A/N: Hello! Its been a while.
This new season is good so far. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.
This is going to focus on the people that are in Argus and is the counter to last chapter, happening at the same time.
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Look to the Past…(Part 2 Argus)
Adam was not having a good day. Besides the pain that kept coming back he was now subject to this...mess
"Inner peace. Now breathe in. Hold it. Now let it out. Bring a new breath in. Good. Remember that negativity breads grimm. You don't want to turn into a grimm do you?" The radio in the car kept going while Adam waited patiently for Sherry to come back from inside the house.
The thought that this counted as calming was stupid. It just infuriated Adam that people listened to this. And what did he mean 'turn into a grimm'? Stupid human didn't even know basic grimm facts.
"That was Ari Averett, the local peacekeeper and the best faunus guru in Argus" The host said.
"Thank you for that. I am just trying to do some small part to help my brothers and sisters that live in Argus and surrounding villages"
"Inspiring words. I hope you come see us again. Now back to Argus news" There was an audible click as the radio went over to recorded news. "Reports stating that disappearances in Argus are on the rise. What seemed like random disappearances now have a pattern. All appear to be faunus but besides that, there have been no other connection be it economic or political"
"I FOUND IT!" The red puffed face of a worn-out Sherry scrambled into the old truck. "Dumb me of the past, of course I put it in my underwear drawer. It should have been the first place I looked." She then realized Adam was sitting there in silence staring at her...while she talked about her underwear….oh my Gods so embarrassing!
Sherry started the old truck as Adam thought about Sherry, not realizing he was staring. Sherry is not like any normal human girl I have seen. Most that I know about have an air of superiority around them. Though I do only tend to run into huntresses…
"Umm, you might want to hold on. I have been told that others don't exactly like my driving"
"Sherry you have taken care of me these last few weeks. I trust you. Even if you are human" Adam said with a genuine smile. He winced with the last part of his own statement. Maybe being taken care of by a human had turned him soft. He knew he defiantly changed. Though loosing your identity certainly would do that to someone.
Sherry noticed the wince. "Oh no! Is your leg hurting again?! Don't worry, we'll get there fast!"
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Adam Had survived countless battles against Atlas. He had survived even more battles against the never-ending flood of grimm. He never believed himself the 'best hunter', but he always knew that he was strong. He was someone to look up to someone made of stronger stuff.
Someone to be feared.
He never expected to die in a tragic car accident. "Watch the the ROA-!" The truck hit another pothole, banging his head into the roof. Only then did he realize there was no seat belt on the passenger side. He yelped out in pain only prompting Sherry to go faster, thinking that he was in even more pain, witch caused him more pain while being thrown about.
"Don't worry Doc will fix it! I swear!" Sherry shouted, looking at him and forgetting about the fact that she was driving just long enough for Adam to see his life that he just remembered to flash before his eyes. The amount of potholes on the road fixed those flashes bringing his back to a bruised head and wounded pride.
Adam grabbed a hand grip rail that was attached to the roof the truck door, also called the 'oh shit' handle. He gripped it tightly. "I'm fine, just get us there fast"
That seemed to be all the motivation Sherry needed as she went closer to the middle of the small road, swerving away from a large pothole on their side while almost driving an atlas jeep in the other lane off the road. Adam was sure the driver of the jeep was furious, but he didn't care. For the first time in his life it wasn't because the people were probably Atlesian, but it was because he feared for his own life over theirs.
For a second he thought that everything was going to be okay. The road smoothed out and became paved, loosing the several potholes that plagued it in the outer wilds.
The outer walls of Argus came into view. Sherry seemed to fiddle back and forth with the steering wheel and her hair. She looked at him a couple of times and stared whistling. Adam tried to ignore her, but the longer he did the more restless Sherry seemed to get.
"Soooo….." Sherry said looking out the side window.
