Sorry for the delayed. Not really feeling inspired with copyrights, internship, and life is dragging me down.

EDIT: Fixed some spelling errors and improved dialogue. Thank you for your inputs!

EDIT: Fixed Robyn's name


Call of Duty Modern Warfare - Piccadilly


"I'm dreading what we'll be seeing." Vine maintained his stoic appearance, but his eyes are downcast. "If our previous viewings are anything to go by, this may be of similar atrocity."

"Yeah…" Marrow nodded in agreement.

"What exactly will we be seeing?" Asked Robyn.

"You shall be witnessing an attack carried out by the anarchist terrorist organization called Al-Qatala on the City of London. The capital of England and United Kingdom." Explained the Hosts. "Intelligence managed to determine Al-Qatala's motive resulting in elite special forces to intervene. The Special Air Service, SAS."

"It won't be on Remnant then, which means no Grimm or aura…" Pyrrha mumbles to herself.

"Special Air Service…" Clover hums, "I'm guessing they're something similar to us, the Ace-Ops?"

"One of many parallels or comparisons that can be made."

"What is the purpose of the Special Air Service?" Oobleck raised his hand even though he didn't need to. "From the Special Forces name, it sounds like they are an airborne unit."

"There is much to remark and much that would require additional sources to comprehend. The Special Air Service is a sister organization for the Special Boat Service, SBS. The counterpart of the Royal Marines. However, SAS is considered to be more elite and professional as they are classified as a tier-one Special Forces unit that existed since the middle of the Second World War. A supposed brigade that was to deceive the enemy's planning during to Second World War to the Cold War."

The Hosts allowed Oobleck to scribble down what was said before continuing.

"It later developed into a greater counter-terrorism role after the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and continues its role as a counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism force with capabilities such as including direct action engagements, special reconnaissance, and acting as military advisors to other tier-two special operation forces or SOF and tier-one special forces or SF units."

Oscar gulps and mouths 'massacre' silently while everyone else expressed their own thoughts. It was a lot to take in, but then again… It was Oobleck who asked the question. Also taking interest in the subject is General Ironwood himself who is silently nodding and listening to the Hosts' lengthy, but brief lecture about SAS.

"I see. I see." Oobleck nods repeatedly, having finished taking his notes. "This will be an interesting exploration of military history not of our world."

"Wonder how bad it's going to be." Mercury lowers his voice and whispers to Emerald. "Don't look now, but I think Cinder is going to enjoy this one…"

The two glance over at Cinder and noted something in her eyes. Something akin to expectations.

"It begins."

The lights in the theater room dim and the screen flickers to life.

The scene opens up to CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell and Colonel Norris exiting the operations tent after the operation in Verdansk, Kastovia ends in failure.

"This operation is now compartmentalized." Said the CIA Station Chief.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Demanded Colonel Norris. His face nearly displayed a look of outrage before reverting back to his serious expression.

"The man you see is Colonel Norris. An officer of the United States Marine Corps." The Hosts filled in the audience about the on-screen characters. "The woman is Kate Laswell. A Central Intelligence Agency Station Chief."

"It means you no longer have clearance, Colonel."

"Those are my Marines. We need a QRF in there right now."

"So, we have a spook and a senior military officer." Harris grunts. "And it sounds like she's wrestling control for his soldiers."

"Glad we don't have this kind of thing back in Atlas." Marrow mutters to himself.

Laswell turns and looks at him in the eye. "That's not advisable."

"And that is not your call!" He snaps back.

At that moment, a black woman in camouflage, Lt. General Lyons, appears and steps in beside them to break up their bickering.

"Lt. General Lyons." The Hosts introduced the character.

Ironwood rubs his chin, "One rank below a General."

"Colonel. Laswell." Lt. General Lyons eyes Laswell before shifting her gaze to Norris when the Colonel addressed her.

"General, my men are..."

"Norris, give us a minute." The Lt. General wants to discuss a few side matters with the CIA Station Chief.

Colonel Norris briefly pauses and leaves them. "Yes, ma'am."

"Always something going on behind the scenes." Qrow swirls his flask but didn't take a sip. "Doesn't look like it's private enough to talk about it behind closed doors."

"We've got a situation…" Lt. General Lyons pulls Laswell to the side, "The Kremlin has suspended all deconfliction channels... The Sixth Fleet is pushing into the Black Sea..." Her voice raises slightly, hinting at her frustration underneath her professional exterior. "And chemical weapons are now in the wild. Your fingerprints are all over this, Laswell." She lowers her voice. "Fix it."

