Buck slowly opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again as the sudden light gave him a massive headache. He put a hand up to his forehead. It was obvious that the effects of being electrocuted hadn't completely worn off yet. He tried opening his eyes again. He was forced to shut them once more but was able to keep them open a little longer this time. Buck continued blinking until his eyes were finally able to adjust. He slowly stretched his neck from side to side. It was then that he noticed he was sitting on the floor of a jail cell. "Oh, that's just perfect." He sarcastically muttered aloud.
"Yeah, life's a bitch, ain't it?" Came an all too familiar voice.
"You enjoying the view from up there Romeo?" Buck turned to his squadmate who had helped himself up to one of the benches in the cell. He was leaning on it with one leg hanging off.
"Oh yeah, I can see everything from here." Romeo matched Buck's sarcasm. "The dirty-ass floors, the molded walls, the toilets that probably haven't been cleaned since they built this place. As far as I can tell, we're at the fucking Hilton. They even took the liberty of looking after our stuff for us. Took everything except our armor. Guess that shit was too complicated for 'em. They let J.D over there keep his helmet though. Why? I have no fucking clue."
"J.D? He's here?!"
"Yeah, he was already here when I woke up, guess he was the first one to get caught." Romeo indicated the other side of the cell. Buck turned his head in that direction and sure enough, there was The Rookie, sitting up against the wall. He tipped his head in a 'Whats up' fashion to Buck.
"Yeah, that's right." Romeo went on in monotone. "We found him Gunny. Mission accomplished. Now we can all rot in here together."
"The distress beacon, did you activate it?" Buck asked almost immediately.
The Rookie nodded. He had managed to activate the beacon, but the real question was if they were close enough to UNSC airspace for anyone to receive the signal. They all knew this, and could only hope for the best.
"Awwww, my head." Mickey moaned. He had just awakened for the second time that day from being put down by force.
"Aye, look who decided to wake up. The royal princess herself." Romeo snorted.
"I'm taking that as a compliment." Mickey grunted with some effort as he slowly pulled himself up to sit. He noticed The Rookie sitting next to him and jerked back in surprise. "J.D? Holy shit, you made it man!" The Rookie nodded.
"Yeah, he made it…. into a cell block, that is." Romeo deadpanned. "This just some more of that grade A bullshit. My first assignment back in the field and I get to spend it behind bars on some random planet with you motherfuckers."
Mickey raised an eyebrow. "Wow, thanks." He feined gratitude. Turning back to The Rookie, he noticed his friend still had his helmet on. "Wait a minute, how do you still have that?" He asked out of curiosity.
Flashback:
Officer: "Sir, I'm going to have to take your helmet."
Rookie: (Stares down threateningly at officer)
Officer: (Fearfully) "You know what? Heh heh. You can keep it actually."
Presently:
The Rookie shrugged.
"They probably found out how ugly he was and forced him to put it back on." Romeo smirked. The Rookie took an empty soda can that was on the ground next to him and threw it at Romeo. Romeo saw it coming and casually knocked it out of the way. "Hey come on J.D, don't get offended. No matter how ugly you are you're still prettier than old Gunny over here. Yeeaa, I think I can see some streaks of white hair already on the old man heh heh."
Buck sighed. I don't have any gray hair. "Is this what I get for leading you guys through hell? Maybe by the time we make it out of here, you'll realize how young I actually still am."
"And just when do you suppose that will be?" Romeo challenged. "We're probably gonna be stuck out here for a while. And by 'a while' I mean until we die most likely. But hey, we can tell Dutch all about it when we reunite in the afterlife." It was a sarcastic comment, but Romeo actually felt somewhat lost and empty. It was as if he had lost a part of himself. Him and Dutch had had each other's backs since day one. With his death being so unexpected and with how fast things had been moving along recently, Romeo wasn't really sure on how he should process everything.
"Dutch…he would've gotten a kick outta this." Mickey said solemnly. He shared Romeo's feelings.
"He died with a weapon in his hand fighting for humanity." Buck stated firmly. "You can't ask for much else as an ODST." Buck felt the same way as well, but he also knew grieving about it at a time like this wouldn't help. They were in a pretty bad spot, and he'd need to think of a way out quick."
"Yeah, I guess that's how he would've liked it anways." Mickey agreed.
"This whole operation was just fucked up." Romeo reflected. "Dutch's gone, the Colonel's gone, hell, we even lost Halsey. Again. And now I gotta share a jail cell with three other guys. Even Perry Ellis over there gets to have his own personal space." Romeo pointed backwards with his thumb to the cell that was right next to theirs. A single bearded-man that looked to be in his forties sat by himself; eyes cast downwards. He was wearing a white button-up accompanied by a black vest and a red tie.
An officer that happened to be walking by overheard Romeo. "That's not just your average joe." He informed the ODST's. "His name's Hei Xiong. He's pretty well connected in the crime world. Likes to run supplies and do the dirty work for some of the higher-ups around here. We arrested him for public disturbance when he somehow started a fire at his own club." The officer then directed his attention to the man, "Don't get too comfortable Junior, you'll be moving out to the big house tommarow. We'll see how you like being the prison bitch!" The officer laughed loudly as he walked off.
Romeo turned around to look at the man, who at this point hadn't even reacted to anything the officer said moments ago. "Started a fire at your own club huh? You're dumb as fuck."
The man's eyes suddenly darted up to glare at Romeo. "I didn't start nothin," he grunted. "But you better feel sorry for the bitch who did when I get my hands on her."
"A woman coming into your life and fucking your shit up. I know what that's like all too well." Chuckled Romeo. "Women these days, nothin but trouble."
Junior nodded in agreement. "Ain't that the truth."
