Review Replies now, A/N's at the bottom.
Yinko: So far his weaknesses are his inexperience and lack of close combat options. And in RWBY everybody uses that, even Lee's machineguns have those weird blades.
You make a good point about the materials and power cells, but I think that Dust can get around some of those issues. Though the Plasma Pistol should have some self-recharge option... After all, it doesn't need reloading in the game.
And as for Ozpin, it was somewhat a bluff. Chris doesn't have any ID, records, etc. How can they know he isn't some fugitive that did a half-assed job at hiding themselves from the law.
edboy4926 and Lupine Horror: Thank you, both for liking this story and the suggestions.
Also, Lupine, I love your crossovers.
necrofantasia: I see. I guess I'll have to take this under consideration.
blaiseingfire: It's a possibility.
drake202: You've got it right. As for his weapons and armor, those are interesting options. They'll be considered.
Vandenbz: Thank you for the ideas. I've already decided that the Ghost module will stay wrecked, since any invisibility will be too OP. And no, he won't be able to recharge his Plasma rifle like that. He lacks the technological knowledge of how to do that stuff.
zzxxphaser: You're right, but Gene-Mods need Meld. And the XCOM tech needs Elerium, which is even rarer than Dust.
Evil Yin: Thank you for the praise. I know how you feel, I myself only like a few harem stories and animes. As for Chris'background, most of it will be revealed during the story's progression. I can safely say now, without giving any spoilers, that Annette Durand had the role of a bigger sister in Chris' life. As for his family, they're dead. He might have some distant relatives, but things like that go to the background in his situation...
Your ideas are interesting, but Chris lacks the knowledge to extract the Elerium. He has a melee weapon though, the combat knife I mentioned. Also, he uses a Ghost armor, not Psi.
And now to the story:
Chapter Three: Months and a Day
"You've been... Thunderstruck!"
Chris bobbed his head to the rhythm of AC/DC's famous song as it blared through the bud in his left ear. The boy was currently browsing through a music shop's selection. At least this world had decent music, though he still preferred Earth's music.
At least it was easy to transfer the information from his phone to a Scroll. While Chris preferred using the Earth device he had to admit that it wouldn't fit in.
Though he still kept the phone... The hacking algorithms that Chen wrote worked here as well, as he found out when he hacked one of the computers in the library. That feature would certainly be a boon if he ever needed it.
Of course, that wasn't everything that happened these past two months... Chris had actually been quite busy.
When he had woken up the day after his talk with Ozpin he had started learning everything he had to know about Remnant in order to fit in. One of the professors at Beacon, a woman by the name of Glynda Goodwitch, was helping him with that.
While she was easy on the eyes Chris thought her too strict... Not that it stopped him from looking at her. He was a teenage guy, after all. And he was sure that all male students around here were doing the same thing.
It was a week later that the doctors discharged him. A week of lessons with Goodwitch and discussions about Earth with Ozpin. The man seemed fascinated with Chris' planet and the accomplishments his Humans made without the threat of the Grimm and the influence of Dust.
Once he was out Chris had been taken to one of the training fields, where Ozpin unblocked his Aura...
Chris looked around the field. A large space was surrounded with earthen walls, with sparring rings drawn in the grass and the ground. Targets were placed on one side, for people who wanted to test their marksmanship, or so he guessed.
Ozpin was waiting for him in the middle of the field, hands resting on his cane. Chris walked up to the man, nodding in greeting.
"So, Aura... You sure this is going to work?" Chris asked him.
"Yes, I am sure. While you were still recovering I took the liberty of getting a feel of your Aura..."
"Somehow that makes me feel molested..." Chris mock-shivered, earning himself a slight glare from Ozpin. It lasted only a few seconds before he sighed and pushed his glasses up.
"I guess I could have worded that better." He said and Chris chuckled.
