Worthy
Oscar: What do we do now?
One of Ambrosius' portals appears before Oscar, Team JNR, Kazuto, Mica, Shulk, Kyla, Flora, Yugo, and Emerald as they discuss their next move in front of the useless broadcast terminal in Atlas Academy. The group takes a moment to stare at it before Ren turns to face Jaune.
Ren: We stick to the plan.
Nora: How? Without the CCT there's no way we can tell all of Atlas to just step into a bunch of freaky magic doors.
As the others ponder, Emerald cautiously approaches the portal.
Shulk: We can use the portals to our advantage, and spread the word on foot.
Emerald: Are we positive these things work?
Kyla: Pfft! (Waves left arm) Of course it works, ponytail. I think...
Mica: We might need some form of guinea pig to test it...
The others turn to look at Jaune, who groans.
Jaune is propelled out of the portal and onto his face in the pocket dimension. He stifles the urge to vomit as the rest of the group follows after him.
Kazuto: Whoa! Amazing!
Shulk: Those pathways... they seem kinda narrow...
Yugo: Just don't fall, and we'll be fine. If you do, I'll catch you guys.
Jaune: Okay, we can do this. Nora, Yugo, Shulk and I will get people through the gates. Everyone else, keep to your roles. Remember, the evacuation is priority one no matter what else happens.
Ren: You're sure you won't need more help?
Nora: Shade is armed to the teeth with Huntsmen and Huntresses, but we're about to throw a whole kingdom's worth of negativity on their doorstep. If anyone will need help, it's them.
Ren gives her a proud and determined nod, then takes off for the Vacuo portal. Emerald sighs before following with the Azurefires, Kyla and Flora close behind, and Oscar gives Jaune a farewell salute before heading out. Jaune places a hand on Nora's shoulder, then takes a running leap off their platform, activating his shield's hang-gliding function. Yugo grabs Shulk with his backpack arms and spins around and throws Shulk into a nearby portal. Nora uses the jet propulsion on her hammer, riding it through a distant portal.
The refugees gathered at the subway take cover behind stairs, railings and platforms, wary of the portal that has sprung up near them.
Citizen: What is it?
A bespectacled man is pushed to the front of the crowd. He picks up a rock from the ground and chucks it at the portal. Just then, Jaune emerges from it, and the rock collides with his head.
Jaune: Everyone-- Ow!
The citizens dive back behind cover. Rubbing his head, Jaune produces his Huntsman License.
Jaune: I'm, uh - gonna need your attention.
Hovering on green flames, Penny comes through a portal, the Relic of Creation clutched in her hands, followed by Athena, Team RWBY, CRMS, and REBL. They stare in awe at the bizarre world around them, and Rex and Ruby catch sight of a newly-entered Fiona waving at them. Rex runs over to her.
Rex: Fiona! Is everyone from the mines gathered at that portal?
Fiona: Yup! But wow, this place is amazing! You guys did amazingly!
Rex: Thanks. Now, go rally up everybody and get them to Vacuo from there. (Points at the central portal) And also, make sure not to slip or fall.
Fiona: I will!
Rex: Alright, good luck!
Fiona thumbs up before hopping back through the portal to rally everyone. As citizens from all around the cities pour in, Jaune, Nora, Yugo, and Shulk voices can be heard.
Jaune: Keep moving, come on.
Nora: That's it, watch your step!
Yugo: Just don't look down, and you'll be fine.
Shulk: Be careful but swift.
Nora takes off on her hammer again, zooming past Joanna trying to keep order on her platform.
Joanna: Hey, no pushing.
She passes a beaming May as well.
May: Figured you wouldn't let us down!
The first citizens have begun to reach the central platform in front of the portal that leads to Vacuo. Penny and Team RWBY, REBL, and CRMS slowly move onward.
Weiss: I thought there'd be more people by now.
Luke: A bunch of funky portals opened up in front of them from out of nowhere.
Briana: They were probably scared, even if the message was gotten out.
Ruby: Our job is getting Penny and the Staff to Vacuo. Until then, we have to trust the others. I'm sure they can handle it.
Meanwhile, Ren, Kyla, Flora, Mica, Emerald, Kazuto and Oscar are mere steps away from the Vacuo portal.
