Chapter 13: Reclamation

May 15, 2682; 0625 Hours

Remnant, Beacon (Dormitories)

Cinder sat on the edge of her bed, legs crossed. She seemed rather indifferent, the complete opposite of Emerald, who was fuming. "How could this happen?" Emerald asked. "How could they find out so quickly?"

"It's a minor setback." Cinder said, lazily flipping through her Scroll.

"Minor?!" Emerald questioned. "We lost Mercury and Neo! We don't even know where they are! The White Fang informants say that not a single precinct or prison in Vale has anyone named Mercury or anyone matching Neo's description!"

"Emerald…" Cinder said, sighing. "The plan can still proceed, it will simply take a bit longer."

"What about that SPARTAN?" Emerald asked. "We need him out of the picture!"

"And that's your current objective." Cinder said, grinning. "Make it happen."

XXXXX

May 15, 2682; 1003 Hours

Remnant, Beacon

Ivan stepped out of Professor Port's class, wrapping up the last final before the midday lunch break. He let out a sigh as he stepped out, shaking his head in disbelief. "Was it that bad?" Someone asked, catching the SPARTAN's attention. He turned, finding Cinder to be standing next to him.

"You could tell?" Ivan asked, walking down the hallway.

"I had my suspicions." Cinder affirmed. "I still can't believe what happened with Mercury and Neo."

Ivan nodded. "Neither could I." He replied. "Something always rubbed me the wrong way about Mercury, but I thought that it was just his snarky attitude and rude demeanor."

Cinder nodded. "He wasn't known for his tactfulness. Where is he, by the way? Still on Ironwood's ship?"

"He was." Ivan responded. "But he was transferred last night to a UNSC Frigate's brig in orbit."

"Why orbit?"

"How successful do you think and orbital prison break would be?" Ivan asked, a slight smirk on his face. "Innies tried that just after the War… didn't go too well."

"Innies?" Cinder asked.

"Insurrectionists." Ivan responded. "Human revolutionaries that tried to take down the UEG before, during, and immediately after the Human-Covenant War. They had a fair bit of popular support in the Outer Colonies, but as their methods got increasingly barbaric and the UEG's laws got less and less strict, their support declined to the point where they're just history now."

"Oh." Cinder said. Internally, she had hoped that these "Insurrectionists" would help prove the UEG to be weaker than they say. Sadly for her, that was not the case. "Well either way, I'm glad that your team can still compete in the tournament."

As Ivan stepped into the cafeteria, he saw Yang wave him over. He grinned to himself, but was surprised at Cinder's next choice of words. "Would you mind if I sat with you?"

"Sure." Ivan responded. "Emerald gone or something?"

"No… I just feel that I should apologize to your team for what happened."

"That's unnecessary, but you're welcome to join us." Ivan answered. "By the way, sorry about ONI kicking down your door."

Cinder shrugged as she walked alongside Ivan. "They were just doing their job, they had good reason to suspect we were involved, I suppose."

Everyone seemed rather surprised to see Ivan sit down with Cinder next to him. Only Ruby had ever actually met her, so he drew a few looks of confusion from both Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Yang had a jovial smile on her face. "So Ivan… care to tell us about your girlfriend?" She asked, drawing a cocked eyebrow from Cinder and Ivan alike.

"No…" Ivan said. "But I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Cinder." Ivan said.

"Hi!" Yang said, smiling.

Everyone went about greeting the newcomer brunette, who had a small smile on her face the entire time. "So, you're one of the exchange students from Haven?" Weiss asked, looking at Cinder's attire.

"I am." Cinder said, nodding. "I'm also… the leader of Mercury's team." Yang had a concerned look on her face, but Cinder silenced her prematurely. "And I'm here to apologize. I had no idea what Mercury was up to. If I did, believe me… it wouldn't have happened."

Yang seemed satisfied with the response, giving an approving nod. "So…" Ruby began. "How do you like Beacon."

Cinder gave a small grin in response. "This academy is very… well-equipped. I'm considering transferring here for the rest of my training."

"That's awesome!" Nora said, being boisterous as usual.

"Nora!" Ren said, looking up from his book and glaring at her.

Nora let out a small "Eep!" before turning back to studying with Ren.

"Speaking of studying…" Weiss said, reaching down and grabbing a textbook.

