Hey all, I am here with an update due to initial response I received for the fic. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Thanks a bunch for your support!
Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Journal Entries/Flashbacks/
The black sunglasses that Coco wore made it difficult for others to read her. They not only gave her a fashionable look, but they also granted her the power of intimidation. Anyone who looked at her only saw those black glasses that practically stared into their souls. To those that knew the girl, they saw a playful, young huntress in training. Her stride and posture exuded the utmost confidence in herself and her teammates.
A small pop echoed around the trees. The bubble she blew with her gum snapped and retreated into her mouth to take shape later.
"How long have we been waiting?" Asked the copper haired boy.
"Too long." Coco leaned against the nearby tree.
"I understand the purpose of the mission, but why did we get stuck with them?"
The leader of Team CFVY only peered over her shoulder and tilted her shades down just enough to peek at her partner. A small, playful smirk spread across her lips.
"Not one for beating around the bush, huh?" She pushed her glasses back up.
"Hey, you were the one that told us to speak our minds when we first became a team." The boy shrugged.
"True."
The boy stood up and stretched, getting his shoulders and back to pop in doing so. He rolled his neck and stopped beside Coco and looked down from their position on the cliff at their objective.
There was a small compound in the valley below them that belonged to the nefarious Faunus group, the White Fang. The mission was simple. Conduct a raid on the compound and search it for any form of intelligence and return it to Beacon.
When they were first assigned the mission, the members of CFVY were surprised. They had been so accustomed to disposing of Grimm that they figured it would just be another seek and destroy style mission. So when they were given a mission to spy on the White Fang, it excited them. Yet at the same time, it was a questionable shift from the routine missions. To shift from the usual hunt for Grimm and suddenly do something more fitting for a military special mission unit.
As she thought about it, Coco had a hunch that Ozpin's decision revolved around the Breach incident three weeks ago. The White Fang's attack not only stood as a point of fear for terrorism, but it also brought the risk of drawing more Grimm.
However, there was just one catch. The mission was considered to be dangerous and their headmaster felt it necessary to attach another support team to help them conduct the raid.
"Are you in position?" A woman's voice came over the radio.
The woman's tone was stern and carried a chilly vibe with it, much like her personality.
"We've been in positon for the past hour." The boy rolled his eyes.
"Don't get smart with me. I am not thrilled about being paired with you on this mission either," she retorted.
"Guess we can agree on something after all."
Coco shot the boy a quick look and he resigned himself from speaking. She tucked her gum to the side to speak into her mic.
"We're ready to go when you are, Lieutenant Schnee," she said.
"Excellent. Remember, there is no room for mistakes," Winter replied. "Do another equipment check and get ready to move. We'll start our movement in five minutes."
Coco lowered her hand from her earpiece and shook her head. She had no issues working with other women, but she did not like the fact that Winter was given command over her team for this mission alone.
"These Atlas soldiers really have that wave of scumbag entitlement, don't they?" The boy fastened his bladed bracers.
"Definitely." Coco nodded.
She clipped her ammo belt around her waist and strapped the second one around her shoulder. Once she had her ammo secured, she checked her watch. Two minutes until go time.
Coco brought the binoculars up to her eyes once more and did another sweep of the compound. Eight buildings, one barracks quarters, and two supply sheds. Just like their mission order said, the security detail was rotating out with the previous group to begin the night shift.
With the sun now set and the clouds blocking out the moon, it allowed them the chance to reach the compound unseen. The element of surprise was on their side and so long as they got the jump on the White Fang like Winter intended, their chances of a successful completion was great. Violence of action, and speed and aggression. That was the key.
Her eyes turned to the west of the compound and she could see the new patrol stepping out of the compound to being their rounds on the perimeter. Two teams of five would circle the compound and keep an open eye for any intruders.
She lowered the binoculars and tucked them away just as her watch alarm beeped.
"Velvet, Yatsuhashi, it's time to move. Keep your eyes open for those patrols," Coco said into her radio.
"We'll meet you at the checkpoint. Be careful, you two," Velvet answered back.
