So it is done: The day before... (Patreon)

As Cinder walked down the ramp, she noted the oncoming procession with a glance. It seems that Atlas is going to give the Glenn procession an honor guard – at least she hopes that’s what the soldiers are. For their sake, at least.

Atlas's relationship with Glenn… had never could have been called good – there was no reason for it to be otherwise. The first blow came when Atlas's most powerful businessman accused the head of Glenn of theft, a big no-no diplomatically. Then Glenn made an alliance with the White Fang, the Schnee’s arch-nemesis, with an assassination attempt to cap things off. But then, if it were only that, the relationship between Atlas and Glenn would only be strained, after all no matter how connected the Schnee might be, they themselves are not Atlas.

The finishing blow finally came when General Ironwood tried to arrest Jonathan in Vacuo. Sure, Jonathan was secretly providing diplomatic and material aid to the protesters in Atlas and was seen in the company of Raven, a wanted criminal. Atlas had all the reason they needed to arrest Jonathan, too bad the public didn’t see it that way, contributing even more to Atlas’ diplomatic isolation.

And yet, even under such circumstances – no, perhaps, precisely because of such conditions, Atlas could not afford to simply brush aside Jonathan’s presence in Atlas. Having the King of Glenn, at a summit that Atlas himself had organized, with perhaps some pressure from Vale, where Jonathan could tilt the balance easily – making him a crucial piece.

Atlas has to show their best for Jonathan if they wished to even have a chance for the summit to go their way. A very tall ask for anyone to sway Jonathan’s opinion – especially against someone that rightfully should be enemies.

Greeting Jonathan’s procession, General Ironwood tried to put together a neutral expression on his face. But a face, gaunt, an overgrown stubble, with bags under his eyes that no makeup could conceal, does not help matters. The General himself was clearly filled with anxiety at this moment, one wrinkle of his face away from giving the order to ‘send these people away’ held back solely on his own willpower and the consequence of such an order. Willpower which, judging by his appearance, he now barely had enough of.

The surrounding soldiers, the supposed guard of honor and welcoming procession for Jonathan and his entourage, clearly sensed the strained atmosphere, but they held themselves much better than their commander. Their impervious masks of cold professionalism, maintained only by having their eyes focused ahead so as not to see Jonathan or Ironwood.

Moments later, as Jonathan himself walked down the gangway, the ranks of soldiers raised their weapons in a welcoming salute. After the staccato of gunfire ended, a nearby band played the Atlas anthem, as if what was happening was something good – as if James and all Atlas were happy to welcome Jonathan and his procession.

But seeing James Ironwood's face took on an even more steely glow, as if he had manually turned off all his facial expressions before extending his hand to Jonathan, the band had their work cut out for them. “Greetings on behalf of Atlas to our land and hope that our cooperation will be fruitful.”

All the while, Ironwood spoke monotonously, not much different from the robots for which Atlas' army was famous for. He didn’t even cast a glance at Jonathan's procession, looking only into his eyes. Maybe in the hope that he wouldn’t see anything that would break his already strained composure and create another diplomatic incident?

“Thank you for the warm welcome, General,” Jonathan's lie on the other hand came out much easier. “I hope this will be just one of our many future fruitful encounters.”

After another moment, the two men parted their handshake a little faster and sharper than allies were supposed to, before James, disregarding everything else, turned and moved away.

Cinder could only shake her head, truly the General had no ability at all in politics – she supposed it’s good that the landing pad was private. If any journalists had any chance to see the interaction, the Summit would probably be canceled tomorrow.

Walking behind Jonathan, Cinder kept a full step distance between them to make it clear exactly who was the leader of the procession, but close enough to rush out to defend Jonathan at any moment. Cinder wouldn’t put it past any of their enemies to orchestrate an attack with someone so easy to blame so close.

That’s why she could see just how strained the people of Atlas, even just in this small clearing, are.

“Jeez, I’ve seen villages just after a Grimm attack look more cheerful than this place,” Vernal muttered quietly, not addressing anyone in particular, but Cinder was in complete agreement with her remark.

