"There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after.
"But the hero... never gets to see that ending. ...They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith.
"...Ain't that a bitch?" -Epsilon
RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:
"Metastability"
Chapter 7: Mute Radio
The med bay was the same as when he first woke up here five years ago. Still dull white, with instruments sitting atop tables and drapes hiding away beds that would one day house bodies injured and/or diseased. In one such bed, York laid there, stripped of armor and wearing the black bodysuit underneath what housed the armor. The bodysuit covered up to the neck, just below the Adam's Apple, and came down to the knees and biceps. That said, it was very tight, easily revealing a certain small bulge that was the male anatomy, and the muscled body of what laid underneath. However, the primary reason behind York's stay here wasn't simply because of the damage to his body...it was also due to the scar that covered his left eye.
At his bedside, Maine sat in a chair, hands clasped with blonde locks and red eyes out in the open for all to see, staring at his friend in concern. It had been about a few days since he was administered, and he showed no signs of waking yet. To his own personal disgust, Wyoming had been sent to another ward, most likely on the Director's orders. He knew why, how the man valued ability...but he still hated the bastard. He'd do for a clock to the face for now. He just wished he could have done more. If only he had reacted sooner, maybe...
"...Maine," The blonde Freelancer turned, and found Carolina hanging around the entrance, her helmet covering her face. "Come on...let's go. The mission briefing is about to start."
Maine sighed, pushing himself out of the chair. "I'll...be there in a sec."
"Just don't lag behind. The Director expects us all to be there when it begins." She answered as she pushed off from the doorframe.
"Yeah...got it."
The red-haired Freelancer didn't leave. Neither did Maine. In fact, he was doing everything he possibly could to slow himself, just so he could stay by York's side. She understood the feeling. Everyday, since the incident, neither had gone a single day without being by his side, just waiting, miraculously, for him to wake up. She knew how he would to. Open his eyes, grin, and crack a joke about how handsome he looked with an eyepatch. It would be so typical of him. Eventually, she gave a sigh and walked over to him, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Hey...cheer up," she told him. "If York sees you like this, he'll joke about it until the end of time."
"Maybe...but I don't care. I'm just worried for him, you know? He's only going to be able to see out of one eye from now on."
"I know...but you also know that he wouldn't want you to stick around feeling sorry for him," Carolina told him. "Hell, I can picture him waking up, and then asking for a parrot and cap, just to complete the pirate look he's got going on."
Maine cracked a small smile, and nodded. "Yeah...sounds like him," he said before exhaling. "Okay...lets go."
Then the two left the med bay, the door sliding closed behind them. However, a few seconds after they left, slowly, York's eyes showed movement. Slowly, his eyelids lifted, revealing one eye, clear of iris and pupil, and a light brown one.
"So its been a week or so?" Yang questioned with a frown. "And that Wyoming bastard STILL hasn't gotten punished?! Total. Bull."
"I agree." Weiss nodded. "I can't believe that the Director is actually supporting actions like Wyomings back then."
"He said adaptability and ingenuity were admirable traits," Pyrrha recalled with a look of distaste. "Does this mean...he doesn't care what methods his soldiers use, so long as they perform well?"
"Looks like it..." Blake shook her head with a morbid expression. "To him...the ends justify the means."
Ruby glowered, shaking with anger. "T-that stupid old man! Because of what Wyoming did, Jaune's friend got hurt!"
"I know, Rubes..." Yang rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Trust me...if I ever see that bastard, I'm gonna floor him!"
Ren sighed, palming his face. "Once again...for the upteenth time...need I remind you that this is a memory? We can't do anything."
"Shut up, Ren! Don't ruin my fantasy!" Yang snapped in defiance.
"I say we break his legs, arms, spine, neck, hands, feet. and head!" Nora shouted.
Everyone stared at the two violent women before they sighed, shaking their heads. Then again, it was understandable. The more they watched these memories play out, the more they also felt infuriated and disgusted with this director. And given how Maine is part of the unit led by this man...they could only worry for him. Especially if what he went through turned him into the monster they met in Foerver Fall. They then fell silent, as Maine and Carolina had arrived at their destination.
"Director," Carolina called out as she walked up to the man in charge of the private organization, who stood at the end of the bridge in front of a console. "Everyone is present and accounted for."
The man gave a curt nod before looking at the console. He whispered something, but she couldn't hear it, though she noticed a small flashing light. He then turned to her. "Excellent, then," he said as he walked past her. "Let us begin the briefing." Carolina gave a look at the console, wondering what was going on, but then walked back over to her team. As she did, the Director began. "Agents...the mission you are about to undertake is, by far, the most important to date." Everyone gave a nod. If the boss himself was telling them this, then the mission they were about to take on was important. VERY important. "As our Number One, Agent Carolina will be leading in the field."
Carolina nodded as she stood at the head of the table projector. "Okay. Here's what we have." She typed in a series of keys and the holographic here that floated above the table surface sunk into the platform and grew. "As you may have heard, there is suspected Insurrection activity in the area." C.T gave a brief look at the map, as if worried about something, but then shrugged. Carolina then continued on with the briefing. "Our intel says that members of the UNSC loyal to the insurrection have acquired a high-level asset and are holding it in this secure location." With another push of the button, a schematic of what appeared to be an urban area, surrounded by tall buildings, formed on the console. "It's a 110-story building in the middle of an urban environment."
"What does security look like?" Wyoming asked.
"They have enough troops to fill a 110-story building." Carolina answered bluntly. While she was still angry with Wyoming, she would still remain professional for the mission.
"So...that's a lot of security..." The British man nodded.
"We're up to it." The top Freelancer responded. "Our job is to infiltrate the building, work our way up to the floor where the Sarcophagus is being held and secure it." As she spoke, a red line traced a path to the designated floor on the holographic model of the building.
North cocked his head. "The Sarcophagus?"
"That is what we are calling the primary objective," the Director stated.
Carolina then continued on. "But since this is a high-level asset, we need to access a key code to open the Sarcophagus."
"I'm guessing they don't just keep that taped to the side?" Washington asked sarcastically.
"It's held by an official of the program who will be moving in a vehicle along the freeway between inspections," Carolina said, not commenting on Washington's joke. On the holographic cityscape, an image of the target was shown; a bald man with dark sunglasses and suit carrying a briefcase. Then a highway formed, along with cars passing through, simulating the events that would transpire for the mission. "That's when we'll hit the facility. We need to acquire both targets within minutes of each other. If we fail that, the remaining target will enter lock-down and we miss our window."
