Hey guys, another day another chapter. Nearly couldn't find the time to write this chapter but managed to get it out. Now it just occurred to me that I have made a royal cock up when it has come to Yang's weapons in...well, all my fics so far. I have been incorrectly referring to her weapons as Ember Cilica when it should be Ember Celica. Yeah, made a complete ass of myself there didn't I. Now, on with the show!
00000000
Chapter 6- Shadow of the Past
"So let me get this straight..." Weiss asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're saying that someone else who you didn't recognise was also on the same mission you were, and then a mysterious man appears and wipes the floor with both of you?"
"Pretty much." Blake replied, nursing the injury on her forehead. Truth be told, the wound was more of a scratch than a serious injury and her Aura would heal it in no time, but her friends had basically begged her to at least have it checked out.
"And you say they were both hostile?" Pyrrha asked, tilting her head slightly.
"The girl more than the man. If it had been just us two, I have a feeling he would have left me alone as long as I didn't engage." Blake confirmed, wincing slightly as she dabbed her wound with an ice pack.
"Well...did you recognise him at all?" Yang asked, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Like was he from round here or see him on any posters at all?"
"No he...wore some type of mask." Blake replied, waving her hand in front of face to simulate the size of said mask.
"Any clothing or anything that was indistinguishable?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"No, his suit and weapon looked custom." Blake replied, shaking her head slightly. "But...on his back it looked like there was a massive '76' stitched on."
"Well that's not going to help at all!" Weiss stated matter of factly, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.
"Anything else?" Ruby asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.
"Not really, it looked like he had a scar that ran down the left side of his face, but it was impossible to tell between the mask and all the fighting." Blake replied.
"What about the girl?" Jaune asked, shrugging ever so slightly as he spoke.
"I know next to nothing about her. Her face was covered by a hood most of the time but she seemed familiar somehow..." Blake replied, narrowing her eyes slightly as she tried to think back to where she could have seen someone like that.
"Well...that doesn't really help." Yang said, shrugging slightly.
"But I do know this," Blake suddenly said, causing all to turn and face her. "That guy who attacked us, the way he fought was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I...I think he could have been a Huntsman."
"Umm...you sure didn't bang your head perhaps a little too hard?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"No, his fighting style was unlike anything I'd ever seen!" Blake quickly replied, holding her hands out slightly. "It wasn't military based and besides, how many soldiers do you see utilising a Semblance?"
"Wait, he had a Semblance?" Jaune asked with his eyes widened. "Wh-what was it?"
"I'm not sure, it seemed like some sort of Adrenalin rush. His attacks were coming faster and harder the longer he remained in combat and electricity was arcing off all around him." Blake replied, thinking back to how the man literally broke the floor with what was basically a single punch.
"But if he was a Huntsman, what was with all the cloak and dagger?" Ruby asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "If he was meant to be there, the police surely would have just let him in! Wouldn't they?"
"If Atlas doesn't want a third party involved, not necessarily." Weiss replied quickly. "Besides, we don't know what the guy was even doing there."
"Where was he when the...confrontation occurred?" Ren asked. Truth be told, Blake had explained little about the fight. Mainly due to their questions but still.
"He was leaving the Security room." Blake replied, thinking nothing of it.
"Did he have anything with him?" Pyrrha asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"He had a data chip of some sort." Blake replied, tossing the now useless ice pack to the side. "What? You think it had something valuable inside?"
Pyrrha merely brought her hand to her mouth as she hummed loudly to herself before she finally spoke.
"Not to jump ahead of conclusions, but I think we might have our first suspect."
"That...would make some sense..." Weiss replied as she took everything into account. "He's extremely skilled in combat so it isn't hard to believe he's a Huntsman. Not to mention the killer is targeting Beacon students so he definitely fits the disgruntled former pupil theory."
"But why bother with the Security room business?" Jaune countered. "Seems like it would just be a waste of time, not to mention potentially allow him to get caught."
"If it weren't for his encounter with Blake and the mystery chick the guy probably would have been able to slip in and out with ease." Yang answered, causing Jaune to nod in agreement. "Anyway, best way to cover your tracks is to get rid of the evidence."
"We don't know anything about the guy, but we do know his Semblance. That will definitely be included in any student files in Beacon." Weiss continued, holding her finger up. "And something tells me that a Semblance like the one Blake described is pretty rare."
"Uh, hello!" Nora shouted, waving her arms around rapidly.
"You absorb electricity Nora. Judging from what Blake said, this guy just had it radiating off him." Ren replied, causing Nora to grumble to herself slightly. "I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even real electricity..."
"Besides, I don't think he's the killer." Blake announced, causing the rest of her friends to look at her with shock.
"How can you say that?! All the evidence points at him!" Weiss asked, a look of confusion present on her face.
"We barely have any evidence and you're already pointing fingers!" Blake countered before sighing. "Besides, if he was the killer, let me ask you this."
The rest of her friends eagerly awaited her answer as Blake looked them all in the eye.
"Why would he let me live?"
