Hey all, I'm here with another update. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks a bunch for the support.
Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Journal Entries/Flashbacks/
Winter had remained silent since the Bullhead picked up her team. For the duration of the flight, she had not taken her eyes off of the unconscious soldier in front of her. The man caused her trouble on the mission and although she completed the mission successfully with no casualties, it was disrupted. Everything would have been on point and perfect had he not alerted the White Fang members before the start of the raid.
A grimace marred her beautiful face as she felt her cheek throb again. Her hand gently caressed the cheek the soldier managed to punch in their short skirmish. For him to have done that, he had to have been fairly experienced in combat. He carried himself well and was able to go toe to toe with her for just a bit. Not even soldiers with her experience were able to do as well as he did. Maybe it was luck?
She shook her head. No. The young man showed skill, and from what she could tell, he did not even use his Semblance.
Doing a quick look around the cabin, the lieutenant leaned forward and pressed her fingertips to his neck and closed her eyes. Surely the boy would have used his Aura and his Semblance in the fight. So why did he not?
Her brow furrowed and her eyes snapped open in disbelief. She withdrew her fingers and folded her arms, a pensive scowl spread across her pink lips.
"How?" Her fingers dug into her arms.
The man had no Aura. No Aura, no Semblance. Just who was this guy? Where did he come from, and more importantly, what was he doing in her operating area?
She massaged her temples and returned her gaze to the soldier again. Her blue eyes took in the two name tapes on his chest once more. "Blackburn" and "U.S. Army". The latter name was the one she was more interested in. She had never heard of the U.S. Army. What was it and what was their purpose here? What did "U.S." even stand for?
Winter stretched out and lightly prodded the man's pockets for anything that could give her more information. She stopped when the man stirred, but soon continued her task when he stopped. When her fingers came into contact with a small, rectangular piece of plastic in his vest pocket.
The Velcro tore open and she fished out a small keycard-like object. She then spotted a silver, beaded chain wrapped around a belt loop in his trousers. After a couple of seconds, she managed to pull the chain free and with it came two smaller silver tags.
She leaned back in her seat and squinted down at the items in her hands. The dimly lit light made it hard to decipher what was on them at first, but once her eyes adjusted, she was able to see them for what they were. ID tags, and an ID card with his photo on it. Not much, but at least she knew who the soldier was and it gave her the upper hand for their upcoming conversation when they were in a secured room back at Beacon.
Winter tucked the tags and card in her breast pocket and leaned back in her seat. She cast a glance at the students that accompanied her on the mission. Velvet, Yatsuhashi and Fox were sleeping, and it appeared Coco was as well. That was until she saw the brunette's brown eyes sneak a peek at her from behind her glasses.
"Did you enjoy the feel of his muscles there, Lieutenant?" Coco smirked.
Winter clicked her tongue and shifted her eyes to look forward again. What did the girl take her for? She had class and decorum and would not be caught dead feeling a man up at all. Much less an unconscious man.
"Please. I'm not some hormonal teenager." She brushed it off.
"But you are a woman and you have needs just like everyone else," Coco continued with her teasing.
Winter shifted in her seat and did her best to ignore the beret wearing girl. Her blue eyes narrowed into a harsh glare and she turned her attention back to Coco. However, the younger Huntress was unfazed by the steely look she was getting.
"Are you trying to get a rise out of me?" She asked.
Coco only shrugged and leaned back in her seat, the smirk never leaving her face. "What gave you that idea?"
The lieutenant only shook her head.
"I'm just saying that you're wound up tight. Maybe you just need to blow off some steam?" The brunette shrugged.
"That's enough!" Winter snapped back.
Coco only held up her hands to diffuse the hostile tension she created with the white haired woman beside her. Fox was right. The woman was way too uptight and in desperate need of a stress reliever.
She almost pitied Winter. It had to be lonely for the lieutenant at times. Such a strong and independent woman with beauty, but her cold personality made others steer clear of her. No friends to talk to, no lovers to hold her. Nothing but fear and respect being thrown at her because of her reputation. She was the type of woman that only had an interest in her career, and Coco respected that.
She herself was only focused on her career as a Huntress as well, at least for the time being. There were other aspirations that she wanted outside of that and she had every intention of meeting them when she felt it was time to hang up the title of Huntress.
