Chapter 86: General Support
"Schnee Zero Two, this is Atlas Zero One. Please maintain current altitude and proceed to docking bay one for final approach."
"Copy that, switching over to auto pilot for final approach," Winter replied, flipping a few switches overhead. Yawning softly, she undid her seatbelt, before stretching her arms over her head. "We should be arriving soon."
"So," I hummed softly. "How did last night go with team RWBY?"
Winter smiled proudly. "It went well. I believe that they've made a significant amount of progress with their training. I only had to correct them a few times throughout the night. In fact, I was considering spending another night with them."
That was surprising. I'd needed to wake them a number of times the other night. Hell, it'd taken me the better part of a week to get Winter and Pyrrha to master Total Concentration Constant.
"How'd you manage that?"
"Positive punishment," Winter said simply, raising a single finger. "Each time I was forced to wake them, I applied an incentive that made them much more inclined to master their breathing."
And suddenly it all made sense.
Looking out the window as we neared Atlas' large military ship, the Airship shuddered softly as it neared a landing platform, before it finally touched down.
"So, about yesterday..."
We hadn't really had the chance to talk about the towel incident since she'd left soon after. Things had been... Well, I wouldn't exactly say awkward. Winter had done a pretty good job at keeping her cool, after all, only looking vaguely embarrassed.
Pyrrha had been a little mortified, mostly about the fact that she'd unintentionally caused the whole incident while Weiss on the other hand had been a stuttering mess for the most part.
"Ah, yes." A light blush lit up Winter's face. Getting up from her seat, she made her way over to the main hatch. "I've given it some thought and believe that I may have come up with a solution." Hitting a button on the side of the hatch, it slid open with a near silent hiss. "Shall we?"
"Sure," I hummed, following her as she made her way off the Airship. "So, what's this solution you had in mind?"
"Well, since I saw you in such a state, it's only fair for you to–" Snapping to attention, she folded her hands neatly behind her back when she caught sight of the General. "General Ironwood."
"At ease, Winter," Ironwood hummed. "This isn't official business. In fact, I'd go as far to say that anything we learn today is strictly off the records."
Winter kept her hands clasped behind her back. "Understood, sir."
"It's good to see you again, Coal," Ironwood said, shaking my hand. "Unfortunately, with all of the security concerns surrounding the Festival, I don't have much time right now, so we'll need to rush things along."
...Breathe...
The brig on the Atlesian military vessel was fairly secure. Being situated near the center of the ship, it looked like the average hallway, only with several reinforced hatches along with what looked to be a Hard-Light Dust barrier that ensured no one would be able to break out.
The cells were fairly small, containing only the bare necessities, a bed, sink, toilet and shower. Giving the occupants very little to do.
Sitting on her bed, Emerald was slouched forward with her bangs covering her eyes.
Likewise, Mercury was also on his bed, lying on his back with one hand tucked under his head while the other permanently had his middle finger extended towards the door.
As for Cinder, she sat cross-legged with her back to the door.
"Are you sure this is the safest place to keep them, sir?" Winter asked softly.
"I would have preferred having them locked in one of the more secure cells in Atlas, but it'd be risky to transport them right now," Ironwood noted. "I've talked to them a few times, but so far that's proven to be a lesson in disappointment."
"And you're hoping that I'll have better luck."
Somehow, I didn't feel that I would... At least not without scaring them into telling me and I really wasn't exactly eager to try out Conquerors Will in a large metal box hovering several hundred feet in the air.
"I'm hoping that since you were their main target, they might slip-up," Ironwood explained. "Anything is better than nothing at this point. A name, where they're from, even if it's something small, like a restaurant they enjoyed visiting. Anything to get a better idea on how Salem operates."
Funnily enough, I could answer a few of those myself, although, it would lead to me having to explain a few things that I'd really rather not. I suppose I could always goad them into giving me the right answers.
"I suppose it's worth a shot," I said. Standing in front of Cinder's cell, I looked over towards Ironwood. "I'm ready whenever you are."
Nodding, he moved over to the control panel next to Cinder's cell. Typing in a short code, he moved to the side, putting some room between himself and the cell, motioning for Winter to follow him.
Waiting for a few short moments, the hatch suddenly snapped open. Cinder, however, remained seated on the floor, not even bothering to attempt an escape.
"Come to try and question me again, General? I've told you before, you have nothing I want."
"Sorry, wrong person," I hummed, taking a step forward.
Jolting, Cinder slowly turned around, a sly smile slowly forming on her face. "Well, well, well. This is a surprise. I see our dear General has stepped it up quite a bit. I really must thank him. There are so very few things to do in here after all. Tell me, what brings my dear captor here."
