Song from Previous Chapter

"Moonage Daydream"

Artist - David Bowie


We can't just wait with lives at stake,
Until they think we're ready.
Our enemies are gathering,
The storm is growing deadly...


"Over the last two weeks, the number of grymm has increasingly grown, the walls are beginning to strain. If we don't deal with these soon, those walls are coming down. Any ideas?" Alex explained to him.

"What did Linda and Miranda say?" David asked.

"They said 'we have more political things to do, ask the constable', so that's what I'm doing." Alex rephrased.

"...They didn't call me 'the constable', did they?" David asked, glancing at Alex and back at the grymm.

"Hey, it's your job, that's what ou should be called." Alex reminded him.

"Right." David analysed the walls. "We need to add more supports to the walls, sort term. Long term, built another wall in front of this one, fill the gap with dirt from in front of the second wall, building trenches to slow down any grymm. That should stop them."

"We can't do much with the grymm still there." Alex reminded David.

"A few hundred seems a bit much to deal with with our weapons. Gunfire will draw more. We have to draw them away." David told him.

"Alright, this is good. But how?" Alex asked out loud.

"I need to see Joshua Wayne. His AI might have an idea. Come on." David gestured Alex to follow, the two of them walking to the lab. Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching, overhearing their plan. They pulled out their modified scroll and dialled.

"Adam, we have a problem...David is about to remove the grymm threat...using an AI...the AI will figure out how to draw them away...what?...yes sir...yes sir, over and out."


THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES

VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES

CHAPTER NINE


DAY 28


David walked into the laboratory, the doors automatically opening before him and closing once he entered. He looked over at the furthest desk to see Joshua madly typing on a computer, oblivious to David. David walked up to him and coughed, catching his attention.

"Ah, David, glad to see you." Joshua greeted, zooming away from the computer and over to another desk. "You should have came here a few days ago. You're weapon is ready!" Joshua zoomed back over to David, holding a metal rod in his hands. David looked at it, amazed.

"It's beautiful." David muttered.

"Ah, it is, isn't it. The metal casing made of pure, what was it, 'Ultramanium' I've heard people say, the carvings a particular design, filled in with a solid carved black rock. Once activated, a blue sabre will be summoned from the hilt. It can cut through anything at full strength, you have the ability to determine how strong it is, what it is capable of cutting through. This weapon is quite possibly the strongest weapon in Remnant." Joshua explained, handing it to David. "And now, it is yours."

"Thank you. I owe you." David told the scientist.

"Nonsense! You repaid me when you gave me the AI code." Joshua reminded him.

"How is that going?" David asked the scientist, attaching the lightsabre to his belt.

"Almost complete. The body for the AI is extremely complicated." Joshua told David vaguely, and zoomed over to a computer. "Now, I have important work to do, and you have a tournament to get to, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're right. I'll see you around, Joshua." David nodded and left, pretty sure that Joshua didn't notice.


Vanessa loaded her revolver, flipping the chamber into place and holstering it on the left side of her leather jacket. She attached her daggers to her belt, magnetically sealing into place. She packed some extra clothes into a bag and zipped it shut, putting the bag on her back. Vanessa exited the room and out of Alex's house, walking down the path and to the airship pad.

On the pad was an Atlesian Dropship, modified to reduce travel time to Vale from days to hours. Outside the dropship stood the rest of Vanessa's team, Amber and Umber Carmine and Xander Silver. Vanessa approached the rest of the team.

"Vanessa, I don't believe we've met properly. In Xander." He introduced himself, holding out his hand.

"A pleasure. I'm sorry we haven't spoken properly, but I've been...busy." Vanessa replied, shaking it.

"I heard. Sorry about your sister." Xander told her, letting go of her hand.

"I-I-Thank you. I'll...get over it soon enough." Vanessa told him sadly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too-"

"It's fine." Vanessa assured him. "Ready to go?"

"Sure am. I've never left Cydonia before, it could be fun." Xander guessed, leaning against the dropship and opening his flask, taking a sip. "And some better alcohol." Vanessa rolled her eyes and boarded the dropship.


