Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or RVB

0oooooooooooo0

Song: Unforgotten- O'Donnell and Salvatori

Somewhere in the Wilds, many days later

Colt

As we approached my first home, Midnight snorted nervously, the negative Aura still tangible in the air. The gates of my home were still burst apart, though rust now coated the iron that had been exposed to air for years. A few bones here and there, the littered remains of corpses, the odd weapon, this was all that was left behind of the people I once knew. Scavengers, and not just ones on four legs, had picked this town clean of all supplies.

I gazed forlornly at the burned buildings, remembering the small bakery in the town square, the sweet smells of bread and pastries as I played with Penelope, an old childhood friend. I finally approached my burned home, the prints of Grimm had remained after years on the walls, bloody reminders of scars left behind.

I looked to the porch, which was littered with bullets, my father's final fight. All that remained of the man who had cared for me was a simple femur bone, left behind by the Grimm after it was picked apart. When I'd returned, I'd found this bone and properly buried the final remains of my father.

I now stared at the area where my father had died, a vision of a kind but busy adventurer in my childhood, with a prankster side, especially when it came to his wife, my mother. Ellie Silver, or Miller, as was her maiden name.

My mother had been…. The easiest way to describe her was hot-tempered, very protective of her family, especially her father, Joel. She'd been the next to die when defending her children, as they tried to escape through the back door.

It was then they were separated. Colt had ran from a Beowolf to the west side of town, along with his little brother. The younger boy been tackled by an Ursa, his head instantly crushed. His eldest sister had taken off to the north, never to be seen again.

"Colt. I've been searching for clues while you scoured the city. The gates weren't completely locked, and the guards remain above, in the tower. I'd guess they were killed, murdered by whoever sabotaged this village."

"There was no warning bell." I said softly. "The first warning we had was the sound of people screaming, those monsters growling. A pair of Goliaths had breached the gate, which had seemed impossible. They slowly demolished everyone. Most of our fighters were either dead already or had been too out-of-practice to even help, It seemed our most prepared were killed first, doesn't surprise me that someone orchestrated it, now that I see it."

"Who would do this?" Church asked. "Was there anyone against this village?"

"No, everyone was welcome, no outsiders gave any…" I froze, eyes widening. "Whoever did this, they did it to kill my family."

"What makes you say that?"

"They used my mother's pain to bring the village's demise. Only someone trying to pull the Grimm in would be that elaborate, that cunning." I told the AI, gripping the two rings that I had attached to a chain I kept around my neck, usually hidden by my shirt.

"I've found something." Church said. "Your village had a soothsayer, right?"

I shook my head. "Crazy old man, more like it. He claimed to be able to see the future at times, but it was almost always the end of the world."

"I found an old record of the man giving a few words at your birth. I believe he was attempting to make a prophecy."

"What was it?"

"The CCT archives has a file from someone's scroll. Here, just let me get it set up… there."

An old, croaky voice spoke. "This boy has the power to slay evil, to strike fear into the hearts of Grimm and strike a crippling blow to the forces of darkness. His rare power will be coveted, feared, and it will cause him to lose all that he loves at a young age. His thirst for vengeance will not be abetted, and he will find the cause and end it, perhaps even turning into the darkness himself."

I messaged my temples. "He gave speeches at everyone's birth, always warning against 'going to the dark side'. Each one was different, but held the same idea. 'They're going to do great good if you keep them on the right path." He mimicked.

"But what if this old man had a moment of truth? What if, someone else knew of your destiny, and set everything in motion for you to be killed?"

I shook my head. "That's impossible. Besides, they took a record, everyone from the town but me was accounted for: all dead."

"Who says it had to be from town? What if, maybe, just maybe, someone else knew of that prophecy, and came to your town to destroy you."

"I'd say it was a crazy sort of coincidence."

"Trust me, in my business, coincidence is usually impossible." Church stated. "Let's look into it. This guy, He had it all set out. He must have had a plan, so he comes in the cover of night, kills the guards just when your mother goes into labor, and sabotaged the gates."

"This person could have had a grudge against anybody, why me?"

"Maybe he did, but are you saying if you discover he's still out there, you saying you won't take vengeance?"

"I will." I said with a cold determination, holding tightly onto the necklace. "He'll regret the day he destroyed our lives."

