Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here, and I bring you the latest chapter of SRW: Remnant!So, also a bit of a heads up:

Our wifi went out, since the one in charge of paying couldn't pay, so I'll be settling for prepaid mobile data while it's out, which is reliable, but not as good as wifi due to data limits. Also, that means no SAO for me for the time being. (I literally raised it to Level 72 in a couple months without stopping, so it's kinda boring not being able to play it recently.) And this means that I can only stay online as long as I can pay for my mobile data, and who knows when's the next time I can get the money to pay.

Also, I began to read the Konosuba light novel, and it's taking up a bit of my free time, but not enough that it distracts me from writing. (I already have enough distractions as is :P.)

And finally, speaking of Konosuba, I also started watching the dub, which is probably one of the greatest English dubs in existence.

But enough about me fawning over Konosuba, let's get on with the chapter!!!

Chapter 11: Team CCLW, Formed!

2:00 PM, Beacon Cafeteria

There was an uncomfortable silence between the four Grimm pilots as they sat at one of the many tables at Beacon's colossal cafeteria. The food they ordered remaining untouched as they looked down on them.

Cliff hesitantly reached towards his fork, only to stop at the last moment and pull back, shaking his head.

Lumina just pushed her food around her plate, a solemn expression on her face.

Walter suddenly decided his glasses were dirty, and proceeded to wipe them down with no signs of stopping, his expression unreadable.

Clyde let out a sigh.

After they were recognized by the woman who introduced herself as Qrow's sister, they immediately asked what she meant by the 'Vanishing Trooper' incident.

"My sister and I were test pilots for the Huckebein." he started, breaking the silence and gaining the three's attention.

"We were in the middle of testing the newly-restored Black Hole Engine at the time. Lumina proposed something, which led her to start her own project based on the plans our father left behind."

"I heard about that." Cliff piped up. "It was something about a machine to inherit the Huckebein name, if I heard correctly?"

"Yeah. There was also a plan for mass-production, though I'm not sure if anything ever came of it."

"What about you, Cliff?" Lumina asked.

"I was... a Grungust test pilot. They were trying out a new model when I was picked to pilot it."

"Hey, now I remember!" Lumina's eyes brightened. "You were the guy who always ends up getting totalled in the simulations, weren't you?!"

"Ah, well... that's..."

"Knew it!"

As the two bickered, Clyde turned to Walter.

"Well... what about you?"

"... I was a pilot for the new model Gespenst at the time. It was a unit that was supposed to contrast another Gespenst unit. And judging from the Gespenst we saw outside, it saw mass-production. Or, at least, it was good enough to be deployed."

"... Walter...? Is that you...?"

The four turned to the source of the voice, revealing a shocked Winter Schnee.

Walter made eye contact, and for the first time, they saw the normally stoic man surprised.

"Winter..."

"It is you! I thought I recognized that mop of grey hair somewhere!"

"Wait... Winter Schnee? The Winter Schnee?! Walter, you know Winter Schnee?!" Cliff shouted, earning him a slap on the mouth from the older teammate.

"Quiet down, will you?" Walter said, slight irritation lacing his voice as he kept his hand on Cliff's face.

"Mmph!! Mmph!!"

Sighing, he released his hand.

"Owie... My perfectly kissable lips..." Cliff muttered, rubbing his mouth, now with a red handprint over it.

"Sorry about that, Winter."

"It's fine. I've seen worse etiquette back in Atlas." she reassured, looking over the group, eyeing each and every one of their faces.

Wait...

"Are they... also...?"

"Yes. They're test pilots, like us."

"But... the 'Vanishing Trooper'..."

"Even we don't get it. How could we have disappeared for two years?"

Ozpin's Office

"You won't believe what my brother here found." Raven Branwen said, a tense expression on her face.

Right now, the Branwens were in Ozpin's office to report what Qrow had found.

"The kids I found in the Grimm... They were all test pilots involved in the 'Vanishing Trooper' incident. To be specific, the ones who went missing two years ago."

