Deaged Oz AU - Atlas Hospital Scene Part I
On reflection, Oz definitely regretted trusting Maria to land the airship. Not only had they crashed, they'd crashed badly enough that even their active auras hadn't entirely shielded them from injury. At least those who had responded to the wreck had taken them to a hospital first, instead of directly to prison. Even if it was a military hospital. Had he mentioned yet that he hated hospitals? Because he really, really did. His mind felt sort of fuzzy, though, just how much of whatever it was they'd pumped him with had he been given?
And were the others alright? The room he was in was small and slightly blurry to his tired eyes, but he seemed to be the only occupant. He tried to sit up, quickly regretting it as the world spun. Maybe the others, being larger, hadn't been hurt as badly? Yes, that must be it. They were still angry with him, after all. Maybe they just didn't care enough? That was, after all, his fault too. He couldn't blame them, really, even if it hurt slightly that Oscar hadn't come. He was used to it. Had gotten used to it. He'd be alright.
Giving up on attempting to move, he settled back down into the pillows. That was rather strange, really. He'd been in military hospitals before, but they'd never seemed this comfortable. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift, hoping things might make more sense when he woke up. Or at least that he would have worked out the best way to leave. It was his war, after all, not theirs, none of them had signed up for... this...
General Ironwood was angry. Well, furious, really. The report of the airship crash had made its way to his ears almost immediately, and to make it worse, it was one that had been reported stolen a few days ago. To make it worse still, there had apparently been children on board. And, of course, to top it all off, Qrow was involved. Of course he was, he always seemed to be.
Shoulders stiff, he strode into the barren little cell that was Qrow's current abode, glaring at him.
"Care to explain what you thought, smuggling children into Atlas, Qrow?" He bit out. "Or does lockdown mean absolutely nothing to you? What was so important you had to come here, and what made you feel bringing children was a good idea?"
"Beacon fell, Jimmy. Haven fell, too. Atlas is next, we needed to be here to stop it. Speaking of, are the kids okay?"
"The kids, as you call them, are mostly alright. The teenagers are in a cell a few doors down from yours, waiting on an explaination. You're all here to help?"
"Well, yeah. Why else would we come all this way? Wait, most of the kids? Jimmy... Jimmy, where's Oz?"
"... Oz? The little boy they found is... why exactly couldn't you tell me this over a scroll, Qrow? Or at least warn me? I wouldn't have locked you up. Oz is in a hospital room. Military, protected of course, but... if I'd known, I would have gone to see him first. I've been rather lost without him."
Qrow inclined his head, acknowledging the General's point. He raised an eyebrow and the cuffs and Ironwood, grumbling slightly, unlocked them.
"Alright, you're free to go. I'll release your other charges on the way. And Qrow? Don't do this again, you were lucky not to be shot out of the air." James fingered his gun, pointedly, and Qrow chuckled. It was a wet, tired sound.
"What happened to Maria?"
"The old lady that was piloting? She's perfectly alright, in fact we freed her first, she seemed relatively harmless and she at least had a valid appointment. What if I hadn't heard you were here?"
"You, Jimmy? Not hearing something. Psh, you know everything in Atlas. It's what you do, I knew you'd find us." Qrow's banter was doing very little to disguise the fear that had been in his voice since he'd heard Oz was in a hospital bed. He knew it had to be bad to get him to actually stay in one. But no, Ironwood would have told him if it was that bad. He had to have done, right?
Ironwood, striding out of the room quickly, barely paused long enough to let the teens out of the cell, paying no attention whatsoever to their surprised complaints. Grumbling, however, he did stop long enough for the children to grab their weapons and, far more reluctantly, Qrow to grab his own. His eyes narrowed at the silver cylinder Qrow picked up too. It was confirmation, but the thought of Oz and whoever he'd hopped into being alone and defenceless in hospital? No. No, that wasn't going be allowed. Not again.
He growled slightly as a doctor made to impede his progress towards the lonely little hospital room that contained the newest incarnation of his close friend.
"I'm not in the mood, doctor, now get out of the way."
"Sir, with all due respect, there's something you need to know about the patient."
"Not. Now. Doctor."
"But..."
"But what?"
"We ran the boy's DNA against the criminal files as we always do, but sir, there was a match."
"I sincerely doubt the boy is a criminal. At least he'd better not be."
"Sir, no sir. The match was to a missing person's case, sir."
"I... beg your pardon?"
"I believe it to be in error, but still..." The doctor passed the General his scroll, saluted and moved out of his way. Ironwood nodded, he'd look at it later. Now? Oz was the only thing that mattered.
"Clear the room" he barked automatically on entrance, even though there was nobody there but a slight boy, fast asleep in the bed. The room really was ridiculously small, there was barely room for all of them. Behind him he could hear the teens shuffle awkwardly.
"Well? I don't think there's room for all of us."
"I'm staying" Qrow snapped, his voice hard.
