Author's Notes: First time writing a lengthy (Multiple chapter) story, so do bear with me should any delays occur. As usual, I own neither RWBY nor any associated properties, nor any other properties. Read and enjoy.
Eric Blue was frustrated.
If he were to offer an honest appraisal, this was not an unusual state for him to find himself in. His friends, close but few in number, would often say that he was only truly happy when he had something to complain about. And indeed his last assignment was challenging, infuriating, and left him with a strange sense of contentment. He would argue that it was his work that made him content and the irritants that plagued him left and right were obstacles to that contentment. But now here he was being taken away from his work and the biggest irritant in his life was going with him.
Erik Red.
Erik Fucking Red.
They'd enrolled in the academy at the same time and ever since some joker in personnel had made it their personal mission to keep the pair a pair through thick or thin, most likely through some perverse sense of humor you can only develop after years of working in personnel offices.
Erik wasn't really a bad guy, mind. When it became apparent they had no interests in common and that no, Eric did not want to go out drinking (thank you very much) and no, Erik did not want to study for the upcoming history test, the two had congenially gotten out of one another's way. A remarkable feat, considering they were assigned as dorm mates and shared most of their classes. At first Eric had thought everything would go swimmingly. Red would return home after Blue had gone to bed and Blue would leave in the mornings well before Red awoke. The hour or so of superficial conversation (or better yet, silence) was acceptable.
That was eight years ago.
Four years at the academy. Four years of putting up with his messes and smells and smells from the messes that he promised to clean up but never quite did. Four years of listening to him play his lousy music and video games. Four years of watching him fall asleep in class and skate by with barely passing grades while Blue slaved for his excellent marks. And then they both wound up at Tangerine Base anyway (Thank you very much, anonymous bored personnel officer). At least those four years were spent in different quarters. Red was a part of the garrison and led a squad of Atlasian Knights while Blue was working in maintenance and control. They spent less time actually being in the same room, but they were now working together and now Blue had to put up with Reds lazy, disrespectful attitude first hand.
And then the news! Transfer! Promotion! Exciting new (classified) mission! Eric Blue packed up his belongings and headed to the car sent to pick him up only to find Erik already in the back and snoozing. Blue just shook his head. It was hardly a surprise at this point. He tossed his bag in the back and got into the passenger seat. The driver was a robot so conversation wasn't an option, or at least not a good one. Instead he flipped the radio to something he didn't hate and watched the scenery pass by the window.
Not that there was much scenery until you got to the city, just a bunch of pine trees and the occasional farm with Faunus in the field gathering a last harvest before the season ends. The workers would stop and watch the military car drive by with blank stares. Blue wondered how many would be running off a message alerting White Fang or another radical group about troop movements. The military didn't typically bother with convoys this close to Atlas, but the occasional Faunus taking potshots at military vehicles wasn't unheard of. Blue wasn't worried, just... cautious.
The city was something else though. At night you could see its lights from beyond the horizon, but during the day the first sights were glittering skyscrapers and the thirty foot high city wall.
"We will be entering Atlas through the Tundra gate," the driver voiced tonelessly. Blue didn't respond. Why bother with a robot?
The Tundra gate was military access only, so there weren't the delays and searches at the civilian gates. The guard asked for registration, orders, and Blue's identification. He glanced in the back seat to see Red, still asleep. "He's..." the guard checked his sheet, "Erik Red?" He smiled in realization. "Hey, Ericks Red and Blue. You guys must get along great."
Blue ignored the guard's jocularity. "Yeah, that's him. Can't stay awake on trips. You need him up?"
The guard waved him off. "No sir, you're fine. Welcome to Atlas."
The car drove on. Blue liked the wide boulevards and tall buildings worlds better than the rural wilds outside of the city. Familiar landmarks made him realize they were heading towards his old neighborhood and he briefly wondered if his assignment was near where he grew up, though this thought was quickly dismissed when the car turned onto the downtown expressway and headed straight towards Triangle Plaza.
Triangle Plaza was officially the Capital Square, but no one called it that any more. It was once an open rectangular piazza set between the capital building and Atlas military HQ. Then a few decades ago the Schnee Dust Company built a new company headquarters nearby and then purchased and demolished a couple city blocks to turn the piazza into an equilateral triangle in what one of the braver editorialists called "The most expensive message ever sent."
They drove straight past Military HQ towards the SDC building. Not a huge surprise. Special projects almost inevitably involved them somehow. "Red," Blue said towards the back of the car. "Red!"
Red jerked awake and looked around, presumably confirming that he was indeed in a car and trying to remember what exactly he was doing there. Getting a grasp on the where and why, he moved on to the who. "Blue?"
"Yeah, together again. We're almost there, thought I should give you a heads up."
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier? You had to be bored outta your mind."
"You can't stay awake on any ride longer than an hour," Blue replied nonchalantly.
"Well, that's true," Red admitted. "Still, wake me up next time."
"Sure thing," Blue lied.
The SDC security checkpoint was more thorough than the Tundra Gate check. Blue and Red were forced out of the car, their papers checked and double checked, and then (after a snide remark from Red about how most companies treated their customers better) they and their car went through an electronic scan.
"Why do you antagonize them?" Blue asked. "You know they have no sense of humor."
"Neither do you, but you've yet to send me through processing for it. Besides, they're punks." A passing employee glared at Red, and he replied with a shrug.
Blue sighed. "You're a captain now, that means they're going to take you more seriously. And they're going to expect you to take them more seriously." Red opened his mouth to say something, but Blue pressed on. "And if you don't, they're going to screw with you and everybody around you. And since we're apparently in this for the long haul, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't get me in the same messes you get into, okay?"
Red didn't say anything, and to his credit continued not saying anything as they were led inside and down to a lab underneath the complex. The lab was clean but cluttered with tools and mechanical parts. Bright white walls, stainless steel counters and tables. One wall was one long smart glass window into the hallway, currently set to opaque. Three people already stood inside talking quietly. An old man in a lab coat, a young woman in a military uniform and...
"General Ironwood, Sir!" Red and Blue both saluted.
"At ease, Captains," the general replied. "I have a mission for you two. It's rather unconventional, but I am confident in your ability to carry it out."
"We'll do our best, Sir," Blue said.
"I know you will. Your mission is going to be protecting and..." He trailed off, looking to his assistant and the scientist for a moment before finding the word. "Testing a new military asset. This mission could take years and will be extremely challenging."
"We're up to the challenge, Sir."
"Good. We'll get started right away then." Ironwood turned to his assistant. "Send in the asset."
She pushed a button on the desk and the door to what Blue had assumed was a closet slid open. Out stepped an orange haired girl in a light grey jumpsuit. She turned towards the group.
"Sal-U-Tations!"