Chương 125: Chapter 118: The Mirage of the Revelry

The biting, sub-zero winds of Solitas were entirely banished from the central plaza of Mantle, replaced by the suffocating, radiant heat of a kingdom desperately demanding change. The industrial sector had been completely transformed into a massive, vibrant block party. String lights in brilliant shades of green and gold crisscrossed between the dilapidated apartment buildings, illuminating the falling snow.

Heated lamps hummed at the corners of the square, pushing back the frost, while a loud, thumping bassline echoed from a makeshift stage constructed from reinforced shipping crates. The people of Mantle, bundled in thick coats and patched scarves, were packed shoulder-to-shoulder, holding cups of hot cider and waving colorful campaign banners. The sheer, palpable energy of the crowd was a living, breathing testament to their defiance.

Near one of the crackling drum-fires, Forest, his beard dusted with snow and his cheeks flushed from the heat, took a massive bite of a roasted skewer. He grinned widely, turning to a group of fellow laborers.

"I'm telling you, it's in the bag!" Forest cheered, pointing his skewer toward the massive holographic projection of the election polls hovering above the plaza.

"Jacques Schnee really thought shutting down the Dust mines would make us beg for his scraps! All he did was prove Robyn's point! Look at those numbers!"

"He's terrified of her," an older woman agreed, her eyes bright with a rare, undeniable hope.

"Robyn is going to win that Council seat tonight."

"Yeah! And when she does, Ironwood won't be able to ignore us anymore!" a middle-aged man added confidently. Standing at the edge of the bustling crowd, near the barricades separating the civilian party from the restricted military perimeter, were the assigned security details. Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren navigated through the throng of dancing citizens.

They were dressed in their newly upgraded Atlesian combat gear, though their weapons were carefully holstered to avoid inciting panic. Hovering just an inch off the snowy pavement, her glowing green thrusters humming with quiet precision, Penny Polendina waved both of her hands frantically as she spotted the teenagers.

"Guys!" Penny greeted cheerfully, her mechanical eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated joy as she landed in front of them.

"I am so glad you made it! It is just Marrow and I assigned to the perimeter tonight, so having more friends present means exponentially more fun! Where are the others?" Ruby smiled warmly, adjusting her red cloak against the chill.

"Hey, Penny! Weiss, Yang, Blake, and Oscar stayed up in Atlas. They're probably hanging out with Team FNKI, or they might just be crashing at Saitama's penthouse. We figured we could come down and keep you company!" Before Penny could express her delight, a highly stressed, exasperated sigh announced the arrival of their commanding officer for the evening. Marrow Amin jogged over, his crisp Atlas Specialist uniform standing out starkly against the civilian attire of the crowd.

He held a clipboard in one hand, his boomerang rifle resting securely on his back.

"There you are, Penny," Marrow said, looking at the android.

"I need your help at the backstage..." Marrow stopped, his eyes widening as he noticed the five heavily armed Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training standing in his patrol zone. His Faunus tail instantly stiffened.

"Oh, hey!" Marrow blinked in sheer confusion.

"What are you kids doing here? I thought General Ironwood explicitly gave you the night off in Atlas." Ruby laughed incredibly awkwardly, bringing a hand up to rub the back of her neck.

"Oh, you know... just, uh, hangin' out with a friend while she's on the job! We wanted to see the rally!" To emphasize her casual demeanor, Ruby casually held out her right hand, offering a standard, friendly fist bump to the android. Recognizing the social gesture from her extensive behavioral databanks, Penny gasped. Her synthetic eyes went wide and shone with absolute, blinding excitement.

She immediately made a rigid fist, closed one eye, stuck her tongue out playfully, and lined her knuckles up with terrifying, robotic precision. She pulled her fist back like a piston. And then, she slammed it directly into Ruby's extended hand with a massive, beaming smile. DING. A dull, heavy, metallic reverberation echoed over the thumping music. Ruby's entire body went completely rigid. The color instantly drained from her face, leaving an expression of sheer, deadpan, paralyzing shock.