"Now, I have to ask. Are you ready for this?" Chris nodded without hesitation. He had been abducted, shot, stabbed, burned, augmented, had the grandmothers of all headaches a couple of times... Even if this hurt it couldn't be any worse.
"Very well." Ozpin took a step forward. "Open your mind and clear your head."
Chris took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He opened his mind, like when he was reinforcing his allies'... But it took some effort not to use his Psionics this time.
"For centuries Huntsmen and Huntresses have gone through this ritual to unlock their Aura." Ozpin said and placed his hand on Chris' shoulder. The man also closed his eyes in concentration as he pulled on his Aura. A faint glow surrounded his body, the emerald color at first pale before it intensified.
Chris could feel a push on something deep within his being as Ozpin's Aura flooded his body. For a moment there was an unconscious attempt to push back before he reigned it in, allowing the man to do his job.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." Ozpin's voice echoed in Chris' mind as a faint purple glow outlined his body. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death." the glow intensified, becoming what XCOM had dubbed Psionic Purple. "I release your Soul, and by my shoulders protect thee."
There was a bright flash and Ozpin's eyes shot open, staggering back in surprise as Chris' Aura pushed his own back. The boy's reserves weren't great, but he compensated for that with intensity.
The Aura surrounding Chris faded and he opened his eyes. Blinking a few times he reached up and rubbed his forehead.
"Wow... I feel so much better..." He whispered amazed. Just a few minutes ago he was still feeling some of the wounds he had received in the forest. And now... Now he felt no pain, no discomfort...
"That is the wonder of Aura." Ozpin smiled, resting his hands against his cane. Thanks to his experience in unblocking other people's Auras he was feeling only a bit drained. Someone inexperienced would probably be mistaken for having just finished a marathon.
"Now, let's test how your Aura interacts with your Psionics and Genetic Modifications..."
What followed was one of the most intensive Psionic tests that Chris ever had. He Mindfrayed some of Professor Port's captured Grimm, he demonstrated his ability to influence somebody's mind by causing a Boarbatusk to cower in fear before strengthening the minds of Ozpin and Oobleck.
He even showed his weak Telekinetic Field, deflecting Goodwitch's attacks.
And the best of all? No headaches.
Well, not exactly. He got them for a couple of seconds, before his Aura healed them. He only wished that he and the other Psionics had this ability back on Earth... It would have made things so much easier.
And there were the other benefits of Aura to consider. With his Gene Mods he could punch much harder than anyone else who had his build. Now... Now he was able to shatter weaker trees with a punch. And a jump straight up got him to the fifth floor with ease, where before he was only able to reach the second or third. And his eyes were able to track objects at much higher speeds than before.
All in all everything went well. Chris still didn't know what his Semblance was, but Ozpin reassured him that it would come in time.
That was for his Aura. Then there was the issue with his equipment and the General who wanted it...
"Jesus Christ!" Chris exclaimed as he saw what happened to his armor.
The pieces of the Ghost armor were laid on two tables in Beacon's armory. On the left were the hard pieces, which looked better. Only slightly dented and scratched after his ordeal in the forest, along with the partially melted shoulder pauldron.
All in all, nothing new. The Carapace armor that Chris wore in his first mission was much worse when he got back to HQ...
Ozpin raised an eyebrow as the boy shivered and rubbed at his chest, where the scar from a stab wound was. He had inquired about it and the answer he got was troubling.
It was the soft undersuit that had Chris exclaim like that. The Kevlar-like fabric was placed on a table to the right of the hard armor.
And it looked like a rag.
The dark fabric was torn in more places than Chris could remember being wounded. It was also soaked in his blood. If this was XCOM it would have already been scrapped, anything useful extracted from it and the rest thrown out.
His weapons lay on another table. Both the Rifle and Pistol had their Gas canisters and Energy cells extracted and placed next to them. His knife was also there, looking ordinary even if Chris knew that it was made of metals that didn't exist on Earth.
