"Pilot... Pilot... PILOT!" His eyes slowly opened, looking around him in confusion. He could see shadows, but not much else. He cradled his head, groaning in pain, before his vision began to clear. He saw a large blue eye looking down at him, with a silver-grey body.

"Wha... What happened?" Then everything snapped back to him. He shot to his feet, seeing him Hemlock rifle a few feet away. He quickly grabbed it before running back to his Titan. He jumped up, being grabbed carefully, and protectively by the large Titan. He was placed inside, and settled into his seat. The front lit up, showing the outside world. He rolled his shoulders, getting ready for combat.

"Where's the objective, Grant?" A blue marker appeared on his HUD, showing where to go. They rushed forward, back into the fight. He looked to his right, seeing his Commander fighting against two Titans at once. They were overwhelming her and her Ronin, making him decide to help. They jumped up, slamming into the back of the first one, an Ion. They began to rip into the armor on the back, before leaping off, and sending the Ion forward. They followed with a barrage of missiles, watching with joy as the shells slammed into the Ion's exposed back, hitting the reactor and making it go into a doomed state.

Before it could recover, Gates had charged, readying her blade. She slices across the chest, making it twist. She then swung low, cleaving off the legs of the Ion. It hit the ground, the chassis open, allowing them to see the struggling pilot inside. She held her sword backwards, before stabbing it into the chassis, ending the pilot and Titan. The second Titan, a Legion, went to attack her from behind, only to be slammed into by the Pilot. Gates turned back, seeing them two rolling on the ground. She groaned, opening up the comms.

"Dammit, Jonathan! Stop dicking around and get back up! We have to hurry!" Jonathan took his 40mm Tracer and rammed the barrel into the Chassis of the Legion, before firing three times. The target had been painted, so he jumped back, letting loose multiple missiles into the downed Titan. When the explosions finished, only a smoldering heap of slag was left.

Jonathan turned to Gates and nodded. "Let's hurry Commander!" She returned the gesture, moving forward quickly with her Ronin. Jonathan saw the poor Titan was pretty beat up. He knew Ronin's didn't have the most armor, in exchange for speed, meaning fighting those two on her own had badly hurt her Titan. But he knew them, and that unless they ripped her out of the chassis, and destroyed the reactor in her Titan, they wouldn't stop fighting.

They reached a large metallic door, seeing it was closed and locked down. Gates turned to Jonathan, and merely walked to the side, taking a few steps back. Jonathan smirked, priming the missiles, before firing them. They slammed into the door, melting and blowing pieces away in large chunks. When they died down, even the walls around it seemed to be gone. Jonathan motioned forward, chuckling.

"Ladies first." She laughed, before shaking her head.

"Fat chance. You've got more armor." He shrugged, before readying his Tracer. They entered, seeing some small grunts running for cover. Jonathan chuckled, firing at them as they moved forward.

"Kinda unfair, huh?" Gates shrugged as she sliced through a few Specters.

"Such is war." They both heard loud thuds and turned to see a North Star and a Ronin entering the area.

"I'll get the Ronin, Jon! Go get that sniping asshole!" Jonathan ran forward, firing his Tracer. He moved to the side, narrowly avoiding the large beam from the rail gun of the North Star. He made it up close, kicking the gun barrel away, before spinning, using his left leg to sweep the skinny legs out from under the Star. When it hit the ground it attempted to rise, only to have Jon slam his foot into the hull. It was stunned, allowing him to pick the small Titan up, and throw it into a wall. It slowly started to slide down the wall when Jonathan fire multiple missiles into it, blowing the Titan, and the walls behind it to rubble.

He heard a grunt, turning to see Gates struggling against the Ronin. Between tired from hours of fighting, and an injured Titan, she was losing. Jonathan raised his gun to fire, and watched as the enemy Ronin sliced the arm off her Titan, before stabbing the chassis to the wall, about where Gates would be.