Romeo turned back to his squadmates. "You see that boys, another man in the struggle."
"Give it a rest Romeo." Buck snorted. "We all know you've never been in a real relationship before."
"I don't need one." Romeo replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "Trust me, the last thing I want in my life right now is some ONI agent breathing down my neck telling me what to do 24/7."
"Oh damn." Mickey grinned. "He got you there Gunny." The Rookie meawhile, just watched the exchange with mild amusement.
"Hey, I actually have a standing relationship that's lasted years, not just a bunch of one-night stands with cheap-girls you'll probably never see again." Buck retorted.
"Quantity over quality Gunny." Romeo lectured. "You always gotta take quantity over quality."
Buck shook his head. "You really are a piece of work Romeo."
"Weiss, do you really need to pack that much for a one-day trip?" Ruby was looking at her teammate's luggage with skepticism. Weiss had stacked at least twenty breifcases onto one small cart. Her servants were heaving with effort to move it out of their dorm room.
"Ugh, be quiet. What do you know about packing?" Huffed Weiss with both hands on her hips rolled into fists.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Just saying, it looks like an overkill."
"Yeah? Well, Blake thinks it's fine. Don't you Blake?"
Blake was sitting on her bed reading a book. She didn't even glance up. "It's fine." She mumbled. Truth be told, the faunus girl had no idea what Weiss even asked. She was too focused on reading to care. She simply heard a question and answered it.
"See?" Weiss went on. "Two against one, your opinion is invalid."
Ruby shrugged helplessly. "Ok, whatever. Good luck with your visit then!"
Weiss's shoulders sagged slightly. "I'm going to have to need a little more than luck." The heiress sighed. She glanced at the clock. "Well, I suppose I should get going then. I'll catch you guys later." Weiss turned around and headed for the door.
"Bye Weiss!" Ruby and Blake called as their friend exited the room. Ruby plopped down on Weiss's bed with a sigh. It was already mid-afternoon. Her partner had left. Her sister had gone to meet up with her friends earlier on. Blake would be heading out to meet up with Sun in a couple of hours, which left Ruby with very little to do. On top of that, the start of the second semester was drawing nearer with each day and just thinking about it filled Ruby with dread. Blake glanced sideways at Ruby and noticed the long expression on her face. "What's the matter?" She asked, the concern evident in her voice.
Ruby let out another long sigh. "Blake, I don't know what I should do. I'm so bored! As soon as you leave, I'm going to be stuck here all by myself!"
"You could always join me tonight if you want to. It'll be no problem." Blake offered. She didn't like to see Ruby in such a state. The young leader of team RWBY was usually so cheerful and energetic.
"What? No way!" Ruby quickly shot the idea down. "I'm not going to third-wheel on your date, Blake!" Despite being bored out of her mind, making others sacrifice their own time for her was something Ruby would never accept.
" No, no. It'll be oka-" Blake got no further, because at that moment, Juane burst into the dorm.
"Hell-o ladies. Juane Arc is in the house." He boomed mightily as he puffed his chest out and flexed his arms.
"Your pants are un-zipped." Blake pointed out bluntly as she shielded her eyes.
"Wha-? Oh, no! Uh, hold on, let me just-, Crap!" As he struggled with the zipper, Juane tripped over his own feet and fell to the floor.
Ruby grimaced as Juane made impact with the ground. "Uh…Juane? Are you ok?"
Juane got up slowly. "My back." He complained as he stood up.
Ruby cocked her head to the side. "What are you doing here Juane?"
"Oh, right!" Juane straightened up immediately completely forgeting about his 'injury'. "I passed by Weiss a few minutes ago in the hallway and we talked a little. Me and my team are about to go to that new ski resort they just opened and we're staying the night." He explained. "Weiss told me that you were talking about it too earlier during breakfast so I thought you might want to come with us."
"You said you needed something to do." Blake encouraged Ruby.
"Yeah, well…" Ruby hesitated. "Juane, I'm really happy and grateful that you invited me and all. But…I mean…the whole reason I came up with that idea was because I wanted my team to all do something together. It wouldn't be the same for me if they weren't all there. So I think I'll have to hold out on your offer. Sorry, I hope you don't take it the wrong way."
"No, not at all!" Juane waved off with a smile. "I don't mind. Actually, I would've probably said the same thing if I were you, heh heh heh."
"Really?" Ruby smiled back. "Thanks for understanding Juane."
"Yeah, well, that's me. Understanding. Dashing. Cute. And strong!" Juane boasted.
It was then that Nora bounded into the room. "Juane! Come on! We don't have all day, you know! Pull yourself together team leader!" Nora yelled as she continued jumping up and down.
"Oh, yeah, I'm coming!" Juane cowered. "Just please don't hurt me."
"Then get a move on! If you're not gonna use your legs and start walking then I'll break them!." Nora smirked evily.
"No! Please don't! I'm leaving now! See? See?" Juane whined as he scurried out the dorm. "That's more like it team leader! Woo Hoo! We're gonna go skiing!" Nora sang as she excitedly bounced after Juane.
Ruby giggled to herself. "So much for being strong and dashing."
"Ruby." Blake put her book down and swung her legs to the floor so that she was sitting upright and facing her friend. "You've been telling me about this resort ever since they opened. That was a golden opportunity for you. Why didn't you take it?"
Ruby took a long breath. "Because I want us to go as a team Blake. Sure, it'd be fun going with Juane and all them. But like I said, I'd much rather have all of you up there with me. I honestly don't care if I have to wait another year. As long as we're up there together, it'll be worth it."
