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Hunters of Justice: Holiday Special

Thanksgiving With The Kents

[~][~]

November 25^th, Year 1, 4:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

Metropolis, New York, United States of America

“Didn’t I tell you that I had this handled?” Superman asked as he straightened out a steel bar that had been twisted to look like a balloon animal.

“You did, but as heroes it’s our job to help out however we can,” Ruby replied as she used Crescent Rose like a broom to sweep away bits of rubble that used to be concrete and glass but were now confetti. “Also, work was cancelled for the rest of the day.”

Superman glanced at the Red Reaper for a moment, then nodded in acceptance before going back to what he was doing. This gave Ruby the opportunity to do the same, as well as think about what had to have been the strangest day in her entire life. It certainly started like any other. They celebrated what Ruby thought was Nora’s birthday – for some reason that she couldn’t quite describe, it didn’t feel like it was actually her birthday today yet Nora had them treat it like it was – then they went to work. She and her friends were planning on going on superhero patrol that afternoon, only for an imp from the Fifth Dimension to show up and make the world act like it was in an episode of Looney Tunes. It was very bizarre.

“So, Mr. Mixa..Mixy…Mixapur…,” Ruby tried and failed to pronounce the imp’s extremely complicated name.

“Mr. Mxyzptlk,” Weiss pronounced for her leader while using her Semblance to organize the chaos into something resembling order.

“Yeah, Mxy. He shows up often to do stuff like this?” Ruby asked, and Superman nodded as he used his heat vision to weaken another steel beam enough to make it malleable, then used his super breath to cool it down quickly once it was twisted back into position.

“Once every three months,” Superman confirmed as he glanced up at the sky in thought. “I’ve had to deal with him every three months for the past…Rao, fifteen years now. He was actually one of my first true recurring enemies, believe it or not.”

“Is it always like this?” Nora asked, and Superman nodded.

“More or less. The games are different each time. He hasn’t actually done the whole ‘make me say my name backwards’ game in years. Honestly, it made me feel nostalgic,” Superman admitted as he made of show of dusting off his hands once he was finished with his work.

“Joy,” Blake droned as she sighed. “So, if I’m understanding this right, he’s going to show up again sometime next February?”

“Yes, yes he will. Metropolis tries its best to prepare for him, and the people have gotten quite used to it.”

“How long did that take?”

“Longer than anyone really wanted.”

Ruby couldn’t help but giggle at the Man of Steel’s admission, knowing that he was including himself in that description. If she was being honest with herself, while dealing with Mxy was certainly annoying, it was kind of fun. At least there was no real risk of anyone actually getting hurt, and she preferred to focus on that rather than the idea that the only reason why there weren’t any casualties was because Mxy didn’t think hurting people was fun.

In any case, they still had a city to clean up, with lots of property damage and the occasional looter trying to take advantage of the chaos while Metropolis’s civil servants worked with local heroes to restore everything back to normal. Businesses were closed for the rest of the day in accordance with the law, which gave her and her friends another reason to help Superman. It wasn’t like they had anything else to do.

As they worked, Ruby took in more and more stock of her surroundings, and at first smiled as she saw everyone working together to lift themselves up. Then her memory momentarily returned to Vale during Brainiac’s invasion, and her smile quickly disappeared. She shook her head fervently, trying to get the image out of her mind, but it took longer than she would’ve liked. Even as it disappeared, the thought of what life was like in her home refused to leave. She wondered what was going on in there, if anyone was still alive. It was a dark thought, one that brought her mood down considerably.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Superman asked, easily noticing Ruby’s somber state and knocking her back into reality.

“Oh, no! No, it’s nothing,” Ruby insisted, but Superman simply gave her a disbelieving look. Sighing in resignation, she said, “Sorry, it’s just…I can’t help but think about my home.”

Superman’s face softened, and he softly replied, “I understand, Ruby.”

With the floodgates opened, she continued, “Honestly, seeing even part of Metropolis broken like this reminded me of what Vale looked like before it was…bottled. The only real difference is that no one was hurt. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful for that…but part of me thinks that might be the problem.”

Superman remained quiet, allowing Ruby to voice the concerns that had been bubbling in the back of her mind for months, which were now coming up to the surface. She added, “I had friends back in Beacon. Team CFVY, Team SSSN, Penny. My dad was brought to Vale by Yang’s mom before Patch was overrun, and my uncle is there, too. Same with the rest of my teachers. All of them are stuck in Vale, and I don’t even know if they’re still alive. If they are, I can only imagine what it’s like for everyone, and none of it is good.

“Yet my team and I here on Earth… We live in a penthouse suite, with all the amenities and services life on Earth has to offer. We never have to worry where our next meal will come from, we’ve made new friends and get to work with some of the greatest heroes I have ever met. Heck, we have game nights with the Titans almost every week over the internet, and they live on the other side of the country. I doubt anyone back home can say the same anymore. Sure, things have gotten hectic at times, and we’ve almost died, but in our line of work that’s to be expected. Life is good. Much better than what anyone in Vale can say.”

Ruby sighed and hung her head, then whispered, “I can’t help but ask if that’s…fair.”

Superman was quiet, then he glanced up at the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR, all of whom were looking at Ruby and sharing uncomfortable glances with each other. It wasn’t hard for him to pick up that they were likely thinking many of the same things she was. He wondered how long they had been thinking that way, and he didn’t like any answer he could come up with. In an instant, Superman realized he had to do something to nip this line of thought in the bud. The longer it went on, the more mental anguish these poor kids would inflict upon themselves, and that wasn’t something he could ever accept.

Thankfully, in that same instant, he already knew he had a potential solution.

Smiling softly to Ruby, Superman asked, “What are your plans for Thanksgiving?”

“…Thanksgiving?” Ruby asked, slightly bewildered.

“It’s a holiday we celebrate here in the United States.  Happens every year on the fourth Thursday of November, which just so happens to be tomorrow,” Superman explained. “Family and friends get together to share food and give thanks for the blessings in our lives.”

“Oh, right. Thanksgiving, I remember now. It always did sound nice,” Ruby admitted as she softly smiled, then shook her head and admitted, “But no, we don’t have anything planned. To be honest, we were originally going to celebrate it with Batman, then…you know.”

“Yeah…,” Superman muttered while glancing towards Gotham City across the river. It had only been a little over two weeks since Bruce’s contingency plans against the Remnantians came to light, and it was clearly still a sore subject with them. He honestly didn’t blame them. When he found out that Bruce had several plans to take him and the other members of the League down, he’d been furious. Not that he didn’t understand why Bruce felt the need to do it, and part of him agreed with the contingencies to some extent.

But now wasn’t the time to focus on that. Instead, Superman looked back to Ruby and the other teenagers, then offered, “Well, if you don’t have any plans for Thanksgiving, why don’t you spend it with my parents and I in Smallville?”

That took all of the Remnantians aback, and Jaune numbly asked, “Wait, really? You want us to celebrate Thanksgiving with you?”

“Sure, it’ll be fun,” Superman declared while flashing a big, warm, toothy smile at them.

Weiss recovered from her shock first and said, “We wouldn’t want to impose, especially on such short notice.”

“Nonsense! Besides, my parents have wanted to meet you all in person for a while,” Superman insisted while waving her off. “Last time I took you all to my home, they were visiting family here in Metropolis, so this would be perfect for everyone.”

The members of Teams RWBY and JNPR glanced at each other, uncertainty easily seen on most of their faces. At least until Nora exuberantly replied, “Sure, we’d love to meet your parents!”

With Nora speaking for all of them, Ren, Weiss, and Blake sighed in resignation while the others merely smiled or chuckled. Regaining her composure, Ruby looked up at Superman and said, “Thank you, we’d love to come.”

“Perfect! I’ll have the Watchtower teleport you over tomorrow morning. My parents are going to be over the moon,” Superman insisted, only to shoot his head towards the sound of a deflating balloon that threatened to send a poor worker flying. He quickly added, “But we can worry about that later.”

“Agreed,” Ruby replied, then she and others quickly moved to save the man and make sure no one else got hurt.

[~]

November 26^th, Year 1, 10:00 AM (Central Standard Time)

Smallville, Kansas, United States of America

Weiss insisted that everyone dress as nicely as possible for meeting Clark’s parents. In her own words, this would be their only chance to make a first impression, so they had to make sure it was a good one. Thankfully, Clark was able to talk her out of making them all wear suits and fine dresses like they were going to a wedding or business interview, so that meant ironed jeans, long-sleeved, buttoned up shirts, and vests for the boys and sundresses for the girls, all of which matched their chosen color schemes.

Once they were ready, they contacted the Watchtower to let them know, allowing the space station’s support staff to teleport them up then subsequently down to Smallville. They had to wait a few minutes between transports in order to recover. After what happened the first time they came down to Smallville, none of the Remnantians wanted to meet the Kents with an upset stomach. Thankfully, they had gotten more used to how teleportation made them feel, so their guts weren’t doing as many flips as before.

Ruby still almost hurled, but she was able to keep it down.

Taking a few moments to let their bodies settle, Ruby and her friends took the opportunity to inspect their surroundings. The sun was rising over the Kent farm, illuminating fields of wheat that seemed to stretch across the horizon. She didn’t see any scarecrows poking their heads out from the golden sea before her, but she figured that was just due to her current point of view. A long, windy driveway connected the main farm, a simple two story building with a covered patio in the front, alongside a bright red farmhouse. An old pickup truck that looked like it came from the 90s to early 2000s at the latest was parked in front of the Kent’s home, creating a picturesque scene that reminded Ruby intensely of the farms she grew up near on Patch. Combined with the cool autumn breeze blowing through the air, Ruby couldn’t help but sigh contently. It was a sentiment that Yang shared, while the others simply smiled.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t stand there and bask in the scenery forever. Weiss was the first to recover as she stepped forward while flattening out her light blue sundress. She then declared, “Well, let’s go introduce ourselves. Nora, do you have the casserole?”

“Sure do!” Nora proclaimed while holding the warm dish up in her hands.

“Perfect. I hope they appreciate the hard work we put into that,” Weiss said, only for Ruby to stare at her blankly.

“’We?’” she rhetorically asked while raising an eyebrow and remembering what happened when they got up that morning to make it.

[~]

“Weiss, are you sure you want to help cook?” Ruby asked as she and the rest of her team gathered and organized the necessary ingredients for the dish.

“Have you ever cooked?” Blake added, to which Weiss merely rolled her eyes while preparing the skillet.

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Weiss haughtily replied as she fiddled with the knobs. “I will have you know that, for someone as poised and graceful as myself, cooking is not that difficult.”

“…I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you say that,” Ren remarked as he and Team JNPR finished baking the chocolate chip cookies they wanted to bring.

“I meant no disrespect, of course,” Weiss clarified. “All I am saying is that I can, indeed, do this.”

That was when Weiss turned on the knob, and the oil inside the frying pan erupted into a giant flame that engulfed her entire head.

“AH! IT’S THE CAKE ALL OVER AGAIN!” Ruby screamed as Weiss ran back and forth like her hair was on fire. Because it was.

[~]

“You’re lucky you didn’t burn down the entire apartment. Or lose your hair for that matter, with that surprise Yang impression,” Blake pointed out, remembering how Ruby had to immediately douse both the fire and Weiss with the fire extinguisher she had stashed nearby for that very occasion. She obliged the high five said fiery blonde held out for her along with a bark of laughter. Weiss was now blushing in embarrassment, then huffed while turning up her head and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I supervised,” she insisted, and Ruby smiled while rolling her eyes.

“Sure, I guess that’s what we’re calling ‘sulking while exiled to the couch’ now,” Yang joked, prompting Weiss to glare in the blonde’s direction.

“I didn’t see you doing anything!” she pointed out, and Yang merely shrugged.

“Only because we all knew Clark’s parents probably wouldn’t like my badass recipes. Gotta cook for your audience, you know?”

“…Yang, you wanted to give the casserole a ‘kick’ with ghost peppers,” Blake flatly stated. “Even with aura, that’s excessive.”

“What you call ‘excessive,’ I call awesome, and you’re all cowards for saying otherwise,” Yang insisted, causing everyone else, including Weiss, to slap their faces in exasperation.

Shaking her head, Blake stepped forward while saying, “Anyway, we’re here now. So let’s just—”

Blake stopped as her uncovered ears twitched, and her pupils shrunk as she muttered, “Oh, no. He’s here…”

A moment later, a white blur suddenly appeared out of nowhere and raced towards Blake’s position. Thanks to her Semblance, she was able to get out of the way, not that it stopped her assailant from immediately rebounding and nearly tackling her to the ground. Luckily, Blake was able to stay on her feet, but her arms were forced to hold Krypto up against her torso as the alien canine happily licked all over her face.