She clutched her purse tight and rolled her shoulders to loosen up. Resting a hand on her hip, she turned back to her partner and nodded to the compound below.
"Let's roll, Fox." She hopped off the cliff.
"Right behind you." Fox followed close behind.
They jumped from one landing to the next, excitement filling their beings. The two of them landed with light thumps on the grassy floor moments later and then hurried into the woods to meet up with Velvet and Yatsuhashi.
A sharp intake of breath made cold air storm Blackburn's nostrils and his eyes snapped open.
He scrambled to his knees and looked around wildly. Everything started coming back to him. The IED, the ambush, the firefight, him going to get Busch, and then…
"Wait a minute. How the hell am I alive?" Blackburn lightly patted himself down.
That RPG was on a collision course for him and from what he could recall, he had been rooted to the spot in fear. There was no way he dodged that. His eyes slowly took in the area around him as he patted his legs to makes sure they were still there.
His legs were tender to the touch, much like his arms after the HMMWV rolled over from the blast. He winced in pain when he pushed himself to his feet and raised his rifle.
Where was he? He sure wasn't in Afghanistan anymore, that's for sure. Gone was the sand he had become so familiar with, along with the heat and wind gusts. They had instead been replaced with trees that were changing color from the season, fresh, cool air, and grass. Much like the woods back home.
He started a slow and controlled walk through the trees, his finger ready to pull the trigger. The muzzle of his rifle inched around in a careful sweep of his sectors just like he did during his training.
As he crept through the wood, questions continued to race through his mind. Where was the rest of his unit? Were they even around? Did they know he was missing? Were they dead? Each possible thought his brain could conjure got progressively worse. Where was he? Was he dead?
Blackburn took another deep breath to calm himself down. He was doing himself no favors by freaking out. He needed to stay calm and figure out where he was, then he could start trying to find his squad.
The specialist rested his back against the closest tree he could find and squatted at its base. His hand fumbled for his radio and he pressed down to speak into the channel.
"Prowler Actual, this is Prowler-One, do you copy? Over," he spoke.
He lifted his finger from the button and waited for a response from Lieutenant Coen, but it never came. Just endless static. No, come on, not now! He shook his head again, praying that he could get his radio to work.
"Prowler Actual, this is Prowler-One. What is your location? Over." He tried again.
The static that came from his radio ceased and the device died completely. His jaw clenched in frustration and his knuckles cracked when he formed a tight fist. That's the Army for you. They issue you crap that never works ninety-nine percent of the time when you need it to.
"Son of a bitch." He drummed his fingers on the buttstock of his rifle.
What else could he try? His hand trailed to his cargo pockets to search for anything that could help him reach his commander. The tips of his fingers brushed a thick, somewhat heavy object and a smile came to his face. His cell phone!
Blackburn pulled the phone from his pocket and powered it on. He was willing to get chewed out by Coen later, just as long as he could get out of this sticky situation. Calling on an unsecured line was a no-no in military operations.
"Now I'm going to be that guy because my crap isn't working." He brought the phone up to his face.
What the hell? No bars, no Wi-Fi outlets. In fact, all his eyes were drawn to was the message notification at the center of the screen. Service unavailable. Figures. He was screwed eight ways to Sunday.
Time for plan B. He got to his feet and tried to find the closest hill or peak. Getting a good vantage point would be the next possible choice he could use. Maybe he would be able to pinpoint where he was at?
"Alright, what the hell," he muttered with a shrug.
Blackburn craned his neck to see a cliff stretching over the tops of the trees just half a klick away. No problem. Beats sitting around doing nothing anyway.
His trek through the woods was quiet and although it was calm, it put him on edge. It was one thing to be in the quiet, safe haven of your home, but in unknown enemy territory? It was scary. The fact you knew that the enemy was out there watching your movement and waiting for the perfect chance to strike only made it worse. There was no telling when it would happen, and when it did, it came with a hefty price if you weren't careful.
A chill went down his spine and he froze. It was loud and it caught his attention. He swiftly had his rifle aimed in the direction he heard the snap of a branch. He was not alone.
