A/N: Please note that the point of view DOES change in this story. If there is a change in time, point of view, or a major location change (Like Beacon to York's shop) it will be marked as such:

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Location, time

Point of View

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273 Ironrose St. 11:20 P.M

Blake

"Let there be light." York said, and then the warehouse was lit with LED lights, illuminating a bare lower section with nothing but maps and a desk with a few weapons on it, as well as four posts with devices on top, about eight feet from each other in a square. On the far side was an odd symbol, three lines with bends that looked almost like a fan. Next to it was a tribal eagle and some scales.

Blake took all this in, then began putting the pieces together. "The Gargoyle works here?"

"Yes, he uses this place as a sort of base of operations." York said dryly. "And he really hates that name…"

"So, you know him personally?" Yang asked. "After all this information, we were hoping to join forces with him, maybe help him fight some crime.

York was stepping up the ladder to the loft above, and he stopped. He looked down with a sigh, then looked at them. "His work is very dangerous, and it means that people could die, the people he's against, the people he works with. And if you join him, even if he lets you, how can you defend yourself when someone's trying to kill you?"

"We've been fighting Torchwick and the White Fang already!" Blake protested, "We took down that Atlesian Paladin he stole, the one on the news. We're training to be huntresses!"

"And Huntsmen." Jaune amended, the three other guys nodding behind him.

"We got all our information hands-on." The girl continued, "We're fully capable, and we're ready to put our lives on the line if it means we can stop them."

York looked straight at me, seeming to penetrate my soul, then continued up the stairs. "What do you think, D?"

A voice, slightly robotic in speaking, started emanating from the speakers on the projectors on the floor. "I think they could make valuable allies."

"Is that the Gargoyle?" Sun asked, hope entering his face. We all looked up at York for confirmation.

The man shrugged on a large backpack, one that had a buckle that connected the straps at the chest and a waist belt to distribute weight. "No, he's not the Gargoyle." He said, and most of the faces looked crestfallen.

York smiled pushed a single button on his chest, and the backpack popped open, parts sliding on and securing themselves, His armor encasing his body until all that remained was his face, then more parts covered his mouth, and his eyes were covered by a golden visor. As the suit came to power, York leapt off the Loft, landing with a roll before he punched a fist into the ground and looked up. "I am."

All eyes had widened on our faces, then the other voice spoke. "You always were one for theatrics, Agent York."

"Oh, shut up, D." The man's voice crackled as if on a radio through the speakers, although a high-quality radio.

"So, who's D? Sounds like you're trying to compensate." Yang chuckled. Blake rolled her eyes, questioning internally the decision to insult a man in powered armor.

"I am an AI, my designated name is Delta." The voice spoke as the projectors hummed to life. A green man in full armor similar to York's stood glowing a few seconds later. "Greetings."

"He's how I learned your names and scroll numbers." York told them. "Sorry if that creeped you out."

Jaune leaned over to Ren. "What does the A stand for?" He whispered.

"Artificial." York, Ren, and Delta all answered in near unison.

"So, does this mean we're going to be joining forces?" Yang asked, "Do we get to help you kick some evil butt?"

"Ooo, Codenames!" Sun called. "I wanna be called the Monkey King

"What about awesome outfits, got any more of that armor?" Neptune added.

"Cool gadgets?" Jaune asked.

"Sloths?" Nora questioned. "Oh, I would just love a sloth. They're so cute! What's your favorite animal, York? Oh, and your favorite color? And what about-"

"Whoa, easy there." York told them. "We'll see about teaming up, but for now, let's just start with the basics. No on the outfits, or sloths, I'm fresh out of those."

"But you know where to get a sloth!" The hammer-wielder accused with a pointed finger.

Ren shook his head. "He was joking, Nora."

York shook it off and his helmet retracted. "Tell you what, you wanna help? I need to know who is supplying Torchwick with Atlas tech. It's becoming a real pain in the ass."

Blake stepped forward. "We think he got the Paladin from the White Fang."

"Speaking of, why is the White Fang teaming up with a human criminal?"