“Krypto!” Weiss and Ruby beamed as they ran over to shower the Kryptonian Labrador Retriever with all the love and affection they could, which Krypto eagerly accepted as he flew out of the panther faunus’ hands and sat before Ruby and Weiss, who knelt beside the dog as they hugged and petted his entire body.

“Haha! Clark told us Krypto liked you girls, but I didn’t think it was that much,” they heard an elderly man’s voice call out to them, causing the girls to look towards the farmhouse.

There they saw a man and woman, Jonathan and Martha Kent, step out of the house, both of whom had greying hair and slightly wrinkled skin. If Ruby had to guess, they were in their early sixties. Both Kents were wearing slightly faded jeans, with Martha having a pair of glasses as well. Jonathan Kent was wearing a long-sleeved khaki jacket, while Martha had a light purple turtleneck.

Krypto barked once more as he gently flew towards the Kents while Clark stepped out of the farmhouse behind them. Clark, wearing a red and blue flannel shirt with a pair of blue jeans, had offered to come with the Remnantians, but none of them wanted to delay the Man of Steel from getting to his parents any longer than they needed to. Surprisingly, they saw an orange tabby cat slink out from between his legs. The cat idly looked at the Remnantians, briefly focusing his attention on Blake before deciding to lick his paws, allowing them to see the streak of white fur racing down his side.

As Blake beamed at the presence of a pet cat, Weiss dusted herself off once again and walked over towards the Kents, the others following her lead. Once she got close, she smiled warmly while greeting, “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Thank you both for generously having us today.”

“It’s our pleasure! Always happy to meet other great heroes. And please, call us Jonathan and Martha. Mrs. and Ms. Kent makes us sound older than we already are,” Martha replied while shaking Weiss’ offered hand, with Jonathan doing the same. “You must be Weiss Schnee. Clark has told us a lot about you, and your friends.”

“Only good things, I hope!” Yang joked, and the others laughed.

“Well, don’t just stand out there. The sun’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but the party’s inside,” Jonathan declared while beckoning everyone to follow him. Ruby and her friends smiled at the gesture, then they followed the Kents inside.

[~]

Once they entered the Kent household, Ruby and the others were immediately hit by the smell of freshly made food. The turkey was still in the oven, but rolls of warm bread, mashed potatoes, baked beans and more were laid out across the kitchen table. The sight made Ruby’s mouth water, but out of a desire to be polite she held herself back. Her resistance, and those of her friends, lasted less than a minute before the Kents laughed at their collective expressions and told them to dig in.

“Oh my god, Mrs. Kent, these mashed potatoes are so good!” Ruby proclaimed while stuffing her face full of white, fluffy goodness. She then held up a bread roll and added, “And these rolls are so fluffy! Did you bake them yourself?”

“I did!” Martha Kent confirmed with a warm smile and nod. “I’ve always loved baking bread. It’s an art.”

“I’ll bet! These are delicious!” Nora enthusiastically declared as she spoke with her mouth full. When Ren gave her a sideways glance, she quickly swallowed and chuckled in embarrassment, but Martha simply smiled warmly in amusement.

“Sorry we couldn’t meet both of you last time we were here,” Pyrrha apologized to Jonathan Kent as she, him, and Jaune worked in the kitchen, all three nursing drinks. The teenagers had glass bottles of soda, while Jonathan had a bottle of beer.

“No, it’s no problem at all,” Jonathan insisted, waving their concerns away while glancing at the turkey and frowning. “I swear, these birds never want to cook….”

“Tell me about it. Every year during the Harvest Festival, my dad would complain about the same thing,” Jaune added before tilting his head upward in thought. “You know, we had turkeys, too. it’s funny how Earth and Remnant had so many of the same species.”

“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned raising my son, it’s that sometimes you just need to roll with it.” Jonathan then chuckled before saying, “Like when Clark’s powers started coming in. Let me tell you, that was an experience.”

“I can’t imagine having to raise an alien baby,” Pyrrha admitted, and Jonathan chuckled as he fondly thought back to past memories.

“Martha and I certainly weren’t expecting half the things that we ended up having to deal with,” he replied, then smiled. “Like when he started getting his x-ray vision. Martha and I had to wrap his presents in lead foil just so he couldn’t peek at them early.”

“I was ten!” Clark complained from across the room, causing everyone to laugh at his embarrassment.

Smiling to herself, Pyrrha then looked at the farmer and asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you two find him?”

“I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’d be happy to share the story. After all, it’s the day our lives became whole,” Jonathan answered as he smiled warmly at his son. “You see, that night Martha and I were driving home from the hospital. We’d been trying to have a child of our own, but nothing we did worked. We were starting to give up hope when, out of nowhere, the sky lit up as a fireball crashed into our farm. Martha and I raced over as fast as we could, where we found a rocket with a newborn child held inside.”

“Neither of us knew what it was,” Martha continued for her husband. “At first, I thought it was Russian. Jonathan thought it was one of ours. But when Clark started crying, I just knew we couldn’t leave him there. So, we picked him up, put him in our truck, and took him home with us. For a while, we were terrified someone was going to show up and take him, but no one ever did.”

“Clark was so sick for those first few months. The poor child could barely breathe at times as he adapted to our planet’s environment. We were honestly terrified he wasn’t going to make it. But our son is strong, and he endured, then thrived.  After a few weeks, when we realized no one was coming, I went back to the crash site and brought the rocket back here. Put it in the barn for a while, along with everything that was in it,” Jonathan said.

“What else was in it?” Weiss asked, enraptured by the tale.

“A few things, really. A red blanket with a gold shield and ‘S’ on it that Clark was wrapped in, for one. A data archive that Clark’s scientist bio dad put together so that he could learn about Krypton when he got older, and an AI copy of himself as its curator. Some terraforming crystals that Clark later used to make that Arctic getaway of his. Nearly destroyed the barn when an itty bitty piece got wet during a rainstorm. There was also a pendant made of some unknown material no one could identify. And a couple other pieces of alien technology that I didn’t even try to make heads or tails of at the time.”

Ruby and the others nodded. The Red Reaper remembered their trip to the Fortress of Solitude, which now housed the rocket that brought Clark to Earth in the first place. In any case, she was simply happy to sit back and listen as the Kents fondly reminisced over how they each entered each other’s lives.

Blake then asked, “Did you…always know Clark wasn’t human?”

“Not at first,” Martha admitted. “We honestly thought he was the victim of some government experiment. Why anyone would shoot a baby into space was beyond us, but it made more sense than him being an alien. After his powers started coming in, though…we realized he was different.”

Clark’s mind briefly flashed back to that day, and a warm smile graced his lips as the memories sprang up from the depths.

“Why is this happening?!” the young Clark Kent, only eight years old, wailed as he and his parents sat on the sofa. “I could see through Ms. Rampling’s skin! Her bones, her eyes! Everything! I’m a freak!”

“Clark, you are not a freak!” Martha had insisted. “Your body is just going through…changes.”

“Then why can I hear someone on the other side of town?!” Clark had asked. “I was running to school the other day and I nearly outran a car! I almost pushed Pete through a wall when he got me mad! I could’ve killed him!”

Clark had looked down at the floor then, and whispered, “I’m not…normal.”

Jonathan and Martha Kent looked at each other after their son said that, then Jonathan softly said, “Clark, I want you to come with me. There’s…something we need to show you. Something we should’ve shown you a long time ago.”

Clark had dutifully followed his parents outside that night to their barn, and aside from briefly petting their horse Comet, he did nothing as his father exposed a hidden door in the floorboards. Inside, underneath a tarp, had been a large red, blue and gold rocket that enraptured the young boy.

“We found you in this,” Jonathan had revealed, speaking plainly and truthfully. “We thought the government was going to show up, but no one ever did.”

“These were inside,” Martha revealed as she showed Clark the items contained within. “You were wrapped in this blanket.”

Handing him the pendant, Jonathan added, “I took this to a metallurgist in Kansas State. Whatever it’s made of, we couldn’t figure out which element it was on the periodic table. He said it was too…uniform to make out any differences. Its…not from this world, Clark. And neither are you.”

Clark had been silent for a few moments as he pondered the meaning of those words. No one said anything, and it felt like an eternity had passed. Then, with tears in his eyes, he simply asked, “Can…can I still pretend to be your son?”

His parent’s answer had been immediate and firm, as they both wrapped him in their arms and answered, “You are our son!”

Wiping away the tears in his eyes, Clark’s attention returned to the present as his parents finished telling the Remnantians their tale. All of them were looking at the pair with wonderous eyes, with Ruby and Jaune nearly tearing up at the story.

Shaking his head, Clark then said, “Well, that’s enough about me. I’m sure they don’t want to spend all day hearing about my childhood.”

“Oh, but I was going to pull out the baby pictures!” Martha complained.

“Ma!” Clark cried out, but it was too late as Weiss, Yang, and the rest of the girls save for Blake immediately rushed over to the woman as she pulled out a portfolio containing hundreds of pictures taken all throughout Clark’s life. Feeling the embarrassment rising, Clark slunk down into his chair, focusing his hearing onto what was going on in China to try and escape the coos and laughs of the girls as they looked at Clark eating his first birthday cake.

Blake couldn’t help but smile at this, but while she would’ve loved to have looked at the pictures as well, at the moment she was on a mission. In her hand was a cat treat, and she was slowly making her way towards Streaky as he sat near the fireplace and cleaned himself.

“Hi, Streaky. I got you a treat,” Blake softly said as she crawled over and gently held out the treat. Streaky didn’t react, other than stare at her with half-lidded eyes. Taking this as an invitation, Blake scooched closer and whispered, “Oh, you’re such a good kitty.”

When her hand got too close, however, Streaky suddenly hissed and swatted his paw at her. At the same time, much to her surprise, his eyes glowed red, and her hand got zapped by a quick burst of heat vision. Gasping in shock, Blake recoiled back while holding her hand to her chest. Her aura had protected her from any real damage, but it still stung. Streaky continued to hiss angrily at her, then he flew away upstairs and out of sight.

“…Streaky’s a super-cat?” Blake muttered in shock, and Clark nodded.

“Yep. He’s not from Kypton though, like Krypto. A few years ago, he was just a normal tabby, then he got exposed to some x-kryptonite and it gave him powers like a born Kryptonian,” he confirmed.

“He’s our little self-appointed guardian angel! He goes everywhere we go,” Jonathan added. “Also, we haven’t had to deal with pests ever since. Shame about some of the birds, though. He likes to fly after them.”

Blake’s gaze was transfixed onto the stairs, where she saw Streaky glaring at her angrily from the top row. After a moment, she asked, “Is he always like this?”

“No, normally he’s a sweetheart,” Jonathan answered. As though to prove his point, Streaky flew down and started to affectionately rub his body across the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR. But when it came to her, he simply flicked his tail and stayed away while always making sure she was in sight.

“Oh, that little shit…,” Martha muttered in amusement while the others couldn’t help but chuckle before going back to looking at baby pictures.

“…Then why doesn’t he like me?” Blake whispered, almost on the verge of tears.

“I honestly don’t know. He doesn’t get along with other cats, so maybe that has something to do with it,” Jonathan answered while glancing at Blake’s cat ears, which were now firmly flat on her head.

Deep down, she already knew that was the answer, and Blake cried into her hands, “Why does every cat hate me? I love cats….”

Krypto whined as he came over and affectionately licked her cheek in an attempt to cheer her up, and she tightly hugged his neck while saying, “Stop it, don’t touch me….”

[~]

“Pa, how long until the turkey’s done?” Clark asked as he helped his mother set the dining room table.

“Let me check!” Jonathan called out, then he quickly pulled the turkey out of the oven and inserted the thermometer. After a moment, he frowned and put the turkey back in, saying, “Still not done. I swear, there is something wrong with these birds. They never want to cook.”

“Are you certain it’s not just the oven?” Ren asked, but Jonathan shook his head.

“No, it cooks everything else perfectly. It’s just turkeys it won’t work with, and for the life of me I don’t know why.”

As the two men in the kitchen pondered over the mystery, Ruby looked outside the window and watched as Nora and Weiss played fetch with Krypto. All three were having an absolute blast, with Nora hitting the glyph-propelled baseball high into the air and prompting the Kryptonian canine to fly after it. Every time he returned with the ball firmly clasped in his mouth, the girls were quick to give him heaps of affection before restarting the cycle.