"Good idea." Ivan said.

XXXXX

May 20, 2682; 1200 Hours

Ivan pulled his normal, civilian attire from his little corner of the closet, preparing to watch the final-final round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Just as he prepared to start changing, he heard his Datapad's notification tone sound off. He tossed his clothing lazily against the bed, activating the small computer.

Colonel Chesnokov,

My apologies for calling you into service again, but we've got another operation for Fireteam Omega. Report to the Rendezvous point just outside the main gates of Vale City, your team will be waiting for you with the mission briefing.

Godspeed,

-Admiral Joseph A. Bishop

Ivan sighed as he slotted the datapad back into his pocket. "Sorry guys…" Ivan said, drawing the attention of Team RWBY. "Looks like the UNSC needs me again."

"Aww!" Ruby complained. "But it's the last round!"

"I know…" Ivan said, grabbing his gel layer and miscellaneous equipment. "It should be a quick little operation, just like last time."

"Alright…" Ruby said. "Be careful."

"I will. Good luck, guys. Kick some ass for me." Ivan said, smiling as he gathered the last of his belongings and prepared to leave.

He took his normal route to the Firebase, gathered up his equipment, and decided to requisition a UNSC ground vehicle to make the trip out to the rendezvous point. He grabbed the keys to an unarmed Warthog, filled out the required paperwork, and set off. The drive was rather long and tedious, since Vale City was so massive. Much to the SPARTAN's surprise, the city was almost dead for a Saturday afternoon.

As he neared the exit of the city, which was under heavy guard from Atlesian Knights and UNSC Marines, he was stopped. One of the androids strolled over, scanning over the armored SPARTAN before speaking. "SPARTAN, what is your business here?"

"Orders from UNSC HIGHCOM. I have a mission outside the City." Ivan explained.

"Please provide Identification." The android commanded.

Ivan handed over a small magnetic card, which the android scanned over. It gave a curt nod as the card was handed back. "Very well. You are cleared for exit."

"Thanks." Ivan said, waiting for the Atlesian Knights to open the checkpoint gate. He proceeded through the checkpoint. He checked his satellite image map, seeing the RV point to be about four klicks outside the city. He proceeded with the drive, stopping right on top of the marker point. He deactivated the hydrogen engines and disembarked from the vehicle.

Ivan stood near the Warthog for well over twenty minutes, waiting in almost complete silence. The only sound that accompanied him was the sound of his armor's actuators whirring whenever he moved. Suddenly, the sound of movement from within the forest alerted him. "Fireteam Omega! Report!" Ivan said, assuming it to be his team. When nobody responded, he slowly drew his magnum, scanning the treeline with his augmented eyes. Suddenly, he heard a quiet thunk against his armored chestplate, causing him to jolt slightly. He heard a series of quick, metallic clicks as something metallic met his armor. He attempted to look down, only to find his armor's joints to be locked up. His HUD flared red, showing "ARMOR LOCK MODULE ATTACHED" in bright white lettering.

His stomach dropped as he read the messages on his HUD. In an instant, twenty White Fang militia members slowly stepped out of the forest, aiming their weapons at the immobilized SPARTAN. Much to his surprise, he saw what appeared to be their leader step out after them. He was a tall Bull Faunus, clad in a black suit with a black trenchcoat. His spiky hair had dyed red tips, and he carried a long sword at his waist. "Get him in the back." Their leader commanded, pointing to the Warthog.

Ivan ground his teeth together as the White Fang slowly, and rather clumsily, lifted him into the back of the unarmed Warthog. He saw the Bull Faunus climb into the back, producing a small syringe from his pocket. He uncapped the small hypodermic needle, slotting it into the port on the back of the Gel Layer's neck and injecting the cool liquid into the SPARTAN's body. The last thing he heard as his vision faded was: "Get him back to the facility and out of his armor."

XXXXX

May 20, 2682; 1509 Hours

Remnant, Vytal Festival Arena

The entire stadium burst into cheers as Team RWBY stood victorious. The final round of the Vytal Festival was a very close one, stretching almost two hours past the scheduled end. Team RWBY had emerged victorious as the best Huntresses-in-training on all of Remnant. They all celebrated with a shared group hug as they cleared the stadium, making their way towards the locker room. They all quickly changed back into normal attire and set off back to Beacon.

