The Argon Tempest, Atlas' pride and joy, one of the newest and shiniest airships curtesy of the SDC, a civilian passenger vessel with its very own SDC security based within walking distance of the Bridge, leadership entrusted to a retired Atlas Navy Captain. Well over forty men were armed on this vessel, not counting the six men assigned to protect the VIPs that were currently traversing on the ship, the Heiresses of the SDC and her little sister.
Security was tight, by Atlesian law, only its security forces and Huntsmen usually carried weaponry, exceptions being private security firms, such as SDC Security. Dust was also carefully regulated when boarding vessels such as this, with the recent heel turn of the once peaceful White Fang and the emergence of a far more…violent group based in Vacuo.
Indi Chartreuse found much difficulty in obtaining his supplies for his most honored mission, Dust detectors didn't pick it up on their scanners but the fear of a random pat down as his target's bodyguards approach was fresh in his mind. He glanced up from his newspaper as the black suited stony men eyed everyone behind their sunglasses.
He however didn't let his fear get to him, the Human man shut those thoughts out of his mind, even though some sweat did form on his brow. The first two passed him without so much a word, the two after glanced over him yet thought nothing of the former miner. No one ever did, which was why he was here to begin with, no one cared about him, about his Faunus wife who lost her life in that mine collapse in the old SDC mine, or about how his son cried himself to sleep at night.
No one but Him, who he shall not fail.
Indi finally did catch sight of his queries though, nearly identical in every way aside from the height difference. White hair, porcelain doll skin, and those ocean blue eyes, just two little dolls on Jacques strings. The man's heart quickened as he prepared to make his sacrifice, to give a message to the SDC, to Atlas, to all of the Kingdoms and their institutions, one they wouldn't soon forget.
Yet, his hand stayed when the youngest Schnee girl and his eyes met. Innocence, ignorance of youth, the lively look of a child with her whole life ahead of her, a future that seemed bright with the privilege, the luck of being born to the richest family arguably in the world. Though they were two radically different people, he couldn't help but think of his son when he saw the girl's eyes.
Chartreuse felt a pang of guilt in his heart, he stared a thousand yards at his newspaper, a tear or two tugging at his eyes. He had reservations about killing these children, but he was assured that their sacrifice would lead to a greater future, one of peace and safety, one his son could live in without fear of the Grimm or the failures of Man.
His hesitance costed him though.
While the man was busy with his conflicting morals, the Schnee girls were already entering an elevator with their guards, the youngest girl, Weiss, wondering why exactly the man she passed was tearing up. Her wonder ceased when the doors closed and the journey to the Bridge was continuing unimpeded.
By the time Indi realized his mistake, it was far too late. He sprung up and sprinted towards the elevator as it was closing, just in time to see the guards reach for their pistols and to see the confusion of the Schnee girls, "NO!"
He slammed against the door, trying to pry it open, alarming the dozen or so fellow passengers in the room, including a few stationed SDC Security men. Their weapons were live, and they were prepared to apprehend the man, their orders however fell on deaf ears as Indi just stared at his reflection on the metal doors, eyeing the armed men. He failed his part, yet he believed his honor and soul could still be salvaged, that he could give the Plan B Team their window of opportunity to succeed where he failed.
Taking in a deep breath, Indi shrugged off his trench coat, the men behind him gasped as they slowly started to back up, barking at the other passengers to flee whilst they called for back-up. Indi Chartreuse turned to face them, his right hand raised with the detonator, a Scroll, in hand.
"FOR THE BROTHERHOOD OF NOD! FOR KANE!"
Though he was shot through the head by an SDC guard, his deadman's switch had already been activated, the release of pressure resulted in a Tiberium suicide bomb weighing several pounds to go off, disintegrating the Atlesians before they could scream. Green fire blew out of the port side of the ship, causing a breach in hull cabin pressure, on its own it made the whole ship shift to the side, an experienced airship captain would however be able to realign his ship after sealing off the deck where the explosion originated. Indi however knew that before blowing himself up, so he had rigged three other Tiberium bombs to the same frequency of his trigger, not a second after his explosion a few more rocketed the ship, sending it on a steady decent towards the ocean off Vale's coast.
