Life Goes On



Although the US Presidential election was the focus of much of the world, the Canadian general election was only a few months away and the events south of the border had brought many new issues to light that candidates were now scrambling to deal with.



“There's a big issue that a lot of people have on their mind, one that we haven't covered before,” the newscaster began. Across from him sat the hope of a political party which had fallen from majority government to official opposition to holding only a few dozen seats. “It's fairly obvious now that our government was involved with the people from the other world, and a lot of people disagree with their actions. What's your take on that?”



The Liberal candidate considered his response carefully. “I think our Prime Minister, and indeed everyone involved, made their decisions carefully based on the information known to them at the time. Perhaps we can look at some of those decisions, and say they weren't the best for Canadians or anyone, but that's judging through 20/20 hindsight. It's difficult to say, certainly difficult to say.”



“So are you saying you would or wouldn't have done things differently?”



The candidate did not directly answer the question. “Those decisions were made behind closed doors. It's not unfair to question those decisions- I question some of those decisions- but we don't know what they knew at the time. There may have been very good reasons, or at least appeared to be very good reasons, that we have no knowledge of.”



“Let's take one thing in particular that's been bothering a lot of Canadians. There's a rumour- perhaps more than a rumour- that Team RWBY actually went to school with our kids for the better part of a year. How do you feel about that?”



“One one hand, it's easy to say that it's a bad thing, a mistake. I understand that a lot of people aren't happy with superhuman teenagers being this close to their own children. On the other hand, they're teenagers too, and high school offers many opportunities to absorb our own culture and grow as people.” He paused. “Again, I don't know what the factors in that decision were. I hope that this was a considered process, that the current government weighed the risks and costs against the benefits and determined this was the best course of action.”



“What do you think we need to do going forward, then?”



“Certainly openness is a good thing, understanding is a good thing, but we don't know the whole picture yet, and it's too early to really take any positions on that,” he answered. “A lot of people are calling for quite radical responses to events that are happening and events that may happen. I understand why people feel this way, but we have to force ourselves to step back and think carefully about what we should really do. I think no matter what happens taking hasty, radical, poorly considered actions will be disastrous.”



* * * * *



“So, what's the verdict?”



“You're probably not going to like my answer very much,” Special Agent Cooper told the NYPD officer on the other side of his desk. “They can test if you really are from Remnant- probably. They really didn't want to tell me much, and I get the impression the guy I talk to was hearing it secondhand with a few things redacted too.”



“What do I need to do?” Rosalind Drake- possibly Summer Rose, she reminded herself- asked..



“They said we need to get a vial of blood and ship it off to a lab God knows where. And, uh, they implied that I shouldn't let you leave without doing it, but I'm not going to try stopping you if you do.”



“No, I'll do it. I want to do it.” She said it for herself as much as the federal agent. “How long will it take?”



“That's the hard part. They didn't give me an answer. Maybe days, maybe weeks, hopefully not months. I don't know if they know.”



“Am I a guinea pig for the first time they're doing this, or is it just the usual government slowness?” Realizing that she was talking to a federal agent, she quickly added, “Sorry.”



He laughed. “No, that is the government. You'd be surprised at the kind of shit we have to deal with internally. But as for your question, I don't know. I'd say this is their first time, maybe their first time doing it for real.”



“Is this an identity test or a humanity one?”



“The way he said it implied the latter. But I can't tell you for sure.”



She nodded. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but at that point she wasn't sure what she did want to hear anymore. “So, what happens if I really am one of them?”



“I don't know,” Cooper admitted. “There will be people who will want to talk to you. You're a citizen of this country, legally, so they we legally detain you without cause- unless they change the laws. Your department may fire you or push you to retire. On the bright side, though, if things go well, you might actually come out of this with a cushy government job.”



“I'm not sure if I should be terrified or relieved,” Rose replied wryly.



He asked, “How sure are you that you're Summer Rose and not somebody else from Remnant, if you are from Remnant?”



She thought about it for a moment. “I think I am. It just feels right. No, I'm pretty sure it's all or nothing. Either I was Summer Rose or I'm just some crazy human with delusions of grandeur.”



“Was?”



“Was? Am? If I was once someone but I barely remember anything about them, am I still that person?” She shook her head. “I guess that question was going to come up sooner or later.”



“Well, I guess there's not much I can do for you there.” He stood, extending his hand. Rose took it, and he noticed that her grip was firm but not painful and her skin was surprisingly smooth. “You can head down to the lab and they'll take a blood sample. You're free to leave after that. We need you to keep this conversation discreet, but you probably don't want to talk about it anyway. Come back if you need anything. Otherwise, we'll find you.”



