Grimlock POV

After the Grimm attack last night, Grimlock went to team JNPR room and stand in front of Slam.

Grimlock: *cross* Did you have no other option but to transform?

Slam looks up then back down and shakes his head no. Grimlock lose his cross expression, knelt down and put a hand on the back of Slam's neck, Slam looked at Grimlock's now more comforting expression.

Grimlock: You did nothing wrong. You just wanted to help.

Grimlock presses my head against Slam's and we stay like this for several minutes. But troubles are far from over.

3rd Person POV

You ain't kidding Grimlock, Slam wasn't the only recieving bad press, but someone had released altered footage of Tyrian's attack and made it look like Penny was the one who attacked the citizens. Ironwood installed a temporary restriction of assembly of any kind. Worse still, Robyn Hill has turned from hometown to full on vigilante, attacking and stealing supplys from supply trucks meant for Amity Tower.

Ironwood: This is the worst case scenario! *slams fist on table* More people are dead, Penny framed, and somehow, Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council. And worse Slam has confirmed people's fears of alien death machines, the news' words, not mine.

Grimlock: Slam acted under Grimlock's orders. This not Slam's fault.

Ironwood: I don't care who's fault it is, the damage is already done. Jacques is already trying to move that the Dinobots are forced to leave Remnant, forever.

Nora: No! They can't take my baby away from me!

Ironwood: I won't let that happen, but it'll be difficult.

Clover: On top of it all, Robyn has attacked two supply trucks this week alone.

Ironwood: She's also managed embolden our suppliers. They've stopped all sales of supplies until Mantle is properly prepared. Until then, the Amity Tower Project is ground to halt.

Ruby: But we're so close. Isn't there anything we can do?

Winter: There is one thing, declaring Martial Law.

Grimlock: That's really bad, right?

Jaune: You're not actually considering that?

Ironwood: What's more important? Establishing communications with the world or appeasing a few city blocks?

Pyrrha: Don't make it sound so trivial, when you know it isn't. You keep talking how we just need a little more time, but you're not the one having to struggle.

Ironwood: We have all had to make sacrifices for the greater good. Mantle has had to bear a lot of the burden, but-

Pyrrha: They're bearing all of it! The longer this waiting game goes on, the harder each day gets for Mantle, and now you want to send in more soldiers? You can't force people to fall in line! If you do this you'll just be trading all of these problems for the Grimm!

Ironwood loses his stoic expression and sighs before sitting in his chair with his hand rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Ruby: Please, General. This kind of division plays right into Salem's hands. That's why Tyrian is here framing you.

Clover: About that, *pulls up mug shot* Are you sure this was the man you saw?

Winter: Tyrian Callows was accused of murders all across Anima. A homicidal maniac who escaped justice when his prison transport was attacked by Grimm. He was never seen again.

Grimlock: Salem used that to spring Stinger man and use him.

Qrow: If we ever had any doubts that Atlas was her next target, I think those are officially out the window.

Grimlock: Now there is suspect, we can-

Clover: Tell them that a long lost serial killer is on the loose in Mantle and the military has no idea where he is.

Grimlock: It a start!

Clover: It would cause more harm than good.

Nora: I am so sick of secrets! If we just told everyone about Amity! About Salem-

Ironwood: We can't! *everypne looks at him* If we talk about Amity now, Salem's forces, who we know are out there, will stop at nothing to sabatoge it. If we tell them about Salem, we risk falling to the Grimm before we can reunite Remnant. We have to finish the tower! I want Robyn in custody, we can offer her a deal if she can get Mantle to cooperate.

Clover: We'll figure it out, Sir.

Ironwood: Anyone not helping with Robyn, will focus on Tyrian. I want to know who he's working with, what he's planning, and how that video of Penny got all over my kingdom... Do I make myself clear?

Winter/Clover: Yes sir.

Ren: Yes sir.

Later, Yang and Blake are with Slag and Sludge in a decoy supply truck to try and lure Robyn into a trap.

Yang: *to someone on scroll* Looks like we're approaching 51st.

Clover: Thanks for the assist on this you four. We may be split between different trucks but we need to be ready to act as one incase Robyn takes the bait. If your truck is hit, pursue immediately. We'll rendezvous with you as fast as we can. Going radio silent. Over. *scroll turns off*

Yang: *sighs*

Sludge: Me no like this.