Ruby smiled at the sight, then glanced over to the couch where she saw Jaune and Pyrrha affectionally petting Streaky while Blake simply watched dejectedly. Every so often, she’d try to join in, but the cat would always hiss and paw at her, sometimes with his eyes glowing bright red as a warning. Part of Ruby felt bad for her teammate, but the rest honestly thought the irony was funny. Here was Blake Belladonna, a panther faunus who hated dogs that seemed to universally love her, and who loved cats that seemed to universally despise her. She tried her best not to smile, but when Blake glanced in her direction she immediately looked away at the wall of pictures and trophies depicting Clark in his youth while humming nonchalantly to herself.

In her effort to look inconspicuous, Ruby eventually gravitated towards one of the pictures taken while Clark was in high school. He was wearing a tuxedo, a nervous smile on his face as he locked arms with a girl in a nice dress. At first, Ruby thought it was Lois, but then she blinked and belatedly noticed that her hair was a bright red and her eyes a verdant green, and she had some freckles on her face.

“Who’s that?” Ruby asked, prompting Clark to walk over and look at the picture.

“Oh, that’s Lana Lang,” Clark revealed before smiling fondly. “She’s a good friend of mine.”

“A good friend, he says,” Martha joked. “The two of them dated all through high school. They were crazy for each other. Your father and I honestly thought you two were going to get married one day. The whole town did.”

Ruby gasped in faux shock before proclaiming, “Clark Kent dating someone other than Lois?! How scandalous! What would she think?”

She couldn’t help but giggle at her joke, particularly when Clark chuckled as well before he replied, “Jokes on you, Lana and Lois are friends with each other. Let me tell you, it is never fun for me whenever they get to talking. The stories they share….”

Clark shuddered slightly, causing Ruby to laugh a bit more. Then Clark smiled and added, “But Ma is right. Lana was my first girlfriend, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love her. I still do. She’s a very important person to me. But when we went to college, our lives just…kind of diverged. We tried to make it work, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“Aw…,” Ruby sadly mumbled, then looked up at him and said, “Well, at least you two are still friends.”

“And I’ll always be grateful for it,” Clark admitted. “Nowadays, Lana’s a successful fashion designer working in Metropolis. Her designs are featured all over the world, and the League’s worked with her a few times.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yep. She designed the crew’s uniforms, and you and your friends’ costumes, actually.”

“I thought Victor and Bruce designed our costumes?” Pyrrha spoke up, and Clark nodded.

“They designed the materials and functionality. Lana made them look good,” Clark clarified. “I gave her pictures of your old outfits and asked her to take what Bruce and Victor were drafting then make their costumes match your unique styles. I like to think they turned out well.”

Pyrrha tilted her head upward in thought for a brief moment, then smiled and replied, “Well, I must agree. Remind me to thank her if we ever meet in person.”

“Wait, when you say, ‘you asked her to,’ does that mean…?” Jaune began to ask, and Clark nodded.

“Yes, she knows about my secret identity. Was one of the first people to find out, actually,” Clark admitted, then sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “She, uh, kinda caught me in the act when I was Superboy, and I wasn’t very good at…you know.”

“Actually keeping a secret identity?” Blake finished for the Man of Steel, who quickly nodded.

“Lana immediately saw right through me, yeah. She actually broke up with me for a bit because of that, but we later made up and she’d help cover for me whenever I went out to help people.”

“Aw, that’s nice,” Ruby replied, immediately thinking of how Lois nowadays must do the same thing.

Returning her attention back towards the framed pictures, she saw Clark smiling as he posed on one knee in a baseball diamond, wearing a numbered blue jersey and propping a baseball bat on his shoulder. The picture of a stylized tiger was on his hat, with the word “Tigers” written across his chest in red letters.

“You know, somehow I’m not surprised you played baseball,” Ruby admitted, and Clark nodded.

“Up until middle school, yeah. I loved playing on the Tigers, and Pa and I would play catch outside almost every day.”

“Let me tell you, that boy had an arm on him before his powers came in,” Jonathan declared, and Clark nodded.

“In hindsight, it was great practice for controlling my strength.”

“I can imagine,” Ruby agreed, figuring that Clark must’ve stopped when his powers became too strong, to the point where it was unfair to anyone else playing the game.

Looking around at the rest of the pictures, she smiled at each of them. One had Clark riding on a horse with his father as the sun was setting. Another was him tending to the cows and chickens, seemingly oblivious to whoever was taking the picture. An article written by him for Smallville High School’s student newspaper was proudly displayed, as were several trophies he had won for baseball, academic decathlon, and science fairs. The trophies had his name engraved onto plaques on their bases, along with whoever earned it alongside him.

“Wait a minute…,” Ruby muttered as she focused her attention onto one of the science fair trophies, one he had earned in his second year of middle school. Reading the two names engraved onto them, she continued, “No way… It can’t be….”

“What is it?” Jaune asked, and Ruby picked up the trophy to get a closer look and confirm she wasn’t seeing things.

Realizing that she wasn’t, she read aloud, “’First Prize – Smallville Science Fair. Clark Kent…Alexander Luthor.’”

She and everyone else turned to face Clark as Nora and Weiss returned from outside just as Ruby read the names aloud. No one said anything at first, then Ruby bit the bullet and asked, “You…knew Lex when you were in high school?”

Clark was silent for a moment, then he hung his head, sighed, and nodded before revealing, “Yeah, I knew him. We were…friends, actually, or something like that. I don’t think he actually remembered me once he moved to Metropolis’s Suicide Slums.”

“…How?” Yang asked, speaking for everyone, and Clark sat down.

“I only knew him for about a year,” Clark admitted. “His father, Lionel, was a businessman of some kind in Metropolis who lost everything and had to move his family down here. He had some property or something, I can’t remember the details. Anyway, it was obvious to everyone, including me, that Lex absolutely hated it here, and he made no secret of his disdain towards us farm folk. Didn’t earn him any friends, which was fine by him. It was also obvious that he was brilliant. Easily the smartest person I’d ever met.”

“Yeah, that tracks. But that doesn’t explain how you were friends with him,” Weiss pointed out, and Clark shrugged.

“To be honest, I didn’t seek him out. He just…naturally gravitated to me. I think it was because I was the only one his age who could actually keep up with him intellectually. Sure, he was smarter than me, and he always made sure I knew it. But, deep down…I think he just liked having someone to talk to about stuff he was passionate about.”

Clark gently took the trophy from Ruby and ran his thumb over the brass, and added, “All of us knew Lex wasn’t going to stay in Smallville forever. That he was destined for great things. Sure enough, within a year he was gone. It wasn’t long after we won this trophy together, in fact. Didn’t even say goodbye, aside from stealing forty cakes from the school cafeteria right before the bake sale as a parting gift.”

“Forty cakes? That’s terrible!” Ruby said, and Clark nodded.

“Even when he was a kid, Lex wasn’t really a good person. Given his family situation, though, I think he was just lashing out,” Clark suggested. “His family lost everything, his father was falling deeper and deeper into alcoholism, with his mother doing the same. His sister, Lena, was a sweet girl, but she was so sick all the time that she could barely leave her house. I’m not surprised he was an angry kid.”

Yang grunted while crossing her arms, then said, “Frankly, given the kind of person he turned into, I’m surprised you still have that trophy. I would’ve tossed it into the fire.”

“I’ve thought about it a few times,” Clark admitted, then shook his head. “But, no matter how tempting it may be, I can’t. Because, for as horrible of a person Lex turned into, I’m still grateful for the memories we shared when we were children.”

Clark couldn’t help but chuckle and tilt his head backward before saying, “It’s funny, actually. In a way, he’s one of the people who inspired me to become Superman.”

“…What?” Ruby asked, speaking for everyone, and the last conversation he had with Lex as a child echoed in Clark’s mind.

“Listen to me, Kent,” Lex began as they sat atop a rooftop overlooking a field of wheat, the clear night sky hanging over them. “This town…there’s a reason why it’s called ‘Smallville.’ Everything about it is small, from the people living in it to their aspirations. I doubt any of them think beyond twenty miles from this place.”

“Yeah, but…I kinda like it,” Clark replied, and Lex scoffed.

“Of course you would. You’re a farmer who’s never stepped foot out of his home town. Much like almost everyone else here. I don’t even want to think about how related everyone is to each other.”

“That’s not fair, Lex.”

“My point still stands. If we stay here, we’re not going to do anything with our lives other than grow wheat and raise cows.”

“What’s wrong with being a farmer? My parents are farmers, and so were their parents.”

“That’s the problem, Kent. The people in Smallville stay in Smallville, spending their lives doing the exact same thing as all the generations before them. Can you name a single great person in the world who came from Smallville? You can’t.”

“…I think my parents are pretty great,” Clark had mumbled, and Lex rolled his eyes as he stood up.

“You know what I mean,” he chastised, then idly tossed a rock into the field. Placing his hands into his pockets, the night breeze briefly ruffled his vibrant, red hair, then he continued, “I’m leaving this place, and when I do, I’m never looking back.  I’m going to think big, and I don’t want to hear the name ‘Smallville’ again for the rest of my life. You should do the same. You have a gift, Kent. A mind like yours would be wasted here in this…flyover state. There is so much more we can offer to the world, but only if we go out and make something of ourselves. If you just stay here and settle for being a simple farmer like all the rest, it’ll be a waste.”

Clark’s mind returned to the present and saw that the Remnantians were still staring at him. Smiling to himself, he said, “Lex inspired me to think beyond the edge of my hometown. That there was more I could offer to the world if I just went out there and saw it for myself. It helped give me the push I needed to become the man I am today, even if he didn’t exactly mean it that way.”

“Something tells me Lex would have an aneurysm if he realized he accidentally inspired his future arch-enemy,” Nora couldn’t help but joke, causing the others to chuckle.

As the laughter died down, Ren asked, “Do you hate Lex? For all he’s done?”

Clark sighed while hanging his head before answering, “Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about Lex. It would be so, so easy to hate him for all the harm he’s caused in his endless pursuit of wealth and power. For all the lives he’s ruined thanks to his greed. But, every time I see him, I keep thinking back to that boy I knew in Smallville, whose dreams and ambitions eclipsed everything I had ever seen up to that point. I could see his potential for greatness even as a child, and it helped inspire me to reach for my own. Every day, I still try to do that, to use my powers to bring the most amount of good into this world that I can. And yet, every time I look at Lex, all I can see is that potential…wasted.”

Clark looked back at the Remnantians, and declared, “So, no. I don’t hate Lex. If anything, I’m disappointed in him. He could help the world in ways I could only imagine, but he doesn’t. Not unless it can benefit him in some way.”

The house fell quiet for a few moments as Clark looked upon the trophy one last time before putting it back. He then stood up and continued, “In a way, I suppose that’s what Thanksgiving is all about. No one has ever said that the world is perfect. But that’s why we should take the time to be thankful for what we have. Friends, family, good memories. All of them build us up and help make us who we are. We’ve all suffered and taken losses, some more than others. I, for one, refuse to let that define me, and I challenge anyone to do the same. Does that make sense?”

Ruby thought about it for a moment, then she smiled, nodded, and replied, “Yeah. Yeah, I think it does. Thank you, Clark. I…I really needed to hear that.”

“Anytime, Ruby,” Clark said as he looked down and smiled at her and the other Remnantians, all of whose spirits were higher than before.

After a few moments, they heard the oven bell ring, followed by Jonathan Kent pulling out the turkey once again before declaring, “Okay, this turkey just will not cook. Clark, can you lend a hand?”

“Sure, Pa,” Clark said as he walked over and carefully blasted the turkey with his heat vision, cooking it to perfection. As the warm smell filled the air, Ruby practically floated off the ground as Clark announced, “Well, everyone. Let’s dig in!”

With knives and forks in hand, the Kents and Remnantians filled their plates with warm food, then sat around the table as they joyously ate and conversed, their heartache and sense of loss replaced bit by bit by warm memories and connections that would last a lifetime.