Ozpin, upon hearing this, opened his scroll, and opened up a folder labeled : 'CLASSIFIED'.

He attached the handheld device to the projector, and it showed pictures of five people, including detailed descriptions about them. He began to name them one by one.

"Clyde Schwartz, Lumina Schwartz, Cliff Zwart, Walter Black... and Redd Obsidian."

"Obsidian was the only one not with them." Qrow added. "However, all four of them, according to Raven, seemed to be the same as when the 'Vanishing Trooper' incident happened, with the exception of Clyde, who now had a Bio-Hose attached to his neck."

"You did mention that in your updated report, but did you find anything else strange?"

"Well, I couldn't say it earlier, as I wasn't sure if it's true, but apparently, according to his sister, he had wiped out an entire legion of Grimm, created an isolated area that repels Grimm, and reduced a nearby mountain to rubble. He also has no memory of the incident.

And get this: when we were preparing for the trip back here, he unintentionally voice-activated his Beowolf unit."

"I see." Ozpin nodded. Just what happened to these children? he thought. "And where are they now?"

"They're in the cafeteria. They said they were hungry." Raven answered.

"It might not be a good idea to let them go there."

"Why?" Qrow asked, while Raven's eyes widened.

"Shoot! Winter Schnee is in here! She's having lunch with her sister right now!"

"What?! Why's the Ice Queen even here!"

"She came here after a rather lengthy patrol for a quick stop, and to catch up with her sister when she found out today was her initiation." Ozpin said, sipping his coffee.

"Of all the days...!" Qrow stood up, but the still calm headmaster held up his hand.

"As much as I too want to prevent them from running into each other, I am afraid we might be too late." he showed a live security feed of the cafeteria, which showed Winter Schnee chatting with the four.

- LINE BREAK -

Beacon Cafeteria

"So all of you have no memory of the incident?" Winter asked them.

Clyde shook his head.

"All I remember was an explosion, Lumina screaming, and the rest is just, a haze..."

"Strange..." the Atlesian pilot looked down, deep in thought.

"By the way, why are you here, Winter? Atlas is quite a way from here." Walter asked.

"Well, I had just come back from patrol. It was quite a long one. On the way back, I was chased by a flock of Nevermore. I had to try to outrun them, since I was alone at the time, and the Type R, though reliable in combat, won't be able to take an entire flock alone. I managed to scare them off, but I strayed too far, and ended up crossing Vale's border.

My Gespenst has exhausted too much fuel from running, so I stopped here to resupply before going back. Also..." her eyes widened as if remembering something important.

"Also... what...?" Cliff asked.

All of a sudden, Winter stood up.

"I apologize, I was with my sister, but I left her alone when I saw you. I should check up on her."

"No. Go on ahead. Sorry we took up your time." Walter assured.

And with that, she was off.

"So, that was Winter Schnee..." Clyde commented once she was out of sight.

"What was your relationship with her, Walter?" Cliff asked.

"Remember when I said I was a Gespenst pilot? She was my partner. She piloted the Type R, while I piloted the Type S."

"R and S..." Lumina wondered aloud.

"It stands for 'Rapidity' and 'Strength', respectively. Though they are pretty much identical, they do have one difference. The Neutron Beam for the Type R is a handheld ranged weapon, while the Type S has it built into its chest."

"Kinda like the Grungust's Maxiblaster..." Cliff commented.

"Maxiblaster? I thought it was called the Final Beam..." the younger Schwartz asked, confused.

"Ah, right. You guys saw the Type 1 in action. I piloted the Grungust Type 2."

Clyde looked at them talking about their test pilot days with a small smile on his face. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a tingling at the back of his neck.

"Do you guys... feel that...?" he asked them.

"Feel what?" his sister asked, oblivious.

"Like... something's coming..." Clyde couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling. It was familiar. At least, he thought it was.

All of a sudden, Beacon's alarm went off.

Grimm presence approaching! Prepare for deployment!