She slowly pulled her throbbing, vibrating hand back to her chest, cradling her bruised knuckles with her other hand, groaning very quietly through gritted teeth as tears of pure agony pricked the corners of her silver eyes. Penny turned to Marrow with a completely innocent, proud smile, entirely oblivious to the physical devastation she had just wrought upon her friend.

Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren immediately clamped their hands over their mouths, coughing into their gloves to hide their incredibly awkward, strained laughter. Marrow just chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yeah, real cute. Look, try not to be too much of a distraction. We need to be highly vigilant in case--""In case what?" Marrow's words were instantly severed by a sharp, cynical voice from behind. Ruby, cradling her hand, turned alongside Team JNPR, Penny, and Marrow. Emerging from the crowd, carrying an air of absolute, unyielding defiance, were two of the Happy Huntresses: May Marigold and Joanna Greenleaf. Marrow straightened his posture, his professional military demeanor snapping into place.

"In case someone tries to start trouble." May rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her sleek tactical vest.

"Oh, funny. That's exactly why we're here. So feel free to take a hike, Specialist."

"Listen, the General is trying to help, all right?" Marrow argued, his tone defensive but exhausted.

"Just 'cause you can't understand the larger tactical picture--""What's going on here, Wags?" The crowd respectfully parted, allowing the woman of the hour to step forward. Robyn Hill approached the group, her mechanical crossbow shield resting comfortably on her shoulder. She wore a sharp, confident smile, but as her piercing eyes landed on the five Vale students, her eyebrows rose in distinct surprise.

"Oh. Didn't expect you kids to be coming too," Robyn noted, her gaze sweeping over their Atlesian upgrades.

"Ironwood's order again? Did he send you to spy on my victory lap?"

"No," Pyrrha shook her head immediately, stepping forward to meet Robyn's gaze with earnest, emerald eyes.

"The General gave us free time tonight. We are here entirely on our own terms." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Yeah!" Nora nodded vigorously, laughing with a loud, slightly forced enthusiasm.

"Plus, there's supposedly free food here, and I never turn down premium catering!" Robyn didn't smile. She observed the teenagers in silence. Her Semblance didn't need to activate for her to read the profound, heavy guilt etched into their postures. She knew they were holding back the world's most terrifying secrets, and she knew it was eating them alive to stand in Mantle and lie by omission. Marrow scoffed, stepping between the students and the politician.

"We're concerned about security risks, ma'am. The General doesn't want any surprises tonight. The riots this morning proved how volatile this city is." May and Joanna smirked in pure, condescending amusement at the Specialist's rigid Atlesian protocol. Robyn ignored the guards, walking smoothly over to Marrow.

"Fine," Robyn conceded, her voice dropping into a low, commanding register.

"But stay out of the way. This is Mantle's night, not the military's." She turned, walking over to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with May and Joanna. May let out a loud gasp of surprised confusion, clearly expecting Robyn to push the confrontation further.

"If I get elected tonight," Robyn said, projecting her voice so the Ace-Op could hear perfectly, "we'll all have to learn how to get along." She looked pointedly at May. May let out a loud, highly dramatic groan, rolling her eyes to the dark sky before turning and walking away into the crowd to check the perimeter. Marrow crossed his arms, his posture defensive.

"Sure. We won't have any problems... as long as you stay within the law."

"The law isn't perfect, you know," Robyn answered smoothly, her sharp gaze locking onto Marrow.

"It's certainly not equal." Marrow let out a heavy, incredibly tired sigh. Beneath his Atlesian uniform, he was a Faunus who had clawed his way to the absolute peak of a Kingdom that historically treated his people as second-class citizens.

"Trust me," Marrow murmured, his voice laced with a bitter, deeply personal truth.

"I'm well aware." To emphasize his point, Marrow deliberately tilted his bushy canine tail to the side, making it highly visible to the Mantle vigilante. Robyn's fierce expression softened just a fraction, recognizing the shared struggle beneath the uniform.