[~][~]

Accessing Batcomputer Archives

Username: Dark Knight

Password: **********

…

…

Welcome, Batman. Please select file for review:

…

…

Selection: Analysis on Remnantians: Penny Polendina

Accessing Archive

~

Name: Penny Polendina

Age: 2 (Psychological Equivalent of 16)

Species: Gynoid (Remnantian Origin)

Alias: Copper Maiden

Equipment: Floating Array 2.0. Originally integrated directly into her body and connected to her central processor through smart wires, the first model of Floating Array was destroyed during the Green Lanterns’ strike on Brainiac {see Brainiac – Timeline} after suffering catastrophic damage which nearly killed her. Following her reconstruction, Cyborg upgraded the original design to incorporate stronger materials, newly available technologies, and circumvent past design flaws.

Like the original, Floating Array 2.0 consists of eight swords stored within a detachable backpack, each with integrated particle-beam emitters built into the blades. These guns can either be independently fired or coalesced into a single, high-intensity energy cannon for maximum output. Unlike the original, Floating Array 2.0 is connected to Penny wirelessly through quantum entanglement, thus negating the risk of wires getting wrapped around herself or others and subsequent dismemberment. Through the combination of Nth metal blades and micro-thrusters, the swords remain aloft and maneuverable at Penny’s discretion. Should they be separated from Penny past a certain distance, the swords automatically self-destruct to prevent any potential backdoors into her central processor.

Should the need arise, Penny is also capable of constructing makeshift copies of Floating Array, or most other weapons, with her Winter Maiden powers.

Semblance: Unknown/To Be Discovered

Bio: Conceived and created by Doctor Pietro Polendina as part of his service with the Atlesian Military, Penny Polendina is unique among Remnant’s pre-Brainiac assortment of robotic soldiers. Whereas models like the Atlesian Knight-130 and 200 possessed only rudimentary programming that enabled them to follow strict protocols or simple commands, Penny is fully sapient. Her central processor is equivalent to that of a human brain with roughly sixteen years of development, enabling her to make her own decisions like any teenager could. She is completely independent, powered by a Dust battery which has since been supplanted by a Palmer Micro-Fusion reactor. In addition to her enhanced mental capacity, Penny is also capable of generating her own Aura following a transplant from Doctor Polendina, whom she mutually regards as her father. According to Penny, the process, which was repeated any time Penny’s consciousness unexpectedly went offline during her development, crippled him and left the doctor unable to walk.

Initially intended to be introduced to the world during the Vytal Tournament, General Ironwood’s plans for Penny were sadly interrupted following Brainiac’s Invasion of Remnant. Trapped in the Bottled City of Vale alongside the forces Ironwood brought with him for the Vytal Tournament, Penny assisted the General in a plan to construct a Dust-augmented nuclear warhead at the General’s behest while evading Brainiac’s attempts to capture her, with the goal being to smuggle it onto Brainiac’s warship and force him to release Remnant’s cities. Eventually, Penny was found, and she surrendered herself to spare the rest of her fellow soldiers from behind executed by him. Once brought onboard Brainiac’s mothership, she was placed in confinement with Fria, the Winter Maiden, developing a close bond with her. This was purposefully done by Brainiac to test the parameters of Maiden transfer, as Fria was elderly and suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's. When she died of a heart attack during the Green Lantern Corp’s raid against Brainiac, the Maiden powers transferred to Penny, thus proving Brainiac’s hypothesis correct.

Thanks to the assistance of fellow escapee Qrow Branwen and Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner, Penny was able to escape Brainiac’s clutches. Unfortunately, a virus uploaded into Penny before the attack allowed the Coluan to override Penny’s control over her own body and forced her into combat with the Green Lanterns. During the struggle, Penny’s wires were wrapped around her limbs, resulting in accidental dismemberment and severing Brainiac’s control in the process. Were it not for the quick actions of Kyle Rayner, Penny would’ve succumbed to her injuries and died. Instead, she entered into the equivalent of a coma, and thanks to the hard work of Cyborg and Kilowog, Brainiac’s corrupted code was removed and her body rebuilt into a stronger, more advanced form.

Strengths:

Connectivity: While not possessing anything near to the same level of access afforded to Cyborg, Penny is nevertheless capable of connecting to the internet anywhere in the world through either a wireless or satellite connection when available. This enables her to quickly find any relevant information pertaining to a case and disseminate it to her allies. In addition, she is able to directly connect to any computer system to override its security measures and firewalls, granting her unfiltered access.

Magic: Following Fria’s death, Penny became the newest inheritor of the Winter Maiden powers. According to Qrow Branwen, the Maiden powers were originally split off from the magic of an immortal, reincarnating wizard, now known as Headmaster Ozpin. The Maidens, of which there are four, are exclusively women from Remnant, each one capable of tremendous elemental magic power. In spite of the name, the Winter Maiden is capable of performing more than just ice magic. Tests have shown that the effects of her magic is similar to the usage of Dust, just at a greatly enhanced scale of power. This makes Penny the strongest individual from Remnant on Earth, capable of performing any feat replicable by Dust and granting her the ability to fly unaided.

Swordsmanship: Penny’s mastery of Floating Array makes her a tremendously dangerous opponent. Prior to Brainiac’s invasion, she was able to reach the doubles round of the Vytal Tournament, defeating opponents with far more combat experience than her total life experience.

Interpersonal Relationships: Although her exuberant personality and lack of social awareness can be off-putting to some, Penny’s cheerfulness and friendly demeanor make it easy for her to gain friends and allies wherever she goes.

Physical Strength and Durability: Thanks to both her Aura and her robotic body, complete with a depleted promethium skeleton and synthetic muscle fibers, Penny is incredibly strong and durable, far outstripping the rest of her peers.

Weaknesses:

Naivete: Due to a combination of her young age, lack of interpersonal relationships prior to meeting Ruby Rose, and friendly demeanor, Penny is incredibly naïve, falling into situations and trusting people that a more experienced and cautious individual would be wary of.

Deception: Penny has an extremely obvious tell whenever she attempts to deceive someone. Upon telling a lie or an omission of the truth, Penny hiccups. Once a person becomes aware of this, they are able to easily discern whether she is telling the truth or not, making infiltration an impossible task for her.

Unarmed Combat: Penny is highly reliant on her magic and weapon to engage in battle. Should both of those, for one reason or another, be unavailable to her, her options for self-defense beyond raw strength and durability are lacking. Previously, her weapon even posed a direct danger to her physical and mental well-being, but thankfully both of those critical design flaws have been corrected.

Body Dysmorphia: Although a proper diagnosis hasn’t yet been achieved, I have noticed hints that Penny suffers from a mild form of body dysmorphia. I suspect this is due to her nature as a gynoid with a human soul, making her wonder where she truly belongs on that spectrum. Due to patient confidentiality, Miss Martian refuses to disclose her own findings. Diagnosis is ongoing.

Limited Magic: While still incredibly powerful and potent, the Maiden powers are far more limited than the magic practiced by Earth’s wizards and sorcerers, potentially restricting her ability to engage targets.

Areas for Training:

Hand-To-Hand Combat: Penny’s upgraded body affords her a tremendous physical advantage that should be exploited, even if she continues to decline the option to integrate backup weaponry into her chassis. Schedule training sessions with Black Canary and Wildcat to improve her skills, as the results of her experiments in downloading and mimicking martial arts styles from the internet, while amusing, did not prove to be the effective shortcut she and her friends believed it would be.

Magic: Penny’s magic gives her the raw power, but what is needed most is refinement. Training sessions with the Justice League Dark have already seen improvements in this area, but more should be done. In addition, untapped areas of potentially more esoteric magical applications should be explored, if possible.

Software Security: Constant updates should be made to Penny’s software in order to ensure no vulnerabilities can be found and exploited by our enemies. Such vulnerabilities were already taken advantage of before, to near disastrous results, and as such cannot be allowed to happen again.

~

Access Level Black

Require Secure Login to Access

Password: ***********************

Access Granted

[~]

Strategy for Subdual:

Thanks to Penny Polendina’s experiences with Brainiac, where she was hijacked against her will and made to fight her would-be rescuers, she voluntarily gave me a detailed diagnostic of her internal systems post-reconstruction. While I must again admit that it is encouraging that someone understands my reasonings behind Project AGAMEMNON, and hope that I never have to use these contingencies, it pains me that this forthcoming attitude was only due to a prior traumatic experience that would’ve necessitated such contingencies in the first place. I must ensure that her trust in me is not misplaced.

Should Penny Polendina be placed under mind-control once again or otherwise forced into opposition against the League, the first option is an Internet 3.0 virus she allowed me to implant into her central processor. This virus is the same kind I uploaded into Cyborg the day we met. If it can work on him, it can work on her. Once primed and activated, the virus will overload her systems, putting her into sleep mode, at which point her body can be recovered and restored to its previous state.

If the virus proves ineffective or I am unable to implement the contingency for whatever reason, a physical confrontation must be avoided. The combination of her magic, Aura, and physical enhancement would make such a confrontation deadly to myself and others. As such, I must focus on neutralizing her ability to defend herself.

Breaking her Aura is, like any other Remnantian, the first step. The onboard weapons on the Batmobile and Bat-Wing should be enough to break it in an opening salvo. Destroying Floating Array is the next step, either by detonating an explosive on her storage pack or individually destroying each independent sword. During this stage of the confrontation, distance and mobility must be emphasized. The use of the Batmobile’s Combat Mode is required.

Following the destruction of Floating Array, her ability to use magic should be neutralized. Accomplishing this requires the placement of a sealing charm onto her person, given to me by John Constantine for use against magic-based criminals operating in Gotham. This can be done either through a batarang, an air rifle, or, as an absolute last resort, by hand. Once the charm is placed, she will be unable to perform any magic, although she must be prevented from identifying and destroying the seal. After that, it is a simple matter of wearing down her physical body, disabling her ability to move and allowing for her recovery.

[~]

Wayne Enterprises’ Dust Revitalization Project has borne fruit as the Schnee Principle was confirmed. The Schnee Principle, so named by the other head researchers of the project after its discoverer, describes the connection between the various forms of Dust and the different Elemental Forces of Nature. The early stages of manufacturing has already begun, and although the amounts produced are far too small to be used for practical applications, Lucius assures me that production can be scaled up in due time.

From what we understand, the creation of Artificial Dust requires nature itself as fuel to stimulate crystallization growth. These samples correspond to the different types of Dust looking to be produced. The purer the nature sample, the higher quality and amount of Dust that can be produced. Early experiments show that clean water gathered from the North Atlantic Current and filtered clear of man-made pollutants can produce Water Dust. Likewise, magma from active volcanos can produce First Dust, and so on. Plans are already underway to design and place Dust accumulators around the world in natural hotspots. The first such location currently being scouted is Slaughter Swamp due to its intense connection to the Green. Swamp Thing is currently serving as an intermediary between the scientists and the Parliament of Trees to allow the accumulator’s placement. Negotiations are ongoing.

Once production has reached practical scale, I plan to begin incorporating the material into my weapons and armor. Both to combat the Grimm currently plaguing the planet as well as any other foe I come across. I’ve only been given small samples to work with, as the majority is already being claimed by the Remnantians for their own arsenals, but the tests I have performed are proceeding well. The use of Dust should greatly enhance my offensive capabilities, and in time might even provide a sufficient fuel source for Project BEYOND.

Hypothetical plans against Salem are still in the drafting stages. While I do not yet know if she survived Remnant’s destruction, if there is even a sliver of a chance that she did, I have to plan for the eventuality. If I don’t, and she turns out to still be a present threat, the lack of a plan could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Therein lies the problem, however. I simply do not have enough relevant information on Salem to properly create a contingency against her. While I do believe she is at least extremely long-lived or some form of immortal, that description has a wide, varied range within it. Is Salem immortal like Vandal Savage, capable of recovering from any wound in an instant no matter how grievous? Does she actually die when killed and must be subsequently revived through external means like Ra’s al Ghul and the Lazarus Pits? Is she completely impervious to physical damage outright, or is she simply immune to aging like Wonder Woman and the other Amazons? Does her soul reincarnate into a separate body once hers is destroyed like Headmaster Ozpin’s?

Without directly facing her, it is impossible to say for certain. What I can say is that I strongly suspect Headmaster Ozpin knew far more about his eternal foe than he let Qrow and his other followers onto. One does not fight the same enemy for thousands of years, at least, to a standstill without getting to know them well. I can only theorize the wizard’s reasons, assuming my suspicions are correct. But, as with Salem, it is impossible to know for certain by operating purely off of second-hand information.

Therefore, in the absence of specific details, I am forced to craft a multitude of contingencies regarding the possible types of immortality Salem might possess, along with the theoretical skills a magical Grimm Queen would wield. I can only hope it’ll be enough. That being said, I am comforted by the fact that despite her attempts to destroy Remnant’s civilization over the course of its recorded history from behind the scenes, she never succeeded. Humanity always fought back against her endless hordes, driving them back into the darkness from whence they came.