"No!" Jonathan rushed forward, tackling the Ronin to the ground, and slamming the hull into the floor repeatedly, cracking it. He pulled back a fist, bringing it down, hard, into the chassis, denting it. He repeated this for a few seconds, until it was almost flat. He then stood, starting to walk away when he shot rockets straight up, making them fall straight onto the fallen Ronin, where they exploded.

He then hopped out of his Titan, using his jump-kit to get to Gates' Ronin. He pulled at the port, when his Titan grabbed it, and ripped it off. He looked in, sighing in relief when he saw Gates was fine. Then he saw the blood. He pulled her out, having his Titan gently lower her to the ground. Looking back at the chassis of her Titan, he knew it was scrap at this point. He noticed the bleeding was coming from her side.

The Ronin's blade had missed, but only barely. Even then, the damage to her side was massive. He looked back to his Titan. He handed his pilot a med-kit, and stood guard. While he was dressing the wound, he tapped into the comms.

"This is Captain Jonathan Salem, I need an evac immediately. Commander Gates is badly injured, and in need of medical attention. How copy?" After a few seconds he heard a voice.

"Copy that, Salem. Evac and medics on the way. What about you?" Jonathan turned to his Titan, the large mech turning to him and nodding. Jonathan let out a slow sigh.

"Me and my Titan are continuing the mission. We've come too far to back out now." The voice stuttered.

"Without backup? I implore you wait for a bit for backup, them move on." Jonathan shook his head, gritting his teeth.

"How long till decent reinforcements arrive?" There was a pause, then the voice returned.

"A good half an hour, sir." Jonathan sighed sadly.

"We don't have time then. Send backup, but we'll be pushing on ahead."

"But, Sir! That's suicidal!" Jonathan nodded, then realized the man couldn't see him.

"I know. But if this device could really wipe the militia out, then I need to stop it before they activate it. How copy?" There was a brief pause.

"I understand, sir. Good luck. God Speed." Jonathan nodded, standing up, seeing he had dressed the wound as best he could. Though it was messy, which only furthered why he wasn't a medic.

"Thanks. See you on the other side." He looked around, seeing the evac bird coming in. He picked up Gates carefully, and made his way to where it would land. He stood, but looked down to her, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Lena. Truly I am." He walked her on the bird once it landed, then walked back out, not saying a word. He stood in front of his Titan, the two almost holding a staring contest.

"You ready, Grant?" The Titan nodded, then gave a thumbs up. He knelt down, opening up his chassis, and allowing Jon to enter. He turned to the fallen Ronin that had been Gates. He saw her Titan's sword, and grabbed it, sheathing it on his back, between the missile packs. They both then faced where the objective was marked, and began heading towards it. They were going to end the IMC here, or die trying.


He just needed more time. The Militia were pounding at his door, and he almost had the device ready. He just needed a few more minutes. But they were close now. Oh, so close to him, and stopping everything the IMC had been fighting for. He was pacing, wringing his hands against each other as he did. He had a few beads of sweat running down his pale face, and was licking his lips ever few seconds. He looked to the timer, cursing silently.

He turned, boarding his Titan, an Ion. He walked it towards the device and watched as it powered up. It was a box, with two large clamps that stood as tall as a Titan on the top. Between them they held a red, pulsing energy. He had studied it for years, and it all lead up to this moment. But it was a 50/50 shot. He knew this energy displaced objects. But he was not sure whether it was through time, or space. So when he activated it, he would either be sent back in time, to stop the Militia from having destroyed the IMC as much as they have. OR he would be somewhere else, and would very well die.

But it would be worth it. He knew it would be. It was almost charged now. He had no reason to panic, until he saw one of the Titan guards to the hangar get blasted to a heap of molten metal.

"No! I need more time!" The second one was about to turn and fight, when it was kneed in the face by a Titan the man had never seen before. It looked similar to a Vanguard Class Titan, but was slightly taller, and slimmer. It was silver-grey, with a single, piercing eye on the hull. It had a large silver 40mm Tracer canon, a vortex shield link on it's left arm. On it's back he could see multiple missile packs as well. The Titan slammed it's left hand into the hull, pulling out the pilot and throwing him into the air, before aiming the Tracer canon and blasting the man to little more than a shower of blood.