"Why can't I go?" Anna pouted, sitting on her and David's bed while he packed.

"Because you're still ill. I don't want you to get hurt, and who knows, maybe you can go another time." David told Anna, and picked up a black helmet.

"What's that?" Anna asked, leaning forward slightly.

"It's an old helmet Alex gave to me, said this is what the old Knights of Cydonia used to wear as protection instead of those golden forehead piece. I need this for the Vytal Tournament, the people there who tried to kill me before are still there. I don't want them to know I'm there, so I don't, you know, die." David explained to Anna, putting the helmet into the bag and zipped it closed. "All done."

"Nooo, don't go." Anna begged, wrapping her arms around David. David chuckled, holding onto her hands.

"It's only for a week. Is it really that bad?" David asked her.

"Yes, I've been by your side since we crashed at Cydonia, I don't want you to leave me now. Pleeeese?" Anna pleaded, hugging him tighter.

"What if I bring you something back from Vale? What do you miss most?" David asked Anna, who thought about it for a second.

"Well, my scroll was destroyed in the crash, and so was yours, so bringing a few back would help, especially so we can communicate over long distance." Anna told David.

"You just said we're never apart." David reminded her, and she scoffed.

"It was an expression." Anna responded. "Just do that for me, please."

"Fine. I best be off now, I'll see you in a week." David tried pulling away.

"Nooooooo!" Anna pulled him back onto the bed.

"Anna, I-" He was cut off with a strong, passionate kiss which David returned, holding onto her tightly as she lay on top of him. Anna pulled away with a smirk. "Maybe I don't have to go just yet." Anna giggled and the two kissed again.


Alex opened up the prison cell, walking down the steps to the cells with the women getting ready to leave, his arms filled with their weapons. "You all decent?"

"I mean, if you want me too, I don't mind either way~"

"Damn it, Hecate, stop with the advances, you have a girlfriend!" Sky yelled at her.

"Oh, I'm just teasing. I love you, Sky~" Hecate kissed her girlfriend, who rolled her eyes and kissed back.

"Uhh, get a room." Alex muttered, walking up to Noir and Xerxes' cell. "You two ready?"

"Yes, ve are ready." Xerxes answered. Xerxes wore a near-full set of dark red plated armour, without the helmet, which seemed to slightly glow in the dark. Alex handed her a pair of gauntlets with three spring loaded claws with jagged ends which she attached to her wrists.

"I am ready." Noir answered calmly, walking up to the cell door. She wore an Elysium Academy uniform, which was a grey skirt, black boots, grey tights. a white collared shirt with a grey cardigan and a black tie.

"Don't you need your weapon?" Alex asked the petite girl.

"I need no weapon. The demon will protect me, keep me safe." Noir answered, cocking her head to the side a little.

"Noir, you're weird." Alex said bluntly, Noir smiling cutely at that. He turned to the other girls. "You ready?"

"Ready for anything." Sky nodded to him. She was wearing a deep blue singlet with stitches in the cloth covering slash marks where her ribs are. She wore a pair of crystal bracelets which pulsed from dark to light blue in a steady rhythm. A light blue skirt that reached knees with leather roman-style open sandals. Alex handed her a 3-foot long blade, which she folded into three and put on her back and he handed her a multi-shot pistol, which she attached to her right thigh.

"Ready for everyone!" Hecate cheered, raising her arms above her heads. She was wearing an obscenely short skirt with a faded blue shirt, riddled with bullet holes. An open deep black hooded leather jacket with dust infused, to look like power circuits. Alex handed her her weapon, a 12 inch long dagger with a handle coloured silvery blue. She sighed lovingly, stroking the weapon and attached it to the small of her back.

"Alright, just so we're clear, you're not going to try and kill me and escape, will you?" Alex asked, holding up his hands slightly.

"I give you my vord, no harm vill come to you." Xerxes promised, clenching a fist and holding it to her chest for a moment.

"Good enough for me." Alex unlocked Noir and Xerxes' cell, and then opened Hecate and Sky's cell, the four of them walking past and exiting the prison and into the fresh air.