His Grappling hook was also placed with his weapons, for some reason that Chris didn't try to figure out at the moment.
"As you can see, mister Redmond, your weapons and armor are left mostly untouched. As I informed you, we have examined them while you were recovering."
Chris nodded to Ozpin as he walked over to the table with the weapons. A quick check of the power cells' indicators had him frown... The rifle had only one full cell and one at 30%. The other five were empty, their indicators dark.
Putting the cells down he looked over the rifle. The piece of reverse-engineered alien tech was scratched, and it had a small dent on the side, probably from when it fell from that cliff. Chris wasn't worried though... The rifle was quite durable, with all the alien alloys that went in its making.
Next on inspection was his pistol. The cell was showing a full charge, just as it should. Chris didn't know the exact physics behind the Plasma pistol's cell, but it could recharge by itself. Of course, that limited the damage output to that of a high-caliber assault rifle, but its usefulness more than made up for it.
With a few well-practiced moves he inserted the gas canister and power cell in the pistol before thumbing the activation switch. The familiar soft whine brought a smile to his face.
"Is everything in order?" Ozpin asked, one hand resting on top of the cane as the other held the mug of coffee.
"Yeah." Chris nodded and placed the pistol back on the table. "So, where's that General who wanted to talk with me?"
"Unfortunately General Ironwood's duties confine him to Atlas for the time being. However, he is waiting for you on a secure line." Ozpin motioned toward a mobile terminal set on a cleared workshop table.
He and Chris moved in front of the screen and Ozpin tapped a few buttons on they keyboard. It took a few moments for the call to connect. The interface was replaced by the stern face of a man with graying hair.
Ironwood's gaze made Chris instinctively straighten his back and almost salute him. The man simply had the look of a commander...
"I see you were telling the truth about your involvement with a military organisation, mister Redmond." The man said as he looked over Chris, nodding in approval.
"Yes sir." Chris replied.
"Good." Ironwood nodded again. His opinion of the boy had just jumped a few notches, something which would only make things easier.
"Now, I wanted to talk to you for several reasons. First, I wanted to see the young man who killed dozens of Beowolves."
"In all honesty, sir, the Grimm weren't as dangerous as the enemies I faced before." Sure, Chris had gotten cut up, but if he faced an equal number of aliens then he wouldn't have lasted even for a day.
"Nevertheless, it is an impressive feat for someone as young as you. You're only... What? Eighteen? Nineteen?"
"Sixteen." Chris corrected the man. There was a shocked silence for a few moments before Ironwood exclaimed:
"What?"
It dawned on Chris that Ozpin hadn't revealed his age to the General. And it was easy to mistake him for someone a couple of years older... The training and Gene Mods easily made him look like that.
"I am sixteen years old, sir." He repeated. To his credit Ironwood recovered quickly and just nodded.
"I see. A bit young to be in the armed forces, but I believe you are a special case."
"Yes sir." Chris nodded. The only reason the Commander had allowed him to join XCOM on field missions was because of his Psionics. That, and the recommendations of several soldiers, as well as Chen and, surprisingly, Vahlen.
"Very well." Ironwood continued. "Next, I wanted to speak to you about your weapons and armor, as well as your cover story."
"Cover story?" Chris blinked in surprise. Sure, he needed one, but what did it have to do with the General?
"Yes." Ozpin said from beside him. "The General has agreed to help you with your cover."
"As soon as you agree you will be the son of Amber and Vit Redmont." Ironwood continued. "A pair of Hunters from Atlas who joined the miitary to help train our troops. An year ago they have been reported killed in action when they were sent alongside the Thirty-First to take out a Grimm nest."
"Their last will asked me, a former acquaintance of theirs, to take care of you." Ozpin took the lead. "Until now you were living with friends of mine who also trained you to fight. Then I decided to test your abilities and I was impressed enough to put you an year ahead and accept you in Beacon."