* * * * *



Inevitably, among all the talk of philosophy and science, a more grounded question came up. How would Earth fare if war broke out with the Kingdoms? It was viewed as a remote possibility by officials, but circulated widely on the Internet. In the hopes of alleviating fears or at least getting a decent amount of viewers, a cable news channel brought in a defence expert to give an expert opinion on the matter.



The host opened with a pointed question. “Do you think the attack was an act of God, an act of terrorism, or an act of war?”



“I'm not privy to our government's intelligence, so this is speculation, but definitely a state actor was involved at some point,” the expert replied. “However, this was at best a scouting mission, and more likely an action by a rogue agent. Perhaps Miss Fall infiltrated or forced her way into a state apparatus and attempted to redirect their efforts to her own ends.”



“So you'd say this is an act of state-sponsored terrorism?”



“I'd say that it's a definite possibility,” he clarified.



“You say you don't know anything we do, so how are you drawing your conclusions?” the host said. He quickly added, “I mean, I'm not doubting you, but-”



The expert interrupted, “We know very little about the Kingdoms and how they work. But we must assume they are at least rational states, and a rational state does not send terrorists as their first contact with a foreign power. They would send diplomats or an army depending on their intent. We must therefore assume that something went wrong. This could even be deliberate sabotage by another Remnan state.”



“But why do you say this isn't just a random occurrence or the will of some deity? Why do you think-”



He interrupted again. s“Let me make something clear. There is no such thing as a coincidence or an act of God. Not in our world- the world of intelligence and defence. Everything was done by someone for a reason. That doesn't mean it isn't- I will admit the possibility- but in the world of defence this is akin to sticking your head into the sand. In other words, we must assume a deliberate action because it is what we are attempting to defend against.”



“If this is the vanguard of an invasion, if there is a war, how would we fare?”



“I think an invasion by Remnan forces is something we could counter. They have advanced technology and what some are calling soul magic, but we have numbers, strategic depths, and strategic weapons they do not have. I would not want this war- it would be very destructive to all involved- but it is winnable.”



“Speaking of technology, what do we know about theirs? How does it compare to our own world?”



It wasn't exactly his area of study, and the expert paused for a moment before answering. “They're ahead of us and they're not. Generally, from casual observation, perhaps ten, twenty, maybe thirty years ahead. Their robotics are advanced, AI is advanced, small arms are highly developed, and of course they can build massive airships which is a hugely impressive technological feat. On the other hand, no spaceflight, they haven't split the atoms, and they're way behind in aerodynamics and precision weapons. Their communications and information systems are limited but that might not be a limit of the technology itself.However, this is based on a few limited statements and I'll admit some speculation based on the RWBY web series.”



The host wanted to ask more about the subject but knew his time was limited, so he pressed on instead. “What about the Grimm? If they come here, how would we deal with them?”



“It depends. We could deal with limited incursions-localized and limited presence- I don't doubt that. But if Earth was like Remnant and they spawned everywhere, all the time, it would be a horrifying apocalypse scenario. If giant portals opened up everywhere, it would be a horrifying apocalypse scenario. We are not equipped to defend against a sustained hostile presence on our own territory.” The expert paused, then continued quickly, “Fortunately, we have not seen that. We've only seen isolated incursions, which would seem to indicate that there is no intrinsic, permanent bridge between worlds, but a local, transient one created by concentrated effort.”



He moved on to his final question. “Do you think any of this is likely? An invasion by one of the Kingdoms, or the Grimm arriving on our doorstep?”



“I don't think so, but a few days ago, I would have said that none of what's happened was even possible.” The expert laughed halfheartedly. “So we're just going to have to wait and find out.”



* * * * *



“What's the shape of the world today?” the President asked his staff. He leaned back slightly, appearing casual enough but very tense inside. “John?”



The Secretary of State answered, “The Russians are still making noise, but Vlad's made it very clear that he wants to talk. Europe's still tense, but with everything going on in the world that affects them I think this kind of alert was inevitable anyway. East Asia at least isn't seeming to be a problem so far, although the North Koreans are posturing again.”



The President nodded in response before turning to the National Security Advisor. “Susan, what do we know about Cinder- how and why she came here?”



“Unfortunately, we're still trying to piece that together. We were hoping to gain more intelligence from the thief and his partner, but extracting it is proving difficult. They're demanding more and more. Fortunately, one of the White Fang members survived and has been quite forthcoming,” she replied. “We know that both the White Fang and Cinder's faction were under the employ of some master. We believe this is a powerful organization, possibly the SDC or the Atlesian government though I must stress that we do not know and pointing fingers. Given the history of these organizations- I think I brought this up with Secretary Carter- it's most likely that they funded the cross-dimensional research but Cinder's actions were her own. We also have a possible theory on why Cinder was so intent on destroying Team RWBY, but it's largely speculation at this point.”



