here it is." Ironwood pulled out a stack of paper. Summer noticed the bottom looked slightly burned and gave Cinder a disappointing look.

"There are a lot of war orphans right now. I was just talking about an investigation into a child trafficking ring when one of our leads got… taken out of the picture." Ironwood said as he handed Summer the papers. A quick scan of the first page told Summer that this was a confirmation of one's orphan status.

"Just fill them out to the best of your abilities." Ironwood said kindly. "Then you two can stay at the academy for the night and be on your…..way." Summer looked up to see Ironwood looking directly at Cinder's twin blades.

"Where did you get those?!" Ironwood snapped, his tone had done a complete one-eighty in a second. It was now hard and commanding, like the general many in Vale still feared.

"The blades?" Summer asked in confusion. "Cinder had them when I found her. She didn't steal them, if that's what you're thinking. Or… at least not recently. Why?" Ironwood directed his gaze to Summer and she felt its weight. He was not someone she ever wanted to cross.

"Because," he said in a dangerously low tone. "I happen to know the huntsman they belong too. And he was found dead a few days ago. And both swords had been stolen."

Summer felt her stomach drop. She remembered what Cinder had said out in the tundra. "Didn't help the last guy." Back then, she had assumed she had just bested and robbed a huntsman, but had she meant she had actually killed one? No. No, surely Cinder hadn't killed anyone. There was no way. Sure she had the skill to fight a huntsman, but to take out someone so important that it would catch the general's notice? Not possible. They would have to be the best if the best, right?

Suddenly, Summer felt movement close to her and found Cinder hiding behind her. She could see the fear in her eyes as the general stood and walked towards them. "The huntsman in question was a reliable man. Had both a skilled fighter and knowledge in strategy. In a few years, I might have even offered him a position in a new task force I'm planing to start." Ironwood circled them, and Summer found herself struggling to keep herself between him and Cinder.

"He often visited a hotel called The Glass Unicorn. A hotel on the darker side of the law. I'll admit, it's the kind of place I'd love to see shut down, but several rich businessmen protect it from police investigation. So its staff are never checked. As such, it's the perfect place if someone wanted to, let's say, assassinate someone without getting caught." Summer found herself backed against the well, and Ironwood was still bearing down on them. His eyes looked as dead as a grimm. Summer's hand instinctively moved to her swords at her waist. She had never felt so threatened while inside an office, not even when she had accidentally lost all of Beacon's students files.

Summer could cut the tension with a single strike of her sword. She didn't know what to do. Cinder might have killed someone, but she didn't trust Atlas police to conduct an accurate investigation. They would probably just send Cinder off to jail and call it a day. But she couldn't fight the entire military to escape. And she didn't even know if Cinder was innocent! Gah! Her head was starting to hurt! She needed a moment to thi-

"He attacked first."

Both adults froze as Cinder spoke. She looked completely terrified, but she was starting to come out from behind Summer.

"I- I tried to escape the Glass Unicorn and he- he attacked me after I found the key to my escape. I fought back. Got the jump on him and-I and-I." Cinder swayed on her feet and Summer rushed over to catch her before she hit the ground. She didn't want to think about the horrors this girl must have endured.

"I see." Ironwood said, his tone calming. "That seems out of character for Rhodes to do something like that though. Can you elaborate?" Summer spun around to Ironwood with a glare.

"She's a child!" She yelled. "Can you not force these kinds of things on her!? It's not-!" Summer was quieted by Cinder's hand gripping hers. "It's okay." She said. "I'll elaborate."

Before Summer could retort, Ironwood cut her off. "Thank you Cinder. I'm sorry for accusing you without proof. If it was self-defense, then I… I'll try to understand. It's.. these past couple of months have been rough."

Summer didn't doubt it. She knew Oz didn't tell him about Salem until well after the war. He didn't want the general's semblance to cause complications. Ironwood had only just been told about her this year.

Summer gave Cinder's hand a squeeze for support as the young girl got to her feet. She didn't look Ironwood in the eye, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground instead. "I was cleaning the staff areas. I knew there was a key hidden somewhere there. I- I had been planning to escape for a while now, but I only had the ability that night. Both the matriarch and her daughter had to entertain some guests from the shady part of Atlas."

Summer had a pretty good idea what that was about, but said nothing, letting Cinder continue with her story.

"I had stolen the key and was about to go to my room when I heard a loud crash from down stairs. Then screaming." Cinder paused here as she began nervously needing her hands together.

