The days slowly started to pass by and before they knew it, it was November. Things continued as normal as they could at the base. Another two platforms were dedicated to growing crops and rich soil was carefully placed when they were finished with construction. Aside from the BSS, the Gears usually had more than enough food available due to their location and would often ship containers to the mainland.
The inhabitants at Beacon were always grateful when they saw a container holding massive amounts of food. It meant that they could eat decently for a while. It was somewhat costly to grow the crops though and payment was always given. However, due to the guidelines set into place by Walker himself, they would still receive the supplies.
Jaune was slowly learning how to manage efficiently and he was starting to fall into a rhythm with it. He'd wake up and get ready, exercise for about an hour if he could, shower and get ready, then head to the office to work. The more experienced members were quick to assist him and make sure he was doing it efficiently. It was important to make sure he didn't run himself to the point of exhaustion and he knew when to call it quits.
Blake had returned from Menagerie and did paperwork in her office. Just like Walker, she always was caught up on her work and made sure to have everything done. She never slacked off and there would be some nights when she stayed later than usual. These nights always had her collapse as soon as she got to her apartment, but it was worth it.
Red was always on patrol and was often in the mainland for weeks at a time, either killing Locust or gathering information. People could tell she still felt guilty and whenever someone would blame her for Walker's condition, she wouldn't even deny it. All she would do was quietly accept it then distance herself like she did in the past. She never spoke during the meetings, and only listened to what others had to say.
When she did come back to base, she was always injured in some way shape or form. Whether it be a new cut on her back or arms, or the lack of life in her eyes. Sometimes, she would go straight to the Metal Throne or to her apartment. Despite people forgiving her and putting all the blame on Lucas, she still felt the guilt eat away at her.
She lied down in her bed with her face in her pillow. It was dark in her room like always and she turned her head to the side when her scroll buzzed, narrowing her eyes at the glare when she opened the messages. Several of them were asking where she was and she ignored them before putting her face back in her pillow.
Knocking on her door made her sigh quietly and sluggishly get out of her bed then walk out of her room. She walked down the small hallway and made her way to the front door before cracking it open and looking through it. She saw Blake on the other side and closed the door, unlocking it and opening it before heading back into her room. Her face was put back into her pillow after she lied down on the bed and closed her eyes.
"Red..." Blake peeked in the room.
"..." She stayed silent and just motioned for Blake to speak with her hand.
"We're heading to Vale for an assignment." Blake said.
"When are you leaving?" Red asked.
"Tomorrow morning." Blake answered and Red glanced up at her before nodding.
"..." Red nodded silently and slid off the bed. She neatly made it and walked out of the room, grabbing her signature red coat and sliding it over her shoulders. The two of them walked out of the apartment and she locked it up before following Blake down the hall.
Despite not saying anything, Blake knew Red blamed herself for Walker's condition. When it all boiled down to it, while she was the one to blame for bringing Lucas to the safe house, it was Ironwood's fault for sending the man in the first place. She lost the trust of people and constantly made efforts to rectify her mistake. Within the last few months, she did earn half of their trust back but by that time, she was already over it.
People saw her throw herself into more and more dangerous situations and it was worrying. The light in her eyes started to fade bit by bit and eventually all that was left was barely a flicker. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she hated herself and as desensitized by violence as Red was, even she started to feel the weight of it all.
It was almost impossible to get her to talk anymore, but neither Blake nor Jaune were going to leave her alone. Even though she was to blame for the whole situation, they were equally as guilty for allowing her to be charmed as well as themselves. The one time they ignored their gut feeling and it almost cost them one of their closest friends his life.
She only went to Brock and Simon when she needed her Longshot cleaned and repaired, nothing more or less. Despite them claiming that they didn't hate her, she still felt that they did. That little pessimistic part of her mind kept egging her on and reminding her of her that it was all her fault. That fact would never change, no matter how much she tried to think otherwise.
They entered the elevator and the button was pressed, neither one wanting to break the silence between them and they were content with keeping it that way. Soft elevator music entered their ears and filled one of them with a sense of ease while the other one just shrunk in on herself.
All the music did was remind her of how much of a terrible person she actually was.