Coco's eyes then fell on the soldier and she looked him up and down. Although their interaction earlier was very brief, she was curious to learn more about him. Anybody who was able to land a hit on Winter Schnee was worth getting to know in her mind.
The Bullhead landed at Beacon an hour later, much to the relief of the tired occupants inside. With the students of the academy in their dorms because of curfew, it made the transportation of the unconscious soldier easier. No questions, no evidence for rumors to surface. Just something that would remain on the DL for as long as it was necessary.
The small task force was greeted by three individuals at the landing zone. Beacon's headmaster Ozpin, deputy headmistress Glynda Goodwitch, and James Ironwood, general of the Atlas Military.
Ironwood, tall and dressed in the same white and gray uniform as Winter, stepped forward with his hands behind his back. When the team lined up in front of them, he gave them all a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Winter, I trust the mission went as planned?" He asked.
"Yes, Sir!" Winter saluted back.
"At ease."
Winter dropped her arm and relaxed her posture, albeit slightly. Her eyes watched the general's gaze as it inspected her and each member of Team CFVY. The general's eyes then trailed behind her and noticed the stretcher with the unconscious newcomer. She saw his eyes narrow and then glance back at her for an answer.
"Winter, who is that man on the litter?" He asked.
Before Winter could speak up, Glynda stepped forward, riding crop in hand.
"I believe it's best we continue this conversation inside and conduct the debriefing there," she said.
The general only nodded and did a quick turn on his heel and started his march back to the main entrance with Winter following close behind.
When the two of them disappeared from sight, Glynda and Ozpin turned their attention to Team CFVY and the soldiers carrying the uniformed man.
"Where would you like us to put him?" Asked the sergeant.
Ozpin's green eyes observed the uniformed man. He lowered the coffee mug from his lips and after some quick deliberation, made his decision.
"Put him in a private room in the infirmary. I believe James would like to speak with him when he wakes up."
The sergeant nodded and led his small team back inside and towards the school's medical center.
Ozpin calmly sipped the tasty coffee from his mug again and turned her attention to his four students. They all looked tired after the late night mission with the Atlas Military, but thankfully, they appeared to have enough energy for the debriefing and no signs of injury.
The headmaster nodded at Glynda and she turned on her heel to lead Team CFVY back to his office. He followed close behind, his black shoes making small clicks with each step.
Debriefings are standard operating procedure for any military, and it was no different for the students of Beacon Academy. A mission was assigned and upon completion, it was to be recounted by those that partook in it to explain what went down and what to take as reference for follow on missions to ensure better outcomes. They were long and boring, but one of those stupid check the box requirements that had to be done.
Ironwood only got a short rundown of what happened when he and Winter walked back to Ozpin's office. Needless to say, he was fairly surprised with his most trusted officer's words. He could hear the frustration laced in her voice and if the way her fingers dug into her uniform was an indicator, she was furious with how the mission ended up despite the success.
His blue eyes then looked down at the ID tags and the card in his gloved hand. While keeping an open ear to the conversation, he quietly observed the items. Both forms of identification were foreign to him. The Atlas Military, while ahead of the curve in forms of military grade technology thanks to the SDC, never had identification forms like that. Their ID was implanted into their scrolls and were to be carried at all times. And it appeared that this soldier's form of protocol was no different, with the exception of having two forms on him.
He looked down at the plastic card and took in the man's photo as well as the personal information on it. The format was a little difficult to decipher, but he felt he had a solid guess to what he could make on it. Name, issue date, rank, but what stumped him was the name of the group he was affiliated with. "Army." Winter had mentioned that he belonged to some form of uniformed service she never heard of and that he would have to see it for himself. The card seemed to suggest there were other forms of military that was related to him.
In all of his years of service, Ironwood never heard of multiple militaries, much less more than one branch. Sure there were town militia and the Huntsmen, but they were not considered military. Just another group of people taking up arms against the Grimm. If that was the case, how big was this military that the soldier was affiliated with? How strong was it? Would they come looking for him in force?
"And then we got on the Bullhead and came back." Fox folded his arms.
Ironwood returned his attention to the students in front of him, tucking the soldier's ID into his pocket.