Slag: You and me both, buddy. I say we just leave this place and let them fight amongst themselves.

Yang: You know we can't do that, Slag.

Slag: *sighs in frustration*

Yang: *to Blake* Do you think we should've told Ironwood, about Salem, before he put so much on the line for Amity?

Blake: Sounds like you do.

Yang: I do trust Ruby, but I think he deserves to know what he's stepping into, we all did.

Blake doesn't answer.

Yang: You don't agree.

Blake: Look around. The embargo, military presence, the restriction on assemblies... He's a bit prone to overreacting.

Yang: Yeah, hard to argue with that. Still, he didn't have a lot of great options.

Blake: I'm not sure there are many good options left for any of us anymore. Keeping secrets? Taking lives? It makes you wonder how far we're going to have to go to keep doing the right thing.

Yang: Blake. We did what we had to do.

Blake: I know. But next time I want to ensure that we don't have to. And ambushing a huntress, who's only trying to help is not an option I'm thrilled about taking.

Yang: *thinks* Then maybe we shouldn't.

Back in Atlas, Ruby and Weiss are in Pietro's lab with Penny, who's memory is being retrieved and recorded to prove she didn't attack anyone.

Ruby: How is she?

Pietro: She's confused, scared. We'll have her recorded visual data shortly. That should prove her innocence, but the damage is already done.

Ruby: I know, it's not much better for our kids either, Slam was only trying to help and now the people want him and any of the others exiled or worse.

Pietro: The worst part is, this doctored footage was taken from her work all across Mantle, hacked from our own suveillance cameras.

Maria: *sigh* Hacking, technology... why can't people just do what they used to and fight to the death? Heck of a lot simpler

Snarl: If only we were all that dumb.

Pietro: To our hacker though, this is simple. Fortunately though, the rest of Atlas runs on an upgraded network.

Weiss: How would someone gain access?

Pietro: Only a select few, The general, the council, our cyber security and suviellance leads, and maybe a select few who oversee critical systems like sewage or the heating grid.

Weiss: The heating grid runs in partnership with the SDC.

Ruby: What are you thinking, Weiss?

Weiss: I don't know yet, but something isn't right.

Snarl: A whole lot of something isn't right! I don't want to leave!

Swoop: Yeah, I want to stay with Mom.

Weiss: *kneels* I told you two, you are not going anywhere. I'm never leaving you ever again.

Back with Yang and Blake, Robyn has taken the bait and stopped their truck, but when Robyn opens the back, Yang and Blake are there with their hands raised.

Yang: Robyn, please-

Robyn: Scramble! Meet back at the hideout!

Blake: Please wait!

Blake, Yang, Slag and Sludge pursue Robyn, until she runs through some heavy traffic.

Slag: Sludge, keep following I'll find a way around!

Sludge grabs Blake and Yang and leaps over the crowded street while Slag heads down the street. Yang and Blake eventually corner Robyn, but she turns and starts fighting by firing three arrows from her weapon.

Blake: Please stop, we just want to-

Robyn: Rahhh!

Robyn launches at Blake, but Sludge manages to throw Blake up and block Robyn's attack with his arms.

Sludge: Please stop!

Robyn then swept Sludge's legs out from under him and he falls on his back. But Sludge had grabbed Robyn's arms and dragged her to the ground then threw her off him into a wall.

Yang: Please, we just want to talk.

Robyn recovers but remains in the shadows.

Robyn: If Ironwood wants me, he'll have to send more than a few kids.

Yang: We're not here to arrest you, we just want to talk. You need to know the truth.

Robyn: You're stalling!

Blake: Amity coliseum, the supplies... they're for... *Yang nods* They're for a new comminications tower.

Robyn: That doesn't make sense.

Yang: The communication tower will-

Robyn: I know what it does, Fisticuffs! *steps out of shadows* One of you take my hand.

Yang: What?

Robyn: You said time is short, so take it or I'm gone.

Blake walks forward and takes Robyn's hand, Robyn's Aura then extends around their hands. Blake repeats everything she just said about Amity tower and the supplies, Robyn's Aura flashes green and Robyn looks surprised.

Robyn: You're telling the truth.

Yang: That's pretty handy.

Robyn: Why keep that a secret?

