Another month had passed and it was December. The snow had started to fall on the ground, signaling the second winter since the bombing of Vale. This winter would probably be harsher though, due to the effects of the missile. Blake had finished her report and shut her laptop down for the night. She looked outside her little shelter and saw the construction drones finishing up the last of the shelters.
When the refugees first arrived, they lived in nothing but tents, which eventually turned into wooden bunkhouses, and eventually houses that held ten people. Although things were a little cramped, but countless amounts of resources had been provided from the Gears and she finally saw how much space Beacon actually had. Too much in her opinion, but there was no point in complaining about it now.
For the last several months, they had been giving people better homes little by little. It cut into the reserve resources that the Gears had a bit, but it further gained loyalty and respect towards the faction. Atlas had provided some as well, but were usually looked upon with disdain when they arrived.
She shared one of the houses with Red and Jaune, the former often gone most of the time. Red was actually forced to take a break when she hid an injury from them, and Blake scolded her for nearly two hours when she came back late one night. Despite Blake and Jaune telling her to relax and try and get over her guilt, they knew that Walker was the only one who could get her to listen.
Their shelter was two stories tall, but only had four bedrooms and was quite cozy. She looked out the window to see the snow start to pile up on the ground outside. The blanket of white covered the pathways and a few people could be seen walking outside. It was so quiet and she enjoyed it, finding it to be the perfect time to open a book and get some reading done.
For the next half an hour, she enjoyed her book and perked up a bit when Red opened the front door. She gave Blake a brief greeting before heading off to bed shortly after while Jaune walked in an hour later. He had fit into the leadership role decently, and while he still wasn't as good as Walker, he was doing quite well despite all the pressure on him.
"Enjoying your book?" He asked as he plopped down on the couch.
"As a matter of fact, I am." She nodded and turned back to it.
"Must be nice to be in here all day. I was out in the freaking cold all day." He muttered with his face in the cushion.
"Oh it was so nice. Had the chance to warm my toes up by the fire and wiggle them around." She said before raising her feet and wiggling her toes a few times.
"Since when did you become so smug?" He snorted in amusement.
"Who knows." She answered and turned back to her book.
"What'd you find?" He asked as he took his shoes off and lied down on the couch.
"The Locust have been quiet for the most part." She said.
"That can't be good." He said.
"I can't say for certain. Our microdrones have been relaying us information. From the looks of it, they're recovering. I guess the flooding of Mantle killed more than we initially though." She explained.
"Perfect time to deliver the bomb." He said.
"Not now though. They're still tinkering with it at base and it might be a while until it's ready." She said.
"I guess I'm just worried a repeat of Mantle will happen here." He said.
"I get it, but the last of the fortifications are being prepped so there's that." She responded and he hummed a bit before looking at the fireplace. It was silent between them and the fire crackled a bit as the wood burned slowly.
It had been such a long day on his part that he was beat, a part of him didn't understand how Walker did it so often. He looked up when he heard the sound of Red walking down the stairs and she came down with a blanket wrapped around her body. She slid down onto one of the chairs and tugged her legs into herself before closing her eyes and basking in the warmth.
"What are you doing down here?" Jaune asked.
"It's warmer down here than it is in my room." Red answered and sank further into the blanket.
"Did you cover the vent again?" Blake asked.
"No, I actually left it open this time. There might be something clogged inside of it." Red answered and rubbed her face in the armrest.
"Your fur?" Jaune asked.
"I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that it's warmer down here and I'm sleeping in this chair or the couch when you move." She responded.
"Well, you're in luck because I'm about to-" He stopped when there was knocking at the door, making them look up at it. The other two watched as he looked through the peephole.
"Who is it?" Blake asked.
"Goodwitch." Jaune answered and cracked the door open.
"Can I come in?" Glynda asked.
"Not until you tell us what you want." Blake said as she stood up and stood next to Jaune. The cold air blew into the house but she ignored it and just stared blankly at the other woman.
"I have information." Glynda said.
"What kind of information?" Blake asked.
"Regarding the Locust and other things that shouldn't be discussed out in the open." Glynda responded and brought her coat closer to her.
"Fine..." Blake sighed and motioned for her to come inside.