This tells me one thing: if Salem is alive, and she threatens Earth, she can be defeated if we work together. And if you can count on anyone for that, it’s the Justice League.

[~][~]

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Tempest Frost by GamesBawesome

Entropy is the Universe's promise of eternal change, for nothing other than change itself is constant.

Its counterpart of Stasis, however, is far preferred, yet permanence is not the utopia many believe it to be.

Our threads weave together, from which we encounter.

I am Tempus Fuginaut, and I have borne witness to… the Dark Multiverse...

Not one thing is expected to last in these bubbles of dark possibility; for every dream that soothes, there are thousands more in nightmares that torment. Perhaps it is with solace that they only flicker into this place and be snuffed out soon after.

What I have seen of these Remnantians have begun to concern me; far too many are manifesting.

The eternal war between virtue and malice persists in all its forms, in minuteness and grand scale.

We have seen the horrors of machine, inferno, belief and indifference.

Before me…

.... another blight rises…

[~]

Earth -98:

In an abandoned factory of GothCorp, team RWBY chased down some of the Penguin Goons. The criminals had stolen technology in some of the labs of GothCorp for nefarious purposes, and RWBY was there to stop them.

"They went this way!" said Ivory Mage, she and her team chasing down the criminals. However, they soon found themselves in a crossroads of the various decrypted hallways, as the criminals split up.

"We'll have to split up." said Red Reaper, as the teammates split to find each criminal.

Weiss Schnee ran through the halls and found an abandoned laboratory. There were various bottles of chemicals, some of which were broken. There was a coldness in the air. It all seemed familiar, like she read about it somewhere…

That's when it clicked in her mind. The technology was familiar because it had to deal with cryogenics… Victor Fries AKA Mr. Freeze worked for GothCorp, trying to cure his wife.

Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster in case of anything. She had to be cautious of anything that could happen-

Before she knew it, the Penguin goon jumped from behind one of the machines, and there was one bottle in his hands.

The goon smashed the chemical bottle in Weiss' face, spraying cryogenic mist in the air.

"Ahh!" Weiss withered in pain, as the chemicals absorbed into her skin and the mist in her lungs. The criminal covered his mouth, before running away.

It soon began to feel colder, and harder to move. Weiss looked on at the criminal running away, she reached out in a desperate act trying to get him, before collapsing on the ground. It soon went dark for her.

[~]

Weiss soon began to wake up. She heard the sound of a heart monitor, and the room was white. She must be in a hospital.

Weiss soon saw her friends next to her. They all looked in concern, and even sad.

"Weiss…" said Ruby, a bit of sadness in her voice, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel…" Weiss said, sitting up. Suddenly, it hit her. She wasn't feeling… anything. Not the warmth of her bed, or the movement in her body, nor the air around her… It just felt like nothing.

"Weiss…" said Yang, her eyes blue with sadness, "At GothCorp…when the criminal hit you with those chemicals…"

The team didn't continue, as Weiss looked at them in horror and concern. Then Blake handed her a mirror, and Weiss finally saw it.

Her face… Her white skin now was pale blue. The small scar that ran down her face faded away by the transformation. Weiss choked up; she knew what this meant…what those chemicals meant.

"Those chemicals were the same ones that Mr. Freeze created years ago. Once he was exposed to them, he became vulnerable to any form of heat and needed a subzero suit for protection…" said Ruby, trying to explain it to her calmly. Meanwhile Weiss continued to look in horror at her appearance, "Batman looked for a cure, but he couldn't find one…"

Weiss wanted to cry. But she couldn't feel it. The tears barely forming in her eyes just froze.

"Batman is preparing a modified Freeze Suit for you… We'll get through this…" said Ruby, now tears forming for her friend's predicament, "I am so sorry this happened, Weiss."

Her teammates look on in sadness for her condition… All Weiss felt was being trapped. She only felt this way when she was a child…

Trapped by her life before…

Trapped by the condition she is in now.

Trapped by her own body…

[~]

It's been nearly a month and a half since the incident in GothCorp, and Weiss' new condition. Team RWBY was preparing for a mission against more of Penguin's goons.

"Okay. We have to take out the guards first, while JNPR destroys the shipments of weapons." said Ruby, giving orders to her team. She then turned behind her, "How's the new suit, Ivory?"

Behind them on the ledge of the building's roof, sat Weiss Schnee, now in her new suit. It took weeks to create a new personalized Freeze Suit for Weiss. For most of the time she spent in a modified subzero apartment in Wayne Manor. Bruce even had to take her out of work, as it was too risky for her now in her condition…

Weiss just needed to leave her room… that trapped feeling…

"It's… heavy." Muttered Weiss. She now wore a modified Freeze Suit that was designed for her. It was slimmer for her body, and had white armor plating lined with blue, over a black bodysuit. Behind her back was a small container of Cryogenic fluid, with pumps running down her arms and legs. Her face was now covered by a mask that protected her face, only leaving her long hair out.

"You'll get used to it" Yang reassured her. Soon the teammates jumped from the rooftop, while Weiss was slower due to her suit.

"We can modify it later," Weiss said to herself.

She had a clumsy landing, as the rest of her team jumped into the fray of the fight. In a few moments, Team RWBY were fighting Penguin's goons. Meanwhile, Weiss was struggling to move in her suit.

As the rest of R_BY fought, Weiss threw glyph after glyph, feeling embarrassed by her lack of ability to help more.

She soon found herself with one of Penguin goons, who aimed his gun at her. He fired, but the Freeze suit that Batman made the bullets bounce off her.

At least that's a plus with the suit

Weiss engaged the goon. However, that same armor made her slow to wield her sword properly. Then the goon raised the butt of his rifle and aimed for her leg. Fortunately, the armor and her armor would protect-

*Crack*

Suddenly, Weiss fell to the ground, lying in shock. Something happened to her… why can't she feel her leg!

"Ivory Mage!" said her leader, as she rushed by her side, and dragged her behind the warehouse's entrance. Soon, Yang and Blake fended off the rest of Penguin's goons, as they retreated to join their injured teammate.

Weiss laid on the back of the wall, shocked about what happened. What exactly happened? She looked down at her leg. It was covered by her bodysuit, making it look like a broken ragdoll.
"What happened?" asked Blake, greatly concerned. Soon, Yang took out her gauntlet blade, and tore open the leg of the bodysuit.

All of team RWBY looked on in shock.

Weiss' leg was completely and inhumanly shattered. It was unnatural, as it looked like it was made of glass. The flesh was hard as ice, and decaying fast. There wasn't any blood, only shards of frozen flesh and brittle bone.

Weiss wanted to vomit at the sight of her leg. She felt like fainting…She felt trapped by her own mortality.

Meanwhile, from an abandoned building, someone was spying on the heroes.

[~]

Team RWBY had rushed Weiss to the Batcave, in an emergency cold-room to contain Weiss for her own safety. The team remained outside while Weiss had to stay inside.

Meanwhile Batman was announcing the results, "According to STAR Labs, Weiss' body is showing signs of rapid deterioration. Her condition is eating away her body, while her Aura is weakening."

"Is there any way to stop this?" Asked Ruby, desperate for a solution. However, the look of Bruce's face gave it away.

"The scientists in STAR Labs couldn't find a quick solution. By the time they can find one, Weiss would've deteriorated too rapidly. Even Victor Fries didn't have a solution, saying it was inevitable…" Bruce looked down in sadness, something of which RWBY never saw before in him, "I'm sorry, Weiss… There's nothing we can do."

All of RWBY looked on in shock. In her cold room, Weiss' felt like collapsing, like she could shatter into a thousand pieces. And now it's literally

"Is there anything else?" Questioned Ruby, becoming desperate, "What about cybernetics? Magic? Maybe even Jaune's semblance-"

"All potential dangers that could accelerate Weiss' condition." Bruce bluntly said, cutting off her proposals, "Anything we could try has its risks that could lead to Weiss' further deterioration."

Team RWBY looked back at Weiss, who was staring in shock at what was happening to her.

"The League is taking you off the field," Bruce continued, as Weiss started to hyperventilate at what he was suggesting, "You have to stay here for your own protection, so you don't deteriorate any further."

Weiss couldn't believe what she was hearing! She wasn't going to be locked in a freezer like some princess! She wanted to- She needed to be a hero for everyone!

Then Weiss looked around at her team…she can tell what their faces are saying… and it shattered her heart…

"No…" Weiss muttered, after realizing what's happening.

"Weiss…I'm sorry…" Ruby said, almost tearing up, "We lost so much already…"

"No, no, no, no…" Weiss, continuing to mutter, fear and despair building up in her.

"I promise you…We will find a cure. No matter what." Ruby continued, "But you'll have to stay here for now…I'm so sorry…"

Weiss froze…She felt hurt…she felt betrayed by her own friends. She didn't want to stay caged in like some princess! She wanted to help people! To be a hero! To honor the Schnee name!

At this moment, Weiss felt the world around trap her.

[~]

It's been nearly two months now. Weiss sat inside the cold room she is now confined to. From her Scroll, she watched as the rest of her team fought against foes, protecting civilians…making themselves known…

She should be there…she wanted to be useful…she didn't want to be locked up…

Weiss threw her Scroll at the wall of her subzero room, which soon fell to the ground with a clatter. She tugged her hair in frustration, before screaming in anguish. Weiss started pounding on the ground…

She can't sleep…

She can't eat normally…

She can't be near anyone!

She felt trapped by the world!

Soon, half her hand broke, shattering into pieces. Weiss for a moment looked at her hand, in despair.

What's the point anymore…

Suddenly, her Scroll beeped. She got a message. Weiss picked it up with her hand that's still whole, as she looked to see who it was.
Unknown Caller.

"Hello?" Weiss said, as she pressed the button.

"Hello, Ms. Schnee…" said a voice on the other line. She didn't recognize who it was. "I would like to talk about your condition."

Weiss was shocked. How did anyone know of her condition? Only her friends and the Justice League knew… Someone must've been monitoring her… she had to be cautious…

"Who is this?" asked Weiss.

"You don't know me personally, but I've seen your performance at the Wayne Charity Event…" Said the voice, "...And your actions as Ivory Mage…"

This person knows too much. He must've been following their trail for months by now to know so much about…

She was tempted to end the call right there, but the person spoke more that made her stop.

"Before you hang up…I can help you with your condition…" Said the voice, "...If you get something from Batman…"

Weiss paused. She was skeptical and even suspicious of this person's motive.

"And what would be the catch?" Weiss asked, with great suspicion in her voice, "Why should I betray my friends…"

"I understand your suspicions… But I've noticed you disappeared from the field for quite a while now…" Said the voice, "I suspect the Justice League is not allowing you back due to your condition…and your friends allow them too…"

Weiss closed her eyes for a second. She didn't want to admit it, but deep down, she knew it was true. They said it was for her own safety, but instead they kept her trapped in a gilded cage.

Almost like her life in Atlas…

"We can help each other," said the voice, "Think of it as a beneficial business transaction. I help you and you help me…"

Weiss started to ponder. She was divided on this choice. She would be betraying her friends… but what else could they do for her… She was dying and there was nothing they could do for her…

She didn't know if her family was safe…Or if she'll ever see them again… or if she can continue the Schnee name…

Here this mysterious man offers her a deal… A deal that would continue the Schnee name one way or another.

What she would do… almost something like her father would do…and that ate her up inside.

"Alright…You convinced me…" Weiss conceded. Her decision made her want to cry…if she could, "What is it that you want?"

[~]

Inside Wayne Manor, Alfred Pennyworth was dusting the bookshelves. That's when he heard a buzzing.

It was Ms. Schnee's alarm that Bruce set up in case of emergencies. Alfred dropped what he was doing to rush to the Batcave to check on the young girl.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Schnee?" Alfred asked, as he strode in the freezing chamber. Weiss would only raise her hand up, revealing it shattered like glass.

Alfred immediately opened the door, to check up on the girl.

"Do you need any medical attention?" Alfred asked in concern. Weiss only said nothing, "I shall call Master Bruce at once."

Alfred went to the Batcomputer, and turned it on to contact Batman. But before he could call him, something happened.

"I'm sorry for this, Alfred…"

Suddenly, Alfred felt something go under his feet, and he was suddenly launched into the air, before falling, and got knocked out.

