Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.
20 mins earlier
"What's going on here?"
Up top, the stairs stand Summer, eyes solemn and posture tired, yet staring down me and Qrow for what seems to be the second time today. She changes into pajamas, seemingly waiting for Qrow to come upstairs for some time. Qrow and I exchange a bitter, angry glance before the gray-haired huntsman tells her, "Sorry Sum, me and Mr. Robot here were talking a little loud."
"For lack of a better term," I whisper under my breath as I walk away from the two. I should have stayed and told Summer what Qrow said- that is what a kid does. Maybe I should've just left before Qrow began his insult. I just couldn't for some reason.
Two days ago he insulted my compatriots after they were torn to pieces, screaming in horror and eaten alive as the Grimm toyed with them before putting them out of their pain, only a few put up a fight. I only hoped the Sergeant and scientists that made it are able to stop the U.N from coming through.
"If they can."
The portal was clearly gone, Summer telling me sometime earlier that she couldn't find it. I have no doubt she thinks of me as a crazy person who drank too much and got lost. I kinda knew this was the case, I just didn't want to accept it. There was some part of me hoping to find a way home.
"Is it really home?" H.U.D.A.C.C chimes in, his voice heard only to me.
Opening the door, I'm greeted with a dark outside air, the environment almost pitched black except the well-lit house, the windows glowing like moths lost in the moonless night. Settling on the patio chair I put up my feet on the fence. "You and I know why Earth is still our home." ripping off a bandage that only covered a scratch- well, a scratch to me, a wound to others. There are a couple of benefits of having an all-metal body.
"And you know what Earth does to us. Am not the first to say. There were others. If we return, the U.N would see fit to drain out what we'd saw, you would be critically damaged, mentally impaired, and I...well, as I said, I wouldn't be the first."
"Old habits die hard I guess." grunting as I tear off shrapnel of metal from the skin, the blood trickling down my arm towards the ground. "Alright say we stay, how long would we last without resupply of nanoblood, neuro-Nanos, Denitro, and other shit they pump in me?"
He gives a robotic chuckle, "Not long I guess. But as a human once said, 'Everyone dies. Some sooner than others.'
"You only live once." a catchphrase from a favorite show of mine.
With all the tubing out of the way, I lean back on the chair, placing my hands behind my head in a relaxed position. The aching feeling fading as the nanoblood clots any wounds that Summer- I presume- couldn't patch up.
I have to admit: as much I despise Qrow, he and Summer make one happy couple. The name Qrow is one who brings dark omens, some minor, small injuries to oneself or others, but also disasters ranging from unfortunate events to a person's day turning them upside down. Someone who lived a good, law-abiding, happy life for eighty-years could all of a sudden turn to a nightmare. Where all they could think is: why? Why now?
The true meaning of the crow.
But Summer brings the light out of a shadow. She gives off a radiance of infectious happiness to all those around her, hell I, perhaps the most apathetic person in the entire United Nations who feels like he died hundreds of times over and over again can feel the drive to continue. I wager it was Summer's shine that made Qrow change in some way. Maybe he's just like me.
If he is, then he's hiding it well. Better than me.
Their kid is more Summer than Qrow. She's an exact replica of her. What gives her away is the single strand of gray hair. When I've seen her- Ruby I think- she was playing with action figures, reading stories of...hustmen's? And huntresses?
So much of this world is so confusing.
Nations are called kingdoms but ruled by councils and oligarchies. The elites are much more truthful from what's told. A single 'kingdom' has conquered almost the entire globe by force alone. A second species exists alongside humans now being exterminated like the Jews or Armenians in a fashion similar to what the Nazis and Soviets did to their own people. So much of Remnant is unknown to me.
"Maybe-"
"No." I firmly tell him.
If H.U.D.A.C.C was smart he'd drop it rather than continue. Too bad I'm a little smarter than him. Afterall; blowing up the dam destroyed the entire Polish division before they reached Krakow, even though my handlers punished me for it. Guess they needed it.
"But...I do have another reason. Once we find a way to reopen the portal, we'll be leaving back for Earth. It's not that Remnant isn't better than Earth, but if the U.N tries to go back through, then the people of Remnant are in for a nightmare. I don't think even Atlas can stand a chance against them."
"You wish to delay the United Nations from entering Remnant? What will this achieve?"
"Think about it. Helping the White Fang and Resistance might overthrow Atlas, giving the power back to the three other kingdoms...uh, their names?"
"Mistral, Vale, and Vacuo."