"That's really selfless of you." Blake was genuienly touched by her leader's sincerity. "You know, Yang's lucky to have you for a sister Ruby. It's hard to find someone with so much loyalty nowadays." Blake's eyes began growing distant as she finished her sentence as if she was reminiscing about something.
"Um…Blake?" Ruby waved her hand a few times in an attempt to draw Blake from her trance.
Blake blinked a few times as she brought herself back to the present. "Oh, sorry." She apologized. "Got a little lost in thought there. Well, I have to go get ready for later tonight, you sure you don't want to come?"
"Nah, I'll be fine." Ruby reassured. "You go have fun tonight, I'll find something to do."
"Alright, if you're sure."
"Yeah, I'm sure. And Blake?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
The door slid open and Weiss walked out of the SDC airship. They had landed at her family's private airstrip. In front of her towered a giant gate that marked the the entrance to the massive property they owned. There was only one road behind the gate that went straight towards the fifteen-thousand square feet mansion. Trees covered all of the surrounding area making it impossible for an outsider to see anything inside. Weiss's luggage had been unloaded and placed in a cargo truck while her personal vehicle waited for her outside the gate.
The vehicle was a Diamond Reaper, a top of the line four-door that defined the luxury vehicle in Remnant. Diamond's chairman was a man who went by the name of Damian Yeager. Yeager and Weiss's father had close ties and Yeager had recently given the Schnees a whole fleet of Diamond's newest models as a gift.
As Weiss walked up to the car, her personal driver opened the back door for her. "Nice to have you back Madame." He bowed. The man had a fadora on and a small curly mustache.
"How are you George?" Weiss greeted with a smile. As she got in the car, the gate opened and they began driving to the mansion.
"School's going good, yes?" George asked from the driver's seat. (A/N: George speaks in a french-like accent.)
"It's wonderful, I think your son would like it there actually." Weiss suggested.
"My son?" George chuckled. "No good madame. My son was accepted by Harvale Law School. He goes next year. He says he wants to be lawyer like Taivas Lark." Taivas Lark was a well-known and respected Lawyer around Vale. It wasn't any surprise to Weiss that someone would want to be like him. Lark had never lost a case for five years straight; a feat only achieved by two other people, both of which had retired around thirty years ago. His son Sky, was a student attending Beacon. Weiss didn't know him well, but she'd seen him around in the hallways from time to time.
"That's great to hear! Tell him I said congradulations." Weiss said enthusiastically.
"Of course." George grinned broadly. "You know, you have changed Madame. You seem happier than last time I see you."
"I am George, thank you." The car ride fell into a comfortable silence after that. Weiss was only hoping that the visit would go well. She really didn't know what to expect from her father. She didn't even know if her father knew she was coming back. After all, it was her mother who had insisted on her coming home.
"We're here Madame." George called as the car slowed to a stop. He got out and opened the door for Weiss. As soon as she stepped out, she was looking for her father's car, the Weissman SD-6, a two-door supercar. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it wasn't there yet. We're off to a good start, she thought to herself.
Weissman was a high-end car company that was founded by Weiss's own mother, Elsa Schnee. Prior to her current occupation as the Vice President of the SDC, her mother had been a successful businesswomen. She had named the company after her own daughter. But when the situation with the White Fang intensified, she sold the company to another automotive company WMB, so that she could take a more active role in the SDC. The SD-6 was one of the last models made by Weissman before the company was sold and Weiss's father had been driving one ever since.
Now as Weiss walked up to her house, the front door opened and her mother walked out. Elsa Schnee was somewhat of a celebrity around Vale and it was no wonder why. Aside from her association with the SDC, she was also remarkably beautiful. People say that she hadn't aged a bit since the last twenty years, even with the added stress of the SDC. "Weiss!" She smiled happily as her daughter approached.
"Mother." Weiss returned the smile. The two embraced warmly.
"Let's go inside." Elsa invited, "I do believe we have alot to catch up on." She glanced back at George. "I've got drinks in the refridgerator. You're welcome to help yourself George."
"Merci, my lady" George bowed.
Weiss and her mother talked all afternoon long. They shared stories with each other and laughed together at some of their more humorous experiences. Weiss tried to stay away from the topic of business as she knew it would upset their otherwise happy setting.
Unlike her father however, her mother did not care if she took over the company or not. Infact, she would prefer if Weiss didn't. The company was in a tough situation currently and Elsa did not want to place the heavy stress on her daughter's shoulders. So she was more than happy when Weiss expressed her desire to go to Beacon last year as she felt life away from the corporate world would do her daughter good.
As the two talked, hours flew by like minutes and before they knew it, it was already dark outside. "You've changed a lot in the past six months Weiss." Elsa observed. "I can tell you're enjoying your time at Beacon."
"Having friends who won't stab you in the back is nice for a change I suppose." Weiss replied.
Elsa frowned slightly at that statement. "Did you ever get into contact with Jake again?" She asked curiously.
"Why would I have?" Weiss stated coldy. "We're not close."
"Weiss-" Began Elsa.
"I don't want to talk about it Mom." Weiss cut her off.
"Okay, I won't say anymore." Her mother decided not to press the subject.
Suddenly a car door slamming shut could be heard. "Looks like your father's home."
"Oh boy, I'm so excited." Said Weiss, the sarcasm heavy in her voice. This was the moment of truth.
"It'll be alright." Her mother reassured. But Weiss wasn't convinced. She was even less convinced when her father stormed in the house and slammed the door.
"Those damn faunus!" He screamed as he slammed a fist into the wall. He stalked into the living room to find Elsa and Weiss sitting there.
"Welcome back!" Elsa tried a cheerful approach. "Rough day?"
"Yeah, you could say that." Growled the billionare. He turned to Weiss.