"We will not have another chance at this." The Director said with emphasis in his tone.
"So that means two teams..." Wash realized.
"Two teams." Carolina nodded. "Team A will consist me, Wash, and Maine. We will work infiltration on the package's stored facility. York is still in the infirmary, so Wash, you'll have to pull lockpicking duty."
"Uhmm...okay. Guess I'll reread my field manual on the transport." The gray-armored soldier answered, now nervous about his assigned role.
"Hey, don't be so quick to give away my job." A voice cut in.
Carolina and Maine whirled around, finding a familiar soldier standing in the room, dressed in light brown armor. "Y-York?" Carolina gaped. "I thought you were in the hospital?"
"According to their records, I am," York responded, grinning beneath his helmet.
"How's your eye?"
He gave a shrug, and walked over to the console. "It's okay. Docs are letting me out tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, huh?" Washington said, crossing his arms. He clearly didn't look convinced. Maine and Carolina didn't blame him. After all, he was in bad shape, and not even a week's worth of rest could heal the damages done to him. "You sure you're up for this?"
He laughed. "Look, I couldn't let you guys have all the fun without me. Besides...you need someone to get you in."
Washington, underneath his helmet, frowned before he turned over to Carolina. "I'm happy to see him too, but...this mission...I don't know..."
"Hey," she snapped. "If York says he's good, then he's good." Wash gave a reluctant nod. He was still uonconvinced. He didn't want to see his friend hurt again, and neither did the red-haired Freelancer. She walked over to him, and whispered, "Hey...you are good, right?"
"Okay, look, I said I was okay." York answered earnestly. "Good might be overselling it a little..."
"It's settled then." The Director cut him off. The members of Team A turned to face their commander. "York will join Team A and get them in the facility."
"Thank you, sir." Agent York nodded appreciatively. And with that, Carolina resumed the mission briefing.
"Transport will be two lightly equipped Pelican drop ships."
"We're rigged for fast running only, people. No heavy armaments." 479er added.
"Team B will be North, Wyoming, and C.T," Carolina informed, leaving the three to nod in understanding over the arrangement. "You will act as recon for Team A, and when we enter the building, you will disengage to attack the target on the freeway. North will lead Team B."
The blonde-haired man nodded. "Got it."
"What about Agent South?" C.T asked, confused. So far, she's rarely seen the Dakota twins go out on separate missions, or one of them going solo.
"Agent South will not be accompanying you on this mission." The Director answered.
"Hm...guess the world's a tough place when you move down a rank."
"And where's our new recruit? Will she be joining us?"
The Director quickly grew impatient. "That's enough questions, Connecticut."
She shrugged, but then shot Wash and Carolina a look. "Notice he didn't say no?"
"Team B should be simple." Carolina ignored her and continued. "Stop the vehicle and grab the case. Team A, you have more of a challenge. Mainly, the Sarcophagus is an unknown."
"How unknown are we talking?" Wash asked.
"Unknown in that we don't know it's size, or its weight or its dimensions. We just know that it will have these markings somewhere on the exterior." Carolina pressed another key and the holographic layout of the mission sunk into the table before being replaced by a red projection of the designated set of markings. They consisted of three circles with unique symbols within each one. They were laid out in the pattern of an inverted triangle and separated by three lines that joined in the center.
North immediately recognized them, having seen them before. "I saw those same markings on the oil platform," he noted. "Are they connected?"
"Correct," the Director responded. "That facility created the primary objective."
"Do we know what's inside it?" Washington asked.
"Yes, we know."
C.T shook her head. "How do we know what's in it, but not know how big it is?" she questioned. The Director shot her a glare. "Sorry, sir."
"We've got a job to do, people," Carolina said, stepping away from the console as it all began to shut down. "Let's do it right, and come home safe."
"That is all," the Director barked. "You are dismissed."
Then, all Freelancers snapped into a salute. "Yes, sir!" they cried before leaving the room, heading to the Pelican, and towards their next mission.
"Ooooh, a heist!" Nora giggled. "Does this mean Jaune's a master thief?! That would be SO AWESOME! Hey, Renny? Do you think he can steal the next test's answer key?"
Ren stared at his childhood friend before he sighed, palming his face. "...I give up."
There was just no use explaining to her hyperactive friend that what they are seeing is just a memory and already happened. The girls giggled, but could understand Nora's enthusiasm. Jaune as a thief? This has got to be interesting...
"What do you think they're gonna steal?" Ruby asked, shaking in anticipation. "Ooooh, maybe it's treasure!"
Weiss shook her head. "Given that this is a military ops, it might be a weapon, or crucial information."
"I'm just stuck on the fact that the Director knows what the target is, but doesn't share it with the others." Yang shook her head.
"Agreed. It didn't seem that he gave them all the details." Blake added.
Pyrrha nodded in agreement with the two. Something didn't seem right. If the Director knew what was inside...why lie? Or, perhaps...he couldn't let them know what was inside the Sarcophagus? But why? Just what was so important inside of it that the Director had to witheld information from his own soldiers?
'And...' She held her hand to her chest, feeling unease swell in her. 'What is this...feeling?'
"Team A, you look clear. Window is open. Start your clocks. On my mark...mark."
"Sync. Roger that, Team A is moving."
"Copy that, Carolina. Good luck, Team A."
"Thanks. We won't need it."
"Alright, Bravo. Let's move out! We have three minutes until the first alert; let's have our target in hand by two." North told his team members while they prepared to jump from the Pelican.
York, Carolina, and Maine moved to infiltrate the building on foot. It wasn't long before they entered the facility. Their target was on the fiftieth floor, and they had to be discreet, at least reaching the target before alarming the soldiers, if possible. When they encountered the Insurrectionists, they made sure to attack swiftly and quickly before alarms could be raised. They were killed without incident, and without any gunfire. Eventually, they reached the designated area, coming up to a steel wall with holographic signatures floating over it.
"Alright, we're in," Carolina said as they approached. She then turned to York, gesturing him to move up. "Alright, One-Eye. You're up."
"Hey now," he joked, walking past her. "It's CAPTAIN One-Eye. All I need is a parrot and hat, then give a Pelican a paintjob, then I'm all set~"
Maine groaned. "Only you could joke about missing an eye," he muttered, but smiled inwardly. He was glad his friend was back, and up on his feet. He was a bit worried, but after the last couple of dead soldiers, that worry was unneeded. "So, you think you can crack it?"