"Out of curiosity... What is the actual entrance exam?" Chris asked.
"A test of your fighting ability." Ozpin replied. "One that I believe you aced when you fought in the forest. You can also enter if your records from school are good enough."
"I see." Chris nodded. "Well, I guess that works." Both Ozpin and Ironwood must have some serious influence in order to pull this off. From what he learned Hunters were a big deal in this world, and to make a couple like that wasn't a small feat.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, to the third question..."
"My weapons." Chris interrupted Ironwood, who nodded in reply. He could see the man being a bit eager to learn more, which probably meant that he was excited.
"First of, I want your assurance that the technology will be guarded from terrorists and the like." Chris remembered the information leaks to EXALT that allowed the organisation to create their own version of Gene Mods and Laser weapons.
"I will do what I can." Ironwood promised.
"Try to do better. The technology can be devastating in the wrong hands..." Chris warned him. "Take the aliens for example."
Yeah... The Ethereals and their thralls were probably the best examples of how destructive the technology was. Three Sectoids killing the same number of Humanity's finest in the first engagement... And hundreds more were dead until the war ended...
And, of course, EXALT and other similar groups who wanted the technology for their own goals.
"Very well." Ironwood sighed. "I shall pull all the strings I can in order to keep this a secret. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, it is." Chris nodded. "Now, I assume that you want me to tell you all I can?"
What followed were hours of Chris describing whatever details he could remember about the Plasma rifle. On a whim he decided to tell them about the Laser rifle and recommended that they start with developing those.
He also touched on his Gene Mods and MEC's, but without finding some way to replicate MELD they were just a project to be left for later.
When the conversation ended Chris himself put his Plasma rifle in the secure case to be shipped off to Atlas.
The next few days passed in a blur of training with his weapons and Aura. He still couldn't combine both, but the boost to his physical abilities allowed him to do things he never would have dreamed of.
He also had a few trips to the nearby city of Vale. The first time was quite the experience...
Chris leaned against the wall, looking over the surrounding buildings. The city of Vale was colorful, with a mix of styles that showed its different periods.
The inhabitants were just as colorful, wearing clothes that he didn't think he would see outside of an anime convention.
Chris had to will himself not to stare at a family as they passed him. They were actually dressed pretty normal... They just had a pair of rabbit ears poking from their hair.
Faunus... He had read of them, but seeing them was another thing.
"E-excuse me, sir..." Chris looked to the side. A young Faunus girl had approached him, this one sprouting a long, striped tail. She was wearing baggy clothes that were at least four sizes too big for her frame. Which, if her cheeks were any indication, was malnourished if nothing else.
"Do-do you have any change to spare?" Chris could see that she was intimidated by him... For a moment he tried to see this from her point of view. Desperately approaching someone half as tall as you, from a different species that has a history of bias against yours... He mentally applauded the girl's courage as he reached in his pocket and pulled out the stack of bills that Goodwitch had handed to him in order to buy himself clothes.
"What are you going to do with the money?" Chris asked with a smile as he crouched down, trying to look less intimidating.
"I..." She hesitated, probably thinking that this was a trick. "I'll buy some food for mama... If the shops allow me." The last sentence was said in a whisper that barely reached Chris' ears. Still, he heard it and frowned.
The blatant racism was something he couldn't tolerate much. Sure, they weren't Humans, but they were much more human than the aliens he was familiar with.
"How about we do something else instead?" He asked. The girl's eyes widened in fear and Chris raised a hand. "Nothing bad. I'll just buy the food for you so you won't have to deal with the racism and bias."
The Faunus was still hesitant, but finally she nodded. Chris smiled and stood up.
"Alright, let's go shopping..."
For the next half an hour they walked around the shopping district, Chris walking in and out of stores. The first shopkeeper had seen him talking with the Faunus girl and had refused to let him shop, but Chris didn't make that mistake twice.