"Thank you." Glynda said as she stepped inside and was immediately hit with warm air. The fire crackled and she was overcome by a sense of cozy warmth.
"What kind of information do you have?" Blake asked as she sat back down on the chair. She crossed one of her legs over the other and leaned forward a bit to look at Glynda evenly.
"Information regarding a woman. Before you say anything... Ozpin's orders, not mine." Glynda said as she held a file out. Never in her life did she think a former student of hers would be part of the most dangerous factions on Remnant.
"..." Blake took the file and opened it before reading it in silence, then scanning all of them with her C-Droid and clicking the button on the side. The information was displayed on the holographic screen before it disappeared with the simple click of a button. After that, the files were thrown into the fire and Glynda squawked in alarm.
"That was valuable information." She said.
"We already have it." Jaune said as him and Red opened up their C-Droids and read the information carefully.
"Oh..." Glynda said quietly and watched as they read the information. It was somewhat alarming how fast information traveled with their devices. Hell, it was a terrifying thought to think about when it came to their information flow and logistics.
"The answer will come one day." Blake said.
"We unfortunately need to know soon." Glynda said.
"Not until Walker wakes up. A decision like that without his knowledge or approval isn't something we can afford. Not only is she an unknown variable, your party hasn't revealed why she's so important despite us asking numerous times." Blake explained calmly.
"Aren't you all relying on him too much despite his condition?" Glynda asked.
"We're just following the guidelines set into place. Amber's ties to you all is part of something, and that something could destroy everything we spent so much time building." Jaune added as he sat down.
"Can you just think about it?" Glynda asked.
"We'll think about it." Blake said as she stood up and started to usher Glynda out the door. It was shut before she could say anything else and they all just looked at one another before sitting around the furniture.
"I'm surprised you two didn't tell her that we already knew about Amber." Red spoke up for the first time in a while.
"Oh well." Blake shrugged and crossing her leg over the other.
"So you think we should help them?" Jaune asked them.
"I don't think we should. We have no reason to." Red answered.
"Whatever the answer is, we'll figure it out sooner or later." Blake said as she grabbed her book and headed upstairs. Jaune followed shortly after and retreated to his own room for the night while Red just snuggled into the blankets some more before falling asleep.
Brock and Simon had arrived in Vale and set up shop in the armory/forge. They worked on the various weapons and armor made for the war dutifully while also enjoying their work. If someone loved their job, then they'd never have to work a day in their lives. It applied to these two more than others.
Gears and BSS came and went after getting their weapons and equipment looked at and repaired, then left shortly after. It was a pleasant for the time being, until General Ironwood stepped in with Ozpin and his company.
The brothers stopped their work and the assistants did as well, staring at the other party. It was quiet for several seconds and the tension in the room started to thicken to the point where it was suffocating.
"You all can go home for the day." Brock announced and the assistants looked at one another before leaving after some hesitation. On the way out, they glanced at the other party and gave Ironwood a dirty look.
"..." Simon just looked at them before turning away and tending towards some armor.
"What do you want?" Brock asked crudely.
"We'd like to learn some of your personal techniques. We feel like it would serve the combatants in Vale's army well." Ozpin said.
"Fuck off." Brock said rudely and turned away, grabbing a piece of heated metal before he started hitting it with a hammer.
"We understand your anger-" Glynda started.
"No, you don't. None of you do." Simon said as he looked up from the armor he was working on.
"Why would we help the same people that's been spying on us? On top of that, I'd rather not lose my damn temper with Irondick over here." Brock gestured towards Ironwood with his hammer.
"On top of that, why are you even bothering us? We're not affiliated with you, we don't see the reason to either, and you've never offered us anything other than empty promises the few times we've met." Simon added.
"Listen, we just need to-" Glynda stopped when the door opened up and they all saw Red walk inside.
She stopped and looked at all of them without a hint of emotion, but as soon as her gaze stopped on Ironwood, it turned dark. Just the mere thought of being in the same room as him was a disgusting feeling and she wasn't trying to hide it either. The same applied for Ozpin.
Her armor was damaged in some places and dried blood could be seen on her gauntlets and Longshot. The weapon itself made out of reinforced materials because there were times she used it to bludgeon a Locust to death. It was something that was starting to happen more often because she was starting to confront them at close quarters now.
