I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starting to become paranoid about the possibility of a war between the West and Russia. I think Russia has about who knows how many nuclear weapons, but that's probably just in the original Modern Warfare games. Seriously, the world's already in enough crap as it is with all of the deaths from COVID-19 and the inflation, the last thing we need to worry about is a nuclear war with the one country that has more deadly nuclear weapons than any other countries. We just might end up seeing news reports about the Russian's invading Europe, like in Modern Warfare 3.
On the bright side, I think I can safely say that Belfast from Azur Lane is my Waifu. I mean, she's cute and all, for a ship in human form and she's strong in battle, plus she's a maid and I like them. Nah, I'm just kidding with you guys, I just like Belfast for the kind of character she is and she seems like the best choice for an AI companion for a certain Spartan-III that I'll be writing a story about in the future.
Speaking of stories, I think I'll take a short break from this story after I finish Volume 7, try and either focus on writing my Bad Batch story, rework my Star Wars: Hyper Lethal Vector or even start writing my Gundam Seed, Transformers and Power Rangers stories.
Either way, I'm still a long way away from finishing this story. So, you can expect some more chapters. Speaking of chapters, it's time for Nora to get a solo chapter with the most badass commandos in the clone army and I think it's about time that Trigger unlocks his semblance.
But first onto the reviews.
Monster King: Thanks
Luffy L Deathwalker: Yep, things are only going to get worse from here on out. But there is still a ray of hope for the people.
42: Yeah, I know what you mean. One of my friends said he thought he would live until his nineties. But he will never be forgotten. Did you know he voiced the Fisherman in the first Jak and Daxter game or that Mark Hamill, Ruby Rose (The real-life actress), Troy Baker, Roger Craig Smith, Ron Pearlman, Tara Strong, Matthew Mercer, Steve Blum, Nolan North, Andrea Romano, Clancy Brown, Paul Dini, George Takei, Lynda Carter, and James Gunn paid tribute to that man or that fans are placing flowers at the Batman Statue in Burbank?
BlindFaunusGirl: Glad you liked it.
Spartan-626: Thank you.
The guest reviewer: Trust me, when I say things are going to get much worse in the future.
Songs this chapter are 'Animal I have Become', by Three Days Grace and 'Clones' by Ash.
Now, que the intro.
(Start Rise, Tv version by Madkid)
(The camera moves fast over the frozen tundra of Solitas before it shots up to the floating city of Atlas and the city of Mantle below it. As fighter jets fly past, the title card is revealed with two lightsaber blades surrounding it.)
Remnant Unleashed
In this empty void, I found the way to light. Can't find my way in this lingering world. Searching fo the answer- the one that I can trust in. I'm just wandering around.
(The title card vanishes as a shot of Ironwood addressing his followers is shown, standing in full military gear. Among them is Galen and his team, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Lop, Faye, Kara and Zett, the students wearing new combat clothing. Behind them in the corner with their helmets off are Rex and his brothers who eye the general with suspicion.)
Yeah, still stuck in the shadow ey, But I never follow that. This pain at last soon will pass. Turn into my own unbeatable strength. This guy or that guy -dead or alive by hiding alone, can't survive. I don't want to lie to myself.
(Behind Ironwood are his Ace Ops and Winter who then dissipate into mist before being replaced by Jacque who has a devious grin on his face, while Whitley and Serra stand behind him looking at each other with worry. The scene then changes to Mantle where Boba, Robyn, Ahsoka, the Fox, Maria, Grogu, Pietro, Penny, Artoria and the Happy Huntresses look up towards Atlas, Robyn crossing her arms before looking at a picture of her, Ray, Neo, and Amber.)
Keep on the fight, get right I'll never lose and cry. Keep run up day and night. Time to rewrite. No matter what anyone say's I find my way. Never go away.
(The Grimm charge towards from the tundra as Galen, Ruby, Jaune and their teams ready for their weapons for battle only for Ruby, Jaune and their teammates to vanish into mist while soldiers appear behind Galen and his team aiming their weapons at them. Galen's eyes are shown and then narrow as he ignites his lightsabers.)
Now, nobody can stop me no way. I will make sure not to forget those precious things. Yeah, I'll take a stand, get back all that I've lost. Rise suddenly in this word. (I don't look back yeah.)
(Galen and his team then charge in, now fighting a top a speeding train in the tundra against the Ace Ops while droids attack both groups. Galen slashes a droid and counters an attack from Harriet, Rose dodges Elm's massive hammer, Arthur clashes blades with his cousin, March trades fists with Marrow who looks unsure of his choices as Vine's giant hands try to swat away two human shaped machines flying alongside the train, with Clover trading blows Rex at the front of the train.)
This repetition will repeat 'till the end. And the regret that's still lingering in my head. Time to get it all back, now turn over. Rise suddenly in this world.
(The scene changes once again as Teams RWBY, JNR, Domino Squad, the Bad Batch, Fordo, Alpha, Cody, Waxer, Boil, Kara, Faye, and Able fight against the Grimm which then change into Imperial troopers as the shadows of Vader, Palpatine, Barriss, Jacque, Watts, Maul, Salem, Emerald, Mercury, and a mysterious robotic figure loom over them. Ruby's face turns to fear before her eyes shine and a silver light engulfs the screen before the title card returns.)
(Song ends)
Disclaimers are the same as always.
Chapter 109: Factory Assault
It took a few extra days following their escape from Atlas, but at long last Galen, Rose, March, Arthur, and Grogu managed to make it to Robyn's safehouse. The safehouse was a two-story house like the ones they had seen around Patch, with a two-berth garage, three bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, common room, and basement/training room.
"Wow, looks like Robyn really doesn't care about riches and fame." March whistled impressively. "Looks a lot like that one house I saw a lot of the time back on Patch when I was trying to figure out how to help Yang."
"Let's just hope there's a wood stove inside this place. I'm freezing my ass off out here." Rose said with a shiver, rubbing her hands together to keep warm.
"Then let's get inside and get warm. We can plan our next move once we get a fire going." Galen told his teammates, pulling up both garage doors with the force before the vehicles were brought inside, then close the doors before they unloaded the buggies and brought the supplies inside.
