Worst Case Scenario

Worst Case Scenario is the fifth episode of The RWBYA Adventures.
==Plot==
Ironwood: This is the worst case scenario.
[Ironwood angrily slammed his fist on his desk.]
Ironwood: More people are dead, Penny's been framed, and somehow, Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council.
[Ren, Nora, Ruby, Alan, Qrow, Winter, and Clover were present in Ironwood's office.]
Clover: That's the second shipment for Amity that was hit today. Election night was the last push Robyn needed to go from hometown hero to full-on vigilante.
Winter: I'm afraid the problem is more complicated than that.
[Ironwood sighed and began pacing behind his desk.]
Ironwood: It seems Robyn has emboldened our suppliers in Mantle. They're refusing to sell us provisions until the city is adequately repaired. With Robyn redistributing the goods her team has stolen, the Amity Project is completely stalled.
Ruby: But we're so close. There has to be some way we can finish the tower.
Winter: There is - declaring martial law.
[Ruby and Nora's eyes widened, and they looked at Ironwood, who stared outside through the window. Alan clenched his Simplicitrix fist.]
Alan: ...Fuck no.
Nora: You're not actually considering that, are you?
Ironwood: What's more important? Establishing communications, unite the world? Or appeasing a few city blocks?
Nora: Don't make it sound trivial when you know it isn't. You keep talking about how we just need a little more time, but you're not the one having to struggle.
Ironwood: [turns to face Nora] We have all had to make sacrifices for the greater good. Mantle has had to bear a lot of the burden, yes, but--
Nora: They're bearing all of it! The longer this waiting game goes on, the harder each day gets for people down there and now you wanna send in more soldiers? You can't just force people to fall in line. If you do that, you'll just be trading all of these problems for the Grimm!
[Ironwood stepped forward and stared at her, eyes narrowed, while she stared back, panting. Feeling the tension growing, Alan stepped forward next to Nora.];
Alan: I agree with Nora. Amity is an important project to unite Remnant, yes, but we can't just forget about Mantle in the meantime. Those people, those lives... They're the one we're trying to protect from Salem. Same goes for the ones in the other kingdoms. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo. If you're not going to bother using resources and time to help them, too, then why are we bothering to fight Salem at all? If we're not going to risk it all to fight for every life then... You may as well destroy the fucking place. Or Salem will do it for you.
[Ironwood lowered himself into his chair and rested his face in his hands, sighing. Ruby walked forward to stand between Nora and Alan.]
Ruby: Please, General Ironwood. Squeezing Mantle this way… That kind of division plays right into Salem's hands.
[Ruby rested a hand on Nora's shoulder, and then one on Alan's.]
Ruby: That's why Tyrian is here framing you.
Clover: Right, the reason we called you here in the first place. You're sure this was the man you saw?
[Clover stepped toward Ruby, brought out his Scroll, and pressed a button to project a screen that displayed a file about Tyrian. The file contained a photograph of Tyrian's face, as well as an image of Tyrian from undercover footage. Portions of the file's text were classified.]
Winter: Tyrian Callows was accused of murders all across Anima. A homicidal maniac who escaped justice when his prison transport was attacked by Grimm. After that, he was never seen again.
Ruby: Well, he works for Salem and he's here.
Qrow: If we ever had any doubts Atlas was Salem's next target, I think those are officially out the window.
Ruby: But now we have a suspect. We can tell the people.
Clover: That a long-lost serial killer is loose in Mantle and the military has no idea where he is - might make things worse before they get better.
Nora: I am so sick of secrets! If we just told everyone about Amity, about Salem-
Ironwood: We can't!
[Everyone turned to look at Ironwood.]
Ironwood: If we talk about Amity now, we risk Salem's forces, who we know are here, working to sabotage it. If we tell them about Salem now, we risk falling to the Grimm before we can reunite Remnant.
[Ironwood stood up, slamming his hands down onto his desk as he did so.]
Ironwood: We have to finish the tower. I want Robyn Hill in custody. We can offer her a deal if she gets Mantle to cooperate.
Clover: We'll figure it out.
Ironwood: Anyone not assisting with Robyn needs to focus on Tyrian. [begins heading for the door, hands clasped behind his back] I want to know who he's working with, where he's hiding, what he's planning, and how exactly that video of Penny got all over my kingdom. [stop and turn back to the others, speaking sternly] Do I make myself clear?