"I see." Ozpin folded his hands in front of his mouth.
The ticking and clunks of clocks and the gears below the floor filled the silent room. The silence was soon broken by Glynda who spared a quick glance to Winter and James.
"Can you bring up the intelligence your team gathered?" She asked.
Winter sent a quick look to Ironwood who nodded. She stepped up to Ozpin's desk and connected her scroll to it, and after sifting through the files, she found what she was looking for.
The intelligence they gathered was supposed to stay between her, Ironwood, Ozpin and Glynda, but her commander must have had a change of heart. To allow Team CFVY permission to see the sensitive documents tipped her off that the four students that joined her on the mission would possibly be tasked to her down the road for further missions relating to what they gathered.
Their initial belief was that the White Fang in the compound would have more information regarding a priority target simply known as "Queen." General Ironwood only told her that the designated individual was considered very dangerous and was believed to be the true mastermind behind the Breach. Given the violent motive behind the attack, he and his trusted sources believed she would try something again in the near future.
"So what exactly is this chick's motive?" Fox asked as his eyes scanned the screen.
"We're not entirely sure ourselves." Winter shook her head. "All our intelligence officers believe this is just the start to something bigger."
"Like what? What other crazy shit can she do outside of almost leveling Vale?"
He gave a sharp intake of breath when Glynda swatted the back of his head for the foul language.
"We don't know, and that's what has us on edge." Ironwood stepped forward. "If she can pull off an attack like that, it's possible she can do something more damaging."
The group shuddered just a bit at that thought. The Breach was considered the worst Grimm and terrorist attack in years and the possibility of an attack worse than that was unsettling. In the attack's wake, it left the citizens of Vale fearful which had increased the amount of Grimm lurking around the city and as another secondary effect, the civilians began to lose faith in the Huntsmen and military. The neighboring kingdoms even began to voice their concerns about whether or not the Vytal Festival should be held.
With the White Fang now lying low after the Breach and the capture of Roman Torchwick, one would think the now nonexistent crime would bring peace of mind, but it had the opposite effect, namely for the Huntsmen and the military. With the drop of crime and lack of activity, it only confirmed their suspicions that something big was in the works and it was only a matter of time before it reared its ugly head.
So far the only source they had that could shed any light on their concerns was Roman Torchwick, but the man had kept his mouth shut. Every attempt to pull information from the crafty criminal was met with nothing but mocking failure. If he did know something, there was no way he would ever tell them. At least not willingly.
That led to plan B. The screen displayed a short list of unmarked files that were pulled from the White Fang compound. Nothing more than five files.
Each file contained different information and only offered two key bits of intelligence, which did next to nothing with how cryptic it was. A map of the four kingdoms that had labeled attacks on Dust shops as well as areas circled in red with no notes. The second was only a log of journal entries containing short messages between the White Fang head officer of the compound they raided, Queen and another person dubbed "Lotus".
"Figures." Winter clicked her tongue. "We try to get intel and we get next to nothing when we find it."
"Patience." James rested a hand on her shoulder. "Our intelligence and signal teams will be able to get us something soon."
"Yet we are still running in circles with what they give us!"
"Winter…"
The young lieutenant rested her hands on her hips and took a deep breath through her nose. It soon left her in the form of an annoyed sigh. She knew the effectiveness that the intelligence and signal teams had was important, but it annoyed her to no end when they fell short of what they were supposed to deliver. Granted it was not always their fault, it got annoying when it happened more than it should have.
"My apologies, Sir." She straightened up.
James gave her another firm pat on the shoulder and turned his eyes to Team CFVY.
"Winter told me that you all performed exceptionally tonight," he began.
"Thank you, Sir." Yatsuhashi bowed his head.
"She's not one to give such praise, so take that compliment."
Team CFVY's faces lit up with pride and they could not stop the large, beaming looks from forming on their faces. Being complimented by Winter Schnee was great, but being acknowledged by General Ironwood himself? That practically gave them bragging rights amongst their peers for months to come.
"Now, with that in mind, I would like to extend the four of you an offer," James continued.
"Sir?" Velvet tilted her head curiously.
"Given how well you worked with Winter's strike team tonight, I would like to have you partake in all follow on missions related to the raid that took place tonight."