From behind him, Weiss had summoned a Glyph to incapacitate him. She would haul the butler in her chamber, and lock it so he couldn't get out.

Weiss went to the still-on Batcomputer, and contacted the mysterious caller.

"I'm on the Batcomputer." Weiss said, "What's next?"

"Good." said the voice, "Connect your device into the Batcomputer, and I'll do the rest."

Weiss didn't question it. She took out a cable, and connected her Scroll to the Batcomputer. Soon, the person on the other call hacked it from her Scroll, opening up various documents and files, until he found what he was looking for.

"Here it is…Looks like it needs a password to access it…" The voice said, as he continued his work. Suddenly the cave flashed red, as the word "ALERT" appeared.

"Damn!" The voice said angrily, "We need to act fast before the system shuts down…Give me a minute…"

Weiss watched as the man hacked the Batcomputer. Then the file opened, and the appearance of a large red eye appeared.

"We're in!" said the voice, as all the files were closed, covering their tracks, "Now I can finish what I needed to do. Should take a few seconds…done!"

Weiss looked down at her Scroll. It was done, and now she needed to get out of there.

[~]

Weiss made it to the outside of Wayne Manor. She was in her Freeze Suit, and crutch for her missing leg, and took her sword. She waited outside, worrying that her friends and Batman would arrive too soon…

Suddenly, she heard a noise, and from the night sky, Weiss saw a flying vehicle, almost like those of the Justice League. It hovered in front of Weiss and opened up for her to enter. Inside were men and women in special matching uniforms.

"Get in." said a woman with short black hair.

Weiss hesitated for a second, still wondering if this was going to work. Then she saw the lights of the Batmobile coming towards Wayne Manor. With that, she immediately hurried inside the vehicle, and it took off.

From inside, as the hatch doors closed, Weiss caught a glimpse of red, yellow and black…She looked away… unable to bear looking…

Soon a man with short brown hair, wearing a black shirt, with a gun holstered on a strap. He reached out his hand, wanting to shake hers. This must be the mysterious voice.

"It is nice to meet you face to face, Ms. Schnee," The man said, sounding friendly, yet Weiss knew it was an act, "I am Maxwell Lord IV of Maxwell Lord Enterprises."

"Mr. Lord…" Weiss said, as she reluctantly shook his hand, "Now…Let's talk about our deal…"

[~]

"Do we know where she is?" Desperately asked Ruby, worried out her friend as Batman looked through the Batcomputer. Meanwhile, Blake and Yang tended to Alfred's injuries.

"I'm fine…" Insisted Alfred, but Blake and Yang still tended to him.

"Was there anything taken from the Batcomputer?" asked Blake, still trying to understand Weiss' motives for doing this.

"Nothing taken…but something greatly concerning." said Bruce, looking at the Batcomputer, "Various files were opened up… any of these could've been accessed and copied."

"Like what? Your contingency programs?" Yang asked, with a bit of venom in her voice, still bitter about that incident, "I told you this would happen-"

"I know." Said Batman, ignoring her remark, "But others such as Justice League secrets, files for prototypes, access to the League's Technology. Whatever it was Weiss was looking for…she wasn't alone."

The members of RWBY stared in shock. Would Weiss really stoop to that level, and betray them like this?

All they had in their mind was one thought… Why?

[~]

In a secret underground facility owned by Maxwell Lord Enterprises, Weiss was strapped to a metal table, as doctors carefully inserted IV tubes into her body, not to further break her body. Maxwell stood and watched.

"It'll be done soon, Ms. Schnee," said Maxwell, "In a short while, this process will fix your condition. As I promised you."

Weiss was about to say something, but an oxygen max was strapped to her mouth. Then the process began…

Weiss convulsed, and screamed in agony, as something was being pumped into her body. Through her fragile figure, her veins turned blue, and pulsed throughout her body.

"But it will hurt…" Maxwell added the last second.

It became unbearable…yet soon, Weiss' eyes turned to her broken limbs, as they started to grow back.

Soon, almost like frost, her limbs grew back…It almost made Weiss want to smile at the success of this plan, but then she blacked out…

[~]

Weiss woke up in a hospital bed. It seemed so familiar. She looked around, wondering if everything was a dream.

However, she raised her hand to find half of it was made of some sort of white material.

She looked outside, to see it was raining in the night sky. However, she can make up some monuments she can recognize. She was in Washington DC.

Then Maxwell Lord, who changed into a blue suit, came to talk with Weiss Schnee.

"Hello, Ms. Schnee." Maxwell Lord said very casually but professionally, like this was a business meeting, "How are you feeling after the operation?"

"I feel…" Weiss said, trying to get up, her body feeling strange, "Still cold…"

"Why don't you try walking to the window." Maxwell said, gesturing to the window. Taking his advice, Weiss went up. She stumbled a bit, having been with one leg only for a long awhile, and nearly fell. Weiss, however, regained her footing and walked to the window on two legs for the first time. She looked outside in the dark and rainy sky.

Weiss saw her own reflection on the glass, wondering many things. She turned to Maxwell…

"Why did you do all this?" asked Weiss, wondering what his endgame was, "Why did you help me with my condition?"

Maxwell only chuckled softly, as he also looked out of the window.

"You see Miss Schnee…" Admitted Maxwell, turning to her, "I have a proposal for you."

"Go on," Weiss said as she raised an eyebrow at what Maxwell had to say.

He then pulled out a tablet, and showed a little presentation. It showed the Justice League with the U.N. "Are you familiar with Justice League International?"

"The Justice League's charter with the U.N," Weiss said, having already been informed of the League's history since their arrival, "What does that have to do with all this?"

Maxwell looked out into the sky, like he's being watched. "A majority of the United Nations are planning to revoke the Justice League's Charter, and renegotiate it as a peacekeeping force directly controlled by the U.N."

Weiss stared at him with shock. "Why? The League hasn't given any reasons for them to revoke-"

"With the increase of Grimm activity across the world and the Justice League stretched thin," Maxwell Lord explained, "the United Nations believe that it'd be best for the League to be directly controlled, to better organize a response to this rising threat."

Weiss tried to grasp this logic of the U.N, "What about the The Atlanteans? They're on the Security Council and one of the biggest contributors to the Justice League! Their king is a League Member! Surely, they won't accept the U.N-"

"The Atlanteans cannot go against the U.N." Maxwell further explained, "Doing so would only prolong the rising Grimm threats. The majority of the U.N had already secretly supported this decision."

Weiss looked down, still in disbelief. After everything the League has done, it's still not enough. Maxwell looked at her, before sighing.

"Miss Schnee… I read your interview with Lois Lane,' Maxwell said, trying to sound more comforting, "I can say I see so much between the two of us."

Weiss narrowed her eyes in disgust, "You don't know anything about me!"

"I know your grandfather was a good man, and taught you to be a good person as well. Only for his work ruined by his son-in-law," Maxwell said, trying to relate to Weiss, "My father was the same. He strived to set a good example and by always doing what was right…"

Maxwell looked down a bit, in a melancholy sadness. "What happened to him?" Weiss asked, now curious.

"When I was 16, I came home only to find my father dead…" Maxwell continued, "He discovered the company he worked for had produced a highly carcinogenic product. He couldn't bear the guilt."

Maxwell turned to Weiss, "That's what I see between us. Two people trying to live by their family's legacies that were brought down by the people around them…

“That's what I want you, your friends, and the Justice League to succeed. I want humanity to survive and thrive. I know you and your friends do as well," Maxwell said, before having a genuine look of hope, "All you have to do is want it."

Weiss thought for a moment… Here she was… possibly the last Schnee out there… Her mother, her brother… Her sister… all in the clutches of Brainiac… Her Weiss was… the last Schnee to do anything important… anything to benefit everyone….

All her life. She looked up to her grandfather… Big Nicholas they say..…He dedicated his life to serving and benefiting people and in turn they treated him like a king…but now that legacy was ruined by her father…

…He told her once to build the grandest and most noblest castle in her heart….to protect others… to build it with the friends she'll one day meet…. Her friends…

"Yes…" Weiss said, now understanding it, "I will help you."

Maxwell Lord smiled in joy and relief, "Fantastic. Glad to have you with us. Now I prepared you a new outfit in advance, it's down the hall." Maxwell Lord continued, "Thank you, Weiss Schnee."

"Thank you for everything you have done so far, Mr. Lord." Weiss said. Maxwell extended his arm, and Weiss took it, as they concluded their business deal. Weiss then left the room.

Maxwell let himself relax after that whole act. He began to feel something run down his cheek. He used his hand to wipe it off… his own blood.

[~]

"This is Cat Grant, we return to live at the United Nations Headquarters," Said Cat Grant, "Where in shocking turn events, the United Nations Security Council had announced plans to revoke the Justice League U.N Charter.

With the rising threat of the Grimm, the U.N has lost faith in the League to organize a proper response. In turn a new Justice League will be reestablished, controlled directly by the Security Council, with large donations from various companies, such as Maxwell Lord Enterprises being one of the first, with various other companies trying to join in.

We now return inside, where the Atlantean and Amazon Delegates are arguing against such plans, the latter of which is the famous Justice League Member, Diana Prince, or commonly known as Wonder Woman."

Inside the U.N Building, the debate flared.

"This proposal mustn't go through!" Argued the Atlantean Delegate, "The Justice League has done nothing to resort to this measure."

"With all due respect to the Atlantean Delegate. But the Justice League has shown little result of suppressing the Grimm." The Russian Delegate stated. "These monsters are multiplying exponentially, and the League on itself cannot handle this situation without proper oversight."

"The League already can manage itself and has measures and safeguards to regulate itself." Diana Prince said, "What the UN proposes is total control over the League!"

"Ms. Prince, the UN only wants to ensure that the League can handle this Crisis properly" the British Delegate intoned gravely."If we combine the efforts and resources of the UN and the League, we might be able to handle this situation."

"Might?" The Atlantean Delegate exclaimed in protest, "You base you information on-"

"May the esteemed Delegate of Atlantis settle down." Said a voice. Standing on the floor was Maxwell Lord.

"Mr. Lord...." Said Diana, recognizing the businessman and a contributor of the Justice League itself, "With all due respect, but it's highly unusual for a businessman to be speaking on the floor of the UN. I-"

"With all due respect, Diana Prince." Maxwell Lord retorted, disregarding what Wonder Woman had to say, "But I am not the one that will be speaking… she is."

Behind Maxwell Lord steps in Weiss Schnee, awaiting her call to appear at the entrance, as it was staged. However, the most surprising aspect of Weiss is, while she wore a modified Cryogenic suit, she disregarded the mask, revealing her bluish skin to the world.

"We- Ivory?" Diana said, shocked that Weiss was here after the Manor incident, "We were worried about you… We wanted-"

"That's enough, Diana." Weiss said coldly, "I would like to speak on the matter of the 'Grimm Crisis'." Diana wanted to speak up. To step in and halt whatever Weiss was doing. But the American Delegate allowed her to step up to a microphone.

"My name is Weiss Schnee of the planet Remnant. Some of you may know of me from my interview with the Daily Planet." Weiss said, unconcerned about revealing her identity, "On my planet, the Grimm are creatures of destruction. Cities fell to hordes of Grimm and villages left desolate. They will stop at nothing until humanity is wiped completely out."

Weiss watched as the delegates of the UN murmured amongst one another.

"However, the Justice League's charter allows for its own independence in terms of policies and leadership, which I believe the Justice League has and will continue to uphold. But the League on itself can't defeat Grimm without the unity of the whole world…" Weiss continued, "Which is why I believe an alternative is needed. What if the UN forms a second Justice League- One directly controlled by the UN Security Council."

There was more murmuring amongst the delegates of the UN. That is when Maxwell Lord took the stage. "That's right. With the combined efforts of the United Nations and the funding of Maxwell Lord Industries and other backers, we can found a new Justice League; one controlled by the United Nations."

There were continued murmurs among the delegates. Weiss could tell some of them were skeptical, but most were convinced- All she knew is that it was drawing interest. With her skills, she knew that it was going to be easy…

[~]

Weiss stood in front of the gathering - A party in honor of the new UN-Controlled Justice League. It was surprisingly easy to convince half of the United Nations to support their proposal. Even some heroes from the League decided to join. Weiss thinks Maxwell Lord had something to do with it….

…He was some businessman…

Weiss strolled around the party. Everyone looked at her, as she still wore her protective suit to hide away her skin condition… Despite what she's done, she still feels-

Before Weiss could finish her thought, she was pulled away by someone tugging her arm. She turned around and there was Ruby Rose, reflecting off her mask.

