Chapter 18: Rising Tensions

Three days later, Summer was still taking in the fact that they had somehow defeated Latte's team and advanced to the doubles round. The idea was just inconceivable to her. Even as Team HTHR had swarmed them after the match and drowned them in cheers, congratulations and fist-bumps, her head had been in a total daze. Embarrassingly, she'd also tripped over herself in her reverie about three times before losing consciousness, forcing Qrow to carry her all the way back to the hotel (apparently, they'd played rock-paper-scissors to decide who'd do it).

After the initial shock had finally worn off, they'd gone out with Heather's team for a sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffet to celebrate their victories that day, during which Qrow had somehow gotten drunk on sparkling vodka, Torrence and Regal ended up shutting down half the seafood district, and Tai had nearly choked to death trying to devour an entire roast pig while breakdancing to "This Will Be The Day". For that last sin, the group had unanimously decided make Tai pay for the entire meal.

The morning after, Team STRQ had decided on who they'd send to the doubles round.

"Well, obviously Rae's gonna go!" Tai said immediately, pointing to his partner. "She was the MVP last round, and she's super popular with the audience, too, so that's a no-brainer!"

Raven nodded, smiling. "I agree. I think our odds of victory increase dramatically if I move on to the next round."

Qrow snorted. "Wow, Sis. There's this thing called 'humility', y'know." "You do realize that means nothing coming from you, right?" Summer responded, rolling her eyes.

"Okay then, who'll be our number-two?" Tai continued on. "I mean, as much as I'd love to spend more time around Rae, Birdy IS her brother, so the two of them would work together best, right?"

"We're siblings, so we get along?" Qrow grumbled. "That's not how life works, pal."

Raven sat there, lost in thought, before responding. "Mmm, actually, I think it would be best if you came with me instead, Taiyang." "Huh?" Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"I think my teamwork with Tai is honestly more efficient than with Brother. Also, many of the arenas-especially those used for the one-on-one matches-are more geared towards close-range combat, at which Tai excels more than any of us," Raven explained herself slowly and calmly. "Any objections?"

"Course not! I'll get us that win for sure, baby!" Tai grinned. "Sounds good," Summer nodded.

Qrow stared at them in disbelief. "Oh, okay. Thanks guys. Way to be supportive, huh?" No one listened to him.

That had been two days ago, and Raven and Tai were now heading to the Amity Coliseum for their match. Qrow and Summer rushed towards the airport in order to make it in time. Suddenly, Summer felt her Scroll vibrate. Absentmindedly, she took it out.

The message instantly snapped her back to reality. I have some news that you might find interesting. Of course, if you would rather watch your teammates' match, I understand. But if you want to hear what we have to say, please head to Atlas Academy immediately. I'd prefer if you brought no one, but if you insist, I will not stop you. –Ozpin

"Hey, Summer, what's wrong?" Qrow asked, seeing that she'd stopped dead in her tracks. Instinctively, Summer tried to hide the Scroll from his view, but she stopped himself. If this 'news' is about the syndicate, he has as much to do with it as me, she thought. Plus, he can help…if he's in a good mood. Wordlessly, she showed him the Scroll.

She wasn't quite sure how he'd react. How he did was, in retrospect, a very Qrow-esque response. "'Kay," he nodded, turning towards the academy. "C'mon, let's go."

"H-huh?" Summer asked, confused. "You're not going to, uh, ask any questions? Don't you want to see your sister's fight?"

"Honestly, this is the best-case scenario for me," Qrow shrugged. "I think I'll throw up if I have to see Blondie getting' all 'buddy-buddy' with my sister for five more minutes. I'm going to see what this is about, whether you like it or not." With that, he transformed into a crow and flew off.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Summer yelled indignantly, running after him.

"Hahh….hahh…" Summer gasped as her legs got ready to collapse.

"What took you so long?" Qrow, back in human form, frowned at her from the steps of Atlas Academy. The enormous schoolhouse was even more imposing from up close.

Summer glared at him. "Well, I'm sorry I don't have the power to turn into a fast-travelling animal whenever I want, Birdy."

Before Qrow could respond with a snarky comment of his own, the doors to the academy opened. A tall, middle-aged with short blond hair and a white military jacket stepped out. "Excuse me, but are you Summer Rose?" he asked Summer. "Oh, yeah, that's me." Summer nodded.