Blake: Because Ironwood isn't sure who he can trust. Atlas isn't out to get anyone. The people mudering citizens are only making it look that way. And if those same people found out about Amity, they would stop at nothing to destroy it.

Robyn: Who's they?

Suddenly, bullhead engines are heard, Blake looks behind and sees an bullhead appear in the sky and shine a light on the group.

Yang: That's not military issue.

The bullhead suddenly fires a rocket and Sludge reacts first and grabs Blake, Yang and Robyn and protects them with robot mode. Robyn looks up and is once again shocked.

Robyn: You... saved me?

The bullhead fires it's machine gun at Sludge's back.

Blake: Sludge get out of here! We can't hurt people, run!

Sludge complies and starts running away while trying to avoid civilians, cars and damaging buildings. Eventually, Sludge turns a corner and manages to lose the bullhead and hides by transforming back into a human and hanging from an I-beam on a ruined building that happens to hang over the street. The pursuing bullhead flies low beneath city building line searching.

Yang: Hang on, you two.

Slag meanwhile, has turned down the street Sludge is hiding on and runs down it.

Suddenly, Blake is losing her grip on Robyn.

Blake: *strains* Hang on.

But Robyn and Blake slip off and start falling to the ground. Slag sees them and transforms into Dinobot mode and races down the street and leaps to safely catch them on his snout. Robyn and Blake hop down.

Blake: Thanks Slag.

Slag: *snorts*

Robyn: How many are there?

Yang: *hops down* 7 in total, but they're not monsters.

Blake: They're just as much human as you and me, and-

The unknown bullhead comes around again and points it's spotlight at Slag.

Yang: Stop! *tries comm link* Whoever you are, stop, please!

Slag gets between the bullhead and Yang, when suddenly a steel net is launched and wraps around his snout and brow horns, the bullhead then puts tension on the cable still attached and pulls on him a little. Blake notices more bullheads and arriving, she grabs Robyn and tells her.

Blake: Take Sludge and get out of here, now! Go!

Robyn does so and runs carrying Sludge, while Blake tries to help Yang and Slag, but three more bullheads had arrived and latched more steel nets on Slag's body and manage to trip him and make him fall on his stomach. Slag wants so badly to tear these guys apart, but he follows Grimlock's orders, no human casualties, so he just sits there and does nothing. Yang on the other hand...

Yang: Stop! Stop it!

Ground troops start moving in and surround the trio, Yang activates her gauntlets and starts fighting back, while Blake tries to help she is immediately tackled and placed in shackles. Other troops use ice dust to freeze Slag.

Slag: *groans and whines*

Yang: Please! He's not even fighting back! Stop hurting him!

It takes a total of fifteen men to restrain Yang and load into a truck with Blake, Slag is frozen almost completely and loaded onto a large cargo bullhead and taken away. Robyn watched as the unknown assailants leave, then leads Sludge somewhere safe.

(A/N): End music here.

Fiona: Oh Robyn, we were starting to get worried.

Robyn: Nevermind that now, we've got bigger problems.

The rest of the happy Huntresses see Sludge and grow concerned, Robyn turns to Sludge and asks.

Robyn: Do you have anyone who can help you?

Sludge: *sniffles* *nods*

Robyn knows how Sludge must be feeling, she kneels down and places a hand on his shoulder.

Robyn: Hey, take me to your friends or leader, and I'll help you.

Sludge: Help get Mommy back?

Robyn: Yes, I will. That's a promise.

May: Robyn, we have bigger concerns than helping some kid.

Robyn: This kid just watched his family get kidnapped by an unknown group of people, I don't know who they are and frankly, I don't care. *to Sludge* Where do we go?

Sludge: You won't like it. *calls on comm link* Grimlock, Sludge need Ground Bridge.

Fiona: What's a- *ground bridge opens* Ground Bridge.....

Sludge beckons Robyn to follow and the pair walk through, Robyn is surprised that she's in a completely different room, a warehouse and around the room are giant robots who all look at her and Sludge.

Grimlock: What are you doing here?

Robyn: Oh, uhm, I-I mean you all no harm, but something has happened-

Sludge: Mommy, Yang and Slag have been kidnapped!

Slash: What?!

Snarl: How?!

(A/N): And Cut! *sigh* Cliffhangers, gotta love them right?

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll see you all next time. PEACE OUT!!!