Chapter 10,

Top Of The Food Chain

"...And that's the thirty-seventh reason why we need camo for our mechs!" Ruby said as she stood on a chair at the front of the computer lab and stared down at her teammates.

"Ruby, the only reason you gave the last thirty-six times is that it would look cool." Blake said.

"And it took almost half an hour!" Weiss added.

"Can we please, please, PLEASE buy camos now?" Ruby asked as the others returned to their computers.

"No! We agreed that we would wait a bit." Weiss answered.

"Besides, you already blew your allowance on cookies, remember?" Yang said as she tried to decide between the two LB-10X modules.

"Oh yeah...Those were good..." Ruby muttered as she sat back down at her computer and gazed at her Spider, which was now equipped with an advanced zoom module and a UAV. She smiled as customizing the mech reminded her of her time building and upgrading Crescent Rose. "You know, I really should give my Spider a name..." She thought to herself.

"Okay, I'll go with cooldown!" Yang announced as she bought and equipped the LB-10X cooldown mod, "12% less time may not be much, but anything that allows me to shoot faster!"

"Despite being crude and barbaric...You have a point." Weiss admitted, "At least your Cataphract can withstand most of the heat."

"Yeah, the Yang-Phract is a very impressive mech alright!" Yang beamed.

"The Yang-Phract?" Blake questioned as Ruby clicked 'play'.

"What? A Battlemech can't have a name?" Yang said. Blake just shrugged.

"Strange..." Weiss began, "I would have thought Ruby would be the first to name her mech."

"I'm still thinking of a name." Ruby answered.

"Why don't you just call it Crescent Rose?" Yang asked.

"What, no! I can't give her the same name as my sweetie! She deserves her own name!" Ruby said in an exaggerated way as a match was found.

"Eh, I guess...Now then, what do we have this time..." Yang said while rubbing her hands together.

Alpine Peaks

Game Mode: Assault

Win conditions: Capture The Enemy Base, Destroy All Enemy Players, On Time Out Most Kills Win

"Hm, another new map...And it's covered in snow." Blake said.

"Yes...And the name suggests a very mountainous map. If I can get targets, I should be able to do very well in this map." Weiss added.

"So, Weiss...Would you say this map has 'Peaked' your interest?" Yang asked, grinning.

"Yes, so long as our team, and by extension, you, play competently, I'll be able to give excellent support." Weiss answered, ignoring Yang's joke.

"Don't worry, we'll do great!" Ruby enthusiastically said as the match started. While the map was generally what the girls expected, being a snowy mountainous region, it was the size of it that they were shocked by, and while they all had something to say, it was Yang who voiced her opinion first in the most elegant way possible.

"Holy CRAP! This map is freaking HUGE!"

"No kidding, it's at least three times bigger than the other maps..." Blake said as she opened her battle grid, " Bravo lance is two sectors away, while Alpha lance is almost six sectors away."

"Six? Geez, we could fit Caustic Valley between us and our teammates!" Weiss announced.

Yang just shook her head, "Well, at least Ruby won't have any trouble with her speed, right?" After hearing no response they turned to Ruby to find her looking around in her mech with her finger on the advanced zoom button. When she pressed it, her vision zoomed-in to x3 with a smaller window appearing around her mech's reticle at x4 magnification.

"Ooh..." Ruby purred as she admired her new equipment.

"Uh...Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Let's go!" She answered cheerfully, exiting the zoom window and running forward.

"Wait! Do you even know where we're supposed to be going?" Weiss asked.

Ruby stopped and turned her mech in the direction of the other two lances, "Uh...No?.."

Ally 8 Team: lets group up at the hill

"...I mean yes!" Ruby continued and turned until she saw a large hill with two mountain points on each side in the distance, "We're going there!"

"That hill? But it's so far away!" Yang complained, "And my mech isn't exactly what you would call fast..."

"Then have fun being a burden, because your LB-Xs aren't going to be of much use at this range." Weiss said.

"Oh yeah? Then just wait till I get up there, then I'll show you who's a burden!" Yang growled and began moving towards the hill. Weiss gave a satisfied smile while Blake nodded slightly as they followed.

Blake ran ahead and caught up with Ruby, who was waiting at the base of a small hill near the larger one at the map's center. "We should wait here so everyone else can catch up." Ruby told her.

"I agree." Blake said, turning to see their lighter teammates arriving, "At least almost half our team is here now and...Whoa..."

"Whoa?" Weiss asked, "What is it?"