"You look like shit." Brock's voice snapped her out of her deadly glare directed at Ironwood.
"I feel like it." She muttered as she took her chest piece off and set it on the large metal table. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she felt just a tad bit cooler after taking that armor off.
"Another chest piece? This is getting out of hand." Simon scolded as he tapped the top of her head with a flimsy stick. She didn't even react and looked away before rubbing the back of her neck.
"Alright, drop your things off. We'll get it handled." Brock sighed.
"Thanks." She said.
"You got to stop doing this reckless shit. I know you feel guilty about what happened and it's not your entirely your fault, but this is starting to get out of control. You really think he'd stand for this?" He asked.
"..." She just looked away and contemplated on what he said.
"Get yourself looked at. We'll get your stuff in working order." He said and she nodded in appreciation before walking towards the door.
On her way out, she stopped and gave Ironwood an expressionless stare but everyone could feel the nearly uncontrollable rage hidden beneath her expression. The tension in the room started to thicken and only stopped when she pushed the feeling down. She wasn't so reckless that she'd jeopardize whatever fragile relationship the Gears and BSS had with Ozpin's party.
"That was unexpected." Ozpin cleared his throat.
"What tipped you off, you old bastard? Was it the glare or the fact that you idiots have been constantly meddling with us since the beginning?" Brock asked as he set his hands on the table and looked at them.
"..." None of them said anything, but Glynda looked away and Ironwood did as well.
"You want something? Here, take this and get the hell out of here." He said as he tossed them something then turned away from them to go back to the project he was working on.
Ozpin saw it was something and unwrapped it, his calm smile dropping when he saw that it was a half eaten sandwich. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he stared at Brock before he sighed.
The other two knew that trying to talk to the brothers was a task that was nearly impossible. Both of them hated Ironwood with a burning passion and they didn't even want to try and trust Ozpin nor Glynda. It was unfortunate since they were known for creating weapons of war around the world, and whatever Walker offered them could probably be bought.
"What is he offering?" Ozpin asked.
"You must be deaf as you are stupid. At this point, you ain't got a lick of leverage over us nor can you offer anything. Your academy would've been a shithole had it not been for the Gears and BSS, you have no plan to counter the Locust if they show up here, and on top of all that... we don't like your stupid asses." Brock responded.
"That's not including the fact that you've tried to have us arrested in the past." Simon included as he tended to Red's armor.
"It was a necessary precaution." Ozpin reasoned.
"You just didn't want us making weapons and armor and making a profit. I've been around long enough to know when someone is feeding me some bullshit." Brock countered easily.
"This isn't going anywhere." Ironwood sighed and turned away.
"Irondick relenting for once? Holy shit, the underworld must've frozen over." Brock commented as he sharpened the blade to another knife.
"..." Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew trying to even talk to the brothers was a mistake; before, he didn't see the potential they possessed. As he got older, he started to see it and realized the mistake he made. By the time he tracked them down and was prepared to make a deal with them, they were already creating weapons and armor for the Gears.
Ozpin was prepared to say something else, but his mouth clamped shut when a knife was thrown next to his face. It easily pierced the wall and was lodged inside, making him look at it then at the brothers. Both of them were holding weapons in their hands and were prepared to throw more if the three of them didn't leave the room. So without arguing further, they left the brothers alone to continue their work.
"Idiots." The brothers muttered at the same time before going back to their work. The sound of blades being sharpened and armor being repaired were the only sounds in the otherwise silent room.
People knew that the Gears didn't hold Atlas in high regards, often ignoring them at best and treating them with hostility at worst. It mainly applied to the regular Atlas soldier, but the Ace Ops they absolutely despised. The feeling was mutual however because the Ace Ops themselves didn't like the Gears in the slightest. They saw the Gears as nothing but bloodthirsty, power-hungry maniacs waiting for their next paycheck.
Tensions were high and it only made things worse when the Ace Ops spoke ill of the Gears and their families. It took some of the older Gears to keep the younger ones from exploding, but even their patience was being tested.
All it took was several more comments about their families and Walker for all hell to break loose. A brawl broke out between the two parties and Jaune was one of the people who had to be a peacemaker with some of the others. It took some persuasion but he eventually managed to deescalate the situation before it got any worse.