Adam was not exactly in a chatty mood. Thinking about it, he woke up this morning with memories he didn't know he had, about events that even now he was still piecing together, and when he tried pain and loss of feeling followed. He still couldn't figure out if he was lucky to be alive, or unlucky that Sherry found him.
"Umm…." Sherry looked like she wanted to say something badly.
Adam sighed, "If you have something to say spit it out already!" Adam must have startled her as she swerved into the other lane. He gripped to handle hard as the truck bounced, throwing him slightly off his seat, and all the cabs contents onto the floor. "Watch the road!"
"S-Sorry!" Sherry quickly swerved back into the proper lane as the walls of Argus started to loom over them. After a bit more driving they saw several more vehicles that were coming in and out of a checkpoint at the wall. They stopped behind a line of vehicles going into Argus. Sherry opened a compartment that had several magazines, some makeup, and other things, including a hat that quickly all fell out onto the floor in front of Adam. Sherry bent down over Adam and shuffled through the materials, grabbing the ballcap and putting it on his head.
"What is this?" Adam understood what was happening but didn't want to believe that it was what he was thinking.
"I'm sorry but this is Argus. I know the people here are good people but this will go smoother if they don't think your a faunus"
Adam sneered. This girl is just as bad it seems. He thought she was different, but this dashed his hopes.
Sherry looked at Adam's face and misinterpreted it. She grabbed his leg softly, "Does it still hurt?"
Adam didn't respond, which didn't help his case. It didn't hurt and some of the feeling was coming back. It was like his leg went to sleep and is finally waking up. A 'pins-and-needles' feeling encased his lower leg, but he still couldn't feel his foot.
Sherry was still leaning over, now trying to adjust his cap when a knock at the window of the truck caused Sherry to jump back into her seat. She quickly rolled down her window.
"Hello Sherry. Going into town on normal business?" The random guard asked smiling.
"No, actually I am here to see Doc for my friend here" Sherry pointed out Adam, who still ticked off looked away with a frown.
"Ah, well I know he got into some trouble but his son is still running the hospital."
Sherry nodded, "Then that's who we'll see"
"Okay, now protical" the guards face turned neutral. "I need to see your Argus Identification"
Sherry fumbled a little bit looking for the card she searched so hard for at the house. She finally found it underneath her seat. "Here you are, sorry for the wait" She handed it over as the guard wrote something down on the pad he had before giving Sherry back her ID.
"Everything seems in order, so you can go in" He paused and looked at Adam. "And Sherry… I never thought I would have to tell anyone but your sister this, but while your in Argus please keep your more...promiscuous activities with your boyfriend to a private location."
Adam's head slingshot around to look at the guard. Then looked at Sherry.
Sherry was confused and then went red as she thought about what the guard must be thinking. Sherry gripped the wheel and hit the gas speeding into Argus screaming. "It's not like that!"
Adam was just glad the guard took enough time for the line in front of them to disappear, or Sherry would have killed them both.
Well Welcome to Argus…
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"Look Lilly, I don't think you should go with me. You've been sick recently and I don't want you to feel exhausted."
"If you are going to come up with an excuse at least make it a good one. I know that it is dangerous, but you know you'd be in trouble without me" Lilly smirked, "Plus you seem to get yourself into trouble."
Dr. Bronze looked at his wife. "what about the baby? We don't need you to be strained"
Lilly rubbed her large stomach. She was close to giving birth. Maybe a handful of weeks, though Dr. Bronze senior thought it would be sooner. "The baby will be fine. I will be fine" She cupped his cheek, brushing aside some of her husbands hair. "Its you I'm worried about. They have been overworking you. I know that the world is in tatters right now, but I don't want to see you like that. I want to know you are safe."
Dr. bronze looked to his wife. She always did have him wrapped around her finger. She had a stunning figure with long brown hair and tanned skin. She was the love of his life. He grabbed her hand, enjoying the sensation of her touch.
She came in and held him close. "Let me come. Please?" The fact that she said it while holding him, and her head buried in his chest gave him shivers. He couldn't say no.