"Yikes." Said Neptune.

"Didn't understand a quarter of that, but it sounds like she messed something up very badly," Sun notes.

"General, right now intelligence is our best weapon." Laswell tried to persuade the Lt. General, but it was clear that Lyons was having none of it.

"We've tried intelligence. Get me a better weapon."

Lt. General Lyons walks off, leaving Laswell to watch her off. Faint traces of annoyance flicker in her eye.

"Gathering intelligence is one thing. Acting on it is another." Ironwood glanced at Ozpin who glance back. "In my experience, direct and immediate action is enough to address a potential threat."

"Perhaps so," Ozpin admits. He lifts his mug to his lips. "But does that address the root of the threat in the short term, or long term?"

Qrow scowls, "Don't go charging in gun blazing. You're gonna lose people if you don't think it through."

"Like you're any better when you're drunk?" Winter shots back.

"You clearly haven't seen me drunk."

/-/

The screen transitions to a tropic climate at night and some ruined buildings. The sound of someone's phone vibrating could be heard.

"John?"

"Laswell."

"Calling in a problem solver." Mercury scratches his cheek. "Typical thing for a spy to do. I think."

A vehicle with its headlight on was driving through the road curving through the forest. A sniper is seen setting up and mounting an AX-50 sniper rifle in the window in one of the ruined buildings. A car is seen approaching and the sniper adjusts the scope.

"I wonder what kind of model is that sniper rifle." Said Ruby in a soft voice.

"Obviously not something of our world," Weiss replies.

Yang frowns. "And not something I want to see used on a person without aura."

Blake nods in agreement, mumbling a small 'yeah' that's barely audible.

"Where are you?"

"Occupied." John Price said matter-of-factly.

"I've got a problem."

"Called it." Mercury looked happy with himself.

Emerald rolls her eyes. "Uh-huh."

It barely took Price a second to correctly guess the CIA Station Chief's problem.

"Russians?"

The sniper scope's crosshairs show it targeting the driver and the passenger of the car.

Half of the audience held their breath, waiting for a shot to meet its mark.

Roman narrows his eyes. "Time to fix things, huh?"

"Pop goes the weasel." Read Neo's sign.

"Words travel fast." Sound both impressed and sarcastic. "Chemical weapons have fallen into terrorist hands. They could be anywhere. Paris, New York..."

The sniper is ready to shoot. The camera shifts to reveal the sniper, face turns away from the angle.

"London." Price adds in.

A bullet whizzes and the sniper is shot in the head by Price from the building across facing the sniper.

"Ow, wow." Coco flinched, "There's blood on the screen."

Velvet gulps, "Was that…?"

"When can you brief?"

Price stands up to look at the sniper he just killed.

"We just did."

"Ah, so he's the counter-sniper." Said Elm.

/-/

The scene changes to the busy streets of London. Cars are seen driving and pedestrians are walking through the streets of London.

"This is London? Quite a lively place. But a narrow street and a traffic jam…" Port furrows his eyebrows. "Not the best environment should anything goes wrong."

"And it's the nightlife as well," Yang remarks.

"This is going to be bad…" Jaune whimpers.

The camera focuses on an SUV driving in the traffic. SAS Sgt. Kyle Garrick with three Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers (CTSFO) is seen inside the SUV. Their superior named Raven radios them.

"Sergeant Garrick, roger up."

"Go for Garrick."

"Terror threat level is now critical. Possibly multiple attackers. Bombers or something worse."

"Do we have snipers in position?" Sgt. Kyle asks as he rolls down a window in the SUV.

"Negative, Sergeant. Can't unduly alarm the public."

"The cost of public unease in exchange for safety is difficult to balance." Ozpin sighs and glances at his mug. "What say you, James?"

"The people's safety is and will always be my utmost priority." Ironwood answers.

The two may differ on their approach, but they'll silently acknowledge and admire the conviction of the other on what they think is right. Unfortunately, this often leads to a clash of ideals that can be seen during this year's Vytal Festival.

A small white text screen appears to the lower left-hand side of the screen reading:

Piccadilly
25 OCT 2019 1800
Sgt. Kyle Garrick
SAS with CTSFO
London, UK

Nora scratches her head. "CTSFO?"

