A/N: Once again I'm going to have to warn you guys just how much I suck at writing fight scenes. This is why I'm glad I went with my Courier build where she prefers to talk things out rather than quickly end everything with violence.
I'm only going to make one more Chapter after this. I'll also be doing a whole lot of updating of older ones after I put this one out. That and I'm finally going to release the entirety of Chapter 6 of Outer Effect. Those that are waiting on the next Chapter of Velvet in Moscow, I have some bad news.
It's on Hiatus, and it will probably stay that way for sometime. I've already started working on the next Chapter but I'm putting it in the dark. Maybe after I finish this and get farther in Outer Effect I'll bring it back.
Chapter 24: A Needed Escape
Lanius, Cinder, and Torchwick. Each of them had accomplished their assigned task perfectly. Torchwick provided them with Courier Six and her Companions, who were absolutely the most vital assets to the plan's success. Lanius had provided them with an entire army of men eager to conquer any land they could get their hands on. And Cinder had been the one to bring them all together in the first place. With the help from all of those she was able to gather victory was right around the corner.
That's what she thought anyway. She was stupid to underestimate Six's hate for the Legion. She allowed Lanius and what little was left of the Legion to retreat in the hopes that they would one day change for the better. Now she understand putting him down would've been the right choice.
She'd be sure to correct that mistake as soon as possible. Doing it now would be nothing more than a death sentence. Between what was probably hundreds or maybe even thousands of Legionaries and the crazy magic bitch, she would be killed in a few seconds. Even with the help from her Companions.
Back in the Mojave Torchwick was able to convince all of the Courier's Companions to travel to Remnant with him. He told them the same thing that Ulysses and Joshua had heard. That she was in trouble and desperately needed help. He told the lie in order to get their help as well.
It might've been smart for him or anyone else to have thought about how Boone would react upon seeing just one of the Legion's troops. Due to their lack of thinking five of the Legionaries were shot dead before Boone was quickly tackled to the ground and restrained. If he hadn't been stopped he would have most likely gone for the Legate himself.
He and the other Companions were inserted into a large room, though the rest of them were not tied up. Before Six joined them she assured Cinder and Lanius that they would be receiving every single ounce of their support for whatever fight they had planned.
But after entering the room she had a few very different words to say to all of her friends. ''Guys, I don't even know anymore.'' She said, there were all sorts of emotions in her voice. It was mainly frustration that could be heard. ''I just wanted to have myself an Adventure. That's not too much to ask for is it? But instead I get sent to a completely different fucking planet, you guys decided to follow me here for some reason, and now the Legion has decided to show up and try to take over the world or something.''
There was a long moment of silence in the room. Everyone was still trying to understand what the hell was going on. ''I'm guessing politely saying no and just leaving isn't really an option?'' Arcade asked while sitting down with his arms crossed. Because of Boone's actions their weapons had been taken away from them.
Six frowned. Now wasn't the time to start cracking jokes or try to be funny. Now was the time to start figuring out how they were giving to fix this mess. ''Sorry.'' Arcade apologized after seeing the change in her facial expression. ''I'm just trying to lighten the mood. I know how hard this must be on you.''
The Courier didn't agree with Arcade's statement so much. They might both hate the Legion but his hatred could never reach a level such as her's. The only one who hated them even more was Boone, who as previously discussed didn't hide it upon arrival.
''No, you really don't.'' She said to Arcade. Her voice was now deep and serious. ''Not only did those bastards kill my only friends in front of me when I was nothing more than a child, they killed Rex and ED-E then had made jokes about using them for spare parts. Once I get my Pip-Boy back from the Academy I am going to unleash hell upon them once more. And I'll be sure to take out the butcher himself first.''
Raul's eyes slightly widened when he heard that Six's Pip-Boy had been taken away from her. He removed his sombrero before asking her how that was even possible. ''How the hell did they get your Pip-Boy, boss? You and that thing have a stronger bond than the sun and the moon. If they really did take it wouldn't it make more sense to just fight them so you can get it back?''
If there was anything in the Universe that Six loved more than life itself, it was most definitely her Pip-Boy. The strange device was capable of things people once believed to be impossible. After the world ended on October 23, very few models of the Pip-Boy were left intact or functional.
The few that manged to survive the nuclear fire that came with the war didn't have all that much to offer. They would only act as a compass, a convenient way to keep track of time, and could assist when firing at a target. When she first found it this was all the Courier's Pip-Boy could do as well.
Now it's capable of transporting her to anyplace in the world so long as she'd been there, storing pretty much any item she can get her hands on, and allow her to essentially freeze time whenever she pleases. She didn't know what caused the sudden but welcoming change. But then again she didn't really need to know. When you have more power than God himself why would you care to know where it came from?