Upon landing, the entire campus of Beacon, or so it seemed, stood at the landing pad, celebrating their victory in the Tournament. It wasn't until the sun had already set that they were finally able to make their way back into the dorm room. "We did it!" Ruby celebrated, jumping up and down excitedly.

As the four were celebrating their victory by relaxing in their beds, Blake snuggled up next to her personal space heater, being Yang; a few short knocks sounded off against the wooden door. Ruby excitedly jumped up and ran to answer it, surprised to find Winter standing behind the door. "Hey Winter!"

"Hello, Ruby." Winter said. "Congratulations on the win, everyone!" Winter said, stepping into the room. Weiss jumped onto her feet and found herself quickly wrapped in a hug by her older sister. "Very impressive use of summoning, Weiss." Winter complimented. "You all performed exceptionally well."

"Thank you, Winter!" Weiss said, beaming.

"Wait…" Winter said. "Where's Ivan?"

"He's off on a mission." Ruby said, sadly. "They called him in at the last minute again."

Winter nodded, solemnly. "Well, he's a very good fighter. I'd imagine that he'll be home in no time at all."

XXXXX

May 20, 2682; Time: Unknown

Remnant, Unknown Location

Ivan awoke slowly, his vision blurred. He blinked the blurriness away, finding himself strapped to a cold metal chair in a dark, damp room. The room was made of almost pure concrete with a white, almost sterile tile floor and a single light dangling from the ceiling. Suddenly, all confusion was washed away from his mind like a tidal wave, and all memories of what happened came flooding back to him. He looked down, finding that all of his armor had been removed. Only his insulated gel layer remained. He struggled against the metal restraints, angry to find that they were made of an incredibly strong alloy, likely either Dust-infused or Titanium-A. "Fuck…" Ivan muttered to himself, attempting to send out a signal with his Neural Implant. Upon doing so, he felt an immense amount of bio-feedback from the signal reverberating around the room. He quickly deactivated the transponder, choosing to spare himself the agony of listening to a constant high-pitched tone.

"Don't bother." Someone said from the now-open door. Ivan looked up, unsurprised to see the Bull Faunus standing over him, triumphantly. "You're six hundred meters underground. Nothing short of one of your fancy starship radios can get out of here." Ivan remained completely silent, simply glaring at him. "Don't give me that look, Human. You brought this on yourself. Even your fancy armor couldn't save you." The Faunus deployed his blade, dragging the Dust-augmented edge along Ivan's gel layer, cutting the sleeve open. He primed the blade with Dust, heating up the weapon to an unimaginable heat and pressed it against Ivan's exposed arm flesh.

Ivan winced and let out a hiss of pain through clenched teeth as superheated metals seared his flesh. As he pulled the metal off of his skin, the SPARTAN let out a pained sigh. "What is it you want, Intel? It'll take more than a little torture to get that out of a SPARTAN, sweetheart."

The Faunus punched Ivan across the face, disorienting the SPARTAN significantly. "I don't need anything out of you. Sadly… this isn't my job, someone else can… take care of you from here." With that, the Faunus strolled out of the room, locking the heavy metallic door behind him. Ivan let out a pained sigh as he looked down at his still-smoking flesh, praying to God that someone… anyone could help him out of this.

XXXXX

May 21, 2682; 0740 Hours

Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)

Blake stirred slightly in her sleep, perfectly content to be wrapped up in the covers of a bed next to her personal Sun. She hummed happily as she nuzzled back into her resting place. She felt Yang stirring slightly next to her, along with a small kiss placed just between her ears. "Mornin', Kitty Cat!" Yang whispered, cheerily.

"Good morning." Blake affirmed, happily. Blake looked up, finding Ruby and Weiss to be in the process of waking up as well.

Ruby yawned. "Wait…" Ruby said, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. "First year's over!" She said, happily.

"Indeed it is…" Weiss said, stretching. "Does that mean we can sleep in?"

Before Weiss could plop back down onto her pillow, a short series of knocks came from their door. "Apparently not…" Weiss complained, standing up to answer the door. As Weiss opened the door, she was surprised to find not Ivan, but three gentlemen in perfectly tailored suits, with the exact same pin that Agent Thorne had on his coat, that of ONI. She eventually realized that the one standing before her was Agent Thorne.