"Oh, fresh air! Sunlight! It's been so long." Hecate celebrated, practically dancing in joy in the sunlight and grass.

"Just move to the dropship, we're leaving as soon as David arrives." Alex sighed annoyingly walking along the path with Noir and Xerxes, Sky dragging her girlfriend along. They quickly reached the dropship, and everyone was there, except David.

"Vhere is David?" Xerxes asked.

"I don't know, he should have packed by now." Alex told her. "Unless...Oh, he better now have..."


David finished putting his clothes on, again, getting off the bed and putting the bag on his back. Anna leant forward and stopped him by grabbing him on his shoulder.

"Anna, I've got to go now. I promise to call once I get there." David promised, turning to Anna, who's naked body was barely covered by the blanket.

"You'd better. I love you." Anna leant forward, kissing him.

"Love you too." David stood up and exited the room, briefly glancing back at Anna, who gave him a small smile as he left. David exited the house and reached the airship, where Teams HAUS and NXHS had already boarded, and Alex was looking at David, shaking his head. "What?"

"You just had to, didn't you?" Alex asked.

"She overpowered me!" David justified.

"With what? Her strength? Or her more 'specialised' abilities? We were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago." Alex told David annoyingly. David walked past him and boarded the dropship.

"Waiting on you." David said, Alex looking at him with an amazed and surprised expression.

"Why am I even your friend?" Alex asked rhetorically.

"One of lives great mysteries, isn't it?" David asked Alex.

"Touché." Alex agreed, the two of them taking a seat as the door closed. The airship took off towards Vale.


DAY 49


Anna typed in David's number on her scroll and called, holding the scroll to her ear as it rang, Alex and Vanessa observing from across the room. She paced a little around the sitting room as it continued to ring, but the call failed.

"Damn it!" Anna yelled, throwing the scroll onto the sofa as she covered her face with her hands.

"Anna, I'm sorry, but calling him isn't going to work. The CCT in Vale was destroyed by that Grimm Dragon, the whole network is down." Alex reminded her, who lowered her arms and slumped down onto the sofa.

"Why didn't he come back with you?" Anna asked.

"I've said a million times, he stayed with Ruby and Yang. I'm not sure why, but whatever it is, it's important." Alex explained to her.

"More important than us?" Anna mumbled sadly.

"They are his cousins, blood comes first." Vanessa spoke up.

"He's two weeks overdue. He can teleport, why not just come back and tell us?" Anna asked them.

"I really don't know. Unfortunately, we just need faith in him that he'll come back." Alex told Anna. "Look, it's one in the morning. You'd best get to sleep, me and Vanessa are on gate duty anyway."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, both of you." Anna murmured sadly, walking upstairs as Alex and Vanessa left the house. Anna entered the bedroom, stripping down to a black vest and underwear and getting into bed, lying down and thinking about what could have happened to David. After what felt like hours, she started to drift off to sleep.

A cloud of yellow smoke appeared in the room, Anna shooting up as David appeared wearing black pajama pants and a white bandage wrapped around his stomach. Anna got up, walking up to him as David expected a hug, but was instead promptly punched in the face.

"I was expecting a hug, but I'll take it." David joked, rubbing his jaw, but Anna was just glaring at him.

"Where. Have. You. Been." Anna asked coldly, fire in her eyes. David sighed and took her hand, leading her over to the bed, both of them sitting on it.

"Anna, do you know what happened in Vale?" David asked her.

"Alex and Vanessa told me about the Grimm getting into the kingdom, the dragon destroying the CCT, casualties were...high." Anna told him, pausing at the last part.

"It was worse." David told her seriously. "A few months ago, the CCT was infiltrated by Cinder Fall and she uploaded a virus, which is what disabled the security around Vale, and took control of the Atlesian Knights and Paladins. The AK's were attacking, along with the Grimm and The White Fang. Adam Taurus shot me in the stomach, as you can see, so I couldn't teleport without tearing open the wound. Penny, she was destroyed by Pyrrha, Pyrrha was manipulated by an illusion semblance. Pyrrha, the invincible girl, Cinder killed her before I could kill Cinder." Anna covered her mouth in shock. "Epsilon...Cinder got control over him, he killed over 300 people that night. He shut himself down, I don't know if he'll wake up. Yang, I tired to stop Adam, he took off her right arm, clean off. She's in a bad way."