"I got scared and hid in a broom closet for a while, not sure how long but it felt like hours. Eventually, the screams had stopped, but I couldn't bring myself to move! I was so scared! I never heard screams like that! It might have been short, but to me, it felt like an eternity from them to stop." Summer knew the power fear. She knew it wasn't Cinder's fault for hiding somewhere when she thought something was wrong.

"When I finally managed to leave the closet and investigate, I found both the matriarch and her daughters dead in the storage room i usually sleep in. I rushed over to their bodies to check for a pulse, but they were-they were-!" Cinder covered her face and let out a choked sob. Summer rushed over and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Shh." She said. "It's okay. I'm pretty sure we can guess what happened next." She then gave Ironwood a hard glare. "I'm CERTAIN anyone could guess what happened next." She said a little more pointedly than before.

Ironwood let out a sigh. "Yes. I have a good idea what happened next, but just for the record I need to at least get an eyewitness confirmation. You only need to nod or shake your head okay?" Cinder removed herself from Summer's embrace and nodded weakly, her gaze on the floor.

"Rhodes entered the room and saw you next to the body. He then jumped to conclusions that you were the murder. You, simultaneously, assumed he was the killer and the two of you fought. Is that about right?" Cinder nodded.

"You managed to take him off guard and you landed a killing blow. Then out of fear of repercussions, you took his weapons and fled. And ever since you've been to scared to return to Atlas. Then you began robbing people in the tundra to survive. Is the close?" Cinder nodded again, still unable to look at the adults in the room.

"He thought he'd won." She added quietly. "I took advantage of it. Played dead. Let him get close. Then… I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted-!"

"I understand." Ironwood said heavily. "Sometimes, in the heat of battle, you do things you didn't mean. It happens. Especially when you're scared. It's not your fault."

Summer walked over and put her hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Cinder. Why don't you go wait in the hall. I'll wrap things up with the general, then come and get you. And tomorrow will finish your paperwork, okay?" Cinder didn't say anything, but nodded and walked out the door. It closed heavily behind her, hiding Summer's frown.

When Cinder left, Summer saw the girl's hands. They were completely dry.

Cinder leaned against the wall across Ironwood's office. She waited nervously for Summer to emerge. She didn't like the general, but at least Summer had managed to sway him to her way of thinking.

The hallway was deserted save for herself. She guessed most people weren't active this time of night. She was tempted to wonder around, but decided against it. She had barely managed to sell her lie and got off easy because Ironwood had filled in some blanks himself. Best not to push her luck.

Suddenly, Cinder heard voices approaching. One sounded annoyed, while the other seemed to be trying to claim him.

"All I'm saying is that it's a waste of my time and abilities to go looking for a murderer who got the jump on some half-cocked huntsman! James should really learn to appreciate me. After all, it's no exaggeration to say the kingdom is still standing because of me! And now I'm being reduced to grunt work? The nerve!" Cinder saw two men turn the corner. One was tall and thin, with a stupid mustache making her hate him already. He was also the one flapping his mouth. What an ego.

The second was a short fat man, with a pair of glasses that were unbelievably small. Cinder wondered if he even needed them to see, or if he just wears them to look smart.

"Can't be helped, the wars over Arthur. We need to change focus to more peaceful endeavors like…umm…. Making shoes that dance on their own! That'll make negativity just up and disappear! And that means less grimm too." The short fat man said, causing the tall man, Arthur, to roll his eyes.

"Honestly Pietro. With that kind of mindset you'll never get anywhere in life. You can't live off helping people alone." Arthur gave a patronizing wave of his hand. "But you do you. Just don't come running to me when I'm made Atlas's top scientist and you're still making fake limps for Faunus down in Mantle. Honestly, the problem of being on the top is that everyone else looks so stupid in comparison."

Cinder let out an audible snort, causing both men to look at her.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Didn't see you there." The fat man, Pietro, said. He took off his glasses and whipped them on his shirt. "Are you Ironwood's special guest? I'm Pie-"

"I'm sorry, but I don't see what an urchin like you is scoffing at someone like me." Arthur said, cutting Pietro off as he stepped forward, towering over Cinder, who just smirked up at him.

"I just think it's a little pathetic that a man who's only accomplishments are playing with toys to be running his mouth." Cinder said in a condescending tone. "What have you yourself ever done? I bet you can't even fight. Someone without any real power is hardly worthy of doing anything but living within his own means. In other words, just staying back and letting those with actual abilities to shine in the spotlight. You won't get much of it once people lose interest in your toys."

