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“Weiss… I need you… I need you to do this for me.”
Weiss’s hands trembled as she held Jaune’s sword in her hands, Penny’s hands still touching hers. Her eyes couldn't leave the wound across Penny’s chest, the way the scratch marks bled with blood too red to be human. She had wanted to argue with her, wanted to tell Penny that they just needed time to get her out of here with Jaune so he could heal her, but her voice wouldn't leave her throat. All she could do was grip the hilt of the sword tightly as she listened to Penny.
“This is my choice,” Penny said quietly with a smile. “In order to make sure the maiden powers do not get into Cinder’s grasp, I need you to kill me.”
“I cant-”
“But you must.” Penny let go of Weiss’s hands and gently caressed Weiss’s cheeks. “Please, Weiss.”
Weiss gave a nod and took a deep breath, her body unable to move as she had asked it to. Her arms trembled as she tried to push the blade into Penny, the steel finally pushing through the flesh with Penny’s help. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched Penny give one last smile.
“Thank you.”
Weiss jolted awake, heart racing as her hand instinctively reached for the person sharing her bed. Her heartbeat started to slow as she felt the familiar sensation of Penny’s warm skin still next to her. She finally caught her breath and laid back down, her voice quiet. “It… it was just a nightmare.”
“Are you… okay?” Penny asked quietly as she slowly woke and pulled Weiss close. “This is the third time you have woken up tonight.”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.” Weiss moved to cuddle with Penny, holding her tight. “Its just a nightmare.”
“Are you sure? Maybe we just need to take some time away-”
“I promise, I’m fine,” Weiss lied. “Just… stressed. But that’ll pass.”
Penny slowly sat up. “And you have been saying that since you came home from Vale. What really happened out there?”
“It… has nothing to do with the mission Ozpin sent me on.”
“Then tell me-”
“I watched you die.” Weiss curled up in the bedding and took a few breaths to try to calm her now racing heart. “I-in my nightmare, I watched you die. We were in some… void, fighting to protect a relic and you… I wasn't fast enough to get you and we couldn't get you out for Jaune to heal you…”
“Sounds like it was quite the nightmare,” Penny said as she stroked Weiss’s hair. “But that’s all it is. A nightmare.”
“It felt so… real.”
“I have found that nightmares tend to. It is one of the things I do not like about being human.”
Weiss sat up and looked at Penny as she slumped over. “I-I didn't… I didn't realize-”
“Before Father found a way to help me be a real girl, to be flesh and blood, I did not sleep the same way the rest of you did. Sure, I would close my eyes and lay down on a bed, but unless I shut down, my mind would stay active. I would replay all of the good memories I have of you all, of all my friends and the people I have met. It was… comforting.”
Penny let out a soft sigh and looked at the scar on her arm, a reminder of what had almost killed her. “When I was dying, I wanted to close my eyes for that comfort. But I couldn't. The next thing I knew, I was human like the rest of you. My body changed in order to save my life, my soul moved out of my body so the maiden powers within could keep me alive. And when I closed my eyes for the first time… all I could see was all of you dying.”
“We’re not dying any time soon,” Weiss said as she pulled Penny into a hug. “As long as we have each other, we’ll be fine.”
“Then remember you still have me,” Penny said with a smile.
“I haven't forgotten,” Weiss said with a smile. Though, she paused as she looked out the window, catching the sight of explosions up in the air. “Are there supposed to be fireworks today?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Weiss pulled away from Penny and stepped over to the window to look out, her body tensing up as she watched one of the airships that patrolled the sky light up in flames and start making its way down into the tundra. The city of Atlas that floated above them almost seemed to be swallowed up by a dark cloud. It wasn't long before an alert came across her scroll asking for all huntsmen to protect Atlas.
Penny walked up behind Weiss and wrapped her arms around her. “We need to go, don't we?”
Weiss nodded and started to get herself ready, loading the revolver of her rapier with dust and getting her combat gear on. Penny followed suit after, pulling on the pack her father had made her to allow her to use her swords once more. They both smiled at each other before rushing out of the apartment and towards the cloud that seemed to swallow Atlas.
As they drew closer to Atlas, it became clear what was going on. Jellyfish-like grimm floated around the city, destroying any airships that came too close. Flying grimm of all sizes attacked the outskirts of Atlas while a miasma like dust from fallen grimm seemed to cloud up around the city blocking it from view. Even the airships that carried huntsmen struggled to get past the grimm, slowly chipping away at what seemed like endless grimm.