If the soldiers – or even the General himself – had really wanted to arrest Jonathan, held back only because of diplomatic norms and protocols, there would have been a sense of tension or aggression in the air. If not from the soldiers – then at least from the General himself… But instead, the General looked more like a desiccated corpse moving on the strings of a cruel puppeteer. And the soldiers seemed to be doing what they always did, choosing to completely shut off their minds and trust to do what they could, turning into mechanical puppets not much different from robots.

Cinder, on the other hand, ignored such a sight and silently continued to follow Jonathan, as they were approaching the end of the 'guard of honor'. Cinder was glad that she didn’t have to stab someone trying to be funny – being surrounded by people holding guns, with empty chambers or not, is not exactly relaxing for a bodyguard.

At the end of the rows of soldiers, a row of limousines are waiting. Armored, if judging by just how low the suspensions are. The first limousines pulled up to the entourage of ambassadors, the General got in the first, then, in the second one, Jonathan got in, alone.

Cinder would have liked to go with him, but understood that it would violate diplomatic and security protocols. Although Cinder was the last person to be suspected of planning something nefarious – she held back her complaints of wanting to go with Jonathan, waiting for the third limousine reserved for her Hunter team.

The limo doors closed, a moment later – one of the silent RATS operative closing the door, not long after the limo slowly moved forward, making way for the last limousine, for the RATS agents.

It is funny that the agents in charge of Jonathan, Cinder and Neo's safety and the rest of the team, their priority in that order, would trust their safety to Atlas' agents for a moment. Of course, several RATS were now following them, hidden of course, while the route itself and their escort were clearly negotiated by the two organizations. Glenn brought along some insurance, of course.

Eventually as the agents, the one that would appear in public, got into their assigned limousine escort, the entire convoy began moving, in the prepared formation. They were moving not too fast – maybe thirty or forty kilometers an hour, flanked along with a few armored cars with more security personnel inside and a few airbikes trailing behind and to the side.

And thus the large convoy began moving through the streets of Atlas, their route prepared in advance.

Indeed, Jonathan's reception had been given the highest priority. Judging by the fact that, Cinder could see a small fenced-off enclosure for the various reporters and journalists broadcasting Jonathan’s visit to the television cameras and taking pictures – it had not gone unnoticed.

Indeed, while everyone who came to Atlas for the summit was important and influential, and Ghira's appearance in particular had shaken the long-standing foundations of Atlas, Jonathan was more important. Sure, Ghira appearing was the first and so far only appearance of a White Fang member, especially someone from the Menagerie chapter within Atlas – it was Jonathan who played a key role in the summit.

Not only was Jonathan influential from the common people's point of view as he’s a hero, possessor of the strongest semblance in a hundred years, a source of hope for the common people. He’s also a political force, clearly sympathetic to the rebellion – making him also influential from the other major players' point of view.

Jonathan was, in fact, a patron with complete control of the rebellion – at the very least the leader of that rebellion, Robin, held Jonathan in the highest regard and would almost do anything Jonathan asked her. He was also the unequivocal leader in the Glenn and Menagerie alliance, completely defining the policies of the seemingly equal partners.

Jonathan also possessed the leading edge in various technologies, a position once occupied by Atlas.

To put it bluntly, Jonathan possessed a ridiculously incredible amount of power – with his influence just as large. Influence that he had used to prop up Mantle’s rebellion.

In other words, while on the surface the Summit was all about Atlas and Mantle coming to an agreement, it was Jonathan who had the last word.

But for some reason, Cinder had a strange premonition about the upcoming Summit.

She had no doubt that the conference would not end the way everyone else had hoped.

Cinder had no doubt that Jonathan would put all his energies into achieving a suitable outcome. The kind of outcome that couldn't be called anything other than 'fair'. He would likely negotiate about something like workers' rights and freedoms, about their safety, and about respect for the ancient rights of Mantle, now pushed to the farthest shelf of world politics by Atlas. It would be a return to the status quo, with perhaps some improvement to the life of the Mantle’s people.

It was a simple, no-frills solution to Atlas’ and Mantle’s conflict.