The Ace Ops bumped into his shoulders when he started to berate them and he shot them a dirty look as they passed by. They were too prideful of their abilities despite being proven otherwise and he could only shake his head. That attitude would come back to bite them in the ass one day and he wasn't going to bother trying to help them either.
He had to tend to some duties while Blake and Red were off doing their own thing. Despite what some initially thought, they had more duties than one would assume.
Jessica held onto a sample container and talked with Ruby and her team. She checked her scroll to see that they were doing an assignment with a few of the Obsidian Guards and one Onyx Guard. A chill ran across her spine when she read that, despite seeing them wander around Mother Base and even on the BSS ship, she's never seen them in action before.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"We're um... we're doing a mission with a few of the more senior Gears." Jessica answered as she put the sample container below her backpack.
"What's the mission?" Yang asked.
"We're to collect several live specimens in the Dust Zone." A voice was heard. They all turned to see a rather muscular man in his thirties with trimmed facial hair. A scar ran from his lip to the lobe of his ear. He wore the Onyx Guard armor and his helmet was held in his right hand.
"Sergeant Menendez." Jessica saluted, before jabbing the others to do the same. While he did have some military experience from Atlas before being dishonorably discharged, he's been with the Gears since the beginning and climbed the ranks after proving himself multiple times. Even despite his past with the snow kingdom.
The Gears was his chance to start new and he was careful not to repeat the same mistakes. His time in the Onyx Guard improved his skills and it allowed him to finally tap into the hidden potential that only Walker saw in him. He owed the man his life for providing a better life for not only himself, but his two kids as well.
"You all set?" He looked at each of them.
"We are." Jessica answered and he nodded in approval.
"We weren't briefed all that much." Yang spoke up.
"The details were sent to your scrolls several hours ago. Make sure you grab enough equipment and protective gear for this assignment." He said, staring at each one of them before slightly narrowing his eyes.
"We'll grab our supplies." Weiss said as she tugged the other two towards the armory.
He just watched them go and shook his head before he looked at Jessica. From what he's heard, she was talented and was constantly learning underneath Walker. Needless to say, she was the only one who was ready for the mission and he nodded in approval.
"Will it be just us four accompanying you all?" Jessica asked as she adjusted her backpack.
"No, several specialized squads from the BSS and the VDF will be touching down in different areas of the zone. I take it that you were briefed on our task?" He glanced to his right at her as they walked towards the modified Bullhead. It allowed them to hold more personnel inside of it, but it was expensive to make, as were each of their aerial vehicles.
"The details changed when I last saw. I haven't seen anything within the last hour." She admitted.
"It's fine. I'll brief you more when everyone is present." He said as he put his helmet on and entered the Bullhead. She followed him and saw several of the Obsidian Guards already sitting in their seats, staring forward at one another and she barely saw their chests rise and fall.
After a few minutes of waiting, Ruby arrived with Weiss and Yang. They all wore protective armor and masks were seen on their faces, two filters on the sides to provide them with clean air. Menendez silently judged them and they could feel it, feeling themselves ten times smaller in his presence.
He held onto the strap above his head as a few more operatives filed in and sat in their seats. After a few more minutes, he slammed his hand against the side and the ramp raised and they felt themselves start to ascend.
"What are we expecting?" Jessica asked.
"Our mission is to collect live specimens for research purposes and mark areas of interest for future operations. Glowies are the main opposition. The Locust won't touch this place with a ten foot pole fortunately. Check your shots, not every walking creature in there is an enemy. We've been getting reports of survivors-" He began as he paced back and forth between them all.
"Survivors?" Yang asked.
"Some had managed to survive the Heaven's Spear strike. These individuals have started to display signs of infection and are to be transported to the BSS for treatment if possible." He continued and looked at each one of them to make sure they understood.
They listened carefully as he continued to brief them and they all checked their equipment before watching as he went to the cockpit. It was silent as they flew to their destination and the four of them glanced at the Obsidian Guards.
It was slightly unnerving to see them barely moving and Yang tried to scoot away from one of them a bit. There was something supernatural about them in a sense. Each one gave off an unknown aura that couldn't be described clearly. It was like they were robots waiting to be activated.