Clover and Winter: Yes, sir.
Ren: Yes, sir.
[Ruby and Nora gave Ren a surprised look, and Ren stared calmly ahead. Alan had cocked a curious eyebrow, but said nothing.]
----
[In the early evening in Mantle, an armored truck drove along a road, passing by a grocery market.]
Yang: Looks like we're approaching 51st.
[Blake Yang, and Alan were riding inside the cargo area of the truck, the former having their Scrolls in their hands. Blake is reviewing a file about Robyn's thefts, while Yang is in a video call with Clover. Alan was lied down on a few of the crates inside the truck, resting his eyes some.]
Clover: Thanks for the assist on this, you three. Now, we may all be split between different trucks, but we need to be ready to act as one in case Robyn's team takes the bait. If your truck is hit, pursue immediately. Everyone else will move in as fast as possible. Going radio silent. Over.
[The video call ended, and Yang collapsed her Scroll's screen, looking uncertain.]
Yang: Do you… [loud exhale] Do you think we should've told Ironwood about Salem, before he put so much on the line for Amity?
Blake: Sounds like you do.
Yang: [sighs] I trust Ruby, but I think he deserves to know what he's stepping into. We all did.
[Blake remained quiet, her cat ears folding over a little. Alan opened his eyes a tad with an unsure look, but didn't join into the conversation. Yang turned to look at them, particularly Blake.]
Yang: You don't agree.
Blake: [collapses her Scroll] Look around. The embargo, the military presence, the restrictions on assembly. He's a bit prone to overreacting.
Yang: Yeah, hard to argue with that. Still, he didn't have a lot of good options.
Blake: I'm not sure there are many good options left for any of us anymore. Keeping secrets, taking lives? It makes you wonder how far we're gonna have to go to keep doing the right thing.
Yang: Blake.
[Blake looked at Yang, who had a saddened expression with her eyes glimmering from emotion.]
Yang: We did... what we had to do.
[Blake's eyes glimmered a little as well, and she looked away. Alan's eyes opened a tad more, pondering Yang's statement.]
Blake: I know. But next time, I wanna make sure we don't have to, and I can tell you, ambushing a Huntress who's just trying to help isn't an option I'm thrilled about choosing.
Alan: ...Are you guys...
[Alan rolled over to look at the other two, who looked back at him curiously.]
Alan: Oh. Y-You are.
Blake: We're what?
Alan: ...I-I can see that look in your eyes. Both of you. [stands then walks closer, sitting on the floor next to Blake] ...That stare you get when you...
[Alan's Simplicitrix hand began shaking as he looked at it. A hand was then placed on it to try to calm him, and he glanced up to Blake who had done so, though she shared in his more distraught look, and Yang put her hand on Blake's shoulder.]
Yang: Who... Who was it?
Alan: [breathing shakily, clenches his hand around Blake's] ...H-He was my brother.
[Yang and Blake both gasped in response, glancing to each other as Alan continued.]
Alan: Well. That was one of them, anyway. He wasn't the first enemy I killed but... Probably the most important. I... wasn't exactly honest when I said I came here out of boredom. I came here because I couldn't stay. I had an ultimatum. My friends didn't like that I had already taken the lives of enemies, so there would be issues if I did it again. Well. I guess I ran away from the consequences. Because I left as soon as I did it. I wasn't left with much of a choice, he was... He had powers like mine. His own Simplicitrix.
[The scene zoomed into the pupil of Alan's eye. The darkness was interrupted by the bright fires of an explosion as a skyscraper was destroyed. Through the flames appeared Negative Way Big, who uncrossed his arms from having blown up the building with his cosmic blast. He was then suddenly whacked away and onto the ground by the massive tail of Mongilla, who roared angrily at him. Negative Way Big tried to stand back up, but had his chest clawed at and knocked back down by Mongilla; the attack was enough to draw whatever the To'kustar equivalent of blood is. Mongilla stepped on Negative Way Big's chest, leaning down to face him, only for the latter to reach up and grab his face, pushing him back and off of him. Negative Way Big went to throw a punch, only for Mongilla to bite his wrist quickly, causing him to cry out in pain and recoil. Taking advantage, Mongilla grabbed hold of Negative Way Big's jaw, breaking it as his grasp's pressure increased, and then he pulled down, causing it to come dislodged and unhinged. Negative Way Big attempted to grab hold of Mongilla, but the latter grabbed hold of the former's head fin, snapping it and paralyzing him. Mongilla's dorsal fins began glowing purple, and then he unleashed his toxic beam into Negative Way Big's mouth, destroying his neck and detaching his head from the rest of his body. Mongilla then dropped what remained of the head, and began walking away. His eye then dropped a toxic, purple tear, then let out an agonizing roar. The scene panned into his mouth, the darkness transitioning to Alan's pupil again as it panned back out in present day, having a tear mirroring the one that Mongilla had.]