Getting a fire started wasn't difficult, since Robyn had the hearth downstairs loaded with wood. Once it was roaring, Galen sat on the living room couch with Grogu in his hands. "So, what's are next move, Galen? You weren't going to just sit around here alone with the kid and do nothing?" March asked.
"I am inclined to agree with March, sitting around here doing nothing will not solve our current predicament. As of now, we are wanted fugitives, accused of the crimes Tyrian and his partner have committed. We need to clear our names and end Tyrian's rampage once and for all. All the negative emotions have drawn the Grimm closer and closer to the Kingdom and with that comes the possibility of Salem herself coming to the continent." Arthur mused.
"We already know Salem is targeting Atlas and she's after the staff of creation in the academy vault. She might even be after Kara." Rose said. "Considering that Cinder's now dead and her powers have been transferred to Kara because she was the last person in her thoughts, Salem will want to do everything she can to get the new Fall Maiden for her cause, seeing as they are the only one who can open the vault underneath Beacon."
"That reminds me, why did the Fall Maiden powers go to Kara anyway?" March asked.
"I sensed that Cinder was planning on torturing her using that S&M stuff that I noticed was in one of Blake's books. Seems she really enjoyed that 'kink' stuff." Galen answered. "Probably so she could get her hands on any weapons that her father planned to build."
"Well, at least Cinder's dead, so Kara's safe and Amber can finally rest easy." March said. "And it's a good thing that it was Trigger who killed her, seeing as Amber was his sister."
"Revenge is a powerful ally to those who are driven by it, but it is also a dangerous ally, for it can blind someone to what is really important." Arthur said grimly. "Trigger's soul burned for revenge against Cinder, it is possible that his soul will burn for revenge against Salem, the one who Cinder served. If he went up against Salem, he would underestimate her and would probably lose his life."
"Let's just hope, that Ray doesn't ever go up against Salem, he wouldn't stand a chance against her, not that we've ever fought against her." Galen hoped. "I'll take Grogu and go check out that settlement Robyn mentioned, tomorrow. See if they got any work for us to do, we maybe 'fugitives' but that doesn't mean we can't help out the people who live away from the kingdom." Galen's teammates agreed as the fire burned brightly.
Things in Atlas, however, were far from bright. Once more, Jacques had overstepped his authority on the council and was continuing to round up the citizens of Atlas for crimes which had no evidence for, mostly Faunus civilians who he forced to work in his mines due to the lack of available workers who just up and quit after too much abuse from the mine foreman's and lack of safety measures in the mines.
To make matters worse, Tyrian was now targeting the Atlas military and butchering the soldiers so nothing of them was left to recognize. Seeing these sights made Team RWBY and Team JNR vomit at the sight, as did Kara, Lop, and Ocho. This resulted in Ironwood becoming more paranoid than he was already and he even considered issuing a draft for all of the students in Atlas Academy, the city of Atlas itself and Mantle. Thankfully, the Fox was able to save some of these soldiers from a bloody death, but this in turn labeled him as the murderer even though most eyewitnesses claimed to see the Fox fighting Tyrian with the lightsaber he had.
The bounty on Galen's head still remained, but now it extended to the rest of his team who were labeled as terrorists after their engagement with Jacques forces. The fact that both of their boyfriends were now on the run for crimes they knew were false. "My father has to be behind this, there is no way he could have won the election without bribing someone. He wants nothing more than total victory just so he can get what he wants." Weiss told Ruby, as the two of them sat in their dorm room.
"We both know that it was Tyrian who was killing those people in Mantle and now he's moved onto targeting the Atlas Military. All those soldiers being needlessly killed, it's only going to leave vacancies in the military. The idea of a draft being used to replace the soldiers lost; it's only going to help Salem in the end." Ruby agreed, then let out a sigh. "I wish Galen was here."
"And I wish Arthur was here as well but think about it Ruby. Galen was framed for crimes he didn't commit and if he came back with us, there's no doubt in my mind that the people would be demanding that he be handed over to them so they could dispense their own version of 'justice'. He would have only placed us in danger if Tyrian managed to infiltrate the academy. Arthur, he told me that he would never abandon a comrade no matter what their predicament is. They made their choice and while we don't like it, we have to accept the fact that they made their choice. They will be back, I know it." Weiss assured.
Ruby smiled at her teammate and knew she was right, the letter that Galen left for her and the letter that Arthur left for Weiss told them that they what they choose to do was for their safety and not because they were being selfish. "You're right, but it doesn't mean I have to like." Ruby said in agreement as Weiss put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
At the same time, Winter was sitting in her own quarters in the academy. She still couldn't believe that the Fox was actually her old flame and rival from their academy days. The vow she made to Ironwood to capture him and expose him were now combating her thoughts about trying to help the man she had feelings for. Her thoughts then drifted to the debriefing after the failed hunt.
Flashback
Winter, Nora, Yang, Blake, and the Ace Ops stood in front of Ironwoods desk where the General was standing, looking out the window with his arms folded behind his back. "So, you basically abandoned the task at hand to help the people?" Ironwood asked.
"Yes." Clover answered.
"I gave you strict orders that everything including Tyrian Callows was secondary to capturing the Fox Dead or Alive!" Ironwood shouted as he turned around with a very angry look on his face.
"Don't look at me, Marrow was the one who started it." Harriet said, casting an annoyed look at her teammate.
"How could I stand idly by and watch innocent people get arrested for essentially nothing. I couldn't…" Marrow began to protest.
"You should have been a good soldier. Good soldiers ALWAYS follow orders!" Harriet countered.
"Even when you know what's going on around you and the order given to you are wrong?!" Blake spoke up. "Orders shouldn't stop you from doing the right thing! If Ironwood ordered you to jump off a bridge, would you, do it?"
"Yes." Harriet answered, resulting in Clover and Marrow shaking their heads and facepalmed as once again, Harriet allowed her anger to the better of her and slipped up. Yang and Nora chuckled at the reply knowing that Blake had the competitive member of the Ace Ops dead to rights in her regard to her devotion to Ironwood and his orders. "A good soldier always follows orders, no matter what they are. If you were ordered to abandon an evacuation point, you follow those orders, without question."
"She's not wrong." Rex said as he walked into the office. "A good soldier always follows orders."