"Should take about sixty seconds," York replied. "Give me 15." He then bent down on a knee, and examined what they presumed was the lock, which was the holographic marker in the center, a cog with a writhing mass in the center. "Wow...is that holographic?" he asked in awe. "That's high-end."
"Can you get through it?" Carolina asked him.
"Of course I can. Didn't bring me along for my good looks, did ya?" He twisted the image and a green light lit up. "Whoever designed this is a genius..." Only to stop when the lock turned red and the alarms started to blare.
"You were saying?"
"Okay, I take it back. Whoever designed this is an asshole!" After a few more movements, the lock was broken. "There." The doors slid open. "Everybody in."
"Thanks, York," Carolina rolled her eyes beneath her helmet as they entered. "But do something about that alarm system. We don't need anymore surprises."
"Does saying 'sorry' count as something?" he asked, only to receive a flat stare. "...guess not."
"We'll secure a package," the aqua-colored Freelancer said while the others began to move into the room, in search of the mission objective. "Set some trackers, then find us a way out of this." He nodded, and then began to move. With a few inputs, the doors slid shut behind him, thus allowing Team A time to search. The doors looked sturdy enough, so the only way they could break through was if they seared through the locks. "Alright everyone, spread out. What we need is here somewhere. Probably something small, easy to miss. Take as many scans as possible. There may be other things here that we can use."
As if to express these words, she took a pair of twin guns, alien in make, and then holstered them to her hips. Meanwhile, Maine give a quick look around, lighting up his HUD screen to find any object with the marking that identified the object as their objective. During his search, he caught the look of something interesting. Laid out on the table was a weapon, a gun from the looks of it, as long as a sniper rifle, but as big as a Gatling Gun. In terms of length, from top to bottom, it was as large as his torso, with a circular form in the center, and a blade attached to the bottom. It was...beautiful. Without another thought on the manner, Maine picked it up to test its weight and discovered that it felt perfectly balanced in his hands. He held the weapon with one hand on the handle on its side while his other hand was on top of the barrel. "Hey Wash! What do you think?" Maine asked his friend.
The gray-armored soldier turned his head and upon seeing him with the Type 25 Grenade Launcher, he nodded. "Yeah, that's a good look."
"No it doesn't!" Ruby yelled, much to the shock of her teammates. They stared to look at her, not expecting her to shout something like that. "It's hideous! I mean, sure, it's got a cool look and all, but it's not a real weapon! No transformation mechanic, no beauty to it! Ugh! Whoever designed it needs to be kicked and taught how to make a good weapon!"
"...Uh, Ruby? I'm pretty sure that thing is a real weapon. I mean, it's got that huge blade on the end." Yang stated.
"No its not!" Ruby protested vehemently. While she had to admit, it certainly looked powerful...it didn't have the same beauty she had seen from the weapons of the students here at Beacon Academy, or any weapon she's seen for that matter. "It's...it's..." she struggled to find the right word for it, but couldn't. She gave herself a mental slap in the head for what she was about to say. She had to remember to wash her mouth out after they were done. She took a deep breath, and yelled, "IT'S A BASTARD!"
Every teenager in the room flinched when they heard Ruby Rose...of all people...swear. Yang, however, looked scandalized. "RUBY!" she cried in horror. "WHAT HAVE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT CURSING?!"
Seconds later, Carolina received a transmission from York, regarding enemy movement. They were quickly approaching their position, no doubt with equipment to tear down the door. "Well, let's hope they're not as good as picking locks as you are, York," she commented before looking at her squad. "Alright, team. We're about to have some company."
Washington walked up to her. "Boss, I have good news and bad news."
"Hit me."
"We found the markings we're looking for. The bad news is..." He turned to his left and gestured to the item in question, revealing a metal container as tall as them. "...they're on that."
"That?"
Maine groaned. 'Great...as if we didn't already have enough problems,' he thought. 'Now we got to find a way to get this thing out of here? Inside a 110 story building with several assholes? Fun times, ladies and gents...fun times.'
"Team A," York called in on the comm systems. "I got us an exit up here. Straight up the stairwell, door to the roof, helipad."
"Copy," Carolina nodded. "I'll radio in air support." She closed the link, and then looked at the container. It was too large, and no doubt too heavy for two soldiers alone to carry. Maine was strong...but even he couldn't carry this thing on his back by himself. That, and if they were distracted for even a moment, there was a chance he'd be seriously injured. "Now...how are we going to get that thing up to the roof?" Wash and Maine, who had the Type 25 Grenade Launcher attached to his back, looked at one another and shrugged. Carolina then thought of something. "York, I saw a window washing unit when we came into the facility. Can you find where it attaches to the building?"
"Dunno...sounds like a tough one," he responded, though Carolina knew by the tone in his voice he already had a plan in mind. "Let me see what I can do."
Carolina gave a nod, then looked at Maine. Washington cocked his head. "What are you up to?" he asked, confused.
"Improvising," the Number One replied before walking over to the window, beckoning the white-armored brute. "Come here, Maine. I got a job for you."
Washington groaned. "Improvising?" he muttered. "I hate it when we do that..."
"How do you think I feel?" Maine asked over his shoulder as he followed the leader. "I'M the one she needs for this improv..."
A few minutes later Carolina and Maine stood by the edge of a broken window while Wash kept an eye on the vault doors, which were now being cut through with an acetylene blowtorch.
"Better hurry!" Wash called out.
Carolina had finished pushing the Sarcophagus on the window washing unit while Maine held onto the cable that balanced said unit. She walked right up to him. "Maine, this should work fine. You're the only one heavy enough to counterbalance."
The white-armored soldier turned his head to look at Carolina. Then he looked down, and promptly gulped. Down below was the street...several hundred feet below him. The sight alone was enough to make his stomach churn in ways that were unsettling to say the least. He then slowly backed away. "...too high."
"Oh, don't be a baby." She scoffed. Without another word, she kicked Maine right off the edge and shot the window washing unit with her pistol, allowing it to rise to the roof. Meanwhile, Maine was falling down the side of the building screaming his head off.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUCKIIIIIIIIING HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL!"