"Very well." The man nodded. For his age, he was quite handsome, and his height and stature definitely gave off the impression of a military leader. "Ozpin said you might come, and he sent me to receive you if you did. Is that young man your partner?" He cast a glance at Qrow.

"Yes, that's Qrow, and he's coming too, if that's alright."

"It's fine." The man smiled at them. "My name is Argent Fox. I am the General of the Atlesian military. It's good to meet you, Summer and Qrow. My daughter, Heather, has told me quite a bit about you."

Argent escorted the two of them to the headmaster's office on the top floor. Summer was surprised that this man was Heather's father, but she did remember her saying her father was in the military. The three of them reached the office. Through the door, Summer could hear people having a conversation.

"If this has something to do with Salem-"came a young man's voice, sounding apprehensive.

"Patience, James." Summer recognized Ozpin's voice. "It won't do to jump to conclusions now. In the meantime, we seem to have guests. Let them in."

The door to the office opened, and they stepped in. Inside stood Ozpin along with two other men Summer didn't recognize. In the center of the room, sitting in the headmaster's chair, was an elderly man with pure-white hair in a brush cut, a pitch-black suit and a stern face unfazed by the many wrinkles obtained from a long life. On his right was a young man in his twenties, with a dark regulation cut and a colonel's outfit. "Hello, Miss Rose," Ozpin smiled at her. "So you accepted our invitation?"

Summer nodded. "Yes. I was sad to miss Raven and Tai's match, but…I think if you have something to say to us, it must be really important."

"Very well. Let us get introductions out of the way first," Ozpin nodded. "It seems you're already acquainted with General Fox. This young man is Colonel James Ironwood." Ironwood nodded briefly at Summer and Qrow. He looks so young for a colonel, Summer noted. He must be really skilled.

Ozpin gestured to the old man. "And this…is Desmond Onyx, Headmaster of Atlas, and a veteran of the Great War."

Summer smiled nervously at Headmaster Onyx. "I-it's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Please, child. The pleasure is all mine," Onyx spoke in a gruff but affable voice. He certainly gave off the impression of a battle-hardened, wise war veteran. "You two seem like promising young Huntsmen. We always look forward to seeing how the new generation will protect and guide this world into the future. I am sure you have a promising future ahead of you, Miss Rose." He turned to Qrow. "Hmm, and who might you be, young man?"

"Name's Qrow. Qrow Branwen."

"Branwen, eh?" Onyx muttered. "Interesting…tell me, boy, but would you happen to know a man named Luka? Luka Branwen?"

Qrow froze. For a moment, Summer saw something resembling fear in his eyes. "How do you…" He swallowed, and regained his composure. "How do you know Uncle Luka?"

"Ah, so you are related after all." Onyx gave a jovial smile. "I've had the pleasure of talking to your uncle once or twice when he visits Atlas. I do remember him talking about a niece and nephew. How is he doing nowadays?"

Qrow shrugged, as all his tension from a moment ago seemed to vanish. "No idea. I haven't been in touch with him for a while. For all I know, he's still out in Mistral researching centipede Grimm for some project. Wouldn't surprise me."

"Well, that certainly sounds like Luka." Onyx turned to Ozpin. "Now then, shall we begin the meeting?"

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, that seems like a good idea. Well, to put it simply, Miss Rose and Mr Branwen," he said, turning back to them. "We are about to be attacked."

Summer stared at her headmaster in disbelief. "Attacked? Now? But…why? Is this the syndicate's doing?"

"Allow me to explain the situation," Argent stepped into the conversation. His sheer presence immediately silenced even the two older men. "About twenty-four hours ago, an anonymous user uploaded a viral post on the CCT claiming that the criminal syndicate known as the Revenants, notorious for their string of hate crimes against Faunus citizenry, were operating out of the Atlesian military. In the past four hours, we've received reports of numerous riots breaking out all across the Kingdom, most of them organized by enraged Faunus."

Qrow raised his eyebrows. "Wait, seriously? Someone tried to claim that the military are terrorists?! And people are taking this shit seriously?"

"Atlas' history is not as grandiose as it appears on the surface, unfortunately," Argent said grimly. "The enforcement of conscription on Faunus, which created the circumstances that brought out the Faunus Revolution…the countless accusations that our legal courts display prejudice against Faunus defendants...some of our less, ah, accepting leaders, deporting Faunus to the Forsaken Lands...I can see why some people would be less trusting of our military."