"Counter-Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer." Answered the Hosts.

"Oooh…"

"Terrorists know that too, sir?"

"Garrick, don't turn London into a war zone. Clear?" Raven warns him sternly.

Sgt. Kyle briefly grimaced before answering, "Yeah. Crystal. Out."

"It's going to turn into one either way." Mercury shrugs.

"It is inevitable." Cinder softly voices her agreement.

Sgt. Crowley, a member of CTFSO, decides to talk to the group in the SUV. "Looks like we're on our own, lads..."

A police constable next to Kyle, Cst. Brooks, speaks up.

"We'll handle it..."

"Let's get it done, yeah?"

"A-firm."

Cst. Brooks look out the window and noticed something out of place.

"Sergeant." Cst. Brooks calls out to Sgt. Kyle. A white van is seen heading in the opposite direction in the two-way street. "Heads up, white van."

The group looks inside the van windows and sees three men within the van. An Al-Qatala insurgent is seen holding an X16 and explosives. Everything was visible for them to see.

"That's very conspicuous." Winter growls.

"This will be a cramped confrontation," Clover said grimly.

Pyrrha sharply drew in her breath. "They need to stop them. Now."

"There are too many bystanders around to act rashly," Ren said in a low voice.

Sgt. Crowley turns his head away from the window to mutter his assessment to his teammates. "Weapons in view..."

"That's them..." Sgt. Kyle quickly radios Raven. "Sabre to Raven, white van, multiple military-aged males, weapons visible, moving to intercept."

Raven perks up upon hearing her name but relaxes when it was obvious that it wasn't referring to her.

Kyle and the others ready their M19 handguns. They exit the SUV and head towards the van. A car abruptly stops and almost hits Police Constable Fowler. The civilians nearby let out a gasp and chatter amongst themselves in fright as the counter-terrorist team move to stop the white van.

"Roger. Unless an attack is imminent – Do not engage."

Coco looked baffled, "What do they mean 'do not engage'? Those guys are clearly up to no good!"

"I'd reckon this is their rules of engagement." Said Ozpin. "A reactionary approach."

"An ill-advised rule." Ironwood scoffs, "That will only get them killed."

"White van. Left side." Said Cst. Brooks.

"Go! Go!" Sgt. Kyle sharply whispers, prompting them to quicken their pace to catch up with the white van.

Four Al-Qatala insurgents in a car to the right see Kyle and his team heading towards the van. An insurgent gets out of the car to inform his comrades in the van to warn his associates that they are coming.

"They're here, brothers! They're here! Go!"

"Come 'ere!" Cst. Brooks pulls the male fighter to the ground and points his weapon at him. "Don't fucking weapon!"

"Police! Freeze!" Sgt. Crowley barks at the insurgents.

Two male fighters in the van step out the back of the van. One of them continues to move towards them.

Everyone expected a firefight to ensure but was taken aback by how neither side opened fire. It would seem that the rules of engagement the counter-terrorist unit is following had mitigated any escalation of the situation.

"Woah, woah! Put the gun down" Said one of the insurgents, hands outward to placate them.

"Get your hands up! NOW!" Sgt. Crowley maintained his stance while balancing his sight between the three insurgents.

"Get down on the ground!" Cst. Brooks ordered. "Right now!"

"You're making a mistake..." The insurgent warns.

"Not gonna tell you again!"

"Just deck the guy and arrest them already," Harriet said with urgency. She could tell that everything is about to spiral out of control.

The driver of the white van floors it.

"They're takin' off!"

"Raven, suspect vehicle is headed your way." Sgt. Kyle hastily radios Raven.

The white van turned early at the intersection and slams into the corner, setting off an explosion that knocked everyone to the ground. A brilliant bright orange explosion shook the streets of London, shattering windows and launching debris everywhere.

Silent horror flickers across the faces of some of the audiences as madness ensue in the street of London.

"So, it begins." While Cinder doesn't enjoy chaos and destruction to the extent of Tyrian's, she does find it amusing at times.

"Sabre 2, missed your last. Say again?"

Sgt. Kyle could barely hear Raven through with ringing of his ears and the sound of chaos forming. Civilians are seen wounded or dead on the ground and some wrecked cars on fire. Sgt. Crowley gets up and sees an Al-Qatala fighter pointing his M1911 at Cst. Brooks and Sgt. Garrick.