"Hello Father." She greeted cautiously.
"Aren't you supposed to be in fairy school or something? Or did you toss that down the trashcan too?" Mr. Schnee replied in the same low growl. Weiss felt a sudden surge of anger at the jab, but she held her tongue.
"Your daughter came all the way down here to see you." Elsa said smoothly. "Why don't you come down here and talk with us?"
"What makes you think I have time? I spend my days doing things that actually matter, so sorry if I don't have time for idle chit-chat." He was glaring at Weiss intently as he raised his voice.
Weiss had heard enough. "Well, I'm sorry if I don't want to end up like some psychotic power-hungry maniac like you!" She shouted back.
"My life has purpose." He father countered. He pointed a finger at weiss. "You're just chasing after fantasies. Give it time and you'll be running back to me crying for help like the lost little girl you are!"
Elsa Schnee stood up swiftly, her own anger rising. "That's quite enough!" She snapped. "Your daughter is here to see how you're doing, so how about you show some decency."
"I don't want his decency." Weiss's voice was low and laced with venom. "I'm heading back. Sorry for ruining your night Mother."
"Weiss, no it's okay." Her mother's tone softened. "Your father's just stressed right now."
"Like hell I am!" Her father continued to fume. "Let her go back Elsa, we're busy people, she's just wasting all of our times anyways.
"How could you say that? You're being-"
"Forget it Mom, he's right. I don't belong here. I'm never coming back!" Weiss practically screamed the last sentece, then she stormed off to find George, tears falling freely from her cheeks. She could still hear her parents arguing and shouting at each other inside the house as George helped her into the car.
The car ride back was completely silent and Weiss was still crying softly in the backseat. When they finally got to the airstrip, Weiss's luggage was loaded back up onto the airship. George escorted her all the way up to the door. Weiss hugged him tightly. "Eveything is alright Madame," The chauffeur whispered reassuringly. "I know your father for many years, he is good man."
"Was." Weiss corrected him as they broke off the hug. "Goodbye George."
"Au Revoir Madame." George waved. And with that, Weiss got on the airship and headed back for Beacon.
(Background Music: Fergie-Glamorous)
It was an outdoor ice-skating rink located in the center of the Vale Central Park. Many parents had brought their children out to see the decorations set up around the skating space. There were a lot of people carving ice sculptures as the winter conditions were nearly perfect. The rink itself was mainly filled with adult couples enjoying some bonding time. But it also contained a fair number of small children skating around aimlessly. Many had to use buckets to keep themsleves from falling down.
Blake glided smoothly through and around the traffic. She was exceptionally skilled on the ice as she had started out when she was very young. She could tell from experience that most of the people here had no real skill. They were just there to enjoy themselves and slowly cruise around the rink. Blake found that type of skating to be rather boring. She liked it better fast-paced. She picked up her speed a little to get her blood flowing faster when a flash of yellow sped right past her.
Sun was not skilled at skating by any means, but he was fast. The only problem was that he was too fast. He found himself losing control more than occasionally as he tried to squeeze through everybody. He would usually have to end up intentionally running into the wall just to stop himself. And every time he did, Blake would just chuckle at him and speed by; much to his dismay. Eventually, he got enough of a feel for the ice to allow him to skate at the same pace with Blake.
"Alright," He panted. "Let's make things interesting."
Blake glanced sideways at him. "What's up?"
"Since you're such a 'pro' at ice-skating, I say you go ahead and do one of those fancy tricks people always see on T.V"
"Ok, go on."
"After you do it, I'll try to do the same thing. If I make it, you have to let me take you out to dinner after this."
"And if you don't?"
Sun laughed. "I'll go up and kiss a random guy."
Blake grinned, then in a split second, she accelerated rapidly until she was well ahead of Sun. She continued gaining speed until she finally lept into the air and performed a 540° spin. She landed with one foot on the ground smoothly and the other in the air parallel with the rest of her body. She stood back upright and smiled triumphantly; motioning for Sun to attempt the stunt.
Sun gulped. He had rather hoped that Blake would've done something easier, but he was commited now. He rapidly picked up his speed and jumped in the air, but his spin was poorly coordinated (music cuts off). He twisted in the air awkwardly and landed on his butt hard. He yelped in pain.
It was extremely rare to see Blake Belladonna laughing, but she was doing so now as she watched Sun fail miserably. Sun would normally be delighted to see such a rare sight, but not when he was the one on the receiving end. He glared at her instead. Unfortunately for Blake, her back was still facing the direction she was skating, so she didn't notice the bucket directly behind her that had been left by one of the little kids. She tripped over the bucket and fell in a similar fashion as her companion. Now it was Sun's turn to burst out laughing and Blake's turn to glare back.
Eventually, Sun regained his composure and skated over to help Blake to her feet. "You screwed up back there." Blake pointed out the obvious.
Sun shrugged. "Yeah, I did. I did. But technically, you fell too afterwards. The way I see it, we both lost. So I'll tell you what, I'll still hold my end of the bargain. But only if you keep your end. What do you say?"
Blake narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
The couple sat alone on a park bench. The man had just finished giving a long romantic speech. "I just needed to let you know how much you meant to me Jane." He finished softly.
"Oh Kevin, you're such a sweetheart." The man's girlfriend whispered sweetly.
"I love you Jane."
"No Kevin, Ilove you." The two brought their heads closer together to kiss when the man felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hey."
The man was completely taken by surprise. "What in the name of-" Sun grabbed the man's face and planted a rough kiss on his mouth. "Ooo, you got some dry lips there buddy, I'd try chapstick!" Sun called as he sprinted away.