Several seconds went by and the doors opened up, both of them stepping into the lobby area and walking through it. Blake greeted people as usual while Red just barely nodded at them and tugged her scarf over her face some more. She didn't even know why she was feeling so guilty now, it all should have gotten better but it didn't. It just kept building up until it eventually threatened to break her down.
"Red, we don't hate you." Blake said.
"You should." She responded quietly.
"Why do you think we hate you? We made a mistake-" Blake started.
"I made a mistake. A mistake that caused Walker to be put on life support. It wasn't you or Jaune that brought that scumbag to the safe house... it was me. I let charm him me and-" Red stopped herself and started to grit her teeth together.
"We all made a mistake. The only thing we can do is work with what we have and fix it. He's not dead, so thank the gods for that, but this guilt that's eating you away? You have to let that go sooner rather than later. He wouldn't want you to be so bent out of shape over it." Blake explained.
"..." Red just stayed quiet and continued to walk next to her. Blake was right about her needing to find a way to get rid of the guilt that was eating away at her. As much as she wanted to turn to the two of them, because she was close to them, she wasn't the one person she failed in the end.
While it might seem extreme to some, Red felt as if she failed her commander, her friend, the one person who gave her a path to walk on and stuck with her through the thick and thin. She failed Walker in more ways than one and until he woke up, she'd still continue to feel this way.
After bidding Blake a brief farewell, she exited the building and walked to the platform containing the life support mechanism. The walk there was quiet and the only sounds were the slight noises from the residential and commercial area as well as the vehicles driving along the bridges. She looked to her right to see the tram system take its passengers to their stops before heading off shortly after.
Minutes turned to tens of minutes before that eventually turned into nearly an hour of walking before she arrived at the building. The dozens of rows of seats on both sides of her, and the blue carpet that stretched down the aisle. Her eyes trailed up towards the end of it and she saw Walker in the tank, bobbing up and down slowly.
The sky was nearly pitch black out and the only people were the Onyx Guards standing still. With a small wave of her hand, she dismissed them for some time and was left alone. The dim illumination from the candles offered a sense of tranquility and she walked up the steps before reaching the top, staring at him before closing her eyes.
Her second pair of ears flattened at the top of her skull and she put her forehead against the glass. It was quiet with the exception of the Skull-Drones floating around and machinery in the background.
"Hey, Walker..." She whispered.
"..." He didn't respond, not a sign of him waking up has been recorded within the last few months.
"I... I came to apologize again. You're probably getting tired of all the apologies by now, Huh?" She asked quietly.
"..." He still didn't respond and simply bobbed up and down in the tank.
"Reed and Nikos are convicted of their crimes, she's getting off a bit easier I suppose. The scumbag isn't fortunately, I wanted to kill him right then and there but making him suffer was a better alternative. You wouldn't be so proud of that, would you?" She asked.
"..." The sound of bubbles in the tank were the only responses she was given. For once, she wished that he at least moved. A simple twitch of his hand, wiggle of his toes, anything at this point.
"We're headed into Vale tomorrow morning. We found a Locust stronghold and we're going to deliver a bomb. It'll at least buy us some more time." She said as she sat down near his tank and leaned her back against it. It was warm to the touch and her eyes trailed up to the dozens of Skull-Drones floating aimlessly through the air.
"..." Quiet machinery noises were heard and she could faintly hear his heartbeat through the glass.
"I've been trying to make amends with everyone though. I already know some still hate me despite saying otherwise. I deserve it, I guess. So, I'll see you next time and I hope you're at least getting better when I get back. Anyways, I don't want to waste anymore of your time so... goodnight and I-" She stopped herself and clutched the collar of her shirt before shaking her head.
Even when he was unconscious, she couldn't say it. Blake could say it easily, so why couldn't she? She just stood up before wishing him a good night and leaving shortly after. A job needed to be done and she had taken up enough of his time. The moment they delivered the bomb, they'd come back home and check up on him.
It was quiet as always and as she was walking out, she didn't notice his hand twitch slightly.
The ride to Vale was quiet as usual, nobody said anything and the moment they landed, they immediately went to their tents to rest after such a long flight. Nobody bothered them for the next few hours and Jaune was the first one to wake up and get to work. He immediately was caught up on recent events, such as the status of Beacon and its inhabitants.
