In Atlas, civilians are seen lounging in a public park. High-pitched speaker feedback is heard before Ironwood broadcasts his announcement, "Citizens of Atlas, please proceed to the nearest underground subway station for shelter."

One man gets up from beside his daughter, confused and looking around for a threat. As sirens begin to blare, people start to panic and run for the subway. Then man is frozen with fear until his daughter points to the sky behind him, "Dad? Look!"

A swarm of Lancers weaves their way between the Atlas skyscrapers, sending the man stumbling back. A squad of Mantas swoops in, opening fire on the Lancers. The man hurriedly leaps to his feet, "We need to go!

The Ace Ops and Winter have taken Yang, Jaune, and Ren into custody and cuffed them with Gravity Bolas. Their Manta approaches Atlas, and Atlas Military chatter can be heard over the in-ship radio.

"We can’t get the Hard Light shields back up, sir. The generators took too much damage!"

"Then don’t waste resource on them. Beta Squad, the creature?"
"We tried bombs, missiles, but we can’t make a dent, sir."

Winter chimes into the conversation, "Sir, Schnee here. Penny is still MIA, but we’ve apprehended Arc, Xiao Long, and Ren."

"Stand by for further orders, and don’t let those fugitives out of your sight."

"Yes, sir. Of course." Behind Winter, Yang turns to look at her with a grim expression, "Still just following orders."

Winter turns and narrows her eyes at the girl, then gasps as Monstra slowly comes into view through the windscreen. Jaune and Ren stare slackjawed at the gargantuan Grimm, "That’s where the Grimm took Oscar. It’s even bigger than I thought."

Vine narrows his eyes, clearly skeptical, "Grimm don’t take prisoners."

"This one did. If you would just let us go-"
"Then you haven't seen what we have created." Yang, Ren, and Jaune quickly spring up hearing your voice, "It's good to hear that you are still alive." Ren could feel the sadness in your voice, or was as if you were clinging to your last bit of hope.

Ironwood's voice comes through over the radio again, "Cease fire. Manta squads, concentrate on secondary hostiles. Command is working on a solution for the creature."

"What do you have in mind, sir?"

"We aren’t making any progress attacking the thing from the outside. But from the inside, it could be vulnerable. Science team is putting together a bomb. When it’s ready, we’ll drop it off as close to the target as possible. Then, your team will deliver it on foot. Sending your rendezvous coordinates now." Throughout Ironwood's order, Winter's face goes through a cycle of emotions, "Of course, sir. We will hold the point, and we will get it done."

Yang, Jaune, and Ren are taken aback, "But Oscar’s in there!"

"You can’t do this!" As Yang struggles to break away from Elm and Vine's grasp, Winter's expression changes back to one of regret. Her right hand trembles before she steadies it by clenching her fist.

Within the Ironwood's office you had no emotion, "Ironwood, I think I had enough of this madness. If only I had killed them, none of this would have happened."

You take a seat on the ground next to the window; Ironwood stands beside you, "If you come with me, then we could save those who you haven't loss."
"I've lived longer than Salem; hard to believe that; I feel as if I understand her, but I wouldn't end up like her. At this rate, this world will be divided, and I will have to return to the Gods." Ironwood glances at you and kneels in front of you, "Do you know what that means?"

You place your hands on the sides of his face, your thumb caressing his cheek, "Even in the end, I will not belong to you. This war that you are creating is just pushing you further and further from winning. Your slowly becoming obsessed with the idea of you being at my side." You let go of him, wiping your hands on your shirt.

"Reminds me of the past, when you lied about my promised freedom. Keep those kids alive; then I would stay put; if any of them die, you won't see the end of it." You glance back outside, wondering if the others are okay.

Ironwood stands up and exits the room without another word. Let out a sigh, "As much as I need to, I can't fall asleep. Ajin?" Ajin appears in front of you, "Yes, Saint?" You extend out your hands, "What if I can't wake up in time?" Your hands began building up the black tar-like substance. "Under a lot of stress, your body will begin to shut down."

"I have so much work to do."

Meanwhile, within Monstra's throne room, Salem is directing her Grimm by making sweeping gestures with her arms, similar to an orchestra conductor. Emerald is spying on her from a short distance away. She seems conflicted about the present situation, steels herself, then leaves the room. In the hallway, she encounters the Seer but can evade detection using her Semblance.

