-SgtSnowcone
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, I only own my OCs.
Missing In Action:A RWBY Original Fanfiction
Chapter 0: Prologue
The Alpha Beowolf roared down the road, searching amongst the torn-up buildings and broken shadows for something. The constant crackle of gunfire with the occasional explosion accompanied it in its mad hunt for its target. No stranger to the sounds of warfare, this particular Alpha was cunning, and knew how to track its prey with more than just negative emotions. As it passed one particular alley, a whiff of something foreign crossed its nose, just as quickly vanishing as the Beowolf passed the alley. The Beowolf quietly crawled to the alley, its senses alert.
There it was.
The now-familiar scent, typical of the human race, was fresh and strong. There must be several humans, and they must've just been here. As the Beowolf snuck through the alley, the scent grew stronger still, along with a particular chorus of gunfire. As the Beowolf rounded a corner, its red eyes swept the area, searching. Nothing to be found, although the gunfire was undeniably close. The Alpha continued to sneak forward, crawling up into a gaping hole in the second story of an apartment building where the alley ended. The scent continued to grow stronger, while the gunfire grew deafening as the Beowolf moved through the building toward the front. It could pick out yelling amid the noise of battle as well. They were close. As it entered an apartment, the noise blocked out all thought as the Beowolf found another hole in the building and scanned the road below it. The gunfire was unmistakably to the left. Leaping out of the hole, the Beowolf laid eyes on a group of humans running down the road toward it, madly firing at a large assortment of the Alpha's brothers chasing them. The Beowolf stormed silently down the road, eager for battle yet not so eager as to waste its biggest advantage: surprise.
The leader of the group turned.
"Contact, front!"
BLAM, BLAM!
PFC James Rockwell, Atlas Reactionary Force
Vale, 2244:23
"Contact, front!" PFC James Rockwell yelled as he raised his Peacekeeper and fired, killing the Grimm that had ambushed them. As more than a few soldiers of Titan squad turned to face the new threat, he hurriedly yelled, "Clear!" before turning around and adding his fire to the mass of bullets aimed at the horde pursuing them.
"Honestly, the el-tee could've formed a strategy to counter ambushes from the front. At least he could've named some guys to face forward at all times. I mean, rea-" James was forced to come back to reality as a Creep overtook the squad.
"Tracer, five rounds left!" a soldier yelled, his voice cracking.
"Catch!" James replied, tossing an energy cell to him. The soldier caught it and slammed it into his rifle, only to be clawed by another Beowolf and sent flying, hitting a brick wall headfirst with an ominous crack.
"Fall back to that red apartment building! Founder, Rockwell, Purmite! Cover our six!" Lieutenant Silbur ordered. Rockwell stopped, toggled the fire selector on his Peacekeeper to automatic, and opened up on the Grimm, hearing the two men with him do the same.
"I say again, secondary exfil has been compromised! A damn Nevermore shot down the dropship! We are proceeding on foot down west Gemstone, passing the local Dust 'till Dawn chain!"
As the rest of Titan reached the apartment building, Lieutenant Silbur shouted over the noise, "Grand, Hunk, Drac', light 'em up!" and as the three heavy weapons specialists started mowing down Grimm, "Rockwell, Founder, Purmite! Get over here!"
The three soldiers turned and sprinted to the door, ionized Dust bolts screaming by. As they entered the door, the three troopers covering them walked backward through the door behind them, firing as the went. When they were through, James and Founder started barricading the door as the rest of Titan settled down inside the small apartment.
"Ammo check." Silbur asked in the living room.
"I've got three cells left."
"I'm down to one."
"I've got half a tank left in my Legion," answered Hunk, leaning on a kitchen counter with Founder, Purmite, and James.
"Man, that's not gonna be enough if we go out there again." Founder commented.
Purmite, the youngest of the squad at a mere 16 years old, replied, "We're gonna die, aren't we?"
Founder shrugged, replying, "I don't know. The only way I see us all getting out of this is if they send another dropship, and even then it'll be tight. 'Course, you'd probably be the first t-"
"Enough of that, Private!" Silbur crossed the kitchen, frowning as he went. Pointing an accusing finger at Founder, he continued, "We're in a tight situation as it is, I don't want you demoralizing troops, either. The last thing we need is a Grimm ambush."
"Yessir!" Founder replied sarcastically, throwing a half-hearted salute.
Silbur glared at Founder for a few seconds, then nodded and exited the kitchen.
"Wonder what's his problem?" Founder asked.
Hunk replied, "You damn well know what his problem is, he's got enough on his plate trying to keep us alive, and you are repaying him handsomely for that! Maybe, if you'd actually help us out here and get me some ammo for Bertha here," he shook the large MG at his side, "then maybe the el-tee would actually give a damn about you!"
"I didn't do anything to him! He's just another rich kid who paid his way to his position...!"
James left as the argument for the past few weeks began anew. I thought that we were the best Atlas had to offer, he thought. Then again, I thought this assignment would be a cakewalk, too. Though he wasn't necessarily supposed to, James started taking stock of the situation. While ammunition was scarce, the high-performance weapons they carried would certainly send a ton of Grimm to the grave before Titan was overrun. The Peacekeeper, the standard-issue assault rifle of the ARF, was a particle-operated select-fire rifle that fired both conventional ammunition and the new 10.2mm ATLAS ionized dust bolt (said to put a Beowolf down in 3 shots or less). The fifty-round energy cell certainly helped if fire superiority was an issue. The Legion HMG, one of the only weapons to successfully incapacitate a rogue Huntsman, made up for its weight with a stunning 1500 rpm, firing condensed Dust plasma from a 200-round tank. And the aptly named Huntsman DMR is said to kill 5 Boartusks with just one shot of its crystal-prism energy assembly. But even if Titan was armed with the most powerful weapons, none of that would matter if the weapons couldn't fire. Maybe if they used the guns as clubs, they mig-
"Private Rockwell! What do you think you're doing?" Silbur asked.