Oscar: We should end up just outside the city limits of Vacuo. Enough space for refugees but still within range of communication.
Ren: All right, I'll focus on masking emotions for as long as I can. Call for help as soon as we cross.
The seven move through the portal, only to be brought to their knees by a whirling sandstorm. They shield their eyes as they get back up.
Kazuto: Fucking hell man!
Emerald: You've gotta be kidding me.
Ren: Which way is the city?
Oscar: It has to be here somewhere!
Mica: Too bad, 'somewhere' isn't good enough!
Emerald consults her Scroll.
Emerald: Guys, the sandstorm isn't just killing visibility.
As she holds it up for the other two to see, the words NO SIGNAL are prominently displayed on its screen.
Kyla: Great... Even better!
The portal rumbles, and the first few citizens come through, wincing and groaning at the sudden harsh weather.
Citizen: Where are we?
The five teens grimly turn to face the bewildered refugees.
Ren: Welcome to Vacuo.
Nora is herding people across the pocket dimension.
Nora: Head down and follow everyone else to the exit.
As she takes off on her hammer again, a cloaked figure steps into view, smirking ominously. Moments later, a huge explosion sends several citizens rocketing off their platform and into the void. May stares at them from a distant platform, horrified, as the crowd panics and scrambles behind her. Team RWBY, CRMS, REBL, and Athena already almost reaching the Vacuo portal, hears the commotion, and Ruby and Rex heads back to deal with the disturbance.
Rex: Now what?!
Athena: Ruby! Rex! It's Cinder! She's here!
Shane: That bitch again?! Why won't she just stay dead?!
Ruby: No!
Blake and Rin stop to reassure a startled Penny before following the rest of her team to join their leader.
Blake: Keep going, we'll handle this.
Rin: Just go to the portal and don't stop! She's after you!
Penny is left clutching the Staff anxiously. Cinder propels herself into the air with her flames and spots Team RWBY, REBL, CRMS, and Athena making their way up to a large platform. She quickly jets off in that direction. Ruby uses her Semblance to cover the distance quicker, only to recoil, grunting, at the wall of flames that suddenly appears to block her path. Team RWBY, REBL, CRMS, and Athena raises their weapons, ready to fight.
Cinder: Your little friend Oscar was right, but the easy part ends here.
Team RWBY, CRMS, and REBL exchanges puzzled looks, uncertain of how Cinder knew about their plans. The Fall Maiden mockingly voices the question in their minds.
Cinder: How'd you know about that?
Undeterred, the boys and girls charge forward to confront her.
Athena: (gasps) Jinn...
Rex: Damn you... You used Jinn, didn't you?!
Cinder only smirked in return but just then, a purple figure jumped above them and took its cloak off.
Athena: (enraged) Ben...
Ben: You people were really clever about your plan... So flawed...
Flashback: Watts finishes examining a downed Atlesian Knight-200 in a deserted alleyway as Neo points her umbrella at him.
Watts: Neopolitan, was it? Now isn't the time to hold grudges.
Cinder steps into view, holding up her Grimm arm to quiet him. Neo shifts the umbrella to point at her instead.
Cinder: No, she's right to be angry. I know I haven't upheld my end of the bargain. I'm... sorry.
Cinder places a hand over her chest, appearing to be remorseful.
Neo narrows her eyes, but lowers her umbrella, crossing her arms.
Cinder: I will get you Ruby Rose today. But to do that, I need to ask the Lamp a question.
Cinder holds out her hand expectantly toward Neo as Watts rolls his eyes and sighs. After a pause, Neo takes her former employer's bowler hat from her head and produces the Relic of Knowledge from inside it. It quickly grows to its full size as she redons her hat. With a satisfied smirk, Cinder steps forward, grabbing the Lamp's handle loop.
After a tense moment of hesitation, Neo lets go.
Cinder: Jinn.
The spirit has one eyebrow cocked as she regards the trio.
Jinn: You have a question for me?
Cinder: I do.
As she steps forward, Ben and Watts stares slack-jawed at Jinn while Neo fixes her gaze on Cinder.
Cinder: What have Ruby and her teammates planned?