- LINE BREAK -

Beacon Hangar

"As if the timing couldn't get any worse...!" Winter Schnee muttered as she rushed to her unit.

She had just explained what happened to her sister when the alarm went off. Of course, she made sure to leave out any sensitive information.

As she jumped into the cockpit, she grabbed her helmet, quickly put it on, and started up the Gespenst.

"Um, Miss Schnee!" the young mechanic from earlier called out to her before she could shut the hatch.

"What is it?"

"We finished refueling and repairs on your unit as best as we could, right now it's at 85%! Also, we equipped it with an M95 Machine Gun and Split Missiles for this occasion! You should be able to take them on without issues!"

"Alright. Thank you!" With that, the hatch was shut, and the navy blue unit was put into position for launching.

Several mechanics quickly wheeled several equipment and parts out of the way as the hangar door opened.

She readied her unit, adjusting her thrusters.

"Specialist Schnee, you are clear!" a voice she recognized as the older worker who apologized earlier said through the comm.

"Roger. Winter Schnee, Gespenst Type R. Launch!!!"

- LINE BREAK -

The four Grimm pilots ran to the hangar as best as they could. On the way they saw Winter's Gespenst launch out into the battlefield.

Cliff whistled.

"Ah. There she goes..."

Looking around, Clyde spotted Raven on her way to her Schwarzflugel.

"Hey. Um, Raven, right?"

A nod.

"What's going on?"

"You deaf? You heard the alarm. Grimm are attacking, and we're taking defensive action."

"Grimm? Attacking this school?"

"We're not exactly invisible to radars, kid. These things happen. Sometimes, the security system handles it. And on other times, units may need to be called out to intercept."

"Is there anything we could do?"

"Kid, it'd be best for you four to stay here. Don't want any unintentional friendly fire in a fight against Grimm now, do we?"

"I... suppose that makes sense..." He looked down. To be fair, it would cause unwarranted confusion if they saw Grimm attacking one of their own.

"Yes, it would be problematic now, wouldn't it?" a voice entered.

The five turned to see Ozpin approaching them, Glynda following behind.

"Ozpin!" Raven gasped. Shouldn't he be giving commands right now?

"At ease, Raven. Everything is under control. Besides, I will not take long."

He then turned to the four pilots.

"You want to help in this battle, don't you?"

"Well..." Cliff trailed off.

"Of course!" The Schwartz siblings answered.

"Do we have a choice?" Walter asked, adjusting his glasses. "Just take a look around. Looks like most of your best units are either deployed somewhere else, or under repair. I'm guessing one Gespenst isn't enough to take down the Grimm outside?"

The headmaster chuckled.

"You were always the perceptive one, Mr. Black."

"Well? Spill."

"I'm assuming you are unaware, but the Huckebein Series is currently being restored as we speak. Two units are currently 90% completed, but are still undergoing testing."

Clyde was surprised. They still continued the project despite what had happened. Wait... Series?

"You said Series... You mean..."

"You catch on rather quick, Mr. Schwartz. Your sister's proposal was approved a year ago. Although granted, the main unit's still unfinished, but we managed to complete four units, and they're ready for deployment."

"My proposal...!" Lumina's eyes were wide and sparkling.

"Well, then. Shall we see what they look like?"

"... Alright." The older Schwartz replied.

"Very well. Follow me."

Ozpin led them to a secluded part of the hangar, where four units lay covered.

As the mechanics quickly unveiled them, the four marvelled at the sight.

"It's just like the blueprints...!" Lumina gasped.

"So, this baby'll see mass production, right? Sweet." Cliff had a wide grin as he said this.

"I admit. This is impressive." Walter said with wide eyes.

"These armaments..." Clyde turned to the workers preparing the weapons.

Ozpin handed him his scroll.

"Curious?" He smiled.

Taking the scroll, he read the specifications of each armament, with the three reading along behind him.

"Boost Hammer, huh? Sounds like an awesome weapon." Cliff commented.