Oh. James blushed when he realized he had been swinging a Peacekeeper as a sword. "Sorry, sir. I was just thinking if we used the guns as melee weapons, then we might be able to bludgeon our way back to the safezone."
The thirty-year old Lieutenant chuckled. "Son, we aren't Huntsmen. Get some rest, let me do the worrying. Someone'll wake you when it's your watch."
James nodded and wearily made his way to a couch in the living room, taking off his white Atlesian battle armor as he went. After dropping his Peacekeeper on the floor by the couch, he laid down and was asleep in seconds.
"Come on, James! We need to get there before the water level drops!" shouted 17-year-old Axel from down the path. 12-year-old James grabbed his lunch and hurried out of the shack.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he yelled back. James ran after his older brother as the sounds of Mistral's wildlife enveloped him. It was his first time out in the forest without Mother and Father, and James was refusing to spend that day alone. So when Axel agreed to teach him how to fish, James jumped at the chance. Now he found himself running down an old fishing path, quickly overtaking Axel.
"Come on, Axel! Hurry up," James yelled as he passed his brother. As he ran ahead, he noticed a dull roar in addition to the symphony of nature, and as he neared the river, the roar got louder. Finally, after one last bend in the path, he reached the bank and stopped. Eyes wide, James could only look on as the river, swollen to twice its size, rolled through before him. James knew the rains had been heavy, but never did he expect this! The river would feed his village for weeks! As he entertained thoughts of the tasty salmon and talipa the river would provide, Axel walked up beside him.
"Axel, just think! The fish we catch will feed us for YEARS!" James enthusiastically said.
"Whoah, slow down, little brother. We still have to catch them," was Axel's reply. As Axel began searching for a couple of long sticks, James excitedly started digging for worms. The two continued to work as the water slid by and the sun reached its zenith. Finally, after Axel had tested the finished fishing rods, the two settled down and Axel started teaching.
"So, the first thing a good fisherman needs is patience. The fish can sense whether or not you are patient, and if you aren't, they will know to keep away. But if you can be veeery still, then they will respect you for it and will grant you what you wish." Axel began.
"Can I wish for a sword?"
Axel chuckled and continued teaching. After he told James of the mental strengths fishing required, James grabbed a pole and swung it as hard as he could. He only had to wait for a little bit before a slight tremor ran down the length of his pole. "I got one!" he yelled triumphantly as he yanked the pole back, only to discover that his bait was gone.
Axel grinned and said, "See what I mean? It's a tough skill to learn. Even the best warriors in the world have trouble. Here, like this." Axel swung his fishing line out, and waited until an invisible tremor ran down it, then waited some more. Suddenly his line vibrated visibly, and with a good yank, Axel brought his prize back to shore. "There we go. Just wait until you feel the fish grab. Let's see you do it."
James swung his line out once more, and waited. And waited. And waited. "Why aren't they coming? I'm the most patient person in the world right now," James complained two hours later, fidgeting on his rock.
Axel landed his sixth catch of the day, and then replied, "You've got a worm on the hook, right? Here, let me take a look," when James answered yes.
Axel stepped up onto James' rock and stood behind him. "Aha! You've been putting your line too far out. It's been hitting the opposite bank. Try moving the line a bit closer."
James responded by swinging his line out once again, only not so strongly. Within a second, the same tremor hit his pole. "I think I've got something," he said. Axel walked over and put his arms around James in a hug as he grabbed the pole.
"Yup, it's there all right. Just wait a bit more... Hold... Now!"
James yanked the pole back with all his might, and almost cried when he saw the empty hook. "But... Where is it? I had it!" he said indigently.
"Look over there," Axel pointed to the bank.
James peered at the spot and noticed a fish trying desperately to enter the water. Running down to it, James grabbed it and brought it back, yelling, "YOU ARE THE BEST FISHER IN THE WORLD! Thanks Axel!"
The two fished long into the afternoon, racking up a lot of fish. Jame wasn't nearly as good as Axel, but he managed to catch five whole fish! As the sun neared the horizon, he was working on his sixth when Axel suddenly dropped his pole and stood up, peering at something in the distance.
"James, get up. Get up!"
"What is it? What's wrong"
"Smoke rising from the village. Leave the pole, come on! GET UP!"
"...et up! COME ON! GET UP!"
James leapt from his improvised bed, grabbing his Peacekeeper. Hunk, who had just shaken him awake, was now at the door, loading his Legion. "Hunk, what is it?" James asked.
"Grimm."
Oh shit! James hurried from living room to grab his armor as the rest of Titan geared up.
"Come on, get up!"
"We've got Grimm inbound to our sector!"
"I need a cell!"
"Take this!"
"Command says that evac is impossible with the way thing are going at Beacon!"
"Shit! Get geared up, we are leaving!"
James, now outfitted in his armor, crouched behind a window and peered out. The darkness was complete, not even a lamp illuminated the street. Purmite turned his flashlight on just as a pair of red eyes emerged from the darkness.
"Here they come, OPEN FIRE!"