"Finally! The clone agrees with me." Harriet said, but she was wrong.
"However, that's not what I believe." Rex continued, turning his gaze to Harriet. "I used to believe that being a good soldier meant doing everything they told you to do. That's how they engineered us. But we're not programmed. You have to learn to make your own decisions. That's a lesson I learned the hard way when we were betrayed by someone who was supposed to lead us, only to find that they were only using us for own personal gains."
"Are you saying that the General is using us for his own gains, clone?" Harriet argued.
"First off, I have a name and it's Rex. Second, I'm not saying that Ironwood is using you for his own gains. What I'm saying is that you need to learn to make your own choices, rather than letting someone else tell you what to do." Rex countered.
"ENOUGH!" Ironwood shouted, slamming his hands on his desk. "Getting back on topic, Winter, you had the Fox corned and he got away. Were you at least able to learn something about him that we can use to an advantage?"
"Just two things." Winter said.
"What are those two things?" Ironwood asked.
"The first thing is that my father had someone rig the votes in his favor and now's he's covering it up. The bounty placed on Galen and his team, taking people from their homes, he's trying to eliminate any witnesses who saw what really happened that night. I don't know who, but it from what the Fox told me, it's someone who knows the systems of Atlas inside and out, perhaps the same someone who hacked the drones." Winter answered.
"And what's the other thing. How does this vigilante know something that we don't?" Ironwood demanded.
"He knows because of his semblance, sir." Winter answered. "It lets him see the future of anyone he makes eye contact with based on their choices and if the future he sees is bad, he does everything he can to try and prevent those events from happing or helping others endure that future should he fail."
"That makes sense, I mean how else could he have tipped me off about the White Fang attack?" Blake said in defense of the vigilante.
"It's also how he knows about Salem." Winter finished, getting gasps from everyone about that piece of information, except for Ironwood.
"Now we know a little more about him, I want patrols on the street to find him and bring him in. The order stands as before, anyone not looking for Tyrian is to bring in the Fox." Ironwood ordered.
"Sir, if I might ask. Why?" Winter asked.
"Yeah, I mean it's clear that he's not an ally of Salem if he knows about her and has been going out of his way to help the people." Yang interjected.
"People that you constantly ignore." Nora added.
"You got a problem, 'Thunder Thighs'?" Harriet asked angrily.
"Yeah, I got a problem. You're going after the wrong person and doing the wrong things. Forcing Mantle to bear all of the burden of your embargo and closure of borders is only making the people hate you more. Taking the supplies that Robyn purchased legally for your damn tower, that crosses a line, but going after someone who's been doing a better job then you and your stupid army is going too far. If you want someone to hunt down the Fox, then find someone else to do it! I'm not going to hunt down someone who's only helping people!" Nora exclaimed and stormed out of Ironwoods office.
Everyone watched as Nora stormed out of Ironwoods office before the general dismissed everyone.
End Flashback
Tears began to flow from Winters eyes as she wept quietly, thinking about what had happened. "Is Diego, right? Is the General going too far? Is it time for me to go rogue and fight the good fight on my own? I don't know anymore." She said to herself.
As Winter wept in her quarters, a Nu-Class Attack Shuttle landed on one of the landing pads outside the academy where the Bad Batch was waiting. The shuttles boarding ramp dropped and exiting the vessel, wearing their customized Mandalorian armor were Ray and Neo, followed by Delta Squad themselves. Boss looked towards Hunter and walked towards the leader of the Bad Batch. "We received your transmission and came as fast we could. We had a bit of trouble getting past the Atlas fleet, but we managed to get past their defenses." The leader of Delta Squad reported.
"I'm just glad you're here, Boss. Things have gone to hell in a hand basket as the people say. The Demon Lord and his team framed for murder, a large bounty placed on his head, the elections being rigged, serial killer on the loose in the lower city and riots. We got our hands full just dealing with it all, along with the factory out in the tundra." Hunter explained.
"So, we've been told. Trigger told us everything about what's been going on in the cities. So, where's this data you want me to look at, Tech?" Fixer asked.
"I've compiled all the data gathered thus far and have located the signal the hacker has been using to infiltrate the kingdoms systems." Tech answered, handing Fixer the datapad.
"Seems like the hacker is keeping mobile and trying to keep his tracks covered. I think we might be able to trace their location, but only after we handle this factory." the slicer of Delta Squad said.
"So, that means we get to blow something up, right? Finally! I've been waiting for this." Wrecker exclaimed with enthusiasm. "I gotta go get Nora, she really needs to let off some steam after everything and blowing something up will really help her out."
"What's all this about blowing something up?" said girl asked as she walked onto the landing pad. "Alright! More commandos and the Garuda Team! So, where are your jets?"
"We're not flying on this mission. That honor belongs to the Galm Team, Shamrock, Dante, Wardog Squadron, Aunt Robyn, and her huntresses. We're fighting on the ground this time." Neo answered, tossing Nora a weapon from the shuttle. "Thought you might like this, Nora. This is the grenade launcher version of the Vale army's standard issue assault rifle. We modified the grenades to hold more of a powerful charge than the standard issue grenades. Sure, a grenade launcher would work better, but I figured you'll need something equally devastating in close-range and medium range. Just don't go firing the grenades in close quarters otherwise you'll be blown to bits."
"AWESOME! I'm going to blow up a lot of Grimm with this thing." Nora said with a devilish smirk.
"Sorry, but we're not hunting Grimm. We're going after the factory producing those machines that attacked my sister." Artoria said as she and Mordred approached the group. "This is our decision and ours alone. That factory needs to be destroyed and the sooner the better."
"Hope you brough enough charges, Scorch. We're going to need them." Sev teased his brother.
"Laugh it up, Sev. There won't be enough places to play sniper when we're inside the factory." Scorch teased back.
"Then perhaps, we should stop wasting time and proceed with the mission." Faye said as she, Kara, Lop, and Ocho arrived at the landing pad.
"Let's get the Marauder airborne and move onto the factory. We'll explain the plan on the way there." Hunter said, already walking to the Marauder which was stationed at another platform close by. A short while later, the Marauder took off and flew away from the Kingdom out to the open tundra.