Alan: ...I couldn't let someone that dangerous have that power, but... I'm sometimes scared I'm just as bad. [pauses and sniffles, then chuckles] I-I guess all three of us have some shit to work out.
[Blake tightened her grip around Alan's hand, and he looked at her with a soft smile.]
Alan: ...Maybe we don't have to ambush her. We can finish what I started.
Blake: [ears move curiously] What do you mean?
----
[May stood in the middle of the road, causing an armored truck to stop. Robyn opened the back doors; upon doing so, her eyes widened, her shoulders tensed, and she let out a small startled noise. Yang and Blake stood in the doorway with their hands up in surrender.]
Yang: Robyn-
[Robyn turned and waved her hand to signal her Huntresses.]
Robyn: Scramble!
Blake: No, wait!
[Robyn and the other Happy Huntresses fled, and Blake and Yang chased after Robyn.]
Robyn: Split up, and regroup at the hideout.
[Alan then jumped from the truck when the coast was clear. Upon hitting the Simplicitrix, his body turned into a large, brown mass, taking on the form of Pyxl-Loaf. He looked up at one of the Mantle rooftops, and put out his hand, using breadcrumb pixels to extend his arm, stretching himself up to the top. Robyn ran across a busy road, just as cars began speeding by. She ran down an alley, while Blake looked up at a balcony across the street. Blake threw the kusarigama of Gambol Shroud at the balcony and used it to swing across the street and into the alleyway, where she gave chase. She swung the kusarigama and threw it at Robyn, who leaped over it, ran up a wall, and leaped across the alley, dodging another of Blake's attempts to hook her. Robyn tucked, rolled, and turned to face Blake while deploying her crossbow. She fired three bolts in rapid succession, and Blake dodged them.]
Blake: Please stop, we just want to-
[Robyn charged forward and swung her weapon's bladed wings at Blake, who blocked it with her katana. She swings again, but Blake blocked with her cleaver. Robyn spun around, places her foot on Blake's leg, and used it to leap into the air while pushing Blake down. She raised her weapon up and slashed downward as she descended. Blake put both of her swords up to block and deployed a clone mixed with Fire Dust. Blake then fired her gun at the fire clone while she leaped back, just as Robyn brought her weapon down on the clone, causing it to explode. During the explosion, Robyn blocked with her weapon, and Blake did a couple of back-handsprings. Yang jumped down from a roof to Robyn's right and attempted to grab Robyn in her arms as she landed, but Robyn leaped away. Yang straightened up and shot three fire bullets at Robyn, who blocked them with her weapon. Once the fire bullets were done hitting Robyn's weapon, Blake approaches her and swings her katana, causing Robyn to step back and dodge it. Immediately afterward, Blake bends down, allowing Yang to run up her back and leap over Robyn, firing a bullet at her from above, which Robyn blocked. Yang flipped over Robyn and landed behind her, while Blake straightened up and spun around to slash with her katana. Robyn blocked the katana with her leg and then blocked a bullet-backed punch from Yang with her weapon a fraction of a second later. She turned to Blake while pushing Yang away, causing the latter to stumble. She then fired a crossbow bolt at Blake, who blocked it with her swords. Robyn turned around to face Yang, who had steadied herself, while Blake sheathed her cleaver and shifted her katana into kusarigama mode. Robyn slashed at Yang, who blocked with her gauntlet. Blake threw her kusarigama, and Robyn leaned out of its way. Yang catches the sickle and pulls, while Blake leaped toward Robyn. Blake put her feet out in front of her, being pulled by Yang, and once her feet planted themselves against Robyn's abdomen, Blake kicked off from her, sending her into a circular pavilion. Robyn slid to a stop and backed away, while Blake and Yang ran to meet with her. She glared at them from the shadows, gripping her arm.]