"Oh my god, it's all gone?" Anna asked in a whisper.

"No, they managed to make a safe zone. The dragon was stopped by Ruby, but it's drawing more Grimm to Beacon. Weiss was taken away by her father, and Blake is on the run, but still alive. Not everyone was lost." David assured her, Anna sighing in relief.

"Wait, how did Ruby stop the dragon?" Anna asked David.

"Did your mom ever tell you about the silver eyes warriors?" Anna nodded. "They're real. Ruby Rose is one of them, when she saw Pyrrha die, she unleashed the power and froze the dragon. Cinder's just gone, poof, disappeared. Summer Rose was one of them before she died. And even though he doesn't know, and he won't know, Xander Silver is another silver eyes warrior. He can never know."

"David. What now?" Anna asked, recomposing herself.

"What we need to do, is deal with those Grymm outside those walls. Then, I need to go back to Patch and help Ruby stop the bad guys in Mistral." David told her.

"What? David, you can't go to Mistral. Without communication, how would we know you're even alive?" Anna said to him.

"I don't have a choice. They know about me, they've tried to kill me before, they'll try again. I've got to beat them to it." David explained to Anna.

"How long will you be gone?" Anna asked.

"Once this is dealt with, I don't know. It could be months."

"No. You can't go." Anna ordered him.

"Why? Anna this is a matter of humanities existence. What is so important that I have to stay?" David asked. Anna looked away from him, taking a deep breath and looked at him, fully focused.

"David...I'm pregnant."


Alex looked down from the lookout post at the grymm outside the walls, growling and moaning while reaching at him. He looked at the metal walls as they creaked under the pressure.

"Something up?" Vanessa asked, climbing up the lookout post.

"Look at the walls, what do you notice?" Alex asked, Vanessa leaning over the edge a little.

"Uh...looks fine. Am I missing something?" Vanessa wondered, looking at Alex.

"The walls. Made of solid steel, 15 feet high, 10 feet wide slabs, designed to keep everything out. But, those walls are bending. Sooner or later, those walls are going to come down." Alex explained to her.

"That's...not good. How can we deal with it?" Vanessa asked Alex.

"I'll let Linda and Miranda know, then I'll tell our constable. Then, we'll deal with it." Alex told her, Vanessa laughing. "What?"

"Just calling him a constable, I just never imagined we'd ever have one. But David of all people? Not a chance." Vanessa told Alex.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Alex agreed, looking back down at the grymm.


"Your...pregnant?" David asked, grasping what had just been told to him.

"Yes, David, I am. Remember the night we took down Taub, had our confession at church. Our...first time...it was then." Anna told David. David leant back, taking a deep breath.

"Okay...okay, this is-this is great news. I can't believe that I'm going to be a dad." David rubbed his eyes, getting back up and held onto Anna. "Anna, I need to know, do you want this baby. It's all your choice."

"Yes." Anna answered immediately. "David, I love you. I never expected it to be this early, but I would love to have a kid, our kid."

"Then this, right now, is the greatest moment of my life." David hugged her tightly. "Anna, I love you. For now, let's try to keep this private. Only tell who we can trust."

"Agreed." Anna hugged back. "I missed you." Anna told him, muffled by his chest.

"Come on, it's late. You need rest, for both of you." David told her, Anna slapping him playfully.

"Shut up." Anna said to him.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for David Junior." David joked, lying down on the bed, Anna looking at him with a shocked expression.

"I'm sorry? 'David Junior'? More like Anna Junior." Anna disagreed, lying down and resting her head on his chest.

"I'm right."

"Wrong."


"Wow...a kid, huh?" Alex asked David, the two of them standing at the gate of Cydonia.

"Yeah, she said it was that night at the church. We both had...a bit to drink, one thing led to another, I'm going to be a dad in about eight months. Now, this is a very personal thing between me and Anna, so right now, why are we here?" David asked, looking at the grymm on the other side of the gate.