He then started to go over their supplies and nodded in approval at the news that they were doing alright. Vale's military had been achieving more and more victories against the Locust. Although they were small victories such as disrupting their supply chain or destroying a camp; every little bit helped. They also found a recent settlement full of food, something they were quick to capture and take the supplies.
While he did operate a bit like Walker, he was a bit more friendly and some found it easy to talk to him. Walker's approach to things were more direct, belligerent if needed, but it stemmed from his countless encounters with the Locust. He wanted to know what was the most efficient way to the solution, and would tear through people to get what he wanted.
Due to being under Walker's tutelage, Jaune had started to gain the ability to read people better. Now he knew which people wanted to just get cozy with the Gears for their own selfish gain and those who wanted to actually do right. He started to appreciate the harsh lessons and saw how useful they'd be. It was how he knew Pyrrha really didn't hold any genuine affections for him.
He shook his head from those thoughts and continued to do his duties for the day. All around him, he saw the countless soldiers from Vale's military patrolling around, doing their best to keep what remained of their home safe from attacks. Their interceptor armor was resistant to a few Locust rounds, courtesy of Simon's expertise in tweaking with it a bit.
Vale was grateful to the Gears and BSS for lending them supplies and were often seen mingling with the latter organization. Despite the Gears frequently assisting with the Locust and Glowie problems, they were still slightly suspicious of Vale for Ozpin's spying attempts. Their trust with Atlas was barely holding on by a thread, and the only thing they wanted from the snow kingdom was materials.
Ace Ops were forbidden from entering base and any unauthorized Atlas personnel would be captured and executed if needed. Tensions were high and Ironwood may be stubborn, but he wasn't about to burn the already fragile bridge between Atlas and the private companies. Their numbers may dwarf the Gears by thousands, but the mercenary faction made up for it in skills and aggressiveness.
"Lord Arc!" A familiar voice called out and Jaune turned when he saw Jessica approach.
"Is that what people are calling me?" He scratched his head.
"Yes sir, everyone calls you that around here." She nodded.
"Ah jeez." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Now he knew how Walker felt when it came to these titles, except he noticed that his title was only lord.
"Are we going on the mission soon?" She asked.
"We're going next week." He answered.
"Ah, okay. Is Commander Ronin awake yet? I haven't been at your guys' home in two weeks." She said.
"No, he's still recovering." He said as his tone dipped down a bit.
"Oh..." She whispered and her ears flattened a bit. Walker was always a mentor to her and whenever she was having trouble with something, she always contacted him and he'd help her out. In fact, many of the younger members such as herself respected him because certain days of the week, he'd come by and help them improve.
"Yeah... I miss him too." Jaune nodded in agreeance and the two turned to see the stormy clouds in the distance.
"It always rains now. I can't seem to remember the last time it was sunny." She said.
"Me neither. So what have you been doing these last few weeks?" He asked as he walked next to her.
"Nothing really, just doing assignments is all. I recently did one with Ms. Red and enjoyed it." She said.
"A simple patrol?" He asked.
"Mm-hmm. She seemed a bit... sad though." She said.
"Yeah, I noticed that too." He said. Within these last few months, he noticed how Red seemed to lose more and more of the light in her eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the guilt was eating away at her, and no matter how much people reassured her that they didn't hate her, she still felt like they did.
"Is it the guilt?" Jessica asked.
"How'd you know?" He looked at her.
"I heard about the incident. Like everyone else, I was angry at her in the beginning until I heard the full story. I don't blame or hate her though, I know she's trying to make things right and feel like she's done it already." She explained.
"Yeah..." He whispered.
"I've been talking to some people though." She changed the subject.
"Oh yeah?" He asked.
"Yeah, that's them over there." She pointed and while she was looking away, his expression dropped a bit. It was Ruby, Yang, and Weiss, but he noticed their expressions seemed a bit more... shattered in a sense. It was like they had finally woken up and realized how terrible things were.
"I've met them before." He said.
"You have?" She asked.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"They're not so bad in all honesty. I mean, they still try to save people but I think they realize how things are now." She said.
"They don't try to... you know?" He asked quietly.