His breath was almost nonexistent and his thumb brushed the switch on his rifle to semi. It was too dark to see anything.
"Please work," he thought to himself.
Blackburn's hand steadily reached up for the top of his helmet and pulled down. A low hum met his ears as the device kicked to life and everything turned green. Halleluiah. At least his NODs were working.
He took cover behind the tree in front of him and peered around the side, rifle high. His eyes took in every inch of the area in front of him.
Then he got his wish. Two figures entered his line of sight about fifty yards away. His finger was ready to pull the trigger and light them up, but he refrained for the time being. He had yet to identify the threat in front of him and until he did, he could not engage. Not yet.
It took a moment, but when he got a good look at the two people in front of him, he tilted his head in curiosity. The uniforms they were in did not match anything he was used to seeing like he did in his tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. These people in particular were wearing masks that covered most of their face and only exposed their mouths. The rest of the uniform was all black and on top of the shirt was a white tabard with the symbol of a creature's head and a set of claw marks in a red color.
Blackburn remained still. He had a clear visual of the targets in front of him, but they did not match the description of the combatants he was supposed to engage. For all he knew, they could be friendly combatants.
Both of them were holding weapons in the form of some sort of gun he had never seen before.
He had two options. Go past them and continue to the cliff, or get close and confront them. The latter option was suicidal, so he stuck with his gut. Get to the cliff and find a way out of there.
"Why do you think the Lieutenant has us out here?" Asked one guard.
"No idea. He's been very quiet after the Breach a couple weeks ago," the other replied.
Scratch that. Maybe getting some form of intelligence would help him after all. The two soldiers in front of him said something about an officer and this event simply known as the "Breach."
"Well, we did lose a lot of our brothers back in those tunnels. It doesn't help that Torchwick got caught at the end of the day," said the first
Blackburn repeated the name in his head so it would stick. From what he gathered, this Torchwick person was involved with the Breach and was the cause behind the deaths.
"Let him rot. I never liked that slime ball." Scoffed the second.
"All humans are slime. They deserve everything we can dish out." Nodded the first.
Now the specialist was completely lost. Why were they addressing humans with such disdain? Furthermore, why were they referring to them as humans? They were human as well, weren't they?
Another snap echoed around the dark wood, this time from behind Blackburn. He quickly wheeled around in the direction of it with his rifle high and his eyes widened.
"What the hell?" He blinked.
He had seen his fair share of animals in his life, but the creature before him was unlike anything he had ever seen. In fact, the species that the creature resembled was big. Almost a foot taller than him. Its red eyes glowed ominously from behind its bone-like mask and the razor sharp teeth that poked out of its maw promised nothing but pain.
He swallowed silently and did his best to stay calm. He could feel the heavy pounds of his heart as it throbbed and sent a wave of adrenaline through him.
"Did you hear that?" Asked the first guard.
"It's just a Beowolf. Let it go," the other replied.
"No, something's not right. Grimm are around the woods, but they've never come this close. Something drew it here."
"Alright, fine, let's go check it out."
Blackburn was petrified. No matter what he did, he would soon be kill by either the giant wolf in front of him, or the two soldiers that were now making their way towards his position.
One curse after the next escaped his lips. He was screwed! He was so screwed!
The wolf turned its gaze in his direction and let out a growl. It then skulked towards him. In a state of panic, he steadied himself and fired three rapid shots. The rounds rang loudly around the silent clearing, alerting everything nearby. The large wolf then tumbled back and landed with a crumpled heap on the forest floor.
He then spun around and aimed his rifle at the two soldiers than had hurried towards him. They came to a grinding halt and aimed their weapons for the tree he was hiding behind.
"We know you're out there, Hunter!" Shouted the first.
Hunter? Blackburn shook his head and inched it out behind the tree just enough to pinpoint their proximity. His head soon retreated behind the tree when bullets pelted it and sent bark flying all over the place.
"How did they see me? They're not wearing night-vision!" He shook his head in disbelief.
That didn't matter at this point. All he knew was that the soldiers in front of him were not friendly and he had to do everything he could to survive and break contact.