Ruby looked at their weapons and armor, noticing that they seemed to be heavily modified. As much of a weapon nut she was, she wasn't willing to try and invoke their anger and be on the receiving end of it. From what she's heard along with Weiss and Yang, these Gears were different. They never spoke a word when they operated and they always seemed to leave a trail of destruction in their wake.
"So are you guys always this creepy?" Yang blurted out and Ruby smacked her hand over her sister's mouth.
"..." They didn't even react and simply kept staring forward blankly.
"You dumb bimbo." Weiss slapped Yang's arm and scolded.
"Ow! It was a joke." Yang whispered back as she rubbed her arm a bit.
They were all thrown into an uncomfortable silence and Jessica brought out a tablet, swiping to the right and loading up the objectives. It was always good to be prepared.
A small safe house was tucked away in the corner of the Dust Zone and Blake sat in a chair, tapping her chin with a pencil. Due to Red constantly gathering information here, she had managed to find several spots that were relatively safe where the effects of the Heaven's Spear strike didn't touch. This spot was merely one of them.
She perked up when the door twisted open and Jessica walked in with Ruby and her team. The Obsidian Guards followed by shortly after while Menendez was the last one to enter and closed the door before twisting the handle securely.
"Ma'am." He nodded and she hummed while twisting the volume to the radio down, then took off her headphones.
"Did Ozpin recommend you three?" Blake asked.
"Yeah." Ruby answered sheepishly.
"Mmm." Blake hummed as she stood up and went to the bulletin board. It was covered in targeted positions and each one was connected by a string. Next to her was a chest full of weapons and ammo while cots could be seen nearby.
"Ms. Belladonna, we collected a sample." Jessica said.
"Perfect, you can put it over there." Blake pointed towards the desk and Jessica reached behind to her to put a small shard in a container on it.
"So how are we supposed to catch these specimens?" Weiss asked.
"There are better protective suits over there as well as traps from the BSS." Blake gestured to the suits nearby as well as a box loaded with a trap.
"Which target are we after?" Jessica asked.
"An infected specimen. Capturing it alive will provide the organization with much needed information. You all are to infiltrate the compound at night and capture it. The place is infested with Tickers and infected Wretches, not to mention the hazardous air." Blake explained as she went to the board and pointed on one of the targets.
"What about the other targets?" Menendez asked.
"Some of the targets were killed unfortunately, thus resulting in a failed mission. It doesn't matter because if this one will provide us with enough information when we complete it." She said as she tapped the target a few times with a marker.
"Anything else?" He asked.
"The VDF are stationed nearby and will provide assistance if needed. You six are entering the compound to capture the specimen." Blake pointed at Menendez, Jessica, and the Obsidian Guards.
"And us?" Yang asked.
"You three are guarding the perimeter with the VDF. Don't you dare say anything about not getting any of the action. I'm not in the mood to argue and I won't have this mission end in failure because you want to prove yourself." Blake said and quickly shut Yang down before she could say anything else.
"We'll get it done." Menendez said.
"I know you will." She nodded and they left. It was quiet and she turned back to the radio before noticing that three people hadn't left and she could feel her irritation growing by the second.
"When is Pyrrha coming back?" Ruby asked.
"She's not. Now stop wasting time and get out there. If we fail this because you three aren't doing your jobs then I'm going to lose it." Blake answered as she adjusted the radio a bit and opened her laptop.
"..." They looked at her then at one another before beginning to leave the safe house.
"Another thing. Don't let anything happen to Jessica... I don't need to tell you what your punishment will be, do I?" Blake asked as she looked at them from over her shoulder. Her eyes were barely visible from underneath her flat cap, but they could feel the hidden threat in her warning.
None of them said anything but just hesitantly nodded in response before closing the door after them. She just stared at the entrance before turning back to the laptop and radio before getting on a channel, relaying a message to any survivors inside the city.
While they were waiting for the bomb to be completed, assisting the BSS to find a better solution to their Glowie problem was their top priority aside from the Locust. It was better that they at least had some idea as to dealing with them than going in blind.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she received a message from Velvet saying that she was visiting with her family for a few weeks. She always did enjoy talking with them and they said it looked like Walker was improving the last time they saw him. That was probably the first piece of actual good news she's heard all day today.
It's been a while. I apologize for the absence, was dealing with some things. Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time. Whenever that day is.