4

After I met with Pietro, where he asked me for more information after I made him disable all electronics in the room to shield us from any possible listener, I answered to most, at least to ones Ironwood was privy to, I didn't share what I knew from Earth, I didn't have an explanation for such information, and so I held it behind closed doors.

That, and already what I said, was enough for Pietro to slump on the wheelchair, seemingly as if life left him, just thanks to him breathing and tapping on the chair armrest, I knew he was just deep in thought...

And so I left him as my eyes traveled to the half-built body on the wall.

Penny Polendinna...

I didn't notice it, but my eyes dimmed. I refused to let her die. If she were to be like in the show, the innocence she would possess...

It was one of the things Ironwood strived to protect, he never shared it, but one of James Ironwood's reasons to never rest was so that he could bear the burden of the world...

Such pity that he wished to become like Atlas, who held the weight of the skies themselves, such pity it broke James Ironwood in the most painful way, making him lose sight of the goal he strived for...

I refused to end like him.

We refused to end like him.

After Pietro gave me his promise to move his research and work to one of my more secure facilities in the heart of Atlas itself, I left his home in Mantle, giving an order to the Specialists who shadowed me to protect Pietro, making them split themselves, two were still shadowing me, and two stayed with Pietro, hidden from curious eyes.

What I didn't realize was the look my men were giving me as my eyes lost their glint and became dim once again.

Penny, Pyrrha, and Winter, how many innocent and wonderful people would need to die and fall into the pit of despair for Ozpin to be satisfied...

How many innocent children are being lost, all because Ozpin was so sure of himself and that his way was the right one...

No.

It was enough. I, Ironwood, witnessed more than enough of deaths, those that could be prevented if he knew more, if Ozpin told him more if he shed away that secrecy that borne nothing more than doubt.

It was time for men to die. It was time for men and not immortal or children to bear the weight of the future.

I will be the Atlas that will hold the skies so that others would need to.

And I, James Ironwood, will not break.

---------------------------------------------------

"Thank you, Moon." I nodded to my secretary, who politely smiled as she served me and Winter our beverage, especially a hot cappuccino for myself and black coffee for Winter. To say I was a little surprised by her taste wouldn't be a lie. Ironwood nor I ever liked the too-bitter taste of pure coffee, always preferring adding milk and sugar.

"With pleasure, sir, miss," Moon said as she left the room with her trail, leaving me and Winter alone, Winter, who still didn't touch her mug.

"Do not be shy, Specialist Schnee. From now on, we will work very closely, and if you were to wait on any of my permission, we wouldn't ever move from one point to another." I softly said, as my lips were gifted with the glorious taste of the coffee, making me softly sigh as my eyes closed in enjoyment...

"T-Thank you, sir." Winter managed to say, and she still didn't lose the awkwardness or unsureness she held within herself. Being in my presence just seemed too unreal to her.

The way her body shifted to a more relaxed position but still stayed stiff made me chuckle inwardly. It would take time for Winter to get used to my presence. It didn't help that Ironwood had, well, I had, this air around myself that just screamed attention and order.

"Were you able to get your needs done, Specialist? Or do you need more time to settle into your new position?" Winter seemed at the loss of words but ultimately answered me.

"No, I'm alright, sir. I managed to complete all my lasting tasks before I left the instructions where I left to my successor." How mindful of her to leave tips to her rookies. If all soldiers were like her, then the army wouldn't be such a mess it is now...

Or not. Sometimes human or faunus nature is just to seek a conflict.

"Sir?" Winter blue eyes locked with my own.

"Yes, Specialist?" I nodded at her to continue, watching how she gathered strength.

"Why... Why me, sir? I looked, and... others could be better successors." Was this again about her being Schnee?

Probably yes, just how deeply Jacques bore his poisonous claws into her to be like this.

Still, I nodded at Winter's words, true...

Some candidates could be better than Winter if I looked at it objectively.

But...

The problem is that most of them were men, and for those few girls or women, I was not sure of their loyalty.

But Winter?

Winter, who will one day inherit the Winter Maiden's powers...

The sooner I taught her, the higher chances for her to become more powerful than any other previous or current Maiden there is.

"Do not think about this, but remember this conversation. If you prove yourself, then one day I will tell you of reasons for my decision. Until then, prove you can be patient." Winter seemed to want to protest, but the discipline taught to her in the Atlas academy worked wonders as she nodded.

"I will, sir."

"Good... Now, let's go. There is a lot of work and so little time."

So little time...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"What is the meaning of this sudden need of meeting, General?" Camilla Aeneid asked, and at the same time demanded, as she looked at the man who held two seats of five in Atlas Council, a brazen breach of logic and tradition, but then, nobody expected for a man to by both General and Headmaster of Atlas Academy, with both jobs needing a fulltime attention, something James Ironwood was capable of, and something that surprised many.

Sleet Rain just stayed quiet, letting Camilla or Edward Brown speak first.

"The reason for this sudden meeting is finally putting down the atrocity against Atlas laws. Read this, and then ask if you still need to." Sleet frowned at Ironwood's words, but then, he looked at the mail his terminal received.

And with each word he read, with each sentence and fact, his face reddened as his body trembled.

Camilla wasn't much better, but she could stay calm as she analyzed the folder's data.

And Edward didn't even bat an eye. No matter what he read, all he showed was a quirk of an eyebrow.

"And? We all knew this, and it's not like it's against the law." Edward drily said, but his words weren't answered by Ironwood, but by the reddened Sleet, a very slender man who had an air of professionalism previously was now fully finning.

"KNEW?! I heard RUMORS! But though it as another slander of the jealous! YOU KNEW OF THIS AND DIDN'T PRESENT THIS BEFORE US?!" Sleet roared, looking into Edward's now surprised face. It seemed that Edward realized his mistake.

"Rumors or facts aside... What exactly do you want from us, General? We can't do anything without damaging our very city." Camilla calmly asked, even if she looked a little uneven and paled from what she read in the folder.

"You too, Camilla?!" Steele turned to the woman.

"Not now, Steele. First, please answer my question, General." Ironwood just looked at her, and Camilla had little doubts about asking, but then, she steeled herself and met a General stare with her own.

"I want to fix the damage his barbaric practices bring us, Jacques Schnee would either get into line with the law, or he will be deposed, forcefully, and then thrown into jail." Ironwood's words cut the chatter in the room as now everybody looked at him. Steele nodded his head, agreeing with the General, Camilla seemed to mull his words over, and Edward looked pale.

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I knew why Edward Brown looked so pale. After all, these last three months, I investigated a lot of things, and the amount of dirt I found...

It made James Ironwood in me seethe rage, and even I was nauseated by some of the secrets I found.

At first, I didn't understand how exactly Edward Brown managed to get a Council Seat, as his transportation corporation was just a small fish in the big pond that is Atlas, but now I understand.

Edward is Jacques Schnee's creature, his helper, and the man who was obtaining the mining workers for Jacques's mines, most often than not, unwilling miners...

And from the way he paled when I looked at him, it seemed he realized that I knew.

Winter was an enormous help. In this case, the girl tried all her might when I told her of my plan to forcefully clean SDC from the outside, with the help of council-appointed overseers and investigators who would visit the SDC mines and will deal with any breach of law.

Slavery is banned in Atlas.

And I want to give Jacques a memo that he is very dangerously close to a breach of that law.

Jacques either changed his corporation politics, or they would be changed by force.

Winter loved the idea, and it was shown from the way she looked when she presented her findings and investigations into the SDC mines situation and the way she preened when I praised her efforts and results.