Behind a closed door, she overhears Oscar's physical torture at the hands of Hazel and puts her ear to it to eavesdrop. In the room, Oscar is suspended off the floor by his wrists. His blood drips onto the floor, "That stunt you pulled. She’d have killed you if you didn’t just pop up somewhere else. Still, you can make things easier on yourself if you start telling the truth."

He walks up to Oscar, who has a black eye, is bruised in several places, and has clothes peppered with dried blood, dirt, and scorch marks. Ozpin speaks through the boy, "You’ve never wondered why she recruited you? You, specifically, to help her find the Relics."
"We share a vision. She’s gonna create a new world order, no Kingdoms..." Hazel steps close to Oscar, almost nose-to-nose, "...and no Huntsmen Academies."

Ozpin chuckles, "New world order. No. When Salem gets all four Relics, there will be no world left at all. Don’t you get it? She’s been alive longer than you can comprehend. All she craves now is release. Death."

Hazel punches Oscar, sending him swaying by his wrists, "Stop lying! Salem can’t be killed."

Oscar blinks repeatedly, trying to focus on Hazel's words, "When she came for me, I killed her over and over again. The longest she was gone was only a few hours, before she put herself back together. When I couldn’t lift my arms anymore, she showed me that, through her, I could have the vengeance I needed."

"Oh, Hazel, don’t you see? That is why she came for you. Because she could make you believe that this is what you needed."

"This is what you deserve!"

"Yes! but Oscar? The people of Atlas, Remnant? You haven’t done what you’ve done for justice. You’ve done it for yourself. Because she pushed you to think it would help you. Well, has it?"

In the Schnee Manor, Weiss has finished treating an unconscious Nora Valkyrie's injuries as best she can. Nora talks in her sleep, "Now what am I good for?"

Weiss brushes a lock of Nora's hair out of her face. Ruby and Blake enter the room, hot drinks in hand, "How is she?"
"I’ve done what I can, but she needs a doctor."

Weiss goes over to join her friends, accepting a cup from Ruby, "Hopefully, May’s able to reach the others. I’m… I really hope they’re okay."

Blake glances out of the window at the Atlesian night sky, where distant red lightning can be seen flashing periodically, "Salem’s monster is making Grimm faster than the Atlas military can kill them. The city won’t stand a chance unless we stop it."

"It’s massive. Way bigger than a leviathan. What can we even do?" Weiss settles into a chair by the fireplace, "Penny launched Amity, and our message went out. Do we just wait for someone to come? If they even come."

Ruby stares morosely at her cup, red lightning lighting up her reflection in the liquid within, "How did it all get like this?"

May enters the room, "Fiona said your friends haven’t been heard from in a while. Unfortunately, the last thing they’re worried about is a couple of kids. Come on, I’ve got the ship ready to head back and-"

Weiss hurriedly gets to her feet, setting aside her cup, "What? We can’t leave."

"It’s chaos at the crater. Atlas has its army, but Mantle only has us. People are dying."

Ruby appears conflicted, but Weiss is defiant, "People are dying here, too. Don’t you have family in Atlas?"

"No. Mantle needed me, and to the Marigolds, that meant I wasn’t their son anymore. And I made sure that everyone knew that I wasn’t their daughter. So forget ‘em. They’ve got Henry, yours have Whitley. You get what I’m saying."

"I don’t know about-"

May angrily turns to face Weiss, "Which side are you on, anyway?"

"We’ve heard that before." May steps toward Blake to confront her, but Ruby chimes in, "There are no sides! We want to help everyone. We’re all facing Salem together. And together is the only way we’re going to get out of it."

May sighs, "So, how exactly do we get out of it?" As the group ponders their situation, Whitley was in the hallway eavesdropping on the conversation.

Meanwhile, Ozpin continues speaking through Oscar, trying to reason with Hazel, "'So long as this world turns, you shall walk its face'. That was the curse cast upon her. But if Salem can divide Humanity beyond repair, and bring all four Relics together, she believes that maybe her curse will be broken. The Gods will rule against us, taking Saint, and destroy Remnant, once and for all."

"Nice story. But if Gretchen’s death taught me one thing, it was never to trust you."