He flailed in the air but still kept his grip tight on the cable. He just past two Insurrectionists who stood guard and was still approaching the ground fast. He prayed to whatever God out there that the cable ran out before he went SPLAT. He was falling fast. Soon, he was about to run out of cable. However, as he fell, he noticed an opening in the lower levels. He then recalled one of the floors was a parking garage, which they passed on their way up. 'Better time this right!' he thought, not wanting to be turned into white and red pancake on concrete. He braced himself, and began to swing himself back and forth. Eventually, the cable ran out. He was flung upward in mid-swing, caught in the middle of a jerk, and was thrown into the parking garage. He landed right on the edge, left in a crouch before he let out a deep sigh. "Oh fuck that was close..." he murmured before he heard the sounds of guns clicking.
He looked up, and found himself staring back at several Insurrectionists, each armed with a gun in hand. "Stop right there or we'll...shoot..." one of them trailed off when they took in Maine's appearance. Immediately, Maine sensed a battle coming, and let out a low growl, letting his Freelancer persona take over. He took the weapon from his back, and held it in both hands, slowly stepping forward, stalking towards his newfound prey. "W-we're gonna need bigger handcuffs!"
"I-Is that a knife?" another questioned as they began to back away in a panic. "A-a rifle? A knifle?"
He grabbed the lever of his new weapon and cocked it. As the rebels raised their rifles, Maine pulled the trigger and a grenade shot out of the barrel. Two, three shots were set loose, and struck the insurgets. What followed was a powerful explosion that set off several car alarms. The soldiers were struck dead on, thrown off their feet and sent flying. Some hit the columns supporting the building and others hit the cars around them. The rest hit the ground, sliding away before coming to a stop. None of them got up.
Beneath his helmet, Maine grinned wickedly. "...I call it a Brute Shot."
"Ugh, even worse," Ruby grumbled. "Crappy name for a crappy weapon..."
Nora nodded heartedly in agreement. "Yeah...that's not really suiting him," she said, earning a few confused looks. "He'd look better if it was a sword and shield. You know, like with what he used to have!"
"I agree..." Pyrrha nodded as well. "It feels...odd for him to use anything else."
"But you have to admit that it is pretty efficient." Nora then smirked evilly. "I bet you could break TONS of legs with that!" She then looked to Ruby. "Hey, Ruby! You're a weapons expert, right?"
"If it's about making that monstrosity, forget it," she huffed. "I refuse to make such an ugly thing!"
"Buuuuuuuut what if you made it an actual weapon?! You know, like what you want?! Just better! And breaks a lot of legs!"
Ren sighed. "...Ruby, please don't indulge her," he asked (read: "pleaded"). "Last thing we need is what Jaune has in Nora's hands...and potentially as dangerous as what we have."
But it was too late. The red hooded youth already her brow furrowed in deep thought as ideas and designs were being produced in her head like a factory assembly line.
"Well...it DOES pack a lot of heat, and the blade could be used to cut things down to size...but that requires getting too close. You've got have some strike distance...maybe make an extension? But where...? The muzzle, maybe? Ooh, maybe like a muzzle and handle! I could probably rotate the blade so its at the top! It'd be like a battle axe, plus a grenade launcher! All in one! Hmhmhm~ That's what a weapon should be! OH! But wait, what sort of ammo would it use? Fire Dust? Ice? Gravity? Maybe I should also add in some energy propellant fuel sources and increase the swing power when in axe form...but what sort of mechanism should I use to increase the length of the handle and barrel? An extension system? I could probably use a regular rotation mod for the blade part, but...huh...this could use some thinking out..."
The members of WBY and PR sighed. Ren, in particular. "Now look what you've done, Nora..." he groaned. "Are you happy now?"
"Super duper happy!" The hyperactive ginger cheered while making a victory sign with her fingers.
Once again, everyone groaned.
"Okay," Maine breathed, briefly leaving his Freelancer Persona as he placed his newly named Bruteshot on his back as he looked around the parking garage. "Chances are, we're gonna need an escape vehicle...but what would be a good pick?"
To his left were Mongooses, four-wheeled vehicles designed for a single person, so those were out. And to his right were a series of large land vehicles known as Warthogs. They were built like a jeep but had bullet-proof metal plating, two rider seats, and a machine gun turret in the back to accommodate for a single person. But for the life of him, he still couldn't figure out why a vehicle like that had six pedals if there were only four directions to drive in. Regardless, he needed a good car to use. He was about to grab one of them before he suddenly found himself backpedalling, a bullet nearly hitting him in the face. Growling, and falling back into his more hardened self, he turned, and found an Insurrectionist solder standing there, gun in one hand with a smoking barrel and knife in the other. However, the armor was slightly stylized, as the shoulder pads were more thickened, and on the breast plate was a heart-shaped mark with a kiss insignia branded on it.
"Not so fast, fucker," the Insurrectionist said coldly, their tone distinctly feminine. "Where do you think you're going?"
Maine let out a low growl, and took out his Brute Shot again.
[Play: Sharkface/Rooftop - Trocadero]
He pulled the triggered and fired another grenade. The female rebel ducked to the side to avoid it before snapping up back on her feet with her gun pointed at the Freelancer. She fired a couple of shots, one of them grazing his armor. It was a mild distraction, one she used to her advantage as she charged, blade at the ready. Fortunately for Maine though, he also had a close-range weapon to counter hers. It was a part of his newly acquired Bruteshot. As she closed in for a swift cut to the throat, he raised his weapon, and clashed with her. The sharp and broad edge of his Brute Shot easily overtook her puny knife, and parried her attack. Using the opening he made, he swung his weapon down, aiming to cut her down, but she side-stepped, spinning around on her foot and delivering a heel kick to the side of his head.
Maine lurched forward from the impact, allowing the rebel to throw in another strike before pinning him down with her leg. She poised her pistol to the back of his head to kill him, but Maine aimed his weapon at the ground right beneath her feet. He pulled the trigger as the grenade fired and detonated, throwing her into the air. Maine stood back up, grabbed her by the ankle and slammed her back to the ground, forcing her to let go of her gun and knife. He then took the Bruteshot and raised the blade edge before stabbing it into her neck.
That was how it was supposed to happen...but the woman had more surprises up her sleeve, it seemed. She tilted her head just right so the blade scraped up against the edge of her helmet, and then spiraled up, lifting her body up by the hands and then delivering a double spinning kick to Maine's armored face. Once, then twice, both in swift succession. He stumbled back a bit, and allowing her to jump back up. She flicked the knife back into her possession, and then whipped out a second one from her possession. She then proceeded to charge back in, going in low. Maine growled, shaking his head to shrug off the dizziness before he swung his weapon at her. She vaulted over him, landing behind him and landing a solid kick to his back, causing him to tumble forward. She threw one of the knives at him, stabbing into his shoulder. The pain wasn't horrible to him. After so long, it was more like an annoyance. He glowered as he turned around, and fired off one round from his Brute Shot. She ducked underneath it, letting the blast destroy a Warthog, engulfing it in flames. Then she charged back at him again.
