Chapter 27
Author's Note: As promised, a new chapter. Next upload will be on Sunday. I'm... not really sure about this chapter, but I felt that I needed to give more background and personality to the characters. So feel free to let me know what I could improve on, and Enjoy!
It was a tight fit to get them to squeeze in, with Ryan agreeing to stay behind along with Velvet, so Geoff and Coco sat in the front with Sun and Blake sitting on either side of the terrorist, who had his hands tied to his ankles in a hogtie and was sitting on the floor of the seat.
"Wh-Where are you taking me?" He asked shakily.
"To a safer place, kiddo," Geoff replied, speeding towards the private road that sat on the edge of the Vale wall that would take them to Beacon. Once through, it would be a ride around the bay to where Beacon Academy sat. Speed and handling were essential, something that the Kuruma had an abundance of. "Just sit tight, you're not going back to them."
"I still see that man's face…" He whispered, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "And his family… I didn't think the White Fang stood for this. I don't see how… killing a grandfather with a bat will bring equality…"
"It's something that many fail to see." Blake sighed, staring through the slits of the windows. "It is good that you managed to see through it."
"You seem familiar…" The Faunus looked up at her. "You match the description of… someone who Taurus was talking about."
They all looked at each other, and Blake leaned down. "Adam Taurus? What do you know about him?"
"H-He was the one who made me kill the old man…" He looked down again. "And when I was on guard duty in his tent in the camp, he had a picture of a woman who looked like you on a board."
They looked at each other. "That's enough. Thank you."
"So we've finally got a good source of info." Coco grinned. "Taurus is an asshole. I'd love to see him finally captured."
"I don't think that's the case." The Faunus spoke up. "The camps move regularly, and I'm sure they moved after I ran."
"Well, there goes that dream." Coco sighed.
They finally roared through the gates and drove up a tarmacked road to Beacon, but as they drove Geoff suddenly yanked the wheel to the side. "HANG ON!"
There was a whine of engines and a roar as a Bullhead strafed the road, destroying the tarmac with explosive rounds that exploded next to the car and sent shudders through the vehicle as they roared past.
"Are they STILL after us?!" Sun yelled, peeking through the back and seeing a Bullhead painted red and white flying behind them, turning for another strafe.
"Okay, we'll just keep driving!" Geoff yelled, pressing the pedal down as far as it would go and making the engine whine as they flew up the road.
The Bullhead flew in again and fired as it flew sideways to take advantage of it's explosive cannons, and the rounds slammed around them. They ducked as a round slammed straight into the side and not only sent the car swerving but knocked out both doors, sending them tumbling along the road.
"Finally, some payback!" Coco yelled, her handbag extending to the fearsome gatling gun which she held out the door and started firing. Blake reached out and held her in her seat while Sun started to flip cock his guns and firing outside.
The Bullhead was armored, however, and the bullets pinged uselessly against the body.
"Aim for the engines!" Blake yelled.
Coco adjusted her aim and bullets started nailing the engine. The pilot realized what they were doing and pulled away, ducking behind the trees to their left as they entered the cliff-road, the bay sitting to their right at the bottom of a sheer cliff.
"Damn." Geoff shifted gears and they continued, but the strike had harmed the car, and the openings in the car greatly pulled against the wind. The engine was also vibrating violently. "Get ready." Geoff grit his teeth as he reached down to the glovebox. "He's coming round again."
Sure enough, there was a series of explosions, and a line of explosive rounds thrashed the car, knocking it on two wheels as Sun fell back, grabbing the edge of the seat to stop himself from falling. He turned to see the Bullhead almost on top of them, the guns spinning slowly.
"Take this!" Geoff threw him something. "TAKE HIM DOWN!"
Sun grabbed it and aimed at the Bullhead. With a plom, the compact grenade launcher fired, and he watched as a small black object sailed to smash right in the cockpit, exploding in a gout of flame and sparks.
"You got it!" Coco cheered as she pulled him in, but they ducked as the Bullhead suddenly spun past them on the other side of the railing, gaining altitude ahead of them before slowly tilting down to the ground, spinning uncontrollably.
Geoff slammed on the brakes, but the Bullhead smashed into the road in front of them and started rolling, flames and sparks covering the car as the vehicle started to be engulfed in flames and the ammunition caught fire. The car hit a piece of metal and swerved, smashing through the railing as the Bullhead exploded behind them, obliterating the road where they had just been.