The Titan turned to him, seeing the device and began rushing him. He stepped in front of it, blocking the shots of the Tracer with his Vortex shield. He sent the shells back, only to watch as they were caught, and sent right back at him. He had no power left in the shield, and used his Titan as a shield for the device. He then grimaced as multiple missiles were launched at him. He had to weather those as well, feeling his Titan losing power. Then he grinned, activating his power core.

His chest glowed bright red, and a large beam shot out, slamming into the Titan. It flew into the far wall, slowly getting up. It flashed blue, before all the missile packs shot up, making the man grimace as what looked like hundreds of missiles were shot at him. His vortex couldn't catch them all. He pulled it up regardless, hoping to stop as many as he could, before they destroyed what was left of his Titan. The missiles didn't seem to end, until his Titan was barely anything but a Chassis and weapon.

He saw the Titan draw a sword, and started rushing forward. Then he saw the device glow red, and he grinned happily. He pressed the release, and watched as the enemy Titan was about to drop the sword on his Titan and end him. Right when the blade struck, everything went red. Just like roses. Roses swirling in blood.


When Jonathan was finally able to see again he saw he was outside of his Grant, but his Titan was a few feet away, slowly rebooting. Jonathan slowly rose to his feet, seeing his gun. He grabbed his Hemlock again, and then saw his other gear strewn about. He grabbed his knife, seeing it was still in good condition. His side arm, a 1911 from his father was also in once piece. He frowned when he saw his last gun. The charge beam was badly damaged, and he was uncertain if it could fire, much less hold a charge. He picked it up regardless, and placed it on his lower back, just above his jump-kit. He holstered his pistol to his right leg, and placed his Hemlock on his back.

He returned to Grant, seeing the Titan kneeling in place.

"Low power... Low power... Request battery." Jonathan cursed, tapping the side of his helmet, and began scanning for a power source. He doubted he would find one, since he was in the middle of a forest, with no sign of any civilization around him. Which confused him when he picked up a strong power source two clicks from his position. He turned to Grant, and gave the metal giant a pat, before smiling.

"I'll be back, big guy." He started to run off, not wanting to leave his Titan alone and defenseless any longer than he had to. He started to kick off the trees, moving quickly, and making use of his Grapple hook to keep up momentum. He had quickly covered a click, and saw something in the distance that made him pause. A very large looking clock tower. He stood on top of a small hill, and looked at it in confusion.

"Why would someone build something like that?" He then saw what looked to be multiple buildings beneath it, making him realize there was a small town. Until his view panned right, and he saw a large city.

"Holy crap, where are we?" Nobody answered, but he was expecting as much. Until he heard a growl. He turned, drawing his sidearm. He saw a large black wolf with white spike emerge, and begin walking towards him in a predatory fashion. Jon chuckling, holstering the gun.

"Growl at me will you? Alright, come play, mutt." While Jonathan had never seen this creature, he had seen many others that made this one look like a puppy. He rushed forward, wrapping his grapple hook around the legs, before flying forward, and drop kicking the wolf. He pulled the hook, so while he was back flipping from the kick, the wolf began to fall to it's back. He then rushed forward, jumping up and drawing his knife. He descended, inserting the large serrated blade into the neck of the wolf, and twisting. He removed his knife, and returned it to the sheathe, before sighing.

"Should probably hurry. Don't want to leave Grant alone any longer than I have to. Don't want these damned things to rip him to shreds." He sped off again, closing in to the city. He moved along the tops of the buildings, not wanting to be seen. He had no idea if they supported the IMC or not. He wanted to be sure not to raise any alarms.

When he reached the end of the city, he saw that where the tower was, was separate from the rest of the city. He was curious as to why, but had a couple ideas.

"Might be a military base. Need to be ready for anything while there." He activated his cloak, making his way into the base. Upon entering he was greeted by a sight that confused him. People dressed like they were going to a fancy school, but some also had weapons. He saw some of them wielding weapons he had never thought a person would wield. Swords, axes, lances, and guns.