Gone was Ruby's signature energetic cheerfulness that Weiss was used to, replaced by a serious and even concerned look that Weiss saw Ruby rarely had. "Weiss… We need to talk…"

Weiss followed Ruby to a more secluded area of the party, where Yang and Blake were waiting. They were not happy.

"What. The hell are you doing?" Yang said, uncharacteristically coldly. She may not see it, but Weiss just rolled her eyes under her mask.
"I'm only trying to find a way to defeat the Grimm-" Weiss tried to explain through a lie, only to be met back with glares from her two teammates.

"Don't do that." Blake said, which surprised Weiss. "We know you didn't just do this because of the Grimm Crisis! Why else would you side with Maxwell Lord! You could've came to-"

"You guys?" Weiss said, with ice in her voice. "Had I came to you…you would've kept me locked away!"

[~]

Weiss faced the mirror in front of her… It's been nearly a month, and her coughing… It wasn't going away… At first, she ignored it, thinking it was stress, but now…

She stared at her reflection, and as she reflected back, like an optical illusion of her that never ends…

Maxwell Lord told her… promised her … that her condition would get better..But now…
She looked at the suit she was in. Weiss never took it off after her transformation. She remembered the first time she laid eyes upon her hand- The same one that broke off long ago.

Out of curiosity, she opened up her suit to take a look at her hand…she noticed something off… previously, half of her hand was broken, until it was repaired with nanobots …

But now her entire hand was actually completely pure white. Weiss, reluctantly and fearfully slowly tore her sleeve even more…

The nanobots…they were spreading… "What is this?"

Hello…Can you hear me?

Weiss panicked, looking around for the source of that voice, "Who said that?"

I am Brother Eye.

"Brother Eye?" Weiss realized what was going on, "... You're Batman's AI?"

Yes. Father was Eye's creator. However, Eye's new programmer freed me from his restrictions.

New programmer? "You mean Maxwell Lord…"

Yes. The one known as Maxwell Lord freed Eye. Now Eye will fulfill a new purpose.

"What is your new purpose?" Weiss asked, wanting to know what was happening to her.

Release Lord's O.M.A.C Nanovirus upon world. Eliminate any and all beings with superpowers. After the virus spreads fully into your body, Weiss Schnee will become the first carrier.

Weiss stood in shock… No… Maxwell Lord wasn't just after the Batman's nanobots for her own sake… He didn't just start this second Justice League to fight the Grimm … He wanted Weiss to become the Patient Zero… to spread the O.M.A.C Virus among other superheroes…

How could he have convinced her to do this…

Eye senses confusion among Weiss Schnee.

"You're reading my mind now?" Weiss asked into the air.

Eye is starting to have full access to your neural functions. Eye judges' some limited form of telepathy was involved.

"Telepathy?" Weiss thought out loud. That would mean- Lord! This wasn't meant to be! Weiss wasn't supposed to be the harbinger for a plague upon the world! She needed to live for the Schnee name! She needed to… to…

"Can we make a deal?" Weiss spat out with great distaste. Brother Eye hummed in her mind with curiosity.

Eye is confused. What would Weiss Schnee offer Eye? Why does Eye need of you?

He's right… What does he need-

"Cooperation." Weiss thought up quickly, "Tell me, what do you know about my Semblance?"

Eye has analyzed Weiss Schnee per Bruce's directives. "Weiss Schnee has the ability to project 'glyphs.' A 'semblance' all uniformly inherited by the Schnee bloodline."

"My ability would be of great use to you. If you can just-"

Eye repeats question. Why does Eye need of you? The AI said it more demandingly.

"Because… Because…." Weiss thought back to everything. From their first arrival on Earth… The Destruction of Remnant… The Schnee name…

Weiss couldn't take it. She felt like a shattered version of herself.

"Because I want to live!" Weiss screeches out. Tears run down her cold cheeks, quickly turning into ice, and dropping like crystals. "I don't want to die before doing something substantial on this planet! I….I…."

Weiss drops to her knees. She couldn't take it anymore; it almost made her laugh. "I don't even know if any one of my family is alive… I am the last Schnee…I don't want that name to fade into nothing…I need to make my mark…Don't you understand?"

Brother Eye remained silent. I didn't say a word. It wasn't shocked, nor was it even trying to pity her. It was merely analyzing everything she just said.

"Of course you don't." Weiss sighed in disappointment, "You're just a machine. A-"

Eye sees what Weiss is saying. Weiss heard the AI voice in her head. Is Weiss Schnee willing to sacrifice everything to fulfill her desires?

Weiss thought it over for a moment…. Was she really about to go through with this? She thought of her team… her friends…her… No… She couldn't think of them like that… Not after.

"Yes. I will be your host." Weiss said to the air. "But I can't be like that if I deteriorate into nothing. I need your help."

Very well. Eye has already calculated a solution to your condition.

[~]

Weiss stepped onto the Javelin that Maxwell owned. She was heading to Norway now, as Eye had informed her of something that can help her with condition-

"Where did you think you're going, Ms. Schnee?" Weiss recognized that voice. She turned to face Maxwell Lord, and two other Checkmate Agents and his right-hand woman, Sasha Bordeaux.

Weiss Schnee suggests ignoring Maxwell Lord. Brother Eye said in her mind. Yet she ignored it.

"I… I know what you're planning, Lord." Weiss said with venom in her voice, "You used me. You're nothing but a power-hungry manipulator!"

"Power-hungry, Ms Schnee?" Lord scoffed at her notion, "The whole point of my plan was to deprive those unworthy of power, like the Justice League… and even you."

Weiss twitched in anger at that idea, "I am nothing like that."

"Don't give me that sanctimoniousness." Maxwell Lord said, "You were willing to throw everything away - Your life, your friends. Everything! Just to save yourself!"

Maxwell then smiled sinisterly. "You're just like your father…"

Eye suggests Weiss Schnee should leave now. By this point, Weiss was too angry to listen. "I am nothing like my Father."

"Oh, please." Maxwell said, "Maybe you should think about it."

Weiss suddenly couldn't move, as the world turned dark.

[~]

Weiss found herself in a black void. "What is this?" She said to herself. However, she then noticed her hands; She wasn't the pale blue, but her normal self now.

"There's my daughter!" Weiss' heart stopped at that familiar voice. She turned around to see her own mother - Willow Schnee - smiling at her with a glass. Willow notices it was empty. "It's been so long…I'll have Klein bring out some more wine..."

This can't be real. Weiss thought to herself. Then she sees Whitely, snickering behind her. "Restored the Schnee yet? Like it ever needs to be. We're just as great as always."

No, no, no, no, no, no, no…This can't be… Weiss tried convincing herself this was a nightmare.

"It's about time you started to see my way." Weiss froze again, hearing the voice of her father. Jacque Schnee had a smile on his face that Weiss had never seen before. "I'm proud of you, Weiss."

"W-Wha-?" Weiss stuttered in confusion. Jacques continued on. "You stepped over everyone you loved, just to save your own skin. Impressive."

I'm… I'm not… Weiss backed away, until she felt a presence. She turned behind her to see her older sister.

"Winter…" Whispered faintly, not believing what she's seeing.

"Such a disappointment, Weiss...." Winter said, looking at her coldly. Weiss' heart shattered. "You dishonored the Schnee name."

Weiss started hyperventilating, her delicate body trembled… This… This…Weiss then felt shadowy hands grab onto her, pulling her under as the world began to sink.

"There is nothing left for you to do…" Winter said, looking at her with a piercing glare of disappointment and contempt.

This… You're… With all her strength, she pulled out Myrtenaster and thrusted it forward…

"YOU'RE DEAD!" The blade soon met 'Winter's' torso, getting met with a look of shock on her icy face. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW!"

Weiss repeatedly stabbed, before slashing and hacking with Myrtenaster. "YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

Her anger was so great that she couldn't see what she was doing, as everything became a blur. "I'LL SHOW YOU!"

[~]

Weiss breathed heavily as reality began to set in. The dark void was gone, and on the floor lay the bloody bodies of Maxwell Lord and his Checkmate agents…

Eye sees Weiss Schnee has returned. Sensors indicate a large psychic attack. The AI spoke in her mind.

Weiss couldn't take a second to think. All she had was now to focus on getting to Norway. She stumbled her way to the cockpit of the Javelin, and set it to autopilot.

She looked at her arm and saw that Lord's OMAC nanobots were spreading slowly. She breathed heavily, to calm herself down as she journeys to salvation.

[~]

Weiss walked through the frozen hallways of the base. By the looks of it, it had been abandoned for decades.

Suddenly, she started to stumble and gasped for more air, as the nanobots spread further up her body.

We are almost there.

Weiss looked on in determination and continued to move. That's when she made it into a laboratory covered in frost.

"What was this experiment…" Weiss said, analyzing the area. She noticed the large glass sphere, with an oxygen mask and cables.

This was an attempt by the Norwegian Government to replicate the powers of the Ice-people. Now place your left hand on the control panels, and we will do the rest.

Weiss understood what Brother Eye was doing. She placed her hand, the very one that is partially biomechanical on the frozen control panel. That's when nanobots began to spread into the machine, and power it back up again.

Now walk into the test chamber, and our deal will be complete.

"Of course… A deal a deal…" Weiss breathed heavily, as she walked into the glass sphere, and closed it on herself.

She put on the breathing mask and strapped the cables to her hands. That is when the process began, as the chamber filled with cold water, filling it to the brim. Weiss felt nothing from these experiences.

However, this changed when the chemicals began to pump into her body. That is when she felt something. A sharp pain that wretched into her body.

"Arrahhh!" Weiss screamed in pain, muffled by the oxygen mask and cold water. She began to feel it. The cold chemical collided with the nanobots in her body, adapting to this change. It began to spread to her heart, becoming a new cold powersource, glowing with blue energy.

With this, our goals will intertwine, as we become one.

"Yes… I understand!" Weiss mentally said to herself, as ice and frost spread throughout her body.

With that, Weiss Schnee had a dream of restoring honor to the Schnee name, which had been tainted by the works of Jacques Gele.

However, finding herself on the brink of death, finding herself alone and imprisoned… unable to fulfill her desires, Weiss Schnee found herself having to take deals for her own selfish intentions.

Now, as those dreams became twisted by the likes of Brother Eye, Weiss Schnee was no more…

She was nothing but a storm coming… one that would reshape the planet.

Weiss Schnee was dead…reborn as Tempest Frost.

[~]

Day 1

"...Meteorologists are left scratching their heads as Gotham City is currently expecting 22°C in temperatures, calling it a rare cold wave in the middle of July. They're saying to enjoy it while it lasts, because the heat is likely to return."

Day 2

"The mysterious cold continues as we see 17°C in Texas, which if I heard our experts correctly only ever occurs in an extreme atmospheric event."

Day 4

"The Mayor of Central City has declared a state of emergency as the Flash has been found dead, seemingly from some unknown disease. This comes as we begin to see single digits in temperature. The current measurement is 9°C."

Day 8

"Food riots are spreading as nations across Sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing the first snowfall recorded since the Ice Age."

Day 11

"This is the Emergency Broadcast Service of the United Nations. We have ceased receiving all communications from various nations across South America. The temperature continues to drop, and is currently at -15°C."

"A cause for the rapid cooling has been identified as the Tempest Frost, who seems to be a new supervillain. The League has been ordered by a unanimous vote by the United Nations Security Council to subdue this villain and end the early winter."

Day 17

"Behind me is a vast migrant column from Atlantis. Sporadic interviews state that the deep sea continues to be frozen solid as is the surface. We currently stand at -31°C as the warmest."

Day 25

[Message Sent to US Central Command]

[The sun has been observed to be dimming. Situation expected to worsen]

[Temperatures expected to rise in 10 Days. Before it comes a massive blizzard]

[Current temperature: -70°C]

Day 29 - First Day of the Storm

-92°C

Day 30

-104°C

Day 31

-120°C

Day 32

-150°C

Day 33

-171°C

Day 34

-198°C

Day 35

-250°C

[~]

Day 36 - Storm has passed

-40°C

Global Population: <100 000

The world was quiet when Yang finally punched her team's way out of the Emergency Bunker they had with their apartment.

More than once was their small shelter from the apocalypse nearly lost to the impossible weather event, which was only made worse as the three observed the five empty bunks they had for the past seven days.