As Hazel moves toward Oscar, the boy's persona talks to Ozpin in his mind, "Please, let me."
"But, Oscar-"

"You want him to trust us? Then trust me." The boy closes his eyes, and Ozpin yields control to Oscar, "Her name is Jinn."

Hazel stops advancing toward Oscar, "You want her to come out of the Lamp? Just say her name. She can still answer one more question." Hazel's eyes widen in anger, and he grabs and lifts Oscar by the collar.

"After all that, you’re just going to give Salem the password?"

"No, I’m giving you the password, and hoping you’ll find the truth for yourself." Hazel slowly releases Oscar's collar, his scowl turning to an expression of surprise. Emerald pulls away from the door, trying to process what she has heard.

Later, Mercury is packing an away bag with Emerald in the same room, "He’s a prisoner, Em. He’ll say what he thinks will get him out."

"So you’re still going to Vacuo, after what I just told you?"
"Those are Salem’s new orders, and I know better than to disobey Salem." Mercury heads for the door.

"But-" Mercury sighs, turning to reason with Emerald, "Look, even if what he said was true, we can’t stop Salem. You told me yourself, Hazel tried. He failed, and he got in line. Big guy’s not going to pick fights he can’t win, and neither should we."

Emerald puts on a defiant expression. Mercury turns away, stepping into the corridor, "And all of this is pointless, anyway. Salem’s not ending the world."

Tyrian appears down the hallway as Emerald exits the room and joins them, laughing, "Of course she is! You’re surprised? Salem is destruction incarnate! Our mistress wishes to see the end of it all! There is no ideal more beautiful. She's a far superior to the Saint." Tyrian claps his hand on Mercury's shoulder and curls his scorpion's tail around him, but just as quickly pushes him away. Suneel walks down the same path, "You talk big as if my Saint has no chance. Saint is favored by the Gods, a true Goddess. Choosing to live to show her wisdom instead of bringing her son to relive his tragic end. If I hadn't been so greedy, perhaps I would have given her the family she desired."

Tyrian groans, "A family? At this day and age? If you ask me, she's better off alone, bring favored by the Gods, anything she wishes would be at the tip of her fingers."

"Now come along, Mr. Black. You and I have a date with the desert. Suneel will be joining us as well."

On one of Monstra's landing bays, Mercury is pushed roughly into a Manta aircraft as Emerald looks on, a mixture of dread and worry on her face. Mercury catches her gaze and gives her a solemn nod before Suneel takes the ship into the distant Atlesian sky.

Meanwhile, in the Ace Ops' aircraft, Yang stands up to confront Winter. Elm and Vine quickly get up, grabbing her arms, "You can’t blow it up with Oscar still in there!"

"That creature causes more damage every minute. We cannot wait." Winter has her back to the others, hiding her pained expression from them. Jaune gets up as well.

"Please, Winter, give us a chance to try to rescue him first! We… We could be your test run. You don’t know what’ll be waiting for you inside, right? So we can go ahead to check it out, and look for Oscar while we’re inside."
M

arrow turns to look at them from the pilot's seat, "You want to go inside that thing alone?"

"Wouldn’t you do it for Elm? Harriet? Vine?" Marrow and Harriet trade uneasy looks, "We don’t let feelings get in the way of making the right call. Trading three lives for one is stupid."

Ren's head is bowed, but as he speaks, he slowly raises it in defiance, "No, it’s not. He’s our friend. We will do whatever it takes to find him, because we care about him."

Harriet gets up from her co-pilot's seat; she scoffs, "I really had you pegged as the most level-headed of the bunch, but I guess you’re just as naive. Feelings don’t matter; the job matters. When you lose someone on your team, you move on. Replace them, like Marrow replaced Tortuga and Winter replaced-" Ren leaps to his feet, "No! No one is replaceable."

Ren's eyes widen as he stares at Harriet. Surrounding her are red flower petals rising up from below like fire. She is glowering at him, incensed, "You don’t really believe that. You are furious about losing Clover, and you, you miss him." Harriet briefly lets her surprise show, but her expression quickly reverts to anger, "You don’t know anything about me!"

Ren glances at Marrow, who is surrounded by blue petals slowly falling like snow. Elm has rising red and yellow petals surrounding her, and Vine has green petals swirling gently around him. Ren finally looks down at himself. Pink petals gently fall toward his feet, "That’s why you lost against Team RWBY. You, you try to fight how you feel about each other, so you’ll never truly work as a team."