Robyn: If Ironwood wants me, he'll have to send more than a couple of kids.
He did.
[Robyn's eyes widened as she turned about, seeing a mass of purple, orange, and green blocks building up a wall behind her, with Bloxx's face forming at the top of it.]
Bloxx: Robyn. Please.
Robyn: [aims her crossbow at Bloxx] So much for not working for Ironwood, huh, Lion Mane?
Bloxx: Working for and working with are two different things.
[Bloxx deconstructed the wall and formed back into his default form before hitting the Simplicitrix, becoming human.]
Yang: Stopping the truck alerted the Ace-Ops. We don't have much time, so please listen to us. You need to know the truth.
Robyn: You're stalling.
Blake: [quickly] Amity Colosseum, all these supplies, they're for…
[Blake paused and looked to Yang, who nodded to her.]
Blake: They're for a new communications tower.
Robyn: That doesn't make any sense.
Alan: Robyn. You trusted me out in the tundra, yeah?
Robyn: You told the truth once, that doesn't make you trustworthy all the time.
[Alan thought silently for a moment before calmly putting his hand out, his earnesty in doing so catching Robyn by surprise. Blake and Yang looked on curiously.]
Alan: Clover knew about your Semblance, didn't he? That's why he didn't take your hand out in the tundra. Well, I know about it, too. And I am willing to take your hand right now. I trust that what you want is just what's best for Mantle. But that trust needs to be a two way street, yeah?
[Robyn hesitated, but sighed. Keeping her guard up, she walked over to Alan, and took his hand, causing the pale Aura to come over the both of their hands again.]
Alan: Ironwood's Amity project is converting the colosseum into a new communications tower to reunite Remnant.
[The Aura once again changed to green, surprising Robyn as she pulled her hand away.]
Yang: ...Handy Semblance.
Alan: Damnit, Yang.
Robyn: [visibly confused] Why keep that a secret?
Blake: Because he doesn't know who he can trust. Atlas isn't out to get anybody. The people murdering civilians in Mantle are just trying to make it look that way. And if those same people learn about Amity, they'd do everything in their power to destroy it.
Robyn: So, who are "they"? Who's actually behind this?
Harriet (voice coming through Yang and Blake's communicators and the Simplicitrix's comms): Alan, Yang, Blake, where are you?
Yang: We can't tell you that part yet.
Robyn: Bullsh--
Yang takes a few steps toward Robyn.
Yang: Look, we are trusting you, so trust us when we say that Amity Tower needs to stay a secret until it's done. We just need a little more time.
They hear soldiers' voices echoing in the distance.
Soldiers: This way, come on, over here. We saw them over this way.
Blake: Run, we'll throw them off.
[Blake and Yang ran off the way they came, and Robyn turned to Alan.]
Robyn: I won't stop until I know the whole truth.
Alan: I know. Go. I'll help stall them.
Robyn: You? The one with all the answers on his wrist?
Alan: ...I can tell them I got the wrong alien.
Robyn: That's a thing?
Alan: Sure. Well, not anymore, really, not now that I've gotten good at it. But they don't know that. Watch. I can say I'm going for Slowth so I can slow you down-
[Alan activated his Simplicitrix, intentionally not picking Slowth, as his body changed to be mostly black, with blue bands on his arms, legs, torso, and one around his face where the indentation of would-be eyes are. The symbol appeared on his chest.]
Yannequin: And I get Yannequin instead.
Robyn: ...What kind of an alien name is Laurdoll?
Laurdoll: ...Right. Yeah. Just... Go. Now.
[Robyn narrowed her eyes as she backed into the shadows, then ran off. Yannequin stayed behind watching her, before jumping onto the nearest fire escape of a building and climbing his way to the roof.]
----
[Team RWBY and Alan resided in their dorm, each sitting or laying on their respective beds. Alan lied on Weiss' bed with her sitting on the edge near him. A knock was heard at the door; Ruby jumped down from her bed and opened it to see the person on the other side.]
Ruby: ...Oscar? What is it?
Oscar: [concerned look] We should talk.