"We think he's getting backed by a third party that has also enlisted the help of the White Fang." Ren explained. "We don't currently know the identity of this larger backer, but they may also be helping with the acquisition of Atlas tech."

York nodded. "That helps me out greatly, thank you. I let you know if something comes up where I need help, otherwise Yang here can text me when you next want to meet, and we can discuss any questions you may have and I can get to know you guys. I'll also help to answer any questions you could have, Delta's pretty good with intel."

"Like your backstory? Where did you come from, where's the armor from? We need to know you, too." Jaune asked.

The Armor began to retract before a part caught itself in the works. "Dammit, I'm still trying to work out the kinks, sorry." He sighed, stripping off the rest of the armor before he nodded. "Fine, we'll start with my story when you all get here."

Yang hissed in a breath. "Yeah, about that… There's more of us than those who showed up tonight. All together, we make three teams of four…" She admitted.

It's probably just gonna be us from my team." Sun stated. "The other half of the team still isn't here, yet."

York sighed. "Of course, there's more of you… alright, they can come, too." He said dejectedly. "And whatever you do, don't let anyone outside of your group know my name, where I live, or that you personally know these bits of information, too. It could us all into very big trouble."

The students nodded their heads and started for their vehicles."

"Alright, then. Come back when you're free. I'm usually here in the daytime."

Yang nodded. "Okay, we'll leave you to it, Mr. Gargoyle... Geez, you need a new name."

"Preaching to the choir." York said with a groan.

"What does that symbol stand for?" Blake asked suddenly, my curiosity overcoming me.

The vigilante looked at me with a raised brow as Delta spoke. "I would be careful, Ms. Belladonna. Curiosity killed the cat." The AI intoned, and Blake knew by the way he said it that they knew about her.

Yang snickered before cutting off after a glare from Blake.

York pushed passed Delta's innuendo and sighed. "The symbol in the middle used to be the insignia of an organization I was a part of; a project." York answered, sending a glare Delta's way. "But more on that later, you guys get home."

"Come on, Gang, let's head back to Beacon." Yang affirmed, and we all hopped into/onto our rides home, while York turned off the lights and lifted the door.

"I'd call this a full success, wouldn't you, kitty-cat?" Yang teased Blake as she straddled her bike. Blake growled at the nickname before climbing on as well.

0oooooooooo0

York

York' watched as the teens rolled off into the night, then let the door close and turned to Delta, who still stood at the projectors. "I hope we know what we brought them into."

"I am sure this time it will be different." Delta assured.

York rose an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"They don't have an obsessed madman ruling their thoughts." Delta pointed out. "Someone trying to bring back people that have passed this life." The AI flickered, almost turning white.

"Easy there, D." York stepped towards the holo projector.

"I am fine, Agent York. Dust and echoes of the Alpha are all they are. My design leaves me more devoid of emotion and sentimentality."

"That's… Just why, D?" York chuckled. "Come on, let's get this armor deployment system fixed up."

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Sidewinder

"Hey, Meta. Settle a bet, wouldja?" The leader of the red simulation team asked as the Meta gripped his throat, tapping his chest, "Does that thing look kinda like a big cat to you?"

Agent Maine looked to see the other two of red team just as they pushed a Warthog off the cliff, then he felt the tug at his chest before being pulled into the snow, dragged along by the hook he now realized had been attached to his chest.

Up ahead, he saw that the orange trooper was close. As he passed, Agent Maine grabbed the sim trooper's leg, perhaps out of instinct, hoping it would save him, or perhaps to take him down with Maine. But his friend managed to grab him, the orange one kicking loose before Maine fell to what he assumed was his death. He turned to face it like a soldier.

WARNING: TIME DISTORTION UNIT (TDU) ACTIVE

The message displayed in the corner of his HUD. What? He hadn't been able to use that unit without an AI. What was going on?

WARNING: MALFUNCTION IN TDU

Agent Maine's eyes widened just as he was about to hit the ground, then closed his eyes, meeting the cold embrace of what he assumed was death. It sure did feel like falling unconscious.