As the modified Omicron-Class Attack Shuttle flew over the tundra, Hunter threw down a holoprojector which immediately activated and displayed a projection of the factory out in the tundra. In all aspects, the factory was exactly like the aerial war factories guarding the borders of the kingdoms which were dwindling in numbers, only this one was built on the ground and not airborne but still had the same defenses as the aerial factories. "Alright, here's the mission. We're going to the factory producing these 'Death Bots' as the locals are calling them. They've been launching attacks on Stonehenge and somehow, the SDC managed to get their hands on those Blast Bots. Our mission is two-fold: We're to destroy the factory and download everything from the mainframes." Hunter explained.
"Might I ask why we are downloading the data from the mainframes?" Ocho asked, dressed in the same armor she wore when she sparred with Lop.
"We need to know who powered up this factory and why, hopefully it will also give us an idea of how the SDC managed to get their hands on those Blast Bots. Those things were built as prototypes, yet they seem to be further developed then Atlas intelligence believes. It's highly possible that Tyrian and his partner are the ones who found and reactivated the factory." Tech answered.
"Never was good with computers, so I guess it makes sense for us to download the data from the mainframe thingy." Nora said, not understanding much of what was being said. "You think this might help us prove Galen's innocence?" she asked.
"Doubtfully, but it's possible the security feeds from the factory might give us a clue as to the identity of the true mastermind behind Tyrian's rampage." Tech answered.
"So, we download the factories entire mainframe and then what?" Scorch asked.
"We blow it up! That's what!" Wrecker exclaimed.
"That's right. We'll plant charges on the factories reactor and then detonate it from a safe distance. But we've got more hostiles than those Death Bots. The factory has only just started to produced tanks with spiked treads, new drone fighters and who knows what else. We'll be on the ground dealing with the hostile infantry, but not without air cover. The Galm Team, Mobius One and Wardog Squadron will be providing air cover while Shamrock, Aunt Robyn, May, Johanna, and Fiona provide us with some close air support. Five Strike Daggers, one Longsword, three Daggers and four Rattlers, it'll make for one hell of a fight." Ray answered. "Sure, we could use the Blood Asp and Star Adder, but we'll risk destroying the factory and we can't allow that."
"You managed to convince the old lady to send us her son and his squadron?" Nora asked.
"Commander Cordovin was more than happy to assign Wardog Squadron to this operation. She does still ow us for helping defend Argus." Neo answered.
"So, how are we going to play this out?" Faye asked.
"First off, Shamrock, Robyn and her huntresses will launch a saturation attack. They'll drop a few SFFS on the targets we designate, then pull back while move up to the factory. Once inside the factory, we'll split into teams. Boss, Commander Faye, Kara, Tech, Fixer, Ray, Neo, and I will hit the mainframe and download everything still in the systems. Lop, Ocho, Wrecker, Nora, Scorch, Sev, Crosshair, Artoria, and Mordred will plant the charges on the factory's reactor. We'll have the data pulled from the mainframe by then and once we're clear of the factory, we'll detonate it remotely." Hunter explained.
"Sounds like a plan for me. Once this factory is down, we can focus on finding out who Weiss's old man hired to rig the election." Nora said eagerly.
"We're landing in sixty-seconds. Factories several clicks from the landing zone, so we'll be walking from here." Crosshair said from the cockpit as the Marauder came in for a landing on the snow. As the ship landed, everyone double checked their equipment.
Along with their multi-purpose blasters, Ray and Neo brought along their primary weapons. Ocho opted for one of the carbines used by NCO's while Faye, Lop, and Kara kept their lightsabers and assault rifle. Each member of Delta Squad grabbed a rifle for a backup weapon, one of the standard rifles with a shotgun attachment, except for Scorch and Sev who grabbed the grenade launcher version and sniper version respectively. As for Artoria and Mordred, they grabbed the carbine version like Ocho. "Let's move out." Hunter said, placing his helmet on his head he led the group towards the factory.
The snow crunched beneath their boots as they trudged through the snow for a couple of minutes before they finally came to a hill overlooking the factory. Crosshair and Sev soon scoped out the situation with their rifles. "Multiple targets patrolling the factory perimeter. Airborne units, basic units, aerial drones, tanks, and blast bots. More than we expected." Crosshair reported.
"Looks like they also got a few turrets positioned by the main gate. A direct assault is ill-advised. I got eyes on a side entrance we slice through. No way we're going to be able to sneak around those machines, they'll spot us before we can even make a move." Sev added.
Hunter moved up and took a look at the defenses himself through his binoculars, lowering them after a few minutes. "Looks like someone of standard units have a lightning arc gun built into them. A jolt from those guns will disrupt our systems. We need a new plan." Hunter said.
"Why don't we just rush them? I thought you and your squad prefer to go straight to the enemy?" Nora asked.
"That's true, but those tanks and Blast Bots complicate things. We need a new plan." Hunter clarified.
"I have an idea." Ray said and pulled something from the back of his helmet. "Amber, you with us?"
Nora was confused as to why Ray was asking his dead sister for a plan, until appearing in the palm of his hand was a holographic AI version of his sister, wearing the exact same attire she wore the day she was attacked by Cinder, made completely of data, much to the surprise of everyone. "I'm here, Trigger. I was just analyzing the blueprints of the war factory that was disabled by Sicario on orders by the Schnee Dust Company. It appears that Councilmen Schnee ordered an attack on one of these factories, to disable it in the hope of using the resources and technology to produce a weapon that could give him an edge over General Ironwood. It seems that they were able to document the entire floor plan of the factory and I have pinpointed several alternative entrances. The closest one is the one identified by RC-1207, but is heavily guarded, however, there is a rear entrance that is lightly guarded. I need access to the factories systems to shut down the alarms before they can detect us." The holographic version of Ray's sister answered.
"We'll need a terminal to access the systems. We'll sneak around back and avoid the majority of enemy forces guarding the front. Designate targets of opportunity and transmit them to the pilots. Tell them to hold off on take-off until we move into position and access the factory systems. Those turrets will tear apart their planes before they can get into range." Ray instructed.
"Understood." The AI version of his sister said, before vanishing as Ray returned the item he pulled back into his helmet.
"You made an A.I. of your sister?" Nora asked.