They all screamed as the car sailed down to slam into the water below.
There was silence, just a muffled bubbling around them.
Geoff opened his eyes and turned, ignoring the stinging of salt water as he looked behind him.
Coco was swimming out of the front seat, dragging the Faunus behind her as they disappeared out the door, and Sun was pulling out Blake, who had a terrified expression on her face. But as they pushed out, she held out her hand towards him desperately.
He didn't move and watched as Sun pulled her up.
Geoff looked up at their shadows disappearing up towards the light of the sun, his oxygen diminishing, leaving only his beating heart and the cold water around him.
These kinds of feelings were normal for him sometimes. Of absolute calm. Of complete peace. Of letting it go. And he found it a bit funny that he was now having this moment as he slowly sank to his death.
Geoff thought of all the things he'd done to achieve such wealth and power. How many he'd killed, how many he'd gotten killed, from criminals he'd ordered executed to cops who'd just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd done so much, as much bad - if not more - than good. Even when he'd tried to right it, all those ruined families, all those lives… he wouldn't be able to bring them back. Every failure had been a punch to the gut to him, and if so, his gut should have turned black and blue long ago.
Even on a completely new planet, with brand-new, clear backgrounds, the chance for a literal fresh start, he'd gotten his crew, his family, in yet another fiasco where they almost died again. And that wasn't even thinking about those kids, not even adults yet, who were risking their lives for something that they really shouldn't be dealing with. Hell, he'd almost just gotten three kids killed.
Those Faunus impaled with glass. The civilians harmed in the Breach, brutally murdered by monsters. Even that Lizard Faunus who Ryan slashed across the throat as they ran out of that room. Was this really what they were reduced to doing?
Maybe it was for the best if he just died. Maybe then all the chaos and the danger, all the shit would just end.
He closed his eyes and allowed a stream of bubbles to escape from his lungs. His eyes blurred as oxygen ran out.
Of course, even death decided it wasn't time.
Geoff's eyes snapped open and he coughed, hacking away before vomiting at least six gallons of saltwater from his stomach and lungs. He then looked up as he wiped his mouth, blinking. "Huh?"
"You ain't dying on us, boss!"
Geoff looked up to find Jeremy standing over him with Michael, Gavin, Jack, and Ray. They all stood in a floating barge, a large number of boats collected around them. Behind them, a Cargobob sat with the ruined Kuruma sitting next to it, having been pulled out of the water, and a number of air vehicles and boats were flying and floating around them.
"Ugh…" He coughed. "What happened?"
"You decided to commit suicide." Jack deadpanned, drying his hair and beard with a towel. "So Jeremy, Michael, and I had to jump in. Gavin almost followed you, but he would have drowned."
"I can swim!" He protested. "Just not Olympic-level!"
"You keep saying your wings pull you under and you almost drown every time you step in water." Michael shook his head.
"Look, it's hardly my fault they aren't waterproof!"
Geoff sat up as Ray placed a blanket over his shoulders. He looked around to see Blake, Sun and Coco in similar condition, and a duo of medics overlooking the Faunus, who was unconscious. "Ah… sorry…"
Depression was a bitch.
"You'll need this." Michael handed him a beer. "You haven't touched alcohol in a day, that's why. You need to keep the levels up, man. That or get laid."
"Wait a second!" Blake yelled from nearby, eyes full of fury. "You almost killed yourself because you weren't DRUNK?!"
"Hey, sorry. And it's not that, it's depression. Kinda ruins things a bit." Geoff chugged the beer down, smiling to himself as he felt the alcohol do its job.
"Just how does that-?!" She started coughing, and Yang patted her back. The rest of team RWBY sat with them, as did Neptune with his own partner. "How does that make sense?!"
"You've got some explaining to do." Coco narrowed her eyes as she dried her shades. "Do you know how much it would have taken on my very heart and soul to think you died because of us? We thought you lost consciousness or something."
"Not cool, man!" Sun wrung out his tail from water with a growl. "I thought I killed you! Really!"
"Ah…" Geoff winced. Yeah, he didn't really think how the others would react. "I'm sorry. Just happens sometimes."
"We understand." Ruby sighed. "Our uncle's kinda like that."
