Son of the Branwen

Chapter 89: Ultimatum

Ironwood stood at the window of his office, looking out over Atlas as Manta airships flew by. His gaze was primarily focused on the giant Monstra, his new prosthetic twitching anxiously. His anger rose the longer he stared at the Grimm. Anger towards Salem, and her son Hawk, and anger towards people who continuously got in his way in his attempt to save Atlas. As his mind drifted to Hawk, he looked at his new arm, as the memory of his fight against Hawk came to him.

Hawk: "You keep calling me a monster, general. But let me ask you, who's the true monster? Because I'd prefer to be a hero that looks like a monster. Than being a monster that looks like a hero."

Ironwood: "You call me the monster? What do you know about being a hero?"

Ironwood muttered to himself, before he heard someone enter his office. A commander as well as a lieutenant entered the office, both feeling a heavy tension in the air the moment they walked in. They exchanged nervous glances with each other, before the commander gave the report.

Commander: "Sir, we have confirmation that Doctor Watts has escaped military headquarters with the assistance of Cinder Fall. We do have Jacques Schnee in custody-"

Ironwood: "I don't give a damn about Jacques Schnee. What about the other two?"

The two officers nervously exchanged glances as they stood at attention.

Commander: "Sir, Branwen and Hill have... evaded capture. But we are monitoring every exit, so they must still be inside the compound."

Ironwood: "Damn it!"

In his anger, he slammed his fist into his desk, leaving a large dent in the metal and causing both officers to jump in fright. Ironwood let out an angry huff as he composed himself.

Ironwood: "Search everywhere for them. Do not return to this office until you have Qrow Branwen in custody."

Commander: "Of course, sir."

The officers saluted before quickly leaving. Ironwood turned around to look outside the large window again, letting out a sigh as he placed a finger to his ear to open his comlink.

Ironwood: "What's the status of our-"

A sudden eruption of lights caused Ironwood to gasp in shock, before a massive explosion engulfed Monstra. The shockwave of the explosion caused Ironwood's windows to shake in their frames, as he shielded his eyes from the intense light that radiates from the explosion.

The force of the explosion sent every Atlas soldier to the ground, as every Grimm in the vicinity were completely obliterated. Dust blew upwards into the sky, as ashes from Monstra fell to the ground. Had one been able to watch immediately after the blast, they would have seen Neopolitan happily skipping through the dust, while swinging the Relic of Knowledge with a plan in her mind.

Winter, who had been in the process of escorting the bomb towards the leviathan, alongside the Ace Ops, slowly pushed themselves back to their feet. Winter stared at the remains of Monstra, before glancing around for her allies.

Winter: "Is everyone all right?"

Winter spotted Vine, Elm and Harriet coming towards her through the dust cloud. Vine stretched his arms above his head, while Harriet watched Elm struggle to get her hearing back.

Vine: "No injuries here."

Elm: "What?!"

Marrow: "They... They were still inside."

Winter looked to Marrow, who had run from them to climb a small hill that looked towards the Grimm remains. He frantically gazed around the area, hoping to see some trace of the group that infiltrated Monstra. Winter bowed her head, silently praying that they survived the blast, when their earpieces beeped with an incoming call.