Shrugging, I leaned against the frame, just outside of her prison. "I'm just here to find out what you know about Salem."
"Yes, I've gathered as much," Cinder deadpanned.
"Then I suppose you could tell me about how you first met her," I hummed, thinking back to what I knew about Cinder. "I'm guessing you were around my age, since she tried to recruit me too. There weren't any missing persons reports for someone of your description, so no one was around to file one."
Twitching slightly, Cinder kept her sly smile up, never once letting it drop. "I could tell you everything I know about her, but what would you give me in return? You could try and threaten me, but we'd both know it would be empty. I might not have any power here, but neither do you."
I guess there was no other way then.
Letting the smallest amount of my will leak out, the air grew noticeably thicker. "Are you sure about that? Tell me, Cinder, what exactly is it that you want me to give you? I'm not going to free you if that's what you're asking."
"No, I... Want an exchange," Cinder stuttered, finding it difficult to breathe. "If you tell me why I couldn't... Steal your Semblance, then I'll tell you about a place... One that Salem finds interesting."
That's it? I would have thought she'd want to know about the shadow or who the Maidens were.
"Marcus Black," I replied, letting up on the pressure. "He was still conscious in that little parasite of yours and really didn't like you. He even offered to give me your Semblance if he could be free of you. Your plan never would have worked."
Looking visibly enraged, Cinder quickly hid it behind an amused smile. "I see... And the screen that popped up?"
"That wasn't part of our deal."
"Of course, I wouldn't want to break my promise," Cinder hummed sensually. "There's a lab beneath Mt. Glenn that once belonged to a man by the name of Dr. Merlot. I think you'll find his work most interesting, I know Salem does."
Merlot, huh. Ironwood would definitely be interested in looking into that.
"We'll need to check that out to see if you're telling the truth."
"Be my guest." Cinder smirked.
…Breathe…
As odd as it felt to think, given where she'd been little over a week ago, Summer could honestly say that she was tired of being stuck in bed.
Summer never really got on well with hospitals, few Huntsmen and Huntresses did. It wasn't that she had anything against them, but… Being tied down in one place without a weapon, or the ability to move around on your own was trying at the best of times.
She'd tried to keep herself distracted by using Tai's Scroll when he fell asleep, but, with the Vytal Festival in full swing, there wasn't much to watch but news reports. She probably could have asked to borrow his Scroll and he'd be more than happy to hand it over, but where was the fun in that?
Apparently, this was looking to be the largest Vytal Festival held in the past century… Something about the Atlesian Military helping claim a large chunk of land from the Grimm.
There were also a lot of people talking about the Ancient Grimm, but she wasn't sure where to even begin with that.
She just needed to get out for a bit…. To get some fresh air to help clear her head.
Don't get her wrong, she loved being back with her family, just the thought of them.
How Tai was always there, Ruby's awkward questions, Yang sitting by her side and telling her all the things she'd missed over the years and Qrow's snarky comments and refusal to leave her side all brought a smile to her face.
"That's it," Summer decided. Grabbing the railings of her bed, she forced herself to sit up. "I've had about as much as I can take. I'm getting out of here."
Letting out a grunt as she tried to swing her legs over the side of her bed, she stared down at them with no small amount of disappointment when they just rolled helplessly under her blanket.
Right... Her muscles had atrophied. That was annoying.
"Summer?" Jolting up from his chair, Tai, who'd been dozing off a moment ago, was at her side, with an arm hooked around her back. "What do you think you're doing? You're not ready to be moving on your own yet, your body can't handle it. You need to rest."
Sighing, Summer looked up at him and smiled, placing a hand on his cheek. "Tai, I know that you're worried about me and I love you for that, but if I have to spend another day stuck in this room, I might just go stir-crazy. I need to get out, even if it's just for an hour."
Looking into her lone eye, Tai began to fold. "But the doctors said you need more time to recover and how would you even get around?"
That was a good question, one she didn't exactly have an answer to. She'd been banking on being able to walk out of here, but seeing as she could only just barely move her legs...
"You could always carry her," Qrow muttered from over by his bed.
Humming thoughtfully, Summer gave Taiyang a once over.
"You're not actually considering it, are you?" Taiyang asked, getting a weak shrug in response. "What if I tripped or accidentally dropped you? No, you'd need something way more reliable, like a wheelchair or one of those walking chair things you get in Atlas."
Blinking, Summer smiled slyly. "You're right. I'm glad we're on the same page, Tai. Now we just need to figure out where to find something like that in Beacon."
Groaning, Taiyang palmed his face tiredly.