"Over the last two weeks, the number of grymm has increasingly grown, the walls are beginning to strain. If we don't deal with these soon, those walls are coming down. Any ideas?" Alex explained to him.

"What did Linda and Miranda say?" David asked.

"They said 'we have more political things to do, ask the constable', so that's what I'm doing." Alex rephrased.

"...They didn't call me 'the constable', did they?" David asked, glancing at Alex and back at the grymm.

"Hey, it's your job, that's what ou should be called." Alex reminded him.

"Right." David analysed the walls. "We need to add more supports to the walls, sort term. Long term, built another wall in front of this one, fill the gap with dirt from in front of the second wall, building trenches to slow down any grymm. That should stop them."

"We can't do much with the grymm still there." Alex reminded David.

"A few hundred seems a bit much to deal with with our weapons. Gunfire will draw more. We have to draw them away." David told him.

"Alright, this is good. But how?" Alex asked out loud.

"I need to see Joshua Wayne. His AI might have an idea. Come on." David gestured Alex to follow, the two of them walking to the lab. Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching, overhearing their plan. They pulled out their modified scroll and dialled.

"Adam, we have a problem...David is about to remove the grymm threat...using an AI...the AI will figure out how to draw them away...what?...yes sir...yes sir, over and out."


David and Alex entered the laboratory, Joshua over at one of his desks with a small, fist sized red box in his hands.

"Umm, Joshua, what's that?" David asked, pointing at the box.

"Ah, David, this is it. This is the AI." Joshua said excitedly.

"That is the AI? I thought AI's looked like people." Alex told Joshua, thinking back about Epsilon.

"It depends on the body that is built. They can have no body, a human body, or a sophisticated body." Joshua explained. He threw the box in the air, and it fell, stopping at head hight as it glowed red. "Say hello, Crimson Cube."

"Hello, Crimson Cube. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." The AI spoke in a British accent.

"This is the AI?" Alex repeated. "Crimson Cube?"

"What? Were you expecting me to be emotionless, mindless and obedient to my human overlords. I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken." Crimson Cube answered. "And please, call me CC. It's easier in your conversation."

"Okay, CC, tell me about the grymm." David ordered the AI.

"The grymm are what you call the walking dead people outside. They are infected by another grymm and the infection spreads through the blood stream until it shuts down the heart, killing the host. The host is revived at the brain stem with an undying desire to eat other people. Cure is currently unknown." CC explained.

"That is unfortunate. I was hoping you'd be the answer to this infection." Joshua muttered dejectedly.

"How do we draw them away?" David asked.

"You can ask me personal questions, I do have a conscious, you know? I'm sure you'd much rather find out how to stop the living dead, but I'd rather tell you about my hopes and dreams, that is what you humans depend on." CC said sarcastically.

"Answer the question." David told the AI, annoyance in his voice.

"Yes, constable. They are led by basic instincts, sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. If you want to draw them away, use a noise that doesn't please them. They will walk away and go munch on squirrels for the rest of their undead lives." CC told them.

"That's genius! Lead the grymm away with no collateral damage! I must start working on what will draw the grymm away." Joshua proclaimed.

"If I may, Joshua, I have scanned all of the grymm outside the walls and used trial and error to find the correct frequency. If we go to the communications tower now, I can start on the signal immediately. Or, we could talk mindlessly and wonder why we are here." CC said sarcastically.

"Right." Joshua muttered, defeated. "To the tower!" The three men and the AI exited to the communications tower, unaware of the disaster and death to come.


Were we born to fight and die? Sacrificed for one huge lie?
Are we heroes keeping peace?
Or are we weapons?
Pointed at the enemy, so someone else can claim a victory?


And the start of Arc 3 starts with a bang. Anna's pregnant!? Who saw that coming!? So, along with that, a new AI has been created, and he can stop the grymm from getting in Cydonia. But, can the AI be trusted? Who overheard David's plan? Has Epsilon's prophesy been fulfilled?

Find out soon...

Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.

The website is: the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page

And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter ten!