The man was beyond dismayed. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?! YOU STOLE MY FIRST KISS YOU FREAKING MORON!" He cried as he sank to his knees. "WHY GOD WHY? I DON'T WANNA HAVE MONKEY BABIES!" He sobbed.
Blake and Sun had their dinner on the rooftop of a small resturant downtown. They had already finished eating and were just making conversation. "I think I finally got the taste of that guy's mouth out of my system." Sun cringed as he took a sip of his drink. Blake gave a small chuckle. "A deal's a deal."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sun sighed. They fell into a comfortable silence after that as they gazed at the night sky. "Hey Blake, I gotta tell you something." Sun abruptly broke the silence.
"What is it?"
"I'm heading back to Vacuole tonight, since my classes start back up tomarrow."
There was a long pause as Blake stared at Sun in disbelief. Her brows drew together in a frown. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Blake had to admit she was a little frustrated with Sun, but she was more stunned than anything else.
"Come on Blake," Sun spread his arms out in an open gesture. "There's no way you can look me in the eye and tell me you would have had as much fun as you did tonight if you'd known about this beforehand."
Blake tried to think of a rebuttle, but she realized that Sun was right. She would have been more distracted about him leaving instead of trying to have fun if she had known.
"Besides, I'll be back by the summer." Sun went on as he looked at his watch. "Looks like I've still got thirty minutes before my ship leaves. Wanna walk with me to the docks?"
Blake sighed. It was impossible to stay angry at Sun for long. "Alright" She agreed.
The long walk to the docks was quiet and enjoyable. By this time at night, most of the streets were deserted and the soft chirping of birds could be heard in the background. Blake and Sun had held hands the whole way through until the Ocean loomed directly in front of them. There was a single ship docked in the harbour. "Well, there's my ride." Sun said almost a little reluctantly. "Wait here." He told Blake as he ran back towards town. He came back minutes later with a bundle of red roses. "For you." He offered as he held the flowers out.
"They're beautiful." Blake whispered as she took the bundle. "Thank you Sun, I'll miss you."
"Well don't." smirked Sun. "I'll be back before you know it." He took Blake's free hand and kissed it. He was going to say more but then he saw the shop owner he hand stolen the roses from come running in their direction. "Hey give those back! You didn't pay!" The fat man yelled.
"That's my cue." Sun winked. He took off running down the docks. Blake could only smile as she watched Sun run up to the ship. He stopped as he got to the top of the ladder and waved at her. Then he disappeared from view as he hauled himself onto the deck. Blake noticed someone panting hard next to her. "Darn teenagers." Cursed the shop owner. "If I were just a few years younger."
Blake pulled a 20 from her pocket and handed it to the man. "Keep the change." She offered.
"Why thank you young lady." The man was more than grateful. "You're too kind." He thanked as he hobbled away. Blake watched as the ship left port. She continued watching until it had finally sailed into the distance had out of sight
The pebble bounced off the wall and back into Romeo's hand for perhaps the one-thousanth time. The ODST had been throwing it at the wall for what seemed like days unend. Jail time had taken a toll on the rest of the squad as well. Buck lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling lost in thought while Mickey paced around restlessly. The Rookie had not moved from his oringinal position and was taking a nap.
"Anyone know how long we've been in here?" Mickey could start to feel his sanity slipping away slowly.
"Three to five days, give or take." Came the short reply from Buck. A brief moment of silence.
"Fifteen hours and twenty-seven minutes if you wanted to be exact, actually." The voice came from the other side of the bars. The troopers turned to see a single man in green overalls standing there. The man had gray hair, glasses and a mug. By first glance, Buck placed his age to be in the early-forties. Despite having gray hair, the stranger had no wrinkles that would identify him as a senior. His face was also somewhat youthful. Probably an albino or something. Buck thought. He noticed the man also had a cane. "It states that you were checked in at 7:07 this morning in the police report." The man went on. "It's currently 10:34 at night."
"Slow down bro." Romeo cut him off as he caught the pebble once again. "Who the hell are you?"
"A friend." The man assured. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't seem like you are enjoying your stay here very much. But, who could blame you? I wouldn't want to be stuck in jail either."
Buck narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"
"I have a proposition." The man answered simply.
"We're not interested." Buck waved the man off. They had no reason to trust him, after all.
"Oh? Not even if I told you that you could all be free men in the next fifteen to thirty minutes?" That got their attentions.
"Ok, maybe we are interested then." Buck corrected himself. "Go on."
"I'd love to fill you all in on the details." The man glanced sideways at Junior, who was in the next cell. "But I'd prefer we take this conversation somewhere more private. So…" The man took a key out and unlocked the gate. "If you would all follow me. I believe we have much to talk about."
Romeo took the pebble and pegged it at The Rookie. It bounced harmelessly off his VISR, but it woke him up nonetheless. "Get the fuck up nigga." Romeo snapped as he slid the gate open and walked out. Buck followed in suite. Mickey held a hand out and pulled his friend up from the ground. "Nap time's over dude, we're getting out of here." He grinned.
"Hey, what about me?" Junior called from his cell.
Romeo turned around. "My advice, keep a simple relationship with the hoes. You go in too deep, and this is what happens." With that, Romeo turned around and walked off with his squad, leaving Junior by himself once again.
The mysterious man lead the ODST's into an interrogation room. Once everyone was inside, he shut the door behind him. He laid a bag of snacks onto the table in the room. "I got these from a local convienience store" He explained. "You're welcome to help yourself." There was a moments pause, then Romeo grabbed a bag and began shoving chips into his mouth.