00000000
Valentine sighed as he stood in the debriefing room, the two officers with him labouring away at the holographic screens in front of them. The information was nothing new, same old bullshit as usual. Corrupted file this, corrupted file that. Any attempt to decrypt the data was met with the document quickly malfunctioning and all data being lost.
He turned slightly at the sound of the sliding doors behind him opening as General Ironwood entered the room.
"Your guys find anything?" Valentine asked, although deep down he already knew the answer.
"Nothing, not even a fabric of clothing or a drop of blood." Ironwood bitterly replied, causing Valentine to grunt to himself in amusement. "You mentioned back at the warehouse you had seen something like that before..."
"Something along those lines, yeah." Valentine replied. He had only been a rookie cop back then, but the memories still burned bright in his mind.
"What exactly were you on about?" Ironwood asked, causing Valentine to turn with an upraised eyebrow before he turned to one of the officers.
"Open case file 0.1952." Valentine ordered, causing the closest officer to look up and nod in response.
The officer pressed a few commands on his key-board as he began to skim through old cases, which only served to make Ironwood all the more curious. Finally, the officer opened one of the files. Immediately a case file popped up on the screen, along with a picture of what appeared to be a young Huntsman on the curb of manhood.
The man looked tall for his age with sharp features, tanned skin and small traces of hair forming the beginnings of a beard. A black bandanna covered the top of his head, though what little of his hair that could be seen suggested it had mostly been shaved off. He wore a grey hooded jacket with black armour protecting his chest and shoulders whilst black gloves covered his hands. A belt was strapped around his waist with multiple shotgun shells attached, but the most interesting feature was the buckle which was shaped like a skull. He also wore black leather trousers with his shins and feet being protected by chrome coloured greaves.
"Gabriel Reyes." Valentine said as he read over the case file. "Was a student at Beacon Academy, member of the team known as JAGR."
"What happened?" Ironwood asked as he overlooked the picture of the young Huntsman.
"Unknown, at some point after graduation he went rogue." Valentine admitted as he continued to scroll through the file.
"How so? I thought your Huntsman held no affiliation." Ironwood asked as the image swapped to what was now an image of Gabriel's weapons, a pair of shotguns that morphed into sabres.
"What I mean is that he and his partner just started attacking Beacon students at random!" Valentine replied as the image shifted to what could only be described as a massacre.
"Who was his partner?" Ironwood enquired as he stroked his chin gingerly.
"Amélie Lacroix, later known simply as 'Widowmaker'." Valentine replied as a picture of a woman came on screen. The woman had unnaturally pale skin and her black hair was tied in a ponytail. She wore a black and red leather suit with armour covering her legs, collar and left arm. In her hands was a strange black and red rifle that seemed to change from a Sniper to a normal Assault Rifle.
"What were their Semblances?" Ironwood asked as Valentine continued to scroll through the report.
"The 'Widowmaker' had heightened senses, she could hear and see things faster than anyone else, even faunus couldn't match her senses. And Reyes could teleport in and out of places faster than a bullet from a gun." Valentine quickly replied. "You can see why no bastards could ever catch them. She could tell him when we were getting too close for comfort and he could get them both to safety. They terrorised Vale for nearly two years before it ended."
"If these are our killers, then where have they been hiding all these years? Why come out now?" Ironwood asked. It was a fair question in his mind, which was why he was surprised when Valentine started laughing.
"These ain't the killer General." Valentine chuckled, causing Ironwood to narrow his eyes in confusion.
"How can you be so certain?" Ironwood asked. "It would make sense, and you did state the current victims reminded you of their victims."
"It can't be them, the simple reason being this." Valentine countered, scrolling to the very bottom of the report, which showed a picture of a weapons facility that had been blown up by...something. "Gabriel Reyes and the rest of Team JAGR died nearly twenty years ago."
00000000
Soldier 76 wandered through the alleys of Vale, staying close to the shadows. According to his information, his 'associate' had set up shop in Vale's Old Town, aptly named due to the fact the oldest buildings were there, including many that had long since been abandoned. The sound of metal bins being knocked over behind him quickly caused him to turn with his weapon, Helix Strike, at the ready in rifle mode.
Seconds later, a black and white cat came sprinting from the shadows, quickly rushing to the other side of the alleyway. Soldier 76 merely grunted before placing the rifle back on his back and continuing through the alley.
He continued walking through the labyrinth that was formed by the concrete jungle known as Old Town. He then turned a final corner, where before him was a building he'd never thought he would see again.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Soldier 76 muttered as he gazed at the building before him.
The building was large and back in the day, it most likely would have been a pristine white with shades of black and grey. It was circular with many other blocks coming off the building. Sadly, they too had gone into disrepair. A large tower like structure rose from the centre of the main roof, stretching high into the sky with a large circular room at the top.
As he walked forward, he stopped by a stone plinth that once held the name of the building, though the letters had long since been scrapped by scavengers. The only thing that remained was a dust covered symbol, a large circle with two diagonal lines coming off the bottom and joining in the centre.