"Where indeed..." Idly making his way into the room, Ozpin tapped his cane against the floor with each step, holding a clipboard in his off hand. "Unfortunately, or, should I say fortunately, depending on how you view our students' health, you would be hard pressed to find a wheelchair in these halls."
Taiyang let out a sigh of relief.
"I guess I'll just have to find another way then," Summer noted. "We could always revisit Qrow's idea of having you carry me." Meeting Ozpin's gaze, she refused to back down.
Stopping at the base of her bed, he held his clipboard in front of him.
"You do seem to be doing a lot better," Ozpin admitted, paging through the medical report. "The doctors have said that your recovery is nothing less than astonishing. Your bones are roughly where they're supposed to be, your muscles are slowly recovering and your organs seem to be functioning normally."
She had been fairly quick to recover, but, with the way Ozpin was talking about it, Summer had to wonder if something else was contributing to her recovery... Perhaps a little light that'd been keen to help her.
"So she's actually ready to be released?" Taiyang asked worriedly.
Feeling Tai pulling her closer, Summer smiled. It was comforting to know that, despite everything that changed over the last decade, Tai still remained the same overprotective man he'd always been.
"I didn't say that," Ozpin hummed. "We are in unknown territory here, this is all new, but that doesn't mean that Summer needs to be kept locked in the infirmary until she's fully recovered. Since she's obviously feeling better, why not make the most of it?"
Feeling excitement beginning to build up inside of her, Summer stared up at Tai. She'd be going one way or another, but it would be nice if she had his support in this.
"Not to rain on your parade or anything, but are you sure that's a good idea?" Qrow asked. "I hate to say it, but Salem's followers are still out there. Last time I tried taking one of them on myself, I got my ass handed to me and I'm not exactly in any condition for a second round."
Sighing, Summer stared down at her lap. It always seemed to come back to Salem. Qrow was right of course. As she was now, she'd be absolutely useless in a fight... Worse, she'd be a hindrance.
"That's where I come in, sonny," an elderly lady with white hair, blue goggles and a cane said, slowly hobbling over to Summer's bed. "Maria Calavera." She offered her hand.
Blinking, she took her hand. "Summer Rose... Calavera, that sounds familiar." It reminded her a little of... Summer's lone eye lit up in recognition. "Wait, you're Coal's grandmother?"
"Why not? Neither of us really cared to figure that part out anyway," Maria chuckled, sitting down on the chair opposite Tai's. "So, since you need help getting around, why don't I lend a hand?"
Qrow snorted softly to himself. "Heh, sure. Like that'll help." Reaching for his flask, he let out a short sigh. "Right. Gonna need to get a replacement for that soon."
"I was a fairly well known Huntress back in my day, so you should be safe with me. Besides, it's not like we're going to be venturing out into the wilderness... Yet," Maria hummed. "So, what do you say?"
That sounded great and all, but it didn't exactly tell her a lot about the woman in front of her, other than the fact that she was related to Coal, that is. "If you don't mind me asking, who were you back in your day?"
"I used to call me the Grimm Reaper," Maria replied, a scythe-like blade popping out of her cane. "Although it's been a lifetime since I've used that name."
For a moment, everything was silent, even the beeping of Summer's heart rate monitor seemed to grow quieter.
"You're the Grimm Reaper? I modelled my whole Huntsman career after you," Qrow breathed. "You were a living legend back in the day, until you just disappeared. Everyone thought you died on a mission. The Academies often use your story as a warning–"
"To not fight Grimm on your own, I know," Maria said, shooting a quick glance towards Ozpin. "I was targeted by a group of assassins because of my eye colour, silver by the way," she added, nodding towards Summer. "In the end, I managed to kill them all, but not before losing something in turn. After that, well, I retired."
As interesting as it was meeting another person who had Silver Eyes and a living legend at that, Summer couldn't help but feel sad... And a little worried about Ruby's future. "So even back then, Salem was targeting people like us."
"Salem, who's that?" Maria asked, causing Summer to freeze. "Nah, I'm just screwing with you. The point of my story was that, even though I haven't been through the same thing as you, I still know what it's like to be targeted by Salem and I don't want to see you waste your life living in fear as I did."
That was, quite honestly, a lot to take in. Maria was right, she hadn't been through the same thing, but their story was similar enough that she could understand what Summer was going through.
Making up her mind, Summer nodded. "If you're still willing to lend a hand, I would appreciate it."
"Great," Maria grinned. "I'm looking forward to us spending time together, especially since you'll be able to keep your boy toy there in line. You know, he once made a move on me."
"Please god, no," Taiyang murmured.