"Fine, you cane come. But I don't like it"
She moved away and did a little jump, throwing her hands up in the air. Smiling she said "You said I can come!"
"Yes, yes I said...Wait, you tricked me!"
Lilly looked away. "I don't know what your talking about"
She put her hand on her belly again before quickly grabbing his own and putting it on under her own. Dr. Bronze felt a bump, and then another. "See", Lilly said, "Even the baby is celebrating. This is the most active she's been in a while"
"I keep telling you it will be a boy"
Lilly pouted. "You don't know that! Only your father knows and he refused to say."
"No, did you see that big smile of his after the examination. I know for a fact that he only gets that happy when he talks about 'passing down the business' to me. He is happy that I already have a successor as one so young"
"Lets agree to disagree. I think you just love to be difficult sometimes" She walked towards their bedroom with her hands cupped behind her back.
He smiled, "You know you love it!"
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This was not what was supposed to happen! THIS WAS NOT HAPPENING! It started out fine. The Atlas squadron from Argus base helped fly them out to the village providing protection from the grimm that were roaming from the battle a couple days ago. Some soldiers and some experienced huntsman. It should have been easy.
Should have been.
The small village was a mixed village of faunus and humans. It was supposed to should solidarity. That the races could coexist. When a splinter cell of the main forces of the faunus came in calling themselves the Red Wolves, they were put down mercilessly by Atlas troops.
What set of a spark was when a kid faunus jumped in front of his father who wasn't a part of the red wolves, but spoke out against Atlas in front of the huntsman. The huntsman showed no mercy in killing the 'animal and his spawn'. People panicked, and that drew grimm. More than expected.
"Lilly! Lilly!" He ran down another street. "Lilly! Where are you!"
When it started he had been helping the sick and wounded. Being a town so close to a battle, there were stragglers that were left for dead on both sides that the village tried to save. He may not have been a doctor for long, but his father taught him everything he knew. Lilly had been helping with the female patients, when not being swarmed by the other mothers of the village interested in her pregnancy.
He was called up, more like grabbed and thrown, up to a disturbance at the edge of the village where he found Atlesian troops killing grimm and villagers all the same. He helped people to safety, dragging the wounded and screaming. What hurt the most was when he had to grab children. Children!
When the house the huntsman were operating out of burned down and the fire spread, they knew things were getting bad. The now roaming grimm made it worse.
Dr. Bronze heard a scream as he rounded a corner followed by a sickening crunch. When he looked he saw a young girl that couldn't have been older than a teen being devoured by a Beowolf. The dead eyes still filled with tears and fear haunted him. He backtracked. He had to find Lilly, needed too.
At the outskirts of the village opposite the grimm incursion he finally found people. There was a small communication tower that connected to a building with a big sign that said 'Welcome to Saisei!'
"Halt! Don't come any closer!" A man at the door said. He was obviously an Atlas huntsman just by his atire.
"You know who I am! We don't have time for this! Is my wife here!?" Dr. Bronze yelled.
The man looked down the street, where three beowolves heard the commotion and decided to follow. "Dammit, more of them. Get inside quick. I'll go dispatch them"
Dr. Bronze was not going to take chances. He never was good at anything other than doctoring. He could hold a knife, but he never could face a grimm.
While passing he looked back at the man and realized the guard had long gashes down his back from claws. That meant his aura was broken. He was loosing blood fast. He...wouldn't survive without medical help, but before Dr. Bronze could say something the man went running down the street towards the beowolfs.
"We need reinforcements now!"
"…."
"I don't care about policy! Get ships here at least! We have wounded soldiers and civilians!" Lilly was heard yelling into the comm speaker of the tower. Dr. Bronze had never been so happy and terrified to see his wife at the same time.
Lilly was not doing well. She was not a huntress, she was a normal human just like him. She had cuts and scrapes all over her body. The thing that scared him the most was how she was obviously clutching her lower stomach and her breathing was rough, labored.