"My only goal, is that all the citizens of Mantle and Atlas, humans and Faunus alike, have an equal shot at a good life," Robyn stated firmly.

"That sounds great," Marrow smirked, a cynical edge returning to his voice.

"And you're planning to do all that equalizing legally, right?" Before Robyn could answer, a loud, piercing squeal of audio feedback shattered the conversation. Near the front of the stage, Fiona Thyme was standing nervously in front of a massive speaker, aggressively fidgeting with a wired microphone. Joanna Greenleaf watched her, a massive, highly amused grin on her face. Robyn looked at Joanna, sharing a knowing smirk, which only caused the muscular Huntress's grin to widen.

Robyn turned her attention back to the Specialist, her voice radiating absolute, unshakeable confidence.

"Everything I've done is legal." Marrow rolled his eyes.

"Of course. One hundred percent." SCREEEEEEECH! Fiona tapped aggressively on the microphone head, causing another deafening, high-pitched wave of feedback that made the surrounding crowd cover their ears with groans of displeasure.

"Ha-ha!" Fiona laughed incredibly awkwardly, her sheep ears pinning back against her head as she waved to the irritated crowd.

"Well... that worked!" Above the stage, the massive holographic display of the live election results updated with a chime. Robyn's face was displayed prominently, her vote percentage ticking upward to a staggering, insurmountable 57%. The crowd erupted.

"ROBYN! ROBYN! ROBYN!" Robyn looked at the flashing numbers, a fierce, triumphant light igniting in her eyes. She turned to Marrow, Penny, and the five students one last time.

"Well, I'm gonna go now," Robyn smiled, the tension finally breaking. She pointed toward the back of the plaza.

"You kids enjoy the party." Robyn and Joanna walked away, disappearing into the sea of cheering, adoring citizens. Marrow watched them go, a defeated, deeply exhausted smile touching his lips. He looked over his shoulder at the students.

"I have a terrible feeling that she isn't going to get along with Ironwood once she officially wins that Council seat. They're like oil and water." Ruby looked down at her boots, the heavy guilt returning. Pyrrha and Jaune exchanged a sad, burdened glance.

"It feels wrong," Ren stated quietly, voicing the collective misery of the Vanguard.

"She wants to protect this Kingdom, and we are purposefully keeping the shadow war a secret from her. We are keeping her blind." Marrow sighed heavily, adjusting the strap of his rifle.

"I know, kids. I feel it too. But the General's orders are absolute. Until we find the invisible assassins hiding in this city, we can't trust anyone. It can't be helped."

"Do not let the geopolitical variables dampen your spirits!" Penny interjected brightly, her perpetual smile attempting to chase away the gloom. She gestured grandly toward the festival.

"We are currently experiencing a victory party! As Robyn Hill stated, you must enjoy yourselves! Please, partake in the festivities!" Nora's ears instantly perked up. Her teal eyes scanned the crowded plaza like a heat-seeking missile.

"Speaking of partaking," Nora practically vibrated with excitement.

"Where is the food? She promised all-you-can-eat catering!" Marrow chuckled, raising his hand and pointing toward a massive row of brightly lit, steam-covered tents at the far edge of the square.

"It's right over there on the catering line. Just follow the--" Marrow abruptly stopped talking. His raised hand froze perfectly mid-air. His eyes widened to the absolute, terrifying limits of human physiology. His jaw dropped, and the color completely, violently drained from his face, leaving him looking like a ghost in an Atlesian uniform. Ruby and the others blinked, highly confused by the sudden paralysis.

"Marrow?" Marrow didn't look at them. He stared straight ahead at the catering tents, his voice trembling with sheer, unadulterated horror.

"I-Is that..." Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, and Penny all turned their heads, following Marrow's petrified gaze toward the catering line. In a fraction of a second, the eyes of every single student comically expanded to the size of dinner plates. Standing in the middle of the crowded catering line, wedged between two shivering Mantle citizens, was a man in a sharp black suit, a pristine white trench coat, and Roman Torchwick's signature bowler hat. His face was an expression of supreme, deadpan focus.