"Oh no, they know the consequences if they try." She knew what he was referring to and her answer made him sigh in relief. The last thing they needed was another attempt at infiltrating the Gears.
"I hate to cut things short, but I have some things to attend to." He said.
"Alright. Goodbye, Lord Arc." She waved at him.
"You can uh... you can just call me Commander Arc or Jaune... that whole lord stuff is kind of embarrassing." He said sheepishly.
"Got it. Anyways, see you later." She bid him a farewell before heading off into the crowd.
"Hmm." He hummed curtly before turning and heading off to his next destination. Now he understood why the other three enjoyed having her around, she was such an honest soul. While she was overly polite sometimes, he could tell it was just how she was brought up. She tried to see the good in people while still maintaining a realistic approach on life.
Cold air nipped at his skin and he shivered briefly before looking up at the sky again. He honestly wondered how winter would be, and looked at the budget on his C-Droid to see they had some excess money available. Before he could do anything, he saw that insulated little shelters were already being put into motion for this place.
If there was one thing he would always give Walker, it was the fact that he planned ahead and made everyone's job easier than it needed to be. Now that they had to actually do things, they realized how much of the burden he had been shouldering since the very beginning.
God, he missed his brother.
Jaune frowned when he saw Yatsuhashi start to approach him and immediately turned away from him then began to walk away. Velvet talked to him as much as she talked to the other three and she showed him the messages as well, or rather the lack of messages.
"Wait-" Yatsuhashi started.
"How are you alive?" Jaune blurted out. It was so unlike him to ask a question like that, but he couldn't help it.
"Is Velvet okay?" Yatsuhashi asked.
"She's fine, you dumbass. You'd actually know if you contacted her. Listen, I'm not Walker and I'm trying to be nice... leave me alone. You had your chance and now you blew it, so the most you can do is live with it." Jaune explained and left shortly after.
He never understood parents neglecting their own flesh and blood, especially during horrible times like these. Not once could he wrap his mind around it and he didn't think he ever would. It was such a terrible thing to do and it always rubbed him the wrong way.
He just found a secluded spot near the wall and put his cigar in his mouth, using the holographic lighter to ignite it and take a deep drag from it. The effects were nearly instantaneous and he watched curiously as countless people seemed to speed by him. If there was one thing he had to give the Gears, they did know how to make some good cigars.
A message pinged on his device and he read it before frowning when it was from Ozpin and Ironwood. He saw Blake speed walk towards the tower and decided to tag along to back her up. Their leader always did say to stick close to one another. Just another reason to respect him.
Walker sat on his old childhood bed and leaned forward. He looked at his hands and feet, curling and uncurling his fingers several times while wiggling his toes as well. Such a strange, yet pleasant feeling. It was clear that he was dead... or at least somewhat dead he supposed.
He walked out of his room and took a left, quietly making his way down the wooden hallway and stopping when he saw several family portraits. One of them was when he was first born while another was when Ajay was still a baby, back when his whole family was still breathing.
The wooden floor creaked quietly as he stepped on it and entered the living room. A couch was in the middle while two chairs were flanking both sides of it, positioned close to the wall. The fireplace was directly in front of him and the coffee table while their television was planted in the wall above it.
It was quiet and the ticking of the grandfather clock was the only sound as he went into the living room and sat down at the couch. He leaned back and sank into the cushion a bit while staring at the fire, watching as the flames went up the chimney. The cackling of it barely made him react, but it did fill him with a sense of ease.
For the next forty minutes, or what he assumed was forty minutes, he just sat there then leaned forward and let his head sink a bit. He felt the couch cushion sink next to him and he didn't feel like looking them in the eye.
"Hey, kiddo." His father greeted. Richard Ronin, the one man who fundamentally broke Walker a bit when he passed away from Rustlung.
"Hey, dad." Walker whispered. It was silent between the two and they simply enjoyed it for the next few minutes, idly listening to the ticking of the clock in the background.
"You've been making some progress." Richard commented.
"Not enough apparently." Walker responded.
"You've done what you can for now." Richard said.
"I guess..." Walker said back and rubbed the top of his helmet. There was still so much he needed to do and he was worried that if he woke up, everything would be in shambles.