Finally he walked the girl to her home in the poor district, carrying three bags of food and medicine along the way. The girl's sickly mother burst in tears when she learned of Chris' generosity. He left the house, feeling good for himself.
As a parting gift he decided to give them a bit of hope... Closing his eyes he concentrated. The purple light of his Psionics shone from under his eyelids as he felt for the mother and daughter's minds.
Their minds felt... Strange. Not entirely human... There was a certain... animalistic quality to them. Still, he could feel their emotions.
Enveloping their minds he gently pushed on them, trying to give them a bit of hope...
"I didn't expect that." Chris' eyes shot open and he whirled around, crouching a bit in a fighting stance. The boy relaxed as he saw that it was just Ozpin, with his constant mug of coffee.
"Goddamn it... You're lucky I didn't have my pistol." Chris growled.
"Indeed." Ozpin nodded and took a sip from his mug.
"What are you doing here?"
"I decided to see how were you doing. Imagine my surprise when I saw you shopping for a Faunus..."
"And why is that?" Chris frowned. The Headmaster didn't seem the racist type, but you could never know...
"I would have thought you would willingly associate with non-humans, given your background." Ozpin calmly said.
"Oh..." The boy blinked. That made sense. Chris was sure that many of his comrades in XCOM would view the Faunus as nothing more than another alien.
But he was sure that even some of them would have been sympathetic to the girl's plea.
"I couldn't turn her down... I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I did that. Besides, at that moment she was just another poor girl. Plus, I touched their minds..." Chris looked at the house. "They felt so human. Not entirely, but still..."
Ozpin nodded at that. He seemed to understand what Chris meant by that...
"Today you discovered something that many of us fail to realize..." The man said and took another sip from his coffee.
"That the Faunus are just like us?" Chris asked, but Ozpin shook his head.
"No... The Faunus are their own people... Similar to us, but not the same. But they deserve to be treated with the same kindness."
Chris stared silently at the house before nodding in agreement.
"Yes, they do..."
That was his first visit to Vale, but not the last. And today he was there again.
Goodwitch had told him that she had to go to the city and that she was taking him to get his school supplies.
After putting on a purple sleeveless shirt and a pair of jeans he had slid the Plasma Pistol in the back of his waistband and thrown the shirt over it, much to Goodwitch's disapproval. Still, she hadn't told him to leave it behind.
Shopping for the supplies had taken them just a couple of hours. After that the blonde-haired woman had left him to wander on his own while she went to do... Well, something. Chris hadn't asked.
That was just a few hours ago. He expected her to call him any moment now. And in the meantime he was looking over the guitars that the shop sold. Perhaps he could save money and buy one... His father was trying to teach him how to play before the kidnapping and...
Wait...
Those were gunshots!
Chris quickly stopped the music from his Scroll as he darted out of the shop. The gunshots seemed to come from around the corner. He dashed over to it and peeked around...
Chris blinked at the scene in front of him. A girl that looked like she was going to play the role of Little Red Riding Hood in a school play was fighting a bunch of men that looked like this world's version of Chicago gangsters.
And she was doing that with a scythe bigger than her! No, a scythe that incorporporated a firearm with quite the kick, Chris corrected himself as the girl fired a bullet at the ground, using the recoil to propel herself up in the air to avoid a flare that a man dressed in white shot at her.
He had to admit, the girl was good. But several of the the gangsters had gotten up and drawn their firearms, firing bursts of bullets at her while their boss fled the scene. Sooner or later they'd land a shot.
And that was something that Chris couldn't allow.
The boy dashed forward, the gunfire drowning out the sound of his boots. Within seconds he was behind the first gangster and he clasped his fists, bringing his hands up before delivering a solid blow to the back of the man's head.
A gangster noticed his comrade collapse like a sack of bricks and turned around, trying to fire at Chris. The boy kicked the man's rifle off his hands before delivering a roundhouse kick to his jaw, sending him down on the asphalt. The man wasn't knocked out, but judging by the way he was trying to crawl up he was out for the fight.