Thankfully for the Schnee's their guards had locked arms and used themselves as a cushion for the girls when their elevator rocked violently. Winter herself at her age of eighteen covered her thirteen-year-old sister as they were thrown around, while the guards weren't the best thing to cushion the shock of being thrown about, it was better than hitting the elevator themselves even with Aura.
Her teeth ached as she gritted her teeth the whole time, when the elevator finally stopped shaking she looked down at Weiss, checking her over, "Weiss! Are you hurt!?"
"N-no!" Her sister looked to and fro, confusion and fear written all over her face, "What was that?"
Two of the guards were already setting themselves to prying open their elevators doors, grunting and hissing as they tried to override the emergency protocol of the elevator with brute force. One guard lied motionless, slumped against a corner with his sunglasses barely on the bridge of his nose, blood was splattered on the railing.
One of the men threw his jacket over his deceased colleague, his attention was turned to the fifth guard as he held his arm. Winter watched as they carefully removed the man's jacket and used it to make a sling for his arm, the two at the door were yelling for someone on the other side to hear, she felt Weiss try to look at the sixth man, but she covered her eyes, "Don't look Weiss."
"Is he-"
"Don't, just don't." Winter felt her eyes sting from a mixture of smoke and pity for the man that protected them, taking as much air as possible she calmed herself, so she could focus. Raising her hand towards the door she summoned a glyph that increased both men's strength, they managed to pry open the door, one of them climbed up with his pistol drawn as he leaned again the left side with his right foot propped up against the right door.
His partner came up next, he held his hand out to the Schnees with a pleading look in his eyes, "Hurry! We don't have time!"
Winter lifted Weiss and thrusted her towards despite her sister's protests, when was safely handed off, the man behind her boosted her up, following close behind her. She watched as they tried to pull of the man the broken arm, but to her horror the ship shook again and the elevator broke free of its locks, though it was for only a second, his scream would haunt her for the rest of her life as they were embraced by frigid air where the elevator used to be.
The guards looked on for a moment but steeled themselves as they forced the Schnee girls into a sprint, the jacketless guard scooped Weiss up and ran with her, ignoring her indignation of being carried like a princess. Up ahead she could see panicked passengers and SDC Security scurrying around, dazed, confused, their fear would attract air and nautical Grimm like fat kids to a buffet. Initially she thought that would be the worst of their troubles, until she looked out a window as three black ships carrying the sigil of a red scorpion's tail and that of a black hand on red background, she had a feeling that the Grimm were soon going to be the least of their worries now.
One of the ships went above the ship, whilst the other two went along the Port bow, one broke off and went towards the mast while the other went for the stern, all on the same level as the Schnee girls.
'How do they know where we are?' Winter thought as rocket fire from the vessels tore big holes in the Argon, they were nearly slamming into the Argon itself as their fireteams boarded the ship. The intercom rang out as a deep nearly robotic voice spoke into it, making the crew and passengers wince at the clashing monotone filter from the speaker's mask.
"To all aboard this vessel," The voice purred through the ship, "you have been graced by the Brotherhood of Nod, by the Black Hand of Kane, the Messiah. He has wrought unto thee his wrath, yet He has seen fit to show mercy to those that would assist the Brotherhood. Upon this vessel are two little girls, blue eyes, white hair. Bring them before us if you wish for mercy, seek deliverance from this doomed vessel or thou shalt be smitten by holy flame, thus is the word of Kane."
Sweat ran down Winter's brow, she saw the people, passengers and some of the more fearful guards looking their way, fear and intent made clear. The jacketless bodyguard set Weiss down behind Winter as he faced the dozen or so people with his pistol drawn, his comrades covering the Schnee sisters, "Step aside. Now."
"They just want the Schnees," One of the disheveled Atlesian aristocrats said with a stern look in his eyes, "just two girls and we all go home."
"Step. Aside. Now." The jacketless bodyguard growled as he drew a bead on one of the traitorous security guards in the crowd, his hand leveled with his holstered weapon, meeting the bodyguard's glare.
"This isn't fair! Why are we all going to die for some spoiled little girls from the most corrupt family in Atlas!?" A passenger cried with an iron pipe in hand.