Buck face-palmed but the man simply smiled. "I realize I haven't officially introduced myself yet." The man smiled again. "You may call me Professor Ozpin. I'm the headmaster of Beacon Academy. If you didn't already know. my school is highly regarded as one of the most prestigious combat schools around the world. We train students to become Huntsman and Huntresses so that they can protect this world from the creatures of Grimm.
"Hold up," Romeo interrupted. "What does your school do again? What the hell is a 'Huntsman'? Who the fuck are the 'creatures of Grimm'"?
Ozpin raised his eyebrows quizically. "You don't know?"
"No idea."
"Okay then, I'll try to make this as easy to comprehend as possible." The professor went on to explain what the Grimm were, and how it was a Hunter's duty to track down and elinminate them. He also briefly went over the concept of Dust, and how it was the main power source for the planet of Remnant.
"Remnant? Is that what this place is called?" Romeo asked.
"The planet, yes. Right now, we are currently at the Central Police Station in the City of Vale, the capitol of the Kingdom of Vale. Vale is one of the four Major kingdoms of Remnant."
Vale. Buck had heard the police use the same word. He was starting to understand now. The Planet of Remnant, however similar to planets under the oversight of the UNSC, was its own separate entity. It had its own culture, its own technologies, and most importantly, its own unique species of Humans. He knew he would have plenty of opportunities to learn more, but now, they needed to know why this other man was here. "Alright, enough with the history lessons. What do you want from us?"
Ozpin took a deep breath. "There have been many strange occurrences around here as of late. Grimm sightings have become more common. Not only that, but they've been found closer and closer to populated areas. Closer and Closer to my school. There was one instance where a Beowulf actually made it into the campus. Of course, it was quickly taken care of. But the threat remains. I've tried seeking help from the police as well as fully trained Hunters. However, the police don't exactly have the skill set required for such a task and the Hunters are inconsistent. Sometimes a team would be sent in to help, other times, there'd be no one available, as they're all extremely busy already."
"Let me guess, that's where we come in right?" Mickey inquired.
Ozpin nodded. "I need a permanent security force to keep my school safe so classes can resume as scheduled. Once I figure out the source of the problem, my staff and I will handle it personally. By that time, I can relieve you of your services from me and you'll be free to do whatever it is you please."
"Wait a second," Romeo was still a little confused. "If your school teaches the students how to deal with these things, why don't you just get some of them to take care of it?"
"That's a great question." Ozpin said approvingly. "My students are more than capable of handling the situation, but unfortunately, most of the sightings always occur late at night. I'd rather not have my students lose sleep and be distracted from their studies if I can help it."
Romeo nodded slowly, what the man said seemed to make sense. Then another question occurred to him. "Ok, why us?"
Ozpin smiled. "I saw an interesting story on the news this morning regarding a mysterious object crashing into the Forest of Forever Fall. Then around noon today, the captain of this station, Captain Bronzewing, came over to my school and asked if I had anything to do with it."
Ozpin saw the quizitive looks. "I have lockers that can launch into the air and fly to randomly designated areas." He explained. "The captain thought it might have been one of my school's experiments. But when he saw that I was absuloutely baffled as well, he decided to explain the situation to me. Our conversation got interesting when he told me the department had arrested four heavily-armed men as they were on their way to inspect the crash site. Now according to the official police report, you were arrested for trying scavenge an active crime scene and tampering with evidence, along with directly threatening officers of the law."
"That's a bunch of bullshit." Romeo protested.
"I concur." Ozpin agreed. "I don't believe any of you had ill intentions, and I also know now that you weren't scavenging for parts to sell. But I do know you are directly related to that spacecraft. In fact, it's probably how you got to Vale in the first place. You guys aren't from around here, I can tell. Your confusion at my earlier statements only add to that theory. Anyone from Remnant would know the terms 'Grimm' and 'Huntsman'. Am I right?"
The ODST's slowly nodded.
Ozpin chuckled. "Well, it's good to know that I haven't completely lost my wits yet. Anyways, when I heard about you four, I thought you fit the requirements for what I was looking for pretty well. So what do you think about my offer?"
There was a long pause as the ODST's exchanged glances. Buck finally spoke up. "We'd like a couple minutes to discuss if that's alright with you."
"By all means, I'm going to go refill on my coffee. I trust you'll have an answer when I get back." Ozpin shut the door behind him as he left the room.
"My vote? We take the deal." Mickey said as soon as Ozpin left. "I can't stand another minute in that cell."
"I wanna get out of here too." Romeo agreed. "But can we trust that guy?"
"You should have thought about that before you ate those chips." Mickey teased his teammate with mock severity. "What if he poisoned them?"
"Shut up man, you don't know shit." Romeo was calm at first. "Wait, you actually think he poisoned them?"
"We don't have to trust him," Buck concluded. "We just need to establish a firm foothold here until help arrives to take us back."
"Help?" Romeo was still skeptical. "From the UNSC? The same motherfuckers who got us in this mess in the first place? Yeah, right."
"It's not gold at the end of the rainbow, but it's the best chance we got." Buck shot back.
"I guess that's true." Romeo reluctantly admitted. "You didn't have to use a dumbass one-liner to prove your point though."
Mickey looked around at his squad. "So we're all in agreement then?"
"Yeah." Buck and Romeo said. The Rookie nodded. "But one more thing," Buck reminded. "Don't tell him anything about the rest of us still out there. For now, the less this guy knows, the better. Once we have a better idea of our location, we'll head out and search for them." His squad nodded in agreement. That was when Ozpin came back into the room. "Have we all decided then?" He asked.
Buck nodded. "We're gonna need our equipment back. All of it. We also need to have some form of communication. Ear pieces will suffice. Cell phones too. We'll require the blueprints of your school to get a better understanding of its layout. Dossiers on the type of things we'll be dealing with would be helpful. A new set of clothes to change into would be nice too."