"Neo and I have a pair of customized Battle Armors that are too much for us to control in terms of the systems. All that data will fry our brains and that's the last thing we need. I didn't make her, Commander Cordovin and some of the rebel tech heads constructed her to be my partner in battle. She also works with Neo's armor and can process the data of the armors faster than any other A.I. ever created. It's a combination of Remnant and Rebel tech." Ray answered.
"And here I thought you created her because you were going crazy without hearing her voice." Neo teased.
"Very funny." Ray said, rolling his eyes underneath his helmet. "Let's get moving."
The others, still surprised by the A.I version of the Fall Maiden before Cinder were quick to follow Ray and Neo as they circled around the factory to the rear entrance which was guarded by only a dozen of the basic death bots. "I see only a dozen death bots, no blast bots, tanks or recon drones." Neo reported.
"Tech, jam their communications. We can't have them alert the factory that we're here." Hunter ordered.
"Got it." Tech replied and pressed some buttons on his gauntlet, waited a few seconds before he confirmed that the transmissions were jammed. "I suggest we send Faye, Kara, and Lop to eliminate the robots before we move to the door." He suggested.
"Might want to tell Nora that, she'll already moving!" Wrecker pointed out as Nora used her hammer to soar through the air and landed behind a couple of death bots before she started to swat them away with her hammer, one of which flew overhead behind the rest of the group. "I like this kid!" the muscular clone exclaimed and dashed towards the melee.
"Let's hope they don't alert the enemy to our presence." Ocho sighed, following the others as they moved to help the two who had jumped the gun.
Nora brought her hammer down on one of the death bots, crushing its head into its body before she used her hammer like a golfclub and batted away another death bot in its ball form, sending it flying where it crashed into numerous pieces. "I'm really enjoying this workout!" she exclaimed, swinging her hammer around to knock several more death bots down to the ground.
"Don't leave me out of all the fun!" Wrecker said with laughter, grabbing one of the downed death bots and brought it down onto his knee, snapping its 'back' then slammed it into another one, destroying both before he grabbed a third one and tossed it into the wall of the factory, latterly shattering it into a million pieces. "Yeah! I love this job!" Wrecker exclaimed before he saw the others arriving. "Sorry, I got a little excited." He admitted.
"Excited or not, that makes our mission easier." Hunter said, shaking his head at what he just saw. "Trigger, you're up. Have your partner get us inside the factory."
"Got it." Ray replied and put his hand onto the door panel. "Alright, Amber. You know what to do. Open us a path inside and disable the alarms."
"Understood. I will be but a moment." The A.I. answered. Everyone waited for a few moments before the door was opened. "The alarms have been disabled and the doors unlocked. I've also transmitted the door codes to your gauntlets and armor. You should have no trouble moving through the factory now. The reactor is several floors below ground while the mainframe is on the third floor of the factory, past the production line. I recommend extreme caution, also the fighters have just launched and are about to commence their operations."
The A.I. Amber returned to Ray's armor as Neo scanned the doorway, ensuring that it clear of hostiles. "We're clear. Let's move." She told her companions.
The troopers, Jedi, Mandalorian's and Huntresses moved through the passageway until they came to a junction that split off into two directions, one led to the production line while the other headed down. "This is where we split up. Remember, do not detonate the explosives until we're clear of factory and we download everything from the mainframe. We need this intelligence." Hunter instructed.
"Which means no explosions unless it's against a Blast Bot or something with treads." Mordred joked, resulting in Ocho and Artoria looking at her with a glare. "Hey, I only brought those droid poppers along instead of explosives, even I know not to destroy any intel we find." She said in defense.
"Let's focus on the mission and go over what we find later." Hunter told the groups before they moved in their directions.
Only minutes after the groups split up, the demolitions team soon came under fire when they reached a large warehouse where the completed death bots were loaded into transports that Mordred and Galen fought in the tundra. "Time to let loose!" Nora exclaimed and raised her rifle, firing off a burst of gunfire that knocked one of the airborne units out of the sky where it crashed into one of the transports. "These things aren't so tough."
"Hey! Sev! Crosshair! Start picking off targets! I'll clear us a path! Come on Thunder Thigh, let's wreck some bots!" Wrecker exclaimed, slinging his rifle over his shoulder before pounding his fists together. "TIME TO UNLEASH THE WRECKING BALL!" he shouted, leaping over the railing of the catwalk, and landed on the warehouse floor, using one of the death bots below him as a cushion. One death bot threw its arm at Wrecker, only for the muscular clone to grab its arm and crush it, then threw it into another transport.
"YEAAAAAHHHHH!" Wrecker shouted and charged at the death bots, bashing, and punching them down with his massive strength as he cleared a path forward while Nora leapt down and provided him covering fire. "I'll take two pieces!" he exclaimed, literally ripping a death bot in half before he flung the parts towards a pair of death pots.
One of the aerial death bots had its lightning arc gun lined up on Wrecker and fired, only for Nora to get in front of the muscular clone, allowing her semblance to channel the electricity into her muscles before she delivered a hard hit into one of the death bots that sent it flying with her hammer. "Oh yeah! How do you like that clankers!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah! Way to go, Nora!" Wrecker shouted to the girl who was still channeling the electricity through her body, before he grabbed a death bot and tossed it towards her. "Here's another one for you!"
Nora was quick to pull back her hammer and used it to send the death bot flying through the roof. "Aaaaannnnd it's outta here! Grand Slam and a home run!" she cheered, as she and Wrecker began to blaze a path through the machines.
"I don't know what's worse, that Wrecker just threw himself into the line of fire once more or that he found someone who likes explosions just like him." Ocho said in surprise, loading a new magazine into her carbine and quickly returned fire. "Actions like that are a good way to get killed."
"Wrecker knows what he's doing, when it comes to charging the enemy." Crosshair answered.
"At least he hasn't gotten himself killed. Big guy really knows his way around combat and the way he uses his bare hands to rip those machines apart, he's a regular berserker." Mordred praised as Wrecker punched another several death bots with his fists.
Artoria, Scorch, and Lop vaulted over the edge of the catwalk and quickly caught up with the two individuals, slashing apart any death bots that were still standing from Wrecker and Nora's onslaught, while Scorch provided them with ranged support. Scorch's DC-17 roared as he downed an aerial unit with a burst of blaster fire, while Lop slashed one that was aiming directly at him with her lightsaber. "Thanks, Lop, was it? You really saved my butt back there. I ow you a drink."