“What's the theory?” SecDef asked.



“Ruby Rose, or rather some of her traits,” she explained. “It's possible Cinder believed she was a powerful adversary or could be in the future. Either that she inherited the maiden power from her mother when she died- if she died- or that she has some power inherent to her silver eyes. However, this is based on notes from the RWBY show hinted at by statements made by real Remnans. Confirmation bias is a very real danger and this I wouldn't put too much stock in these theories.”



“If she died?”



“Yesterday, a New York police officer walked into the FBI office claiming that she had woken up in hospital ten years ago. She had with her a picture of her family, allegedly from before she woke up. There's a good possibility she's a fraud, but on that note I think it's prudent that we put some plans in place to search out possible Remnans in our society and have a process to screen those that come forward.”



“Jesus, they could be among us?” SecState asked.



“Maybe. But I wouldn't blow this out of proportion before we know more. Even if they are among us, I'm willing to bet they're not willing to stir things up too much. They may not know where they're from, and more may come forward in the coming days. Of course, she may be a fraud, or the only one, and I think we'll see a lot more hoaxes than real aliens.”



“Noted,” the President commented.



“Speaking of RWBY, where are they now?” a Cabinet member asked.



“Back in Canada. We decided mutually that with anti-Remnant sentiment as it is in our country, they would be better in Vancouver,” the President answered. “I think you missed that meeting, Loretta.”



“Ah, okay.”



“What about the situation at home?” the President asked next.



“We're starting to see some protests and demonstrations,” the Secretary of Homeland Security noted. “Mostly anti-Remnan, but we'll see opposing ones soon enough. That's a good sign.”



“How the hell is that a good thing?” SecTreas asked.



“It means that people are willing to leave their homes again. It means the initial fear, the initial panic that the world is coming to an end is over,” the Secretary of Homeland Security explained. “It's still not rational, but the fear and concern is now for how this affects us and how it will affect us in the future. And it means they're confident enough to go out and state their opinion instead of hiding. Think of it like a heated argument versus random flailing.”



“That's certainly a colourful way of putting it,” the President remarked. He stood. “Alright. We've still got a lot of work to do, but at least the crisis is over. Go home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy.”



* * * * *



The airport was getting noticeably less crowded. It was still busy, but not as much so. Security restrictions were relaxed and flights were beginning to come in and out again. Some people had given up, arranging alternate transportation or finding somewhere nearby to stay and wait it out.



“Looks like our flight's been un-cancelled,” Sam told his friends after checking his phone. “We'll be able to get of here soon.”



“Finally,” Cliff replied. He sat with his laptop in his lap and earbuds in his ears, half-listening. “I was gonna go nuts out here.”



“So... do we keep our mouths shut or talk our heads off about what happened?” Isaac asked quietly.



“I think the guys in black suits would be pretty pissed off if we did,” Ben opined.



“Yeah, but what can they actually do about it?” Isaac asked. “We were never actually sworn to secrecy.”



“True.”



“We'll have a hell of a story if anyone will believe it,” Isaac added.



Sam shook his head. “Considering all the laws we broke, we probably shouldn't tell anyone.”



“Yeah, but we were pardoned for those.”



“That's not what a pardon is, and they can still press charges,” Jen explained. “I don't think they will, but do you really want potential employers knowing you once smuggled a fugitive across the Pacific?”



“I guess not.,” Isaac admitted. “I'm not going to take it to the grave, though.”



“Don't expect you to. Maybe we'll write a memoir in twenty years. But we should wait for the heat to die down first.”



“Would anyone even believe us, though?” Isaac asked again.



“You know, all I can think about is that we're going to be getting on a plane home soon,” Cliff interrupted, taking out one of his earbuds. “The world is changing overnight and that's the thing the front of my mind. Isn't that fucked up?”



“Kind of,” Sam replied.



“I've been thinking about it, though, and you know, maybe not. Life goes on.” He swung the earbud around as he rambled. “We've already accepted this new reality, and soon enough, so will everyone else. At the end of the day, people still gotta eat. For all the talk of world-shattering changes, the world is pretty much the same today as it was last week.”



* * * * *



This is the last interlude chapter. There are a few more things I would have liked to cover (AI, where the Remnans are at, RWBY AMA, a better discussion of technology, and the future of RWBY the show to name a few) that may or may not show up as Asides.