Maine raised his weapon, intending to slam it down on her, but she was faster. She dodged it easily, and delivered an uppercut. The force of the blow nearly made him bite his tongue, and it knocked off his helmet. In retaliation, his arm whipped out, grabbing her by the shoulder, and delivered a headbutt, disorienting them both. Maine felt the worst, since he just crushed his head against a helmet, but quickly got over it and rammed his leg into her gut, throwing the wind out of her, and then delivered a strike of his own. This one threw her into the air, and also threw off her helmet. Sadly, instead of hitting the ground like he hoped, she landed on the ground square on her feet, and in a low crouch. With her helmet gone, he could see her face. Long, blonde hair spilled out, falling down to the shoulders, revealing fierce eyes, and a beautiful face, unblemished yet marred by war, giving her the look he had seen on both South and Carolina; a cold beauty, ready to kill.
Strangely, when the woman saw his face, she smiled lowly, licking her lips. For some reason, Maine felt afraid. For what, he had no idea. It didn't matter. He had to kill her and regroup with Carolina, Wash, and York. "Not bad," the woman - "Girlie" Maine decided - said, staring at his face. "Ten out of ten...shame I have to mess up that pretty face."
"And it's a damn shame I gotta kill ya, but them's the breaks." Maine scoffed as he whipped out his magnum pistol instead.
"Ooh...Fiesty. I like that."
She smirked. "Maybe...I can settle for breaking your bones, and then have fun with you. How about it, pretty boy?"
"U-um...P-Pyrrha...?" The red hooded girl squeaked nervously as she slowly backed away from the red haired Spartan, who now had an ominous aura of rage and death surrounding her.
Everyone began to follow her example, as the Invincible Girl's hair fluttered, her bangs covering her eyes while her teeth grinded against each other so hard that one would have expected them to shatter. The surrounding metals around them began to bend, twisting and warping, as if in result of her apparent...displeasure of the sight. "Ms. Nikos." Dr. Reed interjected calmly. "While it is understandable that you are upset, please try and settle down. I fear your semblance may accidentally destroy the projector and potentially harm Mr. Arc, who is still hooked up to it." Instantly, the aura began to settle down and disperse. However, the look of pure fury was still present on Pyrrha's face, as she glared at Girlie with never before seen intent.
As for her thoughts? They could be easily summed up, in the wise words of Lavernius Tucker, in two simple, straight-forward words.
'THAT BITCH!'
"Sorry, no thanks," Maine snarled. "Not really into women who are trying to kill me." He then opened fire, firing four rounds.
"Too bad~" She smirked as she ducked under the incoming bullets. "You seem like my type."
Maine didn't even deign to respond to that. Instead, he continued to shoot at the annoyance. But she proved to be a slippery one, always managing to evade each shot. Some bullets she evaded with ease, while others she cut down with her knives, producing a replacement for the one she lodged into his shoulder. She darted around, avoiding his attempts to gun her down before she hid behind one of the pillars. Letting out a small growl, Jaune took out his Brute Shot, and then fired off a shot. It blew the pillar apart, but Girle wasn't there. He looked around, now cursing over the loss of his helmet. If he had it, he would have been able to detect her thermal signature, or at least found her moving on his sensors. He turned around, and acting on instinct, he reared back, barely avoiding the knife coming dangerously close to his neck.
All those constant training simulations paid off. And now she was close enough and couldn't move away in time. So he aimed his weapon and fired a grenade right at her torso. The grenade forced her back and exploded, swallowing her in a burning cloud of shrapnel.
The armor had protected her, but a cry of pain was ripped from her mouth, and she was thrown across the garage, her body smacking against a Warthog. She hissed in pain, grabbing her side. She was about to get up, but a swift strike to the face crashed against her face, throwing her to the ground.
She didn't get back up.
"I should kill her," Maine grumbled, exhausted and relieved that the fight was over. "But...I've got other things to worry about." He gave another look at the garage. Only now did he notice that it was destroyed and demolished. Several pillars were broken, cars were obliterated, debris was littered everywhere. Thankfully, there were still a few cars left to use. "Huh...guess I went a little overboard," he shrugged. As he walked over to a nearby Warthog, he scooped up his helmet, and dusted off the bits of debris. He then slipped it back over his head. "Much better," he said before he noticed that his sensors were going off. "Wait...the hell is-"
Without warning, the building trembled, and a flash of light obliterated the ground not far from him, forming a giant hole.
"...oh son of a bitch." Maine muttered while panic gripped his chest. That was the Mother of Invention's main space laser cannon. That meant that the building now has a massive hole blasted through the center. Meaning that this building is due to collapse due to the compromise of structural integrity. In short, he had to get out of here now, or he'd be buried underneath 110 stories of rubble. He quickly hopped into the nearest Warthog, revved the engine, and shot out of the garage.
Already, the structure was beginning to crumble. Large slabs of concrete nearly fall on him as he drove, forcing him to steer away. He grit his teeth, pushing the pedal to the metal, lest he be crushed. The outside was just in reach, though he also noticed debris falling outside. He also caught sight of a familiar Pelican diving out, its hangars closing. That meant the objective had been reached. Now all that was left was to take the second objective. Then something struck him. If the Pelican was leaving...where was Carolina and Wash?
It was at that point he noticed two humanoid figures descending in a free fall. One of them had real armor while the other had brown. It was Carolina and York...and they were heading to the ground fast! Seeing the danger his friends were in, Maine punched the Warthog as fast as it could go, praying he'd make it in time. A large chunk of concrete nearly landed on him, barely hitting the Warthog. It shook a bit, but Maine didn't care. He would have though the pedal would have broken by now with how hard he was going. Finally, he reached the edge, and the Warthog flew out of the building. Just in time, too. Carolina's arms wrapped around the turret, and York landed on the passenger side.
"Are we in a car?!" The tan armored Freelancer yelled out in confusion.
The car scraped up against the pavement as it landed on the road before it dunked into a tunnel, greeting the Freelancers in darkness. "Whoo," Maine breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his newfound passengers. "So...how was the flight?"
"Shitty," Carolina replied cheekily, getting herself situated in the truck bed. "Nice timing, Maine."