Team CFVY looked between the old general, Winter, as well as Glynda and Ozpin as if trying to confirm what they just heard. They could see the hesitant looks on Glynda's and Winter's faces and could tell that they wanted to protest the general's proposition.
"Professor?" Coco looked at Ozpin.
The headmaster remained silent with his brow furrowed in thought.
The brunette was happy that her team was held in such high regard after the mission, and when Ironwood offered her team to work with him and Winter more, she was flooded with excitement. The chance to help apprehend the dangerous target that caused the Breach made her want to agree, but she refrained from doing so. If it were up to her, she would accept it in a heartbeat, but the reality was that she could not drag her team into something they did not want to do.
After sparing Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi a quick glance, she could see the conflicted looks on their faces. The three of them joined to become Huntsmen and purge Grimm, but now that they had the chance to shift their focus on a more intelligent and domestic threat, they looked unsure of what to say.
She sighed and removed her sunglasses to look them each in the eyes. In her time as a leader, whenever she had a decision to make or needed to discuss something serious, she would always put aside her playful manner and adopt a more serious tone. One that would make a commander proud.
"Fox, Velvet, Yatsuhashi." She looked at each of them. "We have been given an opportunity to help stop a threat that is probably greater than any Grimm attack. Now I know you all may be unsure of this, but I want to remind you of one thing. All of you came to Beacon to become Huntsmen to protect everyone, and that does not mean just from Grimm."
As Coco continued her speech, Winter folded her arms and looked at the fashionista with mild surprise. She did not expect the brunette to have a serious side, having only seen a lighthearted, teasing nature from her. But the young Huntress had excellent charisma and carried herself with confidence that would not be shattered. The true definition of a leader in her eyes.
"We've seen what the White Fang is capable of and whatever they're planning with this Queen and Lotus will only bring fear to the people," said Coco.
"And fear will bring the Grimm," Yatsuhashi finished for her.
Coco nodded and put her shades on again and rested a hand on her hip.
"Now, you know I won't drag you through something you don't want to do. So we'll put it to a vote."
Her brown eyes swept her team once more and then landed on Yatsuhashi who had his eyes closed in thought. After a few lengthy seconds, the tall swordsman opened his eyes with his decision.
"I can't stand by and let this Queen bring fear to the people of Vale. I'm in, Coco."
Coco nodded and shifted her gaze to Velvet. The rabbit Faunus was twiddling her thumbs silently. Her long ears were bent a bit, which she only did when she was embarrassed or nervous. Her ears straightened up and a small smile spread across her face.
"I want to help, too."
That was two. Coco then looked at her partner who had his hands in his pockets. She felt she knew what his answer would be after hanging around him for over year.
"Ah, screw it." Fox gave a heaty shrug. "It was getting boring only fighting Grimm anyway."
Coco smirked and fell back in line with her team and nodded at Ironwood. The old general had a faint smile on his lips as well. More than happy to have a young team of promising Huntsmen helping his task force.
The brunette led her team out of Ozpin's office moments later after being dismissed and once they were gone, Glynda spun on her heel and leveled James with a fierce glare.
"What are you doing?" She strode up to him.
"Glynda…" He tried to speak.
"They're students! You can't just throw them into the fire like that!"
James' brow furrowed as the blonde jabbed his chest with her fingers. He gently stopped her hand and frowned when she wrenched it away from him. The deputy headmistress, while strict with her students, was truly like a mother looking out for her own.
The blonde firmly believed in training the students step by step to becoming protectors of the world. Sending students out to handle matters that were more befitting of a soldier was cold. Although Huntsmen were supposed to be protectors of the world by disposing of Grimm, they were also to stop those who threatened the balance of Remnant, like the Queen.
"You know as well as I do that Huntsmen are no different than my soldiers," said James. "They come here under the impression they are learning to destroy Grimm, but we really know what their purpose is."
The corner of Glynda's mouth twitched and her knuckles turned white as they gripped her riding crop tightly.
"That's enough," said Ozpin, getting up from his desk.
The old headmaster gripped his cane and walked around his desk. He picked up his coffee mug and cast his tired green eyes towards them. It was always the same old song and dance between his former teammates.
