Chapter Text
If I could describe how I felt before I went up on that stage, I would say I obviously felt nervous as I never spoke in front of such a big stage before, but it was overshadowed by how proud I was that I had finally made it to the top. That I was one step closer to accomplishing my goal. I still remember how that assembly went as I got up on that stage.
Weiss: “Citizens of Vale. I am Weiss Schnee. The new CEO of the international research and development and Dust excavation foundation, the Schnee Dust Company. Earlier this year, we lost our previous CEO, my father, Jacques Schnee at the hands of a villain who used to work with us and killed him out of revenge for his treatment of not only herself, but of all of our other staff. This treatment came about from fathers way of running the company after he took control from my grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, and ruined his legacy. Now I stand before you as the one who will fix what my father has broken. And as for my announcement, it stems from more of a personal reason. Fathers awful behavior didn’t just end with the company, but with his family as well. He pushed our family to its limit as he tried to mold it into his perfect image for the next generation of Schnee, but all he did was tear us apart. Mother became unnaturally distant from us. My older sister left us to try and improve the family’s reputation by joining the military. And my younger brother was the only one who fell under father’s influence and truly became his spitting image. Even I decided to take my schooling elsewhere in Remnant under the guise of broadening my horizons for the company when I was really just distancing myself from him. Because of that, while Atlas will always hold a place in my heart, I have become more fond of my life here in Vale than I have in Atlas. Which is why, effective immediately, the Vale branch of the SDC is now the new main branch of the company rather than Atlas, and I will operate the company from here. I am already in talks with potential candidates to run the Atlas branch.”
Velvet: “One last question, Ms. Schnee. What exactly is your opinion of the Scarlet Spider and all the other heroes in this town?”
Weiss: “If you want my honest opinion, I say that with the rise of super villains over the last few years, Vale needs all the help it can get. So as absurd as some people might think it is for me to say, I say heroes like the Scarlet Spider are a necessary force in our society. Especially since they have done nothing but help us since day one. And I hope one day, I’ll be able to do my part to help in that endeavor.” I took a quick moment to pause. “No more questions.” As I walk away and headed inside while security held back the press. I use the elevator to head up to my office on the top floor. Our current secretary, Neptune Vasilias, is waiting for me in the entryway before my office. He’s a man around my age. He has tanned skin, blue eyes, and cyan hair in an undercut. He wears a dark red jacket with a wide upturned collar over a white dress shirt and black tie, blue jeans and black slip-on shoes with dark gray soles. He graduated from Haven Academy and applied at our Mistral branch but was transferred out here as they had no openings. But sometime soon, I may have to transfer him again, as he’s a prime candidate of mine to take over the Atlas branch, depending on how well he does here before I make my final decision. Which I know might sound absurd given how new he is here, but I believe he can handle it judging by how well he did in business and management on his academic record.
Neptune: “Ah. Ms. Schnee. I take it the assembly went well?”
Weiss: “I believe my speech went well. But as for the world's reaction to it? We won’t know until later on. Was there anything you needed to tell me?”
Neptune: “Uh, just that the delivery of the supplies you ordered are on perfect schedule.”
Weiss: “Of course they are. My sister is leading the escort for the delivery. She wouldn’t settle for anything less. Project Myrtenaster will be the starting point of a new era for the SDC. Anything else?”
Neptune: “Nothing in business. But uh, you know, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to join me tonight for dinner? I’m going to a pretty good restaurant to celebrate my new job here.”
Weiss: “Sorry Neptune, but if your trying to ask me out on a date, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I’m not interested. Besides, I’m just getting started as CEO so I’m gonna be pretty busy for a while. Now if you’ll excuse me. I have work to do.” As I enter my office. I left the place pretty much the same. But then there's the matter of father's secret room behind the painting. I’ll have to go through everything he had and figure out what to do with it all and figure out what to do with the room itself. And not just here either, since he had one in all four branches. That was when I received an alert from PENNY, my AI assistant.
PENNY: “Ma’am? Ms. Rose is on approach.”
Weiss: “Open the hatch.” I installed a new window where a portion can slide open and seal shut. Made to still resemble the old window and hide my connection to the Scarlet Spider AKA my girlfriend Ruby Rose. The window opened and Ruby swung in as it closed behind her, and she took off her mask. I’ll never get tired of seeing that pretty face. Especially those beautiful silver eyes of hers. I can’t help but move in to give her a quick kiss.
Ruby: “Glad to see you're okay.”
Weiss: “Why? What happened?”
Ruby: “The Tinkerer. He sent out some weird tank mech out in the city during your assembly. On top of that, it looked like it was heading for the assembly.”
Weiss: “So now the Tinkerer is after my life? Just what in the world is he planning?”
Ruby: “I don’t know. And we obviously didn’t catch him. The tank was on auto pilot. Ilia is patrolling the vicinity for signs of any more potential threats. But if he’s really heading in that direction, then we should focus our patrol on the SDC for your safety.”
Weiss: “A good idea for now. But here soon, once Project Myrtenaster is done, I’ll be heading out of town to the Vale, Vacuo border for the demonstration to General Ironwood.”