"Thought you would've chosen the Sovereign." Richard looked around.
"I thought so too, but I guess my mind was always going back here. Back when everything wasn't completely in the shitter." Walker admitted and looked ahead at the fire.
"Hmm." Richard hummed and the pregnant silence returned. It lasted longer this time and Walker glanced at his father, or at least the figure his mind seemed to conjure up.
"You think I'm doing good?" He asked.
"I think you're doing the best you can." Richard answered truthfully.
"I thought so too." Walker laughed quietly before his smile dropped slowly. He put his helmet on the coffee table and rubbed his face several times.
"Any harder and you might rub your face off." A female voice chimed and he laughed a bit.
"Hey, mom." He greeted.
"Hi, baby." She greeted back and rubbed his shoulder. Alexis Ronin, his workaholic mother that he loved just as much as his dad.
"I..." He struggled to find the words to convey to them. He didn't know how to apologize to them for not being able to save them, to apologize for just standing there as they died in front of his eyes. What was there to say?
"We know." She reassured.
"..." He just nodded as the hot tears started to well in the corner of his eyes. No matter how much his mind tried to conjure up exact copycats of them, he knew that this wasn't actually them. It was all just his head trying to overcome their deaths and allow him to move on.
"There was nothing you could do for us." Richard said.
"I could have done something, dad." Walker responded.
"No, you couldn't have." Richard shook his head sadly.
"It was our time, all of us knew this." His mother added.
"..." He just rubbed the tears from his eyes with the palm of his hands and wiped his hands on his pants shortly after. It's been a while since he's cried and he thought that his tears had dried up years ago.
"Are you still mad at her?" Alexis asked.
"Mad at who?" He looked to his left and at her.
"Catherine, or Red, as you all call her." She asked.
"I don't know." He sighed. Sometimes he was so bitter with her, to the point where he contemplated on kicking her out as soon as he woke up, but other times he just wanted to forgive her and be done with the situation.
"She probably regrets it though. They all do, but I can see that you truly do care about them." Richard said.
"You guys weren't there. You weren't there when they kept talking about that scumbag." Walker said stubbornly.
"We haven't been around for a long time, but that shithead isn't here. It's only us three and we want to hear what's been going on." Richard responded calmly.
"You two got a minute?" Walker asked.
"I think we have more than a minute." Alexis responded lightly and he laughed softly.
He began to tell them what's been happening within the last few years, even before he got stranded on Remnant. How he wished they could see the end of the Locust war and help rebuild with the others. He told them how he found out about a portal on Azura because he got too curious and got stuck here. Time didn't seem to obey the laws of nature and it felt slower than usual.
Both of them could see how he had built the Gears up to one of the leading powers on Remnant, but ran it differently. They saw the frustration and depression he had been bottling inside from the moment he got here. He was so tired and numb to a lot of things, that he was simply running through the motions. The last things they saw were the sadness and loneliness he was dealing with.
Walker was possibly the only man from another world, stranded on a place he didn't mean to. All the foreign powers of Remnant seemed to always try to knock him down in some way shape or form, and it took Scorn physically breaking him to finally allow him to rest. He was doing his best to keep his head afloat, but he started to sink over time and they saw it.
He didn't belong here and no matter how much he tried to find a way back, something always came up and required his immediate attention. Eventually, it got to the point where he couldn't even start to look for a way home and didn't know where to start. Nobody to talk to because they didn't understand him, not like his parents or Dead Echo.
Part of the reason was because he didn't allow anyone to get close to him. He was so jaded and cynical at times that he didn't seem to notice the people who truly appreciated him and would stick with him through the thick and thin.
"You have people, Walker." Richard said.
"The people I have are on Sera, either looking for me or moved on by now." Walker responded, wincing when his dad slapped him in the back of the head. His dad always did feel that hitting him upside the head a few times hammered things into his skull.
"I meant on Remnant. Three people would follow you to the ends of the world, but can't help you because you won't allow them to." Richard said.
"So I'm just supposed to pour my heart out to them? Make them feel bad for the shit I went through?" Walker asked.
"No, but you need to help them understand. They want to help you and get close to you, but they can't if you keep pushing them away." She said.