Chris delivered another kick to the man's head, just to be sure before he felt his Aura drain as bullets smashed against it. He silently thanked Ozpin for unlocking it even as he dove behind a trash can. It was a flimsy and low cover, but it was better than no cover.
The men clearly lacked firing discipline as they ran out of bullets almost at the same time. That was all the chance he needed... As they struggled to reload Chris popped out from behind his cover, Plasma pistol in hand.
The man on the left cried out in pain as the green projectile hit him in the chest. As Chris had found out in testing, Aura passively blocked only the kinetic damage. The heat still bled through, unless actively blocked.
There was the sharp crack of a rifle and the second man dropped. Chris nodded his thanks to the small girl as he stood up.
"Where did that man go?" She asked him as he walked up to her.
"Up there." Chris pointed towards where he saw the man climb up a ladder.
"Let's go!" The girl didn't even wait for an answer as she shot in that direction. Chris paused only to kick the man he shot earlier in the head before dashing after her.
The girl demonstrated a casual disregard for the laws of Physics as she leaped in the air, using the recoil from her rifle to propel herself up the rest of the way. Chris shook his head as he put the pistol in the waistband of his pants before jumping up and grabbing the ladder a little below the fourth floor. Then he continued climbing the rest of the way.
Chris' head popped over the top just in time to see the man standing on the side door of a dropship, pointing his walking stick at the girl.
There was a whistle as the man shot a flare at her. Chris didn't think, he reacted. Putting everything he had in his legs he dashed forward, pushing the girl out of the way as his eyes flared purple.
A purple Psionic field exploded from him just as the flare impacted a Dust crystal. The man looked like he was about to laugh before he noticed the firestorm that swirled around Chris' Telekinetic Field.
With a growl Chris tried to direct the flames at the dropship. He partially succeeded, the primal energy washing over the canopy. Pity... He was aiming at the guy who was gaping in surprise.
Oh well, he guessed that the Plasma pistol would have to do. Pulling the pistol out from his waistband he pointed it at the man and pulled the trigger twice. Two bolts of green plasma shot out, both missing the man as he was pulled in the cockpit. Chris clicked his tongue.
"Shot failed to connect." He muttered as he lowered his pistol. The girl looked at him strangely, but Chris ignored her. His attention was focused on the red-clad woman who took the other man's place.
For a brief moment he tried to pierce the shadows that hid her face. Then she raised her hand palm pointing at him as her dress lit up like a Christmas tree.
Chris' eyes widened in surprise and he jumped to the side as a fireball shot right through the space his head occupied. Several more followed, each one blowing chunks off the concrete rooftop as he moved to take cover behind an air-conditioner unit.
A series of whirrs and clicks drew Chris' attention to the girl he was helping. For a moment he stared at the thing she was holding before she started shooting.
"No common sense..." The boy muttered as he popped out of cover to add to the firepower directed at the dropship. The woman seemed to be blocking the girl's shots with an Aura-enhanced hand, and she didn't even flinch when she raised the other to block the green plasma.
"This isn't working!" The girl stated the obvious as she reloaded the strange rifle's clip. Chris didn't reply at first, his eyes looking over the woman and the dropship as he tried to think of a plan.
Interestingly, the girl beat him to it.
"Aim for the head!" She commanded and Chris glanced at her. "I've got a plan."
Well, he could trust her... Hopefully. And pouring more fire at the woman wouldn't be bad. Shifting his aim to her head Chris squeezed the trigger. The bolts of Plasma were once again intercepted by a raised hand, just as he expected.
And then the girl fired. The round hit the woman's leg, the impact causing her to stumble. Chris followed with a few more shots from his pistol, adding to her momentum.