Ruby: “Why out there? And what’s Project Myrtenaster?”
Weiss: “With any luck, it’ll be the steppingstone for reestablishing the SDC’s connections with BEACON. Now that I’m in charge, I’m sure they’ll have no problem working with us again. And as for the border, it’s because Vacuo’s deserts are the best place to test and demonstrate big weapons like this. Once Winter delivers the supplies I need, she’ll stick around until it's done to escort me and the weapon to the border.”
Ruby: “Well, if Winter is there, I guess I shouldn’t worry. Just please be careful out there. You know I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”
Weiss: “I know. And I will.” I give her a goodbye kiss before she left through the window. Afterwards, I go about my day before it’s time to go home and my ride shows up out front.
Klein: “Good evening Ms. Schnee.” After I took over the business, our families' butler came to Vale to work for me exclusively, leaving the other servants of the mansion to serve mother and Whitley, since I decided to stay in Vale. “To the manor as usual? Or somewhere to eat first?”
Weiss: “Home. I need to focus on this project without distractions.”
Klein: “Very well.” Being the head of the company meant I had greater resources to work with for my own projects. Which meant I needed a bigger lab to work with when not working in the office. So, I moved out of my penthouse and bought a small mansion on the city’s northern edge. One with a big basement that can fulfill my needs for a bigger lab. The night went about as expected. I spent my time in the lab working on the weapon, Klein had something made and brought down. The next day at work, Winter delivered the supplies and supervised the production and stayed with me in my home until the project was finished. Then came the day we had to leave. Winter and her men loaded the weapon in a military cargo truck ready for transport.
Winter: “It’s time for us to go. The general will meet us there. Are you ready?”
Weiss: “Just a minute.” As I turn to Klein, Ruby and Ilia. “I’ll only be gone for a few days tops. No matter what, I have to make this work.”
Ilia: “Don’t worry, we believe in you. Just do what you can.”
Klein: “Indeed. And please be careful out there.”
Ruby: “I agree with Klein. Please be safe.”
Weiss: “I will. I love you, okay?”
Ruby: “I love you too.” We have one last kiss before I join Winter in her truck and we head out. Meanwhile, Amoncio Glass can be seen in his office on his scroll.
Glass: “The transport is heading out of town now. Soon, she’ll be out in that wasteland ripe for the taking. Do whatever you have to do. Just make sure she dies!”
Caller: “Aye, aye captain.” Later on, we make it to the border and set up the weapon in the desert. General Ironwood arrives just as we finish setting up.
Weiss: “General.”
Ironwood: “Ms. Schnee. A pleasure as always. Though I must say, it was very bold of you to reach out to me like this.”
Weiss: “BEACON and the SDC had a good thing going when grandfather was in charge. I believe cooperation between us again can prove beneficial to the world.”
Ironwood: “So do I. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to see your demonstration first.”
Weiss: “Of course. If you and the others would please follow me.” I stand before Ironwood, Winter and a few other members of BEACON of importance. Such as an older looking dark skinned man in a dark red vest and hat with a light grey beard named Pietro Polendina, the current head of BEACON’s science division. Next to me is the weapon covered with a big sheet. “Ladies and gentlemen. I am Weiss Schnee. Current CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. And in the interest of reestablishing the connection between our two organizations, I have brought the latest piece of our weapons development program to demonstrate. I give you...” As I yank off the sheet. “The Myrtenaster Missile.” A large missile with white plating sits ready to be fired. “The idea behind the size of this missile is not the kind of damage it can do. But how much firepower it can carry with. Inside the missiles shell are several smaller rounds filled with various elemental Dust for a variety of different attacks over a widespread battle. And for the safety of non-enemies, the rounds targeting is advanced enough to know who is friend and foe depending on its programming before being fired. Prime example.” I brought out a remote to pop out several test dummies in the empty desert behind me. Half marked with the Atlas emblem, the other half being marked with the White Fang insignia. And they all have been spread out randomly. I grab the control panel and join the group a short distance away from the missile. I program the missile to target anything with the White Fang insignia and... fire! The missile takes off into the sky, and the white plating comes off to fire off the Dust rounds, and they home in on the White Fang dummies. We see several elemental effects on the field as they hit the dummies. And when the dust settles, we see only the Atlas dummies still standing. All present attendees give their applause as the main missile circles back around and return to the launch pad. “And as an added bonus, the main missile is one less expense to worry about when reloading.”
Ironwood: “Very intriguing. I think this could prove to be useful in future endeavors.”
Pietro: “A very headfirst approach. But I suppose that’s what's best in certain situations.”
Ironwood: “Sounds to me like you’ll be getting your wish, Ms. Schnee.” As we work to clean up the mess for the return trip, Winter noticed something glinting in the sky.
Winter: “INCOMING!” Everyone ducked and covered as a small missile landed and blew up. We all had to scramble as more came in. But because of how many were coming, though most of us survived, the rest of us were knocked out. Including me as I saw a missile up-close before it blew up... and I saw the SDC emblem on its side. It was at this point that my life truly took a major turn. But whether for better or for worse, I couldn’t say just yet.