"He's my BROTHER." Oscar chimed in, indignantly.
"I'm staying, too." Ruby echoed a second later.
"Pfft, whatever." Yang opined, "I'll stop by later. I guess. Coming Blake?"
Blake followed her out, as did Jaune, Ren and Weiss. With five additional people, it still felt cramped, but markedly less so than it had been before.
Ironwood reached out and shook the disturbingly familiar boy gently, trying to rouse him. Surely incarnations weren't meant to be that similar? He looked over to Qrow, almost accusing, only to be met with a slightly helpless shrug.
"It's still Oz. Mostly. Some sort of magic bullshit."
"The others here have been briefed?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then we can speak plainly." Ironwood nodded to himself, seemingly relieved.
The boy stirred, amber eyes cracking open.
"What? James? I... wait... Qrow? Oscar? You're actually here?"
Qrow sighed. "Of course we're here, Oz. Unlike you, we don't have cute privileges, we got locked up by the local guard."
Oz pouted at that. "I'm not cute."
Ironwood could not quite, even after all his years in the military, suppress his amused snort.
"Apologies Oz. It's good to see you again, my... young... friend."
"Oh, not you too? I don't even know what happened, the last thing I was aware of was my shield breaking. The working theory is that something in the maiden's magic interacted rather, well, strangely, with my own. Tell me you're here to get me out, at least?"
"Soon, Oz. Meanwhile, I think Qrow picked up something of yours."
Qrow handed him back the hilt to Long Memory and Oz grasped it in suddenly tight fingers. If he'd given it back, maybe he hadn't meant what he'd said? Maybe he still had at least a few friends? Groping for his glasses, he placed them on his nose and glanced around at the others. None of them were glaring at him for once, they didn't even look angry!
Ah, this must still be a dream them. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
"Hey Oz", Qrow interjected, something almost, but not quite like laughter in his tone, 'Did you know you're apparently a missing kid?"
"I... no? You know I have no real memories of a time before I started hearing my predecessor, Qrow. Why would I be a missing child? Especially here. James, are you sure your technology doesn't still have bugs in it? You know I'm from Vale."
"You... have no early childhood memories at all?" James' voice sounded strangely contemplative. Again, he chose to ignore the teens whispering to each other, sounding shocked and vaguely appalled.
"Well, no, not really. I have flashes but they've always felt like they were different people, different lifetimes. Not mine. I know it's unusual, but surely it's not that shocking?"
"No, Oz. It's not... that. You started hearing Ozma when you were approximately the physical age you are now, correct?"
"Yes. Part of me wishes I could recall my parents, at least, but alas... Ozymandias' voice was enough."
Qrow hissed. "It really, really wasn't, Oz. And you lot?" He turned to point at the whitefaced teenagers and a visibly furious Oscar. "Don't share anything you hear here with anyone else, the others chose to leave. If Oz chooses to bring them in, that's his choice, not yours."
"That would have been almost twenty five years ago, assuming that you're eleven." James' eyes darkened. "There was a kidnapping ring operating out of Atlas and Mantle at that point. They had access to a semblance that could wipe important memories from a mind. They used it to steal away children. One of them was my sister." His voice trembled, but he continued. "Oz, are you sure you're from Vale?"
"I... I never knew about your sister, I'm sorry for that, James. All I really know is that I was raised by some of Ozzy's advisors in Vale. It's why I was given Beacon, they wanted to protect me. I wasn't worth it, but they feared, I think. To have to find me again." He sounded hesitant, and his eyes briefly flashed gold, startling all of them.
"He does not remember." A deeper voice rumbled, filled with the sort of absolute authority even Oz had never quite managed. "There are many things he does not remember. It rather hinders remerging completely, if there are things you have found out, then I implore that you share them."
Everybody stared at Oz, or rather, whoever it was that was currently wearing his body. They'd never seen that happen before.
"Wait? You're not fully merged?" Qrow now sounded frantic and the look on Ironwood's face echoed it.
"We are and we are not. I refuse to so utterly usurp his identity for a second time, however our grace period is getting rather slender. He is more himself as Tip than he was as Ozpin, however whether that would currently fully survive? I must admit, I am rather uncertain."
Oz's eyes flashed again, he looked just as uncertain as the others in that moment and, briefly, very very young.
"I am uncertain exactly where the merge currently stands. We are merged, but it feels like something is shielding me from the worst of it. If it is Ozymandias then I must admit to a certain amount of relief."
His voice cut off as Oscar slid into the space next to him, draping one arm gently around his shoulders, Nora reaching out to ruffle his hair. Ruby still looked devastated, but he wasn't totally sure why.
Ironwood, meanwhile, had glanced down at the scroll. The amount of swear words he uttered was certainly impressive.
He stepped outside briefly, spoke to one of the guards, then re entered. Even though Oz was still sleepy from the stuff they'd given him earlier, he knew that whatever this was would not be good news.