Jinn's eyes widen momentarily, before she furrows her brow in regret. Then, in a swirl of cyan smoke, the alleyway is replaced by a viewing of the group's discussions at Schnee Manor. The teens sit on the manor grounds just after Jaune had boosted Penny's Aura.
Jaune (Past): We've been so worried about keeping the Vault closed that... we've never considered using what's inside.
Oscar (Past): The Staff of Creation.
Ruby (Past): Maybe we can use it to save Penny and get everyone in Atlas and Mantle back to safety.
Kazuto (Past): You know something about it, Athena?
Athena (Past): Only me, Ozpin, and Max, but it will be more complicated than it seems.
Cinder walks around the group with a self-satisfied smile, but her expression falls upon catching sight of Emerald. As she frowns, the scene changes again. This time, the team is in the Schnee Manor dining room.
Ruby (Past): After you guys broadcast the evac procedure, you'll walk through the portal at the CCT Center. And when we're done in the Vault, we'll take Penny and the Staff.
Cinder watches the discussions unfold, Ben, Watts and Neo at her sides.
Cinder: You tore this Kingdom apart with nothing but your intellect. How about we finish what you started?
Watts smirks.
Flashback: the four exit a hall littered with subdued guards and step into a bustling Central Command area. The Lamp swings by Neo's hip as she raises her umbrella. Watts holds a gun likely taken from one of the soldiers. The clerks and workers slowly start to notice their presence, but the door closes behind them as Cinder conjures a flame in her palm. The floor erupts into a chaos of screams and running employees--
The camera cuts to the end of the bloodbath: the red glow of emergency lights; flaming workstations; motionless corpses.
Cinder: You have everything you need?
Watts: Oh, believe me, this is everything I've ever wanted.
Cinder watches Watts operate his workstation as Neo cracks her umbrella against a still-groaning employee's temple, a look of unrestrained glee on her face. After a while, Cinder heads for the exit with Ben and Neo, but pauses on her way out.
Cinder: You deserve this, Arthur. We'll be back.
Watts pauses typing to nod at her, and Cinder leaves. With a few more keystrokes, a confused Jaune's face appears on the screen as his group's banter becomes audible.
Ren: You're live.
Emerald: Everyone can hear you.
Kyla: Hurry up and talk.
Jaune: Oh! (clears throat) Citizens of Atlas, Mantle, what we have to tell you is very important.
Watts picks up a bloodstained green apple from beside the corpse next to him and appears to take a bite out of the bloodied part.
Jaune: Atlas is falling, but--
Watts leisurely hits a button on his keyboard, bringing down Kingdom-wide communications. Multiple screens in the ruined office are suddenly occupied by a color test card. He swipes the broadcast window out of the way and brings into focus surveillance footage of the hangar. He squints at the small, grainy image but gives a start as the building rumbles around him.
Elm: They're using the Staff?
In the hangar, Max, Mia, Qrow, Zach, and Robyn are subduing a motionless Elm, Vine, and Harriet. They are being held in this state through the influence of Marrow's Semblance. As Atlas begins to fall, Elm's dropped hammer skids across the floor, kicking up sparks.
Elm: Are they crazy? They'll destroy the Kingdom!
Zach: And that's even worse than leaving Continents to die? Hmph, cry me a river.
Mia: Exactly.
Robyn leaves Elm to Qrow and moves on to restrain Harriet.
Robyn: What do you think a Kingdom is? The people, or just the chunk of land they live on?
Qrow: Either way, it's over now. Ironwood's down.
Max: And now, we're gonna get you Ace Slaves to Vacuo, so you won't die with this bullshit Kingdom.
Finished with Elm, Qrow proceeds to Vine, who accepts being restrained without comment, even deactivating his Semblance in surrender. Harriet's defiant expression is frozen on her face until Qrow's comment about Ironwood, at which she raises her eyebrows in surprise.
Suddenly, an Atlesian Knight-200 enters the hangar and turns to look at them. A quick camera cut reveals it is being remotely controlled by Watts. The display on its face changes to an angry red, and it begins sprinting toward the group. emitting a beeping sound. It perseveres in spite of Robyn shooting an arm off and sinking a bolt into its head.
Zach: Hey, look out!
As she and Qrow stare in shock at its approach, Marrow scrambles forward.
Marrow: No!