"Aim to please, madam! So where's Wash?"
"Back in the Pelican with the Sarcophagus. Team A's mission is a success. Now we just gotta hear from Team B."
"Just glad we didn't go splat," he said before looking at Maine. "By the way..."
"Yeah?"
"You do realize you have a knife stuck in your back, right?"
He gave a grunt. "Bitch thought she could make me a toy and pincushion," he answered, not really bothered. Though now that York mentioned it, it did feel a bit irritating. Without much care, he reached over his shoulder, and pulled the knife out, then tossing it to the road, where it was left, quickly forgotten. "Left her behind. Hopefully she got crushed by the debris."
"Damn, Maine...you really know how to stand up a lady."
"Oh, please."
The car then re-emerged back on the roads, flying up a bit before landing back on the pavement. "Team B, report. Team B!" Carolina radioed North. Since they got the Sarcophagus, it was imperative that they get the access codes as quickly as possible.
"Team B is down!" North reported from his end. "We have wounded and are taking fire!"
"We'll be right there!"
"Negative, get the package and get it out of the city!" North advised.
"Roger that."
"Reading Team B's Tracker," York reported as he dodged a car, having swapped seats with Maine, who now sat in the passenger side, hanging on the edge with his Brute Shot at the ready, in case of Insurgents. "Okay...There he is! Got him!"
"We'll cut them of at the overpass." Carolina ordered. "Go! Go!"
York hit the gas as the Warthog sped up and wove through several cars. Soon they were at the designated point and got out. From their vantage point, they could see the objective approaching. Carolina saw it first then signaled Maine to take action. The white-armored Freelancer nodded and jumped off the edge of the overpass and landed on top of the official's car. The man inside tried to shake him off through a series of sharp turns but Maine held on tight. He then pulled out the Bruteshot from his back, the sharp blade gleaming in the sunlight. He positioned it so that it was pointed at the man inside, and with one swift motion, brought it down. The metal broke through the windshield as translucent shards and splatters of red flew through the air. Maine stabbed him once and dragged the blade across the official's body, severing the upper half of his torso from his body; head, neck, shoulders, everything.
Now that the car lacked someone driving it, it was about to crash into the oncoming wall. Maine pulled the Bruteshot out of his target, grabbed the briefcase containing the access codes, and jumped off. He tucked his legs in and hit the ground on a roll. The car continued on its doomed path and crashed into the wall head-on, resulting in a fiery explosion. The sight went hardly unnoticed, as a few cars pulled over to see if the driver was okay, in spite of the fact that he was dead and the car was now smoldering, burning metal. Maine grunted, and walked away from it all, the second objective, that being a briefcase, held over his shoulder. York pulled up, having used a sub-route to reach them. "Nice work, Maine."
"Thanks," the blonde brute replied gruffly before taking a seat.
York chuckled. "Subtle as always..."
He then looked over his shoulder in anticipation. "Response team is probably on their way."
"Then let's get the hell out of here." Carolina nodded.
"Hold on." York revved the engine and shot down the road. Not too far behind him were two UNSC air crafts. "Pardon me! Coming through! Excuse me! Look out!"
Carolina steadied herself due to York's driving and trying to evade hitting the other cars. She looked over her shoulder, and found the aircrafts, chasing after them. "Here they come!"
Then, emerging from the aircrafts, were two Insurrection soldiers. One was beefy, his armor sleeveless and revealing well-toned muscles. The other, however, had a heart-shaped insigna on the chest plate, and a kiss mark, much to Maine's chagrin. "Great," he groaned. "The bitch is still alive!"
"I thought you said the building dropped on her!" York shouted as he swerved around another car.
"She must've gotten out before the rubble buried her!" Maine responded.
"Enough talk, boys! Get ready!"
"They're behind us!" Carolina spun the turret around and aimed at the approaching rebels.
The soldiers charged at them, but were quick to take cover when Carolina began to unload lead into them with the Gatling Gun. The sleeveless soldier hid behind a truck while Girlie began to avoid it, dancing around the air with her jet back. Unbeknownst to the Freelancers, there was another rebel that circled around the cars next to them and landed on the flatbed of a truck ahead of them. He turned and crouched down with his rifle aimed at the Warthog. The other two rebels provided cover fire as a distraction, preventing Carolina from noticing the laser light aimed at her back.
But Maine noticed this.
"Maine, protect the briefcase!" Carolina yelled. She hadn't noticed the red light the sniper had on her. There wasn't a clean shot of him, either, as he would risk shooting one of the cars.
He growled, and braced himself for more pain. He moved his body to the left, and thus blocking the shot. The sniper fired at that moment, letting the bullet pierce straight into his shoulder - right into the gap between his armor. He bit back a scream, feeling how horrible the pain was, even letting go of his bruteshot, which fell into the bed of the jeep.
"Maine?!" Carolina cried, hearing the shot and seeing a blotch of red on his shoulder. She then noticed the sniper, and quickly ducked, avoiding a shot that would have hit her in the head. "Sniper!"
Then from out of nowhere, Agent Texas landed on the road with an assault rifle in hand. She sped closer to the Warthog while gunning down any Insurrectionists that were in her way. Sleeveless and Girlie noticed her and moved closer to the Warthog.
"Punch it York!" Carolina called noticing their advance.
"It's punched!"
Carolina looked overhead to see Girlie firing at them from above. She flipped and landed on the hood of the vehicle with her rifle pointed at the teal Freelancer. Carolina kicked the gun out of her hands and off the car. She leaped up, landing a kick to the Insurrectionist and throwing him off, leaving him to hover in the air. She then turned to Maine, who was still grunting in pain, trying to shake off the burning sensation that continued to writhe in agony in his shoulder.
He tried to push himself up, but Girlie's foot forced him back down. She grabbed the briefcase off his back. But before she could retreat, Carolina jumped up and landed another kick, knocking her away and forced the case out of her hands. She reached up to grab the item, albeit stumbling a couple times. But the moment she had it secured the sleeveless rebel came in and kicked her.
She was forced down to the front of the car, barely hanging unto the hood while the sleeveless rebel placed the case on his back. He then aimed his gun at Maine, intending to shoot him. York snarled under his helmet. "Not on my watch, asshole!" With a swift turn of the wheel, Carolina and the rebel were thrown to a truck, carrying several barrels. The case went flying, which Carolina grabbed in mid-air before they hit the truck. The rebel crashed into several of the barrels, throwing them out into the street. Girlie then dashed to her comrade's side, shooting at Carolina, forcing her to hide behind a barrel. The sleeveless rebel, meanwhile, threw barrels at the Warthog, trying to knock the car over. "Will you quit throwing shit?!"