"Miss Schnee, my apologies if I woke you, but it's urgent." Thorne said, his expression completely neutral and calm. "Do you mind if we come in?"

"Not at all." Weiss said, gesturing for the three men to enter. The trio of ONI agents stepped into the room, taking in the décor indifferently. The rest of Team RWBY looked around, incredibly surprised to find three agents of the mysterious ONI in their dorm. "How can we help you?"

"Would you happen to know where Colonel Chesnokov is?" Thorne asked, turning back around to face Weiss.

"I'd think you would know." Weiss said. "He was called to Firebase India yesterday."

"He was never called to Firebase India… as a matter of fact, he was never given any orders to report anywhere." Thorne said. "He requisitioned a civilian-grade M12 Warthog, his armor, standard weapons, and was last seen by Atlesian Military assets driving out of Vale City."

"If he was never given orders to leave, then where is he?" Blake asked, sitting up next to Yang.

"That's what we're tasked with figuring out." Thorne responded. "As of right now, all we have to go off of is this." Thorne produced a datapad from inside his coat, powering it up and handing it over to Weiss. The datapad showed a slightly distorted image of an M12 Force Application Vehicle, as well as an armored SPARTAN standing on the edge of the Emerald Forest. "That satellite image is the last known location of Operative Chesnokov, taken at exactly 1:23 P.M. on Saturday afternoon. He hasn't reported in since, and we've been led to believe that he has either gone AWOL or been captured."

"Those are two very different accusations." Yang said.

"They're the only two possibilities that exist." Thorne explained. "His Neural Implant's transponder isn't showing up on any sensor scans of the planet and he's completely dropped off the face of Remnant. I came to you looking for answers. We know it to be the White Fang, as there's no other possible candidates on Remnant for taking a SPARTAN prisoner, but I need to know where to start."

Blake sucked in a deep breath. "I… might have a place for you to start."

"Miss Belladonna… please elaborate." Thorne said. "I'm aware that you had previous affiliations with the White Fang, but according to Colonel Chesnokov's reports, you've severed all ties to the organization since they've gone militant."

Blake was floored by the ONI Agent's knowledge, but filed it away as him having read Ivan's reports. "Well… the White Fang has a few facilities here in Vale where they'd keep prisoners. I can name four off of the top of my head."

"Excellent. Forward all data to my datapad." Thorne said, handing Blake his datapad. She typed a few things into her scroll and connected the two devices, transferring coordinates and addresses. "Perfect." Thorne said, slotting the datapad back into his coat. "One more thing. I'm going to need your assistance in clearing these locations."

"Why us?" Ruby asked.

"Because most of my forces have little experience in fighting the White Fang." Thorne explained. "I'm creating four Strike Teams. One of them will be ONI Agents, one will be ODSTs, one will be SPARTAN Chesnokov's Fireteam Omega, and one would be Team RWBY, if you decide to help me."

"You can count us in." Ruby said, nodding.

"Excellent." Thorne said, smiling. "Report to Firebase India in one hour and the teams will insert from there."

XXXXX

May 21, 2682; 0815 Hours

Remnant, Vale (Firebase India CENTCOM)

Team RWBY walked through the halls of Firebase India, escorted by two SPARTAN IVs in stark white armor. They were led into the CIC, where Thorne, a Faunus ODST, and a female SPARTAN IV in armor similar to Ivan's waited for them. "Ah, Team RWBY, thank you for coming early." Thorne said, nodding. "Now… onto business." He pressed a few buttons on the table, causing a holographic projection of Vale City to appear. "Miss Belladonna was kind enough to provide us with the location of four White Fang bases within Vale itself, all of them potentially housing our missing SPARTAN. One is in the Residential District in an old apartment complex, one is in the Industrial District in an old automotive factory, one is in the commercial district, and one is in Downtown Vale."

As Thorne pointed out all four locations on the map, he highlighted four small green tokens on the table as well, all of them having different images on them. One represented each individual team. "The ODSTs will insert in the Commercial District from a Pelican. Omega will insert into the Industrial District, ONI will handle the Downtown location, and Team RWBY will handle the Residential outpost."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but the Faunus ODST spoke up, making his wolf-like canines appear between his lips as he spoke. "Do we have any intel on the resistance we might face?"