He is barely able to throw himself between his allies and the robot as it explodes. As the ensuing thick cloud of smoke dissipates, Marrow lies motionless on the ground, his Aura shimmering and then fading. Max, Qrow, Mia, and Robyn shake off their daze and look around. With a distant rumble of machinery, the building begins to list to one side, and Qrow, Robyn, Mia, and Max grab at a defenseless Marrow, who is about to slide across the ground.
Meanwhile, a bound Elm writhes on the ground as her free teammates struggle to keep their balance. Harriet spares the other Ace-Ops a glance before catching sight of the bomb carrier sliding across the hangar. She uses her Semblance to speed her way into the cockpit, activating the ship's engines.
Max: Damn!
Other ships fall out of the entryway into the Atlesian sky, but the bomb carrier achieves liftoff. Vine manages to use his Semblance to grab the ship's open hatch, leaving Mia, Zach, Max, Qrow and Robyn behind to stare at each other in disbelief.
Meanwhile, in the holding cells, a shower of dust has Ironwood blinking awake. As he pulls himself into a sitting position, Jacques snarks at him from the adjacent cell.
Jacques: Well, I see you're awake, finally.
Jacques: Atlas is falling under your watch. How does it feel, James?
Ironwood takes a moment to cradle his forehead, then stands up in alarm.
Ironwood: They - they've got the Staff!
Jacques turns to him bitterly.
Jacques: That's right, you lose. We both lose.
Ironwood hangs his head, then realizes the Hard-Light cell wall next to him is flickering.
Jacques: What?
The barrier now inactive, Ironwood slowly steps out of his cell, regaining his composure. He moves over to his nearby handheld cannon, and begins reassembling it.
Jacques: You're going to open mine too, right?
Emotionlessly, Ironwood charges his gun, swinging it in Jacques' direction as the barrel glows a pale green. The Schnee patriarch's expression falls, and his eyes grow wide.
Ironwood: Sure thing.
Jacques puts up his arms to shield himself as a beam of green light slams into him. When the green smoke fades, the room's cell walls have been shorted out, a huge portion of the floor lies in ruins, and green flames smolder where Jacques used to be standing. Ironwood takes his leave.
Meanwhile, in the pocket dimension, Team RWBY, CRMS, REBL, Athena, Shulk, and Yugo are in a heated battle with Ben and Cinder, but they aren't having much luck. Cinder stabs her swords into the ground, boosting herself upwards on a vortex of flame.
Cinder: I knew your plan would be bold, but I never could have predicted all of this... At least, not without a little help from Jinn. I suppose I have all of you to thank for one last lesson.
Ben: (looks at Rex) Rex Venti... Son of Max Venti... finally get to meet you at last.
Rex: Buddy, I got zero idea who the hell you really are.
Ben: Oh, I understand your confusion. (Point Logos at Athena) Perhaps she will tell you.
Rex: Athena, you know that guy?
Athena: I do... That's Ben Koa. He's another one of Salem's right hand. We've known each other for 500 years. His Semblance is called Destroy. He'll take either your head or arm right off.
Mason: Well that fucking sucks!
A citizen with short brown hair walks unhurriedly into view, in contrast to the panicking crowds around her. She carries a briefcase and the Relic of Knowledge swings on her hip. Ruby focuses on Cinder, her Silver Eyes beginning to glow.
Cinder: Sometimes, if you want to win--
The suspicious lady reveals her eyes of mismatched colors. Yang and Shane notice her slowly approaching.
Cinder: ...You simply can't do it alone.
The briefcase shimmers and morphs into an umbrella, and a disguised Neo draws her hidden blade, charging at an oblivious Ruby.
Yang: Ruby!
Shane: Watch out!
Shane's Semblance ignited as Yang's hair ignites and her eyes turn red as she and Shane use her gauntlets' and his sword's recoil to hurl themselves forward, knocking Ruby out of the way, only to bear the brunt of Neo's slash.
With a scream, Shane and Yang's Aura immediately dissipates, and she and Shane were thrown backward, tumbling bodily over the platform they are all standing on. Neo grimaces in frustration. Weiss and Ruby can only stare in shock while Blake hurries over.
Yang seems to regain consciousness, cracking open her eyelids as Blake throws her blade, but her weapon runs out of ribbon before it can reach them.