"The Chakram Caster is added here, too? I can't believe the weapon got deployed before the unit." Lumina pouted.

"It can also use the Slash Ripper? This unit is quite versatile." Walter added.

"So, what's the catch?" Clyde asked once he finished reading the blueprints. "There's no way you'd just hand these over to us without some kind of catch."

"It's quite simple, really." Ozpin smiled at them. "I just need you to become Beacon students."

- LINE BREAK -

Outside

"Split Missiles, launch!" Winter shouted as she fired them from the back of the Gespenst. Once reaching a certain distance, both projectiles opened up to reveal several smaller missiles inside, which launched towards the Grimm, blowing several up.

"As expected of a Schnee..." Raven muttered as she destroyed two Nevermores with a single swipe of her blade.

The other Schwarzflugel unit was also there, taking out several Grimm with wide swings of its large sword.

"Ha!" Qrow yelled from inside the cockpit. "That makes twenty-three! How's that, Ice Queen?!"

... Really? Raven deadpanned in her mind. He's choosing now to compete with her? Well, if it kills Grimm, then...

She then heard gunfire behind her. Turning, she saw Rosey gunning down some enemies from inside the hangar.

"Got your back, Aunt Raven!" She assured.

Raven smiled. Despite Rosey's limitations, such as being a ground type unit, Ruby still manages to make full use of her.

Looking to her left, she saw Bumblebee taking down several units with its gun arms.

Gonna have to thank Ruby for adding that later, she thought.

To her right, surprisingly, Blake's Caitsith was also deployed. It had a small flight pack attached to it, allowing it to fight in the air.

She couldn't find the younger Schnee anywhere, however. Perhaps her unit was more damaged than it looked?

Her question was answered when she saw three Nevermores suddenly impaled on a large ice shard.

Turning back to the hangar, she saw the Schnee's unit standing behind Rosey.

Focusing back on the battle, she made quick work of the several aerial Grimm.

The units are all doing a good job at guarding the school from the swarm of Grimm.

However, the numbers were just far too big.

"Why are there so many of them?!" Yang cried in frustration as she crushed a Nevermore's head between Bumblebee's fists.

"Yang, I'm almost out of thrust!" Blake cried as she maneuvered her Caitsith to retreat. However, the Grimm had other plans.

"Blake, look out!"

All of a sudden, her Caitsith's left arm was ripped off with tremendous force, sending her tumbling forward.

"Gah!!" The cat Faunus cried as she was shaken around in her cockpit.

"Blake!!" Yang cried out, rushing to her partner's aid.

"I'm fine!" Blake reassured "Just a bit dizzy, that's all!"

"You kids alright?" Qrow approached them.

"Yeah. Looks like it." Blake panted.

"You should probably go back inside to get that fixed quickly. We'll hold 'em off." He said as he made a wide swing, cutting down several Grimm in the process.

"Come on, Blake." Yang gently pushed her in the direction of the hangar.

"I can still fight...!"

"Yeah, you can, but your unit is damaged, and I believe you mentioned something about running out of thrust?"

"But-"

"No buts. Now come on, let's get you fixed up. I need to get Bumblebee reloaded too."

And with that, the two partners flew back inside, leaving the three adults to handle the Grimm.

"Looks like it's just us three out here." Raven commented as they gathered.

"To think we'd fight alongside each other again, Branwen. Quite an honor." Winter Schnee smirked.

"Aww, did you miss me that much, Ice Queen?" Qrow mocked.

"I was speaking to your sister."

"..."

"..."

"Anyway," Raven coughed "I'll try to lessen their numbers with the RiftBlade, but I need time to charge."

"So we need them gathered into one place, right?" Qrow asked, brandishing the large weapon.

"There's no guarantee this will work, but we'll do our best to gather them." Winter said, drawing the Plasma Cutter.

"Alright, let's do this!" Raven declared, backing her unit off.

And so, the Gespenst and Qrow's Schwarzflugel charged into battle, making sure to lead the Grimm into a single direction.