Three… he took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. Two… his rifle was ready to fire. One! With a grunt, he pushed himself off the tree and from his cover. He lined up his first shot and fired.
Coco and Fox were quick to the checkpoint and managed to rendezvous with Velvet and Yatsuhashi. The compound was two hundred meters away and all they needed to do was wait for Winter and her team to initiate contact.
"Are you all ready?" Coco asked.
"Always." Fox nodded.
"Y-yes," Velvet stuttered.
"I can assure you that I am more than ready," said Yatsuhashi as he drew his blade.
The fashion lover took in each of her teammates and a proud smile stretched across her pink lips. That's what she wanted to hear. They were one of the strongest teams that Beacon had to offer and she intended to show Winter that they could do just fine without her and her elite team.
She clutched her handbag and pressed down on her radio.
"Lieutenant Schnee, we're at our checkpoint," said Coco.
"Good. Be ready to move the second you hear the charges go off," replied Winter.
"Give my team some credit. We weren't assigned this mission for nothing, you know."
"Don't get smart with me, Adel. No mistakes."
There was a click as Winter canceled the connection and Coco rolled her eyes. That woman was wound way too tight.
Before they even got to the woods, Winter had them practice rehearsals with her team again and again until it was flawless. Endless hours of walkthroughs and contingency plans to ensure a perfect mission. There was no way they could mess it up.
Once Winter's team breached he compound wall, she would draw the attention of the security forces. Then Coco would have Fox and Yatsuhashi lead the charge from the eastern side of the compound and engage all stragglers in close combat. Meanwhile, she and Velvet would split up and secure the northern and southern gates to block off the escape routes.
To seal the deal for a decisive victory, Winter would call in the two Bullheads that were stationed two miles away to drop in AK-200s and then round up any prisoners.
"I admire Lieutenant Schnee's determination, but she must find a way to control that temper," said Yatsuhashi.
"Yatsu, you're way too…" Fox began to reply, but soon stopped.
Three loud shots caught their attention and they turned in the direction of it.
"Was that gunfire?" Velvet asked.
"Yes, it was," said Yatsuhashi.
Coco winced when she heard her radio spark to life in her ear and awaited the verbal lashing that Winter would give her.
"What did I just tell you?" Winter snapped.
"That wasn't us," She answered calmly.
"Then who was it?"
More gunfire pierced the night and reverberated around the old wood. Booming voices soon sounded from the compound and the entire base lit up. Another loud boom met the ears of the CFVY members and their eyes were drawn to a large plume of orange fire that shot up from the compound.
"That's the signal! Let's go!" Coco beckoned her team to follow her.
Winter Schnee was considered a prodigy by everyone who crossed her path. Intelligent, strong, and had beauty that turned the heads of most men and garnered envy from almost every woman. Her cold and icy personality gave off an intimidating presence that was found only in the most hardened commanders in the military that demanded nothing but the utmost respect. Should one anger her, they would be on the receiving end of her wrath for a long time.
The young lieutenant had just finished placing the last of the charges on the western wall of the compound and made her way back to the trees where her squad of soldiers hid patiently. Twenty seconds until the charges went off to start the raid.
She had spent hours and hours planning and preparing for the mission to make sure she could pull it off without any failures. It was a lot harder due to the fact she now had to watch out for a group of young Huntsmen that she felt had no place on this mission.
Her blue eyes watched the seconds tick down on her watch and her free hand rested on the hilt of her blade. She pulled her blade free and its hum was like music to her ears as it cut through the night.
Fifteen seconds to go. It was all going as planned and it would soon be another completed mission for the books and her record.
That was until she heard three loud shots sound from the north gate. And her eyes widened in surprise as her head snapped to the north. Her brow furrowed into a nasty glare and she growled under her breath. Only one person was supposed to be at that point and that was Coco, but not until the charges blew.
"What did I just tell you?" She hissed into her radio.
"That wasn't us," came Coco's reply.
"Then who was it?"
If Coco answered, she did not hear it. More shots echoed from the north and were soon drowned out by the deafening boom as the charges on the wall exploded. The giant plume of flames erupted into the sky and it reflected its orange color. Thick black smoke surrounded the flames and ascended into the night.