He didn't manage to push her off the dropship though... The pilot was good enough to keep it under her feet. What he did manage though was to send a stray shot inside the craft, hitting the ceiling of the passengers' compartment.
While the outside of a Bullhead transport was heavily armored, the inside wasn't. A necessary drawback to decrease production costs and overall weight.
As it happened, the plasma bolt melted through the thin metal with ease. The same thin metal that housed wires, tubes and other things that connected the cockpit with the engines.
Chris didn't know what exactly did he hit, but the spray of fire that engulfed the woman was a welcome outcome. The lack of a scream was a bit disappointing, but then again, it could've been drowned by the sound of the right engine exploding.
The dropship started spinning through the air as the pilot tried to wrestle some control out of it. Chris watched as the craft span to the side before it rammed through a building and gorged a good part of the street.
"Good call, Lil' Red." Chris addressed the girl, who frowned at him.
"My name isn't Red!" She pouted. "It's Ruby."
"Chris." He simply replied. "Now, I think that we should get to the crash site and eli-..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head. He was just about to say "eliminate the survivors", as if this was another downed UFO...
"Yes! We have to arrest them and... Umm... Give them to the police?" Ruby looked at Chris and he nodded.
"Yes, and for the record, it's hand them." He corrected her before sliding down the ladder with practiced ease. The girl just jumped after him, unfolding her scythe and stabbing it in the side of the building to slow her descent.
The two dashed to the crashed VTOL, their weapons at the ready. However, the wreck was empty...
"Damn it!" Chris cursed as the police cars screeched to a halt behind him...
"Well, mister Redmond, your story matches the one of your accomplice." Chris let out a groan and slumped against the table.
"Did you have to word it like I was some sort of a criminal?" He asked the detective. For the past few hours he had been interrogated in a small, concrete room with a one-way mirror on one wall. Its furnishing consisted of two chairs and a table and it was lit by a low-hanging overhead lamp...
You know, the classic.
"Your stunt caused thousands of Lien in property damage. You're lucky that there were no deaths." The detective frowned at him.
"Hey, I was trying to stop them from killing the girl!" Chris tried to defend himself.
"And that's why we're letting you go with a warning." The man replied as he stood up from the chair. "Enjoy your night, mister Redmond."
"Wait." Chris called out after him as he stood up as well. "Can I at least know who I was shooting at?"
"Well... I guess there's no harm. It'll be all over the news anyway." The detective turned around to face the boy and pulled out his Scroll.
"His name is Roman Torchwick, a criminal with a file thicker than my arm." He gave him the Scroll and Chris stared at the image that was called up. A standard pair of mugshot, showing his face and profile stared back at him.
"I see. And his accomplice?" He asked as he returned the Scroll.
"Unknown. The details you gave me weren't enough to recognize her." The man pocketed the Scroll before opening the door. "Come on, your Guardian is waiting for you."
"What about my weapon?" Chris asked.
"It has been released in my custody, mister Redmond." Ozpin said from the side of the door. The man was once again dressed as usual, with the ever-present mug of coffee in his hand.
"Hey Oz." Chris greeted the older man. The detective nodded to the Hunter before he retreated, muttering something about paperwork.
"Come, mister Redmond." Ozpin waived him in another room. Chris was slightly surprised to see that it was the room behind the one-way mirror, a place he never saw in real life before.
Strangely enough, there was a plate of cookies on the small table that was set in the room.
A look through the glass revealed that it wasn't his interrogation room on the other side, but another one that contained the girl he helped and an irrate Glynda Goodwitch who was chewing her out...
"You two caused a lot of destruction." Ozpin noted as he observed the two.
"Standard XCOM procedure." Chris shrugged as he grabbed a cookie from the tray. Killing the x-rays was higher on the priority list than collateral damage. "And that was minor compared to what we've done before."
The current top spot for destruction was held by a Japanese pilot who downed a Battleship on top of one of their cities.
Several XCOM squads did try to top him off by using a liberal amount of rockets and grenades, but they never came close...