Raven's Schwarzflugel placed its hand on its hilt, its visor glowing red.

"Come on..."

All of a sudden, one Nevermore charged towards her.

"Shit-!"

BANG!

The Grimm was shot down by Rosey, who gave her a thumbs up.

Nodding, she focused on charging the RiftBlade as Qrow and Raven baited the enemy units.

The two units did their best leading the Grimm into Raven's strike zone. Soon enough, most of them were gathered right in front of the Schwarzflugel.

"Raven!!"

"Do it!!"

"Right!" With a cry, she slashed, the Grimm getting sucked into the formed rift.

"They did it!" Ruby cheered.

"Uhh, Ruby?!" Weiss tapped Rosey's shoulder.

All five of them stared at the newcomer before them.

"A Queen Lancer..." The younger Schnee muttered.

"That must be what attacked Blake, right...?" her partner asked.

Lancers were problematic types of Grimm. While their weapons take time to reload, and they have weak armor, they more than make up for it with mobility and numbers. Their signature weapon, the Wasp Stinger, can be fired at borderline mach speeds, though they take five minutes to reload.

The Queen, however, is different in that it only takes three minutes to reload. Not to mention its much tougher armor compared to a normal Lancer.

"This ain't good." Qrow commented as he went to his sister's side.

"Yeah. And my RiftBlade's done for the day." Raven said, holding up the sword, now a dull shade of grey.

"Got anything that could hurt that thing, Ice Queen?"

"I still have the Neutron Beam, but I'm not sure if that's enough. We may need to weaken its armor for good measure."

As they formulated a plan, the Queen Lancer aimed its stinger at the group.

"Guys! It's finished reloading!" Ruby warned.

"Let's move!" Raven shouted.

"No! If we dodge, it'll hit the hangar! Who knows what damage that could cause!" Winter stepped in.

"Shit...!"

Unsure of their next course of action, they just stood as the Grimm charged its Wasp Stinger, ready to fire.

All of a sudden, the stinger had a beam go through it, disabling the weapon.

The three looked up to find four identical units hovering a fair distance above them.

"Hey, that was some pretty good sniping, Clyde!" One of the pilots said.

"I did pilot a Huckebein, after all." The other pilot said.

One of them approached the Gespenst.

"Sorry for the wait, Winter." Its pilot said.

"Walter? Is that you in there?"

"Surprise!" A female voice shouted over the comm.

The Schnee observed the units, and her eyes widened upon realization.

"Those are the new Huckebein units, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Ozpin asked us to pilot them. So we're here to help. What's the plan?" Clyde asked.

"We need to damage it enough so that the Gespenst can fire its Neutron Beam at its core." Qrow said to the group.

"So, we pry it open to get the good stuff within?" Cliff asked, brandishing what appears to be a giant flail.

"What about the other Grimm?" Lumina asked.

"They're just weak Nevermores. The kids can deal with them." Raven assured, while sending Ruby a message.

"Alright. Where's the core located, anyway?" Clyde asked, preparing his unit.

"Right there. Behind the plate where its legs attach. Careful though, the armor there's pretty tough." Qrow pointed.

"Seems simple enough. But we need to get those legs off first." Lumina aimed.

"Photon Rifle, fire!"

A beam, the same as the one that destroyed the stinger, was fired from the gun. However it just bounced of harmlessly from the Grimm's underside.

"Eh, worth a shot." she shrugged.

"HA! Good one!" A voice came over the comm. It was Yang.

"Yang, that wasn't a pun. How's the reload coming along, anyway?" Raven reprimanded her daughter.

"Bumblebee's almost done, but Blake needs a couple more minutes to fine tune the replacement arm."

"Alright. Can we leave the remaining Grimm to you four?"

"You got it, Hot Mama!"

"... Never call me that again."

"Sorry."

"Winter." Walter started "Do you think we could get rid of those legs?"

"Huh? I could probably get two of them..."

"Good. Same here. Do you think we could do that? Just for old times sake?"

"That? Then that unit is armed with..."