0oooooooooooo0

The Next Day

"Hey Colt." Church called from a guard tower. "Come take a look at this."

The AI was currently inside a modified quad-copter drone I had nicked from an Atlas research base in the desert Wilds: Area 57. I climbed the ladder, where the skeletal remains of a guard lay leaned against the wall.

"What is it?"

Church made the drone face me, and speakers gave his voice. "What kind of uniforms did the guards wear?"

I was silent for a full minute and a half, then spoke. "They all wore desert camo cargo pants and shirts. Why?"

"I found a patch of clothing in this guards hands, clenched very tightly." Church stated. "I ran an x-ray scan, detected it, but it's not visible. It could be from the saboteur's clothes, perhaps he grabbed it when he was killed."

I bent and pried the skeleton's hands open, then pulled a patch of material out of his hands. "It's got an emblem on it."

"What is it?"

I held up the symbol, revealing the black chess piece with its red background. I felt anger prickle under my skin "We need to find out who this symbol belongs to. Even if I die trying."

"Alright, let's continue our search of the town." Church suggested.

0oooooooooo0

Song: Heavy Price Paid – O'Donnell and Salvatori

Somewhere in the Wilds, The next day

Colt

"Hey, Colt, check this out" The AI Church called.

I stood from examining a guard's body. He had been killed like the others, a quick knife to the throat, and laid to rest, dead before he could make a sound. I walked over to Church, who was at a projector I had set up. He had a screen pulled up, and a video waiting to be seen.

"I found this on a garage camera, pointed at the south entrance."

"What good does that do? Someone sealed that entrance so no one could enter or exit." I told him.

"I think it was our saboteur." Church said, then the video began.

Screams and roars were heard as the street was filled with light, one of the houses nearby must have caught fire. A single person ran towards the exit, wearing a dark cloak and carrying a strange device in his hand, and when he slipped through, he pushed the metal doors to a close, and a bright light blinded the screen for a few seconds before it focused, the light going along the seam and welding the door shut.

"Have you been able to make out his face?" I asked.

"It's not a guy." Church told me, and my eyes widened as he rewound the tape, then highlighted the figure. "It's a woman, and she wore a Grimm mask."

I looked at the holographic screen reaching out to stroke woman's face. "Who are you?" I asked her, though I knew she wouldn't answer. "Track her, Church. I want to know when she came into town, and what she did while she was here."

"I'm on it, Colt." The AI affirmed. "And don't worry. We'll find her."

0oooooooooooooooo0

Same song

Unknown Location

"But now I know. I know how to fix all this, how to end it once and for all." Church, or Epsilon, if you want to get technical, said, "It was so simple all along, I just need to tell you three words. Three words I wasn't capable of telling you before."

"Oh, ok wait a minute. Are you gonna say 'I love you'?" She asked, raising her eyebrow inside her helmet.

"No, Tex." Church sighed. "No, I'm not gonna say 'I love you'."

He paused, then he said those final words. "I'm gonna say I forget you. I forget you."

"Church!" She yelled as she was sucked away, whisked past the memory unit, where she could see Caboose attempting to bring them out, past the compound where the unit was kept, past the atmosphere of the planet, then stopped where she could see nothing but stars.

"I never thought you could do it, Church." She whispered to herself, then looked around. "How the hell did I get up here?"

Nothing seemed to answer, and she stretched. "Well, it sure does seem kinda peaceful." She commented, then sighed, "I hate peaceful. Come on, give me something gooooooooooooooooood" She cried out as something pulled her forward at a lightning speed, white flashing all around her as she descended.

0ooooooooooooooooooooo0

Somewhere in Vale, two days later

Ruby

"Reaper, Move!" Rowan shouted, shoving me aside and taking the blow from an Atlesian Paladin that would have seriously hurt had he not. I rolled to my feet as Rowan, codenamed 'Hellfire', was knocked through multiple walls, and it didn't look like he'd been getting back up. That left me, as the rest of my team was currently not available, having been taken out by the trio of stolen Atlesian Paladins now used by the White Fang.

Rowan had been working with York as a vigilante, taking out threats such as the White Fang and city cults such as the Knaves, and we were occasionally able to sneak out and sometimes be allowed to join, as long as we stayed out of harm's way.