"And the perpetrator clearly invested quite a bit of time in this," Onyx added. "That post consisted of over thirty pages of supposed 'proof' that the military has been supporting the Revenants all along...even giving specific accusations of who the 'ringleaders' of this particular operation are. Naturally, most of it is unfounded rubbish, but mindless fools looking for someone to blame? They'll blindly follow anything that supports what they believe."

"That's awful…" Summer murmured.

"So what about us? You want us to deal with these rioters?" Qrow inquired.

"We have no need for that!" Colonel Ironwood said indignantly, glaring at the young Huntsman. "Do you doubt the military's ability to stop such weak enemies?"

"Enough, James." Argent brought out a map of the Amity Coliseum. "It's true that the rioters will be simple to deal with. However, we have reason to believe the riots are nothing but a distraction. The real conflict will occur here." He pointed to an area near the bottom of the floating structure. "Ozpin has informed me of your involvement in the Promethian Ore incident. I believe we've discovered what the syndicate plans to use it for."

"Use it for…?" Summer frowned, before the truth finally hit her. "Oh…" she gasped. "They want to…to destroy the Coliseum with that thing?" She could hardly believe it. Even with everything the Revenants had done so far, it was still shocking to hear that they were planning something at this level of destruction.

Qrow shook his head in disbelief. "Shit…that's insane. So are you saying that the post on the CCT was…"

"…someone tied to the syndicate." Argent finished his sentence. "To incite riots and distract the military from the true threat. And that is where you two come in. As I'm sure you understand, we want to minimize chaos among the populace as much as possible when dealing with this situation. As such, our plan of counter-attack goes like this."

He brought out another map, this one displaying the Kingdom of Atlas. "We will send small platoons of troops, accompanied by several Huntsmen to aid them, to quell the riots with as little violence as possible. Meanwhile, you two will sneak into the Amity Coliseum's core sector, and act depending on what you find there. If the enemy is not present, you will simply guard the room until we have dealt with the situation on the outside, and come to assist you. If they are there, you'll have more of a problem-you'll have to fight them off, and preferably retrieve the Promethian Ore in the process." He glanced up at them. "Do you understand?"

"I think I get the gist of it," Qrow nodded. "But you really want us to go alone? We can't bring anyone?"

"You can call on some your fellow Huntsmen if you wish, though smaller numbers would be ideal. And of course, that's only if you accept that you may be putting them in harm's way."

"Then that's fine." Qrow turned to Summer, a serious look on his face. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us, huh?" Summer nodded nervously. "Yeah…guess we can't mess this one up, huh?"

Argent passed them a silver-plated keycard. "Here. Use this to unlock the door to the engine room. Knowing the syndicate, they will find a way to break their way in before long. Good luck, you two. We'll be counting on you."

Summer nodded again, and said: "Thank you, General. Umm…you don't mind if we get your daughter's team to help us, do you?"

"If you mean Heather, I see no issue." Argent smiled at her. "I've trained her into quite the fine Huntress, much like her sister. If you have her aiding you, your victory is all but guaranteed."

"That's good to know, sir." Summer turned towards the door. "Come on Qrow, let's go! We need to find Raven and Tai!" Nodding, Qrow followed her out of the office.

Argent, Ozpin, Ironwood and Onyx were left in the room. They exchanged meaningful glances with each other. "Sir, are you sure this is the best option?" Ironwood asked anxiously. "They're just children, they're too young to be trusted with something on this scale-especially if it's what we think it is!"

"Considering you are only five years their senior, you have little right to talk about them being 'too young,'" Argent chastised the colonel. "Remember, this was Ozpin's decision." He turned to the professor. "You seemed quite confident she'd show up."

Ozpin smiled enigmatically. "It was a hunch. Sometimes they yield results. That is all there is to it. If we want to speak of confidence, I'm surprised at how much faith Onyx had in his knowledge of the syndicate's plan. It was…quite a bold claim."

"Now, just what ARE you implying, Ozpin?" Onyx grinned back, wrinkling his old forehead. "I must say, though, I didn't expect that the great Summer Rose you mentioned would be quite so, ah, timid. It seems she still has quite a way to go."