"Ozpin, are you seriously going to let Miss Adel's team do this?" Glynda quickly rounded on him.
Ozpin stared into the emerald orbs of his deputy and took another long sip from his coffee mug.
"Glynda, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it you who told me that it was our duty to ensure our students become the protectors of the world?"
The blonde bit her lip and lowered her head. Her partner was not wrong with what he said. She had said those words to him after she had to clean up the mess that teams RWBY and JNPR made in the dining hall in a childish food fight.
"While I agree with you that it is early to let them handle a task like this, we can't keep them from it forever. I'd rather Miss Adel and her team learn what their future holds sooner than later," he said as he made his way over to the counter.
Ozpin filled his mug to the brim once again and his heels tapped against the floor as he went to the elevator.
"Where are you going?" Glynda called after him.
"To check on our new guest," he answered back. "I think we should all pay the young man a visit."
With that, Ozpin stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. He turned to face them and calmly drank from his mug and waited for them to board the lift. Glynda soon followed with Winter and James in tow.
Bullets whizzed all around him. They were close. He could almost feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end with each narrow miss that went by him.
His legs trembled and he slumped behind a wall for cover, slowly becoming disengaged from the violent fighting around him. The bullets continued to pepper the wall he took cover behind.
"Blackburn, get your thumb out of your ass and fire your weapon!" Sergeant Carlson yelled at him.
Blackburn winced at his squad leader's sharp tone and tried to calm himself down. Everything had happened so fast. Their patrol through the city was disrupted by a group of insurgents that were hunkered down in a building two hundred meters away. They did not hold back and continued to hit them with every weapon that they had and pinned them down with a machine gun.
His raspy breaths slowly became more controlled and his trembling subsided just enough for him to gain his bearings. He inched his eyes around the wall and could see the building they needed to hit, but soon retreated when he saw the star shaped flash of the muzzle in the window.
Chunks of stone and a cloud of dust shot off the wall and forced him to glue himself to it once again. His trembling came back in full force, but it was not fear like before. This time he felt a tingle in his spine his nerves were steady. The adrenaline that was coursing through him gave him the resolve to do what Sergeant Carlson said and return fire.
He spun out from the wall and squeezed the trigger with textbook control. He was able to make out his bullets as they hit around the window and successfully managed to stop the heavy fire that came from it.
"Bound up, now!" Carlson barked.
Blackburn and Harvick pushed themselves out of their hiding spots and took opposite sides of the street. Both of them took cover behind a house and continued to lay down supporting fire on the window, all the while keeping their eyes peeled for additional movement on the rooftops.
Hurried footsteps came from behind and soon a hard thump as Carlson and Busch got against the wall of the house with him. Across the street, Private McDermott was beside Harvick and had the AT-4 ready to fire.
"McDermott, get ready to give that prick hell!" Carlson called to him.
"Roger, Sergeant!" McDermott nodded back.
When Blackburn and Harvick fired the last round in the magazines, they pulled behind the cover and McDermott jumped out, took aim and fired. A loud whoosh filled the air as the explosive projectile soared through it and towards the wall.
There was a thunderous boom as the round hit the wall and turned it to rubble. A large cloud of dust and dirt began to push out into the street. The machine gun nest was gone and there was no movement.
"Blackburn, take Harvick and McDermott to clear the house," said Carlson.
Blackburn nodded and loaded a fresh magazine into his rifle. He got off the wall and took point with Harvick on his left and McDermott to his right.
By this point, the adrenaline had left him and he was moving forward with the utmost caution. If there was one thing he hated after a fire exchange, it was the silence. Was there more hiding and waiting for them to drop their guard?
He felt a beads of cold sweat trickle down his face. Each step kicked up a small cloud of sand and each beat of his heart echoed in his ears as it thumped in his chest. Yet through his growing anxiety, his hands and rifle remained dead steady.
They were close now. Maybe fifty meters away.
A loud burst met Blackburn's ears and he felt the bullets whiz by him. His teeth poked out in a vicious snarl and he cursed at the assailant that lurked in the destroyed building. He was not sure how many times he fired his rifle, but with Harvick and McDermott mimicking him, he was sure that the attacker was down.
