Yang twisted the prosthetic arm again, noting how the servos and metal joints worked just fine. She stared overhead as the night sky shrouded the surrounding mountainous landscape. Trees and ferns dotted the land, not enough to obscure the land, but enough to provide sufficient cover for the operatives.
"Move up." Came the man in front of her. Yang remembered his name as Luis, a top notch Huntsman who had successfully performed many stealth operations over his career before he suddenly dropped off the grid. No one knew why, and whenever Yang tried to ask him about it, his reply was an incredibly sullen: 'I don't want to talk about it.' It wasn't long before she found out that Luis rarely talked unless it was completely necessary, and that he regarded questions (particularly short-sighted ones) with the ire of a Beowolf.
Yang followed his lead as they approached the manor. Based on the briefing, she knew that this was a rescue operation. A high-ranking councilman from Mistral had been captured by bandits who demanded a very hefty ransom for his safe return.
Yang watched as Luis moved up to the door. He fixed his visor over his eyes, holding up three fingers as he scanned the room behind. Three people have been spotted using the X-ray lens, a definite Atlas gadget. Yang readied herself, the left bracer of Ember Celica ready.
Luis's hand reached for the doorknob as Yang stood in front of it. Quickly he opened it and Yang rushed inside, heading for the nearest guard. With a swift uppercut to his chin, he was knocked out cold. She twisted into his limp body, hefting it off the ground and throwing him into the last guard as Luis subdued the other. The two of them crashed into the wall as Yang ran up and with a swift punch, knocked out the final guard.
"Hustle it!" Luis whispered sharply. It wouldn't be long till the remained of the enemy force found out about their infiltration. Yang ran forward, bracing herself in front of the door where the VIP was held. Once Luis was close, Yang punched right through the door, her momentum propelling her toward the lone guard who was standing beside the captive councilman. With a few well aimed punches, the guard went out cold. Yang turned to the sound of a door opening to see a guard charge out, a firearm aimed straight at her.
Pop! Pop! The sound of Luis's rifle echoed through the room. The bandit fell backward, slumping over as his blood smeared the wall behind. Yang didn't flinch at the sight. She had seen enough of it to be used to it by now. She remembered the tremendous amount of bandages she had noticed when she finally awoke, soaked in her own blood. She had also seen plenty of death during the fall of Beacon, with soldiers and students alike falling prey to the Grimm and Faunus extremists.
"Sir." Luis spoke. "We are an Atlas spec ops team. We're here to get you out. Yang, take point, I'll bring up the rear."
"Roger." Yang nodded. From their briefing, she knew their extraction point was a small clearing behind the house, past the main courtyard. She also knew that it was a completely open ground with little cover. They needed to move fast to avoid getting overwhelmed.
Yang reached the main door, reaching for the doorknob when her hand froze again. Yang crouched low and twisted the prosthetic, feeling it jerk slightly before it resumed full motion once more. She shot a look at Luis, who regarded the scene with a frown.
"I'm working on it!" She whispered back while simultaneously opening the door. She peeked outside, seeing nothing but the cold stony paths surrounded by grass and potted plants. "Clear!" She said before moving outside, crouching behind a small bench while Luis escorted the councilman out.
Yang moved forward again, keeping aware of her surroundings. She spotted the main road just three hundred metres ahead. As she motioned for Luis to move up, she noticed movement in the darkness ahead. At least ten or so hostiles were converging on their position.
"Contact!" Luis shouted as he returned fire, bringing down a few enemies as the rest took cover and returned fire. Yang clenched her fist as one charged right at her. Quickly, she stood up and launched a haymaker at his face. She felt something crunch as her metallic fist connected. She charged forward again, cocking Ember Celica and launching a few rounds at the bandits, who had no choice but the duck to avoid being shot. With the opening, Yang rushed them, smashing through their cover and throwing them around. A single punch from her right felled her foes while her left kept her covered at mid-range combat. With the distraction she had provided, Luis moved up with the VIP in tow.