The movements of the car, however, managed to get Maine the sense of stability he needed. He let out a low growl, and grabbed his Brute Shot. "Enough of this shit," he rumbled. York then proceeded to get the car closer to the truck, only for the sniper to take aim at them. "On your left!"
Maine immediately ducked down to avoid the sniper's rounds. York turned the wheel and rammed the Warthog into the side of the truck the sniper stood on. The rebel was knocked off the vehicle, but managed to reorient himself mid-air. He hen flew forward to try and find another vantage point but Maine stood up and smashed his fist into the sniper's visor when he came close. The strike knocked the dark armored soldier against the highway wall and sent him into a tumbling heap. York drove the vehicle closer to the truck Carolina was on.
"Watch it, watch it." Maine jumped from the Warthog onto the platform to back up Carolina. He tried to tackle Girlie but she rolled out from under him.
"Oooh! I'm getting goosebumps!" Yang shivered, an excited grin. "Man...taking a sniper shot to the shoulder? And he's still going? If only Jaune had this kind of endurance earlier! I could totally see him kicking ass and taking names!"
"I know!" Nora cheered. "Our fearless leader has gotten even more amazing! Kick their asses Jaune!"
Pyrrha and Ruby, however, did not share the two, more hyperactive and excitable members of their respective teams. They were both worried and afraid. Worried because Jaune just got shot in the shoulder, and things just seem to be escalating. Afraid because...
...because something seemed so wrong. As if there was something bad ready to happen.
And the worst part was?
They were right.
Maine moved in to punch Girlie, but the rebel fired a shot into the air to surprise him, giving her the chance to throw in a roundhouse kick to knock him into Carolina. The two Freelancers stood back to back, both looking at one another over the shoulder for a brief moment. They spun around to exchange foes and separated, this time with Maine carrying the briefcase.
That was when things suddenly began to go downhill.
Maine was in a fist fight against the sleeveless rebel while Carolina was gradually overwhelming Girlie. Carolina grabbed Maine's Brute Shot from the platform and swung it at Girlie.
Girlie evaded, trying to gun her down. Carolina jumped into the air, the bullets breezing past her before she landed on the ground, slashing at the chest plate, creating a small gash and sparks flying. Girlie let out a small cry of pain, and was stunned momentarily. This allowed Carolina to take the opportunity, and ram the blade forward. Blood gushed from the armor, and Girlie gave a weak gasp. She growled in rage, and then threw the gun in the air. Sleeveless caught it, ducking a punch from Maine. His arm whipped out, grabbing his wrist before delivering a headbutt. Maine reeled back, but quickly recovered, about to punch, but then Sleeveless rammed his fist into his helmet. He was knocked back further, even stumbling backward. Growling in frustration, he whirled around and threw a roundhouse punch. The punch was caught, a large hand grabbing his own.
Then the unthinkable happened.
Sleeveless pointed the gun right at the base of Maine's helmet. The bullet impacted his visor, crackigbit an momentarily stunning him. He then grabbed the Freelancer by the shoulders and grew him down on the platform. Maine tried to get up by the rebel slammed his foot on his chest, effectively pinning him. Sleeveless then pointed the gun and shot Maine point blank in the throat.
Nine times
Carolina, hearing the rapid shots and subduing Girlie, turned to see blood splattered across Maine's chest armor and helmet. Her mouth went wide, and her eyes became the size of dinner plates, fear overtaking her. "NO!"
Silence. A dead silence. Chilling enough that one could hear the soft humming of the machines hooked up to Jaune.
Everyone's excitement about the fight had fallen, replaced with only a chilling realization and horror. Yang's face had lost call color, turning her face away to not see what had just happened. Blake's was one of disbelief, as if she couldn't understand what she just saw. When she did, her face crunched in fear and horror, closing her eyes and lowering her head, unable to watch this any further. Weiss' hands covered her face, unable to stand the brutality and coldness of the action done to the blonde that had once tried to woo her. Ruby let out a useless, ear-shattering cry, closing her eyes tightly, tears openly falling from her face while her hands covered her ears. She couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't right. It wasn't fair. What happened to Jaune wasn't fair. That was...it was...she couldn't find the words...and she couldn't bear to watch any further.
For Team NPR, it was worse. Nora buried her face into Ren's shirt. wrapping her arms around him tightly, her grip strong as if she were afraid he might disappear. Her sobs were muffled by smearing her face in his chest, tears staining the green fabric. Ren hugged her back, one arm rubbing circle at her back and another gently stroking her head, his chin resting atop her scalp, eyes shut. However, his shoulders were trembling, as were his arms. Neither could bear to see, nor watch this any further. It brought back too many memories. Horrible memories. Memories of what had happened to them when they were younger. Memories of what had happened to them when Kuroyuri was attacked, ravaged by Grimm.
For Pyrrha Nikos...the effects were much, much worse.
Her face lost all color, her eyes lost all light, no sound escaped her lips. Her legs couldn't support herself any longer after witnessing this horrible revelation. The sound of gunshots repeated in her ears, over and over again like a broken record. Slowly, feeling regained in her body. Her heart began to beat against her chest. Her breaths became pants, quickly becoming panicked breaths. Her pupils shrunk, eye shaking. Memories of the mission from before replayed. Memories she tried so hard to push back. The sight of Jaune falling.
Then, like Ruby, a scream of terror and horror ripped from her throat. She did not know how long she screamed. Her cries resounded until her throats felt hoarse and she was choking on sobs.
'It's my fault...it's all my fault...'
All that filled the room were pained screams and sobs. All for Jaune, the young lovable idiot who fought for them...
The one who had become a soldier, and paid the price.
Black.
Everything was...black.
Maine could barely register what was happening. Everything was flickering back and forth. He could barely remembered what happened. After getting shot in the throat, pain and agony filled his being. He tried to scream, insult the bastard, but no sound came. Only choking and inaudible sounds. He barely remembered what happened afterwards. He tried to help Carolina, but his memories were becoming blurred. When he opened his eyes, he heard the sounds of panicked screams and shouts, of North and the others standing over him. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he found Carolina and York and Wash at his side, the familiar celing of the bulkhead over him.