Winter's eyes were steely as she kept Weiss behind her, hearing her sister whimper on the verge of tears ignited a fire within her, "You either move, or I move you."
She drew her blade and raised it to the crowd, her resolve proving to make the group hesitate momentarily. A shotgun rang out, forcing the mob to the ground out of fear, the ship's captain stood with several of his airship sailors. He had a bandage covering burns on his left arm and left side of his face, "Shame on you! All of you! Relieve those men of their weapons and arrest them, escort this rabble to the shuttles in sector Delta near the stern. Heiress! We'll escort you to your shuttle, this way!"
Several sailors stripped the guards in the mob of their weapons, they forced everyone into single file by the time the Schnees and their guards passed by the crowd, ignoring the dirty looks or the repentant pleading from the disgraced SDC Security men. Captain Jonathan Algae and his seamen lead the party down the hall, checking corners with haste as the ship whined a groaned in its descent, "The Brotherhood took the Bridge, but we managed to secure the protocol codes to launch the shuttles, they can't keep people from leaving now. Somehow these psychos knew exactly where to hit us, they must have a man on the inside."
"You think they know our route?" The Jacketless bodyguard asked, he loosened his tie as sweat caked his body from the intense heat and stress of the past ten minutes.
The Captain nodded, "More than likely, but there's no other way, we have to go through them."
"What about the shuttles in Delta?" One of the bodyguards asked.
"Not viable," The Captain said with a stern face, "I hate to say this, but they are probably all going to die, haven't got any guns that can take out Nod's birds."
Winter looked at the man incredulously, her thoughts evident on her fair features, "You just sent those people out there to die!?"
The Captain gave her a fiery glare as he slowed down to match her pace, "I got priorities Madame Schnee, that's getting you and your sister outta here, those folks were ready to throw you two to the wolves, remember that!"
"Fear makes people do stupid things!" She spat back, the guilt of knowing that the deaths of well over a dozen people were going to be on her and Weiss' hands sickened her, the casualness of the Captain made her even more outraged.
"Its either you two or them, there isn't enough room on your shuttle, I don't doubt this "Nod" wouldn't have killed them anyway." The Jacketless bodyguard callously told her, "If you need to abandon us to live, you damn well do it Winter!"
The Heiress, though she was still running, was stunned, she had never once believed her bodyguard, David Cerulean, would say such a thing. For the three years she had known him, he had been the more gentlemanly of bodyguards, never once showing frustration or annoyance, always speaking gently, listening without having to be asked. She had even developed a bit of a teenage crush for him even though he was five years her senior, yet what he just said shook her to the core.
"Are you insane!?" She demanded, "I'm not going to leave any-"
"If you love your sister then you will!" David shot back with thunder, "Its our job, let us do it!"
"It's not going to come to that!" Winter screamed back.
Before their shouting match could go further, they entered into a recreational dining quarter, breathing space for passengers to mingle and dine in. It extended to the floor above and allowed a breath-taking view for what was basically a large sunroof its occupants to enjoy.
Large enough for a gunship to fit through.
David quickly tackled the Schnee sisters as one of the Black Hand gunships crashed through the stainless glasses, the SDC bodyguards and sailors hit the deck as miniguns opened fire. One sailor popped up to fire off a few rounds but couldn't even draw a bead before getting turned into pink mist, his Aura breaking almost instantly.
Winter forced her eyes to stay open and prevent herself from succumbing to stark terror, she lied still underneath her bodyguard as the Nod gunship fired wildly, being unable to maneuver enough to shred all SDC aligned Humans. Her eyes met David's as the world around them started to splinter, in the heat of the moment she smashed her lips against his, finding the courage she needed, she shouted after separating, "Protect Weiss!"
Winter slid out from underneath her bodyguard in a flash, she raised her hand to summon a glyph just in time to block the blizzard of bullets from the gunship, sending them through the hull of the Argon. Gritting her teeth and using as much Aura as she could muster, the Heiress directed the flow of Nod ammunition to the right engine of their dreaded Devilbird.
Tasting their own metal proved too much, the engine exploded in a horrendous flash, off setting its equilibrium. Without true purpose or direction, the gunship veered to the left as it spun, tearing further through the Argon Tempest before embedding itself in a mess of metal, fuel, and fire. With a wild grin, the Schnee Heiresses fell to her knees as her sister rocketed into her, holding her in a steel-like grip.