[A few moments later, the group had formed a circle, with them either having concerned looks, or pondering ones. Weiss, however, had a skeptical look. Weiss' scroll closed after finishing up a newscast regarding Jacques Schnee.]
Weiss: Only my father would turn a hostile takeover into a fluffy PR move.
Ruby: On the news, he said he just wanted to break bread and hash things out. Maybe it won't be so bad? We do want the General to start opening up to these people, right?
Oscar: Yeah, but on his terms. Ironwood's going to be locked in a room at his rival's own dinner party. I know Jacques says he's happy to moderate, but all that really means is he'll be the one controlling the conversation.
Blake: Not hard to imagine how that's gonna play out.
Weiss: I still can't believe he won. Robyn was supposed to be the people's champion, wasn't she? (sighs) There's just too many coincidences.
Yang: You really think your dad might have something to do with Salem?
Weiss: I think my father would do whatever it takes to win.
Alan: ...In that case...
[Alan stood up, looking out the window at Atlas.]
Alan: Let's do the same.
Oscar: What did you have in mind?
Alan: We're going to Schnee Manor. If anyone's gonna be able to get around that place to get some answers without arousing suspicion, they'd be a Schnee. Right, Weiss?
Weiss: You've got to be joking.
Alan: You said, or rather implied, it yourself. It just doesn't make sense that Jacques won. So. We need to find out how that happened. And you're our best bet. ...I could... be backup. If you'd like.
Ruby: How do you expect to get through without being noticed?
Yang: [smirking] It would be so unbecoming and uncouth for the former SDC heiress to sneak away from a party with her boyfriend.
Weiss: [flustered] What's that supposed to mean?
Alan: That's... not really what I meant. I've got plenty of stealth aliens. I can be in and out with Weiss and no one will notice.
Yang: [trying to stifle giggling] You're almost making this too easy.
[Blake's eyes widened at Yang's insinuation, elbowing her arm gently with a giggle of her own, all the while Weiss' flusteredness only increased.]
Oscar: Can we please focus? If Alan's willing to go with Weiss to see what's up, then that's at least two people we can have on the inside. I say we go for it.
[Weiss and Alan traded glances, with the latter giving a quick wink. Weiss blushed before her expression became determined.]
==Major Events==
*Alan reveals that he killed the Richard of his universe.
*Blake, Yang, and Alan elaborate on the Amity Project to Robyn, following up Alan's vague explanation to her in the previous episode.
*Pyxl-Loaf, Bloxx, and Yannequin debut.
===Simplicitrix Debuts===
*Pyxl-Loaf
*Bloxx
*Yannequin
==Characters==
*Alan Nomaly
*Ruby Rose
*Weiss Schnee
*Blake Belladonna
*Yang Xiao Long
*Nora Valkyrie
*Lie Ren
*Qrow Branwen
*Oscar Pine
===Ironwood's Group===
*General Ironwood
*Winter Schnee
===Ace Operatives===
*Clover Ebi
*Harriet Bree (voice)
===Happy Huntresses===
*Robyn Hill
*May Marigold (cameo)
*Fiona Thyme (cameo)
*Joanna Greenleaf (cameo)
===Villains===
*Tyrian Callows (criminal file)
*Richard Nomaly (flashback)
==Aliens Used==
===Alan Nomaly===
*Mongilla (flashback)
*Pyxl-Loaf (debut, cameo)
*Bloxx (debut)
*Yannequin (debut, "selected alien" was Slowth)
===Richard Nomaly===
*Negative Way Big (flashback)
==Allusions==
*The way Mongilla defeated Negative Way Big was a nod to how Godzilla did the M.U.T.O.s and Ghidorah in the MonsterVerse.
*Alan's response to Yang's pun is intentionally reminiscent of the "Damnit, Barb!" reaction people have to puns made by Barbara Dunkelman, Yang's voice actress.
*Robyn remarking that Alan has "all the answers on his wrist" is a nod to a line of dialogue in RWBYA wherein Yang insinuates Alan has an answer for everything.
==Trivia==
*This is the second episode of The RWBYA Adventures to have scrapped a Wildmutt appearance, after A Night Off. Wildmutt was going to be the one to cut Robyn off in the alleyway. Bloxx was opted into the episode instead to use more aliens that The Alan 10 Adventures won't feature.