"Maybe this is a special pilot school? Wish Grant could offer some input." He looked around, seeing where the power source was. He sighed, seeing it was on top of the tower. He got to the closest building and cracked his neck. He jumped forward, grappling to the side of it with his right hook. He planted his feet to the wall and steadied himself.

"Moment of truth." He pulled, and pushed up at the same time, throwing out his left hook out, while detaching his right hook. He kicked off, but much faster this time. He continued this, switching between his left and right hook until he was near the top. He saw a window just above, and thought of a plan. He grappled to just below the window, reeling in to it.

He looked in, seeing nothing but a desk and large cogs that looked to power a clock tower. He hummed silently to himself, before taking out his knife. He pressed a button on the hilt, heating it up. He gently pressed it to the window, and began cutting a circle. When he finished, he pushed gently, the circle of glass falling in. He crawled through the still hut circle, careful not to touch any of the sides. He had deactivated his cloak, and began to scan for the battery.

He then found it was under the desk. He moved the chair back, and knelt, looking underneath. He saw the battery, and grinned. He grabbed the handle, twisting to the left, and gently pulling out. He looked it over, seeing it was in good condition. He placed it on his back, starting to leave when he heard the elevator open. He turned, seeing an elderly man and a blonde woman entering. They saw him, and only the woman looked panicked.

He ran, about to smash through the window, when some force grabbed him, and pulled him back into the room. He rolled to his feet, drawing and aiming his pistol, letting off a round at the woman. He was surprised when she blocked it with the riding crop she had. He didn't know what it was made of, but he wanted it. She swiped the crop, knocking him into the far wall, hurting his shield.

He got to his feet, getting ready to fire again when he was knocked into the other wall. He started to get up when he felt himself get restrained. He looked around in confusion.

"What kind of Grav-tech is this?" Both people closed in on him, and he struggled to get free. The older man spoke first.

"Who are you?" Jonathan merely looked forward, and started using the rules he was told when captured by the enemy, even the assumed enemy.

"6-4, Witch Hunter-GT-7944." The two people looked between each other in confusion. Then the woman spoke, a harsh cut to her voice, and a sharp glare.

"Who are you!?" He continued looking forward.

"6-4, Witch Hunter-GT-7944." He looked out of the corner of his eye, seeing his pistol. He licked his lips, and braced. When she went to yell again, he used every ounce of energy he had, breaking free and slamming his fist into her chin in a powerful uppercut. He rolled to the side, grabbing his pistol mid roll. He stopped in a kneeling position, and aimed at them.

"Freeze! By order of Captain Salem of the 6-4. If you move I will fire." They both stopped, until the man chuckled.

"Unless you have Aura piercing rounds, those will not harm us very much." Salem aimed at the man's head, letting out a hiss.

"Even a shot straight to the head from this little bastard?" The man merely shrugged.

"Don't know. And a good morning to you too, Captain Salem. I am Ozpin, headmaster of this academy. What brings you here this fine day?" Jonathan almost dropped his gun, surprised at how casual the man was. But he decided to play along.

"I'm looking for a power source. My friend is in danger." Ozpin changed to look more serious.

"How so?" Jonathan moved to the woman, seeing her readying her riding crop. Ozpin merely gave her a side glance, and shook his head. She dropped the crop to her side again, and glared at Jonathan. Jonathan turned back to Ozpin.

"He's stuck in the forest out there, and that battery will help him get out." Ozpin cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"I don't follow." Jonathan thought he was being pretty obvious, especially with his outfit. The helmet usually told people who he was.

"My friend is a Titan named Grant. He needs that battery. Or he'll be stuck out there with those black wolves. I need to get him back on his feet. Please, I'm asking that for the safety of my friend, you give me that battery." Ozpin sighed, but smiled.

"I know a person fighting for their friend when I see one. I cannot give you this battery, but I can go get another one for you. Is that fine?" Jonathan thought about it, before realizing he had no other legitimate choice, other than murder. He stood, holstering his pistol.

