RWBY Through Worlds

38: Standing in the Storm

Winter left the General in the holding cell, with her father there.

"Are you just going to leave me here?" Jacques demanded when he heard Atlas was falling.

"No, we're going to come back for you, after we get everyone else out," Winter said in a clipped tone.

"Oh, Winter, thank you--" Jacques began.

"Oh, don't thank me, it was Weiss'es idea," Winter said coldly, walking away.

Hazel heard this.

"You want me to stand guard till you're ready?" He asked.

"I hope it won't matter, but just in case we missed something," Winter nodded.

"I take it you and your old man don't get along too well," Hazel added.

"Stay in your lane," Winter frowned. "But no."

"Well, kin is kin," Hazel shrugged it off.

Winter wasn't one to leave her father to die, despite her relationship with him, but even so, she resented that being just because they were "kin."

"It's just not humane," she said.

"No one has to die today," Hazel said.

Winter couldn't figure him out, so she left.

Hazel stood guard outside the door in case anyone tried to get in.

It was then that he heard Ironwood speaking, and saw the lights flicker outside.

Something was up.

He went back inside just in time to see Ironwood taking his weapon that they'd thoughtlessly left lying next to the cell (figuring they'd just leave it there later) and pointed it at Jacques' cell.

"No!" Hazel said firmly.

Ironwood turned towards him at the last moment and the weapon blasted a huge hole into the wall instead.

Ir also brought down part of the celing.

Ironwood glanced back. Jacques' cell was now open and partially demolished.

He shrugged and walked away.

Jacques, smart enough not to make any sound till then, struggled out of the rubble that had just missed him since he moved.

"I think that big fellow just got murdered," he said. "Well...nothing I can do about it now."

He raced out of the room.

It was several minutes later, while other things were going on, that Wally came racing back into the room to get them while Qrow, Robyn and Marrow were in the ship hanger stopping the Ace Ops from taking the bomb...which didn't work out, since Harriet went mad and took off with it anyway, and they had to chase her.

But Wally didn't know this and thought he had time to get Hazel, Jacques, and Ironwood on that ship and then they could all fly to one of the portals, easy peasey.

Instead he found the wreck with Hazel in it and the other two gone.

He dug Hazel out.

The big guy was still alive--he was too much of a tank for the device to have killed him in one shot, his aura was stronger than that, but it had certainly knocked him out.

"Dude, wake up," Wally slapped him.

Hazel blinked and frowned. "Mad...man...escaped," he muttered.

"Dude, I know, but we gotta get you out of here first," Wally helped him up. He could lift up to 400-500 lbs thanks to his power and training, so Hazel wasn't too much for him to carry...though the guy had to be at least 300 lbs of sheer muscle.