"Negative… we're going in blind." Thorne said. "We can't risk sending in Force Recon, not unless we want to clue them into our little operation and have them move him. Every team, however, will have a Force Recon Fireteam with them." Thorne sighed. "If the White Fang forces prove too great for any team to handle alone, ODST reinforcements are on standby for a Combat Drop from orbit. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads in the negative, allowing Thorne a small smile. "Excellent, everyone report to your designated Pelican for insertion."

XXXXX

May 21, 2682; 2031 Hours

Team RWBY jumped out of the back of a Pelican dropship in the dead of night, Blake leading the way towards the White Fang complex. The dilapidated apartment complex that was their target could be seen from where they landed. The Pelican powered down, allowing ten Marines Force Recon operatives to file out behind the huntresses. The Huntresses and Marines funneled through the unoccupied back alleys of Vale City, slowly closing the distance between them and their target.

Nobody other than Blake had ever seen this side of Vale before. All of the buildings were run-down, made of older materials, and looked decades old. The rest of Vale was a sprawling metropolis, this was a destitute slum. "What is this place?" Yang asked, walking with Blake.

"A Slum District." Blake responded. "Mostly Faunus live out here."

The FORECON Squad Leader made a few hand motions to one of the Marines, who was carrying one of the UNSC's massive SRS99 Sniper Rifles. The Marine nodded in understanding, and began climbing a service ladder to the top of a building. The building itself was actually taller than their target, giving her a good line of sight. "Where exactly would he be being held?" The Squad Leader asked, directing his gaze towards Blake.

"The second or third floor." Blake responded. "The entire complex belongs to the White Fang though, and there are still civilians probably living here."

"Copy… All Marines, check fire. Civvies likely." The Squad Leader whispered into his helmet's communicator. Force Recon Marines were outfitted with upgraded variants of SPI Gen-2 armor which featured carbon-titanium alloy plating, Active Camouflage modules, and a mid-range shield generator. The Huntresses watched as the golden light of personal shielding technology shimmered into existence around the Marines, who then started creeping their way towards the three points of entry on the ground. Four Marines remained on the ground, while five of them fired a rappelling wire from their under-barrel attachments, which embedded themselves in the brick wall above the third floor. The Marines used their semi-powered exoskeletal armor to begin scaling the side of the building rather quickly, yet silently.

The Huntresses felt the communicators that Thorne had provided them crackle to life. "Team RWBY, the front entrance is yours. You'll have two Marines for fire support." The squad leader said, his voice distorted over the radio waves. "Prepare to enter on my mark."

Team RWBY made their way towards the front entrance, finding their two Marine companions pressed up against the side of the wall. The door itself was made of rather flimsy wood, and had a small window on either side. One of the Marines made motions for the Huntresses to stack up behind him. The Huntresses followed the gesture, coming to stand right behind the Marine. "Three…" The communicator sparked to life again. "Two…" The Huntress team and Marines all tensed their grips on their weapons. "One…" Everyone seemed to brace themselves to begin moving, the two Marines at the door nodding to each other. "Mark, begin operation."

At the Squad Leader's words, one of the Marines at the door with a M45 Tactical Shotgun moved in front of the door, sending a Force Multiplication Circuit-assisted kick into the frame. The door splintered under the powerful kick from the Marine, sending the wooden portal crashing into the building. The Marines and Huntresses funneled into the building, revealing a few stunned looking Faunus residents, who immediately ducked down once they saw two heavily armored Marines storm in, followed by four Huntresses. "Get down! UNSC Marines!" The shotgun-wielding Marine shouted, her voice amplified by her armor. "Yang, Blake, with me!" She shouted. "Ruby and Weiss, stick with him!" She gestured to the Marine with an SMG.

The two groups split up, one of them taking a staircase off to the right, and another taking a staircase off to the left. Yang and Blake's small group, upon making it up to the second floor, found themselves facing a few White Fang fighters that were slowly beginning to organize. The Marine quickly worked the pump on her shotgun, sending 8-gauge slugs into one of them as she ducked into cover. Yang sent a few rounds from Ember Celica, slamming into another White Fang soldier. Blake fired a few rounds from Gambol Shroud's pistol, dropping the last two Faunus.