"Gun! Gun!" Rang Sgt. Crowley's warning cries.

An insurgent stands over Cst. Brooks while the man moves backward to find his weapon, but is shot and killed by the fighter.

"Damn! Should have taken them down earlier!" Harriet half snarls at the scene.

"No!" Kyle pulls out his weapon to shoot the fighter that killed Brooks and was quick to assist his teammates to eliminate the other fighters. "Clear!"

"Fuck!" Sgt. Crowley curses loudly, "Brooks' gone! They fucking got him!"

"Sabre 2, what the hell is going on down there?"

"Everything's going to hell." Raven snarky replies.

"There's been a detonation at Piccadilly Circus!" He relays back to his superior. "Shots fired! Officers down! We need medical down here now!"

Screaming and crackling flames tingle the air along with the sound of gunfire popping throughout the area. Everything is in chaos.

Qrow grimaced, "Sounds like more of those guys shooting around the streets."

"A devastating coordinated attack," Yatsuhashi said somberly.

Glynda silently maintained her stoic composure but mourns for those who had already fallen to the terrorists attack.

"Fucking hell, Kyle!" Outrage shone brightly in Sgt. Crowley's eyes, matching the flames that coat Piccadilly Circus. "Look what they did to our home!"

"They're not done yet. Let's move!"

"The fight for one's home can bring out the best… Or the worst." Ren said in a low voice, briefly remembering about his destroyed home village.

"Let's get after 'em, Kyle!" As the two moved down the street, they could hear renewed gunfire. Only this one is much closer. "That's AK fire!"

Through the burning smoke, they could make out an Al-Qatala fighter standing on top of a car and shooting a driver multiple times. Two police constables get out of their car to assist Garrick and his team. Fowler points out the fighter shooting on top of the car.

"On the car!"

Vernal snorts, "What an idiot, shooting out in the open like that."

More Al-Qatala fighters show up with assault rifles as civilians are seen running away from the attackers. The influx of civilians running through their line of fire made it difficult for them to do their job, having to also differentiate between who is a friend and who is a foe. With their threat assessment kicking into full gear, they've managed to eliminate a handful of Al-Qatala fighters through the crowds of fleeing civilians.

"Yeah, and we got fucking sidearms!"

"Get down! Get down!" Cst. Fowler did his best to get the civilians to safety while he fends off the terrorists. "Get to safety! Run!"

Tai lets out a sigh of relief, happy that he didn't witness civilians accidentally getting shot. "Some close calls in there."

"Yes, and more are still bound to die." Raven callously remarks.

"All units, be advised, suspects, moving southbound through the shops."

"They're in the buildings! We need to clear 'em out!"

"Which way?!" Asked a police constable.

Raven can be heard on the radio requesting an ambulance for downed officers while Sgt. Crowley tends to several cowering civilians.

"Get out of here! Go!"

"It's not safe here! Go! Go on! Get out of here!"

Weiss winces, "Clearing terrorists out of buildings too? This will be a slow and tedious operation."

"It's something we all might be doing one day." Said Ruby with a firm look. "Saving people and taking out threats is a huntress's job."

"I know. Just saying."

With most of the civilians behind them, they begin to move up.

"Moving up!"

"Roger!"

Sgt. Kyle ducks behind a car and sprints towards a nearby building.

He witnessed a fleeing civilian get shot in the back and collapse, but couldn't do anything. All he could do is move on and eliminate the threats.

Robyn sadly shakes her head. "The feeling of being helpless is awful." She clenches her fist. "But at least they can make the people responsible pay."

He stomps up the stairs into a store selling headphones and clothing, spotting three civilians kneeling on the floor. An Al-Qatala fighter had a pistol pointed at them, ready to execute them. Sgt. Kyle quickly brought up his gun and fired three bullets into the Al-Qatala fighter, putting the insurgent down for good. The civilians let out a scream and begin scrambling once they've realized that the man who held them at gunpoint is no longer standing.

"Go!" Sgt. Kyle barks, "Get safe!"

"Dodge the bullet there." Yang breathes a sigh of relief.

"We'll let that pun slide." Said Blake.

On the radio, he could hear Raven speaking on all channels about the attack on Piccadilly Circus.

"All units, all units – Attack is underway at Piccadilly Circus. Multiple IC1 shooters on site."

"Raven, Sabre 2." He radios in. "Hostages secure, one suspect KIA. Electronics store. North building."