"Fuck! McDermott's down!" Harvick shouted.
Blackburn's heart seized and he could almost feel the color drain from his face. He spared a quick glance back and could see Harvick tending to McDermott who was on his back, his legs squirming from under him.
He had seen his fair share of scary sights, but nothing came close to what he saw there. The life was slowly leaving his friend, and the gagging sounds that came from his throat only made it worse. It was almost as bad as the screams of agony that filled the air from anyone that got hit in a firefight.
Disregarding his task to clear the house, he hurried to McDermott's side and slid to a halt. McDermott's blue eyes were wide with shock and his face was deathly pale. Blood was trickling through his fingers as he tried to keep pressure on his wound.
"Hang in there, brother! Hang in there!" Harvick tended to the wound.
Blackburn gripped McDermott's hand when it reached for him and held it tight. He could feel his eyes stinging with unshed tears.
Why did it have to be him? Why did McDermott have to get hit? Those bullets were meant for him! Hell, he even felt them fly by!
"I got movement!" Busch called from his spot on the wall.
Blackburn turned back to the house and he, too, saw someone moving inside. He could feel the strength of McDermott's grip fading and he let go of his hand to aim back at the house. Was it the same guy who shot at them a second ago? The thought angered him and made him get to his feet, his cold eyes locked on the figure through his ACOG scope. His finger on the trigger, ready to pull.
The figure was small and he could not tell if it was a man or a woman as they moved in the shadows of the destroyed house. When the individual stepped out into the light, Blackburn's eyes widened in horror and his throat went dry.
It was a kid. A teenage kid, probably no older than fifteen. The boy had blood on his clothes and his free hand. In his other hand was an AK-47 ready to be used. His dark eyes were filled with nothing but anguish and anger as he stared back at him.
"Drop the gun!" Blackburn shouted at him.
The boy only took a step forward and got a more secure grip on the weapon, making the specialist curse. The escalation of force or EOF, was quickly rising and the last thing he wanted to do was kill a kid.
"Stop!" Blackburn yelled.
The boy continued walking towards them.
"I said stop, Goddamn-it!" He tried again.
He showed his rifle to the boy who finally stopped, no more than a house away from him and his team. A shaky breath escaped him, but it quickly went back in when the boy took another step.
"Blackburn, what are you doing?" Carlson shouted from the wall.
His hands were finally shaking and he was now stepping back to put space between him and the boy who continued his stride. He would not kill a kid! The boy stopped and began to raise the rifle.
"Blackburn!"
Two loud shots rang out and everything went black.
Blackburn bolted upright and panted heavily. A cold sweat had formed on his person and he could tell it was shining off of his brown skin. His clammy hands shook in his lap. He fell back to the bed and winced when his chest gave a sharp throb.
His eyes took in his surroundings, but he knew the familiar white walls. He was in a hospital. Was everything he experienced earlier a dream? The forest, that black creature, those soldiers. Was all of that just in his head?
He took a quick look over his body and found that it was perfectly intact, and that bothered him greatly. There was no way he could be in one piece, especially if he survived that RPG blast. All of his limbs were still there and there was no sign of physical damage. At least until he shifted a bit and felt the sharp stab of pain in his chest again.
His hand pulled up the collar of his shirt and he could see a large, black and blue bruise on his sternum. Too little damage from an RPG, even if he was wearing a plated vest.
"What the hell is going on?" He buried his face in his hands.
The twenty year old looked up when he heard the click of a doorknob and the door to the room opened. Four people filed inside, two men and two women. Out of all of them, his brown eyes landed on the woman with white hair and they quickly narrowed.
The white haired woman returned his glare and looked ready to burst. She stood beside the taller man who was dressed in the same attire as her.
"Good evening, Mister Blackburn, is it?" The gray haired man with a cane greeted.
Blackburn did not answer the man and turned his gaze to the bedsheets. Who were these people and what were they going to do to him?
The spectacled man pulled up a chair and sat down in it close to his bed. He took a sip from his mug and relaxed into the chair.
"I would like a few minutes of your time, if you don't mind."
We'll call it there. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Next time we'll see how Blackburn comes to terms with his arrival in Remnant and his talk with Ozpin, Glynda, Winter and Ironwood.