"Just so long as it's not anything alcoholic, I don't drink anything like that." Lop said, pulling another death bot towards her and impaled it. "Besides, you don't really ow me anything."
Scorch chuckled as Sev, Crosshair, and Ocho joined the rest of the group as a blast bot self-destructed, taking multiple blast bots with it in the explosion before another one had one of its legs ripped off and jabbed into its turret by Wrecker as they joined up with them. "What else you got! Give me more!" Wrecker shouted.
"Take it easy, Wrecker, we still have the reactor to deal with." Crosshair reminded his brother as the last blast bot fell to the ground. "So, where's the way down to the reactor?"
The floor nearby soon opened up as a lift rose from below, almost as if it was expecting them. "I think this will help you out." Amber said through the commlink.
"Amber, you're one damn good A.I." Scorch praised as his group stepped onto the lift which soon began its descent into the lower levels. The light from the warehouse disappeared as the lift descended further and further into the dark underground where it seems as if the shadows on the wall were about to jump out and grab them.
Lop closed her eyes and listened to the force as the only light still shining was the light of her lightsaber illuminating the darkness before a set of underground overhead lights appeared as the reactor came into view. "That's a big reactor. Probably starship sized, meaning when that thing goes up it'll make a big explosion. Ha, bet the people from Atlas and Mantle will be able to see it." Wrecker laughed as the lift came to a stop. "Nora, Scorch, you two are with me. We'll place the charges."
"Let's do it!" Nora said excitedly, only for excitement to be short lived as more death bots rolled towards them, uncurled, and opened fire. "Great, we got more of these guys! I'm really starting to hate these guys."
"You know what they say, the more the merrier!" Wrecker chortled, unleashing a barrage of fire from his rifle, soon joined by Nora and the others. Bullets and blaster bolts slammed into the death bots as they charged towards the group. "This is taking way too long." Unexpectedly, he grabbed the backpack Mordred had on her back which held the Droid Poppers she had brought with her and literally ripped it off her back before he tossed it towards the death bots. "Crosshair! Shoot the grenades!"
Crosshair saw the backpack flying through the air as it landed in front of the death bots, spilling out dozens of grenades the spilled out from the pack, but the death bots didn't notice or care about the grenades. The enhanced sniper waited for the grenades to roll a bit further before he took aim at one of them and fired. The blast from the first grenade caused a chain reaction that set off the other grenades, frying the circuitry of the death bots which toppled face first to the ground, shutting down permanently. "You didn't have that planned at all, did you Wrecker?" Crosshair asked as the team moved past the downed death bots.
"Actually, I did have a plan. I knew you could hit the grenades, but we needed them to spill out." Wrecker answered proudly.
"Nice plan, big guy!" Nora cheered as the ground above them shuddered. "Sounds like Robyn, her girls and the boys are giving them hell above ground. Let's plant the charges before they drop a bomb down here!"
"I have transmitted the precise locations where the bombs need to be placed. The junction boxes at these locations, supply power to the reactor's cooling system. The reactor itself is unstable, due to a flaw in its design, hence the cooling systems prevent it from overheating. All three junction boxes must be destroyed for the reactor to go into critical. Once it is critical, you will have ten minutes to escape before the factory is destroyed." Amber reported as a nav point was sent to Scorch, Wrecker, Crosshair and Sev's helmets.
"Let's get those charges planted. The others will probably need some help." Scorch said as he ran towards one of the junction boxes, while Wrecker and Nora ran to the second, leaving Sev and Crosshair to deal with the third location. As for Mordred, Artoria, Ocho, and Lop, they headed back to the lift, ensuring their exit as covered.
Above them, in the production line where the tanks and blast bots were being assembled, Boss and Hunter unloaded numerous rounds on several airborne units, while on the conveyor belt below them Ray and Neo were taking cover behind a tank turret as one of the blast bots that had been completely assembled had powered up and began shooting at them. "I really hate these things! I wish we had a machine gun or three." Neo complained, blind firing her blaster at the blast bot.
"Tell me about it! AT-ATs are more annoying than these metal bastards!" Ray agreed, cursing as he emptied a full magazine into the blast bots' body, but all his rounds did was force the machine to focus on him. The machine fired its turret at Ray, draining his armors shields before they were completely gone. "Damn it!"
"Look out!" Neo shouted as she tackled Ray out of the way before one of the bombs that the blast bot had just launched exploded. The explosion sent Neo flying into the wall as her aura broke, knocked her helmet off and created a cut on her forehead which started to bleed as she laid against the wall, out cold.
"NEO!" Ray shouted in anguish, looking at his adoptive sister's still body. The sight of her caused his heart to beat faster as he felt something inside him take control. "You. Hurt. My. SISTER!" he yelled as the only instinct that came to him was now rage. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"
(Animal I Have Become, Starts)
The blast bot didn't answer him as it kept on shooting him, but the beskar armor was stronger than the bots cannons as Ray charged towards the blast bot, stopping just a short distance from the bot before he reached out with the force and ripped apart the machine.
More death bots marched towards him, but Ray unleashed a strong surge of lightning, electrocuting the bots with a powerful charge that caused the bots to explode. Cracking his knuckles, he gestured for some more death bots to come and get him. Though they couldn't speak, the blast bots practically marched towards him, but Ray didn't wait for them to come to him, he went right to them.
With a strong leap, he landed in the center of the parade and unleashed his entire salvo of whistling birds, destroying several of the death bots before he began to use his second most deadly weapon: his body. His fists tore through the torso of several death bots, ripping their limbs off before drawing his lightsabers as his armor's shields slowly began to charge up.
His blades carved through the death bots as one of the completed tanks came online and aimed its turret at him. His rage still burned as Ray reached out and lifted the tank up with the force, hurling it another tank which exploded. A feral scream escaped from his mouth as he charged towards the death bots, carving a path through them like they were mere ants.
"I'll take all you bastards on! You hear me! I'll take you all on and send you all straight to hell!" Ray roared as his one-man assault on the death bots continued on. His actions surprised the others, especially Neo when she came back to her senses and at the sight of what her brother had become, she called out his name.