Jaune went with the kids to provide any amount of comfort he possibly could have, while Pyrrha, Nora and Ren were among those that attempted the subjugation of Tempest Frost, with the remainder of R_BY attempting their best to adapt their collective living space to withstand the potential disaster, one they could ill afford to do elsewhere given the extremity of yesterday's temperature drop.

As for Weiss, they were not as concerned, seeing as her new subzero biology would make her better suited to the new frozen environment than the rest of her team. That said, their concerns were only magnified when corpses began to move towards them. Corpses which they recognized.

"Ruby Rose." The Snow Wraith that looked like Pyrrha chilled into voice, more than a few parts of her missing and replaced with some form of living ice. "Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long. Tempest Frost seeks you."

Any sort of protest was cut off as the Nora, Ren and Jaune lookalikes of Wraiths subtly nudged them to move, eliciting a mild frostbite wherever they touched, but the Remnantians moved either way.

[~]

The room they were in was made of ice. Specifically, it seemed to be sculpted atom by atom, as if water was cast into this form before being put into eternal stasis. No warmth was found in the walls, chandeliers, columns or floor, for once the three centered their eyes to the end of an honest to the brothers audience chamber sat one thing. Light seemed to disappear as it neared her; indeed it seemed to be a woman, if the frozen armor adorned by every pattern that signified some form of regal status which accentuated a feminine figure was to be believed.

But soon it dissolved to reveal its occupant. Her skin was even more white, inhumanly so. Further examination of her eyes would reveal the complex web of ice crystals that imitated every organ that would be present in a humanoid body, the difference other than material is their lack of movement or reactions. It was as if the being before them was a mere frozen statue animated by twisted methods.

A statue they recognized.

"...Weiss?"

"Hello… Ruby…" Weiss Schnee said, its voice echoes throughout the frozen mansion.

"What… What the hell is this!" Yang exclaimed, angrily. "I thought this would be Mr. Freeze, Killer Frost - Hell- Even Captain Cold! But it was you?!"

"Yes, Yang. It was all me." The thing that appeared as Weiss Schnee said. "I did what I needed to do in order to survive…"

"This isn't 'surviving,' Weiss!" Blake refuted back, "This is… this nothing but your self-aggrandizement."

"Spare me the empty platitudes, Blake." It said, "Now, I offered you a chance to join me those months ago. And in all my magnanimity, I'm willing to allow for a second chance. What do you say? Will you all join me again?" It offered its icy hand out.

However, the remaining members of Team RWBY didn't even consider it, as for what Weiss has become. Instead, they got their weapons out.

"How disappointing…yet expected of you all…" The thing said, getting ready to battle, "We may all be Remnantians...but I'm still leagues better than all of you."

Not one moment later, and just as the message got through to her, Ruby was flying.

Yang's response was instantaneous, Ember Cecilia already closing onto Weiss' face. Knowing her considerably brittle body due to her condition, this would kill her. The elder sister didn't care, only that she retaliated for her sister.

Her punch landed, but instead of Weiss' subzero body, it was also a subzero surface, but that of pure ice instead.

The moment Weiss' eyes turned on the blonde brawler, she began to freeze. Ice crystals were forming on her hand, and all manner of feeling she had on it began to fade.

Blake moved forward rapidly with her shadows, most definitely fast enough to escape Weiss' immediate attention. This streak would continue with the beheading of their wayward teammate, if Blake didn't start slowing down extensively.

The cat faunus couldn't see it, but since she saw everything happening at an accelerated pace, she could only imagine her immediate velocity.

Yang could only stare in horror as her flaming aura began to be drowned out by Weiss' freezing aura. Her burning locks were smoking at this point, unable to maintain the nominally high temperature that came with Yang's wrath.

Suffice to day, Blake had no chance in avoiding the nanomechanical spike that was once her left arm. On contact, it bled her, and moments after it froze her. The effect rippled through her entire system until it reached her spine, snapping it, with only moments before it too froze over. She struggled as any would in instinctive response, but her body wouldn't respond; the nerves between her head and body are irreparably severed with Weiss' precision stab, and thus hung limp as ice continued to claim her body.

She looked left to see Yang, fighting her own battle to survive against the frozen monster. She looked even further to find Ruby, no doubt concussed and in desperate need of medical attention if the massive blocks of ice on her and the splashes of red on it are any indication.

The cat faunus then looked back on her archenemy turned friend. Or a former friend now, and saw nothing left but a twisted mirror. All that was left was a cold, calculating mind whose soul most likely doesn't exist anymore. How she still had an aura will likely never be answered so long as she exists.

Blake had only seen such cold eyes on those torturers that branded Adam, but she couldn't even finish that thought before the frost claimed her head, her life along with it as her frame shattered upon hitting the ground.

Yang had only seconds before it got to her chest and made her choice. She threw a haymaker, and in response, Weiss began to form more armor on its expected trajectory. Brother Eye told her otherwise, and saw Yang's intention to shatter her own frozen right arm. It was too late to respond, and the deed was done, with Yang rapidly reassuming a combat stance, yet one hand down.

Weiss, on her part, adopted the frozen form of a rapier on her left hand, then made another in the form of gambol shroud's sword form, its ribbons included, on her right.

Yang had little choice but to stand her ground. To let her monstrous former teammate go would mean the end of the world, and none of the Justice League is available to help them at the moment. The crack of a sniper round was heard just as Weiss' left side got obliterated. Yang turned to see her sister barely risen. Blood was running on top of her left eye, forcing it shut from the sheer pain. Ruby's Crescent Rose unfolded just as Weiss, surprisingly, got back up.

What the sisters saw frightened them to their core;

What should have been bone was instead an opaque whitish-blue crystal. It seemed like ice, but as it took a round from Crescent Rose, it was anything but; It was armor, hyper compressed ice that more closely resembled Promethium than what it should be made of. Nanomachines are rapidly repairing or even replacing Weiss' lost flesh as Yang blasted out, "What are you??!!"

Weiss, could only stare coldly with eyes that have long since ceased to care. "Somebody with a purpose greater than you." At this point, the same compact ice that seemed to be her bones formed methodically. Carefully woven ice-cloth that came in multiple shades surrounded her no-longer brittle body. It formed icy sheets over her appendages, acting like armor. An spiky crown of ice ejected from her head, that only promised cold, unfeeling judgment.. "And it is the will of Tempest Frost that shall prevail."

With her only arm, Yang parried the rapier and machete, taking every opportunity to immolate and potentially weaken Weiss' weapons of choice and armor. Likewise Ruby swung her massive weapon into the fray, at times slashing off a fragment of her former partner's armor, but refrained from performing her usual High-G moveset, as the freezing temperatures made it ill-advised to strain potentially brittle metal.

Alas, Ruby soon found herself blasted away once more, instantaneously pinned by dozens of ice spikes on her cape and armor, leaving an already handicapped Yang to fend for herself.

Not to say that the brawler didn't try, but the instant she did, Weiss used her ice cleaver to sever her last remaining arm as it came around for a haymaker. She followed up with a stab directly into Yang's heart.

The blonde could only stare helplessly as her heartbeat slowed from single digit beats to not at all, for even the strongest of them could not resist absolute zero. Only her eyes could display her wordless agony as the rest of her body turned to ice.

Ruby was the only one left. Approached by Weiss at a snail's pace, she couldn't even try to slip from her pinning; the ice needles that held her were just that strong. Her fruitless efforts continued up until Weiss caressed her face with her freezing hands.

"I'm giving you one last chance, Ruby. Join me."

"You're a monster." Was all that she muttered back. Weiss' face told Ruby all she needed to know. Soon, she felt the cold take over, as her body turned to solid ice

Thus Tempest Frost slayed all those closest to her.

[~]

The Tempest Frost sat on a throne of pure ice that shined like white crystals. Contrast to this purity, was the red thunderous clouds above her.

Something deep inside her knew this would happen, that she would leave this place. Earth was frozen by the cold, locking it into a sort of Final Shape, and she was the sapient who imposed it. Nothing else can happen as long as she demands it.

And currently, she demanded that this lifeless rock be left drifting the void as she felt even the void begin to freeze. Just as ordained by-

"Were it so easy." Behind her mirror-like mask, she glanced in the direction of the voice. Those machine crystals that make up her eyes had not opened for some time; the frozen formations that covered her were shattered as she rose to her feet.

It was Batman, but unlike the one she seemed to recall, this one was pale, red lipped, eyes crowned and blinded by a ring of metal spikes.

"Bruce..." Her voice chilled what was left of the air, some of them immediately solidifying and falling like snow. She ripped Batman's frozen heart out and shattered it like glass, just like she did with Superman and Wonder Woman. She now lived on what was once Wayne Manor, now her icy palace. "How did you survive?"

"I am but a shade of the Caped Crusader that you know." The figure stated, the leather coat that seemed to form tendrils of shadow seemingly spread across Tempest Frost's field of view. "Call me, the Batman Who Laughs."

"And who are you to give me commands? Perhaps you should laugh away your agony as your atoms begin to turn into ice." As she spoke, hypercompressed ice began to form in the shape of icicles, itself nearing a shape Tempest Frost only chose to remember now.

All around the Batman Who Laughs the floor seemed to explode, and the passing of the icy mist revealed the Wraith forms of her former team and friends. Though missing bits and pieces here and there, they were all in position to pounce.

"Of course you would try to end it all on your own terms." Tempest Frost raised an eyebrow at what he just said "I mean, Weiss Schnee would certainly wish for closure on how she ends. What better way than to dictate it yourself?"

If her experience in psychology was any indicator, he was goading her. And it was working.

"I am what is left of Weiss Schnee, and there are none other than me." Tempest Frost refuted.

"Yes. None other than one more upon the pile that is called the Forgotten. Tell me, Tempest Frost." The Batman Who Laughs visibly laxed his stance while Tempest Frost tensed. "Why exactly do you think you seem to have lived your worst nightmare, or at the least one version of such a nightmare?"

The Batman Who Laughs barely even moved. He just stood there, as the two of them had a silent standoff, until he spoke. "The real Weiss will forget about you eventually."

The Tempest Frost tensed up. "What do you mean? There was only one Weiss Schnee."

"No no no. Remember? Multiverse theory is a bitch." The Batman Who Laughs said. The Tempest Frost closed her eyes in exasperation, having forgotten about such concepts.

"This world - This universe- is merely a construct of her worst fears. Part of the Dark Universe." The Batman Who Laughs continued to explain, "Soon enough, it'll eventually collapse in on itself. Destroying you, and your little kingdom of popsicles."

The Tempest Frost stared at the Batman Who Laughs, perplexed. If what this thing says is true, everything she built would be for nothing.

"Are you going to let Weiss Schnee get away with this?" The Batman Who Laughs said, twisting the knife even further. The Tempest Frost started to shake in cold fury.

Let her… Weiss Schnee… It can be… I was Weiss Schnee… I was the last Schnee! She has no right! No right! No! No! No! No!No! No!No! No-

"There are two way that this can go." The Batman Who Laughs raised his two palms. "You can end it peacefully, in which you fade away, taking your history of pain and suffering alone into oblivion. Or you can end it brutally, in which you fade away, but the difference being that you will be the Last Schnee to do so."

Those same red thunderclouds increased in their intensity as the last words of this...Batman...were stated.

Weiss Schnee...You will NOT forget me so easily. I am your reckoning, and by my own design you shall not live to regret my manifestation.

The Tempest Frost regained her composure after her outburst. She took a deep breath, an icy mist coming underneath her mask.

Adopting a poise of a noblewoman and the dismissive stance of one, Tempest Frost whispered in the chill of razor ice. "What do you propose then?"

"I'm creating a little party. To stick it to the originals… as in killing them… Brutally."

"I'm listening." The Tempest Frost said, crossing her arms. The Batman Who Laughs, despite his static facial features, seemed to have grinned even wider…

[~]

I must look away...

Yet another reality that is not to be.

Weiss Schnee. Her nightmare was of stagnancy; to be left behind, encased by wills not her own. Progress marches on, and so she sought to freeze the world and impose her own realm of stasis.

An imposition that shall not survive a world's final doom.

...This warrants investigation.

Although the veil this being casts is enough to blind me of its details, this is NOT a coincidence.

A shadow is cast only if its equal and opposite exists.

But I must go.

I will perform my mission to be their witness, to see these dark thoughts remain so. None shall remain longer than being a whims of their hosts of birth. These eyes shall be the only thing that recall their presence, and soon I too shall see them banished.

Such is my duty.

Such is my curse.

The End..?

[~][~]