"I can provide you with all of those things." Ozpin reassured. "I'm very pleased you have agreed. What are your names?"
"I'm Buck." Buck raised his hand. "That's Romeo, Mickey, and J.D." He identified each member of his squad by pointing at them. There was no need to introduce their full names. After all, the other man had only introduced himself as Ozpin.
"Pleased to meet you gentlemen." Ozpin smiled broadly as he reached out and shook each one of their hands. "Now please follow me, our ride is waiting for us."
The twin-engined transport known as the 'bullhead' skimmed over the town of Vale. The doors had been left open so that the passengers could enjoy the view. "The city lights are quite a sight to behold are they not?" Ozpin addressed his new-found 'companions', who were now all fully-armed once again.
"Yeah, they're nice." Buck commented. In truth, he wasn't really paying attention to the view. He was more concerned about Dare and the rest of the survivors. Where they ever discovered by someone here? Had they encountered any of the so called 'monsters of Grimm'? Or, where they still waiting on him and his squad to get back? He was worried, but he also knew he had to trust Dare's expereince and expertise in the field to guide the rest of the other guys through.
"So if you're not native to Remnant, where are you from exactly?" Ozpin interupted Buck's train of thought. It was Mickey who answered him. He told the professor about the UEG Government system and the UNSC. He also told him about the ODST's and what they stood for as well as the technological advanecments the humans from their world had. However, he did not mention the Great War or the mission that brought them here. Instead, he informed Ozpin that they found themselves here due to a miscaculation when jumping into slipspace.
By the time Mickey had finished explaining, they had already arrived at Beacon. Ozpin was the first to step off of the airship. "Welcome to Beacon Academy. Please, follow me inside, we actually still have one or two dorms open." He invited.
The ODST's gazed at the massive structure of the school as they followed Ozpin. "Dang, I gotta say, this place is pretty sick." Mickey exclaimed longingly. "I wish boot camp was like this."
"Boot camp?" Romeo responded with disdain. "That was the closest thing to a hell-hole if I ever saw one."
Mickey couldn't argue with that. He was so focused on gaping at the school that he didn't notice the girl in white until she roughly pushed past him. Mickey stumbled forward a little as he looked around to see who had bumped into him. He saw the girl keep walking as if nothing happened. "Hey! Watch it!" He called after her indignantly. The girl turned around momentarily and Mickey was rather taken aback when he noticed she had tears in her eyes. "What the?"
"What's up?" Romeo asked him. Mickey didn't answer but instead kept staring at the girl as she continued walking away. "She seemed sad." Mickey said after a long pause.
Romeo turned around to look behind them and noticed the two servants pushing the extra-heavy luggage as well as the private airship in the background. He snorted. "Looks like daddy didn't give her enough money."
"No, I don't think that was it." Mickey disagreed.
"Whatever man. What are you worried about her for? Come on, they're gonna leave us behind."
"Yeah, ok, let's go."
The dorm that Ozpin had shown them to had exactly four beds in it, which was good. It was also good that the ODST's didn't bring too much with them, otherwise there probably wouldn't have been enough space since it seemed pretty cramped already.
Ozpin remained by the door as the UNSC soldiers went in to examine their new quarters. "You guys are quite lucky." The professor told them. "We don't have very many unoccupied dorms here. I was afraid you might have to take one of the guesthouses at first. Believe me, the conditions aren't nearly as grand."
"Yeah, this is nice." Buck agreed. "So when do we start?"
Ozpin laughed lightly. "There's no need for such a hurry, we still have a few days before the second semester starts, so I'm not too worried as of right now. Get a good rest tonight. I'll have someone show you around tomorrow. And then we can start setting up from there. Please, make yourselves at home gentlemen, and feel free to ask any questions." Ozpin waved farewell and closed the door.
"I got the first shower." Romeo said immediately.
"Second." Mickey reacted quickly. The Rookie held up three fingers. Buck rolled his eyes "To think I actually lay my life on the line for you dirtbags."
One Hour Later:
Buck came out of the bathroom shivering. "Did none of you think to save me any hot water?" He demanded with some heat.
"My shower was freezing too." Mickey glared at Romeo. "He took all of it."
"That shit felt good too." Romeo exhaled in relaxation. He was already laying down on one of the beds with both hands behind his head. Mickey and The Rookie each took a bed as well. The Rookie had gotten back into his armour, much to the confusion of his squad.
"Yeah? Well, we're going in reverse order tommorow. That's an order." Buck decided to flex his authority a little bit. He walked to the door and turned off the lights as he took the last empty bed. There was a brief moment of silence as the ODST's lay there in darkness.
"What do you guys think about that professor guy?" Mickey asked out of nowhere.
"He's a crippled old hag with no skill sets, just like any other school principle you've had. Or 'headmaster' as they call it here." Romeo put bluntly.
"You're wrong." Buck was just as blunt. "He has a cane, but he's far from disabled. His limp is inconsistent. His stance is too relaxed. He puts no real weight on his cane. Also, back on the airship, both the doors were wide open and yet he was able to keep perfect balance and not fall out. The time it took for him to stand up was also abnormally fast. Too fast for someone with a disability."
"Ok, say you're right." Mickey hadn't even paid any attention to Ozpin's supposed disability and was surprised as well as impressed at Buck's deductive reasoning. He decided to humor him a little bit. "If he doesn't use the cane for support, then what purpose does it serve?"
"One of two possibilities, maybe both. Either he doesn't want people to see him as a threat, or the cane itself is a weapon of some sort." Buck replied. "But he seems like a decent person. I think we'll get along."