The SDC bodyguards and sailors dusted themselves off, giving the poor sailor that was shredded a glance but then focused on the Schnee sisters and gave out a cry of praise. David stood blinking for a moment, feeling his lip while looking at Winter, the Heiress' cheeks dusted yet obviously pink, trying in vain to put a bang of her very disheveled hair back into place.
Captain Algae wiped his brow and sucked in a breath, "Lets celebrate later, we still got eighty yards to go!"
Winter quickly collected herself as did the men, she took Weiss's hand and followed after them. Everyone stumbled as the gunship's remaining fuel and ammo exploded, they just barely managed to close of the door to the dining room before fire engulfed the room.
Smoke stung at the Heiress' eyes fiercely, drawing out a stream of tears from both her and Weiss, David grasped their shoulders and made them bend down, "Stay lower, there's less smoke."
Her heart raced as she felt David's hand rest on her lower back, he softly patted her to show comfort, he whispered, "You alright? You seemed winded."
"I'm fine," She looked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile, "thanks for asking."
The look on David's face however turned stony if not annoyed, "Don't do something foolish like that ever again Winter, I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around."
Winter frowned and turned her eyes forward, she fumed to herself no matter how much she wanted to bark back. David was right in the sense that it was his job to protect her and Weiss, but they were in a pinch with the gunship with no other apparent means of taking it down. She found it odd though, that her thoughts weren't immediately on the men in the gunship she killed. There was no guilt that she could find, they may've been people, but they made their choice, perhaps later she'd feel a pang of grief? Or maybe none at all for the Nod soldiers, she didn't believe they deserved any, especially from her.
"Hey," David whispered in her ear, "you did do good out there."
A small smug grin crossed Winter's lips, "So is that a thank you for saving your life?"
The bodyguard grumbled under his breath, bringing a small amount of amusement to the Heiress. She glanced down at Weiss, her younger sister's face was nearly caked in ash and soot, much like her own, yet set in the usual Schnee look of indifferent frigidness.
Gently she rubbed her sister's back as they made it out of the smoke, "Weiss, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." She replied quietly.
Winter said nothing as she patted her little sister's back, she was in shock, Weiss wasn't yet in the live fire combat portion of her schooling yet and this whole ordeal was more than just a live fire exercise, it was the real deal. Captain Algae and a few of his sailors were the first to clear the bay leading to the SDC Executive shuttles, complete with their own anti-air craft weapons made for taking down Nevermore, and bigger.
"Alright, prep the bird boys, we'll set up a perimeter." Captain Algae said nodding to his First Mate and three other sailors. Just as they got the ramp for the shuttle though, they stopped dead in their tracks with looks of stark horror.
Then they all heard it, that terrible serpent-like hiss.
"Ru-AHHHHHHHHHH!" The First Mate cried as a long stream of flame engulfed him and the sailors, the smell of sizzling sickeningly sweet flesh mixed with the Dust infused oils of the Black Hand flamethrower, their screams filled the bay, forcing Winter and Weiss to cover their ears at the sheer intensity, the agony they heard chilling them despite the rise of temperature in the room.
David grabbed up both Schnees and jumped over a supply crate to avoid a stray steam. Gunfire opened up from seemingly everywhere as two dozen Nod Black Hand uncloaked themselves, their armor and Aura proving too powerful for the meager small arms fire of the sailors and SDC bodyguards. Though their Auras held for the first twenty or so bullets, they just couldn't take the sustained firepower after the exhaustion from their previous fight on the ship.
Even Captain Algae with all of his might could only put down one lesser Black Hand trooper, his body fell like a puppet with cut strings, his shotgun was torn apart from the barrage of bullets. A Confessor stepped on the old man's back, looking down with distain underneath his mask, "Foolish apostate."
The men that were hit with Black Hand flamethrowers were little more than piles of ash now, mixing with the blood of their compatriots who thought they were on their way to deliverance from this doomed vessel. The Confessor looked down at his wrist pad, checking the level of descent the ship was taking, they had less than a few minutes before this manifestation of sin was to meet its watery grave.