And just the same, there was no doubt in Cinder’s mind that Jonathan's proposal would not be accepted.

Right now, Atlas’ position was the weakest it had been since its founding, and a return to the status quo was unsatisfactory to anyone except perhaps James Ironwood. But his opinion meant surprisingly little in the current climate. Everyone was baying for a piece of the pie of a weakened Atlas.

No, the current summit was a battlefield between three forces, with Atlas and Mantle’s conflict as nothing more than background noise. Jonathan, Ozpin and Salem, those three would be the main players…  James Ironwood simply had the dubious honor of laying on the table the very pie that each of them wanted to divide in their favor.

Cinder didn't even doubt that no one would agree to Jonathan's proposal – no one liked justice if its blade was directed against themselves, after all. There was always the desire, the thought that the punishment was undeserved, that it was their side that deserved more.

Jonathan would have to act, then. Act in a way that Ozpin or Salem could not afford to act, and achieve an outcome that would no longer be fair, much less satisfactory to any of the big players in world politics other than for Jonathan. But, sadly, that is the rule of the game, and winners take all.

Jonathan was probably aware of this too. Aware, but hoping against all hope that he would succeed in showing the world, once again, a miracle. A miracle that could be recognized by everyone else, a result that would satisfy all parties concerned, that would put things back on track magnificently… For peace.

But Cinder knew that this miracle was beyond Jonathan's control – as Jonathan himself was also probably already aware. If he really believed that he could negotiate something with the summit participants, he probably would never have prepared that fourth version of the summit plan – that last resort. But not even Jonathan is omnipotent – there would be no way to negotiate a deal that would leave all parties satisfied.

Cinder was aware that in the end, the result of this summit, and what he would need to do would cut into Jonathan's soul again, forcing him to make decisions again that he did not want… But there was nothing she could do about it – she was simply too powerless.

That was human nature in the end. When the hour of reckoning came to them, they would start begging for forgiveness, grasping at ghostly straws, persevering even in the face of the apocalypse… Before being wiped off the face of the earth by the force of the flood that comes with change.

This was true for everyone else at the summit, digging in their heels to grasp even the smallest benefit for themselves, even in the face of Jonathan. A trait that is true for Jonathan himself.

He would persist and bargain with himself before making another world-changing decision – forced to him by circumstance, perhaps, but an action he had taken nonetheless.

It was unfortunate, but if there was one event where Cinder could not help Jonathan in any way – it was here. He would have to act on his own, and make the decision himself, even if deep down he already knew what decision he would make in the end, Jonathan would still strive for that perfect ending

It reminded Cinder of the strange and mesmerizing spectacle of a fly stuck in sap. Slowly, inexorably it would sink into the viscous, deadly substance. But, even when it realized with its small mind, the inevitability of what was happening, it would still try in vain to break free, its struggle a delight for the future collector with its death throes, eternally frozen in amber.

Such a thing…

It warmed Cinder's soul.

No, not Jonathan's suffering of course, not in any way could she enjoy such a thing, Cinder would have destroyed the whole world if anything dared tried to cause suffering to Jonathan… But how could she do that if the person torturing Jonathan, was himself? His effort in creating a miracle was the only thing she couldn't help with.

It was Jonathan's battle with himself, his desire to make things good, right, fair – and with his struggle understanding that even he couldn't do it, magician or not.

And the fact that this battle continued, over and over again, even if Jonathan himself and those watching him could see it – made Cinder's soul warm. Because in Jonathan's fight against himself, the nature of the man against his position, Cinder saw the features of the Jonathan who had once saved her from that hotel.

It was as if it was confirmation that no matter how many years had passed since that fateful day, no matter what Jonathan had lost and gained and changed, in the end, he was still the same Jonathan. The same man Cinder had once… Had fallen in love with.

Allowing some clichéd phrase into her mind, more suited to a snotty tabloid novel than her musings, Cinder frowned slightly, wrinkling her face – an expression that Jonathan called 'hilarious in Cinder's performance'.