Geoff raised an eyebrow. So Qrow was just like that, eh? Maybe they had a lot more in common. "Okay. Yeah, sorry guys. Last time this happens. I'm not going anywhere, much less to the bottom of the ocean."
"Good, because it wouldn't do well to lose one of our employees in such a manner." Ozpin strolled up to them from a Bullhead that landed on the barge behind him.
"So how's the defector?" Jack gestured to the Faunus, who was being loaded onto a stretcher and taken to a medical ship.
"Not well." Ironwood sighed. "He's in a coma, but he will recover in time. The question is, what will he remember when he wakes up?"
"So… technical mission success?" Coco put on her shades and wrung out her hair. "I would hate to have gone through all that crap for nothing. I mean, my clothes are ruined, and my weapon's waterlogged. I even lost my beret!, I swear someone took it from me as they pulled me up."
"Damn it, thought you wouldn't notice." Michael sighed as he tossed her black headwear to her. "Snagged it, couldn't resist."
"...really?"
"Hey, don't blame me! Do you know how much that'll get, your own beret, to your fanbase? They'll probably frame it or something!"
"So." Jeremy coughed as the two started arguing, turning to Ozpin. "You gonna tell the kids?"
Ozpin smiled as he turned to Teams RWBY, Sun, Neptune, and Coco. "As of now, all official White Fang investigations will be taken over by the Achievement Hunter Crew, Atlas, and the Vale Police Department. No students will be involved in these affairs anymore."
"What?!" Blake exclaimed. "But-!"
"Blake, you're not a detective, or a Huntress yet." Jack sighed. "You're a student, as are all of you. Leave this to us, we'll be taking care of this. Focus on studies and the Vytal Festival tournament."
"Why, you cannot trust us?" Gavin grinned. "Just leave it to us, love, the cavalry's arrived!"
"The cavalry's been here for several months." Michael deadpanned.
"Well... you know what I mean."
"Blake, we know of your past." Ray crossed his arms. "And we know about much of the stuff you did. But it's over. You keep trying to make things right by your hand, but you just don't realize you've done plenty."
Blake looked down, face one of internal conflict.
"Yeah, you know… it's not really fun anymore." Ruby piped up. "I mean, when we were first investigating the robberies, sure… but I think we've done enough."
"We even stopped a Grimm invasion." Weiss crossed her arms. "Blake, we've done a lot, more than what we ever expected to do. I think it's finally time to step back and leave this to professionals."
"But…" She looked up. "I can't just give up-"
"Hey." Jeremy smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Think we can't do this?"
She looked up to see the AH Crew all grinning in response, postures showing confidence. Sure, they were more than capable of completing the investigation. It was technically their job, after all.
"Fine." She deflated. She felt guilt, angst… but also an enormous sense of relief. Something that had been dragging her back had just been taken off her shoulders, like removing a heavy backpack after a mountain climb. And despite still having a small voice in her head telling her to continue to fight, she blocked it out as she finally allowed herself to relax.
She also felt very, very tired.
"Welp!" Sun stretched. "Guess that means I can sleep well tonight knowing that Blake's not gonna sneak out in the middle of the night."
"We've literally not slept well since you guys started this investigation. Neither have Jaune and team JNPR." Neptune smiled. "We all wanted to have your backs whenever you went out."
They all looked at each other before Ruby pulled out her scroll. "I'll call Jaune."
Knowing now that their friends had been sacrificing so much rest for them, it seemed that it was definitely in their best interest to finally step down and return to being full-time students.
Ozpin coughed for attention as if he could read their minds. "I'm sorry to inform you all, but as of recently, you have failed to turn in many assignments. I can assure you that I understand your reason, but I'm afraid Ms. Goodwitch will be ensuring you complete them soon."
They all sweatdropped as the image of Ms. Goodwitch came to their heads, along with the mountain of homework they had avoided to work against the White Fang.
"We forgot to do homework, didn't we?" Weiss winced.
"Yeah…" Yang replied.
"Well, your problem." Coco stood up and strolled to the Bullhead. "C'mon, let's go! I know you're worried about schoolwork, but I need a shower and to browse the catalogs again!"
"If it's any help, it's not too bad." Sun shrugged. "But yeah... I don't think we skipped as much as you, so you're on your own."
Team RWBY looked at each other before groaning.