"Alright. Get your battery, and meet me at these coordinated in ten minutes. Just you two. Got it?" They both nodded, and watched as he went to the window. He turned to them, holding up his right wrist and swiping across the holo-screen, and both watched as coordinates were sent to Ozpin's computer. They watched as he tapped something on his wrist, before he turned invisible.

They both turned to each other, and left to get the battery, unaware of the crow that was watching them. It merely let off a single caw before flying off, having given a quick glance to the coordinates on the computer.


Jonathan was waiting, seeing a drop ship of sorts heading towards him. It would be a few minutes till it arrived. Then his comms shot to life.

"Base power on... Internal Charging of systems continuing. Pilot, are you alright?" Jonathan grinned, tapping his helmet.

"Ya, glad to hear you're in once piece, Grant. Keep an eye out for any of these weird wolf things alright? Don't want them attacking you." There silence before Grant spoke.

"I am observing one now. It is doing nothing. It is merely sniffing me. It is leaving now, though. I believe they are only hostile to organic creatures." Jonathan had almost had a heart attack and ran to Grant. But calmed down.

"Well, tell me if anything comes after you, alright? I'm about to get you a new battery. Sit tight, ok?"

"Roger." A pause. "Where did you procure the battery from?" Jonathan chuckled.

"Some tower a few clicks from your location. Met some people. I don't think they're IMC or they would have shot me. They offered to help. As much as I hate to trust 'em. I didn't want to murder an old man and his secretary today." There was an amused chuckle.

"Always avoiding hurting the innocent, aren't you?" Jonathan leaned against a tree, chuckling silently.

"You know me. They're almost here, buddy. Hang tight, alright?" Then the line cut off, and Jonathan watched from the shadows as the bullhead landed. Ozpin and the woman stepped out. They exchanged a few words before Ozpin waved the ship away. It seemed the pilot didn't want to leave, but eventually did so. When it was gone, Jonathan walked forward, getting their attention, and making the woman take a defensive stance the moment she saw him.

"Give me the battery." Ozpin frowned.

"Show us to your friend. We need to make sure you don't use this powerful battery for anything harmful to Vale." Jonathan figured Vale was either the city, or the base of sorts he had seen. He growled to himself, but nodded.

"Follow me." He lead them silently through the forest, until coming to the clearing and seeing Grant. The man and woman stopped the moment they saw the Titan. The woman pulled out her crop, stepping in front of Ozpin defensively.

"A giant mech!?" Ozpin shook his head.

"Peace, Glynda." He directed his attention to Jonathan.

"Is this your friend?" Jonathan nodded, patting the knee of Grant.

"Ya. You ok, Grant?" The mech moved it's eye to look at it's pilot.

"I am. Glad to see you are fine as well." Jonathan turned to Ozpin and held his hand forward.

"Battery please. I need to get him out of here." Ozpin started to hand forward the battery when Jonathan drew his pistol and placed Ozpin in front of him as a shield, the pistol pressed to his temple. Glynda was about to strike when Ozpin groaned.

"Of all the times..." Jonathan motioned with his head behind Glynda.

"I thought I said come alone. Who the hell is that?" Glynda turned, cursing when she saw Qrow Branwen casually staring at them.

"Sup." Glynda then aimed her crop at Qrow.

"Dammit, Qrow, you being here is not good. how did you even know to be here!?" Qrow looked past her, and at Ozpin.

"You missed our meeting. So I checked in, and found you talking to that guy, and just followed the coordinates here. Didn't hear the come alone part. My bad." Qrow chuckled, placing his hands behind his back.

"Hey buddy, let Ozpin go. He didn't know I was following him." Jonathan looked to Grant, the Titan nodding with his eye.

"He is telling the truth." Jonathan lowered the gun from Ozpin, and lowered his head slightly.

"Sorry, sir." Ozpin grinned, holding the battery forward.

"I understand." Jonathan grabbed the battery, moving to the left side of Grant.

"Here we go, buddy." He inserted the battery into the open slot, twisting it to the right, and hearing the click as it locked in place. He back up, watching as the lights on Grant got brighter.