Walter had a smirk on his face as he said:

"Yeah."

Winter chuckled.

"Alright. On your signal."

"All of you better stand back. We're gonna cut off its legs."

With that, the others stood behind the two pilots.

"Now!" Walter commanded.

"Fly, Rippers!!!"

Both shouted as each unit shot out two disc-like projectiles, which deployed two blades. The Rippers started spinning at great speeds, rushing towards the Grimm, severing four of its legs.

"Two to go! Do it!" Walter shouted.

"Got it!" Lumina and Qrow shouted at the same time.

"Alright, ya bug, let's see if you can take the Schwarzflugel's Colossal Blade!" Qrow declared as he severed the fifth leg.

"Take this, Chakram Caster!!!"

The Huckebein then launched a small, disc-like projectile from its forearm, cutting through the final leg.

"Alright! That's all legs down! C'mon, Clyde, let's finish this!" Cliff declared as he began to swing around the flail.

"Right! I'll break you with this! Boost Hammer!!" Clyde declared as both of them slammed the flail-like weapons into the Lancer's underside, crushing the plate and causing it to fall off, revealing a glowing red orb.

"That's the core! Winter, do it!" Walter signalled.

"Right!!" The Gespenst charged in, carrying a large beam cannon.

Once it reached the core, it took aim.

"Neutron Beam, fire!!!"

Then, from the cannon emerged a powerful beam, engulfing the core before causing the Grimm to explode from the heat.

The Gespenst's optics shone a vibrant red as it faced the explosion. Putting away the cannon, it flew back to rejoin the group.

"Impressive." Walter commented.

"I'm more impressed by the fact that your Huckebein has a Slash Ripper."

"It was built in. It surprised me, too."

"Well, all that's left now are the Grimm, right?" Cliff asked.

"No need." Yang said from the hangar "The school's defenses kicked in and got rid of the rest of 'em. The others, my sister and her partner took care of."

"... Guess we'll head back?"

- LINE BREAK -

Beacon Cafeteria

"Wo~w! I never thought I'd get to see the Gespenst in action! So cool~!"

Ruby Rose had a blissful expression as she said this, hands on both her cheeks.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ruby." Yang said beside her "You and Weiss were pretty good yourselves, providing cover fire for everyone."

"Still, though..."

"She's right, Ruby." Blake said across the table. She was currently being treated by a nurse. When she was attacked, she received a few scratches. "Despite being a ground type unit, you managed to provide effective cover fire against aerial opponents. Unlike me..."

"Blake, you did your best. If anything, it's my fault for not warning you sooner."

"Even then, it wouldn't change anything." Qrow said from behind Yang "A Lancer's Wasp Stinger borders on mach speed. You wouldn't be able to react in time to it."

Blake looked down.

"Still, I apologize."

The blonde groaned.

"Seriously, don't beat yourself up over it. You lived, and that's what's important."

"I... lived?"

"Yeah. You're still here, right? So, you can look back on this and improve on what went wrong. That's what matters."

"... Right. Thanks, Yang."

"Hey, what are partners for, right?"

"Speaking of partners," Ruby cut in "Did any of you see Weiss?"

"She went to see her sister off, kiddo." Qrow answered, taking a swig from his flask.

"By the way, who were those units that helped you? They seemed pretty strong."

"Well, according to Ozpin, they were new enrollees."

- LINE BREAK -

"Clyde Schwartz, Lumina Schwartz, Cliff Zwart, Walter Black. The four of you have demonstrated what is necessary to be a student at this school. Teamwork, adaptability, and skill. Starting today, you are now to be students of Beacon, where you will continue your pilot training in the next four years.

You four will now be known, as Team CCLW. Led by Clyde Schwartz.

Welcome to Beacon."

And that's about it! Ho, was this chapter difficult to write. Did I mention I suck at writing fight scenes, let alone mecha fights? Anyway, I'll see you guys on the next chapter of Digimon Helix.

GaeaChronos is out. Peace!