"Indeed." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "I shall take that under consideration the next time you're sent in an urban setting."
"Hey, this is just the first time. And I wasn't a Heavy on rampage or anything." Chris defended himself.
"Nevertheless, your record speaks for itself." Ozpin countered and Chris sighed. This was his first urban combat in Remnant, and he did ruin a few buildings...
"Well, that wouldn't have happened if Goodwitch had come when she told me she would." Chris defended himself. "And where was she anyway?" He asked with a frown. "She was supposed to call me hours ago."
"She was..." Ozpin paused for a moment, wondering if he should tell the boy the truth. Then he decided that it wasn't worth the pain that would follow. "Busy. She was busy."
"I see..." Chris frowned and looked at the interrogation room. "So, what about Lil' Red?" He asked, trying to change the topic. "I'm sure that you dug out any info you could find on her..."
"I didn't have to." Ozpin replied and Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Her name is Ruby Rose. Daughter of two good friends of mine and the niece of another one." He continued.
"Ah, I see. I guess that your friends are Hunters as well?" Ozpin nodded and took another sip from his mug.
"I guess that makes sense... Only a Hunter would allow a girl like her to wield a gunscythe." Chris noted.
"High-Caliber Sniper Scythe." Ozpin corrected him. Chris blinked a few times as he tried to process the words.
"Does unlocking people's Aura erase their common sense or something?" He asked. This made only a bit more sense than Oobleck's weapon!
"You are the one with the newly-unlocked Aura. You tell me." Ozpin countered and Chris rolled his eyes.
"Point..." He conceded before turning his attention back to the room beyond the glass. "What are you going to do with her?"
"I'm going to talk to her." Ozpin replied as he took the plate of cookies. "And maybe bend some rules..."
"If she acceps the offer she can't refuse?" Chris asked and Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Right... Remind me to tell you about The Godfather later." The older man nodded and left, but ot before Chris had the chance to steal a cookie from the tray.
Turning his attention back to the room he took a bite from the cookie as he observed the headmaster's conversation.
He had to admit, the man was a good actor. Pretending that he didn't know anything about Ruby.
The girl herself was getting quite excited... The complete opposite of Goodwitch, as Chris noted when he glanced at her.
The offer was much less official than the one given to him... But then again, the circumstances were different, not to mention the people they were given to.
Still, the girl looked like that made her day. Or week. Or probably the following years, if the smile was any indication...
"Well, this will be an interesting year." Chris muttered to himself before walking out of the room. Ozpin, Goodwitch and Ruby were wrapping things up, so he was going to wait for them in the hall.
"I guess congratulations are in order for Lil' Red, eh?" He asked the headmaster as he and Glynda walked out.
"Indeed. With her the teams are now even." Ozpin replied, checking something on his Scroll.
"Well, I guess it's time to call it a day, eh!" Chris asked and Ozpin nodded before moving along. The boy made to follow him, but a hand on his shoulder had him freeze.
"I still have to talk with you, mister Redmond..." Glynda Goodwitch's voice sent shivers down his spine, and not the pleasant kind...
Author's note:
Finally found the time to finish this chapter... As you can see, I detailed a timeskip and given you some info. Chris also met the first character from the main cast, and the first effect of his appearance in the world of Remnant gets known. So far it's only a small deviation from canon and things will continue like that until a certain point in time.
Now, to address something. After talking with one of my reviewers, as well as doing some thinking, I decided to inform you that the pairings I mentioned won't be my final say. They may change, they may stay. I'm not sure, we'll see how will things develop.
I also want to thank all of you who gave me ideas for Chris' Hunter attire and weapons. I won't be able to use everything, but your ideas will definitely get a mention when I reach the point of presenting his weapon(s).
Next chapter will have the trip to Beacon, as well as the first night there.
Until then: read, review, follow, favorite and most importantly, enjoy.