The Confessor looked towards the supply crate where the Schnees and their loathsome bodyguard cowered behind, "Come on out, I promise, if you give up willingly, I'll kill you quick."
Winter sneered as she gripped her sword, she glanced over at Weiss, despite the tears running down her cheeks, there was a look of outrage and hatred in her sapphire blue eyes as she held a pipe as a substitute for her sword. David had his handgun loaded and ready to fire with a magazine in his adjacent hand, ready to reload.
"Come on out! Or, we can burn you out like your infidel friends, the choice is yours, apostates." The Confessor mocked, he leveled his assault rifle at the crate, "On the count of three…one…two-"
Utilizing the power of speed glyphs, the Schnee sisters went around the crate faster than the Confessor or his troopers could track, with the momentary distraction, David vaulted over the crate, firing his whole magazine into the Confessor before tackling the stunned and confused Nod elitist. He channeled his Aura into his fists as he brought them against the elite's visor, doing all he could to keep him from getting back up or focusing.
Winter slashed three militants at once, sending them flying against the shuttle bay walls with sickening thuds, their bodies denting the wall. She dodged a sword swing from an armored militant and promptly kicked him upside his head, sending him against the shuttle itself. She caught a look at Weiss as she used her glyphs to deflect bullets fired from four other armored militants, they shot out their own weapons and promptly received no mercy from the younger Schnee girl as she struck them with her weapon of circumstance.
Weiss gritted her teeth as she had to use the foreign and heavy weapon, but her fear and pure rage kept her strong. She flew across the bay to clock an armored trooper armed with a shotgun, like lightening she parried another trooper's rifle and drove her boot up between his legs, making the man scream in a higher than rational octave. Utilizing her semblance, Weiss put up a barrier just as an armored trooper tried to tackle her, the soldier slumped down having knocked himself out.
A smile formed on the teen's face as she prepared to strike down another Nod trooper, she believed herself to be a class above the rabble of Nod, at least until a rifle stock collided with her weapon hand. Weiss let out a scream as she gripped her hand, realizing too late that she was unarmed, before she could summon a glyph another strike knocked the wind out of her, sending her to the ground.
In desperation Weiss looked towards her sister before a final strike struck her head, "Wint-"
The eldest Schnee daughter uppercuts a Nod trooper before snapping her head towards her little sister's unconscious form, "WEISS!"
Four of the dreaded Nod troopers already had their guns aiming at the littlest Schnee, daring her older sister to do something that would provoke them to open fire. David was thrown against the hull of their shuttle, he slumped down with a thud, bruises littered his face, his nose itself was at an awkward angle and a few teeth were missing.
The Confessor cracked his knuckles, exhaling with a generally unamused atmosphere after being humiliated by the SDC nonbelievers, "Wake him up, he's going to watch this."
David grunted as a boot struck his gut, two militants pulled him up to his knees, he awoke to a horrific scene as Weiss was tossed down next to him, but her groan lessened that fear slightly, knowing that she was still alive. His heart however thudded in his ears as Winter dropped her sword and raised her arms.
The Confessor cracked his knuckles before he delivered a backhanded slap across Winter's face, stumbling her slightly, yet she stood right back up and glared at the Confessor, spitting blood mixed with spit at his armor, "My sister plays pattycake harder."
Whatever composure the Confessor had left went out the window, he delivered a punishing knee strike directly into Winter's gut, making the young woman hit the ground. He cruelly kicked her in the ribs, one kick hitting her directly in the forehead, dazing the Heiress further. His assault however relented, seemingly winded after savagely thrashing Winter with no remorse.
She however continued to vex him as she started to push herself up off the ground, though while she steadied herself on shaking knees the Confessor took notice to her…womanly shape, he glanced back towards the bodyguard that humiliated him and a very sinfully evil idea struck the Confessor. The caped terrorist raised his wrist pad to his mouthpiece, "LEGION, how long until this vessel meets its doom?"
The mechanical voice of Nod's most revered and dangerous AI answered chilling David at its demonic voice, "Descent will be complete in five minutes, minimal safe distance is advised."
"Hmm, then this must truly be quick," The Confessor looked down at Winter and grabbed her by the nape of her neck, he kicked a crate down in front of the bodyguard and bent her over it, "hold her arms down, make him watch."