"There's our ride!" Luis said as a jeep drove up. "Get the councilman out of here!" He now turned a fired back, covering Yang enough for her to escort the hostage to the van. She reached for the door again, and just as he metal fingers clamped around the handle, the arm froze up once more. Yang grunted as she tugged with all her might, but the limb was unresponsive.
Footsteps sounded to her left. Yang turned just to see a masked figure run up to her, its left hand raised. Yang now felt the cold steel of metal smash into her nose, the force of the blow causing her to fly a few feet away, hitting the dirt as her aura flashed; indicating severe damage. She looked up to see the masked figure pull out a shotgun, pointing it at the councilman and squeezing the trigger. The shot blew the councilman off his feet and into the air, where he now stayed, his shape flickering as it did.
The figure now stepped forward, still holding the shotgun. The weapon slowly shifted, the gun muzzle withdrawing back as the pump unsheathed a thick blade while the handle shifted forward and the trigger folded into the barrel. The figure now pointed the sword at her, the blade hovering a few inches from her throat.
"Sloppy work Yang." The figure removed the mask, revealing spiky white hair and a jaw lined with sharp teeth. His left hand whirred as the mechanical fingers extended into claws. "And now, you're dead." He withdrew the blade, his weapon shifting back into its shotgun form as he slung it onto his back. "Reset!" He bellowed.
Lights flashed and machines whirred. Slowly the landscape around her moved as rocks, trees, even the manor sank into the ground or folded up, replaced with metal floors and hatches. The night sky flickered as the holographic projection was cut, revealing catwalks and a metal ceiling above where lights glared down at her. The bodies and blood of the bandits and the dead councilman flickered and vanished, leaving nothing behind. Somewhere else, daylight poured in as a massive hanger door opened, revealing the blue sky outside.
Yang picked herself up, her right arm hanging uselessly by the side. The white-haired man came up to her, extending his own hand which she grabbed (reluctantly). As he hauled her up, Yang spotted a buggy approaching from behind. When it stopped, the passenger door opened and out stepped a woman dressed in a black blouse and skirt, altogether with a white lab coat.
The white haired man immediately grabbed her prosthetic arm, hoisting it up for the new arrival to see. "It's the arm Doctor Ignis. I knew it was too soon for her." Yang's response was to yank the dangling limb away from him and glare back, to which he shot a similar look.
"Easy Reigel." Replied Doctor Ignis. "We are both aware of her situation." She now shot a concerned smile at Yang as she examined the arm. "Well, it seems a little bit of wet work is in order. Nothing the team can't handle." Ignis smiled as she gestured to the buggy. "Climb in. You too Reigel. I've got some matters to discuss."
Yang obliged, getting inside the vehicle as the man Reigel got in the seat next to her. "Take us away." Dr. Ignis said. The driver nodded and off the buggy went.
Yang watched as the buggy left the massive hangar and skimmed across the paved terrain. Yang looked out to the scenery, which was nothing but blue skies and ocean all around. She watched as Atlesian knights patrolled the deck and soldiers jogged around, many of whom had prosthetics of their own.
This was the mobile flotilla of Achilles. Yang remembered the day they had come to pick her up from Patch, after her father had put in a call regarding her malfunctioning arm. She remembered the people who had knocked on the door and the first impression she had gotten.
Two days ago:
"Ignis! Glad you could make it" Taiyang had greeted the woman when she arrived, with Yang walking down to see the commotion. Yang's first impression of the woman was that despite her 'geeky' look with the thick glasses, her oversized front teeth and the frayed sweater she wore, the doctor was definitely a nice person. This was evidenced by how she hugged Taiyang warmly.
"Tai! Always good to see you!" Ignis had replied. "It's been how long since we met at the Vytal festival?"
"Twenty years or so." Taiyang answered. "If memory serves right."