The fire within Robyn's eyes flared up. "Suspect my ass. That guy was going to kill indiscriminately!"

"Received. Medical response teams are on the way. Keep clearing those buildings. Sergeant."

Sgt. Kyle took cover at the store's entrance, picking off any terrorist in sight.

"C'mon move!" Sgt. Crowley gesture the civilians to get out of their way. "Move! Get to safety!"

"Left or right, sir?!" Cst. Fowler asked Sgt. Crowley. But Sgt. Kyle already had a place in mind.

"Just follow me!"

A police constable is seen helping a wounded civilian near the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and telling civilians to get out of the area.

"Get out of here! Go!"

"All units, check fire! Check fire! Civilians are in the area! ARVs proceed to Piccadilly Circus. Officers down. I say again, officers down."

"It's going to be difficult getting the entire area under control with their limitations. They'll need to determine a perimeter to establish and move in if they want to contain the threat." Clover lists. "And there's a chance a separate threat exists beyond the confines."

"Yeah… Fighting Grimm tearing through the city is one thing. People on the other hand…" Marrow trails off.

A suicide bomber sprinted in their direction, screaming widely with his arms wide open. Sgt. Kyle and Cst. Fowler reacted quickly and gunned down the suicide bomber, detonating the explosive device and splattering them with blood, guts, and dust.

"Bloody hell! He blew up! He just blew himself up!" Yelps a nearby police constable.

Most of the students let out an exclamation of shock upon witnessing the gruesome scene.

Roman made a face, "Talk about dedication."

"Urgh." Weiss looked a bit green watching the scene. "Just how fanatical do you have to be to strap a bomb onto yourself?!"

"The ones who really believe in their cause," Blake answers grimly, also sharing a look of disgust.

More explosions erupted around the fountain, shaking Sgt. Kyle's vision and knocking several officers off balance. Two cars screech by and crash into a parked vehicle, prompting the police and Sgt. Kyle to train their guns on the cars in case they were Al-Qatala fighters. Discerning movements from a building behind the crashed vehicles, Sgt. Kyle saw a terrorist emerging and pointing his rifle at them. He swivels his pistol and unloaded all his bullets at the Al-Qatala fighter, downing the hostile.

He's supported by two police constables, allowing him to reload his gun and check in with his superior.

"Raven, this Sabre 2. Where's the bloody Army?!"

"2-6, Army Assault Team has been deployed." Raven quickly answers. "No ETA at this time."

"Their only best options: Hold out until the army arrives." Elm tucks a strain of hair behind her ear. "Easier said than done."

Vine nods, "More so considering their limitations."

Having received his answer, Sgt. Kyle prepares himself to move forward.

"Let's move!"

Sgt. Kyle stayed low and made a dash towards a police vehicle. His heart leaps in his chest as he saw another suicide bomber sprinting out from the building.

"For our leader! You will die here! For the Wolf!" Screamed the Al-Qatala suicide bomber.

"They're crazy!" Oscar yelps.

"Bomb vest! Shoot him! Shoo-!"

The suicide bomber was dispatched, but his body fell too close were two police constables were taking cover. The resulting explosions killed the two police constables, dwindling their numbers even further.

"Oh…!" Coco gritted her teeth and winced.

"Crude, but effective." Said Cinder.

Her face didn't express approval or disapproval making Emerald and Mercury feel uneasy.

"Raven. Sabre 2! Officers down outside the Tanto building! Officers down!"

"Bloody hell!"

Gunfire erupted from a nearby bookstore, prompting the Sgt. Kyle and the police surround the building. Sgt. Kyle did a swift sweep of the first floor and found a police officer and several civilians getting pinned down by an Al-Qatala fighter on the second floor.

"Shooter! Up top!"

With accurate aiming, Sgt. Kyle put a bullet into the Al-Qatala head, freeing the officer and the civilians.

"A crack shot, that lad is." Port fingers his mustache. "Clearly well trained and discipline."

"Let's get up there!"

Sgt. Kyle swiftly moved up the stairs and spotted two insurgents aiming their rifles out the window. A burst of bullets sprayed from his gun, killing the Al-Qatala fighters without fanfare. He continues his sweep of the second floor and found nothing. Other than a dead civilian, there was no one else left.

"This is Sabre 2, book shop secure."