"I can't just tell them everything, mom. Some things they don't need to know." He shook his head and looked at her.
"And that's okay, they don't need to know everything about you... but sweetheart, this whole pushing them away from you is starting to take a toll on you." She explained.
"..." He just looked at the fireplace and pressed his lips together, rubbing his mouth a few times and clenching his fists tightly. There were times when he wished he could tell the three of them about Sera, how wonderful and horrible it was. He just couldn't though, it felt like he was betraying so many people if he told them about his home planet.
"We're not saying pour your heart out to them and make it dramatic. Like your mom said, you need to help them understand your stance and situation. If it's just talking about the geography of Sera and that's it, then so be it." Richard said.
"What if they screw me over? What if they take that information and use it against me or Sera if they ever find a way there?" He asked.
"Do you really think those three will do that?" Richard raised an eyebrow.
"No." Walker answered truthfully. If there was one thing he was grateful for that he inherited from his father, it was his intuition. He knew that Blake, Red, and Jaune wouldn't screw him over; especially after all he's done for them.
"Alright then." Richard nodded and the silence returned for a while. The crackling of the fire and the clicking of the grandfather clock were the only sounds heard and the three were content with listening to them. It was peaceful, so peaceful that Walker actually felt relaxed for once and didn't wish for it to end.
That wasn't the case, because he knew that he'd have to wake up eventually.
"So tell me about these two girls you always hang out with." Alexis said.
"Oh god." He whispered underneath his breath. Even though he knew she was only a part of his mind, he had a feeling that his mom would actually do something like this.
He started to tell him about the three of them; how Jaune was like a younger brother to him, while it was complicated to describe what Red and Blake were to him. Although, he had a feeling they already knew and weren't telling him. It was for him to figure out and they got some enjoyment out of it.
Time seemed to slip by and he knew that sooner or later, he had to get up and get back to work. It... pained him but it had to happen.
"Well-" Richard started.
"Hey... can... can you two just stay here? For a while at least?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah." They nodded in unison and wrapped their arms around his shoulders.
"Thanks... I missed you two so much." He pressed his lips together tightly as the tears started to silently slide down his cheeks. How long has it been since he's heard their voices or seen their faces from something other than a picture? It's been too long in his opinion and he desperately wished that they were here.
"We missed you too." They said and brought him closer to them. While they sat and hugged him, they offered him advice and he retained it all. Knowledge from their past experiences were logged into his brain and he decided to follow their advice and incorporate it into life. Some of it he wouldn't, since it didn't fit him all that much, but the rest he would do his best to.
He felt calmer and more focused, whether it was because he expressed his doubts and fears to them or simply letting it all out, he didn't know. All that he did know was that he felt better and wanted to take on the world stronger than before. For now though, he just wanted to spend whatever time he had left with them.
"Whenever you're ready." Richard seemed to read his mind. It made sense... he technically was inside Walker's head.
"Thanks." Walker smiled a bit and leaned forward.
While his body was resting in the tank, his mind was resting here. He'd leave this place eventually, but he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest extent first.
So I'd like to thank everyone for reading this so far. This version actually got a lot further than the previous one and I feel like I accomplished something doing it. The spark wasn't there as much as it was with this one.
Onto the chapter though. No, Walker's not waking up yet. I might do another chapter or two without him leading the charge for once. Just to say this, but can some of you chill out about the multiple perspective thing? I get that you want to see everyone's viewpoint, but that's a lot and I don't want to half the time. If I come around to doing it, then cool, if not... deal with it.
Another thing, somebody asked me if I was going to have Walker be in a relationship with Ruby like in the last version. No, absolutely not. He has no chemistry with her once so ever, I got out of that whole trope, and he doesn't even like her half the time. Stop asking about a ship that sunk before it even set sail. The most they'd probably do together is work on a mission if there is no other choice.
Fanfiction's been bugging out lately, so if you see a chapter that says it got updated but really didn't, I apologize. Also, apologies that last chapter nor this one aren't all that, I tried though. In all honesty, I keep going due to my love for writing. So there's that.
Anyways, I don't have much to say other than thanks to those who just read the story for what it's worth and I'll see you next time. See you guys later.