Labor, oh no. "Lilly!"
She turned to him. "Oh thank the brothers. I need your help. They won't listen to me and my water broke and and" She had a hard time shuffling over to him, "Everything hurts! AHHHH!" She crumpled to the floor.
Dr. Bronze took his coat off and laid it on the ground, laying Lilly on top of it. "Are there more people?" He asked hoping that he could get some help. He could do it alone, but some help would be appreciated.
"They….are….in the back" Lilly said through labored breaths before crying out in pain.
"I'll be right back. Just don't forget to breath." Lilly looked annoyed but started breathing more regularly between the bouts of pain.
"Argus….need to...talk to them..."
"I will, I will, but right now your more important. Don't forget to breath" He ran through the hallways until he came to the backroom. There were some people and children in the backroom, but he managed to convince one of the women in the back to come help him. With her in tow he ran back to his wife.
"Don't worry honey, I've had three kids. I know what I'm doing"
"Thank you" He leaned down towards his wife, "Lilly how are you doing?" She was pale white and her breathing was getting worse. Something was wrong. "Did you remember to breath?"
She gripped his shirt with a surprising amount of force for a woman in her condition. "Tell….me..to breathe...one more time…..and you won't be"
"Mmmmhmm, I heard that sister. Men are useless when it comes to babies." The woman turned to him. "I may not be a doctor, but I have helped plenty of deliveries in this village. You can leave this to me.
"At...las….need to call. Ahhh!"
He couldn't stand to see his wife in such pain, but she was right. He ran into the small room on the side of the hallway Lilly was in when he found her and called up Argus base. "Argus base come in over!"
"Look I already told you" Dr. Bronze heard through static and crackling, "There is nothing we can do without an official command. None has been given, so sorry.
"Screw your command! People are dying! Your men and civilians alike!"
There was a pause on the other end. "How many people did you say are hold up with you?"
Dr. Bronze didn't like the pointless chit-chat but maybe he could use this to his advantage. "There are maybe thrity people here. About half of them are your people, and most of them are wounded! We need evacuation!" Really there were only about five soldiers, and all of them were wounded. The rest were a handful of civilians, mostly children.
There was a pause. The person seemed hesitent when he heard a woman's voice over the speaker. "In compliance with protical Delta-Epsilon 13 stay where you are and you will be taken care of. I promise."
Bronze had worked closely with some of the Argus personel before. He had never heard of that protical, but they said they were going to help. "Thank you! I will tell them. Bless you! Bless you!" The line went dead, but that was fine. The message was sent! Argus was coming to help!
He ran back into the hall to check on his wife. He heard crying and realized there was a baby in his wife's arms.
Lilly looked very tired and her breath was still ragged. She looked up at her husband. "It's a boy. Turns out you were right"
Dr. Bronze smiled. "There goes all your girl names. What do we name him now? Carl?"
Lilly laughed, "Yea, that'll be the day. What about Argus?"
"They are coming to help us, we just need to hold out until they get here. We will make it out of here!"
Lilly smiled again, "I hope they get here fast then. I feel tired" With that Lilly fell asleep, baby snuggled in a small towel in her arms.
The woman civilian came over to him. "She's lost too much blood. She needs help. You sure Argus is coming for us?"
"That's what they said. We need to tell the others" Just now he realized the woman had furry ears poking out the top of her head. The hat she had that covered them was used to help birth the baby, so it was covered in blood.
He ran to the back. The five wounded Atlas soldiers jumped up when he came in but when they recognized him, they sat back down.
Dr. Bronze was eager to share the news. "Guys Argus said they are coming to help us!" There were cheers from the civilians, and the soldiers looked relieved. "They said that we needed to stay put and hold out until they get here"
"What code did they use?" One of the soldiers asked. "It will tell us what to prioritize"
"I think they said Delta-Epsilon 13?"