David's eyes widened as he thrashed between the two men holding him, one of them pressed his fingers down on his dislocated shoulder, forcing him to kneel, to be still. His chin was grabbed to keep his head steady. He saw Winter fighting and screaming at the two men that held her arms down, her eyes were wild much like her hair, they met briefly with the same look of despair and fear at the realization of the Confessor's motive.
"You've caused me a great deal of trouble, you've humiliated me in front of my militants, you've humiliated them before Kane, so now, you will watch, and you my dear are going to bear this burden." He kicked her legs out wide, forcing her into an awkward spread eagle on top of the box, he taunted the woman further by grabbing by the hair, forcing her to look at David and her sister, "Who knows, you might even earn yourself and that little darling amnesty until we are done with you both."
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING COWARD! FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING ANIMAL!" David screamed as he thrashed and fought with the Black Hand troopers making him watch. Tears flowed down Winter's eyes as she gritted her teeth, she'd refuse to give him the satisfaction of making her scream, her fists balled into white knuckles as the Confessor fumbled for her pants buckle, she screwed her eyes shut to try and resist as much as she could.
"I'm starting to wonder if we should just slit his throa-"
BANG!
"-GAH!"
The eldest Schnee's eyes sprung open as the Confessor was sent flying into the shuttle bay wall by a gunshot, her frantic eyes found the shooter. He stood at the adjacent entry way, a tattered cape adorned his shoulder's, his eyes were red enough to be mistaken for a Nod visor, his face was scruffy and unshavened. Smoke left the barrel of his compact weapon in a steady stream, it unfolded into a sword and was leveled to the Nod Black Hand militants.
"Such big brave men," He mocked with an amused frown, steadily becoming a sneer, "you get slapped around by two little girls and their butler, and this is what you chickenshits resort to?"
Before the disgruntled Black Hand soldiers could react, the man fired behind him, utilizing the momentum of the round to send him towards the Nod soldiers, his blade sending three men flying whilst bisecting four others that had severely low Aura. He flicked his wrist and fired the weapon against the shuttle bay wall, his bullet ricocheting around the room, striking several more men, killing two.
One of the flametroopers raised his weapon, ignoring the risk of roasting his own comrades and let loose hell, only to have the weapon's barrel parried by a furious Winter Schnee. She forced his to cover the Black Hand troopers attempting to recover in the ravenous holy fire, her blade pierced underneath his chin right through the top of his head.
Winter released her blade from the man's head and allowed him to slump on the ground, she watched with interest as the mysterious man carved his way through the nearly two dozen Black Hand soldiers with no mercy, an absolutely feral look in his eyes.
From the corner of her eye though, she saw the two Nod soldiers holding David hostage were looking between her and the mystery man, the rage in Winter's glare caused the men to go stiff, they didn't have the chance to react before she released their body's of their troublesome heads.
David slumped against the shuttle as he held his shoulder, Winter crouched next to him as he gently grabbed his arm, "Winter-"
"Be quiet, this is going to hurt, on three?" She watched David nod his head, "One."
CRUNCH!
"ARGH- FUCK! What happened to three?" He moaned as his shoulder pulsed with pain.
"No time!" Winter said as she shoved David into the shuttle, "Get it started! I'm getting Weiss!"
The Bodyguard saw no point in arguing with his charge, so he did as he was told and threw himself to the ship's cockpit, flipping switches and pulling levers, praying to whoever would listen to get the SDC bird air worthy.
All except Kane.
Qrow finished off the last of the Nod cretins in one devastating slash, all but one. The creep he shot into the wall was struck, unable to free himself from the his little prison, it would've been comical but he was in no mood to laugh at anything concerning this freak, "Any last words you coward?"
The Confessor laughed heartily, "You think you've won? We are merely the bricks to the tower to pierce the heavens, the sticks used to light the fire of revolution, the delivers of His-"
"I said last word," Qrow deadpanned, "not a whole fucking speech, did you write that all down?"
"…shut up nonbeliever!" The Confessor cried as he struggled in his hole, "Tiberium is the future! The technology of peace! Peace through power!"