''Hopefully they'll give it back to me as a reward for helping them.'' The Courier had already made up her mind the moment she saw them. She wasn't going to side with the Legion no matter what was at stake. ''And even if they don't it doesn't really matter. I'll take it by force if I have to.''
Nobody thought that was a good idea. Torchwick had told them about who they'd be going up against. Or at least that would be the case if they were going to be fighting on the same side. Making it all the way to the Academy wouldn't be an easy task if they were going in without any kind of support.
Veronica proposed an idea of her own. One that would require Luck more than anything. ''I say we take our chances with the Legion.'' That was all Boone needed to hear in order to be on board with the plan. Of course he and the rest of the gang would have to get all of his weapons back.
She continued now that everyone was listening to her. ''Once they give us our weapons back we turn on them. If we manage to escape we'll head straight for the Academy while keeping a low profile. Hopefully we'll be fast enough to warn them about what's coming.''
Cass, who wasn't in the best of moods because she had exhausted all of her newly gifted Whiskey during the trip to Remnant, began to softly chuckle. ''You all do realize that they could've planted bugs in the room and are in the middle of listening to our conversation, right?''
Everyone's eyes quickly widened and they each felt like equally as stupid. But then they ceased to worry once they realized that the one and only color of the room and the lack of any furniture, aside from the chair Boone was strapped to, provided almost no place for any bugs to be planted.
Dean didn't have all that much to contribute to the conversation. All he really wanted was for this nightmare to be over with and to go head back to the Mojave. Who they would end up siding with was not something that he cared to concern himself with.
The final one to speak up was Chalk, who was a little surprised that nobody else saw the obvious solution to their current predicament. ''Why not just trick them?'' He said, intriguing just about everyone else in the process. ''Tell them that we're going to send out three of us to act as some sort of vanguard. When you're back outside sneak up to the Academy as fast as possible. If the Legion tries to leave we'll stall them however we can.''
Courier Six clapped her hands together as soon as he finished speaking. It wasn't because of the fantastic amazing plan that Chalk had just come up with. It was because he had finally perfected his accent after trying so hard for so long to sound like the rest of the Companions.
But that was about all the time they had to hand out any sort of congratulations. Now they would have to go and pitch the idea to Cinder. There was no reason for her to not agree to the idea. Unless of course there were in fact bugs in the room. In that case things would definitely play out differently.
Grabbing the handle to their room door, Six began to open it in order to start the deception tactic. ''Hold it.'' Cass said before the door came to a full opening. Because whatever she had to add was likely not something they wanted heard by anyone else, the door was shut. ''Who are you taking with you?''
Everyone, aside from Boone because his arms are behind his back at the moment, crossed their arms and shifted their eyes over to Six. Well this is just great. Now she was going to have to make the hardest choice since she had to decided what items to leave behind at the Sierra Madre.
The one Companion that she could easily cross off the list was Dean. He proved himself to be a pretty decent shot but it was clear to everyone that he'd be ripped to pieces if he were to go outside. He always preferred to stay inside anyway so it didn't really matter to him.
''Ahem.'' Cass said, clearly wanting to accompany her out there. Her reason for it being she hadn't gotten to see the rest of the beautiful City Cass was definitely a good fighter. But only could she be in her very best shape when she had a bottle of Whiskey or two.
Veronica and Arcade both gave a very similar ''Ahem'' as Cass did. Arcade wasn't coming because this was also a stealth mission and even the Courier can't manage to sneak around in Power Armour. And Veronica wasn't coming because Six had seen her idea of stealth firsthand. That was the last time they'd ever explore the Divide together.
Raul was a mastermind in almost every area. But if they were to be spotted the last thing they needed was for people to start thinking that there are Mexican zombies running around. Of course she had to come up with a different reason in order not to offend her friend.
Ulysses and Joshua had already done enough work for the day. Neither of them had been able to fully recover from Junior's torture. They were lucky to still be alive. Arcade was doing his best to look over them and get them back into fighting shape. Another reason it would be best for him to stay behind.
That left her only two choices as Boone and Chalk. Picking them was more than fine with her. Chalk might not blend all that well into a crowd or have tough armour. But he makes up for that with his ability to become practically invisible. He even taught Six how she could improve her own Sneak skill with a little bit more practice.
And whenever he did get into a fight it was always his opponent who suffered the worse fate. Boone was a good choice for the exact same reason. Except that his armour was able to provide him with adequate protection from most forms of attacks.
Boone and Chalk both immediately agreed to go with her. The rest of her Companions were a little dissapointed with the choice until Six reminded them that whoever stays behind will probably have to kill most of the Legion before the attack starts.
As soon as they left the room and Boone was freed from his restraints, they agreed to fight alongside them before petitioning a fake plan to Lanius and Cinder. It talked about stirring up a whole bunch of ruckus across the whole City. In other words they would act as a distraction.