He made his way towards to window to assess the situation at a higher ground, managing to pick off a handful of Al-Qatala fighters rushing their perimeter.

Tai lets out a low hiss. "How many of these guys are running around on the streets?"

"Just enough to prolong this." Raven grunts.

"Sergeant, those civilians at the bus need our help!" A police officer radioed the Sgt. Kyle.

The SAS Sergeant pulled himself from the window and rushed downstairs, only to find two officers getting pinned down by an insurgent.

"Sir! There's a hostile near the red bus! He's targeting civilians!"

A brief firefight erupted that saw the end of several Al-Qatala fighters, freeing up a path to the bus. They begin to secure the bus and make a sweep of the area, eliminating more Al-Qatala fighters and a suicide bomber. Spotting a weapon to his liking, Sgt. Kyle picked up an assault rifle and several clips off a dead Al-Qatala fighter. New weapon in hand, he begins to clear the area of the insurgents in tangent with the police officers.

Soon, they were slowly encircling the Tanto building. An area where there seems to be a concentrated amount of Al-Qatala fighters.

"Most of those terrorists are gathering around that building." Winter notes, "Clearing it out should be a priority."

"Might be their stronghold or base of operations." Marrow added in.

"Whichever the case is, they'll need to proceed with caution. They're still waiting for their military to arrive." Said Ironwood.

"Yeah! They're holed up in the Tanto building."

"They're falling back to the Tanto building." Repeated Cst. Fowler.

"Copy Sergeant, suspects are retreating into the Tanto building to the Northwest. We need all units covering the Tanto building, now!"

"Garrick, they need us at the Tanto building! Let's go!"

Sgt. Kyle didn't need to be told twice and went to lift the fallen doors.

Harriet's forehead crest up. "He's wide open."

Nearly pushing the debris off, he caught a glimpse of a fighter charging at him with a knife, and grabbed the fighter's arm, pinning him on the spot. A bullet immediately hits the fighter in the head, dropping the man to the ground.

"… That was a closed call." Neptune breathes out.

Sun nods, "Yeah. Good thing the guy didn't have a gun on him."

Sgt. Kyle turns to see Price and two SAS soldiers approaching him.

He raises a hand defensively, "Blue! Blue!"

"Would have sucked if they misidentified and shot him in all this mess." Said Emerald.

"I see you." Price said as he walks up to him. "You armed up?"

"Yes, sir."

Price helps Kyle lift the doors and fix the sergeant a serious look.

"Captain Price... You're with me."

"Sergeant Garrick."

Price and Garrick walk inside the Tanto building, weapons readied.

Jaune frowns, "Just the two of them?"

"They must be the Special Air Service we've heard about. I'm sure they're capable." Pyrrha assures him.

Nora had a sour look on her face. "There better not be any more of those crazy suicide bombers in there…"

"Wish them luck." Ren quietly said.

Captain Price eyes a dead Al-Qatala fighter, then checks his corner. They hear it. A faint beeping sound of a bomb.

Velvet pales. "I think I hear a bomb."

"Check those corners..."

It didn't take long for them to find several hostages on the upper level of the building. One of them has explosives strapped to his body.

"Help! HELP!"

"Hostages." Captain Price calmly assesses. "Up top."

"Up here!"

"We need help up here!"

"Someone! Someone please!"

Robyn frowns. "A hostage situation?"

"Maybe." Said Clover.

"Could be a trap." Harriet throws out. "Somethings off."

The two cautiously, but quickly made their up the stairs to the upper level and find several hostages tied and kneeling on the floor. All of them were blindfolded by a bag placed over their heads. Except for one. The one who had a bomb strapped to his body.

"Get it off me! Please!" Begged the hostage. He's a man around his sixties, frantically breathing while putting his hand in the air. "Get it off me!"

"Sergeant, I need you over here."

"Help me... Help me, I'm not one of them!"

Ruby lets out a gasp. "Oh, no."

"No terrorists, but…" Yang grips her arm tightly.

Sgt. Kyle moves to assist Price with saving the hostage, checking the device strapped around his body. Packs of explosives were intertwined with red and white wires, steady beeping.

"All stations, we have a man with a bomb strapped to him. Keep your distance." Captain Price warns through the radio.

"I don't wanna die. Please. I don't wanna die, mate. I wanna go home..."

Sgt. Kyle looks over the explosive vest looking for a way to remove it. His eyes fell on a padlock on the vest and tried to forcibly remove it but to no avail.