As Blake and Yang continued down the hallway, spotting Ruby and Weiss on the other end, a door opened next to Blake. The distinct sound of a Pulse Rifle powering up could be heard. Blake quickly called upon her Semblance, causing her to flash away and leave a shadow clone where she had previously stood. A short burst of rifle fire later, and her clone's visage had disappeared, replaced by a stunned White Fang fighter. Yang sent a bone-crunching punch into his gut, knocking him back into the room. The two teams convened in the middle of the hallway after clearing all of the rooms.

After convening, the satisfying cracks of a sniper rifle firing sounded off from the nearby rooftop, followed by the sound of shattering glass and splintering bricks. More automatic gunfire could be heard from the upper floors, signaling the fact that the second team had inserted. "We need to move quickly." The Shotgun-wielder said, motioning for the rest of them to follow her.

They quickly ascended a staircase, finding there to be a relatively strong defensive position dug in on the second floor. The Marines began decoupling flashbang grenades from their armor, tossing them down the hallways and into rooms. The group of six split into three groups of two, all of them clearing a room individually. The two Marines stuck together, while the huntresses stuck with their partners.

Most of the rooms were empty, with the exception of a few White Fang fighters or a family. Yang felt terrible about kicking down the doors of innocent people, but she pushed those feelings down. In the final room that they cleared, Yang kicked down the door, as usual, and stepped inside along with Blake. She smelt an odor that nearly made her gag, what she saw did make her gag. She saw two young Human girls, looking barely Ruby's age, locked in cage meant for a large dog. She also saw a White Fang fighter, missing his mask and weapon. He stared at the two Huntresses, throwing his hands into the air. The two girls looked at the Huntresses in a mix of awe and fear.

Yang moved to apprehend the White Fang fighter, while Blake ducked down to check on the two girls. Both of them had scarcely more than rags to cover themselves with, and looked like they barely had enough food to survive. "What's taking so long?" The Shotgun-wielder asked, walking into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two girls being helped by Blake. "Agent Thorne." She said, pressing a hand to her helmet. "Are you seeing this?"

"Copy." Thorne responded through their communicators. "Jesus Christ…"

"Orders?"

"Do what you will, Marine." Thorne said, cutting his end of the communication.

The Marine motioned for Yang to step aside, which she slowly did. The FORECON Marine walked over to the Faunus, her red eye-sized visors staring down at him. She brought a fist straight into his stomach, then knocked him on the temple with her armored gauntlet, knocking him out. "We'll come back and exfiltrate the civilians once we're done here." The Marine said, motioning for them to follow.

Blake and Yang followed behind the Marine, still shaking from the adrenaline of the fight and the sheer sight of the two girls locked away like animals. Yang could practically feel the anger in the Marine when she saw that, as her hand hovered mere inches above her magnum the entire time.

They quickly ascended the staircase to the third floor, finding a dozen dead White Fang, along with four Force Recon Marines that were searching the entire floor. "Anything?" The Squad Leader asked, looking to the shotgun-wielder.

"Negative, just captive human girls." She said, her voice oddly stoic.

The Squad Leader sighed. "Copy that… I'm calling for medevac and our ride. The ODSTs will take it from here."

After a few minutes, the sound of Pelican engines sounded off from the distance, closing the gap between them and the building quickly. The Marines waited on the third floor while the Pelicans closed in, followed by the sounds of bay doors opening. For a few minutes, automatic gunfire filled the halls of the apartment complex, eventually ending abruptly. Four ODSTs in black armor with red crosses descended the staircase, carrying medical equipment and stretchers. "Building's clear!" The leader of the medics reported. "Your evac's waiting for you on the roof."

XXXXX

June 8, 2682; Unknown Time

Remnant, Unknown Location

Ivan winced as he felt his right arm smashed by a long blade, cutting the skin to the bone, but stopping there. The Faunus tried to force his blade through Ivan's bone, unknowingly grating the metal blade against a substance that was stronger than the steel his blade was made of. Ivan ground his teeth together as the blade's surface heated up, searing his flesh and cauterizing the wound. Ivan sucked in a deep breath through his mouth, unable to breathe through his shattered nose. One of his eyes was irreparably damaged, removing his depth perception. A few of his teeth were missing, yanked out by the same Bull Faunus that was now attempting to sever his arm. His bare chest was covered in scars, both from his augmentation procedure and the time he had spent in White Fang custody. They never asked him questions, they only sought to make him hurt as much as possible. His weak Aura protected him for a time, but it could only protect him, and fix so much. Ivan tried to flex his fingers after the latest wound, disappointed to find that his arm was completely immovable.