Shane: No... I can't...
Yugo dives down to reach them..he tries to reach Shane's hand, but he misses.
He and Yang plummet past platforms and walkways into the darkness, where their image seems to shimmer and dissolve before disappearing completely.
Yugo: No...
Luke and Blake watch them, ears drooping and tears trickling down Blake's cheeks.
Luke: YANG!!!
Blake: SHANE!!!
Penny, who was about to enter the Vacuo portal, heard the Belladonna's anguished scream, and casts a worried look back. Then she turns her back to the portal, her Maiden flames flaring up. Ruby gets to her feet, shellshocked.
Ruby: Yang...?
Neo, still hungry for blood, engages her in battle again as Blake desperately reaches into the air where Yang and Shane were last seen.
Rex watched as Athena attacked Ben. He lately joins with her.
Ben: Just keep your eyes on the prize!
Rex and Athena both charged him.
Ben: Too bad your friends are gone. What? You gonna cry now.
Rex: Whatever it takes... for you to shut the fuck up!!
Briana: (to Elena) You deal with Ice cream bitch, I'll deal with fire bitch.
Elena nods and joins with Ruby.
Yugo was going to join Briana, but Rin stopped him.
Rin: Yugo, you gotta go!
Yugo: I'm staying here!
Rin: No, you're going! Go tell Mom and Dad about the evacuation!
Yugo: But what about you guys?!
Rin: We'll be alright, just go!
Yugo: But--
Rin: Yugo, please... Do it... For Oscar... For me...
Yugo: Alright, but you guys better come back alive! (Use his Semblance and heads to the portal)
Weiss hold Blake back from leaning too far, and Blake takes her head in her hands, weeping. Then her ears folded back in rage, Blake grabs her weapon and heads in Neo's direction.
Luke: (to Neo) I'm coming at you, bitch!
Crim: Oh, what the hell? (Join Luke and Blake)
Weiss, Mason, Rin, Percivals, and Shulk watches them go, then catches sight of an amused Cinder.
Ruby does all she can to deflect Neo's strikes. When she pulls back her umbrella, Blake's weapon tethers her arm, preventing her attack. Yelling in fury, Luke lands a blow with his Semblance, only to shatter one of Neo's solid illusions. Growling in indignation, the Belladonna siblings located the real Neo and charges forward. Meanwhile, Cinder throws fiery projectiles at Weiss, who dodges and blocks them with her glyphs.
Penny: Why'd you have to come back?
A figure emitting green flames suddenly appears. Weiss reaches out to her.
Weiss: Penny, no!
Penny: Why didn't you just learn your lesson?
Cinder turns, smirking, but takes a heavy blow from Penny, and is knocked back. She quickly rights herself and summons another blade, tweaking her nose cockily.
Cinder: Oh, Penny...
Penny frowns, making an expansive gesture as if to manipulate her floating swords, but she gasps and looks at her back, realizing her robotic parts are gone - including her signature weapons.
Cinder: I did.
Penny turns back to face Cinder, but takes a flaming projectile to her chest, getting launched backward. She lands on a crouch on the central platform, then uses her Maiden power to replicate her floating swords. As Penny plunges headfirst into battle with Cinder, Weiss heads for higher ground, using her glyphs to augment her speed. Penny is blasted away by a wave of fire, and Cinder attempts to fly after her, only to be pulled back by one of Weiss' glyphs. Cinder disables it with a burst of flame before turning her attention to Mason and Weiss.
She conjures a barrage of obsidian projectiles, causing Weiss to falter as she catches sight of the citizens pouring in from the portals around her. Mason mixed Fire and Lightning Elemental as Weiss quickly summons her Arma Gigas' sword to block the projectiles as Cinder sends them her way, but some get through, embedding themselves in the platform around her feet, and some travelling through the portal behind her. Jaune, who is on the other side, quickly raises his shield to try and protect the citizens, and casts a worried look at the portal.
Ben grabs Rex's arms with no effort, and tosses him to the other side, as he tumble, Athena quickly caught him and swung him back on the platform, Rex stand up, drawing Excalibur. He, Athena, and Ben circle each other.
Ben: It seems your path to stop Salem has ended before it could even begin!