Well, we had called Rowan to back us up on our own information on a White Fang heist on an Atlas-sent shipment at the docks. We hadn't told York, just ran a solo mission, and this is what we got.

Three giant robots piloted by Faunus Extremists…

The guns from one of the Paladins struck at my feet, blasting me back off my feet at least a dozen yards. I looked to the Paladins, trying to figure out how to win, but I couldn't, not by myself.

(song: Blow me away ft. Valora- Breaking Benjamin)

"Looks like you could use a hand, ma'am." A voice I hadn't heard in three weeks said, and I turned to look at the roof above me, where he stood, trench coat flapping in the wind and his flat-brimmed hat on his head, mask covering the lower half of his face, a different design, one of tribal flames covering his right side of the cheek in contrast to the black opposite side.

"Colt!" I cried, and all the Paladins looked up, laser sights locking on.

With a tip of his hat, Colt leaped off the roof as the guns fired, a giant chain gun hardening in his hand as he opened fire, a deadly arc of bullets following his body as he turned and landed on his feet. He continued, strafing towards the giant bots as he fired, then the chain gun disappeared. He slid on his knees, his metal claws extending as it sliced at the exposed wires on the legs, effectively grounding the Paladin, then he flipped onto its back, using the claws to anchor himself as he climbed to its head.

The two other Paladins wisely held their fire as the one colt had mounted attempted to dislodge him. Colt had reached the top, and raised a hand. "This looks important!" He cried, then sliced again and again into the Paladin, wires and sparks flying out and the Paladin started going haywire. He jumped off and ran to me as the Paladin, which was appearing as if it had a seizure, smoke emitting out of its systems. A White Fang grunt leaped out of the mech, running before it exploded.

Colt wasted no time, pulling me to his feet as liquid trails of metal were wrapping around his arm. "You okay?"

I nodded, and he turned to face the Paladins, which were about to open fire. Colt cast his chain, fire flowing after the tip as it wrapped around a Paladins arm. He jerked it to the side so it fired on its ally, which blew the other Paladin off its feet before it had the chance to fire. The other paladin attempted to pull the chain and Colt with it away, and Colt let me go just before he was whisked away, drawing his sword. The Paladin attempted to punch the teen with its spare fist, but Cole pulled himself by the chain so he spun around it. The chain came with him, the two arms now immobile, trapped by the chain while Colt landed on the shoulder. He sliced a few wires, and the hatch came hissed open, revealing the Fang member inside, who quickly raised a small handgun. Colt's leg pinned it to the wall of the control pod, the sudden pressure knocking the grunt's grip loose, then using his free hand to lift the man out of the mech and toss him out. With a flick of his hand, the chain came off the arms and around his own as he jumped in the Paladin, leaving the hatch open as he let out all the weapons systems on the remaining Paladin, which had just locked onto him. The commandeered Paladin launched all it had at the last Fang Paladin, knocking the plating, entire arms and clumps of wire flying off the mech. The barrage stopped, and neither of the Paladins moved.

Finally, with a gust of wind from nature, the Fang Paladin toppled over, and the cockpit opened to let the operator escape, clothes covered in soot and torn, a small part of his hood smoldering.

Colt rose from the cockpit seat, then dropped to the ground, looked at me.

Other members of the team had rose, though most were frozen in shock and awe, staring at the young boy before them. He pulled his mask down, and Yang spoke.

"So, what's a tall drink of water like you doing here?" She flirted, and he seemed to ignore her as his chain melted into his gauntlet.

Yang tried again, "What's your name, handsome?"

I could see him roll his eyes and turn to walk towards me. Yang froze, amazed she'd been denied.

As soon as he reached me about ten yards away, he hugged me, and I tightened my own grip. "Hey Ruby."

I stepped back, then slapped him. "Where on Remnant have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for three weeks, and then we had a mission go horrible, and Grimm got right into Vale, and you didn't come help us. I was so worried about-" I was cut off by a set of lips against mine, and I yelped in surprise as Colt lifted me. My arms went around his neck, and I let out a breath through my nose.