Elm lets go of Yang to rage at Ren. The red and yellow petals are still rising around her, "Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!"

She pulls her fist back to strike Ren before Winter steps between them, "Everyone, calm down." She takes a moment to study her prisoners' expressions.
"

Fine. We will drop you as close as we can to the monster."

"You can’t be serious. They’re fugitives and traitors!"

Winter turns toward Harriet with cold indifference, "I outrank you." Harriet's eyes widen in surprise before she relents, growling indignantly.
(

A/n: When I first saw this, I was like Winter supremacy. You tell her, Winter!)

"If you aren’t out in time, we drop the payload. No matter what." Marrow turns back to face the windscreen, uncomfortable.

"We understand." The Manta touches down on the outskirts of Atlas. As its hatch opens, Winter deactivates the Gravity Bolas tied around Yang and Ren's wrists. The latter approaches Marrow, who is standing guard by the door, "You don’t like this either. In fact, you don’t want to be a part of it at all anymore."

Marrow's expression falls. He seems to steel himself, and lowers his gun, "After seeing (Y/n), I… I have a job to do, and I’m going to do it." He heads for the cockpit area. Yang uses the blast from her gauntlets to leap off the ship, and Jaune tosses Ren his guns before drawing his own sword and shield, then leaping onto the plains. Winter watches Jaune as he leaves, her expression stony, "I know you don’t, either."

Winter, in Ren's eyes, has rising red and yellow, swirling green, and falling blue petals surrounding her as she fixes Ren with an indifferent stare. After Ren leaves the ship, her expression betrays her concern.

In Schnee Manor, the girls, sans Nora, descend the central staircase, "Wait, what about Qrow and Robyn? Well, maybe if we can get them out of wherever they’re being held, they could-"

May clutches her forehead in frustration and rounds on the other three angrily, "No, see, you just don’t get it! This is not a situation where everyone wins. Now, you all can come with me to help in Mantle, or I can drop you off near the front lines, if you still want to help Atlas. Your uncle and Robyn can’t save us. The Lieutenant is being contained. We have to choose. So choose."

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake look at each other uneasily. A knock at the door draws everyone's attention, and they draw their weapons, creeping to the door. Weiss opens it cautiously, her eyes widening when she sees who it is.
W

eiss gasps, "Klein!" Klein stands in the doorway, doctor's bag in hand. He tips his bowler hat, "Miss Schnee! I heard there was a patient here who needed my help."

"I, I am so sorry, Klein. It’s my fault that Father..." Klein's eyes turn green as he holds his hat to his chest. He seems to develop a stammer, "Please don’t worry, my snowflake, it had nothing to do with you."

Klein's eyes turn red as he puts his hat back on his head, "And everything to do with Jacques." Klein enters the manor and slams the door shut. Weiss walks him in, sniffling and wiping away her tears as the others put away their weapons, "Well, that’s sweet of you. But wait, how did you know-"

Klein blinks, his eyes turning sky blue, "Ah, young Whitley. I’m so glad that you rang! May I please see the patient? I understand it’s urgent." Whitley descends the central staircase, "Yes, she’s in Weiss’s room. Just go up the-"

"I haven’t been gone that long, Master Whitley. I believe I can find it." Klein pats his hand on Whitley's shoulder before heading up the stairs.

"You called Klein?"
"That girl needs a doctor. I didn’t do it for you." He turns away from his sister.

"I know. That’s why it means so much to me." Whitely gasps as Weiss steps forward to hug him. After some hesitation, he sighs and embraces her back. Weiss gasps when she and the others hear an explosion from outside, "Did you call anyone else?"

Whitley shakes his head. Ruby opens the door to find a smoking crater in the manor walkway. She, Weiss, and Blake run out to see Penny, crackling with electricity and covered with neon green fluid lying in at the bottom of the crater. Penny catches sight of her friends and weakly reaches out to them, "I’m… I’m sorry." She collapses.

~~~
End of Vol 8. Chapter 7
Aha! A meeting between Reader and Qrow will be in soon. I had Reader initially follow the Ace-Ops and reunite her with Oscar. But we've been away from our beloved Qrow for so long.