"I...Uh...Don't really know how to describe it..." Blake said, "Let's just say one of our pilots has interesting decorative taste..."

"I think it looks cool!" Ruby blurted out, but quickly put on a serious face, "Uh, I mean, that camouflage choice would not be ideal in this type of environment...I think."

Ally 2 Team: haha, love the paint job man!

"It's camouflage?" Yang began as she and Weiss neared their teammates, "Come on, I don't see how it could be so strange that it-" She stopped abruptly as they reached the hill. Ruby, Blake and most of their teammates' gaze was fixed on their friendly Hunchback, which was painted in neon green, blue and red.

"Why would anyone paint their mech like that?" Weiss asked as the heavier mechs arrived and began moving towards the large hill.

Ally 3 Team: that paint scheme. holy crap

Ally 4 Team: CHARGE

The girls read the chat as their teammates moved up the hill, lead by the neon Hunchback. Yang moved up with Blake staying behind her, making sure her ECM covered as many teammates as possible, while Ruby and Weiss stayed at the back of the group.

"Alright ladies, onwards! To the top of the hill and our victory!" Yang exclaimed, firing her LB-Xs at a Catapult at the top of the hill. It fired its two large lasers and backed away, taking cover as LRMs from RWBY's team rained down on it.

"Well, I think it's safe to assume the hill is taken." Blake said as she fired an alpha-strike at an enemy Firestarter.

"Not for long!" Ruby answered as a few of the enemy mechs began moving down the hill. She activated her advanced zoom and fired at an Atlas, which launched it's SRMs at a Banshee. The enemy Catapult rushed behind the Atlas and added it's lasers while a second Catapult stood on the hill's ridge and chain-fired its six LRM 5s, the stream of missiles slamming into a friendly Dragon. "Blake! Go cover our Dragon!" Ruby ordered.

"Got it!" Blake acknowledged, turning and running back.

Weiss tried to discourage the Catapult with her PPC, then targeted an enemy Awesome and fired her LRMs. "They're starting to retreat up the hill, we need to push!"

"Way ahead of you!" Yang answered as she destroyed the enemy Catapult's side torso while the friendly Hunchback and Jenner fought two enemy medium mechs. Yang turned and alternated her two LB-Xs, the shotgun-like autocannons tearing through an enemy Kintaro's armor. It fired its four SRM 4s and turned, trying to keep its center torso away from Yang.

"Yang, the enemy mechs are moving back up the hill! Be careful!" Ruby warned as she followed behind the Atlas and fired at its rear torso.

"Don't worry! I've almost got this guy-Hey!" Yang exclaimed as the friendly Hunchback ran at the Kintaro and fired its nine small pulse lasers, destroying its center torso. "Killstealer!"

"Now's not the time to worry about that!" Blake said as she brawled with a Spider that was countering her ECM, "We have most of the remaining mechs between us. We need to finish them off and take their base."

"And don't worry about overheating." Weiss said as she fired at the enemy Awesome, "Even my mech is staying relatively cool in this map." The Awesome fired its three ER PPCs at Weiss, but turned away as it began steaming.

Weiss' computer: Left torso, destroyed. Left arm, destroyed. PPC, destroyed.

Weiss fired her LRMs and medium laser, aiming for the Awesome's critical right torso while Ruby chased after the Spider that was brawling with Blake. Yang rushed at the Atlas and fired her weapons, with the Hunchback destroying an enemy Cicada and turning towards her.

Weiss' computer: LRM ammo, at 25%

"You wanna go, skull-head? Bring it!" Yang yelled as she turned to block the Atlas' weapon fire, then turned back and fired her own weapons. The Atlas waited for its AC/20 and SRMs to reload, then fired to the right of Yang's mech, hitting the Hunchback as it ran up and fired an alpha-strike at the larger mech, the pulse lasers scarring its skull-like head. "Oh no you don't! You're not stealing this kill!"

Computers: Base is under attack.

"What!" Weiss questioned as she and Blake destroyed the Awesome.

"One of them must have gone on his own to capture our base!" Blake said. She started to run down the hill, but was taken by surprise as a damaged Centurion fired its AC/10 and pulse lasers, destroying her mech's leg.

Blake's computer: Right leg, destroyed. Autocannon ammo, destroyed.

"Great...That was the last of my ammo..." She mumbled as she turned and shot her PPC at the Centurion, destroying its right arm.