She would have to deal with the threat later.
"Move, now!" Winter led the charge into the flames.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Came the joint response of her team.
Winter leapt through the smoke and rammed an unsuspecting White Fang member, sending him to the ground. She gave him no time to react as she cut him down with her blade.
Her men sprang through the fire seconds later and took cover behind crates and vehicles to return fire. She clicked the button on the inside of her blade's guard and a second blade popped out from a hidden compartment. It was smaller, but it would be of great use to make quick work of the large force.
She focused her glyphs and rocketed forth the second she felt the power course through her veins. One slash after the next and the occasional kick, she laid waste to the Faunus group.
She narrowly ducked under a White Fang member as he sailed through the air and over her before slamming into the barracks. Her glare landed on Fox as he and Yatsuhashi appeared.
"Watch it!" She sneered.
"Oh, so sorry, Lieutenant!" Fox bowed deeply.
She clicked her tongue and returned her focus to the QRF that was coming from the barracks. She smirked and twirled her blade in her hand before stabbing it into the ground. A large, white glyph formed under her and a gust of wind flared up summoning small, white Nevermores around her. They then shot forth like a swarm of bees and pelted the group, distracting them.
She stood up and charged at them to take them down, but ground to a halt when her eyes fell upon a newcomer.
A young man, decked out with combat gear and a rifle had entered the northern gate. When the man turned towards her with his rifle high, she soon jumped back and took cover behind a vehicle. Peering around the truck, she saw the man gun down the stunned White Fang group without hesitation.
Her eyes narrowed at him when he ducked low and bolted for cover behind one of the supply sheds.
"Was it him who fired those rounds earlier?" She dashed out from behind the truck.
By this point, the White Fang members that were still standing were doing everything they could to escape the compound.
"Where's Adel?" Winter looked back to the northern gate.
Shaking her head, she opened up a new line in her radio.
"Overlord, Hammer, green light. I say again, green light. Over." Winter slid to a stop by her men.
"Green light confirmed. En route to your position now. ETA three minutes. Out," replied Overlord.
Winter tapped the soldier to her side.
"Sergeant, start clearing these buildings! I'll stay out here with these kids and round up the rest of them!" She stood up.
"Yes, Ma'am!" The sergeant nodded.
The sergeant whistled to his men and led them to the barracks and entered them to start the clearing.
She got up from her cover and looked back to the northern gate and was greeted with the sight of Coco walking in with her Gatling gun. The brunette had a wicked grin on her face and her gun started to spin up.
A roar of bullets mowed down the remaining members of the White Fang and she eased up the trigger. A small wisp of smoke emitted from the barrels of the gun and dissipated a second later.
"You're late!" Winter fixed her with a glare.
"I prefer the term fashionably late, thank you very much." Coco gave a small smirk.
"I don't have time for your immature games, Adel. We still have a job to do."
Coco rolled her eyes once more and had her gun fold back into her purse before strutting over to her temporary commander.
"Yes, Ma'am!" She gave a quick salute.
She restrained herself from biting at the girl's taunt and instead did another search of the smoldering compound. Where did that man run off to?
"Is something wrong, Lieutenant Schnee?" Velvet asked.
"Yes. Did you happen to see a man running through here a second ago?" Her eyes fell on the rabbit Faunus.
"Was he wearing some sort of green uniform and holding a rifle?"
She gave a curt nod and then followed Velvet's finger when she pointed towards the small cluster of buildings.
"Adel, Alistair, you're with me. We're going to find that man and bring him in for questioning," said Winter.
Coco and Fox exchanged looks with each other and nodded.
"Daichi, Scarlatina, keep watch over the prisoners until the Bullheads arrive with the reinforcements."
"Yes Ma'am!" Velvet nodded.
With her plan complete, Winter turned on her heel and walked to the two buildings that Velvet pointed at. She pointed at Fox and then to the right flank, then to Coco and to the left flank.
The two Huntsmen split up and took their respective flanking positions while Winter waited out front for them to flush the man out. She had a few questions that she wanted answered.