"RAY!" she shouted, but her brother was too caught up in his rampage to hear her voice. "Ray! You have to stop! You're just going to bring the Grimm here! Stand down!" but her words once again fell on deaf ears. "He can't hear me. I can't get to him, damn it! I can't stop him." she cursed.
"Trigger! You've done enough! Stand down! You've delt the enemy a severe blow. You can relax now." Amber said through the armors communications system.
Hearing the voice of his A.I. version of his sister, Ray's rampage finally came to an end as his inner fears, pain, and hate left him. Turning around, he looked at the carnage he made during his rampage and couldn't help but hate himself for what he did. "Damn it! I gave into the dark side." He cursed.
(End song)
"And that is why I'm always working on keeping my emotions in check." Kara said with worry after seeing what Ray did to the death bots. "Temptations like that from the dark side are always there, aren't they?" she asked her master.
"An accurate observation, padawan. The dark side can be very tempting and often leads to power. But with that temptation comes great risk, such as what you just witnessed. Had Amber not stopped him, Trigger would have no doubt come after us, believing us to be his enemy." Faye said in agreement, shutting down her lightsaber just as a wrecked death bot toppled off the conveyor belt. "Your anger at the ones who had your father killed are still there, Kara. Be mindful and remember that your father would not want you to travel down the path of revenge."
"I'll remember that master." Kara said as Fixer and Tech began to slice into mainframe just as Ray doubled over in exhaustion. "And it looks like Three Strikes is out of commission for the time being."
"His rampage has greatly weakened his available stamina; despite the training he has been through as both a pilot and warrior. I'm afraid that he will be unable to fight for the rest of the mission." Amber reported as the second team rushed into the room.
"Aw, did I miss the big fight!? I was hoping to blast some more bad guys!" Nora complained.
"We may have missed this party, but it looks like Trigger was the star of the party. Something tells me it wasn't pretty." Sev said in agreement.
"I'm afraid that Trigger's rage was a direct result of Countess being injured in battle. I have never seen such an aggravated assault before, and it doesn't seem to match his personality. It was a tap into the dark side of the Force, but I don't understand what triggered such aggression." Amber pondered.
"I have." Nora said. "I saw Ruby do the same thing in Ren's old hometown when Galen got hit hard. She gave into the dark side and literally bisect a Grimm with her semblance. Trigger must have seen the same thing, that's why he went ballistic."
"I don't know much about the force, but I think it was because of his inner fears, pain, and hate. It's got be something involving those emotions." Ocho said.
"His sister." Neo said. "Ray always said he hated himself for not being able to protect his sister from Cinder and he told me that he was afraid of the same thing happening to me. When he saw me hit the wall, it must have triggered those emotions and sent him on his rampage. I almost thought it was his semblance, but then I could sense the anger, rage, and hatred inside of him even when I was unconscious. I couldn't stop him, but Amber did."
"Probably because she sounds a lot like his sister." Wrecker guessed.
"Not to break up the party inside, but we've got a major problem. Looks those Death Bots are wise to your presence and are already pouring back inside to your location. We've taken out as much of the enemy forces as we could, but there's too many of them. We're pulling out now, sorry we couldn't do anymore." Robyn's voice shouted over the commlink.
"You've done more than enough, Miss Hill. Return to base and wait for us." Ocho said into the commlink.
"Sorry, but we're not finished yet. We got eyes on a massive swarm of fighters heading towards the kingdom. I might be considered a criminal in the eyes of the big wigs in Atlas, but I've wanted nothing more than to help the people of Mantle, to make their lives better. If I ignore this, then I'll be acting just like the rest of the people of Atlas who ignore the problems of Mantle. I'll head back to base, but the moment I land, I'm rearming my bird for air-to-air combat, then heading after that swarm. I'll stop them even if I have to do it alone." Robyn said with determination.
"Miss Hill, I understand your commitment, but you're only one pilot. You'll be pulverized the minute you get within radar lock of the enemy. You've done more than enough; you don't have to die a hero." Ocho implored.
"I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm trying to be an aunt." Robyn answered, her words started to bring Trigger back to his senses. "I've devoted all of my time trying to improve the lives of the people of Mantle and had forgotten what was important. But when I heard my niece was missing and my nephew was injured, I dropped everything to come to Vale. I can't make up for the neglect I've shown them, but I can make things right by being there when they need me the most. The people of Mantle are also my family, and I will never abandon them, I am their hero after all, and I won't disappoint them." Robyn said.
Though he was still weak, Ray heard his aunt's words and smiled. "Hey, Aunt Robyn. You don't need to apologize to me or my sister. I already understood that your work was important, all I ever wanted was for you to be there for us whenever you could. I never once hated you." He said, weakly. "Do me a favor, so those fighters what happens when you dance with the angels." He added with a smile.
"You got it, sport. All pilots, get yourselves back to base, rearm and get yourselves back in the air. We got a kingdom to protect." Robyn replied with determination. The other pilots were quick to respond to Robyn's request.
"Robyn Hill. I'll make sure to tell the people of your exploits here today and let them judge whether you are truly the criminal that the media claims you to be or if you are the hero you claim to be." Ocho said.
The commlink soon shutdown as Fixer and Tech ran out of the mainframe room. "We got the data and there is plenty of interesting data on it." Fixer answered.
"Then it's time we get out of here." Mordred said, only to be surprised when one of the walls below them was blown open and marching towards them were hundreds of Death Bots. "Oh great, we've got company. I wonder if this was part of their plan?"
"We'll hold our position and eliminate them as they come to us." Ocho ordered.
"I don't think so, that's not our style. We prefer going straight to them." Hunter told Lops sister, then turned to Boss. "What do you say, ready for another team up?"
"As if you had to ask. Delta Squad, take offensive formation! Ready your weapons, let's show these clankers how real soldier's fight. The rest of you, provide us covering fire." Boss ordered.
"I'll blow up more than all of you together!" Nora exclaimed, ready for a fight.
"Just make sure you don't hit us." Wrecker told the bubbly girl.
"Bad Batch. Plan eighty-two, shockwave." Hunter ordered his squad.
(Start Clones)
Both squads of Clone Commando's raced down the stairs with Wrecker grabbing a piece of one of the wrecked blast bots with both hands. "Let's get to work." Hunter said as he readied his weapons.