On the other hand, she did read a few romance books, classic literary novels and modern prose, in her effort to familiarize herself with the way of her own feelings. At least the feelings that Cinder felt others called love from the perspective of others. But, sadly, she never found anything that matched her situation or her feelings.

Not that there were many books in the world that explored her particular problem well enough. What kind of book would talk about the feeling of an adopted daughter whose object of infatuation had saved from hell, that is no better than slavery.

If you think about it that way, there must have been some silly irony in it. The closest thing to describing her situation was the children's fairy tale that Jonathan had once told her about – Cinderella.

Except that she was not saved by a prince, well Jonathan did become a king, but that came much later than her rescue. And there was no ball or event where she’s supposed to meet her ‘prince’, she didn’t even have a fairy godmother either. Well, Jonathan could do magic, so was Jonathan both her prince and fairy godmother? Imagining Jonathan as a sparkling fairy, was certainly quite fetching…

Indeed, perhaps the analogy was not so perfect. In the end, her evil stepmother and elder sisters didn't even have to chop off their own feet, and they weren't pecked by crows in the end…

But at least that was something Cinder could fix.

Entangled with that tantalizing image, Cinder only came to when she felt the gently moving car come to a slow stop. She took a glancing look at Amber and Vernal, the two of them casting annoyed glares at Neo, while Neo threw the exact same look back, then throwing a challenging look Cinder’s way when she noticed her.

Cinder only smiled back slightly, making Neo literally grit her teeth with that action alone. Cinder then took a look out the window, checking exactly where they were at the moment.

It seems that they’ve arrived at the hotel they’re supposed to be staying in, Cinder could see Jonathan exiting his limousine ahead of her.

A moment later, the car with Cinder's team moved forward, occupying the spot Jonathan’s limousine had once occupied. One of the workers at the venue opened the limousine door, and Cinder calmly stepped out, with her team following close behind her.

Almost immediately, the cold winter wind of Solitas buffeted Cinder, the cold wind could be felt through their clothes. Cinder could see several of the honor guard shudder slightly as they continued to clutch the metal of their weapons in their hands tightly. Cinder could not imagine what exactly the soldiers were experiencing now, forced to stand in the cold wind, holding the freezing icy metal in their hands, trying to look presentable even in this late hour.

Her activated Aura allowed Cinder to ignore the cold, but the icy gust was unpleasant even for her, even considering all her abilities and the artifacts on her.

“Brrrr, damn it, the cold’s freezing my tits off." Vernal, a little behind her, taking a step out of the limo, shivered, causing Amber and Neo to look at her in agreement, though Amber does look offended by Vernal’s crass words.

Vernal had spent most of her life in Mistral, as had Amber, while Neo, excluding her 'trips' with Jonathan, had lived all her life in Glenn. Of all those present, only Cinder knew what it was like to winter in Atlas.

Sure, the heating system allowed life in Atlas, but it was unrealistic to expect that it could fully protect a city hovering several kilometers high from the winter winds. Cinder knew that the complete heating was a privilege of the rich, she had once been forced to run around on the frozen ground trying to please Sunny. And yet, it wasn't a bad memory.

Back then, she could still leave the hotel and there wasn't any collar on her neck then.

Cinder reflexively raised her palm to her neck, running it across the smooth skin covered by the low collar of her blouse.

It was in the past, there was not even a trace of the collar remaining – such a thing would never happen again. I would never be that weak ever again.

Cinder withdrew her hand from her neck before any of her team could ask questions about her strange behavior. She moved forward in a measured stride befitting her current position – a member of Jonathan’s entourage, leader of the 'new world' and one of, if not the most, influential player on the world stage.

It's just that this place… This place that makes you remember… You are not weak anymore, Cinder.

Cinder kept her gaze from shifting from side to side – to look at the long-forgotten familiar streets, to try to look for something she had once only heard about, or even something she had once seen in the past.

Cinder sped up her step slightly, before finding herself a step behind Jonathan, close enough to hear the measured tapping of his cane synchronizing with her steps. Close enough to see the retreating General, who not even once had paused in his steps.

What tactlessness, bringing an ambassador to the hotel – and not once turning around.

