Sent To Protect and Serve Humanity

Chapter 56: Deterioration

3rd POV

With the might of the UNSC and the home knowledge of Atlas, the mass Grimm breaches appear to be contained at only the most major sites. The air was finally being properly secured by an air fleet of Pelicans, Mantas, Broadswords, Atlesian Airships, and the UNSC Valorous, allowing a temporary reprise for a unique group at Atlas Academy.

Team RWBY and Courageous arrive in Ironwood's office, along with Harriet, Elm, Marrow, and Vine. The General was sitting behind his desk with his back turned to them, staring at his warring city. A pair of Atlesian Airships would float past the window, revealing the hulking hull of a Paris-Class in the distance.

"General Ironwood." Harriet saluted her superior.

Ironwood turned his chair to face them. "We have made a critical error." He placed a queen chess piece made of black glass beside the bag of a captured traitor on his desk. "The Black Queen was the symbol Salem showed us before we lost everything. Her way of telling us she was inside. That it was too late. We stopped Watts. We stopped Callows, but someone was here. They put this in my office to tell me that-" A sudden flash of realization crosses his face before he began to panic. "What if Mantle was just a distraction? What if it was just to draw us away from the academy to, to-"

It would be Weiss who attempted to calm him down. "Sir. I-it's going to be okay. We've got Mantle on our side now, and-"

"How do we know that wasn't part of their plan?" Ironwood firmly planted his hand on his desk and stood up.

Ruby and Weiss looked at the stressed man with concern. Just behind them, Blake would hold Courageous' hand a bit tighter as the cats and Yang looked at him tensely.

"How do we know they didn't want us to bring people into Atlas by the thousands?" Ironwood's wide eyes rapidly scanned the room.

One of his soldiers, Vine, would speak up with caution. "In trying to save everyone, we left ourselves most vulnerable."

"Salem has been one step ahead of us this entire time!" Ironwood angrily slammed his fist down on his desk, denting it.

The impact bounces the bag of Arthur Watts and the chess piece, and the latter falls over and rolls across the desk, emitting the characteristic noises of shattering glass.

Ruby steps forward, staring at the chess piece with surprise. "It's... glass."

Vine, Marrow, Elm, and Harriet looked at her, uncertain of what she meant.

"Black glass. This was Cinder." The red reaper would breathlessly utter.

Yang's eyes would widen in shock. "She's alive? And she's here?!"

"She can't be!" Courageous exclaimed, her tail and ears rigidly standing. "I shot her dead and threw her into the chasm! I killed her!" She tightly gripped her partner's hand.

"Cour, you're hurting me!" Blake whimpered and tugged away.

The French girl would give her partner an apologetic look before pulling away. She would place a hand over her mouth and have Spring dig through her memories.

As the girl did this, Ironwood sighed. "If Cinder's here, then, for all we know, Hazel's here, too!"

Blake walks forward a few steps. "Sir, this isn't over yet. We're with you." She placed her hand to her chest and gave him an encouraging look before her partner stood up and did the same.

"I'll just have to kill her again, I guess." Courageous confidently smirked.

However, Ironwood looked at the couple and straightened up, his voice gaining an ominously serious tone. "Are you with me?"