Looking up at Tai's paling face, Summer blinked. "Tai?"
"It's not what it sounds like, I promise," Taiyang swore.
"Nope, it's pretty much exactly as it sounds," Maria hummed. "I was staying over at your house, teaching Ruby how to use her eyes and blondie over there decides to sneak into my room and kiss me on the forehead. He even called me his little firecracker."
Little firecracker, that was one of Yang's–
Realizing what'd happened, Summer took a wheezed breath. Wrapping her arm around her aching ribs, her body practically vibrated as she let out a side-splitting laugh.
...Breathe...
Within the span of a few short days, Beacon's fairgrounds had become absolutely packed with a variety of tents, ranging from food that specialized in foods from each of the four kingdoms, all the way to amusement park games.
There were even a few holographic screens in the process of being installed around the fairgrounds that'd stream the tournament for all those that couldn't get a seat.
Of course, with everything being set up, it'd already drawn a large crowd from both students and visitors alike.
There were more than a few teams that'd been enjoying foods from their home Kingdoms, even one from Vacuo which seemed to be tricking an Atlas team into eating something that, judging by their red faces and how they downing their drinks, was extremely spicy.
Unfortunately for them, people in Vacuo liked to add spice to their drinks as well as a way to enhance its flavor.
It was all very festive and fun, even with the Amity Colosseum looming in the distance, visible to both Beacon and a significant portion of Vale.
They would be announcing the start of the tournament sometime in the next week.
Humming softly to myself, I handed a stall owner a handful of Lien, getting two sticks of cotton candy in return.
"You know," Pyrrha murmured, staring up at the massive Colosseum hanging in the skyline. "Back when I was in Sanctum, I used to think about the Vytal Tournament and how I'd be expected to compete. No one really cared to ask how I felt about it or if I even wanted to participate."
"Did you want to compete?" I asked, handing her a stick of cotton candy.
"Maybe," Pyrrha hummed. "It's funny how much I built it up in my head. Back then, I wanted to find someone that could actually give me a challenging fight and the Vytal Tournament likely would have been my best bet, but now I could probably take them all on without breaking a sweat."
She wasn't wrong. It'd probably take a few teams of fully trained Huntsmen to take her down and that was before she awakened the Demon Slayer Mark. As she was now, I wouldn't be surprised if she could handle Atlas' Ace-Ops on her own.
"I'm sorry, that might have sounded a little rude," Pyrrha apologized. "I didn't mean to say that they're weak or anything. I'm sure they all put a lot of effort into their training. Team RWBY especially, it's just that I... Well, how to say, I–"
Hiding her face behind her cotton candy, she let out a pained groan.
Laughing softly, I got an annoyed look in return. Pulling a little bit of candy floss from her hair, I threw it to the side. "I knew what you meant the first time, you really don't need to explain yourself, Pyrrha."
Calming down a little, Pyrrha pulled back. "Don't you think you could have said something sooner?"
"Maybe," I hummed, wrapping an arm around her waist. She really was cute when she was embarrassed. "So, what do you want to do? We could get some food, play one of the amusement park games, or we could–"
"DUCK!" Grabbing onto my arm, Pyrrha managed to pull me out of the way just as a familiar red blur crashed into the ground in the spot I'd been standing.
"There you are!" Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, looking far too jittery for her own good.
"Ruby?" I said slowly. "Are you al–"
Latching onto my arm, she began pulling off in a random direction "C'mon, we need to go. You're the only one that can help me... Pyrrha, you too," she decided, taking her arm as well.
"Woah, slow down. What's going on?"
"My mom and dad are missing," Ruby said anxiously. "I went to the infirmary earlier and uncle Qrow was all beat up and asleep in one of the beds and they were missing and there were these suspicious skid marks on the floor. If Yang finds out, she's gonna freak, so we need to find them before that happens."
Gasping, Pyrrha covered her mouth.
Okay, this was serious. I needed to get in contact with Oz and see if he knew anything about it. Maybe she'd been transferred to an actual hospital. If not, then he'd need to know about this so we could find... We could find...
"I think I just found them," I murmured, watching as Maria sped by with Summer in a wheel chair while Taiyang chased after them.
Taking a quick video of the exchange, I sent it to Yang in case she, like Ruby, decided to visit their mom.
"Oh... That was quick. I guess she's fine." Smiling tiredly, Ruby swayed on her feet. "So, what are you guys up to?"
"We're just... Exploring the fairgrounds," Pyrrha said distractedly. "You're welcome to join us if you want, but you might want to get a little rest first. You look exhausted."
"Pshaw, who needs sleep when you have coffee?"