The General, who was the 'host' in this case who had to demonstrate 'hospitality', didn't even seem to be leading anyone on, just moving in a measured manner as if he wanted to book a hotel room.

Cinder knew that the General probably wanted to exchange a few words before leaving the delegation, the summit itself would start tomorrow and would probably last for a few more days… But if so, not to show even a drop of hospitality?

On the other hand, Cinder thought it was foolish to expect anything different from a man who’s watching with his own eyes his own state dying. A nation, the service to which he had dedicated his whole life. Furthermore, those to whom he had to show 'hospitality' to, were responsible for it, and had arrived in order to determine his fate… So perhaps, just having the General not start shooting is already a great show of his restraint.

Cinder even felt in her mind some strange surprise, respect even. The fact that the General still hadn't put a bullet in his own forehead, still hadn't run away, if need be, to his own grave, couldn't help but inspire respect.

The general must have realized, even if he lied to himself, that he had lost. There was nothing he could have done to preserve his Nation – he was only a tool, a pen, to put his signature on the summit decision and not a participant.

And yet, against all common sense, he was hoping for something, planning something, holding on to something.

A fly twitching in the sap.

The earlier comparison came to Cinder's mind again.

However, where looking at Jonathan Cinder felt joy and some inner warmth – looking at the General, Cinder felt only the strange morbid curiosity of a sadist. A sadist watching the senseless movements of an insect, and the strange excitement of an observer trying to guess which pose the fly would freeze in.

Cinder… respected people who kept fighting even when they knew the pointlessness of their struggle. Cinder was the same way. She, too, is struggling a pointless struggle in the minutiae against the invincible.

Her.

But in the end, like a foolish follower of the faith, senselessly begging for salvation, she was still saved, not by her own efforts.

Not everyone in the world was so fortunate as to count on such a thing.

Cinder respected strength, but most of all she respected the Will.

Whether such determination was directed against the outside – as in the General's case – or the inside – like in Jonathan's. Cinder couldn't help but admire such a thing…  At least on some level.

Taking a step through the doors left ajar by the General’s passing, Cinder found herself inside the hotel, looking out over the light-filled lobby – and a sense of déjà vu struck her.

But she dismissed thoughts of the past a moment later.

She had been to many hotels and inns with Jonathan over the years and had managed to get used to those. It was just…

The first time she'd been to a hotel in Atlas since then.

Cinder shook her head, dispelling the veil of memories that had fallen over her, before looking around. She watched as several silent robots under the control of one porter carried the diplomatic entourage’s belongings slowly and carefully, treating it as if they’re carrying a bomb.

Cinder, on the other hand, knew that there was nothing really important in those suitcases, at least not things that they simply wouldn't trust to outsiders. Most of the essential documentation was hidden in Jonathan's personal vault – a forty by forty meter steel cube buried deep in the bedrock, with no light or entrance to it, with the walls a meter of solid thick steel.

Teleportation allowed for the most secure of vaults.

A smaller portion of the documentation, however, was with Jonathan, and at the moment was stored in a small suitcase chained to the arm of one of the RATS. A suitcase the agent simply could not give away, even if he wanted to. One has to observe appearances, after all.

For obvious reasons, however, there’s no other guests in the hotel, in fact there weren’t many of the hotel’s staff either. They didn’t resent such a thing, however – the entire hotel building had been rented for the next few days, with full payment in advance and an excellent ‘bonus’ for the hotel management. Furthermore, for the fact that the security of the entire hotel was completely replaced for the duration of the summit – along with all the waiters, cooks, maids and other staff.

You can't be too prepared in a war zone.

After a few more moments, in confirmation of Cinder's earlier thoughts, Ironwood turned quietly to Jonathan, gesturing for a room deeper inside the hotel. After a nod from Jonathan, the both of them retreated inside the building, somewhere into the secure rooms for a little dialogue, while the approaching agent turned to the frozen without further orders. Seeing nothing else to do, the agent then turned to address Cinder’s group

"Four suites have been prepared for you on the second-highest floor. Your belongings have already been delivered, if there is anything you require, you can use the internal hotel lines or speak to one of the guards on the floor. Dinner will take place in forty minutes, until then I ask you not to leave the hotel.”