"Rerouting systems to intake the power. Weapons systems... Online. Ocular and sensory systems... Online. Movement systems... Online. All systems online." They watched as the relatively small looking mech began to stand, and towered over them. Jonathan chuckled.

"Feeling better big guy?" Grant nodded.

"I will mainly use power until it is all restored to recharge, so we should avoid major combat for the time being." Jonathan chuckled, shaking his head.

"Always right to it, eh?" He then heard something, turning and seeing one of the black wolves. It reared back it's head, and let out a howl. Qrow rushed it, using his massive sword to slice the head off, before cursing.

"Great. Wonder if the pack hear it?" There were several more close range howls, making Ozpin sigh.

"They heard us." Jonathan turned to Grant, the Titan leaning down. Jonathan turned to the others.

"Get behind us, we'll protect you!" Qrow scoffed.

"He'll protect us?" They then watched in amazement as the front hull of the Titan opened, and Jonathan leapt in, before it closed, sealing him in the massive metal giant. Qrow then chuckled.

"Alright, he can help us." Jonathan assessed the systems, cursing at their lack of long range weaponry. Grant then spoke.

"We can use more brutal forms of attacking, until the ranged systems come online." Jonathan nodded.

"So we get to use the sword right?"

"No. It does not have a charge in it, and has been dulled, and would be the equivalent of hitting something with a metal stick." Jonathan was confused.

"How did it get dull!?" Grant hummed silently.

"We used it to rend the chassis of 37 Titans, and cut down dozens more IMC grunts, and Specters. The blade has dulled considerably." Jonathan groaned, before rolling both his and Grant's shoulders.

"Fists it is." He turned to the moving bushes, and waited. A large black wolf crept out, then jumped at Ozpin, seeing him as weak prey. Jonathan was faster, and grabbed the wolf out of the air, and crushed it into a red paste. The other wolves then saw the Titan as the main threat, and began to charge it.

"Let's get them Grant!" They charged forward, lowering themselves, and slamming through the wolves easily. When they reached the other side, Qrow was finishing off the stragglers. Jonathan chuckled.

"These things are weak!" Then something slammed into the back of them, causing them to take a few steps forward. They turned, seeing a massive Ursa roaring at them. It almost stood as tall as Grant when on all fours, and was covered in spikes.

"They come in bear shapes too!? What's next, Scorpions!?" The bear charged them, and Jonathan used both hands to stop it, before throwing it to the side. He then rushed towards the downed beast, jumping up and slamming down onto it. He then raised both hands into the air, making a large fist, and slamming them down onto the bear. A crack rang out, and the bear stopped moving. Then the ground began to rumble, and Jonathan watched in horror as two large Death Stalkers rose our of the ground.

"Scorpions!? Give me a break! Grant, any weapons available yet?"

"The sword has enough power, but is still dull, and would only work as well as an electrical baton." Jonathan reached back, grabbing the sword.

"I'll take it." When the first began to charge, it was yanked to the side, and Jonathan watched as Glynda and Qrow charged it while it was dazed. Ozpin then spoke.

"They will handle that one. Can you take the other?" Jonathan nodded.

"We'll kill it." They charged it, then jumped back as the claws struck out towards them. Jonathan slashed forward, a wave of electricity slamming into the Death Stalker, and staggering it. Jonathan jumped up, slamming the sword into the head of the Scorpion, only to watch as the dull blade bounced off uselessly.

"Dammit! Plan Grant?" Grant scanned the Death Stalker, seeing fracture lines on the skull.

"Brunt force seems to serve well against the beast's armor. We could break the strong armor, and easily cut through the exposed flesh." Jonathan grinned, flipping the sword so the flat back of the sword would strike.

"Alright. Divert electrical power to the back end of the sword."

"Copy that." The electricity then surged on the back of the sword, and Jonathan grinned.

"How are those ranged weapons coming?"

"40mm unavailable, missiles unusable without proper tracking, or we could risk hitting our allies. Salvo core at 85% power and climbing." Jonathan nodded.