Lanius didn't agree with the idea at first. The Caesar's Legion had tried very similar tactics both times when attacking Hoover Dam. Each attempt created a hole in the Legion and filled it with humiliation. Under the Legate's command they would never again be humiliated.
Only did he accept the plan when Six reminded him of her previous accomplishments. The thousands of lives she had taken over years of exploring, her large and impressive set of skills, and places she had been and managed to survive. Of course she did leave out any parts about messing with the Legion. Now was not the time to open up old wounds. Cinder was actually a little shocked to hear some of the information that her sources failed to give her.
The Companions were given their weapons back. But while he still remained inside, Boone had quite a few people watching him. Words can't even be used to describe just how difficult it is for him not to kill any of those involved with the Legion upon eye contact with them.
Luckily he was able to holdout long enough for them to get outside. They were generously offered transportation in the form of a car. They would've gladly accepted it if it was not for just one minor problem. None of them even knew how to drive in the first place.
Courier Six patted both of her Companions on the back. ''Relax you two.'' She said, perhaps having some kind of plan for them to get to the City. ''I've already been to the Academy several times already. I'll just use my Pip-Boy and fast... oh, right.''
This time it was Boone and Chalk who patted her on the back. She quickly shrugged off her sadness. If they would really have to make their way back to the Academy on foot then they better get to running otherwise they'll arrive after the fighting has already started.
Not long after they started running it quickly turned into a competition. Chalk was in the lead with the Courier coming up right behind him. Boone didn't bother to participate in the challenge. It was far too childish and immature for him. That and he knew that there was no way he could beat either of them.
Thanks to what happened back at Junior's there were now several Police cars as well as a couple of Officers patrolling the surrounding area. If they were really going to make it all the way up to the Academy then they were going to have to be extra stealthy.
There were quite a few different alleyways they were forced to use in order to hide themselves from the Police. Six was beginning to wish she had brought her Stealth Suit with her. It can quite literally turn her invisible, provide decent enough protection, and not to mention that voice. So sexy and comforting.
A few of the Officers were blocking the exit to one of the alleys. Seeing no reason she should have to kill the men who were just doing their jobs, the Courier just smacked both of them on the head with her SMG. Both of them fell to the ground unconscious.
With the exit now clear and the three of them now firmly out of the patrol zone it seemed to be a straight shot to the airship which would take them to the Academy. Boone used the scope of his Sniper to get a good look at the vehicle capable of flight.
He seemed to be genuinely impressed at the sight of the gigantic airship. He actually made a joke about taking it with them all the way back to the Mojave. Chalk reminded him that there was no way that it could possibly fit through the exit back to Vegas.
After one more thorough scan of the area they all left the safety of the alleyway and entered the street. They were now out in the open and would be spotted immediately if someone decided to go out for a jog. Of course that person would probably be scared off by the three Companions.
Their target was now practically right in front of them. Thanks to her impressive Repair skill, Courier Six would have no problems at all getting the airship up and running in time. But just like every other time things seem to be going according to plan, something just had to go wrong.
Two figures appeared to be heading right towards their position. Both Chalk and Boone were about to ready their weapons in case they needed to open fire on the possible targets, but Six had them stand down before anything rash could happen.
She called out to the people concealed by the dark. ''Hello there fellow citizens of this beautiful City.'' Boone sighed while Chalk began to laugh his ass off. ''This is truly the perfect night to be outside and not be in the middle of anything illegal. Wouldn't you agree?''
Since the two of them kept moving forward, Six inferred that they disagreed with her claim. ''Me and my two friends here were just trying to take in the view of this fine vessel. But I think our eyes have had quite enough. No reason for you too-''
Her eyes widened and she took a few steps back. Yang and Weiss were now directly in front of them. Their expressions said it all. They weren't here to do any talking. They came here to kick some ass. The Courier's ass to be more specific.
Chalk noticed the change in her facial expression. He and Boone shared a look to acknowledge that shit was most definitely about to go down. Weiss and Yang did the exact same thing. Six began to slowly raise her hands. Implying that she didn't wish for anyone to get hurt.
However the two members of team RWBY didn't care for her pacifist like behavior. They began to resume walking forward. ''It was all just a misunderstanding, I swear.'' The Courier said, pure fear in her voice. Henchmen in a small club she could handle just fine without her Pip-Boy to help.
This was a completely different situation. It also showed one of the few advantages that came with her no longer having her Pip-Boy. Normally when her health reaches 0 she's dead, game over. But now she no longer has a number that can drop.
Of course there were still far more disadvantages that came with not having the device. This is obviously what caused her excessive amount of fear to build up. ''Wait, you don't understand. We need to get back to the Academy right now. Remember how I told you about the Legion? Well they found their way here too. They're planning on launching an invasion against the entirety of Vale. Thousands will die if I don't get to the Academy.''