"It won't open-!" He growls in frustration.

"I wanna see my family again... I..."

The hostage kept begging, whispering, pleading for his life to be saved.

Raven's eyes were devoid of any empathy. "Pleading isn't going to stop a bomb from exploding."

Captain Price moves in and grabs Sgt. Kyle's arm, looking straight into his eyes with dead seriousness.

"Can you help him?!" He sharply asked the sergeant.

"I wanna see my girls, please..."

"I'm trying..."

"Let me see my girls!"

Jaune nervously bit his nails. "Come on, come on."

Penny scans the bomb vest, looking distressed. "Can't analyze the bomb design. Their best option is calling in or remotely consulting an explosive ordnance disposal technician."

The timer on the bomb vest begins beeping faster towards its final countdown. Sgt. Kyle sees the timer display at 00:06.

"It's going off."

Sgt. Kyle looks at the hostage and the bomb vest. The hostage looks back at him with eyes wide, mouth agape in stunned silence.

Maria felt her heart still for a moment the moment she saw the countdown. "This isn't good for my heart."

Pietro covers his mouth, stunned silence.

"I can't get it! I can't-!"

"No time!"

Captain Price grabs Kyle and shoves him backward away from the hostage before turning his attention to the hostage.

"Help me! Help me! Wait!" The hostage begs hysterically, horror dawning on what the man is about to do to him. "What are you doing?! No! Don't!"

At that moment, everyone within the theater room went still and quiet.

Nora's eyes widen. Her hands instinctively grip Ren's as the dreadful sensation welt up in her. "He's going too…!"

"… Save many." Vernal finishes for her.

The hostage tried to grab onto Captain Price, but the man reacted quickly, lifting up the hostage and dropping him over the railing to fall below.

"Captain! No!"

Captain Price jumps out of the way in time before the bomb explodes, killing the hostage but sparing everyone else in the room. Everyone was knocked to the ground. Heads spinning, vision blurry, and ears ringing. Captain Price and Sgt. Kyle laid on the floor, recovering from the shockwave of the explosion.

No words could be said for what they've witnessed. While others are less empathic than others, it doesn't make it less unnerving when they've looked into the eyes of a doomed man, now dead.

"To sacrifice one for others to live." Ozpin finally speaks in a steely tone. "A steep price to pay, but others will live on."

Like you're the one to talk. Raven thought with a sneer.

Grimacing, Captain Price speaks into his radio set. "All stations... Bomber's clear- prep medical, we're comin' out." He pulls himself up and addresses the hostages. "Everybody stay calm. We're gonna get you out of here." Captain Price then turns to Sgt. Kyle. "You broken?"

"I'm good..."

"Probably traumatized for life now." Neo showed her sign to Roman, which he nods in agreement.

The man puts out his hand and helps Sgt. Kyle to his feet.

"Let's go."

The screen fades to black.

The light slowly returns to the theater, but it didn't brighten the mood overshadowing the audience.

Nora was clutching Ren tightly, seemingly going into shock. The scene had reopened an old wound. After all, it was Nora's mother who abandoned her to the Creatures of Grimm to save herself. While Nora is unlikely to find fault with Captain Price's actions given their positions, it released all of her repressed thoughts and emotions.

"Nora…"

"I'm fine, Ren." Nora releases him and smiles sadly. "It's nothing. Our Hosts got the best therapy in the multiverse."

"Still…"

"We're here for you." Jaune found this moment to be too personal and awkward to butt in, but he wanted to make it clear that she's not alone. "Well, if you need someone to talk to. You can count on us. We're a team."

"We're a family." Pyrrha corrects him with a smile.

"Aw. Thanks, guys!" She wraps her arm around her teammates and squeezed them tightly.

Raven rolls her eyes at Team JNPR. "How touching. What's next on the list? More horrible things for these weak-hearted brats to see?"

"The next viewing will take place during Earth's Great War. World War 1, as many would call it. But there is nothing to fear about, for there is no violence that is to take place in the next viewing."

Oobleck looked interested. "Are we witnessing the end of this Great War?"

"A reasonable assumption, but it is not correct. What you shall be witnessing is the Christmas Truce of 1914."


NEXT: Joyeux Noel - Christmas Truce of World War 1


If you see any errors or misspelling, let me know so I can fix them.

Never a moment of rest... Ugh.