"Alright, we'll keep using the sword. Despite how useless it is. Gates would hate me for dulling her sword out." He gave a quick glance to the blade, noticing for the first time that it had the 6-4 logo engraved on the side. He faced the Death Stalker again, and grinned.

"Let's end this."

"Agreed." They rushed, seeing the stinger being pulled back. They moved to the side, pulling on the stinger to throw the bug off balance. They swung the blade down, watching as it cracked the armor on the Scorpion heavily. The large claws clamped around their left leg, making them both grunt. Grant raised his right leg, and slammed it down on the claw, breaking the armor. They then took the sharp side of the sword and swung into the pincer, only to watch as it went half way through. Grant the slammed his knee into the back of the blade, forcing it the rest of the way through.

The scorpion released them, and backed up, letting out a roar. They then jumped up, holding the sword high above their heads. They stabbed down, watching as the sword broke through the armor and stabbed deep into the head of the Stalker. It twitched a bit, until they used the sword to send a shock through the body. When they stopped, the removed the sword. They looked over to see Glynda and Qrow finishing off theirs, as Qrow stabbed through one of the eyes, and ended the beast.

Before they could relax, Grant sounded out.

"Multiple enemies approaching. Prepare for combat." They looked to see what looked like hundreds of Grimm running at them. Qrow grimaced slightly.

"Damn, that's a ton of em." Jonathan pressed a few keys on Grant, before sighing.

"What do we have, big guy?"

"Sword... Active. Missiles... Offline. 40mm... Offline. Salvo Core... 100%" Jonathan gave a grin, turning to the others.

"Get behind us, now!" They did so, watching as multiple missile packs appeared on the back of Grant.

"Let 'em have it!" What looked like hundreds of missiles were unleashed, flying and slamming into all the Grimm, and reducing them to little more than blood stains on the ground. Jonathan pumped a fist happily.

"Hell ya! How you feel Grant?"

"All systems nominal. Power almost to normal levels. 40mm and missile packs will be online in a few minutes." Qrow then dropped his jaw.

"What wasn't even all your weapons!? Where can I get one of those babies?" Jonathan leapt out, looking at them, before speaking.

"You all ok?" They all gave nods, before they gave thanks.

"Alright, we need to get out of here and find our way home. Thanks for helping Grant, but unless you have some way to help, we need to part ways." Before he could leave, Ozpin was clearing his throat.

"I have a proposition to make of you. Something dangerous, but something I believe you can help with." Jonathan turned to him, and crossed his arms.

"What is it?"

"The Black Queen." Qrow and Glynda both looked at him immediately.

"Why are you telling him that!?" Came the angry words from Qrow. Ozpin merely grinned.

"Because I trust him. Don't you?" Qrow looked to Jonathan before sighing.

"He saved our asses, so he's ok in my book." Glynda pushed up her glasses, and sighed.

"I am uncertain. While I appreciate him helping us, he still is a stranger to us." Ozpin grinned, letting out a slight chuckle.

"It brings an air of mystery about him, don't you think?" Qrow chuckled, pulling out a flask, and taking a large gulp of it. Jonathan raised his hands in front of him, and shook his head.

"I appreciate the offer to help you find this Black Queen, whoever she is, but we have to get back and help the Militia against the IMC." Ozpin then cocked his head slightly, a frown appearing on his face.

"And if you can't get back? What will you do then?" Jonathan stuttered, before looking at Grant, only to have the Titan looking back at him as well.

"I-I don't know." Ozpin adjusted his glasses, and let off a calm smile.

"Allow me to make this bargain. You can have access to everything in Beacon to help you find out how to get back, and everything I have access to, and if you cannot find anything, you help us. We could use your skills." Jonathan looked to Grant, both sharing a silent, mental conversation. They were surprised when Jonathan groaned loudly, placing his hand to the side of his helmet.

"I can't believe you brought that up! One goddamned time, and nobody lets it go!" Grant shrugged.

"It's true." Jonathan clasped his hands together, shaking his head.

"Alright, fine! Dammit! We'll take your deal. But I can't exactly walk around like this all the time. What about when I'm not on a mission?" Qrow chuckled, stepping forward.