Arthur didn't appear phased in the slightest. Calmly, he leaned down into Cinder's face.

"Then tell me little urchin." He mocked. "What have you accomplished? Licked someone's boots clean in an hour? Stolen a loaf of bread? Got clothes that are more cloth than rags? If those are your accomplishments, then you definitely don't have the right to mouth off to a grown adult with multiple diplomas and an actual job."

Cinder felt anger boil inside her. She already couldn't stand this man.

"Now, now, Arthur." Pietro said. "She's just a kid. No need to be rude. I don't think-"

"You speak of power, but you know nothing about it." He continued, complaining ignoring his comrade. "All you'll ever achieve is being a side character in someone else's story. A footnote in someone much greater journey. A little urchin like you could never obtain any real power because it's not just about raw strength. It's so much more than what your incredibly simple mind could dream up. So maybe, next time you don't talk back to your superiors. It might even save your worthless life one day. After all, the unworthy will always fall to their rightful place at the knees of their betters."

Cinder's furry boiled over. She lunged at the tall man, hand outstretched, burning with enough heat to melt his face.

But his foot lashed out first. Cinder's exhausted body was slow to react and it landed hard into her stomach, knocking her to the ground. He was way faster than she expected.

"Arthur!" Pietro yelled. "What are you doing!? She's a kid for Pete's sake! You don't need to get violent!"

"Discipline." Arthur said calmly. "Kids need harsh discipline or they become mouthy little brats like this one." He waved carelessly at Cinder as she lay coughing on the floor. "You always wanted to be a father, didn't you, Pietro? Then maybe you start taking notes. After all, it would be such a shame if your reputation got dragged through the mud by an out of control little urchin."

"Cinder!"

Cinder looked up to see Summer rushing past the two men and sliding to her knees next to her. "Are you okay!?" She asked as she checked the girl all over for injuries. Behind her, the general stepped out of his office.

He looked from Cinder to Arthur and his face hardened.

"What were you doing, Watts?" He asked coldly. Watts just smiled back at him. "Just teaching a brat a lesson about edict. Wouldn't want someone else to mistake her bluntness for an insult and get her into even more trouble, now would we?"

Summer spun around, furry in her silver eyes. "What's wrong with you!? How could you strike a child! She hasn't done anything to you!" She snapped.

"Technically, she attacked me." Watt said dismissively. "What I did was small in comparison to what someone less merciful could have done." He paused for a second as a superior smirk spread across his face. "But if you don't want your dog hurt, then I suggest you keep it on a leash."

Summer opened her mouth to unleash her rage, but was stopped by Ironwood. "Summer, why don't you take Cinder to your room. I'll give Watts a stern talking too."

"But-!"

"Summer." Ironwood cut in. "I understand you're angry, but Watts was within his right to defend himself. There's nothing I can legally do." Watts gave Summer another superior smirk that made her want to break his teeth.

"But." Ironwood continued, glaring hard at Watts. "Atlas is MY kingdom. So I suggest you don't push your luck Watts. And after an unnecessary amount of force against a child, I'm beginning to question your metal state. Perhaps I should cut your funding until you've gotten some rest."

Watts' smirk changed to an angry scowl. He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again without saying anything.

There was a short pause as Watts tugged at the slaves of his jacket, then he straightened up, his face a mask of forced calm. "Of course, general. I haven't been sleeping much recently. I overdid it. It won't happen again."

Ironwood nodded, then stepped aside to let Watts and Pietro into his office. Cinder watched them disappear into the cold room followed by Ironwood. She saw Watts turn back as the doors began to close. A smirk crossed his face as he looked down at the girl still sitting on the floor. Then the doors slammed shut.

"Cinder? Can you stand?" The girl looked back as her name was called. Summer was offering her hand. Cinder ignored it and got to her feet on her own. "I'm fine." She answered. "That guy hits like a pussy."

"Language!" Summer chastised, but she couldn't keep a smile off her face. She offered her hand once again, and once again, Cinder ignored it and walked past the huntress. "Can we get to bed?" She asked. "I'll do the paperwork tomorrow if you don't mind."

Summer didn't respond right away, but she quickly jogged up next to Cinder. "Of course." She said, forcing a smile. "Follow me. I'll show you where we're sleeping tonight."

The two made their way out of the military base and to Atlas Academy, where they rested for the night before heading to Vale.