Ivan's retinal implant was still operational… somewhat. He knew that he had been locked up for about two and a half weeks, and he also knew that almost every augment in his body was working tirelessly to keep him alive. Ivan hadn't even realized that the Faunus had left, replaced by Emerald. "How are you enjoying your stay?" She asked.

Ivan simply spit in her direction, saliva replaced almost completely by blood from his missing teeth. "That bad, huh?" Emerald asked, smiling. "I could just kill you…" She said, still smiling. "If you tell me where Mercury is, then I can just end it all right now."

Ivan panted for a moment, surprised at her request. "As per UNSC POW Protocol Omega Twenty-One, I am not authorized-" Ivan was silenced by the bladed grip of Emerald's plasma pistol slashing him across the cheek.

"Think about it a bit more." Emerald said, strolling out of the cell.

XXXXX

June 10, 2682; 2340 Hours

Remnant, Beacon (Team RWBY Dorm)

Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss dejectedly stepped into their dorm room after another failed attempt to find their SPARTAN. They had been going non-stop for the past three weeks. "Ugh…" Yang said, angrily as she tossed her gauntlets onto the desk. "We've searched every base in this damn city and haven't found anything! All we know is that "he's being kept in good hands" by the White Fang somewhere!"

"How could this happen?!" Weiss said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Even the Atlesian military doesn't know anything!"

"We've swept every single operable White Fang facility that I know of…" Blake said, sighing. "Could he really have gone AWOL?"

"Don't talk like that!" Ruby said, standing up from her chair. "He'd never do that!"

Ruby was interrupted when a series of knocks sounded against the door, prompting her to quickly flash over with her Semblance and open it. Behind the door was Winter. "Hello, Ruby." Winter had a grim smile on her face.

"Winter!" Weiss said, standing up. "Did the Specialists find anything?"

"Sadly… no." Winter said, walking inside. "We've swept through the entire city with our best, and the UNSC's best scanning equipment, no sign of the SPARTAN."

"Damnit…" Yang said.

"Blake…" Weiss said, choosing her words carefully. "Are you sure that there isn't anywhere else in Vale where they could be keeping him?"

Blake sighed. "There was this facility out… way out in the Emerald Forest. It's been abandoned for years, though. Like, decades."

"Is it worth a shot?" Yang asked, looking to the Faunus.

Before Blake could respond, Ruby's scroll beeped, with "Thorne" flashing across the front of her screen. She quickly accepted the video call, finding Agent Thorne to be looking at her, a look of renewed vigor in him. "Ruby, I may have a lead on SPARTAN Chesnokov."

"Really?" Ruby asked happily.

"Yes… SADAR scans have detected Slipspace ruptures coming from the Emerald Forest. The UNSC has no active units out there."

"Where in the Emerald Forest?" Blake asked, peering over Ruby's shoulders.

"Six hundred meters underground, sixty kilometers out from Vale City." Thorne responded. "Sending satellite images now."

An image of a clearing in the middle of the Emerald Forest appeared. The clearing appeared manmade, as it was in a near-perfect circle. "That… That's the abandoned base's entrance." Blake said.

"Alright then…" Thorne said, nodding. "I'll prepare a full task force. If there's a Slipspace rupture down there, I'm assuming the worst. The White Fang are experimenting with Slipspace. I'll have a Pelican pick you up from Beacon. Specialist Schnee, you are welcome to join us."

XXXXX

June 10, 2682; Unknown Time

Remnant, Unknown Location

Emerald smiled as she looked down at the battered SPARTAN. "Don't worry, Ivan… your friends are in good hands." She said, strolling out again. As the door clamped down, locking, Ivan clenched his good hand into a fist, anger seeping out from every ounce of his being. After everything she's done to him… she's going to do the same to them. Ivan couldn't bear the thought of that happening. Energy seemed to course through him from somewhere, allowing him a few moments of resistance against his bondage to the chair. Some of the wounds on his operable arm reopened, causing blood to flow down his arm.