Qrow rolled his eyes at the fanatical babble, he was just about to cut the Confessor to pieces-
"Wait."
The Huntsman turned his head towards the Schnee Heiress, her usual icy blue eyes were now bloodshot and fixed in a fiery glare, she gripped her sword tight but sheathed it in its hilt, she turned her back and stuck her nose in the air, "He doesn't deserve a death by sword or bullet."
Qrow nodded, a death by drowning was far more fitting, "See ya around, freak."
A growl escaped the Confessor, his quarry escapes him and spites him once more by refusing him a warrior's death, "Schnee! Schnee! I will haunt your nightmares! I will plague your soul! Whenever you dare rest I shall be there in your dreams! You whore! You will suffer my wrath for an eternity!"
Winter refused to acknowledge the madman's ravings, she kept her face composed and stern, beating back all of her discomfort and rage, it was tempting to cut him where it counted, but it was all so more pleasing to her ears to listen to him scream after her.
The Confessor watched with hate bubbling in his soul, he hissed as the shuttle took flight and fled the doomed vessel with haste, "LEGION! I require aid, send forth-"
"It is too late, Brother Lavis, my disappointment is unmatched."
The Confessor's heart sank, that voice-
"Y-your Emminenc-"
"You, not only fail a very simple mission but, You, completely deviate from its core objective and, You, muddled it with Your perverse sinful mind." Kane spoke with utter venomous distain, "You were to capture the Schnee Heiress and her sister, to be brought to Nod, converted, and ransomed back as sleeper agents. Yet, with Your spite, greed, and lust, You not only failed Me but dishonored all of what Nod stands for!"
Confessor Lavis' lip trembled as he glanced down at the Messiah's image on his wrist communicator, "Your Eminence, please-"
"You! Confessor Lavis are not only cast out of the Black Hand but all of Nod, I, Kane, excommunicate you from Nod and deny you ascension! The cold, black, murky depths are surely where you belong, may you never rest!"
With the final word of his Messiah the transmission ended, Lavis started off in despair, his death no longer had meaning, his life lost all meaning. He was nothing now, he ruined his chances of ascension and redemption in the eyes of Kane. He resigned himself to his fate, the hole in this very wall being his tomb. His whole world was soon consumed with the terrible crash of the Argon Tempest, and soon smothered by freezing water.
Across the world in his newest Temple, Kane sat twirling a Knight chess piece in hand. He tossed it into a wall, shattering the piece into pebbles. One simple plan, all gone to ruin thanks to an unfaithful scum of a man that has now forever ruined his chances getting the SDC under his thumb... at least for now. Brainwashing was always an option but now the Schnee sisters would develop a burning hatred for Nod, making them more resistant.
Then again, there was the Schnee boy that could be used.
A plan to put away for now, perhaps he was getting ahead of himself for now, oh how he wished there was competency on Remnant. Though this world mirrored Earth in many strange ways, one thing it seemed to lack was competent leadership. There were no leaders he could trust such as Slavick, and the fragment of LEGION he possessed was still in need of upgrading, just a few more years perhaps…
Kane sighed as he tapped his chin, for thousands of years he suffered banishment from his home, manipulating millions over the millennia, and to his astonishment, The Witch and The Wizard were still at it. He couldn't believe they were still in their pointless stalemate, nothing except the technology had changed.
"The time for change has come, your years of false peace are done," Kane muttered as he watched an excavation crew uncover the first temple of Nod, "I'm back."
Oh, would you look at that, Doomsday has got another story he just starts up out of nowhere versus actually completeing a single fucking story. Oh hey where's that DK- shush, I swear on my fucking account that the next thing I release is that update…I just had to get my C&C idea out, why? Because who the fuck doesn't binge watch all the Nod cutscenes? Kane is the reason to even play the game, Kucan is the fucking Messiah and EA is a GDI heretic front, it must be destroyed Commander.
Jokes aside, Kane is home and is looking for that Commander that's just right, lucky enough for him, depending upon how you look at it, he gets not one, but five.
Beware unbelievers and rejoice Brothers! The Heralds of Kane shall deliver all of Remnant or, Remnant shall belong to no one! Death to the Witch! Death to the Wizard! Render unto Kane!