Cinder only nodded briefly and understandingly at these words, just as the team behind her did, before the agent repeated their movements with a nod in response and turned away.

Cinder knew this agent – one of Jonathan's personal guards… She thinks she remembered investigating the man, only so that she can take his position of course, once upon a time.

Once she had graduated from the academy and fully joined RATS – there would be a question of which department Cinder would join before she took the leadership. Maybe administrative, internal RATS forces, and counter-espionage, were her choices.

She couldn't become a covert agent for covert operations, unfortunately or perhaps fortunately – she was too well known. Though perhaps if one was talking about 'white day' espionage, covered up with 'diplomatic visits' or 'official receptions of high society' it could work…

But no, of course. Of all the departments, Cinder wanted to get into one specific one – the ‘M6’ department – the department responsible for guarding Jonathan himself. Then, in a few years, she would grow to head of the department – then to deputy director, director, and then…

Who knows what will come next?

Sadly, that department was not an option, risking a VIP to guard another VIP seems supremely counter-productive.

Cinder shook her head, as if to shake those thoughts off herself, before turning to her team and doing something leader-like about them for the first time ever.

“Okay team, go upstairs, you can settle into your rooms – and in then minutes, rendezvous in mine.”

Cinder wasn't worried about the location of where her team would debrief – she had memorized the layout of the hotel before she left. That’s why she knew that the rooms allotted to everyone on her team were suitable for a medium-sized meeting for five dozen potential investors and directors… The reason she chose her room for the meeting? Well, she’s the leader, why would she be the one to walk anywhere?

Shaking her head and ignoring her team's complaints, Cinder headed towards her room using the lift. Every member of the team – including Cinder – had been repeatedly briefed on exactly what they were supposed to do during and outside the summit, so there should be no reason to be wary or lost.

And yet, at the moment itself, Cinder still felt an irrational sense of unease.

It is a strange feeling, irritating to Cinder. Even when she knows that the situation was completely under control, and that there was no way for there to be an unpleasant surprise, everything is under control.

And yet, she still wanted to make sure that everything was in place, that everyone was prepared, and everything was going on as they should. Even after making sure – she immediately wished she could start checking again, as if the situation might have changed in the few minutes she hadn't been looking.

It was almost maddening, the wait, where almost anything can go wrong.

Cinder covered her eyes and then slowly forced an exhalation, completely freeing her lungs of air before opening her eyes and breathing back in, shaking her head slightly.

Even now, she once again wanted to repeat to her team what they had already been told a dozen times already, to run through the basics once more, to remind them of the rules.

Maybe she should? Considering the fact that, in the past few hours since the last briefing, they had hardly had time to forget what they had been told...

With a ding that signalled that lift’s arrival, Cinder took a step into the lift, allowing the rest of her team to enter – then turned around, pressing the button for the right floor.

Out of the corner of her eye, she managed to catch the figure of Jonathan moving slowly along with James, just now returning to the hotel lobby. Whatever their meeting was about, it hadn't lasted even a few minutes.

Though, Cinder had a pretty good idea of exactly what the general was feeling right now – judging by how twitchy his hands are. It was as if he’s a duelist preparing himself to draw his gun at the fastest possible speed to the non-existent enemy's head.

He probably only asked one or two questions, something as desperate and naive as ‘will you support me?’ And having received his answer – most likely not the answer the General could have hoped for against all odds – making the general simply turn around and head away.

In half an hour, Cinder would show up for a late supper, in another three hours she would fall asleep. In another four hours, she will wake up, and after another four hours Jonathan will wake himself up. Another hour after that, they would be having breakfast.

Then, in an hour, the summit would begin…

Cinder shook her head.

And after the summit was over – for that day at least – she would go to the address delivered to her by RATS.

Cinder raised her hands for a moment, trying to mentally count up what she needed to do tonight before going to bed, realizing that it was shaking…  Before with a force of will she suppressed this completely gratuitous nervousness.

After all, Cinder had no reason to be nervous.