"Sorry I didn't tell you, I'll explain later." He said after breaking off and setting me down. From nowhere, a gloved fist impacted with his jaw, knocking him back he stumbled to the right, and then his claws were out as he turned to look at his attacker.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A reanimated Yang demanded, Ember Celica prepped to fire. "You think just because you save us you get to kiss my little sister? We have no idea who you are, and you just kissed her!"

"Yang." I tried to put in, but she continued, eyes starting to grow red.

"I'm gonna punch your lights out, mister."

"Yang." I said a little louder.

"Think you can touch my little sister, do you?"

"Yang."

"She even has a boyfriend, and you just up and-"

"YANG" I shouted, jerking her out of her rant, she looked to me.

"What!"

"He is my boyfriend. That's Colt." I sighed.

The claws were gone as he waved. "Sup?"

"Oh." She stepped back, then zoomed forward, punching him again. "That's for making my sister cry and worry about you." She told him as he reeled.

He regained his balance, and I stepped over to his side, feeling his jaw. "I'm fine, Ruby." He told me, taking my hand.

"So, you're the infamous Colt Silver." Weiss started, giving him a critical once-over as our hands dropped. I intertwined my hand with his, and Yang smirked. Weiss finished her inspection, and delivered her judgement. "That was impressive."

"I learned how to use a lot of different weapons over the years." He told them. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help earlier."

"Eh, you took him out anyway." Blake told him, then a groan sounded from behind us, and we turned to see Rowan stepping out of the rubble, shaking his head. He looked up to Colt, and said. "I must have taken that hit harder than I thought, 'cause I can swear I see Colt right now."

With that, his legs seemed to turn to jelly and he slumped to the side. Weiss stepped over to him, offering a hand, but he batted it aside as he got to his feet. "I don't need your help, Atlas snob."

I sighed and muttered, "When is he going to get over his hatred of Atlas?"

"I don't know." Colt said to me. "Someone in Atlas did something really bad to him, it may never be resolved."

Yang was still glaring at Colt, so I whispered in his ear, "You should probably get out of here, before my sister punches you."

Colt laughed, and he turned towards the commercial district. "I agree, my jaw is starting to lock up."

"You break her heart and I'll break your neck!" Yang called.

He shook his head, then looked back and kissed my forehead before walking into the night. "See you later, Ruby."

"How on earth did you get that hunk, Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, he's very talented, and good-looking." Blake added, still staring after Colt.

"Yes, his fighting technique is quite efficient." Weiss stated.

"Oh, admit it, Weiss, you think he's cute." Yang teased.

Weiss sighed. "I guess he is easy on the eyes."

Colt turned and yelled, "And his hearing isn't too bad, either." Then turned back.

The girls all blushed and I groaned. "Guys, stop crushing on my boyfriend!"

"We're not crushing." Weiss told me, "And besides, I don't think he holds a candle to Neptune."

Blake nodded. "He's not quite my type."

I shook my head, then looked at the retreating boy. "I think he's just right."

0oooooooooooooooooooo0

Underground Base

Colt

As I slipped down into the sewers, Church appeared on my shoulder, using a new projector I had installed on my headgear. "Well, that went well." He said, and I nodded.

"I'm glad we got there when we did, and you did great with finding those Paladin schematics and manuals, really helped my disable that one and pilot the other."

"Sure thing, kid. We did great."

"We sure do make a good team, you and I."

"You know, we'd be even better if I was implanted into you." The AI said, then he flickered.

"What?"

"I shouldn't have said that." Church told himself, then looked to me. "The Freelancers had AIs implanted into their bodies, they would literally live inside them, inside a unit implanted in the neck."

"But I thought some could port to other devices?" I asked.

"Some could, others learned, but they always had a connection back to their home chip, which was inside that Freelancer."

"I thought you told York and Delta you didn't have a chip."

"Obviously, I lied. It came with me when I transferred over, but I ditched it ASAP."

"Would you be willing to do that?" I asked.

"Wait, you want to implant me?"

"I might consider looking into it. I'd want it so I could sometimes remove it, but I don't always have my earpiece on, and you can't stay inside the gauntlet because ILA's already in there."

"Are you sure about this? There's no going back."

"We'll see, Church." I told him as I slid down.

A new voice filled our lair as soon as my feet touched down. "Buenos Dias, cockbites!"

"Aw, hell."