"Haha. You didn't have tattoos back then." Ignis smirked as she eyed Taiyang's left arm before her gaze shifted to Yang. "Nor did you have a family. This is Yang I take it?"
"One and only." Yang smiled in greeting. "Yang Xiao Long. Good to meet you. You were a friend of my dad's?"
"Yes. My team and his went up against each other in the Vytal festival." Ignis recalled. "Team STRQ trounced us good. Qrow was incredible and Summer was just as so. But that Raven…" Ignis whistled. "Boy did she leave me feeling sore."
"Ignis…" Taiyang shot her a cautious glare.
"Ah, sorry." Ignis replied. "Went off track there."
"I'm pretty sure my mom was like that." Yang sniggered at her father, who merely rolled his eyes. "But anyways, I heard that you could help me with this?" Yang now displayed the arm, which Ignis took hold of and examined slowly.
"It seems undamaged at the very least." Ignis nodded. "Must be something to do with the calibration or inner circuitry…"
"Wow doc." Yang blinked. "You know your stuff."
"I should." Ignis smirked. "I helped design this."
"Wait, you made this?" Yang gasped.
"Most of the design was by me." Ignis explained as she twisted the prosthetic around. "I focused on mainly making it effective and pragmatic for use by people, be they Huntsmen or ordinary citizens. The construction however I leave to the people at Atlas, so I don't exactly see if a good job was done in that process. However I am always up to date on the latest software and calibration devices used."
"Wait a second…" Yang said as she withdrew the arm. "I know this sounds rude and all when you obviously are here to help me, but who are you?"
"Dr. Ignis Troile." She replied. "I was once from Atlas academy, but instead of becoming a Huntress, I dedicated my life to helping warriors get right back into the field of battle after suffering severe injuries. I am the founder of Achilles, an Atlas based research firm of incredible secrecy with contracts all across Remnant. Our mission is to mainly support wounded troops and Huntsmen and ensure they are fit for combat duties. Why, many Atlas specialists have benefited from my work, especially Ironwood."
"You helped out the General with his?" Yang exclaimed.
"Mostly just the upgrades." Ignis replied. "And I am all too happy to help with your situation. Of course, it would require you to make use of the state-of-the-art and incredibly secretive facilities of Achilles."
"Okay, I get it. All hush hush about what is going on." Yang nodded. "But so long as I can go forward, I don't mind either way."
"Perfect!" Ignis smiled. "Well then, perhaps you would like to get yourself packed?"
"All done." Taiyang said. "She's ready to go."
"Go where?" Yang asked. "You still haven't told me why I need to pack so much stuff for myself."
"Achilles does not operate in any one location." Came another voice outside. Everyone turned to see the white-haired man enter the house. Yang took note of everything regarding the new arrival. He had sharp teeth, characteristics of a Faunus. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt and grey pants and slung behind him was a shotgun. But most prominent were his mechanical limbs. Prosthetics formed his left hand and right leg, though the hand had sharpened claws instead of fingers.
"Yang." Her father spoke up. "This is Reigel Panthera. He was a junior of mine when he was in Beacon and is a Huntsmen working with Achilles."
Reigel merely nodded toward Taiyang before turning his attention to Yang. "Achilles maintains a mobile base. It's how we ensure our secrecy in the world. We possess some of the most revolutionary technology for troops and Huntsman. Letting it stay in one place where it could be easily tracked is just asking for trouble."
"That explains it." Yang nodded. "Well, I'm ready to go."
"I know you are." Taiyang nodded as he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, my sunny little dragon."
"You worry about yourself dad." Yang smiled. "And be sure to take care of Zwei too."
"I'm not worried about me Yang." Taiyang said as he now looked at Reigel. "You better take care of my little girl."
"That's what I'm here to do Tai." Reigel said. "But let's get one thing straight. I do it my way, no matter how much of a hardass I need to be." He now looked at Yang with an extremely hostile stare. "And you'd better keep up."