Blackburn was crouched behind the set of buildings catching his breath. He had ran as fast as he could after taking down the two men that confronted him in the woods, but soon stumbled across the compound after seeing a large explosion.
What he found was nothing more than a hornet's nest of soldiers like the ones he disposed of earlier. And if that wasn't enough for the young specialist, he had inadvertently gotten sucked into a conflict that was none of his business.
There were two sides going at it with each other and he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His only goal was to try and get to one of the trucks he spotted when he first entered the compound. If he could steal it, he would use it to get as far away from there as possible.
He peered around the corner of the building he was hiding behind and he saw three others coming for him. One male, two females. He spotted the white haired woman guiding her companions to his flanks. They were now looking for him.
"Okay, get up Blackburn!" He shakily got to his feet.
The specialist took one last breath and held his rifle high and trekked out to the front of the building.
He was surprised to see the white haired woman smirking at him.
"It would be in your best interest to lower that weapon, boy," she said.
"You can have it when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers," he retorted.
The woman's smirk thinned into a fierce scowl. She raised her arm and pointed her sharp blade at him. A sword? What person used a sword in a world where guns were more effective?
"This is your last warning. Drop your weapon, or I'll make you," she said with a low tone.
"Hell no!" He firmly stated.
The white haired woman straightened up, keeping her sword pointed at him.
"Foolishness will only get you killed." The woman shook her head.
It all happened so fast that Blackburn thought he imagined it. One moment the white haired woman was before him, the next she was gone, like a ghost. His wide eyes nearly bugged out of his head when flowing white hair entered his vision, less than half a foot away from him.
Instinctively, he shifted his rifle to block the woman's strike and leaned back. Stainless steel swung up and cleaved straight through the barrel of his rifle, destroying it. Not good.
He hunched over in surprise when a foot buried itself in his plated chest and forced him back. His baffled expression only made the woman smirk. What just happened? Furthermore, how was it even possible that happened? There was no way anyone could move that fast.
"I warned you," said the woman.
Blackburn said nothing, but he did the next best thing. His sidearm was strapped to his leg and he quickly pulled it out and fired, forcing the woman to vanish again.
The woman landed back in her previous spot with a glare.
"You don't learn, do you?" She clicked her tongue.
His response was another series of shots from the pistol he fired. With each shot, he drew closer and closer to her. If he had any chance of escaping the mysterious woman before him, he needed to eliminate her.
The woman vanished once more and was soon beside him with her blade back. With a swift swing she had her blade rend across the man's side, but she was surprised when it failed to cut through him.
She made to take a step back, but then his arm wormed its way around hers in a tight wrap. The next thing she knew, her cheek was throbbing painfully courtesy of a solid punch. Her state of shock was soon replaced with rage and she soon went to return the favor.
Her leg shifted between his and she bumped his hips to force him off balance. They staggered away and he soon recovered his lost footing. His other hand forced its way around her back and brought her down. She only saw the front of his knee as it slammed into her stomach. The air left her body, but she did not buckle from the painful hit.
She blocked his follow up knee jab and snapped her head up, garnering a grunt from him as she slammed the crown of her head into his chin. That was all she needed for a stun and she felt his grip loosen. She spun out of his grip and did a reverse wrap. With the tables turned, she brought up her leg and delivered three round house kicks to him. One to the face, the next to his stomach, and to his head once again.
Blackburn stumbled back, blood trickling from his nose and split lip. She got ready to lunge at him to finish him off, but she soon found herself staring down the barrel of his pistol. Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, an orange blur came between them.
Fox had appeared beside the soldier and drew his attention, but the man was too slow to get a shot off. His first smashed into the man's chest with unflinching resolve and his eyes bore into the man's surprised brown orbs.
The follow through with his punch launched the soldier off his feet and soaring back towards the vehicles where he hit the ground with a hard thump that echoed around compound. When the man did not stir, he relaxed his stance and stood upright.
He turned his gaze to Winter who was glaring back at the man. The lieutenant's cheek was red and swelling up, and a trickle of blood trailed down the corner of her mouth. He was a little surprised to see the near untouchable woman with injuries.