"Scorch! I want an anti-armor position set up behind that tank turret! Sev! Fixer! Ready your grenades! Let's scrap some droids!"
"Sir, yes sir!" his brothers responded as the Death Bots marched into the production facility while the Bad Batch ran directly towards the Death Bots which then opened fire on the four enhanced clones who fired back while still running towards the enemy before Wrecker slammed the piece of the blast bot down on the ground, using it as cover.
"OPEN FIRE!" Boss shouted as blaster fire echoed around the assembly line. A grenade from Scorch's launcher blew apart several Death Bots as Fixer and Sev lobbed several emp grenades towards the bots, sending out an electrical current that short-circuited the front most Death Bots as the leader of Delta Squad opened up with his Remnant made rifle. Bullets slammed into the machines as they continued to march towards their attackers as Tech calculated the arc and trajectory for the grenades.
"45! Mark 151!" Tech shouted.
Hunter, Sev, and Fixer threw the grenades exactly as Tech had instructed, which allowed Crosshair to hit all three grenades with a single shot from his rifle, creating an electromagnetic field that disabled multiple death bots at once as bullets from their allies behind them mowed down more death bots.
"75! Mark 357!" Tech shouted. Once again, the three commandos lobbed their grenades at the exact angle that Tech had called out, frying the circuitry of the Death Bots caught in the blast.
"Wrecker! Time to go wild!" Hunter told the muscular clone who was more than happy to oblige, throwing the makeshift cover towards the bots that bisected them before drawing his shotgun, which he called his boom stick and charged forwards.
"Say hello, too my little friend!" Wrecker laughed as he fired his shotgun, downing bot after bot with his weapon while also using his shoulders to bash aside any bots that got in his way, the number of bots downed by the muscular clone was a sight that caused even Trigger's jaw to drop in shock as a path was being made. "What are you all waiting for! An invitation? Let's get the hell out of here!" Wrecker called out.
"You heard our brother! Move it!" Boss shouted as Delta Squad and the rest of the Bad Batch followed his lead, along with their allies who made their way down to the first floor, except for Ray who was still too exhausted to move, until Boss came back for him. "On your feet, Vod! We are leaving!" he shouted to Trigger.
Though he was still exhausted from his rampage, Trigger got back to his feet and followed after the clones and Jedi, firing his blaster at any of the bots still functioning. He heard Wrecker's laugh as bot after bot was downed by the firepower and training of the clones who made his own skills look like that of an amateur, without the use of the force.
Ahead of him, Boss thrusted his vibroblade into the body of one death bot while Hunter used his knife and stabbed it into the optics of another death bot before firing a burst of bullets from his rifle. "Wrecker! Heads up!" he shouted, tossing his knife to Wrecker who caught the weapon.
"Oh yeah!" Wrecker exclaimed, shouldering his shotgun and once more charged towards the death bots, slashing at them with both knives while Crosshair and Sev provided sniper support. Wrecker severed the arms of one death bot with his knives, punched one in the face which took it off, lifted one up and tossed it into several more bots before he threw both knives at two more death bots, hitting them in the head before charging like a Goliath towards the rest of them.
"I love that guy!" Nora exclaimed as she smashed the bots with her hammer.
"He can be reckless, but he gets the job done." Ocho agreed in a similar capacity as the bots began to dwindle.
The other clones continued to blast their way through the enemy horde before they neared the exit. "Let's get out of here and blow this joint!" Scorch shouted, firing his last anti-armor grenade at bots, blowing them to pieces before they finally exited the factory.
(End song)
"We still got bad guys following us!" Nora shouted as she fired a long burst of gun fire from her rifle, downing several bots, followed by a couple of grenades that took out a few more. "I don't think we have enough ammo to take them all down."
"We won't have to." Hunter said as the Marauder landed in front of them with its door opened. "Everyone onboard! We're pulling out!"
Wrecker and Nora laid down covering fire as everyone boarded the modified shuttle before they in turn boarded the ship, which quickly took off and flew until it was several kilometers from the factory, before Wrecker detonated the charges, sending the factory up in flames which could be seen all the way in Atlas and Mantle. "Mission accomplished, good work everyone." Hunter congratulated as the Marauder turned towards Atlas. "Tech, Fixer. The moment we land, I want you two analyzing the data we pulled from the factory and track down the location of the one who's hacked into the Kingdom's systems. We need to clear Galen's name and find out who's behind all this."
"We'll get right on it, Hunter." Tech replied as the Marauder headed back towards the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Galen and Grogu had returned from checking out the settlement, but as Galen pulled his vehicle into the garage, he sensed something dark and evil approaching the continent.
And Chapter is done.
A couple of things to say.
Ray's rage was not his semblance, but the result of the dark side of the force. What he used, was force rage, which was triggered after seeing Neo get hurt, which brought back all the fear, pain, and hatred he had bottled up inside him following Amber's death. I'm still trying to figure out his semblance.
Speaking of Amber, Ray created an A.I. version of his sister to act as a partner to the two of them, like Cortana did for the Master Chief, think of it as an attempt at writing in an A.I. in a story before I write Star Wars: Hyper Lethal Vector, which will include an A.I. partner for Noble Six. Name and basis will be kept a secret, but as for their customized battle armor, I'm debating on whether I should base them off the Freedom and Justice from Gundam Seed, Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice from Gundam Seed Destiny, or the Barbatose Lupus Rex and Bael from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. I suggest you all look at the Gundam's I am considering before you all give me, your thoughts on that idea, or I'll just use the basis of the Battle Armor from Mech Assault 2.
I am also afraid that I have some bad news for all of us fans of Power Rangers. Jason David Frank, the MMA fighter and actor who played Tommy Oliver in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Super Megaforce and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel has passed away at the age of 49 on the 19th of this month.
The first green and white ranger is now no longer among us, and I am really wishing I had written him a fan letter, but I have decided that next chapter will be dedicated to him with one of the songs from Power Rangers used as a music score.
Speaking of next chapter, you all are probably going to either hate it and probably abandon the story, or like it and keep reading. What it is, I'll leave that a secret for now, so until then, please read, review and I'll see you all next time and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.