"Was that a challenge buster?" Yang growled as her eyes flashed red. "Bring it."
Present:
Yang now scowled as the buggy drove through the massive flotilla. It wasn't as large as Beacon, but it still provided ample facilities for the six-hundred or so troops that were stationed here. She watched as Atlesian paladins strode about while overhead Bullheads landed on designated pads, no doubt returning from reconnaissance rounds. All around she was flanked by hundreds of training grounds that fitted the need for the many types of hardware being tested. Firing ranges for newly developed weapons, obstacle courses meant to train troops in newer armour systems and even hangars for the construction and storage of newer prototype vehicles that Yang had never seen before.
She glanced at Reigel, who now appeared to be focused elsewhere. It was not long after she had arrived that she found out that it was Reigel that her father had dubbed the biggest prick on Remnant. Luis might have been stern and unsociable, but Reigel was completely unlikeable.
Within the first few hours aboard Yang experienced firsthand exactly what Reigel was capable of. His motto: Learn fast or die. Ignis may have been in charge of ensuring the arm worked fine and reviewing the rehab programmes, but Reigel was in charge of making sure she worked it out and trained with it.
And he was very enthusiastic about showing just how mediocre she was compared to him. Within the first few sparring matches, he had thrown her around countless times without much effort. No matter what she did, he always found a way to turn things around. And it didn't help how he was completely critical over her performance.
"Average is right." He had said when she ranked only that upon a simulated Grimm extermination exercise. "Amateur." He had stated when her punches with the prosthetic barely caused the force meter to go into the yellow. "Shoddy." He had mouthed to her as he threw her down over his shoulder and out of the sparring ring. Never mind that the arm wasn't exactly functioning right.
But the one thing that took the cake was that the guy attacked her always when she least expected it. The first occurrence was when lunch was being served. As she walked past him with a tray laden with a scrumptious looking meal, he had yanked her by the arm, kicked her in the knee and thrown her across the mess hall.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" She had screamed as she recovered and her eyes went red. "You want me to kill you that badly?!"
"I'd like to see you try." Reigel responded as everyone else tried to clear away as fast as possible. "Keep alert at all times kid. Unless you have a really profound interest in experiencing death, I suggest you do that. A Huntress can't afford to get careless, not when the next day could very well be your last."
At the time, Yang was completely tempted to charge him down. However it was obvious Reigel was much more skilled than she was, though unlike her father he didn't make it a habit of being polite about it. She was sure that he'd exploit her weaknesses easily, just like the last Faunus she tangled with. Thus, she did the only thing she could. She bit her lip and continued training, so that maybe one day she could give him the beating he deserved.
"Well Yang, how has your first few days in Achilles been?" Ignis asked.
"Oh wonderful." Yang replied sarcastically. "Been getting a lovely treatment of being flung around, tossed, punched and of course being criticised by a total prick." At this, Reigel stared back at her coldly.
"So I see." Ignis said as the buggy stopped. Yang looked as they had reached the maintenance wing. Considering that most of the people aboard the flotilla had a prosthetic of some sort, most of the maintenance was geared toward handling any issues that had occurred with the artificial limbs, with only a few sections handling the droids and vehicles.
"Go in Yang." Ignis said as she turned around. "Get that arm fixed. I'll see you later during dinner."
"Yeah." Yang nodded as she got out. She watched the buggy drive off before she entered the maintenance wing. She walked down the hallway to the furthermost door, taking note of the hisses of sliding doors that opened in other hallways. She watched as the camera above scanned her, reading the biometric chip that was implanted somewhere in the Achilles combat uniform she was given.
The door opened and Yang walked into the lab where two scientists waited for her.
"Ah, Yang." The first scientist spoke. "We've been expecting you. This way please."