“This isn’t working,” Weiss said quietly as she watched another airship fall out of the sky. “They’re letting themselves get killed.”
“Its not like there’s another way,” Penny answered as she looked around at the grimm surrounding Atlas. “Not unless we can get around the grimm without being seen.”
Weiss nodded and paused for a moment as her gaze left Atlas and towards the crater at the center of Mantle. “I… I think I know a way. But we have to hurry!”
Penny paused as she watched Weiss start to run forward. “Weiss, where are you going?”
“We can use the supply tubes that go up towards Atlas! Unless the grimm has destroyed them, it’ll be the best way for us to get up there!”
“And then what?” Penny asked as she caught up to Weiss. “Once we get up there, we will be alone until we can find the General-”
“We’ll take a page out of Ruby’s book and figure it out once we get up there,” Weiss answered as she created a few glyphs to help speed up their movements. “But we have to hurry.”
“Then I’ll follow your lead!”
Weiss nodded and started to rush towards the supply tubes on a path of speed glyphs. As they neared the depot, the glyphs disappeared to let them slow down until they could come to a stop. With a sigh of relief when she saw there weren't any grimm nearby, Weiss made her way to one of the control panels of the chutes and started to get everything ready for them. “These aren't meant to be used to transport people, so its going to be a tight fit, but its safe enough. But if you’re not okay with using this, we can find another way-”
“I trust you,” Penny said as she kissed Weiss. “You have not let me down yet.”
“When you get up there, go straight to Ironwood,” Weiss said as she finished prepping the tube. “I’ll meet you there, but I have something I need to check on first.”
“Are you worried about your family?”
“Yes… no… Its… complicated. But I should check on them.”
Penny nodded and stepped into the supply chute. “Please be safe.”
“You too.”
Weiss started up the chute and watched as Penny was sent up towards Atlas. Her heart raced as she watched the door for the chute open up and she finished the preparations to send herself up. She stepped into the chute, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as she felt herself sent up through the chute just like she used to use when she was a kid.
Once she made it up to Atlas, she stepped out of the chute and started to make her way to the Schnee manor. Though her steps started to slow to a stop as she stepped outside the warehouse the chute took her to. The hardlight shield that protected Atlas was visible against the black of the grimm, ripples of light spanning along it as the grimm continued to pound against it.
With a deep breath, she started to make her way towards the manor once more, a bit of relief rushing through her knowing that Atlas had more time. The streets were empty of most of the people who lived in Atlas, only soldiers running through the streets to get in position as they waited for the grimm to break through the hardlight shield.
It wasnt much longer before Weiss saw the manor in the distance, stopping once she felt she was close enough. The manor was still intact, no signs that any of the initial grimm that had slipped into the city made it there.
An explosion sounded from behind her towards Atlas Academy and Weiss felt her heart stop. She slowly turned to look at the blaze, her hand grabbing her scroll out of her pocket as she dialed Penny. When she didnt get an answer, she started to rush towards the Atlas Academy.
Sirens started to go off in the streets as the hardlight shield started to flicker out of existence before finally dropping and grimm descended from the sky. Weiss created another path of glyphs as she rushed through the streets, slicing through grimm that came too close while the soldiers and huntsmen tried to keep the grimm at bay.
“Please be okay,” Weiss muttered under her breath as she continued racing towards the academy. Her glyphs started to falter as she made it to Atlas, frantically looking around for any sign of Penny, only to see another explosion from one of the higher levels of the Academy. With a quick breath, she created a few more glyphs and started to run up the wall of the academy.
Her aura flickered along with her glyphs as she strained herself to climb up the building as quickly as she could. The glyphs finally disappeared just as she made it to the floor the explosion came from, pulling herself through the window and through the few remaining flames. She raced through the halls, following the burned walls and the path of destruction, hoping it’d lead her to Penny. It wasn't long before she finally found Penny in the training room fighting Cinder and losing.
A few of Penny’s swords were missing while others were damaged and cracked. Her aura flicked as she tried to move away from a fireball that was sent her direction. Her remaining swords fell to the ground as her eyes glowed with a green fire and she kept a shield up to keep herself from getting hit.
“This makes my job easier,” Cinder said as she created replicas of Penny’s swords around her, a smirk crossing her lips. “Now give me my powers.”
“Penny!” Weiss yelled out as she watched the swords launch at Penny. On instinct she created a path of glyphs and launched herself towards Penny. Her eyes stayed on her wife as she pushed herself to her limits. Her arms tried to wrap around Penny to push her out of the way….
…only to feel the heat of a sword piercing through her chest and a gasp escaping her mouth.