Ben swings Logos to cut through Rex, but Athena low sweeped him out from his legs, and called out her move.
Athena: Radiant Flare!
She attacked Ben with a light-speed attack. Rex attacks Ben from behind and called out his move.
Rex: Sword Bash!
He did a frontal attack at Ben's leg, causing him to lose his footing.
Weiss, panting from her exertion, doesn't notice the glass projectiles glowing until they are about to detonate. Mason, however noticed it.
Mason: Weiss! Look out!
Before she could react, Mason pushed her out of the way, just as the projectiles detonated, causing her to fall over. When she looked at Mason, her eyes widened in horror as he was sent flying over the edge, into the dark abyss, disappearing...
Weiss: MASON!!!
Hearing Weiss call out his name, Crim stopped his assault on Neo and looked over towards Weiss, only to see her holding her hand out over the edge, where he caught a glimpse of Mason's figure, descending into the darkness before he was no longer visible...
Crim: Mase...? GODDAMN IT!!!
It's clear the battle is taking a toll on her endurance. Cinder and Penny reengage in battle as Ruby, Rin, Crim, Elena, and Blake keep the pressure on Neo. Blake stops her advance when she hears Penny scream, and takes a moment to watch the Maidens' fight. She also catches sight of Weiss' predicament, and seems conflicted on which battle to choose.
Meanwhile, Harriet is piloting her ship through the Atlesian skies as refugees hurry into a portal on the street level. An alert on the ship's console draws her attention to the cargo bay, and she engages the autopilot before heading down there. In the cargo bay, Vine has managed to climb on board, and he crouches, panting.
Harriet: Vine. Glad someone made it. Watch for a tail, I need to make sure this thing is still armed.
She walks over to the bomb, bringing up an activation confirmation on its screen. Vine uses his Semblance to restrain her hand before she can prime it. He slowly approaches the bomb.
Vine: I'm no longer certain this is the most logical course of action.
Harriet frowns, leaning in.
Harriet: Do you really wanna do this, Zeki?
Vine deactivates his Semblance, holding up a placating hand.
Vine: No, I don't. Harriet, the general is no longer in charge. Rex, Ruby and the others have used the Staff. Atlas is falling, but its people will be safe. Unless you--
Harriet slams a fist on the bomb's exterior, her face a mixture of indignation and rage.
Harriet: It's the principle, Vine! It's about loyalty. Clover understood that. Clover would see this through.
Vine: Then perhaps Clover was wrong too.
Harriet: Don't you dare! Clover was... He was...
She initially has an irate expression, but it becomes more and more morose as she talks. Eventually, she has to turn away from Vine and stifle a couple of sobs.
Vine: ...Important to you.
Beside herself with grief, Harriet steps away from the bomb, her back turned to Vine.
Vine: Harriet, you are not the only one--
He slowly approaches her, reaching out to put a steadying hand on her shoulder, but the ship lurches to one side, throwing both Ace-Ops against the wall of the cargo bay. An identical ship is ramming into theirs, attempting to knock it off course. It is being piloted by Robyn, who is yelling defiantly. With one last grimace at Vine, Harriet arms the explosive and opens the door on the cargo bay. Vine is sucked out of the ship by the airflow, but manages to tether himself with his Semblance, only to be kicked off again by Harriet. He barely manages to grab ahold of one of Harriet's ship's wing-attachments while Harriet herself zooms back into the pilot's seat.
Robyn notices Vine's predicament and pulls back, presumably to avoid harming him. She and Max sees Yugo coming out of his portal and flies.
Max: Robyn, let him onboard!
Robyn opened the airship's door as Yugo tried to reach it.
Mia: Yugo! Grab my hand!
Zach: Come on, kid, we got you!
Yugo flies closer and grabs them and they yanked him to the ship and Robyn closed the door.
Zach: What are you doing here?!
Yugo: (panting) I came to warn you guys... about...
Max: Hey, take it easy, kid. Tell us what happened?
Mia: Did the evacuation still working?
Yugo: That's the problem! It's Cinder, Neo, and that other guy! We were ambushed! Rin told me to warn you guys!
Mia: What about the kids?! Are they okay?!
Yugo: (looks down) Yang and Shane fell and their gone...