"Well aren't you the great Sherlock Holmes of this era." Romeo grunted sarcastically. "If only you'd been able to guess what those Covies were gonna do back at Madrigal."
Buck let out a long sigh. "Yeah, if only."
A few more minutes passed, then Mickey remembered something important. "Oh yeah, you never did tell me what happened during the last moments of the mission Gunny." No reaction from Buck. "Gunny?" He's asleep already?! "Hey Romeo, hook me up with the details man." The only response Mickey got was a loud snore. "J.D. What happened with you?" Of course The Rookie said nothing. Mickey didn't even know why he bothered asking him. "Screw you guys." He muttered under his breath. He eventually drifted off into sleep and this time, it wasn't medically induced.
Location: Vale Central Police Station
Time: 12:15 am
Patrol officer Donald Mcguire changed inot his off-duty clothes and headed back into the main office. Two detectives, Jackson and Nash, each occupied a desk and were filling out paperwork. The captain had matters to attend to and left the station around an hour ago. He had put the two detectives in charge. Mcguire took a look at the glock. "Where's the night shift? They were supposed to be here fotry-five minutes ago."
"They got called away. There was a pretty bad wreck on the interstate." Detective Nash told him without looking up. "Sit tight, they'll be here soon."
Mcguire yawned. "They better be."
A few more minutes went by. The phone on Detective Jackson's desk rang. He answered it. "Jackson." The detective's eyes widened. He quickly hung up the phone. "Hey Nash." He called to his partner. "A bomb just went off in the convienience store on 3rd. Two casualties. They want us to go check it out."
"At midnight?" Nash was incredulous. "What the hell is up with this city?" The two detectives quickly got up and headed for the door. Nash turned to Mcguire. "I'm leaving you in charge. Tell the night shift what happened when they get back, then you can leave."
Mcguire nodded as the detectives left. The main office was now completely empty. There weren't many officers in the station this late at night. He got a soda from the fridge and sat down behind one of the empty desks. He was about half-way through the can when the phone rang again. Mcguire picked up, it was the officer on surveillance duty. "Hey, I got two uniforms at the door, looks like night shift."
"Let them in." Mcguire told the officer. A few moments later and two officers came into the office. "About time you guys showed up." Mcguire grunted. That was the last thing he said. The 'officer' closest to him pulled out a silenced-pistol and shot him in the head from point-blank.
The officer on surveillance saw the whole thing, he called through the intercom so anyone still in the station could hear him. "There's been an intrusion, two perpetrators in the main office, one man down. I repeat, intrusion in the main office. Lock it down."
The two thugs heard the transmission. They knew they had to move quickly. They split up. The first one moved swifty down the stairs into the sub-floor; where all the prisoners were being held. He gunned down another officer mid-way down the steps. As he advanced into the holding pen, he stopped at the second cell when he found who he was there for.
Junior looked up to see someone in a police uniform standing in front of his cell. The man shot the lock and slid the gate open. "Who sent you, Torchwick?" Junior demanded.
The thug nodded.
"Prove it." Junior pressed.
The man produced a pair of red shades and tossed it to Junior, who caught it and put it over his eyes. He smirked, satisfied. "Good. I was begininning to think he forgot about me."
An officer managed to sneak behind the thug without him noticing. He slowly pulled his gun and was about to fire. But then a bullet tore through his hand and knocked his gun to the side. He howled in pain as he fell to his knees.
Junior and his savior turned to look at the cop. He was doubled over in agony. Of to the side stood the second thug, his gun still pointed at the officer.
Junior held a hand up. "Wait, don't kill him." He didn't save the man out of sympathy. He simply recognized him as the person who had made fun him earlier that morning. He motioned for the two goons to hold the officer up. Then he proceded to beat the man with a series of blows from his fists. He finished his frenzy off with a hard kick to the genitals. The thugs released the policeman and he sagged onto the floor, passed out. Junior was venting heavily. "Prison bitch my ass." He spat.
"I took care of the surveillance cop." The second thug spoke up. "But he's probably already called in backup. We should get going."
Junior nodded. "Right."
The police cruiser screeched into a stop. Detectives Jackson and Nash bolted out the doors and ran towards the station. They had ditched the bomb-site and left a few patrol officers behind on the scene when they heard of the attack. They rushed into the main office. Two officers where examining the body of a third. "Donald's gone." One of them reported.
"Where did the perps go?" Jackson asked urgently.
"I don't know. We just got here too."
Jackson turned to Nash. "Check the evidence room. I'm going downstairs." His partner nodded and took off. Jackson drew his gun out and quickly descended the steps. As soon as he got to the bottom he noticed another officer on the ground beaten to a pulp. But he didn't bother checking on the man because what he saw next froze him still.
The gate of the second cell had been forced open and there was no one inside. "Shit." Jackson cursed under his breath. He pulled out his radio. "Nash, they broke a prisoner out."
"Yeah, we figured." Came his partner from the other end. "A piece of the wall near the evidence room's been blown out. I've already requested a quadrant to be set up. They couldn't have gone far."
The bullhead made a quick pass over the police station. Junior looked down at the blaring sirens and flashing lights. He shook his head in pity. "Look at those pigs. Fools. They're all oblivious." He laughed darkly. "They have no idea how much things are about to change around here."
A/N: Trivia: Perry Ellis is a fashion brand for clothing; Romeo was insulting Junior for wearing dress-clothes in jail. The Diamond Reaper and Weissman SD-6 are supposed to be real life counterparts for the Rolls Royce Ghost and Weisman MF-5. Sun did not actually pay for a ticket, he was being a 'no-good stowaway'. XD