"I have a plan for that. How old are you?" Jonathan looked to him, confused, but answered.

"29, why?" Qrow groaned.

"Damn, I thought this was going to be some stupid cliché part where you're super skilled and are actually 18 or something." Jonathan shook his head, sighing.

"Not likely. Experience comes with age." Ozpin merely grinned.

"Well said." Qrow then continued.

"It should still work. You'll be a solo-huntsman under my tutelage, who I have requested to be sent to Beacon to help further his knowledge. But only as a transferred student, who has the ability to travel between the two schools when I, or himself says so. Sound good?" Ozpin nodded, and then turned to Jonathan.

"Does this work?" The Pilot nodded, but then sighed.

"You make it sound like I won't find any information." Glynda then interjected.

"Better to have it, and not need it, then to need it, and not have it." Jonathan nodded at her.

"Touché. Now, where is some place where I can get clothes to blend in, and where is the place where you store your information?" Ozpin held up a small phone, sending coordinates to him.

"I will meet you here, for your new attire. Then I will show you around Vale, and lead your to Beacon, and show you to our library. If you can't find anything in there, I don't know where you'll find what you're looking for." Jonathan nodded to them.

"Alright. Let's do it. And for what it's worth; Thanks." They nodded, making their way back to where the ship would pick them up. Jonathan turned to Grant, shrugging.

"How much do you want to bet that Gates is going to kick my ass?"

"A large amount, Pilot." Jonathan groaned.

"Ya, I'll bet."


"I know he's not dead! Look at the evidence!"

"Gates! We're all upset he's gone, but how could he have survived!? Nothing was left!"

"Exactly! Nothing! Except the dead soldiers, and destroyed Titans! That device must have sent them somewhere!"

"Which is why we're going to repair it, and see why it was so special to the IMC. Rest assured, you'll have your answers, Gates."

"But, Sir I-"

"No, Gates! That's final! If you want to help, assemble your men, and get ready to help clean up. We have a mess on our hands." Gates clenched her teeth tightly.

"Yes, Sir." She stepped away, slightly stomping. She knew the bastard was alive. All the evidence pointed to it. The area around the device was untouched, except for marks that had show that two Titans were fighting. Everything else was untouched. It had to be a teleporter of sorts. She needed to help fix it, and then she would go through it.

Then... Then! She'd kick his ass. She grimaced slightly, feeling her side where the blade had hit. It was stitched and she wasn't technically supposed to be out and about, but didn't care.

"Pain meds will make anything bearable." She then leaned against the wall, feeling a stinging in her eyes.

"Where the hell did you go, Salem?" She gave a quick glance to the machine being transported to a more secure location. She straightened up, then heard a dull thudding. She looked back to see her partner. She was glad his AI had been unharmed, and they had just placed him in a new chassis.

"How you feeling?" The Ronin knelt next to her, and bowed slightly.

"Better. And you, Ma'am?" She shrugged, having crossed her arms and returned to leaning against the wall.

"I've been better. Just wish I had been paying more attention, then maybe I'd be able to have helped that bastard. Now he's lost somewhere. But where?" She gripped the sides of her helmet tightly, and growled.

"Dammit!" Her Titan merely got lower towards her.

"We will find him, Ma'am." She let out a tense breathe, watching as the device was loaded on a dropship.

"Ya. I know we will." She then coughed.

"Enough of that! Let's get this pile of shit cleaned up! Come on men, up to it!" The men near her scrambled away in fear of the British woman. She chuckled, still hurting, but less so. She thanked her Titan, and vowed to take better care of him. She was still pissed about one thing though.

"I just wish I knew where my damned sword went!"

Hopefully people enjoyed this first chapter quite a bit. Things will pick up, but I don't want to rush into things too quickly. Besides, in case you didn't know, this is about half a year before RWBY starts. Maybe more. Basically, Beacon has started, but a year before RWBY has arrived, so expect some familiar faces. Wonder if they like COFFEE!? HMMMMM! Anywho, if you have any questions, or concerns, PM me or somethin'. Anywho, keep calm and may the Aura be with you!