Max: What!? (Punches the wall) Damn that bitch!
Mia: No... Shane... Yang...
Yugo: I'm really sorry...
Robyn: It ain't your fault, dragon boy.
Mia: Yeah. When we see Cinder again, I'll make that fucking bitch pay!
Zach: You and me both, sis! Max, you can see through your son's eyes, right? Check what the hell's going on.
Max looks through Rex's eyes and he sees him and Athena fighting Ben.
Max: It's Ben... That goddamn bastard!
Harriet disengages the autopilot, then squints through the windscreen. A dark bird seems to draw closer, and as a cloud passes in front of it, a screaming Qrow is revealed, driving his sword into the windscreen.
He breaks through, and he and Harriet tumble down a hatch into the cargo bay. He pins her to the ground, leaning in to taunt.
Qrow: Looks like you're getting that fight after all.
Harriet kicks him off, and they face off around the explosive.
Meanwhile, Watts has finished his apple, and tosses its core behind him. He engages the autopilot on Harriet's ship, steering it closer toward the center of Mantle.
In the Atlas Vault, Winter paces, staring at her Scroll.
Winter: I repeat, is anybody receiving these messages? Can anyone report status on the evacuation?
She pockets her Scroll as a red luminous dot appears on the ground in front of her. She looks confused as it climbs her frame and settles on a point on her chest.
Then she gives a start, putting up a glyph, but the green beam headed her way tears through it, sending her tumbling. As she looks up, she sees Ironwood riding the elevator down, holding his smoking cannon aloft. The look in his eyes can only be described as murderous as he steps off the platform.
Ironwood: I've chased a lot of shadows over the years, always expecting betrayal. But never once did I think it would ever come from you.
As he approaches Winter, he charges up his weapon again. Winter stares him down from her kneeling position, holding her saber aloft.
Ironwood: I know what's best for Atlas, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get that Staff. So, consider this my last order: step aside.
Winter painstakingly pulls herself into a standing position.
Winter: I've never wavered in fighting the enemies of this Kingdom--
She separates the two parts of her weapon, dual-wielding her swords and pointing them at Ironwood.
Winter: ...And I won't start now.
Ironwood's eyes narrow ever so slightly as a single tear trickles down his left cheek. Winter seems to notice the rare display of emotion. Both soldiers charge forward, and cannon meets sword.
Meanwhile, by the portal on Vacuo's side, a crowd of refugees wait out the sandstorm, their emotions masked by Ren's semblance. However, his Aura quickly depletes and dissipates, leaving him panting.
Ren: I'm spent.
Emerald peers through the sand in the portal's direction, then at Oscar.
Emerald: Where's Penny? Couldn't she deal with this storm?
Oscar: Wait, Penny should've been here by now. Something's wrong.
He jogs back to the portal, but is thrown back upon contact, leaving him sprawled on the sand as Mica helps him up.
Mica: You okay, Oscar?
Oscar: What? Why can't I--
The voice of Ozpin rings in his head.
Ozpin: Oh, dear... Ambrosius.
A look of realization dawns on Oscar's face. A flashback is shown depicting Team RWBY, CRMS, REBL, Athena, and a newly-made Penny in the Atlas Vault, discussing the specifics of the portal network that would lead the refugees to Vacuo. Ambrosius stares at the projected schematics and executes complex hand gestures as Weiss speaks.
Weiss (Past): People enter from Atlas and Mantle from one side, and leave on the other side, with a one-way ticket to Vacuo.
Weiss' last few words seem to echo as the camera zooms in on Ambrosius' eyes, indicating he had engineered the portals exactly as the boys and girls had requested them, regardless of whether they had meant to add certain conditions. In the present, Oscar runs to rejoin his four comrades.
Oscar: We can't go back, the portal won't let us.
Kyla: Are you fuckin' serious?!
Flora: What?! Then what do we-
A sudden unearthly scream is heard in the distance, and from the sandstorm comes a flock of shrieking Ravagers.
One refugee is promptly seized in the claws of a Ravager; several others scream and run away through the crowd.
Kazuto: You gotta be FUCKING kidding me!!!
Ren, Kazuto, Mica, Kyla, Emerald, Flora, and Oscar trade worried looks before readying their weapons.
END OF PART 104
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