"It's okay, you guys finish the ones here. I'll go back to the base." Ruby said as she fired one last shot at the Spider and turned to her base.

Weiss nodded and fired at the Centurion, "Alright, we'll clean up here, then we'll head for their base and-"

"Really!? You steal my kill again!?" Yang blurted, turning away from the destroyed Atlas and firing at the Spider while the Hunchback targeted a Catapult. The Hunchback turned as the Catapult fired, its lasers destroying its left torso. "Good, hopefully that 'Pult will keep him distracted long enough so that he can't take this one!" Yang thought as she fired her LB-Xs at the Spider.

"Come on Yang, we need to head for the enemy base now. We are the only ones with the weapons to destroy the turrets at this range." Weiss said. Yang ignored her and continued trying to hit the quick light mech.

"It's no good..." Blake said as she moved towards the enemy's edge of the hill, "Yang won't leave until she kills that thing, and with only one leg, my mech won't be able to outrun the turret's missiles..."

"Should I come back?" Ruby asked.

Computers: Base is being captured.

"No, and there won't be enough time for all of us to get to their base..." Blake muttered, "I think we're going to have to let the time run out on this game."

"Haha! Take that!" Yang exclaimed as she destroyed Spider's left leg. It fired its three medium pulse lasers and turned away, trying to use its jump jets to move faster. "Oh, you're not getting away that easily..." Yang said as her LB-Xs reloaded, "Now be a good little mech and..." Suddenly, the Hunchback ran up and fired at the Spider's remaining leg, destroying it. "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?" Ruby, Weiss and Blake all laughed while Yang typed a message in the chat as she glared at the Hunchback.

Burning Dragon Team: dude you stole three of my kills!

"Calm down, Yang. It's not like there won't be more chances." Blake told her.

"And besides, the point is to work as a team. You and the Hunchback actually worked well together." Weiss said. Yang grumbled as a message from the Hunchback appeared in the chat.

Ally 4 Team: huehuehue

Yang just stared at the Hunchback as it moved its legs and arms around as if it were dancing. "Can I shoot him?" She asked flatly.

"No." Blake answered, "Don't worry, there's not much time-"

"Okay team, I have returned to our base and am preparing to attack the infiltrator..." Ruby whispered as she moved between the small buildings surrounding the base.

"Um, Ruby? Why are you whispering?" Yang asked.

"Because I am trying to sneak behind the enemy without him noticing..." She quietly answered.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "But you do know that we only have a few seconds-"

"Shhh!" Ruby interrupted, "The target has been spotted..." She slowly crept behind the base, careful not to enter the base parameters, as she took aim at an enemy Locust that was facing away from her. She fired at its rear torso and rushed forward, "By my word as a Mechwarrior, you shall not win!" Ruby yelled, jumping over the Locust as it fired its ER PPC, the bolt hitting Ruby's leg. She landed and turned, about to brawl with the enemy mech when the match ended, leaving her facing the mech as the match score came on-screen. "Oh..."

"Like I was trying to say, there were only a few more seconds on the timer." Weiss said to the disappointed Ruby, "But you were right. They didn't win."

"Yeah, but we just won by technicality!" Yang complained, "And I didn't get any kills!"

"Like we said before, it's more important to work as a team then to get kills." Blake said before turning to Ruby, "Anyway, Ruby, how was the advanced zoom?"

"Oh! It worked really well!" She said, perking up, "I'm glad I put it on Rosebud!"

"Wait, 'Rosebud'?" Weiss questioned.

"Yeah, I was thinking about buying one for Shadow Strike too." Blake told her.

"Why are we naming our mechs all of a sudden?" Weiss asked.

"Why are you not naming your mech all of a sudden?" Yang said, smirking.

"What? That doesn't...Oh, never mind...Look, I'm not going to name my mech! Why would I give a name to something that's virtual?" Weiss said as she crossed her arms.

Yang tapped a finger to her chin as she thought, then pointed a finger across Blake's face at Weiss, "Very well, then I shall take it upon myself to name your mech for you!"

"What!? Why is it so important! I don't want to name my mech! It's not like it's the end of the world!" Weiss exclaimed while Ruby sat quietly next to her, already thinking of names for Weiss' mech.

Yang shook her finger and grinned as Blake entered the mechlab, "Oh, no. It's like Ruby would say; your mech is an extension of yourself. So don't worry, 'Ice Queen', I'll make sure to pick a good name for it."

Weiss put her head in her palms and sighed, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?.."