The soldiers all paled. The one that asked the question hobbled to his feet, using one of the other soldier's shoulder to keep him up. "We need to evacuate. Everybody get ready to move."
Dr. Bronze was confused. "They said to stay put"
"Some of the Atlas codes are hard to understand, but others are really simple Delta-Epsilon 13. DE1D or 'Dead'. They are telling us the town is overrun, so they will wipe it out."
"But the civilians?"
"Are acceptable losses. History is written by the victors. Move out!" The soldiers escorted the civilians out the backdoor. "Come on Doctor!"
"My wife, I have to go get her!"
The man scowled but relented. "Do it fast. We don't have much ti-" Loud sounds of engines cut him off. "Get Down!"
Explosions rocked the building. Dr. Bronze could feel bits of wood and rock cover his back. When he looked back up the wall to the back of the building was partially collapsed and the soldier was nowhere to be seen.
He panicked. "Lilly!" He ran back down the hallway, being jostled by more explosions.
He found his wife and child.
Oh, he did.
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Newspaper Report from the battle of Saisei
Horror struck yesterday as the town of Saisei, a prominent trading hub outside of Argus was attacked by a massive horde of grimm. "Atlas was quick to respond to the town's summons due to the increase in grimm activity after the large battle last week", the coordinator for strategic response commented. "Unfortunately we cannot predict all outcomes"
From the reports supplied by Argus command the first few waves of grimm that attacked in the morning of the 13th were wiped out by the soldiers and hunters sent to quell the attacks. Later that afternoon there was a surprise attack by members of the Red Wolves hiding among the village civilians. This caused a mass panic that increased the grimm threat.
"It breaks our hearts that the enemy would use civilians like that" One of the Argus commands says. "That was a mixed town. They used that fact to strike out against Atlas, with the civilians getting in the middle. They are heartless monsters. Animals. Destroyers of life, and we will strike back for those lost in the town"
The town was burning down, and after Argus scanned the town and found nothing but grimm signals, they knew there was no one left to save.
"This was an excelent use of Atlas technology. The new scanners are perfect and did their job. Due to these scanners we knew that there wasn't any survivors in the town" an Atlas engineer said. "They kept people from having to risk their lives to save people that were already gone. I weep for those who have lost loved ones.
There are some critiques of the scanner results though as two survivors were found. While Atlas and Argus refuse to release who they were, an inside source tells this reporter that one was a baby and a man who was holding the upper half of the body of a woman.
Again Atlas and Argus refuse to release who this man is, just that they will not allow anyone to question him as to his information or involvement. This man is supposedly being kept in isolation and is being given psychological care.
More facts will surface after the reports full release on….
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Pain Pain Pain Pain!
Dr. Bronze woke from the nightmare to pain in his back and hips.
He looked around his cell. The chains still clasped firmly to his wrists. It was dark. It was always dark.
He never liked confinement. It reminded him of his past. Of mistakes he made.
The nightmares were the worst though. They plagued him in his weakest moments. Weakened him in his strongest. The sadist part is the nightmare he just had was his favorite. It was the worst moment of his life. The weakest he had ever fallen. Where everything had been taken away from him.
Why was it his favorite? Because every time he had it his waning memory showed him his love again, as if she never left. It gave him the best gift it could.
He would never forgive and he would never forget.
For those civilians. For that woman that helped him. For Carl. For….Lilly….For Saisei.
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A/N: Well, while dark you can understand why Dr. Bronze has some hatred for Atlas.
Don't hate me.
Also I love writing for Sherry. She is great. More fallout and misunderstandings in the next chapter. I was going to write more for this chapter, but I usually count a word count above 3000 words to be a full length chapter.
Questions answered in the next chapter: What about Chardonnay? What happened to Yang and Blake? Is Ruby okay with the crazed doctor?
(Also I have been watching the new episodes and while I like their Dr. Polentina, they went with 'helpful scientist'. I went with 'mad genius')
Until next time read and review!