In his red-gloved hand, he was holding a flimsy paper plate. Stacked upon that plate, entirely defying the fundamental laws of gravity, physics, and structural engineering, was a massive, towering, four-foot-tall mountain of slow-roasted beef brisket, grilled skewers, and assorted pastries. He was utterly, blissfully oblivious to the extreme geopolitical tension of the rally, focused entirely on maintaining the balance of his free meat.

While Ruby, Team JNPR, and Marrow were paralyzed by pure terror, Penny's synthetic eyes sparkled with absolute delight. She threw her hands in the air, her thrusters kicking into overdrive.

"IT'S MISTER SAI--" Ruby moved faster than she had ever moved in her entire life. With a supersonic burst of rose petals, she closed the distance, violently clamping both of her hands over Penny's mouth.

"Shhh! Shhh!" Ruby hissed frantically, her silver eyes wide with panic as she looked around the crowd to ensure nobody had heard the android. Penny blinked, realizing her error. She offered a quick, rigid nod of understanding. Ruby let out a shaking breath, slowly removing her hands.

"What in the hell is he doing here?!" Marrow shrieked in a hushed, panicked whisper, grabbing his head with both hands.

"You're the security guard here!" Nora whisper-yelled back, pointing an accusatory finger at the Specialist.

"How do you not know?!"

"I didn't see him entering the perimeter!" Marrow defended frantically, his tail tucked completely between his legs.

"My thermal scanners didn't even pick him up! How did he bypass the checkpoints?!" Ruby dragged a hand down her face, a massive, exhausted groan escaping her lips as she spotted a familiar, petite figure in a black trench coat and white scarf standing next to the bald anomaly, casually slipping an entire tray of artisan truffles into a seemingly bottomless shopping bag.

"Neo..." Ruby sighed miserably.

"Of course she's here too." The implications were catastrophic.

"If the press spots him..." Jaune gasped, his blood running cold.

"Or if Robyn Hill's Semblance detects a highly classified military anomaly hoarding appetizers at her political rally..." Ren added grimly.

"Our entire geopolitical cover story will instantly implode," Pyrrha finished. The sheer, terrifying reality of the situation crashing over them.

"What do we do now?!" Marrow looked like he was about to faint. He grabbed the collar of his uniform, hyperventilating slightly.

"If I approach him in uniform, it's going to draw a massive crowd!" Jaune Arc stepped forward, his expression hardening into a mask of pure, tactical determination.

"Don't worry. Let us handle them."

"That's right," Pyrrha nodded fiercely, placing a reassuring hand on Marrow's trembling shoulder.

"You and Penny just focus on your security job. We'll intercept him and make sure absolutely everyone remains oblivious to his true identity." Seeing the absolute, unyielding resolve in the eyes of the students he had mentored just yesterday, Marrow let out a massive, shuddering sigh of pure relief.

"Alright, kids. I'm counting on you," Marrow breathed, wiping cold sweat from his brow. He turned to the android.

"Let's go to the backstage, Penny. We need to secure the power grid."

"Roger that, Marrow!" Penny saluted crisply. She turned back to Ruby and Team JNPR, her green eyes shining with innocent excitement.

"Please give my warmest salutations to the hero, guys! And tell him the brisket is highly rated!" As Penny and Marrow quickly departed toward the stage, Ruby and Team JNPR turned their attention back to the catering line, where Saitama was currently attempting to casually balance a third skewer on top of his meat-tower.

"Oh, this is going to be a fun mission!" Nora grinned fiercely, cracking her knuckles.

"Operation: Steal the Bald Guy's Beef is a go!" Ren let out a long, heavy, profoundly agonizing sigh, burying his face squarely in the palm of his hand.

"Nora, there's no fun in this," Ren groaned.

"This is going to be a disaster."