0ooooooooo0

What seemed like ages later, Maine awoke, seeing a clear, blue sky up above him. He raised his arms, which ached in protest, then wiggled his fingers. Check. Next, he propped himself up and looked at his feet, moving them around. Good. He tried to stand, succeeding for a full second before toppling into a tree.

Maine growled, using the tree as support, then looked around, seeing nothing but forest. He cursed mentally, then checked his motion tracker. Nothing.

He thought of the series of events before he arrived here, wherever 'here' was. Perhaps the TDU malfunction sent him back in time, or to another planet? Had he actually died and this is what happened. He ruled out the second option, if he had died, he'd have his voice back, most likely. Either way, it looked as if Fate had given him a second chance, something he had hoped for as he fell.

For a second, he was surprised. Remorse wasn't his strong suit. Then again, everything had changed recently. He had a second chance. Usually only those who deserved to change got those, right?

Observing his surroundings once more, Agent Maine looked to the trees. I need to get to higher ground. He told himself, then saw the tallest tree around. That should do nicely.

Maine jogged to the tree and started up, only now noticing his wounds from the fight on Sidewinder had somehow healed. He shrugged it off and climbed to the top. Ah, this is much better.

From his position, Maine could see a nearby city, tall skyscrapers towering in view. Maine smiled, now knowing that this place definitely was not Covenant-inhabited but was settled by humans.

He set the city into his vision, then dropped down, heading for civilization. He'd make sure to make the best out of his second chance.

0ooooooo0

273 Ironrose

"…so that was the first time I met Carolina."

"Wait, her name was already named after one of the states?" Ruby asked as she cleaned Crescent Rose, which was in pieces on the floor. "The states of… America?" She tested the word out.

"Yep, the good ole US of A." York told them. "I was born in Texas, just before it separated as its own government. At the time, it was the second-biggest state out of the 53 of them."

Sun spoke up and he hung from the loft by his tail, "I still can't believe you're from another planet." He told the Freelancer. "You look exactly like a human."

"I am a human. Although, there aren't any Faunus on our planet, though there was the rare oddball that would graft wings into people's DNA or tested other stuff like that." York told them. "So, I remembered that name forever, the club and the girl. Carolina."

"After the state." Ruby pointed out semi-sagely.

York nodded, picking up a part of his battle rifle, which lay disassembled on the table. "As far as I knew, that was her real name. That or her father told her to start using it instead of her birth name."

Blake was sitting cross-legging next to Ren, both with their eyes closed as though meditating, though in the case of Blake it was likely a nap, a few yards away. "And you didn't see her until you arrived in Project Freelancer?" The dark-haired girl asked.

"Yes. I was one of the first to arrive aboard the ship, and-"

"Wait, they had you on a boat?" Weiss asked.

"No, they had us on a Charon-class space frigate, the Mother of Invention."

"Charon-class?" Jaune questioned.

"It was a light space frigate meant for transporting troops and fleet escort, roughly 1,607 feet in length, 512 feet in width, and 460 feet in depth, and heavily armed." Delta reported.

"D, can you pull up a comparison of the MOI to the largest Atlesian airship?"

On the projectors, the Atlas military's largest airship was displayed, then a larger, more threatening-looking behemoth stood next to it, triple the airship's size.

"You had spaceships that were that large?" Ruby was geeking out. "And just look at those guns."

"Ms. Rose would be very impressed with the MAC, agent York."

"Is that like Mac and Cheese?" Nora intoned, sitting up. She'd been laying on a nearby table, with her legs swinging below."

"The Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is a heavy weapon that uses magnetic current to launch a projectile through space at high velocity."

"I'm sure Pyrrha would love to take a look at that." Ren noted.

"Where are Pyrrha and Jaune?" Yang asked, brushing her hair back as she sat up next to Nora.

"Training at Beacon." Ren explained. "It's important."

"'Training', right." Yang put up air quotes in the air, and Nora giggled.

"If only, they're both too dense." Nora sighed.

"Aaanyway, what happened when you next saw her." Ruby pressed, and York smiled.