Yang followed him, taking her place at the chair he gestured to. Once she was seated, a holographic screen lit up on the table in front of her. "Place your hand here please." He instructed as he pointed to a small pad on the table. Yang lifted the prosthetic up and placed it down, metallic rings now rising up to keep the arm in place. The scientist now grabbed a spike-like apparatus that was held in place by a mechanical strut. With his other hand, he moved back one of the plates upon her arm where a circular port was located. He inserted the spike inside, and the monitor buzzed to life and Yang registered a slight tingling in the arm.
"Alright Yang." He said as he turned his eyes to the screen. "Try moving the arm please?"
Yang nodded, grunting as she tried to twist her wrist. However, only a few fingers twitched. She watched as the other made detailed notes on his own computer.
"Okay. Making a slight adjustment…" The scientist nodded as he looked at the monitor. Yang was sure he was measuring the circuit connectivity or something similar. Big words that she didn't know. "Try again." He said. Yang complied, grunting as she tried to move. This time, her fingers curled only halfway while the wrist jerked.
"I think I know what the problem is." The scientist replied as he typed away again. Yang watched as the screen flashed and beeped, unsure of whether the current adjustments would work. "Try again." He said once more. Yang tried once more, and the arm moved fluidly without inhibition. She twirled the wrist around, flexing the fingers before she held her palm upwards and clenched it into a fist.
"Seems to be working." He nodded as he removed the spike and the metal placeholders. "But I would still recommend a little bit more physio to ensure the calibrations are stable. I'll put the report through to Dr. Ignis and Commander Reigel."
"Sure." Yang replied. As she was about to leave, she asked another question. "Any tips on dealing with the hardass?"
"Reigel?" The scientist replied. "Sorry kid. I got myself a job in this department because I couldn't stand that guy. I got nothing for you."
"Great…" Yang sighed as she made her way out. "Thanks anyways…"
Achilles Head Office
"Reigel, I know you are doing what needs to be done, but remember she is not the same as the few hundred soldiers you've helped rehabilitate over the years." Ignis said sternly as she sat at her desk. Reigel on the other hand remained standing, helping himself to freshly brewed coffee. "So I think it would be very appreciated if you could ease up on that girl."
"We're all soldiers now…" Reigel said as he took a sip. "Ever since Beacon fell, the world ought to know that we can't just sit tight with our thumbs up our assess. Anyone of us could die at any time. The faster we realise that, the better off we are."
"I understand your concerns." Ignis sighed as she rested her chin on her palm. "And I know who our real enemies are. I have already made it explicit to the Atlas council that Achilles will not participate in any conflict with another. In the event of that happening, I hit the kill switch on our operations. But even I know that there are limits to acknowledge and respect, and treating Yang like any one of your other trainees is straining that to a very heavy degree."
Reigel sipped the coffee. "Fine. I'll tone it down for her. But I still expect her to keep her head up. If what Qrow said is true, she's going to have to learn that our real enemies are far more dangerous than anything she has seen in her entire life. If she wants to be serious about getting out there again, she'll need to learn quick now, or not at all."
"I thought you'd said you'd tone it down?" Ignis growled.
"I will." Reigel said. "When I feel like it."
"You are such an asshole. And by the way, I'm being nice when I say this." Ignis scowled. "Why did I ever think working with you was a good idea?"
"Because I know what it's like to lose a piece of you." Reigel nodded as he looked at his mechanical left arm. "I know what it's like to survive a brush with death. They may not admit it, but the people I train? They need me more than they know." With nothing left to say, Reigel placed his used mug in the small office sink and walked out.
"How is it that a guy like you can make so much sense?" Ignis asked herself as she read the report concerning Yang's arm.
Author's note:
So yeah, a little bit more strong language here than I have used for other RWBY fics. Then again, with the RWBY story getting into more mature themes, I think I can get away with this a little. Still, story is rated as M, just to be safe.
Please read and comment. It is greatly appreciated.
Jdbl00d