Soldier 76 sighed as he patted the symbol lightly, walking past it and through the shattered glass doors.
The building looked worse inside then it did outside. Multiple wires hung from the ceiling whilst tiles were scattered across the floor. He walked through the building, his feet tapping loudly on the metal floor. So many memories were brought back as he wandered the halls. He remembered it when it was in its prime...students and teachers alike wandering the halls to attend class, both human and faunus casually talking with one another despite their differences, partners attending sparring matches to hone one another's skills, and-
The sound of metal clattering against the floor quickly brought him out of his trance as he turned. He slowly drew Helix Strike, aiming the rifle down the corridor as he awaited whatever had made the noise to make it's presence known. Scavengers most likely, the building was basically a gold mine due to the abundance of unused technology that was left behind.
He continued to scan the corridor's until he noticed something very strange. It had gone dark all of a sudden. Looking down, he saw he was now in...someone's shadow. A very big shadow.
"Oh no..." Soldier 76 muttered as he felt the inevitable coming.
Without warning, Soldier 76 was sent flying forward by a powerful backhanded swing, Helix Strike flying from his grip. He skidded uncontrollably for a while until he managed to turn and grind to a halt. He looked up to whatever had hit him and froze.
They were a faunus. A gorilla faunus to be specific. A very BIG gorilla faunus to be even more specific. They wore white armour that made them all the more imposing with a black under suit beneath it. A metal band was around their forehead whilst what appeared to be an Arc Gun of some form was attached to their back. Their face was twisted in an animalistic snarl whilst they fiddled with some black square glasses resting on their nose. Just the person he was looking for.
The figure let out a primal roar, bounding forward on all fours ready to tear 76 apart if need be.
"Winston!" Soldier 76 shouted, holding out his hands in defence.
Almost immediately, the faunus skidded to a halt as he heard his name. He stopped just mere inches away from 76 as he began to look at him in an inquisitive nature.
"Jack?" Winston asked, readjusting his glasses slightly as he continued to study 76.
"Not any more..." Soldier 76 quietly replied, lowering his hands slowly as he looked at the ground.
"It is you..." Winston said with a grin, laughing as the realisation hit him. "Where have you been? I thought you-"
"Long story..." Soldier 76 interrupted. He didn't have time for small talk, he was a man on a mission. "I need your help..."
"Oh no...I'm done with fighting." Winston said dismissively as he turned to walk away. "If you want help with combat, you should have gone looking for Genji or Pharah!"
"It's not combat related!" Soldier 76 retorted as he followed Winston, only stopping to retrieve Helix Strike. "I need you to decrypt something for me."
"Really?" Winston asked, though really he cared little. "And what do you want me to decrypt?"
"Video footage...for a case."
"Of course it's for a case." Winston muttered, taking more difficult means of travel to dissuade 76 from following, though it proved ineffective. "What is it this time, hmm? Bandit King? White Fang? That...Roadhog and Junkrat?"
"Vale Reaper." Soldier 76 simply replied, causing Winston to flinch in surprise.
Even in Old Town, news had spread fast of the Vale Reaper and their victims. Those poor kids, cut down in their prime.
"Why are you so bothered about the Beacon students? You've never cared for their well being before, why now?" Winston asked. As harsh as it was, it was true. The students of Beacon had been imperilled before, and the illustrious vigilante 'Soldier 76' had not raised a single finger to help.
"Because I think it's starting again..." Soldier 76 admitted, lowering his arms in defeat. "It's exactly the same as it was twenty years ago and I'm afraid it's-"
"You're afraid it's him..." Winston finished, the harsh look on his face replaced by one of pity and regret.
"Yes..." Soldier 76 replied, lowering his head as his hand reached for his pocket, revealing a storage device of some sort. "Please, before he hurts anyone else."
Winston stared at the device in 76's hand before looking up at him. His eyes narrowed as he studied the vigilante before leaning forward.
"And if it is him and you catch him, what will you do with him?" Winston asked. Depending on how he reacted to the question would determine if he would help him or not.
"What I should have done a long time ago..." Soldier 76 replied, holding the storage device out further.
Winston studied him for what felt like hours. His gaze both comforting and unnerving. Finally he sighed, grabbing the device from his hand.
"Fine, I'll help you..." Winston dejectedly said, turning to head to his quarters before stopping to face 76. "You might as well stay here for as long as you need. Lord knows how long this will take and it's no doubt better then whatever shack you've been living in."
"Thank you," Soldier 76 said as Winston turned to continue walking. "For doing this-"
"Let me make this clear, 'Soldier'!" Winston snarled, turning to face 76 rapidly. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for Jack!"
Soldier 76 hung his head low at the sound of his old name. He turned to walk away, but not before stopping to say one last thing to Winston.
"We're all soldiers now..."
00000000
Yes that's right, Winston is in the house! If you liked this chapter, feel free to review and constructive criticism is always welcome. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in a review and I'll answer them next chapter.
Raging Archon out.