Weiss once again shared a look with Yang. What came next was greatly disappointing to hear. ''How stupid do you think we are?'' Yang said after looking back at the Courier and her weird looking friends. ''Weiss was right about you. Ozpin should've let the Police take care of you.''
''But I'm telling the truth. We're all about to be-'' Yang decided she was done talking and slammed her fist right across Six's face. Luckily she had made the decision not to wear her Gauntlets so she could bring Six in alive. At least to the point where she was at least still breathing.
Seeing his friend fall to the ground, Chalk rushed forward and began to fight with Yang. Boone pointed his Sniper at Weiss with intent to shoot her. ''Don't do it, Boone.'' The Courier said while rubbing her now red cheek. ''No need to kill them. Just hold them off while I get the airship working.''
Sighing, Boone placed his Sniper carefully on the floor. He didn't like the idea of hitting women, especially one that looked to be so young. But there appeared to be no other preset choices. He'd just have to distract them long enough to give Six enough time to get them in the air.
Chalk was already fighting with his fists rather than the weapon on his back, so he didn't need to worry about killing anyone. With Yang already distracted Boone turned his attention over to Weiss. He expected to be able to quickly take her down with a good strike to the face.
He had never been so wrong about an opponent before. As soon as he was close enough she jumped up into the air and kicked him right in the jaw, dislocating it. Boone fell back and landed on the ground. He was now in excruciating pain.
''I can't believe you would ever be friends with a criminal like her.'' Weiss scolded Boone as though she was his mother. ''That just makes you as stupid as her. If not more.'' After fixing his jaw Boone managed to get back on his feet.
She clearly didn't know the Courier the way he did. She was no criminal. Idiot? Yeah that one she can have. ''You're probably right.'' He said with a few chuckles placed between the words. ''But she helped me out in the past so I figure I owe her a couple of favors.''
The fighting raged on for another five minutes. It was the Companions who were on the losing side. Chalk and Boone were beaten so badly that they could barely stand anymore. Not that it mattered to Yang or Weiss. They just kept on punching and kicking.
What did get them to stop was the sound of gunfire. Looking over at the airship they saw that it came from Courier Six and her famous SMG. She didn't point it at either of the girls but they could both tell that she would be willing to shoot them if she had to.
She called for both of her friends. ''I got it working, come on guys.'' They attempted to join her in the airship but their entry was blocked by their two opponents. This time Six really did point the weapon right at them. Though it was clear she didn't want to.
After getting the airship running she took sometime to figure out the words she would use to convince Yang and Weiss that she was trying to help their people. How she was just trying to stop an enemy more powerful than they could possibly understand.
But it would prove to be a pointless waste of time. Not because they didn't believe what she had to warn them of. But because they didn't even get to hear what she had to say. ''Boss!'' The voice of Raul shouted from less than a mile away. Everyone turned over to where the words had originated from.
It was definitely Raul, his face and outfit not being one anyone of this world would wear unless they absolutely had to. ''They know, boss.'' Six's eyes widened and the fear came back even stronger than before. Behind Raul was the rest of the Companions. And behind them was a good portion of the Legion that didn't look to be in a good mood.
Yang and Weiss were nothing but confused until they both remembered how Six had described to them the Legion's choice of attire. As soon as the rest of her friends caught up to them they all practically threw themselves into the safety of the airship.
Within a few moments they were in the air. A few of the Legionaries attempted throw spears at them but from that distance it quickly proved to be pointless. Everyone took an opportunity to breath after they had just narrowly escaped death.
''You two owe me an apology.'' The Courier said pointing at a frightened Weiss and Yang. She looked to her Companions who stayed with the Legion and were supposed to keep them busy. ''And what the hell happened with you guys? Didn't I tell you to keep them busy?''
Each of them now wanted to take turns punching her in the face. Especially Arcade, who was forced to run like hell while wearing Power Armour. His hair was drenched in sweat and he felt like his heart was about to explode right out of his chest. Or implode then explode. That sounded like a more painful death.
''Yeah, about that.'' Dean said in an awkward voice while scratching the back of his head. ''Words weren't enough to keep them busy. So we just decided to start shooting the hell out of them. It was working pretty well until we realized that there at least twelve other building filled with the assholes. Seemed like a good idea at the time.''
Now that his ability to breath had come back to him, Arcade stated the obvious problem that came with their current situation. ''Our plan isn't exactly going as we... planned. What the hell are we supposed to do now? There's no way that we can go back the way we came.''
Six began to laugh as though the answer to their problem was an obvious one. ''Arcade, my very best friend.'' Veronica gasped when she heard her placement on the friendship scale. ''Oh relax Veronica, you're the love interest. But how can you all be so forgetful? Once I have my Pip-Boy I'll use in to get us into the forest. From there we can make our way to the exit you all told me about. How's that sound?''