"They put us in armor at first, so we didn't recognize each other at first…"

*Flashback*

"Mother of Invention, this is 479er calling in. Agent New York is on board and ready for orientation, please acknowledge." The voice of the female pilot echoed through the speakers to its lone passenger.

"Acknowledged, 479er, this is the Mother of Invention." A calm, almost reassuring voice responded. "We will have the welcome mat ready in hanger 3."

York took a deep breath as 479er responded. "Acknowledged, Mother. Over and out."

"Hey, rookie. Get ready, we'll be landing in a minute." She called through the intercom.

Indeed, a short moment later and the pelican touched down lightly, York only felling a light bump. The guardrail lifted from his chest and he stood, rubbing his eyes as he walked towards the rear bay door, which opened with a hiss before revealing a man in a tight black-and-grey suit with almond skin.

"Greetings, Agent New York." The man said, the same voice that had spoken on the radio. "You may call me the Counselor."

"Nice to meet you, Counselor." York told him.

"Let's continue with orientation. First, let's start with a tour of the basic facilities in the Mother of Invention. Then we'll begin your augmentation and get you suited up for a test run of your new armor. We took all your dimensions and have it specially designed and colored, to help pick you out of the crowd."

"Wonderful." York said, though the tone of his voice didn't agree. "Let's get through this quickly, I want to get settled in, get some grub, and go to sleep."

"Alright, Agent New York, we'll get started immediately."

York sighed. "And there's another thing. I think I'm gonna go by 'York'. It's a lot shorter than New York."

"Okay, Agent York, I'll be sure to make note of that on your file." The Counselor told him. "Please follow me."

The new Freelancer trailed after the counselor into the Mother of Invention, through the cafeteria, training room, firing range, gym, medical bay, bridge, war, and briefing rooms and the locker rooms before showing him the barracks.

"Each of the Agents have their own room, where we placed the effects each one has shipped and ordered." The Counselor told him. "You'll be pleased to know that your books, manuals, and other objects have already been delivered and are ready for your personal touch."

"Cool." York told him, seeing a woman with brown hair walk out of her room, dressed in workout gear, giving him a size-up as she passed, he smiled.

The counselor continued the tour by showing the staff barracks and his and the Director's quarters. "Only go to the Director's rooms in dire circumstances, otherwise come to me."

"Understood."

"Now, let's get you to augmentation."

*Flashback pause*

"What was augmentation?" Nora asked.

"They stuck a bunch of needles in me and altered my body, made it stronger, more durable, basically made me even more awesome than I was." York explained. "It was very painful and morbid, so I'll skip over that bit. So, next they got me into my armor…"

*Flashback resume*

"Alright, Agent York, let's get you into your armor." The Counselor suggested as they approached the door. It opened with a hiss, revealing racks for armor placed back-to-back, five on each side in ten rows. Some racks were already empty, where past Freelancers had already come and retrieved their new suits.

The counselor led York over to a certain aisle and pointed down it. "Your armor should be in this aisle, just look for your name and suit up, then we'll take it for a test run."

"Yes, sir." York spoke, then turned to look at the armor on the racks. It didn't take him long, just a few seconds and it seemed like it called to him. He suited up quickly, and then the Counselor asked him a couple questions while he ran a diagnostics check.

"How does the suit feel, Agent?" He asked, "Comfortable?"

York grinned underneath the helmet. "Like a second skin, sir. Feels like I could take on the world in this thing."

"I doubt it'll come to that, York." He chuckled, then continued. "It comes equipped with motion trackers, night-vision, and a slight zooming capability, as well as energy shields. They will fade after taking heavy fire, but they will recharge if you take cover."

"So like general MJONIR class armor, Understood."

"Now, let's get you to the training room. You need to learn to use this suit."

York smiled again. "Feels like I was made for it."

"Actually," Now the Counselor smiled. "It was made for you."

*Flashback End*

"Well, are you gonna tell us what happened after?" Yang asked after a pause.

"You kids need to be getting back to school." York told them, accompanied by groans from the students. "Plus I'm a troll with cliff-hangers."

"But-" Nora started.

York had turned away as he spoke. "Make sure you all come back next weekend," He told them, then looked back. "We just got to the good part."

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