"Right! Those. Anyway, we give them the technology they'll actually be able to create based on their dust application, it really seems to be useful, they could make one capable of space travel. Anti-gravity, anyone?" I ask blankly around me, a faint wind answering back. "Once achieved, we'll open the portal- somehow- delay the U.N by any means necessary to give their scientists time. And if we're alive, we go back and defend this planet."
The A.I pauses in contemplation before answering, "Despite numerous loopholes in those plans, I highly doubt the chances of our survival. The U.N would most likely set up a base around the portal and send delegates with even better technology or resources to the settlements on Patch. And the way Atlas is moving-"
"My way or highway. Either way, we are going back." I responded flatly.
"Fine. But I suggest we-", the A.I start as he stops abruptly.
Before I can question what H.U.D.A.C.C found, I see from the distance the faint glitch in the dark sky, the sound of engines ring as the craft appears from nowhere. It must have used some kind of stealth tech to avoid detection, not even my sensors spotted it till now, and even now it's faint, the dot on my radar small and tiny, my optics having a hard to find the aircraft's outline.
But there it was.
Running to the house I yell for Qrow and Summer, "Qrow, Summer! Get up! We're under-!" as I reach for the knob a blast of energy pushes me a couple of feet away as I smack against a tree. As I get up to recover I see the craft's door slide open, the people jumping out of it. They didn't seem to drop a rope to the ground, its as if they practiced this day and night. One of them sticks out. Her alabaster hair stands outs, a glimmer of a sword clipped to her hip, the white skin perfectly maintained. She looks different than any other Atlesian grunt I fought so far. Her sleeve bears a single snowflake.
Instinctively I reach for my gun and start shooting at the exposed crew, one of them flickers in bright energy as the first burst hits him before the second burst makes him painted in blood.
"So that's Aura?", the man cries out before falling onto the snow-covered ground as their leader barks out, "Take out the Branwen's! I got this one."
She pulls out the sword from the sheath, it rings a sharp noise audible to all, barely covered by the craft's engine. I take aim at the soldiers storming into the house until I get lifted off the ground. The huntress in white jumps into the air as the sword sliced into me, the energy shield blocking it at the last second, the steel blade sliding off the blue barrier.
"H.U.D.A.C.C!", I aim again at the huntress who materialized a flock of birds soaring at me. "Shields up," he replies calmly, the shield extends around me as the birds either fly around it or disintegrate into dust when they hit. She sneers under her hood, charging again. Realizing this I begin to fire into the huntress again. The bullets have no effect when she summoned an ice wall out of nowhere, stopping the bullets as she uses the ice to slide, giving me less time to react. She thrusts and I dodge away from the sharp blade as she starts swinging it quickly, however, close the attack came it was deflected by my deflector.
Jumping into the air I fire a barrage of bullets from my rifle and the move did naught except make her move into the forest surrounding the cabin.
I chase after her, her white uniform darting through the forests like a beacon shouting, "Here! Over here!"
Using my thrusters I flew on the branches as I studied her movement, making me appear like I lost her trail. She ran and looked behind her. She seems to notice my lack of presence, but rather than running back to the house, she keeps running through the woods as though she's trying to find me.
"Cloaking activated.", H.U.D.A.C.C says. The skin starts morphing like glass, the dark metal changing to a burst of colors as the environment and I change into one scenery. Creeping in the trees I notice she seems...different.
Her uniform remains white, but, her complexion is pale. Like more pale than usual. It's as if she's been sitting a blizzard all-day, I zoom my vision in to get a better look.
"H.U.D.A.C.C. Doesn't she look...strange?"
"Perhaps its a form of semblance: her temperature has dropped considerably, so much so I have a hard keeping track of her thermals. In fact, her core temperature is too cold."
"How? I thought those birds were her semblance?"
"Sir, I'm sending you a prediction run. Follow it.", red lines form a chain across the branches in the trees.
I run at full speed, jumping and turning over the branches, but landing softly in order to stay hidden. She still hasn't slowed down a bit, but now she doesn't seem to bother where am at.
"Surprise motherfucker!", I lunge from the tree and tackle her side. We both tumble around the forest ground, her head hitting a stump whereas I barrel roll into landing. Not giving her a chance I whip out my kukri and slash the bitch in the neck. The head flys off, shattering against the tree.
"Wait what?", her head shattered into shards of ice. I'm not a doctor and I sure as hell didn't pay attention during biology class, but am certain a head doesn't shatter into ice. Just ask Qi or Ba...oh wait, they were part of that tank column I destroyed two centuries ago. Anyways, her body starts to melt and shatter in the arms and legs. The sword falls apart in snowflakes.
It dawns on me.
Turning back on my heels I look back at the house, an orange glow alight in the distance. I turn back to the body only to be struck behind the head.