"Nice hit, Fox!" Coco appeared beside him, giving him a slap on the butt.
"I aim to please." He rubbed his sore knuckles.
Coco blew another bubble with her gum and her shaded eyes found the man that they flushed out to Winter. She strode over to the unmoving man to check him and see if he was still alive. She knew how strong Fox was and despite the sweet hit he landed on the man, it would be unfortunate if he died from the contact.
Her legs came to stop and she towered over the unconscious man. She took in the uniform and gear he had. It was not a military uniform that she knew about. Heck, she didn't even think Winter knew the man's military affiliation. What was the U.S. Army?
Her brow perked up when the man stirred and let out a low groan. When he opened his brown eyes, she tipped her glasses down a bit to return his gaze. Neither of them said anything. His mouth opened to speak, and although it was weak, she heard it clear as day.
"Beautiful…"
The corner of Coco's mouth curved up in a smirk.
"Flattery won't get you far with me," she said.
Whether the soldier heard it or not, she did not know. The man blacked out once more and she squatted beside him. He was still breathing, but it was labored. Most likely from Fox's punch.
"Is he dead?" Velvet asked.
"No, he's still alive." Coco shook her head.
"Good." Winter's clicking heels came to a stop. "I've got some questions for him when he wakes up."
She whistled to the sergeant of her squad and nodded at the unconscious soldier.
The sergeant returned moments later with two other members from his squad and set down the stretcher. They stripped him of his gear and his body armor and carefully placed him on the small carrier. The man's breathing seemed to even out just a bit with the loss of weight.
Winter's blue eyes bore into the man with nothing but anger. It was his fault her mission went out the window and to add insult to injury, he managed to get a couple lucky shots on her in their fight. She definitely had a bone to pick with him when he woke up. Hospitality be damned.
Her eyes then took in the top of his uniform. There were two sewn on name tapes. On the left side of his chest it read "U.S. Army" and on the right, "Blackburn." Her eyes narrowed when they glanced back at the name on his left side. She never heard of such an army, much less seen a soldier like this in her career with the Atlas Military.
"Load him on my Bullhead. I wish to keep an eye on him personally," said Winter.
"Yes, Ma'am!" The sergeant nodded back. "Get him on board, now!"
The sergeant escorted his team to the Bullhead and vanished from sight a second later.
Silence fell between Winter and the members of CFVY. She sheathed her blade and folded her hands behind her back. After doing another scan of the destroyed compound, she began her trek to the Bullhead, but came to a quick stop. Not turning around to speak, she raised her voice.
"Adel, your team did… well. I'm impressed with your teamwork,"
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she answered back.
"When we get back to Beacon your team needs to report to General Ironwood and Ozpin with me for a debriefing."
Winter disappeared inside the Bullhead, leaving Coco, Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi alone.
"I've never seen a soldier like that before." Yatsuhashi crossed his arms. "I wonder what his story is."
"We'll find out soon enough." Coco waved it aside. "I don't know about you all, but I could use a shower and a nap."
Coco stood up with a stretch and let the cool air grace her exposed midriff. With a roll of her neck and a pop of her shoulders, she too made her way to the Bullhead for exfil. She walked up the ramp of the Bullhead and saw Winter sitting near the cockpit, leg propped up and arms crossed. Her steely gaze fixed on the unconscious soldier before her.
The fashion loving girl decided to give the lieutenant her space and sat midway up the cabin of the Bullhead. Fox sat beside her a second later with Yatsuhashi and Velvet sitting across from them.
A loud hum came as the ramp closed followed by a hiss. The engines roared to life and the Bullhead lifted into the air and began its flight back to Beacon.
"This is Lieutenant Schnee. The mission has been completed. Intel has been retrieved and we are returning with twelve prisoners and…" She looked at the unknown soldier. "An unknown uniformed combatant."
We'll end it there. Once again, thanks a bunch for the support of the story, and I hope you all liked the chapter and are finding Blackburn's character to be a good one. I'm doing everything I can to avoid sue territory. See you all next time. -CaptainPrice