"Indeed, she is still a flower that has yet to fully bloom," Ozpin agreed. "She still hasn't discovered her true potential, and if I may be frank, I myself am uncertain of what, exactly, she is capable of. However…"

The old professor looked up at the ceiling, and his eyes were filled with a gaze that made it seem like he was staring, mesmerized, at something no one else could see. "…when she does blossom, I know she will shine brighter than any other Huntsman or Huntress that came before her. That, I can promise."

Summer and Qrow ran towards the airport as fast as their legs could take them. "Almost…there," Summer panted. "Hey, by the way Qrow, I don't remember you ever mentioning your uncle."

"Luka? Yeah, I never found any reason to talk about him. He's an archeologist wandering around Remnant, looking for artifacts and new species of Grimm to study." Qrow shrugged as he ran. "Everyone in my family thought he was just a crazy old fart, but he's actually really smart. Really knows his shit." He turned his head back in the direction he was running in. "Anyway, let's get a move on. The match should be over by now-we need to find Sis and Blondie as soon as-"

"Hey! There you are!" Right on cue, Tai ran over to them from near the airport. Raven was close behind him. "Where the hell have you been? Come on, Rae and I worked our butts off for that victory and you two didn't even see it?"

"Sorry. Had better things to do," Qrow said bluntly. Summer glared at him. "Something else came up," she corrected him. "This might be a lot to take in…."

Summer and Qrow explained the situation as quickly and concisely as possible. "Seriously?" Tai muttered. "I knew those guys were crazy, but to think they're planning something like THAT...Looks like we need to get back to the stadium as soon as possible."

Raven just stood there, as if silently pondering something. "Sis? You okay?" Qrow asked her.

"All of you, listen to me." She spoke calmly, but her eyes betrayed her tension. She was clearly apprehensive about something. "I know we need to stop the syndicate's plan, but there's one more thing we need to take care of. Let's head back to the hotel first."

"But…why?!" Summer asked in disbelief. "If we're too late, we-"

"Just trust me. Team HTHR is still there; they skipped today's match to train for their round. We'll need their assistance, won't we?"

"Ah…that's right." Summer nodded. "Yeah, I was planning to get their help, too. Let's hurry, then."

"That's not the only reason, though," Raven added grimly. "It's best if I explain with all eight of us present. I have something that I think is very much…worth sharing with them."

On the other side of the Kingdom of Atlas, in the Krios district, a group of Faunus marched their way through the streets, carrying protest signs and crowbars, smashing up everything in sight. Thankfully, most civilians were still returning from the Vytal Festival grounds, so the streets were mostly empty.

A small squadron of soldiers, clad in the Atlesian military's signature white armor, pulled up in their vans and got out, wielding Taser batons and riot shields. "Halt!" the officer yelled at the protestors. "We ask you to cease your troublemaking and return home! The Vytal Festival is no time for chaos like this!"

"Like you have any right!" a rabbit Faunus sneered. "You military are all just hypocrites and liars anyway!"

"Yeah, why won't you all just fuck off and die?" another protestor yelled. Cheering, the rioters began throwing rotten fruit at the soldiers.

"Tch. If you won't come quietly…" the officer muttered angrily. "We'll have to take you down by force." He gestured to his soldiers, who promptly charged forward, stunning the protestors with their Tasers.

In retaliation, one of the Faunus pulled out a rifle from within his vest. The barrel glowed crimson red. He fired the weapon, killing one of the soldiers. "Bring them down!" he yelled. The other Faunus all brought out similar weapons.

"Dammit! They're armed!" the officer gritted his teeth. "Looks like we don't have a choice. Fire back!"

The soldiers quickly pulled out their tranquilizer guns and began firing into the crowd, trying to subdue the protestors. Suddenly, a rain of bullets came flying down from above, scattering them. "What?" The officer looked up in shock. It was an enemy aircraft, more advanced than anything Atlas had ever made. Now that he got a good look, the weapons the Faunus were carrying didn't resemble any gun models he recognized.

Where did they get these? He thought, panic rising in his chest. "S-sir!" The voice came from his radio. "We need backup! The rioters in the Hyperion district just opened fire! Th-they've got…air support, and some strange weapons we've never seen before!"

"Just hold on! Reinforcements will be arriving soon!" he yelled back. He raised his gun and charged into what had just become an all-out brawl.

The battle for Atlas had begun.

Edit: So some of you pointed out that I accidentally called Summer "Ruby" at one point. That has now been fixed, thanks for letting me know!