When the Pelican finally arrived at "Angel On My Shoulder," he had completely lost consciousness. The shuttle doors opened, and immediately, the meds pulled him out, placing him on a stretcher and rushing him to an ER. "Can't you stabilize him?!" Washington snapped as he ran, trying to keep up with the medics while the blonde soldier sat in the stretcher, his white armor cracked and stained with red, and his helmet littered with fractures. "Isn't there something I can do?!"
"Just stay calm, Agent Washington!" One of the medics advised him. "We have the situation under control."
Biting his lip, the Gray armored soldier looked at his friend in concern. "Come on...hang in there, buddy." Eventually, Maine was pulled into the ER. Washington tried to enter, wanting to be by his friend's side, but one of the medical crew stopped him. "Hey!" he argued. "That's my friend! I-"
"Sorry sir," the medic said respectfully. "Medical crew only."
Before Washington could rebuke him or argue any further, the doors slid shut. He let out a yell of frustration, ripping off his helmet and kicking the door. "Typical medical bullshit," he snarled, walking away. At the very least, he could see what was happening to his friend from the viewing center. As he traversed the corridors, the meds were already stripping Maine of his armor, tearing off the chest plate and working on the helmet. "We're losing him," one of them reported. "Stabilize his vitals." Eventually his helmet, cracked and bloodied, was removed from his head as it floated in the room. Wash eventually reached the viewing room in time. His face became pained, seeing the bloody mess that was his friend's neck.
"Agent Washington," he turned, and found the Director of Project Freelancer walking toward him, dressed in the white medical garb the meds wore, currently in the process of putting on his helmet. "Status report."
"...we secured both packages sir. But Agent Maine was shot in the line of duty. His wounds are fatal."
The Director obviously did not look pleased. "How is it that a soldier of Maine's caliber was so severely wounded by a pair of Insurgents?"
"The Insurgents...were better prepared than we were, sir."
"Disappointing," the Director said. "But we'll deal with that after surgery." With that, the man walked past his subordinate, and into the emergency room.
Washington then turned back to the operation. His hands clenched, and grit his teeth in frustration. First York...and now Maine was injured badly? What the hell was this? "The best my ass," he spat. The mission was supposed to be simple. The Insurrectionists were just supposed to be idiotic rebels who didn't like the way things were going, and now Maine was badly hurt because of them! It was a miracle he was even still alive, even after getting nine shots to the throat, being hit by a truck, and then thrown off the bridge! Out of anger, he struck the glass, panting. If only...if only things had gone differently...!
"How's he doing?"
Washington calmed himself down, and turned his head. He found York standing behind him, his helmet gone and revealing his damaged eye. "Hey man," he greeted back lamely before turning back to Maine's surgery. "It's not good. He was shot in the throat, nine times. The medics said that, even if he survived...he'll never be able to talk again."
"Seems like people are getting hurt a lot these days," York commented, walking over to Washington's side. "More us than others."
"Yeah...it's just that everything's moving so much more quickly now. The mission, the suits, and now...this talk of...what were they called again? AI?" He turned to his friend in concern. "York...do you ever think we're moving too fast?"
"The whole universe is moving too fast, Wash," a female voice called. The two turned, and found Carolina walking over to them. Like them, her helmet was gone, revealing her face set in worry and anxiety. "And we're trying to keep up."
"Hey," York greeted. "Surprised to see you here. Thought you'd be pissed about Tex, still."
The red-haired Freelancer closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. After failing to retrieve the case, her glory was stolen by Texas of all people, much to her quickly growing displeasure. However, as much as she was frustrated, she had bigger concerns. Namely, who was in the operation room. She opened her eyes again, and stared at Maine's unconscious form. "Maine's like the kid brother I never had," she said. "That, and...part of me thinks it was my fault that he got hurt. If I was better, if maybe.." She sighed in mild frustration. "And here I am, making excuses. Talk about pitiful. No wonder I got bumped down to 2."
Wash stared at her, alarmed. "Wait, what?!"
"Yeah," Carolina got out bitterly. "Now Texas is Number 1."
"What?!" Wash exclaimed again. Carolina was bumped down a rank?!
Even York seemed shocked to hear this, but then his face softened. 'Maybe it will do some good,' he thought, knowing how competative Carolina had gotten lately since Texas arrived and kicked his, Maine, and Wyoming's ass. "Well," he said, looking back at the operation. "Hopefully Maine makes it through this."
"Hey," Carolina offered with a slight, proud smile. "He took a sniper bullet, and even after getting shot in the throat, got up. He even took being hit by a truck and going off the bridge. If that didn't kill him, I don't know what will."
"You're probably right. Probably nothing short of a Pelican crashing into him will kill him..."
"Or maybe a bunch of simulation troopers tying him to a Warthog and pushing it off a cliff and throwing him into the ocean," Washington said. Naturally, this earned looks from the two. "...what?"
"You keep trying to play yourself off as some sort of weapon. That you don't care about anyone or anything. But the fact that you're trying so hard to understand me breaks your entire act! No matter how hard you may want to be, you're not a machine, you're a murderer. But you hide behind the idea in your head, because you're too afraid to take responsibility for what you've done." -Washington
A/N: And with that, ladies and gents, we are done with S9, and on to S10! Whoo, at the right we're going, we'll hit the RWBY storyline in two or three more chapters! Man, are we on a roll or what?! Sadly, this streak will end, as tomorrow, the long awaited game, Persona 5, is going to be released. Sorry guys, but I have been waiting for that game for YEARS. Games come first.
Season 15 of Red vs Blue also dropped...and I agree with the majority of people who say these guys are fakes. I mean, come on! Any who saw the episode know that attack was well-thought out and planned! Since WHEN do the Reds and Blues plan ahead of time?! They're all idiots! Lovable idiots, but idiots all the same. I do question the lack of Carolina and Washington, though. Just what happened in between those ten months?
Also...some people are confused about Texas and Alpha. Since it was Alpha who gave her the name Texas, I would assume that Alpha and Texas knew each other, so they are aware of each other. Although, one might argue that it was AU. Take it as you will...but then again, what do you expect? This IS Jaune as Maine, so that should tell you it is AU already.
Well, that should be it for now. Oh! But I should inform you! I have a new Red vs Blue crossover story written! It is titled, "Why I'm Here," so please give it a read! I want it to be as popular as this one! Any love you've shown me for this one, please show to "Why I'm Here" as well! I even have a poll regarding that story, which you can check out on my page! "Why I'm Here," will be updated at the same time this is!
That's it for now! Later losers, and I'll see you next chapter!