Ivan felt a strange… pins and needles sensation all across his body. He had felt it before, when he was on Reach near a Slipspace Testing Facility. He looked down at his hands, where most of the feeling was concentrated. He saw tendrils of purple-black-blue energy leaping across his hands. He had felt this feeling before, while arresting Mercury. He had just attributed it to being so, blindingly angry.

Much to Ivan's surprise, a small Slipspace rift opened up a few inches from his hand, allowing strangely shaped silverite metal to slip through and begin attaching itself to his hands, encasing them almost completely. As they attached, more and more of these plates started slipping into Real Space, attaching themselves to his body. He felt armored plates start attaching themselves to his back, neck, and skull. Larger plates attached to his chest and legs. He felt more of the metal shift into reality, encasing his head. A pair of orange visors covered either of his eyes, just large enough to not obstruct his vision, but completely protect him. A set of plates dug under his restraints, forcing them off and attaching to his body. He looked down, surprised to find himself encased in Forerunner Combat Skin.

Suddenly, a HUD flared to life, overriding his preexisting one. Strange Forerunner glyphs danced across his vision, eventually fading into plain English. "RECLAIMER IDENTIFIED, BEGINNING BIO-LINK PROCEDURE".

Ivan felt millions of small needles stab into his spine, causing him to wince in pain. He felt a strange liquid injected into him, followed by a feeling of body-wide cold. Just as quick as the sensation came, it vanished. Suddenly, he felt all of the pain he had been subject to over the past three weeks vanish in an instant, replaced by a feeling of… calm. "RECLAIMER CHESNOKOV, LINK COMPLETE". The HUD declared, showing his biometrics. Ivan was amazed that his destroyed arm was moving, and fully responsive.

Ivan scanned over the data on his HUD, surprised at the amount of information available to him. He was amazed at the rating of the Combat Skin… rating 18, one of the most advanced suits available to the Forerunners, "Hello, SPARTAN." An unknown feminine voice said, startling the SPARTAN greatly.

"Who is that?" Ivan asked, looking around the room. "Where are you?"

"I am a Forerunner Ancilla; designation: Soleia." The voice responded. "I am the Ancilla that is linked to this Combat Skin, I will assist you."

"You're an AI?" Ivan asked.

"Yes, I do fall under that umbrella term." Soleia responded. "I'm surprised… you managed to call upon your Combat Skin without the use of a more advanced Neural Lace." She seemed to think for a moment, eventually speaking up again. "Excellent… you've unlocked your 'Semblance' as your people call it."

"My Semblance did it?"

"Indeed… You have the power to manipulate the Slipstream." Soleia explained. "That is… if your genetics are any indication."

Ivan focused, allowing his Aura to flow freely, eventually culminating in the creation of a small Slipspace rift, from which a small pistol grip fell. As he grabbed it, it called forth more and more components, eventually forming a Light Rifle in his hands, which immediately linked into his armor's HUD. "Whoa…" Ivan said, inspecting the rifle.

"Excellent." Soleia responded. "Now… I believe that you will be needing to leave soon, yes? I can assist you with this. You are wearing the culmination of thousands of years of research. Your armor gives you strength unmatched by your kind's current Combat Skins."

Ivan flexed his fingers, forming a fist. "Anything else I should know?"

"You will have reinforcements." Soleia responded, almost happily. Within an instant, three human-sized Slipspace portals opened up, allowing one Promethean Soldier out per portal. Each of them looked very humanoid, but were made completely of Forerunner alloy, with blue accent lights as opposed to orange. Ivan recognized them from the numerous War Games simulations he had run. They were Promethean Soldiers… but they weren't hostile.

"Reclaimer… we are at your command." The Soldier Captain said, placing a metallic hand over its chest, bowing its head..

"Well then…" Ivan said, priming his Light Rifle. "Let's move." Ivan stepped over to the metal door, flexing his fist the entire time. He reared back, sending his fist towards the door. His armor punched clean through the metal, allowing him to rip backwards, tearing the rather thin metal out of the wall. Ivan primed his Light Rifle, raising it up to his shoulder, prepared to make these animals pay.